A/N: Here is the first chapter of 2016! Things are going to slow down for a while...

Standing in front of his father's prone body, with his back turned, he looked death in the face, which came in the form of an ivory android, who smirked victoriously. The half Saiyan squeezed his eyes shut when the Bio-Android's palm lit up, deciding right there that he'd rather die than let his father die by the hands of this monster.

At first, when he had met his father, though he didn't voice it, he just couldn't see what the hell his mother saw in this arrogant man, who was an absolute asshole to everyone, seeming to care for nobody but himself; and maybe that had been true at the time, as his mother had said that she hasn't started to see this change in him until she spent her time with him and of course when he was born. Thought he never actually knew his father from his reality, as he had died when he had been a mere infant, upon getting to know him in this timeline, he had grown to love him despite all his flaws. His mother had warned him before leaving for the first time that his father wasn't the greatest guy, considering his upbringing, but she had also believed that deep under that hard exterior, was a broken man who yearned to be loved and accepted by others. Of course he would 'rather die than ever admit that' she had added, a warm chuckle following shortly after; to finish off her description of the Prince, she had stated that before his death, she could tell that he was changing into the man she always believed he could be and that if he had been alive, watching his son grow into the young man he was now, he'd be proud of him.

Vegeta hadn't said as much so far, even during his time with him in the Time Chamber, but if there was one thing that his mother knew about his father, it would be that he never would voice his emotions but rather show then with his eyes. He had seen that before fighting Cell today, just how proud he was of him and well Trunks would be damned if he let him die without trying to protect him with everything he had.

With new found confidence, Trunks ignited his golden aura, crossing his arms in order to block Cell's Death Beam as two pairs of eyes watched on helplessly, knowing that jumping in to aid the half Saiyan would simply result in their death.

Then Cell's beam winked out of existence, dropping his arm to his side.

Goku's Decision

Trunks's mouth dropped, his arms falling from his face as his eyes followed the movements of the Bio-Android; his feet touched the ground with grace that hadn't been present prior his transformation. The calm demeanor written on the Android's face shocked him as not moments ago he was glaring at him with hate.

"As much as I want to see you both dead for the humiliation I was put through, I am curious on just how you and Vegeta had gotten so stronger in such a short amount of time. So tell me."

"Why does it matter if I tell you? You're going to kill me anyways, so why don't you just do it already!" Trunks spat, his aura still burning fiercely.

"Well I was…" Cell paused until he saw Trunks' curiosity spike with interest. "Or I will if you don't answer my-"

"I think I made it quite clear that I'm not going to tell you anything!"

Trunks's stomach lurched painfully when he suddenly felt an ivory fist pressed against it, causing him to lean forward, his forehead nearly touching the Android's shoulder. His will to remain transformed left him, his hair reverting back to lavender as Cell removed his fist and hopped away.

"Now Trunks I'd think you would know better than to interrupt someone who has your life in his hands."

The half Saiyan just about fell onto his knees from the agony traveling up his spine, however with great effort, he managed to push through the beckoning darkness and stand tall.

"As I was saying, I will kill you as well as the others if you don't answer my next question." Seeing that Trunks was ready to listen, he continued. "If I let you and that trash behind you live, can you become stronger?"

"What? Why?" Trunks narrowed his eyes.

"Because just like you, I have Saiyan blood coursing through my veins and it craves for a good fight. Sure I could just blow the planet up now and put you all out of your miseries, but then I would never know what I could have gotten out of the last Saiyans in existence. So answer the question boy."

"We might be able to."

Cell sighed as that wasn't the answer he was hoping for, but he guessed it would do. "You are fortunate that I'm in such a generous mood, but then again that's a given as it's not every day that you reach a state of perfection. I have one more question before I take my leave…Is that where Goku is? Training in…wherever you and the fallen Prince had trained?"

Trunks hesitated for second, but seeing that he would then be testing the Android's patience, he nodded his head.

"I see…keep tabs on any news broadcast station, I'll be making an announcement very soon." With that, Cell turned to leave but halted in midair when the time traveler spoke.

"Cell! What are you planning? You better not be hurt anyone or-"

With his back turned, Cell's shoulders shook in laughter. "Or what? You saw what one punch did to you. So if you want to live for a little while longer, you will stay out of my way and let me do as I please. As to what I'm planning, think boy. Why would I want to announce a fight publically?"

