Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Eye of the Tiger ❯ Part 2: "Hunter" ( Chapter 2 )

Warnings:

Yaoi of course, a little PWP, lemony goodness, general weirdness, slight OOC on the main characters and MAJOR OOC on behalf of Shenlong. *tidal sweatdrop

Pairing:

Vegeta x Goku
This is YAOI! Means male x male-intimacy! Go flame your own behind, if you don't like it!

Rating:

NC-17 (You kids have been warned so don't run off and complain to mommy and daddy)

Translations:
Aishiteru = I love you
Aishiterumo = I love you, too
Baka = idiot
Hai = yes
Kami = god
Nani = what?
Nani wo shimasuka = What are you doing?
Onna = woman (here used with a disregardful side-meaning)
Oozaru = name of the shape-shifter-form of the Saiyajin
Owari = end
Oyasuminasai = Good night!
Shimata = damn! Shit!

~~ <0> ~~

Eye of the Tiger

~~ <0> ~~

Part Two

Hunter

~~ <0> ~~

It's the eye of the tiger
It's the thrill of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge
Of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And his fortune must always be
Eye of the tiger
~~ <0> ~~

Goku laid back and sighed heavily. His muscles started relaxing as the hot water soothed them. He closed his eyes, simply enjoying the pleasurable feeling for a few minutes. It had been a good spar today. They had given everything, each of them, they had fought for hours and hours until the sun started to sink. It had been a ruthless fight, no regards taken and none demanded.

Vegeta had won.I am proud of you, my prince…

He must have been practising a lot lately, because steadily the number of stalemates had increased until today he had literally beaten the shit out of Goku. He had found himself on the ground, nearly unable to move. He knew that he had lost. He had expected Vegeta to finish him off, dealing him the final blow even.. he had seen the joy of the victory in his prince's onyx eyes for just a brief moment… but then his expression had changed, had once again become that cold hard mask the prince wore so often while being amongst others, the mask Goku had been able to see through for long years now, noting the fiery emotions beneath it.

Vegeta had done nothing. He had not even mocked Goku for heaven's sake! The brawny warrior still did not understand why. For all he knew the prince's dream had come true, finally achieving his one goal in life and beating him. But no, none of what Goku had secretly expected had happened. The prince had neither mocked him nor treated him any different. He hadn't even acknowledged his victory aloud. He had simply retrieved, looking down at Goku, an unreadable alien expression on his face. He had gently floated down until his boots had touched the ground. Then he had slowly walked over to where Goku was still lying on the ground, barely able to move. The piercing gaze of his prince had made Goku shiver. He had blushed, but tried to cover it by turning away from the sight.

Are you going to kill me? Or are you just going to leave me behind, now that I have lost my value as a mark you had to surpass…?

He had never seen Vegeta act so strangely and it was somehow scaring him.. and yet making him feeling very uneasy all of a sudden. To lie in front of the prince like this, almost helpless...

Goku had not dared to ponder the thought any longer, afraid of where it might take him.

He had had such thoughts about the older Saiyajin for a long time now, but rarely dared to admit it even to himself. Because when he would, then he might not have been able to keep it from the prince. He was a better actor then everyone thought and though he held honesty high, he was able to mask himself just as good as the prince did, using his famous Son-grin (TM) instead of Vegeta's everlasting scowl.

And yet... he knew, if he was ever to fully admit to himself what he was feeling.. he probably would not been able to hide it from the other warrior. After all they did share an emotional link, which had only become stronger after they had fused into that one incredibly powerful entity, Vegetto / Gogeta. But where the prince had been around telepathic beings from his birth, was trained in controlling his thoughts and therefore almost never let anything slip through their bond that was not supposed to, Goku had no such advantages.

That was why he was very careful not to think about anything concerning his feeling towards Vegeta. He had no idea how the prince would react to a revelation like that, but he doubted strongly that Vegeta would appreciate it. For all he knew the prince was still thinking of him to be his rival, though his hate might have faded over the many years and even have turned into something like respect or a strange substitute for friendship.

