Sins of the Father: Vows Chapter 11: I Don't Want to Dance with the Devil, a dragon ball z fanfic

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Chapter 11: I don't want to dance with the devil…

He's a little too hot for me

Never ditch the Briefs

"7:00, meet up at the intersection by Satoku's."

Click.

Bra stared at the phone in her hand in disbelief. Did he honestly expect her to just jump at his command? After the stunts he had pulled at the barbecue (and it had taken her hours to soothe her parents, Gohan, and Tenshi over the whole incident, not to mention to justify her invitation/involvement with him), did he honestly believe she –wanted– to meet up with him again? A growl began to build up in her throat. H-, he probably thought she owed him for even showing up! And he didn't even ask if she was free! Like he expected her to drop everything just to meet up with him! She slammed her cell phone closed with emphatic harshness. Dende, he was such an a-hole.

Of course that didn't change the fact that an hour later she turned her wardrobe inside out, trying to figure out what she was going to wear that night.

It just figured that he wouldn't even tell her where they were going. She just hoped it wasn't too rough a place, but if Goten wanted retribution for the family barbecue...

D-. Where were well-adjusted guys when you needed them?

Bra drummed the steering wheel, once again finding herself waiting for a certain black haired man's arrival, only this time on the side of the road. "And they say women can never be punctual," she muttered to herself, before fretfully checking her appearance once again in her mirrors.

She'd dressed pretty casually, a pair of black hip huggers and a sleeveless red lace shirt. It would be okay for a club or bar, which Bra had a strong feeling was exactly where Goten would take her. Yipee. She just hoped it wasn't too hardcore, in view of how much alcohol she was probably going to consume - and she wasn't sure just how 'considerate' Goten would be this time round.

A sudden screeching of wheels made Bra jump. Her gaze darted from her reflection to see a red convertible come to a sudden halt across from her. She frowned slightly as he gestured to the street behind her. Hmm, so he was going to lead her there. She nodded to show her understanding when he began to smirk, his abyss eyes locking unto hers. Uh oh. She knew that look; that glint in his eye only meant one thing: challengetrouble. In Bra's mind they were only one thing, even after so few meetings with Goten - his challenges always led to trouble for her.

He revved his engine. Her eyes widened. No way. There was no way - As the thought coursed through her brain a blur of red shot by her at an obscene speed.

Bra cursed rather fluently, expertly shifting gears in a flash and speeding unto the road, after performing a rather neat (and probably illegal) U-turn with only a moment's pause.

Couldn't he ever do anything the easy way?!

He was smirking like a demon when she 'finally' pulled up into the already crowded parking lot, stretched as arrogantly against that d- red speedster as a smug tomcat on the prowl. Her lips thinned in poorly checked anger, and yet...

"Had fun princess?" That earned him a snort as she stepped out of her car, but she didn't, couldn't deny the charge outright to his evil knowing smirk. She devoted an unnecessary amount of attention to the locking of her doors. "You gotta admit, the last few miles were pretty exhilarating - I thought you were going to win for a second." His tone was both slyly teasing and ingratiating, maddening by its sheer condescension and, and d-it! Why did he have to be right?

She made an elaborate show of smoothing her outfit, before finally meeting his eyes. "How could I win your ridiculous race when I didn't even know our destination?" she asked dryly. His smirk widened as she unconsciously checked him out. Black and more black. "So what is this place anyway? And do you even have a wardrobe?" Goten ignored the fashion jab and made a grand gesture to the large building behind him. It was rather seedy looking, dark wood walls marred by bits of graffiti and odd shaped dents. There didn't seem to be any windows or identifying features such as sign. Bra would bet it worked with an established clientele. You simply -knew- when you were at the right place.

"Welcome to the Abyss - my workplace."

"How charming," she muttered, boldly walking a little closer to the building to inspect it further. It was shaped rather oddly, the roof slightly sloping to the right, positioned over a nearly perfectly cylindrical structure, disfigured of course by the dents - probably from cars of the place's wildly partying regulars. Idly she wondered how many of those impressions could be traced to Goten, either directly or indirectly. "Did you bring me to watch you work while I got hit on completely plastered thirty-somethings?"

"Nah, I've got single shift tonight. I work double duty as a bartender/bouncer, but they only need a bouncer tonight. I can do basically anything I want as long I stay on the premises and available in case of a fight," he elaborated, edging up behind her. She made a wary half turn to keep him from catching her unawares. He simply got too much of a kick out of sneaking up on her.

