Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Baba's Gift ❯ Prologue

Baba's Gift

By Kinomi

The old woman terrified her when she was ten years old. It was silly to be afraid of a woman who was even tinier than she was Marron knew that. Especially since there were very few people who were smaller in stature than she was in the first place. Puar and Oolong were about it, but she really couldn't call them "people", they were shape shifters. If they wanted to - they could be twice her size. A fact at age ten, Marron found incredibly unfair.

Her world at that age was made up of many injustices that were heaped upon her. She was still tiny and barely had a nose. There was no question in the world whose child she was. She looked just like her father, except for the blonde hair. She was also incredibly picked on by the only two other children she ever got to see, Trunks and Goten, aged 15 and 14 respectively. They never wanted her tagging along after them at get-togethers, always ditching her to both hang around the adults and pretend they were more mature than they were, or get into some kind of mischief. Leaving little Marron to entertain herself until it was time to leave.

They had done it to her again that day at the Christmas party, flying off laughing at her as she ran after them on chubby, pre-pubescent legs. She'd sat on the lawn of Capsule Corporation crying quietly, wiping her tears away on the back of her arm. Telling herself she didn't need those two old mean-heads, which just made her cry harder.

"Don't cry, Little One. The day will come when they will beg for your notice. Like all boys do."

Marron's head snapped up at the voice. Her eyes and mouth big and round. Hovering in the air before her was a tiny old woman on a crystal ball. Her clever black eyes pinned her to the spot. Marron usually hid whenever Kame-sennin's older sister came to Kame House to visit, but now she had nowhere to go without seeming incredibly rude. And being polite was something her father had ingrained in her all her life.

"I'm not crying." She said bravely, looking somewhere past Uranai Baba's left shoulder so she wouldn't have to meet the wizened old woman's eyes. Those eyes had always looked at her like they knew every thought that passed through her head. Coupled with the fact she looked like a raisin floating on a bubble…she creeped Marron out.

Baba grinned and hopped down off her crystal ball to sit in front of Marron. The crystal ball tucked under her arm as she leaned against it. "Brave words, Daughter of Kuririn…but you can't hide the truth from me. I see things."

Curiosity outweighed her discomfort and fear of the old woman and she cocked her head to the side. "What kind of things?" She asked, dabbing away the last of her tears with the back of her hand.

"Why all kinds of things of course! I'm the great Fortune Teller Baba!" The tiny woman said indignantly, and then leaned back, chuckling softly. "I know things about you, little missy. Things you don't tell anyone. Don't doubt my power."

Marron shook her head vigorously, her ponytails bouncing. "I don't!" She said quickly, suddenly wishing she could be anywhere else.

She wouldn't be out here with the creepy old raisin if she hadn't wanted to play with Trunks and Goten so badly. She should have stayed inside the dome with the grown ups, playing with Dr. Briefs' animals, or seeing if Uncle Yamucha and Puar would play fish with her. But no, she'd had to venture off after the boys when she saw them slip away. Now she was alone with a scary old witch.

"You're afraid of me. Hoping your father, or "Uncle" Yamucha will come and get you." Baba laughed. She reached over and patted the back of Marron's hand, making the girl jump. "You have nothing to fear from me, Little One."

Oddly, Marron believed her. Her wrinkled old hand was warm and soft as she rested it on the back of hers, and Marron wondered why she had ever been afraid of the woman. She lifted her head and blinked slowly at Baba, like she was in a trance. Baba smiled and took her hand away.

"I get a lot of money to tell someone's fortune, little missy. But today is your lucky day."

"It is?" Marron asked. Baba nodded and leaned even closer. Marron, caught up in the moment leaned toward the old woman too, like they were going to share a secret.

"I'm going to give you a gift, Daughter of Kuririn-"

"My name is Marron." She interrupted, her voice like syrup, slow and kind of thick. Baba frowned momentarily, touching the back of the child's hand again lightly. Marron jerked slightly, then stilled.

"I'm going to give you a gift, Marron…" Baba repeated, emphasizing the girl's name. "I'm going to tell your fortune. What your future holds. Would you like that?" Marron nodded mutely, her eyes glazed and unfocused.

"What would you like to know about your future, little missy?" Baba asked her.

Marron's brow creased. She had no idea what she might want to know about the future, and then it came to her. The thing all little girls wonder about, and Baba's grin grew.

"Ah yes. You want to know who your true love will be…so you don't kick him to the curb when you meet him." Baba cackled at her own joke. Marron didn't get it and just blinked slowly again at the woman. Baba muttered to herself about the youth today as she rolled her crystal ball to rest between them.

"Let me see now," Baba said. Waving her hands before the ball. "Your true love is someone already known to you. That's very unusual for someone your age."

"I know him?" Marron parroted back. Baba glanced at the girl sitting before her with a vacant stare. She was concerned that the phrases the child was repeating were what she would remember. She'd put Marron in a light hypnotic trance so she wouldn't remember too much. It was never good to know too much about one's future. But Baba had witnessed the cruel pranks Trunks and Goten had played on the girl too many times. Had seen the tears of loneliness the child cried. Baba understood her pain. She wanted to give her hope, hope that there was someone out there for her. That she would someday meet her soul mate and never be lonely again.

Uranai Baba turned her attention back to the ball, interpreting the signs and images that appeared. "This man who is known to you…will not be readily apparent as your true love. It may take many years before you see him in a different light." Baba said.

"What is his name? What does he look like?" Marron asked curiously, peering glassily into the crystal ball. The old woman waved her hands and spoke an incantation. Slowly from the mists within the crystal orb the head and shoulders of a man appeared, hazy and indistinct. Marron narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the figure as it coalesced into a more solid appearing form, turning lazily in the ball. Marron could only see black spiky hair and broad shoulders as his face appeared to Baba, then slowly started to revolve toward Marron.

A sharp hissing gasp made Marron's head snap up from where she waited eagerly to see the face of her soul mate. Uranai Baba made a wiping gesture at the crystal ball and the image dissolved within before Marron could fully see the man's face. She had only seen about a quarter of the man's profile, just enough to know he was familiar. She raised wounded eyes to Baba.

"I didn't get to see!" she accused, "Now how will I know him?" Baba didn't answer, just hopped up on her crystal ball. Marron jumped to her feet and grabbed the end of Baba's dress, her little face screwing up like a fist. "That's no fair! How am I gonna know!" Marron said hotly. Baba reached down and gently laid her hand on the girl's cheek. Instantly the child stilled again, her eyes going distant and far away.

