Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Simple Wish ❯ Chapter Fourteen ( Chapter 14 )

Disclaimer: They say smoking takes years off your life, so smoke and stay younger.

A/N: Well, I think I'm finally reaching the end of the fik (yay!), there should be only one more chapter lelf to write and then I will be FREE! BWhahahahahaha!!

Err...sorry, but I will be so happy when this is done because then I can get on with my other ideas and I won't have that voice in the back of my head bullying me to write on this. (I plan on writing all of my next fik before I post it, so my six months before updating thing won't happen...it'll just take me about a year to post the first chapter!lol)

Chapter Fourteen:

Trunks stood next to Goten, staring wide-eyed as Piccilo entered the house. The young boys had just returned from fishing when the Namekian had turned up, eyeing their catch for a moment before asking them to wait outside while he spoke to Gokou, not even bothering to greet them.

"What do you think's going on?" Goten asked his friend, leaning back against one of the many large fish behind them.

"Dunno, but it looks serious...wanna go investigate?" He added, a mischievous glint in his eye and, already knowing the answer, quickly ducked inside followed closely by Goten. The two demi-Saiyans pressed themselves up against the lower cupboards, straining their ears to hear what adults were saying.

"...it's better this way Gokou." Piccilo was saying, almost sounding apologetic.

"I-I guess...but why now? Why didn't you do this before...before...I-I..." Gokou's tone was slightly strained as he spoke, and was cut off before he could continue.

"I didn't know it would turn out the way it did - not from the start." Piccilo added, seeing the look on the Saiyans face that clearly stated that Gokou wasn't fooled. "If I had of known then...well, we can't change anything now."

"Where will he be?" Gokou asked softly.

"At his home, with his family." The Namekian said, "but I can tell you he isn't exactly cooperating." He gave a short laugh at his obvious understatement.

Goten chanced a glance from around the counter and froze when he caught sight of his Father. He looked...

"Goten!" Trunks hissed out and grabbed his friend's arm, tugging him backwards - Piccilo was leaving. They both scrambled back, trying to hide behind each other and held their breath when Piccilo stepped past the kitchen, hoping the weren't found.

He stopped at the door. "You two should make your way back to Capsule corp. your Mothers' are worried sick." And with a swirl of his cloak, Piccilo flew off into the sky.

"Boys?" Gokou called from the lounge and both demi-Saiyans rose slowly from their spot on the floor and walked towards him.

The older man gave them a warm smile before he spoke. "Piccilo's right, you should head back..."

Goten pouted at his Father, giving him his best puppy dog eyes and jumped into his lap. "Why can't we stay here? With you and Mr Vegeta?" He asked.

Gokou's smile faltered and he frowned slightly, "Vegeta isn't staying here anymore, he's gone home and you two should hurry back; you don't want to get into any more trouble now."

"Home? Why?" Gokou blinked turning his gaze to Trunks as the boy spoke.

"He..." Gokou's eyes flicked away quickly, then flicked back. "It's for the best - he really needs to be around family instead of...of...up on a deserted mountain..." ...with me.

"Oh..." Trunks said uncertainly and shuffled his feet slightly then shifted his gaze to Goten. "W-we better get going then..."

"Do we have too?" Goten complained, his expression scrunching up slightly in displeasure.

"Yeah." Gokou said and stood up, setting the boy on the ground and petting him on the head, "Chi Chi won't be happy if you're any more late getting back to Capsule corp."

Trunks took a hesitant step towards the door and looked back at Goten. "Come on." He said before walking outside.

The dark-haired boy trailed after him. "Will you be okay, Dad?" He asked, not turning around.

"Of course!" Gokou said, pushing lightly on Goten's back and guiding him out the front door. "You can come back later - if it's alright with your Mum." He added laughingly. "Wow! Look at all the fish you guys brought back!"

"Yeah...and now we don't even get to eat any." Trunks mumbled from in front of them. "All that hard work for nothing."

"Well..." Gokou started, a smile slowly forming on his face; "you could always take a few with you..."

And within minutes, Trunks and Goten were happily flying home, each carrying a large fish over their shoulder.

Gokou watched the two boys until they were out of sight and then took a slow step forward towards the two remaining fish, his gaze on them but not really seeing anything. The suddenly feeling on emptiness around him was palpable and was confounded by the fact that he knew that there wouldn't be anybody showing up to relieve that emptiness. He was now on Mount Paozu alone. There would be no Chi Chi, no kids...no Vegeta.

He suddenly felt lost. For the last few months he had devoted all his energy towards the wish cursed Saiyan, and now, out of nowhere, the subject of all that devoted energy was gone.

