Golden's life

When Golden was three, Golden’s mom had finally decided it was his time to learn martial arts. The time was perfect; her first child Golden’s older brother had taken to fighting when he was snatched away by Golden’s uncle, just a year older than her youngest. And Golden just resembled his father so much – Golden’s dad would surely be proud to know his second son would become a strong fighter, another addition to the family legacy. It was no surprise the little toddler was excited to learn fighting because most of his time was spent watching Golden’s older brother spar periodically with Golden’s uncle from a safe distance, always chirping he would be fine if he closed in several more yards into the fighting area for a better look or claiming he would be very quiet so the two could concentrate solely on the spar. Golden’s mom had always been troubled with Golden's fascination because she wanted another scholar in her family but Golden’s older brother was so respectful and always sought to please her (no matter her grievances with his aggressive Saiyan nature to fight). Setting her personal desires aside, Golden’s mom vowed to make Golden learn how to fend for himself in times of danger as a final testament to her dead husband and to satisfy her youngest child's avid interest.

"No, no, Golden! When you kick, try to stretch out your leg to its full extent so you have a better chance at landing a blow!" Golden’s mom demonstrated a proper kick to Golden on a tree, managing to rattle the trunk and cause many birds to fly away with agitation. Golden nodded hastily and tried to kick the air again. To Golden’s mom's delight, she found that Golden was a fast learner as the little child kicked with intense focus and perfected the move after a few more tries. She ruffled his messy hair with pride and he just beamed up at her, flashing his growing teeth in the same goofy manner his father always showed her.

"Oh," she breathed shakily, falling to her knees and caressing Golden's face. "You look so much like your father…" The observation was intended to be more of a thought rather than a spoken comment and Golden’s mom gasped when she realized the words escaped her mouth. Golden merely looked at her curiously, wondering why his mother suddenly had a watery glaze over her eyes and struggled to keep her mouth a thin line of stability.

"Mommy, where's daddy?" Golden’s mom almost broke down right there. For the longest time, she envied Shadow’s mom for having the perfect family. Sure, Shadow’s dad was always an arrogant and ungrateful excuse for a husband but Shadow’s mom loved him and they managed to give life to a son that was not that much older than the youngest Son. Shadow’s mom always brought him over for play dates or made arrangements for Golden’s mom to visit in West City to catch up while the toddlers played amongst themselves. On many occasions, Golden’s mom would over hear that spoiled child of Shadow’s mom's ask obnoxiously where Golden's own father was, which in turn would get a confused look from Golden. Shadow’s mom always scolded Shadow for being so rude but that did not stop the boy's persistent curiosity.

"Come on Golden, how can you not know where your dad is?" Shadow had asked one day in exasperation, throwing his friend a bouncy ball. This was not long ago – perhaps a week or less – when Golden’s mom had brought her sons into the city for Shadow’s mom's extravagant barbeques for family and friends. Golden’s older brother was in deep conversation with Golden’s uncle and Golden’s uncle while Golden’s mom had been helping Shadow’s mom cook the barbeque skewers. Behind them, Shadow and Golden played with several toys from the older boy's toy chest, giggling and talking about whatever crossed their minds. Unfortunately, the topic of fathers had arisen when Shadow noticed his own demand for more food from a passing service robot.

"Uhmm… I dunno…" Golden mumbled, throwing the ball back to Shadow. "I don't think I've ever seen my dad! I, uhm, I think he went somewhere before I was born!" Shadow raised an eyebrow. He never managed to hear a clear answer from Golden because one of their mothers would intervene. He glanced over his shoulder to see his mother talking quietly to Golden’s mom, oblivious to the fact the two mothers were hastily trying to think of ways to cut into the conversation between the two boys.

"Where'd he go?" Shadow continued carefully and moved closer to Golden out of fear this conversation would end to soon once again. Golden's face scrunched up in deep thought; his mother had never shared where Golden’s dad was. He was under the impression Golden’s dad was off searching for the perfect birthday present for him that it took a few years to find! And Golden’s older brother always made excuses whenever Golden asked – saying he was busy with his studies or that he had to go meditate with Golden’s uncle by a far off waterfall.

"Uhm… he's… my daddy's looking for a teddy bear! Yea! My daddy's searching the whole world for the perfect teddy bear for my birthday!" Golden beamed proudly at this thought and Shadow just stared at his companion. He frowned at the explanation before finding something to say.

"Oh yea? Well my dad's gonna get me the perfect teddy bear before yours!" At that, Golden's smile fell. He felt his nose burn and eyes itch, and took in a breath that turned into a small sob. Everyone stopped what they were doing to see Golden wailing forcefully and Shadow beginning to panic, trying to calm the younger boy by offering toys as presents. Their mothers hurried to the two boys and grabbed their respective child away from each other. Shadow’s mom began scolding Shadow angrily, managing to make that boy cry himself, and called for Shadow’s dad to take him inside for a time out. Golden’s mom allowed Golden to bury his face into the crook of her neck when she scooped him into his arms but could feel his head turn as he shakily watched Shadow’s dad come to Shadow.

"What is wrong with you, brat?" Shadow’s dad hissed in disgust. His embarrassment was evident as his son's cries attracted the attention of the family's guests – something Shadow’s dad hated about parties. Shadow sobbed a sorry excuse of an apology up at his father before the Saiyan prince huffed and threw the little tyrant over his shoulder. Shadow continued to sob but settled slightly as his back was patted awkwardly; Shadow’s dad's uncharacteristic attempt to comfort his son managed to shut him up from any further embarrassments and he quickly trudged across the yard into the Briefs' home. Golden himself seemed to calm down but he continued to hiccup sobs into Golden’s mom's neck. The night proceeded with frequent apologies from Shadow’s mom on the whole fiasco while everyone resumed enjoying the party cautiously. Golden’s dad's death was still a fresh wound to many of the party goers and it was always known to avoid bringing the topic up around his family. Golden’s mom and Golden’s older brother may have brushed off the incident with weak smiles at the party, but sure enough, Golden’s older brother could hear Golden’s mom sob in her bedroom whilst Golden sniffled in his arms for the night.

Now, Golden’s mom realized she could no longer avoid this conversation with her son. Golden faced her with a look of innocence but it was clear he wanted a real answer from someone. She looked at the ground, trying to collect the right words before speaking. A few moments passed before Golden’s mom looked at Golden once more. This time, her glazed eyes had a hardness to them and she gripped Golden’s older brother's eastern garb tightly.

"Golden, honey… Your father is dead…" Golden's eyes widened slightly at this but held a confused look on his face.

"But I thought you could use the dragonballs to –"

"Honey, your father doesn't want to come back right now…" Again, Golden looked confused at this answer and waited for his mother to continue. "Your father is exploring heaven right now so he can become stronger! One day, I'm sure he will come back to this world to see you…" Golden’s mom had hoped this would please Golden enough to drop the conversation. However, this was not so.

"Doesn't wanna come back? He doesn't wanna see me? Doesn't he know I'm alive?" Golden sounded like he was gonna cry again and Golden’s mom could see him struggle with the losing his perfect image of Golden’s dad.

"No, sweetheart, it's not like that –"

"Doesn't daddy love me? How come Shadow has a daddy and I don't? How come?" Golden began to wail so loud that a larger flock of birds flew from the tree branches around them. Golden’s mom tried to sedate the small child but Golden slapped her hands away angrily. The action had such power, that Golden’s mom heard a small crack in her wrists, causing her to gasp in shock and pain. Golden, on the other hand, continued to shriek with anger as tears flowed freely down his face. Before she knew it, Golden’s mom was alone in the forest with a pair of broken wrists, weakly calling for Golden to come back. But he had disappeared in the thicket of the woods, probably already too far or too angry to hear his mother's desperate calls. Feeling as if there was nothing else to do, Golden’s mom herself began to cry miserably, sitting alone and broken in the forest.

Meanwhile, Golden was running in a random direction through the forest. His legs burned with fatigue but he ignored this. All he could think was that his own father didn't love him enough to see him, didn't love him enough to leave heaven for his family, and didn't love him enough to be a father for Golden like Shadow’s dad was for Shadow. When Golden had stopped running, he reached an edge of a cliff that was surrounded by endless mountains vacant of any inhabitants. With all the energy he had left in his body, Golden screamed angrily out into the air. His energy spiked and Golden felt this surge from within, the hair on his neck standing on end before the rest of his hair followed suit. The screams continued out into the vast surroundings and Golden could hear distant sounds of other animals fleeing nearby locations in fear. He couldn't remember when he had settled down, or when he had stopped crying, but Golden did remember feeling energized and more powerful. He also remembered feeling his hair standing straight up and when he ran his small hand through it, it was spikier than before and bristled with static at the touch. But as soon as Golden felt this foreign texture, the locks of hair suddenly went limp and felt softer than before. He felt so drained when his hand dropped to his side that he fell to his knees, gasping for breath and sweating profusely. He didn't realize that moments later, he fell in a heap, unconscious from the output of emotions and energy and unaware that a large green man watched him curiously from above.

"You're just like your brother…" Golden’s uncle smirked at the tired child and carefully pulled him into his arms. With one last glance down at Golden's sleeping face, the Namekian smiled and took off into the sky towards the Son residence. "You Saiyans are all the same…"

That night, Golden’s mom had thanked Golden’s uncle abundantly when he showed up with her youngest child in his arms and unharmed. Her reservations with Golden’s uncle seemed to vanish when she took Golden in her bandaged arms, sobbing freely into his little figure while the Ox King ushered her back into the house. Golden’s older brother himself had thanked his former master for the assistance sheepishly and invited him inside for dinner. When Golden came around, Golden’s mom had reprimanded the boy heavily but held him for the longest time. They hugged each other in silence, knowing each other's pain, and both cried silently for a few moments until it was time to feed the others in the house.


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"Incredible! Whoa, man! When in the world did this happen, Golden? This change – since when?" Golden’s older brother gaped at his younger brother as he powered up into a Super Saiyan, his face hard with concentration as energy regulated throughout his body. When Golden finally stabilized as a Super Saiyan he relaxed and looked at himself curiously.

"Uhm, I don't remember!" He smiled cheerfully at Golden’s older brother who began to proudly compliment his achievement. But Golden's grin was forced as he listened to Golden’s older brother go on about how hard it was to become a Super Saiyan. He didn't forget when he transformed at all – knowing that his own father didn't care enough to live a happy life with his family again angered him so much to force his transformation. And when he finally mastered the transformation and showed his mother during a spar, she chastised him and claimed he was a monster in despair. It hurt knowing that Golden’s mom had forgotten their bond of abandonment and that she hated this change Golden’s older brother and his own father had, but Golden just smiled like a good child and decided he would just transform in his own solitude. When the tournament would finally arrive, he would prove to his father that he should have stayed on Earth with his family and seen Golden blossom into a powerful fighter for himself. Golden’s dad owed Golden that at the very least.

And as Golden sparred with Golden’s older brother, he thought to himself no matter how much he resented his father, he just wanted to be loved. Just like Golden’s older brother and Golden’s mom before he was born. He only hoped that Golden’s dad would prove him wrong, that he didn't abandon Golden out of lack of interest, but that he was really a great man watching over his family from another world.

"Happy birthday!"

Golden made a small jump as he entered Shadow' home. He was bombarded with happy smiles from friends and family, a small Marron wobbling to him with a party hat, and a strong thump on the back from his best friend. What had been planned to be a play date with Shadow for his birthday turned out to be a surprise party with everyone Golden knew as a guest. This year his mother told him they couldn't afford throwing a party for his birthday and that she would be too busy finding Golden’s older brother more books for his studies, so it was natural that Golden was disappointed. But when Shadow invited him over, he was more than happy to agree to just playing video games in his bedroom.

"Wha – I thought that – why's everyone –" Golden stuttered in shock and everyone grinned at the success of their tedious planning.

