Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ... yadda yadda yadda...

AN: Hey everybody!!! Sorry about the LATENESS of this update!!! It just took me awhile to get off my fat ass and start typing. And I didn't even finish typing the whole chapter!! But at least I got most of it done. WARNING: This part might contain some mushy stuff, a lack of action, and OCC-ness.

For those who can't remember what happened last time:

***

Bulma's eyes widened. "Was he… there?"

"Yes! He's a Saiyan now… This is just too hard to explain. I'll tell you everything tomorrow."

"Okay then. Oh by the way, can you do me a favour and keep this a secret? I don't want anyone to know that I've come back from the dead."

"Yeah, sure. I won't tell a soul. You better explain to me where you've been all these years. I'll see you tomorrow then. I can't wait! Goodnight, Bulma."

"Good night." Bulma said as she hanged up. She then stared into space as her mind started spinning. If Vegeta was a Saiyan and he was there… did that mean that she saw him?

Bulma blinked and shook her head. She then started to smile. I can't believe it! I'm going to see Vegeta again! After all these years… I don't know if I'm ready for it yet, she thought to herself.

She turned the keys and the engine roared to life. She gripped onto the steering wheel and put her foot down on the gas pedal. She then slowly drove out of the carport.

***

And now presenting... the new chapter...

Unforeseen Life: Tokyo 2084

By mistY AnGeL (pink_angel91@hotmail.com)

Chapter 3: Return (a)

West Capital City, Bishoku Cafe, Tokyo, Japan

Outside the entrance

Tuesday, January 11, 2084. 8:00 hours

A silver Mercedes convertible pulled along the side of the road and the driver stuck her head out.

"This must be the one…" Bulma muttered as she parked right outside the entrance. She took off her shades and grabbed her backpack. She then opened the door and stepped outside. It was a rather hot day and she was wearing a tight black sleeveless top that was very short at the bottom. Her toned abs could be seen. She was also wearing low baggy black pants with a thick silver chain draped across her right side (basically she looks like an Asian gangster chick). Her long blue hair was let down and it almost reached up to her waist. The upper part of her arm was bandaged (from that deep cut).

Bulma took a deep breath as she saw the cafe. I hope all goes well, she thought to herself.

Bulma entered the cafe and a waitress kindly greeted her.

"Hello Miss. How can I help you?"

Bulma stared at her and then smiled. "I'm with a friend. We've made a reservation. It's under the name Briefs."

The waitress checked the list and nodded. "Your friend has already arrived. She's on table 38. It's to your left."

Bulma turned left and scanned the side of the room. She then saw a raven haired girl sitting by the window. Her side was towards Bulma and she knew instantly who it was.

The girl turned around to Bulma's direction and her eyes widened. "Oh my god… Bulma?!?!"

Bulma nodded and smiled at her. ChiChi stood up excitedly and then ran to embrace her friend.

"Bulma!! I can't believe you're finally here!! Just look at you! You haven't changed all that much. You just look so much more… lanky and prettier."

Bulma laughed. "Well, yeah. I guess you could say I've learnt a hell lot of martial arts."

Bulma studied ChiChi's features. Her hair was still as black as ever and it was shorter than before. Instead of the usual bun that she had in high school, she now tied it half up half down. Besides her hair, she didn't look much different. Just older and more mature. Her clothes were also different. Instead of the usual long skirts she used to wear, she was now wearing a short sleeved tight white fitted blouse and black pants.


"C'mon, Bulma. Let's sit down," ChiChi said as she bulled her friend towards the table.

Bulma seated herself and grabbed the menu. "So what exactly happened to that mission yesterday?"

ChiChi sighed. "Well, they all came back in the middle of the night. Around 3 or 4a.m and they looked really tired. From what my Goku told me, apparently the androids locked the hostages in some abandoned warehouse. They then found the hostages and released them. I guess this pissed off the androids and I don't know what happened after that."

Bulma tried to get all that through her when a waiter interrupted them.

"May I have your orders?"

