Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z and I'm not making any money from
this.
Chapter 9
Nappa grinned down at the young man at his feet, using a piece of rag that he had taken from his pocket to wipe his knife clean.
"Finish you? Is that really what the son of the great prince Vegeta would say?"
Goten and Marron both gasped, staring in wonder at the massive thief, who only grinned wider.
"You had no idea, did you? Didn't Gohan tell you?" he asked, amusement evident in his voice. He looked down to see Trunks' reaction, but the boy was no longer conscious, all the colour drained from his face.
"Hmm. I suppose he must have lost too much blood. Too bad, I wanted to gloat at him some more. Well, it can't be helped"
He finished cleaning his knife, shot a smirk in Goten's direction, and knelt down, pulling Trunks up by his collar.
"Finally, Vegeta, I will have my revenge on you. You crossed me, and got yourself killed before I could pay you back. But I see you live on through this worthless boy. Now I will erase your existence once and for all"
He raised the knife and grinned maliciously. Marron hid her face in her hands. She couldn't believe that this was happening. Everything was so confusing, the man she had fell in love with had resolved to murder her, and now she found out that he was not who he had appeared to be, he was not a noble, but a thief, and the son of her nurse. Things were too complicated, but the one thing she did know was that there was a lot more that she needed to find out, and she couldn't bear to watch as Nappa's knife slowly made its descent towards Trunks' chest.
"Nappa!"
Marron jumped and looked though her fingers. In front of her stood the raven-haired man who had tried to save her earlier, and her eyes widened as she saw what he held in his hands. Moonlight bounced off the silver handgun, and she saw the smile fade from Nappa's face as it dawned on him what the raven-haired man was holding.
"You would not dare" Nappa spat, but Goten could see the look of uncertainty in his eyes as he released his grip on Trunks' collar.
"Try me" Goten said, his voice trembling. He had never even pointed a gun before, but he knew that time was running out for his best friend, and he would not let him down.
"Your hands are shaking" Nappa laughed. "You won't shoot me"
Goten drew in a sharp breath as Nappa turned his attention from him and back to Trunks.
"Now, where was I?"
"On the floor, bleeding, good sir" came a voice from the shadows. Nappa looked up in surprise, and it didn't even register on his face as a single bullet shot straight through his chest. Marron screamed. And after the echo of her scream died down, there was silence.
"Gohan?" Goten stared in disbelief as his brother walked into the middle of the square, putting his gun back in the holster strapped around his leg. Gohan nodded his way, walking over to Trunks. He knelt beside him, wincing as he saw the deep stab wound in his comrade's stomach.
"What happened here?" he asked, his tone calm. Goten looked down, and glanced sideways at Marron.
"We were…out…um…walking and I heard a scream. I thought that Miss Paris might be in trouble, but once we got here, we found this young lady. We decided to help her, but…" he trailed off, looking at his friend. He felt so guilty. Why had he had to distract him? If he had kept his mouth shut, then Trunks would be okay.
"Go and fetch Lowell" Gohan muttered grimly.
Lowell was the village doctor; he had taken care of Videl when she first got ill. However, since Videl had died, Gohan had not spoken to Lowell, as if he somehow held him responsible for her death. Goten looked at his brother,
puzzled.
"But…"
"I will not tell you again, Goten! Go and fetch him!"
"A…alright"
Gohan shook Trunks gently.
"Trunks, you must stay conscious until Lowell gets here" he said gruffly. The young man didn't respond, his face was deathly pale, and his breathing had almost stopped altogether. Gohan ripped a piece of material from his shirt and pressed it to the wound, he knew that applying pressure usually helped to stop the bleeding in most cases.
"Trunks, wake up right now! I will not stand for this nonsense!" Gohan said, trying to convince himself that his friend would be alright. He heard a sob, and looked up at the young woman that his brother had helped to save. She was the reason for all this. He glared at her.
"You must leave now, miss," he said through his teeth. She looked at him through her tears and shook her head.
"No, good sir, I cannot do that. I must stay and make sure that this young man will recover"
The man scowled. "He is in no need of your assistance"
"Let her…alone, Gohan. S…she is…not causing…any harm"
Both of them jumped, and looked down at Trunks. His eyes were now open, and he had a pained smile on his face.
