AN: Here's your day-to-day Vejita/Buruma…er…something. -__-;; Sorry about the lateness…okay, "lateness" was an understatement. A very BIG one. Titanic. *sighs* But, with the start of a new year of school, me racing against time to finish my other fic (and I did…three weeks after the predicted time. -__-;;), and starting two new fics…well, I think you get the point, ne? So, now, in total, I have three fanfictions (including this one). But the one of the two isn't quite "up and running" yet. (There's a DBZ one and a CCS [Card Captor Sakura] one. The former features Vegeta and Trunks, mostly. BTW, that one's up.)
One last thing- this beginning scene with Bulma/Buruma is a slightly exaggerated account of my experience cooking- if you can call boiling water cooking. Yes, I suppose one might call me a bad cook…but it's all relative, right? RIGHT??
Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapters.
Through Thick and Thin
Chapter Nineteen: Being and Becoming
Buruma huffed as she stirred the pot of heating water absentmindedly. "That arrogant pig! That smelly, self-centered, selfish, stuck-up, sexy…" She blinked…and promptly yelled an expletive to the empty house.
"I HATE YOU, VEJITAAAA!" As if emphasizing her outburst, the pot of water began to boil over, bubbling and frothing. Without thinking, Buruma took the handle of it to move it over- and immediately withdrew it, causing the pot to crash to the floor and steaming water spilling onto the linoleum. Rapidly shaking her burned hand back and forth and blowing on it, she cried an indistinct sound of pain and frustration. Suddenly, the still-going fire burst into even larger flames and scorched the top of the ceiling- then suddenly dissipated and disappeared.
Buruma really didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
She settled on just kicking the stove with all her might, causing a fairly large dent to appear in it. "Strangely satisfying," she mused after observing her "handiwork" on the stove- which, by the way, was one of her father's inventions.
Raucous laughter broke her (unhealthy) thoughts. "My, my," Vegeta smirked. "What do we have here? The "princess" trying to- what? Cook, or experiment? Smells horrid; probably the latter. Either way…" Vegeta paused as he walked over and examined the area. "I don't think you were quite successful. Why, you practically burned a hole through the ceiling!… Not that that's hard to do, mind." He snorted nonchalantly. "I could probably just flick my finger-" Vegeta demonstrated the previously said- "-and, boom."
Buruma clenched her jaw angrily. Usually, whoever was the cause of that would back slowly away as is she were a bull ready to stampede. But Vegeta was not afraid…unfortunately.
"It would behoove you to go now," Buruma growled, " My temperament isn't exactly one of an angel, however much I look the part." Vegeta raised an eyebrow elegantly. Not bad- not bad at all. Why, she would've made an almost decent Saiya-jin. Although he didn't want to admit it, the woman was smart- and seemed to have a temper. Vegeta made a mental note to ask Kakarott about this strange woman and her exact origins.
'Maybe Carrot's mate would know,' Vegeta though absentmindedly. 'But the woman's LOUD, for this pathetic Chikyuu Kami's sake. I honestly have no clue what that third class baka sees in her. I suppose that idiotic Chikyuu-jin saying it true- "two of a feather do stick together." How very typical of Kakarott to embody a Chikyuu-jin cliché.' Vegeta rolled his eyes in disgust.
'Chikyuu lover.'
"Hellooo? Vejitaaaa?" Buruma waved a hand in front of Vejita's face, and by instinct, Vejita grabbed her hand quickly. Buruma instantly gasped in pain, and Vejita let go slowly.
"Kami, Vejita! What the hell was that for?!"
Vejiat just stared at her, and said coolly, "I think that should be a lesson never to startle me again."
"Damn straight," Buruma muttered, caressing her wrist and examining the lacerations on it. Vejita quirked an eyebrow. Never before had he heard a woman, Saiya-jin or not, curse as much as this one did. He snorted. She would be tolerable is she didn't have such an emotional complex. Loud, too- but not as much as Kakarott's to-be mate. 'Maybe it's just a Chikyuu-jin thing,' he thought distastefully.
"Why are you here, anyway?" Buruma asked Vejita as she was examining her wrist. Surprisingly, she didn't sound too annoyed or disappointed.
"I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry! I'm not going to be your personal slave, Vejita!"
"I'm a Saiya-jin. Of course I'm hungry." Vejita rolled his eyes at Buruma, smirking when she made an audible sound of frustration.
"You know what? Forget it. Make your own food- there's peanut butter and jelly in the fridge. I'm sure a Saiya-whatever prince can handle that." Vejita puffed out his chest.
"If course! This peanut butter and jelly will bow down before me!"
Buruma started laughing and clutched her stomach. "Yeah, you go do that, Vejita," she said in between bursts of giggles. "Conquer the PB & J."
Vejita raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Are you mocking me, woman?" He growled, while strolling over to the fridge and breaking the door off it.
