Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z and I'm not making any money from
this.
Note: Another update? 'Fraid so! Hope you enjoy reading, and thank you so much to everyone who reviewed so far!
Burned Vamp: Thank you so much! ^^ Hehe, Gohan, you'd better get running! (grins) And it's another cliffie, kinda! Sorry about that (runs away before anyone can kill her)
Asanra: Tee hee, seems Gohan's public enemy number one at the moment! Wait 'til you see what he gets up to in this chapter! Thanks for the review, hon! And carry on writing your brilliant stories too!
SCAV: Thanks! And here's an update, especially for you! I'm glad you like it! Hope you like this one too! And about your question in your review for chapter 10, I have no idea! Just luck, I guess! And I'm gonna go check your fic out now, so expect some reviews from yours truly!
Legolas Luver: Yeah, what IS the world coming to? Well, at least the choccie tastes good! ^^ Thanks for the review!
AGalaxiaGoddess: (smiles) Thank you! And don't worry, Bulma will know soon enough. Not in this chappie though! ^^ Oh yeah, and about that thing in chapter 10, that was Marron, but our purple haired cutie was so out of it that he thought it was Goten!
LilMelfina64: Thanks for the review, sweetie! ^^ Gohan may well try and kill Marron, he's acting a bit delirious in this chapter, but whether or not he succeeds is the question! And as for Trunks, he's bound to try and protect our blonde haired girl. Ahh, love is beautiful. ^^
Diana: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it!
Star-Gazer: Thank you! Hope this chapter can answer a few of your questions! (Probably not though, tee hee) Here's an update for ya!
Gmbymstr: (blushes and makes 'aww shucks' type noises) Wow! Thank you so much! (hugs) I'm speechless! Hope you like this chapter too. ^^
Chapter 12
Trunks stared in disbelief at his raven-haired comrade. He felt Marron's hand, which was gripped tightly onto his wrist, begin to shake.
"What did you just say?" Trunks asked in a low, dangerous whisper. Gohan did not respond, his dark eyes glittering eerily. Marron stared in horror at the look in Gohan's eyes as he turned to look at her. She felt her whole body begin to tremble under his piercing stare. All her confidence she had gained by being in the company of Goten these past few days seemed to dissolve under Gohan's gaze. She sensed an unfamiliar feeling in the pit of her stomach. A feeling that wrapped icy cold hands around her heart and refused to let go. She was rooted to the spot. The look in Gohan's eyes was an awful mix of hatred and joy. She jumped as Trunks' arm moved suddenly, and he pulled her behind him roughly, shielding her from the man's gaze.
Gohan laughed softly.
"Just like her" he murmured. Trunks frowned, taking a step away from Gohan.
"Like who?" he asked.
"She was so much like you, Marron. She always wanted to be by my side, always. She was so stubborn. Even when I was injured, she wouldn't leave my side, not even to eat or sleep. Just like you were when Trunks was injured. There aren't many women like that"
Marron clung to Trunks' arm as if she were afraid that he would leave her any minute and she would be at the mercy of the raven-haired man.
"I don't understand," she whispered.
"Of course not! How could you even possibly understand? How could anyone?" Gohan shouted angrily. "No, no one can ever know how I have felt all these years!" He lowered his gaze to the ground.
Trunks' eyes softened as Gohan's voice became more and more upset. It was because of Videl. He was still grieving for her. The recollection of the past must have brought memories of the dark haired woman back to the surface again. Not to mention the discovery of Masaki and Serimori's bodies, yet more death. It never stopped.
"Gohan, you are right. No one can understand. But killing Marron will achieve nothing. You're confused, you know not what you are doing"
His friend's head snapped up at the younger man's comments, and he raked his fingers through his hair agitatedly.
"Shut up! You are the one who knows not what they are doing! You were brought up to be a thief, a murderer, and you will not obey you commands! What happened to the disciplined, emotionless Trunks that used to take up residence inside that body? Why have you become so weak?"
"Gohan, I don't understand what you are-"
Gohan cut him off. "She is mocking me, haunting me! Videl, why? Why will you not let me alone?" he yelled at the petrified Marron.
