Author's Note: Thanks for the great response to the last chapter. The majority of reviewers voted for a lemon so you will get that between now and the end of the story I promise. Anyway onwards now. To the dance!

Disclaimer: I don't own the song mentioned in this story or anything to do with it they are all property of their respectful owners. Oh and I don't own DBZ either, it belongs to the legendary Akira Toriyama.

Chapter 29: Dance


Bulma took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror. She had always known she was pretty and had tried to never let it go to her head but damn. She looked absolutely stunning. Her hair was pulled up in an elaborate but loose messy bun with strands delicately pulled out. She had had her hair curled and two ringlets hung on either side of her face. Along with their hair, Chichi, 18 and Bulma had had their eyebrows waxed, nails manicured and had makeovers. Bulma added a little more mascara to her face and smiled.

"You look beautiful," her mother told her. Bulma smiled, she had butterflies in her stomach.


"Thanks Mum." Mrs. Briefs smiled and her eyes became teary. Bulma smiled. "Don't cry Mum," she laughed. "You'll make my mascara run." Mrs. Brief's bottom lip quivered.

"Oh Bulma I remember when you were only just walking." She gave a sniff. "My baby's all grown up." A huge wave of tears came forth. Bulma had to stop herself from crying.

"It's OK, Mum," she smiled, hugging her mother. Mrs. Briefs drew herself up and wiped her eyes.

"You're right dear. I'm sorry. Let's go downstairs." Bulma smiled and took her mother's arm. They headed down the stairs and found Bulma's father waiting by the door. He gave her a smile and Bulma smiled back. Mrs. Briefs rushed off to get the camera.


"Feeling alright dear?" he asked. Bulma nodded and hugged her father.

"Fine," she smiled. At that moment the doorbell rang. Bulma went to answer it but her father stopped her.


"I'll answer it," he told her. Bulma, not knowing why her father wanted to answer the door when he knew it would be Vegeta, stood back. Dr. Briefs walked over to the door and opened it.

"Dr. Briefs," Vegeta regarded with a small tilt of his head. Dr. Briefs nodded and let Vegeta in. Bulma almost felt herself physically collapse when she saw him. Vegeta had always been blessed with good looks but something about him tonight made him look absolutely gorgeous. Bulma smiled at him and Vegeta returned what was as close to a smile as he could get and walked over. He stopped suddenly.

"Dr. Briefs may I have a word?" he asked, sounding much more polite than usual. Bulma's father nodded and the two of them stepped out of the room. Mrs. Briefs returned with the camera.

"Where's Vegeta gone dear?" she asked. Bulma indicated to the kitchen where her father and Vegeta had gone. They appeared a moment later. "Oh I do hope you weren't harassing the poor boy dear," she sighed as she talked to her husband. Vegeta smirked but said nothing and walked over to Bulma, taking her arm in his.

"What was that about?" Bulma asked him. Vegeta gave her a knowing look.

"Nothing woman. Mind your business." Bulma rolled her eyes.


"Photos dear, photos!" Mrs. Briefs yelled. Bulma grinned as her mother clicked the camera over and over again.

"Alright Mum, that's enough I think." Mrs. Briefs smiled.


"Yes. Yes I think you're right dear." She put the camera down. "Alright then," she said. "Don't be too late home. And have fun. Bulma your father and I will be out when you get home. We have a business meeting over at the Lawerence's and your father thinks that it will go long into the night. Mrs. Briefs gave a frustrated sort of sigh. Dr. briefs smiled.


"Dad what time do I have to be home?" Bulma asked her father. Dr. Briefs gave a half smile.


"I trust Vegeta. You don't have a curfew." Bulma grinned.


"Thankyou!" she beamed. Dr. Briefs nodded. "Bye," Bulma smiled back as Vegeta led her out the door. He closed the door behind her and just as Bulma was about to say something she turned around.


"V-V-Vegeta," she stammered. He smirked.


"Don't just stand there woman, get in," he told her. Bulma, gob smacked, walked over to where Vegeta held the door of the limousine open. He closed it after her and got in on the other side.

"Vegeta? Did you do this?" she asked. He gave a smirk but said nothing. His mind was on something else, something else he needed to tell Bulma.

'Should I tell her?'  He looked over at her elated face. She was beautiful, he couldn't bring himself to make her cry. 'Not yet.'

*


Bulma eventually got over the shock of the limousine, by which time they arrived at school.

