Hey. I decided to keep publishing my texts although I still have no beta. I thank all the supporting people who encouraged me to make it further. However, it means that from now on, you might find some queer grammar up and there. I apologize in anticipation. Maybe I'll find a new beta later in the story.
Thanks for all the reviews and nice things so far.
Chapter 10 - Clueless
When he was done with the the Saiyan, Tien went back to his office with an odd mix of relief and weariness nestled in his guts. He took care to close the door to let everyone know he wanted some time on his own and dropped into his leather armchair. The stillness of the room was hardly disturbed by distant whispers from the corridors where the other employees were busy. Tien ignored them and tossed his head back, his eyes shut in search for complete quietness. Truth was his life was driving him nut those days. Bulma was getting more exhausting than ever since the goddamn sniper was lurking around. Tien couldn't blame her for that but he wasn't sure that he would be able to keep going on at that pace very long.
He rubbed his temple to soothe his slight headache. He was hoping that the guy they had just hired as her new bodyguard would somehow relieve the pressure. He really prayed for that. Bulma had been too neurotic to trust anyone else than himself and Chiaotzu so far and they were both drained to watch her day and night. She'd told them she didn't need them to stay constantly by her side but Tien was aware that the danger could surge any moment. Hell, they even tried to shoot her when she was home with Yamcha. If it hadn't been for the bulletproof window, the baseball player would be playing in the other world's team by now.
Yet, even though the bodyguard would help keeping Bulma safe, Tien still needed to get rid of the threat once and for all and despite his efforts, he had to admit that he had no clue about who was aiming the Heiress' death. The only thing he could say was that whoever the sniper was, he was daring and well-informed. It was stressful to track down such uncatchable, dreadful foe.
Tien opened his eyes and contemplated the stack of papers resting on his desk. The secretary had brought it while he was out. He'd always hated paperwork and he had no will for that, now less than ever, but his eyes glimpsed Vegeta's photo clipped to the top sheet of the pile and he couldn't help but give it a closer look. The documents were indeed the new bodyguard's file. He went through it for a while. The guy's CV was attached to the contract. Truth was Tien had hardly granted a glance at it so far for he wasn't the type to trust papers. The only reason why he had considered Vegeta's candidature had been Yamcha's recommendation in the first place. Now, Shienhan was curious to learn a bit more about this weird personality.
Vegeta Ouji was Saiyan. As such he'd been a soldier like many of his compatriots. On that matter there was few doubt the CV was true to reality. Tien couldn't help but wonder what kind of battle Vegeta had chosen to go into. Had he been by his King's side when the Ice Empire had invaded his country? Maybe he'd been somewhat too young at that time. Then, had he been part of the rebel forces when the Ice-Jinns had the upper hand on the young Prince? Or had he been a good little soldier doing exactly what the governing power had ordered by chasing down the rebellious troopers trying to get the throne back? Had he been by his Prince's side when the kid had turned against the Ice-Jinns? More likely he might have been a mercenary only running for his own sake. Tien gave a sigh. The answers to his questions didn't matter. Fact was that Ouji made it surviving the bloody war with the Ice Empire. Very few Saiyan could claim the same feat. The guy had even been cunning enough to be spared and hired as member of the Ice-Jin security staff and that was enough proof that he would be able to deal with Bulma.
Vegeta's life sounded exotic and unusual to say the least and Tien wondered how Yamcha could know such man. Tien wasn't sure he wanted to know. He was aware that Yamcha wasn't exactly the Prince Bulma liked to picture. As a close friend of the Heiress - as well as Chief of Security of the Capsule Corp - Tien had investigated on him from the very beginning of his relationship with Bulma. The baseball player was indeed nothing near flawless, but Tien had come to the conclusion that his liking for Bulma was sincere and thus he hadn't deemed necessary to disclose anything to her. However, Tien kept in mind that Yamcha's instinct about people was definitely not reliable.
Reading further the papers, Tien went through the investigation he'd ordered about Ouji. The cops of West City had no report about him and the Immigration services had confirmed that he'd arrived in town two years ago as member of Lord Freezer's security staff. At that time, Ouji had been a diplomatic traveler and the administration of West City had no accurate information about who he was. As a Saiyan, he'd been granted the status of Political refugee after the Ice Jinn's crisis and any information about his former life were impossible to check due to the Saiyan wars and Vegitasei being razed to the ground. All this matched the claim of his CV fairly enough. A valuable recruit that Bulma might trust as Yamcha's friend- that was something unhoped for.
