Chapter 22

The reunion party had gone on for much longer than expected. By the time it finally came to a close, it was past midnight. The usually busy streets were now devoid of any people, all nightlights lit up in the dark and the neighbors were sleeping in their homes. No more music was blaring through the loudspeakers, all nourishments at the buffet were eaten thanks to the five Saiyans present, and the whole compound looked like a total mess. Trash cans were filled to the brim resulting in excess trash laying everywhere in the yards, drinks were spilled across the tables, and more paper plates were stacked on top of the tables. Everyone in attendance had such a wonderful time despite Capsule Corp's current state and with Goku being present, it contributed to the party being prolonged for far longer than the agreed closing time. Not wanting the environment to be in such disarray, Tights suggested to all the attendees that they should all work together and bring the Briefs family home back to its original state. None of the guests had an issue with that, as they also didn't want to leave the building in a mess before leaving for the day. Everyone soon got to work after being provided with the essential cleaning tools.

Trunks and his grandparents were taking down the decorations while Gohan, Videl, Goten and Suno were removing the stained tablecloths, spraying the tables, wiping them down and handing them over to Tien and Yamcha who would stack and set them aside. Bulma, Tights, Krillin, Eighteen, Marron, Erasa, Sharpener, Buu, Mr. Satan and Goku busied themselves with picking up trash from the floor. Roshi, Piccolo, Eighter, Oolong, Puar and Chiaotzu were busy taking out the trash. The extensive cleaning continued on for a long period of time with everyone being so focused.

It was quiet for a while except for the small bits of chatter among the guests about the current tasks at hand, and then everyone began hounding Goku and Suno for details about how they became a romantic couple, especially the ladies who would not back down until they had all the information they needed. Both were completely blushed when asked questions about their dating but both took turns in telling the story about what their first date was like, then they went into details in talking about how their second date on Papaya Island was like from their sightseeing, sitting at the martial arts tournament stage, visiting Delicious Saikan and having ice cream together. Goku took his time explaining what had finally opened his eyes to his true feelings about the redhead and what their first kiss was like. They were all delighted to hear just how well the two of them treated each other. After talking about it for a bit, the z warriors decided to give them their space and they soon returned back to tidying up the place.

Goku picked up an empty soda can as well as some candy wrappers and dropped them in the garbage bag he had been carrying around during the cleaning. He stood back up, feeling his back ache a little but relieved that he was finally done with his part of the job. And then he looked ahead at his girlfriend and two sons who were working together as a real team and sharing a few laughs. Both his sons were receiving praise from his partner about the great work they did and then she hugged them both like a proud mother. He couldn't help but smile, 'She's bonding really well with the boys.' He then tied up the garbage bag and tossed it aside before watching the others for a bit.

"Daddy, Daddy, we're done!"

He turned around to find his younger son running towards him, so he prepared himself to receive his little boy in a loving embrace. He jumped into his father's arms and Goku ruffled his spiky black hair before inspecting his finished work. "You did a wonderful job, son. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks daddy!"

Then Goku noticed his older son and Suno following behind, both clearly exhausted and panting for breath. "You two did great out there!" He gestured for the two to come round for a family hug and they did. The Saiyan had his arms tightly around them with Goten right in the middle, before slowly looking over at his partner who laid her head against his chest. He smiled softly before using a finger to lift her chin up, then leaned in forward to place a soft kiss on her lips, then released the three of them.

"That was quite a lot of work we did."

Gohan agreed, "It sure was. But I'm glad that we're done now."

Suno reached over and squished both of Goten's cheeks. "And you did such an amazing job!"

"Hehe, thanks Suno." Goten said happily as he felt her pat his head.

The extensive cleaning was finally done at long last. Capsule Corporation was back to its original state. All tables and chairs had been cleaned, stacked and put away, every decoration had been taken down, all trash bags had been taken out and replaced with new ones and no more trash was laying anywhere on the compound. It looked brand-new, as if a party never took place. Every guest/z warrior that partook in the cleaning exercise was seen approaching the Son family.

"Well, I guess you three are exhausted, right?" Bulma asked with a tired smile.

"That would be an understatement." replied Suno as she felt her muscles ache. "I sure could use some rest after this."

"Me too." Goku added while holding his young son with one arm.

"Yeah, it looks like you guys could hit the bed after you get back. Especially, you two lovebirds." Tights sent a wink to the new couple.

Mrs. Briefs teased, "You lovebirds certainly need your alone time."

A sly smile grazed Bulma's lips. "Aw, there's no need to be embarrassed!"

Both Goku and Suno's faces turned a deep shade of red. Beet-red. Being the center of attention like that would certainly take some time to get used to. "Y-Yeah, I guess we both need our sleep…" Goku uttered.

