Title: I Came Back From the Dead For This?

By VLG

E-mail: vlgsama @ citlink.net

Feedback: Definitely! ^_~

Fandom: DragonBall Z/GT

Category: AU, drama, angst (for this part)

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: Death after the fact, some what morbid

Summary: Trunks prepares for a trip.

Notes: Enough of the past, let's head into the future! ^^ Ya know, I very much doubt anyone would *not* need to go back and read/re-read the previous parts. ^^;; However, this part *can* be read as a stand alone. ^^ Oh, and I'm posting the plain text version directly into this e-mail as well as linking to the html version. ^^ (don't ask me why, I'm just experimenting)

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBall Z/GT, as much as I want to. But this fic is mine.

Warnings: This is AU. If you don't like AU fics, then don't read this. This also contains yaoi and shonen ai. Again, if you don't like that, then don't read. This might also have lemons, I'm not sure yet. If you are not mature enough to handle that, then don't read the lemons, if any. Okies?

Spoilers: Probly not. Though, be careful with the flashbacks. And I haven't actually seen DBGT, so don't expect it to follow it, at all! ^^;; Read at your own risk!

I Came Back From the Dead For This?
By VLG

Prologue

A dark figure stood before the enormous dragon of New Namek. He motioned to the Namekian who had agreed to translate his wishes to the eternal dragon.

"Are you sure this will work? I don't want to waste any wishes." He asked, the slight tremble in his voice barely detectable. Ocarina smiled at him, knowing the reason for his unease.

"I see no reason why it shouldn't." Ocarina assured him.

"Then get on with it!" He snapped, irritated by the delay. Ocarina turned to Purunga, sighing softly.

"This bozo wishes that the one called Goku be brought back to life." Ocarina said the Namekian language.

"Your wish is granted. You have two more wishes. Make them now, so I can get back to my nap!" Purunga said.

"We wish the one called Goku and this bozo" Ocarina pointed to the dark figure, "back to Earth."

"This will take both wishes." Purunga warned.

"Then so be it." Ocarina gave the go ahead. With a flash of light, the dark figure found himself standing atop a hill in a forest not far from where Goku used to live. But Goku was nowhere to be found.

"Damnit! Where is he? He better not have . . . " he stopped in his tracks. "No! He did! Kuso!" He made a beeline for Goku's current position. 'It's not suppose to happen this way!' he thought angrily, and a little scared.

Part 1

Goku flew to within 50 feet of his house and landed on the soft green grass.

'There it is, my home! I can't wait to see Chichi again! I bet the boys will be glad to see me! I can't wait to see them and the others. . .' Goku thought, taking in the peaceful surroundings of his former home. 'If I can't wait, why am I waiting?!?' With that thought, Goku all but ran to the front porch, where he slowed his pace, somewhat anxious and scared of seeing his family again. It had been 5 years since he last saw them. Things will be different and awkward, and he wasn't sure how he'd handle the changes. He walked up to the door and, with one last deep breath, he silently slipped inside. The house was dark and quiet.

'They must still be asleep. I'll wait for them in the kitchen, and while I'm there, I might as well get something to eat!' He silently made his way to the kitchen, but as he got closer, he could hear some faint sounds, water running, chopping, humming . . .

'Humming? Oh, it must be Chichi! But she only hums after . . . nah! She must be humming for another reason! I've been dead, after all! She must know I was coming back and she's fixing me something to eat! Yeah, that must be it!' he slipped into the kitchen unnoticed by the occupants. Chichi stood at a counter, chopping some vegetables. She wore an oversized men's blue pajama top and her black hair was cascading down her back, early morning sun-light making it shine.

Goku leaned up against the wall as he lost himself in the vision before him. He didn't even notice that the fridge door was open. He did, however, notice when it was shut, revealing Zarbon, wearing only loosely fitting blue pajama bottoms, that matched Chichi's shirt perfectly. This fact didn't register in Goku's mind, not until much later.

Zarbon carried a carton of milk, eggs, and cheese over to the counter where Chichi was chopping. After placing the items on the counter, he placed his hand on Chichi's shoulder and whispered something in her ears. Goku just watched with a confused look on his face, wondering why Chichi hadn't thrown him out the window by now. Chichi giggled.

'Why is she letting him touch her? And why is she giggling?!? Something's not right here! If any guy besides me were doing that, he would be black and blue by now! Has she changed that much? What's going on here?' Rather than voicing his questions, he just stood there and watched.

Chichi put her arm around Zarbon's waist and rested her head on his shoulder, saying something about the boys being up soon, and that they'd better get dressed. Zarbon ran his fingers through her hair, the sunlight streaming through the windows catching in the silky strands.

"Or," Zarbon started "we could go upstairs and lock ourselves in the bedroom!" he finished, taking her into his arms.

"Oh, Zarbon!" Chichi giggled. "We did that yesterday! What would the boys think?" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I don't know, but it would most likely be accurate!" By this point, Goku's eye were wide open, his mouth ajar, and shaking his head slowly in disbelief. He didn't hear what was said next, for the sound of his heart beating in his ears was too loud. His pulse was racing, his mind was reeling, and the floor seemed to move beneath him. With his eyes squeezed shut and his fist and teeth clenched, it took all of his control not to throttle the green alien with his own braid. His own instincts were wagging a war within him against his feelings.

"Oh, Zarbon! I love it when you do that! Goku never did that to me!" Those words stopped his heart cold, causing it to shatter into as many pieces as there are stars in the heavens. The war over, tears started flowing down his cheeks, his anguish clear upon his face.

"No . . ." he whispered, backing to the door. This caught the lovebirds' attention. Thinking it was one of the boys, Chichi hid behind Zarbon, embarrassed to have one of her sons to see her in nothing but a pajama top. Zarbon turned to see who it was, and was faced with quite a surprise.

"Goku? Is that really you?" Upon hearing Goku's name, Chichi peeked around Zarbon shoulder.

"Goku! You're back! How? When? Why? Who? Oh, Goku!" She rushed to him, tears in her eyes, but he backed away, looking back and forth between her and Zarbon.

"Oh. Listen, Goku. You've been dead for years, and our vows said 'to death do us part' and you've been dead so many times and . . . we didn't think you'd be coming back, and . . . well, I got lonely and . . ." Chichi babbled.

"And we got married." Zarbon finished for her, stepping behind her and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, which she covered with her own hand. Goku turned to the door, his back to them, and with three last words said with as much vehemence as he could muster in his current state, he flew blindly out of the house that used to be his, tears flowing down his face, blurring his vision. He headed in no particular direction, he just wanted to get away from what he was so eager to get back to just moments ago.

"How could I, Goku? How could I not!" Chichi broke down in tears, sinking to the floor. Zarbon cradled her in his arms, rocking her back and forth, and stroking her hair, whispering comforting words.

Part 2

Goten stretched as he sat up in his bed and yawned, shaking his head to clear the sleep from his mind. He leisurely scratched various places of his body, clad only in a pair of pale blue boxers.

'Hmm? Dad? No, that can't be Dad! It's probably just Gohan again.' Goten thought after noticing the large power level leaving the house.

'I must still be dreaming if I thought it was Dad.' Yawning again, he got up and shuffled over to his dresser. Randomly pulling a pair of jeans and a sweat shirt out of the drawers, he made his way to the bathroom. He emerged a minute later, clean and clothed, in a pair of tight blue jeans and a loose fitting yellow sweatshirt. Looking himself over in the full-length mirror in his closet, he ran his fingers through his short, still damp hair.

'What am I doing today? Oh, yeah! I'm sparring with Trunks today! How could I forget! Well, this won't do!' He pulled of the sweatshirt, flinging it onto his unmade bed. He unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, then pulled them off, nearly taking his boxers with them. After a little consideration, he yanked those off too. He kicked the discarded garments over to his bed.

'Now, what to wear . . . I will need something for maximum movement . . . and sexy! Definitely sexy!' he thought, with a devilish smirk on his face. Burrowing through his dresser draws, he found what he was looking for; a black tank top and a pair of short, tight, denim cutoffs. So short, in fact, that if he bent over too far, they would ride up and reveal some of his cheeks.

"Perfect! Now what to wear underneath?" He rummaged through his underwear drawer, looking for the right garment. Then he found it, or rather the box it was in. The 'anonymous' gag gift Trunks gave him for his Birthday last year. An assortment of g-strings! Most of them were ridiculous and far too tacky, but there was one in particular that he liked. It was silk with red and black tiger stripes. That was the real present! The rest were just filler. Goten reached to the bottom of the box and lifted it out. He ran his fingers over the silky smooth fabric, wondering what it would feel like wearing it. He slipped it on. The cool silk created an interesting sensation against his warm crotch. The string would take some getting used to, though. It was a perfect fit. Goten couldn't help but wonder if Trunks had tried it on himself to make sure it would fit. The thought of wearing something that had previously caressed Trunks' naked crotch that now covered his own, made him start to grow hard.

'Ooh, boy! Snap out of it, Goten! You can't go down stair with a hard-on!' he admonished himself, giving his face a few quick slaps. 'What would Mom think?' That seemed to do the trick, but now he was hyperventilating, not only by what she would think, but by what she would also say and do!

'Calm down! It won't do any good to pass out only to be found, in a g-string, by your mother!' Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths and steadied himself against the dresser. After a moment, he calmed down enough to finish dressing. He slipped on the tank top, which seemed to have shrunk since he had last worn it. It barely reached below his waist and the fabric clung to his muscles. He wiggled into his tight shorts and tucked in his tank top as much as he could. He rummaged through his closet and found an old, soft, denim shirt. He slipped it on and rolled up the sleeves to just past his elbows. Checking his refection again, he noticed that the shirt came down below the end of his shorts, giving the appearance that he wasn't wearing any pants, at least from the back and the sides.

'I better tuck it in or Mom will have a fit!' Without buttoning the shirt, he tucked the end into his waistband, which was all he could get in anyway. The result gave his shirt a rather puffed and relaxed look, and combined with the tight tank and short shorts, he looked very sexy indeed! He looked himself over once more and proclaimed "It'll do." He grabbed his wallet off the dresser top and put it in his shirt pocket and made his way down stairs.

Half way down the stairs, he realized that someone, his mother, was crying. He flew down the stairs and followed the sound to the kitchen. He rushed in to find his mother on the floor, sobbing in Zarbon's embrace.

"Mom! What's wrong? What happened?" he exclaimed as he rushed to her side.

"Your father's back! I don't know how, or why, or even who did it! I just know he's back and he knows!" Chichi started sobbing anew, fresh tears streaming down her face. A torrent of emotions tore through Goten, as was evident on his face as he held his mother close. He felt happy that Goku was back, but upset because Chichi was crying, and thoroughly confused about everything. He was mad, and surprised, that his father would say or do something that would hurt his mother in anyway, but he also felt for him, as he could imagine what he must be going through. Coming back from the dead and finding your wife had remarried is not something one can deal with easily, even Goku. He must feel betrayed and hurt.

"Don't worry, Mom. Everything will be alright. I'll go get Gohan and we'll go after him. I'm sure after he thinks things through, he'll understand. It will be okay." He gently away from her and stood. Chichi's crying had subsided to a gentle sobbing and a bit of hiccuping.

"Be ca-careful! He seemed awfully mad when h-he left!" she warned.

"Don't worry. We will." with that, he leapt up the stairs and bounded into Gohan's room. Gohan's empty room. Gohan's empty and clean room. Which means he hadn't come home yesterday.

"Great. You guys have perfect timing!" he muttered under his breath. He walked over to the window and opened it quietly. 'No need for Mom to know about this.' He slipped out and flew in the general direction of Piccolo's waterfall, hoping that that's where they would be.

Part 3

Gohan lay naked in grass, in a meadow not far from Piccolo's waterfall. He lay there snuggled up in his lover's arms, underneath a blanket made of air. They were both awake, but neither wanted to move from their cozy spot nor disturb the other.

"Did you feel that?" Gohan asked Piccolo as he sat up. He could have sworn he just felt Goku's presence, or at least a large ki signature like his. It stopped after awhile.

"Yes, I did. Any chance it could have been Goten?" Piccolo asked, sitting up himself, already knowing the answer.

"No, he's still asleep."

"How can you tell?"

"I'm his brother! I can tell, trust me!" Gohan said with a slight smirk and a twinkle in his eyes.

"I always have." Piccolo thought for a moment. "It must have been him. It's the only explanation." he decided.

"But that means . . ."

"Yes, I know. How will he handle it?"

"I don't really know. I could only guess his reaction, but not what he'd do about it." Gohan thought for awhile. "But who brought him back? Do you think it was . . ."

"Most likely. He's out there, heading to where Goku stopped." Just then, they both felt Goku leave, but with so much power, it didn't seem possible.

"I have a feeling that he'll be the only one to help Dad now."

"But will he get to Goku before he does something rash?"

"I hope so. I hope Dad accepts him. They could be so happy together! I just know it!" Gohan punched the ground with his fist, causing a small crater to form bellow it.

"Calm down, koibito! You're getting yourself all worked up!" Piccolo gently massaged Gohan's shoulders.

"Mmmmm, that feels go-od!" Gohan leaned back against his koi, a smile on his lips.

"Lie down on your stomach and I'll do your back." Piccolo purred into his ear. Gohan readily complied and Piccolo straddled Gohan's ass. He began working from his shoulders down, his long nails playing against his skin every now and then. Gohan 'mmm'ed and 'aaah'ed and 'o-h'ed intermittently. Piccolo moved back onto Gohan's legs so he could reach his lower back better. He soon reached the spot where Gohan's tail used to be. The site of the small round scar brought memories flooding into his mind, mostly of when he had to remove Gohan's tail, repeatedly. He had always felt bad about that, but he had no choice in the matter. He bent over and kissed the scar, trailing his tongue over the sensitive skin.

"Aaaaaaaaah! Piccolo! Don't do that unless you mean it!" Gohan gasped. Piccolo moved up to whisper in Gohan's ear.

"And when have I not meant it, my love?" he began nibbling on Gohan's ear and reached around to play with his nipples.

"Mmmm! Oh, no! Not now! Goten's coming!" he tried to get up, but Piccolo held him in place. "Piccolo! Stop playing! We gotta get dressed before Goten gets here!"

"He'll be awhile yet. We have plenty of time for a little fun!" he purred.

"Why Piccolo! You're hornier than a 15-year old boy, today!" Gohan said with a sly smile on his face. "If we start now," he turned over, "he'll catch us in the act!" he put his arms around Piccolo's neck. "Are you sure you want to scar my baby brother for life?" he asked, not really caring what the answer was.

"Maybe then he'll leave us alone." he began nuzzling Gohan's neck.

"You know, we should get a place of our own. Anybody could find us here out in the open like this."

"Like the time you pounced me 3,000 feet in the air and said no one would see us without a telescope?"

"Well . . ."

"And then half way through, a 747 flew right past us?"

"Well . . ." Gohan was know blushing profusely.

"And then they made a second pass, and then a third?"

"Well, the third was just so they could get back on course . . ."

"And then that news helicopter came by with a video crew inside and decided to tape us?"

"At least it wasn't live feed! And we did get the tape . . ."

"Tapes." Piccolo corrected, then proceed to give Gohan's nipples a little more attention.

" . . . tapes from them. And they are kind of fun to watch! Hey, where do you keep those, anyway?" he then began to suckle on the tender green flesh between Piccolo's neck and jaw.

"Mmmm, Kami's lookout." Gohan stopped.

"What if Dende or Mr. Popo find them?" Gohan asked a little frantic.

"Don't worry. They're in a safe place." Piccolo said, continuing his ministrations.

Meanwhile, at Kami's lookout . . .

Dende and Mr. Popo sit staring wide eyed at a tv screen that is showing what was on the videos that Mr. Popo had found while cleaning.

"Oh, my! How many tapes were there?" Dende asked.

"Five or six." Mr. Popo replied.

"And you found them where?"

"In the back of the storage closet, wrapped up in a white clothe."

"How odd."

Back to Piccolo and Gohan . . .

"I do agree that we should find some place to live, what with a little one on the way." Piccolo smiled as he watched his lover's eyes light up with excitement.

"Piccolo, you bastard! When were you going to tell me!" Gohan exclaimed, hugging the namek.

"I wanted it to be a surprise!"

"Well, I sure as hell am surprised! How long have you been keeping this a secret?"

"A month since it started. I didn't want to worry you."

"How much longer?" Gohan asked, the anticipation evident on his face and in his voice.

"I'd say, about a week." Gohan's jaw dropped.

"A week!?! We better hurry! There's so much to do and so little time!" Gohan paced the valley floor. "We need a house, furniture, baby stuff! Why didn't you tell me sooner? Aw, hell, I'd need two months just to get half the stuff!" he rambled on, talking as fast as a five-year old on a sugar high, his panicky pacing wearing a rut into the ground.

"Uh, Gohan . . ."

"Maybe Bulma could help us out, she could get us a capsule house! But where to put it? Maybe . . ."

"Gohan."

"And baby stuff! Where are we gonna get baby stuff? Maybe Goten's old things? No, I think Mom gave most of it away. Maybe Bulma still has some of Trunks' or Bra's? Does Bulma even . . ."

"Gohan!"

"What is it? Something wrong?" Gohan rushed to his partners side.

"Two things, Gohan. 1. That's getting on my nerves, so calm down. 2. There's more you need to know. Now sit down and keep quiet till I finish." Gohan sat down beside Piccolo, full of questions about what he was going to say, but not daring to disobey Piccolo. Oh, no. He remembered all to well how his mom was when she was pregnant with Goten. A pregnant woman, especially if it's Chichi, is nothing to mess with! He wasn't sure about pregnant Nameks, but he wasn't going to push it to find out! Mama didn't raise no fool! ^_~

"Normally, the gestation period for Nameks, is about a week, and in some cases less than that., even a day. But that is for a male child. For a female, it takes about five weeks, and a lot of hell to go through. Which is why all Nameks are male. No one wanted to go through such torture to have a female that isn't needed. And, as you may have noticed, a pregnant Namek is extremely horny and only feels like satisfying their own cravings. Also, they can't train or do anything strenuous while pregnant, and therefor very irritable when they can't do what they want to. Fortunately, they can still have sex. Now, a week of this isn't so bad, but five weeks is hell for everyone in the vicinity. Which is why I've made it a point to stay out of populated areas more than usual and therefore couldn't come to the dinner party last week."

