Past To future

Oh! And thanks to Hellagoddess for betaing this! *HUGS her* She's great! You're turning into my muse!

`
`
`

It cannot be. Vegeta nearly dropped the bag he carried, his heart leaping into his throat. But what if it were true, what if…Furiza had found them, somehow…Raditzu, Kakkarot, Napa….his unborn child…Raditzu’s child…everyone would be in dire peril. Gulping down the fear and the nausea that it brought, he took a deep breath and shot onward, his senses searching even before his eyes could see. ~I’m just being paranoid, that is all.~

Nothing looked out of the ordinary as he neared the house, but sight alone wasn’t a very accurate sense at times. Landing just outside the back door, he searched the area for the familiar ki signatures that should be there. Raditzu….was there, but his ki was wavering oddly, and Napa was missing, as well as Kakkarot and Gohan….that was odd….

Opening the door, he ventured in, his heart unsteady, thumping faster with each step he took.

“Oh god, it hurts, it hurts!”

Vegeta leapt into the air, uttering an undignified shriek. What the HELL was that!? It sounded like Raditzu….it sounded as if he were in pain…great pain. Gathering his wits about him enough to realize that his nursemaid might very well be injured, the young prince rushed from the room.

“Raditzu?” He stumbled into the living room, which looked as if someone had been rampaging through it moments prior.

“Oh god! The baby’s coming…the baby…AH!” Raditzu was lying in the middle of the floor, his face scrunched with obvious pain. Sweat had already begun to bead upon the man’s face. Vegeta’s eyes traveled over the scene, his stomach performing a sickening flip at the sight and smell of some sticky fluid soaking the crotch of Raditzu’s sweat pants. “V-Vegeta, get your fucking tail over here and help me!”

As if he had been slapped, Vegeta dumped his shoulder bag full of presents and scrambled to the man’s side, helping Raditzu to sit up. “What do I do?” He questioned, fighting back the bile that was rising in his throat. He had thought that Raditzu had simply pissed himself, but that sickly scent was not urine but some sort of blood product, like seminal fluid.

“Help me get my pants off…” Raditzu panted harshly, his face whitening as he reached down around his massive middle to tug at the grungy cloth. The only color that remained in his face was two dark red splashes across his cheeks, evidence of his pain.

“Yes…” Vegeta nodded, grabbing the waistband from Raditzu’s trembling fingers. Yanking the cloth down, and tossing it away he blushed. This was the first time he had ever seen Raditzu naked and not aroused. “Now what?”

“Y-you’ve gotta prepare me….” Raditzu gave a drawn out groan, but not the kind that Raditzu usually gave while in the throws of passion. He sounded in pain. “Oh god….the contractions are starting again…”

“What? Wait! What do I do?!” Vegeta cried, thinking distantly that he would forever be traumatized after this event.

Raditzu gave a angry snarl, dragging Vegeta down by the front of his shirt until they were nose to nose.

“I SAID!” Raditzu barked eyes flashing dangerously. “Stretch me…put your god damned fingers in me and stretch me…if you don’t….AHHHHHHH!” He let go of Vegeta’s shirt, collapsing back to the ground.

“If I don’t…what…what’ll happen!?” He asked, not wanting to admit that he felt sick to his stomach from the thought of touching Raditzu down there. Apparently, that was where the goo was coming from.

Raditzu gave another pained cry before gulping and struggling to a semi sitting position again. “If you don’t I can lose the baby…or…it’ll tear me badly as it passes out.” Vegeta gulped. “Please Vegeta…please…I can’t reach…no one else is around…please…”

“I’ll…I’ll go get….” He stood up on legs that were none too steady.

“No…no time to get Napa….” Raditzu reached for out with a shaky hand, grasping at Vegeta’s pant leg. “Don’t need lubricant…please my prince…”

“I think I’m gonna be sick…” Vegeta muttered, kneeling down once more. Raditzu spread his legs, panting as if he had just ran two full laps around the earth. Grimacing, “Are you sure about this Raditzu?”

“JUST MOTHER FUCKING DO IT!”

Under any other circumstance, Vegeta would have felt deeply angered at being yelled at. “But this isn’t any normal situation,” He mumbled to himself reaching downward, slowly moving towards the sore looking hole in Raditzu’s backside. Gulping back the bile that was trying to rise in his throat, he plunged a finger in. It wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be, slick and hot but not sticky or slimy as he had thought it would be. Quickly slipping another finger in, he began to slowly spread them.

“AH!” Raditzu cried out and Vegeta froze.

“Did I…are you okay?” He asked, about to pull his fingers out only to have a sweat soaked tail hold his wrist and keep his hand in place.

“Contraction…keep going…more…I need more….” Raditzu gave another pained scream.

Vegeta looked down at what he was doing and then back up at Raditzu’s face. “More than two fingers!?” He asked unsure what Raditzu had meant. He had always been taught two, max three was more than what was needed to prepare anyone.

“YES MORE THAN TWO, YOU NUMSKULL!!!” Raditzu howled, body contorting as he tried to sit up again. “STOP ASKING QUESTIONS AND JUST DO AS I TELL YOU!”

“Stop YELLING at me!” Vegeta cried tears stinging his eyes. “I’m doing my best! I’m SORRY if I’ve no experience in delivering a baby!” Vegeta glowered down at his work, wriggling another finger in. The muscles spasmed around his fingers and a gush of the yellowish fluid spilled across his fingers. Vegeta nearly vomited, his stomach lurching, the taste of bile tainting the back of his throat.

“Vegetaaahhhh….” Raditzu moaned, panting and groaning. “Sorry…so much pain…need more…hurry up, the child is coming fast.”

Splaying his fingers he watched for any sign of pain upon Raditzu’s face, which seemed to have relaxed. Drawling back his fingers slightly, he tried pressing a fourth finger in, finding that Raditzu seemed to be becoming looser and looser with each passing minute. Grimacing, he realized he almost had his whole hand inside of Raditzu’s body now.

“AH!” Raditzu gave another scream face scrunching up again. “Nnnn, Vegetaaah!” He reached out, clutching at Vegeta’s shoulder. Trembling with the effort, Raditzu slowly began to sit up.

“Raditzu…” Vegeta winced at the pain in his shoulder, Raditzu’s nails were beginning to dig into his flesh. “You need to lay down…you’re making this harder on me…”

The slick tail upon his wrist jerked his hand back trying to pull it out of the way. “Need pillows…” He instructed trying to point at the couch but loosing his balance as he lifted his arm. Collapsing back to the floor, he moaned, tears streaming down his cheeks.* “Remind me to kill Napa….”

