Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Playing Home ❯ Part 32 ( Chapter 32 )

A/N: I'd like to apologize for making you wait that long. I suppose some of you'll have to come back and reread the previous chapter.

So this is it, folks. The trilogy is finished. We started off with To Hell Together more than two years ago, and this is where the story ends. I really hope you had a great time with it. I really did ^_~ Even if sometimes I sounded like I really hate this fic, still, it's something in which I've put all my heart in and tried my best.

Now, to the ones who like my DBZ writing in general I can say that there's another Vegeta x Goku fic coming. And many others, although now I'm concentrated on Goten x Trunks (well, the same pairing gets boring after writing for that long). So, I suppose we'll see around.

So, thank you for reading, thank you for your nice reviews and support! I'm grateful to you all for staying with me during these two years.

 

 

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. I'm not making any money.

Warnings: Yaoi (male x male). Goku/Vegeta.

 

Playing Home

 

by chayron (lttomb@yahoo.com), beta-read by blumar

 

Part 32

 

The weather was worse than bad. The wind was tearing around and howling in each crack and split, the windows of Capsule Corp building creaking at the pressure. But it was not the weather which made her worried.

 

The feeling was oppressing and it was so thick that she thought she could grasp it with her bare hands. Ahrae crossed the corridor, with a swift swing pushed the door aside and entered the living-room to find herself in an even more anxious atmosphere.

 

Ahrae's eyes crossed the room, taking in slumped Goku and the rest of his family which included almost the whole Z-team. What on Earth had happened? - As far as she knew there was no threat to the Earth…

 

“Did someone mess with that green guy on the tower again?” she crossed the room in wide strides and stood against Goku. She knew the guardians were rather easy to kill. Not that she had killed one. It was just a common knowledge. As it was also a common knowledge that if the guardian was killed, the planet would be in turmoil for awhile. Not that she believed that anyone touched the Namek. But that would explain the bad weather…

 

“Hey, cheer up,” she waved at them to greet them all when they simply stared at her. “I brought back that piece of junk the Prince's ex-wife calls her greatest invention. But hell if I ever do that again! - Took twenty mages to create a big enough portal. And then it took hundred of us to actually MOVE the damn pod,” she gestured with her hand behind her shoulder with her thumb stretched out to the window. “It lies somewhere in the fields a bit farther from here,” she continued her prattle. “I set up some traps and barriers, but you should hurry up and get it before someone decides that I attacked this worthless piece of planet,” she snorted. “You owe me. You owe me as hell!” she pointed her index finger at Goku.

 

Ahrae's smile faltered as Goku raised his head then her smile dropped altogether. “What the hell happened?” she asked dead serious. She had never seen that look on Goku's face. She had never thought the man could ever have fear and despair running that clearly through him. It made her more than nervous. If the strongest man in the universe was like this…

 

Goku shook his head, not quite catching up with Ahrae's shifts of thought that had already changed at least three times. “Dende is… It's not… It's Vegeta,” he groaned. He slumped deeper into the sofa, somehow it even seemed as if he had huddled up all into himself.

 

Ahrae's eyes shifted to Goku's oldest son who reached out to stroke his father's back in slow soothing circles. She had never seen Gohan before, but it was so easy to see the relation.

 

“Prince Vegeta has lost too much blood during the labor,” Gohan's mate said, drawing Ahrae's wide eyes to himself. “There's not much hope that he'd…” Kamala shook his head.

 

Ahrae blinked, blinked hard, the disbelief and irony pricking at the absurdity of the situation. The Prince? The Prince of all Saiyans, who had measured the whole damn universe far and wide, who had destroyed hundreds of planets, who had annihilated countless armies, the damn prick who had killed her sister, the damn bastard for whom she herself died and because of whom she had been cloned…he…he was going to die because of a LABOR…?!

 

“You have gotta be shittin' me…” Ahrae breathed out, rubbing her burning forehead. She looked around for a free place to sit then unfastened her sword, tossed it somewhere to the floor, and dropped into the seat.

