Author's notes: So here's another installment. Oh, and I have made a poll on my profile concerning which stories I should continue on at the moment. Since I have to many stories running, I'll put a couple on temporary hiatus. But I do want your input on which should be continued right now.

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Sergeant Daniel: Thanks for the review and yes, you're right. The confusing part has started.

Black Seconds

Bulma put her arms through the sleeves of her coat. She stopped halfway because heard the slamming of a car door. With one arm inside her coat she pushed down the handle and the door open. A very tall man with a bald head came walking over. At the bottom of the stairs he stopped, he bowed for her and walked up the last steps. She put on her coat fully and gave him a hand. He was so tall that she felt like a teenage girl of sorts. She had almost given him a courteous bow.

'I have just seen Eighteen,' Tien said.

'I was about to go see her,' she said quickly.

'Can I ask a couple of minutes of your time?'

'Off course.'

She pulled of her coat again. Lead him to the kitchen. There, a corner couch stood, with cushions on the railing.

'What about Marron,' Bulma said desperately, 'there aren't many possibilities, are there?' She stared at him with fearful eyes. 'Eighteen has almost given up hope,' she whined. 'I don't know how we have to go on, if the worst imaginable has happened. This will be the final blow for her. She only lives for her little girl. Ever since Krillin has left.'

Tien listened to what Bulma had to say. Because she was scared she talked a lot.

'It's not good to be alone with children,' she said sadly; she was sauntered around in the kitchen, but didn't do anything. 'Children shouldn't mean too much for their parents, that is too heavy a burden for them. How it should go on with Eighteen when Marron hits puberty and wants to go out, I can't even imagine.'

She blinked with her eyes, confused due to the jump her mind had made.

'Could you maybe tell me something about the reason of Eighteen's divorce?' Tien asked.

Bulma stared at him with big eyes. 'why are you asking that?' she said surprised.

He smiled a little. 'I don't even know that myself. But I ask everything.'

He explained it in such a simple way, with a downcast gaze, as if he thought it rude to ask such things. She wanted to help him.

'But that divorce hasn't got anything to do with Marron's dissapearance?' she asked, unsure.

Tien looked at her. 'We don't think so either. I'm just curious. Is it hard to talk about it?'

She hesitated. 'No, I don't know...'

She laid her hands on the table, as if she wanted to show him symbolicaly how clean they were.

'So,' he repeated. 'Can you tell me something about the break up of Eighteen and Krillin Chestnut? You are her best friend. Do you have a close band with her?'

She nodded without looking at him. 'I don't know it exactly,' she said, evasive, 'but I thought there was something with a woman. Krillin had had an 'adventure' and Eighteen didn't tolerate that. She threw him out. Krillin is ten years younger than Eighteen,' she went on. 'And you don't have to get me wrong. Krillin is a very neat man, he's not the sort to jump into bed with everyone. But that one night it did happen and Eighteen couldn't cope. She is so, well, how shall I say it, so balck and white in everyhting. So square.'

'Did she give you details?'

Bulma looked the other way and stayed focused on the curtains covering the window. 'Yes. But I don't think I can just tell them to anyone. Those details also won't help you further.'

He backed off and nodded. 'Eighteen says that Marron really likes you and your husband?'

Bulma saw Marron in front of her again, a short, sparkling image of a very lively girl, here in her own kitchen. Then she blinked and the image was gone.

'We are used to her coming over,' she nodded. 'It is so quiet now that she isn't here. She's such a child that can be very assertive. She has more uncles and aunts, but she never visits them.'

'Is there a reason why she doesn't see them often?' Tien asked carefully.

'It just happened. Krillin's brothers never showed much interest in Eighteen and Marron. They must have been busy with their own families. Or maybe they just don't connect. They live farther than us.'

'Do you work?' he wanted to know.

'I sometimes strike in at the Capsi school,' she said. 'When sometimes falls ill. For the rest I'm home.'

'Your daughter, Bra, how old is she?'

'Twelve,' Bulma said. 'She's in seventh grade. She hangs out with Marron a lot. This is very hard for her, I don't know what I have to tell her. But she read papers and watches television. I can't hide the news from her.'

'You can't tell her anything yet,' he said. 'We don't know what happened.'

