Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ What A Trip! ❯ Let The Scheming Begin! ( Chapter 5 )

He was strong. He was so strong. He had only gotten more powerful since the tournament. Bra'e had given him everything she had and he had done the same, both refusing to insult the other with a less than perfect battle. She ducked back further into the corner and tried to swing at his head. He dodged and was forced back as she aimed a kick for his midsection. Bra'e was determined to see this battle intensify as the last could not. And he'd been a ghost since that time only meeting up with the group a few times. She couldn't pretend not to be excited that he would be here on the same ship for the next few months. But to the others it was all about the combat. That by having him here, Bra'e could become even stronger. And that was all there was to be said about it. They had become fast friends at the tournament and even hung out sometimes, but that was it. A good training partner and good friend, that was all Uub was to Bra'e.

Pan sighed. It just wasn't fair. Uub was nice, he was goodhearted, an excellent fighter… What more could Bra'e want in a man? So Pan didn't know if he was intellectual, but he seemed smart enough to give a good conversation. They seemed to like some of the same things. but if there was one thing that Bra'e scorned, it was to have a single obsession with fighting. She loved combat and wanted to be as strong as she could be, but she had many other interests. Uub would certainly be able to conform to some of those things, wouldn't he? He would be a perfect match for her if only she would give him the time of day as more than just a friend. It was almost as if Bra'e felt that she was too good to be more than just friends with him. The thought made Pan very angry. Who was Bra'e to think that she was out of his league. If not for Trunks, he would have been on the top of Pan's list. He was very attractive, and knew how to treat a girl. From what she heard, he had refused Bra'e's invitation to fight at first. Only after he discovered who she was and had her attack him head on did he enter into battle with her. The fight was said to be very sloppy and Uub allowed his sensibilities to overcome his good fighting sense again and again. He fell for numerous of Bra'e's ploys. But in the end he won. That was a testament to many of his virtues, especially when he blushed and explained that he needed no prize from her. But the strangest thing about Uub was that when he met Bra'e, he had no clue as to who she was. He had been on his home island his entire life. He got his high school diploma from Bulma by computer correspondence. No one knew if he went on to college. A low wolf-whistle brought her attention back to the fight. Uub had just pinned her to the floor. As usual it looked like he was pinning her for another reason. Bra'e was still struggling against the hold. If Uub had been any other guy, Pan would swear that he was holding her down like that for the buzz of having a pretty girl under him. But to a trained, fighting eye, it was the least harmful hold he could have on her. She was on her back so no fear of crushing the life out of her. And by caging her arms against the ground, he knew that he wouldn't so much as bruise her.

The two combatants looked at each other, both refusing to back down. He ground his fingers a little harder into the floor. Bra'e knew that even in super saiyan mode she wouldn't be able to break that hold unless she really surprised him. About to give up she turned her face to his and froze. His eyes were intense as if he expected her to mount another attack. His entire body was poised for a fight. She wanted to give it to him. But now was not the time. Maybe when they landed on the first planet, if they had time she could give him a worthy challenge. But this ship would only accept a basic sparring match. Using too much power would cause problems with the ship. The defenses that it was equipped with were made for the natural forces that could harm it from outside. Meteor storms and things like that. Bulma wanted them to be safe. She allowed her body to completely relax beneath his and smiled up at him.

"That was great, Uub-chan. I give."

His eyes snapped back to normal. He smiled as he shot up and reached down to help her stand. She gratefully accepted and smiled as she was lifted cleanly off of the floor.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed as he swung her in a wide circle before setting her on her feet.

"Ooh! Uub you never swing me around like that! You're giving Bra'e special treatment. I'm so jealous," Marron laughed.

"Yeah! Maybe Uub and Bra'e are in love," Alumerzo said.

"Don't be silly!" the two yelled in unison as they stepped away from each other.

Pan smirked. This may be a chance to make Bra'e see reason. She needed to realize that Uub was a perfect match for her before some other girl took him away for good.

"Why is that so silly?" Pan asked.

"Huh?" Uub said confused.

"Well, Uub and I are just friends, aren't we Uub?" she asked the tall boy.

"Sure. We're great friends. Dating your friends is just too weird, isn't it?" he asked the room.

"It can be. But if you really love each other then it wouldn't be weird for long, would it?" Pan asked.

"That can be true. But you make a move on your friend and your friend doesn't feel the same way, then you can just ruin the friendship. You can make your friend really miserable and what friend would want to do that?" Alumerzo replied.

"I for one would rather be in love with my friend and keep them in the dark and a friend than risk losing their presence in my life forever. If your friendship weren't strong enough to take it, then the relationship wouldn't last much longer anyway. I wouldn't risk it unless I was absolutely sure that I was truly in love and truly felt that my feelings would be returned," Marron interjected.

"You would lie to your friend about your true feelings?" Pan asked.

"Yes. At least then, I know that I would never lose a friend because of something that may be fleeting. Boyfriends come and go, but best friends last a lifetime. And my male friends are just as important to me as my female friends," Marron replied.

"That may be… What do you think Uub?" Pan charged.

"It's all up to the individual and how they feel about it. I wouldn't make any of my friends uncomfortable or try to force what I want or believe onto them. It wouldn't be right."

Not the way that she was planning for things to go. She turned to the other party.

"Bra'e?"

"I don't know. I guess I agree with Uub, but I'd like my friend to be honest with me. I don't like being lied to," she shrugged.

Pan sighed. Bra'e could be just as stubborn as her father at times and twice as reluctant to admit it.

"I wouldn't want to be lied to either," Uub admitted softly.

The two looked at each other for a moment before forcing their eyes away. Uub was blushing faintly and Bra'e was determined to look anywhere but the boy's face. Pan grinned a bit then. This would be hard but not terribly so. She'd get them together if it killed her. Bra'e seemed to snap back to herself and smiled at the group.

"Hey, we're supposed to be having fun. What's with the serious discussion? Let's put on some music and I'll get some snacks. This trip is going to be a blast!" she said bounding off to the kitchen.

"Right," Uub agreed going to the stereo.

Marron and Alumerzo glared at Pan, but she merely tossed her head and continued to think of ways to nudge those to in the right direction.