Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Eternal Treasure of Planet Vegeta ❯ Tears of the Angels ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 7 ~ Tears of the Angels

Trunks sat down on the large green bean bag on the room. It sank under his weight. He fidgeted until he was comfortable and then waited for Nikki to begin talking. She was standing.

After a few minutes of nothing, Trunks said, "So, what do you wanna talk about?"

"I just had a chat with your parents", she said. Her eyes looked sad. Trunks looked her over. She was in her early thirties, maybe even late twenties. Her face was still free of wrinkles and age lines. She looked like she had had a happy life, but could barely deal with her sadness.

"Why are you crying?" he asked. She reached into her jeans' pocket and pulled out a hankie, and wiped her cheeks.

"You said you talked to my parents. What did they say? Are they angry at me?"

"No, they aren't. Trunks, do you know about -"

"About the separation? About the divorce? Yeah, I know about it. Even if they hadn't told me, I would have guessed, by the way they're bickering!"

"They never used to be like this", said Nikki. "When I was here, the last time, they never fought like the way they do now. I noticed the change, but figured it was nothing."

"How old are you?" Trunks asked.

"My thirty-second birthday is three weeks away", said, smiling. "Why do you want to know?"

"Exactly three weeks away?" asked Trunks.

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Well, um, Mom and Dad's wedding anniversary is three weeks away". He looked uncomfortable.

"Oh gosh, really?" Nikki looked surprised. "Look Trunks, I just found out, and it -it really hurt me. I know it hurts you too."

"It doesn't hurt me", said Trunks. "I don't care if they're together or not!"

Nikki squatted next to him, and touched his face.

"Why were you crying last night, Trunks?"

"How did you know?"

"I heard you".

"Look, I'm absolutely fine, okay!" His voice was becoming squeakier as he fought to hold back tears. "I don't need your help!" As he spoke, tears of anger escaped his eyes and streamed in rivulets down his cheeks. Nikki didn't hesitate to pull him into her arms. He buried his head in her shoulder as if automatically. She tightened her hold on him as he began to shake with suppressed emotion. He felt her hand caressing his hair, soft kisses on the top of his head and the back of his neck. He felt her tears run down and soak into his own, and together they flowed onto the floor.

"Please", he said, his voice strained. "Don't let go of me! Don't ever let go of me!"

"I'll never let go", she said, hugging him tighter. His head moved from her shoulder to her chest. "I'm not going."

"Thank you", came his words, muffled through his sobs. He pressed his face into her warm chest.

"You must think I'm a baby for crying when I'm so old", he said after a while.

"You cried when I gave birth to Terra. You cried then, and you were eighteen."

"Is having a baby painful?"

"It hurts like crazy, but it's worth it when you see your child for the first time."

He looked up from her chest. He could see his reflection in the tears shining in her eyes. She looked pretty.

"Do you love me?"

She smiled, and Trunks wanted to cry again. He didn't want a smile. He wanted -something else.

She bowed her head very slightly, so their faces were millimetres apart. Trunks held his breath very sharply, as the magnetic pull drew their lips together. He exhaled slowly, savoring the older woman's lips and the taste of her mouth. Kiss after kiss; the best moments of Trunks' life.

He wanted to kiss her again, but her body froze. She pushed him away, a look of shock and dismay on her face.

"No, don't go!" said Trunks, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"That was wrong!" she said, looking scared and apprehensive. "Trunks, I'm sorry! I came to talk to you about your parents and help you!"

"You did help me", said Trunks. "Don't stop now!"

"NO", she said firmly, getting up. She took a deep breath, and left the room. Trunks stared at the door, realizing what he had just done. He smirked.

`I have good taste', he thought.

~

Terra looked at the clock on the wall. It read ten to seven. She had been sitting alone for two hours, doing nothing except damning all men to a fiery hell.

`That's pathetic', she thought. `Really pathetic. Here I am, the granddaughter of the Prince of the Saiyans, getting dehydrated over a man! Didn't you promise yourself that you'd never cry for a man, Terra ol' girl? What happened, did you lose your spunk?'

"Of course not!" she replied indignantly to herself. "I still have spunk! I'm attractive; plenty of men would like to date me!"

She sighed, remembering how boys and men alike would fawn over her in school and how she delighted in their attention.

"I'm fickle", she said. "I'm shallow. I must have really hurt Goten's feelings, and he's a nice boy. He's just a bit stupid, I think."

She looked at the clock again.

"It's too late to call. I'll telephone him first thing in the morning."

~

Chi Chi knocked anxiously on her younger son's door.

"Goten honey, its dinner time."

"Go away!"

"I made you miso, your favourite!"

"I hate miso!"

"Well, you can have something else!"

