A/N: Well hey all! Yeah, I know…been a while, huh? Like…five years-ish? Well I'm going to finish this thing. I've revamped the first eight chapters, though not by much. I've switched timelines so they're more agreeable and tweaked mistakes here and there. I took a hiatus for a while due to getting side-tracked and next thing I knew it had been five years.

This chapter might be a little sketchy and if there are mistakes, I apologize for it. The writing of this chapter was my coping mechanism for my grandmother's passing so I just kind of went with it.

I am looking for beta's so if anyone is up for it or would like to help me out, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of DBZ and make no profit from the writing of this fic.

Chapter 9: No More Secrets

Aiden stared through heavy lidded eyelids at the dust motes that danced along the golden beams of late afternoon sun peeking through the closed blinds. She lay unmoving, her body still humming with sated pleasure even after an hour of dozing. She was only vaguely aware of the gentle lull of muffled voices outside. Her focus remained on Gohan who slept beside her breathing deeply. His arm lay heavily around her waist.

She looked down at it, so strong and tan, and she felt safe. Really and truly safe. She always felt safe with him before but now…something was different. There had been a subtle shift to what they had. Now, not only did she trust him with her life – she trusted him with her heart.

He stirred, groaning slightly and tightening his hold on her. His breath tickled the fine hairs at her neck and she turned to face him, smiling.

"Hey," she murmured softly, her fingers lightly tickling his side.

He twitched once, his lips curving up in a grin, then opened his eyes. "Hey."

"We've been asleep for a little over an hour. Think they've missed us?"

"Nah." Gohan flipped over onto his back, stretched and yawned hugely. He was seemingly unaware of his state of undress, where as Aiden was painfully aware of hers – going as far as to keep the sheets tucked up around her chest. Self-consciousness certainly wasn't something he seemed to poses. "Goten and Trunks covered for us, I'm sure."

"I'm sure," she repeated with a quirky grin. Those two had been covering for them quite a bit. Aiden owed her brother…and Goten. Maybe they could take them out to dinner one night.

Sitting up, she raked her fingers through her disheveled hair and looked around the room. She hadn't paid much attention to it before but she'd been rather busy at the time. It was neat – very neat. Even the books on the desk beside the bed were stacked in clean, precise piles. There were no posters on the wall, no clothes strewn haphazardly on the floor like they always seemed to be in Trunks' room. There was nothing to really claim the room as Gohan's. Frowning, she looked down at him. "You sure are clean."

Gohan hummed and glanced across his room. "Oh, I'm not clean. My mom's just that quick. I don't get a chance to make much of a mess before she's in here getting rid of it. She's…um…very orderly."

"Oh," Aiden murmured softly. She was starting to understand Chi-Chi a lot more than she really wanted to. The woman was nice. It was obvious that she loved her son's and husband. But she was controlling. Controlling to Aiden always equaled bad. Bernadette had been controlling, though not in the same way as Chi-Chi. Far from it, really. Was any form of controlling really healthy though?

Her brow puckered and she frowned.

"You should see Goten's room. She's actually given up on keeping up with him. Claims it's too hard to contain the combination of hurricane and tornado that is my little brother."

Aiden laughed and turned to look at him again. He was propped on his side now, elbow resting on the pillow and he'd pulled the sheets up over his waist. He looked…far too handsome. Shifting to her side, she lay down beside him again and lifted a hand to trace his chiseled jaw and lips. When she flicked his nose, he caught her hand and kissed the fingers gently, smiling at her in a way that made hunger stir from its sleepy confines.

"We should probably get back outside," she said softly, leaning close to him and brushing her lips across his.

"Mmmhm."

"Really-." She tried, though her mind was quickly fogging over with each kiss he gave her. When his hands drifted up her spine she shivered and tried once more to reason with him before giving in entirely. "Gohan – Trunks and Goten can only hold them off for so long. We should go out there…be sociable. Hopefully they got rid of Hercule by now."

His movements suddenly stilled. He jerked back, his eyes clouding over.

Aiden gasped softly, startled by his sudden shift in attitude. "What's wrong?" she asked as panic welled and settled in the pit of her stomach. She had seen that look before – when he had been talking to Bulma after the fight with his mom. "Gohan?"

"Aiden," he looked back up at her and her heart clenched painfully at the fear she saw in his eyes. "I have to tell you something."

"Okay?"

He sat up, pulling her with him and faced her, clasping her hands. "You're not going to like this…and if you're mad at me and never want to talk to me after hearing it, I understand. But I want you to know…I do love you, Aiden." He leaned forward, resting his forehead on hers and closed his eyes, exhaling softly. "I love you so much."

Extremely worried now, Aiden cradled the side of his face in her hand, trying to offer him some comfort. "I love you too, Gohan. Whatever it is – you can tell me."

His eyes opened and flashed with a dark promise that made her blood run cold. "I will fix this. I want you to know that right now. I want to be with you and I made a mess out of this entire thing. It was stupid…but I will fix it."