Gokou crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze falling from the fish to the ground. Vegeta wasn't coming back. He would stay at Capsule Corp. until it was time for the wish to be lifted and then he would be back to normal. Then the idea of him coming back would be even more far-fetched - it would be a laughing impossibility.

Vegeta wasn't coming back. He turned the thought over in his mind. Wasn't ever coming back. His gaze hardened and he ran a hand through his hair. If he wasn't coming back then there was no reason to be dwelling on it, he turned his gaze back to the fish and took a step towards them; it didn't matter that Vegeta wasn't coming back, he still had to make breakfast.

-

Yamcha sat nervously in one of the many rooms inside Capsule corp. waiting for Bulma. He knew Vegeta was here somewhere, but he wasn't sure why. Was he here because of what had happened between himself and Bulma? Kami he hoped not, he was too young to die.

He fidgeted with a loose piece of string hanging from the chair, what was going on?

The dark-haired man jumped in his seat when the door flew open, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Yamcha! There you are, I was wondering where they'd sent you." Bulma said as she walked into the room, taking a seat beside him.

"Yeah, I've been here for a while now..."

"Sorry, it's been a very stressing day. Have you heard? About Vegeta?" She asked hesitantly, her eyes scanning his face for any reaction.

Yamcha nodded, shifting in his seat. "Yeah, I heard."

"He turned up last night, to talk about...about what happened - between you and me." Bulma added unnecessarily.

"Umm...and..?"

"He...that is..." She cleared her throat to continue but was cut off by Yamcha.

"It's alright. I think I understand." He said, his voice wavering slightly.

"Wha...Yamcha?" Bulma watched as he stood up from his chair and headed to the door, she needed to tell him that... "He said what I do is my business and to keep it in the bedroom." She said in a rush, knowing what Yamcha must be thinking.

He paused at the door. "...But-"

"He isn't here because he wants to be." Bulma was quick to explain. "Piccilo arrived late last night and said to keep Vegeta here - something about it being better for him in the long run...Yamcha?" She said, her tone pleading.

Yamcha turned, looking at her fully. "I don't understand..." He trailed off.

"I'm not sure I do either..." She started shakily, running her hand through her hair. "But I know that there's no future for Vegeta and me. Not now." She finished firmly.

"But you're married." Yamcha said, sitting back down beside her.

"Well...actually..."

-

Gohan landed heavily on the grass in front of his house almost falling over before straightening himself and looking around for his Father.

"Gohan!"

The boy in question turned to his left and spotted his Dad who was building what would surely be considered an illegal fire. "Dad, what are you doing?" He asked with a smile, setting down his large duffle bag and walking towards Gokou.

The tall Saiyan stood up and dusted off his pants. "Cooking." He said simply and pointed to what had to be the largest pile of cut up fish he had ever seen. "Want some?"

"Yeah sure!" Gohan said cheerily, rolling up his sleeves to help.

Two hours later, when all the fish had been cooked and the two men were too full to move; Gohan remembered why he had come here in the first place. "Hey Dad, is it alright if I move back here?"

Gokou's face lit up and he sat forward a little. "Yeah, of course! That'd be great!" He said, smiling at his oldest son. "But...err...does Chi Chi know about this?"

Gohan chuckled a bit before replying. "Yeah, Mum knows. She said to send her love."

The earth raised Saiyan flinched at the words but tried to cover it up by getting to his feet, heading to the kitchen with no real purpose for doing so.

Gohan stayed silent for a moment, watching his Dad carefully. "Mum said she's going to stay in the city, Bulma's even offered her a job."

"Oh? She'll like that. Chi Chi always wanted to live in the city." Gokou said evenly, walking back to the lounge and sitting on the couch.

"Yeah, Goten's really excited about it..." He continued, trying to gauge his Fathers reaction - he wasn't getting much. "Videl says I should stay there too...but it's not home - this is my home."

The pair stayed silent a moment before Gokou spoke."Thank you." He said softly.

-

Three months later.

"Dad!" Gohan shouted, stepping out of the large bath in their backyard and wrapping a towel around his waist. "I'm all done!"

The dark-haired youth laughed and shook his head as he watched his Dad practically dive into the tub, splashing water everywhere. Life had been quiet for the past few months and Gohan couldn't be happier; he was living with his Dad, which meant he didn't have to put up with his Mother screaming at him to hurry up and choose a Collage, and he had a wonderful girlfriend who he loved - yup, he was definitely happy...

If only his Dad could be this happy.

