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Survival of the Fittest	By : 2dragonkat Category: Dragon Ball Z > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 11967 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ and its characters, they belong to Akira Toriyama. The only parts that do belong to me are the plot and the twins. I also do not make any profit/money from this either.

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
Chapter 19 - "Family Matters"

WC: 3,052

It was morning, a bright morning. But a storm was coming.

There was a clearing in a jungle, a hill in its center.

A dead man sat in a throne on the hill, another man stood beside him.

A spaceship landed and a tree fell down.

There was a sense of familiarity and caution.

There were screams and an explosion.

Blood covered a man's hands.

One ship arrived, followed by another.

Bodies lay strewn on a battlefield.

A man laughed before falling silent.

A dead man sat in a throne on the hill.

He had no tail and hair like lightning.

A brother was ripped apart, blood splashed on the ground.

The bond disappeared.

Death and Life surrounded two species in a thick vice.

A group of people traveled in spaceships.

They had no tails and spiked hair.

A planet disappeared from the sky, one of ancient origin.

A leader was killed.

There was a silent baby and the wail of someone who's lost everything.

A spaceship came from the sky and landed in a clearing with the hill.

There were people with no tails inside.

A dead man sat in a throne on the hill.

He destroys a family.

Takeo woke up to his brother seizing beside him in their bed. He yelled for help and reached for his brother, trying to stop the full body shakes that rocked the bed. He couldn't connect with his brother through their bond and he was terrified. There was a wall between them that had never existed before.

He felt tears trace his cheeks as he yelled at his brother, pleading for Keigo to wake up.

Hands pulled him away from his brother and Takeo screamed, struggling and fighting the arms grasping him. Nothing was going to stop him from helping Keigo. His brother needed him.

Takeo screamed until his voice was horse and the tears fell until they obscured his vision.

Takeo woke up in his papa's arms, being held against his chest, head in his neck. His breathing was shaky as he took in his papa's scent. Papa's hands were stroking his back, in a way Takeo hadn't felt in a long time. It had been a while since he had been so upset that he needed his papa's comfort.

"Papa…Keigo…" Takeo's breath left him. He couldn't utter another word. He was so tired. He still couldn't feel Keigo, either.

"Keigo's sleeping, Takeo," Papa whispered in his ear, speaking gently so Takeo wasn't disturbed from his position pressed against his papa.

"When…" Takeo couldn't find the breath or energy to finish his question. He just needed to know when his brother was going to wake up.

"I'm not sure when Keigo will wake up," his papa murmured.

It felt like there was something left unsaid by his papa, but Takeo couldn't figure out what it was. Takeo closed his eyes. If Keigo wasn't going to be awake, then neither would Takeo.

Takeo didn't hear his papa murmur after he had fallen asleep, "if Keigo ever wakes up."

Gohan woke with a scream, clutching his stomach as his body seized in agony. Tears leaked from between his clenched eyelids, pooling on his pillow. He curled up on his side on the bed he shared with Piccolo, wrapping his arms around his stomach in a futile attempt to stop the pain.

The pain wasn't enough to keep the fear from overwhelming Gohan and he shook more in fright than pain. He sobbed and trembled and had no idea what to do or what was happening. What if he lost his baby? Again. He couldn't go through that again, he couldn't live through that. But it felt like that was exactly what was happening.

Gohan knew but never acknowledged that his pregnancy was different. He had been so much more drained and he had started showing weeks before he should have. He looked like he was in his final month of pregnancy rather than only half way there. Gohan told himself it was because he and Piccolo were different species.

But there was a part of Gohan that had feared his pregnancy was going wrong.

Gohan was lifted from the bed. He opened his eyes to see through blurry tears that he was in his mate's arms. Gohan kept his hands on his stomach but he leaned into Piccolo's neck, sobbing around the pain and fear.

Gohan lost track of time, but the next time he was aware of his surroundings Gohan found himself in an infirmary room. A needle pricked his arm and the pain subsided just enough that Gohan's muscles weren't tense with agony. He slumped back on the bed. People were talking above him but their words were garbled, making no sense to his muddled head.

Gohan rested his hands on his stomach, searching inward for his baby. His cub's presence had been weak from the start, but Gohan had been forging as much of a bond as he could. Just enough so he could wrap his baby in security and love. Now though, Gohan couldn't feel his cub. He couldn't touch the tiny sliver of a bond he had been tirelessly building. It was gone.

Hands rested over his own and Gohan let out a moaning sob, sucking in ragged breaths. He heard his mate's voice, felt Piccolo's hands but Gohan was too far gone to feel comfort. He didn't deserve it. Once again, he had lost Piccolo's baby.

His mate's voice became frantic but Gohan shook his head and cried louder, using his hands to cover his face. He couldn't let anyone see him like this, Gohan didn't want the wretched pity that would come once everyone was aware of his failure. Gohan didn't want Piccolo to look at him because Gohan was scared of what he would see in his mate's eyes. Would he see pity? Or worse, disappointment.

Gohan's arm was pricked with another needle and in moments everything went dark.

