The morning was sunny; a bright vibrant hue of gold covered the morning sky, as the half-blood Saiyan woke. He knew that today was going to be a good day, as it usually was when the sun shone as brightly as it did today. His aqua eyes turned to see his beloved wife was still asleep, and he knew that she didn't have work today, so he allowed her to stay sleeping for the time being. Maybe he could surprise her with breakfast, or just let her continue to sleep.
He quickly dressed in his work clothes, and picked up his glasses gently off the dresser, slipping them over his eyes. He didn't need his glasses to see, or read, but he wore them anyway, much in the same respect as Trunks did at work. Son Gohan had become one of the most successful teachers in Satan City, as he was smarter than most of the other instructors. He knew that today…nothing could ruin his day.
He heard the faint noise of giggling in the bedroom across the hall. Pan was probably awake, playing with her dolls again. She would never admit to the fact that she did play with dolls. He peeked into her room to make sure that she wasn't being eaten alive by Bee, whom they were babysitting for Hurcule. It wasn't as if she couldn't defend herself, but he was normally the first person she called to help, aside from Goku.
As he continued on down the hall, he sighed and resolved himself to get the mail. Gohan hated getting the mail. It was almost always bills, or junk he wasn't interested in. He didn't mind paying bills, its just that most of the time, the money just wasn't there. In today's day and age, with all the fighting going on, there just wasn't any money to earn. It was probably a good thing that Gohan worked for enjoyment, and not money. It was times like these that forced Videl into the working field as a secretary. That meant less time to spend with Pan, whom wasted away her pre-school days with Goku.
Sifting through the mail, and finding nothing of interest, he placed the letters on the table. Across the room was his desk, piled high with books and graded papers. He picked up the papers and put them into a briefcase, then ran a finger down the spines of the books to find the ones he needed for today's lecture. Once he had gotten all of them together, he continued to make breakfast.
"Papa!" Pan shouted from the top of the steps. She was still much too young to get down the steps, so someone had to help her down the steps from time to time. Although she could fly, Videl and Gohan discouraged it when at home. They had learned from Goten that things get broken that way. "Papa, I help?"
"Sure, Princess." He smiled looking up at his little girl. She sure was a near replica of his wife. She would be a strong girl, he could almost tell that now. "We're going to make pancakes today, can you help me?"
"Yup, yup!" Pan announced cheerily. She loved helping her dad, whether it be putting stickers on graded papers, or just cheering him on in sparring matches with Goten. Pan sure loved her father. "I no princess!"
"True," Gohan said carrying her into the kitchen. Sliding his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, he put Pan down on the floor and sighed. "Burra is the princess, isn't she?"
(AN, I know its Bulla/Bra, but I've always written it as Burra. Besides, in Japanese the L's are pronounced like R's. I mean, look at Riza Hawkeye in English, but Lisa in Japanese. Shoo! Keep reading! .)
Pan grabbed a carton of eggs from in the fridge, placing it onto the counter. When she realized that there weren't enough eggs, she frowned. "Papa, we make 'nuff pancakes?"
"We can make enough. I'll just make them smaller than usual." Pan didn't think about the logic behind that statement, which was one of the many things he loved about his daughter. She was just like Videl, cunning, and sly. But at the same time she was lovable, and sweet. "Can you get daddy the milk?"
Pan nodded and dragged a stool over to the fridge. She was a bit short, and couldn't reach the top shelf yet. Sliding the bottle off of the shelf, she grabbed it with both hands and wrapped her arms around it. Hugging the glass bottle, she fumbled her way across the kitchen, placing the bottle on the floor at his feet. "Bah?"
Gohan normally knew that when Pan said "Bah" or "Boll" it meant she wanted a bottle, so he picked up the bottle and poured some into a sippy-cup for her. "There you go. Want to try one of the cakes?" Gohan asked ruffling her hair.
"Huh-uh. They for momma." Pan knew Videl hadn't been feeling well lately, she had the flu. It wasn't often that the father/daughter duo made anything for Videl, not since Gohan had set the house on fire. "No burn this time!"
