Do You Believe In Santa Claus?
by the Fangirls of Insanity
Miss Lous and Kaz Valkyrie

PROLOGUE
The Truth About Human Children

In the eyes of a child, there is joy, there is laughter
There is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future
For the lessons of life, there is no better teacher
Than to look in the eyes of a child

Air Supply, "In the Eyes of a Child"

With a huge plastic bag on groceries on one hand, and an extra-long piece of paper --- which was most probably a list of what he was supposed to purchase --- on the other, Son Goku trudged towards the mall's appliance center. Although the bag looked extremely heavy, he had no problem carrying it around. After all, a saiyajin he was. And a plastic bag of groceries was nothing to worry about.

However, his walk towards the spot where their rendezvous would take place seemed like eternity. He could not help stopping everytime he sees something new in a boutique or a mini-shop, much more if it was a restaurant. Just seeing the menu on posters would make him drool. He wanted the food badly, but he did not have enough money to purchase what he wanted. Chichi only gave him money enough for the groceries, nothing more, nothing less.

Finally, after a million stops on almost every store he would pass by, he arrived at the appliance center. He started searching for his family, which was no problem. Gohan and Goten were already back from the arcade and he sensed their kis almost immediately. He found his sons huddled in front of a television, with joysticks in their hands and a handful of CDs scattered around a Playstation console.

"Hi Daddy!" Goten chirped without even turning his eyes away from the television. "Look at what I can do!" he exclaimed as he pushed a couple of buttons in rapid succession, and his character charged at Gohan's with a series of fire punches and kicks.

The elder Son was more than pleased with Goten's assault. "Well, squirt, let's see how you can handle this!" he muttered as he slid his fingers through the directional pad, and pressed a few buttons at the same time, and his character delivered a blow that knocked out Goten's fighter.

"Aw I lost again," Goten blurted out as he slumped his shoulders in defeat. "You never let me win, Oniichan. You're so unfair. Just because you're older than me! Even Trunks lets me win! But you never let me!"

"Come on, squirt, don't feel too bad," Gohan said as he patted his younger brother encouragingly on the shoulder. "It takes practice. You'll master it in time."

The younger saiyajin's eyes lit brightly, and then he turned to Goku. "Daaaaaaddy? Can you please buy me a Plaaaaaaaystation? For Christmas? Pleeeeeeeeease?" he pleaded with a look that a normal human could not resist, a look in which he was the master. The Puppy Eyes™.

In response, Goku rubbed the back of his head, and planted the Son Grin™ on his face. "Ummm... I would, Goten. If I had the money. But it's your mom who has the money, so you better ask her."

"Aw," Goten uttered, his disappointment obvious. "Can't you ask her for me? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?" he continued to plead. Afterwards, when he sensed that it didn't work, he began to complain about how Trunks would always beat him because he had his own Playstation, and the other whines and explanations related to that. Soon, his rant went completely off-topic, but Goku was too confused to where he was getting at to notice that development.

"Okay, Goten, just for you, I'll ask your mom," Goku said as he patted his youngest son on the shoulder and then turned to look for Chichi in the kitchenware section of the store. Before he could even lock on to her ki and thus find her, a new signature registered into his senses, screaming the arrival of a friend of his. Vegeta, the Saiyajin no Ouji, had just stormed into the store with his wife and eight-year-old son, looking even more murderous than usual.

"Stupid human CUSTOMS!"

Goku waved with his hand, trying to get the older saiyajin's attention. "Hey Vegeta! Over here!"

The Saiyajin no Ouji turned his head to Goku, his eyes narrowing a bit. Then, he dragged Bulma with him to where the third-class idiot was standing, his son following them. "Here you go onna, I have brought you to that baka and his family! Can I finally go now?!"

And he turned away, ready to leave.

"Who said you were allowed to go? We still have to go to at least five stores before we are finished! I can't carry all that stuff!" the blue haired woman angrily replied, gesturing towards the heap of stuffed plastic bags at one corner of the center.

Vegeta turned back, fury written on his face. "Nani?! You can't be serious! We have already been here for two hours and we have visited at least 20 stores!" the prince growled back in response. "This is all madness! Why, of all races, do you humans have such idiotic customs?!"

Before Bulma could answer, Goku decided to break the fight. He was used to the couple having arguments almost every minute, but this one was just getting out of control --- and if he wouldn't do anything soon, Vegeta would start blasting random objects, or worse yet, humans, very soon. "Hey, Bulma did something happen?

She stopped glaring at Vegeta for a moment to turn an irritated face towards the younger of the two saiyajin purebloods. "Something happened?!?" she bellowed, causing both saiyajins to cover their ears in reflex. "Mister I-am-the-prince-of-all-saiyajins can't seem to get used to our human customs. I took him with me---"

"Took me? Hmph," Vegeta snorted, titling his chin arrogantly. "She threatened to shut the Gravity Room down if I wouldn't go with her to help her carry all her useless items --- and she tells you that she took me?! How dare you simplify the matter, onna!"

