AUTHOR'S NOTE: THANK YOU, JUUHACHIGOU, FOR REVIEWING!! ^-^ PLEASE REVIEW, MINNA-SAN!! Here's the next chapter, hope you like it!!
Blue eyes. Taira screamed and scrambled backward, then hopped off the soft bed- 'Kami, not again!!'- and onto the floor. This time, though, there were two sets of blue eyes. Or maybe her own eyes were playing tricks on her, as her vision was hazy.
"Taira, what's wong?"
Gohan.
She recognized that voice. As her vision cleared a little more, she darted behind the young man. "Not again," she moaned softly. Gohan turned and bent slightly so he could look into her eyes. "Taira, what is it?"
"Blue eyes. He had blue eyes," she whispered. Gohan frowned. "Taira-san, it's okay. We're at Capsule Corp. now. That's Bulma and Trunks. You know them, remember?" Slowly she nodded, yawning slightly. She was exhausted and sore, especially her shoulder. "Do you want to get some rest?" Gohan asked softly. She nodded sleepily.
'I'm 13 and I act like a baby,' she thought miserably. Trunks stepped forward and Taira immediately backed up, keeping her eyes trained on the floor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Trunks froze, as did Taira. 'Kuso,' he thought in frustration. 'She won't let me get close to her...' He wasn't naive; he knew she was still very afraid of what had almost happened to her. Trunks backed up to stand by his mother as Taira looked up at Gohan.
"Want me to take you to your room?" he asked gently. The black-haired girl nodded slowly, averting her gaze. Gohan glanced at the Briefs, giving them an 'I'll-be-right-back' look before leading her down the hall.
"I shouldn't have left her alone," Trunks growled softly. "I should've known...." Bulma rested a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Trunks-chan. Gohan got to her and she'll be fine. I give her a few days at most, 'kay?" He nodded miserably. 'Yeah, Gohan-san saved her. But he told me to keep an eye on her...'
Minutes later Gohan returned. "She's asleep," he informed them. "She should be fine physically, although I'm not as sure about her emotional state. What do you think, Bulma-san?"
"Well, she's got a pretty good spirit and after what's happened to her already, this shouldn't do anything permanent, but then again....." "Never can tell?" Gohan supplied. "Right."
Bulma turned to Trunks, smiling gently. "Hungry?" Knowing better than to disagree with his mother, he nodded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taira spent the rest of the day in her room, either sleeping or staring out the window or at the ceiling. A knock at the door made her jump. "Hai?"
"Is it okay if I come in, Taira-san? Okaasan sent me up with some food, if you're hungry," As if to aid in her decision, her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. She shifted slightly on the bed. "Come in," The door opened and Trunks stepped inside, carefully balancing a tray on one hand as he shut the door softly.
"Bored yet?" he asked teasingly, smiling to show he wasn't serious. She smiled back and he blushed, averting his gaze after a moment of both of them staring at each other. "Sort of," she replied carefully, eagerly delving into the food.
When Taira was finished, she cleared her throat nervously. "Gomen nasai, Trunks-kun," she apologized softly, keeping her gaze averted. "For what?" She squirmed slightly, hating the fact she had to explain it. "For acting the way I did earlier,"
At first, there was no response. Then, "It's okay, Taira-san. I don't blame you. I blame the jerk. Can we stay friends?" At his absurd question, she burst into a fit of giggles that left her moaning "ow" well after she was done as she clutched her waist. "Was it something I said?" This time, she knew he was trying to make her laugh-- and it was working very well.
Bulma opened the door then. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked, amusement lacing her voice. Taira yelped and crashed into Trunks, sending him toppling off his precarious perch on the side of her bed and onto the floor, where she promptly joined him in what could have been a very suggestive position had it not been an accident.
Both teens shot up as quickly as they could, straightening their clothes and clearing their throats as they pointedly kept their gazes away from anyone else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Time for bed, you two," Bulma said, grinning mischievously. Trunks' eyes widened in panic and he darted out the door before his mother could imply anything.
Bulma grinned again at the expression of panic in her son's eyes as he almost hit the wall outside Taira's bedroom door, skidding and catching himself just in time. "Very graceful, Trunks dear," "Okaasan," he moaned before shutting his own bedroom door.
"Feeling better?"
Taira nodded. "Arigatou, Bulma-san," "Just Bulma," she insisted for what had to be the thirtieth time that day alone. Taira blushed. "Gomen nasai, Bulma-san," Then she stopped, blinked, and laughed nervously. "Oops,"
Bulma rolled her eyes and sat down at the edge of the bed, much like Trunks had only minutes before. "May I ask you a direct question?" Taira nodded, folding her legs carefully below herself. "Do you like him?" Her eyes widened somewhat and she swallowed nervously.
"Who?"
"Trunks."
