Stolen Hearts Chapter Fourteen
Sometimes fate grabs you by the collar and shouts, 'Here is your golden opportunity, make the most of it!' And we respond, 'Now how can I really mess this one up?'
How clearly we defend ourselves against all that might do us good.
An angry scream tore through the air and a small explosion quickly followed.
"Bulma! If you cannot control your emotions then you need to go right now! You can NOT practice using your spirit energy when you do not have a harness on your emotions!" said a very irate and frazzled tutor with singed eye brows as a result of Bulma's outburst.
"Fine! I don't need this stupid lesson anyway," she yelled back defiantly stomping away. The teacher growled but did not attempt to stop her. There was true power behind her uncontrolled blast, and the Princess hadn't exactly come back from her Grandmothers all sunshine and daisies. In fact, he thought she might be even more frightful.
Bulma was surprised, however, at her parents reaction to her disappearance. When she had wandered back into the palace that night she found her mother in tears running to ensnare Bulma in a tight embrace. 'Oh Thank the Gods! I was so worried, my darling little girl,' was all her mother could sob, and her father came quickly to hug her as well while Bulma simply stood dumbfounded at their rare display of love.
Maybe they didn't really detest her, Bulma marveled. At least she wouldn't be banished to her Grandmother's anytime soon.
"Bulma!" a loud call brought Bulma back to earth.
"What!" she snapped with unnecessary volume, "Oh, hey Chi, sorry I've just been on kind of a short fuse lately."
"You mean shorter then normal?"
"Heh, yeah. Very funny."
"Yea, I've realized," Chi-chi said with a roll of her eyes, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Bulma regarded her bemused for a moment, but Chichi kept her face concerned and serious.
Bulma sighed, she knew exactly what was wrong. Vegeta. She couldn't stop thinking of Vegeta. He had infected her mind so much Bulma was beginning to think he was some sort of sorcerer who put a spell on her, but she knew Elf's weren't ones to practice magic.
Why must she always long for things that cannot be? Bulma was sure that was the only reason she was absorbed by him so. It was just one of those ridiculous ambitions that the wretched soul consoles itself with, for lack of decent fair. Fates joke was not amusing.
"Why regret what cannot be?" she said quietly more to herself then Chichi.
"Regret?" Chichi said slowly with an edge of confusion, as if she had never said the word before, much less thought of it, "Sometime you are so abnormal it's maddening!" she finished in exasperation.
"Maddening. How funny you should say that," Bulma said, anger filling the spaces between her words. Chichi got the feeling she didn't think it was funny at all.
"I'm sorry, it's just sometimes I don't get you at all."
"That's surprising," Bulma replied bitterly.
"Come on, it can't be that bad."
"It can and it is! I wouldn't expect you to understand. All that fills your head is fluffy pink clouds."
Hurt crossed Bulma's only friend's face and she felt proud. She had made Chichi feel hurt, something so terribly foreign to the fortunate girl. It was an empty feeling though.
"Don't act like the world is falling apart," Bulma sighed, feeling bad now, "I'm just a little upset at a...situation."
"Who is he?" Chichi said with a knowing smile already forgetting the offense.
Bulma gaped, was she that easy to read?
"Don't act so surprised!" she giggled, "Bulma, I can count on one hand how many times I have seen a smile on your face, yet since you returned from your Grandmothers I see you smile to yourself when you think no one is looking. Now I know your grandmother isn't a great facilitator of happiness so you must have met someone else. Am I correct?"
"Oh, you think your so cleaver don't you? Maybe I just found inner peace or something," she said snickering at the absurdity of that idea.
"No, I know that smile. I get it whenever I think of Goku. It's one you can't stop even if you tried, that you don't even know you have, but is intimately associated with even the idea of that person. Now who is he?"
"I...I can't say," Bulma said turning away embarrassed that she was even considering this.
"Of course you can! You have no speech impediment."
"Chi, it doesn't matter! Don't you have some schoolwork to go do or something so you can leave me in peace?"
"Of course it matters, nothing matters more. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't try to help?"
"A good one."
"Bulma if you would just tell me!"
"Why? Just forget about it ok?"
"No, I won't let you sabotage yourself."
"Sabotage myself?"
"Yes, you are afraid of being happy."
"I'm afraid of nothing."
"Everyone is afraid of something. Why else wouldn't you take this chance?"
"Because I can't!"
"WHY?"
"Because he is an ELF ok? Are you happy? A barbaric murderous Elf!"
