Vegeta began to stir after a while, his eyes focusing and landing on a sea of blue. He frowned, glaring at the dozing girl at his bedside. There was the slightest bit of drool leaking out of her mouth and her fluffy curls had depleted into a more conservative, wavy mane. Before Vegeta curbed his thoughts he noticed that she actually looked good with normal looking hair. As though reaching toward a flame he gently grazed a lock of her hair, snorting with disdain once he came to his senses. "Fool." He growled hoarsely. Though his body was still in a considerable amount of pain he finally felt well enough to leave the bed. Smirking in Bulma's direction he slyly slipped out of the sterile infirmary.
Sometime later Bulma woke with a jerk, rubbing her eyes in confusion as she looked out the room. Her neck hurt from sleeping in an awkward way and she could tell by the dim light it was dark outside. "How long was I asleep in here..." She mumbled to nobody in particular. She let out a shrill squeal upon realizing Vegeta was nowhere to be found. She stood up so quickly the chair screeched against the floor. "Vegeta..." she growled out, stomping out of the infirmary.
A quick canvas of the area deduced that he was somewhere outside and likely training. She shook her head in disbelief, amazed even he could be so stubborn. She froze as she heard the kitchen door slam and heavy footsteps enter the house. 'I hope Vegeta is ready because I am really going to tear him a new one.' She glared towards the kitchen as the sweaty Saiyan appeared, shirtless as he gulped down a gallon of water. He sneered in her direction, enjoying her obvious disdain. "Vegeta!" She snapped, her arms straightened at her sides. Vegeta chuckled.
"I enjoyed escaping your presence. Go back to sleep." Bulma ignored the comment and wagged a finger in his direction as she stalked toward him.
"You're still injured! Just what are you doing trying to train, I told you that you needed to rest!" Vegeta eyed the angry woman with amusement.
As she neared him he grabbed onto the neck of her dress with ease and pulled her close. Bulma squeaked, staring into the dark cold eyes of the Saiyan prince. "You were at my bedside when I woke up. Why is it that? You always attempt to dress my wounds and make me comfortable even though my superior Saiyan genes will heal quickly."
"..." He was answered with silence, shock and fear splayed on the blue haired woman's face. Without a second thought Vegeta crushed the woman's face to his own, swallowing her lips in a swollen kiss. Her eyes wide for a moment Bulma just existed, neither fighting nor complying with the kiss. Her mind raced to make sense of it, was Vegeta really kissing her? After a moment her arms weakly swatted against Vegeta's form as she pried away from him. He let go and she tumbled backward, sprawling onto the floor.
It wasn't so much that she hadn't liked it. If she had truly felt selfish she may have indulged the Saiyan in his feverish kiss. But she was with Yamcha. She was Yamcha's girlfriend. She couldn't. She could not kiss anyone else, least of all the Saiyan prince who lived in her house. She glared up at him, her mouth slack with awe. She scrambled to her feet, smoothing out the burnt-orange dress she usually wore. "You-You.."
"I what?"
"You can't DO that, Vegeta!" Her voice was like a mother scolding their child for something they knew not to do. "You-You can't KISS someone who's with somebody else! It doesn't work that way!" It was evident Bulma wasn't angry so much as she was bewildered. It all seemed like a game to Vegeta, still clad in tattered bandages, cuts and scrapes exposed.
"When will you learn I do as I please?" Fear flashed in Bulma's eyes at that statement and Vegeta's face sobered up. "It's too easy to rile you humans up over things that don't matter. Consider that a thank you, Onna. It's probably the only one you'll ever get." Bulma watched the Saiyan turn on his heel as exited the room. He stopped for a moment, casting a blank look in her direction. "Your hair looks better when it's not styled. When it's just straight." Bulma's eyes widened as the stout man disappeared into his room. Had Vegeta just complimented her? Had Vegeta just kissed her? Bulma slumped down to the floor, the back of her hand pressed to her tingling lips.
Goku eyed his friend as she picked at a blade of grass. Something was up with her and he could tell by her change of hair style. Her turquoise afro was gone, replaced by pin straight locks past her shoulders. A fringe of bangs dipped beneath her eyes as she avoided his gaze. A change in Bulma's hair signified a change in Bulma, but what did it mean? "Bulma..." Goku started knowingly. Her picking grew more frantic as she gave her friend a sheepish smile.
