Lunex watched his reflection closely in the still, translucent green of the namekian ocean that swept out before him. He hadn't taken time previously to observe his physical condition or appearance, but now was as good a time as any. Though his memories of his exact appearance before his imprisonment had long since faded, his recollection of his species general appearance hadn't. He stood a solid 6 ½ feet. His skin was deathly pale - almost white – though that was almost certainly a result of being trapped in a lightness hell hole for eons. His overall body structure was not unlike saiyans/humans, but he had more protrusions of bone plating around the neck and leg area, which, in his natural state, made him look slightly more blocky and large then human/saiyan physiology. Each hand held 6 fingers total, 5 evenly spaced opposite the opposable thumbs. His arms and knuckles had small protrusions of bone branching from or extending past that of a traditional humanoid. The bones served to heighten the impact and pain inflicted by physical strikes and rendered assault against his species more painful to the opponent. The bones were intended to act as energy conduits, and relied on channeling excess energy from the body to remain rigid and hard. When energy was purposely withdrawn from these appendages, they became surprisingly malleable, able to be manipulated into various shapes. His legs, at their natural position, were slightly arced – it allowed him to liberate more force from his footing for defense and offense. His hair was short and pitch black in colour. Though slightly unkempt and long from his imprisonment, it still hung just half way to his shoulder. It was somewhat rigid and defiant of gravity, akin to Saiyans. His eyes were a piercing and cold green, blending into the green hued water almost perfectly. They conveyed a deep sense of wisom, hiding the loathing and hatred that brewed just beneath them. Physically, his eyes were composed of two nearly identical layers. This allowed his eyes to operate at distances both closer and further then even Saiyan eyes were capable of. His nose was far more shallow then that of a human or Saiyan. Although Lunex had a certain appreciation and fondness for the noses of other species, his also realized it was a major liability in battle. In truth, much of his species physiology had evolved to make them into more effective fighters, and there was no more prominent example then Lunex. Despite his rather large frame, he was highly aerodynamic and flexible, able to contort parts his body into varying sizes and at various angles

As he considered his appearance, it caused hesitation in his previous thought stream. Even with his pale skin and the visible signs of age, he was still an intimidating figure. That would make it more difficult to approach Goku and his sons without setting them on edge. He could certainly mask his energy, but was unsure if it'd be enough to fool them, especially if they had gotten a good read of his energy when they had first touched down on Namek. The last thing he needed was to be arousing their suspicion and scrutiny.

Even so, he'd been waiting to meet Goku for years, and now Goku was only a couple hundred kilometers away. The opportunity was extremely tempting, and were it not for a hard forged sense of patience and caution, he would have indulged his curiosity. But no. It was still too soon, things were too uncertain.

Since they hadn't pursued him, Lunex reasoned they were unlikely aware of his presence. If that was the case, then being this close did present interesting observation opportunities. Lunex had never been overly focused on the relationships between Goku and his family, but if they were here alone he could certainly get a good feel for how they interacted.


"Ready Gohan?" Goten asked, a grin plastered to his face as he raised his hands in front of himself, assuming his opening stance. His hands seemed to clasp open and shut of their own accord; a physical showing of the anticipation he was feeling towards the imminent fight.

"Heh, Let's see what you got squirt." Gohan replied, mirroring the youngest Son's grin as he moved himself into a nearly identical starting position; a position the two had come to favour thanks to their father. Gohan exhaled deeply, feeling an elevation in his heart rate as his body naturally readied itself to fight. He was somewhat impressed at just how eagerly his body had jumped back into serious training over the last week and a half despite having forgone so for years. It's not that he disliked training with his father and little brother, but other things in his life had simply become more important; his job, his daughter, his wife and of course time spent with his father and brother not training. He wondered if that would ever happen to his little brother.

