Bura-sama
Thursday. June 7. 2001
Thursday. June 21. 2001
Disclaimer: DBZ is copyrighted by BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION, and is licensed by FUNimation. Dragon Ball Z and all logos, character names, and distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of TOEI ANIMATION. I am making absolutely no money off of this story, and no infringement is intended.
You Didn't Believe Me
ichi -- the letter: coming home and a talk with the bride
I tapped my foot gently against the floor as I flipped through the day's mail. Most of it was bills and junk mail. There were letters from someone trying to sell me the latest Capsule products at lower-than-wholesale prices, and I smiled. Mom always made sure I had any kind of transportation that I needed. It was free and just a call away. Someone else was trying to get me to move off-campus, to one of those cheap, low-rent apartments where it seemed every sleazy employ had a key to every room. I tossed the bills aside, and started to leave to go to class, but then I saw that there was one letter from home. With a certain amount of dread, I carefully sliced through the top of the letter and looked at the fancy stationary of Capsule Corp. I couldn't repress a smile as I read the letter. So, my big brother is finally getting married!
I looked at the clock, and realized that I was almost late for my drafting class. I tossed the mail aside, I'd call Dad as soon as I got out of class. I grabbed my books and was out the door.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Shorts? Check. Dresses? Check. Passport? Check. Camera? Check. Tank tops? Check. Sunscreen? No check.
I looked around my dorm and spotted my bottle of sunscreen on my bed. Sunscreen? Check. I zipped up my luggage, and grabbed my wedding present for Trunks and Marron. I still couldn't believe it. Trunks was marrying Marron! Finally! I could still remember watching them dance around the truth all through my high school life. And I think they were at the holding-hands level when I left for school. I didn't really think Trunks had it in him, no matter how often Marron would call me and tell me that they were going out on a date. The girl needed friends her own age, but I never said anything like that to her. Marron was one of my dearest friends.
The airport was crowded when I arrived. I would have taken my private plane, but I was trying to be normal here. I was enough like my family without popping planes out of something that could fit in my hand in front of everyone at school. It wasn't long before I was on the plane. First class, of course. I was trying fit in, but I would not subject myself to the eight hours of crying babies and arguing couples like my first flight over here had been. Fitting in. I seemed to be rather good at that. No more of the clothes I had loved so much during high school. As much as I miss them, they were not something to be subtle in. Fitting in meant jeans and T-shirts and sneakers. Fitting in meant not going to the mall everyday. I went to once a week with some of my new friends, and even that was considered a little too much. Fitting in meant no boyfriend Not that I would have one anyway. Not so soon after him.
He was the reason that I was at this college, so far away from home. I could have went to a better school closer to home. But I just couldn't bear to see his face everyday. Not since the way things turned out. It hurt too much to even think about seeing him now. We had had such a good thing going. I can recall those memories every time I shut my eyes.
I was sitting on a park bench, slowly licking my double scoop of vanilla ice cream and waffle cone. It was a nice park, one with a big pond full of ducks swimming around and flower gardens along the stone paths. I always went there with him. He came up beside me and sat down next to me. He wrapped one arm around my shoulders, and we kissed. He had that smile on his face, the one that said he was up to something mischievous. I just looked at him suspiciously, and stole another brief kiss. He stuffed a big bite of ice cream into his mouth, and started to choke. I hit him on the back until he swallowed it and coughed again before smiling as we both noticed that I had dropped my ice cream to help him. Then he gave me his, and we just sat there watching the sunset. Life was perfect.
Or so I had foolishly believed.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
I had always wanted a wedding dress like that. Strapless white lace that flowed elegantly to the floor and pooled around the bride. A satin and lace veil that elaborately fell over her eyes, silky white gloves that would soon hold a bouquet of white roses. It had always been my dream to wear something like that with the man I love. But dreams move on, now don't they? The bride gave another twirl to the fitters and then turned back to the mirror. Her wedding was in three weeks, and her dress was still in the works. I got this feeling that the wedding was a little forced. I know my brother, and he puts everything off until the last possible moment. There was no way that he had just proposed out of the blue. I didn't know how far their relationship had evolved, so I was going to give them the benefit of the doubt.
"Hey, Marron,"
She turned around to look at me, grinned, and rushed forward to hug me. It felt good to see her again. She was always someone that I could confide everything to, and never have to worry about anyone and everyone else knowing all my secrets. I hugged her back, then she pushed me away to look at me. "You've changed." It was all she said. It was enough.
"So have you." She looked the same, but there was something distinctly different. I had a growing suspicion that I knew why.
She turned back to the people fitting her dress, "Could you come back after lunch. I'd like to talk to Bra alone." They left, and she collapsed onto the couch, "I hate this!" After a few seconds, she stood up again, and twirled around the floor. "It's a lovely dress, but it's not worth all of this!"
Click. The final piece of this wedding puzzle fell into place. "It's a shame you'll never get to wear it again." I was grinning ear to ear.
Her eyes widened, she blushed, and then tried to obtain an air of composure. "I don't know what you're talking about." My smile just grew bigger. She sighed in defeat, and then looked mad. It was an expression I wasn't used to seeing on her. "Pan! Ugh! I'm going to kill her. I knew she had a big mouth, but she swore that she would not tell--"
"I haven't talked to Pan yet. I just know my brother." I smiled slightly. "Should you be wearing white?"
She threw a pillow at me, which hit my arm and fell to the floor. She had an annoyed and teasing expression. She took another pillow, and began hitting me with it. "Oh, so what? We love each other! So what if we moved a little fast? It's not like you and Goten didn't screw each other's brains out during -- " The smile melted from my face. She stopped, then sat back down on the couch. "Sorry."
"It's okay." It wasn't. "I can talk about it a lot better than last time we saw each other." I couldn't.
"Have you seen him yet?" Her hand was on my shoulder, letting me know that I could still talk to her if I needed to.
"No," Silence loomed around the room like some shadow. "You're the first one I've seen."
She smiled softly, and then crossed her arms. "Your parents miss you,"
"I know," We desperately needed to change the subject. "So..." I smiled again, but it wasn't as real as last time, "Is this hush hush, or can I talk about it with my mom at dinner?"
"No!" She took a deep breath, then started again, "Aside from me and Trunks, only you and Pan know. When Bulma finds out that she's getting grandchildren--"
"'Children'?" I repeated.
"Twins." She blushed and moved her hands down to her waist. "Which is why we need to get this wedding over with as soon as possible. We're going to tell everyone after the honeymoon."
