A/N: SetoSerenity fan, THE NERD KID ON THE BLOCK, lavenblue, rileyraph'sgirl, famoso, Lovey, and Morisako83 thank you for your reviews :D Please don't think of me as an evil person for the next few chapters haha. Everything will unwind as it should. Thank you so much!
:*: Fugue :*:
"Goten... Bra... Goten... Goten, wake up."
He could barely hear the voices. He felt the pressure on his shoulder, nudging him to come to. Finally, his consciousness surfaced, his eyes opened.
Renji, Nori, Marron, and Takashi were circled above him, faces etched in concern as their eyes exhibited relief to his awakening.
"Goten, are you okay? It's two in the afternoon, you two have been out since before the countdown." Renji began.
Goten's eyes confusedly circled his surroundings.
He was laying on his back.
On someone's bedroom carpet with a banket over him.
What day is it? Someone was next to him. It was...
"Goten, we can't get Bra to wake up."
Still disoriented, Goten sprang into an upright position, his head becoming lightheaded from the sudden transition.
The others could tell he was dazed, yet he continued to examine the body laying next to him. "Bra, Bra!" He felt for a pulse, slightly relieved to feel beating underneath his fingertips. "How... How long has she been out for? What day is it? Where are we?"
Renji looked at the others with equally troubled eyes, then back to Goten. "It's January 1st. You're in my room. Our New Years party was last night, do you remember that?"
He heard Renji's responses, but now was not the time to dwell on them, he thought to himself. "How long has she been out for?" He repeated.
Renji thought for a moment until Marron answered for him. "You guys disappeared before the countdown. That Mattis girl was waiting outside the back bathroom while you and Bra were inside. She said you guys were okay, you were just helping Bra throw up. She also said you insisted that nobody go inside..."
Goten grew frustrated. He didn't remember any of this. The last thing he remembered was beer pong, then seeing Bra...
"Renji, go start the truck." He instructed as he scooped Bra's limp body into his arms.
Renji stood with the others, but didn't follow orders. "Goten, let's just wait it out. It took us hours to get you to wake up. Maybe she'll come around soon. Besides, she's underaged. We could get into a lot of trouble if-"
Goten stood to his feet with her body resting in his arms. "If what? If they find out an underaged college student was drinking? How about an underaged college girl dying from God knows what because her friends waited it out?" Goten shoved past him, heading to the driveway. Renji followed suit, gesturing for the others to stay. In the backseat of Renji's truck, Goten couldn't take his eyes off of her.
His skin grew pale as he remembered a very cautious Nori approaching him before the party.
"Be cautious of Tundra and Bra tonight..."
That was her warning. He suddenly wished Nori had come along for the car ride so he could ask her more about her grave warning.
Renji assisted Goten with Bra's body as he climbed down from the truck. Marron had suggested calling an ambulance, but that would definitely put Renji's household in danger of the law for illegal alcohol activity with minors.
Goten swiftly made his way into the emergency room, urging Renji to go home. After a brief debate, he did as told.
It didn't take long for the ER nurses to respond to a limp body being carried through the double doors. A bed was quickly made available where Goten was able to lay her down and explain the situation.
"We were at a New Years Party. We were drinking, then that's all I remember. My friends shook me awake at two pm today, then we tried to wake her up and..." He couldn't fight the knot in his throat to finish his sentence.
"Do you know about how long she has been passed out for?" The nurse asked while assessing Bra's vital signs.
Goten's memory was so hazy, nothing made sense. "No... I barely remember what happened. It was before the countdown at midnight."
The nurse's eyes reflected interest in his response. "Oh my. May I ask you to fill out this form with her information to the best of your knowledge? And please fill out another one for yourself so that we may test you as well."
"Test me?"Goten wasn't sure what she had meant by that, but brushed it off. "No, I'm okay. Just take care of her." The nurse insisted, but he refused to her her out. "I'm awake, I'm walking and talking, I'm fine. Just take care of her."
