Versus 3: Eclipse

All That You Say

"You know, you really shouldn't be here. You could get into a lot of trouble," Goten reminded Bra. He had that worried look on his face. "What are you doing here?"

There she was, standing in his dimly lit bedroom. He was still holding her hand after pulling her in through the window. She hadn't even said a word yet. She finally cleared her throat. "I got your letter..."

Of course she got his letter. Why wouldn't she? It was on her bed... Bed. What a funny word. When written out in lower-case letters, you could kinda SEE a bed. The tops of the b and d acting as bedposts, while the bottoms of the b and d along with the e acted as the mattress. Weird when you thought about it... What was she thinking! She had to stay focused here.

Goten frowned and finally let go of her hand. "Right. The letter. I just"

"I thought it was really...nice," Bra said quietly. She thought about the things Marron told her. All the great advice Marron gave. If she wanted this to work out, it would take some time. And a lot of thought. She sighed. "But I still want us to be friends. I want us to be close like we always were."

"Yeah. I mean, we'll always be friends no matter what happens," Goten told her.

Good. She had to make sure that they both agreed upon this arrangement. In order for her new dubious plan to work, they would have to be on the same page. She wasn't even really sure what her new plan would be. She just knew that they had to be like they were before they got together.

Bra nodded. "I'm glad." She sat on his bed. "This means I can come over and get in some more rounds of Halo 2."

Goten looked at Bra strangely. He must have known that she wouldn't leave just because it was getting a little late. "Right. I mean, that's fine. But you DO realize that you're grounded, don't you?"

"Of course, I know I'm grounded. I wouldn't be here so late if I weren't," Bra said. "Actually, I wouldn't be here so late if I hadn't gone to that concert..." She thought for a minute. She probably shouldn't have

"Concert? What concert?" Goten asked.

Well, she had already said what she shouldn't have. She may as well tell the rest. "Um, the concert Nick and his band played."

Bra saw something in Goten's eyes change. She couldn't really be sure what it was. Was it a good thing or a bad thing?

"You went to your tutor's band concert?" Goten asked.

Bra nodded. She could swear she detected a hint of jealousy in his tone. Maybe she should play on this emotion for a while. "Then we all went out to eat. That's why I'm so late getting here."

Goten was quiet for a long time. Nothing about his expression changed; he just looked straight ahead.

There she sat. Just like one of those girls she hated so much. The girls who would play head-games with the men they claimed to love. How could she? Bra lowered her head. She really did feel bad about the whole situation, but there was really nothing she could do about it. Unless, of course, she could manage to say those 3 little words that meant so much.

Why did 3 simple words have to mean so much anyway? They were just words.

"So, did you have a good time?" Goten asked, finally taking a seat on the bed next to her.

Bra's heart began to thump out that ever so familiar refrain. She had to keep in mind that they were just friends now. And friends sat and talked about things all the time... "It was great. To tell you the truth, I didn't expect those guys to sound the way they did. I mean, I haven't seen a bassist these days who could lay it down like Wes did. And comboed up with Todd, they had an unstoppable rhythm section. Then you've got frontmen like Hunter and Nick. You wouldn't believe the MUSIC that these four guys produced. They weren't just yelling and banging on their axes. These guys were singing and playing their instruments. They might not be the most musically inclined people you've ever met, but they definitely put everything they had into each song." She was talking a little faster than she'd intended, but it was probably understandable.

Goten fidgeted awkwardly on the bed. "Sounds like you enjoyed the show." He smiled at her. "I guess you plan on going to more of their concerts?"

"Oh, absolutely," Bra said.

"I guess that means you love them?" Goten asked quietly.

"No doubt about it," Bra responded before she even realized what he'd just said. She gasped quietly and looked away. He'd basically backed her into a corner from which she couldn't escape. And she thought she was the one holding all the cards, but he had all the aces all along. She wasn't sure what to say.

"I'm glad you're going out and doing things now," Goten changed the direction of the conversation a bit. "For a long time people thought you would turn into one of those weird old ladies who lived in a house filled with hundreds of cats." He laughed a little.

