By: Saiyan Serpent
Disclaimer: I do not own db, dbz, dbgt, or any of the characters associated with them.
Last Time:
Trunks stopped by his mother's room to check on her. He slowly opened the door and saw she was still sleeping comfortably in her bed. He smiled to himself as he quietly closed the door. He would let her sleep. There was no need to wake her this morning.
Chapter Eight: Breakfast is Served
'Looks like I'm making breakfast for two this morning,' he thought while heading downstairs. He grinned imagining the look on his mother's face when he served her breakfast in bed. It was something he used to do as a child, although she never seemed too eager to eat the meals he had prepared back then.
Trunks chuckled as he recalled the infamous breakfasts he served his mother in bed. She had always obliged and tasted the food. She would smile warmly telling him it was very good, but she always offered to fix him his favorite food afterwards. He often wondered how she could still be hungry after the big meal that he always prepared for her. 'I wouldn't have eaten that stuff if it was the last source of food on the planet,' he mused to himself.
Though he wasn't the greatest cook in the world, Trunks knew he could cook better now. Another chuckle escaped his lips as he remembered things he used to cook up not knowing that it was in fact an inedible substance. His mother usually did the cooking, but she had made sure he picked up the basics through the years.
Trunks rummaged through the refrigerator and the cabinets as he looked for things to cook. He was really looking forward to seeing the expression on his mother's face after this.
As the sun made its way into the morning sky, a figure stirred beneath a large tree. The warmth radiating from the bright rays were slowly stirring the world from the long night of slumber. A light breeze swept through the air, gently caressing the leaves on the tree. The sound was soothing and the figure began to grow still once again.
The sun continued its task of waking the slumbering world. Birds began to chirp their morning song as small animals crept from their beds. The figure rolled over to one side, slowly opening her eyes. The blurred vision revealed an image of a deer grazing on the hillside near her bed of grass.
The stream churned softly, bubbling water over the scattered rocks in its path. She watched as the deer wandered to the edge of the stream, taking a long drink from its chilled waters. The deer seemed oblivious to her presence as it continued to lap at the cool liquid.
She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position and stretched her upper body. A yawn escaped her mouth as she dispelled the lingering effects of sleep. The deer's head shot up instinctively at the noise, poised for danger, ready to flee.
The girl smiled at its startled behavior. She pushed herself off the ground and stretched again. Catching sight of the girl's movement, the deer froze. It was either too scared to move or was trying not to attract attention to its presence.
The girl giggled as she continued to watch the deer. The deer watched her as well, waiting for any indication of hostility. She took a few steps toward the stream and watched as the deer darted off into the depths of the forest.
The girl giggled again at its retreating form as she kneeled down beside the stream. She dipped her hands in the stream and cupped them to allow the water to gather there. Bringing up the cool liquid to her lips, she drank in its pure essence. She repeated the process a few more times before standing back up.
She brushed off her pants and shirt before taking to the air. 'Man,' she thought 'Jasper's gonna kill me.' She knew he would be upset with her but there was not much she could do about it.
She sighed as the cool morning air whipped her long hair back and forth behind her. She hadn't meant to fall asleep in the meadow, though she loved sleeping under the stars at night. Sometimes she just had to get away from everything so she could clear her mind.
It wasn't easy hiding her strength and mysterious abilities but Jasper was quite adamant on the subject. He always told her she had to be careful with her powers because there was no telling what people would do if they found out. The androids had left a bad taste in everyone's mouth and they still feared more would come.
Her abilities made her a target, simple as that. She remembered her mother telling her that as a child. They had to hide from the androids for many years. She sighed as memories of her childhood flashed before her eyes. Things had been so empty after her father had left and she wondered how her mother had managed to care for her in such dark times.
She pushed the thoughts aside as a massive maze of buildings appeared in the distance.
Most of the buildings were intact but the city showed many scars from the time they had spent abused at the androids' merciless hands. It had been a while since the androids had vanished but life was slow to recover from the assault. Many people still feared their return and that had not made rebuilding an easy process.
