Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ December Elegy ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

As my pale, milky white leg slipped out of the limo, I looked up at the golden yellow dome. The last time I'd been here was right before my father died and my mother disappeared. Things had really changed in the past eight years. Bulma would send me a letter every once in a while telling me how things were going with everyone, and I would send one back telling her how I was. Trunks and his wife of five years got divorced three years ago. Goten and Bra got married two years ago, and already have two kids, and last year the Trunks from the future, the one I'd never met, had come back.

Bulma's last letter had been an invitation to this year's annual get together. Although she had sent me one every year for the past eight years, I had always declined, but this year she was hell bent on me coming to the party. She went out of her way for everything. She'd showed up at my apartment one day, out of the blue, and took me shopping for a cocktail dress. Then, when I tried to pay for it, she yelled at me. She even rented a limo for me, though she probably did it just to make sure I got to the party.

So, here I was, about to see people I hadn't seen in eight years. I had no game plan, no strategy. I was about to go into the lion's den after eight years of absence. I kept wondering if anyone would recognize me, though I hadn't changed a bit in eight years. A little more grown up, of course, but no major changes.

A hand appeared in the doorway, reminding me of where I was. I accepted the helping hand and stepped out of the limo.

"You must be Marron." A familiar voice said. My eyes looked at the hand and traveled up the arm, until my eyes met with his.

"You must be the future Trunks." I said, studying him. He was more chiseled and muscular then the Trunks I knew, and a bit more handsome.

"Bulma has sent me to be your escort for the night."

"Oh? You don't have a date?" I asked.

"No, I don't mingle very well with people I don't know." He said with a welcoming smile.

"Then your more like your father than the Trunks I know. If you don't like to mingle with strange people, then why are you escorting me."

"Bulma said we have a lot in common."

"Oh? How so?"

"We're both loner's who've lost people dear to us." He answered. "Shall we join the party?"

"Yes, lets." I said and took his arm.

As we walked into the ballroom, I took in everything. Everyone was chatting in groups throughout the room and surprisingly enough, I knew everyone here. Goku, ChiChi, Bulma, Gohan, and Videl, where chatting in a group, and Trunks, Uub, Goten, Bra, and surprisingly Trunks' ex-wife, Pan, where in another. The last group consisted of Master Roshi, Yamcha, Puar, Oolong, chiaotzu, Tien, and Yajirobe, and of course, Vegeta sat alone. It seemed as if no one had changed.

I, of course, talked to Bulma first, and said hello to everyone. Then I looked around. I didn't belong anywhere. I didn't fit in with the group Bulma was talking to, I was to young, and I didn't fit in with the group Trunks was in because I was never accepted there. I thought back to when I was a child. I had grown up with Goten mostly because our father's spent so much time together, but right as soon as he learned how to fly, I was out of the club. By the time Pan and Bra were born, I was too old to play with babies and just basically kept to myself. A hand on my shoulder brought me back to myself.

"I know how you feel. I don't belong anywhere either." He paused. "I have an idea, let's make a group of our own. Then we'll belong somewhere."

"I like that idea." I said, trying not to shed a tear. He led me over to a table and pulled a chair out for me. I sat down and he sat across from me.

"So, Marron, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a homicide detective. What do you do?"

"I'm an inventor here at capsule corp. A homicide detective, huh? That sounds interesting."

"Besides for the hours, it's pretty fun."

"The hours?"

"Yeah, I'm on call practically 24/7, so I don't get time for a life."

"Maybe you should make time." He said staring into my blue eyes.

"Well, if it isn't little Marron." I heard a voice say. I looked over to the source of it. It seemed Trunks' group had finally taken notice that I was here.

"Little? I'm older than half of you." I said standing. Trunks stood too. The other Trunks walked over to me, with his group in tow. He hugged me and kissed me on the cheek, something he'd never done before. Goten was next. Even after I'd been kicked out of the `club', I still saw him at least three times a week. He also hugged me and kissed me on the cheek.

"Marron-chan, my I introduce my wife, Bra." He said backing away so Bra could come forward.