Gohan shook his head, getting his mind back into the fight. He was feeling quite good about this fight; not to say he was certain he could win, but only that he had been itching for this match the last few days. He knew Goten was in this to win and would not be holding back, but that only made Gohan's own anticipation for this match greater. His smirk widened slightly as he considered that if Goten won, he really would have to stop calling him squirt.

Goku was overseeing the fight some 200 feet away, nearly as eager as the two combatants for the fight to start. Even his superior energy skills and fighting instincts were inadequate to reveal to him who would be the victor in this show match. The limitless potential of one against the vitality and will of the other

Even with his superior energy senses and fighting instincts, Goku had no idea which of his two sons would prove the stronger. It was hard to dispute the incredible potential Gohan had always had, but Goten had proven himself nearly as capable. Goku still had trouble believing Goten had gone Super Saiyan at only 6 years old. Goku wished he had been able to be there for that (truth was, if Goku had known about Goten, he might not have stayed in other world).

Gohan's strength during his fight with Buu had been incredible; Goku was unsure if even now, he could have fought equally with that Gohan without resorting to Super Saiyan 4. But Gohan had never been a fighter. He had natural talent sure, but unlike himself and Goten, Gohan had never demonstrated the true Saiyan fighting spirit; he wasn't a warrior. Goku was curious why this trait seemed to skip Gohan. That lack of drive had caused Gohan to mostly forgo training once buu was defeated, and while he was still very powerful, 15 years is a lot of time to give someone like Goten time to catch up to you. And so Goku returned his focus back to the fight, feeling the fluctuations in ki, signaling one of them was about to make the opening move.

Goten threw his hand, palm forward towards Gohan, firing off a small energy blast. He hoped it would distract Gohan long enough for Goten to penetrate through Gohan's defences. He smirked as Gohan effortlessly flicked away the energy blast. Satisfied that it wasn't going to be that easy. In fact before Goten could even attempt a follow up strike, he found himself forced to go on the defensive, raising his arms in front of this face, his forearms taking the brunt of Gohan's retaliatory strike. He pushed back against Gohan's strike, throwing his elder brother off balance just enough to sneak in two quick jabs against Gohan's side before backing off to avoid Gohan's return strike.

Goten weaved between several strikes as he attempted to put some distance between himself and Gohan. Though he was certainly getting better at instant transmission, he still needed time to lock on to a transmission spot, and while he remained this close to Gohan he certainly wasn't going to be given that time. Once out of immediate range of Gohan's fists and feet, Goten used a rapid series of energy blasts to keep the distance the two

Gohan sneered at his little brother. "Does Goten really think I don't know what he's trying to do?"

Once Goten was far enough away, he made the jump, Instant Transmitting behind his brother. Or at least what had been behind Gohan when Goten has started to his jump. Scarcely had Goten's senses retaken in the scene then Gohan's expectant fist blurred forward, colliding hard with Goten's jaw and sending him reeling back.

"You'll need to do better then that Goten." Gohan smirked, watching as Goten wiped away the small trickle of blood his strike had caused. "I've seen you and Dad do that way too many times."

"Heh, nice one Gohan. Don't worry though," Goten added, mischief glimmering in his dark eyes. "I've got plenty of techniques you've never seen before."

Goten resumed a fighting stance, having shrugged off any lingering injury from Gohan's strike.


Bra was braced vertically up against the wall of the gravity room, sweat beading down her fine features and her muscles fully tensed expectantly – ready to react at her slightest incling. Her left leg was extended away from her body from when she had been driven against the wall, while her right leg was folded inward against her body – a useful thing if she needed to launch herself away from the wall quickly. Her right hand was palm flat against the cold steel, having been a necessity to stop herself a few moments ago. The heavy gravity and sweat forced the dark tank top and shorts she wore to cling tightly to her body, causing a sticky unpleasant feeling. However, her mind forced that feeling out – she couldn't afford any distractions right now as her senses rapidly attempted to reveal the location of her temporary opponent. Her eyes pierced through the haze generated as byproducts of the intense gravity and dim red glow that permeated the room – a veritable fog of war.

