Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Eternal Treasure of Planet Vegeta ❯ Distraction ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 9 - Distraction

Terra woke up feeling like she had been squashed into a box for a long time. Her back and arms were stiff, and she had pins and needles in her feet. She opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was white: the ceiling. She got up, wincing as her sore back ached.

She had been lying awkwardly on the couch in the kitchen. Valley was leaning on the other side of the settee with his long muscle-bound legs draped over her. His head was hanging off the side. Trunks was on the recliner, all stretched out, and looking a deal more comfortable than either of them. Terra groggily made her way over to the kitchen. She put the kettle on and began to make some tea.

The kitty clock said that they had been asleep nine hours. It was ten in the morning. Terra must have cried a lot, because her head was pounding like a car engine. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, trying to get them more in focus. She detected the puffiness of her eyes and the hot flush of her cheeks.

Disorientation wore off, and Terra recalled the night before, remembering her mother was unconscious in hospital. She picked up the kitchen extension and dialed the Satan City Hospital number, and asked for Bulma Brief.

Her grandmother's voice sounded at the other end of the line. She sounded tired and a little hoarse.

"How's Mama?" asked Terra anxiously, clutching the phone to her ear.

"The doctor says she'll be okay", said Bulma. "But she's going to have to be under medication for a while."

"What kind of medication? Are there any side-effects?"

"Anti-depressants. The side effects are like nausea, drowsiness, mood swings. Stuff like that."

"When will you guys be home?"

"Well, if you can manage yourselves for one day, we'll be home around dinner time with Nikki."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. And don't worry honey, Nikaisha's a fighter. She's a Saiyan's wife, isn't she? She'll fight and win, trust me. Meanwhile, don't beat yourself up about anything. Go out and relax, it'll do you good. Bye, pumpkin!"

The long beep of a dead call came right after a small click. Terra sighed in relief and put down the phone. Nikki was alright, everything was alright. Her heart-rate slowed back to normal.

Fizzles behind made her whip around. The tea had boiled over. It had over-flowed and was all over the stove and the counter. Terra swore softly, and mopped it up with a cloth. She turned off the stove and washed up, before pouring what was left of the tea into a mug.

She took the mug back to the lounge and sat there, sipping it slowly. The tea smelt deliciously like citron. Inhaling the steam, Terra closed her eyes. She fell into a dazed daydream…

…I'm in a dark room. It's small and I can feel the walls pressing around me. They feel like cold steel. I hug my knees closer to my chest. I don't want to touch the cold walls.

After a moment I realize that I'm moving. The whole room is moving. I don't know where it's going. It's going far away, very far. It's travelling fast and taking me with it.

After an eternity, the rhythm of movement stops. I jerk awake and see the side of the room open. I raise my hand to shield my eyes from the sudden bright light. And I see figures outside. I think they want me to come to them. Though I am very afraid, I get up, and follow them. I would rather see what they want than spend another moment in the dark room. They begin to walk, and they are very fast. I have to run to catch up with them.

I draw level with them when I reach a big door. The figures have halted in front of it. I look at the door. It is very tall, and very beautiful. I reach out to touch the polished stones and the door swings open on silent hinges. The figures walk in. One of them sweeps their arm in a signal for me to follow. My legs begin to move before I can stop them. That door scares me and I want to go home. But my legs are not responding; they keep going forward, and stop as the figures before me stop. They bend into a bow. I wonder if I should do the same. I am still deciding when I hear a voice. A voice that wants to make me scream. A voice I know I've heard before. I try to block out the terrible voice, but it is resounding in my ears. Desperate to block the noise, I scream, hoping that my voice will be louder than the voice, but it is fruitless.

And then I realize the voice isn't coming to my ears. I put my hands to my ears, and then release them. There is no change in the volume. The voice is inside my head! I am so scared that I begin to shake like a weakling.

"Terra…" booms the voice in my head. It is filled with love, and hate and every sorrow in the universe. It sends a chill down my neck.

"Go away!" I scream at it. "I don't want to talk to you!"

It thunders my name again and again. I shriek and yell again.

"Leave me alone! I don't know you; I don't want to hear you!"

"You must listen to me…You have heard me before…"

"No, no! I've never heard you, I don't know you! Please go away!" Shamelessly I begin to cry, little droplets form at the corners of my eyes and fall down. Each tear hits the floor with a loud slap, and the noise echoes through my body.

