"THE UNPARDONABLE SIN" A V/M 'fic. Anything is possible.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DBZ


Author's Note: All the characters belong to Akira Toriyama. I wrote the 'fic. The last chapter was so sad, but Marron is a survivor. After all, she is Juuhachigou's daughter. As always, thanks for the reviews and comments!


Chapter 6: SEPARATE LIVES

~*~

"You haven't touched any of your food Miss Kuri," the nurse chided lightly, as Marron continued staring out the window. Food was the furthest thing from her mind. "You have to get your strength back."

"What's the point?" Marron answered quietly. "It's not like I'm eating for two any more."

"You have to think of your family. Especially your husband," she continued, referring to Trunks.

"He's NOT my husband," she replied harshly. "I'm on my own."

She had not seen Vegeta at all since she woke up in the hospital. But then again, she shouldn't have expected him to. And although it would have been comforting to have him there with her to share their loss, she had to face this on her own.

"In any case, you've got to eat, or else we'll have to hook you up with an I.V. tube."

"I don't care," she said with an air of indifference. "Please take this away. I'd like to be alone now. "

The nurse gave her a wary look, but respected her wishes and left.

Marron got up gingerly and began to walk very carefully down the hallway until she reached the neo-natal unit. She leaned her forehead against the Plexiglas as she stared wistfully at all the newborn babies in their little cribs. Some were sleeping peacefully while others were wailing insistently. A single tear trickled down her cheek. It was so hard to believe that her baby was gone. What was she going to do now?

"You should be in bed," someone said in a soft voice.

Marron lifted her head and saw her father, looking at her in concern. She didn't have to ask to know that he had found out about her condition.

"Trunks told you, didn't he?"

Krillin nodded his head and went over to her. "He came by this morning and told us what happened. Your mama is out trying to find Vegeta. Why didn't you tell us Marron-Chan?"

"What was I supposed to tell you? I slept with your best friend's husband and lost his baby?"

"It would be a start. I won't lie to you and say that we're happy with what you've done, but we're still your parents. We will always love you no matter what happens."

She turned to look back at the babies in the nursery. "I used to dream of finding someone and having a family of my own to love and cherish. I lost both in one day."

Krillen’s heart ached for his daughter and the grandchild he would never know. There wasn't anything he could do to make it better. And the mere thought made him want to cry. Marron had always held a special place in his heart. He was constantly trying to protect her, but he realized that despite all his good intentions, he still couldn't prevent her from getting hurt. It was just part of life, and he just had to accept it. She didn't need a lecture. She just needed someone to be there for her, no matter what the circumstances were, especially now.

He held out his arms and held her as she clung tightly to him. No words were uttered, but the message he sent spoke volumes. It was exactly what Marron needed.

~*~

"Trunks, why won't you tell me what happened to Marron?" Bra demanded, as she hovered over Trunks' desk at Capsule Corps.

He leaned back in his chair and threw back another shot of whiskey down his throat. The guilt he felt for causing Marron's miscarriage weighed heavily on his shoulders. How could he ever face her again?

"Because it doesn't concern you," he answered, dismissively.

"The HELL it doesn't! Marron is my friend and if there's something wrong with her, I deserve to know."

"Are you sure you can handle the truth?"

"I wish everyone would stop treating me like some pampered princess who needs to be sheltered from everything. I knew months ago that Mom and Dad were going to break up even before they did, but everyone thought that I wouldn't be able to handle it. I'm not a child anymore, Trunks."

"Marron lost her baby last night."

"Baby? What baby? If this is your idea of a joke, it's really in bad taste."

"Do I look like I'm joking, Bra? Marron was pregnant. And Dad's the father."

Bra quickly sat down in the chair before her legs gave out. "Dad...and Marron? I...I don't believe it." Not her best friend.

"Well, believe it. Apparently it happened over a month ago."

"When Mom and Dad separated," the younger half-Saiyajin surmised.

"You're taking this surprisingly well."

Bra glared at her older brother in annoyance. "What did you expect me to do? Rant and rave like some lunatic?"

Sure, she felt angry that her father had chosen to sleep with someone, while he was still with her mother, especially with someone so close to her. But Bra was old enough to realize now that sometimes, things didn't always work out the way people wanted it to.

