Chapter 5: Things Don't Stay the Same
Tora awoke in a haze. There were eyes looking at her; blue eyes.... Bulma?
"Bulma what happened?" she asked, her voice cracking as it too awoke from the deep slumber.
The figure smirked and stood to leave. Tora's eyes focused just in time to see a boot clad foot leave the room.
"Tora!!" a voice yelled, and Torasuki flinched. She turned to see flailing arms just before being locked into an embrace.
"Bra what happened?" she stuck to the original question.
Bra pulled back and wiped a forming tear from her eye. Tora realized she might have been sleeping a bit longer than she thought.
"You went Super Saiyan!" she smiled "Just for a second, but you did.... then you passed out" Bra's face quirked with the final statement.
Torasuki shook her head lightly and sat up looking around. Bra militantly placed a hand to her forehead "Ahh you're cooling down"
Tora just continued blinking, looking around the room she lay in. She was on a cot in the old med. room; the orange glow from the regen tank was the only light in the room.
The regen tank?.....What the hell had happened? "Hey Bra how long was I out?" Tora asked, her voice stronger now.
The blue haired girl checked her watch and 'hmmm-ed' "I'd say about 2 days." She smirked. Then her eyes widened again "You've got such an edge over my brother!" Bra caught Tora's confused look and continued. "Well, he must feel so guilty for pushing you so hard. He hasn't even been to school. He stayed by your bed almost the whole time!"
Torasuki was swimming in disbelief. Trunks was the last one she remembered seeing. Now that she thought about it, he was the first. Those blue eyes hadn't been Bulma's.
Bra smiled "Can you get up? My mom said you could sleep in my room! And you gotta go see your mom. She didn't calm down, even after my mom told her exactly when you'd wake up."
She shifted and stood on wobbly, unused legs. It took a second for her to regain her posture and balance. Her tail, still groggy from the sleep, couldn't quite keep up with her. She slowly followed Bra out of the room, promising to change out of the lovely 'nightgown' that she wore as soon as possible.
Bulma had been very proud of her correct timing.
Kira, however, acted as if she hadn't known a thing. Hugging Tora like the world had ended.
"Ma.. I'm fine..." Tora said in a low, soft voice.
"FINE!? You don't wake up for two days, and when you do you look like you've been to hell and back" Tora rolled her eyes after that statement. 'Great, now a shower is on the list'
"That is NOT fine." Her mother finished
Bra and Bulma just stood back smirking. "uhmm Kira, can I have her now?" Bra asked meekly, earning another exasperated look from Tora.
Kira finally obliged and the two headed towards Bra's room.
Bulma looked to Kira. "So, when will you tell her about Jeremy?"
Kira shook her head. "She barely knew him. She'll probably care more that I'm single and I'll be home more often." She smiled. The two worn out mothers sat at the kitchen table, returning to the coffee they had been sharing before Tora's entrance.
"I still have yet to get used to this whole 'mother of a different species' thing.. The injuries are more than I've ever dealt with! And it has yet to fade with age." Kira swirled her coffee as she spoke her mind.
"Yeah" Bulma began "but you always have to remember, it's a warrior race...it's in her blood. It takes a hell of a lot to even hurt her in the first place, and even when it happens, give it a day and it will be gone without a trace."
"But it doesn't bother you that they can just fly off..... that you are the 'weaker' parent?" Kira asked, shifting her gaze as Trunks trotted through the living room with Goten in his wake.
"She's in the shower guys, knock on Bra's door first!" Bulma yelled, Then turned back to Kira. "Not with a mouth and attitude like this. If I don't have something, I invent it. They know who's boss." She made a mean face and folded her arms.
Kira allowed herself to laugh.
"I still can't believe she's Brolli's daughter... I mean think Trunks, you peed on Tora's dad's head!" Goten struggled through the last half of the sentence, but ended laughing at his own thought.
Trunks just rolled his eyes and smirked.
"You guys are so gross." Bra remarked, typing a few things into her computer. "Don't tell her right away though ok?" Bra spun in her chair and focused her blue gaze on the boys, who sat in front of her bed playing video games. Goten looked up and snapped to attention at the sight of her eyes on him.
"It's been a tough few days, and the last thing she needs to hear now is news of her real father.. She's got enough on her mind." Bra said, showing her more protective side over her friend.
The water in the shower stopped, and all three whipped around to their previous activities.
"Hey Tora! Don't come out, the boys are here!" Trunks gave his sister a look at the word 'boys' and Goten made an angry face as his character died.
"Ok! It's not like I run out of the bathroom naked on a normal basis!" Torasuki yelled, muffled behind the bathroom door.
Tora eventually emerged, sitting on Bra's bed towel drying her deep purple hair.
"Hey don't drip!" Bra complained, not even looking away from her computer.
