Author's Note: All of your reviews are greatly appreciated; they really motivate me to keep on spitting out chapters! Thanks especially to Thomas Drovin, Cappucine, Fuji-San, Garowyn, thesmall, and TorankusuGohan for reviewing!
My, my. We have a lot of Goten fans out there, don't we? No matter, you shall all get your weekly-recommended dose of him if you continue to read! After all, Bra isn't the only main character in this story! Hmm... I may just very well make a chapter solely about Goten after this! Maybe that will satiate your hunger for reading about him!
Also, I don't know... The way I figure it is that since Goku and Gohan had tails when they were younger, why can't I (or we) just assume Goten and Trunks had tails also? Bra should have one as well, as she is half-Saiyan- She'll lose it when she gets older, don't worry! As for Pan, hmm... Let's just see it this way - she won't have a tail because there's not enough Saiyan blood running through her veins. She'll still have that ever-powerful Saiyan strength, though! Also, you'll notice that Bra has a tiny problem - she refuses to call Goten by his name! She simply refers to him (rudely) as 'you,' or 'him.' You'll find out the reason for this later on in the story...
Chapter 9: Poor Babysittees!
Three years later...
Vegeta leaned against his bedroom wall impatiently, tapping his foot loudly against the carpeted floor and staring at the bland wall right across from him. Being a father of two now, he had been forced to get used to waiting, but alas, this particular waiting session was getting a little too much for him. He now glared at two feminine figures leaning excitably over a vanity table not three feet away from him, waiting for the taller one to hurry up with her 'preparations.' But as everyone knows, a watched pot will never boil...
"I hope you know how long it's taking you," he finally scowled. The two females paid no attention to him, fumbling around with makeup and hairbrushes. He slightly frowned at the smaller of the two, asking her, "Why do you need this stuff, anyway?"
She giggled and pursed her lips together, allowing her mother to apply some clear lip gloss on them. "Daddy, a girl needs to look pretty at all times!"
Bulma nodded, setting down the tube of lip gloss and fastening a silver necklace around her neck. Kneeling down to straighten Bra's sundress, she joked, "I think I've taught her well, don't you?"
Vegeta merely began to grumble as Bulma rose to her feet again, smoothing down the stray strands of hair from her bun. "Well, how do I look?"
He snorted, not even bothering to compliment her on her apparel - with a refined blue dress, three-inch heels, and silver hoop earrings on, Bulma was truly a sight to behold. She self-consciously smoothed down the curls of hair that hung loosely near her eyes as she awaited his approval. But as he turned away from her disdainfully, she scowled. "You know, you could wear something... remotely classier than a plain old training outfit."
"We're only going out to dinner," he said shortly, his back still turned. "As we always do, once in a while. And not once have I worn anything different."
"But you and Goku are going to look so out of place!" Bulma argued, slipping on her jacket. "Even Krillin and Gohan know better than to wear gi at a five-star restaurant!"
Bra ignored the growing argument, resorting to standing on her tiptoes to better see the big mirror. "Mommy, why can't I go?" she finally asked.
"Because little girls and boys aren't allowed at the restaurant," Bulma paused from her small quarrel. "And the fact that you, Goten, and Trunks can't control yourselves in front of food..."
At the word 'Goten,' Bra scowled angrily. "He's not coming here, is he?"
"Yes, he is..." Bulma started, and proceeded to instruct her daughter about rules she wanted kept. "You're a big girl, and that means no tagging along with the boys. Pan and Marron are coming, so you'll have ample girls to play with. Bra," she suddenly added as the child leaned dangerously over the wide table, "please don't spill powder on that sundress. Auntie Chi-Chi made it especially for you." Bra nodded absentmindedly in response, and was slightly a bit more careful with her makeup.
"Second, don't bother the babysitter. No tattling on the boys, either. Understood?"
"Now that you've finished discussing the whole Constitution with her, can we leave?"
Bulma's impending glare grew even more menacing. "Butt out, Vegeta. The others should be here any moment now, so-" She grinned as the doorbell suddenly rang. "Please play host for a little while, dear, so I can finish saying what I'm expecting of her."