Hauling all the pillows and cushions off of the couch, he dumped them on the floor, helping the weak Saiyan to sit up so he could place them behind him. “There you go.” Vegeta sighed moving back, not sure what to do now.

Raditzu’s scream echoed off the white plastered walls and Vegeta found himself kneeling next to his nursemaid again. “Vegeta…” Raditzu sobbed this time his hand curled into Vegeta’s hair, fisting the soft strands maliciously. “AH FUCK!”

Through the tears that stung his eyes, Vegeta could see Raditzu curling up as if he were trying to do some sort of absurd crunch. “Vegeta…oh god…Vegeta, you’ve gotta catch the baby!” Raditzu panted and huffed collapsing back against the pillows.

“I can’t do that with your hand in my hair!” Vegeta cried, trying to pry at the iron grip Raditzu had on him. Tears had begun to flow down his own cheeks from the pain.

“HM!” Raditzu let go of the prince, clutching at his middle as he tried to curl up upon himself again. “HURRY, OH GOD IT’S CROWNING!”

Vegeta didn’t know what crowning meant, but he had a feeling it had nothing to do with royalty. Scooting across the floor upon his ass, he climbed over Raditzu’s trembling legs to kneel between them. “What do I do!?” He looked down, eyes growing large as a mass of hair appeared to be pushing out of Raditzu’s body. “WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?” He cried aghast at how much it looked like a giant shit ball full of hair.

“FOR CHRIST’S SAKE! IT’S THE FUCKING HEAD!” Raditzu roared, collapsing again, panting for breath eyes closing. “God…I’m so tired…”

Vegeta licked his lips looking up at Raditzu with wide eyes, “Uh…don’t think you can quit right now…come on…” He was trying to encourage but he wasn’t sure if what he was saying or doing was of any help to the other. “I don’t think he can breath like that…come on…you’ve gotta keep going!”

Raditzu nodded, curling in upon himself with a hoarse shout. Vegeta almost didn’t move fast enough, the baby’s head shooting out of Raditzu on a greasy river of the yellow goop. Supporting the head, he looked back up. “Come on Raditzu…almost there!”

“UHHH! I CAN’T!” Raditzu sobbed, still curled in upon himself. “Can’t sit up any higher…”

“Here, grab my tail and pull yourself up.” Vegeta offered the man his tail knowing this was going to hurt like hell, probably worst than giving birth. Feeling Raditzu’s hand close around his tail, he gritted his teeth readying himself for the pain.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!” Vegeta bellowed his cry mixing with Raditzu’s and…through the tears that had begun to spill from his eyes again, Vegeta could see that the there was a third person crying in his hands.

Raditzu collapsed his whole body trembling. “Cut the cord…V-Vegeta” He let his legs straighten, hardly able to keep them up and bent any more. Bringing his arm up to rest over his eyes, he began to sob uncontrollably.

“What’s going on in here!?”

Vegeta looked up seeing his mate, Napa and Gohan staring at them with wide eyes. Looking back down, he carefully used his ki to cut away the last attachment the screeching child had to its mother. Holding up the child, he looked down at it with equally wide eyes. “It’s a boy.” He said, his voice hardly above a whisper as he held it out to Napa like some sort of divine offering.

“Oh my god…” Napa said, sounding shocked and a little confused. Dropping the shopping bags that were in his hands, he walked over and took the small squirming child that continued to cry at the top of its little baby lungs. Curling the infant to his chest, not even noticing how gooey the new life was, he collapsed to his knees. “Raditzu, he’s so beautiful….”

Raditzu was already trying to sit up again, almost too weak to make it. “Here let me help you,” Goku whispered tenderly, putting his arms around his brother’s shoulders holding him up.

“He looks like you,” Napa said, a grin growing over his face. The baby stopped crying, its eyes slowly opening as if it knew his father was there to take care of him and he hadn’t a thing to cry about any more. “Raditzu, he looks just like you.”

“He has your eyes,” Raditzu sniffled, unable to stop crying, “Let me hold him.” He held out his arms and Napa carefully handed the child over.

“And his hair is much shorter…more like dad’s.” Gohan pointed out solemnly, his tail curling out to loop around Napa’s arm. “Is he my new bond brother?”

“No silly, he’s your cousin.” Raditzu said smiling down at the squirming bundle as it yawned and smacked its lips before closing its incredibly brown eyes again. “I think he’s just as tired as I am.” He chuckled looking up at his prince. “Thank you so much….I would have lost him without your help.”

Vegeta blushed softly, “You would have done the same thing for me…” He mumbled, looking down at his arms which were coated with the yellow substance that the baby was still covered in. “If you’ll excuse me…I’m going to go be sick now…” Scrambling to his feet, he dashed off towards the bathroom.

“Kakkarot, go take care of him…he’s probably really shaken up,” Raditzu said, before turning his gaze onto Gohan, “Would you like to hold your cousin?”

`
`
`

Vegeta knelt before the porcelain goddess, much in the same way his mate had for the first few weeks of his pregnancy. Retching, he brought up the scrambled eggs he had eaten that morning. “Vegeta?” The prince didn’t look up as he was sick again. “I’m sorry…we should have been here…we went Christmas shopping. I didn’t think Raditzu was that close to his due date, neither did Napa…if I would have known….”

The prince shook his head, tears streaking down his cheeks now as he stood up and flushed the toilet. “Its okay,” He gave his mate a sad smile

“No it isn’t…you’re crying…” Goku said, watching his mate wash his mouth at the sink.

“I’m only crying cause I think Raditzu broke my damned tail,” Vegeta mumbled, the said appendage laying limply behind him. “The bitch fucking hurts!”

“What? Why would Raditzu….” Goku stepped further into the bathroom and took Vegeta’s tail into his fingers, feeling up the muscular length.

“Hnnnn,” Vegeta shivered looking over his shoulder as his mate worked. “He couldn’t sit up far enough to push the baby out…I had to help him…I gave him my tail and he pulled himself up….AH! Right fucking there!” He growled the pain shooting right up his spine making his head throb.

“I don’t think it’s broken…just bruised badly.” Goku said, letting the furred limb drop from his fingers. Moving closer, he wrapped his arms around Vegeta as best as he could with his stomach in the way.

Vegeta turned on the sink again and began to wash his hands and arms, watching the remnants of Raditzu’s birth slip down the drain. “I’ll count this as your one noble act for this century, I’ll ask Raditzu to help me when the time comes. Okay?” Goku whispered in his mate’s ear, feeling comforted when Vegeta began to purr instinctively.

“No…I want to be there…its my child…I want to be the first one to see him.” Reaching for the soap, he began to lather up. “Kakkarot…I’ve another problem.”

