Sky-Kaiser here.
I might as well stop fooling around and get moving along with the next chapter, as the chapters aren't going to update themselves.
As for my kindly reviewers...
Midnite93, I can assure you that it only gets better from here on out, and yes: Gohan's character will be far advanced compared to what we got with Gohan's secret identity as "The Great Saiyaman"... honestly, the canon Majin Arc ticks me off so much. All that wasted potential. But Gohan will most certainly meet standards, and possibly beyond. He was always my favorite character... Yamcha is the second.
AlphaShenron, as I said in previous chapters, Yamcha has something rather special about him in this fic, and that will be explained. Though now that you mention it, I forgot about the Zenkai for Vegeta and Gohan. I went back and edited the power level list in the previous chapter. Hopefully it's now up to date.
Dragonballaca, I'm really glad you're enjoying the story. And yes, I hope my laptop gets fixed, soon. This virus is out of hand.
Shisoukengo, I'm glad you're still invested. Once again, I must say there's a reason Yamcha's hearing was sharpened at that one moment. It has something to do with his powers starting to surface following the fight with King Cold, but I can say no more until then. And yes, this will be fuel for his training.
Now... to business. OG DB fans might like this chapter... we're getting a special guest appearance from another girl who interacted with Yamcha in the past!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Z Kai, Dragon Ball Super, or Dragon Ball GT. That is the property of Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, and Akira Toriyama.
Chapter 8: Unfaithful
Over with Goku and the mysterious Saiyan known as Trunks, they had not seen Yamcha depart the way he had. In fact, Goku was still overcoming the massive shock he had endured from hearing what Trunks had just told him.
"Wow!" gasped Goku, springing back up. "Vegeta and Bulma? A couple? I never would've thought that in a million years!" He looked back at the group, particularly at Vegeta and Bulma, before turning back to Trunks. "I always assumed Yamcha was gonna tie the knot with Bulma... did something happen?"
"Well, I don't know the whole story..." Trunks admitted before continuing. "However, my mom always told me that she and Yamcha had a rough relationship before they broke it off for good. She eventually got fed up with him because he was always... how did Mom put it...? 'Playing the field.' I guess that means he was unfaithful to her, so she got rid of him." Goku thought he heard a slight hint of anger in Trunks' voice before he moved on. "After that, she started growing attracted to my father, seeing him alone at night, looking up at the stars as if he were trying to find purpose. In the end, she caught my father's attention, and... well, what they did was meant to be a one-night stand. But here I am."
Goku took a second to mull that over. Vegeta and Bulma had ended up with a child because Yamcha had messed around with other women behind Bulma's back? That didn't sound like Yamcha at all.
'Why would Yamcha cheat, though?' Goku wondered. 'I mean, Bulma's a beautiful woman. Sure, she's not Chi-Chi, but she's still very pretty. Why would Yamcha not stay loyal to her?'
Goku turned back again, and only then did he notice Yamcha's absence. This threw him off, though Trunks glared at the spot where Yamcha had stood, apparently convinced of his suspicion that Yamcha had apparently done his mother dirty.
And yet, Goku got curious enough to ask this:
"Does Yamcha at least find happiness?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, does he find someone new?"
"Probably not," Trunks replied, almost apathetically. "My mom says she never saw Yamcha with anyone else after they broke it off. If he did have another girlfriend, we never knew about it. Either way, he died to one of the Androids, same as everyone else."
"Oof," Goku said mildly. He supposed that sounded more like Yamcha, having bad luck with other girls. 'Old habits die hard, I guess,' he thought to himself.
If only he'd known that Yamcha had never wanted to make it a habit in the first place.
"Hey..." Goku now spoke up, looking to switch topic. "If you're here to warn us about these killer robots, does that mean you're here to stay? We could use all the help we can get if they're as dangerous as you say they are..."
"I..." Trunks shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I need to return to my timeline to try and keep the Androids there from destroying what we have left. And please..." He placed his hand on Goku's shoulder as he apoke with urging. "Please... keep the secret about my parents. One little slip-up, and I might just blink out of existence. Timelines are really janky."
"Don't worry," assured Goku. "Your secret's safe with me! But... will we at least see you again?"
Trunks nodded and smiled. "If you want, I can come back 3 years from now, when the Androids appear, if that's all fine with you."
"That sounds perfect!" replied Goku.
"Then that's all you need to hear from me," said Trunks, now starting to take his leave as he began to levitate away. "For now, this is farewell. Stay safe, Son Goku. I'll see you again 3 years from today."
"Alright, see ya!"
Goku waved Trunks 'bye' as he flew away and out of sight, possibly to wherever his time machine was.
