06-03-02 note:
I'm reposting this story on ffnet and putting it on some other archives because my webpage is not working anymore and I just don't have the time to try and create a new one (especially since I don't have a very good knowledge of html).
I reedited it (adding a few author comments and paragraphs) other than that no changes have been made to it other than Mirai Trunk's recollection of Gohan's death. The first time I wrote it I hated the way the Trunks Special just had him find the body of Gohan so I changed it. It has since grown on me so I changed it to agree with the special. I've retooled this Prologue quite a bit too adding some more detail.
This was my first fan fiction and I think it was pretty good for a first try although my more recent work is better. I have especially grown in describing the action sequences but as I said I think I made a fair attempt.
If this is your first time reading it then I hope you enjoy it.
Notes on my feelings on the B/V and B/Y issue:
Okay, I have to start out saying I love B/V however I am not among the large group that vilify Yamcha either. I like Yamcha a lot, in fact he is in my top 10 favorite DBZ characters, and therefore I do not portray him as a womanizing drunk that sends Bulma running into Vegeta's arms. Anyone who has seen Dragon Ball knows he is sweet and rather insecure, especially about women, so I seriously doubt he would make a drastic change in character that way. He does flirt with other girls but the cases we see in the anime he never initiates it, however he doesn't stop it either. I think on some level he, like all guys, likes to have his ego stroked by a pretty girl making a pass at him so he plays along. In my story you will notice a few rather negative sounding comments regarding him from an angry Bulma (that's because she is angry) and Vegeta (I don't think I have to explain this) as to how he perceives Yamcha but its not Yamcha bashing. I am merely trying to portray the character's thoughts as I think they would be colored by their emotions.
This being said, why do I think Bulma and Yamcha broke up? To put it simple they were very opposite and grew apart which caused problems. Being somewhat childish (sorry Yamcha fans but I do think at this point in time Yamcha is still rather immature) Yamcha flirts with or takes out (NOTE: I don't think he was unfaithful to the point he slept around or with anyone!) a girl or two. In the past, when Bulma was just as immature, she would have ranted, raved and probably done the same thing and then they would have patched things up. At this point Bulma has gone through a lot on Namek and matured though so she has gotten serious about having a family and settling down and is tired of these games they've been playing. Yamcha, still a little afraid of women and committing to one, is not ready. Enter the third element, Vegeta. I think there is an immediate attraction between Bulma and Vegeta that Yamcha picked up on. Add to this the fact Bulma has always checked out other men regardless of Yamcha's feelings and you have a volatile combination. Basically, I think that Bulma acknowledging her attraction to Vegeta could have been a possibility. This I think drove Yamcha to the breaking point and made him want to punish Bulma by making her jealous so he flirts more. All of this I think led to the break-up of Bulma and Yamcha.
I know some of you out there take issue with the whole translation of what Mirai Trunks said about Bulma and Yamcha breaking up. My pov on this is that though all translations are slightly different they convey the fact that Yamcha was the catalyst to the breakup. Whether he was "unfaithful", "found someone else" or was simply "fickle" Yamcha was portrayed by the translator's as being the one that initiated the breakup and then it is communicated that Bulma fell in love with Vegeta after the break-up.
Original author's note:
Hi,
I'm Lil and this is my first attempt at a fan fic. I originally intended this just to be for my own enjoyment but I decided to share it.
This story takes place during the three years the fighters are preparing for the androids. Yes, this story is technically a B/V get together but it is different than most since the romance is just a subplot with the major part of it being action-adventure. There is also a Mirai Trunks sub plot.
I've tried really hard to make everyone IC and fit into AT's timeline without disturbing it. Reviews are very much appreciated.
Lil
WARNING: I use the Americanized names for the characters for the most part and the Japanese names for the attacks. There are some cases where I prefer the Japanese name for the character though (ie. Tenshenhan, Kaio- sama, Gurdo). If this bothers you then don't read this or any of my other stories.
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any of its characters and am merely paying homage to Akira Toriyama's genius so don't sue. I do own Flora however so please don't steal her (I'm not sure why you would though).
The Probe Saga
By: Lil Songbird
Prologue
"Thanks for your help Yamcha" Bulma said sarcastically to the man standing behind her leaning up against a tree.
