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Hope Leaves	By : pegarsus9 Category: Dragon Ball Z > General Views: 2544 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters and make no money from this story. Blah.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
THIS CHAPTER: Goten finally confronts the prince about his identity. Will he find himself in mortal danger, or expose the imposter for what he is and find a way to free his friend? Is Vegeta too tangled in the web of his nightmare to awaken?

WARNINGS: Violence/Torture, N/C / Rape

“Pierot the Clown”

Leave me dreaming on the bed, see you right back here tomorrow, for the next round.

Keep this scene inside your head, as the bruises turn to yellow, and the swelling goes down.

And if you're ever around, in the city or the suburbs, of this town,

Be sure to come around,

I'll be wallowing in sorrow,

wearing a frown, like Pierot the clown

-Placebo

***

In the split second it takes me to look up, Jeice fades from before my eyes, and before I have time to blink I feel a powerful force slam into the back of my head, knocking me face down onto the floor.

'Why didn't you tell me, ha?' he questions angrily from behind me. I decide to wait until the vertigo subsides before I try to lift my head again. 'Why didn't you tell me you had that kind of power? You've never shown it before, not once! Tell ya what, if you keep hiding secrets like that from your friends you won't have none!'

'I've never done it before. I don't even know if I can do it again,' I say regretfully. 'I don't care if you don't believe me.'

'Liar,' he kicks my side, then the base of my tail again, only this time its a lot harder than before, and I try to scramble away. 'Bloody liar.'

'No one cares what you say!'

'They don't care ey?' He grabs my arm and shoves me back against the wall. Even this drunk, he's still way too fast to get around, and to make matters worse, I think I felt something in my shoulder pop. 'Well I'll just have to make you care then won't I? Unless you wanna stop bein a prick an make up for tellin me lies,' he spits, getting in my face and pressing up against me, hands wandering again. The whiskey on his breath smells horrid.

'Get off,' I hiss through my teeth. 'Just get get off. Or I'll- I'll-'

'You'll what?' he laughs hysterically. 'What the fuck are you gunna do about it?'

'I'll tell them-'

'Tell them what? Who's them? C'mon stupid, speak up. Aww, you've gone all silent now. Too hard to hang onto a thought with that little monkey brain of yours, is it?'

I can see my reflection in his eyes, can see my own eyes flash. I stare at him with hatred, feeling the vein in my forehead throbbing again. I'm either going to smash his head in, or smash my own up against a wall. I feel like killing every living thing on this ship and within a 50 mile radius of it, anything to disperse the frustration that's seeping into every pore of my body.

'Why don't you go play your filthy games with someone else you faggot,' I snarl, then instantly clap a hand over my mouth, barely believing what I've just said. I'm not even a hundred percent sure what I meant by it. I mean, I know what the word means kind of, but mainly I know how its always been the worst insult you can use in Jeice's mind, for some reason I don't understand. I've made note of this numerous times. Jeice's hands fall limply from my body, and he just stares at me, eyes round like moons. I might be going crazy, but it almost looks like there are tears welling up there, glassing over the deep meadows of his irises. For the first time in my life, I seriously consider if I've finally said the thing that is going to get me killed. People are always saying my tongue will be the death of me, maybe this was what they were talking about.

'Fuck you, you mean little cunt,' he whispers, looking down. Then he punches me in the gut, in the exact same place as earlier on. I feel something in my ribcage crunch and I double over. Trying to ignore the pain in both my shoulder and my ribs, I stare up at him from under my brow to see that his back is too me, his shoulders heaving up and down in rhythm with deep breaths as though he's desperately trying to calm down. After about a minute he scrubs at his eyes hastily, turns back around and grabs me, dragging me over to the wall that our bunks are pushed up against and throwing my down on the bed.

'So you think I'm a fag do ya? That what you think? Well what does that make you then? What does that fucking make you?' He's nearly shouting now, and something about his voice and his eyes is scary.

'I don't know,' I say dumbly.

'You don't know? OK, I'll tell you then.' He leans over me and I shy away, not understanding where this is going, whether I'm about to die a horrific death, whether I should scream really loud in the hopes someone will come and help me. Instead of snapping my neck like I'm expecting, he pushes me down under him and starts groping me, so hard that it hurts. His eyes are very dark. 'You like it when I do this don't you? Don't you? Don't try an pretend like you don't. So what are you then?'

'Stop it,' I try to push his hands away. I don't want to hear what he's saying.

