Hey, thanks A LOT for all the nice things, it helps a lot to move on.

Thanks Kalebxdd for his faithful, regular beta work. It allows the quick updates so be grateful to him if you like the story.

Chapter 10

The sea breeze was carrying along the rumbling of music and laughter up to the most secluded areas of the beach. That noisy good mood sounded strange in the wild place. Goten was lying on the sand and staring at the multitude of stars studding the darkness above him. His fingers were clutching a half-full bottle of beer. There had been too many other bottles before this one and his sense of stability was now blurred by the vastness of the sky.

The fiancés had already left the party as they needed some true rest before the biggest day of their lives, and Raven had claimed Goten and her had to go as well. They had agreed that Goten would sleep at her place to make sure everything would run in time the next day. However, whereas he was supposed to say goodbye to his friends, Goten had found himself stumbling in a deserted part of the beach instead. He had somehow ended up stretching out on the lukewarm sand and he was now lost in contemplation of the sky. He felt unable to move, his mind numb with exhaustion.

After lunch his tense mood had softened. He suspected that the alcohol and the blissful atmosphere among his old friends had helped soothe his nervousness. In fact, everything had been much easier to deal with once Trunks had been out of sight. Krillin had said his friend was only affected by mere food poisoning and Goten had finally succeeded in forcing his brain to forget him for a while. The younger man had been incredibly good at convincing himself that everything was fine and that this wedding party would be up to its promises. It would be a big party where everyone would be happy. That was what it was supposed to be. It was really what it had to be.

However, at this very moment, while Goten was slipping slowly into drowsiness, Trunks popped up back in his brain. The younger man's erratic mind tried to imagine what this party could have been like if he'd attended it with his friend, as an official, normal couple. Sure enough, they would have ended up fucking right here on this beach. Goten would really have loved that idea.

He ran a weary hand hand through his hair like an attempt to erase that crazy thought.

"Here you are? Raven's been looking for you everywhere."

Goten blinked at the shadow towering him. He recognized his father's voice and raised up painfully on his elbows. "Raven?" he repeated in a hoarse voice.

"She looked somewhat upset," Goku added while sitting cross-legged beside him.

"Shit, I forgot her," Goten sighed by dropping his head back on the sand.

Goku looked down at his son and opened his mouth as if he was about to speak but he just kept silent. Goten struggled to sit up. "In fact, I was almost asleep," he mumbled.

Goku nodded. Goten rubbed his eyes. He was feeling dizzy and he needed some time to collect his thoughts before standing up. Only at that moment, he became aware of his father's quiet, insistent gaze. The dim light barely allowed the younger man to make out the Saiyan's concerned and thoughtful features.

"Is something wrong, Dad?" Goten asked.

"I need to know something. Are you happy with your life here?"

Goten was caught off guard by the question and he blinked in bewilderment. His father's voice sounded unusually stern and it hinted he was expecting of a very serious answer. Yet his question was very simple.

"Of course, I am. Isn't this place paradise?" Goten answered playfully.

Goku's eyes wandered hesitantly on the settings. "Not really, Goten, it's just a beach."

"It was a metaphor, Dad," Goten groaned, "But whatever. I'm fine here."

When he tried to get up, Goku grabbed his wrist to stop his movement. Goten gave him a questioning look and finally sat back next to him as his father seemed to have something else to tell him.

As a matter of fact, Goku resumed, "You always say that, 'I'm fine'. I realize that ever since you were a child, you never told me whenever you were in trouble - I mean, even when you had some kid's nightmare, you would always go to Gohan's bed."

Goten rested his hand on his father's shoulder. "Don't get me wrong, Dad, I love you but, no offense, you showed up a little late in my life. Now you don't need to worry about that since I'm grown up and fine."

The young man glimpsed a gleam in his father's eyes and he had a pang as he found out it looked like pain. Only then, Goten realized how hurtful his words had been and it sobered him up a bit. He cursed himself for his drunk's honesty. "Dad, all this sounds like you are the one having a problem," he whispered while hugging his father gently.

