Just so you know, most of the italics (yeah, these things) are Raditz. And, of course, me no own.

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"NO!" He sat straight up, breathing labored, terror gripping him. It was several long moments before he managed to calm himself, to realize where he was. To remember. The stars hurtling past relaxed him, he sank back into the seat of the pod. He was safe, for the moment. Frieza was on his ship, he was on his way to the others. And close by, if he'd wakened.

The casual blow flung him across the room. He landed with a sickening crack, his arm shattering against the column. He bit back the cry of pain that threatened, levered himself to his feet. He would not go down so easily. A blur of blobby pink, his legs knocked from beneath him. His head hit the column, and everything went dark.

More blood poured from his wounds. He fought the pain, fought against the fog that surrounded his mind. He knew he was losing, knew he was no longer steady on his feet. A blow landed, he doubled up, folding over the fist planted deeply in his stomach. His armor shattered. Something else smacked against his head, flinging him away. He landed on something soft, tried dizzily to regain his feet, and failed. Blood ran into his eyes, obscuring his vision, but he could still feel. He cried out, a wordless scream of protest. A fist smashed into his face. Again, he sank into oblivion.

A heavy weight, too heavy. He couldn't breath. He scrabbled against the pink flesh above him, trying to escape the pain, trying to breath. Mocking, gentle laughter from the side. Someone watching? Enjoying his humiliation? He fought more desperately, wondering how he had managed to get into this situation. He was crushed, stars dancing in his eyes, pain lancing at him from every nerve. It hurt! He managed to get a good breath, one that was driven from him when the mass thrust against him again. His vision blurred, cleared, blurred again. Everything faded to gray.

He huddled in a corner of the room, trying to regain control of himself, to purge the fear from his mind. He was a Saiyan, dammit! He wasn't dead, so he was stronger. He was stronger. He had to be. He had to be… or they would keep coming for him. The door whisked open, and he looked up with raw terror in his eyes.

"Why in the world would you want to bring Raditz back?" Bulma asked. "He did try to destroy the world, you know. He wanted to kill me!"

Vegeta grinned. "That wouldn't have been so bad. I wouldn't be getting nagged about trash if he had."

"VEGETA!" Goku and Bulma both glared at his back. He faced the counter, looking out the window. Goku continued, "He's my brother, Bulma. I want to bring him back. I think… he deserves a second chance."

"Besides, he'd hardly pose a threat. Not with me here," Vegeta added. "He does what I tell him."

"He wouldn't pose a threat anyway. Goku would send him right back to Other World if he tried anything."

"Of course." Vegeta's tone was dry, the smile they hadn't seen wiped from his face. He hated being inferior to Kakarot. More training was in order. He couldn't be the weaker forever! He would grow stronger. He had to. He had to, or else… He shook his head, banishing the memories. "Do what you want, Kakarot. It would be nice to have another Saiyan around. Although, you might wish back a few females while you're at it."

Bulma's outraged screeching followed him clear to the gravity room.

Training. He trained constantly. He was weak, he had to be strong. He had to be stronger. The lights in the corridor were dimming. Night cycle. His body tensed, but he tried to continue. The door opened, he turned. "Hello, boy. You look so pretty like that."

"NO!"

He tossed restlessly, his dreams filled with all the horrors of his life on Frieza's ship. He had been a pet… Frieza's pet. But Frieza enjoyed torturing him, and both Zarbon and Dodoria had found him to their liking. The three had shared him more than once, had critiqued each others use of him. He remembered. He could still hear the mocking laughter that had accompanied his struggles to escape, the bones that they broke to keep him still. He remembered the times he spent in a regeneration tank after they took their pleasure in him.

He opened his eyes, unable to sleep. Walking to the window, he looked out. A lovely green meadow, bright with wildflowers. He heard the door open, ignored it in favor of the view. His tormentors were not on the ship, having gone to tend to a disciplinary matter. "It is a pretty view, isn't it?" His eyes widened, he looked over his shoulder.

"You aren't supposed to be here!"

"Please return my brother Raditz to life."

"That is all?"

"Yes. After that, you can go back to sleep."

"It shall be done." Eyes glowed for a long moment, then the dragonballs lifted and scattered when the dragon disappeared.

Goku looked around eagerly. This was the place where he and his brother had died. There! He moved quickly to the side of a silent figure. "Hi, Raditz! Welcome back!"

Raditz looked up slowly, taking in the clearing, the deep hole. He knew this place. He stood, brushing off the hands that tried to assist him. "Welcome back?"

"Yeah, you were dead. But I got Shenlong to bring you back."

Raditz blinked in confusion, looking at the speaker. This looked like his younger brother, but he was much more… grown. He looked older than Raditz remembered from the fight. "Shenlong?"

"The Eternal Dragon," Goku clarified. "Oh, come on. Vegeta is waiting." He tugged his brother's arm, babbling away a mile a minute as they walked.

Vegeta was waiting. That much, Raditz understood. He allowed his brother to pull him along, toward a group waiting at the edge of the clearing. He scanned them, trying to identify who stood there. His gaze fixed on one figure, and his mouth dropped open. "Prince Vegeta?" He hurried forward, sinking to one knee before the other. Yet, the prince seemed much, much older as well.

"Raditz."

"Oh, get up. You'll give him a swelled head."

"He's already got one of those."

Raditz looked up, amazed that Vegeta allowed the human women to get away with such insolence. "My… my prince?"

"Get up, Raditz. Bulma is annoying enough." A slight tip of his head indicated the blue-haired woman to his right. "And Kakarot's harpy is even worse."

"I… ah…" Raditz rose slowly, his gaze shifting in bewilderment between the small group.

"Raditz, this is my wife, Chi-Chi, and Bulma, Vegeta's wife," the mouth that had finally closed dropped wide open as incredulous eyes focused on Bulma, "my sons Gohan and Goten, and Vegeta's son Trunks."

"Pur… purple hair?" Raditz eyes darted to Bulma's blue and Vegeta's black hair, then back to Trunks' lavender locks.

"Got it from his grandfather," Vegeta said brusquely. "My daughter has her mother's hair."

"D… daughter?"

"Bra!" Vegeta called, then pointed a finger at the ground before him. A willowy, beautiful girl soon occupied the space. "My daughter."

"What is going on?" His stomach took that moment to roar alarmingly. Huge grins broke out on most of the faces, Vegeta just rolled his eyes.

"Dinnertime!" The blue-haired woman, Bulma, tossed something small into the air. A puff of smoke cleared to reveal several tables laden with food.

Raditz lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. This was… unreal. He couldn't be alive. He was dead. He remembered dying. He remembered the green man, Piccolo, firing that beam, remembered the pain as it tore through him. He remembered telling the Namek that the others had heard and were coming. He remembered laughing, remembered the foot that had crushed his throat. He remembered strangling on his own blood as he tried and failed to breathe. And even then, it had taken him time to die.

He was dead. But… he remembered the Namek saying that his brother wouldn't stay dead, that they would wish him back. And now that he thought about it, wasn't that part of what his brother had been babbling about? The Eternal Dragon… dragonballs. So… he was alive? Really alive?

"Raditz?" The soft voice on the other side of the door, that was his brother. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." The knob turned, the door opening quietly. His brother stepped into the room. "What do you want?"

"I thought maybe you had some questions?"

Questions? A million of them. "What if I do?"

Goku stepped hesitantly toward the bed. "I could maybe answer them? If you ask."

"Oh, sure. Why am I here?"

"I… thought you deserved a second chance. Frieza's gone, he's not controlling what you do anymore."

"Gone?" Raditz sat up. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, Trunks killed him. And his father. They can't bother us anymore. And, well, you're really no threat, so I thought maybe you deserved a second chance, without being controlled."

"No threat?"

"No. You're not strong enough to be a threat to the planet now."

"Not strong enough? It took you and that green demon to beat me the last time."

"I wasn't a super Saiyan then."

That took Raditz by surprise. "You… a super Saiyan? It's not possible!"

"Yes it is. Vegeta and Trunks, Gohan and Goten are all super Saiyans too."

"You lie!"

"I do not." Goku seemed to gather himself, then burst into golden flames. His hair changed, his eyes. Raditz scrambled backwards across the bed, and Goku dropped back to normal. "That's a super Saiyan. Neat, isn't it? You'll probably have to do a lot of training to reach that level."

