Visible Stranger
V.
Later that night, Buruma managed to make a good supper for four. Yamucha was the one who took Trunks' place, much to Vejiita's dismay. Nonetheless, he had to give in, in the end. Buruma and Bura were just making too many threats for him to handle.
"I'll shut down the gravity room for good!"
"I'll ignore you!"
"You'll have to sleep on the couch for three months!"
"I'll begin dating a really weak human!"
"I won't cook for you any more, you'll have to cook for yourself. And you know how bad that is!"
"I'll shave all your hair off!"
Yes, Vejiita thought it was the least he could do to let Yamucha join them for dinner at the table that night.
They did eat in silence, however. Vejiita was eating in his usual quick Saiyajin way, Buruma just looked down at her food as she ate, and Bura kept sneaking glances over at Yamucha, realizing how tense and uncomfortable he looked.
Finally, Bura couldn't take it anymore. She cleared her throat and began speaking, "So, did you have a nice day, Daddy?"
"Hmph," was the only answer she received, which usually meant, "Eh, it was okay."
She nodded, agreeing that her day was the same, "See the earrings that Yamucha got me," she said, putting down her fork and pushing her hair back, shaking her head from side to side slowly to show her father all the angles.
Vejiita stopped eating for a moment, his one eyebrow quirked in slight amusement. He turned to Yamucha, smirking that smirk that could make almost anyone admit they murdered someone even if they had not one thing to do with it.
"You trying to butter me up, human?" he asked, his eyes dancing with delight at seeing Yamucha's face go red.
"W-what?" Yamucha questioned, looking over to Bura quickly before averting his attention back to Vejiita, "No, not at all. It was just simply a gift."
"I can see that," Vejiita growled, "but was this gift for my daughter a way to get on my good side?"
Yamucha simply shook his head, "No, I can honestly say it was out of the goodness of my heart," he put his right hand over his heart and gave a sincere look that was obviously in sarcasm.
Buruma covered her mouth to hide a laugh while Bura let out a little snicker, looking down at her food so her father couldn't give her that look that told her to stop or else.
Again, Vejiita growled, slamming his fist down on the table, making all the plates and silverware do a jump, "I will not be mocked in my own home by a weakling human like you!"
Yamucha let out a nervous laugh, raising his hands in defeat, "Okay, okay, sorry about that Vejiita. Just trying to lighten the mood."
Without another word, Vejiita went back to eating, now letting everyone know how ticked off he was by clinging dishes together roughly.
Buruma narrowed her eyes after awhile, setting her silverware down to glare daggers at her mate, "Vejiita, if you don't stop acting like a spoiled little brat that didn't get his dessert, Bura and I will act on all our threats!"
Bura raised her eyes to Vejiita, wondering what he'll do. He simply ignored that statement was ever made. Quickly, he got done eating, taking one big gulp of his drink before pushing his chair back and stomping out of the kitchen. The door was heard slamming in the other room, meaning he went outside to train vigorously, no doubt needing to let out all his frustration.
Giving a sheepish look, Yamucha put his hand behind his head, "Eh…sorry about that."
"He'll get over it," Buruma said.
**********
Around eleven that night, Bura lay awake in her bed, just staring at the dark ceiling, listening to the low hum of the gravity room and the distant sounding blasts outside. She sighed, wondering when her father would be done "getting over it." He's been at it since six that evening, making her almost want to go out there and tell him to get to bed already.
Of course, he would probably also stink really badly and she didn't want to go near that.
Only a few more moments passed before the low growl of the gravity room shutting down was heard, indicating that he was finally done. She sighed again, this time in content, letting her eyes close slowly. She was definitely ready for some well-deserved sleep.
Over a short time period, she heard her father come back in Capsule Corp., walk up the stairs, enter his bedroom, her parents exchanging a few words, the shower running, the shower shutting off, and then nothing.
Maybe sleep won't be that easy… Bura told herself, knowing that a half an hour had to have past and she still felt wide-awake.
Another half an hour…she heard someone walking down the hall. She rolled her eyes, thinking Vejiita was getting up for some more training after Buruma angered him again. She lifted herself up on her elbow, looking out into the dark hallway. Opening her mouth to yell at her dad to go back to bed, she quickly stopped herself when she saw Yamucha walk past her bedroom. Bura tilted her head to the side, wondering what he was doing. His room was clear on the other side of where he was now…was he sleep walking?
