Author's Note:

I may be taking on too much, but whatever. Onward!

Disclaimer: I continue to not own!

CHAPTER ONE: (Apologies Won't Cut It)

Gohan was happily studying in his room. Honestly, nothing could be better for the half-Saiyan right now. Well, except that his Dad was dead. But all in all, Gohan had made peace with it. It was a year after the Cell Games, and Gohan was twelve years old. His little brother, Goten was eight months old and still a screamer! Gohan chuckled to himself as he heard Goten start wailing again. Goten's room was right next to Gohan's, so the older brother could hear Goten every time he started screaming. Gohan didn't really mind it too much - it was comforting to know his brother was alive... even if he was screaming bloody murder. Gohan was in his regular outfit - white button down shirt that his mother liked and dark pants. He wore dark socks around the house and had a comfortable pair of black shoes for when he went outside. But when you could fly, you didn't really need shoes! Gohan winced at a particularly loud screech from his baby brother.

Usually, Chi-Chi could calm Goten down. But some days, Goten just screamed. Today was one of those days. Gohan heard his mother exit her room and stumble into Goten's. It was just after lunch, and Chi-Chi usually took a nap after lunch before preparing for dinner. He heard her walk into the bedroom and tiredly try to calm Goten. The other half-Saiyan refuses to calm, and then Chi-Chi's ki ri ses. Gohan frowns and stops writing, looking over in the direction of Goten's bedroom. He can hear Goten continue screaming, even louder. And all of a sudden, the screams are muffled. Gohan couldn't explain the panic he felt. As soon as the screams went silent, Gohan felt like he was going to explode. His heart started racing, he could feel his lunch make an appearance, and worst of all... he was having flashbacks of when his father died. And how he was unable to save him. Not this time! Gohan would save Goten! He refused to allow what happened to his father happen to his brother!

Gohan smashed through his door, leaving a Gohan-sized hole in it. Wood explodes into the hallway as he rushes for his brother. He slammed the door open and stared wide-eyed into his little brother's bedroom. Goten's door is hanging off the hinges and there's an imprint of the doorknob in the wall. Gohan looks on in horror as his mother presses a pillow into Goten's face. She looks up, notices him, and literally picks the baby up and throws him at Gohan. Gohan leaned backwards, desperately trying to regain his balance when Goten hits his chest. He cradles Goten with his arms, staring in disbelief at his mother.

"Go take him somewhere else." Chi-Chi groaned. She had large bags under her eyes, and her posture is sluggish. "Now!" Chi-Chi glared at Gohan violently. The half-Saiyan gulped and took his brother into his room. He sat down on his bed, sheepishly looking at the hole in his door. He heard his mother's bedroom door slam as he rocked his baby brother back and forth. Goten eventually fell asleep, sucking on his thumb. Gohan looked down at Goten, frowning. His mother really overstepped her boundaries today. She even looked incredibly frazzled today. Her hair wasn't done up in it's usual bun, and her clothing wasn't ironed. She always ironed stuff.

He knew that she was frustrated and still grieving over Goku's death, but this was crazy! No matter how much he cried, there was no excuse for harming a child. Gohan looked down at his baby brother. He had convinced Piccolo the other day to make Goten an orange gi that looked just like their Dad's - but with one minor change. The front of the gi had a different symbol on it - the Japanese symbol meaning "treasure". On the back, was a large symbol that meant "Precious". Gohan wanted to be reminded every day of how treasured and precious his little brother was.

Gohan understood, so why didn't his mother? Goten was in a deep sleep, no longer crying. Lately, Goten had stopped being comforted by Chi-Chi's presence. The only way that Goten would calm down was if he could lock his little fingers into Gohan's shirt, smell the piney scent of his brother, and be held by Gohan's warm, protecting arms. Gohan had read somewhere that babies were pretty good at sensing emotion. If their caregiver was anxious or angry, the baby would become afraid. Gohan guessed that Goten was anxious and crying because Chi-Chi was upset. It did make sense. And with Gohan - Gohan was instantly calmed by Goten's presence. In turn, Goten was calmed by that.

Gohan assumed that dinner wasn't coming any time soon. He could make peanut butter sandwiches, but that was about it. He took Goten into the kitchen. When he began moving, Goten woke up and started giggling. Gohan set his little brother down and began preparing food. He made some rich using his ki, and gave that to Goten for the small boy to eat up. Goten quickly began stuffing his face, and soon, Gohan joined him. Even though they used up twenty bags of rice, they were both fed. Gohan picked the now-sleepy Goten up and brought him to his room.

Gohan wasn't sure why, but he had a bad feeling about leaving Goten in his crib. He felt like he needed to protect his baby brother, and the only sure-fire way to do that was to be with him constantly. Gohan lied down on his bed, cradling Goten. He put his head on his pillow and allowed Goten to use his forearm as a pillow. Goten giggled a little before drifting off. Gohan stayed awake, thinking of his mother. He wanted to know why Chi-Chi would try to hurt his brother like that. Sure, his mother was known for being overbearing sometimes, but this was crazy! Goten was a baby! Babies cried, it's the natural order of things! Gohan sighed and turned his thoughts off, falling asleep.

(The Next Morning)

Gohan woke up, looking down and expecting to see his little brother. No such luck. Gohan immediately had a pang of panic through his system. Something was wrong. He leapt out of bed, hearing Goten screaming bloody murder. He flipped through the Gohan-sized hole in his door and looked around. He started running for the kitchen, where his mother was cooking breakfast. She was washing a pan off, and it was still steaming hot. Goten was in his little chair, screaming his head off. Chi-Chi scowled and turned to her youngest son, pan raised as if to strike him.

As Chi-Chi brought her hand down, Gohan moved.

The pan made a CLING sound as it collided with the bones of Gohan's face. Gohan had his head turned to the side, arms out to shield his brother. His cheek waand s aching horribly, and he could feel the burning sensation of the pan on his face. Gohan turned his head to glare at his mother. Gohan was filled to the brim with disbelief, horror, and regret. He couldn't believe his mother was trying to hurt Goten, he was horrified at that thought, and he regretted having to harm her. But if it came down to it, Gohan assumed he'd be able to defend his brother... right? Gohan have himself a mental kick in the pants and decided to try to resolve this using words.

"What are you doing to Goten?" Gohan asked quietly.

"He wouldn't stop crying! For goodness sakes, Gohan, just get off my back!" Chi-Chi screeched. "Your father refuses to come home, your brother won't stop crying, and you won't stop badgering me! Honestly, Gohan, I raised you to be more polite than that. I'm just exhausted, all right? Your father refuses to come home, the moron. And this... child is just like him." Chi-Chi sighed. "Just go to your room." she roughly handed Gohan a heaping plate of breakfast. Gohan used his super speed to stack up dishes of food in his room, along with some baby mush.

All Chi-Chi felt was a breeze as both her sons (and ninety percent of the food!) disappeared. Gohan stood in his bedroom, sitting Goten down in his lap. He gently fed Goten once again, an ache in his heart. He needed to do something to save his little brother.

And he needed to do it fast.