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PART 12 So Many Memories


"Marron..."
"Hi, Goten."
"I thought you wouldn't come."
"I shouldn't have come but I did. I really do want to move on
but I couldn't come because it was raining. Why are YOU here?"
"I promised to be here."
Marron lowered her head.
"I'm sorry I almost broke mine." she said.
"That's all right." Goten reassured. Marron closed her eyes
and ran into Goten's arms and cried softly on his chest.
"Thank you." she whispered.
[Thank YOU.] Goten thought as he embraced Marron.

"Are you cold?" Marron asked Goten.
"No." Goten replied. "But are you sure you aren't? We're both
soaking wet."
"I don't mind. It's good to be out once in a while even though
it is out in the rain."
Marron pulled up her feet to the bench and hugged her legs.
She looked at the flower bed ahead of her. Daisies, tulips,
daffodils, violets and a single poppy flower. It immediately
reminded her of the poppy flower in Goten's bouquet. Were all
poppy flowers so lonely? Maybe it was because they reminded her
of herself a lot. Pretty but the one who was always left out.
Even in her childhood, she was left out sometimes. Goten and
Trunks were her only two real friends but they were boys and they
liked to fight a lot. She couldn't fight so what could she do?
She could only watch. Bra and Pan weren't even born in her during
her childhood. She was already a teenager by the time they learned
to talk. How could she hang out with them when their bedtime was
at seven? Goten and Trunks had lots of things to do. They were
practically adults and she still couldn't fight. But there
were times that she felt like a part of something. She made friends
in school and lots of good acquaintances. When she was eight,
she was a favorite of her teacher, Hareta-sensei. Her teacher
always wanted the students to call her by her first name. Because
Hareta-sensei was such a nice person, the students showed her
respect. They would always take the time to say "Good morning"
or "Good afternoon".
"Marron?" Goten said, waving his hand in front of Marron.
"Oh! Sorry, Goten. I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"Things. I have so many memories of the good times."
"Like what?"
"Just things." Marron sighed. "Memories I'll never let go."



Shugyo beru ki ni shinagara
Kakete kuru kurasumeito

Koe kakeru no, "Ne~! Ohayo!"

Natsugusa ga kaoru hodo
Hohoemi de hajimaru asa

Itsumo to on' naji dakedo...

Sarigenai shunkan sae
Watashi no takaramono

Kokoro no arubamu ni, hatte aru

Wasurenai... (kono sora o)
Wasunerai... (kono yume o)

Anata to ima wakeau yasashii kisetsu

Kanashikute... (yureta hi mo)
Ureshikute... (naita hi mo)

Taisetsu na omoide na no


Dreading the school bell, we can't help but worry
Classmates behind me, we can't help but hurry

They'll catch their breath and then, they'll say:
"Good-Mor-ni-ng!"

Sweet summer grass that grows wild by the roadside
Starting each day with a smile I can't hide.

It's what I know...But may not always be so

Casual moments like these mean the most to me
Treasured times that don't need any key.

In the album of my heart I keep,
old times stay like new.

No, I won't forget... (how this sky is blue)
No, I won't forget... (how this dream came true)

They're the gentle times e'll share forever
Long past all those times are thru.

Even when I'm sad... (days I just don't know)
Even when I'm glad... (days the tears just flow)

Mem'ries of days I'll never, ever let go.



"Do you honestly want to just sit here in the rain?" Goten asked.
Marron nodded in reply.
"You can go if you want to." Marron said.
"No." replied Goten. "If you're staying, I'm staying."
The two were soaking wet from head to toe. Marron just wanted
to sit there and watch over the lone poppy flower and Goten
wanted to watch over Marron. There was a strong wind and a piece
of paper blew into Goten's face.
"Hey!" Goten said, taking the paper off his face. "What's this?"
Marron looked at Goten and peeked at the piece of paper in his
hand. The letters were pretty blurry because it was wet but it
was still possible to make out the words.
"Carnival this Sunday." Goten read out aloud. "At twelve noon
in Tsuki Park."
"That's just a few days away." Marron pointed out.
"Yeah."
"A carnival, eh?"
"Do you wanna go?"
"Sure!"
"Really? Me too! You wanna come with me?"
"I'd love it!"


