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Just a Ride
Lady Lie
For one long, uncomfortable minute Marron is speechless.
The question is on the tip of her tongue, but when Bulla looks up at her the profound terror reflected in her eyes is enough to silence her. If those forty-six chromosomes weren't the contribution of the youngest Son, then it really didn't matter whose they were. Marron understood what was at stake if this unexpected surprise was discovered by Bulla's family.
"Don't worry. I promise you, together we're going to get through this." Marron bent forward, grabbing onto her friend's shoulders and met her look of panic with one of firm resolve. "You're my ride or die, babe. We'll fix this."
With a wobbly smile, Bulla nods.
Bulla appreciates that Marron understands the fragility of the situation. Even with the privacy her ki-concealing device provided, it wouldn't matter that she could conceal the steadily growing energy of a fetus- not when her family and boyfriend had senses superior enough to detect not only the most subtle change in heart rate, but also things as intricate as a brewing storm days before human technology ever could. The only reason no one had sensed anything so far was sheer, dumb luck, and she wasn't too keen on seeing how long that would last.
"This isn't a problem. If you want, we can take care of this today," Marron said, tightening her grip against her friend's shoulders to get her attention. "But before we proceed, I need you to look me in the eye and tell me you're absolutely certain this is what you want to do. There's no going back."
"I understand."
"Okay, good. I just have one more question, and I need you to be completely honest." Marron has let go of her friend and is now standing above her with a serious expression. "How far along are you?"
"A little over a month," Bulla admits weakly.
She can see the gears turning in Marron's head, and turns her attention to the bright symmetrical tiled wall. She doesn't want to see that look of morbid understanding on her friend's face when the pieces click. A little over a month ago was when Bulla returned to West City.
Everything after that happens so quickly, but throughout it all Bulla can only think of one thing: Goten.
Last night he had spent the evening with her on the roof of Capsule Corp. She had been seated on the warm concrete between his legs as they watched the sun set. She remembers his heartbeat, strong and steady against her back and how sweetly he smiled and laughed as he told her stories about magical earrings and their family's battles with intergalactic villains.
The tears she is holding back sting her eyes. Goten deserved better than this- better than her.
She sees Marron leaning against the porcelain sink, occasionally stealing glances at her while she talks to someone on the phone in a stern, low voice that is all business. When the room goes silent, Bulla looks up and Marron is standing in front of her. The blonde girl's mouth begins to move, but all Bulla can hear are her thoughts, loud and obtrusive as they rattle around in her head. A manicured hand wraps itself around her wrist, roughly pulling her to her feet and then she is dragged out of the apartment and into into a luxury aircar. Marron is speaking loudly besides her, but as they speed past familiar buildings and drive deeper into West City all she can focus on is steadying her hands enough to light a cigarette. Now there is a burning between her fingers, and when she blinks the cigarette she swears she just lit is burnt all the way to its filter, and the thrash of fast air blowing through the car's open window stings her face.
All too soon, the car pulls into a parking lot. Bulla doesn't know if it's the hormones or the nicotine that has her scrambling out the car door and puking onto the asphalt. With a grimace, she looks up and notices a large white dome shaped building reflecting the sunset off the tall windows that encircle it. It's one of the nicer clinics, catering primarily to the wealthy women of West City. The kind expecting women waddled into, all smiles and crisp, designer maternity wear as they yapped on with other happy soon-to-be mothers; not the kind where women went to get the evidence of a sordid affair scooped out of them. If the parking lot wasn't empty Bulla would have worried about being spotted by someone familiar. It wouldn't matter that they wouldn't know it, but her skin crawled at the thought of running into one of her mother's colleagues, or worse- someone who personally knew her family, with something as sordid as this unexpected pregnancy sitting silently between them.
A car door slams besides her, jarring her back to reality. "Gross." Marron walks over to her, wrinkling her nose in disgust when she passes the mess at Bulla's feet. With a tired smile on her face the blonde takes one of Bulla's hands in hers, giving it an encouraging squeeze before dragging her towards the white building. "Come on, Bulla. Let's get this taken care of. Then we can go back to my place. While you were zoned-out on the toilet I took the liberty of getting our stories straight."
"Oh, yeah?" Bulla asked nervously, her heartbeat increasing with every step towards the clinic. She was relieved that no one but Marron would ever know about this, but at the same time amongst the intrusive panic urging her forward, there was a tiny part of her that objected to this.
"So, because I knew he'd let your brother know, I called Goten up and told him not to bother you this weekend," Marron said, trying to make the situation sound casual. "That I was tired of playing second-fiddle, and planned on stealing you away for a weekend on the beach. That you'd probably call him tomorrow because we were on one of your mom's boats about to lose signal, and that you were already eight margaritas in, passed out topless on the sundeck."
If a loud frenzy of detestable thoughts weren't bouncing around in her head, and the alibi wasn't to cover up that the developing embryo attached to her uterine lining belonged to his stepbrother, Bulla would have been scandalized. The mortification would have been the reason the color drained from her cheeks, not the realization that whatever nearly negligible objections she had to doing this had suddenly twisted in on itself, becoming a new, tangible thought. One that despite being new, felt as old and comforting a favorite, warm blanket on a cold winter night.
It had been one thing to irrationally lust for Son Goku, but this unsettling new compulsion was so jarring she hadn't even noticed how tight Marron's hold on her had become, or that they had stopped walking and were only a few feet away from the entrance to the clinic. For one terrible moment she felt compelled to fall to the ground and scream for her saiyan warrior to come save her. She wanted his powerful presence to burn her inside out; to lay waste to this reality that compared to him, felt so unremarkable and small. For years an awful feeling of displacement has followed her, and though she can't explain it, she just knows if she followed him he would replace it with something indefinable and great. She turned sharply towards the girl beside her, suddenly alarmed that she had been valid in her irrational need to confirm that she hadn't somehow projected her loud, blasphemous thoughts. The look on Marron's face made her blood run cold. The blonde was facing forwards with her delicate features twisted in shock; mouth agape and eyes wide like a frightened animal.
"Marron?" she asked, voice shaky and unsure as she turned to look in the same direction as her friend. With a startled gasp, she recoiled backwards, but with Marron's iron grip on her hand she was unable to put much distance between herself and the alien perched over the front doors on a softly lit sign reading: Women's Wellness Excellence of West City.
He slowly descended towards them, disturbing the grass and loose small rocks around them with the gentle gust of his energy and the wave of panic she had been riding surges.
"What the fuck is The Guardian of Earth doing here?" Marron quietly hisses besides her.
His feet touch the ground in front of them, and even though his smile is kind and his gaze holds no hostility, a chill runs down her spine when she realizes his attention is solely on her. She's seen him around before at one of her mother's more personal events where other universally high profile guests like him were in attendance, but this is her first time meeting one of her family's special friends on her own.
Him being here frightens her.