"Lord…Valmont – um, I mean…Trunks, I am so very sorry" Marron said softy. Even after the way he had treated her at the ball, she still cared a great deal about him, and right now, she didn't mind what he had done in the past. The past was the past, and she did not wish to dwell on it any longer. She wanted a fresh start, which was why she had run away from the suffocating life she led at the manor. Even though she loved her father, mother and everyone else dearly, she could not bear to return home. She wanted to see what it was like to be free.
She knelt down beside Trunks and pushed Gohan's hand away, holding the material over his injury in place herself. Gohan scowled again and moved away, standing up and looking around the square, waiting for Goten to return.
"Wh…what for?" Trunks asked. "If I…remember correctly…I told you…that…I was going to…destroy you"
She managed a small grin. "I know. And you probably still will, won't you, Trunks?"
He tried to smile.
"Probably…"
"I thought so"
"Wh…why are you here, with me Marron? You…you know…that it is not safe"
"Because I care"
"Even…though…I said…"
Marron shook her head, trying to keep the tears from falling.
"Shh…don't worry about that. It is not important any more. Besides, I have my reasons for being out here, too"
"What…are they?"
"I want freedom. You and your friends all have freedom, and I yearn to be like you. I do not care if this means that I will be without my luxuries, I simply want to be free"
She stroked his face with her good hand, trying to ignore the pain of her broken wrist. In truth, she had forgotten about it, all she had cared about was whether or not Trunks was going to be okay.
"Marron…freedom is not all it seems. You will soon find…that out"
Marron looked at him, confused, as Goten, Gohan and Lowell made their way over.
"You will not leave me, will you? I have so much more to find out about you," she told him, her eyes filling with tears. Trunks shook his head.
"I will not. I will be fine, Miss Marron" he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Marron nodded, stroking his hair out of his face. If only she could bring herself to believe those words.
"I'm sure he is going to be alright, Miss Marron" Goten said. He and Marron were sitting in Gohan's hideout, while Trunks and Gohan were staying at Lowell's house in the village. Trunks had lost consciousness again after talking to Marron, and the doctor had insisted that he stayed with him to make sure that he would survive the night. Gohan had agreed with Lowell, but only if he would be allowed to stay too, to watch over the younger man. He had claimed that he didn't want to be anywhere near Marron, because he wouldn't trust himself not to kill her, but it was a transparent argument.
Goten had smiled at this; Gohan never really showed that he cared for either of his comrades, but whenever there was a serious situation, they could rely on him to be there, to make sure that everyone made it. Goten knew that under Gohan's cold exterior, his heart was still one of gold.
Even if he didn't act like it.
It wasn't his fault, after everything he had been through, who could blame him for withdrawing deep inside himself. He had lost the one person he loved most in the world. He had always counted on the fact that Videl would be there, to comfort him, to take care of him after a particularly messed up job, to let him hold her, protect her. But he couldn't protect her from everything.
Goten was roused from his thoughts as Marron stood up and walked over to the window.
"The moon is out full tonight," she said softly. "I met a fortune teller once, who told me that in my eighteenth year, I would look out at the full moon, from a place that I would not normally go. She said that I would fall in love with a handsome man, but that there would be danger ahead. She did not tell me whether we would be able to get through it. She only told me that Fate has a nasty habit of making things go how he wanted them to."
"Miss Marron…"
The blonde haired woman turned to him, tears glistening on her face.
"Did you ever hear the legend of the Fragments of Destiny, good Goten?"
Her companion nodded.
"Yes. Right before we arrived at the ball at your father's manor, we met with a fortune teller. She told Trunks about the legend, and said that Fate is known to get into quite a temper if one chooses the wrong path. Trunks…he thought she was talking nonsense. She wasn't, was she?"
Marron closed her eyes, letting more tears fall.
"I…I think I am falling in love with him, Goten" she sobbed, resting her head against his chest as he put his arms around her. "And it pains me to know that he does not feel that way for me"
"Miss Marron, I…Trunks is…Trunks is a mess. At the moment, he has no idea how he feels. He is not used to having all these feelings. Before he met you, he was so cold hearted. After meeting you, he became different. But he does not know what these new emotions mean. I believe that he is in love with you. But he does not know that what he is feeling is love…"
"Is he capable of those emotions?" Marron asked. Goten nodded.
"Of course he is, Marron! He just has not experienced them before. It will simply take him a while to sort himself out."
The young woman nodded, thinking of how Trunks had kissed her at the ball. She had sensed something, in those kisses. If he felt nothing for her, it would not be possible for him to kiss her with such a passion. Could it be that Goten was telling the truth? Either way, there was still more she needed to know. She wanted to try and understand the young man a little better.
