A pained groan was muffled into the dark softness as he vainly struggled against consciousness, but that became more and more impossible as the memories of the previous night slowly began to seep through the throbbing filter of pain. Memories of the party, of Kakarotto's unexpected presence. The red-haired viper, Rose. Of his own angry, instinctive reaction to watching her tongue slide down Kakarotto's throat. And Kakarotto's identical response to the prince's scent saturating her body. That had also taken him by surprise. How Saiyajin of him� The toll on his already barely-held control had been devastating, and he'd had to resort to new measures to regain command of his own wayward senses. He had taken� hn, whatever those pills were that Rose had given him, and then�
Things got kind of hazy after that. He remembered walking� Had there been a fight? He seemed to recall� His hand moved involuntarily to inspect his abdomen, but found no trace of any wound. Had he imagined it then? A delusional reaction to the drug? Kami, it had felt so real� as had that other dream. Only that one had been a far cry from painful or humiliating. Oh, Kami�
Kakarotto.
The prince had had more than his share of erotic dreams these past few weeks, and nearly all of them had featured the tall, muscular Saiyajin, but last night� Kami! He could only recall bits and pieces of it now. The feel of Kakarotto's powerful arms enveloping him, holding him close, caressing every inch of his skin. The sight of him on his knees before him, the stroking heat of his mouth driving his body insane with pleasure. The taste and texture of the man's magnificent body gliding warmly under his tongue�
Another small, pitiful groan was smothered into the pillow. Shimatta! The damned pills had not helped at all. In fact, they had only made things worse. The larger Saiyan's powerful form was now etched more firmly in his mind's eye, more enticingly. He could truly almost taste him on the back of his tongue, the alluring scent of him seemingly permeating the entire room. Kami, it was almost as if�
Vejiita's whole being abruptly froze as a strong, muscular arm suddenly coiled around him from behind, and a large and undeniably masculine body snuggled warmly against his back. The prince didn't move, didn't breathe, for several long, dreadful moments. He simply lay there, his face still hidden, his heart pounding wildly, and abstractedly counted the deep, heated breaths tickling the rising hairs on the back of his neck in a steady, even rhythm.
Oh, no� no, no, no, no, no�
It wasn't him. It was not him. But the scent only grew richer, heavier, and the images from his dream�Kami, please let it be just a dream!�came hurtling back with stunning force. The prince released a slow, quivering breath, and then lifted his face from the sheltering depths of the pillow. His vision focused and then automatically dropped to the arm curled possessively about his torso, pondering it bemusedly for a minute. And then he turned his body ever-so-slowly in place, being very, very careful not to disturb the still slumbering figure wrapped loosely around him, until he finally came face to face with his waking nightmare.
Feeling dazed and benumbed, Vejiita stared into the familiar visage resting mere inches from his own in complete, paralyzed disbelief. How�? His stupefied gaze slowly journeyed downward, taking meticulous note of the man's bare shoulders, the sculpted lines of his chest and abdomen, and the thin sheet tossed almost arbitrarily over his hips, scarcely covering, leaving little doubt as to his disturbing state of undress. A state made all the more disturbing by the prince's own utter lack of clothing. Vejiita's wide eyes roamed to his slumbering features once again, where they abruptly affixed on the lips parted slightly, invitingly, before him. His chin strayed forward almost unconsciously, his mouth answering that open invitation to delectation, and brushed lightly, tantalizingly, across their soft, yielding surface. A thrill of excitement shivered down his spine at the contact. And then he jerked his head back with a start.
No! This wasn't what he wanted! It was not�
His hand rose to lightly seize the arm draped over his body, fully intending to lift it off and scoot out from under its subtle dominion. However, when his hand came into contact with the warm, bare flesh, instead of moving the offending arm, the traitorous appendage changed direction to skim across the hard, brawny muscles of the man's bicep all the way up to shoulder. Exquisite�
Now his own thoughts were betraying him as well. His palm smoothed over Goku's shoulder, dipping momentarily in the small groove of his collarbone, and then continued its exploratory trek down his wide back, gliding over the angled ridge of his shoulder blade, fingering each and every indentation down the long length of his spine. When his fingers stumbled across the familiar, circular scar at the base, they stopped to lightly trace around it. His eyes contemplated the face before him once more, this time noting the fine, distinctive features that labeled him Saiyajin, as his fingers slowly circled the physical evidence of his missing tail once again. He had never seen Kakarotto with his tail, and a sudden, irrational desire to do just that sparked deeply within his soul. To see it, to feel it, to run his fingers through the soft, downy fur and make this beautiful body writhe with pleasure�
His fingers moved at the command of the strong, instinctual yearning, and swirled over the spot yet again, this time pressing harder, more sensually, against the small knot of flesh. The reaction was instantaneous; the other Saiyan's muscular body arched into his own, a moan of pleasure churning softly in his throat. Vejiita froze immediately at the sound and motion of the man, his own flesh responding to him with a fiery rush of blood and heat even as his mind recoiled in abrupt alarm. Shimatta�
His hand quickly retreated to grab hold of the arm still encircling him, his wits finally panicking enough to lift it off and hastily scramble out from beneath its gentle keep. Unfortunately, he was not hasty enough. The arm moved, snagging hold of him deftly, wreathing around his body possessively once more, and then the weight of the man came down on him, effectively pinning him to the bed, Goku's leg draping casually over his thighs, his face nestling warmly into his neck. Vejiita just lay there on his back unmoving for several tense heartbeats as the larger Saiyan quietly settled back into sleep. Eyes wide with disconcertion and alarm, the prince blinked, once again afraid to move, afraid to breathe too deeply.
