A/N: Hello again Fanfiction. I am indeed alive and just trying to get back into writing.
The characters may be somewhat Ooc, but hopefully not too badly. This was inspired by Luke Bryan's song Play it again.
Disclaimer: Don't own Dbz or the song that inspired this fiction.
Enjoy and perhaps leave a review
The door slammed loudly behind him, causing the windows to rattle slightly in their frames. He shoved his hands into his pockets raging to himself. Walking swiftly down the driveway he turned east and ignored the sound of his mother calling him back to the house.
He wasn't angry with his mother necessarily... he was furious with his father though...
He had returned home from school, like he did every day, to find his father angry with him for some reason...which wasn't clear even now. His father had started yelling at him and since he wasn't one to be pushed around by others, he started yelling back, which alerted his mother who came to investigate what was going on. The yelling soon escalated into physical contact. He rubbed his cheek which he was sure had started to bruise...for an older man, his father sure hit hard. Afterwards, he turned on his heel and left the house. He wasn't going to take anyone's crap...especially his father's.
Vegeta glanced around and noticed that he must have spaced off, since he no longer could see his house and was on some back road...also it had grown rather dark. He continued walking since he didn't want to return home right now.
After walking quite a distance further, he noticed in the distance there was a truck parked by the side of the road. Thinking it looked somewhat suspicious, but yet he was almost drawn to the truck. The closer he got, the louder the music from the truck seemed to get.
To say the least, Vegeta was surprised to see, not an old hairy man, but a teenaged girl with bright blue hair sitting on the tailgate, humming along with the radio, her long legs swinging along with the beat of the music.
Vegeta glanced around, looking for anyone else, for there was no way a girl that gorgeous could be alone…but he found no one. He looked back to the girl and jumped slightly when his gaze met hers. She smiled and turned her gaze back to the sunset in the distance. Taking that as an invitation, he walked to her tailgate and sat next to her. Not a single word had been spoken, but he felt comfortable in her presence.
"I've always loved sunsets." She said suddenly, her gaze never leaving the dipping sun.
"Yeah…sure." Vegeta somewhat agreed…though he felt as if it were a sentimental thing to like something you couldn't have.
"Not much of a talker…are ya?" She giggled, smiling in his direction. He shrugged indifferently…not as if he ever had people to talk to anyway. "I always loved to talk. So many people to talk with and never enough time. Though…it gets lonely out here." She sighed, looking down at the ground, her eyes following a bug on the ground.
"Why do you stay out here if you get lonely?" Vegeta asked her and her eyes met his.
"Oh…well…" Her gaze returned to the now almost vanished sun. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she jumped up from her position. "I love this song!" She exclaimed ecstatically. She turned to him and extended her hand towards him. "Dance with me?" She asked sweetly…though he hated dancing…he was too exhausted to argue with her and grabbed her hand and she dragged him off the tailgate.
She twirled and tried to get him to dance, though he was rather reluctant. Her smile when he spun her around seemed to change something inside of him and he wanted to see her face light up again.
He twirled her around again and nearly smiled as she released a giggle that seemed to brighten up the darkening sky. With her facing him again, Vegeta pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her small waist and in return she wrapped her arms around his neck as they swayed to the music caming from her truck. She sighed quietly and smiled as she laid her head on his shoulder. Vegeta stiffened slightly when he felt her head upon his shoulder, but soon realized he didn't actually mind it and relaxed.
The song ended and the two stayed as they were for a few moments before he pulled away slightly to look at the blue haired girl.
"Thank you for dancing with me...I noticed that you aren't much of a dancer." The girl chuckled as she pulled away from his completely and returning to the tailgate of her truck.
"I've never danced before..." He admitted to her, thinking she was going to laugh at him and call him weird...but she did neither and just glanced at him.
"Well, don't worry...I won't make you dance again..." She told him before thinking for a moment and adding, "...unless that song comes on again. I love that song." She sighed dreamily, causing him to snort. "What's so funny?" She demanded, almost hurt that he laughed at her.
"Nothing...just..." Vegeta didn't really know why he snorted at her...just...something seemed amusing...perhaps it was just her personality.
