Cherry: The need to upload this was too great. I know I already have about six or so fanfictions I'm trying to update all at once, and yes, this may slow down updates but as I said, I had to upload this. Anyway, as for the disclaimer, no, i do not own DBZ or any of the characters. So with that said, read on, my chums!

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Pu'ar groaned aloud; she was in such a predicament. She wanted nothing more than for Yamcha to be happy. He put on a brave face, and he laughed a lot so his friends wouldn't know how depressed he was. But it was just that...a mask. Some people say that the mask you wear becomes your own. Bullshit. Yamcha acted so happy and not once was he truly behind it. No one knew the truth. No one heard his loud bellowing sobs late at night when he often cried himself to sleep. She was the only one around and she knew it was not enough. He needed a girl, not just a fuck-buddy, but a real woman he could be in a long relationship with.

That's when he came through the door and looked at her with big, sad, eyes brimming with tears. He glanced away and stalked down the hall to his room. He was breaking down, so he bolted the rest of the way, slamming the door behind him. Pu'ar looked after him and sighed. She felt in her heart as sad as he himself looked. She had to fix him up with a girl, but she had to be the right one for him. Then, Pu'ar had a flash of pure genius...

*

Yamcha came down the stairs the next morning, his hair unkempt and not even pulled back. He was wearing only his yellow slacks and a sloppily worn white shirt. His jacket was slung over his right shoulder carelessly. His eyes wore the expression of dejection and he seemed so...middle-aged. Yet Pu'ar smiled broadly at him in spite of this, giggling slightly. He glared at her, greatly annoyed, and poured himself a cup of coffee as he sat down at that table.

"What the fuck are you so damn happy about?" he growled.

Pu'ar smiled. "This is it..."

"What?"

"I fixed you up with a girl..."

Yamcha slammed down his coffee cup so hard it shattered, the boiling coffee running off the table and dribbling into his lap. He took no notice of this, and looked fiercely at Pu'ar. "What????"

"You heard me. Ooooooh...I know this one is the one..." she gleamed.

"Did I ask you to fix me up? No. I like being alone or I would have been married by now. I like the solitude. I love the fuckin' loneliness! LOVE IT!!!!!" he screamed, leaping up and banging his fists on the table. Pu'ar looked at him.

"I suppose that's why you cry yourself to sleep at night." she said dryly.

"Cry myself to sleep? Those are tears of joy! Hahahahaha...JOY!!!!!" he yelled.

"You should change into a fresh pair of slacks. It looked like you pissed in your pants. Now, she said she'd meet you at the park in a few. So hurry along!" she smiled, changing the subject.

Yamcha looked down at his lap, and then back up at Pu'ar. "Fine. I'll go on this date. But only to prove she's not the one."

He stomped upstairs, grumbling all the way. He tore his pants off and threw on a clean pair that didn't have coffee all in the lap. He yanked them on and tucked in his shirt properly. He stamped into he bathroom and grabbed the comb so tight he almost broke it in two. He growled, yarding it through the mess of scraggly hair that sat atop his head. He pulled it back into the tight ponytail he had adopted just recently. Years ago, he would of leapt at the prospect of a date with a girl. But now...his heart had been broken too many times and there was nothing left to rekindle. He sighed and braced his hands on the edges of the sink. He suddenly felt very nauseated. He shook it off and looked in the mirror, recoiling at the person who stared back at him. God, he hadn't realized how aged he looked. He smiled faintly and then stopped, not liking the creases that appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"Well, can't keep a pretty girl waiting, right?" he asked of his reflection.

He headed back down the stairs, feeling slightly liberated from the grief. Pu'ar was nowhere in sight, but Yamcha could care less. He just wanted to get this over with. He pushed open the door and headed to the park by foot. When he got there, he sat down on a bench to wait. A pretty girl with waist-long blue hair and deep, dark blue eyes approached him. She looked to be a few years younger than him, and her face marked with a few creases, but he was okay with that. She sat down and grinned.

"You...you're Yamcha, right?" she asked. Her voice was smooth, like a stream chuckling over smooth stones. Yamcha felt his face get very red with infatuation.

"Err...yes." he managed.

"Pu'ar told me all about you..." she started.

"What...did she tell you?"

"She said that you were a nice guy, pretty handsome for your age..."

"'For my age'?" he repeated.

She sniggered and continued. "Yep. She wasn't lying either."

"What...else did she say?"

"Hmmm… she said you were very caring...a bit of a skirt chaser, though..."

