Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Learning To Love Again ❯ Tensions Mount ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I don't even have enough money to buy the action figures. The ones I own were gifts from my "boyfriend".... Let's not go there.

A/N: I hope you've been enjoying this story so far. Well, I guess you have or you wouldn't be at the fifth chapter, would you? Oh wells.... As you can tell, my updates are beginning to lag. It's going to take a bit longer than planned, but I do have this story completely written. I just have to find the time to edit and upload. You know how that goes. A huge thankies to all my wonderful reviewers for bearing with me, and to my chica, Namek Kaia for being such a great beta. Luv ya all! *huggles to everyone*

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Though visiting with Yamcha had greatly helped Marron, it had raised questions, which still plagued her, begging to be answered. Dreading it as she may, Marron knew she would have to have a talk with Gohan to clarify them, or let them drive her to the brink of madness.

It was these questions that drove her to start on the long drive to the Sons'.

In a way, she hoped Pan would be especially clingy, so she could delay having to be alone with Gohan again. On the other hand, if Pan would leave the adults chance to talk. Maybe then Marron could find peace.

Pulling into the driveway, Marron parked her hovercraft and took a deep breath for courage before exiting the vehicle. No point in delaying the inevitable. Marron shoved her keys into the pocket of her jeans and marched toward the house to meet her fate.

Reaching the door, Marron raised her right hand to rap her knuckles against the wooden door to bring the residents' attention to her visit. Before her hand could tap said door, it was gone, replaced by air occupied by a smiling Gohan.

"Hi, Marron," Gohan greeted her, his smile faltering ever so slightly at the sight of her. "What brings you by?"

"I figured I'd come by and check on Pan and do some light cleaning, maybe even bake you a cake." Marron shifted under Gohan's intense gaze. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Shaking his head, Gohan stepped aside to allow Marron to enter the home. "Of course not. I don't have anything going on right now." Smiling he held up his hand containing a remote control. "In fact, I was just watching some TV."

"Oh, okay," Marron responded with a small smile as she stepped inside; Gohan closing the door behind her. "So, where's Pan hiding? Normally she'd have attacked me by now."

"She went to visit with her Grandpa Satan for the weekend. I'm thinking she'll be home any minute," Gohan answered, walking to the couch and taking a seat to resume his program. "Have a seat," he offered, seeing how Marron was still standing, her arms crossed over her chest like armor in discomfort.

Knowing she was cornered, Marron nodded her head. "Well, okay. I guess I could just hang out for a few minutes before getting to work."

Gohan grinned at her. "Of course you can."

Marron gave Gohan a small smile and turned her attention to the cop show on television. Nervously tucking some stray hair behind her ear, she thought of how to bring up the subject she had come over to discuss with him.

Fifteen minutes later, the credits rolled across the screen, accompanied by bloopers from the episode.

Gohan quickly clicked off the television and turned to Marron, grinning. As she looked up, she was surprised so much time had passed, and found herself wondering what he was smiling about.

"Did I hear something about cake earlier?" he questioned, his Saiyan stomach coming to the front, his face eager as a child's.

Marron stared blankly at Gohan for a moment before his question sank in, and she started laughing. "If you really want one, sure. I can handle that."

"Great!" Gohan stood, took Marron's hand, and pulled her up from the couch, practically dragging her into the kitchen. He released her to gather the necessary cookware before turning a huge smile toward Marron. "You're ready to get started." He handed her an apron.

Smiling, Marron shook her head at how the promise of sugar could turn a grown man into a small child. All her life she had heard "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach," and with Saiyans, she believed it must be true.

"Exactly what type of cake were you wanting me to bake?" Marron asked Gohan as he dug through the monstrous refrigerator, looking for the eggs.

"Hmm…" Gohan sounded, acknowledging the question. As he found the eggs Gohan exclaimed, "Aha!" In excitement, he quickly straightened, forgetting where he was and solidly smacked his head on the top of the fridge.

"Ouch!" Gohan yelped as he backed carefully out of the appliance, holding his wounded head with one hand and clutching the eggs carefully in the other.

Quickly, Marron covered her mouth with her hands to keep her imminent giggles from simply erupting. Gohan might be the most highly educated member of his family, but he was still a Son through and through.

Blushing, and still holding his head with his hand, Gohan held out the eggs. "Here, I got these to help you."

Marron took the eggs from him and set them on the counter, choking down her laughter. "Thank you, Gohan. I'm guessing a rum cake might be a bad idea." She grinned broadly, teasing him.

Gohan couldn't help laughing, almost forgetting the dull, throbbing ache in the back of his head. "May be. How about a german chocolate instead?"

"No problem," Marron answered, smiling softly at him.

