Guest: Well, that definitely was a bit unexpected. Sorry I couldn't fit her in right then, but she is in later chapters (although if you have read up to this point then I am sure you already know that).

AnimeWolfGirl16: Haha, I was wondering if anyone was going to catch that! :)


Chapter 28: All Wrong

Gohan knew that he should have went home directly after school, but today he didn't feel like going back to the crowded house. His stomach felt like it was in a knot and the strange feeling kept coming back like it had for the past few weeks. Something had to be wrong and then again, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Well, maybe except Drew coming to stay with us, he thought, biting his lip a bit. He didn't know how to explain the strange feeling that came over him whenever the other boy was near, but it wasn't pleasant.

There seemed to be nothing threatening about the boy, but strange events seemed to be happening lately. He frowned at the thought, wondering if he should go check on Goten. His little brother hadn't been acting the same for a while now, and it was bothering him. It was almost like no one else had noticed except him.

John and his mother seemed oblivious to the way his younger brother was acting, but it seemed almost as if Goten was trying to hide it. Like he was trying to only let Gohan know that something was wrong…

"But what?" he mumbled, walking over to sit on a stump that had once been a full grown tree. Split ends of the bark that had been torn away still existed, so he made care to avoid those sections as best as he could.

He thought over the past few weeks, his mind finding numerous points in time that things had seemed different, and one sprang to mind.

Gohan hadn't expected to see his brother sitting on his bed when he came home from school. The expression on Goten's face and the jumpy way he was acting didn't make the situation any better.

"Everything alright, Goten?" he asked his little brother while he put his backpack in the chair by his desk. He had some homework to do, but he figured it could wait, especially if his little brother had something important to tell him.

Goten's hands were gripping Gohan's bed cover in a death grip, but he hadn't said anything. His little body shuffled a bit, betraying his feelings of uneasy.

Gohan walked over to his little brother and sat down on the bed, feeling concerned. Immense fear radiated from his brother's Ki.

"It's alright Goten; you can tell me what's wrong," he whispered, trying to comfort his brother. He couldn't think of anything that had spooked Goten before; the younger Saiyan was normally carefree and a lot braver than he had been at his age, but this wasn't the case.

"Can't get me here," Goten whispered, bringing the bed cover up to his face, almost like he was hiding behind it.

"Who can't get you?" he asked, wondering what his brother meant. No one was allowed in Gohan's room most of the time (well, maybe except his mother when she cleaned it, to which he had no choice but to oblige).

Goten didn't answer his question though, prompting him to sigh. He flopped backwards onto the bed, watching as Goten's gaze followed his movement. He wasn't sure what to do; if his little brother wouldn't tell him what was bothering him, then he couldn't help.

"What can I do to help?" he asked, knowing that they were free to talk since he had closed the door to his bedroom when he came in.

He quickly searched for any Kis near them, but didn't find any. That meant that John was at work, and his mother was probably somewhere else. Drew was now homeschooling, so he had no idea where the other boy could have gone.

It doesn't matter, he thought, brushing off the strange feeling that came over him once again and resisting the urge to shudder. Something about the other boy's Ki just seemed so familiar…

"It hurts," Goten whispered, saying it so softly that Gohan hadn't almost heard him. The look in his brother's eyes was killing him.

"What hurts?" he asked, sitting up on the bed. He noticed that Goten winced when he did so.

Goten pointed at his side, prompting Gohan to reach for the other boy's shirt to lift it, but Goten pulled away. This lasted for several times before Gohan knew he had to address the issue (he didn't want to be forceful in getting his brother to stay still; if something did hurt, then he didn't want to make it worse).

"Goten, you need to stay still," he stated, continuing at his brother's pouting face, "how am I supposed to help if I can't figure out what's hurting?"

Goten paused at his words and then nodded, letting Gohan pull up the side of his shirt. What Gohan saw there made his breath leave him.

"Goten, how did you get this?" he asked, gently running his fingers over the black and blue marks near his brother's ribs. It didn't seem too serious, but it was still cause for concern.

Goten isn't clumsy; the thought made him almost nauseous, making him hope to Dende that whatever had happened to his brother wasn't what he thought it was.

"Can't tell," Goten mumbled, burying his head in Gohan's shirt. Gohan glanced down at his younger brother, feeling his concern grow.

"Why?" he asked, glancing at the door and checking for any nearby Kis again. This had obviously been something that Goten was trying to keep a secret, but for what reason?

"Can't tell. Promised," his younger brother's mumble made him slightly angry. Someone had done this to him, and he wouldn't tell? It didn't make any sense. Goten wasn't one to break promises, but if it meant his little brother was in danger…

"Goten, tell me who did this to you," he had to make sure that his voice didn't have too much anger in it, but he had to let his brother know that he meant business. Goten shook his head and buried it deep into Gohan's shirt, making him sigh again. The answer wasn't going to come out anytime soon.

Gohan let out a calming breath as the memory faded. It still made him angry to think about, considering that his brother hadn't told him who had hurt him in the first place. The occurrences when Goten had come into his room had been less lately, but he still found himself trying to make sure that his brother was alright.

I guess that's just normal for me; I don't like it when someone gets hurt, he thought, getting off the stump and starting to walk in the direction of his home.

Another thing had been bothering him lately, one that did not involve his younger brother: his other self had been strangely silent the past few weeks. Ever since the night Drew had come to stay with him, Gohan hadn't had any strange 'meetings' with his other self. He didn't hear any voices in his head either.

Last time this happened, it didn't lead to anything good; he sighed, knowing that some people just needed some time to themselves.

He had thought about going straight to his bedroom when he got home, but something stopped his as soon as he entered through the doorway: he couldn't sense Goten's Ki. Drew's wasn't in the house either, and John was probably just leaving work. His mother was in the kitchen preparing dinner.

"Gohan, would you be able to go find Drew and Goten?" Chi-Chi called from the kitchen with concern in her voice, "they went for a walk earlier and haven't come back yet."

Gohan glanced outside and saw that the sun was starting to set early. He did vaguely remember Drew saying something about a walk earlier before he had left for school.

"Sure, I'll go find them," he called back, walking outside again. He searched for their Kis but couldn't find anything, making concern start to fill him.

Goten, where are you?


I know I haven't updated in a long while, but I have been really busy. I just wanted to give you guys a new chapter and to let you know that this fanfiction is still continuing. I'm really sorry about taking so long, but I have been doing a bit of research for the next chapter or so (plus working on other fanfictions). Thank you for being so patient and please tell me what you thought in a review!

-AnimeWolfGirl9