Even if Tien was aware that Bulma would need time to accept the Saiyan as bodyguard, he had no doubt that Yamcha's blessing would make everything easier. She was so keen on her baseball player. The reason for this particular liking was beyond Tien but he had given up his attempt to understand her years ago.
Bulma and him had met as teenagers. He'd just left his old master's house with Chiaotzu and he was well-determined to enjoy life at that time. Bulma was mostly a cocky girl holding the world as hers. He remembered their first encounter. Chiaotzu had stolen something to eat on a village's market and she'd rattled on him, causing a fight with the salesman. Tien had knocked the guy out effortlessly but Bulma had still been reckless enough to chase them. The situation had turned insane when Tien had realized he couldn't bring himself to hit such a frail girl. That's when they had stumbled across a local army bullying people all around. Before the three of them knew it, they got themselves into big troubles and when they made it through, they were bound so deeply that they could called themselves friends.
Thinking about that time was something that could still have him smile. They were all so clueless then. And free. Nothing near what they were today. Bulma had traveled the whole world searching for a very rare material that ended up allowing her and her father to invent some revolutionary new technology. Thanks to that, she was now one of the richest women in the world but she'd lost the freedom she'd always cherished. Rather ironically Tien realized that she'd spent half of her life searching a treasure while she might spend the other half regretting to have found it. Maybe, that was the reason why she was always so restless all the time. She needed adventure and thrills and her life as business woman and notorious genius couldn't give her that.
When her firm started to become famous and rich, she'd offered Tien to work for the Capsule and he'd accepted. With some hindsight, Tien could say that it had been a way to stay close to one another. As different as they were, Bulma and him had something in common. They were both lonely nature with few friends. Truth was Bulma had become Tien's only true friend and he suspected he was the same for her. After traveling the world like they did, they had just been scared to go back to their natural loneliness.
As Chief of Security, he wasn't supposed to care for Bulma's own personal safety. It was mostly about preventing industrial espionage, but things had turned somewhat hectic lately. He'd wished more than once to go back to a more carefree life, but for some reasons Chiaotzu and him had always sticked to the Capsule and Bulma's family. Whether it was a lack of will or some kind of cowardice, he couldn't say, yet he knew deep down that this life wasn't for him. He was the solitary, wild type, far from the respected guy dressed in a suit he'd become. He vowed once again to himself that when Bulma would be out of danger, he would leave West City behind.
He contemplated Vegeta Ouji's photos clipped on the contract. This man was something more than a mere bodyguard, that was for sure. He'd fought him and he could say Vegeta was skilled and experienced a notch ahead what was required from a bodyguard. Maybe when all this would be over, if Bulma ended up trusting him enough, the Saiyan would be willing to take over as Chief of the Security of the Capsule. Why not?
Tien pushed the papers aside and glanced at his watch. He should forget his concerns for a while. He thought about the girl and it felt like a ray of sun piercing the clouds of his worries. He could hardly believe he had a date. Or was he allowed to call it a date? For now, it was just a quick lunch in a small restaurant. Not really a date. A might-be date.
He hadn't been the one to organize it, the girl had initiated the whole thing. She'd knocked at his car's window the day before as he was sitting quietly in his car and reading messages on his phone. He'd been wary at first. It was pouring outside and the first thing he saw when he opened his window an inch had been her wide hopeless eyes with soaked dark locks sticking to her forehead.
"Excuse me Sir, could you help me please? A… a guy just stole my purse." Her voice had been as distressed as her eyes and the rain running down her hair and along her cheeks had made the sight even more dramatic. He didn't give much thought to his next move and opened the passenger door at once. "Come in, don't stay outside."
She had a second thought and he felt very awkward to realize his offer sounded somewhat bold. Yet, the girl ended up sitting carefully on his passenger's seat. "Thank you, I'm soaked. I hope I won't mess up your car. It looks like the new and expansive type," she said shyly.
Tien gave her a comforting smile. "Don't worry for that. Are you hurt?"
