Goten awoke to the sharp prod of Nadia's boot against his foot. He started awake and blinked up at her. "Aw shit, I was supposed to help you keep watch," he groaned, feeling stiff from laying on the hard stone floor. He didn't know how long he'd been asleep, but the air was cooler and the passageway was darker. It had to have been close to sunset, if not past it already. He sat up and stretched with a yawn, his muscles aching. He rubbed at his face as the memory of the day came back to him. He blinked up at Nadia for a moment before he grabbed his boots and pulled them on. Thank the gods they had dried out while he slept. "Look, about what happened earlier, we can't do that again. It was awesome, really, but I just can't." He paused and looked up at her, unable to read her expression. "I know it didn't mean anything to you either, sooooo… are we cool?

Nadia snorted, mock punching him in the arm. "It meant the world to me and now, I am going to rip your throat out..." She trailed off but couldn't keep the smirk from tugging at the corner of her lips. "Any dolt with two eyes could see you two pining for each other. She just needed a push to help her realize that," she said, fixing her leather sleeve. "But you were one of the best I've had since I became, you know, undead."

Goten felt the blood returning to his face when he realized she was teasing him. He rubbed at his face with both hands and chuckled before he looked up at her again. "Don't mess with me like that when I first wake up," he said as he finally got to his feet. "You were pretty awesome yourself," he said quietly to her. "Definitely the best I've had." He leaned over and shook Paige's shoulder to wake her before he poked at Phoenix. "Get up, guys. We gotta get moving."

Phoenix groaned and forced himself to get up, moving about to gather his stuff as he grumbled under his breath. "So what are we looking for this time?" he asked as he tugged the straps of his pack onto his shoulders. "I'm game for anything as long as it's not more damn dolls."

Paige woke with a start, blinking up at Nadia and Goten before she forced herself to sit up, rubbing at her hair a moment before she pulled the book over to her and opened it up. She breathed in deeply the scent of the old parchment and leather and thumbed through the back section until she reached the part about the upper kingdoms, more specifically Egypt. "Looks like there's an artifact, an ancient item. Looks like a ring of some sort. Says it can protect the wearer against magickal forces. That could come in handy. Antonia might have come here to get it to keep it from us though."

Goten gave a nod. "If she's traveling to all these places, she might know about it. If she hasn't found it yet, it'd be best if we got our hands on it first." He debated for a moment, trying to decide the best course of action. "I don't like the idea of splitting up, but we could cover more ground that way. We could break off into pairs. I don't want anyone going anywhere alone. It's too dangerous."

"Whatever you say, boss," Phoenix teased. He snickered at the look Goten gave him. "What? You don't like that? I thought it would feed your ego." He cringed as Goten punched his arm and pouted as he rubbed his bicep. "Well I'm not going anywhere with YOU. Cranky bastard."

Goten rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. You go with Nadia, then," he said. He wasn't about to go off with the vampire after what had happened earlier. He wasn't going to give Paige any reason to doubt him. He looked to her then. "So where should we start, Paige? Here in this temple? Or somewhere else?"

Paige shook her head. "It's here. The portal dropped us off at the right place. Go figure. I want to know who set those things up. What connects the portals. Friend? Foe? I don't like it so far." She huffed and turned the book around. "This shows a detailed picture of what this thing is supposed to look like. Looks like a little stork head engraved on the top in gold." She looked at it carefully. "Probably priceless," she said with a grin.

"Ooooo. So now we're treasure hunters?" Goten laughed as he studied the image in the book. It had to be powerful; it wouldn't have been in Gramma's book if it wasn't. He liked the idea of Paige wearing it, keeping her safe. And he liked the idea of it not being in Antonia's hands even more. He stood up straight and looked around at them, the way the passage split off in different directions. "Okay. Let's get going then." He offered a hand to Paige and helped her to stand. He looked to Phoenix, "If you guys get in trouble, just raise your power level. We'll feel it and come to you as fast as we can."

Phoenix nodded. "You got it." He grinned at Nadia. "You ready to go exploring? This sounds way cooler than that creepy island you took us to. And there's no mermaids here so, ya know, it's not like I can try to drown again!" He was practically bouncing on his toes, an excitement building up in his chest. He hoped they would be the ones to find the ring. "One ring to rule them all," he recited ominously and laughed when Goten popped the back of his head. "C'mon, Nadia, let's go find this thing!"

Nadia chuckled at the enthusiasm the young man had. "Mind what you touch," she called over her shoulder to Goten and Paige, "These tombs are filled with booby traps to keep would-be grave robbers from ever seeing sunlight again."

Phoenix happily followed Nadia down the passageway, looking this way and that at the strange markings on the wall. "This is wicked cool," he grinned. "I've only seen things like this in text books. So cool." He dragged his hand along the wall, running his fingertips over the markings as if to reassure himself that they were real.

