A/N: I apologize for the late update. It was pretty difficult for me to write this chapter because I wasn't sure what I wanted to happen and what I wanted to wait on, but here it is! Thank you for your reviews they warm my heart and are so encouraging! Without further ado, I bring you:

:*: Winners and Losers :*:

The first Saturday of September kicked off as Nagoya's tennis team went head to head with Karabu University. It was a little after noon and those enjoying the outdoors could not ask for better weather. The sky was painted with fluffy white clouds, sparing the sun to give the crowd its warmth. The players welcomed the cool breeze carrying over them as it hit their perspiring skin.

Like their fellow student body in the crowd, Marron, Pan, and Takashi showed their school spirit by wearing their school colors. Since Marron had various Nagoya cheer associated apparel, she loaned Pan a loose fitting dark green tee, specifically selected by Pan. She wasn't exactly showing, but was afraid that her slight bloat below her belly button would draw suspicion from those used to her trim, fit figure.

"Bra is kicking this broad's ass." Pan whispered aloud to Marron and Takashi sitting to her right.

The score was forty to zero in Bra's favor. All she needed was one more point to win the game.

Bra bounced the ball to the rear section of the court as she mentally prepared herself for, what she hoped would be, her final serve of the day.

She glanced over to the bleachers and met each of her parents eyes. She was elated to see both of them here at her first meet, and she wanted nothing but for them to watch her attain victory. Her father shot her an assuring smirk, as if to say You got this, princess.

Once she reached the back section of the court she prepped herself for her serve, pausing when she saw a familiar figure in her peripheral vision. He was standing on the side of the bleachers amongst the other spectators who were unable to fit in the stands, clad in his green football t-shirt.

He wasn't with anybody, just alone, standing with his thumbs tucked into his pockets. A wave of uneasiness hit her as her eyes briefly met with his. She was nervous now, and it was showing.

"Whoa, do you see that? She looks like she just saw a ghost." Marron pointed out, trying to peek above the surrounding heads to see who or what Bra saw.

Bulma noticed as well. She followed the direction her daughter had avoided so quickly until her eyes fell upon the youngest of the Son boys.

"Come on, Bra." Ryo clapped, trying to help her fall back into game mode.

Calm down, Bra! It's not like Goten's never watched you play sports before! Uh, why is he making me feel so nervous now? Her mental voice cried. It was as if she could feel his eyes burning into her. She bounced the ball a couple more times, trying to play it off.

"The ball's not going to serve itself!" Karabu University spectators chuckled at her.

"Bra." Ryo called from the sideline, his concern for her growing. "It's okay, just breathe... Pretend it's only me and you practicing out here."

She took a moment to draw in a deep breath. One more serve... I can do this... Exhale. Serve.

It wasn't long before the broad shouldered opponent missed the ball. Nagoya fans applauded while Bra's fans jumped to their feet cheering for her.

Bra felt the weight lift from her chest after finally winning her match. In the stands she could see her parents giving her a standing ovation, and a few steps above them were her friends shouting and whistling for her, and standing beside the bleachers was... nobody. He was gone.

She wondered if he had stuck around long enough to see her win. Before she knew it, she was swept off her feet by the man who helped her through it.

"See! I knew you could do it!" Ryo spun her around and released her, laughing when she had trouble regaining her balance.

"Thanks, Ryo. Now it's your turn mister hot shot."

The crowd gradually silenced as the final opponents took the court.

"Our final match brings Nagoya's Ryo Shima and Karabu's Jin Matsumoto to the court!"

From behind, Pan and Marron could hear the whispering begin.

"There he is."

"Old Shima in the flesh. I'm surprised this university allowed him to play after he walked out of the Tokyo tournament last year."

"Shya. What a mistake that was. He tries to come back we'll show him what Tokyo's really about."

Pan and Marron stared at each other with widened eyes. They both knew that now was not the time or place to discuss it, so they made a telepathic note to discuss it later.

Once Ryo stepped foot on the court, he held such a serious air about him. His stern eyes followed his opponent as they each set themselves in their respective positions. He didn't take tennis lightly, that was certain and his performance proved it. It wasn't long before the match was set in his favor, bringing another victory for Nagoya.

Jin was left dumbfounded on the court while Ryo's teammates surrounded him, congratulating him for such a flawless victory.