"So you can drink and play pool to your heart's delight and still get paid?" she asked skeptically. He nodded and she shook her head. "That's so unfair."

When they reached the door, Goten uncharacteristically stepped up and held the door for her. She eyed him warily as he swept into a dramatic bow. "Ladies first."

"Since when have you considered me a lady?" Akuma was escorting her into the Abyss. What about that thought wasn't ominous?

He smiled charmingly, half-disgusting her with the ease he could change personas. "Princesses are always ladies," he simpered.

Bra's eyes narrowed, but she decided to go with it. She shrugged deceptively nonchalantly and strode through the doorway. "Oh well, royalty is before third class anyway."

His smile stiffened and his eyes narrowed. "Touché," he muttered before sweeping in behind her.

He caught up with her almost at once, having only made it a few steps before the atmosphere overwhelmed her. He gently slid his hand to rest on the small of her back, inwardly surprised when she neither shied away nor started at the touch, and guided her to the pool table he usually frequented.

The place was definitely larger than it appeared from the outside, a fact augmented by the pitch-black walls that gave Bra the feeling they went on into infinity. Her suspicion that there were no windows was vindicated, the only lighting being provided by dingy, erratically hung lamps. Underneath the lamps, were a scattering of pool tables that gradually gave way to an open area, undoubtedly a dance floor despite its lack of polished flooring. A stage with a band tuning, all in the black, edged the dance floor on its far side, while an antique bar bordered it on another side. The last side gave way to a bare wall with a passageway that Bra bet led to a winding hallway, lined with doors. The entire room was essentially bare of decoration.

"This place is simply screaming for redecoration," she muttered, barely registering where exactly Goten was leading her.

"But then the name wouldn't fit so well," his tone was sly and mocking. She rolled her eyes, finally focusing on him.

"Then they could just change the name to fit it, right -Akuma-?" She said the nickname sweetly. He rolled his eyes back at her and moved to greet those around the pool table. There were about five guys and two girls, mostly in varying degrees of leather and/or black. The girls wore leather skirts and dark vivid tops, but the guys were less showy. The hair styles leaned toward the dyed side, but stylistically weren't too extreme.

"Changing a name only does so much," he muttered, before nodding and engaging in normal greetings, disturbingly laid back. Bra didn't try to keep track of their names. She'd just learn them later, or not.

"So Akuma, who's this?" finally asked one, a man who decked out in leather and spiky green hair, was probably the most extreme dresser. He looked Bra over before focusing on Goten with an innocent grin. "A date?" Bra grimaced, seeing the question for what it was.

"I'm already being mistaken for one of 'your girls'," she said with an exaggerated groan. "I need a drink." She ignored the fact that seemed to arouse more interest than her appearance. A red headed woman paused as she was about to hit the cue ball, though her partner was too busy contemplating the bluette to notice.

Goten put a hand to his heart, mortally wounded. "Are you suggesting it would be so bad to be under me?" His affronted tone somehow managed to be tauntingly seductive at the same time.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, remembering a certain treacherous dream that hinted the very opposite. But she wasn't about to let Goten know that. "Please, don't insult me. I'm not dumb enough to end up one of your one-night stands." Successfully brushing away his question and inference, she looked around in vain for a waitress.

"You have to go up to the bar to get a drink. No waitresses." She groaned.

"I should've figured, I mean if they let you double as a bartender and bouncer..." The sentence was left hanging and she sighed after surveying Goten's group of curious 'friends' (mostly male), deciding she didn't trust anyone in the place enough to charm them into fetching a drink for her. "This is just fabulous," she muttered. "Barely two minutes here and already on my way to drinking more than is healthy."

"You don't have to drink if you don't want to, princess." His teeth were surprisingly shiny for someone who smoked so much. She had to wonder what it said about him, or her for that matter, that his innocent toothy grin was creepy.

She snorted. "I'll need it to stand you, Saiyan," putting as much pointed emphasis on the nickname as he did. And with a flick of her hair, she was on her way to the bar.

Goten shook his head. For someone who didn't like being perceived as a spoiled brat, she sure pulled off a good bratty princess routine.