Nadia reached out, catching him by his wrist. "Easy, kid. You never know what is wall and what is a pressure plate until it's too late to worry about it. I should know. Dracula has all the lower parts of the castle, the dungeons, the larders, the sewage gates rigged with all manner of traps for those who dare trespass."

Phoenix's eyes went wide and his mouth formed a small o as he retracted his hand from the wall. Leave it to him to unleash some possessed mummy or something stupid. "Yeah, no touching. Got it," he said and shoved his hands in his pockets just to make sure he didn't forget. He fell into step behind her again. "So have you been here before? Do you know where we're going? I'd love to find that ring."

Nadia looked over at her shoulder at him. "You enjoy talking a lot, don't you? When do you find the time to breathe?" She chuckled and looked around the hallway they traveled, "I have been to visit Egypt before, but I have not set foot in this particular tomb. Egypt is rather hard to stomach for one of my kind, on account of all the sunlight. The desert at night, however, is very beautiful in the light of a full moon."

Phoenix froze in his tracks. "Ah, how close are we to the full moon anyway?" he asked nervously. He knew it was coming. He could feel it. It made him even more hyper than usual. "I've never seen the full moon," he said softly, almost longingly. His parents had never let him look at the full moon; they'd forbidden it and he knew why. "I'm not allowed to look at it."

Nadia had to stop short at that. "That is ridiculous. I am sorry you have never seen it before. It will be the full moon in a week, maybe less. We could perhaps stay and you could then get a look at it. It makes the sands shine as if they were made of diamonds and silver. The cool air just wrapping around you, soothing away the hot day." She sighed and blinked at Phoenix curiously, she had never heard him be so... subdued.

He shook his head furiously. "I can't," he said, meeting her eyes. He unwrapped his tail from around his waist and waved it at her. "I'm a Saiyan. Saiyans transform under the full moon if they look at it. I'd turn into a huge monkey. Literally. I haven't been trained to control it; I'd destroy this entire city." He frowned down at his shoes. "My grandpa constantly reminds me not to look at it. It scares him. He transformed when he was a kid and killed his own grandpa. He says it's too dangerous."

Nadia stared at him for a moment, the realization setting in. "Well then, when you get back home, you will have to train to control it and then come back out here to see what you are missing out on," she said, thinking over what he said. "So, you and your uncle both transform in the full moon? What should we do if the worst happens and you look?"

"Goten doesn't transform," Phoenix answered. "He doesn't have his tail anymore. Something about a chemical reaction from our tails allows us to transform. I don't know how it works exactly. I've never talked to Vegeta about it. He knows all that shit, but he can barely put up with me. I think I annoy him." He shrugged. "The only way I know to stop a transformation is to cut off the tail." He nearly whimpered and curled his tail tightly around his waist. "Tails are really sensitive. Losing a tail is supposed to be the most painful and humiliating thing a Saiyan can experience. I really don't want that to happen."

Nadia pressed her lips thin and nodded. "I promise I will not cut your tail should you transform," she vowed as they turned a corner and she wiped some cobwebs out of their path. "Looks like there is a door up ahead. Doors are what you must be wary of. The Egyptians were clever, you see? They know that robbers are looking for doors to get into the treasure vault because that is what everyone expects, but really the way to the vault is through smaller passages that most would over look."

"Huh. Really?" Phoenix asked, blinking at the door. He couldn't stop the grin on his lips, relieved that she wouldn't cut off his tail. "You're really smart, you know that? So how do we find one of these other passages then?" He started looking around the walls, hoping to see one of the passageways she was speaking about. He paused and rubbed at the back of his head. "I feel totally useless right now."

"Don't worry, they don't usually put them in plain sight. And thank you. Not much else to do when you have time but study, train, and anything else." She walked forward, looking the door over, trying to see if it had anything that stood out to her that would be a red flag, but she could see none. "Of course, no one can truly be sure on what's on the other side of this door. Could be good, could be bad."

"Soooooo, do we open it or not?" Phoenix asked, leaning over to peer curiously at it. The handle was strange looking to him, covered in a thick layer of dust. He wondered if it would even open or not. Still, the thought of the ring being hidden behind that door was almost too enticing. "Ah, what's the worst that could happen, right?" he asked as he reached for the door.

Goten walked side by side with Paige, moving carefully through the tomb. "Thank god we packed flashlights," he remarked. "It's effing dark in here." He was surprised that the tomb wasn't as creepy as he expected it to be. But he knew better than to let his guard down. He knew Antonia could be waiting around any corner or that they could encounter any sort of creature in this place. After the vampires and the mermaids, there wasn't anything he wouldn't believe in now.

