Goku stood with unseeing eyes as his wife's casket was lowered into the ground. Vegeta had told him what he had heard and seen, but he couldn't believe that it was his youngest son who had killed ChiChi. It didn't seem right. Goku glanced up and looked at Goten, who was standing with his head bowed to the ground, though his shoulders shook slightly from crying. The Saiyajin looked back down at the casket, which was covered in flowers. Clearly Goten was upset about this. That's not the usual feelings of a murderer. 'He's acting. The evidence is all there, Kakarotto! Don't let your feelings get in the way of the truth.' Vegeta's words echoed in Goku's mind, leaving the Saiyajin feeling torn. It was true. The evidence was all there, but the prince had even admitted that he wasn't positive that it was Goten's ki he had felt surge shortly before he heard ChiChi scream. So that means there was a chance that his son was innocent. And taking chances was what Goku was all about.
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An hour later, the funeral was drawn to a close. The weather matched everyone's mood perfectly. The sky was clouded over and gray, and the rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. Almost everyone had either left, or retreated to a building not too far off to wait out the storm that was approaching. Only Goku and Goten were left standing by the fresh grave covered in flowers. A flash of lightning followed by a low rumble of thunder caused Goku to snap out of his train of thought. He glanced up at his son, who was staring blankly at the grave in front of him with tears in his eyes. Part of him wanted to comfort him, like any father should in a situation like this. But another part of him wanted to point at him and call him a murder. As awful as that might seem, he couldn't help but feel that his son was responsible for the death of his wife. Who else was there to blame? He doubted ChiChi broke her own neck.
Pushing his negative feelings aside, Goku took a deep breath and approached his son. It had started to drizzle a few minutes earlier and he was sure they'd both be soaked in a couple more minutes. With a slight bit of hesitation, the Saiyajin placed his hand on the other's shoulder. "Goten. It's going to storm. Come inside." The demi-Saiyajin glanced toward the building across the cemetery where some people were gathered. Even at the distance he was at, his Saiyajin eyes could see Vegeta glaring at him accusingly. He then looked at Goku, who was also looking over at the prince. "Don't worry about what he thinks. He's just going by what he saw..." "He thinks he saw me murdering my own mother." Goten snapped. Goku rubbed the back of his head, making it obvious that he was nervous. "Yeah.. but you have to admit that... You know... It kinda looked---" "Like I murdered my mother?! Is that what you think too?! I may not have liked her very much, but I would NEVER do anything like that!!" Before Goku could respond, Goten pushed his hand off his shoulder and took off into the sky with a blast of ki, leaving his rather stunned father behind.
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A month later...
Bulma smiled to herself as she finished setting up the last of the platters full of food. Things had been a little tense since ChiChi's death and she wanted to attempt to get things back to normal again. At least as normal as things could get without ChiChi yelling in the background.
Bulma jumped as the doorbell rang and popped a chip into her mouth before heading toward the door. "I got it." Trunks called as he rushed past his mother to answer the door. Bulma looked at her seventeen-year-old thoughtfully, wondering if he had seen Goten much lately. He seemed to be pretty confident that he was coming today, so he must have been told by Goten himself. The blue-haired woman smiled as Trunks re-appeared with Gohan, Videl, Goku, and Goten not too far behind. Trunks and Goten immediately retreated upstairs while Goku waved his hand as a hello and rushed over to the food. Bulma chuckled as she motioned for Gohan and Videl to take a seat.
"So how have you been?" Bulma asked as she handed them a couple drinks. "A little tense." Gohan admitted. "But we're getting over it." Videl nodded in agreement as she took a sip of her drink. "Things have been kind of peaceful, in my opinion." she added. Bulma was a little surprised by the statement. 'Peaceful' was the last word she'd use to describe the feelings someone felt after the death of a loved one. She looked over at Gohan for confirmation. He nodded as well. "Yeah. It may sound a little odd to you, Bulma, but if you had lived with my mother most your life, I think you'd agree that her absence isn't necessarily a bad thing." The blue-haired woman's eyes became as big as saucers as she watched the almost smiling couple. Unable to come up with words, Bulma turned to Goku, who was also staring at the two as if they'd gone crazy. He had even stopped eating, so that must mean he was clearly shocked. However, Gohan and Videl didn't even seem to notice as they munched on a few snacks that had been on the table.
