Remember

Prologue:

Goten and his dad finished their training just as the sun was setting. If he didn't have to eat Goku would've probably kept on training until the morning, when they would be leaving for the World Martial Arts Tournament, in which he - and his youngest son – were about to participate this year.

"Good job," Goten's dad said while he wiped his sweaty face with his shirt. Goku, however, didn't seem to be bothered by the thin layer of sweat that covered his forehead. Goten knew he lived for that sense of exhaustion at the end of a grueling training season (not that training with his youngest son was any challenge for him).

Goten was a lot like his dad in many ways. First of all, he looked just like him when he had been young, except for his hairstyle; He, unlike his dad, made an attempt to control the black mane that grew out naturally in every direction by cutting it in a boyish and wild style. He wasn't as tall as his dad, although his mother told him that he might still grow, but other than that, looking at his father's face was like looking in the mirror; The same high cheekbones, same eyes surrounded by long black eyelashes, and even the same carefree smile.

"Thanks," Goten replied, knowing that his dad's feedback wasn't a true measure of his performance. His dad always told him he was doing a good job, on days when he could almost beat him but also on bad days when he could barely land a punch.

He felt that that day tended more towards a bad day than a good one. For some reason he felt very distracted. Perhaps it was due to the sudden appearance of Trunks in the middle of the day... But no, he felt weird even before. In fact, he had been feeling that way for several days -like there was something lurking in the back of his head, swirling, trying to attract his attention, trying to remind him of something he had forgotten...

"Hey, Goten - are you listening to me?"

"What?" He realized that his dad was talking to him.

"About the Tournament tomorrow," his dad said, looking uncharacteristically serious. "Remember I told you about that fighter? The one that has a very high power level, possibly higher than mine?"

Goten nodded. Honestly, he was little tired of hearing his dad talk about this "Mysterious Fighter". Nonetheless, he just smiled and nodded.

"I still need to see exactly who it is, but... If he's really as strong as I think he is... I want to go and train him."

For a moment Goten hadn't realized the meaning of the words and their consequences. Then the realization settled in.

"All right," was all he thought to say. "Okay..."

"Yeah? You're okay with that?" His asked asked hopefully, with almost childlike enthusiasm.

"Sure," Goten lied in lack of talent. "You're always saying that you won't be here forever, and you should make sure that someone could protect earth when you're gone..."

"Exactly," Goku said, pleased at the thought that Goten understands him. He was worse at discovering lies than Goten was at telling them.

He's so happy with himself, Goten thought with mixed feelings. Standing there smiling that smile of his. Does he even understand the consequences of what he's about to do?

"Maybe it's a sign that I don't need a Master anymore," Goten found himself saying as he took his worn backpack that was laying on the cool grass some distance away. "You're never home anyway, so mom's used to you not being around. And Pan will be fine, she's young enough to forget you..."

He couldn't control the bitterness in his voice. His dad's face fell.

"Goten..."

"I'm sorry," Goten said honestly, realizing what he had said. He tied his sweat soaked shirt around his waist and looked at his father. "You're only thinking about our safety. I know. Really. I'll see you at dinner."

He rose into the air and flew away, allowing the evening air to cool his sweaty body. Only then he realized that his face was very hot, as if all the emotions he felt went up to his head.

He took a deep breath and calmed himself. He looked at the orange- pink shade of the horizon, allowing the beauty that was revealed high above the ground to distract him. The figures of the mountains against the sky and clouds were burning in a beautiful shade of red, and the treetops were enveloped in soft blue shadows. At such moments, when the world was utterly silent, at the transition between day and night, Goten felt life at their fullest. These moments were the source of his ability to act as if his troubles weren't so bad, and feel honestly that everything will work out.

A mechanical noise disturbed his meditation. He looked over his shoulder and saw a sophisticated looking aircraft trying to catch up with him. He smiled while stopping mid air.

The aircraft caught up with him after a brief moment. The cockpit opened, revealing Trunks. His bright oval hair was thin and smooth, moving in the wind, and his handsome face was tanned and graced with a small smile, rare but honest. Trunks wasn't a particularly cheerful person - he was like his father in that aspect - but Goten knew his smiles well, each and every one of them. That's how it is when you've been someone's friend since you can remember, not to mention all the times they fought to save the world together, or used the fusion technique to become one fighter.

"You've been here all this time?" Goten asked. He was sure Trunks went back home to train with his father as soon as he realized he had no choice but to fight in the Tournament the next day.

"A little spying on the opponent never hurt," Trunks replied, calculated and witty as ever.

Goten laughed. "Are you really that out of shape?"

"You laugh a lot for someone who's ass been kicked all day."

"Let's see you stand up against my dad for more than five minutes."

Trunks gave his characteristic chuckle. "I guess you're right."

They fell into a strange silence while hovering in the air facing each other. Trunks' eyes showed a mixture of royal blue and gold while looking straight at Goten. He felt an urge to look away.

