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Late afternoon in the anomalous metropolis of Conton City, a school bell rang over the recreation of Orange Star School, and a small army of Time Patrollers, the city’s primary population, flooded out.
Most split off into their own smaller groups, discussing plans for the upcoming weekend, others taking off to their own destinations beyond the city.
Three in particular stopped below one of the trees in the school’s courtyard, a Saiyan girl with short, rowdy black hair, a pale blue Majin in a turquoise cape, and a spectacled, white-and-crimson Frost Demon lugging a heavy backpack.
“Any plans for after school?” The Majin asked the others, parking herself in a cross-legged seat in the grass. The frost demon frowned, “Never, Kasian, you should know that by now.”.
“Yeah, blue,” The Saiyan laughed, “Everyone knows Sinfa’s not doing anything until we drag him with us.”.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be, Cinnay?” Sinfa sniped, “You told the Supreme Kai of Time you couldn’t go on patrol because you were visiting family. You wouldn’t lie to her just for a day off, would you?”.
Feigning innocence in her voice, Cinnay grinned, “Me? Neeeeveeeerrrrr,” swinging her hands at her sides in more exaggerated innocence, “I would never bail on patrol to go hang out at the beach with my friends two weeks ago.”.
The joke wasn’t lost on the two others, who recalled that exact scenario playing out, much to the frustrations of the Kais that presided over their city out of time.
“Okay I actually do have a reason this time, though,” Cinnay insisted, crossing her arms, “Mom and Dad are going out for their anniversary, and they want me to come by and watch Trunks and Bra while they’re gone.”.
“Isn’t Trunks like, sixteen or seventeen?” Sinfa recalled, “That’s totally old enough to take care of yourself and your baby sister for a few hours.”. Sinfa joined Kaisan on the grass, kneeling near a bush that shaded him from the afternoon sun.
“That’s what I told my mom, but I think she just wants me to visit, and she’s using this as an excuse.”.
“She’s a clever woman, she knows how hard it is for you to say ‘no’ to her,” Sinfa commented, and Cinnay gave an awkward grin, scratching at the back of her neck, “The smartest in the world. I can’t think of a Saiyan alive that can say ‘no’ to her.”
Kaisan stretched an arm out to jab Cinnay’s shoulder from her seat on the grass, “Then hey, you should get going. Unless you want to hang around and let Sinfa drag us to a study group?”.
Cinnay shook her head, “As much as I would love to kill some more time with you guys pretending to study, I promised Mom I’d help Trunks with his homework while I did my stuff.”.
Sinfa frowned, muttering off to the side, “Study groups can be fun…”. Another blue arm stretched out around Sinfa’s shoulder, patting him on the cheek as Kaisan joked, “They sure can be, you massive nerd.”.
Rolling her eyes, Cinnay gave a short wave to her friends, turning and looking up into the sky, “See you guys tomorrow!”.
“Cinnay! Wait!” Sinfa’s voice made Cinnay pause mid-take-off, and she slowly turned around to look at the hefty-looking textbook in Sinfa’s hand, being held out toward her.
“It would be pretty hard to study without your actual history book, wouldn’t it?”.
Grimacing, Cinnay took the book out of the studious Frost Demon’s hand, “You’re right. I wouldn’t be able to. Thanks, Sinfa. You’re a life-saver.”. Sinfa grinned cheekily, making it clear he heard the sarcasm in her voice, and took immense joy in it, “Well, I’m glad I can help my dear friend and partner. I can’t have you falling behind by skipping our group studying!”.
Cinnay fought a smile, tucking the book under her arm and blowing kisses to Sinfa and Kaisan as she took off into the sky, who accepted with a cheek turn and a closed hand, respectively.
As the mimic Orange Star building disappeared into the distance, Cinnay picked up her speed, watching Conton City whip by her as she flew. The city had become so familiar to her, even from such a height, and at such speed, she could draw the path she would have had to take on foot without looking down. Down the stairs, and around the fountain with the statue of the City Hero, past the post office, medal shop, and the guide.