He only glowered at her as he left the room. Soon, the sounds of Goten and his parents could be heard from downstairs.
"Yuck, not him," Bra stuck out her tongue, a fresh frown lingering upon her face.
"Bra, his name is not him," her mother scolded as the doorbell rang again. "And I asked if you understood."
"Yes, Mommy," she agreed rather sullenly. Pretending not to notice the huge glare on her mother's face, she added, "I think Marron and her mommy and daddy are here now."
Bulma seemed to lighten up a little. Holding out a hand towards her daughter, who immediately took it, she said, "Well, let's go downstairs. In a few minutes, Pan and the babysitter should be here."
Within a few minutes' time...
Presently seated at the couch with Chi-Chi, Eighteen, Krillin, and Goku, legs crossed in a ladylike manner, Bulma waited anxiously for the doorbell to ring again. When it finally did (interrupting a rather dull conversation about possible dinner selections at the restaurant), she headed over to the front door eagerly, opening it to reveal her guests. "I'm sure glad you made it on time," she told Gohan and Videl. 'Now, as for that babysitter...'
"No problem," Gohan told her, holding onto a small hand tightly. "Pan refused to wear any of Videl's selections... I guess she's most comfortable in gi."
"Hm..." Bulma started, staring down at the young girl in thought. She wore an orange training outfit similar to that of her grandfather's; and with her hair cut short in a boyish (but still somewhat feminine) style, Pan was an exact opposite of her agemate, Bra. "She still looks adorable no matter what she wears. You two look nice as well, might I add..." She stared at her husband in annoyance, mouthing out an 'I told you so!' silently.
"Are we ready to go?" Eighteen asked from the living room. She scowled as a small foot ran over hers rather painfully. "Would you please tell your son to quit running around the room like that? I would think that you would've taught him some manners..."
"Why don't you move your feet?" Chi-Chi countered angrily. A fleeting glare towards her son brought him to a complete stop, and he restlessly returned to her side.
'This isn't good,' Bulma thought to herself, glancing around the room - Krillin had been trying to strike up a conversation with Gohan and Goku; Videl was trying to convince Marron to stop asking questions; Eighteen and Chi-Chi were volleying silent threats through the air; Vegeta was glaring ominously at everyone, particularly Goku; Trunks, Goten, and Pan were having a 'pretend' fight in the corner of the room; and Bra and Marron were lounging lazily near the sofa, the former not paying much attention as Marron continued to ask Videl how certain things worked. As Bulma attempted to scold her son for nearly breaking a flowerpot, the doorbell rang once more, delivering her from her worry. 'Thank heavens!'
The babysitter stepped inside as soon as Bulma opened the door. Taking off her faux coat (Bulma had reason to question her motives - it was the middle of August), she proceeded to ask, "Well? Where's my down payment?"
"What?"
"My down payment," she repeated sharply. She already seemed to frown as Goten ran past her, Trunks and Pan close at his heels. "I deserve some money up front if I'm going to watch these little... angels the whole night-"
"Why?" Bulma spat, clutching her purse tightly within her hands. What a ridiculous request! "After you came to my house late? When I asked this 'favor' of you, I never thought you would even think of asking that... Tanith."
The blond-haired woman sniffed haughtily. She immediately let out a small shriek as Pan pushed past her in an attempt to tag Goten. "Can't you control them?"
"Sorry," Chi-Chi appeared before the two women and plastered a feigned smile on her face, remembering Tanith Leinart's reputation from a few years back. "We hope you have fun with them, though."
"That's for sure," Goku agreed, opening the front door again. "After you, Chi-Chi..." She stepped out, and he followed. Gohan, Videl, Vegeta, Krillin, and Eighteen (after privately giving her daughter a small kiss on the cheek) followed suit.
"Well, we're off, then," Bulma waved silently to Trunks and Bra. "We'll see you in a few hours."
As soon as the door closed, Tanith's bright blue contacts searched for the nearest brat, er, child. "You," she pointed a thin, manicured finger at Pan. "Go round up the rest of the children. I want to have a talk."
