Author's Note: Ok so I lied. My bad, guys. But you know how it goes, school, exams, friends, commitments. So I'm still writing this story no fear! I just think the updates will be a bit more spread out from now on. But they will come! Hope you guys enjoy this.
Chapter 3: Changes...
Bulma walked down to the letterbox, her pale blue dressing gown wrapped tightly around her. She opened the letterbox and pulled out a wad of mail. Closing the mailbox, she headed up to the house. As she closed the door, she let out a pained sigh. Still no letters from Vegeta. She had pretty much given up on receiving one months ago. Normally Vegeta didn't go more than two months without sending her a letter. She had received the last one five months ago. Since then, Bulma had sent more than one a month to Vegeta with no word back.
Bulma sat at the breakfast bar and went through the mail she did have. Bills, accounts, requests for donations, the usual. Just as she was opening the last of the letters, one and a half year old Gohan appeared in the room.
"Hey Aunty Bulma," he smiled. Bulma smiled and waved at the little boy. He waddled over into the lounge and sat himself on the couch, turning on the television. He was a smart boy. Bulma's thoughts turned back to Vegeta. Five months. Five months and no word. Vegeta had missed her birthday, Christmas. It was like he had died. But Bulma didn't think about the probability of that. Her worst fear was that he had found someone else and was too fearful to tell her so had just stopped writing. This concept cut Bulma to the bone. She thought she knew Vegeta better than that. She thought he would wait. But every day it became clearer and clearer. She couldn't ignore it any more.
Vegeta had forgotten about her.
"How's Bulma these days?" 18 asked as she and Chichi walked out of the shop they had been looking in. The two of them had bumped into each other in town and then proceeded to have a huge catch up session.
"Not good," Chichi admitted. "Like I told you, we're living with her now. Have been for a few months. It's been a downward spiral since her dad died. Goku and I are trying our best. And for a while it was working, we were getting somewhere. But then Vegeta stopped writing." 18 raised an eyebrow at Chichi. "She hasn't heard from him in over five months. She's drinking like you wouldn't believe and nothing Goku or I say seems to have any effect on her. She's brought in someone to run her company for her which was probably an idea but now she has nothing to do with her time. She always has red eyes. Goku and I hear her cry at night. And it's not uncommon for her to have a breakdown in the day." Chichi sighed. "We don't know what to do." 18 looked thoughtful.
"So no one has any idea why Vegeta isn't answering her mail? And he hasn't been in contact at all?" Chichi shook her head. 18 frowned. It was not like Vegeta at all. 18 remembered the parting scene at the airport almost two years ago. That was not the impression of a man who would forget Bulma without even telling her goodbye. But who knew. None of them knew what Vegeta was going through over in America. None of them knew how much it would change him. That was the gamble that he and Bulma had taken when Vegeta had left and they had decided to remain together, that they would both still be the same people and both still be absolutely in love when Vegeta came back. It seemed as though that was slowly becoming more and more a disillusioned fairy tale.
"Has anyone else tried contacting Vegeta?" 18 asked. Chichi nodded.
"Goku's rung the police department over there three or four times and tried to get a hold of him but he doesn't have the right passwords and codes to be able to get through to wherever Vegeta is. And they wouldn't check up on Vegeta for him either." 18 sighed, running her hand through her mid-shoulder length hair. "Anyway, that's not your problem. How's things with you and Krillin? How have you been lately?" 18 nodded.
"They're really good. We're planning on getting married as soon as I've finished my degree," she said with a small smile. Chichi beamed.
"Oh, 18! That's awesome! Wow I'm so happy for you guys!" 18 laughed.
"So am I."
"If only things could be just as good with Bulma and Vegeta," Chichi sighed. 18 nodded sympathetically. She didn't envy the situation Chichi was in.
Bulma blew her hair out of her face as she sat on her knees, scrubbing the bath. Normally the robots would be doing that sort of thing but Bulma had so much spare time lately she had decided to do it. The possibility of getting a less strenuous job now that she no longer had to run Capsule Corp had occurred to her, but still hadn't come to anything yet. It wasn't like she needed a job for the money, it'd purely be to fill in her copious amounts of spare time.