She touched down a little ways from the tattered building that was home. Making sure no one was around, she levitated up towards her bedroom window. She stopped just outside the window as she carefully lifted it up. She paused when the window squeaked hoping that no one had heard her.
She waited a few seconds before opening the window the rest of the way. She slid her leg over the edge of the windowsill while her arm held onto the rusty window. After climbing inside, she looked around the room to make sure no one was there. She sighed with relief when her search revealed an empty room.
She turned around and closed the window. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a familiar voice filled the room. "Where have you been?" asked the voice. She cringed at the sound of the voice. Facing the window, she dared not move an inch. She held her breath and her muscles tensed as if awaiting any sudden attack. 'Damn it, I should have known better!'
As she stood there silently berating herself, the voice repeated the question. "Where have you been?" The voice was louder and more insistent this time. She let out a deep sigh as she dropped her shoulders in defeat. 'Busted. He is so gonna kill me.'
She turned around to see Jasper sitting in a chair, which occupied a dark corner of the room. Jasper sat there with his arms crossed against his chest and his legs crossed at the ankles. If she didn't know any better she might have thought he was some sort of statue the way he sat there in the shadows. She could not quite make out his face, but she knew the expression it held was not a happy one.
He leaned forward slightly and the light danced along the scowl that had formed on his face. The sunlight reflected the concern in his eyes as the green orbs penetrated her small form. She could see the anger flicker dangerously in those dark green pools. Jasper did not look happy, not one bit.
She looked at the ground as her cheeks began to burn with guilt. She hated getting him so worked up like this but she couldn't help it. Stuff like this just seemed to set him off all the time. She didn't remember him being so strict before but lately his concern seemed to be suffocating her.
A few more moments of silence passed before another word was spoken. Jasper remained seated firmly in the chair with his arms crossed as he waited for a response. "So, are you gonna tell me where you've been or are you just gonna stand there all day staring at the floor?"
She looked up from the interesting spot on the floor and stared at his angry face. Her features twisted to match his as she spoke. "I was out" she spat.
"Obviously," he retorted.
"Look, I just had to get away last night."
"So, why did you not come back until this morning?" he asked.
"I fell asleep."
"What were you thinking?" he seethed. "He could have seen you!"
"Look Jaz, just chill out alright. He didn't see me. I'm fine." She motioned towards her body sarcastically showing him she was not hurt.
He pushed himself out of the chair and walked over to her, stopping a few feet in front of her. "Oh, so that makes everything alright does it?"
"What's the problem? He didn't see me okay. There is nothing wrong with me. I'm fine, end of story." She crossed her arms the way he had been doing moments before.
"Nothing's wrong with you! I'll tell you what's wrong with you! Sneaking off to Kami knows where in the middle of the night and flying back home in broad daylight for the whole world to see!" He was not going to let her off so easy this time. She was getting more irresponsible everyday and if she wasn't careful, it was going to catch up with her.
"Damn it Jasper, I'm 16! I can make my own decisions now!" she shot back at him.
"Yes Pan, you may be 16, but you are still a child. You have no idea what could be out there waiting for you, yet you go off recklessly putting yourself and others in dangerous situations. You don't even care anymore!"
"And why should I? It's not like anyone could hurt me" she gritted out between clenched teeth.
"You know what, never mind. You're not going to listen to a damn thing I say anyway! I might as well be talking to the wall!" He turned away from her and stalked towards the door. He spoke to her again as he headed to the door, not even turning back around to look at her as he talked.
"One day, you'll see what I'm talking about. Your carelessness not only puts you in harms way, but others as well. I'm afraid you're going to have to learn that the hard way. Nothing I say seems to sink through that thick skull of yours anymore."
She snorted her disdain for him choosing to remain silent.
He placed his hand on the doorknob as he spoke again. "Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes, if you're hungry that is." He turned around as he opened the door and watched as she turned her nose up and looked away. Shaking his head, Jasper exited the room and closed the door behind him.
He walked downstairs to see Rena cooking the morning feast. His stressful thoughts disappeared at the sight of her small form hovering over the hot stove. Jasper walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "So, what are you cooking up this morning?" he asked as he gently nibbled her ear.
