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Never Meant to Hurt You	By : necowaffer Category: Dragon Ball Z > Het - Male/Female Views: 2547 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own DragonballZ, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
I do not own DBZ.

Bra sat in the lush, green grass, next to an old tree on the hillside above the park. The fading sun
shone brightly in the blue sky, warming everything in its gentle touch. Her pale blue hair was rustled
by the cool autumn breeze. Already she could feel the last tendrils of summer slipping away. Soon,
the icy hand of winter would be upon them. She leaned back on her hands, closed her eyes and tilted
her face upward to take in the last rays of the sun before it finally set beyond the horizon.

In the distance, she heard the innocent laughter of children. She opened her eyes to see her daughter
and the new friend she'd made chase a pair of chipmunks up another tree in the distance. She smiled
warmly as she watched her daughter play. The young girl was advanced for her age. At only a year
old, she was walking and almost talking in complete sentences.

It was all going by too fast for Bra. It seemed like only yesterday that the little girl needed her for
everything. Now it seemed as if she would be taking off on her own soon. Bra knew that the thought
was ridiculous. Vega still needed her for so much and would need her for many more years to come.

Bra sighed as she knew that she couldn't provide everything that her daughter would need in life. She
hadn't realized it before. Had not wanted to admit that she couldn't do it on her own. Sure, raising
her was the easy part. She had a wealth that would last her a lifetime and could guarantee her
daughter would not be without any material object she desired. But, there were some things that she
could not do.

The last year had been one of the toughest of her life. Forget the bad guys, the body snatchers, the
mind stealers, the power hungry imbeciles she has encountered in her life. Raising a child defeated
them all. Bra didn't go back to school after returning to Japan, not even after she had the baby.
Private tutoring at home ensured her diploma from the high school. It wasn't until a few months ago
that she was able to enroll in the nearby university.

The young sayian child was a nonstop ball of energy. Vega knew how to keep her on her toes. Even
with the help of her friends and family, it was hard to keep everything in order. Between keeping up
in school and raising her child right, Bra had little time for herself. The long nights and wild parties
were just a pleasant memory for the young demi-sayian. Every free moment that she had was spent
bonding with her daughter, trying to be all that she needed. In the end, she found that she couldn't do
it. Vega needed more.

She was tired. So very tired. It wasn't the double life that she was trying to lead weighing down on
her shoulders. Since that day in the hospital a year ago when she gave birth to Vega, since it was
revealed that Goten was the father and the confrontations between them thereafter, she has felt a
great burden. A burden of sorrow and loss and she was sick of it.

She was tired of all the fighting going on around her. She was tired of fighting with Trunks and Pan
and her mother. She was tired of the fighting between Vegeta and Trunks. She didn't want to hear
another word about what was best for her and her daughter. She knew what was good for her
daughter. She finally knew.

It was only pride and arrogance that kept her from reaching this decision long ago. Her father's
stubbornness that she inherited refused to let her leave what has been done in the past. For the last
year, she has only thought about causing pain to the one that hurt her the most and in the process she
forgot about the one person that was actually receiving the damage. It wasn't right that Vega grew up
without knowing her father and she was ashamed that it had taken her so long to realize this.

By all accounts, Goten wasn't a bad man. Sure, he'd said some harsh things to her, but they were just
words. Where would she be if her mother had left her father for some of the things he said? She was
almost positive that Vegeta didn't do the dance of happiness when he found out her mother was
carrying Trunks. She had learned over the last year from watching her parents closely that actions
spoke louder than words. Somehow her mother had managed to see through the hard, uncaring
words from her father and found the gentle soul underneath. In the end, his actions, his little gestures
of affection told her mother all that she needed to know.

Maybe Goten didn't love her like her parents loved each other, a fact that to this day still brought an
ache to her chest, but his actions told her that he loved his daughter and that he wanted to see her.
Nearly every day for the first two months of Vega's life, Goten came to Capsule Corp. He could not
be dissuaded in his petition to speak to her and to see his little girl. And every time that he showed
up, Vegeta gladly took him out. Goten seemed not to care. He took the beatings every time and
came back for more. It was Trunks who finally got him to stop and for that she was glad.

It wasn't hard to avoid Goten after that. Although, every day she was reminded of him just by
looking at her child. She had thought that Vega would resemble her side of the family more, but she
had been wrong. Vega was growing to look like a female version of her father. Even at a young age
and having little to no contact with him, she had all of Goten's mannerism.

