Chronicles of Fate

Chapter Four - The Aftermath

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update. Well here's chapter four. Mmm..I'm not sure yet whom I'll couple Goten with. I like G/B pairing, but Goten and Paris are cute with each other too, so I donno yet. Well, there is a reason why Trunks is acting like that towards Marron, Litesea. You'll see soon.

Disclaimer: None of the Dragonball characters are mine. This story is.

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Dust, ash, blood...

The world is a dark place sometimes.

She sighed and walked around the deserted village. It wasn't a happy sight. She stared at the dead corpses in silence. No one deserved such an ending, she thought bitterly. The least she could do was offer them a burial so at least they could rest in peace. She set herself to work under the dark clouds.

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Goten followed Trunks silently. He knew he didn't want to talk. At times like these it was better to let him be. Trunks was capable of exploding into rages, which scared even his best friend at times. And right now he looked as if he might explode at any second. He was in a black mood. Especially whenever he met people like Marron... Goten paused and stared at Trunks' back. Will he ever get over it? Bitter memories and feelings didn't solve anything. But Goten didn't dare to tell Trunks anything, because he was not keen on making him sulkier than he was right now. No need to make him feel worse and maybe he'll get over it someday. He hurried after his friend's retreating back. And, after all a reward awaited them in Fern.

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The sun was setting gently in the horizon like a huge ball of fire behind the clouds which were now dull pink. It didn't seem as if it was going to rain now. Marron rested her back against a shed's wall, or what remained of it. Her horse was close in a field busy munching on the grass. She was exhausted, tired, dirty, hungry and disappointed. She had buried most of the people in the village, yet she felt a twinging pain in her stomach whenever she remembered of Trunks. Or rather his bitter heart. He seemed to dislike her with a passion; he didn't even want to speak to her if he could've helped it. There must have been a reason for it. Really... she yawned. The floor was uncomfortably hard, but anything would have done well for her at that moment. In another second she was fast asleep.

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A day dies when the sun sets in the sky....

Another day is reborn when the sun rises again at dawn.

Just like the Legendary Phoenix. It is immortal.

The sky was simply beautiful. It was blended with light blue, red and the cottony clouds. The sun raised slowly, its rays gently seeping on Marron's sleeping form. Not for long. Marron felt her cheek wet and opened one eye lazily, while mumbling under her breath. Her horse, Dapple was licking and nuzzling her cheek to wake her up. It worked. She stretched her arms and stood on her feet. She felt much better now. When you are tired you feel depressed much easier. She looked at the rising sun and at the now azure sky. She smiled while she patted Dapple's silky head gently. A new day was dawning. New hope was rising for a better world. Well, it was better if she headed for the closest village. She was famished and needed to get clean.

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Trunks grinned as he walked down the road. He felt much more good-tempered now. He had earned a good price for the demon's head and had enough money for him and Goten to keep going for a while and enjoy life for a while without having to fight monsters. He pushed the door of the inn open, climbed up the stairs to his room. He lied down on his bed, feeling at peace with the world. Goten was nowhere to be seen. Probably he was with some girl, as usual. Trunks snickered. Goten was a typical ladies man who fell for every girl he met. It was rather annoying at times especially if a girl tagged along with them for a while. Goten was an easy person to like. He was always friendly to anyone. Trunks stared silently at the ceiling. Yeah, maybe that's why him and Goten were such good friends.

The door was pushed suddenly wide open. Goten appeared grinning widely accompanied by a brunette, with large brown eyes and a pretty smile. She looked naive and lost. Somehow she reminded him of Goten.

Trunks smirked. "Typical..." he muttered under his breath watching the couple.

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