A/N: Dun dun DUUUUUN.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

-MalRev

Spectre

19

Weeks passed.

I stopped visiting mom and dad at the hospital. It hurt deeply watching both of them wasting away. Mom didn't seem to notice me most times because she was too busy tending to dad, gently explaining who I was as he grey eyes appraised me with childlike confusion. I'd awkwardly talk to him about school while he gawked at me and failed to understand who I was. I frightened him.

Bulla and I never mentioned "The Ring" (that was what Goten called his business). It was surprisingly easy around Pan but she was frequently seen with Trunks now, making things more difficult. He would talk about how Goten kept skipping meetings while Bulla and I tried not to look at each other. I was glad it had disappeared from our memories. I didn't want anything to do with their lawlessness.

School was a welcome distraction from all my worries. I made some new friends, enjoyed popularity thanks to Bulla, and tried out for sports with Pan. We'd go shopping a few times a week and have sleepovers at one another's houses if our parents were willing. Vegeta would huff and puff and cross his arms, Gohan would look to Videl for an answer…

And I found myself looking up into Goku's innocent black eyes.

"Is it okay if Bulla and Pan sleep over?" I asked, pouting my lower lip.

It was Friday night and we were sitting on the couch watching a reality show. I was sprawled out, resting my head in his lap while he braided my hair. He tangled it up when he tried touching it so I figured braiding would at least give him something constructive to do. He frowned back at me.

"But you were just with them this afternoon. Don't you want to spend time with me?"

"Yeah, but I'm with you all the time. I like to hang out with my girlfriends, too." I sat up and fluffed out the loose braids he had tied into my hair. "You should probably check in with Chi-Chi or she'll start wondering why you're at my house for days at a time."

Goku began picking lint off my jeans as an excuse to stay near me. "I want to stay here. She doesn't like when I come home so it's better if I don't. They all know I'm taking care of you now."

"She's still your wife," I said. It gave me a nauseous feeling when I admitted it to myself. "Maybe you can talk to her about Yamcha and she'll be willing to file for divorce. I don't know why you stay married to her if she's cheating on you anyway. But if you want to stay married, you better put some effort into it or she'll start sniffing around like Goten was."

"I don't want to get divorced. I love her. I haven't caught her doing anything bad so I can't say anything bad about her. I mean, I'm pretty sure she's doing bad things but…" Goku's big hand stretched over my thigh and he squeezed. "I did bad things, too."

"Did bad things," I clarified. "Only a few times in a moment of weakness. What she's doing is ongoing and I think it's just to hurt your feelings. But what do I know? I'm only… well, I'm almost sixteen. You should probably go home and see if she wants to talk yet."

Our blossoming affair had withered as quickly as it grew. We hadn't addressed it directly or made a conscious agreement not to let anything happen again, but Goku shied away from intimate contact and hadn't kissed me in quite a while. I didn't want to be disrespectful so I never tried to initiate anything.

Lately, he did nothing but rant and rave about Chi-Chi. I was constantly seeing red. I was jealous and I was angry that he could toss me aside so easily. But who was I kidding? I set myself up for disappointment. When he said I was 'his' he must've meant it differently from how I interpreted it. I thought he wanted me. I thought he'd forget his unfaithful wife and move on.

Goku leaned over to kiss my temple. The knife in my heart slashed forward.

Why couldn't he love me instead?

"You're right," he said. "I should go home and check on her at least. Don't stay up too late, okay?"

It made me angry. He was constantly pulling me back and forth; teasing me with the prospect of a long-term relationship and shoving me away the next moment. He was giving me whiplash. Some nights I could feel him lingering outside my bedroom door, watching me fall asleep as he debated whether or not he wanted to come in my room. He wouldn't make up his mind.

I smiled tightly as he rose to his feet and vanished with instant transmission. Oh well. I was young. Maybe Bulla could hook me up with a guy my age.

After I texted the girls to let them know they could come over I walked out to the kitchen to make us some snacks. Bulla always complained that I had nothing to eat, which was really Goku's fault. He was always stuffing his face and never remembered to go grocery shopping—

I groaned and repeatedly thudded my head against the refrigerator. I was hopelessly in love. I didn't know if it was the kind of love you got married over, but it was painfully present.

Bulla texted me to clarify that Goku wasn't home. She and Pan loved my house because there were virtually no rules. Goku didn't tell me what to do most times and I could usually wheedle him into getting my way. He'd become more lenient since our little affair ended.

The doorbell rang a few minutes later when I had a plate of cheese, crackers, and cookies for us. I wiped off my hands on a towel and hurried into the foyer to answer it, smoothing down my hair in the process. Lately I'd been sort of disheveled and both of the girls were starting to question me.

My phone vibrated a few feet from the door. I opened it quick to check the message from Bulla and hesitated, reading the short line several times.

I know how it feels to love someone who doesn't love you back. I'm sorry, Marron.

I swallowed hard, stunned to silence. She had to be guessing at why I seemed to be so down in the dumps lately. It was a shot in the dark and nothing more. No one besides Goku and I knew about those few perfect nights we shared and no one else would ever know. That was how it had to be. I considered texting her back but figured she was on the other side of the door anyway.