Now that Goku thought about it, he remembered that Gohan hadn't shown much emotion at ChiChi's ceremony. In fact, he thought he had heard him chuckling at one point, but when he turned to look at him, he had had an unreadable expression on his face again. This was all getting a little too confusing for him. Goku snapped out of his train of thought and looked over at Bulma. "Where's Vegeta hiding?" The woman smiled and motioned out the door. "He's training in the gravity room, as usual. Feel free to go interrupt him." "Ok, I think I will!" Goku smirked and grabbed a few more chips before heading for the gravity room.
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Vegeta smirked in satisfaction as his fist once again made contact with Goku's jaw, sending the other Saiyajin to the ground. "Kakarotto! You're hardly a challenge for me! What's wrong with you?!" Goku slowly sat up and wiped a stream of blood from his lip. He was silent for a moment before making eye contact with the prince. "I think you're wrong." Vegeta raised an eyebrow in question. "Wrong? About what?" "Goten." he replied. The prince sighed and rubbed his temples as if he head a headache. "This again, Kakarotto? We've been through this! The evide---" "There's NO evidence!!!" Goku suddenly shouted, causing the other Saiyajin to take a step back in shock. Goku took a deep breath and lowered his voice again. "You saw him with her, Vegeta. You didn't see him kill her. For all you know he could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. You're assuming." Vegeta paced around the room a bit in annoyance. "There was no one else there! Who else could it have been?!" Goku's head suddenly snapped up, causing the prince to freeze as he saw the look on his face. "What?" "Maybe you did it, Vegeta."
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Videl, Gohan, and Bulma had been having a quiet chat when loud shouting caught their attention. There was no need to investigate because they could hear every word. "Are you accusing me of murder??!" they heard Vegeta shout. "Why not?! You were there too! And you know what they say, Vegeta! The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime!" Goku could be heard yelling. "How dare you, baka! What motive do I have?!" the prince yelled back, his voice becoming increasingly angry. "She wouldn't let me spar as often! You were always saying that I should blast her and be done with it, weren't you Vegeta?! Maybe you decided to do it for me! Anything to raise your power level a little!" "That's ridiculous!" Vegeta roared. "If I wanted to raise my power level, I would have killed YOU! Then my power level would be pretty impressive with nothing else to compare it to, right Kakarotto?! Keep this up much longer and you'll be seeing your woman real soon!" Bulma gasped as she heard a loud explosion come from the area the two Saiyajins were fighting in. A few seconds later, Goku stormed past them and stopped at the door before yelling up the stairs for Goten to come on. After the demi-Saiyajin had appeared, the two left without another word.
Bulma, Gohan, and Videl sat in silence for a moment before they realized that there was an absence of cursing. They quickly jumped up and ran back to the gravity room, where they saw Vegeta standing with his arms folded. He looked like he had been in the sun too long. Even his hair was smoking. The prince snorted and looked at the three gawkers, then smirked. "Weak baka. I barely felt that Kamehameha wave." No sooner he had finished his sentence, Vegeta's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed.
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A couple days later...
Vegeta listened as Trunks greeted Goten at the door and invited him inside. Lately the youngest member of the Son family had been spending a lot of time with Trunks. Apparently it was because the other teenager was the only one he felt comfortable around. The prince didn't know if it was because they'd both been friends since they were kids, or if it was because Trunks as the only one who didn't think Goten was a murderer. Or maybe he did and was just doing a good job of hiding it. Vegeta waited until Goten was inside before he approached, making sure he couldn't go anywhere to evade him. "Trunks, go in the other room. I need to talk to Goten." The purple haired Saiyajin would have protested if not for the fact his father threw him one of the most deadly glares he could muster. That was reason enough for the demi-Saiyajin to flee from the room.
Vegeta led the nervous teenager into another room and motioned for him to sit down, which he did. "I need to know what happened that day." he said simply. "But..." "No! Do you want to be thought of as a murderer for the rest of your life or not, brat?" Goten sighed and slowly shook his head. Vegeta folded his arms and looked the teenager right in the eye. "Do you have anything to hide?" "No..." Goten answered. "Then tell me."
