Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Birth of a Prince ❯ Bonding Blood ( Chapter 13 )

Part 13 Bonding Blood

Goku left Bulma, still stunned in the living room to follow Vegeta. He was angry with the man, but not exceedingly so. He knew Vegeta had over-reacted, badly, but he understood. Somehow, he understood what was going on in Vegeta's mind. Vegeta knew as well as Goku did that once Bulma had gotten over the shock of being bitten, and the shock of finding out that not only did her almost 2 month old want to drink her blood, but that her four year old HAD drank his father's blood, that she would have accepted it, and probably done a bunch of research and found out WHY Saiyjin babies craved blood. If Goku really thought about it, past his nearly repressed Saiyjin instincts, he could almost see why she had reacted the way she had. But to Vegeta, well, he had felt the man's overpowering sense of betrayal. The refusal to accept him and his children for what they were. The anger at her and pride in his heritage, and the knowledge that his sons' blood hadn't been polluted beyond repair. Goku sighed. He knew that feeling all too well, the betrayal, the refusal to accept him as a Saiyjin, not a human with a tail. But Bulma wasn't Chichi, and he wasn't going to let Vegeta treat her like she was, no matter how upset or overwhelmed he was.

He paused, searching for Vegeta's ki, and swore softly. He was suppressing it. Oh well, thought Goku, too bad for him. He switched his search to Sage's ki, guessing correctly that Vegeta wouldn't think to shield the baby's energy. He could almost taste Vegeta's anger, his frustration, his confusion? Goku shook his head. Since when was he so sensitive to the prince's emotions? He knew Vegeta went out of his way to hide the fact that he was even possessed of emotions, but the birth and bonding of his youngest son had opened a sizeable crack in his defenses. Maybe it had something to do with our tails regenerating, thought Goku absentmindedly as he prepared to instant transmission to where Vegeta and Sage were.

Vegeta was still seething as he paced back and forth in his room like a caged tiger, not even realizing that he still held Sage. His mind was a red haze of anguish and fury. Unobserved by him, the chibi in his arms growled and bared his miniscule fangs in response to his father's emotional state. Barely a heartbeat later, Goku blinked into the room. Vegeta turned on him with a snarl. "Leave Kakkarott."

"No."

"I am warning you, Kakkarott…"

"Vegeta, STOP." Goku's voice held a rarely used note of authority. "Stop, and look at what you are doing to your son."

Vegeta stopped, surprised at himself. He looked down at the hissing, spitting chibi in his arms and realized that Sage was picking up on his uncontrolled emotions. He felt he should know what to do about it, but for some reason, he was at a loss.

"Give him to me."

Vegeta found himself complying without really thinking about it. The younger man took the angry baby in his arms, and turned to leave the room.

"Wait, where are you taking him?" Vegeta couldn't suppress the note of panic in his voice.

Goku looked over his shoulder. "I am taking him to play with Trunks and Goten for a little while, and then I am coming back here. Wait for me." And he left the room.

Vegeta stared after him, shocked into almost forgetting why he was so angry to begin with. Goku returned just a few minutes later to find Vegeta standing on his balcony, arms crossed and staring out over the grounds.

"Vegeta…."

No response.

Goku didn't repeat himself. The prince knew he was there. He leaned against the doorway to the balcony; hands casually tucked in his pants pockets, tail twitching lazily and waited. He could be patient.

Vegeta, for all he outwardly appeared not to have noticed Goku, was painfully aware of his presence. That Kami-damned scent was blowing around him and the simple sound of him breathing was about to drive him mad. He sighed, and gave up trying to ignore the younger man.

"What is it you want from me, Kakkarott," he snapped, not turning to face the other Saiyjin.

Goku's calm voice replied, "I want to know why you over-reacted."

"I didn't over-react, you baka," snorted Vegeta disdainfully. He heard Kakkarott move away from the doorframe he had been leaning his bulk against.

"Yes you did Vegeta, and you know it. C'mon, admit it. Did you really tell Bulma when Trunks tasted his first blood?"

Vegeta, angry retort on the tip of his tongue, paused. Of course he had, hadn't he? The blood thirst was an important milestone in a Saiyjin baby's life, one to be celebrated. He had not even been sure, Trunks being only half Saiyjin, if his son would feel the thirst. In fact, he had given up hoping he would. He hadn't been completely honest with Bulma, Trunks' blood-thirst hadn't come on time, it had been late. The boy had been almost nine months old before he broke his father's skin and eagerly lapped the welling blood. Had he told Bulma?

No. He hadn't. Deliberately, he hadn't told her. He managed to convince himself otherwise later, but he had intentionally kept this from her. Not because he had been afraid she would freak out or anything like that. He hadn't told her because it was something that was so very Saiyjin, so precious, that he didn't want to share it with anyone. It had been a delicious secret, the knowledge that he had this wonderful experience with his son that no one else could have delighted him in a way he had never known before. It had awoken memories of his own father sharing his blood with him, and faint memories of his mother, the sweet spiciness of her blood, and the tingling warmth and feeling of protection, contentment and safety it had evoked. His family hadn't been overly demonstrative or caring, leaving most of his young childhood to the care of his nurse, but the blood-rite had been strictly observed. No Saiyjin child could be denied it.

He turned to face Kakkarott. "I didn't tell her," he said quietly.

Goku nodded. "Why not?" he asked. His voice wasn't accusatory or angry, it was simply and honestly curious.

Vegeta hesitated, and then told him, not looking in the younger man's face; his voice though low was passionate. As Goku listened, he himself remembered the feeling he had had when chibi Gohan had first latched onto his hand, breaking the skin with those blood teeth (canines) and wonderingly tasting his father's blood. It had evoked no memories in Goku, all his Saiyjin memories having been erased by the childhood trauma that had changed his personality. But the feelings and emotions that had risen to the surface in the Earth-raised Saiyjin had left him breathless. And he hadn't told his wife either, knowing she wouldn't understand.

"I should have told her," Vegeta finished. "But that doesn't excuse her reaction," he growled, getting angry all over again.

"But Vegeta, be fair," pleaded Goku. "Bulma is ONLY human. She doesn't know the importance of the blood-thirst, she only sees her children biting people and drinking their blood….like some kind of monster. But," and here he held up a hand to stop Vegeta from interrupting him, "you KNOW that had you given her a chance to adjust to the information, she would have."

Vegeta stared at the man. "When did you get so smart Kakkarott," he asked finally.

Goku shrugged, for once not plastering on the idiot grin that the eldest Son was so famous for.

"I've always been this way Vegeta," he replied quietly.

Vegeta looked at him, and Goku, meeting his gaze looked steadily back. Vegeta had the most insane urge to throw the younger Saiyjin on his bed and have his way with him. The briefest flash of what Kakkarott would look like; writhing naked, sweaty and moaning under him passed through his mind and was gone as the object of his fleeting fantasy spoke.

"Are you going to talk to Bulma, Vegeta?"

Vegeta turned away, looking again over the grounds, turning golden in the late afternoon sunlight.

"Yes," he said finally. "But not right now. I'm not…..ready. Tonight."

Goku nodded, and turned to leave the prince to his musings.

"Kakkarott."

"Yes Vegeta?"

"You and your brat are staying here tonight." It was not a question.

Goku grinned. "Yes Vegeta, we'll be staying for a few days."

"Hn. Send Trunks to me, have him bring his brother."

"Sure Vegeta," smiled Goku.

To be continued….