Another hobby she had taken to was scrap booking. She now had an old high school scrapbook. It contained photos, reports, pictures from the school yearbook, articles from the yearbook, the newsletter that had been sent out when the Orange Star soccer team had won the Championships, all the articles to do with her year that had appeared in the paper. It was her memory book. It went in the box under her bed along with Vegeta's necklace and some other memorabilia. But her favourite piece was the long photo frame that hung above her bed. It had four pictures in it. Five pictures that told the story of her friendships. The first picture was the primary school picture of the group, the second was junior high, the third was the picture taken at the end of their second to last year, the one with Vegeta missing. The second to last one was the six of them at the 'prom' at the end of their final year of high school, all in their ball dresses and suits. And the last one. Bulma's favourite picture but the one that caused so many painful memories to surface. It was a picture of her and Vegeta, taken at the prom, their "king and queen" dance. The outside of the picture was black with the two of them dancing under the spotlight, Bulma's head resting in the crook of Vegeta's neck, his arms wrapped around her.
Bulma thought of these photos as she mindlessly scrubbed the bathtub. What she wouldn't give to go back to then. To go back to that happiness. To go back to Vegeta. It was all she seemed to do nowadays, pine after Vegeta. She couldn't believe what her life had been reduced to. In high school, though far from perfect, her life had been awesome. She'd had amazing friends, an awesome boyfriend and a brilliant, promising future ahead of that. But slowly, piece by piece, that future had come to pieces.
And here she was. Mid-twenties and scrubbing a bathtub to pass time. Bulma didn't even realized she was crying as the tear rolled down her cheek. It happened so often now it didn't seem to matter. Bulma turned on the tap and washed the remaining cleaning product off of the sides of the tub. Suddenly, an overwhelming wave of despair took over her. Bulma's eyelids fluttered, the cloth dropped from her hand and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"Is she alright?" Chichi asked as she burst into the waiting room, young Gohan resting on her hip. Goku nodded grimly and stood, taking the baby from Chichi. Goku had arrived home a couple of hours ago to find Bulma unconscious in the bathroom. She had been rushed to hospital and was currently in a stable state. Chichi had been in town and no one had been able to contact her until she had arrived back at the house. After being relieved of Gohan, she quietly let herself into Bulma's room. The nurse was just finishing up tidying the room.
"Excuse me," Chichi asked. The nurse looked up. "Is she alright? What's wrong?" The nurse smiled sadly at Chichi.
"The doctors say her brain scans are showing huge stress waves. The combination of these and what appears to be a weak emotional state were just too much for the young lady. She's unconscious but the doctor says she should be awake some time this hour. Chichi thanked the nurse who then left. Chichi took a seat next to Bulma's bed and placed her hand on her friend's.
"Hey, B," she whispered. "How you going? I know this has been hard for you, Bulma. No one should have to go through what you've had to. I know you miss Vegeta, B. Heck, even I miss him. It just hasn't been the same since he left. The group split- Goku and I became more preoccupied with our own lives, so did Krillin and 18. We deserted you B. And I'm sorry it took what happened with your father and then your mother, to make us realise that. You've always been so strong, B. You've always pushed on and struggled through. Remember when you realized Vegeta hated you because of what you did? I know that nearly destroyed you, B. But you got through it. And you'll get through this too." Chichi stroked Bulmas's hand, tears in her eyes.
"Excuse me is this the ward of Miss Bulma Briefs?" a nurse asked as she entered the room. Chichi nodded.
"May I help you?"
"Oh, I have note for her. A message came through." The nurse handed Chichi a piece of paper. "Can you please give this to her when she wakes up?" Chichi nodded and the nurse left. Chichi unfolded the note and clasped her hand to her mouth as she read in horror.
"Chichi," came a croaky voice. Chichi looked over at her friend who had just awoken. "What's wrong?" she asked. Chichi swallowed. "B, I'm so sorry," Chichi choked as she shakily handed the note to Bulma. Blue eyes scanned the sheet quickly, then closed silently as the piece of paper floated to the ground. Bulma rolled over, her back to Chichi. "Bulma –"
"Leave it," came the hollow reply. Chichi stood, lingering for a moment, indecisive, and then left. She stopped just before she reached the door.