Marron tightened her bag. She had 28O,OOO yen saved up. She
had more than enough for the carnival. She definitely had more
than enough for the carnival. Too much for just a few games and
some treats. Maybe she should look nicer than usual. She and
Goten were going together and the least she could do was look
good for him. It was pretty much like a date. But what could she
wear?
She went to her closet and looked through her outfits. Nothing
was perfect for the occasion. Maybe it was time to go shopping!
She rushed downstairs and asked her father to bring her to the
Satan City shopping mall.

"Bye, Papa! Thank you for the ride!"
"Come out early, okay Marron?"
"I will!"
The father and daughter waved goodbye and Marron went into the
mall. She went to the most popular stores but found nothing. Then
she went to less popular stores and still found nothing. She had
been shopping for hours and she still didn't find anything so
she decided to call it a day. Then she realized that there was
still plenty of time before her father came back to pick her up.
She decided to get something that would keep her company. She
went to her favorite manga store.
[Wow! These are great manga!] Marron thought as she looked over
the mangas. Then she found an issue of her all-time favorite
and reached for it but then, somebody's hand went in the way.
She looked up and saw Trunks.
"Trunks?!" she asked.
"Marron?!" Trunks asked.
"Oh, hello. I didn't know you were here."
"Me neither."
"Aren't you supposed to be working now?"
"Um...yeah..."
"Are you skipping?"
"Well..."
"Hm?"
"Aw, c'mon, Marron! I really needed a break. I wanted to talk
to Nusumi on the phone but I don't get any time so I decided
to cut work for a while so I could talk to her."
Marron stared at Trunks for a few seconds and then blinked.
"Nusumi... Your fiancee'..."
"That's right."
"So...um...when's your wedding day again?"
"In two months."
"Oh...ok."
Marron and Trunks were silent for a moment and then Marron
decided to break the silence.
"Um..." she said as she picked up the manga. "You wanted this?"
"Yeah." Trunks said.
"You read Fushigi Yuugi?"
"Oh, no! I wanted to get it for Nusumi."
"Well...take it."
"Don't you want it?"
"I don't really mind. I watch it on TV a lot and have lots of
other manga at home."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Positive?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"How many times do I have to tell you?!"
"Ok! Ok! Well, thanks a lot."
Marron nodded.
"I need to get some more stuff." Trunks said. "See ya!"
Trunks went over to the action mangas. Marron couldn't help
looking in Trunks' direction. Then she shook her head and looked
at the mangas. She picked out a few and went to the counter to
pay for them. When she got in line, Trunks got in behind her.
"Hey, Marron!" he greeted.
"Hi!" Marron replied. She looked at the books in his arms. "What
do you have there?"
"These?" Trunks asked, referring to the comic books he was
carrying. "Ruruoni Kenshin, Gundam Wing, and Revolutionary Girl Utena."
Marron stared at him.
"For Nusumi, y'know."
Marron nodded.
"What do you have there?" Trunks asked Marron.
"Sailor Moon, Tenchi Muyo!, Akazukin Chacha and Ranma 1/2."
"You like Ranma, too?"
"I love it."
"Same here."
Trunks looked at the books in Marron's hands. He was checking
what issue the Ranma manga was and while he was, he noticed a
ring on Marron's finger.
"What a nice ring." Trunks said. Marron was shocked to hear this
but she tried not to show it. She turned away from Trunks.
"Yeah...thank you..." she said softly.
"Where did you get it?" Trunks asked. Marron bit her lip.
"I...I...I...g-got as a...present..." Marron stammered.
"The person who gave it to you must like you a lot." Trunks said.
Marron gave him a small nod. Trunks was about to ask another
question but then Marron was already at the counter and
preoccupied with paying for her stuff.
"Well...um...I have to go now. I'll see you." Marron said with
a bow and she scampered out of the store. She didn't want
Trunks see how sad she was to hear that he didn't even remember
the ring he gave her so she would remember him. It was quite
ironic that the ring was meant for Marron to remember Trunks
but when Trunks came back, it was he who had forgotten.
Marron looked up and saw a store. It looked new because Marron
had never seen it before. She went inside and found that the
store was full of beautiful kimonos.
[A kimono!] Marron thought. [Why didn't I think of that?]
"Welcome to the Rainbow Kimono shop." a girl wearing a blood red
kimono said with a polite bow. "How may I help you?"
"Well..." Marron said. "I just kinda walked in here..."
"Do you need any certain kind of kimono?"
"Actually...I did need an outfit for the upcoming carnival this
Sunday and..."
"Say no more! A kimono is the perfect suit for a carnival. A
kimono is the perfect suit on a Sunday even without the carnival!
We have a large selection of kimonos for those events!"
"I HAVE seen lots of girls at carnivals with kimonos so...I'd
love to see them!"
The girl smiled and motioned for Marron to follow her. She
led her into a room full of brightly colored kimonos.
"You could pick out anything from this side or have us fit you
for any of the kimonos on this side."
Marron looked at the dresses. The ones on hangers looked liked
very pretty Sunday ones but the ones on the dummies looked like
the ones for a carnival on a very special occasion. Marron
decided to get fitted and the girl led her to a small room where
she was measured. She was finished in a few minutes and she
was told that the kimono of her choice was to be sent to her.
Marron went out of the store with a polite bow and great
satisfaction.


