Last time:
Jun heard a gasp, then a thud and the line went dead. And, even though she hated the woman, she called the hotel just in case she was hurt and left Akio's information with the front desk. With that out of the way, she fixed up her desk and headed home.
"There's my good deed for the day."
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Vegeta cringed inwardly as Bulma shot an icy glare his way, then turned back to 18 who was still talking. He knew exactly what she was telling her, and that if she ever spoke to him again it would be a miracle, and it would not be pretty. And, suddenly, as the weight of the situation bore down on him, he realized he wouldn't like it at all if Bulma didn't talk to him anymore. After only three months of knowing her, he felt he'd known her all his life and couldn't think of not having her around. It was like not having 18 around. Impossible.
He wanted to go over and fix everything, tell her that he'd break his promise to Jun and still see her, but he knew it was inconceivable even before the thought was finished. They'd kill him; roast him alive in front of the world. He'd be done for, washed up, his career that he'd worked so hard for would be over. All those long hours in the makeshift studio would be in vein. Their talents would go unheard and unrewarded. They'd be nobodies in less than a month. Everyone would hate them. Everyone would hate him. He would hate him.
But he still wanted her!
"No you don't," he thought angrily. "She was a toy. You can have all the toys you want when this charade is over. Just pretend she's like 18."
He closed his eyes and forced that frame of mind.
When he opened them they landed directly on Bulma, whose back was turned, and he sighed painfully.
"Kami is punishing me," he muttered.
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Sen scrambled to her feet and grabbed the phone, cursing loudly when all she heard was a dial tone.
"Kuso," she hissed, dialing the front desk. She had to get in touch with the manager.
"Hello? Front desk. How may I help you?"
"Hi, this is Sen Miyahara, in room 128. Is there a message for me?"
"One moment."
The silence was deafening, and in a few moments she knew she'd learn it was all an illusion, like so many other times. Jun would pay for this. No one toyed with her heart and got away with it.
"Yes, there's a message the manager left for you."
"Thank you." Hastily she grabbed a pen, ready to right on her arm.
"The message reads: Miss Miyahara, call Akio Sugai at 213-436-6642. His address is 2128 Harper Drive, Bennington, Maine 33451."
"Th-thank you," Sen said hoarsely, and hung up the phone. "He has a house?" she whispered, staring at the address on her arm. Suddenly all the questions that she'd forced from her mind came flooding back. Does he have a girlfriend? A wife? Other children? A family? A little green mailbox with 'Sugai' in white letters on the side?
She collapsed on the floor by the phone, completely confused and unsure what to do next. Half of her wanted to forget the whole ordeal and go about her life like normal, and the other half wanted to grab the phone, call America, and beg him to fly to Japan on the next available flight. But even if he did come back, even if she saw him walk through the door and could touch his face again, she couldn't convince herself that she'd actually WANT him back. Of course she still loved him and prayed that he'd come back everyday, but, faced with the real situation, she found herself trapped and having trouble breathing.
So, she did the first thing that came to her mind.
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Bulma tried to keep her eyes on 18 as she talked, but they kept drifting towards Vegeta, who sat alone and frustrated-looking in the corner. They weren't talking about how Vegeta agreed to not see her anymore, but the words were still fresh in her mind, and they stung.
"Jun told him to stop having flings with everything that walks," 18 had said. "And to stop seeing you."
Her heart dropped through the floor at the sound of those words.
"And he agreed to it?"
All 18 could manage to do was nod, and then she'd changed the subject, and was now talking about Sen and all the trouble she was causing for them. Bulma really wasn't listening—her head was swimming—but she tried her best to look interested.
This was made more difficult, however, by the fact that Vegeta's cell phone just rang and he was now talking to someone. His eyebrows were knitted and he didn't say a word until he said bye to the person. A moment later he stood and advanced in their direction, and Bulma felt an uncontrollable need to escape.
"18," he said in a low voice as he came up beside her.
"Yeah?"
"Sen just called me."
"What?" she sighed, aggravated. "What the hell did she want?"
Vegeta eyed Bulma for a split second, then tugged on 18's arm and led her several feet away—out of hearing range. When 18 returned five minutes later she looked completely bewildered.
