War of Worlds by Bchan

Chapter12

One potato, two potato/ Accidents Do Happen- Part 2

Base was rapidly growing to regret signing up as a recruit. After his pile of potatoes had been finished and put away he’d reported back to the locker rooms to don what appeared to be a pair of tight human underwear, but was in fact a brand of swim suit human’s called ‘Speedo’. The next test was a water track race and the Skippy clothing was to reduce drag, but Base could fine the swim wear nothing but embarrassing.

Trunks, Goten, and Uub didn’t seem to mind too much, though Uub blushed whenever a female gave him an appraising look while Goten and Trunks seem to like the females ogling them with their eyes.

Base glanced at the female’s swimsuits with a bit of envy. He didn’t know much as far as human clothing and such went- not having much interest in the subject- but the girls’ suits covered a hell of a lot more then the guys’ did. When he’d asked if it were possible to get one of those in his size, the other Z teen guys had given him wide-eyed looks before bursting out into hysterical laughter. Goten had dropped to roll on the hard floor, Trunks would have joined him if he hadn’t braced himself with the wall, while Uub had laughed softly and walked over to pat him on the shoulder saying only females wore that type of suit. This had confused Base greatly, he didn’t see why it mattered, humans were such strange creatures really.

So here he was beside a large pool divided up into different lanes waiting for the other team to finish up and for the female members of his group to hurry up and join them. It was strange the girls always took so much longer to get dressed and undressed, he hadn’t the foggiest idea why.

His mind began to plot, going over just how he could avenge himself against Almuerzo when the said female walked out with her companions. He raised an eyebrow ridge when the Z guys turned from being the ones ogled to the oglers.

Uub went to full flush, eyes looking like they were going to pop out of his head before he turned around and stared pointy at the wall behind them, he could hear that crazy blue haired demi-saiyan giggling loudly from where she stood. Trunks was blushing to and looking more then a little uncomfortable as was his raven haired mate, both sneaking quick looks at each other before dropping their gazes to their feet; like they were trying to make it look like they weren’t looking. Goten just stared with open mouth at a smiling Marron who crossed her arms behind her back, thrust her chest foreword, hips to the side, and flashed some kind of look that made weird noises leave the wide-eyed teen- some kind of half whimper half whine.

Base wondered if he’d walk in on some kind of odd human mating ritual. He looked closer at the group of girls wondering what was wrong with his fellow teammates.

They wore those thin, tight pieces of cloth that covered from crotch to chest, held on by straps at the shoulder; what humans refereed to as a ‘one piece’ swimsuit. Humans were so weird. I mean his was a one piece to wasn’t it and far more reveling then the females’ grubs, so why were the guys the ones turning red while the girls giggled? Human were just so weird!

His eyes landed on Almuerzo and their eyes meet, he was taken aback when the brunet blushed and clasped her delicate hands to her burning cheeks, looking at him out of the corner of her eye with a small smile. Base sweat dropped, no, human females were so weird!

Krillin still in his gray uniform appeared a moment later, causing Marron to stop her seductive posing looking more then a little unnerved as her father shot her a look and then the now cowering Goten.

The ex-monk cleared his throat. "Okay listen up. I’m sure most of you understand the concept of this, but I’ll go over the details just to be thrall. You will start by the pool’s edge and dive in when the bell sounds. The first one to touch the other side wins, your times will be recorded via the electronic timers built into the sides. I’ll be up in the viewing box to read the scores since this will probably be really close. No funny business," he said shooting his daughter a glare then the still cowering Goten. "Okay, you may take your spots," said ex-monk turning to enter the box off to the side.

"Hmm," hummed Base studying the track, he almost flashed Almuerzo a devilish smile as a plan hatched in his head. He figured he could reach around and catch the girl around an ankle or something and delay her a moment or two. The plan was complicated slightly since Marron was stationed between him and the brunet, but he should be able to get around her.

