Starting an Adventure

Bulma finished packing her case of capsules and put it in her pocket. She felt guilty doing this to her parents, but there was no other way. She sat down at her desk, pulled out a piece of paper, and wrote a note to them:

Mom and Dad,

I'm sorry that I left without telling you, but I knew you wouldn't let me go. Don't worry about me – I'll be fine. I have all the capsules I'll need. I just can't stand being cramped in a classroom all summer. I need adventure. I can take care of myself. I'll be home as soon as I've made my wish. You know, the one with the dragon balls.

Love you and see you soon,

Bulma

The blue-haired sixteen year-old stood up and grabbed her dragon ball off the desk and ran downstairs. Her parents were out of the compound; her mother was grocery shopping and her father was negotiating a merger with a smaller company in East City. It was the perfect opportunity to leave home and find all the dragon balls so she could make her wish. She finally found a brief reference to the dragon balls and the legend that went with them in the book she found in her family's library. After that she had spent every moment of spare time analyzing the dragon ball, finally finding that it had a unique form of energy that could be detected. After she found that out, all she had to do was create a device that could locate that energy signal at any distance and she was good to go. It took a few months to get it just right, but she was finally ready, and not a day too soon. She was supposed to start her summer courses the next day. She felt the dragon radar in her pocket as she walked out the front door and smiled. She really was a genius.

She picked one of her capsules out of her case, pushed the plunger, and threw it in the driveway of Capsule Corporation. She looked over her shoulder at the large domed building and frowned slightly. She shook off her anxiety and got into the driver's seat of her car. She pulled out of the driveway and, without another backward glance, drove off to begin her first solo adventure. She had one dragon ball, which meant the other six were scattered across the globe. With her available vehicles, it probably wouldn't take long to gather them all, summon the eternal dragon, and make her wish. She giggled as she thought about the wish she was going to make with them. Forget a lifetime supply of strawberries – Bulma Brief was finally going to have the perfect boyfriend.

When she came to a stoplight she pulled her dragon radar out of her pocket and pushed the button on top. A few seconds later it made a beeping sound as seven yellow lights appeared on the grid. The one in the center was the one she had safely tucked away in her backpack. The other six were far away. The closest one was a few hundred miles southwest. The light turned green. Bulma tucked her radar back in her pocket and turned right to take the main road south out of West City.

Bulma was excited about going off on her own. It was the first time she was ever going to go anywhere without her parents. She didn't even have their approval to go on this little trip. She knew she might be in trouble when she returned home, but it would be worth the punishment. Besides, if she knew her parents, they would be too relieved to have her back safe and sound to bother with much discipline. Maybe a stern lecture at worst. She wasn't worried about the possible repercussions.

"They shouldn't worry anyway," she told herself. "I'm a martial arts expert. No one's going to be able to hurt me. I can take care of myself and I'll prove it."

It was a few minutes before Bulma grew tired of the quiet car ride. She turned the radio on and tuned to a light rock station. That would liven the drive up a little if she was going to be stuck on the road for a long time. She sang along with the songs she knew and tapped her hands against the steering wheel to the rhythm of the songs she was less familiar with. She rolled her window down and allowed the wind to blow her hair around her face, not caring in the least that it would be a tangled mess to comb out that night.

'This is great,' she thought. 'I can't wait to get my wish!'

Hours passed and the sun dipped below the horizon. The night air chilled Bulma and she rolled her window up. She checked her dragon radar and, to her disappointment, saw that it was still a long way off. She made a lot of progress that evening, but it was probably going to be another day before she reached the dragon ball. She decided to stop once she found a secluded area where she could set up her capsule house to spend the night. It was getting late and she was having trouble keeping her eyes open.

Bulma drove through a small town and stopped a few miles down the road. The area was lightly wooded and she couldn't see any buildings around. She got out of her car, capsulated it, and walked into the woods to find a clearing big enough for her capsule house. In the dark of night the forest was creepy; she heard sounds made by small, scurrying animals in the dead leaves on the forest floor, the hoots of owls overhead in the branches, the wind blowing through the foliage, and the noises of dozens of different insects. She pulled her flashlight out of her backpack when the trees grew thick enough to block out the light of the stars and moon.

