He knew his son was lieing about who that girl was. That much he knew was true. But if she wasn't an old friend, who was she? His fingers reached up and brushed through his wild black locks.
"What is it your hiding from me, Goten?" he asked into the silence of the buildings hallway. He pushed himself up from his position and headed towards the elevator.
He exited the apartment building, the streets seeming strangely quiet compared to what he had endured only about an hour ago. A man walked by him, brushing against his side, slamming him into the side of the building. Goku turned to yell at the rude man, but only saw an empty sidewalk when he turned.
"That's weird. I could've sworn I saw someone..." he shook the thought out of his head and continued down the street towards his own apartment building.
Goku took the elevator up to his floor, humming along to the music that came from the speaker. After some complaining by the younger residents of the building, the music had been changed to that of a local radio station. The music wasn't all that bad.
The doos slid open and he stepped out, turning towards his apartment door while digging into his pocket for his apartment keys.
"They've got to be here somewhere.." He reached into his pockets farther, biting his lip in frustration. He felt the cool brush of of a key and pulled it out, putting it at his eye level.
"Hey, I got it!!" At that same moment, something heavy came in contact with his head and the keys dropped away.
"Maybe, I don't got it," he muttered before falling to the floor unconcious. The figure came out of the shadows and picked up his keys, opened the door, and dragged the unconcious carcass of Goku inside.
**************
Neo and Goten stared in awe at the hallway before them. Well, what you could still see of it. Almost every inch of what they could see was filled flowers, toys, wrapped gifts, and anything else you could imagine.
"What the.." Goten asked before he was interuppted by a burly man who was at least half a foot taller than Goten himself come up and ask for a Son Goten.
"That's me." Before he could even ask what was going on, a clipboard was thrust into his hand and a pen in the other.
"Sign here."
He complied with little hesitiation, especially at seeing the lighted look on Neo's face when she came upon a small wardrobe filled with designer clothes.
"Hey...Chuck" he began reading the man's nametag. "What is all this?" The man stared at him for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a card.
"May I start now." Goten, not hearing what the man said because he was still confused over the card, said yes. He was pushed aside as two other men joined Chuck and began to lift and carry things into his apartment putting them on every available surface. They ignored Goten's shouts of protests and once they left with a slam of the door, Goten's living room was filled, no surface untouched.
He looked around at it and slumped against the front door. Neo sat down next to him, then noticed the un-opened letter in his hands.
"Aren't you going to open that?"
"Huh?" She pointed to his hand and he looked down, seeming not to recognize it at first. He slid a finger under the flap and opened it to reveal simple card, Goten's name written in calligraphy and gold. He opened it and read.
"Hope it worked." Those words echoed through the small room until Goten scowled.
"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?!"
**************
AN-Okay, I know some of you may be a little confused as to what's going on so far, but I HOPE to make it explained soon. Then again, it may take a little while because the idea based behind it is going to take a little plot development. I know some of you may wonder how much more plot developement I need being thirty-six pages into the story already but hey, I'm only on the second day and without having any plans as to what's going to help it except the one I'm starting now, you'll have to deal with it.
**************
Goten was sitting in the middle of his floor in a space only a about five feet around, the product of an hours work. He didn't know what he was going to do with all of this stuff but he had to find some way to get it organized. So, he decided he would sort it and enlisted Neo's help. That had to be one of the stupidest ideas he'd come up with.
Neo wasn't doing very much sorting. She was looking through everything, oooohhhing and ahhhhhing everything her eyes came across. Goten might have been doing the same right along side of her but it seemed that most of these things were directed towards the female gender. The thing that still boggled his mind was that his name was on the card.
"It doesn't make any sense," he said outloud, slamming his hands into a small pastel colored teddy bear that lay between his legs, causing a high pitched giggling to emanate from it making his show of frustration lose it's effect.
"What doesn't make any sense, Goten?" Neo's head appeared over the furniture, her head adorned with a small crystal crown.
"They sent me a crown?! Why would they do that. I mean, there's only one person that knows about you and that's my dad, and he wouldn't send me all this stuff. Not with the next months rent payment coming up... Who could it be?" Goten cradled his head in his hands as he tried to concentrate.
Neo slowly sank down behind the couch, not really wanting Goten to see her red, blushing face at the moment. Okay, maybe she had neglected to tell Goten that Trunks had decided to pay a little visit that night, but a girl's gotta have her secrets right? Right?!
She gripped a handful of her own raven hair and sighed. What if it was him that had sent her all this stuff. Did he really have the sense to send it under Goten's name instead of hers?
Goten looked up from his thoughts and looked over by the couch where Neo's face had been only a few moments ago. He stood up and walked over, kneeling on the couch and looking over the edge of the couch at his female counterpart.