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Goten angrily stormed through the forest, cursing softly under his breath. Once again his mother had denied him something he wanted to do! She wouldn't allow him to go spar with Trunks because she didn't like his attitude. Needless to say, Trunks wasn't very happy about it either judging from how he had sounded on the phone.
Goten knew his mother was out here looking for him right now. She hadn't been thrilled when he stormed out of the house, but he couldn't stay there. He was much too angry and even the sight of her would have set him off. He didn't understand why she had to be so mean. So demanding. So... protective. The demi-Saiyajin paused in mid-stride as the thought hit him. Protective? Is that what this constant nagging was about? Protecting her youngest child? But from what?
Suddenly, a spike of ki made Goten's hair stand on end, but not as much as the scream that followed. It was his mother! With a dash of speed, the demi-Saiyajin took off toward the fading ki, which within seconds, disappeared all together. "Mom?!" he called, reaching out his senses in the hopes he would feel her small ki. But there was nothing. Goten pushed through some bushes and froze as his eyes fell upon a body lying motionless on the forest floor. He recognized the clothes immediately and rushed over to her side. "Mom?!" he cried, dropping to his knees. His eyes widened as he got a closer look at her. ChiChi's neck was not at all in a natural position and had been violently broken. Even though he knew there was no hope, Goten searched for a pulse anyway. But as expected, there was none. Tears sprung to the teenager's eyes as he cradled the woman in his arms, gently rocking back and forth. This couldn't really be happening! Goten gasped as he heard something behind him and spun around....
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"And then you showed up." Goten said softly, fighting desperately to fight the tears that were threatening to flow. Vegeta sat in silence, thinking about every word of the boy's story. It didn't seem to have any flaws. He'd explained that he'd felt the strange ki as well and heard the scream. On the other hand, the murderer would have known those things too. But just by looking at Goten's eyes, Vegeta knew that he couldn't possibly have been the murderer. He was convinced that he was innocent. "I'm sorry." he finally said, earning Goten's full attention. "For what?" the teenager asked. "Accusing you. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so quickly." Goten shook his head slowly. "It's ok. If I had been in your position, I probably would have assumed the same thing." A few moments of silence went by before Vegeta spoke again. "I need to ask you a difficult question." The demi-Saiyajin looked at the prince thoughtfully for a moment before nodding his head. "Who do you suspect killed your mother?"
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An hour later, the funeral was drawn to a close. The weather matched everyone's mood perfectly. The sky was clouded over and gray, and the rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. Almost everyone had either left, or retreated to a building not too far off to wait out the storm that was approaching. Only Goku and Goten were left standing by the fresh grave covered in flowers. A flash of lightning followed by a low rumble of thunder caused Goku to snap out of his train of thought. He glanced up at his son, who was staring blankly at the grave in front of him with tears in his eyes. Part of him wanted to comfort him, like any father should in a situation like this. But another part of him wanted to point at him and call him a murder. As awful as that might seem, he couldn't help but feel that his son was responsible for the death of his wife. Who else was there to blame? He doubted ChiChi broke her own neck.
Pushing his negative feelings aside, Goku took a deep breath and approached his son. It had started to drizzle a few minutes earlier and he was sure they'd both be soaked in a couple more minutes. With a slight bit of hesitation, the Saiyajin placed his hand on the other's shoulder. "Goten. It's going to storm. Come inside." The demi-Saiyajin glanced toward the building across the cemetery where some people were gathered. Even at the distance he was at, his Saiyajin eyes could see Vegeta glaring at him accusingly. He then looked at Goku, who was also looking over at the prince. "Don't worry about what he thinks. He's just going by what he saw..." "He thinks he saw me murdering my own mother." Goten snapped. Goku rubbed the back of his head, making it obvious that he was nervous. "Yeah.. but you have to admit that... You know... It kinda looked---" "Like I murdered my mother?! Is that what you think too?! I may not have liked her very much, but I would NEVER do anything like that!!" Before Goku could respond, Goten pushed his hand off his shoulder and took off into the sky with a blast of ki, leaving his rather stunned father behind.