And now he was fearing to look at him... what would he do? Would he abandon him now that he finally had achieved his goal? Wasn't that the only reason he had stuck around? How could he possibly live without seeing Vegeta every day…?

Vegeta had stood there for a while and Goku had been able to literally feel his burning eyes on his skin. He had expected the other to say, to do something, but for some very long moments there had been nothing but silence. And when Vegeta spoke his words had been a total shock for Goku.

"Are you hurt?"

"Na.. nani?" Goku could not believe that Vegeta of all people should ask such a question. He had never EVER cared before whether Goku was hurt or not. He felt a shiver running down his spine. What had changed? What was Vegeta up to?

"Can you move?"

"Errr.. I think so. I am going to be okay, I guess…"

"Good."

And with that Vegeta had blasted off to kami-knows-where, throwing one very strange glance back at Goku who had looked up just in time to see it. Goku had been too startled to say anything. Later when he had recovered enough to sit upright he had searched for the older Saiyanjin's ki but had found that he had it suppressed as if wanted to be left undisturbed.

He had dragged himself home to tend his injuries, none of which were really bad surprisingly and then decided that a hot bath was just the thing he needed. Now he soaked in the warm water in the big wooden tub behind his lodge and sincerely enjoyed the pleasant feeling of a superb work out. He had almost been dozing off to sleep when an odd tingling sensation had brought him back to reality. He couldn't identify anything that might have been responsible for him to feel that way. Looking around, he did not find anything suspicious and so leaned back again, still enjoying the warm water.

But he had an uneasy feeling, as if somebody was watching him…

~~ <0> ~~

Vegeta carefully suppressed his ki, lurking in the shadows of the trees surrounding Kakarott's little lodge. He was crouching low on a strong branch supported by one of the highest trees around, a very ancient gingko-tree. His sleek tail was waving lazily behind him as he unconsciously purred, watching the man in the water. His features were only partially visible in the dim light of the fire which was heating the tub. Flames flickered and cast dancing shadows on skin glistening with little beads of wetness. Kakarott's eyes were closed, his head tilted back resting on the brim of the tub, body completely released from all tension. His face was soft, neither sporting that annoying grin that Vegeta had long ago recognized as the mask that it was, nor that pure feral aggression he only showed in battle. Instead his face was.. calm… sort of, relaxed, and…

Beautiful.

Vegeta's breath quickened, as he leaned forward to have a better view.

Soft skin - he longed to touch.

Wild raven hair - he wanted to bury his hands in.

Warm eyes - he wished to drown in.

Yes. Finally. Tonight.

Without making a sound Vegeta slipped from the branch, using the tree to climb down to the ground with flawlessly elegant movements as if he had been growing up on trees instead of the ground. He did not want to fly, not wanting to give away his presence just yet.

Then he approached his victim, moving through the night like a shadow. He was a creature of the dark and he was used to the darkness. It was his friend.

Tonight I will hunt my prey with the aid of the darkness and the silver moon...

~~ <0> ~~

Goku had the weirdest feelings. Somehow he couldn't get back into that relaxed state he had been in. Something was gnawing inside him, as if important things had happened he should be aware of. He was feeling uneasy, as if he wasn't alone anymore. Slowly he opened his eyes.

And gasped.

In front of the tub, barely visible, stood a silent figure. Invisible eyes were watching him out of the shadows.

Then the figure stepped forward only two steps, so that the flaring fire enlightened it, but not fully - it's face was still in the dark. It looked a bit as if the shadows were moving around the figure, disguising parts of it and then revealing them again.

Goku held his breath.

