Author's Notes: This is version two of chapter two; the biggest change is the rearrangement of the scenes so that they go more in chronological order. Other then that, nothing of note to mention.Well, one little thing: I decided that, in keeping with Madrid's "I'm annoying" personality, she should have a silly nick-name for Goten... "Ten-chan," which best translates to "Tenny."


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Chapter Two -- Family and friend.

(March 7th, 796 A.D)

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They were at Satan City Mall looking for a decent place to eat when Goten saw her. Under most circumstances, he would have gone right over and said hello to her, since she was an old friend, but Madrid was clinging to his arm and Goten didn't think talking to Marron would be very prudent with his possessive girlfriend around.

However, Marron saw him, too, and walked right over in a confident way that Goten thought was somewhat out-of-character for the Marron he had grown up with.

"Goten, hello!" Marron said, when she was closer. Madrid scowled, and fluffed her long brown hair in a show-offish way. However, she did shake the blonde's hand when it was offered.

"Hey, Marron..." Goten said, stupidly. Admittedly, it had been four years since they last spoke, but Marron looked a lot different... her hair was shorter (but still in tiny pigtails), and her dress was cut for business and looked very professional. "This is my girlfriend, Madrid."

"Is she another of your ex-girlfriends, 'Ten-chan?" Madrid asked accusingly.

Goten flushed bright red. "Of course not. Sheesh." For what might have been the hundredth time, he reminded himself to break up with the obnoxious model.

Marron also looked embarrassed, but she tried to hide it. "Want to get lunch together and catch up?"

"We're on a date." Madrid said rudely. She thrust the bags of stuff Goten had bought for her at her boyfriend, and walked over to stand directly in front of Marron. Marron was at least a head shorter then the woman, and looked visibly frightened. "So stay away from my boyfriend, you hussy."

Goten rolled his eyes and looked away. Some people, passing by, had actually stopped to watch what was starting to look like a fight, so Goten looked back at the two and sighed. 'Well, I did mean to break up with her...' He thought, before pulling Madrid away by the arm.

"Goten, what are you doing?" She hissed. Marron stood where she was, looking shocked.

"You're causing a scene."

"Oh, I get it! It's not her fault, is it! Well, then, Goten, it's over!" Madrid yelled. "I'm ending this right now!" She turned and stomped off in a huff. Goten rolled his eyes, realized he was still holding Madrid's bags, and sighed again.

"I'm really sorry..." Marron said timidly. Now she was acting more like the Marron Goten knew.

"I was planning on ending it anyway." Goten explained, peeking into a bag of clothes. "What am I supposed to do with this junk?"

"Return it?"

"Nah, I'll take it back to my place. Madrid'll probably be back there wanting her stuff later, anyway."

Marron looked apologetic again. "I'm really sorry about all this." She repeated.

"No big deal, I was really only with her for the se..." Goten cut himself off, remembering who he was speaking with. Marron looked embarrassed (it was funny how easily read her emotions were), so she probably had guessed for herself anyway. "...Want to get lunch?"

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"So, what have you been up to lately?" Goten prompted, before taking a big sip of his soda. After some discussion, he and Marron had decided to grab a quick lunch in the food court of the mall.

Marron looked thoughtful. "College, mostly."

"Aren't you a little old for that?" Goten asked, realizing too late how that sounded rude. "I mean, shouldn't you have graduated a while back?" He amended, accidently making it sound worse.

Marron, luckily, took it well and smiled. "I did graduate just a few months ago." She explained.

Goten wanted very much to ask, but knew it'd sound stupid. Finally, he decided to ask anyway: "What did you go to college to be?"

"A children's psychologist." Marron replied, giggling a little. Goten was the same as always, at least. Just as clueless as ever... when spending time around him, Marron thought he probably only listened to what interested him.

"Whoa." Goten said, impressed. "You're a shrink?" It seemed sort of out of character for Marron to be something so... professional, but then again it made sense... she loved helping people, and children.

"Well, I haven't really started work yet -- I do next week -- but yes, I'm a shrink." Marron laughed again, this time at Goten's surprised expression. "What about you? What have you been doing lately?"

Goten didn't really know how to answer. It wasn't that he wanted to impress Marron, but at least she had a career. Goten's path in life was very different: He entered the occasional martial arts tournament, won, and lived off of that money until the next tournament rolled around. And, of course, he dated. A lot.

It seemed stupid in comparison.

