Out of Sight, Out of Mind

I do not own nor am I affiliated with the owners of Dragonball/Z/GT. The characters remain the property of their original creator(s). I simply borrowed them and abused them (O.o!)
I make no profit from this story. If you try to sue me, you'll get $0.75, some lint, and perhaps a gum wrapper if you're lucky.


Author’s Note:
While I will try to include at least one raunchy scene per chapter, this story has an intense plot that is NOT based entirely around the yaoi pairings, the two are independent. It is slightly dark and thought provoking, though dryly humorous and rich in detail. This tale has two distinct (though well described) plotlines that you will have to keep up with: the Red Ribbon Army plotline (the story) and the Gyraida Virus plotline (the yaoi agent).

The story is as cannon as it can be, and characters are based on their portrayals in the anime. It takes place between the events of the Buu Saga and Dragonball GT, with Goten and Trunks being 17 and 18, respectively, Gohan and Dende being in their late 20s, and Goku and Vegeta remaining in their series-described “youth period”.

The only original character in this fiction is Android 10. He will be well described and act as the antagonist, though will not take the role of a Mary-Sue and will ultimately take second stage to the main characters.

WARNING: Yaoi, graphic M/M sex, violence, disturbing imagery, emotional breakdowns, symbolism, philosophy.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

--Prologue--

Dust floated lazily through the air, shying away from the thin beams of light that penetrated the decaying ruins of a long since ruined fortress. Decades had passed since this place had witnessed the dangerous dance of its militant inhabitants, its glorious walls and towers now crumbling as memory of their occupants waned. To this day, humans and animals alike avoided the place; some said it was the thin air, others felt that the surrounding area was polluted, while some claimed the place was haunted by those who fell in the battle with the child with a monkey’s tail. Regardless, not even vermin would set foot in the place – it was a tomb for those who lusted for that which was not meant to be.

How poetic, one might say, that the first visitor in decades to walk those derelict halls was not truly living.

“Hmm. I really thought it would be bigger. And nicer. And probably not quite so easy navigate.”

Android 17 eyed a hole in the wall surrounded by scorch marks that looked suspiciously like the aftermath of an energy wave. He smiled and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

“Goku never was the type to appreciate subtlety, I suppose.”

Android 17 placed his weapon on the floor as he entered what he assumed was once a control room of sorts. He ran his hands over the steel walls, the broken, corroded keyboards and controls, and the shattered glass screen with the imprint of a world map faintly burned into it. Dead leaves littered the floor, while light poured through holes in the roof that had long since rotted away. He closed his eyes and smiled. In his mind, he could see the soldiers and the scientists scurrying around under the watchful gaze of Commander Red, while Dr. Gero orchestrated the whole thing from the shadows.

For the last month, Android 17 had seen this place in his dreams. Dr. Gero had placed something in his mind, something the mad scientist had wanted his creation to see. Or, perhaps, this was some leftover lingering information from the link he and the scientist had shared when Dr. Gero become Android 20. It was not possible, after all, that these images were new, that they had not existed before...

Android 17 shook his head and frowned deeply. Ghosts did not exist, most certainly not ghosts of half mechanical, poorly dressed, energy sapping freaks that looked older than... well, anything that he could think of. His eyes snapped open as he blasted a hole in the floor where Commander Red had once sat on his pedestal so long ago.

Narrowing his eyes, Android 17 descended into the hole he had created, using his ki to light the large domed room below the command centre. It was here. Even though it made no sense architecturally, and there was no visible entrance or exit, it was here, just as Dr. Gero had shown him in his dreams. As he descended, the android felt almost as though he was sleeping, like the world was nothing more than an illusion, and nothing existed except what laid beneath him.

“Alright father. What have you got to show me…”

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Dende sighed deeply as he looked down on the Earth with a small smile on his face. He loved this part of the overlook, it was close enough to Popo’s garden that he was frequented by butterflies and the smell of wildflowers, but far enough from the Djinn caretaker for him to enjoy the solitude of the skies. He found that he was frequenting this spot more often lately, gazing down at Satan City, watching the sun pass over the human metropolis as it illuminated a familiar figure.

He blinked as he felt the presence of another approaching him from the main building to the south. He glanced over the figure on the Earth and diverted his gaze to West City before the large Namekian man reached him.

“Dende.”

