The sun shone warmly, reflecting off the seven dragon balls strewn over the rugged grass. Goten shielded his face, turning his head to look at Trunks. Summer had finally arrived and Goten had graduated high school. For the first time, the two boys had successfully collected all seven dragon balls without interruption and were preparing to summon Shenron.

"It feels a little weird. Doing it ourselves." spoke Goten.

Trunks' feet scuffed at the soil beneath his trainers. "Yeah, but there's no point backing out now. We'll summon him together, alright? On the count of three."

"Wait, wait…" interrupted Goten. "What's our second wish going to be? I mean, the dragon does grant two."

Trunks' face twisted in thought. "We could always leave it for another time."

Goten shook his head. "No way. This is the first time we've had the chance to do this, there's no way I'm ditching my wish."

Trunks shrugged. "Yeah, true. Well, it is your wish. Ask for anything you want."

That was true. The first wish was Trunks', and his wish was for the perfect gift. Not for himself, of course. But for Mai. His girlfriend.

In all honesty, Goten despised Mai. Hated every inch of her. He didn't trust her to save his life, and every time he glanced her way, an uncomfortable tingle would make itself down his spine. There were multiple reasons for this distrust and distaste. So many, in fact, that Goten had made a list:

First, she never shared anything about herself. She had no parents, no friends, and as far as Goten was concerned, no history.

Second, she wilfully spent her free time with a blue gremlin and a speaking dog. Whom Goten was positive had tried to kill him on multiple occasions.

And third?

Goten was painfully in love.

Not with Mai.

But with Trunks. His best friend of seventeen years.

He had come to this realisation at thirteen, when he'd awaken in the middle of the night with a tent in his boxers and a clear image of Trunks embedded in his mind. The first time, he passed it off as adolescence, but when the dream became a recurring one, Goten was certain it had developed into something more.

He tried to forget it, of course. Think of other boys instead. After all, anyone was better than his best friend, and any attraction Goten thought he'd held for girls had disappeared completely over the past few years. In senior high school, he hooked up with a few other guys from his year level, but while they were nice, they simply weren't Trunks.

Only a year ago, Trunks had discovered Goten's sexuality at a party, where he'd stumbled upon Goten and a boy from his geography class in what could be labelled a compromising position. Trunks had been flustered, no doubt, but after an apology from Goten and an explanation, he accepted it with a simple shrug, reassuring Goten that "it was all fine, and I kind of suspected, anyway."

Things had been slightly awkward for a few days, but soon enough, everything was back to normal. Trunks treated Goten exactly the same, and still to this day, he hadn't yet discovered Goten's feelings towards him.

Everything was great. And if Goten was any other person, he might have asked the dragon to make Trunks fall in love with him. Thankfully, Goten wasn't any other person, and concluded that he'd prefer Trunks not to love him at all than be forced to.

Rather, he decided on a much more trivial wish – something he'd wanted to wish for since he was five years old. "Okay, I think I've got one. Let's summon Shenron."

"Alright, on three." agreed Trunks, rubbing his hands together nervously.

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

"Eternal Dragon! By your name, we summon you forth: Shenron!" they chanted together, fists balled in anticipation.

The sky blackened, dark clouds looming above them. A chill ran down Goten's spine. From the dragon balls, a large, green figure began to appear, its glowing eyes illuminating their surroundings. They had summoned the dragon many times, but it never became any less formidable.

Shenron began to speak, a booming voice which vibrated through the very grass beneath them. "You have awoken me from my slumber. Speak your first wish!"

Goten and Trunks glanced at each other, as though seeking reassurance, before Trunks began to speak. "Shenron… I wish for the perfect gift for my girlfriend, Mai!" Trunks' face heated up. In the face of the dragon, his wish seemed more juvenile than ever.

"Very well. Your wish shall be granted."

The sky flashed with light, colours which seemed to dance against the clouds. And then it was dark once more, a small book landing before Trunks' feet. He picked it up nimbly, glancing at the cover with confusion masking his features. "…What?"

Goten shuffled over to peek a glance, reading the title over Trunks' shoulder.

'Before Your Time: The Early Menopause Survival Guide.'

Trunks looked over at Goten, brows furrowed. "What the fuck is that meant to mean?"

"I… have no clue. Isn't that like, what our mums have?"

Trunks hummed in agreement. "Yeah, it's for like, old women and stuff. I guess Shenron made a mistake or something… What a fucking waste."

Goten smiled sympathetically. He wanted to feel bad for Trunks, but on the inside, he was joyous. "Sorry, man. At least we get another wish, aye?"

Trunks smiled softly, shoving the book in his backpack. "Yeah."

The thundering voice of Shenron redirected their attention to the task at hand. "Speak your second wish!" he spoke.

Goten took a deep breath. "Alright, Shenron. I wish that Trunks and I could go on an awesome adventure like our dads did! Go and fight Frieza, or something…" he trailed off.

He turned to gauge Trunks' reaction. It had been their number one wish as children, after all. But instead of joy and anticipation, he saw wide eyes, as a desperate Trunks lurched forward to grab Goten's arm. Words spilled from Trunks' mouth, but Goten couldn't hear over the roar of Shenron.

And that was the last thing Goten saw. Because then the sky began to morph and twist, the ground reeling at their feet.

The world went black.

All was silent.