"Just what?" She frowned at him and urged him to finish his sentence.
"You." He finally said, casuing her eyes to widen in, first, hurt, then anger.
"You think I'm funny!? I didn't do anything funny, so why?" She asked him angrily.
"I don't know..." He paused to think, "I guess...with what I had gone through today...your innocence was...cute." He couldn't believe he just said that...but it wasn't as if she knew him. He realized he didn't even know her name.
"Aww, did you just call me cute?" She cooed, poking his arm while smiling sweetly at him.
"No. Your mouth is too big to be cute." Vegeta chuckled as she punched his arm and huffed angrily, turning her back to him.
"And you are too mean to be cute." She snapped back at him, her arms crossed across her her chest.
"Who said I was the cute one?" He teased her, raising an eyebrow curiously at her while smirking.
"No one." She stuttered out, a blush crossing her cheeks, causing him to laugh, which rang out in the silent night air. Hearing him laugh made her smile and forget her embarrassment.
Truthfully, Vegeta almost forgot why he was there in the first place, but she rested her hand where his father had slapped him a few hours ago, the memory of anger and betrayal flooded back to him.
"Perhaps you need to return home. It's getting late and cold." She told him, rubbing his cheek as if she knew what had transpired hours earlier and she was trying to make the pain go away.
"Ugh...I don't really want to go home." Vegeta huffed, thinking he wasn't quite ready to face his father yet.
"Family problems?" She asked, but when he didn't respond, she didn't try pushing the subject. "Well, when I would get in fights with my parents, I would run away from home for a while for everything to cool down...then..." she paused to turn her gaze to him, "I would return home and apologize, even if I didn't know why they were mad...they only cared for me and wanted the best for me." She finished and turned her gaze up to the full moon that was watching over them.
"...damn girl..." Vegeta huffed after a couple minutes, making her look at him in surprise. "Now I don't have a reason to not return home." He about pouted at her and she just laughed.
"Sorry...I was just telling you what I would do personally...and obviously you aren't me...so yo don't have to go home and apologize and make up with your father." She shrugged her shoulders indifferently.
"You make it sound as if that is the only thing I can do." He frowned at her, but she only shrugged her shoulders again.
"It's up to you."
Vegeta sighed, he knew the best thing he could do was return home and apologize for whatever he did to piss his father off. He turned to the girl next to him, "I guess I should return home...as should you."
"I suppose..." although she agreed, she didn't sound too happy about the thought.
"Family problems?" He partially mocked her.
"Somewhat..." She didn't express any interest in telling him anymore than that though.
"I can drive you home if you want..." Vegeta offered, hoping to at least figure out where she lived so he could visit her again.
"Sure...why not?" She told him, jumping off the tailgate and climbing into the passenger side of her truck as Vegeta climbed into the driver's seat.
"So, where do you live?" he asked as he revved the engine and started down the road.
"You know what..." she paused, "...go ahead and drive to your house...I'll return from there." She told him, looking down the road.
"I can drive you home...I'm not in a hurry to return home anyways." He told her, glancing at her from he corner of his eye.
"No...then you'd have no way to get home..." She said as she watched a herd of cows pass by the car. "I live in the city." She added.
"The city? What are you doing so far away then?" He asked in surprise. The nearest city was well over thirty miles away from where they are. She shrugged, but didn't say anything. He shook his head slightly, turning his attention back to the road. Soon he saw his house and he almost dreaded returning, but he turned into the drieway and put the car in park, but left the car itself on. For a few minutes, the only sound in the ar was the radio playing.
"Perhaps you could stay here...since it is pretty dark and late...it is dangerous to drive in the dark..." He said pathetically, but she looked at him.
"No... you have family problems and I would only make things worse...besides...I can't stay..." She added sadly, shifting in her seat.
"My mom would understand..." he started, but was cut off when she squealed happily.
"It came back on!" She turned the radio up and jumped out of the car, running around to the front where she was illuminated by the headlights. She beckoned to him, and he snorted in amusement, but got out of the car and was instantly pulled by her into a twirl. She grabbed his hands as he spun her around and around in the light of the car. The sound of her laugh echoed throughout the chilly night air and it made Vegeta forget any problems he had. It was about that point when he realized he wanted to get to know this girl more. As soon as the song started it was over and they remained in each others arms. Staring at her, he was drawn in and their lips met in the sweetest kiss either of them had ever experienced...but just like the sone, it was over too soon.
