A/N: I apologize for the long wait. I had to study for a state exam for my nursing license so I put my writing on hold until after I took the exam. (Which I passed by the way :D) Anyways, thank you for your patience and reviews! Here is the next chapter, enjoy ;)

:*: Halloween Kiss :*:

The city of Nagoya was growing cooler as the days slipped further into the autumn season. The winds blew colder, and with more force as the still summer-dressed students chattered their teeth back to their dorms after a long day of school.

Pan followed Bra, Marron, Takashi, and Ryo back to the dormitory as they discussed their plans for Saturday night.

"Come on Pan, it's Halloween! At least stay for an hour?" Bra pleaded as her stubborn friend adamantly shook her head from side to side.

"Bra, I'm five months pregnant. Why the hell would I want to be at a party?" She continued before Bra could answer. "I'm huge, can't hide it anymore. I'm perfectly happy sitting at home watching TV. Don't feel bad, I'm not completely alone." She rubbed her stomach to point out her company.

"I can't believe he's already five months along." Marron admired her protruding belly, unaware that she had subconsciously gripped Takashi's hand tighter. "Just think, less than two months and Trunks will be back."

'35 days.' Pan reminded herself, still counting down. 'And 27 days until I have to face my family for Thanksgiving...' That reminder was hard to swallow.

xXxXxXx

Bra's blue orbs danced around the restaurant, frequently returning to the large red clock planted on the wall amongst vintage décor. Her shift was over at eight o'clock, giving her just enough time to head home, shower, and prepare for a local Halloween party Renji and Goten had invited them to.

Things between her and Goten had slowly returned to normal, if that's the term one would label their relationship as. They didn't talk it out. They just treated each other more civilly the few times they crossed paths.

With one minute left on the clock, Bra headed to the back to grab her bag and clock out.

"Briefs!" An overwhelmed voice sounded through the clashing of dishes and the restaurant rumble of ongoing conversation.

Bra's blue hair whipped around as she searched for the familiar voice. A walking stack of dishes was set down on a nearby counter with her light brunette shift-manager soon stepping out from behind it.

The female smoothed the back of her hand across her moist forehead, her stressed eyes fixating on Bra's. "Bra, I'm sorry to ask this of you but we are completely swamped and Cho called in. Is there any way you can stay over until closing?"

Her hazel eyes bore into her blue. She couldn't say no to her. She was such a sweet woman, and the two had bonded so well since she had mentored Bra the past few weeks on her waitressing position.

Nori Kato was a 23 year old former graduate from Nagoya. She was extremely timid for such a beautiful woman, or so Bra thought anyways. Her sandy brown hair was in disarray as strings of it had escaped its bun during the entirety of their past eight hours of working.

Bra adjusted her hair in its ponytail and put her manager's worries at rest after informing her that she would stay over. She sent a quick text to Marron and Ryo, then returned to the hustle and bustle of the busy restaurant as college kids and the occasional adults arrived in their sexy and humorous costumes, fueling up before their night of hard liquor and dancing.

While she eavesdropped on her tables' conversations and watched the girls come and go in their outfits, she felt bitter for having to stay at work and miss out on her plans. While ringing up at the register, she though about how often she had been on the other side of the counter, and how little she considered the duties of the employees at restaurants. It was hard work. And the fake smile they had to wear for eight hours was almost impossible with some of the rude people they had coming through. It wasn't until she saw Nori approach her from the side, exhaling a long breath ending with a small smile, that she felt good about staying.

"Thank you so much, Bra. You've only been here a few weeks but you're a natural at this customer service stuff. You're such a people person, I don't know how you do it. If it wasn't for my badge I'd be locked up in the comfort of my home, curling up with a good novel, isolated from the general public." She laughed, leaving Bra at the register while she went to bus a few tables.

