As with the last chapter, there is one snippet in the following chapter that will look familiar to you. It was taken from the anime (and thus, I do not own it). I am using it as a reference/foundation for the rest of the story.
OlOlOlOlOlO
Bulma walked all over the Capsule Corp grounds looking for the injured prince. The labs, the 400G gravity room, the residence – she looked everywhere and was not successful in finding him. Did he just take off?
After a few hours, Bulma finally gave up hope. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind for disobeying her when she point-blank told him to stay there until he was given the all-clear to leave. Her stomach was empty and growling – her parents had probably already eaten dinner. Even so, she headed towards the kitchen for some much-needed food. She found that only her mother was still there. Mrs. Brief was busy cleaning up the dishes from the meal that had already been served.
"Oh dear, we were wondering where you had wandered off to. We missed you at dinner," said Mrs. Brief.
"Mom, have you seen Vegeta?" Bulma asked, getting right to the point.
"Isn't he still in the medical ward?" asked Mrs. Brief.
"No, he left. Even after I told him to stay there, he left – and I haven't seen him since," answered Bulma.
"Oh my!" said Mrs. Brief as she covered her gaping mouth with her hand.
"Well, he can crawl off and die as far as I'm concerned," said Bulma. Stubborn Saiyan.
"Now Bulma, you don't really mean that," said Mrs. Brief. "You've been getting along so well with Vegeta lately. Ever since….since your vacation, I think."
Bulma's mind started swirling - she started thinking about the list she kept in her pocket reminding her of the life changes she was going to make.
I let him get to me again, didn't I? I'm just worried about him.
Wait…worried about him? Why am I so worried about him?
He's a grown man; he should be able to take care of himself.
Yes, but he's my friend. And I care about all my friends. That's why. He's just a friend.
OlOlOlOlOlO
Two days later, Yamcha was back at Capsule Corp. He and Bulma had been talking over the phone and she invited him over for lunch.
"Thanks, Bulma," said Yamcha as she placed a plate of food in front of him. "It looks delicious!"
"You're welcome," she replied.
Dr. and Mrs. Brief then entered the kitchen to have their lunch as well.
"So what's up with Vegeta?" he asked, not knowing how the Saiyan prince was faring since the explosion.
"I don't want to talk about him right now," she replied. "He was in the medical ward and the instant I left, he bolted."
"Bolted? To where?" Yamcha asked.
"I have no idea. I haven't seen him since…and it's been days now since anyone has seen him," replied Bulma.
"Oh Bulma, he's in the gravity room," interrupted Dr. Brief nonchalantly. "He ran into me this morning and I told him about the new gravity room we're building for him. He seemed less grumpy than usual and agreed to use the 400G room for the time being."
"What?" cried Bulma. "He's back?" She was practically screaming at her father.
Bulma got up and ran to her lab paying no attention to anyone who had been in the kitchen with her. She sat down in front of a small camera situated on the top of her computer screen and pressed the green 'go' button on her keyboard. A little red light started blinking on the camera. Vegeta was now doing push-ups on her computer screen.
"Stop it, Vegeta! You are in no condition to be doing this right now!" she yelled.
He didn't answer. Well, that is unless you call grunting from exertion an answer.
"I know you don't want to believe it, but you are made of flesh and blood," she added.
"Stop pestering me, woman. Leave me alone," Vegeta replied. That's when he lost his concentration and fell flat on his front side, moaning.
"You know I'm right so why don't you just keep quiet and do what I say," said Bulma.
Vegeta only moaned some more.
"Nothing to say? Well, that's good. Now go back to bed and get some rest!" Bulma thought the matter had just been settled.
"Not yet. I do have something to say," said Vegeta.
"What? Is something wrong? Or maybe you are finally going to apologize to me. If that's the case, then let's hear it!"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" he shouted.
She was taken aback at the force of that last answer. Her face went from confident to disbelief in one second flat. She shut off her camera and sat back in her chair. Tears were starting to well in her eyes. That's when Yamcha came into the lab.
"What was that all about?" asked Yamcha.
