Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Wish For The Past ❯ Enter Bulma ( Chapter 30 )

(A/N: That has to be my shortest disclaimer yet! *laughs*)

"Come on, Yamcha, wake up already!" Bulma's shrill voice pierced the air of Capsule Corporation with an intensity that threatened to shatter glass. She pounded on the door of her guest's bedroom again and vowed silently that if he didn't open the door in the next two seconds, she was going to barge in on him and dump him out of bed. The twelve year old boy, the boy she had settled on having as her 'almost-prefect friend' when she she hadn't been able to wish for the perfect friend, was a guest at her house, since he didn't have anywhere else to go after the end of the dragonball hunt. Yamcha groaned loudly.

"Since when are you an early bird, Bulma?" he whined through the door. "It's not even seven yet! What's so important that you have to wake me up this early for?"

Deciding that his two seconds were up, Bulma banged the door open and stomped over to her friend, who was currently huddled under a mass of twisted sheets with his pillow on top of his head. "For your information, buster, I got a phone call from Goku last night!" she fumed as she yanked the sheets off of Yamcha and hurtled them to the floor.

"Hey!" Yamcha protested, grabbing at the sheets as the cold air washed over his body. They both blushed furiously as they realized that Yamcha was wearing nothing but his underwear. Scrambling out of bed, the black haired boy snatched the sheets off the floor and pulled them around his lower half. "So?" he asked, glaring at the blue haired girl in front of him. "What'd he have to say that makes you feel like you have to beat the sun at its own game?"

Bulma rummaged through the dresser that held Yamcha's clothing, trying to decide what to have her 'perfect' friend wear. "Well, Goku needs me to bring him some hair dye this morning. Something about his father and brother needing it." She paused and looked pointedly at Yamcha, waiting to see if he would catch the implications of what she had just said.

Blinking owlishly as he absorbed the information, Yamcha asked hesitantly, "You mean, Goku found his family?"

"Bingo!" Bulma smirked triumphantly. Yamcha might not be a genius like she was, but he wasn't slowwitted either. "Oooh! I can't wait to see them!" She giggled as she finally chose an outfit for her friend to wear, a pair of blue jeans and a green T-shirt, and handed them to Yamcha. "I wonder how old his brother is. I hope he's good looking. Ahh, who am I kidding? Of course he's good looking! Any family that could produce someone as cute as Goku has to have good looking guys in it. Not that I think Goku's hot or anything. Kami, he's just a kid, after all. But he's cute in a kiddy sort of way. I bet Goku's dad is a hunk, though!" She turned her back on Yamcha while he got dressed, her mouth going faster than she could drive a capsule car, which was saying something.

"Bulma, aren't you a little young to be interested in guys?" Yamcha asked incredulously as he pulled the pants on.

"Of course I am!" she snapped, her eyes flashing furiously for a moment before she smiled happily. "But a girl's allowed to look around to see what's out there, right? I have to see what the world has to offer so that when I am old enough to be interested, I'll know what to look for in the perfect boyfriend." Turning around to find her friend dressed, Bulma flashed him a smile and grabbed his arm. "Okay, let's go!" she yelled cheerfully as she dragged the older boy out of his room. "I've already got the dye Goku asked me for, so all we have to do is fly on over to Master Roshi's island!"

Rolling his eyes, Yamcha could only follow silently as his blue haired host shoved him into one of her capsule cars and took off. He silently prayed to Kami that they would at least make it to the Turtle Hermit's island alive, something that you could never be sure of with Bulma at the wheel. The blue haired genius let out a wild whoop and revved the engine, shooting off into the sky like a bullet.

Unable to sleep any longer, Goten got up and tiptoed outside, careful not to wake any of his friends. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he decided to get a head start on catching his breakfast. He quickly stripped off his chibi-dad's orange gi so it wouldn't get wet, then waded into the ocean in only his underwear, eagerly scanning the area for any tasty looking creatures.

He had caught about half a meal's worth of food when he heard the sounds of an approaching air car and looked up in time to see two older kids speeding towards the island in a capsule car. He watched with interest as the vehicle landed on the beach and a blue haired girl and a black haired boy got out. The boy promptly fell to the ground and started kissing it thankfully while the girl flipped her silky, shoulder length hair over her shoulder and looked around. When she saw Goten standing waist deep in the water, she smiled and waved as she walked over.

"Hiya, Son-kun! I brought the dye like you asked. So, where's your family? Aren't you going to introduce me to them?" Putting her hands on her hips, she studied the younger boy with a faint look of disapproval on her face. "And get some clothes on, will ya? Honestly, your lack of modesty is embarrassing! At least you didn't take everything off like you usually do, though. That's some improvement anyway."

Goten scratched the back of his head in confusion as he stared at the two new arrivals. "Umm...."

"Well? What are you standing there for?!" Bulma yelled. "Put your clothes on already!"

