--Alright. I normally don't put comments at the tops of these things, but as you can probably see, this isn't your normal circumstance. I've gone off radar for a long time, I know. But just remember that I said we'd get through this one way or another. I apologize for the wait, but there have been a lot of things going on. I won't go into all the boring details. I've written several chapters since I've disappeared, but I wanted to see some comments between chapters before I just stick all the chapters on here. That and the fact that a lot of them are in "pencil and paper" mode. I'll be a while transferring them to this medium anyway. Thank you for your patient wait. And regardless of how long any of the breaks might be between these chapters, always remember that I try my best to keep my word. So you may not get the end of this til 5 years from now, but the end will be out there as long as there's still breath in my body. And with that said, on with the show!

Versus 3: Eclipse

--All That You Eat--

"Do you love me?" Goten asked.

It wasn't a fair question to ask. And it was his last question. Sure, it only required a yes or no answer, but there had to be rules against this kind of thing. Of course, it was her game, so there really were no rules except the ones she gave in the beginning. She'd kinda set herself up for this one. 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.

Goten looked away. "I wish you would understand where I'm coming from with this. If you don't say something to someone, that person's never gonna know. I mean, they say actions speak louder than words, but..." He sighed. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Bra. When I told you I love you, I meant it. But when I didn't hear it back, I was devastated."

Bra felt her heart slowly shattering. She wanted to do something to comfort him. She wanted to say those words. But there was something keeping her from saying that phrase.

"Of course, I don't want to hear it unless you mean it. I wouldn't want to hear you say it just for the sake of saying it. That would defeat the purpose," Goten continued. "I just wish you'd love me back."

Tears filled Bra's eyes, but she was unable to look away from Goten's bowed head. "Goten, I do. I really do feel that way--"

"Then TELL me you love me, if you do," Goten interrupted, looking up at her.

Bra looked into Goten's eyes. She could see the hurt there. She felt what he felt. She wanted to turn away, but it was impossible. And when she looked even closer at those dark eyes, she could swear she saw tears glazing them ever so lightly. She didn't want to see him like this. This wasn't the Goten she'd grown up with. She'd always known Goten to be a happy sort. This look on him was so very foreign, yet seeing it even once was enough to recognize it. The sad part was that every time she saw that look, she had caused it. She'd hurt people before, but never had she felt this terrible about it.

"I...I...I...want to," Bra said slowly. "But I can't."

Goten leaned back against his headboard. "You can't...," he repeated.

The disappointment she heard in his voice finished ripping her heart apart. It was so silly that her biggest obstacle in life now was saying three little words. And such small words were making her life miserable. No. They weren't just making HER life miserable. They were also making Goten's life miserable. Oh, how she wished she could overcome such a ridiculous setback.

Goten looked at his television and suddenly it looked as though a light came on in his head. "You know, you told me that you couldn't do a lot of things. When I was teaching you to ride your bike, you said you couldn't. When I was teaching you how to fly, you said you couldn't. When I was teaching you how to go Super Saiyan, you said you couldn't. And look at you now. You can do all those things."

In a way he had a point. She had overcome quite a few endeavors in her day. Was this one of those things that would just take a while for her to accomplish? Or was she forever strickened with the inability to spout out those words? Only time would tell...

Bra looked at the floor and sighed.

Goten gently touched Bra's face to make her look at him. "You know, buddy, we're not finished with our game yet. You still have one more question to ask."

Indeed she did. And as she looked at him, she wondered what she should ask. "Why do you put up with me?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand your question," Goten said, looking a bit confused.

"Why do you put up with me?" she repeated. "It seems I cause you more heartache than anything."

"Oh, Bra. Don't forget that we were friends before anything else. Besides, you're a very special person. I want to be with you whether we're in a relationship or not," Goten said. "I mean, you're strong and ambitious. Not to mention you're a great fighter. That's why we're still friends. You just happen to be a pretty and smart and a bit of a delinquent--"

"Delinquent?" Bra asked.

"Well, you ARE here while you're grounded. And it's almost 12:00--" Goten began.

Bra looked at the clock and frowned. "I had no idea it was this late." She stood from her seat on Goten's bed. "Listen, I know you have your mind set on this thing about not being in a relationship. But no matter how many new people I meet or what new experiences I have, I'll always think of you."

Goten smiled. He appeared to be somewhat speechless.

"Besides, since we're back to being friends now, I'll be seeing you all the time anyway," Bra said with a smile of her own.

"I think I can manage that," Goten told her. "I know I can't stop you from doing what you want, but just try not to get into too much trouble, okay?"

"Hey, living with my parents, there's always trouble," Bra commented. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"I miss you already," Goten said.

--End All That You Eat--

--A very short, very nowhere chapter. This series is turning out to be a little more confusing than I'd hoped. How are Goten and Bra ever going to get back together now that they're nothing more than friends?