The Taming of the Saiyan
By Romania Black
Hey all! Wow, this chapter took NO TIME AT ALL to write! I was so ready to do this chapter, no kidding! Plus, a long four day weekend helps too! ha ha ha! Anyway, this is Chapter Twenty Nine, and I love this chapter so much! I hope you like it as much as I do! It's not what I expected it to turn out to be..but I think its WAAAAY better than I had planned..so anyway:
As usual, rated T for TEEN, due to mild violence, alcohol referance and consumption, mild sexual themes, and brief language...
Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Akira Toriyama! But if he wants to use any of my ideas...GO FOR IT!!!
NOTE: The story switches back and forth quite frequently from three different settings, so if you get confused, just remember that it goes from the Chi Chi house, to the sparring area behind Chi Chi's house, and rotates with Uub and Bra. Those are the three locations of this chapter, just to make things more clear. Thanks!
Reviews:
Witch of Erie Knoll: YAY! A long funny review! I love reviews like this..they're so funny! They inspire me too! ha ha ha, I definately have an IMAGINATION OVERLOAD when I think of what Bulma was implying..bwahahaha, but only I know what it was! MWHAHAHAAHHAAAA!!! -clears throat- Ahem, anywhoo, thanks for thinking that chapter wasn't lame! ha ha ha, I'm not a good judge on whether my chapters are good or not...so its good to hear they're okay. LOL, and that wasn't a bad joke..it was hilarious! LOL and you're drinking with Trunks? And its Rum? Can I join you guys? -Please, please?- ha ha, here's to DBZ character drinking parties and I hope you like this chapter! Thanks so much for the review!
Kumori Ookami: Yeah! If Videl was pregnant...00 creepy! LOL, and yeah, Krillin is a little lacking in the husband department sometimes! ha ha ha, that's okay about your computer..it happens to the best of us! LOL, Bra took the whole thing well I thought too and thanks for thinking their such a cute couple! I think they are too! LOL, I'll update as soon as I can, well, thanks so much for the review and the compliment! awww!!! Enjoy the story!
Sinful Sakura: LOL, what is nummy maplestory? -confused look- anywhoo, thanks so much for the review! I'm excited that you're excited about the next chapter! LOL, isn't that crazy! Yeah, I'll go tell Roshi to get a job too! ha ha ha, Thanks for the good review! I'm soo happy that everyone liked the last chapter that much! Well, enjoy the chapter and I hope it meets up to your expectations..or close to it anyway!
You guys are so awesome! The reviews and comments have not only been helpful, but they've inspired me in so many ways with this story and have really helped me when I was crunched for an idea or suggestion...THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I LOVE ALL OF YOU! Seriously, there is no way I can repay you all for all the help you've done for me! Thanks again, and feel free to leave me a comment or review of how you're liking the story or any suggestion for it you have. I'm grateful and appreciative of every one I recieve! Thanks a million! Peace out, and Rock ROCK ON!
Enjoy the Story!
Romania Black
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Planning the Wedding
Goten and Marron held hands as they sat on the living room floor of Chi Chi's house, several yellow-paged notepads laying out in front of them with some pens, envelopes, and stamps. Chi Chi was in the kitchen readily making everyone limade and humming a melodious happy tune, while Videl and 18 discussed their own marriages on the couch. Gohan, Roshi, and Krillin had made their way to the kitchen table to discuss things that mainly included the good old days and Goku of course. The whole house was jittery with the news of Marron and Goten's marriage. Pan bounded into the living room and slid onto the carpet to sit in front of Marron and Goten.
"So," The raven-haired girl said with abundant enthusiasm, "The wedding's in a month right?"
"We agreed on that," Marron smiled.
"Yeah, so," Pan burst out excitedly, "Who's going to do what in the wedding? Who's the best man, who's the flower girl, who's--"
"Woah, woah, woah," Marron thrusted out a hand to stop Pan, "Easy there. We haven't decided all of that yet," She said with a weakened voice. She was already dreading planning the whole affair out.
"Oh," Pan said in a slightly disappointed voice.
"You could be the maid of honor," Goten burst out. Marron shot him a look,
"What?"
"Come on, Pan's the one that really connected us," He smiled and poked Marron in the ribs, who gave a gently grin, "Besides, she's my niece...she's family! She has to have an important job."
"Yeah, Marron!" Pan said with a broad smile that suddenly grew serious, "I don't want to be a stinkin' flower girl! That's boring!"
"Well," Marron hadn't expected Pan to be their Maid of honor, but at the moment, she couldn't think of anyone else to do it either. "I guess you can be the Maid of Honor, Pan." She said with a slow forming smile.
Pan's eyes gleamed in the light of the living room, "Cool! Hey mom," She called out to Videl on the couch, "I'm going to be the Maid of Honor!"
Videl shook her head lightly, while 18 looked both surprised and amused, "Well that makes sense," Videl said with a small laugh. "How long'd it take to con them into letting you have that position?"
Pan blushed, but Goten shook his head, "No conning," He grinned, "I want her to be the Maid of Honor," He suddenly looked towards Marron, "Uh...if that's alright with you."
Marron smiled softly, "No, it's fine."
"I figured I could pick out the best man and Maid of Honor, and you could pick out the rest...if you want," Goten said sheepishly.
"That sounds great," Marron said, jotting Pan's name onto one of the yellow pads of paper, "And the best man--"
"Trunks," Goten smiled widely, "Who on earth would I choose other than him?" He noticed Pan's face turn a pale pink but thought nothing of it.
"Okay then...wow," Marron paused and bore a pensive look, "Who else will we have as bridesmaids and bridesgrooms?" She said with a hint of concern in her voice.
"Uh, I don't know," Goten admitted, scratching the back of his head, "I thought you'd know someone to do it," He said with a shrug.
