Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z. I believe they belong to Akira Toriyama and Fuji TV.

Betaed by: Zim'smostloyaservant and Trackula.

A Different Journey

Chapter 1

A Wish for Change

Life was just not fair, Bulma Briefs thought as she leaned on the bar in the hotel, glaring at her last sip in the drink she held. It was a nice place, as they went. A touch of art deco and with low jazz music playing from somewhere.

Not that that mattered. Her Son Goku was getting married tomorrow. Goku. Married. Before her.

"Where does he even get off! He's younger than me!" she yelled at the wolfman tending the bar. He gave her an aside glance and nodded, while still cleaning a glass with a cloth.

"I mean, some girl from ages ago shows up and demands he marries her for a promise he can't remember, and he just says yes?! Where's the dating? The engaged dating? The fights, the break ups?! The awkward clothes shopping! You can't just skip from nothing to wedding! What are we, cavemen? And her, Milk Ox girl or whatever. What kind of girl shows up and asks a guy she hasn't seen in years to marry her, eh?! For all she knows, he may be a pervert who never goes to sleep until he's gone through the motions three times every night, or something. Or he could have crippling debt. Or be a drunk. Clearly those two are not fit to decide if they should marry! Think of the children!

"It's just indecent. I mean, I found him first, and no sooner does he show up as a hunk of grade A man beef after being a pint-sized powerhouse all this time, and he gets scooped up before I can even flirt with him? And why? Because some hick girl called dibs ages ago? He didn't even know girls didn't have balls before I came along! I'm like his cool hot big sis, shouldn't I have been asked permission or something? My blessings; she's a country girl, she should be into all that stuff right? But no, right out of nowhere! I'm only in the wedding party because he asked.

"…My chichis are bigger than hers," Bulma pouted.

"Sounds like a Greek myth," the bartender remarked

"Next thing you know, space monkeys are going to invade to scam us all on real estate! That's how messed up this is. I'm going to bed. Yamcha should be back from whatever unholy bachelor party Turtle Pervert put together. Probably still better than the tea-sipping sewing circle the bride had going on," Bulma grumbled, getting off her bar stool.

"Payment?" the bartender asked. She practically stabbed his offered hand with the credit card before waking off, grumbling.

She could have pressed the right button and slept it off in her own room. But here and now she was too distracted and tipsy and pushed the wrong button.

X X X

"Yamcha! Open this door, I know you're in there! You bastard, you think I don't know that sound! While other kids got raised on cartoons, my parents gave me adult magazines waiting at the dentist! If you don't like me, it's all their fault!"

Bulma stood outside what she thought was her room door, kicking at it with a foot contained by a broken high-heeled shoe. Finally the door opened, and an unfamiliar face warily looked out at her.

"Lady, I think you-"

"WAAHHH!? Yamcha's cheating on me with a fat middle-aged man!?"

"I'm not fat! I'm barely overweight for my height!"

"And he's not even good looking! How dare he! Did he not think what people would think of me!?" Bulma wailed, falling to her knees.

"Lady, this isn't your room! The only Yamcha I know is that guy from the Budokai who keeps losing! And you're scaring my wife, you drunk!" the guest yelled, slamming his door shut.

"Bwah! Life SUCKS!" Bulma wailed.

"Hey Bulma!" Goku greeted, walking down the hall.

"Goku, don't date bandits. They change rooms and then people think you're drunk when you're not and when did you get here?" Bulma demanded, looking up at Goku. He was in jeans and a simple white polo shirt. The boys must have wrestled him into it, she thought.

He looked good. Not that the gi was bad. It showed off those arms. More importantly for her...

"This is all your fault!" she accused, pointing at him.

"What is?" Goku said, looking puzzled and not intimidated enough as she got to her feet. Bulma poked him hard in the chest; it hurt her finger, but she ignored that for now.

"You think you can just go and get married! Love is a battlefield, and you think you can just waltz in and claim the prize?" Bulma demanded.

"Battlefield? They didn't say I would have to fight Chichi again at the rehearsal."

"Ahh, you innocent monkey boy. You haven't trained for this."

"I was supposed to train?"

"…Tell ya what. Let's head to your room and I'll give ya some Bulma Briefs quality training so you can kamehameha Chichi to the moon tomorrow night."

"That seems a bit extreme," Goku said, letting the flushed faced Bulma wrap her arms around one of his and they started towards his room, "Hey, I wonder whatever happened to that giant rabbit. Did he die when Master Roshi blew up the moon?"

