Juuhachi-gou picked up a dark green sweater and looked it over carefully before folding it and placing it neatly in her suitcase. She brushed a strand of pale hair back from her face and picked up a pair of tight black pants that she had for years now. They had always fit her well, even though she was just as old as any of the other women, she still had the body of a seventeen year old. She grinned at her reflection in the mirror above the bed.

Just as gorgeous as ever.

“Mom?”

A girl appeared in the mirror next to her, with the same great figure and pale blond hair, but instead of shortly cropped locks like her own, her hair was tied up in ribbons on either side of her head. She sat down on the edge of the bed next to the suitcase and smoothed her pink skirt.

Juuhachi-gou turned to smile at her daughter. She had turned out to be quite a beautiful young lady, and she was proud of her. At first, she had thought it impossible to have a child because of her….condition, but she had, and Marron was everything that she could have wanted. She was everything Kuririn had always wanted too, a sweet, innocent, little girl to dress up and protect.

Lately though, Kuririn had been taking the protection thing just a little too far. Boys had begun to call for her, and she was beginning to grow up. Juuhachi-gou was excited for her, and was almost trying to live vicariously through Marron’s teenage years; the years that she never remembered experiencing. The two of them would talk for hours about the boys at school that she had crushes on, all the latest fashions, and the excitement about driving and dating in years to come. She considered her daughter to be her best friend, and she knew Marron felt the same way about her. Kuririn however….veiwed Marron’s coming of age differently, and it was causing a lot of tension between the two.

“Is this skirt too short?” She asked with a pout. “I came downstairs with it on, and papa almost choked on his breakfast. He told me I couldn’t wear it, but you were the one that bought it for me when we went shopping the other day. So why can’t I wear it anymore?”

Juuhachi-gou sighed in exasperation and rolled her pale blue eyes. “You can wear it. Your father is just being difficult again.”

“He treats me like a child, mom. I’m 14! I am totally an adult now.” Marron cried, folding her tiny little hands into her lap. Juuhachi-gou admired the manicure job that she had done with pale pink polish and smiled down at her cute little face.

“He is just going through a phase, Marron. After this trip, maybe he will begin to see you as more of an adult than a child. It is going to be a difficult journey there and it is going to be very dangerous, on this new planet, but if you use your head and act like an adult, your father will see you as an adult. I think this will be good for you.” She rationalized, and set the pair of black pants into the suitcase. The pants went with just about everything and fit her perfectly. They were a wise choice, but she still couldn’t decide if she wanted to bring along the blouse that she had originally bought to go with the pants.

Her and Kuririn hadn’t talked about it yet; about what they were going to do with Marron, but she didn’t see any reason why she shouldn’t be able to accompany them now that school was no longer in session. Besides, she couldn’t stay here with the younger kids, that was just silly. She was able to take care of herself. Kuririn’s protectiveness could only go so far, after all, he did love them both very much.

“One day he’ll grow up Marron, one day.” Juuhachi-gou said, and brushed her hair delicately out of her eyes. “We just have to be patient.”

“I certainly hope so. I want to be able to date Goten-kun someday, after all. What should I pack?” Marron asked with a giggle, while looking into her mother’s suitcase and admiring all the clothes.

Kuririn walked into the room then, smiling at his wife and daughter’s picture perfect moment, sitting together on the bed. “What are you packing for, Marron? Are you staying the night at a friends?”

Here we go…. Juuhachi-gou thought..

She looked confused, and a little nervous. “No….I’m going with you and mama to help ChiChi-san.”

Kuririn’s face went through several shades of red and several different expressons before turning a bright purple with fear written all over it. “WHAT?! Who told you that?! There is no way you are going to some strange planet! You’re barely a teenager! Do you know what kind of things are going to be there?! This is not a vacation! This is dangerous! There will be strange men there! Do you know what those awful Saiya-jins will do to young girls?! Sweet Kaiou! No! Absolutely no!”

He paused for a breath and looked at Juuhachi-gou in distress. “Juuhachi, say something.”