"So how does Pan know?" I was genuinely intrigued. I hadn't been too close to Pan in high school, although she was just a year younger than me. I think it had to do with the fact that she was so against me and Goten going out. I would talk to her with polite small talk, and that was what we expected from each other. I knew from when we were kids growing up that she was crafty when she needed to be, and very sneaky behind those innocent eyes.
Marron got mad again, "She was going through my drawers, and found my prenatal vitamins!" She clenched her fists and shook them up and down. "I hadn't even told Trunks yet. She thought that he knew, and it was all on after that." She unclenched her hands, and turned to look at me with a smug smile. "And as for you knowing your brother so well, he was on his way to propose to me when Pan talked to him. Man, that girl has a big mouth."
I don't remember much about the rest of the conversation. We were talking about old times and how I was doing in school. When the seamstresses came back, I got up to leave. "I need to go home now, see the family."
She had returned to her position in front of the mirror. "I'll see you tonight, then." Her words were distracted.
"Tonight?" I repeated.
"Yeah, we're all staying at Capsule Corp till the wedding. You didn't know?" She turned and looked at me, "Oh, that's right. You haven't been home yet." I shook my head. "See you tonight, Bra."
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
No one rushed out to greet me back home. Of course, I didn't call them and tell them that I was coming. That could have something to do with it. Then again, we hadn't exactly left on the best of terms. I knocked on the door, and let myself in when there was no answer. I heard a blast from Daddy's gravity room. Trunks was probably in there, too. I could hear my mother's voice the moment I stepped inside.
"What do mean you can't get enough food? When I called you last week, you said it would be no problem!" She was on the phone in the kitchen, standing with her back against the door so that she didn't see me when I came in. I tuned out her conversation, it was never good to get involved when someone makes Mom mad. I went to the refrigerator, pulled out a cup of yogurt that I had always liked, and sat down at the table, eating tediously and vaguely listening to Mom talk.
The slam of a door and angry footsteps preceded the voices. The first was my brother, "What do you mean that I'm diluting the blood? Are you saying Marron isn't good enough for me?!" I could only guess that the other participant was Papa. But surprisingly, what he said was quiet and mumbled.
"Oh come on, Vegeta, they love each other!" So Goku-san was with them, too.
"Stay out of this, Kakarrotto," They were getting closer to the kitchen.
Dad and Trunks were arguing when I they walked in, so I just continued to eat my yogurt and listen. Goku noticed me before my own family did. "Hey Bra! It's good to see you again!" He gave a goofy wave that reminded me instantly of Goten.
The room grew deathly silent as everyone just stared at me. I finished my yogurt and met every one of their stares. Trunks was the first to get over the shock. "Bra!" He moved forward and pulled me into a big hug. I guess not seeing your little sister in over two years can make someone miss you.
"When did you get back, honey?" My mother hugged me tightly and held me at arms length so she could look at me. "You've changed." Why does everyone keep saying that? Have I really changed all that much? I'm still Bra, deep down inside where it counts. So what if I've changed clothes and grew my hair out longer? Why was everyone looking at me like I carried the plague or something.
"My plane came in this morning." I went up to my father, knowing that he was happy too see me although he didn't rush to hug me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. I needed to get the full story on what had been going on while I was away. Mom would leave out all the parts she didn't think I needed to hear. Like Goten's attempted suicide. I had heard that story from Marron over two years ago. She said that he was better now, but it still didn't seem real that Goten would slit his wrists. Mom didn't think I knew about that. Trunks didn't pay enough attention to everyday life to tell what was going on, though I could ask up on the Son family later from him. My father, however, was the perfect source of information -- if he wanted to give it to you. He would always listen, even when people didn't think he cared about what was going on. "Daddy, can I talk to you alone?"
ni -- incidents: the dinner and the pool
"So, Bra... It's nice to have you home again." ChiChi's words seemed a little forced, but polite. I guess when Marron said that everyone was staying at Capsule Corp, she meant that everyone was staying at Capsule Corp. I saw Goten sitting at the opposite end of the table, eating nervously on a piece of toast. I was sitting next to my father, trying not to bolt away from the table. Evidently, I was more hyped up than I thought I would be on the flight over here.
"Yeah, I've needed to come back for a while now..." I took a bite of my apple sauce. It tasted wonderful -- for applesauce. "... I just haven't had time. Finals are coming up in a few weeks. I've got to get my 'psychoanalysis of a friend' project done for psychology." I stopped myself from going on. Let someone else make small talk, I had nothing to say.
"How are your grades?" ChiChi said after a moment of silence. She had been the first person to ask about my education since I got home. I remembered my family's conversations with my brother while he had been in high school. These talks never ended good. Of course. I had been the annoying little sister, ready to pipe up and tell my mom what he had made on those tests that he had thrown in the trash when he got home and I had pulled them out and stored them away in my room. I was such a brat.
"I'm going to be valedictorian." I choked down another spoonful of applesauce. I never did like the stuff. Why did I continue to eat it? Oh yes, because it was better than the pudding. I didn't even want to think about putting that gray stuff in my mouth. I had eaten it one time, when I was nine, and had stayed sick for three days after eating the whole bowl of it. Oddly enough, everyone else thought that it was great. "Which doesn't say much for the rest of my school." Most of them were too drunk to even know what a valedictorian was. The salutatorian of my class had a 71 in three of her classes. I had straight 'A's, of course.
"Why do you insist on going to that low-grade school? You could do so much better." It was the first thing that Videl-san had said to me other that "Hello,". She had never went to college. Pan wasn't going to college. Gohan-san was too good-natured to say anything bad about anyone behind their backs. How did she know what "low-grade" was?
"I like my school." Liar. I hated my school and everyone in it. It was nothing but a big party to them, and only four people on the whole campus tried to get good grades. "Besides, it's a nice change of pace." The words were out before I could think. I was digging my own grave. Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut?
"Change of pace from what?" Juuhachigou had never really said much to me my whole life. Why now? I wasn't in the right mind to discuss things. Why was everyone ganging up on me?
"The weird," I looked at the guests at the table. The Sons, Marron and her family, and then to my family -- my gaze settling on Trunks, "And the weirder." Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut? I really needed to stop alienating everyone I meet. It's no wonder why I have no friends.
"Bra, honey," She set her fork down and crossed her arms, looking at me expectantly. Oh no. I'd made my mother mad. "Are you ashamed of your family?"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
I'm sure I looked like a spoiled little prep, but I didn't care. I was wearing my string bikini, the one with the blue stripes on navy; a silver anklet with broken heart charm; $6oo dollar sunglasses; and a temporary tattoo that said "Temptress" in blood red letters on my hip. I was lying on a pink inflatable raft, my toes lightly dipping into the cool water. My blue hair had been tied back with a blue clip that was long since at the bottom of the pool, and the ends were floating freely in the water. Evidently, from the stares of about twenty poolside guys and a few girls, I was looking incredibly hot. I sipped on my lemonade in a sweating glass, and then set the glass on the edge of the pool when I got near. I let my arm dip into the water, loving the feeling of cool water on such a hot day.
