AN: Hi everyone! I know I have a lot of on-going stories right now between Avatar: The Last Airbender and my one Dragonball Z story...but I only have one DBZ story going right now! Sometimes I'm in an Avatar mood, and sometimes I'm in a DBZ mood...but my other DBZ story is about Bulma, Vegeta, and the older DBZ generation. I don't have one that focuses on the DBZ teens...so...here it is! Although our Z Teens aren't quite so young in this story...and it isn't as diverse as my other DBZ Teen fic I have in mind...oh well.
Okay, anyway, here's the synopsis of Family Ties: Bura is unhappily married to Goten and wonders if maybe marrying him was a mistake. Gohan, meanwhile, is going through a bitter divorce with Videl. So...chaos may ensue because of 'family ties'...
Anyway, the ages for our characters are as follows...Gohan 48, Trunks 39, Goten 38, Marron 34, Uub 31, Pan 26, and Bura 25.
Family Ties
BURA FELT HER eyes strain as she read yet another document involving the new motor scooter for Capsule Corp's fall line. Last year's motor scooter had done exceptionally well due to several improvements she had suggested regarding the bike's design. She breifly wondered if the additional tweaks she'd made for this year's model would sell as well. She sighed and tapped her pen against her forehead. There was no accounting for taste...though hers was impecable. Well...at least when it came to managerial decisions regarding Capsule Corporation. Her decisions regarding her personal life were a whole 'nother matter...
She placed the document back on her lavish desk and leaned back in her lush office chair. The Saiya-jin Princess surveyed her office, decorated in espresso browns and crisp greens, modern yet inviting. She much preferred the inviting colors and wooden accents in her office compared to the harsh plastics and metals, the dull blacks and grays in her brother's. Once again, no accounting for taste.
Which brought her back to thinking of her poor choices. Particularly in husbands. She sighed once more. Ah...Son Goten. She'd naively married him at the tender age of nineteen, thinking that he was the be all, end all of her existence. That if they loved one another enough nothing else would matter. That she and Goten would be the same people twenty years from now that they were when they had married. She was wrong on all accounts. Except one. She had been the one to change.
When she and Goten had married, Bura cared little for the future except assuming that she and Goten would be one hundred percent in it together. She didn't care about how much money they saved, what degree she was going to get while she was in school, where she and Goten would live...she had pretty much planned for little and expected a lot. Goten had been in the same exact mindset when they had married, being thirty-two physically and seemingly sixteen mentally.
All that had mattered in the beginning was the passion, the excitement, the love-making. It didn't matter that Goten had dropped out of school over a decade prior, kept hopping from one dead-beat job to the next, and couldn't seem to keep his banking account out of the negatives. Oh, and he still lived with his Mom. At the time Bura couldn't blame him for all of these short-comings. Being in college herself she knew what a pain in the ass school could be and didn't blame him for dropping out. And being such a shop-a-holic with the President of Capsule Corporation as your mother to pay for such costly expenses, Bura coudn't find fault with Goten's shortage of cash. She couldn't keep a dime in her pocket to save her life! And as for living with Chichi-san, well, she was such an exemplary housewife and mother, who would want to move out?
All of these things Bura shrugged off, because at nineteen they didn't matter much, and by the time Bura realized they did, she was on her way to becoming Capsule Corp's vice president and would have much to lose in a divorce settlement.
Bura stood and adjusted her appealing navy suit with white trim. It was the beginning of March, and she was longing to break out her new spring collection of suits, but she couldn't for another three weeks. The white trim of her suit was wimsical enough for now, she supposed. She walked over to her office's window, preening the small potted plants she'd set on the sill. They weren't flourishing as she'd hoped, probably because her office window pointed southward. Oh well...she just hadn't inherited her grandmother's green thumb.
