Last time:
"Well, if you ever change your mind about that, give me a call, ok?"
"Trust me," he sighed, leaning in and giving her a small, but passionate, kiss on the lips. "You'll be the first person I call."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Vegeta sighed heavily and slid to the floor, his back leaning up against the closed door of the plane's bathroom. He put his head in his hands, growled in agitation, and banged the back of his head against the door. Bulma, who was on the other side of that door, yelped then hissed some choice insults. For two hours now she'd been in there. The door was locked and for ten minutes—after she'd first gone in—she'd held it shut with amazing strength. Vegeta benched four hundred pounds, and he couldn't get the door to budge. What he didn't know, of course, was that she worked out regularly as well, and had her determination working with her.
"Tell me again why you're doing this," he groaned. They were getting nowhere. Japan in less than an hour. This was NOT the way he wanted to spend his last few hours with her.
"I'm not going back," she hissed. "I told you that, fifty times. I'm staying on this damn plane."
"Forever?"
She didn't answer. But she didn't need to.
Two hours ago, after ruffling their hair and clothing on the couch, Bulma suddenly slipped from his embrace and began pacing the length of the cabin. Too astonished to speak, Vegeta only looked on.
"We have to stop doing that," she finally said, still walking.
"Doing what?"
"That," she snapped, pointing at the couch. "All that is going to do is make me want you even more. And if I can't have you, I don't want to want you. I have enough going on in my life right now, I don't need to keep playing ping-pong with my emotions."
"I told you," he snapped back, just as venomously, "that when we get home we're done. So it's not going to keep happening. It's done."
"No, you don't get it. It's not done today. Not until one of us actually stops it. And I know you sure as hell won't, so it's up to me. You have nothing at stake here."
"And why not? What the hell do YOU have at stake?"
"My heart," she hissed. "Something you don't have!"
Without giving him a chance to retort, she rushed into the bathroom and hadn't come out since, only saying that she didn't want the vacation to be over, because then "they" would be over. His only consolation was that there was never a "they".
"You know you have to come out when the plane lands, right?"
"Yeah…"
"If you come out," he sighed, rolling his eyes, "I'll make you a promise."
"Make it now," she demanded.
"See how things go when we get back…Maybe I was wrong…Maybe a relationship can work…Who the fuck knows…Maybe…"
The lock on the door clicked and Vegeta jumped to his feet. Moments later Bulma emerged, red-eyed and frazzled.
"I really hate guys sometimes," she sighed, allowing herself to be enveloped into his arms. "I don't fucking get you. You're screwing me up. I don't do shit like this. I don't fall for guys like you, and I certainly don't tell them about it…I hate you."
"Scotch?" was all he could say.
"If I don't get some, I'm jumping out of this plane myself," she said, forcing a laugh. She couldn't know that their trip had strengthened their bond in an irreversible way.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
For three hours, on the eve of their return, Bulma and Vegeta argued with their friends and family, all of who were expecting them back that day. Within an hour of their arrival, they were all gathered in the living room of Capsule Corp., voices high and emotions heated. The night ended in a fistfight with 18 and Vegeta. Vegeta's mother took him home, by the collar of his shirt, promising him he'd pay for his irresponsibility.
18 was the last to leave, and with reason. Bulma had to play doctor and bandage her lacerated cheek and stop her bloody nose.
"I'm really sorry about this," 18 said, checking Bulma's work in the mirror. "We should have warned you guys that me and Vegeta don't handle our anger with each other well. Three broken arms, five broken noses, too many fractures to count between us."
"And you're still friends?" Bulma found this impossible to believe.
"Couldn't be better. I know, it's weird, but it's how we deal with each other. Trust me, we're golden. When I leave here I'm heading over to his place to finish the fight."
"Excuse me?" Bulma's eyes nearly bulged from her sockets. "You're going to what?"
"Oh no!" 18 laughed, turning from the mirror. "No more punches. After we physically fight, we go our separate ways…well…we're forced our separate ways, and when we've cooled down, we talk things out. It never fails."
