The next morning, Goten found himself asleep on a large rock near where he landed to do some thinking the night before. He always came here when he was upset, and he and Trunks had come here many a time during their childhood to get away from their parents… TRUNKS! He'll know what to do, he bonded, and he's Bra's brother, maybe he'll know something.
Goten pulled out his mobile, hoping that he had good enough reception out here, and that he had enough credit, and to his relief, he had both. He quickly speed-dialled Trunks' mobile.
"Hello" Trunks answered.
"Trunks, it's me, I need to talk to you. Now."
"Hold on buddy. So talk."
"No, not on the phone, people might hear."
Now Trunks was worried, something must be wrong. "Ok, where are you?"
"At the large flat rock where we used to hang out. Please hurry."
"Right, be there soon. Hang on. Cya." Trunks didn't know what was going on, but he was going to find out.
* * * * *
Trunks found Goten by the lake near the Son home. Goten had not explained what was going on; only told Trunks to meet him at one of their favourite childhood places. When Trunks saw the look on Goten's face, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what was going on. Goten looked miserable, and somewhat confused.
"What's the matter?" Trunks demanded. He and Goten had been friends for too long to bother with pleasantries like comfort.
"We didn't bond," Goten replied with a sigh.
"And? Bonding doesn't just happen, you know."
"You don't understand! The moment was there. I…we…" Goten knew he had to tell Trunks, no matter what the consequence. "…we slept together. I felt it. We were just about to bond!…and then nothing. I felt like a door had been slammed in my face. And she just said something like, 'That was really good Goten', and went to sleep!"
Trunks pushed aside his disturbance about Bra and Goten having sex, and thought about the rest of what Goten had said. He and Pan had not bonded after their first time, but he remembered the moment when they had. What Goten was describing sounded exactly how Trunks remembered the moments before he bonded with Pan. But something seemed to have gone wrong with Goten and Bra. Bra had shut Goten out. Rejected him. Trunks knew it would break Goten's heart if he heard that.
"Trunks, what went wrong?" Goten looked up at his best friend with desperate, pleading eyes.
Trunks sighed heavily. "You sure you wanna hear?"
Goten nodded.
"Okay…I'm gonna be blunt, but…well it seems to me like Bra shut you out. She didn't want to bond with you."
The look on Goten's face chilled Trunks to his very core. "Why?"
Trunks sighed again. He hoped Goten would believe his theory. Trunks, himself, had great faith in it…but, of course, there was the chance that Bra was simply a slut who hated the thought of attachment. Trunks was pretty sure he sister wasn't like that, and he hoped that Goten had not even considered that option.
"Goten, you know Bra as well as anyone, if not better. She probably isn't ready to bond yet. She doesn't want to be tied down just now – she needs her freedom." Trunks put a hand on Goten's shoulder, and spoke words that he prayed were true. "Bra is willing to spend the rest of her life with you, Goten. The problem is, she's not ready for the rest of her life."
Goten looked up at Trunks, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. He smiled, ever so slightly. "I guess there's only one thing I can do."
Trunks nodded. "'If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, then it is yours. If it doesn't, it never has been and never will be', or something like that. You guys need some time apart. Who knows – maybe it'll help you bond."
"Alright then." Goten sighed. "Kami, help me."
* * * * *
Goten thought about his conversation with Trunks for the rest of the day. Deep in his heart, he knew that Trunks was right. He knew that breaking up with Bra would be the best thing for both of them. But, would he be able to do it? Goten loved Bra with all of his heart, and it would not be easy to let her go.
Finally he came to a decision. He didn't like it, but it was the right thing to do. He called Bra, and invited her out the next day. Goten noticed that Bra did not seem completely enthusiastic. In fact, from the tone of her voice, she sounded somewhat frightened. Does she know what I'm going to say?
* * * * *
Bra hung up the phone after speaking to Goten. He had sounded serious, like he had something important to say the next day when they met up.
Though she loved Goten, Bra hated the way she felt trapped by being with him. After they had had sex, she was sure that she had felt him inside her head. That had frightened her, so she had shut him out. Bra knew that Goten was ready to bond with her, but she certainly wasn't ready. She hadn't decided whether Goten was the man she wanted to be with forever. Sure they loved each other, but marriage and bonding, in Bra's mind, required more than that. Commitment and dedication were also needed.
Bra needed time to think. And she could only think of one way to get that time. She just hoped Goten would not be too hurt.