"Oh . . ."

"There's more. If a Namek is pregnant long enough, he will become extremely . . . emotional. Much like your mother was when she was pregnant with Goten. Now afterwards, the egg should hatch within hours of . . . coming out." Piccolo had started to sweat, either from the difficulty of telling Gohan these detail or from the warm summer sun. Gohan waited patiently for Piccolo to continue. He placed his hand on his shoulder reassuringly. Piccolo placed his own hand atop of Gohan's, giving it a gentle squeeze, and smiled at him. Gohan smiled back.

"Goten's almost here. We better get dressed. The rest can wait. But don't tell him, or anyone, yet. Okay?"

"I won't tell. I promise, love." Gohan wrapped his arms around Piccolo and kissed his forehead tenderly.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were sweethearts!" Goten joked as he walked up behind them.

"Hey, Goten. What's up?" Gohan greeted his sibling as Piccolo gave a 'hellonowgoaway' grunt.

"Not you two, I hope!" Goten kidded. "Dad's back." he said, the mirth now gone from his voice.

"We know."

"He found out."

"We figured he did."

"I think we should look for him."

"Do you really think that's necessary?"

"From what Mom told me, he was quite distraught after finding her with Zarbon, and I can't feel him anymore. Gohan, I'm worried!"

"I can't feel him either. I can't feel either of them. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad sign! When you said he found them together, you didn't mean . . ." Gohan started.

"No, they were just in the kitchen fixing breakfast." Goten shook his head.

"Well, that's something, at least. Alright, go get Trunks and both of you go to Kami's lookout and see if Dende can find him. Got it?"

"Yeah. But what about you?" Goten asked, somewhat confused. Didn't he want to help?

"Me? Summer classes, kiddo! I've got a job to do. I do have my responsibilities. I'm sure that you guys can handle it, but if for any reason you need me, just call, kay?" Goten nodded. He had forgotten that Gohan still had work in the summer.

"Good. Damn! I better get going before I'm late!" Gohan looked about him. "Uh, hon? Do you remember where I put my clothes?" he asked Piccolo. He thought for a minute.

"They're at the bottom of the lake."he said.

"At the bottom of . . . in the lake!?! Damnit!" Gohan started walking down to the lake to retrieve his wet clothes.

"Gohan, wait." Piccolo called after him. Gohan stopped and walked back.

"You sure?" Gohan asked, worried that it might be to strenuous for Piccolo to do.

"Don't worry, it's easy!" Piccolo said, as he stood up, giving Goten an eyeful. Five seconds later, Gohan was wearing a blue business suit, pinstriped shirt, a dark blue necktie, socks, and shoes.

"Very nice, Piccolo! But you forgot something." Gohan said. Piccolo cocked an eyebrow.

"Says who?" he said, with a grin on his face. Gohan smiled back. He walked up to Piccolo and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Why you little devil!" They kissed, and kissed, and kissed, and . . .

"If you keep this up, Gohan, you'll have to fly to work! Wouldn't your employers and students just love that!" Goten reminded him. Gohan muttered 'Damn.' into Piccolo's lips, who seconded it.

"See you for lunch?"

"You bet! Even if I have to fly!" Gohan winked. They let go of each other reluctantly and Gohan took off, heading for his room to collect his stuff before driving to work.

Part 4

Goten and Piccolo watched Gohan leave. Piccolo had a forlorn look on his face, as if he might not see Gohan again. He got dressed, or rather, he materialized himself some shorts. He didn't feel like wearing much that day, and it was rather warm. He sat down on the cool grass, leaning back on his elbows. He glanced over at Goten, who was still staring at the spot where his big brother had disappeared, lost in thought, and looked him over, taking notice of what he was wearing. Piccolo smiled, or rather smirked or leered, depending on how you looked at it. 'It seems Goten takes after his brother in the looks department. I wonder . . .' he let his thoughts drift as he continued to gaze at the youth standing before him as his hand played idly with the waistband of his shorts.

"Hey, Piccolo, do you know . . ." Goten stopped when he noticed how Piccolo was looking at him. Piccolo, after realizing that Goten had spoken to him, snapped out of it, after tearing his gaze off his ass.

"Hmm? What was that, Goten?"

"Uuuh . . . Nothing! It's not important!" Goten said, rather disturbed by the Namek's sudden attentions.

"Oh." Piccolo paused. "You know . . . You remind me of Gohan when he was you age."

"I do?" Goten squeaked. Piccolo chuckled.

"You even squeak when you're nervous!" Goten blushed slightly. This only made him chuckle more.

"You're even cute when you blush!" Piccolo proclaimed. Goten blushed a deeper shade of red and looked away, fidgeting.

"I, uh, I have to go! See ya!" And with that, Goten flew off in the direction of Capsule Corp.

"Great. Now I have no one to play with!" Piccolo muttered to himself. He rolled over onto his stomach and plucked at the grass blades, bored out of his mind.

Switch to Goten . . .

'Man, that was weird! I better tell Gohan to keep his boyfriend on a shorter leash!' And with that thought, an image of Piccolo wearing a studded dog-collar and leash and nothing else flitted through his mind.

'Gah! Must think of something else! Must think of something else! Think of Dad. Why is he back? Who brought him back? Obviously not Mom or Zarbon. Nor Gohan or Piccolo.' The image flashed through his mind again when he thought 'Piccolo'.

'Gah! Who else? Who else? Let's see . . . Krillin? Nah, he's happy as can be with 18. Sure he wishes Dad could have been there, but he knew he would be heart-broken about Mom. Hmm . . . Yamcha? Not likely. Too busy catting around, even for his age! The man still gets around! Bulma? No, she wouldn't because of Mom. I know it's not Trunks and Bra didn't really know him that much. Tien? Chaotzu? I heard Tien was living with someone and Chaotzu's staying with Korin, and he wouldn't bring dad back either. Dende and Popo wouldn't either. 17? Possibly. I know he had a dragonball and could have used the earth's dragon to wish himself to New Namek and use their dragon to wish Dad back. But then, so could Vegeta. He also had a dragonball. But why would either of them want Dad back? To fight him? That hardly makes sense. Why go through all the trouble to get your butt kicked? Could they miss him? Is that it? Oh, that makes even less sense than the fight theory! Dang, I'm getting a headache! I'll ask Trunks, maybe he can think of a reason.' With that final thought, Goten landed on the lawn of Capsule Corp.

Cut to Capsule Corp. interior, outside the main bathroom's door . . .

Bra had had enough. She stood there with her arms crossed and her foot tapping angrily. He had been in there for over an hour already and she needed in there. She didn't understand why he didn't just use his own bathroom, it's not like it was in the middle of being remodeled like hers was. She would just use her Mom's bathroom, or even his, but all her stuff was in there, and she needed some of it to be ready for when Goten came to get Trunks.

"Grrr! Trunks! Get out of there! Why don't you use your own bathroom?" she shouted through the door.

"Because it's not big enough! What's your hurry, anyway? Got a hot date?" he teased.

"Do you? Is that why you're taking so long and need a bigger bathroom? What are you doing in there anyway? Shaving your legs?" she shot right back at him.

"No. And it's none of your business what I'm doing!" he said as he applied Bra's mascara to his eyelashes.

"Fine! As long as you're not using any of my stuff!" she leaned against the door.

'Oops. I'll buy her some more later.' he thought as he now made use of her eyeliner.

"When's Goten coming to get you, anyway?" Bra asked, twirling a few strands of her hair around her finger.

"Oh, so that's it! You've got a crush on Goten, don't you?" Trunks teased.

"No! Well, not really. Maybe. Okay, I do! But don't you dare tell him or anyone, got it?" Bra denied, broke down, admitted, and demanded.

"Ooh, Sis has a crush on Goten! Who should I tell first?" he mercilessly teased her.

"Trunks, don't you dare!" Bra shouted through the door, wide-eyed and frantic that her secret might be revealed.

"Trunks! Goten is here!" Bulma shouted up the stairs.

"Kuso! Already? We weren't suppose to meet till this afternoon! Kuso!" Trunks hurried to finish getting ready and put back what he had 'borrowed' from Bra, hoping she won't notice.

"Hey, Bra-chan!" Goten walked up the stairs. "How's my favorite girl?" He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, causing her to blush and giggle.

"Goten, are you making my sister giggle again?" Trunks called out from inside the bathroom.

"Oh, shut up, Trunks!" she admonished him. "So, Goten-san. How are you today?" she leaned against the banister and batted her eyelashes, obviously flirting. Obvious, that is, to everyone but Goten. At that moment, Trunks emerged from the bathroom, wearing only a small bath towel, held closed by his hand.

"A bit early today, aren'tcha? I'm not even dressed yet!" Trunks said. Goten looked him over.

"No kidding! You planning to get dressed anytime soon?" Goten was hoping it wouldn't be too soon!

"Weren't you wearing clothes when you went in there?" Bra asked.

"Yeah, but they went down the laundry shoot. That a problem, sis?"

"No, just curious."

"Good! Come on, Goten." Trunks motioned for Goten to follow him as he headed down the hall.

"Hey! Where ya going?" Bra asked, upset that Trunks was taking a very sexy Goten form her.

"To my room so I can get dressed! You can come too, if you really want to see your brother naked, that is!" Trunks joked.

"Oh, you're impossible! I don't see how Goten can stand to be around you!"

"Thought not!" Trunks laughed and they continued on.

"You know, she might just take you up on that offer one of . . ." Goten started but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"On second thought, I think I'll join you!" Bra said, walking up behind the two stunned boys. "Is that a problem, bro?" she mimicked his earlier words.

"No. Not with me. How bout you?"

"Goten, you're not helping!"

"Great! Let's go, boys!" Bra said, taking the lead.

"Thanks a lot!"

"Hey, it was your offer! You should know better!" Goten smiled, even though he had been wanting be alone with Trunks. A very *naked* Trunks.

'Kuso! I was so close to getting him alone! And he looks so hot! I could have told him and we could have . . . Ah, who am I kidding? I would have chickened out. He probably doesn't even think of me that way! ' They reached Trunks' room, where Bra sat on the bed and motioned for Goten to sit beside her. Which he did, which only irked Trunks more. He closed the door and dropped his towel onto the pile of dirty laundry in the corner. Bra and Goten just sat there, wide-eyed and blinking.

'Oh . . . my . . . stars! Are all guys that big? Is Goten?" Bra thought.

'Wow!' was the only thing that went through Goten's mind besides very vivid images of himself and the now completely naked Trunks standing before him. Sure, he had seen him naked before, but they were just little kids since the last time. Trunks had grown since then. And quite a bit, to say the least!

Trunks paid no attention to them as he took a pair of underwear and some socks out of his drawer. After he had slipped the underwear on, Bra and Goten snapped out of it. Bra stared at her feet, blushing with embarrassment for staring so blatantly at her brother. Goten wiped the drool from his mouth discreetly and crossed his legs, as if bored, but for a different reason all together. Trunks sat down beside Goten to put his socks on.

"So. What's new?" Trunks asked.

"Oh, not much. Dad's back, he made Mom cry, I think Piccolo made a pass at me, and I haven't had breakfast yet. What's new with you?"

A/N: Kuso means . . . um, damn, I think ^^;; Well, it's a cuss word, anyway. Oh, and Bra (or Bura) didn't notice Trunks' use of her make-up because of Goten's presence. ^_~

Part 5

A phone rang nearby, annoying one Bulma Briefs to no end. She had been working on some plans for the past few days. A few bugs had to be worked out, but they were giving her trouble, and that incessant ringing wasn't helping any.

"Will someone please get that!?" she shouted angrily towards her assistants. The ringing stopped and a faint 'Moshi moshi?' could be heard.

"Thank you." she said, not really speaking to anyone. She rubbed her temples.

'Finally! That ringing was giving me a headache! As if I didn't have one already.' Bulma sighed heavily. 'Note to self, give bonus to the assistant who picked up the phone, and temporarily shorten the breaks for the others for not picking up that phone sooner!'

"Ms. Briefs? It's for you. It sounds urgent." her assistant, the one who picked up the phone, said in an almost scared voice. She sighed again.

"Alright." She got up and walked to the phone. Before picking up the receiver, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. A moment later, she picked it up and pushed the extension number.

"Moshi moshi?" she said, just barely keeping from shouting into the mouthpiece.

"Bulma? He's back!" Chichi sobbed on the other end.

"Chichi? Calm down, honey! Start at the beginning!" Bulma said, giving Chichi her full attention, the plans completely forgotten.

Switch to Trunks' room . . .

At Goten's words, Trunks froze, a sock half way on his foot, and Bra's head snapped up. They both turned to him, wide eyed.

"Goku's back?"

"Piccolo hit on you?"

"And he made your mom cry?"

"You haven't even eaten yet?"

"Bra, I hardly think that's nearly as important as the others!"

"He's a saiyan and he hasn't eaten yet. That has to mean something!"

"Would you two stop!? Let me explain!" Goten said, finally getting a word in. Trunks stopped what he was about to say and Bra stared at her feet again, embarrassed at her actions in front of her crush.

"Thank you." Goten got up and started pacing the floor. When Goten didn't speak after a minute, Trunks asked the first logical question that came to mind.

"When did he get back?"

"This morning. I felt him leave when I was waking up. I thought it was just Gohan, till I went to the kitchen and found Mom crying on the floor." Goten started.

"What happened?" Trunks asked.

"Well , from what Mom told me, Dad came back, and found her with Zarbon. They told him about them getting married and he left."

"There must be more to it than that, if he made your mom cry. What did he do?" Bra asked.

"I don't know. He wouldn't hit her. I think he might have said something before he left that hurt her. That's all I can think of." Goten responded, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, your poor mom! Torn between the two men she loves . . . how . . . how . . . what's the word I'm looking for?" Bra asked.

"Ridiculous?" Trunks teased.

"Oh, you!" she thwapped him hard. "What would you know, anyway? You're just a heartless male! No offense, Goten."

"None taken."

'What would I know? I'm only torn between the man I love and my own cowardice! Why wouldn't I know something on the subject?' Trunks thought.

"Then what happened?" he decided to change the subject.

"Well, I told Mom not to worry and that I'd get Gohan and we'd go after him. I also said that once Dad had a chance to think things through, he'd understand, and I think he will. So I found Gohan with Piccolo and . . . Bra, could you cover your ears for a moment?" Goten asked.

"Why? There's nothing you can't say in front of me! I can take it!" Bra complained.

"Fine." Goten covered her ears.

"Hey!" she complained, but didn't really mind! After all, HE was holding HER head!

"It's for your own good!" he told her then covered her ear again. Trunks laughed.

"Where was I? Oh, yeah! I found them together, naked, and it looked like they were about to, or just had . . . you know!" Goten said, too embarrassed to say exactly what he thought.

"No, I don't. What?" Trunks, picking up on his embarrassment, asked, grinning.

"Trunks!" Goten was a little surprised that he would joke at a time like this, but not really.

"Okay, okay! I get the picture! And then?" Trunks chuckled at Goten's discomfort about the subject.

"Well, I . . . Oh, you can listen now." he removed his hands from Bra's ears, a little to her disappointment. "Anyway, I told them what had happened and Gohan said to get you and go to Kami's lookout and see if Dende can tell where Dad is."

"It takes both of you to do that?" Bra asked, a little confused.

"Well, depending on what Dad is doing, I might need his help." Goten explained.

"So, what's Gohan doing?" Trunks asked, also a little confused.

"He went to work. Summer classes."

"Oh, that's right!" Trunks slapped his forehead.

"Well, duh, Trunks! Use that brain Mom keeps saying you have!" Bra teased.

"Why, you!" Trunks chased Bra around the room, she squealed as she eluded him. Goten stood up to try to stop them, but only ended up in the middle when Bra hid behind him. This caused Trunks to stand right up to him to reach around to get at Bra. Goten almost didn't want to stop them!

"Guys, this is hardly the time for this! Dad's back, but he's also missing! Come on, cut it out!" Goten pleaded. Trunks stopped, then realized how close he was standing to the object of his desires, the person from his wettest dreams. He turned away quickly, and began to rummage through his closet.

"So, what's this about Piccolo? Did he really hit on you?" Trunks asked, his back turned toward them, hiding his blush and arousal.

"That's what I'm not too sure of." Goten sat on the bed again.

"Well, tell us what he did, and maybe we can figure it out." Bra suggested, sitting next to him. Trunks stepped into the baggy khaki shorts he picked out and slipped on a long button-up shirt with the sleeves torn off. Adequate clothing when you have a hard on that you don't want anyone to know you have. He then plopped down beside Goten, his shirt bunching up to hind any possible tell tale bulges.

"Come on, bud. Spill!" Trunks mind couldn't help but turn those words into something else, as did Goten's.

"Well, uh, Gohan had just left and I was thinking. I was in the middle of asking Piccolo a question when I noticed how he was looking at me."

"Like how?" Bra asked.

"Like . . . like a starving man who just spotted a juicy steak he couldn't wait to sink his teeth into." Goten said rather quickly.

"Is that all?" Trunks asked.

"No. He said that I reminded him of Gohan, when he was my age. You should have seen the way he smiled. And I squeaked, you know, like I do when I'm nervous?"

"What did you say?" Trunks asked, knowing all too well that incredibly cute squeak that Goten spoke of.

"I said 'I do?' and he laughed. Well, chuckled. Which is really weird coming from Piccolo! But then he said that I even squeak when I'm nervous! I already knew that, but I didn't know he knew!"

"What'd you say then?" Bra asked.

"I didn't say anything, actually. I just, uh, blushed." Goten admitted, blushing sheepishly. Trunks cracked up.

"You blushed! You shouldn't have done that! Not if he was hitting on ya!" Trunks laughed.

"Yeah!" Bra agreed, though not laughing, but rather smiling. "You're just too cute when you blush!" Bra froze when she realized what she just said.

"Funny," Goten blushed even more by the confirmation. "That's almost exactly what he said!" Trunks started choking on his own spit when he heard those words.

"Say what?!?" Trunks asked, rather startled.

"I think his exact words were 'You're even cute when you blush!' and he laughed even more when I , uh, blushed deeper. Then I left." Goten finished, playing with a loose thread on his shirt. All was quiet as Trunks and Bra contemplated what Goten just told them.

"Okay, so he complimented you. Did he look you over? You know, like he was interested?" Trunks asked.

