Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Beautiful Lie ❯ Mother's Intuition ( Chapter 3 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Ravenreux 
Marron stops by the Briefs residence to help out and Bra got to pick a fight w/ everyone.
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Hentai / Post-apocalyptic / Romance / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.21.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 189 | Status: Completed
Marron stops by the Briefs residence to help out and Bra got to pick a fight w/ everyone.
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Hentai / Post-apocalyptic / Romance / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.21.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 189 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: DB/Z/GT is owned by Akria Toriyama...not me...k.thx. Also, the title..A Beautiful Lie..is owned by the band, 30 Seconds to Mars..love them.
Chapter 3
Briefs Residence
It never ceased to amaze her every time she pulled into the driveway; the sheer enormity of Bra's house was astounding. Cutting the engine to her subcompact car, she stepped out and dragged her bag from the passenger seat along with her. The cool autumn breeze ruffled her blonde hair from around her shoulders as she strode quickly to the door, hugging her green track jacket tightly around her to fend it off. Damn, it's cold! Stepping up onto the stoop, she rapped her already chilled knuckles on the strong wooden door. Somebody answer...quick! She ran in place as she waited and practically dove through the door when it opened. "Thank Kami! It's freezing out!"
Bra sighed and swung the door shut behind her. "It is November, Marron."
Marron shrugged out of her jacket and hung it on the ornate wooden coat rack near the door. "What's with you?" It was a dead give away that something was nagging at her when she went all deadpan.
"Nothing, so don't ask." She crossed her arms and left her in the foyer.
"Okay." Marron watched her go and toed off her boots before following her into the spacious living room. Bra had flung herself into Vegeta's enormous armchair and was already occupying herself with sorting out music.
Bulma looked up from the the floor in front of the sofa and beamed her a glowing smile. "Marron!" She dropped the floral arrangment she was putting together and trotted over to pull the young blonde into a strong embrace. "Bra didn't tell me you were coming." She cast her daughter an exasperated glance and winked at Marron in mutual understanding. "The party's not until tomorrow you know."
Marron dropped her bag on the sofa. "I wanted to come over and help set-up."
"I could always use an extra set of hands." Bulma walked back over to the flowers laid out on the ground and tapped her chin. "What do you think goes well with these tulips?"
Marron came to stand beside her and pointed at a bunch of wildflowers. "That'll give them some color and dimension."
"Yea, I was thinking about putting them together." She reached over and started to put the whole thing together in an elegant vase. "Guess I just wanted a second opinion."
Bra scoffed. "I can't believe you're actually debating what flowers to put out."
Bulma cut her daughter a glare. "Flowers give color, atmosphere, and attitude." She glanced at Marron. "Why don't you go check on Trunks?"
"Me?" Marron blinked.
"Mhm..he's been sleeping a lot since the incident and fighting off a bit of a fever." She put some finishing touches on the arrangement and straightened up. "Just bring him some water and check his temperature."
Marron found herself nodding. It was impossible to disobey Bulma when she gave you her friendly-boss smile. Her employees know it well no doubt. "Ok. He's in his old room, right?"
Bulma nodded with a sunny smile on her face, but Marron caught the rolling eyes of her friend in her peripheral. That translates into 'what a crock'. She turned and started for the kitchen, hearing Bulma tear into her daughter. "And speaking of attitude, your's sucks!"
Marron knew from experience that what was playing out in the living room wasn't something anyone ever wanted to go through. Bulma was ruthless went it came to reprimanding bad behavior. Shivering away the memory of a similar berating, she quickly found a clean glass and filled it up from water from the tap. Holding it like precious cargo, she strode over to the stairs coming off the kitchen. Her heart started to beat faster in her chest as she started her climb, her hands clutching the glass with white knuckles. This is nothing Marron. You're just going to check on him in his room...where's he's sleeping. She reached the top of the spiral staircase and stared down the deserted hallway. Alone. She laughed nervously and lifted the glass to stare at the sloshing liquid. Oh get a grip already! Shutting her eyes, she planted one foot in front of the other until she found herself in front of his closed bedroom door. Just breathe you idiot! Blowing out a nervous breath, she reached out and grasped the brass doorknob, slowly turning it until the door clicked open.
Releasing the knob, she let the door swing in of it's own volition and peered in. Blues of all shades and hues clearly declared it a male's room and the first thing she saw when she stepped in was the multitude of clothing strewn across the floor. No kidding this is a male's room. Looking left, she noticed his large oak desk covered in electronics and the doorway to his closet, shoes piled in the threshold. Turning to look the other way, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she caught sight of his face. She nearly dropped the glass of water in relief when she realized his eyes were shut. I'm hopeless. Setting the glass down on the matching oak nightstand, she kneeled down beside the bed to look at his face. His skin was pale and sweat beaded on his forehead. Well, at least his fever's broke. The sheets were rumpled from his tossing and turning, a definite sign of troubled sleep, but his expression was peaceful and relaxed. Smiling at his boyish features, she reached out and laid the back of her hand against his forehead to gauge his temperature. It was cool to the touch. All's well.
