Sorry for the major delay and thanks for the reviews, guys. I'm gonna be honest that I was having a little trouble doing this because I'm getting busy in real life… so yeah. But no worries, I haven't given up… thank you kindly for the support. ^_^

Containing Thy Self- Chapter 14

West City- Capsule Corps/Brief's Home- 1:02 PM

"C'mon Trunks!" The black-haired teenager whined, swinging his feet in the air as he sat on his friend's bed impatiently. "You told me to come over an hour ago. What's taking so long?"

The purple-haired boy of the duo stomped back into his room from the walk-in closet. "Man, shut up! I'm sorry I'm not ready yet but it's not like we're late for anything!" Turning around, he went to return back inside. "I'll be ready in five minutes, promise."

"You said that a half hour ago." Goten muttered. Despite their above-average hearing abilities, Trunks simply ignored him as he rummaged through the pile of clothes on his floor.

The younger boy glanced around the expansive bedroom, taking note of the clutter. He jumped up to his feet to peer at a group of framed pictures sitting on the writing desk, courtesy of Bulma who not only took most of the photographs, but also proclaimed that Trunks needed something more personalized to display. Her son didn't care either way, which is why pictures are still in the exact spot she first placed them.

They were snapshots of family and friends, ranging from when they themselves were seven and eight years old until sometime last year. The black-haired teenager smiled softly at the people in the images, but then suddenly noticed something.

"Hey Trunks!"

The summoned person stepped back out in the bedroom, finally appearing fully dressed and ready. "What is it?"

Goten picked up two particular pictures, turning around to face his friend. "Look at these pictures."

Taking one in each hand, Trunks glanced back and forth. They were photos of the two of them posing in a goofy fashion, one from around nine/ten years old and the other sixteen/seventeen years old. "Okay… what about them?"

"How come your hairstyle hasn't changed at all?"

Catching the pictures as he hastily dropped them out of astonishment, Trunks quickly placed them back in their original spots before returning his attention to his friend. "Excuse me? Did you really make me look at these pictures to ask about my hair?"

As his dark eyes shifted to the side and he shuffled his feet, Goten felt his body progressively tense up. "I don't mean it offensively, calm down. I'm just curious why you never grew it out or, uh, I dunno, spike it up or something."

The older teenager shrugged his shoulders, going to turn towards the door. "I dunno, just never felt like it." Suddenly, he paused in afterthought. "Wait a minute…" His head turned back to his friend. "Wait, are you asking me this because of the other guy?"

He blinked. "Wha-no, man! It's not because of the other Trunks, seriously." He pointed at the other pictures. "Look, everyone's hairstyle changed over the years, especially your mom's. See? Aside from going to a side part to a middle part, yours is the same."

Trunks' eyes narrowed. "The only reason you grew your hair out was so you didn't look like your dad."

"That's different!" The younger boy was getting miffed. "I probably would have grown it out anyways. That hairstyle is really annoying to deal with, especially when I'm walking around in small spaces and it pokes everyone in the face. At least now I can pull it back."

"And mine is perfectly convenient and easy to deal with it." Trunks crossed his arms with a smirk forming. "Besides, you constantly whine about how long I take to get ready. Imagine how much longer I would take if I had to fuss over my hair as well."

Goten snorted. "Right, right." He snuck another glance at his friend. "You would look kind of cool with long hair though."

The purple-haired teenager was silent for a moment, staring at the wall and then finally spoke quietly. "I would look like the other one."

The black-haired boy sighed, shaking his head. "Why do you hate him so much, Trunks? I get that you have these childhood issues and all, but I thought you grew out of it!"

"You know what, Goten? You're the one who's obsessed with him!" Trunks shouted, whirling onto his friend and jabbed him in the chest with a finger. "Sure, maybe I have a few problems that I can't get over, but those are personal and you damn well know that! However, everything that's been coming out of your mouth is about him! When did you plan on telling me that you're gonna replace me with him, huh?"

"What?" He was flabbergasted. "What are you talking about? We've been best friends all our lives; what makes you think that I would just up and dump you for another friend, Trunks?"

