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The Burning Leftovers of Temporary Madness	By : KahlanN Category: Dragon Ball Z > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2168 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own DragonballZ, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Title: The Burning Leftovers of Temporary Madness

Chapter Number: 6

Author: Kahlan Nightwing

Pairing: Pi/V

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: Angst, character death, yaoi

Disclaimer: Dragonball Z is the sole property of Akira Toriyama and all parties therein. I do not claim to own Dragonball, Z, GT or any of its characters. I am making no money from this story.

Summary: It's been 25 years since Vegeta left Earth, leaving behind a grown son and a lot of pain. Now an evil is threatening Earth and he is called to duty. But why did he leave, and what will he find when he gets back?

Archive: Ask first. I like to exchange links.

Website: http://www.geocities.com/dbcseries

Chapter 6

I walk out of the shower fifteen minutes later with a towel around my waist and confront a flustered-looking Marron. She stops and stares at me, blinking frequently. I watch, amused, as her face slowly colors. Well, I didn�t know someone could color that slowly.

Goten comes rushing up behind her, almost running into her, and peeks around her shoulder to see what has her stunned. �Um, Vegeta; I hate to pry; but why are you walking around in only a towel?�

Marron makes a high-pitched noise that must be an assent to that question. I can�t help but smirk, mentally preening. Well, aren�t I just hot for all the women? Even the married ones�. �I have extra clothes in the trunks we brought in. Where are the trunks?�

Marron seems to snap out of whatever trance she is in. �Oh, um. The trunks.� My eyebrow rises as she turns a look on her husband. The way Goten looks back at her, she may as well have just told him to go shopping for her necessities.

�Uh, right. The trunks�.� My arms come across my chest as I tap a bare foot noisily on the carpet.

Goten seems to want to hedge around what I believe to be a simple question so I decide to push him along. �Much as I want to drip-dry, I am a bit chilled. Perhaps one of you might tell me where my clothes are. Unless you prefer me to walk around naked. I can do that--�

Goten hastily interjects into my monologue, pointing behind me. �They�re in that room.�

I turn and stare at the non-descript wooden door he has indicated and turn back around to thank them, in my own snide way, only to see both him and Marron hurrying off the way they had come, heads bowed together as they whisper between themselves. I�m quite tempted to call them back and demand an explanation, but shrug to myself. I need clothes. It�s probably another Earth thing I�ll never get.

Snorting faintly with impatience, I turn on my heels and stalk down the hallway, coming to a standstill at the unmarked door.

I stare at the door, wondering at the couple�s reluctance to explain exactly why they had such�reluctance about the room. I shrug and stalk toward it, managing to grab the towel before it can slip off. It's not that I mind showing myself to the world, but I've learned that it's common courtesy not to. I'm not that lame-brained third-class after all.

I grab the handle and turn, pushing the door inward and wincing at the high-pitched squeak it makes, as if it's not been used in awhile. Well, they did put my stuff in here, no reason why it shouldn't have been used.

I stare into the musty darkness for a bit before snorting at my own disinclination and stepping in fully. I close the door, immersing myself in complete blackness, before turning slightly to the wall behind me and to my left to flick the switch on. Turning back to the inside of the room, I furrow my brows as I take in the many boxes lining the room. Cardboard boxes, unmarked, which mean mine should�

I spy my own trunks and move toward them, opening each and closing them again when they only reveal weapons or garish clothes I had insisted Vulgur not pack. Finally, I find a trunk with suitable clothing and put on a pair of midnight blue spandex shorts.

I pause before deciding on a shirt, my eyes trailing unwillingly over to the cardboard boxes. Shouldn�t they be marked? I shrug to myself, deciding it can�t hurt anything to take a peek and satisfy my curiosity.

I practically rip the lid off to get it open, wondering why humans have to complicate things with those clear, sticky strips. Annoying stuff. The thick layer of dust on top of the box rises into the air and I sneeze several times, wondering if there�s anyone left on this planet who knows how to dust.

As the sprinkles of gray settle once more, most of it on me, I lean over slightly, peering into the box. I can see nothing in it clearly. The shadows from the limited light are hiding anything worthy of identification. So, I reach my hand down into it and pluck something smooth, square, and hard up into the light for inspection.

I frown at the back of what is obviously the frame of a picture, feeling something tie itself into a knot in my stomach. I slowly turn the thing around, almost dropping it as the picture is revealed.

