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Coming and Going

by Cleodasia and Talon

Parts One, Two, and Three

The first Talon/Dasia Collaboration (Maybe we should come up with some kind of fusion name or something *smirks*)

Pairings Mirai Gohan/Vegeta...Mirai Gohan and? You'll have to read it to find out.

Warnings: (not all in this part) Violence, language, consensual sex with a minor, references to some nasty stuff, LEMON AND MORE LEMON, surprises, slightly AU

Italics denotes flashbacks

It was always dim in the gravity room, the lights turned down to a comfortable level so it wasn't necessary to squint to see what you were fighting. I never knew why it was that Vegeta invited me over to spar instead of my father...I still thought my Dad was the strongest fighter in the universe. But Vegeta knew better.

"Damn it boy, you can give me more than that!" Oh Kami-sama...I can still hear that royal voice mocking me, prodding me to the power he knew lay beneath the surface. He pushed me, in ways that Dad and Piccolo never did...never could...I loved Piccolo, always had, ever since I could remember. And Dad...well he was Dad after all. But Vegeta...fascinated me

He sparked that part of me...that untamed, wild, ferocious SAIYJIN part. And I never felt more like myself than I did when I was with him.

I had spent the day training his son, Trunks. Every movement, every gesture the boy made reminded me of his father...his sideways smirk, his upturned nose, his elegant hands and feet. I missed him so much. Trunks' youthful arrogance could not begin to replace the intense nobility and pride of his father. Whenever I spar against the son, I come home frustrated, unsatisfied. My longing only becomes more intense as the years pass by.

What would he think of me now, I wonder? My once-handsome looks are now marred with a cross-hatching of scars on my cheeks. The loss of my arm concerns me the most. Vegeta loved all things to be beautiful, perfect. I am less than I was...I wonder if he would still want me.

"Again. We're going to do this until you get it right, boy. I know you can do better, don't fuck around."

"But Vegeta-sama..."

"No buts, AGAIN."

I sighed as I prepared my Masenko attack once again. I had thought Piccolo was a strict taskmaster; just went to prove that I didn't know everything."

He was a harsh man, to some almost unlovable...but I saw in him a savage, untamed beauty that called to my very soul.

The floor of the gravity room was slick with sweat and blood...most of it mine. No matter how fast I moved, Vegeta was faster, no matter how hard I kicked, Vegeta kicked harder. No matter how hard I tried, it wasn't good enough for my prince.

"Again boy!" Kami-sama, I heard that voice in my sleep for weeks. Dad wondered what I was doing over at CC all the time. I told him Vegeta was training me, he seemed pleased that the prince had taken an interest in my training. I wonder what he would have done had he known just what kind of interest Vegeta had in me. Or what he would have said if he knew how I felt about Vegeta. I like to think he would have understood....but I am too Saiyjin to believe that. No matter how willing I was, I was still a child...HIS child. I am sure Vegeta would have ended up in a considerable amount of pain had Dad known. I kept the feelings that were growing inside of me to myself, I could tell no one, not even Piccolo, from whom I could hold few secrets.

I remember once, we had been going at it all day, and I was exhausted. I was dripping blood from half a dozen wounds and smarting from at least as many burns, the result of badly deflected ki attacks. Had I been fighting against my dad or Piccolo, I would have eaten a senzu bean...but I did not want to show Vegeta any weakness. He despised the use of senzu, except in extreme emergency.

Vegeta kept pushing me. He knew just which buttons to push. My mind filled with a red haze as his taunting voice brought to mind Garlic Jr, Frieza, even Cooler, and my apparent helplessness against them all. I just couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm tired, I hurt, haven't we done enough today Vegeta-sama" I knew I was whining, but I couldn't seem to help it.

"The hell we have brat. We'll have done enough when I say we've done enough, and not one second before. I'll be damned if I'll be the only one standing out here in the fucking cold training when you're the one with all the damned potential handed to you on a silver platter..."

I cringed, helpless against his anger; wishing once again that I could please my prince. But I just didn't think I had what it took. He continued, getting right up into my face, his nose nearly touching mine. Kami...I nearly passed out from his scent alone. He's not yelling anymore, but this deadly calm voice is worse...

"You've never had to worry about a fucking thing in your entire existence, Daddy has always been there to bail you out...Well, guess what, brat, shit happens and people die...and you'll be praying for more training when you're on your own. We're the last of our kind. If we don't take measures to make ourselves the fastest, the strongest, the best then the Saiyjin race will die out."

He was right, after all. Not long after that training session, my father came down with a heart virus. He...he died. Not the death I think he would have wanted. He was in horrible pain, and I wasn't allowed to see him. They were afraid that I would contract it as well. They told me my father asked for me, towards the end...but I can't think of that. Even now, the tears threaten to overwhelm me. The pain is years old, and yet it could have been yesterday for all the easement in the sharpness. Sometimes I wonder if that's how Dad felt...that horrible stabbing pain in the left hand side of my chest...

But Piccolo was there for me, as he ever was...letting me sob out my grief, making me eat as I withdrew from the world for weeks on end. He couldn't bring me out of it...but someone else was looking for me.

I don't believe he meant to hurt me as much as he did, he was only trying to get me angry, to react to something, to rejoin the world. He was never the most tactful of people, and never one to reveal his true feelings. Vegeta. I heard as though from miles away, voices arguing, Vegeta's regal imperiousness refusing to be pushed aside by Piccolo's protectiveness.

"You can't see him Vegeta, just let him alone." That was my teacher.

"Damn it Piccolo, he can't just stay in that Kami- damned cave. He needs to get out, he NEEDS to fight. He's a Saiyjin, and he's fucking going to act like one!"

Looking back, it's most likely that Vegeta was fearful that my severe depression after my father's death would lead me to commit suicide, or worse. I was easily the most powerful fighter on Earth. If I lost my hold on reality, it is doubtful that anyone, even Piccolo and Vegeta, could have stopped me from wreaking havoc.

Piccolo said something in response, but I had ceased to listen. The next thing I knew, Vegeta had me by the hair and was dragging me out of the cave where I had hidden myself, weeks ago.

As he dragged me across the rough ground, my sight landed on a bruised and battered Piccolo. I felt myself gasp. Vegeta spared me a contemptuous look.

"Don't worry about the Namek, he'll be fine. I left him a senzu."

Even my shock at seeing my teacher so utterly beaten did little to rouse me from my depression.

"Damnit, boy. Do I have to do every fucking thing for you? You are not a weakling...stop acting like one. Bring your ass out of this depression, or I will beat it out of you."

I ignored him completely. Nothing mattered. I closed my eyes, as though that would make him disappear.

"We need you strong, fighting. This is pathetic. You're pitiful. I refuse to let our race die out. Stand your ass up boy. Fight me!" his rough voice grinds.

I shook my head. Fight him? I couldn't stand, I could barely breathe. Leave me alone Vegeta, I thought. I must have known that he wouldn't.

"Vegeta, please, just stop." My voice sounded dead, even to me.

"Fuck YOU!! Fight me, bitch! Shut me up! Make me stop...you're stronger than me, aren't you? Isn't that what you're thinking? I'll just keep on talking...I'm just that fucking crazy."

"Vegeta, please, I don't want to fight you...I don't want to fight anybody."

"No?" Vegeta's voice is high, innocent, "We'll see about that..."

"Get your pussy ass over here. You're a fucking joke. The strongest fighter in the universe...you're a punk-ass snot-nosed child. When I was your age, I had already destroyed more planets than you can count."

"Vegeta-sama, I don't want to destroy anything. I just want to be left alone," I whispered.

"Goddamn it, you're a Saiyjin, and destruction is your business. It's in your blood. Haven't you ever wanted to destroy something beautiful?"

"Of course I haven't...why would I want to?"

"Because the destruction of something beautiful is sometimes more beautiful than the thing itself boy. People moan and gripe about the loss of innocence...innocence isn't all it's cracked up to be...look at your father."

I felt myself stiffen.

"Your brainless fuck of a father... that son of a whore couldn't find his ass with both hands. You're wasting your time grieving for that low-class bastard. The only intelligent thing he ever did was die."

"Vegeta..." my voice lowers dangerously. I realize now that he didn't mean it, that he just wanted to force me out of the chasm of despair that threatened to claim my soul. At the time, however, the pain was still so fresh; his harsh words were like a lance through my heart.

"Vegeta...Vegeta..."his voice mocks, "Shut my fucking mouth!! Push my teeth through my skull, pull my tongue out and stomp on it, beat the shit out of me...but DO something!" Vegeta screams.