"T-That's right, we need to rest…" Suno stammered back as she gazed at her blushing boyfriend, slightly embarrassed by the attention.

"I guess we can leave now, right?" Krillin asked, turning to his wife who was holding Marron in her arms. He received a small nod from her.

Sharpener held his electric guitar over his shoulders. "It's best that I'm on my way too. My family at this point must be really worried about me."

"Same with mine." Erasa held her piano under her arms. She secretly wanted to get back home as quickly as possible so she could explain this 'deal' to her parents, and figure out a means to get the money.

Mr. Satan turned to the two blondes. "Hey, don't worry about walking all the way back. I can give you both a lift home!"

Both thanked the world champ for his kindness while the other guests were making comments about wanting to return home quickly now that the cleanup was fully complete.

Goku locked eyes with his youngest and held him high up in the air, a cheerful smile crossing his features. "It brings me so much joy to have been able to see you again, Goten. If there's anything you want to do with me tomorrow, anything at all… have your brother send me a text. I'd love for us to spend more time together."

This is something that should have sparked joy within the older one, but he just stood there frozen in place. He was so happy to see his father, and he wished he could tell him just how excited he was to spend time with him the following day, and talk about possible plans but he couldn't. He just couldn't say a word. All those horrible memories were coming back to him. What his little brother had to go through… he could feel that same anger surging through his body once more, and his body shaking a little bit. He just couldn't let his father leave without knowing the unpleasant truth. Gohan didn't want to ruin the happy mood, but he didn't want to prolong this any further than he already has.

He looked at his father with a pained face, "Actually dad before you go, there are some things you need to know." The teen could barely stop himself from breaking down in the process, this… this was just so difficult. He could already feel himself crumbling deep inside.

Goku slowly set Goten down on the floor, a frown coming on his previously cheerful face. "Uh? Things? What do you mean by that?"

Right then and there, Goten started to remember the things 'she' did to him. The piles of homework he had to do, being deprived of food, water, and the right to go outside and play. Upon remembering it all, his body started to tremble badly, his breathing became more rapid and it felt as if he were suffocating. Images of his near-death experience started to flood his mind and it was making him sick to his stomach, sweat dripping from his body profusely and he cowered behind his brother's leg, hugging it tightly as if he were hiding from the monster himself. His fear was taking over him once more and he didn't know how to stop it. What would his dad think once he found out?

"Gohan…uh…I don't think it's necessary right now..." Videl tried to interject, seeing how fearful the little boy had become. She bent down beside him and rubbed his back soothingly, trying her best to comfort him.

"Wait a minute, is everything okay Goten? What's going on, guys?" Goku asked, becoming increasingly alarmed. His son's mood suddenly shifted from happy to afraid and he didn't like it at all. There was definitely something he was missing out on, and he had to find out what it was.

All of them changed their faces into sad ones, totally aware that Goku was about to find out some not so nice things at all. Bulma finally decided to speak after a moment of uncomfortable silence, squeezing her pupils so tight and trying to hold back her tears of anguish as she thought of Goten's trauma. She reopened them and faced her childhood friend with saddened eyes, "Goku…come…I'll show you something."

"What is it exactly?"

Bulma's eyes dropped to the floor, unable to maintain eye contact as she felt tears forming once more and her lips trembling slightly. There was no way she could hide her true feelings from him. "Something really important. Trust me on this one."

He mumbled back, still not having a clue on what was going on. "Okay…"

Dr. and Mrs. Briefs had been filled in by their daughter about what happened to Goten in the recent days and both felt so terrible for the little boy. Having a near-death experience caused by the person who should have loved him must have been so traumatizing. Sensing the sudden mood change, Panchy knew that what Goku was about to find out wasn't age-appropriate for Marron. She was way too young to understand any of it, so the blonde woman did what she figured would be the right thing to do. "Why don't I watch Marron while the two of you go inside?" Panchy offered.

"You'd do that for us?" Krillin asked, taken aback by the sudden offer.

"Of course. I can stay out here and keep her occupied with those games." Mrs. Briefs said, finding no issue with this at all.

Eighteen handed her daughter over to the kind woman. "Thanks a lot for the offer."

"Hey, no worries."

"I'll stay out here with her too." Tights offered also. She wasn't sure if she would be able to provide much support, so she decided that it would be best to remain outdoors.

"Me as well." Dr. Briefs chimed in. "I could use a bit of fresh air."

Krillin sighed in relief. "Thanks." Both knew that their daughter couldn't listen to any of this, so the Briefs offering to look after her was a total lifesaver.