She pulled back her hand and just watched him sleep. Staring at his serene face, it was then that she noticed his deep blue eyes were open. "Ah!" Whirling around, she dashed for the door.
"Wait!" A strong grip wrapped around her upper arm and stopped her escape. "Where are you going?"
She winced at his confused tone and slowly peeked around her own shoulder to meet his gaze. "Your Mom told me to bring you some water and to check on you." She felt like slapping herself at her shaking voice.
"Oh." He let go of her arm and smiled. "Thanks." Great, Mom has people waiting hand and foot on me now. I don't think she could embarrass me more.
Marron felt the heat rush to her cheeks and clasped her hands together so he wouldn't see them shake. "Ah..your welcome."
He laughed sheepishly. "I feel kinda weird having people take care of me." He ran a hand through his rumpled hair and grimaced. "I probably look like death warmed over." He definitely felt like it. Every muscle and bone ached like he was a hundred years old.
"You look fine, all things considered." She really wanted to elaborate, but knew it would make the situation ten times more awkward. "Ok..well..I'm gonna go back downstairs and help out Bulma." She turned to leave.
"Let me just change into a clean shirt and I'll come with you." He reached down and grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head.
Marron quickly averted her eyes and cursed the blush that bloomed on her cheeks. Great. Just wonderful. She bowed her head to look at the floor, but found herself straying. Glancing up, she watched his shoulder blades as they moved beneath his muscular back. His skin was tanned and smooth as it rolled with his movements across the wide expanse of his shoulders. Trunks slipped another t-shirt- this one black- over his head and turned to face her as he pulled in down, giving her a teasing glimspe of his flat, hard abdomen. Shaking herself out of her stupor, she stepped into the hall and started for the stairs. "So, did you really do all that stuff they showed on the news?"
He walked beside her and shrugged. "Apparently I did, but I don't remember any of it."
She looked up at his face and couldn't help but compare him to a lost puppy. A slight smirk tugged at her mouth. I bet that would definitely make him feel all rugged and manly. Major ego killer. Instead, she wrapped her arms around herself and cocked her head to the side in thought. "What do you remember?"
He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Waking up here." They walked down the steps in companionable silence until stepping into the kitchen to find Vegeta watching them. Trunks' brow furrowed. "Dad?"
Vegeta cocked his head toward the door. "Come with me."
Trunks cast Marron a confused look before shrugging and following his father outside. She watched him go and hugged herself against the chilly draft that swept through the room from the opening door. All by myself again. Sighing, she pulled out a stool from the island and sat down, propping her head on her hands. Extremely loud voices were shouting in the next room, reaching hysterical proportions when the doorbell rang. Marron shook her head and got up. Those two won't stop fighting, even to answer the door. They'll be at it for hours. Shuffling along the tiled floor, she cut through the hall and opened the door as the bell rang again. "Coming!"
"Marron!" A slight, dark-haired girl stepped through and wrapped the taller blonde into a strong hug.
Marron grimaced a moment. Geez...she's strong. "Hello to you too, Pan."
After a moment, the girl let go and smiled from ear to ear. "I haven't seen you in forever! How have you been?"
"Oh, okay. I'm here to help out Bulma." She tucked a stray tendril of soft blonde hair behind her ear and finally noticed Pan's companion. "Hi Goten."
Before he could response, Pan jumped in. "Yeah, my Mom said that I needed adult supervision on my way over here. It just so happened that he was on his way over here anyway to see Trunks. I came to see him too, but Mom told me to help out while I was here." She looked around. "Who's yelling?"
Marron pressed her fingers into her temple to stave off the headache that was forming. Man can she talk fast, like a hundred words a minute. "That's just Bra and Bulma going at it."
"Oh." She frowned a moment before bounding off to Kami-knows-where.
Goten smirked. "That's a brave girl going in there."
"Ha." Marron gestured him in and shut the door. "I got out of the war zone as fast as I could, although Bulma gave me fair warning." She smiled as her eyes ran him up and down. Just like his older brother, he'd inherited his father height and build. "You look good." With that hair you can't even tell them apart.
He bowed his head. "Thank you." Smirking, he lifted a brow. "You don't look so bad yourself."
She smacked him playfully on the arm. "Knock it off. If you're looking for Trunks, he's outside with Vegeta." Turning around, she slipped back into the kitchen.