The teens lined up and crouched waiting for the bell. When the bell sounded they leapt into the air like a line of well-trained dolphins.

Base smirked to himself as he drove headfirst towards the water. Before he even hit its glassy surface one arms stretched out to smack the opposite side of the pool, ranking him first place in the race, while the other curved around aiming for the three-eyed woman. Unfortunately for Base he’d never swam in a chlorine pool before and when he did enter the water he was a bit shocked.

Nameks, in a sense, are kind of like snails (namekuji means snail in Japanese and DBZ’s creator, Akira, drew his nameks with snails in mind. Note the antennas and different skin textures), salt was something his kind avoided like the plague. A year or so back he’d been painfully introduced to the substance when he’d some how been conned into going to one of the Briefs households teen parties. They’d been severing alcoholic beverages of every kind and finding that he rather liked some of it he’d asked to try something called a Margarita, which was unfortunately served with salt around the edge of the glass. A very painfully learned lesson indeed, but one Base wasn’t about to forget. Now what you maybe asking does this have to do with the chlorine in the water, well nothing and everything. Chlorine in itself won’t hurt our pointy eared friend, but when our young namek felt the stink of chlorine hitting his eyes his first thought was: SALT WATER!!!!!

"AAaaaaaaAAAaaaaaaaAAAaaaaa!!!!!!!"

Marron eyes popped open wide in the water as a gurgling yell was heard. She was even more shocked when something snagged the back of her suit. For several seconds, which to her seemed like an eternity to her at the time, she was trashed around, then released after a particularly violent jerk that sent her spinning. She came up with a gasp to see Base flailing his limbs madly. Many of the other Z teens were already at the other side of the pool staring back in their direction with wide eyes.

"I’m melting! Melting! Oh, what a w-"

"Base!" shouted Marron. "What are you doing?!"

"Huh?" said Base stopping his flailing to stand up in the rib high water. He looked down at himself and his face colored a bright purple with embarrassment as he realized he was perfectly fine.

"Oh Kami- I mean dad- that scared me half to death," he sighed loudly and- muttering under his breath about salt water for some odd reason- hurried over to the other side of the pool.

"Gees," hissed Marron angrily. She turned to see everyone was still staring at her and raised an eyebrow at them.

Pan had her hands clasped over Trunks’ eyes, Uub was as red as a tomato, while Goten was bobbing in the water like a cork a very dazed look on his face.

"Um… Marron honey…" said Almuerzo.

"You might want to," said Bra gesturing at her front.

"Huh?" hummed Marron glancing down.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!" screamed the blond splashing down into the water. Her bathing suit top had been ripped off in Base’s wild panic. "Base you Hentai!" she shouted.

"I wasn’t aiming for you," he said as if it were nothing. "I still don’t understand why woman have to cover there and guys don’t," he muttered with a confused look on his face.

"It’s it obvious!" screamed Marron wrapping her arms around her front.

"So who ‘were’ you aiming for?" asked Bra.

"Almuerzo," answered Base before thinking it through.

There was a loud sneeze to his side (don’t you just hate it when you get water up your nose? *grin* ) and suddenly a blond was pressed up to his side. "Why Base all you had to do was ask," she said with a sly grin.

"Eh?" uttered Base stiffly turning to look at her. "Wha!" shouted the namek as his face was forcefully pillowed against Almuerzo’s chest, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

"What’s going on?" asked Trunks titling his head in the direction of Base’s muffled protests.

"No, Trunks don’t look!" shouted Pan blushing lightly as she tightened her grip over his eyes.

Uub made a loud choking noise as his face managing a more brilliant shade of red.

"Uub-kun!" crooned Bra popping up next to the blushing Majin. "I’ve got a much nicer body, see!" she shouted freeing her top from the confines of her suit to flash the demi-majin.

Uub only managed a small ‘eep’, the red visibly ran down the rest of his body, before he swayed and sank right under the water.