'Admit it, admit you like it. You're a faggot, that's what you are-'

'Shut up,' I shout. 'Shut up!'

'No! Fuck you, dirty monkey.' He shakes me, then starts punching me in the stomach, over and over again, until I'm breathless and sick from the pain. I haven't been able to cry out because the wind is knocked out of me. Maybe now he's going to kill me. I just hope someone will hear. One day I'll be better than him, quicker and more powerful, but right now... When I can see straight again I notice I'm coughing up a lot of blood onto the bed, something that's never happened to me before.

'Your gunna tell people what we do, are you? Gunna tell em I'm a faggot? Gunna tell em I fuck you? Who do you think the faggot is?'

I don't entirely know what he's talking about, I just know I want him to stop. I don't know why he's talking about fucking now, we don't do that. How could we, we're both boys. Sometimes he puts on these movies, where they fuck girls, who get their hair pulled, and get things stuck in them all over, like animals. It doesn't make much sense, it looks disgusting and awful. But I guess they deserve it for being so weak. I've changed my mind, I do care about dying. Jeice takes off his boxers, then yanks me up and turns my body over, pushing my face into the bed.

'Go on, tell them. Tell them I fuck you.'

I cough up a bit more blood, and feel the chill of the room against my sweaty skin as he tears off my bed clothes. I try to wriggle away, but he sits on my legs, then cups one hand over my mouth and wraps the other around my waist. His bony hips press into me, and I can feel his nakedness as he lowers himself, covering me. I don't know what the hell is happening, have never felt so terrified in my life. I can't cry for help now because there's a hand over my mouth. I'm going to die, I know it. I just know.

He pulls me in even closer to him, lifting my waist and pressing his thing between my legs. I try to scratch him with my arms, the only thing that's free, but he doesn't seem to feel it and bucks his hips against me like a bull. I half gasp, half scream into his hand at the burning feeling of his thing being shoved into me. It's sickening, like someone's putting broken glass up there. He groans quietly and roughly starts thrusting his hips, back and forward. Everything inside feels like its stretching, tearing up, being ripped out of me then stuffed back in. The sound of my muffled cries, his groaning, everything feels far away, everything but the hurt. No one has ever really hurt me before, not seriously, not even since I came to this place a year ago. No one's ever hurt me like this.

I try to move my useless, frozen limbs, but they won't operate. All I can do is lie here while he moves against me. A terrible thought creeps around the agony coursing through my body and slips into my mind. What if someone came in now, and saw... I'll die. I'll kill myself. They'd laugh at me, and they'd never stop. They'd make jokes. They'd move away when they walked past to make sure they didn't accidentally touch me. I try my hardest to stop screaming, to stop making noise, and I do, except for the crying. Is this what crying is? I've never cried before, not more than a few tears anyway. Is this what it is, the way my whole body heaves, the choking, the strange sounds coming out of my mouth? I struggle, trying with every ounce of my strength to get away, wanting so badly for it to stop, but he tightens his grip impossibly around my pelvis, crushing something inside it. I scream again, unable to hold it back this time. Maybe it doesn't matter, maybe I'm going to die anyway. I feel like I'm dying, like he's killing me. They're going to find me like this, naked and smelling like him, covered in his sweat. Like a weak animal.

'Shut up,' he grunts, pushing my face down into a pillow. I can't breath anymore. 'They'll hear.'

He won't let me breath, but I don't struggle. It's OK if I suffocate, so long as all this pain stops. Some random memory fills my head, of sitting in the throne room with my father back at home. The kings face is as clear as the day I left home. We're waiting for something to happen but neither of us know what, so I try to remember. But I pass out.

Some time later I open my eyes. Everything is hazy, and I wonder if I'm in the afterlife, if perhaps my father is here too. I reach out, wanting him, wanting him to be near by, but when my eyes adjust I see the shower head staring back at me. And Jeice, looking down fearfully. Oh God, I'm alive. I hear the squeaking of the taps turning, and the water gushes over me, sparkling under the dim bathroom bulb. The light hurts my eyes.

'V, stop it,' he begs. 'You're scaring me. Say something. Are you really hurt?'