Bra gave a little snort at the last one. While she didn't doubt that Vega's carefree attitude was
somehow genetically inherited from her father, she had the sneaking suspicion that her wishes were
not being met. Goten was not supposed to have any contact with his daughter, what-so-ever. Bra
wasn't stupid, though. She knew the day that Goten stopped coming to her house that he and Trunks
had made up. Trunks never did care what anybody said to him. He always did what he wanted and
she knew that he wanted Goten to see his daughter. Bra couldn't be with her all the time and often
had to rely on Trunks to watch her.

It was the same with Pan. She knew the two were going behind her back and sneaking the child to
Goten. The thought pissed her off something fierce, but there was little she could do about it. She
needed them to help her. Her father, who was the only person on her side, cared less and less about
the situation now that it was 'over'.

It was because of those two that she was here now. She had made this decision months ago. It had
just taken time for her pride to come to terms with it. She had to do what was best for Vega, not
what was best for her.

It was three months ago when she realized all of this. She'd been running late for a class, her mother
was no where to be found and Trunks was at work. She called Pan as a last resort and asked her to
watch Vega for a few hours. Pan gladly accepted and Bra rushed over to drop her off. At the time,
she didn't even bother thinking about Goten living next door. The only thing on her mind was the
major test she had to take in her chemistry class.

She picked Vega up later that night. Her little girl had been asleep, tired from the long hours of
playing in the woods. Visiting the Son household was a special treat for her, so she spent every
second to the fullest. Bra could only imagine what her day had been like. Pan hadn't even bothered
giving her a bath before she picked her up. Vega had dirt smudges all over her face and her
expensive clothes were covered with grass-stains.

She slept the entire way home and didn't even wake when Bra cleaned her up and changed her
clothes. As Bra was leaving the nursery, she tripped over a forgotten toy on the floor. Irritated, she
snatched it up and was about to toss it into the toy bin when she noticed that it was different from the
rest of her toys. She glanced around the spotless room and wondered where it had come from.
Perplexed, she took it into her room where she could study it in the light.

It was certainly something she had never seen before. A small, blue, stuffed teddy bear, roughly put
together. Not at all of the same quality as the other toys. Instead of a fine threading holding the seams
together, there was a thick purple yarn. The eyes were two mismatching buttons. One blue, the other
black, and were sewn on with the same yarn.

Bra frowned as she tried to place where her daughter had picked this up from. It was obviously hand
made, but it didn't look like something Chi-Chi would put together. Aside from that, she could have
sworn Chi-Chi was visiting her father that week. Pan hadn't mentioned anything about it. As she sat
there thinking about it, Pan hadn't told her any of the things Vega had done that day. All of her
questions had been met with half-answers when she picked her daughter up. The only thing Pan had
really told her was that Vega spent the day playing. But with who?

She was just about to call Pan and ask her where the toy came from when Vega awoke with a shrill
cry, startling her. Setting the stuffed bear aside, she went into the nursery to see what the problem
was. She found the little girl standing in her crib, big tears rolling down her little face. Upon seeing her
mother, Vega began bouncing and stretched her chubby, little arms out in front of her. Her tiny hands
opened and closed into fists, a sign that she wanted something.

Bra sighed as she approached her, not really in the mood to be up all night. "What is it, sweetheart?"
she asked, hoping the little girl didn't want to get up and play.

"Baby." Vega said demandingly.

Bra sighed again and went to the toy box to find one of Vega's 'babies'. After rummaging through it
for a few seconds, she pulled out Rex, a stuffed dinosaur that she usually slept with. She took the
dinosaur to her daughter and waited to see if she approved. After several minutes of careful scrutiny,
Vega threw the stuff animal out of the crib and started crying again.

"Baby!" she wailed louder.

Bra went back to the toy box and got another one, only to have the same thing happen. They
repeated this until nearly all of Vega's toys were thrown about the once clean room. Vega was crying
hysterically now and Bra was just about to explode when she remembered the stuffed bear in the
next room. Quickly, she went and retrieved it and handed it to her daughter.

Vega's eyes lite up when she saw the bear and she immediately stopped crying. Clutching the animal
to her chest, she sat down, petting it softly and giving it little kisses on his head. Bra smiled as she
watched her, wishing for a minute that she had her camera. She remembered then that she didn't
know where the toy had come from. Like any good mother, she didn't want her daughter handling
something that she didn't know it's origin.

Bra reached in to grab it for one final look over, to make sure that there wasn't anything on it that
could hurt her. Vega growled and curled protectively around it before Bra could reach it. Shocked,
she quickly withdrew her hand as if it were a poisonous snake in there instead of her daughter.

"Did you just growl at me?" Bra questioned in disbelief.

"No take. Mine." Vega stated.

Bra was more hurt than angry. Her daughter had never acted like this before. Now she was very
curious as to where the toy came from. "Vega," she said using her mother's voice. "Where did that
toy come from? Did Pan give it to you?"

