Chapter 9: Two Sides of Every Story
Now, as we all know, there are always two sides to every story. Person a's account of an event may seem completely different than person b's, but it is still the same exact event. Of course, there are often variables, such as a tad bit of embellishment here or there, but, for the most part, it is the same. You may also have to account for the reason's said event happened, and also the repercussions of said event. Once Bulma cooled down, she realized this.
Everyone knows that reporters take things you say out of context, but on the same note, they can't lie. It was a reputable news organization that reported that awful article, exposing Bulma in a way that made her feel naked in her own home, but at the same time, reporters do tend to cast information in questionable light to make a story worth reading. By the time Bulma's rational mind took over, Vegeta had already left. So far, they had only decided that Vegeta wouldn't deny his child. They had yet to discuss if the matter would be publicly announced, or if he would even be on the birth certificate.
Bulma was sure that having Yamcha speculate in front of the world that Vegeta was the father was enough to get Vegeta's blood boiling, and Kami knows Vegeta doesn't need much of an excuse to pound someone into the ground. Yamcha would survive. If she had to, she'd bring him a senzu bean, after a little suffering, of course. She'd decide just how much suffering after she sorted this whole mess out. Bulma figured that Yamcha's suffering should be directly proportional to her own, after all, stress is not good for a pregnant woman, especially considering she had just made it into her second trimester.
Bulma sat in her home office, playing phone tag with her father and the PR department. By noon, she had agreed to give three interviews, the first to highest rated journalism show on television, Focus on Japan, the second to the most respected celebrity news magazine, Celebrity Chic, and the third to the very same news paper that Yamcha had interviewed with, The Red Beacon.
The next step was to contact Yamcha after Vegeta returned home. She needed to ask him exactly what happened, and to also make sure Vegeta didn't kill him. The Yamcha she knew could be a little petty and selfish, but she didn't think he would ever sink so low as to publicly humiliate her. As if on queue, her private line rang. "Yeah." She answered, not at all caring about manners at the moment.
"Bulma, sweet cheeks! It's Master Roshi! Just thought you'd like to know, Vegeta just showed up and did a little number on Yamcha...mumbled something about 'staying out of his business'. You need to keep a leash on that guard dog of yours before he does some real damage!"
"Is Yamcha alright?" She asked, surprising herself with her own concern.
"Nothing a few good days rest won't heal, why don't you come out to see him? He's been asking for you ever since Vegeta knocked him silly."
Sighing, Bulma glanced out the window to see Vegeta land in a streak of blue light in front of the gravity chamber. He didn't have a scratch on him.
"Alright, I'll be there." And with that she turned of her cell phone, shoved it in her purse, and grabbed her capsule compact.
Once outside, she surveyed the lawn. Cleaning bots were busy removing broken glass and various kitchen appliances from the lawn, while the gardener was trying in vain to repair a particularly sad looking rose bush. With a sigh, she pulled out a capsule jet and detonated it. Once inside, she set the coordinates to Master Roshi's island and sat back to enjoy the ride.
At least that's what she tried to do. The closer she got to the turtle hermit's island, the queasier she got. She really hadn't thought things through when she decided to sic Vegeta on Yamcha. How will it look to the press? Yamcha shows up battered and bloody right after he gave a scathing interview about the powerful Capsule Corporation Heiress. Great. She could only hope that Vegeta had simply spooked him a bit, and that Yamcha would have the good sense to stay away for a while.
Breaking through the clouds, Bulma spotted the familiar Kami House sitting on the little island. Her heart jumped into her throat. There was no damage. The island looked like it always had, neat little house, wooden porch, white sand beach, a couple trees, a giant turtle, an old man sleeping on a lounge chair with a girly magazine covering his face...it was all the same.
Slightly intrigued, not to mention grateful, Bulma landed her hover jet in a swirl of sand. Once the granules had settled to the ground, she stepped out, hesitant to venture to the house in search of Yamcha. Thankfully, the first move was made for her.
"Hey Bulma, come to check up on your boyfriend?" a friendly voice chided.
"Krillen, you know very well Yamcha and I are over." Bulma exclaimed with her hands on her hips.
This was good. No one was panicking, and by the look on Master Roshi's partially exposed face, everything was fine.