"Since a better Trunks came along!"

Both teenagers were standing straight, fists clenched, and breathing heavily, all while glaring at each other. Neither said anything for quite some time, both unwilling to back down before the other. The following silence was almost ominous.

"Maybe we shouldn't hang out today." Trunks muttered after a few minutes, taking a seat on top of his bed. "We'll just… take a break or something."

Goten nodded. "I agree." He walked towards the door, waiting for the whoosh and paused right at the entrance. "I'll give you a call tomorrow though."

"Okay." Hearing the door shut and sensing the younger boy gradually disappearing down the hall, Trunks fell back against his bed, groaning out loud. Why does it seem like it things are getting progressively worse, despite what he tried to do to make amends?

Down the hall- 1:34 PM

"Vegeta!" Mirai called out, seeing the older Saiyan outside the Brief's home as he made his return from Son Gohan's place. Slowing down in the air, he landed softly against the beautifully manicured lawn, keeping a few feet space between the two out of respect as well as discomfort. The prince paused in his tracks, turning his body slightly towards the younger man, waiting for him to continue.

"I, uh, wanted to know if you had said anything yet." The time traveler questioned hesitantly, fully understanding that his question could come off as an insult that implied that Vegeta would not stay true to his words. "What I mean is if you were on your way to do so, I would come with."

His dark eyes narrowed, but the older man brushed aside the comment. "I have already spoken to Bulma about the matter and she will talk to her father." He turned himself fully around so that his back was facing the purple-haired man. "Perhaps if you didn't waste your time with small talk, you wouldn't need to question my capabilities."

Mirai scowled as he watched the man he was supposed to call his father walk away.

Leaning back against the soft cushion of the overly spacious couch, his cobalt blue eyes never strayed away from the wall straight ahead as his mind replayed the memory. He wondered, once more, if he could ever earn any shred of respect from the older man. He knew that Vegeta had soften some over the years, not that he would ever dare to speak this out loud, but Mirai seems to be losing even more so this time around.

Frowning, his mind flickered over to the Son family, briefly running through the information he had mentally stored in regards to them. Gohan seems to be suffering, but at the same time, he is convinced in his capabilities to deal with the pain. Goten, on the other hand, appears to be disregarding any negative notions altogether, using his time and attention to focus on happier things, regardless of as obsessive as they may appear.

And what of the Trunks of this time? Leaning his head back, the time traveler let out a deep breath, willing his migraine to go away. Is he really any better off than anybody of this time? In fact, it seems that his accidental arrival has possibly worsened the state of affairs. Or is it more that the circumstances were already dire and Mirai's entrance just simply broke open the cracking dam?

Lightly padded footsteps came up slowly from behind. "Hey Trunks."

His eyes were closed but his superior senses alerted him of the boy's approaching presence long before he spoke. "Hello Son Goten." He folded his hands together on top of his stomach, waiting for the younger one to seat himself on the couch as he felt the cushion sinking.

"Are… are you okay?" Mirai opened his eyes to look over at the dark-haired boy, noticing his worried look. Goten squirmed uncomfortably under the stare, shifting his own gaze to the carpeted floor. "I mean, you look kind of down in the dumps by yourself here."

The older man smirked. "You don't look too great yourself, I must admit."

The teenager tried to crack some kind of grin, but when failing to do so, he sighed. "I guess it's just one of those days for everyone." He propped up one elbow on the arm of the couch, leaning his head against his open hand. "Or maybe it's been building up and now it's falling apart."

Mirai blinked, sitting up straight and focusing his attention fully on the boy. Saiyans surely don't have mind reading abilities, right? "What makes you say that?" He questioned, curious to see if Goten had the same line of thoughts he was having earlier.

"Well, I guess things that weren't discussed before are being brought up now and it's… well, it's necessary in a way but... I don't know." Goten scratched the back of his head. "Like the thing with my brother… we didn't really talk about it before. We just let it happen. Now that more people know and asked about it, I wonder if Gohan is really okay with it."

