The host warily glanced up at the unusual group before him. One was a woman with pink-hair falling down to mid-back. She was wearing a deep green Chinese dress and seemed to be in the middle of an uncontrollable sneezing fit. The blue feline which floated beside her was guiltily trying to put as much distance between herself and the sniffling woman. In front of them stood two boys, each dressed in uncomfortable looking black suits.
"Reservation for four, Tereda," stated the pink-haired woman as she politely blew her nose into a handkerchief.
The host gave an icy look at the feline. "Right this way," he drawled, ushering them to a table in a corner.
Trunks politely pulled out Megumi's seat for her. She smiled gratefully at the young boy. Goten did the same favor for Pu'ar. Then they took their own seats.
"Do you see them?" asked Trunks, scanning the crowded dining room for signs of Yamcha or his date.
"Maybe they're not here yet," suggested Goten as he craned to get a better view.
"No, I see Kinomoto-san right there," stated Megumi. "She's there in the pink dress. The one with blue hair pulled into two buns. They just arrived."
Yamcha escorted his date to their table. He moved forward to pull out her chair, but Usagi held up her hand.
"I'll get it. I like to think I'm a modern, independent woman," she stated, chuckling slightly.
Yamcha laughed nervously and tugged at his collar. He slipped into the chair across from Usagi as she primly sat down. She smiled encouragingly at him.
"Don't worry. You earned brownie points for trying," she stated, her eyes sparkling with silent laughter.
Yamcha grinned at her and unfolded his menu. "Sorry. I just haven't really dated for a long time," he explained as he stared intently at the menu.
"Same here," replied Usagi. "I just got out of a long-term relationship myself."
"Oh?" Yamcha squirmed slightly. He smiled and tried his best to look interested. However, he felt like he was going to pass out instead.
Usagi shrugged her shoulders casually. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be," she stated wistfully. "Difference of opinion and all."
"If you don't mind me asking, what was it over?" asked the dark-haired man as he dared to glance at her. He mentally noted that she was quite attractive. She had a slender form with gentle curves. Yellow-gold eyes contrasted the soft blue of her hair. A small smile quirked on the corner of Yamcha's lips.
"Children," stated the young woman bluntly. She looked up and met his eyes, trying to gauge his reaction.
Yamcha raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, you wanted them, he didn't?"
Usagi nodded firmly. She glanced shyly at him. "What do you think about children?"
Yamcha thought of his "nephews," Trunks and Goten, and smiled. "I like children. It feels strange to think of having one of my own. It takes a lot of responsibility and I want to make sure I'm completely ready, so I can be the best possible father."
Usagi simply stared at Yamcha, a soft glow to her eyes. "That is so sweet!" she cooed. She covered her mouth and let out a girlish giggle. "Not many guys approach it that way."
Yamcha grinned. "I'm not most guys."
"No, you don't seem to be," replied the young woman, a cryptic smile crossing her lips.
As the night wore on, Yamcha found himself loosening up. It was easy to do around Usagi. Her sweet personality drew him out and he found it easy to talk to her. And they had a lot in common. The same taste in movies and music. Usagi had even taken a few martial arts classes, though she had never earned a belt. The conversation was going great and the meal had promptly arrived.
Usagi primly folded her napkin and set it on the table. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go powder my nose," she stated with a grin.
Yamcha followed her with his eyes as she made her way across the restaurant. When he turned back he was surprised to find Usagi's chair occupied. Megumi smiled sweetly at him.
"How's it going?" she whispered conspiratorially, leaning in close.
Yamcha blinked. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"Can we not go out for dinner?" asked Megumi with mock innocence.
"'We'?" croaked Yamcha. It was only then that he noticed Pu'ar floating to the right and slightly behind him. He was flanked on either side by Goten and Trunks.
"Are you in love with her yet, Uncle Yamcha?" asked Goten eagerly.
"Stupid," snorted Trunks. "It takes at least a couple more hours before he could be in love with her."