"What?" Bulma asked, when she didn't say anything. Vegeta had returned to his seat across the room.
"I…I think she might drop the case."
"Really? That's great news!"
"Yeah, I know, but…er…she wants Vegeta to fly her back to America on the 26th."
"What!?" It came out louder than she intended it to.
"She has this old lover who I guess is her daughter's father, but she hasn't talked to him in a year and doesn't know if she can face him alone."
"And she thinks Vegeta can offer moral support?"
"She knows he has to…She said she'd drop the suit if he did."
"Did he agree to it?" Strangely, she wished he hadn't. What if they got back together!? She couldn't bare the thought.
"He didn't want to—" Bulma felt her heart soar. "—but I made him. If this little thing can end the case then there's no reason for him to not do it…I told him to tell her that she has to call the newspapers and such and tell them the case was a big misunderstanding. I think she'll agree to it."
"She's a whore," Bulma blurted out before she could stop herself, and downed the contents of the glass she'd been holding and hadn't drunk yet. The rush of fluid in her mouth and the malty taste of eggnog flooded her senses for a moment and she relaxed. "I'm going to have a word with 17. I'll be back in a minute."
She was out of sight before 18 could stop her.
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"So," Bulma said, as she stepped into the indoor garden in the back of her house, a refilled glass of eggnog in her hands. When she'd asked around moments ago if anyone had seen 17, Krillin said that he mentioned the garden to him and 17 looked interested. He suggested she look there. "What're you doing out here all alone?"
"Hey," 17 said, a half-laugh behind his voice. He hadn't expected anyone to come looking for him. "Just thinking. It's amazing that you can have summer in the middle of winter. Your father is truly a genius. I'm still afraid to talk to him."
"Really?" She took a seat on the stone bench beside him and offered him her eggnog. He declined. "I'd be happy to introduce you. He only appears intimidating. Really he loves meeting new people and having a good time just like any normal person."
"Just any normal person that owns the most powerful and successful technology business in the world."
"Oh come on. Everyone is human. And I'm going to introduce you to him sometime tonight. He told me awhile back that he wants to meet all of you guys. He's seen you, of course, but he said he never talked to any of you except for Vegeta."
"Vegeta talked to him?" 17 was more than surprised.
"Yeah. He came by a while back and I gave him a tour of Capsule Corp. My dad was working on a project in his lab when we came in. They talked for quite awhile before I could butt in."
"I can't imagine Vegeta having a conversation with Dr. Briefs."
"Yeah," she laughed. "It was hard to believe listening to them. Vegeta kept asking him all these technology questions. My dad offered to teach him the basics, but they never talked any further about it. And now that he's agreed to stay away from me, I guess he won't learn what he wanted…Oh well. Pipe dream anyway."
"I'm really sorry about that," 17 said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Amazingly, she didn't feel the chill of a sexual attraction the way she had with him before. The sincere smile on his face told her he didn't either. "I couldn't believe Jun said that to him and that he'd agree to it. Usually he flips her off and storms out of the room and never does what she says. But I think this time he knows the only way he can make up for what he's done in the past is to agree to whatever Jun says right now…no matter how much he doesn't want to do it."
"I don't believe that," Bulma said, a bit too harshly. "He doesn't care what happens with us either way. If he wanted me so badly he wouldn't listen to a word anyone said…I don't care anyway though now. I tried to see the good in him, tried to convince myself I was attracted to more than his face and body, but I can't. I was kidding myself. I was only lusting after him. There were no other feelings there."
She paused and sighed, and both knew that her speech had been a desperate fabrication of lies. She liked him more than she knew.
"He protested, you know. When Jun wanted him to stop seeing you he said, 'I refuse.'"
"Yeah, but then he agreed right after. 17, just stop defending him. I don't have the patience right now to deal with it, ok? I don't want to talk about Vegeta anymore. Tonight's just been…tiring."
"Alright then. I guessed that's not why you came out here anyway."
"Damn right it wasn't." She forced a laugh. "I need you to tell me something."
"Alright." He suddenly felt uneasy.
