Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Lucid ❯ Part 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Hello, NewFan! Goku is a great deal shaken up - it will take much time for him to recover. Gohan and he will have more of those nice moments. In the situations like these one realizes how he's lucky to be alive, to be able to say the things he didn't want or didn't dare to say.

Actually Trunks isn't withholding any information from Gohan. You can stop suspecting him. But you are right - there was small nuance during that battle. But the thing is that while Gohan doesn't remember, Goku doesn't understand that Gohan doesn't remember that. Well, one way or another everything is going to be cleared up.

 

 

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ characters. I'm not getting any profit off this fan fiction work.

Warnings: Yaoi (male x male). Mirai Trunks x Gohan. Angst?

Age note: Mirai Trunks - 26. Gohan - 22.

 

Lucid

 

By chayron (lttomb@yahoo.com), beta-read by chillona

 

Part 3

 

My father and I make breakfast and wait for Trunks to wake up. As time goes by, it seems that we'll have lunch instead of breakfast. Trunks still doesn't show any signs of life. And as he's not up until two PM, I get a little worried, and go check on him. But as soon as I silently sneak into his room through the hole in the wall between our rooms I made earlier, it's clear that everything is okay - Trunks is in bed and I can hear him snoring softly. Trunks is sleeping funny: he's almost slantwise to the bed, Trunks' upper half is bare, the lower entangled in sheets so much that it looks like a cocoon. He's sleeping on his stomach and I can see only his lavender hair mass that is tousled around his shoulders and on the covers. It doesn't appear that he'll awaken anytime soon.

 

“Sleeping?” my father asks as I return from my bold exploit.

 

“Yep,” I nod. “I think we can eat his share; he's out cold.”

 

“Okay,” my father grins happily, “I'll start making dinner then.”

 

I watch him busying himself with frozen meat, pots and vegetables. “I never knew you were such a good cook,” I admit to his back after several minutes.

 

Goku is silent for some time then I see a deep frown set on his features. “Your mother was afraid that I'd ruin your stomach with my cooking,” he says finally.

 

To that I don't say anything at all. It's better not to scratch an open wound. My mother and father had a very strange relationship. I have no idea why they married at all. Though, once Krillin told me that while a kid my father didn't know what “a marriage” meant and promised my mother to marry her. I'm not sure if it's true, but it might be - sometimes my father can be so clueless…

 

But I know what I used to see all the time - my mother cared about her husband only as much as a client cares about a sperm donor. Sure, as a child I didn't think that. But even then I noticed that my mother, in comparison to other wives, was different. I remember Eighteen and Bulma sashaying around their injured lovers. Eighteen was an android and still had much more feelings for Krillin than Chichi had for my father.

 

Before we left for Namek with my father barely alive, Chichi went crazy and almost finished him off in her fury. She was blaming him for putting me in danger. I can say that if not for my father, I'd have never survived to go to Namek or return from there alive and the Earth wouldn't exist anymore. But my mother never cared about such insignificant things: life in the Universe, people's lives or my father. All she cared about was me, me and me. And even after Goten was born, her obsession with my life didn't lessen a bit. Goten was damn lucky that he was much more resistant to her influence and that he had Trunks who had a much bigger influence on him than our mother could ever have had.

 

I don't know what triggered her. She wasn't entirely human, maybe she was supposed to be like that, but I perfectly understand my father who spent almost as much time dead as alive. He always tried to find the best solution. He knew that while resisting her, he would only create an unbearable atmosphere in the house. My father always was able to stand up for himself only that in most cases he chose not to. He loved me, and I knew that, he never needed to make any excuses for me. I think that as father and son we have a great understanding. Though, I knew that Goku was shocked when he came back to the Earth and found seven-year-old Goten. He didn't show how it affected him, but it was visible anyway. It hurt him. Goku always had a very strong parenting sense. I can only imagine what he felt as he realized that the small boy, standing next to Chichi was his son who had not a clue who Goku was.

