Hi, I wanted to show my appreciation for everyone who liked my fic "Never Been Kissed". Especially to Adimra. I was filled with happiness ^_^ Okay, this is a continuation of NBK, but now it’s gonna be an epic! Yes! Like the other fics with lots of chapters! Now I’ve never had enough confidence in my fics, and I know I can never compare with other epics, but I really really wanted to write about this A/U and since I already did (and you ppl gave me a boost!) I’m gonna try my best. Don’t know if I will start going sour (lemons I meant) but if you liked the mushy stuff in NBK, you may find them here again.

Thanks again.

Dragonball belongs to whom? Toriyama Akira, Bird Studio/Shueisha, Shonen Jump. Licensed by whom? TOEI Animation & FUNimation.

This fic takes place 2 to 3 years after NBK. Bulma is 15 turning 16. Vegeta is a year older.

Bittersweet Symphony

By Chibi K

Chapter 1

If she was still on Chikyuu, it would be her birthday a week from now. Funny, she thought, chewing on a Saiyan type of confection. It was funny how she still remembered (and possibly missed) her native land, her home.

Lectures were finished, and now she walked out to the silvery hallways of the building, lost in her own thought. She swallowed the candy when a question popped into her head.

Home? What did she mean by home?

Was home the place where you were born? If so, then the dead Chikyuu was her heart’s real dwelling. Although she hadn’t set foot on it for almost 10 years now. She barely remembered how it looked, considering the time. There was one thing she could not forget about it though.

Bulma’s hair was blue. The sky of Chikyuu was the same. Here in Vegitasei, the sky ranged from a pallid red to a bleak gray at day. How different it was…

She knew it was blue, because her mother had described it once. They laid on the grass, the girl’s head on her mother’s lap. The latter pointed upward and remarked, "Look Bulma-chan, the sky looks like your hair, doesn’t it?" And Bulma giggled in agreement.

Her mother. She barely remembered her too. What she looked like, what she sounded like. Who could blame her? She was only 4 years old when Mrs. Briefs was…was… disintegrated.

And Bulma knew that it was the Saiyans who were responsible for her death. Add to that the whole population of Chikyuu. She bit her lip.

Didn’t she feel any guilt at all? How ironic; she ought to look at herself in the mirror. Here she was, living in the luxury of their captors; studying the technology of their murderers. What, did she plan to create more weapons of destruction?

The girl shook her head wildly. No, get these thoughts out of her head! She knew it wasn’t true. She knew it wasn’t possible. Chikyuu was dead Chikyuu; what was gone would be gone forever. She was never guilty in the first place. It wasn’t like SHE made the choice years ago.

But she needed to admit, she felt guilty. Not because she was the reason Chikyuu was dead; or that she didn’t mourn for its people and her mother.

Her heart was guilty, for she did not believe Chikyuu was ever her home.

How could she, when it was the prince of Vegitasei who made her heart beat?

***

Someone tapped on her shoulder and made her almost jump. Bulma turned around immediately. She recognized the alien as one of the few who attended the lectures with her.

"Yes?" she asked. "You are?"

The female stranger snorted in a manner that Bulma considered rude. She had pale blue skin, and her green hair fell limp up to her shoulders. Although she had a nice face, her mouth twisted oddly. She appeared to be chewing candy as well.

"Iagul." She answered between chews. "And you’re the prince’s girl, aren’t you?"

Bulma’s face flushed. Her mouth fell open. "Wha-what?"

The alien Iagul rolled her eyes. "Well, are you?" She snorted again.

"Ah…ah…I don’t know."

"Oh come on." Iagul crossed her arms in front of her chest, which Bulma noticed was very…intimidating for its size. "As if word doesn’t get around this palace."

"What do you mean?" Bulma looked down at the floor, hoping Iagul wouldn’t notice her tinged cheeks. The alien, who was wearing some sort of skimpy armor, placed her hands on her hips. Then she stared forward and gave Bulma a once-over. After a few glances here and there, she circled the Chikyuu girl with a bored expression, obviously not satisfied with her findings.

"You’re pretty shrewd for such a scrawny body." She remarked, making Bulma wince. "Wonder how you’ve managed to bag him." She sniffed, her nose twitching. "You’d think I wouldn’t know what Prince Vegeta likes? Come on. It’s practically written on his face."

"I haven’t even seen Vegeta for months now." Bulma answered meekly. She regretted it when Iagul immediately pounced on her.

"You see!" She thrust her face to the Chikyuu girl, her eyes burning into Bulma’s. "You dare call the prince only by his name! If you aren’t his girl, then you are one idiot to have such guts." Snorting, she backed away from Bulma and crossed her arms again.

Bulma swallowed. Iagul frightened her, but at the same time she was experiencing a revelation. A wonderful revelation. The prince’s girl…it was music to her ears. It meant Vegeta regarded her as someone special, someone close to his heart. He rarely showed his feelings to other people, except for her. But of course, she thought. I’m his friend. Or was there more to their being friends?

She stopped her flow of thoughts when she noticed Iagul raising an eyebrow at her.

"You’re totally red." Bulma covered her mouth at once. Iagul was completely boggled. "How do you make your face red?"

"I-uh…never mind." She turned away, and heard a muffled snort. "Uh…Iagul, right?" She faced the alien again, just in time to see her pop another candy into her mouth. "Why do you think I’m ‘the prince’s girl’? Does, um, Prince Vegeta say or do things concerning me?" At once she felt her face grow hot again. By saying "do", she remembered their ‘kiss’ in the Royal Gardens.