"Your hair is going to fall out if you keep pulling on it like that." He chuckled when she gasped and looked up at him.
"Are you blushing? I didn't know it was the female part of me that checked out those videos..."
"Ecchi!!" she cried as her face turned redder than before.
"I'm kidding. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't promote that kind of stuff."
Neo didn't reply, but continued to stare at him accusingly for a few moments. She knew he was speaking the truth of course, but it was fun to tease him sometimes. She sighed once again as he pouted at her.
"Your cute Goten," she murmered, bring up a hand and pinching his cheek, her fingers just grazing the skin before dropping down to her side once again.
"Does this mean you forgive me?" The brown of his eyes showed clearly over the black as he smiled in a playful way, a pout once again showing on his round face.
"I guess."
The two sat there and stared at eachother for a moment, both wearing warm smiles.
*ring* *ring*
Two dark heads snapped towards the kitchen wear one of his two phones was placed. The ringing had echoed through the room bouncing off the many boxes placed around the room.
Panic shot through-out Neo as Goten began to get up to answer the phone. She quickly jumped on his back, sending the both of them flying to the floor.
"Neo," he gasped while trying to throw her off of him. "What are you doing?"
In her mind, she had perfectly good reason for not letting Goten answer the phone. It could be Trunks calling for her and Goten answering it only to find someone looking for her.... It couldn't be good.
"Um....there was a fly on your back?"
He stared at her open-mouthed for a moment before rolling over and squishing Neo underneath him with his back. He began to get up but Neo's arms found their way around him, preventing his escape.
"Neo, I'm surprised," he chuckled lightly.
"Wha?"
"I didn't know you felt that way. I mean it's not like I'm not *USED* to women throwing themselves at me or anything, but..."
"Shut up, baka," she laughed grabbing the same pastel colored teddy bear and whacking Goten in the head with it. The two laughed for a moment and Goten lay back and settled while Neo sat up to cradle his head in her lap, supporting herself with her arms.
The phone stopped ringing and the room was filled with a small enjoyable silence the two took advantage of. She gestured for Goten to hand her the teddy bear and when he did, she put it behind her head so she could lay down.
"Goten," Neo asked a few minutes later, her fingers running in lazy patterns through his hair.
"Mm?"
"Tell me about Dad-er, Goku."
"Why do you want to know about my dad?" He tilted his head back to look at her.
"Just curious. I mean, you haven't really told me anything about your family. Most of the stuff you did with your dad elicited response from your *manly* side." As she said manly, she brought her arms up and flexed invisible bulging biceps. The two laughed again before Goten returned his gaze to the ceiling.
"Well, I didn't really know my dad when I was real young. He died the year I was born. I heard enough about him through my brother Gohan, though. "He's an angel, Goten," he'd tell me when I was a kid and asked about him. That's what he became to me. Something like a real angel you know, something you just believe in but never really see. Then there was the tournament Trunks and I entered when I was seven. I met my dad for the first time and it was just amazing you know."
"It must have been, seeing your dad for the first time," Neo commented, her eyes staring at the top of his head.
"Well, after that, I kinda saw him on and off. It was either limited time on earth, or training or something you know. I'm still amazed that I'm his kid and not my mom's like Gohan."
She nodded and sat up a little, looking down into his now black/brown eyes.
"Do you resent him for it?"
"Who, my dad?" She nodded and he continued. "No. Well...not really. I'm sure there will always be a part of me that resents him for it you know? But, I still love him."
"Good, because you should always love your parents."
Goten gave her a small smile and sat up, looking over at the number on his microwave.
"I gotta go. It's almost one. See, it's a thing my mom and I set up, so I didn't forget about her or something."
He retrieved a light coat and grabbed his keys, then stopped before leaving to look at her. The smile he'd worn only a few minutes ago faded slightly and he let a out the smallest sigh. Neo would never have a family or past unless she stayed for awhile... He shook the thoughts away and looked back to her.
"Just hang out here for a while okay? I mean, you can leave and stuff, but don't go to far. Otherwise, I'll have to hunt you down." He mocked a cat about to pounce and smiled before closing the door behind him.
Neo looked at the door he'd just exited and sighed, getting up to look through one of two wardrobes of girl clothes. She found a nice enough dress and put it on.
"Too bad no one will be able to appreciate this," she said as she twirled in front of the full length mirror in Goten's bedroom, a flowing light purple dress gracing her petite figure. She fingered the material a little and looked out the window, glad that the weather would permit this kind of clothing.
She sat on the bed and looked at the second phone on the bedside table. She was fighting an inner battle here. To call or not to call? That is the question. Her eyes hardened for moment and she let out a shaky breath before reaching into the top drawer and removing Goten's address book. Her fingers flipped to the T, and she scanned the few names before seeing in neat writing the name Trunks and underneath position, best friend. She smiled at the small sentiment before picking up the phone and dialing up the number.