With the new Saiyan having taken his departure, Goku's friends came over to join him, curious to know what the exchange was about (except for Piccolo, who had heard all of it due to his amazing hearing).
"Hey, Goku, is everything alright?" asked Krillin.
"Who was that boy?" inquired Vegeta roughly. "What did he want?"
"And where's he off to?" Bulma piped up. "He just straight up left, much like Yamcha did just now..."
"Well," Goku scratched his head, knowing that he must be cautious regarding he was in the company of Trunks' parents. "He said he couldn't tell everyone his name. Private matter, I guess..."
"But what did he say, Dad?" questioned Gohan.
"It's gonna sound crazy, son," Goku replied, shaking his head. "Piccolo... you heard all of that, right?"
"I did," answered Piccolo. "If you need, I can help provide them with what they need to know without jeopardizing the Saiyan's identity."
"Thanks, Piccolo!" Goku chirped.
And the two of them began to explain what they had heard, all of them being completely captivated as they were subject to a tale of death and destruction...
...
Downtown West City...
Far off from the Northern Wastelands, attempting to drown out his sorrows, was Yamcha. Heart damaged beyond repair, he sat slumped over the countertop of a local bar.
Business was in full swing, with numerous people, human or anthropomorphic, enjoying themselves and getting intoxicated. Yamcha was the sole exception, downing a fifth mug of beer in a futile attempt to wash away the immense agony in his feels.
'What... what have I been trying to save...?' Yamcha lamented in his mind. 'Should I have never even loved Bulma...? All the years I spent with her... were a waste?'
As he felt reason to, Yamcha reflected on his relationship with Bulma once again. Ever since they were 16 years old, they were inseparable. They were happy together, and though they hit some rough spots, they always got over everything.
And then that kid from the future appeared, declaring to be the offspring of his girlfriend and that... that Saiyan bastard.
Yamcha almost wanted to break down into petty, pathetic tears again. But despite his melancholy, he knew he wasn't that weak. He wouldn't start bawling like a baby who had been robbed of his pacifier.
But... it still didn't take the pain away...
Whilst dabbling in his unhappy thoughts, one of the bartenders approached him and seemed to observe him with interest. Said bartender was female, and had apparently done a double-take as in to recognize the man laid out on the countertop.
"Well..." the woman said in a smooth, British accent. "I never expected to see you here after all these years."
Yamcha mumbled, having almost conked out completely as he looked up, his eyes locking with a pair of narrow, dark teal eyes. Said eyes belonged to a woman of pale complexion and bushy blonde hair, clad in a common bartender uniform that hugged her fit body. Her ruby lips were curved into a welcoming smile.
The sight of such an alluring woman made Yamcha jump back up with a yelp, almost falling out of his seat. He quickly straightened himself out and attempted to look civil.
"Sorry, ma'am!" Yamcha told her. "I was lost in my thoughts and I nearly fell asleep..."
Suddenly, Yamcha stopped his mouth as he suddenly noticed how familiar the bartender looked.
"Wait a minute...!" Yamcha gasped, pointing his finger at the barkeep. "You... you're that fortuneteller spy! The one who worked for the Red Ribbon Army!"
"And you're Yamcha, right?" the woman replied, emitting a low giggle. "It's been a long time, love. Very long."
"You... it is you..." Yamcha narrowed his eyes, not taking his eyes off the woman. Not because she was pretty (which she was), but because he was unsure whether to trust such a person. She was the very same person who had disguised herself to learn the location of the Dragon Balls. Who was to say this was her on a new job for some nefarious purpose?
"If you're thinking I'm here to take advantage of your fear of women just so I can hear something from you, you're wrong," the woman assured her, taking Yamcha's used mug and inserting a cloth into it, rubbing around to clean any traces of untouched drink before she went to serve with it again. "I don't work for those Red Ribbon wankers anymore. I'm not even a thief. I left that life. Now, I serve drinks."
Yamcha didn't seem fully convinced, staring at the bartender with suspicion. He even eyed the woman's cloth, wondering if perhaps she might be adding poison with it. He could never tell with someone like this.
"I guess I can believe that," he told the barkeep slowly. "But I got over being scared of girls... kinda. So don't label me, Miss..."
Crap. Did he even know her name?
"Hasky, love," the former spy replied. "And stop staring at me like I'll pull a gun and shoot you in my workplace. It'd be bad for business."
Yamcha was still skeptical, his eyes on the barkeep intently before averting his eyes. He still wasn't looking at her in the way that men usually stared at attractive women, but rather he eyed her with suspicion.
"So..." Hasky purred, leaning against the countertop. "What had you sprawled across my working spot like a drowned rat? I almost began to believe you caught something nasty..."
