Disclaimer: I don't own dragon ball z. I just use the characters I like in this story. So please, don't sue!

Bulma awoke to sunlight pouring over her face. Stretching, she yawned and looked at her alarm clock. It was eight in the morning. Bulma blinked her eyes to clear her sleep blurred vision.

Bulma blinked again, and then thought. Suddenly her eyes shot open and she became instantly awake.

"EIGHT??!"

She screamed. Popping up and out from underneath the warm covers of her bed, she grabbed her robe.

"Eight? How can it be eight?! I set my alarm for six! I have a meeting in half an hour! How am I going to be ready in time?!"

She talked to herself all the way to her bathroom, where she proceeded to take the quickest shower in history.

Running to her closet, she began to tear clothes from the hangers.

"What am I going to wear?! I'm going to be late!"

She grabbed a light blue skirt, a white midriff shirt, and boots. Then she ran to her vanity and tied her hair back with a blue ribbon.

"Aaahhh! I don't have time for makeup!!"

Bulma grabbed her purse and ran down the stairs.

Bulma's mother was in the kitchen making breakfast. Vegeta was in from the gravity machine, consuming inhuman amounts of food. As soon as Bulma's mother had made a pancake, it was gone down Vegeta's throat.

Just then, Bulma ran into the room. Her mother looked up from the skillet, eyeing her frantic daughter.

"Konnichi wa Bulma chan!" She said her usual sickeningly cheery voice.

Bulma just looked at her. Then she burst into a flurry of words.

"Ohayo Okaasan. Why didn't you wake me up? I'm going to be late for my meeting!"

Bulma's mother just smiled.

"Oh Bulma chan, don't be so dramatic. Have some breakfast!" She said as she finished another pancake.

Bulma glanced at Vegeta's pile of pancakes, which were covered in globs of butter and gallons of sticky syrup. She made a face.

"How can you stuff so much in your mouth all at once?" She asked. Vegeta just looked at her, then shoved six more pancakes down his throat while smirking at her look of disgust.

"I don't have time okaasan! I have to leave now! Where is otousan?"

Bulma's mother shrugged.

"Out in the lab probably. Sure you can't have breakfast? I made pancakes!"

Bulma ran out of the kitchen while calling over her shoulder, "Gomen okaasan! I don't have time! Ja na!"

Bulma was running so fast towards the lab that she wasn't looking where she was going. Which is probably why she ran smack into the person that she most did not want to see at the moment. Looking up at person she gasped out, "Su-sumimasen! I didn't see you! Gomen nasai!"

Then she saw his face.

"Yamucha!"

Yamucha looked a bit confused.

"Obyo Bulma chan. Are you okay?"

Bulma was flustered by the presence of her ex-boyfriend and blushed slightly.

"Hai. I'm fine. Have you seen my father?" She asked.

Yamucha nodded. "Yes. He's in the lab." Bulma leapt to her feet.

"Arigatou domo! Ja na!" She called as she continued to run to the lab.

"Ja na!" Yamucha called back to her. Then he turned and walked to the kitchen, where Puar had headed.

Never can keep up with that woman! He thought to himself.

Bulma entered the lab, gasping as she called out, "Otousan! Where are you? I need the plans!" She stumbled over to the table where her father sat.

"What? Hmmm…" Her father said as he looked at the computer screen.

"That can't be rite… I'd better recalculate my calculations… What? Bulma? Oh! Konnichi wa! Ogenki deska? What can I do for you?"

Bulma glared at her father.

"The plans otousan! For the meeting!" Bulma's father looked confused for a moment. Then he slapped his palm to his forehead.

"Of course! The meeting is today! Well here Bulma chan.. Let me give these to you… Hmmm… I was sure I put them here…"

Bulma sighed in exasperation as her father groped around through his desk.

"Ah yes! Here they are! That was a silly place for me to put them… What am I doing with these again?"

"You are giving them to me, otousan, to present at the meeting." Bulma sighed.

"Oh yes! That's rite! Here you go m'dear! Have fun and give the Capsule Corporation a good name!" He said while handing them to her.

"Thank you otousan. I'll be back later. Ja na!" She ran to her capsule car and jumped in. And then drove at breakneck speed to the meeting hall downtown.