"Do you like Maris?"
He sighed and nodded. He knew that's what was coming. He knew everyone was talking about it behind his back, wondering why he didn't just ask her out and get it over with. And he also knew that the reasons we complicated, that no one would understand, because they could never know the whole story. Maris's story. He knew for a fact that none of her new friends knew about her first love, the love of her life. Kami, how he wanted to be that for her!
"Then stop dawdling and ask her out. We're all getting impatient."
"It's not that simple," he found himself saying without even thinking the words.
"How?…Look, if you're worried about the long distance thing then you can march into the living room right now and ask her, because, even though I've only known her as long as I've known you guys, I know she's an amazing and trustworthy person. You have nothing to worry about with her. She'll make you happy."
"It's not just that," he sighed. Damn it, 17! Shut up before you spill everything!
"What else?"
He didn't answer.
"Are you afraid she doesn't like you as much as you like her?"
Oddly enough, she'd nearly got it.
"If that's the case, then you don't need to worry. Even if she didn't like you exactly as much, there's time for it to grow within a relationship."
17's demeanor softened. She was right, but he didn't know if he could go into a relationship with someone who didn't feel the same. Especially since he felt so foolish about it all. He'd known her for three months and he knew—without a doubt—that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He was in love. And whatever feelings he'd had for Bulma in the past were now only feelings of friendship. He'd been too scared to love anyone as strongly as he now knew he loved Maris, and so he'd forced himself to think he liked Bulma as more than friends. In the end he couldn't fool himself any longer.
"I don't know if I can do that," he finally said after a long pause. Beside him Bulma sighed. She had a feeling he was going to say that.
"I understand…Just know this. Maris is literally going crazy. The other day she just exploded and started yelling about how you haven't made any moves and she can't wait any longer…She really likes you 17. Some of the most sought after guys in our school asked her out and she turned them down because she only wants you."
"I can't talk to her about this, Bulma. I want to—believe me—but I can't. Can we please not talk about it anymore?"
"Sure," she said, giving him a friendly kiss on the forehead. "Just remember that you can call me any time if you do want to talk. I'm here."
"I know…" he sighed. "Thanks…"
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After Bulma left the room to find 17, 18 decided she should call Jun and tell her what was going on. She told Krillin she'd be right back, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then disappeared into the kitchen for some silence. When Jun picked up she was not at all pleased by the hour. It was nearly 1:00 am.
"Sorry," 18 laughed, unable to control herself. "I didn't realize the time."
"This better be good, 18."
"It is, don't worry."
She told her all she knew about the Sen/former lover thing and waited for a cry of outrage. She was met with silence and then laughter.
"What?"
"Akio, her lover, called me first."
18 didn't understand. What? She knew this guy?
"He saw her on the news and figured I'd know how to reach her since I'm associated with Green Dragon. Apparently he has several good contacts here in Japan to get my number…Anyway, he asked about Sen and I called her and told her about it. I figured its Christmas, what the hell. And maybe some good could come from it…And I was right. Thank Kami you're levelheaded 18, otherwise we'd still have to battle that bitch in court."
"I don't know about him going with her though, now that I think about it. I don't trust them together. What if they sleep together again and Sen gets pissed for a whole knew reason. She might not drop the case after all."
"Have her sign a contract then. If he does this for her, she's never to contact any of us again. Simple."
18 groaned and shifted uncomfortably.
"You're worried about your new friend, aren't you?" Jun asked, sensing her discomfort. "Well forget about her if you want to make it in this world. She'll bring you all down. She's trouble. Don't mess with Capsule Corp. They're giants. They'll kill us."
"Stop worrying about your own ass and think of someone else for a change!" 18 snapped before she could stop herself. She was suddenly very angry. Usually her and Jun got along fine. She was a nice person if you got to know her; just rough around the edges and extremely hostile in situations she was backed into. This time, however, 18 knew she only had her own interests in mind. If Green Dragon fell, she fell too. "Bulma is a great person and if you stopped to realize that our lives effect other people's lives too you'd understand what I mean. She deserves happiness just as much as you do and if she finds that in Vegeta then let her! Don't tell him who he can and cannot see! If our fans want us they'll want us for our music, not our personal lives. Do they like us any less now because me and Goku are in relationships? No. If anything they're hungry for more information and they can't wait for our new CD and tour! So stop being a selfish bitch and open your eyes!"
