It Falls On Me

by Bellaniza

Bulma's wedding to Yamcha is a week away, yet her fears and doubts are increasing as the fateful day approaches. Torn between what she should do, and what she wants to do, is never an easy decision. And what about Vegeta, who has become an unexpected factor in her equation? The battle between the mind and the heart can be won, as long as you can see through both of their illusions.

19. Lessons Learned, Bridges Burned

A/N: Sorry for the e-mail link chapter mix-up. I deleted the 'Author's Note' I had posted awhile ago, that had thrown off the numeration of my chapters by 1 (such as Chapter 18 was really Chapter 17, and the email link you got for Chapter 20 is really 19). So now that the 'Author's Note' has been removed, my chapter numbers are correct now. Welcome to the next installment :)

And hello, my wonderful readers! I've missed you. It's been awhile since I've updated my story. I'm sorry for the wait. My life is hectic and I also get easily distracted. I've had this chapter ready for the past few days, but I delayed in posting it because my beta reader (my husband lol) hadn't had a chance to read through it to make sure it was good to go until last night. Obviously, I got the go-ahead and a thumbs up from him!

I hope everyone has been having a good summer so far. My kids started school 3 weeks ago. My son started 4th grade, and my daughter just started kindergarten. They grow up so fast, don't they? My husband and I took a week's vacation off of work last month, which was great. That was the majority of the time this chapter was written in. I had a few hang-ups, minor writer's block, but nothing too major. I worked on different sections of this chapter individually, instead of writing it in order, which was an interesting and different way of writing for me. This chapter was a wonderful, mixed-up mess, and it came out awesome, if you ask me.

I am glad that many of you took the time to read the intro to my last chapter that was about my personal relationship experience that I had with my husband. I was hoping that it would give you some insight on why Bulma was acting/thinking the way she was, and I believe that it did. Thanking for remaining open about my A/U story, and continuing to read it. Your patience with me is nothing short of astounding, and your loyalty is something that I do not take for granted. Thank you for taking time out of your busy lives and schedules to ready my own little crazy and imaginative version of the DBZ universe, and of our favorite DBZ couple.

Now, on to the good stuff. As I said toward the closing statement of the last chapter, it all finally fell on Bulma as she's finally realized her feelings. Now here comes the fallout. I'm sure you have noticed the name of this new chapter….and I will tell you right now that this is not a very happy chapter. It's quite serious, actually, probably the most serious chapter in this story so far. As a writer, who is passionate about this story, I get into it…and sometimes as I write I feel the emotions that our characters are experiencing. Writing this chapter was bittersweet, indeed.

As always, I do not own DBZ. I'm just a huge fan who loves the series and its characters.

You might want to sit back and get comfortable. It's a very long chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

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I set fire to the rain…and I threw us into the flames.

Chapter 19- Lessons Learned, Bridges Burned

If somehow over the past few days Vegeta had believed he had hit the pinnacle of his emotions over Bulma, then her unexpected arrival to Vegetasei had proven him very wrong.

It was bad enough to have lost temporary control of his emotions, displaying his distress to those in the conference room, but he had grown increasingly restless as his keen senses reached outward, sensing that Bulma was staying near close proximity to Bardock. As time crawled by at what felt like an unbelievably slow pace, questions kept running through Vegeta's troubled mind as he sat uncharacteristically quiet on his throne:

How could she have the goddamn nerve to show up there? She had no reason to be there. She couldn't possibly have been done with the foundation for his gravity room. She couldn't be ready to build it, so what the fuck was she doing there to begin with?! Wasn't she busy with all the shit she had to do on Earth?! Didn't she have her fucking wedding to get ready for?! She wasn't there to talk to him…was she? He didn't even want to see her, let alone listen to her dulcet voice. He had no desire to be in her presence and would refuse to talk to her! He had nothing to say to her! There was nothing for them to talk about! And why in hell was she sticking with Bardock for so damn long?! Was she sick? Was she in need of healing? Did she hurt herself? Did someone hurt her?! Did Yamcha hurt her?! A tremor of fury flashed over him for a moment at the very idea. He would kill him. Absolutely murder him. He wouldn't leave behind a single drop of blood in that weakling's body after he got done with him!

Countless questions and illogical scenarios continued to work Vegeta into a mental frenzy as he made himself more uptight by the minute. He had been forced to use his discipline, relying on his strong will-power to restrain himself and remain seated, when all he wanted to do was leave the room and be anywhere but where he was currently at. Preferably far away, where he could no longer feel Bulma's presence and somewhere he could destroy something, such as an asteroid or two. Thinking of shooting energy blasts into an asteroid field only served to remind him of a meteor shower, which inadvertently caused him to think of that fateful night between him and Bulma a few days ago. He cursed his train of thoughts as his agitation increased. It was not difficult for the prince to give off the clear vibe that he wanted to be left alone and did not want to speak nor be spoken to, as his life energy continued to pulsate and flicker in unconscious response to Bulma's very own.

It wasn't until his mother abruptly arose from her throne that Vegeta had snapped out of his focus. Temporarily distracted, he watched with barely-contained resentment as his mother had the audacity to simply get up and walk out of the conference room, without any explanation as to where she was going or what was so important that it warranted her absence from the discussions. The hypocrisy burned within him, but it wasn't until he followed his mother's ki and sensed her approaching Bulma that he was brought to a whole other level of emotion. A deep, sickening sense of foreboding had hit Vegeta as soon as he realized his mother was with Bulma, and all at once his mind and his heart began to wage an internal war.

What was his mother talking to her about?! More importantly, what was Bulma talking to her about? Then again, why the fuck did he have to care?! He wasn't supposed to care! The woman wouldn't dare tell his mother what happened between them, would she?! The very idea made him furious. If Vegeta had thought that having Kakarot or Bardock find out what happened between them was maddening, then having his mother know would be much, much worse. Surely the woman had enough common sense to keep her mouth shut and keep this between them! It was their business and theirs only! No one else had the damn right to know about it! But nothing reassured Vegeta, especially as he sensed Bulma's life force waver and fluctuate unsteadily. He was halfway torn between trying to read her ki signal, and trying to heartlessly ignore her familiar life force that was undeniably distressed.

No one seemed aware of what was making the prince prowl around the room like a caged beast plotting its inevitable escape. Little had they known it was the distinct energy signal of a human woman who had sent him to the heights and limits of his emotions and anger. For the past few days Vegeta had resolved that he would purge Bulma from his heart, but even as he restlessly paced around the room, he knew that he never would be able to do so.

As of yet, he was unable to determine if that was a bad thing or not.

It wasn't until Vegeta sensed Bulma's ki spike up drastically in distress that he finally had enough. His loud, feral growl was heard as it reverberated throughout the large room. His long, brown tail lashed about in anger, his broad chest felt heavy and unexplainably constricted, as though an immense invisible weight was crushing his very life force also. Something within him snapped. He yelled out in frustration as he powered up, pissed off at Bulma and even more pissed off with himself. He couldn't help the undeniable instinct he had to find out what was the matter with her…

..despite the fact he did not want to talk to her, because he knew it would only lead to a screaming match against each other.

Or worse, there could be nothing but silence between them.

Despite the fact that he did not want to see her, because he feared he would still love her when he saw her.

Who was he kidding? He knew he would.

Despite the fact that they were torn apart, because he knew they would never be the same again.

It continued to haunt him.

Vegeta forced himself to momentarily push aside his own damn pride; Bulma was either in dire trouble or in immense physical pain for her energy signal to be so forceful, and he cursed himself and his damn weakness for her. He raised his fingers to his forehead, ready to teleport to her and find out just what in the hell was going on with her. Fuck the punishment for leaving the conference room. He damned it all to hell.

It wasn't his father rising quickly from his throne in a threatening manner …or Nappa and Raditz rushing over to him to try to calm him…nor had it been the alien ambassadors that cowered in fear of his alarming display that had made Vegeta stop from either blowing up the room or leaving it completely. It had been the drastic drop in Bulma's extremely distressed ki that had made him hesitate. He paid no mind to what was going on around him; he could not hear his father's voice bellowing at him, could not feel Raditz and Nappa's hands on his shoulders, could not feel the tug of Tarbles' hand on his arm as time seemed to be suspended in an uneasy pause. Vegeta continued to hesitate, momentarily stricken in confusion as to just what in the hell was going on, sensing Bulma's ki move quickly away from his mother's and simultaneously sensing Kakarot's ki was in heightened alarm also. The deep, foreboding sense hit Vegeta again as he hesitated a few moments more, unsure of what was going on, when to his astonishment he felt both their life forces suddenly vanish from the planet.

Gone.

In the blink of a moment, just like that, Bulma was gone.

Vegeta's breath hitched in his throat, the air momentarily forced from his lungs as he could no longer sense her life energy anymore. He was unsure of what to feel in that instant, as he had been mere seconds away from her. What the hell happened?! What was going on with her? Why the rush to get her off of Vegetasei so quickly? His mind reeled, trying to comprehend what the fuck was going on around him, unable to shake off the uneasy thoughts and the tempest of emotions that swirled within him.

The next moments were a blur as Vegeta found himself once again seated in his throne. He was unsure of how he got there as he snapped out of his momentary lapse. He glanced back over his shoulder, pissed off at Nappa and Raditz who were standing at very close guard behind him. He realized they must have sat him there, and he threw them a warning glare as he turned his attention away from them and outward to the conference room, where he noticed many were eyeing him rather wearily. Apparently his outbursts had caused enough of a disturbance and commotion as his bodyguards stood by, ready at a moment's command from the king to escort the volatile prince out of the room if he had another unstable outburst again. The prince sat back heavily in his throne, brooding in anger from being supervised as though he was an unruly child, but his thoughts were short-lived as his mother re-entered the conference room.

Vegeta's glare was menacing, his dark eyes flickering black fire as he watched his mother give him a neutral, passing glance and sit back down on her golden throne ever so nonchalantly. For whatever reason, that put Vegeta even more on edge. He continued to glare at her, his intense gaze bore through her until she relented and turned her head, their eyes locking for a moment. His own dark eyes beheld resentment and anger, while hers held an emotion that he did not want to read. He snarled and tore his glance away from her, clenching his hands into fists as he internally raged, wanting to demand to know what the hell her and Bulma had talked about, and wanting to know what had made Bulma's ki spike up and drop down so drastically. He knew he would probably not get any answers from her, but then again, he wasn't about to ask. To ask only meant that he cared, and he kept telling himself that he didn't care!

Of course to prove him wrong again, the other piece of Vegeta's puzzle of questions arrived almost on cue, as he sensed Kakarot instantly appear back on Vegetasei, this time without Bulma. The prince continued to sit in his throne, seething in unbelievable irritation and anger, and after a few minutes, Kakarot had teleported into the conference room, wearing his battle gear instead of his military-issued royal guard armor. Vegeta's energy spiked in anger as he saw Kakarot appear. In his opinion, he found his anger to be more than justified since Goku had been the one to bring Bulma there and abruptly take her back. He blamed his rival for everything that was going on, even though he had no idea what the fuck was happening. How could he possibly know just what in blazes was going on?! He had been forced to remain in that goddamned conference room, falling apart on the inside as things were happening beyond his control on the outside.

Vegeta watched as Goku quietly walked over and stood in his empty spot in line, taking his rightful and hard-earned place alongside the other elite warriors and royal guards that surrounded the perimeter of the room. He watched as Goku bravely gave him an odd look, unsure of what emotions reflected within them, which only served to anger Vegeta more. For all he knew, Goku was now aware of what happened between him and Bulma, and the very idea that he might know was almost unbearable. Vegeta could barely withstand the hit against his pride, and he managed to tear his furious glare away from Goku, continuing to sit in his throne, his mind seething in unrelenting thoughts that haunted him and angered him so.