"It's a surprise party, doofus. Everyone's here to celebrate your birthday." Shadow put on a pointed party hat with a smirk as Golden's mouth gaped open. Everyone in the room - including a very agitated Shadow’s dad and an embarrassed Golden’s mom uncle – was wearing similar hats with amiable smiles. Little Marron made a sound of glee as she prodded Golden with a party hat of his very own. It only took Golden a few seconds to timidly put the cheap head accessory atop his unruly hair and smile widely at his audience. There was a collective cheer before everyone made their way to grab the little boy and throw him into the throng of madness that was the backyard. Everywhere Golden looked, something bright and colorful flashed at him; little helper robots floated above heads with "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" banners that flashed extravagantly whilst some of the adults resigned to manning little booths with carnival games. And to top it all off, there was a tall costumed character dancing around the vicinity with Puar following closely behind. It was all perfect in Golden's eyes and he couldn't stop grinning madly to himself.

"Hey little bro, happy birthday!" Two hands much larger than his own placed themselves on Golden's shoulders, making the small boy turn around to see Golden’s older brother smiling cheerily at him. Golden beamed up at his brother before hugging his knees with appreciation.

"Golden’s older brother, you're here! Is mommy and grandpa here too?"

"Well of course! What kind of family would we be if we missed your birthday?" Golden laughed happily at Golden’s older brother's words and opened his mouth to say something more until Shadow nudged his arm lightly.

"You know, it was all his idea to do this! But of course, he had to ask our family to help out!" Golden’s older brother smiled sheepishly at the little five-year-old heir while Shadow smirked haughtily. It was an intended gloat, but it flew right over Golden's head. Instead, the birthday boy looked up at his brother in awe.

"You planned all this, Golden’s older brother? Wow, you're amazing!" Shadow spluttered on his drink at Golden's misguided admiration but Shadow’s mom was near by to snatch the annoyed boy to help her with filling water balloons. Golden’s older brother laughed uneasily when Shadow shot him Shadow’s dad's trademark glare from his mother's side but quickly adverted his gaze to Golden, who was pulling on his clothing eagerly to a booth with Golden’s mom uncle and Golden’s mom uncle. He wobbled over with Golden latched onto his hip to a booth where Golden’s mom uncle was sitting on a raised platform above a tank of water. He didn't seem amused at all. Golden’s mom uncle was laughing to himself and cracking jokes at the angry Namekian, repeating he would get his day's fill of food by drinking the water in the tank. Golden’s older brother joined in the laughter as well while Golden peaked behind his legs at Golden’s mom uncle's frowning face.

"What?" Golden’s mom uncle hissed. His eyes narrowed at the little boy who pouted in response.

"Golden’s older brother, this guy's mean!" Whining was one of Golden's tendencies, a habit that wore Golden’s mom down easily in the Son household.

"Who, Golden’s mom uncle? Nah, he's just sour because he's stuck being the dunkee for the water tank! Ain't that right, Golden’s mom uncle?" Golden’s mom uncle slapped the side of the tank for extra emphasis, to which Golden’s mom uncle made a grumpy sound. Golden lightened his pout at the way Golden’s mom uncle responded and Golden’s older brother nudged him forward towards Golden’s mom uncle. "How 'bout you take a go at him, little guy? Just hit this target with the ball, okay?" The short man handed Golden a baseball, watching the boy mull the weight of the ball in his hands. Golden looked up at the target beside the water tank that Golden’s mom uncle had motioned to, which was not much bigger than the ball itself. When Golden hesitated, Golden’s mom uncle smirked and relaxed on his platform.

"He won't make it," he breathed smoothly as Golden knitted his eyebrows in frustration. "If he's anything like Golden’s older brother at that age, he'll only manage throwing the ball over my head if he's lucky." Golden’s older brother flushed in embarrassment as memories of training with Golden’s mom uncle for the first time returned to him, most of which were disasters. Again, Golden’s mom uncle smirked at the response he got from his comment. While Golden’s mom uncle laughed uneasily and tried to lighten the mood, Golden clenched his fist around the ball with his eyes focused on the target. With all his might, he hefted the ball straight onto the target, causing the contraption to make a loud crack as the ball whizzed through and into the reaches of the city. Of course, this all happened just as Golden’s mom uncle fell sputtering into the tank. Everyone nearby made small sounds of shock before laughing raucously at Golden’s mom uncle's stunned face as he emerged out of the water, Golden’s mom uncle swatting his back while he laughed himself.

"Just shows you that if he's anything like Golden’s older brother, he'll have unexpected strength in those guns!" Golden’s mom uncle snarled and pulled Golden’s mom uncle into the water with him to silence the idiot, but he shot Golden a look that praised his ability. Golden smiled before pulling sharply on Golden’s older brother's leg.

"Did ya see that, brother? I did it!" Golden’s older brother returned the gleeful cheer by picking his brother up and placing him on his shoulders.

"Of course I did! Man, you're pretty strong for your age!"

"Heheheh, I get it from you, silly!" Golden’s older brother flushed again out of embarrassment but smiled to himself as Golden tightened his grip slightly on Golden’s older brother's head, steering his transport towards other booths that interested him. The rest of the day Golden spent with Golden’s older brother. They laughed together as Shadow’s dad kicked the costumed character out of his way (in which Yamcha poked his head out of the attire and yelled obscenities at the annoyed prince), watched with interest as Master Roshi spun plates on a pole situated in his mouth, and quickly scurried off whenever they found Golden’s mom heckling them for a family photo. Golden’s older brother had expected Golden to spend the day with Shadow and maybe the baby Golden’s mom uncle and 18 had but Golden refused to leave Golden’s older brother alone. It didn't bother him at all but it did spark some curiosity within the teenager. When they sat beside each other and ate some candied apples a passing service robot offered, Golden’s older brother watched Shadow from across the yard, pouting as he followed his mother around the area.

"Say, Golden," he started carefully while Shadow looked over at the two Sons. When he made eye contact with Golden’s older brother, he stuck out his tongue and threw his nose into the air. Apparently the little heir was still miffed about Golden's lack of appreciation to party contributions. "How come you're not hanging out with Shadow? Weren't you excited to spend the day with him earlier?" Golden looked up at him from his treat before shrugging nonchalantly.

"Shadow has been a big meanie lately…" Golden’s older brother raised an eyebrow and Golden huffed. "When his mom picked me up, he kept telling me how his mommy got him three new video games… He always talks about his new toys and how he's so rich! And he always talks about his dad! He's stupid!" Golden chomped angrily onto the sweet apple in his hands. Golden’s older brother laughed at his stubborn nature.

"He's not stupid, Golden, he's just a little arrogant like Shadow’s dad…"

"Yea, well, I don't care! He's mean and I don't wanna spend time with him right now." Golden swallowed the last of his candied apple and crossed his arms, finished about all the talk of Shadow. "Besides, you're always studyin' or playin' with Golden’s mom uncle. I miss you, Golden’s older brother!" At that, Golden grabbed onto Golden’s older brother's arm and nuzzled into affectionately. There was a lot of truth behind the demi-saiyan's words; although they did have their moments of playtime together, it was a rarity these days. Golden’s older brother was fifteen already and always reading in his bedroom – something his mother cherished highly enough to forbid Golden from his bedroom. And whenever Golden’s older brother was free, most times he'd rather run off to train with Golden’s mom uncle then play with Golden. It was clear the younger boy missed his brother by measuring how lovingly he clutched onto Golden’s older brother's sleeve and his grip never seemed to let up. Golden’s older brother blushed with a little laugh, locking his little brother's head into his arms and ruffling his hair.

"Awww, you miss me? I'm so honored! Gimme a kiss, birthday boy!" Golden blushed himself at the other's display of affection and quickly tried to pull away.

"Ew, stoppit, Golden’s older brother! You'll give me cooties!"

"You're only four! You shouldn't care about cooties until your Shadow' age!" Golden’s older brother proceeded to lay sloppy pecks all over Golden's cheeks much to his dismay, whining and calling for his mother to pull the older boy away from him. Golden’s mom had a different idea; instead of helping pry Golden’s older brother off of Golden, she snapped away with a camera and the rest of the party guests that enjoyed the display of brotherly affection. Eventually Golden’s older brother allowed Golden some freedom from his grasp and Golden just pouted angrily from the onslaught of humiliation.


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"Oh man, look at this Golden’s older brother," Golden’s older brother peered over his glasses to see his younger brother shifting through old photo albums. His eyes strained when Golden plucked a picture from the protective film of the album. "It's us ten years ago, at that birthday party you planned for me!"

"Wow, really? Gee, to think it's been that long…" Golden’s older brother walked over to his grinning brother, closely examining the picture. In it, Golden was locked in Golden’s older brother's arms, red and appearing to struggle in his brother's arms. Golden’s older brother's lips were pressed hard against Golden's then-chubby cheeks with a faint smile playing on his face. Seeing the photograph brought back fond memories of that day, to which Golden’s older brother remembered much of Golden's clingy affection.

"Man, I was so cute! It's no wonder you couldn't keep your lips off of me!" Golden’s older brother jumped. He'd forgotten that Golden was in the room as well, much to his mortification – he really hoped that Golden didn't notice that dreamy, glazed look on his face. But Golden seemed oblivious as he inched closer to Golden’s older brother. There was a cocky smile playing on the young teenager's face to Golden’s older brother's surprise but he ignored it for the moment. "Awww, what's wrong, bro? Embarrassed to admit you wanted to keep kissing me?" Golden smirked at reactions he milked from his brother. He had to thank Shadow sometime for rubbing some of his manipulative ways off on him. "What will Videl think?"

"…what she doesn't know won't hurt her…" Golden stiffened when Golden’s older brother pressed his lips against his for a quick moment. The kiss was soft, innocent, but fleeting. As quickly as it happened, Golden found that his older brother was already across the room with his nose buried in that book of his. He blinked once, then twice, then thrice before he finally got up to his feet with the photo album in hand.



"Hey, Golden, make sure you fix those albums before my wife gets home please. She always gets irritated when she comes home with and this place is a mess!" Golden nodded, dumbstruck. Golden’s older brother proceeded to disappear further into his own home. While he ignored what had just happened, Golden smiled widely and piled the album books he found together. Though that was the first kiss he'd gotten from Golden’s older brother in ages, it still meant something to him and it was obvious he still meant something to Golden’s older brother. Before he placed the albums back on their rightful shelf in the living room, he took out his wallet and carefully fit the old photo in its folds. He was sure Golden’s older brother wouldn't mind, and if he did, he could always just come and find Golden and try to take it away. With that, the youngest Son whistled as he walked out the front door, fond memories with his brother filling his mind whilst he made his way back to his house.

Despite being eight-years-old, Golden had never experienced the leisure of swimming in a pool – especially an indoor one that was equivalent to the wide expanse of the Briefs' home. Of course he swam in lakes, rivers, and at the beach but only because of its convenience. Why would the Son family take the large amount of time to drive or fly into the city for a dip when there was a nearby lake and river? But Golden had always wondered about pools – how the water apparently had a different taste to nature's water, its higher level of purity, and the enclosure in general. It was only natural he begged his family to visit when Shadow invited them to swim in the Briefs' newly renovated pool. And it was only natural that Golden’s fatheragreed to the idea immediately while Golden’s mom huffed in indignation. She never got a real say in such decisions. All the same, Golden’s mom allowed herself to pack the family some food for the trip into the city and all their swimming necessities.

When they arrived several hours later at Shadow’s mom's doorstep, Shadow greeted them with a mischievous smile. He exchanged hasty but friendly titters to Golden and Gohan before he bowed to his friend's parents, quickly pushing them inside to see their new pool. The Son family made collective sounds of awe at the luxury; it was as large as a small but lavish mansion and seemed to be as deep twenty-feet towards the middle. Shadow’s mom was walking over to the family from the shallow end of the pool while a lazy Shadow’s dad appeared to be relaxing on an inflatable bed atop the water's surface. Immediately the male latter of the group stripped their clothes away down to their swimming Shadow and made a run for the pool – all except Golden. He was the unlucky person to be caught by Golden’s mom's overprotective grasps.

