39 Future[2]

Inside an old lab, located in a destroyed house adorned with the logo of Capsule Corporation, there was a woman who, in her prime, could have been judged to be in her 30s. However, today her tired face made her appear closer to her 50s. She was diligently working, trying to build something using the scraps of technology left in the city.

In front of her lay a blueprint, accompanied by a broken coffee mug and a lit cigarette on the side. The numerous cigarette stubs revealed the countless hours she had dedicated to the task.

This was the future Bulma, giving her all to devise a plan for constructing a shelter where the majority of people in that world could take refuge in case their original plan failed.

She had absolute faith in her son, that he would be able to come up with a solution for these androids that had plagued them for almost 20 years. Yet, she too had to be sure that he lived a long life if everything went wrong.

"As long as he lives, there will be hope. As long as he lives...So I can't let him despair." She put the cigarette in her mouth, took a puff, and exhaled. She had picked up the habit from her father after so many years of stress.

"...Maybe he will bring Son-kun with him... If he is alive... sigh, knowing him, he may even forget to take the meds..." She got up and prepared to go out for a bit. Although her house was destroyed, her lab was located very deep underground. She spent most of her time there, planning and building something.

"I took that from Father too, huh..."

Thinking of how to take some fresh air while remaining undetected by the android, Bulma heard a sound coming from the entrance of her lab.

She was sure that she had locked everything and set up some traps here and there. So, the only person who could come so close without destroying everything was him...

"...He came back..." She started to walk quickly towards the door until it opened itself to reveal a young man with blue hair.

He had matured and grown up a little bit. His hair was long tied with a hair tie, yet he still had the same face as his father.

"Mother, I'm back," Trunks smiled and walked towards her, and she jumped into his arms to hug her son.

"You're safe, thank God. Welcome back, Trunks." She buried her head in him and thanked everything that he was safe and sound.

"Yes, everything went alright there. We were able to defeat them, mother..."

Her face lit up with the information. He had accomplished what they wanted. He had helped that past have a different outcome than theirs.

"I'm glad. You saved everyone, Trunks..." Bulma was almost crying already. If they had defeated them, it meant that they could do the same here too.

She gave a look to the side and that was when another man, a bit taller than her but with the same gait that she knew, entered the room.

"Ah, yes, Father came with me too." Trunks stepped back, allowing both of them to look at each other.

Vegeta wore the same face he always did, studying her expression and inspecting her.

On the other hand, she had the expression of someone who was seeing a ghost. She couldn't believe that she was seeing him in front of her, yet based on Trunks' talk, it was impossible for it to be a lie.

Her lips quivered, and her legs almost lost all their strength. Soon enough, tears threatened to start to roll down her eyes yet she suppressed it and swallow the lump in her throat as the man approached her.

Vegeta put his hand on her face, looking into her eyes. "You look tired... And old."

"That's what age does to you... You jerk." She had a smile on her face.

"Hm, so it seems." He look around the place for a bit and said.

"Let's eat. I hope you've gotten better at cooking." He smirked and teased her a little bit. Seeing that she became a little angry, his smirk grows.

'Even after all this, she's still Bulma.'

"Yes, yes, I have. Though I can't make anything that can fill a Saiyan's belly." They walked further and went directly to a room with a table and some chairs. Most of the utensils were destroyed, but they could still be used.

Bulma prepared something simple. Food was still scarce after so many years of destruction. But she made a bit of tea to accompany it.

There, they sat beside each other like a family, something they could never do and that would be the last time they could do it.

Trunks told her everything that had happened, how the androids were different and how Vegeta handled them with ease. He also mentioned how grateful everyone was to her for building a time machine to warn them.

Bulma listened with great curiosity, paying attention to how different this Vegeta was too. He had his eyes closed but was still attentive to what Trunks was saying, filling in the gaps for her to understand as well.

"...You've changed a lot, huh?" Trunks went to clean some dishes, and she found the opportunity to talk with Vegeta for a bit. They sat side by side, as close as possible.

"Hmph, you could say that."

When she was ready to answer, a broadcast came from her radio, announcing that the androids were attacking another city, causing more deaths.

Vegeta turned around. "Trunks, go for it. I doubt you will lose to them this time. But if you do, I'll beat you half-dead."

"Yes, Father. Leave it to me. This mess is a responsibility that I have to bear." He took his sword and transformed in front of them.

"Then, I'm going Mother"

"Be careful, Trunks." And he left after nodding to her concern.

"He is our son. He will never be weak." Vegeta said with a small proud smile. Bulma blinked at the scene.

"I never took you to be a papa bear. Hehehe, the me from the past is really good at changing others, huh."

"I'm not. And she didn't change—" While he was talking, she hugged him from behind, and her body started to tremble. She didn't want to do this in front of Trunks. She wanted to show him that she was still fighting with everything she had.

