Author's Note: Finally got this chapter spun out in between my mounds of homework leading up to finals. Also, this chapter features extensive mention of Chi Chi, as I am a fan of her character (she doesn't get the credit she deserves!) and I was working through some issues with my own mother. They just sort of happened to coincide with my story, so it worked out well!

Terms to know:

Hime-sama - princess

Yuushi - brave warrior

"Daijoubu desu." - "I'm fine."

"Masaka!" - "No way!" (said in disbelief)

These Daydreams, Okay!

Chapter 4: At best!

One big blue eye was peering desperately into the contents of the styrofoam cup. Bra's expression slackened with a disgruntled sigh and she lifted her face from the mouth of her cup, a frown planted on her face as she shook the cup in her hand. A sloshing noise was barely audible as she popped the plastic lid over it.

Goten watched her bemusedly, his cheek smushed in his hand as he sipped lazily at his slowly melting slushee. He assumed the reason for her displeasure with her treat was that it had already liquidated, much as his had already. Goten amused himself with observing her facial twists for a moment, before his black gaze drifted past Bra and down the street. Nothing in particular caught his eye. The way the clouds moved sent him looking skywards to appreciate their delicate fluffiness. They reminded him of something, and his eyebrows began to draw together in consideration.

Slurrrrrrrp!

He was jerked out of reverie by her demand of attention, his obsidian eyes swinging back down to her face. Goten smirked at the defined hollow of her cheeks as she intently drew up the blue liquid that had originally promised relief from the swath of summer heat. He didn't blame her for her discontent as he scowled back down at his cup. Wordlessly, he looked back up at her, lifting his cup and tilting his head to their left where a wide-mouthed garbage can sat.

Lifting her mouth up from the straw, Bra rolled her eyes and nodded with obvious sadness. Twisting, she pitched the cup into the bin before him, the can accepting her skillful toss. "Whoo!" She shouted in her victory, her arms thrown up in the air above her head. Not that there was any chance she would've missed anyway, but she relished in her success all the same.

Life was all about the little victories when it came down to it, or at least this was Bra's philosophy.

"Big deal," Goten groaned in exasperation of her cheer, apparently not a follower of this same school of thought. Canting his wrist back then forward, he sent the cup sailing. Much to his embarrassment, the cup collided with the rim of the can and fell with a splatter to the sidewalk. He sighed heavily into his hands, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyeballs as the girl across from him simply leered into his hunched shoulders.

With a snide lift to her nose, she barely leaned over the table, offering haughtily, "Apparently, it's a big fucking deal, Baller."

He snapped his eyes up at her to catch a look that made him hate her and laugh at her at once. So proud of her frivolous success over him; there was little doubt in his mind of her parentage. "Whatever," he began dryly, trying to match her snootiness and pushing himself away from the table as he reclined in the iron chair. "Lucky shot."

"Mine or yours?" She wondered with her best take at innocence. He merely rolled his eyes at her taunt and finally lifted himself up.

Bra followed suit, ducking down again to retrieve the many shopping bags resting at the leg of their table. They had sought shelter from the summer's wrath at one of the popular cafes, only to find its interior spilling with citizens who were searching in vain for their same need. Both of them caved, accepting the available seats out on the patio – an umbrella was their only protection.

As they stepped out from the shadow, Goten hissed in aggravation, his eyes slitting up at the sky. "It's fucking hot," he observed with annoyance, his shoulders trying to shake off the wave of heat that washed over him as they started again into the street. He paused to let the parcel-laden girl catch up the few couple of paces.

"Good job, Goten," she praised him with a pant, readjusting the position of her purchases. "And you didn't even need a thermometer or anything!" Her mockery of him would have probably been more successful had she not been wrestling with her goods. Dropping the attitude, she looked up at Goten helplessly, and before she even opened her mouth he had reached to take some of the bags from around her limbs.

Finally comfortable, she threw him a somewhat apologetic, grin. "Arigato gozaimasu, Goten-kun."