It�s a picture of�her and me. Little Trunks is cradled in her arms as she practically smirks into the camera. I, not knowing the camera is there, am in her face, mouth open wide and eyes enraged as I scream something at her. I forget now what exactly we�d been arguing about, but it had just been a ploy on her part to get one picture of me, since I absolutely refused to �stand in front of some human flashing thing�. Trunks, that cat-like cap I absolutely loathed on his head, was reaching out toward me, as unaware of the camera as I, a grin on his face as if all this was routine and he was waiting for the real stuff to happen.

I�d found out about the picture afterwards and had let it go, deciding the woman could be as sentimental as she wished�. And now I held it in my hands�.

I again peer into the box, noting the color of things as the picture that had been obscuring them was still clutched in my hands. It was�

My gaze travels around the room, noting each box and how large it is; what it might contain. They are all hers. When Western Capital had been evacuated, they had gotten all her stuff out of Capsule Corporation and stored it here�.

Glowering as I remember Marron and Goten�s evasiveness, I debate simply carting each box out of the house and dumping it out on the front lawn�. I again look at the picture in my hand, running my finger over it unconsciously. Slowly, my finger trails over to her face, tracing a jaw line I know only too well. Her lips are slightly pursed, and I remember that as I was yelling I had the insane urge to just take her right there�her lips were simply begging to be kissed.

I sit down where I stand, pulling the box over to me and beginning to riffle through it. I don�t know where the picture had been kept�after, but maybe I�ll find something. Some little token�

Of what, I have no clue.

<* �*�*>

My head snaps upwards as I hear the creak of the door hesitantly opening. I glare at the intruder, the evidence of my handiwork scattered about me. All of her stuff; clothes I remembered on her, little trinkets she�d worn occasionally, gadgets, pictures, books, even some writings�notes mostly, but some more private that I�d taken the time to read word for word.

Gorika�s blue eyes blink at me as she takes in the piles laid around me, empty boxes thrown to the back of the room. I myself blink at the blue eyes, so lost in the past that for a moment�.

My glare renews itself and I bare teeth at her, my voice a low growl. �What?�

She starts at the tone of my voice; then looks behind her anxiously. It would figure that this would be broadcast to the whole�but no; she simply steps fully into the room and closes the door behind her. She glances again at the piles before meeting my eyes with obvious reluctance.

At her continued silence, I raise one brow, my hands fisting around the slip I hold in them. It is a red piece of satin-like material. I remembered it�acutely. �Well? What the hell do you want?�

She seems to understand that I don�t like how she�s found me; sitting cross-legged in a room full of old memories, clutching at them like an old Saiyan clutches onto battles of his youth. �Lunch is finished. Everyone�s wondering where you are. Goten and Marron�.�

Her voice trails off into hesitancy and I finish for her, practically spitting out the words. �Said I was here�.� I gaze around me, losing sight of what�s present in the evidence of the past around me.

She clears her throat and I�m suddenly thrust back into this world, sitting in a cold and dank space with her slip held in a death-grip in my hand. I let out a snort and release the piece of cloth to fall into my lap, barely giving it a second glance. �I�ll be there�. I need to�� I indicate the mess I have made of the room with one outstretched hand. Actually, it�s not a mess to me. It�s all organized. The things I don�t remember�well, I haven�t gotten to the boxes closest to the door. I don�t think I want to.

Gorika shakes her head in denial and makes both my eyebrows hit my hairline as she joins me on the floor, reaching for a box near her�near the door.

I must make some noise, for she pauses, takes a look at my face, and then continues to open the box. �My baby stuff�s in here. I haven�t looked at it for awhile. Feeling nostalgic myself.�

I snort in denial of feeling�nostalgic, but watch silently as she opens the box. The evidence of�opening the evidence of�

I growl angrily and stand, piles of her stuff tumbling out from around me. As Gorika stares at me with wide, blue eyes, I stalk toward the door. I slam it shut on her still-kneeling form, those damning blue eyes still staring at me as if they have no clue of what they�ve done.

Heh, definitely his.

I storm into the kitchen, not noticing that every eye not only turns at my abrupt entrance, but also my half-naked appearance. I stare down every one of them, all of them meeting my gaze without even realizing they are doing so. Ah, but Trunks knows this look.

He stands as abruptly as I entered, dividing the looks between us. �What�s wrong?�

I snort as I fold my arms over my chest. �What�s wrong is the fact that none of you know a damn thing about this�thing. And you don�t seem as if you wish to find out either. If any of you actually give a damn, I�m going to see the Namek. He might know something other than the nothing all of you do.� And with that, I leave an as equally confused group as I left Gorika, taking to the air almost before I�m out the door.

