Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Catch of the Day ❯ Chapter 13

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

CATCH OF THE DAY: Chapter Thirteen

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but Kage-chan, Ocarina, and Olenji (Japanese for orange, the fruit, not the color).


Goku appeared with Goten in the living room at Capsule Corp. just as Piccolo and Dende burst in though the door. Dende froze to stare at the bloody men, before his arm was roughly grabbed by Piccolo.
"Never mind them, come on!" Piccolo snapped, dragging him towards the med lab. The older Namek froze in dread when he saw his mate sobbing on the floor with his former student comforting him. //It's too late,// he thought.
"You're too late," Trunks said dulling as he looked up, confirming his thought.
"What...what happened?" Dende asked in horrified disbelief as he stared at the still, badly damaged form on the bed.
"I happened," Goku said softly from the doorway. Silent tears streaked down his cheeks.
Dende just stared, then his attention went back to the lifeless body of the Saiyan prince. "How long as he been dead?"
"What's it matter?" Trunks asked, his voice sounding dead.
"Only a few minutes," Gohan answer quietly.
Dende nodded determinably. "There's still a chance then."
...
He seemed to be floating in a white void when a screeching voice broke though to him. //Oh no, I've gone to Hell again,// he thought fuzzily until he recognized the voice.
"Oooh. If you weren't already dead, I'd kill you for that one, Vegeta," Bulma snapped, glaring down at him with her hands on her hips.
"Hello, woman," Vegeta said, getting to his feet.
"I tried to warn you, but would you listen? Noooo, of course not," she huffed.
"You did not try to warn me," he snarled, his arms crossed over his chest and his tail lashing. "All you did was give some cryptic message about lust and love."
"Well, that was because at the time you were thinking Goku was kind of cute," she explained.
"I was not!!" Vegeta yelled, his cheeks turning red from embarrassment.
"That's right, you didn't think he was cute, you were thinking he was hot and were remembering him screwing you silly."
Vegeta spat out several curses in his native language, glaring at her murderously.
"If you had just bonded with Goten, none of this would have happened."
"Why is everyone trying to push me into a relationship with that child?" he growled.
"Goten is eighteen, that makes him an adult, Vegeta," Bulma pointed out. "You could have prevented this if you weren't such a stubborn asshole."
She turned away from, fuming.
"Loud mouthed bitch," Vegeta spat, turning away as well.
They both whirled around at the same time and were suddenly in each other's arms, Vegeta wrapping his tail around her waist.
"You have no idea how much I've missed these verbal spars, woman,"
She laughed softly. "Probably as much as I have,"
"Probably," he agreed before pulling her even closer and kissing her.
...
Vegeta slowly opened his eyes to find himself tucked under the blankets of his own bed, Kage-chan curled up against his side. His entire body ached, but it was nothing compared to the unbearable agony he had been in before.
He struggled weakly into a sitting position, wincing at the dull, throbbing pain somewhere in his abdomen. He looked around in confusion, wondering what was going on. He had died and been talking to Bulma. He knew it hadn't been a dream.
He blinked when he saw Chi-Chi sitting a chair next to the window. She was fast asleep and held a small baby in her arms. His eyes locked on the tiny form, parental instincts flaring up suddenly.
He started to get up so he could take her away from the woman, but a sudden wave of dizziness washed through him. He fell back onto the bed, blinking. Then he turned his head when someone came into the room.
"Good, you're awake," Goten said, going over and sitting on the edge of the bed.
"What...happened," Vegeta mumbled, suddenly feeling cold.
Goten swallowed. "You died. Dende got here just a few minutes later though. He healed you and Gohan brought you back with CPR."
"Oh," Vegeta said, once again trying to sit up. Everything felt hazy and he was so cold. "If Dende healed me, why do I feel like shit right now?"
"The damage was too much for even him to heal," Goten explained quietly, helping him sit up. "He mainly concentrated on your lungs and ribs, and closed up anything that could lead you to bleed to death once we got you back."
Vegeta shivered violently, and Goten wrapped his arms around him, trying to keep him warm. He instinctively went limp in Goten's embrace, then stiffened suddenly.
