I sat on the ground, my hair whipping around me with the strong winds that had taken over the city, and cried. How *could* he leave me alone like this? I struggled to get to a hiding spot, if Vegeta caught me...I tripped over debris, and my legs were cut and bruised, as well as the rest of my body. My clothes were ripped and had blood stains on them now.

I saw a small building, and there was a sign that said: Bomb Shelter -->. I tripped and fell and cried my way to it, and jumped down the stair case, to see that I wasn't alone. Another girl, one who looked my age, was in there, crying in a corner. She saw me and my condition, and her green eyes got wide. Her wild red curls were tangled and...scorched?

"You! Y-you are Bulma Briefs!" She practically screamed. "Get away from me!"

I looked at her, shocked. "How do you know I am? I don't want to hurt *anyone*, besides Vegeta...." I trailed off, not wanting to get this strange girl involved.

"Be-because they are looking for you! They showed everyone an image of you so we could tattle if we had seen you!" She said, and huddled closer into her corner, if that was possible.

"Don't worry, they already found me, or more like *I* found *them*. If you see a bloody spot on Vegeta's back, then you will see my present to them," I said, and smiled reassuringly. "But don't worry, whatever they told you about me, it probably wasn't true."

The girl looked uncertain, but her eyes were softer. She was brave, I had to admit. "Well, they said that you were dangerous, not because of strongness, but because you were witty, and we had all 'better tell them if we had seen you, or suffer the consequences'!" She said, doing a pretty good impression of Nappa's voice. I laughed, and so did she.

"My name is Moira Green," She said, and laughed again. "But I already know who *you* are, you are the 'dangerous bitch that got away'." She also did a good impression of Raditz.

"Geez, I would think that Vegeta would be madder than the rest, did he try to punish you all?" I asked, my eyes wide with curiousity. I wanted to know what had been going on from a fellow human's point of view.

"Well, he is evil! More so than the others, of course. He doesn't say much to us unless he gets really mad. Mostly he just glares, smirks, then blasts you to Hell."

I looked down, and took a seat on a beaten up chair. "Yeah, that is so like him."

Moira looked suspicious, but not of me. "I get the impression that maybe something was going on between you two...?" She trailed off, unsure whether she wanted to cross me. I wondered what they had told everyone about me.

"Maybe," I said, simply, and looked at her, attempting a mood-lightening smile. "It is my sixteenth birthday today," I said. "So I think that I deserve a break!"

Moira laughed, and ran a hand through her wild red mane of hair. "Hey, I'm sixteen too! Just turned a month ago!" She said, and I realized that she had an accent like someone who lived in New York would. I smiled and told her so.

"Oh! I am from New York. I was here on vacation, and then *they* did this," She said lightly. She was a happy person, I thought, and I smiled at her, glad for a friend.

"I think that we should see what is happening up there," I said, and she nodded. We both stood up, and I saw that her clothes were much worse than mine. Her faded jeans were ripped and dirty, and her green tank top was practically a bra now. Hers was showing, by the way. Her windbreaker jacket was on, to hide it, probably.

We peeked up the stairway, into the city outside. I gasped. There were about ten people being screamed at by one of the Saiyans, one I didn't recognize. He was hitting some of them, when they weren't listening. It was when he picked up a little boy, about at the age of four, and screamed at him that I was really set off.

Moira tried ot stop me, but I stomped out the building, anger getting the better of me. He saw me and gasped, realizing who I was, and dropped the kid. The group of people saw me, also, and looked unsettled. Moira ran behind me, and then when I glared, back to the group of people.

"Well, Bulma. It seems like I have just gotten a party favor for King Vegeta!" The guard said, and went to grab me, but I backed up.

"Leave them *and* me alone!" I yelled, and the guard looked taken-aback at my outburst.

"Who says, *you* girlie?" He said, and grabbed my arm. "Stop it and just accept the fact that you are caught!"