"Hello, Miss Briefs," the green man said gently, nodding in her direction and then Marron's. "Hello, Miss Marron." In their surprise, neither girl could form a reply, but it doesn't seem to bother him. "It was quite difficult to find you girls without having a ki signature to follow. However do you do that, Bulla? It's so peculiar, I cannot sense even the slightest flicker of energy about you- and it seems as though you are somehow concealing Miss Marron's as well."
She doesn't tell him about the ki concealing device wrapped snugly around her finger. She doesn't tell him anything at all. It is Marron who speaks first.
With a violent shake of her head, Marron snaps out of her stupor, and addresses the alien before them in a shaky voice. "Were you looking for us? Is everything okay?"
The question brings about a subtle tension to his harsh features, and there is something devastating in the way his polite smile wanes ever so slightly that makes her heart begin to worm its way up her throat.
For a moment, there is a crack in his calm demeanor and she briefly catches her panic reflected in his expression. "Yes, I'm glad to report that overall things here on Earth have been going relatively well. Our universe has been fortunate in having warriors who are not only valiant, but are also amongst the strongest in all the multiverse," he said and then nervously cleared his throat before continuing. "That's actually the reason I came here looking for you, Bulla- to ensure that things continue to go well for our universe. It was only recently that King Kai asked me to search for you. I had wanted to speak with you somewhere more private, but without ki you proved very difficult to track down."
"Whoa! King Kai is looking for you?" Marron gasped, looking over at her friend in astonishment . Before turning her attention back to Dende, Marron not so subtly mouthed 'what the fuck?' to her equally surprised friend. "What does Bulla have to do with keeping the universe safe? She doesn't even fight."
"Her role in keeping the universe safe has nothing do with fighting," Dende said with a good natured chuckle as he gestured towards the clinic. "She simply cannot be doing this. Forces much greater than I- than even King Kai, are looking forward to your offspring's potential. I found it so strange to learn that that in your father's lineage, if paired appropriately the females are capable of producing offspring with legendary strength."
His words hit her like a sledgehammer. She was shattering, and with each shaky breath she could feel herself crumbling into a million little pieces. She knew why he was here. He knew! And she could tell by the way he was looking at her that his reason for being here was serious. That whatever happened next was going to be one of those moments in life that only take a handful of minutes to irrevocably derail everything.
"Why are you here?" When Bulla finally finds her voice it comes out broken and pleading. She wants the world to swallow her up; to disappear from the scrutiny of these fantastical and primordial brings who knew about her existence only because of her very personal experience with someone more god than man.
"I am here under the orders of King Kai to discourage you from attempting to rid our universe of a saiyan of tremendous power," Dende replied.
"Whoa! Hold up!" Marron exclaimed as she took a step closer towards the Namekian. It seemed as though her curiously has been enough for her to get over her initial shock. "Is this whole pro-life ambush you're doing just because she's practically an endangered species?"
"Wha- no!" he replied abruptly, startling both girls with his momentary change in demeanor. "I'm not here because she's half saiyan. I'm here because she is a female descendent of the saiyan's royal bloodline and the child growing in her belly happens to have been fathered by the strongest mortal in our universe!"
"The strongest mortal in our- Oh, shit! Shit! Tell me you didn't?" Marron gasps. Bulla's sudden positive change in demeanor over the past few weeks suddenly made sense. She remembers comforting her distressed friend after a very confusing run in she had with the older saiyan, and then that same night she had thought her friend had gone to Mount Paozu to crawl into Goten's bed. All her life, her father Krillin had placed Goku on this pedestal. To Marron he had seemed untouchable and golden. "Why didn't you tell me, Bulla?"
"Because I was ashamed!" Bulla cries abruptly. "I couldn't even admit it to myself. I really had meant to find Goten, but I was so drunk, I practically ended up raping him. And then the next day I ended up kissing Goten like I just hadn't fucked his dad. It's just so screwed up! Every time I think about it, it just kills me."
Marron blinks at her friend's outburst and then offers her comforting smile. "You should have told me. I could've been there for you, so you didn't have to go through this all alone."
"I had-" Bulla is grappling for words, unable to believe she is admitting to the one thing she never imagined she would have to reveal. "I needed to pretend it was just another fantasy, because whenever I allowed myself to believe it was real...I just couldn't. I couldn't, Marron."
And Marron truly understands. With a glimmer of unshed tears in her eyes, she pulls her friend into her arms. "Everything is going to be okay, Bulla."
The Namekian folds his arms across his chest and coughs softly to capture the girl's attention. "Uhm- yes, as you can imagine, because Goku possesses extraordinary strength, and you the perfect combination of saiyan and human genetics, the multiverse is eagerly anticipating the birth of your child. I think you'd be pleased to know, as we speak the Grand Minister's of each universe are squabbling amongst themselves for the chance to be one of the universe's that Goku's heir will train in. Is that not remarkable? "
"The Grand Ministers? Universes?" Bulla asks confused. She pulls away from her friend and faces the namekian. "Dende, this is all just a big mistake."
"I can guarantee you, this is no mistake. This was always destined to be your path."
Bulla is in a state of disbelief, and speaks in a voice as empty as she feels. "What do you mean my path? Dende, I can't do this. I won't. I don't care what the universe wants!"
"Bulla!" Marron gasps as she looks up to the sky horrified that a surge of energy will come down to blast her friend for opposing the gods.
"I'm sorry you feel that way." Dende replies simply.
All of this feels too sensational to really be happening, and as though a visit from the Guardian of Earth was not enough, a nasally voice suddenly interrupts the overbearing chaos in her mind. 'Hello, Miss Briefs. It's so nice to finally meet you.'
"Who said that?!" Bulla's eyes widen and she grabs onto Marron for support. For a terrible moment worries that this voice in her head is the first symptom of an inevitable descent into madness.
"No ones said anything." Marron answers and when she sees no change in the namekian's expression she understands. From her father's stories, Marron knows that the kai's are capable of communicating telepathically, and fears that whatever is happening right now is more serious than either could have imagined.
"Oh my Kami! I'm losing my shit! I'm hearing voices." Bulla gasped as she erratically fist both her hands into her hair.
With a good natured chuckle, the voice in her head said, 'Oops, silly me! I forget how easily some of you earthlings startle. I'm King Kai and I'm speaking to you telepathically from the other world.'
Bulla looks towards the sky as though expecting to see a celestial being hovering there and when she hears Marron's concerned voice beside her, says, "It's King Kai. He's talking to me from the Other World."
"It seems as though King Kai isn't the only one just joining us." There is a hint of humor in Dende's voice when he looks over his shoulder towards the large glass doors behind him. There is a woman in a white lab coat staring at them with her mouth open in shock. "It would appear as though we have caught the attention of a curious human. She looks troubled." He then turns his attention to Marron. "Perhaps you can help her."
"Shit. I forgot about Kelly." Marron gasps, and then pats her friend on the back before running towards the startled physician. "I'll be right back, Bulla."
