Chapter Six: Unwelcome Guests

"M-Mr. Ouji!" A blush immediately flowed over her porcelain cheeks. Just what she had needed now, of all times! She ducked her head low for a moment, before feeling his eyes upon her head. Jerking her head back up, Bulma leveled an un-lady like glare at the dark man who stood before her. "I've come to see about my sister," she managed, grabbing a fistful of her gown.

Vegeta rose an eyebrow just a bit. The woman before him looked to be knee-deep in mud, yet seemed just as vibrant as ever. It was almost as if the mud hadn't necessarily touched her at all. "Of course, right this way." He turned around, waiting just a moment before the tell-tale 'squish' of mud sounded.

They walked in relative silence towards the large manor, awkward as the silence may have been. He opened the door for her, allowing her to track a few steps of dirt until only the dried portions remained on her boots. Bulma apologized, sheepishly taking in the mess she had made already.

"Hn," was all that was offered before she had been ushered to her sister.

Chichi sat up slightly in the overstuffed bed, nose nearly draining all of its contents into her soup. She sniffled some before taking a small spoonful into her mouth. "They've been very nice to me," she remarked, wiping her mouth with the silken napkin. "Ms. Son has been especially kind to me. Mrs. Kobe has been up here once. And their brother has knocked on the door before every meal to make sure I don't need anything." She blushed as Bulma shot her a knowing look.

"I guess you really didn't need me here after all," a cat-like grin framed her face as she walked to the window.

"Don't be silly! I've missed you terribly, even if you are a bit mischievous." Chi flashed an uncharacteristically evil grin back at her sister. Bulma turned, surprised, but let a string of laughter spill out. Two days without her favorite sister had been long enough indeed.

A knock at the door brought news that dinner was ready, along with a note from her mother from home. "Oh dear," Bulma started, flopping down into a chair.

"What's the matter?"

"Mother plans on coming tomorrow to check up on you."

Chichi winced. "That is a bit troublesome."

"…and she plans on bringing our slightly air-headed sisters with her." Chi's eyes widened as she plopped back against her pillows. They both shared a disgruntled look. "I suppose we can't keep them from coming, can we?"

"No," said Chi. "Mother would come anyway, and it would be better for her to come in bright spirits than to have her come slightly angered."

"So true. Oh well, we can think about that later. I'd better be off to dinner before our guests think I'm being rude!"

Bulma shifted nervously in her seat at the large table. She had the unfortunate task of sitting next to Mr. Ouji so as to have him seated closer to Mr. Son at the head of the table. His sister sat at the other end, next to her sister, completing the rounds of misplaced seating. Pushing around a lonely pea on her plate, she listened to both conversations, giving a mixed sort of story.

"So I shot the buck, and had to wait for George to pick him up. He just threw him into the cart and it—"

"—landed on Mama's gown! It was dreadful!"

The blue-eyed woman stifled a laugh. Interesting things! But her good humor lasted only so long, as she couldn't keep up very much of a conversation with Mr. Son, and the gentleman to her left was not a gifted conversationalist. She was resigned to entertaining herself while coffee was being served.

"Alone at last!" cried Ms. Son, placing her coffee cup on the stand next to her. Their healthy guest had just left to check up on her sister for a moment. Her brother frowned for a moment, taking of his jacket to fix his shirt. "You don't need to be so rude. I think she's a lovely person to be around."

"Ha! Lovely only if you're happy with the minimum in life," she retorted, pacing in front of the fireplace. "Look at her! Skirt covered in mud, boots ruined. When she first walked in I thought she had gone mad! Her cheeks were soaked in perspiration, and her eyes, which I'm sure someone in this room has called "fine" once, looked to be well beyond her years."

Vegeta, who had been standing next to the window, turned around slightly to look at the lady who addressed him. "Nonsense. Her eyes were only lightened by the exercise."

Ms. Son felt her eye twitch for a moment before she took a seat next to her sister. "As I was saying, I am glad she is going back to her shack of a home tonight. She keeps leaving a trail of dry mud behind her." The two women shared a laugh before returning to their coffee.

"So sorry to hear that," Goku began, sipping his glass of sherry. His sister blinked up at him in wonder as he walked back towards the tray of drinks. "I asked her to stay so she could keep a better eye on her sister. As a matter of fact, I sent off for her things shortly after dinner." He smothered a smirk at their various protests, casting a glance at his best friend. Vegeta shook his head, though his face was light in amusement. He quickly excused himself from the den and walked towards his billiards sanctuary.

"Perhaps Kakarot has a bit of sense in him after all."

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A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! It's fueled my desire to write this fic again, and I'm glad y'all like this version so much better. The chapters will be short though, because there's soooo much that goes on in such small chapters. I mean, look at the book! You're lucky if a chapter goes past 4 pages in length, lol. So enjoy and review please!

Ja Ne,

Pearl