"Oh, you know... hanging around." Goten said with a grin, but he put a hand behind his head - a nervous gesture - as he said it. "Do I have to call you Dr. Marron, now?" He asked cheerfully, changing the subject.

Marron blinked. "I... don't think so. Technically, I suppose."

The next few minutes were quiet, as Goten ate his pile of food (but still a very small pile for a half Saiyan) and Marron picked at her fried rice. It was becoming apparent that they were running out of things to say, after the catching up business was over.

"How's your family doing?" Marron asked, politely, after the food had been eaten.

Goten shrugged, taking a last drink for this soda before throwing away the bottle in a trash can next to their table. "Good." He looked thoughtful for a minute. "Want to go do something else?"

"What do you mean?" Marron asked, after a short, confused, pause.

"I dunno." Goten stood, and stretched. "It's almost two, and the theater here has a matinee then."

"Are you asking me on a date?" Marron blurted out, somewhat incredulously. She didn't date much, but that wasn't an issue. Goten was a womanizer, after all, and the casual way he was asking her out was somewhat unsettling.

"Wanna?" Goten asked, and grinned.

Marron bit her lip, and stood. "Fine," she said with slight reluctance, "But I'm not sleeping with you afterwards."

The surprised and embarrassed look on Goten's face was a sight to see, indeed.

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"What was the date that Earth's president was sworn in?" Gohan asked, after flipping through his daughter's text-book for a difficult sounding question. Pan slumped back in her chair.

"Sometime in... May?" She guessed. "Early May?"

"Year?"

Pan now leant forward, placing her forehead on the table. "A long time ago."

Gohan pushed his glasses up his nose. "Pan-chan, if you want to get into West City High School, you're going to need to be more serious about learning."

"I don't want to go to West City. Grandma wants me to." Pan pointed out. "She said, and I'm quoting, 'Pan-chan, you've missed so much school already. I let it slide with your father, but not with my grand-daughter! You need an education!'" As the sixteen-year-old spoke, she raised her voice in a poor imitation of Chi-Chi's.

Gohan rolled his eyes, but smiled slightly. "Your grandmother has a good point, Pan-chan. A year of school - especially your first year of high school - is a lot to miss. West Capital High is the best high school in the world, and besides, Bra will be starting there this year."

Pan rolled her eyes. Her father didn't understand that she really didn't like Bra anymore, and that the feeling was mutual. Just because you were friends when you were little kids, didn't mean that you'd want to be friends when you were older. Going to the same high school as Bra would be more of a curse than a blessing.

She said none of this, however, and sat back up normally. "May 7th?" Pan guessed.

"Hm?" It took Gohan a moment to realize Pan was answering his earlier question. "Close, May 8th." He flipped through the text-book again. "You know, Pan, it's a very good school. That's why there are these tests to take before hand."

"I know it's a good school." she replied. "It's also a three hour flight away. At top speed. And, let's not forget, I'm the fastest out of everyone."

It was a good point, actually. West City was literarily on the other side of the continent, if Pan was to go there she'd have to leave for school at four every morning to be able to make first bell. Gohan adjusted his glasses again, and looked up at her.

"If you really don't want to go, just say so. You can go to Orange Star."

Pan propped her chin in her hands. "I'll go. I just like complaining about it."

He wasn't entirely sure that Pan was being truthful, but she had made her choice and if she expected him to read her mind and do what she wanted, deep down, that was too bad. Pan needed to learn to do things she didn't like to, after all.

"I'm sure that Bulma will let me crash at Capsule Corp. if I ask, anyway." Pan said brightly. She enjoyed spending time there, for reasons Gohan didn't know. He didn't think she was that good friends with Bra...

"Mrs. Bulma." He corrected. Pan never spoke to others with proper respect; she was like her grandfather in that way. "Next question... What date was Orange City renamed Satan City on?"


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Bejita bowed before each of the three Saiyan before him individually, as his low ranking demanded, before beginning his report.

The four Saiyans had stopped only briefly for supplies before continuing their journey, once it had been discovered that there were no Saiyans left at the old site of Planet Plant.

When speaking the Saiyan tongue -- a slight variant to the East Galaxies Standard language -- Bejita didn't sound nearly as archaic in speech, although his formality carried well enough.

"Although it has been only a day since we have left the space station orbiting the ruins of Planet Plant, I have managed to both set our course in the direction of Planet Earth and to find out more information about the Saiyan who had inhabited it." Bejita said, pausing briefly before continuing.