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A month later...
Bulma smiled to herself as she finished setting up the last of the platters full of food. Things had been a little tense since ChiChi's death and she wanted to attempt to get things back to normal again. At least as normal as things could get without ChiChi yelling in the background.
Bulma jumped as the doorbell rang and popped a chip into her mouth before heading toward the door. "I got it." Trunks called as he rushed past his mother to answer the door. Bulma looked at her seventeen-year-old thoughtfully, wondering if he had seen Goten much lately. He seemed to be pretty confident that he was coming today, so he must have been told by Goten himself. The blue-haired woman smiled as Trunks re-appeared with Gohan, Videl, Goku, and Goten not too far behind. Trunks and Goten immediately retreated upstairs while Goku waved his hand as a hello and rushed over to the food. Bulma chuckled as she motioned for Gohan and Videl to take a seat.
"So how have you been?" Bulma asked as she handed them a couple drinks. "A little tense." Gohan admitted. "But we're getting over it." Videl nodded in agreement as she took a sip of her drink. "Things have been kind of peaceful, in my opinion." she added. Bulma was a little surprised by the statement. 'Peaceful' was the last word she'd use to describe the feelings someone felt after the death of a loved one. She looked over at Gohan for confirmation. He nodded as well. "Yeah. It may sound a little odd to you, Bulma, but if you had lived with my mother most your life, I think you'd agree that her absence isn't necessarily a bad thing." The blue-haired woman's eyes became as big as saucers as she watched the almost smiling couple. Unable to come up with words, Bulma turned to Goku, who was also staring at the two as if they'd gone crazy. He had even stopped eating, so that must mean he was clearly shocked. However, Gohan and Videl didn't even seem to notice as they munched on a few snacks that had been on the table.
Now that Goku thought about it, he remembered that Gohan hadn't shown much emotion at ChiChi's ceremony. In fact, he thought he had heard him chuckling at one point, but when he turned to look at him, he had had an unreadable expression on his face again. This was all getting a little too confusing for him. Goku snapped out of his train of thought and looked over at Bulma. "Where's Vegeta hiding?" The woman smiled and motioned out the door. "He's training in the gravity room, as usual. Feel free to go interrupt him." "Ok, I think I will!" Goku smirked and grabbed a few more chips before heading for the gravity room.
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Vegeta smirked in satisfaction as his fist once again made contact with Goku's jaw, sending the other Saiyajin to the ground. "Kakarotto! You're hardly a challenge for me! What's wrong with you?!" Goku slowly sat up and wiped a stream of blood from his lip. He was silent for a moment before making eye contact with the prince. "I think you're wrong." Vegeta raised an eyebrow in question. "Wrong? About what?" "Goten." he replied. The prince sighed and rubbed his temples as if he head a headache. "This again, Kakarotto? We've been through this! The evide---" "There's NO evidence!!!" Goku suddenly shouted, causing the other Saiyajin to take a step back in shock. Goku took a deep breath and lowered his voice again. "You saw him with her, Vegeta. You didn't see him kill her. For all you know he could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. You're assuming." Vegeta paced around the room a bit in annoyance. "There was no one else there! Who else could it have been?!" Goku's head suddenly snapped up, causing the prince to freeze as he saw the look on his face. "What?" "Maybe you did it, Vegeta."
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Videl, Gohan, and Bulma had been having a quiet chat when loud shouting caught their attention. There was no need to investigate because they could hear every word. "Are you accusing me of murder??!" they heard Vegeta shout. "Why not?! You were there too! And you know what they say, Vegeta! The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime!" Goku could be heard yelling. "How dare you, baka! What motive do I have?!" the prince yelled back, his voice becoming increasingly angry. "She wouldn't let me spar as often! You were always saying that I should blast her and be done with it, weren't you Vegeta?! Maybe you decided to do it for me! Anything to raise your power level a little!" "That's ridiculous!" Vegeta roared. "If I wanted to raise my power level, I would have killed YOU! Then my power level would be pretty impressive with nothing else to compare it to, right Kakarotto?! Keep this up much longer and you'll be seeing your woman real soon!" Bulma gasped as she heard a loud explosion come from the area the two Saiyajins were fighting in. A few seconds later, Goku stormed past them and stopped at the door before yelling up the stairs for Goten to come on. After the demi-Saiyajin had appeared, the two left without another word.
