There hasnāt been this much green in the world for a long, long time. Itās peaceful, quiet, and pristine. Though this is not his world, and heās a stranger in a strange land. He watches from a distance as the kids outside Capsule Corp run around, never having to hide in shadows or dig their parents out from under rubble, never trembling at the rumbles or movements of clouds in the sky. He looks down at a flower, itās petals loosening from the wind and drifting in the air. He then hears something behind him. He turns to face a stranger, looking into their eyes. For a moment he doesnāt look past the exterior, and for a moment he almost says-Ā āIām sorry sir that bench is takenā but thenā¦ he looks past the glasses, past the eyes, into the soulā¦ at the source of ki inside.
There, stands Son Gohan. A mirror of himself. The scarred warrior wearing his fatherās gi stands across from a peaceful man wearing a teacherās outfit. Though he shares experiences up until a point that diverges both of their lives together. One of the two has fought and earned their peace, and the other has fought and still fights for their peace. The Warrior stands across from the Teacher and feels weaker then him. Not out of shame, or embarrassment, but because he feels like a hollow version. He feels like he shouldnāt even be allowed to stand near this man, because heās fought so hard for his peace.
The Warrior feels like a Bastardization of the Teacher. He feels like everything heās fought to avoid in life, and yet here he isā¦ wearing his fatherās gi with a scar over his eye and still fighting against the evil of their world. Though he doesnāt need to tell the Teacher that. The Teacher has earned his peace and deserves no worry or stress. This is just a peaceful meeting between two people who were curious to see inverse versions of each other.Ā
āItās nice to meet you. Trunks told me a lot about youā¦ Goten said I should meet you.ā
Year ago, back when he first met Future Trunks, Gohan had understood the difference between their timelines and what it meant. He was incredibly aware that whatever life he had lived up until this point was a completely different one than the future of himself in that timeline. He was aware of the implications of that. Heād spent some time thinking about how he might feel to live in that timeline.
Sure, heād seen his friends, his father and Piccolo die before him and felt that pain, but this timeline... Where none of them could ever come back again... That just felt so cold and finite to him. He imagined how he might feel, but figured that even he couldnāt even begin to fathom or comprehend exactly what it was like or how it felt.
Gohan hadnāt been surprised to see Future Trunks show back up. In fact, heād been almost happy to see him, even if he know that his being here meant that something even worse had happened in his timeline. It was akin to seeing an old friend youād fallen out of touch with for years. But what he hadnāt been expecting was to see his own self from the future. Now, he supposed, he knew what Trunks felt like.
Preparing to meet with his own self, he felt nervous. What if he was totally different and unrecognizable? What if he resented him? But he pushed those thoughts aside, knowing that he would rather treat him the way he treated everyone else. With respect and a genuine caring nature. Heād even decided to pick up a treat to share, two ice cream cones.Ā
Taking a deep breath, he recognized his future self immediately. A bit bulkier, more worse for wear, but... Still him. After all, theyād shared some of the same memories and childhood. He approached, just about to say something, when the other turned and he was looking at himself for the first time. He could see the years of fighting, at war with the distorted, barren world that had become his in this timeline. Behind those eyes was a deeper hurt than even he could begin to grasp, but also power. He was in awe of how strong the other had had to become. He hadnāt had the luxury of continuing his studies, starting a family or getting to enjoy some semblance of a normal life.Ā
Gohan nodded at the warrior in front of him.Ā āYeah... Heās great, isnāt he?ā
It dawned on him that in this future timeline, he would have never even gotten to meet his little brother. That thought evoked a pain in him he wasnāt even aware was there, causing him to swallow a lump that had risen in his throat. Taking a moment, he sat next to the other, offering him the ice cream cone.Ā āItās weird, isnāt it? Meeting yourself? I thought... Well, I thought maybe a treat would be nice to break the tension.ā