Goten watched her go and listened as the yelling cresendoed to epic proportions. He weighed his options and decided it would be safer for him to wait outside and out of the range of the raging females. He smirked at his own cowardice as he turned down the adjacent hall and out a pair of sliding glass doors to the deck. It doesn't matter if it's Bulma or Mom...they are downright terrifying when they're mad at you. The cool autumn breeze ruffled his haphazard hair around his ears as he leaned on the strong teak railing. The only ones brave enough to defy their parents were Trunks and Bra. Haha...too much of Vegeta's influence I'll bet. Speaking of Vegeta....where are they? He gazed up into the cerulean sky and allowed his Saiyan senses to focus. Ah...flying off north....wonder why? He'd also viewed the late night destruction his best friend had created and it worried him. The guy never takes a day off...no wonder he flipped his lid. A person could only take so much.
The smooth glide of the glass doors sounded behind him and he turned around. Bra stood arms akimbo with a glare so icy it would freeze hell. "Get. Off. My. Deck."
Instead of listening, Goten smiled brightly and stepped toward her. "Hi Bra, nice to see you." He screwed his face into a over-poweringly happy grimace and openly mocked her. " 'Oh, it's great to see you Goten! I haven't seen you in forever, how are you?' " He dropped the happy face and smiled. "I'm just fine Bra." He held out his hands. "See, how hard was that?"
"Go bug off." She swept past him and planted her right hand on the railing to swing herself up to sit with her feet swinging. "Why the hell are you here?"
He shook his head, spun on his heel, and leaned his back against the rail facing the other way. "That was a little better." He noted the tense hunch of her shoulders. "I came to see Trunks and brought along Pan."
She groaned loudly. "You brought Motor Mouth?" Casting him a distasteful glance she crossed her ankles. "One of the Sons is torture enough, but did you have to bring another?"
"Oh, we can't all be that bad. Besides, all of us will be here tomorrow. Then what are you going to do?"
"Grit my teeth and tie up my hands."
The image of her jaw clenched with hands tied down brought a loud laugh from Goten. He got off the railing and shoved her. "You need to lighten up."
Bra found herself caught unawares and was sent sailing into the soft green grass of the backyard. Hair spilling in all directions, she slowly stood up and turned to face him. "You asshole! Are you asking for a fight?!"
He shrugged while smirking devilishly. "Maybe."
All responses abandoned her and she settled for a loud audible growl as she brushed off her beige turtleneck and jeans. Big blotches of green stained the knees of the snug denim. "Ah! You got grass stains on my jeans!"
Goten chortled as he hopped over the rail and strode toward her. "You are definitely Bulma's daughter." He straightened up from his laugh and barely had time to throw his hands up to block her incoming fist. "Holy crap!"
She dropped to the ground and crouched low to swing her heel out, just missing the chance to knock him off his feet. Backflipping away to protect herself, she stood arms crossed smiling haughtily. "Vegeta's daughter too."
His black eyes narrowed. "How could I forget?" Good...now to find the root of the problem. Lacing his fingers, he stretched them out and cracked his knuckles. "It's been awhile since I had a good fight." He bent his knees as he slid his left leg back and bent forward at the waist, hands held tight to his sides. "But I know this isn't really about a stained pair of jeans."
"That's another thing about you..." She crouched and held her hands out in front of her. "Too Kami-damned nosy!" Leaping forward, she drilled at his head with her right elbow.
Goten waited until the last possible second and shot both arms out to throw her elbow up and her along with it. Taking the block in stride, she twisted at the waist and brought a full roundhouse kick at his face. Bending backward, he pushed off his hands and sent both feet into her back to send her straight up in the air. He bucked his hips and landed on his feet squarely. "Something's bothering you and you're allowing it to fester and infect the rest of your family."
Bra somersaulted a few times before flairing her ki and floating with limbs outstretched, glaring down at him. "I didn't know you were smart enough to be that philosophical." Despite her bold talk, she desperately wanted to tell someone how she felt. If you only knew.
He smiled crookedly and she felt her breath catch. "Delude yourself all you want, but you will tell me." Launching upward, he sent a series of swift swings at her head. She shifted her speed into another gear and dodged each one, slipping in close to latch onto his wrist. Slamming her heel into his chin, his head snapped back and she started to spin. Whipping around to the point of blurring to anyone watching, she released him to careen into the ground. Goten's eyes wobbled in his head and caught sight of the upcoming ground and he pulled at his slackened limbs. Time to move! He swung his arms around to break his fall and swallowed to make sure his lunch remained eaten. That's just what I need..to be puking everywhere. The seemingly soft grass was bone-shatteringly hard as he slammed into it, elbows buckling under the force of impact. Thank Kami I'm not completely human. Extracting himself from his form-fitted hole, he flipped onto his back and caught her foot as it drove for his chest. "Your technique is textbook, but it's time to fess up." Lifting his free hand, he billowed up a bright blue orb of ki and yanked her leg closer so she couldn't escape. "It's payback time." He shot the blast directly at her chest.
The force knocked the wind out of her chest and when he let go, she sailed backward and into the thick trunk of the ancient oak tree in the yard. Her slim body made a soft indentation in the bark. Blowing the smoke away from her face, she glared at him as he approached the base of the tree. "Alright, so I've been neglecting my training. School's been keeping me real busy."