Kuso� The prince mentally berated himself for his utter stupidity and unforgivable lapse in control. He was attracted to the man; he could not deny it. But to give in to that desire? To surrender himself, the Prince of all Saiyajin, to this third-class fool? Kami, it wasn't even the class difference that truly set his teeth on edge. After all, Bulma had not even been Saiyan. No, the class difference had been made practically moot by the destruction of Vejiitasei, and the rest had gone straight to hell the moment the man had attained Super Saiyajin. Not that he would ever admit such aloud, still, it was the case. If their world had survived, Kakarotto would probably be looked upon as something akin to a god, much the same as himself. At least they were both near the same power level now� not that such good fortune would last. He had been disappointed too many times to dare to believe otherwise. And therein lay the crux of the whole sordid matter.
There, lying warmly, snugly, atop his body, was the only being in the entire universe who time and time again had proven his vast, perpetual superiority. The prince had finally swallowed that painful, bitter truth many years ago, and while that truth had vexed him to no end over the years, it had not stopped him from sparring almost daily with the other man, nor in accepting him as the closest thing to a friend he'd ever had. But to accept him as his mate?
Impossible. Completely and utterly impossible. No matter what, he was still Vejiita, Saiyajin no Ouji. He would not succumb to temptation. He would not submit to the man. Not ever.
A little late for that, eh? a small, nasty voice taunted within his mind. Vejiita cringed away from it, trying to deny the obvious evidence before him� or rather, on top of him. Unfortunately, the very large, very naked Saiyajin completely enveloping his own nude form was damned hard to ignore. And all attempts to wish the warm, smothering reality away were simply not working.
Damn you, Kakarotto�
The large man shifted slightly, his arms tightening around the prince's torso, his lips nuzzling tenderly against his neck. "Vejiita�" he breathed softly. The smaller Saiyan's muscles instantly tensed, and then he swore inwardly at the totally brainless move.
Kakarotto's head rose up from the crook of his neck a moment later, and Vejiita found himself suddenly ensnared by a wide pair of dark, shining eyes, eyes prominently displaying the strong, insuperable spirit that lay behind them. The prince could only blink and stare up at the man as if trapped in the blinding glare of oncoming headlights. And then the man smiled, a happy, radiant smile, that beamed down on him with pure warmth and love and affection� his mouth followed the brilliant rays seconds later, landing upon his own in a soft, gentle kiss that loudly echoed those dazzling sentiments.
Oh, Kami� It was the only thought left in his brain as Kakarotto's unbelievably soft lips glided over his own, the tip of the man's tongue flicking out to delicately tease the sensitive flesh, wetly, wordlessly, requesting to gain entrance. Vejiita lay there a minute stunned, immobile, as the unspoken question continued to torment his lips, and then his hands moved, stealing upward to submerge in the thick, wayward tresses of infinite black. His fingers twined around the wild strands, gathering large handfuls of coarse sable�
�and then he yanked backward. Hard.
"Owww!!" Goku cried out instantly in pain and surprise, as his mouth was roughly torn away from that of the prince.
Vejiita's eyes narrowed to mere slits, and his grip tightened.
"Owww!" he whined again. "Vejiita, that hurts!"
"Then I must be doing it right," he said, his inflection deadly soft.
"What?" he queried in startlement, his eyes angling down toward the prince's face. "Why�?"
"Two very good questions, Kakarotto," he returned smoothly, "and I am more than eager to hear you answer them."
"Huh?" The expression on the man's visage was typical�absolute bewilderment.
"Why are you here?" he attacked with a sharp, angry hiss. "And what the hell happened last night?"
The fool blinked several times. "Don't you remember?"
"Baka!" Vejiita spat, pulling even tighter. "Why would I ask if I already knew?"
"Owww! Okay! Okay! I'll tell you! Just let go!"
The prince glared at him darkly for a long, meaningful moment, and then finally released his hold. Then, he all but shoved the larger man off, and sat up, drawing the sheet more securely around his hips. Goku sat up more slowly, rubbing the back of his head as he did so.
"Well?" Vejiita demanded angrily.
"Uh�" The man appeared to be striving to remember the question.
"What are you doing here?!" he repeated, his voice hard and lacking all semblance of patience.
"Well�" Goku began finally, "I didn't have any senzu, and I could barely think, but then I remembered the one you always keep in your glove, and so I brought you here."
