To Everyone: Thanks for the reviews! Guess what happens what Pandora has a whole day off and nothing to do? She writes and fine-tunes five different chapters. 3 for YSTR and two for a story that I really posting? Do you think I should? I know I have three unfinished stories up as it is. It's up to you guys! Let me know! Summary of the story is under my profile and is entitled "Something to Live and Die For!"
DBZ-fan-JESS- Hey! Thanks for reviewing as always! Enjoy the new chapter, and bear with me. Yamcha will eventually be out of the picture! I've got a ways to go with this though!
Mustang07- Oh! I like being able to make people laugh! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and stuff! Thanks so much. As for Arthos and Akira, well they'll pop up down the road. We've got a lot of stuff to do with this story here yet, people! ;-) Thanks!
Zicke- I can't tell you when they're going to break, but soon! I'm really happy that you like my story so much! Thank you!
Trina Monkey- Thanks for reviewing! Glad you like!
Himitsu no kage- Hey, thanks for reviewing! ;-) I love their friendship, and it'll only get better when they start to go out. I know everyone can't wait 'til that happens, but I think having them friends kind of makes up for that and adds to the build up of not having them shoved together right away. As for your other comment, all I have to say is. You caught on to something no one else did. If you remember, a certain guy told a certain girl in this story that he learned Japanese when he was there shooting that movie, but don't tell anyone! I don't want it spoiled. ;-) Kudos to you! You must give my fics a very thorough reading. You don't know how much it means to me that you picked it up. Thank you!
Kataan- Yep, Yam-head's cheating. They are cute together, Marron and Krillin, and it's easy to write about them the way I do. However, the little bits we see of their relationship are just that. Little bits. You'll understand later! As for the movie Vegeta and Bulma were watching. I don't want to say. It'll give something a way that is a huge, huge spoiler to something else, but if you go back and read Chapter 10: Just Perfect and Chapter 11: Thanksgiving Day again and pay really close attention to little details you'll figure it out. ;-) Thanks again! Much luv!
SilverWing145- It was fun writing the Bulma and Vegeta scene's in that last chapter. I'm really glad you like the story still and I hope you like this chapter, too! Thanks!
Saiyans Forever- Well, I don't think you had to wait too long for this! Enjoy, and thank you!
Hikari Heijin- Thanks for reviewing:-) Enjoy, Enjoy!
Kiersten- Wow! Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. Hope you like this new chapter! ;-)
Vegeta's First Fan- Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like it!
Garowyn- Hang on to your knickers! It's about to get bumpy in here! Enjoy and thanks!
Dark Hope Assasin- Hiya! Thanks for yet another great review! Things are about to get interesting, I'll let that much slide, but you'll just have to keep reading to find out! I'm glad everyone liked the Bulma and Vegeta moments in that last chapter… ;-)
Red Dragon- Thank you. I hope this update was quick enough! Enjoy!
KarineD- Did you see that I finally updated MNI! I feel so proud of myself. I just hope I didn't screw it up. It's been a while since I worked on that story! Anyhow! You're review made me laugh because in this chapter I named the director on the set Jerry, and I was like.. whoa! That's just weird. How'd she know, and of course it didn't click that you were referring to springer. At least I think! Hahaha so, thanks! ;-)
TheWarriorFormerlyKnownAsPrince- I hope this update is just as fast! Thanks for reviewing! Much luv!
Beeswax- Hey! I playas Hwoarang, too, andLing Xiaoyu, but I'm not that good.. hahaha. So, we'll say he was playing as Hwoarang! ;-) Thanks!
Random Person- Thank you very much! I'm trying to keep this as real as I can, emotion-wise anyhow. I think it makes for a more interesting story.
Chapter 12: Who Says it's Wrong?
Gohan giggled happily as his aunt's new friend blocked his path into the living room. He turned around and stared up at Bulma with a grin, clutching the folded papers to his chest tightly. Bulma couldn't help but laugh despite the fact that her nephew's actions were making her feel bad for leaving early. She knelt beside him and reached her hand out.
