Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ, I don't own FMA, and I'm pretty sure I don't own any time machines. Or handsome purple-haired time-travellers who just happen to get to Armestris. If I did...I wouldn't need fanfiction.

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Authornotes: Gratuitous Future!Trunks. More Tora abuse. And I'm pretty sure I'm going to spoil a future chapter just by mentioning a notion in this one. Oh! And plenty of THE THREE AMIGOS LYING.

Speaking with old friends can often lead to brilliant ideas, because many heads are better than one.

Shugesh led Bardock and Tora back to his automail shop, a smirk on his face. His metal tail whipped left and right, occasionally glancing back over his shoulder to his friends; Tora was slumped over, his tail drooping as he occasionally glanced up at Shugesh, while Bardock followed close behind with a smirk and a swagger. Time seemed to treat Shugesh pretty well, though, like his two friends, he himself had come to have the weight of his old action come down on his soul as well.

"Well, this is my automail shop. A bit of a mess because my apprentice hasn't cleaned up, but it's home." Shugesh gave a broad grin.

Bardock brought his automail hand up to his lip, snickering. "Hahaha. Lazy bum."

"Oh ho, you wish. I'm just busy with everything else." Shugesh shook his head. "Hey! Purplehead! Come out here and say hi to my friends!"

A timid young man with short-cut lavender hair stepped out of the back room, rubbing his shoulder slightly, his blue eyes to the ground. He was relatively nervous; this was just the norm for him in this strange world of strange people. His leather shoes made a soft clomping noise as he approached the other two men that had come with his teacher, and one could hear the noise of corduroy against corduroy as his legs brushed by one another with timid shaking. His eyes suddenly fixed on Bardock.

"Goku?!" The young man sputtered.

Bardock drew back with a suspicious look. "Do you mean Kakarrot?"

"...Th-that's what my father calls Goku..." The young man slumped some. "I guess you're not he. I should have realized as much when I saw that scar. You're definitely not he."

"No. I'm not. I'm Kakarrot's father Bardock. And how would you know anything about Kakarrot, let alone how would your father?" Bardock grunted, seeming more suspicious of the boy.

"My father wa--I mean is...Vegeta. The prince, I mean. I'm only a halfbreed myself..." Trunks sighed.

"W-what?! Halfbreed?" Bardock leaned in closer now. "But you don't look like a Saiyan at all..."

Shugesh shook his head. "Don't judge on appearances, Bardock. The boy isn't lying."

"I traveled with Vegeta for some time, and he never said anything about having a kid." Bardock grunted.

Tora suddenly slammed his hand down on a nearby table, the clang deafening. "As his alchemy teacher, I can say that he did mention being a father. Two kids, I think he said. Trunks and Bra. Always doting on his daughter, Bra. Brags on Trunks some."

The lavender-haired young man smiled brighter now. "Really? But...I...I don't have a sister named Bra..."

Tora quirked a brow. "What's your name anyway, kid?"

"T-Trunks. M-my name is Trunks." The young man stammered, a blush crossing his face as he bowed politely. "I suppose he forgot that I went back to my own timeli--"

"...Waaaaaaaaaaait. You're the timetraveler one he mentioned once, eh?" Tora laughed. "Well, I guess politeness and fem-boyish-ness are from your human genes."

At that moment, Tora wished he'd never said a word when Trunks's fists came crashing down on his head.

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After Tora and Bardock had gotten settled in, Shugesh sat down with them at his table. The three men eyed each other in silence, none having the courage to say anything; even now, their transgression against science was a sensitive thing that none of them could get over. Tora gripped a cigarette between his steel fingers, occasionally taking a drag. Bardock had his hip flask out, taking a sip every now and then. Shugesh? He had a few home-made cookies in front of him, occasionally eating one whole.

"You know why we're here. Don't you?" Tora frowned.

Shugesh heaved a sigh. "It almost got out. Didn't it?"

Bardock tensed. "Because the Armestrian government is full of suspicious fools now that the only decent man among them is gone."

Tora froze up. "That's not true. You're st--"

"I'm just as suspicious as they are of stuff. I almost thought one of you guys told, in fact. The military is a part of the government, you know." Bardock frowned, taking a sip of the contents of his flask. "Can I say I'm any better than they? Maes didn't question shit like this. Then again, that's probably why he's dead."