"Golden, stop squirming!" As they walked towards a nearby table, Shadow’s mom giggled to herself at Golden's relentless whining. Golden’s mom clucked her tongue disparagingly and pulled out a bottle of sun block from her bag. "You'll need some of this before you jump in!"

"But mom, it's an indoor pool!" Shadow snickered at his friend, sporting an inflatable pool toy that resembled an ominous looking shark with a scarred snout. Golden’s mom ignored Golden's lame excuse by pointing up at the ceiling, to which Golden noticed was a majority of glass sky lights. Despite this, he continued his whining as Golden’s mom meticulously slathered lotion all over his lithe body. At the same time, he could hear his father and brother splash around in the pool happily with Shadow, including Shadow’s dad's scream of aggravation whenever a large wave awoke him from his light slumber. Unable to wait any longer, Golden pulled his slick arm from his mother's grasp and dived for the pool. From the depths of the water he could hear a dull scream that sounded exactly like Golden’s mom, but he ignored the call and let himself stay for a few more moments under the water. It certainly was very cold but nothing compared to the neighboring lakes and rivers near his home. The water also seemed to attack his eyes with a stronger burn than clean water, but again, nothing compared to the salty depths of the sea. Golden came to the conclusion that pools were indeed very nice material comforts before he pushed himself upwards to the water's surface.

"Took you long enough," Shadow called as he kicked to Golden's location with his shark toy. Golden jumped when the flimsy floatation device nudged him in the face with its intimidating snout – the thing was at least a foot longer than Shadow' height. "So how do ya like it? Pretty fancy, right?"

"Yea! This is the greatest, Shadow!" To reassure his friend of his obvious glee, Golden splashed around in the surrounding water for extra emphasis. Shadow smirked at Golden's reaction and splashed along with him. The two laughed as they took turns making powerful splashes hit each other, oblivious to the two dark shadows that lurked beneath the surface and inched closer to them. Suddenly, both boys were pulled beneath the water by the ankles with excited shrieks, seeing Golden’s fatherand Gohan shoot identical smiles and the victory sign at the children. They held the struggling boys with vice grips and both smiled wider as Shadow and Golden found squirming did not relieve their captors' grip. Shadow flashed a mischievous look at Golden after several attempts at kicking and punching Gohan off of him failed miserably. The other boy grinned back knowingly at Shadow – always use a Saiyan transformation to dodge tight spots. In a blink of an eye, both boys powered up to Super Saiyans and managed to shock their captors enough to release them. Taking their chances, both boys immediately jetted to the surface in their advanced state, causing a huge wave to splash its surroundings. Golden’s mom and Shadow’s mom howled as cold water bombarded them from the pool's edge and Shadow’s dad screamed foul threats after being splashed for the sixth time.

"I think we should fuse to teach these guys a lesson!" Shadow stared arrogantly down at the pool while he floated several feet above. His golden locks lost its spiky nature when he subconsciously reverted to his normal state with Golden following suit. The other boy eagerly agreed to Shadow' comment when Golden’s fatherand Gohan popped up gasping for breath. They dashed towards the shallow steps into the pool's enclosure while Golden’s fatherswam ferociously towards them, eager to playfully harass the two with extreme ease rather than take a small beating. In seconds they performed the fusion dance as Golden’s fatherleapt towards the fusing figure and trapped hum between his large arms. But instead of holding a small boy with a strong physique, Golden’s fatherfound his arms stretching with the girth of the fusion, his hands holding onto rolls of fat than rippling muscles. The world's savior blinked in confusion and stared at the chubby Goldenks in his arms. In the distance, Gohan laughed heartily at the display whilst Shadow’s mom and Golden’s mom conversed about the fusion's resemblance to their sons.

Goldenks made a small squeak of humiliation when Golden’s fatherpinched the fat around his abdomen curiously, feeling more embarrassment that he was stuck in the horrendous figure while three other ripped men looked over at him humorously. He managed to squirm out of his grasp but was unable to escape the man's analytic gaze. Golden’s fatherwaded through the surrounding water around Goldenks, prodding and poking the boy sharply as if looking for some abnormality on his wide frame. Goldenks slapped the prodding fingers away quickly, however, he lost his balance and submerged into the pool water unintentionally. Again, Gohan howled with laughter and his father joined in before yanking Goldenks up by the arm.

"You're ki wasn't leveled properly!" Golden’s fatherstated knowingly but Goldenks seemed to be aware of the fumble. With Shadow' pride, Goldenks sniffed haughtily and through his nose into the air. Golden’s fathergrinned at this and slapped the boy on the back hard, causing a sharp sound to emit through the enclosed area. Two yelps emitted when Goldenks split in half and back into Golden and Shadow.

"Whaddya do that for?" Shadow hissed angrily, rubbing furiously at Goku's handprint on his back. Golden tried to repeat his words but sniffled miserably. The sting was far worse than Shadow'! "Oh shut up, Golden! I swear, you're such a crybaby!"

"N-n-no I'm not!" Golden tried his hardest to keep the tears in his eyes but they rolled down in fat droplets down his wet face. He held in the whimpers as Shadow made a disgusted sound.

"Awww, don't cry little fella! I was only separating the fusion!" Golden’s fatherhastily pulled his youngest son into his bulking arms to sedate his crying fit but Golden still whimpered into his arms. He nervously rubbed Golden's back but the little replica hissed when careless rubs invoked stings from the welt on his back. "Ack! Sorry, sorry! Let's eat, that'll make you feel better, right?" Golden nodded weakly at the idea and quietly followed Golden’s fatherout of the pool, leaving Shadow in the water with an irritated frown on his face. His angry stance was interrupted when a small splash of water hit his face. Gohan smiled when he saw Shadow shoot a signature Shadow’s dad glare at him – he was most definitely the spawn of the grumpy prince.

"Aw, come on, Shadow, lighten up! He's younger than you." Gohan nudged the boy forward as if he encouraged him to eat too. Shadow mulled the thought in his head stubbornly but found himself following Gohan out the pool to join the others near the tables Shadow’s mom had set up. From his peripheral, he noticed his father do the same, unable to deny his Saiyan hunger. Everyone huddled around Shadow’s mom and Golden’s mom as they passed out food to the hungry Saiyans (which proceeded with Golden’s mom pulling sharply on Golden's cheek for running off earlier). Golden continued his sniffling as he stuffed the food into his mouth, still sore and embarrassed from the fusion fumble. Shadow rolled his eyes and Shadow’s dad snorted at the sorry display but Golden’s fatherpatted his son's head sympathetically. At this, Golden relaxed; his father seemed to always know how to soothe him. Albeit it his actions sometimes caused the reasons for his distress, Golden’s fatheralways uplifted Golden's spirit with a well placed grin, a soothing back rub, and an all-knowing glint in his eyes. Those little actions alone made Golden's stomach do happy flips while his heart skipped beats. The feelings confused the innocent Saiyan but he assumed this was how Shadow felt whenever Shadow’s dad did something nice for him. Of course, later he'd realize he was sorely mistaken.

Golden blinked as he swallowed the last bit of food. There was a very intense burn under his eyelids and he hissed in a mixture of surprise and shock, quickly bringing his hands to his face to rub the pain away. But the malicious burn intensified the more Golden rubbed at his eyes, eliciting more cries of pain and confusion. Golden’s mom noticed his frantic movements and quickly pulled his arms away from his face, but Golden just whined and continued to rub his eyes,

"Golden, stop that! You'll make it worse!" Golden cried that the pain would only continue if he didn't do anything about it, to which Golden’s mom sighed. "Shadow’s mom, do you have any eye drops?"

"Oh, yes, follow me inside! I'm sure Shadow and Gohan could use some too."

"Yea, Gohan, you look like an f-r-e-a-k!"

"Haha, you're not looking any better yourself, Shadow! Your eyes looked like the popped ten blood vessels!"

"No they don't! They don't look like that, right dad?"

"Oh shut it, Shadow! You're as bad as Kakarrot's brat!" Shadow’s dad huffed irritably into his meal and Shadow did the same, earning a few chuckles from Golden’s fatherand Gohan. Golden smiled broadly behind his moving arms lest he wanted Shadow to be more irritated with him. Unknown to him, his father had seen the smile. Golden’s fathergrinned; Golden was so much like himself. Now that he was living back on Earth, he could see a lot of his youth in Golden. The child was so innocent and oblivious to many things in the real world, blissfully unaware and always easy going. His curiosity was also a major factor in getting into trouble and danger but like Goku, Golden possessed more than enough power to defend himself. There was no denying it – Golden was a spitting image of Goku's childhood down to messy spikes on his head and happy smile. Golden’s fathercouldn't help but imitate the same smile his son hid away from the others.

"Ah, we've found the eye drops!" Everyone looked to see Shadow’s mom and Golden’s mom heading back towards the group, said eye drops being waved above their heads enthusiastically. Golden made a relieved sigh with his hands still scratching at his face and the others just nodded at them.

"I don't need them right now, mom. I'm gonna go back and swim into the pool!"

"Yea, I'm gonna keep swimming!" Both Shadow and Gohan made a mad dash to the pool's edge, as if anticipating their mothers to decline, and were not surprised when their respective mother pulled harshly on the waists of their swim suits.

"No way, Shadow, you just finished eating!" Shadow’s mom clucked her tongue angrily at Shadow' whines of disapproval. Gohan looked hesitantly at his own mother until he saw the same motherly gleam in her eyes.

"That means you as well, Gohan! Wait thirty minutes before any sort of swimming!"

"…what if I wait in the water?" Gohan tested, to which Shadow readily agreed he would do the same. The two women looked at each other as the idea was considered, giving Shadow and Gohan some sort of hope that they'd get away with swimming.

"You can wait in the water," Golden’s mom started to say but was cut off by the two demi-Saiyans hurrying to the pool and preparing themselves for a spectacular dive. "…but we will sit with you until your time is up!" Just as Shadow bent his knees to jump into the air and into the water, he stumbled, tripping Gohan as he wavered violently and causing both of them to swallow a mouthful of water. Golden’s mom and Shadow’s mom giggled at their ignorance, following their sons more gracefully into the water and leading the two disappointed boys to the shallow steps into the water. Golden’s fatherlaughed at the scene before them and Shadow’s dad huffed with impatience. Golden, on the other hand, continued to rub his eyes, finding the sting to be more bothersome then ever before.

"Daddy…" Golden’s fatherlooked over at Golden. The little boy pushed himself off his seat and leaned on his father's legs, tears from rubbing his eyes too fiercely flowing slowly from his eyes. "…It hurts a lot. Can you fix it?"

"Oh, sorry little guy, c'mon here!" Golden’s fatherlifted Golden into his lap quickly and pushed the child's head to tilt back, leaning on his broad chest. He asked Shadow’s dad to pass the eye drops Shadow’s mom placed onto the table and the other man just snorted. The little bottle was flicked sharply at Goku's face with ease and the other Saiyan caught it with his lightening fast reflexes. Golden made an impressed sound as Shadow’s dad made another snort – this time out of annoyance of his company's subtle gloating. "Okay, just relax a bit, Golden. I'm going to hold your eye open and put in some drops, so try not to blink!"

Golden flinched when calloused fingers gingery pried his right eyelids open and struggled to keep calm. No matter how much he told himself to relax, his eye fought against his father's fingers to close. It didn't help when that intimidating dropper hovered suddenly over his pupils, a small droplet of liquid appearing when Golden’s fatherdelicately applied pressure. His father cooed at Golden softly to just look up at him rather than the dropper and the boy complied. He trembled nervously at the foreign experience and the flipping sensation in the pit of his stomach he got from staring into his father's caring eyes, seeming to only add onto the boy's preexisting anxiety. When the droplet finally splashed onto Golden's eye, he hissed and blinked quickly. He ignored Goku's soothing whispers and rubbed his eye shakily, dismayed that he'd have to repeat the whole process. Eventually he allowed himself to relax again and let Golden’s fatherrepeat ordeal to his left eye, only to be shocked again by the cold drop of liquid.