Trunks azure orbs lit up. "A tournament? Is that what you're planning?!"

Cell merely smirked and with a final wave of his hand, he took off, disappearing into the slightly brightening sky, as the Sun was to rise in an hour or so.

Krillin's voice caused Trunks to avert his gaze from where he last saw the Bio-Android, his eyes lowering to the former monk's outstretched hand, which held a Senzu Bean. "Here, take this."

"Did you give one to father?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but as soon as he ate the bean, he was out again. Cell must have really done a number on him."

Trunk shook his head. "Why don't you save it? I don't really need it." The half Saiyan turned and instantly noticed the female Android, who was on her feet, leaning pitifully against the wall.

"Better yet, why don't you give it to her…"

Krillin looked at the brunette sadly, hating to see her in such a bad shape. "Don't be mad…I actually did consider giving it to her but I figured she would refuse my help. I don't know why…uhhh but she's suddenly giving me the cold shoulder, when before we were getting along just fine."

Trunks was simply going to respond with 'because she's an Android' but thought better of it. I mean it's clear to me now that the Androids from this time aren't bad…unless you count Cell...

"Krillin, you're basing her response on assumptions. Just offer it to her, you can plainly see that she is more hurt than she lets on, so I really doubt she's reject something that would alleviate her pain."

Eighteen's blurred vision regulated when Krillin tapped her on the arm. "Eat this, it's a-"

"I know what it is…forget it, I don't need it." the brunette muttered, sliding back to the ground.

Seeing just how much distress she was in, Krillin finally snapped. "Look Eighteen, I don't know what the heck your problem is with me all of a sudden, but knock it off! You can barely stand and before I had thought you'd be fine, as the injury wasn't that bad. But it looks like some internal injury was done when you hit your head."

"Oh? And just what are you going to do if I don't want to take the stupid bean?" She challenged, merely having one eye open as the throbbing headache seemed to be coming from the right side of her temple.

And just like that all of the bald man's irritation died out. "Please…I don't want to see you in…just take it…"

The pleading expression on the former monk's face finally broke her. Damn it, why does he have to look at me like that…

Looking away, Eighteen extended her hand with an open palm, mentally cursing the Kamis' when her features became flushed. She couldn't believe that his kindness was actually causing her traitorous heart to beat faster, her stomach fluttering when she felt his hand brush against her smooth palm. Just before she gave into the urge to link her hand with his, his touch was gone, leaving behind the whole reason for his brief skin contact; the freaking Senzu Bean.

The brunette eyed the bean like it was at fault for her emotional discomfort. As soon as she flicked the bean inside her mouth and swallowed it, her body jumped to life, all the pain and numbness gone like it was never there to begin with. Peering upwards, she noticed Krillin offering his hand out to her, which she for some reason didn't hesitate to take. As he pulled her unto her feet, a giggle nearly slipped from her lips when she saw that the monk had to levitate to meet her full height.

When he gave the brunette the most charming bashful smile she has ever seen, she lost it.

Krillin's back went stiff when he felt a pair of soft lips roughly pressed against his and if it wasn't for the tall woman having her arms wrapped around him, with one slender hand clasped behind his neck, the former monk would have lost his ability of flight and surely have melted to the ground. Eighteen signed blissfully when Krillin began to return the kiss earnestly, her legs almost failing her when he deepened the kiss, causing her to gasp with shock…and back to reality.

He plummeted back to Earth when a fist suddenly slammed into his stomach, making him groan. Her breath then tickled his ear, the very ear she licked just days ago.

"Why…why do you have to be so fucking sweet to me Krillin? Why do you have to be everything I've ever-"

Before she could let herself finish, she shoved the short man away, his body sliding painfully on the Earth soil.

"Don't follow me." She whispered, her brown hair blowing in the wind as she took off.

The former monk heard rushing footsteps as he watched the beautiful Android's fading form.

"Krillin…what the hell was that?!"

He gave a lazy grin.

"Love."

Trunks just stared at the bald man like he had just sprouted another head.

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"So…he's planning a tournament? Like a World Martial Tournament?"

"I don't know Yamcha, I'm only telling you what Trunks guessed before Cell left." Piccolo said as he moved from the ledge of the Lookout.

