"Bulma dear, come in here for a moment. Your father and I would like to have a word with you!" Mrs. Briefs called into the other room.

"Coming Mother!" Bulma's voice replied. "What do you.......," her voice trailed off as she entered the room. There was Yamcha, sitting on the couch with her parents. "What's he doing here?" she snapped, turning her head away. "I told him, I never want to see him again!"

"As you already realize, we are the most prominent family in this area. We have a reputation to uphold. That means it is time you settled down started a family of your own now. Yamcha is here because he has come to ask for your hand in marriage! We have consented, and there will be a celebration tomorrow for your engagement. Isn't that exciting?" Mrs. Briefs exclaimed.

"Are you kidding me? I'm not marrying Yamcha! How could you do this to me? He and I are through! It has been months since I have even spoken to him! He cheated on me! Why would you even consider letting him set foot in this house!" Bulma screamed.

"Bulma. Honey, be reasonable. Your father and I feel that Yamcha would make a perfect husband to you. Frankly, we don't see any other prospects for you. He has promised that his infidelity is a thing of the past! He wants to start a new life with you, as husband and wife," Mrs. Briefs replied calmly.

"Do you know how many times that he has promised me that he would never cheat again? I can't believe this! Dad, surely you don't agree to this! Doesn't my happiness mean anything to you?" Bulma asked, searching her father's eyes for any sign of emotion.

"I'm sorry dear, I have to agree with your mother this time. You are not getting any younger, and Yamcha is a fine young man. You will thank us for this later. You and Yamcha had some rough times, but I can't think of a better suitor. So, tomorrow we'll celebrate your engagement, and a week from now you'll be married," Mr. Briefs explained.

"Bulma, I love you. This will all work out. I know you love me too. Everything will be fine. I promise to be faithful to you this time. Please believe me," Yamcha pleaded, reaching out to touch Bulma's hand.

"You promise to be faithful? You're a liar! You broke my heart! I will never marry you!" Bulma yelled. "Besides, I'm in love with someone else!" and with that, she ran out of the room.

"You will marry him Bulma, or else you will be out on the street with nothing!" Mr. Briefs yelled after her.

From her bedroom, Bulma heard her mother's voice, "What does she mean, she loves someone else? She isn't talking about our live-in, is she? Well, never mind Yamcha, everything will be fine. We'll see you tomorrow at the party. I need to start making phone calls and invite everyone."

Bulma felt tears welling up. How could they do this to me. I don't want to spend the rest of my life with that jerk, Yamcha. I would rather be out on the street! And what about Vegeta? He is the one that I really love, and I don't even have the guts to tell him how I feel. How could I though, I know he doesn't love me. He only cares about himself.

Bulma threw herself onto her bed and sobbed violently. She failed to notice Vegeta standing in the doorway.

"Woman," he growled, "I demand quiet! I can't eat my lunch with all of this screaming and crying going on!"

"Leave me alone Vegeta, I'm too upset to argue with you right now! My parents are forcing me to marry Yamcha, and they are having the engagement party tomorrow night; and so I really don't give a damn about your lunch complaints right now!" she screamed.

Vegeta's jaw clenched. "They want you to marry Yamcha? That pathetic weakling?" His head swam with disbelief, and he couldn't breathe. "Well, what did you say? Did you agree to it? Do you want to marry him?"

"Of course not! I told them that I didn't love him, but they don't care! I told them that I loved someone else and...." she stopped and turned her head away. Her body shook with sobs again.

He wanted to reach out and stroke her face, to hold her close to him and comfort her. "So, you are just going to go along with it? You are a pathetic coward, you and Yamcha deserve each other!" he snarled. His face looked so angry, but there was something else, a hurt look in his eyes that Bulma had never seen before. He quickly turned and stormed down the hallway, leaving Bulma alone with her despair.

As Vegeta stormed towards his room his thoughts went back to Bulma. She can't do this! Yamcha can't have her, she is mine! She loves me! I can see it in her eyes when she looks at me. She must know after all this time that I have feelings for her too, and yet would she still considers marrying that bastard to please her parents? It is a slap in the face. Just because I can't say how I feel doesn't mean that I don't feel.. She doesn't understand that I don't know how to show my love for her because I have never felt this kind of "weakness" before. Well, I will not lose her to that pathetic excuse for a man! Even if that means killing him!

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