Marron sighed, and turned the page. She'd think of future bridesmaids and grooms later. "Okay, so what now?"
"The food," Goten replied immediately, "That's important."
"Of course," Marron sighed, wondering how she could have not seen it coming, "The food. Well...what will we be having?"
"I think the better question," Gohan shouted from the kitchen table, "Is what will NOT be there!"
"No kidding," Krillin smiled sincerely, "This is a Saiyan's wedding...trust me, the type of food isn't important, it's the quantity."
"Dear lord," 18 shook her head, "Remember Gohan's wedding?"
Krillin laughed out loud, "Yeah! Eight tables of food!"
"And that was just for Goten and Trunks," Videl added with a smile.
The group laughed reminescently; Pan just gave the group a confused look.
"Of course, that was before you dear," Videl said calmly, reaching out and patting her daughter's shoulder.
"I can't remember eating more food," Goten smiled at the memory. "What a night," He smiled and looked towards his future wife, "Let's just get as much of everything as we can! This is going to be a huge celebration!"
"That's great and everything," Marron sighed, "But who's going to pay for all that food?"
The room went silent. Goten looked pensive, as did everyone else.
"Chi Chi, didn't you make the food for Gohan's wedding?" Videl spoke up from the silence.
"Yes," The woman said firmly from the kitchen, "But it took me longer than a month to set everything up for that." She turned from Videl back to the limade she was pouring into glasses. "So I don't know...and it took so long to order the food too."
"I hadn't thought of that," Videl said quietly.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The rapping brought everyone's attention towards the back door.
"Will someone get that?" Chi Chi called out, while pouring the limade.
"I will," Pan jumped up and ran towards the back door, her feet sliding slightly on the carpet as she rushed past Goten and Marron, who had started talking about food again.
Pan reached the back door in a few seconds, and could hear a small voice from the other side; the voice didn't sound too thrilled.
"Honestly," the voice rasped, "They're obviously not home," Pan could make out Vegeta's harsh voice perfectly, "Maybe we should just go back--"
"Don't be stupid, dear," said a voice that sounded like Bulma's, "We've come this far--"
"Just knock again," A voice that was definately Trunks' said with slight impatience.
Just as Vegeta reached out a hand to knock on the door, Pan opened it up. The Saiyan's eyes widened.
"Oh, hi, Pan!" Bulma said sweetly, grasping Vegeta's arm. "Are we interupting anything?"
"What a dumb quest--" Vegeta started, but Bulma elbowed him in the ribs hard enough to shut him up. The Saiyan winced as Pan smiled,
"Nope, we were just talking about the wedding," She suddenly paused, "I assume you know about that by now?"
"Yeah, we got the memo--" Vegeta mumbled viciously, but was elbowed again.
Bulma scowled at him, then gave Pan a pleasant smile, "Yes, Videl told us over the phone a while ago. Can we come in?"
Vegeta looked like he wanted to say something very badly, but the knowledge that he'd get elbowed again stopped him from saying anything.
"Sure, come on in," Pan motioned them inside and held the door as they walked through.
As Bulma slipped past, Vegeta craned his neck and whispered to Trunks, "Seriously, 'Can we come in?' What was the brat going to do, shut the door on us?"
"She's just being curtious," Trunks sighed.
"But such a stupid question!" Vegeta mumbled as the three slipped into the kitchen.
Pan shut the door behind them, "Where's Bra?" She asked curiously.
"She didn't want to come over," Bulma said with a hint of sadness in her voice.
"She's out with Uub?" Pan asked innocently.
A vein popped on Vegeta's head, but Bulma took no notice of it, "I'm sure she is," She gave her husband a sharp look. Trunks stepped in front of his parents and made his way straight into the living room. Goten noticed his best friend and quickly stood up and locked fists with the Demi-Saiyan.
"Man, you made it," Goten smiled.
"My best friend getting married, and you didn't think I'd show up to celebrate?" Trunks said with a mild look of disbelief. He turned to Marron who was smiling at him, "Hey, Marron! Hello, Videl. 18," He bowed his head slightly to the two women on the couch and they nodded back.
"Hi, Trunks," Videl said with a smile.
"Gohan...Krillin...Roshi? Is that you?" Trunks said in disbelief as he approached the kitchen table.
Bulma, who had been saying hello to Chi Chi with Vegeta tight by her side, suddenly looked over Chi Chi's shoulder and her jaw dropped.
"ROSHI?!?" She yelled and let go of Vegeta, rushing to the table. Chi Chi and Vegeta locked eyes for a moment then immediately turned from each other.
"Bulma...eh," Roshi drooled slightly, "Been awhile, huh?"
"You're supposed to be dead!" She said in slight outrage. Vegeta was watching Chi Chi finish pouring the limade.
"For the last time, why does no one get the memos I leave for people! I was on vacation okay?" Roshi said, his cheeks red. "By the way, who said the house was yours after I left?" He snorted.
Bulma's face turned a cherry red and she quickly looked at the wall, "Uhmm...well, you know..."
"You didn't give it to her?" Vegeta let out a harsh laugh, "Ha, woman, you filthy liar!" He cackled and grabbed a glass of the limade and drank it in an instant. Chi Chi gave him a flustered look, but let him finish the glass before pouring him another.
"Shut it," Bulma said, her lips tight, "Roshi, you would have gave me the house anyway, wouldn't you?"
"Maybe," The martial arts master grinned slyly, "And maybe not," He winked at Bulma, who looked disgusted.
"So, you're thinking twenty tables of food?" Trunks cut into the conversation, looking directly at Goten, who nodded.
"TWENTY tables?" 18 and Krillin chimed in together.
"Well, yeah," Goten said with a childish grin, "There's going to be a lot of people there."
"But that's so much," 18 said with a concerned look.
"What are you talking about?" Bulma interupted, ignoring Roshi's hungry stare.
