Younger

As Goten had predicted, the fresh air did them well. New scenery changed their thoughts, at least for the time being.

Vegeta carried the shopping bag containing their sake, Goten's mostly filled with weekend snacks. They walked down the paved, narrow market street, talking casually, not yet sufficiently out of sight to fly.

"My mom'd like for us to stop by for dinner next week," Goten reminded Vegeta, who nodded.

"Sure." He got along surprisingly well with ChiChi, once she'd became accustomed to the situation. Now she saw him as another son to fuss over. It made her happy, as Goten and his brother confirmed.

Vegeta could not resist a smirk at wondering again how Kakarot would react when he finally returned. They had long since buried the proverbial hatchet, though old habits died hard.

Goten tugged at his shirt. "Hey Vegeta, can we go see that movie?" he asked hopefully, pointing at a cinema billboard advertising a new futuristic action film to be out the next week.

"I guess so," Vegeta replied absently, knowing in advance that Goten would insist on sitting in the back row and why. They exchanged a mirthful smile, taking a shortcut down an ill-famed alley that the natives avoided because of a vicious gang of street thugs.

The gang had learned the hard way not to mess with the exotic-looking people rumored to be disciples of Hercule Satan, and stayed out of their way.

A decidedly female, elderly figure who suddenly blocked their path on the sidewalk did not appear to belong there. At all. She... they guessed 'she'... had appeared like a spectre. Though she stood with her back to the two Saiyans, something about her presence made the tiny hairs along their hairlines stand on end and their tails bristle.

An old, tattered white gown hung in rags from her bony, wraith-like form, and long, straggly white hair hung in tangled knots down her back. On one shoulder was carried an old-fashioned satchel of the same dirty white as her gown, except it did not appear to contain anything. Creepy was the only word that came to mind.

"Excuse us, Ma'am," Goten bade politely. Creepy or not, she was in their way, though good manners obliged the Son men. Perhaps she had only fallen victim to the forgetfulness of dementia.

Impatiently, Vegeta motioned for them to walk around her in the deserted street. Goten moved to do so when the ghastly figure turned around to gaze upon them, or rather through them. Forgetful, no.

The most soulless black orbs they had ever witnessed stared at them without seeing, her withered, thin mouth curving upward in a manner which, on an average human, may be called serene. Her eyes glowed the most unearthly white they'd ever seen, and one gnarled hand extended toward them.

Having battled against the most horrid of creatures, both men found themselves rooted to the spot, frozen in horror. The ghoulish apparition did not appear to belong even to the world of the living, much less a bustling, mid-sized town in plain daylight. Its blind gaze swept first knowingly to Vegeta, then patiently to Goten. One skeletal hand passed above Vegeta's head, the only word there spoken scarcely heard by either:

"Younger..."

She/it smiled at them almost kindly, then vanished into the air before their eyes.

Neither Saiyan moved nor spoke for several moments, then whatever it was passed, and both looked around wildly.

"What the hell wuzzat?!" Goten demanded, his eyes wide and not caring that his voice squeaked at the end.

Vegeta shook his head, none the wiser. "No idea, but let's get outa here."

Not arguing, Goten ran with Vegeta through the maze of deserted alleys until they were out of general sight, white knuckles clutching their shopping bags, and took to the air.

As they passed familiar scenery on the way back to Kasumi-Mori, the color gradually returned to their pallid faces, both wondering if they'd imagined the whole incident. The strange being had not harmed them, and left both to wonder why the paralyzing fear.

"Everything okay?" Vegeta asked at Goten's unusual silence.

"I may or may not have pissed my pants, but sure," Goten replied dryly.

Vegeta was not laughing, more disturbed by what the wraith-creature had pronounced than its appearance.

"Vegeta?" Goten asked a bit later, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

"Baka yaro," he scoffed by reflex, but reconsidered. "I don't know, but what I don't believe in is coïncidence." He'd told no one else what he'd told Goten earlier. His face was as stiff as Goten's, both grateful for the contents of their shopping bag.
*
The bizarre incident was quickly and completely forgotten as the day passed, mostly outdoors. While Vegeta catnapped in the late Spring sunlight near the edge of the stream, Goten dove into the deeper end in search of dinner. He would easily emerge with a fish twice his size before needing to resurface for air.