"Hey! That thing was expensive!"
"I'm sure you can fix it."
Buruma started to protest, until she realized what he had just said. 'That- that was…Oh my Kami! IT WAS! Vejita just complimented me, however subtly! …And I'm WAY too happy about this…' "Er, yes, I suppose I can," she answered lamely, still thinking about the fact that Vejita had said something slightly nice to her.
"Of course," Vejita snorted indignantly. "You're the smartest Chikyuu-jin I've met-" Buruma choked, "-But, then again, as I've only met Kakarott, his mate, and those two other ones- the baldies-, that's not saying much."
Buruma rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks." In truth, though, her heart had flown up to her throat- maybe all the way to her brain; she couldn't think of even a mediocre comeback.
Suddenly, a wad of gushy tan-ish stuff flew into her face and stuck there. "MMPH?!" Wiping the unknown substance off her face, she glared at Vejita who was looking WAY too innocent. "WHAT was that?!"
"Peanut butter, why do you ask? It really wasn't a hard task to defeat it, all I had to do was-"
"ARE YOU MOCKING ME?"
"Yes. Yes, I am." Buruma's eyes narrowed to two slits, and she flung the peanut butter back at her foe. It was blasted in mid-air by a small pink beam, which then went through the window and hit the sidewalk, creating a long, black streak.
Buruma stalked out, completely ignoring Vejita's triumphant and ever-present smirk.
~~~
"VEJITA!! WHAT IN KAMI'S NAME DID YOU DO TO MY TOWELS?!" Receiving no answer, Buruma huffed and went to her guest's room, only to find that the window was open, creating a frigid atmosphere in that room and the hall. "…Vejita?" Buruma's voice had an obviously concerned tone to it. "Where are you?"
"Here, woman," A gruff voice answered- it seemed to be on the roof.
"Where?!"
Buruma heard a sigh, and a short, curt chuckle- that seemed to be- nah…it couldn't be…fond?
Suddenly, Buruma felt a pair of strong, firm arms wrap around her waist and lift her out the window. "ACK! VEJITA, DON'T…" Her voice faded and she saw the stars; Buruma realized that she was now on the roof of Capsule Corp. She turned to her companion, who was gazing at them silently, and seemed to be lost in his own world.
'What…?' Buruma shivered, but not from the cold. 'Oh-my-dear-Kami.' She spoke. "A-Aa…Vejita…"
"What?" Buruma started at the sound of his voice; could he have been crying? There was a certain raspy lilt to it…
"What are you doing up here?"
"Thinking. Planning. Thinking that I shouldn't be planning." Yes. There it was. There was a catch in his voice…
Buruma laid a hand gently on his arm. He flinched and a glow started to form in his right hand, but quickly faded. Buruma smiled. He trusted her? He trusted her…her. "I see."
"Do you, really?"
Buruma started, then sighed. "No, not really. But here on Chikyuu, that's supposed to be comforting whenever someone says it."
"Really? How interesting." Buruma didn't say anything, and Vejita continued, "It doesn't work, though. Not at all."
"…Do…Um…Can you tell me about it?"
"About what?" Vejita snapped.
"Whatever's bothering you."
"Nothing is bothering me! Whatever gave you THAT idea?!" Vejita ranted. "I mean, what, do you have some sort of psychic ability to tell what people are thinking?!"
Buruma smiled sadly. "No. I wish. But…as an answer to your question…I can just tell, with you at least. You can't hide your emotions from m- everybody."
"You, you mean." Buruma felt her cheeks heating up.
"I didn't say that!"
"But that's what you meant," Vejita replied, the familiar smirk coming to his face.
"Possibly…" Vejita just shrugged in reply and continued to stare at the heavens.
"…It's Frieza."
Buruma blinked. What? "Pardon?"
"That's what's bothering me, woman."
Buruma wanted to shout for joy. She had broken through his wall! Success! "Why?"
He turned to look at her, and Buruma was surprised to find that his eyes were shining. "Why!? Because I'm scared of him! Scared of becoming him! …And it's already happening," He added shakily.
'Holy Kami. Who knew Vejita had so much insight?' "You figured it out," Buruma replied simply.
"I already knew."
"I see…"
Vejita chuckled bitterly. "It really, really doesn't help."
And so, for the rest of the night- until the sunrise kissed the horizon- the two sat in companionable silence… just watching.
AN: Sorry for the fluffiness, I couldn't resist. ^^;; And, if Vejita seemed OOC- well, he's a bit different in this story. Much more angsty, and you have probably already seen. Through experiences unknown (at least to Buruma and the rest of the gang), he's gained much more insight and/or wisdom than her did in the actual series. …then again, who knows? Perhaps Vejita was hiding something from us through DBZ…^.^ (BTW, chained my penname. AGAIN. It won't happen for a long time, I swear!)
--Ryne