Versus
--The Battle Begins--
"Alright. That's over. Now we can finally get to sparring," Goten said.
Ah. Hearing him say that reminded her of the old days. He was obviously excited. The two had just finished a two-hour history session and Bra's mind hadn't digested anything except Goten's facial features. So maybe sparring wasn't a bad idea. She wasn't sure how her concentration would be, but it would probably hold her attention longer than history would.
"You mean your obliteration, right?" Bra said. She shoved her books into her bag and stood. "My place or yours?"
"You're gonna fight in that?" Goten asked, studying the outfit Bra wore.
It was a pale pink short-sleeved sweater, a pair of hip huggers and a pair of cute little zip-up boots. In other words, it wasn't an outfit one would fight in. So, she'd have to change clothes.
Bra shrugged. "Okay. We can go to my house first and then we'll get down to business."
"Let's go, then," Goten replied.
With that they exited the library. It was amazing that even after they'd had such a strange day and an even stranger study session, they would be willing to see each other. To Bra it was a little uncomfortable, but Goten didn't seem to mind at all. So she would have to go with the flow (at least until something else strange happened).
- & - & - & -
--at Capsule Corp--
"Hi!" Goten said to Bulma as he entered.
Bulma turned toward the doorway where Goten and Bra stood. "Goten! Every time I look at you, it's like looking at your father." She walked over and hugged him. "I didn't really get a chance to talk to you the other day at the gathering. Come in. Sit down. Would you like anything?"
"Mom...," Bra said, rolling her eyes.
"No thanks, Mrs. B.," Goten said. He went over and sat in a chair.
"So, how's Bra been doing in your class? Are you helping her like I asked?" Bulma asked.
Hold it! Her mother had asked Goten to help her? She remembered him saying something strange to her that first day they studied together.
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"I brought you here for a reason and I fully intend to carry it out," Goten had said. "Now, it's true that I chose you over the other students to tutor personally. You're a smart girl. I'm sure you know by now why that is."
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Bra's mind clicked back into the present. So her mother had asked him to help her. That's why he insisted that they continue today. That was the ONLY reason. As a favor to her mother....
"Yeah," Goten responded to Bulma's question. "She's doing great."
Now that was a lie. There was no proof that she was doing great. She hadn't responded to him at all in either of those study sessions, really.
At that moment, the man of the house entered the room. When in public, people would cower in his presence. Not here.
"Hi, Vegeta," Goten said.
Bra knew her father hated that. No one in the Son family line feared him.
"Woman, what is Kakarot's youngest brat doing here?" Vegeta asked Bulma.
Bulma shrugged. "Can't he come over and visit his friends?"
"He lives with the friend he had here. So I don't want to see him," Vegeta retorted, giving Goten one of his more menacing looks. "Especially with her."
What was her father trying to say? He knew that Goten was the only person she'd hang with other than Pan.
"What? Are you afraid he's gonna take your daughter away or something? Relax," Bulma argued.
"The rest of you may be blind, but I'm no fool," Vegeta said, ending it there. He went into the kitchen.
What a strange statement. What was he getting at? Her father had always been...an eccentric man, but this kind of behavior was just perplexing.
"Argh! I don't know why I put up with him!" Bulma groaned.
"Don't let him get under your skin, Mrs. B," Goten said. Cheerful, as usual. Could anything get this guy down?
Bra looked at the ceiling. "I'll just go get dressed now." She was about to head to her room when her mother stopped her.
"Get dressed?" Bulma asked. "What's up?"
Oh yeah. Nosey mother. If she didn't make up some cleaver lie, surely Goten would end up telling her what they were up to.
"We're going swimming. I'm supposed to meet Pan and Marron later to go swimming," Bra said, giving Goten a 'back me up on this' look.
At first Goten just gave her a blank look, then it looked like a light was turned on in his head. "We're going to meet them now," he recovered, talking even slower than usual.
"Oh. Sounds like fun. Well, I'm gonna meet with some system boards in the lab. You guys have fun," Bulma said. Thankfully, when she went into the lab it was always hours before she reemerged.
"Hey, thanks," Bra said to Goten. "I'll be out in a minute." With that, she darted to her room and changed into a red spandex outfit like her father wore in training. When she came back, Goten stood up and gave her a strange look. "What?" she asked. "You coming or not?"
Goten smiled his usual smile. "Let's go."
What was with that weird look on his face? As she walked in front of him, she got a funny feeling. Like someone was watching her. Maybe she was just imagining things. It was precisely the kind of interest she wanted from him. Unfortunately, she'd been wrong about everything else. Why should this time be any different?
- & - & - & -
--at Goten and Trunks' place--
The apartment complex was luxurious. Of course it would be. Trunks wasn't about to live in anything substandard. Then again, this was well above standard living. She just thought that Goten would go for something much simpler.
"Welcome. You've got a real problem about standing in doorways. Come in," Goten said playfully.
Bra couldn't help smiling a little. She entered the apartment. She couldn't believe two men—two bachelors in their twenties— lived here. It was surprisingly neat.
"Wow. What a place," Bra said.
