Vegeta's baby sister- Hey, thanks for reviewing! yeah, sorry about the
typos. I just can't type, ask Seruleyan, she'll tell you I suck at it!
haha. Anyhow. I'm glad you like!
Ana- Thanks so much! ;) Enjoy the next chapter!
Daisy31- Hello! Sorry about the evil cliffy last chapter, but they tend to get really good responses from you awesome reviewers! Thanks for the lovely compliment!!
Alexionite- Thanks for both your reviews. I really appreciate, and I'm really glad you like the story! ;)
Videlchan313- Hey, not a problem, girl! Just let me know if you need any creative help. I really like doing it! Anyhow, thanks for reviewing. I'm happy you like this story too. It's starting to really get interesting, huh? I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with it, but that's half the fun! ;)
Erm- I guess I really need to put up a sign that says 'Evil cliff0hangers ahead!' ;) Thanks for reviewing!!! and beware of evil cliffies!!! mu hahahahahha....
Shades of Crimson- Was that really my most evil Cliffhanger?! I kind of think the end of chapter 18 of ' My Name Is' was most evil cliffy! Oh well! It's a little tricky at times to use the DBZ characters in another one of my favorites shows, but it's a challenge and I enjoy it! I'm super proud of this chapter below. I really felt right about it, and this is probably going to the my next big project when I finially finish 'My Name Is'. Things will only get more interesting, I promise!!! hehehehe! As usual, thank you for reviewing and supporting me, I never get tired of thank you guys!!! (hugs) ;)
Seruleyan-Wings- Hahahaha, girl you crack me up! I'm so glad we finally got to chat! My head is a little less stuffed with ideas now! Thank you!!! I just wish I could excuse my evilness, but I can't. YOu should know me by now! I'm purely evil when it comes to cliffies and plot twists! It's okay, if you haven't seen Gilmore Girls. Me and Crimson won't hold it against you!!! ;) Sometimes I wish the three of us lived within walking distance of each other so we could sit you down and make you watch it!!!! It's an amazing show! Anyhow. Thanks for reviewing, and I'm currently brainstorming that idea you just sent me hahaha. You need to update ODAD!!!! We're all dying here!
Laina- Thank you so much! ;) I'm glad you like my story!!!!
----
Chapter 3: 'I Didn't Know...'
Bulma jumped up from the comfy leather chair with wide eyes and a smile stretched across her face. "Arro!" She called out happily. She ran over and threw her arms around the man's neck as he picked her up to swing her around.
"How ya doing, B?" He asked after setting her down.
Reality finally brought Bulma back down from the clouds, and she sighed, taking her seat once more. "There aren't anymore surprises around are there?"
Arthos shook his head. "No, Vegeta's not here right now."
Bulma looked confused. "What do you mean 'right now'? I wasn't aware that he was in the area. He could at least visit Trunks," she muttered the last part so they couldn't really hear it.
Arro sat down on the couch next to his older brother. "He's moving back here. Mom wanted to move to California, so dad and Vegeta are switching offices, and," he trailed off, seeing the angered look on Bulma's face. "He didn't tell you, huh?"
"No, he didn't." She sighed in dissapointment. "He hasn't called in almost a month."
"Well, he's been extremely busy moving his staff to the east coast," Arro defended.
"Sorry, guys. I'm sure he has been. It's just been a bad day for me," she apologized, mentally kicking herself for saying something negative about Vegeta. You didn't badmouth one Ouji brother unless you had a deathwish because the other two would hunt you down like a dog! "I've been trying to get him on his cell, but it's always busy or his voicemail picks up. I have some great news for him." She smiled at them. "I feel bad for telling you guys first, but I need your help."
"I'm sure Vegeta won't care," Arthos reassured her.
'Here goes nothing', she thought. "Trunks was accepted to Worthington."
Both men looked pleasantly surprised. Arro suddenly frowned though. "You need money."
Bulma groaned loudly. "I'm sensing deja vu."
