Chapter 4:
Their hiking adventure was getting under way as they started walking alongside the road. Glancing back behind them, Bulma noticed how theirautomotives kept getting smaller as they kept walking. Even though they were all together, she felt so alone. They were in an unknown territory, with nothing but-- wait! they had their cell phones! All excited, she asked them to halt as she grabbed her cell. The others caught on and pulled their's out as well.
"No Service" was all they saw on the small screens.
Newly feeling down in the dumps all over again, they continued marching along the what was now a paved highway route. Although secluded, they all felt somewhat nervous about getting too close to the road, so they beared further onto the soil. A few hours later, it was about noon, the sun wasat its beginning peak. Being the smart group of lads and lasses they were, the followed Chichi into the shade of the trees, each resting on a few fallen logs.
"How could this've happen?" Krillin questioned to no one specific.
"I think we should just have waited inside of Goku's truck with the air condition. Then we could've hitch-hiked up to some nearby shopping shopping center." Everyone looked over at 18 as she glared at them back? "What?"
"Why didn't you tell us your idea before?" Bulma asked angrily.
"I didn't think of it before until about 1 hour ago. It was too late by then."
"Whatever..." Bulma finished off.
Vegeta was starting to get angry. "Everyone, just shut up! We have to brave this stupid walk and complaining won't help." After a bit of silence, he continued: "Anyone have a map?"
Bulma pulled out an electronic GPS she had. But seeing that they had no idea where they were, she figured it to be useless. Then, to everyone's surprise, Krillin pulled out a paper map.
"Hey! I forgot I had this!"
"Ugh! You stupid 8-ball!" 18 yelled as she smacked his back hard.
"Enough of this discovery crap... Put those two things together and figure out where the heck we are," Vegeta ordered.
"Don't order us around, Vegeta," Bulma said to him in a low tone.
After much difficulty, controversy, and observing their surroundings, the group finally figured out where they were: 12 miles SSW of Mt. Fuji, and then there was another 9.8 miles from there to ChiChi's aunt's house.
"UGH! At least we know where we are!"
"Let's get moving."
"Alright."
"Wait!"
"What is it now?"
"What if one of us get left behind?"
"No one will get left behind!"
"You never know that! I see it happen all the time on Channel Expl--"
"KRILLIN!" Everyone screamed at once.
"You, nor anyone else, is going to get left behind!" Bulma reassured him.
"But--"
"Listen-- if you are that concerned, we will have compass buddies. That's where you stick by one of the others at ALL times. Therefore, if one of you decides to examine something for one second, the other must pay attention and stay behind also. Get it?"
"Got it!"
"Good!"
"Alright then! I am with Goku!" ChiChi claimed. She gleamed as she ran over to the blushing, handsome man.
"I got Krillin!" 18 cried as she trotted over to Krillin's side.
"I guess that leaves you with me, onna."
"Vegeta, I have a na--"
He began to walk away from her, stopping her mid-sentence in shock. "Vegeta! You can't leave me behind! I'm your compass buddy!" The two other girls chuckled lightly to one another, as the guys did as well. 18 glanced up and caught Goku's expression, suddenly connecting her inside joke about Bulma with Goku and Krillin's joke/secret about Vegeta. ChiChi and Krillin locked eyes also, then they all looked at one another.
"Oh my Kami!" ChiChi turned purple and fell backwards. But no worries- Goku cuaght her! Krillin and 18 eyed each other and began to laugh lightly.
"They like each other, don't they?" 18 asked Goku lightly in a whisper. They all knew Vegeta had a good sense of hearing.
"Ha ha! I guess so! How long has Bulma liked him?" Goku replied.
"I dunno! I guess since the night we all met!"
"Yeah, Vegeta is so stubborn, but Goku got it out of him. Haha! way to go buddy!" Krillin exclaimed, also in a whisper, as he high-fived Goku. The four of them looked back over at Vegeta and Bulma who were now arguing about Kami knows what.
"They're perfect for each other!"
(About 1 hour later...)