Goten tried not to roll his eyes at how fast her gears could switch. "The least that I could do," he half-chuckled, half-grumbled.

Ruining her moment of graciousness, Bra offered with a playful smirk, "Obviously."

}{

Half the day was gone already, and Goten had only acquired two applications; one for a bellhop position at a hotel, the other (and much more promising) one was for a cellular phone kiosk at the Mall. He'd probably be rife with embarrassment and a twinge of self-loathing right now, except seated to his left was a creature who knew little two nothing of those two concepts. He glanced out of the corner of his eye to catch Bra chatting animatedly into her phone and, for a fraction of a second, he envied her buoyancy.

"Masaka!" She giggled, rolling her eyes to whomever was on the other end. "You're not like that, Marron-chan!"

Goten smiled and relaxed once the name was mentioned. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Marron in a while. Not since Trunks had completely embarrassed himself falling all over himself for her. He smirked, and noticed Bra's inquisitive look at the sudden change in demeanor. He mouthed 'later' and she nodded once.

"Ano, I've gotta go. We're still on for Friday, ne?" Bra queried into the receiver and was pleased by the answer. "Hai! Ja ne!" She hit the 'end' button and pocketed her cell phone, turning to face Goten almost expectantly.

With a chuckle, Goten merely shook his head, his eyes trained on the buildings that passed by the windows of their trolley. "I said later."

He could feel her pout. "It IS later! You made me hang up on Marron-chan for nothing," she reprimanded him.

"I didn't make you do anything, Hime-sama," he teased her and was rewarded with a quick punch to his shoulder. He winced – she actually had a little force there! Color Goten surprised.

"Don't mock me," Bra snorted and leaned back in her seat, her head tipped back to touch the window pane behind her. She caught him rubbing his shoulder and she smiled with fleeting pride. "Does Goten-chan have a boo-boo?" She cooed as she lifted a hand to ruffle his hair.

Blushing, he swatted her playful hand away. "No," he shot out defensively, eyeing her. "My arm just … itched."

"Liar," she continued her teasing with little promise of relenting. "It's okay, Goten-kun. I don't even know my own strength sometimes!" As if to emphasize her point, she hiked up her flowy sleeve and bent her arm, forcing her muscles to flex into a reasonably tight mound. "Check out this gun show!"

Goten grumbled and rolled his eyes. "That's a gun show? I must be a firearms exhibit, then," he retorted, mentally praising himself on a job well done; you sounded witty AND, hey, ego boost.

She laughed out loud, her face glowing with mirth by now. He blushed, but furrowed his eyebrows in the face of her glee.

"Don't be jealous," Bra waved him off, her hands folding primly in her lap.

It was Goten's turn to laugh and he arched an eyebrow her way. "Jealous? Of what? I'm just saying: unimpressive."

He watched her expression darken minutely, and Bra slowly began to stretch her arm up above her head. There was a brief sinister look that slid across her countenance as her palm squared and he ducked his head to avoid the on-coming blow.

Instead, there came the ringing overhead as their trolley came to a halt. Goten felt her shift and rise beside him, and he opened his eyes to look up to her. One hand was on her hip, the other's digits were draped around the trolley stop wire.

On her face, a smirk of absolute arrogance.

Goten shuddered in both embarrassment and something indefinable. He could only bring himself to frown disapprovingly at her satisfaction.

Bra winked as she uncurled her fingers from the wire, her hands grabbing for the gaggle of her parcels stationed at Goten's feet. "Let's go, Yuushi-chan." Little else was offered before she made her way through the crowded trolley.

The lilt of her voice and bat of her lash sparked him up from his seat almost immediately. Already several paces behind her, Goten rushed to collect the remainder of her packages and follow her to the street outside the compartment.

}{

The rays of the sun were straining to stretch beyond the horizon by the time they had reached her parked aircar. Goten ground his foot against the cigarette butt Bra had just tossed to the ground, and she smiled appreciatively.