"Gohan, sweetie," she cooed. "I need those tickets. Can I please have them back?"
The boy shook his head, still smiling. "No! You and 'Geta have to stay," he told her. He, then, rushed at Vegeta.
He caught the boy in his arms and lifted him into the air easily enough, and Gohan squealed. "Give me those tickets, brat," Vegeta demanded in a softer than usual tone.
"Only if you promise to come back for Christmas with Aunt Bulma," he bargained.
Vegeta looked startled and locked eyes with Bulma. She was equally shocked by Gohan's demand. She walked over and ran her fingers through his unruly black hair. "Gohan, Vegeta has his own family he has to spend Christmas with. Now, give me the tickets, please."
The young boy reluctantly handed over the tickets and nodded sadly. Bulma sighed in relief. For a moment, she thought he might start crying and begging her to stay. She kissed him on the cheek and smiled at him.
"I'll be back soon, just a couple more weeks. Okay?"
"Okay," he answered dejectedly.
Bulma walked back out into the living room to finish saying goodbye to her family, leaving Vegeta still holding Gohan. He lowered the boy to his feet, kneeling next to him, and looked the boy in the eyes. "I'll see you around Christmas," he told Gohan. "But that's our little secret."
Gohan's black eyes lit up instantly, and he caught Vegeta off guard with a bear hug. "I can't wait! You're so much better than Yamcha," he babbled. "He never pays any attention to me or Goten."
Vegeta patted the kid on the back and looked around warily. He definitely didn't want this to get out. It'd kill his reputation! He stood back up and followed the ecstatic kid back into the living room. Gohan immediately ran to his father and jumped on Goku's lap. Vegeta watched as the boy leaned up and whispered something into the older man's ear. Goku looked up and Vegeta and suppressed a grin. 'So much for it being a secret,' Vegeta internally mused.
Bulma hugged her mother and father and kissed them both on the cheek. "I'll call as soon as we get off the plane," she promised.
Chichi walked in, pulling her winter jacket on and looked around. "You two ready?" She asked Bulma and Vegeta. She was going to drop them off at the airport.
"Yeah." Bulma said goodbye to everyone once more and followed Chichi out the door. Vegeta was right behind her. "I can't wait to get back," she whispered to him as they walked across the porch.
Vegeta refrained from mentioning the Yamcha-situation. He didn't want to make her mad. She seemed too thrilled about the weekend and hanging out with June and Jayson that he didn't want to ruin it for her. "Well, we'll be there in a few hours," he told her. "So you can calm down."
She glared at him playfully out of the corner of her eye and jumped into the front seat of her sister's car.
(Change scene)
She rubbed her temples with her fingers and groaned. "I can't read while we're in motion," she pouted.
Karra smiled sympathetically. "What are you trying to read, anyhow?" Glancing over at the textbook in June's lap.
"I have a test on Tuesday in my History class, and I need to finish reading these two chapters or I'm going to flunk it," she explained, shutting the book with a disgusted snort. "I might as well just forget about it. I hate History."
Seru, the twin's younger cousin, laughed. "What on Earth do you need History for? You're a Fashion Design major."
"It's part of my requirements. I have to take it," she shot back. "You'll have to take classes that have nothing to do with your major, too."
"She's right. I have a whole bunch of classes that have nothing to do with writing or English, and they're required," Jayson chimed in from the driver's seat.
Seru frowned. "Sound's ridiculous, if you ask me. What do they think we were doing in high school?"
Jayson chuckled at that. "I remember what I was doing, and it certainly wasn't learning."
"More like partying, making trouble, and sports," June added with a grin. They'd had their share of fun in high school. They had been part of the 'in-crowd' and were pretty involved in different things.
"Like I said," Jayson went on. "It wasn't learning!"
