Heat

FireCracker
(Italic copy bordered by_underscore_)
Archive? You\'d better.

A/U

HEAT

Goku sat atop a quiet hill, reflecting on recent events in his life.
Dusk was rapidly settling across the landscape with magenta and
purple hues.

The handsome saiyan shifted to a more comfortable sitting position.
Since Namek, something was different in him. Not just being super
saiyan, it was something else. Something dark at the edges of his
consciousness.

The new power only served as a live conduit to those feelings,
strengthening their intensity. He always enjoyed adventure and
fighting, but this was different.

_I always loved the thrill of combat and the unknown...but these
feelings scare me. Fighting Frieza, I truly wanted him dead. Not just
destroyed, but a bloody pulp in my hands._

He stared at those same hands. _To feel his bones crack, his blood
leak across my skin...I wanted that more than anything._

\"But why?\"

_Maybe King Kai was right to worry, wondering about my judgement. Why
would I wonder what his brains taste like? It\'s insane..._

So preoccupied was the troubled saiyan that he never noticed the
figure that flew swiftly his way, streaking a bright trail of ki
across darkening skies.

Vegeta landed nearby in the clearing. \"Baka...he\'s so distracted he
never sensed me.\"

Goku maintained his pose of confusion. Vegeta finally lost patience,
marching up to him.

\"Kakarot! Why are you sitting here daydreaming?!\"

No response. Nearly angry now, the prince shook his shoulders from
behind.

\"Kuso!! Answer me now or we fight!!\"

Goku turned slowly. \"Ah, Vegeta.\"

\"What\'s wrong with you? That woman of yours bent my ear for an hour
about getting you back!\"

The tall saiyan shivered, his eyes dark. \"I\'ll get home soon enough.\"

He fell to silence. Openly worried now, Vegeta sat beside
him. \"Kakarot, I don\'t have all night. If you\'re going to sit here
and mope-\"

The younger saiyan turned to him suddenly. \"Vegeta, I need to talk to
you. Something\'s happening to me I don\'t understand.\"

Vegeta stopped in midsentence, surprised. \"Kakarot?\"

Goku gripped his forearm as they sat. Vegeta looked down but didn\'t
pull away.

\"Since Namek, I\'ve been different.\"

The prince eyed him. \"Yes, you\'re a super saiyan. I know that!\"

The wild head shook vigorously. \"No, not just that. Inside, I\'ve
changed. My emotions and desires.\"

Keen eyes narrowed now. \"Explain.\"

Goku stared at the sky, now sparkling with stars. \"You know when I
first gained the power, I spent time offplanet to learn how to
control it.\"

\"Ai, I remember. I spent precious time chasing you to find out!\"

\"This won\'t make sense, but ever since then I\'ve felt hot. Like I\'m
burning inside.\"

Vegeta considered carefully. \"Hot in what way?\"

\"It\'s as if the power has sharpened everything, like my senses.\"

\"That isn\'t hard to understand.\"

Goku stared at him hard. \"I never considered myself evil, though I\'ve
had certain impulses my whole life...\"

The prince said nothing, eyebrows going up.

\"But now I find myself thinking in ways that would have repulsed me
before.\"

\"Tell me! In detail.\"

\"There are times when...I...want to kill, feel blood on my hands.\"

Vegeta smirked. \"Do tell. Perhaps you\'re finally getting in tune with
yourself.\"

\"I\'m not an assassin! My whole life has been spent protecting those I
care about.\"

\"Ha! And has any of that prevented what you feel now?\"

\"What are you getting at?\"

A pause. \"I\'m not certain. Did all this correspond with what happened
on Namek?\"

Goku grabbed him suddenly in a bear hug, toppling them both into the
tall grass.

\"Kakarot, have you gone insane?!\"

The taller saiyan sighed, rolled up to sit again. \"Sorry...that just
kind of happened.\"

Vegeta sat up again, brushing himself. \"Do lapses like that occur
often?\"

Goku met his intense gaze. \"I never thanked you properly.\"

\"For what?\"

\"Showing me that vision. I didn\'t say how it affected me to anyone.\"

The ouji looked away briefly. \"You needed to see that, despite your
denials.\"

\"It was wrong, I realized that later. I\'d never been around my own
people, so when you came to earth-\"

\"You thought every saiyan like me.\" the tone was flat. \"Meaning?\"

\"Being evil. Having a totally self serving attitude.\"

\"True enough, for a saiyan denies nothing.\"

\"Raditz didn\'t improve my opinion, either. Not to mention Turles.\"

\"Conversely, we were repulsed by your earther ways.\"

Goku wrapped arms around his legs. \"I guess it\'s all in perspective,
now. Aspects of myself I see like never before.\"

\"Had you known more, your opinions wouldn\'t have been so extreme. And
there were other factors, such as your injury-\" the ouji broke off,
staring.

