Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Strange New World (That Has Such Creatures In It) ❯ Starry Night ( Chapter 3 )

Part 3

In the Jakek desert, Raditz stood in the center of a whirlwind of his own ki. Dust and small stones swirled around him as the wind strengthened, a dull roar in his ears, as he struggled to drag his ki higher and higher. His muscles cramped. Bruises mottled his body. His training with Vegeta had left him little energy and a lot of pain.

Outside the whirlwind, Vegeta stood with his arms crossed, watching. Raditz was close, so close the prince could feel the Saiyan's ki reaching its peak, but no further. Raditz felt it too, slamming his energy against the wall of his own limits. He threw his head back and growled, his ki straining against his body as if it could explode.

"Is that all you can do?" Vegeta said. "Pathetic."

"B...brother..." Raditz's voice came out guttural, his energy even blocking his throat.

"Kakarrot ascended," Vegeta said. He smiled, but his eyes stayed cold. "But he didn't have to ascend to kill you."

The growling came louder.

"Yes, get angry." He walked closer, stopping short of the whirlwind. Small stones began to lift from the ground. "Feel your rage. Let it consume you."

Larger stones floated into the air, the sheer energy breaking then apart over their heads. Raditz's growling turned into a howl that drowned the ki storm. The tips of his hair flickered gold. Vegeta felt the ki spike before he saw the change. The black brightened to gold, then faded, brightened again, faded. He stared as Raditz screamed, remembering that he'd never seen another Saiyan ascend for the first time, and he thought his adopted brother looked like he was being born again.

The ground exploded, driving Vegeta back several feet. The windstorm died down, leaving a steady throb of energy in a smoking crater. Vegeta stood at the edge and looked down.

In the middle of the crater, Raditz fell to his knees, his hair blazing gold, his eyes aquamarine. He gasped for breath, his chest heaving, eyes wide. After a moment he looked at his hands, the gold aura sparkling around him. Vegeta landed in front of him, looking him over.

"Can you breathe?" he asked.

Raditz nodded once. "Just...God, that hurt."

"It gets easier with time." He smirked. "At least I'll have something of a training partner now. How do you feel?"

He watched as Raditz stood up and tried a few punches in the air. Raditz grinned and charged a ki blast in his hand, but when he looked around for a suitable target, he remembered that the land was flat and sandy.

"Forgot this was a desert," he said. "I guess I could go blast a cave nearby."

"No need," Vegeta said. He snapped to the first level and dropped into a fighting stance. "I'm here."

He'd changed before, demonstrating what it was and how it felt, and Raditz had been awed, but now his brother hesitated. Raditz looked at him for a moment, first at his blue eyes, then down at his stomach, only slightly more distended now.

"I can't. Not with you so close--"

"Oh not that again!" Vegeta cursed as Raditz let the ki blast dissipate. "Dammit, I haven't had a good fight since I got back here, and now you've finally ascended--"

"But you're carrying a child. You could give birth any day now."

"Raditz..." Vegeta waved one hand at his glowing aura. "I'll be fine. You won't even be able to get one punch through."

"I won't take that chance. Please, little brother. Not now."

For a moment, Raditz was sure Vegeta would punch him across the desert, kick him into the sky, or at the very least knock him on his ass. Instead the prince's hair and eyes turned dark again, and he looked away.

"I won't be able to fight after the child is born," Vegeta said softly.

Neither spoke. Warm winds blew across the desert, stirring up sand as if it were water. It whistled through the empty air, lightly touching their skin and passing away again. Raditz put his hands on Vegeta's shoulders and drew him close.

"It won't be as bad as before," he said. He rubbed his prince's back until he felt the answering purr. "I'll be here with you the whole time. No one will hurt you or your child, I promise. Besides, a small dip in power shouldn't even dent your energy."

Vegeta smiled but didn't answer.

"And you'll have a nursery to stay in," Raditz said. "Have you seen it yet?"

"No. I've been busy."

A lie, Raditz knew, but he didn't press. "Well, you'll see it soon enough. You'll be comfortable while you heal. Trust me."

Nodding once, Vegeta leaned against his taller body. "I do. But it's better that you've ascended." He tilted his head back and looked over him again. "You look good in gold."

