Versus
--No One Can Know How We Feel--
What had he said? You're the only girl for me? That was what she recalled him saying. It had only happened a moment ago, yet she could not recollect his last words.
"But look at me. Talking about MY problems. I was sent here to find out what's wrong with YOU," Goten said rather ridiculously. He scratched the back of his head and smiled that silly, embarrassed smile he always smiled.
Bra could only stare blankly at him. She still wasn't sure if he'd said what he'd said.
"Are you feeling okay?" Goten asked. "I could go and pick up some aspirin for you, if you want."
Bra's mind slowed and shifted back into first gear. She wanted all of this to be true, but for the past few days, she'd received so many mixed signals, she didn't know what to believe. "Did you just say what I think you said?"
"Well, yeah. But if you don't need aspirin, I could pick up something else," Goten suggested.
"Not that. I don't care about medicine," Bra told him, becoming a little impatient. "I'm talking about the I'm the only girl for you thing." Her heart was racing. What if this wasn't what he meant? What if this is like all the other times when she'd hoped he would convey that he had special feelings for her?
"Oh, yeah. That." Goten couldn't seem to find the words for what he wanted to say. "This whole time, you've seen me as an older brother, as a teacher, and as a friend. But I've always wanted there to be more between us. It's like I'm trying to take advantage of our closeness." There was that sad look in his eyes. "I'm really sorry, but I can't help the way I feel."
That was enough for her. She smiled up at him. "I feel the same way." Just saying it made it easier for her to breathe.
Goten gave her a surprised look. "You feel the same way?"
Bra involuntarily chewed her bottom lip and nodded. She couldn't believe that he wouldn't know that. She'd basically told him every day they were together. (Well, maybe not.)
"So, I've been beating myself up all week, thinking how wrong it was to feel this way about you, and you've felt this way about me the whole time?" Goten asked. "Unbelievable."
"You think you've been beating YOURself up," Bra muttered.
"So that's what's been bugging you lately?" Goten asked.
"Of course it's been bugging me! I thought I had ULS!" Bra replied.
Goten gave her a strange look. "What's ULS?"
"Oh, never mind. It's nothing," Bra said.
Goten shook his head. "To think I even went out with Paris to get my mind off of you. She's such a bore."
Boy, she and Goten sure had a lot in common. "We'd better get out of here before people start thinking we got lost."
"Um, before we go, there's something I wanna do," Goten said. He took her hands and looked into her eyes. Then, before she was even aware of what was going on, he had his lips pressed firmly against hers.
It was like the first time they'd kissed. A tender exploration of one another's mouth. A timeless sense of serenity. A feeling of sheer ecstasy. Yet, this time, it was Bra who pushed Goten away. Her face, not to mention the rest of her body, had become warm. Blood was flowing hurriedly through her entire body. She wasn't sure how much time had passed while they kissed, but she DID know that they had to get out of that bathroom before things got carried away.
"Goten, we'd better get out of here," Bra repeated.
"You're right," Goten said.
It was like lifting a shadow off a dream. And she had a feeling that everything from then on everything would be all right.
But everything was not all right. Romantic student/teacher relationships weren't tolerated. In the eyes of the law, Bra was still a minor for at least another year. And they still had to face a fashion show and dates.
"Wait. We can't just go out there and announce to everyone that we have feelings for each other. What about your job? What about prison? What about my father?" Bra reminded him.
"Who says we're gonna announce it to everyone?" Goten asked. "Listen, we knew what we were getting into with each other. We'll just have to keep our feelings for each other a secret."
"Easier said than done," Bra said. Especially since she probably wouldn't be able to keep her hands off him for very long.
- & - & - & -
--out in the show room--
Pan intercepted the two before they could get back to the show room. Well, she intercepted her uncle anyway. Bra had just marched right past her. But she heard the interrogation.
"Alright, Uncle Goten. I heard some yelling, but I couldn't make it out over all the talking in this place. So, what's her problem?" Pan questioned.
"Oh, she said something about PMS or something like that," Goten lied.
Bra was pretty impressed. For a person who usually couldn't lie to save his own life, he was sure doing a good job.