Yamcha grinned. "Hey if it's anything like the World Martial Tournaments we knew, then there are rules! Rules that-"

"Will most likely be broken without hesitation the second things don't go his way." Bra finished, one leg crossed over the other as she leaned against one of the white pillars.

"Sheesh, I was just trying to be optimistic…" the former Bandit muttered.

Bra rolled her eyes.

"You know, it's cute how you try to be like your father so much." Bulma cooed, giggling softly when her daughter's face became a nice shade of red.

"I so do NOT! I don't even notice that I do these things ya know!" Bra defended, pulling herself from the pillar and crossing her arms with annoyance.

"See, you're doing it again."

Just as the half Saiyan was getting ready to give her mother a piece of her mind, she froze when she heard the double doors begin to creak, her aqua tail uncurling from her waist and dancing with excitement as the doors groaned louder and louder until they were completely open.

Piccolo, Bulma, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha spun towards the entrance, Mr. Popo already at the doors in order to welcome the two Saiyans back.

"But it hasn't been a full day yet! In fact, it's only been half, which means they still have six months left to train!" Piccolo exclaimed with shock.

Bra's expression dropped when she saw the shadow of one person and it was most definitely not the older Saiyan as this person was half his size, meaning that it was-

"Go-Gohan!?" Piccolo whispered when he saw the half Saiyan finally appear into view, utterly astonished at not only how much stronger he has become, but how much he has grown, as twelve hours ago he had still been the small kid that the Namek had become accustom to.

"Hey guys!" The young boy's grin nearly touched his turquoise orbs, his hand rubbing the back of his head sheepishly at all the stares he was receiving.

The only one that wasn't really surprised was Bra, as she had seen pictures of Gohan at this age in her timeline.

"Wh-where is Goku?" Bra asked carefully, not knowing if his feelings towards her had changed since their last encounter.

Gohan's smile disappeared when his sights landed on the Saiyan Princess. Surprising enough, instead of receiving a nasty hateful glare, he gave her a tight small smile. Well…at least it's an improvement.

"He...he's…wait, he's not-" Gohan's voice faded-out as he whirled around, looking back at the darkness. "DAD!? What's taking you so long?!"

"Gohan! I told you to wait until I was done showering so we could go back together!" Goku appeared in the door way moments later…in merely a pair of navy blue boxer shorts, his blond hair slightly damped.

Gohan grinned, giving his father an apologetic look. "Sorry, I was just so eager to get out of there and when you said that we would be leaving now instead of six months later, I just couldn't stay put any longer!"

Upon seeing Goku practically naked, Bulma turned away with embarrassment, as she had been staring at him a little longer than she should have. Baby Trunks gurgled happily at just how red his mother was, his chubby hands clinging onto her shirt.

As for Bra, she didn't bother taking her eyes off of his toned body…that is until Yamcha caught her 'eye raping' the full Saiyan, a teasing smirk gracing his lips when she yelped in surprise, covering her eyes. The former bandit rolled his eyes when he saw her hands slightly part to continue to ogle at the Earth raised Saiyan.

"Goku…would it kill you to at least wear pants?!" Bulma scolded as she finally found the courage to face her longtime friend, making sure to keep her eyes solely on his face. You know, sometimes it scares me on how attracted I am to his body, even years later…my goodness…

"Hey Bulma, I though your Goku drooling days were over." Yamcha teased and just about fell off his feet when the aqua haired woman actually wiped her lips.

Of course Goku was oblivious to the suffering he was causing the two females on the Lookout.

Getting annoyed with the commotion the Saiyan was causing, he shot a clear blast at him, encasing his form within a white aura and in a blink of an eye, Goku was wearing his usual orange gi and dark blue undershirt.

"Aww thanks Piccolo!"

The Namekian snorted, his head lowering to Gohan when he felt him tap his forearm. "What's up kid?"

"I was wondering…if you can give me an outfit that looks just like yours…" The half Saiyan asked meekly.

Piccolo was stunning at the request but was more than happy to grant it. "Sure." His hand extending forward, he placed it above Gohan's head before blasting the same clear energy he had at Goku.

Gohan gave himself a look over, his eyes beaming with delight as he was pleased on how his mentor's outfit looked on him. "Cool! Thanks Piccolo! You're the best!"

"No problem kid." The Namekian said with a smirk before returning his attention to Goku. "So, mind telling me why you deciding it was a good idea to cut your time in the Time Chamber short?"

