CookieFlame: Haha. You hate the deer now. . . that made me laugh XD
Cornichon92: I thought that too." Not Trunksie!" But my dark side won. . . ;) Thanks for reviewing!
MarronChestnut: Vegeta agrees. :)
XXXTITANIA SCARLETXXX: If Trunks is dead, he can't be brought back without the dragonballs, which don't exist anymore. I had the dragonballs go away with Goku in the chapter before "Brother/Sister Date," I think.
Mel77able: You have a point, he has survived worse. Thanks for reviewing, it was very helpful. I need to be more creative if/when I kill characters off.
kimdc413: Haha it's not the end yet. 3 more chapters to go, remember?
beaulevity:^_^ Thank you. If Trunks is dead, he can't be brought back. I got rid of the dragonballs in one sentence when Pan, Trunks, & Goku came back to Earth.
midnightsolitaire: If Trunks is dead, there's still a point. Bulla's brother complex wont end just because Trunks might be dead. :) Thanks for reviewing!
LeximusPrime08: So far, you're the ONLY ONE to worry for Giru. He doesn't get much love * sigh* but he is a robot.
Bulma: Um, I'm sorry dear but. . . Giru didn't make it
LeximusPrime08: *drops to knees* Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
TeeLee: *sobs* He was the most awesome robot ever.*evil laughs* But I'd kill him again if I could. Mwahahaha!
Helennnn,Brii-Chan14,XOXOserenityXOXO, Sasuke-chan101, maxridelover, xSmallLadySerenity13, Awesomegirl789, DBZcrew,RasenKamehameha BTfan11, EeveeAlchemist, CRYING, Starfire Grace ,xX-SailorVChan-Xx, & Guest people: Thanks for reviewing & crying!
Let me know if you cry in the next chapters. ;)
- 6 years later-
I stormed through the top floor of Capsule Corporation tower. My long hair blew behind me, alerting everyone to my mood. The smarter workers lunged out of the way. I had no problem with pushing a few of the slower ones.
"Move it!" I barked at one man, shoving him through three cubicles. My temper and strength was well known on each floor of the building. I made it clear six years ago that I wasn't a weak, fragile woman. A fact that many of the top dogs in the corporate world failed to understand. Including the man being promoted from VP: my lover turned traitor, Kyuu.
"Awe. I have coffee on my shirt," I heard the man I pushed whine.
"When she gets like that, it's better to stay out of her way." A female worker said, showing no sympathy for the man.
A sea of people parted, some never looking up from the documents they read, simply knowing my mood by the clacking of my heels.' If only Kyuu was like them.'
The door to my mother's office was open. Kyuu stood leaning against the door frame as he talked to my mother. My anger wavered as I caught sight of his dimples and chiseled jaw. A low growl erupted from me, part of it stemming from my lust for Kyuu and part of it from the desire to blast my mother into the next dimension.
Mom's shoulders sagged as she saw me, and the box she carried looked heavier than it actually was. It wasn't her stuff she carried anyway. It had all belonged to my brother once, but since Mom was renouncing her title as the President of Capsule Corporation, Brother's things no longer had a place in that office.
"Hi, hon." Kyuu greeted, a genuinely warm smile on his face. He kissed my forehead. His kiss felt nice, but I forced myself to ignore him.
"Why does he get to be Preside and not me?" I cried, knowing that I sounded like a jealous child. Kyuu had worked under my brother's guidance for years and had a lot more experience than me. He was perfect for the job, but he wasn't a Briefs. He wasn't the heiress!" This company has been passed down in our family for generations! I'm the rightful heir! I should be the one getting a promotion not him!"
"I'll see you at dinner," Kyuu coughed, awkwardly excusing himself from the heated conversation about him. He knew my feelings. Instead of declining the promotion, he accepted, claiming that leading a company had been his dream for years. It had never really been my dream, but I had promised myself that I'd take over for Brother, so he could fulfill his dreams.
The promise I made became pointless after the accident, but I still wanted to honor it.
"Bulla." Mom sighed. She'd aged a lot over the years. Her blue hair had dulled, her complexion was paler than ever since she was constantly cooped up in the building, she'd become very thin, and had a scratchy-sounding voice from the extra cigarettes she smoked. Running a company was a stressful job, and smoking relaxed her a little. She couldn't last the day without smoking an entire pack.
I was staring my fate in the eyes, and still I wanted to run the company.
"We've been through this a thousand times." Mom continued, emotionally drained from the arguments. The workers were staring at us, I could feel it, and that had been my plan all along. If humiliating and pressuring her into choosing me for my brother's old job wasn't going to work, i'd at least have this satisfaction." Kyuu has more experience. He's trained. You're not ready to take over the company, but maybe in a few years. . ."
"I doubt Kyuu would willingly step down once I've had enough experience. He wont be ready to retire until he's, like, one hundred!" I crossed my arms, only to keep myself from blasting her." If Trunks were here, he'd stand up for me. He worked hard to keep this company afloat, now you're just pushing your responsibilities onto- -"
Mom let go of the box she held and struck me, hard, in the face. The blame and hate was there, in her eyes, but just for a second. She removed her trembling hand from my cheek and her eyes enlarged, shocked by her own outburst. She wasn't going to apologize, she never apologized for hitting me.
Just because I couldn't feel it doesn't mean it didn't hurt.
"I hate you." I snarled.