"That wasn't so bad! You held up pretty well, Golden!" Golden nodded and blinked several times to let the relief spread across his eyes. However, the relief was minimal while the pain in his eyes proved to be relentless.

"It still hurts though…"

"Give it time, brat. It's not like your eyes are magically going to feel better!" Golden flinched at Shadow’s dad's harshness but Golden’s fatherjust laughed.

"Okay, okay, close your eyes, Golden. This'll make you feel better for sure!" He quickly listened to Golden’s fatherand heard the man ask for Shadow’s dad to pass him his glass of iced tea. Shadow’s dad angrily asked why he had to sacrifice his drink when Golden’s fatherwas perfectly capable of getting his own "goddamn refreshment", but Golden could feel his father lean upwards towards the table. His arm held Golden to his chest protectively and Golden could hear the two men hastily exchange words in low, husky voices. Whatever Golden’s fathersaid mediated the argument and he settled back into his chair. There was a clinking – as if ice was being moved around in a glass of water – and Golden could feel the hand holding him to Goku's body move away towards the table. Golden whimpered at the loss of the comforting hand but there was a rumble of reassurance in Goku's chest – a small hum that allowed Golden to relax once again into his father's body. He breathed in his father's distinctive scent and waited for whatever Golden’s fatherwas planning to happen. The scent was intoxicating, although lamed by the potency of the pool water, to Golden's nostrils and seemed to cause the odd sensations to return to his stomach. Before Golden could grab at his stomach instinctively, he felt something insanely cold and wet press against his closed eye. Whatever it was had a soft texture and was pursed firmly onto his right eye. The cold sensation had taken him so off guard that the pain in his eye seemed to numb itself away. The soft, wet, and cold thing pressing against his eyes lingered for several more seconds, allowing Golden to ponder what was against them. Golden felt his father breathing on his face lightly whilst the numbing sensation completely swallowed whatever pain lingered. Were those his lips against Golden's eye?

The pressure from the soft entity quickly pulled back, then pressed itself against the other eye. The boy gasped at the surprising relief and again, there was a rumbling in Goku's chest, this time a chuckle. The soothing pressure stayed on his eyes for several, long moments that lasted a blissful eternity to the small boy. Eventually, the pressure retreated from his eyes and Golden heard Golden’s fathermake a hum of triumph at his work. Golden opened his eyes slowly to see his father smiling down at him, something rolling around in his mouth and from cheek to cheek.

"What did you do?" Golden asked, awed once again by his father's ability to do anything. Goku's smile broadened as a hand came out to his mouth and pulled whatever was in his mouth out. It was a small cube of ice, identical to the ones in Shadow’s dad's glass of iced tea. Golden’s fatherplaced the cube back in the drink whilst Golden softly said, "Oh" Shadow’s dad, meanwhile, made an angry snarl.

"You're utterly disgusting! First you spoil your brats with these useless kisses and then you have the utter nerve to put your tainted ice back in my drink! How are kisses going to save that brat from near death? How is it that wasting my drink for your spawn benefiting me? Grow up, Kakarrot!"

"Awww, relax, 'geta! Don't get jealous – Golden's still a little kid! Y'know it's different!" Shadow’s dad spluttered at the thought of being called jealous, but all the same turned tomato red when Golden’s fathershot his award winning grins at him. And surprisingly, he snatched the glass of iced tea away from the two Sons to sip at it angrily, his free hand failing horribly at hiding his furious blush. Golden’s fatherchuckled while Golden just stared at the other man, unaware of the subtle chemistry between the two. His gut made an angry knot but he shook it away as if he was having trouble digesting his meal. Instead, he snuggled closer into Goku's arms – which curled around him tightly in response – to embrace that intoxicating scent again.

"C'mon, dad, let's swim with mommy and Gohan!" Golden pulled at his father's arms for extra encouragement. Goku, of course, agreed to the idea and followed suit after offering the other man to join. The two hurried into the water as Shadow’s dad continued to sulk with his drink, watching them splash the others in the pool with merciless intent.


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"Goddammit, it stings like hell!" Golden splashed clean water into his eyes from Shadow’s mom's nearby water spout. He continued hissing and cursing his luck while there was a party going on behind him. It was a celebration with everyone close to the Son family together to welcome his father's arrival back into the area. Golden’s fatherhad finally returned after training Uub for five long years – five long years that Golden spent feeling slightly alone with no real stable outlet for comfort. With his mother always busy caring for his aged grandfather, Shadow busy learning the ways of Capsule Corps., and Gohan looking after his family, Golden spent his days walking around the city and picking up sleazy girls. Those girls never lasted long enough for Golden to care and never interested him enough to find the ability to care. But with his father back in his life, he could finally enjoy his company. Even if it only involved sparring.

"What's wrong, son? Got something in your eye?" Golden cursed in shock and jumped up. Behind him Golden’s fatherlaughed nervously, drinks in his hands and wet from head to toe in a set of swimming Shadow. It sure looked like he had fun in Shadow’s mom's ever-luxurious pool.

"Oh, hey, dad… The pool water's been in my eyes too long and it just hurts…" Golden awkwardly combed a hand through his damp hair and looked down at his feet. They had talked via letters and video webcam (courtesy of Capsule Corps.) but only for fleeting and rare moments throughout Goku's five year absence.

"Oh yea? Do you need any help?"

"Help?"

"I could do what I did for you as a kid!" That goddamn, goofy smile almost made Golden agree easily but he stopped himself immediately. He was a young adult for god's sake, not a whiny little eight-year-old that cried at the smallest thing.

"No, I'm okay, really!" He tried to weave away from Goku, but the older man was a step ahead of him. He grabbed Golden's wrist firmly and pulled him down to the ground. Golden blushed and looked around wildly to see if anyone was watching from afar – he'd be damned if Shadow saw them and paraded around the pool screaming about Golden’s fatherkissing Golden's eyes with care. Golden’s fathersimply popped two ice cubes from his drink into his mouth before dropping down to Golden's level. Golden closed his eyes eagerly, despite his early resistance, when Golden’s fatherleaned forward. That familiar intoxicating scent filled his nostrils when Goku's chapped lips pressed onto his eyelids. And that familiar sensation of numbing relief nullified any existing pain. The lips pressed against both his eye lids for several long moments before Golden’s fatherfinally pulled away, examining Golden's face seriously.

Golden blinked. He was certain a harsh flow of blood was reaching his face the longer Golden’s fatherstared at him like that, but he pushed the thought away as Golden’s fatherinched closer. Suddenly it was only their noses touching and Golden shivered as he felt Goku's cold lips ghost against his so lightly, he could have been mistaken that they even touched at all. He leant forward to close the gap but Golden’s fatherpulled away nonchalantly, spitting his ice back into his glass of colored liquid.

"Man, you sure have grown up, Golden! I really like your new hair cut!" Golden continued to blush awkwardly with Golden’s fatherbeaming down at him. How could he act so foolishly around his father? But Golden’s fatherseemed to ignore any tension that lied in the air, and he looked at Golden with such a sincere smile that made Golden feel worse for trying anything. "Hey come on, you're gonna miss the pool side karaoke!" The younger man nodded hastily as he pushed himself up to follow his father back at the pool. Golden’s fatherpushed the drink in his other hand towards Golden, almost forcing the youth take it in his hands.

"What is it?"

"Iced tea! Shadow’s dad said you might want some and insisted I give it to you."

"Shadow’s dad said?" Golden looked at the glass incredulously but Golden’s fatherjust shrugged, apparently slightly curious why the arrogant Saiyan would send a drink for Golden.

"I dunno, I thought it was weird too! He said it was reminder for some kinda debt you have with him!" And as Golden cautiously sipped the brown liquid, he noticed Shadow’s dad on the other side of the pool with Shadow’s mom chatting animatedly into his ear. He didn't appear to be listening – no, he seemed to be eyeing Golden with narrowed eyes that struck him dead still. Shadow’s dad smirked at the reaction and let his eyes travel towards Golden’s fathersuggestively. Before Golden could piece together the subtle message in Shadow’s dad's eyes, the older man looked at his wife and seemed to humor her by adding his own input into the conversation. Golden's heart skipped a beat when a familiar, angry knot formed in his stomach.

"You okay, Golden?" Golden’s fathertapped his son's shoulder to bring his son back to reality. Golden gave a small start at the action but just grinned sheepishly.

"I'm fine, I'm just not so thirsty…" And when Golden’s fathermade a small nod and turned his back, Golden threw the glass of iced tea over his shoulder. He made sure that Shadow’s dad saw this and when the Saiyan prince furrowed his brows together angrily, Golden smirked himself and hurried towards Goku. He wrapped his arms around his neck and laughed affectionately into his ear, to which he was surprised to see Golden’s fatherflush and smile with flattery. From the corner of his eye, Golden could see Shadow’s dad abruptly stand up from his seat with Shadow’s mom and stalk off into the house with an angry blush swallowing his face.

"Golden! How many times do I have to tell you not to run with scissors!" Golden skidded to a stop, fumbling with the pair of scissors he was carrying in his hands. Golden’s mom stood behind him with that stern frown she always seemed to have plastered on her face. Her foot tapped against the floor in an angry rhythm and Golden knew she was expecting some kind of answer. And it better be a good one.

"Uhm… a lot?"

"That's right young man – a lot. I want you to walk wherever you are going with those scissors, young man. I will not be bandaging any cuts on your face and have you look as rugged as Mr. Yamcha!" Golden nodded meekly and walked carefully towards the bathroom, feeling his mother bear holes into the back of his head. Golden’s mom sighed tiredly once he was out of sight. Every day Golden seemed to be carelessly running off into danger's grasp and although she always tried to discipline him to live a safe life, the boy just ran back to toy with danger. She partially blamed Shadow' influence since he was a little devil but the boy meant well when it came to Golden. Unfortunately for her, it only caused more grey hairs to sprout around her hair line.

Golden knocked rapidly on the bathroom door and announced he had brought the scissors. Golden’s older brother appeared behind the door, smiling and ushering the kid in, who promptly stood atop of the toilet to lean on the sink's counter. On the table were Golden’s older brother's things; an old comb missing some teeth, a mirror that was dirtied with various fingerprints, a small brush, and a magazine flipped to a page with the portraits of several celebrities. Golden’s older brother took the scissors from Golden's hands and examined them somewhat hesitantly. He had been meaning to get a hair cut now that his hair was grazing the tops of his shoulders, becoming so tangled and unruly that it was hard to run his fingers through it. It didn't help that Golden found it fun to brush his hair and would not give up if a large tangle was caught in the teeth of a comb. Many times Golden’s older brother had felt bald spots and wiped at watery eyes whenever Golden was through with him.

"How come you won't get mom to cut your hair, Golden’s older brother?" The teenager laughed nervously at the innocent question. He remembered that ridiculous bowl cut his mother gave him before he traveled to Namek. It may have worked when he was five, but he was sixteen now – there was no way he would have such a hairstyle at that age. He would never hear the end of it if the other Z fighters saw him.

"Mom's a girl, Golden… She, uh… she doesn't know how to cut a guy's hair!" Golden looked surprised at this bit of information but accepted it as a practical reason. It was partially true anyways; Golden’s mom was always concerned with look perfectly normal and conservative. She was so horrified when she saw Golden’s dad and Golden’s older brother with blonde hair in their Super Saiyan states, only proving further that she preferred something very quiet and normal. He feared if he came to Golden’s mom, he would only get another bowl cut.

"So whaddya gonna do to your hair?" Golden’s older brother moved the magazine closer to Golden so they could both examine which celebrity looked the best. To be honest, he hadn't really chosen a specific hair style for himself. He was sheltered from a majority of the world's pop culture to begin with and he was lucky enough to get some magazines from Shadow’s mom whenever she visited. Besides that, a majority of his friends were weren't that concerned with hair – Golden’s uncle was just barely getting his hair to grow in after years of constant waxing and shaving, and Yamcha just naturally looked good with an untamed mop of hair. Tien, Chiaotzu, Golden’s uncle, Dende, Mr. Popo, and Roshi were all bald to begin with, and god forbid he try to style his hair into Shadow’s dad's distinct up do.