"I…I don't" Marron stammered.
"Stop it! Don't you see, Trunks? Do you not see what she is doing to me? Make her stop!"
Trunks could not find any words to say that would help to solve anything.
"She will not let me alone, Trunks! I am not going to kill her for Raditz's sake, or for the working class people, for that matter! But because she reminds me of her so much that I cannot bear it! I will not bear it! She must not live!"
"I…I'm not doing anything" Marron said shakily.
Gohan banged his fist down on the table in front of him, causing it to shatter into a heap of splintered wood and nails. Dust billowed up all around him.
"You are!" He pointed at her, looking at Trunks desperately. "She is, Trunks! Make her stop!"
Trunks said nothing, but gently pulled his arm out of Marron's grip, and walked towards his comrade.
"Gohan…what's the matter with you?" he asked softly. Gohan took a step back.
"They're coming for her," he whispered. "They're coming to take her away from you"
"Who?" Trunks asked. Gohan didn't reply. His head was aching terribly, and he could hardly bear the pain, as strange voices seemed to be trying to get his attention all at once. His forehead was burning up, as it had been for the past few days. He had written it off as an effect spending too long out in the sunshine. Deep down, he knew he was talking nonsense, that he was delirious for some reason, but there was a part of him that truly believed that he was making perfect sense, and the fact that neither Trunks nor Marron understood him was agitating him to no end.
"Videl would have understood," he said bitterly.
"Gohan, you are not making any sense," Trunks said gently. "You need to rest. Recollecting such bad memories must have had an adverse effect on you, my friend"
Marron edged closer and closer to the doorway, not wanting to draw Gohan's attention to her. She had decided on waiting in the adjoining room until Trunks had managed to calm the older man down. Just a few more steps and she was home free. So absorbed was she in making it out of the room, that she didn't even notice as Gohan pushed his friend away roughly and drew his gun.
In the square, one of Lord Krillin's guards stretched lazily, suppressing a yawn. He blinked in the bright sunlight, taking another look around the area to see if Lady Marron was anywhere. There was still no sign of her.
"Have you seen the Lady yet?" asked Goku, walking over to the guard. He and Yamcha had both been told to help in the search, while both Bulma and Chi- Chi had been appointed the task of stablehands, as well as all the other jobs they had been doing. Goku felt a little guilty that the two women were being forced to do a job that wasn't theirs to do in the first place, but until they found Miss Marron, it couldn't be helped.
The guard shook his head. Goku sighed and looked up into the sky, as though somehow he could find answers up there.
The square was bustling with activity as usual, a street performer graced the square with her presence, and there were merchants selling all kinds of trinkets, as well as poems, songs, and stories of far away lands that they had passed through. Goku had talked to one of the tradespeople, a deeply tanned, worldly old man named Lucas, many times over the years. The old gypsy had told Goku stories of different countries, each with their own set of ideas and cultures. Stories like these fascinated the spiky haired man, and he wondered what it would be like to travel the world, to see all those different lands. When Marron was younger, he had often recounted the stores told to him by Lucas, and the girl would sit there enraptured, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. He smiled at the memory.
How the young woman had changed since then.
Couldn't Lord Krillin see how unhappy she had been?
Goku had realised that he himself was probably one of the only people who really understood Marron. He knew how suffocating life at the manor was, especially for a girl like she, who had so many romantic ideas of travelling to faraway places, of meeting a handsome man and falling in love, but still being free to do whatever she wished. She was never the type to marry a noble and to live a nurtured life. She needed something more. A lot more. That was why Goku was so reluctant to find her. Of course he wanted to know that she was safe, but he didn't want to have to take her back to the manor against her will. Folding his arms, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, breathing in the exotic scent of spices coming from Lucas' cart nearby. He smiled slightly. Where had the old man been this time? He would have to find out later. Now was a time for just relaxing, Goku thought. And for a while he just rested in the afternoon heat, enjoying the feel of the sun on his face. All was calm. Until the sound of a gunshot pierced the air.
