Chapter 2

SIX WEEKS LATER

Goten weakly lifted himself up on his elbows and winced at a sharp pain in his side. He was sore all over. Looking across the gravity room, he saw that Trunks was in no better shape, laying flat on his back and groaning. They were both twice-ascended, with their gold spiked hair, and green eyes, and bulging muscles…

Second level! Super SUPER Saiyans! And Goku still slapped them down like they were rookies.

He looked incredulously at his biological father, who was standing in between them like some Norse God with his floor-length mane, and dominant brow. The Saiyan bounced on his heels a few times and then after taking in the condition of his opponents, relaxed. His eyes disappeared in his smile - a wholly inappropriate expression for such a powerful state, not to mention ridiculous looking - and his hand went up to scratch the back of his head.

"Well, it looks like you two are done for the day," he said with that relentless good cheer.

"Tell me something, Goku," Goten said as he propped himself up into a sitting position. "Two plus two equals four, right?" He said as he jerked his chin at Trunks' laid out form.

Goku shrugged.

Goten continued. "Well, it does. So, how is it that Trunks and I - who, ascended twice over, combined, are technically more powerful than you are in your third state - still can't beat you?"

Goku chuckled. "Well squirt," he said, using the pet name he'd had for Goten since he was four, "I was doing this thirty years before you two were even born. You can have all the power in the universe, but without the skill to back it up"

"I've got skill!" Goten said defensively.

Goku's happy-go-lucky smile darkened into a battle-hungry grin. "You ready to go another round, then?" he asked as he crouched down. Trunks sat up at that and quirked an eyebrow at Goten, shaking his head.

Goten tried to get to his feet, and then changed his mind. He sat back down and waved Goku off.

Goku straightened and laughed. "Didn't think so." Then his brows jumped in visible enthusiasm. "HEY! I've gotta give you something, Goten, to take back to your mom and brother."

Something about the way Goku giggled right then reminded Goten of New Year's Eve. "And not my dad?"

Goku's grin turned mischievous. "Oh, I'd keep it from Piccolo, if I were you," he laughed. "I'll be right back." As he took off towards the door, Trunks called out to him.

"Hey Goku! You'd better power down before mom sees you," he said. "You know how it freaks her out to see you at the third level."

Goku froze, and threw a look of immense appreciation at Trunks. "Oh yeah…" Energy released from his frame and he descended all the way down until his spiky hair turned black. "Thanks for reminding me, bud." He waved and was out the door.

Goten knew it had something to do with the day Goku had lost his mind all those years ago. His only memory was a vague one; the smell of the cave and his mother's tears, the trembling of her arms as she wrapped herself protectively around him, and the terror he felt that this man who'd returned and claimed to be his father was going to kill Gohan and his dad…

Vague, but poignant. He immediately turned his thoughts towards the Goku that had played with he and Trunks every weekend since they were little. The one that was never sad; the one whose laughter was both annoying and contagious… He smiled. The only one who gets away with teasing my dad like a brother, and lives to tell about it…

Goten looked over at Trunks who had propped his elbows on his knees, rubbing his neck vigorously. Goten got up and joined him.

"So, are you coming to the Barbeque at Gohan's later this afternoon? Everyone will be there," he said.

Trunks started picking dirt out of his fingernails. He looked occupied in a forced-casual kind of way, as though in an effort to avoid Goten's eyes. Goten had the behavior pegged by now. Trunks had been acting withdrawn and distant like this for the past six weeks.

"Nah. I've got…homework to do."

"Uh-huh. That's fascinating, considering that the semester hasn't started yet."

Suddenly the dirt in his fingernails - the likes of which Goten couldn't even see - seemed twice as imbedded as he redoubled his efforts at picking. "Well, you know," he threw a brief, uncommitted glance at Goten. "The 'Pre' stuff."

"Oh," Goten lifted his eyebrows in mock understanding. "The PRE stuff, like figuring out more ways how you can avoid ever seeing little Marron again after New Year's Eve?"

Trunks' eyes widened at the accusation, and then he winced as if at some inner guilt. Finally, he met Goten's ruthless stare, and sighed heavily. "I…I can't face the girl, Goten."

He snorted. I knew that was it. Considering who Marron's parents were, the awkward tension made things a little more complicated…

Krillin had moved his family to the same mountain community as Goten when Marron was two-years old, having acquired the same 'employ' as Piccolo from that buffoon Hercule. As a result, Goten had spent most of his life trying to outmaneuver the piggy-tailed tag along. Her temperament and pride were par with a pureblood Saiyan's (or so he had heard), and she was always trying to pick fights with him. Marron, quite simply, was the annoying little sister he never had.