Though he didn't show it, Goku did indeed feel a little jealous and hurt that his son would rather wear Piccolo's attire than his own. "Well…during one of the last few training sessions, I started to realize that we weren't getting any stronger, so I decided that maybe it would be best that we stop around the sixth month mark, as it felt like we were just wasting our time there."

"So…does that mean you were able to ascend beyond a Super Saiyan?" Yamcha asked.

Goku's eyes darkened, his turquoise orbs briefly looking haunted. Unfortunately, the older Saiyan was able to mask it so quickly, that the only ones who seemed to pick up on it were Bra and Piccolo.

"Yeah…"

"And so did I!" Gohan jumped in eagerly, however his enthusiasm died out almost as soon as it came. "The problem is that I can't maintain it very long…probably less than half an hour at most."

"Damn it! Then why didn't you both stay there for the rest of the time, if there was still room for improvement!" Piccolo growled angrily. "You both just don't realize just how much more powerful Cell has become! While you were both in there, Cell had managed to absorb Android Seventeen, which enabled him to reach his Perfect form! The monster of an Android barely toyed with Vegeta before he took him out. Keep in mind that the entire time, Vegeta was in his ascended state, Bra can attest to that, yet he still was nothing compared to Cell!"

"I'm sorry Goku…if all you and Gohan had managed to reach is Super Saiyan 2, then we are all pretty much screwed." Yamcha said depressingly.

Goku sighed. "And guess what guys? You don't understand how...look while I seemed to hit a rock wall that I just couldn't seem to break through, Gohan was struggling to maintain his ascended form. For some strange reason…Gohan just didn't get any stronger than he currently is! Believe me…we trained for hours, pushed ourselves until we couldn't stand but still…nothing came out of it."

"And what of that weird transformation of his?" Bulma asked.

His orbs darkened the same as it did earlier, choosing to ignore her, which Bulma didn't like one bit.

"Piccolo, I want to talk to you…alone."

Piccolo was taken aback by the serious tone in the older Saiyan's voice, but nevertheless nodded.

"Dad…is something wrong?"

Goku shook his head, giving his son the brightest of smiles. The older Saiyan felt disgusted with himself as it seemed to have worked on not only his son, but everyone else present. The mere fact that he had also fooled Bulma, who he has known the longest out of the group, made him realize that it was becoming easier to lie the more he did it.

Piccolo, the ever observant one, wasn't entirely convinced. He felt like Goku was hiding something, but he figured that he'd find out soon enough since the Saiyan had requested to speak with him privately.

"Nothing to worry about son! Say, why don't you go to your mother's and I'll be there later on."

Gohan's expression lit up almost as bright as a Christmas tree. "You mean…you're going to tell mom how you really feel today?!"

"Well, I've avoided your mom long enough…and I think it's time we talked and we'll see where things go."

And just like that Bra's world ended, the sharpest of knifes cutting the roots of her heart, causing it to fall, fall down deeply into a sea of endless fire. Oh Kami…this hurts a lot more than I thought it would…is this what it feels like to have a broken heart? I don't understand…I-he said that he never had feelings for Chi-Chi as more than a friend. And given on how he responses to my kisses, I was so sure that he feels the same as I do. What has changed? Did he-had he been confused when he spoke those words? Did he realize that he had feelings for his ex-wife after all, while in the Time Chamber? No… this can't be happening...

Bra somehow managed to choke back the sob that was begging to be released, as she was her father's daughter, strong willed just like him. She will not let this affect her to the point that she would be reduced to the likes of those teenage girls or hell even women who cry for endless hours in their rooms', in the dark, while watching cheesy romance flicks and eating a tub of chocolate ice cream. Kami cookies and cream ice cream sounds soooo good right about now…

The instant that Goku spoke those words, Bulma turned to her daughter and her heart cried out to her when she saw just how hard she was trying to not fall apart. As soon as Gohan hugged his dad and took off to see his mother, Goku faced Piccolo once more, jerking his head to the left as an indication for the Namek to follow him.

Yamcha peered towards the Saiyan Princess as he could by one means or another comprehend what she was feeling now. In spite of the fact that Bra hadn't cheated on anyone like he had, she had caused another to cheat on their own partner and well in that since, they were both labeled as the 'bad guy'. Losing Bulma had crushed him, however he knew that he deserved it for his womanizing ways. But in Bra's case…for some reason, I don't think she's completely at fault for this, even if I don't know the full story.