"Don't care. Now march, if it gets too late you'll probably pass out on me."

"That could be dangerous, I'm not sure you could get out from under me these days."

"Haaaaa! Don't change, Goku," Bulma laughed.

X X X

"Well, isn't that a let down," Goku huffed, crossing his arms as he looked at his bed. Bulma was spread across it, snoring loudly like the old days. Not that he minded snoring, it reminded him of his grandpa.

He had gone into the bathroom to get out of his clothes, giving her time to prepare as she demanded, and he came back in to find her passed out naked in his bed.

"I've never trained with Bulma before, I was looking forward to this," Goku pouted, poking her cheek. Her head just rolled with it and she muttered something about strawberries.

"Well nothing for it. Night, Bulma," Goku said, climbing into bed and shoving her aside enough to get in, but gently. His oldest friend started to cuddle up to him as he passed into sleep.

X X X

'Well Bulma, I hope you're proud of yourself,' the young woman thought as she groaned. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, with the covers pulled to provide modesty. Vain as that might be, considering she woke in her birthday suit with an equally undressed Goku.

Naturally he was an early riser. He wanted to get some training in before the ridiculously early time he was to report to the Ox King to be chaperoned through until the ceremony. Her take on it, not Goku's words.

Nothing had happened — she knew what it felt like, from a drunk night to a drunk night with a workout. And Goku had, of course, after waking her expressed his continued interest on the training they missed out and asked if they could do it this morning. The answer was of course no. Holding her nose, she drank the prairie oyster she'd had Goku fetch for her, swallowing the foul hangover treatment down.

That had been a mistake. Any regrets with Goku aside, she was with Yamcha. Even if that passion had cooled a lot, he had not quite bored her to the point where she'd indulge in anything more than idle fantasies with other men.

"Erk, that didn't even sound good in my head," Bulma groaned.

"Okay Bulma, I'm done. See you at the ceremony!" Goku was there and gone so quick she couldn't even say goodbye.

"Heh, idiot. You don't even realize you almost made a mistake."

This was not the day for this kind of thing, Bulma decided. Whatever she felt toward Goku. Her and Yamcha. Or about herself. Today was to be about Goku and that woman's marriage; good idea or bad she owed it as Goku's best friend to put her best foot forward and do her part to make it a great day for him and that hick girl.

X X X

This was a terrible day, and Bulma wanted it to end.

She was sitting on her own at a table in the corner of the pavilion that had been erected for the reception. The ceremony had gone well enough, the sight of Goku in a suit was something, though he had told her he'd worn one as a kid on his way to his first Budokai.

True, she had gotten a certain… hostile vibe from Chichi, but that was probably just the usual reaction of a woman getting shown up by her Bulma radiance. It couldn't be helped, she had worn the ugly bridesmaid dress and everything and still was prettier than the bride. Or that was her assumption at the time.

Once the reception was properly under way, the bride had pulled her aside out of the pavilion and a distance enough off to talk on the grass. Literally pulled; Goku might have stomped her in the tournament, but Chichi was strong enough to qualify in the first place, after all. While Bulma took great care that "excess muscle" would not detract from her beauty any more than "unsightly fat".

"Goku told me he slept with you last night. Training, right?" Chichi glared at her.

"Erk," Bulma answered.

"Now, I know we weren't married and you city people have certain… different values. But whatever you and Goku got up to with him not remembering we were engaged… He's my husband now. So if I invite you over, come over. Otherwise… Enjoy the party," Chichi said. Bulma was genuinely stunned that a woman could seem that murderous when dolled up for her wedding. With a shake, she roused herself as Chichi walked back to the party, already happily calling out for Goku.

"Like a switch flipped," Bulma grumbled, starting to get miffed.

Different values? Did Chichi think she and Goku were having an affair? Last night was more of a drunken misadventure, and that same drunkenness actually kept anything from happening. And while she could absolutely see Son Goku obliviously recounting last night, implying everything, she did not see how he could say anything implying a long affair when he wasn't even a man for most of her relationship with him but a silly monkey boy.

Chichi was being completely unreasonable!

But Bulma couldn't deny she had tried to sleep with Chichi's fiancé, and while having a boyfriend of her own. And this wasn't the place to try and hash out the truth.

And she realized the rumor had made its rounds when she made her way back. Chichi's family and guests gave her glares, except Ox King, who tried hard not to look at her in an amusingly over the top fashion. Launch blushed; thank goodness she wasn't blonde right now.

Her father, mother and Master Roshi gave her a smile and a big thumbs up each! Deviants!

