Goku and the others sat around a large banquet table in one of the many conference rooms in Capsule Corp. The vast array of food that was spread across the table was quickly vanishing thanks to the appetites of the assorted fighters.
Trunks sat picking at his food. He and his mother had been trying all afternoon to fix the machine with no luck. He was beginning to wonder if he and Goten would ever be able to return home. If not, he was going to have a nervous break down very soon; he had never imagined it would be so hard to pretend to not be Vegeta and Bulma's son.
After dinner, Chi-Chi and Bulma set out to clean up the mess made by the dinner party and the group of warriors headed outside to do some training. It was at that rare moment in the day, right before twilight, where it was exactly getting dark, but it wasn't full daylight either. Trunks had followed the others outside. He wasn't needed inside and he had nothing better to do, so he sat on the grass, watching the fighters stretch carefully in preparation for sparring.
Piccolo was advising Gohan and Goten and which stretches would best help loosen up their muscles. Glancing towards the lonely Trunks, the Namek started slightly. The lavender-haired boy was leaning up against a tree, arms folded across his chest, one eyebrow arched as he watched the group. Piccolo couldn't help but think that he looked remarkably like a certain alien prince. Banishing the thought from his head (Bulma and Vegeta....impossible), the tall, green fighter focused his attention back on the demi-Saiyans in front of him.
"Hey, Goten!" called out Goku. "Wanna spar?"
"Sure!" squeaked the boy excitedly.
Goten had fought with Vegeta before, so he wasn't too frightened at the idea of sparring with his father.
The two Sons took fighting stances. The rest of the group moved off the side near Trunks, eagerly awaiting the fight. They weren't disappointed.
Goku started off, rushing fiercely at Goten. His hands blurred as he began aiming hundreds of punches at his future son. Goten blocked all of them efficiently. Goku kicked the boy's feet from underneath him, but Goten was able to catch himself and flip back onto his feet. The younger Saiyan aimed a ki blast at Goku. As planned, Goku dodged. Goten blurred out of view and reappeared behind his father, aiming another ki attack. Goku was caught off guard and was knocked down by the blast. Sitting up he smiled.
"Wow! I'm impressed!" stated Goku.
"Thanks," Goten answered, blushing.
"I can't believe you were able to knock down Goku," gushed Krillian.
"Yeah. None of us can boast of something like that," added Tien.
Goten just laughed and scratched the back of his head, looking identical to his father.
"Hey, think you can teach me how to become a Super Saiyan?" asked Goku, being both serious and light-hearted at the same time.
"I can try," replied the small boy, looking a little unsure.
"Great! So, what's step one?"
A chorus of deep, rumbling laughter broke out behind the group.
"That's just like Son. Always eager to move to the next step," rang out Kami's clear voice.
"Yep, that's Goku alright," answered King Kai.
Unbeknownst to the group, the divine pair had been observing the previous match with great interest.
"Kami! King Kai! What are you doing here?" asked a startled Goku.
Piccolo growled slightly, unhappy at the appearance of his counterpart.
"With Freeza on his way, we thought you could use some coaching," answered King Kai. "Besides, we were interested in the two new kis that we picked up on earlier."
The being turned towards Trunks and Goten, studying them intently.
"Hello, Kaio-sama. Kami-sama," said Trunks reverently.
"But Trunks-kun, that's not Dende," stated Goten, perplexed.
"Dende?" asked Kami.
"Dende-sama is Kami during our time," replied Trunks. "You and Piccolo fused in order to fight a monster named Cell. The fusion was...er...permanent."
Behind him, Piccolo made a choking noise. Kami, however, reacted calmly, merely nodding at the information.
"I guess you already know that Goten is my second son," stated Goku, motioning to the child. "And this is his best friend Trunks."
King Kai nodded. He turned to the older child, focusing his thoughts on the boy. His eyes widened in panic.
"Oh my! You're...."
