Disclaimer: I used to do these creatively and then I got lazy and started saying "I don't own DBZ". Perhaps I'll be a little more creative again just this time… naw, too much effort, sorry!

Warnings: I call Vegeta's daughter Bulla in my fictions, sorry for the annoyance to "Bra" fans. This story follows on the timeline of "To Make You Proud" and "Like Father, Unlike Son". I plan to write it as basically a stand-alone, but I would suggest reading "Like Father, Unlike Son" to better understand the attitudes between Trunks and Vegeta. (But really, you'll be fine without it, I guess, especially if you're a Trunks/Bulla fan and only reading this for the brother/sister relationship because the other story isn't about that at all) Trunks is 17 here and Bulla 7. Flames on anything not mentioned in the review are fine. Everyone MIGHT be a little OOC, but I guess it just depends on your opinion. I don't think it's too much OOC.

Flying Lessons for Bulla

"Daddy, it's not fair!" Bulla rubbed a tear from her eyes as she walked into the weight room pouting.

Vegeta frowned with a grunt, sitting up. As always, he was busy training. At the moment he was lifting specially designed weights Bulma had made for him.

Bulla waited for a couple of seconds and when her father didn't respond, she decided to explain anyway. "Every time I try to play tag with Trunks he cheats. He always flies away and I can't reach him," she complained.

"Perhaps 'tag' isn't fun enough for him," Vegeta sarcastically remarked. It was one of the only ways he could deal with the fact that his once ambitious son had become a soft pleasure-seeker.

"Daddy!' Bulla whined. "It's not fair! How come Trunks can fly and I can't?"

"Whoever said you couldn't?" Vegeta smirked, crossing his arms as he stood.

Bulla's eyes widened a little. The thought that she could fly had never crossed her mind. "Huh?"

"If you want to fly, then learn."

"How?" Bulla was thoroughly confused. Then her eyes lit up. "Will you teach me?"

Vegeta stared at her for a moment before an idea entered his mind and he smirk mischievously. "Trunks can teach you."

"Trunks?" Bulla looked skeptical. HE was the one that had just flown off in the middle of their game!

"Hey, Bulla, where'd you go? I thought we were going to play tag?" Trunks walked into the room.

Bulla clenched her fists and scowled, pointing a finger at him angrily. "YOU flew away!"

Trunks chuckled. "I had to go to the bathroom, I'm sorry. I won't fly away again, I promise."

"Bulla has decided it is time she learns to fly," Vegeta's evil smirk remained as he stared at his son.

"Oh, well, that's a great idea," Trunks smiled. "It'll be much more fun that way," he turned to leave her to her studies.

"You're going to teach her," Vegeta added, his smirk deepening.

Trunks shoulders went up as he cringed, slowly turning his head with a suspicious glare in his eyes. "What?"

"What's the matter, Trunks? It's not training…" Vegeta was almost gloating.

"Not this again!" Trunks slapped a hand over his face.

Vegeta was very pleased with his tactic of manipulation. "Nope, no training at all; unless, of course, you don't want to teach your sister to fly. In that case you're welcome to spar with me instead. It's your choice, son."

Trunks shot a disapproving glare. Vegeta knew darned well Trunks had no intention of training. They'd had this argument time and time again, but still Vegeta could hardly acknowledge his son's presence without making some sort of dig about it.

Bulla glared up at her brother. "If you don't want to teach me, then I don't want you to either!"

"That's not it at all," Trunks quickly refocused his attention and smiled. "I'll teach you."

"You better mean it!" Bulla was suspicious.

"I do. Now don't worry. There's really nothing to it," Trunks made light of the issue. He didn't even remember much about when he had learned. It had come naturally. "First you need to focus some of your energy."

Bulla wrinkled her face. "What? Daddy, Trunks is talking about my energy!"

Vegeta held back a chuckle, barely containing his smirk. This was a highly-amusing show.

Trunks glanced at his father with irritation, then back to his sister. "You know what your energy is, right?"

"No," Bulla was highly suspicious of her brother.

Trunks' eyes widened. "You don't know what your energy is? Really?"

Bulla started growling. "Well tell me already!"

"Well…," Trunks tried to think of a way to explain it. Instead he thought maybe he'd show her. "It's kind of like this," he formed a small ball of energy in his hand.

"That's a blast. Daddy makes those all the time," Bulla mentioned non-chalantly.

"Yes, but he makes them from his energy, Bulla, just like I did. And you can do it to."

"I can?" Bulla was surprised.

"Sure. Just focus on that feeling inside of you and bring it out."

"What feeling?"

"The energy… you know, the… uh…," Trunks looked to his father, hoping for a little help.

"Well don't look at me, I'm certainly not going to help," Vegeta chuckled with amusement.

