Disclaimer: I don't own ANY of the DBZ characters, tho I wish I did. . .
Author's Notes: This story continues on from my other fic "Waiting"--tho you don't HAVE to read it to understand this one, it would be nice. . . ^-^
OH, Shonen Ai--of course! AND a LITTLE language use. . . uh--bad language, I mean.
Uh, this one is a little different in tone--but, hey, it IS from Goten's POV. hee hee hee
Hope ya enjoy! And as always, please R&R!!!

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"Goten?" I heard a faint voice, then silence. I waited. It came again. "Goten!" I opened my eyes quickly. Was that real?! I blinked as I looked around, my eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight shining down on me. The sand around me was extremely warm. I realized I was sweating. I must have been meditating for hours, it had to be nearly noon. Standing, I stretched a bit, working the stiffness out of my muscles. I heaved a sigh as the sea breeze cooled my damp skin and rustled my hair. Another beautiful day on my island.

I watched my students for a moment. The small group was gathered by the water's edge, practicing their katas. I smiled to myself, they were looking pretty good. I really saw improvement in their techniques lately. I waited for them to finish. "Currie!" I motioned for the boy that turned to look at me to come over. I watched as he jogged over to me. He was barely 17, my oldest student. My first student.

He stopped before me, brushing his sweaty blonde hair away from his eyes. "Yes, Master Goten?" he asked, his bright eyes blinking expectantly.

"Currie," I stepped forward, smiling, and placed a hand lightly on his shoulder. "I've got something I have to do. You're in charge until I get back. I don't know how long I'll be gone." He stood silent, his mouth open, gaping at me. I almost laughed, he hadn't expected this. "Don't worry," I chirped brightly. "You'll be fine, just make sure they do their chores. Think you can manage that?"

"Uh-huh." he gave a small nod.

"Good!" With that, I winked playfully at him and took to the sky. Tho I didn't look back, I knew he was still standing there in shock.

*****

I stepped into the darkened apartment, closing the door behind me. "Trunks?" No reply. I looked around, finally deciding to try upstairs. "Trunks?" I heard a soft moan as I reached the top of the stairs. I followed the sound. A stream of light poured into the dark hall from a partially open door. I pushed the door open slowly, finding Trunks kneeling on the floor, his arms crossed over the rim of the toilet. His head was resting on his arms. "Trunks?"

He turned to look at me. "It's about time. What took you so--" a wave of nausea swept over him. He quickly leaned over the toilet, heaving and gagging.

Not sure what to do, I simply held his hair back. "Are you ok?"

"Just wonderful, baka," he spoke into the toilet bowl. He sat up and I let go of his hair. He turned and stared blankly at me for a few moments. I was almost feeling sorry for him. Almost. "Ah," he groaned, leaning forward, placing his forehead to the cool floor, fighting another bout of nausea. "I feel like hell."

I couldn't resist. "And you look about the same," I teased.

He turned his head to the side, resting a cheek against the floor and peered menacingly up at me. "Fuck you."

"Oh, don't worry," I said, leaning close to him, smiling. I was enjoying this too much, I loved it when Trunks played helpless. "There'll be plenty of time for that when you feel better." I licked his cheek, his feverish skin hot against my tongue.

He narrowed his eyes at me, "Is that _all_ you think about?"

"Hey," I shrugged, arching my eyebrows. "I can't help it. I mean, who could resist a sexy thing like you?" He smiled faintly and rolled his eyes. I knew that'd cheer him up. He almost laughed, but winced in pain instead. "Come on, chibi," I moved to help him up. "I bet a nice shower will make you feel better."

*****

We stood together in the shower, amid the thin whisps of steam clouding the air. Trunk's head rest heavily on my shoulder. The water fell down on us like rain, drops pattering against the black tiled floor. I breathed in the scent of lavender and chamomile that drifted through the steamy air.

"Goten?" Trunks' voice wavered.

"Hmmm?" I toyed with his lavender hair, winding my fingers among the strands.

"I'm sorry that I bothered you," He breathed against my chest, causing my skin to tingle. "I shouldn't have. I didn't even think you'd hear me." He clung tightly to me, his nails slightly piercing my bare flesh. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. If he keeps this up I may not be responsible for my actions. He had no idea what this was doing to me.

"It's no trouble, chibi," I gently caressed his cheek. "You know I'd do anything for you."

