Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, only the Dragon Ball God Akira Toriyama does. If I had, GT would never have come into existence.EVER!

Author's Note: Please keep in mind that everything in this story is completely made up in my imagination, and probably never happened, although I do have proof that Trunks was in possession of a certain pink bear that is in this story, during GT (although how he received it I completely conceived in my own little brain). I'm in the process of writing further chapters, some of which will probably be yaoi for purposes only known to myself (that and I think that Trunks and Goten make the damn cutest couple!), and that means that the ratings will change! Also, the first part you're about to read was made originally as a short story, but I've decided to add more, so please bear with the extremely long introduction, and I promise that further chapters will be shorter, but still as good. Please review and tell me what you think!

Author's Note 2: This story works through the storyline of Dragon Ball Z/GT(hopefully) and begins when Goten and Trunks are still children. R&R! ^_^

JOINED AS TWO

Chapter One

Three split images of his best friend's face, who was laying beside him, seemed to waver at him, and he blinked, trying to keep himself awake, but when the lavender hair and sapphire blue eyes-that were also drooping low with fatigue-twirled around his face again, he knew he needed sleep. He and his friend had pulled another all-nighter, staying up past their normal bedtime of nine-thirty, and it was beginning to take its toll on the six and seven year old boys who were sprawled out on the floor in front of the television. His friend sighed and rolled over onto his back, smiling secretively to himself as he closed his eyes and blissfully thought of sleep and the dreams that would accompany it. Goten opened his mouth and let out a yawn that sounded more like a drowsy sigh.

"Trunks, don't you think we should." He yawned again before he could finish his sentence and saw the room spinning slowly in circles. Trunks swiftly sat up and punched his younger companion sympathetically in the leg before standing.

"Sure, Goten, buddy.let's go, but be quiet. I think Okaasan and Otousan are sleeping." He glanced at the digital clock on the entertainment stand. "Yep, it's past five in the morning. Otousan should probably be getting up to train, but he doesn't like to be wakened any earlier than normal." Goten snickered at his mention of his father and scrambled to his feet, gathering the pillow he'd lain on while Trunks flipped off the TV before they headed towards Trunks' room, which was a good walking distance away from the den. Goten scooted closer to his friend as they walked silently down the dark hallway of Capsule Corporation, still afraid of what lurked in the dark, but too stubborn to admit he was frightened. Trunks noticed the way he moved closer, almost holding his hand, and he smiled inwardly to himself. His friend could be surprising at times; one minute he was fearless and telling him to attack harder when they were playing their training games and the next, he was scared more than any other six year old would be.

Quietly, they slipped into Trunks' room, still amazed that they hadn't strewn toys from corner to corner, and switched on the light. Trunks slowly dragged himself to his open closet, searching for a loose t- shirt and pajama bottoms while Goten hurriedly ran into the bathroom, toothbrush and toothpaste in hand. A few minutes later, completely decked out in bedtime attire, the two exhausted half Saiy-jins flopped into the spacious mattress, the side near the window occupied by Trunks and the other side by Goten. Trunks quickly turned onto his side and drifted into an easy sleep, but Goten wasn't as fortunate, despite the lack of energy, and he stared wide-eyed at the ceiling. Shadows of things from the outside slid across the wall and the small boy slid further under the thick comforter, shutting his dark eyes tightly.

I wish.I wish Gohan were here.at least he would tell me that nothing is out there, but.Goten gulped as he sensed another flash of something dark, something that he knew wasn't made flesh but still there, lingering. But I can feel it, and.I'm scared.He squeezed his eyes tighter, making the darkness under his eyes appear as blinking lights of color and gradually slipped into his dreams, still plagued by the haunted feeling that something terrible was going to happen.

"Goten!" The voice sounded in pain and choking.

"Goten! It.it.hurts!" He suddenly found himself in familiar surroundings, with the trees standing tall and proud in the bright sunshine, and he saw his friend lying on the ground, holding his stomach as he writhed in pain and moaned. The evidence of how badly it hurt him was written across his rather pale face, and his once shining lavender hair was dull and clinging to his sweat soaked skin. The scene whirled around, making him dizzy, and he watched as another image took place, leaving him holding his breath.

Trunks was leaning over the sink in the bathroom, retching into it with such force that it looked as though he were heaving his insides out. The thick color of crimson decorated the edges of the gleaming counter and spotted his pale, shaking lips as another spasm took him by storm. Goten could make out the sounds of crying and childish whimpering which struck his heart with sympathy. It took him a little longer to realize that it was his friend who made those sounds, and knowing that Trunks was usually too tough to admit weakness through tears, his mind told him something was wrong. He reached out with a hand, thinking to touch him, but he found the room empty and his hand full of blood, the syrupy texture of it sliding between his chubby fingers. When he looked down to where it dripped steadily onto the floor, he found his friend sprawled on the ground, his mouth open in a silent scream of pain, dead.

"NO!" he screamed, sitting up in a rush of air as the image throbbed freshly in his mind. The sunlight filtered through the curtained window, streaking the bed that they lay on with beads of light, and Goten sat in the twisted sheets and blanket, trying to breathe. He furtively snuck a glance to his left and found his friend still sleeping, a calm expression on his face, and he sighed, struggling to get out of the prison he had created while dreaming. He stumbled towards the bathroom, where his bag of clothes and other items a six-year-old thought necessary for a sleepover were at, and quickly shut the door before turning on the shower. Once he had washed off the remainder of sweat that hadn't cooled, he got out, expertly drying off with one of the towels that hung on a rack, and got dressed as fast as possible, pulling the long sleeved undershirt and orange gi pants on before grabbing the other shirt that went over it and heading out to the bedroom. Trunks was still asleep, and he slipped out of the door, heading down towards the kitchen where he heard Bulma talking and the smell of breakfast was evident.

"Oh, absolutely, Chichi-chan. He's been the best, as far as little boys go, and Trunks has actually been well behaved. I'm sure it won't be a problem if he stays here, but I'm not sure if he brought enough.Oh, okay, that'd be fine." Goten stuck his head through the entrance and found Bulma talking on a cordless phone, frying rice as she spoke. She turned to reach for something on the table and found Goten staring at her. She smiled and made the gesture of wanting to know if he wanted to speak with his mother, and he nodded, holding out his hand as she handed it to him.

"Moshi moshi, hello, Okaasan." His mother sounded extremely happy to hear his voice.

"Konnichi wa, my little Goten, are you having fun?!"

"Hai, Okaasan. Is there something you wanted to tell me?" Chichi told him to hold on and he could hear her yelling for his older brother to wake up. Goten grinned to himself, knowing that Gohan was already awake, either meditating or warming his body up for that day's activities.

"Hai, Goten, honey. Gohan and I are going to go out for a while. I'm planning on enrolling him in school, and I need to be there to do it, and since the school's a long distance away, I've asked Bulma-chan if she wouldn't mind watching you while I was gone. Is that alright with you, sweetheart?" Goten nearly leapt into the air as his mother told him. Staying an extra day with Trunks meant a free day of no chores, and the thought of that excited him, but when his mind remembered the dream, he hesitated.

"Sure.I guess, Okaasan." He tried to sound pleased, like he really wanted to stay, but he didn't know if he had succeeded.

"Alright, I'm going to have Gohan bring some things over for you, okay?" He nodded absently to himself.

"Okay, sayonara, Okaasan. Aishiteru." He could hear the sincerity in the way she spoke to him.

"Aishiteru, Goten-kun. Have fun, and be good!" Chichi hung up before he had a chance to say anything else, and he handed the phone back to Bulma as he slid into a chair. There was silence, and Bulma tried to make conversation as she gave him a bowl of her rice. It wasn't as good as his mother's, no one seemed to cook as good as she could, but it was sufficient.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Goten-kun, did you sleep well?" The little boy looked up into her blue eyes and was about to tell her about his strange dream, when he heard Trunks' begging voice and Vegeta's stern shout as they entered the kitchen. His father had him by the top of his head, nearly ripping his hair out as Trunks struggled to get away.

"Please, Otousan, I didn't mean to. I swear I didn't mean to! Owww!!" Trunks stopped squirming as Vegeta increased his grip and lifted him an inch off the ground so that he was standing on his toes. Goten swallowed a huge gulp of rice and looked nervously at Bulma, whose face was twisted into a mix between surprised confusion and anger.

"Well, brat, explain to me why you did it, then!" Vegeta commanded, lifting the seven-year-old boy up higher, completely taking his small body off the floor.

"I.I." Bulma swerved around the table and smacked her husband with the rubber spatula she had in her hand.

"Vegeta! What do you think you're doing to our son?! Put him down right now, or I'll." He released his grip and Trunks nimbly landed on his feet, backing away with speed as his father glared at his mother. Goten shot a look at his friend and he only shrugged, rubbing his fingers through his hair as he soothed the spot his father had injured.

"Woman, if you ever."

"Don't you tell me that, Vegeta! I've seen enough of your abusive behavior! If you must punish Trunks for something he did, all you have to do is yell at him or ground him. But if I ever see you touching my son in any." Vegeta glared at the woman in front of him, ignoring the two boys who watched with awe.

"Your son?! Woman, how in the hell do you think you had him?! He's my son as well and I say that the only way to punish him is to physically make him understand! He's a Saiy-jin and Saiy-jins."

"He's only seven years old, Vegeta, not an adult! Maybe if he was a little older, then it would be okay, but he doesn't understand any of that! How do you know he can handle it?!" Bulma had her hands on her hips and was scowling death at Vegeta. The man was completely insufferable.

"Woman, you don't know anything about your son! He's a lot stronger than you think and if I feel like teaching him a lesson in proper Saiy-jin behavior, then I will not hesitate to-!" The doorbell rang, interrupting him before he could finish. Bulma looked over at her son as it rang again.

