Younger

Goten awoke drowsily the next morning, comfortably spooned in Vegeta's loose embrace. He remained in his twilight daze for a few moments, then stretched his legs like a cat, as always. He reached for the footboard with his toes for a complete stretch, but did not feel any wood beneath them.

The fuzzy feeling in his head reminded him of the sake they'd drank and of their frenzied couplings afterward, and he wondered amusedly where on the disheveled bed they'd finally collapsed.

He felt around to find their heads resting normally in the middle of his pillow, figuring that Vegeta must have repositioned them. Wondering if his feet were numb, he reflected that he did feel a bit strange, and that perhaps he'd overestimated his drinking capacity. If that were it, shouldn't he be overwhelmed with nausea and a pounding headache? He didn't know, since Vegeta had never let him drink beyond giddiness, when their interest turned elsewhere, anyway.

When he opened his eyes fully, the room seemed larger somehow, as did the bed. Deciding it must be a dream, he looked down at his hands.

They were not his.

No, they were much too small to be his own. He looked down at what he could see of himself, his heart beginning to thud in dread. As the nights were still chilly out here in the Spring, they'd put their pyjamas on to sleep. The T-shirt sleeves hung down past his elbows, and his feet were lost at least halfway into the pantlegs. His comparatively tiny body was almost comically lost in the lot, he discovered as he frantically touched it head to buried toe.

No! It was a nightmare. It had to be. He'd had similar ones just before his affair with Vegeta officially began, but they'd been too incredibly distorted to believe real. He had to wake up. He pinched the skin of his arm hard, to no avail, and began to panic.

"Vegeta!" Goten shook him hard. He was covered snugly in the sheet and still fast asleep, emitting a muffled sound. "VEGETA!" Goten yelled at the top of his voice, startling him awake.

"Wha--!" Vegeta sat up in baffled alarm, staring wide-eyed at him.

"Vegeta, you gotta wake me up!" Goten blurted in full-blown terror, "My God, PLEASE tell me it's an awful dr--" He yanked the sheet off his mate, and the sight that met his eyes made him wonder why people screamed in horror films. He was unable to make a sound.

The fact that Vegeta was just as mute with an identically horrified expression while staring at him did not bring him the reassurance for which he'd hoped.

"What... The... Hell!" was all Vegeta was able to utter before he was struck mute again, doing every reality check he knew, not believing his eyes.

"I was hoping you would wake me up and say 'baka yaro'," Goten informed him tersely, looking around wildly. "The mirror!" He pointed at the full-length mirror on their closet door, and both of them scrambled out of bed to run to it, skidding on the parquet floor as they nearly tripped over their now too-long pyjama pants, catching each other before staring into it.

"If it's a dream, whose is it?" Vegeta demanded, both staring in disbelief at the indifferent reflection of chibi!Vegeta and chibi!Goten.

"It isn't one, is it?" Goten asked, the mocking evidence undeniable now.

Vegeta shook his head grimly, then his lost memory returned. "That old hag! She... or it... did this to us!" His fists clenched, his face twisted in fury, ironically looking more like his old self now. Or, one could more delicately say, his former self.

"But why??" Goten asked in bewilderment, "We didn't do anything to her, or it." Both cleared their throats in annoyance at the higher pitch of their voices.

"We have to find out," Vegeta declared firmly, "There's no way we're staying like... this!"

"But who can we tell?" Goten asked incredulously.

"Your brother," Vegeta affirmed without question, "Did you see the strange way he and Krillin were looking at us yesterday? They saw something wasn't normal."

Goten nodded, a little relieved at the idea that someone may be able to help them. "As long as it isn't my mom."

Vegeta made a face. "How old do we look? Six, or eight?" Goten nodded miserably. "Wait a minute," Vegeta remembered, "Yesterday morning I was still in a bad mood. After we got back, we forgot it all, didn't we?" Goten nodded again. "We were in good moods. No, silly moods. My bangs were back. What we felt was... well, younger." He slumped flatly at the irony.

"Well, I could understand you, just a little," Goten reasoned, "But why me, and why both of us as young as this?" They both looked as though they would be sick anytime soon.

"Let's try to find something to wear," Vegeta told him, flustered angrily, "Everything will look ridiculous, but something we can make stay up."

They began rifling furiously through their clothes, casting the impossible ones aside carelessly. Goten was comparing a few of his T-shirts.

"This one." Vegeta seized Goten's shirt with his name inscribed on it and thrust it into his hands. For himself, he chose a polo shirt with the Capsule Corp logo, in hopes that those choices render them more recognizable.

Pants were more difficult. Vegeta decided on a pair of his blue Saiyan spandex for each, tied at the waist with one of Goten's sashes each, and the pantlegs rolled up tightly. They absolutely did look ridiculous, but had no other options for the moment.

"Gohan is gonna have a cow," Goten declared, suddenly turning around in embarrassment to stifle a potential flood of tears.

Vegeta slid an arm around his chest from behind. "We'll find a solution," he promised, hoping to Kami he was right.

