A/N: HEY!! It's Karci. Here's the first chapter to "The Mind Of A Pauper" the sequel to "The Heart Of A Prince" I hope you all enjoy! Thanks SO much for reading :) These fics are collabs with BatWingteenavenger and we have a lot of fun writing them so we hope y'all have fun reading them :)
Karci - Barnett Disclaimer: No, Karci does not own DBZ or any of its characters, all ownership goes to Akira Toriyama and Funimation productions and what ever other productions contributed to this EPIC anime unless I made it up, which is like, one character, Vegeta's daughter, who I named Kelsey Shacore Briefs [excluding the last name] because well, I have know idea what to name her
Chapter 1 –
The crowd cheered as the body hit the mat for the last time. A hand reached down and yanked on the neck, snapping it instantly. Standing over the limp, lifeless fighter, the champion kneeled down and ripped off his prize. It was the color of buffered chrome and it was splattered in blood. He had won.
Shiosuke woke up in a great mood. This year, HE was going to be the leading Champion. He headed off to the Dojo in high spirits. His sensei would be pleased by his premonition of victory over their three-year rival. This year, it would be over. The Black Dragons would dominate this time. No matter what the cost, no matter WHAT the method
"The title is MINE, NickelBack!"
DBZDBZDBZDBZDBZDBZDBZ
"I'd like to remind you that the OSE Talent Showdown is a month from next Friday, so if anyone is interested in joining, the date for auditions are said to be announced sometime this week."
The dismissal bell rang and a herd of elementary school kids stampeded out of the class and charged down the halls. The two demi-Saiyans walked together toward a different entrance at the back of the school and stepped onto the basketball court
"So are you thinking about auditioning, Kelsey?"
She smiled at him and nodded
"You bet I am. I'm not really set on what to do though…"
"We can do it together! It'll be fun!"
"Yeah! We should! Any ideas of what to do?"
"Uhmm…I'm not sure yet. We can talk about it later"
"Ok, you're coming over?"
"Yep" he smiled
"Ok, well bring homework to, or my Mom won't let that happen" they laughed
"All right"
Goten called Kinto-Un and hopped on. They waved to each other as the flying cloud took Goten home. Kelsey stayed at the court until her friend was no longer in sight. She walked back into school and exit through the main doors, as she walked she noticed a familiar figure and smiled and ran up to the person leaning against the wall arms crossed
"Hey, ready to go?" he asked
"Yea I am! But…what are you doing here?"
he looked offended
"What??" he asked in tone of fake hurt "I can't pick you up anymore?? I'm upset, Tiny…" she laughed "you got a boyfriend and forgot about big Brother" she stopped laughing and punched him in the arm
"Shut up!"
"What?!" he laughed "It's TRUE! Kissey, kissey" he teased and her eyes widened "that's right. Goten's my best friend Feisty, and you think I wasn't gonna find out about that? Dad's right you CAN be a dunce sometimes. I'm telling DAD" he smirked
"Shut UP!" she shoved him and jumped in the air starting her take off when she felt a grip around her ankle "Let GO!!" he laughed as his little sister struggled in his grip and he pulled her onto the ground
"I'm only kidding, Feisty" he laughed "C'mon, don't be so upset" he embraced his sibling "I'm sorry"
Trunks didn't mean he was sorry for teasing her, he done it all the time. What he really meant was he was sorry for the events that occurred a few months back, he put his younger sister through a lot and realized there may have been other methods of helping her. Kelsey returned the hug knowing what he meant
"Lets head home" he pulled away from her, she nodded and both Briefs offspring took off
"Hey Mom!" both kids greeted as they entered the house
"Hi! How was school?"
"THERE'S GONNA BE A TALENT SHOW! And I wanna join!" she smiled
"Awe, well I'm excited for you kid, what are you planning on doing?"
"I don't know yet, Goten's gonna come over today and talk about" her Mom looked at her "WHILE we do homework" she quickly added. Her Mother laughed
"Ok, no playing or Gravity Room until the homework's done, got it?"
"Yes, Ma'am" she mumbled
"Now WHAT'S this about a TALENT SHOW?!" snapped a voice from the doorway
"A TALENT SHOW, Dad! You just go on stage and basically do what you want"
"And this involves ascending HOW?" Kelsey looked down ashamed that she forgot about the whole Super Saiyan 2 ordeal. A few months ago, when Goten first ascended, Vegeta told her they would fix the fact his offspring had not yet achieved the transformation
"Oh yea…sorry Dad" Kelsey slipped of the chair knowing what was coming next. Trunks stood behind watching as Bulma giggled. Vegeta pointed towards the Gravity Room and Kelsey obeyed, mumbling under her breath
"She said NO Gravity room until I finish homework. I'm just got home, didn't even EAT yet let alone FINISH homework and WHERE am I headed?!" Vegeta smirked and shook his head.
