Bulma chewed into her French Toast robotically, as she did with almost all her meals these days. Today was not going to be a good day. She could tell already. It had been one month since her encounter with the Butcher, and she still hadn't heard anything in the news about a bunch of girls who had escaped a sadistic psychopath. Had the girls she set free even made it out?
For the past month or so, she had been able to evade each and every question from friends and family members over the events that took place during her little trip. Goku, Yamacha, and Vegeta were particularly insistent. It seemed to her, that every guy who had even remotely dumped her suddenly found himself concerned with her well being. Almost as if they could make up past betrayals with present-day heroics. She always replied with an "I don't want to talk about it", or an "I'm busy". But today would prove to be much more difficult. Today was her birthday, and despite daily protests, her mother and her friends decided to throw her an all-too-big birthday party.
Bulma glanced up at Vegeta who sat across from her at the breakfast table this morning. She remembered what happened at the last party he was at. Images of Vegeta making love to another girl against a tree flashed through her mind. Bulma couldn't stop the glare that escaped her...an act that did not go unnoticed by Vegeta.
"Do you have some sort of problem with me woman?", snarled Vegeta.
"Why are you here again?", asked Bulma, "If you reached Super Saiyan already, shouldn't you be off fighting everything you see, and leaving me alone?"
"I will stay and go where I damn well please!", replied Vegeta.
Bulma slammed her fork down on the breakfast table, and left the kitchen. She was growing especially sick and tired of looking at Vegeta's arrogant face. Bunny who had been washing dishes all morning, cast Bulma a worried glance as she exited the kitchen. The tension between Bulma and Vegeta had been growing exponentially since Bulma's return. They could hardly exchange a sentence without fighting.
Vegeta continued eating nonchalantly. Nothing could really phase him, not the woman's bad attitude, not anything. He was determined to find out what had happened to Bulma during the time she took her so-called "journey", even if it killed him. He hated being denied knowledge of information that seemed pertinent to him. Frieza did it to him all the time during his period of enslavement, and he was not about to let some earthling do the same. After a few more minutes of reflection, Vegeta too tossed his fork aside and trudged out of the kitchen. Dr. Briefs who had been sitting there the entire time, sipped his coffee happily, completely oblivious to anything outside of his world of science.
Bulma sat outside on an old swing in her backyard. The swing was attached to an old oak tree - luckily, not the same one Vegeta had "used"...She had spent a lot of her younger years on these swings. One time it had broken off, and Goku had put it back up for her. She smiled at the thought of the little boy clambering up the tree, trying his best to stop her crying. Since then the swing had been slightly lopsided, but she didn't mind. In fact, she loved it more. Whenever anything bad happened she would spend hours swinging away in the backyard until she didn't feel like crying anymore. If she were to do that nowadays, she would probably have to stay on the swing forever. Bulma smiled, the sunshine glistening through the oak's leaves raised her spirits ever so slightly. Or at least it did, until Vegeta showed up.
Vegeta landed directly in front of Bulma, having flown in from somewhere within Capsule Corp. "Don't you think you're a little old to be playing on a swing?", chided Vegeta.
"Don't you think you should mind your own damn business? Goddammit Vegeta! Leave me alone already!", yelled Bulma. Why did he feel the need to piss her off all the time?
"Watch how you speak to me imbecile! I'm not here to play games with you! I'm here to train!", retorted Vegeta.
"The Gravity Room is in the front yard. Do you need directions, or should I draw you a map?", replied Bulma.
"It just so happens that I'm not training in the Gravity Room today. I'm training right here", stated Vegeta.
"Right here?", said Bulma mockingly.
"Right here!", asserted Vegeta.
"Whatever...", said Bulma rolling her eyes. She proceeded to rock on her swing, doing her best to ignore Vegeta.
Vegeta watched Bulma as she swung about daintily. She looked particularly beautiful with her new haircut, choppy edges, whispy bangs, shorter in the back, longer in the front. It looked like something a Saiyan female would do to her hair...Vegeta shook the thoughts from his head. He would not flatter the woman. Instead, he intended to make her sweat a little.
