The phone beeped noisily as Bulma waited for the person on the other end to pick up. She hummed to herself as she waited, picking up a pen and twirling it in her hands. She was sitting in her private quarters, a place where she could work on her inventions and relax at the same time. No one was allowed in there except for her but Vegeta and Trunks barged in occasionally anyway, whether it was for a good verbal spar or a request for a new video game.
Bulma was going to hang up and try again another time when they finally picked up.
"Yo!" a female voice on the other end said. "What's up, sis?"
"Oh, nothing much. It's not the end of the world or anything," replied Bulma. "But I'm having a party today. Do you think you could drop by, Tights? You still haven't seen Bra yet. I want her to meet her aunt."
"Right!" A small grunt sounded, then the barking of a dog and the hissing of a cat on Tights' end. "Umm, hang on..."
Bulma stared at the phone with a bewildered expression as the sounds grew louder, the dog and cat seemingly having a fight. "Is everything okay, sis?"
"Fine!" Tights voice shouted, her mouth far too close to the receiver for Bulma's comfort. "Let me just get out of these pajamas...!"
Bulma sighed but giggled to herself. Her sister, though her senior by a decade, could act so childishly sometimes. But that was the endearing thing about Tights - she was like a kid who would never grow up. Like all mortals, she would grow old, but grow up? Tights could be a graying old lady on her deathbed and still manage to crack an immature joke about someone's mother. She's just like Goku. It's adorable, really.
"Well?" Bulma said when it went silent. "So you coming over or what?"
"Yep!" chirped Tights, something jingling as she spoke. "Boy do I have a surprise for you. Bra too. I can't wait to meet my niece!" Her sandals clip-clopped against the tile flooring of wherever she was and Bulma heard a car door shut before said car had its engine revved.
"I'm only about an hour away from the mainland," Tights told her, the engine reduced to a content purr. "I'll be there in time. Expect a blue and pink submarine hovercar parked in the street."
"Got it. Bye, Tights."
"See ya, Bulma!"
xXx
Bulma had just finished freshening up when she went outside to see Chi Chi placing a large amount of food on the table. No matter how much Bulma insisted, the Son matron would always bring her own for her boys and the other guests. But what was puzzling was why she was here so early. Being the wife of Goku, she was normally late, having to practically shove Goku into proper attire.
"Hi, Chi Chi," Bulma greeted, making the raven-haired woman turn around.
"Oh, hello Bulma," Chi Chi said, looking like she hadn't slept for days.
Bulma tilted her head slightly. "Okay, spill. What's wrong? And where are Goku and Goten?"
"Goten's got a bit more homework to do before he can come," Chi Chi answered, tightening the bun on her head. It only served to accentuate the bags underneath her eyes from sleepless nights.
"And Goku?"
Chi Chi looked down at her feet. "I really don't want to talk about this..."
"Oh, but you need to," Bulma interrupted. "Seriously, Chi Chi. It's no good bottling up feelings like this. What's happened between you and Goku?"
Chi Chi bit her lip, unwilling to speak about what had been happening.
"Chi Chi," Bulma prompted with a hard voice. "You can talk to me. Us girls have to stick together, you know?"
"Of course..." murmured Chi Chi, finally looking up. "Could we please go inside?"
Bulma led her to the living room, where she knew they'd be alone to discuss whatever needed to be discussed. Vegeta had flown off somewhere while Cabba was occupied in the greenhouse, likely ogling at all the different varieties of plants and animals present.
"Well?" coached Bulma.
Chi Chi sighed and sat cross legged on the couch. "It's quite complicated, Bulma. You don't even know the half of it."
"Then tell me!" Bulma said impatiently. "Stop stalling, Chi Chi."
"Alright, alright!" Chi Chi huffed in exasperation. "It's just that..." She groaned, rubbing her temples, as if talking about it drained the rest of her energy away. "Ever since those gods came it's been nothing but trouble with Goku. He just goes off and trains all the time. I would understand if the world was in trouble, but it wasn't! Goku just up and went off to who knows where to train with Beerus and Whis."
"He is a saiyan," Bulma said placatingly. "They live for fighting."
"You think I don't know that?! People may think you drew the short straw in the saiyan husband lottery but it's really the opposite. Goku's simply never here anymore and I..." She growled in frustration. "I can't stand that! We're supposed to be a family. He left us once for seven years with some bullshit excuse and now he's doing it again. That's not what a husband's supposed to do, Bulma. For goodness sake, he didn't even know what marriage was before. And then I practically forced him into it..." She buried her face in her hands, her hair messing up again. "What if he doesn't love me anymore? Is that why he keeps leaving? Did he even love me in the first place?"