He knew Vegeta would be in a foul mood. He knew Vegeta wasn't dumb. He had to have been keeping tabs on Bulma's ki, and come to think of it, probably his also. Goku inwardly sighed and tried to ignore Vegeta's icy glare as best he could as he fulfilled his duty and stood at attention during the rest of the conference. He was glad he had enough foresight to change out of his tear-stained orange gi and into his battle gear, relatively sure that Vegeta would want to spar with him immediately afterwards. He doubted Vegeta would appreciate seeing the remnants of Bulma's tears anyway. Sure, he knew he would probably get chastised for not being dressed in his royal guard uniform, but after sensing Vegeta's dark aura upon his arrival in the conference room, he knew that he had made a wise decision.

As Goku stood at attention, his heart continued to feel heavy as he mulled over what happened between his best female friend and his prince, trying to figure out ways of how to make them both okay again. He knew Vegeta had sensed Bulma there on the planet. If the fluctuations he sensed from his ki over the past couple of hours were any indication at all, he knew that he wanted to know why she was there and what was going on with her. But, he couldn't tell him, could he? A broken bond seemed serious. They both didn't seem to know or even realize they had been bonded and that somehow it had become severed. He didn't think it was his place to tell either one of them…that seemed to be more of his father's department than his. So, what was he going to tell Vegeta? That Bulma was there to visit? A very hard thing to believe, considering he was a terrible liar to begin with. If things were that bad between them, which they seemed to be, then her being on Vegetasei to visit was a hard explanation to swallow. Maybe he could just tell him that Bulma wasn't feeling well and that's why she came to see his dad. That seemed more plausible. Then again, Vegeta would probably wonder why she couldn't stay on Earth and be treated there instead of coming here.

Goku frowned. This was going to be harder than he had thought. How was he going to explain the reason for bringing her there, and why she was in the medical ward for so long? How could he explain the spikes in Bulma's life force without giving anything away about her altered ki? A ki that was altered like his had been…from a bond that once existed and was now gone…a bond that he just couldn't tell him about yet. Goku's heart sank as he thought about what his dad revealed to him. Kami, how could he keep a strong, positive outlook when it seemed things were much worse than anyone could have anticipated? And how would he explain why Bulma was with the queen? Even he didn't know why she wanted to see her. He had no idea what they discussed inside her chambers! He had been just as alarmed at the sudden spike of Bulma's life force before she had ran up to him only moments later and asked him to take her home. How could he tell Vegeta that her tears that had dampened his gi were utterly heartbreaking, and that she seemed to have had a breakdown of some sort? He wasn't even sure what her breakdown was about!

Goku resolved that he needed to make the effort and try and help heal two people he cared very much for. He would be there for Bulma, in any way possible, and meanwhile he would try to tear down Vegeta's walls and get him to tell him what happened between them, even if it meant he would get his ass kicked repeatedly during the process. Finding out what happened between them to cause their bond to break would be the most important factor in taking the steps needed to repair the damage between them, but knowing Bulma and Vegeta the way he did, he knew it wouldn't be as simple as having a heart-to-heart with either one of them to find that out. Bulma could be as stubborn as a mule when she wanted to be, and he doubted that Vegeta was in any mood to talk to him….not that Vegeta was the type to talk things out with anyone to begin with. The gentle-hearted Saiyan then noticed the prince's dark gaze focused right at him again, and he belatedly realized that he had been staring directly at Vegeta, lost in deep thought over the dilemma between him and Bulma. Goku managed a difficult gulp, quickly averting his eyes away from the surly prince.

Yes, Vegeta was enraged, and once again he was caught in the middle.

---

"Any luck?"

"No." Bulma grumbled as she pressed the 'end' button on the cordless phone receiver, glaring at it for a moment before tossing it on the couch. With a frustrated sigh she massaged her forehead, feeling one hell of a headache coming on. "This is unbelievable, you know that?!"

Her griping was not unfounded.

After kicking Karelina and her dressmaking crew out of her home a few hours ago, Bulma had spent the rest of the time trying to get into contact with Yamcha. She couldn't reach him at home, or on his cell phone, so she had taken it upon herself to jump on her hover bike and ride over to his place. Her efforts to find him were unsuccessful, and upon returning back home, she continued to try to call him. When that continued to fail, she tried to reach Goku. She was equally frustrated with not being able to get into contact with him either. He had told her that he would be back in a couple of hours to check on her, and had yet to show up, and it was getting to be late.

Bunny didn't like seeing her genius, beautiful daughter stressed, but she couldn't help the satisfied smile that gently graced her features as she watched her daughter's frustration and temper begin to flare. Her daughters plight wasn't what was making her smile, it was the fact that she was more than overjoyed for her. As a mother, she had been right after all…Bulma had cleared her head and her heart while on Vegetasei. "It's getting to be pretty late honey, it's almost midnight. Maybe you should just try to get some sleep and try again in the morning."

"No mom, this can't wait until morning!" Bulma insisted, picking up the cordless phone and hastily dialing Yamcha's number again as she placed it against her ear. "It's bad enough that I'm doing this literally at the last minute! I don't want to break something like this to him right as he's getting dressed and ready to head to the church!" She glanced up and saw the smug smile that still wouldn't leave her mother's face. She threw her mother an evil glare upon seeing it. Here she was, trying to get into contact with Yamcha to tell him she wasn't going to marry him and end things between them once and for all, and her mother found it amusing. "Mom, seriously, you're not helping." she told her as she listened to the phone continue to ring and ring.

"What?" Bunny asked, feigning innocence. "I can't help how exciting this is!"

"Mom, shhh!" Bulma demanded, waving her hand towards her lazily, momentarily brushing off her mother's joy as she listened to Yamcha's voicemail message for the hundredth time. She quickly ended the call, growling in irritation as she began to redial the Son residence, wondering if Goku was home yet or not.

Bunny continued to watch her frazzled daughter as she leaned against the doorjamb between the living room and kitchen. It had been so good to hear Bulma tell her that she wasn't in love with Yamcha and didn't want to marry him. Now her and Vegeta were bound to give her a grandchild, and soon she hoped!

"Hello, Chi-Chi! I'm sorry to be bothering you again so late, but has Goku come back yet?….No?" Bulma echoed, rubbing her temple with her free hand. "Well, okay, when he comes back would you tell him I need to see him as soon as possible? I don't care what time he comes back, even if it's at 3 in the morning, I really need to talk to him. It's an emergency." Bulma listened to her response over the phone, and she nodded. "Thank you Chi, thank you so much. I definitely owe you one. Good night."

"No Goku, either?" Bunny murmured, her smile faltering only slightly as she watched her end the call.

"Nope. Ugh, I can't believe this!" Bulma began, somewhat exasperated as she threw the phone back down on the couch. "I can't get ahold of Yamcha! Goku's not even on Earth! Everyone's expecting a huge wedding tomorrow and there's not going to be one!" She continued her pacing around the living room, wondering how in hell she was going to be able to cancel everything before the morning. "This is a complete and utter nightmare."

Bunny pushed off the doorjamb and walked over to her daughter, interrupting her tense pacing as she stood in front of her, gently placing her hands on the sides of her arms. "It's not a nightmare, sweetie. This is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful." she reassured her, gently squeezing her, giving her a soft smile.

"Doesn't feel like it right now." Bulma murmured, taking a deep breath and sighing. Sure, it was horribly stressful not being able to contact Yamcha so that she could confront him and tell him she was calling everything off, but the enormous burden of weight she felt finally lifted from her shoulders was indeed wonderful, as her mother had put it. "And of course I come to my damn senses at the last minute, like in some stupid cheesy movie!"

"Hey, at least you're doing this now, instead of at the altar. Leaving Yamcha there and running out of the church, now that would have been from some stupid, cheesy movie." Bunny mused, reaching up and gently brushing aside Bulma's bangs and tucking them behind her ear. "Oh, for the love of Kami, you had me so worried there. It was about time you stopped using so much of this…." she said in a loving tease, gently tapping the side of Bulma's head, "…and finally started using this." she concluded, placing her palm over Bulma's heart. "I always knew you and Vegeta were meant to be."

"Mom…don't…" Bulma said downheartedly, stepping back and away from her mother's touch as she walked away, crossing her arms over her chest protectively.

"What's the matter?" Bunny asked with concern. "You do love Vegeta, don't you?"

Bulma kept quiet for a short moment. Of course she had always loved him. It was only until recently that she was forced to realize and face the fact that somehow, during some unknown time, she had fallen in love with him. "Yes…" she admitted softly, no longer wanting to hesitate in voicing what she truly felt for him, "…very much."

"And he loves you, right?"

Bulma pursed her lips into a tight line, not answering the question at first. At seeing her mother's questioned look, she relented. "I can't speak for him." she said, being honest with her, and more importantly with herself. After all, she didn't know if he did love her or not. And if he did, then she was relatively sure he didn't anymore. Not after what happened between them.

Bunny frowned slightly, not understanding how the conversation turned from well-meaning to serious. "Honey, of course he does." she said somewhat assuredly, her statement laced lightly with confusion.

"I doubt that anymore." Bulma murmured softly, feeling the ache press against her chest again, but this time, it didn't feel as bad as it had before. Maybe the pain was finally starting to go away? Either that, or she was getting used to a certain level of it.

"Bulma, what do you mean?"

"Just…nothing, mom." Bulma replied, dipping her head down and rubbing behind her neck as she rolled it around a bit, trying to work out a small kink. Now wasn't the time to get into what happened between them. Vegeta was just a whole other matter that she would have to deal with eventually at a later time. For now, she had much more important issues she needed to handle. She had to get into contact with Yamcha. She just had to do it tonight. This couldn't wait until morning. She needed to tell him that it was over, but so far it seemed the stars had a different plan. Sighing in frustration, she redialed Yamcha's cell again, hearing nothing but ringing and his voicemail again. She couldn't understand how she couldn't reach him or find him anywhere! If only Goku were there, then he could just search out his ki and take her to him so she could call it off now. Then she could deal with the aftermath, and get back to work on the gravity room. "Mom….I know this is just absolutely unbelievably last minute, but do you think you can find couples who might want to get married in West City tomorrow? I'd hate for the church and the ballroom and all the food and drinks to go to waste. It would be nice for others to have a wonderful wedding day."

"That's very generous of you, Bulma. I'll find as many couples as I can." Bunny said gently, giving her daughter a soft smile, even though there was worry hidden behind her blue eyes. "Are you going to try to tell Yamcha before I start making the calls and letting everyone know what's going on? Or want me to wait?"

Bulma sighed heavily. "Wait until after I find him and tell him. It would be pretty fucked up for him to find out on TV or from another person that I'm leaving him on what was supposed to be our wedding day."

"I guess it would be." Bunny said, her face scrunched up a bit in distaste from her daughter's foul language, but didn't see the need to scold her on it. It's just the way she was. "Hopefully you can find him. The sooner the better."

"Tell me about it. Ugh, Goku, where are you?" Bulma asked rhetorically, rubbing her hands over her face again, not feeling her headache going away.

"Honey, maybe you should try to get some sleep. It's well past 1am and you look like you've been through hell. Imagine how much more beautiful you would be if you could actually get some beauty sleep." Bunny lightly joked, giving her daughter a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder as she walked past her into the kitchen.

"No mom, I can't sleep right now. I couldn't sleep right now if my life depended on it." Bulma answered, following her into the kitchen, where she leaned against the granite-topped island, crossing her arms. "Besides, you know I'll get enough sleep…."

"…when you're dead. Yes, yes, I know. I've heard that line from you enough times. Vegeta tells me the same thing. You're both so morbid sometimes."