"I think so, yeah. Well, I caught him staring at my ass, anyway." he had been hoping he didn't have to tell anyone about that.

'Don't blame him.' Trunks and Bra both thought simultaneously.

"What should I do?" Goten asked.

"Well, I think you should tell Gohan."

"Privately." Bra agreed. "And have him talk to Piccolo."

"Yeah, tell your brother to keep his boyfriend on a shorter leash!" Trunks said, half joking.

"Gah! Did you have to say THAT?!?!" Goten placed his hands over his face, in an attempt to will the image away. It wasn't working. Goten's actions puzzled Trunks and Bra.

"Why? What's wrong?" Trunks asked, as he placed a concerned hand on Goten's shoulder. Bra did likewise.

"It's just that . . . I thought the exact same thing earlier and . . . it caused an image to pop into my mind of Piccolo . . . wearing a studded dog-collar and leash . . ."

"Well, that's weird but not that bad!" Trunks said. Bra nodded in agreement.

"And nothing else!" Goten finished. Trunks and Bra's eyes grew wide as they pictured a similar image in their minds.

"Oh, my!" Bra spoke after a minute of silence.

"Indeed!" Trunks concurred.

"I'll never be able to look at collars and leashes the same way again!" Goten exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, thanks for sharing! Neither will I!" Trunks said sarcastically.

"Me neither." Bra agreed.

"Sorry, but you did ask!" Goten reminded them.

"And I'm kicking myself for that!" Trunks admitted.

"Let me join you, dear brother!" Bra's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Like you wouldn't have asked if I didn't! You wanted know as much as I did!" Trunks shot back.

"Let's not start this again, please? We've got enough trouble as it is without you two bickering!" And they stopped. He didn't get it. Bulma would have to yell at them 3 or 4 times before they would stop, but he only had to ask once and they would stop immediately!

"Hey, Trunks. Do you know who might have wished Dad back?" Goten asked, just now remembering the question he tried to ask Piccolo.

"Huh? Well, um, no. I don't." Trunks admitted.

"Well, I had narrowed it down to 17 and Vegeta, since they both had a dragonball, but I can't think of any logical reason as to why either of them would do something like this. What do you think?"

"I haven't seen either of them for awhile, which isn't new, so I can't really say. Hmm . . . let me think for a minute." Trunks said.

"Well, 17 lives way out in the woods by himself, all alone. Maybe he got lonely? Maybe he thought that since your mom remarried, that he would need a place to stay and he could stay with him, and keep him company." Bra offered. Trunks and Goten both turned toward her with a weird look on their faces, as if she had just struck upon something and didn't even realize it.

"That's it!" Trunks exclaimed.

"Why didn't I think of that before!" Goten started pacing again.

"What? You mean I'm right?" Guys?" Bra asked, confused by the boys reactions.

"A romantic interest!" Trunks joined Goten in pacing.

"It all makes sense now! Why else would anyone bring him back?"

"But who? We still haven't figured that one out. It could still be 17, of course. We really don't know that much about him. But Dad . . . doesn't seem likely that it would be him." Trunks conjectured.

"Maybe it's someone we don't know, like a secret admirer he had." Goten proposed.

"Not likely. I mean who else knew about the dragonballs and New Namek? It's pretty far fetched." Trunks concluded.

"Yeah, your right." Goten paced some more.

"Hold it! Back up the gravy train, boys! What are you talking about?" Bra stood there waiting for an answer.

"Well, when you said 'keep him company' it just hit us! The one reason I hadn't thought of for bringing Dad back!" Goten explained.

"And that is what? Love? Lust? If so, then who would it be? Certainly not Daddy! And I hardly think 17 is gay! This just isn't making any sense!" Bra sat down with a sigh. "So, that's what you were all excited about? Big whoop! Sounds to me like you're just grasping at straws!"

"Well, at least we're trying! And one of them is bound to be the right straw!" Trunks joked. This caused Goten and Bra to laugh a little and loosen up a bit.

"We should get going, Trunks. Besides, Dende might know the answer to who, even if not the why." Goten headed for the door.

"Right behind you!" Trunks said.

"Wait! Can I come?" Bra asked hopefully. Goten and Trunks exchanged looks.

"Better not, squirt, could be dangerous! Besides, Mom would have a fit!" Trunks told her.

"But we'll tell you all about it when we get back, okay?" Goten said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Butterflies flitted through her stomach at his touch.

"Fine." she said, giving up.

"That's my girl!" Goten ruffled her hair and kissed her cheek. She wasn't complaining!

"Come on! Stop making passes at my little sister, and move your ass!" Trunks called from down the hall. Goten soon followed, leaving a whistful Bra behind.

A/N: Ah, sibling rivalry! ^^ Who will win Goten's affection? As if you had to ask! ^_~ And what of Bulma's mysterious plans? . . . You'll have to wait on that one. ^^;; Moshi moshi=hello (used when answering the phone)

Part 6

Bulma hung up the phone just after the boys left, a bit rattled by what Chichi had told her. She quickly called Yamcha's number then hung up, realizing that he had softball practice today.

"Please have it on you and turned on!" she muttered as she dialed his cell phone number. It rang.

"Thank Kami, it's on!" It rang, and rang, and rang . . . Bulma was starting to worry that he left it somewhere. "Come on! Pick up!" she urged. On the tenth ring, someone pick up.

"Sorry! You still there?" Yamcha's voice came over the phone, as well as kids yelling, bats cracking, albeit rarely, balls hitting the ground, and other general noises of a softball practice.

"Yamcha! Thank Kami! Goku's back!" Bulma paced the floor.

"Nani? You're kidding me, right? Why would anyone . . ."

"I don't know!" she cut him off. "All I know is that he's back and he knows, Yamcha! And now he's disappeared! We've got to find him! Who knows what he might do in his current state!" she exclaimed, now borderline hysterical.

"Calm down, honey! Take a deep breath! Now, what's being done so far?" he asked. Calming down, Bulma continued.

"Goten and Trunks just left here for Kami's lookout to see if Dende can find him. That's it."

"That's it? What about Gohan?" he asked.

"Work. Summer classes."

"Vegeta?"

"Haven't seen him. Not that that's unusual!" she retorted.

"You'd think with a babe like you at home, he'd stick around more often! Krillin?"

"Maui. With 18. And thanks." He could be so sweet at times, it even amazed her sometimes. 'It's no wonder half the women in the country are after him!' she thought.

"Anytime, babe! What about 17? Seen him around?"

"No, I haven't. Have you heard from Tien and Chaotzu?"

"Chaotzu is in Tibet and Tien is in the dugout."

"What?! Since when?! I mean, I thought they were staying with Korin! When did this happen?" Bulma asked, quite taken aback by this bit of information.

"Well, they were, but Tien said things kinda got crowded there, so he and Chaotzu went to Tibet for awhile. Chaotzu found a life there and Tien decided to come back. He didn't say why they departed ways, but what ever it was, he seems to have gotten over it."

"I don't understand, when did he get back?" Bulma asked.

"About two months ago. I found him wandering around down town, looking completely lost! He's been staying with me since then. He even helps me coach!" he chuckled.

"Yamcha, you baka! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Bulma yelled.

"I, uh . . ."

"Now I have to reconfigure the entire plans! Do you know how long that's going to take?"

"No, I, uh . . ." Yamcha stuttered. "I'm sorry, Bulma! I didn't realize, I mean, I just wasn't thinking . . ."

"No, you weren't. It's just not your forte, is it? Ah, hell, I was having trouble with the plans anyway. Maybe he's just what we need to smooth things out. Of course, we'll have to let him in on the whole thing. But don't tell him anything until I tell you to, got it? I don't want this to get out of hand."

"Got it! Are you still coming over tonight?" Yamcha asked.

"Yes, unless something comes up with Goku. Make sure Tien's there, we can tell him together. I'll bring the plans with me, maybe you guys can give me a hand." Bulma sighed. "I've got to get back to work. I'll call you if I hear anything."

"Alright, see you tonight, then. Bye."

"Bye." Bulma hung up. She glanced over at the papers she was pouring over just minutes ago. "I need coffee." she sighed and made her way to the kitchen for a nice hot cup of instant coffee.

Kami's lookout . . .

Dende and Mr. Popo walk out of the tv room (Yes, they have one! Trust me! ^_~) in a rather dazed state.

"Well . . . That was . . . enlightening." Dende said. "You had better return those to were you found them, Popo."

"Of course, Dende. Right away." Mr. Popo took the tapes to the storage room where he found them. Meanwhile, Dende walked over to his favorite spot to contemplate what he had just seen.

'Well, I certainly won't be able to look either of them in the eye for a while, to say the least. I certainly didn't think one could bend like that! Maybe he's double jointed. I would ask, but how would I explain my reason for asking? Hmm, this is most peculiar indeed!' he thought. Whilst he thought further on the subject, two half saiyans landed near by.

"Hey, Dende!" Trunks called out.

"Eep! Oh! Trunks, Goten! You startled me!" Dende exclaimed, turning towards them.

"Deep in thought?" Goten asked.

"Or busy watching a girl, ne?" Trunks teased him.

"As a matter of fact, Trunks, I was just watching you sister take a shower." The two boys stared at him in shock. "Just kidding." Dende said, with a smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes. "Someone's got to keep you on your toes! So, what can I do for you this fine morning?" Trunks and Goten exchanged looks.

"You mean, you don't know?" Goten asked perplexed.

"Know what?" Dende suddenly got a bad feeling.

"Goku's back!" Trunks told him.

"He found out about Mom and Zarbon, and then he disappeared!" Goten continued.

"We came to see if you can locate him." Trunks finished.

"Wait a minute. Goku came back, found out about Chichi remarrying, and . . . ran away?"

"Uh-huh!" Both boys nodded.

"And you want me to find him?" Again, they nodded.

"Alright, let's see what I can do!" Dende turned back to his favorite spot and began concentrating on Goku's ki. Trunks and Goten watched with fascination and anticipation. After a few minutes, which felt like hours, Dende finally spoke.

"Ah, there he is! Nani? What's this? O-h! So that's who it was!" he turned to the boys who looked baffled, to say the least. "Don't worry! He'll be okay! The person responsible for bringing him back is with him, so there shouldn't be any problems." he told them. All at once, they rushed at him.

"You know who it is?!? Tell us!" Trunks yelled.

"And where exactly is Dad? I want to know, damnit!" Goten shook Dende by his shoulders.

"Hold on a minute! Goten! Stop shaking me!"Dende shouted, becoming very dizzy. Goten stopped, but did not let go.

"Well? Tell us, Dende!" Goten pleaded. "Please!" Goten was on the verge of tears. Dende gave him a look of pure pity.

"Alright. I'll tell you what I can." Goten let him go.

"Thank you. Now sit." The three of them sat down right where they had stood. "Okay, here's the scoop. Goku is currently flying over the pacific ocean, nearing the coast of California, and he is being followed, but he hasn't realized that yet, or else he would have stopped. Now, I can't tell you who was responsible, but I might be able to tell you why." Dende paused, allowing the boys time to ask questions.

"Well, damn! Could you at least tell us if it's a girl or a guy?" Trunks asked.

"It's a guy."

"Why did he bring Dad back? Does he have feelings for him?" Goten asked.

"Is he in love with him?" Trunks added.

"Hmm, he does have strong feelings for Goku, but whether or not it's love, I can't say. He doesn't want to hurt Goku, and I'm pretty sure he was going to tell him about Chichi, but didn't get a chance to."

"That's a lot of help!" Trunks stated sarcastically. "What about a physical description? Can you describe the guy?"

"I know exactly who it is and can describe him easily, but I cannot tell you." Their jaws dropped.

"Why the hell not?!?" Trunks shouted in Dende's face.

"Because," he said with a smile,"it would spoil the surprise!"

"AARRGG!!" The two boys shouted in unison, which only caused Dende to laugh.

"Laugh it up while you can, green boy! Cause when the suspense kills us, we're taking you with us!" Trunks threatened. Dende found that immensely funny and was rolling on the ground, holding his stomach, and laughing so hard, tears were streaming down his cheeks.

"That's not suppose to be funny!" Trunks shouted. Goten chuckled. "Not you too! I thought you were on my side!"

"I am! I am! It's just that, well, it was funny!" he admitted.

"You two are hopeless! I'm going home." With that, Trunks flew off.

"Thanks, Dende. See ya!" Goten flew after his best friend and secret love. Dende watch the two fly away for a moment, then he shook his head, wondering when they will get their act together and get together!

Midair with Trunks and Goten . . .

"Come on, Trunks! Don't be mad!" Goten flew beside Trunks, trying to make ammends.

"I'm not mad, not really. I just wish he would just tell us who the guy is! I mean, for all we know, it could be my dad! And I'm not sure how I would handle that. If it's 17, there's no problem, but Dad . . . I don't know! I'm so confused and I don't want to be! This is frustrating as hell, and you two were laughing! It just didn't help any, is all." Trunks slowed to a stop, as did Goten. "Know what I mean?" he looked imploringly at Goten.

"Yeah. I do. Every damn day." Goten looked Trunks straight in the eye, searching for a glimmer of something that he held within himself, but rarely let show. Trunks looked away. "Trunks," Goten took his hand. "Don't look away. Let me see you, all of you." he implored. Trunks, after a moment to steel his nerve, met Goten's intense gaze. What he saw was his own feelings reflected back at him. Or were they his feelings showing through? Trunks wasn't sure.

'Could he really share my feelings? Does he love me like I love him?' Trunks thought. He soon received his answer. Goten reached up and cupped Trunks' cheek, caressing it gently. After a moment, he leaned in, closed his eyes, and placed his lips timidly upon Trunks', brushing them lightly. Closing his own eyes, Trunks leaned into the shy kiss, making it more intimate. Goten moaned, as Trunks' tongue ran over his lips, seeking entrance. His lips parted, letting trunks' tongue slip into his mouth. They both moaned with pleasure as the kiss deepened, becoming more urgent, as their pent up sexual frustration was let loose, their hands roaming over each other's bodies. When the kiss ended, they both gasped for air.

"That was better than I ever dreamt it could be!" Goten said between gasps.

"Care for another?" Trunks asked, a smile on his now red lips, knowing very well what his answer will be.

"Why, yes! Thank you!" he joked with him.

"Don't thank me yet! I've barely just begun!" Trunks proclaimed before claiming Goten's lips once again.

Part 7

Goku found himself perched precariously atop a cliff. He had flown all the way there without thought, tears flowing freely down his face till there were no more. He had no idea where he was going or what he was going to do when he got there, he just needed to get away. He sat down with his legs hanging down the cliff side, arms crossed over his thighs, and head hung low in contemplation. He sighed, remembering the past.

The hues of red, orange, yellow, and pink blending across the landscape went unnoticed, as did a group of people standing a few hundred feet behind him, talking in a language he wouldn't have understood even if he were listening. Most pointed and stared, a few even took pictures, others went to get help, thinking that he was going to jump or fall. He didn't notice, but someone else did. That person made sure to land without detection. He walked to within a few feet of the group of people and leapt over the guardrail. This caused an even bigger commotion from the crowd, not knowing the strange man's intentions.

The dark figure walked up to Goku, his shadow playing across the sand. He seamed to go unnoticed by the saiyan resting on the cliff side, even as he stopped beside him.

"Baka! Why did you run?" Vegeta questioned as he sat beside Goku.

"I . . . I didn't know what else to do." Goku stammered, not yet facing his companion. "Why did you do it? Why did you bring me back when you knew Chichi had remarried? Why?" Goku's tears flew once more, as he questioned his resurrecter.

"For purely selfish reasons, why else? I was going to tell you, let you down easy, but you left before I could talk to you." he paused, waiting for Goku's reaction.

"Oh. I guess I couldn't wait to . . ." Goku paused, realizing that more was said than what he first heard. "Selfish reasons? Like what? I can't imagine you'd go through all this trouble just for a sparring partner. Am I missing something here?" Goku asked, not sure how he'd feel knowing the answer. The man beside him closed his eyes and sighed.

"Baka . . . You really have no idea, do you?" he stared out at the sinking sun, avoiding Goku's eyes.

"No, I don't. I'm sorry, Vegeta, but could you just, you know . . . tell me? Straight out?" Goku asked He wasn't completely clueless. Goku could feel there was something different between them, a pull that wasn't there before, or maybe he just hadn't noticed it before. It made his heart ache in a way that was both foreign and familiar to him. He hoped he was right about what it meant, but didn't want to assume that Vegeta felt it too

Vegeta clenched his fists, teeth clamped, and eyes closed tight. He couldn't believe Goku was going to make him say it! He tried to steel his nerve. He had wanted to tell him since the first day he saw him, but circumstances did not permit him to do so. But now, he can, but he was afraid. He wasn't sure how Goku would react, or if he even felt the same for him, even in some small capacity. He sighed. There was only one way he'd find out.

"I . . ." he started, his voice not wanting to cooperate.

"Yes? You what?" Goku asked, trying to get him to just say it. The anticipation was driving him nuts! "Come on, Vegeta! Just spit it out already!"

"Damnit, Kakkarrot, I love you!" Vegeta yelled, then turned his face away, to hide his blush. Damn him! I did NOT want to tell him like that!

"Wow, really?" Goku was taken aback, surprised by the exclamation.

"I would not have said it if I had not meant it. Baka." Vegeta looked back at Goku, who was grinning from ear to ear. "What?"

"I love you to, Vegeta!" Goku's own affirmation was followed by a crushing bear-hug. "I love all my friends!"

Vegeta's heart sank. He didn't understand. "That's not what I meant and you're crushing me!" Vegeta pulled away, albeit reluctantly, even if he was being crushed by an over zealous saiyan.

"Sorry." Goku apologized sheepishly. "If that's not what you meant, then . . . what did you mean?" Goku was, in fact, playing it safe. 'Love' did, afterall, have many meanings and uses. How would he know if Vegeta meant platonically and not romatically? It could have been some saiyan thing that Goku was completely unaware of. He had to be sure.

Vegeta sighed, shaking his head. "This . . ." he placed his hand behind Goku's neck, ". . . is what I meant." and pulled him into a hot, passionate kiss that left no room for doubt. Their kiss deepened as their need devoured what was left of their inhibitions. Tongues clashed, fighting for dominence, neither giving in. The sun disappeared below the horizon and the remaining light was fading fast as the dark took over. Neither noticed.

