DISCLAIMER:I do not in any way, shape or form own Dragon Balls. I will not
make any money off of this story. Please do not sue me for copyright
infringement. I do not make money off of anything relating to Dragon Balls,
Dragon Ball Z or any other show relating to Dragon Balls. Thank you.
Authors note: I wrote this story just before I got out of rehab for drug addiction. I started writing stories to help me through the days I spent in the hospital. I hated rehab, in case you didn't know. It was boring and I had so few problems compared to others I met in there, but anyhow. Side note, I've been clean and sober for almost 3 years. Go me. Ages- Bra and Pan are 21, Goten is 26, Trunks is 27.
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It was a cool summer night as Bra sat in her room looking out her window at the trees blowing in the wind. Ever so often, a tear rolled down her cheek. Slowly, Bra moved away from the window and looked at herself in the mirror.
"Why am I so weak? Why couldn't have defended myself, why didn't I fight back? I'm worthless." Bra thought to herself as she looked at the huge bruise on the side of her face. Just then she heard a knock on her door.
"Come in!" yelled Bra as she wiped the tears from her eye. In walks Vegeta, "Hi, Daddy."
Vegeta could see the sadness in her eyes, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing Daddy. What could be wrong? I'm home, away from him and his abuse. Daddy, I couldn't honestly be happier." Bra faked a smile at her father.
"You're lying." Vegeta said coldly, "You have the same red eyes as the woman when she cries."
"Why would I lie, Daddy. I'm fine, I'm just tired." with that Vegeta walked back to the door.
"Go to bed." smirked Vegeta.
"Ok, goodnight." she blew a kiss to her father, sweetly; Vegeta threw his hand in the air and pretended to catch the blown kiss. Bra smiled to her father as he closed the door. Bra quickly changed her clothes and got ready for bed.
The next morning, Vegeta woke up to begin his training. As he walked down the hall he noticed Bra's bedroom door was open. He walked over to the door to peer in on his sleeping princess. Much to his amazement Bra was not there sleeping. A confused Vegeta walked down the stairs and into the kitchen hoping to find his daughter down there. Again, she was not there, but on the kitchen table was a tube of lipstick, a lighter and a pack of cigarettes, "Camel Turkish Gold?" With that Vegeta took the cigarettes and the lighter leaving the lipstick behind and walked on out to the capsule to begin training. As he walked out to the capsule he heard some music coming from within. As he got closer so did the music. He opened the door to the training capsule to find his daughter doing some intense aerobics. He could see the sweat flying off Bra's face and she turned jumped and kicked in various directions. He watched her silently for a few moments then turned off her stereo. The sudden stop of the music startled Bra. She stopped her workout and looked at her father panting heavily.
"Dad, what are you doing up? It's like 4:30 in the morning."
"You know, you wouldn't be breathing so heavily, if you didn't smoke." with that Vegeta tossed the cigarettes and lighter to his daughter, "I'm always up this early." She caught them and put them inside her leotard.
"Dad, don't judge my life. So, I smoke, get over it." said Bra as she grabbed her towel and boom box and walked out of the capsule. On her way out the capsule Vegeta grabbed her arm.
"Give them back." with that Bra handed her father the box of cigarettes and he crushed them in his hand and handed them back to her, "If I catch you smoking again, you'll have serious trouble headed your way."
"Whatever." stated Bra heartlessly as she walked away. She pulled one of the crushed cigarettes out of the box and lit it.
Around 10:30 Trunks finally pulled himself out of bed. Tired and groggy he stumbled the down stairs and walked right into an argument between Vegeta and Bra.
"You have no right to tell me how to live my life." screamed Bra
"Child if you ever raise your voice to me again, so help me...."
"You'll what?! What will you do, Daddy? Blast me into the next dimension, your own daughter. You don't have the balls." with that she grabbed her keys and walked out the door. Under her breath, but loud enough for Vegeta and Trunks to hear she mumbled "Asshole." Then slammed the door.
