Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Moon Travelers ❯ Chapter Nine ( Chapter 9 )

The Moon Travelers

(Author's Notes: Wow, the final chapter! I hope you all enjoyed The Moon Travelers, and please remember to read and review. I have more comments and thank-yous at the end. *grins* ~Cinaed)

Chapter Nine

// I would fly you to the moon and back

If you'll be if you'll be my baby

Got a ticket for a world where

We belong

So would you be my baby

Ooh-ooh //

I didn't go to school the next day, and the weekend seemed to last only a few minutes in a hazy, lost sort of way. When Monday rolled around, I called in sick once more; I did the same Tuesday.

And what did I do during those five days? Nothing constructive to find Trunks, of course. If the most expensive detectives Bulma could afford were unable to find Trunks, I, a college professor, had no chance whatsoever. So I buried myself in my bed and moped.

Moped isn't strong enough of a word, really. I just lay in bed with my blankets over my face and racked my brain for everything I had said to my lavender-haired lover, trying to figure out why he would leave. I didn't believe the bullshit about him needing to keep me out of danger. I could handle any danger on Earth, after all. I was a Saiya-jinn, even if I was an out-of-shape one.

I only got up when my body rebelled against me and forced me to go eat and use the bathroom. Even then, I probably had a bewildered, forlorn look on my visage.

I was sprawled on my back, musing on the last words Trunks had said to me and gazing up at the blank ceiling when someone knocked on the door, loudly and urgently. For a moment, I ignored it, and then remembered when Trunks had knocked on my door only a few days before in the middle of the night. Snatching up the letter (I had ignored his request to destroy it), I bolted for the front door, hope spurring me onward.

I threw open the door and snarled in Japanese, much like the first night, "What the hell did you think you were doing, Trunks?"

Angelo and Curtis simply blinked at me, Angelo's fist frozen in the place where he had been about to knock once more.

Any hope that had been kindled in my heart was lost to the cruel winds of reality, and I leaned against the door, using it as a support as my body reminded me that I hadn't eaten enough in the last couple of days.

"Professor Son?" Curtis ventured cautiously, and I knew what he was thinking.

I looked like shit. There were dark bags under my eyes and a pastiness to my flesh that hadn't been there before. No doubt I had lost weight, and the fact that I was wearing only jogging pants that were old probably gave that fact away.

"What?" I questioned coldly, not in the mood to deal with two of my students.

"We-we just came to see how you were doing. Gure's been our substitute, and he said you were ill," the Brit informed me, inching closer to Angelo and eyeing me carefully. "Do you have the flu?"

"Is Veilchen sick with it too?" added the Italian, his dark eyes curious.

At the moment, I hated that curiosity.

"Go away," I said, flatly, before I stepped backwards and slammed the door in their surprised faces. I turned to storm back to my room, when a damn little thing called my conscious decided to poke me in the gut.

Biting back an annoyed groan, I nevertheless turned and reopened the door. Angelo was still blinking in surprise, while Curtis looked thoughtful as I gruffly asked them if they'd like to come inside. Well, I attempted to be gruff. I haven't exactly perfected that tone yet.

The duo entered, glancing around and obviously noticing that Trunks wasn't here. Angelo made himself comfortable at the table while Curtis glanced at the letter in my hand.

I frowned reprovingly and quickly stuffed the letter in the pocket of my pants, ignoring the twinge of regret at the hurt look that flitted through the Brit's eyes at my frown.

"If you two were told that I was sick, why'd you come over? If I really was, you'd be sick too."

"Well, we figured you and Veilchen were probably skipping class to `enjoy each other's company' and that you weren't sick at all," Angelo explained with a grin, motioning for Curtis to sit down next to him.

"It's pretty hard to enjoy each other's company when he skips town and deserts you for a second time." The bitter words escaped my lips before I could stop myself, and both of them looked flabbergasted.

"He /left/ you? But he was so cool!" Angelo cried, thunderstruck.

"He left me a letter that said his past `had caught up with him' and that he didn't want to put me in any danger." Now that I spoken once, I suddenly couldn't stop ranting. All the hurt I had kept inside for the last few days tumbled out in an anguished torrent of words. "Damn it, why didn't he know that I can take care of myself? I'm my father's son, after all!" Angelo and Curtis faded from view for a moment as I began to pace, angry words falling from my lips once more. "First he steals the money and runs, and then he appears on my doorstep eight fucking years later, and doesn't even tell me what the hell he's been doing all these years! He's suddenly learned English, German, Italian, Spanish, and even French! What did he think I'd do when he disappeared again? Just expect me to welcome him back in another eight damn years? I'm not his fuck that he can toss around, Kami curse him! The stupid, bloody bastard! That stupid, stupid BAKA!" I'd been yelling in Italian the entire rant, but on the last word I switched back to my native tongue, which felt good.

"Maybe we should go-" came the hesitant words of the wide-eyed Brit as he and Angelo came back into focus.

"Please. I'll be back in school tomorrow," I said crisply, not bothering to look at them to see their reactions to my words. "And don't tell anyone about anything I've just yelled about. Please."

Both boy nodded, but I didn't like the probing, contemplative look on Curtis' face. Somehow I had said too much and he was going to find out who Trunks really was.