~It was at that very moment that four people kissed their true love, two fathers and two sons.~

Part 8a

*~~FLASHBACK~~*

In Tibet - With Tien and Chaotzu

Tien and Chaotzu climbed the incredibly lengthy and steep steps to a temple that rested at the top of the mountain. Or rather Tien climbed, and Chaotzu floated. They chose this particular temple because it was the most isolated, far from so called civilization. It was quiet, serene, peaceful, the best place to get back to the basics. Tien was already regretting the decision. His feet were killing him and he was too tired to fly.

'How did I let Chaotzu talk me into this?' he thought, and not for the first time. Chaotzu had always reminded him of a child, innocent and . . . and lost. He never seem to fit in any where, which is why they traveled so much, well, one of them. He would always say he would be happy anywhere, so long as he was with Tien. But if they stayed anywhere for too long and he'd get antsy, never satisfied with his current surroundings. Tien had guessed he was trying to find a place that was the most like home, but every time he thought they'd found it, he ended up finding something that just didn't fit, something wrong. So they moved on to the next place. When they had moved in with Korin, he thought he had managed to get Chaotzu to settle down. Tien was tired. He couldn't take it much more. He thought he could finally rest. But it wasn't long before Chaotzu started moping and brooding. He wasn't happy there. Though he did try, for Tien. He refused to admit that he was unhappy, even for a moment, till Tien called him on it. He cried. Just like a little lost child would. He tried so hard to like it there, and when he couldn't, he tried to hide it, pretended that nothing was wrong, that he was as happy as could be. He said he had to leave, he just couldn't stay any longer. He was going to Tibet and he didn't expect Tien to come. So of course he went with him. How could he not? He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he let Chaotzu leave by himself. No, he just couldn't do it.

'At least he's happy. Maybe we can settle down here.' he hoped. They reached the top of the stairs, Tien paused to make sure he wasn't just imagining things, and Chaotzu landed on the stone walkway with a look of awe upon his face. The temple looked like a simple stone structure, but it was in fact a large building carved out of the very rock of the mountain, with only a portion protruding from the mountainside. Large columns rose up from the floor to form a roof overhead, and gave way to the main entrance. Carvings covered most of the surfaces, depicting patterns, flowers, fruits, and various scenes of nature. Hanging lamps, filled with oil, lit the corridor, and a carpet of deep red with golden tassels ran down the middle of the walkway.

"Oh, wow! Tien! It's beautiful!" Chaotzu exclaimed in wonder. Tien leaned against one of the stone pillars, rubbing a sore foot.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, very nice." he replied, less than enthusiastic after the long climb.

"Come on!" Chaotzu all but ran down the corridor. Tien groaned, put his shoe back on, and followed after his all to energetic friend.

After talking to the high priest about their stay, they were asked to step out of the room, whilst he discussed it with the others. They waited in silence, each hoping for a different outcome. Five minutes later, they were brought back in.

"We are always happy to accept people as enthusiastic as yourself, Chaotzu! We just hope you won't be disappointed and bored to tears! And Tien, you look like you could use a rest, brother! You both may stay as long as you wish! We have few rules and they aren't that difficult to follow. Eh, but it's late. You'll learn them tomorrow."

"Thank you for your hospitality, sir, ah . . . what should we call you?" Tien inquired.

"Call me Bob." he said.

"Okay, uh, Bob." Tien said.

"Brother Orin, please show our new brothers to their rooms." Bob said in the general direction of Brother Orin, who's robe obscured his face.

"Certainly, Bob. Please, come with me." he motioned for them to follow. After bowinf politely to Bob, they followed. They walked down a hall just off the main room, that moved deeper into the mountain.

"We won't be able to put you in the same room as of yet, though it could be arranged later on." They stopped in front of the third door. "Chaotzu, you will stay with Brother Joe for now." Orin said as he let him into the room.

"Thank you! See you tomorrow, Tien!" he said cheerfully, as he entered the room.

"Goodnight, Chaotzu." Tien said, not sure about this different sleeping arrangement.

"This way." Orin motioned for Tien to follow him. They stopped just outside the last door. Orin opened the door.

"You'll be staying with me, if that's alright." he said as he entered the room. Tien followed behind him. The room was sparse, rather drab compared to the rest of the ornate temple. There was a bed on both sides of the room, with a single wooden desk and chair between them. An oil lamp sat on the desk and Orin lit it, filling the room with a warm glow. There was a closet next to the door and a dresser in the corner. Sitting on the dresser was a pitcher full of water, a bowl, and two towels.

"Which bed is yours?" Tien asked after a moment.

"Oh, it doesn't matter to me. I would just sleep on the one I'd pass out on. Pick whichever one you'd like." he said, closing the door. Tien chose the one closest to the door, for no other reason than that he was standing closer to it. He set his pack on the floor beside the bed, slipped his shoes off, then laid down on the bed. It was surprisingly comfortable. He closed his eyes and moaned as his muscles began to relax.

"Feels good, ne?" Orin said, as he removed his robe.

"Mmm-hmm!" he agreed. Orin chuckled.

"You might feel better if you got out of those dirty clothes and under the covers." Orin suggested, as he removed his pants. Tien opened his eyes, wondering why he had just said that. He looked over at Orin, who was now wearing only a pair of boxers. Tien blinked several times, for Orin was the spitting image of a certain baseball player, minus the scars. Another difference was that his long hair was a light brown, but other than that, he could be Yamcha's mirror image!

"Something wrong?" Orin asked, after noticing Tien's expression.

"No! I mean . . . It's just that you bear a striking resemblance to a friend of mine." Tien turned away, embarrassed because of his staring.

"Was he a good friend?" Orin asked.

"Huh? Yeah, he is." Tien stared at the ceiling.

"Miss him?"

"Uh, yeah. I do. Why do you ask?" Tien wondered where this was going.

"No reason. Just trying to figure out if it's a good or bad thing that I resemble him." He walked over to the dresser and poured some water into the bowl. He cupped some water in his hands and splashed his face, rubbing the water over his face and neck. He then leaned over the bowl and poured water out of the pitcher over his head, soaking his hair. He set the pitcher down, then wrung as much water out of his hair as he could, then swung his head back up, flipping his hair back behind him. He grabbed one of the towels and began drying his hair as he sat down on the edge of his bed. Tien had watched the whole thing with fascination, maybe more. Disturbed by the thoughts and images forming in his mind, he turned over, facing the wall, and tried to fall asleep.

Part 8b

Still in Tibet . . .

Tien dreamed. He was at a baseball game. It was dark, the only light came from oil lamps positioned in various places. He was standing beside the dugout for one of the teams, he wasn't sure which. The players all looked the same, but on one team, they had light brown hair, and on the other, they had black hair and scars on their faces. Both teams played as if their lives depended on them winning. Tien watched, not sure which team to root for. He could hear people cheering for both sides, but the stands were empty. He was the only spectator, as far as he could see. The teams switched sides, and as they did, the umpire removed his face mask. It was Chaotzu. He spoke but Tien could not heard what he said over the noise of the non-existent crowd. Just then, the crowd started chanting. They were chanting his name, he realized.

"Tien! Tien! Tien!" over and over, they shouted. The ground began to shake.

"Tien! Tien! Tien, wake up!"

"Huh? Wha?" Tien came to. Orin had his hands on Tien's shoulders, he had been shaking him, trying to wake him up.

"It's morning. That must have been some dream you were having, you're still sweating!" Orin commented. Tien sat up. His shirt was soaked with sweat, he wasn't just sweating, he was sweating buckets! He striped the wet garment off, and sat on the edge of the bed.

'Now I really need a shower! Or at least a good soak in a bath.' he thought. Orin had walked over to the dresser, and was now pulling some towels out of the bottom drawer.

"Here." he said, handing a towel to Tien. "Let's go." Orin left the room. Tien quickly got up and followed him.

"Wait a minute!" he said as he caught up. "Where are we going?"

"Hot springs." Orin stated simply.

"Oh." Tien followed him blindly, his eyes never leaving Orin's naked, and very muscular back. The sinuous movements of muscle moving underneath smooth flesh was hypnotic, and Tien almost didn't notice when Orin stopped.

"Here we are!" They had stopped in the door way to the room that held within it a naturally formed hot spring. It was rather large and took up most of the space. It was surprisingly well lit. Tien saw why when he looked to his right. There was no wall, just an opening to the outside. Benches lined the walls, and there where stools lined up along the 'window', where some men were already washing, the run off flowing down grooves in the stone floor, that ran outside. There were hooks up on the left wall, where various pieces of clothing and towels hung, here and there.

"Wow." Tien said, rather stunned, especially by the magnificent, though unexpected, view.

"You said it!" Orin placed a hand on Tien's shoulder. "Come on!" he ushered Tien inside.

"Ah, Tien! You made it through the night, I see!" Bob called out from within the pool. "Rule number one! Bathe! Everyday, if possible. More rules later, but for now, relax!" Bob said, before swimming back out into the middle of the pool.

"Come on, you can leave your clothes over here." Orin took Tien over to the hooks. They placed their towels on a bench, then started to remove their clothes. Tien had barely gotten his pants undone, when Orin had completely removed his boxers and placed them, and his towel, on an empty hook. Tien tried not to look as he removed his pants and then his own boxers, but he couldn't help but steal a glance every know and then. Orin waited for him patiently, as he sat on the bench with their towels. After placing his clothes on an empty hook, Tien turned around to find Orin handing a towel to him. Tien took it and placed it on the hook with his clothes.

"Let's get cleaned up, shall we? I'll scrub your back , if you scrub mine, kay?" Orin asked over his shoulder, as he lead Tien over to an area beside the 'window', where buckets, soap, and sponges sat. They picked up two buckets, two sponges, and one bar of soap, before heading to the stools. After finding a couple of vacant stools, Orin handed the soap and sponges to Tien and took the buckets.

"Wait here, I'll get some water." Orin walked over to the pool, and filled the two buckets with the hot water. He returned to find that Tien hadn't moved a muscle.

"He can sit down, you know." he teased. Tien sat on the stool closest to him, and Orin sat on the other. "Here, let me see the soap." Tien handed him the soap and watched as Orin plunged the soap into the water and began to make a thick lather, then plunged the soap back into the water and continued making lather. He repeated this till the water was very soapy. He then let the soap sink to the bottom of the bucket. He took the sponges and soaked them with the soapy water, then handed one to Tien.

"Here you go." he then began to run his sponge over his body, dipping into the soapy water every now and then. Tien did like wise, but mostly watched Orin, rather than what he was doing. He watched as Orin moved his sponge over his smooth muscles, over his arms, his chest, down the plain of his stomach, but when he got to his groin, Tien looked away, and concentrated on washing his feet.

"Ready for you back?" Orin asked after a while.

"Huh? Uh, yeah, sure." Tien turned his back to Orin so he could wash it. Orin dipped his sponge into the soapy water yet again, then began washing Tien's back, starting at the top. His touch was surprisingly gentle, the motions of the sponge relaxing. As he moved down Tien's back, he placed a hand on his shoulder for support. The lower the sponge went, the more Tien's spine tingled.

"Lean forward, let me get the rest of you." Orin told him. Tien obeyed, not thinking. So he was a bit surprised, to say the least, when he felt a wet, warm sponge caress his ass. Orin was quick about it, though. He didn't want Tien to be uncomfortable.

"Now you do me!" Orin said once he finished. His unfortunate chose of words make Tien's breath cath in his throat. He turned around to find Orin already had his back facing him. At some point, Orin had put his hair up. Tien hadn't noticed. He dipped his sponge into the soapy water, then began to timidly wash Orin's back, concentrating on not scrubbing to hard.

"Mmm, that feels good! Now do the rest of my back." Orin said. Tien had been only washing his upper back, a bit nervous about washing the rest. He wondered if Orin wanted him to wash his ass as well. He moved the sponge slowly down Orin's back. When he got down to his ass, Orin leaned forward. After only a moments hesitation, Tien gently washed Orin's ass.

"Time to rinse off!" Orin said as he lifted the bucket of clean water and dumped the entire contents over Tien's head. As Tien sat there stunned, Orin took the bucket and got some more water.

"Still soapy?" he asked when he returned. Tien blinked.

"Uh, yeah. Here and there." Tien said.

"Stand up and let me get the rest of it." Tien stood and Orin slowly poured water over his body, making sure to get all the soap off.

"Could you hand me the other bucket?" Tien nodded and bent over to pick up the bucket behind him. With the last of the clean water, Orin splashed Tien's upturned ass. The shock made Tien snap up.

"Did you have to do that?!?"

"Yup! You were still soapy there, too!" Orin left Tien standing there as he got some more water. He came back and handed the bucket to Tien.

"Rinse me off, would ya?" Tien gave him a look that said 'alright but you'll regret it!' and started rinsing him off. When he just about finished, he ran out of water.

"I need more water, I'll be right back." While Tien fetched more water, Orin walked up to the edge, and leaned against one of the support pillars. The sun peeked between two mountains, it's light warming Orin's wet skin. Tien walked up beside him.

"That's some view." Tien commented.

"Mmm-hmm." Orin agreed. Tien looked down.

"Hey, what's that?" Tien asked, pointing down.

"Hmm? Where?"

"Down there. Can't you see it?"

"No, I don't see anything."

"Too bad. It's really something." Tien started to walk off. Determined to find out what he was pointing at, Orin got down on his hands and knees to get a better look.

"I still don't see . . ."

*SPLASH!*

"I really should have seen that coming!" Orin stood and turned to find Tien grinning from ear to ear, with 'gottcha' written all over his face.

"Okay, I deserved that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to wash my hair." he walked over to where the buckets and stuff was kept, shaking water from his legs like a wet cat. Tien went after him.

"You're not mad, are ya?" Tien asked.

"Me? Mad? Naw! It's all good." Orin said, picking up some shampoo. "To show you there are no hard feelings, you can wash my hair!" Orin smiled, handing Tien the bottle, then headed back to the stools.

"Alright, but only if you wash mine!" Tien joked. He then got some more water, since he still had the bucket, and joined Orin, who was taking his hair down. He shook his hair loose, running his fingers through the strands quickly. Tien set the bottle down beside him, then poured half of the water over Orin's head, soaking his hair. Setting down the bucket, Tien picked up the bottle. He opened it and poured a good amount of shampoo into his hand, then set the bottle down again. He smoothed the herbal mix over both his hands, then started in on Orin's hair. He worked up quite a bit of lather, working it into hair, starting at the roots and working his way down to the tips. Tien never imagine that washing someone's hair would be so interesting. The shampoo slick hairs created a strange sensation over his skin. He almost lost himself in the task. If it wasn't for the sudden buzzing sound, who knows when he would have stopped.

"What's that buzzing sound?" Tien asked.

"Well, every now and then, an airplane or helicopter will pass by here, and that's most likely what it is."

"Will they see us?"

"Depends on which way they're looking." Just then a helicopter passed by, then turned around and flew in closer. Most of the men in the room walked up to the opening, and waved at the helicopter, which kept making passes. Hooting and hollering could be heard from within the copter, making it evident that a bunch of women were aboard.

"Does this happen often?" Tien asked, a bit surprised by the other's actions.

"Not really. But the occurrences have been increasing lately." The copter made one more pass before leaving.

"Come back anytime!" someone shouted, as they waved goodbye. Tien thought it was Bob. Everyone went back to what they were doing after the copter disappeared from sight.

"Hmm. Lean back, if you don't want to get shampoo in your eyes." Tien warned. Orin leaned his head back and Tien supported his neck as he poured the rest of the water over his hair, rinsing out the shampoo.

"Thanks, baldy!" Orin rubbed Tien's head. "Race you to the pool?"

"The floor's wet! You could slip and hurt yourself! And it's not exactly far, either. So why race?"

"Thanks for my concern, but I can handle myself! Why not race? Afraid you'll lose?" he teased.

"Hardly." Tien stated.

"Then come on! Let's go!" Orin egged him on.

"Fine." Tien gave in, knowing that if Orin did slip, he could catch him before he hit the ground. And it was a short distance, he might not slip.

"Alright! Ready? Go!" Orin took off.

"Hey!" Tien shouted, then took off himself. Orin looked back briefly to see how far back Tien was, but he didn't see him. He looked back towards the pool, and saw Tien at it's edge, waving.

"How the hell?" he said, right before slipping halfway to the pool. Tien caught him in his arms as he fell forward. Tien helped him stand back up, then reluctantly let go.

"How the hell did you do that?" Orin asked, still not quite believing what he had seen. Tien shrugged.

"I just ran. Not like I flew, or anything." Tien said. Orin watched him in amazement as he walked back to the pool and jumped in.

'There's more to this guy than I figured! Not only is he incredibly fast, but he's got a great ass to boot!' Orin thought, as walked the rest of the way to the pool and climbed in.

Part 8c

Stiiiiiill in Tibet . . .

Tien and Orin made their way back to their room. Tien wore his towel around his waist and carried his clothes in his hand. Orin also carried his boxers in his hand, but he was wearing his towel around his head, much like a turban. They chatted about everything and nothing like old friends. They continued to do so even as they dressed, Orin in his robe, and Tien in a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt.

"Now what?" Tien asked, not sure of the schedule they had.

"Now we go to the big room. We always meet before breakfast."

"The big room? That's what you call it?"

"Well, it is the biggest room in the place, what else should we call it?" Orin said, smiling. He unraveled the towel on his head, then began to dry his hair quickly. "Just let me brush my hair, and we'll go." He tossed the towel onto the pile of dirty clothes in the corner, then got his brush out of the top drawer of the desk. He pulled the brush through his damp hair, running into many tangles. He was soon muttering under his breath.

"Need a hand?" Tien offered.

"Or twelve! Would you mind?" Orin asked, hoping he wasn't imposing on his new friend too much.

"Here, give me the brush." Tien sat down behind Orin on his bed, and began to work on the stubborn knots in his hair. They sat there in silence as Tien worked, trying not to hurt him. After a few minutes, Tien set the brush aside and ran his fingers through Orin's silky brown hair, checking to make sure all the knots were out. They were, but Tien didn't stop for another minute.

"There you go." Tien stood up. "All done." he handed Orin his brush.

"Thanks." Orin put his brush back in the drawer, and took out a hair tie, then tied his hair back into a loose pony-tail. "Let's go!" he said, getting up and heading towards the door. Tien followed.

When they reached the big room, a lot of people were already milling about. They spotted Chaotzu sitting atop a very large, and bald, black man.