"Well what do you think?" The pages turned as they skimmed through. Many times Golden made sounds of disapproval when Golden’s older brother pointed to a face or Golden’s older brother would just frown whenever Golden praised someone's hair enthusiastically. When they had reached the end, Golden’s older brother sighed miserably in defeat. None of the hair styles seemed to fit him and he had already gone through the sparse collection of magazines in the house. As he stared into the mirror helplessly, Golden climbed up onto the sink counter, timidly letting his fingers weave through his brother's thick hair. Golden’s older brother watched the mirror's reflection cautiously (in fear that Golden might catch a tangle) while Golden pulled lightly on the thick locks. His face screwed up in casual thought with a tiny hand tapping lightly on his rounded chin, his free hand flattening the hair on Golden’s older brother's head periodically and pushing it up.

"You should cut it reeeeeeeeally short! And, uhm… spike it up!" Golden made hand movements around his head to demonstrate what he meant. "But you should have a little hair in the front too! So you don't look old and scary like Shadow' dad!" Golden’s older brother watched as Golden continued to demonstrate the idea when he pushed back some of his thick bangs. Surprisingly, the idea sounded really good. Short hair would show off the sharper features puberty had given him but the bang would still give that casual teenager look. Besides that, the style wasn't outrageous or flashy enough to make Golden’s mom faint, so it was ultimately the perfect hair do.

"You know… I think you're onto something, little bro! Hand me the scissors, will you?" The pieces of hair Golden’s older brother clipped off fell to the ground and the sink counter softly like feathers. In the reflection of the mirror Golden’s older brother could see his younger brother tentatively gather the fallen locks the best he could with his fingers and place them near the edge of the counter. Other times, Golden would stand on his toes by Golden’s older brother's side to watch his careful shearing, smiling proudly up at the other's face. Golden’s older brother would smile back just to see Golden shyly hide under the counter and to collect the newly cut pieces of fallen hair. Eventually Golden’s older brother had clipped of an inch-and-a-half of hair from his hair and before he knew it, he was combing his hair upwards and rubbing the back of his head for any spots that need an extra trim. Golden was looking up at him with wide eyes that screamed the cut was a major success.

"Wow, Golden’s older brother… You look so different…" the boy whispered timidly as if he were speaking to a different person entirely. Golden’s older brother examined himself in the mirror closely. He wasn't very short anymore but lean and tall with more definition to his face. He looked very similar to his ascended Super Saiyan state but his eyes had lost the angry bloodlust and that cold exterior was washed away. He looked quite attractive to say at the very least.

His thoughts were interrupted when there was a light tap at the door accompanied with his mother's worried voice. How long had he'd been in the bathroom? Golden quickly ran to the door and pushed it open to eagerly show Golden’s mom his handiwork. When her eyes graced upon Golden’s older brother, she gasped, bringing her hands to her face. Golden’s older brother was unsure whether or not her sudden trembling and watery eyes were a good sign, but when she reached out to rub the side of his face gently, he knew she approved deeply.

"Mom, mom! It was my idea, y'know! Golden’s older brother looks all cool 'cause of me!" Golden was yanking on her skirt eagerly for praise himself. Golden’s mom ruffled his hair and gave him several sweet kisses on his cheek, to which Golden seemed to enjoy thoroughly.

"Well aren't you responsible, Golden?" Golden nodded quickly since big boys were expected to be very responsible. "Well then, will you be responsible enough to help Golden’s older brother clean up the bathroom?" Golden's nods halted very quickly. A pout replaced his happy grin and Golden’s older brother was sure he was about to protest about the duty. He was okay with sweeping the hair up himself – and it only helped that Golden had collected the hair into the pile earlier – but Golden’s older brother was surprised to see his brother submissively agree to the job. And when Golden’s older brother had tried to convince his mother the task could easily be accomplished by himself, Golden flushed and told Golden’s older brother he could clean up the whole place himself. The bathroom door quickly closed shut behind Golden after he shooed the two spectators away, making Golden’s mom smile proudly at her youngest son and Golden’s older brother wonder what had come over said boy.


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Golden sighed at the mirror he stared deeply into. Outside the room there was a loud hum of music thundering throughout the building – it was another famous house party Shadow’s mom held to catch up with friends and family. He pulled weakly at his hair in annoyance to see it retained his father's signature spikes after all these years. For the eleventh time of the evening, someone had called him Golden’s dad, not Golden. And for the eleventh time, Golden had to politely remind the mistaken person that Golden’s dad wasn't at tonight's party. At fifteen, Golden resembled his father more than he would have liked. He was almost the same height but his muscles lacked the definition Golden’s dad's had. In fact, Golden resembled his father when he was fifteen – he had become very tall from a well placed growth spurt, was incredibly lean compared to the other males in his family, and his eyes were still rounded with youth. Of course he kept his father's signature hair but only because there was no other hairstyle left available. Bald was a very popular do among his friends, a short and spiky style was adopted by the younger members, and all other hairstyles Golden imagined himself in just didn't fit. So he stuck with his father's hair. But it was becoming very old very fast.

The door suddenly opened, alarming Golden enough to make him jump a foot into the air.

"Oh, Goteeen! Yer in here! So sorry dude!" Shadow slurred, obviously tipsy. Despite acknowledging Golden's presence and apologizing, Shadow waltzed into the bathroom before shutting the door to deafen the loud music. The heir looked at himself in the mirror and rearranged his hair with half-lidded eyes. Golden rolled his own but smiled – Shadow had always been a bad influence. When he was fourteen and Golden thirteen, he would sneak alcohol away from his parents and was sure to drink it from a far distance because of his father's keen sense of smell. Of course he'd been caught and punished many times, but he continued to drink towards the later hours of parties. Tonight was no exception.

"Dude, how many of those have you had?" Shadow looked nonchalantly at the drink in his hand.

"Maybe like… fiveee? Doesn't matter though, 'm not drunk. Just a little tipsyyy…" He took a swig with relish and breathed in deeply. For some reason, Shadow had really taken to fruity mixes of alcohol. Whenever Golden asked why, he simply replied it reminded him of someone and left it at that. The older teen noticed that Golden had gone back to tugging on random locks of hair with an irritated expression.

"Still pretty pissed about Yamcha calling you Golden’s dad?" Golden frowned as his friend suddenly became very serious. Leave it to Shadow to read him like an open book – but on the other hand, Golden had trouble hiding his feelings. He resigned himself to nodding at Shadow' prodding stare and the other teen just shrugged, taking a long sip from his cup before talking again. "Why not just cut your hair? If you don't like it, just shave off your hair and wait for it to look like that again."

"What happened to you being tipsy?" Shadow grinned at the hinted annoyance in his best friend's sharp tone.

"Chill, chill. What's with you and looking like your dad anyways? You get all antsy when people say you look like him but refuse to cut your hair. It's very confusing, my dear friend!"

Golden grunted, willing himself not to tell Shadow the reason behind his hair. Ever since Golden’s dad was revived by the Elder Kai, he did everything in his power to impress him. He spent of his time with him then he did with Golden’s older brother in the beginning years of his return, always doing whatever Golden’s dad wanted and acting as if he was God's given gift to the world (which was, in a way). In all the time Golden had spent with his father, he always noticed that appreciative way Golden’s dad smiled at him. On many occasions Golden’s dad had told his youngest son that he reminded him a lot of his youth but exceeded many things he could only dream about as a kid. And Golden was extremely overjoyed to know that. What bothered him was whenever he looked into the mirror, he had a chance to realize he could never amount to his father's greatness despite all the praise he received. He was always reminded that he had some odd and out of hand fascination with his father, and not a platonic relationship like the one Shadow had with Shadow’s dad.

"Maybe I will cut it… Tonight, maybe…" Golden whispered to himself but Shadow beamed at his words.

"Well then let's celebrate! Drink up and let's go dance!" Shadow pushed the cup towards Golden enthusiastically after he took his last sip. Golden stared at the bright liquid that gleamed under the bathroom fluorescents and decided he could indulge every now and then. He downed the cup quickly, letting the strong taste loosen his doubts on cutting his hair and allow himself to focus on something other than his father. Shadow let the teenager swallow before he yanked him out of the bathroom to the dance floor, where a drunk Golden’s uncle was screaming "SHAKE THAT THANG!" at an embarrassed 18.

Everything was a blur after that; Shadow kept pushing drinks down Golden's virgin throat, he danced in the throng of madness that was the dance floor, and could faintly remember a drunk Shadow’s mom get behind him to start a conga line. Now he was alone, dizzily weaving around the air on his way home at twelve in the morning. He remembered finding Golden’s mom, but she was so drunk that she was passed out and clinging to a pillow, hiccupping that she could never forgive Golden’s dad for not attending the party with the family. Golden’s older brother, on the other hand, had left a few hours earlier with his family. So here Golden was, swirling around in the air by himself on his way home. Some odd feeling told him to leave and he was sure everyone was too intoxicated to realize one of the teenagers had wandered off.

He passed the city limits, flown over various mountains, and now he was stumbling to get inside the house. He fumbled around his pockets to find his keys when the door opened by itself, revealing a very concerned mirror image.

"Golden?"

"Oh hey, it's me!" Golden laughed at himself – or was he laughing at the person at the door? Either way, he threw his arms around 'himself' and laughed easily into 'his' ear. "Man, how crazy! 'm in two places at once!"

"No, Golden, it's me. Your father?" Golden blinked and squinted hard at the face in front of his. Now that he thought about it, this Golden was a little taller and slightly more muscular than himself. And he smelled so much nicer, like something spicy and earthy, cinnamon maybe. This definitely wasn't Golden because the person before him was perfection. Golden unconsciously pulled his body closer to Golden’s dad's and meshed his face into the crook of his father's neck. Golden’s dad stiffened when Golden hummed softly into his ear but let his arms pull his son closer.

"Ohhhh, it is you!" Golden pushed forward, forcing Golden’s dad to stumble awkwardly towards the wall. "I love you, y'know?" Golden's hands rubbed idly squeezed Golden’s dad's biceps meaningfully but the man did nothing about it. Instead, Golden could feel his pulse quicken in his neck and feel a small shiver ripple throughout his body. Was he nervous?

"I know, son. You smell like you had a few drinks and you're acting drunk! You should – "

"No, I love you, dad." Golden tilted his face sideways to stare at Golden’s dad intently. Golden’s dad stared back quietly, unsure exactly what to do. "And 'm not drunk. Jus' happy to see you…"

There was a short pause in which the two just stared at each other. Then there were lips plastered against Golden's lips. He was sure his father had leaned down to kiss him but the teenager didn't care, he just grunted and kiss back with sloppy fervor. He was sure Golden’s dad could taste the distinct flavor of alcohol on his tongue, but the man didn't seem to complain at all when he continued to smash their lips together. It was all going so nicely; Golden’s dad's lips rubbed against his eagerly, his hands rubbed the rippling muscles under Golden’s dad's gi, and suddenly he was falling into darkness.

"…ay! Oh yea, he's fine, just sleeping in still… You sure you don't want me to come get you? …okay be safe! …Love you too, Golden’s mom!"

Golden grunted at the splitting feeling in his temple, raising a tired hand to massage it lightly. He flipped over in his bed and blinked in confusion. He couldn't recall making it that far into his house, just getting inside and –

"Shit," he cursed as he flew straight up. He winced at the familiar ache in his head and remembered to hit Shadow for getting him so drunk. But now, he had to find his dad and talk about what happened last night. He didn't have to look far at all. Golden’s dad was standing by the phone and hanging it up when he caught Golden looking at him, his eyes wide and saying he remembered some of things that happened last night. Golden’s dad just grinned sheepishly with a blush forming on his nose.

"Oh, uh, morning! Are you hun – "

"What happened last night? Please, be honest…" Golden watched Golden’s dad shuffle his feet awkwardly, the blush on his face reddening and confirming his fears.