Mirai nodded. "It was very obvious in conversation that he is not comfortable with discussing any issues that regards Saiyan abilities. Since you took the time to explain the situation beforehand, I didn't feel the need to question it to him directly; however, he did express a sense of grief. I feel that now with a wife and child, his more frequent disappearances will become emotional straining to not only himself, but his family as a whole."

"It's just stupid, is what it is." Goten cut in sharply, disgust forming in his features. "He's so hell-bent on not fighting, which would be fine and dandy, if he would just get it in his head that he's tormenting everyone else! You would think that a scholar of all people would get it, but Gohan's just book-smart. He's so oblivious to reality half the time, just like our father, except when evil makes its appearance." He made quoting signs for evil in a mocking sense. "Don't get me wrong, he's not that naïve or innocent, but he does have his moments."

"I understand." Mirai said. "I do, but at the same time, Gohan is an adult and he will do as he pleases. I don't plan on taking any initiatives in changing his mind." He closed his eyes, and then quickly reopened them, facing towards the younger boy once more. "Don't misunderstand. It's not that I don't care to help your brother, but I don't have the time to spend doing so." His eyes narrowed. "You know this, Goten. You are aware that my time here is limited, correct?"

"You already said it. You said you shouldn't be here. I get it." His tone was clipped but Mirai had a suspicious feeling that Goten, despite what Gohan thinks, was more aware of the circumstances than he was willing to let on. In fact, he might be the one who has the most accurate interpretation, simply because he is the one paying the closest attention.

Mirai felt guilt. He liked the boy; the young Son was kind and caring. He took the time to listen and the time to offer help. He liked the fact that he was open-minded and that he understood countless things that many would typically disregard. He liked the fact that Goten was comfortable with who he was. Mirai also realized that he felt bit of jealously of the younger Trunks to have a close friend like Goten.

"This is a wonderful time." The time traveler spoke slowly, trying to hold back his envy. "It is truly an era of peace. Since there is no destruction or evil interrupting your lives, you are now more aware of the emotional toll that the past has taken on your family and friends. You are more conscious of factors that previously seemed so minor, but now appear so disturbing. Instead of being worried about surviving to see the next dawn, you are concerned whether your father cares for you as much as someone else or that your best friend might disagree in simple arguments."

Goten was quiet for a moment and then smirked. "We're all pretty fucked up, huh?"

"I guess that's one way to look at it." The purple-haired man stood up, making the motion of brushing off non-existent dirt on his pants. "My apologies Goten, but I must go speak with Bulma. There are too many things I need to know, even though I don't know if I will receive the answers or possibly like what I will hear."

"I understand." The younger boy stood up too, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. "It seems like everyone needs a day to themselves, ya know? Anyways, I'll catch you later then." Making a slight wave, the boy quickly left, leaving the older man behind in concern.

Capsule Corps- Trunks' Bedroom- 2:01 PM

Trunks stared at the pictures with a heated glare. What was Goten thinking, asking him such absurd questions about his hair of all things? Then again, was Goten really asking in reference to the other Trunks or was it simply an innocent question? In any other circumstances, Trunks would reconsider the argument and call Goten to talk it over, saying that it was a mistake and that he overreacted. This time, however, Trunks just wasn't so sure what the proper reaction would be. Hell, he didn't even know if anything that has happened in the past few days would qualify as proper behavior.

Sighing, he took a seat on his bed, running his hands through his short locks. He paused though, grabbing a few strands between his fingers to inspect the ends. Maybe he could stand to grow it out a little, although probably not as long as the other Trunks. The older man seems to be unintentionally going for the older, combat look, but Trunks just wants to look mature and stylish.

Maybe this is a really ridiculous line of thought.

He kicked a book that was lying on the floor, accidentally shooting it through the opposing wall and creating a small hole. The teenager gasped, swishing his head at the door with the fear of his mother suddenly appearing to yell, but managed to calm himself after a few moments. He muttered a few curses to himself as he quickly made his way out of the room.

