Chapter 22
Neither Bulma nor Vegita woke up until very late the next morning. Bulma was the first to wake up, and when she did, she found herself lying on her side, held tightly in Vegita's arms with her back up against his chest. Not wanting to waste the moment, she lay still and reflected upon the events of the previous night, smiling contentedly and closing her eyes again. True to his word, Vegita had made the night a very enjoyable one - so much so that upon many occasions Bulma had felt as though the sheer pleasure would undoubtedly drive her to madness. And yet, as passionately as they had made love, Vegita had indeed been exceptionally gentle and careful with her. Admittedly, Bulma had experienced some initial pain, but it by no means could have compared to what came soon after. She sighed and laid her arms upon his. She was so glad that he had been the one with which she'd decided to share this experience. She had never felt such bliss, or been so contented and enamored with anyone else.
It wasn't long before Vegita awoke as well, and Bulma felt the steady rhythm of his breath in her hair quicken a little as his senses returned to him. He sniffed deeply once or twice, and Bulma could feel his arms tighten their hold around her waist and chest. She smiled again and opened her eyes.
"Good morning," she said softly, squeezing his hands a little with her fingers. Vegita loosened his hold on her then, and he pulled away from her a little so that she could turn onto her back to look up at him. He kissed her gently and propped himself up on one elbow beside her.
He cupped her cheek in his other hand and gazed softly into her eyes. "How do you feel?" He asked her, delicately kissing her lips.
Bulma sighed and gazed lovingly back up at him. "If there is such a thing as heaven on earth, I do believe I've found it," she replied softly, touching his hand with hers and closing her eyes contentedly.
An arrogant smirk tugged at Vegita's lips. "Humph!" He grunted. "I thought perhaps you'd complain that I was too rough with you. You certainly made enough noise last night."
Bulma's cheeks reddened, and she opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile of apology. "I just felt so overwhelmed by the… the sensations I felt," she stammered, averting her eyes in embarrassment. "I couldn't help crying aloud when they became so extreme. But you weren't too rough with me at all. You were wonderful!"
"Humph!" Vegita grunted again. "Just give me time."
Bulma looked back up at him, and she couldn't keep from laughing when she saw the devilish smirk on his face. "You're such an animal!" She giggled at him.
Vegita sneered. "You have no idea," he said with a sinister laugh.
Bulma grinned. "I'm sure I'll find out for myself soon enough," she said, kissing him playfully. "But for now, what say we get up and have some breakfast?"
"Mmm," Vegita said, growling and pinning her arms to the bed so that she couldn't escape him. He kissed her rather forcefully before raising his head and fixing her eyes in his fiery gaze. "You're not going anywhere," he growled in a very commanding tone of voice. "I'm not finished with you yet. Food can wait."
Bulma laughed. "So there ARE things that interest you besides food and fighting!" She teased him.
Vegita shot her a wicked smirk and kissed her again, not as roughly as before, but much more deeply. He released her arms, and she wrapped them around behind him, closing her eyes and sighing. She didn't mind giving in to Vegita's amorous demands; at least not this morning.
A couple of hours later, Bulma somehow managed to stagger down the stairs and to the bathroom to take a shower. She was rather stiff and sore, but was undeniably happy. She couldn't remember feeling so contented and fulfilled, and she considered it a more than acceptable compensation for being a little stiff and tender in certain areas of her body.
When she had finished with her shower, Bulma left the bathroom wrapped in a towel, and she headed to her room to fetch a clean set of clothes to change into. But she found her route blocked by Vegita, who was leaning casually on one side of her doorway, now dressed, and with his arms crossed. She looked at him and grinned. "What do you want?" She asked him, crossing her arms in an unintentional mimicry of him. "You're in my way, you know."
Vegita smirked at her. "You don't really think that is of any consequence to me, do you, woman?" He said impertinently. "I do what I like, and whether you approve or not makes no difference to me. And just what is this?" He asked slyly, snapping his hand forward and snatching the towel from her. "I suppose you think you still have something to hide from me?"
"Vegita!" Bulma shrieked, instinctively covering herself with her arms. "Give that back to me this instant!" She felt the color rise in her cheeks, despite the fact that she knew full well that Vegita wasn't looking at anything he hadn't already seen. One night of passion hadn't ridden her of all her modesty.
Vegita snorted. "You're still too prissy for my taste," he jeered, tossing her towel back to her. "I'll stamp that out of you before long."