As a reply, she shook her head. Her face was childish but for some reasons he felt she might be older than she appeared. There was something special about her but he couldn't say if he liked it or not. "Do you want me to drive you somewhere? To a police station?"
"No, don't bother about that. Would you mind to lend me your phone so that I can call someone to pick me up?"
Each time she asked for something with her little voice, Tien felt like obliging at once and he handed her his phone before he even knew it. She had a grateful smile and watched the device with some hesitation and a slight frown. "Huh, I think it's locked," she said. He was so numb that he didn't react to her statement. He felt like a fool when she gave back the phone by repeating, "It's locked."
His unease was so overwhelming that he needed two attempts to unlock his own phone. Damn, he almost blocked it. "You know how it works?" he stuttered awkwardly when he handed her the unlocked device. She chuckled at his question and he felt completely dumb once again.
"My phone isn't as elaborate as this one but I think I'll make it," she replied teasingly. He stiffened as he realized that his own sake would command to shut up and keep his eyes locked on the rain pouring on the windowpane.
He tried not to listen when she spoke, but they were sitting in a damn car, how could he ignore her talk? "Hey, it's Lilly, I… Someone stole my purse and… I'm fine, everything's fine, don't worry. Could you pick me up? I'll wait for you at the Library near the Capsule Corp. Downtown… A nice guy lend me his phone so that I could warn you… Whatever. I'll be there in fifteen minutes or so. See you"
Tien truly did his best not to listen but his mind couldn't help but note the voice on the phone sounded like a male's voice. When she hung up, he felt shy. "So, your boyfriend's coming to pick you up?", he asked. He could have slapped himself for saying that. Why that word "boyfriend"? Why not just"friend"? He'd uttered the word unwillingly but he sounded like he had listened to her talk on the phone and was now interested in knowing whether she had a boyfriend or not.
She smirked in a way that made him even more awkward. "I have no boyfriend. My brother will pick me up at the library. Thanks for the favor."
He took the phone she was handing back to him. "It's pouring. I can drive you there if you want." He could have screamed at his own suggestion. Everything he said sounded so much like a lame sweet-talk, and yet he couldn't leave her under the pouring rain, could he? She gave him a mischievous pout and he caught a glimpse of amusement in her eyes. He wasn't far from blushing and he hated the situation. "It would be very nice from you," she replied in a low voice.
When she climbed at last out of the car, he felt relieved. She leaned her head through the door frame of the car. "Thank you, Mister… What's your name?" she asked.
"Tien. My name is Tien," he claimed with an odd raspy voice.
She grinned. "My name is Lilly. Thank you, Tien. Huh, I don't have much time right now but would you like us to eat lunch with me tomorrow? That eastern Restaurant, right over there is great. I could pay you back for your help."
He gaped and remained stupidly speechless. She chuckled. "I'll be there at noon either way," she claimed. Then, she slammed the door without waiting further for his answer. He watched her figure running in the rain to the library's main door. When she was out of sight, he blinked in astonishment. What did she just say?
She'd said she would be there at noon. Tien was hesitant to believe she would really be there. Maybe it had only been a joke. Maybe she'd already forgotten. Even if she came, what would they talk about anyway? They didn't know each other. It would just be another awkward moment and he would feel stupid during the whole meal, just like he had felt in the car. On the other hand, he really wanted to give it a try. He hardly ever befriended with people and for some reasons, this girl looked like something fresh and new in his life. He didn't really care if she was meaning the lunch as a date or as a mere civilized thank. It could be a casual moment away from the stress of his job and that was priceless.
He stood up and grabbed his coat, while calculating that he could still be on time at the Eastern restaurant. As he opened the door to exit his office, he stumbled across Chiaotzu. The little man was standing shyly on his doorstep. Tien gave him a smile. "Is something wrong, Zu? Aren't you with Bulma?" he asked.
"She's been working in her lab for two hours. I'm bored," the little man replied sheepishly.
His features were concerned and Tien rested a hand on his shoulder as to comfort him. "I'll take over after lunch. I swear. I know it's boring but you know why we have to do that, don't you?"
Chiaotzu nodded forcefully. "We have to protect her from mean people," he uttered.
