Again, I am sorry for the length of time it took with the last chapter... Hopefully this one will make up for it. I know a lot of you were waiting for me to post it. There is a little bit of T/P in here and a lot of G/S...
Enjoy
C-24 Preparations
Trunk's was going to ask her as soon as he saw her. He wasn't going to give her a chance to interrupt him, he wasn't going to let Fry interfere in any way and especially Gohan was not going to get in his way.. He was just going to tell her! Then no one would get in their way!
She opened the door and he was about to shove the box into her hands and ask her, but her face looked so sad and confused. It startled him.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
She walked outside and closed the door. She wrapped her arm around his arm, "We need to go for a walk."
............
Goten could barely breath after Vegeta's attack. He was pretty sure that he broke something as he sat up. He didn't see it coming. He knew that Vegeta would not be happy with him, especially with his granddaughter, who was not in her own clothes and drugged up, in his bed, but nearly crushing his throat was not called for.
But then again, it was Vegeta.
He tried to explain to Vegeta why. Vegeta had felt the power surge and drop but couldn't pinpoint her. When he found out where she was, Goten thought he was going to be thanked for not helping her but Gohan went into to many detail and mentioned that the first thing he saw was the pile of wet clothes in the bathroom and how Soyna was now wearing Pan's.
Vegeta was not happy about it at all.
What was he supposed to do? He just did what Raymond told him to do. He couldn't leave her in her other clothes, they would stick to the burns and that would hurt her worse.
He was so glad that he had left out some of what had happened or else he was sure that Vegeta would have ripped his head off by now, not just causing him to be gasping for air.
The kiss.
He had pulled her out of the tub and she was shaking just gently as he wrapped her in his terry robe. He held her close, sitting there on the bathroom floor. Her head was resting on his shoulder and he really wasn't thinking as he went to kiss her. It was just a gentle kiss on her forehead and he realized that he probably shouldn't have done that when her eyes flicked open in shock. He was trying to comfort her. Trying to tell her that he would be there for her but all he could think of doing was rocking her gently in his arms and giving her that kiss.
He couldn't even apologize because he wasn't sorry for kissing her. He wanted to kiss her for so long.
Her eyes were full of shock. She wrinkled her black nose and he was sure that she was going to yell at him and call him a pervert or something but she didn't. She just looked at him with those big eyes as if she was trying to understand why he had kissed her. They almost sparkled.
"I keep pushing you away and yet you are still are trying," she whispered as she went back to resting her head on his shoulder. She wasn't looking at him anymore. Her shaking was getting a little worse than before. He held her tighter but was careful not to hurt her.
"I am not like the other men that you encountered in your life," he said as he stood and started to carry her to his room. He would get her dressed in there. He was very aware of how naked she was underneath the robe and he felt the desire for her but the concern over her wounds overwhelmed the desire. He, after all, couldn't help his male side.
She grunted and that was when her tail wrapped around his arm. He nearly dropped her but quickly regained control of himself as he laid her on the bed. She let him go slowly. "I will get you some of Pan's clothes to put you in."
She grunted.
He threw his wet clothes in the bathroom and had changed quickly and just grabbed whatever was lying around in Pan's room.
They didn't talk as she struggled to get dressed. He was trying to be so careful not to touch the ki burns that were darkening on her. He never had burns such at that, but he was pretty sure that it hurt. He was also trying to avert his eyes from her body. It was hard, but he didn't want to think that he was gawking at her, even though he was.
"Raymond will be coming soon," he said as he wrapped the robe around her again. She was still shaking. He ran his fingers through her hair trying to calm her wild hair.
"Uh, huh," she said. Her eyes were barely open.
He just about left, but changed his mind. He was going to go downstairs and wait for Raymond but he didn't want to leave her. He sat beside her and propped the pillow behind him. He just wanted to be there, in case the pain increased. Her burns were darkening. He didn't think that she would use him as a pillow and nuzzle close to him, or that her tail would wrap around on his legs as he sat there. He gave her a kiss again. She didn't look at his shocked or otherwise, but made a slight purring sound before sleep took her and it was only five minutes before he found himself asleep. He didn't think he was out long when he heard his brother calling his name.
A tender moment that he couldn't tell anyone about. Not that anyone would believe that Soyna had let him kiss her to begin with, but how she was usually so harsh to him every other time that they were together, but she wasn't as harsh as she was in the past.