"WHAT WAS THAT!!!" Vegeta screamed at her as he blasted the door completely off, "Don't walk away from me, brat!!" Bra not listening to him got into her car and lit up a cigarette. Vegeta walked over to the car, as Bra rolled the window down and blew the smoke in his face. With that Bra threw her car into reverse and drove away. Trunks just stood in awe, in what used to the door, at what he just witnessed. Vegeta just walked back toward the house. As he passed Trunks, "What are you looking at? Shouldn't you be at work" Vegeta scowled.
"It's Saturday." said Trunks as he walked back up to his room.
"Then, get your gear on, boy!" yelled Vegeta.
With anger in her blood, Bra raced down the road. "I hate my life. All my friends and family do is fight. I done, I'm done fighting, I'm done pretending to be a warrior." She screamed in her head. "I WILL NEVER BE A WARRIOR!!" she screamed out loud. Just then her cell phone rings. She answered it. "WHAT!" she screamed into the phone.
"Whoa! Don't bite my head off."
"Trunks, what do you want?" she snapped.
"I'm just calling to make sure you're ok?"
"I'm fine, now leave me alone."
"Wait, Bra..." started trunks
Bra turned off her phone and threw it out the window. Bra continued to drive into town. Once there, she parked her car in a parking garage and made her way to the city streets. She walked for hours just thinking, doing a little shopping; eventually she came across a bar.
"Bar food is just as good as any other" she thought. She walked into the bar, and grabbed a table in the corner. Looking over the menu she decided a burger would hold her over for a while. "I'm not going home for a while. Not at least until mom is home from the office. Dad can't kill me then." Soon the waitress came to take her order.
"Hi, miss, can I take your order?" stated the waitress, Bra looked up at her.
"Yea, I'll have the house burger with American cheese and a martini with three olives."
"Ok, I'll put that order in." as the waitress began to walk away, Bra stopped her.
"Hey miss, you look really familiar to me. Do I know you?"
"Well now that you mention it, you look familiar too." They both asked each other at the same time, "Did you go to Orange Star?" the two started to laugh.
"Hold on, I'll be right back." The waitress left to put in the order and then walked back with the martini and sat down with Bra at the table. "Yea I went to Orange star. You're Bra Briefs right?"
"Yea, but I can't remember your name."
"It's Rei..."
"Rei Vertore! Now I remember you! How have you been?" sipped her martini and ate one of the olives.
"I've been great."
"How long have you been working here?" questioned Bra.
"Since about a month after we graduated from high school. What have you been doing with yourself."
"I've been working at Capsule Corp with my mother and brother." Said Bra as she took a big gulp of her drink . "How is Trunks doing? Is he still hot as hell?"
"He's been nosey." Thinking back to when he called her on her way into town. Both girls laughed.
"I remember every girl in school wanted him." Exclaimed Rei.
"Yea, I know, I remember. He's dating Son Pan now. They have been dating forever."
"Well, that's good. Are you seeing anyone?"
"Nope, I just got out of a abusive relationship" she pointed to the bruise on her face.
"Oh, God!"
"Yea, it's all good, my father took care of him."
"Well, hey it's been great talking with you, but I have to get back to work." She took out her pen and wrote her phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to Bra.
"Look, I'm going to this party tonight with some friends of mine, if you want to come with, call me. I get off work at 5pm and the party starts at 8."
"Sounds fun, I'll definitely call you." Said Bra as another waiter brought the food to Bra.
"Alright, I'll talk to you tonight." Bra sat at her table and began to eat her meal and finish up her drink. "Some new friends might be good for me. Not that Pan is bad, but she's always doing something with Trunks, and Goten, well that's a whole other story." Bra finished up her meal and paid and left for more shopping.
By the time Bra got home it was 6:30pm. She walked through the hole in the front of the house, to see her mother sitting on the stairs.
"I've been waiting for you to get home." Bulma said.
"What for?"
"Your father told me about your little smoking habit." Bra, obviously irritated, sighed.
"You can't be a great warrior if you pollute your body with that crap?" said Bra imitating her father, "Please mother, I don't need another lecture on my life."
