Author's Note: Warning --- Extremely OOC Vegeta! I'm really bad at characterizing him, especially when I try to pull off father-son moments. *sighs* Please forgive me for being so untalented! Anyway... I'm ashamed to get this chapter out for my bad characterization of the Saiyajin no Ouji, but I guess I have to do so to get this done. Please don't hurt me!

Crimson Tide
Chapter Eighteen: Behind It All

"Stop your attempt in putting me down, Thanatos. Because it's not working. I have a purpose in life, just like everyone else. I don't understand why Trunks chose to be my enemy, but I will find out soon enough. Just to let you know, I have friends. The people I love are my friends, and they won't let me down." At that, he turned to Trunks, his former best friend, the young man he trusted with his life. "I trusted you, Trunks. I trusted you, because you're my best friend. But you destroyed that trust. Why?! What have I done?! What have I done to deserve this?! Why do you hate me so?!"

"Because you destroyed me," Trunks countered in a very harsh tone, ignoring the squabble between his master and the rest of the saiyajins. "You destroyed my identity, and took away everything I ever had. And in return, I'm going to take away everything that's important to you. And in the end, I will destroy you. Not by killing you, but by destroying you in the same way as you destroyed me."

Goten dropped into a fighting stance, the flame of anger in his eyes back. "Bring it on, then. Don't be a coward and fight!"

Destroy him now, my apprentice. This is your final mission --- and then, you will be free.

At those words, Trunks nodded. "As you wish," he answered, referring to both his master and his opponent. "But I won't go easy on you. After all, I'm not fighting my best friend anymore. This isn't just a sparring session. This is now the real thing."

The others inched towards Goten to help him out, but he gave them a stern warning look. "Please, don't interfere. This is our battle, our score. It's a personal matter, and there are some things we have to iron out."

"Just... be careful," Keeney said as she backed off, pulling her little brother with her. "And don't get yourself killed."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," he replied as he looked into Keeney's eyes to assure her that everything would be all right. After he did so, he turned back to his opponent and nodded, indicating that he was ready.

And in a blink of an eye, a force sent Goten flying away from the dark saiyajin and towards the ground, his body slamming against a wall of hard rocks. The force of the impact paralyzed him for a couple of seconds, but that was when a different kind of determination surged through him. He pushed himself up, and charged for Trunks. However, his attempt was futile, for the latter hurled a ki-beam at him before he even got the chance to fly high enough to reach his target.

Trunks was enjoying the child play he was having. Goten was strong, yes, but now, he was stronger. The power the dark side gave him was sufficient to dish enough damage for the other -- and he was not even exerting much effort yet. "So, is this how you're going to defeat me?! What utter nonsense!" he exclaimed as he flexed his hand to wrap a band of dark energy around his opponent's leg, and then, he yanked the still-stunned Goten towards him.

The younger of the two demi-saiyajins lost his balance with the sudden pull, and he fell to the ground. However, the other continued to pull him across the rocky field --- the stones scratched his skin, the sand stung his eyes. Finally, he managed to grab a boulder and hold on to it, and that stopped him from completely being dragged towards his nemesis.

But only for a moment.

Another strong force made Goten lose his grip on his anchor, and it sent him flying towards Trunks. However, the latter quickly teleported out of the way, and Goten was once again slammed into a mountain of rocks.

The other reappeared in front of the younger saiyajin, and the moment their eyes met, he smirked. "Let's make things a little more interesting, shall we?" he asked as he looked at his pain-stained features. "So that you can at least put up a little challenge."

He disappeared.

Goten panicked. Not only did Trunks disappear, he completely dropped his power level to zero so as not to be sensed.

The raven-eyed warrior looked around uneasily, desperate to sense his opponent before Trunks could dish an attack on him, but his efforts were all in vain. He then tightened his defense, not wanting to be knocked out so soon --- not wanting to be knocked out cold, for that matter --- when the dark warrior appeared behind him and was at the verge of delivering a killer strike.

"OH NO YOU'RE NOT!" Boxer yelled as he dove towards his brother and tackled him away from his target. That move caused Goten to turn around, but before he could say anything to rebuke the teenager for interference, a powerful blow struck him from behind, knocking him unconscious.

