Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Unlikely Battles ❯ Trunks' Nomination ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

"You're good, Bra-san but not good enough. You have the technique but you lack the speed," said a sweating yet surprisingly calm Juuhachi-gou. Bra, on the other hand, was panting in short gasps and cradling her wounded left arm. "Thanks, I guess."

Juu smiled at the younger version of Bulma as she nearly licked her wounds in an almost Saiyan way.

She takes after her mom: smart, witty, hot-tempered, and strong-willed. Too bad she inherited some of her father's more "charming" traits.

"So," said Juu, attempting to break the silence. "Do want another round or are you too beat up?"

"I took a beating worse than I've ever taken, Juu-san, I don't think I can do it twice consecutively. I think I need to go home, take a long bath, and sleep for three days straight. Then we'll see if I'm ready again. In the meantime, I'm going to get Papa to teach me some more stuff about this ki fighting. I'm not quite as good as I thought I was. And going up against a Jinzouningen wasn't exactly the smartest thing I could have done, ne?"

Juu laughed and placed a thoughtful hand on her sparring partner's shoulder, "Hai. I'll go easier next time. I forget that you're only a demi-saiyan and not a full-saiyan like your father or Goku. I hope I haven't injured you beyond repair… and if it's any consolation, I'm in a fair amount of pain myself right about now. Heh, now I can go home to Marron and explain that one her friends basically kicked my ass and if it weren't because I was a Jinzouningen, I would be bleeding and broken on the floor…" Bra half-smirked and Juu shuddered as she saw Vegeta's sly look creep up on the girl's face. "I'll see you later, Juu-san. Arigatou and I shall be prepared better next time we spar, ne?"

Juu waved at the departing teenager, "Hai. Bai, Bra-san!"

*******

Bra arrived home achy but relatively alive. "Papa? Mama?"

No response.

They've run off like Trunks did one year. Remember that agony? Remember it?

SHUT UP! Bra's inner self cried aloud. I'm only 15 years old they would never leave me here all-alone with nothing or no one. They love me, for Kami-sakes and would never EVER leave me.

Sure. You wait, little one.

I will send you to hell, you Chikusho!

Bring it!

"Bra?" She jumped at her brother's soft voice as it came prodding through her mind. Whirling around, Bra faced her brother, Trunks, and smiled. "What are you doing here, Trunks-kun? Looking to kick Papa's ass again in a sparring match?" Trunks sneered at his younger sister. "Brat! Don't talk to me that way. I'm you're older brother, thus, I have a higher authority."

Bra giggled in spite of herself; her brother was funny when he got all 'I'm-the-big-brother-and-I-can-tell-you-what-to-do-so-nyah!' on her. Trunks just narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "Oh Bra. You brat, you. Where's otou-san?"

Bra shook her head and shrugged, "I have no clue. I was half-expecting him to be yelling at Mama, like he always does. Pan still hasn't gotten used to this household. So, how've you been?"

Trunks smiled, "Better than I was when I lived here. I'll put it as that, sister. I've got a good job at Capsule Corps and I'm slowing moving up the corporate ladder. Got me a date with a girl there… so yeah, life's good for me Bra. I heard that you were sparring with Juu today and by the looks of things, you didn't do all that well."

Bra glowered at her brother, "Just because you're mister high and mighty demi-saiyan and I'm just this little teenage demi-saiyan that knows absolutely nothing about my powers doesn't mean that you can tease me. It was my first sparring with Jinzouningen, for Kami-sakes." With that, Bra breezed past her brother and headed upstairs to her bedroom to change from her battered and torn sparring clothes. Running a hand through her soft blue hair, Bra looked into the mirror on her vanity. Surprisingly enough, her face wasn't as scratched or bruised as she thought it would be. In fact, it was still as pretty as it was this morning. Wisps of her blue hair were strewn lackadaisically around her forehead and stuck to her cheek, permeated in her sweat. However, her left arm had seen better days. The open wound, now bandaged thanks to Chi-Chi, was still seeping blood but it wasn't oozing like it had been earlier on. Bra had stopped off at Chi-Chi's and she had graciously bandaged up her arm before Bra had gone home. Chi-Chi's words were, "Bra, you really have to be more careful. You're going to get really hurt one day." Perhaps Chi-Chi was right. Perhaps she should just forget about this sparring and Saiyan stuff and just focus on being a teenager. Ah, being a teenager. Bra remembered when she was younger and Trunks was a teenager. Trunks' adolescence experience had looked so easy to her back then. Trunks was relatively smart, incredible good looking, and he attracted more girls than he knew what to do with. Bra could never understand why her older brother would come home and complain about being a teenager. That was, until Bra had experienced adolescence on her own. And man was she wrong about it being a breeze.