"She's feisty," Juuki, the green-haired man, commented, speaking up again. "I wonder what she's like in bed." This was very clearly directed toward the other spiky haired man. Goten shrugged.

"Wouldn't know."

"Going to find out?"

He didn't even try to answer as he busied himself with lighting his cigarette.

"I see I got you addicted to Sex on the Beach."

Bra frowned. Goten could be so juvenile at times. That joke only worked once. She rolled her eyes with dramatic flair, unconsciously playing up to the immediately captive audience.

"Forgive me if I'm not aware of as much variety of drinks as someone who's hung out exclusively in –bars– for the last five or so years," she drawled sarcastically. Besides, she added mentally making her way to the pool table, the drink wasn't half bad. Casually leaning against it, she then focused on Goten with a slight sneer. "Nothing you could offer would entice me to addiction, even if there are so many to choose from, Saiyan." Her eyes lit on his cigarette with obvious revulsion.

"Saiyan?" This came from Juuki. Everyone else probably wanted to know, but for some reason they seemed wary of getting in between Akuma and whoever this friend of his was. However, caution was not in Juuki's action vocabulary.

Bra started slightly, suddenly hypersensitive to the fact she was surrounded by strangers – Goten's, no, Akuma's friends. Something about Goten just seemed erase her consciousness of surroundings.

Deliberately untensing, she gave Juuki an excessively effusive smile.

"Just a nickname, like Akuma," the words came out with a forced carelessness. "Something about his nature, since he's so obviously unwilling to use his real name." Her eyes flicked back to Goten challengingly. He frowned in return, annoyingly registering that this caused yet another pause in the pool game. A chance to find out Akuma's real name? That was just too good to pass up!

"I don't see you rushing to give your name, Miss-named-after-undergarments," he returned just as casually, his smirk intensifying as Bra became the focal point of every male eye around. "Even if it fits you so well," he purred, deliberately pausing to heighten interest even more. "Bra."

All eyes, even the women for a moment, immediately dropped down. The males were scrupulous in their inspection, taking time to carefully inspect the veracity of Goten's statement. They all, however, were forced to admit it was upheld.

"Goten," the bluette hissed lowly, no one else catching the word as they were too, ahem, busy with other considerations. Unconsciously she fell back to her father's favorite pose, crossing her arms defensively. This of course didn't help the situation – the men were fascinated to observe how this made Goten's reflection even more accurate. "Men," she hissed this time with aggravation.

It was one thing to be appreciated as a woman. It was quite another to be ogled like a chunk of meat at a Saiyan buffet. And it was something that seriously pissed her off. Amazing how often that was happening lately…

It was infuriating and d-ed if she wasn't going to do something about it. For some reason, she doubted Goten was about to mount a horse for her and play knight in shining armor, shooing off the lustful stares and demand they pay her respect. She nearly snorted at the mental picture. That was just about as likely as Goten giving her respect – but wasn't he, by treating her like an adult?

She mentally shook the thought. It was time for her to earn some respect. And feeling the wood dig into her back behind her, gave the inkling of just how to do that.

With more composure than she was feeling inside, she purposefully turned around to confront the table behind her, giving the gawking guys a whole new view to pay attention to. She pointedly smiled to the woman holding a pool stick, who raised a dark red eyebrow. The woman gave up the stick after a moment, correctly interpreting Bra's motion.

"You know, I haven't played that much pool actually," Bra commented airily, completely dropping the last line of conversation much to a certain half-Saiyan's puzzlement. She gave the pool stick a lazy twirl, her eyes on the table. "It looks pretty easy though. Mind if I try a shot?" This, along with a guileless smile, was pointed to the players of the game. The woman nodded, sensing perhaps with woman's intuition, a ploy in the works. The other player, a dyed blond male, didn't respond, his attention completely ensnared as Bra proceeded to stoop and pick up two of the balls. Finding it awkward it hold the balls and stick at the same time, she stuck the rod between her thighs, holding it there as she proceeded to examine the two balls close to her face. She carefully weighed them and caressed their smoothness with exaggerated intensity.

Goten was positive he wasn't the only male that nearly stopped breathing, his cigarette poised halfway to his mouth. He, out of all of them, could see that Bra was up to something… but he was still male.

Seemingly oblivious to her captive, in-chains-and-loving-it, audience, she finally put the two balls down and readied herself to shoot, bending over to fastidiously line up the stick with her selected ball. And with a deceptively smooth, graceful motion, she began her stroke and hit the ball.