Capsule Corps- Main Laboratory- 2:53 PM

Pausing at the door, Mirai looked up at the glaring yellow-and-black 'RESTRICTED ACCESS' sign above and bit his bottom lip. He lifted a hand to press a button on the side panel, which gave off a loud buzzing sound, and then a woman's voice came on.

"What is it?"

"Uh…" He hesitated at the harshness in her tone, wondering if maybe it was a bad time. "Mot-er, Bulma? I'm sorry, are you busy right now?"

"Oh Trunks, is that you? Just a minute, I'll let you in."

A beep rang out and the door slid open soundlessly. His eyes darted around the entrance, spotting a long, glaringly bright white hallway. The time warrior cringed at the brilliance, slowly walking down the walkway towards the equally intense-looking door ahead. Mirai briefly speculated why Bulma or perhaps Dr. Briefs didn't try making the place a little less stressing on the eyes and mind.

Suddenly, the door slid open before he reached it, Bulma's abrupt physical appearance causing Mirai to jump a little (the bright white walls are apparently getting to his senses). "Trunks, hey! Come on it and see what's happening in the lab!"

He smiled. "Hello Bulma. I hope I'm not interrupting anything significant."

She waved a waved unflappably. "Don't be silly, my sons are allowed here. Vegeta is not because he'll just scoff at everything and be annoying about it. Bulla is obviously too young to be around the equipment and such." She turned face the purple-haired man fully. "Ah, Trunks, have I ever told you how handsome you are? It's good to know that Vegeta was able to do something right!"

Mirai blushed as the older woman laughed boisterously. "I think you might have mentioned it before. Anyways, I suppose you know why I'm here."

"Oh, yes, yes!" She motioned him to follow her back further in the large lab. "Don't you worry, I've been working plenty hard on your time machine and I should be done with the engine situation in a day or so, promise!"

"Well, that's good to hear then." He picked up a random gadget lying on a nearby table, turning in slowly with his fingers. "Then when that is finished, all we have to do is charge it, correct?"

"Mmhmm." She reached over to snatch the gadget out of his curious fingers, causing the time traveler to pout. "To answer your other question, I have spoken with Vegeta."

"Ah." He raised his eyebrows hopefully, only to receive a frown in response.

"Trunks, do you really think this is a good idea?"

He probably should have expected this, but he didn't really have a proper answer to explain to someone of a non-Saiyan heritage. "Well… yes, I do. It was discussed between myself, Vegeta, and Gohan and this was part of our conclusion."

She took a deep breath while crossing her arms over her chest. "I know you Saiyan boys have this battle mentality , I get it really, but you want a room that creates a realistic holographic world so you can have some sort of traumatic experience just to advance a, what did you call it, second level?"

It does sound a little ridiculous, he had to admit. In fact, the whole conversation at the Son home would sound absurd to any normal human being. He paused in thought and then spoke carefully. "I understand your view, but it's excruciatingly important that if this could be considered."

She lifted one hand to rub at the stress lines forming on her forehead with an exasperated expression on her face. "All right, fine, I won't question it anymore. I'll talk to my father and we'll see what we can do. If you don't mind waiting a little longer, we can probably whip something out in the next week."

"That's great!" Mirai took a couple steps forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, a smile forming. "Thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time to do this."

Bulma was trying to hold back her grin, but failed to do so. "Well, you certainly know how much I love being thanked and praised, since I don't have very many other sources." She swatted a hand at him. "However, listen to me, Trunks. I don't want anyone else using this thing. We'll make it detachable device so you can take it with you if you want. You know, if your Bulma has made a gravity chamber, you can attach it to that with some minor alterations. However, I don't want Vegeta, the other Trunks, Goten, or anybody else using this."

He nodded, although his expression was questioning. "Okay, I'll keep it on me. Can I ask why?"

"It's not necessary for them. At this time, we don't need such a device but I'm willing to make it for you to use and take with you for your time because of your situation."

"I understand."

"Good." She placed her hands on her hips, a smirk gracing her lips. "Now scamper out of here so the genius can work her magic."

