A/N: Sorry that these are kind of short but it's all background stuff. I don't even know if this story is gonna warrant an M rating. I like it but... I need something dark, too. I like darkfics. Waaa.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.
-MalRev
Spectre
02
Our first outing in the city was just simple grocery shopping and I had never felt more lost.
Mom had a sort of inner GPS that always led her in the right direction, but dad and I were both scratching our heads in confusion. There were huge buildings, loud cars, and obnoxious people. A few of them impolitely bumped into me and dad muttered things under his breath about no one watching where they walked. I definitely preferred the quiet countryside.
We eventually made our way to a big store and mom breezed through the aisles in a flash. She picked up a couple of things for dinner and breakfast the next day so we'd have something to eat until she could really go shopping. Dad jovially pushed the cart while she threw things in it without hesitation, making a couple of people whisper in one another's ears. She wasn't good at keeping a low profile.
That was where the first hint came. It went in one ear and out the other for me, but mom was always good at reading dad. She knew him better than anyone else, even Goku.
"Guess we should've brought the van," daddy said as the cart filled up.
Mom paused and looked at him. "Krillin, we sold that a month ago."
He blinked in surprise until it clicked in his head, then laughed and ran a hand through his graying hair. I rolled my eyes and browsed the internet on my phone but mom's gaze lingered on him for a few extra minutes. She went back to shopping with the same stern expression on her face as always.
It seemed to be a simple slip of the tongue and nothing more.
After we cashed out we all took as many bags as we could and headed home. Unfortunately we couldn't fly in the middle of the crowded city so we were stuck walking them the entire way. I didn't care for flying, but it was nice when you were carrying heavy stuff.
Back at home mom set to making dinner while I went upstairs to unpack my things. Dad hovered around her, handing her ingredients and never moving too far away. It was like she was the sun and he was Mars, constantly revolving around her like his life depended on it. He hated being thrown out of orbit.
I neatly folded my clothes as I put them away. The city wasn't too bad but it'd take some getting used to. The house was nice and big, better than what we lived in before, and even Mom approved. Dad could be near his old friends and mom already had a great job set up in the city. I'd be able to find a part time job to keep me occupied after school.
The doorbell rang. I plopped in bed and turned on the TV as voices floated up the stairs, which had to be the company mom didn't want tonight. There was laughter and I heard feet in the hall only a few seconds before two people came bursting into my room and leapt on my bed.
"Marron!" Pan shrieked, throwing her arms around my neck and squeezing.
"Jeez, Pan, you're so needy," Bulla said as she hugged me from the other direction. "Don't scream or Gohan is gonna come running up here and freak out."
When they released me, I grinned excitedly. Pan was wearing jeans and a t-shirt while her black hair was pulled into a ponytail. She'd grown so much from the last time I saw her. Bulla was in leggings and a simple red dress that starkly contrasted her teal hair; she hadn't changed at all.
"We've been looking forward to this all month," Pan said. "When grandpa told me you guys were moving back in the area I couldn't wait. We told all our friends at school that you were coming down and we told our teachers that you're really smart and everything—"
"You look great, by the way," Bulla interjected, reaching out to feel my wavy blonde hair. "I was thinking of dyeing my hair that color but yours look so perfect that I'm not sure it'll look good in comparison. Daddy would probably yell anyway like he always does and call me a harlot. Whatever that means. Does Krillin ever talk weird like that?"
"Not really. My dad's pretty relaxed. Mom is the uptight one who makes me follow the rules." I folded my legs Indian style and smiled at my two Saiyan friends. "Had everything been pretty quiet around here? What have you two been up to over the years?"
We spent a long time talking. Pan was captain of her soccer team and regularly trained with Goku or Gohan to keep her power balanced. She did well enough in school, dating sometimes and keeping her grades high enough that her parents were happy. None of that surprised me: Gohan was an over-achiever in high school so it fit that his daughter was, too.
Bulla, on the other hand, was much more concerned with boys than school. She was a lot like her mother except she didn't have the same aptitude for science. She usually went to parties and Pan would help her with homework or excuses for not doing said homework. That also didn't surprise me.
Life had settled down for all of them over the years. Goten worked with Trunks at Capsule Corp., Gohan ran his own law firm, Bulma still tinkered with technology in her lab and Vegeta was still… well, Vegeta. Piccolo was typically out on his own either meditating or visiting his family on Namek.