I said nothing. I did nothing. Vegeta's ki began to rise sharply. A vein throbbed in his forehead, his face was flushed. He's so angry that he's nearly hysterical, "Kakkarott wasn't the great fighter you think he was. He was a low-class bastard that got lucky."

"My father was stronger than you..." I say quietly. I can barely believe my own words. What comes out of my mouth next astounds me even to this day. My voice was low, "He let you live..."

"Is that what you think, boy? That your father LET me live? I'm the Saiyan no Ouji, I was his prince, and I let HIM live. You and this pathetic planet are still here only at my sufferance!"

The voice that issues from my throat is not my own. I could never say these things, "Bullshit. You are the prince of nothing. I could kick your ass all the way back to Vegetasei. Oh, no, I couldn't, could I? Your precious little home is nothing but dust. This is MY home, my father's home and you are here only because I allow it."

I didn't notice the fleeting smirk that crossed his face as I did exactly what he wanted. I see it now, clearly, in my memories...as I see everything else.

"Bitch, I don't need your fucking permission, and I sure as hell don't need your dumbass father's permission to do a goddamn thing! Especially since the cocksucker is DEAD!!!"

"Shut...up...Vegeta," I said slowly, my voice cracking.

"What's the matter, whelp? Are you afraid of little-old me? I won't shut up until you fuck me up. If you truly felt a thing for your father, you would never let me insult him. I don't think you give a shit that he's dead; you're just a spoiled little brat, wanting attention. Or else you agree with me. Is that it? Don't you know deep-down that I'm right? That your father was nothing more than pitiful? That he was a brain-damaged, ignorant fool with no manners and less upbringing? That he could never measure up to the power that we possess?"

I shudder, his words striking me as surely as if they were physical blows. The world is flickering in and out of my vision, and I feel a strange sensation beginning to fill me. It's power...untamed, unleashed, unbridled, unbidden power. And it begins to fill me, trapping me within its golden confines. But strangely, I don't feel trapped. I feel...anger...rage...my overwhelming grief is shoved out of my brain completely as I face the man who dared to insult my father, who dared question my grief, my love for the man that gave me...and him...life.

I raise my arms to the heavens, and I see the golden aura that surrounds me. I feel the earth shift under my feet at the mere nudge of my awesome power. I am a Super Saiyjin? I look the Saiyjin-no-Ouji in the eye and taste his surprise...his fear...his awe?

Only the fear means anything to me now. A deadly calm engulfs me as I say "You should not have insulted my father. He was a better man, a better fighter than you in every way and you will PAY for your words to me in BLOOD!"

For the first time since I had known him, Vegeta was speechless. My blood sang as the proud fighter took a single reluctant step backwards. He looked up in surprise; he knew that he had just betrayed his fear to me.

And then, I attack.

That was after all what he had wanted me to do...to attack him, to fight him. Kami...he was beautiful I thought, as his hesitation framed him for a moment in my golden aura...the impact of flesh on flesh as I struck his royal face gave me the greatest satisfaction I had ever known.

"Son-of-a-BITCH!" he screamed. Vegeta raised his face towards mine, his lower lip torn and bleeding. He raises one hand to his bloodied face...and laughs. I had never heard him laugh like that before. It was almost...joyous? "I'll be damned. So you do have some balls, after all?"

His laugh was melodious, I nearly smiled myself at his elation before I remembered why he was so happy. So help me Vegeta was going to pay for his insults to my father...to me.

I attacked again, faster this time, harder, striking blows with lightening precision, and just as quickly, maybe more so, dodging the blows he was trying so hard to land. It was frustrating to him, I could tell, and I smiled coldly as I broke his nose, the blood flowing over my hand in a crimson tide. I remember that sweet, coppery scent, it fills my nostrils and even today the memory excites me.

We broke apart, him breathless, panting me, calm and collected as he casually wiped the blood from his face. I watched it soak into his white training glove almost distractedly, the red slowly conquering the white.

His voice rumbled low in his throat, "Now do you see? Now do you comprehend what it means to be truly Saiyan?"

I answered dangerously, "Yes. I understand now. Do you?"

His ebony eyes bored into mine as he asked, "Understand what, boy?"

I laughed harshly, my voice barbed, "I am the last TRUE Saiyan. You are less than nothing."

I flinched as his ki exploded around me. "DAMN YOU TO HELL!" he shrieked.

I could feel him, his presence betrayed by his energy signature, but Vegeta had been fighting more years than I had been alive. Suddenly, I felt nothing. He wasn't there.

"Nani?!?" I exclaimed. I wheeled around...and there he was. His knee impacted with my jaw, and I screamed in pain. His fists delivered several powerful punches to my head and neck. The shock wore off, however, and once again, I was in control of the fight.

I brought my hands together in a gesture that brought tears to my eyes. How many times had I seen my father do this? I bite off my choked sob and channeled my grief into my ki. My voice utters the familiar focusing chant, Kami, it could almost be my father's voice, my father's power coursing through me as I voice the memorable syllables.

"Ka...me....ha...me...".a breath as I ready myself...."HA!" I release the wave, and I know it is dead on accurate. I can FEEL my father, almost smell that woodsy scent that I have always associated with him...THIS IS FOR YOU DADDY, my brain screams...and I am not aware that my voice echoes the agonized internal shriek.

Vegeta barely raised his arms in time to shield his face. The wave hit him dead-on, and he struggled to remain upright under the ferocious onslaught. He screamed as his forearms began to burn from the intense heat. He lost his footing as the wave seemed to intensify, and found himself buried in the rock bed of the cliff behind him. He grappled desperately with the massive ball of ki, and with a tremendous effort, he flung it up into the sky, hoping faintly that it wouldn't hit anything important on its way out to space.

Vegeta panted slightly, then pried himself out of the rock. He steadied himself and calmly walked back towards me, that smirk still on his face. When he spoke, it was as though my attack had never happened, hadn't affected him in any way, had been totally inconsequential. How could that be? He was bleeding, bruised and I could see the burns on his forearms from blocking that attack. How could he act like it never even happened?

"Is that the BEST you can do boy? You barely singed me. Your pitiful father could have done better. You couldn't even beat Frieza with a blast like that." My breath hitched in my chest. Nani? What was he DOING? His slightly graveled voice continued. "That pathetic attack... so much like your father..."

"I don't know what you're trying to prove Vegeta," I snarled, "but my father's attack has damaged you considerably. Just like it always has. Your energy is dropping even as we speak."

He chuckles softly, "Yes. It SEEMS that way, doesn't it, brat? But you don't have the slightest notion of my true power..."

His eyes are cold, distant. I can't read them at all. If he is suppressing his ki...he can't be...he's bluffing...he MUST be bluffing. My eyes narrow, and my world focuses on Vegeta. His words, his lies, his fucking arrogance....my power spikes again, and I attack, without restraint, relying completely on instinct. I feel nothing, I hear nothing. I only fight.

My hold on reality, already tenuous after the death of my father, was now almost completely severed. The heartless bastard standing before me was the only thing I cared about now. I'm no longer a boy, I'm no longer a Son, I'm no longer Gohan. I am a Super Saiyan. All my grief, all my suffering, all my pain is focused on this one being. My ailing mind was convinced that he was the one to blame...for all of it. I can remember very little about the fight that followed, but the feeling that finally, here was an enemy that I could fight, that stays with me. I could not fight the heart disease that had claimed my father's life, I could not fight the despair that clawed at my heart. But I could fight that arrogant bastard to the death.

I can't remember what pushed him over the edge...I must have nearly lost it utterly. I can only think that beyond his fear, his concern, his love for me enabled him to do the one thing that could save me from myself. He became a Super Saiyjin.

I remember seeing him erupt in a flame of gold, his aura pulsating with that awesome power known only to the three surviving Saiyjins, and later his son. I was astounded at the pure, raw energy bleeding off of him. My stunned shock gave him the entrance he needed. In a barely discernable flash, he was behind me; then I fell. And for a long time, I knew no more.

"Gohan...Gohan." The soft voice is familiar to me, but I resist waking up. A gentle shake on my shoulder, "Gohan, please wake up, you're scaring me." I sigh inwardly and struggle towards consciousness. I open my eyes to meet bright azure orbs...so unlike my prince, and yet, there is something of Vegeta in the shape of them, and the heavy lavender brows that slant over them.

A sigh of relief escapes his lips and he smiles. His smile is bright, but even at its brightest it is always shadowed. I know full well that he blames himself for the loss of my arm; it wasn't his fault, but nothing I have said since then has changed his mind. He prefers to keep the blame on his shoulders. THAT is very like Vegeta.

