Lamb Without Blemish [Discontinued]

Revised - November 2, 2010


Lamb Without Blemish


“Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.”

(Song of Solomon 2:3)


Chapter Four

Kakarrot sat beneath the meeting tree, making a fuss over his early arrival. He kept assuring himself that he did not want Veggan to get there first and think he had been stood up. 'I'm the one who invited him. I should be here first.' Kakarrot thought. Closing his eyes, he tried to shift his thoughts else where. He wondered what his father would be making for dinner tonight. After sitting there for several minutes with images of food running in his head, Kakarrot slumped against the tree and dozed off.

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Vegeta arrived at his own predetermined time, which was again a few minutes late. Thick in counseling himself against having any sort of attachment to his friend, Vegeta was unaware of Kakarrot's presence until he was a foot from him. A bright blush overspread his face.

His pure friend looked even more innocent in unguarded sleep. Vegeta gripped his chin and turned away from the sight. He already questioned his debilitated resistance, but this was too much. Pressing his chin tightly, Vegeta shook his mind from the trance. He had to wake Kakarrot up. He could not take this. Vegeta coughed. He heard nothing. He coughed once more but louder. Still, there was no response. He turned his head and looked out of the corner of his eye, using his foot to nudge Kakarrot's. Kakarrot finally stirred.

Blinking, Kakarrot looked around, wondering where he was. He saw Veggan in front of him. "Oh! Hi, Veggan!" Kakarrot said, rubbing his eyes. He smiled up at his friend. "Have you been here long? I'm sorry that I fell asleep. I guess I just drifted off. I was thinking about food and then…" He shrugged.

"It's fine, Kakarrot. I just got here. Are we still heading to your house? I brought my training clothes." Vegeta pulled back his jacket to reveal a tattered shirt and a pair of old pants. Vegeta had destroyed one of his shirts just to keep up the allusion, but he still needed to cover his head. Images of Vegeta and his father were everywhere, so if anyone caught sight of his unique hairstyle, his secret life would end. For this purpose, Vegeta tied a piece of fabric over his hair, forcing his flame-shaped hair to lie flat against his head.

Kakarrot jumped up from his sitting position and patted Vegeta on the shoulder. He ignored the tingling impulses that shot from the touch and said. "Of, course. My dad is making dinner for us. My brother will be home for dinner too, so you can meet him then."

"Okay. That sounds good." Vegeta smiled, but loathed himself. 'I just do whatever he tells me to. I'm hopeless.' He thought.

Kakarrot squeezed his shoulder lightly. "Ready to go?" Vegeta nodded. "Follow me." Kakarrot took off, and Vegeta was finally able to take in a deep breath. The proximity to his friend a moment ago had made his chest tighten. 'How can I do this?' He reflected on his control before following Kakarrot's trail in the sky.

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Kakarrot was standing in a large field behind a house when Vegeta arrived. "There you are!" He called before Vegeta's feet touched the ground. "I want to get started. I've been waiting for this the whole week." He placed his arm behind his head and laughed casually. He did not want Vegeta to understand how true that statement was.

"Me too." Vegeta mumbled. Pulling off his jacket, the sleeveless shirt revealed Vegeta's tanned and muscular arms. He felt eyes upon him and looked to Kakarrot, who quickly shifted his gaze.

"Alright," the taller Saiyan yelled, "let's start." Kakarrot gulped, not knowing how much more of this sight he could take in.

The fight started out slowly. In the first twenty minutes, both Saiyans were equally matched, but when Kakarrot suggested that they fight with all their might, Vegeta obliged him and quickly outranked him. The next skillfully placed hit sent Kakarrot flying across the yard. Vegeta paused. "Are you alright?" He may have gone too far.

Kakarrot replied with a swift energy blast. Vegeta had let his guard down, so the blast took him by surprise. He was still able to deflect it but not before the blast burned a gapping hole down the front of his shirt. Noticing the smoke, Vegeta ripped the remainder of his shirt off and threw it to the ground.