\"You said something that stayed in my mind when we first met.\"

\"I said many things. You refused me!\"

\"Would it make you feel better to know I was tempted?\"

Dark eyes went wide. \"I thought you answered too quickly...\"

\"You said I had no hunger for the hunt because my tail was missing.\"

The prince sighed. The loss of his own tail was something he never
recovered from. Privately, he hoped someday to regenerate it.

\"True...I thought you were a deluded crackbrain pretending to be
human. Instead of a universe, you\'d settle for a mudball.\"

\"My own mudball, at least.\"

Eyes flashed now. \"Fool! All that power, a waste. We could have
achieved so much, Kakarot.\"

\"Oh? So you could plot to kill me at some point like you did Nappa?\"

\"Faugh. I never offered Nappa the universe, and his death was
circumstantial.\"

\"You make it sound like a freak accident, Vegeta. Who are you trying
to kid?\"

\"I won\'t apologize for my past, Kakarot. Besides, that isn\'t the
topic here.\"

\"No. But I think I understand now what you were trying to tell me. I
couldn\'t make the connection before.\"

\"What??\"

\"My body aches now...burns and itches.\"

Vegeta shook him. \"How? Where??\"

\"Blood rushes in my ears, not just when I\'m fighting. Other times I
feel out of control, especially at night-\"

\"Look at me.\"

\"Ha?\"

\"Kakarot, how old are you?\"

Goku thought a moment. \"Twenty six, I think. It\'s hard to be precise
since I don\'t know my age when I landed here.\"

The ouji rubbed cable like arms. \"Hn...this super saiyan power does
even more than I suspected.\"

\"What do you mean?\"

\"I warned the earthlings that power would awaken your blood past the
point of no return. They stared at me like the devil.\"

\"You\'re a good actor.\"

\"You dare?!\"

\"Save that for people who shake at your every word. You were
determined to be evil. And I know you fed off fear and revulsion,
since you couldn\'t have-\" Goku stopped suddenly before saying too
much.

The ouji punched his arm. \"Weakling\" he hissed. \"I should leave you
here with your aches and pains!\"

\"It\'s the truth and you know it.\"

Vegeta thought a minute, reviewing his words. _Something is changed
here. He speaks his mind without the simpleton routine._

A thought occurred to him. \"You say you were tempted to join me in
conquest?\"

\"Yeah. Maybe I seemed like a doofball to you, but the thought crossed
me.\"

Vegeta clutched his head. \"Kuso. You said nothing before now?!\"

\"I have a family here. Did you expect me to just abandon them and
leave?\"

\"Hn, maybe not the boy. He is part saiyan, at least.\"

\"Do saiyans leave their own?\"

\"No. I didn\'t say that! But Chi Chi is human, baka. And a pain in the
ass!\"

Goku laughed. \"I never take her seriously-\"

The ouji blinked in surprise. \"And here all along I thought the onna
ruled you.\"

\"Come on, Vegeta. I care about her. What\'s the big deal in getting
along? It doesn\'t hurt anything, or change my power.\"

\"Hn...\" _that last part he said...curious._

\"I don\'t have to scowl and snarl all the time to be saiyan.\"

\"You\'re an oddity, Kakarot. I can only wonder how you\'d talk without
that head injury.\"

\"That brings us back to the original point. It may be healing
finally. At least, I can sense a trauma disappearing inside.\"

\"WHAT? You mean...\"

\"You should be dancing. Maybe I\'m turning into Kakarot now.\"

****

Vegeta touched the tousled head. \"Being super saiyan did that?\"

\"Maybe it would have happened anyway, but I do feel different.\"

\"Tell me more about these pains.\"

\"I get headaches that seem to trail down my back. I know it sounds
crazy, but-\"

\"Go on!\"

\"Then my muscles ache and shiver. Usually this is followed by some
sort of accelerated pulse or something...it\'s like I hear my own
heartbeat.\"

Vegeta stared at the other saiyan. \"Take off your shirt.\"

\"Huh? Whatever for?\"

\"Just do it. I suspect something.\"

\"Sure.\" Goku stripped his upper ghi, revealing rippling muscle. The
ouji watched in appreciation.

_Shit...I should have dragged him into space to begin with._

\"Turn around, I\'m going to examine you.\"

\"Why? I\'m not sick.\"

\"Quiet!\" Expert hands dipped over planed muscle, down the tapered
back. Vegeta traced a line along the spinal ridge, just for fun.

\"What are you doing back there?\"

\"Getting an answer...what?!!\"

\"I knew it...something\'s wrong!\"

The ouji laughed like a maniac. \"I can\'t believe this.\"

\"What can\'t you believe?\"

\"This!!\" Goku immediately felt white hot pleasure shoot up his spine.
He nearly blacked out from the intensity. A strong hand continued to
squeeze that spot on his back.