Piccolo muttered in greeting as he joined the small guardian in his observations. Dende smiled politely, not looking up. Piccolo closed his eyes and inhaled, deciding his next words carefully.

“Dende. You are the guardian of the Earth, and you more than live up to the memory of Kami. But this has got to stop.”

Dende smiled again, trying to keep the irritation from his face.

“Piccolo?”

“I am no fool, Dende. I know you are watching him. I wouldn’t have an issue with it, if not for two things. First, the guardian of Earth should not relish in the pain of his subjects, regardless of the… possibilities you feel it might allow. Second, the guardian of Earth should not hold such desires at all.”

Dende blinked hard and pursed his lips.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Piccolo snorted.

“I’m not going to argue with you. But I’d like to remind you that he and Videl are still together for the moment, and even if they separate, they still have a daughter.”

Dende’s blood ran cold for a moment before boiling over. He clenched his fists and refused to meet Piccolo’s gaze.

Back on Namek, Gohan had saved his life more than once, and had been the only one on either Namek or Earth to treat him as something other than a child. After being brought to Earth, Dende had spent as much time near the demi-Saiyan as he could, having quickly fell in love with him. Gohan’s marriage to Videl had been the most difficult trial Dende had ever endured, more so even than the horrors of Majin Buu. Their impending separation had ignited a flame in Dende’s heart, a hope that perhaps Gohan would realize the bond they shared.

Dende relaxed his hands as he spoke.

“I appreciate your concern. It will be taken under consideration. Kami.”

Piccolo flinched the boy addressed one of his fused personas instead of him. Turning to leave Dende to his dreams, his voice grew as cold as his original personality.

“He’s out of your league Dende. Quit before you do something stupid.”

With that, Piccolo billowed out of sight. Dende had not even heard him, having focused his gaze on Gohan and Videl, tension flaring between the two as they finalized their decision to spend some time apart.

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Goku waited impatiently in the waiting room of a brightly lit doctor’s office, gazing quizzically at the magazines at the table across from him, most of which adorned with the overly large and balding head of Hercule Satan. Chichi had been coming here more often lately – at least once a month. Goku didn’t mind taking her, though he never understood why they had to take the car instead of using his instant transmission trick.

Then again, when he saw the condition of some of the other people in here, he thought maybe their hearts couldn’t take it. And that was just the ones in the white coats.

Goku grinned stupidly as the door of the office opened, and Chichi walked out with a grey haired man in a white coat. He could hear the tail end of their conversation.

“…and no more of that for a least a week, not in your condition. We’ll call you when we get your blood work back, and we’ll see if you need a bone scan in a few weeks.”

The raven-haired woman nodded as she walked slowly back to her husband, smiling briefly. Goku walked her over to the receptionist to book her next appointment. The blond woman sitting at the desk smiled at them.

“That’s sweet of you young man, bringing your mom to the doctor so she doesn’t have to go alone.”

Chichi looked at the ground while Goku looked behind him.

“Mom? Mom?! Oh, wait, you mean Chichi? Oh, she’s not my mom, silly, she’s my-“

Chichi cut him off. “I’m his aunt.”

Goku scratched the back of his head absent-mindedly as he studied his wife. Was there really that much of an age difference now? Chichi was only a year older than him, and while he knew humans and Saiyans aged differently, he never thought that this sort of comparison could fit. Chichi was entering her 50s, and her health hadn’t been as good as it was before, but she was always tough, and Goku thought she was aging gracefully. It never dawned on him that regardless of how gracefully, she was still aging… and he was not.

The couple made the trip home in silence. Chichi looked out the window as they passed the parks district, trying to ignore Goku’s horrible driving. Goku, meanwhile, had his mind on other things. He needed to ask Vegeta something very, very important he had read in a magazine on how to entrap male adversaries for the purposes of submission.

What was this underwire contraption, and how did it aid one in battle? He had to know.
--------------------------------
“Oh, yes, please… oh… Trunks…”

Goten threw his head back and clawed at Trunks’ back as the lavender-haired teen bit him to passionately stifle his screams. Sunlight leaked through the venetian blinds that had been shut over Goten’s window in the capsule home he shared with his parents. The thin strips of light illuminated the couple as they made love, their shining bodies defined by muscle and the distinct sheen of sweat. Laying on the bed in a tangle of sheets and clothing, Trunks kneeled over Goten’s curled up body, looking down into his eyes. Trunks’ muscular form thrust forward as Goten clung to him, biting his own lip as he whimpered happily, their hair matted together damply as their foreheads touched, fluttering slightly as the bodies seemed to flow together.