She gazed out the window, her thoughts turning back to her husband. Throughout the near-six years of their marriage she'd grown and matured while he remained the same. She had gotten serious about her college career and not only earned her Bachelor's, but her Master's as well. She'd interned at Capsule Corp, was justifiably hired under a grueling interview conducted by both her mother and brother, and had quickly added her own special flair to the company that attributed to its success. She and Goten had moved from her parents' house into their own, Bura expertly furnishing it to her exact liking. She'd thrown money into savings, bought everything she and her husband owned with her own money, and no longer relied on her mother financially. And throughout all of this, Goten had managed to do...well...just about nothing. Except maybe spend her hard earned money on frivilous shit.
The mushy love talk had turned into arguements, the fun outings had become silent, drawn out dates where it was uncomfortable for both involved, and the lovemaking had transitioned into Bura eating Haagen Dazs in the kitchen while Goten watched cartoons on the sofa. Their marriage had deteriorated into one of those morbid reality talk shows.
And of all the most inane things, her six-year anniversary was coming up. Her first year anniversary had been full of flowers, a candlelit dinner, and exciting, passionate sex that had kept the both of them up most of the night. Bura very much doubted that this anniversary would even slightly resemble that of her first.
A knock on her office door snatched Bura away from her increasingly depressing thoughts. "Come in." She answered, half heartedly attempting to sound cheerful. She thought she could blame it on the dreary March weather, but she knew better.
Trunks stepped in and she smiled slightly. It was hard not to, since Trunks had been nothing but beaming lately. Bura attributed it the the birth of Trunks's first child. She smiled softly at the thought. Two years after she and Goten had tied the knot, Trunks and Pan had followed suit. Bura thought they would have married sooner, but Pan had stubbornly made Trunks wait until she had finished college. In hindsight, Bura wished she had done the same with Goten. Not only would it have been easier to concentrate on school without having a husband to worry about, but she might not have even married Goten in the first place had she waited, and thus would not be stuck in the miesrable situation she was in now.
"Have you gone over the documents for the fall motor scooter?" Trunks queried brightly. He couldn't help but be all smiles. His lovely wife and his perfect son were waiting for him at home and he couldn't wait to see them. This excitement was an everyday occurence. Trunks vaguely wondered if such excitement would ever fade? He guessed not. It was simply too wonderful.
Bura laughed weakly. "Ah...sorry. I've been a little distracted..." she tucked an errant aqua tendril that had escaped her french twist behind her ear.
Trunks blinked. "Is everything okay?" It was hard to see past his own splendid life at times, and more often than not he forgot that Bura wasn't exactly living such a blissful life as he. As good of friends as he was with Goten, he'd thought that his sister and his friend were an ill-fated match from the start. The lavender haired Prince had known it was only a matter of time before there was trouble in paradise. Quite frankly he was surprised that Bura and Goten had lasted this long. Although...appearances could be deceiving. Discreet divorce papers could be in the process of finalizing at this very moment...perhaps that was why Bura was so distracted today?
"Ah..." Trunks had asked such a loaded question Bura was not certain as to how she should respond. She tried not to speak ill of her husband, for he was her brother's best friend. "Yeah...everything's okay." she replied quickly.
Trunks frowned softly. "C'mon sis, I know when you're lying..." he crossed his arms, looking nearly intimidating in his gray pin-stripe suit.
Bura waved her hands, as if she were surrendering. "Okay, okay. It's just that my wedding anniversary is coming up." she voiced lightly, as if it weren't such a big deal. At least she hoped Trunks wouldn't make a big fuss about it.
Trunks walked over to his sister, noticing how drained she looked. "Do you want to come over for dinner tonight? Boxers has been sleeping through the night, so I'm sure Panny wouldn't mind." His heart jumped when he thought about his year old son. Little Boxers was very cute, and his face and hair resembled Vegeta's quite alarmingly. He had ebony eyes and was graced with Bulma's aqua locks. Vegeta had been immensely proud and immediately boasted about how his genes were far superior to Goku's. Pan was a tad unnerved and she had said something along the lines of hoping that Boxers only looked like Vegeta and didn't resemble him in any other way. Trunks assumed she had meant his father's attitude. But, he digressed.
"Well? How about it?" Trunks repeated, looking at her expectantly.
