Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z and I'm not making any money from
this.
Chapter 10
'I'm going to destroy you…'
The man turned over in his sleep, frowning slightly to try and chase the thoughts out of his head.
'I warn you, choose wisely, for Fate is known to get into quite a temper if one chooses the wrong path...'
He gave a soft sigh, still trying to ignore the voices.
'P…please…let me…g…go…'
The nobleman's voice still invaded his dreams, if one could call them that. Really, they were different. All he could see was darkness, but he could hear the voices so clearly, above the faint beating of his heart.
'Trunks…'
He frowned again. Why could he still hear the voices? Why wouldn't they leave him alone?
'Trunks?'
Her voice was so clear that he could have sworn she was right next to him.
'I think he's waking up'
Was that Goten's voice he just heard? Or was he dreaming again?
He felt the rhythm of his breathing change, and a strange feeling of returning consciousness overwhelmed him. He opened one eye and promptly closed it again as the sunshine spilled through the window onto his face.
"Trunks!"
Marron's voice echoed around the room, and he could feel her hand on his face. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes and pulled himself into a sitting position. A sharp twinge of pain in his stomach caused him to wince, and he could see Marron's expression become worried. She was standing in front of him, blocking out some of the sunlight from the window, and the way in which it seemed to form a halo around her made her look like an angel.
"Marron?"
Trunks was surprised at the sound of his own voice, he sounded so weak. She put her hands on his chest, gently pushing him back down onto the bed.
"Shh…you need to rest, Trunks" she told him softly.
"What's going on? What's been happening?" he asked.
"You were…you got hurt" Marron said, taking his hand. "Here, see?"
She placed his hand over the bandage on his stomach, and he sighed, remembering.
"Nappa?"
"Yes"
He sat back up again quickly, concerned.
"Are you alright? Your wrist, is it alright?"
The blonde haired woman smiled, holding up her arm, which had a cast on.
"Mr. Lowell said that it was the first time he had ever tried something like it. It was just an idea he had. It seems to be working"
Trunks relaxed a little.
"I'm glad you're okay," he said slowly. "But now you should return to the manor, to your father"
She shook her head defiantly.
"No, I won't. I wish to stay with you!"
"But Marron, it is dangerous here. You have seen that for yourself, have you not? It would be much safer for you to return home. Besides, have you forgotten what type of a person I am? I was going to kill you last night"
Marron smiled.
"Not last night, Trunks. You've been unconscious for three days"
"Three days? Then if you have not been home, the Lord must be looking for you"
The young woman giggled.
"Yes, father sent his guards out into the village to seek me out. They have not found me yet"
Trunks smirked a little at this. Gohan definitely had a good eye for places to hide.
"Trunks? Gohan wanted to see you as soon as you awoke. He has a lot to tell you"
Trunks' face clouded.
"About what? And where is Goten?"
"Lots of things. He is at the hideout with Gohan. We should go there now"
She smiled as Trunks blinked.
"We're not at the hideout?" It sounded more like a statement than a question. Marron pushed him playfully.
"Fool. We're still at Mr. Lowell's house"
"Oh, you're right"
She helped him up, and he winced a little with the movement.
"Are you alright?" Marron asked. Trunks nodded and the two of them made their way downstairs. Lowell, who was seated at the kitchen table, flashed a grin as he saw that Trunks was up and about.
"Hello, Trunks. How are you feeling? Everything okay?" he asked pleasantly. Trunks nodded, smiling at the older man. Lowell had known him all his life, but he hadn't seen him ever since Videl's death. It was nice to see the old man again; he was always so kind, even though he knew what kind of person Trunks was.
"I'm fine. A little sore, but otherwise fine"
"Glad to hear it. I suppose you're going back to the hideout now then?"
"Yes, Gohan has something to tell me, apparently" Trunks replied, sending a sideways glance at Marron, who smiled brightly.
"Give Gohan my regards" Lowell said cheerily, and stood up. "Miss Marron, the guards have been out looking for you again," he said with a wink. Marron gave him a wry grin, and Trunks rolled his eyes.
"You're in on this too, Lowell? You know as well as I do how dangerous it is for a woman of her appearance to be in the village without personal guards and such!"
Marron smirked. "A woman of her appearance?" she repeated. "What does that mean? Am I too attractive to be out on my own?" She giggled as she saw the look on Trunks' face, somewhere between embarrassment and annoyance.
"Precisely" he said bluntly.
Marron winked at him and brushed past him on her way out.