"Ah, there's Chaotzu and Joe!" Orin said.

"That's Joe?" Tien was a bit surprised.

"Yup! But before you meet him, there's a few things you should know. You see, Joe has the mind of a child. He came here a few years ago. From what I heard, the ways of the world were too much for him to understand, so he ran away and just stumble upon here."

"That's some stumble!"

"No kidding! There had been some speculation that something happened to him, something bad, that caused him to run, but he won't speak of anything before his coming here. Now, he had been sharing a room with a kindly old fellow, but he died not that long ago. We all miss the old codger, but it's been worse for Joe. He's been lonely and melancholy ever since. This is why I put Chaotzu with him. I was certain Chaotzu's spirit would lift Joe's, and bring him back to the living!"

"Apparently, it worked!" Tien observed. Joe and Chaotzu were both laughing, as if without a care in the world. Just then, Chaotzu spotted them and waved them over. They wound their way through the small crowd to where they were sitting, and sat beside them.

"Tien! Orin! Good morning!" Chaotzu said, perky as hell.

"'Morning. I see you made a new friend, Chaotzu." Tien said.

"I sure have! His name's Joe and he's a nice guy!"

"I'm sure! Nice to meet you, Joe!" Tien greeted the giant.

"So you're the Tien Chaotzu's been talking so much about! I'm glad to finally meet you!" Joe said, nearly as perky as Chaotzu. Before they could converse further, Bob started to speak.

"Alright, peeps, settle down!" he hollered over the din. Everyone quieted down.

"Now, as you know, we have two new brothers, Chaotzu and Tien. Chaotzu is the little guy sitting on Joe, and Tien is the bald guy with the third eye. " Tien sweat-dropped. "Boys, welcome to the Temple of Peace and Relaxation!" Everyone cheered. When they stopped, Bob continued.

"Now for the rules. You already know the first one, so let's move on. Everyone must contribute, whether gardening, cooking, sewing, cleaning, etc. The point is, you will have chores. But they're not that bad with all of us working together." A lot of people groaned at this point. "Quiet you!" he said with a smile and a wink. "Where was I? Oh, yes. Don't kill anyone. No fighting, if you can help it. Um, relax and have fun whenever possible. That's about it except for one. But this rule will only be told to you if it is felt necessary. It's kind of a touchy subject, but don't worry! Chances are, you won't need to know! So, that's basically it! We're pretty lax around here, so have fun! Just be sure to get your chores done!"

"Can we eat know?" someone shouted.

"Yes! Let's eat! To the kitchen!" Bob ordered, as if it were really necessary. Every one crowded into the rather large kitchen and began to pull food out of cupboards, drawers, and . . . a fridge? Yes, a fridge, and a large one at that! There was also a large freezer beside it, both hooked up to a generator.

"How the hell did you get those up here?" Tien asked, shocked.

"Hmm? Oh, we had them air lifted by copter. They were donated by a former brother. Remember the copter that flew by earlier? Well, they're the ones who brought them up for us, and for free! It seems that they remembered us from a previous passing." Orin explained, winking when he got to the last part.

"Oh." Tien took a look around him. Everyone was making their own breakfast with the various items on the table in the center of the room. He picked some fruit to have for his first meal of the day. After everyone had eaten, they started to clean up after themselves, putting away the uneaten food and washing any dishes used.

"Before anyone leaves, let's decide the fate of our new brethren! Is there anything you boys are particularly good at?" Bob asked.

"Well, Chaotzu is a very good cook, maybe he could help with the meals? And I could handle just about anything that doesn't take a lot of skill." Tien offered.

"Alright! Boys, we've got ourselves a cook!" Bob joked. "Chaotzu, you will have KP duty! If you don't mind."

"Oh, I don't mind at all! I love to cook!" Chaotzu exclaimed excitedly.

"Splendid! Now, Tien. We could use your help in the garden, how bout it?"

"Sure. Whatever I can do to help." Tien agreed.

"Alright then! Brother Seph, you help Chaotzu become more familiar with kitchen. Brother Clay, you show Tien around the garden and set to work. Now let's all get our work done quickly, so we can play later on! Let's go!" Everyone scattered, heading to there assigned tasks.

The day passed quickly. Tien was given the task of plowing, with Orin. Tien steadied the plow as Orin lead the old plow horse, Sassy, around. After a while, they had to let Sassy rest, this gave Tien an idea. It wasn't long before Tien pulled the plow with Orin steading it from behind, yelling for Tien to slow down every now and then. This gave the rest of the garden grew a good laugh! By the end of the day, the plowing was completely done, the ground ready for planting, and Tien and Orin were covered head to toe with dirt and sweat, and grinning ear to ear. Chaotzu took over the kitchen rather quickly, fixing lunch and dinner mostly by himself. The others were glad, they didn't really like to cook, they were just better at it than the others. They were already calling the kitchen 'Chaotzu's'.

And so the days passed with Chaotzu commanding the kitchen and Tien working so fast, they had him take care of the animals after the second day, just so that he would have something to do. Months flew by and winter came all too soon. Everything seemed to slow down. For one, there wasn't that much to do. Tien still took care of the animals, but then so did a lot of others out of sheer boredom. Chaotzu wasn't affected by the winter low, as some called it, for he was always needed in 'his' kitchen. Tien, however, was bored to tears.

"This truly is the winter of discontent!" Tien exclaimed, whilst laying on his bed one afternoon.

"Bored, I take it." Orin walked into their room, then sat on his bed.

"Obviously. Where have you been?" Tien asked, not really caring, but hoping for some sort of stimulation.

"The library."

"There's a library?" Tien couldn't believe he was just now hearing about this, even more surprised he hadn't stumbled upon it himself.

"Yeah. Want me to show you?" Orin offered.

"Maybe later. I don't feel like reading right now." Tien rolled over onto his stomach, his head, resting on his arms, faced Orin's direction.

"Why don't you take a nap? It will make the time pass." Orin suggested.

"I've been trying. I'm too restless."

"I know how to fix that. How bout a massage? You'll be sleeping like a baby in no time!" Orin offered. An image of Orin leaning over him with his hands moving over his back, and down his back, and further down . . . flashed through Tien's mind, causing him to react in an embarrassing way.

"Uh, that's not necessary! I don't want to impose!" Tien stammered.

"It's no problem at all! Besides, it gives me something to do as well. Now relax!" Orin stood up and closed the door, locking it. Tien hadn't noticed, he was too busy trying to calm himself. Orin removed his robe and threw it across his bed.

"You're going to have to take off your shirt." Orin told him. Tien removed his shirt without getting up, which kind of surprise Orin.

"I'm not even gonna ask." he said to himself. Orin climbed atop of Tien's bed and straddled the taller man, resting on top of his ass.

"Comfy?" Tien nodded, not trusting his voice. He hadn't expected this, and it was sweet torture. Orin started at Tien's shoulder and neck muscles, eliciting a moan from Tien's lips. More soon followed. Tien found himself relaxing at the ministrations of Orin's skillful hands. Orin worked his way down Tien's back, backing up the further down he when. He felt himself grow harder with each muscle he caressed and each knot he loosened. When he reached the waistband of Tien's sweat pants, both were agonizingly hard. Orin tugged at the garment.

"Should I continue?" Orin purred.

Part 8d

Tien's eyes flew open. 'Did I really hear what I thought I just heard? What should I do?' A million other questions ran through his mind at Orin's proposition. Orin waited patiently for an answer, he didn't want to push it. Tien might not be interested, after all, even though Orin was sure that he was. He had been sensing Tien's attraction to him since the first night. All of a sudden . . .

*knockknock*

"Tien? Are you in there?" It was Chaotzu. Both men cussed under their breath.

"What is it, Chaotzu?" Tien called out as Orin got up and put his robe back on.

"Well, Joe and I found this old game in the library and we wanted to know if you and Orin would like to play with us." he said, fidgeting outside the door. Tien looked over at Orin.

"You want to?" Tien asked in a low voice.

"Uh, sure, but what about . . . you know! What if someone sees?" Orin whispered, indicating their, uh, inflictions.

"There's nothing like Chaotzu to kill a hard on. Trust me!" Tien whispered with a smile as he got up, his own, uh . . . aw hell! His own erection diminishing already.

"We'll meet you there!" Orin told Chaotzu.

"Oh, great!" Chaotzu beamed. "We'll get the board ready!" He ran off to the library, not waiting for a reply.

"Boy, you weren't kidding!" Orin commented, noticing his erection fading fast.

"Told you. Are you about ready?" Tien asked.

"Yeah, but you might want to put your shirt back on!" Orin tossed him his shirt. Tien put it on quickly and they left for the library.

The library was a vast area, comprising of more than one room. The walls were covered with books of all sorts, ladders reaching to the top shelves. Tables and couches were placed strategically around the rooms. There were game tables, reading tables, coffee tables, and end tables. There were couches, overstuffed sofas, love-seats, and loungers. There were wooden chairs of all sorts of designs and styles. Sounds of a ping-pong game drifted from one of the other rooms, and a heated poker game in another. Brothers lounged here and there reading, some snoring, having fallen asleep while reading. In the middle of the room, Joe and Chaotzu had set up the game they found on one of the empty tables. Orin and Tien walked over to them.

"So, what's the object of this game?" Orin asked.

"Well, basically, you have to get all four of your pieces form this circle to this one, of the same color of course." Chaotzu explained, pointing to the board as he did. "What color do you want, Tien?"

"Um, green, I guess."

"Ooh, can I have red? It's my favorite!" Orin asked.

"Sure! What about you, Joe? What color do you want?" Chaotzu asked.

"Blue. I like blue." he replied. Chaotzu smiled.

"Then that makes me yellow!"

"How fitting!" Orin teased. They sat at their respective colors, Tien at green, Orin to his right at red, Joe to his right at blue, and Chaotzu between Joe and Tien at yellow. They went over the rules, making sure that they were understood by all of them, then started playing. They had a blast, laughing even to the point of tears at times. They played several games till it was time for Chaotzu to start dinner, and, as always, Joe went with him. Tien and Orin put the game back in it's box.

"Now what?" Orin asked, already having something in mind. Tien shrugged, his own thoughts geared in the same direction.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I could use a nice soak in the hot spring. My muscles are a little soar from sitting here so long." Orin said as he stretched.

"Yeah, me too." Tien agreed.

"Let's go then!" They headed to the spring, stopping momentarily to retrieve their towels. When they got there, it was empty, the heavy curtain put up over the 'window' since mid-fall shifted with a breeze. The room was chilly, the hot spring no longer able to fill the room with it's heat.

"Guess no one else wants to come in here more than necessary." Tien observed.

"Good! We'll have the place to ourselves, then! Race ya!" Orin began stripping, dropping his clothes here and there as he made his way to the pool. Tien did likewise, but at the same pace as Orin. They both jumped in at about the same time, swimming out to the middle, where it was the warmest.

"Aaaaah, this feels good! Mmm!" Orin said as he and Tien floated beside each other. "Hey, Tien."

"Hmm?"

"Want to pick up where we left off?" he asked hopefully. Tien opened his eyes.

"Here?"

"Why not? No one comes in here after dark, not in the winter. It's too cold outside of the pool. So how bout it? You game?" Rather than answer him, Tien sank below the water.

****Warning: Lemon scene starting!!****
Go to the next part if you want to skip it

"Eh? Tien, where'd you go?" Orin looked about in search of him. Tien circled around him, then came up from behind, wrapping his arms around the smaller man's waist.

"Nope! You are!" Tien said into his ear, then began kissing his neck.

"Ah, but you've got to catch me first!" Orin joked, reaching his hand back behind him, cupping Tien's ass.

"But I already have!" he began nibbling on Orin's earlobe.

"Aaah! So you have!" he said between gasps. "Have you done this before?" Tien stopped grazing Orin's neck and shoulder.

"Uh, no. I haven't." A blush crept along Tien's face. Orin turned in his arms, wrapping his own around Tien's neck.

"Don't worry, I know everything we need to know. Trust me!" Tien captured Orin's lips with his own, showing just how much he trusted him. Their kiss deepened, their tongues warring for dominance. Their hands roamed over each others bodies, finding spots that elicited moans and groans from each other. And as their erections grew, they sank.

"I think we should move to a shallower area before we drown!" Orin said after breaking the kiss. "This way!" He swam away from Tien to the furthest end of the pool away from the doors. Tien swam after him and caught up with him quickly. Tien reached the end before Orin, and sat watching Orin's muscular form swimming towards him, his erection throbbing at the sight. Orin swam right up to him and gave him a tender kiss, but pulled away before it could deepen.

"Wait here. I forgot something." he said as he started to pull away.

"Huh? What?" Tien was confused.

"Soap."

"Soap?"

"Yeah, soap. It makes it easier." Orin winked.

"In that case, you wait here, and I'll get the soap. Just close your eyes." Tien said, stopping Orin from going any further.

"Huh? Alright, but I don't see . . ." he started to say as he closed his eyes. At that instant Tien flew over to the soap, grabbed a bar, and flew back. ". . . what difference it makes." Orin finished.

"You can open your eyes now. I'm back with the soap." Orin opened his eyes, look at Tien, then at the soap in his hand, over to the alcove where the soap was kept, which is waaaaaaay down at the other end of the room, then back to Tien, the soap, the alcove, Tien, soap, alcove . . .

"How the hell did you manage that?" Orin asked, amazed and perplexed. Tien chuckled.

"Trade secret! Does it really matter?" Tien moved closer to Orin, taking him in his arms again.

"Not in the least! But one of these days, you'll have to tell me what trade enables you to do that! I just hope you're not that fast when it comes to making love!" Orin smiled, taking the soap from Tien, and set it on the ground behind him. He wrapped his arms around Tien's neck once again, and they kissed, swapped spit, tongue wrestled, tonsil tangoed, you get the idea.

They stood on their knees in the shallow water, their erections peeking above the surface. Orin took hold of Tien's cock and started pumping the stiff shaft. He spread his legs and guided Tien's hand to his, uh, entrance. Tien stopped, not sure what to do.

"You need to stretch me first. Use on finger first, then add more when you think I'm ready, and don't be afraid to go deep!" Orin instructed him. Not wanting to hurt him, Tien grabbed the soap and quickly made a thick lather, coating his hands. When he was sure he was slick enough, he put the soap aside and inserted one finger into Orin. The water removed most of the soap, though, so Tien made sure he took it slow. Orin gasped as he felt Tien's finger within him, moving all too slow for him to stand. Orin took his hand and shoved his finger in as far as it would go. This caused Tien's finger to brush against his prostate, sending shivers up his spine and making his impossibly hard cock quiver.

"Aaaaaah! O-h more! Add another finger!" Orin gasped. Tien did as directed, but found it hard to concentrate with the death grip Orin had on his cock.

"Now! I'm ready!" Orin gasped as he grabbed the soap, getting ready to slick up Tien's throbbing cock.

"Not in the water." Tien gasped, a bit breathless. "The soap will wash away!" Tien then sat on the edge of the pool, letting Orin know what he had in mind.

"I love the way you think!" he said, applying the lather he had worked up to Tien's steaming cock. Once done, he got out of the water and positioned himself over Tien's soap covered head, and with Tien helping, he slowly sat onto Tien's lap, impaling himself. Both moaned at the sensation. Once firmly seated, Orin wrapped his legs around Tien, pausing to adjust to the fullness he felt. After what seemed like an eternity to Tien, Orin started to move. Tien placed his hands on either side of Orin's waist and helped him move, bringing him up untill only the head remained, then letting him fall back down. Orin held onto Tien's shoulders and leaned back as he came down, changing the angle so that his 'magic spot' was hit directly, causing stars to appear in his vision. Their pace quickened, their moans echoing off the walls. Tien leaned back, laying down, giving Orin more room to ride. He reached up and started stroking Orin's cock, previously left unattended. He pumped him hard, and after a few strokes and a cry of ecstasy, Orin came, his seed spilling over Tien's chest and stomach. Orin's muscles clamped around Tien, making him come inside of him, with what sounded much like a battle cry. Orin collapsed onto Tien's sticky wet chest. The two laid there for awhile, both exhausted.

****End of Lemon****

Part 8e

As Tien and Orin laid there in a messy heap, neither noticed the door close quietly.

'This is not good!' Brother Clay thought on the other side of the door. He had been searching for the two to tell them that dinner was almost ready, when he found them. Now he wished he hadn't. Clay walked slowly back to the big room, images of what he had seen flashing through his mind. He seriously debated with himself on whether or not to say anything, but once Bob saw his face, he had no choice.

"Clay, what is it?" Bob asked, noticing the strange look on his face.

"I need to talk to you in private." he motioned for Bob to follow him. They walked out of the big room and into a supply closet near by.

"Tien . . . has broken a rule." he started.

"Which one?" Bob asked.

"THE rule."

"Oh, no! With who? Surely not . . ."

"Orin." Bob shook his head.

"He knew the rule, why would he do this?" Bob was confused by Orin's actions more so than Tien's.

"I don't know. I only know what I saw." Clay stared at his feet.

"We'll talk to them after dinner. We do not need to make this public. Come on, let's go eat."

Back to Tien and Orin . . .

They laid there, with Orin sprawled on top of Tien, his head resting on his chest. Tien held him in his arms, and his ki keeping the cold at bay.

"Mmmm, that was wonderful!" Orin said, tracing an obscure pattern on Tien's chest.

"Mmm-hmm! Want to go again?" Tien asked with a wolfish grin.

"I would, but I'm exhausted! Besides, dinner should be ready soon, if not already! The others will wonder what happened to us! We should get cleaned up, we're all sticky!" Orin grinned. "But maybe we could have an encore later tonight, if your still up to it!"

"You're on!" Tien captured Orin's lips for a quick kiss, before lifting him up and carrying him into the water.

"Ooh, how romantic!" Orin said, his arm draped over Tien's shoulder. When they had reached waist-deep water, Tien smiled at Orin, then . . .

*SPLASH*

. . . dropped him into the water.

"Hey!" Orin said after resurfacing, then promptly pushed Tien further into the water. Thus began their little 'water war', during which they managed to wash away the sweat and semen from their bodies. During a reprieve from their splashing, they heard the dinner bell sound.

"Kuso! We're late! Let's go!" Orin exclaimed. They swam to the side of the pool that was the closest to their clothes and climbed out. They grabbed their towels and began frantically drying off. Suddenly, Tien was struck with an idea. He took hold of Orin and held him close.