He waggled a finger in a tsk-tsk manner. "Shame on you, but that's not what I want." He floated up and gently pulled her from the wood.
She definitely wasn't so exhausted that she couldn't easily take care of herself, but she couldn't ignore the slightly giddy feeling of having him hold her. Ok...Bra's gone crazy. She hid her smirk as she played limp and he had to wrap his arms around her. Bra found her body completely relaxed in his embrace and his gentleness touched her. He lowered to the ground and set her on her feet. She took a step back and finally saw how truly worried he was. "Ok, you win." She sniffed back a few tears and hugged herself. "How can I resist when you look at me like that?"
Goten had always considered her as Trunks' little sister, someone totally off-limits, but the scared look in her watery blue eyes made him realize that she was very much a woman. DemiSaiyan or not. He reached out and rubbed her arms for encouragement. "You can tell me anything."
"Really?" She blinked a few times to unmat her wet lashes. Goten's never been like this before...he's never paid attention to me.
Definitely a woman....a very vulnerable and hurt woman. He tightened his grip on her arms and pulled her to him again, his need to comfort her over-whelming. "Of course."
The tenderness in his actions was her undoing. She wrapped her arms around his neck and didn't try to stop the rush of words out of her mouth. "I'm afraid...afraid that I don't know him anymore. Or that I never did. I thought he was going to actually hurt me. He's never done anything like that before. I mean, yeah he's strict, but I never thought he'd go as far threaten severe bodily harm." She took a deep breath and stopped herself. "I'm babbling like an idiot."
Goten held her and rubbed her back as her warm breath tickled his neck. "No, it's good." So good I'm glad she can't see what I'm thinking. Shaking his head, he pulled a leaf from her hair. "We're talking about Vegeta right?"
She nodded against his broad shoulder. "Yeah. I went to see Trunks that night and Daddy was there. He and Trunks had fought and Trunks was somewhere underwater. I wanted to go look for him, but he stopped me." She sniffed and wiped her nose. "He grabbed my face and told me that if I didn't go home he'd do to me what he did to Trunks." When he didn't respond, she continued to stave off the silence. "I never really believed all those stories about how evil he was...that he'd been a mass-murderer, but I could see it in his eyes that night. He would've done it."
His mind was racing as she pressed her face into his shirt. I would never have believed them either. I've seen the way Vegeta is when it comes to his daughter, but I think I know what he was doing. The only thing was, he didn't she'd like to hear it. "Well, I want you to know that I'm not taking sides, but-"
She reared back and distanced herself while still in his grasp. "But what?"
The betrayal he saw in her eyes ate at him. "He was protecting you."
"Protecting me from what?! My own brother?!" The shock was evident in her voice and the way she shoved him away.
Goten's head dropped as she pushed him. No! It's not like that! He took a step forward. "Just listen to me! Trunks wasn't in his right mind! He could have seriously hurt you! Vegeta was only stopping you from getting hurt!"
It seemed his shouts made some semblence of sense as she looked away toward the in-ground pool beyond the deck. "But why'd he do that to me? Make me afraid of him?" She swore quietly as her voice broke.
The pain in her voice and actions made him suddenly angry. "That he had no right to do, and the only excuse I could give is that he was desperate to stop you." It definitely wasn't the way I'd go about it, but this is Vegeta we're talking about. "I can't help you with that, but maybe you should ask him."
Her gaze swung back to meet his and he felt the kick to his gut. "You're right, maybe I should just confront him about it." She dropped her arms to her sides and strode past. "And you can just stay away from me."
Goten watched her fly up to her balcony and disappear through the doors. Great job moron. Scrubbing his face with his hands, he hopped back up onto the deck and went inside. The rich scent of cooking food guided his feet to the kitchen where Bulma stood at the stove humming to herself. Goten smiled and sat down. "Smells good."
She turned around and smiled warmly at him. "I hope so." She picked up a wooden spoon and stirred the contents of one of the simmering pots. "Don't worry about her, she'll come around."
Goten cocked his head. "What?"
Bulma tapped the spoon on the pot and set it back down before coming to stand on the opposite side of the island. "My headstrong daughter will eventually see the light." She took a sip from the mug on the counter. "She just needs time to let the anger go away." She smirked from behind her mug. "Exactly like her father."
It took a moment for his surprise to subside. Apparently Mother's do know everything. "I hope you're right." I really hope you're right.
A/N: I really, really hope this chapter makes up for this extremely long update wait. I'm not going to make any excuses, so basically I'm saying that I slacked a bit when it came to writing this up. I'm sorry I'm such a mean fic writer....procrastination runs in my blood. The next couple chapters are where things start to really heat up...and I'll leave that up to you to try and figure out...'til next time!!
artchic: Aw..thanx for reviewing! I totally understand where you're coming from and Vegeta's behavior will come up soon...if you couldn't already tell..hehe. I went back and reread it and found myself agreeing...he was a bit harsher than his GT counterpart portrayed....but knowing that now, I've got even more ideas in my head. The whole Trunks bit was kind of spontaneous...I felt the fic needed a bit more bang ^_^. I really appreciate the vote of confidence...and I hope you'll keep reviewing. Thanx!!
