Okay, I'm really really really sorry that this chapter took so long! In the
future I am going to try to have large chunks prewritten so I don't have
delays like this.
I want to thank the people who did review, but I also want to say that I am a little disappointed that there are so few reviewers, so if you read this, please take the ten seconds and hit the little button on the bottom of the page and make my day a hell of a lot brighter.
Disclaimer: "Don't piss off the god of love" -Dende
**********************************
Marron drifted in and out of consciousness. She could vaguely sense her ki fluctuating wildly. Exhaustion had crept up and the severe energy depletion she had suffered was commemorated by a pounding headache. Letting out a soft moan, she tried to sit up. Her injuries protested loudly and she collapsed back onto the ground.
'Wait. . . ground?' she thought, confused, 'What am I doing on the ground?'
The memories of the fighting came rushing back to her. Her eyes snapped open and she jumped up.
Bad move.
She was more seriously wounded than she had anticipated, but she managed to remain standing. Her desperation to know if the others had made it through kept her going. First she limped over to the crater that her father's body had created. Sliding down the side of the rocky basin, she slowly and painfully made her way towards him. He was still unconscious. Marron carefully lifted him up, ignoring her aching body. She gathered her ki and with great difficulty, slowly floated up to the edge of the crater and carefully put Kuririn down. Next she stumbled off searching for the Goten and Trunks. She remembered feeling their presence right before she passed out. She dragged herself along until she located two forms slumped down on the ground; both were extremely beat up and bloody, sprawled out in a heap on top of each other. She rushed towards them and gave them a quick inspection and was overjoyed to discover that they were still alive.
She felt relief flooding through her; everyone had survived the fight. She struggled to drag Trunks and Goten back to where she had left Kuririn. Just as she was starting to contemplate how to get them all safely back home, she felt her strength draining from her again. Lugging everyone over to one place had proved to be too much for her injured and energy drained body and once again she blacked out.
**********
Kuririn sat down in the chair in between the two beds, each one occupied by a comatose saiya-jin. Marron's android technology had healed her faster than even their alien regenerative powers could match. Currently Marron was asleep; otherwise she would have been right there, watching over Goten and Trunks.
Kuririn sighed. He could see how oblivious it was that Marron felt something for the purple-haired prince, but nothing could happen between them while the boy was out cold. Not only that, but his matchmaking cohort Goten was out of commission too.
It was a good thing he had woken up and managed to transport everyone back here before anyone had lost too much blood. He singly handedly coped with cleaning everybody up. Marron had been unconscious for two whole days before she awakened, and it had been four days since then. Both her and Kuririn were still heavily bandaged and nowhere near a total recovery.
He felt overwhelmed. They had been defeated so easily. 17 had managed to wipe them all out and still escape, and Kuririn didn't know how much damage had been inflicted upon the seemingly invincible android. There were four of them! And only one of him! Surly those odds had to count for something. But clearly it was not enough. Kuririn's frustration grew.
He sat back and wondered if they would ever overcome 17. . .
**********
Trunks tossed and turned in bed. 'Marron! I have to save her! He threatened her, my Marron! Must kill him. Kill him!' He yelled in his mind, even as he slept.
Suddenly Trunks' eyes snapped open. He found himself looking up into two familiar faces. 'Am I dead?' He asked himself, confusion clouding his thoughts.
"Trunks you're awake!" Marron screamed with joy, "I was so worried about you!" She launched herself at him, hugging him fiercely. Trunks was thrilled to see Marron. She had been so weak, so depleted, he didn't know if she would make it, but here she was, embracing him. . . hard. . .too hard.
Kuririn was concerned that she was accidentally strangling his hopefully- future-son-in-law. "Um, Marron sweetie? Trunks just woke up and I don't think that he is all the way better yet. . . it probably isn't healthy for his face to be that shade of blue. . . I think you're choking him."
Marron immediately released Trunks and guiltily glanced over him. He was busy gasping for breath, and being completely dazed that she had actually hugged him.
'Marron. . . Kuririn. . . What about Goten?' Trunks thought.
"Where's Goten?" He asked.
Marron's face fell as she moved aside so he could see Goten lying in the next bed. Goten looked in pretty bad shape. Trunks took a deep breath and tried to think of something reassuring to say.
"Marron," Kuririn said, interrupting Trunks' train of thought, "Why don't you go grab something for all of us to eat okay?"
She agreed and left the room.
As soon as she was gone Kuririn sighed, "I'm so worried about her, about all of us. Is it always going to be this way? Will we always get beaten within an inch of our lives, and then recover and fight more, only to fail again? One day one of us might not make it back. . ."
"You can't start thinking like that," Trunks interjected, "We will get stronger, we will fight harder."
