Bura-sama
rewrite of Waiting Forever
Wed. June 6. 2001
Wed. June 6. 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.  Bad disclaimer, I know.  Well, this is just for my sister's enjoyment and anyone else who reads it (I know I didn't enjoy writing)

Warnings:  Death, Goten/Marron and Trunks/Marron.  Eh... pregnancy and weddings.  Hmm... I guess that's it.

Notes:  I wrote this piece a year ago after I realized that Waiting Forever wasn't going anywhere.  My style has changed a lot since then, so I don't write like this anymore.  It was just an experiment into writing happy stuff.
            This is dedicated first and foremost to my sister -- without her I never would have twisted it this way.  Secondly, I dedicate this to anyone and everyone who reviewed the prologue so long ago.

How Long is Forever?

Diary Entry One.

        He left today.  He gave me a goodbye kiss, whispered in my ear a soft, "I'll miss you.  I love you.", and then he just walked off.  It tore me apart.  I knew he had to go.  He always has to go.  When danger calls, they just stop their lives and rush to save everyone.  I don't know if I'll ever see him again.  I promise myself and my baby that we'll see him again.  That he'll be there when she's born.  I promise my heart that he will come back, but somehow my promises don't make me feel any better.  After he left today, I rushed back outside, and stood staring, watching him disappear.  I yelled after him, which was stupid because I know he couldn't hear me.  I yelled out, "I'll wait for you!  I'll wait forever!"

Marron Briefs

Diary Entry Sixteen.

        I cried myself to sleep again last night.  Even as I write this, my tears fall upon the paper and smear my words.  I haven't written in this diary for four days.  I can't bring myself to.  They came back four days ago.  Trunks was not among them.  When they told me that he had been killed in the battle, I broke down crying.  Bulma was crying, and so was Bra.  Vegeta stood off in the corner, though Goku later told Bulma that he had broken down during the fight when the blast had killed Trunks.  He said that Vegeta cried for him, and although I can't imagine my father-in-law crying for my late husband, it makes me feel a little bit better, knowing that even the mighty Vegeta cried for his son.

        Marie keeps crying, almost nonstop.  She's only two weeks old, but I somehow feel that she knows her father is gone.  Bulma said that babies were instinctive that way.  She's become withdrawn lately.  It's only been four days since we learned that Trunks was dead, and she's so lost within herself and her work that she doesn't talk much to me anymore.  She spends a lot more time with Vegeta than she used to.  Sometimes I think that they're going to go away for a while.  Bra has been there for me, though.  She listens to me when I want to talk, and we talk about Trunks and remember our lives with him.  I call my parents every night, and they're helping me through this.

        I just don't want to believe that he's gone.  There's this hollow ache in my heart and soul.  As if a piece of me has died.  I don't know what I am going to do without Trunks.  Without his smile, his warmth, him telling me that the world wasn't such a bad place after all.  He told me that we would always have each other.  I believed him.  And now he's gone.

Marron

Diary Entry 117,

        How long have I been writing these?  It feels like forever.  I'm still lying awake at night, waiting for Trunks to come home.  I find myself listening for his footsteps on the stairs.  I still reach out for him at night.  I still cry into the pillow when I think about him.  It's been three months.  I was right about Bulma and Vegeta.  They left this morning.  She said she'd come back in a few months, but she couldn't deal with the pain and grief right now.  Bra has been accepted into that fancy college overseas.  She asked me if I was all right with it.  She said she would stay if I wanted her to.  I told her that I would be fine.  We don't talk as much as we used to.  When I see her in the halls or at breakfast, she always asks me how I am.  But Capsule Corp is a big place, and I don't bump into her in the halls as much as I used to.  We don't have our long discussions anymore.  If I'm feeling really bad, she'll take time off at the office and come and talk to me, but running the company is pretty hard.  I can't bring myself to go to her office, not without seeing Trunks in her chair, smiling at me.  It's been hard on Bra.  I know it has.  She had to grow up really fast.  She started wearing business suits and professional looking dresses rather than her tight red clothes that always made her Bra.

        Marie is growing up, too.  And like Goten told me, I've got to get my senses back and take care of my daughter.  He told me today, "She's already lost her father, and if you don't get it together, she's going to lose her mother, too."  It really woke me up, I think.  I know that I'll always miss Trunks, but I'm neglecting my life.  I've got to put my daughter ahead of everything else in life, and then worry about how bad I feel after I know that she's okay.  Goten has been a great friend through all of this.  He listens to me like Bra used to, and I'll listen to him, like I never did for Bra.  It's no wonder she avoids me so much.

        Goten's been there for me, and I think I can go on with my life after all.

Marron

Diary Entry 3102,

        It's been eight years since Trunks died.  I still think about him every day, I still love him.  But I need to move on.  And so I did.   I get the feeling that I somehow moved on to the wrong person.  My best friend.  My husband's best friend.  Goten.  I feel so guilty about it.  For a long time we were just friends, I leaned on him, he leaned on me.  It seems that he helped me out of one crisis after another.  First Trunks, then my dad died.  I was torn up over that for what seems like forever.  I moved back to live with Mom, but she's just not the same.  It's never the same.  Bra left for college, and the only time she was ever around Capsule Corp was to see Marie.  Bulma took up permanent residence on that island vacation spot.  Goten came by everyday, and he helped me through the pain and emotional suffering.  Of course, we all came back to bury Dad.  Bra seemed angry that I was standing next to Goten at the funeral.  I couldn't understand why.

