5 years after the last chapter….
"Kris Konora Briefs, if you don't get up this instant I'll…. I swear I'll cut off your tail! Don't test me, 'cause I will!"
Kris groaned and stuck her arm out from under the sheets, waving Bulma away.
"Yeah yeah… I'm up…." She muttered. She knew it wasn't a real threat, but it still wasn't wise to push Bulma's limited temper too far.
As soon as she heard Bulma stomp out of the room muttering about "lazy pre-teen Saiyans" Kris dared to poke her head out from under the covers. Blinking a few times to restore her blurry vision, she glanced at the digital clock beside her bed. Opening her eyes wider she took in the numbers and let her groggy mind process the information.
"Crap." She mumbled, burying her face back into the pillow. With a "I really don't want to but I have to anyway" groan she slowly slid herself off of the bed until she slipped out from under the sheets and landed on the floor.
Yawning widely she crawled over to her dresser and got changed into her school uniform.
Not much had changed over the last five years. Earth seemed to be going through one of its rare times of relative peace, though you wouldn't know it by the way the few remaining Saiyans trained. Ranu and Kris were competing with each other for title of 3rd full-blooded Super Saiyan, but were still friends. All-in-all, everything was normal. As normal as it could be anyway.
"KRIS! ARE YOU READY FOR SCHOOL YET?!"
She snarled under her breath and stomped down the stairs.
"Yes, I'm up! Happy now?!" she hissed. Bulma rolled her eyes at the attitude she got. It was a fairly normal occurrence, what with the Saiyan girl reaching the double-digits and all the time she spent with Vegeta. That and she was always cranky in the morning.
"Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed today!" a cheerful voice announced. Kris turned her heated glare to the blue-haired twelve year old sitting at the kitchen table, happily finishing her meager breakfast of 3 bowls of cereal. Bra just grinned back, impervious to the effects of glaring.
Kris growled irritably and grabbed a box of granola bars and stuffing it into her back pack, which had been left next to the counter.
"Stupid school…" she muttered.
"You should feel lucky," Trunks said, looking up from his cup of coffee. "At least you don't have to work as Vice President for this place."
"Both of you quit complaining!" Bulma snapped. Trunks cowered behind a newspaper he was pretending to read and Kris just snorted and put her back pack on. She walked out of the room.
"Have a good day!" Bulma called out, her mood instantly changing from annoyed to cheerful. Kris grunted in response and walked out the front door.
"Hey! Where's Bra-chan?"
Kris looked up from the pavement and glared at the gathering of people just outside the gate to Capsule Corp.'s front lawn. They didn't notice, just pressed themselves closer together and craned their necks, like Bra was hiding behind Kris or just out of their sight.
She snorted at them and walked off in a different direction. She came to the fence that quarantined the Capsule Corp. building from the rest of the world and easily jumped it. Landing on the sidewalk outside, she straightened her back pack on her shoulders and walked off in the direction of her school.
~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~
"Ms. Kris Briefs!"
Kris cringed at the shrill voice, knowing what it meant.
"Yes ma'am?" she asked as innocently as she could.
"Would you mind explaining what all this is?"
Kris peered at the paper her teacher had shoved into her face. She blinked a couple times, confused.
"My… homework assignment?"
"What's. All. This?" the teacher asked, emphasizing each word as if she were stupid and pointing to the scribbles on the margins of the paper.
"It looks to me like graffiti, Ms. Briefs. Now, would you please explain to me the class rules, number 16?"
Kris sighed, trying to remember. She glanced up at the ceiling.
"The rule is, Ms. Briefs, that there are to be no frivolous marks on any papers you turn in to me. Did you happen to forget that little rule?"
Kris nodded.
"Well, let's try to keep that in mind next time, shall we?"
As the teacher walked off, Kris proceeded to bang her head quietly against her desk. She glanced at the paper once she was done and sighed. She had let her mind wander and started scribbling down the Saiyan alphabet onto her paper and handed it in without thinking.
She banged her head against the desk a few more times for good measure.
~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~
"So! How'd school go for you?"
Kris glared half-heartedly at Ranu and flopped down onto the Son's living room couch.
"Ah. That good, huh?" Ranu replied, sitting down next to her feet and turning on the television. Kris groaned and turned to face the back of the couch.
"I can't believe you still watch that crap," she said. Ranu pouted and looked insulted.
"Yeah, well, I like Blue's Clues! Besides, if you can still carry around 'Mr. Snuggles', then I can watch kiddie shows!" he retorted. Kris just snorted in reply and pulled a throw-pillow over her head. Ranu sniffed back at her and turned his attention to the TV.
An hour passed.
"…. Geez, I'm bored…." Kris commented from under her pillow, then promptly removed it from over her face and threw it. Ranu frowned at her for throwing things in the house (which he was yelled at for almost every other day).
