Sweet darling you worry too much, my child

See the sadness in your eyes

You are not alone in life

Although you might think that you are

~ Within Temptation, 'Our Farewell'

Chapter Ten: Summer Evening

There was a party going at Capsule Corporation. It was even audible out here, on the other side of the immense compound. Trunks did not feel very much like partying, so he had excused himself as quickly as he could and was spending the rest of the summer evening meditating. He was sitting with his back against the smooth wall, his legs in the lotus position, mind completely empty. Tendrils of thought sometimes trailed over the edges of his mind, but they never quite connected. Trunks loved this kind of meditation; the distant feeling of other thoughts of the rest of the world, the soft sensation of the breeze against his skin. Goku had wanted everyone to enjoy life as much as possible in this last year before the Silver Terror would come, but Trunks could not quite bring himself to immerse himself in fake cheeriness. He kept feeling the anticipation and the fear right below that cheery surface; it felt like hypocrisy to act that way.

"Why are you still training so hard?"

Even though he had known she was there, her voice still startled him. He was not sure whether she had just pulled him out of his concentration, or that it was because he recognized her voice. For one moment he remained in his meditation state, his eyes closed and his body relaxed, and then he braced himself. Turning around to face her was probably one of the hardest things he ever had to do. He had deliberately avoided him all those weeks since they had returned from space, and today she had finally found him.

I suppose I should have known that she'd seek me out, he thought with vague feelings of regret. It was about time.

Besides the fake cheeriness, he had not wanted to attend the party because she would be there. So much for that stealth technique; he should have left the vicinity of the building altogether. It had been a stupid move to stay here. Maybe he even partly wanted to see her somewhere deep down inside, he mused. Oh well, speculation did not matter anymore, he was looking at her right now.

"Hi Marron," he responded with a neutral voice that surprised him. "It's been a while. How have you been?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "Okay I guess. I missed everyone terribly. How did your training in space go?"

"We made some progress."

"That's nice," she smiled. Some late sunrays caught her hair and made it shine like molten gold. It made his throat tighten. The time that had passed since that fateful day had chafed the rough edges of the painful memories, but Marron had matured in the time he had spent in space. She was only a year younger than the girl he had kissed, and where he had been able to dismiss her as a young child time last time he saw her, it was a lot harder this time.

"Won't you come with me to the party?" she asked.

"I'd rather not," he avoided that dark blue gaze, desperately trying to keep his mind blank. He would not give in to the pain, not this time. If only his memory wasn't so damn visual, if only he could banish those images…

"Why not?"

Of course she would ask that. He grinded his teeth and tried to think of an answer, but she answered the question all by herself. "Is it because of me?"

She caught him totally by surprise.

"I see I'm right…" she said softly, her blue eyes darkening with something that resembled sadness. "I'm sorry that my presence hurts you."

"Don't be," he said quickly. "It's a sweet pain."

She looked up at him in confusion, as he rose from the lush grass and came to stand with her in the sunlight. "Sweet?"

"It's wonderful to see you whole and alive," he whispered, damning himself with every word he spoke. "And I have missed you."

She seemed to be hesitating. Eager, too. She was obviously unsure what to do, but did not avert her eyes. She kept her gaze on him while she searched for words. "Did we…?"

He took her in his arms and embraced her tightly. "Yes, we did. I loved you. I still do."

Krillin had walked up to him and Goten and had asked if they had seen his daughter. "She's probably inside," Goten had answered, unwilling to leave the plate with delicious snacks. He was nibbling on a block of cheese, and did not even look up to the ex-monk, already contemplating what snack to consume next.

"Do you know where she is, Trunks?" Krillin had asked.

"I don't know," he had admitted. "I'll look for her."

"Thanks!"

And so Trunks had scurried off to search for his blond girlfriend. After he had searched through the whole gardens, he was about to give up and search inside, when he found her. She was in the last place he expected her to be… in his older counterpart's arms, whispering that she loved him. *Future* Trunks' arms.

Vision blurred by unexpected tears, he turned tail and fled. It seemed to him as if the crashing down of his whole world was thundering in his ears.

Marron hugged him tightly. He was so full of sadness, she did not know how to deal with it. She loved him, yes, she had always adored him. Or rather, his younger counterpart had been her idol – she had spent her whole life worshipping the ground he walked on. It hurt her to see him on pain, whatever future he was coming from.

It was just hard to decide what she would do with this sudden revelation; the girl that he loved was dead. She was basically the same person; yet different. And could she transfer her total crush on Trunks so easily to his future counterpart? Should she? He needed it so terribly, but she already knew that it would probably never be enough.

"I love you too," she whispered sadly in the silence of their shared embrace. "I'm just really confused what I should do with it, because you and the boy I grew up with are not the same. I don't know what to say… you have my love, as a friend at least. I don't know about the rest. You're a beautiful person, really, but I fell in love with someone else… I need some time to figure this out." She pried herself loose from his arms and looked at his flawless face, and his fathomless deep eyes, crystal-clear like a winter sky. There was so much pain under the surface, she could almost see it. And he looked so sad. She'd like to kiss him to make him happy, but that would make matters only worse, she feared. So instead she pecked him on the cheek, as a friend.

"I wouldn't want to force you to anything," Future Trunks said softly.

"I know," she smiled. "I'm going back to the party. Will you come with me?"

He nodded, and took her arm. Somehow Marron felt as if she had won a battle, although she could not say what the fight had been about. It just felt good.

It wasn't until the end of the party that Marron realized that neither Trunks nor Goten were anywhere to be found among the party people.

"Are you alright?"

Trunks was sitting with his back to him, legs dangling over the edge of the cliff. Even from behind he looked defeated; his shoulders were slumped and his head was lowered. Goten just had the hardest time retrieving his friend. Because Trunks had repressed his ki, he had to visit all of Trunks' favorite places to find him. The sun had set by now, and the sky was coloring the same tint of lavender as Trunks' hair.

"I guess so," Trunks answered finally.

Goten sat down next to him and took in the marvelous view of the city below. "What's wrong?"

His friend shrugged. "I think she's in love with future Trunks. I saw them together."

For a moment, Goten contemplated a mental touch, but decided against it. It would probably be an intrusion on a moment like this, even when it was meant to be supporting.

There were a lot of other things he could do, but in the end he just settled down for his arm around his friend's shoulders and a companionable, understanding silence.

They sat there for a long time that summer evening.

A/N: And suddenly there was an update! I know, it scares me too! ^_^

Sorry this is a short one; the chapter just needed to end at this point. There is more, but there was just this scene in my head and this image I wanted to sketch.

Next to come: the last months before the new attack. I suspect there'll be four more chapters before the end of this story – and those will be longer than this one. (I can't believe that I'm reaching the ending!) I also promise that they'll be here faster than this chapter.

Cheers, Lanfir Leah