"Really?" He looked over the desert towards the mountains of the dragon's backbone, light purple in the distance. "We could go to the lake again so I can see myself. And maybe the hot springs. For your stomach."

"Stop worrying. The pain's not so bad anymore."

Eyes widening, Raditz looked down at him. "But 'Geta, that means--"

"It's all right. It's not time yet."

Raditz started to say something else, but the beep of his scouter cut him off. He growled and turned it on. "Yes, go ahead," he said.

A tinny voice crackled over the air. "Sir, the enemy vessel is coming in fast. It'll be here within the hour."

"Damn. Fine, we're coming back now." He moved to click the scouter off.

"Sir...Raditz, are you all right?" the voice asked. "You...you're glowing...your eyes..."

Raditz grinned. "Yes, I've ascended."

"...my God..."

Now he clicked the scouter off and put it away. "I guess we'd better head back."

"Yes. I need to see if that ship is good for deep space travel." He winced as a jab of pain hit his side, and he pressed his hand to it. "Damn brat...stop kicking..."

"I don't think that's him anymore," Raditz said. "You're only a few days away, if that. They could be preliminary cramps."

"Possibly." He squawked as his bodyguard bent and picked him up. "I can still fly, dammit!"

"Doesn't mean you should." With his prince firmly in hand, Raditz flew into the air and headed for the palace. After a minute, he felt Vegeta relax and put his arms around his neck. Flying faster than he ever had before, Raditz streaked over the desert and left plumes of sand in his wake. One sun had already set, and the second one slowly made its way across the sky, leaving the horizon gold and purple.

Within a mile of the palace, he noticed a crowd of Saiyans gathered outside the city and he flew closer. The king stood in front of them, Bardock by his side, and all of them stared as Raditz came down and landed in front of them, setting Vegeta on his feet. A low murmuring swept through the crowd as some backed away.

"Raditz?" Bardock said, stepping closer. He touched the gold mane around his son's shoulders. "They said you were glowing, but I never thought..."

"Does it hurt?" the king asked.

"It did when I first ascended," Raditz said. "Now it feels wonderful."

Bardock walked a slow circle around him, looking him up and down. He stopped in front of him and shook his head. "You look like a giant firefly."

"I do not!" Raditz jaw dropped and he clenched his fists.

"You do. You're glowing like a firefly."

"It's the hair," Vegeta said. "It's all right, Raditz, you can't help it."

"But I don't--"

"Sir, it's coming through the atmosphere."

Leaving Raditz with a stunned look on his face, they all stared at the sky. A red streak blazed across the darkening horizon, coming closer and closer until the heat faded and they could all see the gray, round shape of the ship. It passed overhead, and as it did Vegeta found that he could make out writing on the side. It slowed as it came down and finally landed several miles away, rolling to a stop.

"Father," Vegeta whispered. "It's best if we don't take the entire city with us."

"Agreed." The king raised one hand before any Saiyans could take off. "All of you stay here. We'll be back shortly."

A few of them groaned and let the ki blasts they'd formed in their hands dissipate. Bardock stepped closer to his king, one hand up as if to grab his arm. "My lord, should the prince--" He cut himself off when he saw both of them glare.

"Raditz," Vegeta said, ignoring Bardock. "Come."

Leaving the rest behind, the three Saiyans flew a few feet off the ground. Raditz lost himself in his flight, the feel of the air through his hair, the blur of landscape around him. He felt an arm on his shoulder and found Vegeta tugging him back. The king caught up then, not looking at either of them as he flew slightly ahead.

"Are you trying to irritate him?" Vegeta asked his adopted brother. "First swearing at him, now leaving him in the dust..."

"I couldn't help it. It's like...like...like I can sense everything around me. I got carried away. I didn't mean to outrun him."

"I can still hear, you know," the king said.

Raditz paled slightly, but Vegeta smirked and reminded himself that he'd better get his father ascended before Raditz fatally pissed him off.

"Power down," he said. "Before you get your tail cracked."

With a grunt, Raditz went from gold to black.