"Lady Bra, I am so terribly sorry" Goten whispered as the young sobbed her heart out into his shirt. He gently stroked her turquoise hair to soothe her, although he realised that in actual fact, it was probably doing the opposite as she simply cried harder. He wondered idly how Trunks and Marron were getting along, and whether or not Gohan had told his lavender haired friend the truth about his origins yet. Goten had been a little worried about Gohan, actually, as the night after he had told him about their parents, and about Trunks' parents, he had heard his brother talking as if he was holding a conversation with someone, even though the house was empty. Marron had decided to stay at Lowell's house that night, and there was no one else there to talk to. He had only been able to catch snippets of the 'conversation', Gohan had been muttering something like "Why will you not let me alone?"
When he had brought the subject up that morning, Gohan had denied ever doing anything, suggesting that he was simply dreaming. Goten hadn't been convinced at all, and he was a little concerned about his brother, he had seemed a little spaced out and feverish when he had left him to see Bra that morning.
"Goten, I am sorry for being this way," Bra said softly, bringing the young man back to reality with a start. He smiled fondly at the woman.
"It is to be expected, Miss Bra, especially when you have lost someone you love" he told her. Fresh tears filled Bra's eyes, and she shook her head.
"That is why I am so upset, Goten!" she cried. "Because I did not love Masaki! I wanted him gone, and I just feel…feel that it is somehow my fault!" She began to cry softly, and Goten brushed her hair from her face, placing a finger under her chin and tilting her head up to look at him.
"Miss Bra, it is not your fault at all," he said firmly. She stared up into his eyes, suddenly embarrassed.
"I…I…wanted him gone" she whispered. "I wanted him gone, Goten"
Her companion stared at her levelly, but with a flicker of wonder in his eyes.
"Wherefore did you want him gone?" he asked gently. There was an uncomfortable silence until Bra could bear it no longer.
"Because I could not bear how he treated me!" the woman said, twisting out of Goten's arms and walking over to the window, her fists clenched in frustration. The young man stayed where he was, fixing his gaze on Bra's back.
"Because he treated you like a china doll?" he asked.
"…Most of the time he treated me that way" she murmured. "However, sometimes, he treated me differently"
Goten lowered his eyes, catching the hidden meaning behind her words. She didn't turn around to him as she continued in pained tones.
"Everyone thought that Masaki was a great man. That he treated me like a princess. Most of the time he did. But when we were alone, it was a different story, Goten. He grew increasingly exasperated by the way in which I acted. He told me that I should behave like a proper lady, not like one with the attitude of a street rat. He told me that my impertinence would get me in trouble one day. And that it did. From that day forward, whenever I attempted to do something that he did not deem proper, he would…he would strike me"
Goten felt his heart ache as he listened to her story. How could anyone even think of striking a lady such as she? Masaki certainly didn't seem the type; Goten recalled that he had been petrified that night when they had met him in the alley. He had shook visibly when Trunks had pushed him to the ground and demanded his assistance in their plan.
Now that he thought about it though, it seemed to make sense; it was becoming increasingly common for a weak man such as Masaki to try and assert his power by being violent towards someone physically weaker than he. However, that did not make it right by any means. Goten was against violence of any sort.
Bra turned her gaze from the window to him, and Goten could see the tears glistening in her eyes. He fumbled for something to say.
"How could he…how could anyone?" he stammered. Bra shook her head.
"I should not have said anything. I'm sorry for upsetting you, Goten"
"Upsetting me? That is the last thing that you need to be sorry about, Miss Bra!"
He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms, filled with an urge to hold her, to protect her from harm, from everything. She looked up at him, tears still in her eyes.
"Goten, I have never been held this way before" she said softly. "You truly are a gentleman"
"I am far from a gentleman, my Lady. I am not even a nobleman," Goten told her shakily, mentally slapping himself for being so stupid as to admit that when things were going as they were.
To his amazement, she smiled.
"I don't care who you are, you are a gentleman to me"
He smiled back, and in a move that surprised even himself, he pulled her closer to him and kissed her gently. And he silently swore to protect her from all harm, at all costs.
A/N: Well, that's that chapter done! Hope it didn't seem too clichéd to you! Check back soon for chapter 13, and sorry for being evil and not saying any more about the whole gunshot incident! You'll find out in c13, promise!
