"Hey, Bianca, are you ready yet? We have to go!" said Goten.
"I'm almost ready!" replied Bianca.
Goten had just finished tying his shoes. In the mirror he saw himself, dressed in black pants, a white shirt, black shoes, and a black tie. He put his jacket on, slid his hand over his hair, and then checked himself once more to make sure he looked perfect. Then he put on a pair of black sunglasses and walked down the hall to the guest room. Bianca came out a few seconds later, wearing a black dress and black shoes.
"Do I look alright?" asked Bianca.
"You look fine. Ready?" said Goten.
"Yeah, I'm ready."
Together Goten and Bianca walked outside, where Goku, Chi Chi, and Gohan were waiting by the car. Everybody got in, and the car was silent during the whole drive. Goten stared out of the window the whole time.
It only took about five minutes to get to the church. Everybody rose from the car and strode slowly into the church. Goten recognized a few friends from school as he walked down the aisle. He said his hellos, but he wasn't really thinking about them. He just continued to walk down the aisle, and once he got there, he saw the casket. Goten was surprised himself, since he though the sight of the casket would shake him. But his composure wasn't shaken one bit.
In the front row of the church, Goten saw Tina's only close relatives: An aunt, an uncle, a couple of cousins, and a grandmother. He introduced himself to them and sat beside the grandmother. Normally, he wouldn't be aloud to sit in the front row, but because Tina didn't have much close family, he would sit there, since he was closer to her than most people.
An usher handed programs to everybody in attendance. There would be the choir, then the pastor would speak, then the cousins would sing, and then one more thing. One more special thing that Goten was ready for. He removed his sunglasses and sat back.
The choir performed two songs, one the church had created themselves, and "The Reason Why I Sing" by Kirk Franklin and the Family. Then the pastor spoke for about half an hour. Then Tina's cousins performed about four songs. When all of this was done, an usher came to get Goten. It was time for Goten to go up to the podium. He cleared his throat and looked out at the crowd.
"I want to thank you all for coming. This is a great honor to be able to speak to all of you. I was told I would have to write a speech before coming, and I did. But I threw it out. I didn't feel that it was straight from the heart. Matters of the heart aren't predetermined. They're not written beforehand, they're not scripted, they're not something you plan ahead for. Matters of the heart are spur of the moment, unexpected, and straight from the heart. I feel as though I owe it to Tina to say what I really feel. There is nothing I can say to change the past. There is nothing I can do to console anybody, because I'm not completely comfortable myself. All I can say is that I've learned. I've learned what it means to lose what you cherish most. I've learned what it means to be a man. And I've learned what it means to love. I guess what I'm saying is that Tina taught us all a lot of things. If you've noticed, I haven't shed any tears. That's because I have nothing to cry about. I'm not sad, nor am I happy. But I understand. Tina is not gone, because we still love her. Because I still love her. That's the greatest lesson to learn. And that is straight from the heart."
Goten couldn't think of anything more to say, because he said everything that came to mind. He really didn't know what to do next. There was an awkward silence in the room. Then the silence was broken by clapping. The clapping came from the back of the church. Goten looked back, and at the back of the church, it was Tina's mother, Joan. She clapped and cried at once as she walked slowly up the aisle toward the podium. When she reached the podium, she threw her arms around Goten and gave him a tight, firm hug. Goten smiled and returned the hug. Then everybody in the church stood and clapped their hands. Of everybody in the church, Goku was the most proud. He believed that his son had truly grown up.
Finally, there was the final viewing. Goten stood over the open casket, staring down at Tina. All he could do was put his fingers to his lips and blow Tina a kiss.
"I'll see you soon," Goten whispered.
After that, Goku, Gohan, Goten, and Trunks all served as pallbearers. They all carried the casket to the hearse and rode to the cemetery. A few people came to the cemetery to watch the burial, and then the attendees slowly seemed to fade away. A few hours passed, and finally the only people left were the Son and Briefs families. Goten stood over Tina's grave with Trunks standing next to him.
"You okay?" asked Trunks.
"Yeah," replied Goten.