"We were deciding how much food to get for the wedding," Videl updated her, "But we're not sure how to get it all. My dad has some money he can chip in for the food...we have cooks too, but I have to see who's all on duty a month from now..."
"You could have just asked me," Bulma placed her hands on her hips. "I'm sure the company can donate the food. I'll put in a good word for you guys...after all, Goten's my son's best friend, and Trunks is the Best Man in the wedding!"
"Could you do that for us Bulma?" Videl smiled in relief.
"That'd be wonderful," 18 said with a small smile.
"Bet it'd be nice to have that kind of money lying about," Chi Chi murmured under her breath, shooting Bulma a nasty look.
"I can't believe we're having this stupid conversation," Vegeta mumbled angrily, "So pathetic," He drained his glass, "Another..." He looked to Chi Chi, whose lips were pursed very curtly. The Saiyan realized he'd have to work for this, "Please," He mumbled against his will. Chi Chi smiled triumphantly and poured him another glass as she started to hand out the rest of the glasses of limade.
"Of course," Bulma said with a smile, "Videl and I can arrange it, right?"
"Sure," Videl's blue eyes lit up, "Well, there you go, Marron! We've got the food out of the way!"
"Great," Marron finished jotting down notes and names on her notepad. "Now what?" As the small group in the living room started talking again, Pan stood up and made her way into the kitchen area.
"Dad," Pan was beside Gohan at the kitchen table, "Can we do something?"
"Like what?" Gohan said with curiousity etched onto his face.
"I don't know...this is kind of boring," Pan didn't realize how long this wedding planning was going to take.
"Well, what do you want to do?" Gohan said quietly, as Vegeta gulped down his limade, edging towards the table past Chi Chi.
"Can't you and Krillin and Roshi come out and spar with me?" Pan asked eagerly. The three at the table looked at each other uneasily.
"Roshi and I are pretty rusty," Krillin admitted, running his hand through his graying hair. "Not too much of a contest for you I'm afraid."
Vegeta edged closer, listening to their conversation, It wasn't a contest when they weren't rusty...The Prince thought with a smirk.
"Sweetheart, you know I'd want to," Gohan said with a nervous voice, "But you're my daughter and I...," His voice was uneasy.
"You what?" Pan said, her smile turning into a frown. Vegeta was now perfectly within hearing range. Gohan gave her a sad look.
"I don't...Pan, I just can't...I don't--"
"Don't want to hurt her, do you?" Vegeta's voice shot out of the quiet, and the three at the table minus Pan jumped at his voice. The rest in the house were too busy discussing flower arrangements to care to much of what they were saying.
"That's not it," Gohan started, his face glaring at Vegeta.
"Of course it is," The Saiyan smirked, "That's always been your weakness," He said and looked towards Pan, "You want a sparring partner?"
Pan nodded her head, "Yeah."
"Is there a training facility here?" He asked sternly.
"We have a small area out back in the yard," Pan said quietly, pointing to the door beside them.
"Then let's go," Vegeta said with a serious face.
Pan's face paled slightly, she hadn't forgotten the fight with the Bebi-posessed Vegeta. "What?"
"You heard me, I'm going to spar with you, girl. Unless you're afraid," He arched his eyebrows menacingly.
Pan shook her head violently, "No, you're on!" She bounded out the door fearlessly. Gohan grabbed Vegeta by the wrist,
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like," Vegeta growled. "What a stupid question, I'm going out to spar with that brat of yours."
"And why are you doing that?" Gohan and Vegeta seemed oblivious to Roshi and Krillin sitting beside them.
"Because one, this place is a pathetic and the conversation is even worse; two, I'm interested to see how strong your daughter is now; three, since you're such a pathetic excuse for a father, I figured this was the only decent thing I could do for the child." He released himself from Gohan's grip and stormed out the door.
Gohan sat in silence for a moment, then turned to Roshi and Krillin, "So, you think I'm a bad father, too?"
"What? No, Gohan," Krillin smiled reassuringly, "Vegeta's blowing steam; I never fought Marron, and she thinks I'm a good father."
"Yes, but Marron and Pan aren't alike," Gohan sighed and stood up, walking past Roshi and Krillin and towards the back door.
"Where're you going?" Goten hollered at his brother, as he opened the door.
"Just to fly around," Gohan said with a small sigh, "I'll be back shortly." He opened the door and exited quickly.
The others in the living room looked at each other, "What was that about?" Videl looked towards the kitchen table.
Roshi and Krillin looked at each other and frowned, neither wanting to say what had happened. "Nothing," They said at once.
Videl sighed, realizing they weren't going to be much help answering her question.
Bra pulled the red car towards the edge of the sidewalk and put it into park. She'd hoped that he wasn't near the window of the gym to see her pull up. She wanted this to be a surprise.
Tying back her blue hair with a black ribbon, she adjusted the black lace halter top she was wearing and stepped out of the vehicle; it was obvious, Bra was dressed to kill. She straightened her denim jean leg and carefully strided up to the gym entrance, locking the car as she did so.
Carefully opening the door, she slid through into the gym and shut the door silently behind her.The gym was quiet, but she could see the gravity capsule shake slightly, and knew Uub was probably inside it blasting away at some simulation as if it was the end of the world.
He gets so intense about his training, Bra thought with a smirk as she tossed her purse down on one of the gym's equipment pieces.
She walked towards the entrance to the training chamber and made sure her shirt was just right. Curling a lock of her aqua hair behind her ear, she slowly opened the door to the chamber and slid into the room.
Uub was fiercely kicking at some kind of alien looking monster that was green with hairy feelers jutting out of its head. Had Bra not known it was going to be a simulation, she would have probably been scared senseless. However, seeing that it was just a computer generated monster, Bra sighed with relief and eased towards the opposite wall of Uub and watched him battle the simulated bug creature.