But she saw through it. It wasn't his usual laugh. There was something behind it. Any normal person would have taken it as a regular laugh, but Bra knew better. She couldn't take this anymore. She had to do something. But what...?

"You know, Goten. What happened between us this morning changed my life," Bra said. "It's made me see things differently. That's why I want us to play a game."

Goten looked confused. "A game? What kind of a game?"

"Question and Answer. It's kinda like Truth or Dare, but without the dares," Bra told him. She turned completely to him with her legs folded under her. "I ask a question and you answer truthfully. Then you ask a question and I answer truthfully. Once one of us answers, the other asks. The limit will be 3 questions each. We can pass on one question, but the person can ask it again at the end if he or she so chooses." She took a deep breath. "How about it?"

Goten thought for a while. Bra could almost hear the gears in his head turning. Then he nodded. "Sounds fair enough. Who's going first?"

Bra held up her fist. Rock, paper, scissors. "Best two out of 3."

Goten held his fist up. "Right."

Bra: scissors. Goten: paper.

Bra: rock. Goten: rock.

Bra: rock. Goten: paper.

Bra: paper. Goten: scissors.

"Looks like I win," Goten said. "Now let me make sure I understand this. I ask a question and you answer, then you ask a question and I answer? Three questions and we can pass on one?"

"That's right," Bra told him. She felt herself break into a sweat. For some reason, she had a feeling this was a bad idea. But maybe it would help ease the tension between them.

"Okay. I guess my first question is: Do you like that Nick guy?" Goten asked slowly.

"Of course, I do. He's a nice guy," Bra answered. She knew that he wasn't asking the question in the way she answered.

Goten gave her a look that told her that he wasn't asking the question in the way she answered.

Bra looked at the ceiling. "I don't like him like, 'I plan on marrying this guy', like him. He's just my tutor... Even though I did think about it a couple of times."

"What!" Goten almost yelled.

"It's not like that," Bra said. "He's just a friend." She leaned her back against the bedpost. "Now it's my turn. And since we're asking about liking people in that way: Do you like Paris as more than a friend?"

Goten laughed. "I don't even like her as a friend. Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not kidding you," Bra said quickly. "Ha! That counts as your second question."

Goten frowned. "No fair. Fine."

Bra smiled. "My turn." What question should she ask? Was there something that had been bothering her lately? Was there something unanswered that she would really like to know? "How did you and Paris get together anyway?" She wasn't sure what her obsession was with Goten and Paris' relationship, but she felt she had to ask.

Goten raised his eyebrows. "I can't believe you're asking me that... But I guess since you asked I should probably answer... One day, back when I first started college, I was walking down the hall and I bumped into this girl. Knocked her down and everything. While I was helping her with her books, I saw that she was taking a history class. So I went and signed up for the class that very same day. I started attending the class and there she was. But instead of me going over to talk to her, she came over and talked to me. That's what happened."

Bra frowned. It was almost like some sick romance story. She hated the idea of it. But obviously their relationship wasn't meant to be or they would still be together now.

"I guess it's my turn to ask a question." He thought for a minute and got very serious. "Do you love me?"

It wasn't a fair question to ask. And it was the last question. Sure, it was a yes or no question, but there had to be rules against this kind of thing. But there was only one answer she could give. "Yes," she replied in a low voice.

"Then why can't you just say it?" Goten asked.

"I don't know! I don't know why I can't say it, okay? But I do. Doesn't that count for anything?" Bra asked. Okay, so he got a chance to ask 4 questions, but she had a feeling the game was over.

End All That You Say

That's it for this episode of Versus 3. It was a bit of a short one, but I hope you enjoyed it.

Comments: It seems that there has been a bit of a role reversal about this whole "I love you" thing. From what I remember, it's usually the guy who has trouble saying this, not the girl. If you've got something to say on this matter, now would be a good time to express it. Rant and rave all you like.

Thanks for the reviews. Keep 'em coming. Let's see what happens next.