Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Through Thick and Thin ❯ All Systems Go ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A/N: Chapter three! I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. Thanks for all your support. ^.^ You guys are awesome. **To those who were wondering if Bulma and Vegeta are going to divorce, you'll have to wait and see, won't you? It would also do all of you well to read author's notes, as boring as they are.

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--THROUGH THICK AND THIN--

--Chapter 3--

--All Systems Go--

He barely heard the knock on his door late the next morning due to the fact that rap music was blaring out of his boom box. Upon hearing the noise he jumped up immediately and turned the music down, unsure of who it was or how long they'd been there. Opening the door, he found that it was his sister standing there.

"I waited a long time for you to open that door," she complained, placing her hands on her hips and frowning.

"Sorry, I was listening to my music," Trunks replied.

Bra giggled, her hands dropping from her hips and her frown vanishing. "I know, I could hear it."

Trunks flushed at the idiocy of his statement. If the music had been so loud he could hardly hear his sister at the door, then of course Bra would be able to hear it standing just outside the room.

"So... why are you here, anyway?" He asked, leaning against the door frame.

The smile left Bra's face and she became suddenly serious. "I heard what Papa said to you last night."

Trunks looked at his younger sister. "You did? How?"

"I was standing on the stairs," Bra said. Another frown crossed her face. "You didn't notice me?"

Trunks shook his head. "No, I didn't. But what did you hear him say, Bra?"

Bra sighed. "He said it's a possib'lity. That means it might happen, doesn't it?"

You can't tell her the truth! You can't! Trunks thought, remembering what had happened at the mall, but another part of him said she deserved to know. No, I can't tell her. It would crush her. But, she deserves to know... That way, if it does happen, it won't come as a surprise. But...

"No," he said slowly after a moment, shaking his head, "that's not what it means."

"Liar!" Bra shouted. "I asked Mama what it meant! She said it means that something might happen!

"You told me Mama and Papa would always love each other! You said they wouldn't split up! You lied!"

"Wait! Bra!" Trunks yelled after his sister, reaching out to grab her arm and prevent her from leaving, but she was already running away, clutching her teddy-bear as though it were a life-line.

It might be just that, Trunks thought, sighing as he dropped his arm back down to his side, if she feels as alone as I do.

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Bra buried her head in her bear and let the tears flow down her face. Her parents hated each other. No one was really telling her what was going on. Her brother had lied to her twice in only a matter of days when he had never steered her wrong before.

"Why did he lie? Why do they hate each other?" She asked the brown bear. She received no response from the stuffed toy. She sighed and tossed it aside.

She was beginning to approach the age where teddy bears could do only so much to ease one's pain. They offered no advice; they were merely there to hug and have one-sided conversations with. It was a painful realization for the six year old, mature as she was for her age.

She lay down on her bed and picked at the sheets that covered it. She remembered asking specifically for those sheets after she had seen them in the mall one day with her mother.

But Mama was too busy to take me to the mall to buy them, she recalled. It was Papa who took me. If Papa and Mama split up, will he ever do anything with me again? Will I ever see him again?

Fresh tears filled her eyes. She wiped them away hastily with the back of her hand. I don't think Papa wouldn't like to see me cry, she told herself.

Her stomach suddenly let out a tremendous rumble, and she realized she hadn't eaten anything yet. With a sigh she slid off the bed and headed downstairs.

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Bra stuck the strip of tape on the seam of the wrapping paper where her mother had indicated and Bulma smiled at her identical daughter. "Good job," she praised. "Now put a piece here." She pointed to another place on the decorative paper, and Bra tore another piece of tape from the dispenser and placed it where Bulma had told her.

The older woman smiled again and pushed the present towards the tree. "One present finished."

"Who was that one for?" Bra inquired, tilting her head to the side in curiosity.

"Your brother."

Bra always helped her family members wrap the presents every year so she always knew what everyone was receiving. She always hoped that they would accidentally bring out her presents but they never did. Bra was beginning to realize that her family didn't make mistakes like that.

"I wanna wrap the one for Papa now!" she said excitedly, clapping her hands and sitting back on her heels.

She always enjoyed wrapping her father's gifts the most. He would always seem unenthusiastic about the whole ordeal, yet she could see the appreciation in his eyes when he opened his present. And she never failed to miss the look on his face when someone opened the gift he had purchased. She remembered her mama saying how odd it felt, even now, to be receiving a gift from Vegeta, but Bra didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Bulma visibly stiffened at her daughter's words. "I didn't get your father a present," she said. Her voice held no emotion.