"There!"

her mind screamed, her energy senses having detected the subtle fluctuations of an energetic body in the location her eyes were now locked on. Without any further thought, her hands, shrouded in white fingerless gloves, were raised, palms flat and forward as she fired a ki blast at the disruption she felt. She watched hopefully as it streaked away from her, throwing its yellow light against the red of the gravity room before it careened straight through and struck the far side of the gravity room. Before she actually saw it strike the far side however, a powerful application of force was delivered against her firm stomach, wrenching her breath away from her and dislodging her from her previous position against the wall. She was able to look to the site of the strike just in time to see a gloved hand smash into her face, sending her reeling through the thick, stale air of the gravity room. She flooded her immediate space with energy; just enough to stop her from crashing against the far side of the gravity room. She coasted against the wall, feet first, absorbing her remaining kinetic energy as her hands raised to mount a defense against the incoming follow up attack. To her surprise however, the follow up attack was absent. She daringly lowered her defense, taking a few breaths to try and feed her air starved lungs as she wiped away the small trickle of blood that had cascaded down her lip from where her opponent had struck her.

"Almost Bra." She heard her father's voice, still hovering at the spot where he had struck her. Though there was some chastising in his voice, he could not berate her.

4 weeks. That's how long the two had been engaging in this routine. While Bra still hadn't revealed exactly what brought on this radical new thirst for fighting, Vegeta had indulged her to the fullest, ready to teach and practice with her whenever she needed. He found it somewhat strange just how eager he was to meet her demands for fighting – he would rarely go out of his way to train with Trunks – but perhaps it was because she had never shown this level of dedication and earnest towards the longest and most entrenched part of her heritage. While initially Vegeta had been concerned about going too hard on her – a mixture of the memories of their first serious training match and a fear of frightening her away from fighting – most of that restraint had vanished.

In fact, some of that restraint had to vanish otherwise she would have actually injured him. Her growth in such a short time was nothing short of astounding. Vegeta wondered if this training mirrored Kakarot's training with Gohan in the hyperbolic time chamber all those years ago. Granted their certainly wasn't an urgency and need to their training other then what Bra forced into it, and Bra was no Super Saiyan, but seeing the astounding growth of someone who you always sensed had hidden strength – that much at least was the same. The female warrior Saiyans Vegeta had known had been almost as capable as male warriors, so the fact that Bra was showing astounding growth and skill like the other Saiyan hybrids had shouldn't have been overly surprising to Vegeta. Even so, it was – she was still his daughter, and in spite of what he'd said to Bulma, the image of her as a fragile innocent little girl was still deeply entrenched in him.

Vegeta didn't want to delude himself with delusions of grandeur at what Bra might be capable of doing, but his instincts told him that Super Saiyan was a very real possibility for her. The thought made him smirk slightly. That'd certainly show Kakarot and that granddaughter of his. But this wasn't about his rivalry with Goku, it was about his daughter.

Before he could continue his train of thought however, it was seemingly knocked from his head by a powerful strike to the side of his head – Bra's heel. With no attempt to defend, and the unexpectedness of the strike, Vegeta succumbed to the force, being knocked from where he hovered and to the ground of the gravity room. His impact against the ground sent a heavy reverberation through the gravity room's innermost structure, shaking loose a few small pieces of debris and filling the heavy air with the sound of flexing metal. Vegeta blurred from his location the moment he was able too as a moment later the Saiyan Princess' fist was flashing through that spot, a blur of the white of her gloves and the reddened tone of her skin. All the sweat along her arm was driven off by the haste of her strike, flinging itself into a puddle just below where her fist hovered above the partially mangled floor of the gravity room. She looked up to see her father looking down at her from the upper echelons of the gravity room. She smirked.

"No almost that time." She said proudly.

Vegeta shook his head "You missed me with your second hit." He stated flatly, dismissing her sense of accomplishment.