"Trunks, honey, take Goten with you and answer the door." He hastily agreed, literally dragging the younger boy from his seat and the bowl of rice by the collar of his shirt. When they were a few feet down the hall, Trunks released his gi.

"What'd you do that for?!" Goten yelled as he scrambled to catch up with his friend.

"Goten, trust me. You don't want to be in there when they start throwing things. It's a complete war zone." Trunks looked at him as they hurried to the front door, quickly passing the living room that they had watched movies in, and sighed. "Chibi, don't be mad at me. I didn't hurt you did I?" He watched as that riled Goten.

"No! But.but Trunks-kun, what'd you do to make Vegeta angry?" Trunks rolled his eyes and hit the button on the control panel that controlled the front door.

"He found out that we had been in the Gravity Room after he'd gone to bed because I accidentally left the gravity machine on." Goten's mouth opened into a big 'o' as the door slid to the side and he found his older brother standing there, a bag in his hand and his hair golden instead of onyx. The boys stared at him in wonder as to why he was Super Saiy-jin, but shrugged it off as he returned to normal, his yellow hair fading to its original charcoal color and the turquoise eyes changing to black. He held out the bag, but Goten and Trunks tackled him, sending Gohan to the ground as they hugged him.

"Gohan!" they screeched, clinging to him as if there was no tomorrow. Gohan smiled brightly and easily shoved them off, brushing his clothes off as he stood.

"It's good to see you guys, but I can't stay, or else Okaasan will be angry at me for being late. Goten, here are your things, and Okaasan said not to get into trouble. Do you understand?" Goten grabbed the bag and nodded bravely.

"Hai, absolutely. Gohan.before you leave.how'd you get here so fast?! I was only talking to Okaasan a few minutes ago!" Gohan smiled and shrugged.

"Don't worry about it, little brother. I know Okaasan better than you think, and I already had this ready to go. All I had to do was fly it over, and I sorta hurried by changing into a Super Saiy-jin." To prove his point, he powered up again and hovered in the air. "Well, I better get going! Sayonara, Goten, be good! Sayonara, Trunks-kun!" And with that, he blazed off into the sky, the golden power of his Saiy-jin aura circulating him in thick rifts as he disappeared into the horizon. Goten squeezed the straps to his bag and looked at Trunks, who had a sad look on his face. He knew that his best friend loved his brother almost as much as he did, and got to see him less often.

"Hey, Trunks-kun, why don't we go see if Gohan put anything good in here, okay? Does that sound fun?" Trunks slowly nodded as they went inside the house and headed for the kitchen once again, hearing that it was silent and no one was arguing.

"Yeah, that sounds cool, but first I want to grab something to eat, I'm sorta hungry. How about you?" Even though Goten had already eaten a bowl of rice, he was still starving; it was just his genetic code for being half Saiy-jin, which was, in other terms, an eating monster when they weren't fighting. He nodded quickly.

"Yeah! Your mom gave me some food, but I didn't get to finish eating it." He quieted when Trunks snuck a look around the corner and found the kitchen empty. Everything was spotless, no broken plates or bodies on the floor, and even the stove that had been covered in rice was shining. He immediately thought that he didn't want to know where his parents had wondered off to and what they were doing. It was disturbing and rather disgusting to even try and think about it.

"Umm.okay, Chibi, the coast is clear. Let's find something to eat and head back to my room," he said while walking to a cabinet under the long counter. While Trunks shuffled through bags and boxes of things, Goten nervously clutched at his bag and looked at his friend's back.

I wonder if the dreams I had are telling me something? he thought to himself as Trunks stood up with several boxes in his hand. He was beaming with pride and Goten timidly returned the smile.

"Pop tarts! A whole bunch of them, too! Chibi, would you mind opening the frige for me?" Goten was still thinking about what the dreams meant and if they were really trying to give him hints as to what was supposed to happen and he didn't hear Trunks until he shouted his name.

"Huh? What did you say, Trunks-kun?" Trunks rolled his eyes.

"I said would you open the frige for me? There should be some jugs with chocolate milk in them in there and I can't do it because my arms are full." Goten complied and a few minutes later, they were carrying boxes of pop tarts and milk to Trunks' room, laughing mischievously like all small children do when they've completed something. As they dumped the pop tarts onto the floor and sat amidst them as they began to rip into the boxes and eat, Trunks looked over at Goten with a full mouth and watched him. He was ravenously eating through several pop tarts at once, as if he hadn't eaten in a very long time, and had a solemn expression on his face as he chewed.

I wonder what he's thinking about? He's never looked that serious before and.

"Trunks-kun, can I ask you something?" Goten asked, startling him. Trunks swallowed and nodded as he reached for the cup that he'd poured milk into.

"Sure, Goten, buddy, what is it?" Goten looked nervously at his empty package and sighed.

It's now or never, Goten, he thought to himself. So.just do it! He looked over at Trunks.

"Umm.well, you see.Trunks, have you been feeling okay? I mean, your not sick or anything?" Trunks gazed at him quizzically over the rim of his cup.

"What'd ya mean, Goten? I've been fine, and besides, Saiy-jins don't usually get sick, you know that." Goten smacked himself mentally.

"Uh, yeah, I know, but."

"Will you just spit it out already?! Tell me what it is you want to ask me!" Goten gulped and shoved the boxes of pop tarts away. He couldn't tell Trunks about the dreams he'd had, he would think he was crazy, and he didn't want his only real friend scorning him. He shrugged and reached for another package.

"It's nothing, never mind." Trunks scowled at him and taking his cup, which was still half full, launched it at Goten, watching with satisfaction as the brown liquid splattered on his head and ran slickly down his face and dripped onto his chest. Goten jumped up with a yelp, and tried to shake the milk off. He turned to look at his friend, who was rolling on the ground, holding his sides as laughter burst from him, and he stomped his foot, causing the walls to rattle slightly with the force he'd exerted.

"Trunks, that wasn't funny! What'd you do that for?!" Trunks, still too strangled with laughter, didn't reply and Goten walked over to him, scooping up a gallon jug that wasn't empty and began to pour it all over him, making sure that some of it cascaded into his wide open mouth. He sat up sputtering, nearly choking as he gagged on the milk, and he glowered at his companion, who was smiling evilly at him.

"Goten, you little." Trunks' hand lashed out for anything he could throw at him, and his fingers enclosed around the contents of a half eaten pop tart, which he swiftly chucked at Goten. Goten didn't see the object flying with great speed at him, and staggered backwards as the sharpest corner of the breakfast food smacked him in the middle of the forehead. A slight trickle of blood erupted from the already forming knot, and Goten rushed at him, wrestling him back to the ground. The boys rolled and kicked at each other, punching when they could get a chance and screaming insults at one another the whole time. Goten uppercut Trunks in the jaw and flipped from his grasp, leaving the other half Saiy-jin to nurse his bleeding mouth. Trunks sneered at him.

"I'm going to get you, you little-!" At that moment, Bulma opened the door, a basket full of Trunks' laundry in her hands, and screamed.

"What do you two think you're doing?! And Trunks, why are you and Goten all covered with chocolate milk?!" Bulma watched as the two children leveled from a practiced fighting stance to a regular standing position and looked sheepishly around at the mess they had created. Picture frames had fallen from the walls and had shattered from the output of their energy when they had been brawling and milk was splattered over everything, including themselves. They had also given each other a pretty good-sized bruise, Goten near the center of his forehead and Trunks at the side of his jaw, near his mouth.

"Well, I'm waiting, Trunks!" He swallowed noisily and glanced at Goten. He was shaking his head and whispering something to himself.

"Umm.Okaasan, I.we were just." Goten interrupted him.

"We were just playing, Bulma-chan. We didn't mean to make a mess, honest." Bulma's frown faded into a small smile.

"It's okay, Goten, but who started this little "game" you were playing? This room is a mess!" He closed his mouth and stared at Trunks, who shrugged. Bulma caught the movement and sighed.

"Alright, Trunks Briefs, you're going to scrub this room spotless, and when you're done with that, I've some other things for you to do!" Trunks' mouth dropped open and a squeak admitted from him.

"B-but Okaasan.Goten, he-he." Bulma shook her head and her finger at him as she sat the basket down.

"Don't you 'but Okaasan' me, young man! Either you do it or.or I'll have your father deal with you. I'm sure you wouldn't like that, now would you, Trunks-kun?" Trunks sighed and responded with a murmured 'no', leaving Goten wondering and his mother nodding her head.

"Very well, Trunks. Have this cleaned up before lunch while Goten and I do some other things. Alright?" Goten perked up at the mention of his name and wearily, Trunks murmured again, grimacing hatefully at his younger comrade. After they left, Trunks flopped down onto the ground from where he stood and punched the floor. He could feel the room vibrate slightly.

"This is so unfair!!"

Goten sighed slowly and looked at the television with blank interest. It had approximately been an hour since Trunks had gotten in trouble, and he was extremely bored, not to mention lonely. Bulma hadn't really wanted to do anything with him; she'd only wanted to get him out of the room so her son could concentrate on doing what he was told and not be distracted. He hated it when there was nothing to occupy him over a long period of time. The thought of playing one of the training games he and Trunks had created entered his mind, but only briefly. It wasn't any fun if he played alone; there was just no challenge in it.

This is really boring. Maybe I should have went with Okaasan and Gohan. At least I would've had something to do, then. The boy exhaled again and slid off the couch before walking to the three-paned glass window, staring out at the bright horizon as he rested his chin on his hands and his elbows on the sill. As he closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, thoughts of the dream from the night before enter his subconscious, and he pushed onward through them, unafraid to stop because he had to know the meaning of them. He flashed past the first image quickly and the second one even faster, not liking the scenes or the sounds that he could remember. The only one left was the third and final part of the nightmare, leaving him stranded again, as if he were sleeping.

