Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Fall of the Mighty ❯ Reminiscence and Awareness ( Chapter 16 )

~Respect My *Author*ity~

Alright Bobbin! Review 450 and friendly neighborhood freak! Yaaay! About time a geek from my part of the woods made themselves known. So glad ya like it. I was wondering if anyone caught that particular floating thought. *big grin* There have been some intriguing thoughts spread around here. Glad that Tong seems to be liked so far. You are right on the money, Nathaly. I realized something after you listed the names that I couldn't quite see before. Thanks. I was trying to follow some semblance of a pattern with names and now I realize that there is a pattern that I didn't even try for. I think I will start using that pattern instead of what I was initially intending. You don't have to understand what I am saying, just trust me, it will change how the story was about to go. Also, I let Gohan's kid's names be different letters because I had this strange notion that Videl was something like Ladle in the original jap version and made them follow a cooking type theme. Was I temporarily insane? Oh well, too late to change now and I like them the way they are anyway. About the father/daughter/child type stuff - It's pretty hard to do because it has to be realistic and believable and original all at the same time without everyone going "oh yeah sure!". I did my best to keep them from being overly hostile and yet not too friendly either because that is the way it is with lots of us (or at least me). Notice that Spice shows different faces when she is around different people, that is purposeful, she is secretive and calculating while outgoing and relaxed at the same time. Kind of hard to keep clear but important nonetheless. Gohan and his kids definitely have some issues with one another incase you haven't noticed. He *is* his mother's son but he also grew up with Piccolo, Goku, and Vegeta so I am working on expanding his character as well. I don't know if I should point it out but has anyone noticed how touchy-feely much of the Son clan is and how the Briefs clan is not? Except for Naga that is, she demands attention at times.

~Or I'll Kick You In The Nuts~

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She finally found her way back to the couch and sat, picking up her P-n-C while she listened intently to her brother on the other line. "Wait. Did you just say… Oh my gosh! Is that even possible? Really?" She let out a stream of giggles. "Oh poor dady."

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*Reminiscence and Awareness*

Blood tickled him as it soaked into one side of his black shorts and dripped from his body into the dark blue expanse below. Readjusting his hold on the huge carcass slung over his shoulder he breathed deeply the fresh scent of his kill. It felt good. He felt good. This is how it should be. There was an excited tension inside that told him that. Protecting and providing for his mate. Wanting to do it.

He surprised even himself.

Bulma never needed him. If anything, he had needed her and her technology. She was overwhelmingly and altogether too human. He probably wouldn't have been able to stand her otherwise.

This was new along with just about everything else. He had *his* mate on *his* island with *his* unborn child under *his* care. He was in control. He was responsible. Mine. He felt a tiny thrill of satisfaction.

Landing on the island he set about lighting a fire and cooking their already butchered dinner while thinking back to what had happened yesterday to cause these new arrangements. Remembering Gohan made him frown speculatively and he rolled his jaw a few times with a stab of hostility. It didn't hurt, in fact he had hardly felt the punch. It was the indignity of it that grated on the prince most. He didn't know what had caused him to back down when the boy had challenged him. He should have flattened the fool then and there. Gohan was in the way, an obstacle which he'd been about to remove but he'd stopped. Had he grown so soft? Or was it just because the nuisance was Kakarott's child? Probably yet another influence the baka had had on him. What did it matter anyway? He had other things to be concerned with that were more pressing than that…what did his grandson call him?…that anal-yuppy-dork? Good enough.

Standing under the tropical plants Goku stretched. He'd been so tired earlier but he had tossed and turned and now he was restless and tense. Vegeta had been nowhere to be seen all day and he was bored. 'I've been way too lazy lately. I need to do something, get some exercise.' He had to keep his ki in check while they were here so he decided to go exploring and for a swim in the ocean. He strode off into the jungle greenery. Pushing and climbing through the wild landscape, he soon began to feel his blood pumping in his veins. It felt good to use his muscles so naturally and it had been a long time since he'd had someplace new to explore.

He found a small lagoon where the water was clear as glass showing the sparkling black rocks below. 'It's beautiful. I wonder if Vegeta has ever taken the time to see it.' This outing lightened his mood considerably and he pushed away all his worries so he could enjoy 'Vegeta's Place'. His prince was right, there was no sense in worrying anyway. He made up his mind to enjoy himself.

