The warm summer breeze softly rustled through the leaves of the trees as birds chirped in content. The rays of the sun were pleasurably warm and there wasn't a cloud to be spotted on the clear blue skies.

Gohan walked outside whilst humming a happy tune. He had been in a good spirit all day, most likely due to the gorgeous weather. And now that all of the work around the house had been done for the next few hours he could finally sit down and relax for a little bit.

The fifteen year old Demi-Saiyan let out a huge sigh as he dropped himself in a lawn chair the sun shining down on him. He was tired, as always. He had spent the entire day cleaning up after his little brother Goten and in the same time he had juggled with making lunch and doing some laundry and vacuuming. He felt absolutely worn out and all he wanted to do was just close his eyes for a minute or two.

Gohan slid back further into the lawn chair and closed his eyes. He enjoyed the feeling of the warm rays of sun dancing on his face and the peaceful and quiet sound of birds chirping was like music to his ears. He could feel himself dozing off and wished that Goten would be interested in the television for another hour so he could get some sleep.

"Big brother!" a voice behind Gohan squealed. So much for the extra sleep.

Gohan opened his eyes and hoisted himself up. He looked in the direction of the house and was just in time to see a little blur of flying limbs storming towards him. The little blur jumped up and went for his chest, but Gohan nonchalantly swooped it up and revealed the blur to be a hyperactive Goten.

"What's the matter, squirt?" Gohan questioned as he put the little boy down in the grass.

Goten nearly bounced up and down out of spare energy. "Would you please play some games with me, big brother?" the boy squeaked.

Gohan sighed. Just as he thought. It didn't matter what Goten would ask of him, Gohan knew that it would always cost him a lot of energy.

"I'm really sorry Goten, but I spent all morning doing work around the house. I'm really tired and I just want to lie down for a little while. I hope that you understand," Gohan said as he put a hand on Goten's small shoulder. He really didn't like disappointing the kid, but he was tired right now and he didn't have the energy to be playing cowboy or fireman for forty-five minutes.

"Yeah, I understand." Goten spoke in a sad tone. He pouted his lower lip and walked away to go play on his own. As Gohan watched the boy walk off with slumped shoulders he couldn't help but feel guilty. All the kid wanted was to have a little fun and he just had to go and crush it.

As he mentally slapped himself Gohan watched the little boy play in the distance. Goten just sat over there, letting his toy truck ride over the bumps in the grass with a defeated expression on his face. Gohan felt worse by the second as he tried to come up with a way to cheer up Goten.

I've got it!

Yes, that was the perfect idea! Gohan knew just what to do to make Goten feel better.

"Hey Goten, would you please come over here?" Gohan yelled at his little brother. The boy looked up upon hearing Gohan's voice and slowly rose from his spot in the grass. He walked over with the speed of a turtle, the sad expression still not having left his face. He came to a halt next to Gohan.

"What's the matter, big brother?" the boy asked hesitantly. He was clearly hoping that he wouldn't get any chores to do.

A wide smile grew on Gohan's face. "Do you still remember the nice lady from a few weeks ago? Who had a son that you played with?" Gohan reminded the child.

"Uhu, Trunks?" Goten confirmed.

"Yes, exactly!" Gohan cheered. "How would you like to go visit Trunks again?"

Goten's eyes turned the size of dinner plates. His little body starting quacking in excitement.

"Really? Can we go to Trunks again?"

"We sure can!" Gohan answered.

Goten nearly squealed in joy. "Then what are we waiting for?" he yelped before dashing off into the skies.

Gohan rolled his eyes and gave a chuckle as he watched the little boy jolt away, a giant blue trail indicating his path. The teenager locked the door to their little house and then shot up into the air after Goten to make his way to Capsule Corps.

"Bulma!" Gohan's voice boomed through the halls of the gigantic building.

"Trunks!" Goten shouted, his high-pitched voice resonating throughout Capsule Corps.

Goten turned to Gohan. "Where are they, big brother?"

"I have no idea squirt." Gohan answered. "But I think we'll see them in just a minute."

As if on cue the sounds of little feet tapping on a flight of stairs were heard. A door opened and a small lavender-haired boy poked his head around the door, looking from side to side to see where the shouting had come from. After a few seconds he found who he was looking for.

"Goten!" the kid yelled as he stormed at the little black-haired boy.

"Trunks!" Goten retaliated. The two small Demi-Saiyan's crashed into each other and fell towards the floor. Gohan couldn't help but laugh as the children laid on the floor like a giggling pile of limbs.