Bulma nodded. "Yeah, I'll have a vegetable omelet, baked potato with bacon and sausages. And a cup of cappuccino."

"I'll have the same thing," ChiChi added.

The waiter scribbled the orders down his notepad, discarded the menus and walked away.

Bulma turned back to ChiChi. "So how have you been all these days?"

ChiChi gave her a sad smile. "To tell you the truth, not too great. Dr. Gero's army just gets stronger each time. I'm so worried about the state that Goku's in. The missions are always so dangerous. And your father… he works very hard to try to invent something that will destroy these androids. What about you, Bulma? You're father never really told us what happened. He just wouldn't talk about it. That's why… we assumed that you were dead…"

Bulma stared into a space for a few seconds. She didn't really know how to answer her.

"I'll start from the beginning. Five years ago, I was living in the states with my parents. During that time, the attacks of the androids had already begun. One day, some people who worked for Dr. Gero came and took me and my mom away. They demanded my father to work as Dr. Gero's partner. When my dad refused, they killed my mom. Right in front of our eyes. You have no idea how bad it is to witness the death of your very own mother. I was so scared, I thought I would be next. They then took me away, leaving dad all by himself. I expected them to kill me. But instead, they made an offer. They traded my life for being part of the team. At first I didn't want to take up their offer but then I realised that if they spared me, I might have a chance to escape."

"Does this have something to do with Vegeta?" ChiChi butt in.

Bulma stared down. "You could say that. They taught me everything. From combat to cracking high security codes. I learnt five different types of martial arts. One day I decided to escape. I couldn't stand living on the same side as the bad guys. I just packed my things and crept out in the middle of the night. From all that training, it was an easy task. When they found out, they started to search for me. I managed to break into the American Medical Research Building because I knew that was the place I could find information about my father. I then came here to Tokyo to look for him. They found me last night. I don't really wanna run from place to place."

ChiChi's eyes widened. "So that's where you've been all these years… Your father must have flown straight to Tokyo when they took you away. When we heard about you, we all didn't wanna believe it."

Bulma gave her friend a smile. "Hey, I'm still alive, aren't I?"

ChiChi laughed. "Yeah, I always had that little hope in me that one day you would return. You should have seen the look on Vegeta's face when we thought you were dead. I guess you can say he went deathly pale."

Bulma's face expression suddenly saddened and her voice became softer. "So how has he been all these years?"

ChiChi shrugged. "I guess he's coping. After you left for the states, he sort of changed. He was colder than before and for all those years, he has remained single. Can you believe it? He won't even LOOK at a female."

The waiter suddenly walked towards the table, placing plates and cups on it.

Bulma picked up her knife and fork and started cutting the omelet.

"Do you still remember when we were in high school?" she asked taking a mouthful of egg.

ChiChi nodded. "Of course! I remember everything… because those were the best months of my life. And even now… you are the best friend I ever had…"

Bulma nodded. "You remember that camp trip?"

"Yes! How can I forget that? It was horrible yet good."

Bulma nodded as her mind started to drift back to the past…

*Flashback*

A large white ship sailed across the dark blue sea and small islands slowly passed by. Bulma looked up and stared at the clouds that seemed to darken.

"Hey, Juu, look at the sky. I hope it doesn't start to rain," Bulma said as she turned to Juuhachigou, who looked up with a frown.

"I sure hope not. Today's suppose to be a fun day. I don't want to get drenched!"

"Yeah. We should have picked an activity that everyone else is doing instead of 'sightseeing'." Bulma replied.

"Vegeta and Goku are doing hiking while everyone else is doing archery. I wouldn't mind either of them."

"Yeah, me either." Bulma leaned against the edge of the ship and stared down at the blue water. She then looked up again to see dark clouds rolling across the sky. "It looks like it's going to storm."

Suddenly, a crack of thunder sounded followed by lightning. Bulma's eyes started to widen and she looked at her friend. "This does not sound very good…"

The speed of wind started to increase causing Bulma to shiver as she untied the thin sweater from around her waste. She quickly pulled the sweater on. More lightning struck and soon the sky started to darken. (AN: Sounds like something that would happen in Passions when Charity became evil, LOL ^_^).