It started to grow late and he swam out to perch on a rock and watch the sunset. The sky brightened turning a brilliant golden orange, slowly fading to peach and finally a soft pink while the sky behind him became a rich dark purple already twinkling with a myriad of bright stars. He smiled up at the beautiful sight. Sunsets were rarely this brilliant back on his mountain range, the city was too close. 'Today was a good day.' The tall Saiyan thought. He hadn't felt sick at all that day. This queasiness had really been starting to bother him before but at least now he knew why he hadn't been able to hold his food down even though the cause was still pretty disturbing. He'd also gotten to explore and see all sorts of fish and animals that lived under and around the island and had found a hot spring nearby. Did Vegeta even know half of this stuff was here? Maybe he could bring his prince to see it. The wind shifted and gusted over the island to swirl through the lagoon and past his nose. Goku closed his eyes and breathed deeply. 'Mmmm… What is that? Vegeta's back.' Without another thought he dove into the water and stroked back to shore.

Vegeta was leaned over the flames to turn the meat when damp arms encircled him. "You smell really good, Vegetasama. I could smell you across the island."

Vegeta smirked. "Baka, that's the food you smell." Goku leaned in and sniffed at the animal then bent down and took a deep breath at the prince's blood streaked throat before uttering a sigh. "Nope, it's you."

"It's the blood. Be careful, Kakarotto, the Saiyan in you is showing." The taller man lapped at the red flecked flesh but Vegeta shrugged him off and stepped away. "Eat. There's plenty of blood there if you want it so badly." He pointed to the sizzling carcass.

Goku winced at the thought of food. He was sure that he'd be sick again if he ate anything and he was really getting tired of that. "But I'm not hungry. I just want you."

Vegeta growled at him. "Listen to yourself, baka. You must eat, I don't care if you feel hungry or not. Eat now. You can play later." He wondered if all pregnant Saiyajin got this way or if it was just Kakarott. "At least you're not pestering me for peanut butter and pickles."

Goku made a sour face. "Yuck!" Then he brightened. "I could really go for some double chocolate mint ice cream, though." Suddenly a loud growl erupted from his stomach and he hedged.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, non-plussed at the fact that Goku had just told him that he wasn't hungry, then grimaced and sighed regretfully. "There's some inside." 'Damn it! My favorite!' Goku started to head back into the building to Vegeta's dismay. "Oh HELL no!! Get back here! I killed it! You eat it! And don't you even *think* you're going to eat all MY ice cream!"

Goku watched Vegeta lick his fingers and realized that the other hadn't chastised him for his manners in a while. In fact, the prince had just as much grease and juices running down his skin as Goku did. That gave him an idea and he grinned. "Hey, Vegeta? There's a really nice hot spring toward the west side of the island, we could go soak for a little bit. Sound good?"

The prince glanced at him thoughtfully then nodded. Goku stood and started to head in the direction of the spring but the ouji cleared his throat superiorly. "Where are you going?" The larger man paused. "To the spring."

The prince shook his head. "This way." He walked off in the opposite direction.

"Oooo, cool." Goku leaned down to peer into the small crevice until Vegeta pushed him aside and disappeared into it. "Come on."

Goku sat up again, incredulous. "I can't fit in there."

Vegeta's voice echoed from inside. "Baka. If I can fit so can you."

The Saiyan on the outside frowned hesitantly. "I don't know if you've noticed but I *am* a little bigger than you."

The prince appeared with a glare on his face. "You may be a neanderthal but you are *not* *that* much larger! Get your ass in here!"

Goku eyed the crack skeptically but did as his mate ordered. The hole was not quite as small as it looked and he only had to squeeze at one point. Just freeing himself he took a step only to meet thin air. He fell with a yelp but landed safely in Vegeta's grip after only a few feet. The ouji laughed in the dark. "See? Plenty of room."

Kakarott straitened and reached out to find the wall. "You just love to play tricks on me don't you?" He could hear Vegeta moving away.

"I never tricked you."

"You knew I would fall and you didn't warn me!" He retorted.

"So?"

Kakarott grumbled as his eyes became more accustomed to the gloom. "Hey, where'd you go?" He eased forward through the cave and soon noticed that the rocky irregular walls were beginning to glow slightly in spots. He squinted but couldn't see the prince's figure anywhere. He walked for a while until suddenly his shirt caught on something.