"C'mon Gohan, Kassan has breakfast waiting." I smile at him, and swing my legs over the side of my bed. I had fallen asleep in my clothes last night, and could see no reason to change. My dreams had been restless, memories of Vegeta plague me; no, that is not the right word. Even my worst memories of him I treasure like a precious gem. It is only in my memories that the Saiyjin-no-Ouji truly lives. His son was too young to remember his father, and Bulma is human. There is just so much that she can't know couldn't understand about him. But I knew everything about him before he died, and those memories sustain me even as they torture me.

Breakfast is brief; thankfully Bulma developed a kind of nutrition bar and beverage that supplies the necessary caloric demands for demi-Saiyjins. Unfortunately they don't taste very good, but they are satisfying, and nutritious. We still eat regular food, but there simply isn't enough these days. I am grateful for the supplements, and I know Trunks is too. His growing body requires vast amounts of protein and calories. I am glad to know that he won't be stunted. Vegeta wouldn't have liked that.

I wish I could go back to bed for awhile...but it's not a good idea. Trunks needs to train, and I am the only one who can do it. Kami-sama, I love the little brat, even if being around him hurts my heart. I promised Vegeta I'd look after him if anything happened to him. I had no choice really, and my hand absently strokes the claim-mark he left on the junction between my neck and shoulder. Trunks after all for all intents and purposes is my son.

He doesn't know of course...not really. He knows I miss his father terribly, but I have never told him of our relationship, brief as it was. I never told Bulma either, and I don't know if Vegeta ever did. Despite that, I wonder if she knows. There is a look she gives me at times, a coolly appraising look that raises the hair on the back of my neck. I look at Trunks sitting across from me at the breakfast table, suppressing a shudder as he downs a second glass of supplement. I am startled to realize how much he has grown recently. Kami, I may have to tell him after all. Someone needs to give him the low-down on demi-Saiyjin physiology. Who knows if I will even still be alive when his first heat strikes? I don't like thinking that way, but I must be realistic. Even if he doesn't know it, he is my child, and I have that responsibility.

We spar for a few hours into the early afternoon, drilling endlessly, working on his weaknesses, and finding ways around my missing arm. I am stronger than I ever was, but the loss of my left arm still throws me off balance, and leaves me open to attack on that side. I concentrate on trying to turn that weakness into an advantage. Needless to say I have yet to succeed.

We return to the ruins of CC for lunch, and Trunks goes to help his mother while I slip away back into my room. I search for a certain data chip that Vegeta left me and plug it in to the terminal in my room. It contains everything from the records in Vegeta's old space pod, his personal journals, medical charts and educational programs that were used during cryo-sleep inbetween purging planets while he was in Frieza's employ.

I had asked Vegeta to teach me Saiyjin-o, and instead of teaching me himself (well, he did teach me some of the more colorful phrases he was fond of using) he dug his old programs out and set them up for me to use. Some of them were programmed for subliminal use and some of them for interactive. All were in Saiyjin-o. Since then I had developed a translating program, after all my Saiyjin-o wasn't perfect and I didn't have Vegeta here to ask, and I had spent a great deal of time learning all I could about my prince and my people.

It made me feel closer to him I think, and there was no doubt that Vegeta was pleased at my interest. I learned the spoken language quickly, and we often conversed in Saiyjin-o, Vegeta ever trying to improve my accent.

I found what I was looking for in both Vegeta's personal logs and the general medical records and ran it through the translating program. I checked it over, and edited it, adding things that were pertinent for demi-Saiyjins, mostly guesswork considering the only experience I had was my own, and copied it to a spare chip. My hand trembled as I sat back, more emotionally affected than I would have thought by simply reading medical charts and logs. My mind caressed the subtle beauty of my prince's language and I remembered suddenly how I felt the day I discovered I could actually understand what he was growling at me under his breath.

I shivered slightly and stood up, pocketing the chip and leaving my quarters abruptly. I knew where I would find Trunks, and headed to Bulma's workshop. We needed to have a talk, he and I, and I'd be Kami-damned if I was going to shirk my duty...and my vow. My heart squeezed painfully as I thought of Vegeta again, let's face it, Vegeta is my every other thought. But it was the picture in my mind of Vegeta and Trunks together, those faces so similar, but the details so strikingly different. Vegeta would have been so proud of his son. I sighed as I found myself outside of Bulma's workshop.

"Hey guys," I call out cheerfully. "Hi Gohan," replies Trunks, smiling all over his face. "Lookit what we've been working on!" I follow him over to the work table, and listen as he jabbers on about his mother's latest invention, and what he is doing to help.

"That's great Trunks," I say smiling supportively when he stops for a breath. "But I need to talk to you about something, are you done here for now?"

"Sure," he says, giving me a quizzical look. And he follows me out of the room. Instead of going back to my quarters, I lead the way back to his room, figuring he'd feel more comfortable on his turf. Entering, I close the door behind him and hand him the data chip. "Sit down Trunks," I said.

He obeyed me, still looking puzzled.

"We need to have a frank talk about sex."

He blushed furiously, and giggled nervously. "Go-chan, Mama already..."

I cut him off impatiently. "This isn't a birds and bees talk Trunks, what I am going to tell you your mother knows very little or nothing about, but it is VERY important that you know. If your father were alive, no doubt he would have already had this talk with you, but since he isn't, it's my responsibility."

His eyes open wide at the tone in my voice. It is harsh and guttural, and I almost lapse into Saiyjin-o in my discomfort. I swallow and continue. I figured the best way to explain things was to give him a real life example. I had decided to tell him about his father and me.

I sat down on the chair across from where he sat on the edge of his bed. "That data chip contains some very useful information, as well as some of your father's personal logs. I want you to read them later, and if you have any questions, come to me. Don't go to your mother, I don't know what she knows or what she doesn't know. This is a Saiyjin matter, and I would rather keep this between the two of us. Understand?"

He nodded mutely, amethyst hair flopping into his eyes as he forced himself to meet my gaze. I could see that he realized this was important, and was listening closely.

I hesitated, then pulled down the collar of my shirt, exposing the oddly shaped claim-mark that Vegeta had put there.

"You've seen this scar before, ne?"

"Yes, Go-chan."

"It is your father's claim-mark. He gave it to me the day that we became mates. He claimed me for his own. Do you understand what that means?"

Trunks shook his head, looking slightly confused.

"It means that we were bonded mates Trunks. In human terms, you would call what we had a marriage."

He looked stunned. "B..but...what about kassan?"

"That I don't know. I do know that your father never claimed her, though he mated with her, obviously seeing as how you exist." I grinned at him, amused in spite of myself at his embarrassed blush.

"From what Vegeta told me, a Saiyjin can only truly mate with another Saiyjin. There is a mental and emotional bond that is formed when a Saiyjin claims another. I have all your father's memories up here." I tapped my forehead. "And in here." I placed my hand over my heart.

I looked him full in the eyes. "I loved your father Trunks. I loved him more than I thought it was possible to love another person. And the only thing that kept me from following him in death was you, my son."

"I was no older than you are now when your father claimed me, and then you were barely walking. He made me promise that if anything happened to him, that I would protect you, that I would help the onna as he called her, raise you, and teach you what it meant to be a Saiyjin prince. I've done my best Trunks, I know it isn't much, but I do and have always loved you as though you were my own. You are in a very real way my child. Your father and I were bonded by blood, and before he died, we performed a blood-bonding ceremony with you. It's like a Saiyjin adoption; basically you bit me and tasted my blood, forming a parent-bond between us." I chuckled. "That's how I always know what you're up to, Trunks." He looked uncomfortable. I figured I knew what he was thinking. But I wanted him to ask.

"I will answer any questions you have the best that I can Trunks. You don't have to be afraid, I won't get angry, or embarrassed. If I didn't think this was important, I wouldn't tell you." I lowered my head. "I never told anybody. It wasn't a secret exactly, we just had so little time together before...before he died. And I didn't really have anybody to tell. The only other person who might have understood was my father, but he had already died." I wiped the back of my had across my damp eyes and looked at him.

He gazed at me levelly, his calm look disrupted by his reddened face. "So, you and tousan were married, right?" I nodded. "And kassan told me that married people have sex." I nodded again. "But she only told me about men and women...she never said anything about two men together..." I could see him forcing himself to keep my gaze. Kami, I was so proud of him! He was determined not to show how uncomfortable and embarrassed he was. Not for the first time I wished Vegeta were here tonight.

"Human's have long held the idea that love between two people of the same sex is wrong," I began, my gaze never leaving his. "Saiyjins on the other hand were more concerned about finding a mate that fit them, be it male or female. They had no such moral bans on same-sex mating."

"But what about having babies?" asked Trunks, frankly puzzled. "I mean, I can see how it would be pretty easy for two women to have a baby, all they need is sperm, one of them can carry the pregnancy. But men can't get pregnant."