"You brought me here?" he echoed, contemplating him steadily, his brow furrowing in confusion. For a senzu? He had needed a senzu? His hand strayed once again to the unbroken skin of his abdomen; for some reason it was not what he had expected to find upon waking this morning.
"Yes� you were dying, Vejiita," he replied, his tone going soft with a lingering trace of fear. "I� it hurt really bad."
The prince said nothing in reply. Of course. Kakarotto would have felt it� just as he had with Bulma. But dying? He had fought; he remembered a few scraps of that, but they had been mere humans. How could they have defeated him? How could they have nearly killed him?
"The pills you took."
Vejiita blinked at him in surprise.
"I could hardly believe it either, Vejiita," he expounded, gently, indicating the stunned expression on the prince's visage. "You can't control ki with your mind muddled with drugs."
"I know that!" he snapped. "I didn't�" He halted in mid-sentence, for he could not think of a reason good enough to give to the man before him. The truth was, he had not thought about it at all. He had taken the pills without even knowing what they were, to hell with the consequences. Of course his ki had been disrupted by taking such a large, mind-altering dosage; he should have expected it had he bothered to consider the action. However, all rational thinking had instantly fled the second the other Saiyan had walked into the company party. From that moment on, the prince had been behaving like some damned schizophrenic in sheer reaction to that unforeseen occurrence. Shimatta! He should not have allowed the man to get under his skin like that. He should have had more self-control. His own stupidity had nearly gotten him killed� and who the hell knew what else.
"You didn't what?" Goku prompted. "You didn't care?" he guessed, when Vejiita merely glowered in response. "I know you're still upset about Bulma, but how can you have so little regard for your own life? Don't you know�"
"Do not presume to lecture me, Kakarotto," he cut in venomously, "about anything. You know nothing of how or what I think� so save your pathetic attempts at conjecture and get on with the damned explanation! You have explained why you brought me here, but you have not explained why you are still here� and what you are doing in my bed!"
"Well�" he began casually, scratching the side of his head, as if he'd asked the fool for a weather report, "after the shower, I was pretty tired, and you had passed out again, so I guess I just sort of laid down, too, after putting you to bed."
It was the word "shower" that once again triggered the disjointed fragments of memory from last night's little "dream". Oh, Kami�
The prince forced his breathing to remain as calm and steady as possible�which wasn't very. "Kakarotto," he began, his inflection flat, yet undeniably tinged with menace, "tell me what happened last night� between us."
"Oh," Goku said, his mouth curving once more into a smile, alighting his entire face with a joyful expression reminiscent of its earlier brilliance. "That was the best part!" he said, his eyes shining brightly. "Kami, I never knew you could feel so good! You are so beautiful, Vejiita, and you taste so good! Kami, Vejiita, I�"
"What happened?!" he broke in with strangled hiss, his eyes flashing with a wild, frenetic gleam of anxiety. "How far did it go?!"
"How far?" Goku echoed, his expression clearly perplexed. "I don't�"
"What exactly did we do?!" the prince tried again, nearly growling in his frustration.
"Umm� well� we were in the shower, and I was wa�"
"Baka!!!" he seethed, baring his teeth in a snarl of rabid fury. "Did. You. Fuck. Me?!!!"
Goku's eyes went wide with surprise, then blinked at him several times as he slowly assimilated the harsh, crudely-spoken inquiry. His mouth opened and then closed again, once, twice, before he finally replied.
"Vejiita," he said, sounding rather confused and even a little admonishing, "how could I do that? You're not a girl."
The snarl instantly vanished into oblivion, and Vejiita found himself frozen in place, unable to do anything but gape at the man, his mouth hanging open in absolute incredulous disbelief.
"Vejiita?" he queried again, his eyebrows furrowing with puzzlement, his head cocking to one side. And then his expression changed. His eyebrows went up like a shot, his eyes going wide yet again, but this time a new and different light came dancing brilliantly across their luminous black surface. The prince felt his whole body shiver in response.
"Could I, Vejiita?" he asked in a soft, wondering whisper, the unnatural gleam in his eyes growing brighter by the second. Then those gleaming eyes swept leisurely over his body, taking small, lingering pauses as they brushed over the bare flesh of his stomach and torso, then slowly rose to caress his chest and shoulders, until they eventually reached his face once again. By the time the prince met the larger Saiyan's bright, feverish gaze, the light in the man's eyes had become a full-blown conflagration of lust.
Vejiita swallowed, then reflexively ignited his anger to suppress the wealth of panic that was rising up from the churning depths of his center.
"No, kisama, you can't!" he returned with a glare of contempt. "I am the Prince of the Saiyajin, and I will never allow a third-class moron like you to defile me! Not ever!"
As he spoke, loudly and jeeringly denouncing the man, the light slowly began to bleed out of Goku's eyes, his face draining of all color, until its palette was stark and white, his features molding into an expression of anguished dismay.
"How dare you think to touch me, when I so clearly made my wishes known!" Vejiita went on, unmoved, unstoppable in his rage. "I told you never to taste me again! I told you I didn't want you anywhere near me!"
Goku mumbled something softly, despondently, under his breath.