"From where I stood it didn't look like you needed any help handling him" Yamcha answered. He glared at his girlfriend's back. He wasn't going to try and hide the intense animosity he felt toward the alien who was busy at the moment terrorizing the medical staff of Capsule Corporation.
"You could of at least offered" Bulma snapped.
"Why should I even try to help him?" Yamcha answered perturbed " we'd be better off if he didn't live."
"Yamcha that's a terrible thing to say!" Bulma shouted planting her hands on her hips and glaring at him.
"It's not as if he cares what I think of him" Yamcha shouted back. "Why do you even care Bulma? It's not like he gives a damn if you do!"
"He is a guest in this house and I won't allow you to be rude to him even if he is heartless jerk" Bulma countered.
"Well, excuse me for making you take care of yourself for a few minutes" Yamcha answered not hiding the jealousy in his voice. "It's not like he'd give a damn that you've been sitting by his bedside for a week."
Bulma and Yamcha walked for the next few moments in silence. She hated it when they fought and it seemed to happen more and more often lately. Ever since Yamcha was wished back it seemed things really began to sour between them. "Yamcha" Bulma asked, "What's happening between us?"
"Huh?" Yamcha asked uncomfortably. He knew from Bulma's tone that this would be a pretty serious conversation. "What do you mean Bulma?"
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed that we've been fighting a lot more often lately," Bulma said. "I'm not sure why and I'd like to try and understand why I have the feeling that your angry with me all the time."
Yamcha really didn't want to admit what was bothering him. His mind drifted back to the scene that they had just left a few moments ago. They found Vegeta on the floor of the medical room trying to get up without success and Bulma had run to him in concern just as she had the day the gravity room had blown up. She managed to get him back into the bed and argue him down into staying there. Yamcha knew that if anyone other than Bulma had tried to touch the saiyajin or perform a simple act like pulling the bed covers up around him, as she had, that severe resistance would meet him or her. He knew that Vegeta, despite everything he said or did to make everyone think the contrary, admired Bulma. He couldn't blame him for doing so, there would be something wrong with any man who wasn't impressed by Bulma, but for some reason he felt threatened by the saiyajin's regard for his girlfriend. Any other man he wouldn't of worried about, but for some reason he feared loosing Bulma since the arrogant prince came into their lives.
The day he was wished back his reunion with Bulma had been soured when he noticed the saiyajin prince staring at Bulma. He tried to console himself with the fact that Bulma and Vegeta fought like cats and dogs when he was around (the other half of the time Vegeta went off to Kami knows where by himself) but his concern quickly returned one day when he noticed Bulma gazing wistfully at the prince. When he jealously pointed it out to her she had blushed and admitted it. He could still hear her words: "I admit I was admiring him. Yamcha, even you can't deny that he's pretty nicely built. Not to mention he's kind of attractive in a dark bad boy sort of way. Ha Ha! You should see your face Yamcha! Don't take it so seriously! It's just like someone would admire a painting or a sculpture. It doesn't mean a mean a thing!" Despite her reassurance he couldn't shake the feeling there was something more to it this time than her usual ogling of other men.
When Vegeta returned the first time his jealousy became worse because Vegeta started living with the Briefs. He lived in fear that something would happen between Bulma and the saiyajin so he set out to try and prove that he was just as good a fighter and just as strong as the alien only to be humiliated time and again by Vegeta's superhuman strength, agility and awesome power. His fears multiplied when Bulma cared for the prince so tenderly after his gravity room accident. What was worse was that something had changed between Vegeta and Bulma since that incident. They still behaved the same way but he could just feel it in the air when they were together.
Now, Vegeta had returned once again after another trip into space only this time he was all beat up, as was his ship, and barely alive. Once again Bulma had been sitting by his bedside worrying and fussing over him refusing to leave.
"Why would I be angry with you doll?" Yamcha said trying to steer the conversation off the vein it was taking.
"Don't pull that crap with me Yamcha" Bulma chastised him. "Why is it that every time I want to have a serious conversation with you try to avoid it? Can't you ever take anything but fighting seriously?"
"I take you seriously," Yamcha protested in an irritated fashion.