Like father, like son, Vegeta reflected. In general, Saiyans naturally adapted to their environment, survival not considered to be any special skill.

A loud splash followed by a scream startled Vegeta awake, on his feet and fully alert in attack mode.

"Help me!" Goten yelled, his fingers clawing into the river bank, "Something's got my leg! Pull me out!"

Wondering at his panic for what was probably a strand of tangled seaweed, Vegeta grasped his forearms and pulled. Then he was pulled back, head first into the yet icy water, clad in only his undershorts. He emerged, dumbfounded, to find Goten giggling hysterically. "Gotcha," he declared triumphantly, "You're It!"

"S-sonuvabitch! It's cold!" Vegeta exclaimed, his eyes narrowing. "Alright, smartass, you asked for 'It'!" He ducked Goten's head underwater, then back out, tickling him unmercifully. He had been unbearably ticklish since he was a kid, which had not changed, and Vegeta remembered.

"Stop it!" Goten managed between peals of pained laughter until he could hardly breathe. It would be the most effective way to make him talk, Vegeta reflected, laughing as hard.

Goten stopped flailing and tickled him back. "Let's see..."

"Won't work," Vegeta discouraged him pityingly, "I'm not ti-- oh fuck!" To his own astonishment, Vegeta was doubled over in a fit of hysterical laughing. "Cut it out! I can't br--" He'd never imagined he could be affected by such a thing, certainly not Goten's first discovery.

Amidst helpless splashing, recognizing a stalemate, Goten offered, "Truce??"

"Yes, truce!" Vegeta backed away warily, still holding his sides. "Well, what about our fish?"

Smiling, Goten held up two by the tails already strung on his line, each larger than himself. Quite surprised by Vegeta's lack of anger as he'd planned, he followed him to shore, each wrapping himself in a large towel.

"Sorry. I'll warm you back up." Goten dried Vegeta off, vigorously frictioning his skin while the latter reciprocated.

"How sorry?" Vegeta asked sulkily, sponging off Goten's dripping hair.

"Well, you won't be needing this." Deftly Goten slid off Vegeta's soaking undershorts, drying him lightly there.

"Not yet," Vegeta reminded him sternly, "It's always better when I make you wait."

Goten said nothing, locking his gaze while his fingers 'accidently' brushed his most receptive places, in contrast to the rough towel. Vegeta blinked in surprise to find himself fully hard. It took more than that, and a longer time, especially to make him throb so intensely.

"You're right," Goten agreed with an almost evil smirk, "It's better when we wait."

Vegeta gazed at his face in wonder. "Save that look for me, okay?"

Recognizing that rare, adorably lost expression, Goten smiled radiantly, mentally pumping his fist. He rarely got to see that side of him, as well as to have the top role. "So I shall," he promised, leading him back into the house.

After quick, hot showers, they put their clothes back on, and Goten sat Vegeta on the couch to take the blow dryer to his hair, fond of the soft, puffy look that resulted. Then he painstakingly brushed it out in slow, gentle strokes, his hand tracing slowly in its wake for several minutes. Vegeta was gradually lulled into a sensual trance, his eyes closing at the pleasant tingling in his scalp. He didn't know if Goten had a special, magnetic touch, or simply a knowing one, but he'd shown him something magic that he wanted a lot. A hairgasm, Goten called it for lack of a better word.

Goten smiled to see that he'd gone limp, his eyes remaining closed while purring softly, almost asleep. He turned slightly to reach the front, curiously noting that his shorter length in the front now fell in bangs that perfectly framed his face. That was odd, as he'd dried and brushed it as usual.

Vegeta had told him once that he'd had bangs in his earlier years, but that he'd later trained them to go back into the rest as they'd begun to bother him when training. Goten brushed them back with the brush and his fingers, but they stubbornly fell back down. Though perplexed, he found it endearing and would not disturb him. Anyway, his comfortable nap was catching, so Goten curled up next to him to share it.