After a few moments, several kicks and punches, and what seemed like five gallons of sweat later, Uub finally reached over and turned the simulation off. He'd had enough of the Trekilian Creature for today...he'd had enough of any alien, for that matter. Level 14 was good enough to end the day with. Uub ran a hand to his forehead, and turned around only to be nearly scared out of his skin by Bra, who was standing by the door with an amused look on her face.
"Well, hello there," She said with an evil charm to her voice.
Uub couldn't believe it was her; it'd seemed like so long since he'd seen her. She looked stunning with her hair pulled up and the lacy black top she wore seemed to make her even more mysterious and alluring.
"You...you're...you're...," Uub couldn't finish the sentence.
"Here? Of course I am," Bra said with a smirk, twirling a bit of her hair with one of her fingers.
"But...I thought your dad...he said..."
"That's in the past," Bra walked towards him with a slow stare on her face, "Did you really think I'd let him keep us apart?" She said softly.
Not really, "I figured he couldn't forever...but...how'd you do it, Bra?" Uub asked with sudden interest and concern.
Bra wrapped her arms around Uub's sweaty neck, and her could smell the lilac perfume on her neck, "Let's not focus on the hows and whens, shall we? That doesn't matter to me," She smiled serenely, "What matters is that I am with you...and no one can tear us apart right now."
"So," Uub's face turned red for a moment, "What do you...want to...do?"
Bra smiled wickedly and innocently examined his shoulders, "Oh, you're tense, Uub...really tense." She rubbed his shoulder with her arms.
"Uhhh," Uub watched her massage his shoulder. He had to admit it felt better, "Uh, what are you--"
"You're so tense, Uub," Bra smiled casually. "Sit down and I'll give you a massage if you want..."
Uub's muscles tensed for a moment, "Wait...wait, Bra."
"What?" She said with a naive look on her face.
"I don't want to start anything that'll end with...something you're father will kill me over," Uub said as mildly as he could.
Bra frowned for a moment, "Oh, I'm not going to try anything with you, don't worry...just lay down and I'll give you a massage...you're too tense to train anymore without one." She put pressure on his shoulders and he sat himself down on the floor.
Uub gave her a nervous glance, "Okay...I'm going to trust you on this one..." He said nervously.
Bra smiled a slightly wicked grin, "Well, that's a good thing."
Marron shifted her weight from where she was sitting and looked over to Goten, who was glad that the whole flower arrangements were almost completed. The blonde noticed his bored look and examined her yellow notes once more.
"So we agreed on daisies and white roses. Does that sound good to you, Goten?" Marron asked sincerely.
"Sounds fabulous," Goten said with a slightly false smile. To be truthful, he didn't care what flower they had picked at all. Flowers weren't his favorite subject.
"Okay, so that's settled," Marron jotted down a quick note on the yellow notepad, "Now, let's talk about the place of the wedding," She said, looking towards Goten. "What did you have in mind?"
"I don't know...how about a traditional church?" Goten liked tradition, sometimes anyway. "Nice and simple."
"Well, that's a good idea..." It was obvious Marron wasn't thrilled by his answer, as her voice sounded slightly less than enthused.
"What, you want it somewhere else?" Goten said, realizing she didn't like the church idea.
"It's just that, I wanted our wedding to be somewhere special..and not the way normal couples marry," She noticed 18's head jerk towards them at the mention of the word, 'normal'. "I just want it to be something to remember."
"You know," Videl said with a small cough, "You could get married on a mountain edge...I always thought that'd be romantic."
"Eh," Marron grimaced, "Volcano tops and mountains aren't the fondest places I would pick for a wedding."
"But you can fly now, so no worries," Goten said with a smirk.
Marron gave him a sarcastic laugh, "Yeah, sure! That's one way to look at it."
"Where else would you consider, Marron?" The Android said softly.
"I don't know...a church just seems so...traditional...and Goten and I are far from traditional," She squeezed his hand tighter as she said this.
"Well, what about on the beach at Roshi's," Goten said without really thinking about what he was saying, "Right where we first," His eyes shot up to Videl and 18, who were watching them, "first kissed," he said and his cheeks barely flushed pink.
Marron smiled wide and her eyes glimmered, "Oh, Goten, that sounds wonderful! That is so romantic! Mom," She turned to 18, "What'd you think? The beach?"
"That's nice, but its so small," 18 remarked, her finger pensively tracing her face. "There won't be a lot of room for people."
"We can have them stand on the coastline, by the road...even on Roshi's house if we have to!" Goten said with eagerness in his voice.
"What's this about my house?" Roshi asked from the table, but he was ignored.
"Well, I suppose..." 18's voice trailed off.
"Oh, this is exciting! I love it!" Marron giggled, and ringed her hands together in happiness. ''
Videl and 18 gave each other a look and smiled; each remembering the excitement that Marron had had once been theirs as well.
Pan led Vegeta out onto the landing behind their house where a small patch of ground had been cleared of debris and resembled the ring at the World Martial Arts Tournament. Pan smiled as Vegeta walked past her and surveyed the area. He kicked at the ground with his foot.
"So this is it? Who made this?" He asked with slight stubborness in his voice.
"I cleared the area a few months ago," Pan said with a hint of pride in her voice.
"Heh," Vegeta sensed the pride, "Anyone could do this," He smirked as he saw her face crumple then grow angrier.
"Well, it wasn't easy!" She retorted, her face slightly redder, "Grandma can't afford a gravity chamber," She said with pink cheeks.
"Ah, well, I would imagine," Vegeta said slyly and came face to face with her, looking down to see her. She had grown a few inches in a year, but she was still short. "Ready to spar?" He asked with a serious edge to his voice.
She tossed back her near-shoulder length black hair and crouched down, ready for the onslaught she knew Vegeta would bring, "Ready." She was ready for whatever he had to toss at her.