Bulma, Gohan, and Videl sat in silence for a moment before they realized that there was an absence of cursing. They quickly jumped up and ran back to the gravity room, where they saw Vegeta standing with his arms folded. He looked like he had been in the sun too long. Even his hair was smoking. The prince snorted and looked at the three gawkers, then smirked. "Weak baka. I barely felt that Kamehameha wave." No sooner he had finished his sentence, Vegeta's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed.
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A couple days later...
Vegeta listened as Trunks greeted Goten at the door and invited him inside. Lately the youngest member of the Son family had been spending a lot of time with Trunks. Apparently it was because the other teenager was the only one he felt comfortable around. The prince didn't know if it was because they'd both been friends since they were kids, or if it was because Trunks as the only one who didn't think Goten was a murderer. Or maybe he did and was just doing a good job of hiding it. Vegeta waited until Goten was inside before he approached, making sure he couldn't go anywhere to evade him. "Trunks, go in the other room. I need to talk to Goten." The purple haired Saiyajin would have protested if not for the fact his father threw him one of the most deadly glares he could muster. That was reason enough for the demi-Saiyajin to flee from the room.
Vegeta led the nervous teenager into another room and motioned for him to sit down, which he did. "I need to know what happened that day." he said simply. "But..." "No! Do you want to be thought of as a murderer for the rest of your life or not, brat?" Goten sighed and slowly shook his head. Vegeta folded his arms and looked the teenager right in the eye. "Do you have anything to hide?" "No..." Goten answered. "Then tell me."
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Goten angrily stormed through the forest, cursing softly under his breath. Once again his mother had denied him something he wanted to do! She wouldn't allow him to go spar with Trunks because she didn't like his attitude. Needless to say, Trunks wasn't very happy about it either judging from how he had sounded on the phone.
Goten knew his mother was out here looking for him right now. She hadn't been thrilled when he stormed out of the house, but he couldn't stay there. He was much too angry and even the sight of her would have set him off. He didn't understand why she had to be so mean. So demanding. So... protective. The demi-Saiyajin paused in mid-stride as the thought hit him. Protective? Is that what this constant nagging was about? Protecting her youngest child? But from what?
Suddenly, a spike of ki made Goten's hair stand on end, but not as much as the scream that followed. It was his mother! With a dash of speed, the demi-Saiyajin took off toward the fading ki, which within seconds, disappeared all together. "Mom?!" he called, reaching out his senses in the hopes he would feel her small ki. But there was nothing. Goten pushed through some bushes and froze as his eyes fell upon a body lying motionless on the forest floor. He recognized the clothes immediately and rushed over to her side. "Mom?!" he cried, dropping to his knees. His eyes widened as he got a closer look at her. ChiChi's neck was not at all in a natural position and had been violently broken. Even though he knew there was no hope, Goten searched for a pulse anyway. But as expected, there was none. Tears sprung to the teenager's eyes as he cradled the woman in his arms, gently rocking back and forth. This couldn't really be happening! Goten gasped as he heard something behind him and spun around....
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"And then you showed up." Goten said softly, fighting desperately to fight the tears that were threatening to flow. Vegeta sat in silence, thinking about every word of the boy's story. It didn't seem to have any flaws. He'd explained that he'd felt the strange ki as well and heard the scream. On the other hand, the murderer would have known those things too. But just by looking at Goten's eyes, Vegeta knew that he couldn't possibly have been the murderer. He was convinced that he was innocent. "I'm sorry." he finally said, earning Goten's full attention. "For what?" the teenager asked. "Accusing you. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so quickly." Goten shook his head slowly. "It's ok. If I had been in your position, I probably would have assumed the same thing." A few moments of silence went by before Vegeta spoke again. "I need to ask you a difficult question." The demi-Saiyajin looked at the prince thoughtfully for a moment before nodding his head. "Who do you suspect killed your mother?"