“What is that….” Goku asked, gasping softly when he felt the child within him kick — probably stimulated by his father’s purring.

“I could have sworn I felt Furzia’s presence when I was flying home from the shopping mall.” He shut the water off and turned around to face his mate. Reaching for a towel, he dried his hands and arms before throwing the towel into a nearby hamper. “I rushed home thinking that he was here…hurting you…but all I found was Raditzu.”

“So…you’re just being paranoid again.” Goku said, sighing sadly, “You’re always being so paranoid. How can that monster find you when you got rid of those tracking devices?”

“I don’t know…but I’ve got to be paranoid. You’re with child Kakkarot, and I don’t want you to be hurt. The only way to protect you is by being paranoid. Kakkarot…I love you and I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you or our child.” He sighed, letting his hands rest on either side of Goku’s bulging stomach. The child kicked again and Vegeta smirked, “Labor may be a VERY disgusting process, but I promise…even if I spend the days afterwards throwing up,….I’ll be there to help you birth our child.

“Vegeta…” Goku smiled softly, putting his hands over Vegeta’s. Leaning in, he kissed his shorter mate, “Are you sure you’re not…well…are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m traumatized for life Kakkarot, but there is nothing you can do about it…now, why aren’t you in bed? You’re supposed to be reserving your strength for our child.” Vegeta looked down at the evidence of their love. “Go to bed before I get mad.”

“Sorry, no chance of that. I’ve gotta wrap your presents…then Napa promised he’d put the tree up and I need to decorate it. Then we’ve gotta start making Christmas cookies for Santa Clause! Oh and Raditzu will need help with the child, ‘cause I doubt Napa knows how to diaper a child, let alone how to feed one and bathe one.”

Vegeta chuckled softly, “Okay Kakkarot, but if you start to get tired, you’ve got to promise me that you’ll lay down. Okay?”

“Of course!”

“Hm, I love you Kakkarot.” Vegeta purred standing on tiptoe to kiss his mate. “You go help Raditzu and Napa, I’m going to wrap your presents.”

“I thought you weren’t going to get me anything because you didn’t believe in stupid Earth traditions.” Goku said, blinking in surprise but Vegeta could already see the childish gleam in his mate’s eyes.

“Hn,” Vegeta snorted carefully stepping back from his mate to open the door. “I’m not ‘Scrage’ or something…”

“Scrooge, you mean Scrooge.” Goku laughed.

“Whatever,” Vegeta grunted, walking back towards the living room. Raditzu and Napa were still on the floor and Gohan was sitting across from them, sleeping child in his arms. Smirking, he joined them, sitting next to Gohan. “I think he likes you. He’s not crying like he was with me.” Gohan gave a large grin up at his prince.

“We’ve decided to call him Toma, in remembrance of our mother,” Raditzu said, reaching out for his child. “His hair is still wet and messy…but it looks like it might shape up to be like mom’s hair was.” Raditzu had started to cry again, nuzzling the sleeping child as he took him back into his arms.

“Its okay, Raditzu.” Napa whispered, putting an arm around his lover’s shoulders.

Vegeta looked up as his mate came waddling up behind him. Smirking, he wound his tail around Goku’s ankle, which was still clad in a snow boot. “Get those warm clothes off…you must be hot.” Goku only smiled back down at Vegeta, his tail curling around Vegeta’s upper arm.

“Come on Raditzu, we need to wash him…before that goop dries on him.” Goku said, reaching out to his brother.

“O-okay…but you be careful with him…” Raditzu said, holding Toma out to his brother. “You hurt one hair upon his beautiful tail and I’ll strangle you myself.”

“Can I help, dad?” Gohan asked, watching his father with the child, a smile coming to his face.

Goku purred, drawing the child against his chest, rocking him gently. “Don’t worry, me and Toma’ll be back in just a little while. I used to wash Gohan all the time when he was this little. Didn‘t I Gohan? Come on, let’s go wash him Gohan.” He said, but he was already disappearing again, heading back to the bathroom.

“He’ll take good care of him, don’t worry Raditzu. It’s good training for when he has his child. Besides, you need to rest….look at you, you can hardly keep your eyes open.” Vegeta reached out and brushed a few strands of hair off of Raditzu’s forehead. Raditzu could only purr in response to Vegeta’s touch, eyes closing. “You’re going to fall asleep right here on the floor, aren’t you?”

Napa smiled at Vegeta and picked his mate up. “Tell your mate I’ll be back down in a few moments to help him with that evergreen tree of his.” Napa disappeared with Raditzu up the stairs to their room.

“I was so silly to think that Furiza had found us…” Vegeta chuckled, spotting the shoulder bag that he had dropped a while ago. Fetching it, he disappeared into the kitchen where he could wrap the gifts in peace. “It was probably Raditzu’s labor that caused me to feel that panic like that….he probably tried to send to Napa but couldn’t get his mate’s attention for whatever reason.” He continued to talk to himself, spotting two tubes of wrapping paper.

Kakkarot had taught him how to wrap basic shapes, and he set to work trying to cover up the gifts that he had gotten. Vegeta soon found out that it was hard, frustrating work, and that he had not skill what so ever when it came to wrapping. Hearing Napa stomp down the stairs, he growled. He knew what came next, Napa would bring in that dumb tree they had gone shopping for. Then his mate would beg him to decorate the dumb thing with him…he didn’t feel like it and wished he could get out of it but he knew he couldn’t. Goku would give him THAT look and he’d have to say yes or his mate would cry and he couldn’t stand to see that.

He finished with his mate’s gift and gave up on the rest, knowing that Kakkarot would be all too happy to wrap them for him. As he predicted, there was crashing coming from the living room and a whole shower of curse words. Placing the rest of the unwrapped gifts away in his bag, he picked up the poorly wrapped one he had finished.

“Oh it looks so nice! I can’t wait to start decorating it!”

Vegeta was surprised to see his mate already out of the bathroom, a freshly washed babe against his chest. “Oh Vegeta! Ohhhh is that a gift!? Who’s it for!?” He said, sounding like an excited child.

“I wanna decorate the tree now!” Gohan exclaimed, charging the tree, his tail thrashing behind him in his excitement.

“Who do you think it’s for, Baka head!?” Vegeta growled at his mate. “Wait Gohan, okay? You can help us.”

Goku laughed and drew his mate to him with his free arm and kissed him. “Well this Baka head thanks you.” He purred.

“How’d Toma take his first bath?” Napa asked, looking back over his shoulder as he affixed the tree to the stand.

“Slept right through it…just like his dad probably did, huh.” Goku chuckled, stroking Toma’s wild hair as he rocked the child a bit. “He’s such a snuggle bug, I’m sure the women will go crazy over him…”

Gohan laughed, “I think he likes water! He was purring in his sleep as we washed him!”