'Why did I think this would be a good idea?' she thought as she spun around after hearing a particularly loud twig snapping behind her. She cast the beam of light all over but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Still, her heart was racing as she turned and continued deeper into the woods. 'I probably won't find a clearing this deep in. Maybe I should turn around.'

She shrieked when she heard an owl startle in the branch above her head and fly away. She pressed her hand to her heart and took a few deep breaths to calm down. 'Stop being so childish!' she chided herself. 'Even if there's anything big and bad out here, you could take it down. You're a martial arts expert and you have a gun. Stop worrying.' Having given herself an encouraging pep talk, Bulma rolled her shoulders back, lifted her chin, and marched deeper into the forest fearlessly. It wasn't long before she found a clearing large enough for her capsule house. She pulled her capsule case out of her pocket, picked out the capsule house, and threw it on the ground. She smiled when the little white house appeared and walked in the front door.

Looking around at the furnishings and decorations, she decided it was absolutely perfectly fitted to her taste. Most capsule houses didn't come with the furniture already included and set up, but she had access to the best products on the line, so she didn't have to worry about snagging furniture capsules along with a house capsule. Bulma sat down in one of the recliners in the living room and set her backpack on the floor next to her.

"I can't believe I'm really doing this." She marveled at her own adventurism. She really did hope her parents weren't worrying too much. No doubt they would be quite concerned for her; after all, she was only sixteen and she was traveling across the world by herself with nothing more than a case of capsules, her wits, and a little bit of cash. "I hope it won't take too long finding all seven dragon balls."

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since noon. She rose from the recliner and went to the kitchen to see what food was available. She looked first in the freezer and found a stock of frozen dinners. Not necessarily her favorite, but they were quick, easy, and edible. She pulled one out, opened the package, and put it in the microwave. While she waited for her food to heat up she took her dragon radar out of her pocket and checked to see how far the dragon ball was now. She frowned. It was such a long way off. But in another day or so she would reach it, and once she had two dragon balls she would stop having doubts about whether or not she should keep going.

After Bulma finished her dinner she went to the bathroom for a nice, relaxing bubble bath before bed. Sitting in a car all day made her feel stiff all over. She sighed contentedly as she lowered herself in the hot water. Baths were among her favorite things. During school she rarely got to take baths. She was always in too much of a hurry in the morning when she was getting ready for school, usually only have a few minutes to take a fast shower. Now that she could drive she was rarely late to school, but that didn't mean she wasn't pushing it. She couldn't remember how many times she had to sweet talk her way out of a ticket when she was pulled over for reckless driving.

When the water was lukewarm, Bulma got out of the bath and dried herself off. The clock on the wall told her it was after ten o'clock. If she wanted to get an early start in the morning she needed to get to bed. She wrapped the towel around herself and went to the bedroom. She popped open the capsule with all her clothes in it and grabbed a pink nightshirt and slipped it on over her head. Bulma wrapped her hair up in the towel and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I hope it doesn't get too lonely being by myself for however long this trip takes." Bulma, as much as she didn't like crowds, and though she didn't have many people she would consider friends, was not used to being alone for extended periods of time. She was still very close to her parents and spent most of her time at home with at least one of them. She helped her father in his lab and she would sit and talk with her mother while she was cooking dinner. Now, though, she was completely alone with no one to talk to but herself. As good a conversationalist as she was, she already knew everything she had to say.

After a few minutes Bulma unwrapped the towel from her hair and vigorously rubbed her hair with it to get it mostly dry. She threw the towel in a laundry hamper and went back to the bathroom to comb out her hair and braid it. She normally didn't like going to sleep with her hair still wet because it always looked like a bird's nest when she woke up, but if it was braided it would be somewhat controlled. Besides, who did she have to impress? She was alone and didn't plan on interacting with anyone the next day. She was going to be driving from morning until dusk, judging by the reading on the dragon radar.