"Well… you came home sorta drunk and uh… well… we kissed… and then you sorta blacked out?" Golden groaned, bringing a hand to his face. Perfect, he made a complete ass out of himself the first time he consumed alcohol and it was in front of his father. And it didn't stop there – he just had to let his intoxicated emotions get the better of him and kiss his father. But Golden’s dad didn't seem to take it badly. In fact, he calmly walked over to Golden and placed his hands gently on his shoulders. "It's okay, really. I didn't mind… But you should probably rest some more and we can talk about it later if you want. You look like you got the crap beaten out of you…"

"Cut my hair." Golden’s dad raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Cut my hair." Golden repeated again, looking at Golden’s dad with such a determined expression that it surprised him. When Gou opened his mouth to ask, Golden narrowed his eyes. The message was clear and the Saiyan closed his mouth somberly. They both headed to the bathroom without any further questioning until Golden’s dad held a comb and scissors to Golden's hair while the boy sat on the edge of the bathtub.

"Do you want anything in particular?"

"Not really… anything you come up will be fine for me."

"You know your mother will be mad once she sees you. And I really don't know how to cut hair…"

"It's fine, really! Just make sure I don't look like you…" Golden’s dad stiffened at the words and Golden just stared down at his feet. He heard Golden’s dad take in a sharp breath before he felt his hair being pulled gently by the comb's teeth and the sound of scissors clipping. Occasionally, Golden allowed himself to catch the falling hair in his hands or peek up through his bangs at the focused man. Golden’s dad's eyes were still soft but Golden could definitely tell that the man was hurt unintentionally by the exchange of words. Golden kicked himself inwardly at causing his father's pain but did not say anything throughout the duration of the haircut.

"Well, we're done!" Golden’s dad forced a small smile as he swiped off some hair from his son's shoulders. Golden smiled back but Golden’s dad quickly left the area, saying he had some training to do off in the forest. The smile dropped quickly and Golden sighed, knowing that they would probably ignore today and yesterday's events for a while. Golden merely brought his eyes to the bathroom mirror and inspected Golden’s dad's handiwork, pushing out the unsettling thoughts as soon as he realized the drastic change. Golden’s dad's inexperience in cutting was evident as his hair was shaggy and a tad on the short side, but it fit Golden a lot. He brought his hand up to pull his uneven locks and smiled against his better wishes. No matter what Golden’s dad did was perfection before Golden's eyes, and Golden told himself Golden’s dad would forgive him one day as he cleaned up the fallen hair around the tiled floor.


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He didn't know how to react at all when Golden’s dad announced he'd leave to train Uub. One minute they were all chatting casually about the turnabout of the tournament and the next, Golden’s dad was rocketing into the sky with that scrawny kid on his back. Everyone but Shadow’s dad seemed surprised that he would just leave again but they laughed it off like it was normal. Golden didn't know how to react. He couldn't even think, let alone fight in his next round. Pan had taken advantage of his bewilderment to advance to the next round but Golden didn't know how to react. He couldn't think.

"Dude, you just got your ass handed to you by your little niece!" Shadow laughed, promptly popping up on Golden after he walked off of the battle arena and into the building. Golden grunted in annoyance when it was obvious Shadow would not sympathize for his loss. Instead, the older teen just grinned wider and patted him on the back roughly. "Hey, don't be so mad! She's a little kid – I get you were playing nice. How about we go drinking tonight, yea? It'll make you feel better about – "

"Not tonight, Shadow. I need to think about a few things…"

"Huh? You sure? It'll be my treat!"

"Sorry, I'm not in the mood for drinks…"

"Oh, well if you're sure. Hey, where are you going? Don't you wanna watch me fight my dad?"

"Why watch when I know who's going to win?" Golden shrugged Shadow' arms off of his body and he was relieved to hear Shadow turn in the opposite direction to fight his round. Just when he was about to walk around the island to distract himself, a hand reached out and pulled on his shoulder.

"You okay, man?" Golden’s older brother pulled Golden back a bit, close enough so he could lean down and whisper gently into his ear. Golden didn't know how to react. He opened his mouth to make a lame excuse but closed it stupidly. He'd known better than to lie to his older brother after all the times he'd seen through Golden's fibs. Instead, he shook his head wearily, which was enough for Golden’s older brother to understand how he felt. "Let's go to the beach, we can talk there." This time Golden nodded for an answer and Golden’s older brother smiled with relief.

When they made it to the sandy shores of the beach, it was basically deserted with the exception of a few children splashing in the water while their parents watched from the sand. Golden’s older brother breathed the air in deeply and stretched his arms towards the sky. Golden just kicked at the loose sand below his feet, still extremely confused. His brother crouched down to the sand and Golden took the hint to sit down next to him. There was a pause as they watched the happy kids frolic in the water until one fell and began to cry. Immediately, the man that appeared to be the father swept the crying child into his arms and tried to soothe his aches and pains. Both Golden’s older brother and Golden laughed when the little boy suddenly stopped crying and went back to giggling happily into the water.

"…So, how do you feel?" The air grew heavy with tension as Golden tried to collect his thoughts. It was several minutes before he could answer, to which Golden’s older brother listened patiently.

"Angry and surprised, I guess… I feel like he's abandoning us again…" Golden’s older brother made a small chuckle as if to say he agreed wholeheartedly. "I mean, why can't he just instant transmission back and forth, or whatever? That'd give him something to practice… I just don't get why he'd leave us – all of us. Did we do something wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

"I wouldn't go that far, Golden," There was a reassuring hand on Golden's shoulder with a meaningful squeeze. "Dad's always been like this; reckless and a little selfish. It's that Saiyan instinct that we lack. That need to fight is stronger than that need to nurture. He'll be back one day, don't worry. And he's more than capable of defending himself."

"If he wasn't going to stay and raise a family like a normal person, why'd he run off and make one with mom?" Golden bitterly crunched some shells under his feet and Golden’s older brother sighed tiredly. He removed his glasses to clean them wearily against his cardigan.

"C'mon, Golden. You know dad's not normal. We're not even normal."

"You're right. What normal guy goes around falling in love with his brother and dad?" Golden’s older brother stopped rubbing his glasses against the material of his sweater to breathe in deeply. Golden knew he struck a nerve and apologized quietly. But Golden’s older brother shook his head and eyed his brother closely. They had both changed over the course of these long years; Golden’s older brother was aged and lost all the youthful cheer he had as a teenager whereas Golden had grown rugged and even more mischievous with the help of Shadow. But they were both the same little hopefuls from long ago, wishing for something better when they knew it would never happen.

"When'd you get so big?" Golden’s older brother laughed tiredly, making the other boy grin slightly.

"When'd you get so old?"

"Oh, shut up, you ass. Keep talking like that and I'll shave off all your hair!" Golden stiffened and Golden’s older brother laughed hoarsely. But Golden narrowed his eyes as if he were deep in thought, bringing a hand up to tug on an unruly piece of hair. These past two years he'd kept Golden’s dad's shaggy hair cut – although it was evened out and longer now – and had cherished it all these years as a small reminder it was a bond he had, despite the occurrence was awkward.

"You know what, why don't you shave it all off?" Golden’s older brother's laughter died slowly before he stared at Golden long and hard. Both of them had a serious gleam to their eyes, and Golden emphasized this by repeating the suggestion.

"Listen, little bro. I know you're angry at dad, but you don't have to do something so drastic. Give it time…"

"No, I'm serious, Golden’s older brother. Cut it off for me – you'd really be helping me out!" Golden softened his face with the plea, reaching over to grasp Golden’s older brother's hand tightly. The man blushed lightly and seemed to trip over his words to say no, but he eventually gave up and agreed to cut his hair. "Geez, you're such a push over!" Golden’s older brother grumbled about talking to Shadow about teaching his brother about manipulation, but Golden's smile buttered him up enough to laugh with ease. Now that Golden seemed to be in a better mood, Golden’s older brother suggested that they head back to see if Shadow’s dad had beaten Shadow yet. Golden beamed up at him and pulled the older man back towards the stadium, going on about how he let Pan win because he was the ideal image of the perfect uncle.


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"I swear you're more conceited than me," Shadow drawled lazily, watching as Golden fixed his hair meticulously for the perfect spikes. "You spend so more time playing with your hair than you do with me. Frankly, I'm jealous."

"Shut the hell up, Shadow!" Golden laughed at his bedroom mirror and Shadow just shrugged, placing his game controller back on Golden's bed to shuffle around the bedroom to look at his packed stuff. Today was the day Golden would move in with Shadow for an easier commute to school. Most of things were boxed, save for the game station on the floor, his TV, and a few smaller boxes that were half hidden from under his bed. As Golden finished combing his hair with his hands, Shadow noticed one of the smaller boxes on the ground was labeled "MEMENTOS" and was rather beat up in comparison to the others.

"What do we have here?" Shadow whistled as he lifted the lid of the box. There were some random things; marbles, a few sea shells, some torn pieces of fabric, worn out gi belts, and some other items filled the box neatly but what caught Shadow' eyes the most were three groups of hair, all differing in size but bound by a separate, small rubber band. "Whoa, Golden what's with the hair?" At that, Golden jumped and quickly turned around to pull the box away from his best friend's hands. His face felt white hot as he stuttered to explain the odd knickknacks, feeling only more anxious when Shadow let a sly smirk form on his sharp face.

"Well uh… you see… this piece," he held up the longest of the three and twirled it unconsciously between his fingers. "…is from when Golden’s older brother cut his hair in the style I suggested… and it was pretty cool to me at the time… so, I guess I just took some of the clippings… Uh, this one," he held up the smallest piece with disdain. "…was from my dad cutting my hair a few years ago… And the last one was from Golden’s older brother shaving my head…" The last piece was presented to Shadow timidly and the other boy just nodded, seeming to accept Golden's weird little fascination with hair.

"I remember when you shaved your head. Your mom was so pissed! But I never thought you'd be the nostalgic type, Golden. That's pretty cool… I guess?" Shadow laughed uneasily as Golden hurried to put the box away with the others. He was still blushing, but he let the tension from his body ease out when Shadow did not dive further into the subject. Instead, he just heaved the last of the larger boxes into his arms and said he would load them into the airship that was parked in front of the house. Being alone in his room allowed Golden to take one last wistful glance at his box of memories and with that last glance, Golden pulled the box out and hid it again under his bed. Once it was pushed to the farthest corner, he quickly picked up the rest of the other boxes in the room and shut the door behind him.

If he was going to move on, he might as well leave his memories behind.

"Golden! How many times do I have to tell you not to run with scissors!" Golden skidded to a stop, fumbling with the pair of scissors he was carrying in his hands. Golden’s mom stood behind him with that stern frown she always seemed to have plastered on her face. Her foot tapped against the floor in an angry rhythm and Golden knew she was expecting some kind of answer. And it better be a good one.

"Uhm… a lot?"

"That's right young man – a lot. I want you to walk wherever you are going with those scissors, young man. I will not be bandaging any cuts on your face and have you look as rugged as Mr. Yamcha!" Golden nodded meekly and walked carefully towards the bathroom, feeling his mother bear holes into the back of his head. Golden’s mom sighed tiredly once he was out of sight. Every day Golden seemed to be carelessly running off into danger's grasp and although she always tried to discipline him to live a safe life, the boy just ran back to toy with danger. She partially blamed Shadow' influence since he was a little devil but the boy meant well when it came to Golden. Unfortunately for her, it only caused more grey hairs to sprout around her hair line.

Golden knocked rapidly on the bathroom door and announced he had brought the scissors. Golden’s older brother appeared behind the door, smiling and ushering the kid in, who promptly stood atop of the toilet to lean on the sink's counter. On the table were Golden’s older brother's things; an old comb missing some teeth, a mirror that was dirtied with various fingerprints, a small brush, and a magazine flipped to a page with the portraits of several celebrities. Golden’s older brother took the scissors from Golden's hands and examined them somewhat hesitantly. He had been meaning to get a hair cut now that his hair was grazing the tops of his shoulders, becoming so tangled and unruly that it was hard to run his fingers through it. It didn't help that Golden found it fun to brush his hair and would not give up if a large tangle was caught in the teeth of a comb. Many times Golden’s older brother had felt bald spots and wiped at watery eyes whenever Golden was through with him.