“Women,” Napa snorted, standing up to brush the pine needles off of his shirt. “What makes you think he’s going to be some fruit, going after women? He’s going to settle down with a handsome Saiyan man and have lots of children.”

Silence fell and Goku made his way to the stairs with Gohan in tow, disappearing up them. “Napa…you still want to go home, don’t you…to Vegeta Sei…” Vegeta whispered, coming to stand next to the man who seemed to have taken a lot of interest in a branch that was sticking out further than the rest.

“Of course I do…what makes you think I’d like to stay on this mud ball? I miss my world, I miss fighting people my own strength. I miss looking up to see a red sky and two moons and two suns…I want my boy to grow up with boys his own age to play and fight with. More than anything else…I want my son to have happiness to know what it is like to mate and bond someone he loves with all his heart…he can’t find that on this planet.”

“I see….” Vegeta reached out and began to play with one of the branches.

“After you mate gives birth…I was thinking of bringing it up with Raditzu….I’m sure he’d agree. I can feel his homesickness through our bond sometimes…this planet reminds him of his home world as much as it reminds me of mine.” Napa said turning to face the prince. “More importantly…our world has survived without its royal family…it faced Furiza’s force…I can only imagine what a devastated world Vegeta Sei must be now. They need their prince…”

“I never thought about it.” Vegeta whispered finding that what Napa said very wise and very disturbing at the same time. ‘They might still be in trouble…with Fruiza, and if Furiza thinks I’m dead…then maybe he’ll take out his anger on my planet.”

Goku had reappeared in the living room, missing young Toma but now carrying boxes in his arms, with Gohan carrying stacks of cards with wires and lights on them. “I laid him with his mother. Raditzu is awake again, insisting he isn’t tired.” He smirked, “He wants to feed him.”

“Well, lets start decorating this thing…” Vegeta said, seeing how Napa was looking back towards the stairwell. He knew what Napa’s instincts were saying, he wanted to be next to Raditzu and his baby and protect them.

“Napa, go get some food for you mate and go upstairs,” Goku said, smirking at the bald man who jumped a little as if snapping out of a trance.

“Yes, I think I will…”

Vegeta watched as Kakkarot began to pull ornaments out of boxes and lights off of cards. “You string the lights, okay? I’ll start setting everything else up with Gohan.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re giving me the harder job?”

“Harder job?” Goku exclaimed, laughing, “You think wrapping presents is easy? Call it a trade off.”

Vegeta smirked at his mate and began to play with the lights, trying to figure out what to do with them.

`
`
`

Decorating a tree, an easy feat right? Wrong, dead wrong. As Vegeta found out first hand. He had been too short to string the lights at the top so he had to float above the tree to do so, and it didn’t help that his mate thought it funny to tease his tail while he was up there, making floating extremely hard. After his third time of falling into the tree, he had had enough and Goku had been forced to decorate the tree by himself with the help of his son.

Vegeta hadn’t wanted to let his mate do the work by himself, but he was forced to it by the man he claimed to love. What love?! Love isn’t about tickling your damned mate’s tail! Vegeta blushed, remembering the events of the days past. Two weeks had passed since then and tonight was Christmas eve, according to his mate, and their pack sat around the glowing tree watching some manner of TV cartoon about a skimpy pine, a dancing yellow canary and a capering black and white dog.

The Prince wasn’t watching it, Gohan seemed tickled pink that it was on though, his eyes glued to the screen. But Vegeta’s eyes were on his sleeping mate’s face. Kakkarot had been doing a lot of that lately, sleeping. Probably because he was wearing himself out from all the holiday activities but at least he was sleeping and not becoming ill as he had before. Feeling Raditzu shift at his knee, he looked down and smiled. His nursemaid was looking up at him with a smile of his own.

In the red and green lights, Raditzu looked odd, his hair glowing a reddish color and his face looking greenish Leaning forward, Vegeta captured Raditzu’s lips in a loving kiss. Whatever this season was about, Vegeta had found himself feeling more and more at ease, and with that ease came a burning love he could hardly begin to express for the men he lived with and the children he cared for.

“Hmmm, Vegeta….” Raditzu purred, wrapping his tail around his prince’s ankle and his arm around Vegeta’s leg at the knee. The longhaired man had Toma in his lap, keeping him entertained with a hard rubber ring with a multitude of odd designs embedded in it. Vegeta couldn’t help but grin at the cub as he looked up and gurgled.

Napa snorted, “If that kid’s so good at the piano, why doesn’t he get a job doing it? I mean…if I could play an instrument, I wouldn’t be sitting around at a stupid Christmas pageant with a scruffy tree like that!”

“Hush Napa,” Raditzu giggled, leaning into his mate to kiss him too. “Gohan’s trying to watch this.”

Gohan looked back at his family, his tail thumping against the ground. “Its okay, it’s a commercial break!” Crawling across the ground, he leapt into Napa’s lap, snuggling against the large man. “I know you’re watching it too!” He said, with his big childish grin turned up to his bond uncle.

“No I’m not brat, take that back!” Napa growled, anger coloring his cheeks pink.

“Aw! Napa, you got Toma crying again!” Raditzu sighed, shifting the young Saiyan in his arms so he could rock him back to calmness.

Vegeta could only shake his head as his mate began to stir, the baby’s cries waking him up. “What’s wrong with Toma?” Goku asked, leaning over his mate’s lap to look down at the baby who seemed to be calming already with his mother’s hands stroking his hair and tail.

“Napa scared him,” Raditzu said, reaching out to run his hand through his brother’s hair. “Go back to sleep. Santa Clause doesn’t come if you’re awake, right?” Adverting his attention from his son for a second, he gave his brother a kiss. “You’d better’ve been good this year Kakkarot. Cause I didn’t get you anything!” Raditzu teased before he kissed his brother again, deepening the affectionate kiss into something more passionate.

Groaning, Goku leaned closer, as close as he could get with his stomach in the way. “Hey!” Vegeta exclaimed, tugging on his mate’s hair. “You’re not supposed to kiss him like that! He’s MINE.”

Raditzu laughed, breaking away to look up at his prince. “He’s MY brother…I think I can do with him as I wish!”

Vegeta stuck his tongue out, not wanting to admit how much that kiss had effected him. His mate and Raditzu together were one undeniably sexy sight. “Hush, your show is back on,” He nodded towards the TV, forcing Kakkarot to lean back against him again.

“I don’t want to watch this any more!” Gohan exclaimed, bouncing in Napa’s lap. “I want to read the night before Christmas!”

