To Win A Royal Heart

by Kami Kaze

chapter 13

Goku let his face drop against Bardock’s shoulder, his eyes closing tightly as a wave of emotion washed over him. His father’s arms tightened around him, then loosened, hands pushing him away gently by his shoulders. Bardock’s eyes wandered over the planes of Goku’s face as he shook himself, as if waking from a dream.

“I knew we looked too much alike for it to be a coincidence…I almost had myself convinced that it was just a fluke thing…then, when Goten let it slip that you came from Earth…I still tried to convince myself that it was coincidence, but I still held on to the hope that perhaps….that maybe…” Bardock stopped, shaking his head once again, still in shock. “My son. Kakarotto. I never thought I’d see you again.” His brow furrowed. “I don’t understand exactly what is happening, though. You…you have came here from the future?”

Goku opened his mouth, then closed it again. ‘What do I say? What can I say without changing things more than I already have?’ He finally nodded. “Yes, father, we are from the future, my son and I. We came here on accident after fighting a villain that had attacked Earth, threatening to destroy it. When I finally did destroy him, a small box appeared where he had stood, and I stupidly opened it; and here we are.”

Bardock appeared to think about the story briefly, then nodded. “So…Goten…” he turned to face the young man, who now had silvery tear streaks down his cheek. “is my grandson?” He asked, his eyes hopeful. Goten smiled and nodded, his smile turning into a wince as Bardock hugged him tightly, smacking him on the back a few times with affection. “I knew there was a reason I felt this closeness to you…” He muttered, stroking the young man’s hair.

“You have two grandson’s, actually; and a great granddaughter.” Goku replied with a small smile. Bardock’s eyes widened. “Gohan is ten years older than Goten, and is my first son; Goten is my second son. Gohan and his mate made me a grandfather, and her name is Pan.”

Bardock shook his head, releasing Goten from the hug. “This…I can’t believe this. I’m too young to be a grandfather AND a great grandfather!” The saiyan scowled slightly.

Goten and Goku both chuckled, but Goten was busy digging into the drawer next to his bed. Goku and Bardock watched him with interest, until Goku caught a glimpse of what Goten had been after; his wallet. Flipping it open, he handed it to Bardock, who looked confused at first, until his eyes fell on the first picture.

Bardock breathed deeply, his eyes scanning the color photo with wide eyes. In the photo, a young boy with short black hair sat on Goku’s shoulder, a small round hat perched on his head. Both had big smiles and stood in a wooded area. Looking at the picture closely, he knew that it was not Goten in the picture. “This is…Gohan?” He asked as Goku peered over his shoulder.

Goku smiled. “Yep, that’s Gohan when he was just a wee one.” Bardock flipped the picture and stared at a sea of faces, in which he only recognized three. His son, Goku, in an orange uniform, Gohan, quite a bit older this time, wearing a purple uniform and a intimidating white cape, and his prince, Vegeta. The difference was, was that all three saiyans had blazing golden hair. He stared at the picture, uncomprehending. He turned slightly, meeting his son’s eyes levelly. “Super Saiyans…”

Goku didn’t bother to answer, just returned his father’s gaze steadily. “There’s more pictures there.” He said softly.

Bardock looked down, looking at the next picture, this time of Goku, a young woman, a teenage Gohan and a young spiky haired Goten, who looked just like his father…and himself. He smiled broadly as he continued through the last few pictures, then stopped at the last one, of Goten and a purple haired boy; the picture didn’t look very old, and he assumed it had been taken not long before they had arrived on planet Vegeta.

“Father….we need to talk.” Goku said, his face serious. Bardock nodded, handing the wallet back to Goten silently. “You realize that the situation that Goten and I are in is a delicate one. Anything we do here could alter the future. As a matter of fact, no doubt we already have.”

