Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Edge ❯ Edge ( One-Shot )

    "That was pretty good, Vegeta!" Goku grinned, punching the other man's shoulder playfully.  Vegeta winced away, glaring and shaking his head.  "No, really!"
    "Even if I can't surpass you in strength -- I will outsmart and defeat you, Kakarrot," he responded, narrowing his eyes.
    Goku chuckled.  "All right, if you say so!"
    "Don't take it so lightly," Vegeta crossed his arms and growled.  He paced away, unfolding his arms as he turned back to Goku.  "I'm still the Prince of the Saiyajin, and it is still my destiny to prove it to the world by defeating you."
    "Why do you always have to be so hung up on that?" the younger man laughed, rubbing the back of his head good-naturedly.
    Poison stilled the air like quickly freezing ice.  The ire in the prince's eyes flashed through the silence and crackled between the two almost audibly.  Goku found his muscles taut at the sudden change in atmosphere and Vegeta bent his legs slightly, unnoticeably.  Before apology or even fear could leak into the larger Saiyajin's eyes, Vegeta sprang forward and delivered a sharp blow to Goku's cheek, then turned on his toes and rocketed off into the sky, disappearing from sight.
    Goku's throat constricted and loosened several times as an alternating onslaught of thoughts and lack thereof shot through his mind, too hurriedly to be examined or understood.  His hands quivered at his sides until his whole body began to shake, and he slowly leaned back and rested against the tree behind him, bringing one trembling hand before his eyes to examine it.  He forced it up to his face, gently tapping the mark on his cheek that still stung acutely.  "Vegeta..." he mouthed, trying to swallow away the uncomfortable feeling in his throat.  A chasm in understanding told him that there was some vital message that he had not received; some information that he lacked, that Vegeta's unexpected attack was supposed to convey to him.  A pressing need to discover that which had driven Vegeta to such actions pushed him into the sky.  And, although, his thinking was severely fogged, he recalled his ability to teleport -- and promptly utilized it.


    The younger man found Vegeta in the middle of one of his normal activities, as if he'd been carrying on with it all day, and the incident hadn't taken place at all.  Through the tall, tiny window at the top of the door, Goku could watch Vegeta training in the gravity room.  The prince's punches were wrought with fury, and his mouth opened and shut in a rhythm and form that suggested he was shouting.  Goku could neither hear him nor read his lips, but he assumed that the words both were angry, and, considering the recent turn of events, involved him.  He sighed and slumped down against the wall beside the door, unable to bring himself to barge in upon the man's training.  Not only would it invoke further rage, but he also had a feeling that he himself would feel awkward in doing so.  After all, he'd just chased the man who'd all but smacked him to his house and spied on him through a small window.
    Of course, Vegeta could very well already know Goku was just outside the door; there was nothing preventing him from sensing the younger Saiyajin's ki but his own fury.  He heaved a deep sigh as he slouched a bit more.  Goku reviewed the events thus far in an attempt to better comprehend why things had happened.  He'd said something to Vegeta that caused everything to go deadly cold and quiet -- what was it?  He bit his lip, unable to recall whatever words had issued from his mouth at that point.  Whatever it was, Vegeta had suddenly leapt forward and dealt him an unexpected -- almost underhanded -- blow.  Then he'd run off, leaving Goku in his current state.
    No, without speaking with Vegeta or at least remembering what he'd said, there was no way to fix things.  But he couldn't barge in on the prince now, so Goku leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling hopelessly.  Why did it always seem like he was the one ruining everything between them?


    "I'll never---tolerate---such---insolence---again!" Vegeta screamed into the air, slicing it with his punches, feeling the rushing rage boiling through his veins.  "How---dare---you---insult---me---like---that!"  Fury described the sum of the anger in the area of his fingernail; wrath was hardly even fitting to be labeled the iceberg's tip.
    It had become so much more than the words as his anger had grown.  No longer was it the insulting remark, it was Kakarrot; it was everything Kakarrot had done wrong; it was everything Kakarrot surely intended to do wrong and everything Kakarrot had ever thought about doing wrong.  It was his face, and his power, and the bright red-orange of his gi, and his jutting spikes of hair, and his smile, and his laugh.  "You---will---never---be---worthy---of the---Saiyajin---name!"  Pausing his jabs, Vegeta huffed and panted heavily, retreating to the cylinder in the middle of the room -- but instead of shutting the high gravity off, he doubled it.  His tone changed as he dropped to the ground and started to do push-ups.  "How---dare---you---make---me---act---like---that!" he gasped with each rise and fall of his body.  "How---dare---you---make---me---care!"
  & nbsp; He directed all the furious energy running rampant through his blood to help him with the task of lifting himself from the ground at a regular pace.  The wounds from his earlier battle against his rival stung and itched as sweat dripped into them, and he wanted to peel the skin from his body to stop the aching and irritation.  His pitch dropped to a low rumble as he spoke more quietly.  "How dare you?  How dare you, Kakarrot?  Why should I care enough to restrain my anger and remove myself before I hurt you?  Why do I mind if I unleash my fury upon you and injure you?  It's not as if I haven't done so in battle...and it's not as if you can't defend yourself..."