This time, he stood in a pool of rich blood, fountains of the red life fluid squirting from places too dark to see and he felt its sticky substance running through his hair and dampening his gi as it reached his fingers and trickled through them. His hands clenched nervously, blood still welling from the tiny cracks in his closed fingers, and he stepped forward, crying out as his foot sunk deeper into the lake of red and it began to pull him down. He struggled away from it, pleading to escape, but his ministrations were meaningless and he was sucked under, tumbling into ultimate darkness. When he could open his eyes, his senses immediately alerted him of a smell he knew all too well.

Death. It clung to his brain, wrapping its heavy essence around him, and he screamed as he had before, shouting for something that wasn't there, but he still went unheard. Frantically he began to run, doors appearing on either side of him as he sprinted towards nothing. It seemed to happen in slow motion, as if it didn't matter how fast he ran, and he watched the twisting portals warp into faces, some he knew and others he didn't. They were yelling at him, blaming him over and over, saying that it was his fault, and he didn't understand, couldn't understand, because he knew not of what they spoke. Shrieking in inhumane rage, he summoned his Saiy-jin strength and blew it all away, pouring large quantities of his life force into the ki blasts that obliterated everything, leaving him, as before, in a silent, somewhat peaceful, darkness.

Sobbing in a helpless manner, and too exhausted to care, he slipped to the invisible floor, curling into a tiny ball as small sounds walked towards him. He lifted his head a moment later when it stopped and found shoes he knew all too well before him, a gi he recognized instantly, a face that he remembered forever, staring at him, grief and pain reflecting in the depths of his eyes.

"Trunks?" he wept bitterly, scared and afraid, the smell of blood and death still clinging to him. His friend smiled silently at him and held out a hand, wanting to help him up. As he took it, and shuddered at the icy depth in which the touch struck him at the center of his soul, he found himself in another place, the dream version of his friend pointing ever voicelessly towards the door in front of them. Goten walked forward, slower than he had need to, and watched as the wavered images of Trunks' bedroom floated past him, scattering his thoughts even more. When he stopped to look back, the ghostly apparition urged him onward, pointing again at the opening. Swallowing his fear, he continued on and swung the half closed door aside.

The reality of what he saw finally clicked into his brain, and he backed into the now shut door, startling himself further. The same image of his companion was there, heaving into the sink as blood flowed constantly from his strained mouth and when Goten reached forward, wanting to help him, the body turned to face him, blood still running from the corners of his closed lips and spilling onto his already stained gi. Goten's eyes widened as the ghost grasped for him, making him move even further back, and his ears pounded with the words that tumbled from his lips.

"H-help m-me, G-goten. I-it's killing-g m-me! I'm.I'm dy.ing." He pressed his hands to the sides of his head, covering his ears.

"No! No, leave me alone! Leave me.alone!!" Suddenly the things he had seen began to fly from him, as he was pulled backwards. The words of his friend echoed loudly in his heart as he shut the sight from his mind.

I'm dying, Goten-kun. It's killing me! Stop it, stop it before it's too late! Help me.help me.Chibi.Chibi.

"Chibi.Chibi, wake up! Come on, Chibi, wake up!" A rough shake jerked his eyes open and he found Trunks' serious face staring at him, the things he had imagined rushing through his head as he pulled away.

"No, don't touch me! Get away, get away!" he gasped, pushing at the hands that reached out for him, and he fell off the couch, unaware that he was no longer at the window. He hit the floor with a thud and continued to scramble away, making Trunks confused.

"Chibi, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" Goten finally realized that he was no longer dreaming and breathed in air, trying to calm his pounding heart and he looked at his friend, relieved that there was no pale skin, sweat, or blood anywhere on him. He shakily got to his feet and shuddered. He could still feel the touch of coldness on his tingling fingers and the faint stench of blood still wafted in the air.

"Yeah.no.um, I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled quickly, avoiding Trunks' persistent stare.

"Goten.Chibi, what's wrong? Come on, you can tell me.I'm your best friend." He took another breath and looked at the floor.

"I.I dreamed about someone I know dying.I.it's nothing, so.don't worry about it, okay?" Trunks raised a questioning eyebrow at him and then shrugged.

"Oh, well, if you don't want to talk about it.I'm done with my room, so.do you want to do something? We still haven't checked out your bag, yet," he replied hopefully. Goten shook his head and sat back on the couch, his legs dangling over the side as he looked over at the window. He hadn't even made it there, he realized suddenly, he had dreamed that part as well. He sighed.

"No, let's just forget about that. Hey, do you wanna go play one of our training games? I feel like doing that more." Trunks jumped onto the cushion beside his and smiled excitedly.

"Yeah, that sounds cool! Hey, but.where do you think we should do it? I mean.Otousan is still mad at me for us being in the Gravity Room, and Okaasan.well, she's still mad, too." He nodded absently, still slightly shocked at what he had seen. There was no way he could've made them up, his imagination wasn't that creative, so.what were they? "Goten, are you sure your okay? You look like something bad happened.like, um.I don't know.like somebody really did die." Goten's face paled.

"Don't say that! Come on, let's go outside and play there. No one will be able to find us." He scurried to the door, leaving Trunks alone only a moment to ponder the situation before he jumped up and ran after his friend, eager to put the events of the past day behind them.

"Aww, Goten, that's the fifth time you missed blocking the exact same punch! Why aren't you focusing? I know you can beat me at this game." The children had been fighting for nearly two hours and Goten's mind wasn't even close to thinking about what they were doing. He was still occupied by the shocked thought of his friend dying and him not being able to save him; it blew everything he knew about friendship, fighting, and technique out the window, after shattering the glass. Goten flipped back up to his feet and absently wiped at the small stream of blood running down the side of his mouth.

"Gomen nasai, Trunks-kun, I guess you're just too fast for me, like in all the other games." Trunks rolled his eyes and sighed, feeling the drip of sweat coursing slowly down the back of his neck as he watched his friend fight an inner battle and lose. If he could only get Goten to open up and tell him, then maybe he wouldn't be so worried. He knew that the six-year-old never lost the game where they took turns completing martial arts combos on each other, seeing who could land a blow first, because he was always more thrifty than him and came up with things he had never even seen, but he just wasn't cutting it with the seriousness and inattentive look on his face.

"Goten," he addressed, walking over to him. "Chibi, if you don't tell me why you're not paying attention to a game I know you can beat me at, then.then I'm going to have to take drastic measures." Goten's eyebrows raised and he looked into his friend's eyes. The same words seemed to shine from within there depths. I'm dying.It's killing me.He stared, mesmerized, into the swirling blue ocean, sweeping further away from reality.

"I don't know what you mean, Trunks-kun. Nothing's wrong." Inside, his thoughts were completely different. What are you trying to tell me? I don't understand any of it.I'm too young.

"Goten, you know perfectly well what I'm talking about.now, spill it or I'm going to do something you're not going to like." When he didn't answer, Trunks caught him in a headlock and wrestled him to the ground, his fingers finding the ticklish spot along Goten's ribs. Goten immediately began to laugh, squirming as he tried to get away, but Trunks held him down.

"Now.tell me.or I'll." Goten bucked and tears slid down his cheeks as the teasing increased and he finally gave in.

"Al-alright! I give up.I'll tell you!" He pushed him off and sat up, wiping at the happy tears on his face. "I.I don't know if you'll believe me, but.I've been having these weird dreams and I think you're.you might-?" He heard someone shouting his name in the distance and recognized it immediately. It was his brother!

Trunks looked around as the voice grew closer and a wide smile brightened his features when he saw the elder demi Saiy-jin fly into the small clearing behind Capsule Corporation, the wind beating down his usually crazy black hair and pressing the loose blue gi against the fine outline of his well trained body and muscles. Goten breathed a heavy sigh of relief at the perfect timing of his brother's arrival and jumped to greet him as he landed. Trunks was already in his arms, hugging the life from him as Gohan laughed amusingly, returning the small boy's affection. He craned his neck over Trunks' lavender hair and smiled at his younger brother.

"Konnichi wa, Goten-kun. Have you been good, like Okaasan said to be?" he asked, setting Trunks to his feet despite his whimper of a protest.

"Hai, Gohan, I have. Are you done already?" His brother nodded and ruffled the boys' hair.

"Yep. It didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would, and Okaasan told me to bring you home." He noticed the depressed look on both of their faces and quickly added, "She also said that Trunks-kun, here, could spend the night if he wanted to." They instantly brightened and began to blabber to one another too fast for the teen to keep up. He rolled his eyes. "Well, let's go and see if Bulma will let him and we'll be on our way, okay?" Trunks and Goten eagerly nodded, forgetting their training games and the dreams that kept them distanced.

"Okay!" Goten and Trunks exclaimed loudly together, rushing in a racing match to see who got to the door first. Goten beat him barely by an inch and slammed the door open, running directly into Vegeta. He flew back and smacked into Trunks who, in tern, fell to the ground. Vegeta crossed his arms and glared hatefully at his child.

"Brat, your mother wants you." And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving them staring wonderingly at him before Gohan walked up to them, breaking their gazes. They didn't give him a chance to ask as they sped through the house, at last finding Trunks' mother in her lab. Bulma looked up from her computer and smiled as two small half Saiy-jins followed, moments later, by an elder one entered through the doors.

"Well, Konnichi wa, Gohan-san, it's quite a surprise to see you come in after these two little monsters." She winked at them for emphasis. Goten and Trunks grinned ear to ear at her jest.

"Konnichi wa, Bulma-chan. Listen, if it isn't too much trouble, could Trunks come over and spend the night with Goten? Okaasan said it wouldn't be a problem and it would be her way of paying you back for watching Goten today. Plus, I wouldn't mind having him over, either." Trunks looked shyly up towards Gohan at his words and just stood there. It was surprising for Gohan to talk about him this way, since he hadn't before. Bulma typed something into her computer and shrugged.