Bura fought a grimace. Seeing how happy Trunks was with his wife and newborn son wasn't exactly something she wanted to deal with as of now. And nevermind that she got the strange longing to have a baby of her own whenever she was around, or even thought of her young nephew. When Bura had heard that Pan was pregnant she'd felt something akin to envy or jealousy. As Pan's pregnancy pregressed, Bura longed to have a rounded belly and that pregnant 'glow'. And when little Boxers had been born, and Bura had held him for the first time she realized she wanted to have a family of her own. That sweet baby smell, the feel of a sweet, innocent child in her arms, it made Bura's heart weep.
Considering how badly her marriage was going with Goten, Bura doubted that a baby deserved to have such convoluted parents and a screwed up home life to boot. Why, why, why did she have to be such a naive moron and agree to marry the younger Son brother?
But she knew why. Bura had a girlish crush on Goten since she had been a little girl. When Trunks was too busy, or going through a bratty phase, Goten was always kind and always gave her thought. He was right beside Trunks when they beat up a boyfriend who had broken her heart. Bura was mesmerized by Goten's classic Son grin and laid back attitude. His charm and sweet personality. The fire in his kisses. The burn of his touch. The quaking orgasms the wracked her body whenever their clothing fell to the wayside. There was little room for anything negative to consume her mind when all these things and more kept her preoccupied.
"Thanks for your offer Trunks, but I have to decline. I need to get all of this work done..." she regarded her brother, smiling weakly. Although she hardly wanted to have a long night at the office, it was her own fault for not completing her work more quickly.
Trunks shook his head. "No. Go home. You look so strained. You need your rest." And before Bura could protest, he handed her purse to her and guided her out of her tidy office. "Don't come back until tomorrow." Trunks warned his sister in a serious tone.
Bura sighed. "Fine. See you tomorrow." she leaned in to press a kiss to Trunks's cheek and strode off. Though Trunks wasn't aware, his command had been a god send. As Bura walked to her car she wondered vaguely what she should do with her suddenly clear schedule. A pedicure would be nice, she mused, but she was wearing pantyhose and that would just be a pain. She could go shopping...but she had already gone shopping just this past weekend, and wasn't feeling quite in the mood to do so. Bura bit her lip thoughtfully and worried belatedly if she had gotten lipstick on her teeth. She scrubbed at her teeth with her finger, careful not to scratch herself with her manicured nails.
Ah! What was wrong with her? Perhaps she should pay her father a visit and have a light sparring session. When all else failed, it seemed her Saiya-jin lineage called to her. She turned away from her car and headed towards the residential side of Capsule Corps where she and her brother had grown up and where her parents still lived.
Once the passion had faded in her and Goten's marriage and Bura had matured some, she had noticed that something extremely important had been lacking in her life. Something that had been right under her nose the entire time: fighting. Her father was a skilled warrior, and though Trunks didn't look it, he was a force to deal with as well. Her husband Goten was a fighter, though a lazy one at best. Even all of her mother's friends had been fighters.
Bura had foolishly ignored her Saiya-jin side, having been too young and immature to truly appreciate the power her body could weild. But as she aged she realized that her powers were a gift, and one that she should take full advantage of. Knowing Earth's track record, a new enemy appearing with the intent of destroying Earth wasn't too hard to believe. So, much to her father's delight, she came to him willing to learn the arts of war.
Despite a few bruises and a broken nail here and there, training with her father had been exhilarating. Once she had mastered the basic katas and techniques she and her father worked on together, she had set her eyes on a new goal: becoming a Super Saiya-jin. She had achieved it two years ago, when she was twenty-three. Not too shabby for a pampered princess. And her father, though he hadn't exactly been vocal about it, was definitely proud of her.
Bura entered her natal home and retreived some exercise clothing from her old bedroom, changing quickly as she was eager to see her father and spend some time training with him. Gazing at her reflection in the mirror, she smiled at what she saw. Though she had remained curvy and feminie despite her training, she was far more toned and delectable. Something she took great pride in, and her sports bra and spandex pants only served to showcase her strength. Bura blew a kiss at her reflection and hurried down to the gravity chamber. As expected, her father was immersed in a complex kata and she observed him for several moments, taking note of his perfect form and impressive control of his ki.
