"Why do some people bring their kids to see movies that are obviously for adults?" Lazuli complained to Bulma in a low voice. She looked at the little brat fussing several seats in front of her.
The two were already inside the movie theater. The lights were off, and they were waiting for the show to start. The blonde wasn't the only one displeased; others were less discreet and had already started arguing with the irresponsible father who had brought his young son to see an action movie not suitable for minors.
"There are always irresponsible people," said Bulma matter-of-factly, ignoring the fact that she had snuck into movie theaters as a child to see horror movies she wasn't supposed to see.
After one of the employees responded to many customers' requests to remove the father and son, the movie finally started. The plot was the typical generic martial arts movie, but what was special about it was the realism.
It was as realistic as you could get, with people jumping several meters high, breaking rocks with punches, and the protagonist's special ability to generate a Ki attack.
It was spectacular for novices, but Bulma and Lazuli found it extremely basic. Their excitement for the movie gradually diminished when they realized they had perhaps fallen victim to hype. While the movie played in the background, they began to chat.
To avoid disturbing the other viewers, Bulma created a layer of Ki around their seats to prevent their conversation from being overheard. Thus, they were able to speak freely.
"Ah... I thought it would be as spectacular as the tournament," sighed Lazuli, feeling cheated by the trailer she saw.
That video was epic and showed scenes that made her blood boil! She had wanted to bring Bulma to see the movie, not for nothing, but to see the protagonist fall off a cliff, only to find and train a powerful technique. Yeah... that's too cliché.
"There's no advanced martial artist who would do that, but that Lee guy's moves are pretty good." Bulma watched the training session of the movie's protagonist, Hanzo, who practices the Salamander style.
"Yeah, but isn't that the same plot as that movie from three years ago? Just change the scroll to a magic sword and Dragon Ball to the 'Heart of the Dragon,' and it's the same plot," Lazuli growled, full of disappointment.
"There's nothing original in the world. Did you know that happened to one of my friends? He fell off a cliff and found a martial arts training manual." Bulma's words caused the blonde to look at the blue-haired girl in disbelief.
"Are you kidding me?" she asked. Bulma shook her head before pulling out her phone and dialing a number.
"Bulma? What's up?" The voice of Yamcha came from her phone. After Bulma explained the situation, the boy, laughing, told Lazuli about his past.
"So, there's nothing new under the sun. But what do you say about Dragon Ball? There can't be such a thing!" Lazuli inquired. But Bulma's playful look made her doubt. Was there such a thing?
"Let me tell you what I did over a year ago. It's a story that started with my interest in..." Bulma began to tell Lazuli about Dragon Ball, but didn't tell her about the wish she had made. It wasn't time for that yet.
She would tell her eventually, with a full explanation of her motives as well as information about the alternate timelines she had collected, specifically those of C-17 and C-18.
Bulma wasn't going to let this topic blow up in her face like so many people in movies, novels, and real life do. But she had to prepare for the moment when she would reveal some basic secrets of the world to Lazuli, because she would inevitably run into them in the future.
The legend of the Dragon Ball was widespread on Earth as folklore, although many people knew about the existence of the multiple spheres. Few people were unaware that they were real and worked.
Lazuli listened with disbelief and interest to Bulma's revelations about her adventures, her battles, how she met Yamcha, and how Goku fought the emperor of an ancient empire. Above all, Lazuli was intrigued by the existence of a real dragon.
This intrigued the blonde the most. What was a real dragon? Weren't the dragons that already existed real? While some of those creatures were chubby, intelligent, and kind, others were dangerous. But there was one constant: they were few.
"When I say 'real dragon,' I don't mean just any creature. Although the dragons we know can talk like dinosaurs and other animals, they are not as magnificent as Shen-Long.
His presence darkens the earth with clouds! He is enormous, and his voice is booming. Seeing him amazed me to no end. He has a very imposing presence. He's not the silly animal you can find in remote forests that dances when you whistle." Bulma was personally annoyed by the supposed dragons.
She thought she would see those huge creatures. But they were similar to the pet dragon that Gohan, Goku's son in the original story, met in certain non-canonical movies.
Even worse, Goku tried to befriend one of them the same way his future son would, by whistling a song. Luckily, she didn't have sensitive ears, but she had to smack her younger brother's head to stop him from fooling around.
"If my brother hears you, he'll be mad at you. Do you know he likes animals? He's even studying zoology because of them!" Lazuli said with a smile, finding Bulma's complaints amusing.
"Anyway, the plot of the movie is successful yet flawed." Bulma tried to change the subject, blushing, but Lazuli wouldn't let it go.
"No, now I'm interested in you and your brother. Why does he have a tail and not more animal traits?" the blonde asked, making Bulma sigh.