"I've never heard of something like that before. You rock stars…"
"I don't know about that. It's just how me and him are. I don't think Vegeta has a normal relationship with ANYONE though."
"Tell me about it," Bulma said under her breath.
"Huh?"
"Nothing…Well, you look fine to me. Better than my wonderful trip into a pyramid."
"You ok after the trial back there?"
"Oh yeah. It was amusing, actually. Nice to see our two groups mixing together so fluidly."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Vegeta looked up over the ice pack he'd had held to his black eye; it was already beginning to show noticeable color. When he saw who it was, he returned the pack and didn't say a word. 18 only continued into his room, knowing the routine all too well. She stood at the foot of his bed and smiled.
"What do you want?" he finally snapped.
She only continued to smile.
"Well?"
"How was your trip?"
"Don't patronize me."
"No, seriously." She dropped the smile and came to sit by him. "Really, how was it? Do you think you might actually have feelings for Bulma?"
He scoffed, but didn't answer.
"Fine. What'd you guys do then? Besides almost die in a pyramid."
"Well," he said, lowering his ice pack. "I finally got her into bed…willingly."
"Oh Vegeta," she sighed, shaking her head. That would explain Bulma's lack of back up to him during the twenty-person verbal brawl.
"And you want to know the best part?" he laughed. "I stopped."
18 froze, speechless.
"Me," he continued, still laughing, jabbing a finger into his chest. "We didn't have sex and it's because I stopped us. And—wait, this is good—I don't have a fucking clue why!"
"Maybe you care more about her than you realized," 18 offered. This was completely unexpected; normally they'd be reconciling their differences. But 18 knew how to distinguish between what was more serious. And this new situation was it.
"Or maybe," Vegeta fired back, "I'm just not attracted to snotty brains with the fashion sense of a three-year-old."
"You don't give a fuck how she dresses and you know it. You've told me countless times that you hate how your 'dates' try to dress to impress you. AND you despise 'dumb blondes'. You only date them to trick them. So don't try to fool me for a second with that bullshit."
"She's nothing to me, got it? A toy. A game. She's a challenge, and until I break her I'm not giving up."
"That's a lie!"
"Try me," he seethed, raising the ice back up to his eye.
"Fine then. Play the tough macho arrogant asshole. But I'm warning you, if you break her heart I will personally make sure you never even THINK of doing something like that to anyone again."
"What, like how you made me not want to fly off to Europe for no reason tonight?"
18 hissed and narrowed her eyes.
"Face it, you can't change me. And further more, I don't WANT to change. I like how I am. I can live with being a jerk and having everyone hate me for it. I have my reasons for who I am."
"Lots of people lose their parents, Vegeta!" 18 spat. "This isn't the only way for you to be! You chose the easy road from your problems. That's weak! Cowardly! You father would be so ashamed of you!"
Ten minutes later 18 and Vegeta sat in separate cars on their way to the emergency room.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"So, how are we going to win this?" 17 asked, trying to ignore his three bandaged friends. Vegeta's arm was in a sling, fractured at the elbow, and had several bandages on his face and hands. 18 had one bandaged hand, a broken finger, and similar bandages on her face. And Goku, well, he maintained the slowly healing arm and leg. 17 and Jun were the only unscathed people in the room.
"The only problem we have is Sen," Vegeta groaned. "Get her to shut up and the case will drop. Easy."
"No, not easy," Jun snapped. She slammed a copy of today's paper on the table in front of them. They turned to stone before her eyes. No one blinked for five minutes. "By tomorrow the whole world is going to know what fuck-ups you all are. You'll be lucky to play grade school birthday parties when this is over."