They landed several feet away from the landed ship, heat still rising from the plates. Raditz and the king wore scouters and scanned the ship for power levels, but found that the hull shielding prevented any reading. Vegeta, though, was more interested in the writing on the side of the ship. Worn and faded, most likely from asteroid debris and close flights around stars, he could still make out the words Raider Six in bright purple. He stepped forward and held one hand out.

"Don't fire," he said.

"'Geta?" his father said. "Do you know who it is?"

"I think so."

They all waited, watching the ship. After a few seconds the main hatch opened, smoke wafting out from the hydraulics as it lowered, and then Trunks walked down the ramp. He stared at the three Saiyans, his eyes wide and his jaw slowly dropping.

"Father?" he asked. The one in the middle looked like his father, but he was taller and his hair fell over his eyes. The ki felt the same, though brighter, but still he held back.

"Trunks." Vegeta tried to move but his legs felt as if they'd turn to stone.

He spotted Goten coming down the ramp and stopping next to Trunks, touching his arm. Though slightly taller, Goten kept half-behind his mate. Behind them, Piccolo came down with one arm around Gohan's waist, guiding him next to Trunks. And behind them, Goku.

Before either Raditz or the king could speak, Vegeta motioned his son over. Trunks walked closer, Goten still holding his arm. At such close range, the king started to notice similarities between Vegeta and the purple-haired boy, not only physically but in the straight backed, cocky way he held himself.

"Father," Vegeta said. "This is my son, Vegeta Trunks. Brat...meet your grandfather, King of Vegetasei."

Not sure what else to do, Trunks gave a small bow. His hair fell in his eyes and he brushed it aside, swatting a few stray ends.

"Amazing," the king said. "His hair..."

"Half-human," Vegeta said. "He's ascended as well."

At first Trunks had to hide his wince when he heard his father say half-human, as if it was some handicap. Everyone else had black hair, well, except Piccolo, but he knew he'd stand out, alien on an alien world. Then he heard the pride in his father's voice when he mentioned he was a super Saiyan, and he sighed in relief. Still...he slipped his hand into Goten's. This kind of reception was the last thing he had expected, and his mind whirled as he realized all those energy spikes must've been other Saiyans, and that his father would probably not be going back to earth.

"His mate, Goten," Vegeta said, continuing the introductions. "Bardock's grandson, and your nephew, Raditz."

Goten and Raditz stared at each other. Goten thought back to the story about the evil Saiyan uncle who'd kidnapped his brother and caused his father's first death. But this uncle didn't look evil. With that big-eyed look and insane amount of hair, he looked like a big puppy. Goten smiled. He liked puppies.

Vegeta held back a smirk as Piccolo steadied Gohan, still wobbly on his feet. "Your other nephew, Gohan. The walking plant is Piccolo, a Namek, and his mate."

Both Piccolo and Gohan jaws dropped at that, but Gohan froze when he focused on Raditz, looking the same as he had years ago. His heart sped up and he growled, narrowing his eyes. All those old, frightened child-memories rushed back on him.

Before he could turn gold and rush his uncle, though, Raditz flipped his tail. The motion caught Gohan's attention, and he watched it twitch down so it pointed at the ground, and then it slowly waved side to side. Gohan felt better, mollified, though he couldn't tell why. He stopped growling but kept an eye on the tall Saiyan.

Vegeta swallowed. And now it came to Goku. He forced himself not to step back, thinking Raditz might try to protect him which could lead a nasty fight, or that his father would think less f him. Everyone stared as Goku came forward and stopped an arm's length from his prince.

"Kakarrot," Vegeta said, his voice strained. "My mate."

They all heard his voice hitch, but only Raditz knew why. Goku didn't notice it, noticing rather that he still couldn't feel Vegeta, not even here, this close. He felt a faint buzz, like the background noise of his mate's feelings, but not the strong presence he was used to. He stared into Vegeta's eyes and searched for that feeling, reaching with himself out to his mate.

There, he felt it, Vegeta's soul. It felt different now, stronger, a little calmer, but it was still him. The taste of it only made Goku want more. The longing he'd felt for his mate surged higher than it had been in the ship, and without moving, he reached out. As he pushed, Vegeta's soul seemed to be a wall, ephemeral and cool, but he pressed the familiar routes he'd tread back on earth, rushing to re-awaken their sleeping link. It came to life, but instead of feeling Vegeta's anger at being pushed, his strength and pride, Goku felt fear.