"Oh, damn I’m good," giggled Bra. "Uub-kun," she called, then stopped and looked down at her front. "Better cover up, don’t want kill any more brain cells," she said fixing her top before leaning over to fish him out.

"Bra!" shouted Marron.

"Huh?" uttered Trunks in confusion.

"It’s turning into a nudist colony around here," shouted Pan causing a shocked ‘eep’ to leave Trunks.

"That’s it namek, you’re dead!" shouted Marron wadding over to the being smothered namekian.

"What? Hand’s off sister," growled Almeurzo squeezing Base tighter to her front in a protective embrace. Base began to wave his arms in pure panic.

"Back off," snarled Marron.

Pan winced as a catfight incurred, poor Base stuck smack dab in the middle. Almeurzo was managing to fend Marron, for the most part, off with her long legs, her arms being occupied with one struggling namek. Marron had one hand fisted in Almerzo’s hair the other trying to swat the other blond’s long legs away.

"What's going on in here!" shouted a very angry voice.

Almuerzo gasped in surprise, head snapping over in the direction of the shout; the pause was all Marron needed to dunk the once again flailing namek under the water’s surface.

"MARRON!" shouted the angry voice again.

Marron stiffened and glanced over her shoulder to see her father.

"I can't leave you guys alone for two seconds without some-!" His eyes widened as he spotted Marron and her state of undress. "Marron! What are you doing?!" Krillin’s face couldn't have turned redder if he tried, whether it had from embarrassment or anger was hard to tell. "Ah! My own flesh and blood… hosting her own Tip-Top club! My daughter’s a sex fiend," he cried burying his face in his hands. "I knew I should have gotten her away from Master Roshi before puberty!"

"Hey!" screeched Marron an angry vein sticking out on her forehead. She released Base to wrap her arms around her front. "It’s not what it looks like!"

"Base-kun you okay?" cried Almuerzo fishing Base out. She gave him a few shakes and when that failed to revive him she smiled almost evilly and turned to Krillin. "Sir, my I have permission to perform artificial respiration on the subject, he seems to have taken in a little too much water," she smiled wolfishly adding a polite 'sir' at the end.

Krillin stared at what he assumed was a waterlogged namek, but in fact Base was still reeling from being suffocated against some womanly curves too long. "Yes you have my permission, Miss Shinhan."

"Thank you, sir," grinned Almuerzo hauling Base out of the pool.

Krillin gave Marron a disappointed look. "Parading around half naked and sexually harassing a ‘namek’ of all things," said Krillin shaking his head.

"But-but-but-" sputtered the blond in outrage.

"I can't give you special treatment just because you're my daughter either," said Krillin narrowing his eyes. "I said no 'funny business'.

Marron paled.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Marron sat mournfully on the pail slicing at the potato in her hand.

"No fair, I’m the victim here," she complained to the empty, save for a few spuds, room. "Now dad thinks I’m a flasher! This is nuts! How do all these stupid things always happen anyway?! It’s like there some crazy person’s messing with our lives!

(B sitting at a computer typing laughs insanely to herself.)

Marron stops peeling for a second to rub her arms and look around. "What was… that?" she asked.

Shaking off the eerie feeling of being watched, she went back to work. "Stupid Base turning into the wicket witch of the west on me like that. What’s his problem? Something about salt, what is he a snail or something?" she grumbled to the potato.

She growled hacking at the potato with a vengeance. "I’m going to grill me some escargot to go with these potatoes. You hear Base?! You’re head is mine!!!"

* * * * * * * * * * *

Base sat back in his black stretch training suit once again, waiting for the other guys to finish getting dressed, most had dazed looks on their faces. He watched as Uub walked around with glazed over eyes putting his shirt on backward and inside out, then he started to put his right shoe on his left foot. Trunks stopped him before he could tie the laces pointing out his mistakes.

"I think I understand now," said the namek.