Karra shook her head. "Can I see some of your sketches, 18?"
"I don't have any with me at the moment. I'll send you some scans of them online, though."
(Change scene, Rome)
"I'm sorry, but Mr. Ries is a very busy man," said a tall, thin man in a perfectly tailored business suit. He flipped through a binder on his lap and glanced up every few seconds to check on the progress of the current shot taking place in front of him. "Like I said. He doesn't have time right now for any interviews. The soonest time would be next week, and even that might not happen."
Arthos sighed in frustration as the director yelled cut for the hundredth time today. Why was this scene taking so damn long to shoot? He just wanted to get back to his hotel room so he could call Akira.
"What is the problem now, Jerry?" He demanded none to politely of the director.
A short, balding man with thick glasses jumped up from his chair and walked over to him. "The problem is not with you. As always, you're wonderful," he assuaged. He turned to his set coordinator. "There's just something missing from this scene."
"Yeah, the ending," Arthos quipped loudly. "We've done this damn near twenty times. I'm starting to loose my focus on it," he admitted. He turned to his co-star. "I know you are, too."
The young actress put her hands on her hips and sighed. "He's right, Jerry. We can't keep going on like this. I personally think the last five takes were perfect."
The director frowned and shook his head. "No, no. It's missing something." He threw his hands up in the air and let out a frustrated noise. "That's it. Everyone off the set! I need to review the takes."
Arthos turned to the actress playing his love interest and rolled his eyes. "He's a mental case."
"At least we get some down time," she told him with a laugh.
"True. I didn't think of it that way."
"See you on set tomorrow," she told him before walking off toward the makeshift dressing rooms at the back of the warehouse.
"Yeah." He walked over to his publicist and leaned against the wall, listening intently to what the man was saying.
"There's just no way. I know that the only reason you want him on your show is to get the scoop on his new movie, and the production company isn't ready for details to be released," he argued smartly. "That's it!" He hung up and glanced up at his employer. "Jerry cancelled the day again?"
"Sure did. At this rate, we'll never finish this damn movie."
"I warned you about working with him, but you signed the contract."
"Well, damnit! You're not supposed to remind me of my stupidity, Alyn. Besides, the script was amazing. What was I supposed to do? Let it slip past me," he asked. "It's Oscar material!"
"No, certainly not," Alyn answered. He gathered his things and shoved them into his briefcase. "But I'm sure you don't really care about having the day off," he went on, knowingly. "It gives you more time to sit on the phone all night with your newest interest."
Arthos frowned. "Don't make her out to be like the others. She's not," he told him.
"Oh, I know. You've talked nonstop about her since you returned from Japan. I just wonder if this one is going to stick. You're starting to get a bad reputation due to all you're past exploits."
They walked toward the doors. "Let's get one thing perfectly clear," Arthos said. "I'm not pursuing a hopefully long-term relationship with Akira to make my reputation better. I'm doing it because I like her, and she's amazing."
Alyn opened the doors and lead him over to his black BMW. "I know you're being sincere. I'm not trying to undermine that. I truly believe that you want something more than just a fling with this girl. I was merely stating that it will have a good affect on you when it comes to the general public's opinion."
"Like I care what they think."
"You should. They're your fans."
"Not the ones that have nothing better to do than say shit about me when they don't know the first thing about what I'm really like," he countered, sliding into the passenger seat.
"Let's just get you back to the hotel so you can call her, and she will hopefully be able to calm you down once again so you're not so damn combative."
"Fine. Drive!"
(Change scene)
Chichi couldn't believe her eyes as she stepped out of her car and walked toward her parent's porch. Yamcha was standing there, about ready to knock, but he had noticed her pull in and decided to wait for her. She took a deep breath and walked slowly up the steps toward him. He smiled nervously, already knowing that she knew all about the fight between him and Bulma.
"What are you doing here?" She demanded angrily.