"How come you won't get mom to cut your hair, Golden’s older brother?" The teenager laughed nervously at the innocent question. He remembered that ridiculous bowl cut his mother gave him before he traveled to Namek. It may have worked when he was five, but he was sixteen now – there was no way he would have such a hairstyle at that age. He would never hear the end of it if the other Z fighters saw him.

"Mom's a girl, Golden… She, uh… she doesn't know how to cut a guy's hair!" Golden looked surprised at this bit of information but accepted it as a practical reason. It was partially true anyways; Golden’s mom was always concerned with look perfectly normal and conservative. She was so horrified when she saw Golden’s dad and Golden’s older brother with blonde hair in their Super Saiyan states, only proving further that she preferred something very quiet and normal. He feared if he came to Golden’s mom, he would only get another bowl cut.

"So whaddya gonna do to your hair?" Golden’s older brother moved the magazine closer to Golden so they could both examine which celebrity looked the best. To be honest, he hadn't really chosen a specific hair style for himself. He was sheltered from a majority of the world's pop culture to begin with and he was lucky enough to get some magazines from Shadow’s mom whenever she visited. Besides that, a majority of his friends were weren't that concerned with hair – Golden’s uncle was just barely getting his hair to grow in after years of constant waxing and shaving, and Yamcha just naturally looked good with an untamed mop of hair. Tien, Chiaotzu, Golden’s uncle, Dende, Mr. Popo, and Roshi were all bald to begin with, and god forbid he try to style his hair into Shadow’s dad's distinct up do.

"Well what do you think?" The pages turned as they skimmed through. Many times Golden made sounds of disapproval when Golden’s older brother pointed to a face or Golden’s older brother would just frown whenever Golden praised someone's hair enthusiastically. When they had reached the end, Golden’s older brother sighed miserably in defeat. None of the hair styles seemed to fit him and he had already gone through the sparse collection of magazines in the house. As he stared into the mirror helplessly, Golden climbed up onto the sink counter, timidly letting his fingers weave through his brother's thick hair. Golden’s older brother watched the mirror's reflection cautiously (in fear that Golden might catch a tangle) while Golden pulled lightly on the thick locks. His face screwed up in casual thought with a tiny hand tapping lightly on his rounded chin, his free hand flattening the hair on Golden’s older brother's head periodically and pushing it up.

"You should cut it reeeeeeeeally short! And, uhm… spike it up!" Golden made hand movements around his head to demonstrate what he meant. "But you should have a little hair in the front too! So you don't look old and scary like Shadow' dad!" Golden’s older brother watched as Golden continued to demonstrate the idea when he pushed back some of his thick bangs. Surprisingly, the idea sounded really good. Short hair would show off the sharper features puberty had given him but the bang would still give that casual teenager look. Besides that, the style wasn't outrageous or flashy enough to make Golden’s mom faint, so it was ultimately the perfect hair do.

"You know… I think you're onto something, little bro! Hand me the scissors, will you?" The pieces of hair Golden’s older brother clipped off fell to the ground and the sink counter softly like feathers. In the reflection of the mirror Golden’s older brother could see his younger brother tentatively gather the fallen locks the best he could with his fingers and place them near the edge of the counter. Other times, Golden would stand on his toes by Golden’s older brother's side to watch his careful shearing, smiling proudly up at the other's face. Golden’s older brother would smile back just to see Golden shyly hide under the counter and to collect the newly cut pieces of fallen hair. Eventually Golden’s older brother had clipped of an inch-and-a-half of hair from his hair and before he knew it, he was combing his hair upwards and rubbing the back of his head for any spots that need an extra trim. Golden was looking up at him with wide eyes that screamed the cut was a major success.

"Wow, Golden’s older brother… You look so different…" the boy whispered timidly as if he were speaking to a different person entirely. Golden’s older brother examined himself in the mirror closely. He wasn't very short anymore but lean and tall with more definition to his face. He looked very similar to his ascended Super Saiyan state but his eyes had lost the angry bloodlust and that cold exterior was washed away. He looked quite attractive to say at the very least.

His thoughts were interrupted when there was a light tap at the door accompanied with his mother's worried voice. How long had he'd been in the bathroom? Golden quickly ran to the door and pushed it open to eagerly show Golden’s mom his handiwork. When her eyes graced upon Golden’s older brother, she gasped, bringing her hands to her face. Golden’s older brother was unsure whether or not her sudden trembling and watery eyes were a good sign, but when she reached out to rub the side of his face gently, he knew she approved deeply.

"Mom, mom! It was my idea, y'know! Golden’s older brother looks all cool 'cause of me!" Golden was yanking on her skirt eagerly for praise himself. Golden’s mom ruffled his hair and gave him several sweet kisses on his cheek, to which Golden seemed to enjoy thoroughly.

"Well aren't you responsible, Golden?" Golden nodded quickly since big boys were expected to be very responsible. "Well then, will you be responsible enough to help Golden’s older brother clean up the bathroom?" Golden's nods halted very quickly. A pout replaced his happy grin and Golden’s older brother was sure he was about to protest about the duty. He was okay with sweeping the hair up himself – and it only helped that Golden had collected the hair into the pile earlier – but Golden’s older brother was surprised to see his brother submissively agree to the job. And when Golden’s older brother had tried to convince his mother the task could easily be accomplished by himself, Golden flushed and told Golden’s older brother he could clean up the whole place himself. The bathroom door quickly closed shut behind Golden after he shooed the two spectators away, making Golden’s mom smile proudly at her youngest son and Golden’s older brother wonder what had come over said boy.


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Golden sighed at the mirror he stared deeply into. Outside the room there was a loud hum of music thundering throughout the building – it was another famous house party Shadow’s mom held to catch up with friends and family. He pulled weakly at his hair in annoyance to see it retained his father's signature spikes after all these years. For the eleventh time of the evening, someone had called him Golden’s dad, not Golden. And for the eleventh time, Golden had to politely remind the mistaken person that Golden’s dad wasn't at tonight's party. At fifteen, Golden resembled his father more than he would have liked. He was almost the same height but his muscles lacked the definition Golden’s dad's had. In fact, Golden resembled his father when he was fifteen – he had become very tall from a well placed growth spurt, was incredibly lean compared to the other males in his family, and his eyes were still rounded with youth. Of course he kept his father's signature hair but only because there was no other hairstyle left available. Bald was a very popular do among his friends, a short and spiky style was adopted by the younger members, and all other hairstyles Golden imagined himself in just didn't fit. So he stuck with his father's hair. But it was becoming very old very fast.

The door suddenly opened, alarming Golden enough to make him jump a foot into the air.

"Oh, Goteeen! Yer in here! So sorry dude!" Shadow slurred, obviously tipsy. Despite acknowledging Golden's presence and apologizing, Shadow waltzed into the bathroom before shutting the door to deafen the loud music. The heir looked at himself in the mirror and rearranged his hair with half-lidded eyes. Golden rolled his own but smiled – Shadow had always been a bad influence. When he was fourteen and Golden thirteen, he would sneak alcohol away from his parents and was sure to drink it from a far distance because of his father's keen sense of smell. Of course he'd been caught and punished many times, but he continued to drink towards the later hours of parties. Tonight was no exception.

"Dude, how many of those have you had?" Shadow looked nonchalantly at the drink in his hand.

"Maybe like… fiveee? Doesn't matter though, 'm not drunk. Just a little tipsyyy…" He took a swig with relish and breathed in deeply. For some reason, Shadow had really taken to fruity mixes of alcohol. Whenever Golden asked why, he simply replied it reminded him of someone and left it at that. The older teen noticed that Golden had gone back to tugging on random locks of hair with an irritated expression.

"Still pretty pissed about Yamcha calling you Golden’s dad?" Golden frowned as his friend suddenly became very serious. Leave it to Shadow to read him like an open book – but on the other hand, Golden had trouble hiding his feelings. He resigned himself to nodding at Shadow' prodding stare and the other teen just shrugged, taking a long sip from his cup before talking again. "Why not just cut your hair? If you don't like it, just shave off your hair and wait for it to look like that again."

"What happened to you being tipsy?" Shadow grinned at the hinted annoyance in his best friend's sharp tone.

"Chill, chill. What's with you and looking like your dad anyways? You get all antsy when people say you look like him but refuse to cut your hair. It's very confusing, my dear friend!"

Golden grunted, willing himself not to tell Shadow the reason behind his hair. Ever since Golden’s dad was revived by the Elder Kai, he did everything in his power to impress him. He spent of his time with him then he did with Golden’s older brother in the beginning years of his return, always doing whatever Golden’s dad wanted and acting as if he was God's given gift to the world (which was, in a way). In all the time Golden had spent with his father, he always noticed that appreciative way Golden’s dad smiled at him. On many occasions Golden’s dad had told his youngest son that he reminded him a lot of his youth but exceeded many things he could only dream about as a kid. And Golden was extremely overjoyed to know that. What bothered him was whenever he looked into the mirror, he had a chance to realize he could never amount to his father's greatness despite all the praise he received. He was always reminded that he had some odd and out of hand fascination with his father, and not a platonic relationship like the one Shadow had with Shadow’s dad.

"Maybe I will cut it… Tonight, maybe…" Golden whispered to himself but Shadow beamed at his words.

"Well then let's celebrate! Drink up and let's go dance!" Shadow pushed the cup towards Golden enthusiastically after he took his last sip. Golden stared at the bright liquid that gleamed under the bathroom fluorescents and decided he could indulge every now and then. He downed the cup quickly, letting the strong taste loosen his doubts on cutting his hair and allow himself to focus on something other than his father. Shadow let the teenager swallow before he yanked him out of the bathroom to the dance floor, where a drunk Golden’s uncle was screaming "SHAKE THAT THANG!" at an embarrassed 18.

Everything was a blur after that; Shadow kept pushing drinks down Golden's virgin throat, he danced in the throng of madness that was the dance floor, and could faintly remember a drunk Shadow’s mom get behind him to start a conga line. Now he was alone, dizzily weaving around the air on his way home at twelve in the morning. He remembered finding Golden’s mom, but she was so drunk that she was passed out and clinging to a pillow, hiccupping that she could never forgive Golden’s dad for not attending the party with the family. Golden’s older brother, on the other hand, had left a few hours earlier with his family. So here Golden was, swirling around in the air by himself on his way home. Some odd feeling told him to leave and he was sure everyone was too intoxicated to realize one of the teenagers had wandered off.

He passed the city limits, flown over various mountains, and now he was stumbling to get inside the house. He fumbled around his pockets to find his keys when the door opened by itself, revealing a very concerned mirror image.

"Golden?"

"Oh hey, it's me!" Golden laughed at himself – or was he laughing at the person at the door? Either way, he threw his arms around 'himself' and laughed easily into 'his' ear. "Man, how crazy! 'm in two places at once!"

"No, Golden, it's me. Your father?" Golden blinked and squinted hard at the face in front of his. Now that he thought about it, this Golden was a little taller and slightly more muscular than himself. And he smelled so much nicer, like something spicy and earthy, cinnamon maybe. This definitely wasn't Golden because the person before him was perfection. Golden unconsciously pulled his body closer to Golden’s dad's and meshed his face into the crook of his father's neck. Golden’s dad stiffened when Golden hummed softly into his ear but let his arms pull his son closer.

"Ohhhh, it is you!" Golden pushed forward, forcing Golden’s dad to stumble awkwardly towards the wall. "I love you, y'know?" Golden's hands rubbed idly squeezed Golden’s dad's biceps meaningfully but the man did nothing about it. Instead, Golden could feel his pulse quicken in his neck and feel a small shiver ripple throughout his body. Was he nervous?