There was a huge noise. Several large men (which Bulma assumed were security guards) were posted around the entrances, checking people's bags and coats for contraband items. Vegeta helped Bulma out of the car and she smiled at him. The dance this year was being held at a mansion. Someone on the B.O.T was apparently very rich and had loaned their enormous house for the dance. It looked like a palace from the outside and enormous gardens with hedge-carved statues decorated the outside. In the middle of the round about drive was an enormous water fountain, decorated with fairy lights.


As Bulma entered she felt like she was in a dream. They had just stepped into an elaborately designed Entrance Hall, through which they could see the ballroom, complete with patterned marble floors, a winding staircase leading upstairs and an enormous crystal chandelier. Vegeta led Bulma into the ballroom.

Situated round the outsides of the dance floor were refreshment centres, trolleys with uniform waiters standing by each. A DJ was up the front playing a rather fast moving song and Bulma noted three spotlights up by the chandelier.


"Bulma!" Bulma turned around as she heard her name. She smiled. Chichi, Goku, 18 and Krillin were walking over. Bulma had seen her girlfriends before, they had had their hair done together that afternoon. But she hadn't seen the other guys. Goku was wearing a classic penguin suit, looking incredibly happy. Krillin's was much the same with a few variations on style. Bulma hugged Chichi and 18 and gave Krillin and Goku a kiss. She heard Vegeta growl next to her and gave him a small punch in the ribs. He would normally have glared but something stopped him this time. Bulma didn't notice.


"They announce Prom King and Queen at the end because its prom theme? How cool is that?" Chichi told her. Bulma smiled. That would be amazing.


"Woman you have three hours to socialize," Vegeta told Bulma. She raised an eyebrow, missing his point. Vegeta rolled his eyes and took her hand, leading her onto the ballroom floor.


"Wow," Bulma said as a slower song came across the sounds system and Vegeta took one of her hands in his, and placed his other hand around her waist. "I didn't know you could dance," she said as Vegeta moved perfectly in time. He smirked.


"There are a lot of things you don't know about me woman." Bulma sighed.


"I have a name Vegeta." He smirked.


"I know. But I want to call you woman and I will."

"Why?" Bulma asked him. He smirked.


"Because you're special," he told her as he rested his head on hers. Bulma placed her head in the crook of his neck.

"Thankyou," she whispered. Vegeta turned Bulma around as the danced.

'I need to tell her,' he thought. 'It's only going to get worse.'

"You're welcome."


*

"It's 11.00, the dance finishes at 12. They must be announcing the Prom King and Queen soon," Bulma smiled as she sat at the table with Vegeta. He nodded and took a drink. "Another dance Vegeta?" Bulma asked. She knew she had to make the most of it. She doubted if she'd ever be able to get Vegeta to dance again. He frowned.


"Alright woman but did you realize that in the two hours we have been here we have sat out of only 3 songs?" he asked her. Bulma smiled.

"Oh well. Don't want to make it any more." Vegeta grinned and helped her up. He had decided to be nice tonight, forgetting his arrogance and pride for a few hours to be his true self. But he wasn't really sure he could do it every day. Being nice was just too hard.


"Vegeta?" Bulma asked as he stood up and they stepped onto the dancefloor. "What college are you going to?" she asked. Vegeta felt his stomach drop and he felt suddenly sick. Bulma noticed. "You didn't forget to apply did you?" she asked him, almost unbelievingly. He shook his head.


"Of course not. I'll tell you later." But not that Bulma had brought it up, he could no longer push it aside and think of other things. It was thumping its way to the front of his head. It had arrived that very morning. Vegeta tried to shake the sick feeling from his stomach but there was no moving it now.


Bulma eyed him warily.

"Vegeta? Is there something you need to tell me?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No I need- to go find Kakarot," he said and left the room abruptly looking for Goku. Now Bulma definitely knew something was wrong. She tried to follow him but got lost in the crowd. She did however manage to find 18. Bulma smiled at her friend and took a seat, still feeling uneasy about Vegeta's sudden secrecy.

"Having a good time?" 18 asked. Bulma smiled but it wasn't coming as naturally as before.

"It's amazing," she said. 18 nodded. "Where's Krillin?" Bulma asked.


"Gone to get the drinks," 18 told her. Bulma nodded and as if by cue Krillin came into view.


"Hi Bulma," he smiled. Bulma nodded.

"I think I'd better go and find Vegeta," she told them. They nodded and Bulma left.

