Vegeta stood awkwardly in his suit. It had been such a long time since he
was in it. The last time he wore it was on his wedding. But today, he wore
it for a funeral. He glanced at his daughter. She was crying quietly,
hiding her face. He looked at his shiny leather shoes. They shone dully in
the cheap 100-watt lights overhead in the dusty church. And he wondered why
he was mourning for an enemy.
"Why am I sad for someone that was after my family's life?" He whispered numbly, still looking down.
Bura's ears perked up and she shot an angry look a Vegeta. She ignored him again and sniffed into her handkerchief. Titus and Silas stood beside her. They couldn't help feeling the depressed atmosphere around them.
No charges were pressed. From contacts of Vegeta's connections, they covered Goten's death as a "suicide".
Titus comforted Silas repeatedly after the incident; but he couldn't get over the fact that he had pulled the trigger. Titus told him over and over again that he had done the right thing. But it was so hard.
Silas bit his lip. Big boys don't cry, he scolded himself as he began to feel hot tears in his eyes. He hid his face from everyone around him. He raised one eye and re-observed his dank surroundings.
There weren't many people at Goten's funeral. Just the Briefs, Gohan and the undertakers. The church's stained glass shone hopefully and its small, yet impressive structure loomed over them.
Silas' eyes swarmed. He suddenly felt dizzy. He needed air. He needed to get away from all the black, from all the crying. Titus looked over to him with concern and raised his eyebrows.
He walked over to Silas and put his hand on his shoulder firmly.
"Compose yourself." He whispered huskily. Silas looked over to him and nodded.
Silas took deep breaths and closed his eyes for a moment. But every time he did, the rain, the noise from that life-changing shot, everything about the kill would fly back and hit him in the face again.
Bura was numb with sadness. She was so confused. Her mind was blurred and she couldn't focus on anything. She didn't want to speak to anyone. She just wanted to be alone. She wanted Goten.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As the coffin was taken outside, Bura let Titus hold her hand securely. She dragged her feet out from the stained carpet of the musty church to the new, small graveyard at the back. The remaining mildew covered grass glistened warmly in the sun.
Every body stood absolutely still as the coffin was lowered into the six- foot deep hole. Goten's 'family' (Gohan) was only able to afford a small, unnoticeable slab of stone with simple writing on it.
Dirt was now being thrown into the pit. Bura blinked back her tears as she saw what was left of Goten's life being buried by the earth.
The preacher's words rambled hopelessly past Bura's ears as she watched more dirt being piled onto Goten. She burst into another shower of tears and she threw herself onto the half-covered coffin. She spread herself onto the coffin and held onto for dear life. She let the dirt stain her delicate black dress and weeds ruin her hair.
No one moved. Vegeta shot a look at her guards and they nodded. Silas and Titus walked over and pulled the sobbing girl out gently.
Bura slapped their hands and grasped onto the coffin harder. She dug her nails into the box, hoping that that might open it and reveal that Goten was only sleeping. That Goten was only sleeping.....
Titus held his hand where the burn of her slap lingered. He shook his head in disbelief as he reached for her again.
Bura let Titus' strong arms carry her out. She fell into his embrace and cried harder. Titus' cologne rushed into her nose and she began to miss Goten even more. She pulled painfully at his tie. Titus shifted his neck and rocked her gently.
"Shh....Princess, it'll be okay.....shh.." He murmured warmly. Even though Titus' rival was now gone, it hurt him to see Bura like this.
They continued the procession with her napping and Bura was still asleep on the ride home. She lay in Titus' lap as her dreams haunted her.
"Love and lust.." she whispered suddenly. Her cherry lips moving slowly and surely.
Titus looked down at her and was startled. He checked to see if she was awake, but her even breathing confirmed that she was just talking in her sleep. But he found that strange. In all those nights spent in her room, she had never spoken or stirred while she was asleep.
Titus ignored it and shifted his legs. They were getting stiff.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bura fell asleep right away when it was time for her curfew. Titus watched over her worryingly. The entire day had seemed like a trance. He settled his gun on the ground and stared up at the posters on her walls.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bura had an unsettling dream that night.
She was in a dark, airless field. She standing in the middle of it clad only in her nightgown. She shivered as a gust of mocking wind blew past her, grazing her legs.
She could hear thunder. And from a distance saw something, somebody running towards her. First, it looked like Silas, then Titus. She thought that they were coming after her again. She turned and tried to run, but realized that her feet were entangled by thousands of tombstones that had seemed to just rise out of nowhere.
