I do not own Dragonball Z.
This chapter was fueled by Shut Up & Drive by the Deftones.
A thousand apologies for abandoning the story for five years. That was never my intention, but things happen. Writer's block, school, work, kids, computer crashing and losing four chapters and the entire outline and wanting to pull the story because there is no way to rewrite all of that but then finding a good portion hidden away on an old flash drive and regaining hope... You get the idea...
Chapters 3 & 4 started as one, but they got too long. So, I posted them together. Again, please accept my sincerest apologies to anyone who comes back to read this.
I have a tumblr if anyone is interested. Check my profile for the link. Sometimes I post excerpts and other things I'm working on.
Chapter III: A Gift.
Bra sat back in her chair and glared down at the paper on the desk until the equations and diagrams became a nonsensical blur. This was a fine way to spend a Friday night. The intent had been to work on her pet project to keep her mind off of Goten, but she was finding no such reprieve. In fact, she'd gotten next to nothing to done and was still stuck on the same problem as she had been an hour ago. Lovely.
Snatching the paper from the desk with renewed determination, Bra left her bedroom in search of her mother. Obviously working on this alone was getting her nowhere; at least her mother would help keep her focused.
Once in the hall, however, Bra noticed the door to her brother's bedroom was open and she could hear music coming from within. It was already after five and she wondered if he'd been at work this entire time. She knew the company was working a huge deal for the upcoming year. Though she didn't know much about it, she knew Trunks was working longer hours than usual. Curiosity getting the best of her, she crossed the hall to her brother's room.
A knock announced her presence as she entered the room and Trunks stepped out of the adjoining bathroom with a towel around his shoulders. "Bra," he greeted her, sounding a little surprised. "What do you want?"
Bra gave a careless shrug as she tossed herself onto the chocolate-colored leather sofa in the corner of his room. She found it absolutely pointless to even have a couch in this pathetically small room, as it almost took up an entire wall, but as long as it gave someplace to sit besides his bed, well, she wasn't complaining. "Bored," she replied in a dull tone. "Did you just get home from work?"
"Yeah," he grunted. "Mom's been busting my balls over this deal like I'm not going to land it or something," he rolled his eyes. "She wants everything perfect and 'by the book' so I have to oversee and double-check every minute detail or she'll have a fit," he grumbled. Grabbing a shirt from his dresser, he shrugged it on before disappearing into the large walk-in closet.
Bra did not have to wonder at his remark about their mother. Though she had no real dealings with the family company, it was not hard to imagine her mother's harping. The one summer she spent as an engineer intern had been more than enough for her. And while Trunks has done a commendable job since taking over as CEO a few years ago, he still had a track record of slacking off where he could.
Bra pulled herself off the couch and crossed the room to inspect his music collection. Though she held little appreciation for the soft jazz that he was playing, Trunks had a wide and eclectic taste in music. It must've been a rough day at the office for him to be listening to this after work selection. Idly, she flipped through the albums wondering if there was anything new she could steal from him.
Emerging from the other room, Trunks silently asked her approval of the casual dark blue shirt he was buttoning up. Since the color didn't clash with is lavender hair, Bra nodded and he disappeared once again into the bathroom. She sometimes felt sorry for Trunks. There were just some things he could not wear due to his coloring and Bra was grateful she did not have that problem. She just couldn't imagine a life without the color red.
Having not found anything worth pilfering from her brother's music collection, Bra moved on to investigating the items meticulously arranged on his dresser. Aside from the various odds and ends – loose change and a few wayward cufflinks, there were several framed photographs. One corner held a family photo from when they were young and next to it a smaller picture of Gohan, Goten and Trunks from the last Budokai tournament a few years ago. Pushing a couple of bottles of cologne out of the way, Bra picked up the latter to examine it more closely, one person specifically catching her eye.
She smiled softly at Goten's image, with his sloppy salute and lackadaisical smile he managed to be handsome without even trying. Just how long had she felt that way about him? She remembered feeling wistful in his presence even then. And now… she set the frame down, refusing to finish the thought and continued her perusal of Trunks' belongings.
On the opposite end of the dresser sat one last beautifully frame photograph. The way its sole occupant peered out from beneath dark fringe with a small, almost shy smile gave Bra pause. Hello, what do we have here? Bra gave the picture closer inspection. Sitting on a fallen log, no doubt in the woods that surrounded her home was Son Pan. Her long black hair fell loose about her shoulders, that god forsaken orange bandana fisted in her hand. Wearing a pair of cargo shorts and a tank top, with mud caked on her boots, there was nothing in particular out of place with the scene except for the look on Pan's face. It was demure and blushing and decidedly too girly for her best friend.
