...........................................................................................~* BROKEN HOME
.........................................................................................................................Rhapsody~*
Yamcha watched Bulma out of the corners of his eyes as she moved around his kitchen like she lived there, preparing food for them. Things should have always been this way, he told himself. This is how things should have turned out. For once, he was grateful for Vejita's hot temper and harsh accusations-- if he were a decent person then Bulma would never have come here. He smiled to himself wistfully. He had been missing her for years now, and it seemed that it was finally his time to shine in Kami's eyes.
"What are you staring at?" Bulma asked, pausing in her food preparations. "Yamcha?"
Yamcha broke out of his daze and offered a warm smile. "Nothing-- just spacing out. I can't believe that you came HERE, of all places..."
Bulma opened her mouth as if to speak, closed it, then looked down at her feet uncertainly. "I- I really didn't have anywhere else to go. Goku's house will be the first place Vejita checks, if he actually does make an effort. And the Kami House will be second. He would never think that I would come here-- that would involve getting past his enormous ego." She shoved a knife into the loaf of bread she was slicing violently. Yamcha jumped and began to feel more than a little uncomfortable.
"That's true..."
"Of course it is," Bulma said smugly. "I haven't lived with the man for so long and gotten nothing out of it. I know exactly how that jackass operates by now!"
"Um, sure." Yamcha didn't truly think that anyone within their group of friends could really understand how Vejita thought, since he was a serial killer and all that, but if there was anyone that could, it was Bulma. Which further pushed the question-- why the hell WOULDN'T Vejita want to marry her? She was a catch, even by universal standards. The 'princess of planet Earth', you might say. "If you don't mind my asking-- what was his reason for not wanting to uh, tie the knot?"
Bulma dropped the knife, gave up, and turned sorrowful eyes to her ex-boyfriend. "I don't know." She looked pretty close to tears, Yamcha noticed with dismay. What could he say to a response like that? "Maybe its like what you've always said. Maybe he just wanted sex."
Yamcha couldn't help himself. "And he got it, right?"
"Of course," Bulma answered matter-of-factly, though her tone was bitter. "Or else Trunks wouldn't be here, would he?"
"I meant BESIDES that, B-chan."
"Don't call me that," Bulma protested quietly. "You haven't called me that since--"
"Since I cast you out onto the cold, rainy streets that one night," Yamcha finished for her. The idea of Bulma and Vejita having any sort of a sexual relationship made him surprisingly angry. "And hey, I'm sorry, but what's done is done. None of us can change it."
Bulma leaned against the kitchen sink, her eyes clouded over with memory. "No, we can't..."
Trunks looked all the way up and down the beach, but his mother was nowhere to be found. Even when his father blazed by in a flash of angry golden light, he remained hidden beneath the meager shelter that a rickety picnic bench offered. Even if his mother were not here, he would much rather stay here, alone, then face his happy-go-lucky grandmother, who would either pretend that nothing had happened or curse and blather on about how irresponsible Bulma was and how Vejita was keeping the small family afloat, would you believe that? Trunks didn't entirely understand, having not been alive to witness the drama that had come with his parents' controversial relationship, but he got the gist of it. After all, you didn't see Goku and Chichi fighting and running out on each other all the time.
"Its stupid," he growled to nobody in particular. "Its just plain stupid!"
The rain started coming down harder, thoroughly soaking his clothes and sending a chill through his little, vulnerable body. Trunks stubbornly raised what little ki he had and flicked his tail back and forth irritably as he strolled down the beach, picking up any interesting shells he found along the way.
"Damn them both!" The sound of the swear word rolled nicely off his Saiyan tongue, as it had his father's so many times. Swearing felt good, and Trunks was glad that nobody was here to tell on him. His mother would scream at him good if she could hear. "Damn, damn, damn!"
He took the small handful of shells he had picked up and tossed them into the churning ocean. The waves kept on threatening to pull him back out to sea with them, and it was getting a little bit scary. He adjusted his course so that he would not be swept out into the water and pressed on, headed for a clump of palm trees that loomed ahead of him. He was getting a little tired, and that looked like as good a place as any to rest for a minute. He plopped down onto the damp sand, thankful for a moment off his feet. He had walked nearly a mile and a half to get here, and that was a long distance for little legs like his to travel. He had been sitting there, bored out of his mind, for almost a half-hour, shivering and still damp, when he finally succumed to sleep.
