Mysterious Beauty
Chapter 8: Battle of Emotions
By Lady Starra
Rating: PG-13
presea94@netscape.net
See foreword for standard disclaimers.

* * *

Goten looked across the room at an aqua-haired beauty, dressed in a gorgeous
blue gown, sitting and talking with the parents she hadn't seen in seven
years. He couldn't get over it. The little girl he knew for so long was
sitting before him as a woman.

The people there had started to dance not too long ago. Goten wondered if he
should ask Mirai Bra to dance. 'No way,' a voice in his head told him.
'Vegeta would kill me!' However, before he could reconsider asking her
anyway, another person beat him to it...namely, himself.

Mirai Goten took Mirai Bra's hand as they joined the other dancers. Goten
looked at Bulma and Vegeta for their reaction. Bulma was smiling, and Vegeta,
surprisingly, seemed content and okay with it. Goten didn't think a person
could be jealous of their own self, but, watching Mirai Bra and Mirai Goten
together...

Goten was beginning to understand how Trunks had been feeling all this time.
Although he was attracted and captivated by Bra's future self, he didn't
know if he could say that he was in love with her, like Trunks was with Mirai
Pan. Or so he claimed, anyway.

Meanwhile, Trunks was standing in the corner of the ballrom, watching Mirai
Trunks and Mirai Pan as they danced. 'How am I supposed to talk with her if
HE'S going to be around her every minute?' he asked himself. Well, he would
just have to fix that.

As he walked across the ballroom, Trunks was admired by many of the Dahlian
women, but he paid them no mind, for he only had eyes for one. He approached
the pair, tapping the girl on the shoulder.

She stopped and turned to look at him. "May I cut in?" he asked. She gave him
a surprised look, which followed with her partner's annoyed response, "No,
you may not."

"I just want to dance with her for one song. She's my friend too, you know."

"It's all right," she said, looking to Mirai Trunks.

Sighing, he gave in. "All right. Just don't keep me waiting too long." He
smiled and kissed her on the cheek, then glanced at his other self in
annoyance once more before stepping away.

"You look lovely," Trunks complimented.

"Thank you," she said, trying not to blush.

"Listen, Pan-chan...there's something I really need to speak with you about...alone. Do you think we can talk after the party?"

'He looks so serious. It must be really important,' she thought.

"It's crucial that we talk in private," he added.

"All right. I'll meet you at the gazebo in the garden afterwards."

* * *

All Goten did that evening was watch his other self dance with Mirai Bra.
He'd seen Trunks cut in on Mirai Trunks while he danced with Pan, and because
of the expression on Mirai Trunks' face, Goten didn't want to risk doing the
same to Mirai Goten. He didn't want any tension between him and his other
self, especially since the latter of them was much stronger.

He kept his eyes on them as they began to slip through the crowd of people
and make their way out one of the side doors. Not able to stifle his
curiousity, he followed them outside, and into the garden as quietly as he
could. They walked to a large tree with a garden bench under it, and from
where they sat, all of the stars in the Alisa Solar System were visible.
Goten hid behind a nearby tree and listened.

"What's so secret that you have to bring me all the way out here, Goten?" he
heard her ask.

"Well...you know me, I like my quiet time with you," was the reply. "But
there IS a reason I brought you here, Bra-chan."

"Why do I get the feeling this is going to be different than our normal
discussions?"

"Because it is. Bra-chan...well, you know that I love you, don't you?"

"Of course I know, Goten."

"And I know that you love me."

"With all my heart, Goten. Ever since I was a little girl."

The hidden blackhaired figure felt his heart sink in his chest. So that was
it. They loved each other. He didn't want to listen anymore, but he was too
dumbstruck to walk away.

"And I know we've been through so much together, Bra-chan. If I'd had the
strength...I would have killed Zio for even daring to hurt you."

"Goten, please," she said, stroking his face with her fingers. "Don't dwell
on the past. It's over now, and you can't change anything. I have you, and
Pan-chan, and that's all I need."

"And a family, perhaps?"

"You are my family."

Mirai Goten sighed. This was much harder than he thought it would be.

"I can give you more of a family, Bra-chan."

"Goten...what do you mean?"

He knelt before her on one knee, and pulled out a gold and diamond ring from
his pocket.

"Bra Briefs-Vegeta...would you do me the honor...of becoming my wife?"