"I hope you're right Trunks. . . "
**********
Marron sat in the kitchen trying not to cry. She battled against emotional roller coaster that could only come from having a fight to the death. She could deal with most of the emotions that flooded through her, but she had been completely caught off guard by the feeling that had rushed over her when Trunks had woken up.
But that was nothing compared to the gut wrenching sensation when she was looking Goten's motionless face, wishing as hard as she could that he would wake up and give her one of his cheerful grins and bounce around eating everything in sight. She clenched her fists as she felt tears threatening to fall.
She heard the door open and she didn't even look up as Trunks entered the room.
"Marron?" He said quietly as he moved towards her. She turned her back to him, trying to hide her tears.
"Marron, I. . ." He hesitantly put his hand on her shoulder, shattering any barriers she had managed to put up.
"Oh Trunks!" Marron cried, turning around and sobbing into his shirt. "I'll hunt 17 down and kill that bastard for what he's done to Goten! To you, to me!"
Trunks timidly put his arm around Marron, trying to comfort her. "Goten will be fine, we all will, everything will be okay."
He stood there holding her for a long time, silently praying that he wasn't lying to her.
**********
Marron finally let go of all her feelings and calmed down. She took a deep breath and looked up at Trunks.
"Thank you," She whispered hugging him tightly one more time.
He looked straight into her eyes; he could feel a little tiny smile at the corners of his mouth. They both moved towards each other, almost unconsciously, closer and closer. Before they knew it their lips brushed. Trunks moved slowly at first, unsure how Marron would react, but when he felt her responding he deepened the kiss. They both felt an indescribably feeling of harmony and elation wash over them.
They finally broke away from each other and remained with their eyes locked together until they heard a familiar voice.
"HA! Took you two long enough, but I knew it! I knew you would end up together!" Goten crowed joyfully from the doorway, grinning from ear to ear. Kuririn stood next to him looking smug.
"GOTEN!" Marron and Trunks shrieked in synchrony, rushing over to him.
"You scared me! Don't ever get hurt like that again!" Marron yelled embracing him.
"I promise," He replied jokingly. Turning to Trunks, Goten glared threateningly, "Take good care of her man, she like a sister to me."
The happy reunion was interrupted by a loud rumbling. Goten laughed and put a hand behind his head. "Whoops, I guess that's my reminder that my stomach has patiently waited for me to wake up long enough."
Marron sighed and giggled, no matter what, come hell or high water, you could always count on Goten's stomach.
*************************************
I want to thank the people who did review, but I also want to say that I am a little disappointed that there are so few reviewers, so if you read this, please take the ten seconds and hit the little button on the bottom of the page and make my day a hell of a lot brighter.
Disclaimer: "Don't piss off the god of love" -Dende
**********************************
Marron drifted in and out of consciousness. She could vaguely sense her ki fluctuating wildly. Exhaustion had crept up and the severe energy depletion she had suffered was commemorated by a pounding headache. Letting out a soft moan, she tried to sit up. Her injuries protested loudly and she collapsed back onto the ground.
'Wait. . . ground?' she thought, confused, 'What am I doing on the ground?'
The memories of the fighting came rushing back to her. Her eyes snapped open and she jumped up.
Bad move.
She was more seriously wounded than she had anticipated, but she managed to remain standing. Her desperation to know if the others had made it through kept her going. First she limped over to the crater that her father's body had created. Sliding down the side of the rocky basin, she slowly and painfully made her way towards him. He was still unconscious. Marron carefully lifted him up, ignoring her aching body. She gathered her ki and with great difficulty, slowly floated up to the edge of the crater and carefully put Kuririn down. Next she stumbled off searching for the Goten and Trunks. She remembered feeling their presence right before she passed out. She dragged herself along until she located two forms slumped down on the ground; both were extremely beat up and bloody, sprawled out in a heap on top of each other. She rushed towards them and gave them a quick inspection and was overjoyed to discover that they were still alive.
She felt relief flooding through her; everyone had survived the fight. She struggled to drag Trunks and Goten back to where she had left Kuririn. Just as she was starting to contemplate how to get them all safely back home, she felt her strength draining from her again. Lugging everyone over to one place had proved to be too much for her injured and energy drained body and once again she blacked out.
**********
Kuririn sat down in the chair in between the two beds, each one occupied by a comatose saiya-jin. Marron's android technology had healed her faster than even their alien regenerative powers could match. Currently Marron was asleep; otherwise she would have been right there, watching over Goten and Trunks.
Kuririn sighed. He could see how oblivious it was that Marron felt something for the purple-haired prince, but nothing could happen between them while the boy was out cold. Not only that, but his matchmaking cohort Goten was out of commission too.