She had not expected him to blow up like that, and was kind of surprised at the outburst, though her features did not give it away. He was usually amazingly submissive, when it came to anything that had to do with her, and almost always gave into Marron’s pouting. Although she understood the danger and the problems of Marron going, she thought the girl would benefit from the trip so much that the positive cancelled out the negative. Marron never went out and did anything adventurous, and maybe this would be what she needed to come out of that shell she had been hiding in for the past few years. Kuririn on the other hand, did not seem to see the trip as anything but negative. She had never seen him so scared, or so angry about anything.

Juuhachi-gou looked at Marron’s pain stricken face and tear filled blue eyes and folded her hands into her lap. “I think it is a wonderful idea for her to go.”

Marron’s eyes grew hopeful and she looked at her mother with ‘thank you’ written all over her face. She looked back at her father, who was staring at Juuhachi-gou as if she had grown a second head.

“What are you saying?!” He asked in amazement. “Marron can’t go!”

Juuhachi-gou blinked, but continued to put items of clothing into the suitcase, feeling a need to hurry. She was almost finished, but something told her that she was going to need the suitcase sooner than she had anticipated. She could practically feel Marron’s anger, and she knew that if she were Marron’s age, and her father had said that to her, he would have been very, very sorry indeed. Though, Marron wasn’t partial to violence like she was, Kuririn had been watch what he was doing or he could end up with quite a few bruises.

Marron jumped off the bed and stomped her foot in anger, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. “Quit treating me like a child! I am not a baby, papa!”

Kuririn began to panic inside. On one hand, he had the approval of his wife and daughter, the two people he cared about more than life itself, and on the other, he had the fact that he did not want Marron to go with them, and that was that. It was far too dangerous for a little girl to go, and no matter how angry she was with him, he knew he was doing the right thing.

“No, Marron! You aren’t going. You can stay with Pan and Bra at the Brief’s house. It is no place for a girl to go.” He ordered, and crossed his arms firmly across his chest.

“Mama’s going!” She spat out, grasping for a reason.

Kuririn looked at Juuhachi-gou. “Marron, your mom can take care of herself. She’s just a machine, she doesn’t feel anything.”

Juuhachi-gou straightened up suddenly and stared at Kuririn in fury.

After he had made the wish to free her and Juunana-gou of the awful bombs that Dr. Gero had placed in them, she had thought him to be different from the others. He was kinder, more accepting than them, and saw her as something different than just a killing android. To him, she was a real person, a beautiful girl, someone who could be loved. Or so she thought. But now, with those words, he just asserted how he really felt about her. She was still just a machine. After all this time. Still just a machine.

He continued on, not noticing Juuhachi-gou’s anger. “You are not going, and that’s final.”

Marron stared at him for a second, and then after gazing at him long enough, her chin trembled slightly, and she ran from the room, sobbing all the way down the hallway. Kuririn turned to Juuhachi-gou and shook his head, his heart aching on the inside at having to see her cry.

“Oh man.” He said softly. “I didn’t want to make her cry, but I just I can’t believe her.”

“I can’t believe you.” Juuhachi-gou suddenly cried, and she slammed her suitcase shut with a resounding smack.

Hands clenched at her sides, she approached Kuririn until she stood towering over him, her mouth drawn into a tight line. “I have feelings Kuririn! I am not just a....” She trailed off, feeling suddenly too angry to speak.

“Just a machine.” She finished up through clenched teeth. She was so irate that her vision was beginning to blur before her, and her eyes were stinging with an odd sensation that had never felt before.

She poked a thin, graceful finger into his chest hard, and he looked up into her angry but beautiful eyes and felt himself beginning to lose ground. “Juuhachi…..”

He reached out a comforting hand, and she flung it away with enough intensity to send him flying across the room.

“Don’t touch me!” She demanded angrily and backed away. “Ever. Again.” She paused for a moment, seeing his stricken face, then continued, her voice still tense. “I don’t want to be here now. I’m not sure what I’ll do. I’m taking Marron.”

She turned away from him, and ignored the trembling of her chin harshly, annoyed at the weakness that she was displaying, and walked to the bed where her suitcase lay, packed and ready to go. Despite the large size of her suitcase, she managed to pick it up as if it weighed nothing, and she carted it out the door. Kuririn opened his mouth to say something, and she turned around to face him again, with an angry and hurt face that he had never seen before.