Aerith
Note: Another update? 'Fraid so! Hope you enjoy reading, and thank you so much to everyone who reviewed so far!
Burned Vamp: Thank you so much! ^^ Hehe, Gohan, you'd better get running! (grins) And it's another cliffie, kinda! Sorry about that (runs away before anyone can kill her)
Asanra: Tee hee, seems Gohan's public enemy number one at the moment! Wait 'til you see what he gets up to in this chapter! Thanks for the review, hon! And carry on writing your brilliant stories too!
SCAV: Thanks! And here's an update, especially for you! I'm glad you like it! Hope you like this one too! And about your question in your review for chapter 10, I have no idea! Just luck, I guess! And I'm gonna go check your fic out now, so expect some reviews from yours truly!
Legolas Luver: Yeah, what IS the world coming to? Well, at least the choccie tastes good! ^^ Thanks for the review!
AGalaxiaGoddess: (smiles) Thank you! And don't worry, Bulma will know soon enough. Not in this chappie though! ^^ Oh yeah, and about that thing in chapter 10, that was Marron, but our purple haired cutie was so out of it that he thought it was Goten!
LilMelfina64: Thanks for the review, sweetie! ^^ Gohan may well try and kill Marron, he's acting a bit delirious in this chapter, but whether or not he succeeds is the question! And as for Trunks, he's bound to try and protect our blonde haired girl. Ahh, love is beautiful. ^^
Diana: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it!
Star-Gazer: Thank you! Hope this chapter can answer a few of your questions! (Probably not though, tee hee) Here's an update for ya!
Gmbymstr: (blushes and makes 'aww shucks' type noises) Wow! Thank you so much! (hugs) I'm speechless! Hope you like this chapter too. ^^
Chapter 12
Trunks stared in disbelief at his raven-haired comrade. He felt Marron's hand, which was gripped tightly onto his wrist, begin to shake.
"What did you just say?" Trunks asked in a low, dangerous whisper. Gohan did not respond, his dark eyes glittering eerily. Marron stared in horror at the look in Gohan's eyes as he turned to look at her. She felt her whole body begin to tremble under his piercing stare. All her confidence she had gained by being in the company of Goten these past few days seemed to dissolve under Gohan's gaze. She sensed an unfamiliar feeling in the pit of her stomach. A feeling that wrapped icy cold hands around her heart and refused to let go. She was rooted to the spot. The look in Gohan's eyes was an awful mix of hatred and joy. She jumped as Trunks' arm moved suddenly, and he pulled her behind him roughly, shielding her from the man's gaze.
Gohan laughed softly.
"Just like her" he murmured. Trunks frowned, taking a step away from Gohan.
"Like who?" he asked.
"She was so much like you, Marron. She always wanted to be by my side, always. She was so stubborn. Even when I was injured, she wouldn't leave my side, not even to eat or sleep. Just like you were when Trunks was injured. There aren't many women like that"
Marron clung to Trunks' arm as if she were afraid that he would leave her any minute and she would be at the mercy of the raven-haired man.
"I don't understand," she whispered.
"Of course not! How could you even possibly understand? How could anyone?" Gohan shouted angrily. "No, no one can ever know how I have felt all these years!" He lowered his gaze to the ground.
Trunks' eyes softened as Gohan's voice became more and more upset. It was because of Videl. He was still grieving for her. The recollection of the past must have brought memories of the dark haired woman back to the surface again. Not to mention the discovery of Masaki and Serimori's bodies, yet more death. It never stopped.
"Gohan, you are right. No one can understand. But killing Marron will achieve nothing. You're confused, you know not what you are doing"
His friend's head snapped up at the younger man's comments, and he raked his fingers through his hair agitatedly.
"Shut up! You are the one who knows not what they are doing! You were brought up to be a thief, a murderer, and you will not obey you commands! What happened to the disciplined, emotionless Trunks that used to take up residence inside that body? Why have you become so weak?"
"Gohan, I don't understand what you are-"
Gohan cut him off. "She is mocking me, haunting me! Videl, why? Why will you not let me alone?" he yelled at the petrified Marron.
"I…I don't" Marron stammered.
