Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Chaos Effect ❯ Going Back ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: Hi everyone! Well, this is it, another `Next Generation' DBZ/GT fic. I find that it's sometimes hard to keep track of the OC's in these, so here's a small index, in case you forget. Please leave a review, even if you don't like it, to tell me why. Thanks for taking interest! ^-^!

Gohan and Videl's son - Gobo

Goten and Paresu's daughter - Mochi

Goten and Paresu's son - Enokidake

Pan and Uubu's son - Konbu

Trunks and Marron's daughters - Silk & Lace

Bra and ???'s son - Vegeta

"It makes no sense!" Gobo said violently, his teeth grit together as tears of rage a frustration, as well as deep, deep pain, spilled down his cheeks. He seemed broken. With a cry he slammed a fist angrily into the wreckage before him. "Why would this happen?" He begged of the world. No one reached out to him. They couldn't, not now, they had their own pain to deal with. "They saved this worthless pit! Over and over they saved this world, those people, and this was their thanks?!? To never know peace? Why can't it end, why does someone always want to this!" He screamed. His ki was rising dangerously as his anger built. The feel of death lay thick upon the air. All around the seven youths Capsule Corp.'s ruined form loomed, as broken as their hearts.

"Gobo." He turned as the familiar voice broke through the dull pain. His nephew, Konbu, placed a calming hand on his shoulder. His eyes were riddled with the same anguish they all felt. "Stop. Grandpa wouldn't want to see you like this, ne?" He said solemnly. "There's nothing anger can do for us now."

"…No, but maybe there is something." Lace said quietly. Her chilling, cold blue eyes stared out at the others, barely reflecting her pain. But that there was any at all remained impressive. At her side, her twin sister stayed quiet, slumped against Lace's shoulder.

"What do you mean, Lacey-chan?" Konbu asked. Lace pulled something smooth and silver from her pocket.

"Grandma Bulma… Before they came, she gave this to us." She explained, nodding a little to Silk, who didn't even stir. "She said `there is still hope'. I all but forgot it…"

"Hope?"

All eyes turned to the youngest of the group, slumped against the cold ground, clutching a broken arm. His hair rose from his head in a tall, dark blue flame, making his bloodline clear to any who saw him.

"Do you know what she meant, Veg?" Konbu asked, still poised at Gobo's side.

"…Here." He whispered, reaching out a hand to his cousin. Lace placed the smooth disk in his palm. Narrowing his eyes, Vegeta Briefs pressed the small, almost indiscernible button on the side. He threw the object away as smoke billowed from it. When it cleared, a space ship stood before the group, but unlike any they'd seen before. It was sleek and silver, like the strange capsule Bulma had placed it in, and much larger than the one Mirai Trunks had used. Along the side, there were two lines of text. The first read `Hope II' in clear black letters. Below it, in smaller print, was written `Time Travel Ship' very discretely. The youths all looked at each other. Konbu cast a grateful glance up at the sky.

"Way to go, Mrs. Briefs." He whispered.

~*~

"Trunks! Put me down!" Marron screamed playfully, as her boyfriend hoisted her off her feet, laughing boisterously. They stood on one of Capsule Corp.'s back lawns, just outside the kitchen, where a large portion of the Z gang had gathered for something of a reunion. Inside, Vegeta rolled his eyes at his son's antics, being sure to lean his chair back far enough to avoid the debris from Goku's eating. Sure, Vegeta could pack away as much as any other saiyan, but at least he did it more… Discreetly. Outside, past Marron and Trunks' playful games, Pan, Uubu, and Goten were engaged in a light spar. Gohan watched the group intently. At the table with Goku and Vegeta, Bulma and Chi Chi picked at their salads, chatting lightly. Anyone watching would not have believed that the two women were old enough to be the parents of the people outside, let alone Grandparents in one case. The men's youthful looks were explained by their saiyan DNA. The women, however, had used a less natural method. Dragon Balls.

The peaceful scene was suddenly shattered as an ear-piercing scream tore through the air. Gohan shot to his feet so quickly he might have been launched from a canon. "That was Videl!" He said, with clear worry. Without any further ado the group took off in the direction of the shout. Videl and Bra had both taken Gohan's young son, Gobo, out for a trip to the mall. Bra had wanted to buy the little quarter-saiyan some cute outfits to wear.

The group stopped dead as the reached the front entrance to Capsule Corp., surprised to say the least. A sleek silver ship sat upon the front lawn. Not far off, Videl and Bra were staring at in shock, both holding little Gobo protectively. The three-year-old looked confused. "Mom! Bra!" Pan shouted, racing over to the trio.

"Videl, are you alright?" Gohan asked, right at his daughter's heels.

"…Fine, I guess. What is that?" Videl asked. Suddenly all eyes focused on the ship as a strong power began to make itself known. The Z fighters took their battle-stances, ready for a fight. The mood was shattered by Bulma's surprised shout.

"Hey, whoa, wait! Look at this!" She called out, pointing a finger to the text inscribed on the hull of the vessel. "Hope II, Time Travel Ship." No one dropped their guard, though, even as the ship began to be explained.

"It could be a trap." Vegeta surmised. Suddenly a ramp lowered, albeit slowly, from the hull of the ship. The warriors readied themselves. A figure emerged, and there were a few audible gasps.

"Mom?" Marron asked in surprise, as the woman who looked strikingly like Android Eighteen lay foot upon the ground. Her straight blonde hair was cropped short around her face, and her expression was cold, calculating even. She dressed in tan cargo pants, with a bright red top, and wore an odd brown belt around her waist. Physically, she looked more than a little banged-up, cuts and bruises scattered across her form. The young woman fixed her gaze upon Marron, and something in her face softened.