Chapter 3
Briefs Residence
It never ceased to amaze her every time she pulled into the driveway; the sheer enormity of Bra's house was astounding. Cutting the engine to her subcompact car, she stepped out and dragged her bag from the passenger seat along with her. The cool autumn breeze ruffled her blonde hair from around her shoulders as she strode quickly to the door, hugging her green track jacket tightly around her to fend it off. Damn, it's cold! Stepping up onto the stoop, she rapped her already chilled knuckles on the strong wooden door. Somebody answer...quick! She ran in place as she waited and practically dove through the door when it opened. "Thank Kami! It's freezing out!"
Bra sighed and swung the door shut behind her. "It is November, Marron."
Marron shrugged out of her jacket and hung it on the ornate wooden coat rack near the door. "What's with you?" It was a dead give away that something was nagging at her when she went all deadpan.
"Nothing, so don't ask." She crossed her arms and left her in the foyer.
"Okay." Marron watched her go and toed off her boots before following her into the spacious living room. Bra had flung herself into Vegeta's enormous armchair and was already occupying herself with sorting out music.
Bulma looked up from the the floor in front of the sofa and beamed her a glowing smile. "Marron!" She dropped the floral arrangment she was putting together and trotted over to pull the young blonde into a strong embrace. "Bra didn't tell me you were coming." She cast her daughter an exasperated glance and winked at Marron in mutual understanding. "The party's not until tomorrow you know."
Marron dropped her bag on the sofa. "I wanted to come over and help set-up."
"I could always use an extra set of hands." Bulma walked back over to the flowers laid out on the ground and tapped her chin. "What do you think goes well with these tulips?"
Marron came to stand beside her and pointed at a bunch of wildflowers. "That'll give them some color and dimension."
"Yea, I was thinking about putting them together." She reached over and started to put the whole thing together in an elegant vase. "Guess I just wanted a second opinion."
Bra scoffed. "I can't believe you're actually debating what flowers to put out."
Bulma cut her daughter a glare. "Flowers give color, atmosphere, and attitude." She glanced at Marron. "Why don't you go check on Trunks?"
"Me?" Marron blinked.
"Mhm..he's been sleeping a lot since the incident and fighting off a bit of a fever." She put some finishing touches on the arrangement and straightened up. "Just bring him some water and check his temperature."
Marron found herself nodding. It was impossible to disobey Bulma when she gave you her friendly-boss smile. Her employees know it well no doubt. "Ok. He's in his old room, right?"
Bulma nodded with a sunny smile on her face, but Marron caught the rolling eyes of her friend in her peripheral. That translates into 'what a crock'. She turned and started for the kitchen, hearing Bulma tear into her daughter. "And speaking of attitude, your's sucks!"
Marron knew from experience that what was playing out in the living room wasn't something anyone ever wanted to go through. Bulma was ruthless went it came to reprimanding bad behavior. Shivering away the memory of a similar berating, she quickly found a clean glass and filled it up from water from the tap. Holding it like precious cargo, she strode over to the stairs coming off the kitchen. Her heart started to beat faster in her chest as she started her climb, her hands clutching the glass with white knuckles. This is nothing Marron. You're just going to check on him in his room...where's he's sleeping. She reached the top of the spiral staircase and stared down the deserted hallway. Alone. She laughed nervously and lifted the glass to stare at the sloshing liquid. Oh get a grip already! Shutting her eyes, she planted one foot in front of the other until she found herself in front of his closed bedroom door. Just breathe you idiot! Blowing out a nervous breath, she reached out and grasped the brass doorknob, slowly turning it until the door clicked open.
Releasing the knob, she let the door swing in of it's own volition and peered in. Blues of all shades and hues clearly declared it a male's room and the first thing she saw when she stepped in was the multitude of clothing strewn across the floor. No kidding this is a male's room. Looking left, she noticed his large oak desk covered in electronics and the doorway to his closet, shoes piled in the threshold. Turning to look the other way, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she caught sight of his face. She nearly dropped the glass of water in relief when she realized his eyes were shut. I'm hopeless. Setting the glass down on the matching oak nightstand, she kneeled down beside the bed to look at his face. His skin was pale and sweat beaded on his forehead. Well, at least his fever's broke. The sheets were rumpled from his tossing and turning, a definite sign of troubled sleep, but his expression was peaceful and relaxed. Smiling at his boyish features, she reached out and laid the back of her hand against his forehead to gauge his temperature. It was cool to the touch. All's well.
She pulled back her hand and just watched him sleep. Staring at his serene face, it was then that she noticed his deep blue eyes were open. "Ah!" Whirling around, she dashed for the door.