As a reply, Goku patted softly his son's back. The Saiyan looked unusually emotional about Goten's affection and it roused some panic in the young man's mind. He'd never seen his father expressing any personal concern.

"I think I've never been in love," the Saiyan suddenly blurted out.

Goten flinched and moved away from him in order to face him properly. "What are you talking about? Did you drink as well?" Goten muttered with a faint frown.

The young man was feeling awkward to hear that kind of confession from his father but Goku sounded strangely quiet and serious when he went on, "I mean, I surely loved your mother. I always did everything to protect her and all, but - being apart for so long had never been really painful to me. In fact, I never needed her by my side to be happy."

Goten raised his eyebrows. Not that his father was telling him anything downright surprising, but the younger man was taken aback that Goku would confess it so frankly to him.

The Saiyan was right, his son had never been able to talk to him. Every time he would try, Goten would quickly have the feeling that his father wouldn't understand his true concern and would turn it into something insignificant. So, they never had any serious talk about any intimate subjects before and it made Goku's speech extraordinary enough to get Goten's full attention. The younger man felt the need to listen very carefully to his father because it seemed that, for some reason, the Saiyan needed to get rid of a burden.

Goku stated further, "Yet, I think that's what it feels like being in love, right? It's just, huh, being unable to be completely happy while the beloved one isn't by your side, right? Like – Like Vegeta could never leave the Capsule, for example?"

He didn't sound fully confident about his statements, as if they were the result of a long painstaking reflection.

"Yes, I think that's it," Goten confirmed in a soft voice.

Goku flinched faintly at that answer. He looked up right in his son's eyes and tried to decipher something there. "So – Are you in love with Trunks?" He asked.

Goten hadn't seen the question coming and it felt like a slap in his face. A knot formed in his guts in a split second. He hadn't expected his father to ask anything about his own life. The younger man was speechless and he had no idea what to say. Obviously he was still in love with Trunks, but that was the easy part of the answer and he knew if he said that to his father, the Saiyan wouldn't understand the rest.

Goten pursed his lips and looked away wordlessly. The best would be to just answer a firm no, that he was not in love Trunks, because Trunks was a boy and it was impossible, because it made the whole world unhappy or angry or awkward – and especially his mother in the very first place. However, he couldn't lie to Goku. He didn't want to. For once his father had made the effort to try and understand the world around him, and it would be unfair to mock him.

Goten grabbed a handful of sand and let it slip between his fingers. He kept silent, his head bowed and his eyes locked on the sight of the grain wafting in the breeze.

"Maybe you should tell them," Goku resumed.

"Tell what whom?" Goten muttered.

"Tell that you're not really happy here. Tell your mother, tell everyone - Tell Trunks."

Goten shuddered. He was unable to look up at his father. The knot in his stomach was becoming suffocating as it was trying to burst into something that would turn out to be sobs and tears, and it ached. His father had just spelled out everything Goten had tried so hard to deny and it had unlocked some chains pressuring his heart. The younger man frowned and needed to take a deep breath before he could speak.

"I tried to tell Mum – Remember what happened? And Trunks knows very well about my feelings, believe me, I don't need to remind him. Whatever. It changes nothing," Goten whispered with a hoarse voice.

"I still think you should tell Trunks. I just realized myself how necessary words are sometimes. And you shouldn't worry too much about your mother. If I had done everything she wanted me to do throughout my life, I'm pretty sure, we wouldn't be talking quietly on that beach right now, you know"

Goku paused for an instant and gave a slight sigh. "What hurts me the most is that you didn't even try to tell me this before. Not even that day, remember, when you came back at Mount Paozu and we were sitting on that tree stump after Chichi banned you from coming into our house? I think about that moment a lot, I had hoped – well, maybe it would have been the perfect time to tell me, maybe things would have been different then."