"Hey, Goten, did you get that ratchet I asked you to pick up?!" Trunks called from another room.
"Watch this," Goten whispered to Bra. He tiptoed over to the closed bedroom door and kicked it down. "Ha ha haaaa!! I gotcha that time!!"
A ki blast came out of the bedroom and knocked Goten down.
"Okay, so you were ready that time," Goten coughed.
Trunks came out of the bedroom and put his foot on Goten's chest. "That'll teach ya. Did you get my ratchet?"
"I forgot," Goten laughed. "Get your foot off me."
It was nice to see that even after all this time, the two were still the same ridiculous jerks they were before (not meaning that in a bad way, of course). Some things never changed.
"Bra? What are you doing here?" Trunks asked, walking over to her. Goten went off to the kitchen.
"Good to see you too," Bra said, blandly.
"You little spy. I bet Mom sent you over here to see what I was doing. Didn't she?" Trunks asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
Bra folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes. "I am no one's errand girl. I came to spar with Goten."
"You would," Trunks said. "What IS it with you two? You've always been like this. If you're not around each other, you're talking about each other."
"What are you talking about?" Bra said. She knew for a fact that she avoided even bringing up Goten's name during the time he was missing from her life.
"That guy has been talking about you and asking about you ever since we started living together," Trunks said. "I told him all he had to do was go visit to see how you were doing."
Bra blushed a little. She wasn't sure how to take this information. She was obviously on his mind a lot. But in what way?
Goten returned, dressed in his father's orange gi and that famous long-sleeved shirt. "You know your dad doesn't like me," he said. He had undoubtedly heard their conversation.
"That never stopped you before. Since when did you all of a sudden start caring about what Dad thinks about you?" Trunks questioned.
Goten ignored him. "Come on, Bra. I know this great place to spar. We can go all out if we want."
That was all she needed. Fighting without bounds. There was no limit to the skills she could show off and she definitely intended to impress him with her moves.
--End The Battle Begins--
--Bra has been confused beyond repair. So, what's the next logical step? Take out your frustrations in the ring? Actually, that's not a very good idea. Someone could get hurt in a situation like this. Sure, if Bra just came out and said the things she really felt, life would be easier. But that's not the way she operates in MY story. And you never know what's gonna happen on any given day. So please stay tuned for the next episode.
--Thank you for reading this episode of Versus. Thank you for the reviews. Please keep them coming. It's the only way to know whether I should keep this story going.
--Welcome to the disclaimer section. News flash!!!: You got disclaimers in previous chapters, so you won't get one here.
--The Battle Begins--
"Alright. That's over. Now we can finally get to sparring," Goten said.
Ah. Hearing him say that reminded her of the old days. He was obviously excited. The two had just finished a two-hour history session and Bra's mind hadn't digested anything except Goten's facial features. So maybe sparring wasn't a bad idea. She wasn't sure how her concentration would be, but it would probably hold her attention longer than history would.
"You mean your obliteration, right?" Bra said. She shoved her books into her bag and stood. "My place or yours?"
"You're gonna fight in that?" Goten asked, studying the outfit Bra wore.
It was a pale pink short-sleeved sweater, a pair of hip huggers and a pair of cute little zip-up boots. In other words, it wasn't an outfit one would fight in. So, she'd have to change clothes.
Bra shrugged. "Okay. We can go to my house first and then we'll get down to business."
"Let's go, then," Goten replied.
With that they exited the library. It was amazing that even after they'd had such a strange day and an even stranger study session, they would be willing to see each other. To Bra it was a little uncomfortable, but Goten didn't seem to mind at all. So she would have to go with the flow (at least until something else strange happened).
- & - & - & -
--at Capsule Corp--
"Hi!" Goten said to Bulma as he entered.
Bulma turned toward the doorway where Goten and Bra stood. "Goten! Every time I look at you, it's like looking at your father." She walked over and hugged him. "I didn't really get a chance to talk to you the other day at the gathering. Come in. Sit down. Would you like anything?"
"Mom...," Bra said, rolling her eyes.
"No thanks, Mrs. B.," Goten said. He went over and sat in a chair.
"So, how's Bra been doing in your class? Are you helping her like I asked?" Bulma asked.
Hold it! Her mother had asked Goten to help her? She remembered him saying something strange to her that first day they studied together.
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"I brought you here for a reason and I fully intend to carry it out," Goten had said. "Now, it's true that I chose you over the other students to tutor personally. You're a smart girl. I'm sure you know by now why that is."
- & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & -
Bra's mind clicked back into the present. So her mother had asked him to help her. That's why he insisted that they continue today. That was the ONLY reason. As a favor to her mother....
"Yeah," Goten responded to Bulma's question. "She's doing great."
Now that was a lie. There was no proof that she was doing great. She hadn't responded to him at all in either of those study sessions, really.
At that moment, the man of the house entered the room. When in public, people would cower in his presence. Not here.
"Hi, Vegeta," Goten said.
Bra knew her father hated that. No one in the Son family line feared him.
"Woman, what is Kakarot's youngest brat doing here?" Vegeta asked Bulma.