Mrs. Briefs held the small girl so gently in her arms like a newborn baby and whispered kind words to her to make the assurance that nothing was wrong. In a kind voice, she asked the little girl if she would like to play with her games. Marron instantly became excited as a happy child should, so she carried her over to the spot where her games had been packed up. Her husband and older daughter followed closely behind and they laid out the game Marron wanted to play, already entertaining her as best as they could. After making sure that Marron was completely distracted with her games, Bulma gestured for the rest to follow her inside the building. Goten stayed closely behind his brother the whole time they were on the move. Once they entered the warm and cozy living room, everyone took seats without saying a word, which proved to further alarm the Saiyan even more.

Suno and Eighter were confused, also not having a clue as to what was going on. Everyone was happy after hours of partying and now they were just sad?

Tired of the silence dragging on, Goku decided to make his voice heard. "I… still don't know what's going on, guys. Why those long faces?" He then heard tiny whimpers coming from his young son and turned to face him. He sat in between Gohan and Videl, clinging tightly onto his brother for support and gazing onto the tiled floor, ashamed to look him in the eye. "Goten?"

Bulma sighed, "Wait here Goku. I'm going to get something from my lab."

"Okay…"

She stood and hurried off towards her laboratory. Goku took a few deep breaths in order to calm himself down, and then ran a hand through his spiky hair. With every second that passed, he was becoming more and more worried. No one was saying a word to him despite him asking a few times now if things were okay. Just what was going on here?

Suno had been sitting beside Eighter but she decided to sit next to Goku for the time being, as she also wanted to know what was going on. And because of everyone's long faces, she knew Goku may need some support. Before everyone knew, Bulma soon arrived back in the living room holding a brown envelope, two voice recorders and a phone. Her expression still hasn't changed. Sad and wanting to let out her tears, but trying to keep it together.

The Saiyan raised an eyebrow in confusion. "So… I can tell that it's a cellphone, but… what are those other devices?"

"Those are voice recorders, Goku." Bulma explained while retaking her seat right next to her husband and son while still holding onto the evidence.

"Voice recorders? And whose voice did you record?"

"W-Well…"

Gohan held out a hand in front of the scientist to stop her from speaking any further. "Wait a minute, Bulma. I think I should be the one to explain this to dad."

Bulma slowly nodded, understanding his reasons. "Okay, I understand."

"Explain what, Gohan?" Goku asked in a complete panic. "I don't understand anything!"

He looked down at the floor for a moment and clasped his hands together. "The truth is dad, not everything has been great during your absence…"

"What? What do you mean 'not everything has been great'?" He thought he knew all the facts after their previous meeting at Kami's Lookout, but it seemed more stuff had taken place. But… he also remembered his phone call to Goten. It was mostly happy, but he also felt as if something was seriously wrong.

Gohan let out a resigned sigh. "Dad, I don't know how else to tell you this but…" He paused as his shoulders slumped, and he looked back at the older man, completely crestfallen. "Goten and I ran away from home a few days ago. We're currently living with Videl, Buu and Mr. Satan."

"W-What?! You guys aren't living at home anymore?!" His heart dropped the moment he heard that, and his eyes grew impossibly wide in disbelief. But then he remembered more about his phone call with Goten. His son told him that Videl and Hercule invited them over for dinner, but now that he thought more about this, it couldn't have been the case. "Wait… so when I spoke to Goten on the phone that day, you guys were in Satan City. You two weren't on a visit, you were actually staying there… but why? What happened that made you guys run away?"

"I think you should look at what Bulma just brought from her lab."

Bulma placed the brown envelope over on the center table along with the cell-phone and voice recorders so her best friend could take a look at the horrifying evidence they've managed to uncover. "Here it is, Goku. You can take a look at it now." She quickly explained to him how to use both voice recorders for when he was ready to play both recordings. He gave her a silent nod to indicate that he understood her simple explanation.

Goku just sat there, completely filled with uncertainty as his eyes glossed over at the items on the center table. Which one was he supposed to look at first? He knew he wouldn't like what he was about to find, but he had to pick an option. His hand eventually wavered over one of the voice recorders, eventually deciding to start with that. He followed Bulma's instructions and activated the voice recorder, seeing that there was only one recording on it. Taking a deep breath, he slowly pressed the 'play' button and adjusted the volume.

Everyone sat back at their places, while some moved in closer to better hear the recording. Oolong, Puar, and Chiaotzu moved in as close as they possibly could. They had already been informed by their respective companions about what Goten had been through, and they were terrified that he had to go through so much but aside from what they were told, they didn't know much. Krillin, Eighteen, Yamcha and Tien also prepared to listen in as closely as they could, as they also didn't know anything else besides the beating inflicted on Goten. Erasa and Sharpener braced themselves because even though they were told of what had happened so far, this was the first time they were actually looking at any of the evidence, except for the gruesome photos their friend showed them when they were at the local cafeteria. Aside from that, the whole room went dead silent.