His gaze swept up from bare feet, over black skin-tight leather pants covering the legs. The leather was parted at the sides, where it was held together by black leather strings. It showed off more than it covered, clinging to the finely chiselled body in all the right places and somehow it made Goku sweat very much all of a sudden. A silver belt held the pants in place, adorned with masterly crafted ornaments. An exceptionally large belt buckle in the form of some feline beast of prey captured his gaze for some seconds. Then up it went again, onto a muscular chest, almost bare if it wasn't for a transparent black shirt that clung to the muscles as tight as a second skin. Goku swallowed. At the shoulders it was fading into lots of loosely falling strings who covered a third of the arms. Around and around both arms wound silver bracelets that went from the upper arms down to the elbows. The wrists were adorned by spiky wristlets and a leather collar also having spikes embraced a strong neck. Goku felt really strange by now, as if he was on fire.. but he couldn't be, could he..?

But what caught his gaze most was a dark sinewy tail that lashed from side to side behind the figure, the waving tip seeming to try to hypnotize him. It made him want to pounce on it and grab it and pat it and ruffle the soft fur and…

A deep almost purring voice cut off his overactive imagination.

"Dress."

The voice send shivers down his spine - which felt odd. Of course he had recognized the presence the second he had laid eyes on him. Yet he was thoroughly confused. He knew that something was going to happen... that it had already started, yet he did not have any idea as of what it might be. He was very afraid of his body's reaction to the sight before him. Despite his best attempts to control his body it started to show several signs that it was affected by the view. It betrayed him, his very own body betrayed him, the only thing he had always counted on failed.

Without saying a word he rose, not yet aware of his indecent state as he was used to walk around nude, and not noticing the small shock this sent through the figure still standing at the edge of the enlightened circle, neither belonging to light nor to the shadows.

He climbed out of the tub. He moved slow trying hard to think while there was nothing but disastrous chaos in his mind. He held no fear yet he was as nervous as never before. But he did not want to show this to his observer. So he moved as controlled as possible. On the outside he appeared nothing less than cool and calm and totally in control.Sheesh…So you have been a good teacher after all, Vegeta…

He dried himself, shaking out his hair, then dressed into a pair of loose black pants. At least that's what he wanted to do. But when he pulled up the pants he noticed something. He slowly turned his head. To say he was shocked was the biggest underestimation of the century.What the… I have a tail!?!

His eyes grew wide. The tail lashed around, as if it was happy about being here after such a long time. His eyes followed the swift movement. Then he realized that something was odd about the tail. He had had a tail before, he remembered and though he had no clue whatsoever about why it had re-grown so suddenly, that was not what startled him,. Something was wrong with that tail of his. Something about the colour and the texture. It felt different. He bent around trying to get a better look, when once again he was distracted.

"Kakarott."

He turned in surprise, momentarily having forgotten about the other presence. There was a quality to that voice that he had never heard before. It was like a deep rumbling coming out of that powerful chest. It was making his whole world shift and shiver.

Those onyx eyes took in the vivid movement of his newly acquired appendage. He did not seem to be surprised. His eyes in the shadow locked with Goku's.

"Kakarott. Run."

Goku paled. That voice.. he still did not fully understand what was happening, but it was important.. and he felt something calling out to him strangely... investigating he found the link which had been one-sided most of the time he could remember was now opened deliberately from the other side and he felt strange emotions swapping at him. He was not used to this, he had not much experience in reading other emotions. It felt hot and engulfing and even frightening. He continued to stare.

Vegeta looked back at him. Then he smiled. Then he pointed upwards to the skies.

Goku cast one enquiring look upwards. At this moment the clouds broke and a beam of silvery light shot through. Goku's jaw dropped. Enchanted, he stared. Then he looked down again at the prince who stood in that ray of elfish light, making the silver on his body glow like a ghostly fire. He watched as the prince gave him another of those strange smiles. Then he tilted his head and looked straight up onto the ascending moon.

Goku instinctively knew what was going to happen. Vegeta was about to transform. He had a feeling that he should know what was the purpose of this, that the answer lay just beneath his conscious thinking but anyways.. somehow he felt that, after the transformation was finished, the prince would be after him - no matter what reason. And since the prince knew how to control his mind in the transformed oozaru body, and Goku did not, Vegeta had a clear advantage. Goku did not want to transform. He was very aware of what had happened the last times he had done that, how much damage he had caused and everything inside him clamped at the thought.

