:*: Trunks' Lead :*:

The cafe was empty for a Friday night. To Bra's satisfaction, it was a distant location from Nagoya campus. She was less likely to see anybody from school, meaning less whispers and glares. She loosened her scarf from her neck upon entry into the cafe, peeking around for the female who invited her here.

"Bra, over here!"

To her left, she caught Valese's hand waving her over.

"How are you holding up?" She asked with concern etched on her face as Bra slid into the booth and adjusted her purse next to her.

Bra shrugged as she considered a response. "I... It's all such a nightmare... Valese, this can't be true. This couldn't have happened. Why?"

Valese sighed. "He wasn't who you thought he was, Bra. Even when we were dating, he liked to get... rough..."

Valese hesitated to go on as Bra's blue eyes narrowed. "He's not who I think he is? I've known him a hell of a lot longer than you. Don't you dare insinuate that you know Goten better than I do."

"Oh? So you've been intimate with him?"

Bra bit her lip as the rage began to simmer out. "Well... no... But we've connected on a level higer than what the two of you had."

Valese huffed. "Bra, honey," Valese balled her fists, reminding herself to stay on task, regardless as to what insults the female across from her uttered. "Goten told you some pretty awful things about me, didn't he. He painted me to be this crazed, snobby, clingy girlfriend so that when this day came and he finally got caught, my word wouldn't be credible. He made one big mistake, however. He dragged you into it." She grew less tense as Bra sat there in silence, suggesting that she was now having second thoughts on Goten's character. "Whenever I tried to resist, he would tell me about other girls he was interested in who would sleep with him in a heartbeat. You were one of them. That's why I disliked you so much. He made me that way. You can understand where I'm coming from, can't you?"

Bra shifted uncomfortably, a stoic expression remaining on her features.

"Well, now he got his wish. He finally got to take advantage of both of us. Unfortunately for him, he got caught. We have to stick together, Bra. You're not my enemy anymore. You never were. He was." Valese gathered the nearest napkin into her hands as she dabbed feigned tears from her eyes. "I know it's a lot for you to take in, but we need you on this trial. That day you went to the hospital, did Goten get tested?"

Bra shook her head. "No."

"That doesn't seem suspicious to you?" She watched in victory as tears began to brim Bra's eyes. "They found nude photos of us and a bottle of roofies under his mattress, Bra. What more do you need? He's been caught, and we're both stuck in the middle of it. We'll get through this together, don't worry."

xXxXxXx

Sixteen days. Sixteen days enclosed in a five by five concrete cell, his only view of the outside world through a twelve inch window displaying the nearby dumpsters. No calls allowed in or out, no visitors. The men next door to him were one of his few sources of socialization, and even that became uncomfortable after hearing the dick tugging and anal intercourse night after night. Not all of them were as sexually driven as the fellows next door. Then again, he was on the rape unit, how nice could these guys be? They got one hour of outdoor privileges consisting of weights, crafts, or basketball. Goten wanted to avoid as much contact as possible, so weights it was. Every now and then he'd peek in on the crafts area. He missed his sketchbook and the freedom of drawing any of the magnificent structures that crossed his imagination. It finally dawned on him that he may never be able to see one of his structures manifested before him. What if he were convicted? Stuck here for the rest of his prime adult years?

He felt himself shaking with anger, sadness, hopelessness, anguish. This was it. Two victims were against him, one of which he thought was his friend. "Bra..." Even he began to doubt his innocence. What if he were capable of having sex with two girls at once? After all, that's every typical guy's dream, right? He scoffed at his thoughts. Not this guy. He thought to himself.

The roofies, the pictures, both under hid bed. He was set up, he had to have been. But by who? And why? The only people under his roof with access to his room are Trunks and Pan. And since New Years, the only visitors they'd had were Bra. Then those few minutes that Tundra and Mattis came over to use the restroom. Nothing made sense anymore.

Goten was beginning to lose it.

And finally, after sixteen days of incarceration, as he sat against the concrete wall of his bed, his knees folded towards his chest, tears of despair began to fall one after one.

xXxXxXx

"Miss Briefs, I cannot tell you how delighted I am that you've decided to help us put this creep away." The attorney shook Bra's flaccid arm with a firm handshake. Her face was expressionless. She had no verbal response for him. "Now, I'll get you up to speed on what Miss Karuben and I have discussed, then we'll get a history on your interactions with this guy, what you remember from that night, then go from there."

