Author's Note: My very first DBZ fic so please be kind. Takes place right after the Buu saga, but ignores the last few episodes of DBZ and certainly GT. See end note for more details after you read the story. Enjoy and please review!

Last Journey Home

By: Silver Spider

Flying back to Capsule Corp. from the mountains where he and Goten had spent the day playing hide-n-seek and searching for treasure, Trunks was not sure which of his parents' wrath he was more afraid of: his father's for missing training or his mother's for staying out past his curfew. He knew both would be furious, so it was just a matter of deciding if he should go inside to take whatever punishment his mother had in store for him or to the gravity room where his father was most likely still training. The boy had just decided that the gravity room was probably the safer of the two options and landed on the roof of Capsule Corp. when he realized that there was no need to decide after all.

Both of his parents were outside, but they were not alone, and the gravity room was no longer the only strange contraption that adorned the back yard. Next to the unfamiliar object – and Trunks immediately recognized it as a product of Capsule Corp. even if he'd never seen anything like it before – stood a young man, maybe a little older than Gohan. From his angle on the roof, Trunks could not see much but a head of lavender hair, discolored by the natural light from the lamps in the backyard. He strained to hear what was being said.

"What has happened?" his father's brows were, as ever, drawn together. "Is there to be another attack?"

"No," the young man shook his head. "At least nothing I'm aware of. I'm sorry to worry you and to intrude like this. I just... I needed to be anywhere but there for a while."

"You're always welcome here," his mother hugged the youth, and to Trunks' amazement, not only did his father not object but even placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "I will tell you why I'm here, but can it wait till morning? I'm... exhausted."

"Of course, honey. Take any guest bedroom you want and go straight to bed. I'll bring you whatever you need. Is there anything in particular you want from your ship?"

"I didn't bring much," the youth shook his head and touched the collar of his jeans jacket and the hilt of the sword strapped to his back, "just this. It was kind of a spur of the moment decision to come."

"No problem. We'll get you some clean clothes first thing in the morning. Go and rest."

"You're the best," the newcomer squeezed her hand, nodded to Vegeta, and went inside.

Trunks blinked several times before realizing that his room was a safer place to wonder about anything. Maybe if he could sneak inside without his parents knowing, they might think he'd been back for hours. It would not save him from getting in trouble for slacking of on training, but maybe his mother wouldn't know he had stayed out so late. As quietly as he could, the boy began to climb down the roof.

"Trunks."

If he thought he'd get away in one piece, Trunks realized he was sourly mistaken when his father's voice reached him a third of the way down from the rooftop. Bracing himself, he floated down to the ground and stood in front of his parents, head bowed. But when he dared to glance up to gage their wrath, he was met with stern but hardly angry looks.

"Isn't it past your bed time?"

"Yes, Father."

"Then go and sleep."

"Yes, Father."

He ran into the house only briefly wondering how he got away with his life and limb.

After tossing and turning for an hour, Trunks still could not fall asleep. It was like his brain was on overdrive. Too many questions floated through it, and they all circled around the newcomer and his parents odd treatment of the youth. It was not out of character for his mother to be warm and welcoming, but his father... the best any visitors ever received from Vegeta was silence.

Flinging his covers to the side, the boy slipped out of bed. Maybe a snack might help him sleep. Padding barefoot on the hardwood floor, Trunks made it halfway to the kitchen before a noise made him stop in the door frame of the family room. The balcony door was open – it was usually open with so many flight-capable friends and family members – and sounds from outside were easily heard.

Someone was on the roof. Trunks naturally assumed it was his father. It was hardly unusual for him to spend time alone up there at night, staring into the endless abyss of the sky. But the more he listened, the more Trunks realized that the footsteps were too heavy and irregular to be his father's. Something just wasn't right. He stepped onto the balcony as quietly as he could. When he chanced a glance up at the curved roof of their dome shaped house, he saw that he was half right; his father was indeed on the roof, but he was not alone.

"Mind if I join you?"

Their visitor took a seat next to Vegeta when the man grunted his permission. Trunks was dumbfounded. His father was a man who liked his space. He'd never seen anyone but his mother and occasionally himself in such close proximity to him, and here the stranger was. It confused Trunks and even made him a little jealous. His father and the young man sat side by side for so long, the boy nearly nodded off to sleep again. He rubbed his eyes furiously and continued to quietly watch the pair. It felt like forever, but finally the youth spoke.

"My mother is dead."

The youth's voice was so quiet that Trunks nearly missed his words. The change in his father's posture would have been inconspicuous to anyone who had not known Vegeta for many years. He turned his head ever so slightly to have a better look at the young man, but his expression remained impassive. The lavender-haired youth continued, his head bowed.