Tora glanced around as she ran a comb through her hair. "Hmmm... Great 'Happy-You-Didn't-Die' Party guys."
Goten laughed. "Awesome Tor.. you didn't die.. that was funny."
The other two laughed also, but got the hint and wrapped up their work.
Torasuki mused as she lay back against the headboard. He still called her 'Tor', even after all of this time. She remembered back when the 4 used to be best friends. Goten called her Tor, and Trunks would gleefully call her 'suki-chan'. Bra found it utterly hilarious that she was left with the 'a' in "Tor-a-suki chan".
"You look tired"
She was brought out of her daydream by Trunks' voice. "Yeah, even after 2 days of sleep, you'd think I'd be wide awake right?" she laughed.
Bra sat on the bed next to her, while Trunks & Goten merely turned their respective seats towards the bed. "So what is this about me going Super Saiyan?" Tora said, remembering Bra's statement within the flurry of memories.
"You switched right after Trunks wailed on you! You like, screamed and then flickered gold and then bam!, you were on the ground." Goten said.
"Yeah, we sat there for awhile, and finally called mom. My dad had to carry you home because we were all so scared" Trunks added with a quirked brow.
"Thought we broke ya!" Bra said thirdly, gazing out the window.
Torasuki shook her head. "Damn.. I wish I could remember! That's a big step for me.. ya know?" Tora made an annoyed face as she realized her shirt was wet from her damp hair. She flared her ki to dry it, and immediately went to work on brushing the resulting fluffball.
"Well, now that you crossed the line, it shouldn't be too hard to go back." Trunks said.
"Really?" she asked, he confirmed by nodding.
"Yeah, it's like flying. Once you get used to it, you'll be able to do it with the snap of your fingers. Goten said, snapping his fingers to animate the explanation.
Tora grinned. She couldn't wait to work on it some more.
Bra scowled. "Ok, but when you guys all learn, you have to promise to teach me. I hate being left out." She said, picking at the cat hairs on her bed.
"Of course! I wouldn't leave you out Bra, believe me. I'll need my best sparring partner on the job." Tora supportingly patted her back.
Usually not the one for affection, this was a big move for Tora, who was immediately wide eyed in a death squeeze.
"AWWW!! Thank you!!!" Bra yelled.
"It's .. no .. problem...... really!..... ack" Tora managed.
They laughed and Trunks stood. "Hey Tora, can I talk to you?" he said.
Torasuki hid her surprise and stood, nodding.
"Call her Suki-chan!!" Goten yelled behind the two, who walked out the door laughing.
Goten handed Bra the other video controller as she layed on her stomach.
Torasuki found herself in a predicament. This was awkward. She wasn't at all used to this feeling.
The breeze picked at her freshly brushed hair, which was down for the first time in years. Usually, she kept it up in two ponytails, with two neatly parted tendrils hanging from the top.
The sound of Trunks' deepened voice floated around her as they walked down a path in the woods. He seemed sincere. He was so serious and soft with her.
She blinked.
It had been so long since she actually talked to Trunks, or even Goten for that matter. But with Trunks it seemed more momentous to be holding a soft conversation. He was much more hardened inside, and rarely gave anyone the time of day unless he felt them fit to receive it. Trunks had grown into his attitude, and it had softened to the public eye, but Tora knew he held that iron core that his father possessed.
"...I just didn't know. I can't even explain it. I was just so angry." He looked down. Tora was brought out of her thoughts as his talking had slowed.
"I didn't mean to take it out on you... you just have this way of getting me angry." he laughed to the ground, and Tora smiled. "Sorry..." she said in a soft voice.
"No no... don't worry. If anything it gives me a challenge. I just went a little too far this time. "
Tora looked over at him and smirked. His tail hung down as low as his head. The Moon was out tonight, and it glinted on his hair. Probably on hers as well. She was about to look down at it when he looked at her.
"So anyway.. I'm just sorry. I think we all should train together more... and maybe I should give you and my sister the time of day more often." He smirked and looked back down.
Tora smiled also, but followed his gaze to the ground. Her face seemed to take on heat, and she wondered if it was a hot night. "It's ok.." she said. "Really. If anything, I owe you, ya know?" She looked up to the moon, which was quickly being covered by darker clouds. "I mean, you are the reason I went Super Saiyan in a way. You made all of that anger come out at once." Tora laughed. "I guess you have a way with making me mad too!"
He smiled, and suddenly looked up, ducking his head slightly as if someone had patted him on the head " Hey I think it's starting to rain." He said.
Tora tilted her head until she felt a drop, her tail protested to the drop of rain and whipped back around her waist. "Yeah, let's head back" she said.
The two turned and lifted off of the ground slightly, flying through the drizzle, and making it back just before the downpour.