Yea I know this chapter is long overdue…but it's here now. I didn't get as much done as I hoped but maybe this will tide a few people over for a while. I haven't had a computer for a while so I typed this on and off at school when I got the chance. Updates will be a little more frequent now that I am getting my computer back…at least I hope so. R/R people!
Bra was stunned. This whole time Kaioshin had heard her thoughts. When he'd first arrived…in the restaurant…the baker too. She wasn't sure what to do or what to say. Her thoughts weren't even private anymore.
Still in a dumbfound state she watched as her mother slipped on one of the odd necklaces in her possession. "Alright I'm ready. Hit me, Kaioshin."
After hearing the purple deity's name Bra automatically directed her attention to him. She watched him for a few seconds. It doesn't seem like he was doing anything special, maybe he's just breathing, she thought.
"Judging by the fact that I didn't get a reaction, I'm assuming you couldn't read my mind." Bulma stated.
"…Yes Ma'am…It emits a rather powerful barrier." Kaioshin shrugged his shoulders.
"Glad to know they work." Bulma smirked as she fiddled in a box, pulling out to very similar necklaces to the one around her neck. One necklace appeared to be a solid black, the other was adorned with a red gem. "They made of Uraknanot metal. They give off and energy that was similar to energy Kibito used as a barrier to your mind reading." She tossed a necklace to Bra who still held her mouth agape.
Bra snapped out of her blocked thought processes in time enough to catch the necklace. She delicately adorned herself with the necklace. This would be her protection. Her thoughts were safe so long as she wore this necklace, but now she didn't want to think. "Umm, Mom I think I'm gonna go take a nap…" She turned her back before she even saw her mother nod an okay. Truth be told she wasn't going to sleep. She was going to sulk.
She flopped down on her bed. Was her room even still safe? How come nobody told her about his ability? Well it seemed as if the necklace worked properly in creating a mind barrier, but still it seemed like something as crucial as "the guy can read minds" was worthy of you announce to the members of your household before you decide to bring the guy into your home.
Kaioshin sat down in one of the unoccupied chairs in the kitchen. I guess she didn't know…wait, of course she didn't know, he corrected his thoughts as he ran a through his messy Mohawk. The platinum blonde hair along the sides was becoming more and more visible everyday. At this point he might not even be able to consider it a Mohawk.
The purple deity frowned and leaned back in his chair. Bra was upset with him and he wasn't sure how to make it right. He mulled around the living room for a while hoping to find something to distract him from the situation at hand. He found the TV remote and flipped on the plasma screen. Much to his dismay the screen depicted a young man being slapped across the face by a young woman that was sobbing, "How come you didn't want me to know, Terry, what made you want to keep it from me? Do you not trust me?"This was soooo not what he needed. He turned television off. Why didn't he tell her? Kaioshin knew the answer….he just had to tell Bra.
Kaioshin hesitantly made his way to the east wing of the house. He paused before entering his room, noticing Bra's door was cracked open. I should…but what if…I must try, Shin mentally battered himself outside the blue-haired teen's bedroom until he finally made a decision.
"Umm…Bra," he called out in a soft voice. No answer, but the purple deity knew she was there. No turning back now, he told himself. "I know you must be upset with me…and I understand that." He slumped down outside her door. "I am sorry I did not tell you about my ability in the beginning, honestly in the beginning I thought you already knew about it and just did not give it a second thought…well that is until today when we walking to the bakery." He ruffled his Mohawk with a nervous hand. "I wanted to tell you…it's just whenever people learn about my ability they aren't the same…they try to hide who they really are….and how they really feel." He got onto his feet and faced Bra's door once more.
"I guess what I'm really trying to say is…I…umm…" It's all or nothing, Shin! He told himself, " I like you, Bra…I like how you teach me new things…how you think I'm charming, how you are so honest and treat me like a person rather than royalty….I just did not want that to change…I am sorry…really sorry." He hesitated, waiting for a reply. He couldn't hear her thoughts so he want sure what to expect. Not being able to read someone's mind made it harder to know what to say.
Finally, Kaioshin pushed open the door. Bra was laying on her side, back to the door. There was no sound aside from the rise and fall of her breathing... She' s…asleep, he thought to himself then palmed his forehead All that for nothing. The purple prince let out a discontented sigh then trudged towards the door.