"I don't know, Gohan. My son seems to have a little problem with controlling himself. Isn't that right, Trunks-kun?" Trunks' shoulders slouched, but he went to his defense.

"But Okaasan, it was an accident, and I already got punished for it. Please let me go to Goten's. I won't cause any trouble and I'll be good, I promise." Goten chimed in.

"Yeah, Bulma-chan, we'll both be real good, and we'll have lots of things to do, so we can't get into trouble. Please let Trunks-kun come over. I don't have anyone to play with except for Gohan and he can be no fun." Bulma glanced at the children's puppy-dog eyes and faces, not to mention the disturbed look on Gohan's face when his younger brother had said he was 'no fun', and started to chuckle.

"Alright, alright, you can stay, but if I hear one bad thing from Chichi-chan about you, I'm going to have Vegeta deal with you, and I won't interfere. Understand?" Trunks nodded quickly and glanced at him.

"Come on, we have to get our stuff ready, and then we can go to your house." Goten smiled his agreement and they took off at Saiy-jin speed, leaving Gohan to tell Bulma good-bye, although she had gone back to typing on her computer. He rolled his eyes as he shut the door and sighed. Some things were just hopeless.

Goten sat, half pouting, on the back of Nimbus as he, Trunks, and Gohan sped along through the air, trying to reach his home in the 439 mountain area, with his heavy bags on his lap. He watched as Gohan teased Trunks into a relentless tag and chase as they flew, the seven year old mercilessly being tormented by the seventeen year old as Gohan flipped behind him, avoiding Trunks' grasp. It made him mad to think that his friend, who wasn't even an entire year older than him, could fly and he couldn't, leaving him content to sit on Nimbus and take his time riding, as if he were on a tour bus. He saw Trunks fly under the bright yellow cloud before his anger completely busted through the roof.

"Gohan! It's not fair! How come Trunks can fly and I can't?!" Gohan immediately slowed his flight and swerved in to fly beside his brother.

"Don't worry, Goten. You'll be able to fly just like him when you take the time to learn it. Do you want me to teach you?" Goten's face altered from angry to a huge Son grin.

"Oh, absolutely! Will you, Gohan? Huh? Huh? Huh?" The elder sibling smiled tenderly at his little brother's enthusiasm and nodded as he reached out a hand and ruffled his already messy hair.

"Sure thing, little brother, but I don't think we should do it until after Trunks leaves. That way, I'll have my full attention on you, and not both of you rascals. Okay?" Goten beamed his joy once again, and smirked evilly at his best friend, who was flying low beside Nimbus.

"Hey, Trunks, did you hear that? Gohan said he'd teach me how to fly. Isn't that cool?!" Trunks rolled his eyes, but not so Goten could see him do it.

"Yeah, sounds like fun," he replied without much interest. "Maybe afterwards, you can try and kick my butt when we're playing our games." Goten nearly jumped off the cloud at Trunks in a desperate attempt at a lunge, and Gohan put a hand to his shoulder, steadying both him and Nimbus.

"Woah there, squirt. Try to take it easy or you'll be learning nothing, fast." Goten settled back onto the cloud and sighed heavily, still disliking that Trunks could fly. Why did he always have to be left out? As he thought about it, a terrifying notion struck him.

What if.what if, when I learn how to fly.I end up killing him, like in those dreams?! What if being able to fly makes me too strong and I.I destroy my best friend in the whole world?! Maybe I shouldn't learn to fly, just incase.Goten sat quietly pondering the new situation as the small domed cottage came into view and Gohan exclaimed loudly,

"Looks like Okaasan has already started making dinner! I can smell it all the way up here!" Trunks snickered at his exclamation about food, knowing Gohan was just as crazy about it as he was, and elbowed Goten to get his attention. He didn't like it that his usually rambunctious friend was now almost always silent and in too deep of a thought to pay an interest to things around him, and he worried. Whatever it was he was thinking about, he knew it had to do something with the incident earlier that day, when he had woken him up. Goten smiled vaguely at him and settled back into his thoughts once again, making Trunks realize the seriousness of the problem. An idea entered his mind and he grinned a malicious smirk to himself; he would get Goten to tell him what was on his mind, even if it meant revealing some of his own secrets.

I'll have you telling me everything before this night's over, Son Goten, or before I leave tomorrow. I swear on it, for my name's Trunks Brief, and I always get what I want! His own arrogance at what he said made it even more amusing and he chuckled as they landed and Goten hopped off Nimbus, waving a good-bye as the yellow cloud disappeared over the tall trees. He looked at Trunks strangely.

"What are you laughing at, Trunks? What's so funny?" Gohan looked at him as well and only shrugged. Kids would always be kids, he thought indifferently, as he opened the front door and told his mother that they were back.

"Oh, nothing, Chibi. Nothing at all."

"Wow, Okaasan, that was great! I don't even think I can move without hurting something, I'm so full!" Chichi smiled graciously at her eldest son and noticed that the younger children were nearly falling asleep on the table; having waited for Gohan to finish after them had almost taken an hour.

"Arigato, Gohan, but I think these two little tikes are ready for bed. Goten, honey.Trunks, dear, wake up before you drool all over my table and go get ready for bed." She glanced at Gohan, who was leaning back in the chair with a wistful thought on his face and spoke. "Do you think you could see to it, Gohan? I'm going to clean up this kitchen before any other disasters happen." She eyed the already formed puddles of saliva on the surface as the two half Saiy-jins dragged themselves from their chairs and towards the steps.

"Sure, Okaasan. I'll put them to bed, and then come down to help you." Chichi shook her head.

"No, that won't be necessary, Gohan. You've already had a tiring day from going to that school and dealing with that awful man they call a principal, and you should get some rest if you're planning on taking those two outside tomorrow." Gohan's eyes widened in surprise, but he made no move to argue with his mother; even if he had wanted to, he would have still lost the battle. There was just no way to beat his mother when it came to things like that.

"Alright, Okaasan, if you say so. Well, goodnight, then." He slowly stood from his chair and headed up the steps, leaving the sounds of his mother humming as she began to carry dishes from the table to the kitchen behind him to exchange it for a sight that he wouldn't give up for anything. Trunks was standing with his toothbrush in his mouth, the bristle end of it almost falling from his mouth as a puddle of wetted toothpaste dripped in a foamy stream down his chin, and Goten was half- heartedly struggling with the top to his pajamas, one arm sticking out of the hole where his head was supposed to go through and his head poking through one of the sleeves. He chuckled and went to his little brother, kneeling as he pulled him out of the shirt and put it on him correctly.

"There you go, Goten. Now, get into bed before you fall asleep standing." He glanced at him and found he was already doing so, his eyes closed and his mouth open. He smiled tenderly and placed him in bed, pulling the blankets up over him to his chest. One task complete, he spun on his heel and swiftly caught the toothbrush before it hit the ground.

"Come on, Trunks. Rinse your mouth out and get into bed. I know you still have enough energy to do it." Unenthusiastically, and as slow as a snail, he managed to wash his mouth out and take a drink of water before being carried to bed by his friend's brother, who was almost like the big brother he never had, and was safely tucked in.

"G'night, Gohan," he murmured softly, shutting his eyes to feign sleep; so far, his plan, also being carried out quite well by Goten, was working.

"Goodnight, Trunks. Sleep well, little buddy." And he clicked out the lamp beside the bed, leaving the light in the bathroom open and the door ajar, due to Goten's slight phobia of the dark, and left the room, shutting the door completely as he went. After a few minutes of safe waiting, Trunks sprung from under the blankets and scurried over to his friend's bed, slithering in under the blanket with him as he nudged his ribs.

"Goten.psst, hey, Chibi, you can stop pretending now. He's gone." He leaned over his relaxed face and found him truly asleep, his eyes shut to the world. Trunks couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Give me a break!" He shook him, and eventually flipped him onto the floor where he came awake with a sharp crack as his head hit the floor.

"W-what?! What'd I do, Trunks? That wasn't nice of you!" he complained while he climbed back into the bed next to him.

"Come on, Chibi, you weren't supposed to really sleep, not when I told you we were going to do something." Goten's eyes lit up with excitement and he grinned.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that. What do you want to do? Anything like we did last time you were over?" Trunks thought back to the latest addition to their book of escapades, mainly concerning a bottle of shaving cream, an extremely sticky substance that they had found in Bulma's lab, and Goten's older brother, and he couldn't help but snicker at it, even though he was shaking his head.

"No, nothing like that. Tonight, we're just going to tell each other secrets." Goten's smile slid from his face and he laid flat on his stomach, looking at his best friend as his mind filled with thousands of questions. What type of secrets was he talking about?

"Oh," he whispered, trying to fake unintelligence. "Well, there was this one time when Okaasan wasn't home, and Gohan and me went on a trip to the movies in the city, plus we had ice cream afterwards. Are you talking about those types of secrets, Trunks?" Trunks slowly shook his head.

"Not exactly, Goten."

"Oh, well, then how about the time when I found Gohan doing something really weird in his room? Do you want me to show you?" Trunks' eyes nearly bulged from their sockets; sometimes his friend could be so juvenile that it gave him a terrible headache.

"Umm, no, Chibi, that isn't necessary." Trunks rolled over to the side of the bed and pulled up his bag that was sitting on the floor. "What I'm talking about is.you tell me what's been on your mind and I show you what's in the bag. It's as simple as that." Goten anxiously looked at the duffel and bit his lip, holding back the urge to tell Trunks everything about his nightmares all because of a small bout of curiosity. A dead silence filtered the room as Goten argued with himself whether or not to tell him, and he suddenly disliked his friend.a lot! Trunks knew that he couldn't resist the temptation, and wearily, he sighed.