 

“The baby?” Ahrae's head snapped back to the men, and she breathed out a sigh of relief when Gohan said the child was fine.

 

“He what? - Is just going to die, and we can't do anything?” Ahrae perfectly realized that her question sounded rather painfully surreal in that dreadful silence, and then she felt angry, the anger wining over the desperation of the situation. “Well, fuck me, if I let him!” she said before disappearing into a green portal.

 

When Ahrae left, everyone turned to Goku, their eyes asking what that crazed girl was going to do. But Goku didn't see them. He was drowned in his own misery, secretly hoping and yet afraid to set such a fragile hope in danger.

 

Not more than five minutes passed, and Ahrae was back. She was not alone. Two women stumbled through the portal when Ahrae pushed them roughly through it. They caught themselves from falling over just in front of Goku who was gaping from the sofa.

 

The atmosphere in the room suddenly felt charged. The woman who stood the closest to Goku suddenly grabbed the hilt of the sword on her back, but even before she could draw it, Ahrae barked something, and the woman's hand fell away from the hilt. The second woman turned to Ahrae, her words spilling quickly in a language no one in the room was able to understand.

 

“Where's the Prince?” Ahrae asked Goku, ignoring whatever words her angry relative was saying.

 

Goku's gaze shifted from the two women who looked almost exactly like Ahrae only were taller than her. He realized that even after all he had been through, he still wasn't used to this “clan-thing”, to how all of them looked the same. “Who are they?” he asked, although he had intended to ask why she had brought them.

 

“The two best skilled mages in the whole universe. If anyone can do anything, it's them,” Ahrae jerked her head towards the two women who had stopped trying to get Ahrae's attention and had settled on staring at her angry. “They are quite pissed, though; I didn't have time to explain anything to them.”

 

Goku was on his feet in an instant. “He's with Bulma in the lab,” he was already going towards the door.

 

Ahrae went after Goku. She turned around as her two relatives stayed behind. She motioned for the healers to follow her. She stopped when they didn't.

 

Ahrae turned around. “You two!” she snapped. “Follow me! And that's a fucking order!” she turned back and went after Goku who had already disappeared in the doorway and was climbing downstairs. Ahrae didn't turn around to look if the mages were following. She knew they did, even if half of the Fire Clan didn't take her seriously because of her age, she still was their princess. But she sure as hell knew she was going to get her ass whipped for this. Her mother wouldn't be pleased after she heard that she had taken two best healers on her own decision without warning anyone beforehand. Ah well, it wasn't that she had time to screw around with the protocol, anyway…

 

XXXXX

 

Gohan climbed down the stairs and stopped to stare at the back of Ahrae's head while she was playing cards with Trunks and Goten. Her sheathed sword was tossed on the nearby sofa. His gaze shifted back to the girl.

 

Ahrae was wearing a combat suit. It seemed to be made from the same material as those Bulma's designed fighting suits Vegeta used to wear the entire time. But Ahrae was wearing a red one with white stripes on her shoulders. On each stripe there were one orange fire illustration and one blue illustration of an eye. Gohan speculated that the fire stood for the symbolism of Fire Clan and the blue eye… Ahrae had blue eyes, pretty discerning blue, one would say… And if, as Goku said, everyone in Fire Clan looked similar, it was simply another sign that she belonged to the clan.

 

“How is Vegeta?” Gohan asked. He had heard that after twenty minutes of treatment everything turned to a better side. The anxious atmosphere retreated a bit and gave way to hope.

 

Ahrae turned to him grinning. “He's just fine,” she gave a victory sign to Gohan. “There's nothing those two can't fix. I heard he woke up and even said several words that sounded something like: “Kakarott, I'll kill you.”

 

“I win!” she spread her cards in front of Trunks and Goten. “What did you say this game is called? Poker? I love it! Heh, you lost your shirt, Trunksie,” she giggled. “And you your pants,” she grinned, pointing at Goten's crotch.

 

“You heard?” Gohan blinked. They were told not to even come close to the lab where Bulma and the mages had their hands full. Did Ahrae…?