"Show me. Again." Goku grinned, again changing to the green-eyed golden-haired form. Raditz crawled from the bed, circling his younger brother. His strength was almost palpable, shimmering and seeming to roll off him in waves. The glow around him lit the room. He reached out, unthinking, to trace his brother's spine, stopping just above where his tail should have been. "You still haven't got a tail."

"No." The golden aura faded, golden locks changing to black spikes in an instant. Goku turned to face his brother. "I almost envy you."

"Why?" The next moment, Raditz was on his knees, his tail in his brother's firm grasp. He gasped when his brother began stroking it. "What are you doing?"

"I envy you because you still have your tail. I miss mine, sometimes. But, then again, I like my moonlit outings with Chi-Chi, too!" Raditz moaned softly, and Goku looked down at him, startled. "Oh, hey! I'm sorry! I totally forgot about you not having trained your tail." He let go, to Raditz' immense relief. He crawled weakly back into his bed. "Do you have any other questions?"

"Not now." Raditz' voice was muffled by the pillow he'd burrowed into.

"Oh, okay. I'll see you in the morning, then."

Raditz heard the door open, close. Footsteps faded down the hallway. He lay curled in a ball, trembling. Had his brother no idea at all what he had just done? Not trained his tail… what had that meant? Could this weakness be trained away? He would ask Vegeta. Pain, yes. He knew about pain training, he'd begun it before his fatal trip to Earth. But the other? Was that trainable?

Vegeta snorted with amusement when Raditz put the rather stuttered question to him. Again, Raditz found himself on his knees. Vegeta stroked his tail familiarly, an envious gleam in his eyes. "My tail has never returned. I don't know why. It's been quite annoying, having it gone."

"It… doesn't seem… to bother… my… brother," Raditz gasped out.

"Your brother lost his tail when he was quite young. Voluntarily, if I understood the story."

Raditz' eyes glazed. "Who… why?" he managed finally.

Vegeta smiled. "Something about it being safer for the Earth. He has an inordinate fondness for this planet."

"Supposed… destroy…"

"Well, he didn't." Vegeta pulled Raditz' hair, forcing the other's head up. "A good thing, or I wouldn't have a home. You, my dear Raditz, would still be dead."

"Ve.. Vegeta!"

"Shh… quiet. I'm not hurting you, now, am I? No, I didn't think so." Vegeta's silky voice dropped lower. "I don't intend to hurt you at all."

Raditz, his hair still in Vegeta's tight grip, shuddered. "No…."

"Oh, yes…"

His tail. His one weakness, the one he couldn't get strong enough to overcome. As a boy, he'd always succumbed to the pain that a tight grip caused. As he grew older, it was the gentle petting that had done him in. Zarbon in particular had enjoyed playing with his tail. What beatings couldn't accomplish, stroking his tail could. He had done everything he could think of, once even deliberately allowing an enemy to slice it off.

He'd been weak, after. He hadn't realized how weak he would be without his tail. His strength had lessened so dramatically! And the regeneration tank he'd had to recuperate in hadn't regenerated his tail. He'd been thankful, at first. He couldn't do the pain training without a tail, so wasn't going through the daily torture the other two did. And then, Dodoria had realized what had happened.

He'd had the strength to keep Dodoria off him for a time before his unwise decision. But now, without his tail, he found himself unable to put up even a token fight. Dodoria had enjoyed his time with the tailless Saiyan. Each visit was worse than the last, and he often found himself in a regeneration tank when he woke. When his tail finally grew back, it had taken Dodoria an entire fifteen minutes to subdue him.

But Zarbon had been there. He had watched the fight, mocking Dodoria for taking so long to get his prize. Dodoria, having finished with him, offered to let Zarbon prove how quickly he could subdue the ravaged boy. It had taken Zarbon less than fifteen seconds to have the young Saiyan begging to be used in any way Zarbon wished.

Vegeta trained furiously, but his mind was elsewhere. Could that particular weakness be controlled? It had taken years to gain the pain tolerance he had. The pain tolerance he'd once had, he amended, and blew a training bot to smithereens. His tolerance for pleasure… He'd never thought to try to gain a tolerance for that.

Raditz had said that his brother had stroked his tail as if such a familiarity was nothing at all, then apologized for having forgotten that Raditz hadn't trained his tail. Had Kakarot been tolerant of petting before he'd given up his tail? Was it possible? Could he have trained himself to ignore even that?

His eyes flickered briefly, memories mocking him. If he had, then Kakarot was a greater rival than he had ever believed, though they were now more like friends. He would have to ask.

"WHAT?"

Vegeta repeated himself patiently, not surprised that the baka needed it repeated, and then explained. Kakarot blinked. And blinked again.

"Really? Wow. I had no idea!" Goku grinned, his hand behind his head, embarrassment plain for anyone to see. "I guess I better apologize to Raditz. I didn't know I was doing that!"

"You didn't know? How could you not know? How old were you when you lost your tail?"

"Um, I'm not real sure. I was… fifteen? Yeah, fifteen when I got my tail trained so that people grabbing it didn't bother me. I don't think it could have been all that much later…" Goku frowned, trying to remember. "Around twenty? Maybe?"

"Baka."

"I know. I'm real sorry I can't remember, Vegeta."

"Don't let it concern you, Kakarot."

"Okay!" He smiled, the smile that almost made Vegeta want to smile back at him.

"How could you not know what you were doing to me!" Raditz cried. "How could you possibly not know? Didn't anyone ever do that to you?"

"Well, Chi-Chi did a few times. It never really bothered me, though."

Raditz facefaulted. "Never really bothered you?" he repeated dumbly.

"Yeah. I mean, it felt nice, but it wasn't all that big a deal."

Not all that big a deal. Raditz laid out in the sun, his training over for the moment. How could such a thing be not all that big a deal? Nothing affected Saiyans the way any handling of their tails did. How had his brother managed to train himself so that not even stroking and petting caused much reaction?

He turned his head, looking at his own tail lying curled in a patch of sunlight. Thick, brown hair glistened in the sun, shiny with health. He could remember when it hadn't always been so. A Saiyan's health was also easily discernable by the state of his tail. And Raditz knew of times when his tail had been dull, brittle, and thin. Those were times he didn't want to remember.

Raditz rolled onto his stomach, pillowing his head in his arms. Why would his brother wish him back? There was nothing to do here. Oh, well, training, but even that palled after awhile. And it wasn't like he would meet and mate some human female. He snorted, still finding it hard to believe that his prince, of all Saiyans, had done exactly that.

Footsteps approaching, light and quick. One of the females that haunted this place. He ignored her, until she settled beside him, his tail in an intimate grip. "Ah?" He turned to look. "You!"

"I never had a tail," Bra said, calmly stroking his. "This feels nice, like petting a kitten. Do you purr?"

"Purr?" Raditz yelped, trying to figure out how to get away from her before her father came looking for him.

"I've heard Daddy purr, you know," she said in a perfectly conversational tone. "And Trunks and Goten. They make each other purr. It's kind of funny, cause Daddy hates it when they're together."

"Together?" She couldn't mean they were mates?

"Yes. They're best friends, always trying to outdo each other - especially where girls are concerned. They don't seem to notice how they make each other happier than any girls they've ever gone out with." She circled the base of his tail with a fingernail.

"Don't! Gods, stop it!" Raditz gasped. She was his Princess. He couldn't… wouldn't… His mind buzzed, a low rumble emerging from his throat.

"Ah, so you do purr." She pushed him down easily when he tried to move. "No, just stay there. I might be the weakest demi, but I'm still stronger than you are. Besides, Daddy said this would be good for your training."

Raditz froze, his mind splintering.

"I can't. I can't go back there."

"But Vegeta was training you, wasn't he?"

"He… no. He wasn't."

"Oh." Goku frowned. "I could have sworn he told me he had come up with a way to help you with that tail thing."

Raditz shuddered, curled up on his bed. "Why did you bring me back?"

"You deserved a second chance. I told you."

"No, no. Why now? Why not before? Right after Frieza died? Why wait so long? You're older than I am now!"

"Oh. Well…" Goku grinned. "I didn't think of it before."

"Figures," Raditz muttered. He'd learned quite a lot about his brother in the last few days. His brother was a total innocent, overly optimistic, and had a tendency toward not thinking. The happy smile rarely left his face. Raditz thought him a nincompoop, a feeling that Vegeta obviously shared. The fact that he was stronger didn't ever keep Vegeta from calling him a clown or baka, though. "Why not wish for your tail back?"

"Why would I do that? I don't need it."

"Don't need!" Raditz sprang from the bed, getting into his brother's face. "How can you say you don't need your tail!!!!"