But no one was listening. They all stared at the front page heading of the paper: Sen Miyahara, Famous Japanese-Born American Author, Sues Popular Rock Group Green Dragon. The article went on to say that Vegeta Ouji had a one night stand with Sen, dumped her without explanation, then refused to take responsibility for a baby that he couldn't prove wasn't his. Halfway through, 18 was mentioned as a thief and a con-artist, who stole Sen's daughter's blood and took an illegal paternity test, which showed Vegeta to not be the father. Sen was suing for emotional stress, extreme weight loss due to that stress, endangerment of her child, bribing, and, of course, pain and suffering. The amount was staggering, even for Green Dragon.
"Well we can't settle!" 18 protested, pushing the newspaper away. "We'll be broke. We won't survive that kind of loss."
"You know," Jun said, eyeing them all with equal distain, "this little problem could have been easily avoided if you listened to me two years ago."
"That was, and still is, impossible!" Goku shouted, looking awkward as he tried to sit up properly. "This band is NOTHING without all four of us. None of our fans want to see any of us go and be replaced by some stranger. That's career suicide!"
"Who's going to miss a scum like Vegeta!?"
Vegeta didn't flinch. He was used to her insults by now.
"I'm the favorite," he laughed, his usual smirk pasted across his face. "Without me we're all out of jobs. Even you Jun. We happened to fall into your lap at the perfect time. We made you just as much as you made us. Without us you're screwed too. And without me, this band is nothing!"
"If we get through this," Jun seethed, "I NEVER want to hear of you screwing and dumping another girl, is that clear!?"
"Fine!" he roared back, slapping his hand on the table. "I don't need those whores anyway! I'm through with them!"
"That goes double for the Capsule heiress."
Vegeta baulked.
"She's an icon, Vegeta. You hurt her and you're done for. No one touches Capsule Corp., not even a Casanova like you."
"I refuse."
"Then we all burn."
"Vegeta," 18 whispered, pulling on his sleeve. He leaned in reluctantly. "You said yourself that it was only a game with her. Stop playing around and think about what you're putting at risk. It's either having a little fun or keeping your job and your dream. Don't be a jackass!"
"Fine," he sighed, looking around at everyone. "I'll stop seeing Bulma."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
In twenty minutes Sen was due in Jun's office with her lawyer, to have a little discussion as to whether there was going to be a trial or not. Sen wanted to make sure there would definitely be a trial, for she'd worked the entire scenario out in her head and had her story down perfectly. Only problem was that as she sat in the café down the street from Jun's office, she couldn't get HIM out of her head.
"Just focus," she told herself, stirring her tea that had long ago gone cold.
But the thoughts bombarded her and she slipped back into the past, into the heartbreak, into the time she'd changed completely and became the cold hard woman she was today.
"Hello? Holiday Inn Miami?…Yes, can you connect me to room 423? Last name Sugai…Please, check again. I can't have the number wrong…No one is in 423?…Was there someone this morning?…Ok. Thank you for your time…"
Thank you for your time. From that point on she would find herself saying that phrase countless times to people she went to for answers. But no one had the answers. Most hadn't even heard of who she was looking for. It was like he'd disappeared off the face of the planet. No explanation. No warning. No trace.
"Hello," she said, shaking hands with the manager of the Manhattan Bank. "I know this sounds strange, but I need some information regarding on of your clients."
"What is your relationship to the client, Miss…?"
"Miyahara. Sen Miyahara…I'm Mr. Sugai's girlfriend. We live together, on 33rd street."
"Sugai?"
Sen nodded sadly.
"He was a very respectable client of ours. We were very sorry to see him go."
"See him go?"
"Why yes. About a month ago he came in and closed all of his accounts. Said he got a job offer in another state."
"He CLOSED his accounts?"
"Yes ma'am."
"He said he was leaving town?"
"He was very excited about the new job. He said you and him would have a much better life."
"He mentioned me, by name?"
"Yes, I knew who you were when you told me your name. He talked about you often. But why, might I ask, are you still in Manhattan?"