Bardock nodded thoughtfully. “Yes. The future will have some changes, I’m sure. But you can stop any more from happening, if you tread carefully, I suppose. You don’t have to worry about my knowledge; I won’t say a word to anyone, ever. Your secret is safe with me.”

Goku smiled. “Thank you. But I have to ask more of you. Please don’t ask me any questions…be satisfied with what information we have given you. I think the less you know, the less of a problem there will be.”

“I agree with you…and though I want to know more, I will respect your wishes.”

A bell sounded in the hall, and Goku nearly jumped out of his skin. “Yikes! That was the mealtime bell, I have to get back to Vegeta!!” He yelped, running towards the door and pulling it open. “I’ll see you both later!” He yelled as he ran out the door, waving as he went.

Goten stared out the door and laughed softly. “Dad has always worked so hard to keep Vegeta-sama happy, and I don’t think Vegeta has ever noticed. Poor dad.” Bardock listened with interest, then looked out the door also, his eyes narrowed slightly. “Perhaps the Vegeta in this time will notice.”

“But, wouldn’t that change the future, Bardock?” Goten asked.

Bardock shook his head softly. “Not as directly as you think. You see, as long as the future person is still living in the future, you can’t truly change what happens unless you do something dramatic. The future isn’t another place, really; it’s still going on, just as it was. So, it’s impossible to go back and change it, because that would be changing the past.” Bardock blinked, then scratched his head. “Eh…ok, so that wasn’t the best way to explain…”

Goten laughed, pushing the door closed. “I think I get it. You mean that, since Vegeta-sama is in the future, even the past can’t change him, because he, in his time, has already had his past.”

Bardock grinned. “Exactly. However…Vegeta is still Vegeta, wether it be past or present, but might be treated as two separate entities; which would mean, the Vegeta of the future might get residue of what happened in the alternate past.”

Goten shook his head. “This is starting to hurt my brain.”

***

Bulma stared at Vegeta from across the dinner table, completely bewildered. Trunks and Gohan exchanged glances, then shrugged and continued eating as Vegeta sat quietly, pushing his food around his plate, having not taken one single bite. His brows were drawn down into a frown, and he had not said anything to anyone in hours.

Finally, Bulma sighed, throwing her napkin down. “Vegeta. You’ve got to eat something! What’s wrong with you? You’ve never played with your food before…you…you’re acting like a love sick teenager!”

Vegeta scowled deeper, his cheeks flushing. “I am NOT a love sick teenager; I don’t even have a clue why you’d say that! Just because I don’t feel like eating or talking with you bakas, doesn’t mean a damn thing! Do you mind if I at least try and attempt to THINK around you who seem incapable of it the majority of the time?” His voice continued rising as he jumped from his chair, hands gripping the edge of the table.

Trunks laughed, shoveling salad into his mouth. “Dad, I think Goku’s absence is really wearing on you. When he gets back, why don’t you just tell him how you feel about him?” Bulma cringed, Gohan flinched.

“WHAT?!?!” Vegeta raised his hand, his fist clenching tightly around the glass of water that was there until it cracked and burst, sending water and shards of glass flying. Suddenly his face paled. “Kakarotto….Vegeta-sei…around the year 750….OH KAMI, NO!!!!!!!!!!!!” He ran from the table, his face serious. “WOMAN! Get your ass in here and work on that time machine! We have to get Kakarotto and his brat out of there, and SOON!”

Bulma stuttered and stood, along with Trunks and Gohan, both looking confused. “Vegeta, why, what’s going to…” Bulma herself then paled, her hand fluttering to her throat. “Oh Kami…I forgot about Frieza blowing the planet up. But..wait…didn’t he say he was on Frieza’s ship?”

“Yes, that’s what he said…but for how long? What if he gets sent back? What if….fuck! Anything could happen. We have to get them back!” he demanded.