Bulma glared at her husband even more at his little rant. "Oh just shut up, will ya?!" She then looked back at Goku and scowled. "As I was saying I TOOK him with me to help me, when one of those entertainment people that worked here stopped us to give Trunks some candy. Vegeta, of course, became irritated and ordered the him to go away. Unfortunately, the poor man didn't react fast enough and he knocked him away."

"Vegeta!" exclaimed a shocked Goku, who turned to look at the other with wide eyes and clamped fists. "You shouldn't have done that! That was an innocent human!"

The saiyajin only scowled.

On the other hand, Trunks joined the two Sons who were playing on the Playstation, beating both of them completely. They got so noisy that the attendant nearly threw them out of the gaming section, but Gohan managed to convinced the pissed off human to let the children have one more game while waiting for their parents to purchase the console.

"Hey Trunks, did your mom came here too to buy food?" Goten asked while pushing some buttons frantically in a certain sequence, trying to hit the character of the purple haired demi-saiyajin.

"No, we came here to buy Christmas presents," the boy replied, his eyes glued to the screen, blocking the attacks with ease.

Goten looked up. "Christmas presents? But you get those from Santa, why do your parents buy them for you?" A look of envy appeared on his face. "Or do you get presents from both? That's so lucky of you, Trunks!"

"What do you mean presents from Santa?" Trunks asked, confused, and then, his eyes suddenly widened in surprise. "Oh, Goten, you still believe in the Santa Claus?! Haven't your parents told you the truth?" The surprise on his face was replaced by irritation. "Santa doesn't exist, you dummy!"

The younger saiyajin's lip trembled, revealing the first sign of incoming tears. "He doesn't?"

"No."

"Bu—butthat can't be!"

"It's really true."

"You are lying!!!" Goten yelled suddenly, eyes full of determination, getting the attention of the three adults who were still bickering a short distance from them. "My mom and dad would have told me if Santa doesn't exist! They don't lie to me! They wouldn't lie to me!" He then looked at Gohan with a pleading look, close to tears. "Santa exists, right, Oniichan?"

His older brother didn't know what to say. If he would say that Santa did exist, he would be lying, but if he would say that Santa didn't exist, he would destroy all of Goten's dreams. He began to weigh the situation at hand, his inner angels and devils arguing over telling the truth or telling a white lie.

"Oniichan?"

Gohan swallowed as his gaze rested on his brother's sweet, innocent face. He remembered how he himself had reacted when his mother and father had told him the truth. A part of his world had collapsed, like a house built out of cards, as if one of the cards had been brutally removed. He had been mad for days, refusing to talk to his parents. Would Goten react the same way? Would he would he go on a mad rampage if he'd discover the truth? Would it would it make a part of his world collapse as well? Should I tell him the truth or not?!

"He exists, right?"

Why did he had to do this, anyway? Wasn't this a thing that his parents had to tell Goten?

"What is going on here?" As if answering his question, the oldest Son appeared next to the trio, a questioning look on his face. He swept his gaze from one boy to the other, and they could tell that he was entirely focused on the matter at hand.

Goten, seeing the perfect opportunity to prove that his best friend was wrong, changed his target. He aimed for his father, this time. Unshed tears were glittering in his eyes, and there was a hopeful look on his face that the others could not miss. "Trunks said that Santa doesn't exist, but he's lying, right? Santa exists, right, Daddy?"

When Goku saw that look, he couldn't find the words to answer the little boy.

The Saiyajin no Ouji, on the other hand, sported a knowing look on his face. He, too, had once experienced this, and he knew the results of telling the truth very well. Even though Vegeta barely knew anything about human customs, he knew how emotional human children were. And boy, did they cause a lot of trouble.

So, he followed his heart and went for the best, most appealing, least troublesome solution his mind offered. After all, it was the only way. Stepping up towards the huddle of demi-saiyajins, he cleared his throat and announced, "He's right, brat. That Santa person of yours really doesn't exist."

Goten's eyes snapped towards Vegeta, filled with utter unbelief. And in those raven eyes, Vegeta saw another world fall apart, another child lose a part of his innocence, caused by the Saiyajin no Ouji himself. A strange feeling crept up to him. He suddenly felt like he just destroyed another planet on Freeza's orders in cold blood.

The youngest demi-saiyajin, however, said nothing. Anger, frustration, denial --- none of those emotions could not be seen in his eyes. There was no trace of fury or rage; but there was no trace of happiness in them either. In fact, the gleam of innocence had faded away into a faint glimmer against the darkness. Son Goten, seven years old, only stared at Vegeta with those eyes

and then, he turned around and ran away.