"You look beautiful!" Juuhachigou told her daughter. Marron
looked at the mirror and smiled at herself. She DID look beautiful.
"Thank you for helping me, Mama." Marron said. The two women
went downstairs.
"Wow! You've really outdone yourself." Kurillin said.
"Hehehe!" Master Roshi said. "My, Marron looks gorgeous!"
"Yeah!" added Oolong.
"How was it?" Kurillin asked Juuhachigou.
"It was pretty hard since I don't know much about kimonos but
we two girls managed." Juuhachigou replied. Kurillin nodded.
"You sure did a fine job." Kurillin said.
"I know." Juuhachigou replied.
"So, Marron," Kurillin said. "Are we ready to go?"
"Yeah!" Marron replied.
"Okay!" Kurillin said. He looked over at Master Roshi and Oolong.
"Do you guys wanna come?" he asked.
"How could we if we can't fly?" Master Roshi said. "It isn't
like Oolong's gonna grow big ears and fly away."
"Hey!" Oolong said.
"That's nothing to worry about!" Marron said. "I called a taxi
to take us there!"
"Really? Then sure we'll go!" Master Roshi said. He and Oolong
got dressed and were finished before the taxi came.


"We'll see you later, Marron!" Kurillin said as he and Juuhachigou
disappeared into the crowd. Master Roshi decided to look for some
girls and Oolong wanted to try out some of the food. Everyone at
the carnival seemed to be having a good time. Marron was excited
being there. It was the first carnival she had been to in a long
while. Since she lived on a far away island right in the middle
of the sea, she didn't know where carnivals were being held at.
She waited and waited for Goten to come but he still wasn't there.
She had waited for half and hour and decided to get something to
eat. She had some fried noodles and tea. She sat down on a
bench licking ice cream. The ice cream was so nice that she
got some more. She looked up at the sky and saw a blimp advertising
the Satan City Mall and Mr. Satan's dojo. She looked at her
watch. It was already 1:3O. Maybe Goten was running late...very
late. She continued licking her ice cream and then saw someone
standing in front of her.
"Goten!" she said.
"Sorry I'm late." Goten said. "My mom made me clean my room."
Marron giggled.
"Well, where should we start?" Goten asked.
"I don't know. Why don't we roam around for a while?"
"Okay."
Marron and Goten walked around the carnival. There was a group
of girls singing on stage and they decided to check them out.
There were five girls. Four of them looked like your typical
Japanese girl and one was dressed up in a red Chinese style
outfit. They were singing a beautiful song.