"Look, I'm about to go home. Call me right away if you need anything, alright?"
"Okay. Thank you."
Trunks patted his friend on the shoulder, looked once more at Tina's tombstone, and then walked back to his parents' car. Goten was now standing alone in the graveyard.
"Well, I summoned the dragon and made my wish. We knew that the courts would never allow my parents custody of Bianca, so we wished for the dragon to create some kind of technicality. My mom and dad thought it was a good idea. So we're going to raise her ourselves. As for your dad, we made sure he was brought to justice. Our second wish made sure that he wouldn't get off on any technicalities, no matter how many cop friends he had. He's going to get what's coming to him. So Bianca will be fine, and I guess I will be too, eventually. It's going to take some time, but I'll work through it. Just knowing that I'll see you again is my motivation. Thank you, Tina. Thank you for everything."
Goten could hear Bianca coming toward him from behind. He smiled at her and then looked back at the tombstone. Bianca looked at it with him.
"She's going to be safe now, right?" asked Bianca.
"Right. Tina's going to be okay from now on," said Goten.
"I'm glad. Now Tina can be happy."
"You're right. Come on, let's go home. Tina needs her rest."
Goten put his sunglasses back on and walked back to the car with Bianca. Bianca got in first, but Goten stood at the car. He turned back once more, smiled, and then finally got in the car. Although he never said it out loud, he had found a little inner peace.
Hours later, Goten was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He dressed down to a tank top and a pair of shorts. Chi Chi was cooking dinner, Goku was training, and Bianca was asleep. The house was unusually quiet. Then there was a knocking at the door.
"Come in," said Goten.
The door opened. It was Gohan.
"Hey, I'm outta here bro," said Gohan.
"What? How come?" asked Goten.
"Well, Videl said I can come back home. I still have to pay to repair the roof, but at least I don't have to sleep in my tiny old bed anymore," said Gohan.
"Yeah, that's true. Congrats."
"Thanks, Goten. I'll see you later."
Gohan started to walk away. Then Goten sat up.
"Hey, Gohan..."
Gohan turned back around.
"Yeah, Goten?"
"I'm sorry..."
"Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault."
Gohan smiled, waved, and walked away. Goten was alone again. He reached over to his radio, turned it on, and then lay back on his bed. Random songs played for about ten minutes, but Goten hardly heard them. Then something odd happened. The DJ started speaking, and he caught Goten's attention.
"We got a special song for you people right now. It was especially requested by a girl who wants to let her man know she still loves him and that she'll never forget him. So now, let's hear 'All My Life' by KC and Jojo."
Goten sat back up in shock. Well, more like shock and happiness. It was incredible. He hummed along with the music with a big smile on his face. Eventually he found himself bobbing his head, and then he found himself singing along with it. And then, as if on cue, there was a flashback in his mind. He remembered it so clearly.
"Goten, what if the song does end? We can't stop that from happening," said Tina.
"Our song will never end, Tina. I won't allow that to happen," said Goten.
All my life, I've prayed for someone like you...the song played on.
"You promise me? Our song will never end?" asked Tina.
"Not as long as we keep it going," said Goten.
And I thank God that I...that I finally found you...
"I love this song. It's like it plays for us. You're right, we can keep it going," said Tina.
All my life, I've prayed for someone like you...
"Yes, we have to cherish this song. That's what will make it special. It's our song, and we cherish it," said Goten.
And I hope that you feel the same way, too...
Yes, I pray that you do love me too...
"Thank you, Goten, for playing my song," said Tina.
"Our song, Tina," said Goten, "Our song."
The song played on, and Goten continued to sing along. Sitting alone in his room, the room where he had his first kiss, where he first fell in love, he sang their song. And, deep down, he knew Tina was in Heaven, singing along. And she was. So, in the closing seconds of the song, as the final chorus played on, Goten and Tina sang their song.
All my life, I've prayed for someone like you...
And I thank God that I...that I finally found you...
All my life, I've prayed for someone like you...
And I hope that you feel the same way too...
Yes I pray that you do love me too...