"You're porcastinatin', Mama," Bra scolded. "Are you gonna buy it today?"

"It's 'procrastinating,' and no, I'm not going to buy it today." Bulma raised her head a little higher and added with pride, "I won't buy it at all."

"Oh..." Bra said quietly, looking down. It had never occurred to her that her mama wouldn't get her father a gift. Is Papa going to get one for Mama? she wondered.

Bulma glanced at the girl beside her. "You know why, don't you?"

"Yes." The word almost got caught in Bra's throat and it came out as a hoarse whisper.

The blue-haired woman pulled her into a hug. "I know this must be hard on you. It's hard on me, too. But try not to let it bother you, all right?"

Bra nodded. "Okay, Mama."

Bulma smiled and pulled away, pulling out another present. "Now, this one is for Grandma. Do you want to help me wrap it?"

Bra nodded and got another piece of tape ready, wisely dropping the subject though she had distinctly noticed that Bulma hadn't said anything along the lines of still loving her papa. She hadn't said that everything would turn out all right. She hadn't said that, no matter how arrogant and cocky, she couldn't live without Vegeta.

What does that mean? Bra wondered.

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When the six year old entered the kitchen that evening she saw that Trunks was sitting there. She ignored him, still angry about being lied to, and headed straight for the refrigerator. She could feel her brother's eyes watching her. She finally turned around and glared at him before sticking out her tongue.

A smile spread across Trunks' face at the childish gesture, causing Bra's face to darken. Noticing this, Trunks sighed. "Look, Bra, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied, I guess. But I didn't want you to worry. I don't think we should be fighting right now. I think that we should try to come up with a way to get Mom and Dad back together. That's much more important. After all, a lie is nothing compared to parents splitting up. What do you say? Are you with me?"

Bra didn't exactly understand what her brother meant but he seemed apologetic, so she nodded. "Okay."

Trunks grinned and waved Bra closer. "I have a plan," he said simply and Bra cocked her head to the side.

"A plan? A plan for what?"

Trunks merely smirked and motioned for his sister to come nearer. "All right, here's what we're going to do..."

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"Hi Papa," Bra said as she sat down beside her father later that day.

Vegeta merely grunted as his daughter bounced onto the couch. He was in the den, flipping through the channels on the television trying to find something other than a Christmas show and failing terribly.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked.

"What does it look like?" he replied shortly.

Bra giggled. "It looks like you're sitting here watching TV," she said.

"Amazing observations."

Bra smiled, oblivious to the sarcasm. "Guess what I did today?" she asked happily. "I helped Mama wrap presents, Papa! Can I help you wrap presents tomorrow?" Without waiting for an answer, she carried on. "I also heard Mama say she wanted to say sorry to you, but she was too scared. Why would she be scared, Papa? Oh, and guess what else? I helped Grandma make-"

"She said what?" Vegeta was looking at his daughter now, the television forgotten for the moment.

Bra looked confused as she repeated herself. "She said that she want to apol'gize, but she was scared. I don't know why Mama'd be scared, though."

Vegeta looked at Bra for a moment longer before turning back to the television, but he didn't seem to be interested in what was on.

"Papa, can I wrap presents with you tomorrow?" she asked again.

"Sure..." the Saiya-jin replied, though he seemed occupied by something else.

Without another word, Bra hopped off the couch and skipped out of the den, singing The Twelve Days of Christmas as she disappeared.

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"Hey Mom," Trunks said as he came up behind his mother in the lab.

Bulma jumped, knocking the papers she was working on off the table. Trunks muttered an apology and stooped to pick them up. Placing them back on the desk from which they had fallen he said, "Guess what I heard?"

"Trunks, I'm in no mood for guessing games," Bulma replied as she pulled the paper she had been working on out of the pile and began to write.

The teenager rolled his eyes. "Well, I heard Bra talking to Dad, and he said that he's sorry, but he doesn't want to come and tell you."

Bulma's pen stopped moving instantly, though her eyes didn't stray from the paper.

Trunks smiled. "Just thought you might want to know."

As he exited the room and turned into the hall, he saw his sister coming towards him, their father's trademark smirk on her face.

"Well?" Trunks asked.

Bra's smirk grew. "All systems go," she said, and Trunks began to laugh.

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A/N: Chapter 3 is now complete! Update again tomorrow.