Right off, I gotta say. I'm terribly happy about how well all my fics are
doing. It's all my awesome reviewers doing, too! Thank you guys! ;)
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Haha everyone wanted to know who I was originally going to use instead of Aqua. Haha, well (gets ready to run) Britney, and that's all I'm saying!!! (hides) Please don't kill me, and I hope no one gets offended by it, or the Aqua thing, but come on! Not everyone has to like the same music, people! I'm pretty sure a lot of you would absolutely hate my stuff, and that's cool with me. I don't really care. I know what I like and what I consider music and talent. It's my opinion, and everyone's entitled to their own opinion. So what I'm basically trying to say is, in the future when I make fun of an artist or a band, please don't get mad at me or feel ashamed if you like them cuz you shouldn't care what other people think.
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Shades of Crimson- Okay, 'Summerland' is going to come in like this. on the show, it's obvious that Ava and Jonny are still in love or should be together, and in my story, Ava=Bulma and Jonny-Vegeta. There's history between Ava and Jonny that the show hasn't touched much on yet, so what I'm writting now, is my fabricated/inspired background story on them. There's a whole lot of things that Bulma's gonna go through before she gets really serious with Vegeta, but they're definietly going to have their moments along the way. ;) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this new chapter!
DBZ-fan-JESS- Thanks for reviewing!!! I actually can't believe that I didn't just use her instead of Aqua, usually I'm all for telling people that I think she's crap, but that's just me. Anyhow! Enjoy the chapter! ;)
Aydan07- All in good time!!! ;) Bulma's gonna hand it Yamcha in the beginning of this chapter, but his major screw up is yet to happen. Thanks for revewing! ;)
KarineD- Hey! Thanks so much for reviewing. You rock for reading my story and letting me know what you think! Hope you like this new chapter! ;)
PunkOnna- Bingo! You win the prize!!! hands you a cookie Merry Christmas in July! Thanks for reviewing! ;)
Videlchan313- Well, Yamcha hasn't done anything yet, except for his recent negligence problem, which yeah. I guess I'd dump him for too, but they have a lot of history together, and what's the point of throwing their relationship out the window already? She'll be giving him a second chance. ;) Thanks and enjoy!!!
Kacy- Wow! Thank you so much. Yeah, I've only seen a couple college fics, but I can't really remember them. It was a long, long time ago. haha. I'm really glad you like this story. Enjoy! ;)
Beeswax- Thank you very much for reviewing!! ;)
KamalaKali- Haha I liked that part too. He's beiing so sweet, and he doesn't even know it! :) Thanks a lot for reviewing! Quick question for you! I'm not trying to be a pest, because I totally understand about updates. I was just wondering if you were still working on Darkness Swirling? It was really intriguing! I hope you haven't given up on it. Anyohow! Thank you so much! ENjoy the new chapter! ;)
Kataan- Thanks for reviewing!! ;)
Seruleyan-Wings- There's gonna be a potential catfight, but someone steps in!!! hahaha. I was very proud of all the Bulma and Vegeta interactions in that chapter, and there's lots more in this one, too!!! I really like the moment toward the end of this one, about Goku and Chichi. It's one of the sweetest moments I think I've ever written. Anyhow! Thanks for reviewing as usual! As for the other night, it's cool. Crap happens, right?! Just a warning, Alessa is a major !#$% ;) Just the way we like 'em, right?! hahaha (hugs) much love, gal! ;)
Ash- Oh my god! I made you giggle out loud!! (dances around for joy) I'm so happy! I love when I'm able to make people laugh, or feel any kind of emotions at all from stories. One of the rarest joys in my life!! hahah Thank you so much. I hope I can keep making you laugh! ;)
Yomegagurl01- Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! I'm so happy you like it. ;)
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Chapter 5: Weekend in LA: part 2!
----(the next day, Friday)
"So, are you gonna talk, or are you just going to stare at your burger the whole time?" Vegeta asked, breaking the ten minute period of silence.
Across from him at their normal booth, Bulma sighed. "I don't know what I'm gonna say to him."
"If I were you, which by the way I'm very glad I'm not," he started.
"Ha. Ha. Very cute," she replied sarcastically.
He smirked. "Well, you have horrible taste in men."
"Present company excluded, huh?"
"Of course."
She laughed. "So, what would you do then?"
He took a quick sip of his soda, and he was about to answer her when he spotted Yamcha walk in. "Looks like you get no advice, woman."
Bulma was confused. "What do you mean?" She turned in her seat to spot what her friend was looking at. "Oh my god! He's here. What do I do?!"
"How the hell should I know?!"
"You were just about to tell me what you thought I should do! Spill it, Vegeta!"
"Bulma?"
The blue haired girl lifted her head and stared up into Yamcha's eyes. Her demeanor turned cold instantly, and she glared at him. "What do you want?"
Yamcha sighed, shifting his gaze to the other person occupying the booth, and he sputtered, "Vegeta?! What are you doing here, and with my girlfriend?!"
"He's my friend, Yamcha," Bulma cut in on Vegeta's behalf. "We have a couple classes together, and I work at his father's shop."
"You work with my roommate?"
"You might notice this stuff if you paid any attention to me," she yelled back at him. "But that's too much to ask, huh?! You stood me up last night! Why? Out partying with the guys as usual!? Come on, Yamcha. Give me your best excuse," she hissed.
Her boyfriend looked around at all the people watching them and swallowed. "Can we go outside and talk about this, Bulma? Please?"
She pushed her tray aside and stood up. "Fine! I'll be right back, Vegeta."
Vegeta simply shrugged. "Take your time."
