Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Crimes Of The Heart ❯ Chapter 11

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

~ Kiya Sama ~ [1]masque83@hotmail.com

Totally AU

Warnings: Some angst

Disclaimers: Do not own, so please do not sue

~ denotes thoughts

CHAPTER 11 (VEGETA'S STORY):

Vegeta watched as 17 and Trunks headed out of his office filled with
instructions that had to be carried out. Sighing wearily, he glanced
through lowered lashes at Goku, as he stared out the window. His arm
was still wrapped in bandages and he was as tense as a steel pole.
Walking silently up to him, he hesitated a bit, not sure if Goku would
like the idea or not, but steeling his resolve, he slowly put his arms
around him and leaned his head against the broad back, breathing in
the heady, woodland scent of the man. Goku stiffened a bit, but slowly
relaxed as Vegeta murmured inaudible words behind him. Not turning
around, he asked softly, "Why, Vegeta?"

"Why, what?" Vegeta asked huskily, as he began leaving light kisses
through his shirt, knowing full-well what Goku was asking about.

"You know what. So stop bullshitting me, Vegeta." He answered curtly,
stiffening again when Vegeta did not stop his kisses.

"Fine." Vegeta growled, releasing Goku. "If you must know....then I
guess I will tell you." A small voice at the back of his mind, cursed
him for what he was about to do.

Goku turned around to see the smaller man walk all the way across the
room to the mini-bar. He watched as Vegeta filled a glass with scotch
and drank the dark liquid in a gulp, noticing the slight trembling as
he wiped his hand across his lips. He was stunned at the haggard look
that was etched on Vegeta's face as their eyes clashed.

"So you want to know my story, ne, Goku?" he laughed bitterly, looking
out the window, Vegeta began speaking in a voice that went from
toneless and flat to one of bitterness and anger.

"I was born poor, Goku. A fucking church-rat, to a mother who never
really seemed to care and to a father that was never there."

~*~*Flashback*~*~

Marianne trudged up the stairs to the apartment, feeling way too weak
to even think. She had just come back from her twelve hour, all night
shifts at the linen factory and her hands were calloused and close to
bleeding with the insane amount of work she had had to do. She walked
up to the front of her apartment and collapsed in a heap against the
door. Walking up nearly ten flights of stairs was no fun and it hadn't
helped that she hadn't a decent coat on to protect from the cold.

The door jerked open quickly, as the boy saw his mother passed-out on
the floor.

"Momma!!" he screamed in anguish, grabbing a hold of the weak
shoulders and lifting the frail woman into the cold apartment. Laying
her gently on the lumpy mattress, he rushed to get the tepid water he
had tried to warm up for her. Wiping her face carefully, he looked
into the blank eyes and felt a twinge of fear. Swallowing tightly, he
ran to get some of the leftover potatoes he saved up last night,
warming it on the stove as he thought miserably about the rest of his
day.

~ Happy birthday to me...~

He was ten years old, today and like every other year, it would not be
celebrated. The last real celebration he had had was about three years
ago, when he had received a bike from his mother. She had gotten it on
sale from Mr. Roshii who lived down the street, and it looked pretty
rickety and old, but Vegeta hadn't cared. He had a bike! And that was
all that mattered. He had taken his time; saving up every penny he
made from doing odd jobs here and there, and had polished and made
that bike look close to presentable. He was proud of it and he didn't
mind that the other kids on the street had better ones than he did.
The one thing they couldn't do; however, was to catch up to him. Man!
He flew like the wind on that machine and no one could even attempt to
race with him.

He turned the potatoes over and watched idly as they browned. Another
thing that bothered Vegeta a lot was the fact that he had never seen
his father in person before. He knew his father was famous for
something. He had seen the clips of paper his mother would always cut
and pin up in the small living room. It seemed that his father must
have been a movie star or something because he was always in the news
on TV or in the papers. He knew that people treated him strangely
sometimes. They would always make comments like, "Darn, that kid just
looks like the Don." He figured that it must have been his father's
name. He winced as he remembered the day he had been brave enough to
actually ask his mother about him.

"Mom..." He had begun, watching his mother's stern look as she cut and
clipped even more stories about Bejita. "Is my dad ever coming
back....to get us? I mean...he sounds like he is very popular and
rich....so why doesn't he come back and get us?"