The divine being trailed off when he realized the small boy had begun to blush and Kami-sama had grabbed his arm, apply a great deal of pressure to it. He had almost blurted out that Trunks was Vegeta's son. Clearing his throat, he was glad that he had been able to stop himself.
"He's what?" snapped Piccolo.
The other Z fighters regarded him curiously.
"Nothing," replied King Kai smoothly. "I was mistaken about something."
Trunks smiled gratefully at the diving being. Breathing a sigh of relief he relaxed.
"So," stated Kami, changing the subject. "You were speaking of Super Saiyans?"
Piccolo grunted, perturbed that he was so close to having found out what exactly he was sensing from Trunks.
"Yeah," state Goku cheerfully. "Goten was going to teach me how to change into one."
All eyes focused on the smaller version of Goku. He blushed, not used to being the center of attention.
"Well," he stated, since the warriors were obviously waiting for the lesson to begin. "I guess the best way is to show you."
Trunks smirked. This was going to be interesting.
Goten walked a few paces off and turned back towards the group. Finding the center of his powers, the boy concentrated on focusing his energy. He could feel the power building up inside of him. Nearby the group began to shift uneasily as they felt Goten's ki rise drastically. His ki finally steadied at a level that was far higher than even Goku's. Goten was surrounded by a light field of pure energy, causing his hair to flow gently, as if in a breeze.
"That's a Super Saiyan?" asked Goku, amazed at the level that his son had reached.
Trunks laughed.
"Not quite," he stated.
The group looked at him in amazement.
"You mean that's not a Super Saiyan?" asked Krillian incredulously.
"Nope."
At that moment Goten let out a scream. The energy that had surrounded him flared out. His hair spiked and turned golden; his eyes turned a turquoise blue. The initial rush of ki subsided. Goten smiled at the awestruck group.
"That's a Super Saiyan," commented Trunks.
*****
The three Saiyans all flinched when Nappa and Vegeta's scouters suddenly shattered.
"What the...." trailed off Vegeta.
The three aliens looked at each other.
"Did you feel that energy release?" questioned Nappa nervously.
"Is it Freeza? How could he have gotten here so soon?" asked Radditz.
"That wasn't Freeza," growled Vegeta. "It came from that woman's home. What are those stupid warriors up to?"
Vegeta hovered in mid-air, thinking. Suddenly, he set out at a blinding speed towards the compound. Exchanging puzzled looks, Nappa and Radditz set out after him.
*****
Goku and the others could do little more than stand and stare in awe. Even Kami and King Kai were speechless.
"What on earth was that light? Is everyone alright?" asked Bulma as she and Chi-Chi stepped outside.
The women had been washing dishes when they had seen a brilliant light flash. They had assumed that the Z warriors had managed to blow up part of Capsule Corp.
Chi-Chi yelped when she saw Goten. Bulma's eyes only widened.
Trunks and Goten laughed at everyone's reactions. This was fun.
A minute later Vegeta and company landed in the backyard. The group looked disbelieving at the small golden-haired warrior.
"Who's that?" demanded the Prince, pointing at Goten.
"That's my son from the future," replied Goku.
"That is not! He didn't look like that. Now who is that?"
Piccolo snorted and smiled devilishly.
"It's the same child, he's just turned into a Super Saiyan."
"Impossible!" hissed Vegeta. "I'm the Prince of all Saiyans and I haven't been able to turn into a Super Saiyan yet. There's no way that pathetic brat of Kakkarot's has been able to achieve that level before I have!"
"'Fraid so, monkey-boy," laughed Yamcha.
Vegeta growled.
"Don't you dare call me that ever again."
"Or what? Do you really think you can handle him?" asked Yamcha, motioning towards Goten.
Vegeta turned his attention back to the boy. He was radiating power. The Prince knew that the child could kill him and Radditz and Nappa. But the boy only smiled up at him, looking at him with what could possibly be mistaken as affection.
"Vegeta, there's no point in fighting against us," commented Goku. "Listen, we're both enemies with this Freeza guy. Why don't you join us? It will up our chances if we work together."
The Prince spun towards Goku, snarling.