Goku chuckled, “Okay, okay…but afterwards, you’re going to take a bath and go to bed!” He said, reaching for the coffee table where there was a pop up book sitting with the remote control. “There you go Gohan, read it to us and remember that EACH page has to end, ‘The night before Christmas! Or you won‘t get to open a present before you go to bed!”

“Okay!” He exclaimed, opening it up to the first page. Although Gohan COULD read very well, it was tradition to make up a story to go along with the images in the pop-up book. It was something that Chichi had done with her son and her husband back when things were still good.

“Once upon a time, there was two kids. They had been very good and so, the night before Christmas!” Gohan turned the page in the book and began to weave the tale of how two kids would leave cookies out for the big jolly fat man every Christmas eve, then climb into bed to await the next morning.

“When there arose such a clatter! All on the Night before Christmas!” Gohan exclaimed, already turning the page again. He paused, looking up towards the ceiling. “Did you hear that?”

Vegeta frowned, looking at Goku who shook his head. “Go on Gohan, I want to hear how this ends.”

“The children leapt out of their beds just to see what the heck was going on the night before Christmas!” The page was turned and Vegeta saw the jolly fat guy Goku was always telling him about recently. Big black boots, red snow suit, trimmed with white fur and a big fluffy white beard and a stocking cap with a cotton ball at the end.

“It’s Santa Clause! He had arrived just in the NICK of time just before daybreak on Christmas day!” He turned the page, then froze…”Oh…I messed up…” He groaned, looking up at his father.

“Its okay Gohan, I’ll let you open a present anyways, just because this year’s reading is SO good!” Goku said with a smile, reaching out to ruffle Gohan’s hair. It was getting really scruffy and long. Maybe after the holidays they should take Gohan down to the barbers and get it trimmed.

Gohan cheered and finished the book as quickly as he could eager to get to the present he had been promised. Setting the book aside, he stood, tail wagging excitedly. “Gah, calm down brat!” Napa laughed, trying to keep the tail from hitting him in the face as it seemed apt to do in its excitement.

“Sorry!” Gohan giggled turning to give the bald man a rough hug before he turned back on the tree. There were so many presents under it, it looked like a flood of gift-wrapped boxes had spilled across the floor. Picking through them, Gohan searched for the one he had set his scopes on earlier.

There was a crash from somewhere upstairs and all activity in the room paused. “See! I TOLD you I heard something!” Gohan said looking up to the ceiling again. “Maybe it’s Santa?”

Goku and Vegeta exchanged worried glances, another crash coming from upstairs it sound as if someone was stomping around on the roof. “It’s probably the storm, the wind is gusting really hard, probably blew some branches down on the roof.” Vegeta said still looking a bit worried, “Napa…maybe you should go check it out?”

“Hn, are you kidding me!? Its COLD out there! I’m not going to freeze my tail off for you!” Napa scoffed, glancing back to his bond brother. Baby Toma made a snorting sound too. “Yeah, my son agrees with me, you’re off your rocker!”

“Hush…Gohan, got your present picked out yet?” Goku asked scooting off of the couch to sit next to his son on the floor.

“Yeah!” He held up a large box that was from Vegeta and Raditzu together.

“Well, go on, open it!” He said, putting his hand on Gohan’s back.

Paper flew, bows were shredded and Toma cried out in surprise and joy as if he knew what was going on. “OH!” Gohan exclaimed, eyes lighting up. “It’s the fire truck I wanted!” He cried, jumping up and down before he settled back down to open the box and withdraw the toy truck.

Raditzu laughed, “You’d better thank Vegeta for that, I was going to buy you a science book!”

Gohan glowered at Raditzu before he walked up to Vegeta and threw his arms around the prince’s waist. “Thank you!” He was still glowering at Raditzu, making the longhaired man snicker.

“Come here and give me a hug too…I was kidding anyways.” Raditzu said, tugging the boy to him, hugging him tightly.

“Is it just me…or did it just get really cold in here?” Goku asked, looking towards the fireplace. “Oh, the fire went out!” He sighed, getting up he waddled towards the fireplace.

“Kakkarot, get your tail away from there, let me do it.” Vegeta said, rushing over to force his mate to sit back down on the empty love seat. “What have I told you about moving too much? You’re due soon and I don’t want you to exhaust yourself you need that energy to birth Daikon.”

“You’ve decided on a name!?” Raditzu exclaimed, his cry being echoed by the gurgling coos of his two-week-old baby.

“Yeah,” Goku said, blushing slightly as he put a hand on his stomach. “We decided that it would be best to name him now before I start pushing because I might not have the strength to make coherent decisions latter.”

“Yeah, we don’t want a child with a stupid name like Toma.” Vegeta teased before bending over to examine the reason why their fire had gone out. There was water turning the ashes in their hearth muddy. “What the hell?!”

A sudden, tremendous gust of wind burst forth from the extinguished fireplace sending Vegeta flying backward with a scream. “VEGETA!” Goku shrieked in fright, the fireplace suddenly exploding outwards in a spray of water, wood, rocks and ki.

“RADITZU!” Napa shouted, “GET BACK!” Napa put himself between his mate and child facing the fireplace, which was nothing more than a gaping hole in their wall now. As the smoke and rock dust cleared, an outline became clear. Somebody stood in the wreckage of their fireplace.

Vegeta scrambled to his feet, falling into a fighting stance as another burst of ki leapt at them. Deflecting it upwards and through the ceiling, he growled, “Raditzu, take Kakkarot and Gohan with you and run as far and as fast as you can!” Vegeta could feel wetness upon his face but it wasn’t from the water that had showered out of their fireplace. Rubbing it away with his forearm, Vegeta tried to slow his racing heart. IT could not be.

The shape in the gaping hole solidified as it stepped into the light of the Christmas tree. “Ho ho ho…I hope you’ve all been…good…little monkeys…”

“FURIZA!” Vegeta snarled the name, a growl bursting from his throat. It was. This has to be another nightmare.

“Yes, yes…I know what you’re thinking,” The lizard hissed, “How did he find us!? Well…it’s easy to find stupid misbehaving monkeys! So, how did you like my Santa Clause impression?” His black lips curled up into a disgusting smirk.

“RUN!” Vegeta turned to face his mate, shoving the stupefied man as hard as he could. “JUST RUN, DON’T LOOK BACK, RUN!”

“Yes, run…make this more fun for me!” Furiza chuckled, his ki flaring sending the tree and furniture toppling and presents flying in every direction.

“W-who’s this…this…” Goku stuttered, frozen in the spot he had fallen, the cold black eyes of Furiza pinning him to the floor.