She found him out the back. He had gone through the large back doors off the ballroom which lead to a stone patio with a Roman-like banister round the edge. Over the side of the banister the main garden could be seen, vaguely lit by fairy lights and from the lights inside. Vegeta was leaning on the rail looking into the garden. Bulma slowly approached behind him.


"Vegeta?" she asked cautiously. He turned around and Bulma could see something in his expression that she had never seen before. She couldn't quite place it but she didn't like it at all.

'I have to tell her. Now.'


"Woman- Bulma. Come over here," he told her. Bulma knew this was serious, he was using her proper name. She stood next to him.


"What's wrong?" she asked. Vegeta turned to look at her.

"There's something I need to tell you," he sighed. Vegeta put his hand on Bulma's which was placed on the rail. Bulma looked up at him, confused.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Vegeta took a deep breath.

"You know how you asked what college I'm going to?" Bulma nodded, not seeing where this was going. "Well I-I." He stopped. "This year I've worked quite a lot with the police force, what with those drugs at the Club, Smoky, the thing with Paul and Vega- Well I received a letter this morning telling me that I- that I've been offered a place at an academy specializing in under cover police agents. I emailed them this afternoon and accepted." Bulma frowned.


"What's wrong with that?" she asked. Vegeta sighed.


"It's in America." There was silence. All the noise form inside seemed to disappear and life for Bulma suddenly became slow motion. Her eyes went wide. Vegeta looked at her.


"I'm moving to America." Bulma shook her head.


"V-V-Vegeta," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "Y-y-you can't. How-how long will you be gone?" Bulma felt sick. This couldn't be happening, not after all they'd been through, they couldn't be parted like this.


"It's a minimum of-" he paused and looked at Bulma, taking her hand. "7 years." Bulma took a step backwards.

"Vegeta," she said again, shaking her head. Vegeta bowed his head.

"I have to do this is I want to do something with my life," he told her. "But I promise I'll come back." Bulma swallowed. She felt as though someone had died. Vegeta was going to leave.


"W-when are you leaving?" Bulma asked, tears spilling down her cheeks. Vegeta looked up at her, a little unsure.

"First Saturday of the holidays."

"But Vegeta," Bulma said, trying to swallow her tears. "We only finish school on the Friday." He nodded. Bulma gave a cry and began shaking.


"Don't cry," he told her, lifting up her chin. "It's not like I'm not coming back?"

"You're going to be gone more than seven years. Who knows what could happen." Bulma shook as she cried and Vegeta put his arm around her shoulders. He hadn't thought it would be this hard, he was just going to tell her and she was going to accept it. But now as he watched her cry in his arms, he wasn't really sure he'd made the right choice. Could he really leave her? He had to. He knew that if he didn't accept this, he wouldn't ever get off his arse and do something with his life. This way he had a chance for a better future. One that he hoped he would lead with Bulma. But there was always the chance that one of them might find someone else while he was away. That's what they were both afraid of.

"You guys, come inside, they're announcing King and Queen," Chichi yelled out the door. Vegeta nodded and Chichi headed inside shooting a strange look back at the two.

"We have to go inside," Vegeta told her. Bulma nodded and looked up.

"Has-has my makeup run?" she smiled at him, her eyes still brimming with tears. Vegeta wiped the wetness of her cheeks.

"You look beautiful," he told her. Bulma swallowed and Vegeta wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and Bulma rested her head on Vegeta as the two of the walked inside.

*

"Look at Bulma," Goku said as he noticed Vegeta and Bulma enter. Anyone could clearly see she had been crying, her eyes were red and shining. Vegeta was looking like someone had died. Chichi looked over at them. The two of them stood near the back of the room, just inside the patio doors.


"I thought there was something wrong with her? What do you think happened?" Chichi asked. Goku didn't say anything. Vegeta had rung him earlier in the day, explaining about the letter. Vegeta had asked Goku if he should accept and Goku had told him he had to make his own decision. There was no doubting which one he'd chosen now though. Vegeta was leaving.

"I don't know," Goku lied. "I'm sure they'll tell us in time." Chichi said nothing but watched their friends.

"Excuse me? Can you all hear me? Can you all see me? Excellent," came a voice from the stage next to the DJ. A man in a tweed suit was standing in front of the microphone beaming around. Next to him was a woman in a shiny silvery dress, holding two cushions, one carefully balanced on each hands. On one cushion sat a glittering silver tiara with a diamond encrusted into the top and smaller ones running down the sides. On the other was a gold crown, not incredibly big, but encrusted with still more diamonds.