Even from the distance across the field, Kakarrot could make out Veggan's toned chest. His eyes widened in reaction. Throughout his short friendship with Veggan, Kakarrot had never seen him without a jacket. Now, this man stood opposite him, topless.

Vegeta saw Kakarrot's hesitation. "It's alright, Kakarrot. It was an old shirt anyways. Don't worry about it."

'Oh, yeah. That's right. I destroyed his shirt.' Kakarrot remembered. "I'm sorry, Veggan. I can buy you another, if you'd like."

"Don't worry. It's fine." He began walking towards Kakarrot. Offering a hand once he reached him, Vegeta tried to embody the casual friendship that he was supposed to be sharing with Kakarrot. He felt like a pervert for being even more attracted to this man when he saw Kakarrot gazing at his chest.

Kakarrot accepted the help. "Thanks." He said, standing. "Hey! I've got a shirt you can have. Come on. I'll show you. It is in my room." He playfully tapped Vegeta's chest with the back of his hand.

Both men headed towards the house, shrugging off the surge of heat they had felt from the contact with the other's skin.

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Kakarrot opened the back door and motioned for Vegeta to enter. Kakarrot followed. Vegeta saw a small dinning area, table, and a tiny kitchen. Indeed, it was a far cry from the castle, but then again, he did not know what to expect from a commoner's house. He had never been in one. A voice stirred him from his observations.

"Hey, boys!" Bardock called from the kitchen. He arched an eyebrow at Vegeta. "What happened to Veggan's clothes? I thought you were the only Saiyan that liked to run around half-naked, Son."

"You're so funny, Dad. Veggan lost his shirt while we were fighting. I was just going to get him one of mine." Kakarrot smiled nervously at Vegeta.

"Alright. Veggan, would you like to stay for dinner? I made Kakarrot's favorite dish tonight."

Vegeta opened his mouth, but was cut off by Kakarrot. "Really?" He cheered. "Yes!" He turned to Vegeta. "You're in for a treat, Veggan." He grinned.

"Will you let him answer first before you start making plans?" Bardock corrected his son.

"I would be honored to stay, Bardock." Vegeta said in his "Prince of the Saiyans" voice.

"Alright. Well, make sure Kakarrot gets you a nice shirt. He hardly wears them here, so you should have a good selection." Bardock teased.

"Thanks, Dad!" Kakarrot grabbed Vegeta's wrist and hurried him to his room. Once inside, Kakarrot turned. "I'm sorry, Veggan. My dad is such a comedian. He loves to joke around." He said, still embarrassed.

Vegeta chuckled. "It's fine. So," he probed, "you run around without a shirt on?" He could not help but laugh out loud.

"Yeah…" Kakarrot blushed deeply. "Well, let's see what I can find for you." Trying to change the subject, Kakarrot opened the closet and started looking through the piles of clothes. He presented Vegeta with an orange shirt with a navy blue collar. "Is this okay, Veggan?"

"Sure." He took the shirt from Kakarrot and put it on immediately to both Saiyans' dismay and relief.

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Bardock, Kakarrot, and Vegeta were already seated at the table when Raditz strode in. "Sorry, I'm late. I got caught up in a…" Noticing Vegeta, he asked. "Why didn't anyone tell me we had a guest?"

"I told you this morning that I was bringing my friend over." Kakarrot said with a mouth full food.

"Well, I don't remember." Raditz huffed before walking to the kitchen to fix his own plate. He returned to the table with a full plate and seated himself next to his father. "I'm Raditz, by the way. I'm sure my brother didn't tell you that." He extended his hand to Vegeta.

"I did too." Kakarrot fussed with a spoon hanging out of his mouth.

"I'm Veggan." Vegeta replied after he shook Raditz's hand.

"I know. Kakarrot has been talking about you nonstop. I think he's in love with you or something." He said to Vegeta seriously before turning to smirk at his younger brother.

