Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Catch of the Day ❯ Chapter 5

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

CATCH OF THE DAY: Chapter Five

"Vegeta!" Goten yelled, running over to him and dropping down to the floor beside him. He pulled him into his arms, cradling the unconscious man against him.
"Damn!" Trunks spat. "It's started already."
"What's started?" Goten asked, his eyes wide with fear. Vegeta was extremely pale and even unconscious it was obvious he was in severe pain. Goten lightly stroked his cheek. His skin was ice cold.
"Goten, take him up to his room," Chi-Chi ordered, heading up herself.
"Chi-Chi-" Goku began.
"Not now!" she snapped. "If we don't do something, he's going to die!"
Goten paled, whimpering slightly. He shifted his grip on Vegeta and stood up, following his mother.
It had only been a little over a day, but Saiyan babies apparently developed the equivalent of twelve weeks in the first day so Vegeta was showing a bit, and all three children were already formed. They just needed to get bigger. That was why Vegeta's energy level was so low, the babies were draining it all away and using it. Goten hoped they would be all right.
"Wouldn't it be better to take him to the med lab?" Goten asked, gently setting him down on the bed.
"No," Chi-Chi said, pulling the covers over Vegeta to keep him warm. "There's nothing we can do there that we can't do here, and he'll be more comfortable here."
"What's...what's wrong with him, Mom?" Goten asked, tears starting to run down his cheeks.
Chi-Chi sighed. "Well, apparently male Saiyans have something similar to a uterus. That's being pushed forward and altered to form a sort of pouch thing. His liver, kidneys, and a few other organs are being compressed and shifted up against his ribs."
Goten paled even more and swallowed. "Will...will he be okay?"
"I doubt it," Trunks said harshly from the doorway. "My dad is probably going to die because of you."
Goten stared at him, then collapsed onto the bed, sobbing. Chi-Chi glared at Trunks and was about to try to comfort Goten when Vegeta came to partial consciousness. He screamed and jerked backwards like he was trying to get away from the pain flaring through him.
"Hold him still!" Chi-Chi yelled at Goten. "If he keeps thrashing around like that, he'll hurt himself!"
Vegeta screamed again, his entire body arching up off the bed. Goten pinned him, holding him still. He felt cold, like he was dead. Goten wanted to crawl under the covers with him and hold him, warming him up with his own body heat.
"Trunks, make yourself useful and get that medical equipment you thought we might need," Chi-Chi yelled, going into drill sergeant mode. "Goten, get under the covers with him and hold him. We need to keep him warm and as still as possible."
Goten gaped at her, wondering if she was psychic. "Now!" she yelled.
He swallowed and did as she said, cradling the smaller man against him. Vegeta thrashed weakly in his arms, whimpering. The pain was so bad he couldn't even scream anymore.
Chi-Chi turned with a frown when she heard a low growl coming from the doorway. Goku was standing there, glaring murderously at Goten. "Why are you letting him do that? You should let me. Or even Trunks. Not Goten."
Goten growled back at him, holding Vegeta even closer. The Saiyan prince was his, not his father's. "He's mine," he growled softly.
Chi-Chi glanced from one to the other, her eyes narrowed with anger.
"I don't believe this!" Trunks snarled from behind Goku, startling him. "My father could *die*, and you two are arguing about who he belongs to."
"You belong to me, Goku, so you shouldn't even be in the running!" Chi-Chi yelled. "Now go downstairs!"
Goku and Chi-Chi glared at each other for a few seconds. Goku would normally have backed off, but his Saiyan instincts where in control. The staring contest was broken as Vegeta gave another agonized scream, bucking and twisting in Goten grip.
Trunks cursed and shoved Goku out of his way, going into the room.
"Go back downstairs and wait with Gohan!" Chi-Chi snapped, slamming the bedroom door in Goku's face.
...
Gohan stood in the middle of the living room, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling. Each pain-wracked scream made him feel horribly guilty. //This is partially my fault. I'm only half Saiyan and I'm not even attracted to Vegeta. How could I have done that? How?//
He glanced over at the stairway as his father came stomping down, looking angry. "Ummm.... Dad, what's up with you and Goten?" he asked hesitantly.
Goku glared at him. "Vegeta is mine," he hissed, his eyes glittering dangerously. "Mine, not Goten's. I got to him first."
Gohan blinked. "But, Dad, what about Mom?"
Goku just snarled at him and went to the kitchen.
"Just great," Gohan muttered under his breath. "Vegeta might end up dead because of something me, Goten, and Dad did and now Dad's acting weird."
...
Goten held Vegeta in his arms wishing there was something else he could do. His mother and Trunks had left the room a little bit ago to talk about things they could do. Chi-Chi didn't want him to worry, but he could tell Vegeta wasn't in good shape. There was also a very good chance that at least one, if not all, of the babies would die.
Every muscle in Vegeta's small body seemed to be tightly clenched, and he was obviously in severe pain. His face was so pale it was almost blue. According to his mother, he had gone into a sort of hibernation state.
Goten bit his lip nervously as an idea came to him. He gently grabbed the base of Vegeta's tail and stroked the soft fur. For some reason, the normally brown fur had turned a vivid red. Vegeta's body relaxed a little and he instinctively snuggled up against Goten, seeking warmth.
Goten gazed at him, his head lowering almost against his will as he brushed a kiss across his cheek.
...
It had been five days and Gohan and Goku were in the kitchen, eating yet another microwaved meal. Five days of quiet punctuated with tortured screams. Gohan didn't know about his father, but it was all wearing on his nerves. He wanted to know if Vegeta was going to be okay, but they had both been banned from upstairs. They had had to alternate sleeping on the couch and floor.
Finally Chi-Chi came into the room, looking worn and sad. "He's okay now," she said. "But...only one of the babies survived."
"Which one?" Goku asked, a weird light in his eyes.
"Yours."
Gohan swallowed. He hadn't had a chance to even get used to the idea of having another kid much less attached to it, but the thought of his child dying before it even had a chance to live upset him. //That child was a part of me, now it's gone.//
He glanced over at his father, frowning at his weirdly smug look.
"Goten no longer has a claim to him," Goku muttered quietly. He felt sickened by his own reactions, but couldn't seem to control himself.
...
Goten lay curled up in a ball at the foot of Vegeta's bed, crying. He had been upset about what they had done to Vegeta, but he had liked the thought of having a child with him. He had been excited. Had already loved it and its two siblings. Mainly because they were Vegeta's children.
Trunks had taken Vegeta off to the med lab, leaving Goten alone. He buried his head into the blanket, sobbing his heart out.
...
"What are you doing back?" Videl asked, glaring at her husband angrily.
"No reason for me to stay," Gohan said quietly. "There...were problems. Vegeta lost all but Dad's kid."
"Oh."
"So there's no reason for me to be there anymore," he stared at the floor, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.
"Oh no," Videl whispered. She walked over to him and put her arms around him, holding him. He leaned his head against her shoulder, hot tears soaking into her shirt. He got a hold of himself a few minutes later, pulling away from her slightly.
"How's Goten taking it?" she asked.
"Badly."
"Damn. Does he need to come here for a while?"
"No. For some reason Dad and Goten have been fighting over Vegeta. Dad's gone a little weird. I think all of this has awakened his Saiyan instincts. He keeps saying that Vegeta is his.
"I think he and Goten are going to eventually get into a fight," he said. "Maybe I should go back. Just to make sure they don't kill each other."
"I'll be going with you this time," Videl said softly.
He looked at her in surprise for a moment, then smiled. "I'll help you pack."