Goten was still playing nervously with the sand. He slowly looked up at his father. There was no reproach in the Saiyan's voice, just that apologetic suffering still shining in his eyes.

Goku added, "I know, I'm not always – I'm carefree. I have a hard time getting worried about anything else but terrible foes threatening the world, but you didn't even give me a chance to help. If you're willing to go back to Trunks, I'll support you because I just want you to be happy - like you were before all this."

Goten was almost shocked by his father's speech. He had never suspected that the Saiyan could understand anything. Goten had never sought Goku's help because he simply never thought of it. His father was the epitome of good moments of life. He was a wonderful father to laugh with and to have fun. Sometimes, he was even the perfect way to escape Chichi's oppressive authority, but in Goten's mind that great Dad had never been an ally when it came about dealing with life's issues. Goku was no weapon to face life.

Anyway, it seemed his support was coming a little late.

"Goten? What the fuck are you doing here?" Raven's voice exclaimed all of a sudden.

She was walking to them and she looked pissed, to say the least. "We'll never be able to get up tomorrow, and just look at you!" she added in annoyance.

"I – I fell asleep," he mumbled with his eyes still locked on his father.

Goku was still sitting cross-legged, facing him and showing his back to Raven. He gave his son a small smile. "Tell Trunks," Goku whispered as Goten was standing up wearily.

Goten followed his girlfriend meekly and quietly while she kept complaining about him reeking of cigarettes and being completely drunk. She cursed him for disturbing her perfect plans.

Goku watched them walk away. In the dim light, he was hit by them looking so much like his own couple some years ago.

Raven lived in an outhouse of her parent's luxurious villa a few kilometers away from the Governor's property where the party was going on. As they were on their way back home, Raven spent half of the time blaming Goten bitterly while sulking in silence the rest of the trip. After she turned off the car's ignition, she turned to Goten with a soft sigh. "Okay, we don't feel like arguing further just when we're about to celebrate such a beautiful day, do we?" she stated.

"I'm not arguing at all," he objected sheepishly. Truth to be told, she had been the one so far to grumble endlessly by listing everything he had done, done wrong or not done at all and he hadn't ever considered feeling guilty of any of those points. In fact his mind was rather mulling over his talk with Goku right now. He gave her a sorry gaze nonetheless and she smiled back mischievously, hinting that she was forgiving him for anything he was to be forgiven for.

Raven was basically a nice girl. Only, she was much more pragmatic than Goten, which wasn't very difficult in fact. Most of the time she was even rather funny, provided she wasn't stressed by her best friend's wedding. She liked sex and she liked fun too. Goten and her had a lot of common likings.

He took a strand falling on her cheek and stuck it away behind her ear. "Do you love me?" he asked with an apologetic look.

She chuckled and gave him a light kiss. "Nope. You know very well, I only stay with you for the sex," she answered playfully.

Then she pulled away from him and opened her door. "Now, if you could just move and get out of the car, I would reconsider my opinion – huh and keep your hands off your suit, you're so drunk, I wouldn't like you to mess it up."

He climbed out of the car absently and walked up the small alley leading to the entrance while Raven had stayed behind to take his suit out of the car. The path was lined up with exotic palm trees casting wide shadows on Goten's way. He needed some time before he could spot a figure waiting on the porch. He walked closer from the light and recognized Edra. "'Night Edra," he uttered with a hoarse voice.

"Hi Goten," the young woman replied on a cold tone.

He realized only then that she was unusually elegant. Her silk tight dress made her amazingly beautiful and he gave a slight whistle. "Hey, you're dreadfully classy tonight," he stated.

"Edra? What the hell are you doing here?" Raven asked in bewilderment as she showed up behind Goten.

"I had to talk to you - about – the work you gave me, you know," Edra answered in a somewhat enigmatic tone.

"Oh ? Really, was it – Oh, honey, wait a minute," Raven said while handling the lock.

When the door finally opened, she walked eagerly into the house. "Goten! You shower up and go to bed straight away. God, you reek like hell. And just look at what time it is. I swear, I'll kick your ass tomorrow morning," she grumbled.

