Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Fall of the Mighty ❯ Stalemate of an Impasse ( Chapter 2 )

~Author's Rant~

Here we go, back by popular demand. Okay, maybe not so popular…But working on it!

Now we've slowed down a little. Ya gots ta recover after something like that, ya know! But don't worry I'm gonna go in spurts: a little explanation, a little more conversation, a little less description, and a bit less violence, but plenty of angst and cursing still. Lot's of introspection and a hint of *!YAOI!*, I know everyone's waiting for that. It starts out a little slow but I had to start it somehow! It gets fun real quick though so be patient.

Thanks to my wonderful reviewers!! All two of you!! You've made my writing worth…well…uh…writing. Ahem…I guess…

Sluggy and Chibi Hoshi!! I'm glad you liked my first chapter I hope I set the story off well and be patient for that promised "yaoi and lots of it". I apologize for my bastardliness…oh wait, no I don't. By the way, if you can think of a better name for this chapter let me know. Enjoy!

~Finally Shut My Mouth~

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"NOOOOOO!!!!"

Vegeta's body made a sickening wet thud when it impacted the ground.

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*Stalemate of an Impasse*

Goku was there instantly. His heart felt like it was about to burst from his chest. "No! Vegeta! No! I'm sorry!"

A tiny glimmer of life still resided in the un-responding shell. In a panic Goku gathered up the burnt and broken body of his prince and transported to The Lookout where Dende was waiting. "DENDE!!"

"I know, Goku, I saw." Dende and Mr Popo stood forlornly expectant and calm.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"It's alright, Goku, lay him down. I'll do what I can." The Namik was supremely patient.

Goku obeyed quickly and Dende knelt beside the prince's still form. A familiar glow surrounded them both. The guardian gasped then was silent. After a few minutes he slumped and released the prince, the glow fading. Mr. Popo knelt down to steady his master. "I could not totally restore him, it would take everything I have. There was too much but he will live." He paused trying to catch his breath.

"Thank you, Dende." Goku knelt beside him to examine Vegeta. The burns were gone and the small Saiyajin was once again recognizable but he was still covered with bruising. "He seemed to be invincible today."

Dende shook his head wonderingly. "He may have seemed that way but he was not. There was so much damage that I don't know how he could have continued fighting. There was even damage to his spine, probably from the fall. I fixed it but his body will still take time to heal completely."

Goku looked almost tearful. "Thank you, Dende. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been able to heal him. I'll take him home now." He wilted slightly in relief.

"Wait, Goku. I have a little energy left, let me try to heal your wounds. You are in almost as bad shape as Vegeta was." Dende laid his hands on Goku's bloody chest and concentrated. There was little change in his appearance but the big man now found he could breath without stabbing spasms and move his leg again. Much of his pain was gone as well. Mr. Popo had to catch the guardian when he relinquished his hold on Goku who stood and gathered Vegeta into his arms. Dende stopped him before they transported away. "I only saw the tail end of your fight but… Vegeta… Stay with him when you take him home. I have a feeling that he needs…something. Don't leave him alone."

Goku gazed down at the limp form in his arms. "Did… Did he so it on purpose? I thought…for a moment I thought he *wanted* me to hurt him."

"Just don't leave him alone, he needs a companion." Dende said instead of answering. Goku hesitated before nodding. "I guess I could use one too." Then the pair disappeared.

At C.C.

"TRUNKS! TRUNKS!!"

Goku searched the complex still holding Vegeta's battered form. "Hey. HEY!! What's all the racket?!"

"Trunks! Um…we kind of got a little carried away this time." Goku rounded a corner to where Trunks was exiting one of the labs and proffered his limp father.

"What happened?!"

"Don't worry, I've already been to Dende, he's alright. Just needs some rest. Um…do you mind if I stay for a while to make sure he's okay when he wakes up?"

"Sure, of course, but what happened?" Trunks was incredulous at the condition of both Goku and his father. It was worse than he'd ever seen them and Goku said they'd already been healed! His adopted uncle fidgeted nervously. "Well, I'm still not completely sure. I hit him with a Kamehameha wave." Trunks' brows drew low. "But he should have been able to deflect that. You two are almost equal in strength."

"Yeah, well," Goku still looked uncomfortable, "by that time we were both mostly spent but he just kept coming so I put all my energy into it and…and…" Goku looked away still unsure of what he saw in Vegeta's eyes that last time. "I think he let it hit him. He dropped completely out of SSJ and dropped his guard just before it impacted." Trunks listened with disbelief to Goku's explanation. "That's impossible! Something must have happened that you didn't see. My father would never have done something like that. I can't even get him to ease up on my youngest son. Something else must have happened." Goku only nodded silently as Trunks led him to Vegeta's room back at the main house.

