�Curse him!� Goten ducked, barely dodging a flying plate. He watched as it shattered into a million pieces, a lot like his mother�s hopes and dreams. Bitter tears streamed down her aging face, and he suddenly realized that his mother wasn�t so young anymore. He honestly believed that Goku had no concept of human mortality and that Chi-chi would wait forever.
Goten understood Chi-chi�s pain, the bitter anger that washed over him with the force of a tidal wave. Her anger quickly turned to depression, a constant roller coaster ride as she survived one day after another. She�s wasted her entire life for him; and for what? He cares nothing more than for another challenge.
He loved his father, but he didn�t understand his constant drive to leave, to fight every enemy that showed up at their door step. Goten decided it didn�t matter anymore. Things had to change, not just for Chi-chi, but for both of them. He knew of only one way to make them happy. It was selfish, but had they not sacrificed enough?
Quietly, he departed the house, unable to bare his mother�s broken sobs. Damn you for making her cry! His anger changed nothing. At Capsule Corps, he paused, noticing changes he had missed in his previous visits. Trunks was in charge of Capsule Corps, Bulma tinkered more in her lab, and Vegeta trained less.
He should have known the older Saiya-jin was waiting for him, not like his father. Goten hated Trunks at times, taking for granted a father that craved his son�s attention and desire to embrace his Saiya-jin heritage. �He�s not here,� Vegeta snarled, already turning away.
�Will you leave as well?� Goten hissed, his black eyes glowing. Vegeta whirled, carefully studying him for long moments. �No one has time for us; not Trunks, dad� Are you just like them? I came to ask you something, but I see it was a waste of time.�
Goten didn�t make it five feet, a foot firmly placed in the small of his back. Instead of letting up, the pressure increased, a breath of air brushing against his neck. �Anyone else and I�d have killed them for your remarks,� Vegeta whispered. Goten trembled. The last time someone pissed off Vegeta, they never found the pieces.
Vegeta snatched him up, slamming him against a granite wall. Inch-by-inch, his fingers squeezed around his neck, cutting off his air supply. Goten struggled to remain awake, little black dots blurring his vision. Instantly he submitted, ending his rebellious behavior. �Why did you come?�
�My mother� She doesn�t deserve what he�s doing to her.�
�Ask your question, brat!�
�Why does dad leave her all the time?�
Vegeta resented Kakarot, the children that had tremendous power, wasting away. Gohan was hopeless, but he still saw a chance in Goten. You have no right to them! Vegeta was shocked at the intensity of his emotions, but carefully hid them from Goten. �You�re not going to like the answer.�
�Does it matter? Should she continue to wait for someone that will always leave?�
�I only know the stories taught to me from Raditz. Where I come from, Saiya-jins mate for life. It wasn�t for obligation or status, a piece of paper that had more value than a bond that binds for an eternity.�
�Is Bulma your mate?�
Vegeta quickly shoved Goten in his gravity chamber, turning off every intercom before answering. �Never assume I love her. Yes, I married her, but only to repay her for the compassion she has shown and unfailing loyalty. Humans have a short life span and to bond with her is the same as committing suicide. Do you not watch the fighters you worship. With the exception of Krillan, Piccolo, Kakarot, and myself; they grow old and will soon perish.�
�What is a bond?�
�A mental and physical connection reached between two full-blooded Saiya-jins. It was rare and the reason why several children were born in labs instead of the normal way. However, I do not think it would have made a difference with Kakarot. Perhaps it was the injury as a child; I don�t know. To the end of his days, Kakarot will never have the ability to tie himself down to a family or mate.�
�She�s wasted her life for nothing!� Goten flinched, hating himself at that moment. He never liked showing his weaknesses, especially to Trunks or Vegeta. Suddenly Vegeta released Goten, backing away slightly as he leaned against a wall and crossed his arms.
�I have no idea why she devotes herself to him; and for that I respect her. If she weren�t human, I�d almost mistake her as Saiya-jin.�
�You�re alone; aren�t you?�
Vegeta chuckled bitterly, his hatred and anger showing briefly before he masked it. At that moment, Goten saw the pride, deepening the ache in his soul. Trunks had no idea, and Goten hated him for it. �I am the last of a dying race, Goten. I don�t count your father and Trunks wants no part of his birth right. Does that not answer your question?�
Goten stubbornly shook his head, leaving Vegeta standing in the room alone. He knew what had to happen, a damn the consequences. �I won�t let it happen!�
Shenron was bigger than he recalled. Lightning forked across the sky, turning day into night, and the entire Earth trembled as the dragon asked for Goten�s three wishes. �I want Vegeta and my mother happy! How do I help them?�
�Your mother grows old and dies, while Vegeta remains young. Common spirits must have common ground.�
�Make my mother a full blooded Saiya-jin!� Goten had no idea the consequences of his wish, and decided not to think about it for fear of changing his mind. �I don�t want her to die; not without finding her soul mate first!�
�Is that your second wish?� the dragon asked.
