cantfightmoonlight1
Can't Fight The Moonlight
by Lovely Maiden

Chapter 2 : Obscurity

Coughing and wheezing, the young blue haired woman lay curled up into her bed sheets. Her bangs clung to her damp forehead. Closing her eyes and trying to concentrate on her breathing, Bra coughed into her pillow, muffling her sick state from anyone who might walk by her room. She slowly made her way to the bathroom, clutching her forehead and swallowing the small moans forming into her dry throat. Bra fell to her knees and vomited into the toilet, emptying her stomach. She lay there for a while, recollecting bits left of her crumbled self.

"I-I can't be seen like this!", she cursed under her breath and made her way back to her room. She slipped on a black sweater and a pair of gray jeans, it was better like this since her skin was covered with bruises and cuts. Shutting the last days events from her mind, the young woman cringed and shook her head, old fears resurging inside her.

Another spasm of pain shot through her whole body and she slumped to the ground. Biting her lower lip, without success holding her tears of pain within. The spasms of pain diminished slightly after a while and Bra slowly stood up on her feet. She knew she was injured... she knew she had a fight the day before... but she didn't know why her body was hurting so much. She felt like she was dying.

Alone and afraid, she hurried out of her room, half running half limping toward the kitchen. Her mother was cooking breakfast, she didn't seem to realize that Bra was standing behind her, trembling and confused. Taking a deep breath, Bra slowly and silently made her way to the table, she didn't want to trouble her mother with her current state. She could handle the pain, she was half-saiya-jin after all...

Lifting the plates expertly into her hands and turning around, Bulma finally saw her silent and pale daughter sitting at the end of the table. "Oh! Good morning Bra-chan! I didn't hear you come in! Your breakfast is ready!" Bulma smiled and laid the plate down carefully in front of Bra and called for Trunks and Vegeta.

Barely moving a finger and being careful not to breathe in too quickly, Bra saw her big brother and her father enter the kitchen. They took their usual seat at the table, not even giving Bra a glance. Deep inside, she knew they didn't care... she was weak, ugly and... dirty.... Bra's skin color dimmed slightly at the sudden surge of obscure thoughts playing over and over in front of her eyes.

"Thank you, Kaasan!", Trunks smiled up at his mother and dug into the huge pile of pancakes in front of him. Vegeta muttered something under his breath before digging in as well. At this sight, Bulma smiled widely and sat down herself with the newspaper in one hand and her coffee cup in the other. She felt perfectly happy when they were all together socializing... well not for her cranky husband here, but at least they were together.

"You know Trunks, your meeting is starting in ten minutes..." Bulma glanced down at her watch and poked her tall son in the ribs. "You should hurry before you get late!"

The lavender haired man half choked on his coffee. He gave his watch a quick look and jumped from his chair. "Aaa!! I'll be late for my meeting!!" With this said Trunks disappeared in a gush of wind, leaving his chair fallen on the floor. Vegeta gave a short snort and continued eating his 3rd serving of pancakes.

"That blasted gravity room needs repairs, woman!", Bulma looked up from her newspaper sharply, a huge frown forming on her middle-aged face. She glanced at the indifferent look on her husbands face and got a lot more angrier.

"I'm NOT fixing it. I've got a plane to catch in 30 minutes. I'm on holiday for crying out loud! You'll have to live without your damned gravity room until I come back!", The blue haired woman passed a hand through her short blue hair, smirking. Vegeta was going to have to live without his gravity room for a while... and the look on his face at this moment was worth an entire month of fixing gravity rooms.

"When will you be back?", Vegeta growled. He finally looked up from his plate.

"Next week. Now excuse me but I have to get ready. Good-bye sweetie, take care." Bulma kissed Bra on the forehead and hurried away before Vegeta could reply or, worse, make a scene.

"That treacherous woman!", Vegeta looked down at his pancakes and sneered in disgust. She surely knew well how to make him mad. How was he going to train now without his gravity room? He'd just have to ask that dumb Kakarotto to spar with him again. Vegeta sighed and stuck his fork into a pancake, eating it whole.

