Ever since I watched episode 66 of Dragon Ball Super, this odd story idea seemed to bug me to no end to be unleashed. While the Potara fusion was 'nerfed' by the writers due to it being op, I still liked the charm of the potential of our favorite warriors using it again someday.

That's when the plot bunny began nibbling me. I was reluctant at writing something like this, but I cannot deny that the Final Kamehameha sold me on this bizarre idea. I have spent many a day watching that part drooling over that epic blast that made the plot bunny that much stronger.

(Curse you writers of DBS! Curse you for making this epic scene that drove me to write this!)

Well, enough of the delays. I suppose I should just shut-up and let the story speak for itself. I am avoiding spoilers from episode 67 in which certain elements took place for those of you who have yet to watch it (I didn't watch the whole thing because YouTube went on a rampage for those streaming it on the day I wrote this). Also, slight A/U hinted because it's for the freaking plot.

As usual, I don't own this or anything else. If I did, I would have literally rewritten a lot of the stuff that happened to make Trunks' story much darker than needed. To be fair, I tend to like adding tension to stories to make it more interesting. Right now, I'm not sure if I should keep this one a one-shot or continue, so I'll let you readers decide so I can pick a direction and take it.

(Since this initial posting of this story, there are more chapters-coming soon of course!)

~Chibi Mirai Gogeta

#abusingpotaranerf

It had sat there in the sock drawer long after the battle with Zamasu in the future—the blasted potara earring that seemed to mock him for giving into its weakness. Vegeta had been tempted to break the cursed object again, but out of all people, he had to talk him out of it. Yes, Kakarrot had managed to ensure their potential trump card remained intact in case another situation drove them to absolute desperation again in the future.

Fusion with the younger Saiya-jin seemed like it had been just a dream—it did not last the whole duration as Gowasu had stated—and they both ended up getting their asses handed when they defused. Vegeta was proud of his future son taking up the fight in their stead when they were disoriented by the sudden break. And yet, the thrill of being merged to the only other strongest Saiya-jin in the universe left him feeling a sense of emptiness after it expired, one he could not shake weeks after returning to their own timeline.

Their daily spars did nothing to fill that void, as a matter of fact, it only made it harder for him to concentrate, and the prince had to admit that he had grown sloppy. Every blow was half-hearted due to the amount of focus dwelling upon what had transpired recently. While they were both on the godly tier of power, it was that same power that drove one of the kaioshin in training with his ongoing obsession to create a utopia free of all mortal life.

Zamasu had pulled all of that planning of invading the future in a vain attempt to completely wipe out humanity, he had failed in his conquest. Vegeta knew that the demented kaioshin had nearly won the battle in the end, and had nearly managed to obtain his corrupted dream. Had it not been for that clown's quick thinking and... no. The plan that he utilized was completely suicidal, and they had barely made it out of that situation alive. Sometimes, Vegeta wondered if Kakarrot thought about his actions before putting everyone's lives at risk the way he did.

A growl came from the fool's stomach and Vegeta realized that it was past noon. No further communication was needed for either warrior as the prince pulled out the capsule that his wife had packed earlier. He tossed it and in mere seconds, a feast was spread upon a blanket underneath a shady tree. They walked over and sat down to eat. The sound of utensils scraping against the quickly depleting bowls of rice and other foods filled the air for a time.

"Hey Vegeta, do you think we could fuse again?" Vegeta nearly choked on one of the egg rolls that he had just began to swallow when the lower-class warrior spoke up. Hitting his chest, he managed to get it to pass before his angry gaze fell upon him.

"What makes you think I want to join bodies with you again?" he spoke angrily at Kakarrot. It was bad enough he did it a second time when in the past, he would have preferred death, but the second time was mainly out of desperation due to being driven into a corner. He had endured the merger for less than the hour due to the intense amount of energy they utilized, and they were left both powerless and defenseless when it broke without warning.

"Well, I was wondering if we could train in it so it lasts longer," the younger man contemplated almost though he were thinking it was something they could learn to control.