"That's his privacy. You'd have to make friends with him and ask him." Bulma refused, but Lazuli was already interested after hearing all the stories the blonde-haired girl had told her.
"Is Muten Roshi really that old? How is that possible? Did he wish for immortality?" After hearing the blonde's words, Bulma had a thought, realizing that she had unknowingly ignored this topic.
The reason for Muten Roshi's immortality was an herb! A plant! Why hadn't she gone after it all this time? Bulma filed this idea away, planning for the future. Now, she had to answer Lazuli's questions.
"Yes, he's over 200 years old, and he fought the Great Demon King Piccolo. He's not a legendary figure, and his immortality...
You should ask him. But I can confirm that he didn't make a wish. It's not a good idea to make that kind of wish," Bulma warned sternly. Lazuli tilted her head and hesitated.
"Why would it be bad to make a wish like that? Wouldn't it be great to live forever?" The blonde's question was genuine. Didn't everyone, to some extent, wish to live forever?
"Real immortality doesn't exist, at least not for normal humans. Even Old Roshi can die. Or, failing that, he can cease to be immortal under certain circumstances.
If a man is immortal, can he escape being pursued by those who want his power? If he is strong, what will keep him from falling into a trap and being sealed away or exiled to a place he cannot escape? The type of immortality also matters.
Besides... the human mind is not ready for immortality. We are social beings; the loneliness inherent in immortality would be such crippling torture that a genuine immortal would probably go insane.
Otherwise, it must be different for a being with a superior vision to ours. I can live a long time, and I do not wish to be immortal.
To me, it would be a curse. Are you sure there isn't a catch to that immortality? Even with that kind of ability, one could still die at the hands of a higher power!" Bulma's words silenced Lazuli, who sank into her thoughts.
As she pondered Bulma's words, Bulma stared at Lazuli's features. She noticed that the blonde was beautiful and found herself focusing on her thoughtful eyes. This caused Lazuli to feel a strange pang in her heart.
'Her serious expression is pretty,' Bulma thought, becoming distracted and not noticing that Lazuli had noticed her constant observation. Lazuli glanced sideways at her companion.
At that moment, their gazes collided. This had happened before, but perhaps because of the time they had spent together that day and the deep topic they had discussed only seconds ago, the two remained silent, scrutinizing each other's eyes.
"The loneliness of immortality... I would inevitably lose many important things and people," Lazuli said. Bulma nodded.
She already had a plan for her long life. She didn't want to lose the people around her, but she also didn't want to abuse the Dragon Balls for that purpose. Technology and the immortality herb were meant for that.
'It looks like I need to make more progress on my biological projects.' Bulma quickly filed that reminder away and focused on what was most important at the moment: Lazuli.
"Like your brother? It would be sad to be immortal and lose him." Bulma's words caused Lazuli to think of her twin, Lapis, who was just a few seconds older.
She had lived with Lapis her whole life, and their connection had grown stronger over the years, especially when they started Ki training. You could say he was her other half, an irreplaceable part of her life.
They had been through so much together. Though they were strong, Lazuli felt her brother was dedicated to creating energy barriers to protect the only thing that mattered to him in this world: her.
Sure, they each had their own lives and interests, and they had even had partners, but they both knew their connection went beyond being gestated in the same womb at the same time. It was as if their souls were copies of each other.
"If something happened to Lapis, I'd do my best to fix it." The determination in Lazuli's words shocked Bulma, but she smiled when she understood why.
She would train, become strong, research, create, and try to push for changes in the world, all to protect her family. She didn't want to be easy prey for space enemies. She didn't want to depend on the whims of a God of Destruction. She didn't want her universe to simply be erased.
Bulma could perfectly understand Lazuli at that moment. So, plucking up her courage, she grabbed the blonde's hand and squeezed it tightly.
"Then, we can say that we have something else in common." Bulma smiled at Lazuli, who was delighted by the gesture. She reciprocated the handshake, intertwining her fingers with Bulma's.
"Is that so? It looks like we can add other people I care about, too. Someone is making a place in my heart," Lazuli said playfully, making Bulma roll her eyes.
"Do I know the bastard or the bastardess? I'll give them a couple of kicks," Bulma joked. The blonde guffawed and moved closer to her. Their faces were just inches apart when she spoke.
"She's a blue-haired broad, a bit clueless." Those words silenced the atmosphere again. This time, Bulma changed the Ki barrier surrounding them, darkening the inside. She wanted privacy.
She was about to do something crazy! The movie? The hero won, got the jade-skinned beauty, and they lived happily ever after. Bulma decided to respond to Lazuli with action.
She gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.
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AN: To me, a cheek kiss from her is more value than a normal kiss, I love her, and I wanna get loss in her eyes~