I was the only one in the pool, finally. I had had to tell the people to leave me alone four times before the lifeguards finally said it was a hazard, and told them to give me space. There were some things that just sucked about public pools. The people being number one on that list. I would have been home at our private pool, but I wasn't on the best terms with the people there either. Not after the little escapade of dinner last night. At a public pool, there was less chance of confrontation. Other people had that idea, or so it seemed. 'Cause in walked Goten and Pan.
Oh. My. God. He looked fine. He was wearing green swim trunks, with lime green stripes on them. Had he always looked this great? Nice tone, not too big and bulky, not too small and wimpy. His hair was damp, and clinging to the sides of his head in a very sexy way. He had a pair of sunglasses in his right hand, and had his other on Pan's arm, leading her away from someone or something. Part of my body just wanted to reach out for him. My mind wanted to either have a panic attack, or turn invisible. My heart wanted to curl up and die somewhere. He hadn't seen me yet, though it wouldn't take long to figure out why no one was in the pool. Pan was standing next to him, a yellow one-piece. I was somewhat surprised she wasn't wearing swim trunks and a T-shirt. Her hair was braided back sloppily. I almost rolled my eyes. Pan had no scrap of vanity whatsoever, until it came down to Trunks. She had always followed him around like his shadow when we were younger, and I hoped that she had fully realized that he loved Marron. It would only hurt her if she tried to break them up.
I could feel it the second his gaze found me. An unnerving, hot gaze that was burning into the back of my mind like a hot poker. He was taking in my whole body, and I suddenly felt like a bug under glass. It wasn't like he hadn't seen me wearing less -- wearing nothing at all -- several times before. Yet this felt different, I just wanted to get out of his sight before I did something that I would regret. The latter happened first, though not in the way I had feared. I was trying to subtly turn my raft around so that I wasn't facing him. To do that, I had the tip of my foot in the water, spinning slow circles around until I began to turn. And turn I did. I flipped right over and landed face-first in the water.
I came sputtering to the top like a drowned rat, glaring as the other people were laughing at my misfortune and my anger. My sunglasses were at the bottom of the pool, cracked open when I had stepped on them in my attempt to get to the surface. Goten wasn't laughing, neither was Pan. The lifeguard was looking at me disinterestedly. I spat water and chlorine out of my mouth, and coughed. They were still laughing at me. I put my foot down on the pool bottom to swim to the other side, and stopped. It hurt. It hurt like no physical pain I had ever endured. People stopped laughing as my blood clouded out around me. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. My blood was covering my body, sticking to my hair as it diluted in the pool. The lifeguard hadn't noticed me, he was talking to the other lifeguard, oblivious to me drowning. And that's what was happening. I felt like I was being held under, that I no matter how I tried, I couldn't reach the surface. I couldn't kick for air, my lungs were burning inside my chest. My vision was growing black, but I could still see the shard of my sunglasses sticking out of my foot.
No one was moving to help me, they were all just standing there, looking like they didn't know what to do. The lifeguard had finally noticed me, I heard his partner curse, point to me, and both of them climb down onto the cement. They weren't moving fast enough. Then, I felt strong hands grab me from behind and pull me out of the water. I couldn't say anything, whenever I tried it felt like my lungs were filled with clay. I coughed, and water leaked from my mouth, though it was still all in my body. Goten was beside me, listening for breathing and trying to find my pulse. I could feel my entire world darkening, until it wasn't there anymore.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
It was times like this one when I wished I could fly. Crutches hadn't agreed with me, and I could put absolutely no weight on my foot. The cut had been unclean and deep. My left foot had been slit open, and a large portion of my blood had been lost. Stitches and bandages and a crutch to get around on. That was all the hospital had given me. Not even a pain pill to control the constant pressure on my foot. So there I was, using Goten as a crutch as we walked home. I learned that Pan had stormed off seconds after my fall into the water, and had missed the entire ordeal. She had also taken her uncle's car, and therefore we were walking back to Capsule Corp. Goten was practically carrying me, only allowing my right foot to occasionally touch the ground to give me the dignity of looking like I was walking. We were about halfway home when he just picked me up and carried me.
I didn't even bother to protest. Being in his arms again felt so good. I closed my eyes and pressed my head against his shoulder. He tensed up, but continued. It took me a second to remember that we weren't a couple anymore. Then it was back to me wishing I could fly thoughts again. I couldn't fly anyway, so whatever I was telling myself was to keep me distracted from becoming absorbed in his heartbeat. Even if I could fly, I wouldn't have been able too. I had lost too much blood, and was still too weak to use my energy. Besides that, the doctors told me that a change in altitude could be disastrous. Which was probably why we were still walking.
"Bra, we need to talk." I knew it would happen sooner or later. And though I preferred later, I wasn't to be so lucky. I knew what he wanted to talk about -- or at least I could assume that I knew. As I had found out years ago, Goten was full of surprises.
"I don't want to talk," I whispered, my breath on his neck. I could feel his body turn hot, his heartbeat pounding in his chest, sweat rolling down on him. He had changed out of his swim clothes and into a pair of tight jeans and a black T-shirt. He looked better than he had at the pool. If that was possible. Even after almost dying, I was still checking guys out. The guys we passed were checking me out as well. I was still wearing my string bikini, the hospital hadn't had any spare clothes I could wear after my shower, so I was stuck in what I had come in with.
He didn't say anything, just kept walking, though his pace seemed faster than it had before. It wasn't long before we were home. No one was there. So it was just me and Goten, all alone. This was not going to turn out well. "You know, Goten. You can leave if you want." Please go. Please go. Please just go.
"You're hurt. You're not supposed to be left alone for at least 24 hours." He didn't seem exactly thrilled about that fact either. He headed for the kitchen. "Do you want anything?"
I may have been hurt, but I was not going to be waited on like an invalid. I staggeringly limped out of my chair, and tried to hop on one foot to the kitchen. However, the corner of the table had other plans as it caught me in the thigh, and I fell forward. Goten caught me an instant before my face hit the table. He picked me up and carried me to the kitchen, where he deposited me on the counter. He left for a few minutes, and then came back with a warm washcloth and soap. I looked down and noticed that my thigh was bleeding where I had cut myself on the table edge. He gently cleaned the wound, and I allowed myself to enjoy his caress.