A second nurse led him to a chair outside the room to fill out the paperwork while the staff proceeded with a more thorough assessment of Bra. The paperwork kept his mind busy for the few minutes it took him to answer anything he knew about her. Name, birthday, address, simple enough. When it came to emergency contact, he hesitated. Surely they would call whomever he listed in the box. He listed a name, then stepped outside to make a call of his own.
xXxXxXx
"Mom, Dad, thank you so much for waiting on us hand and foot this past week." Pan embraced each of her parent's outside their home while Trunks loaded their duffle bags into the backseat of his truck.
"No, no, don't think anything of it. I love babying my baby whenever she comes back home." Videl gave her another squeeze. "And Trunks too."
He smiled coyly as he approached their huddle at the sidewalk.
"Keep in touch you two. Don't be strangers." Gohan reminded them.
Trunks shook his hand in farewell and gave Videl a friendly hug.
The proud parents watched him help their one and only daughter into his truck, then make his way to the driver side.
"Happy anniversary!" Videl called after them one last time.
Our first anniversary. It was hard to believe that one year ago Trunks made his public proposal on asking me to be his girlfriend. And here I am, six months pregnant with our son. My mother's preparing for her surgery in just under three months, and Trunks' mother hates me. So much is changing in such little time. But here he is, standing by me no matter what with that goofy smile on his face.
"What're you looking at?" He grinned at her, taking her hand in his as he drove onto the freeway towards Nagoya.
She returned his flashy smile. "Just thinking." She rested her free palm on her stomach, trying to calm her restless unborn son. "He's not even born yet and I already want to tell him to calm down."
Trunks laughed. "He's energetic, he'll make a great athlete. We should really start thinking about moving away from calling him him or it."
This topic caught Pan's intrigue. "Oh? So you think you're ready to name him a name he's going to have for the rest of his life? What if it doesn't fit him? What if we think he's going to grow up into an athlete and he turns out to be an uncoordinated scholar who happens to excel in chess?"
"So what? You don't plan on naming him until he's in junior high, is that your plan?"
Pan laughed. "It's just so frightening! I'm so afraid we're going to mess up with our very first decision. Naming him."
"Well, for his middle name, I was hoping we could go with mine." Trunks suggested nervously. He too shared the same fear as Pan.
"You want his middle name to be Trunks? That could work-"
"No, Vegeta. My middle name. We could make it a traditional thing, pass it down to the first born sons..." He could see her eyes on him as he took a brief side glance from the road. "Unless you don't like it, it's okay-"
He had misjudged her stare. Her eyelids brimmed with tears of joy. She couldn't believe he had put so much thought into this already, then again, he continued to surprise her every day. "I love it." She grinned, squeezing his hand in hers.
Trunks felt relieved. One name down, one to go. "I sort of have an idea for a first name, too..."
She waited patiently for him to continue. "Well, what is it!" She flicked him on the arm, feeling herself dying from anticipation.
"I was thinking we could include your father's name into the first name. So it could be something like Jed-" Trunks was cut short as his cell phone began to ring. "It's Goten, probably hung over, wanting us to bring him home something." He chuckled as he put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Trunks, where are you?"
Trunks smiled. "On my way back to Nagoya. What do you need?"
"Good. I... Don't panic, but I need you to come to Nagoya ER."
"Why? What happened?" His tone took a one-eighty, putting Pan on full alert.
"Is Pan with you?"
"Yeah, of course she is. What's going on, Goten?"
"I said don't panic! Bra's here."
Trunks felt his chest tighten up.
"She's okay for the most part... Actually, I don't know. I mean, she's breathing and stuff but they won't tell me anything else because I'm not family. I don't want to explain it over the phone-"
"Well you better fucking explain it, I'm still an hour away. I'm not going to drive sixty miles not knowing what I'm coming into so talk."
