Two hours had passed, and he still sat by his window. Still staring. Still silent. There hadn't been a sound or movement in that room the entire time. In fact, the whole house was relatively quiet. There was an odd aura in the house.
Goku and Chi Chi were in the kitchen. Chi Chi was drinking coffee and Goku was staring at the wall. They were both thinking the same thing, but neither of them could say anything. They sat in silence and tried their hardest to think of some kind of solution to their problem.
Gohan was sitting on the roof of the house. He was thinking, too. Thinking of his younger brother, and of his predicament. He had just gotten off of the phone with Bulma, the only person he could think of going to for advice. After he explained the situation to her, she decided to come over to cheer Goten up. She and Trunks would be there shortly. Gohan waited and thought.
The clouds had gotten so much darker. They were a light gray, but they were getting darker by the minute. Goten stared at them through the window, although he wasn't really thinking about them. All he could think of was Tina. Although he didn't want to admit it, Gohan had a point. The last time Goten tried to take the law into his own hands, the police were involved anyway. Maybe it was for the best to trust in the system, just this once. But he was still worried. Nobody could blame him for the way he felt, though. Everybody in the house, Goku, Gohan, and Chi Chi, all wanted to comfort him. But none of them knew how.
********
"Thanks again, officer," said Harry as the policeman walked away from the house and to his car. He flashed a neat smile, but then the smile disappeared as soon as he closed the door. He turned around and stomped upstairs, towards Tina's room. Tina and Bianca were sitting on Tina's bed, waiting for Harry to come up. Tina expected him to come. When he got there, she smiled and patted her sister on the back.
"Why don't you go to your room, Bianca?" said Tina.
"You don't want me to stay?" asked Bianca.
"It's not that. I just have to take care of something. Go on. I'll come talk to you before you go to bed, okay?"
"Okay, Tina."
Bianca walked past her father and down the hall to her bedroom. Harry closed the door behind him and locked it. Tina stood up and looked her father in the eye. He looked angry. Angrier than she had ever seen him before. But she didn't care. And she wasn't afraid. He rose his hand and tried to slap her, but she rose her fist and blocked it. Harry was stunned. But that was nothing. What stunned him even more was what Tina did next: She slapped him. The angry look on his face turned to shock, and then anger again. He grabbed Tina by the throat, turned around, and slammed her back first into her door.
"You must be out of your damn mind! What, did you forget who I am?" said Harry.
"I don't give a damn who you are," replied Tina.
Bianca could hear her father cursing from down the hall. She ran down to Tina's room and could hear something hitting the door. She realized it was repeated strikes to Tina against the door. She tried to open the door, having no idea her father locked it from the inside. She looked around for something to use, but their was nothing. Then she thought of something. Tina made it a point for both of them to memorize Goten's phone number, just in case they would really need to call him. She ran to her father's room and dialed Goten's number.
*********
The silence in the house was broken by the sound of a phone ringing. Goten picked up immediately, thinking it was Tina. But it was Bianca instead. She was talking too fast for Goten to understand, and she was breathing heavily.
"Bianca, you have to slow down. What's wrong?" asked Goten.
"My dad just went in Tina's room and closed the door, and then I heard yelling and now something keeps hitting the door from inside. I think he's hurting her, Goten," said Bianca.
"Damn it! I...Bianca, listen to me. I want you to leave the house right now," said Goten.
"Leave the house? Why?"
"I want you to go to your neighbor's house and stay there. Don't come out for anything, you understand?"
"But what about Tina?"
"I'll take care of that. You just get out of there right now, okay? I'll be there real soon."
"Alright, I will. You're gonna get Tina away from my dad, right?"
"Yes, I promise you that."
Goten hung up the phone. He didn't care about the system right now. The system wasn't going to help. He had to do it himself. He increased his ki until he was a Super Saiyan, then he charged his ki until he was at full power. He opened the window and flew toward Tina's house as fast as he could. Gohan saw him from the roof and stood up.
Where is he going? And why is he powered up? I better follow him, thought Gohan.
Downstairs, Goku could fell Goten's ki. He stood up and looked out of the window. Chi Chi looked out of the window with him.
"Goku, what's wrong? What are we looking for?" asked Chi Chi.
"I just felt Goten's ki. It just boosted all of a sudden," said Goku.
"Oh no. Do you think he's going to Tina's house?"
"Most likely. But I feel Gohan's ki too. Gohan seems to be following him."
"Well, I guess Gohan can help if something happens."
"Maybe. But I'm going to keep track of their ki. If it gets too hectic, I'll have to step in."
*********
Goten arrived at Tina's house in record time. He stared down at the house from above and hesitated. Then he flew down and crashed through the roof. He found himself in the hallway. Tina's room was just down the hall. He walked through the dust and debris that came from the roof and toward the door. The door was still locked, but Goten broke the knob easily. Slowly he opened the door, and he could see Harry, leaning against the far wall and sweating. Harry looked terrified. Goten walked into the room and looked down. There, on the bed, lay Tina. She was covered with bruises, cuts, and blood. Goten walked forward and picked Tina up. Her eyes were closed, and she didn't seem to be breathing. Goten shook her a little, but she didn't respond. Goten started to shake her harder. Still nothing happened. He was truly scared now.