Paige gave him a look. "Says the guy who can turn into a living light bulb," she said, but it was best they didn't test the limits of three thousand year old stone. That and powering up was their only way of letting the others know that they were in trouble. "It would be rather convenient for her to kill us down here. Wouldn't have to bury the bodies," she mused as they walked along. She looked at the hieroglyphics as they passed them, little more than pretty pictures to her untrained eyes. "Sure hope these things aren't warnings not to go ahead," she muttered before she looked over at Goten. "So, ah, Nadia seemed to be okay this morning," she said, a little bite in her words.

"She's not going to kill us. She's on our side. Even if she wanted to, I don't think she'd betray Dracula like that. He's counting on her to help us kill Antonia," Goten answered. He stopped and caught her by the wrist, turning her towards him. "Hey. Don't let what happened earlier get to you. She's no threat to you. I've thought a lot about it and I want this too, Paige. I want you. I don't want her or anyone else." He gave her a soft smile as he cupped her cheek with his free hand. "Don't you worry about her." He leaned in and kissed her softly, slowly, enjoying the moment. But the next instant, the ground around them began to shake and he broke the kiss, looking up as trails of dust fell from the ceiling and a rumbling filled the passageway. "The hell is going on?!" he cried.

Paige had been caught in the kiss, savoring his lips and rejoicing in the fact she had him. She could get used to this, she thought. She looked around in horror as the tomb began to tremble, but she couldn't sense any elevated power level from Phoenix. "Is it collapsing?! We have to get out of here!" she cried and turned back the way they came, but was confused. Where there that many hallways to begin with? "What the hell is happening?" she shouted over the rumbling.

"Go! Just GO!" Goten yelled, grabbing her wrist to pull her along with him as they ran. Big chunks of stone began to fall from the ceiling and Goten hissed out as one caught his shoulder, leaving a big cut. "I'm fine, I'm fine!" he insisted as Paige turned towards him, looking as if she wanted to heal him right then. They didn't have time for that; she could heal him after they got out of there.

What happened next almost seemed as if it was in slow motion. He could see Paige about to argue, but the next second, his attention was drawn by a huge piece of stone overhead that was far too loose. "PAIGE! NO!" he screamed as it fell and he threw himself forward, shoving her out of the way. An unimaginable pain shot through his body as the stone landed on his arm and the next second another piece fell and hit the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.

Phoenix coughed and choked in the darkness, the passageway filled with dust as the rumbling finally stopped. "Nadia?" he called out, his lungs still burning and eyes stinging. "Are you okay?" He hadn't expected for that to happen when he opened the door. She'd warned him that opening it could be a good or a bad thing. Bad. Definitely bad. He shook his head, not knowing if that was some sort of curse or boobytrap to prevent graverobbers or if it was simply because the place was so old. "Where are you?"

Nadia reached out and caught his arm in her hand. "I'm here," she rasped behind her hand that covered her mouth as she tried to peer past him into the room that he had opened. "Well, that was always a possibility," she grumbled. An inevitable possibility. They had to open the doors to find what they were looking for. It was only a matter of time before they got hurt. "I think it could have been worse."

Phoenix gave a small laugh. "Man, that was some crazy shit, huh?" He peered into the room they'd opened, excited to explore the tomb some more. He bit his lip nervously, not stepping into it just yet. His luck, he'd step on some other trap and the whole place would fall in on his head. "How far underground do you think we are?" he asked. They'd walked a long time to find this place. But his question was quickly forgotten as he suddenly felt Paige's energy skyrocket. He stepped back, looking back the way they'd come, the passage littered with large stones that had fallen. "Fuck. Nadia, we gotta get back. Something's wrong, I can feel Paige's energy!"

Nadia looked back over her shoulder the way that they had come. She wasn't going to question how they knew these things, they seemed to have strange powers. "Shit, we will have to find another way back to them. I'd say blast through it, but I don't think this old structure could withstand the force. And I don't feel like being buried today. Something must have happened to the when we opened that door just now. Come on!" she said as she led the way down the hallway. "It's got to loop back somewhere!"

Paige held her energy high as she scrabbled at the rocks blocking her from Goten. "Come on dammit! Answer me!" She winced as she lifted a boulder away and the whole pile shifted downwards. She cursed. If he wasn't answering her he was either unconscious or... Moving the pile could kill him off for sure. "Goddammit!" she shouted.

Phoenix paused as he ran, Paige's voice seeming to echo from all sides around them. "Sonuvabitch," he growled. He shook his head. He was panicked and he was forgetting his training, letting his other senses cloud his judgment. He took a deep breath to calm himself before he focused again, not on Paige's voice but on her energy. "This way," he said to Nadia and continued in the direction he sensed his friend. His heart hammered against his ribs in fear the closer they got to her. He couldn't sense Goten's energy at all.

