Only Words
So, who thinks Marron is a useless character? Too many people, that's who. This is a little fic to show how sometimes the most minor person can make a huge difference. It was inspired by the episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer called "The Wish", where Cordelia wishes that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale, and Anyanka grants it. But, of course, there won't be any Vengeance Demons in this fic ^-^
I don't own DBZ or any related characters. The title comes from the song "Words" which is owned by the Bee Gees. And an idea that will come up in later chapters is from Vegeta's Lil' Princess' fic "Frozen Beauty". Thank VLP for letting me use the idea!
1: ConsequencesA single moment – that's all it took. One instant, and one simple movement had caused so much pain, so much anger. As Marron thought back to that moment that had passed several hours ago – had it only been that long; it felt like an eternity – she could not believe how much damage had resulted from her stupid mistake.
The day had started out beautifully: a get-together on Kame-sennin's island. The Briefs were there, all the Sons, Yamcha, Ten-shin-han…everyone, even Piccolo! Marron had been so happy. Her best friend, Goten, was there. And of course, Trunks. Marron and Trunks had been dating for months now. Almost as long as Goten and Bra.
Marron hadn't actually been able to spend too much time with Trunks. Both couples had been trying to set up Pan and Uub, so Bra and Marron were talking with Pan, and Trunks and Goten were interrogating Uub.
At least that had gone well. Within an hour, both Pan and Uub had overcome their shyness, and Uub had even put his arm around his new girlfriend.
Of course, the formation of a new couple required a celebration. Bad idea…very bad idea. Marron had never been one to hold her alcohol, and this occasion had not been an exception. While Trunks had gone to find a bucket or something, and Bra was getting a glass of water, Marron had been left in the capable hands of Goten. Since childhood, the two of them had shared a close friendship, something Marron had never had with Trunks, due to his constant teasing.
"You're such a great guy," Marron had slurred to Goten. "Bra's a lucky girl."
"And Trunks is a lucky guy," Goten had calmly replied. They had often had this conversation. With a smile, he kissed her lightly on the forehead.
There was nothing unusual about what followed next. Goten would kiss Marron's nose, and then her lips ever so lightly, but not intimately. They had always done this for as long as they could remember.
The difference this time was Marron's balance – or severe lack there of. As Goten moved for the final peck, Marron's balance faltered, and she fell forward. This had three consequences. The first was that the kiss lasted slightly longer than it should have. The second was, as Goten caught Marron, his left hand ended up in a not-so-appropriate place on her chest. Similarly, Marron's hand, as she tried to stabilize herself, had landed a little too far up Goten's thigh.
Despite all this, the situation would have been fine – that is, if Trunks and Bra hadn't returned at that precise moment.
Realising how bad the situation must have looked, Goten tried to explain himself, but Bra had seen too much. She screamed a string of profanities – some of which, Marron did not know the meaning of – at both "offenders", and stormed from the room in an hysterical fit.
Trunks' reaction, though less vocal, had been much more hurtful. He had stared at his two closest friends with a look of betrayal. When Marron had tried to explain, he had shaken his head, and uttered a single word.
"Don't."
He then mumbled something about going after Bra, and left.
Marron had never felt so awful. Not only did she feel terrible for hurting two of her friends, she felt worthless too. And that was why she had turned on Goten. She needed someone to blame, and he was there.
The screaming match that followed was not a pleasant one, though screaming matches seldom are.
Goten left, the look on his face similar to that on Trunks'. He had just been verbally abused by the two women he cared most for (aside from his mother, of course).
Pan and Uub had also left in a hurry, when Marron had directed her wrath at them.
And now, Marron was in her room, alone and friendless. She had not told her parents what had happened; she didn't think they would understand. The door was locked, and she refused to open it. As far as Marron was concerned, she did not deserve any sympathy.
"I'm so stupid!" she sobbed into her pillow. "How could I do something so awful to Trunks? To Goten! To Bra! I even screamed at Pan and Uub." Her pillow was soaked through with tears, but she didn't care. "Oh, I wish I had never been born!"
That was Marron's last conscious thought, before she cried herself to sleep.