"As far as the reports I can find say, Planet Plant was indeed purged by the colony, per plan. However, afterwards there was apparently a change of plans leading to Plant being re-named and called the Saiyan planet."

Anbe stood, full of patriotic rage. "Those low-class scum, taking the glorious name of the Saiyan Empire and smearing it with their low power and name!" She said.

Prince Yasai raised an eyebrow. "I do believe we knew of General Vegeta's treachery before this."

"Officially, my lord, it had not been verified." Baiseru said diplomatically. "Lady Anbe was merely expressing her distaste for the facts now that they have confirmation."

Anbe sat again, arms crossed and frowning deeply.

Bejita bowed to each of the Saiyan Elite in turn, before continuing his report. While they were of the strongest Saiyan class, Bejita was merely a second-class Scientist. He couldn't even achieve the Blood-Oozaru stage, so his inclusion on this trip had been a great honor.

"Those upon the station we visited a day ago were truthful in speaking of Planet Plant's destruction. A merchant named Freeza killed all on the planet but a few, whom over the years died out to three. Two of these Saiyans died mysteriously on Planet Earth, but the third -- the son of the self-appointed "King" of Planet Plant -- was known to be on Nameck and was known to have been allied with those humans. He has not been thought of to be killed, and in fact is probably the source of the power I picked up some time ago."

"And you believe him to be of the Blood-Oozaru level?" Prince Yasai asked, not for the first time.

"That's correct, my lord." Bejita said, bowing for the third time.

Yasai wasn't the first in line to the throne back on the Saiyan planet, but he was the first-born son and thus he had inherited the family name and the name of the planet. His elder sister, Princess Nira, would be King. Nevertheless, Yasai was a person of very great importance. If he felt he wasn't being shown the proper respect from Bejita, Bejita would be killed at once.

Anbe was another member of the royal family, a cousin of Yasai's half brother. She was fiercely patriotic and prejudiced against other, inferior, alien races, but more importantly she was the lover of the third member of the group, Baiseru.

Baiseru was by at least twenty years older then the others, and he was the head of the Royal Army. The Army was more like a highly trained group of bodyguards then anything, but they were without a doubt the best people to have around in a fight. Outside of the royal family, Baiseru was without doubt the strongest Saiyan in the universe.

Bejita considered himself briefly. He was the only child of his parents, a pair of second class warriors. He had never been really the fighting type -- a black sheep of the Saiyan society -- but his studies on alien life and inventions for measuring alien power were known throughout the planet for their usefulness, despite having been created by a Saiyan scientist.

Although that was only a loose was of terming Bejita's job... he did not try to learn the mysteries of the universe or figure out how to build faster spaceships and better armor. Instead, he studied other alien races power. He would often be given a list of planets chosen for purging, and Bejita would then check the relative fighting strength of the aliens upon it. It was in this way that he had discovered the other Saiyan's power, two years ago. A faint, but unmistakable energy signature that only Saiyans made, and only at the Blood Oozaru level.

After two months of paperwork and waiting, permission to have an audience with the royal family had been granted to discuss his discoveries. After nearly a year, the permission to send a party out to research this power had been granted, a party consisting of three of the most powerful people on Planet Yasai and in the universe.

It had taken half a year to arrive at Planet Plant's location, and now it seemed it would take a full year to reach Earth... Bejita did some quick calculations in his head, trying to find a way they could go to Earth and back to Yasai within the three-year limit they had been given. It would be close...

"Bejita." Baiseru said. "Finish your report, and stop standing about like a fool."

Realizing his error in drifting off into thought when he shouldn't have, Bejita bowed deeply before finishing his report. "In conclusion, while no one knows exactly where this Saiyan disappeared to, all agree that he was last seen with the Humans, and in any case the power my computers sensed fits with the location on Earth."

"And it will take a year to arrive?" Baiseru asked. "That is somewhat extreme."

"And not worth it if the least, if I am to be asked." Anbe added. "We have already wasted a year. Leave the traitor to die on the Planet Earth, he doesn't matter to the great Saiyan race."

However, no matter what the other Saiyan thought, it was ultimately Prince Yasai's decision. After a minute, he spoke. "We'll continue on to Earth to retrieve the Saiyan, as planned. But we shall go as quickly as our supplies and ship allow."

"How long will it take?"

"Approximately ten months."

Prince Yasai was silent for a moment, before nodding. "Very well."

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 Name Puns:

Madrid -- Keeping with Goten's liking of girls named for cities in Europe, Madrid is the capital of Spain.

Thanks to Brandon B. for beta-reading!!!