"You know you've heard me before…" says the voice. I try to deny the accusation to it and myself, but I can't. Because it is true. The voice, I've heard it before.

"What do you want with me?" I ask.

"I want your help, Terra…You know who I am?"

"N-no…"

"I am Beetra, the Queen of the Saiyans…And do you know who you are?"

"Yes" I say, my tone defensive. "I am Terra, daughter of Trunks and Nikaisha Brief. I am fifteen years old -"

The voice interrupts.

"You're wrong there, little one." The voice has changed a bit. It seems more feminine, more motherly, more…human.

"You are a Saiyan, do you know what they are?"

I nod my head, wondering where the conversation is leading.

"Then you will understand. I may tell you all. Terra, you are the re-incarnation of the Queen of the Saiyans. It is your destiny to become a Queen."

"WHAT!" I scream loudly. My heart begins to race like a stallion. I'm a re-incarnation? I'm a Queen? The Queen of the Saiyans? And before I know anymore, the world goes black and it all ends…

"Ah!" Terra sat up gasping. She was shaking so badly the tea in her hands spilt and fell over her thighs. It seeped into the thin cotton nightdress and burned her inner thighs. It was dangerously close to her sensitive area. She screamed loudly as the liquid ate away at her soft flesh, jerking the two boys out of their sleep.

"Uhhh, my neck", complained Valley. "Terra, what's wrong? Is it Mom?"

"My LEGS!" yelled Terra, fighting tears. "They hurt; I think the tea burned them."

"I'll get some ice", said Trunks. He came back in a second with some ice wrapped in a tea towel. He pressed it onto the inside of her thighs.

"Aahh…" Terra moaned as the cool ice fought away the sting from her body.

"Did anyone call?" asked Valley, not letting her enjoy.

"Yeah, Grandma called", said Terra.

"And? What did she say?"

"Mom's fine. They're staying with her today and they'll all be home before dinner."

Valley let out a sigh of relief, and so did Trunks. They went back into the kitchen to eat when Valley said to his father, "Dad, don't you have school today?"

"What? Oh shit, you're right! It's Friday too. Damn it, I've got a bio exam at noon! I haven't even studied!" He got up and ran upstairs. In a few minutes he was back downstairs, wearing school clothes. He pulled the fridge door open so hard that it nearly fell off. Searching through the fridge, he pulled out a day old hard cheese sandwich. Groaning, he shoved it in his mouth. It was gone in a blink of an eye.

"I'm so hungry", he grumbled. Terra tapped his shoulder. He whirled around quickly, and snapped at her.

"What do you want?"

"Here's your lunch", she replied, handing his a large hamper that smelled delicious. Trunks took it without a word.

"Uh, thanks", he said, afterwards. "Thanks Terra."

"No problem, Dad", she grinned. Trunks ran out of the house, and sped off to school.

"So, news of Mom?" questioned Valley.

"Mom's okay", said Terra. "But she's got depression."

"That's curable, right?"

"How should I know? I'm not a bloody doctor!" Terra dumped her brother's plates in the sink. She scrubbed them, and loaded them into the dishwasher. The burn on her thighs was starting to smart again.

"More ice", she murmured, opening the freezer and getting a fresh tray of ice out. She popped the cubes out of the tray and put them into a fresh tea towel. Then she pressed them into her groin, and moaned as the cold bit into the burns.

"You sound like you're in heat", said Valley, grinning.

"You sound like the baka you are!" retorted Terra. She limped upstairs. She was just inside her room when the phone rang.

"I'll get it!" she hollered. It was a waste really, because Valley never bothered to pick up the phone. She picked up the extension in her room.

"Hello, Grandma?"

"Uh, hi Terra. It's me."

"Goten! Shit, our date! I totally forgot!"

"It's cool", said Goten. "Bulma told my mom what happened. Are you okay?"

"I'm a bit tired, but I'll be fine." `Gosh, what an easy-going guy! My other boyfriends would treat my like dirt if I forgot a date!'

"I wanted to go to the hospital last night to see if you were okay, but my mom said no", said Goten.

There was a short, stunned silence at the other end. Then, "Goten, that is so sweet! Thank you!"

"I didn't do anything", replied Goten, sounding surprised.

"Just the thought is enough!"

"Well, I also called to ask whether we're still on for tonight. I guess we aren't, so I'll go."

"No, wait!" said Terra. "I still want to go! The same plan, okay?"