"Well, that answers that." Pan and Marron eavesdropped once again on the mysterious conversation behind them.

"Yup, the guy's still got it. Good. He'll be a fun competitor to beat then. Let's go."

The two males headed down the bleachers, both of them wearing matching shirts.

"Tokyo University? You know, they have a lot of nerve coming to a game totally irrelevant to them while wearing their team shirts." Marron scowled at the back of their heads.

"Marron..." Pan observed as the males slowed their walk once they reached ground level, both of them making eye contact with Ryo. Ryo shot them a cocky smirk, challenging them. "I think they came here to make a point."

Instead of attending their team's celebratory lunch, Ryo and Bra tagged along with Marron, Pan, and Takashi to Ban's Bistro.

"You guys were amazing! Bra I did not know you liked tennis that much!" Marron was still astonished by the performances she witnessed earlier.

"Well I wasn't great when I first started. Thanks to my private coach here he whipped me into shape." She nudged Ryo.

"Ryo, I'm pretty sure you know this already but you are really good. You made your opponent look like an amateur. How long have you been playing?" Pan thought she would attempt to ease into the mysterious conversation she and Marron had eavesdropped in on earlier.

"Since I was around five. So about thirteen years."

"Surely you made it to the Tokyo tournament, right?" Marron inquired, not having been to one herself.

"Yeah, once I met the eligible age requirement I went annually." He tried to sound modest about it, but the awed expressions he saw weren't buying it.

"What did you place?" Bra asked, this being the first she's heard of this.

"In my early years usually third or fourth. Then my father and I kept practicing non stop. Once I hit fourteen I was unbeatable."

"We heard someone mention that you walked out of the tournament last year. Is that true?" Pan chimed in again.

Ryo took a bite of his food, secretly wondering where they had heard this from. He figured it would come up eventually since Bra was now in the tennis realm, but didn't expect it from Pan or Marron. "Yeah. Last year actually."

"Well, why?"

The smile he wore moments before relaxed into a flat line. "We all have our secrets, don't we?" It was a declarative statement, not a question.

Pan was no stranger to secrets being in her current condition. She subconsciously shifted in her seat and continued to eat, as did the others.

xXxXxXx

Bra couldn't get it our of her head. What was Ryo hiding from her? It was hard to believe that they had only known each other for three weeks. They had bonded so much, she couldn't imagine what dark secret he was hiding, if there was one. Marron and Pan filled her in on the details they had overheard earlier as they all tried to piece together what it could possibly be.

"All we have is Tokyo's tennis team, tournament walk out, and unbeatable guy. My brain is going to melt out of my ear if we keep coming up with more ridiculous theories. I've got to meet up with the cheer squad before the big game tonight, I'll see you girls there." She adjusted the white and green bow in her hair as she smoothed her hands over her cheer uniform.

"Good luck, Marron. Don't fall!" Pan jinxed her.

"Pan!" She hated when she did that. There was one time in high school she actually did fall during a pyramid, and to this day she blames Pan.

Before they left to watch the first football game of the season, Ryo met up with Bra and Pan to paint each other for the event.

Once the suggestion for belly painting came up, Pan immediately looked hesitant and Bra caught on. "Ryo you go shirtless, Pan and I will do the chest."

After cutting up a couple of old shirts, Bra manifested a sexy, yet belly-conservative solution. On their chests they each had a painted on Japanese character. Ryo had "Na", Bra had "Go", and Pan had "Ya". They had to be sure to stand in the right order to avoid any confusion from passersby. On their cheeks they donned dark green lines under their eyes. On her arm, Pan asked Bra to write "#11", Goten's jersey number.

"How are you and Goten?" Pan asked, unsure as to why Bra was being rather stubborn on forgiving him.

Bra shrugged. "It's complicated."

"How? He said some mean things, he apologized though right?"

After finishing the eleven on Pan's arm, Bra raised her eyes to meet with Pan's. "Pan, it's more than that. Like I said, it's complicated and I don't want to get into it right now."

For the sake of not ruining everyone's current mood, Pan dropped the topic, for now.

Upon arrival to the stadium, the stands on both the visitor and home side were packed. One side was decked out in light blue and white while the opposite side had green and white. Ryo, Bra, and Pan, maintaining their correct order for the characters on their chests, found a spot in the center of the stands above the cheerleaders.