Trunks, feeling a little jealous about Kelsey hanging out with Goten and wanting to have fun with the two younger hybrids, protested loudly as he listened to the exciting chatterings of his sibling.
"Mooooooooom. I wanna be in a talent show. This isn't fair!" he sat on the chair, slouched into it and crossed his arms
"Who said you couldn't enter, Trunks? You don't have to be a student there, although you ARE an alumnus, being you attended the school for about 4 hours. But as long as you're with someone who attends the school, it's not a problem, join Goten and Kelsey."
"REALLY?! I can join?!"
"I'm sure your sister and Goten wouldn't mind. They'd love to have you with them."
"ALRIGHT!!" he shouted as he jumped of his chair " I know EXACTLY what we're gonna do" he bolted up to his room
-- Mt. Paozu --
"MOM! MOM! MOOOOM!!" Goten charged into the kitchen. Chi-Chi giggled
"What is it dear?"
"I'm gonna join the TALENT SHOW!" he threw his arms up in enthusiasm
"That's GREAT Goten! Did you tell your Brother?" Goten's eyes lit up and he dropped his backpack and ran to find his Brother
"GOHAN!" he jumped on his older Brother "I'm gonna join the talent show! Are you gonna come watch me?" his eyes shining.
Gohan smiled at his younger Brother. He gets SO ecstatic about the simplest things
"Of, course I'm gonna go see ya, Squirt. What are you gonna do?"
Goten's face turned from an excited look to one in deep thought. Three minutes later he smiled again
"I don't know yet. But me and Kelsey are doing it together!"
Gohan raised an eyebrow
"With KELSEY, huh? What's it gonna be little guy? A love s—"
"Stop Gohan!" Goten whispered as he raised a hand and waved it in front of his Nissan's face and looked around to see if anyone was there then whispered, "you know how Mom gets!"
Gohan laughed
"It's ok, Goten! Mom just thinks it's cute. So have you tried to k—"
"Gohaaaan!" The mini Goku jumped up and down to stop his Brother from continuing his sentence
"I just wanna know," The Gold Fighter laughed
Goten blushed and shook his head quickly, "No. Not since…"
-- Flashback --
She stomped her foot impatiently and glanced at the sky. Kelsey would rather be tending to Trunks right now. But she really DID want to spend time with Goten and she DID need some fresh air. So the girl waited. Finally, a tiny golden speck crossed the sky and Goten appeared. Laughing, the two chibi's glomped each other in greeting and began a small wrestling match in the field of grass. The cool night air swirled around them, making Goten giggle and Kelsey feel wild inside. She tackled the older chibi again and the two fell in a small rut, landing with Kelsey on top. The girl chuckled and mock scolded
"Goten, we're supposed to be practicing you know"
He snorted and pouted, then, Goten remembered seeing Gohan and Videl just like this, with her on top of him. The girl had leaned over and so Goten leaned towards the Spawn of Vegeta and…SMACK!!!
"GOTEN!! What do you think you're DOING?!" Kelsey roared. Rubbing her check where the naïve Son boy had pecked her…
-- End Flash Back --
Gohan exploded with laughter and couldn't stop, "HAHAHAHAHA!! Oh MAN!" he tried to catch his breath as Goten's face flushed more shades of red
"It's not funny Gohan…" Gohan tried to regain control
"HAHAHA…I'm sorry Goten"
"It's ok…but…what did I do wrong? I saw you do it to Videl…why didn't you get slapped?" he asked in complete innocence.
Gohan tried his best to hold back laughter but he felt he was failing miserably
"Nothing, Goten. You did NOTHING Wrong. Kelsey just reacted off impulse, that's all. She didn't know HOW to react to the kiss and slapped you because she was confused and shocked. She's just naïve"
"AAHHHHHHHHH!!" they heard a screech as their Mother ran into the room and the two hybrids jumped in shock then a worried Goku ran down the stairs
"Chi-Chi?! Are you all right??" he asked concerned, she ignored her husband as she quickly questioned her Son
"GOTEN! Did I just hear that you KISSED Kelsey?!" Goten couldn't BELIEVE this was happening right now, if they questioned Kelsey about this, they'd ALL get attacked by a raging ball of crazy
"Yea Mom but—"
"Why didn't you TELL me, Goten?! AWE! My little boy is growing up! You finally kissed a GIRL!" she hugged him tightly
"I didn't kiss 'a girl' Mommy, I kissed KELSEY"
"Mom" Gohan spoke up "you are NOT gonna believe what happened"
"What??"
