Warning: Only that this chapter has a cliff hanger, sort of. And I know you don't mind that! I hope you guys like Ray.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my character Ray, and that's a popular name. You can't have Rusty! *Grabs dog *
Rating: PG-13. It may go up later, depends.
Author's notes: Okay, I didn't wait for a lot of reviews, 'cause I wanted to get this chapter up as soon as possible. *Rubs hands * Ouch!
Even in Dreams.
Bulma continued singing as she cooked various foods. She pulled most of the supplies out of the fridge, reasoning that since Vegeta was training before breakfast today, that he would be twice as hungry. She frowned as the phone rang. It better not be Yamcha, she thought as she yanked the phone off the receiver.
"Hello?" she said ungraciously. A low whistle sounded on the other end of the line, and a girl's low, smooth voice came after it, sounding amused.
"Well, well. That's a nice greeting after four years of no contact." She mused.
"Ray?!" Bulma exclaimed. She was suddenly ecstatic. She clenched the phone as if it would run away and did a happy twirl, unconsciously winding the cord around her waist as she did so. "Oh, I'm sorry! I thought you were Yamcha!" she explained quickly. Ray laughed.
"Oh, yeah. Should I take that as an insult or a neutral comment?" Bulma knew she was actually asking if Yamcha and her had broken up, again. Vegeta chose that moment to walk in, shirt off and towel around his neck. He stopped when he saw she was on the phone, and sat down across from her, curious as to why she had such a big smile on her face. She also sat down, unwinding herself distractedly. He deduced it wasn't Yamcha or Chi Chi, for while Kakarot's wife made her smile most of the time, it was never like this.
"What have you been doing lately? I mean, I've seen your new music videos and all, but what else have you been up to?" She asked, practically fidgeting right off her chair. Vegeta raised an eyebrow. Was this a man? Bulma talked excitedly.
"No kidding? Someone's living with us right now who does martial arts too!" She paused, the wide grin still plastered on her face. "Oh yeah! That'd be fantastic! We can catch up on everything! When is your flight coming in?" She listened, and then laughed. "Yeah, I imagine they would! Okay, see you at seven, then." She said brightly, and then hung up. She stood and did a little dance over to the stove. Vegeta couldn't stand it any longer.
"Well, woman?" He asked, tapping his fingers on the table. Bulma turned, the dreamy look still in her eyes. She was fairly bubbling over with happiness.
"Well what?" She asked. He slammed his fist down on the table, though careful not to break it.
"What was the phone call all about? Why are you so happy?" He yelled. She walked over to him and smiled.
"Vegeta, my friend Ray is coming into town!" She announced, as if that were enough to clear up everything. She took in his blank look and sighed, seating herself across from him. "Okay, here's how it goes. Ray and I found each other when we went to a private elementary school together. We became very close friends back then. She was a tough little kid, and I was shy and nervous around other kids. We went all through till high school together, hardly apart, and finally separated in college. She went off to follow her singing career, and made a big success out of it. We kept in touch till about four years ago when she went on tour and we lost each other. I still don't know how she got my number. I'll have to ask her when she gets here. Anyway, now she gets hold of me and has a whole three months of vacation set aside that she's been building up. She's getting on her flight right now, now that she's confirmed that it's okay for her to come. She'll be arriving at seven tonight, and I'm going to go get her." She finished, drawing in a deep breath and rising to check on the food. He sat there, a dazed expression on his face. She looked at him from over her shoulder. "I'd like you to come with me, Vegeta." She said softly. He jerked his gaze up at her, and was about to retort, but she spoke first. "An airport can be a dangerous place for two ladies, you know." She mused. "And who would cook and fight with you if I was gone?" Vegeta was shell-shocked.
"I.... I guess." He mentally slapped himself. Why had he just done that? Breakfast was soon laid out, and he looked at the jumble of different dishes in front of him. "Woman, you were so excited that you mixed dinner and lunch with breakfast." He said, eyeing a pasta dish. She smiled and ran upstairs.
"I'll make you a big dinner too!" She yelled down as she reached the top. "I don't want you to scare her with your appetite." The door closed and he smiled to himself before digging in. Then he paused. What was he going to do with two females for three months*? He sighed as he got up to go train. This was going to be very rough.
