Chapter 4

"So tell me again why you hate my brother?" Pan questioned her friend once she noticed Gine glaring at Bardock again. Lunch was about half way through and this was the fifth time she caught her friend staring at him yet again. He was playing catch with Tekka, tossing an apple back and forth. She was surprised he hadn't eaten it yet.

She glanced at her friend who continued to glare and sighed. She set down her chopsticks and smiled at her, "Come on, Gine, I promise you that Bardock isn't that bad. Actually, he isn't bad at all."

Gine passed Pan her bowl of rice once she realized she wasn't as hungry as Pan would ever be. She huffed, smiling slight in amusement as she watched her dig in, "You do know you're biased, right?"

"Reaff?" Pan's speech was muffled by the rice stuffed in her mouth. She swallowed and grinned sheepishly, "Sorry. You trust that I'm a good judge of character, right? Or that my parents are too? Or heck, my whole family-"

"I haven't met your whole family and I'm sad it's taken you this long to introduce me."

"Gine," Pan said with a shake of her head. "Why can't you just tell me?"

Gine let out a groan, laying her head on the table, "Because when I say it out loud, it starts to sound dumb. I've been holding a grudge just because he tried to punch you and he gave you a black eye even though I know you and him spar all the time."

She lifted her head when she felt a pat on her hand. She pouted when she saw Pan trying to hide her snickers. "Oh come on! The least you can do is be a little sympathetic for your best friend. I'm having a crisis!"

"Okay, now you're overreacting," Pan giggled. "Besides, once you stop glaring at Bardock, I'm sure he'll forget about you hating him."

"Or he'll be the same insensitive jerk he always is."

Pan tilted her head confusedly, "Bardock? An insensitive jerk?" She gave a unladylike cackle, "Yeah right. This is coming from the guy who cries every time we watch a soap drama and gets way too enthusiastic when he sees dogs. My brother is many things, my dear friend Gine. Overprotective and a bit annoying at times, yes, but an insensitive jerk he is not."

She tapped her friend's nose teasingly, giggling at her crossed eyes, "And that is my unbiased opinion. Besides…" She gestured to where Tekka and Bardock who were now walking over to them, "He and Tekka are best friends and if Tekka thought Bardock was a jerk, they wouldn't be friends. He's a great judge of character, you know that."

"What are you guys talking about?" Bardock asked as he sat down at their table. He took Pan's chocolate chip cookie and bit into it before she could snatch it back. He shoved it in her mouth when she tried to snatch it back.

Pan petulantly eat the snack in her mouth, swallowing it before asking, "Why are you even over here? Weren't you with Tekka?"

"Tekka's in the bathroom. I have nothing else to do right now," Bardock pouted childishly. He leaned his head down, placing his chin on her head. "And sometimes I like to just sit and talk to my sister, you know."

"Liar," Pan muttered with a fond roll of her eyes. She pushed him off her and stood up, dusting off the rice and cookie crumbs that fell on her. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom too. Why don't you guys catch up with each other?" She left before they could protest.

Bardock glared at his sister's retreating back, knowing full well that she left him with Gine because she wanted them to bond. She had wanted that the day they formally met each other and it didn't work out then since Gine only saw him as a brute who unapologetically punched his sister in the face.

He turned his eyes to Gine and was surprised she wasn't still glaring at him. He felt her eyes on him since lunch started. He felt the universe was righted when she rolled her eyes, "Can you stop looking like I kicked your puppy?"

"I'd fight you if you did that."

"Oh, I'm sure you would. I've seen your work first hand before."

"You're still on about that?" Bardock groaned exasperatedly. "I told you and Pan told you that we were just sparring. I would never beat my sister. I love her too much to ever do anything without her consent."

Gine stared at him for a moment before she sighed heavily, "Yeah, I see that now." She locked eyes with him, her black orbs sincere as she said, "I'm sorry for acting like jerk."

A heat that was starting to become familiar crept onto Bardock's cheeks. He lifted his hand to his mouth, coughing lightly as he averted his eyes, "It's fine. No harm done." He glanced back at her, giving a small smile, "So, what do you normally do when Pan's not around?"

"Trying to get to know me?" Gine teased, a smirk on her lips.

Bardock chuckled, "Well, you are my sister's best friend. She became friends with Tekka because he's my best friend so I want to repay the favor. Besides…" He grinned, "If Pan likes you, that means you're something great, and like any brother, I can't let her keep someone like that to herself."

Gine scoffed, rolling her eyes good naturedly, "Now you're just trying to flatter me."

"Is it working?"

"You tell me." The two grinned wickedly at each other before Gine chuckled, answering his previous question, "I sometimes train when I'm not cooking." Her amusement came in her loud laugh the minute she saw him beam brightly at the mention of her cooking, "I knew that would get you. Pan was the same way when I told her."

"The best way to get through the Son family is through their stomachs," Bardock said jokingly despite it being fully true. He leaned in eagerly, clasping his hands together, "Okay, what else is there about you?"

Gine giggled, a wide smile on her lips, "Well, I like to read crime, mystery, and romance novels. I draw sometimes when I feel motivated. When I'm not doing chores, I like watching soap dramas."

Bardock gasped happily, "Hey, me too! I watch them with Pan and my mom. My dad likes to say he doesn't like it, but he watches it when he thinks we're sleeping." He laughed at a sudden memory, "Oh man, you should see when Vegeta and Bulma get to watching them. Vegeta screams at the TV every time someone does something stupid."

If someone asked Gine what she found handsome about Bardock, she'd deny that any part of him was handsome, but watching him laugh and smile so brightly made her realize that he was the most beautiful person she'd ever met.

"Sorry, sorry," Bardock waved his hand with a sheepish smile when he saw her staring out into space, a light pink hue on her cheeks. "We were talking about you and I just went on a spiel about soap dramas. My bad. Please, continue."

The bell rang, stopping the conversation from continuing. Gine sighed with a small apologetic smile, "Guess that's all you get today."

Bardock snapped his fingers. "Darn, I was really looking forward to it too." He stood up, beginning to follow her towards their class.

A sharp pain hit his head. He halted himself, his body shaking uncontrollably. He opened his mouth and tried to call out to Gine but his vision began to grow fuzzy and his mouth felt too heavy to move. A ringing in his ears was the last thing he heard before darkness took over his vision.