* Well, here's chapter two! How's everybody doing? I just got back from England the other day. What was I doing there? Looking for colleges of course! (kill me…Obelisk of Light, I trust you with this duty, so make it quick if you can). I saw U of London, Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, and York. Frankly, York kinda scared me. Nothing against any of you guys from York (great city), but the Castle Museum made my Jew-instinct run screaming. Same with me mam's. …Don't ask me why I just wrote that in an Irish accent. Weird. Must've been that Irish bartender at The George in London. Awesome pub! Food's not much but, hell, is it ever in a pub? I fell in LOVE with the University of London!! I'm totally applying there! Cross your fingers for me. Anyway, what inspired this next chapter was me rewatching DB. I decided to watch all of the DB episodes, and if I get there, DBZ, and maybe DBGT if I can get my hands on the Japanese dub (Funimation dub made me cry. I used to watch it raw on the International Channel. Those were the days. DB is one of the only shows that you can enjoy raw, what with all the fighting and all). As I was watching these, I realized something. Goku as a kid is FLIPPIN' ADORABLE!! I want to hug him! Little Kuririn too! But then, by DBZ he starts to get less and less adorable/huggable. Must be all the muscles. That's why they added Gohan, cuz Goku wasn't cute anymore! Gohan managed to stay cute until Buu (though Teen Gohan is adorable in his own ways), but then he got old, so they added Goten! Goten was adorable for a good season, but then he cut his hair and got old, so he wasn't cute anymore, so they added Pan! Then, by GT, Pan wasn't cute because she was too busy being a bitch, so they turned Goku back into a kid, which somehow wasn't cute, because we were so used to him being an adult that it was sort of confusing and scary. Yup. There's my rant. Hope you liked it, and I REALLY hope you like this chapter, cuz I LOVED writing it!

Disclaimer (the last one got deleted a bit. Sorry bout that): I don't own DragonBall or Naruto. I especially don't own DragonBall and Naruto at the same time, nor do I own any of the plentiful pop culture references that I may or may not mention in my story.

Chapter 2: Double Feature

Goten stood outside the Capsule Corp. estate, waiting for someone to answer the door. The weekend was over after all, and he and Trunks had school. Goten pouted, as there was no response. What on Earth could they be doing in there? He tapped the speaker once or twice; perhaps the doorbell system was broken. The small half-Saiyan sighed, fidgeting with his backpack. He considered just leaving without Trunks. After all, what did the Capsule Corp. heir need school for?

"Welcome to Capsule Corp. How may I help you?" came a sudden, shrill female voice from the loud speaker. Goten started with a yelp. He had nearly fallen over at the noise! Still, he recovered quickly, pushing down the little button for the speaker.

"Hi," he replied. "It's Son Goten. I'm here for Trunks-kun." There was no response.

"Just one moment, please." Again, Goten was nearly bowled over by the loud, unexpected voice. Even so, he got over it quickly enough, as the gates opened.

Goten had been inside the Capsule Corp. compound hundreds of times, but he still could never get used to the size and extraordinary nature of the place. Robots zoomed back and forth, while people tinkered with machinery and managed paper work. It was loud and boisterous, energetic and hectic. Somehow, it always made him feel uneasy. Perhaps Trunks was right; maybe he was just a country-boy at heart.

He walked past one of the many labs, glancing towards it, but immediately stopped as he noticed a familiar blue head of hair.

"Hey!" he called out to Bulma. The woman was startled away from her work and quickly turned.

"Son-kun!" she cried. "What're you doing here?!" Goten's face fell at this. Perhaps it was a bad idea to grow his hair out again. At the end of the day, was that all he was? His father's shadow?

"No, Bulma-baa-chan," he corrected, faking a smile. "It's just me, Goten." Bulma grinned at that, taking off her lab goggles.

"Oh sorry, Goten-chan, it was just the goggles. I swear! You two just look similar. The only difference is your younger and shorter." Goten frowned at that. "Oh come on; you know it's true." He could not deny that. Son Goten stood only at five foot five inches, while his brother and father stood at a proud five foot seven, and his best friend at an impossible five foot ten. Goten decided to end this conversation as quickly as possible; it was going downhill fast.

"Bulma-san, have you seen Trunks-kun?" Bulma smiled.

"He's in the Gravity Room with Vegeta-" But Goten had left before she could get another word in.

The half-Saiyan walked quickly, his eyes to the floor. When he was a child, he used to like being compared to Goku. He considered it to be a compliment. But now, Goten was teenager. He was seventeen and well on his was to becoming a man. Goten was now his own person. Goten was Goten. Goten was not nor ever could be Goku. Similar? Maybe. The same? Never. Was it too much to ask for people to recognize him as Goten and not confuse him with Goku? For awhile, Goten had cut his hair short, so that he looked different than his father, but he grew it back out once he realized that he should never have had to. Goku was powerful, reliable, kind, a good friend, husband, and father. Goten was just Goku's second son, and on his better days, he was the weakest Saiyan of them all.

