Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Altiverse: Dawn of Time ❯ Nightmares ( Chapter 8 )
Chapter 9
Nightmares
All of a sudden Vegeta sat straight up in bed.
He had been asleep. Moonlight was streaming in through the window of the hut, falling across the floor and creating shadows on the wall. Vegeta could tell from the position of the shadows that it must have been a little past midnight.
Vegeta's heart was pounding, and he was covered in a cold sweat. He had had a nightmare. It was terrible, but now that he was awake, he could remember nothing about it. As soon as the white-hot fear eased its way off of his spine again, Vegeta began to feel slightly nervous. He hadn't had a dream like that in years. Not since he was a very, very small child.
He had a nightmare the night of Sephiroth's disappearance. He'd had nightmares and wild dreams every once in a long while before, but nothing like that one. He woke up screaming bloody murder. And he never could remember what it was that had scared him. It frightened Vegeta's parents almost as bad as it frightened him; for night after night, for weeks on end until he was almost five years old, he would dream that dream and wake up in a cold sweat or screaming. And he never could remember exactly what happened in it. Vaya began to wake up whenever he did, and would toddle from her room to his. She began sleeping curled up next to him, and Warfrost moved from the outdoor courtyard to Vegeta's bedroom floor, and the dream stopped recurring so often, but it happened often enough for Vegeta's father to take him to a doctor. The doctor said the young prince had too much imagination. He had a simple cure, too; Study harder, explore more, and train more. After a hard training regime with Vaya or Nappa, and three or four hours of studying with his mother, Vegeta was too exhausted, mentally and physically, to dream anything. But the people around him never got over it, and every once in a while they would ask him if he ever dreamed any more.
Vaya, who was not so light a sleeper as her mate, was still mentally linked to him. She sensed his waking movements and stirred. "Vegeta...?" she murmured. "Are you all right?"
Vegeta hesitated before answering. He knew it was futile to try and lie to her, but he did anyway. "Yes. I'm fine. I just thought I heard something, that's all." He lay back down again.
Vaya gave him a steady stare. She knew he wasn't telling the truth, but she knew better than to pry. Besides, if he had had another nightmare, he would forget it completely and fall back to sleep eventually. So she sleepily wrapped one arm snugly around him and burrowed her head against his shoulder. They both started to drift off to sleep...
Just then the baby started to fuss.
Vegeta groaned and covered his face with a pillow. But Vaya calmly got out of bed to take Adrian from his crib to feed him. She bounced him gently in her arms and cooed softly, and his whimpers ceased. Vegeta removed the pillow from his head and watched them.
"What is it with these little brats, they can't even sleep the whole night through without getting fed," he complained grumpily.
Vaya hardly glanced at him, never taking her eyes from her week-old son. "I think something woke him up. Maybe he heard us moving around."
"I doubt it. That kid could sleep through the apocalypse. You could blow up a city around him and-- "
Vegeta paused. Closing his eyes, he appeared to be concentrating very hard. After a moment he whispered, "Someone is coming. Not the one who brings food. She moves carefully, as if she does not want to be detected."
The prince's ears were far better than Vaya's. It was a minute before she could hear the footsteps approaching their door. Even then, without the help of her powers she certainly couldn't tell that they belonged to a female.
Vegeta slipped silently out of bed as the footsteps stopped outside their hut. There was a moment of fumbling and scratching, and then the door swung open.
The visitor was framed in the moonlight, and it was a Tirondian -- a female, just as Vegeta had predicted. It wasn't Chandra, but someone they didn't recognize. She seemed slightly afraid of being inside the Saiyans' quarters at night.
"Who are you," Vegeta started calmly, with an edge of threat, "and what do you want?"
The female took a deep breath. "Greetings," she said. "My name is Lunta. I'm sorry to disturb you so late at night, but I have a message to deliver. You are the leader of the outlanders, yes?" she asked, gesturing to Vegeta.
"Yes," Vegeta responded. "What message?"
"The members of your group who reside in the other houses wish to meet with you -- outside, in the woods, where the conversation can be private. They told me to tell you that it was urgent...Something about a message from "home"."
Vegeta's face went pale. Vaya clutched Adrian tighter, and looked at her mate. He nodded to Lunta, who bowed and made her way out, looking relieved.
~*~
The woods were dark and the trees cast enough shadows to hide anyone in their depths. The Imperial Saiyan pair met up with their companions in a small clearing. Light from the stars and the three-quarter moon shone silver on their glittering black eyes. Nappa and Raditz were already waiting. Vaya was carrying Adrian, asleep in her arms, because as a Saiyan mother she was practically incapable of leaving her child unattended. With Vaya in a breezy nightdress and the three males in loose Tirondian pants, they made an odd gathering. But the atmosphere was too serious to be worried about something as insignificant as their respective nightclothes.
