CHAPTER 4
Hanako laid back on the bed, staring up at the pale blue ceiling, listening to her heartbeat in her chest. It had been quiet for at least 30 minutes, after the initial yelling resounding down the hall. After the 'perverse display', as it was called in the heat of the argument, the aqua-haired woman had bitterly suggested that she get some sleep. Hanako agreed, guessing that if she stayed with the Prince, she would end up with a bashed-in skull. Hanako assumed that Bulma only wanted some time to bellow at the Prince, her husband, in private.
Hanako looked around the room. She assumed it was the lilac-haired boy's. There was a bookshelf, containing books on science, robotics and even a few mangas. There was a desk, with a lamp and a computer. It was a very tidy room in general, and she felt slightly guilty for messing up the sheets on which she lied. She sighed as she eased herself off the bed. For a while now she was wondering how she got healed so quickly. She could remember coming to, just to see an unknown person reaching for her scanner. She fondled the small machine in her hand. She had grabbed it on the way out of the room, not trusting anyone enough to return it. She stared across the room at a large fish-tank. The water was lit to a beautiful shade of blue, the tropical-looking fish, spotted with bizarre colours, were swimming serenely, the sound of bubbles calming her nerves. She laughed to herself. She felt sleepier standing up, looking at a bunch of over-priced fish, than she did laying on a soft bed.
There was a hard rap on the door as it clicked open. Hanako smiled nervously as Bulma walked in, a cup of steaming tea on a tray. She looked furious, despite the fact she refused to meet Hanako eye-to-eye. Bulma placed the tray down on the desk, roughly, the cup rattling against the saucer. Hanako could see, over the other woman's shoulder, the dark-haired boy and lilac-haired boy attempting to discreetly eavesdrop. Hanako cleared her throat.
"Lady Bulma?"
"What?" Bulma snapped angrily, glaring at the girl.
"I wanted to apologise."
"Oh!" Gasped Bulma, hands on her hips, "I guess that makes everything okay then!"
Hanako wiped her brow in thought, feeling her cheeks grow red. If she was going to win over this stubborn woman, she needed to speak as if she had thought long and hard over her errors. She guessed Bulma was a real fire-cracker, and the first step to gaining the Prince would be to gain his wife. Hanako sniffed at her own sense of twistedness.
"Please , would you listen to me?"
"I don't see why I should!" She yelled, her hair becoming dishevelled, and her face becoming flushed.
"Mom, c'mon. Let's she what she has to say."
Hanako turned to see the lilac-haired boy enter the room, smiling awkwardly at his mother. She turned on him, jabbing his chest with her index finger.
"I do not see what this has to do with you, Trunks!!"
Hanako seized her opportunity.
"I'm sorry for hurting you. I hope your head is okay. I mean I had just woken up and I was so frightened. I guess I lost control, and went into survival mode. You can check my scanner if you want to." She hoped Bulma would call her bluff and not bother. It seemed to work as the woman flicked her hand, huffing to herself. "You were so kind to allow me into your lovely home, and I abused you within five seconds, which, I must admit, is a new record for me."
Bulma laughed slightly, covering her mouth to quell the noise. She resumed frowning.
"And about the Prince. That is hard to explain." Hanako winced, attempting to play the sympathy card, as Bulma stamped her foot in the beginnings of fury. "Imagine your favourite superstar," Hanako continued. "If you ever met him, odds are you would give him a kiss, wouldn't you?"
"A kiss. Not play tonsil hockey!"
"Please, Lady Bulma. It wasn't tonsil hockey. I was overcome with emotion at seeing the Prince. You must try to understand. He is the highest stationed Saiyan in the universe, and from a young age, my awe has become the biggest feeling in my heart."
Bulma's face seemed to soften slightly. Hanako didn't know whether it was natural, or whether she was such a good actress that she was fooling herself, but tears were beginning to drip down her face.
"And upon seeing him, my longest lived goals were complete! And I lost myself." She wiped her eyes. "I would never of done any such thing if I knew the true situation. All I can do is tell the truth and say I'm sorry. Both to you, the Prince and your son."
Bulma looked at her coldly for a second, and sighed to herself.
"Don't just think I'll forgive you just like that!" She huffed, "But I understand were you're coming from. Now drink your tea."
She swept a hand through her hair and walked out, her nose in the air, feeling victorious. Trunks smiled, collapsing to the floor as the dark-haired boy pounced on his back.
"Goten! Get off me!"
Hanako pressed a hand to her mouth and giggled. She straightened her face, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Thank you, for... giving me a chance."
Trunks opened his mouth to say something, but Goten jumped in.