Bulma stuck her tongue out at him. "You're still too much of an asshole for mine," she snapped, trying unsuccessfully to sound annoyed. "And no amount of stamping is going to get me anywhere on that account, I'm sure."
Vegita snorted again. "You're such a fool," he said derisively.
"That may be," she said, slipping seductively past him and grazing the tip of his nose with one finger. "But keep in mind, sweet prince, that I'm YOUR fool now."
"You damn well are," he said emphatically, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her back up against him. "And you'd better never forget that!" He growled threateningly, giving her right ear a little nibble.
"Leggo of me!" Bulma gasped, laughing and elbowing him playfully in the ribs. "Knock it off, Vegita! I'm not going anywhere, I promise! Just let me go so I can put some clothes on, you oaf!"
Snorting again, Vegita let her go, and she dashed hastily to her closet before he could change his mind. Giggling a little when she noticed the way he was staring at her, she took out a fresh change of clothes and laid them out on the bed before finally removing her towel.
"Anyway," she said, trying to ignore his keen eyes while she donned her underwear. "I was wondering what you wanted to do today? Today's your last day off and all, so I figured I'd let you pick what you wanted to do for once. After we eat breakfast, what did you want to do first?" By now she had slipped into her underthings, and she held a light, button-down shirt up and fluffed it out. She looked up at Vegita and waited for his answer.
"Humph!" Vegita grunted. "I had supposed you weren't going to bring it up at all. You're so damned set on restricting my training; I thought you were hoping I wouldn't notice that today is the last day."
"Yeah, well, I know better," Bulma laughed with a warm smile. "Besides, you've lived up to your part of the bargain. You've done a great job of winding down and taking it easy. I have no complaints. I'm perfectly happy with letting you resume your training."
"Well it's certainly good to know that I have your permission," Vegita said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Bulma laughed. "I'm just saying that I don't feel the need to nag you about it anymore," she said, smiling at him. "I'm not as worried anymore that you're going to overexert yourself."
"And what about you?" Vegita snapped. "Are you still dead-set on spending another week on laziness?"
Bulma smiled. "Yeah," she said with a slight nod. She slipped into the shirt she was holding and slowly buttoned it up. "Maybe I could survive without the extra week off, but I want it just the same. The only downside to it is that I won't have you here with me." She finished buttoning her shirt and looked down thoughtfully as she slid into her shorts. "I suppose it won't be too bad, though," she said with a smile. "It'll definitely be boring around here, but I think I'll manage. Anyway, that's unimportant," she said, looking up at him, her expression becoming more serious. "What's important is that you get back to training. I want very much to see you succeed in reaching your goal of becoming a Super Saiyan, Vegita. And who knows? A week may make all the difference."
Vegita grunted in assent. Nevertheless, he scowled as he watched Bulma finish dressing. It was true; he did want very badly to resume training, but now that Bulma was finally completely and utterly his, he didn't exactly want to give her up, even if only for a week. His scowl deepened. Never had he allowed anything to get in the way of his training, and he certainly wasn't about to start now. Love or no, he was going to become a Super Saiyan and defeat his enemy Kakarrot. And lounging around here wasn't going to make that happen. He knew his priorities. But that didn't make it any easier.
Bulma kept an eye on Vegita's face, and when she noticed the way he was scowling, she was able to guess what he was thinking. She understood his dilemma. She really wished Vegita would stay another week with her, but even though she was certain that he would if she asked him to, she refrained from doing that. She had meant what she'd said; she really did want to see Vegita become a Super Saiyan, and not just for the upcoming battle, either. The main reason she wanted it so much was because she knew it meant so much to him. And she knew that to distract him would be to stand in his way. She couldn't bring herself to be that selfish. She wanted to see him succeed, and her own feelings weren't as important to her as that was. She knew that his pride wouldn't allow him to willingly remain out here with her, and that he only would stay if she asked him. So she didn't. She simply acted as if it was a given that he was leaving tomorrow. Really, it was better that way. And besides, it made her happy to know that she actually considered his dreams more important to her than her own selfishness. It made her feel good about herself, and it reminded her of the strength of her love for Vegita.
When Bulma had finished getting dressed, she walked over to Vegita and kissed him affectionately on the cheek. "It could be worse, you know," she said, slipping past him and out the door. "It'll only be a week, Vegita. Come on; I'll make us some breakfast."