My head falls forward like a doll's. Am I hurt? I feel so funny, so heavy, and everything hurts, especially down there. It's starting to come back to me now, what happened. Jeice's hand moves in slow circles over my swollen pelvis while the water soaks my hair, runs down my face and neck, and over my belly. Finally it runs down between my legs where the blood is flowing, staining the water red and washing away down the drain. Fine red ribbons, floating, trickling around me. *Just like before*, a voice says in the back of my head. I start to cry again, without sound or much movement, letting the tears roll off my face to mingle with the warm water. How can this be real? Aren't I dreaming? Won't I wake soon to find that none of it ever happened, and I'm back at home where I belong? No, that's not going to happen, I realise that now, and there's no turning back. There is some faint memory there in the back of my mind, where the little voice is, some reminder that I'm supposed to be walking out of this place, escaping and returning to my real life while I have the chance. But I can't move, can't get up. I just want to lie here and sleep forever, to forget everything again. I want to go on pretending that this isn't real, the way I've always done.

My eyes close slowly, and the darkness engulfs me. I let myself sink.

(Mt Paozu, Goten's POV)

An hour later, Goten was still sitting in bed, unable to sleep despite his fatigue after being up so late at Capsule Corps last night.

'I'm going over there,' he said to himself, while at the same time considering what he would do if he ran into Bulma or Trunks. His head was spinning with the unanswerable questions that were quickly filling it. Screw it, he thought. I'll make this up as I go along. The more I think, the less likely I am to act.

With this final and rather rash decision, Goten flew out the window, following the foggy and barely visible path through the mountains far below that would eventually lead to West city. Along the way, he attempted to use a technique his father was trying to teach him since over a year ago. Had been trying. Goten's face darkened at the thought, but he immediately scolded himself, knowing he was going to need the utmost level of concentration on the task at hand if this was going to work. Focusing with every ounce of his being, he tried to locate Bra's energy signal, than to reach beyond that and find an entrance to her mind. He needed to tell her to get Trunks and Bulma out of the house for a bit so he could confront Vegeta alone, otherwise they would make things way too difficult.

Bra, he called. He heard nothing, but definitely felt her surprise, and then recognition.

It's me, can you hear me Bra?

Goten?

Yeah it's me. Good, you hear me.

What ya doin in my head? She queried, not sounding the slightest bit surprised.

I'll explain later OK?. I need to talk to your, uh, dad. Alone. You need to get Trunks and your mum out of the house for a little while.

How? She said after a long pause, obviously considering it.

You'll think of something. You're smarter than me.

She giggled. I know.

For the first time in two days, Goten smiled. I'll leave you too it then.

The silhouette of West City drew ever closer, and Goten was beginning to sweat. What was going to happen once he said... what ever he was going to say? There was a good chance that this could be suicide, but it had to be done. This wasn't about him, it was about his friends, and they always came first. All of them. He ought to he angry at Trunks and Bulma, but he wasn't. It was understandable how they reacted, maybe anyone would react like that if they were in the same situation, maybe him too, so he'd already forgiven them for it.

The other worry was that nagging voice in the back of his mind insisting that he go find Goku first and bring him along as back up, or even Gohan. No, that wasn't going to happen. Gohan had his own family to worry about, and as for Goku, well, if his father had no need of him, then he had no need of his father, and anyway, what good would Goku do in this situation? Goten didn't really want this to turn into a fight, and if Goku got involved Vegeta was more likely to get hostile in the state of mind he was in right now. He would face whoever was in that house alone. The whole point was to figure out exactly what had happened to his friend.

There it was, Capsule Corps. Through the sweat dripping into his eyes spurred on by the fear, he could see it. The air whooshing by him was crisp and cold, chilling the perspiration now coating his entire body, and the sky was startlingly clear for a winter day, completely unmarred by clouds or even birds. The eerily blue expanse was bleached and glowing with bright rays of sun which shone sharply into his sensitive eyes, making them ache with their fierceness which seemed to be getting stronger by the minute. There was no heat, only a powerful glare that illuminated every sight and shadow of the city like a spotlight, making Goten feel strangely vulnerable just by staring out into the distance. It was as if he and all other living things surrounding him were naked, exposed but unable to hide. Not long after he landed at the door, wiping the moisture out of his eyes and knocking, only to find that it creaked open at the touch of his knuckles. It was already unlocked, and not even closed. Warily he stepped inside, trying to calm the frayed nerves enough to sense Vegeta's energy signal, but he could feel nothing. It was unusually dark inside, so it took a while for his eyes to adjust after the glare outside.

'Shit,' he mumbled, 'where...' He stood there dumbly for a while, waiting and unsure what to do next, when a soft sound in the kitchen made him spin around and almost lose his balance. Sure enough Vegeta was sitting there, tapping his left foot slowly on the kitchen's vinyl floor, the rest of the house completely silent but for that single sound. He was staring at Goten, and judging by the deep shadows under his eyes, he hadn't slept in a while.