That wasn't the first time Goten noticed how the sun's rays reflected his best friend's blue eyes. After all, there weren't many people who had eyes as blue as Trunks'. However, that day the sight woke something that lay dormant in his heart. Goten wasn't sure why this was happening to him. Perhaps because of the kiss. It had been almost two months since it happened, but the memory still hung over him like a black cloud, refusing to go away.

"We haven't had a chance to hang out in a while," Trunks said nonchalantly, even though they both knew exactly how long it had been since they spent time together. "You want to go get something to eat? You can tell me about your date."

Goten looked away in embarrassment. He wasn't sure why the situation was so embarrassing for him, he used to tell Trunks all the details about his love life.

"It is nothing serious," he blurted. Suddenly he became aware that he wasn't wearing a shirt. He didn't mind Trunks seeing him like that - they used to bathe together as kids, and until recently they used to go skinny dipping - but now it felt weird, when he knew that there is a possibility that Trunks sees him as more than a friend... Even if he acted as if nothing happened.

"You're seeing a guy?" Trunks tried to sound casual, but he didn't quite manage to.

Goten nodded, suddenly glad he was forced to cancel this date because of the Tournament. The Tournament made him think about his dad, and about what he had told him.

"Look... I really need to get home," he justified in a very unconvincing tone. "See you tomorrow, Trunks."

He turned his back and flew away quickly, aware that his house wasn't at all in that direction. He flew faster, using energy to accelerate, not wanting Trunks to catch up with him.

Maybe Trunks tried to follow him, he didn't know. He undoubtedly was the fastest of the two - probably the fastest flyer on Earth, according to Gohan's assessment. Soon he landed in a place where the trees were enormous, skillfully maneuvering between the sturdy branches, and soon arrived at his resort. It was a grassed slope that streached next to a wide pool, a spot shaded by the huge trees, hidden from the eye. No one knew about that place - not his brother Gohan, not his dad, and not even Trunks.

He lay back on the damp grass and looked at the purple sky through the branches. He had always been a social person, so why lately he just wants to be alone all the time? He always used to enjoyed some solitude in his favorite places in the woods and mountains, but recently he felt an inexplicable urge to be alone all the time. Smiling no longer came naturally for him like before, and he felt nervous, even angry, at the smallest things. What's happening to him?

Deciding that is was probably a puberty thing - after all, he was still in high school - he opened his backpack and took out a flashlight and a notebook with a hard cover decorated with shapes of green and red leaves. He sat it down, lit the flashlight and took the rubber band off the cover, flipping through the pages covered with his own wide handwriting.

What would Vegeta say of him if he knew that a member of the proud race of the Saiyans was seeking solitude to write poetry? He would probably give him a long lecture about his lack of respect to the values to his race and his inclination towards his human side, or mock Goku for his delicate and feminine son... Well, it was fine as long as he didn't know that his own son had experienced a sexual and intimate moment with another man.

Goten read his old poets, here and there deciding to erase a word and replace it with another, or to rephrase a line. If only he could express himself in the classroom like he expressed himself in his notebook, his grades could have been slightly better. Finally he reached the poet he wrote trying to describe in words how it felt to kiss Trunks, on his large bed in his cool, dark room in the city, smelling like expensive aftershave and cheap alcohol. But there there were just scattered words and unclear phrases. Since that night he couldn't write anything new.

Why did that night haunt him? He was the one who kept his composure when it happened, reminding Trunks that he was drunk, covered him with a blanket and slept next to him at night to make sure he wouldn't suffer from nausea. He was supposed to be okay with what happened, because contrary to Trunks, he had accepted the fact that he was attracted to men. The kiss meant nothing. Trunks probably didn't even remember that night, not the odd surge of jealousy he had towards the guy who asked Goten to dance, which forced Goten to take him home, and not the kiss they shared in his drunken state. So why - why - can't he stop thinking about it?

He knew it would be a bad idea to go that noisy club. He tried to tell Trunks he wasn't that type of person, that he should stick to he wild forests - that was where he belonged. No matter how much he wanted to adopt an urban lifestyle, to get away from the way he was raised, he always completed a full circle and came back to where he came from.

It scared him. He didn't want to be like his dad. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life training and fighting. He didn't want to be rural and uneducated as many people saw his dad. He wanted to go to the university, like Gohan, to see what the world could offer him. The problem was that he didn't have his brother's intellect, diligence and patience. He wasn't an outstanding student. Besides, he didn't even know what he would have wanted to study if he had the opportunity. He didn't have Gohan's sense and memory, not Trunks' sharp perception and mathematical skills, and not even his sister- in- law Videl's assertiveness ans people's skills. And since they were the three people he always compared himself to, Goten couldn't help but feel that he was lacking in the extreme when it came to his professional future.

A loud rustling sound made him sit up straight. The rustling continued, coming from a nearby bush. Goten turned off his flashlight, leaving the place in soft twilight darkness. The voice repeated itself and then stopped, leaving only the whisper of the stream and the last cries of the birds to fill the air.

Goten got up and approached the bush carefully, feeling for the sign of energy. He identified with certainty that it was an animal - a quite large one - and it was weak.

He peered into the bushes carefully. A pair of large dark eyes, beautiful and clever, shone through the leaves. It was a doe, it's small antlers stuck in the ferns.

