Where so many hours have been spent in convincing myself that I am right,
is there not some reason to fear I may be wrong?
Jane Austen
***
Convinced
Chapter 1
One would never guess that Bulma Briefs was Earth's greatest beauty judging by the way she slouched over a cluttered workbench, tools thrown everywhere, her lab coat dirty and torn in places, oil smeared across her cheeks and splattered in her baby blue hair, and her beautiful cerulean eyes squeezed almost shut to protect them from the sparks as she spot welded two metal pieces together without the protection of a visor.
"Shit!" Bulma spat out, then stuck her newly burnt and grimy finger into her mouth in an effort to ease the pain, grimacing at the disgusting taste.
She squinted her already tired eyes at the clock semi-mounted on the far wall and tried to make out the time. Only the hour portion was visible due to the mounds of mechanical junk which were heaped on both sides and which littered most of the cramped room. Groaning at the late hour, Bulma pushed aside her project and sat back in her chair to stare at the ceiling and rest for a few minutes. She'd been working on this project for her father for days now and still the end was a long way off. It also didn't help things that their new pain-in-the-butt houseguest kept interrupting her every couple of hours with some new and ridiculous request. She snorted. As if Vegeta ever "requested" a damn thing.
"Insufferable ass," she whispered to the emptiness surrounding her.
Right on cue and despite the late hour, the devil himself arrived, throwing open the lab door with a loud bang and depositing with a heavy thud a warped and twisted piece of metal in the space her project had occupied only moments before.
"Fix this, woman," Vegeta glared at her and turned to leave.
"Were your ears burning?" Bulma asked sarcastically.
"Were my what?" Vegeta swung back around with his arms crossed and an impatient expression on his face.
"Because I was just thinking to myself what a joy it is to have you around all the time bugging me. It's not like I don't have other things to do than fix what were perfectly fine droids only hours ago." Bulma's eyes flashed a dangerous challenge.
"Shut up and quit your bitching," Vegeta snarled, in no mood for one of her tantrums. "Just fix the damn thing, woman. I need it working by morning."
As he headed back out the door, a piece of machinery smashed against the doorframe next to his head. He smirked to himself and kept on walking.
***
Vegeta was just finishing his breakfast when Mrs. Briefs breezed back into the sunny room and started to clear the dishes.
"Where's your brat this morning, woman?" he growled, staring at the place Bulma usually occupied in the morning. "She still in the lab?"
Suddenly, a loud revving sound filled the room emanating from the courtyard outside.
Mrs. Briefs smiled sweetly and replied, "I think that's her now."
Vegeta headed outside without so much as a word of thanks for the meal and saw Bulma making some last minute adjustments to her hand built chopper. He noticed with appreciation that she'd cleaned up since last night and was now wearing riding leathers, a tight white crop top and a leather jacket. She finished the look off with some sleek boots, and a rolled up bandana keeping the hair off her face. Her helmet and shades were hanging from the tall handlebars. He was about to ask her where she was going when his second least favorite person on the planet strolled up to him and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Vegeta!" Yamcha happily greeted the Saiyan Prince. "You ready for some intense training today." Yamcha playfully boxed the air around him.
"MY training is intense everyday, weakling. You would do well to follow my example." Vegeta looked the other man up and down and sneered. "Though, by this point, I don't think it would do you any good."
Yamcha ignored his remarks and strode over to his girlfriend. He picked her up from her crouched position next to the engine and swung her light frame through the air. "So whatcha up to today, sweetheart?"
"Yamcha! Let me go this instant," Bulma giggled and squirmed to be released. "I'm just going out for a ride to clear my head."
"Dad got you working too hard?" Yamcha rested her up against the bike and kept his arms around her tiny waist.
"Among other people." Bulma shot a glare in Vegeta's direction whose dark eyes looked on impassively.
"Well, have fun and don't forget about our date tonight," he playfully crooned in her ear, but loud enough that Vegeta could hear. The Prince fought back a gagging reflex.
Bulma whispered against his lips, "Oh, I won't," then proceeded to give him a long, deep kiss.
Vegeta didn't realize he was staring until Bulma opened her eyes and watched him as she continued to kiss Yamcha. Feeling a sudden flush rise to his face, Vegeta turned around and headed towards the Gravity Room muttering to himself. "Stupid, low class woman. Shameless, completely shameless."
***
Bulma loved the feeling of the wind rushing past her face as she fled the confines of the Capsule Corporation compound and headed for a more rural landscape. After only snatching a few hours of sleep, no thanks to Vegeta, she awoke knowing she couldn't handle another day like yesterday. Instead, she took to the open road. She was past the outskirts of Satan City and enjoying the peaceful scenery when the world shattered around her in an explosion of sight and sound.