Her blue eyes looked down at him for a moment. “I am not just a machine. And if you have always thought that, then perhaps I have made a very big mistake.”

Bulma stared down at her dinner, half eaten, and picked at it idly with her fork. It wasn’t that the food wasn’t good, Tayhei had cooked for them as usual, and as usual, it was delicious. She just didn’t have the appetite tonight. Somehow, thinking of the fact that her friend may never have a chance to eat dinner again ruined all thoughts of eating. She couldn’t help but be concerned about ChiChi. After all, she of all people knew her very well, and knew how much she could handle, and how much she couldn’t. ChiChi was strong, she had to admit, inside and out. She had been through the death of her husband, the kidnapping of her son, and many other very hard obstacles in life, but this….This was something that none of them had ever imagined having to go through. And she was all alone, too. At least before she had someone to help her through it, almost to hold her hand all the way, but now, there was no one for ChiChi. And Gokuu too, was alone in this, seeing as though he hadn’t been letting anyone get close to him lately. He had barely said five words to her since the whole ordeal yesterday, and now that they were leaving tomorrow morning, she was worried about how he might react if they never found her.

She looked up from her plate and across the table at Vejiita, who was devouring his food, as usual, without any sign of pausing. At least he was here with her, instead of off training like she knew he wanted to be. She couldn’t help but wonder if it had been her, would Vejiita have come after her like Gokuu was going after ChiChi? Would he even care? With half a smile, she came to the conclusion that he would. Not because he cared about her that very much, but the fact that someone had taken away something that was his would really piss him off.

“Kaasan! Trunks is taking all the meatballs!” Bra suddenly cried, ripping her out of her thoughts. She looked down at the indignant little six year old and smiled. She was the perfect little mirror image of herself, with her turquoise hair neatly combed and put up into a ponytail with a purple bow that matched her fluffy, lacy, purple dress.

And of course, just like her, Bra was talkative, free-spirited, and….spoiled. But no matter how spoiled she may be, Bra was everything she had always wanted in a daughter, and she loved putting her in cute little dresses, and shopping for her, and with her. And at night, when she tucked the little girl into bed, and saw her lying there with her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks in sleep, clutching that night’s stuffed animal of choice, her heart felt like it was about to burst. When Trunks had first been born, it wasn’t as real as this, as tangible as this. He was just….her baby, and not a whole lot to be proud of either, considering that her and Vejiita weren’t really even together then. Bra was a different story though. Even Vejiita felt love for the little girl, she could tell. No matter how many times he denied it, she knew. And life now, was perfect, and so right for her, that she felt like she had stumbled onto the set of a movie.

“Trunks, save some for your sister.” She scolded the boy, who looked at her with his cheeks puffed up with meatballs with an expression that read, ‘who, me?’.

Tayhei, her lab assistant who was usually very quiet around her and Vejiita, looked over at Trunks with a disgusted expression, and then continued slowly eating her meal, working rhythmically around her plate with grace.

She was a hard girl to figure out. Around Bulma, she seemed very mature and intelligent, just as a lab assistant should be, but according to Trunks and Vejiita, she was an absolute brat. Since she had begun staying with them, Trunks had ultimately gone insane, and would go on for hours about the ‘evil’ things that Tayhei had done to him. It didn’t seem like Tayhei at all to do the things that Trunks had claimed, but then again, Trunks was not taken to lying to her regularly, and although she did spend a great deal of time with Tayhei, the girl mostly kept herself at a distance. Bra seemed to love her like the sister she never had, and looked up to her a great deal; just yesterday in fact, she had taken the little girl shopping for a new hat, and they spent the entire day together. However rude she may be, she seemed to have a soft spot for Bra, and a great deal of respect for Bulma.

Tayhei cleared her throat. “I have been thinking a lot lately, ever since Trunks told me about this, and I really do want to come with you to save ChiChi-san.”

Vejiita paused in eating, and stared at her momentarily, before glancing at Trunks. “You told her about everything?”