As Trunks plunged deep into Goten, the pair felt complete. The slick, full sensation of Trunks deep inside him, of his lover panting into his shoulder as he was pleasured by the lavender teen like he was more precious than heaven and Earth itself made Goten shiver with joy. Trunks had never felt anything that compared to this – the tightness, the heat, the primal force of energy that seemed to awaken in him when Goten was this close – it made him feel more alive than he ever had.

They both wanted sweet release. But they knew that this bliss only truly existed while they were together, like this, in a perfect moment of unity. They knew that each tie the made love, the experience was bittersweet; that they would have to part once more, that all this had to end.

Crying out in joy, pain, and sorrow, the two released their seeds simultaneously. Trunks shot his seed up into Goten, filling him with a wet sensation of completion, while Goten coated the skin of their chests with his. After a few moments, Trunks pulled out of Goten, laying on the bed, panting, his eyes closed as tears threatened to well in his eyes.

Goten was on his side, staring as the light entered the room in horizontal slits, illuminating the humid, sex-filled air that surrounded them. Outside, birds sang and the river babbled happily as clouds danced under the autumn sun, watching the two lovers from their vantage point.

“Goten… we have to stop this.”

Goten squinted his eyes shut, trying to stop the tears.

“I know, it’s just… Trunks, it hurts. It hurts…”

Trunks chuckled dryly. “Oh come on, I was being gentle.”

Goten rolled his eyes and rolled over to face his lover. He gripped Trunks’ hand and placed it over his own heart.
“You know that’s not what I meant.”

Trunks took Goten’s hand and placed it over his heart. After a moment like this, Trunks got out of bed and got dressed slowly, never once facing Goten.

“The longer we do this, the more it’ll hurt when we do have to stop. Or if they find out…”

A shiver ran down Goten’s spine at that statement. Trunks muttered something about calling Goten later before leaving the room to shower and return home to West City.

Goten just rolled back over, inhaling the scent of his lavender-haired lover as he grinned sadly, gazing into the light through the Venetian blinds, all the while trying not to think of how much they reminded him of the bars of a cell.

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Stepping over the rubble his blast had created, Android 17 approached the lone, egg shaped metal pod in the centre of the domed room. The light from his ki illuminated the dark tomb, making shadows dance across the walls. Water seeped through cracks in the flooring, as it dawned on him that the room was submerged in an underground lake.

He landed roughly on the floor of the strange chamber. His earlier suspicions were correct. There was no entrance or exit to this room save for the hole he had just made. Wires snaked along the floor to the large pod in the centre of the room, each connected to ancient-looking mainframe computers. While Android 17 had never been here before, he could feel a certain sense of nostalgia surrounding this place, as though it held a place in his heart.

Of course, he wasn’t really sure he had a heart, per-se, but you get the idea.

Regardless, he knew something was terribly wrong when his ki failed him, and the machines on the room started to hum with life as the room filled with the water that had been seeping slowly through the walls earlier. He held a hand to his head as he slowly became dizzy, loosing feeling in his legs. As images from his dead father’s mind clouded his vision and his judgment, he spoke words that he was certain he had not willed himself to say, in a voice he had not heard since he killed the man who owned it.

“The worst has come to pass.”

Android 17 fell to the ground, realizing that the voice did indeed belong to Dr. Gero, and that the pod before him began to emit a dim silver light. He spoke once more before the world fell into darkness.

“Awaken, Android 10. There is much work to be done.”


--End of Prologue--


Recap:
Android 17, while exploring the ruins of the Red Ribbon Army headquarters, unwittingly discovered and awakened Android 10. Dende, having been in love (or perhaps, obsessed) with Gohan since the events of the Namek Saga, was overjoyed by Gohan and Videl’s separation, hoping to finally get a chance with him. Chichi is revealed to have started to show signs of her age, while Goku remains unable (or unwilling) to notice that she is growing old while he is not. Finally, Goten and Trunks are in love (and raunchily so), though something terrible keeps their union from being a joyous one, and forces them to keep such activities a secret.

Author's Note:
I am writing this story without a Beta, therefore reviews and such are much appreciated ^.^.