Without realizing, Goten had made it to the chamber that they had simply dubbed "the Gravity Room" and walked in. Sure enough, Trunks and Vegeta were fighting, both in Super Saiyan Two form (Vegeta and Goku had pushed Goten and Trunks to the limits until both had reached this level). They were sparring with incredible speed. Goten probably could have watched, had he focused enough, but he just could not find the will to. Instead, he found himself walking forward. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that walking in between two fighting Super Saiyans was a bad idea, and yet his feet just kept trudging forward.

And that "bad idea" cost him big time, as Goten took a ki blast from both sides, a Big Bang Attack from Vegeta and a Buster Cannon from Trunks. Both hit him head on, blowing him back against the wall with such force that he nearly broke through it. Goten slipped from the top of the wall all the way down to the floor, landing uncomfortably on his knees.

"Gaki?"(1)

"Chibi?!"

Goten was covered with buns and cuts, his body and now-ripped clothes bathed in ash, He coughed up a bit of smoke.

Trunks flew down beside him looking almost frantic. He immediately powered down, whereas Vegeta stayed in the background, still Super Saiyan.

"Chibi? Speak to me! You're still all right, right? Can you stand?" Goten smiled weakly up at Trunks. He loved the way that Trunks worried about him sometimes. Trunks, his best friend, loved Goten for Goten, no other reason.

"I'm all right, Trunks-kun," he managed. Vegeta stalked over to the two.

"I swear with the way you fuss over him, you may as well be a mother duck." Trunks scowled at that; Goten snickered. "Besides, Gaki here can take a ki blast about as well as Kakarot-" At this, Goten's world came crashing down. Even Vegeta thought of him as nothing more than a failed clone of his father. Without noticing, Goten began to tear up, and before he knew it, the black-haired boy was sobbing. He cried and cried, not unlike the way that he had as a young child.

"Chibi? What's wrong?" Trunks murmured, sounding ready to kill the person responsible for Goten's tears.

"Oh take it like a man; it couldn't have hurt that bad!"

Trunks continued to gaze at Goten as he said, "I don't think it's that, Dad. He hasn't cried like this from physical pain since he was seven. It must be something else." God bless Trunks and his ability to read Goten like a book.

Vegeta did not show any sympathy as he growled out, "Talk to him, then. I'll be outside." However, Trunks could tell that he was truly worried about "Gaki." Vegeta left without another word.

The lavender-haired boy sat down next to Goten, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "So, Chibi, will you tell me what's wrong?"

Goten mumbled something.

"What?" asked Trunks in a soft voice.

"I'm not him!" he burst out. "I'm not him, Trunks-kun! I'm not! I'm not!" There was a pause as Goten continued to cry into his companion's shoulder.

"I know you're not," he comforted. "Goten is Goten, and that's the way I like him." They said nothing for a while. Goten's sobs became hiccups and finally just sniffles. He wiped the tears away with the back of his hand.

"Maybe I should just cut my hair again," he murmured suddenly.

"Chibi, you hated it short." Goten shrugged.

"Well, at least people could tell the different between us." Goten sighed, resting his head on Trunks's shoulder.

"Wanna skip school today?" the latter suggested.

"Mom'll kill me."

"Only if she finds out." Goten smiled, leaning into Trunks.

"You know, you really are a bad influence."

"I do. Come on." He grabbed Goten's hand, helping him up. "Let's get you cleaned up, and then, we'll go anywhere you want, just you and me."

"Will there be food involved?" Goten's stomach growled at the thought.

"That depends. What kind of food?"

"I don't care, Trunks-kun!" Goten whined. "I'm just hungry!" Trunks chuckled as he led Goten out of the Gravity Room. Surprisingly, Vegeta was waiting just outside the door, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"If it's any consolation, you actually take a ki blast better than Kakarot." Goten just beamed at the man, knowing that, coming from Vegeta, that meant a lot.

***

Piccolo had been sensing a disturbing ki for over a day now. The ki was not just unfamiliar; it was bizarre. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before.

The Namekian was reminded of his days as Kami-sama. Back when Cell had first appeared. Cell had had an eccentric ki as well. However, Piccolo had known what to make of that ki; it had felt like all of his allies' and enemies' kis, even his own. Even so, he had been able to tell that the monster's ki was ominous, evil.

But this new ki was not baleful or foreboding. It was just peculiar, unnatural, as if it just did not belong. Neither Piccolo nor Kami-sama had ever felt anything quite like it.

All that Piccolo was sure of was that the location of the ki was the forests of Mount Paozu, near the Son house. That meant Gohan, Goku, and Goten could be in danger. Piccolo could only hope that he found the source of this strange ki before it found one of them.

Once the Namekian had entered the mountain area, he continued on foot, just in case this new creature could sense ki. Still, this ki was so incredibly obvious that Piccolo could have pinpointed its location from anywhere on the planet. If the source was trying to be discreet, it was doing a terrible job of it. Sure enough, Piccolo quickly found an area in the forest with an abnormal, almost eerie aura. The wind was silent, as were the animals. The area seemed to be an impenetrable bubble, and every animal from the deer to the sparrows was afraid to even approach it. It was unnatural, deviant.