Marianne gripped the scissors even tighter and hissed in anger
underneath her breath. She glared in contempt at the carbon copy of
Bejita in front of her and felt her bitterness rise up to her throat.
~ How dare he?!! How dare that baka no man leave me with this burden?
~ Speaking up in cold tones, she replied sharply,

"That's because your father is a no-good man, Vegeta. He left us here
with nothing and he is never coming back. Do you hear me? He is never
coming back!!!" She suddenly began screaming and rushed around the
apartment throwing things about and banging on anything she could
find, all the while cursing out the man she had married. Vegeta had
crawled into the corner and had begun crying silently. He hated it
whenever his mother became this way. She always ended up getting
herself hurt and he always felt as if it was his fault.

Vegeta switched off the stove and poured the crisp meal into a plate.
Since that day, he had never dared ask about his father again, but
that hadn't stopped him from asking other people, especially old Mr.
Roshii, who was always willing to dish out stories. Walking carefully
to his mother, he placed the food in front of her and tried to feed it
to her. ~ Kami! She is so pale and cold. ~

"You've gotta eat, momma." He said gently, trying to force the food
past the tightly shut lips. After several failed attempts, he sighed
in resignation and stood up, brushing his hands lightly on his school
uniform. "I have got to run to school now, Mom. I hope you feel better
when I get back." Leaning down, he brushed his lips against the cold
cheeks and with one last glance to make sure she was comfortable
enough, he ran out of the apartment. He was already way late for
school. Jumping onto his bike, which still fit him perfectly, he sped
off down the street towards the Catholic school that he was forced to
attend. It was run by the local church, so basically all the kids, who
couldn't afford the other schools, were shuttled down to this one.

Screeching to a halt in front of the low, school buildings, he quickly
parked his bike and shouldering his school backpack, took off at jet
speed down the empty halls. Hopefully, he would be able to make it
before Father Michael would make an appearance. Or not.

"Vegeta!"

Vegeta froze halfway up the stairs as he swallowed tightly. ~ Great!
Of all the people he had to see this morning. ~ He swiveled around and
faced the stern-faced priest, who seemed to have a thing for Vegeta.
Actually, both of them couldn't stand each other. Vegeta gave the
Father a hard time....most of the time, and Father Michael never
hesitated to give Vegeta the punishment he deserved, which usually
involved a good flogging and being kept in the rectory for detention.

"Good morning, Father Michael." He said, smiling brightly. "It is a
glorious day outside, isn't it? So glorious in fact, that I am sure
you wouldn't have the heart to punish me today, now would you?"

"Nice try, Vegeta." The man replied smugly. "The Lord would hardly
have bought such a measly excuse from you. Now get down here and head
to the assembly hall immediately."

~ Kami! Not in front of the entire school!! ~

"Please, Father. Don't do it in front of the whole school! Why can't I
just take it in your office, or even in class?!" Vegeta begged, hating
himself for doing it. He so badly wanted to kick this guy's butt.

"No, Vegeta! You are going to be an example for any other student who
tries to come in late to school. Now, march to the assembly hall now!"

Vegeta raised hateful eyes to the smug face that was before him, and
walked resolutely into the large room. Since everyone in there was in
the midst of bible study, a sudden hush fell as everyone turned around
to stare at the stoic-faced boy and the priest walking down the aisle.
Getting up to the podium, Father Michael whispered his intentions to
the head priest and getting his approval, he turned to address the
school.

"Boys and girls, I have a little announcement to make. As you can see,
we have a tardy student today." He waved his hands over to the
rigid-faced Vegeta. "And now, you will all have a chance to see what
happens to students that fail to comply with the rules of the school
and church. Vegeta, please step up to the podium and receive your
punishment."

Vegeta clenched his fists tightly and stepped up to look dead into the
eyes that laughed at him in silent mockery. For a moment, Father
Michael looked scared; he had never seen such hate from one so little
before. In that one instant, the uncanny resemblance to the infamous
crime lord, Bejita, was nearly frightening. Steeling his resolve, he
gripped the willow whip in his hand and began lashing it against the
smooth curve of the boy's rear as he bent down.

Vegeta gritted his teeth as the lashes fell. He vowed to himself that
he would not cry. He would not give Father Michael the satisfaction of
knowing that it hurt like hell. He would not show the school that he
was weak. He would not let his mother down and snivel like a crybaby.
He would show them all that he could be as tough as his elusive
father. He was the son of Don Bejita, dammit! And no one could break
him!