One thing Bura had learned from her father was that it didn't matter how powerful you were if your form wasn't perfect. He forced her to become flexible to the point where a contortionist would cringe. He forced her to fight without her ki so that she could win with agility, speed, and technique instead. He forced her to train until she thought she would collapse, only to make her train for an additional hour, two, or more. Yes, the mighty Prince Vegeta had honed his daughter into a perfect warrior with nary a flaw.
Her father completed his kata and came to the gravity room's door. She straightened her posture, and couldn't help but feel giddy as her father opened the door. "Brat. What do you want?" His expression was one of distaste, and she was sure it was because of her revealed middriff.
"To train with you. Trunks gave me the rest of the day off." she cooed softly, her voice syrupy sweet to their ears.
Vegeta's lips quirked slightly at the corners. "Don't think I'll go easy on you. You should have reached Super Saiya-jin 2 over a year ago." He stepped back to allow her entry, and closed the door behind them.
Bura braced herself, as she did everytime, for the extreme gravity change she experienced when she entered the room. "250?" she questioned, testing the proverbial waters.
Her father nodded mutely, observing his daughter as she warmed up. Though she was a quick study, and had impecable skills, he always made sure that she didn't slack or mis-step. He hadn't yet had to critique her since she'd become Super Saiya-jin.
Completely warmed up, Bura addressed her father. "Two hours, no breaks." That would leave her enough time to shower and get home to make dinner for her lazy husband. Vegeta nodded in agreement as she slipped into fighting stance, and wordlessly they snapped into action.
"THANKS FOR ALL of your help Bulma, I really appreciate it." Son Gohan finished packing his papers and data discs into his briefcase for safe keeping. He frowned softly when the latch to his breifcase seemed flimsy. Was it breaking already? He'd just bought it only a few months ago...oh well, you got what you paid for.
Bulma smiled as she observed the oldest son of her best friend. "No problem Gohan, you know I'd love to have a handsome man like you around here in our labs." She had been preening the college professor for the past few days to ace the upcoming interview he had scheduled here at Capsule Corp's research lab. He was more than adequate for the job, and she just wanted to make doubly sure that her best friend's son was a sure thing. With him as the newest member of her research team, she was certain he'd be the one leading it in no time.
To her credit, Gohan blushed slightly. Though he and Videl were seperated and heading for the divorce court, he was still as shy as ever when it came to women and their apparent appreciation of his physique. He frowned softly when he thought of his failed marriage to the only daughter of Mr. Satan, world champion. They had been deliriously in love back when they had gotten engaged, married, and had decided to have a child together. Then, somehow, over the 28 years of their marriage, things had changed so subtely that Gohan hadn't even conciously realized that something was wrong until it had been too late to change the irreperable damage.
After some serious thought and consideration, Gohan had realized that all of his and Videl's problems had stemmed back to one thing: his alien heritage. As human as Gohan had tried to behave and appear, he always managed to fall short. Videl had been accepting of his Saiya-jin blood, but only when Gohan quashed his Saiya-jin side to play the part of an average human. It was unhealthy, and this Gohan knew, to stamp down that wild side of his heart that longed to roam free, fight from dawn til dusk, and partake in the more primal pleasures. But he did it willingly and dutifully to please his young and beautiful wife.
And so he neglected his training, neglected the sleeping power of Super Saiya-jin 1, 2, and beyond, and neglected the feral side of himself that he knew lurked deep within his soul. A side that he embraced as a viable part of himself was suddenly bad, unseemly, and unwanted by his significant other.
And speaking of things Videl didn't want, she hadn't wanted more children. Gohan had thought it was because of vainity's sake, for Videl had been extremely unhappy with the changes her body underwent from childbirth, but once she had bounced back she still hadn't wanted anymore children. Gohan had realized, during his deep soul searching, that this was again due to his alien heritage.
Videl had wanted children, yes, when she naively believed that they would be complacent human children. Children that couldn't destroy half of the house when they had a temper tantrum. Children that couldn't, if they desired, beat their human parent in a friendly spar at the age of 5. Children that wouldn't sneak off into space with their grandfather and family friend because their Saiya-jin blood longed for adventure and battle.