For a few moments her mind is quiet, and when she notices what sounds like an occasional hum of agreement coming from the namekian still casually standing in front of her, she realizes that the kai is now speaking to him. They stay like that for a while- her trembling with her arms wrapped tightly against her chest, and him standing there with an unwavering smile as he listens to the kai speaking in his head. There is pity reflected in his eyes that wasn't there before, and she doesn't' dare to imagine the reason the Guardian of Earth would ever look upon her with such a woeful expression.
With a final nod, Dende concludes his telepathic conversation and points towards the edge of the parking lot, to an empty bench beneath a large tree. Just in case he gets any funny ideas and decides to spirit her away, before she follows him she sneaks a glance over his shoulder to ensure her blonde friend is still watching. For a startling moment she is taken aback by how surreal it is to see him- this alien who watches over the earth, to be standing here beside her while she sits on this very ordinary bench. This is Goku's world, she realizes. This world of gods, magic and wonders she can't even begin to imagine belongs to him. He had shown her just a glimpse of it when he took her galaxies away and gave her a taste of the furious energy running through his veins, and when she once again hears the kai's voice in her head, she realizes that whether she liked it or not, she had now become a part of it.
"King Kai has asked me to return to the Lookout. He is confident that you will make the right choice," Dende said. When she furrowed her brows up at him in confusion, beneath the pity she could see a tell-tale twinkle in his eyes. "It truly was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Bulla. I am confident the next time we meet will be under much better circumstances."
The Gaurdian of Earth leaves her there sitting alone on this ordinary bench, listening to the disembodied voice of a kai as she watches him disappear into the sunset. King Kai's apologetic tone does little to soften the blow. She can only sit there in a silent stupor as the kai drags her deeper into Goku's world with each devastating word, until she is embedded so deeply she knows she will never find a way out. Eventually Marron takes a seat besides her, watching her in concern until there is a feeble glowing of stars within the city smog and the kai finishes speaking. It is when he thanks her for her selfless actions that everything finally hits her. She crumbles into her friend's arms and cries for the lifetime of hurt she will have no choice but to endure.
Other than the sounds of the city traffic and Bulla's occasional shuddering breaths, the drive back to Marron's apartment was completely silent. When they parked, the blonde girl dragged her through the lobby and into the elevator, snapping at anyone who dared look their way, and once again Bulla found herself inside Marron's apartment. Only now, the familiar walls within Marron's apartment have become stifling, so she slides open the glass door to the balcony and steps out into the cool night air. There is a large wicker sofa pushed up against the railing and Bulla collapses onto it. With her legs curled beneath her, she pulls herself up to her knees and grabs onto the balcony railing before her. She is on the top floor of one of the tallest residential buildings in West City, and when she looks down at the city beneath her in all its loud, splendid glory and breathes in the cool night air, she can't help but think she imagined everything that just took place.
She knows Marron is watching her. In the background she hears Marron's phone chime and when she answers, her voice comes from the direction of the open balcony door. "Oh, don't be jealous. I promise to return your girlfriend to you in one piece." She hears Marron say in a voice of feigned cheerfulness. "She went a little overboard with the tequila, so she's sleeping it off right now. She'll call you tomorrow, yeah?" With her sharp hearing she knows who is on the other line. If she hadn't found herself lacking the energy necessary to cry, the concern she hears in Goten's voice would have brought tears to her eyes.
Once she hangs up, Marron calls out to her. "Hey, let's go inside. You're going to freeze your tits off out here." From the way the blonde is lurking by the door, it is obvious what she is worried about.
Leaning forward with her chin against the cold railing, Bulla said, "My dad would go to hell."
"W-what?" She hears Marron sputter.
"You're worried I'm going to do something dramatic like jump off," Bulla sighs, turning to look behind her when she feels a dip in the sofa. "If I kill myself, my dad will go to hell."
Marron doesn't respond. She just lays a comforting hand on her friend's back and waits for Bulla to elaborate.
"That's what King Kai told me, anyway." Bulla finds herself struggling for the words and has to take a deep steadying breath before she continues. "He said, if I hurt myself or this baby- then when my dad dies, he would go to hell."
"Bulla, that's ridiculous!" Marron gasps, finally understanding why earlier her friend had been nearly inconsolable. "King Kai can't do that! He can't blackmail you with your father's soul. Isn't it because of Vegeta that we are all even alive today?"
"They're gods, they can do whatever the fuck they want," Bulla said bitterly. She has to focus on that anger, because is she lets it slip, then all that fear and sadness she is trying so hard to subdue will overwhelm her.
"Turns out my dad wasn't always a nice guy," Bulla gasps, chocking back a sob. Growing up, she knew her father had a difficult life before he found a home on Earth. Her mother had explained his race had been annihilated by a villainous alien named Frieza who then forced her father to carry out his evil deeds. King Kai laid out of her father's sin and when he was done, the tears she cried were for her father and all of the atrocities he had committed without regret. Vegeta had been downright bloodthirsty and evil- he killed for pleasure. As she processed these things she discovers that even after learning about how much blood stained his hands, she hates herself far more than she could ever hate her father. "King Kai said after his planet was destroyed, my dad was enslaved by an intergalactic warlord. He destroyed fucking planets, killing billions for this monster."
She would be her father's penance.
"But that's not fair to your dad! He didn't have a choice," Marron protested. "And he's done so much good since then. I mean, doesn't King Yemma appreciate a good redemption story?"
This is too much to process: her father's murderous past and burdened soul, this child anticipated by the god's, her unwavering and obsessive desire for her saiyan warrior, and worst of all- what she is doing to his son. She couldn't think about Goten right now. She doesn't want to think about her initial selfish intention of using him to soothe her incessant desires, or about how since that night he flew her away from the city and they shared their first kiss, his father's child had already been a secret growing between them.
She had never meant for all of this to happen.
She glances over her shoulder, suddenly wondering if this girl, this person she holds so dear had always known about all the horrors her father had committed . If this was a secret shared between the older children of the Z-Fighters; something they all agreed she was better off not knowing. With her mind latched on to that thought, she slowly began to feel herself unraveling. Krillen was Goku's best friend after all, and he was so much chattier than her father. Surely, he must have at least said something in jest about how absolutely unhinged her father used to be.
"D-did you know?" Bulla stammers, shooting Marron a wary gaze. "Did you know all that stuff about my dad and not tell me? Did you think I wouldn't be able to handle it? That it would make me hate my own father?"
"No, Bulla! I swear I didn't!" The hurt in Marron's voice makes Bulla regret asking. She had to get a hold of herself. She had to keep it together and focus on the problem at hand. If she wasn't careful, this would end up destroying their families.
"My brother…do you think he knew?" she asks, even though deep down she already knows the answer to her own question. She understands why they might have thought it was better to keep her in the dark, but it still hurts to think her family believed she was possibly too naïve to accept the things her father had done. Everyone had their demons. No one could possibly understand that better than her.