----
"What the hell was that?" Yamcha demanded. "You're spending time with my roommate?!"
Bulma crossed her arms, a trait she'd picked up from Vegeta, and tapped her foot. "Don't you dare lecture me on who I spend my time with. I wouldn't have time to spend with anyone if you'd just pay a little attention to me."
"Look. I'm sorry about last night. I meant to call, but Hunter and Jon."
"Hunter and Jon! Hunter and Jon aren't your girlfriends," she shouted, cutting him off. "Do you even care about what happens to me? What if Vegeta had left the shop yesterday while I was waiting in the dark for you, or if I had benn closing the shop by myself? I could've been mugged, raped, possibly killed because you didn't have the balls to pick up your cellphone!"
Yamcha stepped forward and rested his hands on her upper arms. "Babe, I'm so sorry. You have no idea. It's just that."
"What?" She cut him off again.
He sighed. "My new friends have been taking up all my time, and I'm sorry. Give me another a chance, B. We've come too far for something like this to break us, baby. I love you," he whispered, leaning closer to her.
Bulma looked him straight in the eye. "Okay."
"You're the best," he told her before he kissed her. "Monday night when I get back from the camping trip, we're going out to the most expensive place I can find, and I'm gonna make it up to you," he told her.
"Monday night," she said slowly. Had she missed something?
"Yeah! I should be back around 5, that gives us plenty of time to get ready for our big night."
"Oh, yeah. Of course," she said. It felt like someone was trying to claw their way out of her head all of a sudden. "Ya know, I'm not feeling too well right now, Yamcha. I think I'm gonna go back to my dorm and lie down before my next class."
"You want me to walk you there?"
She gave him a weak smile. "No, I'm just gonna go get my stuff from the table and go."
"Okay. We're leaving tonight so you wanna come see me off?"
"I have work. Call me before you leave."
He smiled and kissed her again, though Bulma was less then enthusiastic about it this time. "I will call you later then! Bye, love!"
She watched him run off toward his dorm with a stinging sensation in her eye. Didn't he hear a word she had just said to him? Wrapping her arms around her body, she walked back into the noisy cafeteria alone. Vegeta was sitting in the booth reading a book as usual. He looked up at her when she sat down.
"You look like your about to cry," he observed. When he saw her shoulders slump foward and heard her start to gasp, he quickly packed his things in his bag and stood up. "Come on. Let's get out of here," he coaxed, helping her to her feet and grabbing her bag from the seat.
----
Vegeta was lounging back on Bulma's bed, watching the news and waiting for her to come back from the bathroom. He'd spent the better part of an hour listening to her rant about Yamcha and cry uncontrollably, which was not a very comfortable thing for him to sit through! Then, she'd fallen asleep on her bed after taking a couple advil, leaving him to catch up on some reading. Now, he was just waiting for her to get ready so they could go to work.
Next to him on a little night stand, her cellphone started ringing. He curiously glanced at the caller id. "Hmm." He grabbed it and answered it. "What do you want?"
"Vegeta?!"
"18."
"What are you doing with Bulma's cellphone?"
He frowned. She sounded funny. "Have you been crying, too?" He demanded.
"Oh please!"
"You just sniffled," he accused. "Either you have a cold, which is very hard to believe considering the extremely hot climate, or you've been crying."
"So what if I have been? What do you care?"
Bulma walked in, fresh from a shower and fully dressed in jean shorts and tee shirt. Her hair was still wrapped up in a towel, though. "Who are you talking to on my cellphone?" The endless possibilites were enough to scare her.
"It's just 18," he told her, handing the phone over.
She grabbed it from him. "Hey, girl! How's the trip going?"
"Horrible. I need to find a way back there. This was a huge mistake."
"What happened?" Bulma asked, pushing Vegeta's feet out of the way so she could sit down on her bed.
"I went to get us some drinks from this little shop just off the beach, and when I came back, Chad was flirting with these two bimbos, and they were hanging all over him."
"Oh my god!"
"It gets better. I was so angry that I shook up the soda and sprayed all three of them with it and stormed off the beach after throwing the empty bottles at Chad's head."
Bulma covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. "Sounds like you've had about as much fun as I've had since yesterday."
"Why? What happened with you?"
Vegeta snapped his fingers and pointed to his watch. "Shit, 18. I have to finish getting ready for work. I'll call you back later, okay?"
"That's fine. If I don't answer it's probably because I'm spray another set of helpless bimbos with soda again."
"Noted. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
----
Business was crazy at the record shop. They had gotten there at 5, and neither one of them had had the chance to sit down until close to 8:30, when all the customers seemed to disappear. Bulma plopped down on the arm of the chair Vegeta was sitting in and groaned. She still felt like crap from earlier.
"God, that was nuts! I've never seen that many people in here at one time before," she said.
Vegeta yawned. "Order us a pizza or something. I'm starving."
She scrunched up her nose. "We had pizza yesterday. Chinese?"
"Fine, whatever, I don't care. I just need some food."
She grabbed a folder filled with flyers and menus for all the local places that delivered and shuffled through them until she found the one she wanted. "I'm gonna go call from the back. The music's too loud out here."
"Knock yourself out," he mumbled,pushing her off the chair. Thankfully, she didn't fall, just stumbled a little.
She punched him in the shoulder before walking away. "Ass!"
He chuckled. "What was that?"
Bulma turned around and flicked him off before closing the door to the back room. Vegeta shook his head. Sometimes he realy wished she weren't taken, but with the way her boyfriend kept messing up, he might just get his chance. Behind him, the front door opened.
"Well, if it isn't Vegeta Ouji, love of my life."
