But, I was lonely.
Parting with Bra had been hard. She was my only living connection to the way things were. I promised I would not be gone for long. We both agreed that we could not forever hide in our shelter. Perhaps, we wondered, some of the others might have survived? With my father and Goku dead, I was a bit less than optimistic, though, to see the light of hope in Bra's eyes again, made my heart a little lighter. We would make the best of this. Perhaps there was a chance of salvaging the future for humanity and us. This is why I wander now, leaving my sister behind and praying for my safe return.
Baka
Bra began to, uncharacteristically, practice the fighting skills she had been taught by her late father, hoping to elevate the dampness and chill the lonely autumn evening had left in her bones. Jump, lift left leg and snap in the enemy's face� follow with right fist jab� Bra grinned. She would not be helpless, here, on her own, awaiting her brother's return.
Trunks had been gone for several days. He had told her he would be gone for at least that long, so not to worry if he did not come home too soon. Bra swore to herself that she was not afraid. She wasn't. Bra kept busy, as best she could, repairing the now ancient contraptions within the ruins of Capsule Corporation.
Ruins-heh, now that was an understatement. At least the rubble that was Ancient Rome and Greece in her time had resembled their original structures. Capsule Corporation, like the rest of the Western Capsule, had crumbled to almost nothing, and what was left had been reclaimed ages ago by the surrounding wilderness. Sure, the underground levels had been created to last, and they still owned working house hoi poi capsules, but Trunks would probably have a long journey to whatever passed for civilization in these archaic times. Bra missed the modern world. Shopping, boys, fashion� her papa�
Bra stopped her practice. She did not want to cry now. Clenching her fists, hot tears defiantly streaked her cheeks as she sobbed. I'm not going to cry. I am Vegeta's daughter-I don't need to cry. I-- Bra wiped her eyes. Oh, Papa!!
Bra left to find some gadget to work on. It didn't matter which one, since she might not fix it properly in this particular state of mind. She just needed to calm herself. There were plenty of things she could do to keep busy. Or-maybe she could watch TV. Bra smiled. A good romantic comedy would be nice� she could pop some popcorn and drink cola� yeah� that's it. As she passed down the hall, she could have sworn she had heard something crash. Bra stopped there, her Saiyajin ears listening intently for any sound. Silence. She felt her body relax. Bra hadn't realized she'd been clenching her fists or holding her breath. Secretly, she had hoped it was Trunks returned home, though she knew it was too early for that. Something must have fallen. She wasn't too surprised, the way the ground shifted from time to time. Even thousands of years later, the foundation of the lab was still setting into the earth.
Wait-the room that sound came from� that was her living quarters. What could have possibly toppled over?? No. She stayed calm, still listening. Bra suppressed her Ki as low as she could get it to go. She was going to sneak in and surprise this thief. Bra wished she had a baseball bat. Silly, ne? Here she is, trained to fight, Saiyajin elite blood coursing through her veins� and she wanted a baseball bat to make her feel safe. Bra grinned at the irony, losing all fear.
Invade her room? Steal her stuff? This thief would pay.
She could sense his Ki. Thinking for a moment, she figured he must be in the far corner of her room, standing by her dresser. Oh great. Some of her most personal effects were kept there. What business did this thief have there?! Bra pushed back her sleeves and charged into the room.
What happened in the next few moments was the result of pure instinct. Without flinching, she gave him a knockout punch to the jaw, and the thief fell to the ground. Just like that.
Bra couldn't believe what she had done.
Conflicting emotions of pride and regret rose to her heart as she looked upon the unconscious body of the thief, as he lay crumpled on the floor. He was just a kid, after all. A scrawny, little, dirty kid dressed in baggy brown rags of poorly woven cloth. Her heart went out to him.
Bra knelt down beside the boy on her bedroom floor to take a better look at him. The lighting was dim in her room, as the boy had only turned on the light by her nightstand as he had foraged her room. He had landed on his side, so she needed to gently roll him over onto his back to take a better look at his face. And what she saw-it amazed her beyond words.
This boy, he was the spitting image of her papa!
Bra found herself lightly tracing the lines of his cheek with the tips of her fingers as she gazed at her unconscious thief. Little baka. He had the same face. Well, not as hard or thin as her father's. Papa, due to his traumatic past, had a mean, stoic look to his face. The boy before her still appeared somewhat angelic as he laid there, his cheeks still full and smooth with youth. His face was not forever doomed to scowl. As she peered ever closer, she noticed the boy had a few faint freckles marring his near-perfect complexion.