As she flew, she tapped the small device on her belt that she had gotten when she became a Time Patroller, projecting several holographic screens in front of her. The Supreme Kai of Time had warned her not to use the device while flying, but she wouldn’t be long.
Scrolling to a tab she had bluntly named “Outfits”, she quickly scrolled through a list of various sets of clothing, including some purchased herself, others found while out on patrol, and others received as thanks from various people she had met. She found her favorite, a short, gold jacket, with the Capsule Corp. logo embroidered on the left arm in light orange, over a pale yellow t-shirt, and dark yellow gloves covering her hands. A white belt with a shimmering gold buckle held up baggy, dark yellow jeans that ended stuffed into white boots toed with gold. Over the whole outfit, a grand, bright yellow cape gave the outfit an imposing figure, as well as her glasses, which she found both cute and helpful, even if going Super Saiyan made them unnecessary. Selecting the outfit, there was a flash of pixelated light as Cinnay’s school uniform was replaced with the more heroic wear.
Cinnay’s path took an abrupt forty-five degree shift up as she rose towards the upside-down pyramid, the alien architecture still a mystery to her in its function and origin. What she did understand, though, was the floating glass dome on top of the structure, at least, she knew its purpose. Inside the dome was a miniature environment, almost like a diorama. The dome depicted a large, yellow, dome-like building, lined with windows and surrounded by a grassy field, and further out, a bustling cityscape.
Her childhood home, the Capsule Corporation HQ.
Placing her hand on the cool glass, Cinnay’s vision was filled with a tunnel of swirling colors, a bright ball of light at the end. She was lifted off of her feet, and it felt as though she were being pulled towards the light by ropes tied to her waist and shoulders. The pressure and visuals left Cinnay on the verge of violent nausea the first time she’d felt it, but after a few years of practice, the feeling of traveling to another timeline only disoriented her a little.
The light at the end of the tunnel expanded to surround her, before dissipating, revealing that the same environment that had been depicted inside the dome now surrounded her. The lively West City clamored and rang out around her, and the massive building in front of her shined in the late afternoon sunlight, a glimmering centerpiece of the metropolis.
Cinnay smiled, “Home sweet home…”.
Almost immediately, Cinnay could sense a few familiar signatures nearby, in particular her mother’s, somewhere in her workshop. Her smile turned into a devilish grin, and she let her muscles relax and her breathing slow, picturing the sphere surrounding her that represented her ki signature shrinking. Once it was no larger than her fist, Cinnay walked towards the main doors of the building, and slowly pulled them open, creeping inside. Making sure to keep her ki as low as possible, Cinnay snuck through the building, quietly walking towards the entrance to her mother’s workshop.
Just like she anticipated, she could see her mother facing away from the entrance, leaning over a workbench, clearly engrossed in her work. Slowly, Cinnay inched toward her, keeping her breathing low and trying with all her might not to laugh, and she stopped right behind her. Slowly, she drew in a deep breath…
“I’M HOME MOM!” Cinnay grabbed Bulma Briefs from behind in a bear hug, jumping up into the air, stopping a few feet off the ground. The shriek that filled the workshop could probably be heard outside the building as they shot into the air, but by the time Cinnay landed, that surprise had quickly melted into anger, and then recognition as she let go, and Bulma turned to look at her.
“Cinnay!” Bulma shouted, both excitement and a bit of anger in her voice as she wrapped Cinnay in a hug of her own, nearly knocking the half-Saiyan off her feet, “You’re home! You’re here!”. Suddenly, a flash of pain shot through Cinnay’s head as Bulma dragged her head down by her ear, the excitement in Bulma’s voice replaced with anger as she shouted, “What was that for!? You nearly gave me a heart attack!”.
“It’s, uh… stealth practice, for the Time Patrol, Mom,” Cinnay lied, and Bulma clearly didn’t fall for it, though she did release Cinnay’s ear, crossing her arms, “You’re lucky I’m so excited to see you, or I’d be a lot more mad at you right now.”.
“I missed you too, Mom,” Cinnay’s genuine smile returned, “I’m glad I could catch you before you and Dad left.”.