"Yes, I heard, congratulations."

"Thanks." Bra said hugging me. Pan came next, with a not so happy look on her face. She forced herself to smile.

"So, this is your date Trunks? I didn't know you knew Marron."

"Bulma asked me to be her escort for the evening before you asked me. I'm sorry but a promise is a promise." Pan turned on her heels and stormed away.

"Marron, it's nice seeing you again." Uub said, holding his hand out.

"It's nice to see you too, Uub." I said, shaking his hand.

"Well, we better go find Panny. Hopefully, she hasn't broken anything, yet." Goten said. The rest of the group, except Trunks, agreed and left.

"Marron may I talk with you for a minute?" He glanced at the future Trunks. "In private."

"Do you mind?" I asked the future Trunks.

"Not at all." He replied.

"I'll be back in a minute." I said and followed Trunks outside. He led me outside to the courtyard behind the dome.

"I…a… just wanted you to know that Pan has a thing for the future Trunks now and she's not very happy that he didn't escort her to the party tonight. And she's even more pissed that it was you he brought."

"Well, he didn't have a choice in the matter. Bulma made him take me." There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. Then he walked over to me and placed his arms around me.

"I've missed you so much, Marron. You're as beautiful as ever." He hugged me and I hugged him back. I really had missed him; I'd missed all of them. He pulled away and backed off. "Uh, I'd better go check on Pan. Maybe, if you wanted to, you could stop by capsule corps headquarters and we could go out and get something to eat, maybe." He stammered.

"Sure, I'll stop by soon."

"Great, I'll see you later, then."

"See you, Trunks." He flew off. I walked back inside. As I crossed the room to get back to the future Trunks a gruff voice stopped me.

"Hey, android spawn." I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to face Vegeta.

"Can I help you, Vegeta?" I asked forcing a smile.

"Yes, I think you can. Leave my sons alone. I will not have my line tainted by the blood of an android. Do you understand?" My smile widened.

"But you would let the spawn of Kakkarot taint your line. Oh wait, you didn't want that to happen either, did you? Why don't you let your sons make their own choice and get off my back? I would accept your gruffness towards me if I had propositioned either of them but I didn't. So chill out." I turned back to finish my quest back to Trunks' table, when I realized I had attracted the entire party's attention. Out of embarrassment, I grabbed my things and ran outside. I put on my long black trench coat and jumped into the sky. My father had taught me how to fly right before he died and I'd never really used it, but now all I wanted to do was get away from the party and put this behind me. I knew I should've never gone to that damned party.

I was about half way home when I realized someone was following me. I stopped and hovered waiting for the person to catch up. The future Trunks appeared out of the black sky in a matter of seconds.

"Damn you fly fast. I haven't had to fly that fast since I beat the androids in my time."

"Sorry I just needed to get out of there. I knew I would make a complete ass of myself, and look at what happened. I bet Bulma's pissed I ruined her party, huh?"

"Actually, no. She's so pissed at Vegeta for what he said to you." He paused. "So you're Android 18's daughter?"

"Yeah, can't you tell? I look exactly like her."

"I don't think so. The 18 I knew was colder, more distant. You seem softer, more human. I mean, not to insult you're mother. We're talking about two different people."

"No, you're right. My mother was always very cold and indifferent to everything. Everything except my father that is. When he died she just couldn't take it without him so she disappeared. I haven't seen or heard from her in eight years." I wanted to cry. This was the first time I'd ever explained it to another person. All my dad's friends knew what happened and I'd never explained to anyone. I mostly just told people that they were both dead. Trunks looked at me for a minute before speaking.

"I can't say I completely know how you feel but my father was killed right after I was born and my mother died in a lab explosion last year right before I came here. I know what it feels like to lose those dearest to you. I just want you to know that if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here." He paused. "Bulma told me I was to make sure you get home safe, but if you want to be alone, I'll understand."

"I'd like that." I said. He turned to go.

"Ok, I'll leave you alone then."

"No, I mean, I'd like it if you accompanied me." He smiled.

"Well then, shall we?"