Couples Retreat

Chapter 8

Despite their unique circumstances and location to sleep in, Bulma and Vegeta slept surprisingly very soundly during their first, and hopefully, only night sleeping in a cavern. The cool air inside was at least pleasant to breath in and the two had each other's warm bodies to keep each other warm that night.

Rays of light were beginning to permeate through crevices at the very top of the tall cave room and shined down into the cave giving it some natural light. One beam worked its way over Bulma's head, stirring her out of her slumber.

Ugh, no... I'm not ready to get up...

She began to stir and turned over, her back now facing her husband who was still in a deep state of sleep, his arms still wrapped around her bare waist. Bulma rubbed her eyes and she slowly started to become more conscious.

Hold on... there's light in here... that means the storm has to be over...

She looked around the cavern which was now more lit up than it had been the previous night thanks to the morning glow outside shining in through the entrance and the cracks in the ceiling. Bulma admired the orange cream-colored stalactites and smaller stone straws a way up in the ceiling. Such beauty in the stone drapery.

There's so much in here and we ended up here completely by chance... it would take a lifetime to explore this entire planet and see everything...every little detail...

Bulma was grateful to be in such an extraordinary location. Maybe someday they could return to Cascadia Terra and do just that, explore more. She let out a pleasant sigh and traced her smaller hands over her husband's wrists, gently raising his arms up her waist and under her chest. He pulled her closer in his sleep, causing Bulma to beam. She loved it when he'd do that.

Ugh, why can't he be more affectionate when he isn't sleeping?

I shouldn't complain...This is comfier than it has any right to be... and Sleeping Beauty behind me is still out cold... I'll let him be a few more minutes and then we can get out of here. Please let the ship be back...

Vegeta turned his head putting his eyes in the direction of the glare of light. He grunted lightly and started to stir himself. Bulma turned around facing him, patiently waiting for him to wake up. He began to open his eyes halfway, slowly regaining consciousness.

"Good morning, handsome." Bulma said softly as she kissed him on the neck. "I've been waiting for you."

"Gah..." Vegeta yawned. "So, this isn't a dream... we really did sleep in a cave ..."

"That's not all we did..." Bulma purred back with a hint of deviance as she planted more kisses on his neck.

"Well... you won't hear any protests from me about that..." Vegeta smiled. He got up and waded into the stream to help wake himself up. He splashed some of the clear water over his face and walked back to the nest of moss with his wife. He sat down cross legged as she got up to do the same and stumbled, her legs and joints apparently still sore from the last night. She blushed as she got up and submerged herself into the water then walked back to sit next to Vegeta.

"You know what I just realized? We haven't had sex in ages. I can't remember the last time." Bulma thought out loud. "And we do it in a fucking cave of all places..."

Vegeta stared off at the stream at the end of the sandbar and moved his legs up to sit in a fetal position.

"...I'm sorry..." he muttered.

"Hey... that's not 100% your fault..." Bulma consoled him as she put her hand on his knee. "I have been distant too... don't hate yourself for this... actually, don't hate yourself for anything that's gone wrong, whether it's been your fault or not. You always beat yourself up when you screw up Vegeta, you don't have to do that...I hate to see it... I want you to learn and try to do better, not run away and ruminate... "

She moved her hand from his knee and traced her fingertips over his hair before planting a soft kiss on his cheek as he continued to stare into the darkness.

"You know, we needed this so badly. We needed to be close like this, I guess FORCED to be in such close company. And releasing all that tension last night... Now in the future we won't want to be far from each other again... well I know I will..."

"...Neither will I..." Vegeta said after a pause as Bulma smiled.

"I don't know about you but I'm ready to get out of this cave. I'm sick of being in the dark, I need to see the sun!" Bulma said changing the subject as Vegeta stood up.

"Then let's go..." he replied as Bulma also got up. She wrapped her arounds around his neck as he picked her up with one arm around her back and the other holding her legs as he flew off down the cave passage. The white entrance grew bigger as the two flew closer and eventually shot out the cave portal. The two felt relief as they met with clear skies and warmer temperatures once they reached the outside. Vegeta winced going from the dark of the cave to vibrant light and color. As his eyes adjusted to going from the brightness, Vegeta followed the stream out of the cave and saw that it led into the lake where their ship had been previously. Meanwhile once her eyes adjusted to the vibrant colors and light, Bulma enjoyed the view of the woods and the flowing stream below as the brisk wind nipped on her exposed body.