Bulma screamed as she fought to hold onto control of the bike as some lunatic motorcyclist burst onto the road in front of her from a side street, closely followed by a dozen or so squad cars all pursuing with lights and sirens blazing.
"HEY!" Bulma shouted after them, waving her first in the air. "No one almost forces Bulma Briefs off the road!"
Her sense of outrage coupled with her addiction to excitement and adventure caused Bulma to floor the motorcycle in an effort to catch up to the commotion, which was rapidly outdistancing her. Cresting a hill, Bulma strained to see who was leading the chase. There'd been something strangely familiar about the blond person riding the bike that had narrowly missed crashing into her. "Kushami?" Bulma wondered. "LUNCH?!"
Bulma smiled as she considered just what kind of trouble her old friend had gotten herself into. She flipped open a tab that concealed a small red button on the handlebars of the bike. Depressing it, she activated her hidden nitrox system, and the chopper shot forward with all the flames of hell trailing behind.
Kushami had just enough time to look behind to see the fireball weaving between the cop cars before it pulled up next to her. She cocked the pistol of her handgun in anticipation of whom she would meet.
"Need a hand?" Bulma called out to the blonde felon.
"BULMA?" Kushami cried in surprise and joy.
"Ditch the bike!" Bulma hollered, grinning.
"What?!" Kushami's eyes then widened in understanding as Bulma held out a hand to her. She grabbed onto it and swung herself onto the back of the chopper. Her former getaway vehicle fell over and skid on its side down the highway, sending the cops into a confused tangle of cars all trying to avoid crashing into it and each other. Bulma and Kushami laughed at the mess they'd made. "Nice one, B!" Bulma nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Hang on!" she yelled back as she again hit the red button, and they rocketed away in a clean escape.
***
Yamcha and Vegeta were in the middle of the morning exercises, trading blows and enjoying the hell out of beating on each other when without warning Yamcha disengaged from the fight and earned himself a punch in the gut from Vegeta.
"OW! What the hell was THAT for!" Yamcha yelled, doubled over in pain.
"What do you mean what was that for, you wuss! Why did you stop?!" Vegeta roared, enraged that his sparring was being interrupted.
Yamcha clutched his stomach and tried to catch his breath. "Bulma's back."
"Already?" Vegeta asked and glanced over at the door as if she would magically appear right then and there. "How do you know?"
"Chopper just returned. Hey, with your superior Saiyan hearing, I'm surprised you missed that." Yamcha made his way to the door.
Vegeta scowled and ignored the barb. "Where are you going? We're not finished here!"
"What was that, Vegeta?" Yamcha feigned deafness as he rounded the corner into the hallway. "I'm taking a break!"
Vegeta fought the instinct to follow him and instead turned back to his exercises, cursing the entire time.
***
Yamcha jogged outside and happened upon the two beauties dismounting from the chopper, both laughing hysterically.
"So you mean, you said hand me all your money as the poor guy was using the toilet?!" Bulma had tears running down her face.
"Yeah, and he did it, no problem. Of course, THIS was aimed at his.cough, cough.at the time." Kushami smirked and expertly twirled one of her handguns before resheathing it.
"Oh Kami! That is too funny!!" Bulma had to hang onto the chopper for support and was trying desperately to calm her breathing.
"Hey Bulma! Kushami! Damn it's good to see you, girl!" Yamcha called out to the blonde woman with the familiar red sash tied in her hair.
"You're still with this asshole?" Kushami grinned at Bulma and Yamcha.
"Hey! Watch it now! Is that any way to greet an old friend?" Yamcha looked hurt.
"We were friends?" Kushami asked, then playfully punched him in the arm. "I'm just kidding. Lighten up!"
Yamcha smiled and winced as he rubbed his arm. The girl may not have had any ki, but she still packed a punch.
"You hungry, Ku-chan?" Bulma asked, heading into the house.
"Starving, B." Kushami and Yamcha walked up after her.
A little while later, Yamcha and Bulma were setting the table for an early lunch while Bulma relayed the morning's events.
"So what about Tien?" Yamcha asked.
Bulma held up a finger to her lips and gestured down the hall towards the bathroom where Kushami had excused herself. "I haven't asked her about him," she whispered.
Just as the food was set down, the door burst open, and Vegeta marched in. He surveyed the room, then pulled up a seat and helped himself to the spread.
