Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Redemption ❯ Echo ( Chapter 7 )

Inhale. Exhale. Breathe in. Breathe out. Everything's nice and dark. Normally it would be terrifying, but for some reason it's… comforting. It's warm and it smells nice.

But then, there's something that brushes against my mind. It feels so much different from the darkness, radically different. I'm suddenly struck with the feeling that something has gone wrong. There's something terribly wrong here…

I slowly open my eyes, bracing myself for the bright light I've grown accustomed to. But there is none. Internally panicking, I sit up quickly, but instantly regret it. My head feels like someone has pounded it into the ground repeatedly and my eyes water.

Allowing myself a few moments to let the pain ebb away, I finally get a good look around. Calming myself, I eventually remember that this is Kakarrotto's house. His living room, to be exact. I'm lying on the couch from before and there's a dim light on. Kakarrotto is… wait a moment… where is he? I can smell him, but he's hiding his ki…

A flicker across my mind makes me look up and I almost shriek out loud.

He's standing behind the couch, yet still looming over me. I accidentally look at his eyes and I'm caught again. They're still filled with the protectiveness, and what I think I can identify as affection, but underlying it is an irritation. I swallow reflexively.

He's not happy with me at all.

"Vegeta," he starts. I quickly wonder if I can run fast enough to lose him. Then I remember that he has that Instant Movement technique.

"…what did you mean?"

I blink blankly at him. What?

"Before, right before you fainted," he answers my unspoken question out loud again. "What did you mean when you said that I had `bonded' to you?"

…What? He doesn't know what bonding even means? Though it doesn't strike me as odd when I think about it. Humans have never spoken about any bondings between them, so I assume there are none. He doesn't even know what he's done, probably. Hm. Baka.

"'Geta?"

I snort derisively at him.

`It means baka, that you have somehow forged a mental connection with me that can't be broken. A bond that normally only occurs between mates,"

I watch as he slowly tries to comprehend that. A flash of annoyance flickers across his mind at the way I talked to him, but he quickly suppresses it in favor of quiet contemplation.

I'm expecting him to be shocked. I'm expecting him to apologize for bonding me against my will, or for even thinking of me like that in the first place. I'm expecting him to break down crying, sobbing that he didn't mean to and that he's so stupid for doing something like that. Or maybe become angry with me for speaking in that tone towards him. Maybe snarl and pin me against the couch and demand that I apologize.

But true to his nature, he does the exact fucking opposite of what I expect him to do.

Smiling broadly, he says "Oh! Well, that's alright. I was thinking it was something really bad, like I hurt you or something!"

How many times do I have to gape up in shock at this man?!

"W-what?!" I stutter. He looks at me strangely again, and I feel my stomach turn. He's looking at me like a child again. Then suddenly, he frowns.

"I thought I made it clear before, Vegeta," he says seriously, reaching out and grabbing my chin so I'm forced to look at him.

"I thought you understood, when I said it before…" he murmurs, leaning in closer. I can't move. I think this is how a scared prey animal feels when it's cornered by the hunter.

"…That I really really like you…"

And before I can react, he's pressing his lips against mine and the hand that was holding my chin moves to the back of my head and its fingers bury themselves in my hair.

I can't breathe and my vision starts to go blurry. I close my eyes in an attempt to stop my vision from spinning. He's… he's kissing me? But… there's no food or water in his mouth. Why would he…?

"I really really like you…"

Oh. Crap.