"Hn." Bulma simply responded, glancing at her reflection through the patio doors and realized she did look rather exhausted. Well, she figured she would be. She rarely got any sleep, and when she did it wasn't a deep, restful sleep. She always had insane amounts of work that needed to be done not only on Earth, but for Vegetasei as well. Balancing two worlds was no easy feat, and had to thank her own resolve and infinite amounts of coffee to help her get through her days. Speaking of work, she had an amazing, unbelievable gravity room that she needed to build….and build soon…and she didn't even have her schematics and blue prints done, let alone that goddamn gravity formula that she tried to program, only to have the computer spit out her algorithms and tell her that she was wrong. She was never wrong! That computer could go to hell!

Bulma watched her mom prepare a couple of cups of chamomile tea as she huffed at the frustrating reminder that all her designs and plans were for nothing if she couldn't get her quantum mathematics, physics, and mechanics to add up to perfection. She uncrossed her arms, pushing away from the kitchen island and walked over to the phone, picking it up and dialing Yamcha's cell phone number for the millionth time. At hearing it go straight to his voicemail, Bulma growled in annoyance, slamming the receiver down, quickly coming to her wit's end. "Where in the hell is Yamcha at? I've been trying for almost 4 damn hours to reach him!"

"Maybe his battery died? Maybe he's back at his apartment, sound asleep. Maybe he unplugged his house phone because he wanted to get a good night's sleep…which is something you need to get also." Bunny slyly diffused her daughter's temper as she handed her a cup of the warm, relaxing chamomile tea. "Drink, sweetheart. This will calm your nerves and relax you. This will help you sleep."

"Nothing in this world could make me relax and go to sleep right now, mom." Bulma replied tersely, but still accepted her mother's kind gesture as she took the ceramic mug and tentatively sipped the tea. "It's good." she couldn't help but say.

"Of course it is, everything I make is delicious." Bunny smiled as she placed her own cup of tea down on the kitchen table and tightened the belt on her night robe before taking a seat. "Now, since you can't sleep, come sit with me and let's talk about you and Vegeta giving me some grandchildren…"

"Ugh, mom, this isn't the time to be…." Bulma began, annoyed at the topic before their house phone rang, interrupting her. She gasped. "I hope it's Yamcha!" she exclaimed as she grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

Bunny continued to sip on her tea as she watched her daughter, noticing the annoyed look on her face turning into one of fury at an alarming speed.

"WHAT?! NO!" Bulma yelled into the phone, jostling her cup in her hand, the motion making some of the tea spill out onto the kitchen floor. "I gave NO such authorization!….I DON'T want them here!….I know that!…..What are they doing here to begin with?!…..What do you mean they're already on the grounds?!…..Who gave that authorization?!"

Bunny had to set her cup down slowly as she had a bad feeling about something. She watched her daughter remain eerily silent for a few long moments as the voice on the other end of the receiver talked to her.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!"Bulma yelled back into the phone, furious after hearing what she just heard. "I don't give a shit if he said so!…HE doesn't call the shots! I'm in control here, NOT HIM!" After a few more tense moments, Bulma listened to what she was being told, and she nodded. "Thank you for calling me and letting me know what's going on! Do pass this message on.." Bulma began, her voice laced with venom, "… if general security up front value their jobs and their future careers, they will get their asses out there and escort the fucking paparazzi off MY property, NOW, or none of them will ever work in West City again! That's a promise!" With that, Bulma forcefully hung up the phone, growling in rage as she whipped around and threw her cup of tea at the wall, the ceramic shattering upon impact. She stood fuming, absolutely irate as she clenched her small hands into fists, wishing for the moment that she was Saiyan so that she could kick the hell out of someone. Preferably Yamcha.

"What's going on?!" Bunny demanded in alarm and concern, wincing a bit at the destroyed cup, quickly commanding one of their house bots to clean up the mess.

"I can't fucking believe him!" Bulma yelled. She was so infuriated, yet she also felt so sick to her stomach at that moment. This was the man that she almost married?! How could she have been badly blinded for so long?! The mistake that she would have made in marrying Yamcha hit her hard, as the dread almost marrying him made her stomach churn.

"Bulma, what happened?!"

She took a small moment to try to gather her temper under control. "That was our private security from our main house gate. Apparently 'somebody' gave the fucking media 'permission' to enter Capsule Corp grounds and camp here overnight."

Bunny gasped. "He didn't!"

"He sure as fuck did!" Bulma growled back, her anger not directed at her mother as Bulma began to pace around the kitchen. "General security said Yamcha gave the media permission to actually stay on the grounds so that they can get pictures and live video feed of me leaving here to get married!"

Hearing this began to even make Bunny mad as she stood up from the table. "There's no media allowed here directly on the grounds! Especially for tomorrow! They're not even supposed to know what church you were going to!"

"I know! Apparently some of the paparazzi tried to get onto our private grounds, saying that Yamcha gave them permission. That's the call I just got from our security right now! One of them admitted that Yamcha told them they could camp out here. And general security up front told our private security that Yamcha had told them NOT to call our own house and bother anyone here because we're too busy getting the 'final touches' for the wedding done. That the media and security can go through him now if they have any questions since he's 'practically' my husband and will now start 'calling shots around here!'"

Bunny brought her hand to her mouth, covering it in shock at hearing this as she watched her daughter prowl around the room, looking like she was ready to kill. "I can't believe he would do something like this! He went behind your back! How dare he!"

"That bastard! I have half a mind to go outside to the media and tell them that I'm not fucking marrying him!" Bulma yelled, slapping her open hand down on the counter hard, so angry that she couldn't even feel the sting.

"Maybe you should!" Bunny affirmed on a whim. "That will teach him!"

"No, that's too easy. It's too good for him." Bulma muttered with disdain. "Let him think that we're still getting married tomorrow! Let him think he's got me in the bag! Just wait…." Her tone of voice was ruthless, promising the impending punishment of humiliation. "I want to see the look on his face the very moment he realizes that it's more than over."

Once again, Bunny looked at her, imagining that if Bulma had a gorgeous tail, no doubt it would be lashing around in unbridled anger right now. Sometimes she was grateful her daughter had not been born a Saiyan. It was hard enough keeping Vegeta content and his temper at reasonable levels; she could only imagine how much more difficult it would be if Bulma had the physical strength to back up her temperament also. "Well, so much for relaxing tonight and getting some sleep." she murmured, no longer feeling like drinking her tea.

"I definitely can't sleep right now!" Bulma exclaimed, crossing her arms tightly over her chest and continued her pacing straight back into the living room. "Ugh, I can't believe I was going to marry him, mom! Seriously, did I have blinders on this entire time? Did I hit my head too hard on something and knock all common sense out of me?! I can't believe I barely avoided making the biggest mistake of my life! I don't understand it! I'm a fucking genius! How could I have been so stupid?!"

"Even geniuses have their shortcomings." Bunny reasoned, trying to soothe her frazzled daughter's nerves. "Then again, everyone does. Genius or not. Human or not." she said, shooting her daughter a gentle smile.

"I can't believe what an idiot I was!" Bulma blurted in aggravation, throwing her hands up in frustration as she stomped out of the kitchen and rampaged throughout the home, so pissed off at Yamcha's bullshit. This was just the icing on top of the bloody cake. She couldn't believe his audacity! She couldn't believe he had the fucking nerve to think that he had control of her and her father's employees!

Control!

Just like what Goku said. He had told her that Yamcha told him once they were married he would be in control.

And the paparazzi! In her dream, they were at her reception! It wasn't too far fetched after all! If he wanted them on Capsule Corp grounds, then he probably expected them to be there in the church and at their reception! It would be a dark day in hell before she would have ever let that happen!

In her dream, she had married Yamcha and he instantly took her voice away, telling her that he was now in control.

And that he was going to kill Vegeta.

Holy hell, how did she not see the goddamn signs?!

"Where is he?!" Bulma raged, still riled up from her earlier rant as she continued her rampage, unwilling to calm down, alarmed at now being able to see more of who Yamcha truly was. She picked up the cordless phone and continued to dial his number, wanting so badly for him to pick up so she could tell him that it was not only over, but she would feel no remorse in setting their bridge ablaze in her fiery wrath and sever any remaining ties with him. Truly, what scared her the most was that at the foundation for all of this…it wasn't just him wanting control…it was that he might try to kill Vegeta.

Goku had warned her. He had told her what Yamcha had said, and now she had no doubt in believing it anymore. Hell, when him and Vegeta fought, he aimed straight for his heart! He really was trying to kill him, wasn't he? And now she no longer doubted that Yamcha might try to come up with a way to kill him, if he married her and gained control of half the company. "That unbelievable bastard! I'll kill him! I'll kill him before I let him ever hurt Vegeta!" she yelled in anger, heading down to her lab and waking up her computers, logging on to Capsule Corp's mainframe, hurriedly revoking all of Yamcha's access codes and permissions to enter Capsule Corp as well as the main headquarters downtown. She then called private security and received an updated status on how clearing out the paparazzi and media was going, along with telling them that Yamcha was no longer allowed inside their private grounds and their home.

Bunny stood quietly in the doorway to Bulma's lab, watching her with great concern, as well as an odd sense of calm. Her daughter was absolutely furious, and this time, it didn't seem like Yamcha would be able to con his way back into her arms or her heart again. But that was just fine with her. In her opinion, her daughter was never meant for anyone else anyway.

---

Goku's breathing was ragged and labored as he coughed up a great amount of blood into his hand. This wasn't good. He managed to wipe the sweat away from his brow before he clenched the side of his ribcage. He knew they were broken, and they must have pierced through his cavity and into his lungs terribly if he was coughing up that much blood. "Vegeta, I think I've had enough. I'm having trouble breathing."

"We're finished when I say we're finished!" the dark prince growled, breathing with much difficulty also, feeling as though the majority of his ribs were cracked and broken, considering the amount of blood he was coughing up also. His left arm was broken, as well as his right leg, but he gritted and bore though the pain as he and Goku sparred and fought for hours up in the air, well into the late night and into the early morning. "Now, is that all you've got?! You're getting weaker, Kakarot. Spending too much time on that godforsaken blue planet?"

"Not any more time than you were spending there." Goku spat back smugly in reply, wiping the blood from his mouth as he looked at Vegeta through one good eye, since the other was swollen and blackened in pillow of blood. "You spend more time there than even I do. You're the one who's not as strong." It was untrue, and he knew it. They both did. Vegeta's rage and frustration was fueling him, and Goku sensed him being stronger than he had been in a long time. He had thought right away that Vegeta would demand to know why Bulma had been there, and what was going on, but he remained silent about it, only to realize he wasn't going to ask. Instead, Vegeta kept it all inside and unfortunately for Goku, he became his personal punching bag as a source to unleash his frustrations on. But Goku knew he would be. He was the only one close enough to Vegeta's power level and strength to challenge him, and he knew that Vegeta beating the life out of him was some sort of therapy for him. Warped, twisted, violent therapy, but it was what it was.

"I'm not going back to Earth." Vegeta angrily assured him. "And I'm always going to be stronger than you!" he said, phasing out and appearing in front of Goku, hitting his other side with a spinning kick and catching him off-guard. Goku responded with a few punches that Vegeta barely managed to avoid, until one hit him in painfully in his nose, feeling it crunch and break beneath Goku's fist. Furious, the prince yelled, blood covering his face as he managed a vicious punch on Goku's bad side, satisfactorily earning a excruciating growl from him as he watched him wince and cower over his side, seeing him spurt out even more blood. Vegeta made the mistake of being distracted by the pain he had caused, and he was too late as Goku responded lightening fast as he kicked Vegeta hard in his broken arm. Shouting in agonizing pain, Vegeta grasped at his arm and the two warriors continued their brutal sparring as they both dangerously ignited each other's tempers.

