The Book of Atlantis

by Lady-Ravenhawk

Fourteen years of peace have blessed the earth. But all good things must come to an end. A vengeful enemy reappears, shaking the Z-Warriors to their core when one of their own ends up murdered. Hellbent on revenge, Goten sets out with his nephew & Piccolo's daughter to track down the killer with nothing but a book to guide them on the most frightening adventure of their lives.

12. Goten's Haunting Past

Morning couldn't seem to come quick enough for Goten. He was anxious to get out in the daylight and investigate the forest. He kept running over the events of the previous day and night, but he couldn't make sense of any of it. What could those spirits want? Why had they tried to attack? And why had his scars hurt like that? He reached under his shirt and ran his fingertips over the raised lines on his back and shuddered. There was no pain now, only that strangely numb sensation that made his stomach churn.

He was grateful when the sun finally rose, casting a pale light over the tent and he finally ventured outside. He was surprised to see that none of the ground around the tent had been disturbed, other than what he could identify as the tracks from Paige, Phoenix, and himself. Tien had taught him how to track too well, he couldn't have been mistaken. There wasn't a single footprint on the ground that he couldn't account for. He frowned at the ground. This was insanity.

He woke Paige and Phoenix and fixed them a quick breakfast before they packed up their bags. "Both of you stick close to me. I don't know what the hell we might run into in here," he said as he led the way through the spindly trees, many of them tied with the brightly colored tape. He realized then what the tape was for; it was so people could find their way back out of this maddening forest. He could see how it would be easy to get lost in there if someone didn't know what they were doing.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Goten?" Phoenix asked, glancing around as they walked. "I mean, I doubt that bitch is anywhere around here. Of all places she could be, why would she chose to stay in a haunted ass forest? There's gotta be cooler places to hang out than this." Even in the daylight, he could feel that unnatural chill in the air and the overwhelming sadness, the desperation, the feeling of hopelessness. He wasn't used to feeling such things, normally being so lighthearted and carefree. It made his shoulders feel heavy and his heart sink.

"Or maybe that's exactly why she'd be here," Goten countered. "If you wanted to keep people from finding you, wouldn't you find the scariest damn place you could to hide out?" A bright piece of yellow tape caught his eye and he began to walk along beside it, curious as to where it led. It wasn't like they had a direction to follow anyway. One was as good as the next, wasn't it?

Paige kept close to Goten, her power level raised as much as she dared. She kept a small, but powerful energy blast enclosed in her fist as they walked along, following the yellow string. "So what, people come into the forest not sure that they want to die, or that they want to loot corpses and find their way out. Who would want some haunted ass shit? Probably cursed," she said as she jumped over a fallen log. "Didn't your dad give you a compass, Goten? Shouldn't we at least be tracking where we go in case we…" She paused, "Never mind, I think we are already lost."

"Yeah, he did," Goten said and unshouldered his pack to grab the compass. He knew how to navigate his way without one, but in this forest, he was having a hard time figuring out which direction they were going. He frowned at the compass in his hand as it spun. "The hell?" he asked, shaking it and holding it steady again, but it just seemed to spin faster and faster. "Okay, apparently it's not going to work in here." Irritated, he shoved it back in his bag and pulled the straps over his shoulders again.

Paige felt her stomach clench when she saw the needle on the compass spin out of control. "What the fuck? Where the hell are we?" she asked as she looked around. Okay, so creepy feelings aside, it was a fairly nice looking forest. Everything was green, there was moss covering everything, the roots of the trees and even halfway up the trunks. It was a picturesque forest. Save for the brightly colored tape and random nooses hanging from trees. They were all empty, of course, and no corpses beneath them. "How desperate would you have to be to come here and die like this? I mean, is it depression? Seppuku?"

Goten shrugged. "I don't know," he answered. "I guess some people live with things that they just can't handle anymore, you know? You never know what a person is carrying around inside them." He was really starting to hate this forest. It pressed upon his soul, made his heart heavy. He didn't know why it affected him the way it did, but he wanted to get out of there as soon as they could. But still, they couldn't leave yet. He didn't know how he knew it, but Antonia was close. He could feel it deep down in his bones.

"Dude. Dude!" Phoenix gasped and slapped at Paige's arm. "There's someone over there!" He pointed through the misty forest at a silvery figure that seemed to watch them, even though he couldn't make out its facial features. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, but the figure was gone. He looked around, searching for it, and was startled to see it standing in a completely different spot. Again, he blinked, and it moved with an unnatural speed, almost like his grandfather's instant transmission. "Is that another one of those ghosts? I thought they'd go away in the daylight!"

Paige narrowed her eyes as she saw the silvery figure. She would never forget that form. "It's her!" she hissed before she powered up, her aura glowing around with her. Her anger seemed to seep into her blood. "Antonia! Come out and face us like a real warrior! You are such a sore loser, attacking defenseless good people! You aren't making a good name for your kind! It must really boil your blood to have to slink around in the shadows like a cockroach to get anything done. I guess that's the only way you can win, isn't it?!"