"Fine, Trunks, but if you laugh at me.I'll.I'll never be your friend again," he murmured with slight dignity as Trunks sat up and agreed with a silent shake of his head.

"O-okay, well.I.you know how I said that I dreamed about someone dying.well," he drew in a deep breath and mumbled his next sentence together. "It-was-er-I-dreamed-about-you-dying!" He quickly averted his gaze and could still hear his friend's slight gasp, despite it being barely audible, because of his Saiy-jin hearing. Another long and dreaded silence pursued, but Trunks broke it again, talking in a squeaky whisper.

"What do you mean? How?" Goten turned his head and looked painfully at the lavender haired boy in his eyes, noting fear and uncertainty bubbling from within their depths.

"I.I.I don't know Trunks-kun. All I know is that there is lots of blood and stuff like that.and you were getting sick, really badly. Have.have you been sick, Trunks-kun?" He averted his gaze to stare at the wall and then whispered in a shaky voice that was all too hesitant,

"H-how did you.if I tell you another secret before I show you what's in the bag, then.then you can't tell, okay?" Goten nodded and his skin turned even paler. "I.I was sick only once.only once Goten, I swear, and that was today, when I got in trouble and had to clean up that mess. When I.when I stared at all of the collected brown milk, it just.it was too overwhelming and I started gagging, but when I ran into the bathroom to make sure I didn't throw up on the floor, I started coughing up blood into.into the sink, and I..I was afraid to tell some-somebody, Goten. I was scared that they would find out and tell me something's wrong with me, and I.I." Goten leaned over and hugged his best friend, feeling dread wash over himself even more as they clung to each other and Trunks silently sobbed on his shoulder. Perhaps it had been a luck of fate that he hadn't told him everything he had dreamed; he had seen it, had watched it all happen, and now there was a definite reason for him to watch out for his best friend.his only friend.

"It's okay, Trunks-kun.maybe.maybe it was just a reaction or something, you know.like I have when I run around in the weeds by the really big tree.maybe that's what happened.it's okay, Trunks-kun, you don't have to cry.we'll figure it out." Trunks released him, and pulled back, slightly smiling.

"You really are my best friend, you know that, Goten? Right?" He smiled the Son grin and nodded vigorously.

"Yep, I sure do.now, what's in the bag?" Trunks laughed lightly, remembering that they were supposed to actually be sleeping, and unzipped his duffel.

"Okay, now you can't laugh, but." He reached in and drew out a small pink teddy bear with a huge heart on its furry chest. "Meet Mr. Piddleywinkle." Goten's mouth dropped open at the tone of affection in his voice and stretched his arm out to touch it. Trunks jerked it away, possessively clinging it to his chest before his cheeks burnt red and he handed it over to him.

"Be careful with it.er.I mean.don't lose it or anything because it's the first thing I ever remember my father giving me aside from something that left a bruise on my face." Goten raised an eyebrow as he ran his fingers over the smooth artificial fur.

"Why would Vegeta give you a pink bear, Trunks? Aren't these things for girls?"

"Well, you see.Okaasan said that.well.my father had thought that I was going to be a girl, before I was born, you see, because Okaasan had told me that he had said to her that Saiy-jin babies that were boys always gave their mothers a hard time, and she said that I had been really inactive, and stuff.and well, I guess Otousan thought that would have been suitable enough to give a baby that was a girl." His cheeks were even redder by the time he had finished.

"Yeah, but you're a boy, not a girl, so why do you have it?" Trunks shrugged and tried to control his blush.

"I don't know.Mr. Piddleywinkle has always been with me, ever since I can remember, and I usually can't go anywhere without him." Goten raised his eyes from the stuffed animal and pleaded with him.

"Could I.well, it's so cool that you have something that your dad gave you and stuff.and well.well, could I sleep with Mr. Piddleywinkle? Just for tonight, incase my bad dreams come back?" Trunks smiled tenderly and sighed with relief that Goten hadn't thought him a baby.

"Sure.it's okay with me, but.you won't tell anybody about him, will ya?" Goten shook his head in a solemn 'no' and buried himself under the covers, wrapping his arms around the little teddy bear. Trunks ran over to his bead and dove under the comforter, closing his eyes, trying to forget the things that had happened. Both youngsters were deeply troubled despite the uplift of a secret and the little stuffed bear, and it was several hours before either of them drifted into the arms of Morpheus.

Goten suddenly realized that he was dreaming again, despite the ever reassuring presence of Mr. Piddleywinkle in his arms, but somehow, it was different. There was no longer the ache in his chest from the pangs of guilt, nor was there the flowing red blood or rotting stench of death that had haunted him, even in his wakened state. When he turned back to look behind him, he found his house there, quiet and undisturbed in the light of day, and as he found himself walking, something seemed wrong and he couldn't quite place it. The trees of the ever-deepening forest chirped loudly with birds, but that wasn't what worried him. He sensed something dark and almost chilling to the bone, as if a being hovered near him and was entirely evil, a total opposite to his pure heart and goodness.

He glanced up through the canopy the tall tress made and noticed a cave hidden beneath the over hang of some shrubs, seemingly carved out into the side of a mountain. Strange; he hadn't remembered there ever being something like that before, but then, suddenly, he recalled the conversation he'd had with Gohan about promising to never go inside any caves he'd found, and gasped. He didn't know that anything like that had existed, so what was that thing doing in his memories or dreams, even? Upon immediately thinking about it, he found himself in the dark depths, and shuddered, gripping tightly to him the comforting body of the bear he held. He could definitely feel the company of something not too friendly and all too unhuman. A voice echoed, or hissed, rather, through his mind and he stumbled, landing on something soft and wet with stickiness. He looked down and even though it was dark, he could make out the shape of Trunks' body beneath him, lifeless and covered in blood. He cursed his Saiy-jin senses and then screamed in mortification.

Foolish.it was only child's play to begin with, but now.I have both of you within my confines.my plan.it has worked superbly. Goten heard the amusement and the frostiness in the strange whispering voice, as if it had no tongue and mouth in which to use for speech. He lay, looking at his friend's mutilated and torn flesh, the short strands of beautiful lavender hair that he had once admired more than his own, soaking with blood that had run from the split fracture on the side of his head, and he began sobbing, pulling himself up onto his feet. Tears seemed to burn his eyes and sting into pain that became real enough for him to realize everything. Finally, it all made sense.

"This.this has gone.this has gone.F-FAR ENOUGH!!!!" he screamed in an ear-shattering yell as rage and anger radiated from his limber body and vibrated the small cave with his rising power level. His fists clenched so tightly that his own blood began to run from his tautly stretched palms and he cried out for the death of his only friend, busting his heart as the truth overwhelmed him. He was dead.Trunks was dead.everything he had loved about him.was gone!

He threw himself onto the body of his lifeless childhood playmate, clinging wordlessly to him, shaking him as he begged him to get up, to breathe, to smile again and laugh at his slow-wittedness, but none of it worked; he still lay unchanged, the blood beginning to congeal in the cold of the cave's darkness as the flow of it slowed. His lips trembled, and his hands were numb. It didn't feel like a dream anymore, it was all too real.

"Trunks-kun! Oh, Dende, you can't be.you can't be.wake up!! Wake up, Trunks-kun!" he howled in grief, touching the paleness of his cheeks in his own, equally colorless, hands. "Please.please.Trunks-kun, you're my.only.friend.you can't be.you.NO!!!!" His head fell back, tears of scorching hot pain flooding his face as he screamed again and again, thinking that if he shouted long enough, his friend would revive himself and be alive. It was only a sick impression of the truth. He was gone, and the cruel laughter floated around him, taunting him, making his anger control his mind, emptying every thought but those of destruction, of the revenge for his friend who lay unmoving and breathless in front of him. He punched the ground in outrage, feeling it give easily under the hard impact of his stiffened fingers, and then he felt himself falling and falling, spiraling downward as the darkness faded from black to white, his mind being brought back to the world of the living with a light touch on his face.

He jerked from the bed, tumbling in a pile of sweat moistened sheets and limbs as he brought a body down with him to the floor. The body was Trunks, warm, full of life, and worrying for him even more than before. When Goten finally relaxed and wasn't struggling against his touch, he wrapped his small arms around his friend, feeling him shudder through the hug as sobs racked him, tearing at his heart deeper than that of anything. They were thick coarse cries of terror and pain, alerting Trunks that something awful had happened and his human half told him to comfort, while at the same time his Saiy-jin half wished to find out what it was and take revenge. Eventually it slowed, bringing time to a stand still.

"Goten.Chibi, what's the matter? You were screaming and shouting my name.and you were scaring me." Goten pulled away and looked into the crystal blue depths of an ocean swirling with concern and compassion and ardor.

"Trunks-kun.you know.know that.that I care about you, right? And if I could stop anything from happening to you I would, right?" He gazed at him, confused.

"Yeah, I know, Chibi.I care for you, too, but." Goten cut him off by throwing his slender arms around his neck and clinging.

"Aishiteru.I love you, Trunks-kun, and I'm never going to let you die! Never!!" Trunks swallowed back the questions that were on the tip of his tongue, and just remained still as Goten clutched him. So he'd had another nightmare, had he? It must have been a really bad one if he was crying and yelling in his sleep loud enough to wake him up. A few minutes later, he released him, almost afraid that if he let him go he would disappear and really be dead, but he chanced it and still found him there, staring at him.

"Hey, I know! How about we go outside for a while? There was something I wanted to show you when we finally got here. I found it a couple of days ago when I was out exploring while you had some chores to finish, and it is so cool! It might take your mind off things." Goten hesitated, still scared, but then nodded slowly, forcing himself to face the fact that they were only dreams and nothing more. At least, he hoped they were.