 

“Fire Clan can communicate with each other through distances. I heard it can be over ten kilometers and they still can send thoughts to each other,” Kamala said after noticing that his mate was quite confused.

 

“Oh. Interesting,” Gohan started walking away. He didn't even want to think what the girl herself had betted on. He stopped near Kamala who was drawn near the doorway. Some of the Z-fighters were in this room, the rest in the kitchen, eating.

 

“I don't really know, but did she really help rescue you?” Gohan asked Kamala silently. “She rather looks like a dangerous pervert than a…” he trailed off, not being sure what he wanted to say.

 

Kamala chuckled. He patted his mate on the back. “It's okay. Just imagine her as an eight-year-old in a grown up woman's body. The Fire Clan grow up fast but they mature very slowly in comparison to their body. After several years you won't believe that you are talking to the same person. They all are like this when they are young… Playful, powerful and stupid…” Kamala chuckled again. “But she's doing very well taking the stress off the boys.”

 

Gohan sighed and turned back to watch Ahrae mixing the cards. Goten was sitting without his pants and Trunks was bare-chested. Trunks seemed to be determined to win his shirt back. Goten seemed to doubt if he wanted to play again - Ahrae was trying to get him bet on his underwear.

 

“Is Your Highness going to stay for longer? - Considering your promise to train the young Prince…?” Kamala asked Ahrae.

 

Ahrae's head turned to him. “If I were that stupid as you said, I'd consider bashing your skull in… But as I don't give a damn what some moron Saiyans are talking about me, I'll just let it slip. And you yourself look damn stupid hiding behind Goku's son. Have you ever noticed that you are almost twice as big as he is? You just look ridiculous,” Ahrae snorted, turning back to the table. “And yeah, I'll stay. Unless my mom will have something to say about this. She can be pretty bitchy when she wants.”

 

“The Queen…Bitchy?” Raaven yawned, entering the room. “Isn't it called treason what Her Highness just said?” he grinned, standing up at Kamala's side. But he didn't seem very amused, rather concerned after Ahrae's words - Fire Clan had a long memory, he was afraid it was not the end between Ahrae and Kamala yet.

 

“I'm glad you are better,” Ahrae said without turning back. “But if you try threatening me, you won't be anymore.”

 

Raaven closed his mouth and glared at Gohan who had touched his arm, indicating to shut up. It wasn't that he was going to start spewing random insults and get them all into danger. Children were children after all.

 

The strange relationship of them five had finally established itself. The five considered themselves a pack now, with Gohan as a leader at the front. Raaven didn't exactly understand how it happened, but the fact was that he found this coexistence rather nice. Except in situations like this. But there was nothing else he could do except to comply.

 

“C'mon, c'mon,” Gohan held up his hands. “Nobody is angry with anyone, are we? Now, let's calm down a bit. We all are tense, but let's not pour our frustration on others…”

 

Ahrae nodded. “Agreed.” Like she cared to argue with Saiyans who were in hormonal distress… Or the ones who were PMSing… She snickered mentally.

 

Ahrae looked at the cards Trunks and Goten spread in front of her. “Hell… I lost it seems…” she muttered. “So Goten gets my suit and Trunks my bra. That sucks.”

 

“Wait, wait!” Gohan's hand fell on her shoulder when she started undressing. “Are you…” he wanted to ask if she was insane, but then decided not to bother - it was obvious anyway. “Your Highness…” he stepped several steps away from her. “With all respect and other formalities and whatever. I don't know the etiquette…” he scratched his head. “But please, you are a guest here and while you are in this house and overall near people - don't undress. Can we reach this agreement?”

 

“Nope,” Trunks was the first to answer. “I want my bra and I wanna see her take it off.”

 

“See? My brother said he…” Ahrae faltered. “Hey, that's somehow not right… You are as my brother now, aren't you? So what - it makes it incest?”

 

“I just wanna see boobs…” Trunks glared. “Any kind of them.”