"Frankly, yes."

"Sorry to burst your bubble. So...how did Marron lose the baby?" Bra asked quietly.

"We were arguing after I found out about them. The next thing I knew, I found her passed out on the floor. She said later on that she had felt some abdominal cramps. I was too blind with anger to notice. I didn't know...I just didn't know."

"Trunks, what are you saying?"

"Don't you get it? It was my fault that she had the miscarriage."

"You're being ridiculous. These kinds of things don't happen on the spur of the moment."

"Well I certainly didn't help the situation, especially when she was so stressed out."

Bra gave her brother a sympathetic look. "Don't blame yourself, Trunks. Sometimes, these things happen with no reason at all."

"I don't think I'll ever be able to look her in the eyes again. She must hate me."

"Give her some time. She's going to need all the support she can get. Um...does Mom know?" she asked uncomfortably.

He nodded his head slowly. "She was surprisingly calm, and seemed to accept the news. It was kind of scary. She didn't even get mad."

"Mom and Dad have been at each other's throats for so long. I can't imagine what must be going through her mind right now."

"If I were in her shoes, I'd be giving Dad hell."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"Do you hate Dad?" Bra asked softly.

"I will never forgive him for what he did," Trunks answered angrily. "How can you even take his side?"

"I'm not on anyone's side! I just don't think we should judge anyone right now. He's still our father."

"You WOULD defend him. He always let you get away with everything," he retorted bitterly.

"That's not fair, Trunks! Put yourself in his shoes. He's just lost his child. Don't you think you could cut him a little slack?"

"Don't you think I want to?" he answered quietly. "I don't hate him, Bra. I just can't betray Mom by taking his side in this. She's already been through enough, as it is."

"It's not your battle to fight," she reminded him. "Mom wouldn't want you to do anything that was against your will, no matter what happens. Deep down, you know that I'm right."

Trunks smiled reluctantly at his younger sister. "When did you become so wise?"

"You think shopping is the only thing I ever do?"

"I was beginning to wonder."

"Do me a favour and think about what I said, okay?"

"I'm not making any promises, but I'll try."

~*~

Somewhere in the South Pacific, a quiet and peaceful morning was disturbed by an explosion that rocked a tiny deserted island.

Vegeta released a barrage of charged ki blasts one after another until the giant boulder he was using as a target shattered into a million pieces. When he was finished, he was panting heavily and sweat poured from his face and neck.

For the past week, he had done nothing, but blast everything in sight to deal with his pain. He didn't know how much losing his son would affect him as badly as it did. When Saiyajin warriors died, everyone felt the loss of their ki, but this was no ordinary warrior. This was the prince's heir. His son.

In his lifetime, Vegeta had done more than his share of destroying. He had seen and experienced death on more than one occasion. But nothing could have prepared him for the loss of his own flesh and blood.

Vegeta clenched his fists and let out a feral scream as his hair turned a brilliant yellow. The earth began to tremble beneath his feet with an unseen force, as pieces of rock and soil began to float upward. He concentrated all of his ki into forming an enormous globe of energy and released it all at once. All that was left in the aftermath was a huge crater that surrounded him. He dropped to his knees and began to pound the ground angrily with his bare fist.

~*~

Juuhachigou shielded her eyes with her arms as the blast coming from the island caught her attention. She flew purposefully in the direction of the explosion. That could only come from someone with Vegeta's power level. When she landed, she found him back to his normal form, drained of most of his energy and looking worn and haggard. She had never seen him like this before.

"What do you want?" he barked.

"Marron lost the baby. Trunks told us EVERYTHING."

Vegeta kept his back turned to her. "Aren't you going to say something? I know you're dying to."

Juuhachigou narrowed her eyes. "My only child is in the hospital. I don't have time to deal with you right now," she responded coldly.

"Then why are you even here?" he demanded.

"I had this crazy notion that you cared. I'll never make THAT mistake again."

"Leave me alone," he dismissed her rudely.

"With pleasure. And if you ever come near my daughter again, I'll kill you myself," the cyborg warned, before taking off.

"Irritating jinzouningen," he muttered under his breath.

Not a day passed by that he didn't think about Marron. He would never forget the way she looked as she cried herself to sleep after finding out about the baby. Maybe in the divine universe, this was the retribution he was getting for all his past sins. If that was true, she was better off without him. If only he could convince himself of that.