She gasped, tears quickly flooding her eyes. She looked down at the ring.

"Goten...where did you get that ring? They don't have diamonds on this
planet."

"It was my kaasan's wedding ring."

"Oh...Goten..."

"So, will you, Bra-chan? Will you marry me?"

Choking back a sob, she smiled, and leaned forward to kiss him on the lips.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her heart swelled with joy and happiness.

"Is...that a yes?" he asked when the kiss broke.

"Yes. Yes, Son Goten, I want to marry you more than anything."

They shared another kiss, and their eavesdropper slowly slipped away, wishing
he hadn't heard what he just did. He tried to regain his composure.

'Hang on a second, Goten! Why are you getting all heartbroken and jealous?
You met her less than twenty-four hours ago and you're pining over her
because she can't love you? Well...she DOES love you, but not really...'

He sighed. He thought again about Trunks' feelings for Mirai Pan, and how
there was no way she could return his feelings. It was so unreal. He didn't
think it would happen to him too. Goten decided to go for a walk around the
gardens. If anything, it would help him clear his mind and think things out.

* * *

He turned around at the sound of footsteps, and saw her beautiful form
walking towards him. His breath stopped as he caught sight of the Dahlian
moonlight cascading over her features, making her look like some mythological
goddess. Somehow, he found his ability to speak.

"Thank you...for talking with me, Pan-chan."

"Is something wrong, Trunks? You made it sound like you had some sort of
crisis on your hands."

"Well...sort of. Can...can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I don't want to bring back any bad memories or anything, but...what was it
like...I mean, how did it feel...when I died?" he asked.

Shocked at his question, she only stood silent for a moment. "It was painful.
Very, very painful. And to tell you the truth...you wouldn't have died if it
hadn't been for me."

"What do you mean?"

She turned her back to him as she felt the tears coming. That day...was still
so vivid and fresh in her mind. Since she had been with Mirai Trunks, she had
been able to forget about it, the worst memory of her life. But now...

"You...were protecting me. Zio threw one of his magic blasts at me, but you
got in front of me and it hit you instead." He could now hear the brokenness
in her voice. "You see...I should have been the one to die, not you. It was
my fault."

"Oh, no...Pan-chan." He turned her to face him, and she was now sobbing
freely. He took her into a comforting embrace and whispered in her ear. "I'm
sorry. I didn't want you to relive that. Please, don't blame yourself, Pan.
Knowing me, it was probably something I would've done no matter what anybody
said." He lifted her chin and gazed into her tear-streaked face. "Please,
don't cry," he whispered, and gently wiped the tears away.

'So soft,' he thought as his thumb caressed her cheek. She was so close to
him, and her scent began to overwhelm him. He cupped the side of her face
with his hand, losing all coherent thought as he drew closer...

Then, to her sudden shock and disbelief, his lips were suddenly on her own.

She froze in his arms, eyes wide, too stunned to react or pull away. His next
words were almost too much for her to bear.

"Pan...I love you."

"T-Trunks..."

His lips were pressed to hers again, and his grip on her tightened. No, she
thought. This wasn't happening. Surely, both Trunks couldn't be in love with
her! It wasn't until he deepened the kiss, and she felt the onslaught of his
tongue in her mouth, that she was able to come out of her state of shock and
back to reality. She couldn't do this...she already had another.

Abruptly, she broke the kiss. "Trunks...please. I can't. I...I love Mirai
Trunks. I..."

"Please," he breathed against her lips. "Please, don't say it..."

"Trunks..."

He cut her off with another kiss. As soon as he had kissed her the first
time, he didn't want to let go. He loved and wanted her so much...he couldn't
bear to hear her say the words he dreaded...that she didn't love him back.

She pulled away from him again. "Trunks...I'm sorry. But the love I share
with Mirai Trunks...is so much deeper than you could possibly understand."
She had to get her point across, so that he would know there could never be
anything between them. "I've bonded with him, Trunks. He's my lifemate, my
destiny...my everything. We've bonded in the Saiyajin way and we can't be
kept apart. Earth in his world is dying, and becoming unlivable. He, and the
remaining survivors are going to be living here on Dahlia-sei."

"But Pan...you were in love with me first. You had to be. You did love me,
didn't you?"

"Trunks, that part of my life...is gone. It's gone, and I can't get it back.
You have your own life to live back in your world, Trunks. You have a destiny
to fulfill there," she told him.