He didn't know how long it took them to finally find Paige. It could've been just minutes, but it felt like hours. She looked as panicked as he felt as she paced quickly back and forth in front of a huge pile of rubble. It completely blocked the passageway, with more earth trickling down from the ceiling, threatening to cave in completely and bury them. "Where's Goten?!" he demanded, fear and a protectiveness bursting in his chest. "Is he under that?!"

Paige looked to Phoenix and Nadia. "There was a cave in! The whole place shook and we were about to be buried under the rubble but Goten pushed me out of the way!" She wiped at her eyes and growled at the pile of broken rocks. "I tried to move it, but it only made it worse! I can't blow it up because the whole place might come down. He's either knocked out or…" She trailed off and shook her head. "He's alive! We need to find a way to get him out of there!"

Nadia studied the rocks and agreed with Paige's assessment of the situation. "He's still alive. I can faintly hear his heartbeat. I know blood," she said in response to their confused looks, "We will have to travel around, see if we can find our way to the other side of him without triggering any more traps along the way. And this place is like a maze. I don't know how long it'll take us." She said.

Phoenix was frantic. He could just barely feel his uncle's power level, which was dangerously low. He wiped at his eyes. "Just tell me what to do," he said. "We can't let him die!" He turned to the pile of rubble again. "Goten! Can you hear us?" he cried, listening carefully, but there was no answer. "Goddammit," he choked out. "Okay, so do we split up? How do we find a way to get to him?"

Nadia held her chin for a moment as she thought it out. "Paige, you stay here. Keep your power level up so that we will have a point to reference as Phoenix and I keep moving around to find a way to the other side. That and if Goten wakes up, he won't think we just up and left him or that we are all dead because of that." She shook her head and looked around, pointing to a side passageway, covered in cobwebs and dark. "Let's try over there first."

Phoenix nodded and grabbed Paige in a tight hug. "Stay with him. We'll get to him. Let him know we're coming if he wakes up," he said before he turned and hurried down the passage with Nadia. He couldn't stop his hands from shaking, his heart racing in his chest. He couldn't imagine his life without Goten. He wiped at his eyes again, moving as quickly as he dared through the ancient hallways. "Hold on, Goten. We're coming for you."

Goten awoke with a groan, his head throbbing in the most painful way. It was dark and he couldn't hear anything except an ear-ringing silence around him. He felt cold from the inside out, even though the air around him was warm. He went to push himself up off the hard stone floor and screamed out in agony as pain shot through his arm. He blinked and looked at his left arm, which was trapped beneath a huge stone. "Oh gods," he choked out, panic in his voice. He couldn't move it, he couldn't feel his fingers. He tried to pull it from the stone and cried out again, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. He forced himself to calm his breathing, looking around him, trying to assess his situation. "Goddess, help me," he murmured.

His mind replayed what had happened and a new fear curled around his heart. "Paige?" he called out, choking for a moment. "PAIGE?!"

Paige scrambled, falling against the pile of stone as she tried to get close to Goten's muffled voice. "GOTEN! I'm here, baby. I'm okay! Oh gods, Goten. The ceiling," she cried, "You hang in there! Phoenix and Nadia are on their way to help you. Stay with me! Can you tell me what your situation is? Come on, keep talking to me." She felt her hands glowing blue with healing energy, ready to heal him in a moment's notice.

Goten felt relief wash over him and his eyes fell closed at the sound of her voice. "Thank god," he breathed. "My arm's trapped. I feel sort of dizzy; I think I got hit in the head. Paige, I can't move. I'm too weak," his voice cracked on the last word, ashamed at the admission. He looked around, his mind working furiously as to how to get himself out of the situation. He eyed his pack, thinking of the tools he had inside. "I think I can reach my pack. I might be able to get myself out."

Paige's fist cracked the ground beneath her. "Sound's like you have a concussion," she said bitterly. "Hey! You just stay awake, okay? Drink some water and stay awake. As soon as you get out, I'll be able to heal you, one hundred percent," she said, her mind racing. She had to keep him talking. If he could get himself out, that would be all the better. "What do you have? What tools can you use!?"

Goten looked at his watch on his free arm, squinting at it in the darkness. Had he really been unconscious for three hours? That wasn't good. He closed his eyes again as he searched for Phoenix's energy. He could feel his nephew moving through the tomb, but he was far away. And who knew how long it would take them to reach him? He reached out for his pack, his fingertips brushing it. "Goddammit!" he growled, straining even more to reach the bag, but the next second he cried out in pain and had to stop. "I can't reach it."