 

“Your daddy would be proud of you…” Ahrae reached out to pat him on his head. “I suppose…”

 

XXXXX

 

Goku sent an annihilating look to Ahrae who was wearing one of Bulma's bathrobes. Trunks was trying to put Ahrae's bra on Goten who was screaming and laughing his head off while attempting to kick Trunks off. Why the hell was nobody stopping them?! Actually why they were let to play from their clothes at all?!

 

Goku's questioning and at all not happy look went to Gohan. As the leader of the other pack, he had expected his son to be more responsible.

 

“Uhhh…” Gohan scratched his head. “I'm not sure how I was supposed to stop her. We don't want to start a war with Fire Clan, do we…? Besides now we agreed that she won't start running around naked.” Although, Gohan couldn't get over his surprise - he couldn't remember that his father had ever been against nudity. Actually the man used to almost propagate it.

 

Goku turned to Ahrae. He sighed. “How is he?”

 

“You asked this five minutes ago,” Ahrae sipped her tea. “He's fine. Sleeping now. The mages are coming here.”

 

As soon as Ahrae finished her words, the two mages stepped over the doorway. Ahrae got up from her seat and went to them. After a short talk she sent one of them home and the other was left just in case Vegeta's condition deteriorated again.

 

XXXXX

 

Gohan shivered at the look the mage was giving him from the corner where she sat. He tried to smile, but his smile hiccupped in the midway, not managing to pierce that insistent glare.

 

The room felt icy, and everyone was relieved when Ahrae's black-haired head stuck into the room. With her left foot, she pushed the door open and entered the room, carrying two big mugs of hot tea. She walked over to her subordinate and put one of the mugs in front of her then sat down herself and started sipping.

 

“Would they take any payment? We could at least repay for their hard work… They didn't seem to have enjoyed coming down here…” Gohan muttered.

 

Ahrae shrugged. She turned around, grinning. “Well, if you are that nice to offer your thanks… We could always use the power you possess, all of you,” she added. “Let's say you are indebted to Fire Clan.”

 

“It's rather close to blackmail…” Raaven muttered.

 

“Oh no,” Ahrae waved her hands. “It's called politics. My mom does that all the time. I can tell that it works pretty well.”

 

“And you'd be that coldhearted to indebt us for saving the father of the child you yourself accepted into your clan?” Gohan mused, tapping his fingers on his chin.

 

Ahrae chuckled. “See, politics is politics, even when it's called emotional blackmail. I'm old enough to know that,” she laughed. “So you are in debt. What?” she blinked at her mug as everyone in the room went silent suddenly. The mage who had been sitting next to her stood up abruptly.

 

The Queen had arrived. The portal behind her closed with a soft pop.

 

“Ow!” Ahrae jumped in her seat, rubbing the back of her head.

 

“Who the hell gave you the power to make treaties?! And what the heck is going on?!”

 

“Ehhh…” Ahrae rubbed her head once again, obviously perplexed. “Mom? Ehh… I didn't expect you so early…” she blinked innocently at the Queen who was glaring down at her. “Uhhh… You see. Umm… Well, yeah I know I should have asked and all that stuff with protocols but you know that I couldn't fill in one even if my life depended on it… And besides I didn't have time and stuff… So…”

 

The Queen's eyes flashed dangerously. “Stop messing around or I'm sending you to Akmar with the first flight, and you can explain yourself to your father!”

 

“Eh?!” Ahrae peeped, all pale. She drew up and hit her bare heels, saluting the Queen. “With all respect, sir! Prince Vegeta went into labor and he lost much blood and there were lacerations or something - I'm not inept at all that stuff - and he was dying and I got our two best mages and they helped, and the Prince is feeling fine as is sleeping right now. That's all I know, sir! Awaiting my punishment, sir!”

 

“Oh you'll get it, don't worry!” The Queen's blue eyes flashed in amusement, but to Ahrae it seemed anger.

 

“Yes, sir!” she shivered, wide-eyed and blinking.

 

The Queen lost all interest in her daughter and turned around to observe the silent room. Her three bodyguards had their hands on the hilts of their swords, scanning the room while the mages were prepared to cast any required spell.