The young girl promptly did as she was asked (or rather ordered), never once realizing the torment she was leading her friends to...
In a few minutes...
Five children stood in front of Tanith at present, in order from the tallest (Trunks) to smallest (Pan), doing as the mogul-turned-babysitter commanded. "Hm. I do suppose you all have names, but I hardly have the time to actually remember them. Before I begin laying out the rules, however," she continued, "You. No slouching." Goten immediately straightened, trying to keep a smile off of his face.
Trunks glared at him. Did he honestly think this was fun? "This isn't Simon Says, you know!" he hissed loudly.
"She never said 'Simon Says,' though!" Pan whispered even louder.
"I don't want any talking while I am." Tanith retained a professional poise, perfectly matching the glowers she was currently receiving from Bra. "First things first. No screaming, no yelling, no rough-housing, no arguing... No talking in general. Good little kids are seen, not heard."
A few groans were heard. Tanith smiled. She was doing her job quite well for a first-timer. "Also, no popcorn. No candy. No chips. No ice cream," she told them all. "And definitely no soda," she added, snatching a bottle of soda pop from a surprised Bra's hands.
"My daddy says I'm allowed to drink whatever I want!"
"Is your 'daddy' here right now?" Tanith countered. Striding over to the garbage can, she quickly disposed of the bottle. "Now, you, you, and you," she added, pointing at Goten, Trunks, and Pan, "I am not allowing you to walk around the house wearing that... filth. We're going to get you into some proper clothing."
"These are our training outfits!" Goten protested, not liking the smug smirk the woman wore on her face. "What do you want us to wear, little dresses?"
Tanith gave a fleeting glance at Marron and Bra, bedecked with adorable sundresses and little bows. "As a matter of fact..."
"No!" Pan crossed her arms defiantly, speaking out of turn. "I don't wanna wear a dress!"
"You're a girl... yes?" With one fast hand, she grabbed Pan in her arms, who looked like she was ready to cry. "Little girls wear dresses, last time I checked."
"You two follow me." Without looking back, she herded the three upstairs, no doubtedly to search for more 'appropriate' clothing for them. "You two girls stay in those spots... You'd better not move, or even speak for that matter."
"Why?" Marron, nevertheless, questioned.
Bra stood in her spot, positively seething. "If I want my soda, I'm gonna have it!" she declared to no one in particular. 'And no witchy lady is gonna stop me!'
Many minutes later...
Three sullen-faced children made their way downstairs, accompanied by Tanith. Bra just had to laugh as she saw them - Goten and Trunks were most uncomfortably dressed in little black suits, and Pan wore a bright pink dress of Bra's. She struggled to contain her tears, but a few sniffles could be heard.
"Didn't I tell you to stop crying?" Tanith asked her. She turned around, ignoring the few drops that slowly fell from the girl's eyes. "And you... You've just broken three of my rules."
"I did?" Bra inquired innocently, something in her hands.
"One, you moved from your spot... You were supposed to be over there," she pointed to the left of Marron. "Two, you laughed. I said no noise whatsoever. And three, you got another soda. Don't you heed orders when they're given?"
"I wanted a soda, so I got another one," Bra explained simply. She paused and took a long swig out of the bottle in a disobedient manner, liking the look of pure contempt on Tanith's face. "My daddy said I could do whatever I wanted, Tanith."
"Tanith? It's Miss Tanith to you, little girl!" This child was just as ill-mannered as her mother! No matter. Tanith would set her straight, once and for all. She changed the subject. "Now a few of you should actually know how to read and write," she stared pointedly at Trunks and Goten, digging out some paper and pencils from her leather purse. "You'll both be writing a small oration entitled, 'Why Little Kids Shouldn't Be Around Adults.'" The boys took their papers cluelessly. "All of you, head on to the living room now. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." They all followed her orders, with the exception of Bra, who deliberately burped loudly (and giggled even louder) before disposing her empty bottle.
Tanith scowled. Burping and giggling... The two things she hated from little kids. There was no way that she was going to be walked all over on by a four-year-old. Her mother already seemed to enjoy doing it... Forget it.
In the living room...