Trunks dreamt of an important wedding that he could not attend.
Vejita hated to do it, but it seemed like it was his only option. Bulma was nowhere to be found. She was either very near water (damn the stuff for drowning out ki) or in the city someplace, blended in with all of the other weak human ki's. In most situations he would have been able to find her, but for some reason he was having trouble. Something was itching at the back of his mind, like it was trying to make itself known but didn't have the means to. Going to Goku's for help was the last thing that Vejita felt like doing at the moment, but for all he knew, the woman had retreated into the open arms of Yamcha the Bastard, and if that was the case... well, it wouldn't be pretty.
Goku was waiting for him when he arrived, having felt both the alarming increase in his ki and Vejita's rapid movement. His face clearly expressed worry. Even Goku wasn't stupid enough to make light of such a serious situation. But, as it turned out, Goku knew something that Vejita didn't.
"What happened?" he asked eagerly when Vejita touched down. "Where are Bulma and Trunks?"
"Trunks?" Vejita immediately tried to find his ki, and found it missing also. "Dammit!"
"She didn't..." Goku trailed off, knowing that this was case by the look on Vejita's face. "She did. I'm guessing that she took Trunks, too. What happened?"
Vejita scowled. "She didn't take the brat, I left him at home, pouting. He took off on his own. And its none of your business."
Goku understood Vejita's situation almost perfectly. "So there was an argument. Over what, if you don't mind my asking?" Chichi stepped out onto the porch beside her husband, wearing an apron and holding a spoon covered in spaghetti sauce. He motioned for her to be quiet.
"Also none of your business," Vejita snapped, his eyes moving over to Chichi. She returned his glare.
Goku scratched the back of his head. "Well, if you aren't going to tell me anything, then I don't think that I'm going to be able to help you. You see, where Bulma would run depends on what kind of mood she's in. I'm really sorry, Vejita..."
His fellow Saiyan's face twisted into an expression of extreme irritation, but it didn't seem to have an effect on Goku. "She was bothering me about that ridiculous human tradition again!"
"Marriage? I would hardly call that a silly tradition." Chichi shook her head. "I can hardly blame her. This is all your fault! If you would just suck up your stupid pride then--"
Goku interuppted her wisely. "I don't think that she would to go Yamcha..."
"She would," Vejita corrected him bitterly. "The bastard pulled her aside earlier and fed her some shit about being 'friends' again."
"So that's why you were distracted!"
"Distracted? I kicked your ass, Kakkarott!"
Goku shook his head. "Yes, but you weren't as aggressive as usual. I guessed that something was wrong. But anyway-- I know where Yamcha's appartment is."
"I think that you're all silly to be worrying about Bulma," Chichi exclaimed. "Trunks is somewhere wandering around, alone and unprotected. Honestly, Vejita, what's wrong with you?!"
"I know that the brat can take care of himself, that's what!" Vejita exclaimed angrily. If Chichi weren't a woman and Goku's wife he would have attacked her, but luckily that was not the case. "I don't recall asking for your opinion."
"She's right, Vejita," Goku agreed a bit sheepishly. "If Bulma is at Yamcha's, then she's okay. But Trunks..." He shook his head. "Who knows where he is?"
Vejita did feel concern for his son, but it was Bulma that came first and foremost in his mind. He would never had admitted it, but losing her was one of his greatest fears, and there weren't many. Now, the thought of losing her to YAMCHA... that was something that he absolutely could not allow to happen. He briefly considered going off without Goku, but thought the better of it. Trunks didn't even know how to fly yet, after all.
"Fine," he consented. "Have any bright ideas?"
Goku thought for a moment. "Well, looking for his ki would be the best thing to do. You're more sensitive to him then I am-- can you feel anything?"
"Obviously not." Vejita crossed his arms. "I wouldn't have asked your opinion if I knew were the kid was!"
Goku laughed. "Oh yeah! Maybe if we combine our power we'll be able to feel something--"
"I am not fusing with you!" Vejita said adamantly. "I have no desire to be fused with the universe's most notorious idiot."
"All right then," Goku said a bit uncertainly. "We won't fuse."
"If I can't feel his ki, then he's probably near the ocean."
Chichi covered her mouth with her hand. "Or dead..."