The recording started to play. A voice could be heard loud and clear through the speakers, and Goku easily recognized it to be that of his wife, Chichi. Her voice was recorded? Before he could question it, he heard another voice on the loudspeaker, and knew it was a male's. It sounded strangely familiar to him. 'Why do I feel like I've heard this guy's voice before? It's so… familiar…' He didn't have a chance to ponder on it either because a conversation started between the two.

Unsurprisingly to the others, this recording revealed Chichi insulting Goku as she always did, talking about how he was stupid, never had an education in his entire life, and how he knew nothing about raising a child. She also revealed her plans to throw her husband under the bus by faking her emotions, making up her stories to garner sympathy from the whole court including the judge and jury, all with the intention of becoming the full custodial parent of Goten and leaving the Saiyan with no visitation rights at all. Just as predicted in their first meeting on Kami's Lookout. She revealed her intentions of paying him back by 'borrowing' money from her father, the Ox King. The recording had come to an end after all that.

No one spoke for a while after that long revelation. Those who hadn't known of anything else until now, were just left speechless. They just sat there in their seats, trying to process what they had just heard. Faces were stricken and they just stared in horror as if something had come back to haunt them. This piece of information alone, had served to raise alarm among them. Whoever thought that Chichi would be capable of such?

"Oh no… It can't be…" Puar covered her mouth, completely terrified.

Oolong was shaking so much in horror. "Holy crap... is she actually going to do this? This woman has gone completely insane now…"

"I can't believe it at all…" Chiaotzu muttered, eyes widening in alarm.

"There's no way…" Krillin managed to say.

"She's totally nuts…" Eighteen commented.

"Just… why?" Yamcha slowly asked, trying as hard as possible to resist the urge to scream.

"Unbelievable…" Tien shook his head in disappointment.

Suno and Eighter were also completely horrified. Suno's hands clamped to her mouth as she tried her best to process everything without freaking out. After what Goku told them about his wife when he started living with them in the village, they would never have thought that she was capable of doing anything like this. Was this really what Goku's wife was planning to do? Quivering in her boots, she slowly turned to her android friend who just stood still in the same place with his eyes growing so wide. He started to shiver just a little bit from his fear. "Can you believe any of this stuff Eighter? It's insane… like, why would she resort to these kinds of tactics?!"

"Beats me. It's really, really insane…"

She slowly reached over to place a comforting hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Goku, are you okay?"

It didn't seem as if Suno's words of concern had reached the Saiyan at all. He didn't even respond to his partner's physical contact. In fact, he just sat there rooted in his spot on the sofa and with his spiky hair covering his entire face. While he was listening intently to the recording, he of course was showing signs of intense shock. He felt his stomach twisting and turning during certain points in the recording, his face becoming completely pale and he just felt as if his entire world was crumbling beneath him. But now his shaking hands were slowly balling into fists as he started to feel an uncontrollable rage rising inside him.

"Hey Goku, are you alright? S-Say something…"

He remained silent for a little while longer as if he were completely paralyzed. Then he raised his head up at everyone with his teeth gritted and his eyes flaming with absolute fury. He finally broke the silence with a cold voice that would have sent shivers down anyone's spine. "So… she's doing all this to make me look like the villain in court?! Just so she can win custody of Goten? She's using MY SONS to win this? OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

The sudden outburst caused Suno to jump back and she quickly recoiled her hand back. No one dared to say another word out of fear for his reaction. Nobody but his older son.

"That's not all of it, dad. There's some pictures in that brown envelope, and that's the worst of all the evidence we have against her."

Goku looked over at his son incredulously. "What? You're telling me there's more of this?!"

"I'm afraid so."

"So I have to look at them…" He grumbled, fists clenching so tightly.

Gohan avoided his father's gaze. "Yeah. I'm sorry about this dad…"

"Don't be. None of this is your fault. Can I see what's on that cell-phone?" If the pictures truly were the worst of what they had, then he would rather save it for last.

Bulma turned on the phone, accessed the messages and quietly slid the electronic device over to the angry Saiyan.

"Goku, are you sure you're okay?" Krillin asked nervously.

"Yes. I can look at the rest of the stuff." He said with a calm, but terrifying tone of voice.

Bulma had a bad feeling about this, she could feel that her friend was becoming angrier just at having to look at all this evidence. "There it is, but please try to calm down."

"Does it look like I'm not calm right now?!" Goku snapped at her.