"But Trunks... I don't know how to write well!" Goten whispered worriedly, trying not to let Tanith catch his voice. He held his paper and pencil within his trembling hands, never blinking. "If I don't do the orashun properly, she's going to tell my mom...! Um, by the way, what's an orashun?"
"Forget that trash," Trunks told him, tossing aside his own paper. He scratched at his formal collar in slight annoyance. "Let's go watch TV, or something." He picked up the remote control and flicked on the television screen. In a few moments, Marron and Pan joined the boys at the couch, and they all contentedly watched the screen.
In a few seconds, however, the slight thuds of a demanding little girl jumping across the floor could be heard...
Trunks and Goten groaned when they saw Bra running up to them. In a few minutes, they were sure Tanith would come over and say, "I thought I told you to write a speech!" or "This is too inappropriate for the girls. How about this?" And then she'd switch the channel to something really infantile. Or maybe she'd shut the TV off altogether and say, "Too much TV is unhealthy. Go play outside."
"Hi, Trunks! Whatcha doin'?" Bra piped up loudly, climbing onto the couch. She stuck her tongue out at Goten, who frowned immediately. Not only was she starting inevitable dissension... She was deliberately breaking Tanith's 'speaking' rules!
"Tell your sister I don't want any trouble today. My mom is still mad about that whole vase incident," he told his friend angrily.
"You should've known that she breaks almost everything she touches," Trunks replied promptly. Bra didn't seem to understand the conversation, and picked up the remote control from the coffee table.
"No!" the two boys cried. Pan stared from Goten to Trunks to Bra indifferently, and tugged down on her itchy dress. Marron blinked a few times and continued to watch the screen uninterestedly.
"I wanna watch something different! This is for boys," Bra continued to insist, quite jumpy from her sugar rush.
"No kidding," Trunks muttered under his breath.
Tanith looked up irritably towards the living room. Clearing her throat loudly, she said, "I recall saying 'No talking' a few minutes ago..."
The room fell silent. Bra was allowed to begin flicking through the channels, finally enjoying one of Tanith's many rules (as Goten was too threatened by Tanith to actually think of purposely breaking a single one).
The girl finally stopped on a well-known toddler show, one which contained cute little bunnies, and frogs... And even adorable little duckies...
Goten saw his chance and promptly snatched the remote from her hands. There was no way on Earth that he was going to be forced to watch that show again.
Bra shrieked in her fury and bit his closest arm.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing his sore spot. As it slowly became red, he furrowed his brows angrily, frowning. "That hurt... You little monkey!"
"I'm not a monkey!"
"Yes, you are," he replied cunningly. "Take a look behind you... Monkey-Girl."
Bra stared down at her tail, seemingly nervous. "Trunks... I'm not a monkey, right?"
He shrugged slyly, deciding to take things a step further. "Everyone knows that monkeys have tails... You're the only one who has a tail in our family, so..."
Those slightly widened eyes were definitely more than a warning to the two boys. Bra angrily blinked back her tears, this time smacking Goten strongly on the same arm. "Don't call me a Monkey-Girl!"
"Ouch!"
Trunks glared at his sister. "Stop it," he demanded, punching her lightly on her own arm. She promptly let out a short yelp and jumped from the couch, fleeing into the kitchen blindly. Pan and Marron followed her, seemingly interested in what was about to ensue.
"Miss Tanith! Miss Tanith! They're hurtin' Bra," the latter said knowingly when they all reached the room. Pan nodded in agreement, and then indecisively shook her head.
"No, they wasn't," she told the woman. "She was being bad first." A few seconds later, she added, "No, Trunks and Goten were being bad first - they was watching bad shows!"
"Whatcha gonna do about it?" Marron continued.
No response. Growing impatient, Bra began to urgently tug at Tanith's exquisite cashmere sweater. "Didn't you hear? They was hurtin' me... Hey, you listen to me when I talk to you, Tanith!"
