Spring of the Lilacs

Chapter 9- Fading

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"Trunks! Why can't I get it right?" Goten whined, his bottom lip jutting out in a pout.

Trunks sighed, running his tired hands through his hair.

"C'mon Goten, let's just try again." he replied, exasperated.

Goten sniffed, wiping his tears of frustration away. It felt like they had been in this stupid time chamber for weeks, and he still couldn't get the fusion technique completely perfected! He kept screwing it up.

"Trunks, why are you so perfect?" Goten asked suddenly, his dark innocent eyes staring up at his best blinked, taken aback by his question.

"Perfect? I, uh.."

"You can do everything right, Trunks! You can do anything you want to!"

Trunks grinned. He reached his hand out to help Goten up.

"It's because I'm the son of a prince, I guess. But just because I can do it right, doesn't mean you can't. You can do anything you want too, Goten," he patted his friend on the shoulder, "You just gotta keep tryin'!" he exclaimed, giving him a thumbs up.

Goten smiled.

"You really think so?"

Trunks nodded. "Definitely."

Goten's smile widened. "Ok!"

"Now, let's try it again, Chibi. Ready?"

Goten giggled at the nickname Trunks had given him. He jumped back and got into the fusion dance stance.

"Ready, Trunks!"

"Fu…"

"..sion.."

"HA!"

The warm light erupted around them as two hearts became one.

---

His head was pounding. It felt like someone had beat the shit out of him. Goten chuckled to himself. That was nothing new. Fighting and getting beaten was normal life for him.

He breathed in and went to roll over, but couldn't. His eyes shot open.

His gaze darted around the room, seeing nothing familiar. It was white, plain, and stale.

He tried to move again, and heard the sound of metal clanging on metal.

I'm tied down?! he thought, now panicking.

Not only was he restrained to this uncomfortable bed in a strange white room, he also felt oddly weak and fatigued. It had to be the drugs still in him.

Wait…still?

Normally the effects of any drug wore off fast because of his saiyan blood.

He let go of this concern, distracted with more immediate ones. How the hell did he get here? Why couldn't he get out?

"HEY!! Somebody!" he yelled, his voice cracking. He coughed and yelled again.

"Hey! Help me!! Somebody!"

He struggled against the restraints, only succeeding in making the bed rock back and forth a little. He yelled in frustration.

Then, the white metal door opened up and a nurse came in, pushing a metal cart. She wore white scrub pants and a scrub shirt with annoyingly happy cartoons all over it. Her blonde hair was up in a bun on the back of her head with small strands of it falling into her face. She wasn't particularly pretty, but she wasn't really ugly either. She seemed nice enough. She smiled at Goten.

"Hello there. The doctor will be here in a minute. I'm just going to check you're vitals." she said, her voice high and entirely too sweet sounding.

She trotted over to Goten's bedside, pulling a flashlight out of her pocket.

"H-how did I get here? Where am I?" Goten asked urgently.

The nurse flashed the light into his eyes quickly, then put her fingers on the inside of his unbandaged wrist. She stared at her watch for a moment, then removed her fingers. Goten was getting annoyed that she wouldn't answer him.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" he yelled, surprising himself at how hostile he sounded.

She grinned slightly, her blue eyes looked at him sadly.

"It's alright, sweetie. Don't worry now." she said softly, pushing her metal cart out of the room.

Goten's heartbeat began to speed up again.

It wasn't like he had never woken up in a strange place with strange people, but he had never been tied up. He tried to take deep breaths to calm down.

She was a nurse, meaning he was in a hospital. Why a hospital? Why tied to a bed? Why white padding on the walls…

Oh fuck me. he thought, putting the clues together.

There was no way he was in a damn nut house. No way in hell.

Who would do this to him? Why..?

He thought back to what he remembered last.

Shattering the bong, the glass running through his skin, his father's voice.

Father?!

Immediately, he was enraged. He yelled and struggled more until the door opened again.

"Let me GO!! Damn it, let me fucking go!"

The doctor had a syringe in hand. Goten wished he could grab it away from him and stab something. Preferably the stupid doctor's forehead.

"Goten Son, you are in Greenleaf Mental Institution. You're family thought it best to keep you here for just a little while. For your own safety." he said, putting the needle into the IV attached to Goten's arm.

Goten growled and struggled more. The doctor began unwrapping his bandaged arm.

"It looks pretty much healed. And no scarring, luckily." He looked at Goten seriously.

"Now son, whenever you're ready to talk civilly, we will listen."

Goten cried out again.

"Why can't I go home?! Why the hell am I here? This isn't fair!" he screamed, wincing at his sore throat.

The doctor sighed.

"Listen, my name is Dr. Drake Hino. You can call me Drake if you want. I'm here to help you, Goten."

"I don't need you're help or anyone else's! I just need to go home! Please, man!" Tears began to sting in his eyes. Dr. Hino sat down on a stool beside the bed.

"We need to make sure you're alright first, Goten. Not just physically, but mentally as well." he said softly, leaning his arms on the edge of the bed.