 

“Probably no introductions are needed from my side,” the Queen said before walking over to Gohan. “You are probably Kakarott's - otherwise known as Goku - son…?”

 

“Gohan,” Gohan nodded, reaching his hand.

 

The atmosphere in the room suddenly felt charged. The entire Fire Clan concentrated on Gohan. The Queen blinked at the hand he held out.

 

“What I'm supposed to do with it?” she asked Ahrae in their language.

 

“Do the same and shake his hand, sir!” Ahrae gritted her teeth not to comment on anything. “It's the sign of respect and trust. Well…not really. But it's common to do that when meeting.”

 

“Ah,” the Queen did as told. She shook Gohan's hand that by that time had already started sweating. “And this one is the youngest, I suppose?” she looked at Goten who was sitting at Raaven's side on the sofa.

 

Gohan smiled sheepishly. “Goten. Well, if we take the newborn Vegeta in consideration, he is the middle…”

 

“Goku, Gohan and Goten?” the Queen's brow rose. “I don't mean to sound insulting but someone rather lacks fantasy…”

 

Gohan spluttered but as those were his thoughts exactly he decided that it would be stupid to act insulted at such an obvious truth. So he just shrugged.

 

“Oh, Ahrae's mother is here…” Goku blinked after entering the room. “Umm… Hey,” he waved.

 

The Queen's brow rose at him. The Queen put on her best smile and waved back.

 

“I heard that he had hit his head but I didn't think it was THAT bad… I suppose with age it becomes worse and worse…” she muttered to Ahrae in their language. “How old is he?”

 

“Hmm…” Ahrae scratched her head. “I think you miss something out. Like the fact that these ones can speak our language,” she pointed her finger at smiling Kamala and giggling Raaven.

 

“Whoops,” the Queen scrunched her nose. “Anyways,” she turned to Goku, speaking in Terran. “How is the Prince?”

 

“Umm… Fine… He bit me,” Goku smiled happily, showing a huge bite-mark on his arm and tracing his fingers along the wound lovingly. Goku bounced to the nearest seat and plopped down. “Said there was no way he'd ever go through that again. He was hissing something I couldn't understand, like “Hykiriyu tari kara and mara takmuchi ysuii danam,” and something similar, but his eyes sparkled so happily!”

 

“Ghm…” Ahrae pursed her lips. “He said you were a motherfucker and that he was gonna kill you and then gut you and slowly fry you on a spit in a fireplace. Umm… You sure he was happy?” she wondered.

 

“Maybe he has gone rabid again?” Trunks eyed the wound. “What's with all that biting anyway? I don't get it.”

 

“So, I see the Prince is in good spirits,” the Queen sighed. “Fine.” She turned to Ahrae. “I'll just visit him after he fries Kakarott. Less hassle. As soon as you get back, you'll write a very, very thorough report from the point of you taking the pod on self-will to the amount of clothes you lost here,” she pointed at Ahrae's bathrobe. Ahrae just blinked innocently. “And you'll be back after two days. Your father is coming for a visit, so be there or I'll just send him here.”

 

“I'll be there, sir! You can count on me!” Ahrae saluted.

 

“Count my ass…” the Queen muttered under her breath. She snapped her fingers, creating a portal then turned to the rest of Z-team. “It was nice to meet you all. Bye,” she waved her hand at Goku.

 

Goku blinked after the Queen and her bodyguards disappeared. “Has she just teased me?”

 

“Oh, you surprised me…” Ahrae blinked innocently.

 

Goku stuck his tongue out at her.

 

XXXXX

 

“Are you still angry with me?” Goku asked.

 

Vegeta leaned his head back onto the huge pillow. He felt much better but was still weak and wanted nothing more than to rest. “No, but there's no way of this happening again,” he muttered, snuggling comfortably under the covers.

 

“I know how you hate that “I told you so” part, but cesarean would have been…”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“See? - You don't listen to anyone!”

 

“Be happy - if I listened to my brain, I'd have killed you long ago and none of this would have happened.”