Oh yeah, she hit it – with such force that it shot through the side railing with a sickening crack and into the wall.

Emphasis, of course, being on the -into-.

"Oops."

The statement was as innocent as a 6-year-old who'd just dropped their ice cream cone on their annoying little brother.

More than one guy whimpered, hands reflexively going below the belt as if to ward off the mere visualization of such a feat. Even Goten turned a lovely shade of sickly white.

Bra smirked, dropping the innocent act, immensely satisfied at the reactions she was getting. She twirled the stick again with ease, drawing attention back to herself.

"Everybody get my point?" Her smirk held a dangerous edge to it, one begging to be opposed.

It was the woman who had lent Bra the pool stick in the first place, that finally broke the silence with a wholehearted laugh.

"I knew I liked you," she announced, smiling brilliantly and ignoring the fact what Bra had just done should've been impossible period. "Name's Iyazoi. We girls got to stick it to them," this introduction was accompanied by a conspiratorial wink. Bra took her outstretched hand gladly though a tad hesitantly, slightly taken back by this sudden show of friendliness.

"You know," Goten finally spoke up, drawing the two new friends' attention on himself. "You seem to be more destructive when I'm around," he wryly cocked a steel-decked eyebrow at the damaged pool table. "Especially with other people's stuff." Bra pshahed, much like the teenage girl she was, and rolled her eyes.

"Chill Akuma. It won't come out of your paycheck; I'll cover it." She made the statement with the easy blitheness that only the truly rich are capable of.

"Right," he drawled back, a sneer starting to form at the negligent show of her wealth. "Your father must be so proud." It took her an eye blink for the statement to make sense, but when it did, she couldn't help but give a very unladylike snort.

"Please. Right now he thinks I'm insane for being around you. And he's the one who should just love these 'improvements' to your personality!" She gave a frustrated vague hand motion to underscore her sarcasm. She continued, slightly quieter. "I mean, I can understand my mother, Gohan, Pan, the Z-Senshi, Tenshi..." As the list grew longer, she began to wince. Maybe she was insane.

He jumped on the last name.

"Boyfriend problems?" he asked innocently, but the glint in his eye was far too eager to be appropriately sympathetic.

Bra narrowed her eyes. "As if it's any of your business," she muttered pointedly, but she answered anyway. "No. He trusts me." She couldn't help the note of defiance that crept in.

Goten just made an odd noise that Bra couldn't decide if it was incredulity or agreement. For some reason though, she doubted it was the latter. Her lips tugged down into a displeased frown.

"He's probably just wondering if he can trust me," he returned easily, his dark eyes sparkling with unspoken humor. She snorted internally. Trust him? That was rich.

"But who can trust Akuma really?" She stretched out the last word and her arms mockingly, looking around challengingly at all of his 'friends'. "Anyone here?" The uneasy shifting of eyes was her only response and she smirked, imperiously turning to Goten with a proud glint in her eyes.

Goten's eyes darkened, if that was possible. Standing there with that devilish smirk, haughtily reveling in her small witty win, blue hair and eyes shinning even in the dim light of the bar, red lace and hiphuggers showcasing curves he'd love to know better, – she was a vision, appealing to him for reasons he couldn't, wouldn't, identify. But he was wise by now.

He would bide his time.

And it was only a matter of time.

It wasn't as bad as she expected, she finally admitted to herself. She couldn't be sure how long it was before she allowed the almost treacherous conclusion to be uttered by her mind - the lack of windows and unchanging dim interior gave the place a timeless feel that made the passing of time irrelevant. But still, Bra had to admit that what she had been dreading was nowhere near reality. The Abyss was a bit wild, but insulated by Goten's ring of friends (crude and vulgar, though the guys left her alone after her little 'demonstration'), it wasn't that bad.

Multiple pool games succeeded the one she had interrupted, to which she eventually lost interest as they showed no inclination to ask her to participate, for some odd reason. The only thing she did take note of, was that Iyazoi was pretty good. Yay girl power.

And as she sipped drink after drink, slowly of course, she began to fear something she hadn't even considered before, couldn't have even conceived of: boredom. As the games went on, the others chatted, smoked, and drank; their voices drifting to Bra like a wordless hum. She wasn't a part of the crowd - she hardly could be.