She looked herself over in the mirror and nodded at her appearance. In her nightshirt and with her hair in a braid, she looked younger than she was. The curves of her body were hidden well, but it didn't matter. She turned the light off on her way out of the bathroom and returned to the bedroom. She slid under the covers and fell asleep almost instantly.

She was walking through a strange corridor. She didn't think she had ever been there before. The walls and floor were all metal, and the air was frigid. The floor froze her bare feet as she walked. The way was illuminated with dim fluorescent lights. Not very welcoming. Almost like a prison, but there were no cells. On either side she would occasionally pass metal doors. Each one had a keypad next to it, so she couldn't go through them because she didn't know the entry codes.

Rather than wondering where she was, she kept walking. It was hard to tell, but she thought the corridor was constantly curving to the right, as if the structure of the building she was in was circular and she was walking along its perimeter. She stopped when she heard someone scream. Looking around, she didn't see anyone. She was alone in the corridor. There was another scream – more like a roar – of agony. It was difficult to determine which direction it came from. She started running through the corridor, wanting to help if someone was injured.

"Hello?" Bulma called. Her voice echoed. The sound was jarring even to her. "Hello? Is someone there? Do you need help? Where are you?"

She skidded to a halt, nearly losing her footing on the cold metal floor, when she passed a door that was open. The light inside was more like a red glow. She peeked inside and saw a teenage boy lying on the floor. At first she thought he was unconscious (or worse, dead), but he slowly rose to his hands and knees. His whole body was trembling with the effort. It was only then she noticed the other occupant of the room. He was tall and elegant. His hair was in a long braid and he was wearing the same strange armor as the boy, except he didn't have a full bodysuit. He was attractive, but something in his eyes told her he couldn't be trusted.

"What's going on here?" she asked. Neither of the men looked her way. Instead, the one who had been floored stood, stumbled backwards a few steps, then righted himself and raised his arms defensively. The taller man moved into a similar pose. She knew they were about to fight.

"Do you really want to continue this, monkey?" asked the tall man. His voice, so smooth and deep with a heavy accent, seemed to perfectly match the rest of him. She wondered who he was. For that matter, who was the other man?

She stepped into the room, careful to keep a safe distance from the fighters. She moved around them, keeping her back pressed against the wall, until she could see the other fighter's face. The first thing she noticed was his severe widow's peak that rose into a flame of coal black hair. It struck a chord of familiarity, but she couldn't figure out why. Her eyes drifted to his hands. What must have been white gloves were now tattered scraps of red cloth. His knuckles were bloody, but she could see the white of bone. Her stomach churned.

The battered youth made no verbal response to his opponent's taunting. There was the sound of a growl echoing through the room though. His white teeth, stained with blood, were bared in a snarl. Blood was trickling from his nose, which was crooked, swollen, and purple.

She gasped when he spit out blood and lowered himself to a crouch. He couldn't keep fighting in his condition! He had to stop, and she was about to tell him so when she heard the other man speaking again: "You can't win, monkey. You're weak. You will always be weak."

The sound of the smaller fighter's laughter chilled her to the bone, more than the cold of the air. "You're wrong, Zarbon. You're stronger than me now, but while you stay the same, I'll keep growing stronger and stronger. And someday, I will kill you."

"I'd like to see you try."

'I wouldn't,' she thought. 'Who is this kid, that he's threatening to kill someone? He has to be kidding, right? They're just sparring partners. Rivals, maybe. They seem pretty serious about it though. Man, I don't like that tall guy. He's cute, but he's a total jerk!'

She stood there, confused, when the two fighters disappeared. She screamed when a shockwave knocked her to her knees. She looked around frantically, but she still couldn't see either of them. She covered her ears with her hands as the booms of blows being exchanged resounded through the room, bouncing off the metal interior and intensifying as they increased in number. She clamped her eyes shut and prayed for it to be over soon.

Her eyes opened wide when she heard something heavy land on the floor not far from her. The thud was accompanied by a groan of pain. It was the smaller fighter. Lying on his back, looking dazed, he had to have been seriously hurt. The other fighter was still nowhere to be seen. She crawled over to him to help, but he sat up and shook his head to clear it. He had a new set of burns and cuts scattered across his legs and arms that hadn't been there before.