"No you don't and that's the problem" Bulma began to admit sullenly. "I've never told you how much it hurts me that you don't take our relationship seriously. You flirt with every woman you meet shamelessly even when I'm with you. Every time we have a few words or I can't go with you somewhere you take another girl out. Why just last night you were out with another girl."
The fighter recoiled slightly at the familiar sting of her words. He had been falling into the same pattern with his girlfriend lately. What made her accusation worse was he his rationale for going on date with other girls was far more malicious than a wondering eye. He had thought, he had hoped, she would become jealous just like she was making him feel. "I asked you to go with me, remember" Yamcha grumbled lamely "but you were too busy playing nursemaid to that alien!"
"I'm tired of hearing that excuse. If you just wanted to take a friend with you then why don't you ever take a guy?" Bulma questioned in a scathing tone. "Why is it always a female friend that you decide to take? Is it because you like being the center of attention? You like being thought of as a ladies man?"
"I can't help it if I have more female friends than male friends," he stated in an irritated fashion.
"I'd always hoped that some day we'd get married and now I'm beginning to wonder if I wasn't just fooling myself" Bulma continued. "Yamcha do you ever intend to marry me?"
Yamcha was shocked at the suddenness of her admission. "Sure I will Bulma" he answered quickly "but I'm not ready for a commitment like that right now."
"I don't think you ever will be" Bulma said icily wrapping her arms tightly around her body.
With her words he felt his stomach drop. They had such a tone of finality. "Please Bulma. Calm down there's no reason to get upset…" Yamcha began to protest.
"No Yamcha" she remonstrated vehemently instantly silencing him with surprise. "There is good reason to be upset and the fact that you don't recognize that makes it worse. Unless I see some evidence that you take our relationship seriously then I think we should go our separate ways."
Yamcha wanted to tell himself this was one of their usual fights but the determined set of her jaw and the sudden hardness creeping into her expressive blue eyes said differently. This realization bit into his heart causing a pain that stirred up his self-righteous anger. "I don't believe this!" Yamcha shouted sharply, "You've never had reason to doubt my sincerity before or is it that your just looking for a way out because you've found somebody you like better?"
His words hit their mark boring deeply into her soul. "I can't believe you'd say that Yamcha!" Bulma said defensively tearing up. It was then she saw regret brim in them. He was hurt he was lashing out and he had a right to. She had just dropped a bombshell on him. She sighed looking away into the distance seeking to find the words to explain her actions. "I love you and I've never loved anyone else. I've never been anything but patient with you and faithful to you. I've given you chance after chance but even I have my limits Yamcha. I don't want to be someone's girlfriend for the rest of my life. I want to settle down and have a family before I'm too old to enjoy it."
She looked sad and lost. As always her rare vulnerable moment moved him to shame. "Bulma I love you" Yamcha said quietly "and when you love somebody you're willing to wait as long as it takes for things to be right. That's all that I'm doing. I don't have a steady job and I can't offer you security right now."
"You've never had a steady job as long as I've know you Yamcha and it never bothered me that you didn't" she answered her voice regaining a harder tone "I have more than enough money to support us if we got married. It's not like I don't pay for half of your bills right now anyway. You always pull out the same tired excuses and I'm not buying them anymore."
Her final words erased the momentary lapse of warm feelings he had entertained. He studied her and the haughty tilt to her profile gained him one more reason to be angry. "No matter what I do I just can't seem to please you Bulma" Yamcha finally snapped. "You don't think that I'm good enough for you, you never have. Your always making me feel inferior because you're smarter than me! You are the most selfish, proud and nasty person I've ever met! I don't have to stand here and take your insults."
The woman snapped her aqua head and prepared to bite back at the man only to be shocked to see him actually retreating. He had never walked out on her before. Not in all of the fights they'd had. "Don't ever bother coming back Yamcha" Bulma yelled after him as he stalked off. "Do you hear me?" she demanded only to be answered by the slamming of a car door and the revving of its engine.
Bulma watched him rocket away in a haze of tears. Maybe he was right. Maybe she was being selfish by not wanting to wait anymore but the fact remained that he was being selfish too. He never stopped to consider whether or not his words or actions hurt her. He was always hurting her and breaking her heart whether it was intentional or not.