Yamcha stared at Hasky one last time, pursing his lips... and then he relaxed himself (though not enough to be caught off guard), clasping his fingers on the table as he spoke.
"Well... I did catch something," he told her. "A bad case of miserable, unfair reality. I just learned something so insane you wouldn't believe..."
"Try me," Hasky replied, speaking instantly. "I sold my gun for for a militant organization plotting to take over the whole planet. Then I saw Demon King Piccolo get his arse handed to him by a little boy. And that's not even mentioning the blokes who glassed a city two and a half years back. Maybe I'll surprise you."
"Can I trust you?" Yamcha asked, still not convinced of Hasky's friendliness.
"Don't worry," Hasky assured him. "I did my time after your friend Goku got me arrested, and my days of stealing are over. I'm not letting anything leave this bar."
Deciding he had nothing to lose, Yamcha shrugged in resignment.
"Alright... I guess I can tell you..."
And so, as he began to reacquaint himself with Hasky (and on a much nicer note than their last meeting), Yamcha told her the entire story about how this day had turned out. He told her about how he was still with Bulma (Hasky remembered Bulma because of her... reaction to seeing them together). He told her about how their relationship had been shaky recently due to Bulma suspecting him of cheating (which he constantly emphasized that he'd never do). Then he told her about the dilemma regarding the emperor of the universe, who had come with his father to take over Earth. He told her about how a boy claiming to be from the future had saved them, alongside Goku. And he told her who the boy was, and who his parents were. By the time he was finished with his story, he had downed two more drinks. It was amazing how he hadn't succumbed to the alcohol's effects.
Hasky surprisingly took it all pretty well. She was no stranger to weird things, it seemed.
"That is rough..." she told him. "So your girlfriend thinks you're unfaithful, she's into a man who killed you, and when you were trying to fix what you had with her, some kid comes from the future and says he's their child."
"Yeah..." said Yamcha dismally. "The tragedy that is my first relationship..."
"Mmm..." Hasky looked at the countertop, then back to Yamcha's eyes. "Well... if you wanted some advice on what to do, I'd hate to disappoint you. But I have nothing. I mean, I've been with men, fooled around in that way... but I'm no romantic. And though I did work with the Red Ribbon - technological geniuses, mind you - they never developed time travel. So you're going to have to work this out on your own..."
"I figured as much..." Yamcha sighed, shaking his head. Maybe now the booze he had consumed was beginning to intoxicate him. "I mean... I suppose it isn't too late. This Trunks... if he's from another timeline, I don't think it should matter if I still hook up with Bulma... would that hurt things if I still pursued her?"
"Daring, trying to change time yourself, desert bandit..." Hasky told him, smirking. "But in all honesty, it's much better than the idea I was suddenly starting to conjure..."
"What idea?"
"Two ideas, actually, love..." Hasky began to go a deep shade of red, very uncharacteristic of her. "One idea I had involved a gun and an assassination." She looked away, grinning. "The other involved a bed."
Yamcha went red with blush, remembering with embarrassment his failed attempt to seduce Bulma.
"I... I tr-tried that, actually," stuttered Yamcha, looking away. "I tried to get Bulma in bed, but we... got interrupted."
"No, no, no, sweetheart," laughed Hasky. "No, you misunderstand. It's in the possibility that she does cheat on you."
"Huh?"
"It's just that given that it could happen, and you could be left alone, well..." Hasky now had a seductive glint in her teal orbs as she told Yamcha, "When I mentioned a bed... I didn't mean hers."
It took five seconds for Yamcha to realize what Hasky meant.
"Wait, whoa, hold up!" Yamcha sat up, looking flustered. "Are you making a pass at me? Last time we saw each other, you wanted to kill me, and now you're saying you want me in your bed?"
"It's just a suggestion," replied Hasky, deliberately leaning chest-first on the counter so that her bust pressed against the bar. Now Yamcha was so red his hue was that of an apple's. "You could think of it as me making up for that time I tied you up... that sound nice?"
Yamcha didn't immediately reply, trying to regain his thoughts after noticing Hasky's... endownment.
But then Hasky stood back up and shrugged.
"But it's a foolish idea," the former thief said with indifference. "You're still trying to make up with the girl you're with, and I respect that..."
"I... never said it was a bad idea..."
Yamcha cleared his throat as Hasky did a doubletake.