"You two were in there an awfully long time. Are you sure that was all?" Pan asked.
"Uhhhhhhh...," Goten said.
Hm. He was losing it already. Bra stomped back over to Pan and grabbed her by the arm. "Let's move. We're gonna miss this whole stupid show," she said, dragging Pan back to the table.
Pan had a bad tendency of bringing out any information she wanted out of a person. Very persistent lass, she was.
A table was pulled up for all their parents to join them. The fashion show had finally started. Marron had finally returned and was sitting next to her date, Uubu. Her mother and father were there. Goku and ChiChi had shown up. Videl and Gohan were there. And of course, the parents of the main attraction were there. Bra took her seat next to Randall while Goten sat next to Paris and Pan sat next to Trunks.
The large group had been chitchatting around about random things. The guys were mostly talking about fighting and the women were talking about how the guys didn't notice how nice they looked after their makeovers.
"Oh, Bra. We had the privilege of meeting your date," Bulma said. "He seems really nice, right Vegeta?" She nudged her husband.
Oh no. This was going to prove to be one mess of a day.
"I won't have my daughter dating a weakling like him," Vegeta responded plainly.
Of all the people in the entire world, her mother should have been the first to know that her father would say exactly what was on his mind. Sure, what was on his mind was a very rude comment about a young man that he didn't know. But most of the time, if Vegeta thought it, Vegeta said it. Bra had not inherited this characteristic. Sometimes it was for the best. And she could tell that Randall was VERY uncomfortable now.
"Not everyone is a brutish barbarian like you are!!" Bulma yelled at her husband.
"Yeah, it's not like you married a fighter, Vegeta," Krillin put in.
"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!!" both Vegeta and Bulma shouted.
"Well, excuse me," Krillin muttered.
She wasn't about to stop this. Both her father and her mother were a little too aggressive. And even though Bra knew that her father could easily turn her mother into little more than a smudge on the wall, she thought it would be a good fight. At least she wouldn't be bored.
"You sure were quick to jump in the sac with this brutish barbarian," Vegeta said with a sneer.
Bulma gasped. "Why you dirty—"
"Come on, you two. Let's not make a scene," Gohan negotiated.
Both Vegeta and Bulma shot glares at Gohan.
What was it with her parents? They had such a weird chemistry. It was like they lived for this sort of opposition. Bra looked around the table to see what other poor person would dare come between her parents' bickering. While Bulma and Vegeta continued their verbal tug-of-war, Bra noticed that Trunks and Pan had disappeared. She raised an eyebrow. What could those two be up to? She smirked.
"When do we eat?" Goku asked, rubbing his stomach.
"Oh, shut up, Kakarot," Vegeta said. "You're the whole reason I got stuck coming to this stupid event in the first place."
"But Vegeta, you told me that Bulma was MAKING you come here or you wouldn't be allowed into the bedroom for a month," Goku reminded him.
That was something Bra hadn't wanted to hear. Her parents and bedroom in the same sentence.
"No one's paying attention to my designs," Marron said, close to tears. Uubu and 18 were comforting her.
As the arguments ensued, there were several loud explosions from outside. Everyone who attended the fashion show looked toward the glass ceiling of the garden center and saw fireworks shooting above them. Even the models had stopped what they were doing to see the fantastic array of lights and colors from above.
Bra laughed out loud. She seemed to be the only one who understood where this random sky act had come from. "Pan," she said to herself. She looked over at Goten, who just gazed at the fireworks. Even with that nitwit of a counselor hanging onto his arm, he seemed preoccupied with something else. And Bra knew that it was her that he was thinking about.
--End--
--Well, that's the end of Versus. I know. I know. This should have gone on longer. So many more things needed to be explained. Send in your complaints! Don't just sit there and weep! Do something about it! Questions. Comments. Anything. Just let me know.
--Question for the audience. What in the world possessed me to name this story Versus?
--Thanks for your support throughout this series. I really appreciate all the help that you folks provided. It's been a wild ride.
--Oh, yeah. Just so you know, I plan on doing a sequel to this series. I don't know what it's gonna be called yet, so keep an eye out for a new Bra and Goten fic by SludgeMetal666.