She didn't say anything at first. She quickly used the back of her hand to wipe away any tears that had started to fall down her cheeks.
"How much did you hear?" she asked.
"Pretty much everything," said Yamcha. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," she replied.
"Why are you like that with him?" Yamcha asked.
"Like what?" she asked.
"Well, you know…," said Yamcha.
"No, I don't," she replied. "Please explain." Her voice was getting a bit more defensive in its tone.
Yamcha let out a large exhale. He knew he was treading into dangerous territory – he was about to say something out loud that Bulma probably didn't want to be called on.
"You have said that you don't particularly like him. Or that he is just a houseguest, or that you've learned to tolerate him. But I've seen how you are around him. You really care what he says to you. You try to read things into it. Or you try to control him. If I didn't know any better, I would say you are starting to really care about him."
"What? No, Yamcha. I am comfortable saying he is a friend at this point. But he is a different animal to say the least. Since he arrived at Capsule Corp, I would say I understand him more than just about anyone, but he still hurts my feelings on a regular basis," said Bulma.
"If you didn't care about him, I don't think your feelings would be hurt nearly as much. Why do you care what he says to you? Or what he thinks?" asked Yamcha.
Bulma opened her mouth and raised her finger to say something even more argumentative about her recent behavior, but she stopped herself. She let out a sigh. "He can be really sweet," she finally said.
"Bulma, you will always be one of my best friends and I will always be there for you. But I can see how conflicted you are right now. I think it best if we stopped the uh, extracurricular activities for the time being," Yamcha said. "If you know what I mean."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Bulma replied. "I need to get my head screwed on straight again. I'm back to being an emotional mess. Depending on the minute of the day I'm on top of the world or wanting to go hide in my dark closet. Damn it! That vacation was supposed to straighten all this out for me. I'm right back where I was before!" She took her folded-up sheet of paper out from her jeans pocket and crumpled it up before tossing it into the trash can.
Bulma stood there dejected with her arms at her sides and her head down. Yamcha wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.
OlOlOlOlOLO
After Bulma's face blipped off of the wall, Vegeta stood there for a few seconds with his hands on his hips.
Stupid baka, like I would listen to her. I am a prince and I don't have to listen to anyone, especially not on this backwards planet!
Unfortunately for Vegeta, there was just the smallest tinge of guilt in the farthest reaches of his mind. Somewhere in him, he wondered if he really should have taken it as far as he did. What would the repercussions of his actions be? He was getting to know the blue-haired earthling better than he did most and his gut told him that she was now sitting in her lab crying her eyes out because of what just happened.
OlOlOlOlOlO
It was after sundown before Vegeta decided to call it quits for the day. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the towel that was now draped around his neck. It had not been a very good afternoon for him. His mind kept drifting back to what had happened with Bulma. When he caught himself thinking about her, he would get pissed off realizing that he was thinking about her again. It was a vicious mental circle.
She's distracting me….again! Why is she in my head?
He had to find a way to get rid of it. Last time he had to isolate her and get her to answer his questions for him to be satisfied. Of course, he had to swallow his pride just a bit to get it done, but it was worth the peace of mind. He wasn't looking forward to the next confrontation between the two of them – chances are he'd have to give a little bit more just to make the situation between them normal again.
Vegeta barely slept that night. He tossed and turned, grumbled aloud, sat up, took another shower (and relieved himself while in there) – anything that would get his mind calmed down and asleep. He would nod off here and there, but upon realizing he was finally falling asleep, he would come to and have to start all over again.
It was 4am when he finally gave up. He changed into his training clothes and went to the Gravity Room for some early morning work. Even so, his training was still not going well. He was ancy to say the least. I have to get this figured out today. It's driving me crazy!
Vegeta made sure to note when it was time for breakfast. He stopped his training and although, sweaty and had quite a pungent odor to him, he made his way to the kitchen to catch the woman at breakfast.
Vegeta stood in the doorway and looked at the woman's parents preparing the morning meal.
"Good morning, Vegeta!" said Mrs. Brief. "You've been out training already? You must have gotten up so early!"
