Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Borrowed Redemption ❯ III ( Chapter 3 )

Borrowed Redemption ::

Chapter 3

 

 

 

Two thoughts passed through Vegeta's head as he felt his life fade from him:

 

I'm transferring my life to Kakarrot - Kakarrot, Kakarrot, of all people.

 

And I don't…hate him.

 

 

***

 

 

Goku massaged his temples as he came to, taking in his blurred surroundings and trying to make out his location. He finally realized that he was in a room at Capsule Corp. - the scent and the blank white walls were a giveaway - and with just a bit more sniffing, found that he must have been in…

 

“Vegeta's room.”

 

With this sudden awareness, a flash of memories pealed through his mind. The sparring match, the virus, the vial shattering between his fingers. He lifted his hands and saw the tiny, almost-healed-over scars that covered them.

 

So, it was real.

 

But that didn't explain…why he was alive.

 

“Vegeta,” an angry female voice called from the other side of the closed door. A few quick raps followed. “Vegeta!”

 

And again Goku felt the overwhelming sensation that he was dreaming. He inspected his hands once more, but could not seem to conjure the realness he'd felt moments ago. “Just a sec,” he mouthed, only air scratching out of his throat. The Saiyajin moved slowly, watching his feet shuffle along the carpet, his hands swing loosely at his sides, his hair swish in front of his eyes. He let his fingers dance over the knob once, wondering whether it was tactile or not, before tightening his grip around it, closing his eyes as he opened the door.

 

“Vegeta! Where the h—h…h…”

 

And Bulma fainted.

 

 

***

 

 

After taking it upon himself to tuck Bulma into Vegeta's bed - and baby Trunks beside her - Goku solemnly exited the Capsule Corp. building, taking in a deep breath and trying to find the right thread to start unraveling this enigma. He waved his hand over his head a few times, and, once he was sure that there was not a halo there, searched for anyone he might be able to ask for help.

 

He didn't need to look.

 

“Goku!” Uncharacteristically lacking in his normal stoic nature, Piccolo stood before the Saiyajin with wide, disbelieving eyes. “I was—I noticed Vegeta's ki disappear, and…”

 

“Vegeta?”

 

“Yes. You—how did you get back?”

 

But Goku could not answer, instead averting his eyes to the pavement. “Vegeta.”

 

“What about him?”

“I…I can't sense him.”

 

“I know. I think I may know what happened - if you really are Goku, that is.”

 

“Who else would I be?” He smoothed his hand over his gi, wondering if he really was dreaming. It was not the same gi he had died in, but he had not had the scars on his hands as a dead man. Strange…maybe he just hadn't noticed them. Or perhaps this body was simply…slightly different than the one he'd had. Then who had changed his clothes? Well.

 

“Goku, unlikely as it may seem, all this isn't important right now.”

 

“Why? What happened?”

 

“Later, Goku. Suffice to say that it is possible to literally give one's life to another. Right now, though, we need you to fight Cell.”

 

“…Cell?”

 

“You mean you didn't hear about…I mean, I know you were dead, but… Look, just, close your eyes for a second. Sense that? That's Cell.”

 

Goku quickly obeyed, gasping after a second. “I see,” he quietly replied.

 

“He challenged us to fight him - in half an hour. That's why I was looking for Vegeta.”

 

The Saiyajin's heart dropped through his stomach at the name. “Yeah. All right. I can beat `im.”

 

“You think so? We can work out a strategy right now—”

 

“No. Vegeta gave me his life to do this, I know it.”

 

“That may be, but—”

 

“Leave me alone!” he barked, and then glanced up, giving Piccolo an apologetic look. “I mean…I'll do it. No worries.”

 

 

***

 

 

“Well, well. Goku is alive. How horrible of you to keep it a secret from me,” Cell chuckled.

 

“Shut up. I'm only here because my…my friend gave me his life.”

 

“Do tell. It was Vegeta, wasn't it?”

 

“Yeah, but why do you care?” Goku lowered his eyebrows. “As I recall, you challenged us to a battle.” He felt his fists shaking, even against his will, and his breath quivering as it left his lungs.

 

“It's not as if you're that much stronger than him. I don't see how it could possibly make a difference. How foolish of him. Nonetheless, your jabbering is much more tolerable than his completely unfounded boasting.”

 

“You're the one jabbering,” Goku restrained himself from slugging Cell right there, so brutally attacking the man who had given him his life, who had… “Now let's fight.”