aozora hikousen
ayashii ayaui zig-zag hikou
nichiyou juutai ichi ji han
anata wa mada konai
...... tsumannai

sanhashi akarenga
utsumuku hurimuku kuru sangurasu
manatsu ni suutsu de kuru zukume
dareka ga naratteru
...... hayaku kite

PiPi PiPi

dejitaru ga natteru

nee hora

nazome ita ihoujin
mou

ikoku no hune de sarawarete mo shiranai

jitensha hito chigai
odoroki hurimuku nyanya warai
chotto matte chotto matte ojoosan
kami o shinjimasu ka
...... nan na no yo

KURA KURA

taiyou ga ippai

nee hora

dareka ga otte kuru wa
mou

kono koen wa houi sarete iru no yo


Up in blue sky silly blimp go by...
Where it come from? Where it going? Ziggy-zaggy it fly high.
'day is Sunday, past 1:3O, why you no come by?
Maybe you late, but I no can wait...now I cry...

Pretty red bricks, bridge that spans the tide...
Draw the picture, see the face of the one I want by my side.
There you are all dressed in black, but I can't see your eyes.
Can it be you're dressed that way for me?
Why are you so shy?

Beep beep! Beep beep!

This pager's driving me crazy...

Just so, you know...

If some dark stranger asked me I might go
and so...

Don't blame me when you're lonely.
We're sailing out to sea, the ship and me.

La laaa, la laaa, la la laa laa laa!