Being amongst the competitive crowd was such an adrenaline rush for everyone there. When a ball was intercepted, everyone was either cheering or swearing their heads off. When a touchdown was made, people were jumping in celebration and singing.

"Damn, what the hell is up with our quarterback? If this guy plays like this the entire season we're done!" A nearby spectator ranted, probably somebody's parent from the looks of it.

Pan frowned. Goten was struggling out there on the field, she could tell not only from his playing but from his disappointed reactions to his mistakes.

The score was 33-39 in Karabu's favor with less than two minutes left of the game.

Ryo, Bra, and Pan, along with the hundreds of spectators, watched on nervously as the team had their final huddle. They needed a touchdown to win, and what a miracle that would be seeing as how they were starting off on the other end of the field.

"You can do it, Goten!" Bra yelled with her hands cupped around her mouth, startling both Pan and Ryo.

The quarterback himself, recognizing that voice, turned away from the huddle to see a couple waving arms in the stands behind him. The three familiar faces waved wildly to attract his attention.

It threw him off to see her red lips cheering and smiling for him. She made it pretty clear she had hated him just yesterday, now she was cheering him on.

Ultimately, Bra felt bad. Goten had a big weight on his shoulders tonight. Everybody always looks at the quarterback to bring the team to victory, and she felt like she had something to do with his lacking performance tonight. If all she could do right now was cheer on an old friend, then so be it. Regardless of their situation, it doesn't erase their past and the countless times he was there for her and forgave her for her mistakes.

Something in her voice seemed to kick a gear in his despairing mentality. He turned back to his huddle with determination in his eyes. "Touji, hike the ball to me, Renji run along the left of the field I'm passing it to you. Run it down as far as you can and pass it when you need to. Everyone else run like hell to the goalpost and watch for Renji, we're getting it in, fuckers. I don't care who makes the touchdown, just get it in."

"That's what she said, brotha." Renji agreed as he put his hand into the huddle. "1,2,3, DOMINATE!"

Bra gripped the hands beside her as the hundreds of viewers observed the final seconds of the game. Goten threw the ball to Renji who was now running it down the field.

"Damn, Renji's fast." Ryo noted, the other two nodded in agreement. As soon as it looked like Renji was about to be tackled, he threw the ball to number eleven, who continued with the run.

"Holy shit, Goten's going to make a touchdown!" Pan felt the anxiety inside her flowing over.

He was fifty yards away with Karabu players hot on his tail."He can still make it. Wait, what's he doing?"

Despite being so close to the end zone, Goten threw the ball to number 23.

"And that's the game, folks! Nagoya wins, 40-39!"

"Takashi made the touchdown!" Ryo cheered for his roommate. The crowd sang in celebration as the players and cheerleaders rejoiced on the field.

"Gooooteennnn!" Marron, followed by the rest of the squad, jumped onto him to congratulate him. "You did it! You're a genius, great play! I kn-" Marron was bumped away by the upperclassmen of the squad.

"Goten, you continue to amaze me. I don't think Trunks would have been able to run a play like that." One of the junior cheerleaders embraced him.

She was tall, tan skin, and long wavy brown hair. God must have typed "perfect" into the DNA machine when he made her. Marron backed off as people continued to crowd around him. It wasn't long until she found her girls with Ryo congratulating Takashi.

"You made the winning touchdown on your first game, that's a big deal Takashi!" Pan exclaimed.

"Goten could have made it, I don't know why he threw it to me..."

Ryo rolled his eyes. "Be a cocky bastard like the rest of them and take credit for winning the game!" They both laughed.

"Where's Goten?" Pan asked, her and Bra looking around.

"See that blob of people? He's in there somewhere, probably with Tundra all over him." Marron answered bitterly.

"Tundra?" Bra and Pan asked in unison.

"Junior cheerleader. Body of a goddess. Co-captain of the squad. Tundra."

They all looked at the huddle of people Marron was scowling at when Goten wiggled his way out from the middle holding his helmet in one hand and wiping the sweat from his hair with the other. He looked around, searching for someone or something.

"Hey!" He spotted them, trying to avoid anybody else trying to snag his attention. "Great run, Takashi, I knew you wouldn't let us down." He patted the freshman player on the shoulder.

