Soul
Soul "I don't know what to do,"
Trunks half-sobbed. "I love you, but I need her."
Marron was near tears herself. "Trunks...I'm just in the way of you and
Pan...I'll just...make do, somehow."
"But Ron-chan...?" Trunks half-pleaded, half sobbed. "I...this
can't be true! I love you, not Pan! I'll work this out somehow!"
Flashback:
"Don't bother trying to deny the bond...if
you do, you'll waste away. That's the consquence of denying a Saiya-jin boul
bond. Upon your death, she'll go the same way. That wouldn't exactly help
Kuririn's brat out, now would it?" As usual, Vegeta exibited innane wisdom,
unfortunately for everyone's sanity.
"But Papa, I can't just ditch Ron-chan, just because of some stupid
bond!"
"If it weren't for 'that stupid bond' most Saiya-jin would never mate, and
you probably wouldn't exist."
Trunks groaned. "But Pan-chan doesn't even have any interest in me,
either!" he half-yelled, growing frustrated. "Why couldn't I bond to
Ron-chan?"
Vegeta shrugged one shoulder, almost casually. "Well, Marron isn't a
Saiya-jin, so you can't bond to her. As for Pan, well, she hasn't even realized
the bond is there. She's only a quarter, you know."
"Damn you," Trunks hissed under his breath, looking for someone to
blame for the truth. Angry, confused, and frustrated, he spun around and took
off.
Marron shook her head. She had been listening
that night...that fateful night. Quick as a wink, she turned around and flew
off.
"Marron!" Trunks screamed, his voice hoarse from holding back sobs.
"Wait, come back!" He starte to take off after her, but someone
grabbed his ankle so he couldn't.
"Don't," Vegeta said, dark eyes unreadable.
"But-"
"She just wants to be left alone, like you did when I told you first."
Trunks collapsed to his knees, one hand still upraised as if he could grab the
rapidly fading speck that was Marron.
Late that night, Bulma looked up as a light
tapping came at the window of her second story workshop. She opened the window
for Marron, hovering there like a bird.
"Marron-chan, I'm sorry-" Bulma began.
"Don't apologize, Bulma. Listen, my being here is just going to make things
worse. I don't know where I'll go, but I'm leaving. I know it's a lot to ask,
but could I borrow some capsules?"
Bulma stared at Marron for a second, gaze unreadable. Finally she replied,
"You're a strong woman to do this, Marron. Of course, I'll get you some
capsules."
While Marron waited, she sang a sad song softly to herself.
The clouds are moving in,
And I'm suddenly alone,
The world seems dark and dim,
And my heart just wants to moan
Why oh why does this have to be?
Hear my cry,
Why oh why
Did it happen to me?
In the dark cold hours of dawn,
Where will I be?
Remember this song,
When nothing's left of me!
How sleepless is the night,
How cold I am inside!
I'm shaking with my fright,
There's no where I can hide
Why oh why does this have to be?
Hear my cry,
Why oh why
Did it happen to me?
Grant me sleep,
Grant me peace.
Then she launched into another song.
What can this be - can you tell me
Would you like to discover
Why we're not free - to be lovers
I've been wanting to ask you
Where has all the love gone
And what have we become
Storm clouds full of thunder
Move silent as they drum
And when they're gone, we'll be fine - till tommorrow
Oh I hope it won't rain
You will be mine - and my sorrow
Will take wings in the morning
High above the heavens
A rainbow paints the sky
White doves sing their songs of love
I watch them as they fly - and wonder
What can this be - can you tell me
Would you like to discover
Why we're not free - to be lovers...
Bulma listened from behind the wall, thanking
the powers that be (with a good measure of thanks to Dende on the side) for
security cameras that recorded everythig that went on in Capsule Corp.
After Marron was slient for a bit, she came in and offered a carrying case of
capsules. Then she dug into her back pockets. "Here, Marron," she
said. "This is a very special capsule. I don't intend for you to use it on
anything trifling. Only open it when you feel you'd rather die than go on."
Marron nodded, Bulma sounded serious about this. She too the capsule from Bulma
and placed it carefully in the box with the others.
Then, like the wind, she was gone.
*************************************
Baby's black balloon makes her fly,
I almost fell into that hole in your life
And you're not thinking about tomorrow
'Cause you were the same as me
But on your knees
A thousand other boys could never reach you
How could I have been the one
I saw the world spin beneath you
And scatter like ice from the spoon
That was your womb
Comin' down the world turned over
And angels fall without you there
And I go on as you get colder
Or are you someone's prayer
You know the lies they always told you
And the love you never knew
What's the things they never showed you
That swallowed the light from the sun
Inside your room
Comin' down the world turned over
And angels fall without you there
And I go on as you get colder
And there's no time left for losin'
When you stand they fall
Comin' down the world turned over
And angels fall without you there
And I go on as you grow colder
All because I'm
Comin' down the years turn over
And angels fall without you there
And I'll go on to bring you home
All because I'm
All because I'm
And I'll become
What you became to me
*************************************
10 years later...
Trunks was looking through his attic when he came across an old video...he
half-smiled at the memory.
Ron-chan...where could she be? No one's seen her in all this time. I wonder
if she's even still alive...Dende, I miss her, and I feel so bad for making her
leave.
Trunks dragged out his old VCR and played the video as he watched and
listened to Marron-chan's sweet voice playing over the old-fashioned sound
system.
Pan came into the attic and listened, too. When the video ended, she said,
"I'm sorry I took you away from her.
"Don't be," trunks replied, knowing the truth of the wise words even
as they came into his head and he spoke them. "None of us could help what
happened."
Pan nodded and came to lean against him, and they watched their old friend sing
once more.
**************************************
Five-year-old Nikkou, the daughter of Trunks and Pan, smiled at the young girl.
It was unclear where she came from, but she looked like she needed cheering up.
"I'm Nikkou, and I'm five," she said, smiling sweetly at the
girl."
The girl sniffled and wiped her eyes and nose on her sleeve before replying. Her
golden hair caught the sun, making her look like an angel; her blue eyes were
bottomless rivers. "I'm nine; my name is Kibou Kuwan-yin."
Nikkou offered her hand to the girl, and the girl took it shyly. The sun smiled
from behind the clouds upon a new hope for life.
**************************************
And somewhere, a voice sang softly
"A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they'd be happy for a while.
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn't take one more step.
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.
So bye-bye, Miss American Pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' 'This'll be the day that I die.
This'll be the day that I die.'"