Goten turned, his eyes narrowed on the silvery figure. "Are you sure it's her?" he asked, his muscles tensing, preparing for a fight. He dropped his pack to the ground behind him, ignoring the contents as they spilled out over the forest floor. "Come on, bitch! You're so bad ass with a knife, right? How about you attack us?" He felt that rage building up inside him again as images of Dende and Rose's bodies flashed in his mind. "We're not scared of you!"

The figure disappeared again, but this time two figures reappeared in different places, both of them just far enough away to distort any distinguishing features. They didn't move, they didn't respond. They just stood there and stared at the trio.

"The hell kind of magick is this?" Phoenix gasped as he turned, looking around. The hair on the back of his neck stood up straight as a third figure appeared. Then a fourth. "Quit fucking with us! Stop being a coward and fight!" His eyes went wide as all of the figures disappeared. He turned quickly this way and that, but he didn't see anyone. "Now I'm just confused," he grumbled, scratching at the back of his head. "That was her, wasn't it? Antonia?"

Goten nodded as he knelt down and shoved the contents back into his pack. He'd forgotten to close it properly when he'd retrieved the compass. "Let's keep moving. Keep your eyes open. She's still watching us. She hasn't left, I can promise you that."

Paige spat on the ground. "Papaw told me stories. That if your enemy doesn't come for you. If your enemy just watches you to see what you do, they are just waiting. Biding their time. Like hyenas on a desert savannah. They are waiting for the big lion to come and take us down first." She shuddered as she looked around them. "So, what's the big lion in this forest?"

A shiver ran down Goten's spine at her words. "I'm not sure I want to find out," he said. He looked around again, but didn't see Antonia anymore. "Let's keep moving. I don't want to just stand here and wait for something to come pick us off." He moved through the trees again, following the yellow tape. "Although it does raise the question. Are we the hunters now or are we being hunted?"

Phoenix nearly rolled his eyes at his uncle. "Yeah, let's just make this place even MORE fuckin' scary than it already was!" He grabbed the straps of his own pack and tromped unhappily along behind them, casting wary glances around for any sign of Antonia or anything else in the woods that may have been stalking them. He felt edgy, ready for a fight. "I wish that bitch would just attack and get it over with so we can go home."

Paige snorted, "Don't forget, it's probably not just her. There's that Saiyan out here as well. Probably a bit keen on revenge, too." She felt the hair on the back of her neck raise as she heard a bird take off from one of the trees above them. "Fuck this place and fuck Antonia. She's probably going to drag this out, make us tired, scared. Whatever cowardly thing she has planned. These Atlantians don't have much honor, do they?"

"They sure as shit don't," Phoenix agreed. "Hell, they kidnapped you as a baby. What else wouldn't they do? And I hope that sack of shit Saiyan is with her. He wants revenge? I want revenge. That fucker tried to kill me. He won't get away with that shit twice." He kept grumbling to himself, his head on a constant swivel as they walked. He was so worried about watching the area around him, that he didn't pay much attention to what was directly in front of him and the next moment, he gasped out in shock as something wrapped around his neck, choking him. He gave a startled cry and flailed his arms, panicking, but there was no one there to fight back against.

"Phoenix!" Goten cried in alarm and ran back to his nephew. A noose was around the younger Saiyan's neck; he'd walked straight into it. Goten wrenched it from around Phoenix's head and pulled him away from the thick tree branch overhead. "You dumbass! Watch where you're walking! You could've killed yourself!" he shouted, shaking Phoenix harshly.

Paige's eyes widened and looked up into the tree where the noose that had caught Phoenix hung. There was two more hanging right beside it and they all looked pre used, though there were no bodies hanging in them. "Shit, it would be you who walked neck-first into a hangman's noose." She slapped Phoenix's arm, "Nice way to set up an omen. As if we don't have enough bad luck as it is. Fuck! I should have brought some of my mother's things, protections and incense. All that shit."

Phoenix stared at the noose and rubbed at his neck, fighting the urge to cry from fear. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," he breathed shakily. He could still feel the rope around his neck, the way it prickled at his skin. He gasped again, trying to calm himself. "Holy mother of God."

Goten and Paige looked at each other, both of them raising their eyebrows before they looked at Phoenix again. He blinked at the odd looks they gave him. "What?" he demanded.

"You seem to have found your religion all of a sudden," Goten said with a smirk.

Phoenix snorted at him. "It's not my fault. Grandpa on my mom's side was Catholic. She says shit like that a lot, says she picked it up from him. I guess I picked it up from her. You've heard her say it, too. What, am I not being religiously sensitive enough or some shit? Maybe I should call out to other gods just to make sure my ass is covered, huh? Oh Odin, have mercy! Sweet Buddha, save me!" he cried dramatically.

