Lamb Without Blemish [Discontinued]

Lamb Without Blemish

"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory."

(1 Samuel 2:8)

Chapter Six

Vegeta froze. He had thought of his friend nearly every moment since they parted, but he never dreamt of happening upon him at the castle. Kakarrot, whose eyes had been shifted elsewhere, returned to their place of fixation on Vegeta's face. As their eyes met, Vegeta knew. He understood that his charade was up. Burning away a chapter of his life, Kakarrot's gaze dissolved Vegeta's secret persona.

Kakarrot and Raditz advanced. Now, they stood before Vegeta. Raditz bowed and told the Prince of his honor to meet him. 'He must not recognize me.' Vegeta resolved after questioning his vacant behavior. There was no way of mistaking Kakarrot's actions though. He stood silent and still. His brother pulled him down into a bow. After Raditz took the Prince's hand, Raditz again forced his brother into civility. When their hands met, two completely opposite reactions took place.

For Kakarrot, the touch of his hand to Vegeta's was a confirmation of their situations in life. Vegeta stood on a platform, elevated above Kakarrot. Kakarrot believed this be the destiny of their lives. No matter what Kakarrot did or accomplished, he would always be at least one step below Vegeta. He would never be good enough for a prince. As a third class, he was without uncertainty to become the bearer for a second class mate. It was a life he had never despised until tonight, but the future hope of parenthood was shrouded in tainted happiness. Kakarrot could not love anyone as passionately as he loved Vegeta.

For Vegeta, the momentary embrace of their hands birthed an answer. It was the question that had kept him awake for hours into the night over the last couple of weeks. It was a question that he had posed to himself. He had asked, 'Can I live without Kakarrot?' In that instant, the question was silenced. Vegeta knew that he could never live without Kakarrot. As Kakarrot began to pull his hand away, Vegeta wept inside at the lost of his touch. He declared to himself that he would never be without it for more than a day again. He would find a way.

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When the Saiyan brothers arrived home, Kakarrot stormed off to his room and slammed the door. Bardock's mouth still hung open from a question he desired to ask. He wanted to know if his son felt better, but there seemed to be no need to wonder. He decided to question his eldest son instead. "Raditz, what happened?"

"I don't know. Everything was going fine. The speech started, and Kakarrot didn't listen. He just slumped down in his seat. Then, when we were allowed to meet the Prince, he said he didn't want to."

Bardock interrupted. "Didn't want to meet the Prince?" He stared incredulously.

"Yeah, he didn't want to meet him. I figured he was shy, so I dragged him over there. He froze up in front of the Prince. He wouldn't even speak. After I forced him to shake his hand, Kakarrot rushed me out of the castle. I don't know what is wrong with him, but I'm not bringing him to another event." Raditz mimicked his brother's actions and left to brood in his room.

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Vegeta slammed his fists down on the desk. A week had passed since the speech. Following his admittance of love for Kakarrot, Vegeta underwent a new heat cycle. Saiyan males started going into heat soon after hitting puberty. These periods lasted about ten days and occurred about twice a year for males that did not have mates. Vegeta had been dealing with his cycle for ten years now.

Vegeta awoke the morning after the speech deep in cycle of heat. He had told the servants to bring his food and clothes to him every morning. He then took his pillow and a blanket and threw himself in the library, locking it behind him. For the past seven days, Vegeta had poured over every book in the library in the hopes of finding a solution for his desires. He knew that he wanted Kakarrot for a mate, but he needed a way for that to happen without losing support from his father. His father was still the king and could take the crown from if Vegeta went against Saiyan laws.

There was another reason why Vegeta had locked himself up. Other than his first heat, this particular heat was the strongest. Vegeta could handle the burnings during the daytime. When the light was stolen away at night, the Prince found it difficult to maintain his composure. He tied his legs down and hid in the back of the library. Vegeta assumed that Kakarrot had either not fallen in love with him completely or that due to his age, Kakarrot's cycles were more random. Vegeta feared the first possibility.

Vegeta looked out the window. The cascading rays of red and yellow lit up the horizon. He growled at the retreating sun. He warned his servants not to enter the library regardless of what they heard at night. He had told them that they put their lives in immediate risk if they entered his chamber. This night Vegeta felt entirely overtaken by his fire. He double checked the lock on the door and made his way to the back of the library. Grabbing his restraints after lying down, Vegeta tied himself down and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, bracing himself for the transformation of his hormones.

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Kakarrot heard a stir by the window in his room. He rolled over and found nothing but the wind playing with the curtain. He had just shut his eyes again when he felt a weight press upon the bed. Raising his fists in defense, Kakarrot turned back. "Who is it?" He yelled.

His wrists were yanked beside his head. Hot breath flew to his face. Kakarrot felt pure terror. The breeze created by the jerk of Kakarrot's hand made the curtains shift, hiding the intruder's face in shadow. As the light settled, Kakarrot could make out a face above him. "Vegeta?" He questioned.