Marron shrugs in reply, but from the look on her face Bulla knows she is thinking the same thing. They both knew her brother always tread a little more carefully around Vegeta. He didn't dare push and prod at their father's buttons like she did.
"If Trunks knew, that means Goten must've known too. Why wouldn't they tell me?" Bulla realizes, feeling betrayed. Like her bother, Goten also seemed to take great care in not invoking her father's ire. This left her wonder if they grew up knowing this awful, ruthless and bloodthirsty version of her father. They probably thought she wasn't saiyan enough to understand, but as the indignation ebbs away she realizes perhaps they were right. It is with agony that Bulla remembers everything King Kai said about the years her father spent in space. She sometimes forgets how incredibly powerful he is. That even when he's half asleep, sitting at the kitchen table in his cashmere bathrobe and drinking coffee directly from the pot, the terrible power of a hundred atomic bombs lies dormant within him.
"I wouldn't have hated him. I don't hate him. I could handle knowing that he," she has to take a deep, steadying breath as images of carnage and cities reduced to cinders assault her. "Fuck- Marron, he killed so many. Billions. He wiped out entire races. How could my dad do that? Kill women and children like some kind of…" she shudders imagining the trail of death and destruction that kind of power would leave in its wake. About how according the kai, to this day her father doesn't regret all the lives he has taken. That he still does not use his incredible strength for the greater good; he fights selfishly for only his family and himself. And while it hurts to know these things, she still loves him as unfailingly and unconditionally as she had with her child's heart. "My daddy isn't a monster."
"No, Bulla, your dad isn't a monster." There is a lull of sympathy in the blonde's voice as she scoots across the sofa to wrap her arms around her friend. "I have done things I'm not proud of, and Kami knows so have you. Your dad isn't any different. The only difference is that when your dad makes mistakes they're just so much bigger, because let's be honest, when you compare him to us- we're nothing. Think about it, if he didn't have a good heart he wouldn't risk his life over and over again to save the planet. All of his sacrifices have to count for something."
"They do. As long as he doesn't act like he used to, when he dies, his soul will eventually make it to the Other World. Only, he won't make it right away," Bulla said, turning her attention back to the city lights sprawled out below her and resting her chin against the cold railing. She imagines her father's soul wailing in agony while her mother's lingers between the Other World and Hell, sorrowfully waiting the thousand years until they can find eternal peace together. It was never even really was a choice; she knows what she has to do. She just hopes that when her father learns the price she paid for his soul's atonement he will forgive her, and that perhaps one day she will even forgive herself. "You know how my mom tied my father's life to hers by wishing that they could grow old together? If I don't do this… when they do die together, my mom will be waiting on my dad for a long time. I know he killed a lot of people, but I really don't give a shit. He's my dad."
"Oh, Bulla," Marron sighed, finally understanding where all this was leading to. "I'm so sorry."
"A soul for a soul." There is a dazed, faraway look in her eyes as she takes one hand off the railing, resting it against her flat stomach as she considers her conversation with the kai. She has been very careful to only think about these things separately. If she allows herself to fully realize the devastating connectedness of it all, she truly fears where it would lead her.
Marron is at a loss for words. In their world of wish granting dragons, gods, and physical power capable of planetary devastation, it was the Z Fighters who understood and dealt with these kinds issues.
"He's practically a god himself. I should have known something like this would happen," Bulla scoffs as she tries her hardest to keep her emotions under control. Her mind is still on her father when she begins to wonder what Goku will do if he realizes she is carrying his child, and suddenly the weight of it all comes crashing down upon her. She grips the railing tighter to stop the tremor that has begun in her hands, and takes a gasping breath of the cool night air in hopes of easing the tightness in her chest. "I guess you can't fuck with the universe's darling and expect it to look the other way?"
"I guess not." Marron hums. "Does he know?"
"No, and King Kai believes telling him right now wouldn't be the smartest thing. In the end it's up to me." The question made a chill down her spine. If she asked, King Kai told her that he could contact Goku and request he come back to Earth. She is being forced to have this child she doesn't want with a man that drives her insane with emotions too primal and explosive to ever be considered love. Nothing about this feels right. She knows this deal was only really offered to create the illusion that she ever had a choice. "You know how self-righteous everyone always says he is. I think if he gets involved, his emotions will just get in the way. You heard Dende- the entire multiverse knows about this. He would just make things worse."
"Kami, this is all so fucked!" Marron groans in frustration, arching against the back of the sofa and pressing her palms into her eyes.
"Yeah, it is."
There is a bone deep weariness beginning to set in that makes her abandon her perch on the railing. As the shock of it all slowly ebbs away she realizes how cold the air is this high off the ground. She is trembling and too tired to feel or think as she stumbles into the warm apartment. She exchanges one sofa for another and stretches herself out on the soft pink velvet of a pretentious looking camelback sofa. With dry eyes and a somber heart, she thinks of the Son men and the very special place they each hold in her heart, of her family, and the unborn child who will atone one by one for each life her father took.
When she closes her eyes, he visits her in her dreams- and what a sight he makes standing there under the soft glow of two moons, with his bright eyes and radiant smile. They are somewhere beautiful and familiar; a field of soft blue grass as far as the eye can see and against the stars, the clouds alive in crashing waves of purples and blue. When he reaches an arm out to her she feels so deliriously happy. Safe.
"Let's go, Bulla."
She takes his hand and they slip out of the world and into another. Somewhere her life is not built on lies and shame. Somewhere she is happier.
"My parents are expecting us and your boyfriend is expecting a tan."
That is Bulla's only warning before a very bubbly blonde in a bikini top and denim cut off shorts drags her away to a little tropical island. They spend the rest of the weekend lounging on white sand.
Between the chaos of chasing away a perverted turtle hermit and trying to act as normal as possible in front of Marron's very intuitive mother, she is not given a chance to process what has happened, which she suspects had been Marron's intentions all along. They spend their days under the summer sun, wearing skimpy bikinis and drinking lemonade as they flip through surgical notes. She thinks it's sweet of Marron to pretend she's in any shape to begin a grueling residency. The relentless summer sun seems to be exacerbating the fatigue she had spent the last month ignoring, but she relishes in the deep sleep it brings her.
It isn't until the night before they planned on returning to West City that Bulla finally decides how she wants to proceed. When they are under the covers of Marron's childhood bed lying face to face, Bulla whispers her plan into the dark.
He answers the door with a look of surprise on his stupidly handsome face.
"Bulla what are you doing here?" Goten asks, shooting an inquiring look past her shoulder and towards the sleek Capsule Corporation aircraft idling at the edge of the gravel driveway. There is a familiar blonde in the pilot's seat enthusiastically waving at him as the vehicle begins its steady assent up into the grey morning sky, and standing before him is a beautiful girl with eyes so deep and blue she takes his breath away.
I am poison.
