Possessions

Title: Possessions

Pairings: Vegeta x Goku, Buroli x Goku

Author: CrimsonTide

Warnings - None for this chapter.

CHAPTER 10


“Prince Vegeta, his injuries are severe. We need to take him to his human friends for help.”

Vegeta felt the small hairs on the back of his neck bristle at Raditz’s words, but he knew he was right. His mate may be alive, but he wouldn’t be that way for long if he wasn’t given proper medical attention soon. The younger Saiyajin’s flesh was nearly white due to the massive loss of blood and his chest shuddered with each labored breath he took.

The prince tightened his jaw as he gathered Goku into his arms and stood. “Senzu beans should have been delivered to Capsule Corp by now. I’ll take Kakarotto there, but just in case, I want Nappa and Turles to go to Dende’s Lookout and collect some more. Raditz, you come with me.”

Nappa and Turles both silently moved to the large hole in the wall, preparing to take off before the smaller of the two turned back. “What should we do with Buroli’s body?”

Vegeta growled as his eyes darted to the damaged wall behind him. “We’ll burn it once Kakarotto is well again.”

----------------------------------------------

Vegeta’s tail lashed behind him as he landed in the front yard of Capsule Corporation. His fingers tightened around Goku as he held the younger man more firmly against his chest. He could feel the gathered kis of several people within the building. Bulma, Gohan, Piccolo, Yamcha, Trunks, Goten.... They were expecting him.

The prince hadn’t realized he’d frozen in place until he felt a hand grip his shoulder. He turned his head slightly and looked at Raditz, who quirked his lips into a small smile.

“There is no need to be nervous. If they meant you any harm, they’d already be upon us with fists flying. I’m sure they’ve felt what’s been occurring and now they just want to help.”

Vegeta grit his teeth as he turned back toward the building that loomed in front of him. The chill of the night air sent a shiver up his spine as he finally moved forward once again. He was only a few steps away when the front door slowly opened. The prince froze again when Bulma came into view.

“We were hoping you’d trust us enough to come for help. Please, bring him in.”

As the woman moved aside to allow them room, Raditz gently nudged the younger man forward and into the building. He followed closely behind, casting Bulma a small smile as he passed by. She nodded as she closed the door and jogged a couple steps to catch up with Vegeta, who had already started toward the medical wing.

“Do you have any senzu beans?”

The blue haired woman once again nodded as she pointed to a closed door on their left. “Take him in there. I have a bed already set up and a clean set of clothes for him. I’ll be right back with the beans.”

Vegeta stopped at the door and watched as Bulma ran off down the hall. How could she be so calm? If she had a room set up then she and the others did indeed know what happened. Shouldn’t they be angry with him? He was responsible for all this, after all. She acted as if she’d already forgiven him. It had to be a trick.

Raditz stepped around the silent prince and opened the door to Goku’s room. “Prince Vegeta.”

“Hn.” The younger man snapped out of his musings and quickly stepped inside the room. He immediately approached the bed and set Goku down on the soft mattress, wincing as his mate hissed in discomfort. Despite the thick blanket Vegeta had wrapped him in before leaving their home, he still shivered violently.

“I’ll go run a hot bath. As soon as he’s healed we’ll get him warmed up.” Raditz said as he disappeared into the adjoining bathroom. A few seconds later the sound of running water drifted from the open door, followed by a plume of steam. The large Saiyajin never returned, however, and Vegeta guessed he was giving him some time alone with his mate.

His eyes settled back on the younger Saiyajin. His eyes were closed and his lips quivered with each intake of breath. The prince placed his still ungloved hands on the younger man’s cheeks and he smiled a bit when a small sigh escaped the other’s lips. He was almost expecting his mate to recoil from his touch. He had every right to, after all.

“I’ve got them.”

Vegeta quickly pulled his hands away from Goku’s face and snapped his head to the side. Bulma had somehow managed to walk right up beside him without him noticing. She smiled gently, knowing she had startled him.

“Relax, Vegeta. No one is going to attack you. Here. I think you should do it.”

The prince blinked when the woman handed him a senzu bean, and though he couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable within the walls of the building, he did believe her words to be sincere.

Vegeta turned back to his mate and crushed the small bean in his fingers before placing it in Goku’s mouth. He gently ran his hand over the younger man’s bruised throat in order to make him swallow, which he did after only a couple of attempts.

Slowly the bean’s magic did its’ job and Goku’s wounds began to close themselves and his bruises faded from his skin. Unfortunately, the senzu could not replace all of the lost blood. That would come in time and until then, the younger Saiyajin would have to take it easy and rest while his body replenished itself.

Bulma smiled and placed her hand on Vegeta’s shoulder. “I’ll leave you alone. We’ll talk in the morning, ok?” She waited until the prince nodded before turning and meeting Raditz at the door. The two of them left together and closed the door, leaving them alone.