Piccolo forced himself to enter against his better judgment. Inside, the aura was tense and strange, but not threatening. He felt no battle ki, meaning that there was nothing preparing for a fight, a good sign. In fact, unless the source of the ki was invisible, there appeared to be nothing there. Piccolo cautiously continued forward. He was acutely aware of his surroundings. He heard every snap of every twig, saw every leaf as it danced its way to the ground, heard every breath from the body at his feet-

Piccolo did a double take. Indeed, there was a body at his feet. He scrutinized the person. Yes, the person did not look unusual, but looks can be deceiving as this definitely the source of the abnormal ki.

It was a boy, no older than Son Goten himself. Still a child, well, at least in Piccolo's mind. He was pale, with long coffee brown hair. Unconscious, but very much alive. Still, what Piccolo found to be the strangest feature of this body was the strange headband that he wore. It had some metal on it with the insignia of a leaf inscribed on it. Perhaps it was the symbol of his shishou.

The boy looked injured. Piccolo thought of when Gohan was this boy's age, when he had nearly died after Buu blasted him with an exorbitant amount of ki. The Namekian sighed. He knew what he had to do.

***

Goten followed Trunks over to his dresser.

"Here," the latter called as he pulled out some clothes. "Take a shower and change into these. Then we can get going." Goten nodded, taking the clothes and heading towards the bathroom.

It took Goten longer than he expected to shower. Taking too powerful ki blasts sure could cover a guy in grime! He sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror. He really did look like Goku. Still, why couldn't people look at Goten and see Goten? There were just as many differences as there were similarities. His obsidian eyes were bigger than his father's. He was paler than Goku, having more his mother's colouring than anyone else's. His body was slim, belying his true strength, whereas Goku's was obviously muscled. And just like Bulma had stated earlier, Goten was shorter and younger. There were so many distinctions between the two of them, and yet so few people could tell the difference. His own mother sometimes confused him with Goku! There were only four people who could tell the difference between them: Goku, of course, Trunks, Vegeta, and Gohan. Sometimes, it just got to him.

He walked out of the bathroom to find his best friend looking at his wallet, counting zeni. "Hm," he spoke more to himself than to Goten, "that should be enough for the both of us." The smaller boy became flustered at that.

"Oh, uh, that's okay, Trunks-kun. I can pay for myself," Goten argued.

"Don't be silly, Chibi. It's no big deal." The black-haired boy could not help blushing a bit.

"If you say so," he mumbled. Trunks grabbed Goten's hand as he forcefully led the other out of the room.

"Come on; if it makes you feel better, we'll choose somewhere cheap to eat, okay?" Goten gave his best friend a small smile before nodding. They were about to head out of the compound to find somewhere to eat, when they were stopped at the door.

"If you two aren't going to school, you could at least make yourselves useful and spar with me." The two turned to see a familiar Saiyan prince (though more along the lines of king at this point). He smirked at the pair. "Between the two of you, you might actually be able to give me a good workout."

Goten felt his Saiyan blood ache with the hope of a challenge. He was sure that Trunks felt the same. He grinned.

"That sounds like fun, Vegeta-san! I just need some food in me first. Trunks-kun, you in?" The aforementioned nodded, looking quite excited himself.

"Definitely. Dad, meet us at the usual spot in an hour or so?" Vegeta gave a curt nod before turning to Goten.

"Remember to keep your guard up this time, Gaki." Goten grinned as Trunks dragged him off. Though he had never told the man, in those first seven years without Goku, Vegeta had become a sort of surrogate father to the boy, teaching him about fighting, Saiyan instinct, and occasionally, life in general. Gohan had always told him stories of Piccolo's lessons as a child. Goku had told him about Muten Roshi, Karin, Kami-sama, and Kaio-sama's training. But when Goten thought of who had taught him everything he knew from punching to ki control, he did not think of Piccolo or Chichi, or even Gohan for that matter. He thought of Vegeta. It was almost ironic in a way. Both of Son Goku's sons were trained by his first and second greatest enemies, respectively.

Goten remembered fondly the first time he had fought his father one-on-one. The man had nearly fainted when he had seen Goten take, not the Kame stance or Piccolo and Gohan's stance, but Vegeta's. The half-Saiyan considered telling his "shishou" about that. He was almost positive that it would bring that trademark smirk to Vegeta's face.

"Come on, Chibi," Trunks called. "I found a bakery the other day that I think you'll like." With that, the lavender-headed boy led Goten into the city, the latter stopping to wave to Vegeta as he left.

***

Goku was alone in the house, bringing in the firewood he had chopped. There were not many chores that Chichi was able to get the man to do, but chopping firewood was one of the few. Goten was at school, Gohan out of the house, and Chichi out grocery shopping. Goku had the house to himself for at least a few hours, meaning only one thing: training without disturbances.

Once Goku had put the last of the firewood away, he nearly ran outside, excited for the training that he finally had the chance to do. He did a few push-ups, before beginning to stretch out. He could not remember the last time that he had felt this relaxed. It was almost nostalgic, making Goku remember the times when he trained as a boy.

He did punching and kicking drills as a warm-up, wondering how he should go about his daily training. He was so deep in thought and memory that he almost did not notice as a familiar ki grew closer, almost. He heard the unmistakable sound of a person dropping to the ground after using the buku jutsu (2).