"What I mean is, if things don't work out," added Yamcha, trying not to look too embarrassed. "It could... I guess it could take my mind off of all the crap I've heard in the past few days... but I'd rather wait until I know for sure that there's no chance for me and Bulma." He pushed away his empty mug, taking a deep breath. "I... I've never thought of myself as a promiscuous guy... I've been fending off a whole club of fangirls since I started taking up baseball, all when I was with Bulma. But seeing that what I have with her might end... well, if things don't work out with me and her, I guess... I guess I could... try it out with you."
Still as red as a beet, he averted his gaze, attempting to keep himself from freaking out in Hasky's presence. He felt so dirty, asking this girl that he was sure he hadn't met in years if they could have a tumble.
"Aww, good boy," Hasky cooed. "I've always liked the innocent types." She extended her hand out to place her index finger on his chin, and pulled his face to lock eyesight with hers. Yamcha shook from Hasky's touch, feeling something very similar to the time she'd had him at bladepoint with a scimitar. "Then you know where to go if things don't fall through," she purred.
Yamcha gulped, almost expecting the sultry ex-thief to lean in and kiss him. But he stayed composed, doing his best to stay together, which thankfully, he managed to succeed at.
"Ahem..." Yamcha cleared his throat. "Th... Thanks, Hasky..." he murmured. "I guess it won't be like that time you were gonna kill me and then Bulma knocked my lights out... if it happens."
Hasky winked, and removed her finger, creating a more comfortable distance between her and Yamcha. Inwardly, Yamcha was thankful. He had been getting a little overly nervous.
"Can... can I have another drink?" asked Yamcha. "Non-alcoholic? I can't trust myself drunk around a beautiful lady..."
"You're lucky, then," said Hasky, taking his mug. "I serve just about anything that you can count as a drink."
"That's good," said Yamcha, deciding to himself that he was feeling better. "Maybe I can tell you about everything else that's been going on since... we met."
"Alright, then..." replied Hasky, cleaning out his mug once again. "Maybe I can go and tell you what I've been doing since I got arrested by your little friend..."
And the two began to reacquaint themselves, a new friendship being born as the two shared their tales on how their lives had been going...
...
Back at the Northern Wastelands...
"Androids?" repeated Krillin.
"In 3 years?" Bulma added.
"And they kill us all?" Vegeta gaped.
The Z Fighters were stunned as Goku had finished his story on the terrible creations of Doctor Maki Gero.
"Well, what do we do about it?" asked Tien.
"My guess?" Goku answered. "We train like never before. That boy... he said that these Androids were strong enough to kill us all. And they're strong enough to kill Super Saiyans."
Gohan shuddered, having heard the part about how he died fighting both the Androids. Vegeta was equally floored.
"Strong enough to... kill a Super Saiyan?" he mouthed. "Im... Impossible..."
"Crap..." grumbled Krillin. "Well, if there are bad guys coming, we have to put our hearts into it. There's no other way we can get through this."
"Wait a minute!" Bulma spoke up, raising her finger. "We don't have to do any of that! Hear me out... we can just gather the Dragon Balls, ask Shenron where Doctor Gero is, find him, and stop him before he ever completes his work! Problem solved!"
Everyone looked at her for a second.
"Nah," they all agreed.
"What?!" Bulma complained. "It's the easiest solution!"
"And though your solution is good," Vegeta told her, "I have to say it's also extremely boring compared to being able to actually fight these Androids."
"I know Vegeta isn't... the most agreeable guy," said Goku, shrugging. "But I gotta agree with him here... I wanna fight the Androids, too! If they're stronger than Frieza, it seems like the perfect fight!"
"Are you insane?!" Bulma snapped. "You just said these Androids kill everyone! They could kill you! They could kill everyone!"
"But isn't getting stronger what Saiyans do?" Goku argued meekly. "Now that we know that they're coming, we'll be ready for them!"
Bulma nearly face-faulted at Goku's insistence to fight rather than find an easy solution. The Saiyan addiction for battle was a real pain.
"Finally," Vegeta snorted, an arrogant grin upon his face. "We agree on something, Kakarot. If that boy was indeed a Super Saiyan, then that's all the reason I need. I thought I would be left with no more means to surpass you. I thought you were better than me. But now I see I've always had the means to become stronger than you and kill you! I'll find the way to achieve Super Saiyan... and I'll be the strongest in the universe at last!"
Gohan, Krillin, Tien and Chiaotzu went stiff, Vegeta's declaration easily leaving them tense. Piccolo was not so fazed, glaring at the Saiyan Prince without flinching. Goku was not easily intimidated either.
"We can have it that way, then," said Goku. "Once we're done with these Androids, we'll finish what we started 2 years ago. I promised I'd beat you on my own this time, if you wanted to try and blow up Earth again."
"I remember," growled Vegeta. "And you will fail to deliver on that promise."