Well, if a picture said a thousand words then surely the way it was presented held a language of its own. Interesting.
Bra considered this revelation for a moment. Absentmindedly she picked up the different bottles of cologne neatly situated on the dresser, taking a whiff before placing it wherever she would, effectively destroying whatever convoluted ordering system Trunks had them in.
"Stop that." Bra jumped at the sound of her brother's annoyed voice behind her. Glancing down, she grinned. He hated it when his things were out of order. It was almost obsessive-compulsive the manner in which he arranged his belongings. All in neat rows, by size, shape or color – honestly, Bra had no idea what formula he used. All she knew was that he hated it, absolutely hated it when she touched his things.
On nothing more than a childish impulse, she fussed with the last untouched items. Turning to face him, she was rewarded for her efforts with a dark glare. Shoving his toothbrush into his mouth, Trunks pushed his laughing sister out of the way and began to undo her mess.
"What's this?" Trunks asked around the brush, nodding to the thin stack of papers sitting on the nearby table.
All at once Bra remembered her original plan of getting work done tonight. "You remember that project I told you about?" Her brother gave her blank stare and Bra rolled her eyes. "Anyway, that's part of it, but I can't figure this part of the formula out. I was on my way to find mom when I stopped in here."
Bra saw the curiosity peak in Trunks' blue eyes as he picked up the pages. The fact that Trunks was more of a businessman than a scientist did not detract from his understanding. He may never invent the next Capsule, but he would understand its intricate workings.
"Think you can help me out?" Bra asked, trying not to cringe at the thought of toothpaste slobber all over her worksheet. Honestly, the man had no manners.
Trunks' sharp eyes scanned the page briefly before he set it back down and took the toothbrush from his mouth – and Bra could see the spittle flying off the bristles– before answering. "Not tonight," he said at last. "I'm going out." He returned to the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth.
"Oh?" and then, in what she hoped was a casual, off-hand comment, "with Goten?"
"We're meeting up later," Trunks answered when he came back into the room.
Bra leaned against the dresser, eyeing her brother speculatively, a sudden interest sparked within her. "Can I go with you?" She chewed her bottom lip as Trunks stopped fussing with his watch and regarded her with a raised brow. "I'm bored," she said in response to his gaze, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. "I haven't been out in ages and it's not exactly like I can go out by myself."
"Please," she pleaded, but Trunks only shook his head.
"Yeah, that's what I want to do. Go out to the bar with my baby sister. I can imagine how well the night would end." Trunks' incredulous tone set Bra's temper on edge.
"Don't be like that, Trunks," Bra sneered. "I promise not to get in the way of your man-whoring."
He actually laughed at the jibe.
"Yeah, I guess I should take you out, shouldn't I?" Trunks said with a grin and Bra felt hope fill her chest at his words. "But," he amended quickly, "not tonight. I'm meeting a friend for dinner."
Bra made a small sound of distaste. Trunks didn't really have a lot of friends; he just knew a lot of friendly people. Disappointed, but with a promise of future club hopping, Bra left her brother to finish getting ready in peace.
Making her way to the main level of the home, Bra wondered what had become of her parents. She'd seen neither hide nor hair of them in hours and there'd been no call to dinner yet. Her family did not have sit down dinners at a specific time, not since she'd been a child, but it was unusual to not have at least heard from her mother.
She did not discover her father when she poked her head into the kitchen. The living room was conspicuously quiet with the TV off in her mother's absence. Staring into the empty room, Bra placed her hands on her hips; at a momentary loss as to where either of her parents might be. Frowning, Bra made her way down the long hall that led to the back of the house.
There she found her mother holed up in the back office, looking stressed and frazzled. Bulma sat hunched over the computer, a cigarette burning forgotten in an ashtray on her cluttered desk. Piles of paperwork scattered haphazardly across the large desk. Several days of old coffee cups sat among them, leaving stains on the dark wood.
"Hey mom," Bra called as she entered the room, startling Bulma from her work.
"Oh, Bra, you startled me," Bulma said and then gave her daughter a brilliant smile. "I'm so glad to see you."
Bra faltered at her mother's overly cheerful tone. That look did not bode well for the young woman. "What's up?" She asked cautiously.