Goten approached her silently. She didn't panic. He knew how to make animals trust him. He leaned carefully and released it; Only then he realized that it was lying there not because it was stuck, but because it's rear leg was badly injured.

"Who did this to you?" He murmured softly. The look the doe gave him was very specific, as if she understood him. "Come on, let's get you fixed up."

He stroked her short fur soothingly. To his surprise, she didn't even tense. He felt around cautiously until he could hold her, careful not to touch her injured leg, and lifted her up on his shoulders. Then he paused only to take his backpack and poets notebook before flying slowly toward his house.

Until he arrived it was already dark and the lights were on inside. Smoke rose from the chimney, spreading his mother's cooking aroma for miles. He landed in the front yard and with great care lowered the doe to the grass.

"Goten, where - what is that?" His mother stood at the door, her scolding interrupted by the sight of the injured creature.

"Could you watch her for a minute? I'm going to get the first aid kit."

"Goten, you can't bring home any injured animal you find," his mother told him sternly, but still did as he requested. No matter how stern she seemed, Goten knew she had great pity for the weak.

Inside, Goten discovered they had dinner guests. His dad was sitting on the living room carpet, playing with Goten's four year old niece, Pan. Pan's dad, Goten's brother, was sitting on the couch behind them with the telephone to his ear, apparently trying to understand why their phone wasn't working this time. He winked at Goten when he came in. By the peace in the room, Goten knew that their dad hadn't told his brother about his plans to leave. Not yet, anyway.

Gohan's wife, Vidal, was in the kitchen watching the dish in the oven. The wonderful scent distracted Goten for a moment from his mission, and he came to see what was cooking.

"Chicken with onions and potatoes," he stated.

"My name's Vidal," his sister in law replied witty. "Would it kill you to say hi to me before you greet your food?"

"I'm just being polite. It's not staying for dessert, but you are."

She playfully ruffled his hair, affectionately, like a big sister.

He slipped up the stairs to his room and returned with his first aid kit

"What did you bring us this evening?" Gohan asked, already understanding the meaning of the kit.

"A mature doe. You should come see, it's one of the most beautiful I've seen."

"I'll be right there," Gohan said, the phone still to his ear. "Pan, want to see the doe? Go with uncle Goten."

Pan ran to Goten enthusiastically, taking his outstretched hand. The four year old girl was very curious to see him handling the animal's injured leg. When it started to move in pain Goten hummed a calm melody and it relaxed; His niece almost stopped her breath from fascination at that point. Goten felt a certain satisfaction at the sight of her round face washed with awe.

He left the doe (Pan insisted that they should give her a name) to rest by the shack before his mom called them fpr dinner. During the meal Pan attacked him with questions and proposals for doe names. He was happy she did that, because it gave him an excuse not to think about his dad.

At the end of the epic meal (every meal attended by three Saiyans was an epic meal) Goten's mom ordered his dad to collect the dishes while she washed them. He obeyed her instantly, and Goten wondered if he's the only one who noticed that he's quieter than usual.

"It is time for you to go to bed," Vidal said to Pan, who started to look drowsy. "Tomorrow is going to be a big day."

The reference to the Tournament made Pan stir with great excitement. The whole family looked at her lovingly, except Goten, who looked at his dad. Pan was very attached to him. How would she react if he left tomorrow won't come back for months or even years?

Feeling the same unclear urge to be alone, Goten slipped out into the cool night. There was no city within a radius of tens of kilometers, so the stars above the family house were very bright. When Goten was younger, he and Trunks used to lie on the grass at night and imagine what kind of aliens lived on the various stars, and witch planet their dads came from.

He turned toward the shack, where the doe was lying on the grass. He sat down beside her. Her dark eyes were remarkably intelligent as they focused on him, and her nostrils flared in an attempt to sniff the air around him. He stroked her rich short fur.

He felt he could sit there all night. He sank in a lack of thought, like a sleep, only that he was still awake. It was a nice feeling. The presence of the peaceful animal was soothing. The look she gave him was so full of sympathy, as if she could understand him...

"Goten?" He raised his head at the mention of his name. His mom was standing over him in a robe and slippers, holding a garden lamp in her hand. She looked ready for sleep.

"Mm?" He replied, feeling a bit confused. Maybe he fell asleep and didn't notice?

"You've been sitting here for almost two hours, sweetie. Aren't you going to bed? We have to get up early tomorrow."

"Why?" He asked. The thought of tomorrow was as an empty white canvas. He didn't remember that he had any plans.

"The Tournament, Goten. Don't tell me you forgot. You and your father have to earn some money for us," his mother reminded him seriously.

"The Tournament? Oh, yeah." He recalled slowly. Strange that he had forgotten it. It was quite nice, this option to not thinking about anything.

He stroked the doe for the last time and rose from the grass. He felt she was looking at him as he entered the house after his mom.

It took him a long time to fall asleep that night, even though his head was empty. And when he fell asleep, his dreams were haunted by a pair of dazzling eyes, bright like ancient stars, dark and wide. He didn't know that that night was the first of many nights that these eyes would haunt him.