The Saiyan did not crouch down in a fighting stance, but instead rushed towards Pan, who had not expected this, and tried to knock her off her feet. Instead, she quickly jumped into the air and dodged the attempted blow. Pan thrusted her fist forward to punch Vegeta, but he caught her hand in midair, and slammed her body into the ground. He laughed as he watched Pan pick herself up off the ground.
"Nice dodge, but it was stupid to try and punch me like that," He smiled wickedly, "You should know better."
"Well, its not like I have anyone to teach me," Pan said with a huff.
"Not my fault," Vegeta shrugged, "I have no use for whiners," He pointed to Pan. "You make YOURSELF better...no one can do that for you, do you understand that?"
"Well, yeah--"
"Then quit whining and making excuses!" Vegeta shouted and rushed towards her again, but this time, she was ready. Pan jumped up into the air and slammed her elbow hard onto the back of Vegeta's neck, causing him to falter and stop in his place for a moment. He turned and gave her a twisted smile, "Well, that was much better!" Still weak...but she's getting better...
Bra tossed her hair behind her shoulder as she gave Uub a soothing neck massage. She winced slightly as she felt all the knots in his upper back and neck. Geez..has he never loosened any of these?
"Something wrong?" Uub could see the odd face she made out of the corner of his eye.
"No, but you have the worst knots of anyone I've ever seen," Bra said in a strained voice as she rubbed on his neck even harder.
"And how many people have had the priveledge of your massages?" Uub said with a faint trace of cunning in his voice.
"Too many for me, not enough to take off my shoes and count along with my fingers," Bra said, a small grunt escaping her voice as she worked out the tension in his neck. Uub chuckled,
"Oh, okay, just making sure these weren't for any Joe Blow that walked in for you," He said with a smirk.
"Hardy har har," Bra mused, "Trust me, you're not just any Joe Blow, to be sure." She squeezed a muscle on his neck and he grimaced for a moment, then relaxed.
"Wow, that does feel better," He said with a sigh. Bra smiled the first warm smile she'd had for ages.
"Well, good...I'm glad you like it," She said playfully.
"So, what about guests," Marron asked Goten, her eyes scanning his dark ones with curiosity. "How many people should we invite?"
"Well, if it was up to me, I'd say at least a hundred...more if we can," Goten smiled childishly.
"That's so many..." Marron said pensively. "What about fifty."
"But a hundred sounds so much better," Goten protested.
"Goten, we don't KNOW a hundred people," Marron remarked, her hands on her hips, giving him a look that clearly stated I'm-right-listen-to-me.
"Sure we do, we just don't remember them all," Goten smiled innocently and started writing their names on a piece of yellow notepad paper. "Here, I'll right them out or start to anyway, and you start on another topic," The Demi-Saiyan said as he scribbled on the paper.
Marron sighed, "Fine. You do that, Goten." She looked to her mother for some sort of advice. 18 shook her head and smiled,
"Best let Goten take care of that...he knows what he's doing," She said quietly.
"I know," Marron said with a frown, "So what can I do now?"
"Well, we have the flowers, the location, the main maid and best man--"
"The other bridesmaids!" Marron groaned, "I don't know who to pick for that! How many are there usually?"
"I think it depends," Videl said pondering the question, "I had two bridesmaids in mine."
"I think I had three," 18 said bluntly.
"So two or three?" Marron scanned her mother and Videl's faces for an answer. "Okay...uhm...well Pan's the Maid of Honor...I could get...what about Lunch? Would she do it?"
18 looked mildly surprised, "I think she would...if we could find her."
"And you're thinking Tien be a bridesgroom?" Videl asked.
"I guess," Marron shrugged. "Now all I have to do is find another couple to walk in and we're set..." her voice trailed off.
"Does Trunks have to walk in with Pan then?" Bulma said out of the air. The people on the ground stared at her in silence. "Well?"
Marron smiled sweetly, "One would assume..."
"Are you serious?" Bulma did not like the idea of Trunks and Pan walking in together.
"It's okay, mom," Trunks said, looking slightly embarassed. "I don't mind."
Bulma's face contorted, "Well, you should mind!"
"Why don't you approve of it?" 18 said with a faint smile.
"Well...they're...," Bulma's face turned red, "They're...Pan's so much shorter than Trunks! It'll look awkward!" She lied.
"Oh really?" Videl said with a challenging tone, "And who would you have walk in with her instead?"
Bulma held her breath, trying to think of anyone who could do the job other than her son. "Trunks could walk in with Lunch," She said slowly.
"But then he wouldn't be in the right spot for the Best Man," Marron frowned.
"Yeah, and then Pan would have to walk in with Tien...he's even taller than Trunks!" Goten added with a odd glance towards Bulma, wondering why it was such a problem with her.
Trunks sighed and rested his hands behind his back, "Mom, it's okay...I can walk in with Pan, it's not that big of a deal."
Bulma huffed and wanted to say something else, but no words seemed to form in her mind. So instead she crossed her arms stubbornly and gave her son a tight lipped stare, "Fine. Whatever...if you don't mind..."
"I don't," Trunks added with some finality to his voice. His brow furrowed very much like Vegeta's did when he wanted to end a conversation.
Roshi and Krillin looked at the group in the living room from the kitchen table, each bearing a slightly nervous expression.
"That boy looks more and more like Vegeta every day," Roshi said in a small voice.
"Heh heh, you're right," Krillin said in a small chuckle, "You now Bulma's gotta hate that..."
Vegeta thrusted his elbow back to nail Pan in the stomach, but the girl did a back flip and dodged it. She rushed forward to charge at Vegeta, but the Saiyan merely threw his fist forward and knocked Pan to the ground with a satisfying THUD.
"You're faster than I imagined, I'll give you that," Vegeta said with a smug smirk, "But you keep charging at me like an idiot."