The moon started it's enchanting work... the body of the prince changed.. the shapeshifter started to show.. but, something was not right, something was out of the normal if you could say so in a situation like this.

Goku could not help but stare as the shadows seemed to darken, floating together, wrapping themselves around the body of his prince…

Darkness..

Velvet midnight shadows..

A deafening roar..

Goku stared in disbelief . What had happened…?? His eyes were ensnared by the unbelievable creature in front of him.

Steel muscles moved under velvet fur.

Enormous claws ripped open the soil.

Golden eyes sparkled.

First it seemed as if the creature was a little bit uneasy, as if it itself had not expected this to happen but then primitive instincts kicked in, and with a roar the extraordinary tall black panther leapt at his unsuspecting victim.

~~ <0> ~~
Face to face, out in the heat
Hangin' tough, stayin' hungry
They stack the odds
Still we take to the street
For the kill with the skill to survive
~~ <0> ~~

Instinctively Goku dodged and then broke into a run. His bare feet barely touched the ground as he went for the cover of the forest. The panther watched him as if it was giving him a lead to make the hunt more interesting. But he felt it tense and then move just seconds after he had reached the trees.

He wasn't really thinking, he just knew that he had to get away. He chose the nearest escape route. What he blankly forgot was that the panther was a creature of the jungle, used to forests, and was quite capable of finding it's way even through thick under wood.

Though Goku had grown up in the outback, he was too confused and shocked to think of the strategies he had known by blood as a kid out in the wilderness on his own. He just kept running, making his way through the forest, occasionally blasting a tree or some other thing standing in his way, completely forgetting about what a dead giveaway to his path this was.

And yet.. the heat of the hunt got into his blood. He had never felt so alive, probably with the one exception of fighting with Vegeta.

He felt his blood rush, felt every nerve of his body sing with the thrill of being prey to the wildest creature he had ever laid eyes on. Still, he had no idea how all of this had happened. But something in his blood sang to him, telling him of the glory of the moon hunt, of running under the silver light, no restrains, no boundaries, of primal instincts and lashing tails, of long fur ruffled by a midnight breeze, of passion and lust and eyes full of desire.

He snarled and the fighter's instincts kicked in. He knew how to survive. Instead of leaving a straight path behind him, he started to change directions. He stopped incinerating things in his way but dodged them, bending and twisting to glide through the under wood, trying not to leave a hint as to where he had gone. His instincts told him that the panther would hunt by eye, ear and nose, so he not only concentrated on not making a sound while running as fast as possible, but he also stopped and used the leaves and fruits of several plants to mask his own scent. He knew that if he used just one of them the panther would probably adjust and simply follow that smell so he used the plants to lay out false tracks and then used another and another until his scent was indifferent from the lush forest surrounding him.

In his back he could sometimes sense a huge presence gliding swiftly through woven branches. He stopped dead and listened carefully as a mighty roar was heard, sounding slightly frustrated. A very odd smirk was plastered on his face.

He reached a familiar pond in the middle of the forest. A small waterfall shed it's water into the pond. It was surrounded by small cliffs and rocks and smaller bushes. With a fluent movement he dived into the pond using it to wash away any scent the panther might have gotten used to by now. He couldn't feel the ki of the beast as it was to different from what he was used to. It seemed to fluctuate and he could not pinpoint it's position. But from all he knew he was sure that he had given his predator quite a hunt, and that the panther had momentarily lost his track.

He crawled onto a single rock that broke the surface of the pond right beneath the waterfall. The spraying water and loud tumbling would hopefully mask his presence for a while so he could think.

He was careful not to look at the moon, It was bad enough that it's mere presence clouded his thoughts. His blood rushed, urging him to run further, to use every bit of strength, to fight and to.. win?