"But, I don't, Raditz!" Goku protested, backing off a little, hands warding. "Honest! What would I do with it? I've lived for years and years without it, I can manage just fine."

"Manage? Fine? Without your tail? What kind of a Saiyan are you?" Raditz shouted.

"But, I'm an Earthling…" Goku said quietly. "I'm only Saiyan because I was born one. I was raised an Earthling."

Raditz fell back against the bed. He stared at his younger brother. "You don't know what you're saying."

"Yes, I do. My Saiyan heritage has never meant anything to me. Vegeta and I were the only ones left, until I revived you. Our children are a different breed altogether. Demi-Saiyans, half-breeds. The history of the planet Vegeta and the people that lived there mean nothing to us. I was there only a very short time, the kids never were there. Why would that matter to us? We're Earthlings."

"Why did you wish me back?" Raditz shook his head, his long hair falling to hide his face. "I'm a Saiyan. Why wish me to Earth, to customs I don't know or understand, to family that doesn't care about who or what I am? To a Prince who is prince in name only, who has given up his pride in his people. Why bring me here?"

Goku stared at his older brother a long moment, baffled. His brother sounded defeated. But, shouldn't he be enjoying this second chance, enjoying the fresh air, the chance to spar, fish, and hunt? He moved slowly closer to the bed, dropping to sit next to the other man. "Raditz? Don't you like being alive? Would you rather be dead?"

A shudder shook the other's body, Goku wrapped one arm around his shoulders. "Raditz? Did I do a bad thing?" To his surprise, his tough, vicious older brother went to pieces on him.

He woke slowly, numbly realizing he wasn't alone in bed. His tail was tightly curled around the other's thigh of someone cuddled against him. This had been his choice, then? He couldn't remember. He brushed one hand down the man's side.

"You awake?"

"Yeah."

"Feel better?"

Raditz thought about it, absently stroking his brother's side, his tail unwinding to stroke his thigh. He felt the shiver, heard the quick intake of breath. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Good." Goku reached down, captured his brother's tail. He held it a moment, then smoothed the thick fur. Raditz sighed with pleasure, his own hand sliding across Goku's stomach. "Hey, stop that!" Goku squirmed suddenly, and hopped from the bed. "I'm ticklish!"

"Ticklish?" Raditz pushed himself up on one elbow, watching as his brother hurriedly yanked on his shirt. "You could handle people petting your tail, but you're ticklish?"

"Don't tell Vegeta, okay?" Goku blushed. "He'd give me grief about it forever."

"Riiiight. And I won't?" Raditz got up, moving slowly and purposely toward his unwary brother. "Gotcha!" He pounced, knocking Goku to the floor, tickling him unmercifully. Goku yelped, then began squirming, trying to escape his brother's tormenting fingers. Raditz grinned, true pleasure gleaming through his eyes. "You can't get away, little brother," he purred.

"Bet me!" Goku grabbed wildly, one hand capturing his brother's tail, the other tangling in the long, thick hair. He use the former as a distraction and the latter to pull his brother closer, effectively pinning his hands. "I'll be able to get away from you."

Raditz went limp, completely at Goku's mercy. "I told you I could take you." Goku grinned, squirming his way to a point where he was able to push Raditz off himself. But his grin vanished when his brother's hair fell away from his one side of his face. Tears were escaping from tightly squeezed eyes, jaw clenched. "Raditz? Raditz? Did I hurt you? Are you all right?" Goku brushed Raditz' thick mass of hair back, causing the other to turn sharply to try to hide in it again. "Raditz?"

"Let…go."

"Let go?" Goku frowned, and placed a hand gently on his brother's shoulder. "Raditz? What are you talking about?"

"Please… let me go… let me go. I'll do anything you want… just let me go…"

"Raditz?" Goku sat back, confused. He wasn't even touching his brother now, and still he was pleading, literally pleading, to be released. "I don't understand. What's wrong?"

"Any thing. I'll do whatever you want. Let me go, Zarbon… please. Don't do this to me…"

Goku gasped. Zarbon? He knew the name. Krillen and Bulma had told him of Zarbon. "Zarbon's dead, Raditz. Vegeta killed him. Come on, this isn't funny."

His brother's voice weakened, becoming almost childlike. "It hurts, Zarbon! Please stop, please… don't do this. Not again, please. Anything else, please. Don't do this…" He moved, his body arcing in remembered pain, his mind lost somewhere in his past, continuing to plead.

Goku shook him, trying to snap him out of it. His brother was pausing now and again, almost as if listening to someone. What had happened? Was he… reliving something? The shaky voice continued to plead, to beg, to promise. Goku almost got sick when after one of the pauses, his brother cried out "I'm begging, Zarbon, like you asked. Don't hurt me!" The way his brother was thrashing, there was no doubt in the gentle Saiyan's mind as to what had happened.

What could he do? Frantic now to break his brother from the memory, he smacked him. The pleading only shifted to a breathless whimper, asking if he wasn't begging enough. Goku smacked him, resorted to pounding on him, to no avail. His brother had his eyes wide open now, but apparently was so caught up in the memory, that he couldn't see the present.

He gathered Raditz against him, muffling the begging against his shoulder. His brother still spasmed in pain, arcing and twisting as if to avoid someone. Tears streamed from Goku's eyes, as he clutched at his brother, sharing the long-unvoiced agonies. He crooned softly, gentle encouragements to forget the past and return to the here and now.

At long last, his brother stilled, his pleadings breaking into soft sobs. Goku ran his hands through Raditz' mass of hair, along his sides, down his back. "I'm here, Raditz. Zarbon won't ever, ever hurt you again. I promise he can't."

He'd been weak. Too weak. His brother pitied him. Pitied! Raditz spun, his hair swinging around him as he roundhoused an unfortunate tree. It went down, he proceeded to break it down to basic components. He didn't need that baka's pity! His strength, now, that was another matter. He'd seen Goku spar with Vegeta, had watched as the two went from one stage of super Saiyan to another, until his brother's hair was as full and long as his own, though a brilliant gold. His brother was stronger than their prince. That strength, he intended to achieve for himself. He would not be pitied! He would not.

Memories washed over him. He'd had to relive, time and again, those horrible experiences. That had been his punishment, his fate, for the evil that he had done. Even now, even alive, he couldn't put the past behind him. He lived the past in his dreams, as he had lived it in his death. Zarbon, Dodoria… Frieza. Over and over. Raditz crashed to the ground, screaming, not able to hear his own cries over the memories he couldn't stop.

The foolish move, allowing the enemy to take his tail. The many times he was caught in the training room, the times they had left the ship, only to return unexpectedly. He remembered them all. All. Even the worst time. The one time he hadn't fought. The time he had thought it best to do as they said. Tears streamed from his eyes, his screams soundless now, as awareness of his surroundings faded.

"Such a pretty thing, your prince. You'd spare him, wouldn't you? Spare him from me?" The glint of malice in Frieza's eyes. "You know how I like my pleasure. Perhaps you could please me enough to keep your prince from my bed, little boy."

"Frieza!" The prince stood next to Frieza, a stunned expression on his face, not believing what their master was saying. Raditz had only hours before told him of this possibility - he remembered the prince saying he was foolish. "The prince, he's just a child!"

"So were you, Raditz. Come, decide. Will you spare your prince our pleasure?" Frieza gestured, Dodoria and Zarbon stepping from the shadows. "You will please us all, won't you? Or do you really want the boy to have such an experience at so tender an age?"

Raditz knew it was foolish. But he had to protect the prince. No matter the cost to himself. It wasn't the first time. He had always fought them before. Always tried to escape. But now, now he needed to do anything in his power to protect the prince. If it meant surrendering his body, well…His arms lowered slowly to his sides as his head dropped. "I will do as you say."

Goku went after him two days later. He washed away the dirt, grime, and blood, patched the wounds. He fed Raditz, and put him to bed. "Rest and heal. You're as bad as Vegeta. Neither one of you ever take the time to rest and heal. You won't gain as much strength if you don't." He smoothed back a shaggy spike. "I know how much it means to you to get stronger. So rest, and let yourself heal properly. Then go out and train some more."

"Hey, Dad? You going to Capsule Corp. today?" Goten stood in the doorway.

Goku rose from the bed. "Yeah, sure. Vegeta and I are supposed to spar. You want to go find out about Trunks' new girl, don't you?" He ruffled his son's hair. Raditz listened to their inane chatter as they proceeded down the hall.