"What?!" the prince questioned sharply.
"I said, you were the one who tasted me," he repeated louder. "You kissed me, Vejiita! You kissed me and touched me, and then you asked me for more! I would not have broken my word, Vejiita! You� you said I was beautiful�" His voice trailed off into a hurt whisper.
Stunned into silence, Vejiita's only response was a paralyzed stare. That is because you are beautiful, his mind soundlessly acknowledged. Oh, Kami�
The prince closed his eyes and gave his head a slight shake. Then he opened them again and met Goku's intensive gaze unswervingly.
"Baka! I was so high on those pills, I think I would have called Frieza, himself, beautiful!" he said with derisive snort. "Which is something you should have realized, since you were somehow aware that I had taken them. I was clearly not in my right mind; a fact that you took quick and eager advantage of!"
He hadn't thought the large Saiyan could lose any more color in his already bloodless visage, yet somehow Goku managed it. Coldly, mercilessly, Vejiita ignored his gaunt, stricken countenance, and opened his vicious mouth to deliver the final blow.
"Now get this through your thick, brain-damaged skull! I don't want you! I don't want anything to do with you! You are nothing more than a filthy, low-class idiot who doesn't deserve to lick the heel of my boot, let alone any other part of me. So whatever claim you think you have, you can just forget. Forget about me, Kakarotto, as I will most assuredly forget about you. I have already wasted more than half my life training to defeat you, and now that we are both, finally, at the same level, you refuse to even fight me! Well, I am done!" he declared with an angry, bitter sneer. "I'm done with this never-ending rivalry, done with your stupid human ways and your stupid human sentimentalities! Hn, done with you, period! I am Saiyajin! If you looked in the mirror hard enough, you might catch a glimpse of the Saiyan you could have become had you not been so horribly warped by this damned planet. Che, even had you been born an elite, that alone is enough to make me ill. You are too soft, Kakarotto. Soft in the head and soft in the heart. How could I, the Prince of all Saiyans, possibly accept you as my mate? You are�"
A primitive, half-choked cry of rage abruptly rent the air, instantly breaking off Vejiita's deliberately malicious tirade, and then a strong hand wrapped around his throat, cutting off his airway and anything else he might have said. The prince was on his back a millisecond later, gazing up in mute surprise into the red, twisted face of Kakarotto.
"Stop!" the man cried through clenched teeth, the sound of his voice thick and strained with raw, bleeding emotion. His eyes were liquid black pools of bright, infinite pain, awash with crystalline tears, and glaring down at him with an astonishing mixture of rage and harrowing anguish. "Just stop!" he cried again, softer this time, a strangled sob distorting the words.
The prince could do nothing but stare up into that pain-contorted visage, too shocked to even react to the life-threatening grip on his neck. Never had he seen such agony before, not in anyone, and never in Kakarotto. Not even close. Perhaps it approached the pain he'd inflicted on the man in just the recent past, but even that could not compare to the staggering array of emotions raining down on him from those deep, tormented eyes.
The hand on his throat relaxed. The fingers were trembling uncontrollably as they slowly rose to stumble over his cheek, the face above him twisting further as the horrendous anguish roiling behind the man's eyes struggled to break free. The fingers skimmed across his brow, then back down his cheek in a tender, yet tremulous caress, as if memorizing his features, the thumb landing on his lips like a soft, gentle kiss.
"Good-bye, Vejiita," he whispered, his voice a diaphanous ghost of abysmal suffering. A single tear escaped its aching prison and fell to lightly baptize the smaller Saiyan's other cheek. And then the hand and face retreated, the weight lifted off of him, and the prince found himself free to move. However, he had to take two full, steadying breaths before he could do so.
Slowly, Vejiita sat back up on the bed, his eyes immediately seeking the large, nude figure striding resolutely into the bathroom, where Goku paused to quickly gather a scattered bundle of clothing from the floor. Then the tall Saiyan turned back to regard him, the pain still etched deeply into his visage, tears streaming unchecked down his cheeks. Goku's arm rose as he silently held the prince's gaze, until two fingers were pressed purposely against his forehead. A moment later he was gone.
Vejiita reached up to his cheek to gently finger the small droplet of moisture, and was startled to discover that his hand was trembling. Then he realized that his whole body was shaking, and his breathing was coming unusually fast and heavy. Oh, Kami�
"Oh, Kami�" he echoed aloud, then fell back on the bed, curling his quivering body into the tangled sheets. "Kakarotto�"
The man's scent lingered all around him, strong and distinctive, musky and sweet, the agony in his eyes a haunting image that would not be dispelled. He hadn't known� he had not realized� that the man had cared for him that strongly, that deeply�
Oh, Kami� Kakarotto�
* * * * *
He appeared in the sky over the forest above his home. His familiarity with the feel of the Earth had increased so much over the years that it was almost a no-brainer now to pinpoint a precise location, especially one this familiar. When he had first learned the Instant Transmission technique, he could only locate a person with a strong ki signature, but his ability to detect ki had grown vastly since then. He now had a keen awareness of every living thing around him. The bright, labyrinthine web of life was always a marvel to him, the delicate strands pulsating with energy, woven together into an intricate whole so breathtakingly perfect that it made his heart sing as he beheld the grand splendor of it all.