"How 'bout we go somewhere?" Kris offered and sat up. Ranu blinked in surprise.
"Where?" he asked. Kris shrugged.
"Anywhere. We could go to a store and get some candy and some toys. That'd be cool, right?"
And as much as Ranu wanted to insist that it was wrong to leave the house without permission and without leaving a note telling where you had gone, not to mention raiding Mrs. Bulma's purse for money earlier in the day, the sweet promise of food and entertainment weakened his will considerably. He didn't stand a chance against the wonderful temptation of candy, toys, and spending time with Kris. True, he spent time with her at school during lunch, but… it just wasn't the same. Not at all.
"Yep," Ranu nodded and grinned in a sneaky way. "Very cool."
~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~
"Ooh, stop here, stop here!" Ranu shouted. Kris complied, and they both landed on solid ground outside of a small store with vending machines in the front.
"Perfect," Kris purred, rubbing her hands together in an evil-plotting gesture.
They pushed open the door and stepped inside. Kris grabbed a plastic hand basket and rushed off into the depths of the store with Ranu in tow.
She stopped in front of the candy aisle. Grinning in sheer delight, the two Saiyans ran into it, grabbing whatever they could get their hands on and placing it into the basket. After successfully raiding the place, Ranu followed Kris out of that aisle and into another. Lucky for them there were no other customers in the store at the moment, and the clerk at the front desk was far too interested in her PlayGirl magazine to pay attention.
"Kris?" Ranu asked. "Where are we going? We already got the candy, aren't we leaving now?"
"No," Kris said. "We need a couple more things…"
Ranu glanced at her face and caught sight of what would later send most people into bouts of horrified shivering. Kris had on her "Evil Face of Doom and Torment". Ranu narrowed his eyes at her.
"Kris, what are you planning?" he demanded.
"…"
"Kris?"
"…"
"K… Kris?" he stuttered, becoming worried as the twisted grin on her face got wider.
"Don't worry so much, Ranu-kun," she said finally, still not looking directly at him. "Besides, we're already here."
Ranu looked at what they had stopped in front of. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"… worms, Kris?"
"Hehe… yes, worms… oh, it shall be so sweet, it shall…" Kris chuckled, talking more to herself than anyone else. Ranu sweatdropped and began gently tugging on her arm to lead her toward the cash register. At the last minute she lunged and caught two medium-sized buckets of bait worms and carried them happily to the counter to pay for that and all the candy.
~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~
"I still don't know what you need the worms for Kris-chan," Ranu complained as they stepped out of the store.
"Didn't I tell you to stop worrying about it earlier?" she replied, looking over the vending machines full of cheap plastic toys and gumballs. Ranu frowned at her again, then also turned to look at the wonders of cheaply-made plastic trinkets.
He tilted his head to look at Kris after a minute or so of searching.
"Kris? Do we have a quarter left over?"
She smirked, looking strangely like Vegeta in that moment, before she pulled out a handful of quarters she had swiped from the tip jar in the store. Ranu, being the naïve boy he was, had no knowledge of them being stolen and cheered at the new-found wealth.
Kris smiled back at him and placed a quarter in the machine, turning the handle slowly.
The contents of the machine shifted slightly and the metal trap door rattled.
Moments later, a toy in a plastic bubble container was removed completely from the machine, and both Saiyans looked curiously at it.
"…"
"…"
"… it's a ring."
It was not an expensive looking little thing, just a plastic band with a cheap imitation emerald imbedded in it to make it look more appealing.
Kris scowled angrily at it for mocking her by not being what she wanted it to be.
"Well, we have more quarters, right?" Ranu said, grabbing a couple out of Kris's fist and taking his turn at the machine.
While he was busy emptying the vending machine, Kris continued her scowling at the ring contained in a bubble. She knew it was mocking her for being a girl. She just knew it. Quickly, without really thinking about it, she thrust it into Ranu's hands.
"Here. You have it."
~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~
The next day was Friday. Kris was sitting in her desk at school, barely managing to keep her tail from wagging excitedly behind her. Sweet sweet Friday…
"Class! Listen up! I have your tests graded from Monday, and I must say, they were…" the teacher's voice became muffled as she leaned over to reach into her desk and retrieve the mentioned tests. Kris desperately tried to look as bored as possible. She fidgeted once as the teacher's hand went into the recesses of the drawer, then mentally berated herself for doing so, and sat still as a rock.
She took on a predatory look and growled softly to herself. Yes, just reach in a bit further…
"Ah! Here we are!" the teacher exclaimed, pulling out the test papers and passing them out.
Kris, having put on her impassive face, did not show any emotion at all. But internally, she was reeling in shock. What?! What had happened to the bucket of worms she had put in there this morning? What was going on?!