Paige threw her head back and laughed despite their current situation, "Oh dear, I think you forgot a few, but let's not summon any gods. I've heard bad things happen when you involve any one of those things." She sighed and rubbed at her neck, looking up at the nooses. She couldn't explain it, but she was starting feel tired again. As if they had been up for days on end, running marathons and other things like that, "This forest is fucking weird, no wonder she chose this place. It feels like my strength is being sapped."

"Oh Allah!" Phoenix continued on, but paused for a moment. "Wait. What are you supposed to call out to Allah? Jihad or something like that?" He yelped as Goten smacked him upside the head. "Hey, man, don't hit me! I nearly died. You should be nicer to me right now."

"Just shut up and keep walking," Goten said in an irritated tone. He huffed and shook his head as he turned to resume their path. He could've strangled Phoenix for being so clumsy. If they survived this trip, he was sure he was going kill Phoenix when they got home.

They tromped on through the woods, occasionally seeing Antonia appear through the mist. Each time they flew at her, prepared to attack, but each time, she disappeared before they could get too close. They became convinced that she was leading them somewhere, trying to distract or confuse them, to cause them to become even more lost. Twice more, Goten got out the compass, but each time it did the same thing. It just spun erratically in circles.

Goten's breath caught in his chest as he saw a dark figure near a tree and he held out his hand to stop Paige and Phoenix. "Who is that?" he asked. The figure wasn't moving and he couldn't sense a life force from it. "Hello?" he called loudly, but the figure didn't move. He cautiously moved closer, gathering a small sphere of energy in his hand, but he let it dissolve as he neared the person. "Oh gods," he breathed.

Phoenix choked and turned away, retching loudly as he leaned his hands on his knees, trying to stop himself from throwing up. The decaying remains of a man hung by its neck from a jumbled bunch of ratchet straps. The eyes were gone, the lower part of the face hanging with rotted flesh. It was skeletal, the bits of skin that were left were dark, dried. "Why the hell is he still hanging there? Didn't anyone come looking for him?!"

Paige felt sick; this man had been hanging for a long time, that much was certain. "This forest is like an oubliette. People come in here and are forgotten. No wonder they had no reservations about killing themselves," she said as she made a slashing movement with her hand, cutting the noose that held him up, moving and catching the corpse without fear. She eased the remains to the forest floor gently. "We need to lay him to rest. Maybe his soul will find peace in the other world, knowing we cared enough to lay him to rest."

Goten conjured up a small blast and aimed it at the ground, effectively hollowing out a small grave in the dirt. He helped Paige move the body into it before they quickly covered it with earth. He felt sorry for this man, whoever he had been. He sighed and looked up at the sky; the light was starting to wane. "We need to set up camp. We're going to lose the light soon."

"Are you kidding?! I'm not spending another night here!" Phoenix exclaimed. He shook his head violently. "Come on, we can find somewhere else to camp outside of the forest, can't we?" After everything that had happened the night before, he wasn't looking forward to another night of that shit. He wasn't sure he could handle it. "What if those things come back? What if Antonia shows up in the middle of the night and tries to slit our throats in our sleep?"

Paige snorted as she knelt at the fresh grave. "Isn't it obvious? She doesn't have the power to do it here. Otherwise, she would have done it last night before the spirits woke us." She blinked as a thought struck her. "Maybe the spirits were trying to fend her off instead of scaring us?" she suggested. "I don't know, but whatever she has planned, it isn't going to work. Either she would have killed us already, or the spirits would have. Or they are protecting us. I don't know. I think there is something else in this woods besides her and these spirits. Something that she is waiting to kill us and something the spirits are trying to protect us from."

Phoenix raised his eyebrows skeptically. "I seriously doubt those things were trying to protect us," he scoffed. "I'm pretty sure they were trying to get in our tent so they could EAT OUR SOULS."

Goten couldn't stop himself as he snorted with laughter. "Come on, Phoenix. Just one more day here. We might be able to sneak up on her somehow. Obviously we know she's here. There's no point in going anywhere else, is there? I mean, she's the one we're trying to find. We've found her. Now we just have to figure out how to get to her and kill her." He threw his arms around their shoulders and led them away from the fresh grave. "We'll find a spot to camp. Those things didn't get through the tent last night, they won't be able to do it tonight. And we'll take turns keeping watch in case Antonia decides to show up."

Goten finally chose a spot for them to camp and sighed as he shrugged off his pack. It didn't take long to get a little fire going and he dug in his pack for the capsule that contained the extra food he'd brought along for their journey. He sighed in frustration when he couldn't find it. "Oh what the hell," he grumbled, digging further into his pack. His heart skipped a beat when he realized it was gone. "What? It was in here this morning! I know I put it back in my pack." He froze when he remembered that his pack had fallen open earlier that day when they encountered Antonia. "Awwwwww, FUCK," he growled and covered his face with his hands. He must've overlooked the capsule when he was putting his stuff back. "Uh, guys? I sort of lost our food."