Goten shook his head, trying to fight the fatigue that was threatening to take him out again.

"There's nothing wrong with me." he whispered.

Dr. Hino nodded, seeing that the drug he gave him was beginning to take affect.

"Would you like to see you family, Goten?"

Goten nodded, his eyes closing slowly.

"Trunks.." he whispered, barely audible

---

Goku walked down the long white hallway, Gohan at his side.

"What am I going to say to him?" Goku said, hands shoved in his pockets.

Gohan cleared his throat.

"This was for his own good, Dad. He could've hurt himself more if we didn't bring him here.""Yeah, but what if he hates me? He's going to hate me, Gohan!" Goku said with a sigh.

Gohan shook his head.

"Not in the long run, Dad. We're helping him here." Gohan said, putting a hand on his father's shoulder.

Goku nodded the corner, Dr. Hino waited in front of Goten's room.

"Mr. Son." he nodded towards the full blooded saiyan. Goku nodded back."Just one of you at a time. He's a little groggy and moody this morning. He was really upset and well, noisy when he woke up last night. So we had to give him something to calm him down." Dr. Hino said, opening the white metal door for them.

Goku went in slowly. His heart wrenched at the sight of his son, pale and sickly-looking and tied up with straps like some kind of animal. He looked back at the doctor.

"Are those really necessary?"

Dr. Hino nodded."If he weren't restrained, he would most likely injure himself again." he whispered.

Goku turned back to his son.

He approached Goten's bedside slowly.

"Goten?" he said tentatively.

Goten opened his black eyes, looking up at his grimaced inwardly at the coldness of his son's gaze.

"Hey buddy. How ya doin'?" he said with a small smile.

Goten's brow twitch.

"How..am I doing?" Goten repeated slowly.

Goku chewed on his lower lip.

Goten looked at the ceiling."Hm. How am I doing?" he said flatly. "Let's see. In a nut house, chained up like a criminal…"Goku stared down at his shoes. He knew Goten would hate him.

Goten suddenly laughed, an lifeless sound.

"At least I'm drugged up. That's not too bad."

Goku looked quizzically at smirked and looked at Goku."You know I hate you, right?"

Goku took a breath. "Yeah, I know."

"Hmph."

"But Goten, we were worried! We didn't know what else to do for you!" Goku put his hand on Goten's, leaning closer.

"We just want you to get better, not hurt yourself! I..I didn't know how to help you."

Goten's eyes were empty as he stared at his father silently.

"Son, I wish..I wish I had known you were hurting so much.." Goku brushed his son's forehead with his fingers. "I could have kept you safe. I should have-""Shut up."

Goku stared at him.

"I don't want to hear your bullshit. I just want to go home." he said roughly, his hands curling into fists in the sheets.

Goku stepped back."Goten, you need to stay here.." he looked away from Goten's glare. "You need to get better. They can help you here."

Goten scrunched his eyes shut and screamed, causing the doctor and Gohan to run into the room.

Goten tried to summon his saiyan powers and found nothing. This upset him more.

"Why the FUCK can't I get out of here?! Why can't I transform and fly out of here?!!" he screamed, thrashing around beneath his bonds.

Dr. Hino looked at Goten like he was completely insane. Goku and Gohan knew what was going on. Goku leaned in closely to his youngest son.

"Bulma helped us restrain your ki with a special...machine. It's to keep you safe-""Safe?! Safe from what!!" Goten yelled, his wide eyes locked on his father.

"From yourself." Gohan said sadly, his head hanging with guilt.

Goten stopped struggling suddenly, realization striking his face. They could take his ki, but not his inborn saiyan strength. He had to play calm so they would stop giving him drugs. Then he could concentrate on busting out of this place.

They watched as in a matter of seconds Goten became completely still.

"Goten?" Goku whispered, reaching a hand out.

Goten felt a tear escape his eye, cursing mentally at it. Goku's heart was broken at the sight of his son.

"Goten, I-"

"Fuck off." Goten said, his face void of emotion.

Dr. Hino nudged Gohan. "Perhaps we should let Goten rest." he said. Gohan nodded and pulled his stunned father from the room slowly, shutting the door behind them.

Goten stared at the ceiling.

Fine. If they wanted to play a game, he would play. And he would win.

He would play 'good crazy kid' and get these damn straps removed. Then he would get his strength back and escape. Next time, no one would be there to save him. He would make sure he could not be saved.

Goten Son's eyes stayed locked on to the ceiling, cold and empty.

The dark circles under his onyx eyes made him look exactly as he felt- dead. Dead to the world and everyone in it.

As soon as he won the game, he would escape it all. Forever.

******

Not a great chapter, but necessary. The next one will be better.

Review, let me know what you think, give advice/ constructive criticism.

Thanks a million for all those who still read this. I love you guys ^-^

Next chapter: Dead Weight Game. Goten plays the "game" and starts to win. Until his own mind starts playing its own games and Goten begins to see things, unsure of what's real and what's not. Is it merely withdrawal, or something more?