Bulma rubbed comforting circles on Chi Chi's back, totally silent. It was now time for Chi Chi to speak, not hers.
"After Majin Boo... just when I thought we could start being a family again... this happens."
"This?" echoed Bulma, unsure of what she was referring to.
"Those meddlesome gods!" Chi Chi snarled, her hands curling around her cheongsam. "They show up and suddenly my world's turned upside down. They took Goku away from me. And then there was that god forsaken tournament. Again I thought things were going to be back to normal once more." She chuckled hollowly. "But apparently, I was wrong. She came and now I'm forced onto the sidelines."
Instantly, Bulma's interest picked up. "Who's she? Don't tell me Goku's cheating on you!"
"He might as well be. Ever since she came, Goku's been spending all his time with her. I try to give him hints. We even stopped being intimate so he could be reminded of me! I thought I was going to have him crack soon. I sent him away two nights ago and I haven't seen him since."
"You think he's sleeping with the other girl," Bulma said plainly.
"Of course!" Chi Chi said irritably. "I'm not blind nor am I stupid. He's falling in love with her, even if the oaf doesn't know it himself. They've probably already done the deed. Two nights, Bulma. How else could he spend his time? You know the essentials of a male saiyan's life are fighting, sex and food. I used to be able to provide for all three but now... Things just aren't working out. I haven't cooked him dinner in the past few days. Don't even get me started on the sex."
"Chi Chi, I think you're going about this the wrong way," Bulma began. "Look, I'm going to be honest with you. You've scared him off."
"Scared him off?" Her voice started rising. "Scared him off?! Is that why he left me to raise a son for seven fucking years?! Because I scared him off?! So he preferred staying dead than facing me?!"
Bulma winced at the younger woman's increasing volume. "Chi Chi -"
"WHAT I'M DOING IS WHAT IS RIGHT! Why can't anyone see that! I want to protect my family!"
Maybe because your yelling could make a grown man piss himself while somehow screaming in seven different languages when he only speaks one? Bulma thought sardonically.
Chi Chi made an unintelligible angry sound and stormed off. At that moment, Vegeta entered, looking unimpressed at Chi Chi's retreating figure.
"Trouble in paradise?" drawled Vegeta.
"You could say that. I don't know about you, Vegeta, but personally, I think it's an utter miracle that they've been married for so long. Chi Chi's great in her own fiery demon way but I don't think she's right for Goku."
"Hn. I'm inclined to agree. It's astounding how much control the harpy has over Kakarot. It's his fault for letting it get this far. The buffoon might as well be an earthling pet at this point."
"Yeah..." She sniffed. "You're going to need a shower, mister. Honestly, you freshen up and then ruin it all over again."
Vegeta glared at her. She glared back, equally fierce.
He relented. "Fine."
As he walked off, Bulma beamed. During the battle with Majin Boo, Vegeta had died along with the creature's most evil form. But in his place, a new Phoenix had risen from the ashes: the one she called her husband.
The doorbell rang, surprising Bulma. "Who could that be? All the guests normally just fly in."
xXx
After breakfast, Kale had decided to go after Cabba. She knew that Goku and Caulifla were eager to use her absence for more private affairs so she made haste. She was now flying toward where Cabba's chi was located, fluctuating from what Kale had discerned as excitement.
I wonder how Cabba's doing? she thought. What's got him so excited? Is... is it another girl? Kale gulped at the thought of Cabba spending time with another woman. Even though most people thought of her as a blissfully naive person, she was well aware of what an attractive female could do to a male. Cabba could easily be laying with a beautiful earthling right now. There was nothing stopping him after all - he and Kale were by no means 'official' and she wasn't sure if he truly loved her like she loved him. Kale was plain. Kale was mousy, as Val had said. Kale was weak. Kale wasn't beautiful. So why would Cabba ever be attracted to someone like her?
Kale held the tears back. Caulifla said no more crying. I should listen to her and stop crying over nothing...!
Before she knew it, Kale was at Capsule Corp. The place was certainly big. She couldn't help but gasp in awe as ogled the giant dome-like structure. Sunlight was being reflected off its yellow paint job, giving the place a contemporary feel to it.
Caught off guard by the building which was sure to hold some pretty important people, Kale landed at the front door and smoothed down her skirt before knocking. When no one came, she knocked again, noticing a small button-like device to the side as she did so. When no one responded to her knock, she pressed the button. It vibrated under her finger, making a strange bell-like noise.