"You'll know from the very first kiss, little missy. And it will change your life, and the lives of everyone around you forever. You'll know when the time is right for you to know." Baba murmured.

"Marron-chan? Are you out here?" A voice called from nearby. Baba passed her hand over the girl's eyes, shutting them.

"Sleep, Little One…sleep and forget." Baba whispered as Marron slumped boneless to the ground, breathing deeply. Baba flew up and away, hovering over the dome of Capsule Corporation watching as Gohan and Yamucha rounded the corner of the dome. Gohan bounced a baby Pan in his arms and Puar flew ahead of them, calling Marron's name.

"There she is!" Yamucha said, pointing to Marron's prone form at the far side of the lawn. They trotted across the lawn to the girl. Yamucha crouched down beside her checking her for injuries before looking up to Gohan. "She's not hurt, thank goodness. I think she's asleep." He said wonderingly.

"I know we checked this part of the grounds for her already…how did we miss her?" Gohan asked, shifting Pan to his shoulder when she started fussing. Yamucha shrugged and carefully picked Marron up. She mumbled and turned her face inward but didn't wake.

"I have no idea, but we've found her now. Let's go tell Kuririn she's turned up before he skins those boys alive." Yamucha laughed softly. Gohan looked down at Marron as she slept peacefully in Yamucha's arms.

"She looks so small…like a little doll." Gohan said softly as they headed back across the lawn.

"She'll get bigger," Yamucha said confidently. "She just hasn't hit her growth spurt yet. When she does, look out!" The older man laughed. Gohan chuckled in agreement.

"She's gonna be a heartbreaker all right, especially if she looks like her Mom. It'll be funny watching my brother and Trunks change their tunes then huh?" Gohan laughed.

The rest of the two men's conversation was lost to Baba as she watched them carry the sleeping girl inside. "So it has begun then." The old Fortune Teller said, scratching her chin. "That's the last time I give out a freebie."

****

"Pleeeeeease Marron! Please play with us?"

Marron aged fifteen looked away from her homework and down at the two girls currently hanging off her chair like moss. Bra and Pan, ages six and seven looked back up at their favorite babysitter with adoring eyes. Marron smiled in return. How could she refuse them when they gave her big chibi eyes?

"Okay. For a little while, then I have to finish my Algebra homework. I don't want to fail my class." Marron told them.

"Yay!" Pan yelled, running off toward the living room. Bra nodded sagely.

"My Onii-chan is good at math. You should make him help you." Bra offered.

"Help Marron with what? Some elevator shoes so she can reach the counter?" Trunks laughed as he walked into the kitchen of Capsule Corp where Marron was studying. Her homework spread out over the table. Goten was hot on his heels then made a beeline for the refrigerator. Marron made a face at Trunks as he followed his best friend to the icebox, before smiling shyly at Goten's back, the only part of him visible as he surveyed the contents of the fridge.

"Hi Goten." She said, blushing. Goten peeked his head around the door and jerked his head in acknowledgement.

"Hey." He said before resubmerging back into the depths of the fridge.

"So, um…what are you guys up to?" Marron asked hesitantly. She was suddenly not in a hurry to leave the kitchen, especially not now that her crush was here. Goten shut the refrigerator door with his hip, his arms full of food that he dumped on the untaken portion of the table.

"Eating." Goten said, plopping down at the kitchen table. Marron hurriedly gathered up her homework before it could get ruined.

"Marron! You said you'd come and play with us." Bra whined, tugging on her older friend's arm. Marron shot her a look.

"I'll be there in a few minutes, Bra. I need to…make us some popcorn first." Marron told her, casting around for any excuse to stick around the kitchen. Bra scowled in true Vegeta fashion.

"You just want to hang around and stare at Goten!" She griped. Marron looked mortified.

"Bra-ah!" Marron gasped.

"What's taking so long?" Pan demanded, stomping back into the kitchen like a little thundercloud. Bra giggled and whispered in her best friend's ear. "OJISAN?" Pan shrieked, "She likes my Ojisan? Grosssss!" Pan yelled.

"Huh?" Goten puzzled, looking up from his small mountain of sandwiches. Trunks bent over nearly double with laughter, and Marron wanted the floor to open up and swallow her, as she turned on her two charges.

"I SAID I want to make us some popcorn first." She hissed through clenched teeth, her face telling the two younger girls they had best not press their luck. Summoning every shred of grace she could muster, Marron straightened her back and marched over to the stove, fishing out a pan to cook the popcorn in. Ignoring the giggles and titters behind her she poured a quarter sized dollop of oil in the pan to pop with and opened the cupboard next to the stove to get the popcorn. She didn't see it on the lower shelves and her misery grew as she looked up and up to finally see the jar on the highest shelf of the cupboard.

"Oh this should be good. Shrimpy's gonna climb Mt. Cabinet to fetch yon popcorn." Trunks laughed. Marron favored him with a withering glare and dragged a chair from the table to the counter. She climbed on the chair and looked back at her goal, still too far out of reach. She started to step up onto the counter when Bra piped up.

"You can't stand on the counters! My Mama says so! She yells at me when I get up there to get cookies, if I can't do it neither can you!" Bra yelled, then shrieked as Trunks grabbed her in a headlock, rapping his knuckles against her skull teasingly.

"Been getting in the cookies before me again, eh Squirt?" Trunks growled playfully. "Don't worry about it. Marron doesn't have shoes on…if you don't tell Mom, I won't." Trunks said and grinned in Marron's direction. "I believe in affirmative action for the vertically challenged. Go ahead Marron…get that jar." He laughed.

Jerk. Marron thought to herself and stepped up onto the granite countertop. Her pink fluffy socks slipped on the slick surface and she had to grab the shelf in front of her to keep her balance. She looked up at the jar; the Briefs' had some tall ceilings in their kitchen, but with half the household able to levitate, and the fact that Bulma never cooked unless necessary, Marron guessed it didn't matter if things were hard to reach. Unless you were a female for whom five feet tall was but a wish. Holding on to the shelf with one hand she reached up on her tippy toes trying to reach the jar. Her fingertips just brushed the glass.

"Oh so close! Want me to get you a box to stand on there Stretch?" Trunks laughed.

"Trunks don't be an ass." Goten contributed dryly between bites. Pan and Bra laughing along with Trunks.

Marron glanced around to see if there was anything she could see on the counters that she could use to boost herself those last few inches to reach the jar. Not seeing anything she was left with no choice but to lift her foot up to stand on the lowest shelf of the cupboard. Pulling herself up with her arms she balanced on the balls of her feet, trying not to disturb the lower shelves contents. She let go of her death grip on the shelf to grab the jar she was now eye-level with.

