She sat up to find her husband's face inches from hers. She sat up gingerly, breathing hard.
"What-?" She breathlessly spoke, the world was still spinning.
"Are you okay?" He had one hand behind her back, trying to support her sitting. "I came in here to see if you wanted lunch and you were sprawled out on the floor." She looked up at him confused.
"Lunch? Didn't we just eat?" She looked lost almost, making Vegeta nervous. "You nearly took my hand off for that fucking piece of toast."
"Woman, do you know what time it is?" He looked deep into her eyes, mind going a mile a minute, trying to see if she had been drinking or something. Anything to understand what was happening to her. Bulma looked at the clock, it was 2:30.
Damn, already? I just came down here. Vegeta placed his large hand over her forehead.
"You do feel warm, Bulma. You need to rest, woman!" She started to protest by standing up but another wave of dizziness swept over her and she nodded. Vegeta scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to the bedroom. She shivered in his arms, chills spreading down her spine. Her chest hurt and all she wanted was to get back in bed and curl up in her covers. Her husband gently laid her on her side of the bed and covered her up in their thick blankets.
"Would you like something to eat?" He asked, being uncharacteristically nurturing. Ever since Bulla and Trunks moved out he had been less of an ass but this was pushing it.
"Who are you and what did you do with my dickhead husband?" She snorted before coughing again. "No, I just need to rest, I'm still full from breakfast."
That was a lie, she just didn't think she could handle food at the moment; her stomach was turning and she just wanted to sleep this off. "Could you bring me that bottle of cold medicine from the cabinet? The cherry one." He nodded his head once and walked off to the bathroom to fetch her the bottle of nighttime cold relief. He scanned through the label as he walked back and poured her the correct dose into the little measuring cup provided. He helped her sit up and drink the tiny cup of syrup and laid her back down.
"Well, if that's all you require I'm off for a while. Yell if you need any-" He looked and she was already asleep before he had finished the sentence. He sat on the side of the bed a moment longer. He brushed a lock of her hair off of her face and exhaled deeply. She was so fragile, yet serene when she was sleeping. It had been years since either of them had seen anything other than peaceful times. He participated in the martial arts tournaments but that was about it for him. He always trained because that helped him keep his focus, but now she was his focal point. He trained to protect her, his gorgeous woman.
Bulma didn't get up again all day, sleeping fitfully and waking up with dry coughing fits. The medicine seemed to have little to no effect on her symptoms other than helping her sleep a little better. She didn't eat dinner either and was still sleeping when Vegeta came to bed later that night.
Vegeta was standing in the middle of a valley, nothing but grass. He could taste blood in his mouth. He looked around, trying to find his assailant, but there was nothing in sight. He raised one eyebrow and started to get excited. He hadn't had a good fight in what felt like years and this thing was fast. He spun around again just in time to receive another blow to the face. He laughed out loud as he wiped the blood from his lip.
"Hit me again!" He yelled, "I need a good warm up!" He could feel something looking over his shoulder, he turned and he was face to face with a cloud of smoke. It was dense and black, red eyes staring into his soul it seemed. He sneered at it's bloody stare fearlessly and swung to punch it straight in the face. Well, where he thought it's face should be. He missed. His arm flew right through it, like trying to hit a smoke stack. Vegeta used the momentum from the miss to swing around into a roundhouse kick. Still no purchase on the beast. He grunted as once again the creature landed a blow right in the center of his chest.
"Vegeta!" He turned and saw Bulma running toward him, a smile on her face. His face paled.
"BULMA!" He yelled, "GET BACK!" The beast took his distraction as a chance to land a blow to his jaw, knocking him prone. He looked up from his position on the ground and received another hit to the temple.
"AHHH!" He heard a scream.
"BULMA!" He stood as fast as he could, blood dripping into his eyes semi-blinding him. He wiped his eyes and looked up to see the beast holding his wife. He ran, trying to get to her quickly, she was so scared. Her eyes were wide and frightened. He had to get to her, he had to save-
Shlrickkk! Once again, the ghost blade went through her chest. She jolted, and coughed a loud hollow hack. Blood ran from her mouth, coating her chin bright red. The blade and the monster disappeared leaving her still standing for a moment, then she fell.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" He cried, falling to his knees himself, barely able to process what had just happened. He shook as a massive, intense pain racked through his body.
This isn't happening, this cannot be happening! He hit the ground with his fist, pounding the earth with all the strength he could muster, breaking several bones in his hands in the process. He crawled to her limp body, sobbing. He lifted her head into his lap, her eyes dark and-
"AHH!" Vegeta sat up in his bed. Another nightmare, this one worse than the last. And looked over to his wife. Bulma was awake and sitting on the side of the bed, coughing. He practically flew to her side.
"Bulma? Woman? Look at me!" He demanded. She looked up, face pale and still coughing with one hand over her mouth. He brushed her sweaty hair away from her face and placed his forehead on hers. "Sorry," He said, "I had a nightmare and-" He cut off as she moved her hand away from her mouth and his face paled when he saw the blood running from her mouth down her chin.