"Forgive me, brat. But I'm afraid there's a score I have to settle with my son as well," Vegeta muttered as he caught Goten promptly, his eyes soft and somehow... sad. "And if you're lucky, I'll have everything ironed out at our confrontation and you won't have to suffer in knocking some sense into his clouded brain."

Seeing that the other saiyajins decided to get involved in the battle, Thanatos descended from his post and thought of taking part in the chaos. He teleported to where Goku was, attempting to grab Goten's son from the saiyajin's arms, but Goku managed to punch him square in the face and knock him a few steps back.

"Keeney!" Goku called out as he rushed towards the female warrior, and then he handed the infant to her. "Go. It's time. I'll hold Thanatos back so he can't go after you, but please, do it!"

She nodded in understanding, and after sparing a glance at her father and brother --- as well as the older one she had lost --- she took off. As soon as she did so, however, Thanatos began hurling energy daggers at her, yet she dodged those to the best of her capability, determined to protect the son of the one man she loved and secure him a future.

The leader of the Z-Senshi, Goku, appeared from behind Thanatos and yelled, "TAIYOUKEN!" in his attempt to avert the dark lord's attention from Keeney and the infant to him by distracting their opponent with one of his flashy moves.

On the other hand, Vegeta dashed after his son who flew off all of a sudden, as Boxer took Goten away to a safer place at his father's orders. At that development, only Vegeta and Goku --- the strongest of the Z-Senshi --- were left in the battlefield, battling their way through all the difficulties the dark side prepared for them.

As whether they stood a chance against the warriors of darkness or not, that was yet to be discovered.

Trunks did not understand the sudden turn of events, but he knew that he had to lure his father away, his father who was hot on his trail. No matter what he did, however --- no matter how many twists and turns he did --- the Saiyajin no Ouji was still behind him, determined to catch up with him.

"BRAT!" Vegeta yelled, "I WANT TO TALK TO YOU! STOP FOR A MOMENT!"

The younger saiyajin did not listen. He continued to fly away from the person who was after him, desperate to get away at all costs. After a while, Trunks turned to look behind him, but he was unable to spot Vegeta. In fact, he could not even sense his father, and that made him sigh in relief.

However, that was when someone appeared in front of him, and he was forced to skid to a halt. "Brat, we have to talk."

He knew that he had no way out, so he landed as his father did so, then he folded his arms in front of him in the same arrogant fashion as that of Vegeta. He replied, "There is nothing for us to talk about."

"No," the older countered. "We have to talk, because I'm greatly disturbed. I don't care if you hate Goten. I don't care if he's not your best friend. I don't care if you hate him as much as I hate that third-class baka Kakkarot. As long as you don't kill. As long as you don't take away the lives of others. And that's what's disturbing me. I'm disturbed at what you've become. A murderer, working for a dark warlord who wants to take over the universe. Is that right? A Z-Senshi suddenly turned into a killer, and a slave to a tyrant?"

"I'm not interested in what else you have to say, or with your long speeches! This is my life, and I have all the right to do what I want! Just leave me alone!" the younger of the two exclaimed angrily.

His father took him by his fighting gi. "Listen. I won't leave you alone, because you're my son, and you are my responsibility. I care for you and I don't want you to suffer because of your mistakes!"

Trunks pushed him away. "I'm your son?!" he asked, then he shook his head with disbelief planted on his features. "Oh no, I'm not your son, and you never cared for me the same way as you used to ever since Goten came along! Ever since that day you made him a part of our family, I was left behind like and treated insignificantly! I'm supposed to be your son, but no, he's more important to you than I am!"

"Brat, you don't understand---"

"And now I don't understand?!" Trunks half-screamed as he clenched his fists in anger, his blue eyes aflame. "Well, I'm always the wrong one anyway! If there's anyone who's right, if there's anyone who understands, if there's anyone who's important, it's Goten!"

"So that's why you allied with Thanatos? To destroy Goten?" the older saiyajin asked, and then, he softened. "Brat, open your eyes. Thanatos is only using you. He's using you to get what he wants. And he's slowly destroying you through the power of the dark side, which you acquired through him. There is still time to save yourself, son. There is still time to pull away from the darkness. Pull away while you still have time, while you still have the chance. Save the universe, save the world, and most importantly, save yourself --- and your soul."