"What's going on in here?" She heard behind her as her fingers closed around the jar. She turned to see who had come into the kitchen and several things happened at once, almost in slow motion.

As Marron twisted to see behind her, she lost her balance. She tried to make a grab for the shelf, but her fuzzy socks slipped on the painted surface and shot inward, crashing into spice jars. With a startled shriek she fell backwards away from the cabinet, the jar of popcorn flying out of her hand as she made a slow fall toward the hard tile floor.

The jar of popcorn made a highflying arc across the room before beaning Trunks smartly on top of the head and bouncing off. Goten caught the jar of popcorn right before it hit the floor about the same time Yamucha easily caught Marron.

"Oof." Said Trunks before sliding down the wall to sit on the floor in a daze, a knot already forming on his head.

"That was COOL! Do it again!" Bra and Pan chorused, before erupting into crazed giggles.

Marron opened her eyes from where she'd had them screwed tightly shut during her fall to see Yamucha looking at her with concern.

"You okay?' He asked quietly. She nodded mutely, blushing as Yamucha held her in his strong arms. "Be more careful next time, Marron. You could have really hurt yourself." Yamucha told her sternly, setting her back on her feet and then turning to Goten and Trunks with a scowl. "And you two could have gotten the jar down for her and pretended to be gentlemen, you know?" He told them reproachfully.

Trunks rubbed the red knot on his head as he picked himself up. "Geez, Yamucha…she's a big girl." Trunks said defensively, and then erupted into laughter again as he realized the irony. Marron looked like a little volcano ready to erupt as she fisted her hands at her sides so she wouldn't use them to pummel him senseless.

"Here Marron. Sorry about that." Goten said and dropped the jar of popcorn into her hands. Marron's anger evaporated as Goten gave her a lopsided grin.

"It's okay." She breathed, holding the jar to her chest like treasure.

"What are you doing here Yamucha?" Trunks asked, when Goten turned back to finishing his snack. The older man leaned against the counter near Marron as she finally came unstuck and went to make her popcorn.

"Your Mom asked me to drop by and check on things around here while she's gone, make sure things are running smoothly. Mostly to make sure Bra's being fed and you haven't blown the place up." Yamucha chuckled. Trunks scowled.

"I'm not a little kid anymore. I don't need a babysitter. Bra does, and isn't that what Marron's here for? She just doesn't trust me." Yamucha raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest.

"Any guesses why?" He asked archly, referring to the near disaster in the kitchen. Marron sniggered quietly from where she shook the pan of corn and oil over the stove, waiting for it to pop. Trunks grumbled, but didn't answer, much to his little sister's amusement.

Goten finished his food and got up from the table, clearing his dishes and putting them in the sink. "C'mon Trunks, we've got stuff to do. For later, remember?" Goten said cagily, looking sideways at Yamucha who was talking to Marron over the popping of the corn.

"What kind of stuff?" Bra asked immediately, at her age any chance to foil her brother's plans was an opportunity not to be missed. Trunks bonked her on the head automatically, forgetting he had a disapproving audience.

"None-ya business, Squirt." He snapped. Bra on the other hand was all too aware of the presence of an adult in the room and instantly started to wail at a deafening level.

"What happened?" Yamucha asked as Bra flung herself in his direction, playing it for all it was worth. He picked her up and she put her head down on his shoulder still crying loudly.

"Nothing! I barely touched her!" Trunks yelled defensively over the din of his sister's theatrics and Marron's popping corn. As a sign of solidarity Pan ran up to Trunks and swiftly kicked him in the shin before retreating to a safe distance behind Marron. Pan made a face at her Uncle and Trunks from the relative safety between Yamucha and Marron.

"Trunks…" Yamucha started, shaking his head and carrying a still snuffling Bra in his arms toward the door. Protesting his innocence loudly, Trunks followed. Not wanting to miss any of the action, Pan skipped after them.

The popping corn slowed as the din of the kitchen's occupants departed, leaving a hush punctuated by the remaining few quiet explosions from within the pan. Absently, Marron reached to the cabinet on the opposite side of the stove from the one she'd climbed, searching for a bowl. She started slightly when Goten stepped around her and got a bowl down from the second shelf and set it within her reach. She thought he'd left with Trunks and the others.

Her wide startled blue eyes met his. She'd really never been alone with Goten before. She'd hoped she would in the few months since her crush had manifested itself into silly dreams and fantasies of catching him under the mistletoe and receiving from him her very first kiss. He had very nice lips, and she blushed that she was staring at him.

"Thanks." She muttered, dropping her eyes at last, but not before his grin made her heart skip.

"Don't need a repeat of earlier," he said. "Your corn is burning." He pointed out as the acrid smell hit her nose. Quickly she turned off the stove, moving the pan to another burner. Experimentally, Goten lifted the lid and sniffed the contents.

"Still edible." He told her, pouring the popcorn into the bowl and handing it to her. There were only a few pieces with charred edges; the rest of the batch was fine. Goten took a big handful of popcorn and ate it, burned pieces and all. Marron hesitated, she had no reason to stay in the kitchen with him, she should be out watching Bra and Pan like she was being paid to do. Instead she stood rooted to the spot like a fool with the bowl of popcorn held in her arms.

"What're you studying?" Goten asked around the mouthful of popcorn.

"Huh?" Marron said dumbly, lifting her eyes to him. Goten gestured to the pile of schoolbooks still waiting for her return on the kitchen table. "Oh! Um…Algebra."

"Isn't it Winter Break? Why're you doing homework? I never did during vacation." Goten told her, still decimating the contents of the bowl as she held it clutched to her chest.

"Math is my worst subject. It's so hard for me, and I hate it, but I don't want to fail my class. I barely passed my last exam." Marron admitted. She hadn't even told her parents about her trouble with mathematics. Goten snickered.

"You remind me of my brother. He studied even when he didn't have to too. Watch out or you'll end up being an even bigger geek than he is."

Marron watched him owlishly, not certain if she'd just been insulted or not.

"About time." Goten said, as Trunks came back in the kitchen, running his fingers through his hair. "Did you get them?"

"That man," Trunks said, jerking his head toward the living room, "is a hell of a lot smarter than he looks. But I don't think he saw me take the keys. Let's just hope he doesn't hear us take Papa's car out tonight." Trunks told his friend, and then scowled as he noticed Marron standing there with the half full bowl of popcorn.