Tap. Tap. Tap…

Gohan jerked his head around to see a beautiful blue-haired woman walking towards him, her arms spread wide. Her eyes stood slightly teary and a huge smile was curled around her furiously red lips. A grin formed on the Demi-Saiyan's face as he embraced the CEO of Capsule Corps.

"Hi Bulma, it's good to see you again!" he chuckled.

"Just shut up and let me enjoy the hug for a minute!" Bulma hissed as she rocked the teenager from side to side. Gohan could feel his face grow red when he saw the two already-best-friends looking at the intimate moment while giggling like madmen.

After what seemed like hours, Bulma finally let go of Gohan. She tried to wipe a smudge of his face while she was at it, but she let it rest after a wave of protest from the fifteen year old.

"So?" Bulma said as she folded her arms in front of her chest. "What brings you here this time?" she asked with the raise of an eyebrow.

"Nothing much really!" Gohan said with a goofy grin. "Goten was bored and I thought that maybe he wanted to play with Trunks today," he said with a glance to the two little Demi-Saiyans. "And I thought that we could catch up a bit in the meantime," he added.

Bulma smiled at Gohan and turned to the two children. "Did you hear that, guys? Why don't you two run off and go play somewhere so me and Gohan can talk?"

Goten and Trunks nearly exploded out of excitement. 'Really? Goten can stay here all afternoon?" Trunks cheered.

"You got it!" Gohan replied.

"Did you hear that, Goten? Let's go and have some fun!" Trunks yelled as he ran off. Goten quickly followed his new friend and the two were already starting to make plans for the afternoon.

"What do you wanna do, Goten?" Trunks said as he looked at Goten.

"How about we go spar?" Goten proposed. "Or don't you know how to fight?"

"Of course I do! My daddy taught me all I know!"

"My big brother taught me."

Goten stopped in his tracks and turned around in the direction of Gohan and Bulma.

"Big brother!" he yelled, grabbing Gohan's attention. "Do you want to spar with me and Trunks later on?"

"Sure thing squirt!"

"Yay!" the two Demi-Saiyans yelled as they continued to run.

"I bet your big brother can't beat my dad, Goten!"

"Nuh-uh! My big brother is the strongest in the whole universe, he told me himself!"

And with that the two boys ran out of the hallway and closed the door behind them. Gohan stared at the door for a few seconds, a smile on his face at the thought of Goten having made a new friend to play with. A feminine chuckle brought him back to the world of the living.

"Oh, oh, oh, Gohan!" Bulma laughed. "It's a good thing you really are the strongest being in the universe, otherwise Goten would've been greatly disappointed after Vegeta beat your ass to a pulp."

"What can I say?" Gohan said as he scratched the back of his head in his father's trademarked fashion. "The kid really looks up to me."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "What a lame excuse," she said. "Now, why don't we take this conversation somewhere else?"

The two walked in silence for a few minutes until they reached the living room. The room was big and brightly illuminated, the scent of Mrs. Briefs' cookies tempting they nostrils of anyone who entered.

Gohan dropped himself in one of the comfortable armchairs and Bulma took the seat across him. It was like they rang the doorbell. Mrs. Briefs immediately walked into the room with a platter with two cups of tea and a huge pile of cookies.

"I figured that the two of you would love some tea and cookies!" she said in her always bubbly tone of voice. She then focused her attention on Gohan.

"Hey Gohan! How nice to see you again sweetie, it's been so long since I've seen you! My, my, you've grown a lot!"

Gohan managed to form a smile on his face. "Right back at you Mrs. Briefs!"

It took him a minute to realize the error of his choice of words.

"NO! I didn't mean it like that! I meant that I'm happy to see you again as well, not that you've grown a lot since the last time I saw you!" he tried to correct his mistake, but Mrs. Briefs had already left the room. Bulma was laughing hysterically.

"Just as smooth with the ladies as always, huh?" Bulma said as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. Gohan just sat there with a face flushed red with embarrassment.

"So," Bulma said as she reached for one of the two teacups on the platter. "How have you been holding up?" she asked the teenager before putting the ceramic cup to her lips to take a sip.

Gohan reached for a cookie before speaking. "Well, I've mostly been busy with raising Goten. I assume you know how tiring it can be to have to raise a Saiyan child," he said before taking a bite from the chocolate-chipped goodness.