"Just make yourself at home, Vegeta," Bulma drawled.
"Hmpf," he replied. Between mouthfuls he started in on her. "What kind of crap job did you pull on that droid! It lasted two minutes before disintegrating. Either you are becoming incredibly inept or incredibly lazy. I won't tolerate either. If you wish to continue to enjoy that precious air your breathing, I suggest some things start changing around here -"
With that last statement, Vegeta found his chair with him in it being flipped backwards onto the floor. The sole of a boot slammed into his windpipe and pinned him to the floor. Yamcha and Bulma both bolted out of their seats in alarm. Just before Vegeta blasted his attacker into the next dimension, he heard a sneeze at the same instant Yamcha hauled the mystery person away from him. Bulma lent a hand to help Vegeta up off the ground, which he promptly smacked away. Her barely suppressed giggles further enraged him.
"What happened?" A shy voice squeaked out.
"All I know is, someone is about to die," Vegeta snarled, coming menacingly close to the navy-haired girl in front of him.
Bulma stepped in between the two. "Vegeta, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine named Kush- I mean, Lunch. Lunch, this is Vegeta, the mighty Prince of all Saiyans."
Lunch squealed. "A real prince?! Your Majesty, I'm honored!" Lunch swept into an extremely low bow which somewhat mollified and confused the putout warrior.
Vegeta opened his mouth to swear at her, but instead growled, "Get up," and shoved his way past the lot of them and back outside.
Bulma hugged her friend tightly. "Oh, I think he likes you, Lunch! I mean I thought you were a goner for sure!"
"Bulma-" Yamcha warned, not liking where her thoughts might be heading.
"Oh, be quiet, Yamcha!" Bulma cried. "Why don't you go do something useful for a change?! Like go train so you can defeat those androids!"
Yamcha hung his low in defeat and slumped his way back to the training ground where Vegeta was undoubtedly waiting.
"Androids?" Lunch quizzically asked. "And, um, Bulma, it's nice to see you and all, but tell me again how I got here."
Bulma rolled her eyes and sat them down to enjoy the lunch that lay forgotten on the table. "Girl, we have SO much to catch up on. First, let's eat. Then, we're going shopping."
"But I don't really need-" Lunch protested.
"Nonsense!" Bulma interrupted and leaned in conspiratorially. "You want to impress the Prince, now don't you?"
Jane Austen
***
Convinced
Chapter 1
One would never guess that Bulma Briefs was Earth's greatest beauty judging by the way she slouched over a cluttered workbench, tools thrown everywhere, her lab coat dirty and torn in places, oil smeared across her cheeks and splattered in her baby blue hair, and her beautiful cerulean eyes squeezed almost shut to protect them from the sparks as she spot welded two metal pieces together without the protection of a visor.
"Shit!" Bulma spat out, then stuck her newly burnt and grimy finger into her mouth in an effort to ease the pain, grimacing at the disgusting taste.
She squinted her already tired eyes at the clock semi-mounted on the far wall and tried to make out the time. Only the hour portion was visible due to the mounds of mechanical junk which were heaped on both sides and which littered most of the cramped room. Groaning at the late hour, Bulma pushed aside her project and sat back in her chair to stare at the ceiling and rest for a few minutes. She'd been working on this project for her father for days now and still the end was a long way off. It also didn't help things that their new pain-in-the-butt houseguest kept interrupting her every couple of hours with some new and ridiculous request. She snorted. As if Vegeta ever "requested" a damn thing.
"Insufferable ass," she whispered to the emptiness surrounding her.
Right on cue and despite the late hour, the devil himself arrived, throwing open the lab door with a loud bang and depositing with a heavy thud a warped and twisted piece of metal in the space her project had occupied only moments before.
"Fix this, woman," Vegeta glared at her and turned to leave.
"Were your ears burning?" Bulma asked sarcastically.
"Were my what?" Vegeta swung back around with his arms crossed and an impatient expression on his face.
"Because I was just thinking to myself what a joy it is to have you around all the time bugging me. It's not like I don't have other things to do than fix what were perfectly fine droids only hours ago." Bulma's eyes flashed a dangerous challenge.
"Shut up and quit your bitching," Vegeta snarled, in no mood for one of her tantrums. "Just fix the damn thing, woman. I need it working by morning."
As he headed back out the door, a piece of machinery smashed against the doorframe next to his head. He smirked to himself and kept on walking.
***
Vegeta was just finishing his breakfast when Mrs. Briefs breezed back into the sunny room and started to clear the dishes.