"Yea well…" she began, frowning slightly as she placed a hand on her hip before withdrawing several feet, allowing the floor to be fully presented to him. With her free hand she gestured towards the damaged area of the floor. "Look what my first hit did."

"Well, then you can explain to your mother why the Gravity Room needs to be fixed again." He replied, that Vegeta esque smirk gracing his face as he rendered her silent, furrowing her brow at him as she retook a battle stance. Vegeta considered her for another moment, satisfied at her reaction, before readying himself to reengage her.

The two burned intense stares at one another, both breathing deeply and methodically waiting for the other to make a move. The heavy air contained only the sound of the Gravity Machine whirring away to generate the intense gravitational fields surrounding the two combatants. Bra felt a bead of sweat begin to trace its way down her forehead, but she didn't dare attempt to wipe it away as that would give her father far too wide of an opening. However, the bead of sweat was daringly approaching her left eye as well. If it forced her to blink it away, that would leave her just as vulnerable as wiping it away. Rather than wait for it to generate a void in her defenses, she rushed at her father. It simply seemed the better option.


Goten touched down just outside the front entrance of the Capsule Corp dormitory, slightly out of breath; he was still winded from the training session he had had with his brother and father this morning before the three ended their much enjoyed and far too short vacation. He had promised Trunks he would hang out with him the instant he got back. While he hadn't been 100% true to his word (he did have to unpack and shower after all – he was certain Trunks would appreciate him not showing up smelling of caked dirt and stale sweat), he was here now. He could sense Trunks was rapidly heading towards the front door, no doubt having sensed Goten was on approach. Goten had forgone Instant Transmitting in favor of letting the wind dry out his air. Well that, and sometimes it was nice to just fly. Leisurely flying was one of the most calming and relaxing experiences Goten knew of. Plus the flight had afforded him the chance to take in nature's full display – In those three weeks he had been gone, the land between his house and the outskirts of West City seemed to have come into full bloom, basking itself in the warm and sunny days. Goten always awaited the mid-spring bloom – as a child, it signaled the beginning of fun and free summers - and was abit disappointed he had missed it while away. If he had been more paranoid he might have thought nature had done it on purpose. But still it had put a smile on his face.

Goten walked the few steps towards the front door, taking in the bloom in the Capsule Corp grounds. Though the trees and flower beds were exceptionally well kept, he didn't particularly like the artificial look grooming gave to them, especially compared to the land use he'd seen on his way here.

He made to ring the bell but before he had the chance, the door was excitedly pulled open by Trunks. It was a good thing Bulma reinforced all the door fixtures with the same metal as the gravity room or the front door likely would have been pulled right off its hinges by Trunks.

Before Goten had a chance to speak, he found himself pulled into an almost spine shattering hug by his best friend. Goten was a little taken aback – a mix of the pitiful amount of air was able to draw in and surprise at what Trunks had done. It's not that Trunks never hugged him, but it was unusual for Trunks to be so earnest about it. If Goten hadn't glanced a smile on Trunks' face before being crushed, Goten would have thought something terrible happened while he was gone. After several seconds Goten tapped Trunks on the shoulder, before using his remaining breath to speak.

"Dude..I can't breathe…" his voice high and fast. Trunks hold loosened as Goten's feet retouched the ground and his lungs desperately retook in oxygen. Trunks took a few steps back as Goten tried to catch his breathe.

"Man Trunks…" A deep breathe. "What was that about?"

Trunks shook his head. "It's been sooo boring and crappy here without you Goten. You have no idea."

"I was only gone three weeks Trunks."

"Way too long." Trunks replied firmly. Now that Goten thought about it that was probably the longest time the two had gone without being around one another. It's not that Trunks didn't have other friends, but he didn't have anyone else who could come even close to being a best friend.

"What have you been doing while I was gone?"

"Nothing." Trunks frowned. "I've barely been grounded or yelled at by mom or dad since you left."

