Ring Ring
Ring Ring

“I’ll get it…”
Blonde, blue-eyed, and 24-year-old Marron shuffled her feet to answer the ringing phone. She passed Oolong, who was absorbed in the aerobics show he watched daily. Giving the pig her deadliest glare possible, she picked up the handset and greeted, “Hello. Kame House.”
“Hey Marron.” A male voice, charming and polite, replied. “Oh, Trunks.” Marron felt her heart flutter at the sound of his voice. She cradled the phone and turned to the window, lest that pervert pig hear the conversation. Actually Oolong was too busy watching some “gorgeous” women exercise their legs.
Trunks was at his office, his feet on top of his desk and his swivel chair rocking him. “Marron, would you mind if I come see you there? I haven’t seen you in, like, a month now…?” He coughed, and tried not to stutter at what he wanted to say.
“See me?” There was a noticeable rise in Marron’s pitch. Her heart beat faster. Trunks, that *incredibly* handsome purple-haired president of Capsule Corporation wanted to travel all the way to this lone island just to see HER? How wonderful was that? A blush quickly formed on her cheeks. Stop it Marron, it’s because you’re friends with him.
Trunks coughed at the long silence. “Well?”
“What?” Marron snapped out of her train of thought. “Oh, sorry Trunks!”
“Can I go?”
“What? Here? Oh su-“
Suddenly a loud wail came from upstairs. It sounded like a child’s cry.
Ohmigosh! I almost forgot! Marron’s eyes widened.
Apparently the young man heard it too. “Hello? Marron? Who is crying?”
Trunks can’t go here! She desperately thought and covered the mouthpiece.
“Oolong, could you get my mother?”
The pig wrinkled his nose and whined.
“Bother.” The crying continued.
“Marron, is that a cry I hear? Is somebody hurt?” Trunks continued to ask from the other end. His voice had a worried tone. She sighed.
“No Trunks, no one’s crying-“
“I can hear perfectly.”
“Oh, all right, but you needn’t worry-“
“Can I still go there?”
The wail went louder and louder. Dammit, I gotta go. Marron covered the mouthpiece again.
“Mother!!!” she yelled. “Could you take care of Rin, I’m on the phone!!!” She knew many of the house’s residents would kill her for that, but did they like the wailing better?
Footsteps going upstairs assured her that the request was issued. The crying calmed down, until it was only a soft whimper. Still, Marron could hear a voice say “Mama…”, and a smile appeared on her face.
“Could you take care of WHO, Marron?” Trunks was definitely confused now. At least the crying seemed to have stopped. Marron’s voice faltered.
“I-I’m sorry Trunks, you can’t go here right now…” Please understand, please understand… “Then can I come later?” He asked hopefully.
“No Trunks, I’m really sorry-“
“Maybe tomorrow?”
“NO.” She said more forcefully, even though she hated it. She heard Trunks gasp. BR> “Sorry.” She whispered. “Maybe I can see you in your office tomorrow…but I’m really not sure.”
“But Marron!” Trunks was now anxious, and a bit curious at the same time. Why wouldn’t she let him? And what was that stupid crying? “I haven’t seen you for a month!”
“I know, I know…but I’m not ready yet…” She instantly regretted the last part.
“Goodbye Trunks. I’m sorry you can’t go here.” She hung up.

***

He heard the click, which was followed by a hang-up tone. Trunks returned the handset himself.
“Not ready??”

***

If Trunks was anything, he was persistent. Bulma would kill him for ditching work again, because now he was piloting his private plane over to the Kame House. I’m sorry Mom. And I’m sorry too Marron, but I just gotta know what’s up.
He pulled on the thruster and went full speed ahead.