"What is it?" Goten asked. Then he noticed that Vegeta was staring fixedly at Chi-Chi. //No, he's not looking at Mom,// he realized. //He's looking at the baby.//
He got up and carefully took the sleeping child from his mother, Vegeta's eyes following him as he brought her over. Vegeta's tail started twitching nervously as he snatched her away from him. She snuggled into his arms without waking up, her little tail swaying happily.
"We need to figure out a name for her," Goten said, sitting back on the bed and cautiously putting an arm around Vegeta.
"Olenji. Her name's Olenji Briefs," Vegeta said. Then he shivered again and leaned against Goten, trying to get warm. "Why's it so cold?"
"You're in shock," Goten explained. Then he looked at him curiously. "Why Briefs?"
"You people have too many names. Saiyans don't have last names so I took the woman's. I refuse to give her your father's last name, so she'll be Olenji Briefs."
"Ah. Okay," Goten said, pulling Vegeta closer to him. He gently took Olenji from him and laid him down on the bed, pulling the covers over him as he watched, too cold and woozy to respond.
He stood up and placed the little Saiyan girl in the crib that had been set up next to the bed. Then he crawled under the covers with Vegeta to help keep him warm.
Vegeta sighed softly and snuggled against Goten. //What the hell do you think you're doing?// part of his mind, the section not hazy and clouded with shock and pain, snarled. The rest told that part to shut up. He was cold and achy, and Goten was nice and warm.
Goten slid his arms around Vegeta and gently began to rub his back, getting his hands under his shirt so he could feel his skin. He felt like an ice cube, his body trembling slightly.
//I swear, I'm never going to let him hurt you again,// Goten thought. Vegeta was usually more powerful then him, but with his power level so low he was vulnerable. It was bringing out all of Goten's protective instincts.
Vegeta shifted slightly and winced, moving one arm down across his abdomen. "Why's it hurt so much there?" he asked sleepily.
Goten bit his lip, not sure of what he should say. "One...one of your ribs stabbed through the thing you have that's like a uterus. It caused a lot of damage, and when Gohan cut you open there was a lot more done. Dende couldn't heal it all. He...he says...says that you can't have any more kids."
"Oh," Vegeta said numbly. He felt like he should be happy about this, but he only felt numb. //Like about the other two children,// he thought. //Numb is nice. I don't think I want to feel. You only go numb when something should hurt. Why would not having any more brats hurt?//
He curled up around the ache deep in his abdomen and cuddled even closer to Goten, feeling confused and numb.
...
Piccolo lay in the darkness, Trunks's head resting on his chest. He absently stroked the soft lavender hair, thinking back on how he had ended up with the young half-breed as a mate.
He had had a crush on the boy's father for a long time. That crush had transferred to the son later and had become something else, something stronger. Trunks had become attached to him originally due to hormones, but over the past two months, Piccolo knew he had come to love him in return.
//I've been there for him,// Piccolo thought, gazing at his sleeping mate. //Just as Goten's been there for Vegeta, even if the stubborn bastard won't admit to needing someone.//
His thoughts turned to Vegeta, wondering how the feisty little Saiyan was doing. //He's had so much crap happen to him recently, I'm surprised he hasn't gone as nuts as Goku.
//Damn it, he needs someone to talk to, but his pride won't let him. The only one he *might* have talked to would have been Goku. But now... Now I can't imagine Vegeta ever wanting to go anywhere near him//
He shuddered as he remembered the broken, bloody mess Vegeta had been after Goku had finished with him. //He's tough, he can handle pain, but Goku hurt more than his body. Vegeta was helpless, he couldn't fight back.//
Trunks whimpered softly in his sleep. "Daddy, no," he mumbled. Piccolo wrapped his arms around him, slipping his mind into Trunks's to soothe his troubled dreams.
Trunks whimpered slightly. He couldn't get the memory of his father's death out of his mind. Then someone entered his thoughts, changing the image from Vegeta's corpse to the very much alive man being carried back to his own room by Goten.
//He's all right, Trunks,// Piccolo said in his mind. //And we'll all make sure Goku doesn't slip again and do anything like that. He's completely safe.//
Trunks sighed, still not waking up, and snuggled up against Piccolo, a slight, happy smile on his face.
...
Vegeta awoke with a start as he was roughly yanked from his bed. He blinked and found himself looking right into Goku's leering face. A rush of sheer terror flooded his system before being brutally suppressed.