She was surprised again by how neutrally he could express himself, because she was fairly sure that Marron was dead. She wasn't only dead, but maybe she had also died in a gruesome way. The worst way imaginable. With a unimaginable pain and fear.

'And your son, Trunks Vegeta?' he asked.

When he named her son, a frown appeared on her forehead. 'What's with him?' she said.

'How does he cope?'

She shook her head in a desperate way. 'Bad,' she conceded. 'He isn't someone with his heart on his tongue. Bra and I at least try to talk to each other about it. Trunks joined the search last night and he found it horrible. I have to admit that I have thought of him as an egositical boy quite often. Who only thinks of himself. This week he managed to get a dent in his car,' she smiled. 'Unbelieveable, so frustrated was he. He had had him for about three weeks,' she added. 'And then I came. With all the other bad things. Then he got something to think about,' she decided. She had talked herself warm, her cheeks were red.

'Does he work?' Tien wanted to know.

'He is in his last year of high school. He doesn't really like it and I don't think he'll study further. The only thing he wants is to work and earn money, be busy with his car and be with his friends. He sits a lot behind his computer. Or he watches films. I think it's fine,' she said. 'I don't have that many ambitious plans for my children. I just want them to be happy.'

'He had an accident with his car,' Tien said. 'ON the first of September? Did I hear that well enough?'

'Yes,' she said. 'He left at the beginning of the evening and returned very late at night. He was quite upset, the poor boy. You know what it's like with cars and boys. But I do think I managed to get it into his head that having a dent in your car is nothing compared to what a human can really overcome.'

'You said at the beginning of the evening. Do you remember how late it was?'

She frowned her head. 'A little past six. He yelled from the hallway that he was leaving. The news on TVWest had just started, I always watch that.'

'Where did he go to?'

'He hangs out a lot with a boy called Goten. He went over to there,' she said. ' He lives at Mount Paozu.'

'Then I'll go talk to him,' Tien said. 'He could have seen something on his way there. Is he at school now?' he went on asking.

'No,' she said. 'Toady he went to Yajirobe. An other friend. Or, they were friends. Before. I wasn't really fond of it and I made that clear to Trunks as well. Bt Yajirobe knows a bit about cars. They are going to repare the dent together.'

Tien grew curious. 'Why weren't you fond of their friendship?'

'Yajirobe is four years older than Trunks,' Bulma said. 'He seems to have been involved in a car robbery and maybe some worse stuff. So I didn't like it. It has been a long while ago. But Trunks is desperate to get the car in order again.'

'Your husband, Vegeta,' Tien said. 'Eighteen said that he's gone very often, travelling or so I heard?'

'He is now in East city,' she said. 'But he's coming home this weekend. Usually, I like it that he's travelling, then we don't get in each other's way the whole time and the kids are big enough, they can manage on their own. But at this moment, it's quite hard. After everything that has happened as of late. We call every evening.'

'That Yajirobe,' said Tien,' he lives in the neighbourhood?'

'More to the centre of town. Yajirobe Sandwell. I believe it's called the Drairyroad, they have a big yellow house with an enormous garage. He lives there with his mother.'

'You say he is older. Does he have a job?'

'He works in the bowling hall of town. At least, that's what he used to do. Now he sometimes steps in at the Shell-station right next to it. That's how he gets his tools, you know. He is no mechanic, but I suppose he picked up a few things over there.'

Bulma was dumbfounded with the attention her son's friend was getting. She threw a glance at her watch and called out: 'I have to leave. Eighteen is waiting for me!'

'I have kept you longer than I thought it would take.' Tien said.

There, that small bow again. His appearance impressed her. He radiated peace and calm, he was so self-assured. They walked out of the house together. Bulma opened the door to the garage. Tien glanced inside, at the white Volvo and the empty space next to it. At the back of the garage stood four tires, persumably studded tires that would be used very soon. Some junk, a couple of boxes on a shelf. Right next to the door he was looking through lay four threadbare rubber mats. Opel, he thought, her son has an Opel.

Why did I tell him so much? Bulma thought.

Author's notes: Alright, that was some input from Bulma. Who will be questioned next? Read the next chapter to find out.

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