“Speaking of your father…” Bulma muttered, “Did you see him on your way in? He ran off with Trunks a while ago.”.
The younger Saiyan grinned awkwardly, “I, uh… didn’t look for his energy.”. With a sigh, Bulma set her hand on her hip and glared at Cinnay, “Too busy scheming to scare your poor mother half to death?”.
Rising back into the air, Cinnay waved to her mother as she floated toward the exit of the workshop, rapidly spouting, “Yeahsorryitwasreallyfunnyi’mgonnagofinddadbye!~”. Cinnay took off towards the entrance doors of the building, nearly knocking over a startled Doctor Briefs as she shot by.
“Sorry, Grandpa!”.
Reaching near the top of the city’s skyline, Cinnay paused, watching the city ring and hustle below her. She could only barely pick out individual people walking on the streets below her, some of the little colored specks stopping to chat with other colored specks, and some disappearing around corners or into buildings. All the cars flowing in between the buildings, crossing through one another at the intersections and on the turns so fluidly, like they all have a script to follow, giant metal actors on stage.
Earth had been her home since she was born. She was raised on those sidewalks, strolling along with her mother as she learned to walk, watching the cars go by when she would get driven to school. Even her father, after returning from the dead after the battle on Namek, learned the streets of the city alongside her.
And yet, she had always felt out of place. She must have been three or four when her father started trying to train her.
“The androids are coming,” The older version of Trunks, her then-baby-brother, had warned them, and her family, blood and beyond, started to train for it. She started seeing Gohan even less than she used to, her father was almost always out, and, despite her best efforts, even tiny Cinnay could tell her mother was stressed.
When the first androids came, she was told her father dispatched them almost without effort, but one had escaped, with grim consequences. Cinnay couldn’t remember the day her father had come home after the brutal loss to Android 18 clearly, but she remembered being scared.
Her life was little other than training after that, as her father insisted she could go further, that they could surpass Kakarot and Gohan if they just kept working towards it.
Once the Cell Games had come and gone, Cinnay thought she could go home, that she could rest and things would go back to normal, and for a while, they did. She got to see her cousin Gohan more often again, and she spent more time looking after the young Trunks, watching the boy grow up.
But it wasn’t the same. She didn’t need to walk anywhere anymore, having learned flight from her father, and the training from her battles made her far stronger than any of her classmates. Cinnay had always known she was half-Saiyan, that she really wasn’t the same species as her peers, even if her lack of tail made her nearly identical to her classmates, but it only started to feel like it after she tried to return to school.
Her mother only got busier and busier as Trunks grew up, as did her father, not that Cinnay blamed either of them, she knew exactly how rambunctious the young Trunks was. However, the novelty of touching down from on high at the doors to her school when her classmates walked or stepped out of cars wore off fast. In classes, it became nigh impossible to sit still, drumming pencils or bouncing her foot, and even then, she still couldn’t pay attention. It was only in sports that she really could concentrate, as even though it wasn’t combat, her Saiyan blood boiled at the physical competition, but her tendency to injure teammates and opponents alike, and the large amount of equipment she left either broken or in low orbit, often meant she was benched for the other player’s safety.
And then, there was the day of the 25th World Tournament…
“CINNAY!”
Trunk’s voice snapped Cinnay out of her trance, and she only had a moment to brace before the teenage Saiyan slammed into her, nearly both knocking the wind out of her and causing her to fall a few feet before regaining her concentration on flying.
“Jeez, Peanut,” Cinnay grinned down at her brother, now hugging her, “You’re getting huge. You nearly knocked me out of the air there.”. Looking up at her, Trunks grinned and released her, hovering at eye level.
“Yup! Dad says I’m even stronger than Gohan was at my age!” Cinnay smiled, even after all this time, her father’s rivalry with Kakarot extended all the way to their children. Cinnay reached out and hugged her brother properly, “Dad said the same thing about me. Maybe you should stick to throwing down with Goten for now.”.
“Maybe…” Trunks said, disappointment in his voice at the unlikelihood of being able to fight the siblings’ scholarly cousin. Flying out of Cinnay’s reach, Trunks pointed down to the city, “Hey! Dad’s down here! He said we needed to get something for Mom! …He also said not to tell Mom.”.