"Here," his little nephew gave him a glass of water, which he gratefully took and swallowed painfully down. "What did you do to piss off Vegeta?"
"Does it ever take much," he croaked.
Fry nodded his head and walked away.
He could hear Soyna in his room. "I am FINE!"
"FINE!" Vegeta snapped at her. He dared to peak in. "You nearly destroyed yourself!"
She was sitting up in the bed and rubbing cream on her hands. "I am fine!"
"What good will it do if you are dead!" he snapped at her.
"I know my limits!" She snapped at him. "I needed to know how far I could go! I know!"
They glared at each other.
Her eyes flicked towards him and Vegeta saw it. Goten never thought that he could be so scared of Vegeta. "You are not staying here," he said and turned back to Soyna. "I am taking you home. Now."
She didn't protest.
He was sort of sad to see her go. He watched as Vegeta carried her out and he purposely avoided his gaze. He looked at Soyna. She didn't say anything but he knew what she wanted. He didn't think he could do that.
After Gohan and Raymond had left the room and after the sedative just about took over again he went to comfort her for she had such a troubled look on her face.
She didn't push him away as he helped her under the covers again, but what she had said disturbed him so much.
He just could not look the other way anymore. He couldn't help for how he was starting to feel about her, even though the feelings were quite confusing for him. He couldn't help the dreams that would haunt him that involved her. He just could not stop thinking about her and yet she wanted him too. Saying it would be better for everyone. No one would get hurt if he kept his distance. He could hear the conflict in her own voice. He told her that he would look after her. She shook her head and said that she didn't want him too. She could take care of herself. Her voice had sounded a little angry. He told her right back that he didn't think that she was not capable, but that he just wanted too. He told her that he dreamed about her all the time and just couldn't imagine life without her anymore.
She gave him a confused look and then the needle that Raymond had given her took full hold and she was asleep at last.
He wanted to talk some sense into her, but with Vegeta nearly causing his throat to collapse he would doubt that he would get much chance to talk to her after this. He had to try but he doubted that she would even want to see him.
............
"Three weeks to the tournament and you pull this stupid stunt," Vegeta growled at Soyna who was not really listening to him as she was slowly applying some more of the noxious smelling cream on her legs. She had her back to him and hardly spoken a word to him since he had brought her home.
Legen had given her a worried hug and asked her where she had been. She lied to him by telling him that she was just out testing herself to make sure that she was strong enough to protect him. Vegeta was sure that Legen knew that it was a lie. He was pretty sure that Legen saw right through that, Benot seemed happy with the explanation and then went into a chorus of what was she going to cook for supper. She managed to even hide the burns from them from now as they disappeared to go to their regular routine of trouble making.
"You are not strong enough to get the level that you are looking for!" he said. "You do not have enough Saiyian blood!"
She looked at him with a glare. "I was able to reach it before and one day, I will reach it again!" Then she turned back to her burns.
He did not want to talk to her anymore. She was being irrational. She didn't know her own limits! He knew her limits better than anyone. He had stopped her many a time from trying to get to that 'next' level, knowing that she would just destroy herself in the process. She was strong, but she was not that strong.
............
Goten sighed and rubbed his throat. Not only did it hurt from the punch that Vegeta gave him, but the old scratch was starting to burn again. He knew that was because he was tired. It wasn't like he slept much last night at all. He had moved to the couch, but every sound that he heard he worried about Soyna. Couldn't get her out of his head and it was driving him nuts.
He wanted to go work off the tension but no one was around to spar with.
He had heard Trunks a little while ago, but he was wrapped up in Pan and he was sure that Pan was wrapped up in him and didn't want to disturb them. He was sure Fry or Gohan would interfere sooner or later in that department.
He went out into the yard and meant to do some training by himself.
He saw his mom sitting by the garden.
"You look terrible son," she said as she saw him.
"Thanks," he mumbled. She looked like she was feeding the fish in the pond who were jumping up for the little pellets of food that she was feeding them.
"That Soyna is really getting to you, huh?" she said.
He bit his lip and looked into the water. She had no idea by how much.
"Don't give up on her," Chi-Chi said as she patted his shoulder. "Sometimes it is hard for us to get though to someone with Saiyian blood, especially when she gets her genes from Vegeta."
He looked at her. Was she trying to cheer him up?
"Soyna is a good woman who just had a lot of bad things happen to her, so just give her time," Chi-Chi said as she threw another handful of pellets onto the water.