"Are you sure? You don't want to stay at home with your brother?"

"Nah, Valley probably wants to go out himself. He's not into hysterics and unkempt emotion."

"I was just checking. Don't do it if you think I'll be offended. There'll be other times when your mom is feeling better."

"I think I need a bit of distraction if I'm not going to eat myself up with worry", laughed Terra. "Can you pick me up at eight?"

"Of course, but do you mind going to a five-star restaurant in a junkie like my jeep?"

"I don't, but they might. It doesn't look good for a restaurant like the Twilight Room to have old jeeps parked outside them. Don't worry, I'll borrow a Capsule."

"Okay", said Goten. "I've got to go now, Terra. My mom's going shopping and she wants me to carry the groceries. I'll see you tonight."

"Bye Goten", said Terra. She replaced the phone onto the bureau, and opened a drawer. She stripped off her crumpled nightdress and underwear.

Putting on a white cotton bra and panty, she rummaged in her dresser to find something to wear. She was pulling out the fifth set of clothes when she realized she had nothing good to wear.

"Damn, I have to go buy something!" she said out loud. She took out the sundress she had worn to the beach, and her handbag.

When she arrived downstairs, Valley wasn't there. Terra wrote a note telling him where she was and stuck it to the fridge door with a magnet. Then she exited through the kitchen side door.

~

Satan City had some of the best malls around. Terra gazed excitedly at the large stores with dresses lit up in the windows. She entered the nearest one and began browsing.

"Can I 'elp you, mademoiselle?" asked the shop attendant.

"Maybe you can", said Terra. "I'm looking for a formal dress to wear to dinner."

"Is zis for a group dinner, mademoiselle?" he asked.

"No, no, it's just two of us", said Terra.

"Zen it iz a date, oui?"

"Yes, it is", said Terra. "A dinner date at the Twilight Room."

"Oh, zen you must look extra special!" the man said, clapping his hands together excitedly. He showed Terra a rack of gowns.

"The newest dresses in the shop!" he told her. "And the finest gowns in Satan City!"

"Could you suggest anything?" said Terra, leafing through them. All of them looked gorgeous. The man picked out one and showed it to her.

"Would you like to try this on?" he asked. Terra took the dress and slipped into a cubicle. She slid her own dress off and put on the gown. It was pretty, but the waist area was unflattering and the skirt didn't fall right. She replaced her dress and came out.

"Sorry, that's not the one."

"Zen what about zis!" The salesman whipped another dress off the rack in a flourish.

Terra rejected that one too. It was far too short. The next one was too long, and the one after was too loose. The salesman was beginning to get irritated and exhausted. Terra was getting bored.

"Look", she said to the salesman. "I'm going out with someone that I treated badly! Could you please suggest something that doesn't make me look like a hippo or a Playboy model?"

The man humphed, but drew out a dress out of the dress and handed it to her. Terra didn't even see all of it before she rejected it.

"Well mademoiselle", said the man irritably, "Why don't you select something since you obviously find my choice disagreeable."

"I think I will", said Terra. She riffled through all the dresses and found, tucked between to enormous dresses, an elegant and classy gown. She went into the change room again.

Unbuttoning her sundress and pulling it off, it fell around her ankles in a heap on the floor. Then she slipped on the dress, pulled up the zipper and looked at herself in the mirror.

It looked good; it looked really good. She hoped Goten would find it as nice as she did.

She replaced it on the hanger and walked out.

"Will you be taking zat one, mademoiselle?" asked the attendant, becoming sugary again.

"Yes please", said Terra. She paid for the dress and left the shop. `Now for the accessories', she thought.

~

Trunks couldn't bother going back and checking his exam paper. He knew he'd get the best marks anyway. He always got the best marks, no matter what he did. Usually he would sit and laugh at the nerds in his class who spent their whole lives studying. They would frantically look at the clock on the wall and check their papers, peering so close to the booklet they looked like they were checking for fingerprints.

But today, Trunks couldn't bring himself to smirk at the nerds, or yawn or think about food he wanted to eat. All he could think about was Nikki, lying with a drip in her arm on a hard hospital bed.

Trunks had never been in love before. He hid it from everyone, to save his playboy image. He wasn't like people thought. He disliked girls who wore clothes that made them look like tramps. He hated pornography, it made him feel sick. And he despised rap music about abuse. But he had to pretend he did, because if he didn't no one would look at him twice.

