Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Birth of a Prince ❯ Going Home ( Chapter 11 )

Part 11 Going Home

"THAT'S IT," Vegeta bellowed. "I'VE HAD IT!!!!!" He was standing in the kitchen, attempting to make breakfast for everyone, but he had finally reached his limit. Goten and Trunks froze, having been chasing each other through the capsule house. Goku, who had been laughing and tossing a squealing Sage in the air, caught him as he stared in shock at the enraged prince. Only Sage had enough gall to respond to Vegeta's outburst as he lashed his tail and growled softly at his father for interrupting his fun.

"No back talk from you brat," said Vegeta warningly to his youngest son. "You, you and you," he pointed to Trunks, Goten and Goku in turn. "OUTSIDE. And take the whelp with you, baka. I don't want to see or hear any of you until I call you for breakfast. If I have to repeat myself, I swear to Kami, you will ALL go hungry." He turned his back on the four of them and continued making breakfast as though nothing had happened. A few seconds later, he heard them slink out of the house, closing the door quietly behind them.

Hn, when nothing else works, appeal to their stomachs, thought Vegeta savagely, as he cracked another dozen eggs. We go home today, he decided. No more dawdling. I can't stand to be cooped up with Kakkarott another minute. But, whispered his traitorous side, what is the difference between being cooped up here with him, and being cooped up at Capsule Corp with him? Vegeta ignored that stray thought and viciously stirred the hot cereal that was threatening to boil over.

Meanwhile, outside the capsule house, it was a very subdued group of Saiyjins that stood, stomach's growling, waiting for Vegeta.

"Trunks, do you think your tousan really meant that?" whispered Goten, afraid that Vegeta might hear him.

"Well," said Trunks slowly, "he doesn't usually say things he doesn't mean. Yeah, I think he meant it."

Even Sage was quiet as he played with Goku's face. Goku smiled at the chibi, as Sage tugged on his unruly locks of midnight hair, and attempted to bounce up and down.

Goten and Trunks lay sprawled on the grass, tails absently twitching.

"I wish we could stay here forever," said Goten suddenly. "I don't ever want to go home."

Goku opened his mouth to reply to his youngest offspring, but at that moment, the door to the capsule house opened, and Vegeta appeared. "All right," he said gruffly, "Breakfast is ready." The two chibis were up and in the house before Goku had registered what Vegeta had said. He got up to follow them, carrying Sage and watching a certain hypnotizing tail sway in front of him all the way into the kitchen.

Vegeta announced at the end of breakfast that they would be leaving today, and ignoring the whines and pleas of Goten and Trunks, he continued, telling them to clean up their messes and pack their stuff away.

"I'm going to clean up breakfast, and then Kakkarott and I are going to spar for awhile. We'll leave after lunch. And that's enough complaining Trunks," he said as his son voiced a protest. "You are both walking fine now, and that is the main reason we stayed longer. My decision is final. That's the end of the matter."

Two extremely pouty chibis obeyed Vegeta as he put Sage in the carry-pouch and went to start cleaning up the kitchen. Goku mumbled something about helping the boys and left the kitchen. Vegeta breathed a sigh of relief as the other Saiyjin left the room. Sage looked curiously at his father, thumb sucking position engaged as Vegeta efficiently cleaned the mess from the considerable breakfast.

Tousan was upset, Sage decided. He wasn't sure why he was upset, but he thought it might have something to do with the big, good-smelling man that he called "Baka." Sage frowned, thinking hard. Sometimes tousan called him something else too, but it was long and harder to remember. Disengaging his thumb and looping his tail around the part of the carry pouch that went over his father's shoulder, Sage dug his fingers into the fabric of Vegeta's navy blue training tank and pulled himself upright in the carry-pouch. Reaching up with a small hand, he swiftly patted his father on the cheek, trying to get his attention, chirping questioningly.

Vegeta looked down at the chibi and smiled faintly. "I'm fine Sage," he reassured the worried cub, as he briefly groomed the black hair that was so like his own. "Just fine," he repeated.

Sage yawned, suddenly very tired and relaxed as his father's fingers gently rubbed his scalp. Releasing his tail, he dropped back into the carry pouch and resumed sucking his thumb. Within minutes, he was fast asleep.

He was nervous, Vegeta decided as he sparred with Kakkarott later. The man hadn't landed a single punch or kick since they had started an hour ago, and had only just blocked a vicious volley of ki blasts from the smaller Saiyjin. He doesn't want to go back, realized Vegeta. Well tough, said the sadistic, hard assed side of himself. He can't hide from real life forever. He's going to have to face that harpy he married sooner or later; it may as well be today. His thoughts paused briefly as he easily blocked Kakkarott's half-hearted kicks and punches. Meanwhile, the other side of his brain protested at returning so soon to Capsule Corps. The idiot side of his brain, as Vegeta had come to call it lately, told him quite firmly that it was his place to protect Kakkarott and the chibis.

"AAAAAAARRRUUUGGGGHHHHHH," screamed Vegeta in frustration, powering up to level two, bypassing level one entirely and blasting the bewildered Goku through several trees, ending the spar unexpectedly.

Vegeta hovered in mid air, his hands clenching his thighs convulsively. He is mated to that woman, and I am mated to Bulma. That is the end of it. No it isn't, replied his traitor brain. You aren't REALLY mated to Bulma you know. There is no bond between the two of you, no blood, only children. And is Kakkarott REALLY bonded to that pot swinging banshee? He knew nothing of our rituals, our mating habits, could he be truly bonded? Shut UP thought Vegeta ferociously to himself. Kakkarott is a grown man and can take care of himself. I am NOT attracted to that third class piece of scum! Who beats you at every possible opportunity, interjected that idiot traitor voice slyly. He is a worthy mate for a prince Vegeta. We both know it.

Vegeta's inner struggle was ended abruptly as he felt Sage begin to stir from his nap. Leaving the still stunned Kakkarott to fend for himself, the prince went to fetch his child before the screaming started.

Later, as he put the house back in its capsule, he looked around at the campsite, and at the boys and Goku. Trunks and Goten were trying to teach Sage how to crawl, and so far all Sage could manage was to inch himself forward by wiggling and digging his elbows and fists in the grass. The two boys thought that was great as they cheered the little one on; every inch of progress he made was met by claps and cheers so loud you would have thought he was blasting Frieza or Cell into infinitesimal particles of foul dust.

Kakkarott was watching the three boys, a soft smile on his face, nothing like the idiot grin he usually wore. As though he felt Vegeta's gaze on him, he slowly looked up and met the prince's midnight eyes with his own pools of deep blackness. An inexpressible feeling of longing stretched between the two Saiyjins, potent in its poignancy, and tangible enough that Sage stopped his creeping to look up suddenly at his father, and then at the man he thought of as "Baka." Then it was gone.

Vegeta pocketed the capsule and looked away from Goku. His voice was it's usual terse self as he said, "Let's go home Kakkarott."

To be continued…..