The thought weaves around her mind just as acutely as it had the night before, only this time instead of falling into that recurring loop of self-indulgent pity, she laughs. She takes note of the dark colored karategi he is wearing and brings her hands together and bows.
"Sensei Goten, I apologize rudely intruding." When she lifts her head there is a playful smile on her lips and when she steps forward to caress his cheek it is done with practiced sensuality. "Didn't you miss me? It almost seems as though you don't want to see me."
"What?" he sputters. He blames the sudden short circuit of his brain and instantaneous erection on the girl standing at the front door of his family home. Marron had been right. She looked gorgeous with a tan.
"My eyes are up here." Before she lowers the hand still cradling his cheek she wriggles her fingers to get his attention, nails lightly tracing the soft skin of his face.
He blinks slowly, his mind sluggishly considering her words as it tries to process the sight of her. She's only wearing a worn oversized shirt that nearly reaches her knees, but the loose neckline is so low he is met with more cleavage than should be allowed on a Monday morning. When it finally dawns on him that this glorious creature is his girlfriend, he jumps back in embarrassment. "Oh, shit! I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay. As long as you invite me in for some coffee, I'll forgive the early morning ogling," she giggles again, thinking he wouldn't be apologizing if he knew her real reason for being here. Even with such negative thoughts flitting through her head, she is finding it hard to control the big, syrupy grin on her face. "I missed you so, so much."
"Come on in, Bulla." With a mild flush still on his cheeks, he steps aside so that she can pass through the door. "I wasn't expecting you to disappear like that. It was lonely without you."
"With my brother around, I'm sure you didn't miss me too much. I'm sure he was quick to remind you about all fun you can have in West City after dark- the drinks, the girls," she teased. When she sees the gears start turning in his head she has to bite down on her lip to stop from laughing. She could care less if he accidentally fell dick first into some girl this weekend. She is thankful for the expired Valium Marron gave her- the one the blonde girl had been prescribed years ago before she discovered her own worth. When you're a puddle of happiness sinking into the floor, it's hard to feel shitty- even when you're doing something this depraved.
"I don't think that's something you'll ever have to worry about. You're one in a million." Goten said, eyes following her as she walked the short distance to the kitchen. Last Saturday night, he'd gotten kind of drunk, but not enough to be tempted by the girls who came up to him. He meant what he said, compared to the Capsule Corp. heiress, all the other girls seemed to fall flat.
The large kitchen table near the center of the room was empty of any freshly prepared breakfast, confirming that Marron had been correct in knowing that Chi-Chi had left to spend time with her older son in Satan City. She followed the smell of coffee and was delighted to find the old-fashioned silver percolator still half full. She isn't thinking about her boyfriend being tempted by other women as she pours steaming hot coffee into a plain white mug, she's thinking about the family picture she saw hanging by the front door. Of poor, unsuspecting Chi-Chi smiling on obliviously as she-the same vile girl who found nirvana on her husband's cock, entraps her youngest son. She is a mess of sluggish neurons, smiling through the agony of her heart slowly breaking as she sloppily seduces her boyfriend. She laughs to herself because all of this is funny in that sad way terrible things can sometimes be; funny that here on Mount Paozu, she will have slept with both the son and father. Funny that when she came here on that hot summer night, drunk and needy it had been the lack of inhibitions that allowed her to act on her crazed passion, and now she has found herself back where she started. Only this time she isn't a mess of yearning desperation- she's pleasantly numb.
Bulla's expression is blank, and even though Goten worries that he's come on too strongly, he just can't seem to stop the words from falling out of his mouth. "I'm not bullshitting you. I really did miss you, Bulla," Goten insists, lips pulling into a warm smile.
"Is that right?" she questions, peering at him over her steaming mug as she takes a seat on the long red sofa curved against the wall of the house. She crosses her legs slowly, ignoring the self directed revulsion that runs through her when notices Goten following the slow, deliberate movements of her legs. "If you missed me and I'm so pretty, how come I'm sitting here all alone?"
It's been over a month since he's had any kind of physical intimacy, and with her sitting there looking like something out of his dirtiest fantasies he doesn't need to be told twice. She doesn't see him move. Her responses are so delayed she doesn't even flinch when he phases out, suddenly appearing on the seat besides her.
"I really mean it, Bulla. No other girl has ever come close to you. You're on a league of your own," Goten said, taking the mug of coffee from her hands. She loosened her fingers around the mug and was mesmerized by how careful his hands were against hers. When he looks into her eyes she worries that he will notice that her pupils are blown sky high, and when his phone starts to ring she sighs in relief, thanking her luck.
With an irritated growl he reaches into his pocket to retrieve his phone. The number flashing on the caller ID prompts him to peer at the clock ticking over the fridge, and when he answers it is with a heavy sigh. "Yeah, sorry. Turns out I'm not going to make it this morning. I'll call later to check in. Bye." He places the phone down besides her now forgotten cup of coffee on the windowsill above her, and then leans over her and invades her personal space with a boyish smirk. "Now, where were we?"
Bulla moves forward, so close that when she speaks the feeling of her warm breath causes him to shiver."I think you were telling me about how great I am. I think you used the words one in a million."
"Kami, you're amazing, Bulla. You're like a goddess- just so incredibly sexy. And you're not just beautiful- you're got brains for days," Goten groans. He never imagined this is how he would start his morning. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"
Bulla laughs as she tries to scoot backwards, but Goten is too fast. He grabs her gently by the back of her neck, his fingers trailing up the base of her skull and into her hair. There is the spark of something innocent and sweet in his gaze, and she feels a pull in her heart when she understands he is looking at her the same way he had the night they shared their first kiss.
"I love you." The words tumble out of his mouth in a quick rush of air, and his eyes go wide once he realizes what he just said.
"You love me?" For a moment, the shock on her expression mirrors his.
His surprised expression softens, and when he looks into her eyes and nods she sees it. She can see this love that he is insensibly gifting her, and it stabs at her heart because she doesn't deserve it. He doesn't truly know her; not really- but, she will take what she can, so she fists her hands into his wild hair and kisses him gently.
Poison. The word is an unwelcome echo in her head as she deepens the kiss and desperately tries pulling the unmovable bulk of his body closer.
He doesn't even notice that she hasn't replied. All he knows is that right now, with her nails scraping against his scalp and her sweet lips on his, all of his senses are on overdrive. To him, there is only one thing that doesn't feel right.
"Take the ring off. I want to feel you."
Her head is light like cotton, and when she finally understands his request, she shivers in terror at the possibility of him sensing the tiny spark of ki growing inside her. She feels a nauseating lurch in her stomach, and if it wasn't for the anxiolytic numbing her nerves she is sure she would have already thrown up all over the mauve colored tile.
Bulla acts fast.