"What is it exactly?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Herclue has a daughter. He was talking about her outside – Videl. She goes to college with us or will be by the end of this month. She took part of the semester off to go on a vacation with her mom. She actually left about four days before you showed up."

"Okay?"

"The thing is…I've um…I've been dating her."

Aiden sucked in a startled breath and drew back. Her eyes went wide but she remained silent as he rushed on.

"I'm so sorry. I should have said something sooner but I didn't know what to say. And when you were around I just…I kind of forgot all about her. You were all I could think about. And I didn't expect to fall so hard for you so fast. But…I did. And when she gets back I'm ending it because I want to be with you, Aiden." His hands grasped hers hard and he stared intently at her. "Only you."

She sat in silence, taking in what he had told her. All the while she could feel the nervous energy rolling off of him. She could see how much it had hurt him to keep this secret from her and how regretful he was. And oddly enough, she could feel it. It was a disturbing sensation – knowing someone's emotions as if you were within them when they were feeling them. She had no idea how she was even able to do it.

"Did you," she started, her voice hardly audible. "Did you…um…" she gestured helplessly towards the bed, "with her?"

"What?" His brows drew low in confusion, but only for a moment. "Oh! No. No Aiden. There's only been you. Her and I never…well…yeah. We never did that. She's-." He rubbed the back of his neck and lowered his voice. "She's a lot like my mom. I know…freaky that I would be dating someone kind of like my mom but…well, she is. She's got that whole controlling, bossy thing down to an art. So the idea of doing…well that with her never really held a lot of appeal."

"Oh."

Gohan groaned and hung his head. "I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to keep this from you. I wish I would have said something a lot sooner than this, trust me. Every day I wanted-."

She cut him off by placing her hand over his mouth. His eyes widened in surprise and he watched her, staying perfectly still.

"It's okay, Gohan," she murmured with a gentle smile and let her hand fall away.

"It's…okay?" He shook his head in disbelief. "You're not mad?"

She shrugged. "I suppose I should be but…you saved my life. You didn't have to do that. You didn't have to do a lot of the things you did for me, but you did them anyway. You sat by my bedside when you didn't even know who I was because you wanted me to live. You have a good heart and I know that you would never intentionally hurt me."

"No," he breathed. "Not in a million years."

"And when you say you'll fix it…I believe you. I trust you."

Releasing a sigh of pure relief, Gohan hauled her into his lap and hugged her tightly. "I won't give you a reason not to. I should have said something sooner."

Aiden wound her arms around his neck, sighed and rested her head against the top of his. She combed her fingers lightly through his soft, spiky hair. "I understand why you didn't. People don't really…think straight when they're in a situation that's so much different from what they're used to. I stayed with my mom a lot longer than I should have because I was used to the situation. I was afraid to think that there was something better, that I could have something different."

Gohan's hand came up around the back of her neck. His fingers slid into the hair at the nape and he lifted his gaze to hers. "Aiden," he whispered, his lips finding hers, caressing them softly. He whispered her name again and again as he pressed her back to the bed. "That's a horrible way to relate to what I did to you. I wish it would have never happened."

"You could always help me forget about it," she suggested. She was already wrapping her legs around him, pulling him closer, anticipating having all of him again.

"Gladly."

His hands splayed over her hips, up her stomach. They left trails of fire behind that burned until she almost felt like being in her own skin was too much. She shifted restlessly beneath him, dropped her head back when his lips sought the flesh of her neck. The feel of his teeth against her skin and the quick sting of pain were the last things she knew before her world faded into lightning hot pleasure and a seductive, mind-numbing haze.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Ugh, I can hardly move."

Gohan paused in the act of tugging on his shirt, grinning at the lavender haired girl sprawled across his bed. She looked perfect there with the sheets tangled around her. He was in deep regret that they couldn't just stay locked away in his room for the rest of the night.

"What did you do to me?"

"What did I do you you?" One last jerk had him fully dressed and he strutted over to the bed, sinking down beside her. "Thought you liked it?"

"Oh! I did!" Aiden jerked up. The look of pure contentment had quickly been replaced by mild panic. "I enjoyed every minute. It's just that-."

Gohan brushed her hair out of her eyes and framed her face with his hands. "Just that?"

She gnawed on her bottom lip for a minute, cutting her gaze briefly downward before looking up at him again. "I feel much more drained than I did after the first time. When I said I could hardly move, I wasn't kidding. I feel like…like…I don't even know how to explain it."

"Well, we were a little…um-." He could feel his face turning hot just thinking about how carried away they'd gotten. It was a wonder no one had heard them. But the second time around, with all of the secrets out in the open and no longer weighing him down, he'd been less reserved. And Aiden…she'd fed off of it, moving with him, clawing at him, raking her nails down his back, her teeth over his neck and shoulder.

"Wild," she offered softly after he'd been silent for too long.

Gohan gave her the trademark Son grin and rubbed his nose against hers. "Yeah…that's it. You going to be okay?"