‘What would I do if he died again? My feelings for him…they’re…different…than they were before. Not that I like him all that much or anything.’ He thought to himself as he rushed to the lab, Bulma, Trunks and Gohan following closely behind. ‘If I don’t like him, why do I care? Why is my heart aching at the thought of losing him? Why do I miss him so?’ He growled softly. He didn’t understand his own emotions, and didn’t want to. All he knew is that for some reason, those emotions had doubled, if not tripled since the man had left. It was safe to say that the suddenness of the emotion made him uncomfortable to say the least. ‘If he makes it back alive…I ‘ll kill him. I’ll KILL HIM! It’s all his fault!’ He raged silently, slamming his fist into his palm.

***

“You’re late.” Vegeta stated quietly as Goku rushed through the door.

“Ah…well…you see…we started talking and…” Goku began, his hands twisting together with worry.

“It’s all right.” Vegeta said, walking up to him slowly, his eyes downcast.

Goku frowned slightly. ‘Something’s wrong….I sense…’ His thought ceased as Vegeta came to stop before him, his eyes rising to meet Goku’s; the eyes were different, so different than Goku remembered seeing them, in the past or future. His heart twisted painfully in his chest at the pain, sadness and pleading that shone so clearly from the young man’s eyes.

“Vegeta…what’s…what’s wrong?” He asked softly, staring down into the deep depths of ebony. Vegeta’s eyes flashed almost angrily for a second, then the anger seemed to dissipate, tears welling up in his eyes before he turned away quickly with a loud curse. From behind, Goku could see the prince grinding his eyes with his fists, attempting to rid them of the tears that had managed to escape. Vegeta spun back, his arm shooting out quickly to catch hold of the front of Goku’s armor; blinking, Goku let himself be pulled forward into the angry face of his prince.

“Why…” Vegeta started, his voice quivering. “Why did you lie to me?” A small sob escaped his throat as more tears ran down his cheeks. Goku simply stared, not sure how to react.

“What do you mean, Vegeta? I don’t understand…I never lied to you…” Goku said with a frown, wondering just what the hell Vegeta was talking about.

“You intend to leave me, don’t you?” Vegeta asked, his chin rising proudly. “ I heard everything, Goku. Or should I call you Kakarotto?” He asked, his head tilting to the side slightly, eyes narrowing, grip tightening on Goku’s bodysuit.

Goku sighed, his eyes closing tightly. ‘fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK!’ he screamed mentally. Vegeta must have been standing outside the door when the transmission came through, that was the only answer, unless Goten’s room had been bugged, which he doubted.

“Vegeta…I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to find out like that. I tried to keep the falsehoods to a minimum, if at all…and that was just for our protection.” He said, his own tears falling to his cheeks to begin their lazy descent down his paled cheeks.

Vegeta swallowed hard, his head ducking as a sob shook his body. “Y…you….hurt me.” He accused, his eyes full of anger again. “I thought you…I thought that since…you…we….” His sentence broke off as he choked on another sob, his small frame shaking and trembling.

“Oh Kami, Vegeta…I’m so sorry!” He pulled Vegeta into his arms, hugging him tightly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you…I’d never hurt you on purpose.” A few minutes passed, and so did Vegeta’s tears. Pulling out of Goku’s embrace, he straightened, rubbing the back of his gloved hand across his eyes, sniffing lightly. “So you are leaving, then.” He said, not questioning, but stating it as fact.

Goku paused, then nodded softly. “Yes…I’m not sure when Bulma and Vegeta….eh…yourself…will have the device ready, but when it’s ready, Goten and I will have to go back to our own time.”

Vegeta nodded softly. “Fine.” He whispered, turning away from Goku to walk into his room, shutting the door behind him quickly.

“Kami…” Goku said softly, hanging his head. He felt terrible, as if he had deceived the young prince, which, he supposed that to a degree he had, though he certainly didn’t mean to. His heart fluttered in his chest as the realization came to him; This Vegeta…the eighteen year old prince of Vegeta-sei, was in love with him. ‘He loves me…he truly does, I know it. I can see it when he looks at me…feel it in his touch; Fuck! I can even sense it in his ki!’