Vejita turned smoldering black eyes to her, but otherwise did not comment. The possibility had never crossed his mind. His son could not be dead. He was sure of it. Trunks had probably figured out the situation and taken off in a fit of anger. It seemed like something the kid would do. It sounded like something he himself would have done at Trunks' age. He massaged his throbbing temples and sighed.
"Thanks for your cheerful insight," he snapped. "Come on, Kakkarott-- I want to be home in time to get some sleep."
Bulma was sipping half-heartedly at a can of pop when Yamcha, who had been watching television, jumped out of his seat in alarm.
"What is it?" she asked, getting to her feet also. "What's going on?"
Yamcha's brown eyes were wide. "Vejita and Goku-- they're headed this way, and Vejita's ki is way up there. Maybe even Super Saiyan. Oh Kami, oh Kami, he's gonna pound me..." He began pacing back and forth nervously, muttering to himself.
"Calm down," Bulma advised him. She moved to the window, trying to get a glimpse of tell-tale golden light. "I wonder why Goku's with him? Vejita wouldn't go to him unless something serious was happening. I hope that Trunks is alright."
Yamcha suddenly stopped his pacing and sighed in relief. "They've turned away, towards the ocean I think. Maybe your ki is blending with the rest of the humans' and they can't sense you."
"I hope that that's the case," Bulma said softly. "I just can't believe that he's actually making an effort to resolve this. Its definitely not what I expected him to do."
"Yeah well, Vejita isn't exactly a predictable guy," Yamcha commented dryly.
"You'd be surprised." Bulma moved away from the window and sat down again, her eyes focused on the television. "Hopefully he'll surprise me and give up."
Yamcha nodded. "Hopefully."
They both knew that this wouldn't happen, but nothing more was said.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
(A/N): I'm so glad that I'm able to update this at a steady rate now! I wish that I could say the same for 'Pitch Black'... I'm not having writer's block, but I'm having some trouble getting everything out the way I would like to. Ughhh... I've been extremely busy lately, so that accounts for the delay also. But never fear, they'll be an update soon. There's been a disappointing lack of response to this fic so far (-_-;;), so please remember to REVIEW!!!!!
Rhapsody~*
HawaiianBabay@aol.com
AIM Hawaiian Babay
__________________________________________________________________________________________
.........................................................................................................................Rhapsody~*
Yamcha watched Bulma out of the corners of his eyes as she moved around his kitchen like she lived there, preparing food for them. Things should have always been this way, he told himself. This is how things should have turned out. For once, he was grateful for Vejita's hot temper and harsh accusations-- if he were a decent person then Bulma would never have come here. He smiled to himself wistfully. He had been missing her for years now, and it seemed that it was finally his time to shine in Kami's eyes.
"What are you staring at?" Bulma asked, pausing in her food preparations. "Yamcha?"
Yamcha broke out of his daze and offered a warm smile. "Nothing-- just spacing out. I can't believe that you came HERE, of all places..."
Bulma opened her mouth as if to speak, closed it, then looked down at her feet uncertainly. "I- I really didn't have anywhere else to go. Goku's house will be the first place Vejita checks, if he actually does make an effort. And the Kami House will be second. He would never think that I would come here-- that would involve getting past his enormous ego." She shoved a knife into the loaf of bread she was slicing violently. Yamcha jumped and began to feel more than a little uncomfortable.
"That's true..."
"Of course it is," Bulma said smugly. "I haven't lived with the man for so long and gotten nothing out of it. I know exactly how that jackass operates by now!"
"Um, sure." Yamcha didn't truly think that anyone within their group of friends could really understand how Vejita thought, since he was a serial killer and all that, but if there was anyone that could, it was Bulma. Which further pushed the question-- why the hell WOULDN'T Vejita want to marry her? She was a catch, even by universal standards. The 'princess of planet Earth', you might say. "If you don't mind my asking-- what was his reason for not wanting to uh, tie the knot?"
Bulma dropped the knife, gave up, and turned sorrowful eyes to her ex-boyfriend. "I don't know." She looked pretty close to tears, Yamcha noticed with dismay. What could he say to a response like that? "Maybe its like what you've always said. Maybe he just wanted sex."
Yamcha couldn't help himself. "And he got it, right?"
"Of course," Bulma answered matter-of-factly, though her tone was bitter. "Or else Trunks wouldn't be here, would he?"
"I meant BESIDES that, B-chan."