His great love for this planet, a profound love of life, itself, had always been the strong backbone of his existence. It had sustained him through countless battles, had hurled him from the brink of failure to the glorious heights of victory, time and time again, when the only options left had been death, darkness and despair. No matter what, that love had always been there to warm his spirit, to fuel his passions, and to console his griefs. Yet, now, as he slowly descended to land before the door of his home, Son Goku could find no comfort at all within the soft, bleeding recesses of his heart nor in the living world around him.
He entered the house in an almost benumbed daze, reflexively heading toward the stairs that led to his bedroom above. Once inside, his body moved as if imbued with a will of its own, his hands tossing the bloodstained bundle of clothes and reaching automatically for the nearest pair of pants to cover his nakedness. The only outward sign of his inner discord was the twin streaks of tears still flowing unstoppable down his cheeks. When he finally finished dressing, however, the odd, stupefied state of auto pilot abruptly shut down, and Goku found himself standing in the middle of his bedroom, staring blindly at absolutely nothing.
Beautiful�
His fingers rose to brush against his lips, Vejiita's deep voice echoing through his mind as the memory of his kiss teased and taunted him. And then his hand was shaking again, and his tears began to fall harder.
His head dropped back as a moan of excruciating anguish came wailing out of his throat. A second later he was on his knees, the strength having been torn completely from his limbs. Great, heaving sobs shook his body as the pain sloshed over him with unrestrained vehemence.
I don't want you! I don't want anything to do with you!
His hands seized his upper arms tightly, his forearms pressing hard into his churning stomach, his fingers clutching, squeezing, crushing, and leaving dark, ugly bruises on his skin in a vain attempt to master the horrendous agony ripping through his body.
Vejiita!
You are nothing more than a filthy, low-class idiot who doesn't deserve to lick the heel of my boot, let alone any other part of me.
�Soft, velvet skin gliding under his tongue, the matchless taste ambrosial divinity, the smooth, silken texture sublime perfection�
His body bent at the waist, doubling in half as his head sank to the floorboards, an aggrieved whimper gurgling painfully in his throat between loud, gut-wrenching sobs.
I love you, Vejiita�
Forget about me, Kakarotto, as I will most assuredly forget about you.
* * * * *
Vejiita screamed, rage and frustration permeating the raucous sound as he sent another blast tearing into the earth below him. The ground erupted, spewing chunks of rock and dirt all around. Yet it was still not enough. The need for destruction was burning throughout his entire being, and with no sufficient outlet to channel the overwhelming itch for violence. This went far beyond the Saiyajin need for battle; this was a darkness that lay seething deep within his soul, that had been seeded and cultivated by one of the vilest, most malicious tyrants the universe had ever seen. It was this venomous darkness that had murdered countless worlds across the known galaxy, and it had not seen the light of day in many, many years.
The prince landed on the upturned earth, his body dripping with sweat, his visage a tight mask of fury. He could do nothing; he could not stop it. It had been days since his drug-induced encounter with the third-class Saiyan, and he could not halt the need that continually drummed through his being to claim that strong, beautiful warrior as his own. All he could see was erotic images of the man, touching him, stroking him, all he could taste, the sweet salt of his skin, of his body, all he could smell, the rich, raw scent of his masculinity. It was maddening; the memories embedded deeply, the desire blazing hot and out of control. It was winning.
Another scream thundered out of his throat, near bursting with his inner ferocity. Chikusho!! No one controlled him!! No one!! Never!! Never again!! He would see this world burn before he'd give himself to that low-class fool! To be taken� to be dominated by him! Never!!
"I am the Prince of the Saiyajin!" he raged, his eyes crazed with wrath and darkness. "I am Vejiita! I am�" he choked, gagging brutally on the words. His eyes clenched tight as the pain tore through him�as the truth tore through him�sending him howling down to his hands and knees. His breath came and went in great, quivering gasps as sweat trickled profusely down his brow. The truth�
He was nothing� nothing�
What mark had he left in this life? What good had he ever done anybody? The universe would have been much better off had he never been born. Only one thing� two. Trunks and Bura. And all that had taken was a couple of nights of passion with Bulma. It was not as if he had been any kind of father to them� not like Kakarotto, who always knew the right thing to do and never had any difficulty showing his children their worth. And then there was Trunks� the other Trunks, who had come from the future. Now there was a mark! The boy had traveled as no other had ever done, through his mother's sheer genius, to save this world. And he'd succeeded. He had killed Frieza and his father, and had warned Kakarotto of the impending danger. But again, no thanks to himself beyond a single night of passion. He was not even there to raise that boy; Bulma had done it all on her own. She had known� she had sent the boy back to do one thing, and one thing only: to save Kakarotto. Even his brilliant mate had known the only hope this world had, lay in that man's hands. Not his own. He had trained so hard, but had made scarcely a difference in the outcome of that crisis. Hell, he had even helped Cell attain his final transformation, and by knocking his only son out of the sky to do it! His arrogance had practically assured Kakarotto's death.