"18, you're lucky it's Christmas, because what you just said to me—"
"Don't you dare start with that. I've known you too long. I'm not going to cower down to you. I know you need us just as much as we need you, and we'll do whatever we damn well please. I'm telling Vegeta he can see Bulma and if you try to stop him, I'll convince the others to leave you with me…and I don't think they'll need much convincing, Boss."
There was silence on the other end of the line.
"Did I make myself clear?"
"You're ballsy, 18. I'll give you that…I hope you know how much danger you're putting yourself in for that womanizer."
"I have faith in him. He's only human, Jun, which is a hell of a lot more than I can say for you right now."
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Sen paced the international airport's lobby, Ryoko balanced on her hip, sucking happily from her sippy cup. In twenty minutes her flight was scheduled to take off and Vegeta was nowhere in sight. Last night he'd confirmed he was definitely going to accompany her, but she hadn't heard anything since. Would he ditch her? Would she really have to go through with the trial now? She prayed to Kami that she wouldn't. She was sick of her new life. She wanted her old life back, for good.
Another few minutes, and she was going to hail a cab and go right back to her hotel room.
Luckily though, Vegeta walked through the automatic glass doors moments later. She smiled broadly and waved him over, her smile fading when she realized he was not alone.
"What're they doing here?" she asked, trying to keep the demeanor he knew so well.
"Sign it," Vegeta said, shoving some legal documents at her. She skimmed the front page and nodded.
"Fine. Hold Ryoko for a minute."
Bulma flinched when Vegeta reached out and grabbed the child, holding her to him as if she were his own. He's not a father, she told herself, trying not to stare. 18, who stood beside her, gave her a soft jab in the ribs and smiled when she looked over.
"It's fine," she assured her, nodding towards Vegeta and Sen. "He hates that woman."
"I know, its just…look at how he's holding her. It's like he really is her father. It's so natural."
"Is that really a bad thing?" 18 asked, winking. Bulma knew what she meant in a second and rolled her eyes. She wasn't even thinking THAT far into the future.
A few moments later Vegeta returned Ryoko to Sen's arms and came back over to give 18 the papers. He did not look at all pleased, especially when 18 snagged him for a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.
"She's evil," she whispered in his ear, receiving a groan and a light shove as a response.
When she released him, his eyes immediately fell on Bulma and he fought the urge to wrapped his arms around her and kiss her. They stood there for a moment, looking at each other awkwardly, until Bulma made the move and enveloped him in a hug. Twenty feet away Sen eyed them, and Bulma swallowed a hard lump in her throat and kissed him. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and deepened the kiss. When they pulled away, Vegeta couldn't imagine getting on that plane with anyone but Bulma.
And then he turned and left.
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---Chapter 27!…Hmm…So, no more lawsuit, yay! I'm proud of some of you for figuring out what I was going to do with Sen and that guy :P Let's just see how well that works out, shall we?…I wonder what happened to Yamcha, he's been gone for awhile. I should probably bring him back, huh? Yeah, if I remember, lol :P He's not important.
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Reviews=More Chapters)…and I can sleep better at night.
Next time: America…and a New Year's Eve party, woo!!
Note: Bulma and Vegeta are NOT together YET. I'm warming you up, slowly. LOL! I know, I'm taking forever, but that's the kind of stuff I like to read, so I write that way. You people are lucky I'm so dedicated to you! :P
Note 2: A lot of you have mentioned the fact that I make Vegeta into a man whore all the time. I'm not denying it, lol, but I just think that's how he would be if he was a normal person. Instead of killing people left and right, he ruins people's lives in other ways. I don't know why I like him this way, but I just do. I guess it makes for a better ending when he throws his old way of life away and only wants Bulma…you know?