 

Chichi had always been obsessed with my life. I think that was because she didn't have one of her own she decided to screw mine up too. And at some extent she succeeded. I never managed to reach her set target, and she spent most of that time nagging me on account of some stupid insignificant thing. I do understand each parent's worry and wish for their child to accomplish more than they've attained in their lifetime - it's always been like this, and it will never change, but there has to be limits. It was she who made me lie: she would never let me out to play with other children; she would never let me have a pet like most children had, so I lied. I used to lie to her about everything: I lied about the time school ended (I was damn lucky that we didn't have a phone or she would have been phoning my school each day. Mother thought that a phone was a creation of the devil and is used to control one's mind and tongue) - that would earn me one free hour a day. I lied about where I was going and I lied about whom I was going with. I lied about when I was done with homework and I lied about when I wasn't. I lied when I was hungry and when I wasn't. Actually there probably wouldn't be a thing about which I wouldn't have lied to her. I have never been a “bad” person, and I respected and still respect my mother, but some things are as they are, and my mother was a bitch to behold.

 

And hell, when I came of age, the hell became even more hellish. There hardly was a day when she wouldn't instruct me about wet dreams, erection, protection, the poses, the act itself, conceiving and hell knows what else. I think she knew more than master Roshi himself. And I can bet that nobody would have said that while looking at my mother.

 

And I don't know how, but she managed to make me feel that I owed her each breath I took, each bite I took (well, yes, after Goku was gone, it became my duty to hunt), each drop I drank. I have never been a complete blockhead - I knew I shouldn't feel like that, but I suspect that my mother was afraid that one day I would leave her and tried to tie me closer to her. Or maybe she was doing that subconsciously. I never asked, of course.

 

Though, my life wasn't very bad in general - I had a roof over my head, I had a warm bed, I never went hungry and all the washing was done for me. As for chores, I can't find any fault - she was perfect there.

 

But you can't imagine how fast I packed my things when I finished school, went to university and got a room in a students' hostel. I lived with three other persons in a room of a size of a matchbox, and never felt happier. I used to visit my mother of course. Partly because of that, she didn't think to come to visit me herself - I can only imagine what scenes I would have endured then; one of my roommates always was drunk, and when he wasn't, he was high; another was gay and was very nice but for some reason liked wearing very “interesting” outfits; and the last one would have been completely normal if not for his obsessive belief in God. I think he and my mother would have found plenty to talk about, but if something of their beliefs wouldn't fit, hell knows how it would have ended. Yes, if I still haven't mentioned - my mother was an obsessive catholic. I was christened when was a week old, got the sacrament at four and while living with her knew all the prayers possible and there was not a Sunday when I wasn't at church (except when some pagan alien chose to attack the Earth on that day). The Only thing is I never believed and probably never will. The truth: I had already seen more Gods than my mother would ever see.

 

Well, yes, of course I'm bitter. And now you know why I haven't grieved over my mother too much. I think for Videl I cared more than for my own mother. Sure it's blasphemy or call it what you will, but I can't make myself feel. I think I respected Chichi and loved her, but I think that even her death hasn't managed to wash away the bitterness of what I felt all the time. I don't think that the bitterness I feel is about me - yes, she subconsciously tried to make my life miserable - but after the Buu fight, my life was good enough. Oh well, some of the Z-team thought that I was a bit soft in my head because I used to wear that Saiyaman costume. And yes, all of them blamed my mother. But that wasn't true. My mother had nothing to with that part of my life. Yep, probably I could have gotten a much better costume, but as I have never been interested in popularity or fashion and needed something easy to wear, I didn't care about how I looked. The point was that I didn't want anyone to know who I was. It wasn't that I felt uncomfortable about my Saiyan origin, not at all (though my mother would never have married my father if she had known that he was an alien to Earth), I just wanted peace. I didn't want people gaping at me or calling me super Human or a monster. The costume was essential to hide my identity. The small mask over one's eyes doesn't work. Maybe it works in the movies where people are portrayed as complete idiots, clapping their hands, and where the bawling woman can't recognize her lover only because that one has a cover over his eyes. So the only thing you can judge me for - fashion. And as I've never cared for fashion, I really don't give a damn about what you have to say.