"Come along, Trunks. We had better get going. Thank you for all your help, Mr. Lowell"
Lowell smiled fondly at the girl.
"It was a pleasure, Miss Marron"
Trunks gave her a hopeless look and turned to Lowell.
"She seems to have changed, Lowell" he remarked. The grey haired man nodded.
"Yes, she has. Make sure you take care of her, Trunks. Women like that one are few and far between," Trunks nodded, and turned to follow Marron.
"And take care of yourself as well! No more nasty incidents, boy. You're lucky to still be alive"
"I know. Thank you, Lowell"
The old man was rendered speechless. Trunks, the most emotionless person he had ever seen, had actually thanked him? Maybe Miss Marron wasn't the only one to have changed in these past few days. The lavender haired boy grinned at him, and followed his companion out of the door.
"Trunks, I never really thanked you for helping me out before" Marron said.
Trunks shrugged.
"I was on my way to kill you, you know"
She grinned. "I know, so you told me before"
"And yet you do not seem to mind. Why is that?" he asked her. She tilted her head to the side.
"Because I know you won't do it," she said honestly. Trunks blinked.
"How do you know I won't?" he asked carefully.
"Because you wouldn't have helped me. You would have left Nappa to kill me. Goten told me about you, Trunks. About how you have killed so many people. He told me that you like to get the job done as quickly as possible. He said that even if you decide to toy with your victim, you never fail to kill them within four days. It has been a week, and you haven't killed me yet. So I know that you won't do it."
Trunks didn't reply. He looked at the floor.
"Maybe you are right, Marron. I can't kill you. But it is not a question of time. There is another reason"
Marron looked at him, her eyes shining hopefully.
"What is it?" she asked quietly, grabbing his hand
He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the loud voice of the town crier in the square.
"Hear ye! Two noblemen found! Lord Masaki and Lord Serimori found dead!"
Marron stared at the town crier, not wanting to believe her ears.
"Masaki? No, it cannot be true!"
She let go of Trunks' hand and leaned against a wall for support. Trunks stared at her with a measured gaze.
"Poor Bra…she must be heartbroken. I must go to her"
She straightened up and started to walk in the direction of the square. Trunks caught her hand.
"Stop, Marron. Look over there, there are guards all over, they're still looking for you. You'll get caught"
Marron stopped and fell against Trunks' chest, holding him tightly as one of the guards walked past them. Trunks put his arms around her protectively, stroking her hair, and the two of them stayed like this until the guard was out of sight.
"He's gone now," Trunks murmured, but Marron didn't move.
"I know, Trunks. But don't let me go" she breathed, holding him tighter. He drew in a sharp breath as her body pressed against his injured stomach.
"Sorry" she whispered, nestling against him.
"It's okay" Trunks told her, smiling a little. After a while he gently pushed her away.
"Come on, Marron. We had better get going"
Marron nodded and they set off again. The blonde girl looked into the distance, shading her eyes from the sun with her hand, and raised her eyebrows.
"Trunks, is that Goten ahead of us?" she asked. Trunks squinted. Sure enough, there was his friend, heading towards them at breakneck speed.
"Goten?" Marron cried, and the raven haired man stopped, blinking, and then cracked a smile.
"Trunks! Marron! Is it really you?"
Trunks folded his arms.
"Well, who else would it be, Goten?" he asked in amused tones. His friend smirked.
"Good to see you finally conscious, friend" he said.
"Wherefore were you running so fast?" Trunks asked. Goten frowned.
"I just heard the town crier talking about Masaki and Serimori. Lady Bra was engaged to Masaki, wasn't she?" he muttered. Trunks felt a little guilty now, but he brushed it off.
"So where are you going then?" he asked.
"To see if she is okay," Goten said flatly. He saw the look on Marron's face, and smiled grimly at the young woman.
"I will send her your condolences, Marron," he told her. She nodded, and Goten gave her hand a quick squeeze before taking off at a run again.
"I hope she is alright," Marron said quietly. Trunks didn't look at her.
"Let's get going to the hideout, Marron. I want to hear what Gohan has to say to me"
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! And sorry there's hardly any action! There will be soon, honest! I was stuck at a crossroads with this fic, plotwise, but I've made my decision now, and I've got the rest of the story planned out now. That's the problem with me, I never do a plan! Well, don't forget to review, and I'll see you soon for chapter 11! (It might take a few days; I've got my AS level English Language and Literature exams this week – damn last minute revision!) Ja ne!