P.S.: I'll be busy for the next few days, so the next chapter might take some time. Maybe even a week, but I'll try my hardest to find some time to write. In the meantime—hang in there! :P
Jun heard a gasp, then a thud and the line went dead. And, even though she hated the woman, she called the hotel just in case she was hurt and left Akio's information with the front desk. With that out of the way, she fixed up her desk and headed home.
"There's my good deed for the day."
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Vegeta cringed inwardly as Bulma shot an icy glare his way, then turned back to 18 who was still talking. He knew exactly what she was telling her, and that if she ever spoke to him again it would be a miracle, and it would not be pretty. And, suddenly, as the weight of the situation bore down on him, he realized he wouldn't like it at all if Bulma didn't talk to him anymore. After only three months of knowing her, he felt he'd known her all his life and couldn't think of not having her around. It was like not having 18 around. Impossible.
He wanted to go over and fix everything, tell her that he'd break his promise to Jun and still see her, but he knew it was inconceivable even before the thought was finished. They'd kill him; roast him alive in front of the world. He'd be done for, washed up, his career that he'd worked so hard for would be over. All those long hours in the makeshift studio would be in vein. Their talents would go unheard and unrewarded. They'd be nobodies in less than a month. Everyone would hate them. Everyone would hate him. He would hate him.
But he still wanted her!
"No you don't," he thought angrily. "She was a toy. You can have all the toys you want when this charade is over. Just pretend she's like 18."
He closed his eyes and forced that frame of mind.
When he opened them they landed directly on Bulma, whose back was turned, and he sighed painfully.
"Kami is punishing me," he muttered.
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Sen scrambled to her feet and grabbed the phone, cursing loudly when all she heard was a dial tone.
"Kuso," she hissed, dialing the front desk. She had to get in touch with the manager.
"Hello? Front desk. How may I help you?"
"Hi, this is Sen Miyahara, in room 128. Is there a message for me?"
"One moment."
The silence was deafening, and in a few moments she knew she'd learn it was all an illusion, like so many other times. Jun would pay for this. No one toyed with her heart and got away with it.
"Yes, there's a message the manager left for you."
"Thank you." Hastily she grabbed a pen, ready to right on her arm.
"The message reads: Miss Miyahara, call Akio Sugai at 213-436-6642. His address is 2128 Harper Drive, Bennington, Maine 33451."
"Th-thank you," Sen said hoarsely, and hung up the phone. "He has a house?" she whispered, staring at the address on her arm. Suddenly all the questions that she'd forced from her mind came flooding back. Does he have a girlfriend? A wife? Other children? A family? A little green mailbox with 'Sugai' in white letters on the side?
She collapsed on the floor by the phone, completely confused and unsure what to do next. Half of her wanted to forget the whole ordeal and go about her life like normal, and the other half wanted to grab the phone, call America, and beg him to fly to Japan on the next available flight. But even if he did come back, even if she saw him walk through the door and could touch his face again, she couldn't convince herself that she'd actually WANT him back. Of course she still loved him and prayed that he'd come back everyday, but, faced with the real situation, she found herself trapped and having trouble breathing.
So, she did the first thing that came to her mind.
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Bulma tried to keep her eyes on 18 as she talked, but they kept drifting towards Vegeta, who sat alone and frustrated-looking in the corner. They weren't talking about how Vegeta agreed to not see her anymore, but the words were still fresh in her mind, and they stung.
"Jun told him to stop having flings with everything that walks," 18 had said. "And to stop seeing you."
Her heart dropped through the floor at the sound of those words.
"And he agreed to it?"
All 18 could manage to do was nod, and then she'd changed the subject, and was now talking about Sen and all the trouble she was causing for them. Bulma really wasn't listening—her head was swimming—but she tried her best to look interested.
This was made more difficult, however, by the fact that Vegeta's cell phone just rang and he was now talking to someone. His eyebrows were knitted and he didn't say a word until he said bye to the person. A moment later he stood and advanced in their direction, and Bulma felt an uncontrollable need to escape.
"18," he said in a low voice as he came up beside her.
"Yeah?"
"Sen just called me."
"What?" she sighed, aggravated. "What the hell did she want?"
Vegeta eyed Bulma for a split second, then tugged on 18's arm and led her several feet away—out of hearing range. When 18 returned five minutes later she looked completely bewildered.