"I guess I just need to say it..." Goku smiled at this, bracing himself for potentially bad news. "Uh.. Well.. Goku-Vegetakissedme!" She blurted the confession out, her face burning under her friend's incredulous stare.
"He WHAT?" Goku's hand shot to the back of his head in discomfort. "Gee Bulma, did you kiss him back?" Goku's innocent inquiry made Bulma's mouth fly open.
"Kiss him b- GOKU." He winced as she wailed back at him.
"Okay, okay. Had to ask..." Bulma gave a hard sigh.
"You know I'm with Yamcha. Besides, I'd barely even call us friends. I just... Don't know what to do. Yamcha and I argue enough over Vegeta." Goku's face became serious now as he eyed the other Saiyan training in the air a ways off.
"I see. Well ya gotta tell Yamcha. Honesty is the most important thing two people can share. I think he'll be upset... Just not necessarily at you." Bulma grimaced.
"Is it wrong I don't just kick him out? Yamcha insinuates that that would be the 'good girlfriend' thing to do... But he just doesn't have anyone else." Goku nodded after a moment.
"I think we both see it, the tiny, ailing ember of good that's left in Vegeta that needs to be stoked. It's in there, deep down." He faced Bulma with a smile. "You just have to be honest and everything will be okay with you two." Bulma felt comforted by Goku's unknowing wisdom.
The two turned as a familiar ki signature was approaching, Yamcha no doubt. Goku cast Bulma a worried glance and he turned to exit. "Just be honest, it'll be okay." Bulma swallowed as Goku greeted Yamcha and left with haste. Yamcha beamed at the sight of his girlfriend with a new hairstyle. She always looked good to him regardless of what she wore or how she did her hair. She smiled at her boyfriend who just frowned, reading her unrest easily.
"What is it Bulma." He asked his voice level but his hands shaking. She grabbed them quickly, smiling.
"Nothing! I mean... it's something but everything's alright!" Her demeanor was an even bigger cause for alarm as her eyed her seriously.
"Bulma..."
"I'm just gonna be honest. Because I love you and we've known each other too long to not be honest, right! SO here goes... Vegeta kissed me! And I told him he couldn't do that and we'r-" Bulma's explanation trailed off as Yamcha walked around her and took to the sky.
"Yamcha- NO!"
Vegeta snarled as he felt the much weaker ki signature approach him but he didn't turn to receive them. Without warning Yamcha launched his fist back and socked Vegeta as hard as he could in the face. It was harder than he initially expected but it wasn't necessarily strong, at least to him. Vegeta was bearing his teeth now, his own fist trembling at the fact such a weak fighter had the insolence to assault him.
"Vegeta if you hurt him I'll never build another thing for you AGAIN." Vegeta didn't take his dark eyes off of Yamcha, they glistened with malice.
"I can tell by the way she walks you are not man enough to satisfy her." Yamcha glared at Vegeta in confusion.
"Wha-"
"Thank her." Vegeta flung an arm toward Bulma without looking at her. "The only reason I haven't smeared you along the ground like paste is because I could not deal with the witches constant whining, now go." Vegeta hissed, his eyes dangerous little slits.
"Yamcha-" Bulma called for him, her voice shaking.
Yamcha dropped to the ground his face set and serious as he grabbed onto Bulma's arm and led her inside away from the Saiyan. "I'm SO tired of him disrespecting me- Disrespecting YOU." Bulma shrank at Yamcha's words, she wasn't used to seeing him so angry. He was trembling and pacing back and forth. "Bulma I know you want to try and find the good in a guy like that but there isn't any! He's rotten, cruel, selfish, mean, a murder-"
"Stop." Bulma held up a hand and let out a tired sigh. "Let's not worry about it anymore, okay! Let's worry about us. Tonight. A date. Let's go on a fucking date Yamcha and just take our minds off of everything." She put on a large smile to try and hide how tired she was. Yamcha frowned.
"I guess it would be good for us... Let's do it. Tonight, I'll pull some strings tonight." Yamcha placed a hesitant kiss on Bulma and turned to exit. Bulma sighed, tension flowing out of her body. The past few days had been a tiring mess. As she began to decide what she would wear to dinner she heard a figure approach, a scowling Vegeta with arms crossed.