"O-Okay, you can have a look…"

Goku grabs the phone from the table and carefully starts looking through the text messages between Chichi and her partner in crime, who happened to be the most famous lawyer in West City. He remembered reading about this guy after him and Suno returned from their first date. Just like in the recording, one of his wife's messages contained insults directed at him as always, the agreement for Chichi to pay 100 million zeni to her lawyer before false evidence could be created against him. Not to mention her plans to send his sons to great schools when the time was right, and make them get jobs to bring in money for the family. A whole lot of stuff was mentioned which just left the Saiyan in a state of shock. Suno, who was sitting right beside her boyfriend, looked over his shoulder to get a clear look at the texts. Same with Oolong, Puar and Chiaotzu, as they weren't too far from him. Suno's hands flew to her mouth as she read the messages, just finding it unbelievable.

Goku covered his face in his hands, seemingly about to break down. "Why… just… why is this happening?!" Then he removed his hands, anger evident on his face. "I just can't… let me look at the second recording."

"Are you sure?" Bulma eyed him cautiously.

"I'm sure." He reached over for the second voice recorder and activated it, raising the volume loud enough for everyone to hear.

The recording once again revealed a conversation between Chichi and her lawyer. Her 'lawyer' revealed what he had in mind to frame Goku, while Chichi herself had her own thoughts about making her husband look even worse. What left nearly everyone shocked was finding out this lawyer's true identity. General White, who was once a member of the RRA. He revealed to Chichi his history with Goku, how he survived, and how he got his life back together.

By the time this recording was over, no one could say a word. With the exception of Bulma, Vegeta, Videl, Roshi and Gohan who had already heard this same recording, everyone else was just eerily quiet after listening to the second recording. Much more shocking to listen to than the first one. Suno and Eighter needed a bit of time to gather their thoughts together, both their eyes widening in alarm. Hearing about this lawyer's true identity made their blood run cold.

"Wait… so this person Chichi paid the 100 million zeni to was General White? And he used to be a member of the Red Ribbon Army?! And he was the one who enslaved the people of Jingle Village and held the mayor hostage in Muscle Tower?!" Suno felt really angry to learn that this man was the reason why herself, her parents and the village residents suffered during that time.

Eighter had his head down, staring right at the floor. "Yes… he shot Goku back then but I punched him and sent him flying miles away. I had no idea he survived."

"And he's a lawyer now?!"

"It seems so…"

"Damn it…" Goku spoke out in an eerily low voice. "I didn't think he would be the one who's creating false evidence against me and representing Chichi in court as her 'lawyer'. And he's using our divorce process as a means of getting revenge against me for the RRA's downfall back then?!"

"No one knows his true identity. So he's been deceiving the whole public for years…" Suno muttered.

Goku switched off the voice recorder. "I want to look at the pictures now."

"Are you sure, Goku?" Bulma asked, worried for her Saiyan friend. "If this is too much for you, we can save them for later."

"I'll be fine. I just want to get this done and over with."

Goku reached over for the brown envelope, slowly opening it. Everyone watched on in extreme worry, with Goten clinging onto his brother tighter than he ever has, Bulma's heart was racing in her chest as she was very nervous about how this would turn out, and Trunks sat in-between his parents frozen like a statue. Videl just slid closer to the boy, trying to give him some reassurance that everything would be okay. Piccolo just sat there with his arms folded. Buu and Mr. Satan just sat together, not daring to utter a single word.

He finally pulled out some pictures from the envelope and laid them across the center table. These were pictures of someone's beaten, bloody and bruised body. Now that he thought about it, it looked like… his eyes became so wide at the sight. 'No… it… It can't be…' Nothing in this world could have described the look of horror on Goku's face. It was his younger son, his own flesh and blood… nearly beaten to death. His arms and legs were broken, his eye was swollen, and his lips were busted. Eighter and Suno's faces were shocked, horrified rather. Seeing an innocent little boy lying in a pool of his own blood… the sight of it was so sickening. A hard pill to swallow.

"Please… tell me… that I'm not looking… at what I think I'm looking at…"

"It is dad…"

His son told him what he didn't want to hear, but he found a way to continue, not knowing at all how. "This…is…Goten?"

"Y-Yeah, that's him…"

He shot an outraged look at his son, both fists now clenched tightly at him. "And you didn't…tell me… a damn thing… about this going on?!"

Krillin looked between the two, not liking at all where this was going. Gohan just stared down at the ground, likely guilty about the whole thing while his own dad was directing his anger at him. It didn't seem right. He then decided to intervene, holding his hands out in front of the older man. "Buddy, please calm down…"

Goku turned his head sharply at his bald friend, his expression darkening even more. "Calm down? CALM DOWN?! MY OWN SON ALMOST DIES FROM A BEATING AND I HAD TO FIND OUT ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW?!" He screamed, wild with fury.