"How much time?" Goten asked. "She always talks as if the tournament is going to be the end of everything."
Chi-Chi sighed. "They usually are," her voice was thick with sadness, "and when things end, things begin all anew." She gave a smile. "I got you out of one of the tournaments your father entered. The Cell game. I was never closer to your father than I was that week." Her eyes glazed over as if she were remember the fondest moment of her life.
Goten sighed and nodded. "So you think she will be more open after the tournament?"
"Surely," Chi-Chi said. "She will have gotten rid of the person that caused her the most pain. She will have room to let you in."
That made him feel a bit better. Krad just had to stop haunting her and then she could get on with her life here and he could make himself part of that.
"But I don't know if Benot will like that," Chi-Chi said. "He really doesn't like you."
Benot.
"I am sure that we can work something out," he said. He wasn't too sure about that. "Thanks mom. I feel a lot better now."
She smiled brightly at him. "Any time."
After the tournament. After Krad was no longer an issue in any one lives anymore, he would be able to get closer to her. I made sense. He would get ready for that tournament and he would make sure that Krad, was not going to be a problem.
............
"What?"
Pan bit her lip.
"But I thought..." Trunks whispered. "Weren't you..."
She nodded.
"How...?"
"You know how!" She snapped.
He looked down at the box that was in his jacket pocket. This was not how he wanted to give it to her but it was as good a time as any. He pulled the box out and handed it to her without another word.
"What is it?" She said, her eyes growing wide at the sight of the box.
He just nudged it a bit closer. "I bought it yesterday."
She took it from his hand and opened it. He loved how her eyes grew wide.
"I meant that I will never find a more perfect woman for me," he said. "I was going to ask you sooner, but your brother sabotaged that attempt."
She took it out of the box and admired the ring and slipped it on her finger. He was very happy to see that it fit.
"So? Will you?" he said.
"Duh! Of course that I will!" She said and threw his arms around him and gave him a big kiss. He held her close.
"We can get married right away," he said, "and then we can get our own place where it can just be you and me. Well, for a little while anyway."
"Yes. After the tournament," she said.
"What?" He looked her as if she were crazy. "You can't be thinking of fighting in it in your condition!"
"Why the hell not?" she said.
"Well, you can hurt the baby."
"This kid is your and mine. It will be strong enough to handle a tournament full of weaklings," she said.
"But..."
"I AM fighting in the tournament. I trained to hard not too," she said.
"But..."
"If I have to fight Soyna, I will concede the tournament. She is, after all, my only really opponent and she wouldn't really hurt me anyway." Pan said.
He looked at the determined look on her face. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to change her mind, as much as he knew that he would be arguing with her until the tournament. She would get her way. It seemed that way in his family. Why did he have to fall in love with such a head strong woman?
............
"Two weeks," Goten mumbled. He hadn't seen Soyna in that length of time. He had tried too, but she was always doing something with her boys now. Taking them to the circus, or to the park, or just being with them. Vegeta seemed grumpy that she was not practicing enough.
He spent a lot of time with Junior who seemed happy that his sister was now spending a lot more time with her boys and was not training so hard. He mentioned that he was concerned over the burns that she had on her hands and legs but Raymond assured him that she was going to be okay. He didn't know about how he stopped her from powering up to an impossible level. He was sure that they would not be friends anymore if he knew about it.
Then he saw her with Benot on her back, and holding onto Legen's hand as they walked into the house. They were all wearing hiking clothes, they must have gone for a walk in the mountains.
She looked so stunning. At first, he didn't know what was different about her, but then he realized what it was. Her hair. She had cut it. It was now only reaching to her chin, a little longer in the back, but much shorter than her waist length hair that she had before. It looked good, but then, he doubted that much would look not good on her.
She gave him a look and walked past him with a half asleep Benot and an excited looking Legen.
Junior saw how he was looking at his sister.
He couldn't help it.
Junior had to slap him to get his attention back.
"What?" he said and rubbed his cheek.
"You are supposed to be concentrating on this assignment, not my sister!" He growled. "Next week, we won't have any homework to deal with but we have to get this done."
"Sorry," he said. But, how could he not think of her? After the tournament. Just one more week. They would all be ready for Krad and then, he could act on the feelings he had for her and hopefully, she would not be so brash with him.
...........
There we go... the next chapter...
Tournament is next... I promise... anyway... Enjoy. Review.... And I will get the next chapter up as soon as I possibly can.
Soyna