    Vegeta paused, breathing heavily.  "...But you wouldn't, would you?  You'd stand there and take it, thinking you're the guilty one."


    Tears welled up in Goku's eyes as he continued to wait outside the gravity room door.  His toes curled and uncurled nervously, and he held back the weeping gasps that tried to enter his throat when he took in sharp breaths.  If Vegeta found him in this state, the prince would be even more agitated.  But Goku could not stop himself from crying.  And he had to let Vegeta continue to train, to vent his anger.  After all, whatever the prince was so worked up about, it was obviously his fault.  He'd said something wrong.
    "I'm always the one screwing up," he muttered, and when his mouth opened, some of the salt running down his cheeks dripped onto his tongue.  After all, what had Vegeta ever done to make him mad?  Well, not a lot -- at least, not without reason.  And here he was, ruining Vegeta's days with stupid little offhand comments that, it seemed, could do nothing but offend.  For a moment, he considered not speaking to Vegeta, but Goku knew that that would be impossible.
    When the door directly to his left squeaked open, Goku shot to his feet, eyes widening anxiously as he waited to see Vegeta's expression when he stepped out of the room.
    Rage.
    "Kakarrot!" Vegeta snapped, his eyes bulging in fury.  "What are you doing here?"
    "I wanted to, um...um, apologize, for...for whatever it is I said earlier," he whimpered.
    "'Whatever it is'?" the prince's fists and teeth clenched simultaneously.  "How dare you come sniveling back here to me -- you pathetic excuse for a Saiyajin! -- and not even know how deeply you've insulted me?" he paced around to stand in front of the younger man.  "Just apologize to make things all right, without knowing what they are or how to fix them?  Moron!"  At this word, Vegeta leaned forward, floating into the air and landing a solid punch just to Goku's left.  The sturdy wall behind him cracked, a large crevice digging through it from the floor to the roof.  "Who do you think I am?" he sneered, jerking his head forward so that it was inches from the other Saiyajin's, his breath tickling the wet tears on Goku's cheeks.  "The kind of man who will accept your pleas just like that?" Vegeta breathed onto Goku's skin.  "A fool who bears no pride?  Will I do such damage to my character as to let those demeaning words slide by?"
    Unable to control himself, Goku let a new wave of tears sweep down his face, lids pressing shut as he could no longer look Vegeta in the eye.  When the prince did not move, Goku's tears became ululations, weeping noises flying from his throat.  "I'm sorry, Vegeta!  I'm so sorry!" he cried out through sniffles and gasps.
    "I'll bet you are," Vegeta murmured, backing away and returning to the gravity room.
    Goku buried his head in his hands, no longer working to stifle the cries that issued from his throat.  It was always his fault, opening his mouth and saying the stupidest things, not being able to control himself, edge tactfully around Vegeta's nature.  Shouldn't he know the prince by now?  Shouldn't he know better than to let his words go unchecked?  Than to let his actions run loose and bend to what he felt?  Eyes dripping and body quivering, the torrent of sorrow continued.  What would happen now?  Had he damaged Vegeta's feelings, trust, pride beyond repair?  Where was the limit, and when would he cross it -- or when had he?
    The way Vegeta perceived him meant more than how anyone else did.  They would all accept him no matter what, it seemed.  But Vegeta...this man, he strove to impress.  He needed Vegeta's approval.  Never had anyone risen to the challenge like Vegeta had -- and Goku's admiration of him was endless for this reason.  Sure, other opponents had been relentless...but never so much as Vegeta.  And there was something different about the prince -- namely, the changes he'd gone through.  Vegeta's changes made him stronger; brought him closer to a truth that others the larger Saiyajin had fought could not see.  And yet, Vegeta still retained his personality.  His strength of character was amazing.  As he mused, he wiped the tears from his face, a smile spreading across it momentarily before his heart plummeted once more into the depths of sorrow.  Much as he respected and idolized the prince, he could never seem to win Vegeta's approval.  He always messed something up.  The breaths ragged from sobbing continued to hitch in his throat as he inhaled and exhaled.
    "Why are you still here?" a voice snapped from the door, and Goku's eyes shot up to Vegeta.  He breathed out slowly and let his shoulders roll forward, averting his gaze to the ground.  "Well?" Vegeta's tone was rough with aggravation.  Goku remained silent, his lips pressed together solemnly.  He could see motion in front of him as Vegeta approached.  "I want you to answer me," he growled, angrily nudging Goku's leg with one booted foot.  When the other man made no move to respond, Vegeta paused.  Goku took in an audibly sharp breath as the prince knelt down and roughly took his head in his hands, jerking it up and forcing Goku to look into his eyes.  "Now."