She scrunched her pert nose, then raised her arms above her head and stretched. The movement gave him an enticing view that had him reconsidering the whole idea of going back outside where his family and her family sat oblivious to what had been going on inside.

"Yeah. I think so. I'm starving though. Think there's any food left?"

"Um…you're at the Son's house, Aiden. Of course there's food left."

He helped her out of bed and they both worked to find the clothing that had been discarded haphazardly around the room. Once she was dressed and her hair was back to the sleek mass of lavender that spilled down her back and taunted him endlessly, they peeked outside to make sure the hallway was clear and slipped out of his room.

"Maybe you should go out the back," Aiden suggested.

Gohan shook his head. "Nah. I'll just tell mom I ran into you in the kitchen. If they ask any more questions than that…I'll think of something."

Aiden gave him a skeptical look but didn't resist as he pressed his hand to the small of her back and guided her towards the front door.

Everyone was still outside, chatting over empty paper plates and mounds of leftovers. Unfortunatly Hercule had also stuck around. Aiden shot Gohan an agonized look as she stepped away from him and went to sit down beside Trunks.

"Gohan, Aiden! There you are!" ChiChi spoke up when she noticed the two make their appearance. "Where have you been?"

"I had to run into town. You know…business and all that. When I got back home I went in to get a drink and ran into Aiden. Guess she was taking a nap."

"Oh!" ChiChi turned her pleased smile on Aiden. "Did you sleep okay dear?"

"Oh yes. I slept great, thank you."

"Sure, you were napping," Trunks muttered only loud enough for her to hear.

Aiden elbowed him in the side then reached for the plate of rolls to mask the action, giving her brother an overly sweet smile. He returned it with a pained one of his own, rubbing his side. "You're getting some decent muscles. I think you left a bruise, sis."

"Oh, you're fine." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and dove into her food, wanting to appease her stomach before it decided to make it painfully apparent that she was starving.

Gohan watched the exchange with a grin. He thought they had just made it look easy before – the whole sibling closeness thing. But now that he knew her better, now that he could read her in a way he'd never been able to before, he knew the closeness wasn't an act. They shared some form of bond, much like the one she shared with Vegeta. And now…with him.

He hadn't meant to do it but instincts had kicked in and before he could stop himself he'd partially bonded himself to her. At least…he thought he did. He wasn't all together sure what bonding involved when it came to mates but something told him it would take much more than a simple bite. Maybe he would talk to his father about it later. Until then he would try to make sense of what little muddled thought kept twining through his own. It was a little disconcerting…but at the same time – it meant that Aiden was his. Truly his.

She caught him watching her and smiled knowingly. Damned if he didn't want to take her back into the house right now and figure out just what it took to become completely bonded to someone.

"So Hercule, when is Videl due back?" his mother asked, effectively destroying Gohan's intentions.

He swallowed hard, waiting for some form of reaction from Aiden. The young woman continued eating though, seemingly unfazed but the sudden mention of Videl. Even Goten and Trunks were watching her, both stalled out in the middle of chewing.

"Oh, she'll be back on the 14th I think. That's the plan anyway. Who knows with that mother of hers though. I'll be happy to have her back though, that's for sure. Bet you will too, huh Gohan?"

Gohan blushed furiously. The mortification he was feeling was colored with anger. This wasn't at all what he wanted to be talking about right now. Not after being with Aiden. Not when she was still sitting right there looking as uninterested as possible. He knew she was faking it. He could easily make out her thoughts and every one of them spoke clearly of how hurt she was, even if Videl wasn't really a factor any longer.

"Aiden, you should meet Videl. I bet you two would be good friends," Hercule went on in his obnoxious, overly loud way. He slipped an arm around her, pulling her close and those thoughts quickly went from hurt to scared. It was all Gohan could do to not jump over the table and shut Hercule up with a quick fist to the face. "You could come over any time you want, spend the night even! I'm always around so feel free to look for me any time you're over."

The suggestion in his words was ill concealed. Before Gohan could make a move though, Goten quickly stopped him, digging his fingers into his leg under the table and speaking up. "Hey Aiden, Trunks…you guys wanna go down to the light house with me and Gohan and check it out before it gets too dark? I heard the place is haunted!"

"Great idea, Goten!" Trunks exclaimed. He quickly stood and grabbed Aiden's arm, tugging her up from her spot and away from Herclue. "Come on, Aiden. You'll love the place. It overlooks this awesome cove where me and Goten used to swim when we were little."

The four made a hasty exit, ignoring the curious looks Bulma and Goku were shooting them. When they were out of even Sayian earshot, Gohan breathed a sigh of relief and jerked his brother into an affectionate headlock. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Didn't think mom would be too pleased if you attacked Hercule at a party she was throwing. You know how she feels about the guy."

"Or more accurately, how she feels about his money," Trunks threw in with a humorless smirk.

"Exactly." Looking over at Aiden who walked on quietly beside him, Gohan clenched his jaw when he found that her thoughts were focused on a mixture of Videl and her ugly past. He moved away from Gohan, gently took her hand and pulled her to a stop.