"If you think that I would lower myself to fight with a third-rate, low-class, pathetic excuse for a Saiyan, such as yourself, you are even dumber than I thought."
"OK, have it your way. But if you change your mind, the offer will always be open."
Growling, Vegeta took off, followed closely by his lackeys. Goku followed their ki and noticed that they didn't go far off.
"Am I hear things or did you just offer to let his royal pain-in-the-ass join us?" asked Yamcha.
"Goku, you weren't serious, were you?" questioned Chi-Chi, scared of the thought of having the psychopathic killer near her family.
"Of course I was serious," replied Goku. "Vegeta, Radditz, and Nappa are incredibly strong; they would really help out in the fight against Freeza."
Kami shook his head.
"Goku, my friend, your compassion never ceases to amaze me."
Goku shrugged off the comment; he didn't understand what was the big deal.
"Well, guys, shall I suggest we get back to training?" he asked.
*****
That night, Trunks lay awake in the large bed that he shared with Goten. Bulma had offered them separate rooms, but the boys had insisted that they would feel better if they stayed together. Trunks was having second thoughts since Goten was currently taking up three-fourths of the queen sized bed and nearly all of the covers. Plus, he snored.
Trunks rolled over, watching his friend's chest rise and fall as he breathed. Often he wished he could be as carefree as Goten was. But he was too much like his father. Trunks didn't see life through innocent eyes. He was all too well aware of the bad stuff that was out there too. He had once woke up in the middle of the night from a bad dream and had snuck to his parents' room. He had sat outside their bedroom door and listened as his father had told his mother stories of what it was like to live with Freeza. He hadn't been able to sleep for a week afterwards. He never told his parents that he had overheard their conversation, and that he knew some of what his father had been through. That night he had realized how very lucky he was. Sure, his father was cranky, and his parents fought a lot, but he knew that they loved him and they loved each other.
Trunks mind wandered to the fact that Freeza was on his way to Earth. Soon he would see face to face the man who had made his father's life miserable. He wished that the Z warriors weren't around and that he didn't have to hide his power. He wanted to make Freeza pay.
Trunks sat picking at his food. He and his mother had been trying all afternoon to fix the machine with no luck. He was beginning to wonder if he and Goten would ever be able to return home. If not, he was going to have a nervous break down very soon; he had never imagined it would be so hard to pretend to not be Vegeta and Bulma's son.
After dinner, Chi-Chi and Bulma set out to clean up the mess made by the dinner party and the group of warriors headed outside to do some training. It was at that rare moment in the day, right before twilight, where it was exactly getting dark, but it wasn't full daylight either. Trunks had followed the others outside. He wasn't needed inside and he had nothing better to do, so he sat on the grass, watching the fighters stretch carefully in preparation for sparring.
Piccolo was advising Gohan and Goten and which stretches would best help loosen up their muscles. Glancing towards the lonely Trunks, the Namek started slightly. The lavender-haired boy was leaning up against a tree, arms folded across his chest, one eyebrow arched as he watched the group. Piccolo couldn't help but think that he looked remarkably like a certain alien prince. Banishing the thought from his head (Bulma and Vegeta....impossible), the tall, green fighter focused his attention back on the demi-Saiyans in front of him.
"Hey, Goten!" called out Goku. "Wanna spar?"
"Sure!" squeaked the boy excitedly.
Goten had fought with Vegeta before, so he wasn't too frightened at the idea of sparring with his father.
The two Sons took fighting stances. The rest of the group moved off the side near Trunks, eagerly awaiting the fight. They weren't disappointed.
Goku started off, rushing fiercely at Goten. His hands blurred as he began aiming hundreds of punches at his future son. Goten blocked all of them efficiently. Goku kicked the boy's feet from underneath him, but Goten was able to catch himself and flip back onto his feet. The younger Saiyan aimed a ki blast at Goku. As planned, Goku dodged. Goten blurred out of view and reappeared behind his father, aiming another ki attack. Goku was caught off guard and was knocked down by the blast. Sitting up he smiled.
