Pacifist

Chapter 12—My Place, Tonight

Disclaimer: All characters, locations, and scenarios are the legal and intellectual property of the one who first created them.

Author's Note: The Saiyan Three do something fairly stupid in this chapter. Please keep in mind that (as far as this fic is concerned) this is Goten's and Trunks' first party of this sort, as well as Chessa's.


The site of the party was reminiscent of Goten's home, if on a smaller scale. There was a comfortable looking house with some land surrounding it, though nowhere near the wild acres that encompassed the Son residence. Chessa had talked Bulma into covering for Goten (not that she took much convincing, as she disagreed with Chi-Chi about whether or not social activity was necessary for the boys) and so the trio was at the party with the stern princess none the wiser.

"Glad you could make it!" Selene's energetic greeting was directed at the trio as they climbed out of the convertible that Bulma had lent them for the night. The blonde's eyes followed Trunks as he helped Chessa jump out of the back seat and collapsed the shiny red car into its capsule form.

"Bulma was cool about helping us get out here," Goten said with a broad grin. "She said that we needed to get out more, anyway."

"Apparently she thinks the three of us should have more people to wreak havoc with," Chessa said brightly. Grabbing Trunks' and Goten's hands, she tugged them off in the direction of the music. The boys laughed, following her, and Selene looked distinctly put out.

"She wants to be that way, does she?" Selene hissed after the trio of Saiyans had moved out of earshot. "There's no way I'm giving up on Trunks just because some new chit shows up." Her glare could have melted ice, but the now distant Saiyans didn't feel it at all.

"Ooo, cookies!"

"No, Chessa," Trunks sighed. "Not right off the bat, all right? It took you most of the day to recover from your coffee."

The girl sighed, pouting at the boys, but they were obviously decided on the matter. "Fine. The cookies will wait until you aren't looking."

"I don't know how it is that you can be Saiyan and still be affected so quickly by caffeine and sugar," Goten muttered. "Logically, you should metabolize it too quickly for it to really affect you, unless you have a lot—and for us, that's more than any sane person would let you near."

Chessa paused, stopping an intricate mahogany braid half-way around her head, to peer at Goten curiously. "Are you going to be a doctor? Because I really hadn't thought about that. I just figured that two, two and a half pots of coffee would do that."

Trunks winced and Goten whistled. "That explains this morning, since Bulma makes such huge pots of coffee, and it's strong stuff, too. I still think that it should have worn off faster, though." The Son's eyes crinkled slightly in amusement. "Vegeta does love his coffee."

"He's never had more than one pot of that hell's brew my mom calls coffee," Trunks stated, clearly astonished and horrified at the prospect of Chessa consuming more than twice what his father would. "That doesn't just explain this morning, Goten—it really does explain the whole day! I'm going to have to talk to Mom about just letting you drink as much of that stuff as you want."

"But … it was yummy!" Chessa objected, sounding like a kid in a candy shop who had just been told there was no more of her favorite chocolate. "Lots of cream and sugar."

"Just one cup in the future, okay?" Trunks begged. "I like you better when you're not on excessive amounts of caffeine. Just yourself, you know?"

Perhaps it was a trick of the dim light, but Trunks could have sworn that those large, expressive chocolate eyes got even bigger for a moment as she finished her braided crown. "Just one cup. Not that those tankards are really cups, but … I promise." A big grin split Chessa's face and she leaned in to give Trunks a peck on the cheek. "Come on, even without exorbitant amounts of sugar, there's punch, and music, and dancing, and people to talk to! Let's get out there and have fun!"

Chessa turned quickly to sway over to the refreshments and grab herself a pitcher of punch—screw the cups, they were much too small—hoping that her friends hadn't noticed her sudden blush as she pulled back from giving Trunks that little kiss. She took a big swig of the fruity concoction, feeling rather self-conscious in the outfit that Bra and Bulma had picked out for her. How a ten-year-old girl could be so fashion-obsessed …

Carrying her pitcher, the female Saiyan returned to her friends. Her blush had cleared and she was not about to let a little discomfort with her clothes ruin the night for her. Low-rise black leather pants fit her like a second skin to the knee before flaring just slightly above her strappy emerald stilettos. She couldn't have managed the shoes as a human—not for the whole night—but the four-inch heels that would have strained a human's feet and calves was perfectly comfortable for a Saiyan. The outfit was completed by an asymmetrical emerald crop-top and a strand of black pearls around her throat with a pair of the rare gems hanging from her ears. She looked stunning.

She wasn't sure how to feel about showing herself off this way. It was fine for Bulma, and little Bra (though Daddy's Little Princess did so much less, as she was still ten), but Chessa was a different sort of animal. She was Saiyan, proud and strong … and a pacifist. I'm only Saiyan in body, and though my instincts sometimes come out to play, I'm still human at heart. "So, boys, are we just going to stand here all night?"