He sighed. Rest and heal? Did Kakarot actually think that Saiyans did such things? He forced himself to his feet, across to where his clothes lay. It was a struggle to put them on, more of a struggle to get down the stairs. Where was his brother's wife? Nowhere in sight. He crossed to the front door, and levitated unsteadily.

"I thought I told you to rest up. Honestly, Raditz, you'll get a lot stronger a lot quicker if you do. I don't train myself to oblivion and then go right back out. And you know how strong I am. Take the time to heal up, or at least nap for about an hour. Your training isn't any good if you don't take care of yourself. And today's a real good day to take naps. Chi-Chi had to go grocery shopping. She won't be back for hours."

Raditz brightened a little. His brother's wife was a shrill nag. A few hours of peaceful, unbroken sleep might not be a bad idea. The gods knew he didn't sleep well when the woman was at home. If she wasn't nagging her husband or youngest son, she was cleaning or cooking as noisily as possible. And her mating cries… Raditz shuddered. Yes, sleeping now and training then had just taken on a whole new appeal. "I see your point."

"Good! Well, I'll be back before the sun sets. Anyway, I should be," Goku amended. "Spars with Vegeta, you never know how long those will last."

"Yeah. Whatever." Raditz dropped to the ground, returned to the bedroom he'd been given.

"How is your brother's training going?" Vegeta growled out, trying to push Goku back.

"Ah, fine, I guess. He wore himself to the bone this last time." Goku twisted, sending Vegeta tumbling. "Why?"

"He hasn't been by the gravity room lately," Vegeta replied, as soon as he'd stopped his freefall spin. "Or getting that extra training he asked for."

Goku dodged the energy blast Vegeta shot at him, and zipped behind the other, capturing him. "Oh, about that," he nipped at the captured prince, "he really, really has some issues that need resolved before you sic Bra on him again."

"Baka! Don't bite me!" Vegeta twisted and turned, finally managing to get an elbow into Goku's side. He wrenched himself free when Goku yelped. "What issues?"

"Something to do with Zarbon. Something bad." Goku dropped to normal when Vegeta went white and nearly fell to the ground. He followed him down. "Vegeta?"

Vegeta's voice was tight. "Zarbon had a penchant for young males, Kakarot."

"I thought that was what it was," Goku said quietly. "I was afraid that was it. The way he acted that day…"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember that day on Namek? The day Frieza killed you. Remember how you were right before you died? He was like that, reliving the hell he'd been through. But he was reliving an actual memory, and I couldn't break him out. Every word he said then, I heard. It didn't make any sense that it could be anything else, but I hoped… I don't know what I hoped."

"What triggered it?"

"Huh?" Goku settled cross-legged to the ground. "I'm not really sure. He found out something about me, and just went with it. He was having fun, I was trying to get away from him." Goku's arms crossed, his hands protecting his sides. He didn't notice Vegeta's sudden interest, or the sly grin that made its way to the older Saiyan's face. "I grabbed his tail, I knew that was his weak spot. And I pushed him off me." Goku waved his hands. "That's it."

"Really?"

The tone was all the warning Goku got before Vegeta attacked, fingers digging into the unprepared man's sides. "Ah! No! Help!" Goku twisted and turned, trying both to protect himself and get away, but too breathless from laughter to do anything much. "Stop it, Vegeta! Please! Oh, stop!"

Vegeta merely grinned, and pinned the younger man firmly beneath him, his fingers alternately digging and sweeping lightly along Goku's sides. Goku shrieked for mercy, trying to capture Vegeta's hands or buck the prince off. He failed at both, finding his own hands pinned over his head, Vegeta leaning over him, his free hand still brushing against the ticklish Saiyan's sides. "Oh, no, Kakarot. You should know by now that I don't believe in mercy."

Goku twisted, arcing off the ground as much as he was able. "Pretty please, Vegeta?" He put on his best begging face, the one even his wife couldn't resist. "Pretty, pretty please?"

Vegeta smiled, one of the rare true smiles. His eyes darkened as he twisted to keep Kakarot pinned down, without letting up on the tickling. "Oh, I don't think so. I'm winning."

"This isn't a fair fight!" Goku yelped, and tried smashing his head into Vegeta's. Vegeta merely dipped his head, so that Goku didn't do anything worse than squash his hair.

"No, this is a tickle war. Which, not being ticklish, I will win," Vegeta replied smugly. "Shall I find out where else you're ticklish?"

"NO!!!!"

"Ah, so there are other places!" Vegeta smirked. "Here, maybe?" He lowered his mouth to the other's neck, trailing his tongue along corded muscle. Goku's yelp and the spasm that ripped through his body was all the inducement he needed to continue that particular torture. "I think I'm actually enjoying myself," he purred into the other's ear. "And I owe you a bite."

Goku lurched when Vegeta bit him. But instead of trying to push the prince away again, he turned his head so that the older man had more access. He moaned, a sudden surge of primal vocalization.

"Oh, so you liked that?" Vegeta laughed softly, pulling Goku's already ripped shirt off. "Do you like this?"

What had that been about? One minute, he was being tickled, the next… Goku sighed, tipping his head back. The waterfall rained over him, rinsing the few thoughts he had away as he merely enjoyed the feel of the water flowing over him. Vegeta had been different since he'd wished Raditz back, but he had never expected such playful, erotic behavior from the man.

He shivered, suddenly realizing just how cold the water was. It wasn't normally so cold at this time of year, was it? It didn't seem like it, until he looked around. For the first time, he realized the leaves on the trees were putting on a beautiful fall display. Odd. It wasn't like him to miss the changing of the seasons. He had always been attuned to such things before. Was his brother's presence in his life really effecting him that much? So much that he hadn't noticed how much time had passed? He bit his lip, chewing on it. What else had he missed, caught up as he had been?

More grey in his wife's hair, his youngest son nearly as tall as he was, now. He ate slowly that evening, noticing the little changes that Chi-Chi had made to the house. How had he missed so much? Was he slipping? Could it be that Vegeta had gotten the drop on him this afternoon because he was getting careless about noticing things?

His brother entered, taking a chair at the table. Goku passed the potatoes, realizing that he was very, very aware of his brother, and the changes in him. Perhaps it was only that his attention had been too centered on his brother, and not enough on other things. Yet, he wasn't actually around Raditz that much.

Chi-Chi served Raditz in silence, something Goku recognized now as her habit. She barely ever spoke to his elder brother, and Goku resolved to find out why that night. Raditz wasn't a bad man anymore, and if it was about the kidnapping, well, that had happened years and years ago! If she was still holding a grudge for that, she really needed to get over it.

He laid in his bed, on his side. He could see the stars out the window. How many of them held abandoned Saiyans? His younger brother had been sent off to subdue this planet. How many others were out there? How many were the only living beings left on planets they'd been sent to raze? There had to be others, didn't there? He'd asked Vegeta before, and Vegeta had told him Frieza had destroyed them all.

But he had missed Kakarot.

So, did that mean that he could have missed others? Perhaps females? Raditz rolled to face the door, pillow over his ears. Not that it blocked the cries of Kakarot's woman. Steel walls wouldn't block that female's screams. But the nightly matings his brother enjoyed only emphasized his own loneliness, and made him wonder. Frieza had been powerful, not perfect.

He flopped again, his hands now firmly over his ears. It didn't help, she was obviously near her climax. This ritual would repeat perhaps four or six more times before she would finally fall silent. He'd already heard it three times. How could the boy sleep through it? Even after… what had it been, eight months?… he was still unable to sleep through the woman's racket.

"Hey, Uncle Raditz?"

So he was wrong. The brat wasn't asleep. "What?"

"Can I come in?"

"Sure. It's not like I can sleep."

Chi-Chi hit a high note, and both Saiyans clapped hands to ears. "Yeah, she can be pretty noisy."

"Why are you up? I thought you slept through that."

"Usually. But… I want to know… um, well…" Goten perched on his uncle's bed. "It's um… just that, well, I…" He blew at his bangs. "Oh, hell, I don't know how to ask. I can't think of how to phrase what I need to know."

"Saiyans didn't have any sexual hang-ups. I hope that helps?"

Even in the dark, Raditz could see the boy's blush. "Is it that obvious?"

"To me, and to his father. We know the signs. Besides, I have a very good sense of smell." If he wasn't mistaken, the boy's blush got worse.

"You mean, you know?"

"It would have been hard to miss. You go to visit him to talk about girls, and come home smelling of him and frustration. And when you come out of your room, you smell of release."