Phoenix looked up, his eyes wide. "Are you fucking serious?" He groaned dramatically at Goten's nod. "Well that's just great. Now not only do we have to spend the night freaking out about ghosts, but now we get to starve to death as well. That's just fucking great."

"I've got a few more things in here," Goten said. "I'll come up with something. Just get that damn tent set up."

Paige helped Phoenix get the tent up while she kept looking over her shoulders. "I don't like it here. Now that I know we are being watched..." She growled as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She was so glad she shared a tent with them. She wasn't going to say it, but she was so happy she wasn't alone. She looked over at Goten attempting to cook with what he had. She wasn't so sure he should burn the wood from this forest. Everything had the smell of death to it. "That bitch is definitely here. Death, scary, freaking maze..."

"Are you sure?" Phoenix asked skeptically. "We've been all over this place. I haven't felt anyone's energy but ours. Maybe that was just a ghost and not really her." His stomach rumbled loudly. "Damn, I'm hungry," he whined as he set the stakes for the tent. This trip was starting to wear on him. He didn't like this place either. The bits of clothing they found, the hangman's ropes, the corpse. He gave an involuntary shiver as he and Paige propped up the poles to the tent. "I say we move on."

Paige pressed her lips together. She wanted to go home, she wanted Rose and Dende back. They'd only been at this for a few days and already she was starting to lose track and this forest wasn't helping out; she'd never been so stressed before in her life. "One more day. Then we'll get the hell out of here. She's gonna be in the last place we look." She looked over at Goten, "Any luck with the grub?"

Goten shook his head. Their supplies were drastically low. All they had were a few cans of vegetables and a bit of dehydrated meat, all of which he found at the bottom of his pack from his last camping trip. This soup wasn't going to be much, but at least it was hot and might hold them over until morning. "Eh, it's food," he muttered.

Phoenix crawled into the tent and unrolled their sleeping bags. "You know, I always thought it was funny how people say it's in the last place you look," he said, crawling back out of the tent. "Of course it's in the last place you look! After that, you quit fucking looking for it!"

Goten shook his head again, "You're such a bitch when you're hungry, Phoenix."

Paige laughed, "Its a joke, Phoenix, like, Haha, but I guess," she looked around and rubbed her arms, "Bad time for a joke. Just trying to lighten the mood." She looked at the two Saiyans and bit her lip. "Just give me a few bites of that and you two can have at it. I'll just drink up on the water. Can't have you two bottomless pits plotting my death because I ate the last bit of the food." She went into the tent and unrolled her bedroll, spreading it between the two of the boys. She was tired and she longed for home.

Goten poured the soup into three thermoses and handed one to each of his companions. He sat back, sipping at the hot soup, warily eyeing the woods around him. He didn't like this place at all. It was dark and miserable feeling. Like all the hope had been sucked right out of him. He wanted so bad to be back at his brother's house in his own room. Or at the cabin with his parents. Anything would be better than this wretched place. He swallowed harshly. "I don't know if we should stay another day, Paige. I don't like this place," he said quietly, starting to second-guess himself.

Paige sipped at her soup, feeling warmth spread through her at the taste. "Think we should leave in the morning then?" She had to admit, it was terribly freaking her out, and little did that. She could hear things. Twigs snapping. The faint inhalation of breath. And ever the watching eyes. It was wearing her out, the stress was really wearing them all out.

Phoenix nodded emphatically as he downed his soup and reached for more.

"Yeah, I think we should," Goten said. He could see movement through the sparse, winding trees. Little shimmers of white mist floating here and there. The hair on his arms stood on end. "Hurry up and eat. We need to get in the tent. We'll figure out our next goal and head out at the first light," Goten said.

Paige quickly ate her fill and portioned out what was left between the two boys before she crawled into the tent without a second thought, plopping down on her sleeping bag, trying to remember why she wanted to go back to that hell hole

Phoenix cast a glance into the tent. "See? Even she's spooked."

"Shut up and eat," Goten said and drank his soup down quickly. He got up to kick dirt over the tiny fire and then crawled into the tent where Paige laid, Phoenix quickly following suit. The evening light was nearly gone. Goten crawled inside his bedroll and shivered. "I hate the cold," he muttered.

"Guys do you hear that?" Phoenix asked in a breathless whisper. Twigs were snapping as if someone was walking very close to their tent.

"Shut up and go to sleep," Goten ordered, closing his eyes, trying to ignore the sounds around them.

Paige shivered too. She could hear not only the twigs snapping outside, but voices whispering terrible things. This forest was bad news and she could feel Antonia; she was somewhere out there. Paige pulled the cover around her tighter and tried to go to sleep

"Make them stop," Phoenix whispered, covering his ears and squeezing his eyes shut.

