I don't own Dragon Ball Z. And I worship Akira Toriyama.

The Quest for the Divine Dragon

"Vegeta, did you… oh my god!"

"Bring him in here!"

"Gohan, get me some bandages!"

"Mom, mom, is he…"

"Not now, Goten!"

He could see nothing through the blackness, only hear voices. He also felt that whoever was carrying him was trembling. Then he felt a soft mattress under him, and lotions of all sorts cover his more serious wounds. It burned so badly, the added pain made him pass out again before the boy could feel the relief of the lotion that followed, and the isolation the bandages brought against the air.

When the boy came to, it was already the next morning. Happy voices greeted him.

"He's coming to!"

"Hey, bro!"

"Give him some space, Goten!"

"Oh, he's awake, he's awake! How are you, sweetie?"

Trunks sat up and blinked as his eyes adjusted from the darkness that was behind his eyelids.

"I'm… ok… I guess."

Not being able to hold herself anymore, Bulma hugged him, squeeling so loudly Trunks could've sworn Mr. Popo and Dende heard it. Goten winced. She yelled right in Trunks's ear.

"You scared us, sweetie! You were hurt, but not bad enough to keep you out all day today too."

Trunks blinked and scratched the back of his head. What happened? What did he do? … !

His eyes widened.

"Oh, shit! Mom, mom! I didn't mean to!"

"Huh?"

"I really didn't, but he said all those nasty things about you and he had this smirk that just got me mad, and…"

Bulma tried to calm her son down, glancing at Chichi and Goten for answers. Both shrugged.

"Trunks, sweetie, what are you talking about? What happened?"

He tried to choke a sob.

"Dad! It… mom, it was dad!"

Bulma looked shocked, then worried. She petted her son's head, both trying to comfort him, and trying to find sour spots.

"Trunks, honey, did you hit your head?... oh. Yeah. Ouch, nasty bump…"

HE pulled away some, looking offended.

"Mom, I wasn't imagining it!"

"No one said you were, sweetie, but…"

She looked at Chichi for support.

"Vegeta was here with us after you went missing. He went with Son Goku looking for you."

Her son shook his head.

"No, I… it was him. Mom, it was him, I'm sure of it!"

He was cut short as the man in question stood at the door and cleared his throat.

"Come on, Goten. Let's leave them alone."

Chichi took Goten by the hand and lead him outside. The two boys exchanged looks, and the Son boy could see his friend's nervousness.

'Good luck, Trunks.'

Bulma blinked as Trunks sat a bit closer to her, shaking lightly.

"Good to see you're feeling better, boy. Care to share what happened there?"

The woman in the room broke the silence.

"He… said you did it."

Vegeta was silent.

"Why would he say that?"

"He does?"

'Why is Trunks so silent?'

Bulma thought. The prince looked at his son, who seemed to cower under his gaze.

"Woman, please leave us."

Trunks held onto his mother, but she stood up. Passing by Vegeta, she whispered:

"He hit his head. Take it easy on him."

For some reason, Vegeta's mind flew to the last time a Saiyan hit his head hard enough. It spared the planet, and gave Earth its mightiest warrior.

"Dad, you can't be serious."
"I am. I don't want anyone going into those woods."

Goku sternly said to his two sons.

"But dad, what're we going to eat then?"

Goten whined, much calmer now that Trunks was awake.

"Don't worry, we won't starve. I just don't want you boys, or anyone else, in there, let alone on their own."

"Why, do you think the attacker's still there?"

Goku chuckled as he remembered the charred spot.

"No, but… we can't be sure, Gohan. So until further notice, no playing in the woods."

Goten seemed a bit more devastated than the somewhat indifferent Gohan, but both knew it was needed.

"Yes sir."

"I hope I did the right thing. I mean, Trunks seemed scared, you know. And I left him alone."

Bulma said as Chichi served her some tea in the kitchen, worried.

"Don't worry. Vegeta loves Trunks, we all know that. Now calm down, remember… you're living for two now."

The bluette lovingly gazed down at her bloated belly with a smile.

"I guess… I just want to make sure the baby'll have a family, you know?"

Chichi gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I know. But we still haven't heard stud crashing upstairs, so let's be hopeful, ok?"

"ok."

Vegeta entered the kitchen, a troubled expression on his face.

"What did he tell you?"

"Once he agreed to even look at me? That he fought me. Or someone looking like me. Damn Saibamen."

"What about them?"

Goku asked as he too settled next to the kitchen table.