"Wow! I'm impressed!" stated Goku.
"Thanks," Goten answered, blushing.
"I can't believe you were able to knock down Goku," gushed Krillian.
"Yeah. None of us can boast of something like that," added Tien.
Goten just laughed and scratched the back of his head, looking identical to his father.
"Hey, think you can teach me how to become a Super Saiyan?" asked Goku, being both serious and light-hearted at the same time.
"I can try," replied the small boy, looking a little unsure.
"Great! So, what's step one?"
A chorus of deep, rumbling laughter broke out behind the group.
"That's just like Son. Always eager to move to the next step," rang out Kami's clear voice.
"Yep, that's Goku alright," answered King Kai.
Unbeknownst to the group, the divine pair had been observing the previous match with great interest.
"Kami! King Kai! What are you doing here?" asked a startled Goku.
Piccolo growled slightly, unhappy at the appearance of his counterpart.
"With Freeza on his way, we thought you could use some coaching," answered King Kai. "Besides, we were interested in the two new kis that we picked up on earlier."
The being turned towards Trunks and Goten, studying them intently.
"Hello, Kaio-sama. Kami-sama," said Trunks reverently.
"But Trunks-kun, that's not Dende," stated Goten, perplexed.
"Dende?" asked Kami.
"Dende-sama is Kami during our time," replied Trunks. "You and Piccolo fused in order to fight a monster named Cell. The fusion was...er...permanent."
Behind him, Piccolo made a choking noise. Kami, however, reacted calmly, merely nodding at the information.
"I guess you already know that Goten is my second son," stated Goku, motioning to the child. "And this is his best friend Trunks."
King Kai nodded. He turned to the older child, focusing his thoughts on the boy. His eyes widened in panic.
"Oh my! You're...."
The divine being trailed off when he realized the small boy had begun to blush and Kami-sama had grabbed his arm, apply a great deal of pressure to it. He had almost blurted out that Trunks was Vegeta's son. Clearing his throat, he was glad that he had been able to stop himself.
"He's what?" snapped Piccolo.
The other Z fighters regarded him curiously.
"Nothing," replied King Kai smoothly. "I was mistaken about something."
Trunks smiled gratefully at the diving being. Breathing a sigh of relief he relaxed.
"So," stated Kami, changing the subject. "You were speaking of Super Saiyans?"
Piccolo grunted, perturbed that he was so close to having found out what exactly he was sensing from Trunks.
"Yeah," state Goku cheerfully. "Goten was going to teach me how to change into one."
All eyes focused on the smaller version of Goku. He blushed, not used to being the center of attention.
"Well," he stated, since the warriors were obviously waiting for the lesson to begin. "I guess the best way is to show you."
Trunks smirked. This was going to be interesting.
Goten walked a few paces off and turned back towards the group. Finding the center of his powers, the boy concentrated on focusing his energy. He could feel the power building up inside of him. Nearby the group began to shift uneasily as they felt Goten's ki rise drastically. His ki finally steadied at a level that was far higher than even Goku's. Goten was surrounded by a light field of pure energy, causing his hair to flow gently, as if in a breeze.
"That's a Super Saiyan?" asked Goku, amazed at the level that his son had reached.
Trunks laughed.
"Not quite," he stated.
The group looked at him in amazement.
"You mean that's not a Super Saiyan?" asked Krillian incredulously.
"Nope."
At that moment Goten let out a scream. The energy that had surrounded him flared out. His hair spiked and turned golden; his eyes turned a turquoise blue. The initial rush of ki subsided. Goten smiled at the awestruck group.
"That's a Super Saiyan," commented Trunks.
*****
The three Saiyans all flinched when Nappa and Vegeta's scouters suddenly shattered.
"What the...." trailed off Vegeta.
The three aliens looked at each other.
"Did you feel that energy release?" questioned Nappa nervously.
"Is it Freeza? How could he have gotten here so soon?" asked Radditz.
