Younger

The next morning, everyone in Gohan's house was up while it was still dark. The others who'd been there the preceding day had returned on time, and the Z-warriors had gone through their warm-ups outside.

"Why not?" Pan whined at Videl, "I'm strong enough! I bet now I could beat Uncle Goten." She made a face, the title still sounding strange now to her own ears.

"Pan, for the last time," Gohan said sternly as the rest of them filed back in, "If you're attacked, you could cease to exist. End of question." His face was angry and pinched, not looking forward to the confrontation himself, which silenced her.

ChiChi and Bulma had returned as well to stay with Videl and Pan, and the blue-haired scientist handed Trunks a mysterious looking capsule, which he pocketed. He took the GPS and secret mine map she'd provided, and the warriors quietly followed Gohan outside.

Out of the others' sight, Goten remained with Vegeta in the entryway. Their bond afforded them the gift of telepathy, quite useful in the presence of sharp ears. They needed not speak a word, only connect and be wrapped in the warmth of the other's ki. Of course they knew that if one lost his life, he would automatically be joined with the other in the afterlife, more a relief to them than a risk. Despite what had transpired the day before, they automatically fell into their tight, familiar embrace.
/Until the end, no matter what,/ their collective thought assured fiercely, sealed by a soft kiss, their tails entwining in sacred promise.

Hearing Gohan and Piccolo calling them, they broke apart to join the group. Vegeta, Goten, Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks, Yamcha, Krillin, 17, and 18, all glacial expressions thinly concealing the volcanic battles brewing within. The warriors took to flight, not knowing what to expect, their ki and faces set nonetheless in determined glares.
*
The said diamond mine, well concealed beyond the Kasumi mountain range, was not difficult for them to find, thanks to their sophisticated radar and accute senses. Yellow tape placed by local authorities surrounding the area was torn away, the entrance to the mine being a little more difficult.

Lately obsessed with the Naruto anime, Goten made a show of ki-channeling hands, telling them, "We must enter in unperceived, silent stealth, like phantoms in the night..." His dramatic display was broken when Vegeta extended a palm, ki-blasting the mine's entrance to dusty smithereens. "...So much for stealth," he sighed, following Vegeta and the others.

"Wait," Trunks stopped them, "In a way, Goten's right. Not counting all the supposed traps, one false step could make the whole place cave in."

"That's crap," 18 scoffed, for once in once in agreement with Vegeta, "Those miners saw something they shouldn't've, and the old bat 86'd them."

"Cripe." Yamcha made a face. "We have the map. Why don't we just fly through it so we don't step on anything?"

"For once I'm with him," Piccolo stated, "The easiest way is the most efficient. Don't complicate it." Krillin nodded vehemently.

No one was opposed, so they began their excursion through the dark maze of narrow, dug-out corridors, flying in single file. All were lucky to have sharp, almost infrared eyesight, except for Krillin, who was obliged to hold onto 18's ankle, and Yamcha onto Piccolo's. Unfortunately for the comparatively visually challenged humans, they regularly crashed into unseen obstacles.

"Can't you be more careful?" Piccolo hissed at them, "You're going to make the place cave in!"

"Easy for you to say," Yamcha retorted, rubbing a painful bump on his head, "This place is a goddamn labyrinth!"

"Yeah," Krillin added indignantly, "We're doing the best we c--" The short man's arm collided with something painless this time; it was neither a wall, nor a protruding rock. It felt more like a cord of some type, and the next thing they knew, a very loud CLANG! resounded around the Z-gang, echoing off the empty, cavernous walls. Those who could see noted that it was a very large, metal cage, now emprisoning them all.

"Oh gawd, what've you done?" 18 face-palmed.

Her twin clapped sarcastically. "Bravo."

Feeling the cage in motion, they all pulled and ki-blasted the bars and cords that held it up with all their might, their efforts proving to be useless. Vegeta cursed a blue streak of frustration that anything should resist his power.

"The matter is all ki-resistant," Trunks informed them, his face also flushed angrily.

"We see that, genius," Vegeta hissed through his teeth, "We need to get out of here, fast!"

"All together," Goten improvised, a desperate plan in his mind. The rest of them understood, and their collective ki blasts combined to form a single stream behind Goten's and Gohan's kiai, "KAAAMEEE-HAAAMEEE-HAAAAAA!!"

