Chapter 24: cracked

Goku had gone to work talking to everyone all through the next day. He explained his behaviour and partially what had happened in hell, with some assistance from Marron. First he talked to Gohan and Pan before they had gotten to far into the Dragonball hunt and then to Zara at her house. Trunks was the last person on his list before he tried talking to the hardest of the bunch, Goten.

Goku had instant translocated to Trunks's office in the capsule corporation main office building in the centre of west city.

"Goku?" Trunks asked when the hero had suddenly appeared. The lavender haired prince was about to sneak out of the building at the time to avoid more paper work and Goku had caught him by surprise.

"Yea, its me." Goku replied with a nervous grin before noticing that Trunks had a knee resting on the sill of his open window.

"What are you doing?" Trunks asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." Goku replied as he stared at Trunks's knee. The demi coughed nervously and quickly hurried back to his desk.

"Doesn't matter, what brings you here of all places?" Trunks asked, rather embarrassed that he was caught trying to sneak out.

"I'm kind of going on an apologising round and your next on the list. I have some explaining to do about yesterday." Goku replied.

"Guess you do, even if I do understand all of your concerns. You want us to train and we do need to get stronger and I would really like to but I've already got a lot on plate. I don't get home until late and it'll be unfair just to ask my mum to take over as CEO until Bra is old enough. It'll be unfair to mum since this is her retirement years and it'll be unfair to Bra to just sign her life away like that." Trunks explained and then sighed.

"It looks as though only one Briefs kid will be allowed to follow saiyan heritage and right now I'm kinda stuck with the human." He finished. Goku nodded.

"I see and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just gone in and ordered you around like that. It's just the earth and you guys are what are important to me. I had a wake up call and panicked. The fact is that the team has to be stronger now to take over, after all I'm not going to be around forever, just like how super 17 had demonstrated. If I'm gone then I need to know if the ones I love are safe. I'm sorry that I rounded on everyone yesterday, that was unfair but I can't stress enough how important it is that everyone is safe." Goku explained and Trunks nodded, looking thoughtfully at his desk. He didn't know whether or not to feel ashamed for feeling mad at Goku when he was looking out for everyone's best interest, even if he had handled it badly.

"You don't have to explain it to me Goku. I get it and I will try my best to train its just hard, ok." Trunks replied after a long silence. Goku's face lit up despite his attempts to stay serious.

"I know it is and I respect that. I better just go though, you're probably busy." Goku said just as Trunks's secretary's head poked round the door, signalling more work was coming. Trunks mentally groaned.

"Right, Goku. See you later." He replied and Goku disappeared, leaving Trunks with a fresh pile of paperwork on his desk.

"Perfect." He muttered and let his head hit the desk and rest there.

Goten walked to the little café in Satan city where Marron worked. He was planning on catching her on her break so that they could talk and hang out for a while, well until the end of his own lunch break anyway.

He quickly walked in and settled into a small booth. He only had to sit there for a few minutes until a lively red head walked over to him in the pink waitress uniform.

"Hey Goten! Mar will be out in a sec, she's kinda busy right now. Can I get you anything?" she asked, flipping out a notebook from her apron's pocket. Goten smiled up at her.

"Ah, ok then. I'll just have a coffee right now Emi, wouldn't want to eat all the food again." He said with a laugh and the grin he had inherited from his father. Emi nodded and walked off whilst humming. Goten watched her go and then started to stare out of the window. He got so absorbed in his own thoughts and watching what was happening outside that he didn't recognise the ki of the person who sat across from him straight away.

"So you're all done then?" Goten asked as he looked across at the person. Then he paled. It wasn't Marron that was sat across from him like he assumed.

"Almost."

It was his father.

Goten gulped and quickly tried to calculate his chances of escaping. Maybe using a blast as a smoke screen…

"Goten, I'm not here to tell you off for leaving or anything, I just want to talk to you in as civilised a way as possible, ok?" Goku asked slowly. Goten stared at his father again and slumped down in his seat, defeated.

"Whatever."

Goku watched his son closely.

"I just want to say I'm sorry." he said slowly.

"You already said that." Goten said back.

"So I'm saying it again." Goku replied. Goten kept his eyes fixed firmly on the table. He couldn't look at Goku anymore.

"Don't you think it's too late for that? The damage is done." Goten said.

"And I get that but I want to fix it and saying sorry seems as good a place to start as any." Goku replied. He was in his serious mood for once; he was going to do this right.

Goten stayed silent and Goku decided to continue.

"I don't do what I do to hurt you or the others, I do it because I care."

Goten's head shot up at this.

"How does leaving us without so much as an explanation caring? You just took off!" he said, raising his voice. Goku looked slightly ashamed but he continued to watch his son.