"Where are you going?" Marron asked before she could help herself, then bit her lip as both Goten and Trunks turned hard gazes her way.

"Aren't you supposed to be watching my sister, Shrimpo?" Trunks said with narrowed eyes, his hands on his hips as he leaned over her menacingly.

"Uh…" Marron gulped, looking at her feet.

"Lay off her Trunks. Marron won't tell Yamucha what we're gonna do tonight, will you Marron?" Goten asked her. Marron looked from her feet, to Trunks and then up to Goten. He was smiling at her, but it wasn't his usual goofy grin, it was a smile of triumph. As if he knew what her response would be before she said it. Marron drew herself up to her full four feet eight inches and tried to look mature.

"Well that all depends. I can't lie to him if he asks me." She said. Trunks groaned, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes.

"Augh! I knew it! I knew something would happen to screw tonight up. All our planning, my folks are out of town, you finally snitched Gohan's ID--"

"Trunks-" Goten said calmly, still looking at Marron steadily as his best friend kept on.

"-Finally got a double date with those twins we met at that party…" Trunks complained.

"Relax Trunks. It'll be fine. Marron will keep our secret…won't you?" Goten asked, turning away from a lamenting Trunks to fully face Marron. Marron squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze. Suddenly nervous at the attention he was paying her as he watched her closely with his dark eyes. She glanced up warily; he was so good-looking with his unruly black hair and strong body. She wished it were her he intended to take out that night. But she was only a fifteen-year-old girl. Too short for him to notice in comparison to some twins whose charms had Trunks in a thrall as he extolled the virtues he and Goten would be missing out on. If Goten heard him he gave no indication, just held Marron's gaze. He leaned on the counter next to her, slouching down more to her level and said confidentially. "I'll owe you one."

"Well…" she said hesitantly, "I-I guess won't say anything. Unless he asks me." She added quickly. Goten's smile lit up her world as he grinned at her. Reaching out to rumple her hair as if she were Pan or Bra.

"Thanks Marron. You're a pal." Goten said and without a backwards glance he and Trunks left the kitchen. Already in deep discussion about what they had planned for later.

Marron's chest tightened with hurt at his casual dismissal, and she blinked rapidly against tears. She was silly to get her hopes up, silly to put Goten's face on some fantasy prince who only spoke to her in dreams. The one who would carry her away on the wind to live happily ever after. She'd always felt there was someone out there especially for her - her destiny, her soul mate. The man who would love her above all others, who would find her dainty and exquisite, rather than short and plain.

"MARR-RON!" Bra's plaintive shout came from the living room, drawing her out of her self-pity.

"Coming." She called, wiping tears on the sleeve of her shirt before joining Yamucha and the girls in the living room to play board games.

"Now where did those boys get to?"

Marron kept her face buried in her homework, pretending she didn't hear the older man's question as he came into the kitchen. The moment she had been dreading for the last several hours was here. Ever since she'd seen Trunks and Goten sneaking down the hall while she tucked Bra and Pan into bed she had been avoiding Yamucha, something she hated to do. Normally, she would seek out his company whenever he was around. He was one of the few adults who didn't treat her like a baby, just because she was small. She didn't like keeping things from him and she didn't look up from her math book as he walked around the table to the refrigerator.

"Bulma said he was supposed to stay in tonight while they are gone. They didn't want you to have to watch the girls overnight alone. There should be an adult here."

Marron risked a glance up from her book to find him standing at the end of the table with a soda, looking down on her with an expression like he could read her mind.

"Well, uh…you're here." She offered helpfully.

"Mmm," Yamucha grunted in agreement, his black eyes staring into hers. "But I don't live here. Trunks does. It's his sister he's supposed to be taking care of."

Marron fidgeted, dropping her eyes back to her homework. She was starting to wish she'd never heard where they were going, or what they were doing. Marron didn't like to lie - to anyone - but she found it especially hard to do it to Yamucha, who always treated her like an equal. It seemed a betrayal of the trust he put in her to lie to him.

"Marron, do you know where they went?" Yamucha asked sternly.

She stared at the page before her until the formulas were nothing but patterns. She imagined she could feel his eyes boring into the top of her skull as she looked intently at her book. She bit her lip and gave a quick shake of her head.

When she didn't hear him move or respond she looked up cautiously and found him still gazing down at her. She recognized the look on his face, it was skeptical, and it made her feel even smaller.

"Marron?" He prompted, "Do you know?"

"N-no…" she whispered, then cleared her throat. "I-I don't…know." She choked out. His eyes held hers for a long minute. A minute that she came closer and closer to confessing all to him.

"Whatever." Yamucha said curtly, and walked out of the kitchen.

Marron's body flushed with hot shame. She heard the sliding door in the other room as Yamucha went out on the balcony. She'd lied to him, openly. She could still see the disappointment in his eyes and it was a weight pressing on her chest. How he must hate her now for betraying his trust. She tried to think of Goten, that he would be pleased with her for doing him this favor, but all she could hear was Yamucha's brusque voice. She jumped up from her chair, she couldn't bear the feeling of being any less in Yamucha's eyes and she ran after him.

It was dark on the balcony, the glow through the curtains of the living room and the city lights the only illumination. She could see Yamucha sitting in one of the deck chairs, his long legs propped up on the balcony railing and his hands folded on his stomach as he stared up at the night sky.

"Yes Marron?" Yamucha said without turning around and she imagined she could still hear the disappointment with her in his voice. She approached his chair, twisting her hands together.

"I lied. I'm so sorry. I-I do know where they went. They took Trunks' father's car to go out on a double date." She said in a rush, her voice cracking slightly.

"Just a date, huh?" Yamucha questioned disbelievingly, and Marron bit her lip. She'd already broken Goten's confidence.

"Maybe a little more than that. I, uh, heard Goten say something about having Gohan's I.D." She whispered. Yamucha swore softly.

"Great. You know they're going to come home drunk as lords, don't you? Let's just hope they don't wrap Vegeta's car around a tree or he'll get really pissed." He sighed. "Looks like I'm going to have to stick around and keep those two out of trouble again." He said.

"I'm so sorry I lied to you, Yamucha. Please forgive me." She pleaded, reaching out to touch the back of his hand. He turned his hand under hers, catching her fingers in a gentle squeeze and letting go. Marron's skin tingled where it had touched his and she brought her fingers to her lips in wonder.

She realized she'd never really touched Yamucha's bare skin before. Her contact with him up until then had always been limited to brief familial hugs and pats on the back.