"W-what?"

"Yep. She said you were a bit eccentric as well, but you seem normal to me..."

Yamcha growled and blushed. Damn her....

She giggled. "No need to flip out, hon. Now, what shall we do?"

"Do?"

"Yes. This is a date, you know." she laughed.

Yamcha blushed again and stood up, extending his arm. "Your right. C'mon, let's go do something fun! A date is a date, chica!" he laughed aloud. The girl grabbed his hand and allowed herself to be pulled up. Yamcha blinked and snapped his fingers.

"That's right! I never got your name!"

"M-my name? Um..." she stammered. "It's Sapphire!" she grinned.

"Well then, the name's Yamcha. Lovely to meet you, Saph! Uh, you don't mind me callin' ya Saph, do ya?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Nope. Not at all!" she giggled.

They both laughed as Yamcha lead her towards downtown. They stopped at a small, outdoor cafe for a quick lunch break. She sat down, feeling slightly antsy. Yamcha was a bit nervous as well. He had never felt this way about a girl in a long time. He leaned back in his chair as they waited for a waiter.

"You hungry?" he asked.

"Well, a little." she admitted.

"Good. Don't worry bout the tab, I got it covered." he smirked.

"We haven't even eaten yet...you must be quite a gentleman." she smirked.

"Yeah, well...that's just how I am."

She smiled. "I like you already."

"Glad to hear it."

The waitress came shuffling by and smiled, taking out her order book.

"Can I start you two out with a drink?" she asked, smiling.

"Hmmm...I guess I'll have a Tia Maria on the rocks, with just a hint of crème." Sapphire smiled.

"And...I'll have a...just a glass of sake would be okay." he smirked. The waitress nodded and headed off. Yamcha's eyes follow the path of her penduluming hips and began to drool. Sapphire snapped her fingers a few times and Yamcha whipped around, blushing.

"Sorry. I get a bit...distracted at times." he confessed.

"No biggie." she said.

Yamcha blinked. "What?"

"No biggie. You are a man, after all. It's only natural." she explained delicately.

"Wow. You are the most liberal girl I have ever met in my life. I will never let you get away!" he declared, leaning over the table and grabbing Sapphire's hand. Sapphire laughed too, and then turned.

"Hey, the sexy waitress you were ogling has brought us our drinks." she smiled.

Yamcha blushed again as Saph giggled. The waitress looked at them oddly, arching an eyebrow as she set down their drinks. She took out her notepad and looked down at them, her pencil poised above the paper. She blew a massive pink bubble and swung the pencil up, popping the bubble, sucking the gum back in and chewing it loudly. She looked at them, almost exasperated.

"Well, ya ready to order?" she asked.

"Uh...yeah..." Yamcha said, tapping his chin. "Hmmm… guess I'll just have some..."

"How about you an' I split an order of tempura? We can get a bit of sauce to go with it. I hear the order is pretty big so...you know. Maybe we can get like a soup or something."

"Yeah, yeah. The tempura and...I guess I'll have some Tamago-yaki too." he declared. He turned to Saph.

"Sound good, sugar?" he asked.

"Yep! Let's go!" she smiled.

The waitress scratched it down on her notepad and smiled. "Okay...we'll be back with your food in a bit." she said in a cheery voice, skipping off.

Yamcha found himself drooling again. He was smiling dumbly, but very happily (in more ways than one). Saph rolled her eyes in a good way and tutted, snapping her fingers again. Yamcha snapped back around looking down at the table, blushing.

"Sorry, there I go again." he muttered.

"I told you...no biggie, really. At least you're checking out women, so I know you're all good, you know, straight." she smiled.

"Straight as an arrow!" he said proudly. "So...tell me about yourself, Saphy."

Sapphire hesitated. "Uh...well..."

"No need to be nervous around me! Trust me!"

"Um...okay. Well," she began, "I guess...You see, I..."

"Like, where have ya worked, you had any other boyfriends...that kinda stuff. It's okay, just speak!" he coaxed.

Saph sighed, smiling. "Well, I used to work in different places. I worked in a clothing outlet and I've been a waitress before. Nothing special, kinda boring, really."

"Oh? You're hiding something. Tell me, no need to be ashamed."

"Well, I took martial arts and ninjitsu for a spell, and I had a job as a bouncer at a club." she said.

"Ah-ha! Not too shabby! Pretty cool, the ninjitsu and bouncer thing. Been out with anyone else?"