"Stop it! Don't you see, Trunks? Do you not see what she is doing to me? Make her stop!"
Trunks could not find any words to say that would help to solve anything.
"She will not let me alone, Trunks! I am not going to kill her for Raditz's sake, or for the working class people, for that matter! But because she reminds me of her so much that I cannot bear it! I will not bear it! She must not live!"
"I…I'm not doing anything" Marron said shakily.
Gohan banged his fist down on the table in front of him, causing it to shatter into a heap of splintered wood and nails. Dust billowed up all around him.
"You are!" He pointed at her, looking at Trunks desperately. "She is, Trunks! Make her stop!"
Trunks said nothing, but gently pulled his arm out of Marron's grip, and walked towards his comrade.
"Gohan…what's the matter with you?" he asked softly. Gohan took a step back.
"They're coming for her," he whispered. "They're coming to take her away from you"
"Who?" Trunks asked. Gohan didn't reply. His head was aching terribly, and he could hardly bear the pain, as strange voices seemed to be trying to get his attention all at once. His forehead was burning up, as it had been for the past few days. He had written it off as an effect spending too long out in the sunshine. Deep down, he knew he was talking nonsense, that he was delirious for some reason, but there was a part of him that truly believed that he was making perfect sense, and the fact that neither Trunks nor Marron understood him was agitating him to no end.
"Videl would have understood," he said bitterly.
"Gohan, you are not making any sense," Trunks said gently. "You need to rest. Recollecting such bad memories must have had an adverse effect on you, my friend"
Marron edged closer and closer to the doorway, not wanting to draw Gohan's attention to her. She had decided on waiting in the adjoining room until Trunks had managed to calm the older man down. Just a few more steps and she was home free. So absorbed was she in making it out of the room, that she didn't even notice as Gohan pushed his friend away roughly and drew his gun.
In the square, one of Lord Krillin's guards stretched lazily, suppressing a yawn. He blinked in the bright sunlight, taking another look around the area to see if Lady Marron was anywhere. There was still no sign of her.
"Have you seen the Lady yet?" asked Goku, walking over to the guard. He and Yamcha had both been told to help in the search, while both Bulma and Chi- Chi had been appointed the task of stablehands, as well as all the other jobs they had been doing. Goku felt a little guilty that the two women were being forced to do a job that wasn't theirs to do in the first place, but until they found Miss Marron, it couldn't be helped.
The guard shook his head. Goku sighed and looked up into the sky, as though somehow he could find answers up there.
The square was bustling with activity as usual, a street performer graced the square with her presence, and there were merchants selling all kinds of trinkets, as well as poems, songs, and stories of far away lands that they had passed through. Goku had talked to one of the tradespeople, a deeply tanned, worldly old man named Lucas, many times over the years. The old gypsy had told Goku stories of different countries, each with their own set of ideas and cultures. Stories like these fascinated the spiky haired man, and he wondered what it would be like to travel the world, to see all those different lands. When Marron was younger, he had often recounted the stores told to him by Lucas, and the girl would sit there enraptured, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. He smiled at the memory.
How the young woman had changed since then.
Couldn't Lord Krillin see how unhappy she had been?
Goku had realised that he himself was probably one of the only people who really understood Marron. He knew how suffocating life at the manor was, especially for a girl like she, who had so many romantic ideas of travelling to faraway places, of meeting a handsome man and falling in love, but still being free to do whatever she wished. She was never the type to marry a noble and to live a nurtured life. She needed something more. A lot more. That was why Goku was so reluctant to find her. Of course he wanted to know that she was safe, but he didn't want to have to take her back to the manor against her will. Folding his arms, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, breathing in the exotic scent of spices coming from Lucas' cart nearby. He smiled slightly. Where had the old man been this time? He would have to find out later. Now was a time for just relaxing, Goku thought. And for a while he just rested in the afternoon heat, enjoying the feel of the sun on his face. All was calm. Until the sound of a gunshot pierced the air.