    "I..." words scratched helplessly against the back of his throat.
    "Well, I guess it's not important," a heavy breath escaped Vegeta as his tense, angry posture loosened slightly.  "You're an idiot..."
    "I know," Goku muttered, eyes tearing once more; this time, however, he was unable to look away, as Vegeta continued to hold him by the sides of his head.  So he was stuck, crying and blushing, staring into Vegeta's eyes, lips now parted slightly as he breathed through them.  "I'm sorry I'm so stupid, Vegeta."
    The prince's eyes seemed to shine with disapproval.  "I only meant it as a joke," he admitted, not used to seeing Goku in this state.
    "But you said it earlier, too...  And you flew away from me, after I said something wrong...if you really know I'm an idiot, then why don't you understand when I mess up sometimes?"  His blush intensified as Vegeta did not let go of him.  "I, I just..."
    "I left for your sake," he answered.  "Didn't...didn't want to hurt you as much as my pride told me I should."  Now, Vegeta's cheeks took on a reddish hue to rival Goku's.  As if just realizing where they had been, he glanced at his hands and slowly began to slide them from Goku's face.  The younger Saiyajin reached up and took hold of Vegeta's wrists, holding his hands in place; the prince's fingers gently rested against Goku's jaw.  Vegeta arched his eyebrows questioningly and leaned forward, as if to emphasize the fact that Goku's grip was keeping them close together.  "What?" the softness of his voice suggested that all he could do now was push insubstantial air from his lungs and numbly move his lips.
    "Um," Goku mouthed back, and the only audible sound as he continued was the air rushing between his teeth and tongue, "Vegeta."  With this succinct utterance, he gently directed Vegeta back, until the flustered prince was pressed against the ground.  Their faces flushed even more deeply than before as the two gazed into one another's eyes.
    "What?" Vegeta repeated, and the sudden volume of his voice only served to heighten the tension that hovered throughout the hallway around them.  Goku's heart slammed within his chest in response to the atmosphere, and his muscles felt as if uncomfortably laced with electricity, twitching and full of pent-up energy.  "I said, what's going on?" the older Saiyajin spoke out, the unease in his voice far outmatching the force.
   Goku sunk down and rested his head against Vegeta's shoulder wordlessly.  Pressed against the man, he felt the intensity of his heartbeats increase, and his hands finally released Vegeta's wrists.  However, the other Saiyajin left his hands to lightly cup either side of Goku's jaw.
    "What is it?" Vegeta persisted, even more loudly than before.  His hands were clammy now, and shook slightly as he waited, wide-eyed, for an answer.
    "Why am I never good enough for you?" Goku burst out, and with the crescendo of his voice came a quivering, plaintive anger.  "When I will I be a 'real Saiyajin' in your eyes?"  Like elastic bands, the strings of his heart snapped from their tense positioning and launched the barrage of aggravation they'd been holding back.  "The world will never please you; I will never please you!  Is there anything out there that's good enough for you, Vegeta?"  His breathing shook with his body as tears dripped down from his nose onto the prince's face.  "Will you ever be able to be happy?  Will you ever forget your pride just once, just to see the truth of things?"
    Vegeta could not move, could not take his eyes from the fury resonating within Goku.  "What truth?" he mouthed, and one of Goku's tears fell onto his lips.
    "What truth?  That you think you're more important than everyone, but really you're just more removed!" he exclaimed, though shock and regret shone through his eyes at the words.  Nonetheless, he continued, "That you think you will never be able to get what you want, when you've got people who would put forth every effort for you, Vegeta!  People like me!"  Goku dipped his head down, rubbing the tears from his cheek onto Vegeta's.  "Why are you so ungrateful, Vegeta?  Why do you resent the world so much when you are so, so loved?"
    The prince's mouth remained open as he made an attempt to force breath through his tight throat.  Finally, he was able to gasp in the air, his eyes suddenly overflowing with tears when he did so.  Vegeta found himself unable to reply, instead breathing heavily as he waited for Goku's next move.
    Goku did the same, his hurt gaze penetrating any facade Vegeta was still able to manage.  He waited for the prince to spit out some words, some retort, or even an apology.  "Well, Vegeta?" he finally whispered.  "Do you understand?"
    Impetuously, Vegeta slid one hand between Goku's legs.  He removed it a split-second later as his face and ears went crimson, and he clamped his mouth shut tightly, knowing full well that there was nothing he could start to say in his defense at this point.  Goku's features, too, were colored a bright red.  He gave several very deliberate blinks, his arms shaking as they threatened to give out on supporting him.  The electric unease in the air that occupied the hallway persisted as the two stared into one another's eyes, both completely lost for words.
    "I...sorry," Vegeta finally choked out.  What else was there to say?
    "No need to be," Goku answered quietly, flushing more deeply as he did so.
    Vegeta's mouth twisted into a hardly noticeable half-smirk.  "I meant for hitting you this afternoon," he whispered.
    Goku smiled.  "Oh."