"Eh?" uttered the three other teens in the locker room with him.

"Why women cover their fronts."

The three titled their head to the sides like curious puppy dogs.

"It’s because they-" he paused looking for the right word- "jiggle so much."

Uub made a choking noise and went into another full body flush before keeling over. Goten’s eyes glanced up at the ceiling, a stupid dazed look crossed his features as if seeing something extremely pleasant, and Trunks just blushed and laughed weakly the only one of the three who hadn’t gotten to see anything in the pool.

"Yup, I’d say your correct Base," stated the lavender haired demi-saiyan.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Marron washed her hands and went to meet her teammates at the next test zone. She glanced at the odd machines lined up together, they looked like round balls seated on top of tall stands designed to let them turn and rotate. She had the strangest feeling she'd been lead into an arcaded as she watched the machines' spin and turns, loud squeals of fear or delight coming from the cockpits. She walked over to Pan.

"What are we doing now?"

"It's an air plane simulator," said Pan with a frown. "I don't know why 'we'

have to know how to use one of those. I mean we can fly!"

"So it 'is' just like an over grown arcade game," muttered Marron to herself.

"Basically," said Bra moving over to their little group. "I think my brother, Goten and Almuerzo have us beat here. I never played video games when I was young and I know Trunks still does. Him and Goten are always sitting in front of a computer or TV saying how they’re going to kick each other's ass." She shrugged and shook her head. "Don't see why they need a game to do that, they could just go outside and actually kick each other's asses. Boys are so weird."

"Uub and Base don't play arcade games?" asked Marron.

Bra laughed. "They're worst them I am I'm sure. I at least am familiar with the concept and machinery. Uub's a bit of a bumpkin when it come to technology and Base…" she shook her head. "He's been living up in the clouds 'literally' too long."

Almuerzo had joined them as Bra spoke. She grinned and glanced at the namek. "I don't know, Base learns fast. I bet he does better then most of us once he's gotten use to it."

"We'll just have to wait and see," said Pan.

Marron glanced at one of the machines as it powered down and let its pilot out.

"Damn it! I think my joystick was busted. I swear it won't turn when I wanted it to," grumbled the recruit as he joined his buddies.

"Yah right, you just suck," laughed one of his friends, the others joined in to the young recruit’s loud protests.

"Hmm…" hummed Marron looking back at the open cockpit. A light bulb flashed on over her head. "Oh I know I shouldn't…" she said eye balling the machine. "I shouldn't, but I'm going to." With a nod she excused herself from the group of girls and strolled towards the now empty machine. She stepped in and looked down at the controls, snorting and shaking her head at how much they looked like an arcade control pad. She wasn't as ignorant as Bra or Pan when it came to video games, the arcade had always been one of her favorite places to hang out at the mall growing up; although, she'd preferred the claw machine to the fighting and racing games. Still she knew enough, like if one game was used too much and the players were too aggressive and hard on the controls the joysticks always got messed up. Someone was always call the 'good side' of the control pad.

Marron looked down and studied the pad, after a moment of pause she grabbed the joystick, powered up slightly, and slammed it hard to the left then right. The game made a very bad sparking sound and she jumped back from it in alarm. She didn't see anything wrong with the unit, at least on the outside, so she assumed she'd just screwed up the control as she'd planned.

"There's," she said dusting off her hands, "That should do it."

"Do what?" asked a curious voice from behind her.

Marron jumped hitting her head on the top of the small compartment and turned to see Goten's cheerful face sticking in through the doorframe.

"Go-goten," laughed Marron nervously. "You startled me."

"Oh, sorry," smiled Goten. "Whatcha doing?"

"Doing… me? Um… I'm just looking to see how this thing works," she laughed loudly against to hide her nervousness.

"Oh, well we don't have enough machines for us all to go at once, so Krillin has divided us up into two groups." He smiled brightly, "I'm in the first group I think you're in the second."

"Oh, thanks," laughed Marron weakly.