"That's what you always say, Bulma! Hey, why d'ya think Vegeta came over here? It really didn't make any sense. There we were, catching up and planning to go spar, when Vegeta barges in, grabs Yamcha by the neck, and hurls him into the ocean. Next thing you know, Vegeta comes back, holding Yamcha by the back of his shirt, and tosses him onto the beach. It was really weird, like Vegeta had it out for him, but didn't want to kill him, ya know? It really wasn't like him. Are you sure you're doing all right with him in your home?" Krillen asked with concern for his old friend.
"Krillen, Yamcha didn't tell you why he thought Vegeta came over, did he?" she inquired.
"Nah, just said that he must have been a little sore about something he said, that's all"
"You guys don't get the paper all the way out here, do you?"
"No, haven't really gone to the main land for a while now, why do you ask"
"No reason, the thought just popped into my mind...so how is Yamcha?"
"Not to bad, though it stung like hell when I hit the water"
Bulma whirled around to see a rather battered looking Yamcha standing on the porch. He was leaning Master Roshi's walking stick with his good arm, while the other was nestled in a sling. He had a rather ugly bruise forming around his neck, and there was an obvious redness to his skin where he had been slammed into the salty ocean. Compared to the image she had in her head, he looked good.
"Hey Krillen, you mind excusing us for a moment?" Bulma pleasantly asked.
"Sure, let me just go get Master Roshi, and we'll go...well, we'll go as far as we can. Small island, you know." He said with a blush while rubbing the back of his head.
"Come inside out of the sun, Bulma"
"Alright" she nodded.
They settled onto the sofa, and Bulma let out a relived sigh.
"Listen..." Yamcha started. When it was clear that he wasn't going to get interrupted, he continued.
"I've been missing you a lot lately. I really think that what I did was a mistake. I thought that I would be happier without you, and, well, I'm not. It really hurt me when I found out that you were pregnant. It was only a month after we broke up. You never wanted to share yourself with me, but then I'm gone, and you go and get yourself pregnant. I know it wasn't artificial, Bulma. I'm not as stupid as you think I am...I got drunk the night I found out. I was already wasted when a guy came up and started talking to me. He asked me questions, and I answered. He kept buying me drinks, saying that I needed it...that was a little over two months ago. That guy was a reporter, Bulma. I didn't know. He introduced himself, but I didn't even think about it at the time. He sat on the interview, waiting for the perfect time to spring it. He waited until his would be the only big exclusive out there, and he used it. I was as surprised as you were when I got the paper...and I deserve what I got. More even. I just hope that this doesn't cause problems for you. I let you go and told you to be happy...and I guess you're doing it. I have no right to ruin it for you." He took in a shuddering breath and looked up into her eyes.
Bulma couldn't speak. She felt numb. She didn't really know what to think of all of this. All she knew was that she had to leave.
She got up and walked to the door and out into the sunshine. She pulled herself into the jet and fastened her seat belt automatically. Bulma entered in the proper coordinates to get her home, not even noticing the take off.
Before she knew it, she was home. She walked into the kitchen through the back door, not even phased by the Saiyan waiting for her at the table. He rose and met her half way across the room.
"I'm leaving. There are too many distractions here, and I'm not making enough progress. I will return to fight the androids." And with that he left.
Bulma continued on to the stairs and slowly made her way to her room. She went through the motions of getting ready for bed, all as if in a trance. Slowly, she climbed into bed. Once settled, she took a deep breath...and it all hit her like a ton of bricks.
For the first time in three months, Bulma Briefs cried herself to sleep.
Sorry about the delay. It seems that everyone in my life is having a hard time right now. I have one friend whose abusive stepmother disappeared with his little brother, then came back and demanded a divorce. Thank Kami he doesn't live with them anymore. I have another friend that is being fired on a bogus sexual harassment charge, just because his ex-girlfriend didn't want him to work with her anymore. I have another friend that's depressed, lonely, and has really low self-esteem and she broke down the other day, and I have a fiancé who's so depressed he had to see a doctor.
Needless to say, this chapter took awhile to get to, and was rather rushed when I did get to it.
I'll try to update faster next time.
Read and review!