Vegeta paced his room, cursing softly. How he had gotten to this point, he hadn’t an idea, but he now felt helpless…and alone. He had, his entire life, felt alone. Until Goku had come along. Even though the man had angered and annoyed him beyond anything he had ever experienced, the mysterious saiyan had filled something inside him that had been empty before; had made him feel whole. Now he was going to lose him, and there wasn’t much he could do about it.

The mystery had been solved, yet his curiosity about Goku remained, the pull he felt towards the man was still strong and vibrant. He was from another time…from the future, and even Vegeta knew that he couldn’t fuck with that; it could change too much, and truthfully, he didn’t have the heart to try and deny Goku the right to return to his true existence. He growled, thinking he should just kill the man and his son, to make himself feel better. But he couldn’t.

***

Goku had given up on waiting for Vegeta to come out, and had finally eaten his meal alone, then crawled into bed, his heart heavy with sadness. He fell into a fitful sleep, his body tossing back and forth as his mind struggled to find the peace it needed for sufficient sleep.

Vegeta opened the door silently, his head poking out from the doorway to stare at Goku’s sleeping form. He smiled slightly as he approached the bed, his hand reaching out to stroke the disheveled ebony spikes of hair that lay softly across the man’s pillow. His finger ran lightly across the wide forehead, then slipped down the man’s nose, pausing to caress the lax lips, then continued over the slightly pointed chin. Goku’s nose twitched, and a few seconds later, dark eyes flickered open with sleep-induced confusion.

“Vegeta?” Goku whispered, leaning up on one elbow.

“Yes. It’s me.” Vegeta returned, staring at Goku from where he stood next to the bed.

“Is..is there something wrong?” He asked, squinting slightly against the dim light filtering in from Vegeta’s bedroom.

“Yes. There is a lot wrong. But it’s nothing that either of us can control so there’s no point in worrying about it, is there?” He asked, his voice emotionless. Goku frowned.

“You’re wondering why I’m here.” Vegeta stated, lifting a knee to settle on Goku’s bed. Goku braced himself as the bed dipped down slightly under Vegeta’s weight; he looked up uncertainly, but nodded, then froze as a small hand lifted to brush some stray hair from his forehead.

“I don’t want you to go, you know.” Vegeta said softly, his sadness seeping through his words.

Goku sighed, his eyes closing. “I know, Vegeta. And I wish I could say I don’t want to leave, but that would be a lie…and I don’t want to lie to you, Vegeta.”

Vegeta nodded, his hand falling to Goku’s shoulder, where it softly caressed the skin there. Goku shivered and pulled his blanket a bit tighter around his bare form; as he did so, the bed dipped down further when Vegeta lifted his other leg, and climbed under the blanket, twisting so that he was lying on his side facing Goku. Goku looked at him with a certain amount of surprise, squinting in the dimness to try and read the young man’s facial expression, but it was blank.

Vegeta’s arms lifted slightly as he tugged his shirt off, then quickly removed what little other clothes he had on. “I’m not going to let you go without giving me what I want, you know.” He said softly, warm hands lifting to stroke across Goku’s chest. Goku’s breath hitched as Vegeta’s torso was suddenly pressed against his own, Vegeta’s slick wet tongue dancing in slow agonizing circles down Goku’s throat. Hot breath tickled his throat as Vegeta spoke softly.

“I want you inside me…one more time…before you go…and that's not a wish, it's an order.” he whispered against the sensitive skin around Goku’s collar bone sending shivers through Goku’s taut body. Goku’s eyes were round at hearing the command, his hand lifting to stroke the young man’s back.

 “Are you sure, Vegeta?” He asked, gasping when the only response he received was Vegeta crawling backwards down his body, his mouth engulfing Goku’s erection in one swift stroke.