Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Haunted Past ❯ Secrets Revealed ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8-

Disclaimer- I'm really tired of doing this but…I don't own it…so you can't sue me.

A/N: Thank you to my wonderful reviewer Maria. It's nice to know that my story is liked by someone.

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The party had gone great. Yamcha had survived Vegeta's protective wrath with only a few bruises. Athena had spent most of her time sparring with Goku, Goten and Gohan. Trunks, Piccolo and Krillen had sparred with each other, leaving Videl, 18 and Chichi to try and protect Yamcha from Vegeta.

As everyone was leaving, Vegeta grabbed Goku's arm and pulled him aside. Athena and Trunks were the last to take off for home. As he watched them leave, Vegeta turned to his rival. "Kakarot, I need to talk to you about your sister."

Goku patted Vegeta's shoulder gently. "Well, you know I'm here for you buddy. What's going on?"

Vegeta let the "buddy" comment slide. "Kakarot…you've noticed the pendant she wears around her throat." He paused as Goku nodded. "That is the seal of Vegeta-sei. My father gave it to her mother to give to her. Do you have any idea what that means?" Goku's face clouded in concentration before he shook his head no. Growing impatient, Vegeta growled and basically spelled it out for him. "Kakarot! That pendant was to be given to my mate and Athena has it. Do you know what that means?!" He pulled away from the taller Saiyan. "Athena is my mate…and I…don't mind."

~~~~~

Trunks flew ahead of Athena's easy pace and landed in front of Capsule Corp. He walked over to the door and unlocked it, looking up at the sky. As Athena landed, he opened it and gestured for her to go first. She gave him a winning smile before strolling in, only to be met by a hyperactive fluff ball. "Hi Baka, did you miss me?" He answered her by licking her face mercilessly.

Chuckling softly, Trunks came up behind her. He walked past her and sat down on the sofa. "Athena, can we talk about something?"

"Of course we can Trunks, what's up?" She sat down next to him, holding the petite Akita puppy.

He took a deep breath before he turned to look more fully at her. He looked into her emerald eyes and began. "Athena, you've been here a couple of weeks and I feel like I've known you for much, much longer." He ran his fingers through his long lavender hair. His eyes studied the ground.

She smiled. "I feel the same Trunks, you and your father have been very good to me. I'm glad I met you."

"Good, umm, what I'm trying to say is…I don't know how to say this…" He groaned as he slumped against the back of the sofa, closing his eyes. `Why is it so hard for me to say this? I've said it before…even when I didn't mean it.'

"Trunks, I'm sure whatever it is you want to say to me will come out easier if you quit contemplating it so hard." Baka climbed onto his lap and curled up into a ball as if trying to encourage him.

"Athena, I really like you. You're everything I've ever wanted and even more. I mean, you even stand up to my dad!" He smiled at her and continued, "I want you to be my girlfriend, please? I'll do anything."

She swallowed hard before she got up and walked out of the room. `How am I supposed to tell him? I wanted to…I have to tell someone but not now.' She cleared her throat slightly then replied. "Trunks, I'm sorry, I just can't…there's something standing in my way."

"What could possibly be in the way Athena?" He got off of the sofa quickly, dumping Baka on the floor.

She stared at him, unmoving as he came towards her. "I like someone else. I think I may even love him."

His eyes flashed coldly. `Who on Earth could she like? She doesn't like Piccolo and I'm pretty sure that she hates Yamcha, so who-` Realization hit him in the face like a tightly packed snowball. "You like my dad?!"

She nodded almost solemnly. Her eyes were the only things that betrayed her emotions, sadness and something akin to regret. "Trunks, I value your friendship, I really do. Unfortunately, that's all we can ever be." She looked deeply into his eyes. "I'm begging you, as your friend, please don't tell Vegeta. This is something I have to do myself."

He stared into Athena's seemingly endless eyes. Pulling her into a gentle hug, he nodded in agreement. "Okay, I won't tell him. Just know this: I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

~~~~~

"Vegeta…what do you mean you don't mind if my sister is your mate?" Goku scratched the back of his head, trying to understand what he could possibly mean.

Vegeta growled at his rival's stupidity. "Kakarot, what did you do, fall out of the idiot tree and hit every branch on the way down? I mean that I like the idea of having Athena as my mate…she's everything a Saiyan could want. She's beautiful, intelligent, brave and strong. The only problem I have is that hair…not befitting a Saiyan warrior at all."

Goku grinned ad hugged Vegeta to him tightly. "Hey buddy, that means we'll be related, isn't that great? Just wait until I tell Chichi." He was so busy daydreaming that he didn't notice that the older Saiyan had slipped out of his grip.

"Kakarot! If it were up to me, I would not have to worry about being `related' to you, but I suppose I do. Athena is unfortunately your sister, but…that in no way gives you a right to touch me. Besides, I don't even know if she wants to be bonded…I don't even know if her spirit is bound to me."

Goku's face wore its usual confused mask. "Vegeta…how would you know what her spirit wants?"

Rolling his eyes, he huffed and crossed his arms. "If our spirits are meant for one another, we will be able to know things about one another…that no one else does. That could be anything from what her first pet was on Olympus, to my time with Frieza…we'll know, but for no apparent reason." Goku finally smiled, signaling that he understood. Vegeta rolled his eyes one more time and mumbled, "Nice talking to you." He took off a second later, leaving a grinning Goku.

~~~~~

Vegeta arrived home moments later and walked in the door. What he saw made him smile. There was Athena in a huge shirt he had given her and a pair of feminine boxers, asleep on the sofa. Her legs were thrown over the top and her head hung down to the floor. One of her favorite movies, Queen of the Damned, was playing on the television. He shook his head and walked over to her, careful not to step on a sleeping Baka. Wrapping his arms around her gently, he picked her up bridal style and carried her upstairs to her room.

Once inside her room, Vegeta pulled back her covers and gently set her on the bed. His hand tenderly smoothed her hair away from her face as a thoughtful smile enveloped his lips. "You really are nothing like Kakarot…I only hope you find me tolerable enough to be a mate…" With that, he covered her in the blue comforter and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight Princess, sweet dreams."

He walked out and went to his own room. Changing his clothes, he thought about the day. `What changed? All of a sudden, I can see her as a life mate…a girl no older than my son.' He stripped to his boxers and got into his bed. Pulling his blankets up to his chest, he sat thinking for a few moments before he too, drifted off into slumber.