The extreme force of their ki only turned against them, sending them all reeling backward to collapse on their backsides.

Their unanimous fury was held in check when the cage was dropped to the floor in what appeared to be a hidden chamber, suddenly and mysteriously lit.

"Do excuse the uncomfortable transportation," a female voice with a patient yet hauty, condescending tone announced from a back corner, "This is a dangerous place, and you might hurt yourselves. It's for your own good."

The words alone were enough to make the Saiyans' tails bristle, their teeth bared like the Android twins', whose eyes glowed red.

"Show yourself, bitch!" Trunks growled through his bared teeth, readying himself.

"True, proper introductions are lacking," the annoying voice replied. A loud, authoritative clomp-clomp-clomp of footsteps approached and a woman appeared, who looked nothing at all like the ghoulish hag encountered by the now chibi Saiyans. Gleaming white hair was cropped to a wavy, chin-length modern style that framed an ideally oval face. She wore a tight black, expensive looking suit with a tailored skirt, covered by an open white, high-collared outer coat touching the floor and black, noisy high heels. If one saw her likeness in the street, or while flipping through a fashion magazine, one would deem her to be physically attractive.

At first, Yamcha gave her the same look that Master Roshi gave the girls in his sukebe magazines, but 18 elbowed him sharply in the ribs. Glancing back at Vegeta and Goten, his momentary Roshi-look dropped and turned to a proper glare. "Well, who or what the hell are you, l'enzi?"

The woman smiled, yet still gave Vegeta and Goten, now the rest of them as well, shudders of revulsion. She tapped her fingernails on an ornate crystal ball and announced into it, "They're here... almost all." To her captives, she said with a faux cordiality, "I stand flattered that you know of my people. My name is Lamiya. Of course, there is no need to introduce yourselves. My only question is to what honor I owe your visit. Have you came here to thank me for what I've done for you?"

The Z-warriors stared at her in disbelief. Was that some kind of sick joke? "THANK you?!" Goten exclaimed disgustedly, "For stealing our lives by turning us back into kids, just so you could get a magic facelift? Let me out of here, and I'll give you a Saiyan-style 'facelift' you'll never forget!" Vegeta patted his shoulder proudly.

"Ah, Son Goten," Lamiya recalled, "Actually, it was not your youth I intended to absorb. Yet."

"What??" the captive warriors demanded in unison.

"Yes, that is correct," Lamiya continued, ignoring their outrage, "You see, I've learned many facts about Saiyans... the rest of you as well, one at a time... but I was not aware of certain consequences of your mating bonds; by taking one of yours, I get the other's as well. Vegeta's ki alone would have sufficed for myself, but two for one is a great bargain."

"Wait a minute," Gohan interjected, rubbing his temples, "Assuming you absorbed all of ours. What would you do with it?"

"Simple. Now I have enough for my poor husband, that we may live well again. The rest which I'll absorb from you, the Androids and the Namek, I shall sell to the highest bidders." She shrugged matter-of-factly, pouring herself a glass of what appeared to be red wine, fondly touching a diamond-crafted throne. "Oh... Where are my manners? May I offer you each a drink? Except the two of you now, I'm afraid," she said pityingly to Vegeta and Goten, "Though I could offer you orange or apple juice."

"The gods hear me, when I'm through with you, you and all your kind will regret the day your mothers shat you into this world!" Vegeta glowered, his icy, preparing for genocide look resurfacing.

Lamiya swirled the wine in her glass, contemplating them curiously. "I don't understand. Why such hatred? My people have known cultures who have presented us gifts of thanks for what we've done for them. Do you realize how many people live lives of regret, wishing 'if only I knew then what I know now, I'd have done it all differently'? How many people ever get such a rare opportunity? Almost none. Others have solicited our services. We live in a symbiosis of sorts. Why don't you see it that way? It's for your own good, you know."

Those last few words echoed in 17's head once too often. While the others were distracted by their outrage at their captor's nonchalance, he seized Trunks by the throat, thrusting his hand into the demi Saiyan's left jacket pocket.

"Arrgh?" Trunks gasped in astonished question at the Android.