Maybe the storm cycle is over? Not a single cloud in the sky...She thought. Hopefully it's over...this planet is gorgeous when it's not storming like crazy out...

Bulma also looked over at the fallen trees and scattered branches and other rubbish below as well as the spots where lightning had struck. Apparently, these storms lasted for days and weeks. If it rained like it did the one night for weeks, then there was certainly flooding too.

No wonder there wasn't any life around here, they're either getting zapped by the lightning or stuck in flooding...we barely survived the storm, how could any animals?

Vegeta reached where the stream flowed into the lake and started to cross the sapphire-colored expanse. Neither of the two could see if the ship was back or not from where they were, at least not yet.

"I don't sense anything across the lake..." Vegeta grumbled but pressed on anyway. Bulma's heart raced once they were in the middle of the lake, and she made out a faint, circular shape on the other side. It appeared their ship had finally reset and returned to its' previous position.

"Yes! Oh, thank Kami!" Bulma cried out as joy filled her. In her euphoria she also let go of Vegeta's neck and fell back, almost slipping out of his grip and landing into the water below, making her heart race even faster as she awkwardly corrected herself. Vegeta eventually landed them on the beach where they felt like they hadn't been for an eternity even though they had only spent one night away. The two walked past charred piles of their lawn chairs and clothing, which was now all ashes on the beach and blackened spots.

"Aw...look at my shorts... where am I supposed to find another pair like these?" Bulma pouted as they walked over the remnants of her clothing. The two walked up the beach to the clearing where the ship sat. Bulma walked over to the side and opened a small box to manually reset the ship which was currently sitting dormant. That was why Vegeta couldn't sense its' energy. As the ship booted up, the hatch flung open giving the couple immense relief.

"I call first shower!" Bulma said as she ran up the opening.

"Hmph! After I protect you all night against the elements and keep you safe, this is the thanks I get?" Vegeta protested. "I have to sit in this filth and grime while you take a warm shower? And I know you will take forever in there..."

"I GUESS you can join me in there..." Bulma said with a smile as she went down to the crew quarters and got the water flowing.

Finally clean and rid of dirt, mud, sand, moss and whatever other parts Cascadia Terra that Bulma and Vegeta came in contact with, the two took a moment to sit in the main floor of the ship and take a few hours to take a break from nature. The two relished in finally being able to wear clothes after a night of being exposed to the entire planet. Vegeta threw on a navy-blue tank top and grey mesh shorts and came out to the main floor of the ship, feeling washed and refreshed. Bulma was sitting on the computer terminal in a pink Capsule Corp t-shirt with a pair of jean shorts as she finished her late morning breakfast of a granola bar and orange juice.

"Alright Vegeta." she started, shutting down the computer. "I ran weather simulations for the rest of the week, and we seem to be in the clear. No more storms. My calculations for weather patterns must've been slightly off... even a genius makes mistakes."

"So..." she continued as Vegeta stood silent. "That said, I do feel bad that this trip went off the rails so badly. I haven't even asked how all that affected you... So if you want, we can go home right now. It's up to you."

"You really think my night was ruined by a little water and wind?" Vegeta huffed. "I camped under much worse conditions for much longer periods of time than just one night!"

"Ok, so do you want to stay and continue our vacation?" Bulma asked, making sure he was serious.

"I do, yes." Vegeta answered as Bulma came closer to him and jumped onto him, wrapping her legs and arms around him then planting a kiss on his cheek.

"I really thought you'd want to leave if I gave you a chance to, I gotta be honest!" she said, overjoyed.

"No... I know you want me to stay... I know how much this means to you..." he replied. "And I must admit... despite the unpleasantries of being stuck outside in a storm with no clothing... I am happy to be here...with you."

"Thank you..." Bulma whispered.

"And thank you again for everything you did last night. You took control of a terrible situation; you protected me, and you gave me comfort when I was really freaking out. Everything going wrong just overwhelmed me, but you kept me safe. You got me through that panic attack." Bulma said as she gripped him tighter.

"Now, let's go back out, I wanna show you how fun camping for leisure can be, especially without being in the middle of a crazy storm! " She added. "And maybe we can talk about some more things..."