Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ.
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From The Author: Wow...it's really been a while, hasn't it? I'm so sorry. I really hope that you can all forgive me and still read this story. Because of the infrequency of my updates, I think I'll put a "last time" on this chapter. Hop it helps.
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Last time: Bra has decided to break things off with Goten now, feeling relieved that he'll have Paris to fall back on. In an angsty flashback, we learn more details of the legendary breakup. What did Yamcha leave out when he told Bra the story the first time? Why is he comparing himself to Vegeta?
Chapter Seven
"Yamcha." she said to her new lover. He didn't respond. He was staring at the wall across from the couch, past the tv. "Yamcha?"
"Huh?....Oh....Yeah?" he responded.
She almost mentioned his strange mood, but decided against it. "Ah..." she said. "I'm just so glad that I was able to break things off with Goten so easily. No guilt, no pain...it was perfect."
He responded under his breath, in a slightly sarcastic, almost hurtful tone. "Yeah. I'm sure that's exactly what your mother said."
"Huh? Yamcha, what–-"
He put up a hand to silence her. "Just–-... never mind. It would be worthless to even tell you, so–"
"Yamcha, I–-"
"–-So, don't ask." he continued with a scowl.
"How dare you talk to me like that?!"
"How dare you be so damn blind?!!!"
She was shocked, without words for a moment. "Yamcha, what are you talking about? What did I do wrong?"
He closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples . "Nothing. I'm sorry." he said. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's just..." he opened his eyes, and stopped, shaking his head. "I seriously doubt you would even understand."
"What? Is it a guy thing?"
"No. It's a love thing."
"What..." she began. "What are you implying? Is that supposed to be an insult? I'm confused. Are you saying that I don't understand love? Because I love you, Yamcha. You can tell me what's bothering you."
He sighed. "Fine...He was going to propose, Bra."
"Who...? What...?"
"Goten was getting ready to propose to you when you dumped him!"
"...But I thought you said–-"
"Forget about what I said!" he yelled. "He was ready to spend the rest of his life with you, and he was just about to say it!" he yelled.
"...How do you know that? Did he tell you?"
"....He didn't have to...." Yamcha said bitterly.
"But then how...?....never mind. It's all over now." she said, picking up a magazine. "I don't think we should worry about it anymore. It's best to just forget about it, let it smooth it's self out over time." She sat down.
When she looked up at him again, he stared back at her with wide eyes, filled with rage.
"What?" she asked.
"Just forget about it?!!!"
"What is wrong with you, Ya–-"
"Do have any idea what it's like on the other side of this?!!!" he yelled.
"Yamcha, -–"
"You don't do you, and I'll bet you don't care!!!" His voice was beginning to crack. "What have I done...?" She noticed tears in his eyes, as his rage faded away, and he seemed to be thinking.
"Yamcha ....I'll go talk to him if you really want me to."
"Talk s cheap." he said. "Every word that came out of her mouth was a stab in the heart ...after...." he let the sentence linger.
She suddenly understood everything. She got up, and hugged him, with tears in her eyes. She kissed him on the cheek then whispered in his ear "You and Goten are both wonderful men. You found someone else, and he will too. In time, he will. I'm so sorry about all that my mother put you through, and I would never purposely do the same thing to Goten," She pulled back, and looked into his eyes. "But this is love, Yamcha. Do you agree that it's the most important thing?"
"Let me tell you something, Bra." he said. "There is such a thing as one-sided love. It was my dilemma, and now it's Goten's. Nothing can help that poor boy now. Nothing. If he's anything like me, every moment with you after this will be agony....until he finds someone else. After that...well, I'm not sure yet..."
"Oh, Yamcha, come here." she said, embracing him. "Everything will be just fine. Don't you worry. Things will turn out good in the end. They just have to. You are the last person who should be worrying about anyone else." Once again, she put her lips to his ear. "Listen. You've felt far more than enough pain already. Right now, just relax, and be in love. Don't let anyone else's problems get to you. I love you, Yamcha. Just have faith in that, and everything will be fine."
He hugged her back. "I just don't know if I can take the guilt."