Goten obeyed. "I... I don't know what happened. We were drinking last night, then I blacked out or something. It's so surreal... The more I sit and think about it the more I start to remember bits and pieces. Bra and I disappeared before the countdown at midnight, nobody really knows what happened to us after that. Renji woke me up around 2 this afternoon, and we weren't able to wake Bra 's breathing, vital signs are stable, that's all they'll tell me."
There was a long pause before Trunks said anything. Goten paced back and forth outside the hospital, feeling completely powerless.
"I'll be there as soon as I can." With that, Trunks hung up his cell and tossed it into the center console.
"Trunks... What's wrong?" Pan asked hesitantly.
He brushed his hand through his hair, keeping his eyes on the road or out his driver window, unsure on how to relay the message to Pan.
"Bra's in the ER, not sure exactly why. They won't tell Goten anything, they want a family member present." Trunks felt her tensen up with his vague statement. "She's alive." He reassured her, if that was reassuring at all. He told her what little information Goten gave him, leaving them both in silence to piece together what knowledge they had.
xXxXxXx
"Dr. Koa, line 3, Dr. Koa, line 3."
White walls. White sheets. Footsteps. Voices, many of them.
Bra was dazed, she could not make out where she was, or even what day or time it was.
After scanning the room, she assumed she could be in a doctor's office of some sort. But why?
"Oh, great, you're awake. The IV flush must be working." The woman dressed in scrub apparel closed the door behind her and approached the bed. "Can you tell me your name?"
"Bra. Bra Briefs. Where am I?"
"You are in Nagoya ER. You were brought in for unconsciousness, your... friend, stated he was unable to wake you. You've been here for a little over an hour now."
"Who? Who brought me here? What time is it?"
"It's January first, about 3:30 in the afternoon. A male by the name of Goten Son brought you in."
Bra's eyes scanned the room once again. "Is he stil here?"
"Yes, he's sitting outside, but there's something I'd like to go over with you first-"
Bra and the doctor turned their attention to the door as it swung open, a worried Trunks and Pan bursting through.
"Are you okay?" Trunks pushed in, not even recognizing the doctor's presence.
"And you are?" The doctor asked, not appreciating the intrusion.
"Her brother, Trunks Briefs."
The doctor glanced down at her clipboard, verifying that he was listed on her admitting papers. "Since she is conscious, I will discuss her case with her in private. If she chooses to explain it to you, that is up to her. Now I must ask you to leave this room, it'll only take a few minutes."
Trunks and Pan directed their eyes to Bra then to each other and did as told.
"Ms. Briefs," The doctor pulled up a stool next to her bed, sitting at eye level with her patient. "We found high levels of Rohypnol in your system, a level higher than the normal dose for the usual incidences. Luckily, we were able to flush it out in time. Can you remember what you did last night?"
Bra's heart sank. "R-rohypnol? Isn't that like... roofies?"
The Dr. chuckled. "Yes, the street name for it is roofies, also known as the date-rape drug. It usually only takes about twenty to forty-five minutes to take effect. You may start to have slurred speech, a staggered walk, a feeling of being intoxicated, and amnesia. Your body could be functioning but your mind is off. It also causes you to inevitably pass out. Your friends were unable to wake you since you had such a high dose in your system. Upon wakening, you will have difficulty remembering recent events. Over the next few hours or days, you may remember bits and pieces of what occurred prior to the drug's total effect. Upon our gynecological exam, there were no tears or bleeding, so I think it's safe to say you weren't raped."
Bra couldn't respond. She was still so disoriented and in disbelief. Nobody had reason to drug her, maybe the drinks at the party got mixed up. Maybe some jerk just spiked the entire bottle with a pill. The last thing she remembered was being at Renji's new years party and seeing Goten, taking their first shots with him, having a good time with him, Marron, and the others. Everything was fuzzy after that.
"Were there others brought in?" Bra asked, trying to back-up her mass-drugging theory.
