And when the stars are shining brightly
In the velvet sky
I'll make a wish, send it to heaven,
And make you want to cry
The tears of joy for all the pleasure
In the certainty
That we're surrounded by the comfort
And protection of the highest powers,
In lonely hours
The tears devour you.....
Taira ended up staying the night, courtesy of Bulma's 'persuasion'.
Not that Trunks minded. Taira, in addition to being a beautiful nurse, also had a quick and sharp mind. And she was extremely good at card games.
"Again?" Bulma asked in disbelief as Taira, smirking, showed her cards.
"It's not that hard," she said, blushing lightly. "Anyway, thanks for letting me stay last night and the games and everything. But it's getting late, and I don't want to impose, so-"
"Taira-chan, do you have any family at all, or maybe some friends?" Bulma asked, cutting her off. Trunks caught the look in Taira's eyes as she stared at the table.
"I.... I was told of some family friends," she said slowly, with the thoughtfulness of someone hiding something.
"And?" Bulma prompted, the 'I-know-her-from-somewhere' look back in her eyes. "I- this is a bad time. With the jinzouningen and all, I have to take care of myself. I can't expect anyone else to do it for me,"
"Who are they?" Bulma asked gently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taira shifted uncomfortably. 'What do I tell them?' Gohan himself had left earlier, going back to his house to be with his okaasan. But both would know instantly if she told the Briefs.
"I can't tell you that," she said at last.
"Then you're staying here," Bulma announced. "But- but I-" "You wouldn't be imposing, Taira-chan. I'd love to have a girl to talk to after so long. And if you want, you can even go out with Trunks and Gohan tomorrow, to look for supplies and stuff,"
Taira considered that. Here, there would be protection and meals, she'd get to see at least one person that knew her family almost on a daily basis, and there would be things she could do to help out.
But Bulma also wanted to know her past, her family. And Taira knew she wasn't making it any easier on herself by staying and remaining so...mysterious. 'Why must everything be so confusing?' she wondered in frustration.
"If you really think it would be okay," she said hesitantly, wondering just what on Chikyuu she was getting herself into.
"Of course!" Bulma replied enthusiastically. "And Trunks will have a friend closer to his age! It's not like I don't disagree with him being so close to Gohan-chan or anything, but they're so far apart in age... I mean, Gohan-chan's a good influence and everything. But he was also on Nam- err, an adventure with the Z senshi and I as a child...." the aqua-haired woman sighed in reminisence.
"Why don't you go ahead and get ready for bed, Taira-chan," she suggested. "The boys'll be ready to go early," Taira nodded thankfully and went to her room, quickly changing into the oversized t-shirt Bulma had loaned her. She lay awake in bed for hours before stepping out to the balcony.
'Dear Kami, it's beautiful tonight. I wish you could see it, imotochan. You too, oniisan.'
A sigh caught her attention and she looked over to see starlight- for there was no moon; she supposed that to be a legend as well if not for the fact Son Gokou was not- glinting off straight aqua-hair. 'Bulma-san?' Taira wondered.
As if hearing her thought, the blue-eyed woman caught her gaze and smiled sadly before beckoning. Taira blinked, confused, before Bulma pointed to her bedroom. "Come over," she invited.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bulma smiled softly at the young girl's curious expression. She waved her over and Taira obeyed, closing the bedroom door and coming to stand over by the railing.
"Amazing how it can be so peaceful during the night, ne?" Bulma asked softly, gesturing around the barely-visible area. Taira nodded distractedly in agreement. 'Maybe she'll be more open now,' Bulma thought, noting the serene expression on the young girl's face.
"Taira-chan, do you mind if I ask what's on your mind?"
The dark-haired girl sighed, her gaze on the stars above. "As far back as I can, every clear night my imotochan, oniisan, and I would lay out under the stars for hours, laughing quietly- we didn't want to attract unwanted attention, if you know what I mean- and joking and imagining things."
Taira wiped away a stray tear, staring at it thoughtfully.
"It was fun, really. It kept us together, and sane, too." She laughed lightly, a beautiful and welcome sound in that time. "It was fun," she repeated. "We'd point out constellations that we made up ourselves, knowing that was as close to peace as we'd ever get."
She looked up at the stars again, momentarily silent.
"Do you remember peace, Bulma-san?"
Bulma blinked, caught off-guard by the sudden question. But she nodded anyway. "What was it like?" She sighed. "It was different than it is now, of course. I thought it to be too boring, but I should've been content with what I had. Instead, I ran off to enjoy freedom- which I suppose was, in a way, knowing peace- and met Gokou." That name definitely caught Taira's attention. Bulma smiled and began to relate her adventures to the inquisitive girl.
