A New Life

Disclaimer: No profit is intended from this work of fan fiction. All copyrights remain with their original holders.


A New Life

Author: CrimsonTide

Pairings: OC x Goku(implied) and Vegeta x Goku

Chapter 5

“So why has Goku moved in?”

Vegeta, who had been in the middle of wolfing down his breakfast, with dignity mind you, looked up. He met Bulma’s questioning gaze and rolled his eyes before swallowing. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

“I’ve been trying all week.” the woman said as she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat at the table. “He just says it's temporary then changes the subject.”

“Hn. Then obviously he’s decided it’s none if your business. Did that ever occur to you?” Vegeta asked with a smirk. He loved ruffling her feathers.

Bulma snorted. “It had, actually! And I don’t mind him being here, but it’s my house, and I think that gives me the right to know what the problem is at his house. I’m assuming it has to do with ChiChi.”

She waited for a response from the Saiyajin sitting across from her, and his silence spoke in volumes. “Ah, so it is. Well, at least that’s something I can tell Gohan and Goten.”

Vegeta’s eyes met Bulma’s again. “What do the brats have to do with anything?”

“Well, call them crazy, but they’re a little worried as to why their father left their mother without saying anything to them. And apparently Goku has been avoiding them like the plague.”

“So why don’t they ask the banshee what they want to know?” the prince suggested, though he really wasn’t interested in the conversation. He just wanted her to shut-up.

Bulma sighed. “They did. Every time they ask her, ChiChi just starts screaming about her irresponsible, no good husband.”

At this, Vegeta tensed and Bulma took notice.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” the prince growled as he stood from the table. “When Kakarotto wants to tell the brats, he’ll tell them. Same goes for you!” Vegeta stormed out of the kitchen and headed for his gravity chamber, leaving a bewildered Bulma behind.

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Goku watched from the corner of the gravity chamber as Vegeta pushed himself to the max. He himself had become worn out sometime before, having slacked in his training for a few months, but the prince showed no signs of stopping, even after hours of intense training. He only saw Vegeta push himself like this when he was angry about something, and it was obvious something was bothering the older man.

“Vegeta?”

It seemed the prince was almost startled by his voice, because he came to a sudden halt and stiffly turned to face the younger man. “What?!”

Goku almost changed his mind about questioning the man after the snapped reply, but he went on anyway. “Are you mad at me?”

“What the hell would I be mad at you for, baka?”

“Well, you seemed annoyed when I said I needed a break.”

The prince raised an eyebrow at his fellow Saiyajin, who was looking at the tiled floor and drawing circles with his tail, something he did when he was feeling down.

“Kakarotto, I’m not mad at you for being weak.”

Bad choice of words.

Goku’s head snapped up. “You think I’m weak?!”

Vegeta nearly slapped himself in the face. Instead he closed his eyes and rubbed his throbbing temples with his fingers. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

The prince paused a moment to think of the best way to explain what he’d really meant, which was that he knew Kakarotto wasn’t going to be at his best for awhile.

Goku, however, felt the prolonged silence was an insult without words. He stood and stormed over to the door. “Don’t bother answering. I understand.” he snapped as he threw open the door and walked outside, swiftly slamming it behind him.

Vegeta growled in annoyance and returned to his kata.

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Goku gasped for air as he collapsed into the grass. For the past two weeks he’d trained nearly non-stop out in a secluded part of the forest, willing his full strength to return before he saw Vegeta again. He’d avoided the prince and everyone else since being told he was weak, and his pride wouldn’t allow himself to be considered as such.

He knew they were looking for him. He’d felt his son’s and Vegeta’s ki approaching his location every now and then, but he would just teleport away before they could reach him. He wasn’t ready to explain everything to Gohan and Goten. As for Vegeta, part of him was angry at the prince, while the other part was ashamed of himself, and he knew the older man had to be disgusted with him, even if he said he wasn’t.

Goku took one last deep breath to fill his lungs before sitting up. It was getting dark, and he was in great need of a bath. He was covered in dirt, mud, sweat, and blood, and he knew he probably smelt rather unpleasant at the moment.