"Sh...no guilt. The bad part is my doing. It has nothing to do with you...Everything will be fine. Just keep saying that to yourself, and it will come to be." She kissed him, deeply and romantically. When she pulled away, his eyes seemed unsure, glazed with love and sadness, almost drunk. "So, what do you say?"
"...I say that..." He took her hands, and held them up to his heart. "...That this was meant to be, just like Vegeta and Bulma's love was meant to be, from the very beginning...but that within fate, there is always ugliness; death, pain...good people left in the wake so destiny can be played out in the proper way. Goten doesn't deserve this...but neither did I...I'll stay with you, Bra, but I will never forget about how bravely Goten acted when h's heart was being torn apart...I wish I'd acted a tenth as brave as that boy..."
~~~~~~~~~~~
"I just plain don't get it..." Goten said weakly. "I...I was so close."
Frowning, Goku put an arm around his son's shoulders. "Goten, I'm so sorry. To be honest, I really don't know what you're going through right now. Your mother was my first and only love. But I have a general idea of how you must feel. I've lost people in the past, but not like this."
"Dad, what are talking about?" Goten said, getting up, and wiping a tear from his eye. "You've gone through way more than I ever have. I'm just being a big cry baby. I shouldn't be acting like this. It's foolish! It's disgraceful! Why the hell can't I stop crying?!" he yelled, slamming his fist onto the corner of Goku's fireplace, and causing most of the left side to collapse. "Oh god, dad, I'm sorry. I'll pay for that."
Goku got up, and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "No, don't worry about it, son. Just relax, get some sleep, and try to work all of this out in the morning."
"It is the morning, dad."
"Ah...then work it out tomorrow morning. Just relax, try to forget about everything that's going on. It's too much to tackle in one day, much less in the heat of the moment."
Goten nodded so weakly, shaking so much as he did so, that Goku almost felt a tear come to his eye at that moment. "Your right...I just...didn't think anything could ever hurt this much dad...I've seem people get over things like this so easily, humans, and aren't Saiyans supposed to be stronger? Even half-breeds? Why in the hell does it hurt so much...?...Father,"
"Yes, son?"
"...It...it feels as if a dagger has been ripped from the pit of my stomach to the core of my heart..."
***********************
From The Author: Wow...it's really been a while, hasn't it? I'm so sorry. I really hope that you can all forgive me and still read this story. Because of the infrequency of my updates, I think I'll put a "last time" on this chapter. Hop it helps.
**********************
Last time: Bra has decided to break things off with Goten now, feeling relieved that he'll have Paris to fall back on. In an angsty flashback, we learn more details of the legendary breakup. What did Yamcha leave out when he told Bra the story the first time? Why is he comparing himself to Vegeta?
"Yamcha." she said to her new lover. He didn't respond. He was staring at the wall across from the couch, past the tv. "Yamcha?"
"Huh?....Oh....Yeah?" he responded.
She almost mentioned his strange mood, but decided against it. "Ah..." she said. "I'm just so glad that I was able to break things off with Goten so easily. No guilt, no pain...it was perfect."
He responded under his breath, in a slightly sarcastic, almost hurtful tone. "Yeah. I'm sure that's exactly what your mother said."
"Huh? Yamcha, what–-"
He put up a hand to silence her. "Just–-... never mind. It would be worthless to even tell you, so–"
"Yamcha, I–-"
"–-So, don't ask." he continued with a scowl.
"How dare you talk to me like that?!"
"How dare you be so damn blind?!!!"
She was shocked, without words for a moment. "Yamcha, what are you talking about? What did I do wrong?"
He closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples . "Nothing. I'm sorry." he said. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's just..." he opened his eyes, and stopped, shaking his head. "I seriously doubt you would even understand."
"What? Is it a guy thing?"
"No. It's a love thing."
"What..." she began. "What are you implying? Is that supposed to be an insult? I'm confused. Are you saying that I don't understand love? Because I love you, Yamcha. You can tell me what's bothering you."
He sighed. "Fine...He was going to propose, Bra."
"Who...? What...?"
"Goten was getting ready to propose to you when you dumped him!"
"...But I thought you said–-"
"Forget about what I said!" he yelled. "He was ready to spend the rest of his life with you, and he was just about to say it!" he yelled.
"...How do you know that? Did he tell you?"