'Looking for someone, Goten?

Goten blinked, but said nothing. Why was Vegeta's energy signal undetectable when he was merely a few meters away?!

'You look a little pale, did you know? You're shaking too. Is something wrong?' The voice was low and difficult to hear.

'No. I'm OK. I just have, um, a cold. Nothing serious. Hi... Vegeta.'

He chuckled, and looked the younger saiyan up and down, very slowly. Goten stared at the wall, finding that the lingering gaze made him very uncomfortable.

'You look well enough to me. Sure nothings wrong? Nothing at all?' He was smiling now, this weird smile that Goten had never seen on Vegeta's face since before he could remember. Had there been any doubts in his mind about this whole situation, they were gone now. There was no way in hell he knew this man, if a man was what this was... the lack of an energy signal meant anything was possible.

'Well, are you going to just stand there? Come and sit down. And have a some water, it might help little.' He motioned to the chair beside him, still smiling. A glass of water sat still on the table top, the liquid gleaming in the dim, yellowed light.

'Oh, sorry. Sorry for being so rude,' Goten replied hurriedly, slowly walking over towards the table and awkwardly sitting down and taking a few gulps from the drink, mostly so he'd have something to stare at.

'Were you concerned about the girl?' Vegeta said, after a few minutes of silence.

'You mean... the neighbour?'

'No, not her. You already know what's become of her, quite obviously, if you're bringing it up. I was talking about my girl.'

Goten looked at him for moment, confused, and then afraid. 'Oh, you mean Bra? What? What is it? What happened to her?'

'She's ill, but she'll live. Bulma and Trunks have taken her to see a doctor. Why are you here?'

Oh that's right, Goten thought. Wow, she did a great job getting them out of the house so quick. Good thing there's at least one clever person to help me with this-

'Goten. You seem a little distracted. I'll ask you once more. Why did you come here?'

'Oh, sorry, I'm sorry, I came because, well, I was wondering if you knew anything about what happened to the neighbour. It's just that, um, one of the girls I work with is her cousin and she-'

'Goten, you may or may not recall it, but we discussed this a few moments ago. You know what's become of her, what more can I say of it? She's dead.'

'Yeah but... Vegeta, I was here remember? I saw her, walking through the backyard, right up to the back door. You must of let her into the house because I didn't see her again. You spoke to her before she died, didn't you? You've got to know something, you've got to have some answers. What's going on around here? First you disappeared, then those men turned up, now people are dying. Something's going on, and you've got to tell me.' Once these words were out, Goten drew breath to say more, but all he could do was open and close his mouth. He wanted to say 'You can't hide it anymore' or 'I know what you are' but the words just wouldn't come. The sound of his own heartbeat was crowding everything out again, resounding in his head like a repetitive drum beat.

'Why ever would I speak with her? And even if I did, what could I have discovered? She is dead, and that's all there is. Death is final, there's no sense in questioning it, what goes before it, or what comes after it. The fact of death remains no matter the words used to question it.'

'Liar...' Goten whispered.

'I see,' Vegeta replied calmly, but there was something in his voice, a tightness of some sought, like a cord pulled taught till it's on the brink of snapping. 'So tell me this at least boy. Why are you really here? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I have the distinct feeling you're accusing me of something.'

'Who are you?'

'In fact I- what?'

'I said, who.are. you?'

There it was, a flash of surprise on the older man's eyes. Goten stared deep into the dark, shadowed pools, suddenly feeling fearless. 'I don't know who or what you are, but you aren't Vegeta. I know him, and you aren't anything like him, so who the hell are you? And more importantly, what have you done with him?'

The man was silent for a while, just staring back blankly, and when he did finally speak his expression was relaxed and unworried. 'Your mad. Tell me, who else could I be? Do you really expect anyone to believe this tall tale?'

'I don't care what they believe. I know Vegeta better than most, enough to know you aren't him, but I'm not here to fight you. I just want to know where he is, and if you tell me and then leave us all alone, I won't tell anyone about you. You know you can't win, not against all of us. Don't take the risk, whoever you are.'

'It's funny, the way you've come out with such a serious accusation, with no basis, no evidence, not the least of facts to support your claims. And now you're making hefty demands of me. You never do think things through, do you Goten?'

'Stop pretending you know me. I'm not buying it.'