 

So, the bitterness I feel isn't about me, though, yes, part of it belongs to me, mostly it's because of my father and Goten, my younger brother. I hated how Chichi handled my father, and I hated how she handled my brother. The biggest problem was that Goten was very similar to my father, who, to Chichi's dismay, appeared to be an alien, who according to the bible is nonexistent at all. I think part of Chichi despised Goku for contradicting her beloved bible. And, as stated, poor Goten was too similar to Goku. I will never forget how Chichi called my brother a monster after he ascended. I have never seen such hurt in the boy's eyes. For a short moment there, I was ready to strangle my mother with my own hands. Luckily Goten was a boy of great vitality and had Trunks for his best friend and it didn't stay with him long. Or at least so deep. And as time went by, Goten had almost moved into Capsule Corp., and I didn't need to worry about Chichi's influence on him as much.

 

“Gohan?”

 

I raise my eyes up from my tea-mug. Goku is worriedly gazing at me. I give him a questioning look.

 

“You've been growling,” he explains softly.

 

“Oh, sorry,” I say, lifting the mug to my lips. “I've just been thinking about mom.” I think I should bite my tongue off.

 

Goku blinks at me. I shouldn't have said that. I think…no, I know that he always felt guilty for leaving us with Chichi. I know that he wanted the best, he knows that too, but it doesn't make it easier for him.

 

“Father,” I suddenly say. I suddenly get up, startling him. I just grab him into a hug. “I love you,” I whisper. “Me and Goten. We always loved you,” I press him to my chest. “And this is everything you need to know and think about.”

 

As he hugs me back, his grip on me becoming fiercer with each second, as both our eyes fill with tears because of so many varying reasons, I decide that this was one of the wisest things I've ever done. I'm glad that I have this opportunity. I'm glad that we both are alive. And then I think that I can start moving from this point.

 

After the flow of feelings washes away, I can feel my face flush. I'm not used to such displays. I blush deeper as my father notices and softly laughs. He gives me one last hug and lets me go.

 

We eat Trunks' share in a comfortable silence.

 

Almost as soon as we finish eating, I hear Trunks pad into the bathroom. After several minutes he pads into the kitchen.

 

“Morning,” he loudly yawns, while unsuccessfully trying to stifle the yawn with his palm. I always admired Trunks' manners. I think he got them from Vegeta. Probably.

 

Trunks finally closes his mouth and surveys the kitchen. He's wearing only his blue boxers that are actually covered with small yellow stars. He's all disheveled but he looks much better than last night. He has taken a shower or has had a bath since yesterday; I've been busying myself with the food.

 

“Hello,” I nod. Then I smile sheepishly. “Sorry, we ate your share already. Thought that you'd sleep longer. The dinner will be ready…?” I look at my father.

 

“About twenty minutes,” Goku says, sheepishly scratching the back of his head too.

 

“Dinner?” Trunks blinks his huge blue eyes at me.

 

“It's after three,” I say chuckling. I chuckle again as his big eyes widen even more. “Didn't want to disturb you.”

 

Trunks just sighs. He examines the kitchen again then pushes past Goku, who's leaning on the wall near the stove, and sits next to me.

 

“What the fuck did you turn the house into?” he sighs again, after giving a tortured look to the scratched out sockets.

 

I roll my eyes. “Well, you tore the wires off, so I had to connect them like this.”

 

“At least you could have used the electrical tape instead of simple cloths,” he shakes his head.

 

“How I should know where you keep it?” I snort. Instead of being happy that I connected the fridges, the damn Mr. Purple-hair is bitching at me!

 

“It's in the store room that is next to your room,” he snorts back at me. “There's a box full of tools.”

 

“Okay, next time, I'll just fucking kill myself instead of touching your precious house!” I snap. I'm angry not only because of his stupid care for the stupid house. I'm angry that he'd been late then. “Next time just leave me where you find me!”

 

His blue eyes are watching me, and I suddenly hit him. I turned violent lately. I'm not sure why. Probably because all this stuff that happened.

 

As the red drop runs down his lower lip, I immediately regret hitting him. I grab a towel that is hanging on the chair and press it to Trunks' mouth. He doesn't protest, he just watches me.

 

“I'm sorry,” I honestly apologize. “I don't know…”

 

“I'm sorry I couldn't save them,” he closes his sharply blue eyes then opens them again.

 

`Shut up,' I mouth to him, while my eyes are indicating to my father behind us. I don't want Trunks talk about this while my father is around. Goku always was the hero, the savior and I know how hard it is for him to fail to protect his loved ones.