Through her flushed cheeks and pain from her sore feet, Bra was able to crack a weary smile. That girl really needs to get out more.

xXxXxXx

Blocks away from the busy corner restaurant was another building alive with college kids, music, and costumes, not to mention the alcohol. Halloween was in full swing as groups of young adults gathered in the front yard and made their way to the main areas of the two story house. Complete with kegstands, beer pong, dancing and finger foods, everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Marron and Takashi were hand in hand, dressed in their themed costumes of Mario and Peach, a scantily clad Peach, of course. The three construction workers in the room, complete with a yellow hard hat, white tank, a tool belt containing beer bottles, and jeans with paint splatter, was worn by the three architect majors in the room also known as Goten, Renji, and one of their classmates.

Upon Marron's arrival with Takashi and Ryo, Goten was informed that Bra wouldn't make it since she had to work over. He found it difficult to fathom why Ryo, dressed as a fireman with a fireman hat, suspenders, and jeans, was here without her. Surely if he himself had a girlfriend, he wouldn't be at a halloween party without her. What was the point? Halloween was one of the biggest hookup nights of the year. Throw in some trashy costumes and these functions have sex party written all over them.

He couldn't help his drifting eyes leering to the opposite end of the room, watching Ryo mingle with a group of girls dressed as police women.

"Goten! It's your shot, babe!" The cheer captain, Tundra, bounced as she grasped his arm, pulling his attention back towards the beer pong game at hand. Their opponents, Peach and Mario, awaited his shot.

Marron found it funny that Tundra had started treating her more nicely once she found out that she was dating Takashi. She would even talk to her after practice and at games occasionally, mostly about Goten, of course. She could tell Goten wasn't into her, so she never bothered to bring up Tundra's growing interest, or obsession rather.

"Missed!" Marron cheered as both of Goten's shots bounced off the table. His shot usually got better the more he drank. At this point he should have been the reigning champ by now, but he was distracted. By what? She didn't know.

Another quick glance across the room after his missed shot sparked a fire inside of him. "Renji." He called his friend from nearby, turning his attention away from a nurse. "Cover for me, will ya?"

"Wait, Goten, where are you going?" Tundra pouted.

"I'll be back." He answered over his shoulder as he headed towards a group of women taking pictures around a fireman, posing with kisses on his cheek and what not.

Ryo was laughing too hard to notice the pissed off construction worker in front of him, interrupting the photo op with the party goers. It wasn't until he was pulled up by his suspender strap that he noticed the male.

"You. Me. Outside. Now." It wasn't a question, nor was it a choice since he was being dragged through the crowd to the backyard. Luckily, the yard was empty by now since it was too cold for people to be outside. "Did I miss something? Don't you have a girlfriend?"

Ryo's vision took a moment to adjust on the person in front of him. "She's not here, sh-she had to work-"

"I know that, dumbass. She's at work and you're here fucking around with some girls?"

"I'm not flucking around," He paused his explanation to chuckle at his miscommunicated word. "Flucking. Hahahahaha-" His laughter caught in his throat after being shoved against the stucco of the house.

"Do I look like I'm laughing?" No, he definitely did not.

Ryo swallowed hard as his hazy mind tried to conjure up what to say next. "What do you care? You hurt Bra all the time. If you ask me you're nothing but a hypocrite in a hard hat." He snickered as Goten swatted his hand away from touching his hat.

"Quit changing the subject. You're the one dating her. Bra and I are friends, friends fight." He was growing more and more annoyed with this guy.

Ryo snorted. "Ha! You two will never be friends, not with the feelings you have towards her anyways. Come on, Goten, I can see right through you. You're compensating too much on the outside for your hidden feelings. You argue with her to push her away, as if trying to force yourself to think of her as just a friend. Now my question for you is why? Why don't you just go for it?"

Goten was at a loss for words. Even completely drunk off his ass this guy managed to throw him off. "This isn't about me, this is about you in there flirting with those-"

"No, it's about you trying to make me the man you can't be for her." Ryo smirked, toying with him.

"Ryo, what the hell are you trying to accomplish here?"

"I can show you better than I can tell you..." And with that, the intoxicated Ryo went for a longshot.

xXxXxXx

"Bra, thank you again for staying. I really owe you." Nori praised as the two of them gathered their belongings to head home.