Everyone at the table winced at the tone of his voice, which carried such an angry edge that he was likely to jump onto the table and start blasting everything in sight.

“I just informed her that I was leaving and she would have no one to belittle and badger for awhile.” Trunks shrugged nervously. “If she took the initiative to find out more about the trip, then it’s her own doing. She probably asked Goten about it. He’s innocent enough to tell her anything she wants to know.”

He gave her a sideways glance as he rose a glass of milk to his lips. “And she has him wrapped around her evil little finger too.”

She blinked innocently. “What are you talking about? You told me everything about plan yesterday.”

Trunks almost spit out the milk he had been drinking. “I did not!” He cried. He looked at his father, who was glaring at him, and shook his head wildly. “I did not say a thing to her except that I was leaving, I swear! She’s lying again!”

Tayhei drew her eyebrows together in confusion and stared at him with wide, innocent green eyes. “Why would I lie?”

Bra pointed her spoon at Trunks and waggled it around in anger. “Neechan wouldn’t lie!”

“The hell she wouldn’t. She lies all the time.” He grumbled, staring at his little sister with annoyance. He didn’t understand why she was always sticking up for Tayhei. Couldn’t anyone see how the girl really was? Didn’t anyone care that he was the one that was about to be butchered in a minute?

Bra reached over and smacked him with the spoon on the arm, “She wouldn’t lie, you geek! Don’t say things like that about her!”

She kept smacking him with the spoon again and again, each hit becoming more forceful until he just couldn’t take it anymore. More out of sheer anger than the pain the spoon had caused, he grabbed the spoon away from her and flung it at the wall, flinging bright red sauce all over the kitchen table, and all over Bra’s dress.

Bra’s big blue eyes began to mist over with tears. She hung her head down and sniffled a bit, trying to wipe the mess off of her new dress. Immediately, Tayhei jumped out of her chair and bent down beside her, placing a comforting arm around her. Bulma and Vejiita looked at Trunks sternly, and he just sat there, glaring at Tayhei with such intensity that it put one of Vejiita’s trademark ‘looks’ to shame.

“Shhh….Bra, it’s okay. Trunks didn’t mean anything.” Tayhei soothed, while staring into Bra’s tearful blue eyes. “He was just a little angry at me.”

“A little?” Trunks snorted as he looked away. “Tayhei, ‘angry’ is the understatement of the year. You’re always lying to everyone to make me look bad. Can’t you think of anything else to do with your life? Maybe you should take up acting, because you are damn good at it.”

She smiled at him. “I do believe that is the nicest compliment you’ve ever given me. Arigatou.”

Bulma stood up from the table and took the hand of the sniffling Bra and gently pulled her away from Tayhei and away from the table, to get her cleaned up. She would have to deal with Trunks later; it was more important to stop Bra’s tears and assure her that her dress would be okay before she started sobbing and screaming loud enough for the entire city to hear.

After Bulma had left the kitchen, leaving the three alone, Tayhei took her seat back at the table, and Trunks finally finished sulking and began eating again, but still glared forcefully at Tayhei.

That was a fine piece of work she just did. He thought to himself. Not only did she succeed in alienating my little sister and my mother from me, but she made Otousan mad at me too. I wonder if she actually lays in bed at night and thinks this shit up? And while we’re on the subject, just why did she decide to make my life a living hell? Was no one else good enough for her? Why not pick on Goten? At least he’s used to getting kicked around emotionally.

Trunks stuffed another meatball into his mouth harshly, and chewed it with his mouth open, hoping that she would look up and be disgusted. She was going to pay for this. He might be leaving tomorrow, but when he got home, she was going to pay. He already knew that Vejiita would never let her go with them. He hated her even more, if possible, than Trunks did, and the idea of spending all that time locked up in a spaceship with her probably gave Vejiita the chills. For once in his life, he was glad his father was such a bakayaro.

Vejiita cleared his throat and pushed his plate away; a clear signal that he was going to speak and they needed to shut the hell up and give him attention. Both Trunks and Tayhei stilled and looked up at him.

