Hakkyou
Scott Douglas Davidson
Warnings: Shounen-ai (male-male situations), swearing, violence, rape, clinical insanity.
Disclaimer: The setting and props are mine, the actors are not. That doesn’t mean that I don’t wish that I was their manager, it just so happens thought that I am not at this point in time. However, when I rise to power all shall be mine!
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The first week was quiet, tranquil, peaceful.
If you discount Gohan constantly mentioning that his mother was going to kill him, Goten and Trunks complaining about the lack of video games, Kakarotto calling Goku’s children ‘brats unfit to breath the same air as their prince’, Goku chirping happily about how beautiful the place was, and Vegeta telling the rest of them to just shut up.
Ok, maybe it wasn’t so quiet after all.
Vegeta cursed himself for coming up with this stupid idea. Why did he decide to bring the baka and his sons here in the first place? Oh yes, the harpy bitches. Well, he couldn’t just tell them that they could go back now without good reason, because then they would know he had made a mistake. A prince should not make mistakes, he should be able to know what is right the first time, without help, no margin for error.
" ‘Gita-san!" Goku called out, waving from the edge of the river, beckoning Vegeta over.
Vegeta grimaced at the appellation the younger Saiyajin had used. In all truth, he thought being called ‘Gita’ was less ridiculous, but Kakarotto had decided that the Earth-raised nimrod should learn to be more respectful. Kakarotto had tried for ‘ouji-sama’ but Goku insisted on calling Vegeta by name rather than title, and usually shortened it for convenience. The baka also couldn’t understand why he should call anyone ‘sama’, but Chi-chi’s conditioning at least taught him some semblance of politeness, so he called Vegeta ‘Vegeta-san’ or, more often simply; ‘Gita-san’.
Vegeta snorted in distaste and strode out of the forest and over to Goku. "What do you want baka?"
Vegeta felt intense dislike for the fact that he could not reasonably argue that Goku’s real name was ‘Kakarotto’ anymore, since it had turned out that Goku and Kakarotto were entirely different people. He had been wrong again. That left a strong negative impression in his mind. If he’d been wrong twice in his service to Frieza he would have been... ‘Punished’ for his errors. This idiot made mistakes all the time and simply learned from them and moved on, receiving no punishment further than what the mistake directly caused. It drove Vegeta absolutely crazy.
"Well, we don’t have any plans for dinner today, so let’s go fishing!" Goku suggested cheerfully. Vegeta remained expressionless as his thoughts whirled.
He desperately wanted to tell the idiot that he had caught a deer and that there would be no need for such a ridiculous activity as Goku’s nude fishing, but that would be a lie. One thing ingrained deep in his psyche was that you never lie to someone stronger than you, unless it gains you an advantage over them. As much as he wished to deny it, Goku was stronger than him, and therefore should not be lied to.
A deeply buried part of him argued that there was no longer the need to act so militantly about ki power and rank, but Vegeta never really listened to that part of himself; it seemed almost an embarrassment. His father had told him; "Strength is power, obey those stronger than you, make those weaker obey you. Remember this; you are a Saiyajin prince, only myself and Frieza are stronger than you."
Vegeta’s father had died the next day, when Frieza had destroyed their planet.
"Vegeta? What do you think; fish?" Goku sounded a bit worried, and Vegeta realized that he had simply been standing there without answering. An intolerable mistake on his part, an enemy could have come while his attention was diverted to the past. One had to focus on the present, and at present there was a half-naked Goku sitting on the edge of the small lake, looking up at him questioningly, his shirt dropped carelessly on the ground next to him.
The buried part of Vegeta mentioned that if an enemy had come while he was diverted, Goku would have sensed it and warned him, but he ignored that part yet again. He had to rely on himself for protection. Nothing else gave him the certainty that his interests were at the top of the priority list.
"If you want something to eat for dinner I suggest that you get it yourself." Vegeta glared as harshly as he could, but his mind was still wandering. He had to prevent that from being obvious however, since an enemy could take vital advantage over someone who was unable to focus.
"So let’s get some fish then!" Goku chirped again in that annoyingly happy voice of his. This time, instead of fighting the part of him that wondered why he found Goku so annoying, he let it search through his memories. What it came up with was a flashback to him sitting in the palace back on Vegeta-sei, watching the second and third class children out on the streets beyond the palace walls. They ran around, playing tail-tag and sparring, laughing and cavorting until their parents caught them and took them home for serious fighting lessons. Vegeta had asked his father why he and his sisters were not allowed leisure time for play, and the king had said simply that those children were not as strong as them, and never would be. The strong had to remain strong or those weaker would be all that stood between his people and those that might conquer them. If Vegeta ouji wished to rule his people, he had to be trained to be strong, quick, clever, and ruthless. Vegeta ou’s definition of ruthless was; "Getting done what needs to be done by whatever means are necessary". Vegeta ouji was trained to be ruthless from the day he emerged from his mother’s womb.
