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Little Runaway (Chapter 4)

Bra looked around. The cave she had chosen to stay in for a while was not nearly as comfortable as her old home, but it would have to do for now. The forest she had found the cave in adjoined a wasteland full of giant rocks. She liked it here. It was not at all what she was used to and that was exactly what she needed. An adventure, new things to discover.

She dropped her backpack on the ground and laid the sword down next to it. Too late she realized that she should have brought some Hoi Poi Capsules, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Then she remembered something. She searched the left side pocket of her backpack and pulled out a capsule. She knew that there was a blanket and a pillow inside. Her mum had made this for her so she wouldn't have to carry so much when going on a sleepover. It wasn't much, but it was far better than nothing. She hadn't thought about bringing things that she'd need for sleep. She had just thought about what she'd need during the day. She frowned. And she had thought herself to be so clever…

She hadn't thought about school or her friends either… But she couldn't go back now. She had made up her mind and she'd stick with her decision. All of this was unimportant now; she had to concentrate on her future. She left the cave and decided to search for leaves. With a lot of leaves she would be able to make the ground more comfortable and she could also come to know her surroundings while searching.

Her father always told her brother that it was important to know the enemy. Trunks always rolled his eyes when their father started to talk as if there were foes lurking at every corner and then Vegeta would snap at him not to get too slack in times of peace. She could clearly remember that one time…

Flashback

Bra was sitting on the couch in the living room with Trunks right next to her. She was five and Trunks was humoring her by watching "The Swan Princess" with her after he had lost a bet. Trunks had wagered that Bra could not get her father to read a story to her, but Bra had used her wits and persuasion… and when that had failed she'd cried until Vegeta had snapped at her to "stop her wailing immediately" and complied. Grudgingly so, but her father had done it. And she was glad he had or otherwise she would have had to help Trunks clean his room. A task that she despised with all her heart. She didn't know why their mother made them clean their rooms themselves. They had robots for stuff like that, didn't they?

Of course Bra jumped at the opportunity when her father had given in to her demand. She had secretly taped it the whole thing, hiding the recorder under her pillow. Vegeta's voice was a little muffled, but whenever she couldn't sleep, she would listen to that recording, letting her father's gruff voice lull her to sleep. It was her very own lullaby.

Now they both watched as Odette refused Rothbart's proposal – again. "He's such a meanie. Trying to force her to marry him… If a guy ever does that to me, I'll clean his clock." Bra said, giving the evil sorcerer on the screen a hostile glare. Trunks made a strange sound that sounded like a mix of a snort and laughter. "If dad doesn't do it first… which would result in the guy's funeral." he murmured, almost too quiet for Bra to hear. Yeah, Bra thought, her dad would probably give the jerk a piece of mind. Just that her father rather talked with his fists, at least where these types of conversations were concerned.

They resumed watching the movie in silence. The complete quietness of the room, save the sounds coming from the TV of course, was the reason why Bra nearly jumped out of her skin when Trunks gave a startled yelp, lost his balance and fell off the couch. Her body tensed and adrenaline pumped through her veins. She was about to turn around when a familiar snort made her relax. "This is shameful… You should have been able to sense me, boy. You are way too slack. You should train more; sharpen your mind and body." Vegeta criticized and watched as his son stood up.

"No reason to give me a heart attack… Gripping my shoulder like that scared the hell out of me." Trunks emphasized his words by laying a hand on his chest as if trying to slow his heartbeat. Vegeta just raised an eyebrow. "As I said: slack. Times of peace are no excuse for neglecting your training." Bra had listened to these types of conversations often enough to know that she didn't want to hear much more of it.

"Hey, Daddy!" she therefore greeted, redirecting her father's attention. He nodded to her, silently acknowledging her presence. "Want to watch with us?" Bra asked, though she already knew that her father would decline. He had more than once said that watching TV was a complete waste of time. It wasn't that late anyway, just a little past sunset. "No, I just went inside to get something to drink." He patted the top of her head as he walked out which made Bra smile. She loved it when he did that.

Bra looked up at Trunks as he sat back down next to her, but his eyes were on their father as he turned a corner and thereby moved out of sight. Trunks shook his head a little. "He really does have a soft spot for you, doesn't he?" her brother whispered, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Why do you think that? He said no." Trunks just chuckled. "Never mind, Bra." She was about to argue, but her brother put an arm over her shoulders and she happily laid her head on his chest as she turned her eyes back to the screen.

End of Flashback

Bra looked up at the sky and bit her lower lip. She missed those things. Being patted on her head by her dad, cuddling up against her big brother… they hadn't had such moments in a long time. Oh, quit being a baby, she chided herself. It was time to gather her leaves.