Hanging her head low, Bra tried not to listen to her father. She just looked down at her trembling hands sitting on her knees and stayed silent, biting her lower lip, drawing blood. That only left a silent Bra and a frowning Saiya-jin sitting at the large kitchen table.

Vegeta finally gave Bra a quick glance from his plate. He saw the intact food on her plate and frowned. "Eat your food, girl."

Lifting her head slowly, Bra glanced up at her father. She gave him a small nod and took the fork between her trembling fingers, barely able to keep a good grip on it. She took a small piece and swallowed. almost choking on it. The fork fell on the tiled floor making Bra clutch her ears from the sudden ringing in her head.

Knowing Bra well enough, Vegeta immediately knew something wasn't right with her. He walked up to her and crossed his arms over his blue spandex waiting for her to look up at him. She just stayed there, head hanging limply, long blue hair hiding her pale face.

"What's wrong with you?", impatient, Vegeta cupped her chin between his fingers and forced her to look at him. She gave a sharp gasp and the hair covering her face slipped away. He saw her red puffy eyes, her pale face, the sweat clinging against her moist forehead and the ugly bruise forming against her cheekbone. Vegeta was taken aback for a moment. Letting this pitiful site slowly sink in, Vegeta's eyes narrowed and anger quickly rushed inside him, "Who did this to you?!"

Bra avoided his angry stare, she felt miserable. The events of the day earlier ressurging through her mind like hundred knifes stabbing her. The strange woman... the golden gleam... she remembered fighting, struggling against someone. She remembered not being able to protect herself from physical abuse... No! She didn't want to remember!

"No...", the distressed girl turned around quickly taking a step away from her father, the room spinning dizzily around her. Vegeta brought her down against the chair forcefully, his hand digging into her arm painfully.

"Sit down...", Vegeta's tone was cold but concerned. His hand slowly rolled up the sleeve of her shirt, uncovering new ugly bruises and cuts on her pale skin. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to explain.

With a sad and despaired expression Bra couldn't repress the sob escaping her trembling lips. She sniffled a couple of times and tried to pry her father's death grip on her arm, another spasm of pain traveling through her. "I'm... fine..."

"Stop lying to me girl! Tell me what happened!", The Saiya-jin Prince was even more taken aback when Bra's ki suddenly rose enough to slam him against the wall. His eyes were wide for a split second and then he saw her turn around the corner and dash out of the building.

"You're not going anywhere..." Vegeta disappeared from the kitchen and flew right after her.

Leaning against a thick tree, Bra gasped for hair, her lungs were on fire. Hiding her ki from her father she sat down and laid her head against her knees. Another stab of pain shot through her and then another flash of the night before came back to her. She was walking home when suddenly.... a tall woman appear. She was so pretty, but evil. And she hurt her somehow. She took something... a crystal... then the pain.

Since yesterday night, she felt her energy slowly diminish... slipping from her fingers. Her thoughts were a huge mess of dark memories. She felt like vomiting and her hands kept trembling. "What's wrong with me?...", Bra sobbed a bit and hugged her knees tighter with the force left in her body.

"Who did this to you Bra?" The cool, baritone voice was like a melody to her ears. She hardly heard it. The voice felt so far away.... so far....

Two pointy white boots appeared beside her and it took a lot of concentration from her part to recognize them. Not moving, not even showing any life, Bra stayed there, head laying against knees until two strong arms gently swept her off her feet. In an instant she felt the gush of wind play with her long hair. She knew her dad was bringing her back home. For a moment she felt proud for having such a strong and protective father. When it came to protecting family, he was the best.

A door opened... and closed. She was home again. Bra clutched her eyelids tightly closed, the dreadful feelings coming back to her. She wasn't loved. No one cared. She was good for nothing... not even for living. The pain inside her was too violent. She felt herself quickly drift into the arms of the welcoming darkness. The only thing she heard before falling unconscious was Vegeta's distant voice yelling her name.