"Thanks, but really I didn't even have to run very far and it was a simple catch-"

"Here are the show stealers of the night!" Renji threw an arm over each of them.

At Ryo's request, the group took a cluster of pictures together taken by a stranger walking by. Bra made a mental note to send them to her brother.

"Great, now if we're done with the photo shoot let's go celebrate." Goten announced.

Despite their sweaty, dirty appearances, all members of the football team and cheer squad mobbed to Renji's after party in full uniform, still hyped up from their victory. Bra, with her freshman gang in tow, carpooled with Pan to the party since she obviously had to remain the designated driver.

Being the sober one, Pan was able to observe as the guests grew more and more inebriated from whatever it was they were drinking. She tried not to look bored, but let's face it, when you're the sober one at a college party the only thing that would keep you from drinking is pregnancy.

After learning that Pan was related to the quarterback and dating the former quarterback, the upperclassmen were hounding her to drink with them. Few people were buying the sober driver line.

"You can crash here!" One told her, forcing a shot into her hand.

She looked around helplessly, looking for Bra, Ryo, Marron, anybody to save her. "Whoops, hang on I'm getting a call." She shouted above the music, reaching into her back pocket for her vibrating phone. "Trunks." She answered with a heavy sigh of relief.

xXxXxXx

It was Saturday morning in the states when Trunks roused from his sleep. He had been away from home for a little over three months and, although he wouldn't admit it, he was homesick.

The business they were interning with had taken a deep liking to him. He was charismatic, charming, modest, and business savvy, what was there not to like? The head of the marketing department had taken a particular interest in him.

Rachel Cunnings was a dominant, independent, and not to mention beautiful, employee of Henway Intl. She was in her mid forties, but could easily pass for her early thirties. By viewing her revealed calfs and the shape of her petite body in her business suit, one could tell she kept herself fit. Her brown hair was always clipped back behind her head, while her Prada frame glasses adorned her tanned face.

After seeing how Trunks picked up on the policies and strategies of the marketing department so quickly, Rachel took him under her wing. She was dazzled by his presentations, his ideas, and his mesmerizing appearance.

Trunks did enjoy working with her. She taught him useful things like how to read body language during presentations, and she kept their relationship professional, for now that is.

Now it was about 8:30 in the morning, and he was awake, unlike his roommate Kaien, snoring away happily after their night out. Trunks turned on his cell from his nightstand and read the messages he had missed while it was off. One came from his sister just a couple hours ago. It was a picture of her, Marron, Pan, Goten, and Renji with two faces he didn't recognize. He was relieved to see that his old team had won their debut game, but wasn't too pleased with the unfamiliar male standing with Pan. He was embracing her from behind, both of them laughing in the shot.

Pan wouldn't cheat on him, he knew that. But he also knew how his first year of college was. Parties, sex, and looking for someone of the opposite sex to relate to. What if this guy was there for her when he couldn't be and she falls for him? How long would it be before he got that dreaded phone call breaking things off with him?

Trunks ran his palms down his face. 'You dumbass. You're reading way too much into that damn picture.'

He was about to send a congratulatory message to Goten, but Trunks couldn't help but feel like his best friend was ignoring him. Over the past couple months he texted him, called him, but still Goten hasn't responded. He hadn't the slightest idea why he was giving him the cold shoulder.

Since it was almost 9 am, that meant it was almost one am in Japan. Assuming they were out celebrating victory, Trunks decided to call Pan anyways. It felt as if he hadn't heard her voice in forever, and he'd probably feel that way for the next three months until he was home again.

"Trunks!" She shouted above the music and voices in the background. It took her a moment to step outside into silence. She caught him up with the details of the football game and Goten's desperate move for victory.

"My sister sent me a picture of you guys' after the game. Who's the guy squeezing you?" He tried to sound casual, but that was no run of the mill question to ask your girlfriend.

"My dear, Trunks, are you having a moment of insecurity?" She teased him playfully.

He laughed. "Always, babe. I'm on the other side of the earth, I worry about you. Your life isn't exactly ideal, I have to make sure somebody's there to make you happy, even if it is another guy."

She pouted her lip, instantly feeling bad for teasing him. She told him she couldn't play water polo this season due to a kidney injury, her mom was undergoing chemotherapy, and the most unideal part that he didn't know about was her three month pregnancy. "Trunks, you are so sweet... That guy in the picture is a freshman too. I'm pretty sure he has the hots for your sister, they both play tennis together. He's really nice, but don't worry he's not flirty with me or anything like that."