"I love you B. I'm always here for you." The door shut and Bulma said nothing as more silent tears streamed down her face.
'Why?' she thought. 'Why me God?'
Chichi swallowed as she closed the door and walked over to where Goku was sitting with you Gohan asleep in his arms.
"What's wrong?" he asked in shock as he saw the tears in Chichi's eyes. Chichi looked up.
"A message came through for Bulma. Her mother died about an hour ago."
"Oh no," Goku groaned in despair. Chichi sat down next to him.
"I know," she sighed. "I know.
It was two hours later when Bulma finally left her hospital room. Chichi and Goku both hugged her and gave their words of sorrow. Bulma thanked them. It was now beginning to get dark outside.
"Do you need a ride home?" Goku asked as the four of them left the hospital after Bulma had checked out and been cleared. Bulma shook her head, pushing her hands into the pocket of her fake fur necked jacket.
"No. I need some time to think. I'm gunna walk home guys. She turned to look at her friends. Them and their son were her lights in the dark, the things that kept her going. She wouldn't be here without them. Bulma hugged Chichi and Goku, kissed Gohan on his forehead and left. It took only half an hour to walk from the hospital to Capsule Corp. Goku sighed and put his arm around Chichi's shoulder.
Bulma once more ignored the tears as they streamed down her face. Her hood was pulled up over her head and she was looking at the darkening ground. She had been walking for five minutes and there was still about five minutes of daylight left. Her father- dead. Her mother- dead. The man she loved- as good as dead. Why wasn't she? It made sense. Bulma's pessimistic thoughts continued as she walked out of the city centre and headed for the suburbs. She shuddered as a cool wind brushed past her. Maybe she should have taken the ride. It would be warmer.
"Hey sexy!" called a voice from behind her. Bulma froze, cold fear washing all over her body. Two men were behind her, dressed in long overcoats, their faces unshaven. They had steely, menacing eyes. Bulma swallowed and began to walk faster, shaking as she searched her pockets for something that could help her. The paces behind her quickened and Bulma broke into a sprint. Fear was thumping in her chest as she ran for her life. But it was pointless. In a matter of seconds the men had caught up with her. One grabbed her around the waist and the other grabbed her head. Bulma screamed, but the scream was muffled as the hand covered her mouth. Kicking and screaming, the two men dragged Bulma into a nearby alleyway. They threw her up against the wall, one hand around her throat. Tears choked out of Bulma's throat.
"Please," she sobbed. "Please. I can get you money, as much as you want! Please don't do this!"
"Shut your mouth hotty," one of the men growled. Bulma screamed as her jacket was ripped from her body and one of the men started to fumbled with the button on her pants. Bulma screamed hysterically as her legs gave way.
'Kill me, God please kill me now,' she thought desperately.
"Hey!" came a new voice. Bulma didn't even look up. Footsteps ran her way and she felt the man's hand leave her throat. Bulma watched as the new arrival punched one of her attackers in the face. Blood spurted as the guy kicked the other one of her attackers in the gut. After a few more seconds, the men gave up and sprinted away down the other end of the alleyway. The man came over to Bulma.
"God. Miss are you alright?" he knelt beside Bulma who was curled up against the wall in a fetal position. The man reached out gently and touched her arm. Bulma recoiled as though burned. "Miss, I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe. I'll take you home. Are you hurt did they-" Bulma shook her head, still not looking up. The man reached out again, more slowly this time and placed his big hand on Bulma's upper arm. She flinched, but didn't recoil. The man stood and pulled Bulma up. Her tear stained face looked up at him. "By God," he whispered, his eyes going wide. "Bulma!" he said incredulously. "Oh my gosh!" Bulma, confused, looked at the man's face for the first time through teary eyes. Her terrified eyes sparked into life. She withdrew from the man's clutches.
"You!" she screamed. "How dare you touch me! You creep! You nearly killed me! Get away from me," she screamed and began to run.
"Bulma!" he called in such a way she felt she had to stop. Slowly, she turned and looked at him, shaking horrendously.
"What do you want?" she cried, tears rolling down her face. He held up his hands.