He chuckled and made a false salute. "Aye, aye. I'll talk to you later then."

Brief's Home- 5:13 PM

Walking down the empty hallway, Mirai stopped in the kitchen to put away a few things he bought from the nearby store. He wasn't sure how they managed their shopping here since they have extra hired help around the house, but he figured he would make himself a little more useful. As he placed the items in the cupboard, he listened to the television playing at a loud volume in the next room. He frowned, sensing Trunks alone and wondered if the boy was moping.

Considering the fact that they haven't spoken since the last fight, Mirai felt himself becoming immensely annoyed. The teenager might have gotten one over him but it didn't necessarily mean he was completely right. While he was correct in the sense that Mirai's arrival did create opportunistic changes, there is such a thing as self-control.

'A god, my ass.' He thought briefly.

With his senses on high alert, his body tensed up as he noticed Trunks has appeared at the doorway of the kitchen, despite Mirai having his back facing him. The time traveler let loose a soft sigh, placing the last item he had on hand into the cupboard, before finally turning around. He kept his expression neutral as he glanced at Trunks with an almost exasperated look. "Can I help you?"

The purple-haired teenager was leaning casually against the door frame, arms crossed loosely over his chest. His expression was unbiased as well, but his eyes were considerably darkened. Mirai speculated if the boy was going to speak any time soon or just keep staring because it was getting a little unnerving. Figuring he might as well make himself comfortable, he walked over to the table and took a seat. Trunks never took his eyes off of him.

The older man spoke up once more. "You want to take a seat? I'm not sure what your aim is going to be here, but if you're going for a long one, you could sit down."

The teenager paused for a moment, before following the suggestion, placing himself directly across Mirai. He placed one arm on top of the table, the other on his lap, and started tapping his fingers in a drumming motion. "Goten and I got into a fight this morning."

Mirai felt his eyebrows rise slightly. "Is that right?"

"It was about hair."

The older man stared. What was he supposed to say in response to that?

Trunks raised a hand to point at his head. "My hair, more specifically."

"…. Okay."

Placing his hand back down on the table, the teenager formed a nice smirk across his lips. "Goten would like me to look like you."

Now that was a little weird. Mirai didn't know exactly how much truth was in that statement, knowing that Trunks has the tendency to exaggerate. Then again, he isn't much of a liar either, so something had to have been said by the younger Son to come to this conclusion. Certainly, it was most likely that Trunks derived it from an implication. However, no matter how the idea came about, the final thought is still a little much. "The two of you got into an argument over you possibly growing out your hair to look more like myself? You guys really had nothing else to fight over?"

Trunks laughed out loud, although it wasn't an enjoyable sound. Mirai could still sense the underlying travesty that the boy was keeping down. The teenager calmed down after a minute or so, his snarky grin still in place. "Well, Goten is definitely fixated on you. Maybe we fought because he is becoming more aware that you'll be gone sooner or later, so why not fix up the counter-part to at least look more similar, ya know?"

The time traveler sighed, his patience reaching its limits already. "Look, I get you. Goten, Gohan, myself, and hell, just about every other person we know have problems but what do you expect me to do about it?" Mirai folded his hands on top of the table. "Would you like me to be a superhero again, Trunks?"

Clearly, this wasn't the response he was reaching for. The young teenager's face twisted into fury as he quickly stood to his feet and slammed his hands on top of the table. The floor cracked under the bottoms of the table legs, which both men ignored through distraction. "You're such an arrogant piece of shit!"

Mirai stood to his feet as well, although in a considerably calmer manner. "You're the one who can't get the fuck over himself."

Trunks bristled even more so. "How dare you! You can't get over your past!"

"No!" Mirai reached forward and grabbed the teenager by the shirt. "This isn't about me, Trunks! This was never about me, my past, my life, nothing! From the start, this whole bullshit fight has been about you and your inability to get over your hate for yourself! You keep saying that you want everyone to accept you as you are. You're fully aware that you're a fucking spoiled brat who gets whatever he wants and that your pride is as high as the sky, but you know what the problem is?"

