Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Becoming Trunks ❯ Chapter 11 The Announcement ( Chapter 11 )

Chapter 11

((telepathic thoughts will be noted this way))

Bulma, Chi-Chi, Videl, and Mrs. Briefs ushered the hungry, wet group into the private room Bulma had reserved. Miyuki and her outfit were beyond help, so Bulma made the decision that they would get the food "to go" and go back to Capsule Corp. She asked Goku to use his instant transmission to whisk everyone back to the Briefs family home. Everyone, that is, except Vegeta who insisted upon getting home by himself.

Trunks led the sobbing Miyuki up to his room so that she could clean up. She went in his bathroom and slammed the door on him so that he couldn't watch her. "Aw come on, it's not like I haven't seen it all before," he teasingly said into the door.

"Go away!" yelled Miyuki. Trunks chuckled at her sudden shyness. He walked back toward his bed and started to remove his own soaked clothing.

In the meantime, Bulma showed Sayuri the guest quarters and found some clothes of her own that her wet guest could change into. Goku simply transmitted himself home for a few minutes to dry off and change. When Vegeta finally showed up, he passed directly through the kitchen and went to his room to put on a pair of workout shorts. He was tired of being dressed in the ridiculous clothes that Bulma made him wear to the fancy restaurant. Bra and Pan planted themselves in the living room and began playing with some of Bra's toys. Bra loved it when Pan came over because there was actually someone her own age to play with, even if Pan didn't always like the same things she did. Everyone else gathered in the living room to partake of the carryout food. Goten tried desperately to get Sayuri's attention, but whenever he turned around, Bra was at his heels begging him to play with her. "Looks like you have a friend, there," stated an amused Sayuri when Goten attempted to talk to her.

When at last Miyuki had managed to get the mud out of every orifice and all washed out of her hair, she emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Her wet hair fell down about her shoulders. Trunks had gotten dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt. He had laid out a t-shirt of his and a pair of shorts that didn't fit him anymore for her to wear. She went over to his bed and sat down heavily next to him. "I have never been so humiliated in my whole life," she said softly. "And the incident will forever be etched in the archives of the daily news," she continued.

"One day, we will look back at this and laugh," said Trunks, smiling as he handed her the clothes he had picked out for her.

Miyuki glared at him, anger written all over her face. "That is not funny," she said as her eyes formed small slits. She forcefully grabbed the clothes from him and stomped back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

"Why are you so mad at me?" asked Trunks as he walked toward the bathroom. "My father was the one responsible for all the commotion tonight. He is notorious for causing chaos!"

After a minute or so, Miyuki opened the door. She was wearing the clothes that he had picked out. "I need a comb," she said calmly.

Trunks walked past her into the bathroom and found a comb for her to use. She snatched it from his hand and walked toward the mirror. She began combing out her long hair, which was quite an undertaking after all the scrubbing she had just done. Trunks kept quiet and watched her from the opposite side of the room. After she had combed out most of the tangles and had twisted her hair into two braids, she noticed in the mirror that he was watching her. She turned swiftly to face him. "What are you looking at?" she spat.

"Something dazzling," he replied with a twinkle in his eye.

Her face softened for a second at the compliment, and then went cold again. She huffed and turned her attentions back to the mirror.

"How long are you going to stay mad at me?" Trunks asked softly. He walked closer to stand behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. They looked at each other's reflections in the mirror.

Miyuki breathed a heavy sigh. She turned toward him and pounded her fists a couple of times on his chest in frustration. "How could this happen?"

"Miyuki, don't worry about it. Let's just go downstairs and eat, and I am sure you will feel better."

"Oh, now you are telling me how I am supposed to feel?" she spat back at him.

Trunks was shocked at her angry response. "No, that's not what I meant at all. Please, Miyuki, I don't want to fight with you."

Her facial features softened. She knew deep down that he was only trying to be nice, but it was hard for her to accept his affection when she was so angry. "All right. Let's go," she said reluctantly.

Everyone was happy to see the couple and greeted them when they arrived downstairs. Bulma firmly wrested Miyuki away from her son and guided the younger woman over to where the elder Dr. Briefs was. The two had met before, but had never gotten the opportunity to have a real conversation, to speak of. Bulma valued his opinion and wanted her dad to get a feel for Miyuki's knowledge as to whether he thought she would be a good choice for the North American CEO's job.