Startled into action, Goten leapt out of the water and started pulling his clothes back on. "Hai, Bulma-san," he said, guessing that since she had blue hair like Bulma did and had said she brought dye, that this must be Bulma when she was younger. As he strapped the nyoibo onto his back, he glanced over at the black haired boy curiously, wondering who he was.

"Yamcha, will you put the car back into its capsule, please?" Bulma asked in a surprisingly sweet voice, unwittingly answering Goten's question. Yamcha nodded pleasantly and pressed the button that capsulized the machine. Bulma smiled and turned back to Goten. "So, Goku, where is your family? You said your dad and your brother were here. I want to meet them." Clapping her hands excitedly, she giggled as she once again tried to picture Goku's family.

"Uhh... Bulma?" Goten asked nervously, scuffing the dirt with the toe of his foot. "I'm not Goku."

"Huh?" Bulma stared at Goten like he was crazy. "What do you mean, you're not Goku. Of course you're Goku!" She put her fists on her hips and glared at the shorter boy angrily. "Is this supposed to be some kind of joke? 'Cause if it is, it's not very funny."

"But I'm not Goku! Honest!" Goten protested. "I'm Goten. Goku's still asleep. Or he was last time I was inside anyway."

Bulma and Yamcha stared at Goten with disbelief. The boy looked exactly like Goku, from his spiky black hair and wide, innocent eyes down to the brown furred tail that they had only ever seen on one person. "But... but you look like Goku, and you're wearing his clothes!" Yamcha stated uncertainly. "Maybe you're just sick and think you're someone else!"

"That's 'cause me and Goku traded clothes to see if anyone could tell us apart," Goten explained, grinning in the way that only the Son family could pull off. Needless to say, it did nothing to help convince Bulma and Yamcha that he was not Goku. Then Bulma remembered something and she smirked triumphantly, thinking that she had cleared the mystery.

"I get it now! You're Goku's brother, aren't you! Guess the little guy forgot to mention his brother was his twin," Bulma chuckled affectionately, reaching out to ruffle Goten's hair. "Well, I'm Bulma Briefs, and this is my friend, Yamcha. It's nice to meet you, Goten!"

"But..." Goten trailed off, uncertain as to how to clarify that he wasn't Goku's brother. "But Bulma, I'm-"

"Ha! I knew it!" the blue haired girl crowed in self congratulation. "I was right! You are his twin, aren't you! Bulma, you are a genius."

"But..." Goten tried again, anxious not to let Bulma get the wrong idea, only to be proven wrong later. That would make her really mad.

"What the hell is going on down there?" an irritated, sleepy voice grumbled from the top of the Kame house, cutting off any further discussion. Bardock's bleary face poked over the edge of the roof, glowering down at the noisy trio who had woken him up. His mood wasn't helped any by the fact that he had accidentally fallen asleep outside, and the roof of the house hardly made the most comfortable of beds.

Grateful for the distraction, Goten waved cheerfully up at Bardock. "Ohayoo, grandpa! This is Bulma and Yamcha." Suddenly realizing that the reason Bulma was over here in the first place was supposed to be a surprise, he gulped and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Umm... Goku called Bulma last night and asked her to come over. I'll take her inside right now! Sorry to bother you!" He quickly grabbed Bulma and Yamcha and pulled them inside before Bardock could become suspicious. Bardock merely groaned and rolled onto his back, staring up at the blue sky while he debated whether or not it was worth his while to bother to get up right now. In a few minutes, he decided, yawning out loud.

"Goten, who was that?" Bulma asked curiously. "Gosh, he looked cute!" She giggled as she recalled the pink streaks in the man's hair. "If you don't take into account that pink hair!"

"That's my grandpa, Bardock. Me and Trunks and Vegeta played a prank on him and Uncle Radditz and put pink dye in their hair." Goten grinned in embarrassment. Spotting the sleeping forms of Trunks and Goku, he darted over and started shaking his two friends awake. "Trunks! Goku! Wake up! Bulma's here! And she brought the you-know-what with her!"

Sitting up with the blankets still on top of them, Trunks and Goku stretched and looked at the two newcomers. Goku grinned and jumped out of his blankets. "Hiya, Bulma! Hey, Yamcha! I didn't think you'd come, too! It's great to see you again!"

"Wow! You two really are twins! If it weren't for the clothes, there's no way I could tell you apart," Yamcha commented, looking from one chibi to the other.

Finally having had enough, Goten stamped his little foot in frustration. "But we're not twins! I keep trying to tell you that!"

"What do you mean?" Bulma asked crossly. If there was one thing she hated, it was having someone contradicting her. "You two sure as hell look like twins, and you are brothers, so unless there's some age difference that I'm not aware of, then you are twins." She folded her arms and glared down at the two look-alikes.

Goku and Goten blinked in surprise, then looked at each other. "How old are you, Goku?" Goten asked.