After getting to his feet, Goku raised two fingers to his forehead and teleported back to his room at Capsule Corp.

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The first thing Goku did upon returning to his room was lock the door. Vegeta always knew when he returned, and he wasn’t in the mood for a chatting session with the prince at the moment.

The Saiyajin stretched his sore muscles as he headed toward the bathroom, discarding his clothes as he walked. By the time he reached the tub and began filling it, he was only dressed in his boxers, and those too ended up on the floor as he slipped into the hot water.

Goku sighed happily as the heat soothed and relaxed his entire body, and he lazily began scrubbing his skin to rid himself of all the dirt and blood. He spent the most time gently cleaning his tail, which had all sorts of ungodly things smashed into its fur. His eyes became half lidded and a purr soon vibrated within his chest as the simple grooming de-stressed his entire being, and by the time he stepped out of the tub, he was completely at ease.

After drying himself with his ki, Goku slipped on some clean gi pants and a black sleeveless muscle shirt, which he found was the most comfortable to sleep in. There was a time when he wouldn’t have slept in anything at all, but now the Saiyajin no longer felt comfortable being so exposed, for obvious reasons.

Goku gently ran his fingers through his damp hair as he moved toward the bed, and with another sigh, he let himself fall backwards into the sheets. He bounced slightly when he hit the soft mattress and he turned into his side, fisting his hands in the sheets as he pulled them around his body.

All his training had completely drained him, and he was quickly beginning to drift off to sleep when there was a knock at the door.

The Saiyajin’s eyes shot open and he turned his head toward the sound.

“Kakarotto, I know you’re in there, so open up.”

Goku moaned as he rubbed his heavy eyes and sat up. “Can’t it wait, Vegeta? I’m really tired.”

“Baka! You can either open the door, or buy Bulma a new lock when I break this one and let myself in.” the prince snapped.

The younger man frowned and pulled himself out of bed. With the flick of his wrist, he unlocked the door and opened it, not even bothering to look at the prince before he returned to the bed and buried his face into the pillow.

Vegeta walked in silently and shut the door behind him, which made the younger man tense up. “Why have you been avoiding everyone for two weeks, Kakarotto?”

“I haven’t. I’ve been busy.” Goku responded, his voice muffled by the pillow.

“Bullshit. Whenever someone tried to approach you, you’d teleport away. Stop the lying, Kakarotto, you’re terrible at it.”

The younger man growled slightly as he finally sat up and faced the prince. “I’ve been training, Vegeta! I didn’t want to be bothered, ok?”

“Hn. Fair enough.”

Goku blinked. That was easy.

Vegeta suddenly tossed a couple envelopes at the younger man, who looked at them in curiosity. “Those are for you. The banshee sent them.”

“ChiChi?” Goku questioned as he opened one envelope. Inside was a check; a big check with his name on it. “Wha… What’s this for?!”

The prince smirked at the shocked expression on the other’s face. “That is all the money you worked for. It’s rightfully yours. It seems the harpy realized that and decided to repay you.”

Goku opened the other envelope, which was also a large check. He stared at the papers for a moment before laughing. “Vegeta, you must have scared the hell out of ChiChi to get all this back from her!”

The prince nearly fell over. “I had nothing to do with it!”

“Sure, ok.”

Vegeta snorted and walked to the door.

“Thanks, Vegeta.” Goku called as the prince started to pull the door shut.

“You’re welcome….” Vegeta paused. “I had nothing to do with it!”

Goku’s laughter could be heard from the other side of the door.

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Goku sighed as he once again fell into bed for the night. He’d been at Capsule Corp. for a couple months now, and he still hadn’t told his friends or family why he was there. He was afraid of their rejection or disgust. How was he supposed to explain what he'd been doing all those months? It even sounded absurd to him!

The Saiyajin stared at the dark ceiling as he ran his fingers over the silk sheets that surrounded him. He hadn’t known what to do with all the money he’d gotten, but he managed to find a couple little things he wanted, and these sheets were one of them.