Pan lifted herself off the ground slowly, "What do you expect me to do?" She said with a snap.
"THINK, Pan! Think before you charge at someone ten times as strong as you!" Vegeta roared, "That's what I want you to do!"
She huffed and threw her hair out of her face, smiled and whispered, "You're not ten times as strong as me."
Vegeta's eyes grew wide, "What did you say?" He said in a surprised voice.
"HIIIIYYAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Pan flew forward with incredible speed and prepared to take Vegeta head on. The Saiyan smiled darkly, She never learns, he thought a was ready to grab her arms and take her down, but right as she was about to fall into his arms, she suddenly disappeared.
"WHAT?" Vegeta cried out in surprise. Just then he felt a hard blow on the side of his face. Pan had faked coming towards him, and instead used her speed to go past him, turn around, and slam her knee into his face.
The Saiyan Prince staggered in his step for a moment, and touched his cheek. Red liquid was oozing onto his hand, and Vegeta realized he was bleeding. The prince turned and thrusted his hands out to his sides, powering up his body until his hair was glowing gold and his eyes were a crystal green. "HAAAAAAAAAH!!!!" He roared as he turned Super Saiyan and opened his hands wide to reveal energy orbs levitating inside them.
"Oh n--" Was all Pan could say until Vegeta fired two energy blasts that hit her head on and slammed her back thirty feet and colliding into a tree.
SLAM!!!!
Pan's body contacted with the tree and she slumped to the ground motionless, smoke rising from the fallen tree.
Vegeta allowed himself to return to normal. "Shit," He mumbled as he rushed towards her. If I've hurt her...he thought, thinking of the nagging Gohan, Videl, and Bulma would give him if she'd gotten knocked unconscious.
"Oooo...ow...," Pan said in a weakened voice, rising slowly from the ground, one hand holding her pounding head, the other steadying herself.
"Are you injured badly?" Vegeta said in firm voice, standing over her, surprised she was still conscious.
"N--no," Pan said slowly, rising to her feet, her one hand still against her forehead. "That actually hurt though..."
Vegeta's eyes widened, What? "You're alright, then?"
"Of course," Pan's face broke into a smile, despite the small trickle of blood coming from the gash on her forehead, "That was an awesome punch! Did you go Super Saiyan?"
Vegeta was amazed;her Ki was exactly as it was before he punched her. How can this be? He cleared his throat, "Of course I went Super Saiyan."
"Oh," Pan said, the smile still on her face, "Why?"
Vegeta growled, "Why? Because you caused this!" He pointed to his cheek, which was starting to swell and turn purple.
Pan stared at his face, and then to the prince's utmost surprise, actually started to laugh.
"Wha--you're laughing?" Vegeta stared at her with shock. What kind of mockery is this?
Pan smiled, still giggling, "Sorry, Vegeta...it's just that...I didn't expect to actually get a hit on you!"
The Saiyan Prince's eyes were huge, "YOU WHAT?!?"
"I didn't think I'd hit you," Pan repeated. "I thought for sure you'd catch me in midair again, even after I faked," She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, "That's so funny.." She smiled, and rubbed her forehead, trying to wipe the blood away.
Vegeta stared at her, his eyes wide and a new look of confusion and shock on his features.
She...she's so...so...calm! I knocked the hell out of her, and she's standing here laughing...as if it was nothing!
"You don't even feel any pain?" He said in confused frown.
"Well, a little," Pan admitted, rubbing her forehead, "But it's starting to go away...it'll probably be worse later...but that's okay." She smiled a Goku-ish smile at Vegeta, who looked suddenly pensive.
Amazing...she can resist pain...but how? He watched as she spit on her hand and tried to wipe the blood off her forehead some more. Hmmph...something Kakarot would do...
Vegeta suddenly smirked, "Girl, you're tougher than I gave you credit for."
Pan looked up in surprise, "Really?"
"Are you good for more sparring?" He said with a tight smug look.
Pan's smile brightened tenfold, "YEAH! You want to spar some more?"
"Well, if you're in shape for it," He taunted.
Her smile bacame sly, "I think I can handle you," She grinned.
"Oh do you?" His smirk grew tight around his face, mildly impressed by her challenge.
"Yeah, even as a Super Saiyan!" She said with a darker smile.
"Ha!" Vegeta laughed harshly, "You wish, girl! I won't give you that honor...yet," He added with a narrowed eye.
"Well, then," Pan crouched down, "I guess I'll have to work to receive that honor then, huh?"
"You almost done?" Uub said with slight impatience.
"Why? What do you have to do?" Bra said with an eyebrow raised.
"Train, what else?" Uub said trying to rise to his feet, but Bra pushed him back down.
"You train all the time," She said with a twisted smile, "Can't you enjoy our reunion for more than a minute?"
Uub sighed, "It's not that I'm not happy to see you. I'm thrilled, I'm estatic--"
"Then surely you can go without training for one afternoon," She smiled and stopped the massage, now laying beside him. "What do you say?"
Uub looked at her and saw her smile; saw her dark blue eyes staring back at him with a pleading look that told him that she needed him beside her now, and no where else. He allowed a gentle smile to form on his face.
"As long as you promise not to tempt me to do something I don't need to," He smiled slyly.
"What do you mean?" But she knew what he was saying.
"I'm saying don't try and tempt me to do what I almost did at your house."
Bra tried to look niave, "I have no clue what you're talking about," She said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, I bet you don't," Uub smiled and ran a hand through her hair.
"Don't worry," Bra said looking into his eyes, "I'll try not to tempt you...try to anyway," She said and brushed her lips past Uub's, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
"Now, see, there you go again," He smiled nervously, "You're tempting--"
"Then you'll just have to learn to control yourself," Bra said, as she pulled his lips against hers.
