Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ and I'm not making any money from this.
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A/N: Well, we're getting closer to the end now. Just a few more chapters and then it's finished. I thought I'd focus on it now, because it was the first T/M fic I'd ever written, and it doesn't seem right that it's not finished yet. I mean, I started CCC after this and that's finished. So, like I said, couple more chapters. Don't worry, I'm not gonna rush the ending, but it'll be done soon. Thanks and fuzzy hugs to my reviewers, you know I love you, right?
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Chapter 21: The Cruelty of Fate
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Gohan sighed heavily, kicking up the dust as he made his way through the outskirts of the village towards the docks. He had to think of some way to rescue his two comrades; he wouldn't see them destroyed by the very thing he had been fighting to be rid of.
If only they had taken Raditz's mission more seriously, none of this would have happened. But Trunks, being the fool that he was, had to fall in love with that noble. How could he have been so stupid?
The raven-haired man gritted his teeth, giving the dust on the ground another vicious kick. Women. More trouble than they were worth. All women brought him was pain and suffering. He looked up, seeing that he was nearing the docks, and narrowed his eyes. Enough wandering around, trying to clear his head. It wasn't working at all. Being alone left him with his thoughts, and her voice. And now that Trunks and Goten were imprisoned, he had no one who could talk to him and take his mind off things.
The boy turned around, intending to walk back the way he had come, when suddenly, he heard a pitiful, heartbroken wail. Turning towards the sound, his ebony eyes scanned the area, searching for the owner of the voice. There was no one in sight in the area where he was standing, and so, although it went against his better judgement, he set off in the direction of the cry.
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Krillin stared down at his blonde haired daughter, feeling strangely detached as he watched her sobbing over the lifeless young thief. The boy had put up a good fight, he would give him that much. He was certainly brave, even going as far as to say that he was fighting for Marron's freedom. How disillusioned he was, to think that the girl would want that. How dare he?
Well, it mattered no more. The boy was dead, and now he and his daughter could return to the manor. He walked up to the grief-stricken girl, offering his hand to help her up. Obviously she was upset, having witnessed the death of the scoundrel, death, after all, would upset anyone. He feared that it had put her face to face with her own mortality. Yes, that must be why she was sobbing so.
"Come, my dear, let us return home." He said coaxingly. Marron tore her gaze from her love to fix her father with a look so wretched that his breath caught in his throat.
"You would think I could ever return there now, and with you?" she cried.
"Now, now, child. Do not shout so! Let us leave here, now."
"No! I shall never go back there with you! I cannot bear to look upon you! You have taken what was most precious to me, father, and without him, I am nothing but a woeful husk!"
"Oh, how ungrateful you are, my child!" Krillen retorted angrily. "Your father saves your life and is rewarded with such an outburst? Precious to you? Such a scoundrel is precious to you? For shame, child, for shame! I have a good mind to leave you here, you wretched girl!"
The young woman turned away, trembling with sorrow and anger. "Then do what you will, for you are no father of mine." she answered brokenly. The Lord very nearly threw down his sword in his anger, but calmed himself, and turned on his heel, leaving Marron to sit by her lover's body alone. Surely she would follow him later, and apologise for her words.
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"How could you leave me, love?" Marron whispered softly, reaching her hand out to caress Trunks' face gently. "So beautiful, even in death." she murmured. "But then, I would expect no less. Are you truly gone, Trunks? Am I really never to see a smile grace those perfect features? Never to hear another word uttered from those lips? Nor see a glint of amusement in those wonderful eyes?"
The girl heaved a sob; tears sliding down her face to mix with her lover's blood.
"This is too cruel..."
She clutched the boy close to her, ignoring how his blood soaked her white dress. It didn't matter. Nothing did, now.
"You expect me to carry on my life without being a part of it yourself?" she whispered, raising her head to look at him. "I won't do it."
Her eyes fell on his blade then, and she extended one trembling hand to take it. Moonlight glinted on the steel, and the girl stared at it, eyes filled with tears.
"I'll join you, my love." She whispered, leaning down to place one last kiss on the young thief's lips. Then, sobbing, she raised the blade, closing her eyes and preparing to bid farewell to the world that dealt her such a cruel Fate.
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When Bulma's story was finished, her daughter's eyes were brimming with unshed tears.
"Oh, mother, had I known that you had gone through so much heartbreak..." she said softly.
"That is in the past now, my child." Bulma told her. "Now is not the time to be dwelling on that. Now you should be looking to the future. You are no longer under Masaki's control; you are free to do what you wish. You now have the life I always wished to give to you, Bra. Please, don't throw away this chance Trunks has given you."
"Can I see him?" Bra asked slowly. "I have never spoken to him face to face."
"I shall take you there." Goku spoke up. The aqua haired girl nodded her agreement, and stood to follow the knight.