"Great, I had no better plan in mind," Goten muttered while entering the house in her wake.

"Come in, Edra darling! Make yourself home, I'll be right there," Raven added before disappearing with Goten's suit to hang it in the dressing room.

Goten immediately ran upstairs. He had no intention of getting involved into the girls' job chat. They always ended up asking him senseless questions about perfumes or makeup colors and it bored him to death.

Edra sat tense on the cozy sofa. She had her hands lying flat on her knees and she was scrutinizing them carefully while waiting for Raven. When her boss finally came back in the den with two glasses in one hand and a bottle in the other, Edra looked up at her. Raven stepped to her and kicked off her shoes on the way with a relieved smile.

"Gosh, shoes," she sighed, "Can you remember when we were kids? We hardly had any on, we used to be barefoot, most of the time."

Edra blinked. Raven was a few years older than her but they knew each other from childhood. Edra was the daughter of the steward of Raven's parents and both girls had attended the same school. Thanks to Raven's friendship, Edra had been able to go to the university and she had a job she loved, rather than ending up working in the fields or married to a pearl diver.

Raven rested the glasses on the coffee table and knelt down on the carpet instead of sitting on the armchair. Edra could say her good humor was due to her slight drunkenness. Seeing her boss so happy and joyful, the younger woman had a second thought about her visit. She wondered if what she had to tell Raven couldn't wait until the next day.

"Champagne!" Raven exclaimed while filling the glasses.

Edra had a weak smile and she took a polite sip after having her glass tinting against Raven's. Raven wiped her lips with the back of her hand and turned her sparkling eyes to her guest. "So? Mr. Trunks Briefs? Was he feeling better than this afternoon? I hope so because it looked like Apocalypse for him," she asked.

She couldn't help but to chuckle as she remembered Trunks's mishap. However she repressed her amusement when she realized that Edra was remaining unresponsive to her speech.

"This guy is a true jerk," Edra stated coldly.

"Really? So, you met him?"

"Yes I had that honor. I even spoke to him. He seemed to be perfectly well."

"Strange because this afternoon..."

"He took me for a whore," Edra cut off.

Raven raised her eyebrows. She felt like laughing but prevented herself from doing so because she was aware that she had drunk a bit too much and, most of all, she knew the younger woman was taking that kind of matter very seriously. The black-haired woman cleared her throat and resumed. "That sounds so unlikely. Did you tell him you were working for us?"

"Obviously, I did. He believed you send me to do him some "special favor", you know what I mean."

"What nerve, who does he think he is?" Raven muttered before taking a sip of her drink.

Her need to laugh was becoming relentless but she knew Edra to be very touchy about men's behavior. She had principles, unlike Raven that would do Trunks any kind of favor without a second thought, if she had been in Edra's place and of course, if she hadn't been Goten's girlfriend. "Well, you know, darling, as far as I know, Trunks Briefs is renowned for his liking for women - And you're awfully sexy with this little dress, so all this could cause misunderstandings and maybe you shouldn't take it so bad."

"It's not only that," Edra spat dryly.

"What then? What is this all about? Was he so rude? Did he try to grope your ass or something? What did he tell you?"

Raven was now feeling annoyed as she was facing Edra's deeply shocked face, and Kami knew that she could get shocked about anything.

"So, first, he rejected me like I was a whore but he also told me something freaky."

"Blablabla, just tell me what extraordinary event had you coming see me right now, in the middle of the night," Raven hissed impatiently.

Edra frowned. Her face was a rare shade of crimson. She pursed her lips as she felt unable to find the words. She was feeling so shy that she wouldn't dare uttering her explanation, so she just grabbed her purse and pulled out two sheets of paper. She unfolded them carefully and handed them to her boss wordlessly.

Raven snatch them out of her grip and laid her eyes on the text. It was an article Edra had picked up on the web site of a tabloid from the Western states. It had been released the year before.

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