"Wait," Bra whispered as she rolled over to face the prince. Shin stiffened turning his head slightly to see if she was really awake or not. His dark orbs locked with her blue ones, forcing him to face her. "Did you mean that?" Bra's eyes glistened.
"Y-yes. I truly did…forgive me?" His obsidian eyes pleading with hers.
The blue haired teen rose to a sitting position, eyes closed as if in deep thought. She smirked, "Yes, Shin, I suppose I can forgive…on one condition…"
"Condition?" Shin repeated. "What is it you have in mind?" He inquired.
"That you refrain from reading people's minds, because a person's mind is their safe place. The one place they believe is private and to dip into it's such a huge violation of a person's privacy…"
"You feel so strongly about th-" Shin was interrupted.
"Of course I feel strongly about this, Shin!" She snapped, startling the purple deity. "How would you feel if the one place you thought was safe….the one place you thought no one could go but you was in open view to everyone…easy access was granted to the very things you try to avoid?" She questioned the purple prince.
Shin thought about it a minute. He'd never thought about his ability like that before. Maybe he had be overstepping his bounds, albeit unintentionally. "...I think I understand where you're coming from. In all these years I never once thought of it like that…To me it has always been a type of safety mechanism. I know it is somewhat sad but it also was my crutch in socializing with the majority of people I've come into contact with. Knowing what is on someone's mind lets me know what to say…"
He trailed off. He was a cheater in the game of conversation, but if he didn't read minds anymore it would level the playing field. Or maybe it would put him at a huge disadvantage. "I'll stop." He stated with determination. "It'll be hard, reading minds is like breathing since I do it involuntarily…but I'll do it for you." He smiled causing Bra to blush.
Before she realized it she was hugging Shin and his arms wrapped around her waist in return. For an instant she forgot where she was. Miraculously, she gained her senses and let go of Shin. "Uh…sorry, got kind happy," she chuckled.
"It's okay…by the way I love your fragrance. Is it vanilla and brown sugar?" He questioned.
She blushed, "Uh…yeah it is. I thought it smelled pretty good myself…I uhhh," his dark gaze on her made her nervous. In a desperate attempt to shift their focus she said, "Can I touch your hair?"
Shin grinned, "Sure, nothing is great about it, but if you like to…" He leaned forward as she reached out a hand.
Bra's hands moved effortlessly through the kai's Mohawk. It was softer than she had imagined. Her hands fell along the sides of his the Mohawk, where a noticeable amount of new hair had grow during his stay on earth. She couldn't deny how good it felt to have her fingers in his hair. She wasn't sure how long she had been playing in his hair when she heard him mention his need for a hair cut.
"Shin, you really need a haircut." She told the future ruler.
"I know, but hopefully it will be taken care of soon though…" He responded.
"Hmmm…it's settled then," Bra smiled proudly, "your next earth experience will be at the mall. I'm taking you shopping and getting you a hair cut. But first…" She walked over to her bookshelf and pulled out an red book. It was titled Teen Slang for the Un-hip. "You should study this…not saying the way you talk is bad or anything it's just so much more uh…" She struggled to find the right words, "mature….proper….for lack of a better words you really do sound like a prince to me. You talk way different from the majority of people that'll be at the mall. So this book will help get you on there."
Shin reluctantly reached for the book. It wasn't long until he was pouring over it with his eyes. Bra watched him study for a while. She was surprised at how fast he was reading. She decided to leave him alone for a while.
She flopped down onto the living room sofa and flipped on the tv. Even though Bra's eyes were on the television, her mind was somewhere else, focused on the purple prince she had left to study in her room. Her mind was racing…the things he had said. "I"ll do it for you…" were the words that constantly replayed in her mind. He said it like she was special…really special. He cared enough that he respected her wishes. She was…important to him.
The rest of the day Bra hardly saw Shin without his book. By nightfall, there was a rap on her door. "I'm coming," she said moving leisurely to the door. A part of her was surprised to see Kaioshin on the other side of the door with the book tucked under his arm.