Breakfast was served and Vegeta really wasn't all that hungry – something that hardly ever happened. He walked into the kitchen, prepped a single plate of food for himself and walked back outside to eat it alone on the stoop. He kept eyes and ears pinned on the kitchen so he could hear the woman come in. But she never did.
He sat there for ten extra minutes with an empty plate in his hand hoping she would still come. Nothing. Finally, he walked in and put his plate in the sink.
"Where is Bulma?" asked Vegeta, surprisingly using the woman's given name.
"I don't know dear," said Mrs. Brief.
"Perhaps she was up late working and she's just sleeping in," said Dr. Brief.
"I'll check on her after we're done here," Mrs. Brief said nonchalantly.
Damn it! Vegeta exclaimed within the confines of his mind. There was nothing he could do other than go back to the training room and start up his regimen again.
The same type of scenario went down at lunch. Vegeta, still smelly and sweaty, made his way to the kitchen to see who of the family would actually show up for the usual afternoon meal. To his dismay, no one showed up at all. His mind felt like it was slipping – he kept telling himself it didn't matter and that he should just move on with things, but his sub-conscious self would creep in and remind him of all the facts about why he was feeling the way he was.
As his mental war was being waged, Mrs. Brief walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. That snapped him out of the fog he had descended into while his pride and his heart battled inside of him.
"Oh hi, Vegeta!" she practically sang upon seeing the silent Saiyan standing in the kitchen.
"Woman, do you know where your daughter is?" Vegeta questioned.
"She's in her room," said Bulma's mother. "I checked on her after breakfast and she wasn't feeling well. She looked downright miserable when I saw her – something must really be wrong."
Shit! I can't keep this up. Vegeta exhaled as if resigned to not rectifying the situation for the time being. I'm going to take a shower. Training right now is nothing but a waste of my time.
Vegeta turned to walk out of the kitchen towards his room when Mrs. Brief interrupted him again. "Vegeta?"
"Hmh," was his only reply.
"If Bulma is still sick this evening, you'll be on your own for dinner. Dr. Brief is taking me out tonight!" she told him in a super-giddy tone.
That's just great. The perfect end to a perfect day – now I'm on my own for dinner.
OlOlOlOlOlO
Vegeta took his shower and lied down on his bed. His mind was still churning as it had been for at least the last day. He tried to sleep but was unsuccessful. He even got up to watch some TV just as a distraction from his thoughts – that didn't even work because there really was never much on the TV that he enjoyed watching. Mostly he was just bored with the content. Soon enough, he was back in his bedroom staring at the ceiling.
He heard the two older earthlings leave the home around 5pm. He remembered what Mrs. Brief had told him – 'you'll be on our own for dinner'. Funny thing was, he had hardly eaten at all this entire day and he still found himself not very hungry.
His mind continued to battle itself about what he was thinking and feeling these past few days.
I think I need to get out of here. How else will I ever get to Super Saiyan? It's just not working here.
Why? Why is it not working?
But if I leave, I won't have the Gravity Room or the free meals.
Yes, but you still have to put up with this family.
The family isn't bad, it's that woman. You like her.
Yes, I do. She has spunk. And she's not afraid of me.
She's unstable.
No more than you.
She's not happy. She doesn't know what she wants out of life.
No, that's not it. But she invests herself – puts herself out there – and ends up getting hurt – a lot.
It's that damn weakling Yamcha!
No, not entirely. You haven't exactly been nice to her.
Why should I? I am the Saiyan prince, I don't have to do anything I don't want to.
You called her the closest thing to a friend you have on this planet.
That's true, I did.
Isn't life with her in it more interesting than life without her in it?
Yes, it is.
If you want her in your life, you're going to have to apologize to her.
Me! Apologize? Never.
You need to.
Hmh. I don't have a choice, do I?
Not if you want to get past this…
sigh
He rose from his prone position and walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Bulma's bedroom door was, of course, closed. Knock, or just go in? It's probably better if I knock.