Bulma laughed. "Yeah, of course I know how devastating those little brats can be! And I also have a Saiyan husband to deal with! You should consider yourself lucky!`

Gohan laughed as well. "Yeah, I suppose that you must have so much work on your hands! Too bad that you're not Bulma Briefs, she has like a thousand people working for her!"

"Okay! Okay!" Bulma chuckled. "Enough with the sarcasm already." She shifted in her seat to make herself a little more comfortable. "So tell me, what kind of kid is Goten like?"

A bright smile immediately formed on the Demi-Saiyan's face. "He is just a dream, Bulma. Sure, he's a bit tiring, but he's the sweetest kid ever. He tries to help me with everything that he can whenever I'm doing work around the house and he's always in a good mood. He takes a lot after Dad."

There was a brief silence in which both Bulma and Gohan took their time to think back to happier times and picture that trademark smile on Son Goku's face.

"He's the spitting image alright," Bulma said as she reached for the pack of cigarettes in her back pocket. She took out a death-stick and took her lighter out of the pack before setting the end on fire. She inhaled deeply and let her head fall back a bit as the nicotine seeped into her bloodstream. She slowly exhaled and a big puff of smoke made its way out of the woman's lungs.

"Too bad Chi-Chi never got to see the kid grow up," she then sighed as she blew more smoke into the atmosphere.

Gohan's smile faded and the Demi-Saiyan hung his head in defeat. He stared at the ground with sad eyes and clenched fists.

"No, it's not 'too bad', it's just downright unfair!" he said with a voice drenched in emotion.

Bulma kept her cool. Instead of trying to calm down the boy with kind words, she rose from her chair and paced over to the depressed teenager. She reached out her hand and without warning she cupped Gohan's chin and turned his face to hers.

"Okay, now listen, Gohan," Bulma said as she gave Gohan a soul-piercing stare. "Of course it all seems unfair; we didn't really expect the leukemia now did we? But that's life, Gohan. There are certain things that you can't change no matter how hard you try. There was nothing that we possibly could've done to prevent your mother's death, so stop beating yourself up over it. So what you are going to do now is keep your shoulders up and keep going, because last time I checked you had a kid to raise."

Gohan sighed and pushed Bulma's hands away. "I know that, I know that. It just that… it has been a bit painful to talk about Mom and Dad lately. Goten is getting more and more curious by the day. He asks me questions about his mommy and daddy on nearly a daily basis and it's very hard to tell him how much of hero his father was without getting overwhelmed a bit."

Bulma chuckled as she tapped the ashes from her cigarette into the ashtray. "Well, that's not Goten's fault, all little kids are like that. They're curious and their favorite word by far is 'Why?' It's best to just comply, it saves you a lot of trouble," she wrapped up her "Children 101".

"Hmmmh…." Gohan mumbled as he took in Bulma's words. "I guess you're right. I do want him to know all about his parents."

"See, I told you!" Bulma cheered as she put out the stub of her cigarette in the ashtray. "And not to butt in or anything, but what things do you tell Goten about your mom and dad?"

"Well," Gohan said "I always tell him how brave and strong Dad was, that he was a hero and that he saved the universe countless times. When it comes to Mom I tell him funny stories on how she would always force me to study and how she hit me with her frying pan if I didn't. That always cracks him up. I told him what a beautiful and smart woman she was and how she loved her family beyond anything else."

A sad smile formed on the blue-haired woman's face. "Well, those are the best stories that a kid could wish for."

A loud rumbling was heard from down the hallway. Bulma sighed as she noticed the cups of tea softly rattle and clank on the silver platter. Gohan raised an eyebrow, wondering what the noise could be. The teenager nearly fell back chair-and-all when the door swung open with such force that the piece of wood nearly slammed out of its hinges.

Goten and Trunks were running, bouncing and flying throughout the room, yelpping and screaming in excitement. When they had finally blown off steam, the two stepped over to Gohan, who still had his hand on his chest out of shock.

"Hey big brother!" Goten cheered at his sibling.

"G-Go-Goten.." Gohan panted as he tried to regain control over his breathing. "W-what?"

"We wanted to ask if you wanted to come spar with us now!" Goten's purple-haired friend spoke for him. "Remember, you promised!"

"Ugh, fine! Let's go spar!"

The tired little boy gave a yawn and stretched his arms above his head before climbing onto the couch. He comfortably seated himself in his big brother's lap and rested his freshly showered and still damp head against Gohan's chest. The teenager gave his little sibling a warm smile and ruffled the boy's black locks.

"You looked a little tired there, squirt." Gohan said to the boy.