"Arigato, Goten-kun, for lugging my stuff around," Bra bowed her head in sincerity, her smile unwavering. "It was really nice of you."

His cheeks flushed vaguely, his gaze flitting skywards as he reached up to scratch at the back of his head. "Yeah. I feel dumb about it now though, seeing as you've been carrying those bad boys with you the entire time," he gestured with finger guns to her upper arms. This elicited a giggle from the aqua-haired girl, who proudly brought both arms up to flex once more. Goten couldn't help but chuckle at her antics.

There was an awkward haze that drifted then between the two then. Bra, who had lowered her azure gaze to Goten's shuffling feet, finally drew herself upright and extended her right arm to the young man standing apart from her. Goten was startled by the apparition of her open palm, and he felt a self-conscious ripple in the bottom of his chest. It took a beat, but his expression finally relaxed and he accepted her handshake only to tug her closer to him in a one-armed hug.

His arm across her shoulder, her head against his chest. Bra felt a certain warmth wash over her from the top of her head to the soles of her shoes as she accepted his demonstration of their kinship. They were close, their families having been considerably tight-knit since even before her conception. They were certainly close enough to exchange a hug without questioning stares from their peers. However, Bra found herself feeling squeamish with her nose buried in his shirt and her arm wrapped around his back. Just as the bubbles popping in her head began to alleviate, Goten stepped back from her, his trademark grin on his face.

"Get home, Bra-chan," he urged her with a gentle push to her shoulder. She snickered as she bumped lightly into the car behind her. "Before your dad puts on his game face and comes scouring the city for you."

Bra nodded and laughed under her breath, her hand tugging at the driver's side handle to open the door. "Thanks again," she reiterated as she lowered herself into the aircraft. "Sorry your job hunting didn't go better."

Goten shrugged helplessly, rounding his shoulders as if to prepare for battle. "Kaasan will probably rail me, but… two is better than none, right?" He perked his thumbs up, a weak attempt to remove the concern that seemed to be weaving itself across Bra's teal stare. He held the act for a couple moments longer, before he finally allowed his shoulders to slump under her scrutiny.

She sat, half of her torso still leaning out of the car with her arms propping the door open, and continued to observe his several seconds of wallowing. Bra then straightened fixed him with a stern look at immediately brought him out of his pity party. "You know she only wants the best for you," she reminded him, her voice firm.

He nodded, and she could see remorse fluttering over his features. Undeterred, she continued.

"Chi-obaa is always there to help you and support you. You should be fair to her." Bra couldn't say where this lecture was coming from. Didn't she just suck up half his day in her own gallivanting around town? She felt a twinge of guilt nestle itself in her breast at that thought.

Goten groaned in annoyance of her words, his head stretching backward so that his pointy-ended locks stretched straight upwards. "I know, I know," he brushed her off with a long, exaggerated sigh. This, he came to realize, was not an appropriate reaction. He thought of his mother, and all her infinite love that she had shown him throughout the years.

Fuck, could you be a bigger douche bag? Goten thought mirthlessly of himself, a souring feeling taking over his limbs.

Catching Bra's steely gaze, Goten had to glance away. "I really am trying," he amended quickly, his voice quieting in shame.

"Try harder," she then blithely chirruped, retrieving his attention again. "But I understand your little rock and your kinda hard place. Chi-obaa was graced with need to shower all with the full abundance of her love, wasn't she?"

The embellishment of his mother's personality quirk brought an alternative smile to Goten's lips.

With a swift flash of a peace sign, Bra brought the driver's side door closed and started the ignition. Goten took a step back to watch her aircraft rise from the ground and lift off into the sky, rocketing in the direction of where he knew Capsule Corporation's compound lay.

}{

There had been an overwhelming sadness within her heart. Each passing day felt like a little death as it brought Bra closer and closer to her day of departure.