"Why are you smoking?" asked Bulma.
"Because it's the only thing I can control in my life. I can decided when I want to smoke and no one has to tell me no. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to a party tonight and I have get ready." Said Bra as she brushed off her own mother as she walked in silence up to her room. Once in her room she pulled out the napkin that Rei wrote her number on to call Rei. "Hi is Rei there?"
"This is she."
"Hi Rei, it's Bra."
"Hey, girl, what's up?"
"So what should I wear to this party tonight."
"Well, just dress comfortably. I'll do your hair in the car on the way there."
"Ok, my boyfriend and I will be there in like an hour."
"Ok, but not to sound rude or anything, but just you come to the door. I don't want your boyfriend to get shit from my father and brother."
"Ok, I'll see you then."
"Bye." As soon as she hung up the phone, there was a knock at the door, "What!" she said exasperatedly. The door opened and it was Pan.
"Hey, Bra." Said Pan as she walks in.
"Oh good it's you."
"Why, who do you not want it to be?"
"My mom, my brother, especially my father."
"Yea, Trunks told me a sketch of what happened earlier." Bra just rolled her eyes, "you know you really shouldn't smoke..." Bra cut her off.
"Look Pan, I don't need to hear a lecture from my best friend."
"Hey, I wasn't finished. I was going to say that you really shouldn't smoke and I don't like, but I'm not going to stop you or stop being your friend. I love you no matter what."
"Thanks, Pan. I always knew I could count on you." With that the two girls hugged each other, "so I'm going to this party tonight with Rei Vertore."
"Oh wow, what a blast from the past. I remember her."
"I met her today while I was shopping in town. She's working at a local bar. I went there for lunch today. "
"What are you going to wear?" asked Pan.
"Rei said that just casual wear would be find. So I'm just going in my flare jeans and a tank top, probably my Hook-Ups one. Rei said that she would do my hair on the way there."
"Well that sounds like fun, Trunks and I rented a movie." Sighed Pan.
"You two are great together, have I ever told you that."
"Yea, like a billion and one times." Said a man's voice from the doorway.
"How long have you been there, Trunks?" snarled Bra.
"Long enough." Bra looked at Pan.
"Well I have to start getting ready and you have to go. Have fun or something." Pan hugged Bra and she left with Trunks. Bra got up and started getting ready to go. "I don't appreciate Trunks ease dropping on my conversation with Pan. Oh well."
After getting all her make-up on and her clothes just the way she liked it, she stood looking at herself in the mirror again. She didn't look at how her clothes looked, or her make-up. She stared intently at the bruise still visible through the make-up on her cheek. She then noticed the bruises on her arms. Another tear started to roll down her face; "I am weak. I am worthless. I am nothing." Just then another knock on her door, Bra quickly wiped the tear from her face. "Come in." It was Vegeta at the door, obviously still extremely angry with her.
"Your friend is here." He said coldly with no expression change.
"Ok." She grabbed her purse from the dresser and walked past her father without saying a word and walked down the stairs to her new friend, "Hey girl, let's go." As she opened the door and they both left without saying a word to anyone. Vegeta, meanwhile, was watching at the top of the stairs as his daughter walked out the door and into the car of some strangers.
"I'm going to have to keep an eye on these new friends of her." With that Vegeta went down stairs and into the kitchen. Trunks was in the kitchen warming up a chicken in the microwave.
"Boy! What do you know about these new friends of that girl." Vegeta questioned Trunks.
"New friends? Oh, you mean that girl she was going to the party with. I don't know anything about her except that her and Bra graduated from high school in the same class."
"I don't like her hanging out with these new people that I don't know."
"Dad, you don't like Goten and Pan either, and she's been friends with them since the day she was born."
"Don't question me, Boy!" scowls Vegeta.
"Dad do you want my opinion?"
"NO!"