Kakarotto� who was always the stronger. Always the one who made a difference. The one who had left a huge mark in this life like no other before him, and likely none after. He had been lucky to have fought at his side against Buu. It was his greatest battle, yet Kakarotto had ultimately won it.
How could he possibly be mate to a man such as this? His pride would not permit it; the shadow Kakarotto cast was far too great.
Yet his burning blood would not listen. His blood, along with every Saiyan instinct he possessed, saw only the alluring perfection of the man's body, his phenomenal strength and skill as a warrior, and the hard, plain fact of a shared Saiyajin bond.
Kami, there had to be some way to weaken the bond, to release him from this harrowing prison of desire. But the prince had been unable to think of one, to think of anything to even distract him from the unwelcome sensations. And Vejiita was nearing the end of his fraying rope.
Kuso! It was only getting worse! He could feel the torrid heat sizzling through his veins, the beating of his heart quick and unsteady, pulsing torturously throughout his body. His quaking hands sank deeply into the ruptured earth. It was far too out of control. He had to regain command of himself! Kuso, the hot, throbbing need was so terrible, it was almost as if�
For a moment, Vejiita stopped breathing. Shimatta� of course�
And then, slowly, his gaze lifted from the ground, until his eyes beheld the vast sky painted brilliantly with all the vivid colors of twilight. His face flushed cold, paling with unspeakable dread, his eyes staring in mute horror at the sight before him.
Rising slowly and steadily upward, just above the distant horizon, the luminous silver disc of the full moon was just beginning its long nightly journey.
* * * * *
The sun had set and the stars were winking into being, one by twinkling one, as Goku eased his body into the steaming water of the barrel tub. A sigh was quietly set free as he leaned back against the side of the tub and gazed absent-mindedly up at the sky. The last few days had not been among his best. Quite the contrary.
There was a pain in his chest, a dull, constant ache that never subsided, that never waned. It was there when he arose in the morning, when he attempted to eat breakfast, but always failed miserably. It was there when he contemplated going outside to train, to fish, to visit friends and family, but in the end, he always decided against it. It was there when supper time finally rolled around, though, as with breakfast, nothing tasted very good. And it was there when he turned in for the evening, usually early, though sleeping had become a rather hard and painful chore. For the bleak ache was still there, even when he slept. And his dreams only made it worse upon waking the following day.
Goku leaned his head back against the rim and closed his eyes. What a strange and unexpected turn his life had taken. Hn, Vejiita had always said he would defeat him someday. Goku had never really envisioned the possibility, and certainly never anything like this. But how could he have known? How could he have foreseen that the Saiyajin prince would become the most important thing in his life? Kami, Vejiita was life!
Vejiita was strength and excitement and skill, all wrapped up in a breathtaking package of sleek mortal perfection. His eyes, dark shards of glittering ebony, suffused with passion and mystery, always flashing with the fierce intensity of his inner emotions. His handsome visage, every line, every elegant feature, a living testament to his royal lineage. Vejiita was a prince, a fact that had never held much meaning for Goku before; it still didn't, really, beyond the obstacle it erected within Vejiita's mind. Yet he could now easily see that Vejiita was different from any other being; he was special, regal and magnificent. Vejiita was a prince. The royal title was stitched into the very fabric of his soul. You could strip it away, much as it already had been, and he would still be just as splendid, just as proud. His exquisite form only emphasized that majestic splendor. The way he carried his strong, sinewy shoulders. The beautiful definition of his arms and biceps as he folded them imposingly across his well-sculptured chest. The wide, august stance of his muscular thighs� thighs that could probably twine around his body so tightly that he'd have to struggle just to breathe properly�
A groan of aggrieved longing came moiling out of his throat. His eyes snapped open, and then he buried his face in his hands, his fingers digging almost painfully into his scalp. Oh, Kami, Vejiita�
Ever since Vejiita had spoken those crude, eye-opening words, all Goku could see was the prince enveloped intimately beneath him, and himself buried to the hilt within the scorching heat of his muscular body. He had not realized such a thing was even possible between them; it was something that had just never occurred to him. It was an electrifying realization, much as his own wedding night had been. The truth was, he'd really had no idea what he was getting when he'd married Chichi, though he had no regrets. This, however, was different, because this time he wanted Vejiita� as he had never wanted anything before.
Kami, he needed him so much! He needed his presence, to hear the deep sound of voice, to breathe in his arousing scent, to taste, to feel, to consume every inch of his warm, heavenly flesh�
Goku raked his fingers through his hair, tears once again stinging his eyes as they had so often these past few days. He tried to blink them away, so tired of the useless weeping, so weary of the endless wretched emotions. His watery gaze swept blindly over the ever-darkening sky, then came to a dull rest on the bright, blurry light of the moon.
What was he going to do? How was he supposed to endure this aching torture? And for how long?
Bonding is permanent, you lame-brained freak!!