"I'm glad you're here," Bulma went on, "I need a favor."
Nope. Not good. Bra took a step back in the direction she came. If her mother noticed, however, she didn't let on, bending down beside the desk and sitting back up with a box in tow.
"I need you to deliver this to Videl, ASAP."
"What! No, mom. No way." Bra could think of nothing worse than driving to the middle of nowhere and back on a Friday night. "Don't we hire people to do these things?"
Bulma frowned, anger flashing in her blue eyes. "I already did, but apparently the courier sent to deliver it thought he had better things to do than drive to Mount Pazou. The asshole marked it off as delivered and I was only just informed tonight that it hadn't been. I neither have the time nor inclination to trust someone else to get this done. Videl should have had this over a week ago!" Bulma finished her rant by blowing her bangs out of her eyes and lighting another cigarette.
Oh how Bra could empathize with that poor, jobless bastard right now. It wasn't that she didn't love visiting the Son's, it was just that they literally lived in the middle of nowhere and it took forever to get there. Honestly, she would rather spend her night working than driving out there for nothing.
"Mom, can't you—" She almost suggested her mother just do it herself, but had the feeling such a thing would not go over very well. "What about—" Again, she paused, knowing Trunks was already gone. "Send Daddy?" She finished lamely.
"Bra, be serious," her mother's stern look softened. "I know you don't want to do this, so how about I sweeten the deal?"
Bra answered her mother with a pout. It would have to be pretty sweet for her to not sulk about being forced to drive out there. And really, there was no choice, no matter how her mother framed it. The last time she had refused to do her mother a "favor", she'd found her credit card declined. Not an experience she wanted to revisit anytime soon.
She watched her mother curiously as she spun in her chair and unlocked the wall safe behind her. One might think that Bulma kept Very Important Documents in there – and there were some – but Bra knew that the safe mostly held emergency packs of cigarettes, a bottle of fine brandy and maybe a box or two of gourmet chocolate. Any important documents pertaining to the company were kept at the company's main facility. Other documents relating to the family were safely stored in a safe deposit box at the bank.
Did her mother honestly think to sweeten this deal literally? Because a box of French chocolate, no matter how exquisite were not going to cover the long hours there and back. Bra did not have to wonder long though, for her mother turned back to face her, nearly bursting with excitement.
"I was going to give this to you as a going away present." Bulma grinned, "But I just can't wait any longer! I know you're just going to love it!"
Bra found her mother's excitement contagious and she suddenly felt that she would do anything to have whatever it was. She was practically humming with anticipation when her mother finally held out a pure black capsule.
"This," Bulma said, her eyes sparkling, "is Capsule Corps newest luxury concept car. There are only two finished models, our showroom car and yours. We aren't starting production on this line for another year or so. This new model will go hand in hand with the new deal Trunks is working on, so I want to make sure that is up and running before launching the luxury line."
Bra slowly processed her mother's words. She was getting a new car, but not just any new car, a car that no one else would have. The blue haired girl did not know how to properly respond. She stared at the black capsule, imagining the envious looks she'd receive for driving the hottest new car that no one could get their hands on. Something inside of her snapped and she let out a shriek of pure joy. Faster than her poor mother could see, Bra snatched the capsule from her palm and bolted from the room.
Standing outside in the grand driveway in front of her home, Bra was nearly shaking with anticipation as she pushed the plunger on the capsule and threw it in front of her. A moment later, a sleek candy-apple red car appeared.
The deep red paint job gleamed as if demanding to be looked at. It was built for speed on the road, sitting low to the ground with wide tires that also seemed to shine. Bra walked around the car drinking it in. The windows were tinted so dark they looked black and she couldn't easily see the interior.
By the time Bra made a complete circle around the car, her mother joined her. "What do you think?" Bulma asked.
"It's bitchin'." Bra replied. "And I'm the only one who has one? Not even Trunks?" This was very important to her. Trunks always did everything before her. Most of it had to do with him being older, but Bra liked the idea of having something he didn't.
Bulma grinned, indulging her daughter. "Nope, he won't be able to get his hands on this for some time. I kept this as a pet project. He knows they're in line for production, but he doesn't know you have one."
With tears in her eyes, Bra hugged the older woman. "Thanks mom! This is the best gift ever!"
Bulma returned the hug with relish. "Now, it won't be a problem to run this out to Videl, will it?"
The young woman nodded vigorously, more than willing to have an excuse to drive her new toy.