 

Goku just shook his head. Long ago he had accepted that it was useless. “Do you want to see Vegeta?” he asked instead.

 

“No. I saw him five minutes ago. He was screaming his lungs off, and now my head hurts. I really hate those damn babies!” Vegeta snorted. “I thought Raaven said Karela rarely cried…”

 

“I suppose it depends on a baby…” Goku mused.

 

“Anyway, is Ahrae still here?”

 

Goku shook his head in denial. “She and Trunks went off somewhere to train with the swords. She said they should be back in the evening.

 

“Yesterday Ahrae asked me to make wooden ones for the training. Trunks wasn't very happy, saying something about wooden swords being uncool, but then Ahrae tried her sword out on Trunks' head, and he decided that it was quite enough for now. I think she had it charged with her ki… I wonder how she didn't burn or explode it… She really knows how to get to children, doesn't she..?”

 

Vegeta rolled his eyes. “She's a child herself. Besides, the whole Fire Clan does that with their swords. Mirai Trunks, too. It can slice almost through anything like that.”

 

“The Queen was here…” Goku drawled.

 

“What?!” Vegeta startled. Although, then he berated himself - of course she had been here. Ahrae took two best healers without consulting anyone, and as the princess was subordinate only to her mother, no one else could have come to clear things up. He could bet Ahrae was going to get her ass whipped for this.

 

“And what did she say?” Vegeta asked after a second.

 

“Well… She scolded Ahrae, then said that she'd visit you later. I think she has her husband or mate visiting her. I'm not sure what to call Ahradmar…”

 

“A mate,” Vegeta nodded. “Because of all that work and politics they rarely see each other unless they need to sign some treaty or discuss import and export…”

 

“I think I'd kidnap you and keep you on my planet,” Goku chuckled.

 

“We would see who would kidnap whom,” Vegeta snickered. “Actually I'd whip your pathetic piece of a planet and then blackmail you into staying at my place…” he grinned.

 

Goku reached his hand out to ruffle through Vegeta's hair. “Yeah, sounds like you…” he smiled fondly, leaning to give a peck to Vegeta's forehead. “Rest now.”

 

XXXXX

 

Several weeks passed, Vegeta was completely fine, Ahrae went home, and everyone and everything calmed down again. Except in Goku and Vegeta's house.

 

“Godfucking dammit!” a shriek echoed in the house.

 

“What, what?!” Goku almost flew into the living-room.

 

“He bit me!” Vegeta howled, pointing at his son accusingly. “The damn thing bit me! For the sixth time today! I swear he does that purposely! Don't you dare make puppy eyes at Kakarott! I know you are only waiting for an opportunity to bite me again!” Vegeta hissed at his son, his tail lashing behind him in anger. The small copy of Vegeta merely looked at the fuming prince.

 

“Vegeta, the baby can't be doing that purposely,” Goku approached the cradle. He reached out to take the baby into his arms. “And if you fed him normally, and not these things,” he pointed at the morsels of boiled meat and the plate with cereal, “it would be much better.”

 

“Over my dead body! I'm not gonna breastfeed the damn thing! Never ever!” Vegeta puffed out. “I'd rather die! Breastfeeding is for women!”

 

“Stop calling our son a “damn thing”!” Goku growled. He cradled the baby in his arms and rocked it gently. “See? What a good baby,” he smiled at his son who bubbled something. Goku wanted to ask Vegeta why then he had acquired breasts after the labor, but pressed his lips tightly shut - one word about that, and he knew that in a second there would only be a huge crater instead of their house left. After the labor Vegeta's Final Flashes became even more vicious…

 

“But it IS a damn thing! Screams, bites, shits and…shits!” Vegeta glared, sucking on his thumb the baby had bitten.

 

“Vegeta!” Goku snorted. “Cut it out!” He rocked his son gently. “I don't understand how you can talk like this about your own son. All babies are like that,” he continued to rock the baby.