Thinking of this idea, she giggled quietly to herself, throwing the covers off her body, which was clad in only blue boxers and a white spaghetti strap shirt. Her bare feet padded over her carpet and to her door, peaking out the side just in time to see Yamucha walking down the stairs. She took a peak across the hall and, seeing that her parents' bedroom door was closed, exited her room and tiptoed down the hall and stairs.
She saw him go out the back way where their pool was located. Raising an eyebrow, she decided to follow him a little more…just in case he was sleep walking and decided to drown himself or something.
Going over to the door that he closed, she looked out the window to see him standing near the pool's edge, looking into the clear liquid. She twisted the doorknob quietly and stepped outside also, the warm midnight air hitting her skin.
"Yamucha?" she questioned, crossing her arms under her breasts, her voice full of curiosity.
He turned around quickly, surprised that someone else was there. When he saw who it was, however, his eyes went calm and a big smile spread over his lips, "Hey, Bura. What are you doing up this late?"
She shrugged, slowly walking over to him and staring in the pool also, "Couldn't sleep. You?"
"Same," he answered, averting his gaze back to the water. He looked at her from the side of his eye, "I see you're still wearing those earrings."
Automatically, Bura reached up and ran her fingers over her jewels, smiling at him, "Of course, I won't be taking these out for awhile…unless of course I find a better pair tomorrow or something," she laughed.
Yamucha laughed also, watching as she sat down on the side of the pool, dipping her feet and ankles into the water. He followed suit, sitting down beside her as they sat in silence. Bura kicked her feet slightly, making little ripples go through the water.
"Anyway, sorry about my dad…from earlier," Bura finally spoke up, squeezing her hands between her legs.
"You don't have to keep apologizing for him, ya know," Yamucha told her, leaning back, one arm supporting him, "anyone who's anyone knows how he is and we've come to accept it like that. Especially when…your mother got with him."
Bura quickly looked over at him, not knowing whether or not she should bring up the conversation, "Umm…well, some people don't know him, so…that's it!" she suddenly yelled, snapping her fingers as something clicked in her mind.
"Uhh…what?" Yamucha asked, his eyes full of curiosity and a little bit of fear from her outburst.
Bura's eyes lightened up, but at the same time, darkened, "Well…see, every time I have a boyfriend, it never lasts too long. I've spent countless hours trying to figure out why and now that I think about it…they don't leave me until they meet my parents," she looked him in the eyes and saw that he was still confused, "Don't you see? They meet my dad and then feel intimidated! They don't want to get involved with a girl who has a father that looks like he wants to kill them because of everything they do!"
Yamucha stared at her for a moment, before sweat dropping, "Uhh…is that a good revelation?"
Thinking about it a little longer, Bura's shoulders slumped and her eyes lowered sadly, "No…I guess not. I mean, in a way, I guess it is. At least now I know not to invite my boyfriends over to 'meet the parents'." She let out a short chuckle.
The man stayed quiet for a long time, though Bura never noticed, she was too deep in her thoughts.
"Unless you begin dating a guy that already knows your father."
Bura looked up, grabbing her hair and putting it all over one of her shoulders, running her hands down her silky locks, "Someone that already knows him?"
He nodded, looking up at the sky as he thought of the possibilities, "Ya know, someone like Goten."
"You just had to mention him, didn't you?" she asked, her eyes now narrowed down in anger and sadness. Remembering how embarrassed she was earlier, she only told herself more and more that she had to avoid him for awhile.
"Did…I say something wrong?" he asked, eyes blinking a couple of times.
Her eyes looked at him and her feelings were shown perfectly, making his eyes sadden also, "Oh…I'm sorry, Bura. I didn't realize that…" he stopped there.
"I don't need any sympathy," she said roughly, "so what if he doesn't notice me, yet he's the center of my world. I seem to be getting by okay."
Yamucha stared at her for a little longer. She was a tough girl that was for sure, definitely had Vejiita's blood in her. He knew how much it hurt to love someone so much, yet they didn't return the feelings. A lot of people that haven't experienced it yet would think all the worrying and sadness were for nothing, but for those who had, they know that a punch in the heart hurts a lot more than a punch in the face.
Man, the more he thought about it, the more it was hard to believe. Bura, the daughter of Vejiita, loved Goten, the son of Gokou. And the Son didn't even care! He sure never imagined the little seven-year-old that he remembered being a heartbreaker. Who knows if he knows it though. All the Sons' seemed to be very oblivious of the things around them.