"Well, I'm going to be burning everything if you keep that up." she giggled. "Come on stop that!" She tried to wiggle out of his grasp rather unsuccessfully. "Jaz, please!" she pleaded. "You don't want the guys walking in on us, do you?"
He didn't answer her but continued to kiss on her neck as she stood in front of the hot stove. He smiled when he heard a few moans escape her lips.
Rena knew he wasn't going to stop anytime soon and at this rate, they would end up on the kitchen table before it was over with. She decided to change the mood by bringing up the object of debate as of late. "So, is Pan back yet?" she asked. She heard Jasper groan against her shoulder as he stopped what he was doing.
"Yeah, she's back alright" he said as he gently pushed away from his beloved. He moved over to the table, where he leaned against it solemnly. He crossed his arms again while a scowl settled back on his face.
"That bad huh?" asked Rena.
"You have no idea," he replied.
Rena tried not to giggle at the look on his face. She knew that subject would change the mood. She shook her head as she turned away from him and continued to prepare breakfast.
"So, did you talk to her?"
"Talk to her, you've got to be kidding me. You know as well as I do that it's always a one-sided conversation with her. I don't understand what is going on with her these days. She used to listen so well, but now…" He didn't finish his thoughts as his head dropped in defeat.
"Honey, she's a teenager. What did you expect? She's going through a tough time right now. She knows she's different but she doesn't understand why. Everyone she's ever cared about has abandoned her in some way. She doesn't really have anyone she can identify with anymore."
Rena piled the cooked food onto plates and turned off the stove. She walked over to the table setting down the multiple dishes of food. She stopped by Jasper and reached out to lift his chin. "Honey, you've got to give her time. You know what she's going through, plus she has the added responsibility of her gifts. It can't be easy for her, you know that." She planted a small kiss on his lips before returning to the kitchen counter to get the rest of the food.
Jasper looked at his wife in disbelief as she continued to prepare their breakfast. How could he have been lucky enough to find her in this crazy world? She was beautiful, caring, and understanding. What more could a man ask for?
He watched as she walked away from him her hips swaying ever so slightly with each step. Her crimson hair pulled up neatly on top of her head for cooking with a few strands escaping the grasp of the hair clip. The apron she wore wrapped around her stomach as it hugged the curves of her body.
He shivered at the sight of her. In his mind, she was perfect. Everything there was to love about a woman existed inside her feminine body. It wasn't just her looks, no it was much more than that. She had a fiery spirit to match the color of her flowing hair. He was surprised to see that it existed in spite of all they had been through during the dark times. She was wise beyond her years with understanding and patience to spare.
Yes, she was everything he could ever want and more. Still, something was missing. It would always be an empty place in his heart and he knew there was nothing he could do to fill that hollow void. His gaze followed her form as she returned to the table to place more food on the wooden structure.
He interrupted the serene silence with an innocent albeit disturbing question. "Do you ever think about what our kids would have been like?" He hated to ask, but he wanted to know her thoughts on the matter.
The question caught Rena off guard as she returned to the table almost dropping the dishes she was carrying. She set them down on the table before replying. "Of course I do. What makes you ask?" She walked back over to where he stood leaning against the edge of the table and stood in front of him with her hands on his shoulders.
Jasper pulled her to him and kissed her cheek before pulling back a bit. "I don't know. I guess everything going on with Pan just makes me wonder that's all." He gazed into her beautiful blue eyes as he pushed a stray piece of hair from her face.
Rena tucked the piece of hair behind her ear as she looked at Jasper. She could tell something was bothering him, she just wasn't sure what it was. "I think about it sometimes but you know as well as I do that we can never have children. I try not to think about so much. I have you and that's all that matters anymore." Rena watched as a look of remorse crossed his eyes at the mention of their problem. It pained her to see him reflecting on such things.
Jasper softly stroked her cheek as they stood there silently for a few moments. "It's probably for the best. I don't think I would have made a very good father," he said looking away from her.
Rena pulled his face back to hers, as she looked deep into his green eyes. Her eyebrows knitted together as she looked at him. "And what makes you think that?"