"I should get going." She told him, pulling away from him, breathing heavily from the physical exertion of dancing moments before.
"Right..." Vegeta reluctantly agreed. "Perhaps tomorrow we could..." He started, but she cut him off.
"Sorry, I can't." She turned and walked to the driver's side and made to get in.
"Wait! Why not!?" He questioned her, rushing over and grabbing her elbow to stop her.
"I'm...busy..." She tried to get her arm free, but he refused to let go.
"...can you at least tell me your name?" He resigned and released her elbow, feeling slightly guitly when she rubbed it to relieve the minor pain she felt from where he grasped her.
She turned her gaze on him and stared into his eyes. No one said anything for a while, until her melodious voice broke the cold night air, "...Bulma..." She finally said, looking anywhere but at him now. "I have to go now. Goodbye Vegeta." She said as she climbed into her truk and backed out of the driveway and drove away. Vegeta stayed where she left him until he couldn't see her truck any longer.
"I wonder why she was so abrupt..." He questioned to no one, before shaking his head and looking towards the front door of his house. The porch lights were off which probably meant that his parents were asleep. Looking once more towards the horizon where Bulma had gone, he turned and went to enter the house. Upon entering, he was surprised to see his mother sitting in a chair, nodding off to sleep. Hearing the door shut, his mother jumped up and stared wildly around before her gaze rested on her son.
"You're finally back Vegeta." Caulina said, rushing to her son's side and checking him for any injuries.
"I'm fine mother...I just went for a walk." He told her, pulling his arm away from her grasp.
"It's dark outside...why didn't you come back earlier?" She relented on checking for injuries, but instead met his stare.
"I was...distracted by something I found during my walk." He said, more than realy to go to bed. For some reason he felt a lot more tired now than he did earlier.
"Oh?" His mother hummed questioningly while following her eldest son upstairs to his room, "...and what might that be?" she asked, pretending to be oblivious to her son's annoyed glare.
"None of your business mother. Now good night." He huffed, practically slamming the door in her face, which didn't bother the older woman who reamained where she was for a few minutes.
"Don't forget to brush your teeth Vegeta." She reminded him, who growled in annoyance, got out of bed and opened the door again. His mother followed him to the bathroom, but stood outside the door since he shut it in her face once again.
"So..." She said almost sing-songly, telling him she wasn't done prying, "...was this...thing...you found...a girl perhaps?" his mother indiscreetly asked while checking out her fingernails. She had to hold back a giggle as she heard her son coughing, most likely from inhaling the toothpaste in his mouth from his surprise. Putting her hand down to her side, she smiled at him as he opened the door and scowled at her. He brushed past her and reentered his room, shutting the door a little louder than he did the first time. This time though, his mother followed much slower and by the time she reached the door, he was already in his bed. Ignoring his growl for her to go away, she went inside his room and sat on his bed beside him.
"Your father didn't mean to hit you today." She told him, being serious this time around, finally getting his attention. She stroked his hair gently, while looking at the bruise that had begun to form on his cheek.
"Let him tell me that then." Vegeta huffed angrily, but didn't pull away from her gentle touch. The two turned in surprise when a third voice entered the room.
"Look brat, I..." his father paused, while looking at his wife and eldest son, "Your mother is right. I didn't want to hit you and I shouldn't have. I made a big mistake and I apologize." Vegeta Sr. told his son, though in all honesty, he didn't expect his son to forgive him.
"...If I forgive you..." Vegeta said, earning a surprised look from his father, "...will you get mom to leave me be?" He finished, earning a playful smack on his arm from his mother.
"Hey! I'm not being too nosy." His mom huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "Besides, Vegeta was out late with a girl and I want the juicy details." Caulina practically pleaded with her husband. The elder Vegeta looked at his son in shock.
"You were out with a girl tonight?" His father questioned him, making Vegeta groan in annoyance and he buried his face into his pillow.
