Prologue: Her Virtue

And there she was, in the small bedroom silently gazing over a novel. Her mind wandering of to a better imaginary world of no worries or pain. A world were she could live out her mind to her fullest and still be able to get away with it. The book the girl was reading was an old Shakespeare play called Much Ado About Nothing. Her favorite.

Closing the novel and sighing, the girl stretched her back while she sat on top of her bed. The girl had long, straight black hair down to the middle of her back, with dark onyx eyes. Getting off the bed, she picked up the novel and placed it in her bookshelf opposite her bed. It was tightly full of all sorts of novels.

"I'm gonna need another shelf soon," the girl frowned as she tried to shove the book into the shelf, "C'mon, I've fitted you in 35 times and I can fit you in again!" Suddenly due to the force that the girl was exerting on the shelf, all the books that were neatly placed in fell out, all cluttering atop of the young girl and sending her to her bedroom floor.

"Gina? Are you okay?" came in another person. A man clearly in his twenties. He was very tall, with an impressive physique. Short black hair, and dark onyx eyes, wearing an orange and black fighting Gi.

"I'm fine brother," the young girl, Gina, said while blushing. "I was just having some book issues."

Laughing the older brother came up to Gina, helping her pick up some books. Then he stopped glancing at one of her novels that was quite thick, and paper back covered.

"Geez Gee!" the brother exclaimed, "Wuthering heights? At your age?"

"Give that back Gohan!" Gina blushed, snatching the book from her brother, and quickly getting up to put it back on the shelf, "It's not that great. Anyone can read Wuthering Heights. But not everyone can get a hand on such novels nowadays."

Smirking at how his sister was pouting as she lined up more of her books, he stood up patting his sister's head.

"You want another one, right?" Gohan chuckled, "Which is it this time?"

"I don't need another," Gina flushed, moving away from her brother and dumping the rest of the books on her bed. She'll put them up later. "I have enough already."

"You sure?" Gohan said, following his sister as she left her room, "I can get you some more Y'know."

"I know," Gina frowned, "But I don't want you going out there and end up fighting them. It's too dangerous, and you need to stop."

Going down the stairs and into the kitchen, the two siblings caught sight of their mother through the window, attending to her small vegetable garden. A small refreshing sight in contrast to how dark their world had become.

"Gina," Gohan sighed, leaning over the wall as Gina opened the fridge to collect a bottle of water, "You need to stop hiding in here. You barely ever step out. When was the last time you went to Capsule Corp.?"

Not answering her brother, Gina just stared at him with small indifference. Clutching onto her bottle tightly.

"Brother, I'm not hiding. I'm just being careful, and it's not like I don't take walks around mountain sometimes. I'm a picture of health."

"You need to get over you fear of meeting the androids Gina," Gohan said sadly, "I'm sorry about what happened last time. I should have protected you more carefully. But you can't let something like that stop you. It's been four years."

Keeping silent. Gina quickly chugged her bottle water, throwing it into the trash bin across the kitchen. A perfect swipe.

"Hey brother," Gina said, smiling softly at her brother, Gohan, "Quit worrying so much. I'll be out as soon as the androids are gone. Right? That's why you're training Trunks to help you defeat them. Right? So there's no point in worrying about me being afraid of them."

"….right," Gohan said, a small hesitation in his answer, "I'll always be there for you Gee."

It would only a few months from here that she would lose her brother. That she would be forced to open her eyes once again. To the world. To the things that she never wanted to see. To become someone she never thought she could be. A new perspective, the same life. The story of a coward. The story of Son Gina.

"Hey there Gee." Brother Gohan said to me, patting my head, "What do you want for your birthday this year."

Thinking about it, as I sat in the living room floor, playing with some plastic blocks, I grinned up at him. My decision made.

"I want to see Goku," I smiled, pointing towards the large family photo. Dad grinning loudly, with a slightly pregnant Mom, and a younger Gohan. "I want to meet Daddy, and show him how big I am."

Smiling, brother picked me up from the ground, tossing me in the air, but catching me carefully. Squealing merrily, I grabbed at his hair harshly, my soon to be four year old self didn't really know any better.

"You'll meet him someday," Gohan said, prying my hands from his head, but still holding me, "But you have to wait when you're really, really older. Because then Dad will be happy and you'll have all the time in the world to play."

Pouting, I weakly nodded my head. Yet again I couldn't meet my father. Why not? Whenever I asked Mom, she'd always look like she were about to cry. Auntie Bulma wouldn't answer me, and Gohan just said I had to wait 'til I was older. Am I not allowed to meet Daddy?

"It's because he's dead," Trunks once said to me, "Like my Daddy, yours is dead."

Dead.