Jasper let out a defeated sigh as he replied. "Look at how I've messed things up with Pan. I think she would have been better off with someone else."
"Sweetie, there was no one else. You took her in when she had no place to call home, no family to claim her as their own. If it weren't for you, she would have died in that rat-infested hell hole."
"I know I've given her a roof to live under and food to eat but what have I done for her? Come on Rena, we don't exactly live under the best of circumstances. If we had children, I wouldn't want them to live the way we do, not in a million years. All I've done is allow my way of living to corrupt her." Rena looked at him curiously as he continued his speech.
"She was always such a good kid and I've screwed it up. Look at me, I've screwed up her whole life. She is so special and she doesn't even know it. She's out of control and I'm afraid something's going to happen to her. Rena, I would never be able to live with myself if that happened. It would kill me."
Rena brought her hands up to cup his face gently. "Shh…don't talk like that. Come on you, no reason to get all worked up over it. It's just a phase. You've done the best anyone could do under the circumstances. We might not live like saints but we do what we have to in order to survive. There's no reason to be ashamed of that."
She kissed him on the lips again. "Now, what do you say we eat? There's no reason to let all this good cooking go to waste."
He smiled warmly at her and pulled her into a passionate kiss. They broke away a few minutes later breathing heavily. "I knew there was a reason I loved you so much."
She smacked him lightly on the shoulder before yelling out for the rest of their small family. "Guys, come and get it! Breakfast is waiting!"
In about thirty seconds, three sleepy males and one wide-eyed girl plopped down at the large table. Not waiting for anyone, the four began to devour the feast. Rena shook her head chuckling softly as she took her seat next to Jasper. She looked over at him as he gazed at the youths before him. He held such love in those eyes, love for his adopted family. She never had any doubts about his parental abilities. She knew he would make a great father. In fact, he already did, though she knew he would never see it that way.
Rena sighed absently and Jasper's eyes turned from the famished youths to focus on her. He looked at her curiously and then smiled warmly. Rena felt her heart melt at the sight. She loved it when he smiled at her like that. He could always chase away her troubles and fears with such a simple gesture and it amazed her even to this day. She realized she must have been staring when she saw him wiggle his eyebrows suggestively. She narrowed her eyes at him playfully before giving his hand a light squeeze. She then turned her attention back to the meal in front of her and Jasper did the same. 'Life couldn't get much better than this,' she thought as she began to eat the cooling food.
Seth, Caleb, and Darien tried to down as much of the food as possible before Pan ate it all. Caleb eyed the young girl carefully as he ate. He knew about her little excursion the previous night but decided against interfering in the matter. Though he worried about her, he knew she would never listen to him. She seemed to be getting more careless everyday. He couldn't help but wonder why Jasper had put up with her antics for so long. She had proved on more than one occasion that she could hold her own in a fight. In fact, she was a force to be reckoned with but her rash decisions had resulted in too many close calls in his opinion. She was like the sister he never had, an annoying bratty little sister, but a sister all the same. He broke his gaze as soon as she shot him a cold glare. He was not in the mood for one of their bickering matches right now. Instead, he focused on devouring the delicious food before it all disappeared.
Trunks finished the remaining food on his plate as he looked over at the clock on the wall. He was listening intently for any movement upstairs in the direction of his mother's bedroom. He let out another sigh of relief when he realized she must still be sleeping. 'Man, she really has been overdoing it lately. Maybe I should keep a closer eye on her.'
Trunks eyed the small dish of food on the stove as he took his last bite. He really wanted to make this morning special for his mother and he couldn't do it if everything wasn't a surprise.
He grabbed the warm plate of food from the stove and placed it on a tray along with some utensils, a napkin, and a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. He smirked at the sight of the juice on the tray. He knew just how much she loved her juice and how she had made several devices in the past to try, and squeeze the juice for her. They never worked like she wanted them to and she had been delightfully surprised one day when she tasted his glass of juice by accident.
She went on and on about how it was the best thing she had ever tasted and asked him where he got the juice. He remembered shrugging telling her that he had squeezed it himself because the stupid machines were broken again. Well, you can quite imagine the fit she threw obsessing about how her ten- year old son could do something her brilliant creations could not.