But, of course, Goten couldn't let the hours pass without anything notable, nor could Bra let the time drag on so without going off the deep end. Though if she had noticed the slit eyed glares he gave any guy who made a motion towards her, it probably would've gotten livelier faster.

It started innocently enough. Goten simply started commenting on the latest scores of sports teams. Various groans followed the announcement.

"You collecting?" Juuki asked with a slight wince. Goten cocked his head, his eyes wandering to where Bra sat. As if sensing his questioning gaze, Bra straightened and came to attention. It took her a minute to realize what was going on, though the muttered grumblings about odds and the fact people were already opening their wallets and counting money greatly aided her deductive processes.

"You're a bookie. Should this be surprising?" she asked with a sharp carelessness, boredom making her reckless than usual. When his eyes still stayed on her, she gave her judgment. "Oh yes, you definitely disgust me. Though, you know," she plunged on. "I'd think you'd be more embarrassed by my whole walking in while you were acting remarkably like Goku."

Only the slow stiffening of his shoulders and jaw showed he heard her. Instead, he turned to Juuki and gave a casual wordless nod, slipping out a slim notebook and pencil from somewhere. Even Juuki was wise enough not to ask who Goku was. Bra watched for a few moments with a sneer as he took down amounts as they were handed to him with a precision that belied him, a nameless unexplainable restlessness and discontent brewing at his lack of reaction. Finally she couldn't help herself.

"Why don't you try making easy money legally? Like boxing?" Her tone was too offhand to actually be so. "Oh right, too much like your father." Wow, two mentions of Goku in connection with him in as many minutes. Wasn't she feeling daring tonight?

She wasn't actually sure how she expected to get away with it - but then again, she remembered his outburst on Saturday. So like her father in that regard. Vegeta, though somewhat mellowed by the years and her mother, still had the shortest fuse of anyone she knew. The moment it was lit, he sprung, always in tense preparation to launch an immediate attack. She knew why it was so, of course. Her father never talked about his 'Frieza years', but she'd managed to gather enough information from 'accidentally' overheard conversations and evasive answers to her innocent questions. On Frieza's ship the unwary were dead, from brute force or politics - it didn't much matter.

However, it was easy to defuse him - distraction at the moment of release. A completely unexpected comment, sudden touch, or similar interruption from an unlikely source completely derailed him. It was a strategy her mother had first discovered and aptly gained mastery of over the years. It was also a tactic Bra could even humbly acknowledge she had perfected from mere necessity. And it was one that had worked admirably well at the barbecue on Goten.

But Goten didn't explode. In fact, there was no immediate reaction, other than a pause in his writing.

Instead, Bra felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise as the very air began to vibrate with menace. In sudden transfixed dread, she watched the muscles of Goten's back slowly bunch and tense, making it a mass of corded poised power. Though hidden by his shirt, she could almost see the dragon to snarl and flash its fangs at her insolence. But she could not turn her eyes, though her mouth dried at an alarming rate as his ki slowly swelled to the point even the blind could see, loose objects beginning to rock in their positions in the sudden surge of ki-induced wind. With silent, perfect deliberation he carefully put the pen down and turned to confront her, his face expressionless but his lips pulled back just enough to show a hint of a snarl punctuated by too sharp teeth. But the look in his feral eyes, dark as the space abyss that sucks everything, even light, into its depths without a trace left behind…

Like a mouse suddenly surprised by a cobra, she was helpless but to watch her doom prepare itself to be wreaked. And like the prey, she could not look away, only tense in horrified anticipation.

CRACK!

It took her a moment to realize the sound was the breaking of her own glass. Her eyes numbly slowly traced their way down to her hand where she could only stare at the broken shards of glass as blood began to well up. The pain didn't seem to register in her dazed mind.

She didn't know how long she sat there, mindlessly watching the red rivulets mixed with clear liquid ooze down her fingers and palm, before a sudden white blur intercepted her vision. She looked up only to reel in confusion at Goten? Her head snapped back down as something tightened almost painfully on her hand. He was bandaging it. Akuma was bandaging her hand. No - Goten was bandaging her hand. There was a difference, there had to be - didn't there?