He looked dazedly up at me, fixing his blue eyes on mine. "I'm sorry, Goten," he mumbled softly. "I know I'm not good enough for you, but I'm trying to change. I'm trying." He seemed to be close to tears. Bowing his head, he continued, not meeting my gaze. "I love you Goten, I love you so much. Don't leave me. Please. I'm sorry, don't leave me." I was a little surprised--and amused. That fever must have him delusional or something. He sounded so sincere.

I pulled him close, "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He sighed and I felt him shudder. "Come on," I whispered. "Let's get you to bed."

*****

With Trunks safely tucked away in bed, I decided to have a look around. Trunks' office was strewn with paperwork and files cluttered his desk. I wondered what was so important that he was working on. I stared a few moments at the screensaver bouncing around on his computer, then I nudged the mouse, revealing rows upon rows of--what? I scrolled down, marveling at the letters and numbers jumbled together. Yeesh! How could someone stand looking at this all day? I was getting a headache already.

Looking at all those numbers made me hungry, so I headed to the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboards. Nothing! The only thing I found was coffee and a few granola bars. This is _all_ he's been eating? No wonder he was sick! I grabbed a granola bar and picked up my coat, heading for the door. It was time for a visit to the 24-hour grocery across town.

*****

I was leaning against the kitchen counter sipping coffee when Trunks entered the room. He was squinting his eyes against the bright fluorescent lights. He looked like he'd been through hell. "Good morning, sunshine!" I chirped. I could tell he still wasn't feeling well, and that he didn't appreciate my chipper attitude, but he still smiled. Sort of. It was more of a lopsided grin. Well, it was better than nothing.

"I hope you're in the mood for some muffins!" I placed my coffee on the counter and picked up a pot holder. "They're chocolate chip, your favorite," I continued, looking into the oven. Reaching in, I removed the pan and lifted it close to my face, inhaling the chocolatey aroma. "Perfect!" They smelled delicious. My stomach grumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten since sometime yesterday, myself. I turned to the counter, carefully removing the hot muffins from the pan and placing them onto a plate. "You want one, chibi?"

A loud thud answered me. I turned, muffin in hand. Trunks lay sprawled on the tiled floor, a chair resting beside him. He'd fainted! "Ah," I chuckled. "I'll take that as a 'no'." I dropped the muffin on to the plate with the others. Breakfast would have to wait. "Come on, chibi," I sighed lovingly and picked Trunks up, cradling him gently. "Back to bed."

*****

I woke with a start. Blinking, I looked around the dark room, my gaze landing on the clock. 2:10 am. I yawned, sitting up. Trunks was gone. I got out of bed, a _little_ worried, to look for him. I hoped that I wouldn't find him passed out in the floor somewhere.

I made my way to his office and found him there. He was sitting before his computer, coffee mug in hand, dressed in sweat pants and a T-shirt. One of _my_ T-shirts. I'd been _looking_ for that! I decided to settle that matter later as he turned to look at me, smiling. I smiled back, stepping into the room. "What are you doing?" I asked, ignoring the obvious.

"Oh," he answered, looking back to the computer screen. "I'm just catching up on some work." He noticed my silence, and knew what I was thinking. "I couldn't sleep," he added weakly.

"You know," I leaned against his desk, "You work too much. You need some rest. Even _sayians_ sleep." He didn't answer, or look at me. "I'm serious, chibi, its not healthy. I'm worried about you." I smiled and knew exactly what to say. "You need a vacation."

He looked at me then. He remembered the promise he'd made me, months ago. That he'd take time off from work and come visit my island, and meet my students. I'm sure that they'd love him. He closed his eyes and sighed. He knew I was right, I'd finally won this argument.

He smiled, too. "Ok, ok, you win," he put his hands up in surrender with mock annoyance. "I'll come visit your little slice of paradise." He paused for a moment. "And meet your brats."

"Great!" I jumped up, preparing to leave. "Its a date then, I'll see ya there at 7:00 tomorrow!!" I winked at him and hopped out the window, forgetting to even say goodbye. I had other things on my mind. There was a lot to do before Trunks arrived.

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Uh, well, there it is---hmmmm. . . .
Please let me know what ya think. . . it was hard to do a follow up to "Waiting"--but I tried. . . and the next one is in planning right now. . so. . . if ya want me to finish it, please let me know. . . and I'll post it asap. Thanks!