From the other side of the crowded room, Trunks caught a glimpse of her speaking to his grandfather. She was smiling and laughing. He felt relieved; it was good to see her smiling again. He saw Goku standing alone in the kitchen blissfully stuffing his face as usual, and decided this would be good chance to get some information from him. "Goku, I have something to ask you."

"Okay, ask away," said Goku through a mouthful of food.

Trunks leaned in close to Goku and asked under his breath, "What can you tell me about Saiyan…mating practices?"

Goku coughed and choked on the food in his mouth. When he managed to catch his breath, he replied, "Shouldn't you be asking Vegeta that question?"

"No way! I can't talk about that with my father!" Trunks shuddered at the thought.

"Well, he knows more about the Saiyan race than I do. After all, he is the Prince of all Saiyans," said Goku, nodding his head.

"Well can I just ask you one more thing?" whispered Trunks.

"I guess so. I'm not sure how much help I will be."

"Did you ever have the urge to…bite Chi-Chi on the neck?"

"Oh, that Saiyan mating practice," answered Goku, much louder than Trunks would have liked.

"Keep your voice down, Goku!" whispered an embarrassed Trunks. "So, you've had this experience, too?"

"Yeah."

"What did you do?"

"Well, I tried to ask Vegeta about it a couple of times, but he never really answered me. I am still not sure exactly what it means."

Trunks looked at Goku with a puzzled expression. The young half Saiyan knew that there had to be a meaning behind the strange urge, and apparently the only one who knew anything about it was Vegeta. Trunks groaned at the thought, but there were no other options. It looked like he would have to talk to his father about it.

When Trunks returned to the living room, he discovered Miyuki on the floor with the two little girls playing with their dolls. From the side of the room, he watched her without her knowledge. Bra seemed to like her quite a bit and sat on her lap while they played. His grandmother came up to him and gave him a peck on the cheek. "She is lovely," stated Mrs. Briefs, motioning towards Miyuki.

"Thanks, Grandma," smiled Trunks before kissing her on the cheek as well. Trunks mingled around the room, but always kept an eye on what Miyuki was doing.

One by one, the guests began leaving. Goten insisted on giving Sayuri a ride home, so that left Trunks to take Miyuki home. As they rode toward her home, Miyuki decided that she was feeling much better and she was no longer angry at Trunks. When they arrived at her apartment, Trunks walked her to her door, waiting to come in, but Miyuki protested. "You got it before dinner, so don't expect it after dinner, too," she announced.

He gave her his most engaging smile. "Can't I just come in for a while? I promise to keep my hands to myself."

Miyuki couldn't help but smile back at him. "That's no fun," she said playfully and motioned him in her apartment.

He closed the door behind him and they both flopped down on her couch, exhausted mentally from all the togetherness with his family and friends. "Did you enjoy yourself?" asked Trunks, turning toward Miyuki.

"Aside from the fiasco before dinner, yes I did. Your little sister is cute. I don't know why you hate her so much."

"She gets away with everything. My father treats her so different from how he treated me when I was her age."

"That's not her fault though," observed Miyuki, gazing in his direction as she spoke.

Trunks pondered her last statement. He'd never considered that aspect of it. Miyuki had a real knack for seeing things in ways he had never thought of. He took in a deep breath and returned her gaze. "I guess you are right," he said reluctantly.

They stared at each other for a moment and Miyuki smiled. "It is really getting late. Are you staying with me tonight?" she asked, hoping he would say yes. This night was perfect since neither of them had to work the next day.

Trunks had never spent the whole night with her, although he wanted to. "Are you asking me to spend the night with you?" he inquired softly, his eyes meeting hers with a warm gaze.

She put her head on his shoulder and slid her arms around his waist "I would love to wake up tomorrow in your arms."

___________

The next day Trunks made it home at around noon. His family was eating lunch when he walked into the kitchen. Vegeta looked out of the corner of his eye at his son, his mouth curled into his trademark smirk.

Trunks met his father's smirking glance and blushed a little at the knowing look before sitting down across from him. "Anything left to eat, Mom?" he asked Bulma.

