Tomber Amoureux

Paradox: A Prideful and Painful Memory

"As memory may be a paradise from which we cannot be driven, it may also be a hell from which we cannot escape." -John Lancaster Spalding.

The sun shone down mercilessly on the troubled teenager. It was hot, and the adolescent scowled with obvious irritation at its extremity. Perspiration spewed forth freely from his diminutive pores drenching the navy blue training gi that garlanded his muscular physique. As his irritation gradually intensified, proportionally, that damnable temperature intensified. It seemed the day was bent on aggravating his already bothered psyche, and showing his obvious displeasure wasn't acquiescing much sympathy from that burning ball of gas stationed millions of miles away in space.

Why the hell is it that I get into these things? I mean, sometimes, it's as if she doesn't WANT me to enjoy life! I think I've earned enough respect from people to make some of my own decisions now, but no, I am still a child she says, I still don't know what's best…To hell!!

His facial expression changed in sync with the various conflicting emotions his mind seemed to ponder over. First a slight detection of confusion was definitely evident; it soon changed into exasperation culminating finally to an irate state of mind. He easily stripped off the top part of his martial arts ensemble, and then proceeded to do the same with the bottom of it. Clad only in dark boxers, the teen gave one more defiant glare at the annoying star, then hollered loudly as he ran forward and somersaulted into the sparkling lake below.

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Perplexed by the whooping sound he heard resonating throughout the hilly terrain, Son Goten cautiously stepped out on to the threshold of the home he shared with his mother and brother. He peered out ahead, making a conscious effort to identify the culprit. Seeing that his search was fruitless, he took an abrupt change of mood as a goofy grin once again adorned his cherubic face.

"Goten, go find that brother of yours," sighed the mother of two. The voice betrayed a hint of fatigue, like it was dealt a long succession of bad hands in life. She was currently preoccupied with the dishes, but apparently they didn't hold the top priority for her at the moment.

"Okay, mom," quipped the rather jovial youngster. He had a shock of wild hair, protruding skywards from every angle imaginable, seemingly mocking gravity's restraints. The small face had two gleaming eyes that vivaciously brimmed with enthusiasm, and a small frame that comically coincided with his shock of unruly hair. He quickly dashed out onto the front lawn, and out into the depths of the forest ahead.

"Like I swear, I mention one thing to him and he gets all sullen. I mean, I have the best interests in mind. Why wouldn't I? It's not like I'm condemning him to slavery, or even…" The tone had taken a more stern edge to it, slight irritation slowly creeping in. The dark haired woman was unaware of her little one's departure so consequently didn't realize she was talking to the kitchen walls, but even if she had, in all probability, the tirade would have marched on unhindered, as it currently was doing.

The small whirlwind zoomed on ahead, zigzagging between trees at a blistering pace. If observed through the normal human eye, the little kid would have only been a colorful blur, emblazoning a somewhat distinct trail on the ground below. He slammed on the proverbial brakes as soon as he noticed the steep embankment marking the start of the lake. He peered out ahead, already knowing where he would find his elusive brother. Ki detection can do wonders to save reconnaissance time, as a matter-of-fact, it can save an awful lot of searching time for those annoying group splits which occur in public fairs. His grin widened, if that was even possible, and he started to slowly backtrack upon the path he had so carefully emblazoned on the grassy forest ground. The unsuspecting target currently was lazily floating on his back, eyes shut and an aura of calm about him. It seemed to be sleeping, a perfect opportunity for a sneak attack. Goten deftly positioned himself, crouched on all fours, and then without any warning sprang forward. Accelerating as fast as he could he reached the aforementioned embankment within seconds, and leapt forward arms outstretched at his intended target.

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Sparkling clear water. Beautiful scenery. Utopia. Was this…? Could this…?

Be real?

Perfect ambience. Birds chirping enthusiastically in obscure merriment. The unvitiated water settling into a steady hypnotizing rhythm. Pleasant odors emanating from the plethora of flowers in residence. A loud high-pitched yell gradually intensifying. A soothing…

Huh?