"It's about time that I moved on with my life," she whispered allowing her tears to flow freely. She sat down beneath a tree and contemplated her life. She felt more alone at that moment than she had ever felt in her life, at least not since she was a little girl.
She never had had a lot of friends. In fact, up until she met Goku she hadn't had any friends. She had intimidated other children because she was pretty and rich. Not to mention that she was sent to more advanced grades because of her intelligence making her considerably younger than the other children. It was funny that her best friend had turned out to be a simple boy younger than she was. She found acceptance and learned the meaning of friendship from Son Goku and the odd band of martial arts fighters that she had shared countless adventures with.
She had never felt lonely from that day she had met Goku when she went searching for the Dragon Balls to fulfill her wish for a man to love her (that was after all what she had decided on after much deliberation between strawberries and love). "It's kind of funny that I'm still looking for the same thing as I was back then," she thought with a sigh. "All this time I was deluding myself that Yamcha was that man. Now that I finally have my head on straight maybe I'll find someone. After all Ba Ba did say that I was destined for a great love affair."
Bulma smiled as she recalled her visit to Muten Roshi's sister when she was a teenager.
"Please Ba Ba" she had begged for the 20th time. "I have to know. I need to know if anyone will ever love me. I'll pay you anything or do anything you want."
"Oh all right" the witch had grumbled "if it will get you to leave me alone I'll do it free of charge."
Bulma sat with baited breath as Ba Ba peered into her crystal ball and "hemmed" and "hahhed". "Well Bulma you will have someone fall in love with you and from what I can see he's a prince."
"A prince?" Bulma had questioned in awe. "You mean that figuratively. That I'll meet my prince charming, right?"
"It's hard to tell" the witch answered. "Magical implements tend to be rather literal most of the time."
"You mean that it's saying my dream man may be an actual honest-to-goodness prince?" Bulma questioned excitedly. "Can you be sure that it means it that way?"
"Sometimes the reading isn't completely accurate" Ba Ba admitted.
"What does he look like?" Bulma questioned excitedly "Can you tell?"
"I can only get so much but here goes," Ba Ba explained. "He's dark, handsome and incredibly strong. That's all I can see."
"When do I meet him?" Bulma excitedly prodded her to continue. "Or maybe I've already met him!" she exclaimed visions of Yamcha dancing in her head.
" That I can't tell" the witch said "but I can tell that once it begins it will be a great love affair. This man is your soul mate and the love of your life."
Bulma laughed a bittersweet laugh as she recalled how enthralled she had been with Ba Ba's prediction. "She probably made the whole thing up just to get rid of me," thought Bulma. At last she dried her eyes and tried to look on the bright side. "It might be good to take a break from romance" Bulma thought. "After all there's more to life than finding a man."
With new resolve Bulma rose and went inside Capsule Corporation to see how the medical staff was handling Vegeta. The first thing she noticed was that it surprisingly quiet in the building. Cautiously she poked her head into the room in which she had left him. Vegeta was by himself and fast asleep once again. She was glad he was resting both for his health and her sanity. She really didn't think she could handle an argument while she was feeling so emotionally vulnerable.
She paused a moment and studied his features. He appeared to have a bit of a smile on his face. "I wonder what you're dreaming about?" she wondered silently. "Are you reliving some sweet memory or do you have any good memories to dream about? Maybe you're just dreaming that you became a super saiyajin and conquered the universe." Bulma smiled to herself as she picked her brain trying to puzzle out what the saiyajin prince was dreaming. She liked enigmas and Vegeta was a living, breathing mystery. Maybe that was why she seemed to like him despite the fact that they couldn't say two words to each other without arguing. When he took off in the spacecraft without warning again everyone believed he was gone for good but she was glad that they were wrong because for some twisted reason she kind-of liked having the arrogant, short, ill-tempered prince around.
She took a moment more to study his countenance. "He's really not that bad looking without a scowl on his face," she reflected quietly to herself. "In fact, he's kind of handsome in a way and the rest of him isn't too bad either. At least having him around is easy on the eyes if not on my nerves."
"Welcome back Prince Vegeta" she whispered quietly into the room before leaving him to enjoy his peaceful slumber.