        Now I do.  I'm in love with Goten.  We're going to be married in June.  We told Bra the news today.  She just kept asking me how I could betray Trunks like that, and ran crying from the room.  Bulma and Vegeta didn't take it as roughly, but she still seemed rather angry with us.  His family wasn't as thrilled as we had hoped, but ChiChi seemed to accept it in stride.  Gohan was angry, but didn't say anything about it.  He just got up and left the room.  They'll come to accept it in time.  At least I hope so.

        I once told Trunks that I would wait forever for him.  He's moved on, and I'm chained to the past.  How long is forever, Trunks?  Would he be happy knowing that I've found someone to help raise Marie?  Or would he feel betrayed?  I just don't know.  Goten's always been there for me.  He's great with Marie.  She calls him Daddy.  She hasn't known any other father, though I'm going to explain everything to her when she'd old enough to understand.  Goten's going to be a great father to her.  I just know that everything's going to work out fine.

Marron

Diary Entry 3869

        Why has my life turned out this way?  What did I do to deserve to be jerked around like this?  We were out grocery shopping today.  Marie wanted a cup of ice cream.  She looked so cute with her lavender hair tied up in pigtails and her friendly blue eyes smiling at everyone she met.  I walked behind her, six months pregnant, and struggling to keep up with an overactive ten-year-old.  Goten did a fine job, though.  Our daughter just grabbed his hand and pulled him to the ice cream shop.  We looked like an ideal family.  And as we were paying for our ice cream, I saw him.  He was standing there in little more than rags for clothes.  He was staring at us.  Staring at me with hurt and betrayal.  Staring at Goten with anger and pain in his eyes.  He was looking at our little girl with wonder and pain in his eyes.  She was busy talking to her father.  Then Goten noticed him.  It seemed as if the entire world was moving in slow motion.  And then, Trunks had punched Goten into the wall.

        They fought for what seemed like hours to me, Goten trying to explain, and Trunks trying to pound out his frustrations on the person who betrayed him by marrying his wife.  I couldn't move, couldn't do anything but try to stop the tears as my old husband and my new one pounded away at each other.  What could I have done?  I loved them both.  My daughter ended it when she grabbed onto Goten's leg and called him "Daddy".  Trunks just stopped and stared at her, and then sank to the ground.  What are we going to do now?"

Marron Son

Diary Entry 3870

        Trunks agreed to have our marriage annulled.  He realizes that we are happy with Goten, and he doesn't want to hurt his daughter any more than she already has been.  He's taken over Capsule Corp again, and Bra was overjoyed to see him.  Maybe he can get on with his life now.  I hope so.  I love him dearly, and I hate to see him so unhappy.

Marron Son

Diary 4600,

        I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to write these.  This diary has seen the loss of the three most important men in my life.  First Trunks, then my father, and now Goten.  I called him at work and asked him if he could pick up some milk and bread on his way home.  He was going out the door, told me he loved me, and that he would see me in about fifteen minutes.  He never got home.  That was six days ago.  I can still remember the police at my door, their hats off, telling me that there had been an accident.  I still remember my little girl hearing the news and screaming "NO!" over and over again.  I didn't cry, I didn't yell, I just sat down on the floor and pulled my knees up to my chest.

        The next morning, my landlord kicked me out.  Our home was in Goten's name, and I couldn't pay the rent.  They took all my belongings to pay my bills.  All I had left was my two daughters, and two wedding rings.  Until Trunks came by.  I had spoken to him twice in two years.  Vegeta and Bulma were still at their vacation home.  Bra was in the working field, I hadn't seen here since I broke the news of my wedding to Goten.  Capsule Corp was as empty as it had been when I had left those four years ago.

        I don't even remember what Trunks said to me, I just remember getting into his car with Marie and Maria and falling asleep in the back seat.  He gave me my old room back, untouched since I had left it four years ago.  I've been in this room for two days, keeping myself busy and crying all day.  Trunks talks to me at breakfast and dinner, and I don't feel as alone as I did when he "died" all those years ago.

Marron Son

Diary 6060,

        This will probably be my last diary entry.  Four years since Goten died.  Trunks and I are getting married again tomorrow.  How odd it is that Trunks' daughter called Goten "Daddy", and Goten's daughter calls Trunks "Daddy".  I never thought I would feel this way again.  So happy and alive.  I haven't stopped loving Trunks these sixteen years since he went away to fight, but this is a newer, different kind of love.  I can't explain it on paper, but it's this feeling that I have that I can be happy.  Bra finally came back around.  She always had wanted to see me with Trunks, and I can't imagine how much it hurt her when I married Goten, betraying her brother.  She's going to be a bridesmaid tomorrow.  My maid of honor is going to be Marie.  She's sixteen now.  Maria is six; she's going to be my flower girl.  I've got to get some sleep for my day tomorrow, so I'll end this diary now.

How long is Forever, Goten?
How long is Forever, Trunks?
Forever is how long I'll love you both.

Marron Briefs

Owari

Well, that's done now.  It turned out much differently than my original intentions, but I'm satisfied with this.  Oh yes, I dedicate this to my sister, a Marron and Goten fan.  Although they're far from my favorite couple, I enjoyed writing this.  Comments and criticism are welcome.