"I'm not stupid," replied Goten, leaning across Yamcha's lap. He stuck out his tongue at his best friend. Trunks returned in like.
Yamcha sighed and gently pushed the boys apart. "Things are going just fine for your information," he stated airily. He turned to Pu'ar and gave her a 'you-should-know-better' look. The feline just smiled and swished her tail back and forth.
"Tereda-san?" asked a slightly confused voice from behind the warrior.
The group turned to see that Usagi had returned. She was studying the new additions with great interest.
"Kinomoto-san!" replied Megumi, gracefully standing up and pulling out the chair she had occupied. "Ever so sorry, but we just wanted to have a little chat with Yamcha-san. We won't interrupt any longer."
Usagi smiled as she slipped back into her chair. "It's awfully nice of you to check on him like that, Tereda-san." There was a coolness to Usagi's voice that made Megumi smile nervously.
"Come on boys. We had better leave Uncle Yamcha alone now," stated the pink-haired girl, leading Trunks and Goten away.
"Bye, Uncle Yamcha," they called out in unison.
"'Uncle Yamcha'?" asked Usagi delicately.
The dark-haired man shrugged. "They're not really my nephews. I'm a family friend. They're sort of adopted me as their uncle."
Usagi grinned, the last remains of her defensiveness melting away. "That's adorable," she cooed. "They seem to be sweet little boys."
Yamcha choked on his drink. "Yeah…sweet…," he grumbled. Carefully, he steered the conversation away from his "nephews."
The rest of the night went smoothly. After dinner, Yamcha and Usagi strolled through the park. The moon shone beautifully across the inky-blackness of the pond. The weather was perfect, with a cool breeze rustling the trees in a dreamy sort of manner. Yamcha silently thought that even Kami-sama seemed to be on his side tonight.
At the end of the evening, Yamcha walked Usagi to her front door. They stood shyly in underneath the porch light, both reluctant for the night to end. The dark-haired man hesitantly reached down and took her two small hands in his own.
"Would you mind if I called you tomorrow?" asked Yamcha softly.
A brilliant smile appeared on Usagi's face. "I would love that!"
Yamcha grinned. "I'll call you tomorrow after I get off work. About seven, or so. Is that okay?"
"Wonderful," breathed Usagi.
For a moment they stood still on the front stoop. Yamcha was unsure what the best course of action would be so he opted for chivalry. He brought one hand to his lips and gently kissed the top of it. Usagi let out a soft giggle.
"Sweet dreams," murmured Yamcha.
"You too," replied Usagi.
She smiled over her shoulder as she slipped inside the front door. Yamcha grinned and then sauntered back to the car. That had gone a lot better than he had thought it would.
*
Megumi pulled into the driveway in front of the residence area of Capsule Corp. She had already dropped off Pu'ar and now she had to deliver the children. She glanced at the two boys in the rearview mirror. They were curled up next to one another, fast asleep.
She was barely out of the car when the door opened and Bulma walked out, followed closely by her husband. Megumi had only met Vegeta a few times, but she noted that his disposition didn't seem to change regardless of what time of day it was. The short man nodded and grunted a greeting before taking the boys in his arms and heading back inside.
"How did it go?" asked Bulma eagerly.
"It seemed to go very well," replied Megumi, as she ran her fingers through her thick, rose-colored hair. "It makes me nervous though. To think it's going this well with the first one."
The blue-haired woman grinned and nudged her secretary. "Way to go, Megumi-chan. You probably just jinxed it."
Megumi laughed. "We'll see. I'll see you tomorrow at work."
The two women said farewell and then Megumi slipped into the car. Bulma watched as the taillights disappeared into the darkness and then went back inside to her husband.
*
Yamcha stretched tired muscles as he entered the apartment. It was six o'clock the next day. He wanted to have a bite to eat and a shower before he called Usagi. That had been the only thing on his mind all day long. He couldn't wait to hear her voice again.
He stepped inside to the air-conditioned apartment and tossed his keys onto the small table in the front foyer. A small scrap of paper was left there. He picked it up and read it; Pu'ar had left the note to let him know she had gone over to Master Roshi's to spend the day with Oolong.
