"Not Much Between Despair and Ecstasy"
By Ani 

Chapter Five 

      It had to be a day they decided to take off. Zandre was amazed to find Bulma and Trunks knocking on her door. She put the textbooks aside, adjusted her sweatshirt, and answered the door. Trunks had a few minor injuries that were at least halfway healed, but she gave in, only healing the worst one he had. Bulma of course started questioning her again, so she pulled out all the notes she had taken over the last thirteen years, which kept Bulma occupied for hours.
      Trunks, on the other hand, became a shadow, never leaving Zandre's side. He actually helped out as she continued checking over the textbooks and the work the children had given. Zandre was amazed that he had read the books, considering how hard it was for her to get some. He helped out with the two patients that showed up; helping them into the dining room, trying to help mix the medicines, getting the bandages.
      As the last one left, Zandre went back into the dining room and started mixing some medicines. Trunks came in and sat down, just as Bulma closed the last book. "I'm surprised Gohan's not here," Bulma stated, working a crick out of her neck.
      "I'm surprised you didn't ask about him, Zandre. He told me what happened," Trunks added, gaining a stern look from his mother.
      "It's okay, Bulma, I'm almost past it. Besides, that was months ago," Zandre added.
      "Only two. I'd be paranoid, out here all alone," Bulma mumbled.
      "But she not alone, Mom," Trunks said, then turned to Zandre. "Where is he, anyway?"
      "In the laundry room behind the dryer. Be careful with him, little brother's starting a new phase," Zandre replied, watching as Trunks went after him.
      "How do you… wait, Gohan said something about Piccolo making sure you knew it all. I'm still amazed he's not here," Bulma said.
      "Well, our relationship..." she started. "You know how his mother is," Zandre changed, more for Trunks sake then hers as she realized he was coming back.
      Bulma nodded once then turned to watch her son enter with a large flat basket, a large green-gray egg pillowed on blue and white fabric. He set it down on the table with a gentleness Vegeta had rarely used with her. She smiled as he hesitated, almost touching it, afraid for it. Zandre giggled as she came over and put it in Trunks' hands.
      "Just treat him like a baby, Trunks. Talk to him, tell him about you, that way he'll know you when he hatches," Zandre told him as she helped him position little brother in his arms. A knock on the door made Zandre turn him around, sending him down the hall. "I really don't want others to find out about him yet, so go sit in one of the bedrooms while I take care of this," she told Trunks, watching as he headed back.
      Zandre quickly went to the door, letting in a fifty-some old man, who noisily followed her in, leaving the door open. "Zandre darling, it's just me coming for some more of that tea. It's really helping out, I hardly notice any stiffness," he rattled out, following her into the dining room. "Who is this? I hope I'm not intruding."
      "No Mr. Ashiro, this is a friend of mine. Bulma Briefs, meet Kenjo Ashiro, the mayor of the Greentree village," Zandre said, introducing them both.
      "Ms. Briefs, oh it's an honor and a privilege to meet you. Zandre, if you know her, do you know Son Gohan also? That would be such a treat for the celebration tomorrow night," Mr. Ashiro rattled out.
      "What celebration?"
      "Didn't I tell you? Greentree is having an anniversary celebration. Tomorrow will be five years since we pulled ourselves out of the rubble and started rebuilding our town. We are gonna have a big feast and a dance tomorrow night. Everyone in the village wants you there. Will you come?"
      "Zandre, are you okay? What would possess you to leave the door wide...?" Gohan said as he came in, leaving it hanging as he entered the dining room, realizing who her company was.
      "Zandre, you really do!! Son Gohan, it is such an honor to meet you. I'm Kenjo Ashiro, mayor of Greentree. We are having a celebration tomorrow night, and it would be a great honor if you would grace us with your presence," Mr. Ashiro said, vigorously shaking Gohan's hand.
      Zandre and Bulma laughed at the look of confusion and embarrassment on Gohan's face as he tried to make sense out of the rambling he just received. "Uh... I don't know if I can, sir..." he muttered out, trying to pull his hand away.
      Zandre turned to her shelves, taking one of the many pre-made pouches and pulling Mr. Ashiro's hand off of Gohan's, said, "I'd love to come, it's been forever since I've been dancing. When's it starting?" and handed him the medicine.
      "The feast is to start at six o'clock. There'll be actual music at the dance. Some of the kids scavenged up all the equipment so one can deejay. It should go great," he replied, then turned to Gohan. "I hope you can come, if even for a few minutes. It would mean so much..." he said over his shoulder as Zandre led him out.
