--Oh, yes. I hope that your question has been answered about who the ring was for. You know who you are. I'm sorry I hadn't really elaborated on it earlier. I sometimes overlook things when I just start flowing along. Especially when I already know in my head what's going on. I'm sure you know now that all the proposing is done. Again, I apologize for not answering that question sooner. It was brought up so long ago that it probably doesn't even matter that I'm acknowledging it now. I should have been there sooner for that one.
--Also, I do know about promise rings. I meant to comment on that earlier as well. But to tell the truth, this Bra just seems like the kind of person who would take things a step farther than other people would. As a matter of fact, I don't know if I brought it up, but what she actually got for him was an official wedding band. Something big and extravagant, yet still simple. And now, on with the show.
Versus 4: Temporal Distortion
--Articulate Announcements--
Bra awoke with a start, sure that she was running late. The clock seemed to read 8:27 when she opened her eyes. So she rushed through the shower, wondering why her mother hadn't gotten her up for school if she knew she was this late. Of course, her mother may have been in her lab by this time.
When she got out of the shower and got dressed, she was sure that the clock read 8:38. It was the shortest time she'd ever spent getting ready for school. She rushed to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water before heading out and saw that her mother was sitting at the table.
"Mom! I can't believe you didn't wake me up for school," Bra said hurriedly. She was about to run back out of the kitchen when her mother stopped her.
"Bra, honey. Why are you going to school so early?" Bulma asked.
"Early?" Bra stopped in her tracks.
"It's 6:36, sweetheart," Bulma told her.
She frowned and looked at the clock in the kitchen. Wow. Sixes were really looking like eights this morning. "Awww. I could have gotten at least another hour of sleep in," Bra muttered, looking at the ceiling. Well, now was as good a time as any to tell her mother the good news. She wouldn't tell her that they planned on getting married before she even graduated from high school, but she would tell her that she had proposed to Goten.
Bulma looked at Bra for a while, and then smiled. "Are those hickeys?"
Bra lowered her head. She'd forgotten that Goten had been assaulting her neck last night, not only when they were at the apartment, but also once they'd gotten to Bra's bedroom window.
"Those are hickeys. Oh, Bra, you're growing up right before my eyes," Bulma said. "Now, you are being careful, right? You don't need any Goten Jr.s running around before you finish school."
Bra blushed deeply. "MOM!" She sat at the table and covered her face. "I really don't want to talk about this." She and Goten weren't sleeping together. Why would her mother think that just because she had a couple of passion marks?
"Well, I think we should talk about it. Even though there aren't a whole lot of children now to show for it, you come from an extremely fertile line of women," Bulma said. "If you're not careful, you could pop out dozens of kids before you even know it." She sighed. "I knew I should have started you on birth control when you started high school."
"MOOOOOM! Goten and I aren't intimate," Bra told her mother, still covering her face. This was so embarrassing for her. It was worse than the mating conversation she'd had with her father.
"Yet," Bulma added. "It's only a matter of time."
Bra groaned. "I want to talk to you about something else right now. It's really important."
Bulma had a concerned look on her face. "What is it? Is something wrong?" She slapped herself on the forehead. "Oh. It must be about the readings. I've been working with--"
"No," Bra interrupted. As much as she wished to hear about her mother's findings, Bra had something else on her mind at the time. "Not just yet. Just hear me out." There was no avoiding it now. She may as well get straight to it. "I asked Goten to marry me and he said yes. We're engaged."
Bulma gasped. Her expression went from surprise to utter joy. "Bra, that's great! That's wonderful news!" She looked confused. "Did you just say that you're engaged!"
Bra nodded slowly. "Ring and all."
Bulma looked at Bra strangely for a moment. "That's a really big step to take so early on in your life. Are you sure this is something you want to do?"
"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think it was the right thing to do," Bra said quite frankly. She wasn't about to show any sign of doubt. It was something both she and Goten wanted. And it was something they would go through with regardless of whether they had her mother's consent or not.
"Well, you're a confident, capable, intelligent and independent young lady. I'm behind you with this engagement. If I would have known the man I loved as long as you've known Goten and knew that I was truly in love at your age, I would have done the same thing," Bulma said. Utter joy returned to her face. "Bra, that's fantastic! I'm very happy for you and Goten. You're a little young to get engaged, but you're headstrong. You know what you want." She smiled warmly. "This is finally my chance to become a grandmother. After you're done with your schooling, of course." She giggled like a school girl.
Bra could only blush. She should have known that her mother wouldn't have a problem with their engagement. No, not her mother. It was her father who would object. But she would deal with him in time. "Now, tell me about those brain waves."
Bulma was still daydreaming. About grandkids, no doubt.
"Wake up, Mom. EEGs, remember?" Bra said.
