Author's Note: Thanks for continuing to review (to the people who have done it at least twice!), and thanks for taking the time to sit down to read my story (to those who have just started reading)! And as always, special thanks go out to TorankusuGohan, Godzilla2, Thomas Drovin, Garowyn, InuSaiyan007, and Cappucine for reviewing!

If there's any story of yours that you would like me to review or read, I'd be more than happy to. It gets so boring in my house lately; I'm longing for some good reads!

Also, as of now, Bra got rid of her tail! I hope you didn't get used to reading her with it… Anyway, we're not picking up from where we left off, guys. As I said two chapters ago, there will only be two childhood chapters, and then the teenage/young-adult chapters can begin. As said before, this chapter will feature a teenage second generation (Goten, Bra, Pan, Trunks, etc.). We're going to make things a bit more interesting by having the Son family and the Briefs family lose contact over the many years. This means Trunks and Goten haven't talked in years, and Goten hasn't met a teenage Bra yet. He's going out with another girl at the moment (wonder who?)... And after this, there won't be any random 'years-passing' chapters!

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ. I also don't own part of the concept of this chapter, as it belongs to the movie Hitch, which I saw last week.

Chapter 10: Too Many Shocks for One Day

Years later...

Goten stood patiently on one of the busy sidewalks of West City, pausing every now and then to glance at his watch, a bored expression sprawled on his face. He stared at the woman in front of him, watching as she ordered two ice cream cones for each of her seven (or eight!) demanding little kids. At present, she was involved in a heated argument with the ice cream man, obviously discussing possible bargains. Goten struggled to hold in an exasperated moan (in order to be polite, of course), but this was a little too much. The people in line behind him seemed to agree wholeheartedly.

"Come on, lady! Just get your ice cream and go!"

"Yeah! It's too hot out here to stand in a line all day!"

Goten silently agreed, placing a cool hand on his hot, sweaty forehead. His dark hair clung limply to his head, and he was sure that he looked like a mess. And smelled like one too, for that matter... Nevertheless, he was determined to stay on that line if it was the last thing he'd do today.

Abovementioned woman with a million kids seemed to hear his thoughts precisely. "You caught me in a good mood, mister," she gave one last threat to the vehement ice cream man, who had, by now, resorted to using very dirty words to describe the woman and her children. "If I ever see you again..." Turning sharply on her heels, she left from the line, her children in tow (and all licking strawberry-flavored ice cream cones in a satisfied manner). She delivered one last goodbye kick to the ice cream truck's side before finally disappearing into the thick, dense crowd of West City businessmen and tourists.

"What do you want, man?"

At long last, Goten found himself at the front of the line, where the ice cream vendor sat in his truck, still in a violent mood. "Make it quick, too-"

Goku's second son was all too happy to oblige. Revealing his money from his back pocket, he replied, "I'll have a vanilla ice cream cone and a vanilla milkshake, please."

The orders were promptly made, and with a small exchange of money and desserts, Goten quickly left the line (and most relieved, at that) to find his girlfriend. "Valese? Where are you?"

"Here!" A light, feminine voice rose from the thick throng of West City citizens.

Goten gave a small smile in response before raising the ice cream snacks over his head to make sure no one would knock them over. That would be horrible. He couldn't even begin to imagine about what would happen if he went on that long line again...

Luckily for him, he made it to the small bench, where Valese patiently sat, legs crossed, without so much as the frozen dairy treats dripping a single drop. "Here." Handing the ice cream cone to an overjoyed girlfriend, he took a seat beside her, sipping contentedly from his milkshake, eyes closed. Life was good.

"Hey, Goten..."

"Hmm?" He opened his eyes.

"Thanks for the ice cream. It's so delicious," she said absentmindedly, giving a few innocent, hungry licks to the ice cream.

"It's your favorite dessert now, huh?"

"Ever since you bought me my first one," she answered, now idly brushing her brown locks behind her shoulder. "I don't know why none of my other boyfriends never thought to buy me things like this..."

Goten shrugged, drinking the remnants of his milkshake clean. He could care less about Valese's many ex-boyfriends. The fact still remained that he, not a rich, snobby guy, and not a snooty football player, was her current boyfriend. And he desperately hoped to the heavens above that that wouldn't change.

At least for a few more months, hopefully.

She suddenly giggled. "G-Goten...!"

"Yes?"

"Did you know..."

"What?"

"You... You have a ice cream mustache now," she giggled even louder, methodically moving her own ice cream over her face to conceal her laughter.

A bit flustered, Goten wiped his new 'mustache' off with the back of his hand, but in a few seconds, joined her laughter willingly. That was one thing (besides her undeniable beauty) that always awed him. Her innocence; her childishness. He loved the fact that she had never encountered so many experiences (tasting ice cream, for one)... It was he, not some other guy who didn't deserve her, who could help her experience those things.