Goku turned. "Hey Picco…lo…" he trailed off, stopping in midsentence as he felt it. "It" was odd. A strange, new ki that just felt wrong, not meant to be, not of this world. That's when Goku spotted the boy in Piccolo's arms. "Piccolo," Goku began, this time more sternly. "What on Earth…?" The green man nodded, understanding.

"I don't know, but he's hurt," was all that he cared to say. He did not have to say more; Goku immediately led Piccolo into the house without prompting. There, they laid the boy down on the guest bed. "His injuries aren't too bad," Piccolo murmured, as not to wake the boy, "so he shouldn't need a senzu." Goku nodded in agreement.

The Namekian glanced at his companion. Goku had an odd expression as he looked down at the boy. It showed a combination of three very different emotions: wariness of the boy's ki, concern for his wellbeing, and a strange sort of paternal instinct. Piccolo was shocked at the latter. He had never seen the Saiyan react this way to someone who could be an enemy. He had seen Goku be kind to enemies before (Piccolo, himself, included), but never quite like this.

"Goku," he called. The addressed started at the noise.

"Yes?" Goku gazed at Piccolo, genuinely confused. Were Piccolo anyone else, Goku would have forced that childish grin of his, but the black-haired man trusted Piccolo in a way that he trusted no other, so he felt safe enough to show his true emotions around the other.

Piccolo studied Goku, realizing that he had seen that expression on his face before. It was something akin to the way he had looked Goten's leg was broken by the leader of that alien syndicate. It was parental worry. Piccolo smirked in an odd way.

"He reminds you of Goten," he murmured. Goku grinned.

"Yup, I guess he does."

***

Trunks and Goten sat facing each other in a small bakery-café. Trunks seemed perfectly at peace, but Goten looked worried.

"Trunks-kun? Why can't I order more than one meal? One each isn't gonna be enough for us!" Trunks chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, Chibi. I've got a surprise for you. Trust me, one will definitely be enough." Goten did not look very reassured by that. Still, he did trust Trunks, more than anyone else in the entire world, so he decided to let it be.

"So," Goten began, thinking of a new subject to talk about. "How're things with…what's her name again?"

"Buffy," Trunks corrected simply. (3)

"Oh yeah. I like her; she's cool." Trunks shook his head. Goten rarely liked the girls Trunks dated. Buffy was one of the few exceptions. Even so, if Goten didn't like one of Trunks's girlfriends, he would bite the bullet and deal with her.

"She knows I'm an alien, you know," the lavender-haired half-Saiyan cut in softly.

"Really?" Goten was in shock. Most girls couldn't deal with that simple fact and broke up with Trunks the minute that they truly found out about his lifestyle. Most girls just couldn't handle warrior races (his mother, Bulma, and Videl being the few exceptions).

"Funny thing. The minute I told her, she laughed and said she'd dealt with weirder things." Goten had to laugh at that.

"They're weirder things than us?"

"I don't know, but I'd like to meet them." They shared a laugh at this. "Actually," Trunks began, "she said she's dated a few of them." Goten nearly choked on his chocolate milk at that, causing the other to chuckle. "Yeah, her last boyfriend—I think his name was William or something—apparently, he was one of those 'weirder things.'" Goten nodded.

"Weird name. What happened? Did they break up?" Trunks shook his head.

"No, he died." Goten frowned solemnly.

"That's too bad--" The clack of high heels alerted the two half-Saiyans that their waitress was coming towards them. She came over with a tray of food and grinned.

"All right, boys, here's your food." With that, she set down two plates with sandwiches and fries and left the two boys to their lunch.

Trunks smirked at Goten, taking out a vial of clear liquid. "Okay, Chibi," he began, "are you ready for this?" He handed Goten the vial. The black-haired boy stared and stared at it, but it didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. He shook it none too lightly. Trunks snatched in back. "Don't do that! Baka! Anyway, this is something that Mom and I invented. We call it 'Edo Edi Essum Minor' (4)."

"Oooh, Latiny."

"Pretty much. Well, what this does is…" he trailed off and stared at Goten's happy-go-lucky face, knowing that there probably wasn't a single thought going through his best friend's mind. "Nevermind, you'd never get it. Basically, if you take a little of this before you eat, you won't have to eat as much to get full."

"Awesome!" Trunks shook his head, gazing at his companion fondly. He handed the vial to Goten.

"Take exactly two sips." Goten did as instructed.

"Oh wow! Strawberry!" Trunks nodded, glad that his friend approved of the flavor. He took two sips himself, and with that, they dug in.

It only took the two about five minutes tops to finish their meals, which caught the attention of most of the restaurant. Once they did, Goten was shocked. Sure his plate was empty, but there was only one of it.

"Trunks-kun, it works! I'm full!" Trunks grinned.

"Me too. We're still working out the kinks when it comes to Saiyans, but it works fine on humans." Goten raised an eyebrow.

"But it worked fine on us just now."

"No it's more that, we're worried that this amount of food isn't sufficient for a Saiyan's metabolism. We think it might cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies at the least. We could even starve to death if we're not careful." Goten stared at Trunks, obviously confused. Trunks sighed.