Trunks also remembered correcting her rather innocently at the time. She had looked at him with the most puzzled expression he had ever seen when he told her that she had made him too. She then proceeded to squeel delightfully as she rushed over to his side of the table smothering him in hugs and kisses. At the time, Trunks could only think about how weird his mother was acting. It wasn't until many years later that he understood why his mother had reacted the way she did.
Trunks chuckled to himself as he sought to put the finishing touches on the prepared meal. It seemed that every routine thing they did around here came with a story. He grinned when he found what he was looking for and added the remaining object to the tray. Gathering the tray in both hands, he left the kitchen and headed for the stairs.
He walked slowly down the extensive hallway so as not to disturb his sleeping mother. Shifting the tray to his left hand, he reached for the door and opened it with his right hand. He pushed the door open slowly as he peered into the room. The light from the windows danced along the walls of the room, illuminating every inch of the large space.
A smile graced his lips as he walked towards his mother's bed. The rhythmic rise and fall of her chest assured him that she was indeed still sleeping. She way laying on her back with one arm on top of her pillow beside her head, the other draped gently across her stomach. He knew she must have been tired because the light usually bothered her as much as it did him in the morning. He grimaced a bit as he remembered the rude awakening he had gotten this morning from said tormentor.
Quickly shaking it off, he moved to the side of the bed across from his mother. He slid onto the bed with the tray in front of him. He sat it down on the side opposite his mother and left it there as he crawled towards her. He tapped lightly on her shoulder trying to wake the sleeping genius. She mumbled something he didn't understand and rolled away from him onto her side. He snickered a bit before reaching for her once again, this time gently shaking her small form. She still did not wake.
He was getting ready to leave her alone to sleep some more when he heard her say something else. "Trunks? Is that you?" she yawned out. He smiled as she rolled back over onto her back. She cracked open one eye then another. "Trunks?"
As her blurry vision cleared, she noticed bright blue eyes staring into her own. She saw her son leaning over her, his face plastered with a grin that extended from ear to ear. "Morning sunshine," he greeted. "How did you sleep?" Bulma smiled at her son and stretched out a bit. He moved back to her side as she stretched her tired limbs. "I haven't slept that good in ages" she yawned out. "Since when did the couch in my lab get this comfortable?" she mumbled to herself.
Trunks just sat there looking at his mother waiting for the realization to dawn on her. She stretched a few more times, rubbing her eyes before she noticed. "What the-" She turned to the grinning young man beside her. He was wearing his father's smirk and she felt a twinge in her heart at the sight of that familiar expression. She sighed aloud finally realizing what he had done.
She was about to say something when an object on the bed caught her attention. Bulma shifted slightly as she tried to peek around her son to see what it was exactly. Trunks noticed what her eyes had locked onto and his smirk grew into a full-fledged grin again. "Is that what I think it is?" she said finally finding her voice.
"Depends. What do you think it is?" he replied playfully.
Bulma reached over and smacked him on his shoulder. "Trunks!"
He held up his hands defensively. "What?" he replied as innocently as he could.
"You know very well what mister," she stated. "That!" she stated pointed a finger at the tray behind him.
Trunks stifled a laugh as he watched the grimace distort her sleepy features. "Oh you mean this?" he said innocently as he turned to grab the tray, moving it in front of her. He watched as her eyes widened in disbelief. Yup, definitely the reaction he had been waiting for. Her eyes darted back and forth between the tray and his face as if looking for any hint of contamination of the offering.
Trunks snickered this time as he answered her silent question. "I promise it's totally edible." She scrunched up her face and narrowed her eyes as she gazed upon his taunting face. "What…" his hands shot up in defense. " You don't think I haven't learned anything from watching you all these years." Seeing her face relax ever so slightly he lowered his hands to the tray and pushed it forward slightly.