* * * * * *
Marron woke, half hoping that the previous day had simply been a horrible, horrible dream. She knew that it wasn't, but it almost made her feel better to hope. Almost.
The minute she was completely awake, she realised that something was very wrong. Instead of being surrounded by her pink, girly bedroom, Marron was enclosed in the charred wooden skeleton of what had once been a house.
She glanced around anxiously. The ruins were on an island – though it was before dawn, and visibility was poor, she could hear waves softly breaking on the shore, and smell the salt on the air.
"Where am I?" Marron asked the empty breeze.
"Kame House," a voice came in answer.
Marron spun around, only to come face to face with herself. "Who…? What…? Huh…?"
The other Marron smiled. "Very good questions, I must admit. No doubt, you're wondering who I am, and why I look like you. To answer that, I have simply adopted a form that would be familiar to you and no one else."
"Why wouldn't anyone else think you were me?" Marron inquired.
"Because you don't exist."
"I don't…what!?"
"Last night, at approximately 9.08pm, you wished that you had never been born. So, you are now standing in a world where you don't, never have, and never will exist. Thus, on the rare occasion that someone other than you should see me, they will not experience any recognition."
"But…" It was difficult for Marron to comprehend. How could she not exist? "I didn't mean it literally. At least, I don't think I did."
"You should have thought of that earlier," the Pseudo-Marron stated, bluntly. "You never know who might hear you. Haven't you heard the saying, 'Be careful what you wish for; it might just come true'?"
"Can't I just wish that I had been born?"
"Afraid it doesn't work that way. Now onto your next question, which I assume was 'What happened here?'. Your mother, is the answer."
"My mother!? But that's impossible!"
Pseudo-Marron sighed. "I suppose I should probably explain to you what happened. Let's sit down, we might be a while."
Marron and her clone sat down on some large pieces of driftwood that had washed ashore during a high tide.
"Now, where to begin," Pseudo-Marron pondered. "About ten years ago, your mother – one Juuhachigou – reverted to her old evil ways. Why, you ask? Because you were never born."
"How does that affect anything?" Marron asked.
"Simple. Without your birth, Juuhachigou never realised that she had the ability to create, as well as destroy. Her relationship with your father had kept her stable for a while, but in the long run, it just wasn't enough. She destroyed this place, including its inhabitants, then found Juunanagou. Needless to say, he was please to have his old sister back. Together, the went after Goku – their primary mission in the first place."
"Kaasan killed tousan?"
"And Kame-sennin, and Son Goku, and Son ChiChi…wait, Juunanagou might have killed ChiChi, but you get the idea. You have to understand that without the miracle of motherhood, destruction was all that Juuhachigou knew."
"So what happened after that?" Marron timidly asked.
"Juunanagou and Juuhachigou went on a rampage. They're still on it actually. This world is lucky that it has Vegeta. A man with brains, that one." Pseudo-Marron shook her head. "Without him, there would have been no hope. I mean, obviously, everyone had been taken by surprise when Juuhachi suddenly decided to be evil again. They hadn't even had the chance to get used to the idea before she killed Goku. But Vegeta, he was ready."
"He never trusted my okaasan."
"It turned out to be a good thing here. He grabbed all the remaining Saiya-jin, plus Bulma and Videl, and hid them somewhere safe. Piccolo met up with them too – he only just got out in time, when Juunanagou came up to Kami's Lookout and killed Dende."
"Okaasan knew about the Dragonballs, and she must have told oji-san," Marron sighed, putting the puzzle together. When she thought about it, Juuhachigou would have been the worst enemy the Z-warriors had ever faced. She had once been a friend, so some would hold back. And she knew all of their strengths and weaknesses.
"That's right. I don't think I need to tell you that Piccolo's trust for your mother went out the window after that. He took over the leadership after Vegeta's demise…"
"Okaasan and oji-san killed Vegeta too!?"
"Ah…not exactly…" The Pseudo-Marron stood. "Look, I'd love to stay and chat – tell you more, but there are some others on the way that would be better suited to that job. People that have experienced it first hand. So, I'll see you around." And then, she disappeared.
Marron was left alone again, just as the sun crept above the horizon, wondering who the "others" were.
* * * * * *
There, first chapter done! Please tell me what you think of it.