The next thing I knew, his mouth was on my throat, trailing kisses down my neck, and my lips were next to his ear, whispering something and kissing him at the same time. I leaned back on the counter, and he was instantly on top of me, straddling my waist and reaching to untie my top. My hands were up his shirt, feeling to broad planes of his chest and trying to reach up and touch him some more. It felt so good to be in his arms once more, igniting that burning passion that we had felt on many sleepless nights years ago. My hands reached for the button on his jeans.
"What the Hell is going on here?!" Pan stood in the doorway, the car keys she had held in one hand now lying pitifully on the floor. We must have been some sight, clothes half ripped off, all over each other on the kitchen counter. Pan was angry with us, and I was angry with myself. Goten slid down onto the floor and adjusted his clothes as best he could. I tried to remove myself from the counter, but hissed in pain as my hurt foot brushed against the floor. Goten put his arm around me, holding me up.
"What is it, Pan?" Her mother came into the kitchen, took one look at me in Goten's arms, turned around, and walked right out the door. My mother came in seconds after, and looked between us with wide eyes.
My mouth was moving without me thinking. Words were coming out that I had no intention of saying, "It isn't what it looks like!" I blurted as fast as I could. I saw the unbelieving look on Pan's face. She knew exactly what had been going on. My mother was waiting for an explanation. "I cut my leg on the table," I turned to show her the scratch on my thigh, "and Goten was helping me get it cleaned up. Thank you, Goten, but it's just a scratch, and I'll be okay." I tried to move away from him, but I couldn't walk on one foot, and ended up falling forward again.
Goten caught me, "Bra almost died today,"
san -- conversations: we're going to have a baby and i still love you
"Well, Bra, we hope that you're feeling better in time to participate in the wedding." Videl-san folded her arms and then smiled politely. I'm pretty sure everyone in the house knew what had happened today with Goten. I tried to keep the whole drowning bit away from my family. The less they knew the better. No one even bothered to ask as to why foot was bound up. It was just more evidence that I was second priority. ChiChi walked up to us, and Videl left with her.
I almost choked on the apple that I was eating, and then looked to Marron. "What?"
"I was going to ask you to be my maid-of-honor at my wedding." She looked down the hall, and confirming that we were alone, jerked me into her room and locked the door. She exhaled slowly and then waited for any signs of someone in the hall.
"Marron, what are you doing?" I asked with a touch of amusement. She was being paranoid about something.
"Shh! It's Pan." She whispered. She looked back to the door, as if waiting for someone to burst in any moment. "Please don't make me ask her to be my maid-of-honor."
I could barely believe what I was hearing. "But you've always been friends. Besides, I can't walk very well. I'd probably end up falling, and ruining the whole thing."
"We haven't been very close since you left. We never really were great friends. She's not the type of person you can trust with your deep dark secrets, and she's never really liked me because of Trunks. But after you left, she came to me and confessed. She told me that -- "
"Marron, we've got to go over the guest list again!" my mother walked into the room, and then spotted me. "Bra, are you feeling better?"
I nodded, and weakly started hopping to the door. I turned back to Marron as I stepped out into the hallway. "I'll do it, Marron. Though if I trip and fall, don't blame me."
She smiled, "I'll talk to you later about what we were talking about before!" The door shut behind me. I decided it was time to eat.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Goten was sitting in the kitchen when I limped down. I almost turned around and headed back up the stairs. However, I knew that I had to get over my anxiety and just bite the bullet. I sat down at the table with him, and watched him go completely still. I couldn't bring myself to eat anything, despite my earlier hunger. I just sat across from him, searching his eyes. "Do you still want to talk?" I asked as calmly as I could.
I was mentally praying that he would just say no and we would be okay. I knew deep in my heart that we had to talk this out. "Bra, we've been friends since I've known you." I nodded. I could still remember when I had been four and followed Goten and my brother around, annoying them while they trained. I snapped back to reality in time to hear his next words. "And I would hate to lose such a good friend now."
I nodded again and put my hand on his. "I don't want to lose you either." I could feel the heat from his hand under mine, and the sexual tension seemed to snap in the room like a crackling fire. His hand had turned upward to hold mine, and we leaned in closer to each other. his lips brushed against mine, and then I was leaning in on top of him. My hands worked quickly to rid him of his shirt, and I tossed it aside. My own halter top was soon discarded, and we were pressing our bodies together in an attempt to touch each other all over. His hand moved up my thigh, and my hands were moving down his back. My teeth were nibbling on his ear, I was whispering in his ear, "I can't lose you now, Goten. I love you too much, I still love you." I don't know if either of us was paying attention to what I was saying. I never wanted that moment to end.
"Ahem, Bra. Can I talk to you for a moment?" The mood of the room took a dramatic turn down. I looked up to see Marron standing in front of the sink, blushing and trying to avert her gaze. She was wearing her pink dress with little white flowers. If I concentrated on those little flowers, I could ignore the fact that I was lying on the kitchen floor, half-nude, with the man who had at one time been my fiancé. I immediately got to my feet, and jerked on my shirt. She grabbed my hand, and pulled me out of the room.
When we were back in her room, she snapped. "What the HELL did you think you were doing back there?!" She paced around the room, and then calmed down, "Just don't tell me you were 'caught up in the moment'."
"I was caught up in the moment. Really. We were talking, and then--"
"Bra, that's the same excuse I tried with Bulma when she caught me in bed with Trunks. It doesn't work." She began pacing, then stopped. "I might as well tell you now. I was trying to earlier when your mom came in. It's about what Pan told me after you left." She paused, and bit her lip.
I knew she was breaking a promise that she had made to Pan. Marron wasn't the kind of person that went back on her word. "That's okay, Marron. You don't have to say anything--"
"She set the whole thing up." The easy smile slid from my face. Marron went on, "About the lingerie in Goten's apartment. It belonged to a friend of hers. She borrowed it long enough to put it under his bed. She knew that you would find it, and think that Goten was cheating on you. When that didn't work, she moved on to the next level." My hands were over my lips, I was looking at Marron with a sense of disbelief. I knew that Pan had felt uncomfortable with her best friend and her uncle going out, but she had come around and seemed to support our happiness. There was no way she could have done that to me.