"Exactly. But I found someone to help us. A bodyguard. You'll meet him soon. Thanks to him, you won't have to watch Bulma for so long anymore." Tien resumed.
Chiaotzu's face eased off in joy. "A new friend?"
Tien couldn't help a smile. Chiaotzu was someone special. Tien knew people would rather call him a halfwit, but to him Chiaotzu was just special. His way of looking at the world was always innocent no matter how cruel life could have been to him. "Not exactly a friend. I pay him to protect Bulma," Tien tried to explain.
Chiaotzu pouted in an effort to understand the difference it made. "You pay him but he's still our friend, isn't he?" he carried on.
"Yes," Tien sighed as he was giving up his attempt to correct Chiaotzu's point of view. "Now go back to Bulma and I'll bring you some candies when I come back. I won't be long."
Chiaotzu nodded again and trotted away along the corridor heading to the elevator. Tien watched him with concern. He knew Bulma's security was something too much for the little man. When Chiaotzu was a child, their Master had been willing to get rid of him due to his inability to understand things as quickly as he should. However as strange as it stood, the little boy happened to be gifted at fighting and he was incredibly brisk when it was about handling weapons. Against all odds, Chiaotzu's gestures and reflex could be as quick as his brain was slow. This unexplainable skill saved him but the Master still couldn't get accustomed to his special disciple and as they were teenager he decided to banish him. Tien knew too well what sort of life would await the naive Chiaotzu out of the Martial Art School they had grown up in. He was too confident and too unaware of people's vices to make it in the outside world. Furthermore, the Master's will to chase him had Tien realize that he couldn't keep following blindly such a dark personality. The Master was tough and an impressive fighter but he was nothing near a valuable person.
Thus, Tien had left the Crane School behind with his little brother. Chiaotzu wasn't exactly Tien's brother but they had arrived the same day at the school as they were still kids and it meant a brother's bound to them. After all this years, Tien had never regretted his choice and truth was he wouldn't be able to live away from his little friend now.
He adjusted the collar of his coat and made his way out of the building of Capsule Corp. The Eastern restaurant was just next to the library hardly five minutes from there. Tien felt nervous when he pushed the door open and entered the place. It wasn't very big. The whole room was painted in red and gold and the walls and ceiling were carved with Gods and Dragons. A petite woman stepped to him and greeted him with a welcoming beam and an Easternish accent. "I… Huh… I'm supposed to join someone here. A young woman with dark blue hair," he stammered in her native language. The woman nodded with a knowing face and pointed at a table in the back of the room.
Tien was stunned to find out the girl was here. She'd said she would be but still he'd thought she might have changed her mind afterward. She waved at him.
"Tien! I'm glad you came. I wasn't sure you would," she told him when he sat opposite from her.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
She laughed at his reply and he realized he was making a fool of himself again. Why should he apologize for accepting her invitation? "Don't be sorry, you saved my day yesterday. Now I want you to relax and enjoy that meal. I'm starving, aren't you?"
He smiled. Yes, he was starving too. And yes, he was willing to relax and enjoy that meal. It had been the main reason why he came here in the first place. No need to think further. Just take the time to eat quietly without worrying for security, sniper or Bulma's fits of temper.
"Let's play a game," she offered, "We don't know each other, so why not try to guess each other's tastes and order each other's meal? This would be a good start to learn about each other, whaddayathink?"
His smile widened. "Let's try that. It can be fun," he accepted.
Her face turned stern and she squinted at him as if focusing deeply on him. "Okay, I'll say you have a very,very serious job and a very expansive car. You're a reserved nature and you're not used to eat with unfamiliar girl out of the blue. You like to have everything planned. Am I right?"
He couldn't help a chuckle. "Right."
"Your turn," she claimed, "what about me?"
He stared at her. She had big black eyes and a sort of innocence was shining through her features. It was what made her look younger than she certainly was. She looked 20 but she was likely past 25 if not 30. He didn't give a damn about her age though. "I'd say your name is Lilly, you like Easternish food and books. You have a brother and you're thoughtless enough to climb up any stranger's car. What about that?"
She smiled mischievously. "Pretty good. Lilly is a nickname though."
He raised his eyebrows. "A nickname? Why? What's your real name?"
She shrugged. "Maybe I'll tell you one day. Let's order something to eat, now."
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