Author Notes

Been a while since I've forayed into the DBZ fanfiction, even though this was my first series I ever did a fanfic about. So It's like coming full-circle. Just to get it out of the way, I dun own DBZ, DB or DBGT. Akira Toriyama and all those other wonderful companies and affiliates get to do that.

I would like to think that this story idea is mostly an original one, yet with the thousands of fics posted here alone, that's probably a slim possibility. Yet this fic is my own, written entirely by me, with no conscious intention to copy anyone else.

The setting for this fic will be about 3 years post-Majin Buu, but after that the story is complete Alternate Universe. I'm essentially re-writing Dragonball GT to my own liking. (And before you say something, yes I know that GT doesn't happen for several years after when my story is based. I did that on purpose. Please don't point it out to me, for it will be incredibly redundant.)

This fic is rated M for mature, for adult situations, adult language and probably some violence thrown in there for kicks (I mean, the story IS about Saiyans after all). Don't read if you don't like that kind of stuff. I probably will write a few "lemons" (sex scenes) for this fic (they seem to work their way into almost everything that I do), but if I do, they won't be able to be posted at this site due to its policies. If and when it comes to it, I'll leave instructions in the body of the fic for you to obtain the lost parts of the story.

In case you couldn't tell from the synopsis, this fic will be a VB and a GCC. If you don't like that, don't read. That simple.

So, if you're still interested, just continue on down and enjoy! Oh, and reviews are never remiss. The more the merrier.

Chapter 1

Trouble in Paradise

Goten Son watched with wide eyes from behind his large rice bowl as his mother—normally rather calm and serene, at least so long as Gohan was studying like he was supposed to—threw dishes into the sink with a loud, clattering vengeance. The small nineyear old cringed a little when the large skillet made a huge banging noise as it connected with the stainless-steel siding. Chi-Chi began scrubbing at its dirty surface vigorously—perhaps a little too vigorously—strands of her ink black hair slipping loose from her normally immaculate bun and framing her flushed, sweat-misted face.

As she worked, Goten could hear her muttering under her breath, voice angry. But worse than that, his sensitive ears could hear the tremble of hurt in her tone. And he could hear the faint sniffle she would give every now and then, and see the streaks down her rose-colored cheeks that hadn't come from sweat.

Goten didn't like to see his mama cry. Even though it seemed she cried a lot, she had always tried to hide it from him over the years, sending him and Gohan off to bed at night and then going up to her room all alone. He and his older brother had lain in the darkness, their Saiyan ears easily picking up her muffled sobs above them. They had never spoken of it, perhaps Gohan didn't like the thought of their mother grieving anymore than he did.

Goten had puzzled out for himself from her words that she had been missing his daddy all those other times. Yet Goku was back now! How come his mom was still crying if his dad was back home for good?

"Stupid . . . worthless idiot . . . rather train . . . why do I even bother!" snippets of Chi-Chi's hissing voice, barely above a whisper, made their way to Goten's ears and he frowned.

Mom had made a huge breakfast like always, though now that he thought about it, there were several special touches that she didn't usually include. Had she done it just for dad? Well no wonder she had looked so crestfallen when Goku had sped out of the house before the sun had barely risen, saying that he had to get an early start on training Uub. He had also informed them that they were going to take their sessions to Kami's Lookout from now on, and not to wait up as he wasn't sure when he'd be coming home.

Goten scowled suddenly, feeling tears prick his own eyes at the sight and sound of his mother's grief. And as to that, why couldn't his father stay home and train him? He was a good fighter! He had almost won the Junior Division World Tournament three years ago hadn't he? Goten huffed, annoyed, then turned his gaze from his mother to his older brother on the other side of the table.

Gohan, now in college and engaged to soon marry his High School sweetheart Videl, was keeping his head bowed and focused on his food. Yet Goten could see that his fists were clenched and his shoulders were faintly hunched—a clear sign that he was upset too. Goten just shook his head. His dad coming back home was all that his mom and brother had wanted for as long as he could remember. So far—to Goten at least—Goku Son didn't seem worth the trouble.

Having had enough of the oppressive melancholy inside these walls, Goten suddenly leapt out of his chair.

"Mommy, can I go to Trunks' house today?"

Chi-Chi wiped at her eyes with her dress sleeve before glancing down at him. Goten snorted. As if he didn't know what that red puffiness meant. He was almost ten years old after all, not a dumb baby.

"Make sure you call first to see if it's ok with Bulma, and have your brother take you."

Normally Goten might have protested the need for an escort because, again, nearly ten years old here. Yet he sensed that now was most definitely not the time to argue something so silly. Gohan, too, looked less than pleased at the prospect yet he said nothing. So Goten hopped over to the phone and levitated off the ground to reach the wall-mounted device. He picked it up and dialed one of two numbers that he had memorized since he was old enough to know what a telephone was.

It rang twice, then, "Hello sweetie, Capsule Corporation Residence. This is Chemise Briefs speaking, how may I help you today?"