Vegeta felt his blood begin to boil at the sound of the familiar voice, but he managed to play it cool. He turned around slowly. "If it isn't Alessa Palmiro, the bane of my existence," he countered. "What do you want?"
A very pretty brunette with emerald colored eyes and a revealing, low cut dress walked over and leaned against the counter. "Still angry with the world I see," she laughed.
"I'm gonna ask you one more time before I kick you out: what do you want?"
She gave him a pouty look. "I drove all they way from LA to accompany you on your trip home, and this is the thanks I get?"
"Hey, Vegeta, I ordered your usual," Bulma said, walking back toward the front of the store. "I hope you don't mind."
Alessa shot her a dirty look. "And who is this?"
Vegeta opened his mouth to speak, but he was beaten to the punch by Bulma. "The names Bulma. I'm Vegeta's girlfriend," she said, extending her hand to Alessa. "You are?"
Vegeta's ex glared at Bulma's hand. "Well, isn't this lovely," she mused. "I had no idea you were getting so desperate, Vegeta. I mean, come on. She's just some little country girl. Just look at those clothes."
Bulma narrowed her eyes. She'd heard enough of their earlier conversation to figure out that this was Alessa, but she hadn't expected the girl to be this big of a bitch! She put her hand down. "Sorry, I left my hooker outfit back in the barn, but I see you have yours," she shot back. "Oh and, didn't I see that dress in the window of Express like two years ago? Hardly retro, sweetie."
Vegeta shook himself from 'la la land' and stepped inbetween them before it got ugly. "Just get out of here," he told Alessa.
"Fine, but this is far from over. I'll be seeing you at your parents house later tonight, Vegeta."
"I'll be seeing you there as well, Alessa," Bulma said, waving at her as she stormed out of the shop.
"What just happened here?" Vegeta asked.
"I'm your girlfriend, and we're leaving for your parents house tonight," she told him, with a quick pat on his shoulder as she walked behind the counter. "We're gonna need to swing by the mall. I have some major shopping to do."
"Why the sudden change of mind?"
She smiled at him. "You helped me out with Yamcha, so I'm gonna help you out with Alessa. Besides, I don't want to spend the entire weekend by myself, and we need to find a way to rescue June from Chad."
"Fine, let's just close now and get this weekend over with," he told her.
----(now a little segment I'd like to call, 'Elswhere in the world of "You Stole the Rain"!' Here, we check up on, and introduce, past and future characters. ;-) enjoy!!!)----
----Lily Lake, Pennsylvania----
Chichi sighed contently and snuggled into her husband's arms. It was their 10 year anniversy, and Goku had made sure everything was perfect tonight. The children were spending the night at Radditz and Ausrin's house, so they had the house all to themselves. "I love you, Goku."
He smiled, kissing her cheek. "How much?"
"More than anything."
"Really? Then I guess you deserve this." He reached behind him and picked up a small giftbag and dangled it in front of her.
"What is this?!" She asked, her eyes lighting up.
"Open it and see." She smiled excitedly and pulled the tissue paper out of the bag. Then, she reached inside and pulled out a small, worn velvet box just big enough for a ring or a set of earrings. "I remember how much you loved it," he whispered. "I've been holding onto it for a while now." Chichi gave him a puzzled look, but he simply smiled and nodded his head toward it. "She would have wanted you to have it."
Inside the box was a thin silver band set with tiny pink stones. She gasped, covering her mouth with her other hand. "Goku, this was your mother's wedding ring!" She had thought Radditz was the owner of it now. The last time she had seen it was when Goku showed it to her during high school, before they got engaged.
"Yep," he responded happily, taking the box from your hand. He picked up the ring and slid it onto her ring finger. She was surprised at how perfectly it matched her engagment ring. "I've been meaning to get us wedding bands for a long time now, though I've always known I'd be giving this to you," he told her. They both had wanted to do things on their own with no help from anyone, so they had never been able to afford wedding bands. He pulled out another box, a newer one. Inside was a thicker, silver band, meant for him. "Sorry it's taken me so long," he laughed.
"Oh, Goku!" Chichi kissed him passionately, wrapping her arms around his neck, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I love you so much!"
"I love you too, Chi."
"Wait a sec! Does this mean what I think it means?" She asked him, pulling away slightly.
He grinned. "Yep. I got the business loan, and Son Brothers' Construction Company has it's first big job next week."
She squealed happily and launched herself at him, knocking him over. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Thanks, Chi!"
----Philadelphia, Pennsylvania----
A blue haired young woman unlocked the door to the apartment she shared with her boyfriend. It had been a very long day for her. She walked into the small foyer and flicked on the lights. Well, she tried to, but they wouldn't work. Another one of her boyfriend's silly jokes, or an actual power outage? He was always doing stupid stuff like this and jumping out to scare the crap out of her! Sg shook her head with a smile.
"Krillin? Are you home?" She called out.
"In the kitchen, Marron."
She sighed with relief and shut the door, making sure to lock all three deadbolts. "What are you doing?" She took off her jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair. "Something smells great!"
Marron finished by kicking off her high heels before she went into the kitchen. "Hey, what's up with the," she stopped, her breath catching in the back of her throat. "Lights."
Krillin grinned, pulling out a chair for her to sit down in. She wiped a tear from her eyes and walked toward the small table, overflowing with roses and candles. "Have a seat, love."
She nodded dumbly and sat down in the chair he was holding out for her. "What's all this?"
He walked over to the counter. "The lights were my doing. I took out all the lightbulbs," he admitted with a laugh. "But this," he started, picking up a plate and setting it in fron of her. "This is no joke."
"Oh my god." Marron picked up the diamond ring and shot up from the chair, knocking it over. "Oh my god!"