Bra looked around her room. It was small but efficiently arranged. In the middle of it was her bed, complete with homemade pillows and quilt care of Chi-Chi. Bra smiled to herself; she remembered when she'd begged Chi-Chi to help her makeover her room. And so, when Bra was thirteen, the transformation of the little girl's room into a dream room began. However unkempt it became, it was always wonderful to lounge in.

Quit reminiscing. Go find your dad and ask him to train you, baka.

Again came that annoying voice. And again Bra growled as it taunted her.

I'll find Papa after my bath, sankyuu. And for Kami-sakes, SHUT UP!

The voice immediately withdrew its taunting tone and became silent for the time being. "Good," Bra said, reaching for the brush on her vanity. Almost as soon as she set the brush to work on her long strands of hair, she heard Vegeta yell, "TRUNKS!!" This made Bra drop her brush and sprint as fast as her legs could take her down the stairs and outside to find her father standing over a semi-cowering Trunks.

"What in the hell?" Bra said, surveying the situation. Vegeta growled a low, throaty growl before forcing Trunks to his feet by his purple hair.

"Did you know about this, Bra?" Vegeta snapped.

Bra raised a suspicious eyebrow, "Know about what?"

Once again Vegeta growled, making the short hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

"About this!" Vegeta thrust a magazine at her and Bra immediately stifled a giggle. Her brother was named 'Sexiest Man Alive' by New Hope City's celebrity magazine for girls, 'Bishounen'. Before long, Bra was rolling on the grass laughing as loudly as her larynx and vocal cords could permit.

"Trunks… hehehe… you're a…. hehe… sexy man… ehee!"

Bra found this all rather amusing but when Vegeta's death glare came into play, she immediately straightened up and stopped laughing. However silent she was, her mind was still rolling around and giggling about Trunks' nomination.

"That wasn't funny, Bra." Vegeta said calmly.

Bra placed her hands on her hips and stared defiantly at her father. "Why is this such a bad thing, Papa?"

"I'll have no son of mine becoming a full blown celebrity. We Briefs keep a low key about everything we do on this world. I don't need my first born son going soft and… glamorous." Vegeta cringed inwardly at the word. Glamorous is not what brief men are, nor will ever be.

"Look otou-san, I didn't ask to be put into that magazine. They nominated me. I didn't nominate myself, y'know," piped up Trunks. Bra cringed as Trunks challenged his father; that wasn't the wisest thing to do, especially when Vegeta was as high strung as he was lately. But her father had always been high strung, although not quite as extreme as he'd been lately. So, as father like daughter, Vegeta gave a final growl and stalked away, cursing under his breath as he left.

Bra immediately took her chances and started laughing at the situation and Trunks. Shaking her head she placed a thoughtful hand on her brother's shoulder and grinned, "Oh Trunks. You're so sexy. Hehe… how does it feel to be the sexiest man alive? Now you're going to have more girls following you!"

Trunks groaned, "I can't get rid of the ones I already have following me. How am I going to have any privacy in my life now? I didn't ask for this, Bra…" Seeing her brother's distress, Bra squeezed Trunks' shoulder lovingly. She loved him, when it came down to it. Even when he pulled his big brother act on her and acted all high and mighty, she loved him and he loved her. "Partners in crime," as her mother used to say.

"Don't worry about it, Trunks. If you want, I can find you a girlfriend… permanently. I know plenty of my friends would give their left legs to be with you. They think I'm so lucky to be your sister… however I don't want to know in what way I'm lucky." Bra shuddered, "Ugh."
Trunks giggled and smiled a wide toothy grin, wrapped his arms around his little sister. "Who ever said you could grow up on me?" Bra stepped out of the embrace and acted as though she were surprised all the while frantically pointing at the house behind them.

"It was Papa! It didn't mean to grow up! It was all Papa's fault! Please don't kill me Mr. Demi-Saiyan!" This got the two siblings rolling around on the ground laughing harder than before. Bra missed spending time with her brother like this. But ever since he'd moved out, Trunks was too busy training and working to hang out with his eccentric little sister.

All of a sudden, a loud "bang!" erupted throughout the valley. Bra looked at her big brother with a smirk on her face.

"I think Goten's cooking again, Trunks. He'd better be careful or he'll blow himself clear to heaven!"

Trunks giggled, "Ehe. No problem. I'll just tell him to say hi to Dende-sama for me."

Laughter once again filled the tiny field behind the Brief household.