Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or Trunks or Goten or any of its characters, for that matter.
Mabby: Hewwo! ^-^; Yesh, this chapter was donated and written by meh, but that's not the point, the point is that after I beta-ed Lone's chapter, Emotionless, I was inspired to write a partner fic to support hers.
In a way, it could be looked at as a sequel. *shrugs* But… I don't know. I hope you all enjoyed the first one, and will enjoy this one too, I decided to play with Trunks this time. I really have nothing against Trunks if you get the impression I'm trying to downsize him, I just wanted to look at him in a different perspective, so, if you're offended by this, don't even bother to flame, since I'll just… eat 'em! ….rawr.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I awoke groggily, pushing my annoying alarm clock off the nightstand. It landed with a dull thud on the carpet and-to my relief-promptly shut up.
As I proceeded to pull on my shirt I noticed a new CD on my dresser. I sighed. Bulma had begun to purchase gifts for me on a daily basis to 'chase that distraught look from my face.' They only made me more miserable.
I turned it over in examination. It was 'Three Doors Down: Away from the Sun.'
Only slightly interested, I slipped it into the CD player.
Later, I emerged from the bathroom and went to shut the player down when I froze. This song, track ten, had described me near perfectly.
I was quick to shake my wonder at this discovery and headed downstairs, passing by a picture someone-obviously my mother-had framed and set out the previous night. I recognized it immediately.
It was of Bulma and my father many years before. They were both smiling happily, a rare thing that only exists in pictures now.
Usually it was my father smiling... no... correction, smirking while my mother screamed at him. That is, before he left. A tiny baby was cradled between them. A fringe of purple hair peeked from under his navy hat.
*Don't tell me, what to think, 'cause I don't care, this time*
I narrowed my eyes at it. I wished Bulma would burn all trace of my good-for-nothing father from our life. I had tried to myself but... my mother had erupted into tears.
*Don't tell me what to believe, 'cause you won't be there to catch me when I fall...*
I grasped the top of the frame and slammed it down on the desk, hearing the tinkle of glass from underneath it. I hardly cared. Why frame a picture of so little worth anyway?
*Believe in me when I'm not there right on...*
I found a note on the fridge;
'Trunks,' it read, Took Bura to school. There's cereal in the cupboard. Go to school today. With love, Mom.'
*Miss me when I'm gone, again. Hey yeah...*
I snorted and snagged the cereal, shoving my whole hand into it. Like hell I was going to school.
*I'm going down in flames, I'm falling into this, again. Yeah...*
Munching absentmindedly, I ventured over in search of the remote control and found it directly next to the phone. I reached for the phone instead and dialed the first number that came to mind.
I didn't know why I did it. Perhaps I longed for someone, anyone, to talk to. Or maybe i was just insane. Either one wouldn't surprise me.
The person on the receiving end answered on the first ring, "Yeah?"
It was Goten.
*I'm going down in flames, I'm falling into this, again. Oh no...*
"Hey, it's Trunks."
"Hey." His voice was gruff, emotionless.
"Could you... come over?"
Silence, and then...
"Give me five." He hung up.
I replaced the phone, wondering why I just did that.
*Don't tell me, how life is, 'cause I don't really wanna know*
Five minutes passed in an eye blink, and the doorbell chimed as promised. I strode over and opened the door...and gawked at what was standing there.
"Goten?"
*Don't tell me how this game ends, 'cause we'll just see how it goes*
He nodded and brushed past me, turning around once inside. Hi face was expectant.
"Well?"
My friend had gone Gothic. Sweet, innocent, Goten had gone Gothic.
Surprisingly enough, all I could think about then was why I haven't.
He was clad in all black and numerous tattoos peppered his arms and what I could see of his neck. His hair was again like it was before he had it cut. Piercings were everywhere. I could barely recognize his features because of them.
"I don't know," I admitted.
*Catch me when I fall...*
He regarded me quietly.
"You're not at school."
"Neither are you."
"Why?"
The question took me off guard, "What?"
"Why aren't you at school?"
I frowned. He was beginning to sound like my mother with those words, but his tone was melancholy, distant. I began to regret inviting him.
"There's no point to it."
"Agreed."
Silence.
*Believe in me when I'm not there right on...*
"Where's your father?" Goten asked, his voice suddenly bitter.
"Why?"
"I want to ask him something."
"What?"
"Something."
"Oh, he's not here."
"When will he get back?"
"He won't."
"Why?"
"He hasn't for six years."
"Oh."
Silence again.