And though Gohan wanted more children so badly he thought half of his heart had been crushed when Videl had announced that she wanted to get a tubal ligation, he had gone along with her wishes because he loved her. But in that deep part of his soul, the placed where his true self hibernated, he harbored that secret sorrow that he would never have more beautiful children and Panny would be the only child he'd ever have.
The birth of his grandson Boxers had been a slight relief to that pain in his heart, but a grandchild was not your own child, and Boxers far more resembled Pan's husband's side of the family than his own. And with the birth of his grandson, Gohan had come to see that Pan really was the only child he'd ever have. It had unleashed a bitterness towards Videl that had been growing from the day he locked his Saiya-jin side away from the light of day. And from that day forward, the 28 years of marriage with Videl had crumbled to shambles.
Their abrupt seperation had startled everyone around them, but Gohan paid it no mind. Let his mother squack about appearances, let Mr. Satan threaten his life up and down, let the rest of the family's friends ask their invasive questions. He, for the first time in years, was able to embrace his Saiya-jin blood like a long lost brother and indulge in the passion of battle. In his father's absence, Gohan had taken to sparring with Vegeta whenever he was able, and he even coaxed his son-in-law into some friendly sparring matches every now and then. It had been long overdue, and something that helped him to relive his childhood that had entailed of battle and blood. This renewed relationship with himself had helped him to remember the hardships he'd had to endure throughout his life.
"Gohan! Gohan! Hello, anyone home?" Bulma's voice broke through his thoughts, bringing them back to the lab.
He flinched and offered a small smile. "Sorry Bulma, just thinking." He sheepishly scratched the back of his head in an attempt to deter Bulma's concern, but it was for naught.
Her brows furrowed as she cast the scholar a skeptic look. "Gohan, are you sure? You don't look so great...have you been sleeping well?" her voice carried a maternal note, and though Gohan appreciated it, he got enough nuturing from his own mother.
"I'm fine, really." If smiling would be enough to cease Bulma's worrying, her caring expression would be long gone. Too bad it didn't.
"Let me walk you upstairs." Bulma insisted, linking arms with her best friend's son as she headed out of the lab. He wordlessly followed her lead, since even after knowing the Breifs family for all of his life, he still sometimes found himself lost in the maze that was Capsule Corps.
They reached the domestic side of Capsule Corps, and from the window Gohan could see flashes of lights and loud noises emitting from Vegeta's gravity chamber. "Wow, looks as if he's fighting someone." Gohan commented as he instinctively searched the kis bursting in the room. To his surprise, it was the last person he expected. "Bura's fighting Vegeta?" he turned to Bulma in surprise.
"Yes." Bulma's lips quirked up into a smile. "She began training with Vegeta a couple of years ago. I thought everyone knew."
Again, Gohan scratched his head sheepishly. "I've been preoccupied the last couple of years, what with Pan's pregnancy, little Boxers, and my impending divorce..." he trailed off apologetically.
Bulma brightened at the mentioning of her little grandson. "Yes, we all have been. No worries." She pressed a kiss to Gohan's cheek. "Hang in there. You're going to be great here at C.C." she winked and headed off to the lab, probably eager to get back to whatever new invention she was working on.
Gohan sighed and turned to regarded the gravity chamber. The flashing lights had ceased and there was an eirey peace about it. Bura and Vegeta had probably called it a night. Perhaps he should ask them for a battle royale...it'd be an interesting diversion to say the least. Even better if Trunks and Goten joined in, though Trunks was more interested in spending time with Pan and little Boxers than in fighting and Goten...well Goten was just down right lazy...
"Boo."
Gohan jumped, startled, and dropped his breifcase. The darned latch that had been giving him trouble popped open, scattering his papers and data discs across the floor. Gohan turned to see who had the audacity to creep up on him like that, and he saw none other than Bura. She was glistening with sweat, dressed rather revealingly in a sports bra and spandex pants, and was quite obviously trying to contain her laughter.