"So could you um- move?" he asked with a bigger smile.

"Eh?" said Marron shock flashing across her face.

"Yah, everyone in the first groups already getting comfortable in the cockpit, I'm kind of holding up the line you know," he gestured over his shoulder with a jerk of his head at a frowning Krillin who was impatiently tapping his foot on the ground.

"Um…" said Marron eye widening. "You don't want to use this one."

"Hu? Why not?"

"Well…. I… I think it's broken," she said weakly.

Goten just smiled. "I'm sure it's okay, they are brand new, couldn't have been messed up yet."

"I think they could have," said Marron panic starting to show in her voice.

"Don't worry Marron," said Goten pulling up his sleeve and puffing out his chest. "I'm a Video game junkie, I'll manage even if the stick’s a little tweaked."

"What if it's more then a 'little' tweaked?" said Marron desperately.

"What's the hold up Mr. Son?!" called Krillin's voice from outside. "Are you going to just stand there all day long or are we going to start this test?"

Goten paled and glanced back over his shoulder. "Er- Yes sir, right away sir." He turned back to Marron. "Come on, I'll be in trouble if we don't start soon."

"Goten I don't think-" she gasped as the demi-saiyan grabbed her by the arm and hauled her out of the machine. He paled even more and let out a little 'eep' as Krillin flashed him a shocked look before his eyebrows turned down and he scowled at the boy manhandling his daughter.

"Goten-!" called Marron trying to get his attention and warn him.

"Sorry Marron, got to go. You're old man's giving me the evil eye," without another word he turned and disappeared into the cockpit.

"But-!"

"Marron!"

Marron cringed and looked over at her father.

"Kindly step back so we can get started, you can have your turn with the rest of your group."

Marron walked back over to the rest of the group, which consisted of Bra, Pan, Uub, and herself. "Maybe nothing will happen?" she hoped out loud as she rejoined them.

"I thought we should go last so we can watch and maybe figure out what to do before our turn," smiled Bra. "Us four aren't experts so we need all the leverage we can get."

"Yah… leverage," said Marron weakly watching at the machines hoisted their cockpits into the air and pause. It was a very dramatic pause for Marron. Then the machines hummed softly and started to turn and spin, to her relief Goten's didn't look any different from the other three.

She was starting to think she hadn't done any real damage to the machine when the one Goten was in made an offal screeching sound and then a loud clang. The machine snapped to an abrupt halt that gave Marron whiplash just watching it, then it began to rotate the other direction. It started out slow, turning completely in what would be simulated as a barrel roll, and sped up with every roll till it was spinning like a washing machine on high.

A panicked cry was sounded from inside the spinning machine.

" I'm getting dizzy! I'm going to died! Ahhhhhhh!!!!!"

"Oh no! Uncle Goten!" cried Pan. After a few seconds of watching the spinning machine she grabbed her head in both hands and swayed on her feet. "Man, I'm getting dizzy just trying to watch him."

"WhaaAhhhhAhhhhAhhhhAhhh!" Every time the top of the cockpit turned over Goten's voice was heard loudest and diminished in volume as it rotated over again.

"What now?!" demanded Krillin turning to look at the out of control machine. "Gees!" he shouted with a jump, eyes growing wide. "That's the fastest death roll I've seen yet." He gave his head a shake to clear the dizziness from it. "Is that… safe?" he asked out loud.

They all watch a few minutes more as the machine spun, listening to Goten loudly proclaim he was going to be sick.

Krillin gave himself another shake and cupped his hands to his mouth. "Son! It’s a simulator, hit the eject button or ‘something’!

"I did!!!!"
"Hit it again!" shouted Krillin.

"Krillin-san?!!!"

"Yes?!!!"

"That eject button… I pushed it into the board! Now what do I do….?!! Help me!!!"

A large sweat drop slid down the side of Krillin’s face. "Someone call a mechanic and tell them to hurry," barked Krillin to the nearest person.