That bizarre smile was back again. 'Alright my friend, you've won. It's that simple,' he said flatly, standing. Then he began to clap, slowly, mockingly. 'Well done. You've figured me out. You're smarter than we all believed you to be. So, what am I to tell you first, who I am, or where he is? You know what, I think I'll choose. I must admit I don't like having things demanded of me as you've so rudely been doing today. I'll think I'll tell you... who I am.'

When Goten tried to open his mouth to interrupt, a quick, invisible movement bought a finger to the boy's lips, intent on silencing him. The finger lingered there for a moment then idly began to trail downwards, stroking the soft, unflinching buds, until the nail caught on the bottom one, scratching it gently.

'Uh uh. It's my turn to speak now,' he murmured. 'You may not like to believe it boy, but I am Vegeta, only not as you know him. You have to understand that every being has their own idiosyncrasies, you, me, your father, everyone. Mine is a divided mind, at least that's what the humans would call it. I am a non-physical aspect of Vegeta that helps to make up who he is as a whole, a substitute that would go on through life for him during hard times when he wasn't up to the task. The problem is that the two of us have become separated in a way we have never been before, and it wasn't my doing. You know those men you mentioned just before, the strangers in Bra's room? This is their work, its' none of mine. You see, in this universe, in this dull world you know and live in every day, I could never have existed like this because I am technically only an idea, a construct that is a part of Vegeta's mind. And yet, there's always the question of whether simply having an idea means that the subject of the idea exists. Humans can only grasp at this notion, but in the world these men come from, ideas can exist as physical forms. They summoned my mental form into physical existence. I'll have you know that there was a time when I was Vegeta, when he saw everything through my eyes-'

'But why? What you're saying doesn't make sense! Why does Vegeta need another set of eyes, what does he need you for? Are you some kind split personality or something? Are you his evil side from before he lived on earth? What are you really? And why did those guys bring you to life, it's crazy-'

'I told you already, boy, I'm like the other half of him, the part no one has been able to see since the moment he felt I was no longer needed and imprisoned me in the filthy cage that is his head. So yes, I guess you humans might say I come from a split mind, or whatever it was you called it. The point is that in my natural form I'm just a dream in his head, a fantasy like any other, like the ones you might come up with in your daydreams to distract you from the reality of how boring and pathetic your existence truly is. He invented me to serve the purpose of surviving and that I did, so well in fact that he came to rely heavily on me to the point where I had to take over him entirely. Yet even then, when I was free and in control, he was still there, always there, partially controlling, clawing at the back of my conscience like a whining dog at the door and forcing my hand in ways I didn't intend. He doesn't believe I have the right to any control, I am only a tool to be used as he pleases, but he never could have survived without my guidance. Without me he's only half the man,' he sneered.

'Sound's more the other way round to me,' Goten retorted angrily. 'Sounds like you're some kind of back seat driver, making all these annoying demands when you haven't even got your hands on the wheel. I still don't completely understand what you are, whether you're alive, or some kind of phantom, but what ever you are, I know Vegeta's a strong person and he doesn't need some evil thing in his head like you to keep him alive.'

The prince threw his arms up in the air. 'How many times do I have to say it to get it through that thick head of yours? I am alive, you idiot, I exist now. And I exist entirely independent of Vegeta. It's been absolute bliss, I've been able to do what so ever I please.' He sighed heavily then, leaning back in the chair and staring sideways at Goten. 'None of that matters anymore. You're going to put a stop to it all now, aren't you?'

Goten nodded, a firm look of resolve on his usually relaxed face. 'And you know I can do it, with help from the others. If Trunks and I fused, we'd be able to beat you alone.'

'Yes, yes, I know. And it's alright,' he sighed again. 'Things aren't exactly working out for me in this place. I don't belong here, with you humans,' the look in the now sullen man's eyes was so morose that it made Goten feel sorry for him.

'So... so you'll take me to him? To Vegeta?'

'No, I'll take you to the moon,' he grumbled, rolling his eyes. Goten's face had already lit up and he was grinning widely.

'I'm glad you made the right decision, who ever you are. So long as you promise to return to where you came from without causing anymore trouble, I promise I'll never tell anyone about you,' he said optimistically as he jumped up to exit the house, assuming the double would follow him. The prince slowly got up to follow him, and because Goten was satisfied by the sound of footsteps that he was being followed and didn't look back, he failed to notice the prince slip a carving knife from the kitchen bench into his boot.