"What?" Bulma asked, when she didn't say anything. Vegeta had returned to his seat across the room.
"I…I think she might drop the case."
"Really? That's great news!"
"Yeah, I know, but…er…she wants Vegeta to fly her back to America on the 26th."
"What!?" It came out louder than she intended it to.
"She has this old lover who I guess is her daughter's father, but she hasn't talked to him in a year and doesn't know if she can face him alone."
"And she thinks Vegeta can offer moral support?"
"She knows he has to…She said she'd drop the suit if he did."
"Did he agree to it?" Strangely, she wished he hadn't. What if they got back together!? She couldn't bare the thought.
"He didn't want to—" Bulma felt her heart soar. "—but I made him. If this little thing can end the case then there's no reason for him to not do it…I told him to tell her that she has to call the newspapers and such and tell them the case was a big misunderstanding. I think she'll agree to it."
"She's a whore," Bulma blurted out before she could stop herself, and downed the contents of the glass she'd been holding and hadn't drunk yet. The rush of fluid in her mouth and the malty taste of eggnog flooded her senses for a moment and she relaxed. "I'm going to have a word with 17. I'll be back in a minute."
She was out of sight before 18 could stop her.
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"So," Bulma said, as she stepped into the indoor garden in the back of her house, a refilled glass of eggnog in her hands. When she'd asked around moments ago if anyone had seen 17, Krillin said that he mentioned the garden to him and 17 looked interested. He suggested she look there. "What're you doing out here all alone?"
"Hey," 17 said, a half-laugh behind his voice. He hadn't expected anyone to come looking for him. "Just thinking. It's amazing that you can have summer in the middle of winter. Your father is truly a genius. I'm still afraid to talk to him."
"Really?" She took a seat on the stone bench beside him and offered him her eggnog. He declined. "I'd be happy to introduce you. He only appears intimidating. Really he loves meeting new people and having a good time just like any normal person."
"Just any normal person that owns the most powerful and successful technology business in the world."
"Oh come on. Everyone is human. And I'm going to introduce you to him sometime tonight. He told me awhile back that he wants to meet all of you guys. He's seen you, of course, but he said he never talked to any of you except for Vegeta."
"Vegeta talked to him?" 17 was more than surprised.
"Yeah. He came by a while back and I gave him a tour of Capsule Corp. My dad was working on a project in his lab when we came in. They talked for quite awhile before I could butt in."
"I can't imagine Vegeta having a conversation with Dr. Briefs."
"Yeah," she laughed. "It was hard to believe listening to them. Vegeta kept asking him all these technology questions. My dad offered to teach him the basics, but they never talked any further about it. And now that he's agreed to stay away from me, I guess he won't learn what he wanted…Oh well. Pipe dream anyway."
"I'm really sorry about that," 17 said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Amazingly, she didn't feel the chill of a sexual attraction the way she had with him before. The sincere smile on his face told her he didn't either. "I couldn't believe Jun said that to him and that he'd agree to it. Usually he flips her off and storms out of the room and never does what she says. But I think this time he knows the only way he can make up for what he's done in the past is to agree to whatever Jun says right now…no matter how much he doesn't want to do it."
"I don't believe that," Bulma said, a bit too harshly. "He doesn't care what happens with us either way. If he wanted me so badly he wouldn't listen to a word anyone said…I don't care anyway though now. I tried to see the good in him, tried to convince myself I was attracted to more than his face and body, but I can't. I was kidding myself. I was only lusting after him. There were no other feelings there."
She paused and sighed, and both knew that her speech had been a desperate fabrication of lies. She liked him more than she knew.
"He protested, you know. When Jun wanted him to stop seeing you he said, 'I refuse.'"
"Yeah, but then he agreed right after. 17, just stop defending him. I don't have the patience right now to deal with it, ok? I don't want to talk about Vegeta anymore. Tonight's just been…tiring."
"Alright then. I guessed that's not why you came out here anyway."
"Damn right it wasn't." She forced a laugh. "I need you to tell me something."
"Alright." He suddenly felt uneasy.