Bulma shrugged. "Can't he come over and visit his friends?"
"He lives with the friend he had here. So I don't want to see him," Vegeta retorted, giving Goten one of his more menacing looks. "Especially with her."
What was her father trying to say? He knew that Goten was the only person she'd hang with other than Pan.
"What? Are you afraid he's gonna take your daughter away or something? Relax," Bulma argued.
"The rest of you may be blind, but I'm no fool," Vegeta said, ending it there. He went into the kitchen.
What a strange statement. What was he getting at? Her father had always been...an eccentric man, but this kind of behavior was just perplexing.
"Argh! I don't know why I put up with him!" Bulma groaned.
"Don't let him get under your skin, Mrs. B," Goten said. Cheerful, as usual. Could anything get this guy down?
Bra looked at the ceiling. "I'll just go get dressed now." She was about to head to her room when her mother stopped her.
"Get dressed?" Bulma asked. "What's up?"
Oh yeah. Nosey mother. If she didn't make up some cleaver lie, surely Goten would end up telling her what they were up to.
"We're going swimming. I'm supposed to meet Pan and Marron later to go swimming," Bra said, giving Goten a 'back me up on this' look.
At first Goten just gave her a blank look, then it looked like a light was turned on in his head. "We're going to meet them now," he recovered, talking even slower than usual.
"Oh. Sounds like fun. Well, I'm gonna meet with some system boards in the lab. You guys have fun," Bulma said. Thankfully, when she went into the lab it was always hours before she reemerged.
"Hey, thanks," Bra said to Goten. "I'll be out in a minute." With that, she darted to her room and changed into a red spandex outfit like her father wore in training. When she came back, Goten stood up and gave her a strange look. "What?" she asked. "You coming or not?"
Goten smiled his usual smile. "Let's go."
What was with that weird look on his face? As she walked in front of him, she got a funny feeling. Like someone was watching her. Maybe she was just imagining things. It was precisely the kind of interest she wanted from him. Unfortunately, she'd been wrong about everything else. Why should this time be any different?
- & - & - & -
--at Goten and Trunks' place--
The apartment complex was luxurious. Of course it would be. Trunks wasn't about to live in anything substandard. Then again, this was well above standard living. She just thought that Goten would go for something much simpler.
"Welcome. You've got a real problem about standing in doorways. Come in," Goten said playfully.
Bra couldn't help smiling a little. She entered the apartment. She couldn't believe two men—two bachelors in their twenties— lived here. It was surprisingly neat.
"Wow. What a place," Bra said.
"Hey, Goten, did you get that ratchet I asked you to pick up?!" Trunks called from another room.
"Watch this," Goten whispered to Bra. He tiptoed over to the closed bedroom door and kicked it down. "Ha ha haaaa!! I gotcha that time!!"
A ki blast came out of the bedroom and knocked Goten down.
"Okay, so you were ready that time," Goten coughed.
Trunks came out of the bedroom and put his foot on Goten's chest. "That'll teach ya. Did you get my ratchet?"
"I forgot," Goten laughed. "Get your foot off me."
It was nice to see that even after all this time, the two were still the same ridiculous jerks they were before (not meaning that in a bad way, of course). Some things never changed.
"Bra? What are you doing here?" Trunks asked, walking over to her. Goten went off to the kitchen.
"Good to see you too," Bra said, blandly.
"You little spy. I bet Mom sent you over here to see what I was doing. Didn't she?" Trunks asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
Bra folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes. "I am no one's errand girl. I came to spar with Goten."
"You would," Trunks said. "What IS it with you two? You've always been like this. If you're not around each other, you're talking about each other."
"What are you talking about?" Bra said. She knew for a fact that she avoided even bringing up Goten's name during the time he was missing from her life.
"That guy has been talking about you and asking about you ever since we started living together," Trunks said. "I told him all he had to do was go visit to see how you were doing."
Bra blushed a little. She wasn't sure how to take this information. She was obviously on his mind a lot. But in what way?
Goten returned, dressed in his father's orange gi and that famous long-sleeved shirt. "You know your dad doesn't like me," he said. He had undoubtedly heard their conversation.
"That never stopped you before. Since when did you all of a sudden start caring about what Dad thinks about you?" Trunks questioned.
Goten ignored him. "Come on, Bra. I know this great place to spar. We can go all out if we want."
That was all she needed. Fighting without bounds. There was no limit to the skills she could show off and she definitely intended to impress him with her moves.
--End The Battle Begins--
--Bra has been confused beyond repair. So, what's the next logical step? Take out your frustrations in the ring? Actually, that's not a very good idea. Someone could get hurt in a situation like this. Sure, if Bra just came out and said the things she really felt, life would be easier. But that's not the way she operates in MY story. And you never know what's gonna happen on any given day. So please stay tuned for the next episode.
--Thank you for reading this episode of Versus. Thank you for the reviews. Please keep them coming. It's the only way to know whether I should keep this story going.
--Welcome to the disclaimer section. News flash!!!: You got disclaimers in previous chapters, so you won't get one here.