Paige looked over the rubble again, trying to see anything that would allow her to get to Goten any faster. It looked like a very messed up game of jenga. "I... I could take some rocks from the top. But I think that's what's stopping things from burying you completely," she said. "Try again, baby. Just get the pack, ignore the pain. Work through it and make it your strength. Get some water baby. You need to stay hydrated."

Goten tried again, straining… straining with all his might. His shoulder pulled and blistering hot pain shot through him once again, making him scream out. "I can't!" he sobbed desperately. He laid flat on his back, panting as he stared up at the ceiling. "My knife. I can reach my knife," he said, remembering the hunting knife he carried in his boot, just like Tien had taught him. He twisted his leg around until he could reach into his boot and pulled out the big knife. He held his tongue between his teeth as he used it like an extension of his arm, and finally managed to hook the strap of his pack. He pulled it closer, crying out in relief. "I got it. Paige, I got it!" He spun the pack around and grabbed his canteen. It was awkward to open it one-handed, but he managed and tipped it to his lips, taking a carefully measured sip before he screwed the top back on. "I drank some water," he told her, wanting to ease her worry. He couldn't stand the fright he could hear in her voice.

He dug in the pack and fished out a flashlight, clicking it on. The next second, he wished he hadn't. Blood seeped from beneath the huge stone his arm was trapped under and he realized why he felt so cold. He'd lost a lot of blood. He debated for a moment about whether he should tell her or not. While he didn't want her to panic even more, she needed to be prepared to heal him when they got to him. "Okay," he said, keeping his voice level. "Paige, don't freak out on me, baby. Okay? I've lost quite a bit of blood. I think… I think my arm's crushed."

Paige winced and grit her teeth as she thought. "Okay. Okay. Is there anything you can use to tie off that arm? Put a tourniquet on. Something?" she muttered that last part. "Fishing wire or anything?" She sighed and sank down onto the ground. "They'll get to you. Just hang in there, okay? Hey, so, do you think we should move in together?"

"I've got my belt," he answered as he unbuckled it and fastened it tightly around the upper part of his arm. A smile crossed his face at her question. He'd never before thought about settling down, but suddenly that idea sounded very appealing to him. "Yeah," he answered with a slight laugh. "I dunno how we're going to afford it, but I'll figure it out for you." He laid his head back and stared up at the ceiling again. "So what are we gonna do when this is all over?"

Paige smiled in spite of herself. "What do you mean you don't know how we will afford it? I'm going to win so many tournaments when we get back and you can open up a food truck in the parking lot, or you know, a real honest restaurant. That recipe for that plum brandy could be a star seller. And of course, I would get to be the taste tester."

A dreamy expression crossed his face. "You're reading my mind," he said. "I've been thinking about that for a long time. That I'd like to open my own restaurant. Not some fast food joint or anything like that. Like, a real restaurant. Something fancy, where I can show off all the things Mom taught me. Wouldn't that be cool?"

Paige smiled, she could hear the passion in his voice as he spoke. It transcended the pain of the moment. "That would be so wonderful. You could make those pastas, steaks with those mushrooms. We could look at the pricing for a restaurant like that when we get out of here, yeah? Your dad will be happy, won't he? A restaurant." She chuckled, "We can get some chickens and cows. Or just buy local, get the best ingredients. You know, I hear that some bottles of wine can be charged for like, more than a thousand dollars."

"Mom would be happy about that. You know how she likes animals," he said with a chuckle. "You're making me hungry, you know. I miss those steaks. And the mushrooms from Dad's forest. Gods, that sounds amazing right now." He sighed as he thought about it, thought about the cabin, working in the kitchen with his mother, training with his dad, hunting with Tien. "I dunno. Dad really wants me to be a martial artist like him. I don't want to disappoint him."

Paige laughed, wiping at the tears in her eyes. It sounded like a beautiful dream and she wanted nothing more than to make it a reality for him. "Your dad will be fine. He has Phoenix he can get into the martial arts thing. And Scarlett, too. Besides, it's food, he won't stay disappointed for long. What you have to do is make this killer dinner for them when you break the news. There's no way that they will be disappointed."

"That's a really good idea," Goten said. "You know, there's this dish I've been trying to perfect. Beef Wellington. If I could get that right when I tell Dad, he'll be so distracted, I could get him to agree to anything." He went quiet for a moment as tiredness pulled at him. He forced his eyes open again and looked at his watch. Another hour had passed and Phoenix and Nadia weren't anywhere close to finding him. "We could run it together. The both of us. I thought about going to school for it, but… do you think I could get away with not doing that? Just go for it, open my own place?"

She smiled. "Sure, of course I do. I think I'll have to brush up on something if I was going to help you run it. Maybe like, business savvy." She chuckled, "You have got the best teacher in the whole world, your mom is so perfect. I'll bet when we tell her, she will let us know all the secrets to a successful restaurant." She had to force back a sob, "Gods, Goten. It sounds wonderful. We have to do this. First thing when we get out of here. We will have to get this in the works. Find us a nice home to do this all in."