I'm reposting this story on ffnet and putting it on some other archives because my webpage is not working anymore and I just don't have the time to try and create a new one (especially since I don't have a very good knowledge of html).
I reedited it (adding a few author comments and paragraphs) other than that no changes have been made to it other than Mirai Trunk's recollection of Gohan's death. The first time I wrote it I hated the way the Trunks Special just had him find the body of Gohan so I changed it. It has since grown on me so I changed it to agree with the special. I've retooled this Prologue quite a bit too adding some more detail.
This was my first fan fiction and I think it was pretty good for a first try although my more recent work is better. I have especially grown in describing the action sequences but as I said I think I made a fair attempt.
If this is your first time reading it then I hope you enjoy it.
Notes on my feelings on the B/V and B/Y issue:
Okay, I have to start out saying I love B/V however I am not among the large group that vilify Yamcha either. I like Yamcha a lot, in fact he is in my top 10 favorite DBZ characters, and therefore I do not portray him as a womanizing drunk that sends Bulma running into Vegeta's arms. Anyone who has seen Dragon Ball knows he is sweet and rather insecure, especially about women, so I seriously doubt he would make a drastic change in character that way. He does flirt with other girls but the cases we see in the anime he never initiates it, however he doesn't stop it either. I think on some level he, like all guys, likes to have his ego stroked by a pretty girl making a pass at him so he plays along. In my story you will notice a few rather negative sounding comments regarding him from an angry Bulma (that's because she is angry) and Vegeta (I don't think I have to explain this) as to how he perceives Yamcha but its not Yamcha bashing. I am merely trying to portray the character's thoughts as I think they would be colored by their emotions.
This being said, why do I think Bulma and Yamcha broke up? To put it simple they were very opposite and grew apart which caused problems. Being somewhat childish (sorry Yamcha fans but I do think at this point in time Yamcha is still rather immature) Yamcha flirts with or takes out (NOTE: I don't think he was unfaithful to the point he slept around or with anyone!) a girl or two. In the past, when Bulma was just as immature, she would have ranted, raved and probably done the same thing and then they would have patched things up. At this point Bulma has gone through a lot on Namek and matured though so she has gotten serious about having a family and settling down and is tired of these games they've been playing. Yamcha, still a little afraid of women and committing to one, is not ready. Enter the third element, Vegeta. I think there is an immediate attraction between Bulma and Vegeta that Yamcha picked up on. Add to this the fact Bulma has always checked out other men regardless of Yamcha's feelings and you have a volatile combination. Basically, I think that Bulma acknowledging her attraction to Vegeta could have been a possibility. This I think drove Yamcha to the breaking point and made him want to punish Bulma by making her jealous so he flirts more. All of this I think led to the break-up of Bulma and Yamcha.
I know some of you out there take issue with the whole translation of what Mirai Trunks said about Bulma and Yamcha breaking up. My pov on this is that though all translations are slightly different they convey the fact that Yamcha was the catalyst to the breakup. Whether he was "unfaithful", "found someone else" or was simply "fickle" Yamcha was portrayed by the translator's as being the one that initiated the breakup and then it is communicated that Bulma fell in love with Vegeta after the break-up.
Original author's note:
Hi,
I'm Lil and this is my first attempt at a fan fic. I originally intended this just to be for my own enjoyment but I decided to share it.
This story takes place during the three years the fighters are preparing for the androids. Yes, this story is technically a B/V get together but it is different than most since the romance is just a subplot with the major part of it being action-adventure. There is also a Mirai Trunks sub plot.
I've tried really hard to make everyone IC and fit into AT's timeline without disturbing it. Reviews are very much appreciated.
Lil
WARNING: I use the Americanized names for the characters for the most part and the Japanese names for the attacks. There are some cases where I prefer the Japanese name for the character though (ie. Tenshenhan, Kaio- sama, Gurdo). If this bothers you then don't read this or any of my other stories.
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any of its characters and am merely paying homage to Akira Toriyama's genius so don't sue. I do own Flora however so please don't steal her (I'm not sure why you would though).
The Probe Saga
By: Lil Songbird
Prologue
"Thanks for your help Yamcha" Bulma said sarcastically to the man standing behind her leaning up against a tree.