Kanjizai
Now, as we all know, there are always two sides to every story. Person a's account of an event may seem completely different than person b's, but it is still the same exact event. Of course, there are often variables, such as a tad bit of embellishment here or there, but, for the most part, it is the same. You may also have to account for the reason's said event happened, and also the repercussions of said event. Once Bulma cooled down, she realized this.
Everyone knows that reporters take things you say out of context, but on the same note, they can't lie. It was a reputable news organization that reported that awful article, exposing Bulma in a way that made her feel naked in her own home, but at the same time, reporters do tend to cast information in questionable light to make a story worth reading. By the time Bulma's rational mind took over, Vegeta had already left. So far, they had only decided that Vegeta wouldn't deny his child. They had yet to discuss if the matter would be publicly announced, or if he would even be on the birth certificate.
Bulma was sure that having Yamcha speculate in front of the world that Vegeta was the father was enough to get Vegeta's blood boiling, and Kami knows Vegeta doesn't need much of an excuse to pound someone into the ground. Yamcha would survive. If she had to, she'd bring him a senzu bean, after a little suffering, of course. She'd decide just how much suffering after she sorted this whole mess out. Bulma figured that Yamcha's suffering should be directly proportional to her own, after all, stress is not good for a pregnant woman, especially considering she had just made it into her second trimester.
Bulma sat in her home office, playing phone tag with her father and the PR department. By noon, she had agreed to give three interviews, the first to highest rated journalism show on television, Focus on Japan, the second to the most respected celebrity news magazine, Celebrity Chic, and the third to the very same news paper that Yamcha had interviewed with, The Red Beacon.
The next step was to contact Yamcha after Vegeta returned home. She needed to ask him exactly what happened, and to also make sure Vegeta didn't kill him. The Yamcha she knew could be a little petty and selfish, but she didn't think he would ever sink so low as to publicly humiliate her. As if on queue, her private line rang. "Yeah." She answered, not at all caring about manners at the moment.
"Bulma, sweet cheeks! It's Master Roshi! Just thought you'd like to know, Vegeta just showed up and did a little number on Yamcha...mumbled something about 'staying out of his business'. You need to keep a leash on that guard dog of yours before he does some real damage!"
"Is Yamcha alright?" She asked, surprising herself with her own concern.
"Nothing a few good days rest won't heal, why don't you come out to see him? He's been asking for you ever since Vegeta knocked him silly."
Sighing, Bulma glanced out the window to see Vegeta land in a streak of blue light in front of the gravity chamber. He didn't have a scratch on him.
"Alright, I'll be there." And with that she turned of her cell phone, shoved it in her purse, and grabbed her capsule compact.
Once outside, she surveyed the lawn. Cleaning bots were busy removing broken glass and various kitchen appliances from the lawn, while the gardener was trying in vain to repair a particularly sad looking rose bush. With a sigh, she pulled out a capsule jet and detonated it. Once inside, she set the coordinates to Master Roshi's island and sat back to enjoy the ride.
At least that's what she tried to do. The closer she got to the turtle hermit's island, the queasier she got. She really hadn't thought things through when she decided to sic Vegeta on Yamcha. How will it look to the press? Yamcha shows up battered and bloody right after he gave a scathing interview about the powerful Capsule Corporation Heiress. Great. She could only hope that Vegeta had simply spooked him a bit, and that Yamcha would have the good sense to stay away for a while.
Breaking through the clouds, Bulma spotted the familiar Kami House sitting on the little island. Her heart jumped into her throat. There was no damage. The island looked like it always had, neat little house, wooden porch, white sand beach, a couple trees, a giant turtle, an old man sleeping on a lounge chair with a girly magazine covering his face...it was all the same.
Slightly intrigued, not to mention grateful, Bulma landed her hover jet in a swirl of sand. Once the granules had settled to the ground, she stepped out, hesitant to venture to the house in search of Yamcha. Thankfully, the first move was made for her.
"Hey Bulma, come to check up on your boyfriend?" a friendly voice chided.
"Krillen, you know very well Yamcha and I are over." Bulma exclaimed with her hands on her hips.
This was good. No one was panicking, and by the look on Master Roshi's partially exposed face, everything was fine.