"Some Saiyjin men could get pregnant actually. It was a genetic trait that ran in certain families. All that information is on the data chip I gave you."

He frowned, but seemed to accept that. "So, how do two men have sex exactly?"

I knew the question had been coming, and I was prepared to answer it, but even as I began, face hot my mind flew back, remembering....

To be continued

Coming and Going Part 2 of ????

I awoke some time later with a tremendous pounding in my brain. "Oh, Kami," I groaned. It felt like someone had smashed my head into a brick wall. A brick wall named Vegeta. What had I been thinking, challenging the Ouji? I opened my eyes, reluctantly. The sun was still out, I hadn't been unconscious for terribly long. Vegeta was nowhere to be seen...

I was in the same spot where I had fallen earlier. The land surrounding me was pitted and scarred from the intense energy that had been released during my battle with Vegeta. I tried to sit up, but the severe pain in my head kept me from staying upright. I fell back against the ground. I hadn't eaten in days, despite Piccolo harassing me, very dangerous for a Saiyjin. My energy level had dropped severely, and as far as I knew, there wasn't a senzu bean for miles; Vegeta never carried them and I had not expected to need them.

I couldn't believe that Vegeta would leave me out on this field to die. No matter what had occurred between us, he was still my Prince...My brain was still fuzzy from the harsh blows that Vegeta's heavy fists had landed. I drifted in and out of consciousness. At times, I thought I could hear his imperious voice. Then it would fade away into nothingness.

"Vegeta, what have you done with Gohan?" Piccolo's voice.

"Not a damn thing that didn't need doing." Vegeta, "You should never have let it go this far, Namek. This is on your head."

"He's just a child..."

Vegeta cuts him off. "Bullshit. He's NOT a child. He has far surpassed nearly every fighter in the universe."

"I'm not talking about his power level. He's...innocent...like Son was."

Vegeta snorted, "Hardly. He's nothing like Kakkarott. You insist upon thinking of him as the boy that you trained. He's 13 years old, nearly 14. A man grown on Vegetasei."

"I want to see him, Vegeta; I'm not going to leave until I see him."

"Piccolo..."Vegeta growls."Gohan is MY concern now."

"At least give him a senzu bean. He's in pain...what kind of monster are you?"

"Well, Namek, I would give him a senzu bean, but considering that I gave you my last one..."

"VEGETA! How dare you put this off on me?" Piccolo screams.

Vegeta answers him evenly, "I told you to move out of my damn way. You forced me to kick your green ass."

Darkness bleeds away to light. I try to rise again, but the pain is so fierce that I moan in agony. "Help...help me..."

Vegeta's voice, nearer this time. "Damnit, Piccolo, get the fuck out of here. No one needs YOU to lend a hand."

I'm desperate; the grinding pain in my head is frightening. I feel disconnected from my body...Oh Kami; I'm dying...."VEGETA!!"

He reaches my side in a flash. "Enough. That's enough. You'll be fine. We just need to get you some senzu."

"I don't want..."

"Don't fight me. Not on this. "

"You left me," I said accusingly.

"Of course not. I merely stepped away for a moment. Didn't want to move you until I could see how badly you were injured. Your friend, the Namek, is the one who held me up."

"Piccolo?" I say his name hesitantly.

"Gohan. I'm here. What do you need?"

"I need to talk to Vegeta. Alone."

"What?!? Gohan...are you sure?"

I answer softly, "I'll be alright. Ouji will take care of me. I'll...I'll talk to you when I'm feeling better."

Piccolo stares first at me, then Vegeta. "What is going on?"

"Namek, I told you, Gohan is my concern now. Nothing more will happen. He's in no danger from me."

Piccolo doesn't want to leave my side, but in the end he respects my wishes. He wrings a promise from me that I will get in touch with him as soon as I'm able.

Then, finally, we're alone.

"Gohan. Can you stand?" He's never spoken my name to me before. It was always boy, or brat, or whelp, never Gohan...and never in that tone of voice.

"I don't know. I haven't eaten...I think I'm hurt too badly." His usually stern features look stricken. "Come along now. Try." I take his arm, and a bolt like lightning flows through me.

I look into his eyes and suddenly I realize that he felt it, too. His breathing is uneven, ragged. When he speaks again, his voice is pitched so low I can barely hear.

"Gohan..." his voice breaks.

I don't understand...yet, in some deep, primitive way, I do. He shakes his head as if to clear it. "No more. We'll speak later. Our first priority is to get you home."

"Vegeta, I can't go home. Mother will have a fit."

Vegeta turns his dusky eyes toward me, "She has no say. In anything. I am your Ouji. Do you recognize me as such?" A pivotal moment, though I didn't know it at the time.

"I...I...what?"

"Am I your prince? Or do you wish to fight me again?"

"I don't want...no, I don't want to fight you. I recognize you...you are my Ouji." And following some deeply buried instinct, I slowly bow my head, bones grinding in a shatteringly painful protest, in submission to my Prince.

Vegeta nods his head slightly. "You will answer to no one but me. I will manage your baka kassan. In the meantime, you will come stay with me." I start to voice my protest, and he raises a hand to my lips.

"We don't have time for this. We'll talk, I swear it. Just come with me, Gohan."

I answer him softly, "I will."

He kneels down beside me, encompassing me in his strong arms. We're nearly the same height, I note, but he carries me as if I were nothing more than a small kitten. He powers up and we fly together towards Capsule Corporation.

I lean against his chest and shiver slightly from the cold. Vegeta pulls me closer to him, saying, "We'll be there soon" Once again, I sink into oblivion. But it's different than before. This time I'm not alone.

I didn't wake again until we were inside Vegeta's quarters at the Capsule Corporation. As soon as my head touched the pillow, my eyes snapped open. "Vegeta?" I was groggy, and all I knew for certain was that I needed Vegeta.

"I'm here. I have to go downstairs to get some things. I'll be back."

"No. Please don't...please don' t leave me."

Vegeta looks at me from his place by the door and says, "I must leave, but I'll return."

I believe him. I settle back down my throbbing head on the pillow. I look around with great curiosity. I have never before been in Vegeta's bedroom. It is a spartan room, the bed and a set of dresser drawers are the only furniture. No decorations, no curtains, nothing. Even on the bed there is only the one pillow. I'm truly surprised there IS a bed that he doesn't just sleep on the cold, hard floor. An odd man, my Ouji.

I hear Vegeta's light footsteps making their way up the stairs. I attempt to sit up, to meet my Prince on somewhat even footing, but my muscles refuse to cooperate. Vegeta enters the doorway, carrying some food on a tray, along with a stunning array of medical tape and gauze. He sets the tray down on the dresser, and moves to sit down beside me. "There isn't a single senzu bean in this house. I'm sure cue-ball has some, but I can't seem to get in touch with him. Until I do, we'll need to tape up your ribs. I can feel at least two that are broken, if not more. The last thing I need is for you to have a damn punctured lung."

I nod slowly. "Okay. Can I eat first, though?"

"I suppose so. Hell if I know if you even should. I'm no doctor, but if you eat then at least you'll have some energy."

"I'm starving."

"I'm hardly surprised. How long has it been since you've eaten?"

"I dunno." I answer.

He stares at me, through me, "Your death cannot bring your father back. You do realize that, don't you?"

"I never said I wanted to die!" I react defensively.

His voice softens, "Bullshit. I've been where you are now."

"You don't understand, how could you?" I'm whining, but I'm so tired and everything hurts. I don't want to talk about this right now.

"I understand better than you know. Do you realize that when your father died, I became the last full-blooded Saiyjin? There are no others, and there will be no others."

I stared at him, wide eyed at the blunt emotion in that simple statement. I hadn't thought...why hadn't I thought? He continued.

"I lost my father at a young age, a little younger than you are now."

"I'm sorry Vegeta," I whisper. "I forgot"

I had forgotten, he had not only lost his father, but his entire planet, and the vast majority of his race, leaving only him, my father, my father's brother Radditz, Nappa and a renegade cousin of my father's family Turles. And now they were all gone.

He brushed away my apology, as though it were as insubstantial as a cobweb, "Never mind. It was a long time ago. You are better off than I was. You aren't alone."

I sit up, wincing in pain. He grimaces at my discomfort. "You should eat...we can talk when you're feeling stronger."

That's a good idea, I think...but part of me wants to talk now. I open my mouth to say so, but he shushes me and busies himself with the gauze and tape on the tray.

"Eat." An imperial order that I have some trouble following.

