I am sorry I haven't updated in a while but I'm back now. I thought I had lost this chapter with all of my others but I am happy I found the disk that it was on. I am changing the title to Times of new beginnings for the next chapter as I have seen lots of fics with the same title, If any one can find a better title review to me and I will change it to the best one.

Dee*



Examinations

Bulma crept up on her unsuspecting victim she didn't get to do this often and most of the time she wouldn't even think about doing something like this but he deserved it after what he said about her cooking. He snorted, and then turned over it was then Bulma got a good look at the face of her target, her eldest son trunks. As she stopped she took his features and habits in, her son was a light sleeper at the best of times but after yesterdays spar he shouldn't wake up to soon. Silently taking a big breath she screamed with all her might.

"TRUNKS!!"

***

Gohan was listening to a popular radio station (to him at least) while cooking breakfast for everyone. He was smartly dressed in a black turtleneck with a pair of dark green fitted jeans. The unusual thing about him was that his hair was in a thick pony tail down his back tied this was not so stunning in itself but it was intricately woven with leaves and twine it looked like it would have to have taken hours to do. It didn't of course it was one of Gohan's new talents, After cell and his family died the boy had discovered a strange thing happening to him he healed remarkably fast and it seamed that the elements reflected what he was feeling when he was sad, angry, happy the weather would react. In time he had managed to control these elements and begin to be able to bent then to his will, the only people that knew where Dende and Goten. Goten because he was well Goten, he never could hold any thing back from him and if he did not for long. Dende knew because he had been the one he went to for advice, as always the young guardian was a godsend. It was he who realised that his advanced healing was because of his suppressed powers trying to manifest themselves. The teenage namek also taught him how to bring them out and direct them to heal.

Gohan was just about to put more sausages on the steak grill while trying to make sure his bacon didn't burn when he heard the loud yell, then the startled yelp and then the THUD, THUD, CRASH! Raising one eyebrow he paused for a moment then shook his head,

: Bulma's at it again:

He remembered on his journey to namek when she had done the exact same thing to him, it wasn't as if he had done much either, he commented on what she wore. It wasn't suitable to be in a lot of fancy restricting clothes when on board a space ship with 3 people! He never did that again that's for sure. The demi-sayin looked at the masses of amounts of breakfast he had done. After all it was for everyone in the house, he wondered if it would be enough? Calculating for 1 sayin and 4 hybrids as well as the human guests had been one of the few things he had struggled with as the eating ranges vary from each sayin. He was just about to put on more bacon when Mirai trudged into the larger kitchen.

Gohan had to smile at the sight of him, his shirt was buttoned up wrong his hair was every where, he had large bags under his eyes, his trousers were on the wrong way around, and his shoe laces where untied leaving him to stumble over them once in a while.

"Not a morning person trunks?"

Trunks flopped onto the large table after grunting an unintelligible answer and put his head down on the table much like Goten had done but Goten was now asleep and dribbling He had not slept very well in the night and had had a little accident in the bed that they shared,

The dark haired demi sayin mused on that for a moment finally deciding that it was the noise. Or the lack of it. (Soundproof walls). Living in the forest all his life could do that to people. Shaking his head once again he turned back to the massive stove, his brother could sleep anywhere in the forest at home in the wilderness or at the castle but presented anywhere new or quiet he tossed and turned all night.

Through the next half hour the rest of the family and some stragglers from last night poured in to sit at the table. Goten having woken up to the smell of food was now playing with trunks and some conveniently placed bread sticks. Only when Vegitta stormed in from training fresh from the shower did Gohan start loading the tons of food to the plates knowing that if he had done it any earlier Vegitta would not get any food and he did not want to deal with a cranky Vegitta today thank you very much. Trunks scrambled to his seat while Goten stood by nervously watching the large amount of people chatter.

Bulma apparently had the same idea as Gohan (making every one wait) as she stopped everyone from eating until the last of the steaming trays were on the table. Only when Gohan had retrieved a bottle of ketchup and plucked Goten off of the floor had she given the signal for every one to eat. It was shocking for the humans, it had been the first time for any of them to see a sayin eat neatly as Goku had sent food flying every where and they rarely saw Vegitta eat the quantity was still there but not the flying bits of food they didn't notice last night as most of them were drunk and now suffering with hangovers.