      Zandre came back, calling out, "It's okay, Trunks, you can bring him back out now."
      As Trunks walked in, he asked, "So can I call him little brother too?"
      "I don't see why not. So did you talk to him?" Zandre answered, gently taking him from Trunks.
      "Yes. I told him about all the stuff I want to show him when he hatches," Trunks replied, sitting at the table again.
      She turned to Gohan, his head hanging in embarrassment and said, "Your turn."
      Gohan raised his head and shook it in confusion, raising his hands, "No Zandre, I really don't want to, not now."
      "Calm down, Gohan. It's not like he's gonna pee on you or anything. You just need to hold him, talk to him, treat him like he's here, like a baby. That way he'll know you later," Zandre said, placing little brother in Gohan's arms. "If you want some privacy, go to the bedroom."
      Zandre turned back to the table, finishing her mixture and said, "That celebration should be fun. Just my luck tomorrow's my day off; I'll have time to fix up my dress."
      "What do you mean?" Bulma asked, everyone watching Zandre.
      "It's something I started a long time ago. I take every Saturday off. No patients, I'll only work if its an emergency. About the dress, well... it's been a while, I don't know if it will fit. This gives me all that time to do whatever fixing I've got to," Zandre replied, turning to her shelves, putting everything away.
      Zandre noticed a few empty spaces and grabbed her deep gathering basket off the floor. "I've got a little gathering to do, you guys can stay here, come along, whatever," she offered as she moved to the doorway.
      Bulma stood and said, "Actually, we've got to get going. I've got how many jobs that need to get done myself." She moved around the table. "It's nice to meet someone else that can understand them. I hope we can be friends, Zandre," she added, stopping in front of her.
      "I thought we already are," Zandre joked. "Of course. So now you know how much I can help. Don't ever hesitate to come again," she replied giving the older woman a hug.
      Bulma pulled away, stepping back as Trunks came over. "Thanks, Zandre, it's been great. Can I come see little brother next week?" he asked.
      "Anytime Trunks, anytime you can," she replied, placing a hand on his shoulder.
      Trunks smiled and hugged her, saying "See you tomorrow," as Bulma pulled him through the house, out the door.
      Zandre laughed at him, turning to see Gohan place little brother in his basket. "Why don't you...?" she asked.
      "I can't, not right now. Maybe later," he replied, picking up his basket and heading for the laundry room. 

      Gohan landed about a half mile away from Greentree, still not sure why he was there. He had to admit it was to see her, maybe even dance with her. But he knew what would happen if he showed up; someone would recognize him and he would be surrounded by everyone, amazed he'd show up and begging for tales of his life, his father. 
      Tonight he didn't want to go through that.
      Gohan slowly walked closer to the dance, thinking about how he was going to do this. He hid his ki as much as he could, hoping she wouldn't sense hi, or be nice enough to let him stay hidden. Gohan stayed in the shadows, on the outskirts watching.
      He wasn't surprised to find a crowd around her; he was surprised at their ages. Almost fourteen children were crowded around her, helping out reading some children's novel. All the adults sat around, listening intently at the children read out characters' lines. After a half-hour, Zandre closed the book, getting a few groans and pleas from the few children that were still awake. She solved that problem by giving them the book and they happily ran off, arguing over who got which character.
      As soon as all the children were taken to bed, the music started and the dance floor was cleared of the tables and chairs. Gohan laughed to himself, realizing the few couples that were dancing were married. Zandre sat to the left of him, a small group of young women around her, almost every available young man around them.
      Gohan stayed back, watching her dance with almost every man there, occasionally resting. As he watched most of the teenage boys, some barely older than Trunks run after the drink she requested, he wondered how she got away with not having to heal anyone. They probably don't need it, being so close to her. Knowing her, she probably announced at the start that she wouldn't.
      He was a little surprised as she politely refused every dance proposal, making them dance with one of the girls she was surrounded by. Gohan couldn't see much of her from his hiding place; all he could tell was her hair was for once free, flowing in loose waves down her back.
      The next song suddenly pulled on him, taking him back over a year, to his stay with her. It was one she stopped everything for.  He turned to find her spacing off, ignoring all the questions and offers she received. He didn't even realize he was moving until he started parting the crowd, trying to get to her. She didn't even look; she took his offered hand and stood, following him out to the floor.
      That song finished just as they wrapped their arms around each other, but another she knew started. He watched as she buried her face in his shoulder, feeling tears fall. He noticed all were watching them, so he buried his face in her hair; half to hide his embarrassment, half to gain some sense of privacy.
      'Could we leave soon?' she mentally asked as the song stopped, not raising her head.
