Author's Note: I don't want to give off any hints of what happens in this chapter so you'll just have to read to find out. As always review and comment please! ^_^
Goten stretched and breathed in the smells of the forest around him. He smiled and closed his eyes, his body relaxed. This is where he belonged. This is where he loved to be. Here with the trees, the animals, the warm sunshine, the clear waters, and of course the family he cherished so dearly. The family he knew he could always turn to no matter what. The family that would always love him when everyone else turns against him.
Goku smiled and placed his hands on his sides. His son was finally home and things were slowly but surely getting back to normal. Goten was where he should be, and the nightmare had finally ended. Now it was time for the father and son to bond again.
Goku placed a hand on Goten's shoulders and asked, "How does it feel to be back, son?"
Goten turned around and smiled just like he used to, "Like I'm finally home again. I've missed being here so much. Thank you for taking me out here, father."
Goku hugged Goten and then told him, "How about you get some water from the river so we can make soup. Meanwhile I'll cut us up some firewood."
Goten grinned and nodded, "Sure dad! You do make the best soup!"
Goku laughed, "Well when you lived in the mountains most of your child hood you had to learn to cook something. But making soup is about all I know how to cook."
Goten agreed and headed off to the river. Before he started collecting water he splashed some onto his face. It was cold and refreshing and it was just what he needed to wake up his senses.
"I always took this place for granted as a kid. I'll never do that again. This forest and my home are my paradise." Goten told himself.
He collected a couple of buckets of water and as he glanced up he thought he spotted the figure of a person. He looked up again to make sure but the figure was gone. Goten just assumed he was seeing things. After all he hadn't been camping in 15 years, he probably just mistook an animal for someone.
Returning to the camp site with water, Goten saw his father already had plenty of fire wood prepared.
"Alright how about some fish soup? You want to go fishing, Goten?" Goku asked
Goten was more than happy to agree, "Of course father!" He answered.
At the river they grabbed fish one after the other by hand. Goten looked over at the shore every once in a while to see if he could spot the strange figure again but he never did.
"Hey Goten." Goku said interrupting his son's thoughts.
"Yes?" Goten asked.
"I'm sorry about what I did to you." Goku said without looking at Goten.
"What do you mean, dad? You haven't done anything." Goten was confused.
"I wasn't there for you during the first 7 years of your life. I should have had Gohan go to Namek and wish me back as soon as I knew you were born. I'm sorry Goten. I've not been a very good father to you. I just keep letting you down." Goku said. He felt some tears fall from his eyes into the river.
Goten could hear the gentle cries of his father, "Dad, I forgave you a long time ago. Besides you tried so hard to make it up to me after you returned home from your battle with Buu. And if you're blaming yourself for me going to prison then don't. I already had this talk with mom and I'll tell you what I told her. No one is to blame except for the bastards that locked me up. You, mom, Gohan, Videl, Pan, and all our friends were the only things that kept me going in that hell. So don't ever blame yourself. I love you dad." Goten placed his hand on Goku's shoulder.
A sense of relief came over Goku. Hearing his son say the he loves him was all he needed to hear in order to forgive himself.
"I love you too, Goten." Goku rubbed the tears form his eyes and smiled turning around to look at his son. "I think we have enough fish. How about we head back to the campsite and have dinner?"
Goten smiled, "You know it, dad!"
They made the soup together and once everything was in the pot, they sat back and stared up at the sky waiting for the soup to finish cooking.
"Hey dad I have a question." Goten said staring up at the clouds.
"Yeah son?" Goku asked.
"Supreme Kai is the ruler of the universe, right? But who actually made the universe and who made the Supreme Kai?" Goten asked.
Goku was a bit surprised that Goten would ask such a deep and random question but he answered anyways, "I don't know. I don't think anyone really knows Goten. Supreme Kai may now but I doubt it. Nah I think Old Kai would probably know more about that. Supreme Kai seemed to have been kept out of the loop on a few things, like the potara ear rings and stuff." Goku laughed.
"Why do you ask though?" Goku questioned
"I don't know. When I was in prison I just had more time to think about stuff like this. Now that I'm looking up at the sky the question just occurred to me. I guess in some ways questioning was the only thing I had to do to keep me sane sometimes. I guess being in prison made me sort of become a deep thinker."
Goku laughed and Goten asked, "Hey what's so funny?"
Goku answered, "It's just you sound like Gohan. You know like a scholar or philosopher or whatever." Goku laughed again.
Goten couldn't help but laugh too. Goku's laugh was contagious and couldn't always lighten the mood. "Dad don't ever change."
Goku smiled, "Thanks son."
Time passed and the two saiyans could smell the soup. They ate the delicious dinner. They joked and laughed. Goku told Goten stories about when Pan was born or something silly that Bulma made Vegeta do or just things that Goten really wished he could have been a part of.
Goten laughed, "Wow Bulma really made Vegeta get a job at Wal-Mart?"
Goku nodded and laughed, "Yeah but here's the best part. They made him a Wal-Mart greeter!"
The two saiyans laughed until their sides hurt. Goten could picture Vegeta greeting people at the door.
"After the store started losing customers they fired him but I think Bulma still has a picture of him greeting some little old lady or something." Goku laughed again.
The father and son were having a great time. But all good things must come to an end. In the midst of their laughter they heard a scream coming from the forest. Goku recognized the scream. He was correct when a small 13 year old girl came running from the forest into Goku's arms.
"Pan! Sweetheart tell Grandpa what happened!" Goku told her. He was worried. Something bad must have happened he thought.
"The house! You have to see it! Just come on!" She told them frantically.
Goku picked Pan up and held the crying child close to him as he and Goten took off into the air and flew home. As they approached their home both of the saiyans were horrified at what they saw. They landed next to where Gohan, Chi-Chi, and Videl were standing.
Goku put Pan down and looked at Gohan, "What happened?" He asked
Gohan turned to his father and replied, "Dad we all went to grocery store and we got back home we found it like this."
Chi-Chi was crying and ran toward Goku. He wrapped his arms around her and tried to calm her. Gohan was trying to do the same for Videl and now Pan. Goten looked at the terrible sight before him. His home had been burned down. Not only his home but Gohan's house as well. All of their pictures, their memories, everything was consumed by fire.
"It was still on fire when we got here but I was able to use my ki to blow some water from the river and put the fire out. I don't think it was an accident dad. I've studied this stuff before and this seems like someone set the house on fire." Gohan told his father.
Goku couldn't believe this, "I never even saw the smoke or anything from the forest. I guess it must have happened when me and Goten were taking a nap. Who would do this?"
Everyone's attention turned to Goten. Goten fell to his knees on the burnt floor and picked up a family photo that was burned but still intact.
He began to cry more than he did at the court room, "This isn't fair! THIS JUST ISN'T FAIR!" Goten shouted in anger.
"I just now got back home and now I'm losing my home again!" He cried louder and started to bash his head against the ground.
Goku ran over to Goten and wrapped his arms around the shivering boy. Goten's forehead was bleeding from where he bashed it against the ground as were Goten's palms were he was gripping them so hard. Goku looked up at the sky and thought about the question Goten had asked earlier. The one about there being someone higher than Supreme Kai. If there was such a being, Goku had a question of his own to ask him, "Why does this keep happening to us?"