<* �*�*>

The green bean is in his usual place, cross-legged in front of �his� waterfall, turban and cape complete with that purple thing he wears. He remains in his position as I hover before him. He�d either really deep in meditation, or he�s ignoring me.

Deciding it�s the latter, I float as close as I can to him, so close I�d just have to move one of my arms up an inch to brush him. �I know you�re in there somewhere, Namek. Come out and play.�

One black eye opens in obvious irritation as the Namek takes me in from head to toe, quite a feat considering how close to him I am. �Have you ever heard of personal space?�

I chuckle and back off a bit, looking behind him at the waterfall and wondering what it would be like to be under the thing; to let the spray pummel me�.

�Goku�s back.�

My eyes snap to the Namek, a growl emitting from down deep; where it still simmers, that day so long ago�.

The Namek has unfolded himself completely and stands before me, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. He nods to himself. �Thought so.� I open my mouth to question what he means by that but he forestalls me. �What do you want?�

I feel like growling again, but stifle it. Time for business mode. �I�ve heard this big, dark thing appears and people who see it grow old and die. Two cities have been evacuated and only one person sees it at a time.�

He cocks a brow, floating down to the shore beside the lake the waterfall forms. I follow him, watching as he seats himself in the grass. Without the white and purple, he�d almost blend in. �I assume you want to know what I know?�

I nod silently, knowing I�m treading on as dangerous ground as he was with�him.

He closes his eyes, as if whatever he is about to retell will be painful. I suspect it will be and take a seat beside him, waiting as patiently as I ever have�which means I squirm a bit.

He opens one eye and notes my movement with distaste. We meet eyes for a moment and silently agree not to comment on either of the many things that irks the other. �Gohan came to me with Pan, since she was first. I had no idea what to do. She died not long after, in a child�s body, looking as old as the Turtle Hermit. I researched everything Kami threw at me, met with Dende, talked with New Namek even. Nothing. There was nothing anybody could tell me and no one here had ever seen it clearly. Like you said; it�s a big, dark thing.�

He glances over at me, or rather down at me. I have reclined at his telling, arms behind my head, staring blankly at a bright, blue sky that mocks me. It looks like her�

�He was missing.�

Ah, that�s why he looked at me. I keep my face carefully neutral as I look back at him, black meeting black in an understanding that can only be gained from matching loss�

I sit up abruptly. The Namek had�and that was interesting wasn�t it?

He turns from my incredulous expression, snorting softly at himself as he looks at the grass around him. �Gohan came to me. And I could do nothing. I searched with him, for the thing and�him. We found neither one.�

I watched him closely as he looked straight ahead, his eyes as hard as flint. �I�d always had a grudging respect for him. He was strong. Na�ve, innocent, irksome. But he had grown up somewhat, especially after Buu. I think the loss of Earth did it for him, not being able to solve everything with the dragonballs.�

He turns to me, and I see the same smoldering rage and hate in his eyes as I�d always imagined mine contain. It�s unnerving to see yourself that much in someone else. �He didn�t go to his funeral even. I kept all my senses alert for him and he wasn�t there. His own son�s funeral.�

�He allowed his daughter to find him.�

He starts at this tidbit I give him, and then his eyes harden further. I decide to add more, let the information sink in. �She snuck into the room they gave me, thought it was empty.� I pause, knowing the Namek will be able to tell but not able to stop myself. He doesn�t need to know why I�m angry with her. �I found out who she was and things clicked into place. I convinced her to take me to him. We talked and he�saw the wisdom in coming back into the limelight.�

Canines show as the Namek grins in a feral manner at my deliberate stop. �Did it hurt? Showing him that wisdom?�

I share in his smile, both our eyes dancing with remembered destruction. �He had to have fire placed under his boots.�

His eyeridges rise up as he breaks off to look ahead, obviously imagining a Saiyan torch named�

�So, nothing from your end either?� As he looks back at me, I give him a lopsided grin. �I meant to bring some alcohol for us to share. I know what I�m like under the influence. Thought it would be amusing to see a Namek��

He holds up a hand, palm outward, to ward off such an idea. �Please. Dende got a hold of it by accident.�

I actually laugh at that thought, imagining that black, pointy-eared thing running around like an Earth chicken with its head cut off while a irate Piccolo tried to�

