Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ When It Rains ❯ When It Rains 01 ( Chapter 1 )

No real warnings in this chapter but any anime characters referenced in this

story belong to their respective owner…not me. So don't sue. I'm also still setting up the story, but it'll pick up soon.

When it Rains

By: Kaineko

Chapter 01

~~Two months later.~~

Bulma sat at her large mahogany desk. She didn't come to the office everyday, preferring to work in her lab at home. But she did make it in at least twice a week to take care of things that she couldn't do from the lab. Lately, she had been in more often, since her secretary of 13 years had been brutally murdered. At first it had appeared that Julie died as the result of a house fire, but later investigation found ruled her cause of death as asphyxiation. The fire department had ruled the fire as arson after finding evidence of the use of an accelerant. Unfortunately they were still completely baffled by the efficiency in which the murderer had committed the act and disappeared. They couldn't find any other clues such as forced entry or signs of a struggle. It was almost as if the murderer had disappeared.

Julie had been the best assistant she'd ever had. The woman was intelligent, organized, and a hard worker. To top it all off, she had been a genuinely nice person to work with. Bulma had been understandably devastated, not just because she was now without a secretary, but because she had lost someone she considered a friend. Unfortunately the police were left baffled and clueless in finding Julie's murderer.

Bulma sighed, looking over the paperwork that had piled up. She needed help desperately. She had tried several executive assistant temporary agencies, but none of the people they sent could seem to catch on and fill the role. Many had become so overwhelmed, that they simply never returned. It was difficult supporting the President of a large corporation, like Capsule Corp. and very few were cut out for it. She glanced at her wall clock, 7:36 am. She was in the office early because today, she'd be interviewing potential candidates to take over the position left vacant in the wake of the terrible incident. She had been interviewing people for about 2 weeks, but none of them seemed to fit in any better than the temps had. If only she could find the perfect person. Someone that was intelligent, dedicated, had a good personality, and most of all could keep her busy schedule organized. 'That's not asking for too much,' she thought.

***

Vegeta returned the gravity to normal, stepping from the gravity room in only his spandex shorts, and a towel draped across his bare shoulders. He made his way into the kitchen, which was arguably his favorite room in the house, and rummaged around for a snack. It was only just past 8 in the morning, but the prince had been training since 4 and he hadn't bothered to have breakfast yet. Listening intently for a few moments, he noticed that the house was eerily quiet, save the steady hum of the refrigerator, and the tick of a nearby clock. He was alone, which didn't surprise him much. He was the only one in the house that didn't have a job or other responsibilities that took him away every morning. Good, he could enjoy his breakfast in peace. He took out several dozen eggs, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms; and decided that today felt like an omelet day.

Whipping up the meal in record time, the Saiyan sat down to enjoy his food. He was a surprisingly good cook, having spent so much time at home alone with the onna's mother while everyone else was at work or school. He had unwittingly picked up a few skills in cooking and housekeeping. It took him even less time to finish the food and go back to training. As he was heading down the hall, he felt a familiar ki heading toward him. He smirked mischievously and went to the door. Goku landed just as Vegeta opened the door, and greeted the Prince with a cheerful smile.

"Hey Vegeta. You feel up to a spar?"

Vegeta smirked even more and said one word, "Always."

"Where do you want to go?" Asked Goku, not wanting to disturb anyone or destroy anything around CC.

He didn't say anything. Instead he walked completely from the house, shutting the door behind him and took to the sky. Goku took that as a cue and followed the Ouji. They landed in a clearing only a few miles outside of West City and away from Capsule Corp. There was enough space for the two most powerful beings in the universe to fight without disturbing or destroying the innocents.

***

It was mid-morning and Bulma had already interviewed 2 candidates. She didn't even have to think about them...they were both tremendously ill suited for the job. The first lady presumed to tell Bulma what she felt was wrong with Capsule Corp., and what she would do in Bulma's situation. Really…the nerve of some people. She made it sound as if she could do a better job running CC, than Bulma, and that she'd be doing Capsule Corp a favor by working there. Though Bulma could appreciate someone that was self-assured, there was a very fine line between confidence and cockiness. That lady had crossed the line completely.

The second lady had shown up 15 minutes late and dressed in something that would have been more appropriate in a nightclub, than an office. The woman had obviously not realized that her boss would be a woman, because she was playing the cheap, easy secretary role to the tee. Bulma had to fight not to shake her head in disgust and show the woman to the door. What's worse is she had accidentally knocked over her coffee on Bulma's desk, ruining some important documents. They had spent 20 minutes just trying to clean up the mess and salvage the paperwork. After that, Bulma had just thanked the woman for coming and showed her to the door without even finishing the interview.

Bulma gripped her throbbing head, trying to ease the tension in her temples. If she didn't find a qualified, sane person soon, she'd go crazy. She was entirely too busy to take care of the details involved in running a corporation without some help. She made up her mind that the next halfway-qualified person to walk through her door, could have the job. She slammed her palms down on the desk in frustration, and then used them to push herself up. She grabbed her now empty coffee mug and walked to the outer office. Another candidate was coming at 10:30 and she wanted to already be high on caffeine when they arrived. Making her way past the empty desk that Julie normally occupied, she went to the little table set up in the waiting area where the coffee was kept. She was disgruntled to find that it was very much empty. Apparently her last interviewee had used the last of the coffee, and then spilled it all over her desk. 'Figures', she thought rummaging around in the cabinet looking for more, only to find that there was none. "Damn," she spat, only causing her head to throb more. "With Julie gone, the office supplies haven't been reordered. I've got to find someone fast." She left out of her office, mug in hand, and went down the hall to get a pack of coffee from Trunks' office.

