After Juuhachi-gou had left him, he decided that he wouldn’t stand around and mope. He would get her back eventually, he had to. A love that great didn’t just disappear in a couple of days. All he had to do was wait until they had slowly mended things back together and then she would be his again. Or rather, he would be hers.

Kuririn had started thinking about Marron then too, and the danger that she was about to be put in. It made him sick to his stomach, and he began wondering if there was another way. Tayhei had said that she ship needed to be on ground so she could repair it, but perhaps she didn’t exactly know. Bulma had engineered the ship. She was probably better equipped to deal with an engine problem than her assistant. Kuririn heard from Videl that she was up and about again, and so he set off in search of her. The hallways were pretty much empty and cold, it seemed as though everyone had holed themselves up in a room to wait until they landed.

Marron would be avoiding him for a while, he was sure. He knew that she was growing up and that she didn’t really need him so much anymore, but he was still there to protect her. He just wished she could understand that. All of the decisions he was making, all of his actions….it was all for her, for her safety. But like any other teenager, she wasn’t really willing to listen. At that age, they all thought that they knew everything and were much older than they really were. They viewed themselves as so mature and capable, but Kuririn knew that Marron was still just a little girl. That was the bad thing about this. Little girls should not be on strange, foreign planets with bloodthirsty aliens. No matter how cautious they were, someone was bound to get hurt.

He turned a corner and seeing them, did a double take, not really believing his eyes. There was Bulma, softly crying, and yes, that actually was Vejiita holding his arms around her. Kuririn blinked and stared hard, thinking that there must have been some sort of mistake, or that he had somehow stumbled into a different dimension. People like Vejiita didn’t give hugs. People like Vejiita ate raw meat and live small animals for dinner. People like Vejiita would shoot a Girl Scout for solicitation. People like Vejiita did not give hugs.

He had always thought that Juuhachi-gou was a little cold, but compared to Vejiita, she was practically a sauna. And he couldn’t remember any time in their entire relationship when Juuhachi-gou had actually reached out and hugged him. The closest she ever came was a light pat on the head. It was freakishly unnatural seeing Vejiita like that. It was almost like he was a completely different person. Perhaps these new Saiya-jins enemies were smarter than they had originally thought. They were able to completely brainwash them into being softhearted, lovable squeeze toys. Kuririn lifted his upper lip in disgust, thinking about a squeeze toy version of Vejiita. Even a puppy would be scared to play with that thing…

“What the hell are you staring at!?” Vejiita suddenly questioned, and Kuririn snapped to attention, nearly falling over.

They had broken apart, and were standing awkwardly in the hallway before him. Kuririn cleared his throat and moved around the collar of his shirt, trying to get a little more air through. Vejiita was practically burning holes right through him with his glare. Bulma wasn’t any better. Her pretty, tearstained face looked anything but inviting and friendly. In fact, it looked almost frightening.

“N…nothing. I’m not staring at anything.”

“Then what the hell do you want?!” Vejiita demanded, throwing his hands up in impatience. A vein was popping out on his forehead.

“A…ah….well….you see….um….”

“For goodness sakes, Kuririn. Spit it out!” Bulma snapped, wiping her eyes.

“The damage is engined!” He squeaked out, cringing back.

The anger fell of Vejiita’s face, replaced with a look of bewilderment. Bulma blinked. “Nani?”

“I mean the engine is damaged!” Kuririn shook his head and gave them a hesitant smile. “Tayhei said the engine was damaged, and I thought you should look at it. If you want to, I guess….I didn’t know….I thought it would be a good idea for you to look at it---“

“You are so incompetent!” Bulma yelled, and shoved him out of the way. She sped past him, muttering angry words under her breath, boots stomping against the tile of the ship. Kuririn watched her walk away, then slowly turned back around to Vejiita, his eyes wide. He was inches away from his face, glaring like crazy. Kuririn could actually see the small red veins in his eyes.

“Ah, I think I’ll go help Bulma.” He laughed nervously, then ran away, nearly tripping over his own feet.

Bulma was ahead of him, stalking angrily to the engine room, fists clamped at her sides. Kuririn couldn’t help but notice how wonderfully shapely her figure was. Round and firm just like it had always been. Even wearing normal, everyday clothes, with a bandage around her head, Bulma stilled looked beautiful. Not nearly as beautiful as Juuhachi, though. No one could be as beautiful as my jinzouningen. He thought, and smiled softly.

Bulma thew open the door to the engine room. Immediately a rush of sound came at him, so loud that Kuririn had to cover his ears tightly as he followed her in. She placed what he assumed were earplugs in her ears and grabbed a clipboard that was hung near the doorway. Flicking a pen behind her ear, she brushed the hair out of her eyes and started examining the machinery. She appeared to know what she was doing, looking at the clipboard then back to the engine frequently. She tapped one manicured nail against the clipboard, but because of the roar of the engine, Kuririn couldn’t even hear the tapping. He stood awkwardly in the room with his hands clamped over his ears, not sure if it was safe to go out in the hallway with Vejiita again.

