Chapter 03
Goten’s POV:
I bolt up out of bed with the strangest feeling. I don’t know what it is – it can’t be described. All I get is one feeling tingling through my entire body. DANGER – somebody I care about is in trouble. I throw on pants and a sweat shirt and take off. The only thought on my mind is tracking where the feeling is coming from. I find what seems to be some sort of battle. A figure is on the ground trying to recover as two entities battle above them. One is…well, if darkness, abyss and down and out despair have a color and a consciousness, this thing is it. The other seems to be golden like light in a shape of a beast fighting with everything it has. One thing is clear to me – the gold is fighting for the figure’s life, while the dark is fighting for the figure’s destruction.
I reach out to the golden light mentally. ‘I am here – my energy…my body are yours. Take them!’
I touch the golden light, feeling its energy and presence washing over me. It is obvious to me the figure on the ground is someone of great importance to the presence.
‘We will fight for him together.’ I assure the new presence in my body.
“HIS SOUL IS MINE!” Roared the darkness.
‘LIKE HELL!’ I roar back to it and go Super Saiyan 2. The fight between us started. I don’t know how long the fight went on – I just know that when the golden presence entered me, some of its energy went back to its originator. I also know the golden presence was what part of me suspected – the energies of a Saiyan. Whether dead or alive, I have no idea. I also know WHO I am defending…Trunks. Not my Tru-kun – I’d know mine anywhere. Mine was currently on a business trip for his mother…this is a different one.
However, for some reason I know it doesn’t matter. Trunks is my best friend and this other him was obviously in danger, and that golden figure…well obviously IT thought this version was worth fighting and dying for, so why should I think any differently? So I fought for him, and in one last desperate move I killed the dark…THING for lack of a better word. Spirit bomb – a little risky I suppose, draining my own force like that, but I didn’t care at the moment. Trunks was all that mattered.
I gathered the barely conscious form in my arms. He looked up at me. “Gohan?” He asked softly before he lost consciousness. I felt his slowly dropping ki. SHIT! I’M LOSING HIM!
“You’re not going anywhere Trunks,” I mutter. “Except home.” I give some of my energy to him, wishing I had a senzu bean with me. I need to start keeping a pouch of some in my pocket or something, like Dad does. I panic, wondering the best way – I couldn’t fly there in time. I calm myself down and try to think…Instant Transmission! Dad never taught me it personally, but he did explain the theory before. I concentrate and give it a try, clutching Trunks close to make sure I don’t go anywhere without him. I appear on the grounds of Capsule Corp. Good enough for me. “BULMA!!! VEGETA!!!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!! GET DOWN HERE NOW!!!!”
Okay…either I’m not as calm as I thought I was, the presence in my body took over the functions of my mouth, or I am going into panic mode. Any one, or a combination of the three, is highly possible. It has the desired effects though. Within seconds of my yell, Vegeta and Bulma come rushing out the door; Bulma looking slightly embarrassed and fumbling with the ties of a house coat, Vegeta looking absolutely furious and ready to kill me where I stand…until they both see my weakening state and my burden. Vegeta takes Trunks from me and Bulma tries to help me. I slap her hands away. “Fuck me, I don’t matter now Bulma.Take care of him. I can wait and live – he can die.”
“Woman,” says Vegeta, removing the sweatshirt I put over my burden to keep him warm. “It’s the other one.”
“You mean Mirai?” Bulma asks Vegeta in disbelief. They take him into the infirmary. I get to my feet slowly and follow them into the house, the wheels in my mind going on overdrive. ‘Mirai’…the name rings some slight bells. The Cell Games? ‘Duh, stupid.’ I admonish myself as I mentally slap myself upside the head…as I remember my older brother’s stories of the Z fighters’ old battles. Heck, every so often when everyone got together, they would talk about old fights. Keep them together long enough and pretty much any old battle was due to come up. One topic would be the Cell Games – the complete story was only mentioned after Dad came back for good though. Unless you count those times Trunks and I got Master Roshi, Krillin and Yamacha drunk and asked them questions about it .
According to them, a strange boy appeared back when Android 17 and Android 18 were still considered the bad guys. He warned everyone they were going to show up and when. He also warned Dad he was going to get really sick – he gave Dad medicine to use when it happened. His name was Trunks too. I always thought that was kinda weird. Trunks always said he thought it was really creepy, that there was another him running around somewhere – I later figured out that he was lying. He didn’t find it creepy, but he did sometimes wonder if Bulma and Vegeta preferred the other Trunks to him. One day I slapped him upside the head and he just stared at me, like he was wondering what was wrong with me.
“You idiot!” I had told him. “Stop it!”
“Stop what, Goten?” He had asked.
“You can’t fool me! You’re doing it again.”
“Are you feeling okay, chibi? What am I doing again?”