Without breaking the kiss, she uncrosses her legs, carefully bringing each one up onto the couch so that she is kneeling and Goten is no longer leaning over her. With one hand still firmly latched onto his thick hair, she reaches for his free hand and guides it up the hem of her oversized shirt, past the smooth skin of her stomach until he touches a part of her that makes him groan into her mouth. She smiles against his lips. "So tell me how do I feel?"
Since he saw her at her walking down the stairs in that tight nude color dress on the night of her welcome home soirée, he has fantasized about finally being able to touch her like this. His heart is hammering as his fingers skim the undersides of her heavy breasts. Other than a few passionate kisses, this is the farthest she's let him go, and he is mesmerized by the abundance of smooth skin beneath his palm. There is an innocent eagerness behind his kisses and instead of the rough manhandling she is used to, he touches her as though she were something precious.
When the grip of her small hand finds his erection, the fingers he had been skimming against her tender nipples suddenly pinch her. Even though she is used to heavier touches, there is a soreness in her breasts that has his touch hitting that sweet spot between pleasure and pain.
It's only been a month since her last sexual experience (which she is doing her best not to think of), but when she feels that familiar empty aching in her cunt she blames the drugs and does what feels good. She breaks their kiss and when she drags his hands out from beneath the hem of her shirt his groan of disappointment dies when she surprises him by pulling the worn fabric down of her collar down until her perfect breasts are exposed. Even though to conceal it, in the past few weeks she had seen the pent up sexual tension in the way he carried himself, the way his eyes lingered on her. It was obvious, a month without sex had left this man vulnerable and she had planned on using that to her advantage. Bulla had hoped it would be quick, easy, and done before the her sedative wore off.
Through the pleasant haze of the Valium, she finds herself mesmerized by the way he is looking at her. Yes, there is an undeniable lust burning in his eyes, but it is barely a simmer compared to the tender adoration.
"Bulla. Look at you." His deep voice shatters the heavy silence, and she does not fail to notice the slight tremble of his hands when he gently cups her breasts. "I could die happy with you"
She can see his love, but finds no contentment in it. Instead she feels foolish and finds herself overcome with the need to cover her nakedness.
His hands touch her with a practiced gentleness that she imagines he and her brother must have perfected over the years as they took pleasure with female bodies that would have crumbled under the slightest unrestrained caress. No man has ever touched her like this. He dips his head and lavishes her breasts with feather light kisses, pulling from her a lazy kind of arousal. Men love her breasts. It's usually the first thing they notice about her, and it seems as though Goten is no different. He takes his time worshiping them with his mouth and hands, and when his lips finally find their way back to hers she is appalled to notice that her fingers have somehow slipped beneath the elastic of her panties. The smell of her has him dizzy and the wet sounds of her fingers teasing fingers have him kissing her deeply and groaning into her mouth.
He guides her backwards onto the sofa, and is only when she feels his hardness pressing against the back of her hand, neglected within the coarse fabric of his gi that she pulls her hand out from beneath the damp lace of her panties. She reaches between them, loosening the fabric of his belt and when she wraps her hands around the length of him, hot and slick with his own arousal, he pulls his mouth away from her to gaze down at her with a look of unwelcome uncertainty. There is something in that look that drudges up a memory of a man so similar, for a moment they blur merging into one. It is with gut wrenching clarity that she remembers how in the very woods that surround them, he had looked up at her with the same desperation in his eyes and pleaded, 'Bulla, please don't let me do this.'
If only for a moment, he is brought to his senses when he smells a sharp burst of fear rolling off her body. If she hadn't been idly running her fingers down his length, he would've jumped off her in his panic. He pushes himself up on his forearms to put space between them, and when he looks down at her in concern she feels him begin to soften in her hand.
"We don't have to do it this way. I want to do this right." Goten offers her an apologetic smile followed by a gentle kiss to her forehead. "We should take it slow."
Her mind is still lost in memories of the one night that changed everything, but his words echo through and she finds them so odd. She doesn't like it slow. Everything that is happening is opposite of how it should be. She wants him to fuck her like he had in that field of blue grass; so rough the pleasure was imbedded with the kind of pain that made her fear for her life. He liked hearing her scream. It made him say the kind of vile things that left her dripping.
When she blinks and sees that it is Goten on top of her, the cry of frustration lodged in her throat emerges in a bubbly laugh. "Why? Don't you want me?"
"Bulla. I can't" He manages through clenched teeth. Kami, she feels so good! He's overstimulated by the way she feels around him. When he was still a teenager, he got the saiyan sex talk from Bulma: always use these!, and a never ending supply of Capsule Corporation produced rubbers tailored embarrassingly to indulge her son's and his philandering lifestyle. He's never been inside a woman without that very thin layer of latex between them.
"It's okay," Bulla lies as she arches her hips, tightening her grip over his nearly flaccid member and teasing it against the dull ache between her legs. He of course, stupidly believes her.
With a groan of defeat, he lowers himself onto his elbows and buries his face into the crook of her neck, his hips beginning to involuntarily into her hand. "I wanted it to be different with you."
"I know." To her this all feels the same and yet different. She does not fail to notice the bittersweet irony in the way she has now forced herself on both Son men, making them find pleasure in their eventual ruin. All it takes is an exaggerated tilt of her hips to feel her sex deliciously stretching around him. "Tell me you love me." She hadn't meant to cry that out, but as he carefully fills her she is overcome by the sense that something is missing. This love he is giving isn't it, but it feels nice all the same. Even with him inside of her, she feels a pang of profound emptiness. She wonders if she will have to learn to live with that terrible little ache and spend a lifetime fruitlessly stuffing it with moments like these.
"Fuck," he grunts, looking down at the beautiful girl who fits so perfectly around him. He truthfully wanted their first time to be different. He had wanted to show her how much she meant to him, but with her so wet and hot around him those thoughts were overcome by the need to have her. "I love you."
There are no fireworks.
She does not feel his energy entwining against hers, raw and addictive- enough to make it feel as though she were melting off her bones in pleasure, yet it is lovely all the same. The girl Goten is fucking is someone else, and for a long time she had wanted to be that girl. He kisses her deeply as he gently rocks against her, and when she feels that steady rise of pleasure between her legs crescendo, it is enough for her to mercilessly forget the demands of the universe.
"I love you," he cries out, hips stuttering and for a split second as he spills himself inside, she catches a glimpse of the raw power he is capable of. His hips snap against hers so forcefully, the resulting blooming pain it is enough to send her over the edge. She wraps herself around him as she trembles violently, unable to look at him when the face in her mind is so similar to his. Goku. The name dies in her throat, emerging from her mouth as a pained sob as a violent orgasm is wrenched from her.
With a hiss, Goten stuffs himself back into his pants and pulls himself off of the girl gasping beneath him. Even with his lust sated, the sight before him still takes his breath away, but beneath that wonder he feels a pang of regret. Sprawled out against his mother's favorite sofa is this beautiful girl with her legs spread wide open and a dreamy look in her blue eyes. It is an embarassing contrast to his fully clothed state, and it is then he realizes what he has just done. Here on his mother's couch he sloppily fucked his best friend's sister- Vegeta and Bulma's daughter like the animal everyone accused him of being.