"Where's your brat this morning, woman?" he growled, staring at the place Bulma usually occupied in the morning. "She still in the lab?"
Suddenly, a loud revving sound filled the room emanating from the courtyard outside.
Mrs. Briefs smiled sweetly and replied, "I think that's her now."
Vegeta headed outside without so much as a word of thanks for the meal and saw Bulma making some last minute adjustments to her hand built chopper. He noticed with appreciation that she'd cleaned up since last night and was now wearing riding leathers, a tight white crop top and a leather jacket. She finished the look off with some sleek boots, and a rolled up bandana keeping the hair off her face. Her helmet and shades were hanging from the tall handlebars. He was about to ask her where she was going when his second least favorite person on the planet strolled up to him and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Vegeta!" Yamcha happily greeted the Saiyan Prince. "You ready for some intense training today." Yamcha playfully boxed the air around him.
"MY training is intense everyday, weakling. You would do well to follow my example." Vegeta looked the other man up and down and sneered. "Though, by this point, I don't think it would do you any good."
Yamcha ignored his remarks and strode over to his girlfriend. He picked her up from her crouched position next to the engine and swung her light frame through the air. "So whatcha up to today, sweetheart?"
"Yamcha! Let me go this instant," Bulma giggled and squirmed to be released. "I'm just going out for a ride to clear my head."
"Dad got you working too hard?" Yamcha rested her up against the bike and kept his arms around her tiny waist.
"Among other people." Bulma shot a glare in Vegeta's direction whose dark eyes looked on impassively.
"Well, have fun and don't forget about our date tonight," he playfully crooned in her ear, but loud enough that Vegeta could hear. The Prince fought back a gagging reflex.
Bulma whispered against his lips, "Oh, I won't," then proceeded to give him a long, deep kiss.
Vegeta didn't realize he was staring until Bulma opened her eyes and watched him as she continued to kiss Yamcha. Feeling a sudden flush rise to his face, Vegeta turned around and headed towards the Gravity Room muttering to himself. "Stupid, low class woman. Shameless, completely shameless."
***
Bulma loved the feeling of the wind rushing past her face as she fled the confines of the Capsule Corporation compound and headed for a more rural landscape. After only snatching a few hours of sleep, no thanks to Vegeta, she awoke knowing she couldn't handle another day like yesterday. Instead, she took to the open road. She was past the outskirts of Satan City and enjoying the peaceful scenery when the world shattered around her in an explosion of sight and sound.
Bulma screamed as she fought to hold onto control of the bike as some lunatic motorcyclist burst onto the road in front of her from a side street, closely followed by a dozen or so squad cars all pursuing with lights and sirens blazing.
"HEY!" Bulma shouted after them, waving her first in the air. "No one almost forces Bulma Briefs off the road!"
Her sense of outrage coupled with her addiction to excitement and adventure caused Bulma to floor the motorcycle in an effort to catch up to the commotion, which was rapidly outdistancing her. Cresting a hill, Bulma strained to see who was leading the chase. There'd been something strangely familiar about the blond person riding the bike that had narrowly missed crashing into her. "Kushami?" Bulma wondered. "LUNCH?!"
Bulma smiled as she considered just what kind of trouble her old friend had gotten herself into. She flipped open a tab that concealed a small red button on the handlebars of the bike. Depressing it, she activated her hidden nitrox system, and the chopper shot forward with all the flames of hell trailing behind.
Kushami had just enough time to look behind to see the fireball weaving between the cop cars before it pulled up next to her. She cocked the pistol of her handgun in anticipation of whom she would meet.
"Need a hand?" Bulma called out to the blonde felon.
"BULMA?" Kushami cried in surprise and joy.
"Ditch the bike!" Bulma hollered, grinning.
"What?!" Kushami's eyes then widened in understanding as Bulma held out a hand to her. She grabbed onto it and swung herself onto the back of the chopper. Her former getaway vehicle fell over and skid on its side down the highway, sending the cops into a confused tangle of cars all trying to avoid crashing into it and each other. Bulma and Kushami laughed at the mess they'd made. "Nice one, B!" Bulma nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Hang on!" she yelled back as she again hit the red button, and they rocketed away in a clean escape.
***
Yamcha and Vegeta were in the middle of the morning exercises, trading blows and enjoying the hell out of beating on each other when without warning Yamcha disengaged from the fight and earned himself a punch in the gut from Vegeta.
"OW! What the hell was THAT for!" Yamcha yelled, doubled over in pain.
"What do you mean what was that for, you wuss! Why did you stop?!" Vegeta roared, enraged that his sparring was being interrupted.