Goten shook his head sadly. Poor kid. Perhaps he was too young to come on this trip. But even Goten was feeling freaked out by the whispers. They knew this place was supposed to be haunted. Before they came into the forest, he wasn't exactly sure if he believed in ghosts or not. Now, there wasn't a doubt in his mind. He prayed they didn't come into the tent. How in the world did you fight a ghost? He closed his own eyes, trying to force himself to sleep. He reached out in the darkness and felt for Paige's hand. He just needed to feel her there next to him. "Goodnight, Paige," he whispered softly.

Paige smiled against all the bad things out in the woods, she reached and grasped Goten's hand, squeezing it tight. She looked over at Phoenix and reached out for him. "Come over here." She smiled and snuggled back nearer to Goten.

Phoenix scooted closer and curled up around Paige, grateful to be closer to them. The tent was small anyway, but in this place, this forest, it didn't seem like much protection from whatever was out there making those horrible noises. He finally gave a long, slow sigh and drifted off to sleep.

Goten gave a small smile as he looked at Paige. "We should'a left him at home," he said quietly, "his snoring is going to give us away for sure."

Paige smiled at her oldest friend. "He'll be fine. His snoring might scare them away. You know, he's like your dad." She snuggled into their embrace, feeling safe. "We need to go camping when we aren't on the hunt of a dangerous murderer. And we aren't surrounded by man eating ghosts." She looked up at him and lifted her hand, soothing the space between his eyes with her fingertip. "Sleep, they'll be gone by morning"

Goten felt his eyes going heavy at her touch and before he knew what was happening, he was sound asleep. It was only a couple hours later that he awoke with a start. He sat up, looking around their small tent. Paige and Phoenix were soundly asleep. Goten rubbed at his eyes. He didn't know what had woken him, but he had the irresistible urge to get out of the tent and look around the woods. He quietly unzipped the door and crawled out, pushing himself to his feet. Everything was dead silent. There were no funny mists, no snapping of twigs, no whispers. Just silence.

Goten began to walk, not knowing where his feet were leading him. It seemed to grow colder as he walked, making him ache all over. Why did he feel so sad? Was it this forest? The spirits of those who had taken their own lives here? It was as if he could feel their despair, their misery. It brought up memories of his own past. All the times Chichi had beaten him, the time spent away from his father in those foster homes. It was overwhelming his senses, he could actually feel that switch again now, the way it burned and tore at his skin. He could taste the bitter senzu beans she forced him to eat.

His head felt heavy and foggy. He'd wandered too far. He needed to get back to the tent. He turned to look back the way he'd come, but he couldn't see the tent. Everything around him looked the same.

Chichi's words were ringing in his ears, "Worthless. Clumsy. Monster. Unwanted." They'd been so close to Antonia how many times that day and every single time, she managed to escape from them. Perhaps he really was worthless. He felt so empty, so lost. He couldn't handle this anymore. He was so tired of the memories. His scars were hurting. All those years being abused by his biological mother, his brother and father never knowing or caring it seemed. How had they not noticed the abuse right under their noses? A bitterness settled into him at the thought. They should've seen it sooner. It should have been his father or Gohan who saved him from that miserable life, not Sabriena. And she hadn't even liked him at the time. Was that why she ended up caring for him? Because she pitied him? Part of him wanted to say no, but he couldn't stop the horrible thoughts that flooded his mind.

A brilliant white light shone through the trees, drawing his attention. "Paige?" Goten sobbed. He hadn't even realized he was crying.

There was a figure in that light... A female... She was hauntingly beautiful, with long white hair and nearly white eyes. She turned and walked slowly towards him, a tiny smile pulling at her lips. Her hair seemed to move with its own wind as she walked. Goten was terrified and entranced at the same time. He felt as though he should run, but he didn't know if he should run to her or away from her. She finally drew to a stop before him and held out her hands. "I'm tired of hurting," he whispered to her, his voice breaking. Rose and Dende were gone, Chichi had never loved him, he was tired and hungry and sore. He missed his brother and his fathers, his mother, all of which he felt like he would never see again. He couldn't go home until this mission was over, and he felt at this rate, it would never end.

Antonia's eyes looked understanding as she held her hands out to him. A shimmering white rope hung from her hands. Goten swallowed as he looked at it and he allowed her to place the noose around his neck. It was heavy and strangely comforting. Tears slid from his eyes. He was frightened and sad, but there was a comfort in what he now felt he had to do. All reason and logic was gone from his mind. All he could hear was Chichi screaming at him and the whistling crack of the switch. All he could feel were the scars across his back burning and stinging as if they were raw and new again. It made him cry even more.

