She floated through the streets, her mind probing to find what her eyes could not. "Where is it? The fire…" She stared up at the building in front of her. She could feel someone exceptionally strong inside, but that was not who she needed. Floating toward the large dome building, she paused near a window on the upper floor. Instantly, her body tensed. She peered into the window and smiled. This was whom she'd been searching for these past 300 years. It was hard to believe that such a weak, fragile looking woman would hold the power to change the fate of the universe. Entering the window, she leaned over the blue haired woman, her eyes flickering. "I'm sure of it…this is the one…" She lowered her hands toward her, lips curling into a wicked smile…
*********************Bulma sighed. Nothing interesting ever happened to her, except for when she had been a kid. Lately, everything had tried to kill her, and she hadn't done any true adventuring in ages. Sighing again, she looked out the window and wondered what life would have been like if she'd decided to start training as a youth too. Everyone she'd come across, even some bad guys had told her she'd had potential. But she didn't bother with them. Now she wished she'd had.
Standing, she walked toward the kitchen, an unexplainable hunger overcoming her. Opening the fridge, she saw most of it emptied, courtesy of Vegeta, who had a habit to eat nonstop. Just then, he entered the kitchen, towel over his shoulders, walking toward the fridge. "Speak of the devil…" She muttered, and turned to look back inside. There was enough left to make two ham sandwiches, and maybe a pot of spaghetti. She took out all the stuff and put it on the counter. Vegeta walked past her and looked in the fridge. "It's empty." He said frowning. "Remarkable powers of observation you have" Bulma said smirking. Vegeta looked at her oddly. Bulma looked surprised. Where had that witty retort come from?
Vegeta brushed it off and started to rummage through cupboards. Bulma put a medium-sized pot on the stove and poured in water to boil. She added salt and a few herbs, and as the water started to bubble, she cracked the spaghetti and put it in, going to start the sauce, which she'd forgotten. Turning from the stove, she began to make sandwiches, and handed one to Vegeta. "You hungry?" She asked, holding it out to him.
He glared at her, muttered something, and walked away with it. "You're welcome." She said frowning.
About 15 minutes later, Bulma had finished the spaghetti. She simply poured the sauce into the pot, not bothering with serving it, and ate it right from the pot. When she was done, she ate the second sandwich, and then washed it down with a carton of orange juice. But whatever hunger she had, it wasn't satisfied. She went to the cupboard, took out a can of alphabet soup, nuked it, and began to eat that too. It wasn't until she'd eaten about 3 bowls of cereal, and finished off the milk carton did she realize she had an audience.
"Uhhh…can I help you?" She asked the curious faces looking at her. "Bulma sweetie, are you pregnant?" Her mother asked. Bulma turned a furious shade of red. "Of course not! Why would you think that?" "Because you just ate a pot of spaghetti, a sandwich, three bowls of cereal, and a carton of milk in less than 20 minutes." "Oh" Bulma said. She stared at the plates in front of her for a minute. Then she looked back at the face of her mother, father, and the little black cat on his shoulder. Without a word, she stood and left the room, tripping over a chair. Instinctively, her hands shot out to catch her, but instead of falling on her face, she pulled her body into a handstand, before falling into a table position. She forced the upper half of her body up so she could stand, and turned to look at her family. "Woops. I uh…guess I fell." She flashed her parents a quick smile and made a mad dash for the front door, off to the supermarket for more food.
Bulma's parents could do nothing more than stare at their daughter as she walked from the kitchen towards the front door.