"Tien, we don't have time!"

"Hold still." Tien instructed. And he did, but more out of confusion than anything else. Tien raised his ki slowly, drying them both off in a matter of seconds, even Orin's hair.

"There. All done." Tien let go, albeit reluctantly. Orin blinked.

'What the hell did he just do?' Orin scratched his head in confusion, and as he did, he noticed his hair was dry. He then realized that he was completely dry.

"What the hell . . .?!?" Tien laughed, then tossed Orin's robe to him.

"Here, get dressed!" he said, as he put on his sweats. Orin shrugged, then pulled on his robe, sans boxers. He put his boxers in an inside pocket in his robe. This got him a strange look from Tien.

"Why bother?" he explained. Tien grinned, understanding what he meant. The two then rushed to the dining hall, where everyone else were already eating. They sat down at the last two places, and dug in. Neither noticed Bob's attentions, nor Clay's avoidance.

Chaotzu was the only one, besides Bob and occasionally Clay, who noticed Tien's happier than usual grin. Chaotzu had never seen him like that. He'd seen him happy plenty of times, but not like this. He looked . . . fulfilled. Satisfied. He was also eating like Goku. Chaotzu paused.

"Oh, my!" he said under his breath, his eyes wide in shock. He was not as innocent as some, okay most, people thought. He knew more than people give him credit for.

"What is it, Chaotzu?" Joe asked beside him.

"Oh, nothing really! I was just noticing how happy Tien is tonight!" Chaotzu said quickly. Joe looked over at Tien, who was laughing at something Orin said.

"Yes, he does look happy! So does Orin!" Joe commented. Chaotzu looked at Orin. Indeed he had the same type of look on his face.

'So it was Orin! Can't say I'm too surprised, but I know someone who would be!' Chaotzu thought. He smiled. He was glad he was finally happy and had someone to love.

Unfortunately, Chaotzu did not guess the full extent of why they were so happy.

Later that evening . . .

After the dishes were cleared and taken car of, Bob made an announcement.

"Alright, peeps! Tonight, we are going to spend the next few hours in the library! Read, play games, take a nap, I don't care! Just go into the library and have fun! Besides, it's warmer in there! Let's go!" he said, shooing everyone out of the dining hall. "Clay, go catch them before they get to far." Clay worked his way over to the two lovebirds and stopped them.

"Bob would like to talk to you for a minute." he said. Chaotzu overheard this and decided to stay as well. He told Joe he would meet up with him a little later.

By the time the majority of the brothers had left and were well on their way to the library, only five remained. Bob sat at the head of the table, which was his customary spot, Chaotzu stood in the kitchen doorway, so far unnoticed, Clay sat near Bob, on his right, Orin sat on the edge of the table near the middle, and Tien stood by him.

"So, Bobby! What can we do for you?" Orin asked after a moment of silence.

"Clay, shut the door, would you? No one else needs to here this." Bob said. Clay did as he was asked, and leaned against the door, his head bowed.

"Thank you, Clay. You two might want to sit down." Bob directed towards Tien and Orin. They sat down with an uneasy feeling in their stomachs. "It has come to my attention that you have broken a rule. THE rule. Tien, you didn't know the rule, so we'll be lenient, but Orin . . . You knew the rule, and yet you broke it anyway, knowing the consequences." Bob paused. "The rule you broke was the 'no sex' rule. Tien, you have the choice of leaving or staying and taking over the worst jobs for a month. Orin, you will leave tomorrow morning." They sat there in stunned silence. The tears that had been welling up in Orin's eyes began streaming down his face, not wanting to leave, but praying Tien would go with him. Chaotzu was shocked more so than any of them.

"Wait a minute!" Tien stood quickly, knocking over his chair. "Orin shouldn't be punished for something that is my fault! If I hadn't come here, this wouldn't have happened! Let him stay, I'll leave." he said firmly, his mind made up.

"Tien! No!" Chaotzu ran to him, tears running down his face. Tien knelt down to catch him. "Why? Why did you have to do this, Tien?" Chaotzu sobbed in his arms.

"Some things can't be explained, Chaotzu. But I can't let Orin take the blame!" Tien said.

"But I don't want to leave! I like it here!"

"Chaotzu, you're not leaving, I am! You know I didn't want to come here in the first place, and know it's time I moved on. Frankly, I would have sooner if it weren't for Orin. You don't need me anymore, Chaotzu. You've found your home, but it's not for me. Let me find my home now!" Tien explained. Chaotzu knew he was right. He had selfishly dragged Tien all across the world for his own purpose, and now it was time to let go.

"I'll miss you!" Chaotzu said as he flung his arms around Tien's neck, hugging him.

"I know, and I'll miss you!" Tien hugged back. "But you'll have Joe and the others to keep you company."

"When will you be leaving?" Chaotzu asked, releasing his death like grip on Tien's neck.

"First thing in the morning. Now, you should go. We still have to settle things. Go see Joe, but don't tell anyone of my leaving until after I leave, and nothing of any of this, alright?" Chaotzu nodded. "Good. I'll see you before I leave." Chaotzu left through the kitchen, still crying.

"Alright. He can stay. I hate to see you leave, Tien. But if that's the way you want it, who am I to stop you?" Bob said, understanding Tien's reasons for his request.

"Tien, you shouldn't have!" Orin finally spoke, the shock having worn off. He stood up and faced Tien. "Don't do this! Not for me!" he cried.

"It's alright, Orin!" he placed his hands on Orin's shoulders. They stood there for a moment, their eyes interlocked. "I better pack." Tien said, tearing his gaze away from Orin's, his own tears starting to fall. Orin just stood there and watched him go, frozen to the spot. He couldn't believe this was happening. After Clay let Tien out the door and his footsteps began to fade, Orin broke down, crying for all that he was worth, sinking to his knees. Bob and Clay left discretely, leaving him to his misery.

Part 8f

Tien walked to his room in silence, his mind devoid of any thought, as he walked down the empty corridors. After entering the room, he closed the door behind him and began to gather his few belongings. Backpack, coat, and shoes from the closet, clothes from the dresser, a few personal items from the desk . . . he packed it all, save for one item. It was a carving of the dragon and the seven dragonballs. Tien had been carving it for years, he only just finished it last month. Orin had expressed much praise over the craftsmanship, and how much he liked it. Tien ran his fingers over the wood, feeling the details so carefully etched into the surface. It was the thing he had taken pride and joy in, the one object he prized. He placed it back on the desk where it had been sitting, deciding that he would leave it for Orin.

He sat there, on his bed, staring at the wall opposite from him, with a blank mind. Minutes passed, the quiet suffocating. Somewhere a door shut, and his mind was flooded with images, sounds, and feelings of the moments that he had shared with Orin. Tears filled his eyes with each memory, causing a veritable waterfall of emotion to cascade down his pale cheeks. He broke down, curling up on his bed, weeping till the tears ran dry, crying himself to sleep.

Meanwhile . . .

The library was abuzz with activity. A ping-pong tournament went on in one room, and a chess tournament in another, and three different poker games going on in another. When Chaotzu arrived, Joe was waiting for him. He wanted to participate in the ping-pong tournament, but he needed a partner since they were doing doubles. Chaotzu agreed, needing the distraction. They were one game away from playing when his mind wandered back to Tien.

"What's wrong, little brother?" Joe asked him, using his pet name. Joe's voice brought Chaotzu's attention back to the present.

"Nothing, big brother! Nothing's wrong!" He hated to lie to Joe, but he had promised Tien he wouldn't say anything until after he left.

"Your face says there is something wrong, and it must be really bad, if you would lie about it." Joe stated, very much concerned for his 'little brother'.

"I'm sorry, Joe, but I made a promise, and I have every intention of keeping it. Do you understand?" Chaotzu looked up at his 'big brother' with the saddest eyes that Joe had ever seen.

"Yes, little brother, I understand. We don't have to play, if you are not up to it. And if you need to be alone, I understand that too." Joe offered.

"Thanks, Joe!" Chaotzu hugged his large friend. "But I rather not be alone right now. How 'bout checkers?"

"Okay!" Joe and Chaotzu went into another room where the games were kept and found the checkers. They played many games into the night, Chaotzu's spirits lifting with every game.

Meanwhile . . .

After Bob and Clay left, Orin let go completely, his anguish flooding the room with his tortured crying. After some time, there was no more. His tears were gone and he no longer had the strength to cry or lament. He knelt there, on the cold floor of the dinning hall, staring at the wall, but not seeing, a shell of his former self. He stayed like that for a long time, not moving, not even to blink.

His mind replayed every moment he shared with Tien repeatedly, as if trying to burn Tien's memory into his mind, so he won't forget. Then he remembered the gift. He had made something for Tien, but hadn't the nerve to give it to him. Till now. He jumped up and out the door, as if someone had lit a fire under his ass. He ran down the corridors, passing people on their way to bed every now and then, nearly running into some of them. When he reached his door, he stopped, not sure how to proceed. After a moment, he opened the door slowly and let himself in, closing the door behind him.

It was dark, the lamp turned down low. Orin's eyes adjusted to the dimness quickly. He saw Tien asleep atop his blankets, shivering in a fetal position. Orin walked over to the desk and opened the bottom drawer. He reached in to the bottom, then removed a small object wrapped up in a piece of clothe. Having found what he was looking for, he walked over to Tien's bed and sat on the edge.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty!" Orin shook Tien gently. He stirred, but didn't wake. "Tien, wake up!" This time, he did wake. He turned towards Orin, who noticed the dried tears on his face.

"Orin! What is it?" Tien asked groggily.

"First, you'd sleep better under the blankets, than on top. And second, I wanted to give you something." he handed him the small bundle.

"What is it?" Tien asked, taking the bundle.

"Open it and find out!" Tien unraveled the clothe to reveal a small gold, heart-shaped locket on a gold chain. It was simple, with a smooth surface. On the inside, on the left, was an inscription. 'To Tien, From Orin, With Love' it read. On the right was a place for a photo, but Orin didn't have a photo, so instead, on the space that a photo would cover up, he engraved, in flowing script, the words 'I Love You'. Fresh tears filled Tien's eyes as he read those words. He was overwhelmed with joy, and momentarily forgot that he was leaving in the morning.

"Oh, Orin!" he threw his arms around the smaller man and hugged him fiercely.

"Tien! Air!" Orin gasped, nearly crushed by Tien's enthusiastic hug. Tien loosened his grip.

"Sorry! It's just . . . no one's ever given me anything like this before!" he exclaimed, his bliss apparent with every word.

"I'm glad you like it!" Orin smiled, glad that he could see Tien happy at least once more. Then it happened. Tien said something that Orin thought he would never hear spoken to him with every word meant whole heartedly.

"I love you, too!" Tien said as he still held Orin, thus not able to see his reaction to his confession.

"You . . . you mean that?" Orin asked, pulling away slightly, just enough to see Tien's face.

"Of course I mean it! I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it with every ounce of my being! I've loved you for a long time now, and I will always love you, no matter what!" Tien said, looking him straight in the eye.

"Oh, Tien! You don't know how happy that makes me to hear you say that!" Orin said, tears running down his face. He pulled Tien close, and kissed him fiercely. Time seemed to stand still, as the two lovers poured their heart and soul into that one kiss.

Part 8g

The sun rose the next morning, peeking between the mountains, the rays glistening off the pure white snow. Tien awoke with Orin in his arms, sleeping peacefully. He got up carefully, so as not to disturb his slumbering companion. He dressed quickly, donning the locket Orin had so lovingly given him, then put on his coat and pack. He was ready to go, he just had to say goodbye. Orin turned over in his sleep, getting tied up in the sheets. Tien smiled. Orin looked so sweet when he was asleep. Tien ran his fingers lightly through his hair, then leaned down and kissed him gently on the forehead.

"Sleep well, my love. Maybe we'll meet again sometime." Tien whispered, then sighed, his heart sinking. Reluctantly, Tien stood and left the room, shutting the door silently. He walked down the hall, stopping just outside of Chaotzu's room. He knocked lightly on the door, not wanting to disturb anyone else at such an early hour.

"Chaotzu, are you in there?" he called through the wooden door. He listened for any sounds from within the room. He wasn't disappointed, as muffled sounds of someone stirring filtered through the door. After a moment, the door opened and Chaotzu walked out.

"Tien, leaving so soon? Can't you at least wait until after breakfast?" he pleaded, hoping to delay Tien's departure.

"Afraid not, Chaotzu. I must leave now if I'm going to make it to town before night fall. Tell everyone I'll miss them, and take care of Orin for me, okay?"

"Okay." Chaotzu's eyes filled with tears. He jumped into Tien's arms and hugged him fiercely. Tien hugged him back, his own eyes watering.

"Oh, Tien! I'm going to miss you!" Chaotzu cried.

"I'll miss you, too!" he knelt there, holding his sobbing friend in his arms, trying not to breakdown himself. "Hey, it'll be alright! It's not like we'll never see each other again! I'll visit when ever I can, and you can visit me after I settle down, okay?" Chaotzu nodded in agreement, though not very enthusiastically. "Okay, then. See me off?"

"Sure." They walked to the foyer of the temple and out the door to the top of the stone steps. There they found Bob waiting to see Tien off himself.

"Well, Tien, it looks like this is goodbye. Feel free to visit, especially during the planting season!" Bob joked as he shook Tien's hand, then gave him a hearty hug.

"Thanks, I will. I better get going. Goodbye Bob. Goodbye Chaotzu. Tell the others goodbye for me!" Tien hugged them both one last time, then started on his way. They watched him go, and after a few steps, Tien turned around and waved at the two, his final farewell. It wasn't long before he disappeared from view, for the steps wound around the mountain.

"Come on, Chaotzu. Let's get out of the cold." Bob lead Chaotzu back inside. They walked back to Chaotzu's room.

"Will you be okay? I could keep you company till Joe wakes." Bob offered. Before he could answer, an idea popped into his mind. And he rushed down the hall to Orin's room. Bob followed, puzzled by Chaotzu's actions. Chaotzu didn't bother knocking, he just rushed right into the room. He saw that Orin was still asleep. 'He didn't even say goodbye?' he thought.

"Orin! Wake up! He's gone!" he said, rushing to Orin.

"Huh? Wha?" Orin woke groggily. He hadn't gotten much sleep. He had spent most of the night watching Tien sleep before he himself slipped into the land of dreams. "Chaotzu? What are you . . . Where's Tien? He didn't leave . . . not without saying goodbye? Tell me he didn't!" he started shouting once he realized that Tien was not there.

"He just left! If you hurry, you can still catch him! Come on! I'll help you pack!" Chaotzu pulled him out of bed, and gave him his clothes. He then started gathering the few items in the room, placing them on the other bed for packing. By the time Orin had finished dressing, Chaotzu had finished packing, save one item. The carving.

"He . . . forgot the dragon?" Chaotzu said, perplexed. Orin looked over at the desk to where the statue still stood.

"He must have left it . . . for me." Orin's eyes filled with tears at the implication the left behind object represented. He picked it up, and turned it over in his hands, feeling the details with his fingertips. His tears fell down his face.

"How long ago did he leave?" Orin asked, determination filling his voice.

"Not ten minutes ago." Bob said from the doorway, startling the two. "You can still make it, but you better hurry."

Not three minutes later, Orin was out the door with his few worldly possessions, and chased after Tien's shadow.

Meanwhile . . .

It began to snow softly. Tien hadn't noticed. He continued down the steps carefully, so as not to slip. He could have easily just flown down, but he wasn't in the mood, nor did he feel he had the strength too. To say he was depressed would be an understatement. He plodded along, the snow clinging to his clothes. After a while, he couldn't take it anymore. He sat down on the steps and started weeping. The snow fell harder, as if taking it's cue from him.

Snow piled up around him, clinging to his clothes, soaking through to chill his very marrow. If it wasn't for an angel calling his name, he might have frozen to death on that very spot.

"Tien! Tien, where are you? Tien!"

"Huh?" Tien looked up. At first, he thought he was imagining things, but it came again, and closer this time.

"Tien! Damnit, slow down! Tien! Either answer me or show yourself before I start an avalanche!" Tien then knew that he was not dreaming, but it was in fact Orin who was calling him. His eyes filled with tears of joy at the realization that Orin chose to come with him. He stood quickly, much to the regret of his nearly frozen body, and turned around to see a vision from heaven. Orin had just came around the corner, the sun, which had decided to peek out from behind the clouds, behind him, making him glow with the sunlight, his hair on fire.

"Tien!" Orin choked back a sob then ran into Tien's stiff, awaiting arms. As they held each other, Tien felt the warmth returning to his cold body, and to his heart.

"Orin, my angel! My love! You came! I am so happy you came!" Tien's tears fell down his face as his joy flooded his every pore. "I am never letting you go, you hear me? Never!"

"I so glad you said that, because I'm about to slip off this damned mountain!" They moved away from the edge as they both laughed.

"I love your sense of humor, you know that?" Tien said as he pushed a strand of hair out of Orin's face, and gazed into his eyes.

"And I love the way you smile!" Orin said, wrapping his arms around Tien's neck. They kissed, this one rivaled the last as the snow stopped, the clouds parted, and the sun came out full fledged, it's heat second only to that of the two lovers below.

As they broke the kiss, so did the clouds, sending a flurry of snow down upon them.

"Let's get out of here!" Orin said, putting his hood up.

"I agree!" Tien picked Orin up and cradled him in his arms.

"Aah! Tien! What are you doing?" Orin asked with a smile on his lips.

"I want to get to town as soon as possible, so we are taking the express route down!" he said as he approached the edge of the mountain.

"Tien, I love you, but are you nuts?!" Orin tightened his grip on Tien's neck.

"Only about you, love!" And with that, he stepped off the mountain.

Part 8h

Tien and Orin made it to Tull, a small town at the bottom of the mountain, in an hour. They would have gone farther, a lot farther, but they stopped there for two reasons. One was that they had no idea where to go from there, and the other was because they were horny as hell. The flight down didn't help any, for it only excited them further.

They landed outside of the town, Tien's ki melting the snow around them. They ran the rest of the way hand in hand, much like teenage sweethearts. It didn't take them long to find the only room and board the small town had to offer. It was shabby, run-down, and filthy looking, and that's putting it nicely.

"Charming little place, isn't it?" Orin stated sarcastically.

"Yes, well, it will do for now, until we figure out where we go from here." Tien said, putting his arm around his shoulders.

