Day Two: Afternoon

[Bra]

Vegeta looked up from his ever-growing handful of grass to place an icy glare directly onto Bardock?s face. He was behaving strangely for a warrior, almost recklessly. He?d completely let his guard down; evidently he was absolutely confident he could defeat Bardock should anything happen.

Bra didn?t take too much interest in the events. A deal had already been struck, there was nothing for her to add. Instead, she gingerly rubbed her wrist, gently playing back and forth against the soft material covering her arms.

Reijin glanced over. He?d noticed she had been doing that a lot since she woke up this morning. He shrugged it off, however, since there were more important things to do. Sauntering up to Bardock, he leaned closer into the global positioning system?s display. ?So, does this... ah, I see.? the younger saiyan said.

The cyan haired princess sighed, slowly making her way away from the group as Reijin and Bardock discussed either a route or an attack plan or... something. Bra didn?t care. Her father would prevent anything completely stupid from being decided upon, not that she doubted Reijin to begin with.

They had been walking for some time before Bardock had intruded, and thus they were too far away from the little house they had taken shelter in for the night. There was, however, a steep incline in the path that served very well as a chair, albeit an uncomfortable and very dusty one. Bra took her seat and stared down the trail she had just walked.

Playing with her wrist again, the princess hardly noticed the three sets of footsteps approaching her. A blast of ki energy erupted right next to her, hurling dust in her face. The shocked hybrid leapt to her feet, confused, only to see Reijin before her, lowering his outstretched arm.

?What do you think you?re doing?? Bra coldly inquired. The raven haired warrior almost raised an eyebrow. Usually, the girl would be screaming and cursing about such treatment, but instead, she seemed calm. Almost emotionless.

?I could have killed you if I wanted. Stay alert from now on.? the calculating fighter scolded. It was only then that he saw the faint blue glowing of Bra?s eyes, as it quickly faded away.

?Fuck you, Rei.? she retorted, folding her arms across her chest. Vegeta and Bardock came into view, both apparently totally disinterested with the exchange that had taken place. The quartet began walking, giving the girl the time she needed to fume in peace.

?Why do you keep doing that?? Reijin questioned. The whole group seemed to slow down, and it took a moment for Bra to realize he was talking to her. She blinked in surprise.

?Doing what?? she inquired. The older warrior didn?t say anything in response, and the girl brushed her wrist once again.

?That!? the Gaean trainee insisted.

?What?!? the princess retorted, becoming agitated with him.

?You keep playing with your wrist. Why?? Reijin demanded. ?Were you injured before you met up with us??

?No. I... you won?t care. It?s not important.? Bra replied, trying to brush the whole conversation off.

?But I want to know.? the youngest pure-blood pressed.

?Look... see... two years ago... two years ago today, Burter gave me a present. It was this bracelet and... I don?t have it. I gave it to Burter?s kid. I guess I just, I just miss them, I guess.? the girl explained. She looked to her father, expecting to see some kind of realization, but his expression remained absolutely deadpan.

?I... don?t understand. Why so suddenly is this important to you?? Reijin inquired. His analytical mind simply wouldn?t let him leave well enough alone.

?Because it?s my birthday, Reijin. Burter gave me the most important thing he owned for my birthday, and I don?t even have it or him anymore, okay?!? Bra?s voice cracked, and she swiftly turned away. ?Just forget about it.? she added, quickly breaking away from the group.

She quickly found herself alone in the jungle. She was only fifty feet or so away from the others, but the thick brush gave her a feeling of separation. Her scouter kept her walking parallel with the other three warriors, so at least she wouldn?t get lost.

Bra wasn?t crying, though she wanted to. It was probably Exosus? doing; toying with her mind just enough to prevent her from being able to release her sadness. It shouldn?t have been such a big deal, but Reijin?s constant digging seemed to aggravate things. Maybe it meant he cared? The cyan haired girl shook her head.

She leapt high through the trees, landing on a thick branch far above the forest floor. It wasn?t a big deal. Burter was alive, and so was BJ, so everything was fine. She just needed time to calm down.

Leaping from tree to tree, Bra suddenly figured it out. It wasn?t Reijin or Burter or BJ at all! It was dad. He forgot her birthday. Again. That?s what she was so upset about. She leapt to another tree, and suddenly, she smiled.

She had it all figured out, at least for the next couple minutes. She leapt forth again, deliberately missing the next branch and bursting back onto the trail just ahead of the others. Things were looking up.