"What are you talking about?"
She stood up and began to pace back and forth in front of them. "I've already asked my parents for the money, but mother," she stopped, quickly imagining strangling the woman. "She wants dinner, once a week, every week, until I pay off the money." She walked over to the window, staring absently at the people walking by on the sidewalk. "I can't give her that kind of control over my life again. I'm a grown woman."
"Bulma, calm down. I know you don't get along with your parents, and I can only imagine what you felt going back to that house," Athos soothed.
"You've no idea," she whispered.
"Why didn't you go to dad in the first place?" Arro asked.
Bulma shook her head. "I can't ask him for money, even if it is for Trunks. I always feel so ashamed around him." It was the truth, too. She felt so awkward around Mr. and Mrs. Ouji ever since the day her and Vegeta told them they were pregnant.
"Why? Our parents adore you."
Arthos frowned, "I think we're missing the bigger point here." He leaned back in his chair. "Why didn't you ask Vegeta for the money. You know he can more than afford it."
"It's kind of hard when he won't call me back," she shot back angrily.
"And he's going to catch hell for it from me personally when I see him, but that doesn't explain why you won't except his help. To this day, you still won't let him pay child support," Arthos stated, standing up. "If it weren't for Trunks growing up and realizing what money was, you would continue to throw away the checks he sends the boy every month. Am I right?"
Bulma grabbed her jacket off the coatrack and walked toward the door. "Sorry, I bothered you," she called out, slamming the door behind her.
"Bulma, wait!" Arro jumped up to follow her, but his brother caught him by the arm.
"Don't. Let her go. We'll call her later and apologize."
"You mean, you will apologize. I didn't make her mad. Why'd you have to say all that to her anyway?"
"Because it's the truth!" Arthos yelled back. "She won't let Vegeta help her out at all. Why do you think our brother ran off to west coast in the first place?"
Arro opened his mouth, but stopped. He really didn't know why. He was only nine when Bulma and Vegeta had Trunks and split up. He couldn't really recall what had happened. "Father wanted him to run the new office," was all he could manage to say.
"She broke his damn heart when she ran off with Trunks and didn't even tell him. That's why he left." Arthos sighed, walking toward the kitchen. "He couldn't stand to be here anymore."
----
Bulma jammed the grearshift into park and tightened her hands around the steeringwheel. "That went just great," she said aloud. She glared up at the huge, victorian-style mansion. It was a beautiful place. She had so many fond memories here. She opened the door of her car and walked over to the stone pillar. There was a callbox on it. She reached for it, but pulled back before pressing the button. Could she ask the Ouji's for money? She already took several severe mental beatings today. 'What's one more,' she wondered sadly.
Her finger quickly pressed in on the buzzer, and she stood there nervously, waiting for someone to answer. After only ten seconds, she ran back to her car and jumped in. She couldn't do it. She stared at the black iron gates once more, before turning her car around and driving away. She'd already lost a huge chunk of her pride asking her parents for money, she might as well just take her mother's offer, even if it mean a couple years of torture.
----
Lisdore Ouji filled her husbands glass with more scotch before handing it over to him. He gave her an appreciative smile as he took it from her and downed a good portion of it. "Everything's set at the office. I see your staff was in today getting accquainted with the place," he said after the burning in his throat ceased.
"It must have been pretty chaotic," Vegeta replied, taking the glass his mother was now offering him. "Thank you, mother."
"You're welcome, dear. I'm going to go see how dinner's coming along."
Just as she walked out of the room, the phone rang in the other room. Mr. Ouji frowned. "That's my office phone. Who'd be calling now," he wondered. He stood up and walked into the other room, leaving Vegeta behind to sit alone in silence. He downed his drink quickly and set the glass on the coffee table. Bored, he pulled out his cellphone and hit the on button. He might as well check his messages!
"Seven messages," he whispered. He was popular tonight. He listened to each one intently, his mood changing from good to bad in an instant. Four of them were from Bulma, one from Trunks, one from his brothers, and the last one was from his personal assistant.