*Miss me when I'm gone, again. Hey yeah...*
"He abandoned you," Goten stated.
I shrugged, "I don't care."
His eyes suddenly flashed to my hands and I realized my sleeve had ridden up. I tried to conceal it behind my back but Goten was too fast. He held my hand in front of me, palm up, so my wrist was very visible. My horribly scarred wrist.
"Yes you do."
*I'm going down in flames, I'm falling into this, again. Yeah...*
I wrenched my arm out of his vice-like grip, finding I was speechless beyond that. He was right.
"Can you tell me?"
"You won't understand."
"Humor me."
*I'm going down in flames, I'm falling into this, again. Oh no...*
I studied him, looking for something, anything, to resembled mockery in his stature. I found none.
"He hated your dad for going away to train that blasted Buu reincarnation. He didn't find it fair. He would lock himself up in the GR for days at a time. When he spoke to us it was only yelling or accusations of Bura and I being a disappointment. And then, one day, he left. Good riddance, that's what I said when I found out he was gone for good."
"But you miss him."
I had to close my eyes. Either in shame or because they began to water, I couldn't be sure. Maybe both. "Yes."
*Now... all the way down here I'm falling...*
"I miss my dad too."
My eyes shot open in surprise.
"You..."
"That's probably the reason why I look like I do now. Ha, if my dad saw me now it'd be even the more reason for him to steer clear of our household. Life is stupid."
*All the way...*
He…"My dad would accuse me of being too weak for a saiyan of royal blood and blast me into dozens of little pieces."
My voice wavered. I was only half-joking.
"Probably."
Silence, but this one was comfortable.
"Goten?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"Ditto."
*…all the way down here I'm falling, now*
It was so ironic. The only person who truly understood me was my best friend. It was right in front of me. How could I have not noticed?
*Again…now…I'm falling down. I'm falling down. I'm falling down…*
It reminded me of the saying, 'Ignorance is bliss.'
*I'm going down in flames, I'm falling into this, again*
You know what? It's not.
*Now… all the way down here I'm falling… all the way…. all the way down here I'm falling, now*
I looked up to meet Goten's eyes. They held an _expression now. Caring. The support of a friend. I don't know how I recognized it after so long, but I did.
*Again… now… I'm falling down*
And, to my greater amazement, after six long years, I smiled for the first time.
Mabby: Hewwo! ^-^; Yesh, this chapter was donated and written by meh, but that's not the point, the point is that after I beta-ed Lone's chapter, Emotionless, I was inspired to write a partner fic to support hers.
In a way, it could be looked at as a sequel. *shrugs* But… I don't know. I hope you all enjoyed the first one, and will enjoy this one too, I decided to play with Trunks this time. I really have nothing against Trunks if you get the impression I'm trying to downsize him, I just wanted to look at him in a different perspective, so, if you're offended by this, don't even bother to flame, since I'll just… eat 'em! ….rawr.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I awoke groggily, pushing my annoying alarm clock off the nightstand. It landed with a dull thud on the carpet and-to my relief-promptly shut up.
As I proceeded to pull on my shirt I noticed a new CD on my dresser. I sighed. Bulma had begun to purchase gifts for me on a daily basis to 'chase that distraught look from my face.' They only made me more miserable.
I turned it over in examination. It was 'Three Doors Down: Away from the Sun.'
Only slightly interested, I slipped it into the CD player.
Later, I emerged from the bathroom and went to shut the player down when I froze. This song, track ten, had described me near perfectly.
I was quick to shake my wonder at this discovery and headed downstairs, passing by a picture someone-obviously my mother-had framed and set out the previous night. I recognized it immediately.
It was of Bulma and my father many years before. They were both smiling happily, a rare thing that only exists in pictures now.
Usually it was my father smiling... no... correction, smirking while my mother screamed at him. That is, before he left. A tiny baby was cradled between them. A fringe of purple hair peeked from under his navy hat.
*Don't tell me, what to think, 'cause I don't care, this time*
I narrowed my eyes at it. I wished Bulma would burn all trace of my good-for-nothing father from our life. I had tried to myself but... my mother had erupted into tears.
*Don't tell me what to believe, 'cause you won't be there to catch me when I fall...*
I grasped the top of the frame and slammed it down on the desk, hearing the tinkle of glass from underneath it. I hardly cared. Why frame a picture of so little worth anyway?
*Believe in me when I'm not there right on...*
I found a note on the fridge;
'Trunks,' it read, Took Bura to school. There's cereal in the cupboard. Go to school today. With love, Mom.'