/*/*/*/*/*/
That night, Vegeta strapped himself in beside Bulma in the car. He had wanted to fly himself, but Bulma had joked about him damaging airplanes, and he rather grumpily complied with her wishes. The air whipped through his proud, upright hair as they rushed towards the airport. They parked in the car garage, and walked down to the airport itself. Vegeta followed her around till they reached a certain gate, and waited beside her, his hands in his black jeans pockets. He had worn those with a dark blue t-shirt*. Bulma was wearing denim* shorts and a light blue t-shirt. She was also wearing that huge smile. Vegeta couldn't help but smile slightly. He liked it when she was pissed, but he also liked it when she was happy too. A couple of people stepped off the plane before Bulma squealed and ran forward. A young woman, about Bulma's age, had stepped off the ramp. She was slender and beautiful, with a long, thick braid of hair so black that it looked almost blue, like blue ink in a bottle, and vivid, dark green eyes, which were shown after she removed her sunglasses and smiled. Her smile was sincere and bright, flashing in her emotion. He snapped out of the image of slow-movement as Bulma crashed into her, causing her to drop her bag.
"Easy Bulma!" A smooth, low voice, like a vibration thrumming through his chest, cautioned. "You'll crush me!" Bulma laughed, bending down to take one of the bags. Vegeta folded his arms. No wonder Bulma had wanted him to come along. The pair was a challenge to every male out here. He turned and led the way out of the airport, with the two chatting behind him. Eventually, the girl noticed him.
"By the way, Bulma." she said, making no effort to lower her pitch. "Who's the stud you've got in front of us?" she asked. Vegeta almost stumbled. Stud? He felt a slow flush move up his cheeks, and was grateful he had his back to the two females. Bulma chuckled nervously.
"That's Vegeta. He's the one I told you about who's living with us." There was a long pause.
"And how long did you say that you and Yamcha were broke up?" She asked in a speculating tone. Bulma sighed.
"Two days." Ray must have smiled.
"Well, in that case, I guess you two have a bit more work ahead of you." She said. Vegeta was about to fly off. Bulma spoke slowly.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing. How are Goku and Chi Chi doing?" Bulma immediately went off into the discussion. Vegeta smirked. The girl certainly knew Bulma.
"Wow," Ray exclaimed. "So Goku's got a kid now." She grinned. "I've got to see him! He's probably a little cutie like his dad, with his mom's brains." Bulma laughed. "And Gohan's in high school now, right?" Bulma nodded. Ray laughed wickedly.
"What?" She asked curiously. Ray winked.
"I heard about Videl through the paper. Damn, that boy moves fast, or is it the girl?" Vegeta smirked as he jumped into the backseat of the car. This conversation was going to be very interesting. As they headed back home, speeding as usual, Vegeta learned about the dark-haired girl's personality. She was quick with her tongue, and intelligent enough to appreciate Bulma's conversation, and read between the lines of a subject often, surfacing things that would otherwise be left unnoticed. He was in the seat behind her, and her scent was a light, sweet smell that tugged at his Saiyan senses, not unlike Bulma's in fact. When they pulled into the drive, she jumped out of the car, her braid flicking over her arm to hang down to the small of her back, ending in three locks of hair that had natural, loose spirals. She jerked her bag out of the car, and rushed into the house behind Bulma. Vegeta snorted.
"Women... Enough said." He mumbled. He looked up at the house, and then headed for the GR to train till dinner. No doubt Bulma would be kept busy and wouldn't interrupt his training. Later that evening, however, he felt a ki level outside the GR. It was too strong to be Bulma or her friend, and too weak to be Kakarot. He went over and looked out the round window in the side of the circular room, and snorted. It was the woman's ex, Yamcha. He was about to rush out and beat him to within an inch of his life, but thought better of it. He wanted to see how Bulma handled him this time. He stayed still, listening for voices. When he didn't hear anything, he turned off the GR and entered the house. He came into the kitchen, and beheld a sight that made him burst out in genuine laughter...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(*): You perverts. *Grin * Vegeta wishes.
(*): For those of you who don't already know, denim is the material jeans are made from.
Oh, I know. I'm so bad to leave it there. I should be dragged out to the forest and shot, neh?
Vegeta: *Glares * Oh no. I have a much better plan.
What the hell is wrong with you?!
Vegeta: "genuine laughter?!" There is no such thing!
*Mumbles *
Vegeta: What was that?!
I said you were a stuffy, stubborn, stiff little prick!
Vegeta: .......... What's a prick?
*Falls out of chair * Vegeta, you moron.
Ok, I know that was sort of mean, but I had to end it there, 'cause the next part has no stopping point for a few pages, or more, and my hands are now sore from my other story. So, what do you think of Ray so far? I was thinking of making her a smart-aleck little bitch, but thought better of it. *Grin *