*******************
Later that day, Bulma felt like she was going to have an especially busy night. Not only did she have to fix her lab computer, she also had to wash her car, do the laundry, read the mail from the Nobel peace prize committee (another rejection no doubt), and last but not least, fix the gravitron, which she'd noticed had seemed to make funny noises. Actually, she felt the thing held up pretty well, considering Vegeta constantly bashed it round the clock. Sighing, she gathered her tool belt and headed for her lab. And then, something like a faint pop went off in the back of her head. She turned abruptly and saw her mother walking up, her footsteps silenced on the carpet by thick slippers she was wearing. "Oh I'm sorry I startled you dear!" Her mother said smiling. "I was just on my way to the bathroom from the kitchen, and you know how cold the kitchen floor is, so I wore these slippers…" She pointed down to the fuzzy Steve Madden slippers on her feet. "It's ok mom, I guess I was just thinking so intensely I didn't hear you coming." Mrs. Briefs shrugged and turned left into a doorway.
Bulma continued her slow pace down the hall toward the entrance to her lab, which was behind a large metal door with a security lock and everything. Of course, the part of the lab she did most of her projects in was just the icing on the cake. Her more secretive projects and any weapons that could do extreme damage, or any harmful weapons for that matter, were stored in the basement floor of her lab, behind voice activated doors. She finally came to the door of the main part of her lab, and she pressed her handprint onto the screen in front of her. The doors slid into the wall, and as she entered, closed abruptly behind her. Walking to her computer, she laid flat on her back on a board she'd put beneath the machine, and slid under it, where she began to work with boredom at the wires.
She didn't hear the footsteps creeping up slowly on her, or see the shadow slinking across the wall. Instead, she felt that ping in her head again, and she sat up, forgetting she was under the heavy machine. She smacked her head on a metal board she'd been working on, mildly shocking herself with a stray wire in the process. Her head numb, she rolled out from under the machine to see none other than…Vegeta!
"Baka!" she shrieked at him. "I almost died under there! I could have electrocuted myself to death because you keep sneaking up on me all the time! I mean really, GET A LIFE!" Vegeta smirked, ignoring her tirade. Actually, he'd really come to spy on her in way. There was something odd about her today, but he couldn't quite place it. Plus the fact that she'd suddenly detected him out of the blue did nothing but confirm his suspicions.
Bulma slid back under the machine and continued to work at the wires, her head still numb as she turned a screw into place. "There" She said wiping sweat from her brow. "That should do it." She rolled from under the machine and brushed dust from her hands, looking at the screen. Leaning forward, she pressed the start button, and stared at the screen patiently. Suddenly, it bleeped and turned on. Bulma smiled and turned, once again feeling a presence in the room. "Vegeta, why the hell are you watching me?" Vegeta smirked again, and leaned against the wall. "What are you doing anyways?" He asked, looking at the computer which had the words 'restoring files' flashing across the screen. She frowned at him. "The computer crashed and all the files got erased. Luckily, I backed up my entire hard drive on my laptop, so I'm copying the info from the laptop to the main computer." Vegeta didn't dare show he was confused. He simply snorted and walked away. Bulma smiled and turned to look at the screen. For once I'm better at something than he is… She thought happily. Tonight may turn out ok after all…
By the time she went to bed that night, she was exhausted. She hadn't even bothered to shower or change she was so tired. She flopped onto her bed and almost immediately fell asleep. She slept peacefully that night, with no idea of what was going to happen come the morn.
*********************
As soon as she awoke, Bulma took a shower and got something to eat. She hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon, and she was starving. Her ravenous appetite was only appeased after she ate the entire contents of one of the shelves in the fridge, and then a carton of cranberry juice. After that, she went to fix the gravitron. She'd been too tired last night to even consider fixing it. But she couldn't get in. Vegeta was training, and she didn't feel like dealing with him right now. Actually she felt kind of ill. Her stomach churned, and she had turned a pale peach color. She decided to go and hang out in front of the T.V for the rest of the day. Even she deserved to rest once in a while. But the opportunity never came. The door to the gravitron flew open and a furious Vegeta stormed out, cursing her poor workmanship and how stupid she was.
Bulma frowned as he brushed right past her like she wasn't there. "What's your problem anyways?" She snapped at him, her temper from the night before slowly returning. He turned to glance at her and growled.
"Your stupid machine broke."
"My stupid machine? I do recall you're the one torturing that poor thing 24/7!"