There was a tense air formed as the two Saiyans locked gazes, obviously focused on their future conflict. This was thankfully broken when...
"Hey, there he is!" Gohan cried out, pointing above them. "That guy from the future!"
This caught everyone's attention, and Goku and Vegeta were diverted from their standoff to see that Gohan was pointing off in the distance, up in the air.
The boy who called himself Trunks was sitting inside a strange machine slowly ascending into the sky. The contraption had an egg shape, at its base, in how it was designed. With the top third being a glass dome, allowing the pilot inside to be visible and see the world from within the lower half had a quad of protruding rockets, for which were responsible for why it was suspended in the air. Adjacent to these smaller thrusters were four yellow legs, acting as the landing gear for the machine, sticking out from underneath the machine in mid-air. And beneath and below those faculties was the singular engine that acted as the main power thruster. Seeing as this looked to be the young man's time machine, this thruster was most likely built into this marvel of time-space engineering for both normal movement, and phasing in-between time periods, alternate realities, and whatever other existences laid beyond.
Gazing down at the Z Fighters from behind the glass, the youth had a solemn look on his face as he prepared to return to a sad, bleak future where all the people he saw in front of him were dead, sans his mother. The fact that he'd hardly interacted with his mother's past self... and that he hadn't even spoken with his father... maybe the opportunity would come soon.
"Well... goodbye, everyone," Trunks said to himself, raising his hand to wave 'farewell' to those below. "Perhaps I'll get the chance to know you all better when the time comes... especially you, Father."
His eyes never left his father, the man with flame-like hair and the forever scowling expression, as he and the time machine began to fade away like a mirage. The Z Fighters all watched as he disappeared without a trace...
There was a light silence as the group took in how the boy's claims of being a time traveller were real...
"By the way..." Goku spoke up, breaking the silence. "When I was in space, I learned something new, thought I could show you!"
Without much thought of it, Goku suddenly placed his middle and index fingers to his head, and suddenly he vanished! Gohan, Krillin and Chiaotzu gasped, while Tien and Piccolo's eyes widened. Vegeta even twitched a bit from surprise. For a split second, they felt Goku's ki in another spot on the planet... and then suddenly Goku was back in front of them, wearing a familiar pair of shades with red rims!
"Dad, was that... teleportation?!" Gohan gasped.
"You betcha!" chuckled Goku, tossing the shades to Krillin.
"Wait, aren't these...?" Krillin murmured, recognizing them...
He had a very hilarious image in his head of Master Roshi yelling, "GOKU JUST DONE STOLE MAH GLASSES!" after being robbed of his shades. He quickly suppressed a laugh.
"Yup!" Goku confirmed. "It was nice to see Master Roshi again, by the way!"
Krillin finally burst out with a hearty guffaw, as did Gohan and Chiaotzu. Tien and Piccolo shook their heads. Vegeta snorted.
"A little something I picked up in space after I escaped Namek that couple of years back!" Goku added.
"And that kinda leads us to the obvious question, Goku..." Krillin replied. "How in the all-living heck did you survive?!"
"Well," Goku began, "obviously, I had a way to get off Namek. One of those Ginyu Force guys still had a working pod, so I got in and piloted it off Namek before it blew. I was so exhausted afterwards that I didn't have time to plot a course, so I ended up on a place called Yardrat."
Gohan and Krillin looked at each other, now remembering how they had seen the Ginyu Force Attack Pods back when they were on Namek. And they'd just about forgot that there was other transportation on the planet besides Bulma's spaceship and Frieza's saucer.
"Anyways," Goku continued. "The people of Yardrat were very nice! They nursed me back to health, gave me new clothes..." - ("That explains the ridiculous outfit," snarked Vegeta) - "...and they even taught me how to do the teleporting thing! They call it 'Instantaneous Movement,' but I think 'Instant Transmission' sounds a bit cooler..."
"But wait," Chiaotzu spoke up, cutting Goku off. "If you could teleport, then why didn't you just pop up when you sensed Frieza on Earth? We could've used the help..."
"Well, it seemed to me like you had it under control," Goku said defensively. "One of you guys got really strong all of a sudden, but then Frieza got stronger, and I thought I might have to teleport in again. But then I sensed that Super Saiyan kid fighting Frieza and the others, so I decided I'd get there when I did." Goku then scratched his head. "By the way, what was that power I sensed fighting Frieza's dad? It felt like..."
"Yamcha," Tien answered.
"Wait, that was Yamcha?" Goku gawked. "I didn't know he could get that strong!"