"Do you remember what Uub was like when we met him? He was just a lost little kid with almost no training but he had the powers and strength of one of the strongest opponents we ever had to face." Goku started. Goten rolled his eyes.

"So you left for a challenge?" Goten asked. Goku shook his head.

"No son, I left to train Uub so that he wouldn't do anything he'd regret. He had no control and it would only take a moment of him being angry to do a lot of damage. I showed this at the tournament. I thought everyone would understand that but I guess only I did." He replied and frowned lightly at the thought.

"You still could have kept your promise and visited us. You only did four times during the first three years and then we never saw you again." Goten said after a long moment of silence.

"I know but you know me, I get carried away. It's a habit I need to sort out." Goku said and grinned nervously. Goten shook his head, a faint smile on his lips.

"You can say that again," he looked up, " but that doesn't stop it from hurting."

"I'm not expecting it to. I just want to make it all up. The past is done, I can't change that, but I want to make it up to you even if it takes the next 50 years! You're my son and you're one of the most important people in my life alongside Chichi and Gohan." Goku explained and Goten went back to staring at the table.

"I don't know if you've noticed," Goku continued, "but sometimes I can be really, really stupid in my actions. There are a lot of things that I would do differently if I had the chance. I think most people have those, mine just happen to include letting a dragon wish me back to life so that I could watch my kids grow up from the beginning."

This made Goten crack another smile before he answered.

"I have noticed." He looked up at his father again, not quite as angry as before. It was hard to keep being mad at someone like Goku. It was something that could be very annoying at times.

"But there are some other things. Like you teaching Uub to instant translocate. You refused to teach Gohan and me that, what made him so special?" Goten asked. Goku scratched the base of neck nervously.

"Ah, well I wasn't intending on teaching him that. After he learnt how to use and control his energy he got to be a very fast learner. He figured most of it out for himself just by watching me. In the end I had to teach him just so that he didn't materialise inside a wall or something." He said and sweat dropped. Goten nodded, satisfied with the explanation.

"You see, I don't care about Uub anymore then you. You're family and will always come first." Goku paused and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"In fact, if you want, I'll teach you the instant translocation technique." He finished. Goten's eyes lit up.

"Really? You'll willingly do that? Give up the secret to your favourite technique?" Goten asked.

"Yep." Goku replied, grinning. Goten grinned back but then switched to a suspicious look.

"You're only going to so that I'll stop being mad at you though, aren't you?" he asked. Goku scratched his head nervously again, still grinning.

"Is it working?" he asked. Goten grinned again.

"For the moment, but there is still more to make up for then what one technique can." Goten replied.

"I know, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make it up. And I have other techniques I picked up anyway." He joked and Goten shook his head, still grinning the famous son grin. He hadn't completely forgiven Goku but for the moment his anger had subsided. Goku had that effect on people.

Marron smiled to herself as she watched through the kitchen door's window. It felt so good to see those two getting along again. Maybe it was sign that things would start to look up…

Hours later and Goten, Trunks and Zara were all in Vegeta's GR for some training. It was in the evening and Trunks was lucky to be there as he finally managed to finish the month end reports for C.C.

The three of them were all sparring at the super level one. Goten launched himself at Zara who ducked under his attack and used a kick to flip him over her head where Trunks materialised and hit his friend into the ground. Goten growled as he crawled onto his feet.

"If I didn't know any better then I'd say that you guys were ganging up on me." He said moodily. The couple above him flashed him innocent looks.

"Maybe, but you are the strongest saiyan here." Trunks said in reply. Goten rolled his eyes.

"Yea, strongest saiyan." He mumbled and made his way to the door.

"I'm getting a drink and when I get back it'll be fair game on Trunks instead of me." He called and hurried out. The other two only laughed.

"I guess getting a pounding is a good way to bring him down." Zara commented.

"Yea, shame really. He was in a good mood for once." Trunks added. They both floated there for a moment in silence.

"So," Zara started, "you want to continue with out Goten for a while?" she asked. Trunks smiled over at her.

"I dunno, it'll be kinda hard 'ganging up' on Goten without him taking part." He said with a playful smirk. Zara nudged him playfully in the arm.

"You know what I meant." She said. Trunks laughed and got into a stance.

"Maybe." He replied. Zara flashed him a smirk and matched his stance.

"I'm so going to get you." She said and then disappeared. Trunks chuckled again and disappeared as well.

They met high in the air, exchanging punches. Trunks threw several that Zara ducked and weaved through until Trunks surprised her with a kick. He hit her square in the chest and Zara winced before he threw another punch at her. Zara was just able to float back in time before she caught him with a high kick. He was forced backwards but when he stopped himself he grinned down at her. She smirked back and gestured for him to attack.

The demi-saiyan lunged forward with a punch but hit nothing but air. Zara had disappeared and he had barely enough time to even register that before she kicked him hard in the back and he was sent skidding across the floor.