Krillin cowered under his intimidating gaze and immediately backed off. Suno was so frightened by her boyfriend's rage that she hurried back to Eighter, while Goten stayed close to Videl, who was also scared. Puar, Oolong and Chiaotzu hugged each other, eyes bulging wide in absolute fear. Everybody felt the rage. Goku's pure rage, flooding the place…

"I don't even have to ask who did this to him, because I already know. It was her, right Gohan? At least give me that!"

"Y-Yeah, s-she did that to him… she beat Goten until he was on the brink of death…" He finally said, still not being able to face his angry father.

"So… when Goten told me over the phone that she 'sometimes fed him'... it's because she knew that Saiyans… get really weak if they don't eat… when they're hungry. If Goten wasn't fed well, he couldn't defend himself…"

He wanted to tell his father how the whole thing happened, but he just couldn't find the words. The guilt was already eating away at him. "Yeah…"

On top of being extremely furious, Goku also felt hurt and distressed that he wasn't told about any of this until now. Everyone could feel the pain in his raised voice. "How, for Kami's sake, could you hide all this from me?! I'M HIS FATHER, I'M YOUR FATHER GOHAN! I HAD THE RIGHT TO KNOW THAT THIS WAS GOING ON!"

"I just thought it'd be best if we showed you all this in person. I'm sorry dad…" Now he felt like he had betrayed his father, by keeping the truth hidden from him. But he had done this for a good reason, and he hoped his dad would be able to see it too.

When he looked his son in the eye, the fury towards him had disappeared and was replaced with a feeling of remorse. He shouldn't have taken his anger out on him like that even if he was upset over what happened. "No, Gohan… this is not your fault… at all. And it's not Goten's fault either. It was her's. It's one thing that she hates me, but messing with you two just to get me? I cannot tolerate this. But now… I'll settle things once and for all."

It was at this very moment, that all rational thinking was thrown out the window. Goku was no longer angry with his older son, but he was angry at Chichi for putting his youngest through so much pain until he was on death's door. She was going to pay for all of that, no matter what. He was going to hunt her down and make her regret every single thing she did to hurt both his beloved boys. His mind was made up, and there was no changing it.

He stood up from the living room sofa without sparing anyone a second glance, raising his ki as high as he could and creating a huge gust of wind that caught them all by surprise. As a result, all the pictures, voice recorders, and the cellphone went flying in all directions. Family portraits and small pieces of furniture began to shake uncontrollably, along with the whole living room, and it felt like an actual earthquake was taking place. Suno's hair was blowing in her face, she wanted to tell her boyfriend to get ahold of himself but she was afraid of what would happen if she tried to get close to him, so all she could do was to stay close to Eighter for protection. Everyone else struggled to stay still as his ki level was becoming higher and higher.

"Goku, please don't do it!" Bulma screamed, shielding her face with one arm.

"SHUT UP BULMA!"

"Buddy please, you don't have to do this…" Yamcha pleaded with his friend.

He let out another thunderous roar, "SHUT UP! NOW SHE'LL PAY FOR THIS! DON'T TRY TO STOP ME!"

Right at that moment, Vegeta quickly appears from the back and knocks down the out-of-control Saiyan from behind. The whole room stopped shaking as a result and thankfully, nothing of extreme value was broken in the process. It took everyone a few moments to recover from that and then they all noticed Goku lying face-flat on the floor, unconscious.

"Daddy!"

"Dad?"

"Goku!"

The two Saiyan boys along with Suno, hurried over to the unconscious man in worry. Goku was flipped over and the three of them were desperately searching for signs that he would be okay. Goten would shake his father multiple times and plead for him to wake up. After a while of watching them tend to him, Vegeta said with folded arms, "Don't worry, he's just knocked down. He was about to ruin everything. But now we should take him to lay down until he recovers."

"I just can't believe any of this…" Bulma muttered in shock.

"That makes two of us, Bulma. Now come on, let's take him to bed."

Goten prepared to lend his brother a helping hand. "I'll help you. I wanna go along with him."

Krillin shook his head. "No Goten, I can help Gohan. But you can come too."

"I'm coming along too, I'm worried about him…" Suno whispered then turned to her android friend. "What about you, Eighter?"

"I'm coming too." Eighter said with a nod.

Gohan nodded. "Alright, let's do this!"

Krillin and Gohan carried an unconscious Goku to a guest bedroom, while Bulma was leading the way. Suno, Videl, Goten and the others were following right behind them. Once they finally reached a spare room, Gohan gently placed his father on the bed and removed his shoes and tie to make him more comfortable. He found a spare blanket and laid it over his father's sleeping form, and fluffed up his pillows a little bit. Bulma, Suno and Goten were watching with worried faces along with the rest of the z warriors.

