Marron was gone.  Where on Chikyuu could she be?  Why would she leave?  And how the heck did she get out?  A slight noise upstairs alerted him and he rushed upstairs. “Marron, where have you been?”

        “Oh!  Tousan!  Er, well…”

        “No lies,” Krillin said sternly.

        Marron’s mouth dropped. “I would not lie to you, Tousan.  I was…out flying.”

        “Flying?” Krillin repeated.

        “Yes, Tousan.” Marron looked down.

        “Where did you learn to fly?”

        “I…I just kinda…stepped off the roof and…flew.”

        “_Stepped off the roof_?” Krillin exclaimed. “You could’ve been -_killed_!”

        “I…I’m sorry, Tousan.  But I wanted to learn, and Trunks told me my power level was near 200, so I thought it couldn’t really hurt.” Marron was thankful for the dark that hid her blush.

        “If you had wanted to learn to fly, why didn’t you just ask?”

        “Well, I just, I just didn’t think you’d teach me.”

        Krillin considered that. “Well, you probably have a point, Marron-chan.” He couldn’t help grinning. “Next time, though, just remind me that you jumped off the roof when I wouldn’t.”

        “Okay, Tousan.  I promise.  I’ve gotta go to bed now. Good night, Tousan.”

        “Good night, Marron-chan.  Sleep well.”

        “I will, Tousan.”

        Krillin grinned. “Sweet dreams.”

        Marron couldn’t help smiling as she snuggled under her covers. “Oh, they will be.”

***
        Marron settled into a kind of uneasy truce with herself concerning Kenji.  She was unfailingly polite,remembering her mother’s strange fit of tempr,but kept training with Trunks, wanting to be able to defend herself should the occasion arise.

        “Marron, will you tell me what’s wrong?” Trunks demanded one afternoon.

        “Wrong?  Trunks, what could be wrong?  I can fly, I’ve got you, and school’s almost out.”

        He gave her a look. “You told me when we first started doing this that you only wanted to fly, Marron.  Now you’re trying to improve yourself like your life depends on it.”
        She sighed and sprawled out on the ground, looking at the clouds.  He landed next to her and looked at her expectantly.
        Marron blew out her breath. “There’s nothing _wrong_, per se.  I just feel like something could happen to
me.” Trunks sat down next to her and put her head in his lap. “Something like what?” he asked as he played with
her hair.
        Marron looked away. “I’m…scared of Jisan Kenji.  When he’s in a room with me, I just tense up.  And it’s stupid!  He’s a great guy,he’s been living with us for a month now and he’s done nothing, said nothing…nothing has happened!  But I’m still scared.  It makes me feel…more at peace, I guess, if I train and feel like if something happens, I can defend myself.”

        “Oh.  Well.” Trunks wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Well, I-I guess that this could be a normal reaction to something…”

        “Something like what?” Marron demanded, frustrated.  She turned on her stomach and looked up at him. “I have racked my brain to figure out what could trigger this sort of reaction from me and have come up with nothing!  Nothing at all.  I think I’m going crazy.”

        “Marron, you’re not going crazy,” Trunks reassured her.

        “Oh, really?  You don’t know what goes on in here.” Marron tapped her forehead.

        Trunks laughed.  He couldn’t help it. “No, I can’t read your mind,” he agreed, “but I do know you, and what I know about you, I love to death.  You’re not crazy.” He kissed her lightly. “You’re as sane as I am.”

        “I take it that was supposed to comfort me?”

        He chuckled. “Yes.  Maybe I should say you’re as sane as…as…”

        Marron began laughing. “Everyone we know is crazy,” she stated.

        “I never realized that before.”

        Marron thought back to his words. “Were you serious?” she asked.

        “I’m always serious.”

        “You said…what you knew about me, you…loved.”

Marron’s voice had gotten progressively softer and Trunks could barely hear the last word.

        “Oh.  Well, I did mean it.  I love you, Marron.”

        “I-I love you, too.” Marron sighed, lay back in his arms, and closed her eyes. “Now it’s time for me to wake up.”

        “What?”

        “Oh, I only dream you say those words to me,can’t happen in reality.  In my dreams, you say, ‘I love you,’ I say, ‘I love you, too,’ you lean in to kiss me, and I wake up in time to go to school.  So, I’m waiting for the alarm. ”Trunks’ mouth quirked upwards in a grin. “If you want a kiss, just say so.”

        She opened her eyes and shook her head. “No, I’m serious.  I wouldn’t mind a kiss, but I’m just expecting to wake up.” She closed her eyes again.

        “Well, I won’t hurry it along.” Trunks gently slipped his arms under Marron and lifted her up.

        “This is new,” she commented, eyes still closed. “I’ve never had you carry me before.”

        “What about this?” Trunks asked as he stopped and set her down.

        Marron opened her eyes and looked around. “Where is this?” she asked, a bit puzzled. “I thought we’d been all over the island.”

        Trunks shrugged. “We’re still on the island, we’re just closer to the middle of it.”

        “This is really beautiful.”

        “Yeah.  This is my favorite place to be…to be alone, to think.”

        “To be alone,” Marron repeated.

        “Well, yes, but I also take special people here, to show them.”

        “Really?  Like who?  Old girlfriends?” she teased.