"I will kill you," he whispered. She didn't think the other man was supposed to hear. "Mark my words, I will kill you. While you hide behind Frieza, I will keep going into battle. I will fight the universe's greatest warriors. I will kill them all, and I will learn their techniques. Just wait. I will have my revenge." He laughed again until he started coughing up blood. He tried to raise himself to his feet, but he fell over, finally unconscious.

She was reaching out to him when the other man appeared next to them. She reared back and slammed against the wall, knocking the wind from her lungs. The tall man spat on the other fighter's face and strode out of the room. She glared at his retreating back before crawling over to the other fighter again. The spit was dripping down his cheek. If she wasn't mistaken, it was burning his skin. When she tried to wipe it off, her hand passed through his face. She was no more than a phantom to him.

"Who are you?" she asked. She felt tears streaming down her face. "Why can't I remember who you are? Why did he do this to you? Are you really a killer? You can't be! You're too young." But she couldn't deny the venom she heard in his voice. He spoke truth. He battled. He killed. And he intended to kill more. For some reason, rather than being revolted by this man, this monster, her heart broke for him.

Bulma woke with a start. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. She pulled her hands away from her face when she felt wetness. Tears. She had been crying. Why? She shook her head and looked over at the clock on the nightstand. It was 6:30AM. Time to get up if she wanted to hit the road soon. She dragged herself out of bed and yawned as she stretched her arms over her head. Her back popped and cracked with the movement.

She went to the kitchen to make breakfast. She made herself scrambled eggs, toast, and a bowl of cereal. Normally she wouldn't eat so much if her mother wasn't cooking for her, but she wanted it to last her a long time so she wouldn't have to stop too soon to eat lunch. She brewed some coffee to help her wake up a little better and sat down at the table to eat. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach and couldn't figure out why. Instead of dwelling on it, she washed her dishes and went to the bedroom to capsulate her clothes. That done, she walked to the living room, picked up her backpack, and left the house. She capsulated it, tucked it in her capsule case, and headed in the direction of the road.

The woods were much less intimidating now that she had daylight to guide her way. The leaves were thick and the light was dim, but at least it wasn't pitch black. Plus the sounds of the forest were less creepy in the daytime. She still heard animals scurrying across the forest floor and up the rough bark of the trees, but she didn't imagine them to be blood-sucking monsters. Instead, she could see they were cute little chipmunks, squirrels, and voles. Nothing to be afraid of. It didn't take her long to reach the edge of the forest, the road she had traveled on the day before in clear view. No cars were in sight. She went to the side of the road and threw her car capsule on the ground. Once the smoke cleared she climbed in the driver's seat and started down the road with the dragon radar resting in her lap for easy reference.

The road was clear for a couple hours, but once Bulma approached a large city the traffic picked up until she was crowded on all sides. She hated driving in city traffic, though she was used to it since she lived in West City, one of the largest cities in the world. She weaved in and out of lanes and around cars, not caring who she cut off so long as she got through the city as fast as she could. She knew she was a dangerous driver, but she wasn't worried. As long as no one slammed on their brakes in front of her there was nothing to be concerned about.

Someone slammed on the brakes in front of her.

Bulma shrieked as she came to a stop mere inches from the car in front of her. She shook her fist out the window and yelled a few obscenities at the driver, which she discovered was not the best idea when the driver got out of his car and stomped over to her door. He was a tall man, probably approaching seven feet, and he looked like he was made of solid muscle. His black hair was slicked back and his eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. Bulma rolled up the window, locked her door, and shrank back in her seat. Martial artist or not, she didn't want to get in a fight with that guy. He was a giant.

"This is just great, Bulma," she berated herself. "Why can't you keep your big mouth shut?"

The man knocked on her window. She turned her head and smiled nervously, but she didn't bother cracking her window open. "Yes?" she mouthed.

"You got a problem with my driving?" he yelled through the window.