"Not quite." She said gently. And then, to emphasize her point, she unraveled the brown `belt' from her waist. There was a shocked pause. Then a dull thump as Marron hit the ground, completely overwhelmed. Trunks knelt at her side in concern.

"Who are you then, and why are you here?" Gohan demanded. The woman raised a single, speculative eyebrow at him.

"My name is Lace Briefs. I and my comrades have come from the future to save you all." She said plainly. There was another long pause. Suddenly the sound of hasty footsteps filled the air, as another person approached from the back of the ship. His dark hair stretched from his head down to his shoulder blades in a spiky mowhawk, white streaks added artificially for contrast. His skin was richly coloured, and his features were very warm and inviting. That said, he too looked pretty beaten, his orange gi torn almost to shreds here and there. The youth cast a scolding look at Lace.

"Man, Lacey, I knew you shouldn't have done this part." He said dejectedly. Then with a sheepish grin he turned to the somewhat bewildered group, flashing a warm look at them all, even as a light blush crept up his cheeks. He cleared his throat. "My name is Son Konbu, and… Well, what Lacey here said, we've come from the future. I can explain more later but we have some pretty badly hurt people in here." He said. No one lowered their guard. No one, that is, except Goku.

"Wow, people from the future again. Nice to meet you Konbu, I'm Son Goku." He introduced himself. Konbu's smile widened a bit.

"I know." He said. After another split-second's hesitation, the other warriors relaxed.

"You have wounded? I don't think Bulma would mind if we used the regeneration tank. Right, Bulma?" Goku said cheerfully, looking at the blue-haired scientist, who was still ogling the space-craft.

"Of course not. I'll go get things set up." She said. For some reason, she didn't feel ill at-ease, even though such a strange thing was happening. `Must be experience.' She thought to herself.

Lace and Konbu disappeared back inside their ship, and Goku followed casually, as though he were walking into a shop or visiting someone else's home. After a few moments of hesitation, Pan, Uubu and Goten followed him inside. They were quickly led to an open room, which seemed to be there simply to hold people. From the interior, it was now evident that the vessel had been rushed, the project hastily slapped together.

Thoughts did not dwell on the ship for long once they reached the open room, however. Inside were five individuals. One, a man who looked to be in his mid twenties, stood waiting with a much younger man. The older was tall and broad-shouldered, built almost identically to Gohan. His straight black hair fell loosely around his face and eyes, which looked deep and saddened. The man's features were almost the mirror image of Videl's.

The teen next to him barely came up to his shoulders, not including his hair. It stood off of his head in a dark blue flame, above a face that was only slightly less harsh than Vegeta's, even this early in his life. He clutched a broken arm, blood seeping through the fabric of his white jacket. His eyes were dull and resigned.

The other three figures all lay upon the floor. One, a woman with long, shimmering blue hair, seemed far less damaged than the others. She wore an odd purple dress, the fabric fanning out around her, as she huddled silently. A brown tail lay limp behind her, not even coiled around her waist. Her face could not be seen. Nearby the blue-haired girl, two figures with thick, long brown hair lay. Both looked to be in the worst condition. A long wound stretched along the girl's cheek, no longer spilling blood for the time being. Burn marks covered her back and stomach, where the fabric of her gi had been blasted away. She hung protectively onto the boy, barely conscious herself. Though he was definitely not. Burn marks covered his cheek and temple, and an open wound had been hastily bandaged with mitch-match fabric around his waist. One of his legs was twisted at a painful angle. Both demi-saiyans had the tails of their race, and long brown locks that stretched to their waists.

For some reason, no one said a word as the began to move the wounded out. Goku knelt at the side of the two brunettes, concern on his face as he looked them over. Goten moved to the blue-haired girl in a heap on the ground, but a hand stopped him. He looked at Lace in surprise. "No, let me move her." She said simply. Leaning down she gathered her twin in her arms.

"Goten, Uubu, why don't you show Lace to the regeneration tanks?" Goku said. He looked at the blue-haired youth. "You should go with them too." He said. Though his tone was light, his voice still betrayed his concern. With a nod the two boys left to lead the way, and the others followed with no hesitation. Pan knelt at her grandfather's side.

"I'll lift the girl." She offered. Goku nodded, and she gently began to pry the young woman's finger's away. In the background the other two simply watched. They were tired and burnt out, and they knew these were people they could trust. With a careful ease Pan lifted the young brunette away, and Goku heaved up the boy who was almost certainly her brother.

"Grandpa?" The boy asked of Goku, his eyes opening briefly. Goku just smiled.

"It's okay." He said kindly.

The group left the ship and joined the others at the tanks. The boy with the broken arm had been given a senzu bean instead, as had all the others, which they took no questions asked. The Z gang got the two brunettes into the tanks easily enough. At the sidelines, Lace still held her twin lightly, the neutral look on her face. Goku glanced at them in surprise. "Shouldn't she be in a tank?" He asked in concern.

"Her wounds are mental, not physical." The eldest figure said, his face somber. The senzu was beginning to work, as his energy returned, and his wounds began to mend. A similar effect was happening all around. Vegeta smirked.

"Then I guess all that's left are explanations." He said, his eyes fixed on the teen who resembled him so impressively.

"Vegeta!" Bulma and Chi Chi both scolded in unison.

"Let the poor children get cleaned up first, they look like they've seen the end of the world." Chi Chi said maternally. After a few more light arguments, it was decided that the newcomers should have some rest and so forth before going into their tale. The two in the tanks wouldn't be coming out for some time, anyway.