"Don't call me that," Bulma protested quietly. "You haven't called me that since--"
"Since I cast you out onto the cold, rainy streets that one night," Yamcha finished for her. The idea of Bulma and Vejita having any sort of a sexual relationship made him surprisingly angry. "And hey, I'm sorry, but what's done is done. None of us can change it."
Bulma leaned against the kitchen sink, her eyes clouded over with memory. "No, we can't..."
Trunks looked all the way up and down the beach, but his mother was nowhere to be found. Even when his father blazed by in a flash of angry golden light, he remained hidden beneath the meager shelter that a rickety picnic bench offered. Even if his mother were not here, he would much rather stay here, alone, then face his happy-go-lucky grandmother, who would either pretend that nothing had happened or curse and blather on about how irresponsible Bulma was and how Vejita was keeping the small family afloat, would you believe that? Trunks didn't entirely understand, having not been alive to witness the drama that had come with his parents' controversial relationship, but he got the gist of it. After all, you didn't see Goku and Chichi fighting and running out on each other all the time.
"Its stupid," he growled to nobody in particular. "Its just plain stupid!"
The rain started coming down harder, thoroughly soaking his clothes and sending a chill through his little, vulnerable body. Trunks stubbornly raised what little ki he had and flicked his tail back and forth irritably as he strolled down the beach, picking up any interesting shells he found along the way.
"Damn them both!" The sound of the swear word rolled nicely off his Saiyan tongue, as it had his father's so many times. Swearing felt good, and Trunks was glad that nobody was here to tell on him. His mother would scream at him good if she could hear. "Damn, damn, damn!"
He took the small handful of shells he had picked up and tossed them into the churning ocean. The waves kept on threatening to pull him back out to sea with them, and it was getting a little bit scary. He adjusted his course so that he would not be swept out into the water and pressed on, headed for a clump of palm trees that loomed ahead of him. He was getting a little tired, and that looked like as good a place as any to rest for a minute. He plopped down onto the damp sand, thankful for a moment off his feet. He had walked nearly a mile and a half to get here, and that was a long distance for little legs like his to travel. He had been sitting there, bored out of his mind, for almost a half-hour, shivering and still damp, when he finally succumed to sleep.
Trunks dreamt of an important wedding that he could not attend.
Vejita hated to do it, but it seemed like it was his only option. Bulma was nowhere to be found. She was either very near water (damn the stuff for drowning out ki) or in the city someplace, blended in with all of the other weak human ki's. In most situations he would have been able to find her, but for some reason he was having trouble. Something was itching at the back of his mind, like it was trying to make itself known but didn't have the means to. Going to Goku's for help was the last thing that Vejita felt like doing at the moment, but for all he knew, the woman had retreated into the open arms of Yamcha the Bastard, and if that was the case... well, it wouldn't be pretty.
Goku was waiting for him when he arrived, having felt both the alarming increase in his ki and Vejita's rapid movement. His face clearly expressed worry. Even Goku wasn't stupid enough to make light of such a serious situation. But, as it turned out, Goku knew something that Vejita didn't.
"What happened?" he asked eagerly when Vejita touched down. "Where are Bulma and Trunks?"
"Trunks?" Vejita immediately tried to find his ki, and found it missing also. "Dammit!"
"She didn't..." Goku trailed off, knowing that this was case by the look on Vejita's face. "She did. I'm guessing that she took Trunks, too. What happened?"
Vejita scowled. "She didn't take the brat, I left him at home, pouting. He took off on his own. And its none of your business."
Goku understood Vejita's situation almost perfectly. "So there was an argument. Over what, if you don't mind my asking?" Chichi stepped out onto the porch beside her husband, wearing an apron and holding a spoon covered in spaghetti sauce. He motioned for her to be quiet.
"Also none of your business," Vejita snapped, his eyes moving over to Chichi. She returned his glare.
Goku scratched the back of his head. "Well, if you aren't going to tell me anything, then I don't think that I'm going to be able to help you. You see, where Bulma would run depends on what kind of mood she's in. I'm really sorry, Vejita..."
His fellow Saiyan's face twisted into an expression of extreme irritation, but it didn't seem to have an effect on Goku. "She was bothering me about that ridiculous human tradition again!"
"Marriage? I would hardly call that a silly tradition." Chichi shook her head. "I can hardly blame her. This is all your fault! If you would just suck up your stupid pride then--"
Goku interuppted her wisely. "I don't think that she would to go Yamcha..."