Goten grasped his hand in slight pain as he dropped the pen beside him. "Done," He said with a smile. "I think that's everyone."
Marron grasped the notepad from him and scanned it over, "Geez, Goten...this IS a hundred people on here!" She looked amazed.
"Of course it is," The Demi-Saiyan smiled, "Told you that we could manage a hundred people to invite!" He said, letting go of his tired hand and smiling. 18 reached over and snatched the paper from Marron's hands.
Marron smiled, as 18 scanned over the notepad. "So...we have food, flowers, almost all the bridesmaids and bridesgrooms, the invitations planned out...and the place of the wedding...what are we missing?" She looked around to everyone.
"Where's their honeymoon going to be?" Chi Chi smiled as she sipped her limade.
Marron and Goten's jaws dropped, "Uhhh...what?"
Krillin smiled slyly from the kitchen table, "Come on, you can't tell me you hadn't thought about it..."
"No," Goten stammered, his eyes wide. Trunks smiled at his innocent look,
"Why not just rent out Roshi's place again?" He laughed.
"How about NO!" Roshi glared at the Demi-Saiyan, "You already used my house for one week! And trashed it, by the way!"
"It was ALREADY trashed when we got there!" Marron retorted angrily.
"Yeah! Me and Marron had to clean it when we got there!" Goten chimed in.
"YOU CALLED THAT CLEANING?" Roshi roared, rising from his seat. "THAT'S THE MOST PITIFUL CLEANING JOB I'VE EVER SEEN!"
"Well, maybe if you had CLEANED IT BEFORE YOU LEFT," Marron stood up so fast, that Goten didn't know where she was for a second, "IT WOULDN'T LOOK LIKE THAT!"
"Marron," 18 said with a snap, and the blonde slowly sunk back to the floor, her face calming down. "There'll be no need to yell in here." The Android said with a narrowed eye.
"Roshi, surely a little while in your house after the wedding won't kill you," Bulma offered with a small hopeful smile.
The martial arts master threw back his head and laughed grimly.
"Oh yes, I could let them have my house for a little while," He said with a sly grin.
Everyone in the room sighed with relief, as Goten and Marron looked at each other happily.
"Of course," Roshi continued, and all eyes were back onto him, "I would need a place to stay while they were there...," He smiled triumphantly as everyone's eyes grew big. Bulma, Videl, Chi Chi, and 18's faces turned crimson. "Now, would any of you lovely ladies offer me a place to stay if they borrowed my house?" He grinned and winked at the ladies, who all looked mortified.
Videl grimaced, "Ugh--"
Bulma looked on the verge of vomitting, "You can't be serious--"
Chi Chi turned her head away, "I can't believe you would even suggest--"
18 didn't say a word, but merely cracked her knuckles in a threatening response.
"Ahem," Roshi interupted their squeamish talk with a nervous look after 18's display, "I need an answer."
"It's okay guys," Marron replied quickly, "Goten and I can find somewhere ELSE to go," She glared at Roshi, who looked extremely satisfied.
"Phew," All four of the woman said at once, each wiping their foreheads with their hands.
Krillin smiled and shook his head, "Eh, Goten you could always go out Master Gohan's old place."
"What?" Goten said in surprise. The others in the room looked towards Krillin.
"Yeah, Master Gohan, Goku's adoptive father has an old place past Roshi's in the mountain area. I think it's still deserted; Goku and I visited it once. It's a nice setup, in the quiet of the woods...very peaceful, anyway."
"I know where that is," Roshi said distantly.
"Really? And we could use it?" Goten said with eagerness.
"If no one else is, sure...I don't think it's being used." Krillin replied with a smile.
"Great!" Goten smiled and turned to Marron, "Sound good?"
"Sure, sounds fun to me," She smiled back to him.
"Mark it down then!" Goten told 18, who jotted the idea on the notepad as Videl watched her.
Pan wheezed and gasped for air as she leaned over and placed her hands on her knees. Her shirt was cut in several places, and the knee of her pants was ripped and exposing her cut leg. But despite her rough appearance and the fact that she was gasping for air, Pan was smiling. She'd never fought someone so fierce as Vegeta...not in a very long time, anyway, and she could tell she was more powerful than she was a year ago. The pain in her joints and body wasn't hitting her full force yet, but she knew in the morning, she'd feel the pain of her choice to spar with the Saiyan Prince.
Vegeta watched her with mild amusement and amazement as she dusted off her legs and straightened her back. He couldnt' believe she'd taken the pain he'd handed to her. He did not have to go Super Saiyan to beat her today, but it'd been close...very close.
"I think," The Saiyan smirked, "That's enough for today."
"No!" Pan said in defiance, "Come on, let's go one more time!"
Vegeta shook his head, frowning, "Not today; you're injured. You're going to be sore enough as it is in the morning."
"I'll heal," Pan sighed, trying to do something with her black hair, which was a mess at the moment. "By tommorrow, I'll be better." She walked towards Vegeta and smiled, "Was I stronger than the last time I fought you?"
The prince pondered this a moment. It'd been at least a year since they'd last fought. He scanned her over; her Ki had increased fourfold, but he didn't feel like telling her that much yet. "You're a little stronger," He conceded, "But you have a long way to go."
"Well, I've been training a lot--" Pan started,
"Train more," Vegeta finished her sentence. "You're not strong enough. Should we have to fight another villain again, I want you to be ready." He said with a serious tone to his voice.
Pan looked at him oddly, "Why are you telling me to get stronger?"
"Because," Vegeta paused. He didn't want to go into a lengthy story, but at the same time he didn't want to cut his motives short, "I may hate and loathe Kakarot for all the times he beat me as a Saiyan and warrior, but that doesn't change the fact that I respect him. You," He smirked down at her, "Have his spirit in you."
Pan stared with wide eyes as he continued.