We'd gotten to discussing our boyfriends in the past when someone knocked on my door. I invited them in and was surprised to see purple hair peering over the edge of the doorframe.
"What do you want?" Bulla asked as her brother entered my room.
Trunks was wearing a suit and tie that he looked extremely uncomfortable in. He tugged on the collar of his shirt and inclined his head to me politely, then shot his sister a dirty look from the corner of his eye.
"Dinner's ready," he said. "Mom won't shut up about seeing Marron and Chi-Chi's equally as overexcited. Let's get this over with. Goten and I need to go back to Capsule Corp. to run over some new plans for capsuling spaceships."
"That sounds really cool!" Pan said suddenly. Her cheeks looked pink.
The oldest Briefs child smiled at her and ruffled her hair before leaving the room. Pan's shoulders drooped and she turned back to face us, scowling when Bulla burst into laughter.
"That sounds really cool!" she repeated in a mockingly high-pitched voice. "God, Pan, you don't even try to be subtle. Trunks is ten years older than you. I don't think he's going to be interested in a weird high schooler who can't even say a normal sentence when he's around."
They argued quietly as we left my room and headed downstairs for dinner. I could smell the lasagna mom made as I stepped down the stairs and the sound of laughter could be heard from the dining room. All of our old friends were back in one place, reunited at long last.
We walked into the dining room.
"Marron!"
"Marron, you're so big!"
"Wow, look at Marron!"
"Marron!"
"Marron!"
Bulma was the first one to approach me, hugging me tightly like her daughter had and holding me at arm's length to gauge how I'd grown up. I smiled at her as Chi-Chi came to stand beside her old friend, wearing the same outfit she always did. Neither of them looked too much older. My dad was really the only one that seemed to be affected by time.
Videl joined the two of them in asking me questions about school and how life was. She looked much different—her hair was long again and she was much gentler than she had been when I was a kid. It was nice that nothing particularly bad had happened while we were away. Everyone seemed happy.
The women all moved aside for me to greet all the guys. Gohan was wearing a suit just like Trunks and he shook my hand before politely clasping his hands behind his back. He was quiet as usual and still wore nerdy glasses. Trunks inclined his head to me again and I turned to face Goten.
The youngest Son boy was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and his black hair was spiked to the side. From what I remembered, he was a few years younger than Trunks. His eyes swept down my body and I noticed his eyebrows rose just a bit. He put his hands on his hips and grinned at me in a way that didn't go unnoticed by his brother.
"All grown up," Goten said. "Well, close to it. What grade are you in now, Marron?"
Gohan cleared his throat. "She's in the off-limits grade."
"Are you sure? It doesn't look like she is, bro." Goten squinted at me, pretending to have difficulty seeing what I looked like. "If I were to make a mistake, I hope a lawyer in the room wouldn't be lame and get me throw in prison…"
"You're a creep, uncle Goten," Pan said.
"That's the pot calling the kettle black," Bulla muttered just to be elbowed in the ribs by Pan.
As we all sat down at the table, I remembered one person was missing. He was sort of important, too. He'd been the one my dad was most excited to see again.
"Where's Goku?" I asked.
All eyes flickered to Chi-Chi and her face hardened as she put a roll on her plate. I immediately regretted what I said and shrank in my chair, hoping I could disappear between Goten and Pan. Whoops. Apparently Goku was still a sore spot.
Chi-Chi sniffed. "Busy as always. Who knows where he's gone off to?"
"Kakarot is a bum," Vegeta said coldly. "What else it new?"
"Eh, I'm used to it by now. I'll catch up with him later." Dad smiled as mom passed him the first tray of lasagna. He was good at pretending to be chipper.
"But you were looking forward to it," mom said, pressing the issue. "Be assertive, Krillin. After dinner Marron can go look for him with her friends. She can see Mt. Paozu again and get accustomed to the area. Isn't that right, Marron?"
"I'll help her look!" Goten volunteered.
"We're sort of busy working," Trunks reminded him. "Your dad's gonna show up like he always does."
Bulma rolled her eyes. "Please, Trunks. Why don't you help them look? You can bring Panny along."
Gohan shot a hide-melting glare Bulma's way and she snickered to herself. Pan blushed furiously and hid her face, stuffing food in her mouth so no one could see. Videl winked at Bulma. There was a conspiracy afoot and Gohan wasn't a fan of it.
"It's settled," mom said.