It was another hour later that Vegeta and Goku's broken, bloodied bodies were hurriedly carried into the medical bay by Nappa and Raditz, where Bardock quickly took over, setting both their healing tanks into emergency mode as he sensed both their life forces dangerously low. He had no time to gripe about the ridiculous, extreme levels their sparring was getting into as he and the other medics quickly stripped away the remaining armor that had been seared into their flesh, before getting them into the healing tanks and getting their breathing masks on. The tanks then filled up in a large, fast gush of healing fluid and Bardock remained on high alert, monitoring their vitals with painstaking closeness, needing to see an improvement within a few minutes, otherwise they were in immense trouble. Fortunately, after about 5 minutes, both their oxygen levels increased, and their blood pressures began to rise a few points, indicating that the emergency, intensive healing process had worked and jumpstarted their recovery.

Relieved, Bardock kept the emergency healing active for awhile, until their vitals were out of the danger zone and into intensive care before he moved their healing to a slower, steady rate. Still, it took awhile for the frown on Bardock's face to lighten. There had been no more senzu beans, as Vegeta's relentless training had him and Kakarot and his bodyguards using them up quickly over the past few days. What disturbed him was the fact that the only two who could teleport to Earth to get more of the magical, healing beans were currently unconscious and had been on the verge of death. He resolved that Vegeta and Goku were going to have to teach him, Nappa, or Raditz how to do Instant Transmission. This situation couldn't happen again.

Vegeta and Goku remained in the healing tanks for the rest of the late night and well into the morning. Vegeta had been released first, only because his presence was required in the throne room soon. There were no conferences that day, but there were issues that needed to be addressed, and he and his father needed to hear the grievances of their people and issues going on within their planet's commerce and economy, as well as discuss and judge who would be worthy of competing in an upcoming tournament of strength and rank for those who wanted to enlist in the Saiyan militia and those who wanted to raise their rank within it.

It was better than being caged up in that infernal conference room, Vegeta thought to himself, as he wiped away healing fluid from his face and stretched out his limbs, feeling wholeness and health return back into his body. He breathed deeply, enjoying the usage of his lungs again as he felt the influx of his new power. His smile was smug, content with the gains in strength he earned as he looked over at his rival, seeing Kakarot still in the healing tank. Most of the bitterness and anger and resentment Vegeta was feeling last night he had taken out on Goku, but when it came down to it, it was for the better. Vegeta's pride wouldn't allow him to question his mother or Goku on just what the hell Bulma was doing on the planet and what had been going on, so instead he decided to beat the shit out of Goku to make himself feel better. His rival didn't seem to mind though, he never did. Goku had always been one to enjoy fighting and never feared getting hurt, and always fought against him at his full potential. It was what made Goku a worthy rival and adversary. No other Saiyan ever fought him with their full potential, he guessed because they feared hurting him. But no matter what he threw at Goku, he only learned from it and came right back at him with something new. Their sparring last night made him stronger, and he also made Goku stronger, and that was important. He needed Goku to be on par with him, otherwise there was no one else for him to fight against and learn from.

"Do I need to say it?" Bardock questioned, eyeing Vegeta with frustration.

"Let me guess….I nearly killed myself and your idiot son from our reckless sparring, and I can't keep doing this to myself?" the prince said sarcastically, rolling his eyes a bit as he wiped more of the healing fluid away from his face.

"Ah, so you DO listen to me occasionally." Bardock cleverly replied, crossing his arms over his chest and giving Vegeta a displeased look. It wasn't worth arguing with him about…it never was. "You are due to be in the throne room in half an hour."

"Of course." Vegeta muttered in disdain, reaching to grab a nearby towel as he uncurled his tail and wiped as much of the healing fluid off of it as possible. "Tell Kakarot that we are sparring again as soon as I'm done with my duties for the day."

Bardock was about to object to the idea of them brawling again, but he hesitated after he saw the warning look on Vegeta's face. Besides….didn't he remember about today? "He won't be able to spar with you today."

"Why not?" Vegeta asked in irritation, wiping most of the thin layer of fluid on his body away with the towel.

Bardock hesitated for a moment, unsure if he had really forgotten. "He's going to Bulma's wedding. He'll be gone all day."

And just like that, Vegeta's foul mood returned as he was reminded of this. A mix of emotions hit him again, although he did a very good job of hiding them. That's right, today was the day she was marrying that fucking scar-faced weakling. He felt a sudden headache coming on, and the ache in his heart and chest returning as he thought of the fiery, beautiful blue-haired woman that he had so foolishly fallen for. But she didn't want him, she wanted Yamcha. She had made her decision, and he would not try to change it. He would rather die than to lower himself and do such a thing as try to convince her otherwise. His pride wouldn't allow it.

Yet, his heart knew that Bulma should be his. She should be marrying him.

The only hint that Bardock saw of the tempest of emotions brewing inside of Vegeta were from the flicker of fire from his dark, saddened eyes. "So be it." the prince muttered as he quickly left the medical bay, unwilling to talk to Bardock about anything as he went to his chambers to shower and change into a new set of armor. He only hoped he remained busy today to help keep his mind from his relentless thoughts.

How else would he keep his heart from breaking the rest of the way?

---

Goku was kicking himself, rushing out of the medical bay after he got out of his tank, already running late. It was bad enough that he told Bulma he would check on how she was doing, not anticipating that his sparring with Vegeta would last all night and needing to be healed most of the morning, but he also needed to be there, making sure things were going well. He had to keep Bulma calm and relaxed from all the little last-minute stresses that could happen. He remembered hearing about Chi-Chi being a stressed out mess on their wedding day, and never knew why. Things were easy for him when he got married, he just got dressed and was where he was told to be.

After Goku set a new record for a shower, he quickly flared up his ki and dried off, and began to put his black tuxedo on. He never understood the Earthling fashion. The last time he had worn a tuxedo was at his own wedding, and he never wore anything that fancy ever since, much to Chi-Chi's dismay. His own gi, and hell, even his own Saiyan armor was more comfortable than a tuxedo! But he set his preferences and discomfort aside as he put the outfit on, his jacket tying the look together nicely as he quickly tossed his black tie around his neck. He raised his fingers to his forehead, teleporting directly to the king to report.

Of course his timing was amazing as always, as Goku arrived instantly inside a rather empty throne room. The royal guards had tensed up for a moment, not sure who it was that just appeared right next to their king, but upon seeing it was Kakarot strangely dressed, they relaxed. Goku had only seen the king at first, until he felt Vegeta's ki in the room also, standing nearby. He couldn't help but to sense a significant boost in Vegeta's power level. Their brutal sparring the previous night was to thank for that.

"Your majesty." Goku began, trying to ignore Vegeta's presence as best he could as he knelt down on one knee, bringing his right arm across his chest, placing his fist over his heart. "I'm here to be relieved of my royal duties of the day so that I may attend Bulma's wedding."

"Kakarot, you may go." the king acknowledged, thinking nothing more on the subject as he dismissed him with a regal wave of his hand. He then diverted his attention to some documents in his hands as he looked up at Vegeta and motioned him over to take a look through the documents also.

Surprised there was no objection from Vegeta, Goku arose from the floor, turning and giving him a neutral glance. The prince reflected nothing back at him but an annoyed glare as the prince dismissed him just as easily, choosing to ignore him as he walked over to his father and deal with business. Goku sighed, still feeling that strange disturbance in his life force, wondering just was going to happen to him and Bulma now that she was getting married. When would he have time to find out what caused their separation and work on getting them healed? With a heavy heart he raised his fingers to his head, choosing to focus on Chi-Chi's ki signal for a moment before he teleported off Vegetasei.

"Goku, there you are!" Chi-Chi said loudly, giving him a scolding look as she finished drying a dish. "Where have you been?"

"Sorry Chi, I was sparring with Vegeta almost all night, and was healing most of the morning." he said simply with a slight shrug, walking by Gohan who greeted him with a bright smile as he finished up his lunch. Goku ruffled his hair for a moment as he walked over to his wife and tried to plant a kiss on her cheek, only to have her move her head away from him.

"Don't you two have anything better to do than fight?! Saiyans, I swear!" Chi-Chi grumbled as she wiped her hands dry on her apron. "Listen, Bulma was calling here half the night looking for you. She said it was an emergency."

"Did she? Oh jeez…" Goku murmured as he ran a hand nervously through his hair. He felt even worse now for not being able to come back to Earth last night and check on her. She was looking for him? An emergency? Worry began to emerge in his chest. He felt like such a terrible best friend. "Well, ok, let me go see what's going on. Probably last-minute cold feet." he reasoned.

"Fine, but hurry back! I'm going to get myself and Gohan dressed while you're gone. And try not to dirty your tuxedo, you look very handsome in it." Chi-Chi ended in a softer tone as she hurriedly tied his tie for him and then gave her husband a light squeeze on his arm before walking past him and going to grab Gohan's now empty plate. "Good job, honey. Now hurry into your room and change into your suit. We've got a wedding to go to."

"Okay, mother…" Gohan trailed off, obedient as always, but it was evident in his voice that he disliked human suits as much as his own father did. "See ya soon, dad." he called out to him from around the corner.

"Later, kiddo." Goku chuckled as he tried to loosen his tie around his neck a bit. Chi-Chi had tightened it a little too tight. "Alright, I'm going. I'll be back to pick you up soon." he said, raising his fingers and focusing on Bulma's ki signal.

He wasn't expecting the events that were about to occur.

---

Goku arrived inside Bulma's lab, the same disturbance in her life force still there as he lowered his fingers, seeing her facing her computers, her fingers flying over the keyboard as though typing was second nature to her. Goku looked at all the numbers and figures and symbols that were plastered over multiple monitors, and the sight of it all hurt his eyes a bit. He had no idea what she was working on, but whatever it was, it seemed horribly complex. "Whatcha workin' on?"

Goku's voice broke through the monotonous sounds of her nails clicking on the keyboard and the steady beeps of her computer, startling her and catching her off-guard. Bulma quickly whipped around and faced him, the look on her face one of irritation and frustration. "Goku! Where have you been?! I was trying to reach you all last night!" she griped, ignoring his question.

He couldn't help but wince, chucking nervously. "I'm really sorry B, I couldn't get away to come check on you. Vegeta had me training with him all night and I was healing most of this morning." he offered apologetically, giving her a puppy-dog look.

"Figures." Bulma muttered as she quickly dismissed the reason why he was gone all night. She took a moment to look at him in his tuxedo. He looked nice, but she would always prefer his orange gi or his Saiyan armor to something like a high-end tuxedo. She sighed. "Guessing you got my message?"

"Yeah, Chi told me you were looking for me. She said you said it was an emergency. What's going on?" He watched as an odd look passed over Bulma's face before she turned around to save her work on her computers. She then turned back around to face him, standing up from her chair with purpose, smoothing out her blouse, reaching up and tightening up her ponytail. "Bulma?" he questioned after her uneasy silence, confused from her rather calm demeanor. If it was an emergency…if something bad happened, shouldn't she be acting differently?

"I couldn't reach Yamcha last night, at all. He wasn't at his apartment when I went to go find him, and I couldn't reach him on his on cell phone. I tried for hours."

"Oh, I see." Goku said. "No doubt that would make you worried." he reasoned, only to see Bulma close her beautiful blue eyes and shake her head for a moment before looking at him again.

"No Goku, just…look, I need you to take me to Yamcha. Right now. I have to talk to him."