"Krillin-san can’t you just fly up there and stop it by force or something," asked Bra.

"Do you have any idea how much one of those things cost? I’m not breaking it any more then it is!"

"I can’t take this any more!!! I’m getting out of here!!!" screamed Goten’s voice from the cockpit. There was a moment of pause then a loud ‘thud’ was heard, and another, and another as if something larger were suddenly being tossed around inside the small space.

"Do you think he just took his seatbelt off…?" asked Bra in a low voice.

The Z gang winced as Goten’s panicked cried started up again and lasted for the whole ten whole minutes more it the mechanic showed up, by this time Goten was yelling in a panicked voice ‘Let me out! Dear Dende, let out!"

"What seems to be the problem?" asked the machanic stepping over to Krillin.

"Isn’t it obvious?!!" shouted Krillin pointing to the wildly spinning machine.

The mechanic glanced up at it and rubbed his chin. "Yup, that’s quit a problem." He stood there rubbing his chin for several minutes before Pan was the first to lose her patients.

"Well aren’t you going to do something?!" barked the quarter saiyan.

"Hmm?" hummed the mechanic looking down at her. "Oh, of course, I will in just a minute, now what was I thinking about?" asked the mechanic out loud.

The whole groups sweat dropped.

"Would you ‘please’ hurry," groaned Pan as the mechanic pondered a bit more. "If you don’t do something ‘now’ I’ll take matters into my own hands.

The mechanic looked back at her with a start and as if he’d forgotten she was there. Pan let out a disgusted sound and was about to jump into a the air, but the mechanic waved her off.

"Hold it missy, there’s an easier way," he said turning and walking away from their group.

"Where are you going?!" demanded Pan getting ready to pull her hair out in frustration.

The mechanic bent over, grabbed hold of a thick cord, and pulled. The Air plane simulator’s plug was yanked right out of it’s outlet and the machine slowly stopped under it’s own momentum. The mechanic dusted off his hands and stood up.

"That was it…" asked Pan blinking wide eyes at the plug the mechanic held. "That was it?! It took you that long to thing of ‘that’?" she screeched.

"I didn’t see you thinking anything up," said Bra to her side make a blank look cross Pan’s face before she crossed her arms and pouted.

"You’re the machine expert, why didn’t ‘you’ think of something?!"

Bra gave a careless shrug of her shoulders.

"Later you two, let’s go see if Goten’s still alive," said Trunks kicking off into the air to fly towards the now silent machine. The hatch door had come to a stop at the bottom of the cockpit so when Trunks gripped and ripped it off it’s hinges it ‘shouldn’t’ have been surprising that one limp Son Goten would come tumbling out, but it was.

The battered and bruised raven-haired teen did a belly flop landing face down on the green grass under the machine.

"Goten?" questioned Almuerzo crouching down besides the not moving demi-saiyan to poke him with a stick.

Using the ladder up the side of the machine’s stand the mechanic disappeared inside the cockpit to have a look around, it didn’t take long for him to remerge and climb back down. The mechanic pulled out apiece of paper, wrote ‘Out of Order’ across it, and taped it to the side of the broken machine. Wiping his hands on his overalls he turned to address Krillin once again.

"Looks like your boy there," he gestured at the downed Goten who the Z girls were trying to revive," did a real number on the control board. Teenagers are always too rough with machinery, they think its all some kind of video game." He shook his head sadly. "The main circuit board was nearly snapped in half, got quite a pair of arms on that lad. If you want my advice keep him away from machines and stick him in some kind of combat unit."

"You mean he broke it?" asked Krillin.

"I’d say so, him or someone else wrenched the hell out of its guts. It’ll take at least a week to fix, probably have to replace half the components inside it and even then I don’t think it’s going to run like new."

"I see," said Krillin nodding his head. "Thanks for clearing that up for me."

"Sure, anything else you need before I go?"