As soon as Vegeta and Vaya landed, Raditz stepped forward, his expression serious and slightly apprehensive. "We've got problems."
"What is it?" Vegeta asked.
"We just got word from #79," Nappa answered. "Not good news at all. Apparently, Frieza is curious and rather annoyed as to why we haven't bothered to purge this planet yet. He is becoming extremely impatient for us to finish."
"Damn it," Vegeta muttered, clenching his fists.
"Also, he doesn't require us to stay on the planet after the extermination process..." Raditz added slowly. "He has another mission for us, and we are to leave immediately after completion."
Vegeta and Vaya were quiet as they let this extremely unfortunate news sink in. Vaya spoke softly, "These people offered us assistance. Planet Trade or not, they helped with Adrian and besides, it would make us look bad if we acted so ungratefully."
Vegeta didn't reply.
"That's not the only problem," Nappa snorted.
Raditz straightened slightly, and Vegeta closed his eyes as if in pain. Vaya narrowed her eyes at Nappa.
"What are you talking about?" she hissed quietly. Her manner suggested that she knew exactly what he was talking about, but was dreading hearing it said aloud.
"What I mean," Nappa continued, a little more meekly, "is that we can't go anywhere with the kid. Frieza's computers have readings on the life forms in each space pod...Prince Adrian would be detected immediately and dealt with."
Vaya closed her eyes tightly and clutched her infant son tight to her body. There was no need for Nappa to elaborate on just how Adrian would be "dealt with". All that mattered was finding some way around it.
"What are we going to do?" Vaya whimpered to no one in particular, still hugging her child. Adrian, blissfully unaware of the tension and panic he was inadvertently creating, slept on.
Vegeta finally spoke up, but his voice was low and tight, as if he was struggling with what he was saying, and he pointedly avoided looking at Vaya.
"There is something," he whispered. "We can leave Adrian here."
Raditz and Nappa bowed their heads, and it was clear that the idea made perfect sense to them. Vaya, however, was predictably horrified.
"Are you joking?" she gasped to her mate. "You would just abandon your son on a barren planet to save your own skin?"
"Vaya, that's not my intention and you know it," Vegeta growled. "Adrian would be able to fend for himself until such a time when it would be safe to come back and get him."
"He's a baby!" Vaya hissed.
"He is a Saiyan," Vegeta insisted firmly.
Vaya didn't continue to argue. She just gave Vegeta a glare of utter anger, and blasted off. In only a few seconds she had disappeared.
Vegeta sighed deeply and looked at the ground. The other two Saiyans looked at each other, and then at their prince. Vegeta lifted his head again and stared hard and cold at the both of them.
"Come the dawn, head through the cities. Give the Tirondians 12 hours to evacuate the planet. After the 12 hours are up-- " he narrowed his eyes " --we will commence with the purging."
Then he flew off over the trees, leaving Nappa and Raditz behind.
~*~
When Vegeta returned to his hut-house, the door was standing slightly open. He slipped quietly inside, knowing that Vaya would almost certainly still be angry. She was standing next to the crib that held their son Adrian once more. The moonlight shining in from the window framed her outline, and her silvery voice was singing a soft lullaby.
Lovely. Vegeta, who had never heard her sing before, had never appreciated how lovely her voice was.
He listened silently until the lullaby had ended. Then he shut the door quietly and started toward her. "Vaya..."
She turned briefly toward him, gave him a glare that would have turned Frieza to stone, and moved to the window where she turned her back on him.
Vegeta sighed, because she had done this before. Whenever she was truly angry with him, she would simply stop speaking to him. It always succeeded in making him feel guilty, and he would seek to reconcile with her immediately. However, this time was the first time that Vegeta truly knew that his decision was right...and his resolve was strengthened because he could sense that Vaya knew it, too.
"I'm not going to do this with you, Vaya," he muttered, approaching her. "You know this is the right thing to do. If you have a better idea, you know I always turn to you for advice...but there is no other way."
She still said nothing. He stopped behind her and put his hands gently on her shoulders, and his tail curled slowly and snugly around her waist. Vaya folded her arms and turned away from him. But she made no move to pull away, and that convinced Vegeta even more that she was simply having a hard time accepting the fact that she would have to temporarily abandon her only child.
"Vaya, don't do this. Why are you being like this?" he whispered.
"Why?" Vaya suddenly snapped, breaking away from his embrace. Stomping over to the crib, she jabbed with her whole hand to indicate the infant inside, and glared at Vegeta again. "THAT'S why!"