The messages from Bulma and Trunks were the one's that really had his attention. What was going on? All they both said was that they had something important to tell him. Trunks had sounded really excited, but Bulma! He frowned. He could tell after listening to her first message that she was upset about something no matter how happy she tried to sound.
"I suppose I should call her back now," he said, getting ready to dial her number when a high pitched buzz filled the air. Someone was at the gate. He put his cellphone down on the coffee table and went to the foyer, where the gate control was located. He opened a wood panel set into the wall. He pushed the button and spoke into the microphone.
"Hello?" Nobody answered. He pressed another button, and a small screen came to life. All he could see was the tail end of a car driving away. He frowned and shut the box. "Must not have been important," he mused. Turning back to the sitting room, Vegeta couldn't help but worry about what Bulma wanted. He picked up his cellphone and dialed her number quickly.
"'Geta,"his mother called out.
He cursed under his breath and turned off his phone before he could hit send. "What?"
"Noelle is putting dinner on the table now. Come sit down," she ordered. She appeared in the doorway. "Where'd your father go to?"
He pocketed his phone and walked past her to the dinner table. "His office, on the phone," he answered.
"That man can't put off business for five minutes," she hissed. "Vegeta!"
"What do you want, woman?" His father demanded, finally coming out of his private office.
"Don't you take that tone with me," she scolded. "Our son's home and all you can think of is work!"
"I was not working," he argued.
"What else do you do in that office then?"
Vegeta stood back with a smirk on his face. This was better than a movie.
"I was talking to Arthos." Vegeta Sr. glanced over at his eldest son. "He had some interesting news to tell us."
Lisdore calmed down a bit. "What is it then? Why didn't he come over to tell us if it's so important?"
"Bulma came over to his apartment. She told him that Trunks was accepted to Worthington."
"Oh my god! 'Geta, why didn't you tell us?" Lisdore demanded from her son.
Vegeta simply shook his head. "I didn't know," he answered slowly.
His father gave him a sympathetic look. "Arthos said he got a little snippy with her when she was there, and he thought she might be on her way here for some odd reason. He wouldn't tell me why."
Vegeta glanced quickly toward the foyer. It had been her at the gate. He turned toward the dinning room. "Lets have dinner," he said, leaving his parents behind with confused looks on their faces.
----
"When'd she say she'd be back?"
Akira looked at her watch. "She told me that she would be back in three hours."
"And that was at 3 o'clock?"
"I'm sure she's fine, Trunks. Just calm down." She patted his shoulder gently and went inside her house. "I'm gonna call for pizza," she yelled from inside. "Do you want anything else?"
Trunks picked up his homework. "Just pizza," he answered. After several minutes of staring blankly at his assignment, he decided it was pointless. He couldn't concentrate. He was worried about his mother. She had ran off four hours ago and hadn't told Akira where she was going. He sighed and put his papers back into his bag. The work was easy, he could finish it in homeroom tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow. It'd be his last day of public school. Trunks pulled out his cellphone and checked for messages. "Nothing. I wonder if I should call dad again," he whispered. Despite Vegeta's physical absence, the father and son were still pretty close. "He should have called back by now."
"Hey, you!"
Startled, Trunks looked up. "Mom! Where've you been?!"
Bulma smiled at him, putting the days events behind her. "I went to visit your grandparents and give them the good news about Worthington," she lied smoothly.
Her son didn't look like he was buying it. "Why didn't you just call them like any sane person would?" He inquired.
"You know your grandmother. She would have freaked out that I didn't think it was important enough to drive there and tell her face to face."
"So, what'd she have to say?"
Bulma sat down next to him. "They were really excited. She wants to have a big dinner tomorrow night. We're supposed to be there at 7," she told him.
"What?! But,mom, I have plans with Keelin!"