 

Trunks' eyes follow my indication, and I see his eyes widen slightly. My eyes follow Trunks and widen too: my father is watching us. He hasn't moved from the place he'd been in when Trunks entered the kitchen. But the thing is - his eyes. I have never seen anyone look at anyone as he's looking at Mirai now. Pure hate. My eyes shift back to Trunks'. We gaze at each other in wonderment then turn to look at my father again.

 

“Father..?” I softly call. And the change is unbelievable: the fire in his eyes extinguishes in a second, his facial features relax in an instant.

 

“Hmm?” he smiles at me. I feel Trunks reach for my hand to take the towel that I still have pressed to his mouth. I let him, and retreat farther from him.

 

I'm not sure what to say, but then Trunks saves me: “Have you checked the capsule with clothes I gave you yesterday?”

 

“No,” I shake my head. “I didn't have time yesterday. And as it was you who brought it, I thought that you should look at it yourself. We could go and look at it now,” I say then. I almost feel like I'm betraying my father, but I have to know what the hell is going on.

 

“Yes,” Trunks nods. He gets up from the chair. He removes the towel from his mouth, and with relief I notice that his upper lip isn't bleeding anymore.

 

Two of us go outside. Trunks opens the capsule and we lean over the clothes.

 

“Did you say anything to my father?” I whisper while pretending to be very interested in the rags.

 

“Not a word,” Mirai answers equally softly. “We haven't been talking at all.”

 

We silently search through the clothes for some time.

 

“I'm afraid he might snap,” I say then. I can just feel Trunks rolling his eyes. “I'm really sorry for taking it all out on you lately,” I sincerely apologize. “I just…” I don't know what to say. Should I say that I hardly have control over my actions?

 

“I understand,” Mirai nods. “I was like that too then, when…” he falters then, “…when Gohan died.” He sighs. “Hell, I couldn't stop shouting at my mom. She was the only one around and I just couldn't keep my mouth shut.”

 

I'm relieved that he understands. “Thanks,” I look at him. “Thanks for taking care of my father and me.”

 

He nods in answer. And we go through the clothes in comfortable silence.

 

“So have you considered that idea about taking over Capsule Corp.?” I ask then.

 

He laughs. “When? Yesterday I almost fell asleep in the shower.”

 

I feel my cheeks redden. The bastard is teasing me! My blush deepens when I remember myself flouncing in the damn bath, naked. Must have been an awfully funny sight.

 

Mirai watches me with an amused flicker in his eyes, and I'm reminded again that he's older than me.

 

“So what we are going to do now?” he gets serious then.

 

Fuck knows. I shrug. “Have no idea.” I sigh. “About what we can do, or what we need to do?” I frown at some dark red tank top. “I think we should go look for Vegeta. Maybe he's alive. Maybe,” I repeat again. “But I doubt that very much. I think first we should go to Capsule Corp. branches and secure Briefs' corporation and various researches. If Vegeta showed up, you simply could give him the lead. I'm not suggesting this because of the money, I just don't want some damn bastards to use Bulma and her father's work for bad purposes.”

 

Trunks nods his head. “I see. It would be a very wise thing to do. So let this be our plan for now,” he agrees with me. He then falters. “Actually how old was Trunks here?”

 

My turn to laugh. “Twelve.”

 

He stares at me with his blue eyes. “You must be kidding me,” he groans then. “How do you think we'll pull this off?”

 

“Chemical reaction,” I chuckle. “A barrel full of green chemicals fell on your head and you began growing.” I roar with laughter as Mirai stares at me with a wild look in his eyes.

 

“You watch too many movies,” he stutters then.

 

“Nah,” I wave that off. “As chaos is everywhere, this theory will be fine, and my father and I will back you up. Besides, your DNA and retinas will be the same; you will pass everywhere you want - Bulma was a clever woman, I can bet that your voice is enough to control all the security in all Capsule Corp. buildings. And I can bet that you know the security codes too,” I grin at him.

 

He scratches his lavender head. “Well, if they are still the same…”

 

“See?” I proudly flash my smile at him. “We are going to take over Capsule Corp.” I don't think that Mirai shares my enthusiasm. He just groans again and turns back into the house. “Trunks,” I call at his back. “Could we go to check on my grandfather?” I ask after he turns around to face me.