"You should watch that tongue of yours, princess," the word came out with such forceful scorn she flinched as if physically hit, perfectly belying the mildness with which he was tending her. Where had he gotten bandages? "It would be a shame for you to lose it due to some thoughtless comment." He punctuated 'lose' and 'thoughtless' with particularly hard jerks on the bandage. She paled at the thinly veiled threat, reflexively bringing her arms protectively to herself - which of course only brought him nearer.

They locked eyes then, for a good minute, fathomless black and fathomless blue. Black and blue. The color of an injury, hidden but by skin, shown but by color. Black and blue.

He let go. She could only watch as he resumed his place leaning against a pool table. He reopened his notebook and looked up in expectation for the resumption of his previous collecting. It took a moment for his friends, tense, nervous, and confused by what just happened, to slide back into normality. But in a sudden rush, the sole other girl apart from Iyazoi stepped forward and thrust out her money, her eyes nervously skittering around the room. He took with a muttered acceptance and casual smile.

It was unnerving to say the least, and Bra went back to nursing her drink - a replacement that Goten had straightaway called for.

Well there was one thing for sure - Akuma was never short of surprises.

"Yeah, I think I might try the stage tonight." Bra blinked, abruptly awakened from her mindless mental wanderings by the strangeness. She cocked her head, determining the comment came from Juuki, a statement that was quickly greeted by groans and some low derisive remarks.

"The stage?" she echoed. He started slightly, but then grinned at her, inwardly pleased that she had come out of the despondent daze she'd been in. She was a pleasant change from Akuma's usual girls and he had to admit he kinda liked her, wisely not in a sexual way. Akuma hadn't been that subtle with his warning glares.

"Oh yeah, it's karaoke night." His smile was effusive.

"Karaoke?" In this place? She felt the sudden urge to burst out laughing. The Abyss apparently had plenty of room for absurdity.

"Maybe you could show some talent on stage?" She blinked to find herself subjected to Juuki's dramatized pouting face. This time she actually did laugh, finally easing away the tension that had stiffened her body for so long.

"Bad idea."

And welcome back tension. Bra eyed Goten carefully, suspiciously checking his relaxed stance for menace. Black met blue easily and her back carefully loosened.

"Why?" she asked succinctly and warily, not sure if she was up to another confrontation just yet. Unconsciously, her nails began to nervously tap a rhythm against her glass.

"Please, I've heard your mother try to sing - she'd make a dying cat sick with envy." The inflection with light with teasing and her muscles completely untensed. She quirked an eyebrow as her lips puckered into something like a smirk.

"Says the man whose mother was christened the Harpy," she returned dryly, well recalling her father's many muttered complaints about ChiChi – muttered because not even Vegeta dared insult Goku's wife to her face. Not anymore. "Honestly Akuma, you should know better than to judge by parentage." She let her lashes fall innocently, before turning to Juuki. "I'll do it."

"Didn't know you were such a glutton for punishment." She couldn't help giving a snort at that.

"I'm not," she refuted acerbically, though that really didn't fit with the fact she was in a bar with Goten all things considering. "Believe me." And suddenly brilliance struck. Her mouth couldn't help but curve into a smirk. "In fact, how 'bout this? The House calls for an encore and you have to sing." Her eyes fairly danced with mischievousness. It wasn't fair that he was the only who got to challenge anyway.

His dark eyes returned the challenge right back, his lips twitching to mimic her smirk. "You're on, princess," he drawled.

Her saunter to the stage was complete with an extra sway of her hips, whether intentional or not, Goten couldn't find it in himself to care. His eyes remained fastened on her all the way until she disappeared into the gathering crowd on the left of the stage. Even then his eyes remained as he mulled and mused.

Bra grimaced. Maybe this wasn't such a hot idea. But it was a little too late for second thoughts. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the tech guy (if she'd learned his name, it was gone in a haze of nervousness) give her the thumbs-up and press the button for the words to scroll. Behind her, the band started up.

And with a deep breath, she opened up her mouth.

Listen as your day unfolds

Challenge what the future holds

Try and keep your head up to the sky

--Lovers, they may cause you tears

Go ahead release your fears

Stand up and be counted

Don't be ashamed to cry

Goten had to be impressed. Besides having a decent voice, Bra didn't miss a word and even was starting to get into it motion wise – a respectable feat while holding a microphone. But then again, princesses were usually quite dramatic.

She met his eyes, punching out word for word defiantly.

You gotta be...