Soon, people were screaming at the impact when the ship became unsteady from the violent waves. The noise of the waves started to get louder and then droplets of rain started to fall.

After a few minutes, the rain became very heavy and the wind became almost unbearable. The captain tried to calm them down.

"Everybody! Listen up, I did not expect this. Please try to calm down- oh fuck!"

The ship hit a large mountain of rock which rested at the side of an island. Bulma screamed as she got flung across the wet wooden floor. Juuhachigou quickly rushed to the side, almost falling herself.

"Bulma! Are you okay??? Oh my god!!! The ship is leaking!!! We're going to sink and die!!"

"Calm down, Juu. I'm pretty sure we can think of something…"

Suddenly, the wooden floor beneath them started to break into pieces and people screamed as they clung dearly to the edge. (AN: Yes, I know. This is starting to sound like Titanic. Well, it's not supposed to be THAT dramatic).

Juuhachigou frantically scanned at the water beneath her as she saw Bulma floating in the water. "Bulma!! Grab onto my hand!!"

Bulma looked around and saw Juu. She then swam towards her and held onto a wooden plank.

*End of Flashback*

Bulma took her cup of coffee and laughed at herself for how she reacted during that time. After getting used to jumping off planes and tall buildings, screaming on a sinking ship just seemed hilarious.

"I suppose during that time it must have been very scary for you," ChiChi said.

Bulma nodded as she sipped her coffee. "Yes, actually. Very scary. I was so relieved when everyone got to that small island."

"Who would have thought that a hurricane would appear at that time?"

"Yeah, I know. I guess we were just unlucky."

"But what happened on that island wasn't funny…"

Bulma suddenly stopped sipping her coffee as she stared at ChiChi. ChiChi frowned at her. "Was it something I said?"

Bulma shook her head. "No. It's just that… I never really thought about it until you've mentioned it."

ChiChi nodded understand her friend. "Did you know that me and the gang didn't get any sleep at night?? We were so worried about you. And Vegeta was angry…. Very angry…"

*Flashback*

"What the fuck do you mean the ship is missing???" Vegeta bellowed at the camp counselor.

"Well, the ship disappeared from our radar!! We can't see it anymore!" the counselor tried not get too scared from Vegeta's fury.

"Well then why the hell are you standing here?!?!?! DO something about it!!!" Vegeta gripped his fists even tighter.

"We can't do anything about it now!! We can't start searching until the storm has passed!!"

Before Vegeta could punch the counselor in the stomach, Goku rushed to his side and put a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon man, all this anger isn't gonna do us any good."

Vegeta pushed Goku's hand off his shoulder and stomped away to the cabins.

ChiChi walked to Goku's side and slid her arm around his waist. "Poor Vegeta, he doesn't realise it but he's showing a lot of concern for Bulma. What can we do about it?"

Goku pulled ChiChi towards his chest. "All we can do now is pray that everyone's okay."

***

Bulma shivered as she sat inside the dark cave. She was wet from head and toe and the captain of the ship was trying to get a campfire going.

"Let's go help collect some firewood," Juuhachigou said.

Bulma nodded and the two of them stood up and walked deeper inside the cave.

"It's really dark in here," Bulma commented as they continued walking.

"Hey, there're some twigs here. Help me get some," Juuhachigou said as she bent down and collected some twigs. Bulma walked towards her and crouched down. She then felt something tap her foot. She decided to ignore it and she reached out to grab some pieces of wood. She then felt the tapping again.

"Juu, what is it??" Bulma asked.

Juuhachigou looked at her friend in confusion. "Huh? I didn't do anything."

"If you're not doing anything… then who's tapping my feet…" Bulma looked down and saw a thin snake twirl itself around her ankle. She let out a blood curdling scream as she jumped up and tried to shake the snake off. Juuhachigou fell backwards from Bulma's sudden movement. The snake clung even tighter around Bulma's foot. She then felt a sharp sting on her legs.