"Wait!" A strong grip wrapped around her upper arm and stopped her escape. "Where are you going?"
She winced at his confused tone and slowly peeked around her own shoulder to meet his gaze. "Your Mom told me to bring you some water and to check on you." She felt like slapping herself at her shaking voice.
"Oh." He let go of her arm and smiled. "Thanks." Great, Mom has people waiting hand and foot on me now. I don't think she could embarrass me more.
Marron felt the heat rush to her cheeks and clasped her hands together so he wouldn't see them shake. "Ah..your welcome."
He laughed sheepishly. "I feel kinda weird having people take care of me." He ran a hand through his rumpled hair and grimaced. "I probably look like death warmed over." He definitely felt like it. Every muscle and bone ached like he was a hundred years old.
"You look fine, all things considered." She really wanted to elaborate, but knew it would make the situation ten times more awkward. "Ok..well..I'm gonna go back downstairs and help out Bulma." She turned to leave.
"Let me just change into a clean shirt and I'll come with you." He reached down and grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head.
Marron quickly averted her eyes and cursed the blush that bloomed on her cheeks. Great. Just wonderful. She bowed her head to look at the floor, but found herself straying. Glancing up, she watched his shoulder blades as they moved beneath his muscular back. His skin was tanned and smooth as it rolled with his movements across the wide expanse of his shoulders. Trunks slipped another t-shirt- this one black- over his head and turned to face her as he pulled in down, giving her a teasing glimspe of his flat, hard abdomen. Shaking herself out of her stupor, she stepped into the hall and started for the stairs. "So, did you really do all that stuff they showed on the news?"
He walked beside her and shrugged. "Apparently I did, but I don't remember any of it."
She looked up at his face and couldn't help but compare him to a lost puppy. A slight smirk tugged at her mouth. I bet that would definitely make him feel all rugged and manly. Major ego killer. Instead, she wrapped her arms around herself and cocked her head to the side in thought. "What do you remember?"
He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Waking up here." They walked down the steps in companionable silence until stepping into the kitchen to find Vegeta watching them. Trunks' brow furrowed. "Dad?"
Vegeta cocked his head toward the door. "Come with me."
Trunks cast Marron a confused look before shrugging and following his father outside. She watched him go and hugged herself against the chilly draft that swept through the room from the opening door. All by myself again. Sighing, she pulled out a stool from the island and sat down, propping her head on her hands. Extremely loud voices were shouting in the next room, reaching hysterical proportions when the doorbell rang. Marron shook her head and got up. Those two won't stop fighting, even to answer the door. They'll be at it for hours. Shuffling along the tiled floor, she cut through the hall and opened the door as the bell rang again. "Coming!"
"Marron!" A slight, dark-haired girl stepped through and wrapped the taller blonde into a strong hug.
Marron grimaced a moment. Geez...she's strong. "Hello to you too, Pan."
After a moment, the girl let go and smiled from ear to ear. "I haven't seen you in forever! How have you been?"
"Oh, okay. I'm here to help out Bulma." She tucked a stray tendril of soft blonde hair behind her ear and finally noticed Pan's companion. "Hi Goten."
Before he could response, Pan jumped in. "Yeah, my Mom said that I needed adult supervision on my way over here. It just so happened that he was on his way over here anyway to see Trunks. I came to see him too, but Mom told me to help out while I was here." She looked around. "Who's yelling?"
Marron pressed her fingers into her temple to stave off the headache that was forming. Man can she talk fast, like a hundred words a minute. "That's just Bra and Bulma going at it."
"Oh." She frowned a moment before bounding off to Kami-knows-where.
Goten smirked. "That's a brave girl going in there."
"Ha." Marron gestured him in and shut the door. "I got out of the war zone as fast as I could, although Bulma gave me fair warning." She smiled as her eyes ran him up and down. Just like his older brother, he'd inherited his father height and build. "You look good." With that hair you can't even tell them apart.
He bowed his head. "Thank you." Smirking, he lifted a brow. "You don't look so bad yourself."
She smacked him playfully on the arm. "Knock it off. If you're looking for Trunks, he's outside with Vegeta." Turning around, she slipped back into the kitchen.
Goten watched her go and listened as the yelling cresendoed to epic proportions. He weighed his options and decided it would be safer for him to wait outside and out of the range of the raging females. He smirked at his own cowardice as he turned down the adjacent hall and out a pair of sliding glass doors to the deck. It doesn't matter if it's Bulma or Mom...they are downright terrifying when they're mad at you. The cool autumn breeze ruffled his haphazard hair around his ears as he leaned on the strong teak railing. The only ones brave enough to defy their parents were Trunks and Bra. Haha...too much of Vegeta's influence I'll bet. Speaking of Vegeta....where are they? He gazed up into the cerulean sky and allowed his Saiyan senses to focus. Ah...flying off north....wonder why? He'd also viewed the late night destruction his best friend had created and it worried him. The guy never takes a day off...no wonder he flipped his lid. A person could only take so much.