"I…Just finishing up some business in the city. I'll be leaving soon as well…Uh…Thank you for your time, sir." She stood quickly and hurried out of his office before he had a chance to ask her why she'd come in the first place. When she got outside, she slumped against the side of the building and cried into her hands before a police officer stopped and asked if she was alright. "Bad day," she sighed, wiping her eyes. "But thank you." She continued home and started packing that night. Within three days she was ready and moved to Las Vegas, where she learned her fate as a mother, and found her loophole with Vegeta.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Well?" Chi-Chi asked, as Bulma returned to the living room with a tray of drinks and cookies her mother insisted she bring out.
"Well what?" Bulma sighed, setting down the tray. She plopped into the nearest chair and ignored the snacks and beverages. And so did everyone else.
"You know damn well what," Maris said. "Tell us everything."
"Everything will take too long. But hey, look on my bed. I brought back stuff for you guys. I forgot it upstairs."
"That's not going to work," Chi-Chi said. "You can't just fly off to Europe—"
"And Africa."
"—and Africa for almost a week and not tell us anything. Especially if it's with Vegeta! Come on B, stop holding out."
"Fine," she sighed. She grabbed an iced tea and took a small sip. "What do you want to know?"
"Did you have sex?"
"No. Next question."
"No?"
"Yes, no. Next question."
"Did you come close?"
"Yes."
"Well tell us!"
"Uh! Fine!" She set down her drink and leaned forward. "We were in Greece—" A gasp rippled through the group. "—and Vegeta rented this house in the mountains. Just for a night. And we just went to each other and were on the bed and…and he asked me if I really wanted to do it, because the last time it happened I pushed him away, and I said yes…and then we were…er…almost there and he just stopped. And I said something to him and he got mad and stormed out of the room. After that he called Jun and found out about the Sen bullshit and we had s'mores."
"Wait, you're telling us that he stopped you guys."
"Yup, that's what I'm telling you. AND he couldn't give me a reason. Typical guy…Ok, next question."
"Umm…Where else did you go?" She shrugged her shoulders. No question could top the last one.
"We went to Paris the first night. He bought me clothes and dinner and we went to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Then we went to Greece and you know what happened there…Then we went to Spain just to go to the Prado. Then—"
"The Prado!?" Maris gasped. "THE Prado? Kami! Did you see Bosch work!?"
"Of course," she laughed. Kami, they were so much alike. "That's the only reason we went."
"I'm so completely jealous of you."
"Thanks…So, anyway…Then we went to Egypt, which through me off 'cause I thought we were staying in Europe the whole time. We stayed with this nice couple and their children, and Chi! Kami! You'll love the clothes I brought back from there. Even I love them and you know how indifferent I am about clothes…So, anyway, we visited the pyramids around there and you know that's how I got my lovely bandages. But hey, at least I got to see some mummified people."
"Damn it Bulma," Maris sighed, finally leaning back into her seat. "If I go to HALF those places I'd be lucky."
"I'll tell you what. This summer, after we graduate, well, after me, Krill, and Chi graduate, we'll all go on a grand tour across Europe and Africa. I want to see temples and jungles and everything I couldn't see this time. Alright?"
Everyone nodded vigorously.
"Alright, now about our presents?"
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---Chapter 25! Am I cool or what? Heehee. I keep getting these chapters out. But I guess it's 'cause I have so many ideas and I'm really getting into the story myself. For awhile now I've had the whole thing outlined and I know how it's going to end and all the major stuff in between, it's just details that have been holding me up a little bit. But you can't complain, lol, 'cause I'm getting these chapters out SO quickly.
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Reviews=More Chapters)…And a chance to win a date with Vegeta!
Next time: The lawyers meeting…And who the hell does Sen keep thinking about!?
Note: Only the author of this story is eligible for the date with Vegeta :P
Another note: Sorry it's taking me so long to get Bulma and Vegeta together. I know how I am with stories, but I never planned on it taking this long. I guess I just didn't want to jump the gun with them so quickly because it's not like they know each other that well. Only three months as of now, so I didn't want Buma (or anyone else) looking like a slut…I promise they will get together, and soon! I'm planning it out and you will not be disappointed! :D
"Well, if you ever change your mind about that, give me a call, ok?"