"I can't believe this…"

"Me neither. And I'm sorry that you had to see him like this, Suno." Gohan apologized to the redhead.

Suno was still a little shaken up, but she was understanding and accepted the apology. "It's alright, don't worry about it."

"For how long will he be asleep?" Goten asked worriedly.

Bulma let out a sigh, as she didn't have a single clue. "I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait."

"Maybe an hour." Vegeta responded.

"An hour sounds like enough time." Tien said in agreement.

"It is. I took care not to cause any serious damage. Kakarot was about to screw everything up, and that was the only way to stop him."

"Alright, let's go back to the living room until Goku wakes up." Bulma suggested.

Everyone was already leaving the room, but both Suno and Goten remained next to Goku on the bed. Gohan turned his head around after seeing that they hadn't followed the others. "Suno? Goten?"

Suno sadly gazed at her boyfriend, who seemed to be sleeping so peacefully. She couldn't help but grab his hand as he slept. "I'd rather stay here with him, if you don't mind."

"I know, but… the best for now is to let him rest."

"B-But…" Goten tried to interject.

Gohan looked between them both with a solemn expression. "Goten, I know how you feel. Both of you. And I'm on your side, but he endured too much for one single day. He needs to rest now. So let's go back to the others until dad wakes up."

"Okay, if you say so…" Suno let out a quiet sigh and slowly let go of her boyfriend's hand.

"So come on guys, come on Goten."

He placed a comforting arm around a worried Suno, and took Goten by one of his hands until they finally left the bedroom. When they arrived back in the living room, they saw Bulma and Videl scrambling around to retrieve the evidence that had been scattered all around as a result of the Saiyan raising his ki so high. Once they sat back in their seats, their concern for the Saiyan became noticeable so they both received words of consolation from the others that he was going to be just fine, and that there was no need for them to worry so much. Though there was the concern of Goku still wanting to go after Chichi after he woke up, so a remainder of their time was spent discussing how to stop him from hunting her down and ruining his chances of winning the court case.

ONE HOUR LATER

His eyes slowly fluttered open, but he couldn't see anything at first as a result of his blurry vision. It took a few moments before his eyesight became completely normal again. After regaining his vision, he looked around his current surroundings, but nothing seemed familiar to him. 'Wait… now I remember!' This was one of Capsule Corp's guest bedrooms, which happened to be the same guest room he would stay in back when his wife kicked him out of the house repeatedly and he wound up here at the Briefs family home. Every single time. But how did he end up here? Goku then noticed that his shoes and tie had been removed and placed right beside the bed. He was more confused than ever, not even knowing how they ended up at that spot. Not only that, but he had been covered up with a blanket.

He made a feeble attempt to sit up, but the moment he did so, he felt a wave of dizziness overcome him. "Oh… what happened?"

"Dad, thank goodness you're awake!"

Goku slowly looked up to find his son along with the rest of his friends entering the room. Erasa and Sharpener had opted to remain in the living room so they could be in touch with their families. Suno and Eighter slipped inside and his partner gave him a small wave, to which he did the same. He then managed to give his oldest a small smile despite how crappy he felt. "Hey Gohan…" The Saiyan tried to sit up again more slowly, but this time he felt a sudden sharp pain at the back of his head. "Ow! My head! It feels like someone hit me from the back…"

With his arms crossed, Vegeta eyed the Saiyan for a moment before replying, "Tch! For starters Kakarot, you lost your cool and were about to go and hunt 'her' down after you saw all the evidence, but I knocked you out from behind. I had to do it. You would have screwed things up if we allowed you the opportunity to go after her."

"Ow! That really hurt a ton, Vegeta. But I guess… I should thank you for that. You did the same back when we fought against Buu." He said with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hmph!"

Goku looked at the rest of his friends, growing curious. "And what happened then? You guys stayed here the whole time I was sleeping?"

"Yeah, we stayed here the whole time thinking of ways to… you know, stop you from hunting her down." Krillin nervously explained to his friend.

It was then that he felt remorse for his actions. "I guess that it was really… ugly to see me like that, right?"

"Yeah, kinda…" Yamcha admitted.

"You… weren't really in your right state of mind," said Tienshinhan warily.

He asked worriedly, "Did I transform into a Super Saiyan?"

"Thankfully, you didn't." Bulma said with relief, though she was still afraid of how angry her friend had been earlier.