He looked down at his feet. "I wanted to see Bulma. I need to talk to her about what happened."
Chichi glared. "She's not here."
Yamcha looked up, confused. "Where'd she go?"
"Back to San Callisto. I just dropped them off." She groaned after saying that, knowing that her sister hadn't told Yamcha about Vegeta. She prayed he didn't catch on to her slip up, but of course, he actually did.
"Them?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, them. She brought one of her new friends home with her. Now, if you'll excuse me, I don't want to talk to you anymore." She brushed past him and reached for the doorknob.
"Who was it?"
He sounded angry, which made Chichi furious. Who the hell did he think he was getting made about it? She turned to him. "Go home, Yamcha. Now." She crossed her arms over her chest and pinned him with her dark brown eyes. "And don't bother her. She left happy, and she's been depressed over the way you act for far too long now."
"Who was she with?" He had the nerve to demand from her again.
The door opened behind Chichi, and Gohan walked out of the house. "Mommy's back!" He noticed Yamcha and frowned. "What's he doing here?"
Chichi bit her bottom lip anxiously. "Go back inside, Gohan."
Yamcha looked down and smiled at the boy. "Hey, sport. How've you been?" He was just trying to be nice.
Gohan glared up at him. "Uncle Vegeta's nicer than you. You made Aunt Bulma cry."
That hit Yamcha like a ton of bricks. 'Uncle Vegeta? In all the years I've dated Bulma, he's never referred to me as uncle,' he told himself mentally. He blinked several times, due to the shock of it all. Bulma brought Vegeta home for Thanksgiving! He scowled and stepped off the porch. She hadn't said a damn thing about it on the phone!
Chichi watched the young man get in his car and speed off angrily. "Oh, shit," she whispered. "I've got to call Bulma." She groaned when she realized that she wouldn't be able to get a hold of her for another couple hours. "She's going to kill me."
(Change scene)
"This is Vegeta's house!" Karra exclaimed.
"One of his parents' houses," June corrected as they stepped out of the car.
Jayson looked around. "It kind of seems wrong parking our crappy car out in front of it," he joked.
"Oh, Vegeta doesn't care," June told him. "Lets go. I'm sure they're already here by now."
The four newcomers walked up to the front door, and June rang the bell. A second later, Bulma's smiling face greeted them. "Hiya! We just ordered pizza, and I made Vegeta drive by the store on our way here so there's a ton of junk food in the kitchen," she told them, moving aside to let them in.
Jayson looked around at the fancy décor and grinned. "Where's Vegeta?"
"Up in his room, burning you copies of some CDs he thought you'd like. Just follow the music."
"Right! Come on, Seru." The two guys ran up the staircase to the second floor and disappeared from sight.
June hugged Bulma and smiled. "Good to be on speaking terms again, huh?"
Bulma smiled back. "Yeah. I'm really sorry about all that." She turned to Karra. "Hi. You must Jayson's girlfriend." She extended her hand.
Karra reached out and firmly shook it. "Hi, Bulma. It's nice to meet you finally."
"I know. I've heard a lot about you from Jayson."
"Don't believe a thing he says," she joked.
All three girls laughed, and Bulma motioned for them to follow her into the kitchen. "Let's get some drinks."
Upstairs, Vegeta was sitting at his computer desk, music blaring out of his speakers. Jayson was sitting in a nearby chair, and Seru was sitting on big comfy couch across from them.
"Silent Drive, huh?"
Vegeta nodded. "Good shit," he commented, handing over a burnt copy of the album.
"I'll definitely give it a listen," Jayson replied. "Anything else good?"
"Hmm?" Vegeta shuffled through a stack of junk on his desk. "I know I had another one for you." He pulled out another disc and smirked. "The elusive Dredg Ep."
"Holy shit! Orph! How'd you get a hold of it?"
"I went to see them a few weeks ago. Picked it up at the show."
"I've never been able to find it. That's so awesome."