"Trust me," he sighed, leaning in and giving her a small, but passionate, kiss on the lips. "You'll be the first person I call."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Vegeta sighed heavily and slid to the floor, his back leaning up against the closed door of the plane's bathroom. He put his head in his hands, growled in agitation, and banged the back of his head against the door. Bulma, who was on the other side of that door, yelped then hissed some choice insults. For two hours now she'd been in there. The door was locked and for ten minutes—after she'd first gone in—she'd held it shut with amazing strength. Vegeta benched four hundred pounds, and he couldn't get the door to budge. What he didn't know, of course, was that she worked out regularly as well, and had her determination working with her.
"Tell me again why you're doing this," he groaned. They were getting nowhere. Japan in less than an hour. This was NOT the way he wanted to spend his last few hours with her.
"I'm not going back," she hissed. "I told you that, fifty times. I'm staying on this damn plane."
"Forever?"
She didn't answer. But she didn't need to.
Two hours ago, after ruffling their hair and clothing on the couch, Bulma suddenly slipped from his embrace and began pacing the length of the cabin. Too astonished to speak, Vegeta only looked on.
"We have to stop doing that," she finally said, still walking.
"Doing what?"
"That," she snapped, pointing at the couch. "All that is going to do is make me want you even more. And if I can't have you, I don't want to want you. I have enough going on in my life right now, I don't need to keep playing ping-pong with my emotions."
"I told you," he snapped back, just as venomously, "that when we get home we're done. So it's not going to keep happening. It's done."
"No, you don't get it. It's not done today. Not until one of us actually stops it. And I know you sure as hell won't, so it's up to me. You have nothing at stake here."
"And why not? What the hell do YOU have at stake?"
"My heart," she hissed. "Something you don't have!"
Without giving him a chance to retort, she rushed into the bathroom and hadn't come out since, only saying that she didn't want the vacation to be over, because then "they" would be over. His only consolation was that there was never a "they".
"You know you have to come out when the plane lands, right?"
"Yeah…"
"If you come out," he sighed, rolling his eyes, "I'll make you a promise."
"Make it now," she demanded.
"See how things go when we get back…Maybe I was wrong…Maybe a relationship can work…Who the fuck knows…Maybe…"
The lock on the door clicked and Vegeta jumped to his feet. Moments later Bulma emerged, red-eyed and frazzled.
"I really hate guys sometimes," she sighed, allowing herself to be enveloped into his arms. "I don't fucking get you. You're screwing me up. I don't do shit like this. I don't fall for guys like you, and I certainly don't tell them about it…I hate you."
"Scotch?" was all he could say.
"If I don't get some, I'm jumping out of this plane myself," she said, forcing a laugh. She couldn't know that their trip had strengthened their bond in an irreversible way.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
For three hours, on the eve of their return, Bulma and Vegeta argued with their friends and family, all of who were expecting them back that day. Within an hour of their arrival, they were all gathered in the living room of Capsule Corp., voices high and emotions heated. The night ended in a fistfight with 18 and Vegeta. Vegeta's mother took him home, by the collar of his shirt, promising him he'd pay for his irresponsibility.
18 was the last to leave, and with reason. Bulma had to play doctor and bandage her lacerated cheek and stop her bloody nose.
"I'm really sorry about this," 18 said, checking Bulma's work in the mirror. "We should have warned you guys that me and Vegeta don't handle our anger with each other well. Three broken arms, five broken noses, too many fractures to count between us."
"And you're still friends?" Bulma found this impossible to believe.
"Couldn't be better. I know, it's weird, but it's how we deal with each other. Trust me, we're golden. When I leave here I'm heading over to his place to finish the fight."
"Excuse me?" Bulma's eyes nearly bulged from her sockets. "You're going to what?"
"Oh no!" 18 laughed, turning from the mirror. "No more punches. After we physically fight, we go our separate ways…well…we're forced our separate ways, and when we've cooled down, we talk things out. It never fails."