"Why'd you do it Marron?" He asked her softly. Marron looked down at her clasped hands. She was embarrassed to say that she had betrayed his trust in her because of a silly crush. It seemed suddenly juvenile and she was reluctant to have him look at her in that light. She shrugged her shoulders, not meeting his eyes.

At her hesitation Yamucha gave a low chuckle, tipping his head to the side as he looked up at her. "I see. You have a crush on Trunks." He said. Marron's mouth shot open.

"No way! Not Trunks!" She reacted, then clapped her hands over her mouth as she realized she'd just confessed to what she'd wanted to avoid. Yamucha nodded.

"Hmmm, I see. Goten then."

Shyly, she nodded. "But please, please don't tell him!" She pleaded earnestly. Yamucha sat up straighter in his chair, taking his legs down from the balcony railing and offering her his hand silently.

Slowly she took it, not sure what he was about. His calloused hand was so warm as it engulfed her smaller one, the heat from it crawled over her skin and up her cheeks, as she was certain she flushed beet red.

"Let's make a pact, you and I. We'll keep confidences, but no secrets between us." Yamucha said seriously, giving her hand a little squeeze. Marron puffed with pride, that he saw her as an equal. Someone he could share his confidences with as well. That he looked at her more like a friend than a child.

"It's a deal." She told him gravely. Trying to show him she took the promise seriously as she squeezed his hand back. Yamucha's teeth flashed white in the dark as he grinned at her and let go of her hand. Marron smiled back shyly and leaned on the railing by his chair in companionable silence, looking up at the stars.

After a few minutes she glanced over at Yamucha to find him watching her in the dark, resting his head on his hand as he propped his elbow on the armrest of the chair. Suddenly self-conscious, Marron smiled nervously.

"What?"

"I don't know. I guess I just never figured you for liking Goten is all." Yamucha said with a little chuckle. "Trunks seems more your style."

Marron lifted her chin, blushing softly in the dark. "Shows what you know. I like dark, handsome, mature men." She said haughtily and turned back to the night sky, sobering. Remembering all Trunks' jokes at her expense. Goten laughed at them too.

"If you had the Dragonballs Yamucha, and could change something about yourself, would you?" She asked somberly.

"I don't know. I never really thought about it. I guess I'm pretty happy with things the way they are." He said quietly.

"I know what I would wish for…"

"What's that?"

She looked at him over her shoulder. "I'd be taller. Then everyone would stop looking at me like a little baby, and start treating me like a grown-up. I'm fifteen, not five. If I were taller I'd get noticed. Maybe Goten would even notice me then." She said dreamily, a faraway look in her eyes.

"Don't change a thing, Marron. You're perfect just the way you are." Yamucha said softly. It was his soft voice, so full of understanding that made her throat close up. She realized that he was the one person that could understand being different and misjudged.

"Perfectly puny." She whispered automatically.

"Not puny. Petite." Yamucha told her. "And a lot of men like that in a woman. It makes them feel protective and masculine. So don't you worry about being small, when you meet the right guy someday you'll be just the right size. I promise." He told her.

Marron smiled a watery smile of gratitude. He could always make her feel better, and the fact that he'd referred to her as a woman had not gone unnoticed as her heart beat triple time. Yamucha got up from the chair gracefully and stood next to her at the railing, towering over her. She barely came up to his chest as she tipped her head back to see his face and that's when she saw it, hanging down from a hook over the balcony railing.

"What is it?" Yamucha asked, taking in her open mouth and surprised look. He glanced up at the sprig of mistletoe that hung above them. "Ah I see." He said with a smile. "Don't worry, Marron. We don't have to follow the tradition."

"Oh." She said, wondering why she felt almost disappointed.

"But then, I'm a sucker for tradition." Yamucha said and leaning over pressed a quick gentle kiss to her cheek, close to her mouth. "Go finish your homework and then off to bed, ok?" He said in his best "Uncle" Yamucha voice. She nodded and left him, heading back inside flushed and confused.

It wasn't until she lay in bed awake hours later that she realized she'd just had her first kiss under the mistletoe. And she wasn't really all that sorry it hadn't been from Goten.

****

"Goten! Where are we going?" Marron protested.

Goten gave Marron a goofy lop sided grin over his shoulder as he dragged his twenty year old girlfriend away from the Christmas Party by the hand. "I wanna be alone with you for a while." He told her as he led her farther into the atrium at the center of the Capsule Corp. dome. In his other hand he had a plastic cup of eggnog that Trunks had given him and he gulped it down in one long swallow, pausing to dispose of the empty cup on the tray of a robotic servant as they passed.

"But Goten…we just got here! I haven't even had a chance to say hello to Yamucha yet." Marron complained, trying to free her hand from his.

Out of sight of the party Goten pulled Marron around into his arms, gazing down into her beautiful blue eyes. "I know, but you're always away at college, or studying…I never get the chance to be with you anymore." He purred, lowering his face to her neck to nuzzle behind her ear, his arms folding around her to hold her prisoner against him.

Marron squirmed uncomfortably against him. "If you wanted to spend time with me you could have just stayed with me while we visited everyone." She told him.

"Yeah, but then I couldn't do this." Goten murmured, tilting her head up for his kiss and holding her there as he kissed her deeply. Marron stayed stiff and unyielding in his arms as his thrusting tongue invaded her mouth and she could taste the rum from the eggnog he'd drunk. His hands slid down her back over the red velvet dress she'd worn for the occasion to her bottom, pressing her against him.

"Goten!" She cried, pushing against his chest to get free. His eyes were hooded and dark as he looked down on her, his hands reaching out for her to slide down over her arms to her waist. She frowned at him, but didn't move immediately away, which he found encouraging and he stepped closer until she was against him again.

She looked so lovely in the fitted red dress, her long blonde hair waving loosely around her face and down her back. Her strappy silver sandals adding two inches to her five foot two inch frame. She'd finally hit that promised growth spurt late in her fifteenth year, at last growing into the beauty Gohan had foretold when she was ten. By the time she was eighteen the tables had turned, and it was Goten who was infatuated with her, not the other way around. She wasn't so sure what he was so infatuated with about her, but she suspected it had more to do with her body, than any real feelings.