"You won't find the boy."
Goku and Bra turned to look at Seventeen, who was standing with his sister in the drawing room doorway.
"Whatever are you talking about?" Bra asked.
"He's gone, and Lady Marron with him."
"What? Where?" Goten asked incredulously. Trunks was freed? Could it really be possible that he would escape death for a second time?
"Who knows?" Eighteen replied. "But they should be long gone by now."
"You helped them escape, didn't you, my Lady?" Goten asked. The blonde didn't reply, but simply offered a faint smile to the boy. Before the conversation could progress any further, the sudden creaking of the main entry doors silenced the group.
"Krillin!" Eighteen cried, horrified. The Lord looked terrible, smudged with dust and grime, his forearm still dripping blood from where Trunks had caught it during their battle. In his hand, he still held the bloodstained sword.
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"Don't be so foolish." Gohan snapped, snatching the sword from Marron's grasp, an angry scowl painting his features. The girl stared at him in shock.
"You would destroy what he died for?" he asked. "You would throw away what he has given you so easily?"
"What do you mean?" she wept. "Let me be, please Gohan! He has given me nothing through his death! I cannot stay in a world where he does not exist!"
"You are wrong, Marron. He has given you freedom, strength. He has opened your eyes to the world outside yours. And now you would throw his gift away?"
She only wept more bitterly upon hearing his words, and Gohan narrowed his eyes.
"You expected comfort from me, girl? Go back to your manor, for that, if you wish. All I ask is for you to respect what he has given you, and to use it well. If you kill yourself now, you would simply be degrading him."
The blonde swept her fingers through Trunks' hair.
"We were supposed to leave here together." she said mournfully. "We were going to go wherever the sea took us. He promised me he'd show me so many things, we'd go to so many places I'd never seen before."
Gohan said nothing, his eyes fixed on the thief.
'I knew you'd be the first to go out of the three of us' he thought. 'We always used to joke about it together. We used to say that the women in the brothel would get the best of you one day. I never thought your death would come so soon.'
"You liar, you said we'd leave here together!" Marron cried in anguish. "You liar! You promised me!"
Gohan turned away, averting his eyes from the pitiful girl, trying to ignore how much the loss of his friend stung.
Marron buried her face in the young thief's shoulder, giving into her tears once more.
"You said you'd always stay with me." she wept. "You promised."
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A/N: Well, we're getting closer to the end now. Just a few more chapters and then it's finished. I thought I'd focus on it now, because it was the first T/M fic I'd ever written, and it doesn't seem right that it's not finished yet. I mean, I started CCC after this and that's finished. So, like I said, couple more chapters. Don't worry, I'm not gonna rush the ending, but it'll be done soon. Thanks and fuzzy hugs to my reviewers, you know I love you, right?
~~~~
Chapter 21: The Cruelty of Fate
~~~~
Gohan sighed heavily, kicking up the dust as he made his way through the outskirts of the village towards the docks. He had to think of some way to rescue his two comrades; he wouldn't see them destroyed by the very thing he had been fighting to be rid of.
If only they had taken Raditz's mission more seriously, none of this would have happened. But Trunks, being the fool that he was, had to fall in love with that noble. How could he have been so stupid?
The raven-haired man gritted his teeth, giving the dust on the ground another vicious kick. Women. More trouble than they were worth. All women brought him was pain and suffering. He looked up, seeing that he was nearing the docks, and narrowed his eyes. Enough wandering around, trying to clear his head. It wasn't working at all. Being alone left him with his thoughts, and her voice. And now that Trunks and Goten were imprisoned, he had no one who could talk to him and take his mind off things.
The boy turned around, intending to walk back the way he had come, when suddenly, he heard a pitiful, heartbroken wail. Turning towards the sound, his ebony eyes scanned the area, searching for the owner of the voice. There was no one in sight in the area where he was standing, and so, although it went against his better judgement, he set off in the direction of the cry.
~~~~
Krillin stared down at his blonde haired daughter, feeling strangely detached as he watched her sobbing over the lifeless young thief. The boy had put up a good fight, he would give him that much. He was certainly brave, even going as far as to say that he was fighting for Marron's freedom. How disillusioned he was, to think that the girl would want that. How dare he?
Well, it mattered no more. The boy was dead, and now he and his daughter could return to the manor. He walked up to the grief-stricken girl, offering his hand to help her up. Obviously she was upset, having witnessed the death of the scoundrel, death, after all, would upset anyone. He feared that it had put her face to face with her own mortality. Yes, that must be why she was sobbing so.
"Come, my dear, let us return home." He said coaxingly. Marron tore her gaze from her love to fix her father with a look so wretched that his breath caught in his throat.