"I've never heard of something like that before. You rock stars…"
"I don't know about that. It's just how me and him are. I don't think Vegeta has a normal relationship with ANYONE though."
"Tell me about it," Bulma said under her breath.
"Huh?"
"Nothing…Well, you look fine to me. Better than my wonderful trip into a pyramid."
"You ok after the trial back there?"
"Oh yeah. It was amusing, actually. Nice to see our two groups mixing together so fluidly."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Vegeta looked up over the ice pack he'd had held to his black eye; it was already beginning to show noticeable color. When he saw who it was, he returned the pack and didn't say a word. 18 only continued into his room, knowing the routine all too well. She stood at the foot of his bed and smiled.
"What do you want?" he finally snapped.
She only continued to smile.
"Well?"
"How was your trip?"
"Don't patronize me."
"No, seriously." She dropped the smile and came to sit by him. "Really, how was it? Do you think you might actually have feelings for Bulma?"
He scoffed, but didn't answer.
"Fine. What'd you guys do then? Besides almost die in a pyramid."
"Well," he said, lowering his ice pack. "I finally got her into bed…willingly."
"Oh Vegeta," she sighed, shaking her head. That would explain Bulma's lack of back up to him during the twenty-person verbal brawl.
"And you want to know the best part?" he laughed. "I stopped."
18 froze, speechless.
"Me," he continued, still laughing, jabbing a finger into his chest. "We didn't have sex and it's because I stopped us. And—wait, this is good—I don't have a fucking clue why!"
"Maybe you care more about her than you realized," 18 offered. This was completely unexpected; normally they'd be reconciling their differences. But 18 knew how to distinguish between what was more serious. And this new situation was it.
"Or maybe," Vegeta fired back, "I'm just not attracted to snotty brains with the fashion sense of a three-year-old."
"You don't give a fuck how she dresses and you know it. You've told me countless times that you hate how your 'dates' try to dress to impress you. AND you despise 'dumb blondes'. You only date them to trick them. So don't try to fool me for a second with that bullshit."
"She's nothing to me, got it? A toy. A game. She's a challenge, and until I break her I'm not giving up."
"That's a lie!"
"Try me," he seethed, raising the ice back up to his eye.
"Fine then. Play the tough macho arrogant asshole. But I'm warning you, if you break her heart I will personally make sure you never even THINK of doing something like that to anyone again."
"What, like how you made me not want to fly off to Europe for no reason tonight?"
18 hissed and narrowed her eyes.
"Face it, you can't change me. And further more, I don't WANT to change. I like how I am. I can live with being a jerk and having everyone hate me for it. I have my reasons for who I am."
"Lots of people lose their parents, Vegeta!" 18 spat. "This isn't the only way for you to be! You chose the easy road from your problems. That's weak! Cowardly! You father would be so ashamed of you!"
Ten minutes later 18 and Vegeta sat in separate cars on their way to the emergency room.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"So, how are we going to win this?" 17 asked, trying to ignore his three bandaged friends. Vegeta's arm was in a sling, fractured at the elbow, and had several bandages on his face and hands. 18 had one bandaged hand, a broken finger, and similar bandages on her face. And Goku, well, he maintained the slowly healing arm and leg. 17 and Jun were the only unscathed people in the room.
"The only problem we have is Sen," Vegeta groaned. "Get her to shut up and the case will drop. Easy."
"No, not easy," Jun snapped. She slammed a copy of today's paper on the table in front of them. They turned to stone before her eyes. No one blinked for five minutes. "By tomorrow the whole world is going to know what fuck-ups you all are. You'll be lucky to play grade school birthday parties when this is over."