As he began to slow down, she appeared floating above him. She pinned him on the floor after flashing him a mischievous grin.

"Gotcha." She said softly. Trunks grinned and stuck his leg up, flipping her over so that he was then pinning her to the floor.

"Nope, got you." he said triumphantly. Zara pouted and tried to flip him over but he held his position. She looked over his hold and then stared into his eyes.

"So what are you going to do about it?"

Trunks froze as he stared down at her. He thought that she was just teasing him so that he would drop his guard and she could get up but no kick came. She only stared up at him. She wasn't teasing: it was an invitation.

He then realised just how heavy they were both breathing. His mouth was dry and he felt himself lean forward.

One bad experience can change everything Goten's voice cut into his thoughts like a knife and he hesitated.

Its impossible to break up with someone and still have a close friendship. In other words its impossible to go to the next level still have everything be the same as before.

Zara was now looking confused up at him. He was taking too long. He shook the thoughts out of his head and leant forward again just to have something new pop into his head.

I need to know if the ones I love are safe, I can't stress enough how important it is. Goku's voice said and then he remembered something.

Trunks watched as Zara sped towards Super 17, her foot blazing with energy that he instantly recognised as the sword kick. She expertly swung it round at a speed that even a super saiyan 2 had trouble following. Right at the last moment, the maniacal cyborg turned round and clasped onto her leg just before the spot where the attack began. Zara grit her teeth as 17's grip hardened and she struggled to get out.

Trunks growled as he watched and powered up as much as he could. He wasn't going to just stand around whilst 17 hurt someone he cared about so much. So he charged at the cyborg and got ready to throw one strong punch at his face. Super 17 noticed just in time and turned round, allowing Trunks to see the look on Zara's face. She was going to tell him to stop.

At least she would have if 17 hadn't swung her into him, knocking both of them out and leaving 17 with only Gohan and Vegeta to deal with.

His feelings had made him act brashly and had made them both get hurt and put out of action…

"I can't…" Trunks muttered.

Zara's confusion grew at this and Trunks let her out of the pin, allowing her to sit up and stare at his back.

"What? What do you mean you can't?" she asked. Trunks ran a hand through his hair as he tried to work it out. He had been sure that he would be able to go to the next level but he had given himself too much time to think and listen to the others. Now he was confused.

"Why can't you?" she asked again, now sounding hurt. Trunks knew it would be all over her face but couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"Its...its just hard, ok?" he said. Zara stared at the back of his head. He had been leading her on for so long now, making her think that maybe he wanted to take things further but now she was just confused, embarrassed and hurt, then maybe a little mad as well.

"Why? How is it?" she asked, staring at him just as the GR doors slid open to reveal Goten carrying some bottles of water. He stopped and stared at his two friends, surprised by how dramatically the mood had changed.

"Erm…is something wrong?" he asked. The other two were silent until finally Zara got up, now just looking upset and angry.

"Why don't you ask him?" she said and then stalked towards the door. Trunks lifted up his head and watched her.

"Zara, wait." He called. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder.

"We'll deal with it later." She said and then blurred out of site as she teleported home.

Goten let out a long whistle as he made his way over to his friend.

"What's her problem?" he asked. Trunks ran his hands through his hair again and stared blankly at the ground.

"I think I just made a huge mistake." He said in a near whisper. Goten looked concerned at his friend and sat next to him.

"Explain." He said simply. Trunks glanced at the other man and then went back to staring at the floor.

"We were going to go to the next level. The opportunity was there and everything. We could have just gone through with it but then I started thinking." He explained.

"Uh oh." Goten said and Trunks gave him an annoyed glance.

"Yea. All I could think about was your dad's speech and what you said in the kitchen yesterday. I panicked." Trunks finished. Goten looked confused.

"Wait, you actually took what I said seriously?" he asked. Trunks lifted his head.

"Yea…should I not have?" he asked. Goten looked surprised.

"Duh! I'm Goten! I say stuff with out really thinking! I do it all the time! Its one of those annoying little traits I got from my dad! Yes, I wanted you to think through what you wanted to do with Zara but I didn't expect you take it this seriously." Goten explained. Trunks blinked and then smacked himself very hard on the forehead.

"I have to go talk to her…" he muttered after a little round of swearing. Goten shook his head, trying to be serious.

"And say what exactly? You need to sort yourself out first and let her cool down. Zara's not like any of the other girls you've upset before now. She's perfectly able to beat you up for one thing and then she can also scramble up your mind. You know when she joked about making me think that I'm a 5-year-old girl that one time when she was mad? I don't think she was joking." He explained. Trunks sighed.

"I guess you're right, for once." Trunks muttered and went back to staring at the floor, going over everything in his head.

