CHAPTER FIFTEEN:

 

“Thank you, sir!” The spiky haired boy shouted to the cab driver, as he shouldered the carryall bag.

 

Lifting his only suitcase, he walked up the short flight of stairs to the building with the words ‘Kame Hall’ written on the side. He smiled at the group of girls that waved and giggled in his direction, each of them wearing practically next to nothing, all in the great cause of looking fashionable. 

 

~ The stuff girls go through…~

 

His main concern now was to make sure he didn’t get lost. He could see the number of new students that were bustling in and out of the building. Many carrying so much luggage, that they nearly toppled him down several times. Cardboard boxes, books, computers, school bags, mattresses, blankets, sleeping bags, mini refrigerators and even sofas were loitered about the hallways as students tried to figure out which room belonged to whom. The boy grit his teeth as he felt himself shoved again and finally having enough, he stuck the note he had been holding in his hand into his mouth, before forcefully making his way towards the stairs.

 

Cries of ‘Hey, watch where you are going!’ and ‘Take it easy, buddy!’ filled his ears, as he shoved his way up. He was looking for room 203 and he was determined to find it at all costs. Getting onto the next floor, he noticed with a relieved sigh, that it was relatively empty. Taking his time, he began looking for his new room.

 

“Hey, cutie!” came a light singsong voice next to his ear.

 

Spinning around sharply, the boy stared at the beautiful dark-haired girl, feeling a responding grin come unto his face. She was dressed in a pretty-looking sundress that highlighted strong shoulders and creamy perfect skin. Long, dancer-like legs completed the amazing figure and it took him several minutes to realize he was staring. Blushing in embarrassment, he muttered out the first thing that came to his mind,

 

“Could you show me to Room 203?”

 

“Room 203?” The girl asked, perfect shaped eyebrows rising up in amusement.

 

“Yeah. I am supposed to be going there...”

 

“Oh…damn. And here I thought you were going to be my roomie…”

 

“I am your roomie, you dolt!” came the voice of another girl, this time with shocking blue hair and eyes to match. She was dressed in similar fashion and was sucking on a Popsicle, “Hi! I am Bulma. This here is Chi-chi, my ever wonderful roommate.”

 

“Oh, please!” Chi-chi said, waving her hands away in dismissal. “We’ve gotta show him to his new room, B-Chan.”

 

“Oh? What room is that? And do you have a name, handsome?”

 

The boy flushed again and he answered quickly, “My name is Kakkarrot and I need to be in Room…”

 

“203. You know who stays there, right?” Chi-chi interrupted, winking at Bulma.

 

“203?! Oh, my!” Bulma replied, giggling.

 

Kakkarrot began to feel irritated. Were they going to show him his room or what? About to make his excuses to leave the laughing girls, Chi-chi spoke up again.

 

“Sorry, Kakka…whatever. We are first years too and all this is pretty exciting for us. It’s just that we met the owner of the room already, and let us just say that he isn’t exactly ‘Mr. Friendly’.”

 

~ Oh, God! I am stuck with another loser…although your last roommate was….~

 

Shaking his head, he pushed away the thoughts that were about to fill his head.

 

“What Chi-chi is trying to say is that, your new roommate doesn’t talk much. Very quiet guy likes to keep to himself and all that.” Bulma continued, looking at what was apparently his new room.

 

“Yeah. Kind of Mr. Mystery man…hehehe…” Chi-chi giggled as she began walking towards the door. “Here you go! I don’t think he is in right now. Do you want us to help you unpack?” She asked coyly, batting long lashes in flirtation.

 

“Uhh…no thanks. I can handle it from here.” Kakkarrot said quickly, hoping he didn’t sound to rude, but he was getting tired and handling two highly oversexed teenage girls was not in his repertoire for the evening.

 

“Let’s go, Chi-chi. I think he wants us to leave.” Bulma said, before yanking her friends arm and pulling her into their own room which was fortunately or unfortunately two doors away from Kakkarrot’s.

 

Placing his hand on the doorknob, Kakkarrot took a deep breath and with a resigned sigh he walked into the neat room, wondering what the fates had in store for him in this coming school year.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Vegeta lifted up the new computer box and nearly collided with another student, who had the general courtesy to say, ‘Watch where you are going, shorty!!’

 

“Fuck you too, asshole!!” Vegeta yelled back, grunting as his back protested the sharp turn he had made. Wincing in slight pain, he began to make his way towards his room.