~*~

"Really Marron, you should be at home resting," her supervisor protested.

"I'm fine," she replied abruptly.

"But it's so soon after your..."

"All the more reason to get back to work."

Against the doctor's orders, she had checked herself out of the hospital early and threw herself into her work again. All she wanted to do was forget and try to regain some semblance of normality, whatever that was.

"Okay. If you say so. You can leave those documents on my desk tomorrow."

"Thanks Mrs. Ito. I'll have them there."

When Marron was by herself, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She hated laying around in bed feeling sorry for herself. What was worse was having everyone pity her. It wouldn't bring back her baby.

"Can I come in?" a familiar voice asked.

Marron opened her eyes and saw Bra standing in the doorway.

"Bra, what are you doing here?"

The younger girl closed the door and walked over to her desk and down.

"I heard you left the hospital early. I was hoping we could talk."

"I didn't know if you ever wanted to talk to me again."

"Marron, I didn't come here to judge you. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"As well as can be expected, under the circumstances."

"Why didn't you come to me Marron? I thought we were friends."

"How could I come to you after what I did? You were the last person I ever wanted to hurt."

"Did you think I would hate you?" Bra asked incredulously.

"Why not? Trunks does."

"He doesn't hate you. The truth is, he blames himself for what happened."

Marron got up from her chair and walked over to the window.

"Why DID this happen, Bra?" She was tired of searching for an answer. And she was tired of all the pain and sorrow.

Bra went over to her friend and stood behind her. "I don't know," she answered in all honesty. "I don't think we'll ever know the answer to that. But I think it's time we started healing. I know that nothing I say or do will bring back the baby, but what I do know is that I don't want us to stop being friends."

Marron turned around to hug her friend. "Thanks Bra."

~*~

"Mr. President, there's someone here to see you."

"I told you that I don't want to be disturbed."

"She won't leave unless you see her, sir," his assistant protested.

"For crying out loud. All right, send her in."

Trunks didn't look up when his visitor came into his office. "You better have a good reason for barging into my office like this."

"Would an apology suffice?" Marron replied softly.

His head shot up immediately. "Marron...I didn't expect to see you."

"I know," she said walking over to him. "Please don't get up. This won't take long. I said some things to you the other night that were hateful and mean. I just wanted to let you know that I didn't mean any of it."

"I wouldn't blame you if you did," he admitted. "I said a couple of hateful things myself. How are you doing?"

"I'm taking it one day at a time. Well, that's all I wanted to say."

She turned to leave, when he stopped her.

"Marron, wait. I don't want it to end like this."

Marron turned around slowly. "I don't think there's anything left to say."

"I just want to know one thing. Do you love my father?" he asked point blank.

She stared at Trunks for a long time before answering. There were so many reasons not to love Vegeta. But for every reason she could think of, she had another to counter it. Despite everything that had happened, she still loved him.

"Yes, I love him," she answered quietly.

Trunks leaned back in his chair and scribbled something on a sheet of paper and handed it to her.

"What's this?" she asked taking the note.

"It's directions to the island where Dad is staying at. I think you'll find them easy to follow."

Her head shot up in surprise. "Why are you doing this?"

"He's in bad shape. You're the only one can reach him, Marron. He needs you."

"Vegeta has never needed anyone. I find it hard to believe that he needs me, of all people."

"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there? If you love him, like you say, you'll go after him," Trunks simply stated.

For the first time in weeks, Marron felt a glimmer of hope.

"I won't forget this, Trunks. Thank you," she replied gratefully. She knew how difficult it was for him to accept her relationship with his father. It would still take time, but for now, it was enough.

Marron rushed to the door before stopping again.

"Trunks?"

"Did I forget something?"

"It wasn't your fault. Dr. Yamoto told me that if you hadn't brought me to the hospital when you did, I would have probably died along with the baby. Thanks for being such an annoying pest."

He smiled in spite of himself. "Any time. We're friends right?"

"Right."

Marron felt a renewed sense of purpose and resolve as she walked back to her apartment. She wasn't going to give up on Vegeta without a fight.

"Watch out Vegeta, because here I come."



TO BE CONTINUED...