Vegeta ripped off his shirt, flexing his pecs slightly. Bulma forced herself to stifle a giggle. Was he trying to impress her, or earn the title of corny Romance novel stud? Vegeta glared at Bulma. Did she just try to laugh at him? This wasn't over. Vegeta dropped down and started to do pushups. Bulma rolled her eyes and continued to swing. He switched to doing sit-ups. He would not be swayed. Bulma stole a glance at Vegeta with the corner of her eye. She actually found a man to be doing sit-ups extremely sexy. Vegeta immediately noticed this. Time to innitiate Plan B!
Vegeta ripped off his pants in one fell swoop, revealing tight training shorts underneath. Bulma's eyes bulged. A deep rumbling in her stomach quickly became a riotous laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!", she practically cried out. Vegeta stood up defensively. "What the hell is so fucking funny?", he roared, a clear blush spreading across his face. Where did the woman get the nerve to laugh at him.
"Oh my God!", cried Bulma, "Were you wearing stripper pants? You just ripped them off-HAHAHAHAHA!" Bulma struggled to restrain her laughter.
"What the hell are stripper pants?", scowled Vegeta, "Stop laughing!"
Vegeta grabbed one end of the swing and ripped it down, causing Bulma to topple over. Bulma's laughter immediately came to a stop as she looked down at her now broken swing. No!, she thought to herself. Goku had fixed this for her. Vegeta immediately sensed her growing animosity. He suddenly wanted her to start laughing at him again. Bulma jumped up and glared at Vegeta.
"Vegeta, you're a hopeless jerk, and I really never want to speak to you again!", she spat.
With that, she turned on her heels and raced off back into Capsule Corp. Vegeta stared at her run off wistfully. Human females really were an enigma, and one he'd rather not deal with. Apple was never like this. Vegeta shook the thought from his head. There was no comparison. Apple was sweet, brave, delicate, but fierce. She rarely complained. Bulma was hard-headed, kind of dumb, whiny, and a coward. And yet...he really didn't know Bulma that well. He wondered if he might be misjudging her. It hardly mattered to him after all. Instead, he decided, he would train. If she wouldn't talk, then he wouldn't bother!
Time sped through the rest of the day. Bulma had locked herself up in her room while Bunny and a few of her friends spent the rest of the day decorating for the evening's gala. This time, Bunny made sure to pick out an extravagant evening gown for Bulma as well as herself. It was a BIG birthday party - a black tie affair so-to-speak. Bulma glared out her window as she watched the brunette who had sex with Vegeta last time, show up in an all-too-revealing dress. She even had the audacity to bring a date this time. Who the hell had the bright idea to invite her anyway?
The whole party had been Bunny's concoction. It looked like a damn wedding, or a fundraiser! Bulma still hadn't gotten dressed by the time Tien arrived in a tux. That's when she really knew she didn't want to go downstairs. Really? Tien? In a tux? Her mother awoke her from her meditations with a gasp.
"You're not ready?", she cried out when she saw Bulma's still disheveled hair and tired face.
"Mom, can't you tell them that I'm sick or something? You guys can party all you want, just leave me out of it!", protested Bulma.
Bunny sighed heavily. Her daughter hadn't been herself since the day she returned from her last trip. No one really knew what had happened to her, but they figured a party like this would at least lift her spirits. If there was one thing Bulma Briefs enjoyed, it was a good party. She loved clothes, boys, gossip, fun, her friends...but now, she was a mere shell of the girl she used to be. Everything pretty much started going downhill for her since Gohan was born, a fact that Bunny dreaded.
She knew about Bulma's little crush on Goku since the day she met him, and she wondered if somewhere, somehow, Bulma still held a sliver of hope for her and Goku's relationship - a hope which promptly died out when Goku and Chi Chi had a son. Then there was Yamacha, and now Vegeta...
"Please Bulma", said Bunny bowing her head, "Please come down!" Bulma looked at her in surprise. She never really saw her mother plead with her this way.
"Mom please, I'll come down, okay. Don't be weird", replied Bulma.
Bunny smiled slightly and nodded. "Everyone will be waiting for you downstairs dear. Take your time."