Vegeta hauled him back from the edge of a dark drop. "There, I warned you this time. This way." The walls began to glow brighter as they made their way deeper and they could make out each other's faces now. "Where are we going, Vegeta?"

"That spring you found originates down here before rising to the surface."

"So you've been to the lagoon and seen it all?" Goku was surprised. Vegeta never seemed interested in anything like that before.

"Of course." The prince answered curtly. "I know every inch of this island. I've had it for over sixty years, I've done a little surveying in all that time."

Goku could hear water up ahead now and though the rock was chill to the touch, the air was pleasantly temperate. They came up to a dead end and the prince pressed his hand to it. "The power systems for the complex are buried near here." Then he caught hold of the rock and climbed strait up. The wall was surprisingly warm.

When Goku climbed up he was astounded. At the top of the ledge and just around the corner was a collection of pools lit brightly by huge amounts of the glowing phosphorous he'd seen on some of the walls. All around them the black rock glittered and glinted and bubbles rippled on the surface of the crystalline water. "Wow. How did you find this place?"

The prince gazed around serenely. "It was worth finding."

Kakarott scooted behind Vegeta and grasped his shoulders. "You know… That made absolutely no sense. How did you know if it was worth finding if you didn't know it was here?"

"Hn. Because everything else I found here was worth finding, just like something I once knew, especially this place. This island is the closest thing to a home I have had in…" Vegeta cut off realizing he was speaking too much. "Hn. It reminds me of Vegetasai."

"Really?" Kakarott looked around with new appreciation of his surroundings.

"At times the resemblance is uncanny. At least, to my fading memory." His voice was clear and strong despite the loss his words conveyed. Before Goku could say anything he pulled away and began to strip off his shorts. "Come. This was your idea."

Goku eased into one of the bubbling pools still thinking about what Vegeta said. He never thought he might be missing anything having lost his memories and been raised as a human… He never really thought that there was anything more than vicious violence to his Saiyajin side either but Vegeta was more than that. He was a full Saiyan but there was much more to him than cruelty and hate, though his sadistic streak did hold sway. Goku had been learning of his prince's here-to-fore carefully hidden tendency for playful mischief lately. Where did he get it? Not from Frieza. 'Walking on this island is like walking on his…my home planet? It must have been beautiful.' "I wish I could remember."

Vegeta just studied him flatly from where he relaxed in the water. "No. You don't" He replied knowingly. "You want nothing to do with your heritage. You have no heritage anyway. No more than I do. You couldn't care less."

There was an awkward silence and Goku glanced guiltily into the water. Vegeta was right. He'd really had no interest in anything Saiyan until this very moment. "I don't know enough to say whether I care or not. Will you tell me about it? What it was like?"

The prince mumbled under his breath for a moment, words Goku didn't know. "I see. It's because of this. You want to be able to identify with me as your mate. Human emotional communion." He shook his head ruefully. "You don't really want to know, you just want me to express myself."

Kakarott frowned at the other's pessimism. "No, I really want to know. Tell me about the planet. Tell me about the places this island reminds you of."

Vegeta just stared at him with those hard depthless black eyes of his until Goku was sure that the prince was not going to answer. But then a far off look came into those onyx eyes and he cocked his head to the side in thought. Finally he softened. "I knew everything there was to know about the land around the palace. It was in my early years while I was still forced to study, before I was of age to train. I would sneak away from my tutors to explore…" Goku listened in rapt fascination as Vegeta talked about things he would never have imagined. He spoke slowly and hesitantly stopping short at times until the other pressed him again, growing more assured as Kakarott continued to show interest. The prince never knew his father beyond the posturing of court and could remember near to nothing of his mother. He was not even sure if she had survived his birth or not. His memories could have been of a mere nursemaid rather than the queen. A long time went by while Vegeta did nothing but describe with sober distance the places he used to go and the studies he'd endured or avoided. The Saiyajin no ouji had by no means the same life as most Saiyajin. His intellect was cultivated first before his body and he was encouraged to use his wits. Cunning was rewarded no matter how it was used and any mistake or manifested stupidity was punished severely. It was very different from what Goku had ever assumed.