Aerith
Chapter 10
'I'm going to destroy you…'
The man turned over in his sleep, frowning slightly to try and chase the thoughts out of his head.
'I warn you, choose wisely, for Fate is known to get into quite a temper if one chooses the wrong path...'
He gave a soft sigh, still trying to ignore the voices.
'P…please…let me…g…go…'
The nobleman's voice still invaded his dreams, if one could call them that. Really, they were different. All he could see was darkness, but he could hear the voices so clearly, above the faint beating of his heart.
'Trunks…'
He frowned again. Why could he still hear the voices? Why wouldn't they leave him alone?
'Trunks?'
Her voice was so clear that he could have sworn she was right next to him.
'I think he's waking up'
Was that Goten's voice he just heard? Or was he dreaming again?
He felt the rhythm of his breathing change, and a strange feeling of returning consciousness overwhelmed him. He opened one eye and promptly closed it again as the sunshine spilled through the window onto his face.
"Trunks!"
Marron's voice echoed around the room, and he could feel her hand on his face. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes and pulled himself into a sitting position. A sharp twinge of pain in his stomach caused him to wince, and he could see Marron's expression become worried. She was standing in front of him, blocking out some of the sunlight from the window, and the way in which it seemed to form a halo around her made her look like an angel.
"Marron?"
Trunks was surprised at the sound of his own voice, he sounded so weak. She put her hands on his chest, gently pushing him back down onto the bed.
"Shh…you need to rest, Trunks" she told him softly.
"What's going on? What's been happening?" he asked.
"You were…you got hurt" Marron said, taking his hand. "Here, see?"
She placed his hand over the bandage on his stomach, and he sighed, remembering.
"Nappa?"
"Yes"
He sat back up again quickly, concerned.
"Are you alright? Your wrist, is it alright?"
The blonde haired woman smiled, holding up her arm, which had a cast on.
"Mr. Lowell said that it was the first time he had ever tried something like it. It was just an idea he had. It seems to be working"
Trunks relaxed a little.
"I'm glad you're okay," he said slowly. "But now you should return to the manor, to your father"
She shook her head defiantly.
"No, I won't. I wish to stay with you!"
"But Marron, it is dangerous here. You have seen that for yourself, have you not? It would be much safer for you to return home. Besides, have you forgotten what type of a person I am? I was going to kill you last night"
Marron smiled.
"Not last night, Trunks. You've been unconscious for three days"
"Three days? Then if you have not been home, the Lord must be looking for you"
The young woman giggled.
"Yes, father sent his guards out into the village to seek me out. They have not found me yet"
Trunks smirked a little at this. Gohan definitely had a good eye for places to hide.
"Trunks? Gohan wanted to see you as soon as you awoke. He has a lot to tell you"
Trunks' face clouded.
"About what? And where is Goten?"
"Lots of things. He is at the hideout with Gohan. We should go there now"
She smiled as Trunks blinked.
"We're not at the hideout?" It sounded more like a statement than a question. Marron pushed him playfully.
"Fool. We're still at Mr. Lowell's house"
"Oh, you're right"
She helped him up, and he winced a little with the movement.
"Are you alright?" Marron asked. Trunks nodded and the two of them made their way downstairs. Lowell, who was seated at the kitchen table, flashed a grin as he saw that Trunks was up and about.
"Hello, Trunks. How are you feeling? Everything okay?" he asked pleasantly. Trunks nodded, smiling at the older man. Lowell had known him all his life, but he hadn't seen him ever since Videl's death. It was nice to see the old man again; he was always so kind, even though he knew what kind of person Trunks was.
"I'm fine. A little sore, but otherwise fine"
"Glad to hear it. I suppose you're going back to the hideout now then?"
"Yes, Gohan has something to tell me, apparently" Trunks replied, sending a sideways glance at Marron, who smiled brightly.
"Give Gohan my regards" Lowell said cheerily, and stood up. "Miss Marron, the guards have been out looking for you again," he said with a wink. Marron gave him a wry grin, and Trunks rolled his eyes.
"You're in on this too, Lowell? You know as well as I do how dangerous it is for a woman of her appearance to be in the village without personal guards and such!"
Marron smirked. "A woman of her appearance?" she repeated. "What does that mean? Am I too attractive to be out on my own?" She giggled as she saw the look on Trunks' face, somewhere between embarrassment and annoyance.
"Precisely" he said bluntly.
Marron winked at him and brushed past him on her way out.