"Huh...?" She studied the device closely, her eyes narrowing.
The door opened, making her squeak in surprise and jump a few feet into the air.
"Hi there!" the blue-haired woman on the other side of the door greeted. "Did you need something? How did you bypass security?"
"S-security?" stammered Kale, shrinking into herself.
"Well, yeah. The only way you could pass through the gates is by... flying." She broke into a grin. "Hey, you're one of us right?! I think I recall Cabba describing someone like you. Man, he wouldn't shut up about you! Come on it, Kale!"
Startled, the only thing Kale could do was blink as her legs operated on autopilot, moving her into the house.
"The name's Bulma," the heiress said, shaking Kale's limp hand. "Don't talk too much, huh? Cabba did say you were extremely shy."
"Oh," Kale said dejectedly. Is that all he said about me?
Bulma clicked her tongue. "You have good taste in clothes. But this is a real big celebration party and I want you to wear something more formal casual."
"I don't have any other outfits..."
"I'll see what I have in my closet! Meanwhile, you go and find Cabba and enjoy yourself. He was in the greenhouse the last time I checked." Bulma disappeared into another room, leaving Kale by herself.
Greenhouse? Just how big is this place?
Pretty big, she soon found out. If it wasn't for her ability to sense chi she would have never been able to locate where the greenhouse - and Cabba - was.
The doors of the greenhouse automatically opened for her, revealing a humongous room that looked just like the outside world. It wasn't called a greenhouse for no reason - the entire place was filled with all sorts of flora! If she looked closely, she could see monkeys climbing up and down the trees. A bush rustled and two baby dinosaurs came running out, one chasing the other with a happy dinosaur smile on its face.
Kale's eyes gleamed. This place is so beautiful! It's like I've wandered outside again. Am I outside? She glanced behind her shoulder, identifying the white light coming from the interconnected room. No... I'm definitely still inside.
She explored the indoor jungle, looking around in awe-filled wonder as she walked around. A small bird flew up to her and perched on her head. At first, she tensed up, but then relaxed as she realized that it was virtually harmless. She moved her hand to her head and felt the bird's feet clutch around her slender fingers. She brought her hand back down to observe the bird with wide eyes. It chirped melodically at her and she broke into a wide grin, her heart filling with a pleasant something she couldn't quite identify.
Another bird landed on an unoccupied finger, encouraged by the presence of the other bird. This one seemed a lot more shy somehow. It kept its head low and only chirped when the other bird twittered first.
A third and hopefully final bird landed on Kale's thumb in an almost huffy manner. If it had arms, Kale was sure that the bird would be crossing them in exasperation. It made a noise that seemed to be antagonistic to the other birds. The first bird squawked back indignantly while the shy one hid its head in its wings.
They're like tiny people. Each of them have their own personality.
"Kale!"
Cabba was approaching her, twigs and leaves sticking out of his hair. He was wearing his saiyan armor, having put the party outfit aside in his room. There were a few scrapes on his knees but they were superficial. Cabba smiled at her. "It's good to see you again, Kale!"
"I missed you too," Kale murmured before realising that it really wasn't an appropriate response. She blushed beet red and the fiery bird on her thumb chirped loudly, as if it were encouraging her to not be so shy around Cabba.
She felt something warm wrap around her body and her arms dropped to her side, the birds flying off in random directions. It took a moment for her to register that Cabba was hugging her. Shocked but still coherent, Kale slowly embraced him as well.
Meanwhile, Cabba was looking petrified, thankful Kale couldn't see his expression. Why did I do that?! What if I sent her the wrong message? He pulled away from her abruptly, clearing his throat. "Are you here for Bulma's party?" What a dumb question, he berated himself. Why else would she be here? Hope bloomed inside his heart as he considered another possible reason for her appearance. Maybe she's here to visit me?
"I'm here for the party," Kale said without thinking. Oh, that wasn't it... I came here for you not the party. She was about to correct herself but decided against it. It's going to be weird telling Cabba I followed him here. What if he thinks I'm clingy? Well, she was clingy when it came to people she cared about but she didn't want Cabba to label her as that and write her off!
"Oh," Cabba said woodenly. He tried to smile. "Well that's great! The party should be starting soon. I've just been spending my time in the greenhouse. Do you know that they have creatures similar to Hooplahs on Sadala?"
Cabba led her away into the foliage, talking nonstop about the various types of fauna and flora in the greenhouse while Kale paid explicit attention to his rambling. She hadn't known he was a nature person - heck, she didn't even know she liked animals until her encounter with the birds! Most of the wildlife on Sadala had been vicious and bloodthirsty and Kale had made sure to stay well away from them. Earth's animals were a nice contrast to what she was used to.