Bulma forced a laugh and rubbed the back of her neck. "Nope, no problem!"

"Lucky you're a girl," she heard him mutter as he turned and went back to his car. She breathed a sigh of relief. That was close. Maybe it would be better to be more forgiving when other people drove like maniacs.

The blue-haired teenager made it out of the city nearly an hour later and merged onto a crossing interstate to head west. The dragon radar showed she was still a long way away from finding the next dragon ball, but she was definitely closer than she had been the night before. Around noon she started getting hungry and stopped at a grocery store in a small town to buy a sandwich and a drink. She took it with her on the road, not wanting to waste any time.

"I always imagined adventures being a little more exciting than this," she grumbled as she drove down the road. There wasn't much scenery. The land was mostly flat and barren, spotted with a few low ridges and bluffs every several hundred yards. Some kind of wasteland, apparently. She went through small towns and villages every now and then, but otherwise there wasn't much to see. It was boring. If she had a companion it would be a little more bearable.

The sky was orange with the sunset by the time she stopped again. Her car was almost out of gas and she wouldn't mind getting something to eat. She found herself in a tiny village that was little more than one intersection with a gas station, general store, and a few houses. While her car was being fueled she crossed the street to go to the general store and buy enough food to hold her over until she stopped for the night and got a decent meal. She bought a bag of chips and a granola bar and headed back to her car. After paying for the gas, she got in her car and checked her dragon radar. She was almost to the dragon ball. It was only a few more miles to the southwest.

Bulma pulled out of the gas station onto the main road heading west. She would have the second dragon ball by nightfall at this rate. She giggled with excitement as she turned on a side road that would take her south. Still in the barren land, she didn't expect it to be too hard to find the dragon ball. A few miles down the road she checked the dragon radar one last time. It was directly west, but there were no roads going that way. She pulled off the side of the road and capsulated her car. She was going to have to rough it for a while. She put her backpack on and started hiking.

When she heard her dragon radar start beeping she knew she was close. She felt adrenaline pumping through her veins as she rounded the corner of a bluff, half-expecting to see the dragon ball sitting on a pedestal waiting for her to find it. Of course there wasn't. She surveyed the area and spied a cave in the side of the bluff. She started toward it, her hand reaching into her pocket to pull out the dragon radar. It was probably in there. Why would it be out in the open when she could go into a creepy, dirty cave to find it? The dragon radar confirmed her theory. The dragon ball was definitely in the cave.

"Fantastic." She returned the radar to her pocket and pulled her flashlight out of her backpack. No use tripping and breaking an ankle. She had to duck to enter the cave, but inside the ceiling was high enough that she could stand. She only had to walk a few yards in before she caught a glimpse of a bright orange crystalline orb. She hastened her steps and tripped despite having the flashlight. She screeched as she fell and scraped her knee. The piercing sound echoed in the cave and woke its inhabitants. Bulma screamed and covered her head with her arms as a colony of bats flew toward her as they made their exit.

Still shaking with fear and adrenaline, Bulma stood and took the last few steps to the dragon ball and picked it up. "The five star ball! Great!" She carefully tucked the dragon ball in her backpack along with the two star ball, pausing a moment to admire their magical glow when they were put so close together. "These things are definitely real. Oh my kami, I can't wait to get my wish! This is going to be great!" All fears forgotten, Bulma raced out of the cave and ran all the way back to the road where she got her car out and started driving south.

"Where do I need to go next?" she wondered aloud. She took her dragon radar out of her pocket and pushed the button until it showed her all the dragon balls in the world. She grinned when she saw two in one place, right at the center of the screen. Her dragon balls. Only five more to go. The next closest dragon ball was far east in the mountain district. That was a long way away. She sighed, knowing it was going to be a few days on the road for this one. She would go until dinner time and then stop for the night, she decided.