Sons and Briefs were joined together under the roof of the Son's house buried in the wilderness. Such family gatherings were rare, but it seemed the stars had aligned themselves in the two clans' favor. The men plus Pan were gathered in the yard, engaged in a tiny tournament of their own. Wives were in the house. Bra, a partner in neither category, was perched on the wooden bench a safe distance away from the fighters.

A warm hand brushed her shoulder, and she looked up to find Chi Chi's soft black eyes crinkling in a kind smile. The older woman sat down next to the younger, Bra scooting to accommodate the addition.

"Ah, they're really goin' at it, aren't they?"

Bra laughed a little, but spoke nothing. She felt she suddenly didn't have the energy. Forlornly, she returned her azure gaze upon the cluster of combatants. Suddenly, she felt Chi Chi's eyes boring into her, and she turned slightly to face her with a half-guilty, half-wondering expression.

"What's the matter, Bra-chan? Something ain't right with you," Chi Chi observed in a quiet, invested tone. Motherly.

Bra could've blushed at her concern, and she ducked her head to avoid Chi Chi's stare. "D... Daijoubu desu." She didn't believe herself, and lifting her head she found that Chi Chi didn't, either.

The older woman leaned back from the girl, swiveling her eyes briefly over the group across from them. "I miss Goku-sa every day," she confessed abruptly, her voice faraway.

Bra felt a tug at the bottom of her stomach at the mention of his name.

"It hurts," Chi Chi continued, her brows knitting in an effort to keep composed. "A lot of the time. But… I know we'll be together again." Such assurance in her words startled Bra, and the blue haired girl didn't know what to say. So, Chi Chi carried on. "You don't have to worry about your family, Bra-chan. They will always be here, waiting for you."

She could see where this was going, and Bra didn't know if she could keep the tears from falling suddenly. "I know," she admitted. "I just keep thinking it's a bad idea. I've never been away…" Bra's voice trailed off in her sadness, her eyes fixed on a point somewhere behind the fighters.

Chi Chi's hand fell again on her shoulder. "It's not a bad idea," she told her firmly. "Education is never bad. When Gohan-chan was little, I could be just awful to him and Goku-sa about his studies," Bra could hear a pang of guilt in Chi Chi's voice. "But it paid off. Now look at him!" The mother gestured proudly to her son, decked out in his suit and glasses, as Videl wandered up behind him and he looped an arm around her shoulders. "He's a scholar, with a happy little family, like mama always wanted. And he can take care of me when the time comes that I can't."

Bra studied the woman's ever-changing expression. She could find sadness, fury, pride, and other unnamable emotions just flittering away across Chi Chi's features. Bra looked away, feeling embarrassed for both she and Chi Chi. Such an exchange of emotion between them was rare if not unprecedented. Bra fixed her gaze on her own brother, who was rocketing into the air with Goten.

"It's necessary, sweetheart," came Chi Chi's soft words then. When Bra looked up, she found herself looking into those powerful dark eyes. "You will be fine. You will be careful," it was almost a warning, "and you will be smart, and you will be fine."

Uncertainty still radiated from Bra's innards, but the fear was quelled as Chi Chi's arms drew her in. The mother brought a child that wasn't hers into a hug that suggested Bra was, and Bra couldn't help but bury her face into Chi Chi's shoulder. She could feel the tears leaking, dampening the cloth of Chi Chi's blouse. Unperturbed, Chi Chi merely folded Bra closer to her, and Bra felt the woman plant a comforting kiss at the top of her head.

"You will be fine."

}{

Bra's eyes repeatedly traced the glow of moonlight on her ceiling, turning over thoughts of her pseudo-aunt and her extended family. Her brain was throbbing within its tiny cubicle, and she could not stifle her multitude of thoughts.

Her mind wandered to the Son she had shared her afternoon with, and a weak smile passed over her face as she shut her eyelids against the bright glow that filtered through her window courtesy of the sun's sister.

"You'll be fine," she whispered, his visage blurring around the edges as sleep began to invade and quell her mind.