Kress groaned as he forced his eyes open. He was in the soft bed again, the one in Kai Goten's temple, the one that always made him feel too comfortable. He pulled himself up with great effort, rolling himself onto the floor. No armor, again.

Had it all been a dream?

No. The blood that oozed from his cuts onto the cool stone floor was real enough, and there was no way Goten had kicked his ass this thoroughly.

No. His father had done this.

Kai Goten walked into the room to find Kress bleeding on the floor and laughing about it. He wasn't sure what to make of the scene at first, and merely crossed his arms, smirking as he watched him. It was such a... well, a human sound. He couldn't remember ever hearing his brother laugh before.

Once the laughter died down, Kress pulled himself up and propped himself into a sitting position, his back against the side of the bed. His eyes met Goten's, and Goten sat down on the floor next to him, close enough that they were shoulder to shoulder.

"I saw Raditz," Goten said softly, earning a sideways glance from his brother. "And I got our grandfather Bardock to smack me upside the head," he added.

Kress smirked. "Vegeta lost his tail, and took a tech to mate," he said. "His son kicked my ass, then wanted to hang out with me anyway," he said, and sighed. "And my father..." he said, trailing off. "Goten, you think, if Raditz had waited, just a little bit longer, if maybe our father might have found a way to rescue me?" he asked.

Goten shrugged. "It's possible. Seems something like that must have happened in that other reality," he said. "No point in wondering about it now, though. We have plenty to deal with in our own reality," he added with a sigh.

Kress gave him another sideways glance. "Goten..."he said, and looked down, obviously struggling with the words.

"If you're sorry, then prove it, brother. Never pull that shit again," Goten said gruffly.

Kress smirked. "You've been spending too much time around your own kind, brother. All that Kai shine of yours will wear off if you're not careful," he said, making a sound in his throat that Goten always associated with the Saiyan version of laughter.

Goten met Kress's eyes. Kress often pointed out how different Goten was from him, since becoming a Kai, but this was the first time he'd referred to Goten as a Saiyan. It was a part of Goten's culture he hadn't really known until he no longer had it. Kress was making him feel like he was a part of something... like he had family.

"I don't mind losing a bit of the shine," Goten said softly.

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When Whis finished telling Beerus the tale, Beerus sat back in his chair, thinking with his eyes closed. He was like that for so long, Whis had feared he'd fallen back asleep. Only when he spoke did Whis know he was still awake. "We're going to pay this Kress a visit," he said.

Whis frowned. "I do hope you don't intend to meddle in the Xenokai's affairs," he said hesitantly.

Beerus shot Whis a look. "I'm not stupid," he said, and shrugged. "I'll wait until he's alone. THEN I'll make my move. Such a great, destructive force. I want him. I want to see what he's like when he's consumed with power. I want to be challenged," he said, and stretched. "Don't worry, I'll kill him before he becomes too dangerous," he said, then grinned. "So... what's there to eat?"

A/N: Okay, guys, that's it for this one! Sorry the fight scene wasn't as epic as I'd hoped, but they'll have another chance in the future. It's no coincidence Kai Goten's world opens to a portal to the canon universe, and this won't be the last you see of our DBS world! Next installment will be up soon, and as usual, I am open to ideas! Until next time!