A cold hand touched her waist and she turned back around. She felt like crying.....she couldn't believe it.
It was Goten.
His dark eyes gazed into hers lovingly and he held her arms. He shook her a few times and she tried pulling away from him. His untattered clothing flayed in the wind and his black hair had a gold-like tint to it. But something was wrong, his hands were so cold and he began to speak.
"Bura.....I've missed you, baby. Where have you been?"
Bura's eyes softened and she reached out for him, but her hands caught only air. "Goten, what are you talking about? I've always been here, but you.....I want you back."
Goten smiled. "Stop crying, Bura. You look so unpretty."
Bura chuckled flatly. She turned to more serious things. "Did you really love me?"
Goten reached over and touched her face, his hand suddenly became warm.
"Yeah...don't worry about me. I'm alright. And, and, I'm sorry...." He looked away when he apologized clumsily.
Bura touched his hand and felt coldness again. "What about me? What about the others after my.....?"
She couldn't finish; Goten had leaned over and kissed her warmly. It felt so real, so life-like.
Goten had a twinkle in his dark eyes. "Ever heard of angels?"
Bura nodded like a little girl.
Goten smiled. "What about guardian angels?" He wrapped his hands around her waist. His fingers were freezing. Bura shuddered lightly.
Bura nodded again; a bit confused.
" Well, I'll always be with you...." His voice trailed off, leaving a lingering sense of love in the air.
He began to disappear. He faded away.
Bura reached over for him and she felt warm tears on her face. She grabbed for him but only caught air. "No..." Her lips formed as he became a blur.
Bura woke up gasping for air. She was still in her bed and she felt her mattress for any signs of someone actually being there with her. She glanced over to Titus. The dream was so real.
He looked a bit alarmed and was watching her with the same calmness as usual. He kept his steady look and stayed where he was.
Bura flopped back onto the bed and closed her eyes. She felt around her face where the tears would be. Her skin was dry.
"Sorry, I just had a...." She looked over to him to find the right words. It really wasn't a dream, and it wasn't as scary as a nightmare.
Titus understood and nodded. "Go back to sleep, Princess."
Bura nodded back. She shifted her satin blanket and her hand brushed past her waist. Her eyes widened and she froze.
She felt it again with shaking fingers.
It was ice cold.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's Note: Hey! How did you like THAT ending? Pretty corny, huh? Oh well, review if it made you throw up or if you really enjoyed it. Or if you really didn't care!
"Why am I sad for someone that was after my family's life?" He whispered numbly, still looking down.
Bura's ears perked up and she shot an angry look a Vegeta. She ignored him again and sniffed into her handkerchief. Titus and Silas stood beside her. They couldn't help feeling the depressed atmosphere around them.
No charges were pressed. From contacts of Vegeta's connections, they covered Goten's death as a "suicide".
Titus comforted Silas repeatedly after the incident; but he couldn't get over the fact that he had pulled the trigger. Titus told him over and over again that he had done the right thing. But it was so hard.
Silas bit his lip. Big boys don't cry, he scolded himself as he began to feel hot tears in his eyes. He hid his face from everyone around him. He raised one eye and re-observed his dank surroundings.
There weren't many people at Goten's funeral. Just the Briefs, Gohan and the undertakers. The church's stained glass shone hopefully and its small, yet impressive structure loomed over them.
Silas' eyes swarmed. He suddenly felt dizzy. He needed air. He needed to get away from all the black, from all the crying. Titus looked over to him with concern and raised his eyebrows.
He walked over to Silas and put his hand on his shoulder firmly.
"Compose yourself." He whispered huskily. Silas looked over to him and nodded.
Silas took deep breaths and closed his eyes for a moment. But every time he did, the rain, the noise from that life-changing shot, everything about the kill would fly back and hit him in the face again.
Bura was numb with sadness. She was so confused. Her mind was blurred and she couldn't focus on anything. She didn't want to speak to anyone. She just wanted to be alone. She wanted Goten.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As the coffin was taken outside, Bura let Titus hold her hand securely. She dragged her feet out from the stained carpet of the musty church to the new, small graveyard at the back. The remaining mildew covered grass glistened warmly in the sun.
Every body stood absolutely still as the coffin was lowered into the six- foot deep hole. Goten's 'family' (Gohan) was only able to afford a small, unnoticeable slab of stone with simple writing on it.
Dirt was now being thrown into the pit. Bura blinked back her tears as she saw what was left of Goten's life being buried by the earth.