"Oh, gods." Goten's voice was choked. "You knew about that?"

"Like I said, it was hard to miss."

The boy buried his face in his hands. Raditz wasn't entirely sure if he was crying or laughing. More than likely, both. Embarrassment could do that. So could fear. "I thought I was crazy."

"I've noticed a certain… dislike of such matings," Raditz offered. Maybe the boy's rather amusing problem could keep his mind off his own problems.

"Well, yeah," Goten said in surprise. "It's not normal, you know."

"I didn't, actually. I've had several male partners." He firmly steered his mind from the ones he hadn't chosen. "Like I said, Saiyans haven't got sexual hang-ups. With the possible exception of Kakarot."

"Does… does it hurt?"

The hesitant question set off a series of painful memories Raditz really didn't want to deal with. His clipped, "It can," seemed to end the conversation. Yet Goten remained on his bed.

"Um, Uncle Raditz?"

"What?"

"Could you… teach me?"

Raditz bolted upright. "Ah, what?"

"Could you teach me?" Goten mumbled, obviously embarrassed.

Raditz reached out and turned on the bedside light. He examined the young man in its light. "You want me to fuck you?"

Goten's face became even more red, and he twisted the hem of his T-shirt nervously. "No… I mean… I want you to teach me what to do. With Trunks."

Well. How unexpected. A grin formed. He couldn't wait to see his brother's face.

"But I don't know anything about that!" Goku wailed. "That's Saiyan stuff. I don't know about it. I haven't got any memories of being a Saiyan! Just an Earthling. Besides, I only know about Chi-Chi!"

"You're the boy's father. You have to teach him what he needs to know." The jab to the jaw was more effective than Raditz had anticipated. He knocked Goku from the sky. "Besides, it's not that hard a subject."

"Oh yeah? When was the last time you had to explain sex to a boy?"

"Vegeta was five. I was fifteen." Raditz landed lightly beside his brother, burying his booted foot in Goku's unprotected side.

"That was a very long time ago." Goku wheezed as soon as he had breath enough. "Why would you need to explain sex to a five-year-old, anyhow?"

Raditz stepped out of his fighting stance, dropping to the ground next to Goku. "Because this was a Saiyan on a hostile ship. A Saiyan child, extremely strong, but not as powerful as other fighters."

Goku took time to think that over. "Zarbon had a penchant for young boys."

"Yes. How did you know?"

"Vegeta told me." Goku looked straight at his brother. "How many times did you take his place, to spare him from that?"

"Only once."

"Once?!"

"And when they finished with me, I had to watch as they took him. Nappa and I would have done anything to protect him, we tried." Raditz' voice was strained, his eyes dark with remembered pain. "I let them take me that time, didn't fight what they did. I did everything they asked, and they still raped him. I never let them take me again without a fight. Zarbon, though…. Zarbon could have me begging him to torture me. I was a favorite of his." Raditz looked up, expecting to see the pity in his brother's eyes. Instead, he saw smoldering rage.

An anger belied by the rather frantic, "But what do I tell Goten? He isn't in that kind of a situation!"

"Would you have me talk to him instead?"

"Well, you'd at least know what you were talking about!" Goku clapped a hand over his mouth, then reached out to Raditz. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to… I didn't mean it that way."

"It's all right. Don't worry about it."

"You actually let her strip you at the park?" Goten's eyes widened.

"Sure. I figured it might be fun."

"Fun?" A pause. "Was it?"

"Sure!" Trunks laughed. Then he frowned. "Well, not really. Not now that I think about it. It was like she had one intention, and my clothes were just in her way. There wasn't any… style to it. Just rush and hurry."

"Huh." Goten leaned back against the headboard of Trunks' bed. Trunks still wore the suit he'd worn to work that morning. "Hey, can I try?"

"Try what?"

"Well, you have to change clothes anyway, don't you? So, how about I see if I can make it more fun than that girl did?"

"Changing clothes?" Trunks reached into a dresser, yanking out a favorite T-shirt.

"No, I want to strip you."

Trunks laughed, a cheerful peal, bright and happy. "Oh, you do? Well, it wouldn't be the first time, now would it?"

"Nope." Goten walked up behind Trunks, looping his arms around his waist. "So? Will you let me?"

"Don't I always?"

"So? What did she do first?"

"Loosened the tie. Which I would actually appreciate." Goten chuckled, and deliberately tightened it. Trunks yelped, yanking Goten's hands away and tossing the tie across the room. "Not funny, luv!"

A pang shot through Goten, and he rested his head against Trunks back, his hands loose on the other's arms. "No, I guess not." He moved his hands to Trunks', laced their fingers. "Are you mad?" He nuzzled against the back of Trunks' neck.

"I never seem to be able to stay mad at you." They faced the mirror, Trunks' smile reflecting back to Goten. "And you know it. You've all your daddy's charm."

Goten snickered, running his hands lightly to Trunks' shoulders. "And you've all your father's."

"My dad doesn't have any charm," Trunks protested, as Goten began pushing the jacket from his shoulders. "Did you just insult me?"

"Who, me?" Goten asked innocently, a huge grin on his face. "Never. I would never ever do such a thing to the president of Capsule Corporation. Why, I could lose my job for it!" The jacket dropped to the floor, both of them laughing now. Goten started on the buttons on Trunks' shirt. "And then I wouldn't have any money to buy you any presents."

"Idiot," Trunks laughed. He leaned against the younger man, grinning when Goten had to shift in order to stay standing. "You're not getting weak, are you?"

"No." Goten ran one nail lightly up from the button he was working on to Trunks' chin, and slowly back. "How could you even think such a thing?"

Trunks trembled slightly at the other's playfulness, but laughed at the overly wounded tone he used. "Oh, Goten!" And then he stumbled slightly when Goten slipped around to face him. "Hey! I was leaning on you, you know."

"I noticed." Goten glared at the button that had been resisting his efforts to undo it, causing Trunks to go into whoops of laughter. Goten flicked his friend's nose, then finished off the button.

"Hey! I like this shirt! Go fetch my button!" Trunks pointed in the direction the erring button had flown.

"You hate this shirt, you've told me so before." Goten slid his hands into the loosened shirt, caressing the bare skin beneath. "But, if you really want me to?" One hand moved to loosen the belt.

"No, you don't have to." Trunks grinned, enjoying the feeling of Goten's skin against his own. It wasn't the first time the younger man had helped him out of his clothes, but it was the first time he was trying to outdo a girl. He closed his eyes, concentrating on Goten's touch, comparing this experience to the one he'd had the night before. After all, he would have to give Goten his opinion!

Goten unthreaded the belt, tossing it to one side, unfastened the pants. He pulled the shirt loose, running his hands gently around Trunks' waist. His hands wandered, exploring the planes of his stomach, then across his chest to his shoulders, pushing the shirt down his friend's arms. He hadn't unbuttoned the wrists, though, and left Trunks caught in the mostly removed shirt as he kissed along the route his hands had taken.

Trunks shuddered, not really believing that he was so aware of Goten's touch, his kisses. His eyes opened, closed, a soft moan escaping him when Goten traced his tongue across the sensitive skin of his stomach. He felt the shirt fall away, felt the soft pressure of Goten's kneeling body against his legs.

Goten's hands slid down his legs, pushing his pants away. He gasped at the sudden shock of delicate, butterfly kisses trailed along his shaft, yielding himself to the pleasure that coursed through him when the young man circled him with his tongue. Tiny bites, gentle caresses and kisses, the warm wetness of Goten's mouth engulfing him. Trunks head lolled, and he gripped Goten's bare shoulders, struggling to stay upright against the pleasure.

Goten drew back. "So?" His voice was thick, nearly breathless.

"Don't stop." Trunks swayed toward him, voice laden with desire. "Don't stop."

Goten ran one finger along Trunks' shaft. "You don't want me to stop?"

"No." Blue eyes nearly black with passion opened, looking down at him. "No, don't stop."

Goten leaned forward, just close enough to breath on the other. "I won't." He stood , pressing himself close to Trunks, licking and nipping at his neck. Trunks leaned against him, caught in the prison of his passion.

"I want more." His hands slid down Goten's back, he pulled the younger Saiyan closer.

"You'll have it," Goten murmured, guiding Trunks to the bed.

Trunks stretched, trying not to wake the sleeping Goten. The experience had been unreal. He hadn't expected Goten to do more than get his clothes off, the way they'd done to each other before, demonstrating how some girl had totally spoiled the mood. He'd not really paid attention when Goten had said he'd make it more fun. The mere fact the two of them had been laughing together had made it more fun than last night's drunk girl.