"Trunks, I'm sorry, but you know how they are. Your grandmother won't be happy if I call up and cancel," she tried to reason.
Trunks let out an annoyed sigh. "Yeah, I guess," he gave in, walking into Akira's house.
Bulma shook her head. "Great! My son is mad at me now."
"Bulma?"
"Hey, Kir."
Akira sat down on the swing in Trunks' former spot. "I take it things didn't go well."
"No, they didn't. All I got out of the trip was a lecture and a pounding headache," she answered, trying to lighten the mood.
"So, what are you going to do?"
Bulma stared at the trees in the front yard for a long time before responding. "I'm going to take my mother's offer. I don't have any other choice."
"I wish I could help, B. I really do."
"I know you do. It's okay."
Akira yawned, leaning back. "I ordered pizza for us. Eighteen said she was on her way over."
"Thanks. What about Chichi?"
"She said she had some prep work for the rehersal dinner at the Inn tomorrow, and she has to go in early tomorrow morning to start the actual work on the dinner, so she's just going to go home and sleep."
"Okay."
Akira watched her friend for moment, noticing how absentminded she was being. "Wanna tell me what this lecture was all about?"
"What? Oh, that." She looked inthrough the window and saw Trunks watching tv. "I'm going to tell you something that none of our other friends know."
"Alright."
"Vegeta isn't broke. He's actually really successful. He runs the west coast office of his father's insurance firm," she explained.
"Yeah, so?" Akira said, not in the least bit surpirsed.
Bulma frowned. "You aren't made at me for lying about it? I told you all that he was practically a dead-beat."
"I'm not an idiot, Bulma. I've seen Trunks speak about that man. The boy's crazy about him, and what kind of a dead-beat father would call his son every week, long distance mind you, just to talk." Akira smiled. "I just figured you didn't want anything to do with the man. You've never really told me what transpired between the two of you."
"It's a mess," Bulma laughed. "Anyhow. Arthos got on me for not asking Vegeta for the money and for never accepting Vegeta's help over the years."
"And you got mad and ran out?" Akira guessed correctly.
"Yeah, and I feel like shit. Everything he said is right."
"The curse of the independant woman rears it's ugly head," Akira teased.
"Very funny. I thought you of all people would sympathize with me."
"I do, but I realize that everyone needs someone to reply on. Someone they can ske for help from time to time. I didn't get where I am today by myself. That doesn't make me a lesser person, B."
"I know, but I just feel like I've been replying on people my entire life."
"Of course you do, but you've done well for yourself. You've reaised a wonderful boy by yourself. You have a good job that you worked very hard to earn, and you have amazing friends like me," Akira said, nudging Bulma with her elbow at the last comment.
Bulma laughed. "Yeah, I do have all that," she said after a while.
----
Trunks sat inside, watching some show on the history channel with faint interest. "Why is it always on WW2?" He wondered. Suddenly, his phone started to ring, and he yawned, pulling it out of his pocket. He glanced at the caller ID quickly, a smile speading across his face. He hit the send button and put it up to his ear.
"Dad?!" He stood up and walked toward the back door. "Did you get my message?" He opened the door and walked outside. "Yeah, I got into Worthington. I can't wait until Monday." Trunks closed the door behind him and walked toward the creek that ran through the back end of Akira's property. "You don't have to get me anything special, dad. Hey, do you want to talk to mom? She right out front." He started walking around the side of the house. "We're over at Akira's house." He stopped, and frowned. his father didn't sound too happy. "Are you sure you don't want to talk to her? She's just around the corner." He sighed. "Alright. When can you call again?" His eyes lit up a little. "Okay, bye!"
----
You all thought that was Vegeta in the beginning!!! hahahaha, sorry! But hey, I did actually get him into this chapter, so please don't kill me! gives out cookies So, Bulma's going to take the money from her parents, and suffer through years of friday night dinners. But I know what all of you are really thinking!!! You're wondering when Vegeta and Bulma are going to meet and have it out over the money thing, right?!
evil Pandora grin
I guess you'll just have to wait and see.