"We can't use it too often just yet."

"Oh! Okay!" Trunks called over their waitress and paid for both meals (against Goten's wishes).

"Come on, Chibi. We wouldn't want to keep Dad waiting." With that, the two left, ready for the first real spar either of them had had in a long while.

***

Gohan got out his keys to open the little house in Mount Paozu district 439. With Videl and his three-year-old daughter, Pan, out shopping for the day, Gohan had decided to visit in on his parents and maybe finish that chemistry book he had started the other day. He opened the door, a small smile on his face at the thought.

"Mom, Dad, it's me," he called. "Anyone home?" There was no response. Perhaps they were out. Gohan decided that he should check for any notes before jumping to conclusions. If they were out, he could always just read his book until someone returned. "Goten?" he tried, knowing that his younger brother was probably at school, but one can never be sure.

He moved to the kitchen looking for any notes at all. He found something taped to the fridge. It read:

Goten-

I'm out getting some groceries for dinner, and then I'm meeting an old friend of mine to catch up. If no one's home when you get back from school, it probably means your father's training somewhere (you know how he is). I'm not sure exactly when I'll be back. Probably before you come home, but I left this just in case. There are snacks in the cabinet if you and Trunks are hungry (I trust he'll be with you). See you soon.

Love, Mom.

"Hm, well, that explains where Mom is," Gohan began to himself. "I wonder where Dad decided to train. I wouldn't mind watching." Gohan made the executive decision to search for his father's ki. Then, he could pinpoint his exact location and go watch him train. Gohan focused deeply. He sensed no battle ki. If Goku was training, surely his ki would have spiked. Nothing. His father's ki was nowhere to be found, meaning that he was suppressing it, i.e. not training but relaxing.

Gohan was about to give up and just wait for his father to return home when he felt it. A new ki that was so unearthly that it almost frightened Gohan. It was not a battle ki; in fact, it was a rather weak ki, but it was so very bizarre that Gohan was sure that he could have found it anywhere in the universe, no matter how faint. That's when things got weirder. Gohan attempted to identify its exact location, but found that the source of ki was somewhere either in or just outside the house.

Gohan's eyes narrowed as he threw off his glasses and dress shirt, taking a fighting stance. "Come out!" he called, powering up. "I know you're in here!" There was a response; however, it did not come from the person he expected.

"Gohan?"

"Ah! Piccolo-san!" Gohan cried, turning to look at his mentor. He powered back down. "You scared me. What're you doing here?" Piccolo smirked.

"I'm guessing you sensed our new guest as well," he stated simply. Gohan blinked.

"You mean that weird new ki? Did you sense it too?" Piccolo nodded.

"Yes, I started sensing it sometime yesterday." He placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Here, come with me." Piccolo led Gohan to the guest bedroom, not far away from the latter's old room. He opened the door to reveal Goku looking down at a figure on the bed.

"I found your son," Piccolo murmured as he walked into the room, Gohan in tow. Goku blinked, turning only to find his son standing beside the Namekian.

"Hey, Gohan! What're you doing here?" Gohan smiled.

"Got off work early. Videl and Pan are out so I decided to stop by." Goku nodded, always happy to see his son. However, Gohan's face fell. "Dad, who's this?" At this question, Goku also grew serious.

"We're not entirely sure. Piccolo found him out in the woods." Gohan nodded. Leave it to Piccolo to be the first person to sense danger. But, as Gohan took a closer look at the figure, he noted that the boy did not seem all that dangerous. He was no older than Goten! They had never faced an enemy like this, so why would they face one now? Still, that strange ki was more than unnerving.

"W-What is he?" Both men shook their heads, very much unsure of the answer themselves.

"I really dunno, son, but…is it just me or does he look very familiar?" Gohan and Piccolo both took a closer look at the boy. The taller man saw nothing about the boy that he would deem "familiar"; Gohan, on the other hand, did.

"Now that you mention it, he really does." Gohan and Goku shared a glance. "I just can't place him." Goku nodded.

"Me neither. Who knows? Maybe Chichi or Goten can recognize him." Gohan continued looking down at the boy, as if his form held all of the answers. Looking at him, he really did seem strangely like Goten. Perhaps it was because the two seemed so close in age.

"Piccolo-san," he began quietly, "he…he can't be an enemy, can he?" Piccolo stepped towards him.

"I don't think so, kid, but we can never be sure." He looked to Goku, who nodded in turn.

"Piccolo's right, son. We've had to face deceitful enemies in the past, but we can't call this guy evil until we've met him, right?" Gohan grinned, nodding.

"Goku, one day that trusting nature of yours is going to get you killed." Goku shrugged.

"Oh, you say that every time I give someone the benefit of the doubt! I mean, I gave Vegeta a second chance, and he turned out just fine." Piccolo rolled his eyes.

"It only took him about ten years," he muttered.

"And," Goku continued, seemingly ignoring Piccolo's comment, "I also gave you a second chance, didn't I, Piccolo?" Unable to argue with that, the Namekian nodded.

"Fair enough." Gohan grinned. "What're you so happy about, kid?" Piccolo asked, noting the huge smile on Gohan's face.