Sure she'd mellowed out somewhat when puberty hit, but then the girl had become obsessed with Trunks and was relentless in her attempts to accompany Goten every weekend to Capsule Corp. When he'd give in and take her, then Trunks was on the other end nagging at him to leave her home, due to her pestering audacity and demand for attention.

One night. ONE, where the teenage blonde with a zigzag personality had looked like a woman, and Trunks' judgment was immediately impaired. Goten went to great lengths to avoid Marron since then, not wanting to be the mediator between the two. Trunks couldn't just ignore her until she went away like he did with the rest of his unlucky admirers. She was Krillin's daughter, for crying out loud. It needed to be resolved the right way.

Goten shook his head and rolled his eyes. "What. Has she been calling you every day?"

Trunks shook his head. "She hasn't called me at all…"

Goten frowned. Oh, really…? Then he shrugged. "To my knowledge, Krillin has no idea that you made a move on his underage daughter, so you're safe there. And if she isn't calling you then I imagine that sloppy liplock you had her in at the party was enough to repel her previous affections for you," Goten reasoned, tired of his friend's reclusive behavior. "A quick apology cleans the air, and that's that, eh? After all, it was just a kiss"

"It was more than a kiss, Goten," Trunks said seriously, eyeing him finally with all the anxiety he'd been hiding earlier. Goten cocked his head.

He's really stressed about this… "Ok. It was a 'make out'. I was there, remember?"

"No, you weren't," he said in hushed, desperate tones that sent subliminal alarms sounding off in Goten's head. "You weren't there afterwards…" Trunks said as he hung his head in his hands.

Having a notion that this was about to get real ugly, Goten pegged his friend with a glare that would have nailed him to the wall had it been palpable. "What 'afterwards', Trunks?"

"The party," he moaned, not lifting his head up. "I was drunk. I wasn't thinking…"

"WHAT happened?" Goten felt his voice raise as an irrational protectiveness surged over him. Suddenly, he realized that in seeing Marron as his brat sister also meant that he cared about her virtue in no small proportion.

"We went up to one of the guest rooms…"

He didn't have to say anymore. With his gut twisting in knots, Goten was up on his feet before he had time to think, with Trunks' collar twisted in his fists.

"You DIDN'T!" Goten yelled, inches from his face.

Trunks nodded mutely, not meeting his shocked glare.

"Good ta hell, Trunks! She's just a girl!"

Trunks eyed him then with all the apology in the world. "Not anymore."

"GAH!" Goten threw him against the wall. "You dick-thinking BASTARD-"

The door swooshed open, and Goten swung to see Goku eyeing them both curiously.

"You decided to continue fighting without me?" asked the man, somewhat disappointed.

The blood was roaring in his ears, and Goten pursed his lips several times in an effort to keep reigns on the invective that frothed at his tongue.

Either Goku was really that oblivious, or he was inoculated against rage, having been the target of it most his life. Either way, he didn't seem to notice the conflict going on. He skipped over to Goten and whipped out a handful of 8x10 pictures, a look of pure delight on his face.

Goten stared mindlessly at the picture on top for several seconds until his fury quelled enough to stop blurring his vision. Then, he choked.

It was a face shot of his namek father, cross-eyed, holding up a peace sign. His fangs were protruding in an exaggerated overbite, while wearing a grin taller than it was wide. "Oh, no…"

"Someone at the party had a camera," Goku said between chuckles. "Keep going. There's more."

Goten hadn't realized that his hands were trembling until he tried to shuffle through the shots. The next depicted the eggbeater incident, his dad's frame in the shape of an 'S' as he hung from the fan. Another with Goten's mom in his clutches, another of him all chummy with a hysterical Goku…

"I can't believe there are pictures…" he said dumbly.

Goku slugged his shoulder. "Take 'em home. You've GOTTA show Gohan."

"What if dad sees them?"

Goku rubbed his hands eagerly. "I almost hope he does…"

"You're suicidal."

Goku shrugged.

Goten tucked the envelope under his arm, and looked up only to see that Trunks had fled the room.

Wise, my friend, he thought venomously. I may have killed you… With tremendous effort, Goten powered down.

They would have to 'talk' later.