"What if we don't, and we're stuck like this?" Goten asked, distraught, "You'd never even look at me again."

"Not true." Vegeta turned him around to hold him tightly in his small, sinewy muscular arms."It changes nothing. Does it for you?"

"No. Never." Goten clung to him, reluctant to let go."You're still mine. And still adorable."

"You think you're not?" Vegeta played with his shaggy, spiked hair, even softer now.

Goten glanced at their bed, in its usual state of disarray with blankets and sheets scattered everywhere. "I wouldn't say 'nothing' changes for us." He turned his face, oddly embarrassed.

Vegeta looked confused. "I don't know how that works, but it's not our biggest problem. And no one had better treat us like brats," he declared firmly, "Our minds are exactly the same, and just yesterday we were normal."

Goten blinked as a thought dawned on him. "Do you realize we went through puberty backwards, in just one day and night? No wonder we were so crazy."

Vegeta nodded slowly. "Yes, and that is an experience I do not care to repeat."
*
Vegeta and Goten flew in complete silence toward Satan City, their stomachs tightening when the skyline was in view. Neither had the least idea of what to say. Their hair and clothes were damp with early morning dew, having flown at maximum speed to catch Gohan before he left for work. They landed less than gracefully on the lawn of their demure, feeling indeed awkward in their small forms.

They advanced slowly toward the door, their faces stoic despite their tumultuous minds. Goten rang the doorbell, and they waited.

They heard light footsteps, then Videl answered with a kind yet unfamiliar smile. "Good morning, boys. What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Videl," Goten replied stiffly, unzipping his very oversized jacket to reveal his name on his shirt. "We need to see Gohan. You won't believe it yet, but yes, it's us."

Studying them, Videl did a double take, her eyes widening incredulously. "G-Goten...?... Vegeta?... No..." She stepped back a little, indeed recognizing Goten of over a decade ago, accompanied by an exact mini Vegeta in an equally oversized shirt sporting the Capsule Corp logo.

They nodded grimly, seeing the million questions brimming her eyes. "It is us," Vegeta confirmed, "Gohan stopped by our house yesterday with Pan and Krillin to bring the senzu beans."

"Yes, they did," she remembered, "He was worried about you." She paused, calling into the house, "Gohan? Gohan, come here! Hurry!" They sensed his familiar ki approach, and Videl told him, "You were right. But it's worse than we thought." She stepped aside for him to see the state of his brother and brother-in-law.

Gohan had imagined plenty of crazy scenarios, but nothing could have prepared him for this. He would recognize his little brother in any time, space, way, shape, or form, and Vegeta reminded him much of the first time he'd seen him, only smaller and innocent looking. The reality met his eyes, and yet...

"What... happened?" he managed when he found his voice, his face a mask of disbelief.

"It's a long, crazy story," Goten replied wearily.

"Come in at once," Gohan told them. He lifted his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose, eyeing their makeshift-fitted arraignments.

At that moment Pan wandered in, preparing for school, her bag half packed. "Whoa..." she gasped, recognizing her uncles, "How'd that happen?"

Videl turned to her. "Pan, something awful has happened. You'll be staying home today. Go and bring two of your gi so they can wear something proper. The new ones we bought you should fit them."

Her eyes wide, Pan set her bag down and went back to get them.

They heard Gohan speak into the telephone, telling his colleague that he would not be working that day due to a family emergency, and plans for a substitute professor were made before he hung up.

A few minutes later, Pan returned with two new red gi and dark blue tunics, with socks and shoes. Goten and Vegeta changed into them, grateful at least to be wearing decent clothes that fit.

"I suppose you haven't eaten anything yet," Videl guessed doubtfully. They shook their heads.

Still later, after everyone had eaten a slower paced meal than foreseen, Vegeta and Goten recounted their story from beginning to present, with many questions from their hosts. Afterward, the group fell silent, each with their own thoughts, trying to make sense of it all.

Long since accustomed to the strange world that had at first flabbergasted her, Videl suggested, "I think the first thing we need to do is find out what the hag-creature is, what it wants, and why it did that to you."

Gohan tapped his fingers thoughtfully on his teacup. "Something about that sounds familiar... from a mythology class I once taught, but I'll have to check."

"You know what it is?!" Vegeta was on his feet, shaking Gohan by the collar.

"Calm down, Vegeta." Gohan pried his hands away from nearly strangling him. "I said it sounds vaguely familiar. I was teaching that class as a substitute a couple years ago when the professor was sick. I'm sure my files are still here somewhere."

"'Calm down'?!" Vegeta demanded furiously, no longer caring about his now higher pitched voice, "I'd like to see how 'calm' you would be if someone stuck you into a child's body!"

"When our minds are grown up," Goten added dully, though his mind raced hopefully at the prospect of a solution.

"We would certainly be climbing the walls," Videl sympathized smoothly, "Let Gohan look through his files, and hopefully find an answer."

"If we all look, it'll go faster," Goten suggested.