 

~ Thank God, I moved in a week earlier. ~

 

Vegeta had been impatient, to tell the truth. He had wanted to leave the house so badly that he had pressured his panicky mother and concerned father into making him leave for his college room a week before the official moving date. He had been among the first ten students to arrive and they had been given a choice of rooms to choose from. Vegeta had fallen in love with Room 203 at first sight. It wasn’t the Grand Marriott Hotel or anything, but it had a great view of the side lawns, which led out to the sparkling river that flowed right beside the building. The layout of the room itself was pretty impressive. Large enough to contain two large beds and extras, he had naturally, chosen the space beside the window. His roommate would have to make do with the view to the other school buildings. He had set up his excess luxury items, which included a small refrigerator and a TV. His trusty old Five-Disc CD changer was with him and his computer, which he was carrying at the moment, would complete the picture. He was in heaven, and he could only hope that his new roommate wouldn’t turn out to be a jerk or a loser or both.

 

“Hey, Vegeta!” Bulma sang out, peeking her head out of her door. “Could you help me with something, pleeeassssee? I think my computer is broken.”

 

~ Damn these girls!! ~ Vegeta swore under his breath. Ever since he had arrived here, he had had the unfortunate luck of having two screeching girls as his next-door roommates. They bothered him for everything and it was taking all of his self-control, not to bash something after spending just a few seconds with them.

 

“Get someone else to fix it. I am busy!” He snapped.

 

“Please Veggie-Chan. I need it for my school work…”

 

“My name is Vegeta! V-E-G-E-T-A! Not Veggie-Chan! Not Vee! Not Geta! Just plain, Vegeta! Is that so hard to say?!”

 

“Gosh! You don’t have to be such a creep, VEGETA!!”

 

“Grrrr….”

 

“So are you going to help me or what?”

 

“Fine!” Vegeta yelled, dropping the box in anger.

 

Bulma stepped away from the door, as Vegeta nearly collided into her, smiling softly behind the scowling boy. Yeah, this school year was definitely going to be fun!

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Kakkarrot stared open-mouthed at his roommates’ side of the room. He couldn’t believe it. Every possible modern electronic equipment graced the small space. Dropping his suitcase, he walked over, touching and looking at each machine in growing amazement. He could already tell that his roommate was, one, loaded, and two, not very tidy. The bed made with a black silky sort of bed-sheet, was in a mess. Books were littered around the place; stacks of CD’s not placed properly (some even left opened), clothes not properly hung up…

 

~ Sheeshh…kinda reminds me of Vegeta. ~

 

He smiled softly as the name came to his mind again. It had been six months since he had last seen his former roommate and although he missed the boy terribly, he had buried himself in his studies, intent on passing his exams and getting the coveted scholarship to any college of his choice. He had more than passed. His overall test scores were so astounding that he had received offers from schools he had never dreamed would even consider him. In the end he had chosen this one, The Prentice College, one of the most prestigious schools in the country. Well known for its’ production of high achievers, it was also known as the school of the wealthy. And Kakkarrot knew that he did not fit the latter.

 

Walking over to his side of the room, he began to unpack his relatively small belongings. (I mean compared to his roommate’s, he might as well have brought only his underwear). Gohan and Trunks were planning to visit him this weekend. They were both a couple now and Kakkarrot couldn’t be happier for his best friends. Gohan was finally planning to leave the Home. He and Trunks had both decided to attend college themselves and so they would be taking their own qualifying exams in a few weeks.

 

He walked to his closet and began to hang up his clothes, making a mental note to himself to do some shopping with the little money he had saved up. He needed some new stuff, obviously. Effectively hidden away from the door, he did not notice the creaky sound it made as it opened up slowly to reveal his new roommate.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Vegeta glared at the smiling girls. There had been nothing really wrong with the computer and Vegeta knew that Bulma was a science whiz kid, so the point of him going in there at all was beyond him.

 

“I hope you girls will at least give me a minute of peace. I have some serious work to do.”

 

“Okay Vegg….Vegeta.” Bulma quickly corrected herself, as Vegeta was about to open his mouth again to complain.

 

“Hope you enjoy your new roommate!” Chi-chi said, eliciting a puzzled look from the boy. The girls had kept mentioning his roommate at every turn, giggling and whispering like they had discovered some hidden secret. His curiosity was beginning to get the best of him and he couldn’t wait to see the mystery person himself.

 

Nearly running out of the suddenly claustrophobic room, he picked up his computer box and began to walk carefully to his room. The door was slightly ajar. ~ Thank God. ~ And so using his foot, he pushed open the door gingerly, backing slowly into the room. He suddenly froze as a familiar scent kicked into his senses.