"I saw your little pass-pass before we left," 17 hissed fiercely under his breath, "I don't know where your mother got her mitts on that capsule, but I recognized it. It's Red Ribbon Issue, I know what it does, and I suggest you hand it over now."

17 loosened his grip on Trunks' throat so that he may breathe and speak, but he remained mute and confused for a moment. "I was saving that for an emer--"

"And this is what, Monopoly?" 17 pulled out the RR-stamped capsule, then released Trunks, who took several gulps of air.

With a practiced fling, 17 threw the capsule at the roof of their prison, causing a loud explosion with what appeared to be several mini fireworks. The group instinctively covered their heads, and the bars of the cage fell away like twigs. 17 and Trunks caught its roof until the rest of them evacuated, then tossed it across the chamber where it crashed against a wall, causing a large amount of dust and debris to fall and the walls shake.

Vegeta burst out laughing, and the group advanced slowly toward the L'enzi, their intentions clear.

17 turned to Trunks with a radiant grin. "I could almost kiss you," he declared. Trunks' cheeks blushed deep red. "Ah, he'll." 17 grasped Trunks' jacket lapels and kissed him full on the mouth, very hard but quick. Trunks was left stunned in place, moving only when the commotion began.

"First, we want our real bodies and our ki back," Vegeta seethed, "Then you're getting a one-way ticket to hell!" He launched a vicious ki blast at the L'enzi, which she calmly absorbed with one carefully manicured hand, her eyes glowing white, then sent it back with a gentle looking fling that projected Vegeta back to collide against the wall.

"Fucking bitch!" Goten growled through his teeth, flinging a lethal ki blast at the alien woman, which ended with the same result.

Piccolo tripled himself to beam cannon her from all sides, which were just as easily deferred and returned, knocking him back into his single form.

They all took their turns, the Android twins with expert spinning kicks, Gohan with his fury blast he'd been summoning since the start, Trunks with his keen sword, Krillin's Destructo-Disks, Yamcha's lowest blows, all of them meeting the same fates.

"Generally, we are not a combatative people," Lamiya commented, "In fact, we abhor violence, but these new powers will come in handy. I advise you to give up now, while you still can. Imagine how powerful I will be once I've absorbed all your ki. I'm most impatient to meet your hero, Goku. As unsuspecting as he'll be, the poor thing. Nothing, anywhere, will stop me then!" Suddenly power mad, her black eyes that usually glowed white when her own powers were activated, now glowed red, and she laughed maniacally.

The group looked at each other with small, secretive smiles, knowing what was happening to her. She was slowly losing control of the power she'd greedily taken from two Saiyans.

"I have an idea," Vegeta told them, suddenly inspired, "Kind of like when I watched how Kakarot defeated one of Babidi's goons, the light eater. Are you with me?"

They had all heard about that, and Gohan remembered, grinning. "You bet!"

"Hmph..." Vegeta snickered, "She wants our youth, she wants our ki... why don't we indulge the lady?"

Lamiya smiled in self-satisfaction, seeing them recognize their powerlessness to her and finally seeing reason.

All palms extended toward the l'enzi, letting loose their kiai in unison. "KAAAAAA-MEEEEEE..."

Lamiya opened her arms to welcome the inflow of their collective energy, a joyous expression forming on her face that was quite hideous.

"HAAAAAA-MEEEEEE..." The l'enzi began to laugh again in her madness, when suddenly she was stopped short, her eyes bulging with a shriek of pain. Pain that became more intolerable with each passing second, her progressively shrinking body thrashing about on the floor and gasping for air, quite exactly like a fish out of water. At this point, her age appeared to be perhaps... twelve... ten... six... four...

At the same time as the l'enzi shrunk younger, Vegeta and Goten grew taller toward their normally developed forms, visibly getting back their ki as well. They were now surrounded by their normal Super Saiyan glows, causing the small bundle that was left of Lamiya, mostly hidden in her black and white haute couture, to scream in agony.

"P..please!" Her small, clawlike hands weakly grasped at Vegeta's and Goten's ankles. "Please, make me back to..to normal... I'll make you rich. I..I'll work to serve your cause. Anything! Anything!" she shrieked in a last-ditch effort to save her carcass.

"Well, well, doesn't that sound familiar," Vegeta reflected ironically.