When Gohan woke up next, his body felt feather light, like he was floating on a cloud. His head was heavy, weighed down on his pillows by drugs. He slowly opened his eyes. Gohan was in the same room he had been in before. The lights were down low though, and there wasn't a flurry of activity. The only other person in the room was Piccolo, sitting in a chair by his bedside holding a bundle of blankets.

Gohan swallowed thickly, closing his eyes as he braced himself. Was Piccolo holding their dead cub, like Gohan had done so many years ago with their first failed attempt? Gohan wasn't sure he could look at another corpse that he had tried to make with his mate. Something they had forged from their love.

"Gohan," Piccolo called out. "Are you awake?"

Gohan knew he couldn't fake being asleep, not when he and Piccolo were so close. He bit his bottom lip and nodded, keeping his eyes shut. Gohan heard the chair creak as Piccolo stood up from his seat. He felt the air shift by him, letting him know Piccolo was leaning over Gohan. A weight settled on his chest and Gohan shivered.

"It's alright, Gohan. Look."

Was Piccolo getting revenge for losing another child by making Gohan look at their second child's corpse?

No. No, Piccolo would never be so cruel. Gohan knew this. He slowly opened his eyes.

A bundle of blankets rested on his chest, his mate's hands keeping them steady. Gohan didn't see any movement, though, or feel any kind of presence. Gohan frowned and looked up at his mate, tears welling in his eyes. He was surprised he had any tears left to shed at this point. Piccolo smiled, though, and looked down at the bundle. Gohan followed his gaze, watching as the Namek pulled back one of the blankets.

Gohan gasped and tried to sit up. His lower body protested the movement and Gohan fell back onto his pillow. His weakness didn't deter Gohan. Much more slowly he eased himself into a sitting position, one of Piccolo's hands helping him. The bundle fitted into his lap once he was upright and Gohan reach out a trembling hand.

Nestled in the blankets was an egg.

Gohan traced his fingertips over the outer shell. It was smooth, a very pale purple in color. When he made contact, Gohan felt a surge of power, like he had touched an energy shield. The egg thrummed with the energy, a perfect, impenetrable cocoon of safety.

"Piccolo," Gohan gasped, his voice barely able to reach a whisper.

"The doctors cut that out of you. Seems like your body was busy making this egg for our baby. That's why you've been so tired and why you started showing so quickly. Nameks hatch from eggs. Seems like your body adapted that technique."

"Then why was I in so much pain?"

"Your body had done all it could, now our baby will finish growing in this egg and hatch when he or she is ready. Your body isn't made for laying an egg so we had to improvise."

Gohan was suddenly very, very glad he didn't have to try and have that egg the natural way. His papa had had enough trouble with Takeo and Keigo, he couldn't imagine what it would be like to go through that with a solid egg coming out of his body.

"Why can't I feel our baby?" Gohan stroked a hand over the smooth egg shell, feeling the energy protecting what was inside but unable to feel anything else. Not even a heartbeat.

"The shield around the egg is too strong. Nameks usually have some kind of extra protection around the eggs when they're laid, but this is extreme. I think it your Saiyan physiology added a little extra to protect the baby."

Gohan hummed in understanding. That made more sense. His body went above and beyond to protect his baby. He wondered if it had something to do with his miscarriage. Was his body, more than any other Saiyan, putting more into protecting his baby because he was so scared to lose another one? Possibly.

"How long before it hatches?" Gohan asked as he wrapped up the bundle, cradling it against his stomach where it had been hours before.

"Just a week or so."

"When should we start worrying?"

"Never."

Gohan looked up sharply at his mate. Piccolo smirked and sat down on the side of Gohan's bed, reaching out to rest his hands over Gohan's where they cradled their egg. "We're going to have our baby this time Gohan. I have no doubt in my mind." Piccolo leaned forward and pressed a loving, if chaste kiss on Gohan's lips.

Gohan felt the throb of Piccolo's belief through their bond and sighed. He smiled against his mate's lips and took the belief for himself. Their baby would be just fine.

The hallway was sterile and nearly empty. Chairs were scattered along the walls. It was all white. Vegeta's footsteps echoed as he paced from one wall to the other, arms crossed against his chest.

Vegeta paused and looked in one window, seeing his son Gohan lying in bed. Gohan was curled around a small bundle of blankets. Piccolo sat at his bedside, chin resting on his chest as he slept. Piccolo's hand covered Gohan's on top of their swathed egg.

Vegeta turned and walked to the opposite side of the hallway. Takeo was lying in Goku's arms, the two of them slumped in a chair in the hallway. They were by the door to a room where Keigo was. Vegeta looked in, heaving a sigh. Keigo looked so tiny in the bed the doctors had put him in. Wires and tubes pierced his little body. Keigo's chest rose and fell with each breath he took. It was the only sign on life. Keigo was in a coma. One the doctors weren't sure he would wake from.

The Saiyans had improved technologically by leaps and bounds since the last time Vegeta had been around them. They still depended on other species having the brains to develop the technology, but the Saiyans were much smarter in the technology they chose to use. Their machines for medicine and training were the most important and had the most investment of time and money. If they hadn't put as much focus on medicine in recent years, Vegeta feared he would have lost both of his sons.