"Oh my god… I think it bit me!!" Bulma cried out as the snake finally decided to let go. "What if it's poisonous??"

Juuhachigou ran to her side and examined her foot. "I really don't know, Bulma… Only time can tell.."

*End of Flashback*

Bulma gripped tighter onto her coffee cup even tighter as those memories haunted her. She started to shudder. "God, it was so bad. And after awhile, my temperature started to rise and I just blacked out. I had no idea what was going out until I woke up…"

ChiChi nodded. "And you didn't wake up until a few days later… You know, after you guys were rescued we rushed you to the hospital. And Vegeta barely left your side during those few days." She noticed her friend's glum look. "I'm so sorry for bringing up the past."

"It's okay, really," Bulma said softly. Suddenly, ChiChi's phone started to ring and she quickly grabbed her Nokia.

"Hello?? (pause) Hey Goku!! (pause) I'm ummm… I'm at this cafe. I just decided to eat breakfast by myself. (pause) Yes, I'll be there soon. Bye"

ChiChi put her phone back in her pocket and started standing up. "Look, Bulma. I really have to go now. Goku's looking for me. Thank you for everything. I'm just so happy to know that you're right here in Tokyo, it lifts a heavy load off my shoulders." She paused for awhile before continuing. "You know, I'm very sure that some other people are still caught up by your 'death'"

Bulma shook her head. "If you're talking about Vegeta, I can't see him, at least not now. I just… don't think I'm ready to see him yet."

ChiChi nodded. "I understand. But I do hope you show up at the headquarters one day soon. That would be great."

"I hope that you can keep this meeting a secret."

"Don't worry, Bulma. I will," ChiChi said. "C'mon, let's go. I'll pay the bills."

"No, I will." Bulma said, flashing her credit card.

Both of them walked to the main counter as Bulma paid for the meals. They then headed out of the door.

"You just have to call me sometime," ChiChi said softly. Bulma nodded and both of them hugged each other. When they let go, Bulma waved goodbye before stepping into her car.

West Capital City Underground Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan

Unit 02, Main office

Tuesday January 11, 2084, 10:15 hours

Vegeta sat down on his chair and turned on his computer. It had not been a very busy morning but he was extremely tired from the previous night. He could feel the breeze blowing into his half buttoned dark shirt as he typed his username and password.

He could hear the radio blaring loudly the next door. Scowling, he was about to stand up to close his door when he recognised the song that was playing.

[ Sorry I never told you
All I wanted to say ]

He decided to just try and ignore the music. He browsed round his computer and wasn't really concentrating on what he was doing. He accidentally clicked on the ID folder and the words appeared on the screen:

Search for a name: _

Without even realising, Vegeta reached to the keyboard and punched a few keys.

Search for a name: Bulma_

Searching….

One Name(s) found:

Bulma Briefs

Vegeta clicked on her name and then saw a list appear:

Surname: Briefs

First Name: Bulma

DOB: 9th February 2061

Address: Unknown:

Status: Single

Description: Last seen at her Californian beach house in USA in 2077. Presumed dead.

For more details, please press 'enter'

Vegeta stared at the screen as the words glued into his head. Presumed dead. He started to remember the last time he saw her. It was seven years ago and he wondered what she looked like right now. He knew that although she was most likely to be dead, he had some hope that one day she will return to his side.

[ And now it's too late to hold you,

'Cause you've flown away,

So far away… ]

He remembered the first time when he realised he had feelings for her. It was when she was in an accident during camp and was in hospital for a week.

*Flashback*

"What the fuck is wrong with her??? Tell me now!!!" Vegeta snarled at the nurses. They all backed away feeling petrified. Goku ran towards Vegeta's side and tried to calm him down.

"Just sit down. We'll find out when the doctor checks up on her," Goku said softly and the two of them sat down in the waiting room. Juuhachigou, ChiChi and Krillin remained looking expressionless. Yamcha sighed and looked at the clock on the wall.

"It's been twenty minutes already. What's the hold up??" Yamcha complained.