'I know, Goten,' came the whispered reply, too low to hear even for a saiyan's sharp senses. 'Believe me, I know.'

After what must have been an hour of flight, the prince began to descend from the air, heading towards a place in the woods below. Once they'd landed, Goten stared all around him in confusion. However, he wasn't entirely sorry they'd stopped. About half an hour ago he'd begun to feel sought of dizzy and sick, which he figured had something to do with the stress, but whatever it was this break from flying was necessary.

'We... we're in a forest. What are we doing out here? You said you were going to take me to Vegeta. Is he around here somewhere?'

'Listen boy, before we enter into the sacred place, there are some things you must know.'

'Like what? What do you mean sacred, where is he?'

The prince held up his finger. 'The place is a portal between this world and the next, you must perform a very specific ritual to enter.'

'You... you never said anything about this back at CC. What are you talking about?'

'Well it's quite complex you see, and just a little bit sick, but there's nothing to fear. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun.'

Before Goten had time to process this cryptic and slightly unnerving statement, a powerful wave of dizziness overcame him, causing him to stumble back. At first he managed to steady himself, but seconds later another wave passed over and brought him heavily to his hands and knees.

'You,' he groaned shakily. 'What have you done to me? You tricked me...'

'I did no such thing Goten, I merely voiced to you my origins, my thoughts and my intentions, just as you requested when you came barging into the house making hostile threats. There was no trickery on my part, rather there was a failure on your part to interrogate me correctly. Like a child you trusted in me so easily, with so few questions,' the prince sighed gently, crossing the gap between them, kneeling slowly and extending his hand to stroke Goten's face. 'Just like your father...'

'No... no,' the youth began to crawl clumsily backward.

'I'll admit there was one thing I wasn't particularly upfront with you about. Before you even entered the house I could feel the distress seeping out of you, filling the air around you like gasoline. I felt it before you even left the mountains, the place you call home, and it was very concerning to me. So I added a mild calmative to your drink, because I knew that was the only way you'd, uh, relax and come to grips with this whole mess of a situation. While I'm deeply sorry I didn't inform you of this I had the funny feeling you wouldn't cooperate, but what you young people need to learn to understand is that sometimes, your elder's know what's best for you.' For the entire time the prince spoke his lowered voice did not change in the slightest, remaining unwavering and calm, emotionless. Goten, thinking this little spiel would serve as a distraction, extending an outstretched palm in the man's direction, only to find his ki could not be summoned, as though he were reaching into a well in which the waters had dried up. All the blood began to drain from his already deathly pale face, and a lump was surreptitiously making its way into his throat.

'Vegeta, please-'

The prince silenced him by placing a hand not so firmly over his mouth. 'Shhhhhhh, you're getting confused again boy. Not long ago you were insisting I wasn't Vegeta, and now you're saying I am? How fickle you humans are, I swear I just can't wrap my head around you.' He stood, Goten felt himself being lifted by the collar. Even without being drugged he was no match for Vegeta, not alone, and now he was alone, completely defenseless, and intimately familiar with just how powerful the older man really was. He'd witnessed it countless times over the years, watched the man train and battle, never quite as powerful as his own father and varying in how his strength compared to Gohan's, but with enough bloodthirstiness and cunning to make up for it. Tears began to well up in his eyes. If only he weren't so stupid and thoughtless... now it was too late to regret it. It was over. In a dizzying movement too fast for him to detect, his body was pressed up against a tree. The bark was rigid and very uneven, digging into his back painfully.

'No child, don't cry. No need to shame yourself. Do you know,' the prince whispered, leaning in close to his face, 'that he was very proud of you, your friend Vegeta? He always admired your tenacity, even though you and his son have slackened off a little in recent years. In fact, that's part of what he admires. That you can take a stand when it is needed, and at other times you can let it all go, living peacefully and contentedly, happily and freely. It fascinates him, you're boldness, your fire. You never let others have control over you, yet your only downfall is your innocence, because it allows you to be manipulated by them. And at the same time, that innocence is so...' he leaned in even closer, his lips almost pressed up against the teen's ear, so close that the moisture of his breath could be felt. '...beautiful. He truly was proud of you Goten. Just as if you were his own son.'