Vega didn't answer, she just stared at her with blue eyes that matched her own. Bra tried not to
growl in frustration. She knew that the girl understood her. With Sayian genes and genius genetics,
even at nine months Vega comprehended more than a human child her age would. Just the fact that
she knew so many words spoke volumes. She wasn't answering because she didn't want to tell her.

"Did you get this from Pan's house? Is it one of Gohan's toys?" Bra tried again and still got no answer.

The two stared at each other for several long minutes before Bra finally gave up. As she was standing
to leave, she heard Vega whispering to the little bear.

"Be here always."

It all became crystal clear then. She should have figured it out before. She wasn't sure what it was
about those three words, but hearing her daughter say them made everything make sense. Bra took
one last look at her daughter, who was already drifting back to sleep, clutching her new stuffed
animal and her heart constricted. The bear was a gift from her father.

Bra went back to her room in a daze from this revelation. It wasn't because Goten had seen his
daughter without her permission. It was Vega's reaction to it.

The girl was smart and at that moment Bra was beginning to think she was too smart. They never
talked about Goten around her and she was certain no one had ever told her she couldn't see her
father. The subject never came up with Vega. She understood that Vegeta was her grandfather
because he was mommy's father, but she never asked about her own. She didn't want Bra to see the
toy because it was from Goten and she thought that she'd take it away from her because she
understood, somehow, understood that she wasn't supposed to see her father.

Bra cried that night. She cried for herself and she cried for her daughter. Because of everything she
did in the name of pride and honor died when she looked into the blue eyes of her baby. She knew
then that she had to do something to make it right for her. She had to make it up to her somehow and
let her know that it was okay to love her father.

So now she waits. Waiting to see if he will come and if he can find a way to forgive her. At least
enough so that Vega can grow up with a father around. She had told Pan to tell Goten to come to the
park around seven. Bra glanced down at her watch. It was ten to. If he was going to show, he would
do so soon.

"Vega!" Bra called out across the park, getting her daughter's attention.

Chubby little legs changed their direction and headed straight to her, running faster than children
twice her age. "Momma!" the little girl squealed when she reached her. She brought an arm from
behind her back to proudly show the panicked chipmunk she caught and was now crushing.

Bra made a face as she watched the furry little critter claw and bite at her baby. Vega giggled. "He
play." She said in amusement to the animal's suffering.

Bra quickly pried the animal from Vega's hands and set him down. She looked over the cuts and
scratches he'd made, trying not to think about rabies and other wild animal germs. It didn't seem to
bother Vega that he'd bitten her, so she tried not to make a big scene and get her upset. She reached
over and fumbled through her purse, looking for the first aid capsule she'd taken to carrying with
since her daughter was born.

Vega looked a little worried as Bra popped the capsule and took out an alcohol swab. She tightened
her hold on the girl as she began to squirm. "Hold still." Bra commanded as she started cleaning the
cuts. Vega began crying as her mother made sure to clean each one. "There. Now don't go picking
up wild animals." She scolded when she finished.

Vega pouted but her cries simmered down to unhappy whimpers. Bra looked her over and frowned
when she saw that her clothes were already dirty and her hair in disarray. She had hoped that the
tufts of spiky, dark blue hair would have grown out more by now, but no such luck. Her hair was
impossible to get to do anything. It'd taken her half of the morning to get it into the pigs tails it's in.
Now it looked as if all of her hard work was for nothing as the ties were coming undone and her hair
falling back into its crazy pattern.

Bra sighed and shook her head. She could fix it now before it was too late, but she didn't think that
either she or her daughter had the patience for that. Vega squirmed out of her grasp and went to
investigate something in the grass that had caught her eye. Bra glanced at her watch. Five after.
Would he show up? She bit her lip as she went over everything she had planned to say to him.
Making sure that it was perfect and that it expressed what she wanted properly. She didn't want
there to be any mistake.

She was brought from her musing by a happy shout from her daughter. "Poppa!" the girl squealed as
she ran to Goten, who walking toward them. Goten smiled broadly and bent down to scoop the little
girl into his arms.

Bra watched the scene with a sad smile. It should be like that every day. If there was doubt in her
mind before about whether or not Vega knew who her father was, it was gone now. The girl knew
and was happy to see him.

Bra took in the sight of him and her breath caught in her throat. It'd been over a year since she'd last
gotten a good look at him. From what she could tell, he hadn't changed a bit. He was still every bit as
gorgeous as he was when she first fell in love with him. And she knew then that she still loved him.
One look at him brought back all the fond memories and with those the memories of their nights
together. It seemed as if they have come full circle. It was maddening that after everything her heart
still pounded when she was near him.