Yamcha, though, he had been the worst, Bulma thought, tossing back her drink as she recalled sitting with him earlier.

Earlier:

"So, great weather right? I mean, an outdoor wedding and reception, it may save big on money but you're kind of a slave to the weather," the former bandit remarked as they sat alone at a table.

"Hmm," Bulma almost growled, refilling her wine glass. Her plate was empty.

"Uh, a bit early for that, don't you think? The buffet is great and large enough to almost be Goku proof," Yamcha said.

"…"

"Do you… do you need anything?" Yamcha asked, sweat-dropping as she glared at her empty glass.

"Why don't you just ask already? Don't tell me you haven't heard yourself!" Bulma demanded of him, keeping her voice low but intense. He had the decency to blush, and wiped non-existent crumbs off his mouth with a napkin.

"Uh, you mean, Goku?" he asked.

"YES!" she shouted, getting some looks from the party. Blushing bright red, she waved for the conversation to resume, lowering her head and and her voice, with Yamcha following suit.

"If anyone should be angry, it should be you! Your woman cheated, a man you call friend stole a march on you. Where's your fury born of injured man's pride? The kind of thing that makes you want to assert yourself by punching both of us in the face?!"

"Wait, it's true?" Yamcha looked gobsmacked. Bulma slapped him.

"Of course not! But you shouldn't just believe that!"

"…What?"

"When we first met you were a fierce bandit! You thought nothing of robbing women and beating up kids. Now you can't even get upset like any respectable tough guy over rumors like that! Don't you even care about our relationship!"

"I am getting very confused, Bulma! I am not sure what you even want out of this!"

"…You're right. Yamcha, I think we might be done."

"…Really? I trust you enough not to jump to conclusions and…"

"No. Yes? I don't know. This won't go well now. Go hang out with the boys and leave me alone. Once we get back to Capsule Corp…"

"…You're right, this isn't the place for a messy break up. Today's for the happy couple. But yeah, I think we're done. I'll see about moving out once we get back to West City. It was good while it lasted," Yamcha sighed. He got up and headed off, hands in his pockets.

X X X

By the time the bride and groom were driving off into the sunset, Bulma had enough drinks, and another great idea.

Aside from the fact Chichi wasted a perfect opportunity to get carried off by her flying husband. Who needs a car when you can get carried everywhere by a flying muscly man, Bulma thought?

"Krillin! Get over here!" she shouted from her table.

X X X

"So, Bulma wants us to gather the Dragon Balls?" Tien asked. He and Krillin sat at a table in a simple breakfast/lunch place with cheap meals laid out for them. It was the day after the wedding, and at checkout from the hotel Tien had received a note from Krillin asking him to meet up here.

"Yeah, and she's offering a lot of zeni to make it snappy," Krilin answered, snapping his fingers for effect.

"Isn't buying a wish rather against Kami-sama's idea of seeking the Dragon Balls as a matter of personal sacrifice and achievement?" Tien remarked.

"Let me answer that question with another question. You said last night you hope to open your own new Crane school someday. How's your bank account look for that?" Krillin asked. Tien sighed and closed all three eyes.

"I take it she already gave you the dragon radar?" Tien asked.

"Yep, but she said she only fixes it for free from Goku, so any repair cost gets deducted from our pay."

"Lovely," Tien rolled his eyes.

"Don't be glum, it's sure to be an epic adventure, with you and me taking center stage. An awesome tale of friendship, growth, and maybe even new truths of the world-"

About three episodes of filler worthy material later:

"Here's your Dragon Balls, Bulma! Huh, didn't think you'd still be hanging around this same hotel," Krilin remarked.

"I'm rich, I can stay where I like so long as they accept credit cards," Bulma waved it off. She was standing in the doorway to her hotel room, looking rather unkempt.

"So, me and Tien got to talking, while gathering the Dragon Balls," Krillin continued as Bulma took the plain paper bag they had put the Balls in.

"Mhm," Bulma grunted, opening the bag and moving the Balls around one finger to count them.

"We were kind of wondering if you'd say what you want to wish for?" Krillin asked.

"No," Bulma said, closing the door on them.

"Oh my, who would have seen that coming. Oh wait, I did," Tien remarked, as they faced the brown door.

"Uhh, she is going to pay us, right?" Krillin asked no one in particular.

The door swung open and a pair of bags bigger than their heads flew at them. The boys caught them with reflexive ease, finding themselves holding bags with the zeni sign printed on them.