By this time their voiced had risen to quite a considerable level which drew many questioning eyes. Chichi sat processing this outlandish information that had been given to her, eyes widening as she did so.
"Bulma no," she said as if the world indeed was falling apart.
"Yes, do you understand now?"
"How?" Chichi gasped still acting like a stricken child.
"Urg...He saved me from these Trolls and brought me home, and I don't know. Do you think I would be like this if I knew?"
Chichi, still entirely appalled at the idea of liking an Elf, raised a skeptical eyebrow like a prig and Bulma realized she would never understand. Her nature simply wouldn't allow it. Chichi simply shook her head pityingly and took Bulma's hand.
"This is awful. Why couldn't you fall for someone normal like everyone else?"
Bulma felt ill. "Haven't you realized I am anything but normal? Nothing in my life goes the right way. Even my own heart. I have no control over it. It must have some secret abort code, but only my own private demon knows it and refuses to relinquish or reveal."
"But Elves," Chichi shivered at the thought, "They are so evil."
Bulma felt her heart grow troubled. "I know," she said, "I know that he is evil, but his beauty unmakes me, every time I think of him looking at me, I die. How can such poison be so fair? But I am no angel either. I can't think myself better."
"Poor dear," Chichi said with the sympathy Bulma hated, "You are better. I'll just have to find you someone to forget that monstrous Elf."
"Yeah, you do that," Bulma said with a despondent sarcasm that Chichi missed entirely, trotting away intent on completing her mission.
If only she could forget...just forget it all. But she wasn't one to bend to societal conformity. Pride rose in her spine like some flag of defiance. She became indignant. Who were they to say what was right or wrong? Who were they to call Vegeta evil? They do not know him. She suddenly felt defensive of him and wished Chichi was back here for her to yell at.
In her life there had been no one like him anywhere, and Bulma knew, it was impossible to deny the fact, that if he had asked she would have been his. How odd, this feeling that her life had begun at last, this change. Can people really fall so quickly?
'What's the matter with you, Bulma? Have you been too much on your own? So many things were unclear and indefinite,' she thought to herself. There are times when she caught in the silence the sigh of a faraway song. And it sung of a world that she longed to see but it was out of reach, just a whisper away waiting for her.
'I have to find him!" she thought excitedly, but quickly calmed herself. This was ridiculous. He would certainly cast her aside laughing, and she couldn't take that. Not from him.
What a pathetic idea to think that he might want her. It was over, he was gone and she had never felt so alone. She was ok before, not great but she had come to grips with her life, and now...she was even more disoriented and all the trees were bare and the streets were full of strangers. Without her the world would go on turning, full of a happiness that she had never known.
No! She wouldn't let this man hold dominion over her! The match had been set to her heart, and she could either fuel it with bitterness and doubt or she could let it burn wild and free.
Bulma chose the latter; even if once she let that fire burn free no amount of tears could ever extinguish it. No one was spared when you play with matches, but it was a chance she had to take, for she had lived too long in fear. She would walk through the fire, and try to escape the torments fate had devised for her.
But how? How could she possibly drag her already tortured soul trough that? Could she trust herself with him enough? Would she survive it if he threw her attempt back in her face? Did she really feel enough for this man she had known for barely two days to take this sort of risk?
Realization crept over her and sank home with a frightening rush.
Yes.
She felt her heart swell with courage. For the first time in her life everything was palpable, she could finally feel, and if he was the cause of it then anything was worth a try. She wouldn't be such a coward to let this chance slip away and live forever wondering if things could have been different. She would not let herself down like that. She no longer even thought of the fact he was of Elvish decent, for it mattered to her naught.
It was like Chichi said; the mere memory of him caused a smile to grace her features. The memory of his smile, his lips, his kiss…….. These smiles were too rare to ignore. There were new feelings bubbling inside her which she did not understand, but needed to discover.
She would not look greatness in the face and miss it completely. This was her only chance; finally listening to her distant heart she realized that now.
The stars were within reach and she would rise to claim them! Tonight. She didn't even know where to find him but she would search until she died, as foolish as it all seemed she was determined. People with an idea of love rarely are concerned with whether they are being foolish or not.
She swallowed up all fear and doubt for the moment. She was not going to run away this time. This was her reason to survive, so fate had better be ready for a fight.
AN: Hmmmmm so, how will our Vegeta's reaction be? And will Bulma keep her new found conviction? Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy