Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Hands Clean ❯ Hands Clean ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: Song Fic: Hands Clean, by Alanis Morrisette.

"What are we doing here?" Gohan asked, facing Orange Star College with a quizzical look.

"Because Trunks and I are just PART of the gang... we're forgetting someone important!"

Gohan knew who they were picking up. Marron. He had urged her to apply here. He wrote her a letter of recommendation that sang of her praises. He helped her fill out the scholarship forms. Marron wanted a degree in Anthropology. She shared with him her dream of getting out, seeing the world, and away from her tiny enclosed island. But that was two years ago... People change though, he thought bitterly. His morning's trials still reeling in his mind.

"She hasn't partied with us in a couple of weeks, cuz of midterms or some such insanity."

Trunks giggled. "Oh the insanity! We must protect our Marron before the lameness factor sets in and turns her into a nerd!"

"Dean's List didn't help, that's fer damn sure."

"Getting her drunk is protecting her? She made the Dean's List?" Gohan sent him a quizzical look.

"Hell yeah!" Trunks replied, thoroughly ignoring his second question.

"Don't worry, bro... thing's'll be okay."

Marron appeared, running across the campus. Her blonde hair was much longer and flew out behind her. She jumped over the passenger's side door to Trunks' convertible and landed gracefully next to him. Gohan and Goten watched from the back seat, the elder blinking, the younger grinning.

"High tail it, Trunks!"

"Wooooooo hooooooooo! Let's go!"

Gohan grimaced. The immaturity factor, unbelievably, had just plummeted! Goten noticed his brother's pained expression as Trunks hit the accelerator and they took off for where Gohan could only pray was survivable.

"Gohan, it's okay... we don't act like this all time time," Goten tried to further reassure his brother as Marron pulled her long hair back into a ponytail. She turned to face the Son boys, sitting on her knees, leaning over the seat.

"Hullo, Gohan," she threw him a smile that... made his heart... flutter?

"Marron..." he smiled back, "it's been so long... how are you?"

"Don't make her talk about school! We just escaped!" Marron smacked her purple haired friend without even sparing him a glance.

"I'm doing very well, Go-kun, but every once in awhile it's nice to just let go, run away, and have a little fun, ne?"

He thought about the papers he had signed not even twelve hours ago.

"Go-kun!? She doesn't call ME 'Go-kun!' And I'm TWICE as studly!" Goten mock pouted. Marron just ignored him.

"Of course, everything will be as I left it when I get back. Only my frame of mind will be different. I will be relaxed enough to see things in a whole new light. Sometimes, to see the BIG picture, you need to take a few steps backwards."

That... made a lot of sense. It wasn't a doubt in his mind that Marron knew about his divorce. His brother wasn't capable of keeping a secret, and he knew this trip was more of a pity party than anything else. But the light in Marron's eyes... he didn't feel an ounce of pity from them. But he did see a lot he could draw strength from.

"Thought your major was anthropology, not philosophy," he smiled at her.

"You remembered." She seemed so pleased. Her face radiated with happiness. Now he understood what an 'open and honest face' was.

"Okay, guys... we stick together tonight... no running off and leaving my bro alone..."

"Aw man, no chicks?"

"No guys for Marron either!"

"Can I have a chick?" That comment earned her a hard spank from Trunks and a gleeful look from Goten.

"Not unless we can watch."

"Oh, you can watch after I watch you two go at it with a couple of hot guys!"

"EEEWWWW!" They exclaimed simultaneously.

"SO not worth it."

Gohan felt himself relaxing and joining in the laughter that permeated the car. It in itself was intoxicating, and he found himself enjoying in an abundance of it throughout the evening.

Insert chapter ::TWO:: here.