I dug my long nails into his arm, causing him to cry out in pain and release me, and I bolted.

"Hey! Follow me!" I called to the people, and they did so, not wanting to be near the Saiyan. I ran until I came to another building, one that a man said had a large shelter below. They all crowded in, except for me and Moira. I stood, watching the sky.

She came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "The guy went to tell him, I bet," She said, as if she was telling me something I didn't know.

"Yes. But how long until we are found?" I said, and ducked into the building, Moira behind me.

The group of people were shaken up, and a few kids were crying. I looked at them, my eyes sad. They really couldn't help themselves if they were in trouble. I was no more powerful than them, but they lacked something I had. Knowledge of the Saiyans. It was hard for me to think of what it would be like to see them for the first time, I had lived with them my whole life!

"Bulma, we have to get out of here. This is too close to where the Saiyan will tell them to search! And besides, we are sitting ducks here!" Moira said, her voice low, as not to panic the people around us.

I nodded. "Let's go. These people won't come with us, look at them. They are too scared." Moira nodded and followed me quietly out. We emerged in the sunshine, and the wind whipped my hair in my face. I irratibly pushed it away and surveyed the area. Bomb shelters were out of the question. We would be sitting ducks in any one.

I tripped and stumbled over debris again, as did Moira, and we searched for somewhere to stay, it was getting dark. We stopped in front of a hotel, one that was seemingly untouched. And what person would stay in such an obvious place? Moira and I entered the large, lavish hotel and smiled to each other. We followed the signs to the Presidential Suites, and burst through the doors, which were miraculously unlocked.

The suite rooms had a private hot tub, big screen TV, a kitchen with food, and the pool was right outside the door, practically. I smiled at Moira and she smiled back.

"Let's go get a bathing suit," I said. Most hotels had stores, and most of them sold beach stuff.

We both grabbed bathing suits and rushed back to the room. We had gotten matching bikinis. Mine was black and hers was green, her favorite color, I had learned. We changed into them and sank peacefully into the hot tub.

-*-

I woke the next morning in a large bed, and sat up. Moira was snoring softly in the next room, in her own bed. My hair was still slightly damp, despite my attempts to blow dry it. I sighed, got up, and changed back into my dirty clothes. I had slept in my bathing suit.

Moira emerged from her room, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She smiled and padded into the kitchen, searching for food. I followed and we found some cereal. We ate it dry and decided to check the outside again. Anything could have happened overnight.

We stepped outside cautiously, and saw that basically everything was the same. I heard some noises from the sky and we ducked as two guards flew past, talking and laughing evilly. I shuddered and Moira went inside. I followed soon enough, and she smiled at me, her freckles standing out on her now pale face.

"What's the matter?" I asked, feeling concerned.

"Well, there are so many! What if they decide to destroy the building while we are asleep or something?" She exclaimed, looking scared.

There was nothing I could say about that, so I didn't say anything. "Let's go in the sauna, maybe then you can relax," I suggested, and Moira nodded. We had our bathing suits on under our clothes, so we just stripped them off and closed the wooden sauna door behind us.

I instantly relaxed, my tense muscles reacting to the heat. Moira smiled at me, grateful for the distraction, probably. At that moment, it was like a revelation. I was so, so happy that she didn't know hardly anything about my past. In truth, I was as bad as the Saiyans who did this to us.

-*-

I must have fallen asleep in the sauna, because that is where I woke up. The hot air threatened to choke me, and I saw that Moira was doing laps in the pool outside the sauna. I got up, my muscles feeling like water now, and opened the door. I must have startled her, because she went under, choking and sputtering when she came back up.

"O-oh Bulma! I thought you were Saiyan! Dear Kami," She breathed a happy sigh of relief, and went back to swimming laps. I watched her, swinging my feet in the cool water, getting used to it.

I slid into the water, letting it cool my warm body down. My hair had steam coming off of it, due to the change in temperature, and I smirked and went under, swimming all the way across in one breath, something I was really good at. I was a good swimmer.