Without resisting, she went into his arms, resting her head against his chest and closing her eyes as she tried to steady her breathing.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, pressing his lips to the crown of her head.

Her petite shoulders lifted. "It's not like you have any control over what he says."

"Sure wish I did." He sighed softly, tightening his hold on her. The urge to protect was so strong with her, even stronger now than it had been when they first met. And just like when they first met, he was doing a crap job.

"You're not doing a crap job," she muttered, her voice muffled against the fabric of his shirt.

Gohan released a startled laugh. "You do realize that I didn't say that out loud, right?" Confused blue eyes lifted to meet his and he just shook his head. No point in explaining it now. Not when he didn't really understand it himself.

"Hey, I have a question," Trunks piped up, interrupting them and giving Gohan the out he was looking for. "Did you guys talk about…um…well…Videl or something?"

The two exchanged a look before Gohan nodded. "Yeah. I told her about Videl."

Goten and Trunks stopped abruptly. Their worried gazes locked on Aiden who just smiled back at them and shook her head.

"Relax guys. Everything is fine."

"So you're…you're okay with it?" Trunks asked in disbelief.

Aiden looked up at Gohan, and smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay with it. We're going to figure things out."

"We are," Gohan murmured in agreement before leaning down to gently kiss her forehead.

Trunks shot a look at his best friend who was standing quietly, staring at his older brother with something akin to admiration. "But you guys are going to stay together, right?" he asked, when Goten didn't speak up to ask the question he was sure both of them wanted answered.

"That's the plan," Gohan replied. "There's nothing I can really do until she gets back."

"Oh, I suppose, huh?" Trunks started to walk again, followed by the other three down a hill to an open area with a crudely built fire pit that looked out over a small, quiet lake.

"Yeah. No phone, no idea where she is, no way to break it off until she gets back."

"It might be easier in person, anyway," Aiden added softly.

Gohan nodded, thinking that she was very much right. He had never really broken up with someone before but with Videl…in person was the only possible way to go. It was the only way to guarantee that she would actually listen to what he was saying and wouldn't hang up on him.

When they reached the fire pit, he helped Goten and Trunks collect wood and build up a fire, then sank down on a long fallen log beside Aiden to watch the orange flames lick hungrily at the dry bark.

"So you guys came here a lot when you were kids?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah…used to come here all the time." Trunks smiled, looking out at the small lighthouse that graced the small slab of rock and land that jutted out into the lake not far from them. "We tried to spend the night in the light house once but the stories we kept hearing kind of stuck with us and we ended up camping out right here instead. Good times, huh Goten?"

He nudged the younger teen with his leg and Goten glanced up, muttering a distracted, "hm?"

"The night we tried to spend in the light house?" Trunks supplied.

"Oh! Yeah…good times." The last two words were added as almost an afterthought.

Trunks frowned, then quickly shrugged and brushed it off. "We haven't been here in a while though. Should probably rebuild this fire pit. I promise it didn't look like that when we first built it."

The four fell silent again, content to watch the fire. Red and gold stained the blue sky as the sun made its descent and stars started to slowly appear across the darkening canvas. The temperature gradually dropped and Aiden moved closer to Gohan, seeking his warmth.

"You want to go check out the light house?" he suggested as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Aiden cast a look to her brother and Goten. They both sat quietly, Trunks looking at the fire, Goten staring at the ground before him. He was drawing patterns in the dirt with a stick and looked…off. Aiden turned her head to the side, studying him. Goten was hardly every quiet. Maybe going for a walk would be a good idea – give Trunks a chance to talk to him and find out if something was wrong.

"Sure." She let him help her up and twined her fingers through his. "Be back in a bit guys."

Trunks watched his sister walk away, hand in hand with Gohan and smiled. "Ya know…I feel kinda sorry for your brother."

Beside him, Goten glanced up, his fingers pausing in the action of stripping the bark away from a small branch he'd picked up when they'd finished building the fire. "Gohan?"

"No, you're other brother." Trunks rolled his eyes and gave his friend a rueful grin. "Yes, Gohan."

"Why?"

"Because he got himself into this huge mess. It's not gonna be easy to get out of. You know that. You know Videl."

"Yeah," Gohan murmured softly. He was still frowning, his black eyes fixated on the ground by his feet. "I know Videl."

"And I'm not saying he shouldn't be with Aiden. You know how I feel about that whole thing," Trunks quickly added. "I just hope…with what he's going to face…" Trunks sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. The unruly strands refused to cooperate, sliding right back into his eyes. "I hope it's worth it…ya know?"

"You hope your own sister is worth all the trouble he's been through?" This time it was Goten's turn to smile.

Trunks nudged him with his knee, scowling. "Of course she's worth it. But what those two are going to face…it's not going to be easy."

"Staying true to what you're feeling when it confuses the hell out of you usually isn't," Goten muttered, his voice hardly audible.