"That wasn't Freeza," growled Vegeta. "It came from that woman's home. What are those stupid warriors up to?"
Vegeta hovered in mid-air, thinking. Suddenly, he set out at a blinding speed towards the compound. Exchanging puzzled looks, Nappa and Radditz set out after him.
*****
Goku and the others could do little more than stand and stare in awe. Even Kami and King Kai were speechless.
"What on earth was that light? Is everyone alright?" asked Bulma as she and Chi-Chi stepped outside.
The women had been washing dishes when they had seen a brilliant light flash. They had assumed that the Z warriors had managed to blow up part of Capsule Corp.
Chi-Chi yelped when she saw Goten. Bulma's eyes only widened.
Trunks and Goten laughed at everyone's reactions. This was fun.
A minute later Vegeta and company landed in the backyard. The group looked disbelieving at the small golden-haired warrior.
"Who's that?" demanded the Prince, pointing at Goten.
"That's my son from the future," replied Goku.
"That is not! He didn't look like that. Now who is that?"
Piccolo snorted and smiled devilishly.
"It's the same child, he's just turned into a Super Saiyan."
"Impossible!" hissed Vegeta. "I'm the Prince of all Saiyans and I haven't been able to turn into a Super Saiyan yet. There's no way that pathetic brat of Kakkarot's has been able to achieve that level before I have!"
"'Fraid so, monkey-boy," laughed Yamcha.
Vegeta growled.
"Don't you dare call me that ever again."
"Or what? Do you really think you can handle him?" asked Yamcha, motioning towards Goten.
Vegeta turned his attention back to the boy. He was radiating power. The Prince knew that the child could kill him and Radditz and Nappa. But the boy only smiled up at him, looking at him with what could possibly be mistaken as affection.
"Vegeta, there's no point in fighting against us," commented Goku. "Listen, we're both enemies with this Freeza guy. Why don't you join us? It will up our chances if we work together."
The Prince spun towards Goku, snarling.
"If you think that I would lower myself to fight with a third-rate, low-class, pathetic excuse for a Saiyan, such as yourself, you are even dumber than I thought."
"OK, have it your way. But if you change your mind, the offer will always be open."
Growling, Vegeta took off, followed closely by his lackeys. Goku followed their ki and noticed that they didn't go far off.
"Am I hear things or did you just offer to let his royal pain-in-the-ass join us?" asked Yamcha.
"Goku, you weren't serious, were you?" questioned Chi-Chi, scared of the thought of having the psychopathic killer near her family.
"Of course I was serious," replied Goku. "Vegeta, Radditz, and Nappa are incredibly strong; they would really help out in the fight against Freeza."
Kami shook his head.
"Goku, my friend, your compassion never ceases to amaze me."
Goku shrugged off the comment; he didn't understand what was the big deal.
"Well, guys, shall I suggest we get back to training?" he asked.
*****
That night, Trunks lay awake in the large bed that he shared with Goten. Bulma had offered them separate rooms, but the boys had insisted that they would feel better if they stayed together. Trunks was having second thoughts since Goten was currently taking up three-fourths of the queen sized bed and nearly all of the covers. Plus, he snored.
Trunks rolled over, watching his friend's chest rise and fall as he breathed. Often he wished he could be as carefree as Goten was. But he was too much like his father. Trunks didn't see life through innocent eyes. He was all too well aware of the bad stuff that was out there too. He had once woke up in the middle of the night from a bad dream and had snuck to his parents' room. He had sat outside their bedroom door and listened as his father had told his mother stories of what it was like to live with Freeza. He hadn't been able to sleep for a week afterwards. He never told his parents that he had overheard their conversation, and that he knew some of what his father had been through. That night he had realized how very lucky he was. Sure, his father was cranky, and his parents fought a lot, but he knew that they loved him and they loved each other.
Trunks mind wandered to the fact that Freeza was on his way to Earth. Soon he would see face to face the man who had made his father's life miserable. He wished that the Z warriors weren't around and that he didn't have to hide his power. He wanted to make Freeza pay.