Her first kiss.

Iagul flipped her hair over her shoulder, sighing in exasperation. "My cousin says you’re always with him. I also heard him say the prince tolerates that father of yours, even though he’d blast the other scientists for their incompetence. And he’s always alone, maybe in that seclusion of his in the garden."

"Well, no one wants to be his friend."

"Exactly my point." Iagul snapped her fingers. "You’re the only one seen with him in any other, mostly unusual circumstances. As a friend, if that’s what you say."

Bulma nodded, dazed at what she was hearing. Then again, she was quite happy for her discovery. She almost felt light with joy, when she remembered what Iagul just said.

"Your cousin, Iagul? Would you mind telling me how your cousin would know?"

"Who’s my cousin? Oh please. He WOULD know everything."

The girl wasn’t satisfied. "Who?"

She almost banged her head on the wall for not noticing the similarities immediately. Then she cringed at the mention of his name.

"Zarbon. You know, Lord Freeza’s right-hand man?"

Bulma didn’t know what to say. Why would Zarbon keep an eye on her?

Unless her fears were answered. Dr. Briefs always mentioned how beautiful her daughter had turned out to be.

Maybe Zarbon was realizing it too.

Yes, Iagul’s cousin could be certainly called handsome…but there was something about him that gave her the creeps. She had caught him many times walking towards her whenever she was going to lectures, and immediately she darted away to hide. One time though, there was no escaping him, and she had to endure a five-minute walk with him, shivering each time he pronounced her name.

"I have to go now." Iagul suddenly broke the silence. She turned around to walk opposite Bulma’s original direction, when she looked back again.

"And by the way, prince’s girl," she called making Bulma flinch, "he wants to see you in his quarters. That’s what I was supposed to say." Under her breath she muttered, "Lucky you."

***

Bulma ran like the wind along the corridors, passing a few alien scientists and Saiyajin soldiers here and there. Some tried to stop her, others she knew but had no time to greet. She had to visit the prince in his quarters.

Vegeta wanted her? Her heart beat faster. Months had passed since they last spent time with each other. Sure they saw each other, but Bulma never went to training rooms, nor did Vegeta go to laboratories. It was all passing in the corridors, nodding to each other, and maybe even a smile. Once Bulma caught Vegeta looking away as she walked by him, his cheeks colored. She bit her lip to conceal her smile.

Never did she think that this was ignorant bliss, and all bliss were meant to end. Young people "in love" weren’t supposed to think of those things yet.

So now Bulma ran as fast as her legs could take her, to the big golden double doors leading to Vegeta’s room.

***

He was thinking of a few uncanny things when she burst in the doors. She panted a bit, exhausted from all her running to reach him in good time.

Vegeta turned around, a permanent glare chiseled on his angled face.

"Oops." Bulma said sheepishly. "I meant to knock."

That made the Prince smirk, the glare disappearing from his face. She grinned back at him. Their special bond did not waver considering the time that had passed.

One thing was on Bulma’s mind. How she missed spending time with him. Her friend. Her best friend even. She didn’t know if Vegeta thought the same way about her.

She also didn’t know that under that cool exterior smirking at her, Vegeta was actually bursting with excitement about something that was going to change their lives for the next few years – and how he wanted his best friend to know. Or maybe his only friend to know.

"Sit down." He ordered. Bulma did a bold action that she thought was natural: she sat on the bed.

Vegeta took a deep breath. "I have something to tell you."

"Yeah?" Bulma nodded to assure him she was listening.

"You know how I am going to be crowned king someday." He walked towards the window and stood there, for a brief pause. "Well, now I am guaranteed that I will take this title."

Bulma opened her mouth to congratulate him, but he shushed her.

"Today Lord Freeza declared to my father that I will join him in the purging missions as part of my training, before ascending to throne." He smirked again. "Finally, I will get the action that I deserve."

As his back was to Bulma’s, he didn’t see her face pale upon sharing his ‘good’ news.

"Y-you’re going to outer space? To help in purg- the planet trade?" She didn’t know what was more shocking – Vegeta leaving the planet or Vegeta killing thousands of innocent people in their own planets. A lump formed in her throat.

He seems excited about this whole thing, she noted bitterly.

"Yes. For three years I will be able to see the outside world, and leave the weaklings I only get to fight here."

Three…three years? The lump was quickly arising to form a sob. Bulma’s chest felt heavy.

"My father was quite irritable about the idea, but Lord Freeza got the better of him."

He turned around to face her. "Well? Aren’t you going to congratulate me?"

Bulma inhaled and responded with a shaky voice, "When are you leaving?"

Vegeta returned to sit on the bed, beside her.

"A week from now."

"Oh." She forced a smile, although her mouth was threatening to choke a sob. "I-"

"I’ll miss you" she was supposed to say, when the Prince leaned towards her and gave her a warm, gentle kiss.

She gasped as her senses took flight, her pained heart wanting to gush out all that she felt about his departure. But as she closed her eyes to return the kiss, she knew that she had to keep her peace. She wanted, oh how she wanted Vegeta to be happy, even if she had to suffer the consequences.

Slowly he pulled back, his hand still supporting her head. Vegeta whispered huskily, "You know what that means, don’t you?"

I can’t take this anymore.

Bulma opened her eyes and stood up, startling even him. Her head was still disorientated, but she managed to say "I wish you luck then." As sudden as her standing up, she left the room, running even faster than she did before. She wanted to get away from this grief she was experiencing.

What a nice birthday present Vegeta gave her.

She broke down and cried.

12 March 2001/7:20 PM