"I don't fully understand myself, Goku," said Piccolo. "Obviously, something awakened in him. He didn't seem or act like himself... he was like a rabid beast, seeking to rend and tear his foe - King Cold - apart, which I believe he would have, had Frieza not chosen to intervene."
"Wow!" Goku breathed. "I gotta talk to him about this! If he's that strong, he could help with the Androids!"
Bulma could care less about how strong her boyfriend was at the moment, still sour about him having up and left.
"To be honest," said Tien. "If he's that strong, we may have to catch up. I didn't know he was hiding that kind of power in him, but now that I know, it gives me all the motivation in the world to find a way to get that strong myself. If we're gonna defeat these Androids, we need all the time to get ready."
"I still say we should look for Doctor Gero's lab and blow it," Bulma snorted. "But screw my train of thought, right?"
"Well, I guess that settles that!" said Krillin, putting Master Roshi's shades on. "I'll probably see you all in 3 years... I'm headed back to Kame House to practice my Kamehameha for when the Androids get here."
"And we'd better get going ourselves," Tien added. "I need to see how I can surpass Yamcha, if such a thing is possible. Chiaotzu, I think we can find a way, right?"
"Yeah!" cheered Chiaotzu. "We'll show those Androids!"
"Fine, then," Vegeta spoke, sneering. "I'll be looking forward to when I can crush these Androids... just so I can crush you, Kakarot!"
"Just watch yourself, Vegeta," Goku told him. "It's a promise that after these Androids, we will settle the score. But until then, you're still helping us. And given that you're not Super Saiyan yet... I'd stay in line for now."
Vegeta glared. Even though he was a conceited jerkhole, he knew better than to provoke a man he knew was a Super Saiyan and was certainly league beyond him.
"Alright!" said Krillin, now taking flight. "I'll let Master Roshi know he wasn't seeing things when you took his shades! See you later!"
"Until next time," added Tien, waving farewell.
"Fine by me..." Vegeta snorted as he began to take off, but...
"Hey, Vegeta!" Goku called out. "What about Bulma?"
Vegeta halted to look down at the fuming human woman with the afro.
"Yeah, what about me?" she snapped. "My good-for-nothing boyfriend just left me here, and..."
"What about you?" Vegeta asked rhetorically. "If your man left you all alone, you'll have to wait until he gets back here. That, or you can just stay here."
"Vegeta..." Goku cautioned. "I think you should take her home if no one else will."
Vegeta hesitated, having a face that cried out "This is stupid!" But he ultimately gave in.
"Fine," snarled Vegeta, coming back down to Earth. "Fine..."
He roughly grabbed Bulma and slung her over his shoulder, making her yelp.
"H-Hey!" yelled Bulma. "Carry me properly, you jerk!"
"There was nothing said about making you comfortable, Earth woman," Vegeta barked back. "Now come on."
"B... Bye, Bulma..." said Goku feebly, realizing that this attempt of his to try and speed up the process of Vegeta and Bulma hooking up had failed spectacularly.
A very annoyed Bulma flipped Goku off in massive irritation as Vegeta flew off with her still carried on her shoulder. She felt like a piece of luggage, what with her being slung over him like a poached animal. And it didn't help that Vegeta's hand was unnecessarily placed near her butt, which was up in the air as they flew away.
"Just don't get any funny ideas," Bulma warned him.
"As if I was going to," Vegeta snapped back. "Well, I pray you don't do the same."
"Ugh! No thank you!" Bulma spat. "Asshole..."
'I'm an idiot...' she thought in a rage. 'I just watched Goku teleport himself, and I don't even ask if he could take me home! Serves me right... now I feel like luggage!'
En route to Capsule Corp, Bulma couldn't but think, however... this was kind of fun, being carried on the back of such an unfeeling, obviously unfriendly guy like Vegeta...
'I mean... if Vegeta weren't hot, it'd be easier to be angry at him...'
This idle thought suddenly stirred a well of denial in her and, realizing what she'd just put in her mind, she shook her head, suddenly angry with herself at such a disloyal thought.
'...no, no, no! You're with Yamcha! Put yourself together!'
She took deep breaths, possibly confusing the man carrying her, before she remembered to be angry with her absent boyfriend.
'Speaking of... Yamcha's gonna have some explaining to do when he comes back to Capsule Corp. He's getting a piece of my mind for leaving me here to be carried by this nut job!'
...
Speaking of, indeed, Yamcha was slowly headed back to Capsule Corp after his talk at the bar, strolling down the streets of West City. He was taking his time because he was not eager to see the girl he knew would be in a flying rage if he came to her now. That, and he still wasn't looking forward to seeing her, given the truth...
It was as he was mulling it over that suddenly Goku materialized in front of him, Gohan at his side!