Tanith sighed and set down her fashion magazine. 'If that girl stretches this sweater, she's going to go straight to Paris to buy me another one!' "Look. I don't know what they teach little kids these days... It's apparent that they've neglected to teach you all proper grammar and respect, among other things... It's 'They were hurting me,' and 'No, they weren't,'" she stared particularly at Bra and Pan, especially at the former. "I can't believe you're the daughter of Bulma Briefs... Anyway, stop causing trouble." She tapped a finger at a rather indignant Bra's nose. "You, stop being a snitch." She glared down at Marron, who had never liked being called names (and certainly not being called a snitch, mind you). "And you... Stop being so indecisive!"
"What's 'indecisive?'" Marron wondered.
Pan, however, saw it to be a derogatory statement, and her bottom lip stuck out in a still-growing pout. "You're being mean! I'm gonna tell my mama on you!"
"Oh, boo-hoo," she muttered indifferently. Shooting a brief glance back at Bra, she added, "And by the way, take that ridiculous attachment off of your bottom. Why on Earth would you want to resemble a monkey...?" 'Although you already behave like one...' Whipping her head back towards the living room, she proceeded to yell furiously, "Boy with the black hair! Come here, now!"
Marron immediately shook her head, ceasing the woman's shouts. "It's okay. You know how she is," she explained rather intelligently. "They won't hurt you anymore, okay?" she added to Bra. The girl nodded silently, and without another word, turned around to head back to the sitting room. The others trailed behind, one giving a particularly threatening glare to Tanith as she left.
Trunks and Goten both exhaled as the girls all returned to the room (one sullen-faced, the other clueless, and the last simply enraged). Pan adamantly marched up to her uncle. "I'm tired of that lady... I wanna fight! Now!"
He visibly flinched with each passing word. "Shh, Pan! She'll hear you..."
"Ew!" Marron and Bra, however, rose their voices to audible yells of disgust and both wrinkled up their noses. "Fighting is for boys!"
"No, it's not," Pan insisted, crossing her arms. As both Trunks and Goten hesitantly rose from their seats, she began to push both the coffee table and sofa with as much strength as a quarter-Saiyan girl could muster. "My mama was a fighter before she had me."
"It's true," Goten agreed, although his voice was no more than a mere whisper. "My mom was a fighter, too."
"Auntie Chi-Chi? Yeah, right!"
"No one was asking you, brat-"
In a split second, Bra ran back to the kitchen, leaving all of the other children to secretly marvel at her speed. "Him is hurting my feelings, Tanith!" she whined.
"What did I tell you about calling me that? And him, meaning who?"
"The boy," Bra answered promptly. "Tell Auntie Chi-Chi's little boy to stop hurting my feelings, Tanith-"
"You never learn, do you?" the woman wearily asked. "And it's not 'him.' It's 'he.'"
The girl frowned in response - not getting the reaction she wanted was slowly but surely infuriating her. She trudged herself back into the sitting room.
Now back at the couch (which was now inconveniently placed near the corner of the room), Trunks flashed a small grin at Goten, watching as his sister dispiritedly took a seat beside his friend. The next time she complained, they would be home-free. Tanith would think she was just crying wolf.
At present, Goten slowly unwrapped a piece of candy, and broke it into thirds. He handed one third each to Trunks and Pan, who both devoured it immediately.
"Hey, I want one," Bra whined, tugging on Goten's sleeve.
"Sorry, but it was my last one... Monkey," he replied, feigning sympathy. "Besides, didn't you already have enough candy for one day?" Bra continued to tug on his shirt however, tears in her eyes and ignoring his insult.
"Gimme one, now!"
"No!" he responded, trying to wrestle his sleeve away from the girl, but she held on tightly.
"Now!"
"No!"
"Bra, stop!" Trunks exclaimed, quickly advancing his arm in a futile attempt to remove her firm grip from Goten's clothes. "You're going to stretch his, I mean my shirt out!"
"I don't care! Gimme candy now!"
"No!" Momentarily forgetting his unwavering commitment to Tanith's rules, Goten wrestled his sleeve away with one strong push. Bra crashed on the carpet and gazed at the two boys angrily. With a trembling lower lip and widened eyes as a small precaution, she began to cry shrilly.
Trunks stared at his little sister worriedly, wringing his hands together. She hardly ever actually cried... Now they were definitely going to get it.