She'd dated Goten for nearly two years this Christmas. At first it had been nice, Goten was attentive and sweet, everything she'd hoped he'd be when she was fifteen and thought he was the best thing since peanut butter. But after dating half a year Goten had tried to take their relationship to the next level, a level she just wasn't ready to go to. He'd been understanding when she had expressed her reticence to move their relationship to a physical level right away, and backed off…for a while. But then he had started in again, trying to seduce her. Whispering in her ear what a fantastic lover he would be if she would only give herself to him. Sometimes she wanted to, but something always held her back…told her to wait. Some part of her inside that still believed there was someone out there she was destined for. The person she would know was the one for her and she would give herself without hesitation. So how could she tell Goten that herself was the only thing she had to give to the one she intended to spend her life with when it possibly might not be him?

"Let's get out of here, what do you say?" Goten murmured, leaning down to kiss her face and nuzzle her ear.

"We'll be missed…" She said lamely. Goten grinned, taking her reluctance as acquiescence and his hand slid up from her waist to cup her breast in his hand, brushing his thumb over its crest. Gasping, Marron pushed his hand away. "Goten not here!" She snapped, stepping away from him and folding her arms under her breasts, cupping her elbows in her palms.

Goten scowled, raking a hand through his shaggy hair. "Not here. Not here! Not anywhere, not ever! We've been together almost two years Marron, and you barely let me grope your tits! How much longer are you going to make me wait? You're killing me here." He groaned. Marron's eyes widened and she looked around to see if anyone was within earshot. She was shocked a little at Goten's outburst; he'd always accepted her refusals amiably before, saying he could wait. Now she saw a dark fire in his eyes as they raked over her body possessively. She didn't know what had brought about this change in him, but she wasn't sure she liked it.

"Don't be vulgar, Goten. I've told you, and told you. I'm not ready for that; you're pushing me too fast! Always at me!" She cried.

"Marron…" he crooned, reaching out to capture her hands in his and draw her near. "I understand that you're nervous and unsure. You're so tiny and fragile, but I promise you…I'll be so gentle. You'll know nothing but pleasure…" He promised, whispering into her hair. Marron stiffened against him, baring her teeth in frustration against his shirt as he held her so close. Like he wanted to make her part of him, he always held her so…like he would engulf her with his presence. It made her feel cornered.

"Goten…"

"Please Marron. Let me love you…I want you so much. I dream of you." Marron stilled her struggles at that.

"You do?" His words reminding her of her own dreams, dreams of a dark haired prince who whispered words of love in her ear as they soared through the sky together. She'd put Goten's face on her dream lover when she was younger, how disappointed she'd been when Goten's heavy approach had shattered that illusion.

"God yes. I dream of undressing you, touching you everywhere…I dream of making you mine." Goten breathed. She turned her face from his, his alcohol laced breath making her delicate nostrils curl. She didn't move away as Goten only held her, and she did like his hugs. She just didn't care for his aggressive sexual advances. "You're the only girl I want, Marron. None of the others mean anything. Only you." Goten murmured unconsciously, not paying attention to his words, only the feel of the young woman in his arms. The one he desired above all others, the more she refused him, the more he burned for her.

"Others?" She questioned, opening some space between their bodies to look up into his face. "What did you mean by that?" She questioned sharply. Goten's eyes were still dreamy as he gazed down on her.

"Mean by what?" He puzzled. Marron frowned as she stepped back.

"You said others. Goten, have you been with someone else?" She asked, hurt. Despite her reluctance to have sex with him she did care for him and it hurt to think he had turned to someone else. His eyes lowered, telling her everything she needed to know.

"How could you?" She accused in a choked whisper, tears filling her eyes.

"I'm a man, Marron. I have needs. Needs that need to be fulfilled, I'd hoped by my girlfriend. But you constantly push me away. I didn't want to be with anyone else. I wanted to be with you…what was I supposed to do?" He countered.

"Don't blame this on me Goten. You know why I wanted to wait. To be sure we're really right for each other. But how can I know? If you truly love someone you should know that they are the one. Fireworks should go off whenever you touch the person you're destined to be with. They should light up your whole world. You should want to be with that person no matter what. Not off sleeping with other people!" She bit out.

Goten looked at her incredulously a moment. "You live in a fantasy world, Marron. Always comparing me to some dream ideal you've got in your head. Relationships aren't like that. You lead me on until I'm half crazy with lust over you and then you turn into an ice princess on me. What do I have to do to get you to treat me like a man? " He barked.

His words hit her with the force of a slap, making tears blur her vision. This wasn't the way things were supposed to happen. She whirled away from Goten and ran back across the atrium toward the party. She needed some space, some time to think. She stopped at the fringes of the gathering to wipe her eyes. Trying to get some semblance of control back before she passed her family and friends.

Goten grabbed her arm from behind, spinning her around to face him. "I wasn't done. If you're waiting for me to marry you to get you to sleep with me, then fine. Let's do it. If that's what I have to do to get you to fuck me then let's get married." Goten yelled.

Marron felt like she'd been hit with a bolt of lightning as hot shame ran over her body like a grassfire. Her blood roared in her ears and she could feel every pair of eyes in the room on her. She wanted to die; she wanted to kill Goten for humiliating her this way. The silence was almost palpable as she and Goten stared each other down, just the soft rustling of cloth as the partygoers shifted uncomfortably.

"Dude…" She heard Trunks murmur somewhere behind her. It was Trunks' soft lament that galvanized her into action and she yanked her arm out of his grasp.

"You're drunk Goten. Go sleep it off." She said coldly and turned her back on him. She didn't get more than a half a step when Goten grabbed her arm again.

"Don't you walk away from me! You have this coming Marron, and I'm gonna get it off my chest. I'm not drunk, just desperate. Two years of this and I'm sick of it! It's time to fish or cut bait Marron. Put up, or shut up. Stop being a cock tease and grow up!" He shouted, crimson staining the bridge of his nose.

Marron trembled with rage and she drew back her hand and slapped him hard across the face. The sound of her flesh hitting his made tears spring to her eyes again and her rage dissolved. She couldn't believe she'd just slapped him and she covered her mouth with her hand. Goten's head had rocked to the side from the force of her blow, not from the strength behind it, but the surprise that she would actually hit him. She heard Trunks come up beside her and put an arm around Goten.

"Come on man…let's go get you sobered up." He said, looking reproachfully at Marron. She dropped her eyes from his ashamed. She'd had no right to fly off the handle like that. Goten was drunk, it was the liquor talking, not him.

"Goten…I'm sorry." She whispered. Goten opened his eyes a notch to look at her before he closed them again. He said nothing to her as Trunks led him away toward the kitchen, leaving Marron standing alone.

Her cheeks burned with hot flames as she heard the murmurs of those around her. Their eyes on her crawled over her skin like a living thing. With a deep breath she drew herself up as straight and proud as she could. She could keep it together and she made herself move toward the door. Keeping her eyes fixed on her destination as she forced the shame and hurt down until she could be alone.