"WHOA!" Yamcha nearly fell on his behind!
"Sorry, Yamcha!" chuckled Goku. "New technique!"
"How did you-?! Never mind," Yamcha spluttered, shaking his head.
"Dad noticed how you left so suddenly," added Gohan, "so he wanted to talk to you before we went back home..."
"Partially because I know Chi-Chi might raise cane if she sees me after 2 years off somewhere," Goku said sheepishly.
"I know how that feels," Yamcha laughed, ruffling his own messy hair. "You know, Bulma..."
But his efforts to conceal his melancholy suddenly dropped around the time he spoke her name. And it was then that Goku knew something was going on.
"You OK, Yamcha?" he asked. "'Cause you ran off while I was talking to the future kid..."
'Trunks,' Yamcha mouthed.
Goku caught sight of his lips moving with no words, and inquired, "Sorry?"
Yamcha took in a deep breath. Not even caring that Gohan was in close proximity and listening, he decided to speak up.
"Goku, I know who that boy is..."
"You what?" Goku gaped.
"What?" Gohan looked confused. "What do you mean-?"
"Gohan," said Goku with caution, placing his hands up. "Maybe now's not the best time for you to hear this..."
But Yamcha kept going.
"I know what he said about the Androids," added Yamcha. "But what got me was what he said about his parents..."
"You... you do know..." Goku looked around in confusion. "How else would you know about the Androids? I never said anything about them..."
"I know it's suspicious, Goku, alright?" Yamcha spoke over him, his voice desperate. "Somehow I heard you two. The kid's from the future, he's half-Saiyan which is why he was a Super Saiyan, two Androids kill nearly everyone on the planet, I know. I think me hearing you guys had something to do with the crazy power boost I experienced when..." He stopped talking. "...oh, right. I didn't tell you about that?"
"No, Dad knows," said Gohan. "We were all talking about how strong you got against Frieza's dad."
"It's part of the reason I came," Goku added. "But given your train of thought..."
"Goku, I can't talk about that now!" Yamcha groaned. "Not when I've just learned that the only woman I've ever loved is going to dump me for the only other Saiyan on the planet!"
"SHHHH!" Goku frantically put his hands up, waving them wildly, but the truth was already out. Gohan, perceptive boy that he was, caught on.
"You mean that Vegeta and Miss Bulma-?!"
"Gohan!" Goku cried out helplessly, looking back to his son with pleading eyes. "Please! No one can know!" He rounded on Yamcha. "Now look, Yamcha! Gohan knows!"
"I'm sorry, Goku!" Yamcha snapped. "I can't help it! I just... why? Why did she leave me?"
"I..." Goku lowered his head and turned back to his son. "Gohan... I'm sorry you got involved in this, but no one can know about that kid's parents. Especially not... you know."
Gohan nodded feebly, slapping the side of his head in complete wonderment at the fact of the future boy's parents, simultaneously experiencing a huge well of sympathy for Yamcha.
"I only know what he told me," Goku ventured. "He said that Bulma said you... 'played the field'..."
"WHAT?"
Yamcha's jaw dropped in pure shock. So they'd broken up about the same nonsense! Her believing that he was out cheating!
Sure, he had earlier entertained the thought of hanging out with Hasky in that way, but that was only because he had reason to believe Bulma would leave him. Very good reason. Before now, he had never made a move toward another woman. And even now, he had agreed with himself that he would try things out with Hasky after he knew for sure that pursuing Bulma was all for naught.
"She-!" Yamcha stammered in incredulity. "She-! She-! Sorry, but what?!"
Goku, completely missing the point, told him, "'Playing the field' means cheat-"
"I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS, GOKU!" shouted Yamcha, his hands on his head. "I just-! Just... WHAT?!"
"Yamcha, I'm sorry!" Goku implored, putting his hands up. "Can we calm down? I didn't think it made sense either!"
Yamcha was quiet, taking deep breaths as he tried to restrain the massive outrage in him right now. He growled, suddenly feeling for a second as if he weren't himself, but quickly coming back to reality.
"Dammit..." Yamcha shook his head. "I've got no choice, then... I..." He cleared his throat. "I've got to devote myself fully, now. I need to marry Bulma, show her how much I love her and care for her! That I'd never ditch her for anyone else!"
"Yamcha, you can't!" cried out Goku. "Yamcha... if you marry Bulma, Trunks won't come back. He'll just blink out of existence because of you."
"But-!"
Now Yamcha was quiet... so it was like that. If he got with Bulma... Trunks would "die", so to speak. But he didn't want to kill someone, not even if they may be the son of his love and a man who wasn't him. He wasn't so petty as to take his wrath out on someone who was uninvolved with what his mother had done.