"Come along, Trunks. We had better get going. Thank you for all your help, Mr. Lowell"
Lowell smiled fondly at the girl.
"It was a pleasure, Miss Marron"
Trunks gave her a hopeless look and turned to Lowell.
"She seems to have changed, Lowell" he remarked. The grey haired man nodded.
"Yes, she has. Make sure you take care of her, Trunks. Women like that one are few and far between," Trunks nodded, and turned to follow Marron.
"And take care of yourself as well! No more nasty incidents, boy. You're lucky to still be alive"
"I know. Thank you, Lowell"
The old man was rendered speechless. Trunks, the most emotionless person he had ever seen, had actually thanked him? Maybe Miss Marron wasn't the only one to have changed in these past few days. The lavender haired boy grinned at him, and followed his companion out of the door.
"Trunks, I never really thanked you for helping me out before" Marron said.
Trunks shrugged.
"I was on my way to kill you, you know"
She grinned. "I know, so you told me before"
"And yet you do not seem to mind. Why is that?" he asked her. She tilted her head to the side.
"Because I know you won't do it," she said honestly. Trunks blinked.
"How do you know I won't?" he asked carefully.
"Because you wouldn't have helped me. You would have left Nappa to kill me. Goten told me about you, Trunks. About how you have killed so many people. He told me that you like to get the job done as quickly as possible. He said that even if you decide to toy with your victim, you never fail to kill them within four days. It has been a week, and you haven't killed me yet. So I know that you won't do it."
Trunks didn't reply. He looked at the floor.
"Maybe you are right, Marron. I can't kill you. But it is not a question of time. There is another reason"
Marron looked at him, her eyes shining hopefully.
"What is it?" she asked quietly, grabbing his hand
He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the loud voice of the town crier in the square.
"Hear ye! Two noblemen found! Lord Masaki and Lord Serimori found dead!"
Marron stared at the town crier, not wanting to believe her ears.
"Masaki? No, it cannot be true!"
She let go of Trunks' hand and leaned against a wall for support. Trunks stared at her with a measured gaze.
"Poor Bra…she must be heartbroken. I must go to her"
She straightened up and started to walk in the direction of the square. Trunks caught her hand.
"Stop, Marron. Look over there, there are guards all over, they're still looking for you. You'll get caught"
Marron stopped and fell against Trunks' chest, holding him tightly as one of the guards walked past them. Trunks put his arms around her protectively, stroking her hair, and the two of them stayed like this until the guard was out of sight.
"He's gone now," Trunks murmured, but Marron didn't move.
"I know, Trunks. But don't let me go" she breathed, holding him tighter. He drew in a sharp breath as her body pressed against his injured stomach.
"Sorry" she whispered, nestling against him.
"It's okay" Trunks told her, smiling a little. After a while he gently pushed her away.
"Come on, Marron. We had better get going"
Marron nodded and they set off again. The blonde girl looked into the distance, shading her eyes from the sun with her hand, and raised her eyebrows.
"Trunks, is that Goten ahead of us?" she asked. Trunks squinted. Sure enough, there was his friend, heading towards them at breakneck speed.
"Goten?" Marron cried, and the raven haired man stopped, blinking, and then cracked a smile.
"Trunks! Marron! Is it really you?"
Trunks folded his arms.
"Well, who else would it be, Goten?" he asked in amused tones. His friend smirked.
"Good to see you finally conscious, friend" he said.
"Wherefore were you running so fast?" Trunks asked. Goten frowned.
"I just heard the town crier talking about Masaki and Serimori. Lady Bra was engaged to Masaki, wasn't she?" he muttered. Trunks felt a little guilty now, but he brushed it off.
"So where are you going then?" he asked.
"To see if she is okay," Goten said flatly. He saw the look on Marron's face, and smiled grimly at the young woman.
"I will send her your condolences, Marron," he told her. She nodded, and Goten gave her hand a quick squeeze before taking off at a run again.
"I hope she is alright," Marron said quietly. Trunks didn't look at her.
"Let's get going to the hideout, Marron. I want to hear what Gohan has to say to me"
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! And sorry there's hardly any action! There will be soon, honest! I was stuck at a crossroads with this fic, plotwise, but I've made my decision now, and I've got the rest of the story planned out now. That's the problem with me, I never do a plan! Well, don't forget to review, and I'll see you soon for chapter 11! (It might take a few days; I've got my AS level English Language and Literature exams this week – damn last minute revision!) Ja ne!
Aerith