Kami! He could not remain like this the rest of his life! Not without Vejiita! He needed him. He needed to touch him. He needed to be touched by him. Kami� his skin was beginning to burn from the inside out with that fierce, desperate craving, so great was its ferocity. He needed him�
Vejiita�
Oh, Kami-sama� he NEEDED him�
Vejiita�
Goku was halfway out of the barrel tub before he thought to analyze where he was going, but by then the answer was so obvious that he merely flicked the questions aside. Why question it? The questions didn't matter. Nothing mattered except Vejiita.
Vejiita�
Goku absently ran a towel over his burning body as his senses zeroed in on the precise location of the Saiyajin prince. With the last vestiges of coherent thought, he did manage to tug on a pair of pants, and then he could wait no longer; every particle within his being was crying out in primal, blistering need. With a swift lift of his arm, he vanished.
He reappeared in the sky above Capsule Corporation, just above the familiar balcony of Vejiita's bedroom. The curtains were drawn across the transparent glass of the double doors and there appeared to be no light at all within. However, Goku knew the prince was inside; though suppressed significantly, his ki signature was unmistakable. The large Saiyan's body quivered in anticipation as another wave of fire seared through his bloodstream. He absently brushed his tongue across his bottom lip. Kami, he was so close�
Goku descended to the balcony below as if drawn by a steel cord wrapped in thick layers of velvet. His head pounded with the rapid pulsing of his heartbeat as he reached for the handle of the door and turned it. It barely registered that the door had been locked as he boldly pushed it open and brushed past the drapes into the room beyond.
The only light shining within was that of the moon he had brought with him as it leaked in through gently billowing draperies. His eyes leapt to the bed, seeking the prince, but found it empty. His gaze swept the room�
A deep, bestial growl greeted him from the inky shadows, and Goku instantly pivoted toward the fierce, primitive sound. "Vejiita," he whispered soulfully, longingly, his eyes settling on the dim outline of the Saiyajin prince.
"You should not be here, Kakarotto," the prince declared, his voice nothing more than a low, seething hiss. His entrancing figure slowly prowled out from the shadows, his eyes gleaming brightly with indignant fury. "Go!"
"Vejiita�" he whispered again, his tone pleading, his body unable to comply with the harshly-spoken command. On the contrary, Goku found himself moving forward, closer to the angry, snarling man.
"Keep away from me!!" he raged, baring his teeth in feral warning.
Goku paused for half a second, but then was moving once more, instinctively, involuntarily. He needed to touch him� he needed�
And then he was on his knees, his jaw stinging, bleeding, from the harsh blow of Vejiita's punishing fist.
"I said, stay away from me, kisama!!" the prince growled again.
A soft, plaintive whimper sounded from deep within his soul, as Goku peered up into the infuriated visage of the exquisite man. So beautiful�
His hand stretched forth of its own accord, reaching for the chiseled flesh of the Saiyan prince, whose strong, alluring scent was wafting through his nostrils, swirling through his brain. Vejiita slapped it down as if reprimanding an insubordinate dog. Goku whimpered again, sounding much like a wounded canine as his eyes wordlessly implored, and his errant hand rose again.
Vejiita glared down at the large Saiyajin, whose wide, round eyes were abysmal pools of pleading, aching, desire. The man's whole body was trembling with the sexual hunger pains spawned by the actuating rays of the full moon, much as his own was. But unlike the groveling fool before him, the Prince of the Saiyajin would not succumb to the tantalizing mind-fever of moonlight and soul bond. His rage at the other man's debasing weakness knew no bounds.
Why couldn't the fool control himself? Had he no pride at all? Did he know nothing of controlling the effects of the full moon? True, the moon had only been restored a few years ago, but the man had grown up on this miserable planet! Why didn't he have better control? Why did he have to come here? And, Kami, why wouldn't he just leave?
The rich, heady scent of the man was already making him crazy�
Damn you, Kakarotto! Damn you for your lack of control! Damn you for invading my mind when I was at my utmost vulnerability! Damn you for defeating me again and again! And damn you most of all for being so excruciatingly beautiful�
Darkness burst out of his heart, out of his eyes, and Vejiita swatted away the offending appendage once again. But the fool just emitted that same whiny, needy sound that literally made the smaller Saiyan want to scream, and began to inch his way closer, on his hands and knees, toward him. The entreating whimper sounded again, and then the man's trembling hand stretched forth again to curl around the prince's pant-clad leg, tightly, desperately. Eyes of liquid onyx lifted to silently plead with him as Goku's other hand crept sensually up the sensitive flesh of his inner thigh. A violent shudder quaked through Vejiita's body, flaring his already burning blood to an all new pinnacle of heat, and the dark fury exploded into madness behind his blazing eyes.
A growl of fierce, unbounded rage churned viciously in his throat as his closed fist slammed into the side of Goku's skull, knocking him sideways to the floor.