Something in his voice, in the way he said the words made Trunks stop thinking about Aiden and Gohan all together. He suddenly noticed how quiet his friend had been for the past few hours, how withdrawn he was and how that trademark Son smile that seemed almost a permanent fixture on Goten's face was missing.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked.

"Hm?" Goten looked up. He was quick to paste a clueless expression on his face but his efforts couldn't hide the troubled eyes.

"What's going on? You've been seriously quiet ever since Gohan and Aiden came back outside."

"It's nothing," Goten muttered, quickly casting his gaze downward.

"No, that's not a nothing face. What's wrong?"

"Nothing Trunks. It's nothing. I've just been…I dunno…thinking about relationships and how-." He threw his hands up, gesturing wildly. "How confusing they can get."

"Aaah…girl problems? And if that's what it is, what gives? You tell me everything!"

Goten laughed humorlessly. "Yeah. I wish it was that simple."

"Why isn't it?"

"Because Trunks." Goten looked up at him again, his dark eyes lit with fierce intensity. "It has nothing to do with girls."

"Then what? Is it your mom? Is she giving you a hard time too?"

Again, Goten laughed, standing and shaking his head. "Man, and they say I'm the dense one. Listen, it's nothing I won't figure out. Things are just all…screwed up in my head right now." He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, glancing up at the house. "I'm going to go get a pop. You want one?"

Trunks pushed away from the fallen tree and stood, reaching out and grasping Goten's arm to stop him. "Goten – whatever it is, you can tell me."

"Actually, I can't. You're the last person I can talk to about this."

He didn't know what was more frustrating – not knowing what was going on with his best friend, or the fact that Goten was being so stubborn about telling him. That wasn't like him at all. "Why would I be the last person you can talk to?"

"Because…you just…you just are."

"Goten, wait-."

"Just let it go, okay? I told you I'll figure it out on my own." Forcing a smile, Goten started forward and Trunks yanked him back, having hit the end of his patience. The younger Saiyan stumbled and fell against him. He looked up, his face flushed, and suddenly Trunks knew exactly what the problem was. He could see it in Goten's eyes, feel it in how tense his body was. He'd always been able to read his best friend like a book – mostly because Goten was always very open and honest with him. Even if he wasn't being so now, Trunks could still read exactly what had his friend bothered. It was him.

Trunks went very still, staring down at his friend while his emotions clashed catastrophically inside him. Confusion was dominant, but he couldn't deny the sudden ache of longing and curiosity that flared up almost out of nowhere. It blindsided him about as much as the look Goten was giving him did.

"Goten…I-."

The younger teen turned away from him, jerking his arm free. The movement wasn't hostile, it was panicked – like he couldn't get away fast enough.

"I think I'm actually going to turn in," he muttered, eyes downcast. "Night."

"Night," Trunks murmured distantly. Trying to sort out his conflicting feelings stopped him from going after his best friend. When he failed to make some sense of the mess, he gave up and took to the skies, thinking that he might be better off sleeping on whatever had just happened between them. He knew only one thing for certain and that was that there had been a definite shift to their friendship. The good or bad of it…it was too soon to tell.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Collapsing back against the mountain of pillows at the head of her bed, Aiden released a huge sigh, letting her arms fall to her sides. They were finally home after what had been a very…very long day and as much as she appreciated everyone doting on her and making an effort to get to know her, she had spent the last hour of her visit at the Son's wanting nothing more than to be alone. And she only felt marginally guilty that the need to be alone did not involve being alone with Gohan.

She needed some time to sort out what had happened between them, what he had admitted to, and she definitely needed to be able to hear her own thoughts again. For reasons she couldn't explain at all she had been heard Gohan's thoughts drifting through her own most of the evening. It had been curious at first, seeing as how they were so sporadic and soft that she wasn't entirely sure what she was hearing. But then he'd gotten furious with Hercule for once again making an advance on her and that's when she'd heard his thoughts – disturbing, hateful thoughts – as clear as day.

Trunks couldn't have picked a better time to intercede and suggest a walk down to the lighthouse.

Trunks…where had he gone anyway? She and Gohan had left him and Trunks by the campfire and when they had returned, both were gone. No one at the house had known where Trunks was but they said Goten had gone inside not long before she and Gohan had come back.

Aiden sat up suddenly, a frown knitting her brow. It wasn't like her brother to vanish without saying anything. Pushing herself out of bed, she padded lightly out of her room and across the hallway. The door to Trunks' room was closed and she knocked softly before testing the knob. Not locked.

Cautiously, she cracked the door open, calling out softly before peeking in. Trunks was laying on the bed, his hands folded under his head, legs crossed at the heels, his disturbed gaze focused on the ceiling.

"Hey," she said again, raising her voice only enough to draw his attention.

"Hey," he murmured back distractedly.

Aiden moved to the bed and sat down beside him, dropping her head back to look up at the ceiling. "So…is there like some crazy pattern your seeing up there or what?"