As she began to relax a bit, almost forgetting the circumstances that had brought the boy into her room, Bra began to run her fingers through his black, flame-tapered style hair. His wispy bangs were so cute! She wondered what to do with him. Bra had never knocked anyone out before. She wasn't quite sure how long he'd sleep for. Should she move him?
Bra leaned over the boy's body preparing herself to lift him from the ground. She placed one hand under his legs, shifting to cradle his head in the crook of her other arm. His chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm as he slept. Gathering her Saiyajin strength, she easily lifted him from the ground just high enough to place him on her bed. She set him down carefully; leaning over him to make sure the pillow was under his head and wondered just what it would feel like to kiss him� She felt a warm wetness pressed against her lips, and she closed her eyes, leaning into the hard lip lock. His arms wrapped her as she closed her eyes, savoring the kiss.
Ohmikami, the baka was awake!!!
Bra pulled back, surprised at what she had just done. The boy sat up on her bed, smirking at her. She wasn't sure whether or not to be mad at him. The baka's smile reached his eyes-they twinkled from beneath his black wispy bangs. "You dropped something." He said. Nani? He kept his eyes even with her own as he answered in all seriousness. "My jaw," Bra reached her arm back and smacked his freckled face with her hand.
"You�"
"You wanted to kiss me, Bra, you know you did!" Turning to face her again, his eyebrows lifted up and down, before he gave her a hard wink and snapped his lips as if blowing her a kiss. Then the dirty young baka pushed quickly with his arms, springing off Bra's bed and dashed out the door. Bra stood there in awe, not believing that he was real.
How'd he know my name?! Bra stretched out her Ki sense, searching for the boy. He must have read her diary? Or, worse� She chased after him. The baka wasn't too far off. He was traveling quite fast, but Bra could move even faster. It was obvious the boy had never learned to suppress his Ki; it stood out like a sore thumb. She knew he was headed outdoors, back into the wilds from which he had come.
Bra found him without much trouble. He'd actually made it outside, beyond the ruins of Capsule Corporation, before she caught up with him. Childishly, he had hidden himself behind a large bush, his fury brown tail wiggling up and down, as he silently laughed. What a baka! Bra had not noticed the tail before now. The baka, she wondered, he must be Saiyajin, like me. Bra smirked. Under ordinary circumstances, she would never even consider pulling another Saiyajins tail, yet�
From floating up in the air above the unsuspecting boy, using as little Ki as possible, Bra leaned down and snagged his tail with both hands. Saiyajin or not--he would pay for reading her diary! She knew full well what it meant to pull a Saiyajins tail. Any strength the boy may have would be lost, and the pain would be excruciating.
"Hey! Lemme go!!" The boy squirmed beneath her as Bra straddled his body, using one free hand to restrain him from hindering her search. She wanted to know what he had stolen from her room. "I... I," The baka stopped struggling beneath her. "Bra, I swear, I did not read your diary. It's still in your room. Please, let go of my tail."
Bra lightened her grip on the boy's tail, but did not let go. "Oh? Why should I believe you? How do you know my name? It's not like I have it on display in my room! And no one told you-because all my friends have been dead for thousands of years!"
"I swear!"
"Oh, how did you even know I keep a diary?"
"I� Bra, I can read your thoughts."
Bra let go of his tail and stood up. "Then, tell me what I'm thinking right now."
The boy sucked in a deep breath and pulled himself up slowly into a sitting position on the ground. "It's true, Bra." He brushed some of the dirt and grass from his chest, not caring that his brown shirt was unbuttoned and his flesh exposed. He was handsome, though he looked like her papa. Her heart ached just to look at him. The baka rose on his haunches and stood up. "But I can only read 'em when I touch you."
"Oh?" Bra looked at him with stern eyes. She was not to be toyed with like that. Bra placed one hand on her hip and took a step forward towards the boy.
"Bra, what's a Saiyajin?"
"What's your name?"
The boy looked her in the eyes and grinned evilly. "Well, to you, it seems, I'm the Baka� But, I prefer to be called Yurei." He looked off into the distance, as if he may begin to run again. Though, she knew she could catch him. He wasn't getting away from her that easy. Perhaps he knew this, too. "So, Bra, what's a Saiyajin?"
Goten
I was hesitant to leave my sister alone. Kami knows what kind of trouble she could get into on her own. She can't cook, and I don't know if she'll be able to last long enough without human contact. Bra really needs a shoulder to cry on. I don't think she'd ever take her own life� but I worry about her all the same. I will come back to her soon.
This world I wander, it's so strange. Sometimes, I'm thinking, this is what it must have been like, before man. The forest is thick and teaming with life. I haven't found a road yet, or any other signs of civilization. The Western Capital and all its surrounding suburbs have vanished, leaving behind naught a trace. My childhood home is gone.
