Chapter 10

[Goten]

Sweat is dripping down the sides of my face and my breath is coming in short pants. Currently I'm laying face up in on the ground where I last landed after Trunks got lucky and sent me plummeting to the ground with his attack. For the last seven days all we've done, when Trunks wasn't in class or studying, is spar. Well, mostly all we've done.

Since telling my mom I've avoided actually talking to her or Divinia. I left a brief message on Divinia's phone telling her that the engagement was off and that I would explain in greater detail later; which, I have not done. This has been accomplished by both staying at Trunks' house instead of going home and carefully screening my phone calls.

I know this makes me look like a coward, and after facing bad guys who far out way me and have seemingly greater amounts of power, two women should be easy. However, women are scarier than anything I've faced, especially ones that are upset with me.

I look up to see Trunks floating above me seeing if I'm going to get up and continue fighting. I just look up at him, shifting slightly –there's a rock in my back- and wait for him to come to me. It's about time for a break I feel, anyway.

Landing next to me, he kneels down and examines my face, "You ok?" he asks, worry clouding his own expression. It's adorable and I can't help but smile.

"Yeah," I respond, rolling on my side slightly and removing the rock this time, tossing it light to the side. I can feel the grass tickle my neck as I do so, and it's a pleasant, if not slightly itchy, sensation.

Apparently relieved to hear I'm all right, he plops down next to me. "We're done fighting, then?" he asks.

I nod as much as I'm capable of doing. "For the moment, at least," I say, taking his hand in mine. "It's kind of odd," I say "we're all doing all this training so we'll be ready whenever the next wave of aliens trying to not only take over Earth, but settle an ancient grudge, get here but none of us have really talked about it. I mean, what that little alien said about that other race forcing them out of their home, shouldn't we help them or something?"

Trunks' eyebrows furrow slight as he thinks, "Well, they're trying to take over Earth, right, to expand their empire or whatever? Aren't they doing the same thing that was done to them?"

He makes a very good point; they are doing the same thing…or something similar at least. "Yet," I say, thinking out loud, "it seems wrong to just ignore what was done to them, maybe the only reason they're taking over planets is because they lost their home."

"Could be," Trunks says, "but, two wrongs don't make a right," he quotes at me.

"Neither do three," I throw back.

"True, but three lefts do," he says with a grin.

His grins makes me grin as well and the small argument seems so trivial. He's right, I know, we can't let them take over Earth, and no matter what was done to them, that's what they trying to do. Yet, I still feel like we should do something to help them get their planet back, though what, I don't know.

[Trunks]

When Goten doesn't get up after I my ki blast knocks him out of the sky, I'm more than a little worried. I didn't think I'd hit him with enough power to actually hurt him. But when I land he looks fine to me, if not a little sweaty, though I am as well...

"You ok?" I ask, I'm hoping I didn't actually injure him. If I did, I know he'll be able to get away with whatever he wants for the next month, I'll feel so bad.

"Yeah," he says, pulling a rock out from under him and chucking it off to the side.

With a small sigh I take a seat next to him and ask, "We're done fighting, then?" I, in all honesty, am very glad to hear that I didn't actually injure him.

He nods, looking a little awkward since his head is on the ground, "For the moment, at least," he adds. As he speaks he slips his hand into him, and a feel his warmth added to my already heated hand. After a moment he starts to talk, and it's totally not related to anything that's just been going on, "It's kind of odd, we're all doing all this training so we'll be ready whenever the next wave of aliens trying to not only take over Earth, but settle an ancient grudge," he says, seeming to ramble on a little, "but none of us have really talked about it. I mean, what that little alien said about that other race forcing them out of their home, shouldn't we help them or something?"

I think on this for a moment, he's right, they have been wronged, but when it comes down to it, they're no better than that other race. "Well, they're trying to take over Earth right?" I ask, "To expand their empire or whatever? Aren't they doing the same thing that was done to them?"

I watch him as he thinks over my case before replying, "Yet, it seems wrong to just ignore what was done to them, maybe the only reason they're taking over planets is because they lost their home."

"Could be," I say with a nod, "but, two wrongs don't make a right," I say the quote that has been etched into my head since I was small. As I'm sure it was to Goten's as well.

"Neither does three," he snaps back. I can see that I'm not going to change his mind and feel it's probably better at the moment to lighten the situation with a joke.

"True, but three lefts do," I say with a grin. I'm relieved when I see him smiling as well. Best to avoid unneeded arguments for the time being, until we're past the 'honeymoon' stage, at least.

I look up suddenly, taken out of my thoughts,. "Do you feel that?" I ask, referring to the number of power levels I sense heading our way. I don't know if they're coming after us or if it's just a coincidence, but either way I think our break is over.

"Can we get my dad?" Goten asks me, looking in the direction of the power levels.

"Not unless your dad taught you that technique that allows you to teleport," I respond, they're almost to us now, and it's nothing stronger than what we've faced before, but still having Goku or my father here would be nice.

"I've been meaning to learn that," he says back, "…should we fuse then?"

I nod; fusing is probably a good idea. Just incase they're suppressing their energy; we should be at our strongest to take them on. And I'm guessing it won't take the others long to realize that we have more visitors from far away planets and join us in the fight. "Ready?" I ask Goten, and he gives me a nod back.

Well, here it goes, "FU…SION…HA!" we both yell…

[Gotenks]

Cracking my knuckles slowly, I am pleased to be back out to play so soon after the last time, and this time to have so many playthings all to myself. Cracking my neck, first to the right, then to the left, I catch a glimpse of one of the creatures; they're not the same ones as last time.

This must be the other race this time, how exciting to see what this one can do compared to the other one. They look more muscular at least, that's promising. And they feel stronger, which is even more so. Still, I know they're really no match for me; more like toys for a child.