"Quit being weird, Raditz. Veggan is my friend. Not everyone is a pervert like you." He stuck his tongue out at his brother.

"I'm sorry, Veggan." Bardock interrupted. "They are still very young." He paused. "By the way, how old are you? Raditz is twenty two, and Kakarrot is nearly twenty."

"I am twenty five."

"Really?" Kakarrot nearly spit out his food from shock. Raditz and Bardock exchanged surprised glances at each other. They thought Kakarrot would have already known that.

"Yes. Is that bad?" Vegeta said after wiping his mouth with a napkin in his polished style.

"No." Kakarrot calmed himself. "I'm just surprised. I thought you were my age."

"You must forgive Kakarrot." Raditz said to Veggan. "He's so simple minded sometimes."

Kakarrot glared at his brother. He hurried to finish his meal, so he could be away from such embarrassing relatives.

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After dinner, Kakarrot rushed his friend out of the house before Vegeta could finish his long speech of appreciation to Bardock for the meal. "Come on, Veggan." Kakarrot grabbed Vegeta's arm and ran into the field, disappearing from his father and brother's sight. After releasing Vegeta, he leaned against a tree and sighed. "I'm sorry. We don't get new company very often with the way the world has been lately. Don't believe anything they say. They…"

Vegeta cut in. "Don't worry about it, Kakarrot. That was fun. I don't recall ever having a dinner quite like that." 'Very true.' He thought. 'Even the dinners with foreign leaders were not so animated.' His eyes met Kakarrot's. "I liked it." He smiled up at his friend, an action that was becoming easier to do.

"Really?" Kakarrot smiled back. "I'm glad."

Vegeta sat on a rock near Kakarrot's chosen tree. An awkward silence fell then. Vegeta's mind kept turning over the words that Raditz had said about Kakarrot being in love with him. Kakarrot's mind was equally engaged in the statements, for he looked at Vegeta and said.

"You didn't believe him about me being in love with you, did you?" Kakarrot laughed nervously before catching Vegeta face. His eyes widened when he saw the flushed skin on Vegeta's cheeks.

Vegeta turned his head away and replied. "Was he right?"

Kakarrot began to scratch his head with his index finger. "Well, I mean… You know… Um…." Kakarrot mumbled incoherently.

Vegeta kept his head turned, and the uncomfortable silence returned. The two withstood several more tense minutes. After Kakarrot gained a firm grip on his emotions, he made his decision. 'It was now or never.' He thought that he would never have the courage to do this again.

"How do you feel?" Vegeta still hid his face. Kakarrot moved to kneel in front of Vegeta. Pulling Vegeta's face gently towards him, Kakarrot leaned forward and kissed his friend. Their lips met softly and very quickly, but both men felt a lightning bolt of desire zing through their bodies. Kakarrot moved back and asked. "How do you feel, Veggan?" His brown eyes locked onto Vegeta's steely grey ones.

"I… I…" Vegeta stuttered. "Kakarrot, you don't understand. This can't happen, even if I wanted it to." He answered, pushing Kakarrot away from himself.

"What do you mean?" Kakarrot questioned. The adrenaline from the kiss withered away at Vegeta's words.

"I can't explain. I just can't, Kakarrot." Vegeta failed from hiding the fear and disappointment from his voice.

He stood silently for a moment with his back turned to Kakarrot before adding his own kind of warning. A warning that he hoped would soothe his feelings and make him believe that he was losing less than he was. "It is not a life you would want. They would insult you, Kakarrot. They would hate you for what you are."

"For what I am?" Kakarrot was confused. "What am I? What are talking about?" He felt sick.

"I can't explain. I must go. I'm sorry if I mislead you. Thank you for your kindness." With those words, Vegeta raced into the sky. The breeze made by his hasty retreat blew Kakarrot's hair over his eyes, hiding his fresh tears.

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TBC