Gohan's first few weeks here had been tiring to say the least, Gokou had never given him a moments peace, always wanting to be doing something - training, fishing, talking, more training; and then if he was lucky, he would get some sleep. He knew his Father was having a rough time, even if he wouldn't admit it, and Vegeta had become something of a taboo subject; though every now and then Gokou would ask about his well being but never anything passed that. His Father just closed up to everything remotely related to Vegeta, including his own feelings and it was starting to show.

"Gohan?" Gokou said uncertainly, bringing his son out of his thoughts.

"Ahh...sorry Dad." He replied sheepishly, realising he'd spaced out. "I'll go check on dinner."

Gokou sighed, leaning back into his bath. "Nothing beats a good bath..." After a few minutes the Saiyan ducked under the water feeling every bit relaxed; he could stay in here for hours...

Suddenly he felt someone grip his shoulder and roughly pull him upwards.

Breaking through the top of the water Gokou immediately turned to catch the culprit but was caught in a quick embrace before familiar lips found his, taking his breath away.

Vegeta...

Then, before he could completely comprehend what was happening it was over and he was left with nothing but the feel of his heart thudding heavily in his chest, the ghosting feeling of lips on his and the unique taste of Vegeta in his mouth.

Gokou lifted his hand slowly and brushed his fingers over his lips, settling back into his bath as he did so. Had that been...Vegeta? He brushed his fingers over his lips again then dropped his arm to the side of the bath, leaning his chin on it. No...no, probably not. It couldn't have been. What it must have been was a dream. A good dream…but still a dream.

A bitter smile found its way onto Gokou's face then disappeared suddenly at a high-pitched sound behind him.

Gokou spun around quickly in the bath, his eyes alighting on where Gohan stood a few feet away, his mouth working without sound and his eyes half bugging out of his head.

"D-Dad..." The young Saiyan managed to get out, though his voice seemed to have raised a few octaves. "Was that...V-Vegeta?" He squeaked.

Gokou's lips twitched upwards and he directed a dreamy look at his son. "Yeah...yeah it was..." He said absently, the words resounding in his head. He stood up suddenly, water spilling over the side of the bath. "It was Vegeta! Y-you saw him." I wasn't dreaming.

"Uh-huh." His son agreed, still looking somewhat shocked.

Gokou's expression warred between being shocked and widening into a silly grin; "S-so it was him..." he murmured.

Gohan gave his Father an odd look before shaking his head slightly and returning to the house. "Dinner's ready." He called over his shoulder.

In the following months Gokou cheered up considerably, he still wasn't back too his old self but he was happier and Gohan was glad for that at least. They had started going through the many replies Gohan had received from various Collages, much to Chi Chi's relief, but still hadn't picked one; though the pair had attended two or three open nights that Chi Chi had no knowledge of. The last thing Gohan wanted was his overbearing Mother ordering him around in front of what could be his new classmates.

Vegeta hadn't made any other appearances so far, though Gokou was bathing more often these days then seemed normal, and Piccilo had visited a couple of weeks earlier, bringing news of how Vegeta was going and that they no longer had to keep watch on him.

Overall things were going well and today Krillin would be coming to the mountain for lunch, finally being able to escape his wife for a much-needed break.

Gohan sighed as he sat down on the grass beside his Father, revelling in the warmth the sun provided. "When do you think Krillin will get here?" He asked lazily, not bothering to look at the other man as he spoke.

There was a pause and then: "He's here."

Gohan slowly pulled himself up in time to see the short Z warrior land in front of them, a huge smile on his face.

"Hey Krillin!" Gokou greeted, standing up. "What's got you in such a good mood?" He laughed, bringing a hand up to shield his eyes.

"You'll never guess what's happened!" Krillin said excitedly, "But can we go inside?" He added, motioning to the bright sun over head.

"Yeah, sure."

All three men sighed as they entered the shade of the house before dropping into chairs around the new dinning table.

"So, what's going on?" Gohan spoke up, settling back in his chair.

Krillin smiled again and leaned in towards them, "It's Bulma," He said quietly, looking around as though somebody might be listening. "She's..." he paused dramatically, "pregnant!" He said, a little louder this time.

Silence.

Krillin looked between the two Saiyans, confused by their lack of response. "D-did you guys hear me?"

Gohan stared at his Father, watching as the man forced a smile.

"Yeah, it's great. She'll be really happy." Gokou said blankly, keeping his fake smile in place though his insides seemed to grow cold at Krillin's words. Vegeta and Bulma were going to have another baby together.

"Ahh...b-but that's not the best part!" Krillin continued, his excitement coming back. "It's Yamcha's! Yamcha is going to be a Dad!" He finished, this time happy with the reactions he got.