"There's no point," Vegeta denied angrily. "We had beaten that bastard, and there's no way I'm interested in fusing with you again!"

"Are you sure? Bulma said you kept your potara after we merged."

Blast the woman for her curiosity. He had preferred that she knew nothing about what they did in the future timeline since she had been preoccupied with repairing the time machine. Even then, she had every right to be curious since she would handle his laundry from time to time and would have noticed it eventually lying in the drawer completely untouched. Bulma knew that the prince would never betray her, so the idea of such an object being in the drawer would raise questions the longer it remained exposed.

"Does it matter that I have such a trivial thing?" Vegeta questioned.

"Have you felt like something was missing after the fusion ended?"

This question caught the prince off-guard. He hated to admit it, but Kakarrot did seem to drive the point home with his persistence. Still, fusing with him just to find out what was missing seemed rather invasive, not to mention treading past his comfort zone.

"Fine, I'll bring that stupid earring tomorrow if you're going to press the issue," Vegeta growled lowly.

"Great!" Kakarrot grinned eagerly. The idea of agreeing to this seemed like an execution that was delayed until the following day. He would have asked the clown to teleport them to retrieve the earrings, but the idea of sparring seemed more important for the time being. Finishing the meal, they returned to the air where their blue auras surrounded their bodies and they resumed the delayed spar with more eagerness than before.

_______

Underneath the skylight in his room, Vegeta held the potara open in his hand. Once again, the object seemed to silently mock him while his wife slept on unaware of the troubled thoughts running through his head. The first time they fused, it was supposed to be permanent, but it broke while they were within Buu. The second time, it did not even last the hour due to the Final Kamehameha they fired after driving Zamasu into a corner, both figuratively and literally.

Would fusing with his rival even be worth the effort if their combined power made it highly unstable? Vegeta put the earring back into the drawer and slipped into bed by his wife's side. He pulled her sleeping form against his body, taking in everything she was to him and him alone. Had it been a permanent fusion, he would have been damned if he would give her up after she put up with all of his crap.

'I'm grateful for being who I am, but then why am I compelled to fuse with the clown again?'

_______

The wind blew through Vegeta's hair as he waited for Kakarrot to show up. He held the earring in his right hand and slowly watched the sun rise. They usually met in this grassy field to lightly spar due to Kakarrot's preference of being close to a lake in case they needed extra food. He did not actually care where they sparred though due to their battles mostly being in the sky, though there were times they did damage the earth slightly. Thankfully, the ecosystem did benefit from their constant fighting since it allowed new plants to emerge where the invasive ones had formerly driven them out.

A slight familiar distortion was felt in the air and seconds later, Kakarrot appeared with a goofy grin on his face eagerly holding his own earring in his hand. Vegeta knew that the clown wanted nothing more than to fuse right away and wasted little time fastening the earring to his right ear.

"Let's just get this over with," Vegeta muttered. He did not seem thrilled with the idea and noticed that Kakarrot was still holding his without making any motion to attach it to his left. "What are you doing you fool? Didn't you say you wanted to fuse again?"

"I was thinking about it last night, and to be honest, I think the reason I wanted to fuse with you was so I can get to understand you better," Kakarrot mused. The very thought made the prince fall to the ground in an uncharacteristic manner. "Don't you think that's a bit selfish of me?"

"No Kakarrot, you always seem selfish when you want to fight someone first or want things to go your way," Vegeta sarcastically responded. He was quickly losing his patience with the younger man. "Just put the damn earring on or I'll destroy it."

"Alright, fine," Kakarrot dismissed the irritated look on the prince's face and clipped the earring on his left ear. It was another pet peeve that he disliked about the fool. Vegeta wondered if Kakarrot was doing this on purpose to see how he responded, or lost interest and no longer cared about the strange void that nagged them both.

In what felt like an eternity, the earrings began to react and Vegeta felt his body pulled towards his rivals almost though a magnetic force encompassed their bodies. The light grew brighter and everything he knew vanished within an instant along with the void that was suddenly filled with something more, something he had been seeking.