Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ What Dreams May Come ❯ Why are you here? ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
Chapter Three
"Why are you here?"
* * *
The sun shined in on Bulma's desk. While studying the blue prints for a new prototype her eyelids drooped. Getting back to sleep last night had proven to be extremely difficult. She tossed and turned for a few hours. Finally, she gave up and took a shower to help wake up. Yawning, she brought her third cup of coffee to her lips. Why couldn't she have something more exciting then office work to do today?
The buzzer on her phone sounded, letting her know that her secretary had a message for her. Pushing the blinking button, she spoke through speakerphone, "Yes, Collette?"
"Sorry to interrupt you Ms. Briefs but there's a gentleman here to see you." Bulma could almost hear the smile in Collette's voice. She only sounded that way when Yamcha came to visit. Colette had a big crush on her boss's boyfriend and was not shy about showing it.
"Send him in," Bulma replied with false sweetness. She reminded her self to get a new secretary as soon as she had the time.
Yamcha strolled through her office door with a big smile on his face and a dozen hand-picked daisies. Daisies were her favorite flowers. "Hey Babe," he greeted.
Standing from her desk she gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "To what do I owe this pleasure," she smile when he handed her the simple bouquet.
"Well, I had some time before practice and I was in the city, so I thought I'd stop by." He played for a professional baseball team and they trained at a near non-stop pace. He was one of the most important players in the league. Of course the fact that he had enough strength to bench press a car and could fly certainly did help things a bit, but no one on the team knew about that. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner again tonight." He sat in her empty office chair while she got out a glass to put her flowers in.
"Oh, dinner two night in a row," she came over to sit in his lap, "How did I get so lucky for this?"
"Well the teams doing real good this year and I feel like celebrating, so how 'bout it? Leonardo's at seven, ok?"
"Sure, maybe after that we can catch that new movie I've been wanting to see," she asked hopefully.
Yamcha groaned. He hated when she picked the movie. Most guy's biggest nightmare was having to sit through two hours of a romantic comedy while their girlfriend blubbered over what a cute couple the leading actors made, but not Bulma. She always went for the dark suspense thrillers that made his stomach queasy.
She looked at him with big blue puppy dog eyes, "Please," she pleaded.
Groaning in defeat, he gave in, "Sure. But next time I pick the movie, deal?"
"Deal," she smiled and gave him a kiss. She stood, smoothing out her skirt. "Unfortunately, if I want to get out of here anytime in the next week I had better get back to work." She muffled a yawn against the back of her hand.
"You look tired, Babe. You haven't been working too hard, have you?" He picked up a glass paper weigth the shape and size of a base ball and idelly tossed it back and forth.
"No, no it's not work. I just didn't sleep well last night. I had some weird dream and couldn't get back to bed."
"Oh yeah, what about?"
"Um, I don't remember." She lied. There was no point in getting her boyfriend all worked up over some imaginary man that she'd dreamed of once.
"Well if you're tired, are you sure you want to go out tonight then? We could always wait. There's no game this Saturday, so we could spend the whole weekend together," he said suggestively.
"Sounds like a good idea to me," she smiled seductively at him. "I guess this means I better rest up till them, I don't think we'll be doing much sleeping."
"I guess you better." Yamcha pulled her in for one more quick kiss, "I got to go, practice starts in twenty minutes. See you this weekend," he called as he walked out the door.
* * *
"I'll beat you Kakkorott. I will be a super saiyan and you will die by my hands," Vegeta growled through clenched teeth. Another training robot perished at his hands. "I am the prince of all saiyans," he told him self. "It is my destiny and I will have it." It was tirades like this that kept him going hour after hour in his gravity chamber.
A stray energy blast nicked his shoulder resulting in a paper-thin cut. He berated himself for letting his concentration slip. It was a warrior's greatest weakness to drop his guard. Constant vigilance was a virtue he had leaned to value. He had far too many memories where people he trusted stabbed him in the back. His father for one, handing him over to Freeza like the royal crowned prince meant no more then any common mongrel. He angrily destroyed another droid; thinking of his father always caused a great rage to well in his chest. As a small boy he had looked up to his father. He tried to mold him self after the proud saiyan king, but it was all for naught.