The only sounds that filled the room came from the whip and the grunts
of the now perspiring Father. After what seemed like eons, the man
stopped, wiping the sweat off his brow. He watched in amazement as
Vegeta stood back up and smiled at him. "Thank you, Father. That was a
lesson well learnt." For a moment, the man could hardly believe that
all of that flogging hadn't made a dent on the boy. It took him
another minute to realize that the entire student body was now on
their feet and cheering loudly as Vegeta made his way to his seat. It
took about twenty minutes for the teachers to calm the excited
students down.

Vegeta grinned smugly, as he let the cheers wash over him. ~ Hn. Just
another day in school. ~

SIX YEARS LATER:

Vegeta combed his hair for the umpteenth time. It was some stupid prom
thingy at the school that night and he was dreading it with a passion.
Looking at the cheap suit he had managed to trade away from that ugly
bastard down the street, he wondered why he even bothered anyway. ~
You know why, you baka...~ He thought, grinning wildly to himself.

He and a bunch of his friends had decided that they were going to lose
their virginity tonight and they were going to visit one of the local
strip clubs downtown.

He was happy with the way he looked, although he hadn't exactly gained
a lot of inches in the height department and he knew that the ladies
couldn't seem to resist him. Smirking in amusement, he remembered the
fight that had broken out last week at the mall between his current
girlfriend and the one he had last broken up with. Kami! It had been
embarrassing and funny to see. Another reason why the girls seemed to
like him would probably be the element of danger that seemed to follow
Vegeta around like a plague. He might have been only sixteen, but he
had the shrewd mind of an intellect and could easily outwit anyone,
any day, anytime and anyplace.

He had gathered a lot of respect in his neighborhood and no one wanted
to mess around with the Don's look-alike or even his son, as most
people began to spread the rumor around. Vegeta didn't really care.
His main concerns were with his mother.

Stepping out of the bathroom, he watched sadly as his mother sat
beside the window, still clipping away at yet another story about
Bejita's escapades. He knew now that his father was a crime lord and a
pretty good one at that. Some part of him was proud of that fact, but
the majority of his feelings were that of hatred and anger. He wished
he could find a way to meet the man and maybe, just maybe, give him a
piece of his mind.

"Momma...."he said softly, going up to the frowning woman and placing
warm hands on her shoulder. "Will you be okay?"

He didn't expect an answer, of course. There were some days his mother
would seem to be on another planet. She barely recognized him or spoke
to him. She acted more and more like a zombie these days and Vegeta
was really beginning to think that she was giving up on life itself.
She still insisted on working at the linen factory and although Vegeta
had gotten himself a job at the local grocery store as a stocker, she
refused to take his money, saying that it was blood money and she
would never touch it, for as long as she lived.

Sighing, Vegeta shrugged into his jacket and walked out of the
apartment. Strolling down the streets, he breathed in the smoky air of
the dingy streets and nearly gave himself a heart attack. Lighting up
his cigarette, he leaned against one of the many street lamps and
waited for his friends. Several prostitutes tried to pick him up, but
he smiled gently and refused the tempting offers. No....he had eyes
for only one person. And that person happened to be his best friend,
Jake. Speaking of which....

"Hey, Vegeta!!" The handsome, blond boy waved through the roof of his
car. "Let's go, bro!"

Vegeta grinned and jumped into the vehicle, and along with two other
of his friends, they sped off into the night.

Tossing the last bottle of beer into the ravine below, Vegeta stuck
his hands into his pockets and let the wind whip across his hair. The
boys had decided to stop for a minute to get some drinks, neither of
them wanting to admit the fact that they were nervous as hell. Vegeta
tensed as he felt Jake walk up to him and place a strong hand on his
shoulder. He had always felt attracted to the other boy, but he hadn't
wanted to lose his friendship or have to be called a fag because of
that.

"What's the matter, Vegeta? If you are still worried about tonight,
don't sweat it. I am sure it will be just a breeze. Everyone says so."

"You mean, you aren't nervous?"

"Nah....I have done it once before...."Jake began whispering now, so
that the others wouldn't hear him. "But...it was with a
....um...a....um....."

Vegeta frowned as Jake tried to get the word out. "With a what?" He
finally asked.

He watched as the blond boy blushed in embarrassment. "Promise you
won't tell anyone about this, okay?"

"Sure." Wondering what the hell Jake was so flustered about.

"Well....I slept with a guy."

Several minutes went by as Vegeta tried to digest this new
information. His heart had leapt to his throat as he had heard the
admission and he felt the burden lift off his shoulders a bit.