"Good job," Bulma remarked with a smile they weren't quite comfortable with. She considered them a moment before saying more.

"You know, I was a bit worried you'd realize you could just use the Dragon Balls to wish for more money and cut me out. Guess that martial artists' honor won out, huh? Well thanks," she said with a wave before slamming the door shut.

"…Yes, honor."

"That never occurred to you, did it?" Tien said.

"Well, we did a good deed! Right?" Krillin asked as Bulma's muffled but maniacal laughter reached them in the hallway.

X X X

Bulma decided to wait until dark. She had driven out into the woods, far away from the city, with plenty of guns to make sure no one disturbed her. The isolation and the dark night should keep the fact she had summoned the dragon on the down low. After all, it would look better for her if people assumed she pulled this off on her own, dragon-free.

"I HAVE THE DRAGON BALLS! COME OUT SHENRON AND GRANT MY WISH!" Bulma commanded, holding up the bag of power in the rest stop parking lot she had chosen.

The Dragon Balls lit up and the sky darkened with thunder. With glorious red light, Shenron came forth, his massive serpentine body coiling through the clouds, his head emerging fang-filled snout first, and beneath his antlers ruby red eyes looked down on her.

"I AM THE ETERNAL DRAGON-"

"WE BOTH KNOW YOU KNOW WHO I AM! NOW LISTEN UP! I HAVE MY WISH WRITTEN DOWN!" Bulma shouted over he dragon's thunderous voice.

"…" The dragon gave the blue-haired human an unimpressed look as she reached down the front of her shirt and pulled out a page torn from a notebook. Unfolding it, Bulma cleared her throat.

"Okay! No wish granting till I'm done! I, Bulma Briefs, do hereby wish for a man like Son Goku, but a bit smarter, in my life. To share a deep and unbreakable bond for so long as we both live and into the thereafter, etc. And for him to enter my life before the year is up, so no winter romance here. My summer is not to be squandered!"

"VERY WELL. THIS WILL STING A BIT," the dragon rumbled.

"Huh?" Bulma asked.

The heavens parted as a red lightning bolt struck Bulma.

"DRAWKCABDROWEGASSEM!" Bulma shouted out, practically dancing a jig as mystic energy zapped her most thoroughly.

Then it was over, and Bulma fell to her knees, her hair standing up in a spiky blue afro that had red-tinted static visibly surging through it and popping.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. FARE THEE WELL!" Shenron proclaimed. Bulma belched some smoke, and her eyes rolled up into her head as the Dragon Balls scattered and the skies cleared.

"Where's my hunk?" Bulma wearily demanded, before tilting to the side and falling over, passing out.

X X X

The first thing Bulma knew, she had fallen asleep in a parking lot.

"Not again," she grumbled, pushing herself up. Getting to her knees, she scratched the cheek that had been pressed into the pavement and was pleased it wasn't sore. So she probably hadn't been out that long? Still, her head hurt; the morning tweeting birds had woken her up, after all.

Looking around at the idyllic woods around her and the stupidly loud birds, she decided nature was not her friend, pulled the pistol out of her belt, and fired off a shot into the air. That silenced the birds. Bulma chuckled before wincing, the sound of the gunshot making things worse.

Spotting one of her cars parked nearby, Bulma tumbled to it and unlocked the driver's side to slide her bottom onto the expensive leather. She winced and stood back up, a literal pain in her butt. Draping herself on her car's roof instead, she narrowed her eyes, trying to recall what she did last night.

"Oh," she said, glancing to the sky and remembering.

"That dragon tazed me!" Bulma shrieked. Reaching into a pants pocket, she pulled out a cough drop and started to suck on it grumpily, savoring the strawberry flavor.

"Stupid dragon, he's probably going to make me wait nearly a year to get my man," Bulma groused. Maybe it had been a bad idea; how embarrassing would it be to admit she had not been able to land a worthy man without a dragon's help?

"And what's with my-" Bulma groused, her pants feeling terrible. Then she felt something, something fuzzy slither along her left thigh.

Something had crawled up her pants!

Shrieking, Bulma practically jumped out of her pants and proceeded to unload her gun at them. Taking huge huffing breaths, Bulma cautiously approached her very dead pants and nudged them with the tip of her sneaker. No critter, just pants.

Bulma cocked an eye brow.

"Where's the thing?" Bulma muttered. She reached to grab another clip for her gun, forgetting the ammo was in her dead pants. But as she groped for an nonexistent pocket, her hand brushed something. Something fuzzy!