My hands shake uncontrollably as I attempt to feed myself, dropping more food in my lap than I manage to get into my mouth. I find it almost unbearably difficult to chew, not so much because of any pain in my face, but even my jaw muscles feel so damned weak. There's a glass of milk on the tray that I would like to have, but I am afraid to even attempt to hold it, let alone actually get it to my mouth and drink it without dropping it or spilling it everywhere.

I'm not sure exactly how, but Vegeta notices my longing gaze at the tall, cold slippery glass of milk. Before I can blink, he is there, holding it for me, and helping me drink it. Kami, I swear nothing ever tasted so good.

He grimaces. "I should have thought to bring a straw. You haven't eaten in Kami knows how long and you just got the shit beat out of you, of course you can't manage your own damn food." I try to stammer my thanks, but he ignores it.

"Are you feeling any stronger now?"

To my surprise, I am. The milk sits comfortingly in my formerly empty stomach, promising me energy and filling part of the gaping hole inside me. I finish off the tray, and move as if to hand it to him.

"Sit back" he orders. Vegeta takes the tray from my weak grasp and sets it outside the door. "Take off your shirt." A shiver runs through me and I make every effort to comply, struggling to remove the remains of my shirt. I can barely sit up, much less use my arms. Vegeta's elegant fingers stop me.

"Here. I'll do it."

His hands brush against my shoulders and my stomach lurches with excitement. He's forced to lean in close in order to pull my shirt from my pants. Suddenly, I look up and I find myself looking directly in the stormy eyes of the Ouji. We're so close; I can feel his breath on my face.

Time stops.

Vegeta tears his gaze from mine abruptly. Is it my imagination, or is his breathing as uneven as mine?

He tapes my bruised and broken ribs in silence. There's so much I want to say...I'm so very confused. I've never felt this way before. His movements are precise, meticulous, but something is not right. I gasp as I notice the horrible burns he sustained from my Kamehameha wave.

"Vegeta. You're hurt."

"It's nothing. I'll be fine." His voice is clipped, not from anger, but from pain. Guilt floods my heart as he works over my wounds, instead of tending to his own.

He finishes taping my ribs, and turns to look at some of my other wounds, when I catch his wrist, gently, painfully aware of the burns I caused. "Please Vegeta; I can't stand to see you in pain." Tears fill my eyes unbidden as the truth of the statement stomps its way into the center of my heart, like a rabid Oozaruu on a moonlit night.

"I told you it's nothing Gohan," he begins.

"It's NOT nothing Vegeta." It's not. I swear I can feel pain radiating from the burns on his forearms to mine. The intensity of it very nearly matches that of the grinding agony in my head. I am amazed he has managed this long without tending to them.

"Please Vegeta," I say again.

He doesn't reply, but leaves the room. Before I have time to wonder what it was that I did wrong, he is back with a small jar of salve. He sits back on the side of the bed, and deftly applies the greenish sweet smelling salve to his burns. I sigh in relief as the pain is lessened, almost eradicated. His eyes aren't on the gauze he is winding around his arms with the ease of long practice, but on mine, as though looking for...what...approval?

I smile tremulously at him. "Thanks Vegeta," my voice is barely more than a whisper. "I just can't stand to see you in pain." I gulp and lower my eyes. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I never wanted to cause you pain, my Ouji."

He says nothing. Is he angry with me? My brain races in frantic circles. Oh please don't let him be angry with me, please....there are soft fingers on my chin, tilting my head ever so slightly. My eyes are open, and I see Vegeta, MY Prince looking at me, softly. Infinitely softly And then swiftly, so swiftly that I am never sure when it is that his head dips from looking into my eyes to that wonderful new position, his warm satin lips are upon mine.

He breaks the kiss tenderly and gathers me carefully into his arms, pulling me onto his lap. "Mine," he whispers, a trace of a growl in his voice. "My Gohan." And he kisses me again. The kiss is more forceful this time, and I feel his...Kami...is that his tongue... licking at my lips. I gasp slightly in surprise, and before I know what is happening, that warm, sweet organ is exploring my mouth with breathtaking slowness and care. Shivers run through my body as the split on his lower lip begins to bleed sluggishly and the delectable iron-tanged sweetness seeps into my mouth. My body is hot, burning, and still my Ouji tastes me. Every injury I sustained today may as well have been healed by a senzu because I feel nothing but ecstasy. I wish...I wish this kiss could last forever.

"Gohan," his breath is hot in my ear.

"Vegeta," I moan into his neck. I can smell a strong spicy smell, like cinnamon in the sun, with a noticeable trace of fire laced all through it. My Ouji's scent...Kami, it is arousing me...fast.

"Please Vegeta..." I'll be damned if I know what it is that I'm pleading for, but Vegeta seems to know. His fingers carefully caress the back of my neck, bringing me in close for another soul-wringing kiss; his other hand firm on my uninjured lower back He turns me gently, slowly so that I am straddling his thighs, and his hands both move to clasp my rear. I gasp into his mouth as the most incredible sensations flood me. He merely pulls me tighter to him, closing the gap between us to absolutely nothing.

Impulsively I wrap my legs around his middle and return his kiss about a thousand times harder. I can feel his solid length against my backside, mere millimeters from where his wonderful hands currently rest. Well not rest exactly...his fingers are squeezing, massaging, stroking expertly, and I moan wetly, breaking our lip-lock and burying my face into his neck.

"Gohan..." With some difficulty I push his shirt up, smiling slightly goofily at the heat rolling off of his beautiful tanned skin. I try to lift it off of him, but sadly, I only FEEL like I am fully recovered; in truth I am still extremely weak. But that's ok...I know my Ouji is strong enough for both of us; a point that is driven home as he rips his shirt over his head and tosses it away before resuming his exploration of my body. I close my eyes as his lips caress my jaw line, stopping to nibble at one of my ears, traveling down my neck, leaving a steaming trail that to this day I can follow with my mind.

I want to reciprocate, but I am helpless. Vegeta doesn't seem to mind. Every moan, every breathless utterance of his name causes him to redouble his efforts until I am so much putty in his lap. He's back at my mouth again, and oh Kami, he tastes so good! I lift a hand to his upswept flame of hair and do something I have wanted to do since I was eight years old. I run trembling fingers through it, then clench them, fisting his hair. It feels...right; the stiff silky softness of his Saiyjin mane feels entirely RIGHT in my hand. He groans into my mouth. "Vegeta," I whisper. "Need you...always...please?"

There is that lightening sensation again as he pulls away and looks into my eyes. Those jet pools of blackest midnight are the loveliest things I have ever seen.

"Gohan, as long as I live you will be mine, as I will be yours."

My brain for once did not fail to grasp the significance of his words, and I replied, "As long as I live Vegeta I will be yours and only yours, my Ouji."

I'm not sure exactly how he manages it without dumping me from his lap, but soon my pants are gone, and so are his and we are locked together, heated skin rubbing against heated skin. His head dips from my neck to nuzzle my chest and lick, then bite at my one exposed nipple...the other one being covered by gauze and tape. I am trembling in his firmly gentle grasp.

I can feel his arousal nearly nestled between my nether cheeks, its hardness and heat serving to excite me further as my own length is sandwiched between our muscled stomachs. He brings one of his hands to my mouth, and presses two fingers against my swollen lips. Having some idea of what he wanted, I take them into my mouth, sucking, nibbling and covering them with a generous coating of my saliva.

"That's good Gohan, oh, that's very good," he whispers in my ear as he removes his fingers. "Try and relax; I don't want to hurt you."

I gaze into his eyes, and say with complete trust..."I know you won't hurt me Vegeta." He smiles and bends to kiss me once again, and I feel one of his fingers slowly circle my entrance.

I arch into him as he presses it slowly into me, whimpering slightly, not in pain, but in need. Vegeta seems to understand as he kisses and suckles at my neck, his other hand is sliding around my hips and searching, probing...OH KAMI!!!! FINDING my tail spot. I see stars, I swear it. As I writhe under the dual ministrations of his fingers I don't even notice as he slips a second digit into me. I do notice however as one of those Kami-sent fingers brushes up against a particular spot inside of me. Of their own accord, my hips thrust backwards onto his fingers, and I hear him chuckle low in his chest.

His fingers tease my tailspot again as he stretches me, preparing me for...him. I can't wait. "Vegeta," I moan..."please...now?"

He doesn't ask me if I am sure, he merely removes his fingers and lifts me as easily as though I weighed nothing at all, settling me carefully as the head of his member presses against my entrance. One of my hands is still fisted in his hair, and he moves the other one, guessing correctly that I hadn't the strength, to his neck. I wrap my arm around, trying to brace myself against him, as he lowers me onto his rigid shaft. It DOES hurt...but only a little, and only for a second. I melt again as talented fingers caress my tailspot, and he slips in, unhindered. An incredible sense of fullness sates me briefly. Then he is withdrawing and thrusting back, brushing that spot inside me with something so much more satisfying than a finger.