"From where I stood it didn't look like you needed any help handling him" Yamcha answered. He glared at his girlfriend's back. He wasn't going to try and hide the intense animosity he felt toward the alien who was busy at the moment terrorizing the medical staff of Capsule Corporation.
"You could of at least offered" Bulma snapped.
"Why should I even try to help him?" Yamcha answered perturbed " we'd be better off if he didn't live."
"Yamcha that's a terrible thing to say!" Bulma shouted planting her hands on her hips and glaring at him.
"It's not as if he cares what I think of him" Yamcha shouted back. "Why do you even care Bulma? It's not like he gives a damn if you do!"
"He is a guest in this house and I won't allow you to be rude to him even if he is heartless jerk" Bulma countered.
"Well, excuse me for making you take care of yourself for a few minutes" Yamcha answered not hiding the jealousy in his voice. "It's not like he'd give a damn that you've been sitting by his bedside for a week."
Bulma and Yamcha walked for the next few moments in silence. She hated it when they fought and it seemed to happen more and more often lately. Ever since Yamcha was wished back it seemed things really began to sour between them. "Yamcha" Bulma asked, "What's happening between us?"
"Huh?" Yamcha asked uncomfortably. He knew from Bulma's tone that this would be a pretty serious conversation. "What do you mean Bulma?"
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed that we've been fighting a lot more often lately," Bulma said. "I'm not sure why and I'd like to try and understand why I have the feeling that your angry with me all the time."
Yamcha really didn't want to admit what was bothering him. His mind drifted back to the scene that they had just left a few moments ago. They found Vegeta on the floor of the medical room trying to get up without success and Bulma had run to him in concern just as she had the day the gravity room had blown up. She managed to get him back into the bed and argue him down into staying there. Yamcha knew that if anyone other than Bulma had tried to touch the saiyajin or perform a simple act like pulling the bed covers up around him, as she had, that severe resistance would meet him or her. He knew that Vegeta, despite everything he said or did to make everyone think the contrary, admired Bulma. He couldn't blame him for doing so, there would be something wrong with any man who wasn't impressed by Bulma, but for some reason he felt threatened by the saiyajin's regard for his girlfriend. Any other man he wouldn't of worried about, but for some reason he feared loosing Bulma since the arrogant prince came into their lives.
The day he was wished back his reunion with Bulma had been soured when he noticed the saiyajin prince staring at Bulma. He tried to console himself with the fact that Bulma and Vegeta fought like cats and dogs when he was around (the other half of the time Vegeta went off to Kami knows where by himself) but his concern quickly returned one day when he noticed Bulma gazing wistfully at the prince. When he jealously pointed it out to her she had blushed and admitted it. He could still hear her words: "I admit I was admiring him. Yamcha, even you can't deny that he's pretty nicely built. Not to mention he's kind of attractive in a dark bad boy sort of way. Ha Ha! You should see your face Yamcha! Don't take it so seriously! It's just like someone would admire a painting or a sculpture. It doesn't mean a mean a thing!" Despite her reassurance he couldn't shake the feeling there was something more to it this time than her usual ogling of other men.
When Vegeta returned the first time his jealousy became worse because Vegeta started living with the Briefs. He lived in fear that something would happen between Bulma and the saiyajin so he set out to try and prove that he was just as good a fighter and just as strong as the alien only to be humiliated time and again by Vegeta's superhuman strength, agility and awesome power. His fears multiplied when Bulma cared for the prince so tenderly after his gravity room accident. What was worse was that something had changed between Vegeta and Bulma since that incident. They still behaved the same way but he could just feel it in the air when they were together.
Now, Vegeta had returned once again after another trip into space only this time he was all beat up, as was his ship, and barely alive. Once again Bulma had been sitting by his bedside worrying and fussing over him refusing to leave.
"Why would I be angry with you doll?" Yamcha said trying to steer the conversation off the vein it was taking.
"Don't pull that crap with me Yamcha" Bulma chastised him. "Why is it that every time I want to have a serious conversation with you try to avoid it? Can't you ever take anything but fighting seriously?"
"I take you seriously," Yamcha protested in an irritated fashion.