"It's nothing," he began softly. "It's just…I forgot how funny it is when you two bicker."

"We don't bicker!!" Both Goku and Piccolo cried at the same time. Gohan had to laugh at that.

"Sure you do. Worse than an old married couple."

"We do not!"

"Mmmn," came a soft moan from the bed. All three men turned to look at the boy that Piccolo had found. Dark eyelashes fluttered open to reveal bright pearl-like eyes.

"White eyes," Gohan murmured. "Maybe he is an alien." Piccolo did not look nearly as certain.

"I don't know about that, kid. He wasn't near any space ships when I found him. Besides, his ki feels too strange to even be an alien's." Gohan nodded; Piccolo, as always, had good points. There was a reason that he was considered to have the greatest mind of all the warriors on Earth after all.

The boy blinked bleary white eyes, before sitting up. He gauged his surroundings, realizing that he had absolutely no idea where he was. His eyes widened at the thought. He looked around quickly, backing into the bed's headboard. It was then that he noticed the three very unusual people who were staring at him rather strangely. He gasped in surprise, before jumping out of the bed and backing towards the door. He slipped into a fighting stance that Gohan, Goku, and Piccolo had never seen before.

"Who are you?" the boy demanded in a low snarl. "What do you want?" Piccolo stepped into a stance of his own.

"We could be asking you the same questions, kid," he growled. However, Goku held a hand out in front of Piccolo, giving him a look that plainly stated, "Get the fuck out of that fighting stance right now, or I will personally sock you one as Super Saiyan Three." Needless to say, it was more than effective. With that, Goku turned back to the boy.

"Piccolo, he's not an enemy; he's just scared is all. You'd be too if you were in his position." Goku held both hands out in plain view of the boy in a friendly, non-threatening gesture. He grinned. "Hi!" he greeted cheerily. "I'm Son Goku, this is my son, Gohan, and our friend Piccolo." He gestured to the two as he addressed them. "Piccolo here found you unconscious out in the woods, and we just wanted to make sure you were okay, so we brought you to my house." The boy still did not move from his stance, as he was not entirely convinced.

"Why didn't you take me to a hospital then?" Gohan was the one who responded.

"There aren't any cities nearby that we could take you to." The boy seemed to relax a bit, as he could tell that the two were not lying.

"Here," Goku began, "why don't we go to the kitchen, and we can try to sort this whole business out." Goku and Gohan both made their way over to the door, but Piccolo did not move. Because of this, the boy remained in his stance. "Piccolo," Goku called, "come on, you're making him uncomfortable." The green man took one more wary glance at the boy before following the other two. The boy waited a moment before trailing the three as well.

Goku and Gohan both took seats around the rather large wooden round table in the kitchen. Piccolo chose to stand, as did the boy.

"Would you like to take a seat?" Gohan asked kindly.

"No," the boy murmured softly. "That's all right."

"So," began Goku, smiling at his new guest. "Can you tell us your name? Age? That kind of stuff." The boy swallowed, feeling awkward. He said nothing at first, weighing his options. He had no idea who these people were, so was it safe to tell them information? He was taught in training that when tortured, one should only give one's name, rank, and registration number. He doubted the three in front of him needed his registration number, so name and rank would do.

"My name is Neji," he said softly, nervously almost. He sounded a bit like Hinata. Still, he did not say his clan name, knowing that anyone could recognize a Hyuuga when they see one. "I'm a jounin." Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo shared glances.

" 'Jounin'? I'm not sure what that means, but good to meet ya, Neji!" Goku offered Neji his hand. The latter shook it warily.

"Neji…" This time, it was Gohan who spoke. "I swear I've heard that somewhere before." Goku turned to Gohan, nodding.

"Me too, actually."

"It's not a common name, is it?" asked Gohan.

"Hm..." Goku mused. "Maybe I met someone on Yardrat named Neji. You're not a Yardratian, are you, Neji?" Neji blinked, having no idea what the man was talking about.

"…Not to my knowledge?"

"Oh, then maybe in the Afterlife I-"

"Goku, he's not dead or from Yardrat," Piccolo snapped. "Besides, if you had met him in one of those places, why would Gohan recognize him?" Goku stared at Piccolo for a moment, before smiling.

"Oh yeah! Good point." Neji looked between the three, never more confused in his entire life.

"Oh dear God, it's finally happened," he thought. "I've gone completely and utterly mad. I'm obviously in the Konoha Mental Institution right now, and these are my fellow inmates. Well, at least I'll be away from the Hyuuga mansion, and I'm sure my team will visit me. I wonder why they haven't given me a straightjacket yet."

"Right so, Neji-san," Gohan began, staring at the brunette calmly. "Can you tell us more about yourself? Where you're from? How old you are?" Neji figured that since he was in an asylum, he might as well talk to his new inmate friends. It wouldn't matter what he said since revealing information about Konoha was no longer a problem.

"Well, I'm sixteen-"

"Oh! I have a son about your age!"

"Let him finish, Goku."

"Sorry."

"And, I was born and raised in Konoha." He paused as he noticed that Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo were all looking at each other, quite confused. "What's wrong?"