"How about to the nearest Hilton?" Tien laughed at the suggestion.

"Even if we could afford that, could you really wait that long?" he said, nuzzling Orin's neck.

"Aaaah, good point! What are we waiting for? Let's check into this lovely little establishment so we can . . ." the rest he whispered in Tien's ear. Tien grew a bright shade of red. He then grabbed Orin's hand and hauled him inside the inn.

The interior was not much better than the exterior, but it was warm, even if not well lit. The first floor served as a tavern of sorts. Apparently, the inn was also the only dinning establishment.

"Cozy. Should we eat first or . . ." he left off there, letting Tien imagine the other option.

"Let's get a room first, freshen up a bit, then eat. Or get a room, screw around, and then eat, then screw some more?" Tien suggested.

"Hmm, I like the second option better!" Orin smiled.

"Me, too!" Tien winked.

"Can I help you fellas?" the proprietress, or possibly just the waitress, or both, asked them, once she took notice of them.

"We certainly hope so! We'd like a room, please." Orin stated.

"Can ya pay?" she asked skeptically.

"You did bring the credit cards, right?" Orin asked, turning to Tien.

"I thought you did?" Tien played along.

"Uh, we don't take credit cards." she said, sweat-dropping.

"That's okay. We only brought cash anyway!" Orin said, smiling sweetly.

"One room for the both of ya? There's only one bed to a room." she warned.

"That's fine." Tien said.

"Come with me." she motioned for them to follow. "How long you boys planning to stay in these parts?"

"We're not sure." Tien said as they walked up the stairs to the second floor where the rooms were.

"That's fine, as long as you pay, you can stay as long as ya like." She lead them to the last room on the left, taking a key out of her apron and unlocking the door. "This here'll be your room. It's the warmest on this side, seeing as how close it is to the chimney. The bathroom's at the top of the stairs and there ain't no lock on it so be prepared. Here's your key, don't loose it, we only have one other. There's a 50 yen prepay, so pay up." she held out her hand for the money, which Tien gave to her as Orin looked around the small room.

"Thank you." Tien said after the woman proclaim the money he had given her 'good'.

"No, thank you, sweet cheeks! We don't get much business this time of year, and paying customers are rare! If ya want breakfast, you'll have to wait about an hour. Cook ain't up yet."

"That's alright, I'm sure we can entertain ourselves till then!" Orin said with a wicked grin on his face that the 'lady' thankfully didn't see.

"One more thing. There ain't much hot water in the bathroom. Ya might want to share bath water."

"Thank you, we'll certainly keep that in mind." Tien said as Orin waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"If you, uh, men need anything else, be sure to let me know. I'll be downstairs and if a need ever arises in the night, my room is the last at the other end of the hall." she winked subtlety. "If ya catch my drift."

"Uh, yes. Thank you, we'll remember that." Tien said, sweat-dropping. Orin was no help, as he only smiled charmingly.

"I'll see you boys later." she said, giving Orin another wink before leaving. Tien closed the door a moment later.

"Great, she thinks you were hitting on her!" Tien said as he slipped off his pack and placed the grimy corner where Orin's was.

"I wouldn't talk, 'sweet cheeks', she has the hots for you, too! And here you were being polite! And nice! She's probably not used to such treatment from such a good looking man as yourself! You probably made her quiver just from your sexy 'please' and 'thank you's!" Orin teased from atop the double bed. "That offer extended to both of us and you know it!"

"Yes, I do." Tien sat on the bed next to Orin, "Should we tell her?"

"Why embarrass her? What she doesn't know, won't hurt. Unless she finds out. Let's not stay here to long and hopefully, we won't have to tell her." Orin suggested. Tien nodded in agreement. "Now, what should we do until breakfast?" Orin asked, with a feral grin.

"Oh, I can think of something!" Tien said before pouncing Orin.

Downstairs . . .

The proprietress, Sali, and her two brothers, Crotix and Bubba, heard some strange noises coming from the fireplace.

"What is that noise?" Sali asked perplexed.

"Don't know. Maybe an animal, or two, got stuck in the chimney again." Bubba suggested.

"Naw, if that were so, smoke would be backing up in here." Crotix said. "Besides, I never heard any animal make noises like that. Sounds kinda like . . . moaning."

"Didya hear that? That sounded like a word!" Sali said, now spooked. Just then, the 'noise' increased in volume and intensity, then two distinct words could be heard every know and then. The three moved away from the fireplace.

"Ghosts!" Sali exclaimed.

"What do they want with us? We ain't done nothing to them!" Bubba complained. The moaning grew louder.

"Quiet! We don't want them to get mad at us! Who knows what they might do!" Crotix hushed his brother. The three sat at the fireplace quietly, as the moaning grew louder and more hurried, seeming to reach a crescendo, then began tapering off, quite some time after it had started.

"What the hell is all that racket?" a portly man, hastenly dressed, walked down the stairs and into the main room of the tavern.

"Papa! We're being haunted!" Sali ran to her father.

"Ghosts are in the chimney!" Bubba exclaimed.

"Ghosts? In the chimney, you say? Well if they are in the chimney, then how come I could hear them all the way in my room?" He hobbled over to the fireplace, much to the dismay of his children, and threw another log on the fire. "They seem to have gone now. But ghosts or no ghosts, don't let the fire die. You want us to freeze to death?" He stoked the fire.

"Oh, Pa. We've got customers! Two fellers and they'll be wanting some breakfast right soon." Sali told him.

"They's got money?" Pa asked. Sali tossed him the 50 yen piece.

"And I know there's more of it, too!" she said. Pa shifted the coin in his hand, feeling the weight, then bit it.

"That's real alright! And there's more? Then let's hope they stay long! I'll fire up the stove, one of ya find out what they want to eat." he said, heading towards the kitchen.

"I'll go." Sali said, heading for the stairs. The two brothers exchanged a look, knowing exactly why Sali was so eager to see their new customers.

Upstairs . . .

Tien and Orin lay in each other's arms in post sex ecstasy, sweat and semen drying to their exposed skin. Tien caressed Orin's hair. They didn't speak, there wasn't any reason to.

*knockknock*

"The cook's up, he wants to know what you boys want for breakfast." Sali called through the door.

"Aw, phooey! So soon?" Orin smiled at Tien.

"Alright, we'll be down in a minute!" Tien hollered out to Sali.

"Alright." Sali walked back downstairs, wondering if she should have told them about the ghosts or not. They dressed quickly, though reluctantly, and headed downstairs smiling.

They stayed at the Tull Inn for two weeks, raising hell and 'ghosts' whenever they made love, which was often. During their stay, Sali made passes at them everyday, and everyday they pretended to be oblivious, even when Orin flirted with her occasionally. They helped out when they could, doing odd, and even dangerous, jobs to help pay for there room. They often participated in snowball fights with the locals, Tien being the only one who didn't get hit, much to everyone's bewilderment, and Orin's amusement. He constantly tried to get the drop on him, but he always ended up being the one pelted with snow. They had a blast.

They never did decide where to head to next, but rather go where their feet lead them, so they picked a vague direction and set off one day. They traveled all over the continent, seeing many sights and meeting many new people. Months passed and winter gave way to spring, and they found themselves in a meadow full of wild flowers along the border of France.

Orin danced about the flowers, picking some every now and then. Tien sat on a boulder near the middle of the field, watching his lover frolic. He smiled as Orin laughed and sang, doing cartwheels and tricks for his beloved. Tien laughed at his capering about, enjoying the show. Orin danced up to Tien and handed him the flowers he picked with flourish. Tien smelled the flowers, then pulled Orin close, and kissed him.

"The flowers are pretty, but they are nothing compared to you!" Tien said.

"And their nectar could never be as sweet as you!" Orin said, wrapping his arms around Tien.

Suddenly, thunder cracked and the skies let loose with a torrent of rain, soaking the two lovebirds from head to toe.

'That's strange. It was clear just a moment ago.' Tien thought. Orin pulled away from him and danced in the rain, whooping and hollering. Tien chuckled, though he was a bit surprised when Orin stripped off his robe and swung it over his head, then let it fly, landing a few feet away. Orin kept dancing in his boxers, which clung to his body and, being soaked, didn't leave much to the imagination. Not that Tien minded, he rather enjoyed the view. Orin turned towards him, giving him an eyeful of his favorite 'toy'.

"Come on! You've got to try this! It's great!" Orin motioned for Tien to join him. Tien jumped off the boulder, which seemed to be larger than Tien remembered. When he looked up, Orin was farther away then he had been, and a group of men had come out of nowhere and they had a hold of him. Tien watched in horror as one of them slit Orin's throat from ear to ear, blood gushing everywhere.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO . . ."

Part 8i

" . . . OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Tien finished screaming as he sat bolt upright, sweat covering his body.

"Tien! What's wrong?" Orin asked beside him, having been startled awake by his lover's outburst. Noticing Orin, alive and well, beside him, Tien hugged him fiercely, tears streaming down his face.

"Ack! Tien, I can't breathe!" Orin said, struggling in the large man's grip slightly.

"Sorry!" Tien said, loosening his hold. "I just . . . had a nightmare. You were . . . killed . . . right in front of me, and I . . . I couldn't stop them!" he choked out, before breaking down in tears. Orin held him in his arms, rocking him gently, caressing his back.

"It's alright, it was just a dream! I'm fine! Everything is going to be okay . . ." Orin comforted him, till he had cried himself to sleep again. Orin feel asleep soon after.

Morning . . .

"Are you all right?" Orin asked, placing a concerned hand on Tien's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tien gave him a weak smile. "That nightmare just shook me up a bit."

"A bit? You cried yourself to sleep in my arms! I'd say you were pretty shook up at the very least!" Orin waved his arms about to express his point. This caused Tien to chuckle. Orin smiled. "Your laughing? I'm being serious and your laughing?!?" he shouted, shaking Tien by the front of his shirt in an exaggerated manner. Tien only laughed more. Orin laughed with him.

"Come on." Tien said still chuckling. "Let's go before it gets any later. Or would you rather wait till tomorrow to cross the border?"

"Are you kidding me? Let's get going! Mush!" Orin pushed Tien down the road.

They had spent the night under the stars, on a grassy hill facing away from the road. When they awoke, Tien was still in Orin's arms. They stayed that way for a while just talking, the sun slowly climbing the horizon. Tien was reluctant to talk too much about his dream, but Orin insisted on hearing all about it. Tien still didn't divulge all the details, but enough to satisfy his lover's curiosity.

They were only a few miles from France's border. Orin had been wanting to see France, and especially Paris, for a long time, so that's where they decided to go.

Afternoon . . .

The sun was shining brightly, and it was quite a sight. And this was slightly odd because it was the middle of the night. Er . . .let's try this again! ^^;;

The late afternoon sun light filtered through the trees, shadows playing across the lover's faces as they traveled down a country road, seemingly devoid of any others. They strolled hand in hand down the middle of the road, enjoying the scenery. The trees began to thin as a clearing came in to view. Wildflowers grew in abundance, painting the landside with a variety of colors. Their scent permeating the air, mixing to create a beautiful perfume. A few scattered clouds cast their shadows across the low hills, slowly moving with a high wind. A gentle breeze stirred the flowers, causing them to sway back and forth in a wave like manner. All in all a lovely view.

'So why am I getting a bad feeling?' Tien thought, his stomach twisting in knots. His hand tightened around Orin's, bringing his attention to Tien's discomfort.

"Hey. You okay?" Orin asked, tugging Tien's hand and arm.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." he said, loosening his grip on Orin. Before Orin could mention something about deja vu, a car, or rather a van, came careening past them at break neck speed, narrowly avoiding them. It disappeared over the next hill, the sound fading into the background.

"Well, someone's in a hurry!" Orin commented.

"No kidding! They better slow down before they have an accident." Tien said.

"Oh, come on! Don't tell me you've never gone that fast before?"

"Sure I have! Just not in a car!" Tien smiled. The two continued on their journey, talking and laughing all the while.

Sunset . . .

As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky with a rainbow of colors, Orin and Tien came across the van that had sped past them earlier. Five men stood outside of the vehicle, looking over what appeared to be a flat tire. As they neared the group, they could hear the men arguing, over what was still uncertain. One of them was seriously upset about something, for he was waving his arms about madly and shouting. The others tried to calm him down, but he just shoved them away, then took off into the field and disappeared over a hill. Two men went after him and the other two opened up the back of the van to get the spare out and the tools to change the tire. Tien and Orin exchanged looks, shrugged, then walked up to the two remaining men.

"Need a hand?" Tien offered. The two men seemed to be having trouble getting the tire out, neither seemed in particularly good shape.

"Sure! We could always use a hand! The name's Gus and this is Pierre." the shorter of the two said, indicating his companion. They shook hands as Tien and Orin introduced themselves. Just then, one of the others came running over the hill, stopping just on the other side.

"Gus! Pierre! We could use a little help here!" he shouted.

"Damn! Just a sec, Tom!" Gus shouted back.

"I'll give you a hand." Orin offered. "It's not like it will take all four of us to change one tire!"

"Great! Pierre, you go with him, and we'll change the flat." Gus said, indicating that he'll stay with Tien.

"Why do I have to . . ." Pierre began, but stopped when Gus gave him a glare that said 'go or I'll cut your nuts off!' "Er, let's go!" he said to Orin, and they ran to where Tom was still waiting.

"Well, I certainly hope you know how to change a tire. We better hurry, the light is fading fast." Gus stated.

"I certainly do. A friend of mine has a thing for classic cars. He managed to get one, but the darn thing would get a flat just about every time he took it out." Tien explained as he quickly jacked up the van. "In fact, his tires have more patches than a quilt!" he joked as he began removing the bolts from the hub. "I've changed those tires so many times, my friends started calling me 'the quickest jack in the Far East!'" He finished, removing the flat and placing it in the back of the van where Gus directed. He put the spare into place, then put the bolts on, tightening them after each one was in place.

"I can see why! I've never seen someone change a tire so quickly before!" Gus said in awe.

Meanwhile . . .

Tom, Pierre, and Orin came down the other side of the hill, where the others were waiting for them. It was dark, for the hill hid the remaining sun light. Orin could barely make out three figures standing in the darkness. He didn't notice Tom and Pierre slowing their pace so that he was slightly in front of them.

"So what do you need help with?" he asked, slowing his pace as they got closer to the others.

"You'll see." Tom said as he and Pierre took hold of Orin's arms and brought him over to the others. They stopped right in front of the man who had run off in the first place, who was evidently the leader. They kept a firm hold of Orin to make sure he didn't get away.

"Why, Grandma! What big, strong men you have!" Orin joked. The leader slapped him hard, blood spilling from Orin's mouth.

"Quiet, Fag! We have ways of dealing with your type of scum!" the leader said. To his men, he said "Let's take this faggot someplace where his lover won't hear him scream!" Orin's eyes grew wide. As he was about to yell for help, when one of the other men shoved a rag in his mouth, muffling any sound he'd make. Orin growled in frustration.

"You hear that? The bitch is growling at us! Let's teach it some manners!" the leader, Rudy, said, then punched Orin in the stomach. Orin bent over in pain, but not very far. The goons still holding his arms kept him from doubling over. Orin tried hard not to cry. That's what they wanted him to do, and it would never reach Tien's ears anyway. But his eyes did water slightly.

"Look at him! Crying like a baby." one of them said.

"Don't you know, Cid? All fags cry! I bet he's crying for his mommy!" Tom taunted.

"Let's go! It's already dark, and we don't have all night." Rudy said. They took him into the nearby woods, and into a small clearing with a large boulder near the center of it.

****WARNING: The following scene is rated NC-17!!!****
For violence and *cough* rape. Scroll down till you see the 'end' to skip.

"Cid, got the rope?" Rudy asked.

"Of course!"

"Good. Tie him to that rock." he instructed. They tied him facing the boulder, with his hands tied together around it. The boulder came up to his chin, and the rope was tied too tight to slip over the top. When they were done, Rudy walked up to Orin and removed the rag.

"Tell me, faggot. Do you like giving it? Or taking it?" he asked as Orin coughed from the foulness of the rag.

"What's on that thing?" Orin asked, avoiding the question. Rudy punched him in the side, directly in the kidney.

"Answer the question!!" Rudy yelled, as Orin moaned in pain, a few tears falling down his cheek.

"Why . . . the hell . . . should I tell you . . . anything?" Orin coughed out. Rudy brought down his elbow on Orin's back, causing him to cry out briefly, cry profusely, and cuss profanely. His knees slightly buckled and shook slightly. Rudy reached behind him and got a hunting knife with a six inch blade. He brought the blade up to Orin's neck, causing him to stand up as straight as he could to avoid being cut.

"There's more than one way to skin a fag! Now, I suggest you hold still, less you get cut." Rudy said, then used the knife to cut off Orin's belt, pants, and boxers. The fabric pooled around Orin's feet, the feel of the rough texture of the boulder against Orin's bare cock and balls was painful, even without added pressure from behind. Rudy put the knife back at Orin's throat.

"Now, I'm going to shove my finger up your ass. If it feels loose, I'll know you like to take it." he said.

"What if I like it both ways? You wouldn't be able to find that out with a simple rectal exam!" Orin said. Rudy scowled, then shoved his finger up Orin's ass rough and dry. Orin cried out, but it was short. He was indeed loose, more so than Rudy had been expecting. Rudy pulled his finger out and examined it.

"No blood. How is that?" he asked, baffled.

"Well, no offense, but my lover's cock is way bigger than your little finger. So I'm used to a larger size." Orin explained, as if to an idiot. This enraged Rudy and he hit the spot on his back as he did earlier, hard. Orin cried out in pain, both from his back and his crotch. His knees wanted to buckle, but didn't dare let them, for the blade was still at his neck.

"I know for a fact that all fags have small dicks!" Rudy said vehemently.

"What'd you do? Go out and measured them all?" Orin said, earning him another hit to the back. Now he was seeing spots, but he wasn't going to give up, wasn't going to beg. Blood dripped down his throat from a small cut. Rudy slowly removed the knife from his neck, then licked the blood from the blade.

"I bet I'm larger than your boyfriend back there. Let's find out, shall we?" Rudy said with an evil glint in his eyes. Orin shut his eyes and cursed him under his breath as he clamped his legs shut.