"No, no thank you," said Krillin waving him off. He turned to look at Goten who Pan and Bra had finally helped up into a seated position.

His head was spinning! Goten reached up his hands to clamp his palms over his ears, holding his head still, but unfortunately that didn’t stop the rotation of everyone and thing around him. His stomach did a flip-flop and he gulped feeling nauseous.

"Mr. Son!" snapped a very unfriendly voice.

Blinking his large eyes Goten turned his head in the direction of the voice and wished he hadn’t. The world went vertigo and he swayed, would have keeled over if the two girls hadn’t been holding him up. After a moment the vertigo stopped and he looked up at three Krillins, all glaring angry at him.

"Ha-Hai?" managed Goten gulping again as his stomach tried to rebel.

"Have you anything idea what you’ve done?"

"Huh?" uttered Goten in confusion.

"You broke a very expensive piece of equipment. You’re just lucky you’re not going to have to pay to have it repaired or replaced."

"But-" started Goten.

"I can’t believe you people, you’re acting like a group of kindergarteners! I can’t look away for a minute without one of you doing something."

More then a few of the Z teens looked insulted.

Goten gulped not so much having to do with feeling sick this time.

"But, Dad-" started Marron who’d remained silent and guilty looking since the whole thing had started. She halted in mid sentence as her dad turn his hard glare on her.

"Don’t you Dad me, young lady. While we’re here there is no father daughter relationship. This is a serious military operation and if you ‘kids’ can’t shape up then you’d better ship out."

"Hai!" shouted the Z teen straightening their posture.

"Good," barked Krilling moving to Stand over Goten. "Have you got that Mr. Son?"

"Hai…" said Goten in a weak voice all the color draining out of his face. It wasn’t all from being intimated by the short ex-monk, which was made quite clear when he heaved and clamped a hand over his mouth.

Krillin sighed. "You’d better go to the nurse’s office and get cleaned up. Something for your stomach maybe, but after that you’ll server you’re punishment like everyone else."

"Hai," said Goten trying to get to his feet he sway and flopped over flat on his back. Krillin sighed again.

"Marron, you take him."

"Hai, Krillin-san," said Marron softly moving over to support Goten and help him walk.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Goten moaned as the nurse put a cool wet cloth over his eyes.

"That should do son. You just lay down till you don’t feel so dizzy, I’ll get you something for your stomach."

"Thanks," mumbled Goten. He was laid out on a narrow bed in an all white capsule med. room. Marron sat in a chair next to him ringing her hands nervously.

"Goten?" she called softly glancing at him.

"Hmm…" groaned Goten.

"I…I’m sorry."

"Huh?" uttered Goten pulling the cloth off his eyes to look at her. "What for?"

"I… I was the one that broke it… the machine," she said not looking at him.

"You did? I don’t see how you could have done that Marron you’re jumping to conclusions."

"But, I did!" shouted Marron making Goten wince at the combination of sound, nausea, and pain he was in. "Sorry," she said once again much softer.

"Look Marron the only way you could have done that was if you were trying to," said Goten.

Marron glanced at him and looked guiltily at her clasped hands.

"I don’t believe it…" said Goten mouth dropping open. "You mean you did? You sabotaged me?!"

"No!" said Marron snapping her head up to look at him. "I didn’t mean for it to be you, Goten. I-"

"You what?!" growled Goten unhappily.

"I…," Marron trailed off and once again looked down at her hands.

Goten rolled over on the narrow bed, giving Marron his back. "You can go, I can find my way to the potato shed by myself," his voice wasn’t overly cold just emotionless, but considering how cheerful Goten usually sounded it wasn’t a good sign.

Marron gave a mute nod of her head and got up to leave him alone, a sad look on her pretty face. Goten was for once angry with her, truly angry, she felt terrible.

*~*~*~*~*

11 / Bulma’s Hideout / Chapter 13 *soon to come*