----
PANDORA ;)
----
Review! Please!
Ana- Thanks so much! ;) Enjoy the next chapter!
Daisy31- Hello! Sorry about the evil cliffy last chapter, but they tend to get really good responses from you awesome reviewers! Thanks for the lovely compliment!!
Alexionite- Thanks for both your reviews. I really appreciate, and I'm really glad you like the story! ;)
Videlchan313- Hey, not a problem, girl! Just let me know if you need any creative help. I really like doing it! Anyhow, thanks for reviewing. I'm happy you like this story too. It's starting to really get interesting, huh? I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with it, but that's half the fun! ;)
Erm- I guess I really need to put up a sign that says 'Evil cliff0hangers ahead!' ;) Thanks for reviewing!!! and beware of evil cliffies!!! mu hahahahahha....
Shades of Crimson- Was that really my most evil Cliffhanger?! I kind of think the end of chapter 18 of ' My Name Is' was most evil cliffy! Oh well! It's a little tricky at times to use the DBZ characters in another one of my favorites shows, but it's a challenge and I enjoy it! I'm super proud of this chapter below. I really felt right about it, and this is probably going to the my next big project when I finially finish 'My Name Is'. Things will only get more interesting, I promise!!! hehehehe! As usual, thank you for reviewing and supporting me, I never get tired of thank you guys!!! (hugs) ;)
Seruleyan-Wings- Hahahaha, girl you crack me up! I'm so glad we finally got to chat! My head is a little less stuffed with ideas now! Thank you!!! I just wish I could excuse my evilness, but I can't. YOu should know me by now! I'm purely evil when it comes to cliffies and plot twists! It's okay, if you haven't seen Gilmore Girls. Me and Crimson won't hold it against you!!! ;) Sometimes I wish the three of us lived within walking distance of each other so we could sit you down and make you watch it!!!! It's an amazing show! Anyhow. Thanks for reviewing, and I'm currently brainstorming that idea you just sent me hahaha. You need to update ODAD!!!! We're all dying here!
Laina- Thank you so much! ;) I'm glad you like my story!!!!
----
Chapter 3: 'I Didn't Know...'
Bulma jumped up from the comfy leather chair with wide eyes and a smile stretched across her face. "Arro!" She called out happily. She ran over and threw her arms around the man's neck as he picked her up to swing her around.
"How ya doing, B?" He asked after setting her down.
Reality finally brought Bulma back down from the clouds, and she sighed, taking her seat once more. "There aren't anymore surprises around are there?"
Arthos shook his head. "No, Vegeta's not here right now."
Bulma looked confused. "What do you mean 'right now'? I wasn't aware that he was in the area. He could at least visit Trunks," she muttered the last part so they couldn't really hear it.
Arro sat down on the couch next to his older brother. "He's moving back here. Mom wanted to move to California, so dad and Vegeta are switching offices, and," he trailed off, seeing the angered look on Bulma's face. "He didn't tell you, huh?"
"No, he didn't." She sighed in dissapointment. "He hasn't called in almost a month."
"Well, he's been extremely busy moving his staff to the east coast," Arro defended.
"Sorry, guys. I'm sure he has been. It's just been a bad day for me," she apologized, mentally kicking herself for saying something negative about Vegeta. You didn't badmouth one Ouji brother unless you had a deathwish because the other two would hunt you down like a dog! "I've been trying to get him on his cell, but it's always busy or his voicemail picks up. I have some great news for him." She smiled at them. "I feel bad for telling you guys first, but I need your help."
"I'm sure Vegeta won't care," Arthos reassured her.
'Here goes nothing', she thought. "Trunks was accepted to Worthington."
Both men looked pleasantly surprised. Arro suddenly frowned though. "You need money."
Bulma groaned loudly. "I'm sensing deja vu."
"What are you talking about?"