"Seven. You?"

"Eight. Wow, I didn't realize I was older than you!"

"Weird," Trunks muttered to himself, grinning. "Goten's older than his dad!"

Still feeling groggy from not getting enough sleep, Bardock stretched lazily, easing cramps from his muscles that he'd gotten from sleeping on the roof. He hadn't meant to fall asleep out here, but he must have dozed off during his contemplation of the night before. Recalling what he'd been thinking about, he sighed and buried his face in his hands. He still didn't know what he was going to do about his personal dilemma. Saiya-jin society dictated that one was supposed to remain cold and emotionless while in the presence of strangers. However, Goten, Goku, and Trunks wouldn't know that. They wouldn't understand if he suddenly became a different person. They'd gotten so used to him being affectionate around them, or at least Trunks and Goten had, that if he reverted back to his warrior self, they would be confused and perhaps hurt. Kami, what am I supposed to do?

Lifting his head from his hands, his sensitive nose caught a whiff of himself and a came to the conclusion that, before he could do anything else, he at least needed to take a shower. He stood up and levitated down to the ground, pulling off the pink BADMAN shirt in preparation for the shower he planned on taking. He could wash the shirt after he showered. Stepping through the door of Kame house, he heard Trunks say, "Weird. Goten's older than his dad!"

"Goten's older than Goku?" Bardock asked, slightly surprised. From what he could tell, the two boys looked the same age. Everyone in the room turned to look at him when he said that.

"Grandpa!" Goten shouted at the same time as Goku yelled, "Otousan!" In unison, the twin father and son team tackled Bardock, who caught them in his arms with a startled look, dropping the pink shirt to the floor. Despite his earlier conflict over whether or not to show his affection for his family in front of strangers, he couldn't help but grin and hug the two chibis to his chest.

"Good Kami, he's hot!" Bulma breathed, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open slightly in stunned amazement. She hadn't really gotten a good look at him earlier, just a view of his head, and that was at a distance. Now he was standing only a few feet away, and without his shirt on, she could see quite clearly that he was a fighter, his toned muscles rippling smoothly across his chest in a way that Bulma found hypnotizing. His features were finely chiseled, his chin delicately pointed, his nose strong and set perfectly in between his eyes, firm, determined eyebrows arching over his eyes, two midnight pools that threatened to swallow Bulma in their infinite depths. I wonder if this is what Son-kun will look like when he grows up? she thought dazedly, feeling her heart fluttering around in her chest. Suddenly becoming aware of her reaction, she mentally shook herself. Bulma, you're only eleven years old! Get a hold of yourself!

Bringing herself out of her stupor, she suddenly realized that Bardock was giving her an odd look, one eyebrow cocked questioningly. Blushing furiously, she introduced herself. "Goten already told you my name, but I'm Bulma Briefs. Er... I'd offer to shake your hand, but it looks like they're full. This is my friend, Yamcha." She pointed at the boy who stood next to her.

Glancing down at the two boys clinging to him, Bardock chuckled slightly, then looked again at the blue haired girl. "I'm Bardock. Goku's father."

Bulma frowned as something that Goten had said twice now caught her attention. "Goten called you 'grandpa'," she said, almost accusingly. She didn't need to say anything else. Everyone knew what she was really asking. Bardock didn't look old enough to have grandchildren. And how could Goten be Bardock's grandson, when he was older than Bardock's son, Goku? And wasn't Goten Goku's brother?

Bardock closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. If his hands hadn't been full, he would have rubbed his forehead, feeling the signs of an oncoming headache. "It's a long story, and I don't really feel up to telling it right now." He put Goten and Goku on the floor, grabbed the pink shirt, and straightened up. "I'm going to take a shower. One of the boys will explain everything, I'm sure." Hopefully the shower would help wake him up and sort out the jumble of thoughts and emotions in his mind.

As Bardock left the room, Bulma could only stare at his retreating form, still slightly in awe of the incredible good looks he possessed. Once he disappeared from view, though, she rounded on the three younger boys in the room and glared at them, her hands on her hips in an aggressive manner. "Well? Are you going to explain what the hell is going on or not?!"

Goten and Trunks gulped nervously, being more than passingly familiar with Bulma's roller coaster temper. Goku only smiled and Yamcha edged away from his friend slightly. He, too, knew that if Bulma got mad, she wouldn't hesitate to take it out on the nearest person.

"Kisama! Can't you baka gakis shut the hell up and let me get some sleep?!" A very enraged and grumpy Vegeta stormed into the room, his eyes red and bleary from just waking up, though his hair still looked the same, jutting upwards in the shape of a black flame. His tail lashed from side to side as he glared from one person to the next. "Who the hell are you two weaklings?" he sneered, raking his eyes up and down both Bulma and Yamcha in a disapproving manner.

Please review. ^_^