He smirked at Bulma's dark glare and prepared to prod her into an argument. "Keep your weakling on a leash or I swear I'll-"
"You'll what!" Bulma let out in a severe hiss. Vegeta frowned. The argument didn't seemed to be taking it's regular course into a battle of wits. He had never actually seen Bulma so angry. "It's all just a game to you, right!? It's fun to mess things up for everyone around you!? Isn't IT?!" Vegeta simply stared as the girl continued scolding him. "You stay away from me, Vegeta." Vegeta almost commended her for holding such a dangerous note in her voice. He watched as she stomped off into her room. Again he began feeling it. Another strange emotion. Regret? 'Why should I regret anything besides being shackled up in the same vicinity as that wailing harpy?' He stormed outside, determined to take his mind as far from Bulma as he could.
"So we have loaded bases and Tojo hit's a grand slam, and in the 9th inning we- Bulma?" Yamcha eyed his girlfriend carefully. In their years together he had come to know her well, maybe better than she even knew herself. And he just knew she wasn't listening. He watched her swirling her straw around in a tall glass, her eyes focused on something else. She was so damn pretty! She had curled her turquoise hair into blue ringlets and worn her old but seemingly new navy, turtle neck mini dress. She looked as good as she did when she wore it to the tournament all those years ago. Yamcha sighed, his internal conflicts beginning to surface.
'I care for him. Cook for him. Give him a house to stay in, equipment to train with... Why can't he just like me? Even a little? Why does it bother me so much? Why do I need his approval...' "Bulma?"
"Ah, gomen. What were you saying?" Yamcha grimaced.
"...Nothing. I take it you're done with dinner? You have taken a bite for a while... You're just kind of... Playing with it." Bulma's face grew hot as she quickly shoveled a piece of steak in her mouth.
"Ah, no it's great! Honest." Yamcha winced.
"What do you say we head on back to your place?" Bulma just nodded as she gathered her things.
The road back to her home in silence. Bulma simply didn't have anything to say. She was physically and emotionally drained. Yamcha however seemed to be much deeper in thought, agonizing over a choice he needed to make. Bulma turned with a tired smile as she neared her doorway. "I appreciated dinner, Yamcha. I appreciate you." Yamcha attempted to smile as he pulled Bulma close to him in a passionate kiss. He pulled away from her and stared into her face, searching. Bulma giggled a little. "Gee, Yamcha what was that for!" He was silent for a moment.
"I had to, I had to know."
He smiled sadly as he brought the back of her hand to his lips."I love you, Bulma Briefs. I'm in love with you and that's why- Why we have to break up!" He finished the statement with a firm voice as he felt Bulma's awe struck stare.
"Wha- Kami Yamcha! What are you talking about!"
"I've been feeling it, especially as of late, Bulma. I don't think you're in love with me anymore..."
"That's not true!" She was frowning now, her heartbeat thudding. She grabbed Yamcha's hand and peered into his face. "Is this about Vegeta?" 'Yes.'
"No." He said carefully. "I know what it's like to have Bulma Brief's be in love with me, Bulma. And that's not what this is anymore." Bulma stared, wide-eyed. She struggled to think of rebuttals to these statements but for some unknown reason, she couldn't. Certainly he wasn't right. She was in love with Yamcha, wasn't she? Wasn't she? Love or not after having a relationship for so many years she wasn't ready to be alone. Her eyes growing misty she launched herself at the broad man, sobbing into his chest.
"I'm sorry I've been a bad girlfriend- But don't quit on me now!"
Yamcha placed a large hand on the back of her head and caressed it gently. "I know you love me. We have a very special bond and I know we always will, but you're not IN love with me Bulma. That's why we have to find out what's really right." It hurt for Yamcha to let go of the woman he had always believed would be the one. He would kill and be killed for her and certainly wanted to be with her.
"I understand." Bulma replied after an agonizing moment. Yamcha placed large hands on Bulma's delicate shoulders.
"The last thing I can stand to do is hurt you, Bulma. You know-" He sucked in a large breath and continued on. "I love you and I want you to be happy. I can't make you completely happy." Bulma gave a wounded smile, tears flicking out of her eyes as she nodded.
Yamcha sighed and pulled his close friend and lover close to him, inhaling the scent of her hair. Sweet pea, like always. "I promise this is for the better, ok?" He felt her face nod against his chest. "I'm gonna go, if you need me you can always call.
"Ok Yamcha, it's okay. Just go." Yamcha gave Bulma a reassuring squeeze. It hurt to watch her hurt, but he knew she'd be just fine. And better off without him. Bulma shut the door behind him and just watched it for a moment in disbelief. In hindsight she should've seen it coming but she was blindsided now, and terribly lonely