Pan made everything worse by chanting, "Crybaby! Crybaby!"
The girl only proceeded to bawl louder, and stood up, not wiping at the many tears running down her face. She began to run to the kitchen, but changed her direction. Instead, she ran the opposite way, pausing momentarily to press a small silver button on the wall.
"Wha?" Goten wondered. In a few seconds, he heard his answer.
"Starting call..."
"What?"
"Daddy! Daddy! Him and Trunks is hurting my feelings!"
'Uh-oh!' "Do something! Quick!" Goten urged. To his complete and utter surprise, Trunks did something he would never dare do in a living room. In a flash, he transformed into a Super Saiyan. Without thinking, Goten followed suit, desperately hoping that Trunks knew what he was doing.
Marron gasped, taken aback by the abrupt change in both boys. "You changed your hair to yellow! Just like mine!" Mouth agape, she quickly placed her hands over it. A small pause, and then, "Cool!"
Bra also seemed mildly interested, and now wiped at her blurry eyes to better see the transformation. "It's okay now, Daddy... Say hi to Mommy for me... and tell her that Tanith is being a spoiled little brat!"
"Ending call..."
"Yay! We can finally fight!" Pan cheered, and began raucously punching at a very flustered Goten.
Bra seemed a little too curious as she once again joined the group. "Why's your hair yellow, Trunks?" she finally wondered. "And why's him's hair yellow, too?"
"It's a little trick we can do," Trunks explained, discreetly glad that her overwhelming inquisitiveness had saved them from a complete and utter punishment when their parents returned.
"Yeah... Only smart people know how to do it," Goten added, pushing an overly exuberant Pan away with his hands. He seemed mildly surprised. Who would have thought that little Bra could maneuver a telephone so easily? Then again, if one looked at her mother...
Bra turned to him and plainly replied, "Shut up."
"Is that the only thing you can say to me?"
"Shut up."
"You're saying bad words, you know..." Marron put in.
A few seconds before... "Shut up!"
"You shut up, yourself!" Tanith screamed from the kitchen. She threw both her catalog and cell phone down in a frenzied craze. "How can I order my suits if you keep screaming?" A tiny pause, and then, "Now look what you did! My favorite cell phone is destroyed!" She began to sob, cradling her ruined cell phone within her unusually soft and smooth manicured hands.
A small silence quickly followed. Trunks and Goten powered down to their normal selves (much to the disappointment of Pan), and sunk down on the couch to once again resume their television-watching.
"What kind of babysitter is she?" Marron finally asked. She stared at the clock. "The little hand's on eight, and we still haven't eaten yet!"
"I'll get us something to eat," Trunks offered, and he disconsolately rose from the sofa. Staring deliberately at Bra and Pan, who already looked as if they were about to start arguing again, he left for the kitchen.
Peace and quiet. Tanith was pleased, and even stopped her petty sobs. 'I'm doing such a good job. Maybe Bulma will promote me!' she thought gleefully. "Wait a second... She should promote me!"
"Keep saying that to yourself," Trunks muttered brusquely as he entered the room, "and you'll be in for the shock of your life once Mom finds out how you treated us."
"What was that you said?"
"Oh, nothing..."
Nonetheless, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the boy, watching as he removed a few snacks from the fridge and promptly left again. That last remark of his had sounded quite snappy, although she hadn't quite heard what it was he had said... She was going to make sure to watch him closely, and that spoiled sister of his. At least for one more hour.
Until then, she turned back to her fashion magazines, admiring the many styles and trends on the glossy, high-quality pages.
Author's Note: Okay! The end to another chapter has come! Now, we can actually get into the romance... Slowly but surely! Please review, as always! Oh, yes... Would you rather have me call Goten's girlfriend Valese, Paresu, or Paris (as she will play a minor role in the later chapters of the story)? I'm not sure myself... I mean, at first, I wanted to call Bra her dubbed name, Bulla... But then I changed my mind. I'm most comfortable with calling Goten's girlfriend, well, Valese, but whatever you all are most comfortable with suits me better!
Ladii-Chocolate