"Yamcha? A Dad?" Gohan exclaimed, and was pleased to see a genuine smile on his Father's face. "Oh...this is going to be so funny..."

Gokou's smile widened as he pictured Yamcha changing nappies and running around after his son or daughter and he too began to laugh.

Krillin took this as a good sign and continued. "You should have seen his face when Bulma told him; he almost fainted! She said she'd been wanting to tell him for a while now but...well you know how he is, anyway - she's taken him out shopping for a few things and he looked absolutely terrified!" The three of them laughed for a while before winding down, sitting in silence.

Gokou sat forward a little in his seat, "Wait...does that mean..." He said, thinking out loud. "If Bulma's having Yamcha's baby...what happens when the wish is lifted off Vegeta? I'm mean...are they back together? Bulma and Yamcha?"

Krillin shrugged, "Vegeta wasn't there - not that I could see anyway, but yeah, they are together now."

"But Vegeta and Bulma are married." Gohan said slowly. "So...what will happen when the wish is gone..." He wondered, silently hoping he wouldn't be there to see whatever it was.

"Well...that's another thing, Bulma says they aren't even married." Krillin looked directly at Gokou, "She said Vegeta left before they could sign the wedding certificate and…s-she said that...you talked him into marrying her in the first place." The short man said, still looking at Gokou.

"M-me?" The Saiyan asked, confusion written clear on his face. "...I did?"

"That's what she said." Krillin replied.

"But I… How? I don't remember… What did I do?"

Krillin shrugged and shook his head. "She didn't say; just said that you'd talked to him."

"Talked?" Gokou looked at Krillin blankly, "Well…I did talk to him but…I didn't say anything to make him marry her."

"What did you say?" Gohan asked curiously.

"Uhmm…" Gokou leaned back and ran a hand through his hair, "I just told him how happy I was for the both of them. I mean, I've known Bulma since I was twelve and…well…I was just really happy for her. She really deserves to find someone to be happy with and it was great that she'd found someone…" Gokou trailed off, and looked blankly at the floor.

"So…" Gohan began, "you told Vegeta all that? That you wanted Bulma to be happy and that marrying Vegeta would make her happy."

Gokou pulled his gaze away from the floor and looked at his son, "Yeah."

Gohan shared a surprised look with Krillin and then looked back at his Father and blurted out the first thing that came to his lips. "Vegeta did it because you told him too; to make you happy."

"What?!" Gokou exclaimed, "To make me… Don't be ridiculous, Gohan. Vegeta wouldn't do anything like that."

"That's what it sounds like to me." Gohan said stubbornly.

"Me too…" Krillin added, though with slightly less enthusiasm.

"Then you're not listening right." Gokou said firmly, glaring at them both. "Vegeta is… Vegeta wouldn't… It's just not something he would do, especially not for me. He hates me, you both know he does." He insisted.

"Well yeah…" Krillin said looking down at his hands, "we all thought that he did but…"

"But what?" Gokou demanded.

"But looking back," Gohan said slowly, "we don't think he did. It seems more like the opposite, actually."

"What?" Gokou said dumbly, looking remarkably like someone had hit him in the back of the head with a board.

Gohan shared another look with Krillin, this time one of bewildered frustration. After a moment Krillin sighed, gave a small shrug and then turned back to Gokou's uncomprehending expression.

"How about…we go have lunch?" he suggested.

-

Vegeta kicked his boots off and flopped down onto his bed, putting his hands behind his head before staring blankly up at the ceiling. He'd just come back from training and, though he knew he needed a shower, he couldn't help but allow himself a few moments to lay where he was, letting his thoughts consume him for a while.

He'd seen Bulma and Yamcha arriving home on his way back from training and watching the two of them, Bulma teasing Yamcha lightly as the man struggled under the weight of everything Bulma had insisted they buy for the coming baby, had left him feeling introspective and, he grudgingly admitted to himself, a little lonely.

It had been three months since he'd last seen Kakorotto and it looked to be many more before he could see him again. He was happy for Bulma and Yamcha, but seeing them together tended to remind him of what, and who, he was missing.

Vegeta ran a hand through his hair and then, with a low growl, sat up. Thoughts like these were useless…pointless. He pushed himself to his feet and then, with a stern thought to himself to stop acting like a brainless mooncalf, went to have his shower.

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End Chapter

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End A/N: I know I skipped a lot of time but it had to be done or this fik would go on for about another fourteen chapters! And who the hell wants that to happen? Not me! lol

Thank-you to my reviewers! As always you are very much appreciated!

So...the next chapter will be the last, do you know how it will end? Ne, ne, ne?

...because I don't.

R&R!!

Justice-hime