Sacred World of the Kais
"Old ancestor! Old ancestor!" Supreme Kai Shin came skittering over, practically vibrating.
"Out with it," the Elder Kai snapped. "Don't wail like a ghost I'm not dead yet."
"Old ancestor, Universe 7 can be saved!"
"What do you mean?" The Elder Kai blinked.
"Five million years ago, the sorcerer Bibidi…"
Shin rushed through the tale of Majin Buu, how the Grand Supreme Kai and the four quadrant Kais North, South, East, and West were defeated, devoured, or killed.
"Useless. A bunch of useless fools," the Elder Kai barked. "One Majin Buu and four Supreme Kais die?"
"Yes, old ancestor it was our failure. And I've recently learned Bibidi's son Babidi is searching for Buu's husk. He plans to unseal him. He's already bent Dabura, King of the Demon Realm, to his will."
"If Babidi is as weak as you say, why not deal with him directly?" the Elder Kai asked.
"I'd love to, but his magic shrugs off my divine power. With Dabura at his side, I can't win." Shin flushed.
"You want him to help?" The Elder Kai tipped his chin at Gohan.
"Yes. I believe his strength far outstrips Majin Buu's." Shin's voice trembled with hope.
The Elder Kai frowned, but he didn't reject the idea.
"Kid, will you lend a hand?" he asked.
"According to Galactic Patrol intel, Buu's somewhere in the North Galaxy," Gohan said. "If I cross paths with him, I won't mind stepping in." He didn't refuse and he handed over the best lead he had.
At this point in time, Babidi had not yet brought Buu to Earth. Gohan didn't know where exactly they were.
"Thank goodness… Grand Supreme Kai, my brothers… I can finally avenge you." Shin's eyes shone wet as memories flashed behind them.
"Why didn't you contact the God of Destruction?" the Elder Kai asked suddenly. "If Buu was as catastrophic as you say, Beerus should have acted threats like that warp a universe's natural course."
"I… I didn't even know a God of Destruction existed," Shin stammered, crimson with shame.
"I never imagined the Supreme Kai lineage had broken this badly," the Elder Kai groaned, palm to forehead.
"Enough, Elder. It isn't on them," Gohan said mildly. "You were sealed without warning by Beerus; of course the line lost whole branches of its lore."
"Hmph. Kid, I'm leaving this to you," the Elder Kai said. "And when you hit your adult growth, I should be able to unlock your potential one more time."
"Then thank you in advance, Elder Kai." Gohan bowed.
"What do they call you, boy?"
"Son Gohan."
"I'll remember it. And don't forget your promise." The old man winked, a lecherous grin creeping across his face.
"I'm still a kid," Gohan said flatly.
"Don't care. You agreed." The Elder Kai clamped both hands on Gohan's wrist like a miser on a coin.
"All right, all right let go. I said yes." Gohan sighed, defeated.
"Heh-heh…"
Drip.
The Elder Kai's mouth actually watered. Whatever he was imagining, Gohan wanted no part of it.
"If anything comes up, contact me," Gohan said, skin crawling at the sight. He slipped free and vanished with Instant Transmission.
In the quiet years that followed, nothing seismic shook the timeline. Every winter and summer break, Gohan went off to run missions with the Galactic Patrol. Vegeta, Raditz, and Nappa settled on Mount Paozu for good. When Gohan heard, he felt an uncharitable flicker of delight maybe, just maybe, without a certain turn of fate, Vegeta and Bulma wouldn't end up together this time.
Time slid forward. Two full years. Age 764, August.
Space above Earth shivered; a bizarre craft snapped into existence out of nowhere.
"What's going on? Did we miss the coordinates?"
A tall young man with blue hair scanned the horizon, at a loss. His mother's notes said Vegeta, Krillin, Tien, Piccolo, and his teacher Son Gohan should all be here.
It was Trunks the Trunks from the future.
Even with this changed worldline, Future Trunks had still come.
No one sensed his arrival. Gohan had only just returned himself; school started at the end of August.
Trunks waited at the landing site for over two hours. No Mecha Frieza. No Vegeta. No Krillin. No Piccolo. No one.
"What happened? Why is the timeline nothing like Mom said?" He frowned, baffled.
At last his patience snapped. He pressed a button, stored the time machine in a Hoi-Poi Capsule, and climbed into the sky, angling toward Capsule Corporation from half-remembered childhood routes.
That sudden surge of ki lit up the planet's sensitives.
"A Saiyan? But it's not Goku… he's on Paozu with the others," Piccolo muttered, brow creasing. He didn't move yet.
Mount Paozu
"A Saiyan?" Goku looked to Vegeta. "Got another survivor?"
"Impossible," Vegeta said, eyes narrowing. "Besides my useless younger brother, there can't be any left."
"Could it be your brother, Your Highness?" Nappa ventured.
"No. That wretch tested lower than even Kakarot at birth," Vegeta said flatly.
"We'll know when we see him," Gohan said, strolling up.
He already had a strong guess. The date, the feel of the ki, the beeline toward Bulma's home…
A petty, sour note twanged inside him. Future Trunks showing up… would that nudge Vegeta and Bulma together after all?
"He's headed for Bulma's," Goku said, blasting off before the sentence finished, Vegeta, Raditz, and Nappa streaking after him.
"Impatient as ever," Gohan sighed. "Do they forget I can teleport?" He blinked out.
He reappeared in Capsule Corp's gardens.
"Young man, can I help you?" Dr. Brief looked up from his watering can at the newcomer who'd just dropped out of the sky.
"You you're Dr. Brief?" Trunks' eyes went hot and wet. Grandpa almost slipped out of his mouth.
"That's right," Dr. Brief said mildly. "I don't mind unannounced guests, but barging into someone's home is a touch rude."
"S-sorry, Dr. Brief," Trunks managed, biting back the grandpa.
"Trunks!" a voice called from behind.
"Who ?" He spun, heart jolting. In this era he hadn't even been born who could possibly know his name?
"Master Gohan!" The words tore free before he could stop them.
Goku, Vegeta, Raditz, and Nappa dropped in a heartbeat later, wary eyes pegged on the stranger.
"Come with me," Gohan said, rising into the air. "Private talk. You don't want to ripple anything you shouldn't. Dad wait for us."
Trunks glanced at Vegeta and the others. Decision made, he shot up after Gohan into the open sky.
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