Pride & Prejudice D.B.Z
Chapter Two
Bulma walked up and down the stalls set up in the convention centre with ChiChi ecstatic by her side, lending her money every now and then while she herself remained utterly bored and completely unsatisfied. Everywhere around her excited shoppers were making bargains and haggling with the hefty merchants while she herself remained the odd one out, only interested in searching through the crowd for someone to talk to, but no one seemed very interested and this disturbed the young scientist very much, she'd rather have been back at home or out to the cinema, not an Eastern Cultural Convention. But as a best friend's duty states, if one would like to shop somewhere then the other must accompany, or that was how she and ChiChi followed, birds of a feather clearly flocking together, despite the fact that one of them felt like her wing was broken.
"Bulma, I'm going to try out this dress. Where will you be?" ChiChi asked, interrupting Bulma's thoughts as she held up the clothing she was referring to against herself, checking the size.
'I'll probably be dead of boredom' Bulma thought to herself but to ChiChi she merely shrugged and suggested the free samples counter. In the end that was where she had to drag herself and once there decided she might as well have a cup of noodles to amuse herself with; there certainly wasn't anything better to do.
Joining the left cue she looked around for something to busy herself with, staring around through the crowd for anybody of interest to admire when her eyes fell on the person who was standing by the stir-fry give off, consuming the contents of his plate carefully yet acceptingly. She didn't know exactly what was about him that struck her but there was something indeed.
He stood their, slightly short most definitely for Bulma doubted he was much taller than her, maybe an inch or so in succession, but he was standing tall and proud, looking highly attractive with his stacked up fire of hair a blazing sight, his dark untrusting eyes veered in different directions, the clear scowl on his face displaying an irritated personality and it caught Bulma quite off guard, she was so captivated by this unique person who stuck out vibrantly from the crowd.
Bulma observed him for a while when he suddenly looked her way and she tore her gaze away, her breath suddenly caught in her throat, her cheeks flushing slightly as she realized what she had been doing and mentally scolded herself.
Grabbing her cup of noodles as fast as possible she left the line and turned to search for the mysterious gazer, spotting him next to a taller familiar looking companion. She knew him that she was sure off but couldn't pinpoint how, even when he came; walking up to the counter for stir-fry and it was only when he spoke she realized who he was, not simply because of the voice, more the fact that he had just ordered a two dozen tray for himself and he clearly wasn't preparing to share with his friend.
"Goku? Is that you?" she asked in a high pitched voice and he turned around in clear surprise, his face breaking out in a grin upon seeing her, noodles and stir fry momentarily forgotten.
"Bulma!" he cried and she walked over to his side, happy to see her friend after so long.
"Goku! What are you doing here? Last time I saw you was when you were a kid and we were hunting for the dragonballs!" she reminisced and he to began to dream off times before.
"Yeah, well. An…acquaintance of mine and I were out training in the mountains and then we got joined up with Picolo so we've been there for a good six months. Before I was up training at Kami's lookout. You won't believe it but I can go Super Saiyan now!"
"Really!" Bulma exclaimed, thoroughly impressed by this shock of news. "Before you were struggling with all that training Master Roshi was heading your way and according to Krillin that stuff was harsh!"
"Yeah well…once you get the hang of it it's quite simple. Not like making stir fry though. I must have taken dozens of cooking classes from Mr. Pobo but I just couldn't get it right!"
"Oh Goku, you're always thinking about food!" Bulma stated the obvious with a shake of her head, waving her blue hair about rhythmically. "If you really want some cooking expertise though my Mom would be big help! Her cookies are to die for!"
"I know all about your Mom's cookies, remember? You used to bribe me with them so I'd do all the work when we searching for the dragonballs and you could go live it off! Not that I minded, those cookies were great!"
"Well, you can relive the memory by coming over my place for dinner, how 'bout that!" Bulma offered casually as her glance trailed slightly sideward to see if Goku's sinister 'acquaintance' was still there but he had vanished amidst the crowd of people, suddenly invisible to her.
"Actually" Goku began suddenly as if remembering something crucial. "That's why we came here. Apart from me wanting to eat stir fry that is. See, my-"
Goku was distinctly cut off however when he saw Chi Chi appear by Bulma's side, holding the outfit she had chosen to purchase after trying it on, looking confused but nevertheless cheerful as she overlooked Goku with approval who seemed thoroughly mesmerized by her vision.
"Ugh Goku?" Bulma questioned, lightly waving a hand in front of his face so his attention came back and he looked over at Bulma, indicating ChiChi with a desperate expression and many eye movements.
"Oh!" Bulma exclaimed as she realized what Goku was gesturing at with his facial remarks and made a speedy introduction.
"Goku, ChiChi. ChiChi, Goku" she introduced before slipping away, leaving the two who had barely formed two sentences when they suddenly struck up a lightening fast conversation.
'Cupid has struck again!' she thought to herself before humming a random tune that had just somehow come to her as she passed by all the customers and tourists that had gathered around her and headed towards the main entrance where ChiChi would surely find her once she and Goku tore their gazes away from each other, their attraction was sadly obvious.
Breaking free she inhaled deeply, glad to be back in the open, escaping the claustrophobia of the jam packed convention centre as she looked around. Nobody was walking up and down the streets, everyone was crammed to see the convention and it was no surprise that the only sight there was one singular person inhabiting the bench for the bus stop a few paces in front of her and it was just her fate that it was the person that had captivated her thoughts and attention before Goku.
He was leaning back, looking up at the sky, not paying attention to the strange silence that had consumed him as well as Bulma now and for a few minutes it seemed to her as if he were frozen when he suddenly got up and Bulma jumped about a foot in the air behind him, ready to scream before clapping a sweaty palm over her mouth to stop herself from doing something stupid while her heart raced inside her throat from the fear she had been gripped in.
He turned around, crossing round the bench and began walking towards her, so much in fact that Bulma felt her entire body tense. Each step brought him closer and she didn't know what to do, scream or whack him across the head with her purse and after silently debating with herself thought it best to simply look down at her heels which seemed suddenly very interesting.
A few minutes later she realized she didn't have to do either because all he intended to do was walk past her, into the convention centre, probably to get Goku, acting as if she was just a cloud of air, except he didn't even bother to pretend to look through her, she felt that unappreciated.
What got her most was not the fact that this complete stranger did not look her way, no matter how attractive he was she did have some self respect at the current time, but the fact that she was sure he had smirked behind her back over the prospect that she had been foolish enough to believe he was trying to gain her attention. Placing her hands on her hips she turned around, her blue hair battling the wind and glared at the back of his head but he didn't turn, just became engulfed in the crowd, enraging Bulma so much that she stomped over to the lamppost and kicked it vigorously, stubbing her right toe so that the pain not only flamed in that particular area but all through her body.
'But that can be fixed' Bulma reminded herself as she limped back in to force ChiChi to get going. 'My ego and pride is broken though by a total stranger. How anti-climactic?'