"Do you like Maris?"
He sighed and nodded. He knew that's what was coming. He knew everyone was talking about it behind his back, wondering why he didn't just ask her out and get it over with. And he also knew that the reasons we complicated, that no one would understand, because they could never know the whole story. Maris's story. He knew for a fact that none of her new friends knew about her first love, the love of her life. Kami, how he wanted to be that for her!
"Then stop dawdling and ask her out. We're all getting impatient."
"It's not that simple," he found himself saying without even thinking the words.
"How?…Look, if you're worried about the long distance thing then you can march into the living room right now and ask her, because, even though I've only known her as long as I've known you guys, I know she's an amazing and trustworthy person. You have nothing to worry about with her. She'll make you happy."
"It's not just that," he sighed. Damn it, 17! Shut up before you spill everything!
"What else?"
He didn't answer.
"Are you afraid she doesn't like you as much as you like her?"
Oddly enough, she'd nearly got it.
"If that's the case, then you don't need to worry. Even if she didn't like you exactly as much, there's time for it to grow within a relationship."
17's demeanor softened. She was right, but he didn't know if he could go into a relationship with someone who didn't feel the same. Especially since he felt so foolish about it all. He'd known her for three months and he knew—without a doubt—that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He was in love. And whatever feelings he'd had for Bulma in the past were now only feelings of friendship. He'd been too scared to love anyone as strongly as he now knew he loved Maris, and so he'd forced himself to think he liked Bulma as more than friends. In the end he couldn't fool himself any longer.
"I don't know if I can do that," he finally said after a long pause. Beside him Bulma sighed. She had a feeling he was going to say that.
"I understand…Just know this. Maris is literally going crazy. The other day she just exploded and started yelling about how you haven't made any moves and she can't wait any longer…She really likes you 17. Some of the most sought after guys in our school asked her out and she turned them down because she only wants you."
"I can't talk to her about this, Bulma. I want to—believe me—but I can't. Can we please not talk about it anymore?"
"Sure," she said, giving him a friendly kiss on the forehead. "Just remember that you can call me any time if you do want to talk. I'm here."
"I know…" he sighed. "Thanks…"
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After Bulma left the room to find 17, 18 decided she should call Jun and tell her what was going on. She told Krillin she'd be right back, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then disappeared into the kitchen for some silence. When Jun picked up she was not at all pleased by the hour. It was nearly 1:00 am.
"Sorry," 18 laughed, unable to control herself. "I didn't realize the time."
"This better be good, 18."
"It is, don't worry."
She told her all she knew about the Sen/former lover thing and waited for a cry of outrage. She was met with silence and then laughter.
"What?"
"Akio, her lover, called me first."
18 didn't understand. What? She knew this guy?
"He saw her on the news and figured I'd know how to reach her since I'm associated with Green Dragon. Apparently he has several good contacts here in Japan to get my number…Anyway, he asked about Sen and I called her and told her about it. I figured its Christmas, what the hell. And maybe some good could come from it…And I was right. Thank Kami you're levelheaded 18, otherwise we'd still have to battle that bitch in court."
"I don't know about him going with her though, now that I think about it. I don't trust them together. What if they sleep together again and Sen gets pissed for a whole knew reason. She might not drop the case after all."
"Have her sign a contract then. If he does this for her, she's never to contact any of us again. Simple."
18 groaned and shifted uncomfortably.
"You're worried about your new friend, aren't you?" Jun asked, sensing her discomfort. "Well forget about her if you want to make it in this world. She'll bring you all down. She's trouble. Don't mess with Capsule Corp. They're giants. They'll kill us."
"Stop worrying about your own ass and think of someone else for a change!" 18 snapped before she could stop herself. She was suddenly very angry. Usually her and Jun got along fine. She was a nice person if you got to know her; just rough around the edges and extremely hostile in situations she was backed into. This time, however, 18 knew she only had her own interests in mind. If Green Dragon fell, she fell too. "Bulma is a great person and if you stopped to realize that our lives effect other people's lives too you'd understand what I mean. She deserves happiness just as much as you do and if she finds that in Vegeta then let her! Don't tell him who he can and cannot see! If our fans want us they'll want us for our music, not our personal lives. Do they like us any less now because me and Goku are in relationships? No. If anything they're hungry for more information and they can't wait for our new CD and tour! So stop being a selfish bitch and open your eyes!"
