Check Please! part ii
Bura-sama
Chapter Three
Just to hold you in my arms
I would give you anything
You dare to ask of me,
Just to keep holding you in my arms
I would give them anything
So you could still be in my arms
But you're not in my arms now
These tears are all I have
Marron finished sweeping the floor and wiped the accumulation of dust and dirt from the windows. She looked back at Pan, who was just starting on her share of the dishes. Marron rolled up her sleeves, and went to help her friend. On her way to the sinks, she spotted the bottle of expired syrup Pan had used the day before for Trunks-san. "Do you feel bad about it?"
Pan bit her lip and scrubbed furiously at a plate. "They deserved it," Her mood lightened and she shrugged in a carefree manner. "Besides, nothing happened."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Marron trashed the bottle and went to her side of the sink. "I can't believe he asked me out ..."
***
Trunks let his head rest against the sink as he splashed cool water on his face. He looked in the mirror, to his cold yet sweating face, and got the sudden urge to vomit again. The sharp pain in his stomach subsided for a moment and he looked at his watch. It was almost time for night to fall, on Sunday evening. Dread came over him as he realized he was supposed to have met Marron at the park three hours ago.
"... Dammit."
He had awoke early that morning to a feeling of nausea, and a headache. After that, he had went downstairs and eaten a hearty breakfast. The nausea had gotten worse, and he had gone back to his room to get ready for his date with the waitress. While putting on his shirt and combing his hair, he had kneeled over and started vomiting, and that had been eight hours before his current state.
By now, she thinks that I stood her up. "Just damn it all to hell."
***
Marron walked softly down the sidewalk as she thought over the days events. She had been stood up, plain and simple. Trunks-san had seemed so honest and admiring the day before, and she had been so reluctant to agree to the date -
Date? she questioned herself. He had never said anything about a date. He had said that he just wanted to talk, to get to know her better, to be her friend. Marron hadn't been living on her own for seven years just to be taken in by lines like those, and had just assumed he wanted a date. To her humiliation, it appeared that he didn't even want that.
"Damn him." She said as tears rolled down her face. She watched the radiant colors of the sunset blend and darken until the first stars could bee seen peeking out behind the clouds. She wiped the tears away from her eyes with her sleeve, and mentally cursed Trunks again. She looked at her surrounding for the first time since she had decided to leave the park, and noticed she was in the bad side of town. Of course, if you were rich and carried your money around with you, then it was all bad; if you were poor, then you didn't have to worry about being robbed. And Marron was 'poor' ... on the surface. If she wanted, she could always draw into the money her parents had left behind, but that would draw the people that killed her parents to Pan like a magnet. She shook her head and watched the stars twinkle in the velvet sky.
"What'cha doing, girlie?"
Marron squeezed her eyes closed and opened them to see the grubby faces of three men. She recognized them as members of a local gang. "I don't have any money, just leave me alone."
"Oh ... who said we wanted money?" The tallest one said.
Oh no. Not that. Marron resisted the urge to squeeze her eyes shut again, and looked for a possible escape. She gripped her empty purse in one hand and took off at her highest speed. She was no match for them. One grabbed her shoulder, and a horrible ripping sound was heard as her new blouse was torn. Marron twisted away, but another one grabbed her leg and sent her flying. Pain exploded in her foot as her ankle struck the garbage can. She cried out, but the third man covered her mouth with his hand and tried to smother her. Marron bit down hard, and the salty taste of blood trickled into her mouth. The man let go, and she tried to run. However, her hurt ankle sent her crashing to the sidewalk.
The biggest of the three leaned over her. He grinned, exposing horridly yellow teeth, and reached for her. The man stopped, his eyes bulged out of his head, and he sunk to the ground in pain. A man with black hair stood behind him, one arm loosing its yellow glow as he let it drop to his side. He looked at the other two as they went of running. "Are you all right?"
***
Pan spat the toothpaste into the sink and put her toothbrush back into the medicine cabinet. She shut the door and looked at her reflection in the mirror. I sure don't look twenty-two.
Knock! Knock!
Pan frowned slightly, then remembered Marron was supposed to be stopping by to tell her about the date with Trunks-san. Oh, I hope it went well...
She put on her best smile and opened the door. Her grin fell when she saw her best friend being carried by a black-haired guy. Her ankle was badly swollen, and her brand-new blouse was ripped from the shoulder down. "Marron!" She helped Marron stand up and took her to the couch.
***
"It's broken," he said matter-of-factly.
"No it's not," Marron protested and tried to hold still as Pan and the stranger examined her ankle.
"No, it's not." Pan agreed and rewrapped the swollen joint with fresh bandages. "It's twisted." She turned to the new guy. "Who are you?"
He blushed and shuffled back and forth between his feet. "Son Goten."
Marron smiled, despite her pain, and reached to shake his hand. "Thank for the help, Goten-san. I'm Marron." She looked over to a distracted Pan. "And this is my best friend, Pan."
"Pleasure to meet you," Goten-san said and reached to shake her hand. Pan looked at him, not really seeing him, and turned to a picture of her mother.
"Pan, are you alright?" Marron struggled to sit up, but kept falling back on her sore ankle. "What's wrong?" Pan didn't answer her, and she saw Goten looking at her strangely. "She normally isn't like this,"
"I've got to go," Goten said and started backing away. Soon, Marron heard the door shut and automatically lock.
"Okay, Pan. What's wrong?"
"Before - " tears formed in her eyes. "Before Okasan died, she told me a little about my father." Marron remained silent. "His name was Son Gohan."