********

Vegeta was done stuffing his face and eager to return to his training… Except Bulma's mother was keeping him in the kitchen.

"So Vegeta, how did you like my pancakes?" She asked him while collecting the dishes. Vegeta rolled his eyes and walked toward the living room. Bulma's mother called after him.

"Vegeta, wait! I think my husband is upgrading the gravity machine rite now." She said as she put the plate under the steaming water.

This grabbed Vegeta's attention.

"Honto?" He asked with interest.

Bulma's mother nodded. "Uh hu."

"Good." He stated. It's about time that piece of junk got an upgrade. I thought my ki would grow out of it soon. He thought with a smirk. Then he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch and turned on the t.v. It amused him that such a simple device brought entertainment to humans. Meaningless images and items that no one had a use for flashed across the screen. Yawning, Vegeta relaxed into the soft coushins of the couch.

He hardly ever got time to relax. His constant training that kept him busy usually 24/7 left him so exhausted that all he could think of as he dragged himself out of the gravity machine was food and sleep.

The main male character of the show was kissing the main female character. Vegeta curled his lips into a sneer. Human affection. Such a sick display of weakness shown on television. You would think humans would be ashamed of such a weakness, but no, hardly any show on this stupid machine didn't have the sickness inserted somewhere in it.

He flipped the channel. Wrestling. How fake. Flip. Some kind of e.r. show. Flip. Music Video. Not bad… Flip. Commercials. Flip. More commercials. Vegeta sighed and turned the t.v off.

He got off the couch and walked up the stairs to his quarters.

Once in his room he flopped onto the bed and folded his arms over his chest.

I suppose that there is time for a short rest… He thought to himself. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Slowly, he lost his grips of reality and drifted…

********

Worthless… The dream hit almost immediately. Worthless… That's all that you are…You know it to, don't you? Of course you do, how could you not? Not this dream, he had not had this dream in a long time… It couldn't be happening… Not again!

Worthless… Worthless and weak… Not fit to be ruler of Vegeta sei… His father, towering over him. His cold eyes piercing through the young prince.

Vegeta groaned in his sleep. While usually a sound sleeper, he tossed and turned as the dream continued…

I think I should have you killed brat… King Vegeta sneered at his young son. He lifted a hand high, and brought it quickly across the prince's face, drawing blood.

Vegeta moaned and turned again.

"I'm sorry…" He muttered. "I'll train harder… You'll see… I'll be strong like you…Otousan."

Vegeta shot up from his position on the bed. His eyes went wide.

"A dream? It was a dream?" He looked around the room.

"It was a dream…" He brought his hand to his face and rubbed his temple.

I can't believe I dreamt that… Wanting to be like my father. Hmph! What kind of fool was I? Besides, he thought with a smirk, I'm stronger now than he ever was.

Vegeta stood and stretched. Then he walked down stairs and out the door toward the gravity chamber, deciding it was time to check on the process of the gravity machine.

"Listen, officer, I'm in a big hurry and I don't have time to waste. So if you could just give me my ticket, and get going, we'll all have a happier, easier day. Alright?"

Bulma had been pulled to the side of the road by a policeman and was trying to get the young man to hurry up and give her the ticket. The young officer, however, had other ideas.

"Going pertty fast there ma'am." He said in a southern accent.

Bulma glanced at her watch. Kuso! Two minutes late!

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again… Ticket please?" She asked looking at the young man.

The young officer was taken "smitten" by Bulma's beauty, and had no intention of letting her go that easily.

" 'Ya know… I always thought that all pertty young gals upheld the law. But you sure didn't back there ma'am. I think I should stick with you for the rest of the day t' make sure y' don't break any more laws… Whaddya say gorgeous?" He asked with a wink and a smile.

Bulma looked at the young man for a minute. Then she reached out and grabbed the ticket from his hand.

"Sorry, I have an important meeting that started," She glanced at her watch again, "Five minutes ago! I really have to be going!" She rolled up her window in the surprised officer's face. Then she sped away… As fast as the speed limit permitted her to…

The young officer looked after her car for a moment. Then he hopped on his motorcycle and shrugged.

"Worked in Texas..." Was all he said before answering the buzzing radio for his next assignment.