Her boyfriend knelt down, taking her hand. "Will you marry me?"
"Of course I will, Krillin!"
----Ney York City, Ney York----
"I hate this weather!" Jayson complained, loading another box into the back of a moving truck. "How can you stand it?"
His girlfriend giggled. "Poor little Cali-boy, can't stand a little chill, and it's only the end of September! What are you gonna do when it starts snowing?"
He grabbed the last box. "I'm staying indoors!"
Karra jumped down from the curb and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Good! I'll keep you warm," she offered cheerfully.
He kissed her forehead and held her close. "I can't believe we're really gonna have our own place," he said.
"Me either! I can't believe we spent the entire summer in the dorms."
"I'm glad we did."
Karra grinned. "Why's that, 17?"
Laughing, he bent down and kissed her pasionately. "I never would have meant you."
"You're too good with words," she said, kissing him quickly before running to the passenger side door. "Let's go! I can't wait to move into our new apartment!"
"Okay, okay. I'm coming!" He walked slowly to the driver's side, smiling contently as he looked in through the window at the woman inside the truck. She was absolutely beautiful, and he'd never felt this way before about anyone!
Karra looked up at him. "Are you gonna get in, or just stand out there and freeza that tan off your body?" She teased.
'This is the love of my life,' he thought, opening the door and jumping in. "Okay, lets go."
----London, England----
"Kir!"
Akira glanced up from her the vanity and waved at her agent, Natalia Vasco. "What's going on, Nat?"
The dark haired Italian woman glared at her. "What's going on?! Dio, Akira, we have a very serious problem on our hands, and you just sit there all laid back like!"
Her seventeen year old client just stared at her. "What are talking about?"
"Kristjana Joves just backed out of her interview with Fashion Weekly, and guess who they want to take her place?!"
"Zoe," Akira joked, pointing the makeup artist next to her.
Natalia glared at her. "You! Gretta McCarthy wants to interview you in ten minutes!"
"Bollocks! You know I'm not allowed any international publicity, Nat. My mother'll have a bloody fit."
"I already cleared this with her. She said your free to the the interview if you want."
Akira smiled and jumped off the stood. "Great! Let's go."
Natalia grabbed her by the arm. "You need to change, and Zoe, we need to get her out of this runway makeup and into something more subtle. Can you get that done in five?"
"I'm the best makeup artist in the room, and you have the nerve to even bother asking me if I can do it in five minutes? Have you gone nuts?! I'll have her done three!"
"Perfect, I'm gonna go find you something amazing to wear, Akira."
"Hold on. I'm gonna be myself. Just bring me my bag. I'll choose something."
Ten minutes later, Akira was walking into the penthouse suite on the top floor of the Great Eastern Hotel where all the media was waiting to snap pictures and ask endless questions about working with the top-notch designers of the fashion world. She knew she was walking into a potentially make or break situation. Her career could very well be ruined if she messed up one little word, but she was confident in herself. If she messed up, she'd deal with it. There was no way she was going to act like some brainless barbie doll.
"Ah! You must be Akira Teagan," a short, blond woman asked. She had thick, dark brown glasses on, covering her green eyes, and she was about forty years old, and desperately trying to hide it by dressing like she was twenty again.
Akira shook her hand and smile. "It's nice to meet you."
Gretta smiled back and motioned toward a set of french doors. "I managed to snag that rooftop patio for our interview. The view is amazing," she said, leading the way out of the room.
"London is an amazing city."
"Well, that's not really why we're here, now is it? Sure the city's nice, but my viewers are more interested in the models and the clothes."
Akira took a seat across from her at a tiny, cast-iron table with a glass top and padded seats. "Do models cancel on you often?"
"Sometimes. It seems that Miss Kristjana Joves thinks she's too far above me to do a simple little interview." She pulled out a recorder and placed it on the table between them, turning it on before she retracted her hand. "Okay. This is Gretta McCarthy for Fashion Weekly, and I'm here with up and coming model, Akira Teagan. Shall we just get the basics over with, Akira?"
"Sounds good to me. Lets see. I'm seventeen, just graduated from school."
"You're birthday must be very close to the cut off dates for you to be graduated already," Gretta cut in, opting for Akira to elaborate.
She smiled. "I was skipped when I was seven, mostly my mother's doing. Schooling was very important to my parents."
"What made you decided to take this path in life?"
"My mother is an old friend of Elie Saab, whom I was primarily modeling for in today's show. They go way back. He asked me to model for him one day, and I decided to give it a go," she replied.
"And this was what, your second, third show?"
Akira laughed. "Oh, no. I've been modeling since I was fourteen for Elie everytime he does a show in or around London."
"Really?"
"Yeah, normally I'm pretty dressed up, and you can't tell who I am," she explained. "But tonight, he really let me shine. I'm very grateful. It was bloody amazing of him, and it caught the attention of the other designers. They kept calling me after the rehearsal runs yesterday, and I got to model one dress from everyone's collection."
"That's very rare. You must be extremely happy."
"I am. I got to work with Christian Dior, Anne Valerie Hash, and Donatella Versace, so today was pretty amazing for me."
----
the end of this chapter. ;-) Now, you're all wondering where and when Krillin, Jayson(17), and Akira are going to make their grand entrances, huh?! hahaha Jayson will probably be around, since he's June's brother and is orignially from California, the others won't be around for a while, but we'll check in on them from time to time, promise!!!
next time: Weekend in LA: part 3! ;-) Bulma and Vegeta arrive at the Ouji family estate ( the one in LA, that is ;) hahaha. Some details from Yamcha's camping trip, June get's saved from hell, and Alessa gets jealous.