"Did you like it?" He asked, needing to know.

"It was okay, I guess. I was too smashed at the time to remember much.
But one thing I do remember, is that I got the best blow job of my
life." Jake replied grinning.

Vegeta felt his face flush and he shifted uncomfortably from one foot
to another. He didn't know what to say.

"Do you want me to give you one, Vegeta?" Jake asked huskily. Vegeta
felt like he would probably drown in those eyes that sparkled so
brightly in the night air.

"Umm....sure...why not?" Vegeta replied flippantly, hiding the
turbulent emotions that raged within. He soon felt himself being
dragged off into one of the abandoned trucks that lay by the roadside.
They were not out of the view of the others and no one would have
noticed the two boys in the run-down vehicle.

"Have you ever kissed a guy before?" Jake asked

"No..." Vegeta answered, mesmerized by the approaching lips of the
person he most needed at the moment. The warm lips touched his gently
and a spark of something he couldn't quite fathom, flared up in the
pit of his stomach. Moaning softly, he opened up his mouth and allowed
the warmth of Jake's tongue to dip in. Both boys ground hips and
bodies together as they deepened the kiss. Their arousals throbbed
painfully and Vegeta gasped as he felt Jake touch his through his
pants.

Before he could think coherently, Jake had released his mouth and was
tugging away at his belt buckle. Helping him, with shaking hands, he
pulled down his pants and allowed his erection the freedom it craved.
He watched in fascination and growing lust, as Jake began to slowly
lick his way from tip to base in wet strokes. Vegeta shut his eyes and
had to stuff his hand into his mouth to stop the scream that was
threatening to spill out. Kami! He had never felt anything this good
before. He usually jerked himself off at nights, but this was
unbelievable.

He bucked and writhed on the leather seats of the truck as Jake worked
on his turgid flesh. Just when he felt he couldn't possibly take it
anymore, the sucking sensations stopped. Raising lust-filled eyes to
his lover, he watched as Jake removed his own pants and stared in awe
at the size of his penis.

Motioning with his hands, he laid Vegeta against the seats. "You are
going to suck me off too, Vegeta."

"Huh? H..How?"

"This way." As Jake flipped himself over the prone body of Vegeta, so
that he was facing Vegeta's member, while Vegeta stared at Jake's in
front of him. "Go ahead, Vegeta. It won't bite."

Vegeta wasn't really sure about this, but he raised his head and took
the warm flesh between his lips, hissing through his teeth as Jake had
gone back to work on his own. Trying to concentrate, he began sucking
the warmth with as much passion as he could muster. He grinned as he
felt Jake shake and whimper on top of him. He figured he must have
been doing it right, then. He bucked as Jake began deep-throating him.
Feeling his orgasm fast approaching he began to suck on Jake in a
frenzy. Tightening his body, he exploded into the torturous lips that
proceeded to lick him dry. He watched as Jake arched off his body,
shutting his eyes and hissing through his teeth as he came into his
mouth. Vegeta tasted the hot juices and tried to lick off as much as
he could.

Sagging limply against each other, Jake turned back around and kissed
Vegeta firmly on the lips. "Kami!" He muttered thickly, looking at
Vegeta through hooded eyes. "You are one sexy bastard, you know that,
don't you?" He teased, watching in amusement as Vegeta's cheeks flared
up in embarrassment.

"Get off me, you baka!" Vegeta scowled, trying to hide his pleasure.
"You don't want us to be late for the gig now, do you?"

Both boys dressed in a hurry, sharing one last kiss before they
stepped out of the truck. Smiling gently at each other, they headed
off to the neon lights of downtown.

Zarbon glared at the nuisance that was being raised by the newcomers.
He did not appreciate people coming into the strip club and disturbing
the women or other customers. Crushing out his cigarette, he walked up
to the burly men and without saying a word, punched them both squarely
in the jaw. Signaling to the other bouncers, they were quietly
escorted or should we say, dragged, out of the building.

It was a pretty good night and the boss was going to show up at any
minute. ~ Where the fuck is Radditz? ~ The moron had been showing his
incompetence more and more each day, and Zarbon for one did not
understand it. Smiling absentmindedly at one of the girls that danced,
he raised his glass of scotch to his lips and eyed the new guests. ~
Hn. These kids, don't they have school tomorrow? ~ He was about to
ignore them, when his eyes fell on the shortest one. He nearly dropped
his glass in surprise as he stared at the telltale-upturned spikes
that only one other person had. Bejita. His boss. The boy didn't look
any more than a teen and his face was etched with the same hard lines
that made up the countenance of his employer.

He watched as the boys made their way up to one of the tables and
began looking at the women. A tap on his shoulder, jerked him away
from his reverie.

"Hey, Zarbon. Boss is here." Nodding in acknowledgement, he got up
from his position and headed out to the back offices.

Stopping one of the bouncers, he whispered softly to him, "I want you
to watch out for table nineteen. I don't want those boys to leave just
yet. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

Walking into the restricted area, he pushed open the doors and stepped
into the Don's presence. It was the same feeling every time. He never
ceased to be amazed at the aura of power the man emitted. Nodding at
the taller man, he wondered if he should tell Bejita about the
look-alike outside. No one really knew about the boss's past life. All
they knew was that he worked for Don Frieza and that was that. Not
that Zarbon cared, but this was too good to pass up.

"Any news for me, Zarbon?" Bejita asked, placing his legs on the desk
and billowing out a cloud of smoke from his cigar.

"Yes, sir." He began running down the list of things that they had set
out to accomplish, which was mainly eliminating all competition in the
alcohol business. They had bought out several more police officers and
things were looking good in the hard drugs export department.

Nodding in satisfaction, Bejita swung his legs off the desk and walked
over to the doors that led to the main dance room.

"I guess since everything is in order, I better just check out the
girls, huh?" he grinned and stepped outside, not noticing Zarbon's
reaction.

Bejita strolled casually out to his strip club. He was proud of this
place. It was the very first club he had opened and it was considered
the high class establishment of the town. He did not tolerate
slouches, both in his guests and his women and you had to have the
money to spend if you wanted a really good time. He smiled as the
women acknowledged him and gave nods to the bartenders and bouncers.
He walked around the customers giving them handshakes or just a word
or two in greeting. It was then that he spied the young boys at Table
Nineteen. Mumbling under his breath about his workers allowing
underage kids into his club, he suddenly froze as he stared at the
sharp, obsidian eyes that seemed frozen in shock as well.

Time stood still as father and son looked at each other in disbelief.

~ Kami! It's....It cannot be....Vegeta....Marianne...~

~ Father?! ~

Vegeta didn't exactly know how to feel at the moment. He was too numb
to think. He wanted to jump into the man's arms and never let go, and
yet he wanted to kill him for leaving them for all this time. He was
trembling so violently that his friends began staring at him in shock.

"Vegeta?" Jake asked, tugging on the frozen boy's shirt. "You alright,
man?"

"My....my....father..." he whispered, not taking his eyes away from
Bejita.

The boys turned and stared, blinking in surprise at the uncanny
resemblance. "Dude! That is awesome. Don Bejita is your father?!" One
of them shouted in excitement, causing most heads to turn and Vegeta
to return back to the real world. He bounced up from his chair and
began heading towards Bejita, when a figure blocked his path. He
glared up to see the blue skinned man with the really long hair,
blocking his path.

"Where do you think you are going to, son?" Zarbon asked, smirking.

"Excuse me, please. But I have to see my father." Vegeta answered
curtly, already about to shove Zarbon out of the way.

"I don't think so, junior. As you can see, Bejita doesn't really want
to see you." He pushed the boy back with more force than necessary.

Vegeta staggered a bit and scowled in irritation and growing
annoyance. "Listen here, buddy! That's my father! And I have a right
to see him!"

"Prove it!" Knowing full-well, what a stupid order that was.

"Kisama!! I fucking look like him! Isn't that proof enough?!" Vegeta
turned around to see Bejita making a quick exit. Panicking at the fact
that he might not see him again, he raised his voice and struggled
violently against Zarbon who now held him. "FATHER!! ITS' ME! VEGETA!!
YOUR SON!! PLEASE, FATHER!!"

Bejita continued on his way out the club, and now desperate, Vegeta
howled in anguish, "GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" And with brute strength, he
pushed Zarbon to the floor and ran after the disappearing man, needing
to see him, to touch him, at least let him say something.

Zarbon gritted his teeth in anger and yelling to the other bouncers,
he said sharply, "Stop that boy!!"

Jake realized what was happening and wanting to help his friend he
tripped several of the men down. By this time, the club was in chaos
as most of the customers and the dancing women tried to make sense of
what was going on. Zarbon noticed the action Jake had taken, not
meaning to fire it, he pulled out his gun, intending on using it to
scare off the boy. Instead, he watched in horror as one of the
bouncers used his own weapon and pointed it squarely at the blond
boy's back.

"NO! AZAKA, STOP!!"

The sound of the gun going off threw every one in there into a mass of
screams. They rushed to the doors in a hurry to run out as the boy lay
in his own pool of blood. Zarbon hissed in a breath and groaned at the
mess. Bejita was not going to be happy. Speaking of which....where the
hell were the father and son?

Bejita walked unseeingly into the night air, the sounds of screaming
coming out from the club a distant cry in his ear. His son. He had
seen his son. After all this time. He was shaking so badly, that he
had to lean his head against the cold walls that led to where his BMW
was parked. He couldn't face the boy. He had seen the disgust, hate
and confusion all mingled in those few seconds and he couldn't blame
the boy for that. And Marianne. He wasn't sure if she was still alive.
He had never asked. Never really cared after joining the blasted
organization and now his baby boy was all grown up and looking for
him.

"FATHER!!"

He froze in fear and then spun around to face his replica. Keeping his
face impassive, he looked at the young man that stood with clenched
fists and a bitter look on his face.

"Hello, Vegeta." He said calmly. "I guess you have finally figured out
where to find me."

Vegeta felt the bile rise up to his throat. He spat out in disgust and
spoke coldly to the man before him.

"I wonder why I keep calling you that. After all, you haven't been
much of a father lately."

"Listen, son...."

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" He flared up in fury. He wanted to kill this
man.

"So..what should I call you then?" Bejita asked mockingly.

"Don't you dare laugh at me, either!!"

Sighing, Bejita reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of
bills.

"Okay. How much do you want? I am going to give you as much as you
want, if you promise not to bug me ever again."

Vegeta could hardly believe his ears. This wasn't happening to him.

"I don't need your fucking money, dad. We don't need you. We have been
fine on our own all this time, so please spare me the fucking sympathy
moment."

"Well..then..."

"You know, I always had this vision of you being somehow different. I
thought you would welcome mom and I, and at least feel somewhat sorry
for what you did. But you don't, do you? You never gave a shit about
us. All that mattered to you was your stupid job! Well, guess what,
dad? When I grow up, I am going to be just like you. And I swear I
will make you pay for every single thing you have done to mom and I.
By the time I am through, you will wish you had never been born or
rather that I had never been born!! So long, father."

And giving one bitter glance at Bejita, he turned on his heels and ran
off into the night.

~*~*~* Flashback end *~*~*

"I never saw my father again in person, after that day. Fact was, he
moved out of there. Never showed his fucked-up face after that. I
guess he figured that since we were still around, he didn't want to
make the mistake of seeing me again. I learnt about Jake's death the
next day and as you could have imagined, I didn't take it too well. I
nearly killed myself, except for the fact that I still had mother to
worry about."

"Is your mother...alive, Vegeta?" Goku asked softly.

A small smile graced the bitter face. "Wouldn't you like to know,
Goku."

Walking up to the taller man, Vegeta smiled into the handsome face and
leaned up to gently brush his lips against the ones before him.
Wrapping his hands around Goku's waist again, he leaned his head
against the broad chest and said huskily,

"So you see why, Goku. I want to make sure he suffers, just the same
way I suffered. And to avenge my best friend's death. I have watched
and studied my father for many years now and I think the time has
finally come. You do understand, don't you?"

"I understand, Vegeta." Goku said softly, brushing his hand lightly
over the spiky locks. "However, I need to find my partner. I have
someone I would like to deal with, as well."

Vegeta snapped his head up and stared into the jet black ones before
him. "Let me help you."

"No, Vegeta. You have your father to deal with. I have to do this on
my own."

Vegeta swallowed tightly, not wanting to let Goku go....go....back to
him. Licking his lips, he whispered in resignation. "If you must go,
then go. But I want you to bring yourself back to me intact, you hear
me? Because if you get yourself killed, I swear I will meet you in the
afterlife and kill you again."

Goku chuckled and slowly withdrew from Vegeta's embrace. "Thanks for
everything, Vegeta. I hope you succeed in your pursuits."

Nodding, Vegeta watched as Goku walked out of his office. He shut his
eyes, refusing to let the pain that shot through his being show
through. He had work to do and no time to waste.

~ Come back to me, Goku, for you have stolen my heart, as well. ~

References

1. mailto:masque83@hotmail.com