In the velvet sky
I'll make a wish, send it to heaven,
And make you want to cry
The tears of joy for all the pleasure
In the certainty
That we're surrounded by the comfort
And protection of the highest powers,
In lonely hours
The tears devour you.....
Taira ended up staying the night, courtesy of Bulma's 'persuasion'.
Not that Trunks minded. Taira, in addition to being a beautiful nurse, also had a quick and sharp mind. And she was extremely good at card games.
"Again?" Bulma asked in disbelief as Taira, smirking, showed her cards.
"It's not that hard," she said, blushing lightly. "Anyway, thanks for letting me stay last night and the games and everything. But it's getting late, and I don't want to impose, so-"
"Taira-chan, do you have any family at all, or maybe some friends?" Bulma asked, cutting her off. Trunks caught the look in Taira's eyes as she stared at the table.
"I.... I was told of some family friends," she said slowly, with the thoughtfulness of someone hiding something.
"And?" Bulma prompted, the 'I-know-her-from-somewhere' look back in her eyes. "I- this is a bad time. With the jinzouningen and all, I have to take care of myself. I can't expect anyone else to do it for me,"
"Who are they?" Bulma asked gently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taira shifted uncomfortably. 'What do I tell them?' Gohan himself had left earlier, going back to his house to be with his okaasan. But both would know instantly if she told the Briefs.
"I can't tell you that," she said at last.
"Then you're staying here," Bulma announced. "But- but I-" "You wouldn't be imposing, Taira-chan. I'd love to have a girl to talk to after so long. And if you want, you can even go out with Trunks and Gohan tomorrow, to look for supplies and stuff,"
Taira considered that. Here, there would be protection and meals, she'd get to see at least one person that knew her family almost on a daily basis, and there would be things she could do to help out.
But Bulma also wanted to know her past, her family. And Taira knew she wasn't making it any easier on herself by staying and remaining so...mysterious. 'Why must everything be so confusing?' she wondered in frustration.
"If you really think it would be okay," she said hesitantly, wondering just what on Chikyuu she was getting herself into.
"Of course!" Bulma replied enthusiastically. "And Trunks will have a friend closer to his age! It's not like I don't disagree with him being so close to Gohan-chan or anything, but they're so far apart in age... I mean, Gohan-chan's a good influence and everything. But he was also on Nam- err, an adventure with the Z senshi and I as a child...." the aqua-haired woman sighed in reminisence.
"Why don't you go ahead and get ready for bed, Taira-chan," she suggested. "The boys'll be ready to go early," Taira nodded thankfully and went to her room, quickly changing into the oversized t-shirt Bulma had loaned her. She lay awake in bed for hours before stepping out to the balcony.
'Dear Kami, it's beautiful tonight. I wish you could see it, imotochan. You too, oniisan.'
A sigh caught her attention and she looked over to see starlight- for there was no moon; she supposed that to be a legend as well if not for the fact Son Gokou was not- glinting off straight aqua-hair. 'Bulma-san?' Taira wondered.
As if hearing her thought, the blue-eyed woman caught her gaze and smiled sadly before beckoning. Taira blinked, confused, before Bulma pointed to her bedroom. "Come over," she invited.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bulma smiled softly at the young girl's curious expression. She waved her over and Taira obeyed, closing the bedroom door and coming to stand over by the railing.
"Amazing how it can be so peaceful during the night, ne?" Bulma asked softly, gesturing around the barely-visible area. Taira nodded distractedly in agreement. 'Maybe she'll be more open now,' Bulma thought, noting the serene expression on the young girl's face.
"Taira-chan, do you mind if I ask what's on your mind?"
The dark-haired girl sighed, her gaze on the stars above. "As far back as I can, every clear night my imotochan, oniisan, and I would lay out under the stars for hours, laughing quietly- we didn't want to attract unwanted attention, if you know what I mean- and joking and imagining things."
Taira wiped away a stray tear, staring at it thoughtfully.
"It was fun, really. It kept us together, and sane, too." She laughed lightly, a beautiful and welcome sound in that time. "It was fun," she repeated. "We'd point out constellations that we made up ourselves, knowing that was as close to peace as we'd ever get."
She looked up at the stars again, momentarily silent.
"Do you remember peace, Bulma-san?"
Bulma blinked, caught off-guard by the sudden question. But she nodded anyway. "What was it like?" She sighed. "It was different than it is now, of course. I thought it to be too boring, but I should've been content with what I had. Instead, I ran off to enjoy freedom- which I suppose was, in a way, knowing peace- and met Gokou." That name definitely caught Taira's attention. Bulma smiled and began to relate her adventures to the inquisitive girl.