Trunks sifted through the drawers as he continued to find the locket Marron had given him. He hadn't realized until then that it was missing, and now he was frantically searching for it. This has not been a very good past few days, he thought, dumping the contents of the drawer onto the ground. First, the argument with Goten, then all the pressure at work, and from Dad, and now I discover my locket is missing. How could I not have noticed it was gone in the first place? I guess I'm really distracted right now. The argument with Goten was such a bad one, and I've never seen Goten so angry like that before.

"Trunks?" He looked up to see Bulma standing at the door of the office in their city home.

"Hi Mom," he said, then went back to searching through the drawers. When he found nothing, he checked the mess on the desk.

Bulma looked at all the papers on the floor. "What are you doing, Trunks?"

"I'm trying to find my locket."

"The one that Marron gave you?"

"Yeah, that's the one. I have no idea where it is."

"When was the last time you saw it?"

"I don't remember. I just noticed it was gone this morning."

Bulma raised her eyebrows in skepticism. "You just noticed?" she asked.

Trunks blushed. "Yeah," he said. "It's been a weird few days for me."

"Like how?"

"I'd…rather not talk about it." Trunks nearly jumped when he heard a crash sound. Looking at the other side of the desk, he saw a picture frame had fallen over. He picked it up, and saw that it was a picture of him and Goten. There was a slight jolt in his heart as he remembered the argument, and how Goten had told him that he shouldn't go back there. And he had agreed not to.

Bulma noticed the troubled look on her son's face as he continued to stare at the picture of him and Goten. There was something wrong about him, but she wasn't sure what exactly. There was no point to ask him, either, because she knew how he was, and she knew he would deny anything wrong.

She was surprised when Trunks dropped the picture frame onto the ground, and the glass shattered. He didn't bother to pick it up, but walked around it and continued looking for the locket. He threw some things on top of it, as he began to take the room apart.

Bulma bent down to retrieve the buried picture frame. She gazed at it, and saw Trunks and Goten smiling back at her through the picture. Trunks didn't look that much different now then when the picture was taken eighteen years ago, except he looked a little more mature. With Goten, the only difference between the picture and him now was his hair was shoulder-length then, unlike his hair style now, where his hair was pointing upward in a diagonal angle. She smiled at the picture of the two teens, but didn't understand why Trunks had purposely dropped the picture, unless…

"Trunks?" Bulma said.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"You and Goten aren't fighting, are you?" Trunks froze. He should have expected her to say that, since she was his mother, and mothers, and all women for that matter, ended up knowing exactly what was wrong with you. How they find out all the time was beyond any man, Trunks guessed, and assumed that women find out in their own sick, twisted ways. Lying would be no good either, as he knew that Bulma would know and hold an interrogation until he told her the truth. The effort wasn't worth it really, he decided, and it would take too much time if he chose to lie, time which could be used to finding his lost locket.

"I suppose you could say that."

Bulma sighed loudly. "What about?" she asked.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You just said that a few minutes ago. You've already talked a little about it. Might as well just spill all of it, because you know I'll find out eventually."

I know you would, Trunks thought. It's the only type of power you actually have. "Goten just got a little angry, and he got me angry, too. It's really nothing to worry about. It's no different than our other arguments."

"There's a lot to worry about when you two are arguing," Bulma said, folding her arms across her chest. "You two are never really yourselves when you guys aren't talking, and you act like such babies."

"That's your point of view about it. Goten and I see it as letting the other cool off for a while."

"I'm not saying you're both wrong, but you two are the only ones who see it that way. Please, you two don't talk when you both get this way, it's pathetic."

"It's how we cool down, Mom. You've never complained about this before."

"You were eight years old, Trunks. That was the last time you and Goten had an argument. You wouldn't have listened to me it I told you to talk to Goten about this thing."

"Then why start now?"

"Because you're older, Trunks. And I thought you would be smarter than that. Too much to hope for, I guess."

"If you knew what the argument was about, maybe you'd understand why we aren't talking. If you knew what was said, then you might understand how angry I am."

"I might understand if you tell me, Trunks. I can't help you if you don't tell me anything."

"Let me put it this way, Mother. Goten and I said things to each other that made both of us angry, and we haven't talked since. Happy now?"

"But what exactly did you say? That's what I want to know."

"Please, Mom. Let's just leave it alone, okay?"