He snorted softly, a grin finding its way across his face. "Or what."

"When did you get home?"

"Couple hours ago."

Aiden nodded, let the silence hang for a few moments, then laid down beside him, turning on her side and tucking her hands under her head. "You going to tell me what's going on?"

He sighed and closed his eyes. "Aiden…I would if I even knew what was going on myself."

Her anxiety quickly intensified. She didn't like to see him like this – not her brother who'd been such a constant source of hope and strength in her life.

Trunks let his head loll to the side, regarding her intently. "How much of an open mind do you have?"

She mulled over that question for a bit, not really knowing what he meant. "Well…I lived with a prostitute for 20 years so I'd like to think pretty open." When that failed to make him smile, she reached out and placed her hand on his arm. "What's going on?"

His brows lowered and he seemed to resist internally for a moment. "I was talking to Goten, telling him how sorry I felt for Gohan because of what you guys are going to have to face when Videl gets back. When you guys came back out from the house and let us know what happened…he got all quiet. He didn't even say anything until I brought up Videl later by the campfire. And then he said-."

Aiden waited patiently, her grip on his arm tightening in a show of support. He was struggling. He muttered a harsh curse and pulled his hand out from under his head to rub it in an agitated motion over his face. "He said that staying true to what you're feeling when it confuses the hell out of you isn't easy."

"Oh," Aiden supplied, non-too-helpful in her response. "What did he mean by that?"

"Well, I was talking about Gohan but I think he was-." He sat up, hanging his head and trying to hide the dark red now staining his cheeks. "I think he was talking about me," he finished softly. "I asked him if he was having problems with a girl, or with his mom, then gave him crap for not telling me if it was a girl because we always tell each other everything. He said I was the last person he could talk to about what was going on in his head."

Aiden pushed herself into a sitting position, bracing her weight on one arm. Lifting her hand to her mouth, she nibbled thoughtfully on the nail of her index finger. Applying his words to what she knew of Goten, she could honestly say she wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Goten was so sweet, so kind and involved in the lives of his friends. "How long have you guys known each other?"

"Since we were kids." Trunks smiled fondly, raking his hand through his hair. "We grew up together, trained together, saved the world together. We've, um-." He faltered, the smile fading quickly. "We've gone through a lot. Goten's dad wasn't around until he was seven and it was hard on him, not having a father figure in his life. A lot of people we love have died and been brought back by these wishes we can ask of the Eternal Dragon. Getting them back doesn't mean losing them is any easier though. He's my best friend and I-."

"Do you see him as more than just a friend though?" Aiden interrupted softly.

Trunks looked helpless for a moment. She was almost certain he'd been sitting here for hours asking himself that same question, trying to find the answer in all the confusion. She knew all-too-well how that felt.

"I didn't," he started. "Not until tonight. Or maybe I did and just didn't really notice it, you know?" With a groan, he leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. "We're so damn close. And we both know what it's like to be us - to not be like every other normal person walking around out there without the blood of another race in their veins. We have the same frustrations and I…I don't know."

Aiden leaned against him. She took one of his hands, lacing her fingers through his. "You know what my favorite part of today was?"

"Do I want to know?"

Trunks angled a wry grin at her and she made a noise of disgust, nudging him harmlessly. "Besides that." She looked down at their hands, so different. Yet the same Saiyan blood coursed through them. "My favorite part of the day…was when Gohan was honest with me about the entire Videl thing. He could have not said anything and it could have been ten times uglier than it will be when we have to face it, but he didn't. He was honest with me and he was honest with himself."

"I see where you're going with this."

"Good." Adien grinned and rested her forehead against his temple, ignoring the smirk he was giving her. "Be honest with yourself. Be honest with Goten."

"There's a lot of people who aren't going to be cool with that at all."

"Are you?"

He was silent. Probably thinking it over again, Aiden thought. But she couldn't blame him. What he was talking about – it was complicated. Complicated on a level that sleeping with someone while your girlfriend was off on vacation could never be. There were opinions to consider, families that might be ripped apart, stigmatisms and bigotry to face. There was nothing simplistic about it.

"Yes," he finally said.

Aiden cupped the side of his face in her hand, coaxing him to look at her. "Then that's all that should matter."

Trunks smiled, pressing his lips to her hand. "Love you, sis."

"Love you too. Now go call Goten."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

For the hundredth time over the past half hour, Goten contemplated going back home as he paced back and forth, his fists clenched around the excess fabric on the sleeves of his sweatshirt. The fire he, Gohan and Trunks had built up earlier was now smoldering embers, crackling every now and then in the cold, night air.

Why was he even here? Why had he even agreed to meet Trunks after what he'd said to him. If taken the way it was meant, Goten very much doubted there would be any feelings returned on Trunks' part. They were friends, always had been, for longer than he could even remember. He knew Trunks better than he knew anyone, even his own family. And he knew what other people saw when they looked at him – power, prestige, and good looks. No matter where they went, women would always stop what they were doing to stare at the infamous Trunks Briefs. It wasn't until about a year ago that it had started to really bother him.