Vegeta didn’t answer throwing himself at Fruzia, kicking and punching as hard and as fast as he could. “I WON’T LET YOU HAVE MY FAMILY! YOU MONSTER!”

“Oh my, you’ve gotten stronger,” Furiza said easily deflecting every one of Vegeta’s attacks. “BUT NOT STRONG ENOUGH!” He slammed his fist into Vegeta’s face, sending him flying back and through the wall.

Slumping and falling to the floor, Vegeta caught himself with his hands before his face could smash into the floor. He had had the wind knocked out of him but…Springing to his feet, he attacked once more, finding Napa at his side, giving Furiza a little more to worry about. He couldn’t let this beast near his mate. Baring his teeth at the ugly creature, he looked for weak spots, looked for ways to get past the other’s defenses.

Furiza caught Vegeta’s fist just before it could connect with his jaw. Slapping Napa away effortlessly with his tail, Furiza drew the prince to his cold chest. Pinning the struggling prince there, he grinned. “I see you and your friends’ve been busy…what’s this…another Saiyan? Hn. I wonder where he came from hmmmm. Never mind that, he’ll make a good addition to my collection I think. And he is pregnant…maybe another Saiyan warrior in the making? Who‘s the father, Vegeta? Your filthy, flee bag friend?”

Vegeta snarled, smashing his head back into Fruzia’s face drawling blood but not inflicting enough damage to be able to break free. “Oh, bad monkey!” Furiza purred, letting one of his icy hands trail down over Vegeta’s chest. “Is that anyway to treat your mate?”

“M-Mate?” Goku asked, his eyes going wide as if he was just now realizing who this creature was. “YOU LET MY MATE GO!” Charging Furiza, he tore at the arms that restrained his mate. “LET HIM GO! LET HIM GO, YOU FREAK!”

“This is interesting…Vegeta, you’re cheating on me? With this…rodent?”

“KAKKAROT! GET AWAY FROM HIM!” Napa bellowed diving forward to shove the pregnant man out of the way just as a wicked white tail curled up to take a swing at Goku. “Furiza…” The large man’s muscles rippled as he snagged the icejin’s wrist and began to pry, managing to get one hand off of his prince. Rearing back, he slammed his fist into the surprised creature’s face.

Stumbling, Vegeta found himself suddenly free. Leaping back, he turned and began his assault again. He wasn’t going to fight fair, shit on honor! Furiza was after his family, his mate! Screw the tradition of fighting one on one the honorable way! Slamming his knee in to Fruzia’s gut, he watched Napa slam his fist into the back of the lizard’s head. Raditzu was suddenly at his side, fighting as well But Vegeta was lost in the blood lust and couldn’t even begin to summon the curiosity to wonder what the other was doing there and where Toma happened to be at that moment.

“ENOUGH!” Furiza exclaimed his energy lashing out throwing the three off of him and through the walls behind them. “I’ve come to take you back, you won’t win, so stop fighting me!” Eyeing Kakkarot who had been thrown painfully against a pile of broken furniture, he whipped his tail around and snatched the man up, bringing him before him. “What is your name, monkey?”

“KAKKAROT!” Vegeta cried, climbing out of the rubble of the back wall to see his mate twisting in the air in front of the white lizard.

“Kakkarot huh? According to my scouter, you’re the weakest of ALL of these dumb apes…I think you’re about useless to me…the only good that you could possibly be to me is…” Furiza grinned seeing the prince stumble into his fighting stance once more.

“Let him go…” Vegeta whispered, threat clear in his voice. Clenching his fists so tight they trembled, Vegeta slowly began to stalk towards the white devil.

“Or else what?” Furiza purred, drawing Goku in against his chest much in the same way he had held Vegeta moments ago. Chuckling, he ran his tongue slowly across Goku’s cheek, “I think….maybe I’d like to taste his blood….”

“Vegeta, don’t move.” Napa hissed, knowing that their prince was an inch away from snapping simply by the look on his face.

“Listen to the ape, Vegeta…don’t move or you’ll be wearing your ’mate’s’ guts as decoration.” Furiza said, still smiling as if this were all a game to him, and it probably was.

“You bastard!’ Vegeta roared ki flaring energy levels shooting higher “You kill him…you muss ONE hair on his head, and you won’t know what hit you!” Vegeta snarled, spittle flying from his lips as if he were rabid.

“Vegeta, Vegeta, listen to Napa.” Raditzu moaned, fear in his voice.

“SHUT UP!” Vegeta growled, turning to glower at Raditzu. “Fruzia….you’re nothing more than some genetic deviant, praying upon children and those weaker than you! You’re so disgusting…I swear…if you don’t release Kakkarot RIGHT now and leave earth, I WILL kill you!”

“Ah ah, I think this Saiyan here has been teaching you bad habits…you’re growling again, you’re talking back…you’re being such a bad monkey.” Fruzia slowly lowered a hand to Kakkarot’s stomach. “I wonder who the father is…I bet it’s you, isn’t it? Is little Kakkarot big with your heir? Could I have another princeling on my ship in another month? Let me guess what you were going to do….you were going to find a shuttle and fly back to your filthy little monkey planet…weren’t you?” Furiza was laughing, “Ohhh, sorry to tell you little prince, but…I blew that planet up a LONG time ago…trust me…that quadrant of space is MUCH prettier now without that shit hole in space.”

Vegeta was shaking with rage, tears stinging his eyes. He had endured such pain because of this man. He wasn’t going to let Kakkarot or his child suffer the same pain. What kind of father would he be if he let his son end up as he had been, a sex slave to a bastard child molester. He had no other options, his planet was gone if he could believe Furiza’s taunts…
“I won’t…let….him….have…you.” He mouthed to his mate, seeing the tears in those bright eyes, eyes so much like Raditzu’s. Eyes that he had always dreamt his mate would have. The tears broke free and he felt tears on his own face. “I love you, Kakkarot.”

Goku nodded, lowering his head and closing his eyes. Vegeta charged a blast in his hand and threw it at Furiza’s head. Following his blast, he flew forward fist aimed at Furiza’s glowering face. “Dumb idea, monkey.” Furiza shouted, ducking the attacks, bringing Kakkarot with him as he moved further out into the room. “See how much he loves you, Kakkarot? He would see you dead! Rather than to serve a great guy like me!”

Kakkarot sobbed as the tail around his neck tightened, choking him. Bringing his hands up to his throat he tried to pry the serpentine appendage off. ~Vegeta! Help me.~ He sent to his mate, seeing Vegeta swing around and charge after Furiza again.

“You think I’m bluffing, is that it?” Furiza shouted, blasting Vegeta back with his ki. “I’VE HAD ENOUGH! YOU’RE COMING WITH ME RIGHT NOW! I’m ending this nonsense.” His beclawed hand moved around Kakkarot’s body to the pregnant Saiyan’s back.

