Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Smoke and Mirrors ❯ Dreams and Destruction ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

The sky was a perfect shade of blue touched here and there with delicate wisps of white cloud. Goten stared at one as it drifted lazily across his view. He was sitting against a tree trunk, his hands tucked behind his head, as he enjoyed the peaceful late afternoon.

Jiara was laying beside him on her stomach, propped up on her elbows, legs swinging casually like a child watching Saturday morning cartoons. He cast a sideways glance at the girl, and it struck him that she looked impossibly young just then.

She was wearing blue denim shorts and a pink tank top, a pale pink daisy tucked into her hair. Her cheeks were flushed from the warmth of the sun, and her lips were pursed just so as she studied a brightly colored buttercup peeking out of the grass. The expression she wore was contemplative, almost perplexed, as her fingertip lightly brushed one delicate petal.

" Goten, " she said quietly without looking up.

" Hmm? " he replied.

" I had a dream last night. It was so...strange. " There was a pensive note to her words, and she seemed almost hesitant to share her thoughts.

Goten sat up attentively, " Strange how? "

" I dreamt that I was being chased by a man. He was...so angry. He kept yelling that I would pay for what my father had done, and that he would never stop until I was dead. There was such a madness in his voice, so much hatred. No matter what I did, I could not escape him, and when he finally caught me, I woke up. "

" That's awful! " Goten exclaimed, " Do you think that...I mean..."

She nodded solemnly closing her eyes against his inquisitive gaze, " I know he looked familiar, but I cannot remember who he is. No matter how hard I try, it just will not come to me. Why is this happening, Goten? I did nothing to deserve this. "

A single tear glistened on her cheek, and Goten felt his heart breaking as he watched her suffering. How could anyone be so cruel as to torment this innocent girl? He took one of her hands gently in his own, " I won't let anyone hurt you...no matter what. I promised you that, and I always keep my promises. Do you remember what he looks like? "

" Yes, " she breathed softly turning to him at last. " His hair was dark, a deep, nearly black, shade of blue, and his eyes were darker still and cold. There was no emotion in them except for the rage. "

She threw herself into his lap and sobbed against his chest, and he held her tightly trying to comfort her. It was painful to watch her in such a state, and the terror of it all was only enhanced by the fact that she couldn't remember why it was happening.

A few minutes passed before Jiara raised her head, her hands still grasped the material of his shirt, " I do not want to die. "

Goten lifted a hand slowly to caress her cheek, wiping away the last of her tears before moving it to tangle gently in her hair. It was impossible to tell who made the first move, but a second later their lips met in a tender embrace. She relaxed against his body; her hands slowly released his shirt to press against his well muscled chest. His arm about her waist drew her closer to him.

Time seemed to stop as she sought comfort in his arms. He longed to make her forget the hurt, if only for this moment. They parted reluctantly; their hearts racing and their breathing heightened.

" I- I'm sorry, " Goten apologized releasing her so quickly that she nearly fell out of his lap.

" Why? " she whispered reaching out to touch his cheek, " Why be sorry for something that feels so right? "

Goten tried to clear his thoughts as her eyes searched his, " You're so vulnerable right now. This is the last thing you need, " there was a pause as he looked away. " I don't want to hurt you. "

Jiara appeared to consider his words, her eyes half closed and her lower lip protruding slightly in a delicate pout, " If you say so, Goten, " she murmured.

He winced at the sound of her voice. Jiara felt as though he were rejecting her, but she couldn't have been more mistaken. He pulled her close again and held her resting his cheek on top of her head with a sigh.

As he looked out into the distance, the sun touched the horizon, and the blue sky became tinged with the pink and gold of sunset. It was then that he noticed someone standing about three hundred yards away from where they sat.

The evening breeze ruffled her hair and subtly shifted the duster that fell loosely around her ankles. Her hands were hidden in the pockets of the jacket. She was too far for him to see the features of her face, but he could feel her eyes locked intently on his.

The woman nodded slightly, acknowledging his discovery of her presence. He was just about to call out to her, but with the blink of an eye, she was gone.

*~*~*~*~*~*

" It was really strange, " Goten explained to Trunks later that night, " she was there, and then she was gone. "

The demi-Sayia-jin gave a puzzled frown and shook his head, " Creepy. " A second later though his blue eyes lit up, " What did you say she was wearing? "

" Some kind of long jacket. I think it was black. Why? "

" Did she, by chance, have dark hair? " He leaned forward slightly in his chair awaiting the answer.