With a nod, Cinnay told her brother to “lead the way”, and the two shot down towards the ground.
In just a few seconds, Cinnay and Trunks set foot back on the sidewalks of West City, and smack in front of them, dressed in a dark blue button-down shirt and vaguely scuffed khakis, his arms crossed and a look of recognition and annoyance on his face, was just the man Cinnay was looking for.
Her father, Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans.
Landing with a small tap of her feet and a moment of awkward silence, Cinnay extended her arms out to her sides, with a half-hearted, “Ta-da! I’m home!”.
Vegeta was silent, dropping his arms and walking over to her, and Cinnay, having known him her whole life, knew what to say as she threw her arms around him in a hug.
“...I missed you too, Dad,” Cinnay said, having learned the ability to read the notoriously closed-off man from her mother, who she knew had to learn the skill the hard way.
“Hmph,” Vegeta muttered returning the gesture for a quick second, then promptly stepping away from Cinnay and crossing his arms once more, “Did Bulma send you to find us, then?”. Cinnay nodded, “Sent me out into the city to figure out where you took her son,” she smirked at the end, ruffling Trunks’ hair, who tried to wave the hand away with an annoyed “Hey…”.
“We still have a little time,” Vegeta muttered, “A prince is never late and all that. I just can’t quite…”.
“Dad’s looking for a gift!” Trunks blurted out, “We’ve been looking forever through a bunch of stores! It’s super annoying because Mom’s got everything already so what kind of anniversary gift could you even get her?!”. With a smile, Cinny tapped Trunk’s shoulder with her fist, “Aww, you’re getting sentimental, Dad. But yeah, that’s quite a question to answer. What do you get for the woman that has everything?”.
“What do you think I’ve been asking myself?” Vegeta growled, “I’ve been trying to figure it out all day, I’ve even tried asking some of Bulma’s friends!”. Cinnay’s eyebrows raised, even if at this point, her mother’s friends were more family friends than anything else, her father asking for their help was a testament for how desperate the situation was, or how dedicated Vegeta was.
“Hey, which anniversary is this?” Cinnay clarified, “The day you landed, or the day you started living with Mom?”. Vegeta gave another curt “Hmph”, before answering, “The latter. Twenty years ago today, I returned from Namek, and elected to stay on Earth, leading to a chain of events that ultimately resulted in my marriage to your mother, my place on this planet, and… you three.”.
“Love you too, Dad,” Trunks muttered, and Cinnay smiled, “Yeah, that’s quite an anniversary. You sure do owe Mom a lot,” she added a cheeky tap to her cheek as she added, “Including two or three particular treasures~.”.
“That’s part of the problem!” Vegeta scowled, “There’s nothing on this rock of a planet that can work effectively as a gift to properly capstone twenty years of a prince’s dedication!”. With a pause, Cinnay pulled up the same screen that she used to change her outfit, instead opening the “Storage” tab of the display, scrolling to a small, sealed pouch with some dirt and seeds inside.
With a quick swipe of her finger, the image and screen disappeared, and the pouch appeared in her hand with similar pixelated light as her outfit had appeared.
“What about something that’s not from this planet?” Cinnay suggested, holding up the packet, “I found these out on Patrol a while back, I guess they’re some Namekian flower? They stick around as long as they’ve got water, and they kind of look like grass when they’re grown because they only bloom in the cold, and since Namek’s got three suns, it’s super rare to see.”.
“Hmm…” Vegeta’s eyes narrowed, she could tell her father was weighing his options, and, in an attempt to sway the decision, she added, “If you don’t think it’s good, I’m sure Uncle Goku would love to use that teleport thing he’s got and go on a little space trip with you to help out.”. Her father’s eyelid twitched at the use of the title and name Cinnay’s mother had told her to use for Kakarot, and the frustration sealed her father’s decision.
“We’re out of time,” Vegeta admitted, taking the small, silver pouch out of Cinnay’s hand, dropping it into his pocket, and the three took off, back towards Capsule Corp. HQ.