"Well, to bad. Here's something to think about. Bra was gone for 2 months living with Kris against her will. He hit her and beat her within an inch of her life every day for 2 months. She was afraid to leave. When she stopped calling home, you and I went to get her out. We were her hero's and now you're treating her like a slave again. She feels like she's being kept in a box again, as she put it. Dad, you know that Bra will always love you, but sometimes you've got to let her go and live a little." With that Trunk took his chicken out of the microwave and grabbed a couple of forks and started to walk over to the stairs. Just before he went up he looked back at his father, "Oh yea, father, that day we went to get Bra, you were cool and because of what you did that day, I know you really do care about us." Trunks went up stairs, while Vegeta just stood in the kitchen clenching his fists.
"He is right, I do care very much about my family. I'd die for all of them. That is why I can't let my daughter go down the wrong path." Vegeta then went up to his bedroom to change. Bulma was already in bed. Once he changed and got into bed next to his wife, he just sat there with his arms crossed, frowning and grunting. "Woman, woman..." said Vegeta trying to wake up Bulma, "Woman!"
"What, what do you want? Trunks is up have him make your food." Said Bulma as she rolled back to sleep.
"Woman, wake up. I want to talk." With that Bulma sat up and looked at Vegeta with concern.
"What's wrong? You look angry." Yawned Bulma.
"I'm worried about the girl. She's smoking, she's being disrespectful, and when she left she didn't even tell me or Trunks, or you for that matter where she was going and when she was going to be back. What is wrong with her?"
"Vegeta, I don't know. I was thinking about that before I fell asleep. Since she came home, she's been very distant. She's hardly gone out with her friends. She hasn't been back to work yet. All her projects are on hold until she returns. Some are just being finished without her. She still has that bruise on her face. Sometimes I catch her looking at it in the mirror, I think it's just a reminder of what happened." Just then Bulma looked up to see Trunks standing in the doorway.
"Mind if I join in the conversation."
"Boy! What have I told you about ease dropping?" Vegeta lashed out.
"Sorry I was just passing and heard you talking about Bra. I'm worried too, so is Pan."
"Look you two," said Bulma, "let's just see how things play out for a while. If things start getting worse, then we'll have to figure something out. Until then, and only then," looking at Vegeta, "we will do something. So, no scolding her, no complaining about what she does or where she goes, or it might get worse. Ok."
"Ok, fine." Said Vegeta as he laid back in his bed and went to sleep.
"Alright." Said Trunks as he shrugged his shoulders and walked into his bedroom and shut the door. Once Trunks was in his room he picked up the phone and called Goten.
"Who are you calling?" asked Pan.
"Goten." He replied "Hello Aunt ChiChi, is Goten home?"
"OH hi, Trunks, how are you doing?"
"I'm alright, just getting ready to watch a movie with Pan."
"You two are so cute, well here is Goten. Take care sweetie."
"Bye Aunt ChiChi."
"Hey Trunks. Why are you calling so late?"
"Well, I was wondering about something. Do you remember a Rei Vertore?"
"Umm...refresh my memory as to where I would remember her from." Insisted Goten
"Well, apparently she graduated from high school with Bra and Pan. She has really long deep red hair, thin about Bra's height. Is this ringing any bells."
"What did you say her last name was?"
"It's Vertore." Replied Trunks.
"Vertore, Vertore, Vertore... oh wait, I don't know about her, but I remember her brother."
"What do you remember about him?"
"You're kidding me, Vegeta let her out of that house with his sister? OH man!"
"Goten, tell me what I should be worried about?" pleaded Trunks.
"Dude, Rei's brother is the biggest druggie loser I have ever seen. He buys, uses, and sells."
"WHAT!!!" yelled Trunks.
"HEY Trunks!!! Chill out! Bra has a head on her shoulders, she'll be fine, I know she won't do anything."
"I know, I trust her, but I just don't want her to get in trouble if the cops bust it or something."
"True enough, but look, why don't we just keep an eye on the situation." Stated Goten
"Ok, if I suspect something, I'll let you know."