"That's what you always say, Bulma! Hey, why d'ya think Vegeta came over here? It really didn't make any sense. There we were, catching up and planning to go spar, when Vegeta barges in, grabs Yamcha by the neck, and hurls him into the ocean. Next thing you know, Vegeta comes back, holding Yamcha by the back of his shirt, and tosses him onto the beach. It was really weird, like Vegeta had it out for him, but didn't want to kill him, ya know? It really wasn't like him. Are you sure you're doing all right with him in your home?" Krillen asked with concern for his old friend.
"Krillen, Yamcha didn't tell you why he thought Vegeta came over, did he?" she inquired.
"Nah, just said that he must have been a little sore about something he said, that's all"
"You guys don't get the paper all the way out here, do you?"
"No, haven't really gone to the main land for a while now, why do you ask"
"No reason, the thought just popped into my mind...so how is Yamcha?"
"Not to bad, though it stung like hell when I hit the water"
Bulma whirled around to see a rather battered looking Yamcha standing on the porch. He was leaning Master Roshi's walking stick with his good arm, while the other was nestled in a sling. He had a rather ugly bruise forming around his neck, and there was an obvious redness to his skin where he had been slammed into the salty ocean. Compared to the image she had in her head, he looked good.
"Hey Krillen, you mind excusing us for a moment?" Bulma pleasantly asked.
"Sure, let me just go get Master Roshi, and we'll go...well, we'll go as far as we can. Small island, you know." He said with a blush while rubbing the back of his head.
"Come inside out of the sun, Bulma"
"Alright" she nodded.
They settled onto the sofa, and Bulma let out a relived sigh.
"Listen..." Yamcha started. When it was clear that he wasn't going to get interrupted, he continued.
"I've been missing you a lot lately. I really think that what I did was a mistake. I thought that I would be happier without you, and, well, I'm not. It really hurt me when I found out that you were pregnant. It was only a month after we broke up. You never wanted to share yourself with me, but then I'm gone, and you go and get yourself pregnant. I know it wasn't artificial, Bulma. I'm not as stupid as you think I am...I got drunk the night I found out. I was already wasted when a guy came up and started talking to me. He asked me questions, and I answered. He kept buying me drinks, saying that I needed it...that was a little over two months ago. That guy was a reporter, Bulma. I didn't know. He introduced himself, but I didn't even think about it at the time. He sat on the interview, waiting for the perfect time to spring it. He waited until his would be the only big exclusive out there, and he used it. I was as surprised as you were when I got the paper...and I deserve what I got. More even. I just hope that this doesn't cause problems for you. I let you go and told you to be happy...and I guess you're doing it. I have no right to ruin it for you." He took in a shuddering breath and looked up into her eyes.
Bulma couldn't speak. She felt numb. She didn't really know what to think of all of this. All she knew was that she had to leave.
She got up and walked to the door and out into the sunshine. She pulled herself into the jet and fastened her seat belt automatically. Bulma entered in the proper coordinates to get her home, not even noticing the take off.
Before she knew it, she was home. She walked into the kitchen through the back door, not even phased by the Saiyan waiting for her at the table. He rose and met her half way across the room.
"I'm leaving. There are too many distractions here, and I'm not making enough progress. I will return to fight the androids." And with that he left.
Bulma continued on to the stairs and slowly made her way to her room. She went through the motions of getting ready for bed, all as if in a trance. Slowly, she climbed into bed. Once settled, she took a deep breath...and it all hit her like a ton of bricks.
For the first time in three months, Bulma Briefs cried herself to sleep.
Sorry about the delay. It seems that everyone in my life is having a hard time right now. I have one friend whose abusive stepmother disappeared with his little brother, then came back and demanded a divorce. Thank Kami he doesn't live with them anymore. I have another friend that is being fired on a bogus sexual harassment charge, just because his ex-girlfriend didn't want him to work with her anymore. I have another friend that's depressed, lonely, and has really low self-esteem and she broke down the other day, and I have a fiancé who's so depressed he had to see a doctor.
Needless to say, this chapter took awhile to get to, and was rather rushed when I did get to it.
I'll try to update faster next time.
Read and review!
Kanjizai