Love is something no one can ignore, or eradicate, or just forget. It does not crumble, or fade, nor can it be destroyed by any force. It forms a bond between two people, and if returned by both people, it can last more than a lifetime. Within an emotional ritual, two unique but equal beings who find each other within such a feeling can arouse the strength of a spiritual binding. Afterwards, that love is immortal, existing between both souls for all eternity, even after death.
Love is something no one can ignore, or eradicate, or just forget.
But in this story, some will wish they could.
"Vegeta, do you think this shade of red coordiates well with the house?"
"Hmpf. Woman, you know I have no use for such pointless festivities like this," He retorted.
"Where the boys are...Someone waits for me...Smiling face, a warm embrace, two arms to hold me tenderly..."
With an eye roll, Vegeta stomped over to the karaoke machine and pressed various buttons, which only made it louder and with more bass, earning him a glare from Bra, who was in the middle of a song that had been played more than enough times that it was a surprise that the machine didn't break down from overstimulation.
"Daddy! What ARE you doing?" She shrieked in her high pitched squeal as she stomped over to him and glared up at him with anger and question. He folded his arms, scoffing.
"How do you turn this retched thing off, Bulma?"
"Ugh, Vegeta I have gardening to finish. Trunks, get that remote and help your father please," Bulma turned her attention back to the flowers as Trunks huffed and turned it off with the remote, casting a grumpy look at his father and sister, who folded her arms and continued to throw a fit.
"Awww DADDY that's not fair. I was practicing for the barbeque!"
"Well then you best start practicing for someone's funeral because that is exactly what will follow if I have to force myself to endure that machine from hell again."
"Ah, come on Dad. It's not that big of a deal. She was just singing. You could go hide out in the gravity machine if you want to."
Sending a sideglare at his son, he barked,"Don't order me around, boy."
"Yeah, only I can do that," Bulma called from the garden.
"Psh," Was Vegeta's reply as he headed for the entrance to Capsule Corp. Only, he couldn't do so without nearly collidng into Pan and Videl, who were carrying baskets full of food.
"Whoa! Close one, Veg-head," Pan joked as she passed Vegeta and got to the table before he could reply with a Gallick Gun. Videl laughed and stuck her tongue out at the Saiyan Prince before headed to a table with Pan.
"Oh, hi Pan and Videl! Glad you could make it. Ooh, and food. Heh, not surprising," Bulma chuckled as she eyed the three basketfuls of food. Bra came to the table next to her mother, her eyes bugging as she exclaimed a,"WHOA."
Videl smiled,"Gohan should be here in a few minutes...He has more business matters to take care of."
The vanish of Videl's smile warned Bulma not to press it. They usually always appeared at these sorts of things together along with Pan, but this was only another tell-tale sign that they were having trouble in paradise.
"Well, we'll wait for him then. I just finished the garden, at least I finished all that I'm willing to do. If that Buu brings his dog again, there won't BE a garden to fix."
Pan laughed,"Well, I assure you that won't happen again Bulma. Hercule has been extra busy lately with his new book series, so Buu has taken over the kid section of the martial arts classes. They have this big festival running today anyways, so I doubt he'll even come. I do hope that those new door worked well for him. I was starting to doubt after the fifth new door that ANY size would fit him."
"Well at least one good thing is going right today.Vegeta has been in such an agitated mood today..."
"Are you kidding? That's his GOOD mood if you ask me," Pan exclaimed.
"Well, when you have a booming karaoke machine playing the SAME song over and over again for the past few hours with the same high pitched, glass-shattering toddler vioce echoing in his head, you wuoldn't be in the best of moods, either," Trunks had chimed in, his gaze sweeping over Pan, who grinned at him.
All eyes turned to Bra, who stubbornly folded her arms,"I was practicing. I wanna sound good!"
Bulma ran a hand over her daughter's silky strands of identical amethyst hair,"Aw, we know Bra. You'll sound fabulous, I know it."
A small beam of pride came over the youthful features of the toddler's face as she smiled. Then the smile suddenly faded as her gaze diverted past Videl and Pan and settled on a blonde figure that was headed toward them. Bulma instantly folded her arms and raised an eyebrow distastefully.
Pan bit her lip, looking down at the grass as Trunks stood tall and defiant,"What do you want here, Marron?"
The icy blue eyes swept across the glares of the five individuals before her,"I wanted to give you this, Pan."
Trunks briefly stepped back for Marron to hand pan a small slip of paper. Pan looked off, far away as Marron gave each person one last sneer before walking off into her convertible and speeding away.
"Pan, you okay...?" Trunks asked in a soft tone, eyeing the slip of paper in Pan's hands.
"It-It's my final paycheck. I, um, resigned a week ago," Pan stammered, her face colourless and expressionless as she took off for the house, Trunks following close behind her into the house, leaving the other three females at a loss for words.
"Wow, gee, what a FILLED and CROWDED party!"
The three girls looked up to see a cheerful Goten, holding a few grocery bags in his hands as ChiChi and Goku followed behind him, each with a small smile on their faces to greet the rest.
"Alright, let's just leave it to trunks. We can just set it aside in our minds until they return, shall we?" Bulma whispered smoothly, givng a Bra a warning gaze that told her to keep her mouth shut.
"Good Kami, Goten you just get taller and taller these days!' Videl exclaimed, hugging her fifteen year old brother-in-law. Bra yawned, sending a weak wave to the youngest Son. With an eye roll, Goten went to her and picked her up, grinning like only a Son could do.