"Ok, I'll do the same. Look man I gotta go. Dad want's to spar before I go to bed." Sighed Goten
"Alrighty then, talk to you tomorrow." With that Trunks hung up the phone, "Ok, now we can watch the movie."
Authors note: I wrote this story just before I got out of rehab for drug addiction. I started writing stories to help me through the days I spent in the hospital. I hated rehab, in case you didn't know. It was boring and I had so few problems compared to others I met in there, but anyhow. Side note, I've been clean and sober for almost 3 years. Go me. Ages- Bra and Pan are 21, Goten is 26, Trunks is 27.
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It was a cool summer night as Bra sat in her room looking out her window at the trees blowing in the wind. Ever so often, a tear rolled down her cheek. Slowly, Bra moved away from the window and looked at herself in the mirror.
"Why am I so weak? Why couldn't have defended myself, why didn't I fight back? I'm worthless." Bra thought to herself as she looked at the huge bruise on the side of her face. Just then she heard a knock on her door.
"Come in!" yelled Bra as she wiped the tears from her eye. In walks Vegeta, "Hi, Daddy."
Vegeta could see the sadness in her eyes, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing Daddy. What could be wrong? I'm home, away from him and his abuse. Daddy, I couldn't honestly be happier." Bra faked a smile at her father.
"You're lying." Vegeta said coldly, "You have the same red eyes as the woman when she cries."
"Why would I lie, Daddy. I'm fine, I'm just tired." with that Vegeta walked back to the door.
"Go to bed." smirked Vegeta.
"Ok, goodnight." she blew a kiss to her father, sweetly; Vegeta threw his hand in the air and pretended to catch the blown kiss. Bra smiled to her father as he closed the door. Bra quickly changed her clothes and got ready for bed.
The next morning, Vegeta woke up to begin his training. As he walked down the hall he noticed Bra's bedroom door was open. He walked over to the door to peer in on his sleeping princess. Much to his amazement Bra was not there sleeping. A confused Vegeta walked down the stairs and into the kitchen hoping to find his daughter down there. Again, she was not there, but on the kitchen table was a tube of lipstick, a lighter and a pack of cigarettes, "Camel Turkish Gold?" With that Vegeta took the cigarettes and the lighter leaving the lipstick behind and walked on out to the capsule to begin training. As he walked out to the capsule he heard some music coming from within. As he got closer so did the music. He opened the door to the training capsule to find his daughter doing some intense aerobics. He could see the sweat flying off Bra's face and she turned jumped and kicked in various directions. He watched her silently for a few moments then turned off her stereo. The sudden stop of the music startled Bra. She stopped her workout and looked at her father panting heavily.
"Dad, what are you doing up? It's like 4:30 in the morning."
"You know, you wouldn't be breathing so heavily, if you didn't smoke." with that Vegeta tossed the cigarettes and lighter to his daughter, "I'm always up this early." She caught them and put them inside her leotard.
"Dad, don't judge my life. So, I smoke, get over it." said Bra as she grabbed her towel and boom box and walked out of the capsule. On her way out the capsule Vegeta grabbed her arm.
"Give them back." with that Bra handed her father the box of cigarettes and he crushed them in his hand and handed them back to her, "If I catch you smoking again, you'll have serious trouble headed your way."
"Whatever." stated Bra heartlessly as she walked away. She pulled one of the crushed cigarettes out of the box and lit it.
Around 10:30 Trunks finally pulled himself out of bed. Tired and groggy he stumbled the down stairs and walked right into an argument between Vegeta and Bra.
"You have no right to tell me how to live my life." screamed Bra
"Child if you ever raise your voice to me again, so help me...."
"You'll what?! What will you do, Daddy? Blast me into the next dimension, your own daughter. You don't have the balls." with that she grabbed her keys and walked out the door. Under her breath, but loud enough for Vegeta and Trunks to hear she mumbled "Asshole." Then slammed the door.