"18, you're lucky it's Christmas, because what you just said to me—"
"Don't you dare start with that. I've known you too long. I'm not going to cower down to you. I know you need us just as much as we need you, and we'll do whatever we damn well please. I'm telling Vegeta he can see Bulma and if you try to stop him, I'll convince the others to leave you with me…and I don't think they'll need much convincing, Boss."
There was silence on the other end of the line.
"Did I make myself clear?"
"You're ballsy, 18. I'll give you that…I hope you know how much danger you're putting yourself in for that womanizer."
"I have faith in him. He's only human, Jun, which is a hell of a lot more than I can say for you right now."
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Sen paced the international airport's lobby, Ryoko balanced on her hip, sucking happily from her sippy cup. In twenty minutes her flight was scheduled to take off and Vegeta was nowhere in sight. Last night he'd confirmed he was definitely going to accompany her, but she hadn't heard anything since. Would he ditch her? Would she really have to go through with the trial now? She prayed to Kami that she wouldn't. She was sick of her new life. She wanted her old life back, for good.
Another few minutes, and she was going to hail a cab and go right back to her hotel room.
Luckily though, Vegeta walked through the automatic glass doors moments later. She smiled broadly and waved him over, her smile fading when she realized he was not alone.
"What're they doing here?" she asked, trying to keep the demeanor he knew so well.
"Sign it," Vegeta said, shoving some legal documents at her. She skimmed the front page and nodded.
"Fine. Hold Ryoko for a minute."
Bulma flinched when Vegeta reached out and grabbed the child, holding her to him as if she were his own. He's not a father, she told herself, trying not to stare. 18, who stood beside her, gave her a soft jab in the ribs and smiled when she looked over.
"It's fine," she assured her, nodding towards Vegeta and Sen. "He hates that woman."
"I know, its just…look at how he's holding her. It's like he really is her father. It's so natural."
"Is that really a bad thing?" 18 asked, winking. Bulma knew what she meant in a second and rolled her eyes. She wasn't even thinking THAT far into the future.
A few moments later Vegeta returned Ryoko to Sen's arms and came back over to give 18 the papers. He did not look at all pleased, especially when 18 snagged him for a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.
"She's evil," she whispered in his ear, receiving a groan and a light shove as a response.
When she released him, his eyes immediately fell on Bulma and he fought the urge to wrapped his arms around her and kiss her. They stood there for a moment, looking at each other awkwardly, until Bulma made the move and enveloped him in a hug. Twenty feet away Sen eyed them, and Bulma swallowed a hard lump in her throat and kissed him. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and deepened the kiss. When they pulled away, Vegeta couldn't imagine getting on that plane with anyone but Bulma.
And then he turned and left.
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---Chapter 27!…Hmm…So, no more lawsuit, yay! I'm proud of some of you for figuring out what I was going to do with Sen and that guy :P Let's just see how well that works out, shall we?…I wonder what happened to Yamcha, he's been gone for awhile. I should probably bring him back, huh? Yeah, if I remember, lol :P He's not important.
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Reviews=More Chapters)…and I can sleep better at night.
Next time: America…and a New Year's Eve party, woo!!
Note: Bulma and Vegeta are NOT together YET. I'm warming you up, slowly. LOL! I know, I'm taking forever, but that's the kind of stuff I like to read, so I write that way. You people are lucky I'm so dedicated to you! :P
Note 2: A lot of you have mentioned the fact that I make Vegeta into a man whore all the time. I'm not denying it, lol, but I just think that's how he would be if he was a normal person. Instead of killing people left and right, he ruins people's lives in other ways. I don't know why I like him this way, but I just do. I guess it makes for a better ending when he throws his old way of life away and only wants Bulma…you know?
P.S.: I'll be busy for the next few days, so the next chapter might take some time. Maybe even a week, but I'll try my hardest to find some time to write. In the meantime—hang in there! :P