Goten sat down when he reached her. Neither said a word for some time. Vega looked
apprehensively between the two of them, waiting to see what would happen. Bra saw this and once
again felt ashamed that Vega had to go through this with her. Cautiously, she reached over and lifted
her from Goten's lap, standing her in front of them. Vega looked down at the ground, not wanting to
meet their eyes. Guilt washed over her as she watched her daughter. She was acting like it was her
fault and she was in trouble. Bra's heart broke and she had to swallow a sob. Vega thought that it
was her fault she couldn't be around her father.

'I'll make it up to you.' Bra silently swore. Aloud she said: "Vega, why don't you go play for a little bit
before we go. I need to talk to daddy for a minute, but when we're done I promise we'll take you out
for ice cream."

Her head shot up at the mention of ice cream. Her big blue eyes looked hopeful and Bra gave a nod
of her head to confirm. Vega looked over to Goten, with the same hopeful look in her eyes. When he
nodded a large grin spread across her face. "Ok. See you, Poppa." She said simply before skipping
off. She was making sure that she would see her father later.

Bra didn't know what to say. She forgot everything that she planned to say to him, so she just sat
there feeling self-conscious as he looked her over. "You've grown." He said, trying to break the silence.

Bra shrugged. She didn't really want to sit around having idle chitter chat with him. It was getting late
and Vega still needed a bath before she tried to get her to bed. "Look Goten," she said, getting
straight to the point, but she didn't get the chance to finish as Goten cut her off.

"Listen Bra." Goten started. "I have some things that I need to say to you. This has been a year in the
making, so please just listen." Bra nodded her head, but didn't look at him. She kept her eyes trained
on her daughter, who had found an interesting mud puddle to play in. She had an idea of what he
wanted to say to her and she steeled heart art for the harsh words she knew were coming.

There was a brief pause and then a heavy sigh. "I wanted to say I'm sorry, Bra, for all those things I
said to you that day. I never meant to hurt you. That wasn't my intention at all. When you came to me
and said that you were having my baby, I refused to believe it. I was in a state of denial and I was
angry with you. I was mad because you had gone to America and found someone else. Even after
you told me the truth, it was easier for me to believe that you were lying. More than that, I was angry
because you couldn't be my girl and because I couldn't tell you that I love you."

Bra couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips at his confession. She turned to him and searched his
face for any signs that he was toying with her. Their eyes met and all she could see there was regret
for what could have been. Out of all the things she had expected him to say, that was not one of
them. Her mouth opened and closed uselessly as her shocked brain tried to form words. She felt her enseenses slipping as he continued.

Goten looked away from her penetrating blue gaze before he felt he would drown as he tried to find
the words to make her understand. "After you left, I couldn't get you out of mind. It was like you
were in my blood. You were all I could think about. It drove me crazy and that was when I realized
that I loved you.

I also realized that it would never be able to work between us. There was too much conflict, too
much standing in our way for us to truly be happy. I'm ten years older than you and I knew Vegeta
would never sanction it. So, I decided it would be best for both of us if I never tried."

He looked at her then, to see her beautiful eyes filled with unshed tears. He moved to her, raising his
hand and placing his palm against her soft cheek. He gently brushed away a stray tear that found its
way down her face as he gazed into her eyes. "I never meant to hurt you, Bra. You have to believe
that. I made a mistake. I made many mistakes. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Goten . . . " Bra swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I-I'm so sorry. For everything. For
everything that I put you and Vega through. I was foolish and selfish. How can you ever forgive me
for not letting you see your daughter?"

Goten sighed. "I won't say that your wrong. Not being able to watch her grow up kills me every day.
She is so beautiful and smart. And her strength is amazing. The blood of the two most powerful
warriors in the universe runs through her veins. Vega is something special. I can feel it every time I'm
around her. It's not too late, Bra."

"I can feel it too, Goten." Bra said in a whisper as she turned to look at her daughter. "It's
undescribable." She turned back to face him. "No, it's not too late. That's what I came here to tell
you. I don't want to fight anymore. You have every right to see her and I want you to be apart of her life."

"I would like that." Goten said with a small smile. "What about Vegeta?"

"Leave father to me." Bra answered with a grin.

"What about us?" Goten asked, his eyes searching hers.

"We can work on that too."

A wide grin spread across Goten's face as he wrapped her in his arms. His lips sought hers and they
locked in a sweet kiss that had been two years in the making.

The End

I didn't mean to hurt you,
I'm sorry that I made you cry,
I didn't want to hurt you,
I'm just a jealous guy.

~John Lennon

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Never Meant to Hurt You