"Well, just think of it this way, Bura. When you do find someone that returns your feelings, you'll be saying 'Goten who?' and that's when he'll realize what he passed up," Yamucha advised, showing her a cheerful grin.
Bura still didn't crack a smile, however, "I highly doubt that, Yamucha. And besides…I know how it feels and I don't want him going through the same thing. …Nor do I want anyone else going through it either," she hinted, giving him the eye that said "yeah, enough about me, let's talk about you."
Yamucha felt a little blush spread on his cheeks, leaning away from her, "Uhh…well, that's great, Bura. You have a really great heart, especially considering who your parents a—."
He realized what he said, yet hoped that Bura would just pass it up. Because really…it wasn't that obvious, was it?
"You're saying that my mom doesn't have a great heart?" Bura inquired, eyeing him even more.
Damn it… "Uhh…" Yamucha began before shaking her head quickly, "No, no…that's not what I meant. I just—."
"I'm not gonna disagree with you," Bura interrupted again, wanting to smirk at his uneasiness, but held it back, "I love my mom a lot, but I don't like a lot of the decisions she made in the past."
Yamucha didn't know what to say to that one. How much did Bura really know about her mother's past? An even better question: How much did Bura really know about her mother's and his past? It was also quite rare to see a daughter criticizing her mother like this, usually it's the other way around.
"W-well…if she didn't make the decisions she made back then, you might have not been born," Yamucha finally spoke up, glad that explanation sounded reasonable.
"I know," Bura agreed, "but she could have went about these decisions in another, nicer manner."
Again, Yamucha was dumbfounded on what to say. What exactly was she getting at? He let out a sigh, deciding that he should stop acting stupid and oblivious.
"Listen, Bura…there was a lot of chaos back then between your mom and I, and I think there would have been even more if she hadn't have done things the way she did," Yamucha informed her, looking away from her intense gaze.
Bura was quiet for once, surprised that Yamucha actually admitted to that. She never took her eyes off him however, wanting to get him to talk more. She didn't know why, but she felt she needed to urge him on, she wanted to reach into his mind.
"Do you ever regret it?"
"Everyday of my life," Yamucha answered abruptly, but just as quickly wished he kept his mouth shut. Why did he just tell her that? No matter who asked him, he always denied it and said that he lost all his feelings for Buruma.
"Yamucha…" Bura said softly, feeling her eyes water up. She was a hopeless romantic and this was just like watching a sad romance movie that had no happy ending. She knew her mother would never go back to Yamucha and…though she felt terrible…she didn't want her to anyway. That wasn't the point, still, the point was the fact that he had to live with regret for so long.
"Hey," he said, showing her a smile, "I'm just like you. I don't want any sympathy, 'cause you still have a chance. You have your whole life to get to Goten and I'm sure—."
"Do you always try to change the subject?" Bura asked, flicking her hair over her shoulder.
Yamucha grinned, "You did it to me first."
Bura mimicked his grin, "Yeah, well…I'm allowed to."
He shook his head and hid a yawn behind his hand, stopping in mid yawn from seeing the ticked off look Bura was giving him. He quickly shut his mouth, "Heh, sorry Bura. It's not like you bore me, I'm just getting tired now."
Her frown turned into a smile, "Yeah, me too…wanna go to bed?" she asked, quickly blushing at how that sounded. Man, hanging out with my brother too much definitely gave me a dirty mind.
He chuckled and stood up, "Sure," he reached down a hand to help her up, which she offered. They headed to the door, going into quiet mode once they stepped inside. They made it upstairs with absolute care, not even making a squeak, not like Capsule Corp. had any.
They reached Bura's bedroom, but before she went in, she turned towards him, "Well, it was really great talking to you…getting to know you better," she told him in a whisper
He nodded, stopping in the hallway also, "Yeah, same here," he said in a whisper also, taking a step backwards to get back to his room, not wanting Vejiita to come out of his room, which was really right beside him, and kill him for waking him.
Bura smiled widely, showing her teeth, "Maybe we can do something tomorrow."
Yamucha hadn't realized he was staring at Vejiita's door before he did a double take at Bura. She wanted to do something with him? "Yeah, maybe. Sounds like fun."
It was then her turn to nod as she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him, resting her head on his chest. Yamucha's eyes grew from shock as he stared down at the girl who attached herself to him. Slowly, his arms gently went around her also from being outspread, patting her back.