 

Vegeta grinned maniacally when the baby's eyes began to cross. “Ha!” he squealed in delight when their son painted still-life from his lunch on Goku's orange gi. “Two birds with one stone!”

 

“Damn,” Goku scrunched his nose. He walked into the kitchen. He turned the tap on, regulated the water and seated the baby in the sink. “Get me a towel,” he asked Vegeta.

 

Sucking on his finger and still sulking, Vegeta went into the bathroom. Bonding with his son wasn't all that easy. The tiny monster preferred Kakarott to him. Although, he also did all those nasty things to Kakarott. The baby was small and stupid but he already knew that if he messed around with Vegeta for too long, he'd stay hungry. Nah, the baby wasn't all that stupid after all.

 

Coming back to the kitchen with a towel, Vegeta wondered if their son was going to be even worse than he was when young. It seemed it was going in that direction… But there was no way a child that small could be that evil, could it…?

 

Rounding the corner, Vegeta caught a glimpse of Goku having finished washing the baby and waiting for the towel as the baby peed all over himself and Goku. Vegeta scratched his head and pursed his lips. Two years, he hoped it was two years the longest they needed to put up with it.

 

XXXXX

 

A month later Bulma organized one of her parties. They were close to picnics but no one ever complained about that - the Saiyans and Demis liked to eat, and overall all men loved to eat.

 

Raaven hunted down a deer a day ago, and Bulma's mother had prepared it for today's party. Shashliks (grilled pork) with several vegetables on the spits were finishing grilling in the corner of the lawn. The rice and pickles were distributed, each of the Z-team members getting a huge plate.

 

Gohan with his newly formed pack sat in one circle and was trying to prevent his mate from eating a three litter jar of pickles. Kamala was opposing to that, with Raaven cheering him on. He continued until Gohan snapped at him and growled. But Gohan's distraction with his ex-mate served Kamala well - he quickly grabbed another pickle and started chewing on it happily. Indifferent, Seventeen sat next to them, a bored look on his face. Karela's eyes were fixed on the small baby. He couldn't get enough looking and of touching the baby. Each time he saw Vegeta, curious, he'd walk over to look at the baby closer.

 

Vegeta, Goku, their youngest son and several other Z-team members sat a bit farther from Gohan's spitting circle, the atmosphere in theirs quite elated.

 

“Kakar, Kakar!” Karela staggered to the sitting Saiyan pair.

 

Interested, Vegeta watched what Karela was going to do. Karela approached them, his concentration only on the baby. Karela observed the tiny infant, wondering at blinking eyes, watching the baby's tail twitch at his side.

 

“Kakar!” Karela poked the baby on his chest.

 

“Vegeta,” Goku introduced his son to Karela while showing the baby's chest.

 

“Vege!” Karela stabbed his finger into Vegeta's forehead, making the prince's head jerk back. “Kakar!” he pointed his finger back at the baby on Vegeta's lap. “Kakar!” he repeated angered at the obvious lies.

 

“Don't try outsmarting him,” Raaven chuckled, walking over and picking Karela up. He stroked Karela's hair. “Scents are still confusing him. Despite they are two different persons, it seems Karela still thinks that the baby is just a small copy of Kakarott…”

 

Raaven wanted to take Karela away, but Vegeta just shrugged and motioned to leave the child. The future mates needed to bond. Kakarott opinion was that it was all too soon to even think about it, but he was a practical man, and his mate sometimes acted like an idiot, so he tended not to mind Kakarott.

 

Epilogue

 

[Some years later]

 

Four-year-old Tamahi reached out for the jar with cookies once again. He snorted in frustration when his fingers, instead of grabbing the jar accidentally pushed it farther from him. He shifted on his small feet and tiptoed even more on the short wobbly chair.

 

“Are you that stupid?”

 

Tamahi lurched and almost fell off the chair in that unexpectedness. After turning around he saw Vegeta with Karela. The slightly older boys were gazing at him in disbelief. In two seconds the jar was in Vegeta's hands. Tamahi glared at the two. They completely misunderstood him - he had been training to grow faster. He had somewhere heard that it worked. Actually he hated sweets.