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PANDORA ;)
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Please, review!
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----
Haha everyone wanted to know who I was originally going to use instead of Aqua. Haha, well (gets ready to run) Britney, and that's all I'm saying!!! (hides) Please don't kill me, and I hope no one gets offended by it, or the Aqua thing, but come on! Not everyone has to like the same music, people! I'm pretty sure a lot of you would absolutely hate my stuff, and that's cool with me. I don't really care. I know what I like and what I consider music and talent. It's my opinion, and everyone's entitled to their own opinion. So what I'm basically trying to say is, in the future when I make fun of an artist or a band, please don't get mad at me or feel ashamed if you like them cuz you shouldn't care what other people think.
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Shades of Crimson- Okay, 'Summerland' is going to come in like this. on the show, it's obvious that Ava and Jonny are still in love or should be together, and in my story, Ava=Bulma and Jonny-Vegeta. There's history between Ava and Jonny that the show hasn't touched much on yet, so what I'm writting now, is my fabricated/inspired background story on them. There's a whole lot of things that Bulma's gonna go through before she gets really serious with Vegeta, but they're definietly going to have their moments along the way. ;) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this new chapter!
DBZ-fan-JESS- Thanks for reviewing!!! I actually can't believe that I didn't just use her instead of Aqua, usually I'm all for telling people that I think she's crap, but that's just me. Anyhow! Enjoy the chapter! ;)
Aydan07- All in good time!!! ;) Bulma's gonna hand it Yamcha in the beginning of this chapter, but his major screw up is yet to happen. Thanks for revewing! ;)
KarineD- Hey! Thanks so much for reviewing. You rock for reading my story and letting me know what you think! Hope you like this new chapter! ;)
PunkOnna- Bingo! You win the prize!!! hands you a cookie Merry Christmas in July! Thanks for reviewing! ;)
Videlchan313- Well, Yamcha hasn't done anything yet, except for his recent negligence problem, which yeah. I guess I'd dump him for too, but they have a lot of history together, and what's the point of throwing their relationship out the window already? She'll be giving him a second chance. ;) Thanks and enjoy!!!
Kacy- Wow! Thank you so much. Yeah, I've only seen a couple college fics, but I can't really remember them. It was a long, long time ago. haha. I'm really glad you like this story. Enjoy! ;)
Beeswax- Thank you very much for reviewing!! ;)
KamalaKali- Haha I liked that part too. He's beiing so sweet, and he doesn't even know it! :) Thanks a lot for reviewing! Quick question for you! I'm not trying to be a pest, because I totally understand about updates. I was just wondering if you were still working on Darkness Swirling? It was really intriguing! I hope you haven't given up on it. Anyohow! Thank you so much! ENjoy the new chapter! ;)
Kataan- Thanks for reviewing!! ;)
Seruleyan-Wings- There's gonna be a potential catfight, but someone steps in!!! hahaha. I was very proud of all the Bulma and Vegeta interactions in that chapter, and there's lots more in this one, too!!! I really like the moment toward the end of this one, about Goku and Chichi. It's one of the sweetest moments I think I've ever written. Anyhow! Thanks for reviewing as usual! As for the other night, it's cool. Crap happens, right?! Just a warning, Alessa is a major !#$% ;) Just the way we like 'em, right?! hahaha (hugs) much love, gal! ;)
Ash- Oh my god! I made you giggle out loud!! (dances around for joy) I'm so happy! I love when I'm able to make people laugh, or feel any kind of emotions at all from stories. One of the rarest joys in my life!! hahah Thank you so much. I hope I can keep making you laugh! ;)
Yomegagurl01- Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! I'm so happy you like it. ;)
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Chapter 5: Weekend in LA: part 2!
----(the next day, Friday)
"So, are you gonna talk, or are you just going to stare at your burger the whole time?" Vegeta asked, breaking the ten minute period of silence.
Across from him at their normal booth, Bulma sighed. "I don't know what I'm gonna say to him."
"If I were you, which by the way I'm very glad I'm not," he started.
"Ha. Ha. Very cute," she replied sarcastically.
He smirked. "Well, you have horrible taste in men."
"Present company excluded, huh?"
"Of course."
She laughed. "So, what would you do then?"
He took a quick sip of his soda, and he was about to answer her when he spotted Yamcha walk in. "Looks like you get no advice, woman."
Bulma was confused. "What do you mean?" She turned in her seat to spot what her friend was looking at. "Oh my god! He's here. What do I do?!"
"How the hell should I know?!"
"You were just about to tell me what you thought I should do! Spill it, Vegeta!"
"Bulma?"
The blue haired girl lifted her head and stared up into Yamcha's eyes. Her demeanor turned cold instantly, and she glared at him. "What do you want?"
Yamcha sighed, shifting his gaze to the other person occupying the booth, and he sputtered, "Vegeta?! What are you doing here, and with my girlfriend?!"
"He's my friend, Yamcha," Bulma cut in on Vegeta's behalf. "We have a couple classes together, and I work at his father's shop."
"You work with my roommate?"
"You might notice this stuff if you paid any attention to me," she yelled back at him. "But that's too much to ask, huh?! You stood me up last night! Why? Out partying with the guys as usual!? Come on, Yamcha. Give me your best excuse," she hissed.
Her boyfriend looked around at all the people watching them and swallowed. "Can we go outside and talk about this, Bulma? Please?"
She pushed her tray aside and stood up. "Fine! I'll be right back, Vegeta."
Vegeta simply shrugged. "Take your time."
----
"What the hell was that?" Yamcha demanded. "You're spending time with my roommate?!"