I could remember it all so vividly. Goten and I were walking home from the movies. He had proposed to me in the park, and I had been so giddy with happiness when I said yes. We had danced our way back to his apartment. And there she had been. A pretty girl that could have been a supermodel, hair tossed back around her shoulders, wearing lacy black lingerie and black high heels. Upon seeing her, I had just stopped and stared, wondering why this woman was in Goten's bedroom. And then she had turned to Goten and kissed him on the lips, "Goten, honey, you said you were breaking up with her tonight. I was waiting for you!" And I had turned to Goten, waiting for his to deny it. And he had just stood there, saying nothing. And I had grabbed my purse and walked out the door. The next day I got on a plane and went to the farthest away school where I could still get a good degree.
Marron was still talking, "The girl she had waiting for you was one of her boyfriend's sisters. She had never even seen Goten before. Pan hated the fact that you were going out with Goten so much that she had to see an end to it. After you left she told me everything and made me promise not to say anything to you."
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Dinner was much quieter than it had been the night before. I glared at Pan through most of it, and she glared at Marron and me in return. Everyone was picking up on the hostility, though no one asked. I still couldn't believe it. I had trusted Pan for so long, and then I find out that she had driven away every chance I had of happiness. At that moment, after knowing what she had done to my life, I hated her. I've never hated anyone before. Not a true hatred that I would never want to see that person again. At that moment, if Pan had been killed, I wouldn't have cared. I might have felt sympathy for her family, but for Pan herself, it wouldn't bother me to never see her again. And thoughts like that make me sick.
"Bra, I saw you on the news today. Why didn't you say anything?" Kuririn asked as he tried to break tension in the room. Why couldn't people just keep their mouths shut?
"What news?" Gohan asked. I wonder if I can start eating dinner in my room? It would save the awkwardness of family squabbles.
"Bra cut her foot at the public pool today and almost drowned. The lifeguards got fired. The pool's closed to be cleaned." Juuhachigou was giving me an odd look. This dinner was going downhill real fast.
"I didn't want to worry anybody." I lied. No one really worries about me but Papa -- and he doesn't show it.
Supper was spent in silence until Mom decided we all needed to have a glace of champagne. Marron grew was worried and obviously uncomfortable, though only Trunks, Pan, and I knew why. My hands were already moving up to cover my ears as I saw Pan smirk, I really didn't need to hear this conversation. My father was giving me an odd look, and then Pan opened her mouth. I saw everyone turn and look at Marron and Trunks. I saw Marron punch Pan under her eye, and then get up and leave the table. Trunks went after her. Pan just sat there for a few seconds before throwing down her napkin and leaving, ignoring whatever her mother was saying to her. People were starting to look at me, so I got up and chased after Marron.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
I found Marron in her room, sitting on Trunks' lap while they talked. I wasn't needed there, so I set off to find Pan. I check her room first. Empty. I then went down past the dining room, staying out of sight and listening to everyone talk quietly. I left there, and went to the living room. Pan wasn't there either. I went outside, and looked around our new pool. No one had been outside. I couldn't find Pan anywhere. I decided to go back to her room. And that's where she was. She was sitting on her bed, staring down into her pillow. She looked up to see who was there, and returned to staring at nothing when she saw it was me. The lights were all out in her room, and I could just barely see the outline of her body. I hit the light switch, and fell back against the door when I saw what she had done.
Her hair. Her long hair that had fell down to her waist for nine years. It was gone. The locks were on the floor, a pair of scissors lying on top of the pile. Her hair was now shorter than I had ever seen it. She had always liked short hair, I remember when she was four and had went to the tenka-ichi-budokai. After that, she had started to grow it out, like mine. She never really said why, just that her grandmother didn't like short hair. I sat down on the bed next to her. I still hated her, but I could tell that she needed help.
"Why don't you just go away?" She said softly. She had been crying. I started to ask her why she had betrayed Marron like that. I knew it was because of Marron telling me what Pan had done, but there were other ways to get vengeance on someone than to tell everyone that the bride was pregnant. No words came out of my mouth. She turned and looked at me. "Why don't you just go back to your little fan club?"
"'Fan club'?" I repeated. Just what did she mean by that?
"Don't act so stupid. You know that they like you better than they like me. They always have. My parents say what a nice girl you are, all the time. My own grandmother likes you better than me! 'Pan, why do you insist on keeping your hair so short? Why don't you like long hair like Bulma's daughter? You don't see her wearing pants all the time. She wears skirts and dresses, like a lady should.' or ' Why didn't you go to school? Bulma tells me that Bra is making straight 'A's, just like your father did. Didn't you get any of his intelligence? Or did you take after your mother?'" I didn't know what I was supposed to be saying. All this time, Pan was jealous of me! The very idea seemed ludicrous. What did I have that she didn't? My parents fought all the time, I was ignored throughout most of my life, and the list goes on and on. For a brief moment, the thought struck me that maybe Pan was a manic-depressant. I had known a few of them in college, but they had always taken medication to control the imbalance. One of them had even done their psychology report on the disorder. Periods of mania followed by depression. They came and went for periods of random length. Pan was usually always in a good mood, when we went shopping, she used to buy almost as much of me. I never asked her if she could afford it. But sometimes, Pan would appear so sad and tired. Like just now when she cut her hair. Maybe she had her bouts of depression at home. "Would you please just go?"
I left.
shi -- i've got something to tell you: we eloped and your daughter needs help
I stayed up all night thinking about things.
Goten, and how I had misjudged him. The result was the same, though. I didn't trust him enough for our relationship to last. When I had walked in on that girl, I should have just told her to leave, and got an explanation from Goten after she was gone. Instead I doubted him in front of her by not doing anything. It was too late to fix things now. I hadn't exactly moved on, and I still loved him. I would probably say yes in a heartbeat if he asked me to marry him. But those relationships always ended in divorce or some other tragedy. It was best to just find someone else and move on. Maybe we could still be friends -- in a few years when this hurt inside of me went away.
This whole situation with Marron and her twins still bothered me. I knew that her parents and my mother had talked to her, but I don't know what was said. She and Trunks left about an hour ago. Where to? I don't know. I have a pretty good idea, though. Trunks was never all that subtle, and was pretty easy to figure out once you knew him. I'm afraid that my mother's plans for his wedding are pointless now.
My dad came in earlier. He wanted to know the whole story between me and Goten. And I told him all of it. About when we had started seeing each other three years ago. About how I would go out with him after school. I told him about the night he proposed to me, and how the same night we had broken up. I told Pan's part in all of this, for I'm sure my mother was just dying to know. And I told him a little of what had been happening with us since I had returned home. About how I still loved Goten. He just listened to all of it with an understanding face, brushed the hair off of my face, and kissed me goodnight. I still don't see why everyone thinks my father was mean and uncaring. I'm sure he told my mom everything. It made it easier that way, so that I wouldn't have to say anything to her or the others. She would tell ChiChi, who would tell Videl and Juuhachigou, and then the whole story would be known by all, and I wouldn't have to feel like I was living in secrecy. For the first time, I wondered if Goten knew what Pan had done to us. If he did, he made no sign of knowing. If he didn't already know, I wasn't going to be the one to tell him. Maybe Pan would, it would be better coming from her. If she didn't then his mother probably would end up being the one to tell Goten.