"Niiiiiiiiiichaaaaaaannnnn!" It was unmistakable. The loud ejaculation gradually became more audible, conforming to the laws of the Doppler shift as it came nearer. But before Gohan could pinpoint exactly what was happening, he felt a weight colliding with his torso.

Whoosh.

All the wind from his lungs rushed out, leaving him clutching his stomach and gasping for air eyes unceremoniously bulging out. What added further to his breathing plight was that when he reflexively opened his mouth, gaping for air, he got a big mouthful of water. He splashed about in panic, finally surfacing, choking and sputtering out the water he had so blissfully inhaled a few moments before. His head snapped back and forth, eyes narrowing into slits, seeking out the murderous demon bent on asphyxiating innocent civilians. He wasn't left unrewarded, as moments later a cherubic face popped out from under the murky depths of the lake. His eyes were laden with mischief, as he looked back at his now fuming brother with a sheepish smile.

"Uhh…mom…called…for…u…hehe…yea," he paused to rub the back of his head, an act blatantly reminiscent to that of their father, "Um, I'm going to…RUN!"

"Oh no you don't!" Both the partial saiya-jins blasted off causing the calm lake to go into a fit of activity. Their ki's had been exerted plentifully, and unfortunately for the tranquility of the lake, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, their ki had pushed the water downwards therefore initializing a rather large ripple effect; the ripples being a close rendition of a tidal wave.

Goten quickly realized that his older sibling in the open air would catch him quite effortlessly, so he swiftly dived downwards into the ensuing forest. There, he proceeded to zigzag ferociously around the trees, hoping to leave a confusing trail in his wake. Steamed, the older saiya-jin quickly dived downwards in pursuit. But he soon found out to his dismay that the young one had a quite distinct size advantage. Being small and nimble, Goten could navigate a serpentine path through the trees with some ease, whilst Gohan had to be a bit more cautious as not to clip any tree bark. His predicament soon gave way to a solution though, as Gohan decided not to let anger obscure his intelligence. He swooped back into the open air, and keeping a close watch on the movements of his brother's ki, he just followed up above. Goten stole a daring glance backwards, still winding and swerving through trees at break-neck speeds, and didn't even catch a glimpse of his brother, nor did he observe any flash of blue that would give his brother's gi away. Had he not been so panicked by his dilemma, he would have sensed the giant ki lingering up above his head.

He cautiously slowed down, since he got to the very edge of the forest, and peeked backwards one more time. Satisfied that he had lost his brother by the winding path he emblazoned, the haughty child fled out into the open clearing. He could see the somewhat small, curved structure getting larger with every step he took. He was about halfway into the clearing when Gohan swooped downward resembling a Falcon at dinnertime. Goten was not that dexterous at ki sensing yet, and didn't notice the ki spike, nor that the vast ki was speedily closing in the gap. At the last possible second, the little one's saiya-jin danger signals went off, and he sharply swerved his head around, horror evident in those dark beads. His terror was greatly justified, as he saw the object of his fear grab him by the waistline sending them both crashing onto the green earth.

"Haha, Gotcha!" The teen pinned his sibling down triumph evident in the smirk plastered on his face. "You can't lose me that easily, remember, I was the one who taught you how to be quick and nimble!" For a brief moment, Gohan had second-guessed his decision a little while ago to train Goten in the arts of ki manipulation. His brother, proving to be a true son of Son Goku, caught on pretty fast and soon was flying and shooting ki blasts without effort.

The little fighter squirmed under the large hands pinning him down, " I was only trying to splash you! I swear! I kinda mistimed the jump and it went all downhill from there!" His eyes were wide, set in a remorseful gaze, which would have melted even the most determined of men.

"Oh no you don't, don't try to put on that innocent face. I used that too ya know."

The chibi intensified his gaze, tears welling up in his dark orbs. "I only wanted to surprise you. I thought you would notice."

Gohan sighed, this always happened. "Oh alright, I forgive you." Gohan got up from the ground flinging the chibi onto his shoulder blades.

"YaY!! I knew you would understand!"

"So, what did ya wake me up for anyway? I was having the most relaxing dream ever."