The preacher's words rambled hopelessly past Bura's ears as she watched more dirt being piled onto Goten. She burst into another shower of tears and she threw herself onto the half-covered coffin. She spread herself onto the coffin and held onto for dear life. She let the dirt stain her delicate black dress and weeds ruin her hair.
No one moved. Vegeta shot a look at her guards and they nodded. Silas and Titus walked over and pulled the sobbing girl out gently.
Bura slapped their hands and grasped onto the coffin harder. She dug her nails into the box, hoping that that might open it and reveal that Goten was only sleeping. That Goten was only sleeping.....
Titus held his hand where the burn of her slap lingered. He shook his head in disbelief as he reached for her again.
Bura let Titus' strong arms carry her out. She fell into his embrace and cried harder. Titus' cologne rushed into her nose and she began to miss Goten even more. She pulled painfully at his tie. Titus shifted his neck and rocked her gently.
"Shh....Princess, it'll be okay.....shh.." He murmured warmly. Even though Titus' rival was now gone, it hurt him to see Bura like this.
They continued the procession with her napping and Bura was still asleep on the ride home. She lay in Titus' lap as her dreams haunted her.
"Love and lust.." she whispered suddenly. Her cherry lips moving slowly and surely.
Titus looked down at her and was startled. He checked to see if she was awake, but her even breathing confirmed that she was just talking in her sleep. But he found that strange. In all those nights spent in her room, she had never spoken or stirred while she was asleep.
Titus ignored it and shifted his legs. They were getting stiff.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bura fell asleep right away when it was time for her curfew. Titus watched over her worryingly. The entire day had seemed like a trance. He settled his gun on the ground and stared up at the posters on her walls.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bura had an unsettling dream that night.
She was in a dark, airless field. She standing in the middle of it clad only in her nightgown. She shivered as a gust of mocking wind blew past her, grazing her legs.
She could hear thunder. And from a distance saw something, somebody running towards her. First, it looked like Silas, then Titus. She thought that they were coming after her again. She turned and tried to run, but realized that her feet were entangled by thousands of tombstones that had seemed to just rise out of nowhere.
A cold hand touched her waist and she turned back around. She felt like crying.....she couldn't believe it.
It was Goten.
His dark eyes gazed into hers lovingly and he held her arms. He shook her a few times and she tried pulling away from him. His untattered clothing flayed in the wind and his black hair had a gold-like tint to it. But something was wrong, his hands were so cold and he began to speak.
"Bura.....I've missed you, baby. Where have you been?"
Bura's eyes softened and she reached out for him, but her hands caught only air. "Goten, what are you talking about? I've always been here, but you.....I want you back."
Goten smiled. "Stop crying, Bura. You look so unpretty."
Bura chuckled flatly. She turned to more serious things. "Did you really love me?"
Goten reached over and touched her face, his hand suddenly became warm.
"Yeah...don't worry about me. I'm alright. And, and, I'm sorry...." He looked away when he apologized clumsily.
Bura touched his hand and felt coldness again. "What about me? What about the others after my.....?"
She couldn't finish; Goten had leaned over and kissed her warmly. It felt so real, so life-like.
Goten had a twinkle in his dark eyes. "Ever heard of angels?"
Bura nodded like a little girl.
Goten smiled. "What about guardian angels?" He wrapped his hands around her waist. His fingers were freezing. Bura shuddered lightly.
Bura nodded again; a bit confused.
" Well, I'll always be with you...." His voice trailed off, leaving a lingering sense of love in the air.
He began to disappear. He faded away.
Bura reached over for him and she felt warm tears on her face. She grabbed for him but only caught air. "No..." Her lips formed as he became a blur.
Bura woke up gasping for air. She was still in her bed and she felt her mattress for any signs of someone actually being there with her. She glanced over to Titus. The dream was so real.
He looked a bit alarmed and was watching her with the same calmness as usual. He kept his steady look and stayed where he was.
Bura flopped back onto the bed and closed her eyes. She felt around her face where the tears would be. Her skin was dry.
"Sorry, I just had a...." She looked over to him to find the right words. It really wasn't a dream, and it wasn't as scary as a nightmare.
Titus understood and nodded. "Go back to sleep, Princess."
Bura nodded back. She shifted her satin blanket and her hand brushed past her waist. Her eyes widened and she froze.
She felt it again with shaking fingers.
It was ice cold.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's Note: Hey! How did you like THAT ending? Pretty corny, huh? Oh well, review if it made you throw up or if you really enjoyed it. Or if you really didn't care!