Yamcha clutched his stomach and tried to catch his breath. "Bulma's back."
"Already?" Vegeta asked and glanced over at the door as if she would magically appear right then and there. "How do you know?"
"Chopper just returned. Hey, with your superior Saiyan hearing, I'm surprised you missed that." Yamcha made his way to the door.
Vegeta scowled and ignored the barb. "Where are you going? We're not finished here!"
"What was that, Vegeta?" Yamcha feigned deafness as he rounded the corner into the hallway. "I'm taking a break!"
Vegeta fought the instinct to follow him and instead turned back to his exercises, cursing the entire time.
***
Yamcha jogged outside and happened upon the two beauties dismounting from the chopper, both laughing hysterically.
"So you mean, you said hand me all your money as the poor guy was using the toilet?!" Bulma had tears running down her face.
"Yeah, and he did it, no problem. Of course, THIS was aimed at his.cough, cough.at the time." Kushami smirked and expertly twirled one of her handguns before resheathing it.
"Oh Kami! That is too funny!!" Bulma had to hang onto the chopper for support and was trying desperately to calm her breathing.
"Hey Bulma! Kushami! Damn it's good to see you, girl!" Yamcha called out to the blonde woman with the familiar red sash tied in her hair.
"You're still with this asshole?" Kushami grinned at Bulma and Yamcha.
"Hey! Watch it now! Is that any way to greet an old friend?" Yamcha looked hurt.
"We were friends?" Kushami asked, then playfully punched him in the arm. "I'm just kidding. Lighten up!"
Yamcha smiled and winced as he rubbed his arm. The girl may not have had any ki, but she still packed a punch.
"You hungry, Ku-chan?" Bulma asked, heading into the house.
"Starving, B." Kushami and Yamcha walked up after her.
A little while later, Yamcha and Bulma were setting the table for an early lunch while Bulma relayed the morning's events.
"So what about Tien?" Yamcha asked.
Bulma held up a finger to her lips and gestured down the hall towards the bathroom where Kushami had excused herself. "I haven't asked her about him," she whispered.
Just as the food was set down, the door burst open, and Vegeta marched in. He surveyed the room, then pulled up a seat and helped himself to the spread.
"Just make yourself at home, Vegeta," Bulma drawled.
"Hmpf," he replied. Between mouthfuls he started in on her. "What kind of crap job did you pull on that droid! It lasted two minutes before disintegrating. Either you are becoming incredibly inept or incredibly lazy. I won't tolerate either. If you wish to continue to enjoy that precious air your breathing, I suggest some things start changing around here -"
With that last statement, Vegeta found his chair with him in it being flipped backwards onto the floor. The sole of a boot slammed into his windpipe and pinned him to the floor. Yamcha and Bulma both bolted out of their seats in alarm. Just before Vegeta blasted his attacker into the next dimension, he heard a sneeze at the same instant Yamcha hauled the mystery person away from him. Bulma lent a hand to help Vegeta up off the ground, which he promptly smacked away. Her barely suppressed giggles further enraged him.
"What happened?" A shy voice squeaked out.
"All I know is, someone is about to die," Vegeta snarled, coming menacingly close to the navy-haired girl in front of him.
Bulma stepped in between the two. "Vegeta, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine named Kush- I mean, Lunch. Lunch, this is Vegeta, the mighty Prince of all Saiyans."
Lunch squealed. "A real prince?! Your Majesty, I'm honored!" Lunch swept into an extremely low bow which somewhat mollified and confused the putout warrior.
Vegeta opened his mouth to swear at her, but instead growled, "Get up," and shoved his way past the lot of them and back outside.
Bulma hugged her friend tightly. "Oh, I think he likes you, Lunch! I mean I thought you were a goner for sure!"
"Bulma-" Yamcha warned, not liking where her thoughts might be heading.
"Oh, be quiet, Yamcha!" Bulma cried. "Why don't you go do something useful for a change?! Like go train so you can defeat those androids!"
Yamcha hung his low in defeat and slumped his way back to the training ground where Vegeta was undoubtedly waiting.
"Androids?" Lunch quizzically asked. "And, um, Bulma, it's nice to see you and all, but tell me again how I got here."
Bulma rolled her eyes and sat them down to enjoy the lunch that lay forgotten on the table. "Girl, we have SO much to catch up on. First, let's eat. Then, we're going shopping."
"But I don't really need-" Lunch protested.
"Nonsense!" Bulma interrupted and leaned in conspiratorially. "You want to impress the Prince, now don't you?"