Daddy's Dead.

Gohan's Dead too.

Mom's crying now. We rushed over to the once thriving Capsule Corp. Bulma called Mom, she said that Gohan was badly hurt and that we need to rush over. I was scared at first to leave the house, but Gohan's hurt. I had to leave. He would come rushing right away for me.

But it doesn't matter now. Gohan wasn't badly hurt. If he was, he would have been alive. Hurt means you're in pain. You're still alive. But brother is dead.

I'm staring down at his body on the bed now. Mom fell on top of him the moment she walked in. She knew right away when she saw his face. Like glancing at death was all too familiar to her. She's screaming and clutching on his clothes, but I just stood there.

What should I do? What should I say?

"G-Gohan?" I tried to speak clearly, but the words came out choked. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Gohan was just going over to Capsule Corp. to train Trunks for the day. Not fight the androids. So why is he dead? It doesn't make sense. It wasn't supposed to happen.

I can hear and see my mother shouting at me. Trying to get my attention. She looks angry at me. Maybe it's because I haven't reacted yet. I don't know how to. I think I want to crumble to the ground and cry, but I don't know how. I've never been graced with a situation like this. I've never cried for anyone but myself. Is that bad? Am I that spoiled?

I ran out the room, down the empty halls, and out the building. I couldn't stay in there. I can't breathe their air. I'm weak. I'm a coward. I clung dearly to my sweet delusions of not wanting to get involved. "Big Brother" would take care of it. He always has, and always will. And now that he's gone I have no one to rely on. No one to continue to let me live within my sanctuary.

Staring at the concrete ground under the pouring rain, I felt for my cheeks. I couldn't tell if I was crying or not. I glanced up and for the first time reality hit me. This was my world. Destroyed buildings, homes lost, people living in fear of the next day. What will be lost, who would be gone. And I understood. I always did. I just didn't want to realize it. This reality I was born in. Where everything was already broken.

Footsteps approaching from behind me, I glanced back, knowing fully well it was Trunks by the feel of his Chi. His hair was as soaked as mine, and his eyes downcast, avoiding my stare.

"Long time no see Gina," Trunks spoke, inching closer to me, "We should go back inside, we'll catch a cold."

"Poor Mom," I said, looking ahead, "Gohan was all she had as a reminder of her past. How will she do?"

Silent, I glanced over at Trunks who stared back at me. He looked a bit angry. Did I say something wrong?

"What's wrong with you," Trunks hissed, "It's like you won't even realize what's just happened to Gohan you're brother!"

"It's okay," I whispered, hiding my face within my arms as I squatted to the ground. "I'm a coward anyway. So it's fine. I was already born with nothing. Now Gohan is gone, and everyone else has no more hope. If only I trained with brother. If only I worked harder when he tried to push. Then things would have changed. Maybe I would have been able to persuade him not to go. To train with me instead. Then if he had tried to leave, I could have done something."

"You couldn't have done anything," Trunks said, towering over me, "He wouldn't have listened. You know that more than I do. He's your brother. I should have been stronger. I'm the one that could have done something."

More silence was exchanged between us. After all the years I knew Trunks, I wasn't sure if I liked him much. We had nothing in common. He wanted to go out and fight and train with my brother. When I just wanted to stay home and play with him. Trunks would always talk about how strong his father was, from the stories Bulma often told him. While I cared less of my father, and his past victories. It was nice and fantastic that he saved us many of times. But I was never a part of it. To me it made me feel like an outsider when brother and mom talked about dad that way. I felt like an observer of their world. However, right now, Trunks and I had something in common. We felt responsible for what happened to Gohan. If only we were stronger.

"Trunks," I said again, getting up from the wet ground, "I'm a total coward."

"Huh?"

"I'm weaker than you," I smiled, "I read old novels, and the only redeeming thing about me, is my scholarly drive."

"Yeah," Trunks smiled, catching my gist.

"But," I frowned, "That's me. That's who I am. And brother didn't try to change me. I want revenge Trunks."

Turning around to face Trunks, I could literally feel my eyes burn with determination. I started moving back towards the building, back into Capsule Corp. My mother needed me there with her. She needed her family there to mourn with her, even though I might be a reminder of how her world has become. I'm still her daughter damn it! I just have to suck it up.

I may be a weak coward, but this is my virtue.

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Voila! The Prologue to Coward's Virtue! I hope Gina wasn't too sue! Just so you Gina is actually a Japanese name! It means "Silvery" Or "Well born"

If you find this Character the slightest bit interesting please review! There will be a plot! Haha! I promise to make it interesting so please review! (I swear on all my OCs this will not be a Mary Sue as you can tell from the title.)

Thanks for reading! Until next time!