"WHAT WAS THAT!!!" Vegeta screamed at her as he blasted the door completely off, "Don't walk away from me, brat!!" Bra not listening to him got into her car and lit up a cigarette. Vegeta walked over to the car, as Bra rolled the window down and blew the smoke in his face. With that Bra threw her car into reverse and drove away. Trunks just stood in awe, in what used to the door, at what he just witnessed. Vegeta just walked back toward the house. As he passed Trunks, "What are you looking at? Shouldn't you be at work" Vegeta scowled.
"It's Saturday." said Trunks as he walked back up to his room.
"Then, get your gear on, boy!" yelled Vegeta.
With anger in her blood, Bra raced down the road. "I hate my life. All my friends and family do is fight. I done, I'm done fighting, I'm done pretending to be a warrior." She screamed in her head. "I WILL NEVER BE A WARRIOR!!" she screamed out loud. Just then her cell phone rings. She answered it. "WHAT!" she screamed into the phone.
"Whoa! Don't bite my head off."
"Trunks, what do you want?" she snapped.
"I'm just calling to make sure you're ok?"
"I'm fine, now leave me alone."
"Wait, Bra..." started trunks
Bra turned off her phone and threw it out the window. Bra continued to drive into town. Once there, she parked her car in a parking garage and made her way to the city streets. She walked for hours just thinking, doing a little shopping; eventually she came across a bar.
"Bar food is just as good as any other" she thought. She walked into the bar, and grabbed a table in the corner. Looking over the menu she decided a burger would hold her over for a while. "I'm not going home for a while. Not at least until mom is home from the office. Dad can't kill me then." Soon the waitress came to take her order.
"Hi, miss, can I take your order?" stated the waitress, Bra looked up at her.
"Yea, I'll have the house burger with American cheese and a martini with three olives."
"Ok, I'll put that order in." as the waitress began to walk away, Bra stopped her.
"Hey miss, you look really familiar to me. Do I know you?"
"Well now that you mention it, you look familiar too." They both asked each other at the same time, "Did you go to Orange Star?" the two started to laugh.
"Hold on, I'll be right back." The waitress left to put in the order and then walked back with the martini and sat down with Bra at the table. "Yea I went to Orange star. You're Bra Briefs right?"
"Yea, but I can't remember your name."
"It's Rei..."
"Rei Vertore! Now I remember you! How have you been?" sipped her martini and ate one of the olives.
"I've been great."
"How long have you been working here?" questioned Bra.
"Since about a month after we graduated from high school. What have you been doing with yourself."
"I've been working at Capsule Corp with my mother and brother." Said Bra as she took a big gulp of her drink . "How is Trunks doing? Is he still hot as hell?"
"He's been nosey." Thinking back to when he called her on her way into town. Both girls laughed.
"I remember every girl in school wanted him." Exclaimed Rei.
"Yea, I know, I remember. He's dating Son Pan now. They have been dating forever."
"Well, that's good. Are you seeing anyone?"
"Nope, I just got out of a abusive relationship" she pointed to the bruise on her face.
"Oh, God!"
"Yea, it's all good, my father took care of him."
"Well, hey it's been great talking with you, but I have to get back to work." She took out her pen and wrote her phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to Bra.
"Look, I'm going to this party tonight with some friends of mine, if you want to come with, call me. I get off work at 5pm and the party starts at 8."
"Sounds fun, I'll definitely call you." Said Bra as another waiter brought the food to Bra.
"Alright, I'll talk to you tonight." Bra sat at her table and began to eat her meal and finish up her drink. "Some new friends might be good for me. Not that Pan is bad, but she's always doing something with Trunks, and Goten, well that's a whole other story." Bra finished up her meal and paid and left for more shopping.
By the time Bra got home it was 6:30pm. She walked through the hole in the front of the house, to see her mother sitting on the stairs.
"I've been waiting for you to get home." Bulma said.
"What for?"
"Your father told me about your little smoking habit." Bra, obviously irritated, sighed.
"You can't be a great warrior if you pollute your body with that crap?" said Bra imitating her father, "Please mother, I don't need another lecture on my life."
"Why are you smoking?" asked Bulma.
