The night was heavy with anticipation and restlessness.  Bulma, ChiChi, and him all sat in the living room; the women were watching the TV, which was displaying old home movies of the past.  Light shone dimly from the only lamp in the room, a rather antique looking model that his mother had insisted on keeping around all these years; odd, because she usually liked things to be new and fresh unlike the dusty old lamp.  Maybe some things were just too good to let go of.  Bulma and ChiChi squealed with laughter as Kamesennin appeared on the TV screen, swatting Bulma on the behind.  The giggled with each other like little kids as they sipped diet sodas and popped popcorn into their open mouths.  Trunks sat in a chair to the left of them, being promptly ignored and forgotten by the two friends, looking around uneasily.

Tayhei had informed him all but forty minutes ago that she was going up to her room for a little while.  Despite the rather romantic atmosphere the two had yesterday, she was actually shy and quiet around him today.  The only time they had been alone the entire day was when Bulma had left the kitchen briefly to grab a picture Tayhei wanted to see.  He didn't know if Bulma and ChiChi were trying to keep them apart or what the deal was, but they hadn't left the two of them to themselves all day long.  A glance was shot at his mother and ChiChi, watching the screen with obvious enjoyment at the sight of Bulma attacking the old man with a round of screams and hits.  He eased up out of his chair, careful not to make a sound and quietly made his way to the door.

"Where are you going, Trunks?" His mother's voice implored, and he turned to find both of the women staring at him in question, the popcorn and movie forgotten.

His eyes darted from side to side, trying to quickly come up with an excuse.  "I was just going to the bathroom." He stated casually. "Too much diet soda." He added as an afterthought.

They accepted the excuse and resumed watching the antics of his mother and Kamesennin on tape, but he thought he saw ChiChi give him a knowing smirk.  He slowly prodded down the hallway toward Tayhei's room; Bulma has situated her in the wing furthest away from his own room, whether on purpose or not, he might never know.  It was dark in this part of the house, making it appear as a part out of an Edgar Allen Poe poem or a novel about Vampires.  Shadows streaked in through the open windows, and the curtains billowed out from an invisible breeze, moving like opaque white ghosts in the silent hall.  He suppressed a shiver and continued on his way.

Never had he been one to believe in ghosts and things of that nature, but every now and then, he could swear that something of a spiritual way was watching him.  Maybe it was Vejiita, coming back every now and then to make sure that he was living up to the Saiya-jin name.  Or maybe it was Son Gohan, returning to reassure himself that his young student was still alive and well, doing all he could to rid the world of the jinzouningen.  A thought occurred to him suddenly, that maybe it was him.  His own self, another half, disgusted at the fact that he was involved with this girl, that he had given up his anguish and sadness to be happy once again.  He could feel it every once and awhile: that invisible tug to return to the way that he had once been.

He paused at her door, mesmerized by the single shaft of light that shone from her bedroom lamp and under the door.  It flickered momentarily, and he couldn't be sure if the light had actually been disturbed or if he had only blinked for too long.  Lifting a hand, he quietly turned the doorknob and opened the door a crack, peering in to make sure she was fully clothed and he wouldn't be intruding.

She was sitting on the windowsill, her knees drawn up against her chest, with her head bent down; she was writing furiously in her notebook, her arm moving side to side in quick fluid motions as she scribbled down thoughts and events.  Her golden hair hung down her back in trailed into her sharp green eyes, shining in the harsh light of the room.  She didn't notice him there until he opened the door all the way, then he saw her eyes meet his quickly in surprise, and felt the air suck out of his lungs as she smiled warmly at him.  A welcoming smile.

"Kombonwa.  I was just thinking of you." She informed him, closing her notebook and gently throwing it and her pen down on her bed.  Still smiling, she lay her head on her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs, facing him.  "Are Bulma-san and ChiChi-san still watching home movies?"

"Hai.  I don't think they are going to put away the tapes any time soon." He replied, and dropped to his knees beside her, propping his chin up on the windowsill.  "What were you writing about?"

Her face registered into its familiar expressionless state again.  "I write about what ever comes to mind.  In this case, it was about you."  She admitted, as a slight blush spread across her cheeks.

"All good, I hope."

"Of course."

Trunks sighed and reached for her hand and held it tightly in his own, feeling an instant rush of warmth spread through him.  "I meant what I said yesterday.  I really do love you."

Her body seemed to tense up then, and she flicked her eyes away from him in fear.  She seemed to take a great deal of time before replying, "You don't have to say that."

I don't have to say that?!  It isn't all that hard to say....You'd think she would want to hear something like that.