His father, as far as he was concerned, had no problem with Valese. He thought her to be a 'pretty nice girl,' and seemed to enjoy having her over for dinner, as Chi-Chi would always go out of her way to make something extraordinary for a guest.

His mother, on the other hand, was astringently against everything the poor girl stood for. "Innocent? Please! She's had too many boyfriends, Goten. If you don't watch out, that dim-witted airhead'll break your heart!"

And as usual, Goten disregarded her petty comments. What did she know, anyway? He recalled his older brother telling him how she'd treated Videl the same way the first time they'd met, and look how she'd come to regard Hercule's daughter…

Noticing Valese's small pout from the corner of his eye brought him back to reality. "Aw... Why'd you have to go and wipe it off? I thought you looked cuter with it..."

He laughed a bit, and gradually increased his laughs with each passing second. "Y-Your nose-"

"Hmm?" She struggled to move both eyes down to view her nose, but failed. Instead, she began to somewhat resemble a cross-eyed beauty... "I can't see it. Is there something on it, or what?"

"You just have a dab of ice cream on it, that's all," he told her. "It's from when you moved your ice cream near your nose that time-" She whipped a small napkin out from her purse and handed it to him.

"Can you help me get it off, please?"

She wasn't dim-witted. Not at all. This was innocence, something he was surprised his mother didn't understand, considering her own husband. Gazing at Valese affectionately, he proceeded to lightly kiss her nose. "It's gone now."

She blushed slightly, placing the napkin back into her bag, and rose from the bench. Taking slight notice at her watch, she said softly, "It's almost six o' clock. My dad wants me home at six-thirty."

'Her father's even stricter than my mom...' "I'll walk you." He offered his arm in a gentlemanly manner, and she naturally took it within her own, giggling all the way down the block.

Their cheerful little 'date' wasn't over yet, however. At least, a very irresponsible, inexperienced driver made sure it didn't end as cheerily as it began...

Valese had resorted to skipping merrily down the sidewalk, Goten walking briskly to keep up with her, when a loud swerving noise, closely accompanied by a few honks and shrieks, was heard. Two hundred seemingly busy heads turned to the source of the noise.

Valese curiously ran over to the side of the street, pushing her way past the many flustered tourists. "Wow. That driver really shouldn't-" She let out a small yelp as the car swerved dangerously close to the sidewalk, nearly hitting her.

"Watch out!" a female voice from the car screamed. Valese, however, made no effort to do as she was ordered. Marveling at the car's incessant speed, she instead leaned even closer to its path.

"Valese!" Goten abruptly flash-appeared in front of the girl, hence protecting her from the driver's blindness. The car ended up crashing loudly into a nearby tree, completely crushed under the bulking mass.

Valese gasped, peering from behind Goten to better survey the damage. The once-stylish red convertible was now, well, just a red... something. As many other onlookers curiously made their way to the dismal scene, Valese noticed that the windshield and the front of the car were completely meshed within one another, making it impossible to see the victim of the crash (or for the driver to see out of the car). "She's probably dead... Bless her poor, drunk heart."

Without making an effort to see whether the driver had managed to evade injury or not, Goten stalked up to the car in a furious rage. Pounding very strongly against the car's front (and denting it further, if that was even possible), he proceeded to yell, "Are you stupid, or what? You could've killed my girlfriend!"

A small, muffled sound answered him.

"She's still alive," murmured Valese (not understanding how that was even possible), and she suddenly gathered up strength from within. "Next time, don't drink and drive!" She picked up a small stone and hurled it towards the car as hard as she possibly could. A satisfied smile now on her face, she rejoined Goten on the walk back home, never wondering who was still in the vehicle...

Behind the steering wheel of the car sat a very frustrated Bra (who, of course, never drank in her life), who hadn't noticed whoever it was who had struck her car. She sighed, leaning her head into her hands. It didn't matter, anyway. The car was still totaled no matter what, and a few pounds and stones couldn't ruin it any more than it already was. Her mother would still freak out. She began to mentally curse herself (or rather, the mirror above her) out. "If cars never came with stupid rearview mirrors, I'm sure this would've never happened!"

Of course, she made sure to check her lipstick once last time before slowly coming out of the mangled vehicle, ignoring the many whoops and whistles her audience (not surprisingly comprised mostly of young males) gave her.

Later on...

"So... I'll see you later, okay?" Goten bid one last goodbye before Valese entered her house, never once looking back. He sighed softly as her front door closed, sinking his hands deep into his pockets.

Suddenly, the door swung open again to reveal a very breathless Valese. "My dad said I could say goodbye to you," she started, smiling mischievously. "The proper way."

He copied her sly grin and pulled her closer to him, staring down at her fondly. But as she wrapped her hands around his neck, preparing to give him his 'goodbye,' her expression abruptly changed. Her smile faltered, and she nervously broke free from his grasp, staring up at his lips (and the rest of his face, for that matter) in confusion.