Goku's skin turned cold, uncomfortably so as the wind blew over them. He felt how Vegeta felt him, saw as Vegeta saw him, but only for a flash as his mate tried to close himself off. The prince was afraid of him. And then Vegeta shut him out as best he could, his soul still mixed with Goku's but now only a thin thread of connection, a sense of his mate's presence but nothing more.

All this happened in an instant. Vegeta looked away, hands beginning to shake. Then he felt Raditz's hands on his shoulders, and he breathed deep and forced himself to calm down. He was home, he had Raditz and Trunks and Goten and his father and the Saiyan race behind him. He would be safe. The child kicked again, and he shifted and leaned against Raditz, who squeezed him once.

"Good to see that our first arrivals are friends," the king said, taking over the conversation. His son's fear aside, he noticed Goten's tired blinking and the yawns that stretched Gohan's mouth out of shape. "Come, this is no place to hold a conversation. We'll escort you to the palace."

"Palace?" Goten asked.

Ignoring his mate, Trunks glanced back at his ship, then at the king. "Ah...my Raider..."

"I'll have it brought in out of the elements. Come, it's late and you must be tired. Tomorrow we can talk over breakfast."

"Real food?" Goten asked. "Cool, I haven't had anything but yucky space rations."

Despite everything, the king smiled. "God, you really are like Bardock. He'll love seeing you."

Following the king, one by one they lifted into the air, flying back to the city. It glittered in the last rays of the second sun, and as Saiyans lit torches and fires for the night, an orange glow suffused through the city. As the light disappeared and the stars spread across the sky, the palace spiraled up like a stone dragon, and the mountain range extended beyond it, fading in and out of sight in the twilight haze. Goku tried to fly closer to his mate, but Vegeta shied away, going so far as to snarl once when he came within reach.

When they came into the palace, landing through a large window in the hall, the king began firing orders off to the nearest Saiyans. Meanwhile Goten and Gohan looked around themselves, staring at the dark walls and the rows of torches and candles that lit the rooms. Windows were kept wide open, easy enough with the warm weather and the clear skies, but the flames added a soft glow to the starlight. They relaxed as they walked down the halls, passing one or two other Saiyans, but alone for the most part.

The king stopped at a wooden door twice as tall as he was and pushed it open, revealing a commons room that branched into several different corridors, like rays coming off the sun. "The first and second chambers are in use, but the rest are free."

"W-w-we get to stay in the royal palace?" Gohan whispered.

"As befits royalty," the king said. "Unless you'd rather sleep in the city and have strange Saiyans watch you as you sleep."

"Uhhh..."

"This will do," Piccolo said. He tugged Gohan along as he walked down the closest corridor. "C'mon, kid. Time for you to finally get some real sleep."

"If they sleep at all," Goten said under his breath. He followed behind Trunks down a separate hall.

Goku waited for them to disappear, hoping that Raditz or the king would also leave, but he was left standing awkwardly with his mate on the other side of the room. After the long trip, to have his mate so close and yet be unable to even speak to him... He sighed and walked alone into his own room.

The echo of Goku's door closing reverberated through the common room for a moment, then faded. The king put his hand on Vegeta's shoulder. "You still haven't seen the nursery, have you?"

"Not yet."

"You should know where it is, at least. See it once before the brat comes."

"Yes, but not yet. I don't want to jinx myself."

"You did spend a lot of time in space, didn't you?" The king shook his head with a rueful smile. "Superstitious spacers...nice to see some things don't change."

"I couldn't help it," Vegeta said. "Having just a thin hull between you and the void would make anyone superstitious."

The king gave a short laugh. "What a strange royal family we have now. Halflings and walking plants..."

"My nephew looked as green as his mate," Raditz said. "I think space travel doesn't suit him."

"It was a long journey," the king said. "It would make anyone sick. And to think the heir apparent has such exotic features...you say they've all ascended?"

Vegeta nodded. "Except the walking plant. But they all have extensive battle experience. Gohan's perhaps the most powerful fighter in the universe..." He cocked his head to the side and yawned. "Although I think all that power's made him a little odd in the head. Remind me to tell you about Saiyaman sometime."