I was right, my Ouji does have strength enough for both of us. As he thrusts deeply into my more than willing body, one of his hands finds my hidden length and strokes it in time with his delicious thrusts. I know I won't last long, I haven't the strength, but I try anyway. A few seconds later, and I cry out his name as my seed splatters between us. I collapse, and he supports me, never ceasing his thrusting. I come back to myself quickly, already hard again as my member is embraced in the warm slickness of my sated need. Oh Kami, his hand is at my tailspot again, and I wish I could move my arms enough to return the favor. He must have sensed me tensing, because he kissed me sweetly and said softly, "Just let me Gohan, this time." I obeyed.

His breath catches in his throat as he increases his thrusting, angling so that with every thrust I see different colored stars behind my eyes. Combined with his skillful manipulation of my tailspot, it isn't surprising that as he roars his release, I come again with a soft moan. My Prince's thrusting slows, then stops and he collapses backwards on the bed, with me still straddling him.

As we drift off to sleep, I wonder faintly exactly there is to talk about.

Part three of ?

I left Trunks looking over the information on the data chip intently, his cheeks still a flaming scarlet. I hadn't minced words with the explanation of Saiyjin male/male sex, and I had the feeling Trunks was sorry he had asked. The door slid shut behind me with a soft hiss, and I turned with a sigh...and nearly bumped into Bulma who was giving me that look again. That look that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. That intent, coolly appraising look. I opened my mouth to ask to be let by...

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to Gohan. And be assured, I won't stand for it."

I blinked at the pure venom in the woman's voice. "What in Kami's good name are you talking about Bulma?"

"You think I don't know what you have in mind for my son? You think I don't see the way you look at him?" Her voice increased in volume and pitch. I didn't want Trunks to hear so I grabbed her by the arm and steered her down the hall.

Before she could continue, I spoke, my own voice low and dangerous. "I don't know what you are talking about Bulma, but you'd better tell me and fast. Somehow I don't think I am going to like it much."

She ground her teeth together, and I winced at the sound. "Did you think I wouldn't figure out what was going on between you and Vegeta? Let me tell you, I had a good idea before I SAW the two of you in the gravity chamber. At first I thought Vegeta was taking advantage of you, but it was patently obvious that you were a completely willing participant. And now that Vegeta is dead, you plan on replacing him with Trunks, well Gohan I won't HAVE it!!!!!" Her voice escalated to a scream. "LEAVE GOHAN...NOW!"

Had I had both of my arms I would have folded them in a Vegeta-esqu gesture. It certainly was my first reaction. Instead, I leaned against the wall and stared at Bulma. "So...you saw us, ne? Well Bulma, it's obvious that you had not a clue as to what you were really seeing."

She interrupted me before I could continue. "Gohan, I know hot monkey sex when I see it. It's not like the two of you were that good at hiding it."

I lifted an eyebrow. "It's not like we were trying to hide it, onna. As I was saying, you obviously have no idea what you saw, because if you did, you would know that there is no way that I am after Trunks as a replacement for his father."

That shut her up. For a moment anyway. "I don't know who you think you're trying to fool Gohan..." she began.

"I'm not trying to fool anyone Bulma." My patience was wearing thin. "You aren't stupid woman...you know enough about Saiyjin biology and mating practices...tell me what this is." And I pulled down the left side collar of my shirt, exposing Vegeta's claim-mark.

She knew what it was all right...her gasp of surprise and recognition was enough to tell me that.

"You....he....you..." she stammered.

"We were mates Bulma. Bonded mates."

Still, she clung to her preconceived notion. "That wouldn't stop you from..."

I lost it. I closed my eyes and breathed in a deep breath before picking her up and thrusting her hard against the wall. "I am only going to say this once Bulma. I am not after your son for sex. I pledged my vow to Vegeta that for as long as I lived I would only be his; and I have every intention of keeping that vow. I would no sooner fuck my son than fuck you Bulma."

Her eyes grew wide, and she spat in frustration, "Trunks is NOT your son. He is MY son. Mine and Vegeta's!! Not yours!! You and Vegeta could never have children!"

I dropped her...my anger gone, grief welling in its place. I didn't bother to explain to her the nature of the blood-rite that Vegeta and I had performed with Trunks, that yes he was my son. Her shrill voice had shredded my heart with a grief that I managed to suppress most of the time. A grief no one knew but me. Something I had left out of my talk with Trunks. Something that I forced out of my mind as much as possible.

My child.

Our child.

With a barely suppressed sob, I walked slowly to my quarters ignoring Bulma's surprised exclamations behind me.

The information was on the data chip I left with Trunks. Some Saiyjin males could conceive and carry pregnancies. Some tinkering of genetics generations ago had brought it about. It was especially prevalent in the noble and royal households who wished to keep their gene pools as pure as possible.

Oh Vegeta...what it took for you to tell me that you wanted to carry my child. Because of course it meant that not only would he have to give up his dominant position in our relationship, if only for one night, but after the first month, he wouldn't be able to train, to fight...he'd have to rely on me to protect him, to provide for him. Even for a short four month pregnancy, that was still an awful lot for the Saiyjin prince's pride to swallow. And still, he thought it was worth it...for us to have a child together. And later, perhaps if things went well...more. Many more. Our offspring would be almost full-blooded Saiyjin. For the first time since my father died, we had some kind of hope for our race.

I looked around my room...our room really. It was the same set of rooms he had carried me to originally. That bed, the one I slept on every night, I had slept with him on every night after that first wonderful time. There were some changes in the room, most of them made before Vegeta died. A computer terminal and desk, some framed pictures, my father's power pole hung over my desk, and there were blackout shutters at the window.

I opened the bottom drawer of the dresser carefully. It held a few very special items, sealed in clear air tight bags. One contained one of my father's orange gi's, complete with boots and weighted wristbands. The other, a training suit of Vegeta's, also complete with boots, and in this instance, white training gloves. The last bag held a set of sheets, pillowcases, and one pair of white boxer shorts. I opened it carefully, scenting deeply, reveling in the still strong smell of our lovemaking.

I didn't want to think of what Bulma forced to the front of my brain...instead, I cast my memory about for happy memories...

I was warm. Not entirely comfortable, but warm, and very very content. The most delicious smell ensconced me, and I purred my gratification for the world to hear. I nuzzled slightly, expecting to find Vegeta curled around me as he had been for the last several hours, my head on his chest, but my efforts met only the fabric of the lone pillow. I opened my eyes reluctantly...it was still light out, though it was starting to dim around the edges. Vegeta was standing beside the bed looking down at me with a curious expression on his face.

"What's the matter Vegeta?" I mumbled around a mouthful of pillow.

"Baldy's coming," he replied. I noticed that he had pulled on a pair of loose gi pants. I was almost disappointed.

I struggled to sit up, but he pushed me easily back down. "Stay down," he ordered. "You can get up AFTER you have a senzu."

I blinked at the forcefulness in his voice. Something must have shown on my face because he sat down beside me, and said gently, "I'm sorry Gohan...I just worry that I might have hurt you earlier." He looked as though he was about to say more, but a knock sounded on the door.

Vegeta stood up and crossed to the door, casting one last glance at me over his shoulder. I nodded slightly, wincing, and he opened the door to a very agitated Krillen.

"I got your messages Vegeta, what's the big emergency?" Krillen and Vegeta had never gotten along very well, even after we fought together on Namek. And I realized suddenly that Krillen was grieving too, for the loss of his best and oldest friend. His intense eyes were red-rimmed with recently shed tears; suddenly I felt horribly selfish.

"Exactly when did I begin answering to you, Cue-ball?" came the gruff retort. "I should think it was fucking obvious," he said, pointing in my direction.

Krillen looked over at me and the blood drained from his face. His fists balled and he turned to Vegeta, furious. "What happened to Gohan you fucking piece of shit?"

I started to answer, but Vegeta cut me off before I could draw a breath. Besides, I suddenly realized that breathing hurt. A LOT.

Vegeta sniffed imperiously, "Don't even start to fuck with me today...you want to know, ask him."

"What is that supposed to mean Vegeta?" asked Krillen dangerously. He was shorter than Vegeta I noticed suddenly.

"I'm sorry. Perhaps I should speak slower so you can understand...what I do is none of your damn business. If you have a question for Gohan, feel free to ask it. But if you piss me off, Baldy, I'll send your ass straight to hell."

Before Krillen could escalate the conflict, I broke in with a pained gasp. Something shifted agonizingly in my chest, and at first I thought it had to do with the way Vegeta used my name when he spoke to Krillen. But the pain intensified, and it was suddenly much more difficult to breathe.