She kept her head held high and didn't meet the gazes of anyone she passed until a tall frame filled her vision as he stood near the door.

"Are you going to be all right?" Yamucha asked softly as she drew near. She shook her head wildly as the dam within her burst at his soft voice. She ran out the door, rushing blindly through the corridors of Capsule Corporation on her two-inch heels until she found a door to the outside. The cool night air rushed over her hot skin as she fled across the soft lawn toward the trees.

She stood in the deep shadows of the trees with the back of her hand over her eyes. She wanted to cast the roiling emotions within her away, to shed them like a skin and she grimaced, trying to hold back her tears.

She heard Yamucha's soft step as he came up behind her quietly. Saying nothing as he just stood near her. Supporting her with his presence alone.

"Why is it always you? Why are you the only one who seems to care about how I feel?" She asked, voice cracking. She turned her head slightly to see him, glad of the shadows that hid her tearstained red face. She couldn't see him well, his dark clothes blending into the deep shadows around them, but she saw as he held his arms out to her. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to run into those arms and pour out her hurt and humiliation against his strong chest. He supported her when her legs felt like they wouldn't, rocking her against him as he soothed her with soft murmurs and touches.

"What happened?" He asked, when her sobs had trailed off to sniffles. He didn't let go of her, and Marron was in no hurry to give up the soothing presence of his arms around her as she told him, haltingly at first, of what had transpired between she and Goten.

"Is Goten right? Am I an ice princess just leading him on? Am I nothing but a tease?" She whispered.

"You're only a tease if you deliberately encourage him to believe that you're going to go through with it and then don't. You know in your heart whether what Goten said was true or not. You don't need me to tell you."

"I've wanted to. But it just never felt…" She trailed off.

"Right?" he asked gently, she nodded, ducking her head as she pressed her face against his shirt. His arms around her made her feel safe, protected. Not wary as she often was when Goten held her, waiting for him to press the issue. She wondered if it was because she thought she didn't have to worry about that kind of attention from Yamucha, or something else entirely. His arms tightened around her and she felt the shift, the moment she became aware of him as a man. His scent filled her head making her want to move closer, rather than away. She heard his voice, but realized she didn't know what he'd said.

"What?" She said, turning her face up to his.

"I said you have to follow your heart Marron. You did the right thing. If something doesn't feel right to you, then don't do it." He told her. Warmth suffused her at his words; he understood where Goten had not. She was almost in a daze as she blinked slowly, looking up at him. The words falling from her lips before she knew she'd spoke them.

"But how do I know if it's right…unless I do it?" She asked, already knowing the answer. She'd known the answer since another starlit night she'd spent with him before Christmas. The night he'd called her a woman and kissed her cheek beneath the mistletoe, the feeling of that one almost kiss being the mark she measured all others against. She'd been a girl then…but she was a woman now. Would it be different if he kissed her now, a real kiss like those shared between lovers? She laid her hands flat on his broad chest, feeling the soft fabric and the hard muscle underneath.

Some of her thoughts must have shown on her face as his hands moved from her back to rest on her shoulders. "Marron?" His voice held a note of puzzlement. She curled her hands in his shirt, gathering it into handfuls.

"I have to know." She murmured and pulled him down to her as she went on her tiptoes to reach his lips.

He started slightly in surprise as she brushed her lips over his. She was sure he hadn't been expecting it. Electric tingles sizzled up and down her arms at the barest touch of his lips against hers. His arms went around her slowly and he kissed her fully, setting off waves of sensation in places she'd never felt except when she woke from dreams. She closed her eyes as her arms wound around his neck of their own accord. She felt like she was falling, or flying, everything within her expanding until there was only him. His lips moving against hers, his arms lifting and holding her close so she felt every inch of his body that pressed against hers.

And it felt right.

She could hear her heart in her ears, beating in rhythm with his, every pulse bringing them closer together. She felt connected to him somehow, like she'd found the missing piece of herself. You'll know from the very first kiss. And it will change your life, and the lives of everyone around you forever… She heard the echo of Baba's voice in her head, and with it a single memory rose from the mists of her mind, of a handsome dark haired man's scarred visage floating in a crystal ball.

Yamucha pulled his face away from hers. His expression of shock in the weak starlight almost comical if it hadn't mirrored the turmoil she felt. "Did you feel it too?" She whispered. Slowly he nodded, still holding her off the ground with his arms around her waist.

"I heard a voice in my head, like a memory forgotten. It was Baba, she said, 'Love will find it when you least expect it and in the most unlikely place.'" Yamucha told her. "She also told me that I'd know from the very first kiss who my soul mate would be. But she first told me that when I was seventeen years old. I'd almost forgotten."

She tightened her arms around his neck, lost in the feeling. "It was you…your face Baba showed me in her crystal ball that day." She murmured wonderingly. "Kiss me again."

He lowered his face to hers slowly and she felt it again, the flames of love enfolding her, until she was burning bright. Like she had a light within her. He made a hungry sound of yearning when she parted her lips for him. She loved the taste of his mouth, his tongue tenderly caressing hers, his hard muscular body against hers. She never wanted the moment to end as the kiss became longer, slower, his arms so tightly around her she didn't know anymore where she stopped and he began.

He drew back until his lips were a whisper against hers, their breathing ragged. His eyes devoured her, and in his eyes she drowned, everything going blurry as her emotions swelled like a tidal wave engulfing them both.

"Two kisses confirm it." She gasped, holding on to him like an anchor in a stormy sea.

"Yeah." He sighed.

He set her gently back on her feet and rested his hands on her shoulders like he would move away, but Marron clung like a burr, her arms around his waist. "Now I know…" She smiled, and looked up to him with shining eyes.

He returned the smile; his hands moving up to cup her face. "Know what, my love?"

"Now I know who I've been saving myself for… Two years I've been with Goten and he's never moved me like this. Two kisses from you and I would deny you nothing." She murmured honestly. Yamucha looked startled as he took a half step back away from her.

"What are you saying?"

"That I love you. I just realized it now, but I think I've loved you since I was fifteen years old." She confessed. "And I'm telling you that I'm yours if you want me."

"Marron…this is wrong. I'm too old for you. You should be with someone-"

"Like Goten?" She finished. Yamucha looked uncomfortable. She half turned away from him.