Grunting in agreement but scowling just the same, he turned and followed her down the hall to the kitchen. It would be all the better if she'd just come to her senses and return to training with him. But he had concluded long ago that even he couldn't stamp all the human weakness out of her.
Bulma and Vegita spent the day swimming and lounging together on the beach. It was a nice, peaceful way to end the week, and although Bulma was sad to see it end, she was nevertheless satisfied with it. And she was looking forward to a week of peace, despite how much she was going to miss having Vegita with her.
They went to bed early - together, of course - and not a word was said about Vegita's leaving tomorrow. But when Bulma awoke late the next morning, she didn't have to look to know that he'd already gone. Sighing dejectedly, she got up, got dressed, then went downstairs to make breakfast.
Bulma decided to spend the day reading and tinkering with some old inventions she'd been working on, but just couldn't seem to get into any of it. It seemed that no matter what she did, she just didn't get any enjoyment out of it. She just kept getting more bored and depressed. She was listless and unhappy, and she was on the verge of being miserable. She realized that this was the first time in a great many months that she was actually alone, and although she had thought that was what she wanted, she hadn't counted on its being this lonely. By the early hours of the evening, she'd concluded that she just couldn't stand it anymore. She needed to talk to somebody.
"The hell with it," she thought irritably, setting up her portable phone and calling home. "I haven't talked to Mom in a while anyway. Might as well call and see how everyone's doing."
Her parents' phone rang twice, and then the pleasant, cheerful voice of her mother came through to her. "Capsule Corporation," she answered cheerfully. "This is Mrs. Briefs speaking!"
"Hi Mom," Bulma said, smiling a little already. "It's me, Bulma."
"Bulma!" Mrs. Briefs squealed excitedly. "Hi Honey! I'm so happy you called us at last! I was beginning to think you had forgotten we even existed!"
Bulma laughed. "Sorry," she said. "I've been kind of busy with Vegita."
"Well, no one saw him come in this morning," Mrs. Briefs said no less excitedly, "but Yamucha informed us that he had retreated quietly to his gravity room and was training in there with a vengeance. He must have missed it a lot," she laughed.
Bulma grinned. "He probably did," she chuckled. "Poor Vegita. He's probably pretty happy to have his gravity room back."
"So how are you?" Mrs. Briefs asked her daughter brightly. "Are you still going to stay up there for another week?"
"I'm fine, and I guess so," Bulma answered, her smile fading slightly. "I just wanted to call and see how everyone was doing."
"Well, we're all okay," Mrs. Briefs said. "But I think a vote to kidnap you and haul you back here has come up a couple of times!"
Bulma laughed. "Oh come on!" She chuckled. "I haven't been gone for that long!"
"No, but it feels like you have," Mrs. Briefs replied. "Besides, there's a certain someone out here who's really been ancy since you left. He hasn't gone three hours without asking either your father or me if we've heard anything from you. He's making us crazy!"
Bulma grinned. She didn't have to ask to know that it was Yamucha whom her mother was talking about. But a sudden sting of guilt hit her, and her grin faded. It had suddenly occurred to her that she was going to have to tell him everything. Poor Yamucha. She knew he was going to take it really hard. She had no idea how she was going to break it to him, but she felt that she ought to tell him soon, or he was going to discover it on his own.
"Man," she sighed dejectedly.
"What's the matter?" Mrs. Briefs asked her.
"Mom, I need to talk to Yamucha as soon as possible," she replied after a short, awkward pause. "But I need to be face-to-face with him. When you and I are done talking, would you do me a favor and tell Dad I want him to show Yamucha where I am so he can visit me? Vegita's gone back already anyway, so it's just as well that Yamucha visits me now. I just really need to talk to him soon."
"Sure Bulma," Mrs. Briefs replied, quite obviously in the dark about all of it. "I don't know what all the urgency is about, but I'll tell him. Oh, I almost forgot!" She exclaimed. "I meant to ask you; how did your time alone with Vegita go?"
For a moment, Bulma came very close to blurting it all out to her mother right there on the phone. But in the end, she decided against it. It wouldn't be fair of her to drop this kind of bomb on her mom over the phone.
"Great," she replied with a warm smile. "I was really sorry to see him leave."
"I'm glad to hear that," Mrs. Briefs replied approvingly. "Oh, and your father has a bit of a bone to pick with you, you lady," she said in mock sternness.