"Yo, Bra," He paused for a second and pulled the book out form under his arm, "I finished. I'm ready for teenage socializing…I mean to hangout at the mall. I'm working on it okay?"
Bra chuckled, "I can honestly say I see improvement. You're actually using contractions…and to my surprise you just said 'yo'. I'm proud of you, Shin. So be ready at 11o'clock tomorrow morning because we're heading to the mall!"
Nobody could miss the happiness that was radiating from the little kai. "Awesome!" He announced, "Goodnight, Bra…see you in the morning."
For Shin the morning couldn't come soon enough. He was up watching the sunrise again. He'd had his shower and was pretty confident in the outfit he choose to wear. He had hours to kill. What to do? he thought to himself. He moved silently through the Brief's home. Then something caught his attention. Oh right! That's the computer. Internet surfing is popular on this planet, he recalled. Bulma had showed him the basics a few days ago and welcomed him to use it. She had said it held a plethora of information and you could find out almost anything. As the internet browser popped up Shin decided he'd go with teen fashion for a start. He was having so much fun learning he lost track of time.
He hadn't realized he'd been of the computer so long until Bra came downstairs. "You ready, Shin?"
He hit the X on the window and jumped up and cleared his throat, "Uh yeah, I'm ready if you are."
The mall was only 15 minutes from the Brief's home. As the duo walked towards the mall entrance, Bra was giving Shin a little more social coaching. "Okay remember to stay cool, calm and collected. You're a new face here and a lot of people might be staring at you because of that…." Bra continued her speech and Kaioshin listened carefully. As they walked he noticed the mind barrier necklace, she was still wearing it, a reminder to suppress his abilities. Don't violate people's personal space, he told himself.
"First off, I'm taking you to my buddy Leon." Bra announced. " He'll hook you up with the hair. After that we're doing some major shopping." She grabbed Shin by the hand and dragged him into a salon.
"Bra!" a man with brownish hair and gray eyes came to meet them at the entrance.
"Leon, long time, huh?" Bra replied as the two hugged awkwardly and administered air kisses.
"Who is your friend?" Leon asked as he broke away from Bra.
"Oh, Leon, this is my friend Shin and I need you to work your magic on this head right here…" She chuckled. "I'm going to check out the electronics so I'll be right back." Then Leon piped up.
"Hello, Shin. It's your lucky day because I've got an opening right this minute. Please, come take a seat and I will work magic!"
"M-magic?" Shin muttered as he sat down in the styling chair.
"Why so nervous, eh?" Leon asked.
"This is my first time in a salon, Sir." She replied nervously.
"First time? No worries, my friend. Just relax, close your eyes if you need to. I'll even turn on some instrumentals." Leon said as he moved to the audio controls.
Shin did as he was told…and in doing so he dozed off in the chair. He was awakened by a faint tapping on his shoulder. "What do you think, eh?" Leon inquired as he turned the chair towards the mirror.
Kaioshin's mouth dropped…he was speechless. Where his wondrous Mohawk had once stood tall, it was now…short. Leon waited nervously for a reply. Just then Bra returned. He pace shortened as she noticed Shin's new hair-do.
"Oh…wow, Leon…" She paused as Shin looked up at her. "He looks great!"
"I thought so…but he has yet to say anything about it." Leon murmured.
"It's fine, Mr. Leon, just not what I was…expecting but still nice. Bra says it looks great so it must be good. Thanks you." He got up as Bra handed him the payment.
"It's on the house…" Leon replied as he winked at Shin.
"Thanks, Leon. Come on, Shin on to the clothing stores!"
Yeah well a lot more things will happen in the future. Shin is about to get some news…So please read and review. I think I'll draw a picture of Shin with his hair cut and make it my profile pic. It'll be up by the next chapter. Oh and to answer your question, Kai-Kai, you told me something I didn't know so I guess I'm not following the story…at least not completely. I watched a few episodes with him in it and majority of the Majin buu saga WAAYYYY back when so I don't know everything….or don't recall a bunch of details. Supreme Kai was so cute that I had to make a story involving him and I intended to explain some of his past that I thought was untold…but it already is lol. So I'm using the characters and making my own story with it so forgive me for my lack of knowledge…Anyways, I want to improve! And if you have any requests let me know.