The house was huge with more rooms than were ever used in the time the Briefs owned C.C. Since Bulma passed away Vegeta had moved to an uninhabited part and other empty bedrooms surrounded his room. "You can pick any room you want, Goku. There are sheets and blankets in the hall closet and you know where the kitchen is. I'll take father."

Goku stopped him. "Don't worry about Vegeta, Trunks. I'm sure you have work to do. I'll take care of him." Trunks thanked Goku for looking out for his dad and left.

The taller man rummaged around the room till be found some baggy sweat pants. Vegetas clothes were already shredded and bloody so he gently ripped them the rest of the way off. Once he'd wiped away the majority of the blood still sticking to the ouji's skin, Goku put the sweat pants on him and tucked his old friend into bed. He had just settled into a chair next to the bed when there came a knock at the door. "Yes?" The door opened to reveal a plump maid carrying a bundle of cloth. "Sir, Mr. Briefs asked me to…" She stopped and stared in horror at Goku. "Huh? What?" Then the big man realized what he must look like. "Oh, don't worry, it looks much worse than it is." The woman only nodded dazedly and handed over the clothes she'd brought before leaving quickly. Now Goku remembered his own aches and pains. Dende had taken the worst of it but… He used Vegeta's bathroom to clean up. The hot water made his many cuts and abrasions sting harshly. Upon leaving the shower Goku caught sight of himself in the mirror and almost didn't recognize his reflection. "Wow. He really did a number on me."

Goku was covered in dark bruises, one side of his face was slightly swollen and there was a gash along his hairline on the opposite side. Thankfully most of his wounds had stopped bleeding. Trunks' clothes were kind of tight but Goku didn't mind. The white t-shirt that would have been baggy on Trunks stretched across his chest outlining bulky muscles nicely and the long blue sweat shorts were snug in some places too. The tall Saiyan settled himself on his chair and mulled over what had happed today.

There was something wrong with Vegeta. He had not been like this since…since…since they'd been in the afterlife together. Even then the prince hadn't been this intense. He had…had *wanted* Goku to get angry. Now that he thought about it Goku realized that Vegeta had been acting very out of character, he had been desperate and tense. Normally Vegeta always wore a mask of calm and security that was unnerving in its intensity. The prince was always good at getting what he wanted and he definitely had wanted something because when Goku locked eyes with him that last time… Vegeta had been calm and secure again…and something else. Goku watched the sleeping prince with a furrowed brow. The prince had been out of control one minute and completely in control the next…and he'd dropped his guard…on purpose. He knew what would happen and he did it anyway. Vegeta had wanted Goku to kill him. The big man turned numb when the revelation hit him.

'Why?!'

The question was left unanswered. After a while the troubled man fell asleep from exhaustion still in his chair. He dreamed of searching. Searching for Vegeta and finding only blood, blood everywhere, and then he realized it was coming from *his* hands. Vegeta's blood.

Goku woke during the night and couldn't sleep anymore. The moon cast it's light through the window onto the sleeping prince and Goku stared, still dismayed at what had almost happened.

Vegeta floated in blessed dark, feeling nothing. Thinking nothing, knowing nothing. He was content. When the nothingness began to recede he struggled to hold onto it but inexorably it slipped from his grasp.

Pessimist that he was, he didn't need to open his eyes to know he wasn't dead. He felt sluggish and heavy. He'd almost done it, almost been free but that idiot just HAD to save him. Just like always. He knew the presence beside him and had much trouble rolling away from it but managed anyway. "Vegeta?" came Kakarott's timid voice.

"Go away, Kakarott." Was the prince's only reply.

"Vegeta…are you alright?"

"No. You are still here." His voice was gravelly and hoarse.

Goku sighed sadly. "I'm going to be here for a while so you should get used to it."

"I don't need looking after, certainly not from *you*!" The ouji fairly growled.

Goku's usually light tone turned bitter. "No, you just need me to kill you." Vegeta laughed dryly. Those words sounded infinitely strange coming from the other.

"But you just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? You couldn't just accept it. After all these years I was ready to die and you took it away. You had to be the hero." Vegeta laughed softly again. "I suppose it was my fault, I didn't work hard enough at pissing you off. Next time I will be more patient."

"What?!"

Vegeta gave no answer.

'Next time?!' A chill ran up Goku's spine. "No Vegeta! Why are you doing this?!"

The prince was now ignoring the other's protests, which showed the large Saiyan that this was definitely serious. At any other time hearing the word 'no' would cause some kind of outburst from the self-righteous ouji.

"Vegeta?"

Still no response.

"Vegeta!!"