"Pan, is everything okay?"

She turned around to see Goten quietly closing the door behind him, probably trying not to draw the crowd outside.

"Yeah, I'm talking to Trunks."

Goten had to make sure it wasn't an emergency phone call from his brother.

"Sorry, that was Goten."

"How is he? He's been ignoring me for a while now. Did I do something?"

Out of twisted humor, Pan wanted to laugh at that question. You just knocked me up the day before you left for six months to the other side of the planet. No biggy. She knew Goten was upset with him, but didn't know that he was full out ignoring him.

"Not that I know of. I'll talk to him though..."

xXxXxXx

"Oh hey, Tundra's looking for you." Renji winked as Goten returned to the party from outside.

Goten rolled his eyes. "She's been on my jock all fucking night, man, distract her for me or something!" Goten and Renji isolated themselves in the kitchen, downing another shot.

"Oy, Takashi, you alright?" Renji asked as the freshman player leaned against the counter.

"Yeah..."

"You look like you're about to hurl." Goten poured the kid a shot, but held onto it.

"No, I'm fine. It's just... Goten, I like somebody, but she's really outgoing and I'm... I'm not..."

Goten chuckled, surprised by Takashi's shy confession. "Sometimes opposites attract. Do I know her?"

"There you guys are! Takashi you disappeared after we won our game." Marron pouted her lip at him. They had won a game of beer pong against Bra and Ryo. She had a hunch that she had embarrassed him after doing a brief victory dance against him.

"Oh, sorry, I just..."

"We're having a man chat, blondie, beat it." Renji mockingly scolded her, throwing an arm around Takashi.

"Well while you three are in here talking about men, Renji is it cool if I put my music on your dock? The ladies are ready to dance." She said with a spin.

"Knock yourself out, blondie." After she skipped out of the room, Takashi exhaled.

"See? We're so different..."

Goten and Renji's eyes widened. "You like Marron?"

He looked confused. "Well... Yeah, I guess... Is that bad?"

Goten pursed his lips in thought. "No, that's great actually. She's really outgoing and loves to have fun, I think she'll be good for you. You balance each other out. Here. Take this shot, a couple more maybe. That should stop your nervous trembling."

Once the boys stepped back into the large living room, all they could see were bodies grinding, dropping, and swaying to the music. Marron's music had definitely done the job.

The boys made their way to the center of the crowd where they found the carefree Marron dancing freely with whoever was around her, and Bra and Ryo dancing intimately together.

Goten looked away from them, wondering if he should cut in or just let them be.

In the midst of his contemplation, an old school song came on, one that initiated the infamous dance battles. The crowd formed a circle in the center as one of the guys kicked it off, performing a series of fancy footwork and body popping to the beat. The audience cheered along as each opponent went until finally Renji nudged Goten. Goten started off with the usual crowd pleaser, making the people laugh as he mocked the previous dancer, then slid into his more intricate work.

Dancing was more of a recreational hobby for Goten that he had picked up in junior high. He didn't think he was talented at it but others disagreed. As long as he made people laugh that's all he cared about. The crowd roared in applause as they announced him the winner. He looked around, searching for her blue hair, but she was gone, and so was Ryo.

"Goten, I didn't know you could dance-"

"Not now, Tundra." He politely removed her hands from him as he shouldered his way out of the crowd.

Before hitting the front door, he saw a pair of legs dangling from the counter in the kitchen. He popped his head in to see Pan drinking from a red cup. "Pan, what're you drinking?"

She held a finger to her lips."It's water, relax ranger." She was hiding from the party guests, trying to lay low until her passengers were ready to leave.

"Sorry. Have you seen Bra?"

"Yeah, she's on the porch where I was earlier." She probably should have told him that Ryo was with her, but he'd find out soon enough.

After quietly creaking the front door open, his eyes laid witness to an event that formed a knot in his throat, stopping him in his tracks.

Bra and Ryo's first kiss.

A/N: Sorry if there are any spelling or grammatical errors, I tried to proofread it the best I could. Going to head to bed for work in the morning. Thanks for reading and if you have the time, reviews are always welcome :)