Someone chuckled, tapping Chessa on the shoulder. She turned to see a smiling face behind her, all too pretty, with sapphires for eyes and raven-feather hair. "I'm Gabriel Tarries," the face said kindly. "I noticed that neither of these brutes were asking you to dance, so I thought I'd cut in and welcome you to our class properly."

"Chessa Ohanzee," she replied with a smile of her own. "Trunks and Goten make excellent bodyguards; that's why I keep them around."

"Ah, I see," Gabriel said warmly. There was nothing overly intimate in his tone—just honest friendliness and good will. "Well, if your bodyguard would relinquish you to my protection for a while, I would be honored if you would dance with me."

Chessa smiled at Gabriel before shooting a look over her shoulder at the demi-Saiyans. They had their arms crossed over their chests, much as if they were actually her bodyguards. "It's my pleasure," she purred, handing Goten her pitcher and letting Gabriel lead her away.

Trunks and Goten stood there, feeling slightly put out, as Chessa swayed away with Gabe. "Well, at least we know she's safe with him," Goten muttered, taking a swig from the pitcher Chessa had thrust upon him. "He might be a weakling, but his heart is in the right place."

"He's as nice as your dad," Trunks pointed out, grabbing the pitcher from his best friend, lavender eyes intent on the Saiyan on the dance floor. "Got that same 'protector of the innocent' thing going on." He swallowed a mouthful of the fruity stuff then passed the pitcher back to Goten.

"Damn, we're going to have to keep an eye on people around her," Goten observed, giving a low, appreciative whistle. He and Trunks weren't the only ones watching Chessa dance; she was lithe, graceful, all her curves in just the right places on her toned body. Gabriel was treating her just like he would any other girl, but the others wouldn't hesitate to try to take advantage of her.

"Mm-hmm," Trunks agreed around another swallow of punch; between the two of them, he and Goten had already polished off Chessa's pitcher. "We're going to have to grab some more punch before she gets back."

"I'll get a refill," Goten volunteered, snatching the pitcher out of Trunks' hands. "Keep an eye on her." The dark-haired demi-Saiyan proceeded to wander off towards the well-stocked refreshment table, leaving Trunks to watch Chessa alone.

The song ended while Goten was gone, and Gabriel led Chessa back over to her friends, true to form. He stopped once they reached Trunks, bowing over Chessa's hand, stopping just short of kissing it. "You dance very well, Chessa. Remember, if you need anything, I'm here for you."

"Thank you," she responded, slightly flushed, a grin spread across her face. She watched the oh-so-pretty Gabriel walk away, then turned to Trunks, still flushed with excitement. "Well, he was nice."

"Gabe is nice to everyone," Trunks informed her, his eyes boring into her. He wanted to dance with her, closer than she'd danced with Gabriel. But he was not going to have her become a pawn in his father's game any more than he wanted to give up his future because the Saiyan no Ouji thought that his son should mate a full-blooded Saiyan just because one was available. "He's like Goku."

"Except handsome and charming, for a human," Chessa added. "Where'd my punch go? I'm a bit thirsty." She brushed a loose wisp of hair out of her face, looking around for the pitcher she had left with Goten, her cheeks still distinctly pink. Trunks could still smell excitement coming off of her, and he decided that he and Goten would have to make sure she got to dance as much as she wanted that night.

"It's right here," Goten announced, handing the pitcher to Chessa. "I hope you don't mind that we finished off the first batch."

Chessa shrugged, accepting the jug and taking a long draft. "Fine with me. It's not like I'm going to get Saiyan germs from you two." She handed the jug off to Trunks, her blush intensifying as their fingers brushed.

Could it be that she … no. Trunks shook his head to clear it of foolish thoughts. "Anyway, Gabriel is everyone's best friend, excepting thugs. You're almost as safe with him as you are with us. We're more than willing to dance with you, and if anyone else asks you, we'll tell you if it's better to say no."

Nodding, Chessa accepted the carafe back from Trunks, taking a swallow before passing it on to Goten. "The whole you-looking-out-for-me thing, got it." She smiled, wrapping one arm around each of the large males. "No one would dare try anything with you two watching out for me." The boys blushed, neither of them really sure what to do about the hug. "You're the best friends a girl could ask for."


Author's Note: This is the longest chapter of Pacifist so far. I decided to break the party up into two chapters because I'm on page four, and I don't want to hugely lengthen the chapters (unless I get beaten into it by reviewers popping out of the woodwork), just make sure they average from 1500-2000 words from now on. There's still some action planned for later in the party, and this seemed like a good stopping point, so … wait for chapter 13. Review. Stuff like that. It shouldn't be too long. I'm on a roll. This is the second chapter I've completed today.