Goten smiled at the sugar-sweet tone of Trunks' grandma. She was one of the nicest ladies in the whole wide world, and always had warm chocolate chip cookies waiting for him when he came over. His tummy rumbled at the thought.

"Hey Mrs. Briefs!" he chirruped. She giggled.

"Why hello there, Goten. How nice of you to call! Such a well-mannered young man you are." Goten preened under the praise, then remembered his original intent.

"Hey, can you ask Ms. Bulma if it'd be ok if I came over to play with Trunks today?"

"Sure thing sweetheart. You wait just one second and I'll transfer your call, so you can ask her yourself okay? I'm sure she'd love to hear your voice!"

"Okay!"

Goten waited for several moments, listening idly to the music playing in the ear-piece. Then the phone came back online. Goten jerked however as his sensitive ears were blasted by a feminine scream of rage.

"Just get the hell out of here Vegeta! I don't give a damn where you go, just get away from me!"

Goten heard Mr. Vegeta yelling in the background too, though he couldn't quite make out what was said. It incited more yelling from the woman, and then there was a loud banging noise. Probably a door slamming. After another moment, Bulma's tired voice came on the line.

"Hello?"

"Um . . . hi Ms. Bulma," Goten began tentatively.

"Oh my Kami, sweetie, I'm so sorry," she immediately gushed. Goten swallowed as he heard the clear sound of tears suddenly clogging her voice. Bulma was the mom of his best friend after all. In a lot of ways, she was like his second mom, or very close aunt. He didn't like the idea of her crying any more than he did his own mother. "I didn't mean for you to hear that, Goten."

"I-it's ok," he quickly assured. "I was just calling to see if I could come over to play. But . . . m-maybe it's not a good time—,"

"No, no! We'd love to have you over, Goten. I'm sure Trunks could use the company. Do you need a ride?"

"No, Gohan's gonna take me."

"Okay then, we'll see you soon," she murmured, making a valiant attempt to make her voice sound cheerful and not on the verge of sobs.

"Okay, bye-bye," he returned, then hung up the phone. "Ms. Bulma said it's okay," he announced. His mother nodded without turning around.

Gohan got to his feet, hesitated behind their mother, then heaved a sigh and started for the front door. "Come on then, squirt."

"Bye mommy!" Goten called as he turned to leave.

"Bye sweetie," she returned. "Be careful flying over there, don't antagonize any dinosaurs on the way and don't eat too many sweets! You'll ruin your dinner!"

Goten smiled, as that sounded a bit more like the mom he knew and loved. He ran out the door, then took off in a blast of ki, as Gohan was already hovering off the ground waiting for him to catch up. They headed toward Capsule Corporation as fast as Goten could fly. They did so in silence for several minutes, then,

"Gohan, how come Dad doesn't like us?"

Gohan turned sharply in his direction, scowling.

"What makes you say that?! Of course Dad likes us! He loves us!"

"He sure doesn't act like it," Goten responded petulantly. "If you love somebody you want to be around them all the time." He slid his elder brother a sour look. "Dad's never here. Even now that he's alive again. It's been three years since Majin Buu got beat up and I don't think Dad's spent a whole entire day home with us that entire time. All he wants to do is fight and train Uub."

Gohan heaved a sigh. "You've gotta try to understand, Goten. Dad . . . well, he's just not like other people." Goten frowned

"Like what do you mean?" His older brother looked faintly uncomfortable, scratching at the back of his head, for a moment looking very much like the man they were discussing.

"Well . . . I asked Uncle Krillin once about it. He told me that . . . well, when dad was a kid, he got hit on the head really hard and it kinda scrambled him up a bit." Goten made a face.

"Dad's retarded?"

"No! He's not retarded!" Gohan snapped, scowling. "He's just . . . well, he doesn't think like we do sometimes. He doesn't understand that some things hurt us. It's not that he means to be mean to us. He honestly doesn't even know that what he's doing is wrong."

"Well somebody should tell him," Goten snapped. "I don't like seeing mom cry like that." For a moment, Gohan looked as though he would argue, then sighed heavily and shook his head.

"Me either, squirt. Me either."

In no time at all, the two Saiyan half-breeds were making their descent over the Capsule Corp. main building. Goten hopped a little in his landing, then followed his older brother inside. He frowned a little, as no doubt the only reason why Gohan was coming in was because he wanted some of Mrs. Briefs cookies.

Sure enough, there was a plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies sitting in the foyer with a note that a smiling Gohan said read "Enjoy." The smaller Son scowled as his older brother snatched up half of the gooey treats for himself and began doing just that.

"Mrs. Briefs made those for me," he grumbled. Gohan just chuckled.

"And mom told you not to ruin your dinner. I'm just lookin' out for you squirt." Goten grumbled some more, but said nothing as he shoved one of the cookies into his mouth petulantly. Big brothers could be such a pain some times. "Say, where d'you suppose Trunks is at?" Gohan suddenly questioned, puzzled look on his face as he glanced about the unusually empty house. "Usually he's waiting for us outside."

"Dunno," Goten answered absently, studying another cookie. "Maybe he's playing hide and seek?" Gohan thought on that for a second, then shrugged. Who was he to understand the mind of a ten year old?