Trunks sighed in frustration and tried to think. Finally an idea came to him. "I know! You know that feeling you get when you're really mad? And then you can hit things really hard and they break?"

"Yeah?" Bulla waited for more.

"It's kind of like that. Draw out that power you have that makes things break."

"…Ok…," Bulla didn't quite understand, but she'd give it a try. First she thought about something that made her mad, then she growled and stomped her foot, making the floor shake. With glee she asked, "How's that?"

"Hmm, not quite what I meant," Trunks was at a loss. "Try this," he dropped to his knees and sat still, holding his hands in front of himself. "Sit quietly on the floor with your hands like mine are and just try to pull the power from within yourself to make an energy ball like this one. Don't strain over it, or it won't come. Just be calm and patient and focus, that's all."

Bulla sighed, doing as her brother described. Patience wasn't really her strong point. She waited a few seconds, then looked at him. "It's not working…"

"Just relax, and be patient. Keep trying and you'll get it."

Bulla sat, doing as her brother said, but she didn't want to wait. Why didn't it just come out for her like it did for him? What was she doing wrong? And how was she supposed to relax and focus at the same time?

"You're doing too much thinking, Bulla," Trunks observed.

"Well this is boring. Why doesn't it just come out?"

"You have to learn what it feels like inside of you first, and then you have to learn how to bring it out. If you'll just stop thinking so much about it and just be calm then soon you'll start to feel it."

Bulla drew in a breath. He'd done it so many times before. Maybe he was right. "Ok," she closed her eyes and tried to relax. After a few minutes she felt something and her eyes shot open. "Hey…I think that was it!"

"Good, then see if you can bring it out."

Bulla calmly closed her eyes again, imagining the energy she felt forming in her hands. A few sparks suddenly splashed across her palms.

"There, that's it, you did it, Bulla!" Trunks was excited for his sister.

"I did?" Bulla's eyes shot open with excitement.

"Yes, good job!" Trunks stood, placing his hands triumphantly on his hips.

"Now what?" Bulla stood, new found confidence in her brother erupting.

"Now that you know what your energy feels like, you've got to take that energy and… kind of place it under yourself… let it lift you into the air," Trunks attempted to describe the phenomenon.

Bulla thought about it, trying to figure out how she would do it.

"Just give it a try," Trunks prompted.

Bulla closed her eyes and listened for the feeling she'd had before. When she felt it she tried to imagine it lifting her in the air, like Trunks had said. Nothing seemed to be happening. Trunks waited patiently until she finally opened her eyes and looked around, noticing she was still firmly planted on the ground.

"I'm not flying," Bulla observed, then looked to her brother once more.

Trunks sighed. He didn't remember there being any problems like this when he had learned. In fact, he hadn't even had any instructions at all, that he could remember.

"Are you putting the energy under you so it can lift you up?"

"I don't know," Bulla answered with frustration. "I was trying to imagine it but nothing happened. What should it feel like?"

"Well…umb…like….umb…," Trunks tried hard to compare it with something. "like being carried!"

Vegeta snorted, trying not to laugh as he stood on the other side of the room, arms crossed and back against the wall.

Trunks turned with annoyance. "Would you like to teach her?"

Vegeta continued smirking. "Would you like to spar?"

Trunks let out a frustrated sigh and stomped a foot, turning back to his sister. "Just ignore him," he muttered, as much for his own benefit as for Bulla's. "You can feel your energy all around you when you fly and it'll be like it lifts you wherever you tell it to."

Bulla sighed. She didn't understand what he meant at all. "I'll try," she shut her eyes and tried to feel the energy a third time. This time she focused on bringing it out to flow around her. "How am I doing?" she asked, once she was pretty sure she could feel it flowing around her.

Trunks picked up on her ki and smiled. "Good. Now use it to lift yourself up."

Bulla pursed her lips slightly and looked away with skepticism. "Ok…."

Shakily she began levitating off the ground, then she began tipping from side to side, trying to find a balance. "Whoa!"

"You're doing it, Bulla, good job!" Trunks exclaimed.

Suddenly she shot a few feet higher with a short, startled scream, then side ways a little and began heading toward the wall with another scream.

Trunks dove forward and grabbed her, his eyes wide and heart pounding a little. "You're gonna have to learn to control that."

Bulla's eyes too were wide. "How?"

Trunks drew in a troubled breath, unsure how to answer as he placed her back on the ground.

"First of all, calm down," Vegeta pulled away from the wall, approaching his two children. "You're the one in control, not your power. Remember that."

Both kids turned their attention to their father with surprise.

"Trunks, make your energy visible," Vegeta kept his eyes on his daughter while he waited to sense that his son had obeyed. "Now, Bulla, watch the way it flows around your brother. All of that is completely under his control. He can make his power greater, or hold it in, whatever he chooses. Understand?"