I'd have to set her straight. I was horribly jealous of Chi-Chi but I would never try to steal her husband. If he wanted her that was just how it had to be. I wiped the corners of my eyes to make sure no tears had leaked out and pulled open the door.

Bulla was standing there. She smiled weakly.

"I really am sorry," she said.

Two big hands settled on her shoulders and my eyes traveled upwards until I saw Goten standing behind her, grinning widely. He kissed the crown of her skull and gently moved her aside to step inside my house, making me start backing up. Bulla followed him inside and shut the door. She looked strangely nervous and her blue hair was ruffled instead of pulled back in a perfect ponytail.

"So who is it?" he asked, following me as I backtracked through the house. "Bulla knows but she won't tell me. Who is this person you're losing sleep over?"

I scowled. "No one. Bulla is mistaken."

Goten laughed and suddenly I was slammed up against the wall, causing me to hit my head so hard I saw stars. I groaned in pain and he twisted my face around to lock his angry black eyes on mine.

"You're lying. I don't like being lied to, Marron. Who is it? Someone we know? It must be judging by how torn up your sheets were. Trunks would never cheat on Panny, it clearly isn't me, and I don't think you're Vegeta's type. So that leaves one other person…"

I stared at him in terror. Oh no. He knew.

"Gohan," he said. He leaned close to me and I tried to shy backwards. "I can't say it surprises me. He got married too young, just like mom and dad. What do you do? Fuck him while Pan is downstairs? Or do you two meet up somewhere?"

"Are you kidding me?" I snapped. "You're honestly stupid if you think I'm sleeping with your brother. He's married to my best friend's mother and totally not my type. Ew! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I'm half-Saiyan. I know how things look after we have sex. If it isn't my brother, that only leaves one other person who I know doesn't have the brains to pull off an affair." Goten wasn't smiling anymore. He grabbed my throat and shoved me into the wall so hard I felt it beginning to break. "Tell me who it is or I'll pick the truth out of your brains."

My vision started going black. I couldn't breathe. Was I willing to die to protect Goku and I's secret? I really was hopeless. He'd probably take it to his grave and—

"It's me!"

Goten immediately let me crumple to the floor, gasping for air, and turned to face Bulla. She had a hand over her heart and was glaring intently at him, completely serious. What was she doing?!

He looked between us a few times and burst out laughing. I sort of wanted to giggle myself but I had to start breathing normally before I could have that luxury. How would we react? Would he blow her off or think there was some real truth to her statement? I hoped he'd stop prying.

"You know what," he said, nodding his approval, "it makes sense. I guess I never pegged either of you as lesbians but it explains so much. That's why Marron isn't attracted to me and Bulla, that's why you sleep with anything that has a pulse. You're both trying to stay in the closet." He put his hands on his hips and nudged me with his foot. "Lucky for you, you're still curable."

"You promised you wouldn't hurt her!" Bulla said.

"Oh, this won't hurt a bit." Goten threaded his lean fingers through my hair and yanked me to my feet, covering my mouth with his hand and restraining me to his chest. "There's always some degree of pain when you're getting rid of a disease. Man, I can't wait to tell your parents, Bulla. Vegeta's probably gonna pass out. Or do you think he'll punch Marron in the mouth?"

"Let go of her," Bulla hissed. "I'll tell them everything. I'll tell your mother what you're doing and she'll never forgive you. I'll tell daddy what you did to me and he'll kill you."

"And none of them will look at you the same way again. Please, I know you won't risk it. You're just as guilty as I am. Now kindly step aside so Marron and I can—"

The front door flew open, banging against the wall as a freezing burst of rain streamed into the house. I squinted against the darkness to see someone with blonde hair walking forward…

I yanked Goten's hand away from my mouth. "Mom!"

My mother put her hands on her hips, both indifferent cold eyes focused on Goten. She kicked the door shut with her heel and shoved Bulla out of the way as she continued toward us, unblinking. She was terrifying; a force to be reckoned with. I couldn't imagine what she must've been like before she met dad and settled down, but I had a feeling she was a lot like a natural disaster: destructive and horrifying.

She glared at Goten's hand over my mouth until he slowly pulled it away and gently set me on my feet. I ran forward to hug her tightly around the waist, relieved that she had arrived in the nick of time. She kept saying she meant to come home and visit me.

"I was coming here to speak with my daughter," mom said icily, gently moving me aside. "But I see now that there are more important things to deal with."

"We were talking," Goten said. "I swear I wasn't doing anything to her."

A small ball of pulsating energy appeared in my mother's palm and steadily grew until it was the size of a basketball. She looked absolutely livid. "I'm going to eviscerate you."

She threw the ball of energy at Goten and he covered his head, waiting for impact…

The air rippled in front of him and Goku phased into existence, easily catching the ball of energy and diffusing it in his fist. His eyebrows were drawn together angrily as he looked around the room, trying to figure out why all of us were fighting. But his face was puffy and red. Had he been… crying?

"What's going on here?" he demanded.