She stood up and began to pace back and forth in front of them. "I've already asked my parents for the money, but mother," she stopped, quickly imagining strangling the woman. "She wants dinner, once a week, every week, until I pay off the money." She walked over to the window, staring absently at the people walking by on the sidewalk. "I can't give her that kind of control over my life again. I'm a grown woman."
"Bulma, calm down. I know you don't get along with your parents, and I can only imagine what you felt going back to that house," Athos soothed.
"You've no idea," she whispered.
"Why didn't you go to dad in the first place?" Arro asked.
Bulma shook her head. "I can't ask him for money, even if it is for Trunks. I always feel so ashamed around him." It was the truth, too. She felt so awkward around Mr. and Mrs. Ouji ever since the day her and Vegeta told them they were pregnant.
"Why? Our parents adore you."
Arthos frowned, "I think we're missing the bigger point here." He leaned back in his chair. "Why didn't you ask Vegeta for the money. You know he can more than afford it."
"It's kind of hard when he won't call me back," she shot back angrily.
"And he's going to catch hell for it from me personally when I see him, but that doesn't explain why you won't except his help. To this day, you still won't let him pay child support," Arthos stated, standing up. "If it weren't for Trunks growing up and realizing what money was, you would continue to throw away the checks he sends the boy every month. Am I right?"
Bulma grabbed her jacket off the coatrack and walked toward the door. "Sorry, I bothered you," she called out, slamming the door behind her.
"Bulma, wait!" Arro jumped up to follow her, but his brother caught him by the arm.
"Don't. Let her go. We'll call her later and apologize."
"You mean, you will apologize. I didn't make her mad. Why'd you have to say all that to her anyway?"
"Because it's the truth!" Arthos yelled back. "She won't let Vegeta help her out at all. Why do you think our brother ran off to west coast in the first place?"
Arro opened his mouth, but stopped. He really didn't know why. He was only nine when Bulma and Vegeta had Trunks and split up. He couldn't really recall what had happened. "Father wanted him to run the new office," was all he could manage to say.
"She broke his damn heart when she ran off with Trunks and didn't even tell him. That's why he left." Arthos sighed, walking toward the kitchen. "He couldn't stand to be here anymore."
----
Bulma jammed the grearshift into park and tightened her hands around the steeringwheel. "That went just great," she said aloud. She glared up at the huge, victorian-style mansion. It was a beautiful place. She had so many fond memories here. She opened the door of her car and walked over to the stone pillar. There was a callbox on it. She reached for it, but pulled back before pressing the button. Could she ask the Ouji's for money? She already took several severe mental beatings today. 'What's one more,' she wondered sadly.
Her finger quickly pressed in on the buzzer, and she stood there nervously, waiting for someone to answer. After only ten seconds, she ran back to her car and jumped in. She couldn't do it. She stared at the black iron gates once more, before turning her car around and driving away. She'd already lost a huge chunk of her pride asking her parents for money, she might as well just take her mother's offer, even if it mean a couple years of torture.
----
Lisdore Ouji filled her husbands glass with more scotch before handing it over to him. He gave her an appreciative smile as he took it from her and downed a good portion of it. "Everything's set at the office. I see your staff was in today getting accquainted with the place," he said after the burning in his throat ceased.
"It must have been pretty chaotic," Vegeta replied, taking the glass his mother was now offering him. "Thank you, mother."
"You're welcome, dear. I'm going to go see how dinner's coming along."
Just as she walked out of the room, the phone rang in the other room. Mr. Ouji frowned. "That's my office phone. Who'd be calling now," he wondered. He stood up and walked into the other room, leaving Vegeta behind to sit alone in silence. He downed his drink quickly and set the glass on the coffee table. Bored, he pulled out his cellphone and hit the on button. He might as well check his messages!
"Seven messages," he whispered. He was popular tonight. He listened to each one intently, his mood changing from good to bad in an instant. Four of them were from Bulma, one from Trunks, one from his brothers, and the last one was from his personal assistant.