"Alright now is the time when we take them theme of the dance one step further and announce prom King and prom Queen," the man spoke.

Bulma stood, listening to him rambling on and on. Vegeta's hand was rubbing her shoulder and she placed her hand on it. Could this really be happening? Vegeta was really going to leave? The look in her eyes made her know she was right. Deep down, she knew he had to go, that it was his chance for a secure life. But that didn't make it any less painful.


"And now the votes are tallied, the time has come. This years prom King and Queen are," the man unfolded a gold envelope. "Vegeta Ouji and Bulma Briefs." Several girls burst into tears at not be chosen. Bulma should have been elated, but she just couldn't bring herself to be happy. But Vegeta took her hand and led her up onto the stage, where several whispers went around. Bulma knew she still looked like she'd been crying. Vegeta and Bulma had their crowns placed upon their heads.


"I feel like a fool," Vegeta snarled as they faced the crowd, so quietly that only Bulma heard. She gave a smile.


"You look very handsome," she told him.


"And now the King and Queen will dance to this year's chosen song If You're Not the One by Daniel Bedingfield." Bulma swallowed as she and Vegeta stepped down onto the dancefloor. Everyone cleared and the lights dimmed as the song drifted across the sounds system. Vegeta took Bulma's hand, placing one hand around her waist, and pulling her tight. Bulma rested her head on his chest.

If you're not the one then why does my soul feel glad today?
If you're not the one then why does my hand fit yours this way?
If you are not mine then why does your heart return my call?
If you are not mine would I have the strength to stand at all?


Vegeta looked down at Bulma and saw a tear run down her cheek.

I never know what the future brings,
But I know you are here with me now.
We'll make it through
And I hope you are the one I share my life with.

Vegeta and Bulma swayed slowly on the spot each listening to the words and feeling their relevance. It was almost as if he was talking through the song, saying things he knew his pride would never let him say in real life.

I don't want to run away but I can't take it, I don't understand.
If I am not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?

Bulma swallowed, tears now flowing freely down her face. Vegeta's hold was warm and comforting but it only seemed to make it worse, knowing that they would soon be parted.

If I don't need you then why am I crying on my bed?
If I don't need you then why does your name resound in my head?
If you're not for me then why does this distance maim my life?
If you're not for me then why do I dream of you as my wife?

If Vegeta had been a lesser man, he would've started crying. But it was not in his nature and now matter how gut wrenching and painful it was he somehow knew that his mind would never let him cry. He held Bulma closer, resting his head on the top of hers.

I don't know why you're so far away,
But I know that this much is true;
We'll make it through
And I hope you are the one I share my life with.
And I wish that you could be the one I die with.
And I'm prayin' you're the one I build my home with.
I hope I love you all my life.

"I love you," Bulma whispered to him quietly. Vegeta said nothing.

I don't want to run away but I can't take it, I don't understand,
If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?

Cause I miss you, body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away
And I breathe you into my heart and pray for the strength to stand today
Cause I love you, whether its wrong or right
And though I can't be with you for life
I know my heart is by your side.


Bulma took a deep shaky breath, feeling suddenly cold. The cold reality of the song struck her heart like a knife.


"I'm sorry," Vegeta whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek.

I don't want to run away but I can't take it, I don't understand,
If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?

Bulma gave a loud cry that made several people gasp.


"Be strong woman," Vegeta told her as they stepped apart a little, hands still held.

Goku, 18, Chichi and Krillin all stepped back as their friends faced them. Bulma's face was tear streaked, and they were still falling. Vegeta looked like they had never seen them before.

"That was the prom King and Queen dance. Now if you would all like you have half an hour left so I suggest you get dancing!" the man with the microphone yelled.


The noise picked up again and Vegeta and Bulma headed back onto the patio.


By the time the others reached them, Bulma was crying like a baby and 18 was sure that if Vegeta had been one who would cry, he wouldn't be far off.


"What's wrong B?" Chichi asked as she sat next to her friend. Bulma shook her head and Vegeta gripped her shoulders tightly.

"Tell them Kakarot," Vegeta said, his voice thick. The others looked at Goku. As he explained what had happened Vegeta leant over to Bulma.

"I love you too," he whispered. Bulma nodded and kissed Vegeta.


*

Next Chapter: Er I dunno.


Author's Note: There's probably two more chapters, 3 at the max left. I want to know how many of you people saw this coming? Let me know, drop me a review. Thanks.


Kaibun