" She was kind of far, but yeah, from what I could tell. "

" That sounds just like the girl who stopped at my house this morning. She was selling magazines or something. Mom yelled for me, and unfortunately, when I looked away, she disappeared. "

" Magazines? " Goten repeated with a startled look, " Something like that happened here, too. Knock at the door, girl selling magazines, then mysteriously...poof. "

" Was it the same girl? "

" I don't know. Dad answered the door. "

They both jumped up simultaneously, but stopped short when Jiara wandered into the room, " Hello, Trunks, I did not know that you were here. "

" Good to see you again, " he grinned. " How's everything going? "

" It is all right, I suppose. And you? " She was blushing and purposely averting her gaze from Goten.

" I can't complain. " He couldn't ignore her obvious actions and arched a brow at his friend. " Hey Goten, I'll go ask your dad about that and let you know, " he darted out of the room before Goten could object.

" I...just wanted to say goodnight. I did not mean to interrupt. "

" No, you weren't interrupting anything, " he said.

" Well, good night. "

She turned to go, but he caught her wrist before she could leave, " Jiara, we have to talk. "

Their return home had been shrouded in a heavy silence. He didn't know what to say to her. He wanted to explain that he already cared for her more than he should, but it wouldn't be right to start a relationship under the circumstances. She should know that he'd do anything for her, but for now they needed to take things slow. Instead, he'd said nothing and driven more of a wedge between them.

" What more is there to say? You do not want to pursue a relationship with me. I will live. " She was trying to sound nonchalant, but it was a poor masquerade for her true feelings.

" It's not like that, " he protested still holding onto her hand. " I'm worried about you. My biggest concern right now is your protection. Once I know you're safe, and you have your memories back, I want nothing more than to see where this goes. "

It was then that Trunks returned with Goku close behind him. Jiara slipped her hand out of Goten's and simply wished them all a good night before making a hasty retreat to her room.

No one spoke for a time, then finally Trunks broke the silence, " We've come to the conclusion that the girl you saw was the same one that was here and at my house. The thing is, we don't have any idea who she could be. Any thoughts? "

Goten seemed distracted as he thought about the situation. " There doesn't seem to be anything we can do until she shows up again. "

Goku glanced in the direction that their house guest had vanished then looked back to his son, " Do you think she's connected to Jiara in any way? "

A frown creased the younger man's face, " It's hard to say. That woman didn't seem to be a threat, and Jiara told me that she'd dreamt last night about a man trying to kill her. I really think that it was more of a memory than a dream from the way she described it."

He went on to explain in detail what Jiara had recounted to him regarding the dream. Goku and Trunks listened carefully, and when he finished, they both agreed that he was more than likely the one who was behind it all.

Their only doubt was the description. " We can use it as a basis, " Goku said thoughtfully, " but I wouldn't rely on it completely. "

Suddenly, everything around them shook. A second later, an ear shattering blast erupted on the far end of the house. Chi Chi screamed from the kitchen just as several of the windows in the house imploded.

All three men were nearly taken off their feet but quickly recovered. " You two go check on Jiara! I'm going to get Chi Chi! " Goku shouted as a second wave of tremors rocked the very foundation beneath them.

The ceiling and walls were crumbling around them as they separated. Just as the boys were running up the staircase, it began to give way under their feet. One by one the stairs collapsed in on themselves. Goten cursed under his breath and flew the remainder of the way with Trunks at his heels.

They hit the hallway floor at a dead run skidding to a stop before the bedroom door. A loud crash sounded when the remainder of the windows shattered, and the entire house shifted perilously.

Goten threw the door open, but something was blocking it. " Jiara? " he yelled, but there was no response. He pushed harder against the door, but it still wouldn't budge. He brought his hands up and prayed that she wasn't too close. He powered up and shot a small ki blast busting the door into little more than toothpicks.

Goten and Trunks rushed inside the room. The bed and dresser had been blocking the door, having been thrown across the room by the initial blast. Goten's eyes quickly scanned the area, and he was relieved to see that Jiara was laying in the far corner of the room.

" Hurry! " Trunks snapped as the ominous sound of cracking wood echoed through the house.

Goten quickly lifted Jiara into his arms. She was unconscious, blood trickling from a gash in her forehead, but she was still breathing. Right now, that was enough.