“AHHHHHH!” Kakkarot’s agony filled scream filled the room reverberating off of the walls. The light grew dim and sickly and Vegeta froze, eyes going wide as a purplish ball of ki ripped through his mate’s stomach. Time froze. All Vegeta could see was red, his mate’s blood splattered over his face, over his bare arms and hands. He could taste its copper on his tongue and thought of the time he bonded the beautiful man.

Goku was falling, eyes wide with pain, mouth agape, fingers twitching as the shock set in. Vegeta was aware that he was yelling something but couldn’t tell what words were passing his lips as he dove forward and caught his mate, stopping his fall, cradling him against his chest.

“Kakkarot….”

Warmth was spreading over his stomach and down his legs, Kakkarot’s blood. It was coating him, making his clothes cling to him like a second skin. Lowering his mate to the ground, he pulled him into his lap. “Kakkarot….no…” He whispered in horror, rocking his lover back and forth as he would have done with his child when he was born. “No….”

“V-Ve…geta….” Kakkarot gasped, eyes still wide, face gone ashen, lips trembling as he fought to form the next word. “I…l-l-love…” He began to cough, blood spraying in fine droplets over his upturned face. “You…so…much…” He went limp. The only sound in Vegeta’s ears was the steady drip of Goku’s blood draining from his body.

He was gone.

Vegeta couldn’t feel Goku in his mind anymore, no more warmth in the back of his head keeping him from his nightmares. He was gone. Sobbing, he curled around the lifeless form in his arms. “No….no…you can’t leave me…” He moaned in agony. “YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME, YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN’T!”

Someone was laughing, the sound of it fraying at his nerves. Looking up he saw who it was. Furiza. Laughing his head off as he brushed Napa and Raditzu off of him as if they were nothing at all to him but flies. Slowly letting Goku slide out of his arms, he stood up.

“AWE, poor monkey? Do you miss him? Do you miss your unborn child?” He was laughing again and Vegeta felt something…snap…deep inside of him.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”

The walls around him flew apart as if trapped in some violent tornado, but Vegeta hardly noticed as his energy continued to grow rocketing through every level he had never been able to reach before. He could see that Furiza was looking worried now, stumbling back away from the prince as he began to glow with an unholy light.

Napa and Raditzu were thrown aside like rag dolls before the rising power storm around their prince. “YOU…” Vegeta howled to the sky. “WILL PAY!” Furiza was off balance, eyes wide with shock as the prince appeared before him and it was that shock that kept him from blocking the first ten punches aimed at his midsection.

Doubling over, Furiza tasted blood.

“He’s….” Raditzu gasped, climbing from the ruin of their house. ‘He’s gone golden.”

Napa struggled to his feet growl rumbling from his chest, “He’s tearing him apart.” It wasn’t far from the truth. Vegeta had torn the lizard’s tail off, tossing it aside as if it were nothing as he continued to take out his anger upon the bleeding creature.

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” He snarled, slamming his foot into Fruzia’s head, throwing the beast to the ground again. “I LOVED HIM!” He blasted Furiza with a ki ball, sending the icejin sliding through the rubble of their house and out into the front lawn. “YOU DESTROY EVERYTHING I CHERISH!” He reappeared over Furiza and pinned his tormentor to the ground with ki rings. “I’M GOING TO DESTROY SOMETHING YOU CHERISH, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE THAT!”

Vegeta blasted Furiza’s spandex off, his eyes glazed with a crazed light. Kneeling before his naked master, he used a piece of tattered cloth to pick up the creature’s sex. Charging a small ki blast in his hand, he grinned down at the thing that’d been his captor for so very long.

“N-NO…no, you don’t know what you’re doing!” Furiza yelled struggling against his restraints. “STOP THIS AT ONCE!”

“I won’t let you hurt another child! EVER again!” Vegeta said, the tears had started to pour down his face again. Screaming, he pressed the ball of ki against the vital organ, watching it disintegrate through the haze of anger and tears. “In this life…or the next!” Standing up, he spat blood upon the screaming creature’s face.

The ki rings were gone and Vegeta began to kick Fruiza with all his might, a stream of curse words pouring from his mouth. Furiza had stopped screaming, had stopped moving, but Vegeta kept kicking, his blond hair ruffling in the breeze, some of it falling to stick to his sweaty forehead.

“Vegeta…VEGETA!” Raditzu cried rushing towards his prince. “He’s…he’s dead…stop it!”

Vegeta rounded on Raditzu slamming the back of his bloody hand against Raditzu’s cheek sending him flying. “I’LL TELL YOU WHEN HE’S DEAD, YOU BITCH!”

“V-Vegeta?” Raditzu spluttered, blood dribbling from his injured lip.

“Raditzu! Get away from him…he’s gone mad!”

“Mad….” Vegeta mumbled, his hair fading back to black. “Mad…WOULDN’T YOU GO MAD IF YOUR MATE WAS KILLED BY THIS BASTARD!” Vegeta was red in the face as he rounded on Furiza again, giving his head one last good kick before he walked over him, making sure to grind his heel into the lizard’s face as he went. Walking past Napa and Raditzu, he stumbled through the ruins of their house and to his mate’s lifeless body.

“Kakkarot…I‘m…I‘m so sorry…” He slowly picked Goku up off of the ground. Slowly lifting off of the ground, he turned and started to fly slowly towards the south.

“We’ve gotta follow him,” Raditzu gasped, watching their prince slowly fade into the clouds over head.

“I’ll follow them…you go back to the clearing and check on Gohan and Toma.” Napa ordered, shooting into the sky after their prince.

“Don’t worry…Kakkarot…” Vegeta whispered, pressing his face against his mate’s cold skin. “I’ll be with you again very soon….” He tried not to cry, he couldn’t cry, he needed to see where they were going. They…he, there was no more they. Just thinking of how Goku used to be a part of him made his whole body ache. ‘Used to be’ was such a cruel phrase.

Touching down in the dense forest, he looked up at the tree. THEIR tree. The tree they had fought under…the tree they had kissed under…the tree they had had sex under. Kneeling before their tree, he set his mate down, the tears coming again. The tree where he had carved their names in Saiyago. Touching the carving with his shaking fingers, he looked down at Goku’s lifeless body. The pain was so much, too much. Standing up, he turned and began to blast at the earth with his ki, sending dirt flying.

“Vegeta…” Napa landed not far from Vegeta, his voice low and gentle. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to bury him…” Vegeta mumbled, rubbing at his eyes with the heal of his hand, smearing blood over his face.