Chapter Four
Where are you going?
How could you leave?
I thought we had something so special
Now you left me here to cry.
But I'm not going to cry.
These tears are not mine.
You left me alone.
Without anyone.
Trunks groaned as he looked at the food on his plate. His mother looked at him expectantly, and he started eating.
"So Trunks," Bra asked as she finished eating her cereal. "I heard you stood up your date with the waitress girl,"
"I didn't leave her there," Trunks stuffed a roll into his mouth. "I was sick."
"Uh-huh." Bra twirled a lock of hair between her fingers in a ditz way. "Uh, yeah. I like so believe you there, bro."
Trunks shuddered. "Don't do that,"
"Do what?" Bra asked, her voice once again normal.
"Act like an airhead. It's so degrading."
***
"Well, well, well." Mr. Smith said as Marron limped through the doorway. "If it isn't Miss Marron and Miss Satan, late again. That will be deducted from your pay, ladies."
"Yes sir, Mr. Smith." Pan replied promptly and help Marron into a chair. "You get these orders ready, and I'll take over your job."
Marron nodded and scooted next to the counter. "No problem."
"Just keep off your feet, and you should be fine." Pan smiled and went to hang her coat up in the storage room.
"Miss Satan," the manager's voice caught her by surprise, and she turned to look at Mr. Smith. "Why aren't you working?"
"Marron was hurt, so we switched duties. I'm on my way to the dining area right now."
Mr. Smith looked at his watch. "Pay deducted for not clearing it with me. Now, get to work!"
***
"You've got some nerve," Pan-san said as she set the bagel in front of Trunks. He took it, bit into it, and started coughing.
"What is in this thing?"
Pan looked around for Mr. Smith, and sat down, "Freshly squeezed lemon juice. Just for you." Before he could speak, Pan motioned him into silence with a grave look on her face. "You screwed up, Trunks-kun. You'd best not come back to this restaurant anytime soon, understand?" She gave a meaningful look back towards the kitchen. "See, we're all friends here." She motioned to the chefs and the few other waitresses. "And you went and messed with Marron's feelings. That's not good for you. Not if you eat in this restaurant. Now Trunks-kun, I told you when I first met you, don't jerk my friend around, and what did you do? You stood her up." She didn't even give Trunks a chance to speak as she slid out of the booth seat and laid the bill on his ruined bagel. "Please pay up front."
"But, it wasn't my fault..." he trailed off as he watched Pan-san disappear into the kitchen.
***
"What did bitch-boy want?" Marron asked as she looked over the new orders.
Pan started at her dumbfounded. "What did you call him?" she asked with her voice almost laughing. Marron looked at her quizzically. "It's just that ..." Pan started laughing. "I never thought I'd here you call someone that!"
Marron just shrugged. "What did he say?"
Pan grabbed a few trays of food. "Don't know. He never said." She looked out into the dining area. "But he's gone now."
"Hmm..." Marron handed Pan another tray of food and watched her disappear into the dining area. She was about to start filling orders, when she saw Goten-san come through the door. She was about to call out to him, but she saw the person next to him.
***
Goten looked around the restaurant he had seen his best friend come out of. He turned and looked down at Bra, who was taking a seat next to a potted plant. He sat across from her and waited for the waitress to show up. So this is where Marron works. Not what I was expecting.
"May I take your order please?" Pan-san was staring at her order pad and tapping her foot lightly. She looked up to the customers. "Oh, hi Goten-san," Her gaze caught on Bra and her smile faded. "Miss Briefs."
"How is Marron-san?" Goten asked as politely as he could.
Pan nodded her head, "Better. Thanks for asking," she shot a cold look to Bra. "Are you two ready to order?"
***
Trunks walked down the sidewalk with a depressed demeanor. He looked through the shop windows, but didn't stop for anything. How could I have been so stupid? he asked himself as he continued his walk home. I just showed up at the restaurant, wanting to explain. Like she'd listen anyway. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
"Flowers, young man?" A woman called and Trunks looked over to her. She was standing behind a cart full of roses and other assorted flowers. "Special price today."
Trunks walked over and looked through the plants.
***
"You know you're welcome to stay at my place," Pan offered as they boarded the elevator.
"Thanks, but no." She leaned against her makeshift crutch and waited as the machine shakily brought them to the second floor. Pan gathered up her bag of groceries and waited for the doors to creak open. Marron looked down to her own paper bag filled with food and smiled wistfully. "Sometimes I wish we had a bell boy."
Pan grinned and stepped out of the elevator, keys in hand. "Do you want me to help you carry those?"
Marron shook her head and tapped against the bag with her uninjured foot. "I'll manage. Good night, Pan." she called as the elevator doors hissed shut. Marron leaned against the wall and sighed as she shifted her weight to her unharmed foot. Her twisted ankle was resting against the grocery bag, and the sudden jerk of the stopping elevator painfully jarred it.
"Can I help you, miss?" a man asked and Marron looked up to see a delivery-service uniformed boy grabbing her bags. He looked down the hall, "Which number?"
Marron gratefully grinned, then noticed the bouquet of flowers in his hand. "302."
The man led her to the door, then deposited the bag next to the entrance. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. "Are you Marron - " Marron nodded quickly and unlocked the door. The delivery boy grinned. "Then these are for you," he handed her the bouquet of pink roses. "Good day, miss," he turned and left. Marron read the card.
"Dammit, Trunks-kun. Just leave me alone."