"Well….sure, no problem…" he trailed off, tilting his head for a moment, wondering why she was working in her lab instead of getting dressed and ready. Wasn't the wedding in just a few hours? "….but isn't it bad luck to see each other before the wedding?" The telling look on Bulma's face spoke volumes as Goku now understood that something very serious was happening. A slight frown formed on his face as he took a moment before nodding his head slowly. "Okay, let's go." he said as she stepped up next to him, watching her cross her arms across her chest tightly, a stern look now present on her face reminiscent of a certain Saiyan prince. He put a hand on her shoulder and raised his fingers to his forehead, concentrating on finding Yamcha's ki signal.

"Stay with me." Bulma more said than asked as she looked up at Goku, her very simple request laced with seriousness, holding more necessity behind it than Goku currently realized. He nodded in reassurance as they teleported away from Capsule Corp and to wherever Yamcha currently was.

---

"…don't worry, I'll take care of it." Yamcha hurriedly said into his cell phone as he quickly ended the call after feeling Goku's strong ki in the room with him. He turned around, utterly surprised to see him and Bulma there. He hadn't felt her ki at all since Goku's overshadowed hers by a long shot. "Babe!" he blurted, completely caught off-guard. "What…what are you doing here? Why aren't you dressed?"

Bulma stood strong and unyielding; her face stoic, her emotions cold-hearted, her resolve steadfast as her eyes fell upon the man who almost became the biggest mistake of her existance. She remained silent, content to not mutter a word as she studied him. The tension and silence in the room was deafening, forcing Yamcha to swallow nervously as he came to the conclusion that he knew what she was angry over.

"Look babe, I know you're mad about the paparazzi, but I thought it would be a good idea…." he began to reason.

Oh, Bulma had seen the live news feed of the church and Capsule Corp all over the TV earlier that morning. Initially, she wasn't there to confront him about the media and paparazzi that still hovered around the outside of Capsule Corp grounds and currently surrounded the outside of the church they were in. She was beyond all that, only there to simply break things off with him, but upon hearing his bullshit, a fire ignited in the depths of her sapphire eyes, knowing she couldn't simply let this go. "A good idea? Since when was going behind my fucking back and overriding my family's authority over our employees a 'good' idea?" she spat with venom. "Since when was ignoring my wishes to NOT have the media at my doorstep or at the church a 'good' idea?!"

"Babe, it's not what it seems! I mean, this is a massive wedding. The world wants to watch. Who are we to deny that? I didn't see any harm in letting everyone get a glimpse of the happiest day of our lives." he tried to reason again. "I thought it would be good publicity for our company!"

"Our company?" Bulma echoed in audacity. "You mean my father's company?!"

"Fine, our future company." Yamcha said, quickly revising his statement.

"Our?" Bulma emphasized, her demeanor darkening at an alarming rate.

"Yes, ours!" he demanded, starting to feel an ominous threat lingering above his head. "We're practically married now, so of course it will be our company someday!"

"No, Yamcha, it won't be." she stated simply, only to be cut off quickly by him.

"Look, I'm sorry, babe! I didn't know it would make you this angry. It's not a big deal, really…." he changed his tactics, knowing he had to smooth things over with her before she got pissed off enough to do something brash, like postpone their wedding.

"Not a big deal?" Bulma repeated, her voice uncharacteristically calm. "It's always the same old song and dance, isn't it, Yamcha? You fuck up with me, I get infuriated, you apologize, then I take you back and everything goes back to normal until it starts all over again, am I right? You know what? That's alright though…" she continued in a sickeningly sweet, deceptive tone, "…don't you worry about the media. I can assure you that no one is going to see us get married today, because we're not getting married." she said, her last words ruthless and final, leaving absolutely no room for contestation. "It's over, Yamcha."

"Are you serious?!" Yamcha said full of shock, seeing that she was deadly serious indeed. "You…you can't do this! Really?! Over the fucking paparazzi? You're going to throw away everything we've ever had because of THAT?!"

"No! It's over because I never should have said yes to marrying you in the first place!"

"Where the fuck is this shit coming from?!" Yamcha yelled demandingly. "Did he talk you out of this?!" he pointed an accusing finger at Goku, who had been standing by, intensely listening to everything that was being said as he now understood why Bulma wanted him to stay at her side.

"Leave Goku out of this! He has nothing to do with my decision!" Bulma yelled back in defense of her best friend as she glared at Yamcha.

"Oh, really? Then maybe Vegeta's the one to blame!" he said spitefully, noticing Bulma tense at the mention of his name. It had been a brief motion, but he had seen it, and it ignited a hidden fury within him as he clenched his hands together. "I knew that fucking monkey had something to do with this!"

"Watch what you fucking say about him!" Bulma hissed in warning, feeling a whole new level of protectiveness surge through her.

"I see you're not denying it!" Yamcha yelled back, taking a couple of steps threateningly towards her, not noticing Goku tense up at his actions. "It's because of him, isn't it?! Don't you fucking deny it, Bulma!"

"If anything, everyone who truly matters to me opened my eyes to what's really been going on around me! I can't believe I let my emotions blind me from seeing who you really are!" Bulma yelled in exasperation, not believing how she had let things get this damn far to begin with.

"And who am I, Bulma? Who am I?!" Yamcha spat out, his voice laced with challenge.

"A wolf in sheep's clothing! You've never really loved me for who I am, just for what I have!"

"How could you say that Bulma?!" Yamcha yelled back, trying to play the emotion card with her, even as he continued to shout at her. "You know I love you more than anything! After everything we've gone though, you're just going to throw us away? Ten years, Bulma! Ten fucking years we've invested with each other, and you can just throw that all away so easily?!"

"Yes." Bulma answered cold-heartedly, not blinking an eye at her brutal, honest answer.

It wasn't the response he had anticipated. The rage infused Yamcha quickly. "I knew it! I knew all this time that something had to be going on! All the fucking times you left me to do something for him, you were cheating on me, weren't you?!"

"I've never cheated on you with him! Not once!" Bulma fired back, outraged at his accusation.

"You lying bitch! I know you have!" he yelled back as he took another threatening step closer to Bulma.

Goku felt Yamcha's ki spike, sensing his energy level rising rapidly in anger. Instinct took over as he stepped forward and placed an arm across Bulma, shielding her from Yamcha as he gently moved her backwards to a safer proximity. "You need to calm down." he warned him, sensing a threat against her. The vibe coming from Yamcha's energy signal was familiar. It would only spell trouble for him if he didn't control himself.

This only served to anger Yamcha even more, as Goku's move reminded him of a few nights ago when Vegeta made a similar, protective move over her also. The similarity was almost too much to bare, and he regarded Goku with much disdain. "Oh, so you're going to protect her from me? Now this is rich!"

"You're making a mistake to think that Vegeta is the only Saiyan who will protect her." Goku's veiled threat was made clear as he gave him a stern look, strongly encouraging Yamcha to calm the hell down now before he regretted it.

The reminder didn't seem to have any effect on Yamcha as he remained bitterly quiet for a few moments. He always did have a bad habit of forgetting that when it came down to it, Goku was Saiyan, not human. After another moment, he scoffed, his voice condescending. "Who would have known Saiyans could be so protective?! It's amazing, considering such violent tendencies you stupid monkeys naturally have!"

Goku had enough of his disrespect as he quickly reached over and grabbed Yamcha by his throat, bringing the human right up to his face. He put enough pressure around his throat for Yamcha to really feel, sensing his ki suddenly waver in fright. Goku's dark gaze remained steady on him. "You're damn right this 'monkey' will protect her! She's my best friend, she's a sister to me, and I'll be damned if I let you threaten or hurt her!" He then eyed Yamcha with distaste. "You want to talk about infidelity?! You're the one who cheated on Bulma, or have you forgotten about that?! Because I sure haven't!"

"Goku! Calm down!" Yamcha muffled through a choke, his words strangled behind Goku's fierce grip. He tried to pry his hand from his throat, but it was near impossible. It was Bulma who decided to diffuse the situation, placing her hands on Goku's forearm, urging him to calm down.

"Goku, stop. He's not worth it. Let him go. I can handle this." Bulma told him, urging him to listen to her as he gave his arm a firm squeeze. He calmed down after a few tense moments, frowning in aggravation as he nodded reluctantly, releasing the iron grip he had around Yamcha's throat. It was then that Bulma turned her icy glare upon Yamcha, watching as he staggered back, cradling his throat with one hand. "We're over, Yamcha." she said in absolute finality.

He shot her and Goku a spiteful look as he coughed a few times and rubbed his sore throat. "Fine. We'll see who comes out on top."

Bulma had no idea of the nightmare that was only beginning.

---

The fallout from her cancelled wedding was massive.

Two hours before the wedding was scheduled to happen, calls were made to the media courtesy of their trusted, close-knit public relations crew, letting only a few major news channels know that there would be no wedding for the Capsule Corporation heiress today. Bunny had called the courthouses in West City, passing on the message that couples who were getting married there today were invited to move their wedding to the beautifully decorated church that Bulma had planned to wed in. She also let them know the newly wed couples were also welcomed into the grand ballroom at Capsule Corp to take advantage of a free, gorgeous wedding reception complete with food, drinks, music, and professional photographers if they wished.

Of course, the limousine company, the caterers, the bakers, the florists, the photographers, the orchestra band, and the servers had also been informed by Bunny that their services would still be needed. She assured them that they would still be paid handsomely for their hard work to take care of the happy couples that were in fact getting married that very day.

Karelina and her dressmaking crew were quickly informed that Bulma was not getting married today after all, and they were instructed to donate the expensive, custom-designed dress to a bride-to-be who could actually use it, much to the famous fashion designer's dismay.

The church had also been informed that they would be shortly receiving a generous donation, in order to accommodate the many couples who no doubt would be arriving at the beautifully decorated church with their families and friends to get themselves married.

The news had spread like wildfire, burning hot and quickly overtaking national and worldwide news channels, radio stations, and the internet as the startling, abrupt cancellation of Bulma Brief's enormous, multi-zeni luxury wedding had been cancelled by her only mere hours before the ceremony was to take place. The media had a field day as they aggressively swarmed the perimeter of Capsule Corp, vying for any picture of the wayward heiress and any more information about the reasons behind the failed nuptials. More security had been called in to reinforce the property, ensuring a clear path for those who took advantage of Bulma's generous offer to have their reception at the grand ballroom.

It was chaos. It was a frenzy as most of the nation and the world were wanting to find out why Bulma cancelled her wedding at the last minute. There were many speculations, of course, and the media took excessive liberties on all of them.

"Bulma Brief, the genius inventor and heiress to Capsule Corporation, cancels her wedding two hours before it was scheduled to begin. Is this simply a clever marketing ploy? Was she ever really going to marry the Taitan's star-player?"

"Capsule Corporation's stocks have been steady, but they have been out of the public eye and the media for a long time. Clever of them to put on a wedding hoax to gain massive publicity and keep their name on the front pages…"

"Bulma Brief is nothing but a spoiled, self-absorbed heiress who delights in attention and passes off other people's genius as her own! Whoever believed she was actually going to settle down and marry a commoner needs a reality check! It's all for attention!"

"How can the corporation stand behind her? She is the future of the largest, most profitable and influential companies in the world. They have their hand in everything from the medical field to the military! No one wants a young, immature woman taking the reins of this entity! I certainly don't! She's almost 30, and still not getting married? If she cannot settle down and have a stable life, how can we expect stable earnings and stable stocks in the market with her at the helm in the near future?!"

"Word is going around that there is another man involved! Yes folks, you heard right! Not all is what it seems to be when it comes to the beautiful and rich heiress. No word from her former fiancée over this devastating revelation, but stay tuned! We will have all the juicy details soon enough!"