Kakarrot's friend had blood red eyes and seemed to be in a heat induced rage. Kakarrot saw it when Raditz hit puberty and had felt it himself nearly four years ago when he experienced his first cycle. He already guessed that Vegeta cared for him in some way. Kakarrot's desire had not been unmet when they kissed a couple of weeks ago, and now, Vegeta was in heat. Kakarrot did not want to assume that he caused this violent change but could not find another reason. He had to shake his friend from this trance. Kakarrot loved Vegeta and wanted to be with him physically, but not in this manner. He started kicking his legs to find that the action only enraged Vegeta further. The man above him leaned forward and just before capturing his lips, Kakarrot screamed. "Vegeta!"

The reddened eyes faded to their usual shade of onyx, and the crushing pressure on Kakarrot's wrists ceased. The weight above him shifted towards the end of the bed. Pushing himself against the head board, Kakarrot sat up. He never in his life considered someone breaking into his room at night, especially not the Prince of Saiyans.

Speaking of the Prince, Kakarrot looked at him. Vegeta stared vacantly at the floor. Kakarrot had gotten him out of one trance to find him in another. He called out once more. "Vegeta?" He said it softly this time.

Before he could react, he felt a smoldering body around him. "I'm so sorry, Kakarrot." Vegeta said with his arms around Kakarrot. "I didn't mean to. I had locked myself away all week to avoid this. I should have gotten a guard to watch over me. I'm so sorry, Kakarrot." Vegeta explained. Reflects kicked in, and Kakarrot spread his long arms around Vegeta's back.

"Its okay, Vegeta. I had a tough time with my first heat."

Vegeta smiled against Kakarrot's shoulder. "But, this isn't my first heat." He paused, taking in Kakarrot's words and pushed away from their embrace. "That's right. You know the truth. I apologize for my deception, but there was no way for me to see you if I did not conceal my identity."

"I understand, but what difference does it make for me to know? You are the Prince while I'm only a third class, Vegeta. There's no way we could ever be together."

"So… you want to be with me?" Vegeta watched his friend's reaction.

"Yes, but I know it could not happen no matter how much I may want it to. You know I'm right." Kakarrot turned his face from Vegeta.

"Kakarrot, over the last week I have had to live with this truth, and I have desperately tried to find a way around the rules. I wish I could say that I have the right answers for this situation, but I do not. It is the same way with the state of our world. I do not believe a clear path will be laid out in front of us. I want to carve out my own path, Kakarrot. I will not find another mate. It has to be you."

Vegeta waited for Kakarrot, and when no answer came, he continued. "My friend, I never envisioned that I would fall in love with a third class, but then again I did not know that it would be you. I am sure we are not the first Saiyans in history that went against the class rules, and I will not be kept from an attainable happiness because of a title. If you do not want me, I would give up the quest entirely, but this not so. You proclaimed that you did want me. What am I to do now, Kakarrot? Would you expect me, a stubborn and selfish man, to give up the one thing in my life I have ever gone against the wishes of my father to have, the first thing in my life that I have struggled with? I won't do it, Kakarrot. It is selfish of me, but… you excite me. When we spoke that first night in the tree, I felt something I never knew of. It was commonality. You listened to me as a Saiyan, not as a prince. I sensed no falsehood from you, no cloak concealing your well-placed emotions. I have noticed a fabrication of good humor and morality from others, but with you, I felt none of this. I have seen so many leaders prevaricate their offers of peace and loyalty. I had been infected with their pretense of distortion until I met you, Kakarrot."

Vegeta gripped his temple while he spoke. "I felt my control slipping. In the past, I could will away my desires, but your gravitational pull was too much. I struggled in vain as this admiration blossomed into deep-set love. I have been undone by the raptures you have crafted within me because of you kindness. Even if I wanted to, I could never love another in the same manner that I love you." Kakarrot had been staring at him throughout his speech. Vegeta needed no invitation to start his long dialog, but now sought to find an opening for his next sentence. Kakarrot obliged him.

Kakarrot smiled at him. "I see."

A wave of emotion washed over him. Taking Kakarrot's hand in his own, Vegeta leaned forward. "Kakarrot, will you be my mate?"

Kakarrot could only nod in response. He moved towards Vegeta to kiss him, only to be gently pushed back.

"I'm sorry, Kakarrot, but I can't. If I kiss you now, I will lose control. I must present you to my father first anyway. It is against Saiyan tradition for the prince to sleep with his mate prior to the ceremony, and in my current state that is a most certain outcome if we kissed." Vegeta hung his feet over the side of the bed and gripped his face in his hands.

"Vegeta?" Kakarrot grew concerned when Vegeta sat motionless for a few minutes. As his hand reached out to touch Vegeta's shoulder, Vegeta jumped towards the window.

"Kakarrot, I can't take this. I will return in three days. I will do my best to look into this. Please do not mention any of this to your family." With those hasty words, Vegeta pulled himself through the window and flew away.

Kakarrot watched the trail fade and laid down to digest the events of that night. In one night, he had found out his friend was a prince, loved him, and now was his soon-to-be mate. He tried to relax on the bed. At first, he questioned his ability to sleep after such happenings, but before he knew it, his eyes fluttered open to morning light and the hope of a happy future.

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TBC