But no one was listening. They all stared at the front page heading of the paper: Sen Miyahara, Famous Japanese-Born American Author, Sues Popular Rock Group Green Dragon. The article went on to say that Vegeta Ouji had a one night stand with Sen, dumped her without explanation, then refused to take responsibility for a baby that he couldn't prove wasn't his. Halfway through, 18 was mentioned as a thief and a con-artist, who stole Sen's daughter's blood and took an illegal paternity test, which showed Vegeta to not be the father. Sen was suing for emotional stress, extreme weight loss due to that stress, endangerment of her child, bribing, and, of course, pain and suffering. The amount was staggering, even for Green Dragon.
"Well we can't settle!" 18 protested, pushing the newspaper away. "We'll be broke. We won't survive that kind of loss."
"You know," Jun said, eyeing them all with equal distain, "this little problem could have been easily avoided if you listened to me two years ago."
"That was, and still is, impossible!" Goku shouted, looking awkward as he tried to sit up properly. "This band is NOTHING without all four of us. None of our fans want to see any of us go and be replaced by some stranger. That's career suicide!"
"Who's going to miss a scum like Vegeta!?"
Vegeta didn't flinch. He was used to her insults by now.
"I'm the favorite," he laughed, his usual smirk pasted across his face. "Without me we're all out of jobs. Even you Jun. We happened to fall into your lap at the perfect time. We made you just as much as you made us. Without us you're screwed too. And without me, this band is nothing!"
"If we get through this," Jun seethed, "I NEVER want to hear of you screwing and dumping another girl, is that clear!?"
"Fine!" he roared back, slapping his hand on the table. "I don't need those whores anyway! I'm through with them!"
"That goes double for the Capsule heiress."
Vegeta baulked.
"She's an icon, Vegeta. You hurt her and you're done for. No one touches Capsule Corp., not even a Casanova like you."
"I refuse."
"Then we all burn."
"Vegeta," 18 whispered, pulling on his sleeve. He leaned in reluctantly. "You said yourself that it was only a game with her. Stop playing around and think about what you're putting at risk. It's either having a little fun or keeping your job and your dream. Don't be a jackass!"
"Fine," he sighed, looking around at everyone. "I'll stop seeing Bulma."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
In twenty minutes Sen was due in Jun's office with her lawyer, to have a little discussion as to whether there was going to be a trial or not. Sen wanted to make sure there would definitely be a trial, for she'd worked the entire scenario out in her head and had her story down perfectly. Only problem was that as she sat in the café down the street from Jun's office, she couldn't get HIM out of her head.
"Just focus," she told herself, stirring her tea that had long ago gone cold.
But the thoughts bombarded her and she slipped back into the past, into the heartbreak, into the time she'd changed completely and became the cold hard woman she was today.
"Hello? Holiday Inn Miami?…Yes, can you connect me to room 423? Last name Sugai…Please, check again. I can't have the number wrong…No one is in 423?…Was there someone this morning?…Ok. Thank you for your time…"
Thank you for your time. From that point on she would find herself saying that phrase countless times to people she went to for answers. But no one had the answers. Most hadn't even heard of who she was looking for. It was like he'd disappeared off the face of the planet. No explanation. No warning. No trace.
"Hello," she said, shaking hands with the manager of the Manhattan Bank. "I know this sounds strange, but I need some information regarding on of your clients."
"What is your relationship to the client, Miss…?"
"Miyahara. Sen Miyahara…I'm Mr. Sugai's girlfriend. We live together, on 33rd street."
"Sugai?"
Sen nodded sadly.
"He was a very respectable client of ours. We were very sorry to see him go."
"See him go?"
"Why yes. About a month ago he came in and closed all of his accounts. Said he got a job offer in another state."
"He CLOSED his accounts?"
"Yes ma'am."
"He said he was leaving town?"
"He was very excited about the new job. He said you and him would have a much better life."
"He mentioned me, by name?"
"Yes, I knew who you were when you told me your name. He talked about you often. But why, might I ask, are you still in Manhattan?"