Vegeta rolled his eyes to the ceiling.
"I can't just accept the fact that you want me to leave our son...YOUR son alone on a planet all by himself, for hell knows how long!" she hissed venomously.
"Vaya, listen to yourself," Vegeta said. "The Saiyan Empire sent infants down alone to other planets almost every day, even as young as newborn. And they were only the lowest of the third class. Adrian is a prince! His odds for survival are impossible to improve at this height! If there was any Saiyan child who was perfectly suited to live on his own for a little while, it would be him."
Vaya folded her arms again and looked away.
Vegeta walked up to her again, this time from the front, taking her into his arms. She refused to meet his eyes, but he could feel that the anger had gone out of her. He held her for a minute, then lifted her face so that she would look at him. Surprisingly, there was no trace of tears anywhere.
Listen... he sent with a faint smirk. You're supposed to be the psychic one, right? The one who's always right, and knows what's going to happen before it does. So why don't you read what's in store for Adrian?
Vaya shook her head. I can't.
Why not?
My powers aren't strong enough yet.
Try.
Vaya was about to protest again, but Vegeta pushed her gently over to the crib again, keeping his arm around her waist. Adrian was still sleeping peacefully. Vaya stared at her son for a minute, then took a breath and stretched her hand over him. She stopped just above his little chest, and his heart.
She concentrated with all her might, but saw nothing...But somehow she knew -- she wasn't sure how or why, she just knew -- that Adrian would be safe, and that he would be returned to them. She pressed a button on the side of the crib, and a piece of heat-regulating, soundproof glass covered the top. Adrian would sleep safe and warm.
Vegeta finally felt his mate relax, and he knew that he had won. He squeezed her waist fondly. Now do you trust me?
"Yes," Vaya whispered. She turned around to him and snuggled against his chest, laying her head against his shoulder. Vegeta enfolded her in his embrace and held her as gently as if she had been a very small child.
"Sometimes I really hate you..." she murmured, her soft voice muffled by his body.
He smiled. "And why is that?"
"You never let me hold onto a good reason to cry."
Vegeta actually laughed out loud at this, and slowly pushed her back so that he could see her face. He was relieved to see that she was smiling again, and that her eyes were glowing. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.
When she pulled away again, Vegeta gave her a smirk. Does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?
Well, I wouldn't go that far, Vaya replied airily in sending. You could still make it up to me for your utter lack of sensitivity in handling this situation.
I thought I did pretty well, Vegeta chuckled. Besides, what would people think if I suddenly turned to the Dark Side?
Vaya laughed and kissed him again, but this time she didn't pull away. As they explored each other's mouths, Vegeta moved his hands up to slowly slide the straps of her nightdress off her shoulders. They moved towards their bed and by the time they got there their clothing was gone. As soon as Vaya's head hit the soft pillows, Vegeta turned his attention from her lips to ravage her neck. He made sure to kiss her on the bare skin just above her collarbone in the middle of her chest, a spot that always received what he considered to be a very satisfactory reaction. Vaya gave a sort of breathless gasp as she clutched fistfuls of his hair. Vegeta trailed down her body, nuzzling her breasts and her stomach with her legs wrapped tightly around him. Every few movements, he would kiss her again below her collarbone, torturing her with waves of sensation and causing her breathing to become rapid and panting. Finally she couldn't stand it any longer.
"Aah...Vegeta...please..." she gasped as he sent another shiver through her.
Vegeta smirked as his lips brushed hers teasingly. "I want to make sure that you really want this..." he murmured. "And that pathetic attempt at begging won't get you anywhere."
She kissed him imploringly, but he merely ran his hands over her hips and kissed her collar area again. She arched toward him as her fingernails dug ruthlessly into his back.
"Vegeta...my prince...I need you inside me..." she moaned, clinging even more tightly to him.
Vegeta smirked again and kissed her passionately. "Now that's more like it," he chuckled, before diving into her.
Vaya's moans increased as her mate sped up his pace, thrusting in and out of her. She soon matched him, and he ravaged her neck and she covered his face with kisses as he moved in her. Then they reached their limits one after the other and sank back onto the blankets.
Vegeta exhaled heavily and settled his head against his mate's chest, hugging her tightly around the waist. Vaya relaxed on the bed with his strong arms around her, filling her with a sense of utter safety and security. She slid one arm around his broad shoulders and used her other hand to run her fingers through his hair. He was eased by the rise and fall of her chest and the feel of her warm body against his, with her hands stroking him lovingly, and he closed his eyes. They were both cooling down and still breathing a little hard, but they soon drifted off to sleep, comforted by each other's presence.