The smaller Saiyajin almost flinched at the upset that could be heard plainly in the other man's voice. 'What is wrong with him? Why is he acting like this? Why does he care?' The prince had noticed small changes in the man over the years, he couldn't say how many years or even what those changes were but…there was something different. During sparring matches or even the few times Kakarott had convinced him to endure some mindless diversion like fishing the prince would notice it. Things would be normal one minute and then some vague tension would appear the next. At first Vegeta gave it little thought but as time went by it grew. Soon the prince could see the tension arrive, could recognize what had caused it. Sometimes it was caused by something either of them would say or sometimes it was a look or expression and sometimes, though rarely, it was merely that something unknown would upset Goku or hurt his feelings. Vegeta began to feel cramped as if he had to watch what he said or did around the other man. That was when he stopped going to spar with him. He was Vegeta, the Saiyajin no Ouji! He always had been and always would be. He was not going to tread lightly just because Kakarotto had suddenly become thin skinned. Now Kakarott was upset again though this time, Vegeta supposed, he actually had a reason. Since the prince didn't think he was well enough to leave the bed he did his best to ignore the sniffling behind him.

Then the bed dipped unexpectedly and muscular arms wrapped around his waist. Kakarott was suddenly under the covers and pressed against the prince, his cheek was warm against the back of Vegeta's neck. "Kakarott!! What the HELL are you doing?!" The voice behind him was firm belaying the sniffling he heard only a second ago.

"I will NOT let you die, do you hear me? I will not allow it."

Vegeta snarled angrily trying to make his body respond so he could face the Saiyan. Goku easily flipped him over still not loosening his grip. Now that they were face to face Goku spoke again. "So you have nothing left to live for? What about Trunks and Bra? What about their kids? What about my kids and grandkids? They all adore you. I think the newest generation likes you even more than me. You were prepared to leave all that? Your were gonna leave me all alone?" The last sentence seemed to slip out before Goku could stop it. Before he lost his momentum he pressed on. "You have no less to live for than I do. Damn it, Vegeta! I know how you feel but that doesn't make it okay!"

The prince's eyes never blinked. "You know how I feel? You'll never know how I feel! Did you ever stop to think about our children? They are half human. Did you notice our eldest sons are beginning to resemble us? They will live longer than any human could ever hope to but they will die long before either of us. Our children and grand children and great-grandchildren will grow old and die and they will look upon us still in the prime of life and they will despise us! And what will I do…we do? Sit at C.C. for generations while the world dies around us? Sit here hoping that some monster might pop up so I'll have something to do? Or perhaps I should find another woman with spirit to match Bulma's and start another family only to watch it wither and die like the first? When I finally die I will be torn to shreds by a herd of women waiting for me. I am not like you Kakarott. I *need* battle. I was raised for it, it is why I exist, it is all I am good for. It is all I can feel. I am incapable of anything else."

Goku realized that Vegeta was right about their families. He didn't want to watch all his children die. "We can use the Dragonballs to lengthen their lives or shorten ours. We can fix that somehow… What do you mean you are incapable of feelings? You loved Bulma, you love your kids."

Vegeta shook his head and sneered. "I am *devoted* to my family, I am loyal. I have never felt love, I don't know what it is."

"How do you know you've never felt it if you don't know what it is? Love is when you would give up everything you have for another without any thought of yourself."

The prince's eyes were cold and hard. "I have nothing."

The larger Saiyan's eyes burned into the prince and he drew close.

"Liar."

Vegeta was about to lash out for that insult but Goku's next words silenced him.

"You have me."

Then Goku's lips met Vegeta's with quiet love and compassion.

The ouji could do little more than stare in shock. Goku pulled his head back from the still staring ouji. Vegeta found the will to move again and brought his hands up to weakly push against the massive chest above him. The big Saiyan loosened his grip allowing himself to be pushed back only a few inches as the prince stared up at him blinking in astonishment. Finally gaining his voice Vegeta searched for something, for anything to say. Something really huge had happened and he desperately wanted out of this strange situation. He couldn't deal with this; he needed space so he could figure out what had just taken place. He said the first thing that sprang to mind and his voice shook noticeably. "H…Ha…How dare you touch your prince." He watched as all the color drained from Kakarott's face under the moonlight. 'Oh no! Not now!' Vegeta couldn't stand the hurt and anguish that flooded Goku's features. Reaching deep down somehow he found a reserve of power. He channeled it all.

Goku barely managed a squawk before the energy blast erupted from the prince's palms sending him rocketing through the wall and out to land on the lawn.

"Father!!!"

Trunks appeared flying down the hall at super speed. The door burst open just as Vegeta forced his protesting body to roll over again.

"Father! Are you alright?"

"I need another blanket…" Vegeta mumbled sleepily. "Kakarotto took mine."

You know what? Villainy is just so much fun. *!!!!cackles insanely!!!!* I guess I'll get those reviews now, won't I? I will if you ever want to know what happens to poor widdle Kakarotto……