He could remember the day it all changed with horrible clarity. He'd been standing in the hallway at school with Trunks and two girls had approached them. He was naïve at first enough to think that they had plotted to pair off with either one of them. Dende knows they were looking at him with enough interest to make him believe that. But then they started talking, ignoring him all together and putting the full attention on Trunks as they shamelessly asked him to sleep with both of them. Well, more or less. There was a lot more to it than that – a bit of flirting on Trunks' part, lots of touching on the part of the girls. In a roundabout way, they got to their point.

It was with the first touch from the tall blond that a foreign emotion twisted Goten's stomach in uncomfortable, angry knots. He'd never once contemplated hurting a girl with malicious intentions but when the taller of the two had touched Trunks, his Trunks, all he could think about was throwing her into the nearest locker. That friend of hers wouldn't be far behind.

He's quickly excused himself, ashamed of every envious, ugly thought and ran for the bathroom where he doused himself with handfuls of freezing cold water in a desperate attempt to calm his jealous rage.

It hadn't gotten better after that. Quite the opposite. The only thing that changed was Goten's ability to put on an indifferent face and act like it wasn't bothering him. And up until Gohan and Aiden had told them about their talk and how honest Gohan had been, he'd been a pro at hiding what he was feeling. Now…he just couldn't do it. That part of him that loved Trunks and cherished not only his friendship, but his closeness, took up much more space than it had starting out. It didn't want to be silent anymore. It wanted to be honest, even if Trunks didn't return his feelings.

There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere, letting him know that Trunks was close. He stopped pacing and folded his arms protectively over his chest. Anxiety formed like a rock in the pit of his stomach and again, he had to fight the urge to turn and run home.

Trunks landed not far from him. He was breathless and his lavender hair was a wreck from the wind ripping through it. He made a vain attempt to fix it, grinning at Goten. "Hey!"

"Hey," Goten returned nervously. "So, what did you want to meet here for?"

Trunks shrugged. He looked around the small campsite, his gaze falling on the embers struggling to remain aglow in the pit. "We should probably build that back up."

"Were you planning on being out here long?"

Another shrug. "However long it takes."

Without questioning him, Goten started to help him find wood and build the fire up to a healthy blaze. With that done, they sat on the log beside and fell silent. Around them the night whispered its lullaby, the crackling of the fire accompanying it with quite persistence.

Same way we were sitting before, Goten thought. He rested his elbows on his knees and folded his hands, leaning over them. Was Trunks thinking about what had happened earlier that evening? What he'd said? Was he here to tell him nothing could happen between them? Goten swallowed hard and waited, dread eating away at him. It wasn't supposed to be this way. He was never supposed to know. I had to be stupid and open my damn mouth-.

"What did you mean?" Trunks suddenly asked, his soft voice breaking the silence.

"Huh?"

"Don't do the clueless thing, Goten. Earlier…when you were talking about how you were confused about some relationship – what did you mean?"

He couldn't even look at him right now. Him – Trunks…his best friend. The only thing that had remained a constant in his life. He didn't have the strength to face him or to put something he relied on so heavily in jeopardy. "It was nothing. I shouldn't have even said anything. Cant' we just forget that I did?"

"You can if you want." Trunks moved closer. Goten didn't look up to confirm it but he could feel the heat from his body, so close now that they were almost touching. He bit his bottom lip hard, hard enough to draw blood. This entire situation was so unfair. He wanted to turn and hold onto Trunks, to confess every confusing emotion he'd been fighting by himself for so long. He wasn't used to fighting alone. He was used to fighting right next to Trunks. He wanted to do that now…but he just couldn't.

"You can forget it all you want. But I won't."

Goten's breath caught and his eyes went wide as he watched his best friend's hand slide between his. He looked up and his blood started pounding in his ears. Trunks was so close, his intense blue eyes fixed on Goten's. "Trunks…what-."

"I think," the lavender haired teen started, a ghost of a grin playing around the corners of his mouth, "that when you were talking about relationships, you were talking about ours, right?"

"Right," Goten breathed, hardly aware that he was speaking. He was too focused on those eyes.

"And I think…that you meant you were confused about something you're feeling. What are you feeling?"

"I wish I knew," the younger teen breathed. His hand tightened around Trunks', holding it like a lifeline. "I don't know what's going on with me, Trunks. I don't know why I feel like this."

"Like what?" Trunks pressed. He lifted his free hand, brushing his fingertips over Goten's cheeks. Was he crying? He hadn't even noticed. Great…just what he needed. To be a crybaby on top of everything else. Fantastic.

"Like…like you're everything to me. You've been there from day one, at my side, keeping me sane, helping me get stronger. You've been the one thing in my life I can always rely on to be there when I need you and it's just…it's not feeling like it used to. It's not feeling like you're my best friend."

Trunks frowned. His hand fell to Goten's shoulder, his fingers lightly brushing his neck. Goten reacted to the innocent touch, his body shivering with forbidden longing.