Gohan told her the story and Chi-Chi couldn't stop laughing while Goten just sat sheepishly on the couch
Chi-Chi saw that her husband wasn't saying a word so she looked at him still laughing and saw that her always-cheerful Husband was standing their wide-eyed with shock and fear written all over his face
"What's the matter, Goku?" she finally asked after her fit of intense laughter
"Uhh…G-Goten…does uhh…V-Vegeta KNOW about this…k-kiss you planted…on his DAUGHTER…?"
Goten shook his head "Uh-uh, well, I don't THINK so. Why, Tousan?"
Gohan finally came to realization why his Father was so fright stricken and his eyes widened
"OH MAN! Vegeta would have your HEAD, Goten!"
Chi-Chi was furious
"Now WHATS wrong with Kelsey being with MY little boy??"
"N-Nothing, Chi-Chi!" Goku held up his hands in defense "it's just we don't want Goten killed. You know how he is when it comes to Kelsey"
"Well, I DON'T CARE" she folded her arms over her chest, "Now when's your next date, honey?" she smiled and ran her hair through her youngest son's hair
"Uhhhh…I don't know. But I gotta go, I told Kelsey I was going over today"
Everyone laughed.
Goku was still hesitant, wondering of Vegeta knew about the kiss. Awe, MAN! If THIS gets to Vegeta then…I don't even wanna think about what he's gonna do. He couldn't have found out…YET…
-- School Next Day --
"Guess WHAT!" Kelsey shouted to her friend in Joy
"What's up, Kels?"
"TRUNKS, is joining us for the talent show!"
"No way! Really?"
"Yea! He told me this morning. This is gonna be FUN!"
"Yea it is!"
"And get THIS. He's taking classes here TOO!"
"You're lying!"
Kelsey shook her head
"Nope" she smiled then the lunch bell rang
"Lunch time?!" Goten asked eagerly. Kelsey laughed and nodded and the two exited the classroom and entered the lunchroom to see their favorite person standing against the wall, arms folded
"TRUUUUNKS!!" they screamed and ran over
"Hey guys, what's for lunch?"
"I don't know…BUT LETS FIND OUT!" Goten ran to the lunch line and Trunks followed
"C'mon, Feisty" he motioned for her to follow
Kelsey nodded and followed a good five feet away from the two boys. Not paying attention to her surroundings, the kid Princess hit something then found her back to the floor, her head slamming to the ground because of the fall. Dazed, she sat herself up and looked above her to find 4 pairs of eyes burning with hostility looking down at her. The Saiyan Princess groaned Oh, no! The SNOOT TROOP! I don't have TIME to deal with these morons right now!
There stood Sumi Pencil, the leader of the click, then her followers, Kuni, Shina, and Ren. The most 'popular' girl click of Orange Star Elementary, glaring down their noses at her with obvious hatred and spite.
Trunks was still on his way to the lunch line when he sensed that his sister wasn't behind, so he turned around to see what was holding her up and saw for girls walking Kelsey's opposite directions and saw the four girls purposely knock his sister to the ground. Slightly surprised he observed the situation
"Oh! I'm 'sorry' Briefs!" Sumi 'apologized' and smirked at the small girl "I didn't see you there"
Kelsey stood up and glared at the leader
"Awe, what's wrong? Did that hurt?" Sumi got in her face
"Out of my FACE, SNOB!" Kelsey clenched her fists
"Awe, the Briefs Brat wants a fight" Shina cut in
"How cute" Ren continued "but you're really not worth our time" they brushed passed the aggravated Kelsey Briefs standing there ready to pounce. She stood there for a good two minutes calming herself before walking—stomping--past her Brother to the lunch table, too ticked to eat
"Who're they?" Trunks asked curious
"SNOBS!" Kelsey snapped as she passed him and sat down. Trunks followed her and sat beside her and chuckled
"What happened? Don't let bullies bother you, Kels. You never did before, what makes this time any different?"
"They're not BULLIES, they're SNOBS!! I HATE them! With EVERYTHING in me I can't stand them"
Trunks laughed at her
"You're not a snob, Kelsey?"
"NO!" he smiled
"Aren't you gonna go eat?"
"No"
"Go eat!"
"NO! Leave me alone!" he shook his and went to get his food
"Kelsey," Goten sat down "Where's your food?"