"If you want to send a message to Capsule Corporation, then stop buying their products and supporting their business! It's YOUR hard earned zeni that fund this business. They spent approximately 2 million zeni for her wedding that was never meant to be! What a waste of taxpayer money if you ask me! You all have been duped! The most brilliant marketing minds are behind this. How else can you explain her 'sudden' cancellation and how quickly the people in West City who are getting married today can use the same church and ballroom that she was supposedly going to use?! If Capsule Corporation wanted to be back in the spotlight, then they certainly achieved their goal…."

"Infidelity and lies! The latest scandal to rock Capsule Corporation as Bulma Brief cancels her wedding to Yamcha only hours before they were due to be married! The heiress could not be reached for comment at this time, but word has it that her scorned former flame will hold a press conference soon!"

"Bulma's too beautiful and rich and powerful to marry a loser like Yamcha. He's got nothing on a catch like me! Bulma, babe, I'll marry you today, call me!"

"She thinks she's a celebrity, like a movie star or something. Please, she's not even rich, her mom and dad are. I bet she's never even worked a day in her whole life! Who the hell cares about her getting married, or not married?! How about we get back to some real news and get this mic out of my face?"

"No word yet from the Capsule Corporation heiress on her reasoning behind her wedding cancellation. Her and her immediate family and friends could not be reached, but close sources have told us that the board of directors are quite displeased at this fiasco, unhappy with the negative personal image of the company that Bulma has suddenly bestowed. Could this result in the heiress being cut out of the family business once and for all? What does this mean for Capsule Corporation's stocks?"

"Maybe she just had cold feet. She is human, after all. She's entitled to have doubts. I heard that the wedding wasn't cancelled, only postponed…well, that's what my friend told me…"

"I'll marry you, Yamcha! Bulma might not think you're good enough, but you're my favorite baseball player and you're so handsome! If you're watching this right now, I LOVE YOU!"

"She is unfit to run Capsule Corporation, and I doubt she will be, even in the next five years. She will inherit the company once her father hands it over to her, and she will single-handedly ruin it! She handles responsibility as easily as she throws away money! Whether her marriage to Yamcha was a hoax or not, it is clear that she is unstable and immature. If she is not sure of what she is doing in her own life, how can we expect her to handle a worldwide corporation?! How can we entrust her to know what is best for our hospitals, and our military, and our vehicles, and our housewares? We have no way of truly knowing if she is the genius everyone claims she is, or if she is simply a puppet that the corporation dangles in front of us to distract us from the serious matters….."

"Runaway bride! The beautiful, rich, and famous daughter of Dr. Brief, founder of Capsule Corporation and the inventor of Dynocap Capsule, is a no-show at what was being called the 'fairy-tale wedding of the century'! No word from Dr. Brief or the company as to Bulma's whereabouts, fueling further speculation that cold-feet got to the heiress…."

The breaking news and speculation was relentless.

On and on it went, on almost every news and entertainment channel, mentioned frequently on the radio stations, and plastered all over the internet. Bulma inwardly thanked Kami for such wonderful, understanding parents and personal assistants as they helped her with the damage control. The phones in their home were ringing off the hook, not only from corporate headquarters calling, and from their security, and from close personal friends of the family, but also from some members of the media who somehow acquired their personal house number and were calling in harassment, hounding them and rudely pressing for any information from them.

Goku sensed Bulma getting more stressed out as the hours went by, feeling her ki fluctuating in concerning ways as he made the executive decision to quickly pull her away from the phones and let her parents, their personal assistants, and their publicists deal with the onslaught of the ruthless media and the large fallout that was happening. He was feeling stressed out himself as he spent the hours by her side, keeping watch over her, unsure if he should leave her alone after how angry Yamcha was. He continually flipped through the TV channels, seeing a lot of her on TV, along with Yamcha, and all the speculation about her abandoned wedding plans. Everyone in her home was either watching the TV or listening to the radio, or surfing on their laptops as they read whatever they could about what was being said, strategically planning explanations and defenses of his best friend. It was getting to be too much, and he finally pulled Bulma into the quiet, empty kitchen so they both could have a break.

Bulma walked over to the stainless steel fridge and opened it up, trying to hide her trembling hands from Goku as she grabbed two bottles of beer. She swiftly popped the caps off with the corner of the granite countertop before handing one over to Goku. "Drink with me." she invited, hoping to find some inner peace at the bottom of her bottle as she took a large swig from her beer.

Goku's answer was to take an equally large swig from his beer also. He only drank occasionally, and this was definitely worth needing a beer for. "I can't believe what's going on. What's being said." he murmured, shaking his head as he took another drink from his bottle.

"I can." Bulma muttered, lightly swirling the beer bottle in her hands as her lovely blue eyes kept a steady gaze on it. "I knew this would happen. I had made such a big deal about getting married. I expected this to happen."

"I can't watch any more TV. I can't listen to it. They have no idea. None at all." Goku growled in complaint, angry at how viscous people were being towards Bulma and how rampant the speculations were flying. The rumors were being gobbled up by the media and by millions of people.

"It comes with the territory." Bulma said with a slight shrug, her voice reflecting anything but acceptance of the bitter fact as she tried to numb herself from all her stress and frustration, but she was failing badly at it. She felt she had no reserves of inner strength left to help keep her emotions locked down. She was tapped out; her whole ordeal over Vegeta had made sure work of that. She felt horribly drained mentally, emotionally, and physically. She needed to draw what remaining strength she could find within her to remain level-headed throughout this next challenge, hoping that this would all hopefully blow over soon.

"Mind if I stick around for dinner? I feel like I shouldn't leave you alone."

"Why?" Bulma asked curiously, looking over at Goku as she took another sip from her beer.

He began to untuck his dress shirt and loosen his tie, having already freed himself from his suffocating jacket hours ago. "I don't know. Yamcha was pretty angry. Things are bad for you right now. I just don't think now is a good time to leave." Goku answered honestly.

"I don't mind if you stay for dinner, but I'm sure things will be better by tomorrow." Bulma assured him. "There's no need to stick around and be at the center of this mess. It won't be any fun for you. I'm just going to hole myself up in my lab. You know, Vegeta's new gravity room and all."

"Oh, so that's what you were working on this morning." Goku realized, recalling all the crazy numbers and symbols that he would never understand ever in his whole life.

"Yeah." Bulma said simply, quickly finishing off her beer. "His royal highness needs it completed as soon as possible, right?" She ended somewhat huffy, hoping she would be able to concentrate on getting her calculations and formulas done and the foundation for it finished now that she no longer had a wedding and honeymoon to distract her from working on it.

"But…I thought you said you couldn't finish it in any less time?" Goku questioned curiously, watching her set her empty beer bottle down on the counter.

"Yeah, well…I've got nothing to do now, do I?" she sighed out as she ran her hands over her face and up through her hair.

"Heh, I'm sure Vegeta will be happy about that, then." Goku said, a hint of amusement in his words, watching as Bulma gave him a look, shrugging her shoulders indifferently at his comment before her mother walked in on them.

"Vegeta will be happy about what?" Bunny asked on a whim, as she took a look at them before giving Goku a warm, friendly smile. "Oh Goku, dear, you must be hungry. Can I make you something to eat?" At seeing him nod eagerly at her offer, his mouth already salivating at the prospect of eating her wonderful cooking, she turned her attention back to her daughter, picking up where she left off. "He'll be happy about what? You choosing him over Yamcha? Of course he will be!"

"Good going, mom." Bulma muttered as her mother just let the damn cat out of the bag. She walked over to the fridge again to grab another beer, shaking her head. She swore her mom couldn't keep anything to herself. She tried to ignore Goku's head whipping around to look at her.

His eyes widened from this news. "What?!" he exclaimed, surprise and excitement beginning to swell within his chest.

"What? You didn't tell Goku?" Bunny asked in surprise. She thought that she would have already, by now.

"Tell me what? She hasn't told me anything!" he said, looking at Bunny expectantly, his gaze firmly planted on her as he waited with bursting impatience to hear this.

"She's in love with Vegeta!" Bunny happily cooed, shooting him a thrilled, yet mischievous smile before turning her back to them to get back to work on preparing dinner for all of them.

"You are?!" Goku blurted, happiness radiating off of him as he quickly turned to Bulma, hurrying over and swooping her up in his arms, holding her a couple of feet off the floor as he gave her a great, big hug.

Bulma's cheeks burned bright red in embarrassment as she shot an irritated glare at her mother before looking down at Goku, his happiness contagious as she couldn't help but chuckle softly, nodding her head 'yes' in confirmation.

That was all the verification Goku needed. "This is fantastic!" he shouted in glee as he spun Bulma around a few times, thrilled. "You love him?! How long has this been going on and you haven't told me?!"

"Well…" Bulma began, helpless to find a precise answer to that question, "…honestly, it all kind of hit me, yesterday…" she trailed off, hesitating in pause, seriousness crossing her beautiful face as she looked at Goku meaningfully. He couldn't miss what he read in her eyes as he took a moment to understand what she meant. The look on his face turned to one of compassion as he gently put Bulma back down on ground, realizing that must have had something to do with her breakdown last night. "That's why I was trying to reach you most of last night. After I couldn't find Yamcha, I needed you to take me to him so I could tell him it was over. I had already decided to stop the wedding and leave him."

"Oh, Bulma, I didn't realize what was going on. I didn't know any of this. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't here for you when you needed me."

"No. No Goku, don't be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry about." she began, hot tears beginning to surface in Bulma's beautiful blue eyes as her voice quivered from the unexpected swell of emotions that coursed through her. "It's not your fault, it's mine. I'm just glad I figured out my heart in time." she said, trying to best to keep her tears from falling as the ache within her chest threatened to suffocate her, thinking about the clarity she finally had gained when it came to what she felt for Vegeta. How could anyone understand how right it had felt? No one could understand the depth of it. How could she explain how complete she had felt in those few, short, passionate moments with him? Had he felt that also? Had Vegeta felt as complete as she had? And she just had to fuck it all up, didn't she? The feelings of hopelessness surged through her again. "I'm so stupid, Goku." she relented, heartache laced in her voice as the back of her mind continued to haunt her and tell her that it was too late and that Vegeta would never forgive her over her indecision. Regret would stay with her for the rest of her life, she supposed, even if her and Vegeta ever did start talking civilly again. She wished with all her heart that she could go back in time to that fateful night, to the very moment when Vegeta was going to teleport her to Yamcha to tell him it was over. If she could do it all over again, she would. She would tell Yamcha that it was over and that he had been right all along…that she had always loved Vegeta more than him.

No matter how hard she had tried to deny it to everyone, including herself.

Goku chose not to say anything for the moment as he embraced Bulma in a warm, comforting hug, letting her cry against his chest as the frown on his face returned. He thought her being in love with Vegeta was a good thing, and it was, it really was, but from what he was sensing from her altered ki….she was hurting so terribly. The abnormality in her ki signal pulsated strongly, undeniable evidence of the broken bond that only he and his father were aware of. What must have happened between her and Vegeta that was terrible enough for them to be separated and suffering in so much heartache? He still didn't know, and was tempted to ask her what happened between them to cause him to never want to return to Earth, to cause her to not want to be on Vegetasei, and for them to break a bond that had existed since they were mere children, but he felt it wasn't the right time to ask.

Goku's frown deepened more as Bulma continued to cry, gently running a hand through her blue hair as he continued to think. So, she was in love with Vegeta. After all this time, it finally happened. But, if Vegeta was in love with her also, which Goku suspected that he probably was…then why wasn't that enough to heal them? "Hey, remember what I told you yesterday?" he began softly, his voice heavy with determination. "Everything is going to be okay." he reassured her, confident that he would find a way to fix them. After a moment, she nodded her head against his chest as she pulled away from him, taking an unsteady breath as she wiped the remnants of her tears away.