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea, Trunks-kun.but I'm going to go downstairs and eat breakfast before we do, so I can tell Okaasan where we're going so she doesn't worry if she comes up here and finds us missing." He still remembered the times he hadn't told his mother where he had gone and the punishment and humiliation that came along with it. He wasn't sure if he could handle that if he disobeyed again, due to the stress he was already experiencing. Trunks shrugged his shoulders.

"Fine with me, Chibi.hey, don't look so sad.you'll really like the things I'm going to show you."

"I'm sure I will, Trunks," he replied, digging into the rolled blankets to find something. He withdrew the small bear that had been a support in his dreams, and handed it to him. "Here, Mr. Piddleywinkle was a real comfort, but you might want to put him back in the bag. Who knows what Gohan would think if he found it?" Trunks quickly complied and joined him on the journey towards the kitchen, where Gohan was just finishing breakfast and standing up as he stretched when the boys entered.

"Ohayo, Goten and Trunks. Sleep well?" Trunks noticed the disturbed look in Goten's eyes and swiftly replied,

"Hai, really good.I don't.even remember getting into bed last night. I must have been really tired. What about you, Goten?" The younger half Saiy-jin numbly slid into his chair and stared at the grain streaks in the table.

"Hai, really tired," he mumbled under his breath, getting a troubled look from Chichi as she set more food before them. She eyed Trunks and Goten curiously.

"You boys weren't up to anything last night, were you? Gohan, you might want to check your clothes closet again, just to make sure," she said, recalling the incident where Goten and Trunks had somehow snuck into his room and had poured glue all over her son's clothes, leaving him nothing to wear but the garments that had been on his back. She smiled softly to herself. They had even been as thrifty as to get the ones in the hamper. They were so intelligent, but their mischief and age got them into too much trouble.

"No, Chichi-chan, we didn't even leave the room. Goten's just a little cranky that I got him up early, today. Isn't that right, Goten?" he asked through partially clenched teeth, which Goten immediately jumped to attention because of.

"Hai, Okaasan, I'm just a little bit tired, but Trunks and I are going to go play outside to wake up even more after breakfast." He eagerly reached for a pair of chopsticks and a plate of rice filled with eggs and bacon before digging in. Trunks followed suit and began to eat, giving Chichi and Gohan no further reason to question their strange actions and Gohan excused himself from the room while Chichi served the ravenous eating machines more food. After several plates, seemingly after she lost count of serving them ten plates apiece, they left the table, smiling contentedly and full from their bellies nearly to their toes.

"So, what do you want to show me, Trunks-kun?" Goten asked awhile later, after they were a good mile and a half away from his house. Trunks had been silent the entire trip and it made Goten edgy in the walk in the silence of the forest that reminded so much of the dream he'd had. Trunks glanced at him and smiled.

"Oh, it's just a little ways up over that rise in front of us. Are you sure you're up to it?" Goten nodded in a matter of fact manner and gave a quick Son grin, revealing the entire two rows of his straight white baby teeth. It didn't reach him fast enough for him to think why his friend had asked such a strange question, but when they began to scale the thick side of a rocky cliff a few minutes later, it finally hit him. He looked up at the bottom of Trunks' boots as he edged up the footsteps in the wall and squinted.

"What do you mean by 'am I up for it'?" he shouted towards the sky, startling Trunks in his climb. He peered down at him.

"Well, it's sorta dark in the place that I'm showing you, and I know how you're afraid of the dark and everything." Egged on by that remark, he rushed up after him, climbing nearly as fast as Trunks to reach the top before he did. When Trunks noticed his speedy advance, he leapt off the edge and flew to the peak where a narrow walkway presented itself to him. He was smiling ear to ear when his friend reached the ledge a few minutes later and he collapsed on the ground, out of breath.

"You.you can be really mean.do you know.that.Trunks.kun?!" he gasped, pulling air into his lungs as quickly as possible to regain his stamina. He continued grinning and just shrugged as he pointed beside him with a finger.

"There.that's where I'm taking you. It's really neat inside there, aside from it being completely pitch black. What do you think?" Goten sat up and lifted his eyes towards the direction that Trunks was motioning to and fell back, air suddenly becoming nothing as he stopped breathing. It was a cave, the entrance small and the sun barely reaching into its depths before the blackness consumed it.

"T-t-there?! You're taking me.t-there?" he questioned and then furiously began to shake his head. "N-no! I'm not going in there. Nothing you say or do is gonna make me, either. W-wait! What are you doing?!" Trunks stopped in mid-stride to look at his terrified friend. What was up with that?

"In there. Just because you're too chicken to come doesn't mean that it's going to stop me from exploring. If you really want to stay out here all by yourself, then go right ahead, but I'm going to have some fun." With that, he walked to the entrance and disappeared within the shadows. Goten's heart leapt into his throat as he crawled after him towards the opening, afraid of what to find and afraid of what he might lose if the dreams were prophetical and correct. As soon as his fingers came in contact with the over-lying gloom he immediately felt the same immaculate coldness that had washed over him when he'd been asleep, burying deep inside of his skin and sinking into his heart, making him shudder.

"T-Trunks-k-kun? W-where are you?" There was a deep, heart-pounding silence and he swallowed hard, his breathing increasing radically. "T- Trunks?" A cold hand touched his bare skin and he jumped, shouting in terror as he backed away. It was then that he heard childish laughter ringing throughout the vicinity.

"Boy, you sure are easy to scare, Goten-kun. I thought you didn't like dark places." came the familiar voice that he'd always known. Goten began to breathe easier and laughed cautiously.

"You.you know I don't, Trunks. I wanted to stop you from coming in here.it's bad in this place, can't you feel it?" There was another selfless giggle.

"Chibi, you really do amaze me. You can't fly or sense a lot of other things, but you think there's some." He stopped in mid-sentence and Goten squinted in the darkness, trying to see Trunks' face. Despite his developed Saiy-jin senses, he could not.

"Trunks, what are you-?" A hand gripped his arm in a steely grasp.

"Shh. You're right, there is something in here. I don't know how I couldn't have felt it be-Ahhh!!" The lock on his arm disappeared and he could hear Trunks' screaming continue, sounding further and further away.

"Trunks?! Trunks, what's happening?! Where are you?!" he cried, pure panic cascading over the fear that had risen up inside of him.

"Ahhh!! Goten.Goten, h-help me! It's.something's got me.NO, STOP!!!!" The shrill echo of his voice ripped at his soul and he scrambled to his feet, running and tripping in the darkness after him, bruising his skin as he hit rocks with his body and injuring his sides when he fell.

"TRUNKS!!" he hollered over the deafening roar of silence that surrounded him. "Oh, Dende, where are you?! TRUNKS!!" He heard a faint whisper, almost like a plead and stopped, straining to listen to the soft whimpering and hissing voice that was ricocheting off the cave walls.

"P-please.l-leave him.ahhh!" That was Trunks, there was no mistake about that, and he sounded in pain.

Shut your mouth, you insolent boy.he's far more important than you are, and besides, you were a mere tool to lure him here.he's much stronger than you, son of Vegeta.yes, much stronger.

"B-but.he can't.I won't.you've been torturing m-me a-all this t-time haven't you? Haven't y-you?!" There was a cry of agony as something struck his body. Goten's breath hitched and faltered.

Be quiet, you foolish child.now, where is he? I haven't been inside that worthless mind of yours for nothing. I want one that is capable of complete malleability. You struggled against me so hard, and fought to regain control of your body.well, what has it gotten you, spawn of the Saiy- jin Prince? Nothing! Nothing but a violent outcast of your body's precious life fluid, and now you are here, losing more by the second until you tell me where the brat of Son Gokou is hiding! Where is he?! I know he followed you in, and he wouldn't leave you to your death, so.where is the child?!

"I.I w-won't t-tell you.y-you're nothing b-but a mon-monster!!" Goten listened to his friend as more shrieking followed the sound of something hard hitting soft and compliant skin, and then there was nothing. He jumped out from behind a rock wall and watched as the fading blue aura of a dark creature slid from Trunks' lax mouth and let him slip to the floor as its color absorbed the blackness around it and became invisible. He would have helped his friend who had hit his head against the concrete like floor and who wasn't moving but the thing had him wrapped in its essence, burning his skin with the slightest touch as it wrapped itself around him.

Ahh, the feel of your young body's power, hidden deep within the recesses of your soul, it puts that weakened fool's to shame. At last I have you, son of Gokou. Goten froze and listened to the faded voice, feeling its somehow hot breath against his face as he whispered.

"W-what are you? W-who are you? Why are you.doing this to us?!" He stood rigid and waited for an answer, all the while wanting to help Trunks, who may have been dying.

Too many questions, but I see no reason not to answer them. You will soon be under my control and there will be nothing you can do about it, seeing as how your father isn't around anymore.I.am Bebi, once mortal enemy to that retched boy named Son Gokou, and now a mere whispering presence without a host. You.will have the honor of fulfilling that place, for within you, I sense great power and an even greater will for being under my control. Goten struggled and tried to free himself. He had never heard of this being, Bebi or what ever its name was, and it was even more frightening to think that this creature somehow knew more about his father than he did, since he'd never met him before because he had died in the Cell Games months before he'd been born.

"Please, stop this. I'm.I'm.I'm not as strong as you think. Trunks is more powerful than I am, he.he always beats me and he can fly." He felt rage and grief rising within him as he thought of his friend and he knew that he had to help him. The thing, Bebi, laughed.

You are amusing, but no, that brat dead on the ground is not more powerful than you. He may be now, but you have an unburied strength that only I will know once I possess you and you become fully under my control. You seem to have inherited many qualities from your father, and once I harness them, then I will move onto bigger hosts, such as your brother, who defeated that monster that had called himself perfect many years ago, and then.Vegeta, an ultimate goal, for I have thirsted for his strength, which is far greater than yours and every being combined on this useless planet, and his emotionless and hate filled ways. You see, I could not have used Trunks, as you so lovingly called him, much longer than I did for examination because he was insolent and refused to come under my control completely, and the Prince of Saiy-jins.he does not hold as close a bond to his son for me to enter him and take over his mind. I will wait, until everything is brought into play with your friend's demise and your surrender. Goten's muscles tightened and he felt his self-control slipping past his will as anger and disbelief and hatred fed his Saiy-jin blood.