Goku scooted closer and closer as Vegeta described his early life. The prince was lost in memories he hadn't looked at in decades. Things he'd forced down and out of his mind long ago. What reason did he have to dredge up the past when he had no future to look to? The prince didn't seem to notice when Goku slid up beside him. He studied Vegeta's melancholy features and felt a pang deep down. Thinking about these things hurt the prince whether he admitted it or not, Goku could feel it as if it were a hollow place inside himself.

Vegeta was just describing the sulfur pools beneath the surface of his home planet when an electric shiver teased him back to the present. He realized that not only did Kakarott cross the length of the pool without his knowledge, but now the man had his head rested on his chest and was idly stroking a single light finger along his tail where it rested under the water. He growled at his own inattentiveness. He should have noticed! "I cannot think when you are doing that."

Goku started and tucked his hand away thinking that the growl was directed at him. "Sorry."

Vegeta realized what the other man assumed and thought about correcting him but decided it wasn't worth the effort. Instead he picked up his train of thought again, allowing the tingling in his spine to subside. A few moments later another electric sensation shot through him and this time he did growl at the other man. "I take it I am boring you."

Goku turned to look up from the prince's tail sheepishly. "No, I'm sorry, I just can't help it. It was swishing around."

Vegeta smirked. "Was it?" The appendage snaked around in a few teasing loops under the bubbling surface and Goku snatched onto it causing the prince's entire body to twitch and he hissed. "Gently! Shit."

"Aww, sorry." Kakarott grinned mischievously. He eased up on his grip but continued to stroke one finger along it gently. Turning suddenly pensive, though not stopping his long slow strokes, Goku studied how the fur waved and swirled in the water. "You miss it, huh?"

Vegeta took a deep breath and turned to look at the sparkling walls. It was hard to think about anything else while Kakarott was doing what he was doing. His voice was curt. "It's…hard to miss shadows. That's all they are."

Goku seemed perfectly content to listen and stroke his tail. "They don't sound like shadows. They sound so alive, you remember everything, every detail. I like the way you tell stories. I really do wish I could remember."

The prince shivered and shifted and looked to where Kakarott's finger was curling around the tip of his tail. "Th… That's all they are…stories." It was becoming extremely hard to concentrate. "Kakarotto!"

"Hmmm?" Goku smiled at Vegeta's flushed face.

"Unless you intend to follow through, stop that."

"Oh, I intend to follow through. I was just enjoying listening to you." Vegeta turned around to pin Kakarott to the pool's edge. "Well, I'm done talking."

Vegeta laced fingers into Goku's hair tilting his head back to give himself better access to the other's throat and mouth. Kakarott reached around to grip his prince and pulled him close so that their arousels pressed together. Gamely they thrust against one another and Vegeta caught Goku's lower lip between sharp canines, sucking hard. Their tails entwined and the larger man shuddered beneath the prince. Suddenly Kakarott stiffened under him and pushed his chest back. Surprised, Vegeta let up and his mate pushed him off completely causing the prince to fall backwards into the pool. "What the fuck!?!" A second later he broke the surface, wet spikes drooping, and glared at the other, giving a water logged growl. Goku lifted himself out onto the pool's edge with a sour expression and breathing shallowly. "Kamidamnit." Vegeta made a frustrated sound and slowly stroked back giving the other time to recover his equilibrium. "I knew I shouldn't have eaten." The prince just shook his head crossly and climbed out of the pool as well.

They left again by a different route and after only a few minutes a slightly pale Kakarott found himself on the surface and headed back to the complex. "If there was another entrance so close why didn't we just go that way?" The earth raised man asked.

"That would have been too easy." Was the only reply and Goku hugged the prince with a low laugh as they made their way back to the buildings.

Was that cute? Because cute is *not* what I am going for. I don't do cute on purpose. I think I am losing my touch. Oh well, I guess it is better than disturbingly melancholy because you guys would probably get bored. Yeesh. Has this story been happy? I didn't mean to make it happy. In my mind it is relatively gray and the emotions are far from clear or decided. I guess I am gonna have to use some different descriptive forms or something. Did you enjoy? Am I taking too long? Hopefully I am going to catch up soon and start working ahead again.

I really look forward to all of your reviews especially those huge ones, diane, you really make me think and I come away from each chapter feeling like I am much better than I really am. You guys are great.