He turns away with a pained grimace. "I'm so sorry, Bulla. I really did want-"
"Thank you," Bulla interrupts, tilting her head in his direction and offering him a funny little smile. "It was perfect."
And she means it.
Everything had been perfect.
In a few months, when this child is born ridiculously powerful, with wild, dark hair and obsidian eyes, looking every bit it's father's child she will be able to believably claim a Son as it's father. Perhaps in another time and place this would have been able to happen, and it would have been pure and true; free of these ugly secrets and compulsions that feel so beyond her control. With a wistful smile, she imagines that this would have been enough.
Bulla misses smoking the most.
Even when the nausea is so bad, digesting anything other than saltines seems almost impossible, she still craves that rush of endorphins after a strong, first drag. She especially misses smoking on days like today, when even despite the sun shining brightly overhead or the soft, persistent lull of the ocean she falls into a bout of melancholy. Sometimes when the need for that heavy taste of menthol on her tongue becomes too much, she likes to imagine what would happen if she impulsively lit a cigarette. She can already hear the loud, jarring voice of King Kai telepathically scolding her. She isn't stupid, she knows they're watching- yet the thought disturbs her less than this listless acceptance she is slowly beginning to find comfort in.
When she wasn't sprawled out on the sandy white beaches in various states of unconsciousness, she would walk along the shore and wonder what her next steps should be. Not even the all mighty dragon could undo this mess. Her only option is to move forward, and initially she had even planned on running far, far away. Her great plan consisted of her callously breaking Goten's heart in the most impersonal way possible- via text, and then biding her time until she was finally able to drop this child into the eager arms of those who wanted it. That would have solved her problems, easy. But of course, nothing is ever easy for her. It happened one unremarkable afternoon as she had been walking along the shore. A small swell of energy fluttered from inside her- it seemed to say 'I'm here!'
It's so terribly hypocritical to admit, but that small jolt of life changed everything.
There is a child growing inside of her. Her child. And even though she may not have wanted this, within that pulse of energy there is no denying where it came from. It shone through all her selfishness and despair, and within its tiny presence she felt an echo of her saiyan warrior. It should have only served to increase her self loathing, but in that moment as she stood beneath the bright sun with the foamy waves lapping at her feet and her palm pressed against her flat abdomen, the future didn't seem so bleak. She accepted a part of her would always be inexplicably drawn to Goku, but in a dark, twisted way her restlessness was appeased to know that he would forever be a part of her. She was a selfish thing. If this was the most she could get, then she would take the pieces of him that were offered- this child, his son, and instead of drown in the despair of her sins, she would use them to carve out her own happiness. What had driven her insane with regret and disgust has slowly begun a transition into something she cannot put into words.
It's no longer just Goku who visits her in the shade of dreams. Some mornings she wakes hearing the echoes of innocent babbles, and in her mind she sees a little thing swaddled in a blanket- a shock of spiky black hair and piercing blue eyes; she remembers the weight of him in her arms and an overflowing love in her heart. A lingering sadness always follows those dreams, and sometimes she has to remind herself that's all they are- dreams.
Bulla has had a lot of time to think. It's been weeks since she slept with Goten.
Weeks since she's analyzed every moment and word that led her here- seated on the small steps of the Kame House, avoiding the first boy who had captured her girlish heart, and doing everything she can to not think of the reason behind her malaise. Marron had promised her parent's that she would stay with them for a few weeks at on Kame Island, and to Master Roshi's delight, Bulla decided to join her. It had been the perfect place to ruminate over everything without the danger of completely losing herself to the hopelessness of the situation. Here on Kame Island, all the things that seemed so overwhelming were easily drowned out by the sounds of sea birds and crashing waves. She kept telling herself just one more day, but between the exhaustion and her troubled heart she couldn't find the will to leave the island and face the life she knew was waiting for her.
Up until a few days ago avoiding Goten wound up being easier than expected, especially when she could attribute their collection of conveniently missed calls to different timezones. As it would turn out, the youngest Son ran a dojo of high acclaim within the martial arts community, and on the same week she slept with him, his work had conveniently dragged him west, to the same city her surgical residency would have taken place. Now that he's back, she could sense an edge of panic to his voice whenever she would feed him a halfhearted excuse for her absence.
Her cellphone rings and without lifting her head she blindly reaches for it on the sandy, wooden steps. Against the glare of the sun, she notices her brother's cheesy grin reflected on the screen. While her father may not have called her directly, she now suspects her brother is only getting involved at his insistence. This is the fifth time Trunks has called her today.
"Here. It looks like you need it."
Bulla looks up to see a pair of cold blue eyes before a chilled glass of fizzy liquid is shoved into her face. It's only been these past few days that her symptoms have become obvious enough that in the place of tropical alcoholic beverages, Eighteen has started offering her ginger ale over ice.
"Thanks," Bulla said as she took the glass. "I'm just feeling a little tired. I forgot how exhausting studying can be."
"Yeah, sure." The stoic blonde offers a noncommittal hum in response and casually props herself against one of the two wooden pillars bordering the entrance to the beach house. "You know I just can't help but find it funny that Bulma and Vegeta- two of the most fierce and prideful individuals I know, would be capable of producing an offspring as cowardly and conflicted as you."
Bulla gasps at the insult and then bristles. "If you feel like I'm intruding, that's all you need to say. I can take a hint."
"That's not necessary. Marron enjoys your company." With a little sardonic quirk of her lips, Eighteen turns her attention to the endless expanse of crystal blue water ahead of them. "And wouldn't that be counterproductive? It's easy to pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist when you're hiding away on a place like this."
"Marron wanted to come here. We have a lot to review before summer is over and this is the perfect place to do it. It's quiet and there are no distractions." Bulla offered lamely.
"Yes, I'm sure that's the reason you've forced your company upon us." With an arched brow, Eighteen spares a glance down at the sickly blue haired girl seated on the wooden steps. "No matter how fast you run, one way or another, our problems usually have a way of catching up to us. Eventually, we all get tired."
Bulla is glad Marron didn't inherit her mother's uncanny ability to read people. She raises the glass to her lips as she considers the older woman's words. "I guess it's a good thing my endurance is pretty solid."
This earns a light chuckle from the android. "That's the spirit."
The screen door swings open behind them and the blue haired girl turns to see Marron's father step out to take his place beside his wife. "Hey, girls."
Eighteen bends down to plant a kiss on her husbands bald head and then wordlessly turns her attention up towards the cloudless sky. It was always a little strange seeing them together; this eternally beautiful blonde femme fatale and the bald, aging, kind hearted love of her life.
"Man, Kame House sure is popular this summer. It's been years since Roshi has had this many people over at once." Krillin shields his eyes and looks in the same direction as his wife. "Is your brother going to be staying too? Because to be honest, I really don't think we have the space...or the food."