The sky now has a purple tinge to it, almost like the color of my hair. I shudder at the implications of this, though Bra thinks its pretty. Neither of us feels comfortable gazing at it for too long, though. Besides, the air is a bit too thin for my tastes. Sometimes I feel as if I only have one lung working within my chest, instead of two. This cannot be good.
Bra, ever so fashion conscious, dressed me for this trip. Heh. The black tank top, gold boots and black breezer pants are all right, very functional, and I don't mind the Capsule Corp jacket, either. Though, I feel like a rebel of sorts in this particular getup. Especially with my sword strapped to my back�
These days, the sword Tapion Oneenichan gave me is more than just a mere fashion accessory. Papa had made sure of that. Though, he still believed it best to enter battle bare fisted, you would swear he had been a sword's man all his life. For months we trained rigorously in the art, and I've grown to really love to wield my sword.
Sometimes, when we sparred, Goten would get a bit jealous. He wanted to learn to use a weapon too, though he did not have the commitment and discipline, or a weapon's expert to teach him. So, generally, I did not use it when we practiced. Bare fist worked well enough. Those were some of the best times of my life.
I miss him. Goten, I mean. He was my best friend and constant companion, my entire life, until he died. I-I'm not ready to talk about that yet. I still... Well, I cry every time I think about, about� oh kami. Goten� Why� He didn't have to die for me. I didn't want that. I�
I had been thinking too intently to notice someone was there, lurking in the shadows. I wasn't even really paying much attention to the path ahead of me to really know that I was heading out of the woods, towards a large field filled with flowers. As I looked ahead, out at the purple-tinged sky above, I thought I could sense him. Goten.
Of course, it could not have been. And yet� I felt that way, all the same. Maybe�
Do you believe in ghosts? No, not the spirits up in heaven, or the things that go bump in the night, but wandering souls Enma-sama must've somehow lost track of. Sometimes, I wonder� could they exist? I used to think about this, a lot, in the days that followed the death of the modern world. A lot of people died. Actually, almost the entire population. So� what if he couldn't keep track of them all? That's what I wonder, when I sense the phantoms of those I've loved.
When I first awoke, I thought I could sense Papa. Though� I had thought he died, with Goten. Even if he didn't� we didn't put him in cryostasis� there's no way possible he... Saiyajins don't live that long. Not for thousands of years. So�
I heard something out there, rustling in the trees. Still, I sensed no one, but my late friend's ghost. "Goten?" I called into the forest. As I stopped to listen, I reached backwards and gripped the hilt of my sword. Goten, if you're out there� please watch over me. I can't leave Bra alone in this world.
Nothing. Of course nothing. Whatever is out there, it must be powerful enough to mask its Ki so well. Even my father could never completely suppress his own Ki. I stood ready, but nothing could have prepared me for the shock I was soon to experience there, in the woods.
I felt a sharp shooting pain in my right leg. Someone had shot me with an arrow. Not just any arrow, but one charged with an incredible about of Ki, backed by a tremendous force, similar to the technique I use with my sword to demolish my enemies. I did not have time to ponder the implications of this, or the rising suspicions that clouded my mind. Using the blade of my sword, I deflected the next one and looked up into the face of my enemy.
He's alive! I thought to myself, as another arrow came, piercing my chest, just above my heart. Goten? My best friend's face peered back at me, a wide grin upon his face. At that moment, I lost my battle mentality and dropped my guard. It was him!! I could not have done anything to stop him from what he was about to do next, just stand there and grin back, tears streaking down my cheeks. While still in super Saiyajin form, he clenched his fist, and then punched me in the face.
He had knocked me out. While I slept, he took me captive and had brought me back to a hidden camp, deeper within the forest. I'm not really sure how long I had slept, but it was long enough for me to have dreams.
I dreamed of our last moments together. Goten and I-we� I smile at this thought� He covered my lips with his own, mouth slightly open. I leaned into the kiss as my heart raced, my mind opened to a world of new opportunities. I knew he loved me! Our noses brushed, and he reached one hand down behind me, grabbing my ass. I clenched him tight, squeezing his muscled chest against mine, not knowing what else to do. It did not feel awkward in the least to touch him, though we were both guys. I moved my face away from his lips, tracing his jaw with my teeth. Then he kissed my ear as I stroked his neck, twirling short locks of his thick hair between my fingers�
This was our first and only kiss. Before that moment, he and I had never expressed our feelings for each other in such an intimate manner. We stood together like that, enjoying our time together. If I had known he was to die, I would have never let him go! Then he left, death parting our ways, for what felt like an eternity.