--No One Can Know How We Feel--
What had he said? You're the only girl for me? That was what she recalled him saying. It had only happened a moment ago, yet she could not recollect his last words.
"But look at me. Talking about MY problems. I was sent here to find out what's wrong with YOU," Goten said rather ridiculously. He scratched the back of his head and smiled that silly, embarrassed smile he always smiled.
Bra could only stare blankly at him. She still wasn't sure if he'd said what he'd said.
"Are you feeling okay?" Goten asked. "I could go and pick up some aspirin for you, if you want."
Bra's mind slowed and shifted back into first gear. She wanted all of this to be true, but for the past few days, she'd received so many mixed signals, she didn't know what to believe. "Did you just say what I think you said?"
"Well, yeah. But if you don't need aspirin, I could pick up something else," Goten suggested.
"Not that. I don't care about medicine," Bra told him, becoming a little impatient. "I'm talking about the I'm the only girl for you thing." Her heart was racing. What if this wasn't what he meant? What if this is like all the other times when she'd hoped he would convey that he had special feelings for her?
"Oh, yeah. That." Goten couldn't seem to find the words for what he wanted to say. "This whole time, you've seen me as an older brother, as a teacher, and as a friend. But I've always wanted there to be more between us. It's like I'm trying to take advantage of our closeness." There was that sad look in his eyes. "I'm really sorry, but I can't help the way I feel."
That was enough for her. She smiled up at him. "I feel the same way." Just saying it made it easier for her to breathe.
Goten gave her a surprised look. "You feel the same way?"
Bra involuntarily chewed her bottom lip and nodded. She couldn't believe that he wouldn't know that. She'd basically told him every day they were together. (Well, maybe not.)
"So, I've been beating myself up all week, thinking how wrong it was to feel this way about you, and you've felt this way about me the whole time?" Goten asked. "Unbelievable."
"You think you've been beating YOURself up," Bra muttered.
"So that's what's been bugging you lately?" Goten asked.
"Of course it's been bugging me! I thought I had ULS!" Bra replied.
Goten gave her a strange look. "What's ULS?"
"Oh, never mind. It's nothing," Bra said.
Goten shook his head. "To think I even went out with Paris to get my mind off of you. She's such a bore."
Boy, she and Goten sure had a lot in common. "We'd better get out of here before people start thinking we got lost."
"Um, before we go, there's something I wanna do," Goten said. He took her hands and looked into her eyes. Then, before she was even aware of what was going on, he had his lips pressed firmly against hers.
It was like the first time they'd kissed. A tender exploration of one another's mouth. A timeless sense of serenity. A feeling of sheer ecstasy. Yet, this time, it was Bra who pushed Goten away. Her face, not to mention the rest of her body, had become warm. Blood was flowing hurriedly through her entire body. She wasn't sure how much time had passed while they kissed, but she DID know that they had to get out of that bathroom before things got carried away.
"Goten, we'd better get out of here," Bra repeated.
"You're right," Goten said.
It was like lifting a shadow off a dream. And she had a feeling that everything from then on everything would be all right.
But everything was not all right. Romantic student/teacher relationships weren't tolerated. In the eyes of the law, Bra was still a minor for at least another year. And they still had to face a fashion show and dates.
"Wait. We can't just go out there and announce to everyone that we have feelings for each other. What about your job? What about prison? What about my father?" Bra reminded him.
"Who says we're gonna announce it to everyone?" Goten asked. "Listen, we knew what we were getting into with each other. We'll just have to keep our feelings for each other a secret."
"Easier said than done," Bra said. Especially since she probably wouldn't be able to keep her hands off him for very long.
- & - & - & -
--out in the show room--
Pan intercepted the two before they could get back to the show room. Well, she intercepted her uncle anyway. Bra had just marched right past her. But she heard the interrogation.
"Alright, Uncle Goten. I heard some yelling, but I couldn't make it out over all the talking in this place. So, what's her problem?" Pan questioned.
"Oh, she said something about PMS or something like that," Goten lied.
Bra was pretty impressed. For a person who usually couldn't lie to save his own life, he was sure doing a good job.