 

“Not one for talking, eh? So be it. Let's begin.”

 

 

***

 

 

As the battle wore on, Goku knew that all was not well.

 

Something was off - something wasn't letting him fight to his full potential. Perhaps it was the time he hadn't had to readjust to a living body; goodness knew it wasn't because of a lack of training. But he suspected something else. No, more than suspected. He knew it.

 

Vegeta's absence gnawed on his conscience and tore at his heart. During their time together in space, something had developed between them - what exactly it was, Goku couldn't quite define. The kiss had mystified him more than anything else. Was that what would have been the beginning of a relationship? Trunks had said—

 

Trunks. Vegeta's son…Bulma's son. He'd realized it before, but hadn't thought about it until now.

 

So. He'd made another stupid mistake. His throat tightened as he leapt back from Cell, squeezing the tears away from his eyes. Vegeta and he weren't meant to be together, then. He'd thought that because Trunks had alluded to it, it would be inevitable that he and Vegeta end up together - and somehow have a child, too; the boy himself. Why hadn't Trunks corrected him? No, but he'd never actually asked if his guess was correct.

 

I screwed up.

 

But why…why, then, had they seemed so…close? For a while, it was almost as if Vegeta loved him—loved him back. Like they almost had a chance, but… Vegeta wouldn't fake attraction for any reason. He even seemed to avoid the real thing, whenever possible. What had gone wrong?

 

And then…it snapped.

 

Vegeta, I don't care what Trunks' timeline is like, I need you here with me! I need to know what's going on, what you feel, what I should feel, what happened between us! You liar—you faker, misleading me like you did! Breaking me, not telling me you hated that I was pursuing what wasn't there! Bulma, how dare you steal him? Bulma, Bulma—what happened to Yamcha? Now you've taken him away from me, stolen our son, and—

 

And—Vegeta, how dare you die?

 

And—

 

Vegeta—

 

And he exploded in a rage, forgetting his thoughts and unleashing every ounce of fury in him upon Cell.

 

 

***

 

 

“Now we can wish Vegeta back,” Goku smiled upon the dragon hovering over him.

 

“Not so fast,” Bulma cut in. “He's died before, so we'd have to wish to use the Namekian dragon balls for that.”

 

“Yeah,” Krillin nodded. “We should wish back the people we can first - all those innocent people Cell killed, especially.”

 

“Then Vegeta,” Bulma nodded, winking.

 

“What about all the cities and landscapes that were destroyed?” Gohan piped in. “It'd be horrible for all those people to come back and find their homes destroyed.”

 

“Smart thinking, kid,” Bulma agreed, and baby Trunks cooed in agreement.

 

“Vegeta?” Goku repeated helplessly. Mirai Trunks gave him a sympathetic look, and Goku felt the immediate suspicion that he'd figured something out.

 

“There are only two wishes, Goku,” Dende muttered. “I'm sorry.”

 

“N-no problem. I can…I can teleport to Namek myself!” he burst into a bright grin.

 

“Don't forget about Yamcha, too,” Puar floated over the Saiyajin's shoulder.

 

“Right. I'll go do that right now!”

 

“I'll probably be gone by the time you come back,” Mirai Trunks reminded him.

 

“Oh…well, it was great seeing you…er…the little bit that I did.” Upon looking at him, and seeing his father and mother reflected within him, Goku saddened slightly - but nothing could quite destroy the euphoria he felt at knowing he was only moments from bringing Vegeta back.

 

“It was an honor to meet the great Son Goku,” Trunks smiled.

 

“I'm sorry you can't say goodbye to…to your…father…”

 

“It's all right. You can tell him for me.”

 

“Sure thing.”

 

“Now go ahead and go wish him back. I know he missed you.”

 

“Right,” Goku nodded, pulling Trunks into a hug. “G'bye!”

 

 

***

 

 

“C…cabbages?”

 

“Yeah. I think that's what you call them on Earth, right?” the Namekian pointed to a row of crops.

 

“You wished for…for…cabbages…”

 

“Just yesterday. We had a horrible drought, and it killed off a lot of our plants. So we put some of the wishes to use to fix things up. What did you want the dragon balls for?”

 

“To…to wish back…” Goku lowered his head, bangs throwing his eyes into shadow. “Never mind.”

 

“You can come back next year and make your wish!” the Namekian called out—to no one, apparently; Goku had already disappeared.