"Sure! No problem, babe! Hey! Is Vegeta a good kisser?"
Hanako rose to her feet, her fist clenched angrily.
"Don't you ever talk about the Prince that way!!!"
Trunks cupped Hanako's fist, rolling his eyes.
"Just ignore him. He's always a jerk." He laughed as Goten feigned offended shock. "Hi. We weren't introduced properly. My name is Trunks. Nice to meet you, Princess." He extended his hand. Hanako took it, averting her eyes shyly.
"Nice to meet you, Trunks. Please... call me Hanako."
The two smiled at each other. Goten threw himself on the bed, grinning cheekily.
"How about me? Good ole' Goten?"
Hanako smiled politely.
"You, Mr. Goten, can call me Princess Hanako."
Goten grumbled as the other two laughed.
"I'm only joking, Goten." She sighed, sitting down next to him. "I'm in your dept for saving my life." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. He shot the victory symbol at Trunks.
"Am I irresistible or what?"
He shook his head.
"I don't think irresistible is the word, Goten."
Trunks pulled a chair out from his desk and sat on it, swivelling slightly on it.
"What was that... thing... we saw before? It looked horrific."
"That," She said, staring at her shoes, "Was a Hell-Harlequin. An assassin from my planet."
"Jeez." Goten gasped. "Why was it after you?"
Hanako shrugged.
"Wasn't happy with what I was doing, I suppose."
"What were you doing?"
"Leaving home."
Trunks leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs.
"Hanako. We don't know what you're looking for, but we can guess that it's other Saiyans. Did you come for them? Or just my father?"
Hanako looked to the door, playing nervously with her fingers.
"Don't worry. Tell when you're ready."
He signalled to Goten to get up off the bed. He placed an arm around Hanako's shoulder.
"I don't think she should be left alone..."
"Oh for cryin' out loud! Get up, you perv!"
Goten rolled his eyes, and got up, punching Trunks in the arm. They turned to leave, Trunks pushing his friend out of the door first.
"Guys?" Hanako asked, rubbing her wrist. Trunks looked over his shoulder, Goten popped his head back in, leaning the back of it on Trunks' chest.
"You guys aren't just helping me because I'm a girl right?"
Goten smirked. "Well......"
"Oh, shut your mouth!" Trunks moaned, slamming the door behind him.
Hanako laid back on the bed, staring up at the pale blue ceiling, listening to her heartbeat in her chest. It had been quiet for at least 30 minutes, after the initial yelling resounding down the hall. After the 'perverse display', as it was called in the heat of the argument, the aqua-haired woman had bitterly suggested that she get some sleep. Hanako agreed, guessing that if she stayed with the Prince, she would end up with a bashed-in skull. Hanako assumed that Bulma only wanted some time to bellow at the Prince, her husband, in private.
Hanako looked around the room. She assumed it was the lilac-haired boy's. There was a bookshelf, containing books on science, robotics and even a few mangas. There was a desk, with a lamp and a computer. It was a very tidy room in general, and she felt slightly guilty for messing up the sheets on which she lied. She sighed as she eased herself off the bed. For a while now she was wondering how she got healed so quickly. She could remember coming to, just to see an unknown person reaching for her scanner. She fondled the small machine in her hand. She had grabbed it on the way out of the room, not trusting anyone enough to return it. She stared across the room at a large fish-tank. The water was lit to a beautiful shade of blue, the tropical-looking fish, spotted with bizarre colours, were swimming serenely, the sound of bubbles calming her nerves. She laughed to herself. She felt sleepier standing up, looking at a bunch of over-priced fish, than she did laying on a soft bed.
There was a hard rap on the door as it clicked open. Hanako smiled nervously as Bulma walked in, a cup of steaming tea on a tray. She looked furious, despite the fact she refused to meet Hanako eye-to-eye. Bulma placed the tray down on the desk, roughly, the cup rattling against the saucer. Hanako could see, over the other woman's shoulder, the dark-haired boy and lilac-haired boy attempting to discreetly eavesdrop. Hanako cleared her throat.
"Lady Bulma?"
"What?" Bulma snapped angrily, glaring at the girl.
"I wanted to apologise."
"Oh!" Gasped Bulma, hands on her hips, "I guess that makes everything okay then!"
Hanako wiped her brow in thought, feeling her cheeks grow red. If she was going to win over this stubborn woman, she needed to speak as if she had thought long and hard over her errors. She guessed Bulma was a real fire-cracker, and the first step to gaining the Prince would be to gain his wife. Hanako sniffed at her own sense of twistedness.
"Please , would you listen to me?"