"You two were in there an awfully long time. Are you sure that was all?" Pan asked.
"Uhhhhhhh...," Goten said.
Hm. He was losing it already. Bra stomped back over to Pan and grabbed her by the arm. "Let's move. We're gonna miss this whole stupid show," she said, dragging Pan back to the table.
Pan had a bad tendency of bringing out any information she wanted out of a person. Very persistent lass, she was.
A table was pulled up for all their parents to join them. The fashion show had finally started. Marron had finally returned and was sitting next to her date, Uubu. Her mother and father were there. Goku and ChiChi had shown up. Videl and Gohan were there. And of course, the parents of the main attraction were there. Bra took her seat next to Randall while Goten sat next to Paris and Pan sat next to Trunks.
The large group had been chitchatting around about random things. The guys were mostly talking about fighting and the women were talking about how the guys didn't notice how nice they looked after their makeovers.
"Oh, Bra. We had the privilege of meeting your date," Bulma said. "He seems really nice, right Vegeta?" She nudged her husband.
Oh no. This was going to prove to be one mess of a day.
"I won't have my daughter dating a weakling like him," Vegeta responded plainly.
Of all the people in the entire world, her mother should have been the first to know that her father would say exactly what was on his mind. Sure, what was on his mind was a very rude comment about a young man that he didn't know. But most of the time, if Vegeta thought it, Vegeta said it. Bra had not inherited this characteristic. Sometimes it was for the best. And she could tell that Randall was VERY uncomfortable now.
"Not everyone is a brutish barbarian like you are!!" Bulma yelled at her husband.
"Yeah, it's not like you married a fighter, Vegeta," Krillin put in.
"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!!" both Vegeta and Bulma shouted.
"Well, excuse me," Krillin muttered.
She wasn't about to stop this. Both her father and her mother were a little too aggressive. And even though Bra knew that her father could easily turn her mother into little more than a smudge on the wall, she thought it would be a good fight. At least she wouldn't be bored.
"You sure were quick to jump in the sac with this brutish barbarian," Vegeta said with a sneer.
Bulma gasped. "Why you dirty—"
"Come on, you two. Let's not make a scene," Gohan negotiated.
Both Vegeta and Bulma shot glares at Gohan.
What was it with her parents? They had such a weird chemistry. It was like they lived for this sort of opposition. Bra looked around the table to see what other poor person would dare come between her parents' bickering. While Bulma and Vegeta continued their verbal tug-of-war, Bra noticed that Trunks and Pan had disappeared. She raised an eyebrow. What could those two be up to? She smirked.
"When do we eat?" Goku asked, rubbing his stomach.
"Oh, shut up, Kakarot," Vegeta said. "You're the whole reason I got stuck coming to this stupid event in the first place."
"But Vegeta, you told me that Bulma was MAKING you come here or you wouldn't be allowed into the bedroom for a month," Goku reminded him.
That was something Bra hadn't wanted to hear. Her parents and bedroom in the same sentence.
"No one's paying attention to my designs," Marron said, close to tears. Uubu and 18 were comforting her.
As the arguments ensued, there were several loud explosions from outside. Everyone who attended the fashion show looked toward the glass ceiling of the garden center and saw fireworks shooting above them. Even the models had stopped what they were doing to see the fantastic array of lights and colors from above.
Bra laughed out loud. She seemed to be the only one who understood where this random sky act had come from. "Pan," she said to herself. She looked over at Goten, who just gazed at the fireworks. Even with that nitwit of a counselor hanging onto his arm, he seemed preoccupied with something else. And Bra knew that it was her that he was thinking about.
--End--
--Well, that's the end of Versus. I know. I know. This should have gone on longer. So many more things needed to be explained. Send in your complaints! Don't just sit there and weep! Do something about it! Questions. Comments. Anything. Just let me know.
--Question for the audience. What in the world possessed me to name this story Versus?
--Thanks for your support throughout this series. I really appreciate all the help that you folks provided. It's been a wild ride.
--Oh, yeah. Just so you know, I plan on doing a sequel to this series. I don't know what it's gonna be called yet, so keep an eye out for a new Bra and Goten fic by SludgeMetal666.