Needless to say, Kris spent the entire day thinking about the various different ways her plan could have been foiled. There was the one possibility that the teacher had already found it before Kris had returned to the classroom. But that wasn't likely, considering that the teacher hadn't smelt smug or satisfied with herself at any time that day. And it couldn't be anyone else, because she hadn't told anyone about her plan and had been extra careful about seeming normal, except for…
A burning rage began to eat away at Kris's stomach as she walked slowly back to Capsule Corp.
"How dare he…" she hissed furiously.
~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~
"Hey Kris! What's up?"
He faltered a little at the look on her face.
Her eyes were narrowed and her face scrunched up. From the little bit of her eyes that was left uncovered, pure malice radiated out. He wasn't stupid. He knew it was directed at him.
"K-Kris, let me explain, o-okay?" he said, falling back into his old habit of stuttering because of the fear. It wasn't often that Kris was this angry, but when she was, he knew well enough to be afraid and seem as helpless as possible. It didn't pacify her, but it was enough to keep her from seriously injuring him.
"'Explain'? What's there to explain, Ranu-kun?" she purred in a low voice. He shivered.
"K-Kris-chan, I just couldn't… you w-would have gotten in trouble!" he exclaimed.
"Since when have I cared about getting in trouble?!" she yelled. He faltered again.
"Ah… eh… but, Kris-chan-"
"SHUT UP!"
His eyes widened and he looked up from the floor to Kris's face. He was never this afraid, even when his aunt yelled at him for breaking things. Her face was contorted, her teeth bared in a silent snarl and her tail was let loose behind her, thrashing angrily and all the fur puffed out. He started shaking, even as he picked up on her scent and his instincts were telling him to either run away (which was hopeless because Kris was faster than him) or break down and start crying for forgiveness.
He barely picked up on what was Kris was yelling toward him. He did notice however, when she dropped the bucket of worms onto the living room floor. He was thankful that Chichi was out shopping and his uncle and youngest cousin were out training somewhere… but still, he'd end up having to clean it up before they got home, and what was she yelling at him for, he was only trying to help her, she was going to get in trouble after all, and why. Was. She. Still. YELLING?
Something snapped.
"SHUT UP!"
Kris stopped in the middle of her tirade and stared.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! I was only trying to help you, and you shove it right back in my face!"
She didn't move, didn't even blink. Her tail stopped moving and hung limp, the fur flattening back down.
"Well, you know what, I'm tired of it. Get out Kris."
Kris blinked and didn't move. Ranu snarled threateningly at her, baring his teeth. Her instincts kicked in and she moved for the door. But, at the last second, she turned around and sneered at him.
"If you're so tired of it… then fine. You'll never have to get tired of me again. Good-bye."
Slamming the door, she turned back around and blasted off into the sky. She didn't head toward Capsule Corp. She needed to think, to get away for awhile, even if it was only a few hours. Besides, everyone would be suspicious if she came back after so short a time and furious. They would ask too many questions, and gods, she was so sick of their damn questions!
She headed deep into the forest.
~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~
Ranu glared at the closed door for a few minutes, fuming. How dare she! He was only trying to help her out, and then what does she do? Comes in and yells at him! Then, when he retaliates, she walks out and slams the door! Not only did he have to clean up the mess on the living room floor, now he had to fix the door too!
A calmer part of his mind was aching as it recalled her last words.
'You'll never have to get tired of me again. Good-bye.'
He knew she wasn't coming back.
Gods, am I evil. =) Nice twist in the story, ne? I certainly like it. Again, sorry for the lack of updates. But hopefully I'll be more active. I do have a certain plan for the next chapter. I know how this is going to be resolved. And I also have a vague idea for a filler chapter, back when they're still cute five years olds. But it's still very fuzzy. Maybe it'll turn into a full one-shot mini-fic and be a shoot-off of this one. Hm. I seem to have a thing for songfics all of a sudden.
Shameless self-plugs:
Forgotten: my twist on the truth behind the Saiyans and Tuffles origins. One shot.
Condemned: Vegeta's POV. Not a very original idea, but neither is this fic. The same old theme; Vegeta is depressed, commits suicide. But believe me, this one is different from the other ones you've read. One shot song-fic.
Confession: 3 chaptered fic on the Brolli movie (#8), from Brolli's POV. Covers much more than what's in the movie. Based off of my observations (watched the movie 7 times.) on Brolli's state of mind and actions.
Nothing Good: DBZ poetry. Short and sweet. Just like little Veggie! ^_^ Anyway, it's shonen-ai (which is boy love. Two guys that like eachother. Yes. I am a perverted fangirl. I now embrace it.) and it's also from Vegeta's POV. Based off the quote from the episode where Goku and Vegeta are inside Buu's head, and Vegeta, choosing the opposite path from Goku, says "When I'm together with you, nothing good ever happens."
It would make me a VERY happy little author if you reviewed either this story or one of the mentioned above. All of them would be nice (meaning I'd have a heart-attack from the joy), but I'm not holding my breath.