You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser

You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger

You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together

All I know, all I know, love will save the day

Again, for the verse she let her eyes rove the audience, picking out a few to wink and point to.

Herald what your mother said

Read the books your father read

Try to solve the puzzles in your own sweet time

--Some may have more cash than you

Others take a different view

My oh my, yea, eh, eh

Moving her body smoothly with the vocal exclamations, she was clearly into it as she rolled straight into the second chorus. By this time, she was moving around the stage, riding the wave of audience whistles and cheers.

Time ask no questions, it goes on without you

Leaving you behind if you can't stand the pace

The world keeps on spinning

Can't stop it, if you tried to

This best part is danger staring you in the face

--Got to be bold

Got to be bad

Got to be wise

Do what others say

Got to be hard

Not too too hard

All I know is love will save the day

(You Gotta Be by Des'ree)

Bra's eyes met Goten's as she practically whispered the last phrase. He gave a smile of defeat as the crowd catcalled and someone started the chant for encore.

Juuki gave a low whistle from the wings where he awaited his turn. "Dynamite," he muttered appreciatively. "Wonder what Akuma's gonna sing."

Bra tapped her mike though, the success going straight to her head. "Okay encore. This isn't quite as fun though, you guys mind?" Her charming smile could've gotten them to agree to opera if she had so requested.

This time she stepped back, conferring quietly with the band. After a moment of emphatic discussion, the drummer reluctantly got up and she took his seat. Goten's brows wrinkled in confusion as she experimentally tapped each piece of the band set. What was the princess up to now?

A mike on stand was brought to her and she smiled before adjusting it to her mouth level. Looking back in the crowd, she smiled secretively. "Don't need the words for this one," she confided. "And I'm sure lots of you out there can relate." She began a steady tempo and closed her eyes, the band quietly joining in.

I'm tired of being what you want me to be

Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface

I don't know what you're expecting of me

Put under the pressure, of walking in your shoes

(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)

Every step that I take is another mistake to you

(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)

-- I've become so numb

I can't feel you there

I've become so tired, so much more aware

I'm becoming this, all I want to do

Is be more like me and be less like you

-- Can't you see that you're smothering me?

Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control

'Cause everything that you thought I would be

Has fallen apart, right in front of you

(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)

Every step that I take is another mistake to you

(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)

An' every second I waste is more than I can take

-- And I know

I may end up failing too

But I know

You were just like me

With someone disappointed in you

(Numb by Linkin Park)

Goten, Akuma, closed his eyes, oblivious to the more subdued clapping that met this second performance. He had that song memorized too.

Juuki, after giving Bra an enthusiastic hand pump and smile, went on to sing a very ill received "Dance with the Devil." Though his actions were amusingly far over the top, Bra could safely say the booing came from his terrible voice. Still, she couldn't help but clap for him in the end in return for his gusto over her own performance. She seemed to have impressed the others as well, but the one person's reaction she had wished to see was conspicuously absent. Iyazoi informed her that she had just missed Akuma. He had proceeded to the stage, obviously to fulfill his part of the deal. She sighed, but quickly changed it to a smirk. She still won and she couldn't wait to see him on stage. But wait she had to do – the coward, she groused, he stuck himself last.

And then, finally, she was prodded by one of Akuma's friends. "There he is." She raised her eyes and blinked. Stuck in the middle of the stage brightly light, Goten seemed surprisingly small and unintimidating. Such a contrast with his earlier demonstration. But Bra watched in fascination as he drew himself up and pulled together his determination. When his eyes met hers, she realized she was mistaken – he had lost none of his power. It was merely fully in his eyes

…and fully focused on her.

So enrapt, she missed the warning glint in his eyes. She wanted honesty? That was what she'd get. Let's see how the princess dealt with that.

And he opened his mouth.

I hurt myself today

to see if I still feel

I focus on the pain

the only thing that's real

the needle tears a hole

the old familiar sting

try to kill it all away

but I remember everything

what have I become?

my sweetest friend

--everyone I know

goes away in the end

you could have it all

my empire of dirt

I will let you down

I will make you hurt

--I wear my crown of thorns

on my liar's chair

full of broken thoughts

I cannot repair

beneath the stain of time

the feeling disappears

you are someone else

I am still right here

--If I could start again

a million miles away

I would keep myself

I would find a way

She reeled. His voice was coarse and hard, yet slicked with honey. A contradiction in terms. Calling but full of warning. One she couldn't resist. Yet his eyes still mesmerized, would not let her go.