Vegeta slowly and carefully began to unwrap Goku from the blanket. He stripped away what was left of his torn and bloody clothes and was pleased to see that the flesh beneath was once again unblemished. Once his mate was fully unclothed he quickly disreguarded his own blood stained garments and tossed them to the floor before he once again gathered the younger man into his arms and entered the warm bathroom. True to his word, Raditz had left the large tub full of hot water, which was lightly scented with what smelt like roses. Vegeta snorted at the idea of smelling like a flower, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it now.

The prince carefully maneuvered himself into the tub and he gently lowered Goku into the water. The younger man hissed as the hot liquid seared his cool flesh, but his discomfort slowly melted into a sigh of relief as his violent shivering finally ceased.

Vegeta let out his own sigh as he leaned against the back of the tub and pulled Goku against his chest, allowing his mate to rest his head back against his shoulder. He slowly ran his hands up and down Goku’s sides before he tightly wrapped his arms around him, holding him securely against his own body. His tail curled around the younger man’s waist and he rested his chin on the top of his head. Several minutes ticked by and he did not move.

“He’s dead, right?”

Vegeta nearly jumped as his mate’s quiet voice broke the silence. He hadn’t been aware he’d woken up.

“Yes, Kakarotto. Buroli is dead.”

“....Then why are you still so afraid?”

The prince tensed at the question. “Do you still want me as your mate, Kakarotto?”

Goku tilted his head up in order to see Vegeta’s face. His brow furrowed. “Why would you ask me that? Of course I do! Do you not want me anymore?”

A growl. “I’ll always want you! I ask because I don’t see how I’m any better than Buroli. I’ve disgraced you, Kakarotto. I disrespected and dishonored you. I treated you like you were nothing to me when you are everything!”

The water around the two Saiyajins shifted as Goku slowly turned and straddled Vegeta’s lap. He leaned in close, wrapping one arm around the older man’s neck and tangling the fingers of his other hand in his hair. The prince closed his eyes as he felt his mates warm breath ghost over his cheek.

“You are nothing like Buroli, Vegeta. You were unstable before and unable to control your actions. I know that. If I’d thought for one second I was nothing to you, I would have killed you like I did Buroli. I love you.”

Vegeta’s lips quirked up into a smile. Though he still carried a tremendous amount of guilt over what he’d done to his mate, he now felt secure in the fact he would not lose the younger Saiyajin. He wrapped his arms around Goku and pulled him closer.

“You know... technically I killed Buroli.”

Goku placed his hands on Vegeta’s shoulders and pulled back a little in order to look him in the eye. He made an expression that looked dangerously close to a pout. “I killed him a little first!”

“Hn. You can’t kill someone a little, Kakarotto. You either kill them completely or not at all.”

Now he was pouting. “You just want the credit.”

“Well, it would look good on my resume.”

Goku snorted. “You don’t need a resume. The only job you have is to take care of me.”

Vegeta just barely managed to bite back a moan as the younger Saiyajin shifted his hips, brushing himself against his hardening length. He placed his hands on Goku’s waist and pulled him up a little to break the contact.

“Kakarotto, you are in no condition for THAT. You were just raped tonight!”

Goku wiggled in an attempt to break the older man’s grip. “But I’m healed and I feel fine...” He leaned forward and nibbled at the prince’s ear. “I need your touch, Vegeta...”

With a groan, Vegeta once again pushed the other away, holding him at an arm’s length. The fallen expression on his mate’s face nearly broke his heart.

Goku moved back and off of the older man’s lap and turned away from him. He quickly grabbed a bar of nearby soap and began to furiously scrub at his skin. Vegeta watched in silence as the other’s Saiyajin’s flesh began to turn red and he only managed to move forward when he saw blood well up where nails had scratched too hard.

“Kakarotto, enough!” he yelled as he grabbed Goku’s wrists and pulled his arms away from his body. “You are not dirty!” He spun the younger man around to face him, frowning when he saw the unshed tears building up in his eyes.

“The senzu healed your outward wounds, Kakarotto, but not the ones up here.” He tapped his finger against Goku’s temple. “I have been through this. You are NOT ready, even if you think you are. You also lost a lot of blood and the senzu bean was unable to replenish most of it. You need to rest and let your body recover before you do anything else.”

Vegeta gripped Goku’s chin in his hand and lifted it until their eyes finally met. “Don’t think for a second I don’t want you. I just love you too much to risk doing any further harm to you by moving too fast. Understand?”

The prince waited for the other Saiyajin to nod before he placed a soft but passionate kiss on his lips. “I think we could both use some sleep.”

------------

TBC

A/N - Sorry for the wait ^.^' Hopefully the next chapter will come out sooner! Oh, and no, this story isn't connected to 'Try Again'... which I simply MUST update.