Vegeta lightly rapped on the ornate, white bedroom door. There was no answer. He tried again. He heard nothing. He was at a loss as to whether he should enter her private domain or not. It was the "I'm the Prince of all Saiyans, I can do what I want" attitude that got him in trouble to begin with.
Vegeta put his hand on the door knob and slowly turned it. When he heard a click-sound, he gently pushed the door open. The curtains were drawn and the room was not very well-lit. It didn't help that it was now evening and the sun was quickly setting making everything seem a little duller overall.
Vegeta walked towards her bed and finally he recognized the figure under the blankets. There she was, virtually motionless, facing away from him.
He walked around the bed so he could see her face. It was streaked. White salty marks could still be seen on her cheeks. She's been crying. Vegeta didn't care if anyone was crying in front of him. As a matter of fact, he would normally think that person was weak. But for some reason, the thought of Bulma crying bothered him. What was it about her that had such an effect on him? Why did he even consider changing who he was to the very core just to keep her happy?
Bulma's face showed no malice or stress when she was sleeping. Vegeta stared at her soft features. He recollected the first time he laid eyes on her on Namek.
I called her 'gorgeous' on Namek. She certainly still is. Why do you distract me so much woman? Why can't I stop thinking about you?
Bulma's eyes flitted open and saw the Saiyan prince sitting at her bedside staring at her. She just laid there silently staring at him, not saying a word. He was aware she was looking at him and kept looking right back. It was as if a silent conversation was being spoken between the two of them.
"Vegeta - ," she finally spoke, no sadness or anger in her voice at all.
"You're killing me woman," he quietly responded. "I can't effectively train like this."
"Like what?" she asked. "How am I affecting you?"
"I didn't mean to upset you so much," he replied.
"Vegeta, you are always cross with me. We always bicker," said Bulma.
"Yes, but there was something different about this last time," he replied. "I could almost feel how sad you were. I was…concerned. It's bothering me."
"A lot has gone on Vegeta. My plan to make things better for myself didn't work. I feel bad about Yamcha. He loves me much more than I could ever love him back. And you, you just keep pushing my buttons, too. I told you to stay in that bed. But no, you had to get up and go train. I'm just sad, Vegeta. I'm depressed. Do you know what that means?"
"Well, apparently it means that you don't eat or come out of your room," Vegeta replied.
"Yeah, something like that," Bulma said. "I just don't care right now Vegeta. Life sucks - Period."
"I'm surprised that weakling hasn't come over to check on you – you say he loves you," remarked Vegeta.
Bulma's eyes watered upon hearing that last statement. She couldn't help but let a few tears stream down her face.
"I don't think Yamcha can do much for me now," she said. "He was there when it happened."
"It?" asked Vegeta.
"Our last argument. He was watching me. And he made a few observations that I don't think I was ready to hear," said Bulma.
"Such as - ," inquired Vegeta.
Bulma hesitated for a moment having not yet decided if she was ready to let the cat out of the bag. If there was ever a moment to let it out, this is probably it. At least I'll learn if there is anything mutual about this little crush of mine. I couldn't feel much worse than I do now even if he does reject me.
"He seems to think that I am…. That I feel….," Bulma attempted to get out her statement. She sighed and gathered herself for a couple of seconds. "Yamcha thinks that I have a crush on you."
Crush? As in, she wants to be with me? Ridiculous!
Unfortunately for Bulma, that last statement triggered Vegeta's pride and he went into immediate "prince" mode.
"I certainly hope that's not true," he said. "I would never even consider such a ridiculous match!"
Bulma, as depressed as she was, was not so out-of-it that she didn't take high offense to what was just said to her. Rejection she could take. Mockery, not so much.
"Get out," she said in a calm, even tone.
Vegeta didn't move. What did she just say to me?
"Vegeta! Get! Out!" she shouted. "Stop playing your stupid games with me! I'm done!"
Crap, I did it again. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
"I said, GET OUT!" Bulma screamed. "This is my room and I want to be alone!"
Vegeta silently got up and left the room. Idiot, he thought, referring to himself.