        He flushed, but wanted her to know how serious this was to him. “No, no.  Actually, I guess I should say I take special person here, ’cause you’re the only person I’ve ever shown this place to.”

        Marron looked over at him. “Seriously?”

        “Of course!” He took tilted Maroon’s head up. “This is a special place to me…I only want special people to
see it.”

        She could see the sincerity in his eyes. “Well, I-I don’t know what to say.  I’m…honored, Trunks-kun, that you would show me.”

        “I felt like the time was right.”

        She smiled up at him and didn’t say anything else.  She leaned against him and felt his arms go around her, holding her close.  A perfect moment.

***
        Marron yawned, stretched, and realized where she was. She and Trunks were still on the island…still in his special spot.  When had they fallen asleep?  She attempted to rise, but Trunks’ arms were still around her and he pulled her back down. “Trunks-kun?  Are you awake?”

        He didn’t answer.

        Marron watched him suspiciously. “I think you are.”

        No reply.

        Marron got a mischievous smile on her face and relaxed against him. “Okay, then we’ll stay here.” She kissed his neck?where her face just happened to be?and after a few minutes began laughing.

        Trunks opened his eyes and looked at her. “Okay, what’s so funny?”

        She couldn’t answer, she was laughing too hard, so she just pointed to his neck.

        “What?  What is it?  I’m Saiyajin, but I still can’t see my own neck.” Then he paled. “Did you…give me…a hickey?”

        She couldn’t stop laughing, but managed to nod.

        “Argh!  Marron!  How do I explain that away?”

        She shrugged. “Ask…Bra…if you…can use…her…makeup,” she choked out through her giggles.

        His mouth dropped and his eyes narrowed. “Why, you,” he said. “That settles it.” He grabbed her and began kissing her neck.

        “Oh, no!  No, Trunks, argh!  Stop that!  Tousan would kill me after he beat your name out of me then he’d kill you and…that…feels good…”

        “Still want me to stop?” he chuckled.

        “N-no, but you have to!  Come on, Trunks-kun.  Please…” She pushed on his chest, but not with very much force.

        “Oh, all right.” He twisted his head around, trying to see the bruise on his neck. “I can’t believe you did that to me.”

        “Hey, you wouldn’t let me go.  Self-defense, that’s all.”

        “Oh really?  Do you plan on using that on any guy who attacks you?”

        “No, just certain ones.  Trunks, stop worrying.  It’s down by the base of your neck, flip your jacket collar up and no one will notice.”

        “You don’t know my sister,” Trunks said darkly.

        “Okay, Bra-chan will notice, but do you think she’d blab it?”

        “Yes.”

        “If she didn’t want us to get together, she would.  But she does, so you think she’ll screw it up?”

        “Well…no.” It was said reluctantly.

        “There, see how easy that was?  Now, we better get home, look at the sun?it’s almost setting!  What am I going to tell Tousan?”

        “What about your mother?”

        “She and my uncles usually talk until about ten o’clock at night.  She won’t even notice me.”

        “Oh.”

        “And what are you going to tell your parents?”

        Trunks shrugged. “I was out with Goten, of course.  Goten always agrees.”

        “Does he…know about us?”

        “He knows I’ve got a new girlfriend…I haven’t told him it’s you.”

        “Well, that’s good.” Marron sighed. “I really have to go.  I’m probably grounded again, so you might not hear from me for a while.”

        “Okay, ’bye.”

        They flew up and took off in opposite directions.  Marron racked her mind for a reasonable excuse for her parents, but couldn’t think of any.  She didn’t have any real close girlfriends, and saying she’d been out with Trunks was definitely out of the question.
        She landed and went inside, mentally preparing herself for the battle.

        “Oh, hi, dear, you’ve been gone awhile,” was all Jinzouningen Azami said.

        “Yeah, next time let us know if you’ll be out all day,” Krillin agreed.

        Marron stared at them in shock. “Um…okay.  I…will.”

        “All right, good.  Dinner’s ready, so why don’t you wash up and we’ll eat?” Jinzouningen Azami suggested.

“My goodness, Marron, what happened to your neck?”

        Marron’s eyes widened and she ran for the bathroom without answering.  Sure enough, there were slight scratches from where Trunks’ day’s growth of stubble had scraped her.  There was also the slightest start of a hickey. “I’m so dead,” she moaned, then went out to face the music. “I-I don’t know what happened, Kaasan,” Marron said, hoping her voice sounded normal.

        “Oh?” Jinzouningen Azami asked.

        “Uh, right.” Marron smiled hopefully.

        Kenji raised an eyebrow.  He took her arm and led her from the room. “Say you went to the carnival with a friend.”

        She gave him a quizzical look. “What?”

        He grinned. “You got scratched on a ride, of course.  Not from your new boyfriend.”

        Marron’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, no.”

        His eyes twinkled. “Hey, relax.  I’m only 25 myself, you know.  Young enough to know how it is.” His grin became teasing. “And I suggest you go put on a turtleneck.”
        Marron threw her arms around her uncle. “Oh, thank you!” She decidedly pushed down the wave of uneasiness.  This, if nothing else, proved she was just paranoid.  Truly relaxed for the first time in weeks, she ate dinner with an easy heart.

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