"Really dad? Do you have to be as nosy as mom?" Vegeta asked his dad, lifting his head to give both his parents an annoyed glare before continuing, "Perhaps I was out with a girl and perhaps we talked a bit and perhaps we danced a little and perhaps I kissed her...BUT that is all hypothetical...and besides, I never said I was out with a girl...mother just assumed that I was." Vegeta told him, resting his head back onto his pillow...he really didn't want to sit around and gossip about his love life with his parents. Anyways...it wasn't even really a love life...she basically told him she wasn't interested in him.
"Ooooohhh...that sounds so romantic. Dancing while the full moon is hanging overhead and the stars glittering to the beat of the music...oh Vegeta...I bet she was beautiful. I want to meet her sometime." His mother cooed, causing him to roll his eyes.
"Sure mother, I'll make sure to bring him over next time." He teased her, shattering her beautiful and romantic vision of her son dancing with a gorgeous girl, only for the girl to be replaced with a hairy old man. Her eyes widened and she made an almost gagging noise.
"Him...? Uhh...oh...Well...perhaps some other time then." She said, standing and moving past her husband who was still standing in the doorway. Both men watched her leave before looking at one another.
"It was a girl...wasn't it?" His father questioned him, causing him to groan.
"Does it matter whether it is or not? Besides, I'm still mad at you." Vegeta huffed, rolling over in his bed, his back facing his father now. He heard his father sigh, but didn't turn to look at him.
"I hope you enjoyed...whatever you did tonight. And you will tell me if I become a grandfather right?" Vegeta Sr. about laughed when he heard the disgusted sound his son made at the implication he made. Vegeta turned to look at his father, a scowl plastered on his face.
"You don't need to be worrying about that at this point. Besides, she said she wasn't interested in me anyways." Vegeta grunted, laying back down, hoping to finally get some sleep.
"Ah, so you were with a girl." His father chuckled when his son cursed when he realized what he had told his father. "I promise your mother won't hear this from me...Goodnight my son." Vegeta Sr. told his son, finally leaving him to get some rest.
Even though he had wanted to fall asleep, Vegeta couldn't help but to sit awake for a while longer, thinking about Bulma...She was no doubt beautiful, but he couldn't figure out what had gone wrong between them. She didn't even leave him with any information on how to find her again. No address, no phone number, not even a city to look for her in. Nothing at all, problem is, he did want to find her again. He sighed and rolled over, looking out the window at the moon. Tomorrow, he decided, he was going to look for her. If he couldn't find out anything on her, then he would give her up. Rolling over once more, Vegeta finally fell asleep.
Vegeta, the next day, decided to search the nearest city.
He asked around, hoping someone there knew who he was talking about, but unfortunately no one did. After a few fruitless hours, he decided to call it quits and headed back towards home. As he neared his house though...he figured he might head to where he found her last night. Perhaps she had returned there.
Driving past his house and down the backroad towards the place he had accidentally found her, he found himself realizing how silly he must look. Searching for a girl that probably doesn't want to see him anyways. He turned the corner and to his surprise, there was a car parked in almost the exact same spot Bulma's had been...but it wasn't her truck. No, it was a smaller car. He parked behind it and stepped out, looking for the owner of the car. He saw an older woman with blonde hair standing a little off the road. He stared at her for a moment before walking over to her, and when he got close enough that she noticed him, she jumped in fright.
"Oh my! I didn't hear you coming..." She said, looking at him in alarm, obviously not trusting him.
"I didn't mean to startle you...What are you doing out here?" He asked her curiously, glancing down at what appeared to be a grave marker.
"I haven't come to visit in quite a while...I figured I should since it was the anniversary last night..." She solomnly told him, her blue eyes turning to the same stone that had caught his attention earlier.
"If you don't mind me asking...anniersary for what?" Vegeta almost reluctantly asked, though he thought he already knew.