"Nine days. It's been nine freaking days!" she shouted as she banged her fists on the steering wheel of her car. Bulma was tired of driving long hours by herself. She had no one to talk to and it was making her crazy. At least she had finally reached the mountains, so the dragon ball couldn't be too far away. According to the dragon radar it was fairly close to her current location. She took a deep breath to calm down and stopped her car on a mountain road. She got out of her car to stretch out and check the radar to see which direction she needed to go. She smiled when she saw how close she was to the next dragon ball. One more hour and she would have it, she was sure.

Bulma took to the road again and soon found herself driving on a dirt road cutting through a thick forested area. She spent more time looking at her dragon radar than the road to make sure she was still going the right way. She glanced up at the road and screamed when she saw a young boy standing in the road. She swerved to the right, but couldn't avoid hitting him.

"Oh no! Did I kill him?" she screamed.

The boy jumped to his feet and grabbed a pole he had slung across his back and started yelling something about a monster. Bulma was completely baffled. How could a boy that small survive being hit by a car? She watched as he cautiously approached the car and prodded it with the pole in his hands. 'What the heck is he doing?' She screamed when he picked up the car and threw it on its side.

"Ok, that's it," she growled. She opened her window and crawled out far enough to take aim with her gun and started shooting the crazy boy. She saw that she made several direct hits, but other than causing a little pain he was unfazed. "What is going on?" Bulma opened her car door and climbed out.

"Hey! Watch out for the monster!" the boy yelled to her.

"What monster?" she demanded. "That? That is my car you dweeb!"

"A what?"

"A car. Haven't you ever seen a car before?"

"No."

Bulma quirked an eyebrow. She watched with irritation as the boy again approached her car and poked it with his pole. When his back was turned to her she got a clear view of a furry brown appendage sprouting from his lower back. A tail.

"No. Way."

The boy turned. "No way what? Are you sure this thing isn't a monster? Are you a witch?"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "No, it's not a monster and I'm not a witch. I'm a girl. Is that a tail?" she asked, pointing to the furry appendage waving freely through the air.

The boy looked over his shoulder at it. "This? Of course it's a tail! Everyone has one."

"No they don't."

The boy pulled up Bulma's dress. She slapped his hand away. "What do you think you're doing you little creep!"

"Checking to see if you had a tail."

"Of course I don't! I've only met one other person who had a tail!"

"Really? That's weird." The boy stepped closer to Bulma and patted her groin with his hand.

"What are you doing!" Bulma was quickly losing patience with the boy. He was either a complete idiot or a little pervert. Maybe both.

"You said you were a girl, I was just making sure." The boy grinned. "My grandpa always told me to be nice to girls. Would you like to come to my house and have lunch?"

"Uh…" Bulma pulled her radar out of her pocket and looked at it again. The dragon ball was in the direction the boy was pointing. What could it hurt to get a free lunch and a dragon ball all in one trip? "Sure, kid. You got a name?"

"Yeah! My name is Goku. What's yours?"

"Goku? That's a funny name. I'm Bulma."

"You think my name is funny? What about yours?" He laughed as he ran on ahead of her toward his house.

"There is nothing wrong with my name!" she shouted after him.

He led her down a narrow path through the forest, all the while dragging an enormous fish behind him and chattering about things she had never heard of before. She wasn't really listening anyway. She was too caught up in her own thoughts. 'He has a tail like Vegeta did. This is unreal! Maybe he knows Vegeta! But I don't know how. They can't be from the same place. He's too happy and trusting. Still, they're the only two people I've ever met who have tails. And his hair kind of looks the same too. Maybe they're a different race, but really closely related to humans? If he's the same kind of person as Vegeta, that explains why my car and bullets didn't kill him. That kid was practically indestructible.'

Bulma nearly plowed into Goku when he stopped in front of his small house to wait for her to catch up. She stopped right before she smashed into him. "So this is your home, huh?" she asked, looking up at the little cottage. It wasn't too impressive. It was so small there was probably only one room in there. Not exactly luxury. "Where's your grandpa?"

"He died a long time ago," Goku replied. He didn't seem too upset about it.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's ok." Goku opened the door and went inside with his giant fish. Bulma followed him in and looked around. As she expected, there was only one room. One corner served as a kitchen, there was a mat for sleeping on the other side of the room, and there was a table in the center that had –

"A dragon ball!" Bulma ran over to the table and picked up the orange ball.