The six of them had been following in couples for sometime now, and none had fallen behind. It seemed like a waste of their time, to Vegeta that is, until suddenly Bulma tripped and fell to the ground. Since he was her compass buddy (he wouldn't have done it otherwise... his liking to her would have been to noticable if he had), he stopped and helped her to her feet. How beautiful she lookedto him! He invisioned the leaves in her hair as a crown of flowers, the stick she grabbed to support herself as a staff of gold, and the dirt on her face and body looking more like pixie dust of gold on her. She was an angel to him.
"Vegeta?...(no response)... VEGETA?"
"Huh? Wha'...?" he replied after snapping out of his dream world.
"You... were in a daze. Your eyes were glazed over. You alright?" Bulma questioned to him.
'She's worried about me?'
"Of course I'm alright! What kind of weakling do I look like to you?" Anger was the only way for him to conceal his true feelings. Poor guy...
"Well...OK... whatever you say Veget--... Hey! Where'd everyone go?"
Looking around, Vegeta realized Bulma had made a good observation: the others had left them! This wasn't suppose to happen! Frantically climbing on top of a nearby stump, Bulma glanced around a whole 360 degrees, hoping to see them or at least hear them in the distance.
"Woman! I thought you said that no one--"
"I know what I said! This wasn't suppose to happen. Oh dear! Where could they have--"
"Ugh! Stop your whining! We'll catch up to them. We were only stopped for a about a minute."
"They sure traveled far in one minute, baka-yarou."
Glaring at her, they both started marching through the shubbery, trees, and over streams, looking for signs of recent travelers who may have passed through the area. He started getting only a tad bit worried, more for the girl next to him rather than himself, so he grasped her wrists and held on. She glanced down, noticing that he was holding her close to him. Warming up inside, she calmed down a bit, and followed even closer to his side. The man's eyes shot wide open in surprise; he wasn't used to being so close to her, both mentally and physically. He started perspirating out of anxiety as he looked off to his side where Bulma was not walking. 'How embarrassing!' He cursed to himself. They continued trudging until they came upon a waterfall.
"They're not here, nor have we seen any tracks from them... Vegeta?"
"What?"
"I--" she was scared to admit it to him. She was so vulnerable! "I... I'm scared."
Gazing over to her, he saw the true fear in her eyes. She wasn't trembling, but he knew she wanted to. Sitting down on a rock, he patted beside him, motioning for her to join him for a moment to breathe and settle down. As she sat next to him, he tensed up, but not meaning to. Noticing this, Bulma decided to take her chances and asked his high arrogance if he himself was not just a bit nervous as well. He nodded slightly, blushed, and turned the other cheek. It was already decided that he be the main captain who stayed calm during stressful situations; she was the information and resource center. Closing his eyes, he wrapped his hand closest to her around her waist and pulled her closer. Now he was the one who needed to relax.
(A/N: If anyone has seen "Six Days, Seven Nights" with Harrison Ford, it's kinda one of those situations, where the "leader" is about to go insane, but needs to stay strong.)
Bulma was well aware of how she put him in charge of guidance, due to how she was NOT good at geography, but she also knew how important she was to their survival: she had the GPS! But it hadn't picked up and other humans in the area. It was her turn to relax partner.
"Vegeta, we're going to be OK you know. I know I'm scared, but we're gonna make it through this. Just wait and see!", she encouraged cheerfully.
"I'm not scared about being out here without the others and not knowing where we are..."
"You're not?"
"Iie..."
"Then what are you afraid of? You're all tense!" After sometime with no response from him, she decided to take a plunge and ask a question he might not be happy to hear. "Is...Is it me?" 'Oh Kami I hope not!', she thought to herself worriedly.
His muscles tightened and his right leg twitched at the question, giving Bulma some lead and assurance that she was on the right path.