Moira clapped when I emerged, smiling while the water dripped from her wet red hair to her eyes, where she blinked and it rolled down her face. Her hair looked orange in the water, and I told her so. She laughed and made a counter attack on *my* hair.

"Well, *yours* looks turquoise!" She said, and laughed harder. "You-you look like-ah hah! A mermaid!" She could hardly get the words out, she was laughing so hard.

I glared falsely and went under, opening my eyes under the water. I could see that she was *still* laughing, and hadn't noticed me yet. I smirked and swam up to her feet, where I pulled her down. Her face was shocked, and she opened her eyes when she went under, to see me, smiling.

We emerged from the surface, breaking the cool water, and laughed at each other. I guess my hair *did* make me look like a mermaid, being so long and blue, and all! But she looked like a pumpkin with polka-dots, I had to admit. Her freckles stood out even more in the water.

"Moira, how did you get away from the Saiyans?" I asked, floating on my back in the water.

She paused and thought a little. "I waited until someone had taken their attention and snuck off. I am so short that they wouldn't have noticed anyhow," She said. She *was* slightly short, but I wouldn't ever tell her that. She had enough to deal with, and I guess that is why she hadn't commented about the Saiyans knowing me.

"But I want to know something about *you*, Bulma," She said, and I braced myself for the questions I had been dreading to answer. "How do they all know you?"

I took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. "Moira, there are some things that you just don't need to know," I said quietly, and looked into the water.

She was quiet, and gave up. I was glad that she understood, or at least I hoped that she did.

I looked at my reflection in the water. I hadn't really had the chance to be like a *normal* teenager, like Moira had. She cared about her looks, and I guessed that I did, too, but not like other girls did. I looked at my slightly slanted eyes, giving me a little exotic look, and my long, curly blue hair. My skin was slightly tanned usually, but due to my years without *real* sunlight, I was pale, almost like some kind of hermit. I cringed and looked at my eyes. They almost matched the shade of the cerulean colored water. They were something I was proud of, I had never seen anyone with eyes that were even close to mine. I was normal height, and slender as far as I could tell. Most girls were *always* complaining about weight, but I had attained the unattractive quality of arrogance. I had never really been down on my looks, until now.

My blue reflection scowled back at me, eyes like ice, and I killed her by sweeping my skinny hand along the waves. Moira was watching me, I realized, and I tried to smile at her when our gazes met. Her eyes held curiousity, and I felt bad for not telling her even a little about myself. I smirked and looked away.

"You know, Bulma. You could *almost* pass for a Saiyan, you know, minus the tail and all," She said, her eyes wide. "You have that slightly exotic look about you. You are so lucky that you are pretty."

I looked at her, surprised. No one had *ever* complimented my looks before! But I really was shocked about her saying that I looked like a *Saiyan*! I had never thought such a thing before, and studied my reflection, trying to keep an open mind. I did *not*!

Moira laughed. "Don't look so desperate! It was a *complitment*! All the women I have seen look so...confident, you know? Like models or something!" She breathed a sigh of envy. "I have never been vain or anything, but not for lack of trying."

I looked at her, taking in her wild red hair and bright green eyes, and her freckles. "Moira, you *are* pretty. Don't think anything else. I am *not* pretty, so don't even say it."

She shook her head. "Pretty girls *always* say that," She said, and floated also.

I didn't reply. This conversation was so...normal. Like a *normal* girl who hadn't been living with Saiyans would even take on! I smiled and closed my eyes, peace filling me, a nice warm feeling.

-*-

Soooo poor lil' Moira found Bulma to deal with now! I am glad that Bulma has a friend, but I bet YOU arent cuz I have such a bad habit of killing them all off!! LOL, well, she was a PRESENT so she CANT die, can she? Teehee, K i will SHUT UP!!! Ja ne, and HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

b e a u t i f u l : : i r o n y

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Chapter 53