"....He didn't have to...." Yamcha said bitterly.
"But then how...?....never mind. It's all over now." she said, picking up a magazine. "I don't think we should worry about it anymore. It's best to just forget about it, let it smooth it's self out over time." She sat down.
When she looked up at him again, he stared back at her with wide eyes, filled with rage.
"What?" she asked.
"Just forget about it?!!!"
"What is wrong with you, Ya–-"
"Do have any idea what it's like on the other side of this?!!!" he yelled.
"Yamcha, -–"
"You don't do you, and I'll bet you don't care!!!" His voice was beginning to crack. "What have I done...?" She noticed tears in his eyes, as his rage faded away, and he seemed to be thinking.
"Yamcha ....I'll go talk to him if you really want me to."
"Talk s cheap." he said. "Every word that came out of her mouth was a stab in the heart ...after...." he let the sentence linger.
She suddenly understood everything. She got up, and hugged him, with tears in her eyes. She kissed him on the cheek then whispered in his ear "You and Goten are both wonderful men. You found someone else, and he will too. In time, he will. I'm so sorry about all that my mother put you through, and I would never purposely do the same thing to Goten," She pulled back, and looked into his eyes. "But this is love, Yamcha. Do you agree that it's the most important thing?"
"Let me tell you something, Bra." he said. "There is such a thing as one-sided love. It was my dilemma, and now it's Goten's. Nothing can help that poor boy now. Nothing. If he's anything like me, every moment with you after this will be agony....until he finds someone else. After that...well, I'm not sure yet..."
"Oh, Yamcha, come here." she said, embracing him. "Everything will be just fine. Don't you worry. Things will turn out good in the end. They just have to. You are the last person who should be worrying about anyone else." Once again, she put her lips to his ear. "Listen. You've felt far more than enough pain already. Right now, just relax, and be in love. Don't let anyone else's problems get to you. I love you, Yamcha. Just have faith in that, and everything will be fine."
He hugged her back. "I just don't know if I can take the guilt."
"Sh...no guilt. The bad part is my doing. It has nothing to do with you...Everything will be fine. Just keep saying that to yourself, and it will come to be." She kissed him, deeply and romantically. When she pulled away, his eyes seemed unsure, glazed with love and sadness, almost drunk. "So, what do you say?"
"...I say that..." He took her hands, and held them up to his heart. "...That this was meant to be, just like Vegeta and Bulma's love was meant to be, from the very beginning...but that within fate, there is always ugliness; death, pain...good people left in the wake so destiny can be played out in the proper way. Goten doesn't deserve this...but neither did I...I'll stay with you, Bra, but I will never forget about how bravely Goten acted when h's heart was being torn apart...I wish I'd acted a tenth as brave as that boy..."
~~~~~~~~~~~
"I just plain don't get it..." Goten said weakly. "I...I was so close."
Frowning, Goku put an arm around his son's shoulders. "Goten, I'm so sorry. To be honest, I really don't know what you're going through right now. Your mother was my first and only love. But I have a general idea of how you must feel. I've lost people in the past, but not like this."
"Dad, what are talking about?" Goten said, getting up, and wiping a tear from his eye. "You've gone through way more than I ever have. I'm just being a big cry baby. I shouldn't be acting like this. It's foolish! It's disgraceful! Why the hell can't I stop crying?!" he yelled, slamming his fist onto the corner of Goku's fireplace, and causing most of the left side to collapse. "Oh god, dad, I'm sorry. I'll pay for that."
Goku got up, and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "No, don't worry about it, son. Just relax, get some sleep, and try to work all of this out in the morning."
"It is the morning, dad."
"Ah...then work it out tomorrow morning. Just relax, try to forget about everything that's going on. It's too much to tackle in one day, much less in the heat of the moment."
Goten nodded so weakly, shaking so much as he did so, that Goku almost felt a tear come to his eye at that moment. "Your right...I just...didn't think anything could ever hurt this much dad...I've seem people get over things like this so easily, humans, and aren't Saiyans supposed to be stronger? Even half-breeds? Why in the hell does it hurt so much...?...Father,"
"Yes, son?"
"...It...it feels as if a dagger has been ripped from the pit of my stomach to the core of my heart..."