The messages from Bulma and Trunks were the one's that really had his attention. What was going on? All they both said was that they had something important to tell him. Trunks had sounded really excited, but Bulma! He frowned. He could tell after listening to her first message that she was upset about something no matter how happy she tried to sound.
"I suppose I should call her back now," he said, getting ready to dial her number when a high pitched buzz filled the air. Someone was at the gate. He put his cellphone down on the coffee table and went to the foyer, where the gate control was located. He opened a wood panel set into the wall. He pushed the button and spoke into the microphone.
"Hello?" Nobody answered. He pressed another button, and a small screen came to life. All he could see was the tail end of a car driving away. He frowned and shut the box. "Must not have been important," he mused. Turning back to the sitting room, Vegeta couldn't help but worry about what Bulma wanted. He picked up his cellphone and dialed her number quickly.
"'Geta,"his mother called out.
He cursed under his breath and turned off his phone before he could hit send. "What?"
"Noelle is putting dinner on the table now. Come sit down," she ordered. She appeared in the doorway. "Where'd your father go to?"
He pocketed his phone and walked past her to the dinner table. "His office, on the phone," he answered.
"That man can't put off business for five minutes," she hissed. "Vegeta!"
"What do you want, woman?" His father demanded, finally coming out of his private office.
"Don't you take that tone with me," she scolded. "Our son's home and all you can think of is work!"
"I was not working," he argued.
"What else do you do in that office then?"
Vegeta stood back with a smirk on his face. This was better than a movie.
"I was talking to Arthos." Vegeta Sr. glanced over at his eldest son. "He had some interesting news to tell us."
Lisdore calmed down a bit. "What is it then? Why didn't he come over to tell us if it's so important?"
"Bulma came over to his apartment. She told him that Trunks was accepted to Worthington."
"Oh my god! 'Geta, why didn't you tell us?" Lisdore demanded from her son.
Vegeta simply shook his head. "I didn't know," he answered slowly.
His father gave him a sympathetic look. "Arthos said he got a little snippy with her when she was there, and he thought she might be on her way here for some odd reason. He wouldn't tell me why."
Vegeta glanced quickly toward the foyer. It had been her at the gate. He turned toward the dinning room. "Lets have dinner," he said, leaving his parents behind with confused looks on their faces.
----
"When'd she say she'd be back?"
Akira looked at her watch. "She told me that she would be back in three hours."
"And that was at 3 o'clock?"
"I'm sure she's fine, Trunks. Just calm down." She patted his shoulder gently and went inside her house. "I'm gonna call for pizza," she yelled from inside. "Do you want anything else?"
Trunks picked up his homework. "Just pizza," he answered. After several minutes of staring blankly at his assignment, he decided it was pointless. He couldn't concentrate. He was worried about his mother. She had ran off four hours ago and hadn't told Akira where she was going. He sighed and put his papers back into his bag. The work was easy, he could finish it in homeroom tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow. It'd be his last day of public school. Trunks pulled out his cellphone and checked for messages. "Nothing. I wonder if I should call dad again," he whispered. Despite Vegeta's physical absence, the father and son were still pretty close. "He should have called back by now."
"Hey, you!"
Startled, Trunks looked up. "Mom! Where've you been?!"
Bulma smiled at him, putting the days events behind her. "I went to visit your grandparents and give them the good news about Worthington," she lied smoothly.
Her son didn't look like he was buying it. "Why didn't you just call them like any sane person would?" He inquired.
"You know your grandmother. She would have freaked out that I didn't think it was important enough to drive there and tell her face to face."
"So, what'd she have to say?"
Bulma sat down next to him. "They were really excited. She wants to have a big dinner tomorrow night. We're supposed to be there at 7," she told him.
"What?! But,mom, I have plans with Keelin!"
"Trunks, I'm sorry, but you know how they are. Your grandmother won't be happy if I call up and cancel," she tried to reason.
