Dark hair, greasy cheeks and drooping eyelashes are what Leera found upon entering her lab that morning. Shock and surprise were also factors in spilling coffee and tripping over dropped scrolls.

"Kaz!" She gasps, causing tired hands to drop the wrench they'd been holding, and dark eyes to seek the disturbance. "What in the world are you doing here? This room is locked for a reason!" Leera recovered easily enough, eyeballing the pool of coffee on the floor and scooting papers out of its crawling path with a heeled toe. "How did you even get in here? Why are you tampering with my security devices?"

"I just wanted to look at it." Came the muffled reply, hidden behind a sleeve as the young girl scrubbed at the oil on her nose and forehead. "But… you're missing a washer to hold the bolt under the hyper-extension grid you got installed here."

It took Leera a matter of seconds to see exactly what 'it' was and as only a mature, responsible adult could, she screamed. The Time Machine! The oblong, egg-shaped structure was mostly intact save for the lower extremities which looked to have been pried apart and picked at. The precious metal plating had literally been bent outward, the edges chafed and torn with what could only be described as crowbar damage. Said tool was found toward the far side of the small room, like someone trying to hide a guilty conscious. The older woman pursed thin lips while brown eyes bore holes into the drooping head of the perpetrator.

"Son Kazini! What in the name of Kami have you DONE to my time machine!" She lamented, setting down the now sticky mug and the other bundle of tools she'd been toting around.

"I just-"

"No buts! You know perfectly well I've been slaving away on this project for years! And now-" Anger caught in her throat as Leera aimed a finely manicured finger at her beloved project "now I have to go through and fix whatever you've gone and undone, on top of re-synthesizing the material I used to make that outer shell, which wasn't a walk in the park!" That anger was quickly translating into a cold fury, the rosy hue leaked steadily out of freckled cheeks, only to be replaced by a frigid stoniness. It was rare to find Leera Briefs in such a rage as she was just now, for there was very little that could rouse such untidy behavior from the patient woman. However… this may very well have been a step too far.

The accused seemed to understand better what her actions had caused with every passing breath, yet still managed to look completely unapologetic. This was unacceptable to Leera who stepped around the stacks of books throughout the room. For a scientist she was quite messy, clutter and stationary speckled the walls and tables, even the floors. It made swift maneuvering difficult, by the time she reached her destination the girl, Kaz, had stood up from the floor to face the medusa.

"Leera I'm sorry, I honestly didn't mean any harm to the tim-"

"What did I say? I don't want to hear any sorry's or but's or what if's. I don't care what you might have wanted to check on or might think is wrong with MY machine." She began, invading the girl's bubble of space until their noses nearly brushed. "We've been over this so many times, SO many times. How many Kaz? How many times have I told you no?"

Kaz flushed then, pale skin swirled with shame "four."

"At least! Four. Not counting all the times I snapped at you for getting in my way and or lectured you on the importance of this project and-" Leera took a breath "how it is paramount that I have it finished by the end of this year which is, might I casually remind you, tomorrow!" She was flat out yelling now and found little relief in how the girl seemed to shrink beneath such rash criticism. But she had been told, Kaz had been with her nearly every step of the way, from start to finish. Although the child had no actual input or claim to the plans, it was that camaraderie they developed that made this betrayal sting the most. For that is exactly what this was, betrayal.

"Get out of my lab, and don't let me catch you around here again. Do you understand?" She stated bluntly, features grave, devoid of any compassion although her heart broke. Kaz was clearly struggling not to cry, tears gathering on inky eyelashes as she turned and nit-picked her way from the office.

Leera held her ground until the office door latched with a solid 'chk,' a sound that resonated in her head more like a "good-bye". Only then did she take stock of the damage and let her own tears fall, grief filling the void which anger had eagerly hollowed out.

xxx

"Kaz? What's going on, what happened?" Bluish purple hair and sky-blue pajama's greeted her in the hallway, causing a horrible rift in the broiling storm of feelings in her heart. It smarted like being got by a cat, sharp claws leaving raw marks on the sensitive flesh. He was persistent, even as she purposefully moved to walk around him, avoid him. He grabbed her arm and she flinched, childish resentment dirtied the chocolate brown of her eyes as she caught him with a sharp glare. Just one look is all she needed and Kaz knew he made no plans to let her go, not without an explanation. A soft curse and a difficult decision later, the girl settled on the only thing that really mattered in that moment.

"Your mother's a bitch."

It worked; he released his grip as fluidly as the nasty word had rolled off her tongue. Kaz wasted no time in bolting, leaving the boy behind in a confused and jumbled mess. Hours ago she had reveled in how entertaining the endless hallways of Capsule Corp. always made her feel like she was living a puzzle (even though she knew every room and location by heart), now they were an obstacle on her path to freedom. With a jerk to the left she rounded a corner to one of Leera's personal nooks, trashy romance novels and women's magazines littered the night-stand beside a flourishing, leafy plant. Beyond that was the window she sought, in a mechanical motion she unlatched the glass and flung it open.