It took her a moment to realize the song was over. With extreme effort she tore herself away from his gaping eyes and blindly grabbed a random guy lounging at the pool table. "Let's dance," she commanded more than asked. She quickly lost herself in the rocking beat as the band whirled into full action.

But despite her best attempt, she couldn't help Juuki's selection from pounding in her head. "I don't want to dance with the devil He's a little too hot for me…"

And his eyes burned after her…

No one addressed Akuma upon seeing the ominous expression on his face on his return, not even Juuki beyond a subdued slap on the back and tease for his song. That is, no one until a leggy tipsy redhead.

"Hey, I heard that you're a good one to get a room with," she murmured breathily, tracing a finger down his chest and completely oblivious to his wayward attention. Akuma considered her for a second before letting a smirk emerge on his face.

"Yeah, let's go."

He walked off with her without a background glance.

Iyazoi winced. "I'm not the one telling blue girl."

Bra frowned, taking in the strangely restrained crowd. Where was the verbose laughing? Where was the pool game commentary? Where was the almost mean natured teasing? Her eyes narrowed and swept over the multi-colored leather and piercing clad collection of friends. Where was Goten?

"Where did Akuma go?" She never was one to beat around the bush. She preferred torching them.

There was an uneasy silence and several glanced at Iyazoi or Juuki, the two who had the most interaction with the volatile bluette. Neither stepped up. Iyazoi's expression was coolly neutral, 'don't look at me, I told you I wasn't gonna.'

Finally, one of the guys, fed up with such irrational fear for such a petite girl, defiantly answered her. "We're not his keeper."

Actually it was more like muttering under his breath – he wasn't immune to the 'irrational' fear after all.

Bra's eyes got even narrower. "You know," she said casually, "when I ask a question, I expect an answer." With a few quick steps, she had the insolent, easily older than her, navy blue haired man backed up against pool table. With a frigid look in her eyes, she reached carefully to his side and picked up a ball. He paled rapidly. Without even looking at it, she began to squeeze.

CRACK!

This time, she knew exactly where the sound came from. So did the man.

"He went into one of the back rooms with some girl," he rushed, nearly tripping over his words in his haste.

Her lips smoothed into a firm line. Without another word, she turned on her heel and made her way to the same destination, dropping the ball on the table as she went. Rolling a small ways, it then promptly split cleanly into two. The man nearly fainted.

Juuki blew out a breath. "Where did Akuma find that girl?" His amazement and admiration were clear.

Iyazoi just shook her red hair. "It'll be interesting seeing her straighten out Akuma."

"You think she can do it?" This came from the man Bra had danced with, who had a speculative, but doubting look in his eyes.

"If she can't, who can?"

No one had an answer to that.

Bra didn't really have a plan as she approached the line of doors. She was surprisingly calm, but cold, almost frozen with determination.

It was time to earn some respect.

Giving a simple, delicate and almost disdainful sniff, she approximated which room Goten had gone into. Without any real deliberation, a ki ball formed in her hands. She looked at it contemplatively; who knew ki use was addictive? Still staring at it, she began to hum one of her favorite childhood tunes, slowly at first, then faster. Her hands began to move up and down to match the rhythm, like the winding of a jack-in-the-box.

"Uh-humhahum-hahahahum, hum-haha-hahahumm, hum-hahum-ahahahum, Pop goes the weasel."

At 'Pop' she volleyed the ball straight at the wall. It went straight through it with all the simple ease of a hot knife through butter and exploded on some interior surface. A girl's shriek was immediately heard and within half-a-minute, she had run out of the room, still half-dressed.

She smirked and waited for Goten's inevitable emergence. He appeared after only a moment's hesitation. He had to face her – there was no other option really.

"Just wanted to wish you a good night," she stated casually. As she turned to go, she paused and gave him a pointed look over her shoulder. "Oh, and piece of advice in the future:" her eyes hardened "never ditch the Briefs."

He hung in the door, watching as she placidly made her way out of the bar, likewise ignoring the commotion the explosion had evoked.

It hadn't been a wise choice, but honestly, he had to get his, frustration out somehow. And he seemed to be building up quite an amount.

His eyes narrowed. 'Delightfully' surprising and all…

It was only a matter of time.