Yamcha grumbled up the note and trudged through the living room to the kitchen. He lazily shot the paper ball into the trash can and then checked the answering machine.
"Ten messages?" he asked out loud to the empty apartment. On a good day he got about five at the maximum. Cautiously he hit the play button.
Messages one through four were Usagi; she just wanted to tell him how much fun she had last night. Message five was a telemarketer. Messages six through eight were Usagi again; she wanted to know if he was really at work. Message nine was Kuririn calling to remind him about having lunch at Kame House that weekend. Message ten was Usagi bawling into the receiver because Yamcha wouldn't pick up.
Yamcha deleted the messages and wearily dialed Usagi's number. He distinctively remembered promising to call her at 7:00 and she had said that would be fine. He wasn't sure what had spurred the urge to leave so many messages.
"Hai, moshi moshi," greeted Usagi after two rings.
"Usagi-san?" asked Yamcha softly.
"Oh," replied the woman, her voice turning steely. "Hello, Yamcha."
He was baffled by her reaction. "Is something wrong? I got your messages…"
"Well, I've been trying to call all day," interrupted Usagi, sounding exasperated.
"I was at work. Remember, I told you I would call tonight…"
Usagi broke in again. "Were you really at work? I mean, how can I trust you when you tell me that? You could be anywhere...with anybody…"
"I beg your pardon?" asked Yamcha, feeling completely baffled.
Now she began to cry. "You don't have to get so mean with me!" she replied. "I just don't want you going off somewhere when I don't know where you are."
"But Usagi-san, you did know where I was!" argued Yamcha, beginning to lose his cool.
"How can I be sure you're telling me the truth?" whimpered the woman.
"You're right. You can't be sure," answered Yamcha glumly.
"You admit it! Bastard!" And then she hung up.
Yamcha stared at the receiver for a moment before hanging up. Obviously, there had been other issues that her and her ex hadn't been able to resolve. Sighing, he dialed the number to Megumi's office and left a message on her voice mail. Then he grabbed a beer out of the fridge and crashed on the couch to wait for Pu'ar to come home.
"Reservation for four, Tereda," stated the pink-haired woman as she politely blew her nose into a handkerchief.
The host gave an icy look at the feline. "Right this way," he drawled, ushering them to a table in a corner.
Trunks politely pulled out Megumi's seat for her. She smiled gratefully at the young boy. Goten did the same favor for Pu'ar. Then they took their own seats.
"Do you see them?" asked Trunks, scanning the crowded dining room for signs of Yamcha or his date.
"Maybe they're not here yet," suggested Goten as he craned to get a better view.
"No, I see Kinomoto-san right there," stated Megumi. "She's there in the pink dress. The one with blue hair pulled into two buns. They just arrived."
Yamcha escorted his date to their table. He moved forward to pull out her chair, but Usagi held up her hand.
"I'll get it. I like to think I'm a modern, independent woman," she stated, chuckling slightly.
Yamcha laughed nervously and tugged at his collar. He slipped into the chair across from Usagi as she primly sat down. She smiled encouragingly at him.
"Don't worry. You earned brownie points for trying," she stated, her eyes sparkling with silent laughter.
Yamcha grinned at her and unfolded his menu. "Sorry. I just haven't really dated for a long time," he explained as he stared intently at the menu.
"Same here," replied Usagi. "I just got out of a long-term relationship myself."
"Oh?" Yamcha squirmed slightly. He smiled and tried his best to look interested. However, he felt like he was going to pass out instead.
Usagi shrugged her shoulders casually. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be," she stated wistfully. "Difference of opinion and all."
"If you don't mind me asking, what was it over?" asked the dark-haired man as he dared to glance at her. He mentally noted that she was quite attractive. She had a slender form with gentle curves. Yellow-gold eyes contrasted the soft blue of her hair. A small smile quirked on the corner of Yamcha's lips.