"Well, Neji," Goku began, "it's just that, we've never heard of a Konoha before." Neji's eyes widened.

"But, isn't that where we are right now?" All three shook their heads.

"No, Neji-san. You're at Mount Paozu, District 439." All of the colour (not that there was much to begin with) seemed to drain from Neji's face.

"Gohan-san," he murmured, "could you show me a map?"

***

Goten knelt on the ground, panting, his skin glistening with sweat. He looked up at Vegeta, who seemed to have barely broken a sweat, though his body was adorned with various cuts and bruises (not as much as Goten mind, you, but still more than he gave credit for). Goten was proud of a particular scrape on Vegeta's side caused by a well-timed Kamehameha wave.

Goten looked to his left. There lay Trunks. He was no longer Super Saiyan nor conscious, but he could claim boasting-rights to quite a few more of Vegeta's injuries than Goten could. Still, after Vegeta had Final Flashed the two of them at full power, only Goten could manage to stay conscious. If Goten could do one thing better than all of the Saiyans that he knew, it was take a hit.

Vegeta dropped a bit lower in the air. "Is that all you've got, Gaki?" he taunted. "I thought you were better than this." Goten powered up, as he stood, dropping into his, Trunks's, and Vegeta's stance. "That's more like it." Goten charged Vegeta, sending a flurry of punches and kicks his way, all of which he dodged. The younger managed to connect once with a knee to the other's chin. In response, Vegeta simply backhanded him with enough force to send him spinning to the ground. He recovered quick enough to brace him self as he hit the earth. He landed on his hands and feet and swiftly pushed off the ground, back-flipping his way behind Vegeta. He resumed his stance.

Vegeta chuckled, his trademark smirk still of his face. "You recover fast, Gaki," he commented. "And you don't go down easy. Use that to your advantage if you're ever in a real battle." Goten nodded, taking that bit of advice to heart. That's when he noticed as the Vegeta that he thought was talking to him, turned out to be an after-image. He saw it just in time to sidestep as Vegeta came with a kick from behind. This time, the two landed face to face. "And you have good eyes. You're not weak, Gaki; you just have different weapons at your disposal so to speak." At this, Goten smiled. Vegeta was in a good mood to be complimenting him like this. "So, are you ready for another round?"

Goten grinned. "Always." They charged at each other once more, Goten countering Vegeta's kick with his knee. In this spit second, Goten got an idea. He used his other leg to kick Vegeta in the jaw as he flipped a fair distance away. He used his momentum to keep flying backwards, as he steadied himself. He lifted both hands parallel to each other as he aimed for the momentarily-stunned Vegeta. "Galick Gun," he cried, "FIRE!!!" The beam of energy hit Vegeta straight on, blasting him back against a nearby plateau (sad to say, the plateau did not survive the impact).

However, the blast did not have quite the oomph that Goten had desired, as it only took a moment for Vegeta to recover. He stood, brushing the dust from his gi, before doing something that Goten had never seen before: he laughed. Sure, Goten had seen Vegeta chuckle, but never full out laugh quite like this. It made Goten laugh as well. Vegeta stalked his way over, arms crossed. "I have to admit I wasn't expecting that, but don't count on that winning any real battles. Hell, it probably won't even work on me a second time."

"But what if it's a Big Bang Attack next time?" Goten argued.

"Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?" They stared at each other for a moment, Vegeta gazing at Goten in an almost fatherly way. "Come on," he began, "we need to wake that useless lump I call a son." Goten smiled, knowing that "Gaki" and "useless lump" were the closest things Vegeta had to pet-names. He watched as the Saiyan prince began walking over to Trunks. Well, now was as good a time as ever (especially since Trunks was unconscious and couldn't make fun of Goten for what he was about to do).

"Vegeta-san?" he called somewhat sheepishly.

"What?" came Vegeta's gruff, almost annoyed reply. Goten took a deep breath, swallowing.

"Can I…call you 'Shishou'?" There was a pregnant silence, as Vegeta stopped in his tracks (5).

Vegeta did not turn as he asked, "Wouldn't you rather honour your brother or that idiot father of yours with that title?" Though he knew that the other could not see it, Goten shook his head.

"No, 'cause when I think of the person who taught me everything I know about fighting, and life, and stuff…well, I definitely don't think of my dad, and I don't think of Gohan; I think of you. And well, that's the person you're supposed to call 'Shishou,' right?" Goten finished softly, wondering how stupid that all sounded. Probably very.

Vegeta only paused for a moment before he said, "Call me whatever you want. I don't care as long as you give me a challenge." Goten's face lit up at this, for in Vegeta-speak, that was, "I'd be honoured."

He ran to catch up with the other, and the two awoke Trunks with little difficulty.

"How long was I out?" he managed as he gently rubbed his temples.

"Ten minutes, tops," Goten replied cheerily. "Hey, you got the time?"

"Yeah, it's about…holy shit! It's three forty-five!" Goten gasped.

"Wow! We've been fighting the whole day! Oh, hey, school's out already. It's safe to go home." Trunks nodded.

"Mind if I come?"