"Saiyaman?" The king glanced at him, about to ask another question, but he noticed his son's half-closed eyes and how he leaned more and more against Raditz. "I think perhaps you should get some rest as well. You look like you're about to fall over."

"It's my own fault," Raditz said. "He was training me all day, and I'm not the brightest student."

"No, you're not," the king said, "but I think it's due more to the brat inside him. Kicking more than usual?"

"Mm. The pain's abated, but he's more active than ever." He yawned again and let his eyes close.

Over his head, the king caught the bodyguard's look and mouthed 'watch him.' Raditz nodded once.

"I know you're talking about me," Vegeta mumbled.

"Then have the decency to ignore us," his father said. "Raditz, put him to bed. I'll call for all of you at breakfast."

"Will father--" Raditz started.

"Yes, Bardock will be there. Maybe Turles, too."

Turles! Vegeta hid his smirk in Raditz's shirt. Oh, breakfast was going to be interesting...

*

Even though the bed seemed carved out of the rock that made up the palace, it still gave under Gohan's weight and allowed him to loosen all the muscles he'd tightened into knots during the trip. He sighed and closed his eyes, nestling his head in the cool pillow. The bed dipped where Piccolo sat, and he placed one hand on Gohan's forehead.

"You don't feel hot," he said. "Maybe you're just tired."

"This bed's awesome," Gohan said. "It's like a rock, but soft somehow. I've never felt anything like it."

Piccolo didn't answer. The room looked sparse, much like Vegeta's room back on earth. Besides the bed, stone table and a bathroom off to the side, there wasn't much in the room, only a large window overlooking part of the city and the vast, yellow grasslands beyond that.

"I wonder how he did it," he said. "Doesn't it confuse you?"

"You mean bringing the Saiyans back?" Gohan rolled on his side and shrugged. "I dunno. Shenron couldn't do that, but maybe Vegeta found someone who could."

"I hope whoever he found is friendly," Piccolo said.

"I wonder why anyone would want to bring the Saiyans back," Gohan said. "I mean, they were planet killers. Vicious, cruel, fierce--"

"And would welcome strangers right into the royal palace," Piccolo said. "I don't know. Maybe they're more complicated than that."

"But the kais told us what they were," Gohan said. "That's practically getting it from a god."

"That's what worries me," Piccolo said. He covered Gohan with the thin sheet even though the night was warm enough to forego it. Once his mate was asleep, he went to the window and looked out. In the distance he could make out the silhouettes of hills against the stars.

*

After closing their door and sliding the wooden bar in place to seal it, Trunks followed Goten into their chamber. He ran his hand over the wall, the rock smooth and polished so well it seemed wet. There were no bricks, so he assumed the palace had been chiseled out of a mountain. A single window stood out on the far wall, and he walked across the stone floor to it.

"Hey, look," Goten said. "The bathtub's huge, and the bed...whoa, everything's carved in stone."

While his mate wandered through the apartment, Trunks sat on the windowsill, putting one leg up, and stared out over the Saiyan city. A few spots of light moved down the streets, Saiyans lighting their way through the darkness with ki aflame in their hands like candles. Two spots met, and Trunks saw the shadows cast on the walls, merging and flickering before the ki winked out and the warm night covered them both.

"Trunks, the bed's carved outta stone, too." There was the sound of Goten flopping on the blanket. "Comfy, though."

The thought of Goten spread on their bed made Trunks smile, but that faded with the thought of a Saiyan bed, alien and light years from earth. He sighed and hugged his knees to his chest.

"I'm gonna try the bath," Goten said. "You gonna join me?"

"In a minute." A black silhouette to anyone who could see him, Trunks picked up one of the candles in reach and held it up, the orange glow lighting his face as he examined the flame. There was no wick and the flame hovered the white rock shaft, somehow burning without fuel. He held it up and found the bottom to be porous.

"It's nahsul," Vegeta said.

Nearly dropping the candle, Trunks fumbled to keep his grip around the rock as his father came into view, floating up to settle across from him on the sill. The flame and the room's warm glow was all Trunks had to see by as he studied the changes in his father. A couple spiky bangs framed his face, he was slightly taller now and his tail hung over the side, the tip twitching.