"Nobody touches my files," Gohan told them firmly, "I have my own system, and you wouldn't know where to look."

That was true. "But, if it's a mythological thing, it's probably not real," Goten argued, "It's all based on legends and tall tales."

"Well, your current forms are real enough for me." Gohan stood, swallowing the last of his tea. "I'll let you know the second I find it." He disappeared into his office, leaving the mini versions of Goten and Vegeta to pace restlessly.

"Now I see," Pan announced suddenly, "Yesterday your faces looked kinda like they do now. The rest of you must've shrunk overnight."

Goten stared at her. "You mean you noticed, and you didn't say anything?!"

"I didn't wanna be rude," Pan said defensively, unsure of how she ought to speak to them now.

Sensing Vegeta near the boiling point, shoving his newly returned bangs uselessly from his face, Goten reached over to touch them in hopes of distracting him. "They're cute. What's the matter with them?"

"I can't see!" Vegeta muttered sullenly, declining the hair barrette Pan offered him. He scowled and leaned against the wall.

After almost an hour later, Videl and Pan were thoroughly tired of watching the two mini Saiyans pace, when Gohan's voice called out triumphantly, "Found it!"

Their hopes soaring, the four of them stampeded into Gohan's office that smelled of books and printer ink. Holding a manilla folder and a large book as he climbed down from his library ladder, he warned them, "I'm not promising it's the answer. According to what you described, this is the closest I could find. But, almost to the letter."

He sat at his desk, in his element, again skimming a page from his file. "What's really strange is that mythological beings are usually connected to some culture: Greco-Roman, Japanese demonology, etcetera. This case has no such boundaries." Under the impatient, intense stares of Goten and Vegeta, he began reading aloud:

"'The L'enzi is a species whose origins cannot be traced to any specific culture, on Earth or elsewhere. Often referred to as intergalactic gypsies because of their vagabond natures, very few cases have been reported, and documentation of their existence has been questionable due to lack of proof.'"

"'The lifespan of the L'enzi is, on average, five hundred years. Their aging process takes place at about the same rate as humans', and they age twice as poorly. The qualities that they most prize are youth, beauty, and a life of riches and luxury. Although they believe to do nothing wrong, their notorious powers are used for selfish escient in order to obtain their desires. Unless desperate for prey, they rarely attack humans due to our comparatively short lifespans, and they travel the universe in search of beings with long lifespans, and especially youth. Their populations, while sparse and divided, consist of equal masculine and feminine proportions.'"

"'Considered to use an odd type of vampirism, their means of attack is reported to be first instilling worries of aging in the mind of, later absorbing their ki, or vital energy, of the victim through their hands. Their hideous appearances terrorize their prey long enough to absorb their youth, thus their ki, before they disappear. Left with a temporary memory loss, paradoxically, instead of aging, the victim regresses in age and must relive their life, albeit with his or her adult memory intact.'"

"'The L'enzi live and can be found near mines of precious metals or jewels, to be used once their youth has been regained. While they are willing to trade with other beings, their powers are formidable, and to date, no remedy has been discovered, nor any means of defeating them. Very humanlike in appearance, the L'enzi can be recognized as either a very old, dead-looking human, or a young human between sixteen to twenty-five, of an exceptional beauty and stronger powers. Though most traceable and vulnerable at the aurora of the first light of dawn, if such a creature is spotted in either form, it is best avoided.'"

"Yeah, no shit," Goten muttered sarcastically when Gohan had finished reading, "And no remedy or way to defeat it." He folded his arms and leaned against the wall, reminding them more of Vegeta than of himself.

"Don't be such a pessimist," Gohan chided him, "How many so-called immortal monsters have we already defeated?"

"Have you thought of the other Saiyans, including my kids and yourself?" Vegeta hissed at Gohan, "And Piccolo, and the Androids... who would be left? There may be more of them, or it will contact others. It probably set a trap. We don't know how much power it has now, and you read it yourself: it isn't only our youth it absorbs, but our ki. Meaning our powers we've acquired since the age we appear now."

Gohan frowned, twirling a pen. "That's a good point. Have you tested your ki?"

"We were too busy freaking out," Goten admitted, "But I can tell a lot is gone. The flight here made me more tired than usual, and I almost crash-landed. What about you?" he asked Vegeta.

The latter clenched his fists to power up, with progressive efforts, to no avail. "Fuck! I can't even turn Super Saiyan anymore!" He glanced around furiously, suppressing a terrible urge to destroy something on a massive scale.

Gohan paled, shielding his concern. "Well, you were already an adult when you first did," he remembered, turning to Goten, "And you?"

Goten concentrated, then turned Super Saiyan after considerably more effort than usual. "Well, that tells us our age," he concluded, "I was six or seven when I first did."

"Oh gods," Vegeta groaned, very not reassured.

"I'm off to find Piccolo-san and the others," Gohan told them, "We definitely need a plan."

"And a prayer," Goten added dully, still hoping uselessly that it was all but a nightmare.
***
TBC in Chapter 5...