\"Shit!!\" reacting instinctively, he swung at the prince. \"What the
hell-\"

Vegeta ducked. \"Ha. Your tail\'s growing back, baka...you\'ll
understand everything now!\"

Goku massaged his backside. \"Now the thing itches again.\" he rubbed
the furry bump. It was a mistake.

\"AAIIEEE!!!\" hips jerked in pleasure. Vegeta held his sides, still
laughing.

\"This is too much! Stop it, Kakarot. I don\'t need a floor show!\"

The younger saiyan shivered, pulling up his waistband. \"It\'s too
sensitive.\"

\"Stop squirming and listen to me.\" he yanked Goku to a sitting
position again, sidling beside him.

\"When I said you didn\'t want the hunt I meant it. You have no concept
of what a saiyan\'s tail does.\"

Dark eyes were accusing. \"I thought you were taunting me.\"

\"Only partly, Kakarot. I see how your eyes change whenever you fight.
It\'s those moments I long to see...when your true heritage shows in
you.\"

\"So be a wild eyed maniac? That it?\"

\"Fool...the pride of a warrior race. I showed you that!\"

Goku closed his eyes briefly. \"The vision, I know...and I felt it
then.\"

\"You gained insight, and now you\'ll sense other things.\"

\"From a tail?\"

\"Your tail is a living extension of your brain.\"

Goku gasped at the implication. \"I..thought it was just...\"

A smirk. \"Something attached to your backside? Hardly. Remember what
Raditz told you?\"

Goku stared in shock. \"A saiyan\'s true source of power...he took it
as a personal insult when I told him mine was gone.\"

\"Any saiyan would. He considered you mutilated.\"

\"That\'s insane!\"

\"No. Wait until it regenerates completely, then you\'ll understand.\"

Goku thought a moment. \"What does a tail do besides control
transformation?\"

Vegeta purred softly. \"Many things. Hormones and behavior are
influenced directly, as is aggression and instinct. Oh, you have no
idea!\"

\"You don\'t seem any different without one.\"

\"No? Although I still desire conquest and power, the rage fuelling
the urge is gone.\"

\"Maybe that\'s not such a bad thing.\"

\"There\'s more. With my tail I\'d be in space right now.\"

\"I don\'t follow. What\'s the connection?\"

\"Huuhh...I wouldn\'t be able to adjust and adapt to this alien world.
At full power, no saiyan can be restrained for long. Saiyans have an
instinctual need for exploration and territory. We mark what is ours.\"

\"There\'s another way to look at it, Vegeta. A lesser being would have
given up, not been able to change.\"

The dark eyes flickered with a strange glow. \"Hn. Perhaps. I can only
liken the sensation to being caged. Everything functions, just not at
full capacity.\"

\"I guess the opposite is happening to me now...I feel like I\'m going
into hyperdrive.\"

\"Kakarot, there\'s a sexual aspect to consider as well.\"

\"Ah...\"

\"No, hear me out here. Your tail has scent organs used to stimulate
mating-\"

\"Never mind!!\"

\"Baka! You need to hear this. In addition to your own personal scent,
a mate is musked to heighten drives even further. With friends and
accquaintances this is done as an invitation.\"

Goku stared at him. \"That\'s...so...\"

\"Saiyan.\"

Goku took a dare, eyes narrowing. \"You were with Nappa?!\"

\"Bah. I\'d explode first!!\"

\"Didn\'t you?\"

\"Many were available for my charms. I never wanted for offers,
Kakarot.\"

\"But don\'t you have to be mated?\"

\"My hyper aggression was used for killing. It was a substitute, since
no one available would have made a suitable mate. Until I came here.\"

The tall saiyan absorbed his words, misunderstanding. \"I know Bulma
can be annoying, but she really has a soft spot for you.\"

The ouji laughed. \"Krukka! Not her...someone else.\"

Goku appeared crestfallen. \"Oh, well...\"

Vegeta looked him over again. \"There was much unsaid when I arrived,
Kakarot.\"

\"You intentions seemed clear enough to me.\"

\"Think back to what I said.\"

Goku reflected on the day they first met. Vegeta\'s offer.

_Together we would rule the planets. And you could have anything you
wanted. Anything. Nothing would be out of our grasp._

He looked at Vegeta sharply. \"You...were offering??\"

The ouji looked away painfully. \"I took it as a rejection...no one
ever turned me aside before.\"

Goku touched his arm. \"I never turned you away, prince. The offer...I
guess the timing of it wasn\'t right.\"

\"You were a wild thing, but unaware. I wanted to...bring you back to
yourself.\"

A smile. \"Well, maybe it\'s happening now.\"

Wide eyes now. \"Kakarot?!\"

The burly saiyan purred, nuzzling. \"I love the way you say my name.\"

Vegeta didn\'t pull away, but stared. \"Listen to me-\"

\"I feel so hot all of a sudden...horny!\" he grabbed the prince into a
kiss, pressing him into the tall grass.