"Sure, honey," she replied. She quickly made her son a plate and set it down in front of him.

While they were eating, Trunks spoke to his father telepathically. ((Father I need to talk to you in private about something.))

Surprised, Vegeta snapped his head up and looked at his son. It had been a long time since he had wanted to speak with him telepathically. Since Trunks had become a teenager, he valued his privacy and purposefully avoided seeking out his father in this manner. ((What is it?)) he asked.

((It's about…Saiyan…mating. I want you to tell me about it.))

Vegeta opened his eyes even wider at this. ((And why would you be interested in such things?)) he asked, almost embarrassed to be thinking about it.

((I've been feeling some…strange feelings, and don't know what to make of them. I wanted to talk to you about them, but if you are too busy-)) Trunks cut himself off, sorry that he had brought this up. Now, he was so embarrassed and could sense that his father was equally uncomfortable with the subject matter.

"After lunch, when the women aren't around. Follow me to the gravity room," Vegeta said in a low voice.

Trunks nodded once and let out a sigh. He desperately hoped his father could explain some of what he had been feeling lately.

When lunch was over, Trunks put away his dishes and followed his father out of the kitchen. Vegeta remained silent until they got to the gravity room and the door was closed behind them. Turning his face to his anxious son, Vegeta asked softly, "What is it that you want to know?" He, too, was a bit uneasy, but inwardly grateful that his son was asking about his Saiyan heritage.

"Well, I can't explain it. I have this overwhelming urge to…bite Miyuki…on the neck. I know it sounds crazy. I just thought that maybe there was something you could tell me." He nervously searched his father's eyes for some form of understanding.

Vegeta's eyes went to the floor for a moment or two before coming back up to rest on his son's face. "Do you love this woman?" he asked Trunks. His father's question was voiced not in his usual defensive manner, but sounded as if Vegeta genuinely wanted to know what his son was feeling.

"Yes, I love her deeply. I can't imagine my life without her," replied Trunks.

"Then what you are feeling is normal. Saiyan males mark their females by biting them on the neck and swallowing their blood. It forms a bond that can never be broken." As he spoke, he looked directly into Trunks' eyes with great intensity.

"Oh," the younger man said with relief in his tone. The thought of drinking blood sort of nauseated him. "So, I'm not crazy after all?"

Vegeta gave a little amused snort. "No, you are not crazy." His expression became darkly serious before adding, "However, you need to be absolutely certain, that she is your chosen mate for life. Once the bond is made, it can never be broken. There is no such thing as `divorce' in the Saiyan culture."

"Did you…bond with Mom?" Trunks wasn't sure why he was asking this particular question, but was curious to know what answer his father would give. He had always believed that Vegeta never behaved toward his mother in the same way Trunks thought she should have been treated. But, if the two of them were truly bonded, that meant they had a stronger and deeper connection between them than he imagined they had.

Vegeta looked at his son and shifted uncomfortably a little. He wasn't altogether sure he wanted to answer such a personal question, as he liked to keep this private part of his life to himself. But his son wanted…no needed an answer. He cleared his throat and crossed his arms over his chest. "If I answer that question, would it change how you feel about me?" asked Vegeta. As he was growing up, Trunks had made no secret to his father about how he hadn't cared for the cavalier way in which Vegeta treated his mom.

"Perhaps," Trunks answered, crossing his arms and mirroring his father's stance.

"Yes, I did. I know you believe the only reason I stayed with your mother was out of some obligation to you, but that is not the case. I…love her. She is my life mate. As you said earlier, I can not envision my life without her in it, for I truly cannot `live' without her."

Trunks slowly nodded, grateful for the understanding that was forming between them. For the next few hours, he continued to ask Vegeta questions about Saiyan customs and history. Vegeta was more than happy to share his knowledge of their Saiyan heritage with Trunks. For his part, this was exactly what Vegeta had always hoped he would share with his offspring.

____

Another week passed and the last month of the summer was upon them. Miyuki had filled out the necessary paperwork for her transfer, but with each passing day and the more time she spent with Trunks, the less she wanted to take the job.