"I'm not hungry"
"Awe, c'mon! Don't let Sumi get to ya. You're a SAIYAN and Saiyans need their food y'kno"
"They're just such…" she was trying to find a word, "PRINCESS'S" Goten and Trunks face faulted and exploded with laughter
"What?" she asked confused
"YOU'RE a Princess, Kels" Trunks said in between laughs. Kelsey's brow furrowed in frustration
"It's DIFFERENT…they're…they're those spoiled princess's. Snobby, ANNOYING IDIOTS…Saiyan Princess is a different story. Shut up" she got up and walked away
"She really hates 'em, huh?" Trunks asked Goten
"Yea, you can't really blame her. They humiliate and provoke her any chance they get. Plus, their leader is Sumi PENCIL!"
Trunks felt his anger rising at the mention of the old enemy's surname.
"She should just deck 'em. I don't know why she chooses NOW to have restraint"
Goten thought about it, "You're right. Maybe she's…CHANGED??" the looked seriously at one another a practically fell over laughing
"No" the said simultaneously and continued eating
DBZDBZDBZDBZDBZDBZ
Kelsey opened her locker to get ready for her next class only to have it slammed back shut causing Kelsey to jump back from surprise
"Oops, sorry" Sumi smirked
"What's your DAMAGE, idiot! Get LOST!" Kelsey took a step forward
"Nothing, Kelsey, I just wanted to ask you where you got THOSE 'clothes' I need a new rag for my shoes" she smiled
"Really? That's supposed to piss me off? Are you KIDDING me?!" the Daughter of the Prince took another step forward "your PRESENCE is repulsive ENOUGH I don't NEED you talking to me"
"Awe, you got the Briefs Brat angry" Shina grinned and patted Kelsey's head
"Don't TOUCH me!" Kelsey jerked her head away and clenched her fists ready to lunge at one of the girls
"Do it, Kelsey," Ren challenged, "you wouldn't DARE start a fight! You're WAY too WEAK!"
"Wanna bet?" Kelsey growled and pulled back a fist ready to deck one of the girls and she shot her fist forward
"YOU DON'T WANNA DO THAT," Trunks said sternly as he pulled his sister back by her wrist right when her fist was a mere two inches away from one of the girls. Kelsey stumbled backwards and yanked her wrist away from her Brother's grip
"And why NOT?!"
"Just don't do it, Tiny. C'mon, get your stuff and lets go to class"
"You HYPOCRITE! Mr. 'I'm Trunks Briefs and MY solution to ALL life's problems is to PUNCH 'EM IN THE FACE' wants ME to HOLD MY TEMPER?!"
Trunks sighed, his Sister was right and it WAS a fun method but…what could these girls possibly do?
"Now let me AT 'EM!" Kelsey roared charging for the click
"KELSEY"
Trunks grabbed the back of her gi but she managed to slip from his grip. Trunks growled and reached for his infuriated Sister hoping to stop her. He didn't care if he had to pull her by her hair but unfortunately he caught a grip on her neck and yanked her towards him. Kelsey was horror-stricken. Her eyes widen in fear and she shrieked,
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! LET ME GOOOO!!!!" she struggled. Confused, Trunks let go of his Sister and she bolted down the hallway
"What was THAT about?" Shina asked confused
"Who knows. Like WE care" the click walked away
It didn't take the Son of Vegeta a minute to figure out what the cause of Kelsey's outburst was. He clearly remembered the very first time he used the Infiltration Technique on her, he had pulled her by the neck and slammed her against the wall, then the floor. HE has been the cause of Kelsey's panic attacks but now they usually happen while she was asleep.
Now Trunks was uneasy, he may have brought the anxiety back to his Sister's mind. Guilt flooded the hybrid as he kept hearing his Father's words 'the damage done to the mind is permanent' echoing like a million rebukes in his head. Trunks sighed heavily in anger at his error and walked in the direction Kelsey had taken off to
He walked further and further until he saw a small figure sitting against the lockers, her knees to her chest as her hands rested on them. She was trying to catch her breath and her eyes had a blank expression. Trunks was very hesitant to approach but knew he had to. He slowly inched towards Kelsey and knelt down to her as she flinched in shock. He tried to embrace his shaken sibling but she resisted
"Easy Kelsey," he calmed his Sister "I didn't mean to do that, I'm sorry" she hesitantly nodded and he gave her a soft smile. Trunks knew the girl couldn't stay in school any longer "here, I'll take you home. You can't stay in school, you need to recuperate"
Kelsey said nothing as Trunks went to go get her things. He came back five minutes later to find his Sister sound asleep on the tile. Trunks looked fondly at the girl and picked her up and headed down the hall.