" 'Course not! You're practically family! We better get going, before my mom starts to worry." Again, the lavender-haired demi-Saiyan nodded. He looked over towards his father.

"I'll see you at home, Dad," he called as he took off into the air. Goten looked back at Vegeta with a smile.

"See you later, Shishou," he called as he too took off. Vegeta just smirked, while Trunks wondered what he had missed while he was unconscious.

***

Neji could not get over this. He had looked at the map several times, looking for something that he recognized as familiar, but nothing. Not a single city, country, or continent was the same as the world that he knew. "West City," "Mount Paozu," "District 12" "District 439." None of it made sense! Then when he had asked his newfound associates about the cities and countries that he knew of, they did not recognize a single one. He had asked them about Kirigakure, Kaze no Kuni, Ho no Kuni, Kumogakure, every hidden village and country that he could think of, but still, none of them rang a bell. It was almost as though he was on a different planet (though that would not surprise him at this point).

"Neji-san," called Gohan softly, "You're pacing. Don't worry too much; we'll figure this out. For now, why don't you relax a little? Here, your clothes are all tattered, and you're dirty from being out in the woods for so long. I'll grab you a change of clothes, and you can shower." Neji sighed, before nodding.

"Thank you, Gohan-san." With that, Gohan found him an old Capsule Corp. t-shirt, boxers, socks, and a pair of jeans, and sent the brunette over to the shower. Once that was settled, Gohan sat himself down on the couch beside his father (Piccolo stood beside them). He sighed.

"He's a nice kid," Goku said simply. Gohan nodded.

"Yeah, he really is. I hope we can find out a way to send him back to…wherever it is he came from." There was a collective nodding among the three.

"We can talk to Dende tomorrow," suggested Piccolo. "If he and Mr. Popo don't know what's going on, we'll try Kaio-sama."

"Right," cut in Goku. "And there's always Old Kaio-shin and Kibito-Kaio. We'll figure this out, don't worry about…what happened to you two?" Goku was now referring to the two teenage half-Saiyans that had just let themselves into the house. The two were bruised and bloody, covered in dirt, and obviously aching in places that they did not know they had. Trunks chuckled. Noticing a distinct lack of Chichi, he decided that there was no harm in telling the truth.

"We…uh…ditched school to spar with my dad." Goku's face brightened at that.

"Really? That's awesome!" Gohan elbowed his father in the stomach.

"Ow! …Uh…I mean you shouldn't ditch school to spar with Vegeta…no matter how fun that sounds." Gohan elbowed him again. "Ow! And you definitely shouldn't ditch school to spar with me…wink, wink." Gohan elbowed him a third time. "Ow!"

"Don't worry, Dad. We'll ditch school and spar with you next week!" Goku grinned.

"Really? Yes! I can't wait! Ow! Gohan, what was that one for?"

"For encouraging them." As the two squabbled, Goten made his way over to a certain Namekian.

"Hey, Piccolo," he greeted. "What're you doing here?" At that Goku stood.

"Oh, well, we have a houseguest for the time being. Piccolo brought him over." Goten and Trunks shared confused glances.

"Really? Who-?" Before Goku could answer, Neji walked out of the bathroom.

"Thanks for the clothes, Gohan-san." He blinked, looking at the new visitors, one of whom was shocked beyond speechless.

"Oh, Neji," Goku began, "this is Trunks, and my younger son, Goten (I bet you can tell which is which). Goten, Trunks, this is-"

"HYUUGA NEJI?!!!" Goten cried before promptly fainting. The whole room shared in a shocked silence.

Finally, Goku turned to Neji and explained, "He gets it from his mother."

*Dude, this chapter was SO much fun to write! I am loving this story right now!! Trunks and Goten's chemistry together is hilarious! I love them! Even as teenagers (it's too bad they didn't get much of a chance to have crazy antics in DBGT). It's too bad that Trunks is straight in this fic, or else they'd be together faster than you can say, "Truten." Anyway, I'm so sorry about the length. Half of it was written on the plane to England, the other half on the way back. Eight hours in a cramped airline does make for a wonderful writing party. What first inspired me was Dragon Ball: Evolution was playing on the way there. It was hysterical! I was laughing my head off for about an hour. Then, it got a bit more serious, and I was all like "What a twist?!" Though, I have to say, I did see the plot twist within the first minute or so. It was SO obvious if you've seen Dragon Ball, at least, in my opinion. Anyway, here are some footnotes:

1) Gaki- a Japanese word that more or less means "brat".

2) Buku Jutsu- it's the Japanese name for what us Funimation dub watchers call flying.

3) That's right. This is a mild DBZ/Buffy crossover, but none of the Buffy characters will be playing a big role. Mostly just meant for laughs. Really, don't pay it too much mind. Oh, and sorry about the Season 7 spoilers for those of you who don't already know.

4) Bad Latin. Very VERY bad Latin!

5) Shishou- it basically means "Master" or "Teacher." It's kind of like "Sensei" except not nearly a widely used in anime/manga.

Okay, thanks for being awesome everyone! I'd especially like to thank Obelisk of Light (that last line is for you by the way), StephanG, and Oneblackened for reviewing. You guys are the BEST!! I love you! Thanks for reading, everyone!