When Vegeta had needed persuasion to complete a mission, Freeza simply held the threat of killing his father over the young boy's head. Vegeta snarled at himself. He should have refused Freeza's orders and let the old man be killed. Along with himself, no doubt. Freeza would not have taken kindly to the defiance of a five-year old. He would rather have died then, still innocent and pure, but no, by the time he was six Vegeta had already earned his own special place in hell. He might have been force into killing as a young child but by the time he was old enough to realize the repercussions it was too late.
He shook his head to clear away all thoughts of his past; there would be plenty of time later to relive his past sins. He surveyed the sky through one of the many crimson oval windows. The sun was setting low in the west. He'd train for a few more hours, perhaps longer then usual since he slept better last night then in a very long time. What ever caused the bizarre vision of that woman he didn't care all he knew was that it troubled him deep down. While he was grateful for the break in nightmares, it still confused him where such a dream came from. But he would not concern himself with it further; dreams were useless to him. If they didn't bring him closer to his goal then they were as expendable as every other frivolous thing in his life. Besides, she was nothing but some wet dream apparition brought on by stress and over-exertion. It would never happen again, if only because he wasn't that lucky.
* * *
The office building had been deserted for hour. One light still shown in a fourth story office window. Bulma bent over the last page of blue prints and made one more mark on the page. Leaning back in her chair she rubbed her tired eyes. It was almost two in the morning. As tired as she had been all day, she was eager to finish her work. Once she became wrapped up in a project she rarely thought of anything else.
She folder her arms on the desk to lay her head down. <I'm just going to rest my eyes for a bit, > she told herself. <Then I'll go into the house and go to bed. > Before she could process another thought she was fast a sleep.
~ * Bulma * ~
<Now this is more like it, > she thought. Bulma had awakened in her dream to find a sunlit wood. Birds chirped in the treetops above as the scent of damp earth refreshed her senses. Small flowers and spots of grass grew in the patches of light that filtered through the trees. She felt like Snow White, as if any second little woodland creatures would spring from the bushes in song and lead her to a fairy tale cottage. She smiled at her own childish wonder, even at her age she was still dreaming like a little girl.
Deciding to explore her new surroundings, she walked barefoot through the soft leaf carpeted floor. She felt like a princess. Just as she was passing through a shaft of sun, the light faded out suddenly, as if the sun had been snuffed out like a candlewick. She shivered as long dark shadows filled her perfect forest. The tree no longer seemed inviting, but more like skeletal fingers reaching towards her. She stumbled through the darkness, alone and afraid, trying to desperately escape.
~ * Vegeta * ~
<Now where the hell am I? > After hours of training Vegeta had grabbed a rather large snack before going to bed. No sooner had his head hit the pillow then he woke to find him self out doors. Once again the setting was new to him, this place was unlike any planet he could remember being on except for Earth.
He was standing in a darken wood. As far as he could tell it was completely empty, but one could never be too careful about what maybe lying in the shadows. He strained his hearding, but there were no sounds to be heard. It was an unnatural quite with the lack of birds or small scurrying thing roaming about. Then he heard something. It was no more then the light crunch of a snapped twig and crisp leaves. little way off to his right. Someone was here. Walking on catlike feet he quietly crept up on his opponent but froze once he saw her.
There she was again, the same woman as before. She was dressed much differently this time in a light gown. Rather then resembling a rosy nymph she was closer to an ethereal angel. She was standing with one hand to the trunk of a tree, staring up at the sky. She looked firghtened and confused. After finally lowering her gaze she visibly jumped at the sight of him.
~ * Bulma * ~
The sky had blacked so quickly she didn't understand what had brought on such a drastic change. Then, lowering her gaze, she saw him. He was simply standing in the thickest shadows staring at her. He seemed just as surprised by her presence as she was by his.
When did her dreams start getting so strange? Of course she had dreamed about men before, her boyfriend, celebrities, coworkers, but she had never just made one up before. What was he doing here? He hadn't been there just a second ago.