"Just a few guys at my previous workplaces. Nothing ever worked out. I think I may be cursed. Or maybe...I've just been waiting for Mr. Right."

"I think you've found him." Yamcha said.

"Yeah. Maybe I have." she said, looking down at the table. "Or maybe you found the right woman." she smiled, shifting her attention to her drink.

"I hope so...too many times I've been hur--" he broke of suddenly, looking away.

"Yes?"

"Nothing. It's really nothing."

She reached over, putting her hand on his arm. "I would never hurt you."

He looked up at her. "How did you know?"

"I just do." she said. "It's a woman thing. We have a sort of...radar. But I could never hurt such a handsome and caring man. Never."

"That's what they've all said...but has it held up? Has it?"

"Shh… I can only try my best."

Yamcha smiled, and then remembered the creases that showed at the corners of his mouth when he smiled. He stopped abruptly and looked down at his drink. Sapphire leaned over, smiling.

"Hmm? Why did you stop? I love your smile."

"I don't." he said icily, turning away.

Saph smiled. "Well, don't be so self-conscious. So you have a few creases at the corners of your mouth...it's only natural for people our age."

Yamcha took a sip of his sake. "Yeah...I suppose so. But still..."

Saph giggled, taking a sip of her drink. "What have you done? Aside from being a Z fighter..."

Yamcha looked up suddenly. "Huh? How do you know about me being a Z fighter?"

She looked at him nervously, and then grinned. "I have my ways..."

"Weird..." he said. He took a sip of his drink and looked back at her. "Huh. Looks like our chow's finally here." he said, smiling.

"'Bout time!" she said, clapping her hands.

They snacked on lunch, laughing and talking like old friends. He smirked, hooking elbows with Sapphire, heading down the street after lunch. They stopped at the street corner, and Yamcha leaned over and kissed Sapphire. She blushed, looking up at him.

"Wow...you're a good kisser." she smirked.

"I know. I've had practice." he grinned.

Sapphire laughed, punching at him lightly. "So...what now?"

He looked over at her. "Wanna head back to my place?"

Sapphire snapped up suddenly looking at him. "W-what did you say?"

"I said 'you wanna go back to my place?'"

She suddenly looked away. "I can't. I just remembered...I have something to do...but I'll see you tomorrow. Let's meet again at the park, the same bench, same time. Sound good?"

Yamcha looked taken aback, but nodded. "Okay. It was too soon anyways for a house stay, huh? Well, I'll see ya tomorrow!"

"See ya!" she said as she bounded off, disappearing around the street corner.

Yamcha sighed, turning back around and heading home. She was nice, and happy, and very liberal. She was a little timid, but he liked her. Maybe Pu'ar was right...maybe he did need to get out. He had to admit, the more he thought about Bulma, the worse he felt. He could feel tears burning in the backs of his eyes as he pondered. He sighed and wiped his eyes, thinking of the beautiful relationship he could start with this new woman; provided he didn't blow it... He walked down the sidewalk to his house, stopping outside briefly to think once more of Sapphire. He pushed open the door, walked into the living room and flopped on the couch. Pu'ar drifted in from the kitchen and perched on his shoulder.

"How was your date?" she asked.

"Pu'ar, you were right. Maybe this one is the one...I'm just so afraid I'll mess something up. I don't want to lose her...I don't want to be alone." he said, resting his chin in his cupped hands.

"I don't think there's much you can do to mess this up. She seems really forgiving, kind, and very understanding. From what I hear, she's really liberal." Pu'ar smiled.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe it! She...she's everything you said, and then some! I don't really know for sure since this was only our first date, but I think I really love her." he said, looking down. His cheeks burned red as he spoke. He suddenly remembered saying the exact same thing about Bulma, years back. Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes and he sniffed, smiling wryly. "Can't believe I'm getting all choked up over her again..." he muttered.

Pu'ar rubbed his back and wiped away his tears. "There, there. It's over now. This girl is just what you need to get over Bulma. It's a long process, but I'm sure you won't do this alone. She'll be right there beside you, in one way or another." she crooned.

"Yeah...yeah...I hope so..." he muttered, wiping away a rouge tear.

Pu'ar slid down to his lap and curled up, purring slightly. "Of course. But if by any chance it does fall through, you know I'll be there for you, right?" she said.

"Yeah..." he smiled. "Yeah."

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Cherry: What did you think? Like it? Hate it? Want me to continue it? Say it in a review! Got a beef or perhaps a question? E-mail me at furre_and_more@yahoo.com! Until next chapter, ja ne!