"Trunks is coming?!" Bulla shrieks as she jumps to her feet, spilling ginger ale all over herself in the process. From inside Kame House, Marron who had left to wash the sand off before dinner could also be heard voicing her surprise.
Krillin glances at his wife and asks, "Uh… I take it you didn't get a chance to let her know that her brother was on his way?"
"No," Eighteen replied as she pushed away from the wooden beam and walked over to Bulla. With a face devoid of expression, she takes the nearly empty glass from Bulla's hand. "Good thing you have your endurance. I have a feeling you're going to need it."
Krillin watches Eighteen walk into the beach house and when he sees the murderous expression on Bulla's face, nervously chuckles. "Endurance? Wow, are you training now or is that like girl code for something?" When Bulla turns to him red faced and angry, Krillin reflexively flinches. He's seen that same expression on Bulma enough to fear it, and judging from how fast Trunks is flying, Krillin worries the siblings are going to demonstrate how explosive that famous Briefs temper can be.
Whatever Bulla was going to say died on her lips when she is suddenly blinded by a painful spay of sand and saltwater. Kami, she really hated that she wasn't as powerful as all the other saiyans.
"Hey Trunks. Maybe next time-" She was still rubbing the sand out of her eyes when she heard Krillin begin to scold her brother, only to defeatedly sigh. "You know what, I'm going inside. Please just don't break anything."
When she opened her eyes she understood Krillin's hasty retreat. Trunks was standing right in front of her with specks of sand all over his expensive suit and looking every bit their father's son with his arms crossed against his chest and an ugly scowl on his face. Bulla nearly stumbled backwards in fear. The last time she had seen her family was before the world came tumbling down on top of her.
Eighteen was right. She couldn't keep running forever.
She straightens her spine and tries to will the ground to stop moving from beneath her feet. With an equally impressive scowl, she stomps over to her brother and plants her hands on her hips. "Where are your manners? Don't you know it's rude to show up to places uninvited?"
"Don't you know its rude to ignore your family for weeks!" Trunks growls through grit teeth. "Why aren't you answering anyone's calls? Goten is freaking out. Dad's freaking out. It's getting really fucking annoying."
As he grumbles on, his irritation begins to not so subtly manifest as a gentle gust of heat that warms the already humid air around them. These past few weeks she had been so angry at Trunks for never telling her about the neverending trail of death and destruction that made up their father's past. She liked to think that if she had known, perhaps she would have handled this better, but now that Trunks is here none of that really seems to matter. Bulla wordlessly stares up at her brother and finds herself too weary to continue playing the role of the indignant little sister.
"I'm so sorry." It could be the hormones, or even guilt, but for some reason the sight of her brother is becoming blurry with unshed tears.
As disarming as the apology is, it is not as surprising as what she does next. For a second he forgets that she is pathetically weak and flinches when she lunges into his arms. He peers down in confusion at the small girl pressed against his chest, and cannot seem to remember what he was complaining about.
"I'm sorry," she mumbles , taking a fistful of his shirt in each hand. For weeks she had fooled herself into thinking everything would be fine, but seeing her brother is enough to make the delusion shatter. Nothing would ever be fine again. Just like the rest of the saiyen men, her brother is a wall of muscle, and when he awkwardly wraps his arms around her she feels her defenses crumble. She finds herself fighting the urge to regurgitate all of her truths onto him.
Trunks had been prepared to face his sister spitting and hissing in fury, and does not know how to appropriately proceed. He clumsily searches for the words that will make her let him go. "Hey, it's okay. I get it. It's been years since you've been home, and all of a sudden everyone's in your face. Sometimes we all just need a little space." He hasn't hugged her in years, and through the thin material of his tailored shirt he feels her breasts mashed against his chest. With a grimace he tries to gently push her away, but she does not relent.
"You're right I should have called back. I-"
That's when Trunks smells it.
Her words trail off into the background as a strange scent catches his attention. Something foreboding is intermingled within the scent of her unease. This time he uses just enough force to extricate himself from her embrace, and when she tries to turn her face away he gently lifts her chin up to him. Weeks at the Kame House had given her pale complexion a healthy tan and in the loose cotton pullover she is wearing, nothing about her appearance had seemed to be amiss; but now that he's looking at her, he is startled by her frail appearance.
"What's wrong? Why are you avoiding everyone?" he asks. He notices that the soft roundess of her cheeks has become gaunt and there is a new exaggerated hollowing of her collarbones.
Her inner conflict is almost palpable. It appears as though she is seriously considering his question, but the moment passes and she hastily draws the veil back down over her vulnerability.
"You're being silly. It's sweet of you to worry, but there's nothing wrong with me. Marron and I just needed to get away for a little bit. It was too loud in West City," she says, but the little smile on her face is too unhinged to be sincere.
"Then why are you doing this?" he asks in exasperation. Her strange appearance had been so unsettling, he almost forgot the real reason he was here on Kame Island. "Just so you know, dad's really upset that you've disappeared like this, and since Goku been off the planet for the past few months, Goten and I have been his personal punching bags. Not that you care, but dad's blaming my best friend for your disappearance. "
She brings a hand to her forehead and sighs in exasperation. "I thought Goten enjoyed training with daddy."
"Yeah, well right now daddy is trying to kill him, Bulla!" Trunks yells. The day before, Goten's training session with Vegeta had been so brutal he left the G.R. dragging his broken leg behind him, and afterwards he took a senzu bean just so that he could do it all over again today. When he left his office, he could sense that his woeful friend was headed in the direction of Capsule Corporation. Every time Goten had shown up, it had been with the foolish hope that perhaps this time Bulla would be home.
"Okay, I get it," she winces and raises her hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry I haven't called. As soon as you go, I promise I'll give mom a call."
This earns her a wry chuckle. Out of everyone, their mother had taken her daughter's sudden disappearance in stride. "Have you always been this difficult?"
"Always," she grins. For a terse minute, he silently observes her. The weight of his cold eyes is suffocating.
"You really do need to come home," he insists, taking her hand in his. "Quit being selfish. Goten is a mess. I know he's far from perfect and he's already fucked up, but I don't know what you said, or did to my best friend that has has him thinking he deserves the beatings he's been getting."
"No I'm-," she starts only to gasp when a startling rush of air brushes against her hand. Trunks raises his hand up, and what she sees pinched between his fingers and glimmering against the summer sun makes her seethe- her ring!
"You need to come home," he repeats, and like the asshole that he is, tosses the ring up into the air. Bulla watches in horror as it catapults up into the sky and then down into her brother's open palm. "Don't worry, you'll get it back after dinner. Mom's ordering from that sushi place you like." She can read the nonverbal threat in his grin as he drops the ring into his pocket and lightly pats it. She is now a familiar flame of energy, easily found by anyone who knows how to look. "See you at home."
He stands before her, face void of expression, and then in a burst of sand he is gone.
.