"No problem, Nori." She was wore out. Working fourteen hours straight was definitely not how she planned to spend her Halloween, but Nori made it worth it. She was so thankful, Bra couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. Peering at the clock, it was now one thirty in the morning. A mischievous thought crossed her mind. "Hey, Nori? You said you owe me, right?"

She hesitated. "Well, yes, yes of course I owe you."

"In that case, if I follow you home to drop your car off, can you come with me somewhere real quick? There's no danger, I promise." She could read the uneasiness in her eyes.

After agreeing, the two girls, still dressed in their red rompers, left Nori's apartment in Bra's red convertible and headed to a location unknown to the sandy brunette. It wasn't long before they pulled up to a street lined with cars and music in the distance.

"We're here." Bra grinned devilishly at her wide eyed coworker.

"W-where is here exactly?"

"This is the party I canceled on tonight. Come on, I want you to meet my friends." She stepped out of the car, ignoring her protests.

"But Bra," She stepped out as well, jogging to her side to keep up with her. "I don't go to parties, and I'm pretty sure we're not exactly dressed for one. You look nice, you always look nice, but look at me I'm a mess and my hair-"

"Nori, I wouldn't drag you out here if you looked awful. You're naturally beautiful, embrace it. Here." Bra reached her hand behind Nori's head and pulled out her hair tie. "Shake your hair out." She did the same, the two of them combing their fingers through to get the kinks out. "Good enough, let's go."

It was two am and the party was still alive. Best of all, people were drunk, too drunk to notice the wear and tear on the two girls after a busy shift.

Bra gripped Nori's elbow to avoid losing her in the dancing crowd. It didn't take long for her to spot Mario and Peach, making out on the sideline of the beer pong area. "Hey you two." She tapped Marron on the shoulder, giggling as she watched her red eyes open from her passionate kiss.

"Bra! You're here! Look Taki, it's Bra!" She pulled her arms away from him to throw them around Bra's neck. "And you have a twin!" She noted, observing the similarly dressed female next to her.

"This is Nori, my coworker. I dragged her out with me. Where's everyone at?"

Marron shrugged. "Goten was playing beer pong with us but Renji took over for him, not sure where they went though."

"Blue! You made it. Here, catch up." Renji came prepared with two red cups containing some kind of drink in them.

"No thanks, I'm driving. Nori, this is Renji. He's a senior at Nagoya. Renji, this is my coworker, Nori."

Nori nervously waved.

"Glad you came out. Love the uniforms by the way. Drink?" He asked Nori, extending the cup forward.

"No thanks, I... Ah, why not." The timid female took the drink with two hands and made a sour face as she sipped it.

Renji laughed. "That's hard liquor, supposed to be a shot. You don't sip, you slam."

Bra laughed as well as her eyes scanned the room for another familiar face. Her gaze shifted towards the back of the large living area as she picked up on the backyard door sliding open and closed, someone entering the house.

It was difficult to see if it was him, he was walking too fast, as if panicked. "Renji, warm her up for me, yeah?" She gave Nori's shoulders a squeeze. "I'll be right back."

She followed the path the figure took. It was difficult to decipher if it was him or not with the crowd in the way. He went out the front door. She followed suit, hesitating on the porch as he strode down the walkway to the sidewalk.

"Goten?" She called out, recognizing his gait. He was doing his angry walk. Something happened. She jogged to his side while he continued his way down the sidewalk. "Goten, stop. What happened? Are you okay?"

He did a double take until her face and voice finally processed. "Holy fuck am I glad to see you." He ended with a relieved exhale as he dropped to sit against a tree at the end of a nearby yard.

She chuckled. "If you're glad to see me, you must be pretty desperate for someone to talk to." She thought it was funny, given their recent frequency of arguments.

His face twisted in dispproval. "Don't say that. We get along fine, don't we? We're friends, we argue, it's normal. And given our situation I think we're handling it well."

She watched as he rambled, pressed his palms against his eyes, rubbed them through his hair. It wasn't until she felt his restless eyes on her that she met his charcoal with her blue. "What's up?" He asked casually. "How was work?"

