TWENTY-FIVE

The next few days were quiet and uneventful, relatively speaking. It wasn't until four days after Goku's visit that something even remotely interesting happened.

It all started out in the den, where Bulma was furiously reprogramming her laptop so that it could handle more complex designs. Vegeta, who was still angry that neither Bulma nor her father would fix the gravity chamber, (which he'd blown up two days ago) was sitting in the corner, watching her. Bulma's father walked into the room a little while after noon, where he spoke his own opinion of Bulma's workload.

"Bulma, what are you doing?" he cried out, startling her. "You're in no condition to be working like that!"

"Dad! I'm fine!" she muttered something under her breath before continuing her typing.

"But what about your condition, Bulma? Surely you haven't forgotten . . ."

"What condition, Dad? I'm pregnant, I don't have malaria!" she slammed her laptop shut. Boy, was she getting mad. "Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm incompetent!"

"Well, it doesn't mean you're not!" her father retorted, clearly just as pissed as she was. Vegeta smirked from the corner. Now this I like. It's not everyday I get to witness a fight like this one.

"Dammit, Dad! Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I can't still work!"

"What about your baby, hmmm? Are you going to be working on this in the delivery room, or will you do it after? And what about your maternity leave?"

"RRRRRR," Bulma's anger flared. "Dad! I'm only four months! Maternity leave doesn't even start yet! And it won't until I reach eight months! You know that!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know that? It's not like you consulted me on the matter!"

"Maybe I would've if you showed me any interest!"

"And maybe you should learn to respect your parents!"

"Maybe you shouldn't've tried to break us up!"

"Maybe you should've used protection!" Vegeta suddenly realized that they were no longer fighting over Bulma's workload.

"And maybe you should learn to stay out of my business!"

"Well, maybe you should learn to keep your pants on!"

"RRRR," Bulma growled. "THAT'S IT, I'M OUTTA HERE!" Grabbing her laptop, she stormed out of the room, into her own.

Dr. Briefs just looked at Vegeta, rather bitterly, I might add. Vegeta shrugged and headed out the door, towards his own room, where he knew Bulma would be heading.





"I am tired of my dad treating me like a frickin' porcelain doll," Bulma started throwing clothes into her suitcase. She finished one drawer, then started on another.

"But Bulma, you know he doesn't mean it . . ." Mrs. Briefs tried to reason with her, but it was no use: Bulma had made up her mind.

"No, Mom, you know what? I don't care, all right? I just don't care. If Dad wants to apologize, fine, but I'm not going to stay around and be insulted by him." Bulma pressed a button on the side of the suitcase and with a BOM! it became a capsule. She opened another capsule-suitcase and continued throwing clothes into it.

"Oh, Bulma, you know he's sorry . . ."

"No, I don't, Mother, and that's the problem. Until he can apologize for himself, I will not stay here. I refuse to take this kind of shit from him." She started throwing baby clothes into the suitcase. "When he's ready to apologize, tell him that I'll be at the Kame House, okay?"

"All right, dear. Take care of yourself, okay?"

Bulma smiled as she looked into her mother's sad eyes. "Of course I will, Mom. I'm a big girl, I can look out for myself."

Mrs. Briefs looked on sadly as her daughter finished capsulizing suitcases and walked out the door, waving a silent good-bye. Mrs. Briefs waved back, wondering when she'd ever get to see her daughter again.





"Vegeta?" Bulma stepped into his room gingerly, like she expected to be caught in a booby-trap. "Are you coming?"

A deep-throated grunt answered her question as Vegeta opened the doors to the balcony and picked her up. He smiled as she glanced back, saying a silent good-bye to all of Capsule Corp.. "Come on," he grunted. "We haven't got all day."

"Right." She paused, then asked: "Where are your things?"

Stopping the sudden urge to throttle her, he picked up a single capsule. "Right here."

"That's it?! That's all you're bringing?"

He scowled. "Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, it's just . . .well, look at how much I brought." Bulma opened her purse to reveal thirteen capsules. "And you're just bringing one?"

"It's all I require."

Bulma sighed and pulled her arms around Vegeta's neck. Placing his strong arms around her, they flew off towards the Kame House . . .or so Bulma thought . . .





It was a long journey, and it wasn't long before Bulma fell asleep in Vegeta's arms. He smiled down at her, and shuffled her weight from one hand to the other. The minute Vegeta saw the open ocean, he knew the journey would be over soon. Landing down at Master Roshi's island, he rang the bell: Ding-dong. Krillin came to the door.

"Vegeta? What are you doing here?" he looked down at Bulma's sleeping form. "Is everything all right with Bulma?"