Suddenly, the door flew open and Bulma's parents bounded in. Mrs. Briefs had a tissue in her hand.

"How is my poor baby doing?" Mrs. Briefs wailed as saw the glum faces.

Dr. Briefs walked to a spare seat and sat down.

"What is taking so long..." Vegeta growled. He then stood up and started walking towards the door.

"What do you think you're doing??" Goku yelled out but Vegeta opened the door and headed out of the room.

"Just let him be, that guy needs some time alone," ChiChi said.

Meanwhile, Vegeta headed towards the room that Bulma was staying at. He saw a doctor open the door and slowly walk out. He quickly walked towards the doctor, eyeing him. The doctor sadly shook his head.

"Things are not going very well. Most of the poison has started to spread through her body. We are not sure if she will survive through this. It will all depend on how stable her body is."

"What chance does she have of surviving??" Vegeta demanded.

The doctor did not answer him. Vegeta got angry and placed his hands on the doctor's shoulders. "Tell me now!!"

After a few seconds, the doctor finally told him. "20%..." he whispered.

Vegeta's eyes widened, thinking that he had heard wrong. "I must talk to her now."

"She's still in a coma. Although she is not consciously awake, she can still hear you subconsciously. If she wakes up within the next 48 hours, she will survive. But if she doesn't… then her chances will be even slimmer…"

***

For the next 45 hours, everyone prayed and hoped that she would wake up. But time was running out. During the 46th hour, Vegeta quietly stepped into her room and sat on the chair beside her bed.

[ Never had I imagined

Living without your smile ]

He stared at her closed eyes and her long blue hair rested perfectly on her sides. A tube ran down from her hand.

"Woman, wake up," Vegeta said softly. He wanted to clutch onto her shoulders and shake her to life but he knew he couldn't.

"I know I haven't been the nicest person to you in the past but there's some things that I should tell you in case I… never get a chance to tell you again…" Vegeta quickly closed his mouth and mentally slapped himself. Never in his life has he ever pushed his pride so far by telling someone how he felt.

What the hell… No one's in the room so it wouldn't matter, he thought to himself.

"Sometimes, I feel something that I've never felt before. And as much as I hate to admit it, that feeling scares me. I suppose I try to push those feelings away… But I can't." Vegeta felt frustrated as the sleeping girl in front of him remained expressionless. Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and held onto it.

[ Feeling and knowing you hear me

It keeps me alive,

So alive… ]

"Woman… just wake up goddamnit!!" his voice started to get louder. All of a sudden, he felt a squeeze on his hand. He looked down and saw Bulma's fingers slowly started to move and wrap around his own hand. A soft moan escaped her lips and she started to cough.

As quick as lightning, Vegeta hit a red button beside her bed and in a matter of seconds, nurses and doctors rushed into the room.

"What is going on???" the doctor asked.

"The woman is finally starting to wake up!!!" Vegeta said trying to not show his excitement.

The doctor's rushed to Bulma's side and quickly started to examine her. Bulma quickly let go of Vegeta's hand as he stood up and watched from a distance.

**End of Flashback**

Vegeta ran his fingers through his hair and he took a sip of his coke. Those memories just wouldn't go away. Even if it happened a very long time ago, they were still fresh in his mind.

"I should get a grip of myself… She's dead and not coming back," he said to himself. He started to think back to that day five years ago when Dr. Briefs arrived at Tokyo.

**Flashback**

"They killed my wife… right in front of me and my daughter's eyes…" Dr. Briefs said in a sad and quiet voice.

"And what about Bulma? What did they do to her???" Goku asked. Everyone was intensely watching Dr. Briefs. He shook his head and kept his head hanging low.

"Please… I do not wish to talk about it…"

ChiChi let out a soft sob as tears started to roll down her cheeks. She didn't want to believe that her best friend was dead.

Vegeta quickly stood up and started to head out of the door. He felt a sharp pain claw into his heart and now his whole body felt numb. He could barely hear what his friends were telling him. He just walked out of the room to get away from everything.

