Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Branded ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

Prologue

Vegeta moaned as he tossed his head back and forth. Sweat ran from his forehead, through his spiky hair, and soaked his pillow. His bare arms and chest glistened in the moonlight filtering through the sheer curtains. His muscles flexed tighter and tighter.

Bulma watched him from the safety of a chair on the far side of the room. It only took once for her to learn not to remain too close when Vegeta was in the throes of a nightmare. Luckily, her broken arm had healed quickly and it only pained her if she overworked it.

The ordeal was nearly over. Bulma knew this by the way Vegeta arched his back as though in extreme pain, his face screwed up in agony. Then the torture ended in a final gasp as he sat bolt upright in the middle of the bed, hands held in front of him.

His wide, black eyes scanned the dimly lit bedroom, but Bulma knew he saw none of it. It was only the last part of this odd ritual, the finale of the nightmare that plagued him at least once every week. Finally, Vegeta collapsed backwards onto the drenched sheets, chest heaving as he sank back into a more peaceful sleep.

Bulma sighed with relief and removed her robe before crawling back into bed. The crisis was over once more and she didn’t have to resort to the tranquilizer gun hidden beneath the chair cushion. There may come a night that the dream would prove too powerful for Vegeta to endure, but it was not this night.

The sheets were cold and damp against her bare skin, and Bulma carefully snuggled as close to Vegeta's body heat as she dared. She knew she wouldn't stay cold for long. After a few minutes, Vegeta sensed her in his sleep. Rolling onto his side, he pulled her against his hard chest and wrapped his arms around her, his cheek resting on her head. His slow, even breath tickled her ear, but she would never dream of moving. This was her favorite place in the whole world.