I approach them slowly as they draw nearer, ready for the fight to begin, but not wanting to ruin all the fun by starting it. It's harder for them to underestimate you if you come out swinging.

"Move," comes the deep voice of a very brawny looking chartreuse alien, "We have no quarrel with you. Not at the moment anyway. We are only here to rid this planet of Toseptao and those who've taken out our men before us."

My eyebrow rises slightly, "What are the Toseptao?" This is not a word either of the beings that make me up has come across before.

"They are our mortal enemy, who long ago took over our planet and forced us to leave. Only in the last few decades have we reclaimed out lands from them. Now, I have heard reports that they are once again trying to take what is ours. So we, of the best warriors of our planet, have been sent here to vanquish them and those who have stood in our way on our other capture missions."

I smirk, "Then take your best shot." I stand back, holding my arms open. The gesture confuses him, and I am pleased.

"I have told you already, Earthling, we have no quarrel with you at the moment. Unless you feel you can take us all on by yourself."

"That's exactly how I feel," I hear myself say in nearly a seductive whisper. I am seducing the battle, and it will come to me. That wicked smile is playing over my lips and it tastes sweet.

The creature in front of me looks baffled for a moment before a similar expression to mine settles on his face. "Then we shall gladly defeat you."

There are about eight of them in all, none of them nearly as huge as the one they call their leader. And taking them out is simple enough. Dodge a punch here, throw a blast there. I'd really been hoping for more a challenge. Even that little dwarf of a creature from last time was more of a threat than any of these pathetic fighters.

Finally it's down to me and the leader. He doesn't seem nearly as confident as he did before, and I can read the fear in his eyes. However, he is a true warrior and does not back down, instead taking up a wide stance, his chin raised slightly as his eyes meet mine.

I chuckle and hear the sound come out low and ominous, now that there are no others left and I am the only one here I can take my time with this one. Not so much that I am wrenched apart before I am done, however. That was a mistake I made last time that I will not repeat.

I motion for him to attack first as I had in the beginning and I see hesitance wash over him, but only for a moment before he leaps for me, his blade aimed for my neck. I catch his wrist and wrench his arm around so he's forced to spin or have the arm break. The weapon clatters down to the hard dirt below. "Now, that's not fair," I say softly into his ear, "I'm unarmed." Throwing him hard away from me, I pick up the weapon and deafly break it in half, chucking far off to the side.

He regains his balance and turns back to me in time to see the shining glint of his weapon disappear into the grass.

We face off again; only he seems to have lost even more confidence than before. His hesitation bleeds through into his actions as he decides to attack me. His first several attacks miss. He punches, I step back, he shoots a blast at me, I side step. Each miss, however seems to make him only more determined to hit me. And while most the time this anger put the opponent at a disadvantage, perhaps the utter hopelessness of his situation allows him to channel it into something useful.

Finally he throws a punch and hits me square in the jaw, I'm mystified as to how he did it, but the impact knocks me back a step and sends my head flying backwards.

Raising one hand to my jaw, I slowly bring my head back to a normal position, the creature seems to be shocked still by the fact that he's managed a blow because he's not moving. Slowly, a grin creeps across my face, "One lucky hit," I hiss, "it won't happen again."

Then I'm on him, moving faster than he's seen me move, my fist colliding first with his jaw, then his abdomen, then chest, face, anything that gets in the way. As I step back to admire my handy work, the thing is covered in newly forming burses, cuts that leak blood in slow rivulets down his body and abrasions turning nasty colors. He seems to be tilting to one side slightly and a grin cracks across my face, "it doesn't look like you're going to be able to stand for much longer," I say slowly, powering up an attack, "Let me help you," and I fire the blast into the creature's side, sending him careening to the dirt like a freshly cut tree.

I feel a laugh bubbling out from within me, a laugh a glee and I let it spill forth.

[Trunks]

I can still her Gotenks' laughter echoing around me as I try to sort out the fog that is my memory of fusion. Goten looks as dazed as I feel, and I'm sure he's sorting through the memories just as I am.

Bits and pieces come back to me, and I shudder at some of them. I know that whatever Gotenks actually is he's not me. He's made up of parts of who I am and parts of who Goten is, but he isn't either of us. I think he's made up of the darker parts, the ones we both keep hidden away from even ourselves. Only, he forces us to see them and, however second hand, to live them.

Goten walks over to me; taking in the body of the alien leader, "He did that." I nod, even though it's not a question.

It had been one thing to fuse when we were kids; Gotenks had taken on the quality within us that was still young. He'd been more of a prankster with a love of fighting. And last time, while we'd both known he was going to literally blow up the small alien in his grip, he didn't get the chance.

This time, as adults, the body lay before us. And while killing isn't something that normally bothers me, Gotenks hadn't killed to protect the Earth, though he'd killed under that reason. I know, and looking at Goten I know he knows as well, that he killed because that's what he'd wanted to do.

"I know I've been told by my father that we're a warrior race," I say to Goten, my best friend, and my lover and he looks back me, his dark eyes searching mine. "Yet this isn't…" but before I can continue my thought out loud, my father and Goku appear behind us.

"I felt strong power levels," I hear Goku exclaim from behind me. He must glance around as see what's left after the fight, "Aw, I missed another one! We would have been here sooner, but someone took so long getting ready."

"I. Was. In. The. Shower. Kakarrot." I hear my father grind out.

"Doesn't mean you have to take as long as Bulma to get read," Goku replies.

"I did not!" shout my father.

"Oh, yes you did!"

Goten and I share look. Sometimes, I wonder if perhaps our fathers should have ended up together instead of the two of us. I know I've thought it a hundred times before, but they so act like a married couple.