Goten nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "Might take some time to save up the money to do it, but we will," he said, his voice almost a growl. "Paige, I'm getting tired." He closed his eyes for a moment, sleep pulling at him again. He knew he couldn't fall asleep and forced his eyes open again. "They're not going to make it in time. I have to do something." He grabbed his knife and tried to chip away at the rock. "Goddammit all," he whimpered weakly.

Paige felt fear lance through her heart as she heard him saying that he was getting tired. She jumped up and started taking a few of the smaller rocks from the top of the pile. "Take another drink of water baby. If you lost some blood, you need more water. Get that in your system," she said. "I'm taking rocks off the top of the pile, if it gets worse, you have to let me know!"

"Stop! Stop!" he shouted as the rocks shifted, more of the smaller ones raining down on him. "You'll bury both of us!" He couldn't let her get hurt. He refused to. He stabbed at the rock again, sobbing through clenched teeth as all he did was merely scratch it. His stomach coiled painfully as he thought about his options. One last resort. He opened his canteen and took a deep pull from it before he drew another deep breath. He wasn't very versed in medical stuff, certainly nothing like his brother, but he'd learned enough from Gohan and Tien about survival situations. They'd made sure he knew what to do if he ever got himself in trouble out in the woods. If he waited much longer, the tissue in his arm would die and poison him. He remembered that much. "I'm going to have to amputate my arm. I don't have a choice."

Paige immediately stopped and fell to the ground. "NO! Don't do that! I can't heal your arm if you cut it off. Once you cut it off, it's gone! I can't bring that back! I can heal you! Just hang on," she cried, powering up and letting the healing energy gather in her hands. It was no use. If she healed his hand somehow through the rocks, his hand was still crushed and it would be all for naught. "Just hang on. You'll make it baby. You're going to make it." She cursed. "It should be me under that rock with my arm trapped."

"SHUT UP," he barked. "I did what I did because I love you. I'd give up anything to save you. The last thing in the world I want is for you to be the one under this rock." He felt tears stinging his eyes. Gods, the idea of losing his arm was frightening. He wondered how life would be after that, how much it would affect the things he liked to do. Cooking one-armed would be a bitch. "Paige, listen to me. If I cut it off, can you heal the stump? You can do that, can't you, baby? I know you won't be able to reattach it, but you can heal what's left, right?"

Paige felt her lip trembling at the thought of Goten without his hand, or his arm. Whatever he decided to cut off. "I can do it," she gasped out. "But don't do it. You have to hang in there. They are on their way. They're getting there. Hold on, baby. I love you. You can't do this to yourself." She thought over all the possibilities. They could get him fitted with a prosthetic, it could work. "Last resort only!"

Goten growled and laid his free hand over his chest, his fingers curled around the handle of the knife. "Okay," he agreed. "But I can't wait much longer. If I wait too much more, the damaged tissue can get into my bloodstream. And then we're dealing with something you can't fix." His face screwed up as he fought the urge to cry. "Goddammit, this sucks. This sucks so fucking much. Fuck this trip and FUCK ANTONIA."

Paige felt her world crumbling around her as she listened to Goten, "Hey, they're going to get there in time. Come on, tell me what you want your restaurant to look like."

Goten gasped and sobbed, trying to calm himself. He gave a watery smile. "I dunno, really. It keeps changing in my head. Sometimes I picture something really rustic, you know, like the cabin. Other times I think about something really luxurious, posh, something Mom would like if she were to decorate a restaurant." He paused and managed a smile again. "Maybe that'll be your job. You and Mom can work on it together. I trust you to design it, if you want. You got some of that artistic talent your mom has, didn't you? I bet you could create something amazing."

Paige snickered. "Well, I have something that's for sure. I am sure that between your mom and me, we will find something that works," she said. She could hear the sadness in his voice. "We are going to make this happen. You and me. We will open up that restaurant."

"Promise?" he choked out. It sounded amazing, a dream come true. There was nothing more he wanted in that moment than to have his own home with Paige and to open his own restaurant. It sounded like heaven. "Paige?" he called out, "I want you to know, no matter what happens, this wasn't your fault. Okay? I'd give both my arms, hell, I'd give my life to protect you." He shivered violently as the cold he felt started to become stronger. He could feel Phoenix getting closer, but not close enough. "Paige, it's cold. I'm cold and I'm tired."

She swallowed hard. "I know, baby, I know you are. Hang in there for me." They didn't have much time and Goten needed healing. "Okay. Okay, do it. Cut off your hand, as little as you can and get free. Once you are free, I'll do my best to heal you through the rocks. Then I'm pushing these down. Maybe if we get your hand back on, maybe I can heal it." She didn't know, but they had to do something.