"Uh oh," Bulma said with a grin. "What did I do this time?"
"Well, neither he nor I knows exactly what happened the night before last," she explained, a hint of mirth hanging about her words. "All we know is that at one minute the hurricane was there on top of you guys, and then at the next it was completely gone. Now, your father and I are pretty sure we know just who was responsible for this strange turn of events, but what we don't know is just how the said party accomplished it. Your father's fit to be tied because he's just as in the dark about this as the rest of the scientific community, and he doesn't think that's fair. He can be a bit of a child sometimes, Bulma."
Bulma laughed. "Well you can tell him that I'll give him a full explanation when I get back," she laughed. "Poor Dad. I know it must be eating him up. I tell you what. Explain to him about my teleport technique for me, and then tell him that I used that technique to do it. I'll fill him in on the details when I get back. But I'm not going to go into it any further tonight. I've got something important to do, and I need time to plan for it."
"Okay, Bulma," Mrs. Briefs said, sounding strangely subdued. "I'll let you go then. I'll pass your message about Yamucha along to him too. Just… do me a favor and be careful, okay dear?" She said after a short pause. "Don't ask me why now, but just please promise me that you won't do that teleport again until after I have a chance to talk to you about it. Will you promise me that?"
Bulma was understandably very puzzled about this, but she agreed. "Sure Mom," she said. "We'll talk when I get back, then. Will that be okay?"
"That's fine," Mrs. Briefs sighed. "All right then. Goodbye until then, Bulma dear. I love you."
"I love you too, Mom," Bulma said. "You and Dad take care." They hung up then, and Bulma rested her chin on her hands for a moment, contemplating what her mother had told her. It was certainly very odd. Why would she not want Bulma to use her teleport technique? It didn't make any sense. She didn't understand it, but after a few moments she decided that it didn't really matter. It wasn't the most important order of business at the moment anyway. She had to figure out how she was going to break the news about her and Vegita to Yamucha. Sighing, she went into the kitchen to fix herself a small snack and a strong cup of tea. She was going to need all the strength she could get!
A little less than two hours later, Bulma could sense the approach of a large ki source. But she could tell right away that it wasn't Yamucha. It was Vegita. She looked up at the ceiling in confusion as she honed in on it with her senses. Why was Vegita coming here? Shouldn't he still be training in the gravity room? Even before she'd begun training with him, he wouldn't leave the gravity room until late in the evening. It wasn't like him to just break off his routine like this. He was approaching quickly too. She couldn't help wondering what this was all about, but she knew she was going to have to get Vegita out of here quickly. It wouldn't do for him to be here when Yamucha arrived. It would only make matters more disagreeable for him otherwise.
A few minutes later, Vegita landed outside the front door, and without the slightest announcement, strode right in. Bulma looked up at the kitchen doorway.
"I'm in the kitchen, Vegita," she called to him. "What did you need?"
Vegita came into the kitchen, a scowl on his face, and his fists clenched. "You sound as though you were expecting me," he said quietly, glaring accusingly at her.
"Actually, I wasn't," Bulma replied, sending him a rather puzzled look in return. "I was expecting Yamucha. Who," she said, looking down at her watch, "will be here in less than an hour if my mom passed the message on right away."
"Is that so?" Vegita asked, his voice dangerously low. He stood in the doorway and crossed his arms. "May I ask what message that was?"
"I wanted Dad to show Yamucha where the island was so he could come visit me," she explained. "I figured I'd take advantage of the fact that I'd be alone with him to tell him about you and me. He still loves me, Vegita," she sighed, looking down and folding her hands in her lap. "And I don't want him to learn the truth by discovering it on his own when I get back. I'd rather tell him face-to-face; he deserves that much."
Vegita uncrossed his arms and his expression changed dramatically. "Is that why you summoned that cretin here?" He said incredulously. "Just for that?!"
"Yes," Bulma said, looking up at him in confusion. "What other reason did you think I had?"
Vegita grit his teeth and crossed his arms again, turning away from her a bit. "It's not important," he growled. "Just forget it."
He scowled again, and it suddenly dawned on Bulma what reason Vegita had in mind. "Oh Vegita," she sighed, shaking her head at him. "Please don't tell me you thought I'd do something so terrible to you. I love you, Vegita," she said earnestly. "You must believe me when I tell you that I'll never feel the same way about anyone else, and that I'd never even consider trying. Please try to trust me, Vegita," she said, getting up from her chair and walking over to him. "You are the ONLY one. And that is not going to change."