But Trunks had a desire inside him, a secret desire that he couldn't share with anyone in the world, not even his best friend. He desired…company. And security, loyalty, compassion, devotion, care. All the things such a doted son and grandson should have. Trunks knew his mother and grandparents tried hard to help him. On occasion even his father would lend a helping hand. He was grateful for their help and guidance, but that wasn't what he wanted.

He wanted; and it sounded childish and stupid even in his head; someone to love. Someone that made his heart ache because he loved her so much. Someone who's eyes lit up when she saw him. Someone who he felt he would run to the end of the universe and back for. Someone who saw him for who he was: vulnerable, lonely and gentle.

And he felt sure that Nikki was that someone, the one he had been waiting for. The one he dreamed of at night. She was gentle and kind and caring. She showed him warmth and care that he craved for. And her kisses…Trunks had dreamed about them and longed for the next time he could touch her lips.

But he had to admit his father was right about their relationship. She was thirty-two years old, happily married, and the mother of two grown-up children. And he, Trunks, was seventeen, a high-school leaver, the richest teenager in the country, and local pretty-boy girl magnet.

He sighed, leaning his cheek on his hand. It was difficult. He really loved Nikki, and technically she was his wife. But she wasn't at the same time. She only loved him because he was Trunks, and not because he was Trunks. It was complicated too. And when they had kissed, she wasn't thinking that she was kissing him. She was thinking about her own Trunks, her husband, the one she really loved. She wasn't in love with him; she was just lonely and scared, like him.

"Hey, wait a sec!" Trunks snapped him fingers together and sat up straight as a brilliant idea came into his head.

"Shh!" hissed the examiner. Some other people turned around and glared at him. Trunks didn't care; he felt like he had just hit on the greatest idea in his life.

`So I can't get the Nikki from the future, because she's already married. But what about the Nikki in present time. If I can find her, I can have her!'

Trunks sighed again. He had to find this new Nikki, and make her his own.

`And I know it's really meant to be, because it's already happened!'

~

The faint sounds of footsteps on linoleum were constant throughout the day. Bulma was pacing slowly near the door of the room. Vegeta was still sitting on the plastic chair next to the bed. Nikki had been drugged and was asleep. Vegeta was very moody, he didn't believe in medication to fall asleep.

Bulma's mobile phone rang. She grumbled and flicked it open.

"What?" she barked into the phone.

"Miss Brief, we have a situation at work. Where are you?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"This is Mr. Nashi, your financial manager."

"Well, Nashi, I hired you to be able to work without supervision! Use some initiative and solve the problem yourself!"

"Y-yes, Miss Brief, I would, but you see, the Board of Directors is here and they demand to speak with you."

"About what?"

"They claim that you have been slacking off for the past few months, and they want to know why."

"Tell them I'm busy, and I'm not coming to work today!"

"Yes, madam -" He was cut off by another voice.

"Bulma?"

"George, this isn't the time!"

"Bulma, the Directors and I want an explanation to the drop of standards at Capsule Corporation. You have fifteen minutes to get here!"

"Listen buster", screamed Bulma into the phone, "I happen to own this company and 65% of its shares! I am the only one who tells people what to do, got that? And I am not coming to work today because my daughter-in-law is unconscious in hospital, which is where I am now! So tough bananas, you're going to have to wait!"

"Your daughter-in-law, Bulma? Your son is only seventeen years old, he can't be married!"

"You haven't met this son George, so don't act like you know everything! I am not leaving my son's wife, mother of my grandchildren, in the hospital, and that is that! No force on earth, especially the damn Board of Directors is going to keep me from being with her! Goodbye!"

She ended the call and stuffed the phone back into her pocket.

"Stupid bakayoru! Who does he think he is?" she grumbled, to herself more than anyone else.

"Onna, stop your bellyaching! Everything has to be about you!"

"You're the selfish one, Vegetable Head!"

"I don't even want to talk you, woman! This conversation is over!"

"So is our marriage!" hissed Bulma. A groan from the bed silenced them both.

"Bulma?" whispered Nikki. Bulma gasped.

"She's awake!" A small frown crossed Nikki's eyebrows. Her head shifted position. Her dark sheet of hair cascaded off the bed and hung off. Vegeta curled a soft lock around his fingers.

"Vegeta…" she breathed, as his fingers became twined in her hair. "…Bulma…Trunks…Vegeta…f-family…happy…"< /div>