"What's so funny?" Gohan demanded, doing his best to feign annoyance, though it was hard to be angry at someone like Bura. She was simply too kind and lovely most of the time to stay mad at. He knelt to gather his belongings, and she knelt as she burst into laughter.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Gohan, I didn't think I'd startle you like that." she grinned, her apology not quite as sincere as Gohan would have hoped. She quickly helped him to gather his things and Gohan felt his cheeks burn crimson as he fiddled with his breifcase's latch.
"Well...I guess it is my fault." he grinned wryly, trying his best not to look Bura over once more. Since when had his sister-in-law seemed so alluring? Her face was flushed a healthy pink, likely due to her extensive workout, her hair was bound in a sloppy ponytail that tumbled over her shoulders, and her skin glistened in the fading sunlight that spilled into the hall where they stood.
She smiled, her teeth pearly white and aligned straightly. "So, how have you been? I never seem to catch you at family dinner." Bura was referring to the Sunday dinners Chichi held at her quiet home in the forest. The usual list of guests would include Pan, Trunks, Boxers, Videl, Gohan, Goten, and Bura. But as of late it seemed that Pan and Trunks would sometimes miss dinner due to Boxers having a cold, Bura would miss the dinner occasionally because of work, and Gohan and Videl would fail to show up because of their spousal arguements.
"I know. It seems like everytime I manage to make it there you're here a C.C. slaving away. And whenever you show up, Videl and I fail to make an appearance." Gohan chuckled at the hopelessness of the situation.
Bura features softened to an expression of sadness. "I'm sorry about you and Videl, Gohan. A kind man like you shouldn't have to go through something like this."
Gohan felt his heart clench with pain. "Yeah, well, at least you're happy with Goten, right?"
Bura's expression immediately became strained. "Yes, thank Kami for that." her voice faltered, and Gohan found himself frowning.
"What's wrong?" he asked even before he could think not to. He and Bura weren't particularly close, but she seemed so stressed when he mentioned her and Goten's relationship.
She blinked in surprise at his unexpected query and her lips moved in an attempt to form a sentence. "I...I wish I knew." she finally managed. She felt her face flush with embarassment and she turned away from her husband's brother. And, much to her mortification, she felt the threatening bite of tears.
Gohan bit his lip. "I'm sorry, please..." he felt highly uncomfortable as he searched for something to say, for whenever a woman cried it broke his heart, not to mention it made him quite nervous. He reached a tentative hand forward, resting it on Bura's petite shoulder.
His touch broke the dam of emotion, and Bura dissolved into tears. "I'm sorry, it's just I've been dwelling on it all day and even sparring with my father didn't help, but I feel so trapped and alone. I go home every night and Goten doesn't even seem happy to see me, his mind is always elsewhere, he doesn't even do anything and hasn't touched me in months and-" her birage of words became incoherent sobs and Gohan pulled the weeping Saiya-jin princess into his arms.
"It's alright Bura, just let it all out...it's going to be okay...I'm here, I'm listening..." Gohan stroked her hair and offered his soft words of comfort. They seemed to always work to soothe whichever woman chose to burst into tears around him, whether it be his mother, wife, or daughter. Or sister-in-law, it seemed.
"'I must be incredibly boring and ugly, because he never wants to talk, or make love, or spend time with me and to be honest half the time I don't want anything to do with him either and I know I was young and naive when I married him but I've changed and I've grown into the type of woman I'd like to think someone could respect and Kami damn it all I don't mean to bother you with my stupid problems Gohan I'm so sorry I'm sorry I'm sor-"
He cut her off by pushing her away slightly and gazing into her tear-stained face. "Bura, don't be sorry. I know its hard to talk about these problems with your family, and I know Pan has been preoccupied with Trunks and Boxers lately, so you haven't had anyone to talk to. But you're not boring, or ugly, and you've certainly grown into a beautiful, mature, successful woman any man would be proud to call his wife. The problem isn't necessarily you, but with Goten. As much as I love my brother, I will admit that he is immature, irresponsible, lazy, and down right dumb at times. He's a handful to be married to." He brushed her tears away, taking note of how soft her skin was as he did so.