"No you don't and that's the problem" Bulma began to admit sullenly. "I've never told you how much it hurts me that you don't take our relationship seriously. You flirt with every woman you meet shamelessly even when I'm with you. Every time we have a few words or I can't go with you somewhere you take another girl out. Why just last night you were out with another girl."
The fighter recoiled slightly at the familiar sting of her words. He had been falling into the same pattern with his girlfriend lately. What made her accusation worse was he his rationale for going on date with other girls was far more malicious than a wondering eye. He had thought, he had hoped, she would become jealous just like she was making him feel. "I asked you to go with me, remember" Yamcha grumbled lamely "but you were too busy playing nursemaid to that alien!"
"I'm tired of hearing that excuse. If you just wanted to take a friend with you then why don't you ever take a guy?" Bulma questioned in a scathing tone. "Why is it always a female friend that you decide to take? Is it because you like being the center of attention? You like being thought of as a ladies man?"
"I can't help it if I have more female friends than male friends," he stated in an irritated fashion.
"I'd always hoped that some day we'd get married and now I'm beginning to wonder if I wasn't just fooling myself" Bulma continued. "Yamcha do you ever intend to marry me?"
Yamcha was shocked at the suddenness of her admission. "Sure I will Bulma" he answered quickly "but I'm not ready for a commitment like that right now."
"I don't think you ever will be" Bulma said icily wrapping her arms tightly around her body.
With her words he felt his stomach drop. They had such a tone of finality. "Please Bulma. Calm down there's no reason to get upset…" Yamcha began to protest.
"No Yamcha" she remonstrated vehemently instantly silencing him with surprise. "There is good reason to be upset and the fact that you don't recognize that makes it worse. Unless I see some evidence that you take our relationship seriously then I think we should go our separate ways."
Yamcha wanted to tell himself this was one of their usual fights but the determined set of her jaw and the sudden hardness creeping into her expressive blue eyes said differently. This realization bit into his heart causing a pain that stirred up his self-righteous anger. "I don't believe this!" Yamcha shouted sharply, "You've never had reason to doubt my sincerity before or is it that your just looking for a way out because you've found somebody you like better?"
His words hit their mark boring deeply into her soul. "I can't believe you'd say that Yamcha!" Bulma said defensively tearing up. It was then she saw regret brim in them. He was hurt he was lashing out and he had a right to. She had just dropped a bombshell on him. She sighed looking away into the distance seeking to find the words to explain her actions. "I love you and I've never loved anyone else. I've never been anything but patient with you and faithful to you. I've given you chance after chance but even I have my limits Yamcha. I don't want to be someone's girlfriend for the rest of my life. I want to settle down and have a family before I'm too old to enjoy it."
She looked sad and lost. As always her rare vulnerable moment moved him to shame. "Bulma I love you" Yamcha said quietly "and when you love somebody you're willing to wait as long as it takes for things to be right. That's all that I'm doing. I don't have a steady job and I can't offer you security right now."
"You've never had a steady job as long as I've know you Yamcha and it never bothered me that you didn't" she answered her voice regaining a harder tone "I have more than enough money to support us if we got married. It's not like I don't pay for half of your bills right now anyway. You always pull out the same tired excuses and I'm not buying them anymore."
Her final words erased the momentary lapse of warm feelings he had entertained. He studied her and the haughty tilt to her profile gained him one more reason to be angry. "No matter what I do I just can't seem to please you Bulma" Yamcha finally snapped. "You don't think that I'm good enough for you, you never have. Your always making me feel inferior because you're smarter than me! You are the most selfish, proud and nasty person I've ever met! I don't have to stand here and take your insults."
The woman snapped her aqua head and prepared to bite back at the man only to be shocked to see him actually retreating. He had never walked out on her before. Not in all of the fights they'd had. "Don't ever bother coming back Yamcha" Bulma yelled after him as he stalked off. "Do you hear me?" she demanded only to be answered by the slamming of a car door and the revving of its engine.
Bulma watched him rocket away in a haze of tears. Maybe he was right. Maybe she was being selfish by not wanting to wait anymore but the fact remained that he was being selfish too. He never stopped to consider whether or not his words or actions hurt her. He was always hurting her and breaking her heart whether it was intentional or not.