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After a large breakfast and quick run to get all of the things that they had forgotten which had been lying (mostly the two trunks) around did they leave for the orange star school buildings?

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Gohan and Mirai walked slowly towards the dull construction talking quietly while Trunks and Goten energised from there meal were running before them occasionally stopping to wait for the older boys when they had realised they had gone to far, it seamed that they had both found a comment and firm friend in each other that they didn't have to tread softly around.

"Gohan" Mirai studied his friend slowly, when the other nodded to show that he had heard, the boy continued "what happened to chichi?" he was curious every one had steered cleared of that subject occasionally asking if he was doing okay on his own the chichi in his dimension had lived until he himself was 17 and in this dimension that meant she should be alive for at least another 11 to 12 years.

The reaction was immediate the hybrid stopped walking, tensed up and the breath that he was taking caught in his throat. He still hadn't gotten over her death locking his emotions aside to deal with more important things like Goten. Mirai stopped with him a worried look plastered on his face. Only when the two in front stopped and he saw Goten's anxious look did he move smiling softly at his child to show that he was ok and not to worry. He turned his head to trunks. Before lowering it slightly to concentrate on where he was walking. Mirai was just about to change the subject when he spoke

"Cancer"

He said this softly, Trunks wouldn't have caught it if it hadn't of been for his enhanced hearing he wisely opted not to say anything.

"It was cancer mom wouldn't let any one near her while she was pregnant with Goten it was to much of a risk she died three days after little 'ten was born"

He paused for a moment before smiling slightly "They said she was going to die and lose her baby but they didn't bank on her being the strongest women on this planet she lasted for months more then they said she would she was so stubborn, she wouldn't leave until Goten was here, all lose ends had been cleared up and I could cook"

The conversation was ended there as they arrived at their destination. Gohan smiled at his older friend to show he would not break down Goten yelled good bye to then both as trunks hauled his future self off to his playschool where all the under 9s had to be taken in and collected.

Gohan swung his brother onto a hip looking down at him with amusement. He clicked his tongue and pursed his lips while raising his eyes

"Well now, I see young sir has found a friend" Goten laughed at his formality. "Come on then lets get this over with and see what horrors this school can produce"

******************

Dana Harris sighed as she typed up a school trip letter. She scowled at the screen as she heard the bimbo squeal again, the horrible woman was the worst person that she had ever worked with, she had no qualifications and all that she did was talk and scream down the phone. Dana was sure that the only reason 'it' got this job was because the headmaster had a crush on 'it' the thing didn't deserve to be called a women it wasn't as if she was pretty she wasn't she had bleached hair with way to much perfume, makeup that was so thick it started to get cracks in it about lunch time perfume that gave everyone else a migraine and clothes that were a size to small for her but she still managed to get men 'it' did leave then rather dazed but Dana would have thought that you would need to have a few brain cells more then she did to have an intelligent conversation with any one let alone men she breathed in deeply telling herself not to lose her temper again last time was horrendous she got up quickly to see to the person who was coming in god forbid she let 'it' lose on him or them as there were two of them putting on herb best smile she turned to them

: Lets teach 'it' a thing or two:

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Gohan carried his charge into the entrance hall immediately his nose was assaulted with a strong smell of cheap perfume it was disgusting. As Goten started to sneeze, a soft wind blew through the hall not quite getting rid of the smell but helping. They walked up to the reception window and met with kind faced women who nodded to what Gohan was saying while looking at her appointment book.

Goten wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention as he looked around from his perch in his fathers arms. They were in a kind of white place this was the best he could describe it there were some horrible unflattering pictures on the walls and in his opinion the peoples needed to learn how to draw, they weren't as good as his daddies pictures he nodded to himself he would just have to make sure that his daddy had some here to show them how to do it that's all.