The smooth glide of the glass doors sounded behind him and he turned around. Bra stood arms akimbo with a glare so icy it would freeze hell. "Get. Off. My. Deck."
Instead of listening, Goten smiled brightly and stepped toward her. "Hi Bra, nice to see you." He screwed his face into a over-poweringly happy grimace and openly mocked her. " 'Oh, it's great to see you Goten! I haven't seen you in forever, how are you?' " He dropped the happy face and smiled. "I'm just fine Bra." He held out his hands. "See, how hard was that?"
"Go bug off." She swept past him and planted her right hand on the railing to swing herself up to sit with her feet swinging. "Why the hell are you here?"
He shook his head, spun on his heel, and leaned his back against the rail facing the other way. "That was a little better." He noted the tense hunch of her shoulders. "I came to see Trunks and brought along Pan."
She groaned loudly. "You brought Motor Mouth?" Casting him a distasteful glance she crossed her ankles. "One of the Sons is torture enough, but did you have to bring another?"
"Oh, we can't all be that bad. Besides, all of us will be here tomorrow. Then what are you going to do?"
"Grit my teeth and tie up my hands."
The image of her jaw clenched with hands tied down brought a loud laugh from Goten. He got off the railing and shoved her. "You need to lighten up."
Bra found herself caught unawares and was sent sailing into the soft green grass of the backyard. Hair spilling in all directions, she slowly stood up and turned to face him. "You asshole! Are you asking for a fight?!"
He shrugged while smirking devilishly. "Maybe."
All responses abandoned her and she settled for a loud audible growl as she brushed off her beige turtleneck and jeans. Big blotches of green stained the knees of the snug denim. "Ah! You got grass stains on my jeans!"
Goten chortled as he hopped over the rail and strode toward her. "You are definitely Bulma's daughter." He straightened up from his laugh and barely had time to throw his hands up to block her incoming fist. "Holy crap!"
She dropped to the ground and crouched low to swing her heel out, just missing the chance to knock him off his feet. Backflipping away to protect herself, she stood arms crossed smiling haughtily. "Vegeta's daughter too."
His black eyes narrowed. "How could I forget?" Good...now to find the root of the problem. Lacing his fingers, he stretched them out and cracked his knuckles. "It's been awhile since I had a good fight." He bent his knees as he slid his left leg back and bent forward at the waist, hands held tight to his sides. "But I know this isn't really about a stained pair of jeans."
"That's another thing about you..." She crouched and held her hands out in front of her. "Too Kami-damned nosy!" Leaping forward, she drilled at his head with her right elbow.
Goten waited until the last possible second and shot both arms out to throw her elbow up and her along with it. Taking the block in stride, she twisted at the waist and brought a full roundhouse kick at his face. Bending backward, he pushed off his hands and sent both feet into her back to send her straight up in the air. He bucked his hips and landed on his feet squarely. "Something's bothering you and you're allowing it to fester and infect the rest of your family."
Bra somersaulted a few times before flairing her ki and floating with limbs outstretched, glaring down at him. "I didn't know you were smart enough to be that philosophical." Despite her bold talk, she desperately wanted to tell someone how she felt. If you only knew.
He smiled crookedly and she felt her breath catch. "Delude yourself all you want, but you will tell me." Launching upward, he sent a series of swift swings at her head. She shifted her speed into another gear and dodged each one, slipping in close to latch onto his wrist. Slamming her heel into his chin, his head snapped back and she started to spin. Whipping around to the point of blurring to anyone watching, she released him to careen into the ground. Goten's eyes wobbled in his head and caught sight of the upcoming ground and he pulled at his slackened limbs. Time to move! He swung his arms around to break his fall and swallowed to make sure his lunch remained eaten. That's just what I need..to be puking everywhere. The seemingly soft grass was bone-shatteringly hard as he slammed into it, elbows buckling under the force of impact. Thank Kami I'm not completely human. Extracting himself from his form-fitted hole, he flipped onto his back and caught her foot as it drove for his chest. "Your technique is textbook, but it's time to fess up." Lifting his free hand, he billowed up a bright blue orb of ki and yanked her leg closer so she couldn't escape. "It's payback time." He shot the blast directly at her chest.
The force knocked the wind out of her chest and when he let go, she sailed backward and into the thick trunk of the ancient oak tree in the yard. Her slim body made a soft indentation in the bark. Blowing the smoke away from her face, she glared at him as he approached the base of the tree. "Alright, so I've been neglecting my training. School's been keeping me real busy."
He waggled a finger in a tsk-tsk manner. "Shame on you, but that's not what I want." He floated up and gently pulled her from the wood.