Antonia took his hand in hers, placing the loose end of the rope in his palm and curling his fingers around it. She fixed him with a bewitching stare and slowly started to back away. He stood and watched her go until she faded from sight. He was standing under a large tree with a big, strong branch hanging overhead. He rose into the air, not really realizing what he was doing, and straddled the branch, wrapping the loose end of the rope around the branch, tying it tight.

Paige woke with a start, sitting up straight. Something was wrong. She'd been having nightmares; they needed to get out of the damn forest. She listened carefully, but there was nothing. No sound, no nothing. She shivered and rubbed her arms, looking and seeing Phoenix sleeping. She turned and felt her blood run cold."Goten?" She patted his bedding, "Goten?!" She turned and shook Phoneix awake, "Goten's gone! He didn't go..." Her eyes snapped towards the tent flap which was unzipped. They scrambled for the opening and burst out of the tent to look around. The only sound she could hear was a faint sound of someone stumbling away. "Goten! Goten where are you?! Fuck. Come on Phoenix, this way!"

Phoenix felt like his heart had stopped. Where was Goten? He paused, feeling for his energy. He grabbed Paige's wrist, yanking her with him. "This way!" They ran through the trees, slipping on dead leaves, frantically screaming Goten's name over and over. Something was wrong. Phoenix could feel it. Goten wouldn't wander off and leave them alone like that. Not in a place like this. "GOTEN! GOTEN, WHERE ARE YOU?!" He screamed.

Phoenix scrambled to a stop when he finally spotted Goten, the sight turning his blood to ice. "GOTEN, NOOOO!"

Goten was standing on a branch, a white rope around his neck, the other end tied to the branch he stood upon. His eyes looked hollow and unfocused. He turned his head ever so slowly towards them and tipped it to the side as if he didn't recognize them at all.

"Goten, don't do this! PLEASE!" Phoenix begged, tears flooding his eyes.

Paige felt her heart stop. Not Goten. Not him. "No," she barely whispered. Then louder as she rose up in the air, "NO! Goten don't do this! This forest is making you think these terrible thoughts! Don't jump! You have so much to live for!" His footing was shitty and it looked like he would take that step at any moment. "Please don't! Think of us. We love you, Goten. Don't do it. Think of your family! Goku, Gohan, Lindsey, Sabriena, Tien!"

Goten stared at Paige with unseeing eyes. He lifted his foot...

"NO!" Phoenix shouted.

Goten fell, the slack of the rope singing across the branch. Phoenix ran forward, rising slightly into the air and wrapped his arms around Goten's waist, stopping his fall. Goten was fighting him, kicking and punching as Phoenix struggled to hold him just enough so that the rope couldn't hang him. "PAIGE!" Phoenix bawled, "Untie him! UNTIE HIM!"

Paige's heart was going a thousand miles a minute, barely thinking she flattened her hand out, charged it with energy and slashed at the rope above Goten's head, cutting it in one swoop. Goten and Phoenix fell to the ground and she dropped next to them, dashing over and reaching for the rope around his neck, tugging it off. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Goten blinked, looking around wildly. "Wh-What happened? Paige? How'd I get out here?" He looked at Phoenix who was sobbing, still holding onto him. Goten's neck felt scratchy and he looked at the rope in Paige's hands. The girl... There had been a girl... Antonia. "What the hell are we dealing with, here?" Goten asked quietly, looking around.

Phoenix's fear was quickly being replaced with anger. He gave Goten a hard shove. "The fuck is wrong with you?!" he screamed, his voice breaking on a sob. He couldn't seem to catch his breath. Had Goten really just tried to take his own life? He was so scared and angry in that moment, he couldn't see straight. He wanted to punch and hug Goten at the same time. He couldn't picture his life without his uncle, who was much more of a brother to him than anything. "The fucking hell were you thinking?!"

Goten shook his head, "I don't know. I just... the memories... it was too much." He could feel tears welling in his eyes. Oh gods, what had he almost done? He felt sick with himself.

Paige threw her arms around Goten and cried as she held him tight. She didn't know what they would have done if he had been successful, what she would have done without him. She had always had him. He was always by her side no matter what. "What in the world happened to you that was so painful you wanted to leave us? Leave me? Goten, don't you ever scare us like that again!"

Goten clung to Paige as she wrapped her arms around him. He couldn't tell her the things that had happened to him. He remembered at one point begging the adults in the family to never speak of it again and as far as he knew, they had all honored his wishes. Even Phoenix didn't know what Chichi had done to him. He choked and turned his face into her neck, shaking his head as he squeezed his eyes shut against the tears. "I can't tell you," he whispered. "I'm sorry, Paige."

Paige felt as if he had slapped her. There was nothing he couldn't tell her, not one thing. He could tell her about all of his dates, his cooking recipes, what his parents were up to. She thought she knew everything there was to know about him. She wanted to protest, to say that he could tell her anything and she wouldn't think any less of him. The Namek had half a mind to think this had to do with his future in cooking and telling his parents about his wishes, but that wasn't anything to die over. "Come on, let's get back to the…" She trailed off as she looked up, her heart pounding in her chest, there were spirits all around them, walking on the ground. Ghostly, shimmering beings with hollow eyes and gaping mouths. "Shit."