"My daughter was killed in a car accident ten years ago yesterday. We had gotten in a petty fight and she had left the house like she always did when we fought. I figured she would be back within a few hours like she always was...but when it grew dark and she wasn't home...I began to worry. I wondered why she wasn't home yet, it had me panicked. I wanted to call for the police to search for her right then...but my husband assured me that she would be home soon. I believed him...but she never returned. I had been sitting up waiting for her, but I must have fallen asleep sitting in the chair near the door while waiting." She paused to wipe her eyes with the flowered hankerchief she had been holding, only pausing slightly to take a deep breath. "When I woke up, she still wasn't home. I knew then something had happened to my baby. Later that morning, a cop showed up at my door and...and..." Her voiced hitched slightly and Vegeta feared that she would start bawling...and he wasn't sure what he would do then. After a few moments, she collected herself and continued. "He told me that she was killed by a suicidal driver. He had issues with his girlfriend and wanted to take his life...so he was driving recklessly and when he saw a car coming in the opposite direction he veered towards her. She must have been distracted by the radio or something...he hit her almost dead on." She paused again to take a shaky breath and he almost regretted asking her...making her remember the day of her daughter's death. "Ironically he lived...she didn't though. He ended up in jail for life...but no punishment can give me my daughter's life back. I used to come here everyday after she died...but...after a couple years...I guess I just forgot to visit as much...this is the first time in five years I've visited. But a day never passes that I don't miss her gorgeous smile and her bubbly personality. She always seemed to brighten up the darkest of nights with her beaming face...and that...bastard took it all away from us." She stopped talking for a moment and bent down to rub the gravestone that had faded quite a bit.
"She sounds like a wonderful girl..." he awkwardly said, shifting uncomfortably.
"Oh, she was...she was always looking for her perfect boyfriend...I knew she had a crush on this boy at school...but she had never gotten the courage to talk to him, not even after they graduated high school. I don't think she ever did get to talk to the you...I think she was going to try soon since she knew he was going to a college out of state...He sounded like a sweet yet gruff boy." She mostly rambled to herself, yet he listened to every word she said.
"How...old was she when she..." He paused, hoping she would understand what he was asking, which she did.
"She was just a day shy of nineteen. Today is her birthday actually..." She stood finally and looked at him. "Thank you." He stared at her in shock...why would she be thanking him...
"Wha...Why?"
"You seemed to care enough to listen. I think she would have liked you...you seem like a nice boy. About the same age too." She mused aloud, before heading back towards her car. Following her with his gaze he noticed something that he hadn't seen earlier.
A mangled truck sat off the road by about fifty feet and it looked like it had been there for many years.
He turned towards the woman as she was opening her car door. "Excuse me...ma'am..." He said, catching her attention.
"Hmm? Yes?"
"What...was her name?" He asked...yet he had a feeling he knew.
"Her name was Bulma...Bulma Briefs. She had the most beautiful blue eyes and the shimmering blue hair to match. She was an adventurous girl..." She laughed, "She was always playing this one song over and over again...I had gotten annoyed at that song...it...was the reason she left the house truthfully...I had heard that song enough and told her to turn that crap off...if I had known what it would have led to I would have gratefully listened to that stupid song thousands of times more. I can't stand listening to it even now since it reminds me of her. I should be going home now. Don't stay out too late young man...it's dangerous to drive in the dark." She entered her car and drove away, yet Vegeta stayed where he was. He was stunned to say the least...he had never believed in the paranormal before...but now, he wasn't quite sure.
He turned back towards the gravestone and rubbed his fingers over its cold surface. No wonder no one had known who she was...she had been dead for ten years now. He wasn't sure what he should think, other than that he wouldn't get to know her any more than he already had. After a few more minutes, he stood and walked back to his car, glancing at the grave stone once more. He finally headed home, feeling almost disappointed.
On a whim, he grabbed his senior year's yearbook and flipped through the pages looking for one name and face and stopped when he found it. There she was on his page, smiling like she had no care in the world...unaware that in a few months she would be killed by a suicidal man. He couldn't recall ever truly seeing her...he may have had a few classes with her, but he wasn't sure. He turned to the pages with the signatures. He had made sure it made it all he way around his classes and he skimmed through them, looking to see if he had any written by her. He soon found what he had been looking for. In pink ink, almost messily scrawled, was a note signed by Bulma.
It has been nice having classes with you! I just wish I had gotten the courage to talk to you before we graduated...but I suppose this will be the closest I will get for now. I hope one day we can talk...here's my phone number if you ever want to chat or hang out ~Bulma
Below that was her phone number...or what had been her number. He never remembered reading that one.