Wait a second... he realized that he did not really feel like prey anymore. He shivered when his thoughts showed him that magnificent creature that was on his heels at this very second, but it was not fear that gave him goose-bumps. Instead he felt strangely aroused. He wanted to tame that creature, wanted to make him his own, wanted to fight and win, wanted to ruffle through that fur, let his fingers glide along that tail…

He imagined midnight fur turn into silken skin, cream-coloured under the pale light of the moon. He imagined golden eyes turning into onyx ones looking at him with that strange spark he had seen in them earlier. He imagined a growl turning into a voice, a voice so very known to him, softly purring his name…

His eyes snapped open.

That's what it is about, isn't it? It's about hunting and running and fighting and finally winning.. and then..

I wonder.. Vegeta.. do you really feel this way? Or is it just the moon singing in your blood too? It must have something to do with the moon and our tails. Where did they come from all of a sudden anyways? I wonder... is this your doing, my prince..? And what is your intention? Can it really be that you... or is it just the thrill of the kill? Is that how you want to celebrate your victory?

Somehow he knew that there was more than one meaning to the moon hunt. It was to win, to dominate - and also to kill. Blood was woven into the whole thing, blood and fear and he knew that the strong emotions inflicted by the moon could very well turn in each of the directions as they were so very closely connected… desire and blood-craving, passion and the primitive instincts to hunt your prey, lust and the urge to kill,.. and he felt it too. Despite everything others thought of himself, he had always known the beast lurking within. He had always felt it there just beneath the surface, waiting to be let out. He used it in battle and it's ferocity had sometimes scared the living daylights out of him. So he had kept it carefully imprisoned. He had hid the beast alongside with his brains, so it would not frighten those he called friends.

So Vegeta.. what are you up to? Why do you hunt? I guess I have to find out the hard way..

He smiled. It was a predatory smile. He had just realized that Vegeta might very well have planned the whole thing, for what purpose remained unknown. But he was able to use it for his own ambitions. He could turn this hunt around.. make the hunter prey. And HE knew exactly what he wanted..

He had felt the hidden desire for so long. It had made his body ache in need, which he had had to suppress whenever seeing that beautiful creature he called his prince.. He knew the admiration he held, all the strong emotions only Vegeta was able to awake in him.. they had so long been imprisoned in his heart, but now the light of the moon broke all the barriers.

Finally he was able to admit his own feelings, and the silver guardian of the earth was his only witness as he threw back his head and howled, as everything came back to him, as all the hidden feelings surfaced and the pain and the desire mingled and became too much to bear. It was an ancient sound, not heard on this world for a long time. It was the heart of a hunter calling out to his prey and also the heart of a lover calling out to his beloved one.

He took a deep breath and tried to think calm and steady. So maybe this was his chance.. the prince would be as much affected by the moon as he himself was, and if he was able to hunt him down, he simply knew that he would have him.. that Vegeta would give in to the moon at the end and answer his calls. He simply had to.

And with that thought the decision was made and a feral glimmer sparked in his eyes. Fluently he arose from the rock, dove into the lake and then climbed on top of one of the cliffs surrounding the water. There he stood, wet, water dripping off him, eyes closed.

He tilted his head back..

He opened his eyes…

He looked directly at the full silver moon. And then he felt that odd sensation again. His whole body tickled. The world melted before his eyes. He let out a hiss that turned into a deep rumble.

Seconds later a deafening roar broke the silence of the night, and something giant leapt from top of the cliff and vanished into the forest.

~~ <0> ~~

Risin' up straight to the top
Had the guts, got the glory
Went the distance
Now I'm not gonna stop
Just a man and his will to survive
~~ <0> ~~

Vegeta stood in the shadows, looking at the man whose confused eyes kept staring back at him. His gaze swept up and down that marvellous body which he had been able to get a good look on earlier. His blood was still boiling from that.

You won't even know what hit you...

He felt the moon up above him, felt how the silver light affected his body. The time was nearly there.

He smiled at his prey.

Then, when he felt the beam of moonlight upon him, he looked up and at the moon. He felt his body starting to change immediately. His bones flexed, his blood rushed, fur started to spread. But something was wrong, something was strange.. he looked down at himself.Nani? What is happening?