“Here…let me help.” Napa began to shoot at the earth as well, watching the earth fly high into the air to rain back down on the frozen grass. Soon Raditzu had joined them in the small clearing, baby Toma crying in his arms and Gohan clinging to his leg, sobbing.

“Help me move him…” Vegeta whispered, moving towards Goku. He was feeling so weak now, as if he had given up all his energy to simply fly to this remote clearing. Napa nodded silently and took hold of Kakkarot’s feet. Gingerly they lowered their burden into the frozen ground. “Your knife….”

Napa gave a solemnly ’Yes’ in Saiyago, reaching into his pocket to withdraw the leathermen he had kept tucked there. Handing it over to Vegeta, he watched the man struggle with it for a few moments before he helped the prince open it “There…” He took the prince’s trembling hand into his own and slowly ran his thumb over Vegeta’s wrist. “Is the artery…not across but up and down.”

“NAPA WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” Raditzu cried, stepping forward to make a snatch at the knife in Vegeta’s hand. “You’re ENCOURAGING him to commit suicide?!”

“Shut up Raditzu,” Napa barked, glowering his mate down.

“Vegeta?” Gohan sniffled, still clinging to Raditzu’s leg. His eyes were large as he looked up at the trebling prince.

“I’m sorry, son…” He whispered, bending at the knees to be on eye level with the young boy. ‘I must stay with your father…”

Gohan slowly moved away from Raditzu’s leg and wrapped his arms around Vegeta’s neck. “I understand…” He whispered, before letting go and stepping away. “Tell dad how much I love him when you see him.”

Vegeta nodded, running his hand through Gohan’s hair one last time before he stood up. “Take him away from here…I don’t want him to see.”

“Do it,” Napa growled. Raditzu could only nod, lifting off into the air, Gohan at his side. “I-I’ll drop them off at Bulma’s house…then I’ll come back to…to help.”

Napa gave a curt nod and watched his mate disappear. Turning his dark eyes back onto his prince, he slowly reached out and took a hold of Vegeta’s wrist, squeezing it. “Its going to hurt like hell…but you probably hurt terribly already…” Pulling Vegeta carefully to him, he hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry this had to happen to you.”

Vegeta began to tremble worse than before as he cried silently into Napa’s chest. “T-Take care of Raditzu…and Gohan…and…and…Toma for me.” He pulled away from Napa, tears spilling down his cheeks like two small rivers. Scrubbing at his face again, he turned and climbed into the crude hole they had dug together. Kneeling next to his mate he held out his hand, palm to the sky as if he were feeling for rain. But there was no rain, except for the shower of tears he was shedding for his lost mate. Bringing the knife blade to his wrist, he watched it sink into his flesh and draw blood. Gasping, he watched it begin to flow heavily, spilling over the side of his slender arm. Dropping the knife, he dabbed his fingers into it and began to draw the proper lines over his mate’s face.

“May we be forever together in the other world as well…” Vegeta whispered, slowly leaning forward to press his lips to Goku’s cold lifeless ones. Smearing his blood over his mate where he had kissed him, he began to draw upon his own face, staring forward at the dirt wall across from him. He was beginning to feel faint from blood loss, but he would finish this. Had to finish the death rights. As he had done for his Grandfather when he was so young, he drew the final lines from the corner of his eye down to his jaw mixing the blood with his tears to represent his suffering. Grabbing the knife again, he took it to his other wrist. He didn’t have much blood left but…symmetry. Watching the blood pool then flow down his arm, he slowly laid himself out next to his mate, curling his arms around his lifeless form. “Kakkarot…me’…me’cutrh sha re’covic.” I love you…Kakkarot.”

`
`
`
`

Napa slowly began to fill in the hole. Shivering as it began to snow. “All on the night before Christmas,” He mumbled to himself, finding some great irony in what he said. Tears stung his eyes but he wouldn’t let himself cry. He had to be strong for their pack. What was LEFT of their pack.

“Napa…” He felt his mate’s hand on his shoulder and he shivered, turning around he wrapped himself around his mate, tail, arms and ki. Needing to feel the other against him. “You’re almost done…why don’t you sit on those rocks over there and let me finish.”

He shook his head, tangling his hand into Raditzu’s hair. Drawing back enough to look down into Raditzu’s eyes, he sighed. “I’m so sorry Raditzu…I know how you felt about him…”

Raditzu began to cry as he leaned up into his mate and kissed him. ~It could not be helped…fate…is what it is…cruel and unusual.~ They broke apart slowly and returned to the task of pushing dirt and rocks into the open wound in the earth.

By the time they were done, they were both freezing and tired and it was dark out. Glancing to each other they silently agreed not to talk about this. Dusting their hands off they flew back towards their ruined home wanting to take in the damage. They had to live there, they had to be able to fix it up or they would have to move on. Maybe it was best to move on.

Landing outside the ravaged house, Raditzu winced. Half of it was missing and the other half tottered in the strong wind blowing from the south. “Its wrecked…” He whispered, tears stinging his eyes again. Not over the lose of their house but because he could smell Kakkarot’s blood on the wind and it made his chest hurt.

“We’re leaving…” Napa said softly, “We’ll pack up and leave…find another planet. Settle down there…” They didn’t want to voice their fears but some of it had to do with Furiza and his army. The beast may be gone and dead…but…his troops were still alive and well. What if his second in command came for revenge, looking for them.

“Okay…” Raditzu whispered, sifting through the ruble finding a crushed present. It was from Vegeta and Goku. He tried not to sob but the tears were already falling down his cheeks, freezing in the cold wind. Carefully he tore away the wrapping paper. It was a baby blanket. Collapsing to the ground he held it to his chest, sobbing harshly into the soft cloth.

“Raditzu,” Napa sighed, tugging his mate back to his feet. “They’re happy together…don’t be so sad for them.”

“What about me!” He cried, “I’ll miss them!”

Napa held his mate to him. “Shhh, its okay…its okay..” He stroked Raditzu’s hair, wishing he could do more to calm him.

“I…knew…” Raditzu looked up blinking, his attention turning back over the dark yard. “You would come back…”

“What the…” Raditzu’s eyes went round when he realized where the voice was coming from. “F-Furiza?!

“Hehe…you thought you could kill me…he THOUGHT he killed me…” Whipping at the blood that trickled from the corner of his mouth. “NO one will ever kill me…I’m the strongest in the universe.”

Napa growled putting himself between the beast and his mate.

“No…no Napa…don’t…I…I don’t want to loose you like Vegeta lost Kakkarot.” Raditzu whispered.

“Raditzu…” He whispered.

“STOP whispering…and come with me…” Furiza growled.

“Okay….