"I'm sure I only read the ones from my friends and skipped the rest of them." He muttered to himself, throwing the yearbook onto his desk. "I wonder...if I had called her?" He paused..." No point in wondering. She's gone and nothing will change that." He sat down on his bed and rested his chin on his bent leg.
For awhile, he found himself thinking about Bulma...but like everything else, she turned into nothing but a vague memory. It wasn't until about ten years later did he think of her again.
He had moved out of the area a few months after his encounter with Bulma and lived there for years. Tarble's (his younger brother) wedding had brought him back to the place he grew up.
Vegeta was just shy of fourty years old at this point, but he thought he still looked damn good. It was the day after the wedding and Vegeta had decided to take his girlfriend out to dinner...but he took a wrong turn and ended up on the backroad that he hadn't driven on since the day he had met Mrs. Briefs.
"Damn it...it's been so long since I've driven these roads..." Vegeta glanced around, trying to figure out where exactly he was.
"It's no problem darling. It's pretty out here anyways." His girlfriend, who shall remain nameless and faceless, giggled, staring out the window.
Suddenly he stopped, his attention drawn to the mangled truck sitting fifty or so feet away from the roadway. Moss and grass had grown on and around the truck, nearly hiding the vehicle from sight. Vegeta pulled to the side of the road and got out, ignoring his girlfriend who was calling for him. He walked to the little gravestone and bent down to rub the weathered stone. His girlfriend had finally caught up with him and paused when she saw the grave.
"Who's is this?" She questioned him, shoving the hair out of her face while looking down at the small stone.
"A wonderful and smart girl." He simply said, noting how her name had been eroded off the stone.
"What was her name?"
"It doesn't matter. Even if I told you it would mean nothing to you. Time takes away the identity of the dead and their family eventually dies off and everyone eventually becomes nothing more than a forgotten name." He goes quiet afterwards and his girlfriend stays silent for a few moments.
"She must have been special." She turns and leaves Vegeta alone, returning to sit in the car and wait for him.
Vegeta sits alone for a few minutes before he feels someone watching him. He suddenly feels guilty for not visiting as much as he had at first hoped to and felt like he should have visited more often.
"I understand why you don't visit...no one does anymore...and I suppose that is the way I want it to be. It means everyone is moving on. Now you need to move on with your life and forget me completely." She tells him, smiling at him sadly. He stands and moves towards her.
"What if I don't want to forget you?" He smirks, stepping even closer to her.
"We only talked once and that was after I died...we were never meant to even meet in this life. Go now, to your girlfriend. Be happy with her. Enjoy the life you have while you got it. Don't die prematurely like me...believe me, it sucks." She laughs slightly, brushing her bangs out of her eyes, turning her bright blue eyes to him. "You see how life would have been had you not died so soon."
"...What was yours like?" Vegeta asked her.
"I ended up married to the most wonderful man who blessed me with two wonderful children. My eldest son Trunks looked just like his handsome father. My daughter, Bulla, is a daddy's girl and looked like her gorgeous mother...but none of this will ever happen..." She added solomnly, her gaze had turned to the ground while she was talking, but she turned her baby blues to Vegeta once she finished. "Now go...Your girl is waiting for you and you shouldn't keep her waiting." She smiles at him before slowly disappearing before his very eyes.
He stay there for a minute longer before turning and, with one final glance at her truck and the stone that marked her grave, he returned to his truck and drove off. Never hearing the whispered words Bulma said into the wind as he was walking away.
"If only our children could have been brought into the world before I left...I wonder...If I had gathered the courage a long time ago to talk to you...would I have lived long enough for our children to be born Vegeta? Or was I fated to die on that night...long before we ever actually talked?"
Life is a game, and Bulma wished she could play it again.
A/N: So I suppose this could count for my two year anniversary fic...though its a bit late. I apologize for not updating as much as I should on my other fics, but I will try to get better with that. I hope you enjoyed this story even a little bit and I would love to hear what you thought of it. And yes, I am still alive (I was asked if I was)
~MellowDragon