West City, a metropolis of modern technology and the cleanest air West of anything, stared back at her. In a split second she decided that it was terrible, she hated it, and so she jumped. Nobody screamed and nobody rushed to call the police, the meticulous lawn was erroneously empty of even security. Kaz was free to land rather unceremoniously on her feet, and then knees as gravity dragged weak legs down another notch.

"UHFF, Uh! Auuuugh!" Her voice was hurt, rife with the anger and heartbreak that played so freely across her face. She slowly, and not without a fair share of aches and pains, got up from the ground, wiping green palms against her shorts. There was no reason for her to hold back now, so she cried, openly and loudly. If only to release the pent of emotions which warred in her chest, making it squeeze and break into a million pieces. Well… that is what it felt like anyway. Kazini wrapped trembling arms around her sides as she began the slow trek home, leaking her grief with every step.

The crowbar was cold, much like her expression as small hands twisted it sharply into the soft metal plating of the Time Machine. The material was actually quite strong, a powerful shield against the zero degree kiss of space and hopefully… time. Or so that was the intent, overall it had taken Leera years to put together the chemical formula for it. Now Kaz was tearing it apart for the second time in one day, only this time she would be the one to fix it.

In the end.

She had to work quickly, reaching into the ragged hole for a particular set of wires. There were four in total: black, blue, white, and green respectively, each ran a long, winding course through the whole machine, working much like the primary veins of a nervous system. These wires had been grouped together earlier and taped to the far wall, hopefully, where Leera would not find them. Obviously she had not as dainty fingers brushed the rough tape, Kaz smiled, tearing them away from the wall. All she had to do was strip the ends and tie it all together, then solder it the expansive heart-grid.

Whether it would actually work was another thing altogether, but if the schematics read correctly, than this was the easiest way to get around the imprint start system. Even as she worked, fingers flying, palms sweating against the staff of the solder-gun – Kaz felt the weight of her actions, hanging like hook-weights at the edges of her conscious. This had not been the original intention for messing around with Leera's Time Machine, no… this was…

The smell of burnt circuits filled her nostrils and Kaz took a deep breath.

It was done.

A quick once-over to make sure it had connected to the right spot and she set to closing the panels back. Not once did she enjoy the task, it felt more as though she was burying something with every creak of the metal bending back into a crooked memory of what it had been. Kaz sat there on the floor, the chill finally seeping its way through the layers of her pants as she stared blankly at the damage she had caused. Leera would never forgive her for this; Kaz would never be allowed to set foot on Capsule Corp. property again when they caught her.

"Kaz?"

"Wha-!" She was glad she had pulled her hair back into a braid, making it easier to see upon whipping around. "Trunks!" (No!) "What are you-"

"What are you doing? How did you get in here?" It was obvious what she was doing, but the disbelief was evident on his face, right alongside the disappointment. Kaz shrunk in a little as he began to pick his way toward the lab door, all that separated her from fate and future. "You have to leave right now, before my mom finds you!" He exclaimed. Worry strained his tone as he had to stop and move a stack of books.

Kaz glanced from Trunks to the Time Machine, there was no time to sit there gawking! She had not expected to be caught before her big escape. Let alone by Trunks… It could not be him, she would not let it!

"I'm sorry Trunks, I have to do this – you don't understand!" She stated loudly, turning away from the boy who abruptly broke into more of a scramble.

"Kaz don't! Don't start that machine! It's not finished, mom hasn't fixed all the coordinates yet. You have no idea what it'll do!" He sounded so close, as though he were right next to her even though she knew he was not. No, he was only just reaching the door to pry it open; she heard it swing on its hinges to let him thru. But she was faster than him and by the time he reached the machine's arching legs, Kaz was settling in to its driver's seat, the ovular shield sealing with a hiss. She would not look, could not look at him then. Something in her heart pulled and she fought tears, her best friend, he only ever had the best intentions for her.

(Is this wrong?)

Buttons flickered to life as color blossomed within the console. A mechanical hum took up around the whole compartment, sending minute vibrations through her bones. There was a small screen at the very center of the desk, framed by something similar to an 80's picture frame, or some close reproduction. A little piece of home… how very Leera, Kaz smiled. It was easy enough to input numbers and codes; even if she was making most of it up, the controls were designed for ease of access. Noises coughed up on all sides as the machine came to life, the engine created a monotonous drone that only grew louder as the computer accepted the codes.

Kaz risked a glance outside the glass and could not stop the tears from falling. He looked so scared, he was crying too as he yelled things she could not hear. She never imagined she would be grateful for soundproof glass as a bright light suddenly exploded around the whirring beast. Of course she was frightened, heart slamming against her ribs as a knot formed in her throat. Kaz opened her mouth to scream, yet no sound came out as she leaned forward to duck her head between her legs.

Maybe, in hindsight… she should have put her seat-belt on.

A/N: I have been through so many re-makes of this it's not even funny. I am literal trash. Anyway, I found a bout of inspiration and decided that I was going to write something relatively worth its salt: presenting the new and improved DBZ:R /again/. For anyone who has no clue what's happening: spoilers!

I will say for the sake of continuity though that Kaz appears in canon Universe 7 during the 7 year gap after defeating Cell and fighting Majiin Buu. Kaz is 11, enjoy! :D

(un-beta'd)