"No, daddy won't burn the house down this time. Momma was not pleased when that happened." Once he had finished, he placed the pancakes onto a plate and looked to Pan. "You get to bring them to mommy, ok?" Taking Pan under one arm, and holding the tray with the other, he carried them both up the steps. As soon as Pan's feet hit the floor, she began to shout. Placing the tray in her small hands, he smiled as she ran down the hall.
"Momma! Momma wakey wakey!" She peeked into the room, putting the tray onto the nightstand. Videl peered over the blanket to see her young daughter, peering back. "Papa an I made you nom-noms!"
"Nom-Nom's, eh? Did daddy burn the house this time?" Videl chuckled when she saw Gohan leaning in the doorway. It wasn't often that she was blessed with breakfast in bed, so she took it when she got it.
"I'll have you know, I'm an excellent cook! I just get…sidetracked." He narrowed his eyes, staring at his wife belligerently. "I blame you. You're always getting me to think of other things. You know you're more important than food."
"It bears repeating," she smiled at her half-blood husband and picked up the tray, as Gohan placed Pan on the bed beside her. "It's hard to accept that there are things more important to you Saiyajin than food. Did Panny help?" Videl was certain she did, since the cakes were a tad on the crunchy side. Normally that could be attributed to Pan cracking the eggs the wrong way.
"She sure did! And she didn't make a huge mess this time, the kitchen is nearly spotless!" He would never admit to her that the only reason it was spotless was because Bee was hungry and they ran out of dog food.
"Gohan, shouldn't you be getting to work? It's almost seven." His wife was right, it was nearing seven, and class started at eight. It was nearly a half hour drive just to the school. Her question was met with a sigh as he leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips.
"Eww!" Pan shouted as she pushed her father away. "That gross!" She didn't even want to look at her mother, the one she'd trusted not to kiss him back. She was young, but she would understand sooner or later how love worked. Gohan hoped more later than sooner.
"I'll meet you after school today, assuming you still want to pick me up." Gohan muttered with puppy-dog eyes.
"I'll try, it depends on my mood after I finish eating and get a shower." She said in response, cracking a small smile to him.
After her shower, Videl made sure Pan was changed and ready to go. Pan would be going shopping with her today, since Goku was out training with Goten. Pan had one of the most irritating habits in the grocery store, she would grab anything she thought she liked, and toss it into the basket. When Videl would put it back, she would wail until it was tucked safely into the basket again. There was a theory regarding this.
"Make sure your jacket is nice and tight." She pulled the zipper up, placing Pan into her car seat. "And don't forget to keep your shoes on this time, I bet you won't forget so soon how cold it was when you kicked them off the last time."
"Nuh-uh! Cold, cold." Pan said as she kicked the papers and mail off of the table her carrier was sitting on. Videl picked up the papers and set them over on Gohan's desk, safely out of the way, and the mail got tossed back onto the table behind Pan.
The arrival at the store was one that would never be rivaled by any amusement park or battle. Pan loved the store. "What did daddy say we were out of?" Videl asked her daughter in a quiet tone, so as not to get her too excited.
"Miwk, bwead, and burrnannas." Pan smiled a nearly toothless smile and held up the list. Although none of the three things were on the list, Videl couldn't help but smile at the effort to read. "An cookies!"
"Alright," her mother said taking the list from her small hands. "Let's get us some bread." They didn't need any of the three things that Pan had said, but she would get them to make her feel better, so she didn't get them herself and cause a scene. Videl was almost positive that Pan shopped for her father, and his junk-food love, since most of the things Pan picked up were things she wouldn't touch.
"Momma, we get gwapes, too?" Videl nodded at Pan's question. Normally shopping took two carts, but today she had only gotten one. Money was tight, and she wasn't eating much in the last few weeks, so it wasn't a necessity to get two pantries full of groceries. "An apples?" She was happy to see her child eating healthy, she had to have gotten it from somewhere, and it certainly wasn't Gohan.
"Grapes and Apples." Videl confirmed for the child kicking her feet in the cart. "How about we get us some kind of meat, too? I know you don't like it, but it will help you get big and strong, like daddy." Not that she needed any more help in that department.
