Ch 36

Goten was nervous as he sat with his family. Videl came into the room and set down, looking around the room. She loved her family so much and felt it was her mission to get them back on track as a happy family.

"Videl, may I say something?" asked Goten.

"Of course Goten, go ahead."

"I love Trunks. I think I always have, but he loved me first. It's whom he is inside that I fell in love with, not the fact that he's male. I want more than anything for our relationship to be accepted by everyone in the room, but I know that's just wishful thinking. What I want to know is why? Trunks has been nothing but good to me even before we became a couple."

"I was raised with traditional family values. Man and woman meet, they fall in love, they get married, and have children. I don't know anything else. I don't want to know anything else. I just don't think Trunks is the right person for you honey. You may be happy now but what about the future? He's possessive and controlling. He's had many before him in his bed. You have no other experience. Besides, I'm scared that he'll hurt when he decides to move on with other women," said Chichi.

"You can't possibly now what my future holds mom. I know Trunks like the back of my hand he would never hurt me like that. He loves me and as hard as hat is for you to accept that, it's truth. He always had and always will."

"How many times do you think he's said I love to get all those women into bed?" asked the Ox King. "You can be saved. It's not to late Goten."

"I don't need to be saved grandpa! Besides, I'm mated to him. There's nothing mom or you can do. Our bond is more powerful than you can fathom."

"THAT family has tainted you," said the Ox King. "Can't you see it?"

"You can say anything you want about me but don't you dare bring them into this. They are a part of this family to whether you like it or not."

"I won't even acknowledge them as such," said the Ox King.

"Well I will," said Pan as she stood up. "They've always been there for us. We've fought side by side against the forces of evil. Heck they were family before Goten and Trunks fell in love."

"I will to," said Gohan as he stood beside his daughter. "Vegeta taught me about my heritage. Bulma helped me find what I wanted to be when I grew up. Trunks challenged me on an intellectual level. Not to mention the fact that he's like another brother to me. Bulla is like a little sister to me, and she's great about giving advice about relationships."

"I do to," said Goku. "I know each of them as individual, and I know them together. They love each other, they love Goten, and I love them. It would be stupid to cut off your son," he said as he looked to his wife, " and your grandson," he said as he looked to the Ox King. "You're being selfish. Goten's happy and in love with someone who loves him back, someone who would put himself on the line to protect him. It shouldn't matter if he's male or female. Goten's happiness is all that should matter."

"Wow, I couldn't say it better myself Goku," said Videl as she looked at her mother in law and the Ox King. "It's something for you two to think about. Time is up for today."

Goten took off into the sky towards the city. The air felt good on his face, and he hoped his mother and grandfather could understand what he had with Trunks was not just a phase. He was going to be with Trunks forever, and it didn't bother him. It felt right in his life. He was happier than he ever thought he could be.

Flying towards Capsule Corporation, he hoped he could get Trunks out of the office for some lunch, so they could relax and talk. He felt like walking the rest of the way as he found a deserted alley to land in. Before he walked out of the alley, he sensed someone behind him, coming towards him.

"What do you want?" Goten asked as he looked over his shoulder to see a figure dressed in black. He sensed another person in front of him. As he turned to face the figure, another came out of nowhere and knocked the raven-haired man to the ground. Before he could get up and fight back, he felt a twist in one arm as a bracelet made its way securely on his wrist. Immediately he felt a change in his body as he stood up to see five men surrounding him. "What's the meaning of this!" he demanded.

"You won't be able to fight back now."

Goten could feel his heart pounding as he looked at the bracelet. 'This looks a lot like Bulma's ki bracelet, but it's not.' Coming back from his mind, he realized the men were moving to attack. "What do you want from me? If it's money, you can have my wallet."

"We don't want your money boy. We're here to kill you," said one of the men.

"I'm not going down without a fight, regardless of this bracelet, which you obviously stole from Bulma Briefs' lab and found a way to copy the original ki bracelet."

"Oh, looks like we got a smart one boss. Lets beat it out of him," said another man.

Goten took his stance. 'I may not be saiyan strong, but I'm not about to let five guys get the best of me.' He took a breath in and then let it out.

Unconscious, beaten, bruised, bloody, and left in the alley to die, people walked by, not giving him a second thought. He was just another poor, dead man who couldn't get his life together before it was too late, but that was no the case.

Raven eyes opened to his surroundings. He could feel ever inch of his body screaming in pain. Trying to sit up, he cried out but managed to lean himself against the brick wall of a low life apartment building. He let a breath in, which hurt and let out, which hurt even more, and he knew he needed to stand up and find help.

Closing his eyes, he searched out Trunks. 'Ok, I hope this works. I know my bond with Trunks is saiyan, but we've been connected ever since I was born. 'He—here goes nothing,' he sighed. 'Trunks, Trunks! I need help. Please here me! I need you to come and get me.' He waited, and he became afraid that Trunks didn't hear. 'Maybe, we're not as bonded as I—

'Chibi! Where are you?'

'I'm in the city. Hold on,' he said as he took a few steps to see the street and apartment number. I—I'm at 92 South Satan Street.'

'I'm coming chibi hold on! Why can't I sense you?'

'Yo—you'll find out soon enough,' said Goten as he felt his legs give way to the ground. He soon passed out afterwards.

'Chibi, CHIBI!' Trunks screamed. 'Come on chibi, Goten wake up, I'll be there soon.' He increased his speed.