 

“Yes, of course,” he nods.

 

I can only hope that my grandfather is alive. I haven't seen him for quite some time now. Several years. He was a big, bighearted, practical and thrifty man and, though I have seen him only several times, I quite liked him. For some reason my mother visited him very rarely. I think they didn't like each other much.

 

Trunks falters on his way to the door. He hesitates some time more before finally saying that: “You wanted to see the graves… I can show you…”

 

I busy myself with the rest of the clothes. “No need,” I softly say. “I know where they are. Saw the crosses.”

 

Mirai is still standing in the doorway. I can feel his eyes on me, but I can't raise my eyes to him. “Thank you. The crosses are…nice…” Have never heard anything more absurd.

 

“They were my friends too,” Trunks comes back to squat beside me. “Gohan,” he says, “it's no wonder we all are so tense and aggressive. We subconsciously try to let that tension out, but just see that as shouting session, I wasn't trying to secure my dominance or anything; I just got up, was hungry, saw the sockets and felt the need to nag at someone. I myself wouldn't have done better than you, I just snapped at you. It doesn't mean anything.”

 

“Dominance?” I sigh. Well, yes, I also have been wondering whose orders here are priority. Well, not my father's of course. I don't think that right now he'd manage to make a step without me or Trunks coordinating him. You see, Saiyans are pack creatures. Subconsciously or not, the longer we stay in a circle of the same particular persons, we start considering it a pack. And a pack has to have a hierarchy and a leader who would be responsible for everything that concerns the Saiyans in his pack. The leader has unquestionable authority over others.

 

My father and Vegeta have been fighting all the time to get that authority. Well, my father, as softhearted as he is, probably would have given Vegeta the leadership if only that one had asked nicely. But it actually wouldn't have meant much, because in that case I would have fought Vegeta. I respected Vegeta very much, that's true, but the thing was that while I respected him, I didn't think that we should submit to him. I didn't trust him. Sometimes Vegeta was unpredictable, and I didn't want my family and close friends to be under Vegeta's foot. I don't know, maybe Vegeta would have been a good leader (he had plenty of experience and was born to rule after all), but I wouldn't have let him take over the position without a fight.

 

Though, where Mirai is concerned I don't feel any resistance. Mirai had been taking care of my father, and me. Mirai had been providing us with food and other supplies, and we are living in Mirai's house. Mirai is already playing the role of protector and proved himself a good leader. And we are his pack. Oh well, I don't have any complaints - even if he has no clue, Mirai is taking his role seriously. The only thing that doesn't suit here - Goku and I, we are stronger than Mirai. Though, at this moment it isn't important; Mirai seems to have much more experience at survival than I do, and, as told, my father isn't suited for the leader's role. “I accept your dominance,” I say then. I lover my head and turn it to the side, baring my neck. A sign of submitting.

 

As I don't hear or see any reaction for some time I slowly raise my head to look at Mirai. He's watching me with an unreadable expression in his eyes. I think he's hesitating.

 

“You have proven yourself,” I say. Did he expect that I would fight him over the right for leadership or what? Sure I won't. I always complied with logic and my logic tells me that Mirai is the most suitable for this role. Mirai would be the best choice for our pack.

 

Mirai is still silently watching me, and I begin to feel very uncomfortable. Then I relax as he finally nods.

 

“Let's go back, your father will be worried,” he says then. Trunks stands up and extends his hand to me to help me get up. I take his hand, and he pulls me up.

 

Inside the dinner is already ready, and we all three sit at the table.

 

“The meal was very good yesterday. Thank you,” Mirai smiles at my father, before digging in.

 

“You are welcome,” Goku smiles at Trunks, and I wonder why Goku had been so agitated twenty minutes ago.

 

“Did you get a shirt for me?” Goku asks me, showing at his bare chest.

 

I swallow the food that is in my mouth. “Yes. Trunks brought the whole shop. As we three are almost the same size, there will be no problem - just open the capsule and take anything according to your taste.”

 

Goku nods contently. He then looks at me again. “What are we going to do today?”