The doctors were able to scan Gohan's body and see there was an egg it was trying to expel. They performed a surgery that safely removed the egg and kept Gohan alive. The egg was a strange development, and the doctors couldn't see inside of it no matter what kind of scan they did. They didn't want to break it open either, for fear they would harm the fetus within. All they could do now was wait, and hoped it hatched into a healthy child. Vegeta prayed it would.

They were also able to determine Keigo had had a severe seizure and had slipped into a coma. They were getting no reaction from his brain from any of their tests. He was physically still alive, but they had no way to know if mentally he was alive. Vegeta had tried in vain to connect with his son through their bond, but hadn't gotten anywhere. There was a wall between them. Vegeta kept telling himself that was a good thing. If he reached into his son's mind and found nothing, then Vegeta would know Keigo was gone. Instead he was being blocked. Vegeta could only hope that meant his son was still in there and was keeping everyone else out.

For whatever reason, Vegeta didn't know.

He just prayed Keigo would wake up.

Vegeta closed his eyes and resumed his pacing. The sun would be up soon. This other species Trunks had warned them about would be arriving soon. As prince, Vegeta would probably need to be there when his father met with the other species leader. Vegeta glanced from one room, to the other and then to his mate holding Takeo. Vegeta should be there when his father made first contact, but he didn't want to leave this hallway. Not until he knew, without a doubt, that his children were going to be alright.

Footsteps caught his attention as they echoed down the hallway. Vegeta stopped his pacing to turn toward the sound. A reluctant smile curled the corners of his lips when he saw the brother he never knew he had. Tarble looked a little rumpled, like he had just gotten out of bed. Vegeta marveled at their similarities. They looked quite a bit alike, similar hair and features. His brother was a little shorter and slimmer, but in many ways they were the same.

Tarble gave a shy wave as he approached. Vegeta nodded and moved toward his brother, meeting him down the hallway away from the rooms his family were in.

"Good morning, Vegeta."

"Tarble."

His brother stopped and fidgeted on his feet. "I heard what happened. I wanted to come and… check on you."

Vegeta's smile grew a bit bigger on his face and he clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Thank you."

Tarble nodded and smiled, but said nothing more. His brother looked down at his feet, toeing the floor with one foot. Vegeta internally sighed, knowing that look. It was the look of someone wanting to ask something, but were afraid to do so, for fear of upsetting someone else.

"Is there anything else?"

"How did… how were you able to settle down with your mate, with the past you had with Freiza?"

Vegeta's eyes widened at the question and Tarble gasped, covering his mouth with both of his hands. "I'm so sorry. That was rude of me," Tarble's voice was muffled behind his hands. "That wasn't what I came here to tell you."

Vegeta sighed, feeling like he really was looking at himself in the mirror. But now it was because of what lurked behind his brother's dark eyes. The question raised Vegeta's hackles until he started to wonder why Tarble would ask such a blunt but specific question. He had thought his brother had been holding something back when talking about the Bakulans after Vegeta rescued him. A part of him worried Tarble was playing the double agent. Now he realized that wasn't why Tarble was holding back. He had been abused to put it mildly. Why else would he ask about Vegeta's time with Freiza, unless he had gone through something similar.

How Tarble knew about Vegeta's time with Freiza, he didn't know. It didn't really matter. Tarble had been hurt by what he had been through, emotionally and physically. Just like Vegeta had.

"Tarble-"

"I'm sorry. So sorry. I came here to tell you father wants to see you. He needs you."

"Tarble-"

"He's waiting for you in the throne room."

Tarble turned on his heel and started back down the hallway, his head hung low.

"Tarble!" His brother stopped but didn't turn around.

Vegeta sighed, thinking about all they could talk about, if they only had the time. But they didn't. Vegeta apparently needed to see his father, and as much as he didn't want to leave his family, it was probably important.

"I settled down with my mate, and that put to rest my past. I couldn't move on until I had reason to."

Tarble stayed still for a few moments longer before he resumed his trek down the hallway, at a much more sedate pace then the panicked run of before. Vegeta watched him go with sad eyes. Once the Bakulans had been dealt with, Vegeta would make sure he made some time for Tarble, along with the rest of his family.

Vegeta turned and made his way in the other direction as his brother. He paused to run a hand over Goku's and Takeo's hair, pressing a kiss to their cheeks.

Vegeta would probably need to get an office and schedule one-on-one sessions with each of his family members. His family was getting so big. And with the rate they were racking up problems, he would need to start charging by the hour too.

AN: Whew, wrote this thing in about five hours last night. I spent the last hour banging my head against the keyboard because once again I pushed two scenes I've had drawn up for the past three chapters to the next one. Ugh. Story of my life. At this point I have no idea how long this sucker will be. It might take me 10 more chapters to reach the end, it might take 20. Your guess is as good as mine. The only good thing, is that I'm totally back into the story now. Before I was just going through the motions but now I'm invested. I'm excited to throw around the twists I have coming.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you to everyone who left a review for the last chapter. I really appreciate it.

Next time... pfft who knows. I'm gonna go take a nap first. TTFN.
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Survival of the Fittest