"I know, son. You smell like you had a few drinks and you're acting drunk! You should – "

"No, I love you, dad." Golden tilted his face sideways to stare at Golden’s dad intently. Golden’s dad stared back quietly, unsure exactly what to do. "And 'm not drunk. Jus' happy to see you…"

There was a short pause in which the two just stared at each other. Then there were lips plastered against Golden's lips. He was sure his father had leaned down to kiss him but the teenager didn't care, he just grunted and kiss back with sloppy fervor. He was sure Golden’s dad could taste the distinct flavor of alcohol on his tongue, but the man didn't seem to complain at all when he continued to smash their lips together. It was all going so nicely; Golden’s dad's lips rubbed against his eagerly, his hands rubbed the rippling muscles under Golden’s dad's gi, and suddenly he was falling into darkness.

"…ay! Oh yea, he's fine, just sleeping in still… You sure you don't want me to come get you? …okay be safe! …Love you too, Golden’s mom!"

Golden grunted at the splitting feeling in his temple, raising a tired hand to massage it lightly. He flipped over in his bed and blinked in confusion. He couldn't recall making it that far into his house, just getting inside and –

"Shit," he cursed as he flew straight up. He winced at the familiar ache in his head and remembered to hit Shadow for getting him so drunk. But now, he had to find his dad and talk about what happened last night. He didn't have to look far at all. Golden’s dad was standing by the phone and hanging it up when he caught Golden looking at him, his eyes wide and saying he remembered some of things that happened last night. Golden’s dad just grinned sheepishly with a blush forming on his nose.

"Oh, uh, morning! Are you hun – "

"What happened last night? Please, be honest…" Golden watched Golden’s dad shuffle his feet awkwardly, the blush on his face reddening and confirming his fears.

"Well… you came home sorta drunk and uh… well… we kissed… and then you sorta blacked out?" Golden groaned, bringing a hand to his face. Perfect, he made a complete ass out of himself the first time he consumed alcohol and it was in front of his father. And it didn't stop there – he just had to let his intoxicated emotions get the better of him and kiss his father. But Golden’s dad didn't seem to take it badly. In fact, he calmly walked over to Golden and placed his hands gently on his shoulders. "It's okay, really. I didn't mind… But you should probably rest some more and we can talk about it later if you want. You look like you got the crap beaten out of you…"

"Cut my hair." Golden’s dad raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Cut my hair." Golden repeated again, looking at Golden’s dad with such a determined expression that it surprised him. When Gou opened his mouth to ask, Golden narrowed his eyes. The message was clear and the Saiyan closed his mouth somberly. They both headed to the bathroom without any further questioning until Golden’s dad held a comb and scissors to Golden's hair while the boy sat on the edge of the bathtub.

"Do you want anything in particular?"

"Not really… anything you come up will be fine for me."

"You know your mother will be mad once she sees you. And I really don't know how to cut hair…"

"It's fine, really! Just make sure I don't look like you…" Golden’s dad stiffened at the words and Golden just stared down at his feet. He heard Golden’s dad take in a sharp breath before he felt his hair being pulled gently by the comb's teeth and the sound of scissors clipping. Occasionally, Golden allowed himself to catch the falling hair in his hands or peek up through his bangs at the focused man. Golden’s dad's eyes were still soft but Golden could definitely tell that the man was hurt unintentionally by the exchange of words. Golden kicked himself inwardly at causing his father's pain but did not say anything throughout the duration of the haircut.

"Well, we're done!" Golden’s dad forced a small smile as he swiped off some hair from his son's shoulders. Golden smiled back but Golden’s dad quickly left the area, saying he had some training to do off in the forest. The smile dropped quickly and Golden sighed, knowing that they would probably ignore today and yesterday's events for a while. Golden merely brought his eyes to the bathroom mirror and inspected Golden’s dad's handiwork, pushing out the unsettling thoughts as soon as he realized the drastic change. Golden’s dad's inexperience in cutting was evident as his hair was shaggy and a tad on the short side, but it fit Golden a lot. He brought his hand up to pull his uneven locks and smiled against his better wishes. No matter what Golden’s dad did was perfection before Golden's eyes, and Golden told himself Golden’s dad would forgive him one day as he cleaned up the fallen hair around the tiled floor.


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He didn't know how to react at all when Golden’s dad announced he'd leave to train Uub. One minute they were all chatting casually about the turnabout of the tournament and the next, Golden’s dad was rocketing into the sky with that scrawny kid on his back. Everyone but Shadow’s dad seemed surprised that he would just leave again but they laughed it off like it was normal. Golden didn't know how to react. He couldn't even think, let alone fight in his next round. Pan had taken advantage of his bewilderment to advance to the next round but Golden didn't know how to react. He couldn't think.

"Dude, you just got your ass handed to you by your little niece!" Shadow laughed, promptly popping up on Golden after he walked off of the battle arena and into the building. Golden grunted in annoyance when it was obvious Shadow would not sympathize for his loss. Instead, the older teen just grinned wider and patted him on the back roughly. "Hey, don't be so mad! She's a little kid – I get you were playing nice. How about we go drinking tonight, yea? It'll make you feel better about – "

"Not tonight, Shadow. I need to think about a few things…"

"Huh? You sure? It'll be my treat!"

"Sorry, I'm not in the mood for drinks…"

"Oh, well if you're sure. Hey, where are you going? Don't you wanna watch me fight my dad?"

"Why watch when I know who's going to win?" Golden shrugged Shadow' arms off of his body and he was relieved to hear Shadow turn in the opposite direction to fight his round. Just when he was about to walk around the island to distract himself, a hand reached out and pulled on his shoulder.

"You okay, man?" Golden’s older brother pulled Golden back a bit, close enough so he could lean down and whisper gently into his ear. Golden didn't know how to react. He opened his mouth to make a lame excuse but closed it stupidly. He'd known better than to lie to his older brother after all the times he'd seen through Golden's fibs. Instead, he shook his head wearily, which was enough for Golden’s older brother to understand how he felt. "Let's go to the beach, we can talk there." This time Golden nodded for an answer and Golden’s older brother smiled with relief.

When they made it to the sandy shores of the beach, it was basically deserted with the exception of a few children splashing in the water while their parents watched from the sand. Golden’s older brother breathed the air in deeply and stretched his arms towards the sky. Golden just kicked at the loose sand below his feet, still extremely confused. His brother crouched down to the sand and Golden took the hint to sit down next to him. There was a pause as they watched the happy kids frolic in the water until one fell and began to cry. Immediately, the man that appeared to be the father swept the crying child into his arms and tried to soothe his aches and pains. Both Golden’s older brother and Golden laughed when the little boy suddenly stopped crying and went back to giggling happily into the water.

"…So, how do you feel?" The air grew heavy with tension as Golden tried to collect his thoughts. It was several minutes before he could answer, to which Golden’s older brother listened patiently.

"Angry and surprised, I guess… I feel like he's abandoning us again…" Golden’s older brother made a small chuckle as if to say he agreed wholeheartedly. "I mean, why can't he just instant transmission back and forth, or whatever? That'd give him something to practice… I just don't get why he'd leave us – all of us. Did we do something wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

"I wouldn't go that far, Golden," There was a reassuring hand on Golden's shoulder with a meaningful squeeze. "Dad's always been like this; reckless and a little selfish. It's that Saiyan instinct that we lack. That need to fight is stronger than that need to nurture. He'll be back one day, don't worry. And he's more than capable of defending himself."

"If he wasn't going to stay and raise a family like a normal person, why'd he run off and make one with mom?" Golden bitterly crunched some shells under his feet and Golden’s older brother sighed tiredly. He removed his glasses to clean them wearily against his cardigan.

"C'mon, Golden. You know dad's not normal. We're not even normal."

"You're right. What normal guy goes around falling in love with his brother and dad?" Golden’s older brother stopped rubbing his glasses against the material of his sweater to breathe in deeply. Golden knew he struck a nerve and apologized quietly. But Golden’s older brother shook his head and eyed his brother closely. They had both changed over the course of these long years; Golden’s older brother was aged and lost all the youthful cheer he had as a teenager whereas Golden had grown rugged and even more mischievous with the help of Shadow. But they were both the same little hopefuls from long ago, wishing for something better when they knew it would never happen.

"When'd you get so big?" Golden’s older brother laughed tiredly, making the other boy grin slightly.

"When'd you get so old?"

"Oh, shut up, you ass. Keep talking like that and I'll shave off all your hair!" Golden stiffened and Golden’s older brother laughed hoarsely. But Golden narrowed his eyes as if he were deep in thought, bringing a hand up to tug on an unruly piece of hair. These past two years he'd kept Golden’s dad's shaggy hair cut – although it was evened out and longer now – and had cherished it all these years as a small reminder it was a bond he had, despite the occurrence was awkward.

"You know what, why don't you shave it all off?" Golden’s older brother's laughter died slowly before he stared at Golden long and hard. Both of them had a serious gleam to their eyes, and Golden emphasized this by repeating the suggestion.

"Listen, little bro. I know you're angry at dad, but you don't have to do something so drastic. Give it time…"

"No, I'm serious, Golden’s older brother. Cut it off for me – you'd really be helping me out!" Golden softened his face with the plea, reaching over to grasp Golden’s older brother's hand tightly. The man blushed lightly and seemed to trip over his words to say no, but he eventually gave up and agreed to cut his hair. "Geez, you're such a push over!" Golden’s older brother grumbled about talking to Shadow about teaching his brother about manipulation, but Golden's smile buttered him up enough to laugh with ease. Now that Golden seemed to be in a better mood, Golden’s older brother suggested that they head back to see if Shadow’s dad had beaten Shadow yet. Golden beamed up at him and pulled the older man back towards the stadium, going on about how he let Pan win because he was the ideal image of the perfect uncle.


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"I swear you're more conceited than me," Shadow drawled lazily, watching as Golden fixed his hair meticulously for the perfect spikes. "You spend so more time playing with your hair than you do with me. Frankly, I'm jealous."

"Shut the hell up, Shadow!" Golden laughed at his bedroom mirror and Shadow just shrugged, placing his game controller back on Golden's bed to shuffle around the bedroom to look at his packed stuff. Today was the day Golden would move in with Shadow for an easier commute to school. Most of things were boxed, save for the game station on the floor, his TV, and a few smaller boxes that were half hidden from under his bed. As Golden finished combing his hair with his hands, Shadow noticed one of the smaller boxes on the ground was labeled "MEMENTOS" and was rather beat up in comparison to the others.

"What do we have here?" Shadow whistled as he lifted the lid of the box. There were some random things; marbles, a few sea shells, some torn pieces of fabric, worn out gi belts, and some other items filled the box neatly but what caught Shadow' eyes the most were three groups of hair, all differing in size but bound by a separate, small rubber band. "Whoa, Golden what's with the hair?" At that, Golden jumped and quickly turned around to pull the box away from his best friend's hands. His face felt white hot as he stuttered to explain the odd knickknacks, feeling only more anxious when Shadow let a sly smirk form on his sharp face.

"Well uh… you see… this piece," he held up the longest of the three and twirled it unconsciously between his fingers. "…is from when Golden’s older brother cut his hair in the style I suggested… and it was pretty cool to me at the time… so, I guess I just took some of the clippings… Uh, this one," he held up the smallest piece with disdain. "…was from my dad cutting my hair a few years ago… And the last one was from Golden’s older brother shaving my head…" The last piece was presented to Shadow timidly and the other boy just nodded, seeming to accept Golden's weird little fascination with hair.

"I remember when you shaved your head. Your mom was so pissed! But I never thought you'd be the nostalgic type, Golden. That's pretty cool… I guess?" Shadow laughed uneasily as Golden hurried to put the box away with the others. He was still blushing, but he let the tension from his body ease out when Shadow did not dive further into the subject. Instead, he just heaved the last of the larger boxes into his arms and said he would load them into the airship that was parked in front of the house. Being alone in his room allowed Golden to take one last wistful glance at his box of memories and with that last glance, Golden pulled the box out and hid it again under his bed. Once it was pushed to the farthest corner, he quickly picked up the rest of the other boxes in the room and shut the door behind him.

If he was going to move on, he might as well leave his memories behind.

1,350,513 ki and pl and you still got to double it
1,350,513 zeni
30 bp because thats all you might need