Vegita looked into Bulma's eyes, and found the sincerity he was searching for. "Humph," he grunted, turning away again. "I thought no such thing. I knew full well that you wouldn't want a simpering worm like that. Especially when you could have me."
He wasn't fooling anyone, but Bulma sighed and decided she might as well let him think he was. "Well, at any rate," she said, looking at her watch again and frowning. "I need you to leave. It would be much easier for Yamucha if you weren't here when I break the news to him."
Vegita snorted. "Why the hell should I care?" He snapped. "That pathetic fool is a waste of my time and yours. I shouldn't have to do anything to make things easier for him!"
"Come on, Vegita," she begged. "I'm not asking you to do it for him. I'm asking you to do it for me."
Vegita scowled. "Why do you even bother with him?" He said angrily.
Bulma sighed. "Because Yamucha and I have been friends since I was sixteen years old," she said with a smile. "And I don't want to hurt him any more than I have to. I love you, Vegita," she said, crossing her arms and frowning at him. "But I know what you'll do if you stay. You'll say something cruel to him, and that will only make things worse. My having to tell him about us will be bad enough without your sneering at him and rubbing it in his face. Please leave, Vegita. Do it for me?" She placed her hands on his cheeks and gently pulled his lips to hers. She kissed him gently but earnestly, and Vegita couldn't stop himself from curling his arms around behind her and pulling her up against him. When they finally separated, she looked imploringly up at him, and he groaned.
"Damned woman," he sighed, turning away from her and scowling. "You're much more trouble than you're worth." And without another word he turned and left the kitchen, slipping silently out the front door before taking to the sky and shooting off toward Capsule Corporation. Bulma sighed. Well, she certainly hadn't expected Vegita to make a surprise visit, but at least he had left without too much of a fight. At least she could tell Yamucha the truth without his assistance.
It wasn't more than fifteen minutes later when Yamucha landed outside and came in through the same door. Bulma had sensed him coming a few minutes in advance, and had just made a fresh pot of tea for them.
"Bulma?" He called when he came in. "Where are you?"
"In here," she called from the kitchen. "Come in and sit down, Yamucha. I just finished making some tea."
"Yamucha walked in and found Bulma sitting at the table with a steaming teapot in its center, and two mugs resting beside it. "Hi!" He cried, beaming at her. "Boy, it's great to see you, Bulma! I was worried sick when I first noticed you were gone, and even when your mother told me you'd gone on vacation, I was still pretty worried about you. So this is where you've been all this time!"
"Yeah, it's been my home for a number of days now," she said, smiling at him as he sat down across the table from her. "And a lot has happened here. That's the reason why I wanted you to come see me."
"Really?" He said interestedly. "Like what?"
Bulma sighed. He was so happy and carefree just now. She wondered if she'd ever see him this way again. It was killing her to have to tell him this.
"Oh, before you get started on that," he interjected, holding his hand up and bonking himself in the head with the other, seemingly for forgetting something. "I meant to tell you this right away. I passed Vegita on my way here. He was going towards Capsule Corp., and he was flying really, really fast for the compound. I looked up at him as he passed over me, but he didn't even seem to notice me. Anyway, he was coming from the same direction I was going. Pretty weird, huh? Did you sense him when he flew over your island?"
Bulma saw no point in lying to him about it. She was going to tell him the truth anyway. "He never passed over here, Yamucha," she said quietly. "He was coming from here."
"Huh?" Yamucha asked, looking rather surprised. "From here? Did you send for him too?"
"No," she said quietly and calmly, her face devoid of all emotion save a hint of sadness that she couldn't suppress. "He came on his own."
"You mean… Vegita already knew you were here?" Yamucha said in amazement. "But I thought only your mom and dad knew!"
"Well you see," Bulma began, looking him straight in the eyes. "I didn't come here alone, Yamucha. I brought Vegita with me."
"You what?!" Yamucha gasped. "What on earth for?"
Bulma smiled and looked down at her mug of tea. "Because I wanted to help him relax," she explained. "I could see that he wasn't getting anywhere on his own, and besides, he was beginning to take his frustrations out on you. I thought the change of scenery would be good for him."
