Author's Note: Hello everybody! My name is Liz and I am very excited for this! This is my first time writing a story for Dragon Ball Z, so I hope you guys like it. I've been reading some other BG and DBZ fics and was inspired to write my own. Now then, this story is AU and a Bulla/Goten pairing-so if you don't like, don't read! I'll explain more about the plot and background in Chapter One-this is only the preface/prologue.

Some things I changed that are important to know in this chapter are: Gohan and Videl aren't married. Pan is instead Goku and Chi Chi's daughter, making her Gohan and Goten's little sis. Any other things, you might be able to guess-otherwise, it will come in later on. Oh, and Goten is 27 while Bulla is 21. Other ages will be said next chapter.

Hope you like it! Sorry for the incredibly long A/N!

Disclaimer: I do not own DB/Z/GT or anything associated with it. I do, however, own the plot. But that's about it!

Love's A Crime: Preface

Fire.

It was a four letter word that caused so much destruction and pain. So was Hell. And so was love.

Love.

The L-Word.

That's what got him into this hot mess in the first place. But it didn't mean he didn't like it.

How could he hate it? It gave him the journey of his life-the greatest adventure he went on in his twenty seven years on Earth.

Everything has its downfalls, however. Sure, it was the greatest thing he'd ever known, but it was also the deadliest thing he would face.

XXX

Goten landed down at the scene in question-his house in the East District. He saw that their personal safe house was already burnt down, the fire spreading to their home quickly. Accelerating to the door, he escaped some of it.

The young man stepped over the bodies of fallen soldiers. The majority of those fallen were the people who were once close to him-like his second family. Before they showed their true colors, obviously.

This, however, wasn't going to distract him from his goal-find his woman.

She had to be here, right?

Someone stirred, snapping his attention to the corner of the house. The flames were going to reach that region first, turning whoever was lying there to ashes. Normally, he would laugh and watch as they slowly diminish, but not this time. Squinting, he realized that it was his co consigliere, his sister.

Rushing over, he gently kicked Krillin and Yamcha, two of the traitors, to clear the way.

"Pan?"

"Go-Goten?" she stuttered, opening one eye very slowly.

He let the corners of his mouth curl up just a bit. Goten then reached into the brown bag he carried and found one bean left. He wouldn't steal more from the Corporation until next week-that is, if he lived that long. So this was risky.

He held his breath.

Then, with one look at his little sister, he knew what he had to do.

"Pan, eat this senzu bean, and hurry! There's not much time left."

She cautiously put it into her mouth, returning her sparky energy back.

"What's happening?" she cried after the wall behind her erupted into a fiery explosion.

Goten dragged his sister across the floor, unintentionally causing her to bump her head.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"Pan, listen to me, you have to take this Capsule and leave. Use it to fly away from here. Go to West City and do something. Go to Capsule Corp for all I care. Just hide there. Please."

"B-but, you'll return, right?"

"In a way," Goten simply responded.

"Promise?"

"Pan, just go."

She left, but knew something bad was bound to happen.

After all he didn't promise.

As for Goten, well he was satisfied for the moment. One of his girls was saved, and now it was time to catch the other one.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a green arm poke out of a hole in the wall. Piccolo.

He lifted him up and pinned him against the wall.

"Where the hell is my brother?"

"I work for him more than for you," he managed to get out.

Honestly, his betrayal of Goten was the least surprising out of them all.

"I don't give a damn. Remember, I'm stronger than him." As if to prove his point, Goten tightened his grip on the green fellow.

"What do you want?" Piccolo conceded.

"You need to tell me where he took her."

"They're at the Kame House. He's planning on setting the island on fire too," he choked out.

Goten tossed his ex-soldier on the ground, finally putting him out of his misery.

He ran to where he parked his hovercraft. Fortunately, it didn't catch on fire. He quickly typed in his destination- NBI 8250012 B- and started to fly.

Goten got to the Kame House in record time. Surprisingly, nobody was there to protect their little princess. Well, maybe they were all dead. The fire was starting pretty quickly this time-not even the furious waves crashing onto the shore could stop it.

He loaded his gun and crept over to the pink house, his back against the wall. He poked his head around the corner, spotting nobody at all. He looked in the window and saw a mess on the floor. If they were here, this was where they would be. The fact that the house was barely on fire just assured that they were in there.

He tapped his gun to make sure there was enough ammo and slightly pulled open the door-just enough for him to step in-reclosing it immediately. Goten looked around the house, spotting them almost immediately. There was Gohan, choking her and dragging her across the floor. When the two Sons locked eyes, Gohan raised a gun to the woman's head, sending her into a stage of complete terror.

"Do you really want to do this Gohan?" he asked his older brother, trying to sound intimidating.

"Thank God you're here! Help me, Goten," the blue haired beauty whispered pleadingly.

"You, shut up before I get more pissed," Gohan said to the young lady. To Goten, he barked, "Stay away from me and maybe you'll live."

From the outside, Gohan seemed tough, but his expressions and voice contradicted it. He was shaking-not from anger but from worry- and his voice whimpered. Goten knew it had nothing to do with the fire.

When Goten stepped closer, Gohan powered up, a red aura forming around him. He placed his hand on the woman's heart, ready to kill.

"You're not going to do that, bro. Get that hand off of her right now. Let her go."

Gohan just charged up more power and formed a huge energy ball in his free hand. Screw the guns- Gohan was using yet another chance to show off his new powers. He meant business and was ready to kill now.

"Gohan, if you want to, we can always just talk about-"

Bang.

Gohan fainted. Goten fell to the floor. The blue haired girl escaped from the older Son's clutches and rushed to her lover.

"Goten," she whispered.

He didn't respond.

"Come on, get up! You can brush it off! Get up! Please!" she begged.

The young woman tried to persuade him-almost daring him- believing he would just hop up and laugh at her.

It failed.

"I-I'm not gonna make it this time."

"Don't say that! Come on; just eat one of your senzu beans. Please!"

"I gave the last one to Pan," he breathed.

"I'm sorry I got you into this mess," she puffed after a while.

"And by mess, you mean you?"

She nodded, a tear flowing down her cheek.

"Then that was the best mess I ever got myself into."

The tear dropped on his eyelid.

"Hey, you were better than prison," he joked.

"That's not funny, Goten!" she cried, but let a small smile appear.

"I don't want to have to let go," she whispered to him.

"Then don't."

His eyes started to close and he pulled her close. He planted one final kiss before he told her the words she was waiting for her whole life. "I'm in love with you, baby. And I always will be."

Her eyes filled with tears and she dropped her head on his chest. She stayed like that the whole night, trying to doubt what she knew was true.

He was gone.

Love's A Crime-Coming to Computers near you soon

You're probably all like: WTF?! WHAT'S THIS CRAZY LADY THINKING?! But yeah, I'm not majorly crazy-I know what I'm doing! This will all be explained in my next A/N for Chapter One.

I would really appreciate your feedback and thoughts on this, so please drop me a review on your way out!

xxxLizxxx