Trunks let out an annoyed sigh. "Yeah, I guess," he gave in, walking into Akira's house.
Bulma shook her head. "Great! My son is mad at me now."
"Bulma?"
"Hey, Kir."
Akira sat down on the swing in Trunks' former spot. "I take it things didn't go well."
"No, they didn't. All I got out of the trip was a lecture and a pounding headache," she answered, trying to lighten the mood.
"So, what are you going to do?"
Bulma stared at the trees in the front yard for a long time before responding. "I'm going to take my mother's offer. I don't have any other choice."
"I wish I could help, B. I really do."
"I know you do. It's okay."
Akira yawned, leaning back. "I ordered pizza for us. Eighteen said she was on her way over."
"Thanks. What about Chichi?"
"She said she had some prep work for the rehersal dinner at the Inn tomorrow, and she has to go in early tomorrow morning to start the actual work on the dinner, so she's just going to go home and sleep."
"Okay."
Akira watched her friend for moment, noticing how absentminded she was being. "Wanna tell me what this lecture was all about?"
"What? Oh, that." She looked inthrough the window and saw Trunks watching tv. "I'm going to tell you something that none of our other friends know."
"Alright."
"Vegeta isn't broke. He's actually really successful. He runs the west coast office of his father's insurance firm," she explained.
"Yeah, so?" Akira said, not in the least bit surpirsed.
Bulma frowned. "You aren't made at me for lying about it? I told you all that he was practically a dead-beat."
"I'm not an idiot, Bulma. I've seen Trunks speak about that man. The boy's crazy about him, and what kind of a dead-beat father would call his son every week, long distance mind you, just to talk." Akira smiled. "I just figured you didn't want anything to do with the man. You've never really told me what transpired between the two of you."
"It's a mess," Bulma laughed. "Anyhow. Arthos got on me for not asking Vegeta for the money and for never accepting Vegeta's help over the years."
"And you got mad and ran out?" Akira guessed correctly.
"Yeah, and I feel like shit. Everything he said is right."
"The curse of the independant woman rears it's ugly head," Akira teased.
"Very funny. I thought you of all people would sympathize with me."
"I do, but I realize that everyone needs someone to reply on. Someone they can ske for help from time to time. I didn't get where I am today by myself. That doesn't make me a lesser person, B."
"I know, but I just feel like I've been replying on people my entire life."
"Of course you do, but you've done well for yourself. You've reaised a wonderful boy by yourself. You have a good job that you worked very hard to earn, and you have amazing friends like me," Akira said, nudging Bulma with her elbow at the last comment.
Bulma laughed. "Yeah, I do have all that," she said after a while.
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Trunks sat inside, watching some show on the history channel with faint interest. "Why is it always on WW2?" He wondered. Suddenly, his phone started to ring, and he yawned, pulling it out of his pocket. He glanced at the caller ID quickly, a smile speading across his face. He hit the send button and put it up to his ear.
"Dad?!" He stood up and walked toward the back door. "Did you get my message?" He opened the door and walked outside. "Yeah, I got into Worthington. I can't wait until Monday." Trunks closed the door behind him and walked toward the creek that ran through the back end of Akira's property. "You don't have to get me anything special, dad. Hey, do you want to talk to mom? She right out front." He started walking around the side of the house. "We're over at Akira's house." He stopped, and frowned. his father didn't sound too happy. "Are you sure you don't want to talk to her? She's just around the corner." He sighed. "Alright. When can you call again?" His eyes lit up a little. "Okay, bye!"
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You all thought that was Vegeta in the beginning!!! hahahaha, sorry! But hey, I did actually get him into this chapter, so please don't kill me! gives out cookies So, Bulma's going to take the money from her parents, and suffer through years of friday night dinners. But I know what all of you are really thinking!!! You're wondering when Vegeta and Bulma are going to meet and have it out over the money thing, right?!
evil Pandora grin
I guess you'll just have to wait and see.
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PANDORA ;)
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Review! Please!