Bra sat across from Valese in a well furnished office overseeing the city of Satan's high end district. She didn't know what to believe. How credible was Valese's story about her abusive relationship with Goten? And the evidence under his bed, that should be enough to convince her that he was guilty, but Bra couldn't let go of all the fond memories she had of him. The feelings that she continues to feel for him.

Even Trunks had said that Valese was full of it. He didn't buy her abuse story one bit, then again, none of this made sense to him either. Why were they in this predicament. What was the motive? And why Goten?

Pan poked her fork through her food, similar thoughts on her mind as well. It was hard to get through every day without him around, knowing that he was locked up in some cell being accused of such a vicious act. She stirred from her thoughts as her eye caught Trunks abruptly looking up from his plate, his eyes seemingly fixed on the wall across from him in deep thought.

"Trunks, what is it?" She looked at the wall as well, then back to him, unable to decode his sudden infatuation with the wall clock.

"That morning..." He began, trailing off as he dove back into thought.

"What morning? What're you thinking about?"

"Goten..."

"Yes?!" Pan was shouting now, urging him to complete his sentences.

He rose from his chair, pacing about the kitchen now. "Goten and I were about to go to the gym."

"Uh-huh, and?" Pan remembered that day crystal clear.

"Those two girls came over, Tundra and... ah, I can't remember the other one's name." He remembered Tundra from the cheerleading squad the previous year that he had played football.

"You and Goten had two girls over?" Pan's eyes narrowed.

Trunks threw his hands up in defense. "No, no, no, it was nothing like that. They're friends of Goten's I guess. They came to use the restroom or something. My point is, Tundra. She used the restroom in Goten's room. I walked by and she was messing with the blanket at the foot of his bed, like she had messed it up doing something. Her initial response was... well," a light blush crept to his cheeks. "she had gotten period blood on his bed..."

Pan dismissed his disgust as he uttered the words 'period blood'. "She came to use the restroom? She shouldn't have even been on his bed. And how convenient that hours later police find evidence under his mattress?"

"Pan, it's just a theory. I mean, why would they do that?"

Pan rose to her feet now, pacing the floor while he stood still watching her. "Trunks, Goten is in jail for raping Valese and Bra. Right now, we have nothing. There is no reason, the victims don't even add up. We need to investigate any lead that we can at this point."

Trunks followed Pan to his bedroom as she grabbed her cell from his dresser. "Who are you calling?"

"The smartest man that I know, duh... Dad?... It's Pan, I may have a lead."

xXxXxXx

Day 17. Goten awoke to the unit bell clanging, alerting the inmates that breakfast was ready to be served. Goten ran his cheap prison-issued toothbrush over his teeth and splashed water upon his face. Breakfast went as it always did. He sat at his usual table among other inmates that kept to themselves. Every now and then one would have some smart comment about some guy across the table, or crack some story about one of his previous shenanigans, but for the most part it was silent.

He was grateful that Vegeta had made sure that Goten had his own cell, but every now and then he wished he had someone to talk to.

As his dark orbs glanced around the cement floor for the thousandth time that morning, they fell upon black boots standing in front of his cell. He couldn't fight the small smile that toyed at his lips as he finally set eyes on a familiar face.

"Vegeta..." He said almost in disbelief.

He wore his usual scowl, clad in his black jumpsuit, handcuffs dangling from his hand. He scoffed. "You've been here seventeen days, brat. You look as if you've been here an entire year." Vegeta didn't show it, but he hated the way Goten looked and felt, hell, he hated the whole situation he was in. Even he couldn't figure it out. He had shared conversations with both of his children as well as the Son family, all of them trying to fit any pieces that they could together, yet they had nothing.

"To your feet." He ordered.

When the guard's issued this order, it was usually for the weekly cell check. The inmates had to stick their hands through the cell gate while the guard slapped cuffs on, then stand against the wall while they searched the small area.

Goten wondered why Vegeta was doing the check today, but didn't ask any questions. After the cuffs were clipped on, he stood against the wall as the routine normally went and waited for Vegeta to search the cell.

The gruff warden slid the metal gate open, and waited. "Let's go, Son."

Goten eyed him, confusion washing over him. "Am I being moved?"

"Your brother's waiting for you in the entry hall. You made bail."