Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Branded ❯ Chapter 4

It began as the others always did. Bulma woke from only an hour's worth of sleep to Vegeta's twitching and shaking. Not from fear, but mirth. Vegeta, the proud Prince of all Saiyans, was actually giggling in his sleep!

Bulma sighed and disengaged herself from his arms. It seemed as if the nightmares hadn't stopped after all. She glanced at the clock as she put on her robe and moaned. If this dream took as long as the others, she would only get two hours of rest in before she had to get up and make breakfast for Trunks. She was debating on whether or not to sleep on the couch when Vegeta started talking.

"No, don't go," he mumbled in his sleep. "I won't let you."

Bulma froze. This was new. She had never heard him talk in his sleep before. She looked closer at him and saw such a peaceful, happy expression on his face that he looked like an entirely different person. Bulma thought him handsome before, but now he looked completely irresistible.

She started to reach out her hand to touch his face when his smile faltered. His eyebrows drew together in a look of sadness and a tear actually slid from one closed eye. Bulma's eyes also filled with tears at his sorrow. She crept closer and gingerly sat on the edge of the bed next to him.

"NO!"

Vegeta's sudden shout surprised Bulma. She jumped back to her feet, but wasn't fast enough to dodge his flying fist. His blow caught her directly in the kidneys and sent her sprawling onto the floor in agony. She cursed herself for knowing better than getting close to him when he dreamed. The chair across the room seemed miles away, but slowly she crawled toward it, her back shooting daggers of pain into her chest and legs.

By the time she finally did reach the chair, Vegeta's nightmare had escalated beyond what she considered normal. He beat the bed with his fists and tossed his head back and forth. Bulma could feel the energy he was emitting all the way over to where she sat on the floor, leaning against the chair. With one shaking hand, she withdrew the gun from its hiding place.

Vegeta's hair flashed from black to white and back again. He was actually powering up to a Super Saiyan in his sleep! Bulma could only stare at him, open mouthed and frozen in place.

"Shoot him!"

Bulma looked up and saw Trunks standing in the doorway. He wore only shorts and his hair was sleep tosseled, but his face was dead serious. She aimed the gun at Vegeta, but her hands shook so bad, she couldn't pull the trigger.

"You've got to shoot him, Mom!" Trunks urged. "His power is growing too high!"

Sure enough, when Bulma stopped focusing on the barrel of the gun and looked at the man she was aiming at, she nearly dropped the gun altogether. Vegeta had stopped thrashing about, but now lay as if his arms and legs were bound by invisible shackles. He had reached Super Saiyan 2 level and the air around him crackled with energy.

"I can't!" Bulma cried and dropped her shaking arms hopelessly.

In a split second, Trunks appeared by her side and took the gun from her hands. He pointed it at his father and calmly pulled the trigger three times. They both held their breath as they waited for the tranquilizers to take effect.

Trunks could feel Vegeta's power level slowly falling and lowered the gun. He knew he had only done what needed doing, but the calm way he had shot his own father surprised even himself. In the back of his head, he could imagine Vegeta saying, "Now you're acting like a Saiyan!"

A full minute passed before Vegeta's power level returned to normal. Cautiously, Bulma and Trunks crept towards the bed, only relaxing when they heard the deep, even breathing of sleep. Bulma knelt down and pulled the small tranquilizer darts from Vegeta's bicep. The three tiny needle pricks were in a straight line and perfectly spaced apart.

"Trunks," Bulma asked, looking at him suspiciously, "where did you learn how to shoot a gun like that?"

He smiled sheepishly as he handed the gun to his mother. "I guess all that time shooting zombies paid off. And you said video games were a waste of time."

Bulma smiled and draped one arm over Trunks' shoulders, giving him a grateful squeeze. Together they stood beside the bed and watched Vegeta.

"Do you think he would have another nightmare tonight?" Trunks asked.

"I doubt it," Bulma answered. "Dad put a dream suppressant in with the tranquilizer. It's not safe to use too often, but it's fine for emergencies."

"What about . . . next time?" Trunks asked.

"I don't want a next time!" Bulma said and limped angrily over to her dresser. She nearly pulled the drawers completely out as she grabbed out her clothes. "I want answers! This has got to stop!"