"You heard me, Curtis? Don't tell anyone about any of what I've been talking about." I locked eyes with his, and he swallowed before bobbing his head up and down in another nod.

"Yes sir," he added for good measure, rising from his chair and tugging on Angelo's sleeve. "We'll see you at school tomorrow then."

Angelo simply continued to look astounded, unable to do anything but nod and obey his lover's instructions. He allowed himself to be lead from my house. I watched, my arms folded against my bare chest, as the two got onto their bicycles and pedaled away and out of sight. As soon as they did, I slumped to the wooden panel of the porch and wearily pulled out the letter, reading the ill-fated words once more.

Why had Trunks left me? Was he ever going to come back?

As angry and hateful my words had been, I /would/ welcome him back with open arms, just to see that familiar, haunting smile and run my fingers through those lavender tendrils of his. I would cradle him in my arms and scold him even while I laugh with tears of relief running down my cheeks.

Damn him. Why couldn't he have just stayed?

I gazed down at the piece of paper, my fingers trembling. He wanted me to destroy the letter that had shattered my heart. Did he even realize that this was the only thing he had left for me to covet of his?

No, no I wouldn't destroy this paper. I'd keep it.

And wait. Wait another eight years if I had to for Trunks to come back to me again.

If I was so certain of this, why did the tears keep falling from my eyes?

~*~

"Curtis, why are we in a library when we could be making out?" Angelo whimpered softly into his lover's ear, sitting behind him and resting his chin on the Brit's shoulder as they both gazed at the screen.

"Because I want to know why Professor Son's boyfriend called himself Veilchen but the professor called him Trunks when he threw open the door," Curtis replied, his eyes focused on the screen.

"Trunks could be a pet name," Angelo pointed out, smiling devilishly at the thought.

Curtis rolled his eyes. "Who on Earth would have the pet name of Trunks?"

Angelo snickered. "Oh, I could think of certain scenarios that would end up being the cause of that nickname."

"I'm sure you could," the Brit muttered dryly even as he typed in three words into the Search Engine.

"Son Goten, Trunks?" Angelo repeated. "Come on, Curtis, there's got to be a bunch of junk on the word `Trunks.'"

His lover ignored him, and waited for the information to load. He smiled in satisfaction. "See? There's a newspaper article with Son Goten being quoted!"

"Well, click the link so we can read it. Blackmail!" Angelo commented gleefully, snuggling closer to his boyfriend and squinting at the screen.

Curtis obeyed, and the two proceeded to read the article. By the time they finished, their mouths were hanging open in shock.

"Damn," they declared in unison, earning a cold look from the librarian.

The newspaper article was dated a little over eight years before, in the newspaper of Satan City. That wasn't what had them stunned.

A photograph of the would-be Veilchen Reiter smiled up at them from the screen, looking much younger and carefree than they had seen him. Under the photo was a caption that read, `Trunks Briefs, age 21, at a company gathering.' Beneath the photograph and caption was the article.

"Trunks Briefs (photo above) has been missing for three weeks. Briefs, the future President of Capsule Corporation, disappeared from his college dormitory last Friday. The son of Bulma Briefs and Vegeta, `Prince of the Saiya-jinn,' Briefs would have graduated from a prestigious college last week with Honors in his business major and stepped into his predetermined role as Vice President of Capsule Corporation.

At the same time of Briefs' disappearance, one million dollars mysteriously vanished from the Capsule Corporation banking account. Mrs. Briefs had no comment to how someone managed to steal that amount, but police have theorized that the young Briefs was kidnapped and forced to take the money using the special codes that only he and Mrs. Briefs know to access the accounts.

Briefs' disappearance made headlines after his best friend and college roommate, Son Goten, called Briefs' parents to say that Trunks hadn't come home the night before. The police were immediately called, and a country-wide search has been going on ever since. Son has been unavailable for questioning by the media ever since, staying with the Briefs family during the search.

Mrs. Briefs has made numerous, tearful pleas for the safety of her son, adding that she would use her own money and not the company's for the ransom. Information from the police suggests that there has been no calls from the supposed kidnappers and that they fear the young Briefs is dead.

Briefs' father and younger sister have declined to comment about the incident."

THE END

(Author's Notes: Wow! I'm finally finished! Fifty-four pages, and I still have a sequel to do. The final chapter was inspired by the song "Maybe" from my Alison Krauss + Union Station Live CD that I got for Christmas. The lyrics can be found at this link: http://www.lyricscafe.com/k/krauss_alison/ak04.html

I hope you all enjoyed The Moon Travelers. Expect the first chapter of the sequel in a couple of weeks.

I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed. It really encouraged me, and I'd like to thank: Candy Taiyo, Euterpe, Kinomi, pan-trunks4evur, chibiheart, alice, MandyGal, Stormy1x2, AngelofHell, Dragon of Sakura, Azure, Lady Wolf, Khameleson, Feion Phylar, Jack V. Briefs, Lady-Indis, GotenTrunks, Leaf Zelindor, animekid, kitten, Tonia Barone, lora-helen, DragonUk, and dbzchild. There are others, but they didn't leave a name. I'd like to thank you all for your support. It was every review that made me keep wanting to write this fic.

Sincerely,

~Cinaed, Born of Fire)