"Well, Yamcha," Goku told him, trying to tread a thin line "I mean, this is for the sake of the world... if Vegeta and Bulma don't get together, things will get bad. We need Trunks' help, Yamcha..."
"Why Bulma, though?" Yamcha asked no one in particular. "Why not anyone else?"
"I don't know, Yamcha," Goku replied, not sensing that what Yamcha said was a question he didn't want answered. "But if we're gonna beat these Androids, we need Trunks. If Vegeta and Bulma found out about how they were gonna have a kid, they'd keep away from each other, and Trunks would never be born all the same."
"That's not helping at all!" Yamcha seethed, growing irritated with Goku's unintentional lack of sympathy as his voce started to raise a pitch. "Why aren't you saying anything like 'You'll find love someday,' or 'You and Bulma can still work out,' or something like that?! I dated Bulma for years, and all you can say is 'We need that boy from the future!' WHAT ABOUT HOW I FEEL, GOKU?!"
Yamcha turned his back amd marched a few feet away from Goku and his son, tears starting to sting his eyes. This had to be the worst day of his life. His ex was going to leave him for Vegeta, and all Goku had to say about it was 'Sorry, but you gotta let it happen.' He knew that Goku wasn't trying to be hurtful on purpose, but even so...
He needed comfort now, more than ever. And Goku's stupidity was not very comforting.
"Mr. Yamcha?"
Yamcha looked to see Gohan standing next to his leg, a somber expression on his face. Yamcha's stressed and upset expression softened upon seeing this.
"Maybe this isn't entirely accurate," Gohan told him, "but... I'm really sorry you and Miss Bulma don't work out. We've all seen how much you care for her. But my mom once told me that if you really care for someone, you should help them find happiness, not ruin their chances."
Yamcha didn't want to snap at Gohan, even though he just said something he disagreed with. Gohan was just a kid, trying to help.
"But I do want Bulma to be happy," Yamcha replied. "And I want me and her to work out..."
"The way Dad's saying it, it doesn't seem like that's a choice..." Gohan averted his gaze, feeling bad for having to tell his dad's friend this. "My mom told me something once... there was a friend of my dad's who loved him very much. But when he got together with Mom, she had to let him go... because she wanted Dad to be happy, even if it didn't mean with her."
"But how can Bulma be happy with Vegeta?" asked Yamcha, his voice unsatisfied.
"I don't know," Gohan answered, shrugging. "But, Mr. Yamcha... my mom told me that if you truly love someone, you'll let them find happiness by themselves. And Dad's right... we need this Trunks guy. But it doesn't mean that you won't be happy one day... just that it won't be with Bulma."
"But..."
Yamcha suddenly felt himself crying. Tears were amassing in his eyes. He wanted to run again, but... his legs were rooted to the spot.
"But... now what... what do I do?"
"I... don't know..." Gohan replied dismally.
"Yamcha..." Goku muttered sadly as he approached to put his arm around Yamcha's back. "Crap, I... I'm sorry..."
Yamcha accepted their company as he failed to fight the tears. Ignoring his visible anguish, he was glad that at least some people cared enough to be near him in what he could possibly declare was the lowest moment in his life.
"Hey," Goku spoke slowly. "Do you... want us to take you back to Capsule Corp, or...?"
"No," said Yamcha, angrily wiping the liquid emotion from his face. "I'll manage. You... should probably see your wife..."
"But..." Goku looked hesitant.
"This is just..." Yamcha shook his head. "It's just something I'll have to deal with..."
Goku looked at Gohan as if needing direction, but the boy was out of advice.
"Let's go home, Dad," he said. "And don't worry, Mr. Yamcha. We won't tell anyone about... you know."
"Sure..."
Goku placed his hand on his son's shoulder as he fazed out of existence yet again. Yamcha blinked rapidly at that. He needed to ask Goku about that the next time they talked. But for now, he had his Bulma problem.
"Is this really the end of me and Bulma, though?" he wondered aloud as he began a long stroll for Capsule Corp.
That phrase nagged at him as he made his slow journey back home, bracing himself for Bulma's fury, and praying it wouldn't get too heated.
...
And there we have it.
Geez, my progress needs to speed up. I'm sorry for the gaps, and I also apologize if the ending of this chapter felt rushed or so.
I may come back to edit this chapter later on, but for now, I gotta move on to the next chappie. Hopefully the upcoming installments to this series will not be as half-butted.
Thanks to Childhood Enigma for being my co-writer, as well as LastationLover5000 and Demod20 for help in writing this chapter.
Until then, everyone.
Sky-Kaiser out.