But seeing him bringing Vegeta inside really took a toll on her heart.

"...Sorry, just a little bit..." Her voice trembled too.

Vegeta gave a small sight but nod to her "...You've endured a lot until now." He said to her.

"...hehe~ I'm weak right now... don't jump on me... just because of this..."

Turning around, he looked into her eyes. "Still a vulgar woman, only sadder this time. But I don't hate it."

He kissed her, and she stopped for a moment, thinking if she had ever seen him show such affection, to her or anyone.

She slowly closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of him deepening the kiss, their tongues intertwining.

He placed a hand on her neck, and the other slipped to her waist. Even after many years, her body was still one of the best. However, he stopped after a few minutes.

She was gasping for air, her face flushed. It had been a few years since she had last kissed someone.

"No matter the time or place, you're still weak when it comes to kissing." He grinned at her as her face showed a slight surprise.

"If you know it, then keep going." She wrapped her hands even more tightly around his neck, but he refused.

"No, Trunks will be back in a few minutes. And I need to do what I came here for."

She looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What did you come here for?... What is it?"

"You will see since you're coming with me too. I will need your assistance there."

He wanted to explain it to Trunks as well, in case a similar situation happened again and they didn't have an easily accessible backup plan.

After their playful interaction, Bulma sat close to Vegeta again, sipping her tea. Vegeta recognized that she looked a lot like her mother while doing so.

He asked about Tights and their mother. Bulma made a sad face and shook her head. Vegeta understood and didn't press further. She tried to tease him, saying that he was a lot more assertive now and talked more.

After a few minutes, Trunks returned, not even breaking a sweat with his duty this time. Being much stronger than the androids made it easy.

Now that Trunks was back, they could begin their plan.

"We're going to New Namek and use their Dragon Balls to fix it. I'm also taking Trunks to another place, just as a precaution. He might have to spend some time there, but I don't know for how long."

"New Namek... Father tried to find it before, but you know, this universe is too big. It was like trying to find a needle in a desert."

"That's to be expected since they never revealed their location to anyone. But luckily, I happen to know the place and can take us there."

Vegeta crossed his arms and added, "Bulma, you're coming with me too. They must have spent some time in your house in this timeline as well, right? So at least they'll hear your pleas."

"Just so you know, I'm not sure if we can revive everyone that the androids killed. We can start by reviving Piccolo, and then we can use the Earth Dragon Balls to revive everyone else."

"... It's a solid plan... if it works. But how are we going to get there?" Trunks asked. He had heard about the Dragon Balls, but he never had the opportunity to learn more about New Namek.

"Place your hands on me," Vegeta said, rising from his seat. Trunks and Bulma looked at each other in confusion, but complied, with Trunks placing his hand on Vegeta's shoulder and Bulma holding onto his waist.

Then he focused on the planet he remembered from his future memories. Since he had a more advanced version of Instant Transmission, he didn't need to spend time sensing any specific ki.

In an instant, they found themselves on a green planet that closely resembled the previous Namek.

Once again, they had been teleported close to Mori's house.

'How convenient,' Vegeta thought when he was interrupted by two gasps coming from his side.

"We are here"

"Eh!? Did we just...?" Trunks had a surprised expression.

"Yeah, we teleported... It's incredible. You can't even feel the movement. And he's right, it has the same architecture as Namek," Bulma remarked.

Soon, two Namekians approached them, ready to see what was happening. However, they stopped in their tracks and looked at the woman beside Vegeta.

"...Bulma-san...?" one of the Namekians spoke in surprise.

"Yes, could you take me to speak with Mori, please?" Bulma asked, determination evident on her face. She had more hope than ever now...

Bulma explained her condition and her need to use the Dragon Balls. Being friends and having a debt to repay, the Namekians soon agreed to grant her access and fulfill her wishes.

Her first wish was to restore Earth to its state before the Android attack, rebuilding everything from the ground up.

The second wish was to revive Piccolo, which also brought back the Earth Dragon Balls.

And the final wish was to grant the lost knowledge of the Dragon Balls to Kami, Dende, and Mori, and upgrade their powers. This would enable them to harness the Dragon Balls' full potential in case of future emergencies.

After everything was done, they established a way to stay in contact and promised to provide mutual aid in times of emergency. Trunks watched everything with amazement, knowing that even with his knowledge, accomplishing this would have been impossible without his father's help.

Technology was scarce on Earth, so building a spaceship to travel to New Namek, even if they knew its location, was impossible. But now, everything could return to normal, to a state of peace, at least.

Afterward, they teleported back to Earth, and to their relief, everything was as it should be. There was no more destruction.

"Everything has returned to normal..." Trunks said, looking around him.

"Come on, we need to go to the Lookout as well," Vegeta said, grabbing Bulma and Trunks' hands and teleporting once again, this time to meet Kami.