"Well you two have fun. I gotta get back home and start studying for my college math exam next week."

Goten accepted his older brother's ruffling of his hair with a minor scowl, then returned the salutation and watched Gohan leave before turning back into the house. He reached up absently to scratch at the back of his head—oblivious to just how much he resembled his wayward sire at that very moment—as he considered the seemingly deserted main room in front of him. Where could everybody be? More importantly, where was Trunks? He was sure Mrs. Briefs or Ms. Bulma would have remembered to tell him that he was coming over.

Oh well, standing here wondering wasn't doing any good. He might as well just start looking. Goten quickly exhausted the usual suspects, such as the game room and Trunks' bedroom. The bathroom was empty too. Just when Goten was starting to get really scared—what if the Buu monster came back and turned everyone into candy bars and ate them!—then he caught a flash of something while passing by a window. He quickly back-peddled, then leaned forward to take a closer look. He grinned with relief. There he was!

Trunks was sitting outside, near to the gravity room in the shade.

Goten rushed out, skipped down the steps, then darted across the yard. "Hey Trunks! Hey, whatcha doin? Hey . . ." Goten hesitated upon nearing his best friend, his smile of greeting falling away into a look of uncertainty. Trunks hadn't even looked up at his approach, staring down at the grass near his feet with a blank expression on his face. Goten bit his lip. "What . . . what's the matter Trunks?"

Trunks sniffed suspiciously, then reached up and wiped his nose and eyes across his sleeve.

"Nothin' Goten," he mumbled. Goten frowned.

"Something's gotta be the matter. Else how come you're sitting out here all by yourself?"

All of a sudden Trunks straightened. Goten started a little, stunned to see tears glittering in his eyes. He was also a little shocked to see his furious expression, his blue eyes narrowed onto him.

"Oh shut up Goten! What do you know anyway!" Before an indignant Goten could respond, Trunks angrily continued. "Your life is so good and perfect! Your mom and dad never fight! Your dad actually shows you affection and you have an older brother to hang out with! You don't know anything!"

"I do too know stuff!" Goten protested angrily. "And my life isn't perfect either! My mom and dad never fight because my dad is never home!" That set Trunks back a little, and he blinked, stunned. Goten scowled, his own tears welling. "My dad would rather train that kid Uub than stay home with us. Gohan says he got hit on the head when he was a baby." Goten's lip began to tremble. "I think my dad's retarded!"

Trunks winced as Goten began to cry in earnest, then got to his feet and somewhat awkwardly patted him on the back.

"Aw, c'mon Goten, don't be such a big baby. You don't have to cry. I'm sure your dad isn't really retarded. Maybe just . . . a little slow?"

Goten sniffed a little, then got his emotions under control again. He shrugged miserably at Trunks' statement. "They're the same thing, aren't they?"

Trunks couldn't reply to that, just sighed heavily. "So you've been having problems at home, huh?" Goten nodded and Trunks scowled. He kicked at a rock near-by, watching dispassionately as the piece of stone launched off into the distance faster than a bullet. "Me too. Ever since the Buu monster was killed, my mother and father haven't been the same. I dunno how it works at your house, but here my mother and father always go to sleep together in the same room. They even took naps a lot during the daytime. But now . . ." He turned to glare at the gravity chamber beside them, kicking ineffectually at the steel reinforced wall. "Now father barely comes out of there. Mother hardly ever leaves her lab. And when they do come near each other all they do is scream and fight."

"My dad hardly ever comes home, he's always at Kami's Lookout training Uub. All my mom does is cry," Goten finished. Trunks clenched his fists.

"How the heck did things turn out this way, Goten? I mean, we're the good guys! Aren't we supposed to live happily ever after and stuff?! We beat the bad guys didn't we?! What more do they want from us?!"

Goten frowned, puzzled, staring at his friend who had both fists shaking in the air as if scolding the heavens. "Uh . . . wh-who is they, Trunks?" The lavender-haired boy paused, then groaned and dropped his arms back to his side, rolling his eyes.

"It was just an expression, Goten. Ugh, never mind. The important thing is that we figure out what went wrong and fix it."

"But how?" was the younger Son's next most logical question. Unfortunately the smarter of the two boys didn't have a ready answer for it.

"I dunno, but I know where we're gonna go to find out!" At Goten's clueless expression, Trunks grinned mischievously in a look that would have done his father proud. "When there's a problem with fate, you go to a higher power. We're headed to Kami's Lookout. We're gonna go right to the source and ask Dende what's what."

Goten's eyes were wide before the end. "Kami's Lookout? Really?"

Trunks nodded, confident. "Yup. C'mon Goten. If we hurry, we should be able to get there and be back in time for dinner."

Trunks shot up into the air, hovering for a moment and waiting for his friend to catch up.

"But won't your mom be angry that we left all by ourselves?" Trunks sneered as he turned and they both shot off into the distance in a blast of ki.

"Are you kidding me?" he snarled. "They won't even notice us missing Goten. Mark my words. We'll be back long before any of them even have a clue that something's up."