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1 hour later

Gohan looked at the assembled paper in disbelief it ranged on maths, sciences, languages, history, mechanics, food study's, exercise, religion, economy, and all other sorts of subjects that wasn't what had him so surprised though, they were so elementary he had studied this type of level when he was seven! This was ridiculous he knew his mother had pushed him but it was so easy and he thought he was going toy have a hard time with it. Sighing, he fished out one of his many pencils to correct a mistake in some of the printed texts grammar :I mean really who wrote this: he glanced over to Goten who he had placed on the floor with some of his toys [1] seeing that the little boy looked like he was just about to fall asleep, so the bad night had finally caught up to him, he wondered when that was going to happen, concentrating on the test he started to Wright and slowly so it looked like he was actually thinking about what he was writing down [2]

As he finished he looked back up at the clock that was inside the room it had barely been 25 minuets he could have sworn that it was longer, He even took the time to look thought it even thought hi would be perfect (His mother wanted it correct on the first try so he always thought and checked as he wrote after she died it just became a habit) he hoped that they wouldn't comment on it, but thinking about it they most likely would as he had only taken him 26 minuets to do a 3 hour exam. Looking back to Goten who he had noticed had fallen asleep on Icarus [3] he silently got up and walked soft to the supervisor who at this moment was deeply engrossed in her book, coffee and donut. He cleared his throat making her jump.

"Trouble dear to hard?"

She lowered her voice when she caught sight of the slumbering Goten That had not occurred to him that they would think the reason he was fast finishing was because he could not do it.

"No ma'am I'm finished, it was fine once I had the hang of it and I am a fast writer" she nodded

"Right, well then as I find myself not doing anything for the next two and a half hours why don't we take a look around the school?" Gohan nodded his accent and bent down to pick up Goten's toys and re-capsulising them once they were in the bag they came from while the teacher finished of her snack. She waited until he had Goten laying on his shoulder before going out and explaining certain parts of the school for the most part Gohan just nodded along with her. Gohan silently looked at where he would be going to school for the next 6 months, It wasn't bad as most places go it wasn't inviting either. He looked into the classrooms stopping at each one he had always thought that people actually worked when in class looking into this chaos he wasn't so sure, Ha' it his mum was here they would be working, he could picture her marching up the classroom frying pan at the ready in one hand pen in the other, he nearly laughed out loud but the teacher had been looking at him funny, Kami he missed her. Leading the way to another classroom he was suppressed to see Krillin there and all of the people were all being polite! This was not what he has seen in other classes, Krillin saw them and motioned him in.

"Welcome to history we were just discussing the dates and the times the late kings died, as we seem at a loss and the text books don't seem to say any ting but rubbish would you oblige us Mr Son?"

The teacher he was with looked questionably At Krillin While Gohan just nodded, gently he gave Goten to His fathers best friend then took up a marker he began to write staring with his Grandpa and mother, They all looked on as he wrote down the dates that the kings lived, died and how they died and a brief summery about there lives Krillin, smiled as he finished in a remarkably short time.

"Good Class I expect this to be copied down before the end of the lesson no talking" No one moved so a quick "Get to it" got then out of there stupor.

Krillin lead them into the hallway and gave Goten back to his brother.

"Hey bro I didn't know you were taking up school,"

"I didn't know that you were teaching Krillin"

"Right Well without 18 about the place it's a bit lonely I been here a few years you can only live off tournament winnings for so long you know?" Gohan nodded the other teacher just looked at them mostly at Gohan

"How did you know all of that all those dates? Its not in any textbook I've seen" Krillin decided to answer

"Well Gohan's mother was really strict with his study's, she wanted her son to do well, now bro hate to do this but working' I have to go, see you for Christmas?"

"No I'm with Goten and nana for this one" The ex monk nodded before going back into his class they resumed there tour.

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The rest of the visit was not that entertaining he saw trunks once and nodded to him that was about it when they were done he shook her hand with his free one before going to the next building, Orange Star Lower School to enrol Goten at least there were no exams for this one He had noticed that the rest of children had better speech control even though he had made sure to start on Goten's education at a young age, he assumed that it was because 'ten had only been around a few people in his life, he could spell better then he could speak he knew that and most of the time he knew what Goten wanted before he asked, he had to work on that but school could do the trick.

This school was much more welcoming bright colours everywhere and laughter the staff were more then happy to enrol Goten and he would start next term, he would know in the next week weather he would be going to school via Bulma (or Vegitta) he just had to wait. Goten would be awake soon and he wondered what life would be like for them now, before deciding not to think about it yet Getting out of the schools silently he took to the sky's heading for home.

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Thank goodness for that! Its done! It took me a while and I am still not happy with it, My beta's have not got back to me and it has been days now so this is going out raw, it may be reposted but I doubt it, THANK YOU to every one who reviewed I will have the next chapter out soon.

Ok I have just started up a new group Everyones welcome, to see it just come to

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Deerose91/