Goten watched as his son, Gozen, was training with his niece, Pan. She just got back from somewhere two hours ago, but she was still as angry as when she had arrived. Goten had no idea where she had gone, but she was training with Gozen just to blow off some steam.
He had a suspicion as to where she had gone, however. By the look on her face, Goten had to guess that Pan had gone to Capsule Corporation to talk to Trunks. He sighed loudly. Another person trying to get involved with this argument. Couldn't everyone just leave this business to him and Trunks and stay out of it? He chuckled as he told himself the answer. He knew they wouldn't. Or that they couldn't. They had to get involved, as always.
They were just trying to help, but they were just making things a little harder for everyone. They were just making each other uncomfortable. Goten knew that there was no more anything could do to make the situation worse. If Gohan decided to get involved, and maybe talk to Vegeta, Vegeta would be stubborn and hardheaded as always, and Gohan and Vegeta would argue, then that would be that. It didn't matter what those two would say now, because they, of course, would stick with the side of their families. Gohan would support him, while Vegeta, in his own way, would support Trunks, and it would end in the way it has before: they would stop talking to each other. That's how it was working now.
Goten looked back out the window. He watched as Gozen tried to block a punch at his face, but missed Pan's foot, and got kicked in his ribs. Goten felt himself clench his fists, and he remembered that Polo and Gozen were still friends. But Goten had already made a decision, and he felt guilty about it, but he had to do this. It was the only thing he could do for now, until he and Trunks made up, if ever.
Goten slowly turned the doorknob and swung the door open. He watched as Pan helped Gozen up from under a tree that they had knocked down. Then he called to his son, "Gozen."
Gozen and Pan looked up. "Yeah Dad?" Gozen answered.
"Come here, son."
Gozen looked at his cousin, who just shrugged, and walked over to his father. "What's up?" he asked curiously.
"Gozen, I need to tell you something…"
"You're what!" Polo nearly shouted. Other kids stopped playing and turned to see what was interrupting their recess, but Polo didn't pay any attention to them. He was focused on his friend, trying to pretend that he didn't hear what Gozen had said.
"It's true," Gozen said sadly. "Dad said that I won't be going to school here anymore."
"But why?" Polo asked.
"I dunno. I think it has something to do with the arguing our families have been doing or something. But he just said that I won't be going to school here, and that today is the last day I get to go here."
"Today? Why? Isn't it a little late to transfer?"
"That's what I thought, but he said he had talked to the principal of my new school, and they said it was alright."
"What school are you going to?"
"Some school in Satan City. I don't know."
"That's not fair! Why did he do that?"
"He didn't say. But I think it's because my dad and your dad aren't talking anymore."
"So? Just because they're not friends, doesn't mean they should try to stop us from being friends. It's not fair."
"I know, but what can we do 'bout it? My dad has already made the decision, and I know your dad won't do anything about it."
"We've got to try something."
"My dad said that he did this for my own good. I don't see how, but that's what he said. He said that he was trying to keep me from getting hurt."
"How?"
"He said that Uncle Trunks wasn't really a good friend, and he said that you might be the same way."
Polo drew back, as though he had been hit. Hadn't his dad and Uncle Goten been best friends since they were around his age? How could Uncle Goten say something like that? He didn't know exactly what they had said when they stopped talking with each other, but did it have something to do with what Gozen had just said?
"I thought that they were best friends," Polo said thoughtfully, more to himself than to Gozen.
"That's what I thought, but Dad said that Uncle Trunks was always telling him what to do and making fun of him and stuff. Then he said that you might be the same way and that he wants me to go to the other school."
Polo clenched his fists. He didn't want to believe those things about his dad. They weren't true, were they?
Gozen looked at his friend, a little worried. Goten had told him not to tell Polo all these things, but Gozen thought Polo should know. But now, maybe it was a bad idea. "Polo? Are you okay?"
"Those things aren't true. My dad isn't like that."
"That's what my dad told me…"
"Your dad is wrong! My dad isn't like that. He isn't."
"What if my dad isn't wrong though? What if Uncle Trunks was like that?"
Polo felt the blood rising to his face. Was this what his dad and Uncle Goten had argued about? Was this how they both felt as the shouted and yelled at each other? What did they do after that? They stopped talking. Polo wasn't ready to stop talking yet. No one could talk about his father like that. He knew they were wrong. If his dad had been like that, why had Uncle Goten stayed friends with Trunks for as long as they had? No, they had to be wrong. No one could talk about his dad like that. No one.
Goten walked down the hallways with a quick pace. After getting that call from the principal telling him to come down, and why, he had no choice but to pick Gozen up from school. He was told that he and Polo were spending their recess time in different rooms, to think about what they did. He still couldn't believe that Gozen and Polo had physically fought on school grounds. What were they trying to do?
He found the classroom were Gozen was sitting in. His arms were placed on the desk, acting as a pillow for his head. Goten noticed that his clothes were a bit torn. Goten sighed as he walked in and knelt down by his son.
"Gozen?" Goten said gently.
Gozen turned to look at his father, his head still resting on his arms. Goten noticed a small black ring forming around Gozen's left eye.
"Hi, Dad," Gozen said sadly.