Around three, the knock on my door came. It was still pitch dark outside, and I couldn't even find stars in the cloudy sky. There was a motion sensor light outside my door, and whoever was knocking had set it off, so that soft yellow light spilled into my room from the crack under my door. I knew who it was, and I really didn't feel like talking to Goten right now. I rolled over onto my side to face away from the door, and pretended to be asleep. The door creaked open without my reply. What was the point of knocking if you are just going to walk in anyway? "Go away."
"I heard what you told your father." He shut the door behind him, and sat down on my bed. I didn't move. "I should have been the one to tell you, not Marron." That was the answer to that question. How foolish of me to believe that someone would be honest with me. "Pan told me when she found out you were coming for the wedding. I hated her for it." I couldn't argue with that. "She threatened to kill herself if I said anything."
"Pan needs help," I whispered in the dark, His hand found my shoulder, and he stretched out his body beside of mine. "She cut her hair, did you know that?"
I could feel him shaking his head, "No." His finger traced the line of my jaw, and then down my neck. "I haven't seen her since dinner."
It was unnerving feeling his hand on my neck like that, but I didn't do anything against it, "I want you to talk to Gohan and Videl about it. I don't want her to do something that we'll all regret."
His hand moved around my waist, "Like kill herself." He whispered into my ear. His mouth was pressing hot kisses against the back of my neck.
I knew exactly where this was going. I don't think either of us was concentration on our conversation. I flipped over to face him, and his hand moved up to my lips. So much for moving on. "Exactly."
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
I woke up to tangled sheets and my mother yelling from in the kitchen. Goten had left sometime during the night, I'm not exactly sure when. I looked over to my clock to see it was well past when I should have been up. I rolled out of bed, and groaned as my back struck the floor. I slowly started limping to the bathroom, trying not to trip over my discarded clothes. The shower felt wonderful. Of course, my body still felt wonderful. The hot water seemed to just wash away all my problems along with my herbal shampoo. Goten always did like the lilac smell of my shampoo. I dressed in my sunflower-print sundress, with a big straw hat with a yellow-orange ribbon and silk sunflower tied to it, and my brown sandals. I practically danced out of my room, knowing that as soon as I got downstairs, my good spirits would crash.
I stopped by Pan's room on my way down. Empty. I skipped down the stairs, listening to my mother talk to Kuririn.
"How could he do this to me, without any prior notice?!" She waved a letter around in her hand, and paced around the room. I almost felt sorry for Kuririn. "He knew how much I wanted to plan this wedding! And what does he do? He goes and does this!" She jerked he crumpled note in her hand violently. "Not even a goodbye!" She threw the note down on the table, and I snatched it up to read it. I almost laughed, I could always guess my brother's actions.
Mom,
Sorry to cause so much trouble, but given the nature of the circumstances at this point, we decided that it would be best to get this marriage over as quickly as possible. So we eloped. I hope you're not too disappointed, but remember, there's always Bra.
Trunks
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
I sat on the grassy field, the wind blowing my long dress around my legs and threatening to blow away my hat. I hadn't went on a picnic since I was eight years old, and had tagged along when my brother, Goten, and Marron had went hiking. How long ago that was. Now I had driven out to this isolated spot, and limped around until I had straightened my floral blanket on the grass. The wind was always strong in this spot, I remember when I used to follow Goten and Trunks out here and watched them train. I was so small at the time that Trunks told me I was going to blow away. I became so scared that I clung to Goten's leg, and they couldn't do anything until I moved, until he promised that I wouldn't blow away. I still hadn't let go, and when I started to cry, Goten and my brother told me we could spend the rest of the day down by the river, catching fish. And I cried every time they got one, so they had to let them go, and I remember falling asleep between Goten and Trunks, watching the clouds, and saying what they looked like. Ah, the good old days, and the memory of a six year old.
I looked up to the clouds in the sky, but they all seemed shapeless and dull. Things just weren't the same anymore. Things hadn't been the same since Goten and I had started going out. No one had seemed very supportive of the relationship, I think it was the whole age thing. But we went out for over two years. My friends and family accepted it, even Trunks came around. I think it really bothered him that his best friend was having sex with his little sister. But he saw that we were happy, and was hopefully happy for me. I still don't know how Goten's family felt about us. They don't seem to happy now, when it looked like we might get back together. Maybe all of that was about the whole Goten-suicide thing. I was still pretty upset about that. Last night, when Goten lay in my bed, I could see the scars over his wrists. But, according to Marron, he had had counseling for it. He seemed okay now. I thought back to the night before. He seemed better than ever, actually.
I was worried about Pan, though. I think Goten listened to me, and talked to Gohan and Videl about her. According to my mother, they had went home when it became obvious that there wasn't going to be a wedding. I hope they get her professional help. I really don't think she would kill herself, but then again, I never thought she would be jealous of me, either. I thought about that for a moment. It still puzzled me. My life was far from being wanted. I seemed like a burden to everyone I've ever met, with the exception of my father, who just acted like he didn't care about anybody. I knew that Pan had never had an easy life, but do any of us? Really?
My eyes were still watching the clouds, so I got fair warning as the bright puffy clouds started turning gray and lost their shape until it seemed as if the entire sky was like a blanket. It seemed so suiting that the first time I go on a picnic in over twelve years it would rain. I sighed and started to pack up my untouched food. I folded the blanket and started the car as the downpour erupted from the sky. As I reached for the cover on my convertible, I realized that this was an older model that the fabric had been removed from. In seconds I was drenched. I used my good foot and pushed the pedal all the way to the floor. Mud and wet grass flew up all around me as I went at top speed back home.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
"Bra, honey, you're soaked!" My mother: master of the obvious. Water dripped off of my clothes and onto the floor, pooling around my mud-covered feet as I stood against the door. Rain drops traveled down my hair, till they got to the tips, and then beaded down onto my bare shoulders. My sundress was having a hard time staying up when it was being weighed down with water.