"No, I won't let you do such a.such a terrible thing to my family and the people of my planet! I won't let you do to others what you did to my.to my only.FRIEND!!!" His ki exploded around him, knocking Bebi from around his body and his energy lit the darkness, illuminating Trunks' lifeless and unmoving form that was tattered and covered in blood. He ran to him, barely able to see the slow and rugged rise of his chest as he continued to breathe. Trunks felt his hand on his face and smiled weakly.

"G-G-Go.Ch-Chibi, how I.I.it h-hurts, Ch-Chibi. P-please, m-make it s-stop." Goten could feel tears sliding down his cheeks as he stared at his best friend, feeling his strength drain away from him at each word he spoke. He felt the wetness of Trunks' own grief on his fingers.

"Don't, Trunks.don't waste your strength. It'll be okay, I.I promise. We'll be back at home, terrorizing my brother and laughing about all the fun we'll have playing our training games, and.and just imagine all the other stuff we'll do together.school and.and those dance things and.and the parties and stuff. Plus, what would you do to keep all those girls away from you, unless you had me? You already attract mothers, and that probably means." He heard Trunks' soft laughter and stopped, realizing that he was babbling.

"Y-you're f-funny, Chibi.b-but, yeah, who would k-keep all those girls away f-from us if we d-didn't have each.each oth-other." There was a pause and then, "I-it's g-getting dark, Go-Goten.I'm.I'm sc-scared." More tears fell from his eyes and he could feel something snapping inside him as he felt him slipping farther away from him. His friend was dying and he couldn't do anything about it. He felt useless.

"It's okay, Trunks, I'm right here. I'll never leave you, ever! You're my only friend, and.and we're supposed to be together. We make the best team. Please.please don't leave me, Trunks-kun.please don't go away." He was sobbing now, futile and meaningless words falling from his lips as he felt Trunks' body convulse with pre-shocks of death and then quiet.

"D-don't c-cry, Ch-Chibi, and.and d-don't you w-w-worry about m- me.I'll.I'll always b-be w-w-with you, G-Goten-k-kun.I.Ai.Aishit-teru.I.I l- love you.you w-were always.always my b-best and.and only.f.fri." His body trembled and then stilled, the last of his strength leaving his body, and leaving Goten without a companion, a person who would tease him and laugh with him and take the heat for him if he got in trouble, and the dam broke, shattering any resistant that held back the awful pain of power that was building up in him. He could feel strength and unknown energy swamping his body as he screamed, his eyes opening wide and his lips aching as he bit into them, harder than anything he'd ever bitten into in his life, drawing a fountain of blood that matched the one coursing from his fingernail busted palms. The ground vibrated and he collapsed onto the body of his dead comrade, clinging helpless to him while the energy flowed around them, the younger half Saiy-jin trying to force his own pounding life energy into the older one as he grasped the full meaning of the dreams he had been having and sobbed. It had been a warning to alert him of his friend's demise and he had ignored completely. Now.he was gone.

"Trunks.you can't be dead.I.I won't allow it.I can't be.I can't be alone.without you.live.live.please." When he took notice that his energy was just circulating and not being absorbed, he yelled out again, shattering rock and allowing sunlight to pour over them as he continued to scream, ignoring the fact that Bebi was floating near, a ghostly hint of a smile on his misty body. "TRUNKS!!! TRUNKS!! OH, DENDE, NO!!! TRUNKS!!!" A flood of uncontrolled pain mingled with his strength, breaking the barrier between him and something instinctual, something that had been buried deeply beneath his consciousness and was finally making itself evident. He felt the shear strength of it wrapping golden tendrils of energy around them both, his hair fluttering upward and becoming stiffer as the energy increased, and all he could do was continue to scream, air being an infinite supply to his lungs as power forced its way through his limbs and into the limp body of his friend, reviving the color of his skin, despite the blood drying on his face, and igniting his hair into a strange yellow color that smashed his senses.

He was unaware that change were also happening to his body as more and more of the wild ki filtered through him and over into Trunks' mass. His black hair was now defying gravity as the energy dispensed throughout him, altering from dark onyx to an electrifying golden blond that shimmered inside the sun-lit dimness, and his eyes were sizzling with hatred, turquoise, instead of black, becoming the dominate color. When he finally opened his eyes after the squall of raging power settled inside him and wrapped its glowing essence around him, he glanced down at Trunks, finding his hair as bright as his own, despite his ill education of it all, and his face clean from all scratches. It looked as though he were asleep, dreaming peacefully instead of being dead, and Goten cried internally for him. It took him a moment to realize that something was moving around him, and he looked up, remembering Bebi, the monster that had murdered his friend. He was laughing.at him!

"You fiend.you.you alienistic t-thing! You killed him!! You took my best friend's life and you are laughing about it! WHY?!" There was a strange deepness to his voice but he didn't notice it; his mind was too preoccupied with taking revenge.

You truly are something to marvel at, don't you realize? Can't you feel that power flowing through you as if you were meant for it? It's incredible to think that I will soon possess such a gifted body as my host. You and I will be the center of terror and destruction on this planet and throughout the entire universe.together, we will be.unstoppable. A sudden urge to mock him entered his mind and he laughed, a type of sharp crude sneer that welled inside his chest and burst from his mouth.

"You can think that all you like, Bebi, but I will not let you take over my body. Once I'm done with you, there won't be a muscle in your pathetic unreal-self that can't move. I will destroy you and show you what murdering a Saiy-jin's best friend does to him!" His fist tightened and the golden rifts of a Super Saiy-jin's strength engulfed him as he slowly rose from the ground, a scowl dominating his face. Bebi just continued to laugh at him.

This is going to be more exciting than I anticipated, my future host. Do you honestly think that just because you're friend is dead that he cannot be used against you? Well.think again. Bebi's spirit floated over Trunks, moving Goten slightly back away from him as he felt a burst of frigid air slide beneath the protective outer layer of energy, and he watched in half fascination and horror as the apparition began to slid into his mouth, digesting himself within Trunks' throat. Sense floated back to Goten, and he gripped Bebi's body, feeling it slip through his fingers even though he was holding onto it as tightly as he could manage.

"No! What are you doing?! Get out of him! Stay away from my.friend, you monster!" It was useless. As soon as he struggled to pull him back, Bebi increased the force at which he was driving into Trunks' body and disappeared within him, releasing Goten with enough intensity to send his head connecting with the wall behind him, making the rock shatter. He staggered for a moment, seeing the room spin, but shook it off, running quickly to Trunks and kneeling at his side. He was waiting for something, he didn't know what, but he continued to stare at him, recoiling in alarm when his eyes flickered open, revealing blue-green depths that were filled with hatred.

"Wha-what?! Trunks, you were.I watched you d-die!" The disbelief was written entirely across his face and the possessed body of his friend smirked at him before lifting his hand and firing a ki blast at the shocked Goten, easily knocking him back against the same wall he'd first hit because he hadn't moved to block it. The force busted him through it and he flew from the cave and fell, falling down towards the ground until gravity stopped him with the impact from hitting the earth. He could feel his bones snapping inside at the intensity and he moaned in pain, blood washing his mouth with a rich irony taste. He spit it out and tried to stand, but was kicked into the side of a tree with a forceful blow from a tanned boot. His back cracked and he dropped to the soft cushioning of the ground, feeling more of his life fluid soak into his clothes and the spongy green under growth as it erupted from several abrasions on his body. A hand reached down and grabbed a tight fistful of his fair hair.

"Does it feel good to be kicked around by the dead body of your friend, brat?! Does it give you some sort of sick pleasure to fell him touching you again, even though he's gone?" Goten groaned in response and Trunks' laugh echoed in his ears. "Well, he's not entirely lifeless, as you can see, so I've decide to adopt his body as my temporary host until you concede and give in. You can call me Bebi-Trunks, a disgusting but useful name, and I will enjoy crushing your spirit and blowing its dust into the wind." Bebi-Trunks lifted Goten's sagging body from the ground and easily tossed him into the air, proceeding after him as he began beating on him; his fists punching the softest parts of his body, bruising more skin and bones, his legs kicking into his ribs, and his knees smashing into his stomach and head before he finally hit the ground without a sound from his damaged body. Bebi-Trunks landed softly beside him, the power of a Super Saiy-jin flaring as he smiled in a malicious manner.

"Are you feeling defeated yet, Goten? Are you so low that you cannot stand up to your friend? It's a shame that I may end up killing you after all, seeing as how this body I'm in is suiting my purpose well and hasn't rebelled once. This will be an experience that neither you or I will-!"

"N-no." Bebi-Trunks' eyebrows rose in question.

"What did you say, you pathetic little Saiy-jin?!" he inquired with a demanding tone, walking over to his flaccid body that lay in a ditch in the dirt. "Were you talking to me?!" Goten looked upward in a squinted fashion and felt the crusted blood over his eyes give way as he tried to open them completely.

"I..I.said no! You're.you're not my friend.Trunks would n-never do anything to.to hurt me.he.he isn't like you, Bebi.he isn't a.a.monster!!" Strength seemed to flow over his worn and hurting body and he leapt to his feet, running at the dumbstruck Bebi-Trunks who missed the block and received a fist in the face. Goten brought his knee up to smash into his stomach, but Bebi-Trunks dodged it, his instincts finally kicking in, as he maneuvered out of the way so that Goten fell back on to the ground. He struggled to get back up even as his ribs and arms begged to rest; he pushed himself to a standing position.