"Well, you know I was out training for a while alone… needed some time to think…"

Goku nodded, understanding why Trunks seemed uncomfortable the other day.

'The boy was missing his father…'

"I was attacked by a few Saibamen. One of them was black."

Remembering that his audience wasn't familiar with the term, he explained:

"Black Saibamen can change their forms. I met a few of them a few days ago. Should've known better than not count the bodies… I guess one got away. Damn it!"

He slammed his fist against the table, spilling some of Chichi's tea.

"But Trunks beat him, right? So, we're ok, right?"

Goku answered:

"Not really, Bulma. We found some weird energy signatures. And we still don't know why the Saibamen came in the first place."

Vegeta closed his eyes, deep in thought.

"So, what are we going to do about it?"

"Hold it!"

Goten stopped right outside the main door and turned to his brother with an innocent grin.

"Gohan! What can I do for you?!"

The older crossed his arms.

"You are not going to go in there, are you?"

"Who, me?! No, no no no no no no no no… NO!"

The innocence was replaced with a naughty smirk.

"At least, not alone."

"Oh? You don't expect me to go with you… do you?"

Gohan raised an eyebrow.

"Only if you don't want me to tell mom what you and Videl did last Friday. I thought you were supposed to study history, not anatomy."

Gohan blushed and glared, yet he knew that he was in for it.

"Ok. But we better come back before mom finds out, otherwise you'll have to deal with me along with mom, no matter what you have on me."

"Ok then, come on!"

Trunks looked outside the window, and noticed two orange Gis going inside the forest. He came closer to the window, up to where he could see his reflection. He watched as the two disappeared into the woods, then looked up some. He didn't only see his reflection.

"AAAAAH!"

Unleashing a Ki blast as he turned around, Trunks hit the closet perfectly.

"Huh, wha?!"

Vegeta came in first, ready to blast anything to kingdom come.

"Trunks! What's wrong?!"

The boy fell to the floor coughing, a result of getting one of the more serious hits to his chest. Bulma pushed Vegeta out of the way and rubbed Trunks's back, sending a wordless apology to Chichi over the ruined closet.

"Sh, calm down, sweetie. What happened?"

"I… I donno… someone. I thought someone was behind me."

Subconsciously reaching to touch the sour spot on Trunks's head, Bulma sent a 'you-see?' look at her husband. Vegeta kept his grim expression.

"Sweetie, there's no one there."

The boy would've argued, had it not been for his father.

"Give him a break, woman. Someone could've instant transmitted himself out of here."

Chichi shook her head.

"I guess we'll need to go shopping for a new closet now."

Goku grimced, knowing that he was in for more than just shopping for a closet.

"Fine. I'm sure Gohan and Goten'll be more than happy to her their mother. Speaking of which, where are they?"

She turned to her husband, picking up a piece of wood that could still be used.

"I thought they were in the house. Strange, I can't feel their Ki. Vegeta?"

The prince shook his head.

"Nowhere around. Trunks, do you know where they are?"

The boy didn't know what to say.

"Please, Vegeta, why would Trunks know where those two are?"

"Partners in crime usually do."

Trunks looked outside the window at the forest and wondered.

'Could they be feeling it too?'

"Gohan, over here!"

The younger of the Son boys sprinted towards the demolished area, urging his brother to follow suit. Gohan was getting annoyed.

"Goten, I really don't see the point of this. Dad and Vegeta were here too, they didn't find anything…"

He was cut off as Goten jumped to his eye level, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Did they say that? Nooooo, so let's keep looking!"

"They also didn't say they DID find anything…"

"All the more reason to keep looking!"

"For what?"

"How should I know?! You're the scholar!"

A grin formed on Gohan's lips as he petted his brother's head, much to Goten's disapproval.

"And you, my brother, are a good friend."

Goten stopped growling at the unwanted petting and blinked.

"Trunks is very lucky to have a friend like you."

It took Goten a moment to digest what his brother had said, then he grinned from ear to ear.

"Do you really mean it, Gohan?!"

"I sure do!"

Gohan chuckled. Goten smiled so widely, he could've swallowed his own ears.

"Ok! So what are we waiting for?! Let's find out what hurt my friend and why!"

"That's the spirit!"

Goten looked around again. Gohan looked around as well, but for a different reason.

'This energy signature, wha…'

He looked in time to see something head towards his brother, and quickly.

"Goten, look out!"

The young boy turned to his brother, not knowing what was wrong. Gohan pushed him away quickly. The last of his brother Goten saw was Gohan's face, twisting in pain, before he disappeared in a flash of light.