"Goku! Did you eat all the mashed potatoes?!"

Goku's nervous laughter drifted towards the wide spacious living room of Capsule Corp. Many of the friends and relatives wore fun colored hats and talked as attendants drifted to and fro with beverages. Presents piled to the ceiling poured over a table groaning under the sheer weight. It was not everyday a birthday was celebrated with this much extravaganza. Especially when said celebrator was a child to one of the most wealthiest people in the planet.

"Isn't this just precious Bra? Grandpa got you a present!" Bulma gushed to her two year old child.

Trunks fingered the plush doll. "Why does it look like Shenron?"

Bulma snatched the doll from his hands and presented it to her daughter's stubby arms as Dr. Briefs responded proudly, "A small joke on my part. Shenron is created by our Kami that watches over our earth. The doll is created by me to watch over my granddaughter." He smiled over his own irony. Bulma rolled her eyes.

"It's just a doll, dad. Jeez."

"I'd appreciate it if you referred to me as assistant," said stuffed animal responded.

Bulma shrieked. Trunks exclaimed, "Cool, it talks!

"Of course," the doll responded as Bra happily hugged the snake-like dragon plush. "I was designed by the genius Dr. Briefs to assist Bra in education, protection and comfort."

The professor nodded. "Completely correct."

"Gee dad, and I suppose you programmed him to help with your inflated ego?" She looked over the plush dragon hesitantly "Are you sure it's safe?"

"My prime directive is to see to the safety of Bra and ensure she is happy," Shenron responded. "It fills me with joy.

"Joy? But you're a robot."

Dr. Briefs coughed slightly. "I thought it'd be better to give the robot a slight inkling of emotions. That way it'd be easier to understand Bra's behavior."

Bulma still wasn't sure."I don't think a robot is a good substitute over a teddy bear, dad. What if it explodes or catches fire? I don't want Bra going anywhere near that thing in bed."

"Nonsense! I worked out all the kinks!" Dr. Briefs huffed. "Isn't that right, Shenron?" The plush nodded vigorously.

"Aw, come on Bulma, I think it's cute!" Goku chimed in, patting the dragon plush on the head. "Besides, she's a Saiyan, I'm more worried how the doll will survive around her!"

"Excuse me?" Shenron said, the barest traces of nerves. Everyone laughed as Bra ripped open another present. It held a charming little snowglobe, the interior in the shape of Kami's look out.

"Oh, look at that! Dende sent a present too!"

Bra shook the snowglode happily as Trunks ripped open the next parcel, containing baby clothes from Chichi, a half eaten pie from Goku. Even Yajirobe chipped in and presented the child with a sack of toys. It was during these festivities Bra noticed something that caught her attention.

Besides her laughter over the new toy from her brother Trunks, there was silence around her. Shenron looked up from observing the toy as well.

Beyond that in the span of a few seconds, something happened at once. Darkness smothered her vision. She froze, unaccustomed to this phenomenon. The darkness dimmed and she could see something was very wrong. She was in the same big room, but all the adults vanished. Dark shadows flickered across her vision, tiny pinpricks of light shaped like eyes glinted maliciously. They closed in on her.

"Bra? Bra honey, are you okay?"

Bra blinked. Bulma watched her worriedly. "Honey, what's wrong? You look so pale!" Bra didn't say anything. What could she say? She could not understand it herself. She clutched her mother, shaken by the sudden darkness.

"D-didn't you all see that?" Shenron stuttered, still coiled protectively around the child.

"Hmm?" Bulma said distractedly.

"You did not notice the room darken, or the strange lights? Bra saw it too; that's why she looks frightened!"

"What are you talking about, Shenron?" Dr. Briefs adjusted his glasses and peered suspiciously at the robot. "Are you malfunctioning?"

"Negative! Sir, I am completely 100% certain that you all just disappeared for a moment! My scanners picked up dangerous signals, but it disappeared..."

"Just in case, I'd better do a maintenance check-up." He began to pry the plush still wrapped around Bra. She instinctively latched onto the robot. "Don't worry, Bra. I'll return him. He's probably malfunctioning... a little," he added under the stern look of his daughter. Bra began to cry, Shenron protested, but with a bit more effort Mr. Briefs pried the only thing that understood the fear Bra felt at that moment. That she may return to that awful place without her guardian as it continued to plead with its creator.

A new story with a most familiar character, 2 year old Bra!

Read and review please.