Bulma crossed her arms, a trait she'd picked up from Vegeta, and tapped her foot. "Don't you dare lecture me on who I spend my time with. I wouldn't have time to spend with anyone if you'd just pay a little attention to me."
"Look. I'm sorry about last night. I meant to call, but Hunter and Jon."
"Hunter and Jon! Hunter and Jon aren't your girlfriends," she shouted, cutting him off. "Do you even care about what happens to me? What if Vegeta had left the shop yesterday while I was waiting in the dark for you, or if I had benn closing the shop by myself? I could've been mugged, raped, possibly killed because you didn't have the balls to pick up your cellphone!"
Yamcha stepped forward and rested his hands on her upper arms. "Babe, I'm so sorry. You have no idea. It's just that."
"What?" She cut him off again.
He sighed. "My new friends have been taking up all my time, and I'm sorry. Give me another a chance, B. We've come too far for something like this to break us, baby. I love you," he whispered, leaning closer to her.
Bulma looked him straight in the eye. "Okay."
"You're the best," he told her before he kissed her. "Monday night when I get back from the camping trip, we're going out to the most expensive place I can find, and I'm gonna make it up to you," he told her.
"Monday night," she said slowly. Had she missed something?
"Yeah! I should be back around 5, that gives us plenty of time to get ready for our big night."
"Oh, yeah. Of course," she said. It felt like someone was trying to claw their way out of her head all of a sudden. "Ya know, I'm not feeling too well right now, Yamcha. I think I'm gonna go back to my dorm and lie down before my next class."
"You want me to walk you there?"
She gave him a weak smile. "No, I'm just gonna go get my stuff from the table and go."
"Okay. We're leaving tonight so you wanna come see me off?"
"I have work. Call me before you leave."
He smiled and kissed her again, though Bulma was less then enthusiastic about it this time. "I will call you later then! Bye, love!"
She watched him run off toward his dorm with a stinging sensation in her eye. Didn't he hear a word she had just said to him? Wrapping her arms around her body, she walked back into the noisy cafeteria alone. Vegeta was sitting in the booth reading a book as usual. He looked up at her when she sat down.
"You look like your about to cry," he observed. When he saw her shoulders slump foward and heard her start to gasp, he quickly packed his things in his bag and stood up. "Come on. Let's get out of here," he coaxed, helping her to her feet and grabbing her bag from the seat.
----
Vegeta was lounging back on Bulma's bed, watching the news and waiting for her to come back from the bathroom. He'd spent the better part of an hour listening to her rant about Yamcha and cry uncontrollably, which was not a very comfortable thing for him to sit through! Then, she'd fallen asleep on her bed after taking a couple advil, leaving him to catch up on some reading. Now, he was just waiting for her to get ready so they could go to work.
Next to him on a little night stand, her cellphone started ringing. He curiously glanced at the caller id. "Hmm." He grabbed it and answered it. "What do you want?"
"Vegeta?!"
"18."
"What are you doing with Bulma's cellphone?"
He frowned. She sounded funny. "Have you been crying, too?" He demanded.
"Oh please!"
"You just sniffled," he accused. "Either you have a cold, which is very hard to believe considering the extremely hot climate, or you've been crying."
"So what if I have been? What do you care?"
Bulma walked in, fresh from a shower and fully dressed in jean shorts and tee shirt. Her hair was still wrapped up in a towel, though. "Who are you talking to on my cellphone?" The endless possibilites were enough to scare her.
"It's just 18," he told her, handing the phone over.
She grabbed it from him. "Hey, girl! How's the trip going?"
"Horrible. I need to find a way back there. This was a huge mistake."
"What happened?" Bulma asked, pushing Vegeta's feet out of the way so she could sit down on her bed.
"I went to get us some drinks from this little shop just off the beach, and when I came back, Chad was flirting with these two bimbos, and they were hanging all over him."
"Oh my god!"
"It gets better. I was so angry that I shook up the soda and sprayed all three of them with it and stormed off the beach after throwing the empty bottles at Chad's head."
Bulma covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. "Sounds like you've had about as much fun as I've had since yesterday."
"Why? What happened with you?"
Vegeta snapped his fingers and pointed to his watch. "Shit, 18. I have to finish getting ready for work. I'll call you back later, okay?"
"That's fine. If I don't answer it's probably because I'm spray another set of helpless bimbos with soda again."
"Noted. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
----
Business was crazy at the record shop. They had gotten there at 5, and neither one of them had had the chance to sit down until close to 8:30, when all the customers seemed to disappear. Bulma plopped down on the arm of the chair Vegeta was sitting in and groaned. She still felt like crap from earlier.
"God, that was nuts! I've never seen that many people in here at one time before," she said.
Vegeta yawned. "Order us a pizza or something. I'm starving."
She scrunched up her nose. "We had pizza yesterday. Chinese?"
"Fine, whatever, I don't care. I just need some food."
She grabbed a folder filled with flyers and menus for all the local places that delivered and shuffled through them until she found the one she wanted. "I'm gonna go call from the back. The music's too loud out here."
"Knock yourself out," he mumbled,pushing her off the chair. Thankfully, she didn't fall, just stumbled a little.
She punched him in the shoulder before walking away. "Ass!"
He chuckled. "What was that?"
Bulma turned around and flicked him off before closing the door to the back room. Vegeta shook his head. Sometimes he realy wished she weren't taken, but with the way her boyfriend kept messing up, he might just get his chance. Behind him, the front door opened.
"Well, if it isn't Vegeta Ouji, love of my life."
Vegeta felt his blood begin to boil at the sound of the familiar voice, but he managed to play it cool. He turned around slowly. "If it isn't Alessa Palmiro, the bane of my existence," he countered. "What do you want?"