 

“Go to see if your father-in-law is alright,” I inform him while my teeth are around the chicken leg. “I hope that grandpa is okay,” I add.

 

My father stays silent for some time. He stares at his plate then again raises his head at me. I wonder why he isn't speaking to Mirai. He seems to be completely ignoring Mirai.

 

“Could we…” Goku lowers his eyes back to his plate. “Could we see Goten's gra…where Goten is buried?”

 

I think I startle at Goten's name on his lips. I don't see, but can feel Trunks' eyes on me. He's worried. Me too. But I can't refuse such a request.

 

“Yes, we'll go after we have eaten,” I softly say.

 

I look at Mirai. He isn't very happy about this, but he doesn't say anything. I think he would have done the same.

 

The rest of the meal we spend in peace.

 

XXXXX

 

It takes all my effort of will to pry my eyes open. I gasp and shake until I realize that someone is holding me.

 

“It's only a nightmare,” Trunks calm voice brings me completely out of the nightmare I'd been having a moment ago.

 

“Gods,” I rasp. I let my head fall back to the pillow. I close my eyes, feeling the tension seeping away.

 

“Gah!” I gasp as suddenly something blurs past me. I fall out of the bed, and hear Trunks cry out.

 

I jump to my feet. My head blurs after such a fast position change. My father. My father has ascended and is beating Mirai.

 

“Stop it!” I instantly ascend and grab Goku by his arm and try to pry him away from Trunks. I have only one good hand and it's not easy at all. “Father, stop it!” I finally manage to dislodge him from Trunks and push him onto the bed.

 

“Trunks, are you alright?” I ask, my teal eyes not leaving my blond father.

 

“Yeah,” he answers a little shaky.

 

I can hear Trunks getting up from the corner and approach me. He has not ascended. Good. My father would have killed him then.

 

“Father?” I ask. As Trunks approaches closer, Goku bares his canines at him. A sign of threat and disobedience. Oh well, Trunks will find out that keeping one's leadership costs. “Why did you attack Trunks?” I ask Goku again.

 

“He thought I attacked you,” Trunks softly mutters as my father just keeps baring his canines at him. “He probably heard you scream.”

 

“I screamed?” I wonder. Well, yes, it's very likely that I screamed. I sigh then. “Father, I had a nightmare, and Trunks came to check on me.”

 

Father's murderous gaze leaves Trunks' face and concentrates on me. The gaze is as intent as it was, only now it's replaced by warmth and worry.

 

“You had a nightmare?” he asks me, his voice full of concern.

 

I only manage a nod, because suddenly Goku is at my side, pulling me down into the bed and covering me with the covers.

 

“You need to rest,” he says. His hand brushes over my forehead and I just manage to blink at him. “I'll sleep with you just in case you have a nightmare again.” It's not a request, it's a command.

 

Over Goku's shoulder I look at Trunks who is watching us. My and my father's power is illuminating his face, and I see that he's not happy about what he's seeing at the moment. I can tell that not only am I not happy, but I'm also very worried.

 

Goku climbs into the bed, next to me and snuggles into my shoulder. For some time I don't manage anything else only to stare at Mirai, my teal eyes wide.

 

My father's power extinguishes as soon as Mirai climbs over the hole in the wall into his room. I extinguish mine and, after three short sleepless hours, I'm happily asleep in my father's loving embrace.

 

XXXXX

 

I yawn then free myself of my father's limbs. I get up and pad into the bathroom. Though, on my way to it, I smash headlong into Trunks. Yep, sometimes my “sharp Saiyan senses” are sleeping.

 

“Ouch,” I rub my forehead. “Watch where you're going.” Though, we both perfectly know that it was me who went with his eyes closed.

 

We both rub our foreheads for some time. Then we look at each other. Trunks has just gotten up, same as me: he's only in his boxers too. My father's handiwork is clearly written on his face: black eye and scratched chin.

 

“How's your father?” Trunks whispers.

 

Hell, from the very morning… I sigh. “Don't know. He's still sleeping. It was too hot to sleep,” I complain then. I'm not used to sleeping with someone else in my bed.

 

Trunks observes me. “Yeah, you look like it,” he comments after a second.

 

I just snicker. Thank you very much. I want to say that with the black eye and scratched chin he doesn't look any better but I bite my tongue before I say that. We don't need this right now.