The girls bowed as everybody clapped for them. The clapping stopped
as the prepared to sing another song. Marron and Goten continued
on their way. Marron was still licking her ice cream cone. Goten's
stomach rumbled.
"Are you hungry?" Marron asked.
"Yes..." Goten said weakly. They went to get some food but
Goten remembered not to eat too much because Marron was there.
After their meal, Marron and Goten both had big ice cream cones
in their hand and were licking away. Marron spotted a goldfish
booth.
"Let's go there!" she said.
"Okay!" Goten replied. They walked over to the booth and each
got a scooper. They tried to catch some goldfish but had no luck.
"Oh well." Marron said. She and Goten watched as the boy next
to them catch goldfish one by one.
"How does he do that?" Goten asked.
"Let's go." Marron said, turning to leave.
"Hey! He's cheating!" Goten called out. Marron pulled him away
and then boy made a face at Goten.
"Ha ha! Guess I won!" the boy said. Goten was about to say
something but Marron pulled him away from the view of the boy.
The two went around the carnival and did lots of stuff. It was
already nighttime and they still weren't worn out. Then they
saw Gohan, Videl and Pan.
"Hey guys!" Gohan said.
"Hi!" Goten replied.
"Hello Gohan, Videl, Pan." Marron said.
"Are you having fun here?" Pan asked Marron.
"Yeah!" Marron replied with a smile.
"I know something that'll make you wanna run away and never
come back." Pan said with a mischievous smile on her lips.
"What?" Marron asked. Pan was looking eviler and eviler by the
second.
"Oh, it's nothin' really..." Pan said. "...except for a
HAUNTED HOUSE!!! Mwahahahahahahaha!!!"
"Ghah!!!" Marron screamed. Pan stopped laughing like a maniac
and looked around her. Marron was looking terrified and Goten and
her parents were looking at her in a 'Are you all right?' way.
Pan smiled innocently.
"Can we go to the haunted house, daddy?" Pan asked.
"Well..." Gohan said. Pan gave him her best puppy dog eyes.
"All right, if you insist..." Gohan sighed.
"How 'bout you, Marron?" Pan asked. Marron still looked quite
scared.
"Um..." Marron said in a trembling voice.
"Are ya chicken or somethin'?" Pan teased. "Besides, you have
my big, strong Uncle Goten to protect you."
"Well..." Marron was blushing a little. "All right. I can't be
scared of these things forever."
"We'll go explore some more." Gohan said. "You kids have a
good time."
Gohan patted Goten on the head as he and Videl left.
"See ya, little bro." Gohan said. Goten turned around and
made a face at Gohan.
"C'mon! Let's go!" Pan said excitedly. Marron and Goten
followed Pan to a large booth.
"That place looks very scary." Marron said.
"It's just a haunted house!" Pan said.
"Oh kewl!" Goten said.
"I don't know why people in your family are so darned brave.
Don't you know what fear is?!" Marron said.
"Of course." Pan said.
"Trunks' cooking." Goten added. Then the two burst out laughing.
Marron put her hands on her hips.
"I don't know why you make so much fun of Trunks. Just because
his cooking isn't exactly five stars, it's still quite...edible.
Nobody has ever died from it, did they?" Marron said.
"But isn't it strange?" Pan asked. "Me and Uncle Goten are Saiyajins
and we still think Trunks' cooking is awful."
"Yeah." Goten agreed. "I bet the only one who'd think that
Trunks could cook good are himself and my dad!"
"Well...you shouldn't make so much fun out of him. He tries and
tries. He gets points for effort, doesn't he?" Marron asked.
"I guess." Pan said. "But what th'heck are we doing here talkin'
'bout Trunks' cooking? Let's go in already!"
"Yeah!" Goten said. Marron didn't make a move.
"MAR-RON!" Pan said.
"Well, I..." Marron said. Then Goten held out his hand for her.
"C'mon, Marron." he said in a gentle tone. "It'll be okay."
"...all right..." Marron sighed as she took Goten's hand. The
three went inside. It was very dark and creepy but the two Saiyajins
didn't look scared at all. Goten being with her comforted Marron
until...
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Ahhhhhh!!!" Marron screamed. She squeezed Goten's hand and
Goten yelled because of the pain. Marron stopped screaming and
let go of Goten's hand.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Marron said.
"That's okay." Goten said. Pan was laughing hysterically until
a big giant laughing hyena popped right in front of her.
"Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!" she screamed. Her eyes were wide with
terror. It was Goten and Marron's turn to laugh. They walked
slowly on the trail and didn't have any encounters. Then Goten
held out his hand to stop a falling skeleton. Marron and Pan
were annoyed that Goten still wasn't scared. Then there was a
dead end.
"What the..." Pan started to say but then, she was interrupted
when the floor vanished and the three of them were falling. They
were falling so fast that Pan and Goten were too confused to fly.
"We're gonna DIE!!!" Goten yelled. Then they landed on something
and bounced right back up. They found the exit and left the
haunted house scared stiff. Marron was back to normal in a few
minutes but the two "brave Saiyajins" took a few hours to come
back. When they were all back to normal, they went around the
carnival some more. There were still many people and the park
looked beautiful because of the lights hanging on the trees.
Their families gathered together and had a picnic.
Goten and Marron were sitting on a bench, watching the five
girls sing songs. Marron was anxious to hear the song she
first heard. The girls sang different songs which were very
beautiful. Then they stopped after singing "Kare".
Hey everybody! I would like to say something." one of the girls
said. "This is the time we accept requests. Does anybody want
us to sing anything in particular?"
Goten raised his hand and the girl called on him.
"Yes?" she asked.
"I really don't know the name of the song but I heard it
this afternoon. It was when the red-haired girl was singing about
her pager..." Goten said.
"Akai Kutsu no Sunday!" the girl exclaimed. "Wonderful choice.
We'll sing it."
"Thanks!" Goten said. He sat down and the girls began singing.
It was the right one.
"You really liked that one?" Marron asked.
"A lot." Goten replied.
"How did you remember that they sang about the pager?"
"Well, I have one, don't I?"
"Your an expert at those things."
Marron leaned closer to Goten and listened to the song.
"I'm so glad we came today." Marron said.
"Me too." Goten replied. He looked down at Marron.
"Y'know..." he said. "I think that this is the first time I
noticed you were in a kimono."
"Really?"
"I was too busy noticing how beautiful your face was."
Marron blushed. They were quiet for a while.
"What are you thinking about?" Goten asked.
"How many more new memories I got." Marron said.