A very pretty brunette with emerald colored eyes and a revealing, low cut dress walked over and leaned against the counter. "Still angry with the world I see," she laughed.
"I'm gonna ask you one more time before I kick you out: what do you want?"
She gave him a pouty look. "I drove all they way from LA to accompany you on your trip home, and this is the thanks I get?"
"Hey, Vegeta, I ordered your usual," Bulma said, walking back toward the front of the store. "I hope you don't mind."
Alessa shot her a dirty look. "And who is this?"
Vegeta opened his mouth to speak, but he was beaten to the punch by Bulma. "The names Bulma. I'm Vegeta's girlfriend," she said, extending her hand to Alessa. "You are?"
Vegeta's ex glared at Bulma's hand. "Well, isn't this lovely," she mused. "I had no idea you were getting so desperate, Vegeta. I mean, come on. She's just some little country girl. Just look at those clothes."
Bulma narrowed her eyes. She'd heard enough of their earlier conversation to figure out that this was Alessa, but she hadn't expected the girl to be this big of a bitch! She put her hand down. "Sorry, I left my hooker outfit back in the barn, but I see you have yours," she shot back. "Oh and, didn't I see that dress in the window of Express like two years ago? Hardly retro, sweetie."
Vegeta shook himself from 'la la land' and stepped inbetween them before it got ugly. "Just get out of here," he told Alessa.
"Fine, but this is far from over. I'll be seeing you at your parents house later tonight, Vegeta."
"I'll be seeing you there as well, Alessa," Bulma said, waving at her as she stormed out of the shop.
"What just happened here?" Vegeta asked.
"I'm your girlfriend, and we're leaving for your parents house tonight," she told him, with a quick pat on his shoulder as she walked behind the counter. "We're gonna need to swing by the mall. I have some major shopping to do."
"Why the sudden change of mind?"
She smiled at him. "You helped me out with Yamcha, so I'm gonna help you out with Alessa. Besides, I don't want to spend the entire weekend by myself, and we need to find a way to rescue June from Chad."
"Fine, let's just close now and get this weekend over with," he told her.
----(now a little segment I'd like to call, 'Elswhere in the world of "You Stole the Rain"!' Here, we check up on, and introduce, past and future characters. ;-) enjoy!!!)----
----Lily Lake, Pennsylvania----
Chichi sighed contently and snuggled into her husband's arms. It was their 10 year anniversy, and Goku had made sure everything was perfect tonight. The children were spending the night at Radditz and Ausrin's house, so they had the house all to themselves. "I love you, Goku."
He smiled, kissing her cheek. "How much?"
"More than anything."
"Really? Then I guess you deserve this." He reached behind him and picked up a small giftbag and dangled it in front of her.
"What is this?!" She asked, her eyes lighting up.
"Open it and see." She smiled excitedly and pulled the tissue paper out of the bag. Then, she reached inside and pulled out a small, worn velvet box just big enough for a ring or a set of earrings. "I remember how much you loved it," he whispered. "I've been holding onto it for a while now." Chichi gave him a puzzled look, but he simply smiled and nodded his head toward it. "She would have wanted you to have it."
Inside the box was a thin silver band set with tiny pink stones. She gasped, covering her mouth with her other hand. "Goku, this was your mother's wedding ring!" She had thought Radditz was the owner of it now. The last time she had seen it was when Goku showed it to her during high school, before they got engaged.
"Yep," he responded happily, taking the box from your hand. He picked up the ring and slid it onto her ring finger. She was surprised at how perfectly it matched her engagment ring. "I've been meaning to get us wedding bands for a long time now, though I've always known I'd be giving this to you," he told her. They both had wanted to do things on their own with no help from anyone, so they had never been able to afford wedding bands. He pulled out another box, a newer one. Inside was a thicker, silver band, meant for him. "Sorry it's taken me so long," he laughed.
"Oh, Goku!" Chichi kissed him passionately, wrapping her arms around his neck, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I love you so much!"
"I love you too, Chi."
"Wait a sec! Does this mean what I think it means?" She asked him, pulling away slightly.
He grinned. "Yep. I got the business loan, and Son Brothers' Construction Company has it's first big job next week."
She squealed happily and launched herself at him, knocking him over. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Thanks, Chi!"
----Philadelphia, Pennsylvania----
A blue haired young woman unlocked the door to the apartment she shared with her boyfriend. It had been a very long day for her. She walked into the small foyer and flicked on the lights. Well, she tried to, but they wouldn't work. Another one of her boyfriend's silly jokes, or an actual power outage? He was always doing stupid stuff like this and jumping out to scare the crap out of her! Sg shook her head with a smile.
"Krillin? Are you home?" She called out.
"In the kitchen, Marron."
She sighed with relief and shut the door, making sure to lock all three deadbolts. "What are you doing?" She took off her jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair. "Something smells great!"
Marron finished by kicking off her high heels before she went into the kitchen. "Hey, what's up with the," she stopped, her breath catching in the back of her throat. "Lights."
Krillin grinned, pulling out a chair for her to sit down in. She wiped a tear from her eyes and walked toward the small table, overflowing with roses and candles. "Have a seat, love."
She nodded dumbly and sat down in the chair he was holding out for her. "What's all this?"
He walked over to the counter. "The lights were my doing. I took out all the lightbulbs," he admitted with a laugh. "But this," he started, picking up a plate and setting it in fron of her. "This is no joke."
"Oh my god." Marron picked up the diamond ring and shot up from the chair, knocking it over. "Oh my god!"
Her boyfriend knelt down, taking her hand. "Will you marry me?"