“Comparing yourself to the other Trunks.” I told him. Maybe he wasn’t aware he was doing it, but I always knew when he was.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” He muttered, getting up to walk away.
I grabbed him in a big bear hug and held him there…I wasn’t sure if it was minutes or hours. The whole time talking about old times together, how much he meant to me and how he was the best friend I ever had, and how in my mind there was nobody that would ever replace him. Probably one of the few things I had ever done right in my entire life, since I was always naturally screwing things up a lot of the time anyway.
I get myself into the infirmary, slowly, but I get there. I already know the other Trunks is fine, because one: the presence in me is relaxing a bit. It is just as anxious as I am. Two, I felt the rise in his ki levels as he was recovering. He wasn’t going to die, not today and not if I had anything to say about it.
“He’s going to be okay, I take it.” I say from the door way. He hasn’t woken up yet, but somehow I can tell from Vegeta and Bulma’s relief he’s going to be just fine.
“He’s stabilized. In a few hours, he should be awake.” Bulma assures me, taking notice that I was there again. Not that I blame her. They can both be considered her son.
“Are you going to stop being stubborn and let me take care of you now?”
“Now that he is going to be fine, sure.” I answer.
“You really are a stubborn baka, you know?” She tells me as she begins taping up my aching ribs – they are only bruised, but they still hurt some. I am not sure if she is referring to me not letting her take care of me until Trunks was safe, or not taking the senzu bean she offered. I know I will be fine without it – unless the Earth is going to be attacked in the next three or four days, I am sure I will be fine. No use wasting them if they are not needed, right?
“We have genetically engineered some of our own fast growing senzu plants, you know.” She mutters. Yep, it’s about the dumb senzu bean. “And why didn’t you send for help before letting yourself be beaten to a pulp in the first place?”
It’s official: both my ignorance of my injuries and my refusal of the senzu, plus the fact I fought by myself. ‘Sheesh, Bulma.’ I have the slight bit of deja’vu – the look she is giving me is the same look and tone she gave me after Trunks and I fused, went after Majin Buu, and came back beat up after the first failed attempt. Everyone was pissed at us that day. Not because we failed, but because we flew off half cocked with no real plan. I think it was a draw who was the most pissed: Piccolo or Mom. Considering at the time she was without Dad or my brother, the fact that I ran off and almost got myself killed too…It wasn’t a pretty sight to see, let’s just put it that way. Both of us got an earful. Piccolo looked like he was ready to kill us himself right then and there. I shake my head at these lovely memories.
Vegeta smirks at me. “Having a delightful cruise down memory lane, brat?”
“Just thinking Vegeta, just thinking.”
Bulma finishes tending to my wounds. “I suppose I can trust you to go to bed right?” I take a look over to the bed, Bulma’s eyes following mine. “You can’t be considering…No Goten! N, O…you are not sitting up here and waiting to make sure he wakes up! What is wrong with you? You have yourself to worry about – he’s older than you and an adult. GO TO BED!!!!”
I give her another look just as determined as the one she gives me. We stare at each other in a silent staring battle to see who will give in first.
“OH FOR THE LOVE OF…!” Shouts Vegeta. “Woman, it is obvious he isn’t going to change his mind. He is well aware that he is not the one he knows, but obviously it doesn’t make a bit of difference! Bring in another bed, and let the fool wait up til doomsday if he wants! The Harpy raised him! You know he is going to get his way in the end – just give in now and save yourself a lot of time!”
I start to smell something…oh brother. Vegeta is extremely horny and desperate. I would bet he would say anything at this point to end this whole thing so he can go back and screw Bulma. Which was probably what they were about to do before I landed on their doorstep. Bra was at a sleep-over at Marron’s with Pan…so of course he would take the opportunity as it presented itself. I shake my head and go over to where I know Bulma keeps things like spare beds in capsule form, and carry it back to the infirmary and de-capsulize it. I sit down on the bed and lay back. My eyes are on Trunks and his monitors the whole time. I give a quick glance to Bulma, who raises her hands in surrender and frustration – some of which is possibly her own frustrations at my interruption.
“Fine, have it your way. Here’s a call button…ring if you two need anything.” Vegeta gave me a warning look that said I better wait at least until morning to call for anything if I knew what was good for me. Bulma looked like she was thinking of any other instructions she needed to give, but was cut short when Vegeta grabbed her, put her over his shoulder and carried her away.
I laughed – sometimes those two worried me. I was beginning to see why Trunks had decided to get his own apartment on the grounds as soon as possible. I thought he wanted privacy, but it was obvious what he wanted was to…I started hearing odd noises. Apparently they decided not to completely wait till they got to the bedroom again. Sheesh! I will never understand some people – I just won’t! I watch the other Trunks as long as possible until my eyes begin to close. I give in and let them, but my attention is still on him. Any noise or movement, and I will be there. Go ahead and rest now, Mirai Trunks…I’ll stay right here till morning if you need me to…