And this... Overgrown child, laughing and playing, had become stronger than him, and now by all rights could have been their king if he’d been born of royal blood.
Vegeta would never admit that the reason he didn’t claim the title of king was because of the fact that Goku was stronger than him. The king was always the strongest of the children of the last king, and the royal family members were the strongest Saiyajin alive. Never before had a... A peasant out-classed royalty in any way. There had never been any debate over the king of Vegeta-sei, there was never any need. But now...
"I will not join this foolishness!" Vegeta snapped, more irritated with Goku’s ignorance of the problem than with the man himself.
"Well, I guess you’ll have to go get something of your own then." Goku shrugged.
That caused Vegeta to swing his full attention back to the man... Stripping in front of him.
Vegeta locked his gaze on his rival’s eyes, refusing to either stare or look away.
"What. Did. You. Say." he carefully enounced each word, letting a dangerous tone creep into his voice.
"Well, if I have to catch my own food it’s only fair if you have to catch your own. Right?" Goku cocked his head to the side like a curious puppy, but Vegeta caught the challenge in his words.
"And?" Vegeta knew the man had more to say, and was too impatient to play those stupid games of his.
"Well, I’m only going to catch enough food for me. You and the boys’ll have to catch your own. I’ll tell them about the new rule. See ya." Goku waved and dived in the water, thereby releasing Vegeta’s gaze to wander around the clearing again.
"Damn it..." Vegeta muttered in Saiyago, needing the comfort of his native language more than he’d care to admit "He had me there. I’m smarter than him in all areas, I should have been able to win."
Vegeta saw everything in terms of battle. That was only partially because of his father. His father had made that his basis for ruling his people. Frieza had made it the basis for life. Fight or die. Vegeta was clearly still alive.
Absently he wondered why all this was coming out now, rather than when he’d first been freed of the tyrant’s rule, but he dismissed it as Kakarotto’s re-emergence reminding him of his home.
"Father!" Trunks fell from the sky, landing face-first in the grass with a solid thump. Vegeta glanced briefly at his son, assuring himself that the brat had not snapped his neck, and glanced up to where, from the angle Trunks had dropped from, Goku’s younger brat must be.
Right on the money, though it was the wrong brat.
"Sorry Trunks! I didn’t realize that you’d stopped sparring with me!" Gohan called down as Trunks removed himself from the ground, spitting out dirt and grass.
"Well pay attention next time you stupid-" Trunks then proceeded to curse very creatively in Saiyago. Vegeta smirked, letting a small amount of his pride in the boy show through. The boy was more Saiyajin than he looked.
"New rule," Vegeta announced firmly, though his eyes danced with delight at Goku’s new interest in more mental battles, "you have to each hunt for your own food. Me and your baka father won’t do it for you."
"What? Why wouldn’t father bring us food if he caught enough for everyone?" Gohan looked confused. Vegeta beat down the urge to laugh in the boy’s face. The brat thought his father to be the kindest man in the universe. The ridiculous Earth-raised Saiyajin might be a generally nice guy, but he was still Saiyajin. Saiyajin never turn down a challenge, physical or mental, and he and the boy’s father were currently in open challenge, testing each other as Vegeta learned that Goku wasn’t all he appeared to be, and Goku learned how to fight without fists or feet. Vegeta felt himself smirking. Yes, this was going to be interesting.
--- --- ---
Gohan stared at Vegeta. Vegeta must have talked his father into this. He didn’t know how, but he knew that Goku would take care of his kids and wouldn’t make them do things they didn’t need to do. Though, it’s not like having to hunt was a big deal... Still, it wasn’t normal for Goku.
"For your information brat," Vegeta’s smirk grew, "he suggested the idea. He’s fishing now if you want to join him. You might not want to though," the smirk grew even nastier, if that was possible, "unless you really want a good glimpse of why your harpy mother kept him around so long."
Gohan thought about that for a moment and paled. Ew... He did not need that mental image. He could hear Trunks laughing at his expression, but he couldn’t help himself. Just... The thought of his father and mother together... A horror no teen should have emblazoned onto his mind’s eye.
"I guess I need to go tell Goten then." Gohan said, eager to get away from the prince, who looked like he was itching for a confrontation. Gohan really didn’t want to get into a fight with him. "I’ll see you at dinner Vegeta-san."
Gohan almost didn’t notice the faint wince when he’s said ‘san’. Almost. Once he had turned and started flying away, he frowned. Why would Vegeta dislike a term of respect? Gohan knew the prince would likely prefer ‘sama’, but he’d never winced at people just calling him ‘Vegeta’, so why would a ‘san’ attached upset him?
...Maybe it had to do with the fact that Goku was calling him ‘Gita-san’ now. Gohan wasn’t entirely sure why Goku had added the ‘san’, but it seemed to have something to do with his split personality.
Gohan would have to ask his father later. Right now he had to find Goten and tell him the strange news.
--- --- ---
Goku grinned to himself as he leapt into the cold water.