"No...this isn't fair. It isn't fair that I've fallen in love with you...and
now, all I can do is forget about you," he said sadly.

"No, Trunks. You don't have to forget about me. You'll still have me, just a
much younger version is all."

"Still. I won't be able to look at Little Pan anymore without seeing your
face there. From the day you came into our lives, all she's wanted is to be
like you. And I see more of you in her every day."

"And she adores you. I know that, because I adored the Trunks in my world
too. I adored him all my life. But like I said before...he's gone. You, on
the other hand, are not. You can be there for her, and you can love her."

"She's still a child. She's so much younger than..."

"She won't be a child forever. Love has no limits, Trunks. It's a lesson I've
come to learn rather well, and is so true in my relationship with Mirai
Trunks. I...I'm sorry I can't return your feelings." She hugged him, then
looked up at him. "If you truly are in love with Son Pan...wait for her."

She gave him a small peck on the cheek before leaving the gazebo, running
back to the palace.

Trunks sat on one of the benches in the gazebo, burying his head in his
hands. 'Oh, Pan-chan. You may be bonded to him...but it doesn't change the
fact that I love you.' He then thought about the younger Pan. 'And after
this...I don't know if I can bear to fall in love with you again.'

* * *

Goten didn't know how long he had been walking. It seemed like hours, and
although it was late, he knew if he tried to go to bed he wouldn't be able to
sleep anyway.

As he walked, he came upon the gazebo. He was surprsised to see a person
sitting there, with a very familiar mop of purple hair.

"Trunks?"

He looked up at him, startled.

"Goten?"

"What's the matter with you? You look terrible."

"I...finally told her...that I love her."

Goten sighed. He saw this one coming. "I take it the feelings aren't mutual?"

"She loves Mirai Trunks. She's BONDED with him, if you can believe that,"
Trunks told him.

"Bonded? Like, bonded the Saiyajin way?"

"Yeah."

"Wow." Then, Goten had an outrageous thought. 'Maybe...could Mirai Bra and my
other self...be bonded as well? If that's the case, then I REALLY don't stand
a chance.'

"Come on, Trunks. I think you've been moping long enough. Let's go back."

* * *

She quickly made her way through the palace to her elaborate suite of rooms.
She stepped in, quickly locking the door behind her.

"Well, I was beginning to wonder when you'd show up."

Startled, she saw a familiar figure standing in the moonlight, waiting for
her.

"Don't do that. I've had quite enough surprises for one evening, thank you."

"So, did you let him down easy?"

"I take it you knew all along what he was going to say to me?"

He smirked. "Didn't have a clue."

"Uh-huh. Well, the whole thing was a shocker, that's for sure."

"Is he gonna live?"

"He was pretty heartbroken...but I think he'll be okay."

He stepped closer to her and wrapped her in his embrace.

"You're all tense."

"Can you blame me?"

"Well, it seems he DID get you pretty riled up. You never get like this when
I kiss you."

Oh, boy.

"And HOW did you know that he kissed me?"

"My darling, I'm your mate. You always seem to forget that I can read your
thoughts."

"How careless of me. Tell me, my love...do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

Smiling, he found the laces at the back of her gown and tugged at them.

"I'm getting a general idea," he said, kissing his way up her neck, and
finally finding her lips. "So...tell me this. Who's the better kisser?"

"Well...that's a little hard to say. I mean, you both sort of taste the same,
and..."

"Wrong answer, my sweet." He kissed her full on the lips, deepening it
gradually, tasting her hungrily. Breaking the kiss, he spoke. "So, what is it
you were saying...my love?"

"Hmm. You're definitely the better kisser. Definitely."

And with that, another kiss led to a night of endless, passionate bliss.




I know, I know. That was much shorter than the other chapters, but even
still...I think this is the best one yet. For those of you who wanted me to
make Trunks and Mirai Trunks fight over Mirai Pan...I'm sorry, but this is
how I planned it when I first came up with the story. Besides, I don't think
I could make Trunks do something like that without making him seem totally
OOC...which I swore I wouldn't do. Ah well, hope you all liked it anyway.

To come in the next chapter: Trunks and Goten sort out their emotions dealing
with their respective loves, the people in Mirai Trunks' timeline come to Dahlia,
and wedding preparations begin. Until then!