It took me a moment to realize that my mother was waiting for me to say something. "I know." I slipped off my sandals and carried them up to my room. My bed was still in a state of disarray, I guess I had forgotten to make my bed this morning. The reminder of Goten hit me full force, and I shrugged out of my drenched sundress and went to my closet. I couldn't find anything decent to wear, but one of my old red two-pieces was hanging right in the center of my closet. It couldn't hurt to just try it on. I pulled up the skirt first, and I winced as the tight fabric pinched into my waist. I had evidently grown up some since I had worn this last. It was an uncomfortable fit, but I remembered that it had almost been too loose when I had had it custom made years ago. My skin was already getting hot and sweating as I held the small top at arm's length. Putting this thing on wasn't going to be fun. I jerked it on, and tried to suck in a deep breath, which I failed miserably at. I had never worn anything so tight. I went to my still unmade bed, and fell back on it. That relieved some of the pressure, and I lay there for a few minutes, gathering my will to complete the outfit. I thought ahead for once, and put my boots on first. They fitted reasonably well. My toes were smashed together, but had more room that some parts of my body. I finally pulled up my gloves. They were a lot smaller and tighter than I remembered, and only came up past the elbow. I struggled to my feet and took tiny steps to the mirror. It was definitely not the clothes of a physically mature woman. I reached up to the buckles that held my top together, and almost started laughing hysterically as they wouldn't budge.
I knew there was a reason I had quit wearing this particular outfit. It had somehow escaped my attention that this was the outfit that always stuck when I tried to get it off. I took a deep breath -- or at least tried to as my restraining shirt allowed no room for movement. Normally, I would have called for Trunks to help me unbuckle the straps, but since he was gone, I had no one for help. My father was training, probably, and my mother was doing who-knows-what. I collapsed on the bed again, closed my eyes. This was not going to be fun at dinner time.
I was contemplating just ripping my shirt off and changing back into my still-wet sundress, when my mother's voice shouted from just outside my door. "Bra, could you come downstairs, Gohan wants to talk to you!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"So what exactly did Pan say to you last night?" Gohan asked nervously, darting his eyes away from my clothes. Videl say beside him, frowning disapprovingly at my attire.
My face was as red as my clothes. I'm sure of it. I kept telling myself to stop fidgeting and just look at Gohan and Videl with a straight face as if nothing was wrong. I had a bright, sunny smile plastered on my face, and just wanted to run back to my room and die. I had tried tearing the cloth off my body, but it had been made of too strong a material, and all of my efforts didn't even leave a mark. Now, I sat at the kitchen table, fidgeting in my seat and vainly trying to pull my skirt down far enough to be considered "decent".
"She didn't say much, just that everyone loved me better than her, and then she told me to go away." I tried to take a deep breath, but the bottom edge of my shirt started cutting into my skin. It hurt to breath. I started taking shallow breaths, and was just counting down until Gohan and Videl left. "She mentioned ChiChi-san a lot. And that was why she was letting her hair grow out in the first place."
I don't remember what else was said during the conversation, but as soon as Gohan and Videl left, I was running through the halls, looking for my mother. Of course, running for me was very slow and tedious because of how tight my skirt was, and how small my boots were. I found my mother in her lab, leaning over some old invention and frowning to herself. The whole scene was quite odd, since my mother was hardly ever in her lab anymore. "Mom?"
She wiped her hands on her lab coat, and turned to face me. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at me, her jaw dropped. ".. Bra?"
"Could you help me get this off?"
go -- i can't go back: to school and to him
"So..." I trailed off as I watched Goten pick up one of my bags of luggage. He looked great in his tacky tropical T-shirt and tight jeans. He was wearing the sunglasses that I had given him for his birthday three years ago; they looked ridiculous on him now. I put one hand on his shoulder, and kissed his temple lightly. "I heard that Gohan and Videl took Pan to get some psychiatric help. Mom says your mother said she was a manic-depressant."
"She's getting treatment for it now." He returned my kiss.
"I got a letter from Trunks and Marron this morning." I whispered as I handed him another of my bags. "He was pretty vague, but I think he said he was coming back next month."
"I was talking to Gohan yesterday," he said in a casual tone. "He says you are starting to wear your old clothes again." It was a statement, but I could hear the question in his voice.
It was all symbolic. Those were the clothes I had worn when I was going out with him. Maybe it was more than coincidence that I had been caught wearing my shiny red clothes. I could actually feel the color spreading across my face as Goten stared at me. I tried to regain my composure. "If you want, I'll go put it on." It was his turn to blush. I think he was imagining me in those clothes. If he only knew. "Actually," I shrugged nonchalantly, "I was just walking down memory lane. Trying on some old clothes since I didn't have anything else ready to wear. Turns out I got the buckles stuck right before your brother shows up. It's no big deal, really."
He seemed almost disappointed. He loaded the last of my bags into the car, sweating and obviously fatigued. Maybe I shouldn't have went shopping so much while I was here. "When are you coming back?" He wiped his shirtsleeve on his forehead.
"After finals. And graduation, if my class isn't too stoned to show up. I'd ask you to come, but I'm afraid I'd be reported to the dean for breaking rules and having a boyfriend. Odd as it may seem, the girls in my school can have sex on the street corner, but they'll be kicked out if they even bring a guy on campus." I blew my breath up into the air, catching my bangs and blowing them off my forehead. "Of course, it suited me just fine when I applied." I really shouldn't have said that. I could hear the own 'bite' in my voice, and Goten looked almost hurt.
"When are you leaving?" He leaned against the car and crossed his arms.
I had already said my goodbyes. I had talked to my father, whom I had found in his gravity room -- not training, just sitting there. Then I went and found my mother, who was back in her lab. I hadn't seen her this determined to work on a project since I was a little girl. I don't think she even heard me when I told her I was leaving. My brother and Marron weren't here to say farewell to, and I didn't feel like taking a trip out into the middle of the woods to say goodbye to the Sons. My presence there wouldn't help things with Pan, anyway. It was sheer luck that Goten had come by to see me as I was packing my bags. "I'm all packed and ready to go. Why would I stay?"
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
The ride to the airport was spent in silence. Goten kept looking over at me, starting to say something, and then would just turn back to the road. Light classical music poured out of the radio, getting lost in the wind before it even touched our ears. I hadn't really like the stuff until I broke up with Goten, and then it just seemed to suit the mood. My former roommate at school hated the music, though. She would cut it off constantly, which prompted us to get into fights. I may not have been trained to fight like my brother and father, but I still had the Saiyajin blood flowing through my veins. And believe me, I could pack one hell of a punch. She didn't even bother reporting me to the dean. I had enough money to pay for whatever crime I committed. I smirked at the memory, which brought a curious look to Goten's face.