"Don't touch that!" Goku shouted. He ran over to her and swiped the dragon ball out of her hands. "That's my grandpa!"

"Your grandpa? Goku, this is a dragon ball. There's others, see?" Bulma took her off her backpack and opened it to show him the other two she had collected.

"Wow! You have grandpas too!"

Bulma smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. "No, Goku, they're dragon balls. There's seven of them total. When you gather them all together, you can make any wish you want and it'll come true."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Hello! Any wish you want! I'm going to wish for a boyfriend."

"That's silly."

"What do you know?" Bulma tucked her dragon balls in her backpack. She had to get him to give up his dragon ball somehow. The crazy kid thought it was his grandpa. How would she get him to part with it? Well, he did seem to be a pervert. "Tell you what. If you let me have your dragon ball, I'll let you have a little touch." She pulled up her dress, revealing her underwear to him.

"Why would I want to touch your dirty old bum?" he asked.

Bulma blushed as she dropped the hem of her dress. "It's not dirty you little monkey!"

Goku laughed. "You're funny!"

"I'll show you funny!" Bulma clenched her hands into fists. "I'll fight you for it."

The wild-haired boy stopped laughing, but he was still grinning. "Wow, really? I love to fight! How did you know?"

"That doesn't surprise me," she grumbled. "You're a lot like Vegeta."

"Vegeta? Who's that?"

Bulma sighed and shook her head. "Someone I knew a long time ago." She couldn't help the pain she felt as memories of the irritable boy flashed through her mind. She almost never thought about him anymore. She'd long since given up on him ever coming back to Capsule Corporation. He broke his promise to her. Deep down she knew all along that he probably wouldn't return. But thinking about it broke her heart all over again. It had been six years since he left her. Six years of longing for him to come home. She still missed him. She probably always would, at least a little, but she had moved on.

"Are you alright, Bulma?" Goku asked. "You look sad."

She forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. So what do you say we spar?"

"Alright! Let's do it!" Goku ran out the door and took her to a small clearing where they could fight without any obstructions.

"Ok, kid, let's see what you're made of." Bulma moved into her improved fighting stance across from him. She smirked when she saw him take a stance of his own that left virtually every area of his body unguarded. Beating him would be a breeze.

Well, she thought he would be.

"You're too short!" she complained as her kick went sailing over his head. He hardly had to duck. As her leg came around she dropped to the ground and spun around again in a sweep kick, but he hopped over her leg and shot forward. He head-butted her in the stomach, knocking the wind from her chest and her body to the ground.

'I am not going to be beaten by this pint-sized idiot!' Bulma jumped to her feet and blocked a punch aimed at her face. While Goku was still airborne she punched him in the gut and brought her elbow down on his back. He yelped as he hit the ground hard.

"Wow," Goku said as he got to his feet, "You're really good. I didn't know girls could fight."

Bulma's lip curled in a sneer. How many times had she heard that one before? "Of course they can!" She lunged at him, but he dodged her, so she grabbed his tail before he could get too far away. Her eyebrows raised when he screamed in agony.

"Not my tail! Let go of it! Let go let go let go let go!"

She released his tail and stood up with her hands on her hips. "Does it really hurt that bad?"

Goku gently stroked his tail and nodded his head.

"Huh. Vegeta never let me touch his tail so I didn't know. I guess I see why." Bulma shrugged and lowered herself into her fighting stance. "So are you ready to go?"

Pain forgotten, Goku grinned and faced off against her. Before she could take the offensive, Goku leaped forward and started a barrage of punches and kicks fast enough to keep Bulma on the defense. When she found herself backed up against a thick tree trunk, she got angry. Angry that she was blocking blows from a kid and angry that she allowed herself to give ground. While she blocked a flurry of punches with her forearm, she swung her leg and connected with Goku's small body. He was sent flying a few feet. He rolled a few times when he landed and sat up, rubbing his head.

"Ow! That really hurt."