"Long. How was the party?" Goten was notorious for his game of avoidance. He wouldn't talk about his problems, so getting him to confess what was on his mind would probably be impossible.

She seated herself near him, facing him while they made small talk about her long day. She thought she was boring him, but he seemed to be genuinely listening.

"Well, I've finished boring you with the details of my day. Will you tell me what's on your mind now?" She pulled on the grass, rolling it between her fingers as she expected him to change the topic like he usually does.

"It's not boring, Bra. You're a hard worker, always have been. Now you're being paid for it."

"Wow. Didn't think of it that way. Thanks, Goten. Now you're going to make me work hard for an explanation out of you?" She whined, earning a smile from him.

A smile that soon settled into a flat line. "Bra, Ryo's not right for you."

She had not expected this topic to emerge. "Ryo? Did he say something to upset you?"

Goten hesitated. "I'm not going into details... Bra, I know this isn't going to be the easiest thing to hear, and you may not believe me, but... I... I think Ryo's-"

"Heyyyy!"

Their attention was now focused on the drunk fireman approaching them. "Bra, I missed you."

Bra rose to her feet, jumping to his side as he began to lose his balance. "Ryo, are you okay? Jesus, how much did you drink tonight?"

"Too much." He coughed, gagging as if he wanted to throw up.

Normally, Goten would have assisted her in helping to stand him up, but after an incident that had occurred just minutes earlier, he didn't even want to think of touching the guy.

She was struggling. Goten swallowed his pride and staggered to them to assist as much as he could with as little contact as possible. They walked him back to the front yard and instructed him to throw up. She rubbed his back and combed her fingers through his shaggy hair, trying to soothe him as much as she could.

"Bra... Bra I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drink this much." He whined dramatically.

She couldn't help but laugh. "Ryo, it's okay. We'll get you home soon, just throw up as much as you can."

"G-Goten... I'm sorry for-"

"Shutup Ryo." Goten interrupted him, cutting him off from finishing his apology.

"But Goten, really you mean a lot to us, and you're so fucking hot, you deserve a girl like Bra."

Goten's wide eyes met with hers, both of them sharing a similar sense of shock.

"Okay, Ryo, you really drank too much tonight." She continued to rub his back. Goten didn't laugh it off like she had expected him to. He stood at more than an arm's length away, frozen as if someone had just told him his dog died. What the hell happened tonight? "Goten, can you watch him while I gather up my crew, see if they need a ride home?"

"I.. um.. Sure. Just don't be long."

The seven minutes she took felt like an eternity as the freshman laid there, passed out in the grass next to his vomit. He nudged him a few times with his foot until he groaned, just to make sure he was still alive.

Bra reemerged with Takashi, Marron, Renji, and Nori trailing behind her.

"He's still alive." Goten reassured their alarmed expressions as he knelt down with Renji to pick him up.

"I don't think we should take him back to the school like this. The dorm manager will have a fit. Can he stay at your place?" Renji asked Goten.

"What? No, I don't think that's a good idea, I mean I can't keep an eye on him-"

"I'm sure Blue would be willing to watch him."

After going back and forth, it was settled. Bra would take Marron and Takashi back to the dorm, drop Nori off, then meet with Goten back at his house to watch Ryo.

Goten threw a blanket on the ground before he and Renji lowered the sleeping boy's body onto it. With a trashcan nearby, he was all set. By the time Bra arrived, she had a sleeping area made for her on the couch with one of Goten's pillows. Oh how she loved sleeping with his pillows. As soon as her head hit it, she was out for the night. Exhaustion seemed to be an understatement for the pain she felt in her feet.

Bra had arrived and fallen to sleep during the few minutes Goten spent in the shower, trying to wash away any and all memories he had of this Halloween night. He did a final walk through of the house, locking doors and making sure all the lights were off, and peeked in to make sure Pan was asleep in Trunks' room. Finally he was able to relax in the comfort of his bed, and close his eyes, hoping that the Halloween kiss would not haunt his dreams.

A/N: Next Chapter: Thanksgiving, a joyous occasion for families to reunite and share stories over plates of food, right? Will things get dysfunctional for these former 'happy' families?