As she watched the older Saiyan and Namekian disappeared behind the Lookout, Bra turned around, her bangs covering her cerulean orbs.

"I'll see you home mom…"

"Wait!" Bulma cried out as she saw her heartbroken daughter leave in a trail of golden light.

I guess in the end, it doesn't matter does it? He was never mine to begin with was he?

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"Okay Goku, what are you not saying?"

The older Saiyan gave the Namek a weak smile. "You could tell huh? Well I wasn't exactly lying when I said that my power stopped increasing after a certain point. Gohan however, he stopped improving after he nearly killed me."

"What?!"

Goku winced. "Sorry, I was rather blunt there. He didn't mean to you know? He had asked me for months that he wanted to know why I cheated on Chi-Chi and whether I have feelings for Bra or not…"

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "Then why didn't you just tell him the truth? Listen Goku, I truly don't understand these emotions you all go through, but don't you think that there are bigger things to worry about? Like Cell?"

"Yeah, because you don't understand 'these feelings' you don't know how it is to have to deal with them. But honestly Piccolo, despite what you say, you actually have a better understanding than I do. I see how Gohan looks at you, you know? He admires you a lot…and-"

"Goku, get to the point."

"Hey, I was getting to that! While in there, I discovered firsthand exactly how much the separation between Chi-Chi and I had affected him emotionally. Piccolo, I had tested his patience, pushed him too far and if I hadn't ascended when I did, I wouldn't be standing here. But I got to tell ya, his power! It's mind blowing! With the amount of power he has, I'm sure he could beat Cell, regardless of how much stronger he has gotten!"

Piccolo made a face, finding it hard to believe anyone could outmatch the Bio-Android now.

"But the problem with his Unstable Super Saiyan 2 form is that he can't-"

"Unstable Super Saiyan 2?"

Goku grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, I needed a name for it so I just named it for what I saw it as." His grin then fell. "You've seen how wild Gohan gets when he's transforming but I'm telling you Piccolo, it's nothing compared to when he's completed the transformation! He's relentless, ever attack is a killing blow. "

"Does he look any different than what we have witnessed thus far?"

"Sort of…you already know about the red lightning bolts and creepy red eyes right? Well the only addition I saw other than his massive power jump, was this strange orange glow that surrounds his body, mostly his hair though, almost like an outline or something."

"So tell me, how is this transformation of any use if he ends up losing base with reality?"

Goku sucked in a breath. "That's the thing, you're right. It is useless. After I ascended, I had probably matched him in power for like five minutes before he surpassed me. Because Gohan doesn't have any control over himself during that state, he can't stop his power from rising. When his power becomes simply too much to handle, it starts to mess with his head. Kami Piccolo, he had transformed like three more times after that, forcing me to knock him quickly as I didn't want a repeat of the first time. Not only that, but it's starting to cause harm to his brain! There were times you know? Times that he would suddenly stop in the middle of a spar with me and just stare at me, like he was lost or something and-"

"Calm down Goku! Gohan's fine right now!"

Goku nodded, his eyes glaring at the tiled floor. Yeah, for now anyways…

"But I think…we don't have to worry about that…"

"Why?"

"Well you see, the fight we had? The only reason why neither of us died was because I had caused our final blast to detonate too early…so we double KO'd. And…he was unconscious for a long time and-and so I've decided that-that-"

"Spit it out Goku!" Piccolo was starting to get irritated with these small anxiety attacks the older Saiyan was having.

Goku's eyes locked with Piccolo's, his turquoise orbs shining with resolve. "He's not going to fight at all Piccolo."

A/N: Hey, don't look at me like that! I'm not good at putting emotions into writing, so yeah that's the best I could come up with. Of course, there is a reason for this so yeah...it's great huh? -_-

Oh, Unstable Super Saiyan 2? I got it from the multiverse comic. Bra in that comic, doesn't have control over her SSJ2 form, so it's kinda like that...but worse.

So there was a piece to this chapter that I took out because no matter where I put the scene, it felt out of place, at least to me. So I decided to make it it's own little short chapter, which I will post soon.

Well thanks for reading guys!

Later!

(Posted: 1-8-2016)

~Gater~