Seru frowned. "Who's Dredg?"
Vegeta and Jayson just looked at him like he was crazy. "Only one of the best bands in the world," Jayson told his cousin.
"I've never heard of them," he argued.
"Because you're just a passive music listener. You like nu-metal, enough said there."
"At least I don't like rap."
Vegeta finally cut in there. "True, but still," he went on. "It's not a big step up."
Bulma suddenly walked in. "Pizza just arrived," she announced, and then left just as quickly as she came.
"Food! Thank god," Seru called out, rushing out the door.
Jayson shook his head. "No appreciation for good music. You coming down?" He stood up and walked toward the door.
"Yeah," Vegeta said. "Be right down."
He closed his Winamp program on his computer and the room was filled with silence. He got up and stretched. He was still a bit jet-lagged from the flight. Just as he reached the door, he heard Bulma's cellphone ring. She had left it in her room across the hall. He walked over and looked around, searching for it. He found it on the bed next to her luggage bags. The caller ID flashed Chichi's name, so he picked it up before the voice mail could get it. He suddenly realized that they had forgotten to call her when they landed. She was probably freaking out.
"Yeah?"
"Vegeta? Where's Bulma?"
"Downstairs," he answered. She sounded a bit worried. "We made it just fine. She just forgot to call," he explained, thinking that was the reason she was upset.
"I'm not worried about that. I need to talk to her right now. Can you put her on?"
He frowned. "Just a minute."
Bulma was coming up the stairs as Vegeta was going down. She glanced at her cellphone he was holding against his ear. "Is that my phone?"
He nodded. "Here she is," he told the person on the other end and handed it over to Bulma.
Bulma stood on the step next to him and picked up her phone. "Hello?"
"Bulma, I'm really sorry to have to tell you this, but," she paused. "Yamcha just showed up here a couple hours ago."
"He what!"
"When I got back from dropping you off at the airport, I ran into Yamcha at mom and dad's," she explained quickly. "He inadvertently found out about Vegeta coming with you. He looked pretty peeved when he left here. I just wanted to warn you."
Bulma closed her eyes and leaned against the banister. "It's not your fault. I should have told him. I should have known he'd come to the house and try to fix this face to face."
"Are you going to be okay?"
"I'll deal with it. Thanks, Chi. I'll give you a ring Sunday night after we get back to the college, okay?"
"Yeah. Talk to you then. Bye."
"Bye." Bulma hung up her phone and glanced over at Vegeta. "Yamcha came to the house after we left, and he found out about you being there."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "So?"
"He's pissed."
"Again, so? What right does he have to be mad? It doesn't excuse what he did."
Bulma sighed, sitting down on the steps. "I know that. Why'd this have to happen? I was happy not five minutes ago. Now, all I can think about is the hell I'm going to go through Sunday night."
Vegeta sat down next to her. He wasn't sure what to say exactly. He wanted to tell her that she should just dump him and be done with the whole situation, but she wasn't the type of person that liked being told what to do. He'd learned that much of her over the past couple months, and it was one of the things he admired about her.
"I don't know what to do, Vegeta," she admitted softly. "I love him so much, and we've been through so much together. It doesn't make sense. It sounds crazy, but I know he loves me deep down."
He remained completely silent. Nothing he had to say would help her right now. Bulma sighed heavily, blinking back her tears. "I'm so lost right now. I have so much fun with you, and you treat me well, like Yamcha use to treat me. Part of me wants to be with you," she told him, looking him in the eye. "It's why we got into that fight. I like you more than I should, and it's wrong."
"Who says it's wrong?" he finally replied.
"Because I'm in love with Yamcha, and I want to be with him. I've always seen myself with him, since the very beginning. You have to know what I mean. You asked Alessa to marry you, so I can only assume you've felt that before."
"And you saw how that turned out." He felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden. He didn't want to talk about his ex-girlfriend right now. He wanted to find a way to convince Bulma to just break it off with Yamcha and go out with him, but he didn't want to come off as completely selfish.
