The Nature of Moonlight

Chapter 4

Goku awoke to the sound of a page turning. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes as he stretched his arms over his head. Bones cracked and creaked, a yawn escaping from his dry lips. The burgundy sheets felt cool. The whole bed felt good. The urge to curl up again and fall back to sleep was strong. But he heard another page turn and he turned to the side of the room, searching for the source of it.

What he found shook the last of sleep from him. There, in the corner of the room, sat Vegeta in a wooden chair, fully dressed, cross-legged. His red cape matched the color of the chair he sat in, the purple stone around his neck glittering in what little sunlight came into the room. In his gloved hands, Vegeta held a book on its last leg, its spine breaking apart here and there, threads of the covers sticking out everywhere. From what Goku saw, the yellow pages contained stains and tears, but Vegeta seemed to be able to read every word easily.

Barely any sunlight peeked through the window. For once, the curtains closed off the world, held in place by a gold rope. Beside Vegeta rested a tray, two glasses full of a yellow liquid, a pitcher with more of the same, cutlery, and plates covered in gold cloches. Goku could smell the food, and his stomach growled at him to get up and move and get it, but he couldn't just yet. Because the shock that Vegeta was there, that he didn't leave this time, galvanized him in place.

His scalp burned as he remembered his last thoughts before dreamless sleep took him away. Fingertips. Vegeta's bare fingertips, running over his scalp, his forehead. Soothing him. His other bare hand, holding his own, squeezing it and not letting go. Because of those memories. Because of his—

Kakarot.

His mother. His father.

They were there, right in front of him. Right in the room. In the flesh.

Their voices, saying his name. Yellow light turning to an ugly blood red. His hands reaching out to them, trying to hold them, stop them, screaming at them, crying at them—

"Kakarot?"

Goku blinked a few times.

The room returned to normal. Everything was normal. Even Vegeta looked normal, looked right at him now, with that book resting on his lap, in his gloved hands.

Except the tone. That didn't sound normal at all. "You're awake," Vegeta said, and despite his impassive look, the tone said it all. "How'd you sleep?" Concerned. Palpable concern.

Goku slowly sat up in bed. "Okay, I think."

"Breakfast ended a while ago. I had the servants save some food for you."

"Thanks." He pushed the bed sheets away, swinging his bare legs over the bed to the floor. "What'cha reading?"

Vegeta closed the book, resting it on the table beside him. "Something Cabba said to me yesterday interested me and I asked Chikora if she happened to possess any books of value on the matter. Nothing important." He uncrossed his legs, coming to his feet. "I spoke with the King, by the way. You're excused from tonight's activities as well as tomorrow's if need be. I told him you weren't feeling well and he understood."

"Ah." Goku scratched his bare chest as he looked away from him for a moment, down to the floor, to his bare feet. "Are you going tonight?"

He heard Vegeta's footsteps come closer to the bed. "I'm not sure." They soon stopped, and a heavy weight landed at the foot of the bed, close to Goku. "Probably not."

Goku didn't allow the silence that followed to stay very long. He sighed, one of his cold hands running over his clammy face, while the other rested beside his hip, digging into the bed. "Vegeta, you have to go."