 

After five minutes Trunks and I sit in the kitchen at the table. It's about ten o'clock. Yesterday we went late to sleep, and during night I had that cursed nightmare. It was because we went to see the graves. I knew I wouldn't react well to that. And I damn sure knew I shouldn't have taken Goku to see them. Though, I couldn't refuse his request. Goten was his son. I had no right to refuse. Though, I should have, I really should. Because Goku is my father and now my father's become overprotective. Though, maybe he already was…

 

The crosses were well made. Trunks had worked hard. Probably in one of the capsules he's always carrying an axe, a hammer and nails.

 

Trunks had to steady me while I watched my father weep at Goten's grave. At one moment I thought I'd faint. I wanted to black out, oh, I would have happily blacked out, but I couldn't let my father see me like this. I'm glad that Trunks kept me steady.

 

Goku went to look at each cross. He read the names and talked to the persons. I should have done the same too, only that I didn't have any strength left in me. I just stood there, my back pressed to Trunks' chest, his hand holding me by my waist to keep me from falling over. I know I have shortly wondered then if Trunks had time to bury his mother in his timeline after Datano killed her. And at the same time I wondered how Trunks could be so strong.

 

“How is your wrist?” Trunks asks me.

 

He startles me. I have been lost in my thoughts. Across the table I look at him then at my right wrist. I shrug. I haven't looked at it from the last time Mirai bandaged it.

 

“Want to check how it's healing,” Trunks reaches his hand to take my arm.

 

I stare at his hand. I don't think that I want someone touching me right now. Trunks sees that and retracts his hand.

 

“I'll see to it later,” he says then softly.

 

I look at him. I think I've hurt him. As a pack-leader he wants me to trust him. Though, it's not that I don't trust him, it's that I simply don't want to be touched right now. I always have been sensitive to touching. I never liked “touchy-feely” people. I like my private space.

 

Then I sigh and reach my arm over to him. “We won't have time later.”

 

Mirai's fingers are warm and they tickle my skin. He's careful not to cause pain.

 

“Ticklish?” Mirai asks after taking a look at my face.

 

I nod. It means that the skin is successfully healing. I watch Trunks unwrap the bandages.

 

Yesterday, after seeing the graves, I wouldn't have found the way to my grandfather, even if someone were hitting me on my head. Good that my father remembered it perfectly.

 

We reached the place in the very evening, it was almost completely dark.

 

My grandfather is alive. He's not in his first youth, his health isn't very good, but I think I have never felt gladder than when I saw him. After these several nightmarish days it was something good, and it has raised not only my mood and spirit - Mirai and my father were very relieved and glad too.

 

The entire village wasn't touched by the disaster. And while flying to King Ox, we saw many untouched places. It looks like Datano had simply been launching the blasts haphazardly, and it was just sheer luck which places were destroyed and which were not. I think now one can imagine the Earth as a colander.

 

We didn't stay up long, just exchanged the information and went to sleep. I think we'll stay here for several hours more and then go forward. I'm not sure, I have to ask Mirai, but we need to get to Capsule Corp. branches as fast as we can. I wonder if we will need to threaten someone to secure Trunks' authority over them.

 

“Can you move your wrist or fingers?” Trunks asks me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

 

I carefully try to flex my fingers. They move, but my wrist starts to hurt like a bitch. Probably I curse, because Mirai holds my fingers down to the table.

 

“Don't overdo or you'll open the wound again.”

 

The skin where the bones protruded from earlier is healed. The skin is still bloodied but I don't think that I want someone to try to clean it off. Probably I'd rip that someone's head painfully off during the cleaning process.

 

Mirai inspects the wrist, carefully feels with his fingers if the bones are knitting together correctly. It does hurt. I unclench my teeth only when he takes a new bandage and starts bandaging it again. It does hurt too, but not as much.

 

I don't exactly remember what I've been dreaming about. You know, dreams have that tendency - when you wake up during them, at least for a short time you can remember what you have been dreaming about. And if not woken up during one of them, in most cases you can't even remember if you dreamed at all or what the dream was about. In the very morning after waking up, you still can remember some pieces or moods experienced in the dream, but further into the day they just fade, until the evening when you can't remember anything at all. Unless you make a psychological effort to remember them, which means as soon as you wake up, repeat the dream several times in your head, or if the dream itself was extremely intense with a very convincing feeling of reality where you felt either scared or happy or simply interesting or strange.