Marron. There was no lying that he wanted to see her again. BADLY. But that wasn’t something new. Weren’t she, him, and Goten ‘the three best friends’? So it wouldn’t matter if he constantly visited her…and appeared as her boyfriend… which was what he wanted to be, right?
Trunks’s face went totally red.
“Ooh, this is something knew. Blushing in TOTAL silence. Whatcha thinkin’ pal?”
He glared at his companion at the passenger seat. “Shut up Goten.”
“Shut up Goten, because Trunks is thinking about a certain blonde-haired individual.” mimicked Goten as he reached for a bag of potato chips on the counter.
“I AM NOT THINKING ABOUT MARRON.”
“Hah! Gotcha. I didn’t say any Marron.” Goten chomped chip after chip, a big goofy grin on his face.
Trunks sighed and shook his head. “I shouldn’t have let you come with me. Seriously Goten, I asked you to come ‘cause I thought you could give moral support.”
“Moral support? For what?” The young man stuffed more chips in his mouth. “Oh, you’re afraid that Juuhachigou would kill you for proposing to her daughter.”
Trunks almost hit his head on the wheel, and Goten chortled until the chips got to his throat.
“SOME FRIEND!!! I HOPE YOU CHOKE YOURSELF!!!” yelled Trunks hotly. He grumbled and faced the front again. “Would you drill into your thick skull that we three are just friends? DO YOU HEAR ME?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Goten held his chest and cough. He sat back again. “But pal, you’ve got to admit, she’s turning to be one pretty gal.”
“I know.” Trunks’s eyes widened when he realized his own remark.
Goten seemed to be satisfied and did not point out the guilty look. He positioned his hands on the back of his head.
“Glad you noticed. I’d hate to see her wasted.”
There was a few seconds of silence before Trunks replied, “What?”

***

Frantically, Marron bounded upstairs, two steps at a time.
“Rin, sweetheart! Don’t cry, I’m here!”
She ran to her room but was blocked by another blonde. Juuhachigou held a small boy barely five in one hand.
“He’s not crying anymore, Marron.”
“Thanks Mother.” Juuhachigou let go of the downcast child, while Marron scooped him up in her arms.
“There, there Rin?” She bounced him gently, although he was too old to be. “Why so sad?” Her own mother stared at her. “Really Marron, you shouldn’t have left him alone.”
“Why, did he fall off? Where?” She looked around worriedly, then glanced at Rin.
“Are you hurt, sweetheart?”
“Uh-uh.” Rin shook his head, his black hair flying around.
“That’s my boy.” Marron kissed him on the forehead. “You just wanted Mama, didn’t you?” She smiled when the boy nodded eagerly.
“I’ll just be downstairs in the kitchen. Call me when you need me. Just don’t be too noisy, the old man is still napping.” Juuhachigou left the two alone.
Marron looked at her watch. “I think it’s naptime for you too. You go to sleep now.” “Tell me a story.” He suddenly said after Marron tucked him in.
“A story?” She sat down on the edge of the bed. “What kind? A fairy-tale one?”
“No, about you, Mama.”
Marron was surprised, but those innocent eyes told her to do it.
“Okay, this one was told to me by my father. He’s supposed to be your grandfather, but he’s…gone now.”
“Gone?”
“When you grow old, Rin, you have to go somewhere very far someday, and you won’t be able to see me again.” She could feel tears well up in her eyes. Rin’s face crumpled.
“I don’t want that!”
“Me too.” She leaned over to hug him. “Anyway, I named you after him. His name was Kuririn. That’s where I got ‘Rin’.”
“Oh.” He nodded. “Tell me the story.”
“Okay. You see, one time, when I was only three years old, the Earth was in great danger. An evil pink man attacked it. He turned people into all kinds of food, especially chocolate. He loved chocolate, and he ate the people that he turned it into.”
Rin’s eyes held wonder and he appeared to be very interested. “Why isn’t he here now?”
“I really don’t remember; I was so young that time. But your grand-uncle Goku defeated him.”
“Cool!”
“Also, your grand-uncle Vegeta helped. And…” She bit her thumbnail. “Your uncles Goten & Trunks too, when they were only seven & eight! Isn’t that great?”
Marron caught what she was saying. “Oh, don’t mind me Rin.”
“Can I see them? Can I?” The boy had sat up in excitement.
“Uncle Goku isn’t here anymore, sweetheart. He’s gone too.”
“Oh.”
The blonde tousled the little boy’s hair. “And Uncle Vegeta lives so faraway from here. Besides, he can be a little cranky.”
“Then what about Uncle Trunks an’ Goten?”
Marron did not know what to say. Should she answer, “No I’m sorry dear. I’m not ready to disclose you to anyone else, especially to two of my closest friends…” She shook her head. Damn this unreadiness.
What was it that she wasn’t ready for?
“Mama?”
She flinched. Then she turned to the little boy who had called her that name. They were both staring at each other, wide-eyed.
She could hear Rin’s soul in those dark round eyes, asking her, “Mama, are you ashamed of me?”
“No!” she cried out so loudly that Rin was startled. “I’m not ashamed of you and I don’t regret any responsibilities you have given me.” She whispered as she stroke his hair, his head on her chest. She put her hands on the boy’s shoulders to look at him. “You know, Uncle Trunks was supposed to come here but he couldn’t…make it.” There was no harm in such a little lie.
“Awww….” Disappointment washed over his face. “I want to see him.”
Marron kissed him again. “Now why don’t you nap, little man.” He pulled on the covers and closed his eyes, while the girl stared at him lovingly.
At least I’m a bit ready now.