Bulma knew that her stubborn son wouldn't talk anymore about it, and would either talk around the subject or just not talk at all. She let the matter drop for now, and left Trunks alone in the room to look for his locket and tear the place down. But she knew that something was upsetting her son, and her motherly instincts told her that she had to find out what exactly was hurting her boy. It was this that she was trying to get out of Trunks, but wasn't able to, as her son was as stubborn as his father was. If she couldn't find out from her son, then she would have to find out some other way.

"So, Goten told you exactly what happened?" Bulma asked.

Chi Chi shook her head. "Not exactly what happened, but just enough for me to figure things out."

"Lucky you. Trunks doesn't tell me a thing."

"Sometimes it's for the better. There are things that sometimes you just don't want to know."

Bulma nodded, sipping the warm coffee resting in her cup. The two women were sitting at the table in the Son kitchen, were Bulma was hoping to get some of the answers she needed from Chi Chi. She knew Goten talked to her about everything, so Bulma knew that Chi Chi would be able to tell her.

"From what Goten told me," Chi Chi said, placing her cup down on the table, "he and Trunks were training when Trunks went Super Saiyan 2."

"He can do that?" Bulma questioned, not really asking Chi Chi, but herself.

"Obviously so. I believe it happened sometime after Marron's death. You're not aware of it?"

"No, not at all. I told you, that boy doesn't tell me a thing. I bet Vegeta knows somehow."

"Maybe, but Trunks probably didn't tell him. Vegeta might have found out on his own."

"Which is so like him. But Chi Chi, what happened afterwards?"

"Trunks wanted to try out his new power, but Goten didn't want to go up against him because he knew Trunks would beat him. But Trunks insisted, and they fought."

"That's it?"

"Well, no, because Goten was rather angry at Trunks for making him do what he didn't want to do, and he said that he realized that it's been that way for as long as he's known Trunks, so he basically told Trunks to lay off."

"That hurt Trunks' pride, I'm sure. Do you know what happened after that?"

"They argued, and Goten told Trunks to leave, and he left."

"So that's the whole story, huh?"

"Basically. But I suppose Goten had the right to get angry. Trunks is a little bossy, isn't he?"

Bulma looked up, slightly offended by the remark. "Well, he gets it from his father. But at least he can do something with himself."

"What's that supposed to mean, Bulma?"

"Let's just say that Goten takes a lot after his father as well."

"Goku may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but he made it up with his strength. Vegeta can't exactly say that he's the strongest warrior on the planet, can he?"

"Maybe not, but his strength and intelligence combined can beat Goku in the long run."

Chi Chi stood up quickly. "Goku has saved this planet many times, ever since we were younger. He was able to defeat the strongest warrior, which included your Vegeta, who was supposed to an 'elite warrior.' Goku may not be able be able to challenge Vegeta in a math contest, but he's smart where it counts. Goku doesn't need to be smart to be pure-hearted, which is more than I can say for Vegeta, who tried to blow up this planet."

It was Bulmer's turn to stand up, knocking her chair down. "Vegeta has changed so much since then, he's different now. He has a family, a wife and two children, who he loves so much."

"Yes, but you two never married, have you?"

Bulma looked down at the ground, clenching her hands into tight fists. Chi Chi bit her tongue, wishing she could take back what she said. Bulma had always wanted a fancy wedding, but Vegeta wanted no part of it, and even though he called Bulma his wife, Bulma had nothing to prove it with.

"It's true," Bulma said suddenly, "that Vegeta and I have never gotten married. But just because we're not married, doesn't mean that Vegeta doesn't love me. If that were the case, Trunks and Bra would not have been born." Bulma looked up, nothing but an angry shine in her eyes. "Vegeta may not show how much he cares for me or Trunks and Bra, not like Goku does, but he doesn't have to, because I can see how much. And that's the only thing that matters."

Bulma walked out of the room, and Chi Chi heard the slam of the door, and the roar of an engine. The sound of a jet taking off echoed through the mountains, and then all was still again.

Chi Chi shook her head, then began to put away the dishes and tea. They had been talking about Trunks and Goten's argument, but she knew that the argument she and Bulma had didn't make anything better. In fact, she felt that it was only a matter of time before everyone was involved with something that Trunks and Goten had meant to keep to themselves. Then, who knows what would happen?

"Goku, where are you?" Chi Chi asked the air. "Nothing like this ever would have happened if you were still around. You would be able to make everything right. Where are you?"

TBC