Yamucha groaned. "Oh Bulma, now you should have known how stupid that was!" He said reproachfully. "I mean, come on! You and Vegita, alone on an island together? Please tell me you can see what's wrong with that picture! You're miles away from anyone out here! You practically offered yourself up to him on a silver platter! You should have known better than to put yourself in that kind of danger!"
Bulma didn't allow herself to become angry. She had expected this kind of reaction from him. Nonetheless she glared stonily at him as she spoke. "I was never in fear of any danger," she said in a cold but calm voice. "And I had no reason to be. I respect your dislike of Vegita, Yamucha, and I truly understand why you feel the way you do. But you should understand that his disposition toward me is anything but malicious. You must realize that his feelings for me cause him to treat me in an extraordinarily different manner than he does you. He loves me, Yamucha," she said, the look in her eyes softening considerably. "He's already told me so himself. And I believe him."
At first, Yamucha only gaped at her - in much the same way that he might have if she had slugged him in the stomach. But he soon returned to his senses. "Think very carefully about what you're saying, Bulma," he said earnestly, looking her straight in the eyes. "You know as well as I do that it can't be possible. Vegita's incapable of love - especially the kind I feel for you."
Bulma sent him a sad but understanding smile. "I know you truly believe that, Yamucha," she said gently. "And it wasn't a very long time ago when I would have agreed with you. But not anymore. It's true. Vegita loves me. And I…" She resisted the impulse to look down. She WOULD look him in the eyes when she told him this. She owed him that much. "I love him too," she said finally, looking at him with observable grief in her eyes.
Now Yamucha really did look like Bulma had hit him. "Please tell me it isn't true," he said hoarsely. "Tell me it's just a cruel joke!"
Bulma did look down then, and Yamucha understood immediately that she was telling him the truth. "No!" He choked out at her. "No! That isn't fair! That's not right at all! I loved you first, dammit!" He shot to his feet and slammed his fist on the table, flipping the teapot into the air and causing it to crash on the floor. But they both ignored it. "Just how long has this been going on, Bulma?" He asked angrily, his face crimson with jealous fury.
Bulma looked sadly up at him. "Two days," she said quietly. "Two days ago I realized I was in love with him. I never meant for it to happen, but it did just the same. I'm sorry it hurts you so, but I can't say that I'm sorry it happened. I love Vegita, Yamucha. And that isn't going to change."
"Stop saying that!" Yamucha yelled. "That man has no right to you, Bulma! He's a madman and a murderer! He'll take out all his violent rages on you, all the while claiming that he loves you! He'll use you to fulfill his sick fantasies and perversions, and you won't be able to do a thing to stop him! Not that you'd want to! Oh no, he's got you right where he wants you! He's got you believing that you're in love with him, and he's going to use that to his full advantage, I can guarantee it! He's preying on your emotions, you fool! The man's an inhuman monster!"
"That is enough!" Bulma cried, jumping to her feet and balling her fists. Her chest was heaving, and there were already tears of anguished fury streaming down her face. "I know it's easier for you to think all these things about him," she snapped angrily. "And to assume that he stole me away from you by trickery. But dammit, Yamucha, this was my decision too! I can understand your being angry with him, but just keep in mind that I'm just as much to blame as he is about this!"
"Oh, honestly!" He yelled, rolling his eyes and balling his own fists. "Don't try to defend him, Bulma! The man seduced you, and all he wants is to pin you down beneath him on his bed! You're just too naïve and innocent to see what terrible things he intends to do to you!"
Bulma grit her teeth and held back the anger that was boiling inside her. Her anger and defensiveness about this delicate matter was not going to make things any easier on Yamucha, and angry though she was at his cruel remarks about Vegita, she still didn't want to hurt him any more than was inevitable. "I'm not being naïve," she said firmly. "And I wasn't seduced. It just so happens that Vegita is gentler with me than you could ever possibly give him credit for. He loves me, Yamucha. And as hard as that may be for you to swallow, it is most assuredly true."
Yamucha's face turned an ashen gray. "I don't believe it," he said in a choked, raspy voice. "You've…. You've actually SLEPT with that bastard!"
Bulma's eyes opened wide and her face lost a good deal of color. How could he know that?! She hadn't told him that! She grit her teeth again and looked down. It was none of his business, of course, and she honestly hadn't intended for him to know. She still couldn't see how it was so obvious, but now that he had guessed the truth, she wasn't going to deny it.