The fur had the wrong colour and he was not growing as much as he had anticipated to. He felt razor-sharp teeth in his mouth and talons at his feet.. he bent forward, getting down on all fours…

For a moment the panther stared in surprise, then it's golden eyes locked upon the figure standing opposite to him.

His mind underwent a transformation too. It became simpler, single minded on one target, the target right there in front of him. Somehow this mammal looked very delicious to him. The giant black panther was not so very sure in what way it looked delicious, but as he sniffed the air that incredibly alluring scent made him purr in delight.

He knew that this was his prey, and that he was going to get it no matter what. He rumbled deep in his throat and crouched low, ready to attack. The prey stared at him, then turned and started to run. The panther would have smiled if he had been able to do so. He gave a lead to the prey, knowing that this would make the hunt so much more sweet before his steel muscles propelled him forward as he took in the scent and started following the track. At first it was easy as he could even follow the path broken by his prey by eye, not having to resolve to scent. Confusion was in the air, but the scent changed over the time. It changed to an air of excitement and confidence, as if his prey had started to enjoy the hunt. The panther smiled inwardly. Good… this would make things so much more interesting…

The flawless black body seemed to move through the forest as if there were no restrictions, no impediments. Branches parted, and not a leave rustled as the creature of the night passed by.

Golden eyes rambled deceptively lazy from one side to the other, sharp senses were fully alert as the panther stalked its prey. It got harder and harder not to loose the track as the prey started masking its scent. The panther found the first two places where it had used leaves of a strong smelling bush and the petals of an orchid to do so, but after the fifth time he got a little confused. By now the scent of the prey was nearly indifferent to the scent of the forest and the panther had been lured to false directions by cleverly laid deceptions. The panther stopped dead in its path, closing his eyes and putting every bit of concentration in his half animal, half saiyan mind into trying to sniff, hear and sense.

That was when a guttural howl echoed through the trees. The panther's ear twitched. Something inside him recognized that sound. It awoke ancient memories. It spoke directly to a part inside the panther's mind and something there that long had laid dormant awoke. The panther no longer desired to devour his prey… his intention had changed as he started got aware of his other half. The purpose of this hunt was now evident to him once more and the giant feline beast broke into a run, following the echoes of the howl still audible throughout the woods.

The panther crossed from thick trees into a small clearing, the moonlight casting highlights on his midnight hide. He quickly strode through the luxurious, thick, knee high grass, being softly ruffled by a nightly breeze.

A roar was all the warning he ever got before something attacked him from the side.

Totally surprised he lost his balance, nearly falling to the ground. The panther shook his head and crouched low, emitting a dangerous growl. His opponent did the same. The panther was confused. This was not what he had been expecting. First he thought that this was just some other animal dumb enough to meddle with the powerful hunter of the night, but something inside him shortened as he recognized a familiar ki. A familiar spark inside brownish, golden specked eyes caught his gaze.

The panther stared, flabbergasted.

He saw an image of himself in the eye of the tiger.

The giant tiger opposite of him started circling the other beast. He was even bigger than the black feline and as the moon cast its light on him he looked as if on fire. His fur was golden and ochre merging into a bright orange, sporting midnight black stripes. His sinewy tail twitched slightly as if he was pondering whether to pounce just yet or not. He moved in absolute silence. The intricate pattern on his fur seemed to merge with his surrounding, giving the strange impression of him being partially invisible.

The tiger half purred, half growled, as his eyes took in the sight in front of him.

The panther tried to understand what was happening, but his clouded mind was not able to grip onto anything beside swift movements, low purrs, shining fur and that intoxicating scent which had not changed though the form might have. His eyes narrowed. All he knew was that this was important, that this was what he had wanted somehow. And that his opponent wanted it too.

The panther gasped as he understood: in the split of a second he had changed from being the hunter to being the prey - maybe.

We'll see about that!

He hissed and flexed his muscles. Then he prepared to jump.

~~ <0> ~~

End Part Two