"You would think I could ever return there now, and with you?" she cried.
"Now, now, child. Do not shout so! Let us leave here, now."
"No! I shall never go back there with you! I cannot bear to look upon you! You have taken what was most precious to me, father, and without him, I am nothing but a woeful husk!"
"Oh, how ungrateful you are, my child!" Krillen retorted angrily. "Your father saves your life and is rewarded with such an outburst? Precious to you? Such a scoundrel is precious to you? For shame, child, for shame! I have a good mind to leave you here, you wretched girl!"
The young woman turned away, trembling with sorrow and anger. "Then do what you will, for you are no father of mine." she answered brokenly. The Lord very nearly threw down his sword in his anger, but calmed himself, and turned on his heel, leaving Marron to sit by her lover's body alone. Surely she would follow him later, and apologise for her words.
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"How could you leave me, love?" Marron whispered softly, reaching her hand out to caress Trunks' face gently. "So beautiful, even in death." she murmured. "But then, I would expect no less. Are you truly gone, Trunks? Am I really never to see a smile grace those perfect features? Never to hear another word uttered from those lips? Nor see a glint of amusement in those wonderful eyes?"
The girl heaved a sob; tears sliding down her face to mix with her lover's blood.
"This is too cruel..."
She clutched the boy close to her, ignoring how his blood soaked her white dress. It didn't matter. Nothing did, now.
"You expect me to carry on my life without being a part of it yourself?" she whispered, raising her head to look at him. "I won't do it."
Her eyes fell on his blade then, and she extended one trembling hand to take it. Moonlight glinted on the steel, and the girl stared at it, eyes filled with tears.
"I'll join you, my love." She whispered, leaning down to place one last kiss on the young thief's lips. Then, sobbing, she raised the blade, closing her eyes and preparing to bid farewell to the world that dealt her such a cruel Fate.
~~~~
When Bulma's story was finished, her daughter's eyes were brimming with unshed tears.
"Oh, mother, had I known that you had gone through so much heartbreak..." she said softly.
"That is in the past now, my child." Bulma told her. "Now is not the time to be dwelling on that. Now you should be looking to the future. You are no longer under Masaki's control; you are free to do what you wish. You now have the life I always wished to give to you, Bra. Please, don't throw away this chance Trunks has given you."
"Can I see him?" Bra asked slowly. "I have never spoken to him face to face."
"I shall take you there." Goku spoke up. The aqua haired girl nodded her agreement, and stood to follow the knight.
"You won't find the boy."
Goku and Bra turned to look at Seventeen, who was standing with his sister in the drawing room doorway.
"Whatever are you talking about?" Bra asked.
"He's gone, and Lady Marron with him."
"What? Where?" Goten asked incredulously. Trunks was freed? Could it really be possible that he would escape death for a second time?
"Who knows?" Eighteen replied. "But they should be long gone by now."
"You helped them escape, didn't you, my Lady?" Goten asked. The blonde didn't reply, but simply offered a faint smile to the boy. Before the conversation could progress any further, the sudden creaking of the main entry doors silenced the group.
"Krillin!" Eighteen cried, horrified. The Lord looked terrible, smudged with dust and grime, his forearm still dripping blood from where Trunks had caught it during their battle. In his hand, he still held the bloodstained sword.
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"Don't be so foolish." Gohan snapped, snatching the sword from Marron's grasp, an angry scowl painting his features. The girl stared at him in shock.
"You would destroy what he died for?" he asked. "You would throw away what he has given you so easily?"
"What do you mean?" she wept. "Let me be, please Gohan! He has given me nothing through his death! I cannot stay in a world where he does not exist!"
"You are wrong, Marron. He has given you freedom, strength. He has opened your eyes to the world outside yours. And now you would throw his gift away?"
She only wept more bitterly upon hearing his words, and Gohan narrowed his eyes.
"You expected comfort from me, girl? Go back to your manor, for that, if you wish. All I ask is for you to respect what he has given you, and to use it well. If you kill yourself now, you would simply be degrading him."
The blonde swept her fingers through Trunks' hair.
"We were supposed to leave here together." she said mournfully. "We were going to go wherever the sea took us. He promised me he'd show me so many things, we'd go to so many places I'd never seen before."
Gohan said nothing, his eyes fixed on the thief.
'I knew you'd be the first to go out of the three of us' he thought. 'We always used to joke about it together. We used to say that the women in the brothel would get the best of you one day. I never thought your death would come so soon.'
"You liar, you said we'd leave here together!" Marron cried in anguish. "You liar! You promised me!"
Gohan turned away, averting his eyes from the pitiful girl, trying to ignore how much the loss of his friend stung.
Marron buried her face in the young thief's shoulder, giving into her tears once more.
"You said you'd always stay with me." she wept. "You promised."