"Damn him!!!" Yamucha screamed, flinging the table aside and sending it crashing through the kitchen wall, his ki flaring a frightening bright blue, and his eyes blazing with fury. Bulma stepped back instinctively, looking up at Yamucha with fright. He was liable to do something crazy in such a furious state of mind.
Growling ferociously, he jumped forward and grabbed Bulma by her shoulders, causing her to cry out in alarm. "Yamucha please!" She shrieked, resisting the urge to push him away, afraid that she might hurt him.
"How could you?!" He yelled in her face, shaking her so hard her teeth chattered. "Why?! I've loved you for years! This man convinces you he's in love with you within a matter of days, and already you're his willing concubine?! How could you do this to me? How can I mean so little to you?!"
Bulma shook her head at him. "Yamucha stop!" She sobbed. "Don't take it like that! It's just that my love for you was never like my love for Vegita! With you there was always a feeling of doubt in the back of my mind. It would have been cruel of me to give myself to you with such doubts! Surely you can understand that!"
Yamucha just made a kind of choking sound before pushing her away from him, causing her to stumble over her chair and crash to the floor on her back. "This is just too much," he croaked. "I can't take this anymore! Goodbye, Bulma!" He turned and bolted out the hole he'd created in her wall, leaving Bulma lying next to her upturned chair, dazed and emotionally as destroyed as her kitchen. She slowly picked herself up off the floor and walked unsteadily into the living room. She sank onto the sofa and began to weep as she came to the realization that her best friend would from now on be nothing but a stranger to her.
As Yamucha ran from the house, he caught sight of Vegita, who was leaning casually up against one of the trees lining the path to the beach. He must have turned around and followed him to the island. Yamucha stopped then, and he glared with hate at the man who had turned Bulma against him.
"Well you've got what you wanted," he said to Vegita with a scowl of disgust. "She's as devoted to you as a lapdog. I'm sure you're aware that what she wants from you is a lifelong commitment. And I'm well aware that you're going to allow her to delude herself about you until you've finished with her."
Vegita neither hardened nor softened his expression. "She isn't deluding herself," he said quietly. "I've told her what I want and expect from her, and she's agreed to it. The fact that she wishes to share her life with me is our business, not yours. But I will tell you this much," he said, unfolding his arms and taking a menacing step forward. "If I ever again see you lay your hands on her like you did in there, I give you my word that it will be your very last act as a living creature."
Yamucha stood his ground and shot him a scornful laugh. "Death threats mean nothing to me now, you bastard," he chuckled miserably. "My life is all I have left to lose, and right now even it isn't worth all that much to me. But she still is," he said, pointing at the Capsule house and baring his teeth at Vegita. "And I swear that if you hurt her in any way at all, I will kill you, even if it means my own life!" And without another word, Yamucha shot into the sky and took off like a rocket for the compound.
Vegita watched him go, and when Yamucha had gone out of sight, he walked over to the house to inspect the damage. The hole in the side of the house was big enough for him to step through to the inside, so he did. He looked with a frown at the mess that Yamucha had made of the kitchen, and then he walked into the living room to see Bulma slumped over on the sofa, sobbing into her hands.
"He isn't worth your tears," he said, crossing his arms and leaning up against the wall. "I say good riddance to him."
Bulma gave a start and turned around quickly, staring at Vegita in shock. But then, looking as though she should have expected him to be there, she sighed and turned back around. "He's probably never going to speak to me again," she said quietly. "I had to tell him, but it's so hard to have him leave like this." She sniffled once or twice, and she wiped her face dry with her arm. "I… I don't want to stay here anymore," she said dully, her shoulders shaking a little as fresh sobs threatened to break the surface. "I don't want to be alone. I want to go home."
Vegita walked around in front of the couch, and he reached down and took one of her hands in his. She looked up at him, and he gazed soberly back at her. "Then you should leave with me," he said. "We'll go right now."
Bulma looked up at him rather indecisively, but after looking around for a few moments, she nodded and stood up. "All right," she said. "I'd like that."
They walked outside, and Bulma hit the recapsulation button outside the door. She hadn't bothered to move the table back inside beforehand, so when the house went back to its Capsule form, it (the table) remained on the ground where she'd left it. Bulma was too upset to really care, though. She stuffed the Capsule into her pocket, and then she and Vegita took off for home. Even though she wasn't alone, there was no way to avoid the feeling of emptiness that had overcome her.
On to the next chapter!