 

~ No! It can’t be him…so many people have that kind of scent…it just can’t be….~

 

His heart was thudding so fast now, he could barely think straight. His palms became sweaty and it took all of his strength not to drop the box he was holding. Stepping fully into the room, he kicked the door shut and with abated breath, he stared at the shadow of a shape… the hair….

 

“Kakkarrot?” He called out in a hushed whisper. A sense of disbelief and slight fear flowed through him as he feverishly begged that this not be another figment of his imagination.

 

The taller boy spun around sharply, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull as he stared at the apparition in front of him.

 

“Ve...Ve…Vegeta?” Kakkarrot called out shakily, unconsciously dropping the shirt that he was about to hang up. “It…it can’t be…I thought…”

 

Vegeta was paralyzed. His body numb with so many emotions that was hard to define. He wanted to scream, to yell out to anyone who cared to listen. This was too much. He barely recognized the tears of joy that had begun to fall silently down his cheeks (inwardly he cursed himself for being such a damn crybaby), but it couldn’t be helped. He couldn’t believe it. After all this time, when he had practically given up all hope of ever seeing Kakkarrot again, the Fates had seen it fit to send him his way.

 

A stunned silence filled the room as each sought for something to say. Finally, Kakkarrot snapped out of his dazed stupor and with a small smirk, he folded his arms and growled in a mock threatening voice,

 

“Well…of all the losers I could have been stuck with. It just had to be you, ne, Vegeta?”

 

Vegeta blinked for several moments trying to let the words sink in. Feeling a responding smile on his own face, he dropped the box he had been carrying and folding his own arms, he growled back threateningly.

 

“Well…Lieutenant. It seems we have to establish our selves some ground rules here, don’t we?”

 

Vegeta nearly burst out laughing at the look on Kakkarrot’s face, as he threw out the very words that the former officer had used in his earlier days at the Home. Walking up to him, with a wicked glint in his eye, he suddenly pushed the startled boy unto the unmade bed and collapsing on top of Kakkarrot, Vegeta drawled lazily,

 

“And guess what, Kakkarrot?”

 

“What, Vegeta?” came the husky reply, as strong hands clasped the lean waist.

 

“I fully intend to start establishing them, right now….”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

The two girls pressed their ears against the door, twin frowns of bemusement etched on their faces.

 

“I didn’t figure he was gay.” Bulma said, biting her lower lip.

 

“Well, it seems that they both are. Damn it!! Why are all the great guys gay?!! It’s not fair!!” Chi-chi wailed.

 

“Oh well, at least we can bug them both this upcoming year.” Bulma said, putting a reassuring arm around her friend’s neck. “Who knows we might even make them straight again.”

 

“I doubt it. The noises those guys make….”

 

“Yeah. You would think they hadn’t done it in years….”

 

~*~*~*~

 

Three hours and several different sexual positions later, two sweaty bodies lay tangled up within silken sheets, as wouldn’t you believe it, the soothing sounds of Enya, floated around the darkened room. From beneath the covered material, a low voice spoke out softly,

 

“I guess we wouldn’t be needing the extra bed, Kakkarrot.”

 

“Hmm…” came the lazy reply.

 

Contented silence.

 

“Vegeta?”

 

“Hmm…”

 

“Why is this music on again?”

 

A light blush. “Baka! It is our special…umm…song…”

 

“Huh?”

 

Vegeta sat up and stared in disbelief at his mate, his face now dotted with twin spots of red. “The music we first…made out to…don’t you remember?”

 

A sudden wicked grin flicked across Kakkarrot’s face and in a sudden move, he pulled Vegeta back beneath the sheets, smothering his surprised yelp with his lips.

 

“Of course, I remember.” Kakkarrot whispered huskily, finally releasing the smaller boy. “I just love seeing you embarrassed. You always have this cute looking blush…”

 

“Why you…hmph!” Vegeta snorted lightly, feeling his whole body tingle happily.

 

Another comfortable silence fell, as both boys lay within the warm confines of each other, savoring the peace and pleasure of finally being together. Eventually, with a heartfelt sigh, Vegeta murmured thickly against the taller boy’s chest, hoping that the words he was planning to say, would be filled with the utmost sincerity.

 

“Kakkarrot?”

 

“Yes, Vegeta?”

 

“I will always love you, Kakkarrot.”

 

“Hai, Vegeta.” Came the quiet reply, “And I will always love you, no matter what the consequences may be.”

 

 

~ THE END ~