"Hey Bra. Did you blow up any more Barbies lately?" Goten asked innocently. Or it seemed. Her eyebrows instantly burrowed in memory.
"No! And that wasn't funny. Why didn't you just attach the firecrackers on your stupidhead G.I.Joe dolls?"
"Hey, relax Bra. It was a joke, a prank. Don't worry, we can get Trunks back soon enough. It was HIS idea you know."
She narrowed her azure eyes at him, folding her arms, but inevitably broke out a smile as he just grinned back at her and shrugged. Then he put Bra down, telling everyone that he would be down in the Briefs' garage getting some drinks for everyone. Soon, Yamcha, Master Roshi, Oolong, Puar, and the turtle all arrived. Bra got on the turtle's back for a short ride before a certain hassled prince interrupted it.
"What the hell? Get that thing away from my daughter this instant!" Vegeta boomed, catching everyone's attention with his rough commanding tone.
"Oh, hush Vegeta. She's having fun. Let her do what she wants," Bulma chided.
"I will not have some buffoon animal giving my daughter dangerous rides on MY territory, no less."
"YOUR territory? Who was here first?"
"That's irrelevant woman. I created her, now I won't have her life that I created be endangered by a mindless reptilian fool."
Bulma placed her hands on her hips,"Vegeta you are completely overreacting. Let her do SOMETHING while she is out here."
Meanwhile, Bra had climbed off and was on her way to her father's side.
"I will let her do whatever she damn well wants as long as she is not put in senseless dang-"
"Daddy, I'm right here now."
"-and her death will be because of the lack of common sense of these degenerate-"
"DADDY!"
Then Vegeta stopped and looked down to see his daughter looking back up at him sadly. He once again found himself lost in those eyes, the aquamarine transifxing him and he couldn't pull his gaze anymore. Such a familiar feeling, warm and liquid, moving through him like a wild flame. Her lips pouted then, and he moved his enchanted gaze off of her and at the turtle and everyone else. At his wife, who once also ignited such a feeling within him. What happened to it...
"Fine, Bra. Go ahead. But mark my words, turtle, your neck with suffice as a wringing object if you so even put her close to danger."
The turtle gulped as she yet again climbed on top of it, everyone a bit confused at Vegeta's sudden submission. Even Bulma cast a wary eye at him the rest of the evening. Ten minutes later, after everyone had started eating, someone mentioned Pan.
"Yeah, where IS that girl?" Videl asked, wondering if her fifteen year old had already found trouble, and it hadn't hardly started. Goku and ChiChi had worried looks on their faces, dread filling them and everyone else.
Trunks and Goten were both gone too.
Mere moments later...
"Oh my FUCKING Kami, Pan! I-I can't believe you would do this to me!"
"Th-That's Goten's voice!" exclaimed ChiChi, who abruptly stood and looked over at the entrance, from which the voice had shouted.
"Goten, G-Goten come on. Please listen to me. We were going to tell you, but we knew you wouldn't like it-"
"No way! Ya THINK, Pan? And to think I once trusted you. I find you with my best friend, of all people."
"Goten I know he is your best friend that you're both very close, which is why you have NO REASON to be upset!"
"No reason? Pan, you don't know what it's like, okay, to know that someone you have spent so many years with has done the one thing he promised not to do. I made him promise to keep his hands off of you. Pan, you're my niece. He's like a brother to me. It DOES NOT and WILL NOT ever fit."
She was silent, biting her lips as she she always did in situations that she couldn't take. Trunks soon followed out, Goten's expression contorting into rage the very second Trunks emerged fom the building.
"Don't you even say a word you damn traitor. My niece...Of all people, you had to go for her. She's two years younger than you, I mean, come ON. Have you no decency?"
"Correction: One year younger than me. And she's right. You have no reason to be angry, Goten. If I am your best friend and if you trust me, then you would be fine with it."
"Like hell. I've seen what you do with your girlfriends. You get what you want and you ditch them. Sound familiar? What about Marron. I know what you did to her heart too. How do I know you won't stomp on Pan's heart like you did to Marron's?"
"Because he knows that Pan has a VERY protective father who wouldn't let anyone near her that would dare harm her, Goten," came Gohan's stern reply. Goten looked at his brother with expectancy, waiting for Gohan to disapprove of Trunks.
"Also," Trunks added,"Marron did a number of things that I couldn't allow to pass. If anyone should be accused of hurting Pan, it is that girl. Gohan knows I wouldn't hurt anyone deliberately, especially his own daughter."
A look of disbelief fell over Goten's features as he stared at Gohan, stunned,"What? Go-Gohan...You can't seriously..."
"I've known, Goten. I'm fine with it. Pan's a big girl now, she can make her own decisions. I trust her to follow her heart, Goten. And if that leads her into a world of pain and abandonment, she knows she has me to help her. She can't be sheltered forever."
With that said, Trunks wrapped an arm around Pan, who peered at Goten with an apologetic gaze in her misty, violet eyes. Shaking his head, slowly, he kicked off into the air, not having anywhere to go, just flying away from it all.
Away, away he would run. He couldn't be like his father and brother, always standing up to it and fighting it. No, this hurt too much for him to fight it. He could hardly feel anything, yetitstung so bad. The tears fell into the sky that whizzed past him, his speed increasing as adrenaline filled him. Rage. Jealousy. Pain.
'I'll show him. He will see that no one gets to keep all that they want.'