*Miss me when I'm gone, again. Hey yeah...*
I snorted and snagged the cereal, shoving my whole hand into it. Like hell I was going to school.
*I'm going down in flames, I'm falling into this, again. Yeah...*
Munching absentmindedly, I ventured over in search of the remote control and found it directly next to the phone. I reached for the phone instead and dialed the first number that came to mind.
I didn't know why I did it. Perhaps I longed for someone, anyone, to talk to. Or maybe i was just insane. Either one wouldn't surprise me.
The person on the receiving end answered on the first ring, "Yeah?"
It was Goten.
*I'm going down in flames, I'm falling into this, again. Oh no...*
"Hey, it's Trunks."
"Hey." His voice was gruff, emotionless.
"Could you... come over?"
Silence, and then...
"Give me five." He hung up.
I replaced the phone, wondering why I just did that.
*Don't tell me, how life is, 'cause I don't really wanna know*
Five minutes passed in an eye blink, and the doorbell chimed as promised. I strode over and opened the door...and gawked at what was standing there.
"Goten?"
*Don't tell me how this game ends, 'cause we'll just see how it goes*
He nodded and brushed past me, turning around once inside. Hi face was expectant.
"Well?"
My friend had gone Gothic. Sweet, innocent, Goten had gone Gothic.
Surprisingly enough, all I could think about then was why I haven't.
He was clad in all black and numerous tattoos peppered his arms and what I could see of his neck. His hair was again like it was before he had it cut. Piercings were everywhere. I could barely recognize his features because of them.
"I don't know," I admitted.
*Catch me when I fall...*
He regarded me quietly.
"You're not at school."
"Neither are you."
"Why?"
The question took me off guard, "What?"
"Why aren't you at school?"
I frowned. He was beginning to sound like my mother with those words, but his tone was melancholy, distant. I began to regret inviting him.
"There's no point to it."
"Agreed."
Silence.
*Believe in me when I'm not there right on...*
"Where's your father?" Goten asked, his voice suddenly bitter.
"Why?"
"I want to ask him something."
"What?"
"Something."
"Oh, he's not here."
"When will he get back?"
"He won't."
"Why?"
"He hasn't for six years."
"Oh."
Silence again.
*Miss me when I'm gone, again. Hey yeah...*
"He abandoned you," Goten stated.
I shrugged, "I don't care."
His eyes suddenly flashed to my hands and I realized my sleeve had ridden up. I tried to conceal it behind my back but Goten was too fast. He held my hand in front of me, palm up, so my wrist was very visible. My horribly scarred wrist.
"Yes you do."
*I'm going down in flames, I'm falling into this, again. Yeah...*
I wrenched my arm out of his vice-like grip, finding I was speechless beyond that. He was right.
"Can you tell me?"
"You won't understand."
"Humor me."
*I'm going down in flames, I'm falling into this, again. Oh no...*
I studied him, looking for something, anything, to resembled mockery in his stature. I found none.
"He hated your dad for going away to train that blasted Buu reincarnation. He didn't find it fair. He would lock himself up in the GR for days at a time. When he spoke to us it was only yelling or accusations of Bura and I being a disappointment. And then, one day, he left. Good riddance, that's what I said when I found out he was gone for good."
"But you miss him."
I had to close my eyes. Either in shame or because they began to water, I couldn't be sure. Maybe both. "Yes."
*Now... all the way down here I'm falling...*
"I miss my dad too."
My eyes shot open in surprise.
"You..."
"That's probably the reason why I look like I do now. Ha, if my dad saw me now it'd be even the more reason for him to steer clear of our household. Life is stupid."
*All the way...*
He…"My dad would accuse me of being too weak for a saiyan of royal blood and blast me into dozens of little pieces."
My voice wavered. I was only half-joking.
"Probably."
Silence, but this one was comfortable.
"Goten?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"Ditto."
*…all the way down here I'm falling, now*
It was so ironic. The only person who truly understood me was my best friend. It was right in front of me. How could I have not noticed?
*Again…now…I'm falling down. I'm falling down. I'm falling down…*
It reminded me of the saying, 'Ignorance is bliss.'
*I'm going down in flames, I'm falling into this, again*
You know what? It's not.
*Now… all the way down here I'm falling… all the way…. all the way down here I'm falling, now*
I looked up to meet Goten's eyes. They held an _expression now. Caring. The support of a friend. I don't know how I recognized it after so long, but I did.
*Again… now… I'm falling down*
And, to my greater amazement, after six long years, I smiled for the first time.