But the caresses… Trunks brushed a wisp of hair from Goten's face. Once he'd allowed himself to get caught up in actually feeling what Goten was doing, once Goten had gotten more intimate than they had ever been, he'd been lost to all else. He hadn't wanted his friend to stop, hadn't cared Goten wasn't a girl. He'd asked for more, and gotten more than he ever bargained for.

Sleepy black eyes blinked at him, a tiny smile. "Morning."

"Shh, luv, go back to sleep," Trunks whispered. "It's not morning yet. Just a full moon."

"Mmm." Goten snuggled against Trunks, rather pleased with himself, and delighted that Trunks allowed the intimacy. "Kiss me?"

Trunks ran his fingers through Goten's wild locks, using them to tug his head back. Their kiss was sweet, innocent. "Go to sleep, luv."

"'kay." Goten yawned, seeming to fall asleep instantly.

"My advice help, boy?" But the leer on his face made it obvious his uncle knew. Goten flushed.

"Ah, yeah. Seen my dad?"

"He's with your mom. Bedroom."

"Oh, ah, I don't want to bother them."

"She's sick, no big deal. You won't be interrupting anything."

"Sick?" Goten blinked. He couldn't remember the last time his mother had been sick. "Uh, 'scuse me."

"Sure, kid." Raditz watched him race for the stairs. "I have something I need to do anyway." He walked out the door, then took to the air. He'd finally learned how to sense power without a scouter, and there was a nagging tingle he wanted to check out. Several of them, actually. He flew leisurely toward Capsule Corp., finally feeling secure enough to venture back there. Although, he did intend to be on his guard. He was running at the first sight of the princess.

Naturally, she was the one to open the door. He blinked, his tail tightening around his waist. "Ah… no training today, got it?"

"Oh, I'm going shopping. Nothing, absolutely nothing, stands between me and a mall without getting damaged."

"She means it you know," the lavender-haired prince agreed from behind his sister. "Better move, or she'll plow you under. Dad actually tried to stop her once… he was in the mall before he knew it."

Raditz stepped aside. Bra grinned, and planted a kiss on the surprised Saiyan's cheek. "Good boy. Now, I don't expect to be back for hours and hours, and you can tell Daddy that if he asks." She sailed out the door, a tiny capsule popping into a sleek sports car. Another popped near it, an air car.

Trunks stepped up to the air car, then turned suddenly. "Ah, Raditz? Thanks." He stepped into the car, vanishing before Raditz had a chance to answer him.

He entered the house grinning. Apparently, Trunks was happy with the new arrangement. But, it was those nagging tingles that were bothering him, and he wanted to ask Vegeta about them.

"Dragonballs." Bulma turned to tap points on a large wall map. "Your tingles seem to correlate to the positions of the seven dragonballs."

"But I thought they got used."

"Oh, they're active again a year after use. Six months if all the wishes aren't used. Come to think of it, Goku left two wishes. That must be why you've been feeling them for awhile. There's wishes left."

Raditz nodded thoughtfully, his eyes on the dragon radar Bulma held. He could wish to bring any other missed Saiyans here. She followed his gaze. "Have a wish, don't you? Here." Raditz caught the gizmo, and she showed him how it worked. "Now, remember, there are some things the dragon can't or won't grant. Immortality is one of those." A lie, but Raditz didn't need to know that.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed, but he said only, "I want one of those wishes, Raditz."

"Yes, Prince Vegeta."

"Let's go."

It took them only three days to gather all the golden globes. Raditz watched as Vegeta called the dragon, taking the first wish. And grinned when Vegeta's regrown tail whipped the air. His turn, and he approached the dragon, rising into the air. Vegeta ignored him, concentrating on his new-grown tail. "Dragon, I have a question before I make my wish."

"Speak."

"Are there any Saiyans alive not already on this planet?"

The dragon looked skyward a long moment. "There are not."

Raditz' hopeful expression faded. "Then I have no wish to make," he murmured, dropping to the ground. "If there is no one to bring, I will always be alone."

"What is your wish?"

Raditz stared at the ground. He could wish a Saiyan female back from the dead. That was always a possibility. But, he turned, looking at the peaceful land around them. No, he wouldn't wish this on another member of his warrior race. The dragon rumbled at him again, and he looked up at it. "Did Vegeta wish for just his own tail?"

"Yes."

"Then I wish for all those of Saiyan blood to have their tails permanently restored."

"It will be done." Eyes glowed, and the dragonballs dispersed.

"So, what was your wish?"

"You were right, Vegeta. Frieza got the rest of the Saiyans. We are the only ones left." Raditz shrugged. "What I wanted, I didn't get."

Goku sat on the floor of the living room, stroking the luxuriant fur of his tail. He was sure King Kai had said it wouldn't ever come back, but here it was. And it startled him, to realize that he'd been wrong about not wanting it. While it was true he didn't need it, he found that he did want it, and didn't want to give it up again.

But why had it returned? Was it because of his brother? He'd already established that the training he'd undergone as a boy was still good, he'd tested that by slamming his tail in the door. It had been painful, but not disabling. He didn't seem to react to stroking the way his brother had, either. It just felt nice. Nothing special, no overwhelming sexual urges. Goku sighed. Well, he'd always been an abnormal Saiyan. Perhaps this was just more proof. The phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Dad! I've got a tail!" Goten sounded frantic. "What happened? What do I do? How'd this happen?" He spoke so quickly that Goku didn't have a chance to answer anything. "I'm coming home." The phone went dead in Goku's hand.

His younger son had a tail? Goku frowned. He'd never seen the boy with a tail, and it only now occurred to him to wonder why. Had he not been born with one, or had Chi-Chi cut it off? Only a moment later, the door flew open. "Dad! My tail's back!"

Goku merely swished his to reply, leaving Gohan staring open-mouthed. "Your brother called. He's got one too."

The phone rang again, and it took Goku several minutes to calm Bulma down enough to tell what she was trying to say. "Dragonballs? Vegeta and Raditz? Three days ago? They do? Yeah, me too. Uh-hu. The boys, too. Pan? I don't know." Goku looked to his son. "She wants to know if Pan has a tail?"

"I don't know."

"Gohan doesn't know. I know he's her father, but… Okay. Okay. Yes. I know. Look, calm down. It's all right. I know about the full moon, Bulma! NO! Don't do that. That won't… No, no, no. Tell her to think of it as a, um, a fashion accessory! They can? Oh. Well… tell her she doesn't need to buy belts anymore. Oh, put her on the phone. Bra? Hey, calm down. It's all right. What? Raditz? What? OH! Don't worry about it. You're stronger than he is. Yes, he could. No, of course he won't. Because you're Vegeta's daughter. I don't really think he wants Vegeta mad at him. No. See? Okay, better? Good." There was silence for a long moment, as Goku's cheerful expression slowly got more stressed. "Look, Trunks, I don't know what happened. But don't worry about it, okay?" He waved to Goten when the young man charged through the door, and his expression suddenly lightened. "Besides, from what my brother told me, it makes sex really interesting."

Goten turned crimson, and Gohan could hear Trunks' screaming from where he stood. "Look, I know about the two of you. Well, of course. I've got a very good sense of smell, you know. Yes. Yes. No, that's between the two of you. Um… I don't think so. NANI???? He didn't! He did? Really? Um, could you put your mom back on? Bulma? Yes. No, I think they'll be fine now. Oh, and Bulma? Think of a nice place to have a second honeymoon." Goku grinned, and hung up the phone.

"Dad? Did you have to say that?" Goten groaned.

"Well, yeah. He calmed down really fast."

"Does everyone know?"

"Your mother doesn't," Goku said thoughtfully, "and I'm pretty sure Piccolo doesn't, or Yajerobe, or…" Goten cut him off.

"I get the idea, Dad."

"Did I miss something?"

"Oh, no. Nothing!" Goten replied hurriedly, his face flushing even more.

Gohan, however, wasn't as clueless as his father acted. It took him very little time to figure out just why Goten was so embarrassed. "You and Trunks? Lovers? Dad, and you're okay with that?"

"It's a normal thing for Saiyans."

"Goten isn't a Saiyan. I mean, not really. He's only half. And the other half doesn't consider it normal at all!"