�Yes. Finally, make any with Saiya-jin heritage, full-blooded.�
"Granted."
After the three wishes had been granted, the dragon disappeared, scattering the seven balls across the globe. As predicted, Goten felt his father appear behind him, looking around for Shenron. "Goten?"
"What?"
"I thought I felt Shenron."
"You did."
"Goten, why did you...?"
"I don't owe you anything, especially an explanation! You never ask us how we feel about you leaving, to raise a child that isn't even yours; and you dare to lecture me or ask why I decided to make a few wishes? No! Leave mother alone, dad, forever. She's hurting and you make it worse every time you come home and desert us again."
Goku tried to approach his son, but Goten stepped back snarling at him. Large tears spilled down his pale cheeks, but the red fury flashing in his ebony eyes sent chills down his father's spine. "Don't!"
"Goten?"
"No!" he cried, powering up and shoving his father back. "Where were you when I needed you? I never had a father until I was ten and then you tried to make me like yourself. There's a lot more than fighting all the time and mom wasted her entire life for you. Dad, please, let her go.�
Goku sighed, but he didn't cry. His son finally understood and the truth never hurt as much as it did then. Kakarot, could only ever love fighting and nothing else. "Dad, I want to see you again, but only because you want to."
"I'm sorry, Goten. I did try to love her, but..."
"It's not your fault. It's who and what you are." Goku waived at his son and vanished, leaving Goten very alone and empty.
Chi-chi stopped throwing her dishes and wondered why the house felt quiet and different. "Goten?"
His room was empty, but she knew he would come back. Feeling a tickling sensation against her leg, she looked down and screamed. Wrapped tightly around her calf, was a long, black silky tail that felt like velvet when she touched it with her fingers.
Glancing in a mirror, over fifty years had been erased from her face, making her feel like a young girl instead of the hate-filled woman she had become. When she saw Goten walk in the door, she knew what he had done and hugged him tightly against her. "I don't understand why, but thank you!"
"Mom, you might want to save that until you hear what I did." Goten looked scared, but he squared his shoulders and prepared for the worst. "I told dad not to come back home, ever." Paling, Chi-chi sat down in a chair, but let Goten finish what he had to say.
"Dad can never give you the love you want, anymore than Bulma can save the Saiya-jin Prince's heart and soul."
Chi-chi saw her son for the first time and lowered her head in shame. She only saw her own pain, never realizing that Goten had deep scars of his own. "Goten, I'm so sorry..." Running up to her, he hugged her tight, letting the pain soak her shirt.
"Why couldn't he want me back?"
She didn't have an answer, but she promised to undo the damage her husband had caused both of them. Taking his arm, she started pushing him towards the car and grabbed her purse hanging near the door. "We're going to the mall."
"Mom?"
"I'm tired of sitting around doing nothing. We're going to spend some time together without books or housework telling us what to do and when."
The car ride was silent, but Chi-chi had a feeling her son had something else he hadn't told her. "What else did you wish for?"
"To give you a second chance for a soul mate of your choosing. Gohan, Trunks, Pan, Bra, yourself and I are full-blooded Saiya-jins now."
"How old am I?"
�Probably the same age as Vegeta and dad,� Goten shrugged.
�Why?�
�We�ve sacrificed enough for this planet without asking for anything in return.�
Pulling into an empty parking space, Chi-chi sat, not moving until she had come to a decision. "Teach me how to fight, Goten."
"I thought you hated fighting."
"It was smothered out of me by Goku and my father. You don't have to, but..."
"I'll do it on one condition."
"What?"
"We fight in the next tournament ten years from now. I owe Trunks a rematch, but no one must find out about this, including Bulma."
"Let's move."
"Where?"
"California, New York, or Texas. It doesn't matter. For the first time, I'm free and I don't have to answer to anyone but you. You've always been there, even when Majin Buu..."
"Mom, I never forgot you trying to attack him with a broom stick. When I saw him smash you with his foot, a part of my soul shattered and all I could think about was dad not being there. He was dead, but he didn't have to be. Vegeta told me he refused to have Parunga, the original Namekian dragon, bring him back to life, that he thought being dead was the greatest adventure. Only when there's another challenge, does he show an interest."
"Goten...,"
"I'm his next challenge mom."
"You're serious!" Chi-chi grabbed his arm, terrified. "Goten, you may be his son, but he holds nothing back when he fights. Please, don't challenge him in a match."
"Mom, I'm his son and a Saiya-jin. His power doesn't belong to him alone and I hope to prove that to Vegeta. He's lost the will to strive any higher, his spirit crushed by someone who doesn't know who we are."
"He's never been defeated, Goten."
"I never cared to try."
"Goten?"
"What?"
Chi-chi smiled, a smile meant only for her son, "Thank you for the gift."
Goten laughed, looking towards Capsule Corp. "I hope Vegeta feels the same, but it's too late to turn back now."