The day finally came for Bulma to announce the appointment for the new North American CEO. As Trunks' mother, she was deeply torn, knowing as she did how deeply her son cared for Miyuki and knowing what it was like to love a Saiyan and the passion of which they were capable. She was not entirely sure why Miyuki was so reluctant to make an outright commitment to Trunks. Bulma could tell that there were deeper demons within the girl that she had never shared with her, and she had to respect that. On the other hand, given Miyuki's intelligence and drive, she was the best person for the position to make that division successful.

Bulma was prepared to make her announcement at 1:00 that day. She had assembled all her executives in the boardroom and had cameras there so that it could be simultaneously broadcasted via closed circuit to every area of the company, and web-casted to the North American branch. Earlier that morning, she had made up her mind after wrestling strongly with her choices.

Around the boardroom table sat the usual white lab coats that followed Bulma around, Miyuki included. They were all nervously waiting, eager for the president to make her announcement. When the time came and the cameras were on, Bulma strode up to the podium and arranged her speech cards on its surface before speaking. "Welcome everyone. As you know, the president and Chief Operating Officer of the North American Capsule Corporation branch, Joseph Faloon, has announced his retirement at the end of this month. He has been a great asset to the company and will be sorely missed." Bulma stopped and cleared her throat.

"I have gathered everyone together today to announce his replacement. During these past months, I've carefully gone over many resumes and applications, which were submitted from within Capsule Corporation and those, received form many outside applicants. After much deliberation, I have decided to promote the current vice president, Mitsu Koto, to fill the presidential post." Gasps of surprise were heard throughout as most in the room had fully expected someone from the Eastern side of the globe to get the position. Miyuki took a deep breath, feeling sad and relieved at the same time. She accepted that Bulma knew what was best for the company better than anyone.

Trunks, Goten, and the rest of the dock staff were standing and watching the broadcast on the big screen in the warehouse. Trunks breathed a huge sigh of relief when he heard the news. "Yes!" he whispered a cheer under his breath. His mom had come through for him and was he ever grateful! On the web-cast, Mitsu came up to the podium and thanked Bulma for naming him as the new president. He made a small speech, and when he was done, applause was heard everywhere, especially from Trunks.

When he stepped down, Bulma returned to her place at the podium. She forcefully cleared her throat again to get everyone's attention and the buzz in the room immediately died down. "I made this decision because I felt Mitsu had demonstrated, in my opinion, the best feel for how the market climate in the Western Hemisphere. And, since Mitsu's position will be vacant, I would like to use this forum to announce his replacement for the North American vice-presidential. This was a very tough decision for me to make, since the person whom I feel is most qualified, is also a valued member of my personal staff." Composing herself, Bulma lifted her head and looked straight ahead.

Looking at his mother's resolute face, Trunks felt his heart drop. All of the joy that he had felt a few moments ago, was about to be shattered, as he knew exactly of whom his mother was talking about. He began to feel his knees give out. Goten looked over in alarm at his faltering friend and helped him steady himself. Sadly, he knew what was coming as well.

Bulma took a deep breath, "The new vice-president of the North American Capsule Corporation branch will be Miyuki He."

The cameras all panned over to Miyuki, who had a look of utter surprise on her face. She had, just a moment ago, resigned herself to the fact that she would not be moving. Now, in the space of a few seconds, everything had changed. Miyuki recovered from the momentary shock and came up to the podium. After giving Bulma a handshake and a brief hug, she squared her shoulders, looked into the cameras and began her acceptance speech.

Trunks didn't stay to hear any of her speech. As soon as he heard his mother say Miyuki's name, he broke away from Goten's grasp and began quickly walking off the dock. Goten followed, trying to reason with him and Kwang yelled, threatening to fire him if he didn't come back to work. Trunks didn't hear either one of them. He was hurting and to him, this feeling was worse than any physical pain he had experienced.

Blind to everything and everyone in his path, he continued walking until he came to his house. He went straight into the kitchen and looked in the high cabinet he knew his mother kept bottles of different types of alcohol. Not caring which kind of booze he chose, he grabbed the first bottle he saw and took it up to his room. He sprawled out on his bed, his head reeling, as he tried to piece together what had just occurred. "How could this happen?" he kept repeating as hot stinging tears welled up in his eyes. "How could she cast away everything we have?"