The ouji pushed him off, rolling back up. \"Do you even know what\'s
happening here, Kakarot?\"

Sloopy grin. \"Dammit, you look hot!\" he grabbed the ouji again,
locking lips. Vegeta squirmed in open shock.

_Madness. The rut!!_

\"The what??\"

Vegeta heaved, shoving him away with force now. Goku bounced
backwards, landing gracefully to his feet.

\"IDIOT. Get out of my head!!\"

Goku stared momentarily, then grinned. \"I think we need to talk about
other things, Vegeta...like why I can read your thoughts.\"

\"I don\'t wish to discuss it!\"

\"May I kiss you again?\"

\"No! You\'re in rut, Kakarot. A saiyan-\"

The tall saiyan approached him. \"You don\'t have to paint me a
picture, Vegeta. Based on the way my body feels-\"

The ouji stood up. \"Stay your distance. Too much is happening here!\"

Goku stopped abruptly, deep eyes intense. \"Something\'s been between
us since you came to earth.\"

\"Why talk of this now?\"

\"I need you, Vegeta...\"

\"You need ice. Go home to that onna, and roll it out of your system!\"

\"I said I need you!!\" Ki sparked abruptly, turning golden. Seconds
later an enraged super saiyan stood his ground.

\"Get out of my face, Kakarot!\" Vegeta hated being reminded he hadn\'t
achieved super saiyan since his brief rage atop a mountain. \"You
think to mock me with that display?\"

Teal eyes narrowed in anger. \"You asshole!!\" he charged. Vegeta
braced himself as they collided, rolling down a hill.

Energy crackled around their furious forms as fists pummelled in
fury. Vegeta kneed the larger saiyan in the groin repeatedly, but
Goku refused to let go. Finally their tumble ended near a stream. The
larger saiyan had the smaller one pinned on his back.

\"I should break your neck.\" Goku snarled, heaving. \"Why do you make
everything so difficult?\"

Sharp teeth flashed back. \"You whine about being saiyan for the first
time in your life. What the hell do you expect ME to do?!\"

\"This!!\" another sticky kiss. Vegeta felt a bizarre sensation
coursing through his body. Still, those lips were silky soft...

His struggles were less fierce this time, as glowing heat teased his
bones. Cable like arms wrapped around the prince.

The ouji opened his eyes, sensing something. In shock he stared over
a broad shoulder...

only to see a thick golden tail waving gently in the air.

\"Mllgph...Kkruuhttt...\"

The hot mouth still held his. Suddenly, a bursting sensation filled
him as his ki skyrocketed. Vegeta\'s line of sight disappeared into a
bright haze of power.

KRAKOOOOOMMMM!!!

Two unconscious saiyans lay like litter along the water, their
clothing in tatters.

****

The ouji blinked, seeing double. Two super saiyans were laying atop
him.

_My skull\'s killing me. What the hell happened?_

\"Ughhh...\"

\"Get off of me, baka. What were you trying to do anyway, blow us up?!\"

Goku smiled slightly, glancing down at their state of near
undress. \"Damn.\"

Vegeta rolled him over. \"Off, I said!\"

\"What\'s your problem?\"

\"You, baka. I\'m grabbed, kissed, and nearly blown up. What do you
expect, dancing?\"

\"Maybe later. Anyway, you should thank me.\"

Vegeta let loose a stream of curses. \"That\'ll be the day!\"

\"I thought you wanted to be super saiyan.\"

\"What are you...I\'m not?\"

Goku pointed at a nearby water puddle. Blinking in disbelief Vegeta
stared at his own reflection.

He was golden.

\"Wha...I mean, how?!\"

Goku flopped into the grass lazily, looping his tail somewhere. \"You
were right when you told me we\'d be good together.\"

The ouji felt a strange itch before indescribable pleasure shot up
his spine.

\"It can\'t be!!\"

But it was. Goku coiled a golden tail around another one. His. The
furry lengths ruffled from friction.

Teal eyes rolled back. \"Gahhh...that\'s fantastic...\"

\"Ha...hentai!!\" Vegeta shivered, feeling too good to be angry. He
plopped over the larger saiyan. Sticky chests pressed together.

\"Kakarot...\"

\"One hell of a kiss, eh? Super saiyan and a tail all in one pop!\"

Vegeta nearly smiled, looking himself over. \"I can barely believe it,
but-\"

Goku grinned again, still on his back. \"Not bad, eh?\"

The ouji grabbed him in another liplock. \"All that and a bag of
chips!!\"

THE END