Goku looked at his elder son, flushed with anger, tail bristling behind him. He bit his lower lip, made a decision. And Gohan collapsed to the floor, his tail in his father's tight grasp. "Do humans have tails, Gohan? Can they be rendered helpless like you are now? Can they transform into super Saiyans?" He stroked his son's tail, and smiled sadly when Gohan gasped with pleasure. "You're demi-Saiyans, not demi-humans. There is more Saiyan… and more Saiyan instinct… in you than anything, even though you are half-human."

He dropped Gohan's tail, kneeling on the floor next to him. "Fighting used to be your greatest pleasure, the way it is for me, for Raditz and Vegeta. If I had died of that heart virus, you know how things would have turned out. You'd have given your life trying to protect Trunks. You'd have died fighting. You have Saiyan blood, Gohan, no matter how much you try to deny it now."

Raditz watched Vegeta, trying not to be too obvious about it. He failed. "What is it?"

"I was just… thinking."

"What about?"

"Things best forgotten." Raditz poked a stick at the fire. "Things I pretended didn't ever happen."

"You mean on Frieza's ship."

Raditz sighed. "Yeah." He tried finger combing his hair for awhile, and gave it up as a lost cause. "Why did we try so hard for him, Vegeta? Why did we fight for him, when we knew what he would do to us? Why did we act like it never happened, even if we had to use a regeneration tank afterwards? Why didn't we acknowledge it if only between ourselves? What was the point of it all?"

Vegeta was silent, staring into the flames. When he did finally speak, Raditz could barely hear him. "We fought for him because fighting is in our blood. We acted like it never happened because of our pride. And we did our best so that he wouldn't kill us. The point… the point was to survive and grow stronger. Strong enough to beat him."

He thought about it. "Then I failed…"

"When I finally thought I had the strength it would take to beat Frieza, I took my opportunity. I sent you after Kakarot. You lost. I came, fought him, and lost. After I recovered, I went after Frieza. Frieza… killed me. That is the only reason I am alive now. Because Frieza killed me on Namek." Vegeta's voice was low and bitter. "I begged Kakarot to destroy him. I cried. I knew I was dying, I didn't think it mattered that I let anything other than pride show. I told him how Frieza destroyed our people, our planet.

"I didn't know I would regain my life when they used the dragonballs. They wished that everyone on Namek who had been killed by Frieza back to life. And I dug my way out of my grave, to find that Kakarot had become a super Saiyan and was defeating Frieza.

"I was transported here to Earth by another wish, just as I was preparing to attack Frieza, to finally avenge what he'd done to us. Kakarot defeated Frieza, but didn't finish him. He returned here, where I had been stranded, on the same day that King Kold and Frieza arrived. But my son got here before Kakarot, using a time machine. He killed them both, Frieza and his father, in under a minute. He came to warn of an upcoming danger.

"We trained for it for three years. My son was born the third year, not long before the danger arrived. And he also arrived from the future to help us fight. My future son was killed in that fight. I was… outclassed… through the entire fight. Kakarot was killed, his brat, Gohan, was the one who won that battle." Vegeta bit out his carefully chosen words.

"Then there was the tournament. Kakarot was granted one day in the living world. We entered a martial arts tournament. And a new enemy appeared. I allowed myself to become possessed to reclaim the power that I had lost over the years in spite of my training. And still, I was no match for Kakarot, and no match for the enemy. In the end, it was Kakarot, again, who won the battle. That is my history, Raditz. From Frieza's slave, to a failed warrior."

Vegeta leaned back against a stump, staring up at the stars. "My father would deem me unworthy, in spite of my power, because I failed. I have never taken the title of King of the Saiyans, because Prince is the best I can attain. Kakarot is stronger. The crown would go to him, were he to desire it."

"He wouldn't. He wouldn't know what to do with it." Raditz sighed. "My brother is a nincompoop."

"What would you do with the crown, Raditz?"

Raditz' sprawled form was suddenly on its feet. "V… Vegeta?"

"What would you do with the crown?"

"I could never defeat you!"

"Indulge my curiosity."

Vegeta did sound genuinely curious, and Raditz finally allowed himself to relax enough to sit down. He gave the question careful consideration, then sighed. "Give it back. I wouldn't know what to do with it, either. All I know is fighting."

Vegeta laughed. "Come here, Raditz. We need to train."

He leaned against the tree, too tired now to stand. He had made it… he could rest soon. He just had to make it across the yard. He pushed off from the tree, denying gravity with every staggering step. He made it to the door, leaning on it as he tried to get his battered hand around the knob. His broken fingers couldn't clutch it, and he sagged as his strength failed.

Blood smeared the door as he slid slowly down it, his hands reaching to cup the knob. His vision wavered, the knob of gleaming brass gaining the appearance of a mottled, rotten apple. There was a small click as the door opened, then a crash as his body fell to the floor.

Goku turned around, taking in the battered, bleeding form of his brother. A small noise of distress escaped him. A moment later, he lifted the heavy man from the floor, carrying him to his room. The few rags that were all that remained of his brother's clothes were easily removed, and the blood washed away.

He'd used the last senzu bean that morning. Goku frowned, his brother had a deep gash along his side. It still bled sluggishly, luckily not in the bright red pulses that he'd learned were very, very bad. "I think you can get by just with being bandaged up. What happened?"

"Training… Vegeta."

"Oh! Well, no wonder you look so bad! Vegeta's brutal when he trains. He always tells me that I'm not trying hard enough."

"You don't." Raditz batted at Goku's hand. "Leave that. I'll… be fine."

"It's still bleeding, Raditz. It needs bandaged."

"No. No." Raditz shook his head weakly. "My… punishment. Please, leave it."

"And you've got broken bones. I'm going to take care of you Raditz, whether you like it or not!" And in spite of his brother's protests, Goku did exactly that. It wasn't as if Raditz were in any shape, or had the strength, to stop him. He got the last bit of bandaging done, then noticed the clotted blood in his brother's tail. "Oh, were you guys working on tail training again?"

"Yes." Short and sharp.

"Hmm.." Goku handled the wounded tail gently, washing the blood out to see the damage beneath. "Oh, ouch. Ow! Shoot, Raditz, I think you'll need your tail stitched up, too." He reached for the thread and needle he'd laid aside after fixing Raditz' side. "This'll hurt."

Raditz agreed. It hurt. Badly. He let the world know about it, loudly cursing his brother rather creatively in three of the languages he'd learned. And then whimpered when his brother petted him to ease the pain.

"There, Raditz," Goku said quietly, stroking the injured tail. "See, it's not hurting so much, is it? I did this, back then, petted my tail and told it I was sorry after I'd been training it."

"Baka." Raditz hissed, torn between pleasure and pain. He knew the feeling, knew it entirely too well. He'd often been beaten, then had his tail petted to get him aroused before they raped him. "Stop it."

"Shh, hush, Raditz. Just relax. It should feel nice." Goku continued his steady, gentle stroking.

Raditz managed to growl, to grab his brother's tail with his less injured hand. Goku barely twitched, in fact coiling his tail around Raditz' arm. "Stop it." He yanked, Goku looked at him.

"It doesn't hurt." His tail uncoiled to grab and pull up the blanket. "You've got goosebumps."

"Don't either."

"You do." Goku ran his hand lightly across Raditz upper arm, then over his chest. "All along here. Do you want another blanket?"

Raditz groaned. His brother, his innocent and positively un-Saiyan, clueless brother, had no idea of what he was doing. "Yes." Anything to get Goku away from him!

"Okay! I'll be right back. There should be…" his voice grew faint as he got further away.

Raditz sighed in frustrated exasperation. He should be furious with his brother, and he did want to strangle him, but he also wanted to fuck him into oblivion. His tail moved beneath the blanket he did have, wrapping around his swollen flesh. This, too, he'd done more than once. His body arced, the blanket dampened, and Raditz inadvertently yelped in pain. His fresh wounds had not liked that at all. "Here you are. I knew Chi-Chi kept spare blankets down in the laundry!"

Goku paused by the bed, taking in the slight dampness and the hint of musk as he shook the blanket out. A quick flick of his wrist, and the blanket settled over his brother's carefully still form. Goku, grinning, tucked the blanket in around Raditz. "Night, big brother. Sweet dreams." He dropped a kiss carelessly on his brother's forehead, and managed not to start laughing until after he'd shut the door.

Raditz stayed still until he was quite sure his brother had left. He relaxed then, realizing how stiff he felt after having been so tense. What was with his brother? Hadn't they told him, more than once, what it meant to have the tail stroked or petted? His brother's earlier comment came back to him: I did this, back then, petted my tail and told it I was sorry after I'd been training it.