Bulma sighed as her mother closed the door behind her, probably afraid she'd change her mind again. Bulma commenced the long process of getting ready. If this had happened prior to her encounter with the Butcher, she might have been happy and eager to party. But now...everything weighed her down. She was still exceedingly traumitized from that day. Bulma glanced down at her arm. A scar ran down where the Butcher had taken several swipes at her. If it hadn't been for the Explosive Capsule her father had, for some reason, stuck in her arm, she would have been long dead. Thankfully, Dr. Brief's precautions had paid off. She should be happy to be alive. But thoughts of the other girls still haunted her. What if the Butcher had finished them off after all? What if he had caught up to them? Is that why no one came forward?
Bulma pulled on the dress her mother had chosen for her. It was beautiful, midnight blue with a soft glittery hue. It was strapless, knee-length, had a corset stitching on the back, and a barely-there lace mesh lining above the breasts. The tail of the dress however, fell to her ankles, and gave the dress a little lift, emphasizing her glittery midnight blue platform pumps. Bulma made painstakingly sure that her makeup was perfect, trying to stretch out the time before she had to go downstairs. She straightened and let down her hair in all it's punky glory, and embellished it with a small midnight blue pin. In short, she looked fantastic, but did she want to go downstairs? No. After what seemed like an hour, Bulma finally decided to make her entrance. Hopefully, she thought, everyone would be too involved to notice her.
She snuck her way down towards a second set of stairs that led directly to the kitchen. As she made her way in, she noticed all the chefs gaping at her through lust-filled eyes. It was better than having all her guests do the same, she figured. If she didn't make a grand entrance, then no one would notice her. Bulma stuck her head into the main party room.
Almost immediately, her eyes fell on Vegeta, who was looking extremely handsome in a James Bond-like tux. A hoarde of desperate looking beauties surrounded him while he looked away disinterested. As usual...she scowled. Bulma scanned the room. There were so many people. Goku looked great standing next to Chi Chi she noted, a thought that activated an inherent jealousy within. Yamacha looked just plain happy with Miwako. And for once, Bulma wished she had just let the damn Butcher cut her head off. There was a red carpet, a band lineup, and even the media was out in full force. Bulma spotted a number of celebrities around the room. One of them, a pretty actress, was practically throwing herself at Vegeta. Bulma sighed. Why did her mother do this to her? Did she hate her?
A barely audible commotion from the window closest to her, grabbed Bulma's attention. There were several security teams surrounding the Capsule Corp building this evening, attempting to ward off the fans and reporters who obviously weren't invited. Bulma wondered if anyone really came for her birthday, or for the excitement of the gathering. This was no time to be daydreaming, concluded Bulma. The sooner she got her "grand" entrance over with, the sooner she could lock herself back up in her room. Bulma briskly strode out into the main party floor. Audible gasps of admiration resounded around the room.
Incidentally, Vegeta crushed the champagne glass he was holding upon seeing Bulma. The shattered pieces of glass fell to the floor, as a flustered Vegeta tried to cover up his obvious embarrassment. At that very moment, Vegeta thought, Bulma rivaled Apple's beauty. He didn't want to compare the two, but Kami, was the 'woman' a turn on. It's as if she was trying to tease everyone.
Goku walked up to Bulma. "Bulma, you look-"
"Decent", interrupted Bulma hastily. She was in no mood for a compliment from Goku of all people.
She strode past her friends, past several politicians, celebrities, and socialites, and stood up on stage. Speaking into the microphone she started,
"Good evening everyone. As you all already know, it's my birthday. Well, that's why you're all supposedly here. I thank you all very much for coming. I'm sorry I'm late, I was busy. Okay, you can all go back to partying and whatever."
Bulma stepped down from the stage and trudged through the maze of guests all the way back to the kitchen. Bunny, who stood in the midst of the crowd next to Dr. Briefs, giggled nervously at Bulma's rude abruptness.
Bulma had no time to feel embarassed. Several of her friends tried to speak to her as she made her way to the back, but she ignored all of them. As soon as she reached the less densely populated kitchen, Bulma took the back stairs up to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her, silencing all the noise from out in the party room. Finally...silence. Bulma figured that having made that appearance should at least alleviate some of her mother's concern for her, regardless of it's shortness. Bulma walked over to her vanity mirror. She examined herself for a moment, noting a substantial loss of weight and a sad glaze over her eyes. When did she become such a mess?