"Okay," he said, looking around at what he had to work with. He grabbed the leather strap of his canteen and pulled it closer before he tightened the belt even more around his arm. He tried to force himself to keep calm, to slow his heart rate. "I'm going to have to take it off above the elbow. About the middle of my upper arm. The rest is under the rock," he said loudly to her before he stuck the leather strap of the canteen into his teeth to give himself something to bite down on. He didn't want to do this. He really, really didn't want to. He gave a frustrated grunt before he gripped the handle of his knife even tighter, preparing to amputate the limb. "I love you," he said loudly around the strap in his teeth.

Paige sobbed against the rocked, nodding even though he couldn't see her. "I love you too, baby. Make it quick. Like you are fighting an opponent. I'm ready. I'll push through to you as soon as you are free."

Goten squeezed his eyes shut and drew a sharp breath as he prepared to cut into his arm, forever severing the limb, but just as he touched the blade to his skin, Phoenix's voice made him freeze.

"You fucking idiot, what the fucking hell do you think you're fucking doing?!"

Goten gasped and turned to see Phoenix and Nadia standing there staring at him. "Oh thank the gods!" he gasped. He'd never been so happy to see his nephew in all his life. "Paige! Nadia and Phoenix found me!" he shouted happily. He fell back again, the knife clattering to the stone floor beneath him. "Phoenix, you have to get this rock off of me and then we gotta get out of here and meet up with Paige."

Phoenix crossed his arms and shook his head disapprovingly. "I just gotta do everything around here, don't I?" He walked over and winced when he saw the way Goten's arm was smashed under the rock. "Paige!" he called out loudly. "Get out of here. Nadia and I saw another way out on this side. We'll meet you outside and you can heal him. We can get out quick! You hear?"

Paige was on her feet, slinging her pack over her shoulder, the next instant. "I heard you! Get him out there pronto!" she shouted before she turned and dashed outside, far too happy to get out of the damn temple. Forget the stupid ring.

Nadia felt her senses heightened from the scent of the blood on the ground. She closed her eyes but moved to help Phoenix. "Lift, push whatever it takes to get this rock off of his arm and I will pull him out. Make sure you have his bag first. I'm not sure how long we will have, if this place will collapse on top of ourselves." She reached down and wrapped her arms around Goten's torso, "Ready?"

Phoenix stuck Goten's knife in his belt and slung his pack onto his back before he gave a nod to Nadia. He crouched down and worked his fingers under the rock. "I'm gonna try not to lift it too much," he said. He looked down at Goten, receiving a nod, before he lifted the stone slowly, trying not to jostle the rest of the rubble around them. The rocks began to shift, a low rumbling sounding in the passage again. "Pull him out! HURRY!"

Goten sobbed in relief as Nadia pulled him out from under the rock. He didn't even look at his arm. He let Phoenix scoop him into his arms as the younger Saiyan ran with Nadia down the passage. He prayed that Paige could undo the damage to his arm. It hung limply at his side; he couldn't feel most of it anymore. He could hear the rocks falling behind them, the tomb collapsing in on itself. Phoenix must've moved the stone more than he had intended to.

Paige was waiting outside, on the opposite side of the tomb, where they had said to meet them. She could feel their energies hurrying towards her and she could see the way the structure shook, how the ground trembled. "Come on dammit, come on," she said as she powered up, summoning her healing energy, watching as the gentle blue magick swirled around her hands, her fingers. She couldn't describe the relief that washed over her as they burst out of the side. She stopped herself from recoiling at the sight of Goten's arm, black in the moonlight of the waning night. Behind them a loud crash and dust and sand flying out from the exit. They had just barely made it. "OVER HERE!" she cried.

Phoenix rushed to Paige and carefully laid Goten on the ground. "I swear to god, if I have to rescue you one more time, I will beat you," he growled, shivering with the adrenaline rushing through his veins. He looked up at the Namek. "Heal him, Paige. Please," he begged before he scooted back on his knees and wiped his forehead on his arm. It felt good to be out in the fresh air. He nearly gagged when he saw Goten's arm, mangled and bleeding slightly. "Oh… gods…" he gagged out the words and turned away.

Paige dropped by Goten's side, her magick reaching out for him before she even sat down. She gingerly took the mangled arm and watched as her magick flowed over the damage like water. She could hear a few of his bones grinding together as they fixed themselves.

Goten grit his teeth as the feeling began to return his arm and he looked away from Paige as he tried to hide the pain in his expression. It burned and throbbed, making him want to scream out again. He fought against the urge to writhe away from her. Muscles, nerves and tendons formed back together and whole, unblemished skin started knitting itself together again until the arm was back in one piece.