"EEEKK!" Buma shrieked, whirling to face the vile animal built up in her mind, only to catch its edge in peripheral and keep going. Practically spinning on her heel for a bit, Bulma fell down on the pavement in dizziness.

"Ugh. Meh?" Bulma went. Her vision tilting, she saw the foul thing; it was blue and fuzzy, shaped like a snake. Flipping her gun, she tried to pistol whip it but missed, hitting the pavement and sending a jolt up her arm that sent the gun flying. Roaring with anger, she seized it with her other hand, squeezing tight.

She had a moment to feel the pain of her had squeezing it, and then everything went all weak and whoozy.

Pant-less, Bulma Briefs passed out again in the lonely parking lot, clutching her own tail.

X X X

"Well, ain't that something. Is it prehensile?" Dr. Briefs asked, poking his daughter's tail with a ballpoint pen.

"I don't know, I hid it under a dress until I got back here!" Bulma shouted. She stood in her father's lab back at Capsule Corp.

"Well, that's just bad science there. You might have a whole new effective appendage to work with, honey. Why, the applications in the bedroom alone…" Dr. Briefs said.

"I just want to get rid of it!" Bulma roared in his face, whirling on him.

"*sigh* Must you be so prudish? Yamcha probably wouldn't have left if you had something to offer no other girl could provide."

"I broke up with him!" Bulma insisted.

Mrs. Briefs walked in on the one-sided aggression with a tray holding two cold cans of beer. Bulma swiped one, opening and taking a chug while the doctor more calmly took his first sip.

"Now honey, don't be too quick," Mrs. Briefs said, "I think you look real cute with a tail. Besides, if you learn a few tricks, maybe you'll finally be invited to parties that don't have to do with the company."

"Deviants! It's not natural for a virile young girl like me to be less… this than her parents! And can you remove the tail or not!?" Bulma shrieked, before demanding of her father. After he took what she saw as a rudely long drink of his beer, he lit a new cigarette.

"Bulma, I am a doctor, and a good one. But I'm not a surgeon. Now if you had wanted a tail, I'm sure I could have hooked you up with a nice cybernetic one with lots of features…"

"Oh, could it have a lighter in it, or one of those portable fans?" Mrs. Briefs asked.

"I don't see why not. What, dear? You looking to get into the market?"

"Well, do you think I could pull it off?" she asked with a blush, cupping her head.

"AGH! Fine! Give me the number of a real- BLECH!" Bulma ranted, before vomiting over the floor.

"…Dear, did you stock the cheap imported stuff again?" Dr. Briefs asked, looking at his can of beer while adjusting his glasses.

"No, it's domestic."

"I hate everything," Bulma growled.

Later, with a "Real" Doctor:

"Well, I have good news and bad news, Miss Briefs," a dark-skinned man with a shaved head and gold-framed glasses wearing a doctor's coat said. They were in an examination room, with Bulma sitting and looking miserable, wearing a medical gown, her tail swishing occasionally on the big roll of paper laid across the padded table she was perched on.

"Bad news first," Bulma demanded, her baggy eyes tired.

"Very well. Even though I think we can remove the tail safely, it will take months of examination and bringing together a team willing and able to perform this unprecedented procedure. And it will be quite expensive. The tail seems to be a natural limb, causing no trouble. Are you sure you want-"

"Get rid of it or so help me I will hack it off with a cleaver," Bulma threatened.

"Er, very well. The good news is that your nausea is not related to the tail at all. And you are not sick, as you feared."

"So, it's just from getting struck by lightning?" Bulma asked.

"Umm, no. You're pregnant. It's very early, but it looks- Miss Briefs?"

Bulma was staring, head stunned. How, she wondered, about to scream, she had not done the deed despite her effort with Goku. But then, her wish came back to her, as if that paper was now floating in front of her.

A lifelong bond, transcending even death…

"SHENROOONNNNNNN!" Bulma shrieked at the top of her lungs, frightening the poor doctor.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

And so it begins. An idea like this has been bouncing in my head for maybe five years or so usually not going anywhere. And when I hit a block for a long time I usually and up going through my 'Maybe?' pile of ideas hoping to jolt myself from a slump. Then this year while working on the Zangya fic the spark missed that story and hit this. And to my surprise it actually ignited.

So here we are. An unexpected ride but keeping it under my hat after it started flowing seemed wasteful.

Hope you find it enjoyable even if you are mostly here waiting for my other fics to update.

Until next time remember to be mindful with any wishes just in case they get granted; and have long days and pleasant nights.