Even though she felt more then a little wary about his presence, this was still her dream to control. He could do no harm to her in her own mind; he wasn't real. Squaring her shoulders she walked into the shadows to confront her apparition. For a long moment she tried in vain to see his face clearly but the lack of light made it impossible. Raising a gentle hand, she touched his cheek hoping that he might fade away into thin air on contact. He visibly flinched at her touch but remained solid just the same.
~ * Vegeta * ~
He wanted to tell her to get her hands off him but for some reason he couldn't speak. He'd been surprised by the sudden contact she initiated. When she first approached him she simply stood transfixed trying to study his face. His must have been as cloudy to her as she was to him because she didn't look like she understood his face.
After a second of pause he brushed her hand away and scowled at her. What did she want from him? Why was she here? She didn't seem to be any woman from his past that he could reason. She looked saiyan, or human rather for lack of a tail. She didn't appear to have any physical strength or skill. It would seem that her only purposes were to stand by looking lovely and pissing him off. Why didn't she attack him? Scream at him, insult him, tell him how pathetic and weak he was? Those things he could handle but this eternal silence from her was more then he could deal with.
~ & ~
He knocked her hand away as if her touch burned him. He stared at her with suspicion, like he was expecting her to hurt him at any second. He was definitely not the kind to trust easily. Finally finding her voice, she managed a whisper in the still silence, "Why are you here?"
He seemed taken off guard by the question. Admittedly, her voice sounded strange to her too in the utter stillness.
His eyebrow lifted as he contemplated her, "I could asked you the same question," he replied coolly. His voice was gruff yet smooth, like warm fur running down her spine. Just the sound of his voice had the ability to make her shiver, how was that possible?
"I asked you first," she insisted. Even in her own dreams she was forced to deal with suborn men.
"I asked you second," he growled. Why did all women have to be so difficult?
If his voice was good, his growl was even better. <Down girl, > she chuckled to her self. Not one to back down to any man, she replied, "My, aren't we witty? This is my dream so you can just back off." She crossed her arms under her breasts in an act to look in control.
<So much for the angel idea, > Vegeta chastised him self for ever considering such a silly notion. Women were dangerous creatures, whether real or imaginary. Apparently this one was ignorant as well. "Listen Woman, I don't know who you are but this is my dream."
She lifted a delicate eyebrow at his claim. <Hmm, now isn't this interesting? Where's Freud when you need him? I bet he'd say this has something to do with having a neglected childhood or penis envy or some psychological shit like that. > She thought sarcastically.
"Look, little Mr. Imaginary man," he didn't seem to find her very funny, "I don't now who you are either. But I assure you that this dream is mine and you are intruding on it. So you can just skip on your merry little way and leave any time you feel the urge come upon you, k?" She smiled sweetly at him.
"How dare you address me so, I am…"
* * *
What ever his response was it was drown out in the ringing of her phone. Groggily coming back to the real world, Bulma picked up the receiver on the third ring, "Yes?" She asked irritated.
"Oh, oh I'm sorry. Is this Ms. Briefs?" The voice on the phone sounded surprised and hesitant.
"Yes, it is. Who are you and why are you calling me at, " she glanced at her watch, "Three thirty in the morning?" If she sounded as half as grumpy as she felt then the poor sap on the phone must be shaking in his slippers.
"I'm sorry, this is Sid Stevens from the labs in Paris," he apologized again. "I didn't expect you to be in your office. I was going to leave you a message on your voice mail about next week's conferences."
"Well lucky you, you get to leave it directly with me," she smothered a yawn with her hand. "Now what was so important?"
Sid went on for a few moments on some earth-shattering discovery he made. Bulma was less then impressed and barely able to keep her eyes open. After finally getting Sid to shut up, she rose from her desk and made her way back to the house.
* * *
The dream ended as quickly as the last. He was in the middle of lecturing this brash fantasy woman on how to properly address royalty when he found himself awakened back in his room at Capsule Corp. he shook his head to dispell the last of his grooginess. It didn't help to dislodge the imag of that woman out of his mind. He'd never had dreams like this before. He rarely ever had dreams. What the hell did it all mean? Preoccupied with the strangeness of this dream; he never realized the fact that for once when he awoke he knew exactly where he was.
* * *
Next Chapter: Vegeta avoids sleeping. In the mean time Bulma has her weekend with Yamcha, but why is she feeling so guilty?