Catching the look Marron sent him, Gohan's smile faltered momentarily as memories of her last visit crept to the forefront of his consciousness. Was she really here simply to see Pan and bake a cake? Was she angry with him? If so, why was she still here and being so kind? If not, why had it taken her so long to return?

During this time, Marron had managed to gather all the needed ingredients for the cake and had begun mixing them, carefully trying to avoid making a huge mess she'd regret when she began cleaning up.

Gohan stood back and watched her, wondering what he should do. Deciding helping her might make Marron feel uncomfortable, Gohan opted to make a pot of coffee and with a full cup in hand, took a seat at the table to watch and wait until she had finished.

Feeling Gohan's eyes on her while she worked succeeded in making Marron very uncomfortable, blushing brightly. With every whip of her spoon, the question, `What did he mean?' reverberated through her mind, almost as a chant.

Finally, all the ingredients were mixed together and the oven warmed sufficiently as Marron poured the contents of her bowl into her pans. After placing her batter into the oven and setting the timer, Marron poured herself a cup of coffee and took a seat across the table from Gohan, who smiled warmly at her.

When Marron only returned his smile half-heartedly, Gohan frowned slightly, realizing something truly was wrong. Unsure what else to do, he simply asked, "You okay, Marron? Is something bothering you?"

Marron raised her eyes from her cup of blackness to look Gohan in the eyes and shake her head forlornly. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm doing great."

"Oh," Gohan responded, an uncomfortable silence ensuing. "So, what have your parents been up to lately? Your dad still train like he used to?"

Marron, whose thoughts had inevitably returned to the kiss, glared harshly at him from across the table, making Gohan suddenly glad there was at least something between the two. "My parents are doing what my parents always do, and Dad only trains very mildly now that he's getting older. I don't know why you're so interested in them anyway.

"I wish for once you'd just be honest. Must you speak in riddles and cover your acts with innocence, making people wonder what you really think and feel?" Marron questioned Gohan angrily, obviously no longer speaking of her parents or Gohan's relationship to them.

Gohan blinked at Marron's outburst in total confusion. He sensed the subject had changed somewhere in there, but heck if he knew where or what to, only that for some unknown reason, her hostility seemed to be directed straight toward him.

"Marron, are you upset at me?" Gohan questioned timidly, not wanting another outburst to be her response.

"You think?" Marron retorted sardonically. "Of course I'm upset with you!"

Gohan grimaced at the response and began racking his brain for something, anything he had done to elicit such hostility from her. Unfortunately for our dear much beloved Saiyan, he was only a genius when it came to books and studying. Matters of emotions and human behavior were beyond him. He was a math teacher for Kami's sake, not a psychologist.

Finally giving up his endeavor to find the truth alone, Gohan turned sympathetic ebony eyes to meet the cold, icy blue, narrowed eyes of Marron. "I give up. Please tell me why you're upset with me. What did I do? You know I would never intentionally do anything to hurt you."

Marron glared at Gohan for another moment before opening her mouth to answer him, her glare not diminishing in the least. "What did you mean by it?"

Poor Gohan was even more confused. "Mean by what? Marron, I don't understand what you're talking about."

Marron growled in frustration. "The kiss, Gohan. The kiss! Why did you kiss me like that? What did you feel when you did?" She stopped to give him time to answer, giving him a meaningful warning glare.

"I, well…" Gohan scratched a sudden itch on the back of his head, a nervous habit he, like his father and brother, had developed years ago while still just a child.

"Yes?" Marron coolly encouraged.

"I, uh, kissed you because…" Gohan frowned in thought for a moment before sighing in defeat, running a hand through his hair before lifting his glasses to wearily rub his eyes. Raising his eyes to Marron's he answered, "I honestly don't know."

Eighteen's genes came to the front as Marron's anger flared. "Well, if you don't, then who does?"

Gohan shrugged helplessly. "Once again, I don't know…"

Marron quickly stood and walked to the door of the kitchen to leave. "Well, whenever you figure it out, I'd appreciate you cluing me in. Until then, I think it's best for everyone involved if I don't come over anymore. Tell Pan I'm sorry and love her, but I can't do this again."

Gohan watched from his seat at the table as Marron meaningfully stormed through the door, grabbed her shoulder bag and left, slamming the front door on her way out.

For a while, all Gohan could do was sit and ponder what had just happened, running the scene through his head over and over, and finding nothing new, no clues to her behavior. Eventually the oven's timer sounded and Gohan rose to take the cake out of the oven.

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A/N: Be sure to tune in for the next chapter. It has a VERY touching scene you don't want to miss. ^_^ Now, go click that little button and leave me a review!