"No, just you. If you have any reason to believe that someone did take advantage of you, I urge you to contact the police. Anybody is capable of slipping a pill into someone's drink for any reason. Just be cautious of who you're around. Pour your own drinks, don't accept drinks from anybody else. Take it easy when you get home, and try to sit down and remember what you can. This could have ended very badly."
Trunks could see the relief wash through Goten once he informed him that Bra was awake. The three of them stood outside the room, waiting for anything.
The doctor opened and closed the door behind her. "She's just getting dressed right now, she'll be out shortly."
"Thank you." They mumbled in unison.
Bra exited the room just moments later, wearing her white dress from the night before. "Sorry for the trouble, guys."
Pan embraced her friend. "Don't apologize, we're so glad that you're okay. I mean, you are okay, right?"
Bra hesitated. "Yeah, I'll explain on the ride home. Let's get out of here."
Trunks and Pan led the way out while Goten put a supportive arm across her shoulders, suddenly receiving an unwanted image of last night.
"Wait-um..." He referred back to his inner thoughts to clarify his image while Trunks unlocked his truck.
"What is it, Goten?" Bra asked, observing the troubled look on his face.
They climbed into the truck, taking the backseat while Trunks and Pan had the front.
"Do you remember Valese showing up last night?"
Bra thought for a moment as his words jogged her memory. "Yeah, now that you mention it. You were upset. That's when you lost your balance. I was trying to walk you into the house, that's the last I remember."
"Your ex-girlfriend, Valese?" Pan asked, eavesdropping.
"Yeah, I haven't talked to her in months. Renji doesn't hang out with her either so I don't know who would have invited her."
"Bra, what did the doctor say?" Trunks interrupted.
"Oh... She said I had a high dose oh Rohypnol in my system. They had to flush it out with an IV to wake me up."
"Like roofies?! Who the hell would drug you?" Trunks pressed on.
"That's what I was wondering." Bra didn't want to think about it anymore. The very thought of it scared her. She could have been in an eternal slumber had it not been for Goten for taking her in.
After arriving to Goten and and Trunks' house, Bra laid on the living room couch watching TV while the others were talking and laughing in the kitchen preparing an early dinner. She felt uncomfortable lounging around in her short dress, but she didn't have a choice. Marron was on her way over to take her back home with her, she could wait until then.
"Here. Eat." Goten waited for her to sit up to hand the plate to her. He sat on the floor next to her legs, eating off of his own plate.
After swallowing her first spoonful, she cleared her throat. "Thanks, Goten."
He didn't take his eyes off of the television. "Don't worry about it. Sorry for what happened."
"It's not like it was your fault." She chuckled, not receiving a response on his end.
Guilt loomed over him like a dark cloud. Nori had warned him, and he failed. Is this what she was referring to? Did Tundra have something to do with this? There's no way. What would she gain from drugging Bra?
"Goten, you said that they had a hard time waking you up too, right? Did you get tested at the hospital?" Bra broke the silence, not aware of the ongoing debate in his head.
He shook his head. "No, I was awake, there's no point. It was you who wasn't waking up."
Their conversation ceased as Marron arrived. "Bra! I'm so glad you're okay! Here, Renji found this in the bathroom." She handed her cell phone to her.
"Oh, thanks. Let me put my plate away and we can leave." Bra headed to the kitchen, putting her plate away and saying her goodbyes to her brother and Pan.
"So, what happened?" Marron asked Goten who moved up to sitting on the couch now.
"She'll tell you." He thought it best she hear it from her than him.
On her way back into the living room, Bra noticed she had a few unread messages. She unlocked her phone and opened them up.
She stopped in her tracks, her eyes swelling with tears at the photos.
Lewd photos of her passed out, naked body with a male hand touching her in various areas. She cupped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming at the mere sight of them. Below all the photos was a message from the sender:
I fucked you so hard tonight ;)
She scrolled back to see who the sender was, sinking to the floor as the name registered through her mind.
Goten.