A/N: Really short but it gets the point across. Everything is going to broaden out soon and be less Goku Goku Goku Bulla Goku Goku Bulla Bulla Bulla

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

-MalRev

A Poor Player

4

We were all sitting quietly in the funeral parlor while Gohan choked on his speech.

Mom was leaning on dad, sobbing softly on his black suit he hated wearing. Trunks was sitting on the other side of dad with a stern look on his face, the same one every male in the room wore. All the women were weak now. I hid my face and tried my best to look sad.

There was no open casket so I wasn't forced to see Chi-Chi's dead body again. That was a relief. I waited uncomfortably for everyone to cry until they couldn't squeeze out another tear. Gohan got a hold on himself and managed to whisper about how Chi-Chi was a great mother and wife. When I glanced up, Goku was holding his head in his hands and staring at the floor.

The whole place smelled like formaldehyde and potpourri. When we finally went outside I was happy to get some fresh air. Dad stood beside mom solemnly as she hugged Videl. Trunks kept his hands jammed in his pockets and stood stone still. He was a lot like his father in some pretty bad ways.

Soon we made our way over to Goku. I conjured up a sincere smile and he smiled back before my mother strangled him in a ferocious embrace. Dad nodded his head tersely and shook hands with the other two Son boys. Trunks clapped Goten on the shoulder and murmured something to him.

"Don't hesitate to come by if you need anything," mom said. "That stands for all of you. Vegeta can help you rebuild the house, Goku, and I'm sure Trunks and Bulla can help out. We're going to keep her home from school for a few weeks so she can see someone to talk about what she saw."

I scowled and turned my eyes to the ground. Why did she have to mention that in front of everyone? I didn't need to see a shrink. I was over it and mom was making it worse trying to force me to go. That was the same kind of annoying stuff I was complaining to Goku about. She was always pushing me to do things I wasn't interested in.

"Why doesn't she go with Goku?" Videl suggested. "We've been telling him to go and it would make sense that they go together since they saw the same thing."

"What a great idea!" mom said, beaming happily through her blotchy red face.

"I don't need to go," I said.

"Oh, come on. You get some time off school to relax and collect your thoughts and you get to go with Goku, who's much easier to talk to than any of us stuffy adults." Mom squeezed me from the side and kissed my forehead. "I'm going home to make an appointment right now. Why don't you go over to Goku's house with Pan and help him clean up?"

That was the last thing I wanted to do but the queen had spoken. They all left again, save for Pan and Goku. I felt even worse. Mom was just trying to get rid of me. She didn't know how to talk to me about what I saw so she wanted someone else to deal with it. I folded my arms and Goku cocked his head as his granddaughter touched his shoulder to be carried along during instant transmission.

"Are you coming?" he asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"None of your business."

Goku grinned. "Come on. You don't have to do anything. Your mother isn't gonna be happy if she finds out you were being difficult."

"She's passing me off on you," I said. "Doesn't that bother you? They're making you a babysitter. Gohan and Videl are doing the same thing with Pan because they don't want to deal with it."

"No, I like watching you guys." Goku scratched his head and looked down at Pan, whose eyebrows were furrowed together as she fit the puzzle together. "Gohan doesn't want Pan to see him upset and your mother doesn't know what to do, Bulla. Let's give them some time to figure it out."

It did nothing to convince me, but I still touched Goku's arm so we could get out of the cold.

The Son house was warm and quiet—Goku must have visited to do his own cleaning before the funeral. Pan drifted away to the basement and when the door shut, I found myself alone with Goku again. It didn't bother me or anything but it was happening an awful lot lately. Hanging around him was better than being around my parents. They were so irritating.

We cleaned out the kitchen for a long time. I sorted pots and pans into cardboard boxes so they could be moved out when Goku and dad tore the house down. He didn't want very much; just the essentials. We disconnected his appliances and set them in the living room to be taken out with everything else. I was fine with helping as long as I didn't have to go to the bedroom again.

Goku left to check on Pan when the sun was starting to set and I sat on his couch to take a much deserved break. The more time I spent with him, the better I understood why everyone couldn't help but like him. He was incredibly charismatic and knew when to mind his own business. His simplicity made him less of a worrier than most parents.

It was nice not being harassed. He was a good friend.

The couch suddenly shifted and Goku was sitting beside me. Our legs touched for a moment and I quickly put a few inches of space between us. His skin was so hot I could feel it through his jeans. He smelled like the aftershave dad used. Awkward.

"Sorry," he said, smiling a bit. "Pan's asleep."

"What a slacker. Your granddaughter doesn't have the same motivation you do."

"So Pan is lazy now?"

"Well she didn't help us clean and I never saw her last night. She's been awfully quiet lately. I mean, I understand why but… it's still weird."

"Pan has a lot of things to think about right now." Goku rubbed his forehead, looking strangely intense. "We all do. Anyway, how about we go for a walk? I have something for you but I can't show it off in the house. I don't want to make anyone jealous."

What? A present for me? The thought of a gift blinded me completely. I grabbed Goku's arm without thinking and pouted my lower lip. We'd been dragging heavy things around all day and I wanted to sit inside and relax instead of wandering around Mt. Paozu. The sad puppy face usually got me what I wanted when daddy tried to keep things from me.

The light stopped reflecting off Goku's eyes. They looked bottomless.

"Please?" I whined. "I don't wanna walk."

"It's either that or early bedtime. Your choice."

It wasn't a threat. He was joking; teasing me with something my parents tortured me with at home. They were always treating me like a kid while Goku saw me for what I was: a young adult.

"Do you have it on you?" I asked.

"Sure do. It's small, though. In a little black box."

"Can I eat it?"

"I guess but I don't think it'd taste too good."

I crossed my arms. "You're not making this any easier."

Goku gestured at the door and I gave in to his ransom. None of my clothes were available so I piled on a few of his training shirts to keep myself warm outside. He wore a flimsy jacket and laughed at how ridiculous I looked. We went out into the darkening world and were soon enveloped in the trees as we headed up the steep slopes of Mt. Paozu.

Once again I was complaining. Mom and dad don't care; they're trying to get rid of me; they think I'm a spoiled brat; they won't let me be a teenager. Goku was quiet. He knew how to play the game with girls, especially hormonal teenagers. The longer we walked, the happier I was.

We stopped in a meadow that felt oddly familiar. The moon shone brightly overhead and I sat across from Goku on the cold earth, flinching from the temperature. Damn, it was freezing for only being the beginning of fall. He finally reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a small black box as promised, which he held away from me when I reached out for it.

"Uh uh, first I need you to promise me something," Goku said.

I agreed. It was worth it for whatever was in the damn box.

The Saiyan leaned forward and placed the box on the ground between us. "Don't tell anyone about the presents I give you, okay? I don't want them to be jealous. If you can keep my secrets, I'll make sure no one ever hears yours."

There was a threat layered in his words. I nodded and scooped up the box to flip it open. There was a shiny silver bracelet made of interlocking hearts lying inside. It was on my wrist in an instant and I became so overcome with joy that I reached forward to hug Goku tightly around the neck. His hands lifted up slightly like he was going to return the affection but he quickly dropped them and dug his fingers into the hard ground.

"Thank you so much!" I squealed. "How did you know I love hearts?"

Goku picked up the empty box and closed it. His eyes looked vacant again. His smile was wide. "Just intuition, I guess."