At this point, Goku started to feel a little bit better so he was able to sit up more properly without feeling too much pain. He then addressed everyone with a serious look. "I think that I owe you all another apology for losing control like that. But let's be fair, you guys should have told me about this. I feel like I had the right to know."

He then laid his eyes on Gohan, and the teenager took that as a sign that he had to answer. He replied as firmly as possible. "Well dad, we wanted you to keep a cool head during all this. This isn't a battle you can win using your fists or ki attacks, but this is a battle you have to win using strategy."

"Exactly." Bulma said, taking over with the explanation. "And had you gone after Chichi before the court case even began, she would have found some way to use it against you."

Now everything was making more sense to the Saiyan, and he was more grateful that Vegeta knocked him out before he had the chance to find his wife. "Yeah… that reaction could have been used against me. She could use it to make up more lies about me. On top of all the other stuff her and General White have planned out."

"That's why we kept quiet." Krillin said calmly. "We don't want that happening."

He closed his eyes to think some more about it. "Well… I think that you guys had a good enough reason for not telling me anything about this. And to be honest, I also had my suspicions when I talked to Goten over the phone."

"I'm sorry daddy..."

Goku noticed his younger son standing beside him, looking down at the floorboards. "Don't worry son, I should be the one who's sorry. I could have messed things up."

His shoulders slumped in sorrow. "But I lied daddy, when you were worried sick about me and Gohan."

He reached over to pat his son's head with an understanding smile. "It's alright, you had your reasons to do it. And now I understand why you and your brother had to run away from home."

"I love you, daddy." Goten said with a brightened face.

Goku lifted his little boy onto the bed and messed around with his hair some more. "And I love you too, son. Always."

The two of them had their arms around each other in a tight heartwarming embrace, which earned huge smiles among the whole group. Goten once again was so happy and bubbly around his father. As soon as they broke free from the embrace, Bulma checked her wristwatch for the time and knew that things had to be wrapped up quickly. She said to him with a smile, "I'm sure we're all tired from partying, so why don't we call it a day and come back tomorrow so we can get you prepared for Goten's custody hearing?"

"That's a great idea, Bulma." Goku then turned to his partner and android friend. "Would you two like to come with me again tomorrow?"

Eighter agreed on the spot, as he didn't have any plans for tomorrow. "I don't see why not."

"I'd love that. I'll be there to support you and provide as much help as I possibly can during this time." Suno said with a firm smile as she reached over to hold his hand.

That earned a loving smile from her boyfriend, as he squeezed her hand lightly before letting go. "Thanks, hon. I appreciate it."

Removing his blanket covers, he slowly rises from the bed with little difficulty and he stretches his arms and legs, now ready to return back to Jingle Village for a much needed rest. But then he immediately sensed an energy level approaching the entrance of Capsule Corporation. One that felt awfully familiar…

Goku froze in his current spot. "Hold on guys…" He then sets Goten down on the floor and everyone stops right behind him. "I feel someone's ki coming up."

"N-No, it can't be…" Gohan knew exactly who that ki belonged to, as a horrified look spread across his face. He took two steps back in complete shock.

Goku's blood had run cold, as he finally recognized that ki signal. It had been so long since he last sensed it, and he couldn't fathom at all how or why this was happening. His face became pale as he uttered out in disbelief, "No way… why is 'she' here? Why now…?"

"To cause trouble, no doubt…" Vegeta muttered.

Videl gritted her teeth. "And because she wants Goten back…"

"N-N-No way… I don't wanna go back with her…" Goten started to sweat and shake once more as he was starting to feel that same fear again.

"Calm down, Goten. I won't let her hurt you." Goku said in reassurance, before turning to his older son's girlfriend with a serious request. "Videl, you take care of him while I confront her."

"Roger that!"

Everyone else was just as shocked and angry to learn of her appearance, with them even uttering out their disgust towards the human woman. Suno and Eighter just remained still for a moment, trying to let this sink in. "S-She's here?!" Suno finally uttered out, clamping a hand over her mouth. "After everything she's done?!"

"How despicable…" Eighter muttered back.

Gohan was still very worried about this. "Dad, will you be okay with confronting her on your own?"

"I will. Don't worry about me."

"If you say so… just don't be provoked by anything she says."

He started walking forward to the bedroom's exit, his back now facing everyone. "I won't. Because now it's all clear." His jaw was clenched in anger and his fists tightened once more, but he had to keep it together if he wanted to win this battle.

"Okay guys, I guess we can get going…" Bulma said to them quietly.

Following closely behind the Saiyan, they all departed from the guest bedroom and carefully made their way to the main entrance of Capsule Corporation, bracing themselves for a stormy confrontation. Their only hope was that Goku made it out unscathed and they could proceed with making further plans for the upcoming court battle.