"Relaxing dream? What was it about? How could a dream be relaxing? Did it have big comfy bed with soft fluffy pillows? Did you see a whole mountain of food you knew you couldn't finish? I guess that would be relaxing, then mom can't threaten us by saying she'd starve us!"

Gohan chuckled at his brother's naiveté, to think, his dad was just like this as a child. Heck, his dad is like that when he was an adult as well. He sighed, a forlorn look creeping out on his face. He missed his dad, and Goten being an exact replica of him didn't quite quell his sadness for losing his dad, but contrary to popular belief, it made him more anxious to meet his dad again. Goten served as too big a reminder of his dad, poor kid, he didn't even realize that his appearance was a whole lot more antagonizing on both him and his mother's soul than people thought.

"You're not still mad at me are you, big brother?" Goten saw the despondent look on his brother's face.

"Wha…? No…I can't stay mad at you for long kid, you know that," he playfully ruffled the shock of black hair on the little guy's head, "I was just thinking. About dad."

"Father? What was he like big brother? Trunks said that his dad said that Father was a third-class warrior, while they were royalty. Was he really a bad fighter?"

Gohan chuckled heartily; he didn't have such good laugh in a long while. "Goten, if Trunks had seen father fight, he wouldn't be so quick to believe Vegeta's words."

"Huh? What does that mean, was he good or not?"

Gohan sweat-dropped at his brother's clueless ness. Where all the Sons that clueless? Not his mom, he was sure of that. "Goten, father was, and probably still is, one of the greatest fighters ever to exist. Actually, he probably is The all-time greatest fighter to exist in the universe. I talk to him from time to time, father has some…err…connections…anyway, he told me that he won the Annoyo-Budoukai, the Other World Martial Arts Tournament. Although technically both dad and his competitor were disqualified, both of them didn't know it at the time, and continued on to fight with father knocking his opponent out of the ring. He said that the fighters he fought were fighters that had died long ago, from the time frame when beings were first put into existence to now. Which means that father is the strongest fighter of every fighter ever to be born in the entire universe, from the beginning of the universe to now."

"Wow, that's so cool! But wait, I don't understand one thing, mom said that you beat that mean man Cell, so that must mean you're stronger than dad. Right?"

"Well, at the time, yes, I was stronger. That doesn't mean I was a better fighter technique-wise. Dad was always the better fighter, compared to all of us. And now I know he is stronger than all of us, he told me himself that he ascended to the second level of super-saiya-jin, something I long since forgot how to do and Vegeta never knew how to do. He never was bitter, he never was shaken, he never lost hope and he always was resolute." Gohan paused a little, his hands shaking slightly, "He never was cocky, and he never got complacent," he almost spat out bitterly. Those memories were long since buried, fresh dirt upon old, but those repressed memories were tearing at old wounds rather harmfully. His eyes experienced a sudden surge of wetness, and feeling a bit of shame he battled back, seeking autonomy from his emotions.

"Brother," the boy spoke softly, as if realizing the emotional weight of his brother's words at the tender age of seven, "What does complacent mean?"

Gohan face-vaulted anime style, a rather conspicuous sweat-drop adorning the side of his face. Well, at least he broke the tension. Geez, I gotta keep from crying in front of that kid, it'd unnecessarily upset him.

"Hehe, don't worry, just rest assured that your father was one of the greatest beings to live. You know how many times he saved the planet?"

"No…But you can tell me about it! Can't you brother, please?"

"Hehe, yeah, another time though. So…What was it that mother wan…"

"GOHAN!!! GOTEN!! WHAT IN THE NAME OF HEAVEN ARE YOU TWO DOING!!! COME OVER HERE AT ONCE!!!" Shrieked the elderly woman, her pitch resonating high enough to completely deafen the partially deaf, and unfortunately, triggering quite a massive headache for both saiya-jin.

"Oops!! Sorry brother, I forgot to tell you that mother wanted to talk to you about school!" The little ruffian leapt of Gohan's shoulder and scrambled rather clumsily into the domed abode.

"Uh oh…" Gohan stared after the retreating figure of his brother, feeling a little bit of vehemence. The darned kid nearly drowned him a few minutes ago, and now got him into a major lecture session with his mom. Nope, this was certainly not his day.