She sniffled and found herself missing Gohan's warm, broad chest and the subtle smell of his cologne. She mentally slapped herself, and blamed it on the lack of sex in her life. Or, at least, she hoped that was all it was. "Thank you." she managed, her voice hoarse from her tears and babblings.
"It's fine. Really. You're family, and not just because you married my brother or because your brother married my daughter. You've been family since our parents became friends." He smiled, for his statement sounded very much like a soap opera gone wrong.
She found herself smiling as well as she wiped the last of her tears away.
Gohan tucked an aqua strand of hair behind Bura's ear that had escaped her mussed ponytail, and though she was a year younger than his daughter, he didn't see her that way. Before him stood a classy, intelligent, and beautiful woman. He silently cursed his brother for his stupidity. How could Goten not see the treasure he held in his hands? "Are you going to be alright?" he inquired gently, hoping that she wouldn't have another episode of tears. The front of his shirt was soaked enough.
She nodded. "I'm going to try to talk to Goten tonight. Thank you." and without warning, she stole a hug, reveling in the feel of his strong arms enveloping her. She withheld a contented sigh, knowing he'd think her to be a nutcase or worse, and she reluctantly pulled away from the elder Son brother.
"Please don't cry anymore, okay?" Gohan's kind smile was in his voice as well. He smoothed the Capsule Corp heiress's hair one last time. "And please let me know if you need anything. Don't forget, you're family."
Bura nodded wordlessly, watching her husband's brother give her a small wave and go about his way. She wiped at her face, taking a deep cleansing breath like her yoga teacher had instructed. What on earth had just happened...?
"Brat, do you wish for me to end the life of that sorry excuse you call your husband?" her father's deep voice cut through her deep cleansing breath and Bura squeaked in surprise.
"Kami, Daddy, you scared me!" she yelped indignantly, her face flushing a scarlet red. Just how much of her conversation with Gohan had he witnessed?! It was embarrassing enough that Gohan had been privy to her tears and her personal life, but if her father had overheard... Bura was absolutely mortified.
"I would not have startled you if you had been paying attention to your surroundings." Vegeta half-scolded his youngest child, who, to be frank, wasn't a child any longer. He stepped closer to his daughter, wrinkling his nose when he caught the scent of Kakarrot's elder whelp on her. Well, it couldn't be helped, he supposed. Gohan had merely comforted Bura in her time of need, nothing more...but, he digressed. "Is Goten mistreating you?" the Saiya-jin Prince demanded.
Still highly embarrassed, Bura looked away from her father's serious countenance. "Daddy, really, I'm just being emotional. It's nothing." she answered meekly, as if she were a child who had done something wrong and was being reprimanded.
Vegeta scowled darkly. "I never did like it that you married that low-born moron." he uttered crossly. He remembered clearly the day Bura had excitedly informed Bulma and himself that Goten had proposed to her. He had sworn vehemently against it, claiming the Kakarrot's younger son was a good-for-nothing bum and that his daughter, the Princess of the once great Saiya-jin race, deserved only the best. Which, clearly, Goten was not.
Bura sighed, her fingers coming to rub at her temples. "I know Daddy, I know." she opened her eyes, unaware of just how much she resembled her mother in the fading light of the day. "I was young, I insisted, and I got my way. And now I have to live with my choices, just like you and Mama told me." her features hardened, unconciously matching her scowl to that of her father's.
Vegeta sighed softly. emotional talks were not his forte, nor did he wish to have them. But, Bura was his daughter, and she needed advice from someone who knew better. It seemed that someone would have to be him. Of all the intolerable things he had to bear on this backwater planet...
"Brat..." he began carefully, hoping that his words would reach his young daughter, "Every marriage has its difficult times...but there is a significant difference between difficult times and situation where two people just...cannot be. Do you understand?" his kept his features schooled, his ebony gaze boring into his daiughter's aquamarine.
She bit her lip, looking away from her Poppa. "Oh, Daddy..."
Her father suddenly pulled her into one of his rare and unexpected hugs and released her just as quickly. "Think carefully about your life and what you want from it, brat." And, for a breif moment, Bura could see the love and affection in her father's face that he carefully kept from her and the rest of the family before he walked away.