"I wonder if what we're about to do to her would be considered 'child abuse'?" Goten mused, making Vegeta laugh again.

"That didn't seem to be any concern of hers," Vegeta blew off, "Ready?"

"HAAAAAA!" Their collective stream of ki drew some more screams from Lamiya, who was then reduced to a toddler, then a baby, whose cry was every bit as horrid, emitting one last scream before shrinking to a smaller and smaller, silent embryo, surely going through several microscopic stages before a twinkle of light showed her disappearance altogether.

A collective "Yes!!" echoed loudly throughout the whole mine, with a succession of high-fives.

"You're back!" Gohan threw his arms around his brother and brother-in-law's shoulders. "I'm so glad to see you the same again."

"So are we," Goten agreed, his and Vegeta's faces now masks of relief. Luckily, Gohan had thought to bring normally sized clothing for them, though Vegeta was obliged to roll up the pantlegs considerably.

"Well, almost the same," Krillin added, he and 18 giggling good-naturedly, then joined by Goten.

"Now what?" Vegeta asked blankly.

Goten reached up to ruffle his bangs that had remained. "I told you, they're cute."

Vegeta reached up to touch them and groaned. "But I can't see!" he complained again, following the rest of the Z-gang out. It was not easy with Goten permanently latched onto him, though he didn't complain.

"Wait." 18 paused at what had been Lamiya's crystal ball, and tapped it with her own fingernails.

"Yes?" a voice replied from it, "Is your mission accomplished?"

"You could say that." 18 zapped the crystal ball, unaware that she had just exterminated the entire l'enzi population. "Yeah, yeah," she said to Krillin, who was beckoning for her to follow them.

They left the diamond mine by the same way entered, leaving a nice surprise of a promising retirement for the mine's owner, who falsely believed himself ruined.
*
Outside, they'd found the l'enzi's space vessel, which Trunks was examining intently. Later, he would return with his mother and grandfather to take back to Capsule Corp for a thorough inspection.
"As we thought, diamonds are vital components of its laser system," he observed aloud to the presence behind him. He turned in surprise to see that it was 17, wearing an odd little smile and beckoning for him to approach, farther away. Held by fascination, he followed him.

Understandably, Goten and Vegeta had found a discrete, quiet corner away from the rest, intently and shamelessly making out, and planning things they hadn't been able to do of late, relieved being a sorry understatement.

"If you consider," Vegeta mumbled between heated kissing, "We went through puberty first normally... Goten, not here," he groaned at what his hand was doing to him, "Then backwards in one day..." His eyes almost crossed when Goten's tail slid down his pants. "Then forward again in just a few minutes... Goten!... I guess it's normal that we're gonna be a little crazy for awhile."

"I can't wait," Goten sighed breathlessly, his mouth red from heavily kissing. "In a way, you kind of did lose your virginity with me."

"And I got yours twice," Vegeta pointed out, smirking at Goten's priceless expression.

"Not everybody can say that," Goten admitted. He paused curiously, seeing Trunks stop beside a tree a distance away, looking very spaced out. "Hang on," he said to Vegeta impulsively, "One second, okay?" Vegeta nodded but gave his tail a knowing stroke, as though he could forget.

Hastily arranging the front of Gohan's khaki trousers, Goten stepped behind Trunks and tapped his shoulder. The latter flinched out of his reverie and looked back. "What did 17 have to say?" Goten asked casually.

"Uhm... He..." For all his attitude, concerning this type of thing, he wasn't a better liar than Goten. "He noticed my capsule bomb was Red Ribbon Tech," he replied truthfully, "But that it was good someone had one." He watched Goten expectantly, then asked, "So, what's going on?"

"I just wanted you to tell the others to go back ahead of us," Goten shrugged off frankly, "Don't bother making excuses." He smiled craftily. "You need an alibi, don't you? For what time?"

Trunks hesitated. "I... seven." He looked away, nervously flustered.

"Consider it done." Goten snapped his fingers. "So that's why 17 was sucking up to Vegeta. See ya." They grinned and Goten returned to Vegeta, taking him tightly in his arms.

"They know not to wait for us," he assured him, "Six-thirty okay? We'll be hungry by then, but right now..."

"Sure." Vegeta's face was drunken with so many things, greedily caressing his Goten he'd missed too much.