 

I remember seeing the crosses. Eleven of them. I think I'll remember them all my life. Then I know that I saw Goten. I think he was blaming me. Or it was me who blamed me. I think it was both. I'm sure that the guilt I feel will stay with me for the rest of my life too.

 

I'm not so sure what else I saw - was it the scenes of the fight I had with Datano or it was only a dream. I saw flashing scenes. Dead Goten, Datano, I saw Krillin, Yamcha. I'm not sure if it was in the same order.

 

“Gohan, you're freezing.”

 

I quickly blink before my black eyes concentrate on Trunks' blue ones. He's still holding my hand.

 

“I'm sick,” I suddenly retch. I wrench my arm out of Mirai's grasp and run to the bathroom.

 

Good that I still haven't eaten breakfast yet. Would have been such a waste.

 

There's a knock at the bathroom's door. Mirai sticks his head in. “Are you alright?”

 

I want to snap something back at him, but the concern in his voice calms me down. “Yeah, I think so,” I mutter, brushing cold sweat off my forehead.

 

“It's not first time you got sick,” Mirai informs me. “Did you have trouble with digestion earlier?”

 

“No, not before my brother was killed,” I snap. I lean my bare back on the cold wall. “Sorry,” I sigh. I know that he's only trying to help me.

 

“Okay,” he sighs too. “Have a glass of water and try to eat something light later. Maybe juice, apples, nothing greasy.”

 

I roll my eyes at him. Then I feel the urge to laugh at his facial expression. Mirai sheepishly brushes over his lavender hair. Actually he even manages to blush which makes me throw a loud fit of laughter.

 

He really got into his role.

 

“What's going on?” My father sticks his head over Mirai's shoulder into the bathroom. “Why are you on the floor?”

 

“I got sick,” I laugh at him. According to the confusion on my father's face, I shouldn't have said that while laughing. “Trunks just told me a joke,” I chuckle, calming down.

 

“Do you feel okay now?” Goku asks.

 

“Yeah,” I nod. I get up carefully, but the nausea doesn't come back, and I successfully leave the bathroom.

 

We all go back to our rooms to finally dress then we leave the house and go to my grandfather.

 

We built the capsule house at the side of my grandfather's house. The wooden house was built after my father had extinguished the fire by blasting my grandfather's whole stone castle to hell. Yesterday it was very dark and we only have the opportunity to look around today.

 

The house is built from pine trees. It's huge and light. I wonder why my grandfather built it from wood. Having in mind the last fire, he could have built it from building blocks, stone or simple bricks. Though, yes, everyone in my family loved to feel closer to nature. Even though it meant chopping down a few trees. Having in mind how bricks and building blocks are made, chopping several trees would cause less harm than smoke and waste. Besides, to even make a brick one needs fire.

 

I think my grandfather simply didn't want to show that fire conquered him. My mother was damn stubborn too.

 

There's a huge lawn before the timber-house and plenty of different fruit-trees. I see the old pear-tree that I loved to climb in so much. Some branches are dried out but some still have fruit on them. Not many. Probably the previous year was the better season.

 

The house is painted light yellow. Bushes of red roses and white blossom-beads of jasmine surround the stair that leads to the house. I love the aroma of jasmine. I think the days that I have spent in this garden are the sunniest days. Sadly there weren't many of them.

 

The house has many big windows. I can imagine that it should be very light inside. I see someone's head hanging over one of the windows and soon King Ox and Queen Ox meet us at the top of the stairs. The wife of King Ox is almost as big as her husband. I think one of the main reasons why my mother refused to visit her father was that not long after I was born, my grandfather took another wife. Tamara is his age and a very fine woman. Well, as much as I know of her. They don't have any children. I think aging had done this. There's a time for everything, and probably the time for children had passed by.

 

We climb up the stairs, and the huge man warmly greets us. He's dressed in black today. Yesterday we told him that his daughter is dead.

 

We enter the house and his wife ushers us into the huge dining room, and we sit down at the table.

 

TBC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1