She gazed upon her father's retreating form, smiling when she noticed he was entering the Gravity Chamber once more. Her Poppa, so strong, so determined... Bura shook her head and headed back upstairs to her old bedroom. She had to hurry home. Goten would be expecting dinner, and soon.
GOHAN SIGHED HEAVILY as he entered his empty home, trudging up his stairs without the aid of light. He had lived in this house for over 25 years and knew each stair and hall by heart. Videl had moved out once it was clear that he and her were permanently seperated and heading into the divorce court. Still...the house felt empty at times.
Not for the first time that day Gohan mused over the children that he wished he had had with his wife years ago instead of her choosing to get a tubal ligation. Perhaps the house would not seem so empty, divorce or no...
The elder son of Goku wondered what his daughter and grandson were doing right now. It was likely bath time right now, then a lullaby and bed... Gohan flipped the lightswitch in his empty master bedroom, shedding light on the modern, though masculine, decor. He undressed slowly, for though it was an easy task, his mind was heavy.
His upcoming interview for the position of a scientist for Capsule Corporation's research labs was something he fretted over constantly. The position was really important to him, and something he had wanted for some time now, though Videl had been wary of him changing careers so 'late' in life. To Gohan, fourty-eight was not old or 'late'. He was still in his youth, thanks to his Saiya-jin heritage. Videl, however, had begrudged him that and was actively fighting her aging instead of allowing herself to proverbially 'age gracefully'. Kami, there was always a source of tension with that woman...
Gohan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. It was no use getting angry over a woman who he was currently arguing with over dissolution of property and wealth. It would only fuel the fires and drag this divorce out longer. He just wanted it to be over and done with.
He slipped on a cotton sleep shirt and lounge pants and left his bedroom. Perhaps some television would calm his mind. Or a hap-hazard dinner. Or that intesting book he'd been reading. Or...what? There really wasn't much else to do in this expansive, hollow house other than those activities.
The demi Saiya-jin entered his kitchen and began the mindless task of preparing sandwiches, his mind still heavy from the day's events. Up until now he had forgotten all about his meeting with Bulma today in lieu of Bura's tearful breakdown. His pretty sister-in-law must have been really distraught to break down in front of him and say the things that she had.
Gohan unconciously scowled as he spread mayo on his bread. Really, how stupid was his little brother to be so careless with his wife and marriage? Goten really was becoming nothing but a lazy, good-for-nothing bum like Vegeta had said he was six years ago when the proud Saiya-jin Prince protested to Bura and Goten marrying.
Come to think of it, Gohan hadn't been to keen on his brother and Vegeta's daughter marrying either. Not that there was anything wrong with Bura, but she had been young and naive at the time, too young to even get married, really. And Goten, well, though he had been old enough, he was nowhere near mature enough to make such a commitment.
And now here they were, unhappy, just as Gohan, Vegeta, and well, just about everyone, had predicted. The college professor sighed as he piled the various cold cuts onto his sandwich. Really, Bura had grown into a beautiful, mature, successful, responsible woman. And she was being held back by her idiot of a husband, Gohan's good-for-nothing brother.
He thought back to the moment when Bura's curvy frame was in his arms and he comforted her. Even before she had cried in his arms, he found her strangely bewitching. That light sheen of sweat, the pink flush of her skin, her azura tresses falling out of that ponytail of hers...
Gohan shook his head, as if attempting to shake those throughts from his mind. It just wasn't appropriate to be attracted to his brother's wife. Sure, it was fine to admit Bura was attractive, but to be attracted was a whole 'nother matter...and an innappropriate one at that.
But Gohan knew it was too late. That image of Bura in that skin-tight spandex outfit, flushed from a grueling spar...and he had held her in his arms, consoling her as she cried over what a louse his own brother was. Her body was so small compared to his own, smaller than Videl had been. And she had smelled so nice, a mix of her own personal scent and some strangely intoxicating perfume...
It made Gohan wonder if maybe he was the louse instead of his brother.