“Tayhei, you are not allowed to go.” He started, and ignored the indignant look that fell upon her face. “You have no fighting skills that are worthwhile, no other skills that would help anyone on the journey, and you can’t fly the ship. In other words, you’re useless, and I don’t want you taking up my space.”

She dropped the sweet act then and glared at him, her green eyes narrowing to near slits. It was amazing how quickly she could do that. And never once had anyone caught her off guard or when she wasn’t acting super sweet. Those that she didn’t want to know, just plain did not know. There were only a few chosen ones who got to see the real Tayhei, and they happened to be him and his father.

“I am not useless. And I am not going to stay here with the kids while everyone else gets to go.” She snapped at him, and tossed her golden blond ponytail over her shoulder. “I want to have fun too.”

Briefly, Trunks entertained the idea that maybe Vejiita was actually concerned for her well being, and didn’t want her getting hurt on the trip, but a look into his deep black eyes made him re-think the idea. Vejiita didn’t care about anyone, especially her, and he would never go out of his way to protect anyone like that. He had to admire his father’s attitude sometimes; at least he wasn’t going to get hurt in life. You can’t get hurt if you don’t let anyone in.

Besides, I just love seeing Tayhei not get her way.

Trunks snorted while taking another gulp of milk. “I hate to say it Tayhei, but it looks like you are out of luck. Maybe you and the kiddies can play some board games, or have a tea party.”

She tossed him a glare and turned her attention back to Vejiita. “I could cook. You can’t deny the fact that I am a good cook. I can make anything out of anything at any time. If that isn’t useful, I don’t know what is. And you know better than anyone how good I am at planning things and sneaking around.”

Vejiita snarled at her. “I said no! If you want to cook, make it now and we’ll put it all in capsules! And you can sneak around and plan things all you want, but it isn’t going to be when I’m around. You are not going to Sukuashi! Useless girl.”

She jumped up from the table and slammed her hands down on his surface, causing everything on it to jump up and crash down with a loud clatter. “Onore! I am perfectly capable of going, and you know it! You just don’t want to admit it, you old man!”

A vein popped out on Vejiita’s forehead that Trunks had never noticed before, and his eyes clouded over with anger, but he remained in his seat. His fingers were clenched around his fork so tightly that it looked to be bending in the middle, and though Tayhei was only a few feet away, and an easy target, he remained sitting.

“Get out of here, brat.”

Tayhei locked her jaw tightly, and took in a sharp breath, but turned on her heel and stomped out of the kitchen, leaving the Saiya-jin prince and his son alone.

Vejiita turned to his food and began eating again, angrily stabbing at the meatballs with his fork and shoving them into his mouth. Trunks stared at the doorway that Tayhei had stomped through for a moment, then looked down at his plate with a deep smirk on his handsome face.

Vejiita looked up at him. “Quit smirking, brat. I haven’t even started with you yet.”

He gulped down hard, and brought his blue eyes to meet Vejiita’s cold, empty black ones. Vejiita calmly pushed his plate away and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across his muscular chest. The entire time, his eyes never once left Trunks’s and never once blinked.

“I specifically told you not to tell the girl anything about where we were going or what were doing. Now she knows, and she wants to go.” With every word, the vein on his forehead stood out more and more, and Trunks was beginning to get a little worried.

“And I know she will find some way to get on that ship. Someway, somehow, she’ll end up there.” His mouth drew into a smirk and the anger dissapered and was replaced by mischeviousness. “That’s why I’m making it your personal responsibility to see that she does not get on that ship, and does not go to Sukuashi. And if she does….”

He trailed off and the smirk on his face grew deeper. Trunks looked down at his plate again.

He absolutely, positively hated that girl. He couldn’t stand her. And now he had to watch her every second just to make sure she wasn’t devising a plan to get on the ship? He would rather suffocate himself with one of Bra’s teddy bears. He would rather be ran over by a Caspule car.

I would rather eat my own hand! I don’t want to spend any more time with her than I have to. Maybe she just won’t even try to come along….maybe she’ll just be happy to stay at home for once. I’m sure if I just left it up to fate, she’d listen to Otousan and not come. She knows better than to disobey him, right? Right?!

Chapter 7
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