**************
A hole was beginning to wear on the small area of carpet Neo had been pacing for an hour. Her naturally messy raven hair had been brushed through and with the help of three and a half bottles of hair spray, compliments of the mysterious gift, it now fell to just above her shoulders. It was layered a little and was thick. This was proven by two broken brushes that now resided in the floor of Goten's bathroom garbage can.
Her small feet bore a pair of lavender shoes to match the dress she wore and the heals were smaller than before from being walked on for so long. Her fingers had been painted the same color as the ribbon in her hair, an aqua blue. Her right hand was curled near her face, the other twirling the light material of her dress.
"This was a bad idea," she'd been repeating. "This can't end well," was another phrase that had become common for her. She did another three sixty and stopped short as the small buzzer that was their doorbell was sounded.
"This was a really bad idea," she muttered to herself before walking towards the door, running her fingers through her hair one more time before swinging open the door. Her dark brown eyes made contact with his warm blue and the 'bad idea' theory, was gone.
**************
Trunks placed the phone back on the cradle and ran his hand over his eyes, then his sleep-distorted hair.
"I must have fallen asleep." He glanced at the clock and blinked a few more times, every affect that sleeping can bring seeming to affect him at the moment.
He stood up and stretched, turning every which way until every muscle in his body had been awoken. He stumbled over the various items of clothing on his floor and said a large amount of swear words when his foot came contact with an object protruding from under his bed.
His fuzzy vision didn't stop him from trying to get dressed. Another long string of cusses flowed from his mouth as he stumbled around his room in an attmept to put on his shirt. He pulled it away and saw the words 'wish you were here' on the back and that it was four sizes too small.
"What's Bra's shirt doing in my room?" He voiced it out loud and seemed to think about it for a moment before finding one of his own shirts and wrapping a belt around his pair of jeans. He finger-combed his hair and grabbed his wallet before heading downstairs to the first floor where the Briefs' kitchen was located.
Trunks bent over and reached into one of the lower shelves to get a granola bar, then grabbed a chilled bottle of water from the fridge. He finished the bottle in one gulp and the bar in two. Checking his appearance in the hallway mirror, he slipped on his shoes and opened the door, crashing into the blue-haired form of his mother to fall onto his but in a very non-saiyan manner.
The purple-haired teen stood once again and brought his mother up to her feet. She smiled at him and pulled a few strands away from her face. He watched a look he couldn't identify flicker across her slightly aged face and leaned backward as she peered closely at him.
"Trrruuunnkks.....?"
"YYyyeeeessss.....?" he mimicked.
"So who is she?" she asked while pulling back to swipe at the dust attachted to her jacket. Trunks could only stare. 'How had she known..?'
"It's a mom thing." Trunks just continued to stare at her and she gave out a small sigh before grabbing ahold of his arm and pulling him back into the house with her.
"Mom... what are you doing?"
"I'm finding out who this girl is. Your usually not this easy to read Trunks," Bulma explained to him while standing on tip-toes trying to reach for a tea cup. Trunks walked over and grabbed the small item for her before handing it to her.
"Thank you, Trunks. Now, as I was saying, who is she?" The purple-haired man blushed a little and averted his eyes when he saw the heated gaze his mother giving him.
"I don't really know myself, I kinda just met her." Trunks stares at his mother, returning the dumb-founded expression on her face with one of his own.
"Huh." They continued to sit there for a few moments, both only blinking the least amount of times possible. Vegeta walked in from outside, wiping sweat away from his face with a towel.
"Women."
"..."
"Boy."
"..."
Both turn their heads just as he turns away.
"I should go.." Trunks said, shakind his head a few times to clear it.
"Yeah..." she dragged out the word, her eyes still looking unfocused. He stood once again and walked out the door, pulling a few flowers out of his grandmothers garden before taking to the air. He, unlike Goten, wasn't afraid of scaring the general populace.
The breeze blowing through his hair cleared his mind as it usually did, the relaxation that flight brought him finally settling in. He turned his body a few degrees so that he stared up at the sky, the towering buildings and the chaos of traffic forgotten as sunlight warmed his face.
He opened his eyes a little, his mind begin to whir with thought once again. The whole thing in the kitchen.... what had that been about? He ran the whole thing through his head once again and blinked.
"She seemed so surprised that I hardly knew the person. Maybe she knew I was lieing. She always could read me like a book." Trunks rotated once again, looking ahead as Goten's apartment building started to enlargen from the small speck it had been before.
"I couldn't exactly tell her that Chichi and Goku had another daughter. I mean," he said turning to a flock of birds he'd just levitated closely to. "It's not my place right?" The group turned their heads toward him for a moment before disbanding their lettered formation and flying away.