"Goodnight, Bura," he whispered, giving another little yawn.
"'Night, Yamucha…" she whispered also, about to let him go when she heard a quiet tick and a very bright flash.
She blinked a few times, finally letting go of the man to look past him, only to see Trunks holding a camera and grinning like an absolute maniac. Very quickly, Bura felt anger surge through her whole body, "Trunks!"
"Eeeeh!" Yamucha let out, subconsciously covering his ears, knowing Buruma and Vejiita had to have heard that.
"Blackmail big time!" Trunks stated proudly, holding up the camera with glee.
"What is going on out there?!" Vejiita's voice came from behind the closed door.
"Oh man…" Yamucha sighed, slapping his hand to his forehead.
The door flew open, showing Vejiita wearing his white boxers and Buruma in the background, yawning and rubbing sleep from her eyes, wearing a silk nightgown.
"What the hell are you three doing?!" Vejiita asked again, his eyes narrowed down more than usual, flames flying through his dark orbs.
Trunks spoke up first, still laughing loudly and joyfully, "I caught Bura and Yamucha making out in the hall!"
"What?!" Vejiita screamed even louder, making Buruma's eyes go wide, looking like she just went on a sugar high.
"Oh, yeah right, Trunks! You lie so bad!" Bura screamed, giving him the middle finger.
"Did you see that, Dad?! She so totally flicked me off!" Trunks yelled, only to show his middle finger back at her. He was still laughing from all the chaos, holding the camera close to him so she wouldn't try to steal it.
Eventually, Pan came out of one of the guest rooms down the hall, rubbing her one eye roughly, "What's with all the screaming? Don't you people know how late it is?"
"My brother's being a real ass!" Bura pointed at him, her eyes narrowed down to match Vejiita's.
"Bura, please watch the language," Buruma finally spoke up, stepping out into the hall, giving certain glances at Bura and Yamucha.
Yamucha noticed this, sweat dropping, "Uh, Buruma, really, nothing happened. Trunks is just playing around."
"I have the proof right here!" Trunks yelled, holding up the camera as though it were a prize. Finally, Pan got the joke and began cracking up, falling to the floor on her back and holding her stomach. Trunks grinned more at her, glad someone else found it amusing.
Vejiita growled at Yamucha, taking a step forward, "You were doing what with my daughter?!"
Deciding it would be best to run than to try to explain, Yamucha quickly spun around and shot off down the hall, hoping he would make it to his bedroom quickly…not that that would stop Vejiita from beating him up anyway.
He flew past Trunks, making his eyes go wide. Trunks turned around to watch him go, only for his father to run into him, making them both fall down to the floor in a heap.
"Hey, get off me!"
"Get out of my way!"
The two of them went on arguing, scrambling around on the floor like two little kids. Bura shook her head and picked up the camera that Trunks accidentally dropped, turning back to go in her bedroom, stealing a quick glance at her mom.
"We weren't doing anything, Mom. Don't believe Trunks," when she said this, Buruma's eyes relaxed, automatically believing her daughter. She nodded, walking over to her son and mate, grabbing Vejiita by the hair to pull him up.
"Hey!" he yelled, standing up so she wouldn't rip his hair out.
"Hey nothing, Vejiita. Let's just act like this whole thing was a stupid dream and go back to sleep," she demanded, pulling him into the bedroom, telling everyone goodnight before closing the door behind her.
Trunks stood up from the ground, brushing himself off as he forgot about the camera for the time being. Pan finally got a hold of herself, picking herself up with the help of the wall.
"That was just too good," Pan commented, shaking her head and laughing more.
"Really? I thought it was quite stupid," Bura shot back, making Pan realize how mad she looked. The older girl cleared her throat, stopping her laughing abruptly.
Bura sighed and went into her bedroom, closing her door. She heard Trunks and Pan do the same. She set down the camera on her dresser, plopping down on her bed, covering herself up.
"Just you wait, Trunks…I'll get you back," Bura swore before falling asleep.
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So, how'd you all like this chapter? ^^ I decided to make a bit of a sweet chapter, then add some humor at the end. At least…I hope it was humor. O.o; Sometimes I think I have a weird sense of humor. Please review! Oh and also…I should be starting a new fic soon and for those of you who LOVE odd couples, this will definitely be the fic for you. And I'm almost sure of that. =)