"I guess," Bulla answered, still a little confused.

Trunks decided to lighten the mood a little by crossing his eyes at his sister. Bulla let out a brief giggle.

Immediately Vegeta turned, glaring harshly. "Are you quite finished?!"

For a moment Trunks stared nervously into his father's angry eyes, then he quickly lowered his line of vision and suppressed his desire to chuckle at his sister. "Sorry."

"Now," Vegeta turned his vision back to Bulla, trying to ignore his frustration with his fun-loving boy that couldn't seem to be serious if his life depended on it. "watch the way it flows when in flight. Trunks, demonstrate."

Obediently, Trunks slowly lifted himself into the air. "Do you want me to stay here or fly around?"

"Stay," Vegeta's answer was quick as he immediately returned to addressing the younger demi-sayain. "Did you see the way it pushed from under him, fighting the pull of gravity?"

Bulla nodded, intently watching the energy around her big brother.

"Watch what happens if he turns himself up-side-down."

Trunks let out a breath. "Are you serious? You really want me to…"

"Trunks!" Vegeta's answer was quick and he didn't even bother looking at him.

"This is so humiliating," Trunks muttered as he flipped himself upside-down in the air, crossing his arms and scowling.

"How does he do that so easily?" Bulla asked.

"Practice, Bulla. Once upon a time your brother used to train," Vegeta glanced back with annoyance, but only for a split second.

"Give me a break," Trunks rolled his eyes as he mumbled.

"You must learn how to control your energy and position it so that it always fights gravity no matter how you float in the air," Vegeta explained.

"I would advise you not try this position," Trunks' face was beginning to turn red as the blood flowed to his head. "It's not particularly comfortable," he hinted.

"Neither is loosing a sparring match with me, Trunks, which is precisely what you'll be doing if you don't shut up and do as you're told!" Vegeta spat.

Trunks' eyes widened a little and he immediately pursed his lips shut. There was no way he was going to get forced into a sparring match.

"Now Bulla, try it again."

Bulla drew in a breath and thought about how her brother's energy had looked when he moved himself off the ground and how it looked now, flowing primarily around his head, but also keeping him balanced as it flowed around the rest of him. "Ok," she tried to mimic what she'd seen. Once again she was lifted off the ground, but still she was a little shaky.

"You're the one in control, Bulla, remember that," Vegeta coached.

"Right," Bulla relaxed a little at the thought. With her relaxation came more stability. "How am I doing?"

"Fine. Try moving yourself," Vegeta suggested.

Drawing in a breath Bulla decided to start herself out slow, repeating in her mind over and over, 'I'm in control, I'm in control'. She was a little shaky at first, but after a few tries she was beginning to move quicker and more smoothly. Trunks wanted to congratulate his sister, but he was too afraid of getting in trouble for speaking with out permission.

"Look daddy!" Bulla was growing excited.

"Yes, now just keep practicing," Vegeta walked back toward his weight bench.

"Can I show mommy?" Bulla asked, bringing herself back to the ground.

"As long as you're sure to tell her I didn't make you learn it," Vegeta answered.

"I will!" Bulla ran out of the room.

Leaning back, Vegeta removed the weight and began lifting. Trunks watched, trying not to show his irritation. He knew his father was deliberately leaving him hanging—up-side-down, mind you! He then cleared his throat rather loudly.

Vegeta sat up, smirking slightly. "I don't suppose you're wanting permission to come down, are you?"

Trunks glared slightly, but kept his voice as polite as possible. "Yes, please."

Vegeta stood in front of him, then flipped himself up-side-down and peered into his son's eyes, crossing his arms to match his son's, and smirking a little more. "Will you train for awhile later?"

Trunks let out a breath of extreme frustration, closing his eyes in obvious discomfort and displeasure. His head was pounding and he felt dizzy and the last thing in the world he wanted on top of it was his father trying, again, to get him to train!

Vegeta frowned with irritation and flipped back over, standing with his back to his son. "Fine, you can go!"

Trunks let himself plop onto the floor and sighed in relief. "Thank you!"

"Get out of here," Vegeta's voice had a twinge of defeat in it.

Trunks gladly left the room and found his sister in the yard practicing her flying some more. "Hey, Bulla! You still wanna play tag?"

"Yeah!" Bulla smiled, floating to the ground, "but no flying."

"Why not?" Trunks asked.

"Because! You're still faster than me and it wouldn't be fair," Bulla crossed her arms.

"I have news for ya, kid," Trunks smirked. "I'm a lot faster on foot too," he quickly tagged her and ran off laughing.

"Hey, no fair!" Bulla sprinted after him.