Mom bent down and scooped the spilled contents back into the box. She gently traced her finger over one of Brother's pictures. A portrait of him, Goku, Giru, Pan, one of the dragonballs, and the spaceship they lived in.
"I know." She whispered.
I rolled my eyes and walked away. I wasn't in the mood to watch her cry.
.
.
.
The water is dark. I'm too far from the surface to see any light, and my feet is miles away from touching the bottom, if there's even a bottom. My hair floats around me, some of it clings to my arms and face, and small bubbles float upward with every shallow breath.
I pull my knees close to my chest, wrapping both arms around them. Being alone in the dark doesn't scare me, it's actually very peaceful.
I'm not alone in the dark for long.
From deep below, my brother slowly floats up, his glowing blond hair lighting the water enough for us to see. The water changes into a light blue, mirroring his eye color, and suddenly I can see the white sky above the water.
Brother takes my hand. Together we break through the surface and fall.
"You shouldn't be mean to Mom," Brother says in a disapproving tone. His blond hair flattens, returning to his usual purple color. Our hair swishes around us as we fall into the white sky, caught in an invisible tornado. He's standing across from me, studying me in a way he's never done before.
I give him an explanation, assuming that's what he wants.
"I hate her!"I shout.
This explanation isn't enough, not for my brother. The tornado stops moving, and Brother flies forward, pushing me back with his knuckles. The weight of gravity pulls me into a woman's body. It's my body, but much older. Standing in front of me is my daughter. She looks exactly like me.
"I love you."
She wrinkles her face in disgust. I get the feeling she doesn't like me. She hates me and I don't understand why! It hurts! I've never felt a pain like this before, it's confusing and I don't like it. Thankfully, I don't feel the pain for long. The scenery changes and I'm standing in the forest beside the blown up truck.
Two tears fall, landing in my cupped hands. I can hear someone walking towards me. I don't move. A man's hand appears, dropping two heart-shaped gold necklaces into my hands.
"Give this to mom." Brother says, pointing to one of the necklaces. I get the feeling that this is something he's wanted to give mom for a long time. He taps the necklace closest to me, and I understand that one is mine.
He drops one more item into my hands, a picture of Mom and me at three stages in our life. Her a young woman, holding me as a baby. Me as a teenager, and her much older. The last part of the photo is a part of my life I haven't experienced yet. . . me as a mature woman, standing beside a blue-haired teenager of my own.
My interest in the picture doesn't last, and I drop everything except the necklace that's mine. I love receiving gifts, and the gold heart-shaped necklace is beautiful!
It's beauty doesn't last long. The gold dissolves into disgusting maggots. The maggots crawl over my hand, up my arm, and stuff themselves into my open mouth, stifling my screams.
Kyuu's heavy arm over my waist was my only comfort as I awoke from the disturbing dream.
I stared at the blank wall, listening to Kyuu's breathing while I replayed the dream. It meant something, and I couldn't ignore it.
I gently lifted Kyuu's arm and silently left the bed.
.
.
.
Mom and Dad were surprised to see me in the kitchen, a box of donuts in one hand, and a gift bag in the other.
"Good morning Daddy," I greeted, kissing him on the cheek. He grunted, smiled, then helped himself to the donuts.
Mom poured herself a cup of coffee. She kept her back to me as she looked out the kitchen window, sipped her coffee, and pretended to be interested in the weather outside. Who knows, maybe she was interested in the weather. I never took the time to find out what Mom's likes or hobbies were. She was the woman who birthed me, nothing more. None of that was her fault, she'd tried countless times to bond with me.
I was the one who never gave her that chance.
Mom started to leave the kitchen, probably headed to her lab or to take a shower, but I quickly blocked her escape. She sighed, expecting another confrontation about the company. She almost dropped her coffee as I embraced her in a hug.
"I'm sorry Mom." I whispered, burying my face in the crook of her neck." I don't hate you. You're my mom and I shouldn't have said that." I pulled away. . . a five second hug was my limit. " Here, I bought you this gift. I hope you can forgive me for being a selfish daughter."
Mom wearily opened the gift bag. " Bribery isn't going to work. I've made my decision."
" I know." I said through a tight smile. 'Darn! Why didn't I think of bribing her from the start? That might've worked! She loves receiving gifts as much as I do!'" And I've accepted it. Kyuu will become the President of Capsule Corp. . . and I'll be the VP, for now. Someday I'll take over the company, I promise."
Mom pulled the long heart-shaped necklace from its bag. It was silver instead of gold, and the heart wasn't heavy, it just looked heavy.
"Wow this is beautiful. Thank you." Mom smiled." Vegeta look, isn't this beautiful?"
Dad rolled his eyes, took the donuts, and left the room without a word.
"There's some mail for you. It's on the counter." Mom said, fastening the necklace around her neck." Should I start forwarding mail to Kyuu's address from now on?"
"I don't know." I answered, flipping through the envelopes addressed to me.
"You've been dating each other for two years. Isn't it time one of you popped the question?"
I stopped breathing as I came upon a peach colored envelope with flower decorations.
" Bulla? What's wrong?"
I opened the envelope and quickly read the card inside. It was from Marron! She'd sent me a few letters after the accident, but those quickly stopped when I didn't reply back.
"It's a wedding invitation. Marron's getting married!" I smiled, happy to be invited to an important even in my old friend's life. My excitement quickly vanished as I wondered who it was Marron was getting married to.
If I did a lot of rhyming, I'm sorry. It's late & I can't sleep. :P
Yes, Goten will be in the next chapter.
1-23-2014