"Tina? Tina, it's me, Goten. I'm taking you back to my house, okay? Wake up, okay? Please, wake up," said Goten. Tina still said nothing back. "Come on, Tina. I'm here. Please, get up. Don't do this to me, Tina."
Goten put his ear against Tina's chest, but he didn't hear anything. He held her left wrist and searched for her pulse, but their wasn't one. He was running out of ideas. He ran the ki in his body through hers, and it didn't do anything. Goten could feel his heart getting heavier. He held her body close to his, and he finally realized the truth. There was nothing he could do. A single tear rolled down his cheek. He closed his eyes tight and held Tina's body in his arms.
"Tina, I'm so sorry...I couldn't help...You depended on me and I let you down..." said Goten.
"It's your fault, kid. If you hadn't interfered, she would still be alive. You only have yourself to blame," said Harry.
Goten opened his eyes and looked up at Harry. Harry slowly inched toward the door. Whatever had possessed him to say that had just left him, and now all he could think about was saving his own life. Goten lay Tina back on the bed, and then his head hung low. Sparks of ki flew around his body. He inched toward Harry. Harry darted for the door, but Goten's ki alone slammed it shut.
Goten's hair began to wave. The sparks of energy around him grew larger. Everything in the room blew around as if caught in a tornado. There was a bright yellow flame surrounding Goten's body, and then it engulfed him. Harry stared at him in horror. There was now nothing but a flame. Harry couldn't see Goten's body anymore. The flame expanded a little, then more sparks rose from it. Above the roar of the flame, Harry could hear Goten repeatedly saying Tina's name. Then he heard a loud scream. Goten screamed at the top of his lungs, and then the flame transformed into a bright flash of light. The whole room was bright white, and above the roar of it all was Goten screaming. The light lasted for about ten seconds, and then it slowly faded away. When the light was finally gone, the room was in shambles. Harry's vision slowly came into focus, and then he could see one thing in the middle of the room. Goten was standing right in front of him, surrounded by a yellow aura. There was something different about him, though. His hair line went farther back, and there was one strand of hair that stood out.
"You're right you know," said Goten. "It is my fault that Tina's dead. It's my fault, because I let you live."
Harry tried to open the door, but Goten's ki sealed it shut. Goten knew what he was doing. He had a new mastery of his ki, and he was going to use it well. Goten floated out of the window, shut it, and then sealed it with his ki. Harry ran through the hole in the wall that Goten made the day before, and when he tried to open the door in his bedroom, he found it sealed shut as well. He was trapped in the house. And Goten was in control. Goten flew above the house and looked down at it. He was ready to finish it. For Tina, and for himself. He cupped his hands and brought them to his side.
"Ka...Me...Ha...Me..." Goten chanted. It would be over soon.
*********
Gohan was flying slower than Goten, because he wasn't flying as a Super Saiyan like his brother was. He could see a bright yellow light in the horizon and flew faster. The light became a shape as he got closer to it. Then he recognized it. Gohan stopped in front of the shape and stared in disbelief.
Goten...he's reached Super Saiyan Two! But how...? wondered Gohan.
"Goten, what are you doing?" asked Gohan.
Goten said nothing back.
"What, is that the Kame Hame Ha? I hardly think you'll need that for a normal guy," said Gohan.
Goten said nothing back.
"We talked about this, remember? You told me you wouldn't do anything drastic."
Goten said nothing back.
"Goten, are you listening? Stop this right now! You have no reason to..."
"He killed her..." said Goten.
"What?"
"Tina's dead. Because I failed to protect her. This is what I have to do."
"Goten, I'm so sorry. Look, let's talk about this, just you and me."
"There's nothing you can say to help me. I have to kill that asshole."
"Goten, listen to reason. Do you think Tina wants you to cause more death?"
"Tina wanted me to help her, and I didn't. This is my only option."
"If you go through with this, not only will you kill that asshole down there, you'll destroy the entire planet. Your power is too high. Everyone in the world will die."
"Then so be it..."
"Damn it, Goten, if you don't stop, then I'll stop you myself!"
"You can't, Gohan. Don't make me kill you too."
"Do I have to beat some sense into you? Then so be it!"
Gohan dashed forward with a jab. His fist struck Goten's face and snapped his head back. Goten's head slowly lowered. His lip was bleeding, but beside from that, there was no real damage done. Goten's face was hard, emotionless. He didn't want to fight Gohan, but he would if he needed to.
"I'm sorry, Gohan. But you can't get in my way," said Goten.
"Goten, one way or another, I will stop you," said Gohan.
Gohan powered up, and soon he was a Super Saiyan. His power rose even higher, and then he was Super Saiyan Two. Now the brothers were both at their maximum power. Tina was dead, and now nothing mattered to Goten but revenge. Gohan was determined to stop his brother, but at what cost? Gohan had to convince Goten to listen to reason, but that wasn't going to happen just yet. To Goten, the time for words was over. Now was the time for action. The world hangs in the balance...
END OF CHAPTER TEN