"Hey. What happened?"
Gozen sat up and looked down at his feet. "I told Polo that today was my last day to come to this school."
"Yeah?"
"And he wanted to know why. So I told him all the things you told me about Uncle Trunks."
"Didn't I tell you not to tell him any of that?"
"Yeah, but he has a right to know why the two of you aren't talking. He got angry and said stuff, and then we started fighting."
Goten sighed. "Gozen, I asked you not to tell him any of those things because I knew he would get made. Polo is like Trunks at that age, and Trunks would kill anyone who said bad things about his father. Who punched who first?"
Gozen looked down guiltily. "I did," he admitted.
"Really? Well, we'll have to talk about this when we get home. Come on, let's go." Gozen got to his feet and Goten took his hand as they walked down the hallway and out the front door. They ducked into a nearby alley and, with Gozen in his arms, Goten flew off towards the mountains.
"So why did you punch Polo?" Goten asked.
"He said something that made me kinda angry."
"What did he say?"
"He started saying bad stuff about you."
Goten looked at the boy in his arms. "He did?"
"Yeah. I think he said those things only because of what you said about Uncle Trunks, but it still made me mad. I couldn't help it. I felt something snapped and I punched him before I realized it. Then he punched me back, and it was like when we train together, except we didn't care if the other one got hurt this time. We kept going at it until the principal and some other teachers broke us up and placed us in different rooms. Then the principal told us that he would call our parents and tell them to come pick us up."
Goten stared down at the passing city. So the boys had fought because they thought that their father was the right one. Was there a right one at this point anymore? Trunks may have bossed him around when they were little, and made fun of him, and never really took him seriously, but was he right to say those things and tell Trunks never come back? They had fought to defend over something that happened when they were little, but the boys had fought for their fathers. They had gotten involved and lost their friendship all because of the mistake that he and Trunks had made. Now what was going to happen? Was there any hope left for the Sons and Briefs?
Polo nervously glanced at his father. Trunks had a stern scowl on his face as he drove. Polo looked down, then wiped the blood from his cut lip. As Gozen was, Polo had some scratches and his clothes were torn up, but he wasn't bleeding, except for his lip. Polo was just glad that the teachers had stopped him and Gozen before they had gotten really angry and started using energy attacks.
Polo looked up at his father again, but Trunks didn't regard his son. Polo couldn't stand how quiet it was, even with the traffic noises outside, and the tension was thickly packed in the car, as difficult to breathe through as smoke. "Dad?" Polo asked. "You're really angry, huh?" It wasn't the best thing to say, but it was the only thing Polo could think of at the time.
Trunks inhaled, trying not to lose his temper. "Well, Polo. I don't know. You and Gozen were fighting in school, the teachers had to place you in different classrooms, and the principal had to call me, in the middle of a meeting, and told me that you had to be taken home, and that you're suspended for a few days next week."
"I'm sorry Dad, but he hit me first."
"It doesn't matter who hit who first, Polo. You should have known not to hit him back. I know I have taught you better than that."
"He deserved it," Polo muttered under his breath.
"What is with you, Polo?" Trunks asked, surprised at what his son had said. "Why are you acting like this?"
"It was his fault. Or Uncle Goten's. I don't know. I just got really mad at him."
"What does this have to do with Goten?"
"Uncle Goten is taking Gozen out of that school, and transferring him to a school in Satan City."
"Really?" Trunks asked, not really asking for an answer.
"Yeah. And when I asked if Gozen knew why, he said that it had something to do with you."
"With me?"
"Yeah, 'cause Uncle Goten said that you used to boss him around, make fun of him and that you were really mean or something."
Trunks continued to look forward, but he wasn't seeing anything out there. He looked right past the cars, buildings, street lights, and just stared at the sky.
"I got really angry at what he said, but before I could stop myself, I started saying things about Uncle Goten. Then Gozen punched me, and we started fighting.
"I'm really sorry, Dad, but I couldn't take Gozen saying those things about you, even if he was my friend."
"Was?"
"We aren't talking anymore, just like you and Uncle Goten. I know it's not the right thing to do, but I don't want to hear them talk about you like that. It's not true." Polo looked up at Trunks. "Is it? Is it true?"
Trunks looked at Polo, then back at the road. He knew it really was true, but his pride would never let him admit it to anyone. He wanted to say no, and that Goten was simply overreacting, but it was true.
Polo looked out the window. "I don't care if those things are true. They had no right to talk about you like that. Gozen deserved what he got." Out of the corner of his eyes, Trunks saw Polo rub his tears out of his eyes with the back of his hand.
Trunks felt a tear try and force its way out. He blinked, holding it back in. That was it then. Polo and Gozen were no longer friends. The Sons and the Briefs' bond had worn out. Trunks knew Vegeta wouldn't do anything about it, and Gohan would take Goten's side, of course. There was nothing left to do. Trunks knew that he had to be the one to apologize, but he's never had to get so personal before, and he didn't know how to start. As he had told Pan, he was afraid that trying to apologize would only bring more anger between them. But if he didn't try, what would become of their friendship?
Was this the end of the friendship of the Sons and the Briefs? Would they ever talk to each other again?
TBC