She backed away from the engine and stared down at the clipboard with a puzzled look on her face. With a slow and confused movement, she placed the clipboard back in it’s holder and walked out the door, nearly slamming it in Kuririn’s face. He shut the door quietly behind him, his ears still ringing from the noise.

“Kuririn, do you know where Tayhei is?” Bulma asked him, gently taking out the earplugs and gathering them in her palms. She still looked confused, and he thought he saw a little bit of anger on her pretty face. “I’d like to talk to her.”

“There is no engine damage, is there?” Bulma demanded.

Although she knew she was probably in trouble, Tayhei remained calm. There was always a way to get out of a mess, and no one was better at it than she was. Years and years of experience had taught her to twist around everything so that it worked out the way she wanted it to. There were roles to play and insecurities to pick away at; there were lies and manipulations, blackmail and seduction. Nothing she had tried had ever failed her. It was a gift, she figured. The gift of deceiving. However, this time she decided that the best way to get out of it would be to just flat out tell the truth. In the beginning, Bulma had been very logical about the plan and about going to Sukuashi. Tayhei was certain that Bulma would understand and be willing to keep the secret. She took a deep breath, readying herself to explain it as thoroughly and maturely as she possibly could.

“No, Bulma-san. There is no damage. In fact, we survived the attack with barely any complications at all.” She admitted, meeting Bulma’s eyes and holding her head high. “I lied, but I don’t regret it. If you had seen the look on Goten’s face, you would have done the same thing. We can do this. We’re all stronger than this; we can’t run away with our tails between our legs when someone is in trouble. I absolutely refuse to run. I don’t care if you want to fire me, or tell the others….whatever you do, I’ll be damned if I run away like a coward when someone needs me.”

She stood her ground, not moving an inch, refusing to look awkward of guilty, and continued. “I did this for Goten and his family, and no matter what you say, I know I did the right thing.”

“Tayhei, I’m very proud of you.” Bulma said suddenly, before Tayhei could manage to say anything else. Tayhei faltered for a moment, blinking in surprise. Bulma continued, smiling sadly at the young girl. “I can’t think of anyone else better suited to take my place.”

Tayhei was puzzled. “As pilot?”

Bulma paused. “There are many things I want to talk to you about….I just don’t know if it’s the right time. I respect your judgment and your intelligence, and I know that you are well aware of what you are doing each and every second. I admire that, I really do. In many ways, I’ve always thought of you as my own daughter. You are so like me at times that I find it hard to believe that we aren’t related.” She smiled sadly again, and looked away. “I just wanted you to know that; to know how proud I am of you. Especially now, after what you did for the Son family.”

“Arigatou, Bulma-san.” Tayhei said softly. For once in her life, she was thoroughly touched. After growing up aching so badly for a parent that cared, she finally had one. She had found a mother in Bulma, whether she cared to admit to herself or not. There was no one she admired more, or had more respect for. And to know that Bulma felt the same way in return? It was perhaps the most fulfilling thing she had ever experienced. Tears began to pool in her beautiful green eyes, and she wasn’t ashamed at all. She knew that Bulma wouldn’t think less of her if she shed a tear. There was perfect, unadulterated, unchanging acceptance there, and she loved it.

“Life is so unpredictable, Tayhei.” Bulma murmured. “We never know what it has in store for us, or when it’s going to end. I have experienced so many things and learned so much through all of my years. And you know what matters the most to me out of everything?” She stopped for a moment, smiling to herself. “It’s the moments of pure, unselfish kindness that I had the pleasure of witnessing. What you did for ChiChi, for Goten and their entire family by faking engine trouble, was indeed a very kind thing to do. Whether or not they ever know what you did for them, they will always thank Kami that it happened.”

Tayhei was speechless for once. Her chin trembled slightly as she stared at the older woman before her. Bulma tucked a strand of turquoise hair behind her delicate ear and lifted her head slightly, as if she were re-gathering her self and becoming stronger right before Tayhei’s eyes.

“I know how you are, Tayhei. I see a lot more than you think I do. And through all of that, all of the things you say to Trunks and others….All I see is a girl trying desperately to find herself. I hope that if you learn nothing else from me, you learn what a beautiful person you truly are. It’s hard; trust me, I know how hard it is to let go of your defenses and let people in, but sometimes you just have to. You will be a great woman someday, I know you will. You’ll be intelligent and strong, truthful and pure. And I can’t think of anyone that I’d rather have take care of Capsule Corporation than you.”

Tayhei’s eyebrows rose up sharply. “I couldn’t possibly….”

Bulma smiled at her. “Trunks will be the sole owner of course, but behind every owner is a brilliant manager, and I want that to be you. I trust you. I trust you enough to let you take care of everything, my company, my family, and my life. You may not have faith in yourself, but I have faith in you. More now than I ever had before.”

She couldn’t hold it in any longer. A tear spilled onto her cheek and she rushed forward, falling into Bulma’s waiting arms. “Thank you so much…..”

“I’ll always be here for you, I promise.” Bulma told her softly, with a sad, far away look on her face. “You’ll always know where to find me.” She hugged her tightly then let go, smiling sadly. “Let’s gather everyone together, Tayhei-chan. We have a lot of planning to do.”

Chapter 43
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