Phoenix felt like his breath had been stolen away as he looked around at the ghosts. "Oh fuck," he gasped, forcing himself to his feet as he tugged at Paige and Goten. "We have to get out of here! Goten, get up! We have to get back to the tent!"

Goten let Phoenix haul him to his feet, still feeling dazed and upset, not understanding what had happened. He blinked, trying to clear his mind. The sight of the ghosts all around them seemed to do the trick and he grabbed both of their hands, commanding, "RUN!" They tore out through the trees, running for all they were worth back to the tent. It had to have been sheer luck that they found it again, Goten had wandered so far away from their camp. He dared to look back over his shoulder as they ran. The ghosts were drawing closer, starting to cry out and moan again just as they had the night before. He all but threw Paige and Phoenix into the tent before he dove in after them. He turned to zip the tent shut, but his hands were shaking so bad he could barely manage it. "Paige! Get out that damn book and see if you can stop these things!"

Paige scrambled for the book, fumbling as she pried it open. She paused only to turn up the light from a small lantern they had so she could make out the words on the pages. "Come on, dammit. Come on. Something to stop ghosts, spirits, whatever the fuck those things are," she sputtered out as she frantically turned the pages. "Dammit! Don't they have an index for this shit?!" Her eyes widened as the light from the lantern started to flicker dangerously, as if it were on the verge of going out. "FUCK."

"Paige, hurry up!" Phoenix pleaded, moving to shove his uncle aside. He grabbed the zipper, a scream catching in his throat at the sight of the ghosts closing in on them. He yanked it shut and scooted back away from the door just as hands began to press in on the material, shaking the tent yet again. "Fuck this shit! I'm ready to go home! Paige, do something, PLEASE!"

Goten dug frantically in his pack, searching for a backup flashlight as the little lantern flickered again. "Dammit, dammit, dammit," he cursed, flinging aside clothes and survival items, his hands shaking so bad they barely worked. "Paige, HURRY!" He finally grabbed the flashlight and clicked it on, but nothing happened. "Shit," he hissed, banging it against his palm as the lantern flickered again. "Come on you stupid thing. Work!"

"I need light! Don't you guys have energy left!? Do something!" She turned the pages, by sheer force of will she was still reading them, trying to find something, "HERE!" She said, her heart leaping in her chest as she found something that said a circle of protection, "I need light, dammit!" She said as she squinted at the words, trying her best to ignore the shaking tent, the moans of the spirits. She began to read aloud the spell that was written down, her words fumbling as the light finally gave out.

Goten did the only thing he could think of in that moment and gave a scream as he transformed into a super Saiyan, flooding the tent with light. He wanted out of that forest, to get as far away from that place as possible. But there was no way they could escape with all of those spirits surrounding them. He thought briefly of abandoning everything and flying as far away as possible, but spirits could fly too, couldn't they? He didn't know and he didn't want to risk it to find out. He looked at Paige and pointed at the spell. "Do it!"

Paige could have kissed him in that moment, but quickly read through the rest of the spell, finishing it with a definitive, "SO MOTE IT BE!" She practically screamed. The result was instantaneous and a warm, soft light spread from the book growing outward to encompass the entire tent, pushing the spirits away as they were placed in a protective bubble of golden light. The shaking of the tent stopped and a warm feeling of peace and safety fell over them. Paige was shaking so badly as the spell worked, nearly falling over on the ground from the sheer relief she felt flooding her system. "Thank the Goddess."

Phoenix gave a whimper of relief and collapsed, his head landing in Paige's lap. He wiped at his eyes as he shook all over. "Oh my gods," he gasped and rolled to his back, staring up at the tent roof. "I think I just about pissed myself." He moved to prop himself up on his side and fixed both Paige and Goten with the most serious gaze he'd ever used in his life. "We are leaving first thing in the morning and we are NEVER coming back to this fucking place. You hear me? NEVER."

Goten nodded his agreement and wrapped his arms around Paige, fighting the urge to tear up again. "Thank the Goddess for YOU," he breathed in her ear and kissed her jaw as his hair fell back to its normal black. He was trembling with fear, still confused as to how he'd ended up in the forest. His head hurt terribly, but his heart ached even worse. Now he understood why those people had come to this place to end their lives. And he understood why his scars hurt. There were some things that were just too much for people to bear. Every scar on his back was a painful reminder of what he'd suffered through as a child, of how much hatred Chichi had for him, of the bitterness he kept hidden away that the adults in his life hadn't figured it out sooner. And he'd nearly let that overcome him to the point of taking his own life. "Paige, I'm sorry," he choked out as he held on tighter to her.