Trunks stared at him uneasily.

Mirai released his grip, placing both hands flat on the table as he remained standing. "You can't accept it yourself. Ever since you've been met me, you hated everything that you are. You lived your young life living however you wanted to be but since that 'ideal image' was always in the back of your head, my arrival triggered that image; now, you can't accept the fact that you failed to become what you have always dreamed of being."

The teenager felt his eyes widening and his hands starting to tremble.

"You realized that there was a difference from the start. When you were young and achieved Super Saiyan, it was fantastic. You were strong and powerful. You were achieving what you had always leaned for. But after some time, you realized that something was different. Why couldn't you get stronger? Why did Vegeta look at you so strangely? What was different?"

He shook his head, wanting to deny it all. There was no way any of this was true.

"You knew at some point down the line that your childhood dream was not going to be realized. You couldn't understand what it was, but something was different. So you stopped trying. You stopped training, gotten lazy, allowed your personality to morph into arrogance. You gave it all up and hid it behind your new image. An image of someone who didn't need to be strong because he was good enough as he was. He didn't need to be heroic because it was a time of peace, so what was the point?"

Mirai stepped back from the table to come around the side, closer to the younger boy. Trunks was visibly shaking by this point, as he tried to place his hands together in his lap to get himself to calm down.

"It would be fine. It would be acceptable. In fact, everyone took it in stride because they figured, 'Oh, Trunks is just being a typical rich kid'." The older man stood next to the seated teenager, raising a hand to place it on top of Trunks' head. "But you couldn't accept it."

Trunks gasped for a breath that he was apparently holding; scrunching his eyes shut tightly as if he was mentally willing everything to just disappear.

If Mirai would just stop.

Stop talking.

Stop trying to make him admit what he tried so hard, for so long, to bury in the far recess of his mind.

Mirai kept his concentrated gaze on his younger counter-part, his hand lightly brushed against the silky purple strands. "Trunks…"

Suddenly, bright blue eyes appeared, full of misery and anguish as the teenager stared up at him. "I wanted to be you! When things started changing and I couldn't overcome it, I just gave up. When I saw the real you and realized what a failure I was, I couldn't stand it anymore!" He lifted his hands up, mashing his palms against his eyes in pure frustration. He felt himself slowly becoming more hysterical as his body starting trembling more. "I was becoming this piece of shit rich kid when I wanted to be someone that was respected by everyone. Someone who people would cherish as a hero, a being that can save the world. But since I found it useless, I used money to make myself known. But it's sickening."

Mirai gently ran his fingers through the boy's hair in a soothing manner, but Trunks paid no heed to the attempts.

"It's disgusting how money came make yourself so well-known for all the wrong reasons. I can buy any material item I desire and I can make myself look however I want to be. But it's not what I want. What I want is something money can't possibly acquire." Trunks couldn't stop shaking; his breathing was becoming increasingly erratic. "You're everything I wanted and couldn't be. I hated you and myself for it. I hated it so much."

"Trunks…"

Brief's Home- Living Room- 6:49 PM

They were seated on the couch, next to each other but still with enough space in terms of personal space comfort. Trunks still had a bit of a vacant stare, his eyes pointed downward as Mirai stared straight ahead out the large window. Neither male has moved for the past few minutes.

"Now what?" Trunks mumbled.

Mirai turned his head towards the younger one. "Forgive and forget?"

Trunks shook his head. "I can never forget. I can't believe you just tore me apart like that."

"Well..." Mirai had a bit of an inquisitive look. "Let's be honest, you've been trying to do it to me first."

"I guess." The teenager sighed, fidgeting his hands. "I still think you're a moody asshole."

"And I still think you're an arrogant, spoiled brat."

They sat in silence, letting the time slowly pass by.

And that's that chapter. Hope all of you enjoyed. Well, the fight between Trunks and Mirai is more or less at an end, but that doesn't mean there aren't more emotional trauma and issues to resolve, haha.

Please leave a NICE, LOVELY REVIEW TO MOTIVATE ME TO CONTINUE! ^_^