"I had no idea it was you. I was just passing by and I saw. I'm changed Bulma. I've- I've seen the wrong in my ways. I' starting a new life Bulma. I'm working at a kindergarten, I've turned my life around. I can't ever apologize for the hurt I caused you. There is not enough words for me to explain how sorry I am and how much I regret what I did to you and Vegeta. I can understand if you won't forgive me." Bulma looked at him. He seemed so sincere. She took a few hesitant steps towards him until she was looking him right in the eyes, a few inches from his face.
"Chris?" she whispered. He nodded, his blue eyes looking straight back at her. Bulma's blue eyes looked right back, searching for the malice and hatred that she had thought were the foundations of his soul. There was none of it. Not a trace. And all of a sudden, it became too much. She threw her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. Chris gently wrapped his arms around her small frame and stood there as she cried.
Chichi looked worriedly at her watch. It was nearly three quarters of an hour since they had left Bulma at the hospital. It should have taken her half an hour to walk at the least.
"Goku I'm worried. We should go and find her." At that point, the door burst open. Bulma stood in the doorway, disheveled with tears streaming down her face. Chichi barley had time to register the male figure disappear down the driveway before her friend burst into tears.
It took Bulma the best part of an hour to get the story out. She did, however, omit to mentioning Chris. She still wasn't sure about him, and made it sound like a bunch of people had discovered what was happening and rescued her. They had walked her home before leaving her to her friends.
"Oh B, I'm so sorry. We should have gone with you- we should have-"
"Don't worry," Bulma smiled slightly through her tears. "I was rescued in time." She sighed again. "I'm going to go to bed." She hugged her friends. "I'll see you in the morning." And then she left the room. Chichi frowned slightly. There was something Bulma wasn't telling them.
Bulma lay silently in her bed, her head reeling. Chris. What were the odds of that. And there was something different about him. To be honest, Bulma did believe he had changed.
Flashback
"So what's happening in your life at the moment?" Chris asked as he walked Bulma to Capsule Corp. Bulma sighed.
"It's a mess, Chris. Dad died of a heart attack, Mum went into a mental asylum and she died last night. Vegeta moved to America at the end of high school but I-I- I haven't heard from him in five months." Bulma looked Chris in the eyes as he walked next to her.
"I'm sorry. It sounds like you've had a hard time." They were standing at the end of the Capsule Corp drive way. "I just want you to know Bulma," he said as he looked her in the eyes, "I'm always here for you. I can never take back what I did to you in high school, but if you give me a chance, I can make it up to you." He brushed her tears away gently with his thumb.
"Thankyou," Bulma sighed, his warm hand against her cheek. She looked at him. "Thankyou," she repeated. Chris smiled and embraced Bulma in a warm hug. He slipped a piece of paper into her hand.
"Call me if you ever need anything." He smiled, and then left.
End Flashback
Bulma closed her eyes, groaning. She needed to sleep.
Six months passed. Every day became more and more laborious, as she received no letters from Vegeta. Goku and Chichi continued to try and get through to her but nothing was working. And it was six months after the night she had been reacquainted with Chris, that she dialed his number.
Bulma had awoken that morning, not expecting anything other than her usual, depressive, hateful life. But it had been much worse than normal. The most heart-wrenching thing she had ever seen was sitting on her doorstep. Tied together with bits of string, were a year's worth of letters, addressed to Vegeta, all with return to sender written over them in red ink. Bulma had burst into tears on the doorstep, taking each of the letters and discovering each one unopened. She had cried for almost an hour. And that was when she picked up the phone. She was now sitting at the kitchen table, phone in hand. Slowly, she dialed Chris's number and put the receiver to her ear. It rang three times before a voice sounded on the end of it.
"Chris speaking." Bulma closed her eyes, comforted by just his voice.
"Chris, it's me, Bulma. Can I come over? I really need to talk to someone."
"Absolutely." He gave her the address. "I'll see you soon. Are you alright?" he asked concernedly.
"No not really," Bulma sighed. "I'll see you soon. Thanks Chris."
"No problem." The phone went down with a clunk. Bulma sighed and headed upstairs to get changed. Maybe, just maybe, her life could get better.
Author's Note: Took a while but what did you think? Let me know.
Next Chapter: I'm not saying because quite honestly, I don't know!
Till next time,
Kaibun