"Well, you certainly put up more of a fight than I thought you were going to. What is it that drives you? You're friend is dead, and he can no longer help you." Bebi-Trunks hovered in the air and waited for the attack but it never came.

"My courage and the love for my friend is what drives me, Bebi. That and the fact that I know you cannot win. I won't allow you to destroy everything I care about and I'm going to prove it. Prepare yourself, Bebi, because I'm going to stop you and make sure that you never come back." Bebi-Trunks stared at him a moment, and then, to Goten's horror, began to clap his hands.

"Bravo! A very beautiful speech, Goten, but it will do you no good. This body is much stronger than I had realized, and you are far weaker than it is. You say you can destroy me, let's see you try." Goten swallowed back his fear and crouched into a fighting stance, his hands balled into fists and waiting as Bebi-Trunks landed softly on the ground and mimicked his pose except that his fingers were curled into claws. They rushed at each other instantly, exchanging blow for blow. Goten blocked a punch to his face with his forearm and attacked with a counter, sending Bebi-Trunks to the ground, but his opponent was not hindered. Using his arm as a leverage point, he swept his leg under Goten's in a spin kick, but Goten back-flipped away from it, landing lightly on the tips of his toes as he powered up his ki.

"You won't beat me, Bebi!" He summoned energy, and as if remembering something from when he was an infant, or from some time long before, he cupped his hands together, the heel of each one lining perfectly to match its opposite. "Ka.me.ha.me." He paused and watched as Bebi-Trunks anticipated his attack, one he knew far too well from the long ago clashes between him and Son Gokou. The light radiating from the center of his conjoined wrists nearly blinded him, but he lashed his hands out before him, power beginning to cascade from his body as he poured his life force into the blast and it was sent hurtling at unimaginable speeds towards his adversary. "HA!!!" The shout completed the move, causing the infamous Kamehameha Wave to falter slightly as more power filled it and then erupted towards Bebi-Trunks, his face pale with recognition.

Bebi-Trunks leapt to the side seconds before it would've hit him, and he was sent hurtling into the nearest mountainside, the young body he inhabited being forcefully driven into the hard rock as the blast exploded and covered the area with high licking flames and bellowing smoke. He hit head first, the rock easily giving under the velocity and he slid down the side of it, his face becoming bloodied and badly bruised before he hit the ground with a hard thud. When he tried to stand, cursing Goten's exuberance as he staggered to shaking feet, he found cold cerulean green eyes staring hard at him, and found hands reaching out, gripping his head in a tight lock as he pressed his forearm against his wind pipe, cutting off half the flow of oxygen. Bebi-Trunks gasped for air.

"Y-you.wouldn't.kill.your.only.friend.would.you?" Goten glared hatefully at him.

"You're not my friend, Bebi! How many times to I have to tell you that?!" He glanced right through the lifeless eyes of Bebi-Trunks and somehow found emotion delving within their depths. He gasped as he heard a tiny voice, coming from the body he held, whisper to him.

"Goten.Goten, please.don't hurt me.Bebi's gone, he.he doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore and he left. Please.Goten, it's me.it's Trunks." His grasp loosened slightly, but his heart told him that Trunks was already gone and that Bebi was just trying to get free, any way he could, including tricking him into thinking that Trunks was still alive.

"No! That won't work on me, Bebi! You're stupid tricks are useless and you are going to die, right here and now.by my own hand because all you wanted to do was hurt me, and you murdered my friend!!" His grip tightened again, but he couldn't bring himself to twist his arms, causing his neck to snap instantly and kill him. It was still his companion's body, his best friend, and he didn't want to mutilate it before he took him back to his parents; there was just no reason to explain what had happened if he did it.

"What's the matter, Goten?! Too scared to kill me?! I knew you were too weak to comply your actions with your thoughts. It just isn't done when creatures like you are too pathetic, like your friend." Goten bit down on his lip and felt tears welling up again. He constricted the space between Bebi's throat and his arm, giving a simple powerful twist that broke his neck and let his body drop, falling, as before, lifeless to the ground.

"G.gomen nasai, T-Trunks-kun.I'm.I'm so.so sorry." he cried, falling to his knees to gather Trunks' body in his arms and hold him. "I.I didn't mean to.I had no choice." Before he could hug him, a deep-screaming blackish blue mist began to evaporate from his body and he cringed at the touch as it swirled around him. He could hear Bebi's whispery voice as the haze that was his remains talked to him.

You.you retched child! How dare you think you can beat Bebi, King of the Tuffles, with a simple heartless move?! I may be temporarily weakened but I will return, striking at the hearts of those that you love most when you least expect it. Be forewarned, Son Goten, you have not seen the last of me.Bebi disappeared completely, leaving him and Trunks alone, in the quiet of the forest. When he gazed down at his friend's face, heartbroken at the fact that he was still gone, he found his wounds from the previous battle gone. Hope filling him, he felt his neck and discovered that it wasn't broken. A small grateful smile played his lips. Bebi had taken all of the injuries unto his own body when he'd left Trunks.

Perhaps that was what he meant by being temporarily weakened, he thought, holding Trunks' head gently in his hands. He felt the denied tears begin to ornament his face as he watched him. Oh, Trunks.I wish you could be here with me to celebrate. We beat him, Trunks.we beat him together and it's only fair that you.Dende, can't you save him? Won't anyone bring him back.he's my best friend, he's the only one who truly understands me as I do him.please.please come back.Trunks, I.I need you.His small prayer went unheard and the only thing that was audible in the silence of nature was the crying of a small boy as he mourned over the death of his friend. As the hot tears ran down his face, splashing warmly onto Trunks' skin, he felt something stirring under him, heard air being drawn in, and experienced the stroke of trembling fingers on his bruised visage, brushing away the tears. He opened his eyes and found the normal image of his friend staring at him through tear-filled orbs of the brightest blue, saw his lavender hair blowing gently in the wind, and an unspeakable joy filled his soul, bubbling up into his throat as he gaped in pure disbelief at his friend, who was alive and breathing and.Dende, he was alive and that was all that mattered!

Trunks-kun.I.I.how?" Trunks blinked at him, as if really seeing him for the first time, and then felt the throbbing ache of injury wash over him, making him moan as he tried to roll over and hide the shame welling up onto his lax features.

"D.don't a-ask me any.thing.I.Dende, I feel like I just.died." Trunks grunted, aware of the tight grip on his arm as Goten squeezed him unintentionally.

"You.you don't remember anything? About Bebi and how he."

"Chibi.w-what are you.talking about? I have no idea who Bebi is or why I hurt all over. Did you.did you knock me out or.something?" Goten closed his mouth and watched as Trunks tried to get up but failed and remained content to lay on the ground, in Goten's arms. He looked at the sky in a daze, feeling peace drifting over his mind as he felt sleep overcoming him.

"Trunks.Trunks.don't go to sleep.what if.what if you don't wake up? Then.then what would I do?" The seven year old gazed at him, noting the emotion held in his face, and he reached up with a hand, gently stroking the flesh on the underside of his cheek.

"Chibi, what happened to me? You didn't knock me out did you?" Slowly, and remorsefully, Goten shook his head and proceeded to explain to him about who Bebi was and what had happened to him. By the time he was finished, he was in tears, still feeling the fresh shock of his friend's death washing over him. Trunks was frozen with mortification. Was it true? Had he truly died and was then manipulated into fighting his friend under the control of the thing that had tried to possess him once before but he wouldn't allow it? From the way Goten was weeping, it couldn't have been a lie.

"Goten.Chibi.you're saying that I.I attacked you? On purpose and almost killed you? But I.I don't remember any of that.I'd never do anything to hurt you, Chibi, and." Goten shook his head.

"It wasn't you, Trunks-kun.you were.you were.and it was Bebi doing it and I couldn't help it, but I.oh, Dende, help me.I snapped your neck in my arms, killing you again, but it wasn't really you, and I tried.I tried so hard to." He sobbed into his hands, his small body shaking with grief at the prospect and Trunks managed to sit up and wrap his arms around him in a tight embrace despite the dull pain coursing through him.

"Shh, Chibi.you did what you had to do, and look at me.I'm still here, although I don't know how, and.and.nothing can keep us apart, Chibi! You're my best friend and I am yours, and anything that is stupid enough get between our friendship will be destroyed just as Bebi was." Trunks forced Goten to look at him in the eyes with his fingers, tilting his chin back. "Chibi.I will never, never do anything to hurt you because.because Aishiteru, Goten. I love you, Chibi, my tomodachi, my friend." He laid his head on Goten's shoulder and held him, hoping to Dende that he wouldn't be dramatized and affected because of the things that had happened. He knew it was one thing to see someone or something that you cared for die, but to actually kill them yourself.Trunks knew it had to be unbearable, and Goten was only six years old. He still had his entire life to live without being emotionally scared. Goten clung to him, burying his face into the crook of his neck.

"You're right, Trunks-kun.you're my tomodachi, my friend, my only friend, and nothing could be worse than losing someone that I care about, especially you, and.and I'm glad that you are okay? You promise that we'll always be the best of friends, no matter what?" Trunks nodded his head, pulling away as a twinge of pain flooded his body and his senses wavered.

"Yeah, no matter what, but.Goten, I'm not feeling so well.I think.I think I have to lay." His eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he fell to the ground, pooling in a puddle in Goten's arms. Goten stood up and lifted his unconscious friend into his arms, preparing to take him home, glad to feel his warmed flesh against his, happy to see that he was breathing regularly, knowing that he wasn't dead anymore and that he never would be. They were friends, best friends to the end of time, and no one, not Bebi or any other creature from the depths of the darkness, could keep them apart. They were bound together by destiny and joined by fate.

A/N: Sorry if there were any mistakes, some of them are hard to catch, even after proof reading it several times. Please, give me your ideas and suggestions, and don't flame me(I'm very sensitive ^_~)!