"Because it's the only thing I can control in my life. I can decided when I want to smoke and no one has to tell me no. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to a party tonight and I have get ready." Said Bra as she brushed off her own mother as she walked in silence up to her room. Once in her room she pulled out the napkin that Rei wrote her number on to call Rei. "Hi is Rei there?"
"This is she."
"Hi Rei, it's Bra."
"Hey, girl, what's up?"
"So what should I wear to this party tonight."
"Well, just dress comfortably. I'll do your hair in the car on the way there."
"Ok, my boyfriend and I will be there in like an hour."
"Ok, but not to sound rude or anything, but just you come to the door. I don't want your boyfriend to get shit from my father and brother."
"Ok, I'll see you then."
"Bye." As soon as she hung up the phone, there was a knock at the door, "What!" she said exasperatedly. The door opened and it was Pan.
"Hey, Bra." Said Pan as she walks in.
"Oh good it's you."
"Why, who do you not want it to be?"
"My mom, my brother, especially my father."
"Yea, Trunks told me a sketch of what happened earlier." Bra just rolled her eyes, "you know you really shouldn't smoke..." Bra cut her off.
"Look Pan, I don't need to hear a lecture from my best friend."
"Hey, I wasn't finished. I was going to say that you really shouldn't smoke and I don't like, but I'm not going to stop you or stop being your friend. I love you no matter what."
"Thanks, Pan. I always knew I could count on you." With that the two girls hugged each other, "so I'm going to this party tonight with Rei Vertore."
"Oh wow, what a blast from the past. I remember her."
"I met her today while I was shopping in town. She's working at a local bar. I went there for lunch today. "
"What are you going to wear?" asked Pan.
"Rei said that just casual wear would be find. So I'm just going in my flare jeans and a tank top, probably my Hook-Ups one. Rei said that she would do my hair on the way there."
"Well that sounds like fun, Trunks and I rented a movie." Sighed Pan.
"You two are great together, have I ever told you that."
"Yea, like a billion and one times." Said a man's voice from the doorway.
"How long have you been there, Trunks?" snarled Bra.
"Long enough." Bra looked at Pan.
"Well I have to start getting ready and you have to go. Have fun or something." Pan hugged Bra and she left with Trunks. Bra got up and started getting ready to go. "I don't appreciate Trunks ease dropping on my conversation with Pan. Oh well."
After getting all her make-up on and her clothes just the way she liked it, she stood looking at herself in the mirror again. She didn't look at how her clothes looked, or her make-up. She stared intently at the bruise still visible through the make-up on her cheek. She then noticed the bruises on her arms. Another tear started to roll down her face; "I am weak. I am worthless. I am nothing." Just then another knock on her door, Bra quickly wiped the tear from her face. "Come in." It was Vegeta at the door, obviously still extremely angry with her.
"Your friend is here." He said coldly with no expression change.
"Ok." She grabbed her purse from the dresser and walked past her father without saying a word and walked down the stairs to her new friend, "Hey girl, let's go." As she opened the door and they both left without saying a word to anyone. Vegeta, meanwhile, was watching at the top of the stairs as his daughter walked out the door and into the car of some strangers.
"I'm going to have to keep an eye on these new friends of her." With that Vegeta went down stairs and into the kitchen. Trunks was in the kitchen warming up a chicken in the microwave.
"Boy! What do you know about these new friends of that girl." Vegeta questioned Trunks.
"New friends? Oh, you mean that girl she was going to the party with. I don't know anything about her except that her and Bra graduated from high school in the same class."
"I don't like her hanging out with these new people that I don't know."
"Dad, you don't like Goten and Pan either, and she's been friends with them since the day she was born."
"Don't question me, Boy!" scowls Vegeta.
"Dad do you want my opinion?"
"NO!"