As Cabba talked, he tried to make everything sound interesting, the thought of boring Kale sending him into a sweat. What if Kale didn't like nature or botany? Are girls supposed to be into botany? My sister always preferred shopping... That's it! Maybe tomorrow I'll take her shopping. Caulifla should come too. We need more than one outfit and having a gi in Caulifla's case doesn't count. Vados didn't give us all that money for us to just store it away, he added to himself, thinking of the cash that he had stuffed into his drawer and forgotten about.
Thry circled the entire place before finding themselves back at the entrance. Bulma was there, leaning against the doorframe.
Bulma beamed at them. "There you are, Kale! I found a super cute dress for you!" She scowled at the saiyan male next to her. "As for you, Cabba, what happened to that outfit I gave you?"
"A-ah, it's in my room," replied Cabba, flustered at the prospect of having to endure a scolding lecture by Bulma.
"Well what are you waiting for? Kuririn and 18 have already arrived with Marron and I could have sworn I saw Ten and Chaozu fly by the window. Chop chop!" She ushered Cabba out of the room before turning to Kale with a grin. "Lets go to the dressing room. You won't believe what I've picked out for you!"
xXx
"Formal attire?" Caulifla repeated as she followed Goku into the bedroom he shared with Chi Chi. He was sifting through the closet, looking for something proper.
"Yeah. Chi Chi won't be happy if she sees me in some 'ratty old gi' as she calls it. Bulma did say the dress code was casual formal and she won't be happy either if I show up as I am now."
A snort. "Are all of Universe 7's saiyans masochists when it comes to their mates?"
"Isn't it like that in Universe 6?"
Caulifla flopped down on the bed, her gi wavering as she did so. "Not really. In our saiyan culture, it's always been the male who asserts dominance over the female in a relationship. It's why I don't have a mate, even if most females my age have already been mated and have three kids."
Man, I hope she doesn't bite my head off when I ask her this. Bulma always does. "How old are you anyway?" He tensed, ready for cookware to fly upon his head.
"Hmm... around twenty six last time I checked," came Caulifla's reply.
"Huh? How do you not know? Don't you celebrate your birthday?"
Caulifla blinked confusedly at him. "You mean the day I was born? How the hell am I supposed to know when that is?"
"Uh, birth certificates? Anyhow, on earth we celebrate the day we were born by having a birthday party."
"I honestly don't see the point," Caulifla told him, unfazed by his changing right in front of her. He was now wearing a white shirt with sleeves that hugged his biceps and reached partway down his forearm with a pair of dark grey slacks. "Why would you celebrate growing old? You're one step closer to dying by old age if nothing else kills you first."
"Wow, way to ruin birthday parties," Goku said sarcastically. "You're a real ray of sunshine, aren't you?"
"I'm just calling it as I see it," was the indifferent response. "It's not my fault earthlings are constantly looking for something to celebrate about, even something as trivial as a... birthday party, was it?"
"Yeah. I've never actually had one before since I don't remember when I was born. But still, it's gotta be nice to have a birthday party."
"Can't you just make one up?"
"Sure, but it's just not as real."
Caulifla rolled so that she was now lying face up. "Tch. So how old are you, Old Man? Fifty?"
"Aww, did you really have to ask that?" Goku whined, sitting on the bed with her. "Chronologically, I guess I'd be forty two. But I guess I my body never really aged when I was dead to I'd be..." He paused. "Thirty three."
Caulifla gave a noncommittal grunt. "Should I wear anything special to this party we're going to?"
"I dunno. I don't think Chi Chi will appreciate you wearing her stuff."
Caulifla instantly got up and started rummaging through the closet with a wicked grin.
"Cauli!" exclaimed Goku, shaking his head. "I get that you don't like Chi, but seriously?"
"I'm dead serious." She pulled out a bunch of cheongsams. "Is this really all that she has?" Caulifla threw them onto the bed without a second thought, Goku catching them. Chi Chi hated it when her clothes were ruined after spending so long ironing them.
Finally, Caulifla pulled out a black dress that seemed acceptable enough for a social gathering. The dress came down to her mid thighs and the straps were thin. She wrinkled her nose at it before discarding her gi and putting it on. "She didn't strike me as the type for black and lacy."
"I don't remember ever seeing that," Goku said, not missing how the dress hugged her curves nicely. "Well, she might have worn it on the night we made Gohan, but -"
"Shut up, Goku."
xXx
Bulma was right. Kale really couldn't believe what Bulma had picked out for her. It was a long, flowing red dress that hugged every nook and cranny of her body like a glove.