"You're damn right you are sorry," she said as she hugged him tighter, but her words lacked the bite behind them. "I just wished you trusted us enough to tell us what weighs so heavily on your mind," She lightly slapped his arm. "We care about you, you thick headed Saiyan," she said before she reached out and pulled Phoenix into their embrace. "I won't miss this place. I think Antonia is following us now. Biding her time, waiting to strike. Maybe she's going to wait until we find the right place, her main stronghold before she takes us out. Or maybe try to pick us off, one by one."

"I think you're right," Goten answered quietly. "It seems like that's what she tried to do tonight. She tried to get me to off myself. She was the one who handed me the rope." He shuddered violently, but wanted to kick himself the next moment. He was that close to her and he hadn't even tried to fight her, to take her out. It was the perfect opportunity and he had missed it. "She must've had me under some sort of spell. That's the only thing I can think of." He sighed and leaned in to Paige even more, hating himself for keeping something from her. There was nothing else in his life he had ever hidden from his best friend, but he couldn't tell her that. He couldn't stand to see that look of pity in her eyes.

Phoenix leaned into them as well, his breathing eased as he relaxed. He felt warmer than he had the entire trip and he finally felt safe. Whatever spell Paige had cast was definitely working. "So what's the plan? Wait until daylight and then get the hell outta dodge? Where do we go next?"

Paige pulled back from them to pull the spell book back into her lap. "At least the lantern seems to be working now," she said as she turned it up and flipped to the back of the book, looking at all of the different areas listed. "I'd say not some fucking creepy place, but then we might be shit out of luck. All kinds of weird phenomena seem to happen around these areas." She looked around, "You boys can get some sleep, there's no way I'm getting back to sleep. Maybe we should go somewhere for a few days. Not haunted or anything, just to make sure we have our heads about us."

Phoenix gave a nod and crawled into his sleeping bag before he curled up next to Paige. His eyes were heavy and he yawned deeply before he drifted off to sleep. Goten fell on his side and grasped Paige's hand as he stared up at her. There was so much he wanted to say, to apologize over and over for what he'd almost done, but somehow he couldn't form the words. He dragged his thumb over her knuckles, fighting the lump in his throat. He sat up again suddenly and kissed her lips, trying to convey how much he cared about her and that he was sorry he'd hurt her like that, keeping a secret from her and almost leaving her.

Paige felt her heart leap in her chest, the pain and sorrow she could feel in him as he kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him close as she kissed him back. She wanted to give him whatever comfort he could handle in that moment. She wanted him to trust her, to help him shoulder the burden of whatever it was he was keeping a secret. She carefully pulled back a moment later, resting her head against his, looking into his dark eyes, trying to understand.

Goten lifted his hand to cup her cheek, drawing his thumb across the smooth, pale green skin. He could see the concern in her eyes, the way she was trying to read him, to figure out what it was he had kept from her all these years. He blinked his eyes slowly, part of him wanting to tell her and the other part screaming at him not to. He was grateful in that moment that she hadn't inherited her uncle's ability of reading minds, although he suspected her sister had. "It was a long time ago and it doesn't matter now. That bitch just got in my head. That's all, Paige. Don't worry about me," he said softly, daring to nuzzle his nose against hers. "I'm alright."

Paige sighed against him, feeling a warmth curling around her heart at the tender gesture. "You'd better be, Saiyan," she teased him as she slid her fingers into his hair, lightly scratching at his scalp affectionately. "Just, you know…" She trailed off. "You can tell me anything and I won't think any less of you, you know?"

Goten purred slightly as she played with his hair and a small smile tugged at his lips. "I know. That's what I love about you," he answered before he kissed her lightly again. With a sigh he pulled back and laid down, giving her a pouting look. "Are you sure you don't want to try to get some sleep? I think that spell will hold. I don't know if I can fall asleep without someone to cuddle. And I'm not cuddling him," he said, wrinkling his nose at Phoenix.

Paige grinned. "Oh come on, it'll be so cute," she said before she looked around, the spell felt strong and she had no doubt that it would hold the rest of the night. "Oh fine, fine. You charmer. You just want me in bed again," she said, giving him a wink. The warmth from the spell had to be working if she was feeling better enough that she felt like joking. "Sorry, there's no off switch for this," she said, pointing at her mouth as she closed the book and laid down next to him.

He couldn't stop himself from wagging his eyebrows at her. "No off switch on your mouth, huh?" he snickered. "If I wasn't so exhausted and thoroughly freaked out right now, I would put that to the test." He pulled her into his sleeping bag with him and zipped it up around them, sighing contentedly at the extra warmth. "Maybe we should take a day or two to rest, resupply since I lost all our fucking food. I'm sorry I brought us to this place." He kissed her forehead as he wrapped his arms around her, feeling more at peace than he had since the day of the tournament.