"I need to get back to work." Bulma said, unwilling to let her emotions over Vegeta show anymore as she tried to lock them back up, She quickly left Goku and her mother in the kitchen as she hurried past the craziness in the main quarters of her home, ignoring the relentless crap being said on TV as their assistants and public relations continued on working on damage control. She locked herself in her lab to work on Vegeta's gravity room as the fallout from her cancelled wedding continued well into the late night.

She thought things would be better the next day.

---

The second day of the fallout had been worse. Much worse.

Bulma had worked late into the night, holed up in her laboratory as she tirelessly worked on the schematics and blueprints for her yet-to-be genius creation. She was glad her father had come in last night to install a coffee maker and espresso machine, knowing that she would drown herself in her work to escape the media storm brewing outside in the world. Honestly, she wondered why she had never thought of putting those machines in her lab years ago…probably because she would never leave if she could help it. Now, all she needed was a bed in there, or even a futon, and she would be set for life. She would happily work on her inventions to her heart's content and never see the outside world again…and why would she want to? She felt she no longer could go back to her beautiful red planet. Not when it held within its grasp an angry Saiyan prince who would sooner not speak to her rather than even want to be in her presence. The only reason she would have to go back to Vegetasei was to begin and oversee the construction of his gravity room. As soon as it was up and running, she would have no reason to remain there, forced to come back and spend the rest of her life on Earth.

Earth.

Bulma's very own homeworld was turning on her. Her ex-fiancée decided to draw first blood, and they smelled it. It was a hunt now as they came after her.

Earlier, Bunny had urgently woken her up from her restless slumber, needing her to hear and see what was going on. Drowsily, Bulma had managed to make her way to the family room with her mother's guidance, quickly joining her father…and Goku, who to her surprise had been dressed in his Saiyan armor, checking up on her before he reported back to Vegetasei for duty that day. Bulma had not missed the troubled looks on their faces before she paid attention to the TV, alarmed at seeing what looked to be an impromptu press conference being held by who else, but Yamcha.

"…yes, believe me, it was as big of a shock to me as it was to you….No, I had no idea she was going to run out on me at the last minute, how could I have known? She never told me she wasn't going to go through with it…..I just showed up at the church, and I was suddenly being told she cancelled everything….I was stunned! I thought we were getting married. Yesterday was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, and instead she broke my heart…I don't know if there is another man involved, but honestly, there probably is. Anything is possible when it comes to her!….Yes, of course I still love Bulma, even though she's dragging me through this humiliation…If she apologized and wanted to come back to me, I would probably take her back…..Why? Because I still love her, that's why!…..I know she still loves me, she's just scared and confused…..She's been under a lot of stress lately, what with pressures of the company and all, maybe it's all been too much for her to handle…She even admitted to me she wasn't sure if she was capable of running Capsule Corp...Bulma, I don't know what I did to make you doubt me, but if you're watching this right now, just know that I forgive you. Come back to me. We've worked through things before….I haven't given up hope that we can reconcile this…."

"That unbelievable, motherfucking bastard!" Bulma had screamed at Yamcha through the TV, quickly grabbing an empty and very heavy metallic fruit bowl sitting on the coffee table before hurling it at the flat screen, effectively breaking the unit in a fit of rage. Goku could only wince at her tone of voice, watching sternly as the TV sparked and crackled in electricity after she destroyed it. She let out a furious string of curses and foul-mouthed words directed solely at the man who had the audacity to play a victim and a martyr to the world, feeding everyone bold-faced lies. Bulma had continued to rampage throughout her home as Goku followed her, trying to get her to calm down enough to where he knew she wouldn't try to find Yamcha and possibly kill him. Not that she would…..but he just needed to make sure.

After spending almost another hour on Earth with Bulma, they both saw the media frenzied with speculations on why she cancelled her wedding yesterday, thanks to Yamcha's press conference. Thanks to him, he had opened the flood gates. He single-handedly turned everything around, getting countless amounts of sympathy as his potent words painted her out to be the bad guy; a woman who not only heartlessly called it off with him for no reason, but he brought her morals into question, and hinted strongly that she might not be capable of handling her work and the future reins of Capsule Corporation. His simple words had been toxic as they seeped into the minds of the greater public, running rampant. So much for things getting better, Goku sighed inwardly, as he realized that things in fact had just gone from bad to worse.

Bulma locked herself in her lab again, determined to ignore what was going on outside Capsule Corp walls. The relentless phone calls to Capsule Corporation and the main headquarters downtown continued by the media, everyone wanting to get the juicy details on her and what happened even more now. The company struggled to maintain normal business, which was difficult when the phones would not stop ringing, and media hounded the exits and entrances, harassing the employees and anyone who may know any further details on why Bulma left Yamcha on their wedding day. They would not let up on her or the company as they demanded that Bulma hold her own press-conference to either counteract Yamcha's claims, or even better, explain her actions and apologize for the circus she was leading everyone through. Bulma's frustration was at its very peak, utterly at her wit's end as she remained adamant that her personal life was no one else's business but hers, telling Goku that it would be a dark day in hell before she bowed to the whims of idiot, superficial, treacherous people who had no fucking right to demand anything from her, and who did not know anything about her to begin with!

It had been a very rough morning, and amongst the nightmare that Bulma was going though, Goku still tried to find happiness in the fact that she loved Vegeta. Leaving Earth with this positive thought in his mind, and momentarily trying to set aside his worries for his best friend, he teleported back to Vegetasei, arriving in the war room as he focused on the king's life energy.

"Ah, Kakarot. I see you have returned." the king said, seeing him manifest out of thin air. The royal guards instinctually tensed up for a moment before the king gestured a hand out toward them, silently ordering them to relax.

"Your majesty." Goku automatically said, taking a knee to the ground as he brought his fist over his heart, once again sensing Vegeta's life energy in the room also. His arrival must have triggered something within Vegeta, because Goku could feel his aura giving off the vibe that he was very aggrivated. He quickly glanced over at the prince, seeing him standing with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his tail curling and uncurling in agitation as he studied him. Goku tried to pay no mind to his unnerving, icy stare as he quickly looked back over at the king as he arose from his kneeling position. "Yes, your majesty. I'm here to report for duty."

"Very good. You have returned earlier than expected. How was yesterday?" the king asked. He was partly curious to hear if Bulma was happy with her new mate, and partly distracted with his work as he continued to look up at various screens, glancing over the topographical information of certain planets that he and his son were currently studying.

Goku tried his best not to look over at Vegeta, knowing full well that although the prince was acting as though he did not care about Bulma's wedding and was 'busy' studying these planets, he would very much be listening to the next words he was about to say. He knew Vegeta too well. Goku couldn't help but to let out a slight chuckle, a mischievous smirk on his face as he answered. "Nothing will ever be the same again."

Vegeta's growl echoed throughout the empty war room, refusing to hear anything more as he placed two fingers to his forehead and quickly teleported out of there, earning a frustrated sigh from his father.

Surprisingly, the king let his temperamental son go without a fuss. He was actually pleased that Vegeta had been adhering to their agreement. He had not left the interplanetary meetings, he had not left the planet…hell, he had not left the palace at all over the past few days, except to go spar out on the battlegrounds with his comrades. All in all, the king had no complaints over him, which was a rarity indeed. "Very good, Kakarot. Take your post. I'm sure Vegeta will summon you to spar later." the king said, not thinking much of Goku's clever statement at all as he regarded him with a regal, authoritative dismissal.

Vegeta had chosen a ki signal that was as close to his destination as possible. The dark prince had startled a patrolling royal guard as he manifested out of nowhere. After receiving a hasty bow, the prince snarled at the guard, who took the hint and hurriedly continued on his patrol. Satisfied, Vegeta flew over and landed in front of his demolished gravity room. He wasn't sure why he chose to return to it, but he stood there, seething in his emotions as he crossed his arms, a scowl overshadowing his handsome face.

He couldn't listen to another fucking word Kakarot had to say about Bulma's wedding. He couldn't stand the fact that she actually chose that scar-faced, good-for-nothing, worthless, pathetic weakling over someone like him! It sickened his stomach, and Vegeta's ki flared out for a moment as he threw his arms down, shouting out in heartbreaking frustration before he took back his control and reigned in his emotions, unclenching his fists as he powered down. He relented, giving in to the fact that she did choose Yamcha over him, as he lowered his head down for a moment, closing his eyes in a wince as the familiar, painful ache in his chest he had believed was finally going away had returned again. He rode through the wave of discomfort before opening his eyes and looking back up at the rubble and debris of his former gravity room. It was done and over with, he bitterly thought. She had made her decision, and now it was final.

The Saiyan prince was now forced to find the strength within himself to lock away his emotions and truly purge Bulma from his heart. He knew it would be one of the most difficult challenges he could ever face.

---

Day three of the fallout, and there were no signs of anything letting up.

Bulma had kept herself busy yesterday, as she had done the past few days, living and breathing her work on the gravity room. She shut herself away from the world, only emerging from her lab to take a quick shower, or sleep for a couple of hours, or grab more coffee grounds and filters as she worked tirelessly in trying to finish up the final drafts of her schematics and blueprints. The general infrastructure for the room was completed, all her complex architectural and geometrical measurements so far were accurate. She still was struggling with her advanced, new formula for getting the room to output 1,500 to 2,000 times Earth's gravity. She had broken down her formula into individual sections, keeping groups of algorithms and functions together, separating the linear from the non-linear, as well as sections of variables that held the power to easily make her equation fail if her quantum physics and mathematics did not add up to perfection. Her complex equation spanned nearly 12 pages. Individual sections of algorithms would come back from the computer as correct, but as she began feeding the data into the computer in a complete final formula, it always flashed red and beeped at her that a fatal error occurred and her proposed gravity formula failed to compute. Needless to say, Bulma had temporarily given up on the impossible formula last night, attributing her procrastination to her exhaustion.

As she awoke from her restless sleep today, she was unaware of the gears that had been set in motion since the day she cancelled the wedding. Bulma's father had let her hide away in her lab, knowing that her intense work on her projects and inventions was her only form of therapy. He couldn't blame her though, things on the outside were looking bleak as the man who claimed to have loved her all these years had effectively destroyed her reputation and credibility over his well-televised press conference. He had dreaded the phone call he received at their home that morning as he was forced to override Bulma's security codes to her lab and enter, needing to talk to her about something very important.

The board of directors for Capsule Corporation, as well as the stockholders, passed an injunction to temporarily suspend Bulma's power and say in the company, until she agreed to meet with them all at downtown headquarters to discuss with her the wedding fiasco that so negatively impacted the business and dramatically affected their stock value. Bulma was absolutely enraged as she argued with her father over it, refusing to lower herself to their level and justify and explain her actions when she was the one who had one of the most brilliant minds in the world, hell, in the fucking universe! Her genius provided her father's business so much notoriety and profit and success, that the fact they had the audacity to think she needed to be held accountable was a travesty!

Bulma had continued to argue with her father for the next half hour, loath to submit to the wills of a bunch of old, overweight big-wigs who were only concerned over their pocketbooks and their retirement packages rather than the truth health of the company and her own future. After her father reasoned with her that speaking of them would set their minds at ease and could possibly help blow off the scandal much faster, she begrudgingly obliged to his request, making sure to remind her father that he was the one who founded and owned Capsule Corporation, and that he was letting the board of directors and stock holders control her and him, when it should be the other way around. She told him that no one, especially the likes of the corporate fat-cats, should be able to tell him or her what to do. They were the ones with the genius! They were the ones with the power and control, and that he never should have shared it with people who only cared about money.