Goten raised an eyebrow. "Really? That is so… not the Trunks way."

"I know!" Trunks raised his hands up in exasperation. "It's so much harder getting into trouble by myself."

"What about Bra? You two used to get into trouble together all the time"

Trunks shook his head. "That's another thing. I barely see her anymore."

"Huh?"

"Guess where she is right now Goten."

"Uhh…" Goten began, he checked his watch. 3:52. He did a quick sweep with his senses around Capsule Corp. Nope, she wasn't here. He raised a hand to the side of his head, scratching it as he thought.

"The mall?" Goten guessed. He knew it'd be wrong though – it was too obvious, and Trunks certainly wouldn't be bringing this up if she was at one of her usual spots.

"Nope."

"Marron's?" Another obvious guess.

"Nope."

"Hmmm…." Goten shrugged. "I got nothing."

"Try sensing around here again Goten." Trunks stated. "Harder this time."

"Alright…" Goten spoke, closing his eyes this time. With his eyes closed, it was much easier to pick up hidden or low energy signatures. He immediately let his vision drift towards the central Capsule Corp buildings, ascending and descending them rapidly. He picked up hundreds of energy signatures – Dr. Briefs, Bulma, scientists, technicians, security – but no Bra. He checked the B dormitory – nothing. Suddenly it dawned on him what Trunks had been leading to.

"No way…" he spoke softly. Though his eyes were closed, he still could tell Trunks nodded. His vision descended upon the gravity room. There's Vegeta… and Bra. Goten's eyes opened again.

"… what…" he said, raising a hand to his forehead to try and coax abit of the mental anguish he was experiencing. Why the hell was she back in their again?

"I know right?" Trunks stated. "I don't know if I just didn't notice it before you left, or if it just got more intense after you left, but I pretty much only see her out of there for school. She's been ignoring Marron and her other friends for weeks."

"What are they doing in there?"

"Beats me." Trunks stated with a shrug of his shoulders. "All I know is she's making me look bad. And Dad won't let me train with them." Trunks frowned. It made more sense to Goten now why Trunks had been so glad to see him back. Neither of the boys were terribly fond of training and sparring alone, and while Trunks could train with his father or amuse himself by causing mischief to, or with Bra, with her constantly with his father it really didn't leave a lot for Trunks to do around Capsule Corp.

Still though, Goten's brain felt on the verge of an aneurysm trying to understand Bra's motivations here. It just didn't make sense after the state she'd been in a few weeks ago. Why would she be fighting with Vegeta again.

"This has been going on for weeks?"

"Yea."

"She hasn't… you know..come out looking as bad as she did that night has she?"

Trunks shook his head. "I think Dad knows how to gauge her better now. Truthfully though – I'm worried about her. No one spends this much time with dad unless they have to. His explanations really don't cover her being this serious." Trunks frowned, furrowing his brow slightly as his mind ran through possible reasons for his sisters behavior. He had tried to confront her about it several times only to have her push him out of the way, or be aided by their father in escaping his questions. During the first week he'd noticed her continual absence from the dormitory and continual presence in the gravity room, he assumed it was something he or their mother had done to piss her off. But by the second week, he knew that couldn't be it. Sure his sister was hot headed and quick to anger – traits inherited from their parents – but she also moved past things quickly. Thus far, the best reason he could figure to her sudden change in behavior was some dickhead dumping her or hurting her emotionally or her and Marron "breaking up". But as far he knew, Bra hadn't found a guy she even considered interesting enough to date for more than a few weeks – not nearly enough time for serious feelings to develop (in fact, she always told him guys were pretty much just toys to her that she'd throw away when she got bored of them)– and Marron had expressed the same concern he'd been feeling over Bra's recent change, so those reasons weren't holding their ground well. "I wanted to ask you if you had any idea why she might be acting so much…. crazier than usual lately." Trunks said looking back to Goten. His question was not accusing nor leading, but it still seemed to cause guilt to enter Goten's face.