"Nahsul?" Trunks asked.

"It's like wax. When it's hot, it seeps into those rocks. As it melts, it gives off fumes that keep the flame going. They can last for weeks."

"And when they're depleted?"

"They come from the swamps south of here. Puddles of it form on the mud when both suns are high. Then you just dip them and let them cool."

Trunks set the candle down between them. Neither spoke for a moment, the only sound their breathing and Goten splashing in the tub.

"I'm glad you came," Vegeta said.

Trunks' eyes seemed to light up and he smiled. "Really? I was afraid you'd want us gone even before I saw the other Saiyans."

"No. You should know about your true heritage, your Saiyan blood."

Night air breezed in, extinguishing the candle and blowing Trunks' hair into his eyes. While he shook it clear, Vegeta leaned forward and relit the candle with a bit of ki at the tip of his finger. The stone window frame was cool as Trunks leaned back against it, resting his head.

"My Saiyan blood," he said, holding a few strands of his hair out straight. "I sometimes wonder if you wish I hadn't been born half human."

"Interbreeding only strengthens us," Vegeta said. "There's no shame in that. It was your attachment to human society that worried me."

"I think mom suspected I might not come back. She didn't seem surprised at all."

"The woman was the most intelligent human on the planet, of course she's not surprised. Did she scream your ears off, though?"

"No. I'll go back to visit. She must know that." He laughed. "Strange, I haven't even been here a few hours and already I know I'm not leaving."

"This is your true home," Vegeta said. "It will feel more natural to you after you've explored it, settled in."

"Settled in..." he sighed. He suddenly grabbed the candle and blew it out, tossing it onto the bed and leaving them in only starlight. "Father, why did you leave like that? Why now instead of years ago? Did you know you bring the Saiyan species back?"

Almost expecting his father to snarl or snap at him, Trunks blinked when his father smiled and gazed at the city.

"I had no idea," he whispered. "I discovered dragon balls here, five of them, in the cathedral."

"Dragon balls?" Trunks glanced over the houses and walls, like rows of dark ice in the night. "Where's the cathedral?"

"It's that smoking crater in the center. Kigeta was...is...far more powerful than any other dragon we've seen. The cathedral was a little smaller than the palace, and it still couldn't house him. It burst apart."

"And he granted your wish? Did he have a time limit on his wishes?"

"I don't think he has any limits on his power. He is different from the other dragons, not just more powerful. He has his own will. He...he's a god."

"But he went back into his dragon balls?" Trunks asked.

"I think so. I think they may just be a means to pray to him and receive him, but pulse with life. He probably sleeps inside." He bent one leg and settled his head on his knee. "I'll be glad when we rebuild the cathedral and move them from my room."

Inside the bathroom, Goten splashed a little more, and then came the sound of water pouring into the tub. Shadows flickered on the wall as the wind made the flames dance.

Trunks looked into his father's eyes. "Why did you leave earth?"

"I..." He dropped one hand to his stomach. Either the nuda had kicked in or the brat was asleep for once. "I had to. I couldn't bear the thought of giving birth on the same planet as Kakarrot. Although it looks like that's kind of caught up to me."

"But alone? On an empty planet?"

The wind almost swallowed his reply. "I've done it before," he whispered.

Frowning, Trunks opened his mouth.

"Trunks!" Goten yelled from the bathroom. "You coming or not?"

"Just a minute--" Trunks yelled back, but his father touched his arm, stopping him.

"Go on," Vegeta said. "We can talk about this later."

"But--"

"I promise I'm not leaving this planet ever again. It's late and your mate is waiting. We'll discuss this another time."

"Tomorrow morning--"

"No." The reply came too quick and Vegeta winced. "Tomorrow, but not at breakfast. Later, when we're alone."

Wanting to press further but knowing better, Trunks nodded once. "All right. Tomorrow evening, maybe. Goodnight, father."

"Goodnight."