"Tell me how it's right to feel nothing when Goten touches me intimately, and truthfully we did almost have sex, and wrong to feel lit up inside just from your kiss? Tell me Yamucha, tell me how is love wrong?" He reached his hand out to stroke her hair, shining in the patches of starlight through the trees. She closed her eyes briefly at the caress and then turned them on him when he said nothing. "Remember our pact, no secrets between us." She whispered then swallowed. His fingers curled in her loose hair, cupping her skull in his palm as he slowly drew her closer.

"No," he whispered back, "no secrets between us ever. I've loved you too, Marron. Always."

Her smile was brilliant and he inclined his head to hers again, eager to taste the honey sweetness of her lips. Marron shared his eagerness as she followed his lead. And yet she knew it could only get better, what she once had refused she wanted completely, to be one with the man she loved. Boldly her hands ran over his chest, his arms, and around to his back, sliding under his shirt to caress his skin. His kisses came hot, soft, and moist on her eyelids, her cheeks and finally her lips, where they came slower and lasted longer under a sky of diamonds and dark clouds.

"I can't," he rasped finally, pulling back from her kiss. "I can't be the one to take your innocence from you." He said miserably.

Useless protest that she snuffed out by encircling his neck with her arms. "I've saved it for you. It's yours, there is no one else." She murmured huskily, the stars above shining in her eyes.

"But…"

She kissed him then, shamelessly long and deep. " You told me, don't do it if it doesn't feel right. So tell me, Yamucha, if I'm for you, and you're my soul mate. Is it right?" She asked.

His hesitation ended when she took her hand and put it on the place she knew would give him the most pleasure and he groaned. He groaned even louder when she took his hand and put it where she wanted. Turning off all thoughts of how brazen and forward she was being. She thought he would take her right there on the soft grass beneath the stars, but he scooped her up in his arms, carrying her toward a smaller dome on the far side of the grounds.

Neither spoke, though Marron's lips slowly traveled his face and neck as they stole quietly into the guesthouse and up the stairs. She was nervous, yet excited and eager too. With the door locked behind them Yamucha laid her down on the bed, undressing her with his eyes first and then his hands. She tried to help, but he pushed her hands away gently, delighting in every new inch of skin he uncovered on her. He knelt at the foot of the bed, unbuckling the straps of her silver sandals to remove them, then cradling her foot in his hands. His dark eyes swept the length of her, drinking in her bare body.

"Just perfect." He whispered, and she smiled, remembering the night on the balcony. He bent his head over her foot exploring it with his lips before he removed the other sandal and repeated the attention. He treated the rest of her to the same lavish slow treatment of kisses and lingering touches until she was hot and shivering under him. And he hadn't even removed a stitch of his own clothing.

"Are you cold?" He whispered, his lips brushing over hers in a shivery, feathery caress. Cold? She felt like she was on fire, and she shook her head, not trusting her voice. "Are you scared?"

"N-No." She gasped out. She realized his concern came because she was trembling. But it was with anticipation, not fear.

"I just don't want to frighten you." He told her gently, nuzzling the soft skin under her ear. She ran her hands over his powerful shoulders, the cotton of his shirt warm over his skin. Skin she longed to touch. As if he knew what she wanted, he sat up. He watched her face as he undressed. Her eyes devouring the site of the first naked man she'd ever seen. Her eyes widened impossibly as they fell to his groin though, and she looked frightened then. He was so big! How would they fit together? She may have grown some in height, but she was still so much smaller than he was. "Look at me, Marron."

She tore her eyes away from his lap and up to his. And he smiled, gently, reassuringly. He stretched out beside her, leaning on his elbow. "We'll fit together just fine. Trust me. I would never do anything to hurt you."

"How did you know that's what I was thinking?" She demanded. He splayed his hand on her flat belly, where it looked so dark against her milky complexion.

"It was all over your face." His hands lazily roamed her body; followed by his mouth as he explored her with such a seductive slowness she was ready and eager for him long before his fingers went to the apex of her thighs to open her. Skin to skin they pressed, just holding close and thrilling in the joy of sharing what the other had to give. With every touch of his lips and hands the fire in her grew until she was wild to have him enter her. No longer tender as she clutched at him, digging her nails into his shoulders, and biting her lip against the pain of his full possession.

"Don't stop, please." She gasped when he stilled to let her adjust.

She needn't have worried as the pain quickly faded and he moved again. Quickly, she was swept up in the electrifying sensations, in his fierce demanding need to reach the same heights she was seeking. Her legs raised and clutched around his waist, as she moved with him, doing what she could. He was sweat soaked and slick as his body labored over hers, taut with restraint.

"I want to make you come," he gasped against her. "Come for me."

Her eyes flew open and her lips parted as his words pushed her over the edge, fireworks going off in her body as she arched and cried out. Moments later he groaned and gave into his own release as hot juices spurted to warm up her insides pleasantly, five or six times. And then he was pulling out to lie beside her, cuddling her close to his chest. His face relaxed and vaguely smeared with joy.

She watched him as he lay beside her with eyes closed, the sweat drying on their bodies. Letting her eyes drink their fill of the man of her dreams, as she memorized his body visually, then tactilely as she touched him hesitantly. His hand covered hers, holding it against his bare chest and she saw his eyes were open.

"Why do you look at me like that? Are you sorry? Do you wish now you hadn't?"

Her response was to roll to her side and kiss him as she lay beside him in the guest room. "No," she breathed, "I'm not sorry. I love you."

He smiled and brought her fingers to his lips, kissing them. "I love you too, Marron."

They lay companionably together on the bed, caressing and cherishing each other as real life slowly crept in around them.

"This is happening so fast…what about Goten?" He murmured a few minutes later. She turned big blue eyes full of love to his with no regret.

"I'll have to tell him."

"And your folks?"

"They'll have to get used to it."

"We're missing the Christmas Party. It could get ugly." He told her. She sat up next to him then with a smile; her hair falling over one shoulder to cover one of her perfectly shaped breasts.

"I'm not worried. I'm not afraid, because I have you. I know we can handle anything now that we're together. And isn't that really the best Christmas gift of all?" She asked him.

He pulled her down again to lie with him, his heart and eyes so full of tenderness for this love that had come so late in his life. And he traced her lips gently with his finger, before lowering his head to kiss her.

"You certainly are, my love. The best gift ever."

In another part of the world, their images shone brightly within a singular crystal orb as they expressed their love to each other physically. Having seen enough, the tiny old woman smiled. Pleased with herself that all things were now as they should be, she waved her hand before the crystal ball, the vision within growing hazy and indistinct until it vanished into the swirling mists within.

****

OWARI