"I…Just finishing up some business in the city. I'll be leaving soon as well…Uh…Thank you for your time, sir." She stood quickly and hurried out of his office before he had a chance to ask her why she'd come in the first place. When she got outside, she slumped against the side of the building and cried into her hands before a police officer stopped and asked if she was alright. "Bad day," she sighed, wiping her eyes. "But thank you." She continued home and started packing that night. Within three days she was ready and moved to Las Vegas, where she learned her fate as a mother, and found her loophole with Vegeta.
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"Well?" Chi-Chi asked, as Bulma returned to the living room with a tray of drinks and cookies her mother insisted she bring out.
"Well what?" Bulma sighed, setting down the tray. She plopped into the nearest chair and ignored the snacks and beverages. And so did everyone else.
"You know damn well what," Maris said. "Tell us everything."
"Everything will take too long. But hey, look on my bed. I brought back stuff for you guys. I forgot it upstairs."
"That's not going to work," Chi-Chi said. "You can't just fly off to Europe—"
"And Africa."
"—and Africa for almost a week and not tell us anything. Especially if it's with Vegeta! Come on B, stop holding out."
"Fine," she sighed. She grabbed an iced tea and took a small sip. "What do you want to know?"
"Did you have sex?"
"No. Next question."
"No?"
"Yes, no. Next question."
"Did you come close?"
"Yes."
"Well tell us!"
"Uh! Fine!" She set down her drink and leaned forward. "We were in Greece—" A gasp rippled through the group. "—and Vegeta rented this house in the mountains. Just for a night. And we just went to each other and were on the bed and…and he asked me if I really wanted to do it, because the last time it happened I pushed him away, and I said yes…and then we were…er…almost there and he just stopped. And I said something to him and he got mad and stormed out of the room. After that he called Jun and found out about the Sen bullshit and we had s'mores."
"Wait, you're telling us that he stopped you guys."
"Yup, that's what I'm telling you. AND he couldn't give me a reason. Typical guy…Ok, next question."
"Umm…Where else did you go?" She shrugged her shoulders. No question could top the last one.
"We went to Paris the first night. He bought me clothes and dinner and we went to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Then we went to Greece and you know what happened there…Then we went to Spain just to go to the Prado. Then—"
"The Prado!?" Maris gasped. "THE Prado? Kami! Did you see Bosch work!?"
"Of course," she laughed. Kami, they were so much alike. "That's the only reason we went."
"I'm so completely jealous of you."
"Thanks…So, anyway…Then we went to Egypt, which through me off 'cause I thought we were staying in Europe the whole time. We stayed with this nice couple and their children, and Chi! Kami! You'll love the clothes I brought back from there. Even I love them and you know how indifferent I am about clothes…So, anyway, we visited the pyramids around there and you know that's how I got my lovely bandages. But hey, at least I got to see some mummified people."
"Damn it Bulma," Maris sighed, finally leaning back into her seat. "If I go to HALF those places I'd be lucky."
"I'll tell you what. This summer, after we graduate, well, after me, Krill, and Chi graduate, we'll all go on a grand tour across Europe and Africa. I want to see temples and jungles and everything I couldn't see this time. Alright?"
Everyone nodded vigorously.
"Alright, now about our presents?"
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---Chapter 25! Am I cool or what? Heehee. I keep getting these chapters out. But I guess it's 'cause I have so many ideas and I'm really getting into the story myself. For awhile now I've had the whole thing outlined and I know how it's going to end and all the major stuff in between, it's just details that have been holding me up a little bit. But you can't complain, lol, 'cause I'm getting these chapters out SO quickly.
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Reviews=More Chapters)…And a chance to win a date with Vegeta!
Next time: The lawyers meeting…And who the hell does Sen keep thinking about!?
Note: Only the author of this story is eligible for the date with Vegeta :P
Another note: Sorry it's taking me so long to get Bulma and Vegeta together. I know how I am with stories, but I never planned on it taking this long. I guess I just didn't want to jump the gun with them so quickly because it's not like they know each other that well. Only three months as of now, so I didn't want Buma (or anyone else) looking like a slut…I promise they will get together, and soon! I'm planning it out and you will not be disappointed! :D