"Morning Hinako...seems my office is out of coffee," she said holding up the empty mug to Trunks secretary. "Mind if I borrow some of yours?" Of course she didn't expect the girl to say no, but she'd always believed in treating her employees with respect. It helped promote loyalty and a good work environment. "Sure thing Ms. Briefs. Would you like me to make it for you?" The blonde woman said in a cheerful voice. She so reminded Bulma of a smarter, younger version of her mother. She briefly wondered if that's the reason Trunks had hired her. "No thanks Hinako. I believe I can manage." At just that moment, Trunks popped his head out of the inner office. "Ms. Briefs," he addressed her as was customary while at the office. It sounded a whole lot more professional than `mom'. "I thought I felt your ki...er, I mean heard your voice," he said glancing at his secretary. Bulma smiled, holding up the coffee in her hand. "I came to borrow some coffee...seems I've run out and I'm in desperate need of a major caffeine fix." She said jokingly. Trunks nodded, understanding immediately. His mother was interviewing people to replace her assistant.

"Any luck yet?"

"Not yet..." she said shaking her head. "I think I'll need a miracle in order to find someone half as good as Julie was."

Trunks nodded..."Maybe you should talk to Dende." He chided.

His mother chuckled. "Yeah..." She looked up toward the ceiling, "Dende if you're listening, send me someone that's as good as Julie was…soon" Turning back to her son, with a smile on her face she said, "Let's see if that works, ne Trunks."

He chuckled a bit. "We'll See." Then he walked back into his office.

"Thanks for the coffee Hinako." Bulma called over her shoulder as she left the office and headed back toward her own.

***

Ian made his way inside the Capsule Corp headquarters building. Hundreds of employees bustled around the main floor, going about their daily routine. A lovely young brunette sitting behind a large desk immediately greeted him. The sign above her head read, 'Visitor Registration'. He walked over to her, pulling out a card.

"I have a 10:30 appointment with Bulma Briefs."

She smiled at him. "And your name sir?"

"Ian Mori." He said.

The receptionist turned to her computer console and scrolled through what appeared to be an appointment listing. After a moment, she placed a small electronic pad, similar to a PDA, on the counter in front of him.

"Please sign in Mr. Mori."

He lifted the pen and scribbled his name across the screen. She gave him a small plastic badge with 'visitor' written on it.

"Wear this security badge on your lapel at all times while inside the CC building. Ms. Briefs' office is on the 27th floor. Once you step off the elevators, follow the signs to her office. Wave the badge in front of the black panel to be granted access to the reception area of her office. She doesn't have a secretary, so she told me to just inform you to take a seat in the reception area and she will greet you when it's time for your appointment."

Ian nodded showing that he was intently listening to her directions. He clipped the badge onto his lapel and walked in the direction that she had indicated until he came to a row of elevators. He followed her instructions and took the elevator up to the 27th floor. As he stepped off into a large, lushly carpeted hallway, he noticed a gilded brass plaque on the wall read, 'Bulma Briefs, President', with and arrow pointing to the far end of the hall where two large double doors were. Below that it read, 'Trunks Briefs, Vice President', with an arrow pointing toward identical doors in the opposite direction. He walked toward Bulma's office, noting how much quieter this hall was than the main floor. He had yet to see another living soul in the hallways of this floor. He reached the large frosted glass doors, and saw a black pad just like the receptionist had indicated. He waved the badge in front of the small square, and he heard a click signaling that the door was unlocked. As he opened the door and walked into the room, he noted that it was surprisingly devoid of any other people. To the side of a large desk was a giant wooden door that was slightly ajar, with 'Bulma Briefs', engraved on it. Through the small opening, he had a perfect view of her desk inside and noticed that it wasn't occupied. He glanced at his watch, realizing that he was about 15 minutes early. `Maybe she had stepped out for a moment.' He mused. He took a seat, and figured she'd come back by the time their meeting was about to start. Just as he was sitting, the phone on the receptionist's desk started ringing. It startled him somewhat and he looked around as if expecting someone to appear out of nowhere and answer it. After a few rings, and no one magically appeared, he decided to pick it up and just take a message.

"Capsule Corporation, Bulma Briefs' office." He said pleasantly.

A female voice was on the other end. "This is Traci Drake with Allied Chemical Corporation's R&D division. I'm calling to confirm a meeting scheduled between Bulma Briefs and Dr. Eito Tashi for 2:30 this afternoon."

Ian looked around and spotted a message pad. Jotting down the info he told her. "I can't confirm the meeting without first speaking with Ms. Briefs; but if you give me your number, I'll have her call you back." She quickly recapped her info and they hung up the phone. Just as he was getting up, he heard the click of the door and in walked Bulma carrying a bag of coffee in one hand and a coffee mug in the other.

End 2/?

A/N: Okay people. I have most of this story written already, and the rest is in my head waiting to be typed. But I need you to tell me if it's even worth the trouble to continue. Also, if you want to be notified when I update, just drop me an email or say it in your review, and leave your email address.

kaineko@hotmail.com

Inspiration comes from comments, criticism, and feedback in general…oh and hot naked Saiyans romping around shamelessly.