"Tom, Pierre. Spread 'em." Rudy instructed them. Pierre took hold of Orin's left leg, and Tom got his right, and they pulled them apart, holding them in place. Rudy unfastened his belt and pants, dropping them and his underwear to the ground. He grabbed his already stiffening cock and began stoking himself. It was only a moment till he was rock hard. He spread Orin's cheeks apart and positioned himself at his opening.

"Don't . . ." Orin whispered, tears streaming down his face. His voice fell on deaf ears, however, as Rudy thrust hard into Orin's ass. Orin's cry was deafening, as tissue tore within him and his crotch was ground against the corse surface of the boulder. Blood poured from his ass, covering Rudy's dick. This made him happy.

"See? I am bigger!" he gloated in Orin's ear.

"You idiot! He's still bigger than you, he just stretches me first and uses lubrication, you bastard!" Orin shouted.

"You want me to use lubrication?" Rudy snorted. "Why don't we just use your blood!" Rudy thrust again, getting a rhythm going, each thrust grounding Orin's crotch into the rock, turning it into a bloody mass of damaged tissue. With each thrust, Orin screamed, cursing and yelling for them to stop. Rudy only moved faster. The others laughed and cracked jokes. After an eternity of five minutes, Rudy finished, spilling his cursed seed within Orin. Rudy put his pants back on as the others cheered.

****END of Scene****
It's (relatively) safe to continue

"Now, what do you say to that, fag?" Rudy asked him.

"Two things."Orin said between sobs. "First, thank God you don't last long!" Everyone was quiet.

"And the other?" Rudy asked, seriously pissed and ready to strangle him.

"And the other is . . . why is it that homophobic pricks always want to shove their dicks up my ass?" Orin said through clenched teeth. All was quiet. The guys didn't know how Rudy was going to react to that, and they didn't want to know. Then, he spoke.

"Cut him down." his said way too calmly.

"But . . ." Cid started.

"DO IT!" Rudy shouted. They cut him down. Orin slumped to the ground, a heap of pain. Rudy walked behind him, then pulled his head back by his hair.

"You know, I've always wanted to cut the throat of a fag, and now I have my chance!" he said, bringing the blade of his knife to one side of Orin's throat, right near his ear.

"Say your prayers, faggot!" Rudy said as began cutting Orin's throat.

Elsewhere . . .

Tien was worried. Orin and the others had been gone for a while now and it was getting darker by the minute. He and Gus had been making small talk to pass the time. For some reason, he didn't want to be alone, and wanted Tien to stay with him till the others got back. Tien didn't see a problem with this since he wouldn't be going anywhere without Orin anyhow. But it had been over thirty minutes since they had left and Tien still didn't know what it was they were doing. Gus seemed to know, but was claiming ignorance. Tien had suggested that they both go and help, but Gus insisted on not leaving the van alone. So they stayed. And waited.

"What could be keeping them?" Tien asked. The bad feeling he had earlier returned with his worry, he could feel it in the pit of his stomach.

"Don't know."

"What could they be doing, anyway?" Tien didn't like this one bit. Something just didn't seem right.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it takes time, apparently."

'That's a lot of help!' Tien thought, bitter with apprehension. The two were leaning against the van and were now contemplating the stars in silence, having run out of small talk. Tien tried not to think of what could be happening, but he wasn't succeeding. After a while, that bad feeling erupted with the force of a kamehameha wave, tying his stomach in impossible knots, goose bumps and sweat covering his flesh. He couldn't take it any longer. He just knew he had to get to Orin NOW!

"That's it! I'm going to go see if they could use some more help." Tien said, and started walking toward the hill.

"Wait a minute! Before you go, uh, could you help me with something?" Gus called after him. "It'll only take a moment!" Tien stopped. Then turned back quickly.

"What is it?" he asked a little impatiently.

"Could you move the tire so I can get my jacket? It kinda fell on it when we put it in there." Gus said sheepishly.

"Alright." Tien agreed. They opened the doors and Tien reached in to move the flat tire. As he did this, Gus reached beside the van and picked up a crowbar that was hidden there. He raised it over his head and waited for a clear shot at Tien's head.

"Wait a minute, I don't see anything under here! Are you sure . . . ?' Tien said as he came back out, bringing his head into range for Gus. Gus swung the crowbar down, closing his eyes as he did so.

*THUD!*

"Thud?" Gus opened his eyes to see that Tien had caught the crowbar.

"Oh, sh*t!" he exclaimed as Tien crushed the bar into dust. Tien's eyes practically glowed with anger. Tien powered up, ki flames flowing all around him. Tien's ki caused Gus to be thrown several feet back. He landed with a thud, his head hitting a rock, blood gushing from the wound. Tien didn't bother checking to see if he was dead or just unconscious, he just took off in the direction Orin had left. He flew past the hill and remaining meadow, then over the trees of the woods. When he was closing in on the clearing where Orin was, he felt his incredibly low ki, getting lower by the second. His heart sank when he finally saw Orin. Faster than lightening, he flew over and landed right beside Rudy, then blasted his head into oblivion. He tossed the knife away and Orin fell into his arms. Tien fell to his knees as he held Orin in his arms and held a hand to the cut at his throat. Tears streamed down his face, horrified at what had been done to his beloved.

"Orin! What have they done to you? I'll make them pay, I swear!" Tien swore.

"Tien . . . my love . . . promise me . . ." Orin whispered hoarsely. His vocal cords had been damaged and it hurt to talk. His blood was quickly soaking Tien's clothes, he had to hurry.

"Anything! " Tien said.

"Let me die." Orin said. "And don't bring me back."

"What? Why?" Tien asked, not wanting to make this particular promise.

"It hurts too much . . . living. I'll meet you . . . on the other side. Please . . ." he pleaded. Tien held him tight and kissed his forehead.

"It's a date. I promise!" Tien swore, but just barely able to.

"One more kiss?" Orin asked, his now pale blue lips curling to a small smile. Tien didn't waste time, he bent down and placed his lips on Orin's, one last sweet kiss till they meet again. Orin died before Tien pulled away, his last breath on Tien's lips. Tien brush some hair out of his face, stroking his hair. He hugged his body close, crying into his hair, and rocking back and forth.

"No . . ." he whispered. "No . . . No . . .No, NO, NO, NO, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Part 8j

Tom, Pierre, and Cid had just stood there as their boss got his head vaporized. They just stood there during Tien and Orin's emotional exchange. And they just stood there as Orin died and Tien mourned. But when Tien yelled that last 'no', they ran. They ran towards the van, praying that Gus would have it running when they got there and that Tien would be too grief stricken to come after them. They were wrong on both counts.

Tien noticed when they left, and he had another promise to keep. They weren't going anywhere. He picked Orin's body up and flew to the top of the hill next to the road. He got there before the others had left the woods. He dug a grave there and placed Orin's body into it, along with his few belongings. He placed the dragon carving over Orin's chest and put his arms around it. By the time he had finished burying Orin, the others were just making it up the hill, not noticing who was already at the top waiting for them. They never saw what hit them.

Tien stood at the top of the hill looking down upon his prey. He raised his arm, aimed right at them, gathered his ki, then fired at the unsuspecting slime. He burnt a hole in the country side. There were no human remains found. Some speculated that a meteor hit, but there was none to be found.

Tien traveled aimlessly after that, having no real goal as to where to go. He had traveled so much in his life, and here he was doing it again. But this time, it was different. This time, he was alone. All alone. Many times he thought about ending it all by killing himself. But each time he came close enough to go through with it, something would stop him. Sometimes it was another person, but mostly it was this little voice that would talk him out of it. That voice was Orin. Tien didn't know this, however, he thought it was his conscience or his sense of duty. He couldn't know while he was alive, either. It was the only way Orin could talk to him from the other side without a third person. Orin could also visit him in his dreams, which Tien might or might not remember, but they were always happy in his dreams. But Orin could not interrupt a dream, it was against the rules. And he couldn't visit every night, for it takes a lot out of him. But it was those dreams and encouraging whispers that helped Tien through the year of arduous travel till he reached West Capitol City once again.

West Capitol City

Downtown . . .

Tien wearily walked down the busy sidewalk during midday traffic, not paying attention to where he was or where he was going, and thus bumped into many people. A lot of 'Hey!'s were followed by lot of 'Gomen's. It was in this manner that he had bumped into an old friend, literally.

Tien had just rounded a corner when he bumped into Yamcha, who hadn't been watching where he was going, but rather an attractive pair of legs attached to a well sculpted ass.

"Oof!"

"Gomen." Tien said and kept walking, not noticing who he had run into.

"That's alright, it wasn't . . . Tien? Hey, Tien! Wait up!" Yamcha ran after him. He caught his arm, forcing him to turn around.

"Tien! Don't you remember your old friend?" Yamcha asked jokingly. Tien just blinked at him.

"You really don't remember? It's me! Yamcha! Man, you look awful! Where've you been? I thought you and Chaotzu were staying with Korin. You hungry? You look hungry. Let's get something to eat, okay? My treat! Come on, there's a diner just around the corner!" Yamcha guided Tien to the diner he spoke of, a quaint little place with a country western theme, country music playing in the background. Yamcha ordered them the country special, even though he didn't have a clue as to what that was. The waitress suggested it. Yamcha talked ninety miles an hour about everything and nothing as they waited for their food.

"Here you go, boys. Two country specials." their waitress said, placing their food in front of them.

"What is this? Exactly?" Yamcha asked.

"Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob." she said, pointing to each item in turn.

"What's this all over the steak and potatoes?" he asked.

"Country gravy. It's pretty good. I've tried it myself." she said.

"Thank you! I'm sure if you like it, it's got to be good!" Yamcha said, giving her a wink. She winked back and walked away. Yamcha took a timid bite of the steak, then began devouring his meal, finding it delicious. Tien just stared at his plate.

"Go on, eat! It's great!" Yamcha urged him. Tien began eating his food, but with a lack of enthusiasm. Yamcha continued talking around bites of food, telling Tien about recent events that had happened.

"So, what have you been up to? Where's Chaotzu?" Yamcha asked when he finished. Both had finished eating and the waitress was clearing their dishes.

"Would you boys like anything else? Dessert, perhaps? We make a fabulous apple pie a la mode." she suggested.

"Two of those would be fine, thank you." Yamcha said giving her one of his best smiles. After she sauntered away, Yamcha turned back to his friend.

"Well? Tien, did you hear me? Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Chaotzu . . . and I left Korin's about two years ago . . ." Tien started.

"Two years?!? Man, you'd think we would have noticed! Why wouldn't Korin tell us?" Yamcha interrupted. "So where'd you go?"

"We went to Tibet and stayed at a temple in the mountains. It was nice there. Chaotzu is still there. I had to leave because of something I'd rather not mention in public. But a friend came with me. His name was Orin. He died about a year ago. I've been traveling alone since then, wandering aimlessly." Tien said. Yamcha just stared at him. Just then, the waitress brought their pie.

"Thank you." Yamcha said distractedly. The waitress left, wondering what had happened. Tien ate his pie quietly, his mind lost in misery. Yamcha reached out and took Tien's free hand, rubbing his thumb over his fingers.

"Tien, I'm so sorry!" Yamcha said softly. Tien look up and met his friend's concerned gaze. They stayed like that for a while, the ice cream melting on their pie.

"Have you got a place to stay?" Yamcha asked quietly.

"No, I just got into town." Tien looked down at his plate.

"You can stay with me as long as you need to. Come on, let's go." Yamcha placed a large tip on the table as they got up. He paid the bill as they left and they walked a few blocks to Yamcha's apartment. It was a one bedroom apartment, but it was hardly small. The main room was divided into a living room, kitchen, and dining room, all of which were open, creating a spacious environment. The living room was set deeper in the floor, a couple of deep steps leading in to it from the two sides facing out. A matching set of two chairs and a couch lined the wall with a tv and sound system on the steps directly opposite. The dining area was behind that, and the kitchen was to the left of it. To the right was a small balcony. The coat closet was to the left of the door as you came in, and just past that was the door to the bedroom.

"Well, here it is. Right beside you is the closet, and over there is the living room, the balcony, the dining room, and the kitchen." Yamcha said, pointing to each area. "And over here is the bedroom." Yamcha walked over and opened the bedroom door, leading Tien inside. The first thing that catches your eye, is the king sized bed in the middle of the room. A dresser stood beside a door on the right, and there was a wardrobe to the left of the entrance. Two night stands with matching laps stood on opposite sides of the bed.

"And over here is the bathroom." Yamcha said, indicating the other door. "I have practice this afternoon and I need to get going. Will you be alright here by yourself?" Yamcha asked, still concerned.

"I'll be fine." Tien said, though not very convincingly.

"Alright. The number to my cell phone is on the fridge if you need anything. I should be back at about five, okay?" Tien nodded. "Alright, then. Just make yourself at home and I'll see you later." Yamcha said, putting on his jacket, then left. Left all alone, again, Tien walked back into the main room and put his stuff in the closet. After taking of his jacket, he realized that he reeked, and decided to take a bath. When he finished, he put on a white, terry cloth robe, which he assumed was Yamcha's. It was a bit small on him, it only fell down to right above his knees, and it was tight around the shoulders. He sat down on the bed, not sure what to do next. His mind wandered as he sat there, and his thoughts turned, as they always do, to Orin. The more he thought of him, the sadder he got. He laid down, clutching a pillow to his chest, and cried into it. It wasn't long till he had cried himself to a dream-filled sleep.

Part 9

'Are you sure you want to do this?'

"Yes, I'm sure. There's nothing for me here now, anyway. Well, except you, but . . ."

'But I'm your mother and can't give you everything you need, I know. I just don't know if this is such a good idea, Trunks.'

"I know, but I have to do this. I see no other way . . ." Trunks sat down on the large box he'd just carried outside, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Do you really think this is a mistake?"

'A mistake? Not necessarily, but I don't think things will turn out the way you think they will.'

"Hope, Mother. How I hope things will turn out." Trunks paused. "I know I'm taking a big risk, I don't dispute that, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. You know that."

'I know, Baby, I just don't want you to get hurt.'

Trunks smiled. She hadn't called him Baby since he was little. "I know you don't, Mama. That hasn't stopped me yet from getting hurt, has it?"

'No, I guess not, but that's never stopped me from trying, either.'

Trunks chuckled. Sitting there in the yard amidst so many boxes, with the sun beating down on him, he couldn't remember a time when he'd been happier. Sure, he was happy when Gohan-sensei was alive, but the android threat made it nearly impossible to relax and be truly happy. After the androids' destruction, life was still difficult. Gohan-sensei had been dead for quite some time, and he'd since been to the past, making friends and meeting long lost family, only to leave them all behind. No, he'd never been truly happy, but that day he was closer than he'd ever been before. Why? Because he was going back, never to return to this dismal future again.

He'd be cutting it close, only going back a couple of years, but he didn't want to go back too far. He wasn't sure if going back to a point in time that had not been long past would send him to that alternate time-line he so craved, or not, but he was taking that chance regardless.

A sudden breeze caressed his sweaty skin and lifting his long, lavender tresses. Trunks sighed happily, enjoying the moment. With his eyes closed, it almost felt like someone touching his face . . .

'Trunks . . .'

"Yes, Mom?"

'Are you going to cut your hair before you leave?'

"No, Mom, I already told you. When I go back, the other me and I will be identical, so having long hair will help the others tell us apart."

'What if he has long hair?'

"Then I'll cut mine." She must have been satisfied with his answer for she said no more. Trunks opened his eyes and stood up. The moment was gone and the mood ruined, so he got back to work. He'd already packed up his own belongings, as few as they were, and stored them in a capsule that was in his capsule case, right beside the time machine. The boxes he was moving now were filled with things that the 'past' Bulma may be interested in. Inventions, research notes, blueprints, tools . . . he fairly cleaned out his mother's lab. These were to go into another capsule. He had to move everything outside, for there wasn't enough room inside to open the capsule and fill it.

'Trunks . . .'

"Just a moment, Mom, I'm almost done."

'Trunks, don't forget.'

He paused, a box resting on his shoulder. "I . . . I won't forget. I'll . . . visit before I leave."

'That's all I ask, son.'

Trunks resumed his task, but with trepidation in his movements. Every box seemed ten times heavier, every distance twice as long. Yet, it seemed all too soon that he was done, the last capsule packed and safely nestled inside the capsule case inside his jacket pocket.

'Are you ready?'

"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's go." Trunks slipped on his Capsule Corp jacket, got on his motorcycle, and headed for the one place he dreaded the most. The graveyard.

The trip was quick, taking no time at all. He maneuvered through the headstones on numb legs, knowing the way almost instinctively. The rows of markers stood more as reminders to who had lived before, rather than marking where certain bodies lay. Many who had suffered the "fun" of the androids had been nothing more than ashes in the wind, and some less than that. What bodies there were in the cemetery usually ended up with markers over them from lack of sufficient space. Many believed markers were a futile effort when the androids could strike anywhere at any time, but since their demise, more and more markers have been put up to remember lost loved ones, and not always in graveyards.

Trunks was soon at his destination, a small enclosed lot, the Briefs family burial ground. Trunks walked past the ancient markers of family he'd never knew and those he only heard of, instead heading for the ones he knew, even if only from fond memories retold. Yamcha, Puar, Tien, Chaotzu, Oolong, Roshi, Launch, Yajarobi, Piccolo, Krillin, Goku . . . Chichi, Ox King, Gohan . . . Trunks fell to his knees, tears filling his eyes. He touched the worn headstone, tracing the chiseled letters with shaky fingers.

"Gohan . . ." Wiping the tears from his eyes, he steeled his nerves. It had been years since they buried him, but the pain still remained. He got back up and continued his last tour of the past. Grandma . . . Grandpa . . . Vegeta . . . Reaching the last of the markers, he stopped and looked back, taking a deep breath.

'You know I can't go with you . . .'

"I know."

'I love you, Trunks. I always will.'

"I know, Mom. I'll always love you, too." Trunks pulled an envelope from out of his pocket, "I also know that you will always be in my heart," inside was a dried pressed tiger lily, "but your place is here." his mother's favorite. He placed the flower on the nearest headstone. "Goodbye, Mother. I'll miss you."

'I'll miss you, too.'

Before the tears could fall, Trunks flew out of the cemetery. The wind of his departure blew the tiger lily off the headstone, landing on the recently turned soil. Rain began to fall, gently splashing against the freshly chiseled words

HERE LIES

BULMA BRIEFS

LOVING MOTHER AND VISIONARY

. . .

END PART 9