She definitely wasn't so exhausted that she couldn't easily take care of herself, but she couldn't ignore the slightly giddy feeling of having him hold her. Ok...Bra's gone crazy. She hid her smirk as she played limp and he had to wrap his arms around her. Bra found her body completely relaxed in his embrace and his gentleness touched her. He lowered to the ground and set her on her feet. She took a step back and finally saw how truly worried he was. "Ok, you win." She sniffed back a few tears and hugged herself. "How can I resist when you look at me like that?"
Goten had always considered her as Trunks' little sister, someone totally off-limits, but the scared look in her watery blue eyes made him realize that she was very much a woman. DemiSaiyan or not. He reached out and rubbed her arms for encouragement. "You can tell me anything."
"Really?" She blinked a few times to unmat her wet lashes. Goten's never been like this before...he's never paid attention to me.
Definitely a woman....a very vulnerable and hurt woman. He tightened his grip on her arms and pulled her to him again, his need to comfort her over-whelming. "Of course."
The tenderness in his actions was her undoing. She wrapped her arms around his neck and didn't try to stop the rush of words out of her mouth. "I'm afraid...afraid that I don't know him anymore. Or that I never did. I thought he was going to actually hurt me. He's never done anything like that before. I mean, yeah he's strict, but I never thought he'd go as far threaten severe bodily harm." She took a deep breath and stopped herself. "I'm babbling like an idiot."
Goten held her and rubbed her back as her warm breath tickled his neck. "No, it's good." So good I'm glad she can't see what I'm thinking. Shaking his head, he pulled a leaf from her hair. "We're talking about Vegeta right?"
She nodded against his broad shoulder. "Yeah. I went to see Trunks that night and Daddy was there. He and Trunks had fought and Trunks was somewhere underwater. I wanted to go look for him, but he stopped me." She sniffed and wiped her nose. "He grabbed my face and told me that if I didn't go home he'd do to me what he did to Trunks." When he didn't respond, she continued to stave off the silence. "I never really believed all those stories about how evil he was...that he'd been a mass-murderer, but I could see it in his eyes that night. He would've done it."
His mind was racing as she pressed her face into his shirt. I would never have believed them either. I've seen the way Vegeta is when it comes to his daughter, but I think I know what he was doing. The only thing was, he didn't she'd like to hear it. "Well, I want you to know that I'm not taking sides, but-"
She reared back and distanced herself while still in his grasp. "But what?"
The betrayal he saw in her eyes ate at him. "He was protecting you."
"Protecting me from what?! My own brother?!" The shock was evident in her voice and the way she shoved him away.
Goten's head dropped as she pushed him. No! It's not like that! He took a step forward. "Just listen to me! Trunks wasn't in his right mind! He could have seriously hurt you! Vegeta was only stopping you from getting hurt!"
It seemed his shouts made some semblence of sense as she looked away toward the in-ground pool beyond the deck. "But why'd he do that to me? Make me afraid of him?" She swore quietly as her voice broke.
The pain in her voice and actions made him suddenly angry. "That he had no right to do, and the only excuse I could give is that he was desperate to stop you." It definitely wasn't the way I'd go about it, but this is Vegeta we're talking about. "I can't help you with that, but maybe you should ask him."
Her gaze swung back to meet his and he felt the kick to his gut. "You're right, maybe I should just confront him about it." She dropped her arms to her sides and strode past. "And you can just stay away from me."
Goten watched her fly up to her balcony and disappear through the doors. Great job moron. Scrubbing his face with his hands, he hopped back up onto the deck and went inside. The rich scent of cooking food guided his feet to the kitchen where Bulma stood at the stove humming to herself. Goten smiled and sat down. "Smells good."
She turned around and smiled warmly at him. "I hope so." She picked up a wooden spoon and stirred the contents of one of the simmering pots. "Don't worry about her, she'll come around."
Goten cocked his head. "What?"
Bulma tapped the spoon on the pot and set it back down before coming to stand on the opposite side of the island. "My headstrong daughter will eventually see the light." She took a sip from the mug on the counter. "She just needs time to let the anger go away." She smirked from behind her mug. "Exactly like her father."
It took a moment for his surprise to subside. Apparently Mother's do know everything. "I hope you're right." I really hope you're right.
A/N: I really, really hope this chapter makes up for this extremely long update wait. I'm not going to make any excuses, so basically I'm saying that I slacked a bit when it came to writing this up. I'm sorry I'm such a mean fic writer....procrastination runs in my blood. The next couple chapters are where things start to really heat up...and I'll leave that up to you to try and figure out...'til next time!!
artchic: Aw..thanx for reviewing! I totally understand where you're coming from and Vegeta's behavior will come up soon...if you couldn't already tell..hehe. I went back and reread it and found myself agreeing...he was a bit harsher than his GT counterpart portrayed....but knowing that now, I've got even more ideas in my head. The whole Trunks bit was kind of spontaneous...I felt the fic needed a bit more bang ^_^. I really appreciate the vote of confidence...and I hope you'll keep reviewing. Thanx!!