"Of course I will, Krillin!"
----Ney York City, Ney York----
"I hate this weather!" Jayson complained, loading another box into the back of a moving truck. "How can you stand it?"
His girlfriend giggled. "Poor little Cali-boy, can't stand a little chill, and it's only the end of September! What are you gonna do when it starts snowing?"
He grabbed the last box. "I'm staying indoors!"
Karra jumped down from the curb and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Good! I'll keep you warm," she offered cheerfully.
He kissed her forehead and held her close. "I can't believe we're really gonna have our own place," he said.
"Me either! I can't believe we spent the entire summer in the dorms."
"I'm glad we did."
Karra grinned. "Why's that, 17?"
Laughing, he bent down and kissed her pasionately. "I never would have meant you."
"You're too good with words," she said, kissing him quickly before running to the passenger side door. "Let's go! I can't wait to move into our new apartment!"
"Okay, okay. I'm coming!" He walked slowly to the driver's side, smiling contently as he looked in through the window at the woman inside the truck. She was absolutely beautiful, and he'd never felt this way before about anyone!
Karra looked up at him. "Are you gonna get in, or just stand out there and freeza that tan off your body?" She teased.
'This is the love of my life,' he thought, opening the door and jumping in. "Okay, lets go."
----London, England----
"Kir!"
Akira glanced up from her the vanity and waved at her agent, Natalia Vasco. "What's going on, Nat?"
The dark haired Italian woman glared at her. "What's going on?! Dio, Akira, we have a very serious problem on our hands, and you just sit there all laid back like!"
Her seventeen year old client just stared at her. "What are talking about?"
"Kristjana Joves just backed out of her interview with Fashion Weekly, and guess who they want to take her place?!"
"Zoe," Akira joked, pointing the makeup artist next to her.
Natalia glared at her. "You! Gretta McCarthy wants to interview you in ten minutes!"
"Bollocks! You know I'm not allowed any international publicity, Nat. My mother'll have a bloody fit."
"I already cleared this with her. She said your free to the the interview if you want."
Akira smiled and jumped off the stood. "Great! Let's go."
Natalia grabbed her by the arm. "You need to change, and Zoe, we need to get her out of this runway makeup and into something more subtle. Can you get that done in five?"
"I'm the best makeup artist in the room, and you have the nerve to even bother asking me if I can do it in five minutes? Have you gone nuts?! I'll have her done three!"
"Perfect, I'm gonna go find you something amazing to wear, Akira."
"Hold on. I'm gonna be myself. Just bring me my bag. I'll choose something."
Ten minutes later, Akira was walking into the penthouse suite on the top floor of the Great Eastern Hotel where all the media was waiting to snap pictures and ask endless questions about working with the top-notch designers of the fashion world. She knew she was walking into a potentially make or break situation. Her career could very well be ruined if she messed up one little word, but she was confident in herself. If she messed up, she'd deal with it. There was no way she was going to act like some brainless barbie doll.
"Ah! You must be Akira Teagan," a short, blond woman asked. She had thick, dark brown glasses on, covering her green eyes, and she was about forty years old, and desperately trying to hide it by dressing like she was twenty again.
Akira shook her hand and smile. "It's nice to meet you."
Gretta smiled back and motioned toward a set of french doors. "I managed to snag that rooftop patio for our interview. The view is amazing," she said, leading the way out of the room.
"London is an amazing city."
"Well, that's not really why we're here, now is it? Sure the city's nice, but my viewers are more interested in the models and the clothes."
Akira took a seat across from her at a tiny, cast-iron table with a glass top and padded seats. "Do models cancel on you often?"
"Sometimes. It seems that Miss Kristjana Joves thinks she's too far above me to do a simple little interview." She pulled out a recorder and placed it on the table between them, turning it on before she retracted her hand. "Okay. This is Gretta McCarthy for Fashion Weekly, and I'm here with up and coming model, Akira Teagan. Shall we just get the basics over with, Akira?"
"Sounds good to me. Lets see. I'm seventeen, just graduated from school."
"You're birthday must be very close to the cut off dates for you to be graduated already," Gretta cut in, opting for Akira to elaborate.
She smiled. "I was skipped when I was seven, mostly my mother's doing. Schooling was very important to my parents."
"What made you decided to take this path in life?"
"My mother is an old friend of Elie Saab, whom I was primarily modeling for in today's show. They go way back. He asked me to model for him one day, and I decided to give it a go," she replied.
"And this was what, your second, third show?"
Akira laughed. "Oh, no. I've been modeling since I was fourteen for Elie everytime he does a show in or around London."
"Really?"
"Yeah, normally I'm pretty dressed up, and you can't tell who I am," she explained. "But tonight, he really let me shine. I'm very grateful. It was bloody amazing of him, and it caught the attention of the other designers. They kept calling me after the rehearsal runs yesterday, and I got to model one dress from everyone's collection."
"That's very rare. You must be extremely happy."
"I am. I got to work with Christian Dior, Anne Valerie Hash, and Donatella Versace, so today was pretty amazing for me."
----
the end of this chapter. ;-) Now, you're all wondering where and when Krillin, Jayson(17), and Akira are going to make their grand entrances, huh?! hahaha Jayson will probably be around, since he's June's brother and is orignially from California, the others won't be around for a while, but we'll check in on them from time to time, promise!!!
next time: Weekend in LA: part 3! ;-) Bulma and Vegeta arrive at the Ouji family estate ( the one in LA, that is ;) hahaha. Some details from Yamcha's camping trip, June get's saved from hell, and Alessa gets jealous.
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PANDORA ;)
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Please, review!
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