His brother hadn't been all that old. Somewhere between twelve and eighteen, if he'd correctly pieced together the stories he'd been told about his brother's exploits as a child. Old enough for it to do more than merely "feel nice." So what? He knows what he's doing? He knows, he has to know. Maybe it's time I try a little experiment. His wounded body throbbed with pain. "Maybe not."

Gentle. Too gentle for a Saiyan, especially one as powerful as he was. Kakarot was just too gentle. His touch was gentle, his voice full of happiness, his face so innocent and child-like. He petted, stroked, and kissed gently, but the massages were to die for. Raditz, recipient of yet another of those, lay quietly beneath his brother's hands, and tried to understand him.

He didn't, of course. Their lives had been too different. His current injuries left him quite firmly in his younger brother's care, and the differences were glaringly obvious now that he was forced to spend as much time with the man as he was. Before, he'd been able to fly off whenever he wanted. Now, until his stupid bones mended, he was stuck.

"Chi-Chi used to do this for me," he was informed. "She said it would help… um… keep me relaxed so that I would heal well. I guess she was right, because I always felt so much better afterward." Raditz contented himself with a grunt. He did prefer it when his brother chose not to talk, but his silent periods never lasted long.

"I'm going to miss her." Goku felt the slight tensing, and explained. "You remember, she was sick? The doctor told me she wouldn't be able to come home from the hospital. I can't remember what he said she was sick with, but she won't be coming home."

"Why haven't you gone to see her?"

"Hmm? I can't. She's in Other World. I'm not supposed to go there until I die again."

"She's dead?" Raditz started to turn, too quickly, and collapsed back onto the bed with a groan.

"Here, don't do that! You'll mess up all the good healing you've done!" Goku complained. He added a bit more oil to one palm, and his hands glided across Raditz' back and along his arms. The bandages were finally off, but the wounds still pained his brother, so he was careful not to use too much force. "You'll never get stronger if you don't let yourself heal and rest between training sessions like this one."

"Of course," Raditz muttered into his pillow. But he wasn't actually willing to move. The massages were worth holding still for. "You ever do this for Vegeta?"

"What? The massage?" Goku's hands smoothed over his lower back, dangerously close to his tail. "Don't worry, I won't get any oil on your tail. And no, I haven't. Do you really think he'd ever let me?"

"He would if he knew what he was missing," Raditz purred. "Vegeta's a hedonist when he isn't training."

"What's a hedonist?"

Raditz choked, both because of the question and because the massage had moved lower. "It doesn't matter, does it?"

"No, I suppose not." Goku sounded disappointed.

"Do you want to give him a massage?"

The hands stilled a moment, a startled "Huh?" coming from his brother. Then he began moving again, long slow strokes along Raditz' thighs. "Well, it might be interesting. I know it'd do him good, he's always way too tense. It'd be good for him to relax, really relax. But I don't think he'd let me. He'd kind of have to surrender, you know?"

Raditz did. He'd argued and argued, but hadn't been in any shape to fight his brother off. And after awhile, when his body hadn't the strength left to fight, he'd had no choice but to succumb to his brother's will. Which, he admitted now, was something he had wanted to do. Now, he willingly let Goku handle him as he wished. "I know. Feels good though. He doesn't know what he's missing."

"Are you going to tell him?" Goku was very nearly done, to Raditz' disappointment. "About what he's missing?"

Raditz thought about it. "I suppose I will eventually. I know he'd enjoy it."

Goku rose, putting away the oil he had used and wiping his hands. Raditz could hear him rattling around, and then the part he didn't like started. His long, spiky hair tangled badly when he was forced to stay in bed, and his brother insisted on brushing it out. Why he couldn't do it in the opposite order, Raditz didn't understand. His brother simply refused to listen to him about that. "You do realize that all the relaxing you just made me do flies right out the window when you hit a tangle, don't you?"

His brother just shrugged. "This is how Chi-Chi always did it for me. Massage, and then hair."

What was really annoying was that even in working out the tangles, his brother was gentle. It didn't hurt nearly as much as it could, if Goku were doing it the way…. He turned his mind from the past, returning instead to the complicated puzzle that was his brother. A new little twist, now. His wife was dead, and he didn't seem to be concerned, or even remotely sad. Yet, Raditz distinctly remembered how protective he was of his little family, and how easily riled he was when they were threatened.

Why wouldn't his brother be equally upset that his wife was dead? Of course, he'd been dead… Raditz frowned. Four times? Something like that. Maybe that was why. He'd been dead. For that matter, this wasn't the first time his wife had died, either. Perhaps he'd known exactly what would happen to her when she died, and that was why he wasn't upset. Miss her. All he'll do is miss her. How odd. I had expected more emotion from him.

And that was another thing. He winced as Goku found yet another tangle, grimacing when his brother apologized for hurting him. Emotion. Saiyans weren't exactly emotional, after all. Were they? He blinked in sudden surprise. Rage and pride. Fear was to be hidden. But those were the three he had lived with for most of his life. He couldn't remember being happy, or excited by anything other than a fight. He didn't know love, as his brother, and now his prince, knew it.

Emotion. He and the others had spent so many years suppressing everything except what was needed to fight and survive. He had done nothing but train or fight since he was a small child. He didn't remember his mother, and barely remembered his father. There had been a series of trainers, and he didn't remember most of them. He didn't remember affection.

He knew fear. He knew fear very well. He knew terror, too. He could remember few pleasures in his life, not like since he'd come here. Oh, good food, the occasional woman… or man. He hadn't been terribly picky about such things. He could remember the few times he'd felt content, and the even rarer times he'd been truly happy. Not until he'd been revived had he learned about any of the weaker emotions… or realized how strong they could be.

Goku finished with Raditz' hair, running his fingers through the thick strands. His brother had quit complaining about the tangles some time before, and still seemed to be rather thoughtful. His gaze strayed to the tail curled lazily on the bed.

Raditz came quite thoroughly back to himself at the first touch of the brush being pulled along his tail. His eyes widened, even as he went completely limp. This was something he had never experienced, and he definitely liked it. His chest rumbled, a deep purr emanating from him as his eyes closed, to stay half-lidded.

"Oh, good! You like that. I wasn't sure if there would be tangles or not."

His jaw was broken, his fingers. His ribs had been shattered. He lay on his back, each gasping breath he took a stabbing pain. Zarbon smiled down at him, reached for him. "Please me."

His tail wrapped around Goku's wrists, yanking the other Saiyan up onto the bed. Raditz' black eyes glittered, gleaming as he took in the startled look on his brother's face. He wasn't hurt so badly as his brother seemed to think. Goku's shirt ripped easily under Raditz' hands, his pants quickly following.

"Wh… What's going on?" Goku still seemed more confused than anything else, and giggled when Raditz traced his sides. "Hey, don't! I'm ticklish!" His naked body twisted and turned against Raditz, who growled, then pounced.

Goku twisted, trying to escape his brother, gasping for breath between gouts of laughter. This was much like what Vegeta had done, and became even more so when his brother went after his neck. He squealed, arcing himself against Raditz in an attempt to get his sensitive neck out of range. Raditz suddenly released his hands, and Goku's eyes widened when his brother's tail wrapped around his personal parts. "Ra.. Raditz?"

"Kakarot?" Husky, sensual, and right next to his ear. Raditz' tongue traced his ear, teeth nipped at the lobe. Goku shivered, unconsciously pulling his brother closer.

"Wha… what are… mmmm… what…" His thoughts were about as coherent as his question.

"I did warn you," Raditz purred. "Hush now." His lips covered Goku's, hands sliding along his brother's side and back. "Enjoy."

The tree shuddered, fell. Goku made quick work of the limbs, removing them from the trunk with sharp blows. The main trunk he threw back into the air, following it up. Several sharp blows and a few kicks later, he dropped to the ground. The tree shuddered, and began raining down in pieces. He did the same to the larger limbs, throwing the smaller ones into the brush pile.

He kept himself busy with his chores. Winter had come in with a vengeance, and the wood he prepared was needed to keep their little house warm. The stove was well-stocked, a pot of stew cooking on top of it. He'd already taken care of the trash, only a tiny amount of chi had been needed to burn it.

His brother had warned him, several times. He hadn't thought anything of it, his own tail produced no such responses as his brother's did. A fact that had become apparent during the evening, though that had done nothing to dampen his brother's ardor. Goku sighed, looking at the house. It was all his fault. All his. All.