"You talk about like it's alive!"
" So I care about my work! At least my life doesn't revolve around some obsession with killing Goku!"
" You'd wanna kill him too if you knew what a baka he was!"
"I'VE KNOWN HIM SINCE I WAS 16!"
Bulma was all riled up. Usually, she'd be the first one to back down, but today, things would be different. This was one battle she was going to have the pleasure of winning. Just as Vegeta was about to throw another insult at her, he felt a power level shoot up out of nowhere. Ignoring Bulma, he turned his head slightly sideways, expecting to see someone there. But there was no one. He looked around, confused. The only people in the hallway were him and Bulma… "LISTEN TO ME WHEN I INSULT YOU!" Bulma shouted into his ear. He once again returned to reality, and simply growled at her. " At the moment, as much as I enjoy bashing you, I have no time. So enjoy your victory while it lasts" Turning, he walked off, still trying to find the new ki. His brain urged him to turn around, but it was impossible that she was the source. With one more glance over his shoulder, he continued to walk away.
She continued to fume. "You're not getting away that easily buddy!" She shouted at him. She was thoroughly mad now, not entirely at Vegeta, but at life in general. She dashed past him, turned so she was facing him and slapped him right on the left cheek. His head jerked slightly to the side, and he raised an eyebrow at her. There was the slightest hint of red on his cheek, which he rubbed slowly, still raising an eyebrow at her. He then turned to look at her, grabbing both her wrists and pulling her closer to him. She faltered slightly. His eyes had a creepy look of seriousness around them, and a little bit of surprise…fear maybe? She doubted it. But he was definitely pissed at her. He leaned forward till his face was inches from hers. "How did you do that?" He growled at her.
Bulma fear quickly faded away. She gathered up all her courage and looked smugly at him, trying her best to imitate his usual mocking expression.
"Well, let's see now…first you raise the hand, then you apply motion to it by swinging it forward…then you-"
"Enough!" Vegeta snapped. Bulma stopped instantly, the last of her sudden bravery gone. She raised her eyebrows wide, and stared straight at him, trying not to look too afraid.
Vegeta frowned at her. "Anyone who doesn't know how to fight couldn't possibly do anything to me, no matter how hard they tried." He stared right into her eyes, and smiled inwardly at her fear. "So tell me…how did you do that? Who taught you how to fight?"
Bulma squeaked and promptly started babbling, aggravating Vegeta to no end. It would be no good trying to get anything out of her for the next few hours. And besides, when her initial terror of him wore off, she'd be after him with a vengeance, and he really didn't want to stick around for that. So he let her go, leaving her alone in the hallway rubbing her sore wrists and tossing him angry glances.
************
I won't cry I won't cry I won't cry. Bulma muttered to herself over and over. She was trying her very hardest to pay attention to the computer screen, but it kept blurring as tears brimmed in her eyes. And besides, her now slightly bruised wrists were making it painful for her to type. Finally she gave up and leaned back in her chair, sighing.
She played over the events of the morning carefully in her mind. First she'd eaten like a horse, than she'd confronted Vegeta. Then there was that thing he was saying about being able to fight and all…
"I must be going nuts." She thought to herself. Or maybe, Vegeta was going nuts. Sure she'd slapped him, but that didn't mean she could fight. It was more than likely a lucky shot, just like all the others. Of course, that didn't explain how she'd actually managed to do some damage…it was just way too confusing for her. She decided to put it aside for now, and get to work on more important matters.
She leaned forward again and opening up her e-mail, she scrolled down. Junk…junk…junk…junk…hey wait a second…what's this?
She moved her mouse and double clicked the mail. The e-mail address had seemed vaguely familiar, and for some reason it seemed more…important than the other mails. As the mail opened, she was greeted with a short, simple message: I would like you to help me on a little experiment Mrs. Briefs. Interested? Please join me for dinner at the Hanaonna Inn in East Ginger Town at seven 'o clock. Please be prompt. I hate to be kept waiting.