Cinnay tried to use the flight home as a chance to catch up with her father and brother, but only had success with Trunks, who was more than happy to fill her in on the things she’d missed since her last visit several months prior, primarily a battle with a horrific creature that eerily fit the bill for the bio-android Cell that Cinnay had feared as a child. More friendly robots, a failed fusion, and both her father and Kakarot spending more time with Beerus, who Cinnay had become more familiar with, as the destroyer god had been a concern on some of her more recent patrols.
By the time they reached home, the sun was hanging low in the sky, and the siblings’ father quickly excused himself to change, leaving Trunks and Cinnay in the expansive nature preserve that made up a great deal of the building’s center.
“So, are any of your Patroller friends coming to hang out tonight?” Trunks asked, and Cinnay sighed, “As much as I want to, I get a feeling ditching Bra to hang out with my buddies from work isn’t gonna make Mom very happy.”. Trunks frowned, kicking the stone path below them, “Yeah, we have to keep an eye on Bra. Mom says she’s at the age where we took the most attention.”.
With a smile, Cinnay put a hand on her brother’s shoulder, “Hey, who said we can’t have fun? There’s plenty to do around here, and if you want, I could tell you a few patrol stories!”. Trunks’ eyes lit up at the offer, and he cheered, “Yeah! You could tell me and Bra! I wanna know what cool stuff Future Me’s doing! He’s like, your boss, right?”. Cinnay bit back a remark about the Time Patrol’s version of her brother’s actual competence in recent events, and decided to shrug, “Not really. I’m like his backup partner. When his normal partner can’t make it, or when he needs something done while he does something else, he goes and gets me.”.
Trunks snickered, “He’s totally your boss,” and Cinnay rolled her eyes, flicking his forehead with her middle finger, using a trick she had learned from one of her mentors, the angel Whis, to put enough force into the single point to send her brother flying several feet away, stopping himself in midar.
“Oh, it’s on!” Trunks grinned, hurtling through the air towards Cinnay, his fist raised to meet her. Cinnay’s arms rose, catching Trunks’ fist above them, and she sent the blow wide of her head, and Trunks spun in midar to kick at her head with his heel, and her arm shot back to block the strike, as-
“Oh, no, it isn’t!” Bulma’s voice stopped the fight cold in its tracks, and both Cinnay and Trunks dropped their stance and crossed their arms behind their backs to look at their mother, glaring at them from a doorway to the preserve.
Her workshop clothing had changed, and if Cinnay had a fashion-oriented bone in her body, she would have complimented her mother’s outfit, but she was too busy wondering how uncomfortable the classy wear must have been.
“Your father and I will just be gone for a few hours, when we get back, Bra had better be asleep, and this house had better be intact! Got it?”. Both Cinnay and Trunks were quick to agree, nodding and giving Bulma a thumbs-up, respectively.
“Got it, Mom!”.
“Yeah, Mom!”.
Immediately, Bulma’s expression softened, and she smiled, waving to the two, “We’ll be back soon, make sure to keep an eye on your baby sister! We love you!”. Cinnay and Trunks both followed their mother and father as they left, waving as they walked off into the city.
“Have fun, Mom! Love you too!”.
“Bye Mom! Have a good night!”.
Once their parents were out of sight, the siblings returned to the inside of the Capsule Corp. building, and Trunks cupped his hands around the back of his head, musing, “So… any ideas on what to do?”.
“Well,” Cinnay wondered, “I could share some stories, like I said, we could both get some studying done…” Trunks shook his head ‘no’ violently at the second suggestion, “Or…”.
A grin crept across Cinnay’s face, one that, were either of her Patroller partners there, would have prompted a slew of preemptive denials and halting expressions, but such rational minds were not present.
“We could all do something together, y’know, as siblings.”. Trunks’ head tilted in curiosity, “Like what?”.
“Well, as long as we all stuck together,” Cinnay pulled a small scroll from her back pocket, her primary way of returning to Conton City, and an object that Trunks immediately recognized, beaming up at his older sister,
“We could go hit the town, Briefs-Family-Style.”