"She would," Vejita corrected him bitterly. "The bastard pulled her aside earlier and fed her some shit about being 'friends' again."
"So that's why you were distracted!"
"Distracted? I kicked your ass, Kakkarott!"
Goku shook his head. "Yes, but you weren't as aggressive as usual. I guessed that something was wrong. But anyway-- I know where Yamcha's appartment is."
"I think that you're all silly to be worrying about Bulma," Chichi exclaimed. "Trunks is somewhere wandering around, alone and unprotected. Honestly, Vejita, what's wrong with you?!"
"I know that the brat can take care of himself, that's what!" Vejita exclaimed angrily. If Chichi weren't a woman and Goku's wife he would have attacked her, but luckily that was not the case. "I don't recall asking for your opinion."
"She's right, Vejita," Goku agreed a bit sheepishly. "If Bulma is at Yamcha's, then she's okay. But Trunks..." He shook his head. "Who knows where he is?"
Vejita did feel concern for his son, but it was Bulma that came first and foremost in his mind. He would never had admitted it, but losing her was one of his greatest fears, and there weren't many. Now, the thought of losing her to YAMCHA... that was something that he absolutely could not allow to happen. He briefly considered going off without Goku, but thought the better of it. Trunks didn't even know how to fly yet, after all.
"Fine," he consented. "Have any bright ideas?"
Goku thought for a moment. "Well, looking for his ki would be the best thing to do. You're more sensitive to him then I am-- can you feel anything?"
"Obviously not." Vejita crossed his arms. "I wouldn't have asked your opinion if I knew were the kid was!"
Goku laughed. "Oh yeah! Maybe if we combine our power we'll be able to feel something--"
"I am not fusing with you!" Vejita said adamantly. "I have no desire to be fused with the universe's most notorious idiot."
"All right then," Goku said a bit uncertainly. "We won't fuse."
"If I can't feel his ki, then he's probably near the ocean."
Chichi covered her mouth with her hand. "Or dead..."
Vejita turned smoldering black eyes to her, but otherwise did not comment. The possibility had never crossed his mind. His son could not be dead. He was sure of it. Trunks had probably figured out the situation and taken off in a fit of anger. It seemed like something the kid would do. It sounded like something he himself would have done at Trunks' age. He massaged his throbbing temples and sighed.
"Thanks for your cheerful insight," he snapped. "Come on, Kakkarott-- I want to be home in time to get some sleep."
Bulma was sipping half-heartedly at a can of pop when Yamcha, who had been watching television, jumped out of his seat in alarm.
"What is it?" she asked, getting to her feet also. "What's going on?"
Yamcha's brown eyes were wide. "Vejita and Goku-- they're headed this way, and Vejita's ki is way up there. Maybe even Super Saiyan. Oh Kami, oh Kami, he's gonna pound me..." He began pacing back and forth nervously, muttering to himself.
"Calm down," Bulma advised him. She moved to the window, trying to get a glimpse of tell-tale golden light. "I wonder why Goku's with him? Vejita wouldn't go to him unless something serious was happening. I hope that Trunks is alright."
Yamcha suddenly stopped his pacing and sighed in relief. "They've turned away, towards the ocean I think. Maybe your ki is blending with the rest of the humans' and they can't sense you."
"I hope that that's the case," Bulma said softly. "I just can't believe that he's actually making an effort to resolve this. Its definitely not what I expected him to do."
"Yeah well, Vejita isn't exactly a predictable guy," Yamcha commented dryly.
"You'd be surprised." Bulma moved away from the window and sat down again, her eyes focused on the television. "Hopefully he'll surprise me and give up."
Yamcha nodded. "Hopefully."
They both knew that this wouldn't happen, but nothing more was said.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
(A/N): I'm so glad that I'm able to update this at a steady rate now! I wish that I could say the same for 'Pitch Black'... I'm not having writer's block, but I'm having some trouble getting everything out the way I would like to. Ughhh... I've been extremely busy lately, so that accounts for the delay also. But never fear, they'll be an update soon. There's been a disappointing lack of response to this fic so far (-_-;;), so please remember to REVIEW!!!!!
Rhapsody~*
HawaiianBabay@aol.com
AIM Hawaiian Babay
__________________________________________________________________________________________