"Well, duh, it hurts to fight." Bulma, not wanting to waste more time and tired of fighting a child, ran forward and kicked him again before he could get up. While he was still in the air she clutched her hands together and beat him down. "Do you concede?"

"Concede? What's that?"

"It means give up."

"No way! This is too much fun!"

'Great,' Bulma thought, 'He has Vegeta's endurance too. This kid is nuts.'

The fight continued. Bulma gave everything she had, used as many techniques as she could remember and use effectively against such a small opponent, and hurled insults to throw him off his game, but Goku couldn't be kept down. Every time she floored him he got up and started anew. She was panting and sweating by the time half an hour had passed, but he wasn't even winded. She wiped the sweat from her brow and glared at him.

"Don't you ever get tired?"

"Sure, when I work really hard."

"Why you little!" Bulma clenched her hands into fists and stomped toward him. "Are you saying this is easy?"

"Well, not exactly. I am really hungry. If I'd eaten before we started I would have beaten you a long time ago."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No."

Bulma wanted to be angry at him for his response. How dare he think he could defeat her! She had studied martial arts for a few years now. She was the best in all her classes. How could this hillbilly kid possibly know more than her?

As if he heard her question, Goku explained, "My grandpa taught me martial arts before he died. I still train every day. I love fighting!"

"How old are you?"

Goku rubbed his chin as he thought. He was never very good at counting, and he didn't keep track of time very well. "I'd guess I'm about fourteen."

"Fourteen?" Bulma looked him up and down. "You don't look fourteen."

"Oh well. So are we going to talk or keep fighting?"

"Kid, I got to hand it to you, you're good. I've never fought someone as strong as you." Bulma sat down on the ground. "I don't think I can keep going."

"So you concede?"

"I'll concede on one condition. Since I can't beat you for the dragon ball, how about you come with me while I collect the rest? It'll be an adventure, and I could use someone like you to help me."

"Wow! Really? You would take me with you?"

"Sure, why not?"

"That sounds great! But can we eat first?" Goku's stomach growled loudly. He grinned and rubbed the back of his head.

Bulma smiled and nodded her assent. As she followed Goku back into the house, she couldn't stop thinking about all his similarities to Vegeta. Strong, fast, naturally gifted at fighting, he had a tail, crazy hair, impossibly black eyes, and an inhuman appetite. There had to be some sort of connection between them, but she didn't know what it was, unless they really were a different race. Goku apparently didn't know who Vegeta was. She would try to figure it out later. Right now she was going to sit down, enjoy a nice meal, and then resume her search for the dragon balls.

A/N: Sorry I didn't update on schedule! I was up from the crack of dawn 'til after midnight because my sister's wedding was yesterday. So. Busy day of getting pictures taken, decorating, transporting stuff to the church, refraining from killing pushy photographers and immature groomsmen, calming down stressed out family members, crawling around on the floor looking for dropped rings... partying it up at the reception, cutting and serving cake, watching my two year-old grouch of a niece, and tearing down decorations late into the night. By the time I got home I was physically and emotionally exhausted and really not in the mood to worry about posting a new chapter. Forgive me.

At this point Bulma is still into fighting and stuff, but her selfishness is starting to show. Just an FYI, she is no longer training at the dojo. I guess I haven't made that clear in the story. The reason Bulma couldn't remember Vegeta in her dream was not because she'd forgotten him (as evidenced in the later part of the chapter), but she couldn't recognize him as a teenager and dreams are weird anyway. How could she dream about him training with Zarbon? Well, I guess there was some sort of subconscious bond between them. Does Vegeta dream about her? No. Saiyans only dream memories (and maybe the future, vaguely), and he can't access memories of her.

I've finished writing chapter 40 and I have outlines made through chapter 55 I think...somewhere in the 50s anyway. Bored with Vegeta and Bulma being separate? I know a lot of you are, but I haven't even written the part where they're reunited again. I am almost there, though. Maybe in the next chapter I write. I'm trying to keep this section of the story as interesting as possible for you. It's a very important part, and as I've said before, I will not rush through it.

Vegeta: 17
Bulma: 16