"Lady Bra, I am so terribly sorry" Goten whispered as the young sobbed her heart out into his shirt. He gently stroked her turquoise hair to soothe her, although he realised that in actual fact, it was probably doing the opposite as she simply cried harder. He wondered idly how Trunks and Marron were getting along, and whether or not Gohan had told his lavender haired friend the truth about his origins yet. Goten had been a little worried about Gohan, actually, as the night after he had told him about their parents, and about Trunks' parents, he had heard his brother talking as if he was holding a conversation with someone, even though the house was empty. Marron had decided to stay at Lowell's house that night, and there was no one else there to talk to. He had only been able to catch snippets of the 'conversation', Gohan had been muttering something like "Why will you not let me alone?"
When he had brought the subject up that morning, Gohan had denied ever doing anything, suggesting that he was simply dreaming. Goten hadn't been convinced at all, and he was a little concerned about his brother, he had seemed a little spaced out and feverish when he had left him to see Bra that morning.
"Goten, I am sorry for being this way," Bra said softly, bringing the young man back to reality with a start. He smiled fondly at the woman.
"It is to be expected, Miss Bra, especially when you have lost someone you love" he told her. Fresh tears filled Bra's eyes, and she shook her head.
"That is why I am so upset, Goten!" she cried. "Because I did not love Masaki! I wanted him gone, and I just feel…feel that it is somehow my fault!" She began to cry softly, and Goten brushed her hair from her face, placing a finger under her chin and tilting her head up to look at him.
"Miss Bra, it is not your fault at all," he said firmly. She stared up into his eyes, suddenly embarrassed.
"I…I…wanted him gone" she whispered. "I wanted him gone, Goten"
Her companion stared at her levelly, but with a flicker of wonder in his eyes.
"Wherefore did you want him gone?" he asked gently. There was an uncomfortable silence until Bra could bear it no longer.
"Because I could not bear how he treated me!" the woman said, twisting out of Goten's arms and walking over to the window, her fists clenched in frustration. The young man stayed where he was, fixing his gaze on Bra's back.
"Because he treated you like a china doll?" he asked.
"…Most of the time he treated me that way" she murmured. "However, sometimes, he treated me differently"
Goten lowered his eyes, catching the hidden meaning behind her words. She didn't turn around to him as she continued in pained tones.
"Everyone thought that Masaki was a great man. That he treated me like a princess. Most of the time he did. But when we were alone, it was a different story, Goten. He grew increasingly exasperated by the way in which I acted. He told me that I should behave like a proper lady, not like one with the attitude of a street rat. He told me that my impertinence would get me in trouble one day. And that it did. From that day forward, whenever I attempted to do something that he did not deem proper, he would…he would strike me"
Goten felt his heart ache as he listened to her story. How could anyone even think of striking a lady such as she? Masaki certainly didn't seem the type; Goten recalled that he had been petrified that night when they had met him in the alley. He had shook visibly when Trunks had pushed him to the ground and demanded his assistance in their plan.
Now that he thought about it though, it seemed to make sense; it was becoming increasingly common for a weak man such as Masaki to try and assert his power by being violent towards someone physically weaker than he. However, that did not make it right by any means. Goten was against violence of any sort.
Bra turned her gaze from the window to him, and Goten could see the tears glistening in her eyes. He fumbled for something to say.
"How could he…how could anyone?" he stammered. Bra shook her head.
"I should not have said anything. I'm sorry for upsetting you, Goten"
"Upsetting me? That is the last thing that you need to be sorry about, Miss Bra!"
He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms, filled with an urge to hold her, to protect her from harm, from everything. She looked up at him, tears still in her eyes.
"Goten, I have never been held this way before" she said softly. "You truly are a gentleman"
"I am far from a gentleman, my Lady. I am not even a nobleman," Goten told her shakily, mentally slapping himself for being so stupid as to admit that when things were going as they were.
To his amazement, she smiled.
"I don't care who you are, you are a gentleman to me"
He smiled back, and in a move that surprised even himself, he pulled her closer to him and kissed her gently. And he silently swore to protect her from all harm, at all costs.
A/N: Well, that's that chapter done! Hope it didn't seem too clichéd to you! Check back soon for chapter 13, and sorry for being evil and not saying any more about the whole gunshot incident! You'll find out in c13, promise!
Aerith