DRAGONBALLZ :

ETERNAL JOURNEY

Chapter 7

By Isabel

Bulma glanced down at Anori, the tears had subsided a little and weren't flowing as heavily as they had been moments before. "Do you want to talk about it Anori?" she asked. She continued to run her hand consolingly down over the young girl's hair, brushing a few stray strands behind her ears. "It might help you if you do." she added quietly.

At first Anori shook her head no and bit her lower lip, as if she were debating on whether or not to tell this strange woman any of her secrets. She cast her eyes down toward her hands clasped together on her lap. "I-I really don't want to think about it right now." she said quietly, so quietly that Bulma had to lean forward slightly to hear her.

"Alright, but if you do decide you want to talk about it, you know where to find me." Bulma said as she put the young alien back on the bed and got up, preparing to leave the room.

"Wait!" Anori said as she suddenly snatched a fistful of Bulma's shirt. "Please, don't leave me alone!" The young girl cried out in panic.

"It's all right," Bulma said as she took her seat on the bed once more. "I'll stay here if you want me to." She cradled the young alien's head near to her chest once more and began to stroke her hair again. She softly began to hum and rested her head gently against Anori's.

"I remember…I," she stopped talking when she felt Bulma's hand stop it's soothing caresses of her hair. Bulma continued when she heard the girl's stuttering and felt her small body stiffen. She continued to hum. "My parents were on the ship with me…" Large silver eyes looked up at Bulma, as if pleading for information on what had happened. "They sent me to my room…the ship began to shudder." she closed her eyes as the tears began to flow freely once more. "We were attacked…they shot us out of space and we crashed here…" her voice trailed off in between the sobs that wracked her body.

"Oh great Gods, they killed my parents." Anori cried as she clung to Bulma, the sobs wracking her body even more as she continued to cry again. "Those bastards killed my parents!"

"Who?" Bulma asked, hoping to gain more information on what had happened above the planet.

"The Santorians." Anori answered.

Bulma made a mental note to ask Vegeta if he'd ever heard of such a race. "It's alright." She crooned. "You're safe now. No one is going to hurt you now. You're safe." she repeated as she attempted to console the distraught young girl.

"I'll never be safe!" Anori cried. "They'll come back once they find out I'm still alive." She buried her head against Bulma's chest and allowed the sobs to take over her body as she once more grieved for her parents.

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Gohan looked first at his mother than over at Videl. He really was not enjoying this, not at all. He groaned for what was probably the fiftieth time that day. His mother glared at him. "What?" he asked as he looked at her.

"I could ask you the same thing," she countered.

"Huh?"

"Gohan, we really need to start planning for this wedding." Chi Chi said as she then directed her gaze to Videl, who meekly looked away.

They'd been at this for the past two hours and all concerned were becoming quite irritable. Gohan shifted in his seat and looked down at the wedding booklets and other various wedding thingies that were in front of him. Videl did the same thing, but she threw a booklet over at him, which then proceeded to land on his lap. "What was that for?" he asked as he picked the booklet up and looked at it.

"I felt like it," she answered.

"Oh." he said as he flung it back at her.

"What was that for?" she asked, repeating his own question back at him.

"'Cause I felt like it," he repeated her own answer for her.

She glanced down at a booklet that was open before her. "What do you think of this dress?" she asked as she pointed to a low-necked dress with a beaded bodice.

Chi Chi grabbed the booklet from her and looked the dress over. "I don't know…I just don't think that it's you," she said as she looked up at Videl.

Gohan reached for the booklet and looked the dress over. "I like it." he said.

"You would." Chi Chi said. "I still don't think it would look right."

"I'm hungry!" Goten cried as he and Trunks came rushing in through the kitchen doorway.

"Yeah, me too!" Trunks agreed.

Chi Chi glared over at the two overly rambunctious youngsters. "We're busy right now you two. I think your mom probably wants you home anyways Trunks."

Trunks walked over to the table and curiously looked down at the various booklets that were spread over the table. "What's all this for?" he asked.

"Gohan and Videl's wedding." Chi Chi answered.