Oh right, she remembered bitterly, when she heard about Chi Chi's pregnancy. That had solidified the end of her and Goku's short-lived relationship, and her years of daydreaming and praying. Even after they had gotten married, Bulma couldn't help but continue to hope for a miracle. She had spent the time with Yamacha, albeit his cheating ways. He was a good distraction. But then she got the news about Goku's impending fatherhood. She cried that entire day, and only her mother knew. Bulma had felt so selfish at the time, but she couldn't stop the feeling. She avoided Goku for a couple of years, communicating only through phone calls and letters. No longer able to avoid a reunion, she met young Gohan and Goku at Kame House. She had pretended to be surprised, pretended not to care, pretended to be happy for Goku and Chi Chi...
Then along came Vegeta, a prince in disguise. She had hated him at first, feared him even, but over time, a very familiar feeling began to overtake her - the Goku feeling - the love feeling. And then it was over before it even began. Was she destined to have her heart broken forever?
As Bulma contemplated this and other things whilst lying on her bed, she heard a bustle of commotion outside in the party room. She tried to avoid listening to it, closing her eyes, but the noise seemed to grow closer. The doors swung open and in walked...the BUTCHER.
Bulma's eyes snapped open in shock. It was just a nightmare, she realized. A loud knock on the door sent her heart aflutter once again.
"Who is it?", called out Bulma.
"Bulma, it's me honey. Uh...the police are here to see you", responded Bunny uncertainly.
The police!, she thought, What the hell could they want with me?
Bulma opened the door, combing back a few disheveled strands of hair along the way. She was greeted at the doorway by two well-dressed law enforcement agents. Bunny stood next to them looking rather perplexed.
"Mam, we're going to need you to come with us?", stated one of the officials curtly.
"What is this about Bulma?", asked Bunny. Her mother looked exceedingly nervous.
Bulma could tell exactly what this was about, just from the look in the officers' eyes. "Is this...about the guy from the forest?", asked Bulma.
A set of brief nods gave her the entire response she needed. "Mom don't worry about me. I'll be back home as soon as this is over", replied Bulma. She cast her mother a reassuring glance and walked out of her bedroom.
The party floor went completely silent when Bulma reached the staircase flanked by the two officers. As she walked through the maze of partygoers once again, Dr. Briefs intercepted her and the officers.
"Bulma, what's going on? Are you in some sort of trouble?", exclaimed Dr. Briefs.
"Don't worry sir. We'll have Miss Briefs back home as soon as possible. She's not in any trouble herself", interrupted one of the law enforcement officials.
"She's a key witness in a case", concluded the other officer.
Vegeta, not quite understanding the whole situation, reached out to Bulma and pulled her close to him. "You're not taking her anywhere!" Bulma cast Vegeta an alarmed look. He had essentially crushed her against his chest protectively, and even though it really wasn't the moment to notice these things, she was a bit intoxicated with the smell of shaving cream and cologne on him.
"Excuse me sir, you're interrupting official police business-", started one of the officer's angrily.
"I don't care what you think I'm interrupting, you worthless excuse for a human. Bulma stays here", retorted Vegeta.
Bulma could sense Vegeta's rising anger. She was a bit awestruck by his defense of her, even though she didn't want to get in any further trouble. Not knowing what else to do, she cupped Vegeta's face in her hand and drew him close to her own face.
In a low whisper she told him, "Vegeta, listen to me. It's okay. Please don't fight with these men. I'm okay. I'm not in danger. If you wait for me here, I promise I'll tell you everything that happened, okay? I promise."
Vegeta immediately backed down. He looked into Bulma's eyes. The woman seemed frightened, but he knew he should probably listen to her.
"If you're gone for longer than a day, I will rip off that imbecile's head", replied Vegeta motioning towards the officer who had confronted him.
"Hey are you threatening me?-", started the officer.
"He's not!", interrupted Bulma hastily stepping out into the still-warm autumn air, essentially forcing the officers to follow her out.
Vegeta, joined by Goku and the gang, and her parents watched from a distance as Bulma was led into a police car. Bulma looked back at Capsule Corp wistfully, at her family, at her friends, and at her ruined birthday...
Thanks for all the reviews and such.
I'll update soon!