Brr! Kakarotto complained. He seemed to do that lot. That’s cold! Erg... Why did you challenge the prince like that?
Goku smiled. I just thought it was fair. he answered back, having learned a few days ago how to communicate with Kakarotto without needing to speak After all, he was making me catch my own food, why should I catch his as well?
Because he is your prince! You should obey him! Kakarotto sounded like he was going to throw a tantrum inside Goku’s head, which would not be good for the Saiyajin while he was underwater.
Yes... But he didn’t order me to catch food. Why should I have to do something for him that he can do himself easily?
Because... Kakarotto seemed to struggle for a reason He caught all your food for a week! He was being extremely generous and tolerant!
‘If only you knew how generous that was for him...’ Goku thought to himself.
It’s only ‘fair’ that you should return the favor! Kakarotto declared as if that was the obvious and valid end to the matter.
Unfortunately for Goku, it was.
Fine, I’ll catch extra fish to share with the prince. Can I focus on fishing now?
Kakarotto was silent. Goku took that for a yes. In all, the entire conversation they had just had only lasted about seven seconds. It was faster to think than to talk, especially when he wasn’t trying to think about Gohan’s homework when the teen demi-Saiyajin was complaining about it. Goku oriented on a fish and attacked.
--- --- ---
Vegeta was hauling two deer carcasses to the home he had carved inside the cliff when an eruption of water from the lake caught his attention. A huge fish was thrown out of the water, landing on a pile of several other enormous fish. Vegeta paused to see if the event would repeat, and it did... Kind of.
Goku leapt gracefully out of the water with a huge splash, landing in all his glory next to the fish in a low crouch. He straightened up and his eyes locked with Vegeta’s, flashing the cold battle gaze that Vegeta had associated with Goku’s Saiyajin side, and now realized was entirely and purely Goku. He almost dropped his deer in what would be best described as ‘shocked awe’, but quickly covered his expression of wonder with a glare and nodded curtly at the nude man, then turned and strode calmly away, dragging his deer behind him.
--- --- ---
What was that! Kakarotto was making varying noises of surprise, concern, and fear in Goku’s head as Goku stared after the departing prince What was that look?! Oh, we are undoubtedly in so much trouble...
Goku had had enough. Shut up. he told Kakarotto, calmly but firmly, and reached down for his fish.
Only if you put your clothes on before one of the brats comes along. Kakarotto countered.
"Huh? Oh. Ok." Goku spoke aloud that time, realizing that that’s probably why Vegeta had looked so stunned when he’d leapt out of the water. It wasn’t every day you saw a large naked man jump out of a lake after all.
Goku grabbed his pants and tugged them on, but his shirt was nowhere in sight, though wolf prints dotted the ground where he had tossed it. "Heh, they must have thought it was a neat toy." Goku chuckled and tied his belt sash as he went back for his fish.
--- --- ---
Vegeta honestly hadn’t expected the boys to do so well on their first real hunt. He knew Goku at least had hunted before, but he wasn’t sure about whether Gohan had actually ever hunted with the intent to eat the beast he was after, and he was sure Goten and Trunks had never done more than fish.
Still, each of the younger boys had two smaller wild boars, and Gohan matched the prince himself with two good-sized deer. Goku had caught... Eleven fish, each bigger than the two younger brats combined.
"A bit much even for your stomach, isn’t it?" Vegeta smirked, his voice mocking, "You’re a complete slave to your appetite."
"Well, after you got most of our food last week I thought it would only be fair for me to get some extra for everyone this time." Goku shrugged off his own earlier decision like water off a capsule house roof.
"Vegeta-san..." Gohan started. Vegeta winced slightly at the ‘san’, he was probably going to end up hating that word for all eternity after this. "You said Goku was the one who decided we should all hunt for ourselves."
"I did," Goku nodded before Vegeta got a chance to answer, "but I changed my mind. I just wanted it to be fair. This week I’ll bring all the food, and next week you kids can, then after that Vegeta again, how does that sound?"
Vegeta thought it sounded like a fair and just ruling. He sneered, letting them think it was because he didn’t approve. In truth he was angry because he hadn’t thought of it first. Some ruler he was turning out to be.
"How long are we staying here dad? I’m going to get really behind in school eventually. This is vacation, but there’s only another three weeks left." Gohan looked down, "Mother would kill me if I missed any school."
Vegeta was about to go into a long rant about human females and their controlling, shrewish, harpy natures, and how they had no right to force a Saiyajin to do anything when Goku caught his eye, mouth twitching like he was going to smirk, then he put his hand behind his head in the ‘Son sheepish gesture’ (tm) as he turned to his son.
"I don’t know Gohan," Goku remarked cheerfully, "I guess until Vegeta decides he’s sick of us."
Vegeta almost fell over at that.
He managed to suppress it to a startled blink. The baka had just unwittingly... Or was it on purpose? ...Managed to free Vegeta to chase them off at any time without losing face. There really was more to Goku than he’d originally thought.
...Or was it Kakarotto’s influence?
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