Chapter Four: Poor Night Sleep

Since Bulma claimed that his outfit was way too dirty, she wouldn't let Gohan sleep in it. She couldn't tell the colors with all the dust and grim it had collected. She forced him to take a bath and dress in one of Trunks' spare nightgowns. So now he lay on a cot in Trunks' room trying to sleep.

The night was deadly quiet and at long last Gohan had finally caught sleep. What had unnerved him from sleep was the fact that his stomach was screaming for food and of Bulma's crying in the other room. No matter how hard she tried to hide it Gohan's excellent hearing picked up everything. He winced at the mention of his name though her sobs. He guessed he really had died already. That was too bad cause he was kind of looking forward to meeting his older self.

Bulma had run out of food for them all but promised a small breakfast tomorrow and then she would go and refill their food supply. A hearty but tiny breakfast the next was the only thing comforting to Gohan tonight. His stomach gave off small lurches of pain and enormous growls but he wasn't alone. Trunks was also very hungry but he chose not to show it

Trunks was now the only one awake in the house. It was almost three in the morning and Trunks was beginning to tire. But he still couldn't the horrible image of Gohan's dead body out of his mind. He lay silently on the bed, with the moonlight painted across his face thinking about what heaven must be like.

He closed his eyes and wiped the tears from his eyes. Ice seemed to coarse through his veins at the thought of what those Androids did to him. He clenched the sheets of his bed spread as the tears ran down his cheeks again. He bit his lips and tried to shake the horrible images out of his mind. He felt as though he was screaming inside trying to burst out his anger. He hated the feeling. He curled up into a ball in wept silently so not to wake Goten. Gohan was truly gone. His second father was dead…

"Don't cry," A small voice answered his weeping.

Trunks blinked to see Goten holding his hands softly. Goten put on a kind smile and whispered, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I'm too tired to sleep," Trunks muttered pulling his hand away and curling the covers back about him.

He turned his back to Goten giving the impression that he wanted the subject dropped. Goten didn't lay back down into his cot. He looked worriedly at Trunks.

"If you really care about Gohan, then let him go," He muttered.

Trunks blinked several times. By the time he had gotten over to look at Goten, he was asleep. Trunks' heart pounded with certain perplexity. Was Goten more then just a mere boy? Was his dreams real? Before he could think much more he had dosed off into a deep slumber.

Trunks sat up suddenly only a few hours later, but this time he wasn't wake. He was gazing about in a sleep walk crying out, "Gohan! Gohan! I can't see you! Where are you?!"

Gohan sat up groggily rubbing his eyes to get rid of sleep. He let out a enormous yawn and muttered, "What is it?"

Trunks pushed his arms out in front of him as if feeling in the darkness for that voice, "Gohan!?!"

His blank eyes focused in on Gohan sitting dazed on his cot. Bewilderment, stretched across his face. Trunks let out a scream of joy and tackled Gohan to the ground, "Gohan! You're okay!"

Realizing quickly his situation, Gohan panicked, "Trunks! What's the matter?!"

Trunks saw Gohan's face fade away in till he was facing reality and looking right into Goten's terrified eyes. Trunks jumped backwards landing sharply on his butt. He blinked several times. Depression quickly flooded back over him making his heart sink to the pit of his stomach.

"Sorry, Goten. I guess it's what you call wishful thinking."

Goten swallowed hard and nodded. His cover was almost blown right there. Trunks was coming closer and closer to discovering the truth. He had to be more careful.

Just at that moment, the door swung opened and Bulma stood in the door frame bringing in the smell of breakfast.

"Anyone hungry?"

"Yay!" Gohan cried happily.

Trunks let out a sigh of relief. Goten was quick to change the environment of feeling. And Trunks was glad. He didn't want to be vexed about. But at least it was nice to know someone cared…

Gohan sat eagerly the table thumbing the chopsticks Bulma had handed him.

"Arigatou," Trunks murmured once Bulma handed some to him.

"Welcome, Trunks. Glad to see you actually have some manners," She grinned ruffling Trunk's hair.

Trunks scowled a bit but was too busy watching Goten to care. He was acting the same exact way Gohan acted before a meal. Goten rubbed his chopstick together and waited patiently for Bulma to pour the rice into his bowl. Once she had done so, Goten's eyes widened with huger at the sight of the full bowl.

"CHEW ATTACK!" Goten shouted digging furiously into the bowl shoveling the whole contains into his mouth.

Trunks dropped his chopsticks along with his jaw. Bulma's jaw dropped. It was if a ghost had just entered the kitchen. Gohan smiled and lifted out his empty bowl to Bulma, "More please."

It took a minute for her to recover from shock. Bulma let out a small chuckle and took his bowl, "Sure, sweetheart."

Gohan turned to see Trunks' bizarre stare. He blinked uncertainly in till Trunks muttered, "Who are you, really?"

To Be Continued…
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