Vegeta was at my side in an instant, his hands gentle on my chest, feeling carefully over the ribs he had taped earlier. He met my eyes, and I was startled to see my own pain reflected in them. He stood abruptly and turned to Krillen.

His voice lowered ominously, "I'll say this only once. Give Gohan the senzu, say what you have to say, and get the fuck out of here."

Vegeta turned back towards me and his dark eyes bored into mine, "I'll be right over here." He stalked to the doorway and leaned against it, arms folded. He watched Krillen with guarded eyes, as if he suspected the smaller man of having designs on my life.

Krillen looked at him strangely as he made his way hastily over to the side of the bed. "What was that all about?" he murmured to me as he handed me a senzu bean from the pouch tied around his waist.

I shrugged tiredly as I struggled to chew the hard bean. Damnit, I swear I was going to break a tooth on the thing...luckily the bean's restorative powers would fix it. Halfway through chewing it, I lay back, completely exhausted. I didn't remember these damn beans being so difficult to chew. Finally I was able to swallow, though I almost choked as another piercing pain made itself known in my chest. I could see Vegeta twitch in the doorway as though to move back over to the bed, but he stopped himself as Krillen helped me sit up and clear the bean fragments from my airway.

Relief was almost instantaneous, though it seemed that my injuries were so extensive that one bean was not enough to heal me completely. Still, I could breathe, and sit up without any trouble, and I knew that if I tried I could walk easily. I was still stiff, sore and tired, but I felt nearly as good as new all the same.

"So what happened Gohan?" asked Krillen in a low voice. "Did Vegeta do this to you?" He looked ready to get angry, so I grabbed his arm before I answered.

"Yes he did Krillen, and no, he didn't."

He frowned, confused. "What is that supposed to mean Gohan? Either he hurt you, or he didn't. One or the other."

I shook my head. "He saved me Krillen. I was killing myself... slowly. Vegeta just did what needed to be done. It's...a Saiyjin thing. You probably wouldn't understand."

Krillen looked utterly baffled. "He saved you by beating you nearly to death?"

I laughed, shortly. "You act like he got away unscathed. He provoked me into fighting him. He's hurt pretty badly himself. Leave me another senzu Krillen, and I'll try to get him to take it. He needs it even if he won't admit it."

Krillen looked at me as though I had grown an extra head, but being the good friend that he is, he removed another bean and set it down on the chest of drawers beside the bed. He looked back at me, concern in his eyes.

"Do you want me to take you home Gohan?"

I shook my head. "I am home Krillen."

"Gohan, are you feeling ok? Maybe you need another senzu..."

"I'm fine Krillen. I'm just not going back to Mother's. Not to stay at any rate." I closed my eyes. I suddenly didn't feel like talking anymore. I was tired, and I wanted nothing more than for Vegeta to get back into the bed with me and purr that wonderful purr of his. It soothed me like nothing had ever before in my life.

I could hear Krillen fussing worriedly, when Vegeta's voice cut back in.

"Damnit, Krillen, that's enough. You've had your say, now go. I will see to Gohan now."

Krillen was shocked by the protectiveness in Vegeta's tone, but foolishly continued his speech. "Gohan, your mother needs you. Especially now, that your father is gone. You've been neglecting your duties to her..."

I began to speak, to apologize for my selfishness as was my habit, but Vegeta's voice was already biting through my voiceless regret. "That's a load of shit, and you know it. That woman cares as little for Gohan as she did for Kakkarott. If she gave a damn about her son, this would never have happened. Gohan owes her nothing. His loyalty as a Saiyjin is to me and me alone."

Krillen's eyes widened, and he said slowly, "So, what? Gohan stays with you? For how long?"

Vegeta hissed, "For as long as I deem necessary and not one second less."

Krillen looked at me, confusion apparent on his face. "Gohan, are you sure about this?"

I answered softly, "Krillen, I'm gonna be fine. Just...look after my mom, please?"

Krillen nodded his agreement, but added, "Look, I don't understand what's going on, but I think your Mom deserves some kind of explanation."

Vegeta cut him off, sharply, "If you're so damned concerned, you can tell the harpy where to find Gohan. And if she has any problems, she can bring them to ME."

Krillen's concern for me must have outweighed his fear of Vegeta, because he shot back, "Yeah, well who died and put you in charge?"

Vegeta's eyes glittered and he said sharply, "I believe it was my father. I am the Saiyjin no Ouji and, as such, I am responsible for the lives of every Saiyjin."

Krillen answered with a hint of sarcasm, "All three of them, huh?"

I cringed slightly and waited for the explosion, but it didn't come.

"Yes, Baldy, all three of them. No harm will come to Gohan while he is with me. I can't say the same for you."

This was not going to end any time soon. A single vein was throbbing in Vegeta's temple, and Krillen's mouth was set in a hard, obstinate line. Their love and concern for me was not enough to keep them from being at odds with one another. I decided to intervene. "Krillen, please, I don't feel so good. Could we finish this later?" I whined. Childish? Yes, but in this case, effective.

Krillen's face softened and he answered, "Sure, kid. No prob. I didn't mean to upset you. You get well, and then we'll talk."

Krillen walked out the door, past Vegeta, each of them giving the other extremely hostile looks.

When Krillen had gone, Vegeta closed the door and smirked at me. "Gohan, you little liar...you feel fine."

I grinned back at him. "True...but I wouldn't have felt fine if you two had gotten into a huge fight." My gaze flickered to the senzu on the dresser. "Speaking of feeling fine..."

Vegeta grunted. "No way boy, don't need it."

I scratched the back of my head, feeling for a moment like my father. "Well Vegeta," I said slowly. "You know best of course, but I can't see you keeping up with me being all healed and everything at your advanced age and all..."

The bean was gone in an instant and a breath later Vegeta had pinned me to the mattress.

"Now brat," and my stomach gave a funny jump at the slight growl in his voice. "Let's just see who isn't keeping up with who."

I didn't answer him, just pulled his head down to mine and kissed him savagely. He broke away and said breathlessly...

"I think you'll find that my skill is far more advanced than my age..."

"Oh I know it is my Ouji," I smile wickedly at him. "In fact, I'm counting on it."

Vegeta growled and yanked the blankets from my still naked form. Kami, he was hot...like earlier the heat radiated from his perfect skin. I could feel it penetrating every part of me, bathing me in it's radiant warmth. And this time it would be even better, I thought as my hands roamed over his sculpted body and I melted under his kisses and nips along my neck and shoulders...this time I could give back. And I proceeded to relieve Vegeta of his pants.

Vegeta groaned and made his way back to my mouth as my eager fingers caressed his shoulders, the back of his neck, to finally fist in his hair. Kami, how I loved his hair! He kissed me fiercely, and I returned the favor, allowing him access to my moist depths, and occasionally caressing his tongue with my own. He lightly stroked the side of my face, his nails drawing goose bumps all along one side of my body, and I shivered delightedly at the sensation. Then he stopped.

I looked at him, puzzled and concerned. "Vegeta...did I do something wrong? Don't you want me?"

He closed his eyes and rolled off of me. I was scared now. "Vegeta..." I couldn't continue...my voice trembled.

"Damnit Gohan, you did nothing wrong." His voice is harsh. "It's just...I just want to do something right for a change."

"Nani?" I didn't understand.

He sat up against the headboard and invited me to do the same.

"I stopped myself earlier Gohan because you were so badly injured, I was concerned that if I tried to claim you properly it could send you into shock. And just now...I remembered that you didn't grow up on Vegetasei...and neither did your father so you don't know anything about our customs...our mating habits."

I looked at him, my eyes full of questions that I couldn't seem to make my voice ask.

He took my hand in his and continued. "I am who I am Gohan, I can't change that, so don't expect this kind of....explanation again." He paused, and I squeezed his hand tightly, my insides quivering. He continued. "Earlier we exchanged vows...but we didn't consummate them with blood. I meant what I said Gohan...I want you to be mine...always."

I found my voice. "I want to be yours, my Ouji...for the rest of my life." I swallowed. "Please...show me how?"

He opened his mouth, I presumed to explain, and I placed my fingertips over it, silencing him.

"No, my Prince. Don't tell me. Show me. Make me understand. I am already yours by my words and yours...show me how to become yours by your actions. Please... claim me."

He gazed into my eyes; I hoped he read my resolution, my devotion, my utter adoration and complete trust. Then he pulled me to him again and kissed me.

We tumbled back to the mattress, my Ouji on top as he kissed and fondled me tenderly, quickly growing more fierce and forceful. I tried to match his fervor, but was rapidly left in the dust as Vegeta reduced me to a melted puddle of passion in the sheets.