"Goten, I am so confused. Trunks is the son of my nurse, Bulma, that I know. But she did not mention Prince Vegeta at all. Could it really be that the Prince is really his father?"
Goten frowned.
"I don't know, my lady. But I do know that Gohan has information that he has kept from us. As soon as he comes back, I am going to find out exactly what is really going on. But for now, tell me all that you know. What has Miss Bulma told you?"
The woman sighed, pulling away from Goten and walking back over to the window. She stared out at the clear night sky as she spoke.
"Miss Bulma told me that she was with child when she worked at the manor before my father gained possession of it. A very unfeeling man owned it, she never told me his name; all she said was that he had no regard for anyone's well being but his own. When he discovered that Bulma was with child, he became angry, and told her that unless she disposed of it, she would be thrown out onto the streets, where both she and her child would surely not survive. Bulma was devastated, but finally, even though it broke her heart, she decided to give her child away. That way she knew that he would survive, and maybe she would be able to see him again. She never told me whom she gave him to, or who was the father, but I do know that she and the father must have gotten together once more, for two years later, she became pregnant again. As before, she had to give away the child, but luckily, the child went to a good home. She lives with my uncle, Lord Seventeen, in the outskirts of the village."
Goten raised his eyebrows.
"So then, Trunks has a sister?" he asked. Marron nodded.
"Yes, you know her, do you not? I saw you with her at the ball"
"Lady…Lady Bra is Trunks' sister?" The raven-haired man was incredulous.
"That is right"
Goten looked down in disbelief. This just made things all the more complicated.
A/N: …Well, this chapter took ages to write, even though it isn't very long. It was really difficult to fit all of the explaining in without making it too boring. I don't know how well I did here. But, at least now we know for sure how Marron feels about Trunks, and how he feels about her! And we have a little explanation about why Bulma had to give Trunks away! But there's still a lot more to happen yet! Like those elusive noblemen, Masaki and Serimori. When will they be found? And will Trunks be okay? And will Gohan finally explain why they have to kill Marron in the first place? So much to write!
Well, that's it for this chapter; don't forget to review, and thanks to everyone who has so far! (hugs all round!) Ja ne!
Chapter 9
Nappa grinned down at the young man at his feet, using a piece of rag that he had taken from his pocket to wipe his knife clean.
"Finish you? Is that really what the son of the great prince Vegeta would say?"
Goten and Marron both gasped, staring in wonder at the massive thief, who only grinned wider.
"You had no idea, did you? Didn't Gohan tell you?" he asked, amusement evident in his voice. He looked down to see Trunks' reaction, but the boy was no longer conscious, all the colour drained from his face.
"Hmm. I suppose he must have lost too much blood. Too bad, I wanted to gloat at him some more. Well, it can't be helped"
He finished cleaning his knife, shot a smirk in Goten's direction, and knelt down, pulling Trunks up by his collar.
"Finally, Vegeta, I will have my revenge on you. You crossed me, and got yourself killed before I could pay you back. But I see you live on through this worthless boy. Now I will erase your existence once and for all"
He raised the knife and grinned maliciously. Marron hid her face in her hands. She couldn't believe that this was happening. Everything was so confusing, the man she had fell in love with had resolved to murder her, and now she found out that he was not who he had appeared to be, he was not a noble, but a thief, and the son of her nurse. Things were too complicated, but the one thing she did know was that there was a lot more that she needed to find out, and she couldn't bear to watch as Nappa's knife slowly made its descent towards Trunks' chest.
"Nappa!"
Marron jumped and looked though her fingers. In front of her stood the raven-haired man who had tried to save her earlier, and her eyes widened as she saw what he held in his hands. Moonlight bounced off the silver handgun, and she saw the smile fade from Nappa's face as it dawned on him what the raven-haired man was holding.
"You would not dare" Nappa spat, but Goten could see the look of uncertainty in his eyes as he released his grip on Trunks' collar.
"Try me" Goten said, his voice trembling. He had never even pointed a gun before, but he knew that time was running out for his best friend, and he would not let him down.
"Your hands are shaking" Nappa laughed. "You won't shoot me"
Goten drew in a sharp breath as Nappa turned his attention from him and back to Trunks.
"Now, where was I?"
"On the floor, bleeding, good sir" came a voice from the shadows. Nappa looked up in surprise, and it didn't even register on his face as a single bullet shot straight through his chest. Marron screamed. And after the echo of her scream died down, there was silence.
