CHAPTER THREE ~

Goten and Goku landed in their front yard, the air full of the smell of dinner already being cooked inside. Not a word had been exchanged between the two the entire way home.

"Goten, why don't you go see if your mother needs help with dinner? I need to take care of something first, okay?" Goku said, motioning over to Gohan and Videl's house, seeing that they had come back from their day out with Pan. Goten didn't respond, his mind was clearly someplace else. He glanced back up at his dad with vacant eyes, looking as if he wanted to speak but couldn't. "It's alright, son. Everything is going to be fine, just give him a little time to be alone right now, okay?" he assured, reaching out and bringing him in closer to hug him. Goten felt himself starting to get upset again and wrapped his arms tight around his dad.

"Okay," he forced out meekly, trying to be as strong as he could to fight his emotions from taking over. He couldn't stop thinking about Trunks. He could feel his devastation, his hurt, and it was overwhelming. Goku pulled away and lifted his chin to look him in the face and could easily see it in his eyes. He gave a reassuring smile and gently put his hand on his son's face as he lowered his voice, "You're a good friend. You know, Trunks is lucky to have you. Trust me, it will all be okay tomorrow." With that said, Goku left him and walked over to the house next door.

Was he a good friend? Goten wondered to himself. He just sat there and watched Trunks' whole world come crashing down around him and didn't do a damn thing to help. He knew Trunks would have done anything to stand up for him, as he had always done in the past. He may have been only been a year older than Goten, but it never stopped him from being protective of the younger demi-Saiyan. Goten felt a heavy crush on his heart, knowing he had let down his best friend, his life-long companion, and very reason for living. He clenched his teeth, letting out all the breath he had been holding in his chest and opened the front door to his house, unable to get two steps into the kitchen before he heard his mother's screeching voice in his ear.

"GOTEN! You're filthy! Get out of my kitchen right now! You're getting mud everywhere!" Unfazed, Goten turned around and walked right back out the door, not missing a beat. He could still hear Chi Chi screaming her head off about him coming back in to clean up the mess, even after he slammed the door.

He made his way across the yard up to Gohan's house, letting himself in the side entrance and could smell the food Videl was making for dinner, reminding him of the appetite he'd lost hours ago. Goku and Gohan were talking in the living room and stopped their conversation once they realized he was standing in the doorway. Gohan walked over to his brother.

"Hey, bro, I felt what you did today. Not bad. Was that the first time?" Gohan tried to sound supportive, even though it was written across his face that he knew what happened. Goten rolled his eyes.

"Can I take a shower here? Mom's freaking out and I can't deal with her right now."

"Yea, sure. There's towels upstairs in the closet, help yourself to whatever..." Gohan trailed off as Goten walked past him without another word, looking completely distant and detached.

"Dad...?" Gohan said, turning to his father standing in the living room with his hand behind his head.

"I don't know, Gohan, I've never seen him like this. I don't know what else to tell him," he softly said as he finished watching his youngest drag himself up the stairs." I know he wants to go back out there, but I don't think it's such a good idea. Just keep an eye on him for me, alright?"

"Of course," Gohan responded. "It's probably a good idea he stay here right now and give him some space." The slam of the bathroom door shook the house.

"Well, I'm going to clean up before dinner." The eldest Son took a step outside and paused. "He needs us right now, so, let's try not to bring it up tonight during dinner." Gohan quietly nodded and closed the door behind his dad.

"Gohan, what's going on out here?" Videl asked, coming out from the kitchen with Pan in her arms.

"Well, I think you need to sit down..."

MEANWHILE, AT CAPSULE CORPORATION-

"Trunks! Dinner!" Bulma shouted from the bottom of the stairs. It wasn't easy working a ten hour day, only to come home and scramble to make dinner that nobody was ready for. "Trunks! Let's go, now!" There was no response from her son's room, which usually led to one conclusion. Bulma marched across the house, hot dinner plate in hand, to the GSR. If Trunks wasn't in his room studying, then perhaps he was training, or at least trying to if Vegeta got there first. She flicked off the external power switch and heard the ever-present hum of the machine grind to a stop.

"3...2...1..."

"Woman! What the hell are you doing?!" Vegeta yelled from inside, barging out of the room like a little kid told he had to stop playing with his toys. "Can't you see that I'm busy in here?!"

"Dinnertime." She shook the plate in front of his face." Where's Trunks? He's not in his room."

"How am I supposed to know, he's your son."

"He's your son too, Vegeta! He left with you this morning, didn't he come home with you?"

Vegeta turned his back towards her and folded his arms. "He's probably still sulking out there. He'll come home when he's ready to grow up, so I wouldn't sit around waiting if I were you."

"Vegeta! He's only fifteen years old!" A worried tone overcame her voice. "Please, tell me what happened out there today. Why didn't Trunks come home? Where is he?"

"Hmph," he grunted under his breath, walking past her into the house.

"VEGETA!!!"

BACK AT THE SON RESIDENCE-

Goten sat on the floor of the bathtub with the side of his head leaning against the wall. Closing his eyes, he let the hot water from the shower beat down on his face. He could feel Trunks. He knew he was still out there. Alone and scared.

"Trunks, I can't let you be by yourself. You need me," he said realizing to himself, "...I need you."

He got up and rinsed the soap out of his hair and off his body and reached out for the towel on the counter. Quickly drying off and wrapping it around his waist, he quietly walked down the hall and into their bedroom, closing the door behind him, hoping nobody heard. Goten threw open Gohan's closet and grabbed the first pair of jeans he could find. Throwing on a black long-sleeve shirt and sneakers, he opened the window and was ready to fly out when he stopped.

"They'll feel my ki rise if I fly. I'm going to have to jump out and run there. Shit!" Without a second thought, Goten took a deep breath, put both feet on the ledge of the window and took a flying leap off the second story drop. He landed on his feet and immediately pushed off into a fast sprint headed to where he knew Trunks would be. For the first time in his fourteen years, he was directly defying his father.

"Gohan, why don't you go up and get your brother? Dinner's almost ready," Videl asked as she handed off Pan to her husband so that she could help Chi Chi finish placing the table. Gohan carried his baby daughter up the stairs and noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that their bedroom door was open.

"He must be borrowing some of my clothes. I hope he can find something clean, huh?" he laughed to Pan, giggling back at her father. "Uncle Goten? Are you in...here..." The window was open and Gohan saw the wet towel on the floor next to his closet. "Goten!"

He ran downstairs to where the Son family was just sitting down for dinner, watching him bound into the room. "Dad, I think we have a problem." ~