"Plah. No meats." Videl puttered over to the meat section anyway, while Pan attempted to poke holes in every single package of beef. "I want bwaiiiinnnnnssss." She said staring at the ground beef. She hated the way meat looked raw, but she would eat it cooked. To her, raw meat was not meat; it was in fact 'brains'. Even if it was steak, it was still 'brains'.
"You have brains," her mother answered as she placed some meat into the cart, continuing down the next aisle. "Pan, where is your shoe?"
"I dunno," She suddenly gave a shocked expression. "Meat eated it!" Videl rolled her eyes and dragged the cart back to the meat section and rifled through the packages.
"Lost her shoe again?" A blue haired woman asked as she peered over at the mother daughter duo. "Seems like every time you come shopping you have to buy her new shoes."
"Bulma, its' crazy. I could sit and knot them until even Gohan can't snap the laces, and she still gets them off." She found the shoe, and pulled it out, trying to get it back onto the kicking feet of Pan. "And then she does this."
"Buwa!" The younger, black haired girl shouted. Walking beside Bulma was a shorter, carbon copy of her. Burra was Pan's best friend, other than Bee. "I go pway?"
"Not tonight, honey, we have to pick daddy up remember?" Pan nodded and frowned to Bra. "How are things with Vegeta?"
"Painful as always," Bulma didn't even look at the meat; she just started tossing it in the cart. Anything but pork, Vegeta would not lower himself to eat swine. "I heard Gohan got another raise."
"He's doing great, but I wish there wasn't such a money crisis right now. Its' so hard to even consider enrolling Pan into preschool." Bulma nodded, indicating that she could continue. "And with everything going on with Chichi, I don't want to bother her with taking care of Pan."
"Its' hard," the blue haired woman agreed. "But you have to find an alternative solution. Trunks works, as does Vegeta."
"Vegeta works?"
"Yes, he manages a dojo near the edge of town. So far no one has joined, out of fear. He's not that intimidating, I'm not sure what everyone's problem is." Bulma placed a hand on Burra's head, smiling to Videl. "Well we have to go. Can't keep the prince waiting, you know."
It started to rain that evening. Gohan had called Videl and told her not to worry about picking him up, since he had overtime work to do. He would be home for dinner, but it would be later. So Videl decided to just start putting things away without him. Pan tried to help carry groceries in, but her little body wasn't quite enough to drag them all.
"Momma, miwk?" Pan offered her mother the sacrificial bottle of milk, then smiled at the little girl when she put it away. "We put 'way everyfing."
"We sure did, thanks for the help." Pan nodded and skipped off to the living room to play with her dolls. She loved her dolls, Rena and Lulu. Rena was an old worn out stuffed Giraffe, and Lulu was an even worse worn out green dinosaur. Those, combined with her stained green blanket, were the highlights of Pan's toy box.
Videl decided that the groceries were as 'put away' as they would get, and sat at the table with a glass of tea. Maybe it was time to look for another job, since hers wasn't going so well. She picked up the paper and began to read the classifieds when an envelope on the side of the table caught her eye. "Huh? What's this?"
Placing the newspaper on the table, she put the tea to the side and picked up the envelope. The return address in the corner read Selective Service. She dropped the letter and stared at it with shaking hands. She knew there was a war going on, but she'd never expected it to come down to a draft. And much to her dismay, Gohan was overqualified for the work they wanted. He would be one of their biggest assets. Hoping that it was a misinformed letter, she tore it up, throwing it away.
:O I like this one. I'm going to finish it. Its probably only going to be like…8 chapters, but wewt! A story I can work with. =D Let me make a few notes:
1. Bra's name is wrong because I always saw it as "Burra"
2. This is supposed to be more realistic. I'm going to just say that Gohan hasn't trained in a long time, and whatnot. Besides, to keep his identity safe, he can't use his superpower skills. It IS the military after all. :D
3. Pan is not underpowered, she's just a normal girl right now. More on this later.
4. Read and review. I recently posted "Trunks Briefs Guide to Living With Vegeta" like everyone requested (over four years ago) and no one has reviewed it yet. PLEASE review this one or I simply won't continue it.