The sky had gone red as the sunset. It was going to be dark soon and they wouldn't be able to find any more Dragonballs, Gohan thought. He was in the middle of a cornfield with Pan and Videl and the little robot, Gil, which had fused with the dragon radar. Pan was getting frustrated now as she looked for the Dragonball the robot was insisting was there. Cries of 'Dragonball detected' kept getting called out, sometimes accompanied by an angry comment from Pan.

"Well they're definitely a lively pair." Gohan said in amusement. Videl nodded slowly, not really answering at all. Gohan looked over at his wife, a little concerned.

"You ok? You've been pretty quiet all through this trip." Gohan noted. Videl looked down.

"I just have a lot on my mind right now." She replied. Gohan looked slightly confused as he looked at his wife.

"What like?" he asked. Videl squirmed slightly.

"I just have something to tell you," she said. Gohan watched his wife carefully.

"Really? Well you know you can just tell me whatever it is." He replied and then noticed where Videl's hands were: resting a little below her stomach.

"Ok." She said and left Gohan waiting for her to finish.

"Well…what is it?" he asked, starting to smile.

"I'm pregnant." She said in a quiet voice. Gohan let the information sink in and then started grinning like the Cheshire cat. He quickly wrapped her up in a hug.

"That's great Videl! Wow, we're going to be parents again, this is great." he said, unable to stop grinning. Videl even started to smile.

"Yes, it is but there's something…" she started and Gohan pulled away.

"What? There isn't anything wrong with you or it, is there?" he asked, looking very concerned.

"No, we're both healthy. Super even. I'm more worried about what's going on." She said. Gohan looked puzzled as he listened.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, things just seemed messed up right now. First Goku gets wished into a kid, then Goten goes ape then Goku gets a trip to hell and starts having panic attacks. Then there is the whole super 17 and Bebi messes. And look at the Dragonballs!" she opened up the bag she was holding that contained six Dragonballs, and then lifted up the one star ball. It had fine cracks running across its surface.

"They look broken and this has never happened before! It's making me worried. What if things carry on this way and our baby has to fight young just like you did? What if its childhood is just as bad as ours was?" she asked. Gohan watched Videl carefully through her little outburst and wrapped her into a hug as soon as she was done.

"I won't let that happen. I'll make sure our baby will have a perfectly normal childhood. Or at least as normal as a saiyan kid can have. Besides, this could be a good omen. A sign telling us that the future isn't all the bleak after all." He told her and Videl nodded into his chest.

"The point is that I'm going to make sure that things will be alright. I made this promise when Pan was born and I'm making it again." He added and then kissed Videl affectionately just to get the point across that everything will be ok.

"Aha! I've got it! The four star Dragonball!" Pan started yelling from the other end of the field whilst the little robot circled her head repeatedly, panicking from her out burst.

Gohan and Videl then hurried over to their daughter to see what she was so excited about. Pan held up the ball as they approached. Gohan took the ball from her and frowned down at it.

It glowed almost weakly as it got close to the others, a soft orange glow that illuminated all of their faces in the growing dark. But riddled across the polished orange surface were fine cracks that ran all over. Gohan continued to frown as his eyes followed the cracks.

"That makes seven and they're all cracked." He muttered.

"Is this bad?" Pan asked as she watched her father handle the ball. Gohan looked down at her.

"We'll see. Lets go home." He replied and then picked up his wife and led the way home, trying to push the mysterious cracks out of his mind for the moment.

A/N: who was expecting that? Hopefully that was at least a little surprising.

Reviews:

Chris: good idea, I'll have to remember that in some later chapters, but it'll be a while though. And the evil dragons are coming, see –points to DBs-

Rejhan: yea, Goku kinda has a problem with that. It's a good thing Marron can help out (telling him the best way to approach the situation and where Goten would be (he'll be kinda mad after that…))

Super saiyan 4 chichi: so you like the Goku involved stuff? –Blank stare- that's what most people were complaining about on GT forums…oh well, your opinion. Hope you enjoy this one.

Chico: heh, which should be how Goku should be…the cleaver yet clueless part. He was just plain weird in GT…
well it was Goku that had to talk to Goten; Marron could only bring them together. Goku had to talk out the problem. Least they finally had a talk that didn't involve Goten storming off…-sweat drop-

Trugeta: I wasn't up that late, was I? Meh, can't remember…
The gang do need to train but there was a point that I was trying to get across but I guess I didn't do all that well. The point was that they're all busy and haven't got all the time in the world to go off and train like Goku and Vegeta do. That's the problem with being part of the world; you need to work in it to live in it, or something like that.
Wait…why would I kill Piccolo? –Really confused and blank stare- He's explaining guy, I'd have to be stupid to kill him off like GT did…

Well that's all for today, guys. Dragon saga really does start next chapter. Was going to start it today but ended up thinking that then the next one would be to short…oh well. –little Britain voice- Good nigh!