It was a good thing he had woken up and managed to transport everyone back here before anyone had lost too much blood. He singly handedly coped with cleaning everybody up. Marron had been unconscious for two whole days before she awakened, and it had been four days since then. Both her and Kuririn were still heavily bandaged and nowhere near a total recovery.
He felt overwhelmed. They had been defeated so easily. 17 had managed to wipe them all out and still escape, and Kuririn didn't know how much damage had been inflicted upon the seemingly invincible android. There were four of them! And only one of him! Surly those odds had to count for something. But clearly it was not enough. Kuririn's frustration grew.
He sat back and wondered if they would ever overcome 17. . .
**********
Trunks tossed and turned in bed. 'Marron! I have to save her! He threatened her, my Marron! Must kill him. Kill him!' He yelled in his mind, even as he slept.
Suddenly Trunks' eyes snapped open. He found himself looking up into two familiar faces. 'Am I dead?' He asked himself, confusion clouding his thoughts.
"Trunks you're awake!" Marron screamed with joy, "I was so worried about you!" She launched herself at him, hugging him fiercely. Trunks was thrilled to see Marron. She had been so weak, so depleted, he didn't know if she would make it, but here she was, embracing him. . . hard. . .too hard.
Kuririn was concerned that she was accidentally strangling his hopefully- future-son-in-law. "Um, Marron sweetie? Trunks just woke up and I don't think that he is all the way better yet. . . it probably isn't healthy for his face to be that shade of blue. . . I think you're choking him."
Marron immediately released Trunks and guiltily glanced over him. He was busy gasping for breath, and being completely dazed that she had actually hugged him.
'Marron. . . Kuririn. . . What about Goten?' Trunks thought.
"Where's Goten?" He asked.
Marron's face fell as she moved aside so he could see Goten lying in the next bed. Goten looked in pretty bad shape. Trunks took a deep breath and tried to think of something reassuring to say.
"Marron," Kuririn said, interrupting Trunks' train of thought, "Why don't you go grab something for all of us to eat okay?"
She agreed and left the room.
As soon as she was gone Kuririn sighed, "I'm so worried about her, about all of us. Is it always going to be this way? Will we always get beaten within an inch of our lives, and then recover and fight more, only to fail again? One day one of us might not make it back. . ."
"You can't start thinking like that," Trunks interjected, "We will get stronger, we will fight harder."
"I hope you're right Trunks. . . "
**********
Marron sat in the kitchen trying not to cry. She battled against emotional roller coaster that could only come from having a fight to the death. She could deal with most of the emotions that flooded through her, but she had been completely caught off guard by the feeling that had rushed over her when Trunks had woken up.
But that was nothing compared to the gut wrenching sensation when she was looking Goten's motionless face, wishing as hard as she could that he would wake up and give her one of his cheerful grins and bounce around eating everything in sight. She clenched her fists as she felt tears threatening to fall.
She heard the door open and she didn't even look up as Trunks entered the room.
"Marron?" He said quietly as he moved towards her. She turned her back to him, trying to hide her tears.
"Marron, I. . ." He hesitantly put his hand on her shoulder, shattering any barriers she had managed to put up.
"Oh Trunks!" Marron cried, turning around and sobbing into his shirt. "I'll hunt 17 down and kill that bastard for what he's done to Goten! To you, to me!"
Trunks timidly put his arm around Marron, trying to comfort her. "Goten will be fine, we all will, everything will be okay."
He stood there holding her for a long time, silently praying that he wasn't lying to her.
**********
Marron finally let go of all her feelings and calmed down. She took a deep breath and looked up at Trunks.
"Thank you," She whispered hugging him tightly one more time.
He looked straight into her eyes; he could feel a little tiny smile at the corners of his mouth. They both moved towards each other, almost unconsciously, closer and closer. Before they knew it their lips brushed. Trunks moved slowly at first, unsure how Marron would react, but when he felt her responding he deepened the kiss. They both felt an indescribably feeling of harmony and elation wash over them.
They finally broke away from each other and remained with their eyes locked together until they heard a familiar voice.
"HA! Took you two long enough, but I knew it! I knew you would end up together!" Goten crowed joyfully from the doorway, grinning from ear to ear. Kuririn stood next to him looking smug.
"GOTEN!" Marron and Trunks shrieked in synchrony, rushing over to him.
"You scared me! Don't ever get hurt like that again!" Marron yelled embracing him.
"I promise," He replied jokingly. Turning to Trunks, Goten glared threateningly, "Take good care of her man, she like a sister to me."
The happy reunion was interrupted by a loud rumbling. Goten laughed and put a hand behind his head. "Whoops, I guess that's my reminder that my stomach has patiently waited for me to wake up long enough."
Marron sighed and giggled, no matter what, come hell or high water, you could always count on Goten's stomach.
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