Yep, I got impatient. XP

…I'm beginning to suspect that I lost a lot of my old reviewers for this story when I took that long break to upload/write Redemption… and that all the new "fans" I got for that fic don't particularly like this one… eh. I wish I could still use smilies and such without screwing them up. Anyway…

I've been listening to/reading Naruto a lot lately. Why?... I don't know. Out of boredom I suppose. I'm one of those people who needs something to entertain them constantly. Which is why I have trouble sleeping. But yeah. That one song from Naruto, Wind by Akeboshi… that song makes me want to dance around the room like a moron and cry. Gah. –points to further evidence in DevArt journal-

I'd like to thank my stalkers for reviewing and such. (I'd also like to note that I'd return the favor if they ever uploaded the fan fics I know that they have and am positive are wonderful pieces of literary work. –poke- Not naming any names or anything though…. –innocent whistling- )

Erm, right, the chapter… well, I was pretty sure I liked it at first, but then I got all unsure. So now I don't know if I like it or not. The characterizations are… I don't know what they are. The way Bra acts is how I think she would act though. My view on her personality is that she has a very good mind and personality for politics. But that's just my view on it. –shrugs- The rest of them though… I'm not sure if I'll regret portraying them like I did later or not. Oh well. Moving on.

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Vegeta was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed when Ranu was through putting Kris into her bed.

When Ranu looked up at him, he beckoned with one hand and walked away. Ranu was torn, wanting to stay and watch over Kris (just to make sure nothing bad happened of course) but decided to obey at the last second. Making sure Kris was securely tucked in (and all windows locked, covered, and blockaded) he followed Vegeta out to the hallway, down some stairs, to one of the living rooms… and was greeted by a rather unsettling sight.

The Briefs family was all there, minus Trunks, who was still busy with paperwork in another part of Capsule Corporation. The three females were either sobbing hysterically or simply sitting there with tears streaming down their face. Dr. Briefs wasn't dong much of anything, save staring at the corner of the coffee table hard enough to melt it.

Bra was the one who noticed him first.

"Where is she? Where's Kris? Is she okay?!" she leapt up from the chair and babbled at Ranu, tears still making tracks down her face.

"The poor dear," Mrs. Briefs sniffled, trying to regain some control over her emotions.

"Vegeta?" Bulma questioned.

"Sit down," Vegeta ordered. "Both of you."

Taking a seat in a nearby chair and watching Bra sit down again next to her mother, Ranu wondered what had happened.

Vegeta chose to sit in his own chair, facing the rest of them and leaning his head against his hand, like he was bored with all their crying and brooding. Though that wasn't quite accurate. He was concerned for the mental state of Konora, wondering how Trunks would react to the tape of the interview that had been made by his daughter for him when he got done with work. He didn't have time to watch the evening news with the rest of the family sometimes. So they taped it for him. Would they even show him the tape? Or pretend that it hadn't happened maybe?

Vegeta shook his head mentally. No point in wondering about that right now.

"What… where's Kris? Is she alright?" Bra whimpered, wiping away tears with her hand.

"She's in bed," Ranu answered.

"In bed? But it's so early…" Mrs. Briefs said, dabbing at her face with a pristine white napkin.

"She saw it…" Bulma said, suddenly calm and almost emotionless, though the tears tracks were still evident on her face. "Didn't she?"

Ranu tilted his head for a moment, confused. Saw it? They meant the interview? Then they had seen it too… He nodded once.

"Oh god…" she sighed, slumping back against the sofa, hiding her face with her hands.

"What are we going to do?" Bra said out of nowhere.

"Do?" Vegeta said, raising an eyebrow at her question.

"Yeah… I mean, she… they showed her face in those videos! Her hair hasn't changed at all since then, and… and people at school… they'll recognize her…" she finished, trailing off quietly at the end. For her, the most logical thing to do was worry about what other people would now think of her younger cousin and figure out how to prevent any more damage to Kris's social status than had already been done. A politician's mind to be sure.

"We'll…" Bulma started. "We'll just deal with that when, and if, anything happens."

"I knew that that child had been abused," Dr. Briefs said suddenly, still staring at the corner of the coffee table. "But the extent of it… how could any man of science?..."

"It's alright dear," Mrs. Briefs crooned, reaching to comfort her husband. Besides leaning slightly into her touch, he didn't move.

"But I mean," Bra started again. "What are we going to do now? I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't know if I'll be able to look at her the same way again!"

She had the entire room's attention. Dr. Briefs had even torn his eyes away from the ever-fascinating coffee table to look at his granddaughter.

"It's not like I'm saying I hate her, or that I'm disgusted, but…" she looked down, her enthusiastic speech dying down into a defeated helpless plea.

"How are we going to face her when she wakes back up? How the hell are we going to be able to sit around the table at breakfast and act like nothing happened?!" she ended with a sob.

Ranu shuddered and had the sudden urge to run back upstairs and make sure Kris was still asleep and everything was okay.

"Then you don't have to," Vegeta said, interrupting her sobs.

"Huh?" she said, hiccupping.

"You don't have to," he repeated. "You can cry and tell her how sorry you are for something you had nothing to do with and couldn't have even stopped, and then hover around her like an over-protective nursemaid, keeping her in a bed so she doesn't hurt herself and bringing her breakfast in bed, and reading her fairy tales from a picture book like she was a child."

"Vegeta," Bulma said in a warning tone, sensing her daughter was close to running from the room in tears. He ignored her.

"Or," he continued. "You could simply acknowledge that she has gone through these things, but also know that it is in the past and she has always carried those memories and experiences, even when you first met her and nothing anyone does will change that."

Bra sniffled, but nodded.

"Ooh, I know what will cheer everyone up!" Mrs. Briefs chirped suddenly, startling everyone. "A nice warm cup of tea! Or would everyone like hot cocoa instead? That'll be just the thing to take everyone's mind off these unpleasant thoughts! And I have some wonderful little cakes I just bought…" she continued babbling, even as she walked out of the room in search of the cocoa mix and those tiny little cakes she had been talking about.

Bra giggled suddenly, even though tears were still fresh on her face.

Ranu smiled and stood up.

"I'm gonna go check on Kris," he said, noticing the look Vegeta gave him. He waited for Vegeta's nod of approval before turning and walking out of the room.

"Dear!" he heard Dr. Briefs call his wife. "Make sure to send up two hot cocoas to little Kris's room!"

"Ooh!" Mrs. Briefs squealed, the sound quieted by the rooms between them. "I'll send some of these nice sweets up as well!"

Vegeta snickered and tried not to look too amused.