"I'm not hungry!" And she heard the thud of a pillow hitting the door. She knocked again, fearing her little boy was becoming sick. Imagine a Saiyan refusing food! There was definitely something wrong. Chi Chi called her husband worriedly.

"Goku, please get Goten to come and eat!" she said, wringing her hands. "He's not coming out of his room!"

"I'm sure he's fine, hon", said Goku, his mouth overflowing with food.

"GOKU, GO AND GET HIM!"

"Come on babe, he's probably fine!"

"GOKU, HE REFUSED TO EAT! HE'S SICK!"

Goku's expression changed.

"He refused to eat?" he said, getting up.

"Yes", said Chi Chi, teary-eyed. "He might be dying!"

"Son, are you okay?" Goku tapped lightly on the door.

"I'm FINE!" yelled Goten. "Leave me ALONE!"

"Come have something to eat", said Chi Chi.

"Go away!"

"Goten, I'm going to count to three!" yelled Goku. "And if you don't want a serious ass-kicking you'd better get your butt out here!"

Chi Chi stared at her husband in surprise. He'd never spoken to either of their sons that way. There was a silence on the other side of the door as well. Goten was shocked at his father's tone.

"One", said Goku.

"Two…"

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" The door opened and Goten came out, his face sullen and sulky.

"Now get your sorry behind onto that chair and start eating!" said Goku pointing. Goten looked at his father's stern face and unwillingly walked over to the chair and plopped down on it.

Chi Chi put a large steaming bowl of miso soup in front of him. He lifted a pair of chopsticks and started eating slowly. Goku and Chi Chi watched him carefully.

"So", said Goku after he had finished. "Do you have an explanation to your bad behaviour?"

"I've had a bad day", Goten mumbled.

"A bad day?" said Goku. He looked at Chi Chi.

"Why, what happened?"

"Does this have anything to do with a girl?" asked Chi Chi shrewdly.

"Uh, yeah", said Goten blushing.

"Explain", said Chi Chi, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Okay, um…well I met this girl a few days ago. And last weekend I took her to a concert, and -it was AWFUL!"

"The girl or the concert?"

"The concert. The girl, she's amazing. Anyway, today I took her to the beach, and um, I said something wrong and she got mad at me."

"What did you say, Goten? You didn't misbehave with her did you?" asked Chi Chi.

"No, no", protested Goten.

"Then what did you say?"

"I -I don't know. That's the problem! I have no idea why she's mad!"

Goku burst in laughter, banging the table. Chi Chi put her hand over her mouth and giggled. Goten glared crossly at both his parents.

"For goodness sake, stop acting like children!" he yelled.

"Don't shout", said Chi Chi through her hand.

"Mom, Dad!"

"Sorry, son", apologized Goku, straightening his face. "Now, why don't you continue? You say you don't know why she's mad?"

"Yeah. Man, women are so strange!"

"How old's this girl?" asked Chi Chi.

"Uh, I don't know".

"Where's she from?"

"I don't know."

"Who are her parents?"

"I don't know."

"GOTEN!" Chi Chi yelled. "Do you even know her name?"

"Yes, it's Terra."

"Her last name?"

"Uh, I -"

"DON'T KNOW?" yelled his mother. "Did you pick her up in a bar?"

"No way!"

"Have -", she cast an anxious glance at Goku before asking, "Have you slept with her, Goten?"

"Mom!" Goten stood up in indignation. "NO! I haven't slept with her! I just met her!"

Chi Chi sighed in relief.

"How could you even ask something like that?" Goten was furious.

"Your mother was just worried, son", said Goku amicably. "And I would have been too."

"I can't believe you think I would do something like that!" yelled Goten at his parents. "You're sick, you know that?" He turned around and ran out of the door. Goku and Chi Chi ran after him, but by the time they had opened the door, Goten was already high in the sky.

"Goku, go after him!" Chi Chi cried.

"No, honey", said Goku, putting her arm around her. "I think it's better if we just leave him alone for a while."

"What if he gets hurt?"

"Chich, who's going to hurt him? The boy's a Super Saiyan!"

"I suppose you're right, Goku. I'm worried though, what if this girl is using Goten. I don't want my son to get hurt!"

"You're the woman, Chich, you decide what to do."

"I think I'll call Bulma tomorrow and ask her. She knows a lot people; maybe she's heard of this `Terra'."

~

Goten touched down at the Kame House. It was nearly midnight. He walked up to the door and knocked. After a few minutes Krillin appeared in his pajamas.

"Who's there?" he asked, looking out into the darkness. "Oh, hi Goten!"

"Hi Krillin!"

"Isn't it a bit late Goten? I think Marron's in bed."

"Oh, I know. I'm sorry about coming so late, but could I sleep here tonight?"