"You have his spirit to never give up and push your limits," Vegeta noticed Gohan landing some forty yards away from them, "I only wish your father had been more like him." He saw Gohan getting closer, "Don't stop training, do you understand? Push your limits," He turned to see Gohan only a few yards off.
Pan smiled a Goku-like smile and bowed her head slightly, something that surprised Vegeta. "Don't worry I won't quit training."
"Good," He said, "And never forget that you are a Saiyan...or part of one anyway. Saiyans value their heritage and legacy. Don't forget it." Gohan was now standing next to them.
"What on earth are you two talking about?" Gohan seemed much more relaxed and calm than when he'd gone of to fly.
"Nothing," Pan said suddenly, giving Vegeta a don't-worry-I-understand look. "We just got done sparring." She smiled at her father. Vegeta suddenly felt some lingering respect for the child.
"I can see that, Pan, you look rough." He said examining the cuts on her body and her torn clothes.
"She's fine," Vegeta said firmly, "She's stronger than you know." And he turned from the two.
"Thanks for sparring with me, Vegeta!" Pan called out ot him as he walked towards the house. "Next time, I'll battle you when you're a Super Saiyan!" She shouted.
The Saiyan Prince paused at the door to the house. Vegeta could hear Gohan exclaim, "WHAT?!?" And smirked, For Kakarot's brat's brat...she's not that bad...
"Well, I guess that's that," Goten said standing up, "The wedding's starting to get in gear." He sounded eager with the prospects of today.
"Good...I can't wait!" Chi Chi jumped up and hugged her son and Marron, "I'm so excited for you two!" She squealed.
"Goten, we're fixing dinner here at Chi Chi's. You can stay if you want," Videl said calmly.
"Actually," Goten turned to Roshi, "I was planning on seeing if Roshi wouldn't mind me staying with him another night." The group looked stunned, "I left all my stuff back at his place, and I'd like to talk to him tonight..."
"Why on earth would you want to stay with him?" Chi Chi said with wide eyes.
"Just to catch up on things...he was dad's mentor...I just want to reminess about stuff with him tonight," Goten said bluntly.
Roshi nodded in appreciation, "I don't mind. Come on Goten, let's head home, I got some rice and saki saved up from vacation..." His voice trailed off as he left the house.
Goten gripped Marron's shoulders, "I'll talk to you tommorrow," He kissed her on the cheek gently. "Thanks for coming everyone! Trunks," He looked at his best friend, "I'll talk to you tommorrow too about tuxes, okay?" Trunks nodded, smiling at his friend. Goten smiled back, waved to everyone, and left the house with Roshi. The house was silent all of a sudden.
"Figures," Chi Chi sighed with slight frustration, "Just like his dad...doin' the most random stuff at the most unusual times...it's like Goku made over!"
"Heh, that's a good thing," Krillin smiled.
"Sure you want to marry him?" 18 said with a playful grin to her daughter, but Marron nodded.
"It's okay, I can eat with you two tonight, I guess," She smiled to her parents. For some reason, she understood Goten's actions.
"Seems like forever since you have," Krillin smiled sincerely, and 18 nodded her head in unison.
"I guess we could find that father or yours and head home," Bulma said with her hands on her hips, looking at her son, who smiled.
"Yeah, but where is he?" Trunks asked with curiousity.
"If you'd actually look around for once," A sharp voice shot out into the air. The group turned around and saw that Vegeta was staring at them, leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen, "You'd see I was right here."
"Vegeta," Bulma huffed, and turned to the door outside. "Where have you been?"
"Outside," He turned to Videl, "Your husband and child are out there by the way."
"Oh!" Videl said in a surprised voice. Vegeta usually didn't acknowledge her.
"And don't be too alarmed, but Pan might need a sensu been..she's pretty roughed up." He said walking out the door. Bulma and Trunks followed him in amazement out the door, as the rest of the group followed Videl to the back door.
As the door shut behind them, Bulma turned to stare at Vegeta with a shocked expression, "What's wrong with you?" She asked him in a concerned voice.
"What are you talking about woman?" Vegeta growled, but the difference in his voice had been unmistakable.
"You!" Bulma said astonished, "You called her Pan! Not--"
"Kakarot's brat's brat," Trunks cut in with an amazed voice that matched his mothers.
Vegeta looked at them both and sneered, "Since when was it a crime for the Saiyan Prince to call people by their birth names?" He trapsed past them and flew into the air angrily, leaving his wife and son behind with the capsule corp. flying copter.
Trunks and Bulma watched him disappear into the distance.
"I wonder what made him call Pan by her name?" Bulma wondered.
Trunks didn't reply but he could sense that his father had developed something for Pan that he hadn't developed for anyone in a long time:
Respect.
Ahhh, okay, I know, this chapter kind of became the Pan and Vegeta chapter..but I hadn't given them a moment yet so I knew I had to! Besides, that part of this chapter will be important for future chapters, just wait and see! LOL Much credit for the idea of that scene came from Nate Gray's story The Princess of the Saiyans...which I LOOOOOVE! I HIGHLY recommend it if you're a Vegeta or a Pan fan!
So, how was it? It was by far the LONGEST chapter I've wrote so far and my favorite too! I hope you liked it just as much as me! Because I had a BLAST writing it! I hope the comments or reviews that possibly come in on it are unanymous to that as well..but who knows! ha ha
Okay, next chapter, Marron goes shopping for the perfect wedding dress! but chi chi and 18 have different opinions on what makes the perfect dress, and Goten and Roshi reminess, plus what was that promise Bulma had to Vegeta? Ha ha ha, we find out next chapter!!!!
You guys rock and are so awesome...I don't know where I'd be without you guys, but it wouldn't be here! Thanks so much for all the support and keep on rockin' in the free world! Peace out and ROCK ROCK ON!
Romania Black