"Nuh-uh!" Goten protested. "I'm not even tired yet! I don't nee—" he said before being cut off by a huge yawn.

"Ha! You can't fool me!" Gohan laughed as he gave Goten a poke in his ribs. The young Demi-Saiyan gave a giggle as he jerked his body away.

"Don't do that, big brother! You know that I'm ticklish!" he said as he tried to push Gohan's clawing hands away.

"That's too late now, the tickle monster is hungry!" Gohan snickered as he tickled Goten in his sides without a trace of remorse. Goten giggled and yelped as he was tickled, his kicks and squirms being to no avail.

After several moments of yelling and laughing later, Gohan stopped his ticklish assault and let go of Goten. The boy was still shaking with laughter as he resumed his old position against his big brother's chest.

The brothers sat in silence for a minute and enjoyed the peace and quiet. However, things changed drastically when Gohan heard a snivel out of the little boy in his lap.

"Goten, what's the matter?" Gohan shot up in concern.

"Nothing.." the little boy sniveled. "I just think it's sad that we had no mommy or daddy to help you for so long, I still have you!" he gave a little whine and turned around to embrace his big brother, tiny fists clenching the fabric of Gohan's shirt.

Gohan sighed. This was nothing too big. He knew from experience that little children could cry over something that they couldn't help or didn't even affect them. Some sort of sweet compassion.

"But Goten, that's nothing too feel sad about, buddy!" Gohan said as he patted the little boy on his head. His other free hand rubbed circles over the boy's back, trying to comfort him.

Goten took his face out of Gohan's shirt and looked up to his big brother with teary eyes.

"Really?" he asked with a little pout.

"Yes, really." Gohan affirmed.

"Okay then," Goten said as a little smile spread over his face. He then gave an exhausted yawn and stretched his arms.

Gohan chuckled. "Well squirt, you know what that means, do ya?"

"Time for bed," Goten said as if he had heard those words a thousand times before. "But I'm really tired big brother; will you carry me?"

Gohan rolled his eyes as the little tyke wrapped his arms around his big brother's waist. No matter how many times this happened, it never got old to the teenager. He slowly arose from the couch and put a hand on Goten's back, using his other hand to support the kids weight. He then very slowly paced over to Goten's bedroom. Said boy rested his head on Gohan's shoulder and already started to drift off into dreamland.

Gohan opened to door to Goten's room and flipped the light switch. He walked over to his little brother's bed as the lamp in the ceiling illuminated the room. He laid Goten down on his bed and tucked the child under the covers.

"So, what kind of bedtime story do you want?" Gohan asked as he sat down on the edge of Goten's bed.

The boy pondered for a second, but quickly made up his mind.

"Tell the one about the mean green monster!" Goten cheered, wanting to hear his favorite bedtime story.

"Okay then.." Gohan said before he cleared his throat. "Four years ago there was a very mean and green monster who made the people of the Earth very scared. He was really strong and he looked like nobody could beat him in a fight. His name was Cell."

Goten's eyes were the size of dinner plates and he clung to Gohan's every word.

"But then me and Daddy and our friends trained a lot until we were very strong. We challenged the mean Cell to a fight, but Daddy had to quit because he couldn't win the fight. And then he said that I had to go and fight the monster. At first I couldn't win, but Cell made me so angry that I became really strong. I beat Cell and then the whole world was safe again! And all thanks to the help of our Daddy!"

Goten cheered as Gohan finished his story. Oh, how he loved it! His daddy sure was amazing! Gohan always told him exciting stories about him and their beautiful mommy. Too bad he couldn't remember what she looked like.

"Big brother? What did our mommy look like?" Goten asked.

Gohan scratched the back of his head. He never specifically told the boy what Chi-Chi looked

like.

"Well, she had the prettiest face of all the woman in the whole world. She had long and beautiful black hair. They were the same color of her eyes. When she was happy, you could see them sparkle! She wanted nothing more than seeing us happy. And now she is the most beautiful angel in all of the Otherworld."

Goten gave a little happy cheer and then sunk away under the covers. "Thanks for the good story, big brother, I'm ready to go to sleep now, I think."

Gohan smiled as he saw the little angel lying under the covers. He wiped a lock of his black hair from his forehead and planted a kiss on the boy's head.

"Goodnight ,squirt," he said as he walked towards the door.

"Goodnight, big brother," Goten said as he pulled the covers over his head.

Gohan flipped the light switch and closed the door behind him.