He grins at my amusement. �Glad you find it funny. It was a living Hell for me.�

My laughter dies and I stare out at the water, wondering how it can be so placid with a waterfall ripping into it not two feet away. I cock my head to one side, remembering when last I had been here. I barely remembered it, or my mind was fuzzy; the effects of the drink I suppose. �So, what�s your opinion about this thing? I was thinking of inspecting the deserted cities in pairs, trying to find�something.�

�Already did that.� I glance at him and he looks up, watching invisible birds wheel through the air, or making ghosts out of the clouds. �After Gohan died, I searched for it myself.�

�Alone?�

He looks searchingly at me. �What have you been doing for all this time, Vegeta?�

I nod as I look down at the ground, stripping the ground of the grass between my feet. He went alone then. �I�m a bounty hunter. I�ve got two companions who constantly irk me with their presence. They serve me well�.� At his snort of disbelief, my eyes narrow and my head snaps up. �What?�

He shakes his head while chuckling. �How�s everyone?�

I shrug noncommittally. �Fine I suppose. Goten and Marron are together, as you probably already knew. Trunks is fine. Everyone�s a little shaky at their fighting.�

�And the girl?�

I frown at him lightly before standing and brushing off invisible dirt and grass blades. �I wouldn�t know. Last I left her she was in a dark room looking at stuff.�

He makes a noise as he stands but I carefully avoid his gaze. �She looks like��

I turn my most withering glare on him. �Be careful, Namek. Nobody�s spiked my drink this time.� I walk to the water�s edge, staring down at the bare-chested, heavily-muscled man with flaming hair and piercing eyes that glares back at me.

My eyes flicker over as the green being�s reflection joins mine, though he�s not looking into the water. �You weren�t here. She came to me.�

I keep my eyes where they are, though I betray myself with an outtake of breath harsher than all my others. I stay silent and still, waiting.

�I told her what you�d done and said while you were here. I told her I gave you some peace��

I turn then, stalking past him toward the waterfall, where the sound of its roaring will drown out his words. �There is no peace.�

Despite the water�s noise, he�s heard that last. I feel him following me, those black eyes watching me pace before the waterfall, back and forth, trying not to question him. I turn fully to him, knowing he will hear whatever I ask, and pause, staring into eyes that are still caught up in what I said before.

He shakes his head silently, head bowing; then turns away. Now it is me following him, me watching him stand before water and look at a reflection he recognizes no more than I did my own. �I gave him peace.�

I suck in a breath at his full meaning and he turns abruptly to me, walking up to me in two strides and meeting me with eyes that dare me to judge him. �He died fighting. It was what he wanted.�

My eyes flicker over his face, taking in the thinly-stretched lips, the eyes that reflect a pain I know only too well. �Then he died with honor. A true Saiyan death. It is as it should be.� The words flow freely from my tongue, the last sentence reverted to my own language, the formal words for any Saiyan who has died in combat.

He relaxes slightly, stepping back from the confrontational stance he had taken. �He doesn�t know about it. He didn�t care enough to be there, so he doesn�t know.�

�And he won�t know either.�

Black eyes again meet mine, this time with surprise. I shrug, looking to the side. �It is a thing between Saiyan warriors. You are more of a Saiyan than he will ever be.�

He grunts in acknowledgement of my words. �I am honored.�

I shrug, suddenly acutely uncomfortable. �I still want to search the cities. Not for it specifically, but for anything that might tell us the origins of this thing. Maybe it was made�like most of the other�s we�ve fought. Some crazy scientist locked himself in his basement and made some kind of gook that got out of control and became this big, dark thing.�

He nods. �Sound theory. Want to get the others?�

I grimace in disgust. �We have to. They should be done with their family lunch now.� We both rise into the air at some unspoken signal and fly silently back to Marron and Goten�s.

A/N: *winces* It�s all her fault! *points to reviewer who subconsciously put idea in author�s head* Um, heed the NC-17 warning. As you may or may not be able to tell, there were yaoi hints in this chapter. Now�I meant for this to be non-yaoi. However, I wish to warn you, it is going in that direction. For those of you who don�t know, yaoi is men/men pairings. If you are against this, please leave. And no, I don�t mind if you flame me. I�m sorry I got you into this story, but I myself had no idea it would turn this way. Believe me, this was the LAST thing I saw happening in my story. For those of you who like this sort of thing *glares at reviewer who fed the author the idea* please stay with me. This will be my first yaoi�.

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The Burning Leftovers of Temporary Madness