Vegeta scowled. Stupid chrome-dome. What does it look like? "Here," he grouched, thrusting Bulma into Krillin's arms.

"Wha-what's going on? What am I supposed to do with her, wake her up?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. This man is more of an idiot than I thought. "No."

"Then what do I do with her?"

This guy is a moron. One hundred percent moron. "Just . . .put her on the couch, or a bed or something. Don't wake her up."

"Why? And where are you going?" Krillin was confused. Plus, he knew that Bulma was going to be really bitchy when she woke up.

"None of your business, baldy," Vegeta snapped before flying off into the darkness.

Krillin sighed and looked down at Bulma. Sure, she looks sweet and innocent, he thought, but she's gonna be really bitchy when she wakes up. I just know it.





Bulma yawned and looked around the room. She instantly recognized it as Krillin's room at the Kame House.

"Morning, Bulma," Krillin called out gleefully. She turned and saw the former-monk in the hall, dressed for the day in his usual orange gi.

"Oh, hey Krillin," she said, not even bothering to ask why he hadn't slept in his own room. "Where's Vegeta?"

Krillin froze in mid-step. Very slowly, he turned his head around to face Bulma. "You mean you don't know?"

"Don't know what, Krillin?" she cocked her head to one side.

"Uh . . .I don't know how to put this, but, um . . ."

"Spit it out, Krillin. I haven't got all day." Bulma narrowed her eyes. "Well? What is it?"

"Um . . ."

"WELL?"

Krillin gulped. There was no way around it: the truth would have to come out. "He's not here."

"WHAT?!"

Krillin nodded, and Bulma just looked at him, a look of sheer horror on her face. "What . . .where . .?"

"I don't know where he went. He just came here, dropped you off, told me not to wake you up, and then he flew off. I don't know where he went from here."

"But . . . " Bulma was at a loss for words. He left me? Again? But . . . I thought he loved me . . . "Did he say anything else? Anything at all?"

Krillin shook his head. "No, just for me to bring you inside and not ask any questions."

Bulma's chin quivered. "He didn't say anything else?"

"No," Krillin looked down at the floor, ashamed.

Bulma started crying again, big, loud sobs that racked her whole body. "B- b-but why would he leave me ag-ai-ai-ain?"

Krillin stood still in the doorway, feeling as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had let his friend down, and now he felt horrible. If only I'd asked him where he was going, Krillin miffed. Maybe then, she wouldn't be so sad. Maybe I could've helped her. It's too late now, he mused. I've made my mistake, and now I have to live with it.

"Krillin? What's all that racket up there?" Master Roshi yelled from the stairway. "I was trying to get me some shut eye."

"Sorry, Master Roshi. It's just that Vegeta left Bulma here alone, and---"

"VEGETA?!" Master Roshi jumped at the sound of the Saiyan prince's name. So much so, in fact, that his sunglasses flew off and hit poor Turtle in the head, snapping in two.

"Ouch," Turtle cried out, stepping away from the broken sunglasses. "Wow, Master, now your glasses are broken. Why'd you jump like that in the first place?"

"---and now Bulma is crying because she just found out that Vegeta left her again," Krillin finished. "So, you can see why she's crying."

"Oh, poor Bulma. I hope she doesn't cry all day, I can't stand it when she cries," Turtle moaned. "It's always so loud."

"I HEARD THAT, TURTLE!" Bulma screamed. "ISN'T IT BAD ENOUGH THAT THE GUY I'M IN LOVE WITH LEFT ME ALL ALONE AGAIN WITHOUT YOU MAKING ME EVEN MORE MISERABLE?!"

Krillin gulped. "Oh, man," he muttered, running down stairs and grabbing the telephone. "This could get pretty ugly . . .. Hello, Goku? . . .Yeah, hi it's me. Listen, we have a slight situation here. Do you think you could get down here soon? . . .No, the androids haven't shown up early . . .No, the purple haired guy's not back, either. What's with you, Goku? Oh, never mind. I probably wouldn't understand anyway. So, can you make it? . . .All right, see you in a half hour. . .Bye." Krillin placed the receiver back in place.

He heard Bulma yelling at Master Roshi, and sighed. Half an hour . . .of that? I don't think I can make it that long . . .





Vegeta smiled to himself. It was only sheer luck that he'd discovered this uninhabited island, only a few dozen miles away from Master Roshi's. This way, he could train all day, see Bulma, and not have to deal with the old dude and the chrome dome. Life couldn't be sweeter . . .except for one thing . . .

He missed having her around, even if she was nagging him. And he missed the baby, too. He would never admit it, but he secretly enjoyed watching her walk around, because he knew that it was his child and that he loved her so much.

But, he never admitted that to anyone, except one, lone person.

Bulma.