"Actually," Goten confessed, his breathing falling harder, "Your hair is so sexy I could die."

Vegeta smiled wickedly. "I think we should take these off now. Your brother wouldn't appreciate them covered in grass stains, among other things."

Goten didn't need to be told twice.
*
Much later, the two of them stopped by their house to change into their own clothes. Still very drunken without a drop of alcohol to blame, they could not resist more rounds of hard, loud, rough passion before quickly showering and repressing, seeing them calm and serene when they got back to Gohan's house, on time.

The Z-gang was never more glad to see them as their normal selves, greatly relieved that the ordeal was over. It was perhaps the first time since he could remember that Vegeta felt he belonged somewhere.

As promised, Goten worked out an alibi for Trunks. Programming a phone to ring was practical. A bit later, he examined Trunks' nice casual outfit, complete with his blue scarf and signature jacket with a thumbs-up, pushing his skateboard into his hands. "Don't forget your alibi. You need it for now."

"What I need is my head examined," Trunks said nervously, "The proof, I'm taking your advice." His face alternated between pale and red, his eyes looking considerably glazed.

"Just quit lookin' so spaced out," Goten coached him, "They'll think you're on dope."

"Have a great time with your friends," Bulma encouraged him.

Trunks left and Goten glanced warily at Bulma, hoping she hadn't overheard anything. She surprised him by beckoning him to follow her to the lab. Confused, Goten did. She opened a cabinet and took out a box of capsules, smiling cleverly.

"Look at these," she bade conspiratorially, "We have our own patent of those same capsules. I purposely gave him a Red Ribbon Issued one. Call it an ice-breaker," she said with a wink.

"You mean, you..." Goten's mouth opened.

"Vegeta isn't ready to hear it yet," she warned, "But I've seen their mysterious looks for a long time, and Trunks has been a total space cadet."

The look on Goten's face must have been priceless, as she burst out laughing. It became contagious, and they both laughed until their sides ached. Indeed, what a family.
*
Nervously Trunks entered the secluded park where he was to meet 17, again questioning his own sanity when a strong hand grabbed his arm, nearly making him jump out of his skin.

"Hey, easy." 17 turned him around, playing with his scarf. "I won't hurt you. Unless you're into that."

The Android had such a sexy voice and exotic face, and Trunks found himself lost in his piercing, icy blue eyes. He hadn't known they could be so deep. "17..." At a loss for words, he touched 17's bandana he found so adorable. "We match," he commented, mentally kicking himself for sounding so dumb. If only his heart would quit thudding so frighteningly.

"Yes, we do," 17 agreed, softly cupping his cheek, "In many ways, Trunks." The next thing they knew, their lips closed gently, then more passionately together, both flooded with relief as their arms enclosed them in a world where they belonged. The nervousness was gone, and he swore the stars shone more brightly then. If Vegeta and Goten felt half as wonderful as he did now, Trunks thought, then it was right. As for them, it was like they'd came home, and all was right in their world.
*
It was almost time to go home, they knew, standing on Gohan's porch and comfortably stargazing. Knowing better than to wait for Trunks, Goten had left a note on his desk, written in all caps: "CALL ME - I WANT details!! :D "

Vegeta had never thought much about stars, until recently. Standing here on Earth, they'd been like Goten; so close, yet out of reach. Not anymore, he thought fiercely.

"Have I ever taken you for granted?" he worried aloud. He'd almost lost for what he'd waited so long, an unbearable thought. Goten who treated him like his prince he felt him to be, even more, his king.

"No. Never," Goten affirmed, wondering why the thought. Vegeta didn't show these things in front of others, only to him. He snuggled against him, euphoric in his embrace. Goten had felt his deepest wounds, and gave him the comfort he never had. Vegeta had faced Goten's worst fears, and bravely fought them off.

In their world, there was no more place for any of that. They stood together as day and night, sun and moon, forming one.

/You're mine,/ was their shared thought then, /Nothing else matters./

One star seemed to shine brighter that night. It was the Star of Venus, telling them that their song had never changed.
***
~The End~
____________________
A/N: Thanks for your patience! ^_^
Follows up with a one-shot spin-off, College Blues (Android 17/Trunks), though the stories are not inter-dependant.