"Gohan?" Goten stared in disbelief as his brother walked into the middle of the square, putting his gun back in the holster strapped around his leg. Gohan nodded his way, walking over to Trunks. He knelt beside him, wincing as he saw the deep stab wound in his comrade's stomach.
"What happened here?" he asked, his tone calm. Goten looked down, and glanced sideways at Marron.
"We were…out…um…walking and I heard a scream. I thought that Miss Paris might be in trouble, but once we got here, we found this young lady. We decided to help her, but…" he trailed off, looking at his friend. He felt so guilty. Why had he had to distract him? If he had kept his mouth shut, then Trunks would be okay.
"Go and fetch Lowell" Gohan muttered grimly.
Lowell was the village doctor; he had taken care of Videl when she first got ill. However, since Videl had died, Gohan had not spoken to Lowell, as if he somehow held him responsible for her death. Goten looked at his brother,
puzzled.
"But…"
"I will not tell you again, Goten! Go and fetch him!"
"A…alright"
Gohan shook Trunks gently.
"Trunks, you must stay conscious until Lowell gets here" he said gruffly. The young man didn't respond, his face was deathly pale, and his breathing had almost stopped altogether. Gohan ripped a piece of material from his shirt and pressed it to the wound, he knew that applying pressure usually helped to stop the bleeding in most cases.
"Trunks, wake up right now! I will not stand for this nonsense!" Gohan said, trying to convince himself that his friend would be alright. He heard a sob, and looked up at the young woman that his brother had helped to save. She was the reason for all this. He glared at her.
"You must leave now, miss," he said through his teeth. She looked at him through her tears and shook her head.
"No, good sir, I cannot do that. I must stay and make sure that this young man will recover"
The man scowled. "He is in no need of your assistance"
"Let her…alone, Gohan. S…she is…not causing…any harm"
Both of them jumped, and looked down at Trunks. His eyes were now open, and he had a pained smile on his face.
"Lord…Valmont – um, I mean…Trunks, I am so very sorry" Marron said softy. Even after the way he had treated her at the ball, she still cared a great deal about him, and right now, she didn't mind what he had done in the past. The past was the past, and she did not wish to dwell on it any longer. She wanted a fresh start, which was why she had run away from the suffocating life she led at the manor. Even though she loved her father, mother and everyone else dearly, she could not bear to return home. She wanted to see what it was like to be free.
She knelt down beside Trunks and pushed Gohan's hand away, holding the material over his injury in place herself. Gohan scowled again and moved away, standing up and looking around the square, waiting for Goten to return.
"Wh…what for?" Trunks asked. "If I…remember correctly…I told you…that…I was going to…destroy you"
She managed a small grin. "I know. And you probably still will, won't you, Trunks?"
He tried to smile.
"Probably…"
"I thought so"
"Wh…why are you here, with me Marron? You…you know…that it is not safe"
"Because I care"
"Even…though…I said…"
Marron shook her head, trying to keep the tears from falling.
"Shh…don't worry about that. It is not important any more. Besides, I have my reasons for being out here, too"
"What…are they?"
"I want freedom. You and your friends all have freedom, and I yearn to be like you. I do not care if this means that I will be without my luxuries, I simply want to be free"
She stroked his face with her good hand, trying to ignore the pain of her broken wrist. In truth, she had forgotten about it, all she had cared about was whether or not Trunks was going to be okay.
"Marron…freedom is not all it seems. You will soon find…that out"
Marron looked at him, confused, as Goten, Gohan and Lowell made their way over.
"You will not leave me, will you? I have so much more to find out about you," she told him, her eyes filling with tears. Trunks shook his head.
"I will not. I will be fine, Miss Marron" he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Marron nodded, stroking his hair out of his face. If only she could bring herself to believe those words.
"I'm sure he is going to be alright, Miss Marron" Goten said. He and Marron were sitting in Gohan's hideout, while Trunks and Gohan were staying at Lowell's house in the village. Trunks had lost consciousness again after talking to Marron, and the doctor had insisted that he stayed with him to make sure that he would survive the night. Gohan had agreed with Lowell, but only if he would be allowed to stay too, to watch over the younger man. He had claimed that he didn't want to be anywhere near Marron, because he wouldn't trust himself not to kill her, but it was a transparent argument.