The three sat in silence once more, the sounds of a few chalk clicks being heard in the other room. They each watched the door, waiting; a blue glow engulfed the edges of the door for a moment before the door opened once more to reveal Trunks, sweat running down his face. With a smile on his face, he lifted the sword that he held to his side.

"Well? What do you guys think?" He gave an expectant smile.

Bardock tilted his head. "Looks like an ordinary sword to me."

"I can tell where you repaired it. Your alchemy isn't quite seamless yet. Don't worry, though. Your father took a while to catch on." Tora suddenly spoke. Shugesh and Bardock stared at him with gape-jawed looks. Was this the same dense lunkhead that never got their jokes and got himself beat up in fights for not paying attention?

"A-ah! I see now!" Trunks gulped. "Thank you, uh..."

"The pleasure's all mine. And the name's Tora." Tora gave his goofy grin. "Now you just get back in there and practice. We...we need to talk about something."

Trunks gave a defiant look. "I want to listen."

"You'd just get bored of us mulling over a way to bring back the dead with something other than stories." Bardock grumbled before taking a particularly large swig.

Trunks perked up some. "Bring back the dead? If I could find a way to get back to the other side...we could get the Dragon Balls and wish this person back, probably!"

"Dragon's...balls? Isn't that inhumane in order to go and just rip the testicles off a dragon just to bring someone back to life?" Bardock started, a confused look on his face.

"Not Dragon's balls. Dragon Balls. They're seven mystical gems and if you get them together, you can ask Shenlong to grant you any wish you want...within his power. Like bringing a dead man that's been killed back to life." Trunks explained.

"So...we could bring back Maes Hughes?!" Bardock suddenly stood up, dropping his hip flask of whiskey, his eyes wide. "We could really bring him back without getting a Philosopher's Stone and trying Human Transmutation?!"

"...Human Transmutation? That's the biggest sin ever in alchemy!" Trunks gasped.

Tora and Shugesh averted their eyes, and Bardock himself glanced down. They didn't dare tell him. It was their secret, and their sin to bear.

"What?" Trunks frowned. "What'd...what'd I say?"

"It's nothing, Trunks. Go find the Mark Two Leg and make the repairs I asked you to." Shugesh frowned, not glancing to his pupil once.

Tora sighed. "Or get me some tea."

A screw suddenly pinged Tora in the temple, causing him to spaz and drop his cigarette into the ashtray. What was it with that kid doing this to him?!

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Trunks sat at the table with the three men, watching them closely. He somehow knew they were hiding something earlier--perhaps because of their actions--and he wanted to know. However, the other three wouldn't mention a word of it. Their lips were sealed on that dark chapter of the history of their trio.

"Listen. I'm not leaving until you tell me." Trunks huffed.

Bardock rolled his eyes. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes I do." Trunks gave a determined glare.

"...If you must know...we're after the philosopher's stone." Bardock lofted his brow. "...That is all."

Tora smirked, laughing lightly. "We just didn't want to tell you because you'd want it for yourself."

Shugesh said nothing, just giving a cheshire cat grin. He might as well say nothing, or his pupil would know they were lying.

Trunks eyed the three suspiciously. "I don't trust that. No. Tell the truth."

"You want the truth?" Bardock gritted his teeth. "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth, whelp."

"...You did it, didn't you? It's the only reason you would have metal limbs, isn't it?" Trunks murmured.

Tora shook his head. "Or maybe I was in a harvest accident, Bardock was in a train accident, and your beloved teacher Shugesh was in a horseba--"

"He's never ridden a horse." Trunks frowned sternly. "And I doubt you've harvested."

"...We do a lot of harvesting in Resembool, boy." Tora gave a cold tone. "Some of us are less lucky than others."

"Trunks. You know I told you that I was in a vehicular accident!" Shugesh frowned. "I guess Tora here still thinks horses count as vehicles. Country bumpkin."

Everyone else busted out laughing at Tora, who stood up and crossed his arms. "I don't have to take this."

"Then why are you?" Bardock challenged him, giving his own cheshire cat grin.

Tora stormed toward the empty back room, leaving Trunks, Bardock, and Shugesh together. For now, the conversation would turn back to Hughes and the Dragon Balls; Trunks was willing to accept that the three had been in strangely coincidental accidents, oblivious to the truth that they had been involved in Human Transmutation for the time being.

Speaking with old friends can often lead to new ideas. Of course, new friends could breathe the same new life into one's thoughts.