"I don't see why I should!" She yelled, her hair becoming dishevelled, and her face becoming flushed.
"Mom, c'mon. Let's she what she has to say."
Hanako turned to see the lilac-haired boy enter the room, smiling awkwardly at his mother. She turned on him, jabbing his chest with her index finger.
"I do not see what this has to do with you, Trunks!!"
Hanako seized her opportunity.
"I'm sorry for hurting you. I hope your head is okay. I mean I had just woken up and I was so frightened. I guess I lost control, and went into survival mode. You can check my scanner if you want to." She hoped Bulma would call her bluff and not bother. It seemed to work as the woman flicked her hand, huffing to herself. "You were so kind to allow me into your lovely home, and I abused you within five seconds, which, I must admit, is a new record for me."
Bulma laughed slightly, covering her mouth to quell the noise. She resumed frowning.
"And about the Prince. That is hard to explain." Hanako winced, attempting to play the sympathy card, as Bulma stamped her foot in the beginnings of fury. "Imagine your favourite superstar," Hanako continued. "If you ever met him, odds are you would give him a kiss, wouldn't you?"
"A kiss. Not play tonsil hockey!"
"Please, Lady Bulma. It wasn't tonsil hockey. I was overcome with emotion at seeing the Prince. You must try to understand. He is the highest stationed Saiyan in the universe, and from a young age, my awe has become the biggest feeling in my heart."
Bulma's face seemed to soften slightly. Hanako didn't know whether it was natural, or whether she was such a good actress that she was fooling herself, but tears were beginning to drip down her face.
"And upon seeing him, my longest lived goals were complete! And I lost myself." She wiped her eyes. "I would never of done any such thing if I knew the true situation. All I can do is tell the truth and say I'm sorry. Both to you, the Prince and your son."
Bulma looked at her coldly for a second, and sighed to herself.
"Don't just think I'll forgive you just like that!" She huffed, "But I understand were you're coming from. Now drink your tea."
She swept a hand through her hair and walked out, her nose in the air, feeling victorious. Trunks smiled, collapsing to the floor as the dark-haired boy pounced on his back.
"Goten! Get off me!"
Hanako pressed a hand to her mouth and giggled. She straightened her face, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Thank you, for... giving me a chance."
Trunks opened his mouth to say something, but Goten jumped in.
"Sure! No problem, babe! Hey! Is Vegeta a good kisser?"
Hanako rose to her feet, her fist clenched angrily.
"Don't you ever talk about the Prince that way!!!"
Trunks cupped Hanako's fist, rolling his eyes.
"Just ignore him. He's always a jerk." He laughed as Goten feigned offended shock. "Hi. We weren't introduced properly. My name is Trunks. Nice to meet you, Princess." He extended his hand. Hanako took it, averting her eyes shyly.
"Nice to meet you, Trunks. Please... call me Hanako."
The two smiled at each other. Goten threw himself on the bed, grinning cheekily.
"How about me? Good ole' Goten?"
Hanako smiled politely.
"You, Mr. Goten, can call me Princess Hanako."
Goten grumbled as the other two laughed.
"I'm only joking, Goten." She sighed, sitting down next to him. "I'm in your dept for saving my life." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. He shot the victory symbol at Trunks.
"Am I irresistible or what?"
He shook his head.
"I don't think irresistible is the word, Goten."
Trunks pulled a chair out from his desk and sat on it, swivelling slightly on it.
"What was that... thing... we saw before? It looked horrific."
"That," She said, staring at her shoes, "Was a Hell-Harlequin. An assassin from my planet."
"Jeez." Goten gasped. "Why was it after you?"
Hanako shrugged.
"Wasn't happy with what I was doing, I suppose."
"What were you doing?"
"Leaving home."
Trunks leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs.
"Hanako. We don't know what you're looking for, but we can guess that it's other Saiyans. Did you come for them? Or just my father?"
Hanako looked to the door, playing nervously with her fingers.
"Don't worry. Tell when you're ready."
He signalled to Goten to get up off the bed. He placed an arm around Hanako's shoulder.
"I don't think she should be left alone..."
"Oh for cryin' out loud! Get up, you perv!"
Goten rolled his eyes, and got up, punching Trunks in the arm. They turned to leave, Trunks pushing his friend out of the door first.
"Guys?" Hanako asked, rubbing her wrist. Trunks looked over his shoulder, Goten popped his head back in, leaning the back of it on Trunks' chest.
"You guys aren't just helping me because I'm a girl right?"
Goten smirked. "Well......"
"Oh, shut your mouth!" Trunks moaned, slamming the door behind him.