"Lately Big Brother doesn't have time to play with me," Goten, now seven-and-a-half years old, complained to his Mom, while she finally had some leisure time to sit down and relax.

"That's because your Big Brother is growing up. He's busy studying for college and he has a girlfriend now. Someday when you're his age, you will also be like that. Now, why don't you play with your Dad?"

"All Dad wants to do is to train," he replied, scowling as he crossed his arms. "And he would always compare me to Big Brother. 'When Gohan was your age, he could do this.' 'When Gohan was your age, he could do that.' I'm not Big Brother, you know."

A flicker of irritation crossed Chi-Chi's face. It wasn't necessarily directed at Goten. "Tell your Dad to cut it out. Your Big Brother had to train hard when he was your age so you wouldn't have to. You already helped save the world once. That's enough times."

Chi-Chi closed her eyes and stretched out her legs, hoping her answer settled it. But Goten lingered, the child wanting his Mom to pay attention to him.

"Mom?" he said.

"Hmm?"

"How old do you have to be to have a girlfriend?"

Chi-Chi's ears perked up and she sat up. As a hopeless romantic, albeit one who was married to someone who made it unbelievably hard to remain so, this topic interested her. "You can have a girlfriend at any age. Why? Did you meet a girl when you were out by yourself?"

"Not really," he replied, a little surprised at her enthusiasm. "But if I get a girlfriend, do you think Big Brother could play with me, while Videl could play with my girlfriend?"

"I don't think that's how it works Goten." Chi-Chi patted him on the back as his face expressed disappointment. "But if you miss your Big Brother that much, we should talk to your Big Brother when he gets home tonight."

"Okay," he reluctantly agreed.

"Now go outside and bug your Dad. My feet have been killing me all day."

Gohan came home from school that night just in time for dinner. He had been having to stay late after school in the library to catch up with his studies. Although he had been able to build on his Mom's DIY homeschool curriculum to get by in his high school classes, the college entrance practice exams he had taken indicated he was way behind compared to the rest of his cohorts. This he did not tell his Mom, of course. He had enough anxiety as it was without his Mom's watchful involvement.

"Gohan, when you're done with dinner, we need to talk."

Gohan's immediate reaction was fear. He couldn't remember doing anything wrong before he left for school today. He made his bed, wiped the bathroom counter, and cleared Goten's toys off the floor. What did he miss?

"Goku, you should leave," she said again. "This doesn't involve you." This didn't surprise Gohan. As a rule, his Mom had low expectations for his Dad. She just wanted him to stop blowing things up and making new enemies, and if one day he came home to tell her he hadn't been fired from a job he'd had for two weeks, she'd die a happy woman. Goku complied, oblivious that he wasn't supposed to be excluded from family meetings like this one.

"What's up, Mom?" Gohan asked nervously, wondering if she somehow knew about the results he got on the college entrance practice exams he took without her knowledge. Then he noticed that Goten was glaring at him. "Goten? Are you mad at me?"

"You're never here anymore," Goten said in an accusing tone. "We're your family. Family's supposed to come first."

"Now, now, Goten, that's now how this conversation was supposed to begin," Chi-Chi reminded him gently. She turned to Gohan. "What Goten is trying to say is, while we know you're busy, we wish you could carve in some time to spend with Goten like you used to. Is there anything you could do to lighten your load?"

"Oh." Gohan realized just now that it was true he'd barely spent any time with Goten lately, and felt even guiltier for now realizing. Between keeping up with school and doing self-imposed extra assignments and hanging out with Videl while trying to make other friends at school and still serving Satan City as the Great Saiyaman, his plate was full.

Seeing his brother struggle to come up with something he could give up, Goten, still sulking, decided to say something he knew would hurt Gohan the most. "You could stop being the Great Saiyaman. It's just a dumb, unimportant character you made up. He's not real."

Gohan was aghast. Right in the heart.

"Goten!" Chi-Chi immediately scolded him, knowing how much Gohan loved being the Great Saiyaman. "That's not nice!"

Even before she told him that, Goten already felt the guilt and immediately rushed over to hug Gohan, who was still frozen from the earlier insult. "I'm sorry, Big Brother. I didn't mean that, I love the Great Saiyaman. But," he made a point to add, "I love my brother more."

"I'm sorry, Goten." Gohan ruffled his brother's hair. "I know I haven't been hanging out with you lately. I promise I'll do better. You're right. Family's supposed to come first."

"Great," Chi-Chi said, satisfied that the issue between his two sons was resolved. "Now, we have some time before Goten has to go to bed. Why don't you two leave the dishes to me and your Dad this time and catch up?"

And so another uneventful day passed by on Mt. Paozu.