"How does it not feel like I'm your best friend?"

"Because." Goten hung his head, ashamed. "Because it's more than that…it's deeper than just…friends. At least for me, it is. And I don't want it to be because I don't want to lose you."

"Chibi," Trunks murmured the nickname softly, one he hadn't heard since they were kids. Hope flickered somewhere deep inside of him, fighting to live. "You're not going to lose me."

"How can I not when I feel like this?" Goten cried softly, his eyes pleading. "How can I not lose you when I want more of you than you probably even want to give?"

"Says who?" Trunks asked, taking him completely by surprise. "Goten…we've known each other forever. No one knows me like you do. No one. You've been everything to me and I…" he glanced down at their entwined hands. "And I love you," he finished softly. He lacked ny shame, any resistance, stating the three words as if they were just a simple fact…as if it took no effort what-so-ever to make such a drastic change to what they were together.

"You…what?"

When he glanced up again, that easy smirk was firmly in place. "You heard me, Goten."

"Yeah, but Trunks…what about everyone else?"

"What about them?" Trunks leaned close to him, resting his forehead against Goten's. "What about you?"

Goten held his breath. For so long he'd been wanting to say the words. Could it possibly happen this easily?

"Just…let me try something here, okay?" Trunks said, inching closer.

Goten searched his friends solemn gaze for a reason not to trust him, for a reason to deny what he was feeling, go back to what was safe an familiar. If he said yes – everything would change. Was it worth it?

He swallowed hard, then nodded. Trunks gave him a small, encouraging smile. His knuckles brushed over his jaw. Goten couldn't help it – he tensed.

"Relax Goten," Trunks murmured.

"Trying," the younger teen replied. "Just nervous, I guess."

"I know. I am too. Listen…if you don't want to-."

Before he could second guess himself once more, Goten drug in a deep breath and quickly silenced Trunks the only way he could think to – by kissing him. The second their lips touched all doubts, all fear and anxiety melted away. Something clicked and it felt amazingly right.

Trunks went ridged, but only for a moment. Then his arm came around Goten, the hand of the other sweeping into his hair. Goten wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer, reveling in the feel of his strong body pressed against his. He'd dreamed of things like this, wanted to the point that it was almost painful. Those dreams and desires…they had nothing on the real thing. Nothing at all.

"I love you, Trunks," he muttered against his friend's lips. With the admission out, he couldn't help the relieved laugh that escaped him. "God, you have no idea how good it feels to say that."

"Probably about as good as it feels to be kissing you." Trunks pulled him in for another, far more ardent kiss. Heat spiked between them and Goten opened his mouth, tentatively touching his tongue against het seam of Trunks' lips. With a groan, the older Saiyan's mouth parted and his tongue swept in to brush against Goten's in an erotic caress.

They clung to one another, not able to get close enough, both scared to take one step further yet unable to stop what they'd recklessly set free. Trunks pressed against Goten, forgetting where they were and the younger Saiyan lost his balance, toppling off the log and taking Trunks with him.

"Jeez Trunk!" Gohan exclaimed breathlessly, the air forced from his lungs when Trunks landed on him.

"Sorry!" he quickly exclaimed. He braced his hand on either side of Goten and pushed himself slightly off of the younger Saiyan, allowing him to breathe again. "I'm sorry, Chibi. I forgot-."

"What did you eat before you came here?"

Trunks frowned down at him. "What? Are you seriously thinking about food right now?"

"Did you have ice cream? You taste like ice cream."

The two stared at each other for a long moment before both burst into laughter. Trunks fell beside Goten, keeping one arm draped loosely over his waist. Their laughter tapered away after a while but they continued to grin at one another, both reeling from the mutual decision to dive blindly into uncharted territory.

Shifting onto his side, Goten gave into the long-suppressed urge to touch, running his fingers over Trunks' sculpted chest with a mixture of awe and pride. "No one's going to like this," he said.

Trunks shrugged. His fingers lazily ruffled the hair at the nape of Goten's neck, causing the younger Saiyan to shiver slightly and move closer to him. "I wouldn't say no one." At Goten's questioning look, he continued. "I talked to Aiden about it."

Goten's eyes shot up, panic welling in the onyx depths. "What did she say?"

"I was stressing out about everyone not being cool with it so she asked me if I was. When I told her yes, her exact words were 'then that's all that should matter.' Then she told me to call you."

"She needs to marry Gohan."

Trunks laughed, affectionately ruffling Goten's hair. "See? At least we've got one person on our side. And you can bet that if Aiden's on our side, Gohan will be too. Everyone else…well…we'll face that when we get to it."

"And until then?"

"Until then-." He leaned close to Goten, inhaling his scent. "I think we just have fun and get used to the whole idea of…us."

The younger teen's hum of approval was muffled against Trunks' lips and he quickly forgot about everyone else, wrapping his arms around his neck and letting the world slip away unnoticed around them.