"Of course. The brain wave tests," Bulma recalled. "Now, I don't have them with me right now. They're still in the main lab if you wanted to take a look at them. But in short, you and your father were the only ones with the hidden wave. At least to that extent. The others had slightly strange readings, but you two had the most remarkable ones. That makes it harder to understand really. But I'm doing Goku's test today. Maybe his will tell me something different."
Bra smiled. "You know, since he's the only one having his done today, I'd like to retest."
Bulma looked confused. "Retest? Why?"
Bra winked. "I've got a feeling that I'll be able to tell you exactly what that hidden wave is all about."
--school--
"Alright, Pan. I've been watching you and Trunks. What's going on?" Bra asked as she took her seat in front of Pan.
Pan was sitting behind Bra pretending to study with her face covered. But she'd been sleeping. She looked up with tired eyes. "Huh? Oh. Hey, Bra. That was some night last night, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. Now what about you and Trunks?" Bra questioned.
"What about us?" Pan said. She perked up. "Oh! My mom caught me when I came in late last night. I was gonna have to do 3 weeks, but my dad got the sentence reduced to 2. I can't wait to break out and see how much more trouble I can get into."
Bra put her hands on her hips. She wasn't about to fall for this. Pan was trying to change the subject again. But Bra would make sure to stay on track this time. "You were hugged up on that guy all night last night."
Pan blushed a little. "What? Who? Trunks?"
"Uh huh," Bra answered. "What's going on with you two?"
"Oh, come on, Bra. Trunks may as well be, like, my big brother," Pan told her a little nervously.
"Well, Trunks IS my big brother and I don't cling to him like you were doing last night," Bra pointed out.
Pan looked away. "That's because you're not affectionate with your family. How often do you hug your dad?"
Bra furrowed her brow. "Hug? MY dad?"
"Exactly," Pan said. "But you're plenty affectionate with Goten, aren't you?" She grinned.
It was Bra's turn to blush this time. "Boy, you're really trying to throw me off this time. Why don't you just tell me what's going on between you and Trunks?"
"Because I don't know what's going on between me and Trunks," Pan said simply. She stared at her desk top and started poking it. "He kissed me last night when he took me home." She shrugged.
Bra raised her eyebrows. "Alright. Now you get to deal with what Marron and I have to put up with first hand. It's a little different from this angle, isn't it, Genius of Practicality?"
"What did you just call me?" Pan asked, finally looking up at Bra.
It had been an 'inside' joke. Bra found it funny anyway. Pan had always found it fun to give advice on relationships, though she was never in one herself. Now she was living in the real world with the rest of her friends. It wasn't so easy being on the inside looking out.
"Never mind," Bra told her. "So, what did you do when he kissed you?"
Pan blushed again. "What do you think I did? I kissed him back. But I don't think he thought I would." She shrugged again.
Bra looked at Pan with a sly smile on her face. "Alright, then what?"
"Oh, come on, Bra. It was a little kiss. We kissed and I went inside. That's when my parents found me. Who knew they were gonna wait up for me?" Pan said.
Changing the subject again. "Did he say anything to you after the kiss? Did you say anything to him?" Bra asked, trying to keep Pan on track.
Pan sighed loudly. "All he said was that I should go get some rest. That was it." She looked at Bra for a while. "Man, what's up with the '20 questions'? I mean, we should be talking about something more important. Like how you're about to become Mrs. Son."
Bra looked around. "Kinda loud. I don't want everyone in the world to know."
"Sure you do, or you wouldn't have proposed," Pan said. "The whole proposal went over rather nicely if you ask me. The game was great. And then when you were both on your knees, I thought it was so cute to see you two like that. I almost cried. It was so romantic."
"You're a real softie, Pan," Bra stated.
"Well, you were the one all teary when you asked him. So you're a softie too," Pan told her. She folded her arms across her chest. "You're both softies because I saw tears in his eyes too."
"Then we'll just be a softie couple," Bra said. She sighed. "I can't believe he wants us to get married so soon. That was something I didn't expect."
"It's great! I think it's really romantic. Love conquers all. Even the age barrier," Pan sang.
Bra frowned. "But my dad's gonna freak when he finds out that I proposed to him, let alone how soon we plan to get married."
Pan raspberried. "Don't worry about your dad. He knows that you're with Goten. He knows how you two feel about each other. If I were you, I wouldn't stress it too much. Once you let him know how it's gonna be, it'll roll off like water off a ducks back."
Bra frowned. Now Pan should have known better.
--End Articulate Announcements--
--For all you folks out there who wished for a Goten-filled episode after this long wait, I'm sorry. As much as I'd like to see more Goten myself, these episodes have to be done. But never fear. More Goten is to come.
--Thank you all for everything. I know it's not easy being on the receiving end of this kind of punishment. The torture of having to wait for the next part of a story. It's a painful thing. But I am trying to provide this entertainment in as timely a fashion as possible without failing my classes.
--Stay tuned. I have a feeling some fun stuff is gonna happen in this next episode.