"Um... Have a nice day, Goten." She slowly backed away from him, ignoring his bewildered expression. Without another word, she disappeared into the house, slamming the door loudly into his face.

"Huh?" Clueless, he turned around to face the street. Maybe someone was behind him, like a past boyfriend of hers… But no one was there. What could have made her so nervous...?

Shrugging, he rose into the slowly dimming skies to head home. What a weird way to end a perfect day... Or so he thought. The day wasn't over just yet.

A few minutes later...

Goten made it to his house in record-breaking time, breathing hard. Wow. He overdid even himself, as he backed up from the front door, leaning his hands on his knees while he panted to catch his breath. Who would've thought that he would be so eager to make it home? 'I surprise even myself sometimes...'

Taking his keys out from his pocket (after taking a long breather), he proceeded to open the door.

No one met him, which was very odd. His parents were usually scrambling in an effort to greet him first... And now, the house was silent; stiff as a board. What could be the problem?

A few muffled sobs broke the uncertain silence. Goten narrowed his eyes in suspicion, scratching at his face absentmindedly. 'I wonder why Mom's crying...'

He followed the sound, which led him to its source (in his parents' bedroom) in impeccable timing.

Goten had been right - the sobs had indeed been from Chi-Chi, who was currently situated at the foot of the bed, crying heartily. The way she positioned herself on the bed made it impossible to view Goku, however, so Goten moved closer to see his father at a more noticeable angle.

Chi-Chi never once lifted her head, still blocking Goten from seeing his father. "I c-can't believe you!" she cried, leaning her drenched face further into her hands. "I let you go for less than one day - less than one day... And you come back like this?"

'What?' "Mom, I can explain..."

"She's not talking to you, Goten," a small voice from behind the distraught woman piped up. He proceeded to laugh sheepishly, but Chi-Chi rose her bawls up even higher than his laughter.

"H-How could you?"

"What? Mom, there's an eight-year-old right next to you..." Goten finally moved to his mother's other side, finally viewing the individual. The short, still-grinning figure wore an orange training outfit, a blue belt, and blue boots; with unruly black hair pointing out in all directions, this little boy bore a striking resemblance to... "Where's Dad? And how come this kid knows my name?" A small pause, and then, "Is he a runaway?"

The boy lightly kicked his feet against the side of the bed, averting Goten's curious gaze. Finally, he spoke again, raising his voice above Chi-Chi's wails. "Goten... I am your father."

"What?" Goten turned to gaze at his mother disapprovingly. "You're taking care of a psychotic runaway?"

"He got downsized!" Chi-Chi bawled pitifully. "I let him go one day to visit the Lookout, and he comes back as a little kid!"

"But Chi-Chi, it wasn't my fault!" Goku struggled to explain. "You know that Emperor Pilaf from way back? Well, he, Mai, and Shu-"

"I don't care!" Chi-Chi childishly tuned out his explanation. "And he used the wrong Dragonballs... So now he has to search the entire universe - not the earth, the entire universe, to find them!" She wailed even louder than before. "The entire universe! And he's going to need help, so he claims!"

Goten blinked a couple of times; this was a little too much to process at the same time. "So... Dad got wished back to a kid? There's another set of Dragonballs?" He placed a hand to his head, suddenly feeling dizzy. "Some royal guy did this to you?"

"Yeah," Goku sheepishly grinned, interlacing his fingers behind his head. "I think it was an accident, though. Anyway, if we don't find the black-starred Dragonballs before time runs out, the whole planet will explode-"

That triggered an immediate response. Chi-Chi let out a small scream as Goten toppled over, fainting right before he hit the hardwood floor.

"Oh, boy... He's as shocked as you were, Chi-Chi..." Goku commented as said woman promptly kneeled before the unconscious half-Saiyan, examining his face.

"That's not the reason..." she breathed softly, her voice cracking. A few lone tears slowly ran from her cheek to her son's now-red, puffy one. "He had an allergic reaction to something!"

It only took a few seconds for it to all soak in. "But Chi-Chi... Who's ever heard of a sick Saiyan?"

"Goku!"

Author's Note: First Valese looks at him strangely, then the breathlessness, and then the itchiness and puffy cheeks? And at the end, Goten faints? (suddenly gasps) What was this? A Goten/Valese chapter? Where's Bra? Probably heading back home (by walking... Ugh! So unfashionable!); how will she explain this to her mother? And will Goten ever trust shady ice cream vendors again? Ah, the chaos slowly begins.

Shorter than the last few chapters, I know, but it's still pretty long. So, how'd you like my rendition of the beginning of GT? It's slightly different than the first episode. Oh, sugarcubes! Who cares about GT? It definitely wasn't as good as DBZ, so don't worry. I'm not planning to (re)write the entire GT period; I'll just make my own alternate storyline up. I sure hope you all enjoyed the chapter, nonetheless. Remember to review!

Ladii-Chocolate