Goten felt himself being carried and a sudden fear came over him until his eyes connected with the familiar blue eyes of his mate. He knew he could get lost in those eyes that drew him in so intensely. "Tr—Trunks."

"You're going to be all right chibi," Trunks said as his eyes softened.

"I—I tried to fight them off the best I could," he said as he rested his head in the warmth of his mate's clothed torso. "The bracelet."

Trunks took off with his mate into the sky. Satan hospital was close by. "We'll figure it out chibi," he said as he looked down at his mate. "Right we need to get you to the hospital, figure out what happened."

Goten's wounds were taken care of, his surgeries were over, and now he was lying in a hospital bed with his mate sitting by his side. A detective came to take his account of his attack and left, leaving the two demi-saiyans alone.

"Do you want me to call your parents?" asked Trunks.

"Not yet," said Goten. "I—you're so calm."

Trunks smiled. "I didn't think it would help the situation, but I still feel the anger inside. I just—I'm going to kill whomever did this. They won't get away with it I promise you!"

"You're not going to kill anyone Trunks!" Goten yelled.

"Oh why not?"

"You'll lose everything if you go to jail. Let the cops handle this."

"They're incompetent pricks!"

"Well if you want to investigate yourself, you have to promise not to kill the bastards because if you do, then I lose you and I love to much to see you got to prison for me."

"All right chibi," Trunks said as he watched Goten move over with difficulty to let Trunks sit beside him. "Are you sure?" Goten nodded as Trunks made himself comfortable beside his mate and held him the best he could without hurting him.

"How could I let myself get jumped like that Trunks? I'm smarter than that. I should have been able to beat them."

"They must have stolen the prototype from the lab. I just wonder how it happened. My mom's house has the best security system in the world."

"I don't know but a few days ago Mr. Rex came by to talk to me."

"I know. You left your mind open, so I kind of listened in. Now that I think about, it all makes sense but who would have access to my mom's lab besides mom, me, dad, and my sister?"

"What about your grandmother?"

"No, my grandfather never let her have access. Besides she's locked up in jail."

"So what part makes sense?"

"I think Mr. Rex had someone break in and steal my mom's ki bracelet. He had his men try to kill you because your hurt is son by rejecting him. Of course we have no proof of that but I think I should make some calls."

"Ok," said Goten as he felt Trunks kiss him tenderly on the forehead.

"I'm going to take care of you chibi. They won't get away with hurting you."

"I love you Trunks," he said as he kissed him on the cheek, closed his eyes, and snuggled up to Trunks as he fell asleep.

They were discharged from the hospital a few hours later.

Goten woke up in an extremely extravagant hotel room on the biggest bed he had ever seen in his life. Suddenly, he began to panic at the unfamiliar surrounding until he heard the voice of his mate in another part of the room. He felt his body relax again as he sat up in bed, leaning against the comfortable pillows behind him.

Looking at the bracelet on his wrist, he frowned. 'I'm not use to feeling this weak. It feels weird,' he sighed, 'I won't recover as quickly as I use to. Man, I'm so sore.'

"Hey chibi," said Trunks as he walked into the room, lying beside him on the bed, and took his mate's arm to inspect the bracelet. "It looks like an exact copy of my mom's ki bracelet with some other functions."

"Can you take it off? I mean I tried, but I thought—

"I called my mom. She's coming over here. I had to tell her Goten."

"I understand Trunks. I just wish I could put this whole thing behind me. I wish I could just forget it ever happened. Anyway, how was your day?" he asked.

"Mom and I went to see my grandpa's body before he was turned into ashes. She cried in arms. It was a hard sight to look at. I hardly recognized him." He felt his mate rub his back, and it felt good as he smiled at Goten. "You know I think about all the times the Dragon balls were used for frivolous wishes, and I know they can never be used again. I just wish my grandpa was alive. I wish I would have visited more."

"I'm so sorry for your loss Trunks," he said as he leaned his head on Trunks' shoulder.

A knock came to the door, which made Goten jump. "Don't worry chibi, it's just my mom," he said as he opened the door to see the sadness in his mother's face. "Mom."

"I'm glad you called Trunks," she said as she sat on the bed, taking Goten's wrist in her hands as she inspected the bracelet. She took out her tools and started to investigate the bracelet. "It's my bracelet all right, but it has some new features."

"Like what?" asked Goten.

"A time limit, now that's just cruel. It's set to," her eyes widened, "a year!"

"A year!" exclaimed Goten and Trunks.

"You mean you can't remove it?" asked Goten.

"Why not just blow it up?" asked Trunks as a ki ball formed in his hand.

"For one thing you'll blow my hand off Trunks!" exclaimed Goten.

"I'm so sorry Goten. This is my entire fault. If I hadn't made—

"Bulma, I don't blame you at all and I never will. There's no way you could have known this was going to happen."

"Does your family know?" she asked.

"Not yet, I guess I should call them. I'm sure you've told Vegeta and Bulla," he said as Bulma nodded when another knock to the door made Goten flinch.

"Dad, Bulla," Trunks said as he let them in.

"We wanted to make sure Goten was ok," said Bulla as she turned to her brother. "Trunks this room is so tacky."

"What? I like it. It's the best hotel in Japan. Plus it has the greatest views," said Trunks as he turned from his sister to his mate, who was struggling to get up. "Goten, what are you—

"I want to see the view," said Goten as he looked out the huge window and his eyes lit up in amazement. "Wow, you're right Trunks!"

"What did I say? Best view ever," said Trunks, as he looked right at his mate.