"Well, to bad. Here's something to think about. Bra was gone for 2 months living with Kris against her will. He hit her and beat her within an inch of her life every day for 2 months. She was afraid to leave. When she stopped calling home, you and I went to get her out. We were her hero's and now you're treating her like a slave again. She feels like she's being kept in a box again, as she put it. Dad, you know that Bra will always love you, but sometimes you've got to let her go and live a little." With that Trunk took his chicken out of the microwave and grabbed a couple of forks and started to walk over to the stairs. Just before he went up he looked back at his father, "Oh yea, father, that day we went to get Bra, you were cool and because of what you did that day, I know you really do care about us." Trunks went up stairs, while Vegeta just stood in the kitchen clenching his fists.
"He is right, I do care very much about my family. I'd die for all of them. That is why I can't let my daughter go down the wrong path." Vegeta then went up to his bedroom to change. Bulma was already in bed. Once he changed and got into bed next to his wife, he just sat there with his arms crossed, frowning and grunting. "Woman, woman..." said Vegeta trying to wake up Bulma, "Woman!"
"What, what do you want? Trunks is up have him make your food." Said Bulma as she rolled back to sleep.
"Woman, wake up. I want to talk." With that Bulma sat up and looked at Vegeta with concern.
"What's wrong? You look angry." Yawned Bulma.
"I'm worried about the girl. She's smoking, she's being disrespectful, and when she left she didn't even tell me or Trunks, or you for that matter where she was going and when she was going to be back. What is wrong with her?"
"Vegeta, I don't know. I was thinking about that before I fell asleep. Since she came home, she's been very distant. She's hardly gone out with her friends. She hasn't been back to work yet. All her projects are on hold until she returns. Some are just being finished without her. She still has that bruise on her face. Sometimes I catch her looking at it in the mirror, I think it's just a reminder of what happened." Just then Bulma looked up to see Trunks standing in the doorway.
"Mind if I join in the conversation."
"Boy! What have I told you about ease dropping?" Vegeta lashed out.
"Sorry I was just passing and heard you talking about Bra. I'm worried too, so is Pan."
"Look you two," said Bulma, "let's just see how things play out for a while. If things start getting worse, then we'll have to figure something out. Until then, and only then," looking at Vegeta, "we will do something. So, no scolding her, no complaining about what she does or where she goes, or it might get worse. Ok."
"Ok, fine." Said Vegeta as he laid back in his bed and went to sleep.
"Alright." Said Trunks as he shrugged his shoulders and walked into his bedroom and shut the door. Once Trunks was in his room he picked up the phone and called Goten.
"Who are you calling?" asked Pan.
"Goten." He replied "Hello Aunt ChiChi, is Goten home?"
"OH hi, Trunks, how are you doing?"
"I'm alright, just getting ready to watch a movie with Pan."
"You two are so cute, well here is Goten. Take care sweetie."
"Bye Aunt ChiChi."
"Hey Trunks. Why are you calling so late?"
"Well, I was wondering about something. Do you remember a Rei Vertore?"
"Umm...refresh my memory as to where I would remember her from." Insisted Goten
"Well, apparently she graduated from high school with Bra and Pan. She has really long deep red hair, thin about Bra's height. Is this ringing any bells."
"What did you say her last name was?"
"It's Vertore." Replied Trunks.
"Vertore, Vertore, Vertore... oh wait, I don't know about her, but I remember her brother."
"What do you remember about him?"
"You're kidding me, Vegeta let her out of that house with his sister? OH man!"
"Goten, tell me what I should be worried about?" pleaded Trunks.
"Dude, Rei's brother is the biggest druggie loser I have ever seen. He buys, uses, and sells."
"WHAT!!!" yelled Trunks.
"HEY Trunks!!! Chill out! Bra has a head on her shoulders, she'll be fine, I know she won't do anything."
"I know, I trust her, but I just don't want her to get in trouble if the cops bust it or something."
"True enough, but look, why don't we just keep an eye on the situation." Stated Goten
"Ok, if I suspect something, I'll let you know."
"Ok, I'll do the same. Look man I gotta go. Dad want's to spar before I go to bed." Sighed Goten
"Alrighty then, talk to you tomorrow." With that Trunks hung up the phone, "Ok, now we can watch the movie."
