Day One: Evening

[Bra]

The battle between Reijin and Goku had been a pitched one. The cyan haired empress, however, appeared fairly confident about the outcome. That is, until her father intervened. She assumed his surprise attack would swiftly cut down the much more foolish Kakarot, but something went awry, and the prince fell, a sickening blow struck to his ribs.

Bra had rushed to his aid, ignoring Reijin and the enemy as they returned to combat. She hardly noticed the rush of liquid splash onto Goku?s face, but his shrieks of agony pierced through the very air about them. He screamed, clutching at his face, as a final flash attack propelled him off into the distance. His ki fell so low, and so swiftly, that the primitive scouters given to them by the Dante?s Abyss administration could no longer track it.

?Damn, Rei...? the girl breathed, utterly shocked at how capably he had dispatched Kakarot. The earthling saiyan was, granted, rather stupid, but he was very powerful. To annihilate him so quickly was breathtaking.

?Hm?? the younger pure-blood inquired, having only faintly heard the princess. Bra seemed startled by the fact he had remained in earshot, and could only offer a nervous laugh and a shake of her head as a response.

?Never mind.? she managed, prompting Reijin to raise an eyebrow.

?You?re not still making fun of me for that doll, are you?? he demanded, seemingly flustered by the very thought of him being defeated in a battle of wits. It didn?t appear to matter that the victory or loss of that battle was virtually meaningless.

?No. But I still can?t believe you fell for it. Even after I told you it was bullshit!? the girl snickered.

?I thought you were lying!? protested the raven haired youth.

?You thought wrong,? came the retort. ?Don?t worry about it. It?s not like anything happened. Besides, if we?re gonna get anywhere in this tournament, we can?t be arguing all the time, you know??

?Hmph.? was the reply. Bra laughed it off; he was headstrong, but he was a good friend. She did, however, harbor the fear that she would be betrayed once again. At least with Raditzu, one could almost shrug it off, as he was an idiot on his best day. With Reijin, however, everything would be a cold, calculated strategy.

?Look over there,? Vegeta interjected, pointing to a little, desolate-looking house - rather, a hovel - poking up through the looming darkness. ?We can use that for shelter for the night. It?s foolish to stomp around without rest.?

The others nodded in agreement, and the trio quickly made their way across the distance to the little stone-and-wood home. It had but one window, and a door made of rotting wood. The prince pushed it open and stepped inside.

The interior wasn?t a whole lot to look at, either. There was a single bed, an old wooden spool meant for carrying cable which had been turned into a table, two chairs, and a padded chair next to a small night table.

There was no bathroom in the building - a huge minus in Bra?s eyes - nor a kitchen - that didn?t matter so much; Bra couldn?t cook anyhow - but it seemed fairly well-insulated, which was, at the very least, a small comfort for the three.

A peeling poster was tacked onto the wall, an advertisement poster of some sort. It seemed painfully old, denoting an image of a man with a chainsaw for a hand. In his one remaining hand, he held a shotgun, but the title for the movie had long since been torn from the picture.

?Well... I suppose you can have the bed.? Reijin gestured, his eyes fixated on the hybrid. Bra rolled her eyes at the thought.

?What? Just ?cause I?m a girl? I can?t deal with sleeping on the floor?? the princess teased. ?But that?s fine. Dad?s the one with the fucked ribs, he can have the bed.?

?No, I?m fine, Bra-?

?Dad, you took a savage hit. And we didn?t. If it was either of us, you?d want us to have the bed. So you?re gonna have it.? the cyan haired halfling interrupted. Vegeta growled, but took a seat on the paper-thin mattress.

Reijin pulled up a chair at the table, and Bra decided to sit across from him. The two just sat there, staring through one another, as if both suddenly became preoccupied by some unseen force.

?I call that comfy chair!? the princess exclaimed.

?Wh-?!? was Reijin?s only rebuttal. Shrugging it off, he continued. ?So, I think we need to work out a strategy for our efforts tomorrow. No sense in ?flying blind?, even if we can?t actually fly anymore.?

?Yeah, cool. What do you think we should do?? Bra replied.

?I think this should be decided by all of us.? Vegeta sharply interjected.

?Yes, of course.? hissed the raven haired youth.

?So... any ideas, then?? the girl insisted.