"It was a few days ago from my perspective. One night she was fine, smiling and talking to me, and in the morning she was gone. I don't know exactly what happened. She was always very sad. I guess she felt guilty that she survived while everyone else... I know she fought hard for me, but once I destroyed the androids in our time, she must have decided I'd be alright without her and she finally let go of life. It makes me sad, but at the same time, I'm glad she's with her friends again, with my father."

Now Trunks understood. How very sad and lonely it must be for the the young man to have lost his mother and father. He felt a little guilty for the burst of jealousy that passed through him earlier, but continued to stay and listen. It was quiet again for a long moment, but then his father spoke.

"What will you do now?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I spent the last few days helping people rebuilt. It kept me from dwelling too much on my own loss, but I realized they don't really need my help. I didn't know what else to do, so I came here."

Another long silence. Even tired, Trunks wondered how they could stand it. He'd never met anyone else who could be so still and quiet for so long as his father. Maybe Piccolo, but he did not know him too well. For the second time, it was his father who broke the silence.

"I should not need to say this, but you know you are welcome to stay here. Permanently."

"I don't want to intrude on your family. You already have a son."

"Then I will have two. It's hardly a tragic concept. Besides, do you really think your mother will let you leave after she discovers the circumstances under which you are here?"

What's that mean? Trunks frowned. Didn't he say his mom died? He did not understand what was going on, but it was becoming increasingly obvious to him that it was a conversation he should not be listening in on. Tired and distressed for reasons he could not quite explain, the boy quietly trotted back to bed.

He was finally drifting off to sleep when he heard the door to his room open with a swoosh. It was too late at night for his mother to be checking up on him

"Are you awake, Trunks?"

Vegeta's voice was quiet, so he did not know whether or not his father knew that he was really awake. He considered staying quiet and pretending to be asleep, just in case, but for all his mischievous nature, he had never directly lied to either of his parents.

"I'm awake," he sat up in bed and met his father's onyx gaze across the room. Even in dark Saiyans – or demi-Saiyans, in Trunks' case – had damn good eyesight. "What's up?"

Vegeta said nothing, but crossed the room and sat down on the edge of his bed, giving Trunks an unreadable look. There were times when his father's presence was accompanied by an unnerving intense silence that did more than just make the boy squirm; they honestly frightened him.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

The last time his father acted like that was right before he'd sacrificed himself in a hopeless attempt to stop Majin Buu. He'd never admit it, but sometimes Trunks still had nightmares about that moment. As if reading his mind, Vegeta actually smiled and shook his head.

"Everything is alright. I simply wanted to see you. You disappeared for the entire day."

"I'll work extra hard tomorrow," Trunks blurted out. "As much as you want, and I won't complain. Promise."

He fully recognized that it was a bad idea to remind Vegeta that he'd skipped training completely that day, but at that point, Trunks would have preferred getting yelled at. He'd been expecting it all night and thought that the world might right itself if the expected event occurred, albeit belatedly. The corner of his father's mouth twitched, but the Saiyan prince only shook his head.

"I doubt anyone will be training tomorrow. I have important matters to discuss with your mother. It isn't anything for you to concern yourself over, though. Go back to sleep."

He placed a hand on Trunks' shoulder for a moment, then the boy felt the mattress springs release as his father rose and walked to the door. Trunks' mind raced. He couldn't let him disappear without one last attempt to get things back to normal.

"Ah, Dad?"

"What is it?" Vegeta stopped in the doorway and turned back to him.

"Since we're not training tomorrow anyway, I was wondering of... can Goten come over and play?"

Vegeta blinked, as if it was the last question he was expecting, then simply nodded. "If you like. Good night, son."

Trunks stared after his father's retreating form before flopping back down onto the bed. It was official: the world was coming to an end. For real this time!

Author's End Note: I'm not exactly sure where this is going, if anywhere, so I'm open to input and ideas. Little Trunks doesn't understand who their visitor – Mirai Trunks – is yet. I'm assuming he was never told in detail what happened in the androids and Cell sagas just because it was never even hinted that he knew. Everything's open to interpretation, but that's just my take on it. As for him not knowing just by the way the older Trunks looks... well, even if you see someone who looks a lot like yourself, it's not exactly the most obvious conclusion to jump to that it has to be a future you. Especially if you're a sleep-deprived nine-year-old. Don't worry, I won't keep him ignorant for long. Also I know Vegeta was way too... not-Vegeta-like but keep in mind that this is after the Buu saga at which point he grew a lot more emotionally, and under the circumstances I think it's excusable. Hope you liked it!