I opened my mouth to tell him what I was thinking about, when I heard an ominous thump, and then the popping sound that sucked the smiled right from my face. Goten slammed on the brakes, which threw me into the door of the car. The door came loose, and I rolled out onto the road as Goten finally stopped the car. I picked myself, and futilely tried to brush the dirt off my skirt. My foot was hurting again, so I limped over to the car. I slammed my door shut and leaned against it. I looked back down the road to where I had heard the thump. Why was somehow not surprised to find a dead body lying in the road?
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
After three hours of the police asking us the same questions over and over again, I had one killer headache. How did the body get there? I don't know. Do you recognize the deceased? No. Do I have any idea who would leave a dead body in the road? No.
I missed my flight. The police finally let us go, but my plane had just left. What luck. There was no way I could get my money back. The police weren't going to let me leave the area until I was ruled out of being a suspect. Which would probably be years considering the efficiency of the police around here. I called my professors at school, and since I'm the only one who actually gives a damn in my class, they let me do my work via e-mail. How very nice of them. After I finish my finals, I think I'm going to stay here. Home. I've missed it so.
I'm sure I had that odd, distracted look on my face as I thought about staying here, because Goten was staring at me oddly. I turned and looked at him, then walked over there and hugged him. I was grinning, which was highly inappropriate considering that this was a murder scene. The policemen were looking at me oddly, and the smile vanished. I looked around, and finding nothing odd, looked down to my dress to make sure I wasn't wearing my too tight red suit by mistake. Nope, I was still wearing my denim jumper with little sunflowers embroidered onto it. I was still wearing my white sandals with the smiley faces under the toes. I still looked like a prep. Why were people staring at me?
Then it clicked. I was being a raving lunatic. There I was, standing at a crime scene; mud and dust covered my hair and clothes; my skin had been scraped and bruised. And I was grinning ear-to-ear, clinging to my ex-fiancé, and skipping around as best I could on my injured foot. The fact that I had a three-foot hole in the back of my skirt didn't help things.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
"Bra? Are you back from shopping already?" My mother called as I limped into the kitchen, and buried my face in my arms. I was still blushing like a fool. Goten appeared behind me, carrying a few of my bags. He disappeared with them up the stairs. I mumbled something into my arms, which caused my mother to look up at me. "Bra, what's wrong?"
"Well, for starters, I wasn't out shopping," I mumbled and turned my head to the side so that my speech was at least partially understandable. "I was on my way to the airport, going back to school. Which you would have known had you paid even the slightest attention to me this morning when I told you goodbye." She started to say something, but I cut her off, "And then, Goten was nice enough to help me load my bags, and give me a ride to the airport. I suspect we were going to talk about our relationship, but we didn't get the chance as we ran over someone."
"What?!" Mom exclaimed and sat down abruptly on the table. "You hit someone?"
"No. The body was already dead. We just happened to run over it, which threw me to the ground. I wasn't hurt, but my dress was ripped open, and everyone at the scene was looking up my skirt for three hours before I even realized it. They told me I couldn't leave until they could prove that I am innocent of any wrong doing, so I can't go back to school. Furthermore, my --" I stopped myself from finishing my rant, and buried my face in my arms again. "I've got to go unpack now, so I'll see you later." I groaned out and wondered what was taking Goten so long to deliver my boxes and get the rest.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Oh. My. God. Goten, tell me I'm not seeing this." I closed my eyes, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Goten was sitting on my bed, the boxes he brought with him were at him feet. In his lap were two of my porcelain dolls. The ones my father had bought me. They looked just like I did as a little girl, with blue hair all tied up in ribbons. They were wearing little lace dresses, one apple green and the other sky blue. Their little glass hands were curved around in different poses, their little glass feet were wearing coordinating velvet shoes with gold buckles. Their bodies were made of cloth, so that they looked round and pudgy. They were my favorite dolls. What was odd was that Goten was holding them by the back, moving them around, and making little doll voices for them. "My ex-fiancé is sitting on my bed playing dollies!" I decided to laugh, mainly because Goten was grinning. "I wish I had a camera! Or a psychiatrist," I could barely say the words through my laughter.
"Oh come on, Bra," Goten said in the high-pitched doll voice, "Kioko and Kohana want to play." I stopped laughing. He looked confused. "What?" he asked me in his normal voice.
"You remembered!" I sat down on the bed next to him, and picked up Kioko. "You remembered their names." I said more softly while straightening Kioko's hair.
Goten was grinning again, "And how could I forget? Every day I came over here to see Trunks, you would rush outside, waving them in the air, and shouting, 'Goten! Goten! It's time to play dollies!'" He pulled me into a hug. "And Trunks would get mad because by the time we finished playing, it would be too late to do whatever it was that I came over here for, and he would end up playing, too."
Melancholy seemed to take over the room, "Those were the happy times, weren't they?" I whispered, and leaned into Goten's embrace. "Those times when I didn't have a care in the world other than to get you to play with me and annoy Trunks." I could almost feel tears forming in my eyes. It had to happed sooner or later, so I decided to just get the conversation over with, "What are we going to do, Goten?"
"You know how I feel. I know how you feel." His hand brushed against my temple. "Why not work from there?" His lips were moving down to kiss my neck. I didn't protest, despite the fact that I knew that this couldn't go too far.
As he moved to my mouth, I turned away. "Goten, I don't know if you realize it or not, but our relationship needs help. I would love it, beyond any other thing in this world, if we could just pick right back up from right after you proposed to me that night, but that's not going to happen. We lack trust, Goten. I trust you with my life, I would like to trust you with my heart. On some level, I think I do, but that does not make a solid relationship. Goten... I just can't do this to my heart again..."
He sighed and slid his arm off from around my shoulder. "You're right. We've both got some serious issues to work out." He looked down to his wrists, and then to the little glass dolls as he set them back on their shelf. "I guess you know about mine."
"Marron told me about it." I said grimly.
He just nodded, then smiled slightly, "Maybe someday, when we're ready for it, we can be together again."
A little ray of hope bloomed in my heart. "Most definitely." I smiled, and closed my eyes. I was going to be okay after all. I had my friends, my family. I had Goten. He would always be there for me. Trunks and my new sister-in-law would be back -- eventually --, and then I would have little nieces or nephews to look after and love. Somehow, being home never felt more right.
Owari. Ha ha! The end! I can't believe you people made it this far, I almost didn't! If I had to look at that story for five more minutes, I swear I would have just deleted the whole thing. Which would probably have been better, considering the poor quality of this fic. But oh well, I like it. I'm happy with it overall. I think it's the biggest first person POV fic I've written. Well, since it's almost 2:30 in the morning, I'm going to go get some sleep before my fingers fall off my hands from typing so much. Oyasumi nasai...