Now that he was too dizzy to even hold his head up, Goten's forehead slid through the air in slow motion, coming to rest on the prince's chest as a sob or two escaped him. 'Please,' he begged again, noticing how odd his voice sounded, how heavy his body felt, and yet his mind was still alert. It was hard to think through this fear, to know what else to say. Around them the forest was dancing, swaying with the rhythm of the cold wind and glittering with the sun that broke through the gaps in the trees, almost beckoning them to join in. Everything was spinning and the trees seemed to be narrowing in on them, like figures in shadowy cloaks whose movements were entwined with light. Nothing had ever seemed so beautiful as what could be seen around them, which made it all the more terrifying, to think that he would die in such a serene, silent place where not a soul in the world could hear him screaming, where his body would never be found.

'There there. It's time to perform the ritual now. We all have to accept our fate eventually,' the prince finally said, and Goten watched him reach down and pull a carving knife out of his boot. Eyes widening, he renewed his struggles.

'You- you'll never get away with this. Don't even think you will. My brother will come after you and so will Trunks and every one of my friends. You're not even a real person and you'll never be able to take over Vegeta's life like this, cause you won't be able to fit into this world because everyone's gunna see how crazy you are. Just you wait and-'

Goten couldn't finish his sentence, because he was too stunned by the feeling in his gut to continue. There was an excruciating pain, as if he'd been punched with incredible force, but it had been so instantaneous that it wasn't visible. He looked up at the prince to see that his eyes had changed from calm and collected to wild and angry, and his shoulders were trembling with rage. It was like looking up at a completely different man.

'Now that, my friend, was a mistake,' he hissed, grabbing Goten's chin roughly. 'I may not be a real person in the sense of the word, you have that much right. There are many things I am not, and many things I am, but I am not crazy.' As these words were spoken, Goten felt his collar released and something being violently wrenched out of his stomach, a pain worse than the initial blow. He began retching onto the forest floor, alarmed at the disgusting sensation, but nothing could prepare him for the horror of realising what he was vomiting up. A dazzling shaft of light settled over them, illuminating the bright red liquid spilling from his lips, and the dark wound in his stomach. A scream tried to escape from his throat, but nothing would come save for more blood. His vision was blurring, and his limbs were starting to spasm.

'I wasn't going to kill you initially, but you may just have managed to change my mind. If you want to maintain a small chance of survival I suggest that you cooperate fully.

Again he was lifted, this time by his shoulders, and shoved roughly against the tree again. This action increased the agony of the wound, causing his throat and tongue to start working again. It would be no great surprise if God heard him scream, but the forest remained as quiet as ever, save for the rush of the wind. The cries continued as the prince began to carve deep, perfectly straight gashes in Goten's flesh from the collar bone to the hips, leaving his white shirt in bloody ribbons that sailed down to rest in coils on the forest floor.

'Go on, wail all you want to, nobody can hear you embarrassing yourself,' the prince laughed heartily, beginning the process of making the same straight, evenly placed pattern of cuts on the boy's trembling legs and thoroughly enjoying the sounds his treatment was eliciting. 'Besides, you make such lovely music.'

Gradually the screams turned to choked, heaving gasps, while his entire body continued to weep blood, dressing him in a veil of red liquid now that all his clothes had fallen away.

'Shhhhh it's almost over now. Only one thing left to complete the ritual,' whispered the prince, lunging at his neck and biting deep into the delicate flesh. 'There's nothing to fear child,' the prince rasped against into the wound, 'when we wake up, I'll be gone, and you'll be but a dream.'

'Wh- what?'

'Didn't you hear me? I said, when you wake up, I'll be gone and this will all have been a dream, so there's no need to cry,' he chuckled, and bit down again.

'Please,' Goten sobbed, 'I don't want... to die... please.' He could barely speak anymore, the nausea and weakness so great that it felt like there was no blood left inside his veins, like all of him was filled with air. It was hard to tell if the speechlessness was caused by his injuries or by the bizarre tingling that was now running through his body, at its strongest where he was being bitten. Despite the dreadful pain in every nerve under his skin, the tingling had a soothing effect, making him feel calm and whole again. What was happening to him now?

Goten...

Someone was calling his name, but he couldn't speak.

Goten, listen. Go towards the light.

Oh god, he thought. I'm dying...

Sure enough, the forest began to fill with light, but Goten wasn't the only one who could see it. The prince whipped his head around, dropping his victim for the moment.

'What the fuck...' he muttered, then had to shield his eyes. Beams of light exploded through the trees, and everything went dazzlingly white, and yet somehow Goten could still see. He could see everything, every shape, every silhouette, every breath of wind as he shivered in the bitter cold. The blood on his body was beginning to freeze solid.