Goten saw Kelsey cradled in Trunks' arms and a concerned look came upon his face
"What happened?"
"She's not feeling well today, I'm just gonna take her home"
"Oh, ok…"
Trunks smiled, "She'll be fine, she's just a little worn out"
"All right, well I'll see ya later then," Goten smiled. Trunks nodded and flew out the door and soon enough he landed home
Trunks placed the sleeping girl on the couch and covered her with a blanket and flinched when he heard a gruff voice enter the family room
"What happened to your Sister, boy?"
"I uhm…sh—she…panicked and then she fell asleep, she's a little tired I guess"
Vegeta nodded as his gazed turned towards his youngest. For the most part his Daughter was fine although she still wasn't able to sleep as well as she use to. The girl had fits of fear and sleep terrors throughout the night and slept restlessly. He'd sensed her energy disturbances and made it a habit to go check on her every few nights. The Prince found that ever since the INCIDENT a few months back, his female spawn rarely slept peacefully.
"Usually happens in her sleep" Vegeta stated, looking at Trunks pointedly, "Was an act repeated?"
Trunks hesitated and looked down in guilt "Yea, I—I grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her towards me to stop her from punching someone, I didn't mean to, it just…happened"
Vegeta nodded
"Don't worry about it"
Trunks looked up at his Father questioningly Vegeta shrugged
"She just needs a few days to relax, then she'll be fine."
Trunks still looked concerned, but his father was less than sympathetic and getting agrivated over his spawn's over-emotions, "Get back to school, I'll watch your Sister."
The heir nodded taking one more look at his Sister before taking back off to school
DBZDBZDBZDBZDBZDBZDBZDBZDBZ
Trunks and Goten walked down the halls laughing as they told funny stories about what happened in their classes and recess oblivious to who was approaching them
"Where's your girl, Goten? We were just becoming such good friends" Sumi approached sarcastically
"Leave Kelsey alone, Sumi. Don't ya have better things to do?" Goten questioned, tired of his friend being bullied by these ingrates.
A sarcastic expression of shock formed on her face and she opened her mouth to protest until a stern, raspy voice cut in
"Enough. Leave Kelsey ALONE"
She looked at the new speaker, annoyed. "Who are YOU and WHAT could you possibly have to do with KELSEY BRIEFS"
"I'm TRUNKS Briefs, OLDER BROTHER of Kelsey Briefs"
"I see…well…at least we know who's the better looking sibling" Ren said as she stepped closer to Trunks and smiled flirtatiously, "Trunks…BRIEFS. You won the Junior World's Martial Arts Tournament not too long ago, yes?"
"What's it to ya?"
Ren shrugged and stepped to him. "Nothing…you know I always knew you'd beat that weakling Son boy, right?"
Trunks raised an eyebrow as he and Goten exchanged glances of impatience and aggravation
"…Right" he pushed her aside and turned so he could face each girl, "If you guys don't leave my sister alone, I promise, I will give you a punch to the face!" he warned casually
Sumi giggled and replied, "Sure you will" and with that she took off, her posse following her
Trunks growled low and spoke, "They are SO ANNOYING! Maybe I'll punch em in the face RIGHT NOW!!"
"You don't wanna do that," his best friend told him
"And why SHOULDN'T I?"
Goten thought for a minute, "Well…I don't know…you told Kelsey not to do it so you shouldn't either"
Trunks snorted and they walked to class
-- Capsule Corp. --
Kelsey's breathing sped up as she squirmed and writhed under the blanket. Vegeta sensed her trouble and entered the family room and, kneeling beside his sleeping spawn, tried to gently shake her awake
"Wake up."
She didn't even move an eyelid, but moaned softly and whimpered pitifully, squirming under his touch as if trying to get away.
After three failed attempts at waking his daughter quietly, Vegeta quickly grew aggravated and growled low. He shook her again, this time less gently and said louder, "Wake UP, Kelsey!"
The Daughter of Vegeta gasped for air and her eyes snapped open. She sat up and a look of confusion formed upon her face
"Wha–"
"You had a fit at school, you're Brother brought you home"
"Oh…" she said with fatigue and embarrassment dripping from her voice. Kelsey leaned back on the couch rubbing her eyes "I'm—"
"Hungry" her Dad cut her off. She looked up to see her Father smirking down at her; she smiled at him and nodded her head vigorously
Vegeta chuckled and extended his arm towards the way of the kitchen. The hybrid hopped off the couch and dashed for the kitchen, her Father trailing behind.