While Trunks walked into the bathroom, Vegeta stayed in the window. His son disappeared, and his clothing soon landed near the door, the shirtsleeves spilling out into the light. Then the quiet sounds of water lapping against warm bodies as they moved...he breathed out and left the window. Kakarrot's room was farther along the wall, and by now his mate's ki was muted, slumbering. No matter how much the other Saiyan wanted to speak with him, hold him, the journey had worn him down.

Silently, more floating on the night winds than flying, he landed on his mate's windowsill and crouched down, ready to dash away if his mate moved. Spread out shirtless on the bed, Kakarrot breathed deep and steady, head flung back on the pillows so Vegeta could see he was asleep. The prince stepped inside and walked around the bed, stopping at his mate's side. All of the candles had been put out, but he could still find every detail of his mate's body. He looked the same, save for dark lines under his eyes.

A light sheen of sweat covered Kakarrot's face and chest as he mumbled and turned his head slightly. The blanket lay in a loose pile at his mate's feet, kicked down in his sleep, and the warm wind was cool enough on him to make him shiver. Vegeta took the edge of the blanket and pulled it over his mate.

Goku's eyes snapped open. Before he was fully awake, his hand snaked out and grabbed Vegeta's wrist, trapping him by his bed.

He expected to be yelled at, snarled at, hit across the room. Instead the arm he held started to shake. He sat up and found Vegeta staring at him, his free hand covering his mouth as if holding back a scream. Vegeta's eyes were wide and dilated, his skin flushed.

After a few seconds the prince found his voice, though uneven and faint. "Let me go," he said. He tried to make it sound like a command but it sounded like a plea. "Let me go."

Goku opened his hand. Vegeta stepped back and held his hand close to his chest as if burned. The star shine highlighted his stomach and made his late pregnancy all the more apparent, and he put his arms around his stomach as if to protect it.

"Vegeta?" Goku leaned forward to touch him, but his mate skittered away towards the window. "'Geta, stop." To his surprise, he did.

"Don't touch me, don't come near me," the prince said, his voice still strained. As Goku put his legs over the side of the bed, about to stand, Vegeta quailed, backing against the wall. "Stay away, oh God, stay away."

"I won't hurt you," Goku said. "Please, 'Geta, I won't hurt you."

"I know," he whispered.

"Then why--?" He started to stand again.

"No, stay back." Vegeta put one hand on the window, his other hand covering his face. "Don't come any closer, please Kakarrot."

"Why? Tell me that at least."

"You'll hurt him. I have to keep away from you."

"What? I don't understand." He closed his eyes and sighed. "Then why did you come in here in the first place?"

Vegeta turned so that his back faced his mate. "I...don't...don't...don't come near me!" His voice broke even as he yelled, and he flew out, disappearing in the darkness.

One hand raised as if to catch him, Goku slowly let it drop back to the bed. He lowered his head and sat still for several long minutes. For a moment he'd touched his mate, and then he was gone again, and he didn't understand anything. Everything was upside down.

*

On the very top of the palace, Vegeta found a space large enough to sit and plopped down. He felt for Goku's ki, but it stayed in his room and didn't move. No one else was moving except for the few Saiyans his father had set to watch the skies, so he figured no one had heard his yell. Although his body ached, his heart was still racing and he couldn't bring himself to fly back to his bed and sleep.

Hours passed. The stars turned overhead as Sokul the Devourer sank beneath the horizon and the eleven princes of the fifth generation rose, eleven bright red stars in the night. Soon the constellations faded in the early light. The wind turned cool, but not cold. At least not cold enough for him to fly back in.

Beneath him, the city appeared, pale as the first sun approached. A pair of Saiyan mates lay against each other in a side street, a large blanket covering them as they slept. At his height they looked like toy figures but he watched them, wondering when they would wake. Wondering if they were warm as the sky turned violet.

A cramp stabbed at his side. He winced and pressed his palm against it, but another struck, then another. They were minor enough, but coming fast. There were breathing exercises, mind tricks he could play on his body to slow them down, but he didn't. He put his hand on his stomach. At least the brat wasn't kicking. Cramps were bad enough, almost as bad as the anxiety.

He scanned the vast lands before him. There were many places to choose from, but only one he'd been in long enough to feel secure. With a deep breath, he stood and flew out to the deserts, to the Jakek caves.

TBC...