"Ewww, you mean Videl has to wear one of those things?" Trunks said as he pointed at one of the pictures of a wedding dress. "Looks pretty uncomfortable to me. Glad I'm not a girl."

"That's all right," Chi Chi said as she glared down at Trunks. "You'll have to wear a suit. Both you and you're father will have to come dressed in tuxes."

"What?!" Trunks shrieked.

Goten started laughing and ended up falling on the floor in a fit of giggles. Trunks just eyed him angrily.

"I wouldn't laugh young man," Chi Chi said to her son. "You'll have to wear one too."

Goten instantly quit his laughing and looked up at his mother like she had just suddenly grew a second head. "I'll…I have to wear one too?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes." Chi Chi said as she nodded her head. "You have to wear one too. And you had better not get it dirty either!"

Goten just stared at her. As if that's at all possible! He thought to himself.

Trunks started his own laughing fit, holding his sides in glee. "Ha!" he said triumphantly, "At least I'm not the only one!"

"Everyone there will be dressed up," Chi Chi said.

"Everyone?" Trunks and Goten asked at the same time.

"Yes, everyone." Chi Chi answered and turned her attention back to the books laid out on the tabletop.

"Everyone?" Goten repeated. "Absolutely everyone?"

"Yes," Chi Chi responded without even looking up from the booklets.

"Why?"

Chi Chi looked up at her youngest son and just looked at him, "Why?" she repeated. Goten just nodded his head. "Because it's a formal event and you're suppose to wear formal cloths."

"Why?" Goten repeated his earlier question.

"Why what?" she asked, growing slightly irritated.

"Why do you have to wear formal cloths and why is it a formal event?"

"Because it's a wedding and wedding's are formal events." Chi Chi responded.

"Why?"

Chi Chi glared at her youngest child, "Don't you have something you should be doing?"

"No, why?"

Chi Chi just glared at him and blew out an irritated breath, "Because I think you have something you should be doing so you'll leave us alone long enough to get this all planned out!"

"Like that's ever going to happen," Gohan said from beneath his breath.

"What was that Gohan, speak up so I can hear you," Chi Chi said, eying her son.

"Not a thing mother, I just don't think we'll get all of this figured out in one afternoon. There's to much to do, it just can't be done in one day you know!"

"Have you ever planned a wedding before?" Chi Chi asked angrily.

"Um…stupid question mother, I've not been married before," Gohan answered.

"Then how would you know how long it'll take to plan it out?"

"Um…well, we have to pick out the wedding dress-"

"I'm picking out the wedding dress, after all, I'm the one who is going to be wearing it!" Videl interrupted.

"Of coarse you will," Chi Chi soothed.

"And we have to book a church, and pick out flowers and find a cake, and talk to the pastor or priest or whatever you want to call him. Plus, the brides maids' dresses all have to match, and the Maid of Honor has to have a certain type of dress-" Gohan began rambling on.

"The Maid of Honor?" Videl exclaimed. "I haven't even picked out a Maid of Honor yet! Can't we have a simple wedding, do we have to go through all of this? Is it really necessary?"

"Of coarse it's necessary," Chi Chi answered. "And of coarse you're going to have a large wedding, do you think my son would want anything else?"

"Not like you really asked me," Gohan said quietly, hoping his mother hadn't heard.

"Speak up Gohan!" Chi Chi said irritably.

"Nothing," Gohan blew out on an aggravated sigh.

"What about this dress?" Videl asked as she pushed a small book toward Gohan and Chi Chi.

"I'm still hungry!" Wailed Goten.

"Go look in the refrigerator." Chi Chi mumbled distractedly.

"I don't want to," Goten said.

"Then go to Trunks' for a while," Chi Chi said.

"I don't want to," Goten repeated.

"I don't care, do it anyhow." Chi Chi ordered. "I'm sure Bulma won't mind watching you for a while."

"Sure she will," Trunks interrupted. "She's still taking care of that alien girl."

Goten just stared at Trunks for a few seconds, "See you later Mom," he said to Chi Chi. He smiled evilly at Trunks, and the other boy could tell that Goten had developed a plan. Something that would perhaps get them into some trouble…which was always the case.