"It's about time that I moved on with my life," she whispered allowing her tears to flow freely. She sat down beneath a tree and contemplated her life. She felt more alone at that moment than she had ever felt in her life, at least not since she was a little girl.
She never had had a lot of friends. In fact, up until she met Goku she hadn't had any friends. She had intimidated other children because she was pretty and rich. Not to mention that she was sent to more advanced grades because of her intelligence making her considerably younger than the other children. It was funny that her best friend had turned out to be a simple boy younger than she was. She found acceptance and learned the meaning of friendship from Son Goku and the odd band of martial arts fighters that she had shared countless adventures with.
She had never felt lonely from that day she had met Goku when she went searching for the Dragon Balls to fulfill her wish for a man to love her (that was after all what she had decided on after much deliberation between strawberries and love). "It's kind of funny that I'm still looking for the same thing as I was back then," she thought with a sigh. "All this time I was deluding myself that Yamcha was that man. Now that I finally have my head on straight maybe I'll find someone. After all Ba Ba did say that I was destined for a great love affair."
Bulma smiled as she recalled her visit to Muten Roshi's sister when she was a teenager.
"Please Ba Ba" she had begged for the 20th time. "I have to know. I need to know if anyone will ever love me. I'll pay you anything or do anything you want."
"Oh all right" the witch had grumbled "if it will get you to leave me alone I'll do it free of charge."
Bulma sat with baited breath as Ba Ba peered into her crystal ball and "hemmed" and "hahhed". "Well Bulma you will have someone fall in love with you and from what I can see he's a prince."
"A prince?" Bulma had questioned in awe. "You mean that figuratively. That I'll meet my prince charming, right?"
"It's hard to tell" the witch answered. "Magical implements tend to be rather literal most of the time."
"You mean that it's saying my dream man may be an actual honest-to-goodness prince?" Bulma questioned excitedly. "Can you be sure that it means it that way?"
"Sometimes the reading isn't completely accurate" Ba Ba admitted.
"What does he look like?" Bulma questioned excitedly "Can you tell?"
"I can only get so much but here goes," Ba Ba explained. "He's dark, handsome and incredibly strong. That's all I can see."
"When do I meet him?" Bulma excitedly prodded her to continue. "Or maybe I've already met him!" she exclaimed visions of Yamcha dancing in her head.
" That I can't tell" the witch said "but I can tell that once it begins it will be a great love affair. This man is your soul mate and the love of your life."
Bulma laughed a bittersweet laugh as she recalled how enthralled she had been with Ba Ba's prediction. "She probably made the whole thing up just to get rid of me," thought Bulma. At last she dried her eyes and tried to look on the bright side. "It might be good to take a break from romance" Bulma thought. "After all there's more to life than finding a man."
With new resolve Bulma rose and went inside Capsule Corporation to see how the medical staff was handling Vegeta. The first thing she noticed was that it surprisingly quiet in the building. Cautiously she poked her head into the room in which she had left him. Vegeta was by himself and fast asleep once again. She was glad he was resting both for his health and her sanity. She really didn't think she could handle an argument while she was feeling so emotionally vulnerable.
She paused a moment and studied his features. He appeared to have a bit of a smile on his face. "I wonder what you're dreaming about?" she wondered silently. "Are you reliving some sweet memory or do you have any good memories to dream about? Maybe you're just dreaming that you became a super saiyajin and conquered the universe." Bulma smiled to herself as she picked her brain trying to puzzle out what the saiyajin prince was dreaming. She liked enigmas and Vegeta was a living, breathing mystery. Maybe that was why she seemed to like him despite the fact that they couldn't say two words to each other without arguing. When he took off in the spacecraft without warning again everyone believed he was gone for good but she was glad that they were wrong because for some twisted reason she kind-of liked having the arrogant, short, ill-tempered prince around.
She took a moment more to study his countenance. "He's really not that bad looking without a scowl on his face," she reflected quietly to herself. "In fact, he's kind of handsome in a way and the rest of him isn't too bad either. At least having him around is easy on the eyes if not on my nerves."
"Welcome back Prince Vegeta" she whispered quietly into the room before leaving him to enjoy his peaceful slumber.