      'Let's give them something to talk about,' he replied, trying to lighten her spirits. He could feel her smile as he took off, ignoring the gasps, and headed for her house.
      He landed near the edge of the cliff, not letting go till she raised her head. She pulled away, turning around. "What was it about that song, Zandre?" he asked, not knowing if she'd answer.
       "It feels like he's singing about me, my life." She paused, turning to him. "It's all I want out of a relationship, Gohan. Someone who'll help me put my past behind me, show me he cares. That's all I want," Zandre replied, turning away again.
      Gohan just stood there, watching her try to hide her tears. He didn't know what to say. It was all he wanted. But I can't have it, I can't put her through everything else. "Zandre... I..." he started.
      "It's okay, Gohan. I realize you've got a lot on your shoulders. You've got a lot you need to work through, and I'm willing to give you all the time you need. I'm not trying to push you into anything, okay?" Zandre replied, drying her eyes and turning to him.
      He finally got a good look at her. She was wearing a short, sleeveless, dark blue dress that reminded him of the coat he used to wear as a child. It had the high collar and simple lines, fitting her perfectly. You may not be pushing, but you sure are tempting, he thought, suddenly wishing he hadn't.
      Getting no sign of a response he continued, "Zandre, you know I care about you, but I... I know I've got problems to work through, I only wish..." ...you could help.
      She nodded, moving close. "You know I'm here for you. If you need to, come. No matter when, no matter why. Okay?" she replied, almost hugging him.
      He just nodded, pulling her close, completing the hug. As they pulled apart, she moved to the edge, sitting down and looking out over the ruins. Gohan took a seat next to her, remembering. "Why were you reading that book?"
      Zandre laughed slightly before turning to answer, "It's what I used to do for room and board as I came here, if I couldn't heal anyone. Don't get me wrong, being an eleven-year-old traveling alone I was rarely turned away; but I felt I had to repay, no matter how small it was. Being a bookworm, I'd pick up every whole book I could. One night I was reading one while the women were making supper. It was raining; so all the children were inside, underfoot. I called them over and started reading out loud.
      "One of the characters made a strange sound before it spoke and one of the children had read it before and kept telling me I was doing it wrong. So I asked if he wanted to read that character and soon I had them all handed out," she said, scooting closer to him.
      "Do you remember the story?" he asked.
      "No. I gave them the book before I left the next day. The children wanted to know how it ended. Anyway, I've done it so many times since, with so many stories, I can barely remember the one we read there," she replied, somewhat shocked as Gohan's arm slowly moved around her shoulders.
      "No wonder the children like you so much. You actually let them help out, treating them like equals, explaining whatever they want to know," he said.
      She slowly placed her head on his shoulder, knowing he was referring to more, "You're talking about something else, aren't you?" She smiled as he tensed. "It's okay, Gohan, I don't care if you watch me while I gather. The kids find it weird."
      Zandre almost giggled as he started fidgeting. "They know...?"
      "It's hard to hide anything from kids, I don't even try," she replied, taking his hand, trying to soothe him. "I told them they'd understand when they're older; of course, they all groaned."
      They both laughed, remembering getting that response themselves. They sat there in silence, looking at what was West Capital.
      "It used to be so beautiful from out here," Gohan replied, some of the pressure from his other life bringing his spirits down.
      "We could make it that way again. It will take a while, but we can," Zandre replied, raising her head, watching his face.
      "Could we? I don't know..." he replied, the pressure pushing harder.
      Zandre reached out, taking his face in her hands, turning him to her. "Gohan, we can do anything if you believe in it and us. Do you believe in me?"
      "Of course I do. You're one of the good things that's happened to me in too long a line of bad. You always seem to raise me up again," he replied, his hand covering hers.
      "You've got to keep yourself up, Gohan. You've got to believe in yourself, that you can do it. I believe you can destroy those tin cans."
      "You're just saying that," Gohan replied, siding back down.
      "No, no I'm not, Gohan," she replied, shaking his head. "I believe you could put out the sun if you tried. You've got to believe in yourself. Do you?" Zandre asked, letting him go.
      Gohan turned back to the city, tears standing in his eyes. "My Daddy used to say I was so powerful I'd split the Earth if I used it all. But I could never see it. Piccolo used to do things that would show me how powerful I was. But I could never do them alone. And now..." He stopped, his voice thick with emotion.
      Zandre reached out, gently stroking his cheek with the back of her hand, then rubbing her hand up and down his arm. "It's okay, go, Gohan. I'm feeling worn anyway."
      He turned to her and smiled before he took off.