"There. That should do it for his arm, but he's lost a lot of blood." She looked up at the horizon. The edges were starting to turn grey. Had they really spent the whole night in there? "It's going to be morning soon. We will need to find a new place to rest and Goten needs food and water." She reached up to the back of his head, healing his concussion, "And rest now."

Nadia was almost touched by the gentle way Paige cared for Goten. The love between them was deeper than she had thought and she almost felt a little guilty for sleeping with him, but pushed it from her mind. It had been needed. A pleasant distraction for her and a needed revelation for them. "Come. There is a more open temple not far from here. Open, but the main part has an interior with a wide doorway so I can hide from the sun, but still keep watch as well. We will see about food when we get there."

Goten groaned as he flexed his fingers, sighing in relief as they moved. "Thank you," he whispered and reached up with his other arm to slide his fingers into her hair and pull her down for a kiss.

"Ewww!" Phoenix said, pulling a face. "Since when did you two get so mushy? Jeezus." He shook his head. "That's like making out with your sister or something." He gave a dramatic shudder and looked over at Nadia. "Another temple? As long as it doesn't cave in on us, I guess," he grumbled. He was tired, sweaty, dirty, and most of all hungry. "Guys, we might have to go somewhere NOT magickal for a few days to rest. This shit is wearing on me."

Nadia only chuckled to herself, Phoenix had more than proven himself to her in the temple with his fierceness to keep pushing on to find a way to his uncle. The way he was so innocent. It was a refreshing change to be around. She led the way to the new place for them to make camp. It was set back against the mountains and the sun was just starting to shine by the time they had arrived. She had long since pulled up her hood and applied more sunscreen, but the sun seemed to drain her strength and she hated that feeling. It hurt, not being able to look at the sunlight. She snorted; here she was stuck with people who could not look at the moon and she not able to enjoy the sun. She stepped into the shadow and laid down her pack as she looked around the area. It was big, strong. "I think this will work."

Phoenix nodded as he laid Goten down on the sleeping bag Paige rolled out for them. He was healed, but he was still weak and exhausted. "You need to rest, too," he said to Nadia. "You kept watch all day yesterday while we slept. I can stay up for a while and let you rest if you want." It felt sort of weird to him, he felt like he was starting to be the responsible one in the group or something. He wasn't used to that. "Unless you need like a coffin or something to sleep in. You want me to dump a mummy out of one of those things for you?" he asked with a cheeky grin. Well, he couldn't be serious ALL the time. Where was the fun in that?

Nadia shook her head at him, but couldn't stop the smile that tugged at her lips. "Ah, and you were doing so well. You may sleep in a coffin if you wish, but I prefer my pack. I would like to sleep in my bed back at home after a long, hot shower, but I suppose we can't be picky now, can we?" she said and spread her things not far from Goten. "Get a fire going, cook him some food. We will rest here for a day or two."

Phoenix heaved a dramatic sigh. "FIIIIIIINE," he said and dropped his pack unceremoniously on the floor. "I swear, I have to do everything around here." He bit his lips together to keep from snickering at his own sarcasm.

Goten leaned his head up to look at Phoenix. "Shut up or we'll feed you to Nadia," he threatened before he fell back against the sleeping bag. He smiled up at Paige and pulled her to lay down next to him. "Thank you, baby," he murmured, his lips brushing her ear. "You saved me." He nuzzled against her neck, breathing in her scent. "And even though I thought I was dying, I meant everything I said in there. I just want you to know that."

Paige settled on her side next to him, running her hand through his hair as she looked at him. "I did too. I'm serious." She grinned, blinking away tears of happiness that Goten was alright, in one piece and not short any limbs. "We are going to make it a reality. It'll be the best restaurant in the world," she said softly, looking into his dark eyes. "We'll be booked months in advance, maybe more. Everyone will want a taste."

A big grin split his face. "Fuck yeah," he said in a low voice and pulled her into a passionate kiss. He held her tightly to him, so thankful that she was safe and that she had been able to heal him. He was still shaken up about what he had almost had to do. He finally broke the kiss and settled them on the little bit of cushion they had to rest on. "Just let me rest for a bit and then we'll take a couple days off. We'll find somewhere quiet to rest, regroup, figure out our next move. That sound good to you, baby?"

Paige nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. You want to sleep a little bit while Phoenix does the cooking? I hear his mom taught him all he knows," she said with a wink before looking over at Phoenix who was pulling out the capsule with their supplies in it. "Then I can wake you up, you can eat and then we will all get some rest."

Goten nodded sleepily and let his eyes close, not letting go of her. "Lay here with me for a minute," he said and curled himself around her, a soft purr rumbling in his throat as he drifted off to sleep.