For Dr. Brief, that was definitely food for thought as his fiery, yet brilliant daughter had inadvertently planted a potent seed in his mind.

Now, Bulma burst through her front door of her home, fresh from her meeting at downtown headquarters, as she tore off her jacket and stomped through the house, furious with the bullshit that the board of directors and the stockholders gave her. They threatened to file a motion to prevent her from taking control of the company if she did not begin to show maturity and responsibility toward her own life, which so obviously directly affected the business, as…according to them…was made apparent by her irresponsible last minute wedding cancellation and her ex-fiancée's impromptu press-conference that they did not approve of, along with the media circus that surrounded Capsule Corp. Bulma had lost her temper one too many times throughout the meeting as her voice fell on deaf ears, the men in the room looking down at her condescendingly, speaking to her as though she was of no importance…as if she held no power. That was what really set her off, and she knew her temper would not help her case, but she cursed them all out anyway, her venom tongue unbelievably lethal as she promised them that the next time she was in front of them, she would have all of their careers in the very palm of her hand. She assured those inside the meeting room that she would not forgive, nor soon forget the shit they were trying to do to her and her father's company.

Goku sat back uncomfortably in his chair inside the kitchen, arms crossed over his chest in aggravation as he intently listened to Bulma telling him everything that had happened that day so far. The gravity of the situation kept growing only more serious. It felt as though the city, the nation, hell, most of the world was against his best friend and her family. Nothing seemed to be getting better; the fallout from her breakup with Yamcha proved to be poisonous. He could see and feel how badly the aftermath was affecting her; he could not miss the exhaustion behind her dulling blue eyes, nor could he ignore the alarming amount of stress that her ki signal emitted. He watched with great concern as Bulma placed her hands on the island counter-top, seeing her arms trembling as she finished her rant. She was reaching her breaking-point. "Tell me what to do, Bulma."

Bulma shook her head dejectedly, trying to gather her bearings as she tried to take a few deep, calming breaths to calm her frazzled nerves. "You're here for me, Goku. That's all I could ever ask for."

"It's not enough." he insisted, sitting up in his seat as he rested his forearms on the kitchen table, his hands fisted in frustration. "I have half a mind to kamehameha the media and those directors and stockholders."

This actually brought a warped smile to Bulma's face. "No, you have to hit the source that's feeding them."

Goku perked an eyebrow up at her mischievously. "Are you giving me the okay to kick Yamcha's ass?"

"Tempting." Bulma admitted with a twisted smile. "But it wouldn't make things any better. He'll just go on TV and make himself even more of a martyr if you did that." Bulma muttered bitterly. "But…." she began, only to be cut off by her cell phone ringing. Her personal assistant had gotten her another one, making sure to change her number so that the media and the paparazzi, as well as others who were 'friends' would not be able to hound her. Bulma had given out her new number to only a handful of people, such as her parents, Goku and Chi-Chi, Krillin, and Master Roshi.

Imagine her surprise when she looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Yamcha's number calling her.

"How in hell did you get my number?!" Bulma spat venomously into her cell phone, only to hear a short pause before hearing Yamcha's wicked laugh. She quickly pressed a button, putting him on speakerphone, wanting Goku to hear whatever he had the audacity to say to her.

"It wasn't too hard. Amazing how all I needed to say to your phone carrier was that I needed your number because I was so heartbroken and haven't been able to reach you, and that I was worried you might have hurt yourself. They gave it to me pretty easily."

Bulma seethed in anger, reminding herself to switch carriers and maybe even sue the crap of them for breach of consumer confidentiality. "What the fuck do you want, Yamcha?!"

"I have what I want. What else could I possibly want? I have the world in my hands, thanks to you. You leaving me hours before our wedding ended up being the best thing you could have ever done for me. Money is piling in, everyone wanting exclusive interviews from me. The fame is great, it really is. And of course there are scores of women lined up at my doorstep, willing to help me 'cope' with my heartbreak over you."

"Things aren't always what they seem, Yamcha! If you think I'm a bitch, just wait and see how much of a bitch karma can be when it comes back around! I'm glad I finally see your true colors, you fucking opportunistic coward!"

Yamcha laughed sarcastically. "C'mon babe, don't be like that. I told you we'd see who came out on top. Besides, didn't you hear on the news? I'll gladly take you back, if you really want to make things work between us…but I'm not sure if I want things to work between us anymore."

"I can't believe that I wasted almost 10 years of my life with you! You've never been worthy of me, and I'm glad I came to my fucking senses before settling for a man like you!"

"Ouch, that was hurtful." Yamcha quipped, his voice full of mockery. "Then again, Bulma, you really weren't around half that time anyway…always going off to your planet full of monkeys to play with the monkey prince. I'm sure the world would love to hear about that…"

The threat was clear, and Bulma's demeanor turned dark upon hearing it. Her next words dripped heavy with promise. "Yamcha, if you dare utter a single word about the Saiyans, then I swear that you will have an entire planet full of 'monkeys' vying for your head…and I know of one in particular who would be more than happy to do the job." She paused for effect. "And this time, I won't stop him from killing you."

---

Bulma ended the call abruptly, not wanting to hear another vile word from him. For a moment she was tempted to throw her cell phone at something out of sheer stress and unbelievable frustration, but decided against it as she exchanged a serious look with Goku. He seemed to be on the brink of snapping also and she growled, feeling a massive headache coming on, knowing her blood pressure must have been off the charts the past few days….hell, for well over a week now. She leaned her weight against the island, visibly trembling as her stress was reaching an all-time high, waiting for Goku to say something about what he just heard from Yamcha.

"I need to get you out of here."

Well, that wasn't what she was expecting him to say at all. "What?" she asked, puzzled as she looked over at him.

Goku became steadfast in his resolve. Nothing was feeling right anymore. Things weren't getting any better. Bulma wasn't well. She was stressed beyond belief, he could sense that in her. The environment, it felt like it was poison. She needed to be taken away from it. Away from Capsule Corp, away from the media and paparazzi, away from Yamcha contacting her again, away from the Earth. He stood up from his seat and walked over with purpose behind his steps, standing directly in front of her, commanding her attention. "Come back to Vegetasei with me." He watched as she shook her head.

"No."

"Why not? Because of whatever is going on between you and Vegeta?!" he asked in exasperation. Over the past few days he had been attempting to get either one of them to let something slip on what exactly happened between them, but it had been hopeless. They both were being unbelievably silent on the matter. Vegeta refused to say why he was never returning to Earth, Bulma refused to step foot on Vegetasei again, and he still had no clue on what could have caused such a separation between them. If they were fighting, then this was unlike any argument they ever had before. Whatever was going on, they weren't acting like themselves. It was all uncharted territory, and it was beginning to unnerve him. "Will you just tell me?" Upon seeing her turn her head away from him in stubbornness, he placed his hands on the sides of her arms. "Bulma, look at me."

After a moment, she huffed, relenting to Goku's demand as she turned her head back around to face him. The look of concern that was etched on his face was something that was very hard for her to ignore. "I'm not going." she said firmly, ignoring his questions.

Goku took a few moments to study her, feeling out her life energy, still sensing the abnormality in it, buried deeply from all the stress she was dealing with lately here on Earth. He sighed heavy-heartedly, softening the serious look on his face. "Fine. You don't want to tell me, then I can't make you. But, I'm still right, and you know it. I know you don't want to go, but you can't stay here like this. You can't be like this. I'm worried about you. You're so stressed out, you're not getting much sleep, you've been working non-stop on the gravity room….you need to rest. You need a break, otherwise you're going to make yourself really sick, and I don't want that."

"You know, you sound like your dad right now." Bulma muttered, freeing her arms from Goku's hold as she closed her eyes and ran her hands over her face for a moment, utterly at the end of her strength reserves.

"I probably do." he answered simply, as he decided on taking a more passive approach. "Bulma…nothing is getting better here. It's been 3 days, and nothing is getting better. Not for you. Not for your parents. Not for the company. Not for your health or your sanity."

She opened her eyes, a stern look on her beautiful, yet exhausted features. He had a valid point, so she took his words to heart and decided to compromise. "Okay, I'll take a break since you insist on it. The tropics are nice this time of year."

"Seriously? What, so the paparazzi and the media can follow you wherever you go and keep harassing you?! They'll find you, wherever you go, you know that!"

"Well then, what do you suggest I do?" Bulma barked, frustrated and at her wit's end over everything.

"I already told you. You need to get away from all of this, and the only way to do that is to leave Earth entirely."

Bulma continued to stand, heavy thoughts and emotions coursing through her as she tried think. Getting away from Yamcha and from the ruthless media coverage would be a welcomed relief. Goku was right, she was unbelievably and undeniably under immense stress, and she hadn't been able to sleep well at all, especially the last few days. A few hours in the rejuvenation tank would probably do wonders for her. Going to Vegetasei was a tempting prospect, but still, she was very hesitant. After all, Vegeta probably did not want her there if she didn't need to be, and the last thing she needed to do was piss him off even more. But maybe she would be lucky, and he wouldn't talk to her or see her. And if he did, well…

Bulma shook her head, amazed that things were terrible enough for her on Earth that even the idea of having a confrontation with Vegeta didn't seem as bad as it had before. She could deal with him. She would have to. Either that, or she could remain on Earth, ignoring the ruthless media, avoiding her bastard of an ex-fiancée, and fighting against corporate jackasses who thought they could take control of the company away from her. She noticed her hands trembling again, and she quickly crossed her arms across her chest, having made her final decision.

"You win, Goku. Let me transfer all my work onto a few flash drives. I have to gather a few things, then we'll get going."

---

Somewhere in this darkness there's a light that I can't find.

Maybe it's too far away.

Or maybe I'm just blind.

Yay, she cancelled the wedding and dumped Yamcha after all! Time to party! At least one thing we've all been waiting to happen has finally happened! Yamcha's a fucking bastard, and I don't care if he's not like that in the manga or anime….this is my story, and if I want to make him a complete asshole and hate on him, then I can! I'm sure most of you don't mind it though. Join in with me on the hating! Bye, bye, Yamcha! But with all the shit he's pulled…he sure has it coming to him….and that's all I'm going to say.

What else? Unfortunately, Vegeta thinks she got married, and he's distraught over it, although he barely shows it. You gotta feel for our Saiyan prince. Why hasn't Goku told him what's going on? You would think he'd tell Vegeta that she didn't marry Yamcha and that she loves him, but he doesn't. Bardock and Goku aren't even telling them about their broken bond…why? Well, there is a method to my madness, and it will unravel itself in the next couple of chapters. And how about what's going on with Bulma? Such terrible, stressful things happening to her! But, she knows it's mostly what she gets, as her lessons were learned, and all these bridges were being burned. And now we've brought our beautiful, genius scientist and engineer back to Vegetasei. It feels as thought it's been forever since we've had Vegeta and Bulma around each other!

On a side note, Goku's such an amazing best friend, isn't he? I tried to make him out to be, at least in my story. He's so good and protective with Bulma, and he's such a good rival and friend to Vegeta. Too bad he's always caught in the middle of things between them though, lol.

Alright ladies and gents, I ask that you please leave me a review and tell me what you thought of this chapter! Don't be shy. Any feedback is appreciated! It only helps me become a better writer, and believe me, I need more practice lol. How do you like how the story has turned out so far? It's amazing how a simple idea and a well-meaning short story turned into a freakin' novel!

Stay tuned for the next chapter. It will be an amazing one. How can it not be? Vegeta and Bulma will be interacting again. You can imagine how that will go.

(Italic lyrics at the beginning of the chapter are from the song "Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele, and the lyrics at the end of this chapter are from the song "When I'm Gone" by 3 Doors Down.)