Chapter 11: Chain Reaction

Bulma walked up the stairs in a bit of a daze. Today had certainly taken an unexpected turn. She went to sleep angry at Yamcha, went to lunch with Vegeta and her mother, and then oh yeah, kissed Vegeta. Or would it be more accurate to say Vegeta kissed her? Well he had certainly initiated it, but she was equally at fault. She kissed him back. She went at him like he was water and she had been lost in the desert for a week. Bulma sighed. She didn't know when it happened, but she realized she'd been hoping for that for a while. The hypocrisy of her thoughts hit her like a freight train. She'd cheated on Yamcha. Admittedly she hadn't slept with Vegeta, but she felt the guilt settle uncomfortably in the pit of her stomach. At least know she knew how Yamcha felt. If it was this easy to be ... distracted... from their relationship, then something was wasn't right. She turned on the shower, blazing hot, then stepped in. If she hoped the heat would make her feel better, she was wrong. Why was she so focused on this kiss, anyway? It wasn't like it changed anything between them. She still had Yamcha, and Vegeta was, well, still an ass. He'd fight the androids, maybe Goku too, and be out of her hair.

Bulma wrapped herself in a fluffy towel as she stepped out of the shower. Her phone glowed on the counter. Someone was calling. "Hello?" she answered tentatively.

"Bulma, babe. It's me," came the voice on the other end of the line. Yamcha. Just who she wanted to talk to right now, she thought sarcastically.

"Sorry to leave you hanging last night, darling. I messed up big time."

Yes, she thought. Yes you did. He continued the apology. "I completely forgot we had plans. Can you forgive me?"

Though the shower had relieved some of Bulma's troubled thoughts, the kiss still weighed on her mind. The guilt was as fresh and painful as any of Vegeta's wounds. "It's okay, Yamcha. It was an accident." She said nothing about the woman she had heard on yesterday's phone call. Who was she to criticize him for cheating, when she couldn't stop thinking about the man downstairs?

"Would you go on a date with me tonight? To let me know I'm forgiven?" he begged. Bulma agreed, though out of guilt or love she couldn't say.

She met Yamcha at one of her family's beach house. He had a movie for them, a cute romantic comedy, normally Bulma's favorite type of movies. Today, however, was another story. Her guilt was burning a hole in her chest. Yamcha had ordered sushi for them, and she reached for the wasabi with gusto, hoping the physical pain would silence the emotional pain. It didn't. The couple in the movie was bickering over the rights to live in a house, and had ended up living together. They fought every day, but clear sexual tension was building. Had it been this obvious for everyone except her and Vegeta? Was this what Chi-chi meant when she said Yamcha had a reason to be jealous? Did her friend see the truth of the situation while she remained blissfully ignorant? On the screen, the woman's best friend was sitting down with the main character and explaining the reality of the situation to her. Why did this movie insist on describing her life? The main character's ex, her dream lover who had dumped her, came over. He fell to his knees, saying how wrong he had been, and asking to get back together. She turned him down. She was in love with her roommate now. It was the right thing to do, the fictional woman explained. Bulma gulped. Was she leading Yamcha on now? Was she unintentionally dancing on the pieces of his soon-to-be-shattered heart? The couple in the movie kissed passionately, and Bulma reached for a spicy tuna roll, shoving the whole thing in her mouth. Yamcha turned, looking for a kiss. Bulma, conspicuously chewed, gently shooting him down. She sighed with relief as the credits rolled. The stupid movie had been a much more trying ordeal than she had thought. Unfortunately for her, there was a bonus scene at the end of the credits. It showed scenes from the characters' wedding. It was meant to be a humorous montage, but for Bulma, it far from funny. It was the last straw. The movie had won. The universe had won. Vegeta had won.

"Yamcha," she said, taking an unnecessarily long breath. "I can't do this anymore."