[ And I know you're shining down on me from heaven

Like so many friends we've lost along the way

And I know eventually we'll be together

One sweet day… ]

**End of Flashback**

There was a loud knock on the door, rudely interrupting Vegeta's thoughts. Vegeta's head snapped up and saw a blue haired woman standing in the doorway.

"What do you want, Marron?" he demanded.

Marron slowly walked into the room, wearing her tight red short dress and she placed her hands on the table and leaned forward. "I just thought that we could have a little chat or something."

Vegeta disgustingly turned away. "I don't think so. I don't have that much time on my hands to waste with you."

Marron shrugged. "Maybe a chat over a coffee break?"

"Have you forgotten??? I don't drink coffee!!"

"Well, then maybe something else," Marron said seductively as she sat down on the table. "You know, I always admired that sexy body of yours…"

A loud cough from the doorway made her to stop and she quickly turned around and glared at the intruder. Piccolo glared back at her. She then got off the table and walked towards the door. Before she reached it, she turned around and winked at Vegeta. "Call me sometime." She then walked out of the room.

Feeling annoyed, Piccolo quickly closed the door.

"That girl really pisses me off. Anyway, I'm here to inform you about Dr. Briefs' new invention. It's called a virtual reality training chamber. The name says it all."

Vegeta started to raise an eyebrow. "And what do you want me to do with it??"

Piccolo started to cross his arms over his chest as he leaned against the door. "Well, he needs people to test it out for him. Are you man enough to handle this?"

Vegeta smirked and started to rise from his chair. "You bet."

Piccolo smirked back at him and opened the door. "Then let's get out here."

They both then exited the room.

West Capital City Underground Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan

Unit 02, Facility Laboratory #7

Tuesday January 11, 2084, 11:00 hours

"Alright, this is the bomb detonator. It will start the countdown from the time that it is set," Lunch said as she pointed to a silver thin device.

Yajirobe yawned and nodded as he watched. He was extremely bored from all the military know-how. He grabbed the detonator from Lunch's hand and examined it. "Why is there a green button and a red button??" he asked.

"Well, the green button is used when you need a countdown. If you press the red button, the bomb will instantly go off," Lunch droned on.

"And what's so special about this pathetic looking bomb??" Yajirobe said, eyeing the small object on the floor close to them.

"Well, my dear friend, if you listened to me earlier than you would know that this 'pathetic looking bomb' can actually take out this whole headquarters."

"Really? That's pretty mad. And you designed this all yourself?" Yajirobe asked and watched Lunch nod. "That's really good."

"Thank you!" Lunch said as she smiled.

"So can I test this thing out?" Yajirobe said, pointing a finger above a button, as if he was going to press it.

"No, don't!! It's still only at its experimental stages!" Lunch exclaimed. Not realising that Yajirobe was kidding around, she dove at him, causing the detonator to fly out of his hands.

The detonator flew up and then landed on the floor. The impact of it caused the green button to be hit.

Everybody in the whole room froze when they heard a humming noise coming from the device. Lunch quickly got up and ran towards it. Her eyes widened when she saw what had happened.

Time set. 02:00 .. 01:59 .. 01:58 .. 01:57 .. 01:56

"Oh shit! The bomb is set to go off in two minutes!!! And unless we do something about it, we're all gonna get our asses burnt!" Lunch yelled.

"Then what are we going to do??" Yajirobe said as he panicked.

01:52 ..

01:51 ..

01:50 ..

"I told you!! It's only in the experimental stages!! We only just completed the detonator control. Someone help me find how to stop this thing!!" Lunch said as she frantically wandered around the room.

She turned around and looked at the time.

01:47 ..

01:46 ..

01:45 ..

"Oh god… Where is that blue print…" she said as she pulled open the drawers. The other scientists were quickly flipping through all the stacked sheets of paper. If they didn't find the blue print soon… it would be the end of the headquarters.

AN: So whaddya think guys??? I'll update the rest of the chapter when I finish writing it. More action in the next chapter!!! Please review and give me some inspiration!!