***

He pulled on the thruster so sudden that Goten lurched forward.
“Aiiiiieeeee!!!!!” The young man found himself in a bag full of chips.
“Goten, get out of the plane, we’re here.”
“What the?” He looked out the window, a chip or two in his hair. “Why don’t you land, bozo?”
They were hovering a few feet away from the island.
“Because I don’t want to warn Marron of us coming.” He replied while taking a chip from his friend’s hair, then popping it into his mouth.
Goten wrinkled his nose. “You’re disgusting, Trunks.”
“Look in the mirror.”
“I haven’t shampooed since Tuesday…” He grinned when Trunks choked.
Goten opened the door and flew out. “Why don’t you want to ‘warn’ Marron?”
“She was acting real strange when I called her a while ago.” Trunks pressed a button. At once, the plane disappeared in smoke and a capsule fell on his hand. “And I swear, I heard someone crying, and she wouldn’t tell me.”
“So you’re the suspicious boyfriend and you want to catch her in the act?”
Trunks narrowed his eyes at the giggling Goten, who suddenly flew away to the direction of the Kame House.
“Well?” asked Goten when their feet touched the ground.
“SHHH!!!” Trunks tiptoed to the front door, while his best friend followed, rolling his eyes. The former rang the doorbell.
A short-haired blonde opened the door. She eyed them warily.
“Good afternoon Juuhachigou, is Marron there?”
The cyborg raised an eyebrow. ‘Yeah?”
“You’ve done it Trunks.” Goten nudged his friend too hard that he doubled over.
“Stop it Goten!!!” he hissed. Trunks coughed and faced Marron’s mother again.
“Could you please tell her that she has visitors? But please don’t say who they are. Please?”
The dark-haired demi-Saiyajin snickered when Juuhachigou raised another eyebrow. She turned around.
“Marron! You’ve got visitors!!”

***

Rin snapped awake. “Mama?”
Marron, who was also falling asleep, jumped up. “I’ve got visitors.” Who could they be. She was almost out the door when Rin called, “Take me with you Ma!”
“Okay, follow me.”
“No Mama!” She looked back at him. “Could you carry me?”
With his arms outstretched, he looked so sweet and innocent that Marron could not resist but scoop him up. “Be a good boy ok?”
She had no idea what she was about to face downstairs.
Juuhachigou was blocking the doorway. Marron could hear her tell the visitors outside, “She’s here.” When her mother stepped out of the way…
…her face turned deathly white.

***

There was Marron, a few feet away from him. Nothing was wrong, nor different; she was still stunningly beautiful. She was wearing denim pants and a pink baby tee under a faded denim vest which he assumed assumed to be her mothers. And those give-away pigtails. A cold feeling rushed over Trunks.
He found himself asking the android, “Who’s the cute kid?”
“You don’t know?” she seemed surprised.
“That’s Rin, Marron’s 5-year-old son."

End chapter 1

Chibi K:Hi, let me introduce myself, my name’s Chibi K and you just finished the 1st chapter of my newest fic! Thanks a lot! But I will really really thank you if you just, you know, mail me comments at ssj_songohan@dbzmail.com
~Was it a bit freaky that Marron has a son? There’s a catch though.~

Next: Trunks thinks Rin is Goten & Marron’s son!!! ^_^ Nooo, Trunks, you’ve got it all wrong!!! (Rin: Mama!) But where’s your Papa, sweetie?

Baby Ai-chan: Goo, goo, ga, ga...(Kawaiii!!! Next CHAPTER!!!!!!!)