"Why?" Looking over at him, she could feel a thick, dull knot in her throat. It caused so much pressure, that her eyes watered-up andshe almost couldn't see clearly. It started to swell as she choked and held up salty tears. But she wasn't able to manage all of them, and one small, sparkling drop slid down her smooth face, wiping away the dirt that laid in its path upon her face. He lifted his sight to view her expression as he saw this look of utter disappointment and hurt. It made his heart twist in opposite directions as well as making him sick to his stomach. He never met to hurt her, if anything. His head started throbbing as he felt a large hole in his soul grow cold. He felt so lonely. More lonely than he had ever felt. How could this feeling of sadness have taken over himso swiftly in front of her? To him, it hurt to look her in the eyes, causing a strong, stinging and throbbing feeling between his brows. But yet, those eyes comforted him.Vegeta turned away while heavy-hearted tears lined and stained the face of the weeping beauty that sat next to him. Kami damn him!He couldn't take it any longer.
"Bulma..." he said gently, in a quiet tone.
Raising her head up and turning to look at him again, she replied with, "What did you just call me?"
"Bulma. Listen, I..." He already had difficulty talking, so early in the conversation! "I... I don't mean to be scared of you. I've been alone all my life, and I'm not used to... this..."
"What is 'this', Vegeta?"
" 'This' being a feeling that's grown inside of me. Everytime I see someone merry and bouncing around like a fool-- it sickens me. I've never had to deal with being 'merry', 'gay', 'happy', call it what you wi--"
"You're happy, Vegeta?"
"Stop interrupting me onna!... Hai, I feel that emotion. It's odd and I don't know how to take it. I'm a man now, onna! Have been for a long time! I don't --"
"A man isn't a man unless he can love, Vegeta!" Bulma screamed at him.
He grew silent asher wordssuck in.
"Do you not consider me the man that I am?" They looked at each other hard and deep.
"No, Vegeta. I see you as a man who can love, not onewho can't. And, call me crazy, but I feel you do."
"You're so foolish, woman. A man needs no one but himse--"
"LIAR!" The blue-haired belle screamed so loud that her voice echoed, carrying the heartsick and dejected emotion through the woodsthat Bulma has carried with her the whole trip. Tears were now streaming down her face, and Vegeta realized how she blended into the waterfall which lay behind her. Vegeta stared at her with a shocked expression, which formed into a look of distress and being pain-stricken.
He whispered so softly to her that she barely heard his confession. "You're right, you damned onna." She looked up at him with confused sorrowful eyes, looking for an answer. He decided since she was actually listening to him, he should continue before she interludes again. "You know what it's like to wake-up every, Kami-forsaken morningto be alone? to not have anyone who cares for you and vice versa? Then suddenly, someone comes along and the fear of being hurt, the fear of losing someone only to be alone again swamps your every thought as your heart starts to change and enjoy the company of that someone? It's a losing situation! In the end, you're always hurt! It's so difficult to care for someone... Do you understand what I'm trying to explain to you onna?" His face was red and stained with tears also. He has never, EVER let ANYONE hear that from him, not even Goku.
Taken aback, she sat silent for a little bit, as he sat back down.
"So that's how you really feel, is it Vegeta?" He just glared at her. "And that's how you feel about me, isn't it?" He turned his head away, ashamed of letting himself get carried awayover one girl. Then he felt small arms around his shoulders and arms, squeezing gently but tightly.
"I never thought you'd ever feel that way about me, Vegeta. You were always so cruel and crude. I always tried impressing you. Did you know that?" A grunt was all that came from him. "Vegeta, look at me!"
He abruptly spun around, only to come face to face with her big, blue eyes. His eyes met theirs as chemistry was sent between them. His eyes were dark, so dark, as if made of black stone. But she knew there was more. He just got lost in hers, nothing more to say about that! She let her grip go some as she straightened her back and leaned backwards to get a better view of his face. How come she never saw this much emotional ditress in him before was beyond her. Then a voice was heard that brought them both back to Earth, one that would help lead them out of this mess of a forest. One that could--
"Guys?"
The others had found them!
AH HA! A big part of the story, but not the biggest. I do see now that this was more dramatic chapterthan a comedic one, but it'll get back to comedy shortly, no fear! I hope everyone enjoyed this! Please send me suggestions and reviews!Ja neeveryone!
PriscillaChan