-A friend
Bulma's curiosity rose. She was quite familiar with the Inn situated in the mountainous village that made up East Ginger Town. But why would someone pick such a faraway place to meet? She couldn't think of anyone who lived in Ginger Town; heck, she hadn't been there since she was fifteen. But this person had gotten her attention, and she felt obligated to meet him. Instructing the computer to mark the event in her date book, she shutdown the system and left her lab.
***************
Vegeta brushed his fingers through his hair and stared at the car as it pulled out of the driveway and took off into the sky. It was nearing seven 'o clock at night and she was going out, to her office most likely. He shook his head and sighed.
She really does work too hard. He thought to himself. After all, it's not like she needed to do so much work. She was the richest woman in the world after all. Or at least she would be after her father died.
The emptiness of the gravitron echoed around him. He really wished he had someone to spar with. Back with Frieza, he'd always had someone to practice on, such as Zarbon or Nappa. Sure they were idiots, but it was better than what he had now. He leaned against the wall and let the cold metal cool his sweaty skin. Maybe he worked too hard. But hey, it was a tough job, saving the world.
A smirk crossed his face. Saving the world. Heh. A little while ago, barely a few months ago actually, he could have cared less. He still didn't care actually. It wasn't like he'd wanted to stay on earth. He was just stuck here for a while, having no where else to go.
It was pretty difficult to find decent housing when you're the most wanted criminal in the universe.
There was a quiet beeping noise from the gravitron's computer. After a moment, the machine spoke.
"Are you alright Vegeta?" It asked him quietly. The computer waited patiently for a response, but when none came, it bleeped loudly at him.
"Vegeta?"
"What do you want?" He muttered. He had no idea why Bulma had installed an emotion chip into her computer. The thing was always talking to him, popping up and asking him questions out of the blue. The first time he'd heard it he was scared out of his mind, but after he dashed back into the house, terrified, Bulma had oh-so-smugly explained to him that her computer had its own persona, capable of thought, speech, feelings and such. He'd insulted her of course, and they'd started fighting, but the actual details were blurred in his mind.
"You were being very quiet. I haven't recorded movement from you for the past 15 minutes."
"Yeah, well why don't you mind your own business and leave me alone?"
The computer was silent. After a moment it said softly, "As you wish Vegeta."
It beeped again, and the screen blanked, flickered. After a moment, the gravitron information popped back up, and the computer had once again returned control to the gravitron system. The system bleeped angrily at being overthrown once again, but quickly stopped as Vegeta stared at it. Sighing, Vegeta rose into the air and started his routine once again.
*****************
Bulma pulled into the parking lot of the Hanaonna Inn at exactly 6:52. She got out of her car and walked toward the ranch nearby; it was all on horseback from here.
The ranch hand greeted her politely and let her pick her horse. She chose a white palmino with a gray mane and brown spots. She paid the ranch hand for the trip and took off down the path to the hotel, the cool summer air whipping past her. She arrived at the Inn about ten minutes later, and stabled her horse at the stables next to the large building. She wondered which one belonged to the person who'd invited her.
As she entered the place, she was overwhelmed by the smell of roasting meat and ale. The place had a distinct medieval theme, from the large tapestries on the wall right down to the waitresses wearing bustling gowns that showed way too much cleavage.
She peered around the room trying to see if anyone was getting up to meet her. A man walked over to her, a look of slight worry on his face.
"Are you alright miss?" He asked frowning.
Bulma blushed. "Oh no, I was just looking for a friend. But I'm not sure if he's here or not-"
"Mrs. Briefs, I presume?" A voice said behind her.
Bulma turned to face the person who had spoken to her. She stared at him for a moment, and her face started to pale. A single stab of fear went through her heart, as she realized who it was in front of her.
"It…It's you…."
The man nodded, a smile creeping onto his face.
"Yes Mrs. Briefs, that's right. It's me, Dr. Gero."