He frowned and let it drop away as he began his descent to the roof of Goten's building. His feet made no noise on the cement as they made contact and only a small shuffling sound could be made after he began to walk towards the staircase.
As he reached the floor that held Goten's apartment, he drew in a tense breath, then let a small smile cross his clear-cut features at the irony of it all. Had it really just been last night, only about fourteen hours ago he'd found himself in this same position. Nervous and standing infront of his life-long, best-friends apartment? Swallowing his nerves, he rang the doorbell.
Trunks leaned towards the door, his saiyan hearing allowing him to hear the sound of feet walking towards the door and a tense swallow.
He pulled away from the door just as she opened it and smiled at the sight before. 'This isn't gonna be that bad after all...' he thought, taking in the sight of the dark haired women.
"Shall we go," he asked, falling into the role of escort.
"Of course." She smiled a little and curtsied, then accepted his hands. Their meeting had commenced.
**************
Goten flew away from his building at a normal speed, not totally excited with the idea of going to his mothers house. It's not that he didn't love his mother, that was impossible for any offspring she produced, but it was the man that she had married. The man that had split up his parents.
The divorce hadn't been that big of a shock to him. It hadn't been one for anyone in fact. Their fights were beginning to occur more often and most people could see that it wasn't going to last much longer. Than came the day when he came home and they told him.
They'd planned most of the stuff, where he would stay, who he would visit and when... All the necessary divorce stuff. Then there was the wedding. That was hell and back.
In someways, though, Goten was thankful for it. Trunks had been there for him the whole time and it had doubled the strength of their friendship. It had been one of those few nights when Goten had almost revealed how he'd felt.
--
The wedding had taken place only a few days before, and snow covered area of the secluded Son house. Goten had thought it natural that his mother get married in the winter. It was just like her, cold and yet beautiful.
Goten had been laying back in the snow and his nose and eybrows, the only parts not covered by three inches of thick cotton, were numb as he'd been sitting there since the sun had begun to set. It was now dark out in the way only winter could be. How the normal blackness of the sky instead glowed blue and the moon shown clearly, reflecting now and then from the snow he'd layed himself upon.
He was counting the stars to take his mind of the fact that his parents had split up, though the logical part of him had always known it would happen. Goten wasn't a very logical person, however, and he fought down the tears that were forcing their way into appearance.
"Goten."
His name hung in the air, never dropping as customary with winter air. Nothing was lost.
The dark haired boy sighed again before turning his head and looking at the twenty-nine year old form of his best friend. The moonlight bounced of the snow at the purple-haired bishounen's feet and reflected of the un-naturally colored strands, his warm blue eyes shining with concern and cold. The younger man smiled, the scarf on his face falling to below his chin.
"Hey, stranger," Goten teased, referring to Trunk's fairly recent trip for the Blackstar dragonballs. The other man smiled a little before sitting himself next to the layed out form of his friend.
"You okay," Trunks asked after awhile. Goten's face scrunched up a little, not liking his peace disturbed. He sighed and sat up brushing off the snow from his coat. He knew better than to try and avoid the emminent.
"I guess. It's just.... really hard to take. It seems like I'm the only one though.." Goten let the word drag out and looked down at his now crossed feet as the person beside him nodded. Trunks knew what his friend was talking about.
The announcement of Goku and Chichi's divorce, and then Chichi's wedding seemed to bring the best of people which had struck both of the boys as odd. Their families had been busy in preparation, joking and laughing as though it were the best thing in the world.
"That's not true," Trunks told him.
"Oh really," Goten spat, turning cold, dark brown eyes on his friend. "I suppose they got that new bed and TV by themselves huh?"
Trunks flinched, both from the words and his friends painful words. He turned away and tried to ignore Goten's action. 'He's not thinking straight. It's not you... you did nothing wrong,' he thought to himself. 'Dammit, I didn't do anything wrong! I shouldn't have to try and not feel bad.' His gloved hands fisted together at his sides as he tried his best to not retort. Goten was a bomb waiting to blow up. He didn't want to be that spark.
"Goten, I'm sorry this happened, but we *both* know, that *you* know, that this is what's best. Not only for them, but for you too. You may not have noticed, but you weren't looking your best when you walked in on the two of them in a fight."
Goten supressed a growl and decided to glare at a small rock protruding from the layers of snow on the grown. Trunks was being practical and Goten hated it when he did that. 'He always knows what I do and don't want to hear! I thought this was supposed to be a good thing!'
The dark haired boy's head dropped, his wordless show of defeat. His friend laughed and pushed the boy playfully.
"That's my Goten. C'mon. Let's go have some hot chocolate and I'll tell you about that time I had to dress like a girl..." Trunks called as he headed towards the house.
Goten followed him. How could he not when he had been offered both food, and something that caused Trunks embarrasment?
**************