Goten had smiled at this; Gohan never really showed that he cared for either of his comrades, but whenever there was a serious situation, they could rely on him to be there, to make sure that everyone made it. Goten knew that under Gohan's cold exterior, his heart was still one of gold.
Even if he didn't act like it.
It wasn't his fault, after everything he had been through, who could blame him for withdrawing deep inside himself. He had lost the one person he loved most in the world. He had always counted on the fact that Videl would be there, to comfort him, to take care of him after a particularly messed up job, to let him hold her, protect her. But he couldn't protect her from everything.
Goten was roused from his thoughts as Marron stood up and walked over to the window.
"The moon is out full tonight," she said softly. "I met a fortune teller once, who told me that in my eighteenth year, I would look out at the full moon, from a place that I would not normally go. She said that I would fall in love with a handsome man, but that there would be danger ahead. She did not tell me whether we would be able to get through it. She only told me that Fate has a nasty habit of making things go how he wanted them to."
"Miss Marron…"
The blonde haired woman turned to him, tears glistening on her face.
"Did you ever hear the legend of the Fragments of Destiny, good Goten?"
Her companion nodded.
"Yes. Right before we arrived at the ball at your father's manor, we met with a fortune teller. She told Trunks about the legend, and said that Fate is known to get into quite a temper if one chooses the wrong path. Trunks…he thought she was talking nonsense. She wasn't, was she?"
Marron closed her eyes, letting more tears fall.
"I…I think I am falling in love with him, Goten" she sobbed, resting her head against his chest as he put his arms around her. "And it pains me to know that he does not feel that way for me"
"Miss Marron, I…Trunks is…Trunks is a mess. At the moment, he has no idea how he feels. He is not used to having all these feelings. Before he met you, he was so cold hearted. After meeting you, he became different. But he does not know what these new emotions mean. I believe that he is in love with you. But he does not know that what he is feeling is love…"
"Is he capable of those emotions?" Marron asked. Goten nodded.
"Of course he is, Marron! He just has not experienced them before. It will simply take him a while to sort himself out."
The young woman nodded, thinking of how Trunks had kissed her at the ball. She had sensed something, in those kisses. If he felt nothing for her, it would not be possible for him to kiss her with such a passion. Could it be that Goten was telling the truth? Either way, there was still more she needed to know. She wanted to try and understand the young man a little better.
"Goten, I am so confused. Trunks is the son of my nurse, Bulma, that I know. But she did not mention Prince Vegeta at all. Could it really be that the Prince is really his father?"
Goten frowned.
"I don't know, my lady. But I do know that Gohan has information that he has kept from us. As soon as he comes back, I am going to find out exactly what is really going on. But for now, tell me all that you know. What has Miss Bulma told you?"
The woman sighed, pulling away from Goten and walking back over to the window. She stared out at the clear night sky as she spoke.
"Miss Bulma told me that she was with child when she worked at the manor before my father gained possession of it. A very unfeeling man owned it, she never told me his name; all she said was that he had no regard for anyone's well being but his own. When he discovered that Bulma was with child, he became angry, and told her that unless she disposed of it, she would be thrown out onto the streets, where both she and her child would surely not survive. Bulma was devastated, but finally, even though it broke her heart, she decided to give her child away. That way she knew that he would survive, and maybe she would be able to see him again. She never told me whom she gave him to, or who was the father, but I do know that she and the father must have gotten together once more, for two years later, she became pregnant again. As before, she had to give away the child, but luckily, the child went to a good home. She lives with my uncle, Lord Seventeen, in the outskirts of the village."
Goten raised his eyebrows.
"So then, Trunks has a sister?" he asked. Marron nodded.
"Yes, you know her, do you not? I saw you with her at the ball"
"Lady…Lady Bra is Trunks' sister?" The raven-haired man was incredulous.
"That is right"
Goten looked down in disbelief. This just made things all the more complicated.
A/N: …Well, this chapter took ages to write, even though it isn't very long. It was really difficult to fit all of the explaining in without making it too boring. I don't know how well I did here. But, at least now we know for sure how Marron feels about Trunks, and how he feels about her! And we have a little explanation about why Bulma had to give Trunks away! But there's still a lot more to happen yet! Like those elusive noblemen, Masaki and Serimori. When will they be found? And will Trunks be okay? And will Gohan finally explain why they have to kill Marron in the first place? So much to write!
Well, that's it for this chapter; don't forget to review, and thanks to everyone who has so far! (hugs all round!) Ja ne!