He kissed his way back up my body, tearing off the tape and gauze that had been rendered useless by the senzu, as he nipped and licked at my nipples. I arched into him, helpless yet again against his superior strength and skill. He paused, straddling my waist and he caught my face between his hands.

"Son Gohan, I claim you for my own. For the rest of my life, as long as I draw breath, I swear to love and protect you. Your honor is my honor. Your pride is my pride. If you are challenged, the challenge is mine to answer. You are mine, and will answer to no one save me. I claim you!" And with his last word, he tilted my face to the side, exposing my neck, then removing his hands he sank his teeth into the bared junction where my left shoulder meets my neck. I gasped, as the expected pain did not come. Instead, a raw, tingling, burning, lightning sensation starting at the place where his teeth still rested in my flesh raced through my body and to my brain. It was ecstasy. And suddenly, I KNEW Vegeta. I knew everything there was to know about my beloved Prince. And I wanted nothing more than for him to know me. I knew what I wanted to do, what I needed to do. I wanted to claim my Ouji as he had claimed me. But... I was scared that I would fail, that I would somehow destroy our miraculous union.

Vegeta held me close as he lapped gently at the wound he had made; delicious shivers ran down my spine and danced wildly at my tailspot. I moaned and wrapped my arms around his neck, tilting my head even further to the side to give him better access to the spot that would forever be one of the most sensitive areas of my body. I gasped and realized that I still had a part to play in this claim. I wanted to claim Vegeta, to submit to his claim, but....I pulled away from him, panting slightly.

"Vegeta," I looked into his eyes...Kami I was not going to cry...not now. "I...I...don't know....I don't want to mess it up....please..." I bit my lip but forced myself to hold his gaze.

His voice was unusual in its gentleness, "Gohan, you won't mess it up. You mustn't worry, I'll help you."

I gulped and nodded, not trusting myself to speak. He kissed me softly and murmured; "Now you must return the claim. I have established my dominance and claimed you as mine. Your response is to submit to my claim, to accept my dominance and to give me your vows. You can do it Gohan...you did earlier...you did it just perfectly. The words aren't set in stone; every pair uses their own vows, often uttered in the heat of passion. The only things that remain constant are that there is a dominant partner, a submissive partner and the bite." He looked at me sharply. "You do wish to submit to my claim, don't you? I won't force you..."

I nearly sobbed my response. "Oh Vegeta, I've never wanted anything more....please?"

His response was quietly firm. "You can do it Gohan...just let your instincts guide you."

I looked at him closely, realizing that over the past day I had seen sides of Vegeta I had never known existed. Who knew how gentle, loving and considerate he could be? I almost laughed to myself...I knew he would never show this side of himself outside this room, but here I was his, and he was mine, and oh Kami...I was ready to submit to my Ouji. Trouble was, I had no idea how to begin. In my mind I was already his...how much more could I submit to him? And how could I return his claim?

What the fuck was I supposed to say? My mind instantly went blank as Vegeta kissed me searingly, taking my breath and brains away simultaneously. His hands were rough and gentle in all the right places, and my breath collapsed in my chest as he gripped my hardened arousal. His mouth made its way back up to the still raw mark of his possession, and I arched and jerked beneath him, losing control of my reactions completely...giving in to his touch.

His hand left my burning member, and I whimpered pathetically. He ignored me and without preamble slipped a finger inside me. A long, slow groan filled the room, and I didn't know, and didn't care that it came from my throat. Something slick joined the first finger, and I wondered distractedly when he had had a chance to grab any oil. Then that white blast of light behind my eyes blinded me as he touched that wonderful spot inside me. Then I was empty, but only for a moment, and my as my Ouji filled me once again, I found my voice.

"Vegeta-sama, I submit to your claim, and I surrender fully to your will. I promise...I promise that I will love you for all of my life. I give of myself freely, all that I have and all that I am. I promise that I will help to raise your son, and that I will love him as if he were my own. I will be yours and yours alone, for all of my days. My loyalty is to you...my pride is in you...my strength is in you... my heart is with you forever and always. I beg for you to allow me to return your claim."

"You needn't beg me. I accept your surrender, and I will hold you to your promises. But Gohan, be sure, before you take the final step, can you accept me as I am?"

"Hai Vegeta-sama." My voice is low, but steady. "I want to be yours. I've loved you as you are for years, and will continue to love and accept you just as you are. You are my Ouji. I am yours to command."

"And command you, I shall. Return my claim, Gohan. Complete our bond."

He tilted his head to the right, exposing the ridged contours of his neck and shoulder, and I obey, leaning forward and sinking my teeth into the mirrored juncture of my Ouji's claim mark. His blood, sweet and thick fills my mouth and as I swallow, I feel the peculiar sensation of a link; I wonder if Vegeta feels the same raw burning lightning sensation I felt when he claimed me...I can almost see Vegeta taking me into him, my memories, my thoughts, my very essence. I suckle at the wound I have made at my Prince's command, reveling that he will know without a doubt how I love and accept him...how I have loved him since I was a child. I can no longer think of myself as a child, today my Ouji made me his mate...and doing so made me a man.

A throaty vibration fills the room as our twin purrs echo off the bare walls. My head falls back to the mattress, and I realize that I am still agonizingly hard. I gasp as I realize Vegeta is too as he flexes inside me. He leans forward and says softly in my ear, "Turn over." I obey.

Vegeta pulls me to my hands and knees and re-enters me smoothly. The difference in sensation that occurred with the change in position threatens to collapse my arms. Vegeta doesn't help matters as his fingers tease and pinch at my tailspot. He is completely still, and I writhe uncontrollably under his ministrations.

My breath is coming in ragged gasps, and I struggle to speak..."P...p...pl... please," is all I manage.

I can FEEL his smirk as he responds, "Please what Gohan? What do you want? You need to tell me."

I try, I really really try, but all that comes out of my mouth are disjointed moans and yelps as his tailspot manipulations grow slightly rougher.

He growls softly. "Gohan." His voice snaps out at me, breaking into my pleasure hazed consciousness. "Tell. Me. What. You. Want. NOW."

My voice leaps from my throat as though controlled by something outside myself. "FUCK ME VEGETA...PLEASE!"

And he did.

What words can describe that experience? Our first time was wonderful, but this...we had bonded through our blood, and it intensified everything. Every touch, every thrust, every moan that escaped our throats shared, doubled, trebled, hell I don't know even now. All I know is it was mind-blowing. His hands gripped my hips tightly enough to leave bruises, but I didn't care. And when he shifted his angle, raising one of my legs and holding it so that every thrust assaulted that spot inside me over and over again, I came hard, screaming my mate's name and he followed, mere seconds behind me, breathing my name into that spot on my neck, almost gently, belying the violent thrusting that accompanied his release.

We lay together, panting, basking in the heat of our joining. Vegeta moved where he could lean against the headboard, hauling my limp form against his chest. I kissed his chin softly, and he nuzzled at my ear, growling, "Enough of that, or I'll have you on your back, crying for Kami."

I chuckled, "I think I forgot my name."

He became solemn. "You mustn't ever forget that. You are mine now, remember? You are Vegeta Son Gohan, and you always will be."

"Oh, Vegeta," I whispered softly.

He looked away, saying, "Hn. Well, you needn't take my name if you don't wish to."

I thought carefully and then I answered, "I would be honored."

"Good," he replied and I could hear the pleased note in his voice. I snuggled closer into him, breathing in his scent, mingled tantalizingly with mine and closed my eyes. Only to open them a moment later when our stomach's growled in unison. I laughed nervously, a trifle embarrassed.

Vegeta's dark eyes flickered, and he said, "I suppose you must be hungry after all that. Come along, we'll go get something to eat."

I interjected, "But, Vegeta, what about Bulma?"

His elegant fingers moved along my cheek, "Never mind her. She's on a business trip. And Trunks is with his grandmother. You don't have to worry about being seen with me."

I gasped, "Vegeta, I didn't mean..."

He chuckled softly, and I realized that Vegeta was teasing me. He rose gracefully and reached out a hand to help me up. The gesture was not lost on me. My weak knees faltered as I attempted to stand. I did everything but fall headlong into his awaiting arms. "Gohan, lean on me. We'll shower first, then eat." I agreed soundlessly, curling my fingers around his carved bicep. I was unsteady, and extremely sore...in places I didn't even know I had. My gait was stiff, unnatural, a result of our recent lovemaking and the fight that preceded it. Vegeta turned towards me, and sighed gently, "Don't you ever tell anyone I did this." He picked me up in his strong embrace and carried me the rest of the way. I laid my head against his chest and knew that I was home.

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