 

Karela waited for Vegeta to levitate back to the floor then snatched the jar from his hands. Karela unscrewed the cap.

 

“Wait, wait!” Tamahi panicked. He knew all too well how it was going to end - the jar would be emptied in ten seconds. He was going to get scolded by his fathers. He grabbed the cookie from Vegeta's hand. Vegeta snarled and smacked Tamahi on his head, taking the cookie back.

 

The next second Vegeta yelped as Karela punched him in the side. “Stop harassing my brother! I swear you are like a mad dog I need a leash on,” Karela took the fallen cookie from the floor while Vegeta was wheezing and trying to get his breathing back. “Not bad,” Karela said after pushing the cookie into his mouth.

 

“Hey!” both Vegeta and Tamahi shouted.

 

“Oh, babies…Come here, you bunch of babies!” a loud voice called from downstairs.

 

Three pairs of wide eyes met each other panicky. Ahrae! In a second the jar was screwed back and put back on the top shelve of the cupboard, the trio scrambling away and bursting through the open window and speeding away as fast as they could.

 

“I can't believe the nerve!” Karela snorted, breathless. “Technically she's not that older than us and still calls us babies! The bitch!”

 

“What does “technically” mean?” Tamahi asked.

 

“It means that technically Gohan, one of your fathers, is a genius, but you, practically, are an idiot,” Karela said. He yelped loudly as Vegeta launched a ki-blast at his behind.

 

“I hate it when you speak like that to your brother,” Vegeta declared. “I'm the Prince of all Saiyans, and it's only me who can…”

 

Karela raised his finger against the blow of wind. ““A” prince, “a”,” he stressed. “Because we have a heap of princes here. First,” he crooked his finger, “your father, Vegeta. Second,” he crooked another finger, “your brother, Trunks. Third,” another finger followed, “you, but that's temporary - as soon as your brother is born there will be more princes. I think it's kinda boring when each second Saiyan is a prince…”

 

“Stop acting smart!” Vegeta yelled.

 

“Yep, all bullies hate brainy guys,” Karela said as a matter of fact.

 

“Who is a bully here?!” Vegeta hissed.

 

With a bored expression on his face, Tamahi stopped in his way as the two of them tore at each others' clothes. Actually, he considered himself the smartest of them all, but wasn't too eager to prove that. He was a silent kid, and knew it was pointless with those two. He was the youngest of all Saiyans and Demis and he supposed that it had to be like this. The two older kids had never really hurt him, they were loud-mouthed and talked much nonsense, but always acted protectively over him and when the need arose took care of him.

 

Tamahi was aware of the existing packs of his father's and his grandfather's but he was also aware that the three of them were forming their own pack. He was positive that Karela and Vegeta were going to mate one day. As much as they squabbled, they couldn't spend a day without each other.

 

Tamahi was quite angry that there were no more Saiyans or Demis he himself could consider mating with. Trunks was excluded - too old, and besides, Goten would kill him. Tamahi put forth much hope towards his father's ex-mate and the android. Seventeen didn't want any kids, but it was clear that eventually Raaven would get what he wanted.

 

The trio startled as a heavily pregnant Goku appeared opposite them. He grabbed his son by his collar and peeled him off Karela whose teeth were imbedded in Vegeta's arm.

 

“Food's done.”

 

“Whoohoo!” Karela was the first to climb on Goku's head. “IT, IT, IT us!” he jumped up and down on Goku's neck.

 

“You have your own house!” Vegeta snarled up at him from under his father's arm.

 

“But your food is better!” Karela stuck his tongue at him.

 

“Thanks,” Goku grinned happily.

 

“Creep,” Vegeta muttered.

 

“Tamahi, come with us?” Goku turned to his grandson.

 

“Sure,” Tamahi shrugged. It was not that he had anything better to do anyway. He attached himself to Goku's arm, and they all ITed to the kitchen where Vegeta met the Christmas Goku tree with a roll of his eyes.

 

THE END

 

 

2006-10-19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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