"I'm sorry, Vegeta. I shouldn't have taken you home with me, or I should have told Yamcha that I was going to."
"You've done nothing wrong. There's never been anything inappropriate between us. You've nothing to hide, and if he wants to give you shit about it, then he can take it up with me," he growled out.
(Change scene, London)
"Akira!" Jarec yelled, running down the stairs of their parents' house and into his big sister's waiting arms.
She laughed and twirled him around. "How's the birthday boy! What's it like to be ten?"
He grinned up at her. "Great! I got a bunch of new X-box games," he went on excitedly. "Want to play them with me?"
Akira nodded. "You're on!" She raced him up the stairs and to his room.
"I get to play first!" He shouted, grabbing the controller.
"Oh, alright," she conceded, hiding a smile. "What are we playing?"
"Splinter Cell. We'll see who can make it through a mission with the best stats," he challenged.
"Sounds good to me."
She watched him play through the mission quietly, until her cellphone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and smiled at the caller ID. "I'll be right back, okay?"
Jarec just nodded, too involved with his mission to look away. Akira walked out into the hallway. "Long time no talk, stranger," she greeted.
"How are you doing?" Arthos inquired.
"Good. I can't be on here too long, though. I'm playing a game with my little brother," Akira explained.
"Oh? What game?"
"Splinter Cell."
"You're playing a video game?" He sounded surprised.
"Yes, I am. Something wrong with that?"
"Not at all. I think it's sexy."
She laughed at that and shook her head. "Fancy that."
"Sis! I'm done. It's your turn," Jarec yelled from inside his room.
Akira laughed. "I've got to go. It's my turn."
"So, I heard. Can you take pictures of this for me?"
"Why?"
"I told you. I think it's sexy. Take me some pictures of it."
"You're a very odd man. Has anyone ever told you that?"
"You wouldn't want me any other way," he countered.
Akira smiled to herself. "True. I'll ring you later. Is that okay?"
"Absolutely. I assume it takes time to go to the store and pick up film," he joked.
"Goodbye," she said.
"Bye."
(Change scene)
Bulma lay in bed later that night, trying to think of what she was going to say to Yamcha. She wondered if she should call him and try to talk to him on the phone or something, possibly see if he'd come pick her up so they could have some quiet time at the school for a while, but she was scared. No matter how right what Vegeta had said earlier sounded, she still felt as if she had done something with him that she should be hiding from Yamcha. Why else would she conveniently leave out that she had brought him home with her for Thanksgiving of all days?
Sighing, she rolled onto her side and thought about her little talk with Vegeta on the stairs. She couldn't believe that she actually told him she liked him as more than a friend. The rest of their night had been rather quiet. They sat apart from each other, which hadn't gone unnoticed by June who was privy to how they typically acted when together, and they hardly uttered a world to each other the rest of the night.
In fact, Bulma had purposely gone out of her way to ignore him and concentrated all her time to getting to know Karra and Seru better. She could tell Vegeta was upset at first, but he finally decided to talk to Jayson about music again, thus forgetting about the other people in the room. It was hard, but she knew this was for the best. She had to distance herself from him before she ended up doing something that might be construed as cheating on Yamcha with Vegeta.
She laughed at the irony in that thought. After all those years of dealing with the crap Chrissie put them through, Bulma found it humorous that she might be the one to really do it this time. She tossed the covers off and sat up. No. She wouldn't cheat on Yamcha. She was stronger than that, and she intended to prove it. She'd come clean with him on Sunday. She'd explain to him about Vegeta, and then she'd make it right. Things would eventually get better between them, and whatever feelings she had developed for Vegeta would go away, and they could be 'just friends.'
(End Chapter)
Next time: Bulma and Yamcha have it out, and a relationship comes to an end. Next chapter up soon!
PANDORA ;-)