"Yeah, sure. You can sleep on the sofa. Mind if I ask why?"

"I had a fight with my Mom and Dad."

"Oh, okay. Come on in, Goten!"

"Thanks a lot, Krillin!"

He stepped inside. Krillin switched the lights on and fetched Goten a blanket. Goten unlaced his sneakers and pulled his socks off. A door off the landing opened, and a figure in a long tee-shirt holding a pillow wandered in.

"Daddy? What's happening, why are the lights on?" Marron came into the room. Her eyes were half closed, and one side of her tee-shirt was hanging off her shoulder.

"Hi Marron!" said Goten.

"Oh, Goten! Hi! What are you doing here?"

"I'm staying the night."

"Cool, a sleepover!"

Marron was a pretty and energetic thirteen-year-old. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was tousled and untidy. She yawned.

"Why have you come so late?"

"Uh, I had to study before I came."

"Oh, okay! Well, now you're here, do you want something to eat?"

"I always want something to eat, but no. If I start eating now, I'll never stop!"

Marron laughed. "You Saiyans are funny! Last week Trunks was over here, and he ate so much that the fridge was empty!"

"You like Trunks, huh?"

"Well…" Marron blushed and hid her face till her eyes behind her pillow. "I think he's nice, and..."

"I'll tell him that", said Goten, smirking.

"No, don't!" said Marron in alarm, before she realized that he was only kidding. Krillin came back in.

"Marron honey, did you wake up?"

"I was already half awake, Daddy", she said. "Can I bring my mattress here and sleep with Goten?"

"If you want to", said Krillin. He gave Goten the blanket and spare pillow.

"Make sure she gets some sleep", he told him. "She'll go on talking otherwise!"

"Will do", laughed Goten. Marron came back in, dragging the mattress and bedclothes. Krillin tucked her in, and flicked off the lights before returning to his own bedroom.

"So Goten, what do you wanna do now?"

"Why don't we go to sleep now Marron? We can play in the morning!"

"Alright. Goodnight Goten."

"Goodnight Marron. Pleasant dreams."

~

The phone was ringing. Goku picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hello", said the voice on the other end. "May I speak to Goten please?"

"He's not in right now", said Goku. "Who's speaking?"

"Ah, this is Terra. I'm a friend of his. Do you know where he is?"

"I think he's gone to visit some family friends. Can I take a message?"

"No, it's okay. Could you just tell him I called?"

"That's fine. Bye!"

"Bye!" He hung up and returned to the bedroom. It was still early in the morning.

"Who was that?" asked Chi Chi.

"One of Goten's friends", said Goku, sliding back into bed.

"What did they want?"

"Oh, they just wanted to talk. It was a girl."

"A girl? It wasn't Terra?"

Goku groaned. "Yeah, it was. Oops!"

"You're such a baka sometimes Goku", said Chi Chi severely. She turned over and went back to sleep. After a few more hours, she picked up the phone and called the Capsule Corp. office. Bulma answered.

"Hi, Chi Chi! What's up?"

"I'm having a bit of a problem", said Chi Chi. "And I thought you could help."

"Sure, how can I be of service?"

"Well, this hussy has been bothering my Goten. She's been bullying and playing with him. I thought you might know who she is. I'd like to speak to her."

"What's her name?"

"Terra something. Goten doesn't know anything about her and she sounds like a bad influence. I don't want her around my son!" Chi Chi stopped talking. There was a silence on the other side of the line.

"Bulma? Are you alright?"

Bulma said stiffly, "Yes, I know a girl named Terra."

"Great! Do you know where she lives? I'd like to give her a piece of my mind!"

"She lives at Capsule Corporation. She's my granddaughter."

Now there was a silence on the other side.

"Your -your granddaughter? Your granddaughter?"

"That's right."

"Oh, Bulma! I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me? Did you know she and Goten met in a bar?"

"What? They didn't meet in a bar! They met in my house, right in front of me!"

"No! I thought -the way Goten was talking -I was afraid…"

"I understand", said Bulma. "You did the right thing Chi Chi."

"I'm sorry I called her a hussy", said Chi Chi. "But she's your granddaughter? Since when did you have grandchildren?"

"You've met them", said Bulma. "Well, you've met the older one. Valley, remember him?"

"Valley? Oh, Nikki's child. But -are they here?"

"Yeah, they came about a week ago!"

"Why didn't you tell me? I'll come over today to meet them!"

"Okay, I'll come back from work early then. How about around six?"

"That's fine. And if Goten comes back, I'll bring him along."

"I'm sure he'll like that. I'll tell Terra."

Chi Chi hung up the phone and sighed. She remembered Nikki from so long ago. So she had another child. But why had she come back?