"Children," stated the young woman bluntly. She looked up and met his eyes, trying to gauge his reaction.
Yamcha raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, you wanted them, he didn't?"
Usagi nodded firmly. She glanced shyly at him. "What do you think about children?"
Yamcha thought of his "nephews," Trunks and Goten, and smiled. "I like children. It feels strange to think of having one of my own. It takes a lot of responsibility and I want to make sure I'm completely ready, so I can be the best possible father."
Usagi simply stared at Yamcha, a soft glow to her eyes. "That is so sweet!" she cooed. She covered her mouth and let out a girlish giggle. "Not many guys approach it that way."
Yamcha grinned. "I'm not most guys."
"No, you don't seem to be," replied the young woman, a cryptic smile crossing her lips.
As the night wore on, Yamcha found himself loosening up. It was easy to do around Usagi. Her sweet personality drew him out and he found it easy to talk to her. And they had a lot in common. The same taste in movies and music. Usagi had even taken a few martial arts classes, though she had never earned a belt. The conversation was going great and the meal had promptly arrived.
Usagi primly folded her napkin and set it on the table. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go powder my nose," she stated with a grin.
Yamcha followed her with his eyes as she made her way across the restaurant. When he turned back he was surprised to find Usagi's chair occupied. Megumi smiled sweetly at him.
"How's it going?" she whispered conspiratorially, leaning in close.
Yamcha blinked. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"Can we not go out for dinner?" asked Megumi with mock innocence.
"'We'?" croaked Yamcha. It was only then that he noticed Pu'ar floating to the right and slightly behind him. He was flanked on either side by Goten and Trunks.
"Are you in love with her yet, Uncle Yamcha?" asked Goten eagerly.
"Stupid," snorted Trunks. "It takes at least a couple more hours before he could be in love with her."
"I'm not stupid," replied Goten, leaning across Yamcha's lap. He stuck out his tongue at his best friend. Trunks returned in like.
Yamcha sighed and gently pushed the boys apart. "Things are going just fine for your information," he stated airily. He turned to Pu'ar and gave her a 'you-should-know-better' look. The feline just smiled and swished her tail back and forth.
"Tereda-san?" asked a slightly confused voice from behind the warrior.
The group turned to see that Usagi had returned. She was studying the new additions with great interest.
"Kinomoto-san!" replied Megumi, gracefully standing up and pulling out the chair she had occupied. "Ever so sorry, but we just wanted to have a little chat with Yamcha-san. We won't interrupt any longer."
Usagi smiled as she slipped back into her chair. "It's awfully nice of you to check on him like that, Tereda-san." There was a coolness to Usagi's voice that made Megumi smile nervously.
"Come on boys. We had better leave Uncle Yamcha alone now," stated the pink-haired girl, leading Trunks and Goten away.
"Bye, Uncle Yamcha," they called out in unison.
"'Uncle Yamcha'?" asked Usagi delicately.
The dark-haired man shrugged. "They're not really my nephews. I'm a family friend. They're sort of adopted me as their uncle."
Usagi grinned, the last remains of her defensiveness melting away. "That's adorable," she cooed. "They seem to be sweet little boys."
Yamcha choked on his drink. "Yeah…sweet…," he grumbled. Carefully, he steered the conversation away from his "nephews."
The rest of the night went smoothly. After dinner, Yamcha and Usagi strolled through the park. The moon shone beautifully across the inky-blackness of the pond. The weather was perfect, with a cool breeze rustling the trees in a dreamy sort of manner. Yamcha silently thought that even Kami-sama seemed to be on his side tonight.
At the end of the evening, Yamcha walked Usagi to her front door. They stood shyly in underneath the porch light, both reluctant for the night to end. The dark-haired man hesitantly reached down and took her two small hands in his own.
"Would you mind if I called you tomorrow?" asked Yamcha softly.
A brilliant smile appeared on Usagi's face. "I would love that!"
Yamcha grinned. "I'll call you tomorrow after I get off work. About seven, or so. Is that okay?"