"It's one of my mom's dresses," Bulma told her, fixing a small wrinkle on the side of the dress. "So, what do you think?"
Kale looked nervously at herself in the mirror, turning around. "It's... nice. But the back is a little low, don't you think?"
Indeed, the cut plunged down quite deeply, stopping just above the small of her back.
"Oh, but you have the body for it," cooed Bulma. "You look so beautiful, Kale!" She eyed the saiyan thoughtfully and rubbed her chin. "Oop, hold on." She gently pulled out the hair tie keeping her spiky ponytail up.
Kale gasped in surprise as she watched her hair come unbound in the mirror. It fell down in a spiky wave, moving as if each strand was part of a single entity. More of her bangs fell forward and she brushed them to the side so that they framed her face perfectly. She couldn't help but shiver at her reflection. Was this really her?
"Oh. My. God." Bulma clapped her hand around her mouth in awe. "Honey... you look AMAZING!"
"Y-you really think so?"
"Hell yes! I know so! Cabba's gonna be all over you!"
"W-what?" Why is it that almost everybody knows? "How did you know?"
"I didn't. But thanks for confirming it for me." At Kale's flabbergasted look, she touched her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry. I already knew before. Call it woman's intuition. I doubt any of those blockheaded males know, though, so you have nothing to worry about!"
"Okay..."
xXx
Goten had left the house as soon as he finished his homework. He was now landing st Capsule Corp. in search for his best friend, Trunks. Eventually, the youngest Son found his partner in crime in his room playing video games.
"Trunks!"
"Hey, Goten! Wanna watch me beat up Bowser on Galaxy?"
"No thanks... Can we do something together? Please?"
Trunks switched off his gaming console. "Ah, fine. What do you want to do then?"
"Explore!"
"Goten, you practically live here," Trunks deadpanned. "Seriously, what is there to explore?"
"Oh..."
Unable to see his best friend looking so down, Trunks said, "Well, there is one place..."
Five minutes later, they were inside Bulma's 'top-secret' invention room. Goten protested about going in because of the 'top-secret' part but relented when Trunks insisted that everything would be okay.
"I don't know," Goten mumbled as Trunks rolled a sheet of blueprints and tucked it somewhere else. "This seems wrong."
"Don't be a baby, Goten. It was your great idea to explore. You got your wish. We're exploring, aren't we?"
"But we're trespassing!"
"Relax," Trunks assured his best friend. "Nothing's going to happen. We can sense chi, remember? And even if we get caught it won't matter since I'm mom's son."
"Okay, then. If you're sure." Goten shot him a skeptical glance for extra measure.
After another five minutes of 'exploring', they were about to leave to do something else when they caught sight of a machine attached to the wall. It looked like a television but not... a television. Somehow.
"Cool," Trunks said, admiring the television-not-a-television. "I wonder what it does?" He flew up to it and pressed the power button.
Both boys looked up at it in awe as they watched it turn on in a dramatic show of lights. Once it finished powering up, the screen was still black though the lights framing it were glowing bright blue.
"Lame," Trunks scoffed. "Guess I was wrong before. It's obviously some kind of failed experiment mom made."
They were about to turn around and leave once again when the blackness of the screen suddenly broke. A fuzzy face appeared on said screen. The person, a woman, seemed to be in great distress.
"Hello?!" the woman screamed as the screen cut her image into strips. "Hello, is anyone there?!"
Goten jumped and hid behind Trunks, scared.
Trunks folded his arms and glared up at the woman with his best imitation of Vegeta's glare. "Who are you?"
"Trunks?! Trunks, is that you?"
The hairs on the back of Trunks neck pricked up in alarm. "Yeah," his voice wavering slightly. "What's it to you?"
"Trunks, it's me, Chi Chi! Goten's mother!"
"Huh?! Stop lying, Goten's mom is here! Not... wherever you are." He narrowed his eyes at the black backdrop.
The resolution increased for a second, allowing Chi Chi's face to be seen clearly for once. Trunks stared up in shock and confusion.
"Trunks, listen, there's no time!" Chi Chi said urgently. "You have to tell my husband to stick with Caulifla and to not return to that other version of me in your timeline! Don't let your future end up this way!"
"What?! Caulifla? Who's that? And where's Goku returning from?"
"She's coming! She's coming -" The stream ended with a piercing screech that sent fear into the children's hearts. The screen flickered again. The last thing they saw on the screen was a pair of glowing red eyes that would haunt them forever.