"You want me?!" he screamed wildly. "You want me, you stupid baka?!" With a feral snarl Vejiita was on him, his weight pinning Goku's muscular body to the floor, his fist clenched tightly in his thick raven hair. "You should be careful what you ask for!" he growled against his ear, then bit into the soft flesh of his lobe.
The taste of blood filled his mouth, warm, metallic, and sinfully sweet. Kami� even Bulma had not tasted this sweet�
The startling realization only served to madden him further, as the sweet, red honey glided marvelously over his tongue, hazing over his mind like a potent aphrodisiac. Saiyajin� the difference was astounding, though it really should not have been. The blood of his own race� of course it would affect him more powerfully than any other. The unholy mixture of rage and lust was surging balefully through his soul in ungoverned abandon.
His hand abruptly released the larger Saiyan's hair to go skimming down the smooth skin of his back and coming to a halt at the waistband of his pants. Then he forced his lips from the sweet suckle of the man's ear and moved down to grab hold of the loose fabric with his other hand, as well. His lip curled into a cruel sneer as he ruthlessly ripped the thin covering from Goku's lower body. The larger man attempted to rise, but the Saiyan prince merely pushed him harshly back to the floor, his fingers digging painfully into his back.
Vejiita made short work of his own clothing, nearly tearing them, as well, in his haste to remove them. Then all barriers were gone, and the flesh beneath his palm was shaking almost convulsively. The prince grinned, without warmth and without a shred of mercy.
He quickly maneuvered his knee, forcing it between the man's large, muscular thighs; the sight of his bared flesh, the perfect curve of his firm, round buttocks, made his breathing grow ragged and his heart-rhythm heavy and erratic in hungry anticipation. Oh, Kami, yes�
He was going to take him. He was going to fuck the man blind, or until Kakarotto broke, begging and howling for him to stop. Hn. Even then he would not stop until the man was completely senseless. He wanted to hurt him. He wanted to hurt and humiliate him so badly, so horrendously, that the fool would never, ever come near him again. And perhaps, once he'd taken him, his own fell desire would finally fade into oblivion.
His own body was already more than prepared; Kakarotto's masculine scent, the burning fever of moon lust, the sight of the man nude and helpless beneath him�all had primed him for this single, pivotal moment of malicious triumph. His grin turned brutishly wicked. This is how I will finally defeat you, Kakarotto�
With a swift, brutal thrust he rammed himself into the man's body, delighting in the sharp cry that burst from Goku's throat and the abrupt sensation of taut heat around his aching arousal. Oh, yes� Slowly the prince withdrew, savoring the tight caress of the larger Saiyan's flesh, only to plunge once more, deeper, into his hot, quivering body.
A moan of crazed pleasure slipped out from between Vejiita's teeth as he began to move quickly, continuously, in and out of the man, setting a hard, savage pace that would have torn his lovely human mate to shreds. Kakarotto merely grunted and groaned with every punishing thrust of his hips as the Prince of the Saiyajin took barbarous enjoyment in his pinned, immovable form.
Oh, Kami, he had never felt anything as marvelous as this! Whether it was the feeling of dark, primitive triumph, or of finally satisfying the craving that had been gnawing at him for weeks, or the simple physical reality of thrusting freely, wantonly, into a tight, warm body with all the natural strength he possessed, Vejiita did not know, nor did he much care. He was too busy relishing every ounce of pleasure being plundered from the man beneath him.
His tempo accelerated as the pleasure began to intensify, urging his body to move faster and faster, now ravaging the sweet, scalding heat that was Kakarotto in near delirious frenzy. His eyes glazed over as the mounting pleasure temporarily blinded him, his ears going deaf to everything but the rhythmic pounding of their bodies as flesh met glistening flesh.
Oh, Kami-sama� Kakarotto�
Vejiita's cry of release exploded like a thunderclap inside his skull, and tore violently through the moonlit darkness of the room, instantly shattering the glass of the balcony doors. The sound and the pleasure ricocheted through his being with great rolling crescendos of ecstasy. His body spasmed with rapture unrivaled, before finally collapsing into a heap of sweat and boneless flesh atop the other man.
The prince didn't move but for the great heaving of his lungs. Then his hearing returned, and his vision, but it took several more minutes before he found the strength to push himself off the motionless figure below him. With a satisfied sigh, he slid his weary body to the floor beside the man, and gazed abstractedly at the dancing shadows on the ceiling above as he slowly began to recover. And then the man moved.
Vejiita couldn't help the nervous tremor that shivered up his spine as Goku pushed himself to a sitting position, his strength, obviously, having been restored more quickly than his own. Oh, Kuso� what was the man going to do to him?
Then Goku's head turned toward him, peering down through the darkness, but Vejiita could not see well enough make out his expression. And then the other warrior suddenly lunged for him�
Vejiita jerked back automatically in response, but there was nowhere left to go as the man's powerful arms grabbed hold of him. A dart of fear shot through him�
And then Goku lowered himself back down and curled his body around him, his arms snuggling the prince tenderly, his face burrowing warmly into his neck.
"Thank you, Vejiita," he murmured, happily, the contented smile obvious in his voice. And then the large Saiyajin softly began to purr.