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet." He teased good naturally, still wondering why she would say something like that to him.

"I am not getting 'cold feet'." She insisted.  "I just don't want you to feel like you are trapped in this."

He thought for a moment, then abruptly released her hand and scooped her up off the windowsill, cradling her in his arms.  She blinked at him in shock, a small smile playing on her lips as she held on to him.  Trunks bent down and kissed her softly, loving the light feel of her in his arms.

"I am glad to be trapped."
 

ChiChi had grown accustomed to living alone.  She lived in a very small apartment near Capsule Corporation that was barely a kitchen and a bed, and even though it was a little cramped sometimes, she liked it that way.  Having a large house all to herself would only make her miss Gokuu and Gohan even more.  They were so large, not just their bodies, but their personalities seemed to fill the house and then some.  Especially Gokuu.  And now that he was gone, it was just as well that there wasn’t that much house to fill with his void.

She was washing her few dishes in the sink, humming a soft tune when Tayhei entered the house.  She watched ChiChi silently for a few moments, standing in the doorway with her hands behind her back, then took a seat at the kitchen table, careful not to make any noise.

Completely oblivious to the fact that someone had entered her home, ChiChi turned around after wiping her hands on a dishtowel and shrieked when she saw Tayhei sitting at the table.  Tayhei gave her a smirk and brushed the golden hair out of her eyes.

“I’m sorry, did I frighten you?” She asked innocently.

ChiChi shook her head.  “You know you did, you little brat.” She teased.  “And to what do I owe the honor, my dear?  Is Trunks giving you  trouble?”

“Actually, I came here because I was bored.  Trunks and his mother have holed themselves up in the laboratory, working on the time machine, and I had no reason to be down there.” Tayhei asserted.  “I would only be in the way.”

“You think I’m more exciting than a time machine?” ChiChi asked incredulously.

“You bet.”

ChiChi stood by her at the kitchen table and put a fond hand on the top of Tayhei’s head.  She had grown to love the girl very much since she came here, but didn’t often get to spend much time with her.  She was always with Trunks, and when she wasn’t with Trunks, she was with Bulma.  And all along, there was the dark shadow of Engin, always following her.  That was one boy that ChiChi was not fond of.  In fact, she hated him with a passion.

“More exciting than your dear friend Engin?”  She asked slyly, and took off the orange scarf that was tied up around her neck.

Tayhei looked like she was fighting laughter.  “I don’t think I want to delve into that subject at the moment.”

When she had first come back to the city, Engin had been very excited to see her, but when she kindly told him that she was in love with Trunks, he had become more aggressive than ever.  She spent most of her days trying to hide from him.

“How are you doing with Trunks?” ChiChi asked, a slow smile spreading across her face.

Tayhei’s face lit up and she smiled shyly at the older woman, replying ‘good’.  ChiChi walked over to the vase on the counter and started arranging the orchids that were contained in it better.  It was then that Tayhei noticed the whole house was filled with orchids.  They were all over in vases, in pots, in pictures on the walls.

“I guess you like orchids?” Tayhei wondered, fingering one of the delicate purple flowers in the vase on the kitchen table.  They were beautiful flowers, so fresh and bright that it was hard to believe they were living underground.

ChiChi nodded.  “Hai.  They are my favorite.  I was heartbroken when I had to leave my garden behind at my old home, but then Bulma devised the ‘fake sun’, or so she calls it, and now we can grow almost anything down here.”

“What was your old house like?”

She thought a moment.  “It was a very happy home.  Everyone always came there, to eat dinner, to talk….And Gokuu.” She paused for a moment, staring hard at the flowers.  “Well, he could fill a room with his presence, and made everyone forget their troubles for awhile.”

A longer pause, while she sniffed the gentle fragrance coming from the orchids, and then gently touched one of the petals.  “An orchid is a very different flower, you know.  It isn’t like a rose, or a daffodil ---It can’t just live in a vase by itself.  It just doesn’t look like it should.  One orchid alone doesn’t hold the same beauty and prestige as vase full of orchids.  The best way to arrange them is of course, with only two orchids.  Sharing one vase.  Sharing one life.  Without the other orchid in that vase, the flower just seems to….lose itself.”

Tayhei watched her in silence, feeling tears pooling up in her eyes at ChiChi’s obvious sadness.  ChiChi took a deep breath and continued.

“You have a very beautiful thing with Trunks.  Don’t ever let yourself lose him to death.” She paused again, her eyes filling with tears.  “Because when he dies, it will feel as though the world has just been ripped out from underneath you and you have lost the other half of yourself.”

Chapter 15
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