Almost an hour had passed when a knock at the front door woke them. Sitting up, they questioningly padded to the kitchen. Visitors were rare, especially unannounced.

On the doorstep, Krillin and Gohan waited, accompanied by Pan, who must have insisted on tagging along.

"Hey," Goten greeted them happily, "What brings you guys out here? Come in."

"Oji-san!" Pan jumped into Goten's arms for a bear-hug.

"There's the prettiest girl ever. Related to me, of course." Goten patted his niece's back.

"It's nice to see you, bros," Gohan greeted them cheerfully, "I hope we aren't disturbing you."

"Nah." Vegeta closed the door, confusing them by his lack of annoyance.

"Nice place you got here," Krillin commented, "How'd you even find it?"

"Isolated, but close enough to ChiChi so she won't spazz," Vegeta replied calmly, his choice of words as well as the fact that he spoke making their guests blink. Already the three of them were trying not to be obvious about gaping at him in confusion.

"Uhm... right." Remembering their purpose, Gohan reached into his shirt pocket. "New senzu harvest. Since Dad isn't here to get them, Piccolo-san appointed me." Senzu beans were not plentiful on the Lookout, and they'd learned it best to keep them handy. He tossed Goten a small pouch containing their ration. "So, what are you up to?"

"Been fishing today, sake round for tonight," Goten replied, hiding the pouch in a drawer.

"You aren't old enough to drink, Goten," Gohan admonished under his breath with a glance at Vegeta.

"Let's see, I was old enough to get killed in battle at seven, but certainly couldn't handle my liquor at nineteen," Goten retorted. Vegeta rolled his eyes and Gohan dropped the subject, decidedly a moot point.

"Did you cut your hair, Uncle Vegeta?" Pan chimed in, noticing his bangs.

"No, why?" Vegeta felt around his head, not having noticed yet.

"You cut it wrong," Pan told Goten, offering to Vegeta, "My mom can fix it."

"I thought you looked different," Krillin added, "That must be it."

"I thought so, too," Gohan agreed, "You both look great, in fact. The fresh air must be good for you."

"What are you talking about?" Vegeta asked them, looking quizzically at Goten.

"I don't know why," Goten explained, "I just dried and brushed it, but the front stayed down this time. Didn't wanna wake you up."

Vegeta disappeared into the bathroom to look in the mirror. Indeed, the front strands of his hair hung down in a sideswept fringe, as they hadn't been since his teens. Nothing was actually different, but he'd long since trained them back. He added water and pushed them back as usual, but they still fell back down.
Consterned, he looked closer at his reflection. Was something else different as well? He decided it must be only a sense of déjà vu, and slowly returned to the group.

When he came back to the kitchen, the others stopped talking and looked at him expectantly. "I don't know," he told them, "It's not important."

"When are you coming back to see me again?" Pan demanded Goten.

"We'll see," Goten replied, "Don't forget you have school."

"You used to come train and play with me," Pan sulked accusingly, "You never do anymore since you're with him!"

Goten glanced at Gohan, touched by his own pained déjà vu, and looked down with remorse. "You're right, life happens that way," he conceded frankly, "But if it didn't, I'd be sad, and wouldn't want to play anymore anyway. How about next weekend?"

Pan's reproachful look turned to a satisfied smile. "Deal."

"Sucker," Vegeta muttered amusedly to Goten, who grinned, "Wonder where she got that."

"See?" Gohan told Pan, "We told you to just ask. But we meant ask nicely."

"Well, sorry for the rush, but we got more deliveries to make," Krillin excused them.

"Senzu Express," Vegeta shrugged, making Goten snicker.

"Pretty much," Gohan agreed with an amused look, "See you later."

As they were in flight, Gohan was telling Krillin, "...It's not just the hair. Something about him is... well, both of them... I don't know, different. Strange, I can't place it."

"Aw, Gohan, all couples pick things up from each other," Krillin assured him casually, "They're no exception."

"Yeah, I guess so," Gohan concluded uneasily, though unconvinced.

Pan glanced in silent contemplation from Krillin to her father, lacking words to express her own thoughts.
***
TBC in Chapter 3...