//I don't care how much more powerful he is than me right now, I'm not letting some third class moron scare me.//
He lifted his head to glare defiantly into Goku's eyes. "What do you want?!" he snarled, pulling his arm out of the other Saiyan's grasp and crossing it with the other over his chest.
Goku just grabbed him by the hair and dragged him over to the crib where Olenji was sleeping. He scooped her up with his free hand and cradled her against his chest. She woke up and wiggled closer to him, cooing softly.
"See, she likes me," Goku said, an almost evil smile crossing his lips. "But she's yours as well as mine, so she'll have to be destroyed."
"What?" Vegeta said, staring at him incredulously.
"You're not allowed to have anything until you acknowledge the fact that you are mine," Goku explained, removing his hand from Vegeta's hair and lightly gripping Olenji's head.
"I'm not yours and never will be!" Vegeta spat, his eyes glittering with fury.
Goku gave a disappointed sigh and, with one quick movement, crushed the baby's head. Vegeta stared in numb shock as his daughter's blood splattered over him.
Goku dropped the lifeless body and wrapped his arms around Vegeta, lapping at a spot of blood that was on his neck. Vegeta shivered and struggled out of his embrace, his eyes wide with absolute terror.
"S-stay away from me, Kakarot," he said, backing away from him. He had just ruthlessly murdered an innocent baby, there was no telling what he'd do next.
Goku lunged at him, trying to pin him. He managed to dodge, the sound of a baby crying not registering in his panic clouded mind. Goku grabbed his arm, his nails digging into his flesh.
"Well, well, looks like she's as stubborn as you," Goku purred, looking over Vegeta's shoulder.
Vegeta looked as well, his face draining from all color at what he saw. Olenji was flopping around on the floor, cries forcing their way from her ruined mouth.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Vegeta jerked awake, panting heavily. Kage-chan had clawed his arm in an attempt to wake him up and Olenji was crying about something. Chi-Chi and Goten had both disappeared.
Before he knew what he was doing, Vegeta was up and had gone to the edge of Olenji's crib, needing to make sure she was all right. He picked up the crying infant and cradled her to his chest, his eyes darting around the room as if expecting Goku to appear and do what he had in the dream.
He spotted a full bottle sitting on the dresser and picked it up, gently sticking it into Olenji's mouth. The Saiyan girl stopped her crying and began to suck, gazing up at him.
//I'm not letting that bastard near you,// he thought. He knew that Goku would never do anything like that, no matter how crazy he got, but he couldn't help feeling terrified at the very thought of Goku coming anywhere near his daughter.
He shivered. //What the hell is wrong with me? I shouldn't be this scared. Wary, yes, scared, no.//
He put Olenji back in the crib once she was finished and just looked down at her. Then he bolted for the connected bathroom as he suddenly felt nauseous. He dropped to his knees by the toilet and threw up until he was painfully dry heaving.
He coughed a few times and wiped his mouth with a piece of toilet paper. Then he sat against the wall, feeling too tired and shaky to move. He wrapped his tail around himself for comfort as tears started trickling down his cheeks.
//What the hell is wrong with me? First I have that bizarre nightmare, start acting like a panicky coward, and now I'm crying like a fucking baby.//
He felt confused and lost, like no one gave a damn about him. //Why should I care? What's going on?//
Kage quietly padded into the room and snuggled up to Vegeta, the distraught Saiyan curling around her. "You're the only one who cares," he whispered, burying his face against her.
The soft crying turned to wracking sobs, Vegeta still having no idea why he was crying at all.
...
Goten finished tucking his mother into bed, gazing down at the exhausted woman. She seemed to blame herself for this whole mess for some reason. He didn't understand why.
He just sighed and slowly headed back to Vegeta's room. He went inside, becoming alarmed at the sounds of crying coming from the bathroom. He rushed in, staring in shock at Vegeta. He was curled up on the floor, holding Kage and sobbing uncontrollably.
"Vegeta," Goten whispered.
"Go away," he mumbled, his crying toning down a little.
"No," Goten slowly sank to his knees beside him, scooping him into his arms and holding him. Vegeta struggled weakly for a few seconds before going boneless against him, pressing his face against Goten's chest.
Goten gently stroked his hair, murmuring softly. He wondered briefly what could have possibly happened for the short time he'd been away. Then he shoved the thought away so he could concentrate fully on comforting the man in his arms.