Bulma let out a defeated sigh as she once again prepared to entertain her son's glorious cooking. She rolled her eyes at that thought. During his childhood, his breakfasts had been anything but glorious. She reached for the fork and hesitantly scooped up a bit of food from the offered plate. She opened her mouth, shoved the fork of food inside, and swallowed quickly. She waited for the horrible taste to greet her senses but instead experienced something she never expected.
Her eyes opened wide as she stared at her son in utter shock. That inherited smirk graced his face again as he watched her reaction. Obviously, he had been expecting something like this. Bulma quickly returned her attention to the plate of food as she realized how hungry she was and how good the food tasted. She took a few more bites of food before picking up the glass of juice absently.
Trunks watched in anticipation of yet another shocked expression to cross his mother's face. She lifted the tall glass eagerly to her lips, taking a small sip to wash down some of the food. She had nearly placed the glass back on the tray when she stopped dead in her tracks. Trunks had to contain a smile as he watched the realization dawn on her face. In clear denial, she shook her head and brought the glass to her lips again taking a sip. She let out a content sigh as she swallowed more of the citrus beverage.
Bulma turned her gaze from the glass in her hands to the young man in front of her. He was still sitting there on his knees, grinning like there was no tomorrow. The light filtering in through the windows surrounded his body, making him look somewhat like an angel. She could hardly believe that she had given life to such an astonishing being. Her son was truly a gift from Kami.
They had a close relationship but as Trunks grew older, he began to grow less dependent on her, less willing to share his emotions about things. It was times like these when she had to reassure herself that it was indeed her son in front of her and not some imposter. He didn't always show such affection anymore and experiencing it was like taking a breath of fresh air. His love assured her that her life had not been a waste and that there were things left in the world worth living for.
Trunks watched as a single tear slid down his mothers face. He suddenly felt guilty and his expression had turned from happy to pained in an instant. He wasn't sure why but he felt that the tear was shed because of something he did. He reached forward and gently wiped the tear from his mother's face. His hand remained on her cheek, cupping it gently as he searched her eyes for that which had instigated the fallen teardrop.
Bulma put her glass of juice on the tray, eyes never leaving her son's line of sight. She reached up with her free hand, covering his with her own. She smiled reassuringly as he continued his comforting gesture. She eased all of his fears with three simple words. "I love you."
Trunks' brows knitted in confusion at first but the love resonating from his mother's gaze with those simple words assured him that she was okay. He watched as her hand gave his a gentle squeeze before releasing it altogether. His face brightened and he removed his hand from her cheek. He decided to break the emotional tension with a bit of his wonderful humor. "You had me worried there for a second mom. I thought there was something wrong with the juice."
She raised an eyebrow at him before bursting out into a fit of giggles. Trunks felt more at ease hearing her laugh like that. He decided to leave her to eat the rest of her meal in peace. Satisfied with his little feat, Trunks started to back off the bed to go train. Before he got more than two inches from his previous position, he stopped. He glanced down at the hand clenching his shirt, curiously wondering what he had done now.
He looked back up to meet his mother's gaze and noticed the fierce scowl etched on her face. He gulped audibly thinking he had really screwed up something this time. Before his thoughts could entertain the idea, he was shaken from them abruptly. "Aren't you forgetting something mister?" his mother asked while punctuating each word with the fork in her other hand.
He couldn't figure out what his mother was talking about. That lasted for all of about two seconds before comprehension dawned on him but Trunks decided to play dumb anyway. "Ummmm…." he muttered out looking like a little boy that had lost his toy and couldn't remember where it was. This sent Bulma into a fuming rage, well almost.
Before her ear-piercing scream surfaced, he quickly leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek whispering, "I love you too" in her ear. Then just as quickly, he backed away freeing himself from his shocked mother leaving her with another smirk before turning towards the door.
He called out absently as he neared the door, "I'll be training in the gravity room if you need anything". He softly shut the door behind him, not bothering to look back. If he had, he would have seen the shock fading from his mother's face slowly replaced with a knowing grin.
"I swear, that boy is more like his father everyday" Bulma said to no one in particular. "Thank you Vegeta for giving him to me," she added almost as an afterthought. She shook her head giggling a bit before continuing to consume the tasty meal her son had prepared for her.