"I have no idea Trunks…" Goten said. It was true – he had no idea what was making her do this, though he certainly had noticed her acting more irregularly lately.

Trunks raised an eyebrow. Though he knew Goten wasn't lying – or at least it didn't seem like he was – he sensed there were things Goten wasn't saying. "Really Goten…" Trunks narrowed his eyes on Goten, causing Goten to take a step back. "You have no idea?"

"I really don't Trunks… why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I know you're not telling me something." Trunks took a step forward, more than compensating for the distance Goten's step back had added. "Truth Goten?" Trunks stated seriously. "Is there something going on with you and my sister?" Trunks' mind was rapidly flooding with thoughts now that he seriously considered that idea. It would certainly explain why Goten had dumped Valese, and it would go a long way towards explaining Bra's behavior. He'd known for years his sister had a little girl crush on Goten, but with the age difference and that fact that Goten was his best friend and always busy with other girls, he had never seriously considered the possibility before. Now though…He clenched a fist as he tried to suppress the less then pleasant thoughts that followed after that one.

"I swear to Kame Trunks, nothing happened between me and her." Goten stated, his tone far more serious than normal. He stopped the slight backward tendency he had towards Trunks' menacing looks and stood up fully, looking Trunks dead in the eyes.

Trunks untensed, sighing in relief. "Sorry Goten. I've just been racking my brain trying to figure this out since she won't talk to me or mom. The idea of something happening between the two of you just seemed to fit with what's been going on lately… sorry to get all older brother on you." Trunks smiled.

"Heh..don't mention it." Goten said, still slightly unnerved by Trunks' actions. "But… you're right, I wasn't telling you everything."

"Oh?" Trunks asked.

"Well the morning after the big incident, I talked to her abit before she went to school."

"And?"

"Well… it wasn't so much us talking as it was her yelling at me."

"What did you do?"

Goten rolled his eyes. "Not everything is my fault you know."

"I know. Just most things."

Goten huffed as he crossed his arms. "Can I continue?"

Trunks motioned a hand indicating to him to continue.

"Well I offered her a sensu bean to get rid of her inuries..."


As Goten entered into Trunks' room he immediately took note of the writing on the whiteboard that occupied much of the right side of Trunks' room.

Ah the white board, bringing of pain and misery, destroyer of empires, bane of all life – that is, if you angered Goten and Trunks enough to use it against you. That whiteboard had played host to countless "revenge" schemes, "invention" ideas (though few had actually done what Goten and Trunks had planned them to do), and other nefarious activities Goten and Trunks had planned out over the years. Though its days of serving as the canvas for their unique art of war had largely faded after high school, Trunks still often filled it with ideas that were constantly running through his mind – a sure sign he was his mother's son. Now though, much of the board was dominated by what looked like a calendar. Goten looked it over more carefully, seeing 4 headings: May, June, July, August. "Yep, definitely a calendar."

"What's this Trunks?" Goten said, scrutinizing over the dates.

"That Goten" Trunks replied, stepping up beside Goten, and parting his arms wide to encompass the board. "Is our summer on a wall."

Goten looked to his best friend, an eyebrow raised. "…Seriously? Wow you really must have been bored."

"No really, I've got everything planned out, and quite perfectly if I say so myself."

Goten inadvertently rolled his eyes as he looked back to the whiteboard. "Why do you need to plan this whole summer out?"

"Because this is the last summer I have before mom declares war on my lifestyle."

Goten sighed, deciding he'd at least humor Trunks. "So what's the plan for today?"

Trunks merely grinned before pointing out a date on the whiteboard. Goten narrowed his eyes slightly at Trunks before following his outstretched hand and reading the words inside the box it pointed to.

"… You can't be serious."

Trunks grin widened even further, that childhood flame of mischief and mayhem unmistakable in his eyes. "Oh but I am."