Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Branded ❯ Chapter 5

"Bulma! Trunks! What a surprise! What brings you all the way out here?" Chi Chi asked as they climbed out of the Capsule Corp. hover jet.

"Sorry about dropping in like this," Bulma apologized, "but I need to talk to Goku. Is he around?"

"He and Goten left right after breakfast this morning," Chi Chi said, "but I don't know where they are. I couldn't even tell you what direction they went. It seems like the only time they stick around here is when they're hungry."

"Damn!" Bulma swore. She stood with one hand shading her eyes and scanned the mountain range as if she could spot the father and son duo. "What do I do now?"

"Goten's only about a half mile over that way," Trunks said, pointing into the thick mountain forest.

"What? Really?" Bulma asked, amazed. "How can you tell?"

"Come on, Mom," Trunks said, rolling his eyes. "I've fused with Goten like a hundred times. Don't you think I'd be able to sense his energy by now?"

"Oh, yeah! Thanks, son!" Bulma began to follow Trunks down the path leading into the woods, then paused and turned back to Chi Chi. "Sorry to rush off like this, but I've got to talk to Goku and hurry back home." Then she gave a quick wave before disappearing into the cool shade of the trees.

The path was well worn, but not very wide. Bulma had to stop a few times to disengage her clothes from the many thorny bushes along it. Trunks, however seemed to be able to easily avoid all of them and was soon far ahead of her.

Bulma could hear Goku and the boys before she could see them. Their laughter rang out loud and clear over the sound of rushing water. When she reached the clearing, Trunks had stripped down to his underwear and was cannonballing into a small lake in which Goku and Goten already bobbed.

"Hey there, Bulma!" Goku shouted and waved. Just then, Trunks hit the water, sending a huge splash into the air to rain down on them. Goku spit out a mouthful of water and laughed as Trunks resurfaced. "That was a good one, Trunks!"

"Goku!" Bulma called over the noise of the splashing water. "I need to talk to you. Could you come out here so I don't have to shout?"

"Oh, OK."

Goku swam to the grassy bank where Bulma stood. He placed his hands on the bank and vaulted himself out of the water. Bulma gasped and quickly spun around.

"Goku! Warn me next time, will you?!"

"What?" Goku asked, confused. Then he glanced down and laughed. "Oh! Sorry, Bulma. Just a sec."

Bulma rolled her eyes and sighed. It wasn't the first time she had seen him naked, but they were just kids back then. Seeing his gleaming, dripping, adult physique made her feel like she was somehow cheating on Vegeta. But, she had to admit to herself, the Saiyans certainly had gorgeous bodies.

"Is this better?" Goku asked.

She turned around to find that he had, indeed, put on pants. But since he hadn't been able to dry off first, the usually loose material was sticking to his legs in all the wrong places. Water still dripped from his hair and ran in rivulets down his muscular chest and into his belt. Bulma swallowed hard and forced her eyes up to his face.

"Much better," she lied.

As she followed Goku over to sit on a fallen log next to a waterfall, she noticed how smooth his skin was. She knew he had been in many tough battles, yet his back and chest remained unscarred. It made her wonder just how bad Vegeta's fights had been to leave him marked inside and out.

"So what's up?"

Now that Bulma was here, she wasn't exactly sure how to begin. She had to explain Vegeta's problem in order to help him, but didn't want to dishonor him in any way. Especially to Goku. Vegeta would never forgive her for that.

"It's about Vegeta," she began. "He's been having some really bad nightmares, but last night was the worst."

"So that's what it was," Goku said. His sudden change from laughter to seriousness was eerie. "I felt him powering up all the way up here. So you said he was dreaming?"

Bulma nodded. "It's been happening nearly every week, but somehow last night was different."

"So did he do anything . . . dangerous?" he asked.

"No." Bulma looked over to where the boys played in the water. "We shot him with a tranquilizer gun. Well, actually, Trunks did," she admitted.

"Trunks? Really?" Goku followed her gaze to the lake. "That must have been hard for him. So does Vegeta ever tell you what his nightmares are about?"

She shook her head. "He claims he doesn't have them. Either he doesn't want to tell me, or he really doesn't remember."

"Hmmm." Goku sat quietly for a minute. "So what can I do to help?"

"I honestly don't know," Bulma said and gave a short laugh. "I just want it to stop, and you're the only one I could think of that might be able to help me. You're Saiyan, too, and probably the only one who really understands him."

"But if he doesn't want to tell you about them, he sure wouldn't tell me. And if he really doesn't remember dreaming, I don't know what I could do," Goku admitted. "I don't know everything he went through before coming to Earth and I don't think even I could read a complex mind like Vegeta's." Suddenly, he sat up straight and snapped his fingers. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Bulma asked, but Goku didn't answer. Instead, he jumped up and ran over to retrieve the rest of his clothing.

"Goten!" he called. The boys stopped splashing each other and swam nearer. "Bulma and I are going to visit an old friend. If we're not back by dark, be sure to tell your mom."

"OK," Goten said with a smile. He was used to his father disappearing on a moment's notice.

"Good luck, Mom," Trunks said. Bulma thought he looked older and more serious than normal and was glad he could spend this time with the carefree Goten. Vegeta only believed in training the next generation to be stronger than the current one, but she believed that kids should act like kids instead of warriors.

"So what 'old friend' are we going to visit?" Bulma asked.

Goku just smiled slyly and placed two fingers on his forehead, concentrating as he prepared for instant transmission. When he found his destination, he placed one hand on Bulma's shoulder. The scenery wavered before her eyes and then disappearing altogether.