"He's my friend; why wouldn't I like him?" She was purposely avoiding the question. Bulma smiled anyway-- she'd gotten the information she needed. "Konban wa, Tai-chan,"
"Konban wa, Bulma-san,"
Blue eyes. Taira screamed and scrambled backward, then hopped off the soft bed- 'Kami, not again!!'- and onto the floor. This time, though, there were two sets of blue eyes. Or maybe her own eyes were playing tricks on her, as her vision was hazy.
"Taira, what's wong?"
Gohan.
She recognized that voice. As her vision cleared a little more, she darted behind the young man. "Not again," she moaned softly. Gohan turned and bent slightly so he could look into her eyes. "Taira, what is it?"
"Blue eyes. He had blue eyes," she whispered. Gohan frowned. "Taira-san, it's okay. We're at Capsule Corp. now. That's Bulma and Trunks. You know them, remember?" Slowly she nodded, yawning slightly. She was exhausted and sore, especially her shoulder. "Do you want to get some rest?" Gohan asked softly. She nodded sleepily.
'I'm 13 and I act like a baby,' she thought miserably. Trunks stepped forward and Taira immediately backed up, keeping her eyes trained on the floor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Trunks froze, as did Taira. 'Kuso,' he thought in frustration. 'She won't let me get close to her...' He wasn't naive; he knew she was still very afraid of what had almost happened to her. Trunks backed up to stand by his mother as Taira looked up at Gohan.
"Want me to take you to your room?" he asked gently. The black-haired girl nodded slowly, averting her gaze. Gohan glanced at the Briefs, giving them an 'I'll-be-right-back' look before leading her down the hall.
"I shouldn't have left her alone," Trunks growled softly. "I should've known...." Bulma rested a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Trunks-chan. Gohan got to her and she'll be fine. I give her a few days at most, 'kay?" He nodded miserably. 'Yeah, Gohan-san saved her. But he told me to keep an eye on her...'
Minutes later Gohan returned. "She's asleep," he informed them. "She should be fine physically, although I'm not as sure about her emotional state. What do you think, Bulma-san?"
"Well, she's got a pretty good spirit and after what's happened to her already, this shouldn't do anything permanent, but then again....." "Never can tell?" Gohan supplied. "Right."
Bulma turned to Trunks, smiling gently. "Hungry?" Knowing better than to disagree with his mother, he nodded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taira spent the rest of the day in her room, either sleeping or staring out the window or at the ceiling. A knock at the door made her jump. "Hai?"
"Is it okay if I come in, Taira-san? Okaasan sent me up with some food, if you're hungry," As if to aid in her decision, her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. She shifted slightly on the bed. "Come in," The door opened and Trunks stepped inside, carefully balancing a tray on one hand as he shut the door softly.
"Bored yet?" he asked teasingly, smiling to show he wasn't serious. She smiled back and he blushed, averting his gaze after a moment of both of them staring at each other. "Sort of," she replied carefully, eagerly delving into the food.
When Taira was finished, she cleared her throat nervously. "Gomen nasai, Trunks-kun," she apologized softly, keeping her gaze averted. "For what?" She squirmed slightly, hating the fact she had to explain it. "For acting the way I did earlier,"
At first, there was no response. Then, "It's okay, Taira-san. I don't blame you. I blame the jerk. Can we stay friends?" At his absurd question, she burst into a fit of giggles that left her moaning "ow" well after she was done as she clutched her waist. "Was it something I said?" This time, she knew he was trying to make her laugh-- and it was working very well.
Bulma opened the door then. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked, amusement lacing her voice. Taira yelped and crashed into Trunks, sending him toppling off his precarious perch on the side of her bed and onto the floor, where she promptly joined him in what could have been a very suggestive position had it not been an accident.
Both teens shot up as quickly as they could, straightening their clothes and clearing their throats as they pointedly kept their gazes away from anyone else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Time for bed, you two," Bulma said, grinning mischievously. Trunks' eyes widened in panic and he darted out the door before his mother could imply anything.
Bulma grinned again at the expression of panic in her son's eyes as he almost hit the wall outside Taira's bedroom door, skidding and catching himself just in time. "Very graceful, Trunks dear," "Okaasan," he moaned before shutting his own bedroom door.
"Feeling better?"
Taira nodded. "Arigatou, Bulma-san," "Just Bulma," she insisted for what had to be the thirtieth time that day alone. Taira blushed. "Gomen nasai, Bulma-san," Then she stopped, blinked, and laughed nervously. "Oops,"
Bulma rolled her eyes and sat down at the edge of the bed, much like Trunks had only minutes before. "May I ask you a direct question?" Taira nodded, folding her legs carefully below herself. "Do you like him?" Her eyes widened somewhat and she swallowed nervously.
"Who?"
"Trunks."
"He's my friend; why wouldn't I like him?" She was purposely avoiding the question. Bulma smiled anyway-- she'd gotten the information she needed. "Konban wa, Tai-chan,"
"Konban wa, Bulma-san,"