"Wonderful," breathed Usagi.
For a moment they stood still on the front stoop. Yamcha was unsure what the best course of action would be so he opted for chivalry. He brought one hand to his lips and gently kissed the top of it. Usagi let out a soft giggle.
"Sweet dreams," murmured Yamcha.
"You too," replied Usagi.
She smiled over her shoulder as she slipped inside the front door. Yamcha grinned and then sauntered back to the car. That had gone a lot better than he had thought it would.
*
Megumi pulled into the driveway in front of the residence area of Capsule Corp. She had already dropped off Pu'ar and now she had to deliver the children. She glanced at the two boys in the rearview mirror. They were curled up next to one another, fast asleep.
She was barely out of the car when the door opened and Bulma walked out, followed closely by her husband. Megumi had only met Vegeta a few times, but she noted that his disposition didn't seem to change regardless of what time of day it was. The short man nodded and grunted a greeting before taking the boys in his arms and heading back inside.
"How did it go?" asked Bulma eagerly.
"It seemed to go very well," replied Megumi, as she ran her fingers through her thick, rose-colored hair. "It makes me nervous though. To think it's going this well with the first one."
The blue-haired woman grinned and nudged her secretary. "Way to go, Megumi-chan. You probably just jinxed it."
Megumi laughed. "We'll see. I'll see you tomorrow at work."
The two women said farewell and then Megumi slipped into the car. Bulma watched as the taillights disappeared into the darkness and then went back inside to her husband.
*
Yamcha stretched tired muscles as he entered the apartment. It was six o'clock the next day. He wanted to have a bite to eat and a shower before he called Usagi. That had been the only thing on his mind all day long. He couldn't wait to hear her voice again.
He stepped inside to the air-conditioned apartment and tossed his keys onto the small table in the front foyer. A small scrap of paper was left there. He picked it up and read it; Pu'ar had left the note to let him know she had gone over to Master Roshi's to spend the day with Oolong.
Yamcha grumbled up the note and trudged through the living room to the kitchen. He lazily shot the paper ball into the trash can and then checked the answering machine.
"Ten messages?" he asked out loud to the empty apartment. On a good day he got about five at the maximum. Cautiously he hit the play button.
Messages one through four were Usagi; she just wanted to tell him how much fun she had last night. Message five was a telemarketer. Messages six through eight were Usagi again; she wanted to know if he was really at work. Message nine was Kuririn calling to remind him about having lunch at Kame House that weekend. Message ten was Usagi bawling into the receiver because Yamcha wouldn't pick up.
Yamcha deleted the messages and wearily dialed Usagi's number. He distinctively remembered promising to call her at 7:00 and she had said that would be fine. He wasn't sure what had spurred the urge to leave so many messages.
"Hai, moshi moshi," greeted Usagi after two rings.
"Usagi-san?" asked Yamcha softly.
"Oh," replied the woman, her voice turning steely. "Hello, Yamcha."
He was baffled by her reaction. "Is something wrong? I got your messages…"
"Well, I've been trying to call all day," interrupted Usagi, sounding exasperated.
"I was at work. Remember, I told you I would call tonight…"
Usagi broke in again. "Were you really at work? I mean, how can I trust you when you tell me that? You could be anywhere...with anybody…"
"I beg your pardon?" asked Yamcha, feeling completely baffled.
Now she began to cry. "You don't have to get so mean with me!" she replied. "I just don't want you going off somewhere when I don't know where you are."
"But Usagi-san, you did know where I was!" argued Yamcha, beginning to lose his cool.
"How can I be sure you're telling me the truth?" whimpered the woman.
"You're right. You can't be sure," answered Yamcha glumly.
"You admit it! Bastard!" And then she hung up.
Yamcha stared at the receiver for a moment before hanging up. Obviously, there had been other issues that her and her ex hadn't been able to resolve. Sighing, he dialed the number to Megumi's office and left a message on her voice mail. Then he grabbed a beer out of the fridge and crashed on the couch to wait for Pu'ar to come home.