The ice in Trunks' blue eyes melted as he continued to stare at the ground, and then, he began, "Dad, I'm sorry, but"

Vegeta looked at him worriedly.

"It's too late," he finished as he looked at his father with distressed eyes, and then, he flew off, eager to get away.

Vegeta followed his son with his gaze as unshed tears glistened in his eyes. Apparently, Trunks was disturbed and confused --- just as how he felt many years ago, when Goku's goodness was beginning to take its toll on him.

"You've got to give him time."

He whirled around and by reflex, he took up a fighting stance, although it was more on the defensive edge now. "I don't need your advice. I can handle things myself, thank you very much."

"Like father, like son. Indeed," Thanatos blurted out with amusement. "Sometime ago, Trunks said those very words, and those words got him in trouble. And I'm afraid that the same thing will happen to you now."

The saiyajin raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"

With a smirk, Thanatos dumped the person he was carrying between him and Vegeta, and the latter's eyes flew wide open in surprise. The strongest of the saiyajins, Goku Son, was unconscious, heavily injured, and apparently, dying. At that, Vegeta took a few steps back, the expression of disbelief still evident in his features, most especially in his eyes. He had always been strong, he had always been confident --- but the fact that Goku lost struck him greatly.

Someone finally defeated the saiyajin --- and it was not good.

Boxer stopped abruptly as he went past Keeney's room, where he laid Goten so the latter can rest up and regain his strength. He heard Goten moan and groan repeatedly, and thinking that the older demi-saiyajin was having a nightmare, he opened the door of the room slowly and slid in.

And Goten was indeed having a nightmare. The blankets were a heap on the floor, the pillows were scattered all over the place, and he was tossing and turning violently. At that, Boxer reached out to wake his friend up and end his suffering --- his suffering of something that may or may not be real. The moment he touched the other's shoulder, however, he jumped back in surprise as Goten's power level exploded like a supernova. But he had no time to think, for Goten sent a fist flying to his direction.

Caught off guard, he stumbled to the floor, barely able to block Goten's next assault, which came a second right after the first one.

"Goten-niichan, snap out of it!" he exclaimed as he continued to dodge the other's attacks, confused on what to do next. He had the hunch that he would have to hit Goten to make the sleepwalking warrior wake up, but he hesitated, even just at the thought of it. He respected the other too much to hit him just like that.

But when he almost got his jaw dislodged at an upper cut Goten dished him, he knew that there was no other way, that he had no other choice. With a soft, "I'm sorry," Boxer kicked him --- hard --- on the gut.

Goten crashed towards the floor, but he pushed himself up soon after, apparently unhurt by the younger warrior's attack. Boxer backed off, afraid of what was going to happen next --- but when Goten looked at him with soft, calm eyes, he knew that everything was all right.

"I hope you slept well," Boxer blurted out, a nervous smile on his features.

The other groaned. "My abdomen hurts," he blurted out, when he saw his friend's smile, his eyes narrowed. "Did you just hit me?"

"Forgive me, but I had to," Boxer replied as he eyed the floor and shuffled his feet. "You were attacking me involuntarily --- and you nearly dislodged my jaw --- so I had no choice but to wake you up."

"Ouch, that must have hurt."

Vegeta's son rubbed his chin. "It still does."

"But where's everyone? What happened? I was fighting Trunks---"

Both of them froze as they felt two power signatures drop into very low levels. When that moment of silence passed, Goten turned to Boxer with an upset expression accented with anger, and then he demanded an explanation from the teenager. The younger of the two was still in the middle of his explanation when one power level began to fade away --- and it belonged to Vegeta. Unable to take it any longer, Goten rushed out of Capsule Corporation, followed by Boxer, both fearing that they would lose the Saiyajin no Ouji if they would not arrive in the battlefield in time.

"No... Otousan... You can't die... You just can't die... Hold on... Please..." Goten muttered over and over as he and Boxer flew towards the location of their fathers. However, he was unsure of who he was truly referring to. Vegeta, the one he considered his father; or Goku, the real one?

He hated Goku, yes... but deep down inside, he still loved him.

Somehow.