Quickly, come towards the light. Reach out your hand.

Goten desperately tried to obey, urging himself to move a small distance forward despite his weakness as he listened to the prince cursing somewhere in front of him. Finally he stretched out his hand, no longer caring if he was dying. No one would have been able to survive this nightmare for very long, least of all him. He was willing to pass on now, which is why it surprised him when rather than floating, or seeing the earth disappear, a hand made of flesh and blood took hold of his own and pulled him forward. Well, it might have been flesh and blood, except that it was the coldest, most frail skin he'd felt in his life, so much so that it sent chills down his spine. The icy creature took him in its arms, and he felt the earth collapsing beneath him. Just as the earth closed up, he heard the sounds of his father's and brother's voices, and Piccolo's, and watched the prince's silhouette vanish into nothingness. Then everything got dark. It took some time for his eyes to adjust (or did someone light a candle?), but when they finally did, he was shocked by what he saw. Staring down at him from above were a pair of piercing green eyes set in a familiar face, except that he'd never seen it before. Not while he was awake anyway.

'You...' he whispered faintly. 'You are real.'

'In a sense, Goten,' the doctor said gently. 'In a sense. I'm sorry it had to be this way Goten, but I had to wait till you were near death to be able to make contact with you. I hope you can forgive me and still help me, and your friend Vegeta.'

'I'm kind of in too much pain to be angry right now, otherwise you'd be dead,' he laughed softly, then winced. 'So, I guess I'm going to die...'

'I don't think so, I hope not. But you will definitely be able to see me from now on. And I need your help. I need it very much. Vegeta's wife, and her little girl. They've going away with him, already.'

'Who...? Going with who?'

'I think you know,' the doctor said darkly, and Goten realised exactly what he was talking about. For a while he was silent, partly because he was grappling with blinding pain and partly because he couldn't believe how awful things had gotten in such a short space of time. It was difficult, so difficult to stop seeing it behind his eyes.

'I sure hope you've got a plan, cause I don't,' Goten finally murmured, finding it harder and harder to breath. The corners of his vision were beginning to blur, and thankfully, he passed out.

(Back at Capsule Corps)

The moment Bulma walked in the door, she saw her husband sitting at the kitchen table, looking very serious. She stared at him for a few moments, then burst into tears, stumbling towards him. Arms were held out to her in a rare gesture, and she collapsed thankfully into them, beginning to cry into the prince's chest.

'There there,' he whispered soothingly. 'There's no need for that.'

'Who could do a thing like this Vegeta?' she sobbed. 'Mrs White, she'd never hurt a fly... she was such a quiet woman. And her little girl, Clarice, God why-!'

'It's alright Bulma, it's over now. They're at rest.'

'No it's not alright! Who ever did this has to pay for their crime!'

'And I'm sure they will, in time.'

'Well they better!' she shouted, slamming her fist down on the table top, then placing a hand over her mouth once she realised that Trunks was standing at the door behind them, holding Bra in his arms. Thankfully she heard him walk away in the direction of his sister's room. As soon as they were out of ear shot she resumed speaking.

'I want to get away for a little while. Now. I want to get away from this house, away from this city. Something is wrong Vegeta, something's really wrong and I don't know what, all I know is I don't want to stay here another minute.'

'I'll take you then. We'll go on the holiday early. In fact, I was just about to suggest it, right before you did.'

'Good. Good,' she repeated purposefully. 'We could leave tomorrow. Trunks can stay here, keep an eye on things, and we'll go. This trip you planned has to be one of the best ideas you've had. It couldn't come at a better time. And we'll deal with... everything, when we get back.' Bulma began to dry her tears, then planted a slow, salty kiss on his lips.

'There's no need to be distressed. Everything's going to be alright,' the prince said with the utmost sincerity once Bulma had pulled away. He embraced her again, then with a note of finality he added, 'We're going to put a stop to all these troubles... for good.'

When I dream, I dream of your lips,

when I dream, I dream of your kiss,

when I dream, I dream of your fists,

your fists,

your fists...

Leave me bleeding on the bed,

see you right back here tomorrow, for the next round

***

NEXT TIME: Goten hangs onto life by a thread. Will he have any chance of helping the doctor with his plan, or does Vegeta have to summon the will to find a way around Lennon himself? What will become of Bulma and Bra now?

AN- For some reason I'm dissatisfied with the first part of the chapter, It keeps niggling at the back of my mind... any thoughts? Is it missing something? If you think so or have any comments, let me know :)
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