But something was still off. Goku rolled onto his stomach on the large king sized bed. That was it. The bed was too big for one person. And it was too quiet. He was used to having someone with him, whether it be ChiChi or some stranger. The sound of another’s soft breathing as they slept comforted him, and he needed that. It was too cold alone.

Goku frowned as he rolled onto his side and curled up, wrapping his tail around his thigh. He stared at the empty space next to him. He needed someone.

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Vegeta walked aimlessly through the halls of Capsule Corp, clad only in a pair of black boxers. It was late, and he couldn’t sleep. He hadn’t slept well in awhile as a matter of fact; ever since he and Bulma decided to go their separate ways. Granted, they still lived in the same house, but they were no longer an item.

His lack of sleep wasn’t a result of missing the woman, but more that he hadn’t been able to fulfill his ‘needs’ in quite some time. He was a Saiyajin; a creature who thrived on physical contact, whether it be on the battlefield or under the sheets. Yes, he had options when it came to choosing another partner to share his bed, but he refused to allow any human to touch him. Bulma had been the exception. There would be no others.

Vegeta paused as he approached Goku’s room. Despite the late hour, light could be seen flooding from beneath the door. He raised an eyebrow. Usually the younger man was asleep by now… not that he checked or anything.

He raised his hand and tapped on the door with his knuckles. “Kakarotto?”

He heard Goku ‘eep’. “Kami, Vegeta! You scared me!”

The prince chuckled as he opened the door and stepped inside. The other Saiyajin was sitting upright in bed. “Jumpy, are we?”

Goku leaned back against the headboard. “I can’t sleep.”

“I can see that. Why not?”

The younger man blinked. “You care?”

Vegeta snorted as he sat on the edge of the bed and crossed his arms. “No, not really, but I can’t sleep either, so I figured listening to you babble might do the trick.”

Goku frowned and folded his arms, looking away from the prince stubbornly.

The older man smirked. “Grumpy much?”

“I'm too tired to deal with you right now.”

Vegeta raised an eyebrow in surprise, then sighed. “What’s wrong, Kakarotto?”

The other Saiyajin’s expression softened a bit as he regarded the prince from the corner of his eye. “You’ll laugh at me.”

“I always laugh at you. Spit it out.”

For a moment Goku looked angry again, but he was too exhausted to be mad. “I can’t sleep alone.”

Vegeta smirked. “That’s not surprising. Saiyajins aren’t meant to be solitary creatures. It’s only natural that you long for a companion.”

Goku was silent for a moment. “Is that why you’re still awake?”

The prince snorted. “Baka. I don’t ‘long’ for anyone. I like being alone.”

A fidgeting tail dropped limply to the mattress beneath the sheets. “Oh…”

Vegeta growled silently to himself. He sure had a knack for putting that dejected expression on the younger man’s face. After thinking about it for a moment, the prince flopped onto the bed beside Goku.

“I’ll only stay until you fall asleep.”

The younger man looked surprised for a moment, but soon a smile crept onto his lips. He chose not to say anything and he clicked off the light, fearing that he may cause the prince to change his mind and leave.

Goku settled down into the sheets, and after a moment of hesitation, he brushed his tail over Vegeta’s arm. He found himself subconsciously waiting in the darkness for the fist he was sure would bat him upside the head, but when it didn’t happen and no protest was made, the younger man loosely wrapped the furry appendage around the prince’s bicep and closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep to the soft rhythm of Vegeta’s breathing.

***TBC***

Wee! New reviewers!

nefarioussaiyajin - Well, I certainly don't want anyone dying while waiting for an update, so here's an extra large chapter, just for you! Thank you for your uber nice review ^.^ I try to write drama/angst sometimes, but it always morphs into humor; which is what I wrote before yaoi. Glad you're enjoying it!

Irol - I must say... I'm glad you're enjoying this. I look forward to you reading more too ^.^

KinkyForestFairy - Yeah, let's not get started on ChiChi. *snaps fingers* Mmm hm! She ain't all that and a bag of Fritos! And yes... fire is good... *evil cackling*