A/N: Rated M for future chapters. There will be some harsh language, violence and sexual content. For now, enjoy the fic! :)

"K-Kakarot… nghhuuh!"

Vegeta awoke with a start, his eyes darting from one corner of the room to the other, until they finally looked forward and rested. The Saiyan then let out a sigh of relief, and relaxed his shoulders against his pillow.

"Just a dream." He let out a rough whisper. It seemed to echo in the ominous silence of the room, stirring awake the shadows and causing them to dance in the pale, contrasting moonlight.

The teal-haired woman who used to lay next to him would have probably shifted between the sheets at the noise, curling her slender body into a quiet ball and would perhaps utter her disapproval at the interruption. Vegeta now found himself looking down at the empty spot on the bed, and he cursed under his breath.

Bulma had left him so suddenly, almost as if it had all been a big joke. Only, it wasn't very funny, and it left him all alone in his big, empty house missing his family immensely.

Vegeta returned his gaze to the wall, as if the interesting patterns on the wallpaper could somehow preoccupy the thoughts that began to flood his brain. It was no use, however. No matter how hard Vegeta tried, he couldn't seem to shake the daunting memories that corrupted his mind.

And now this… dream.

"That dream… why did I have it again?" A shiver ran down Vegeta's spine as he recollected it. For this had not been the first night that he had suffered the same dream, and his only wish now was to rid himself of its curse.

He decided to get up and leave the house. The Saiyan needed to think, but more importantly, he needed to see someone. The only person he knew who could help him with the terrifying nightmare. To be honest, this one man was the only person alive whom Vegeta could fully trust. Even with his own life.

"Kakarot..."

Vegeta gingerly removed the blankets from himself, and slid off the bed over the space where Bulma used to fill.

Damn this vacant void of a house. Vegeta thought to himself, as he trudged through the hallway, peeking into the bedrooms where his two children used to rest. Their empty beds and barren rooms mocked him with the sickening reality. He cringed at the scene replaying in his mind. Bulma's shouting, Trunks' solemn gaze, and Bra's tears. Then, the sound of a door slamming, and with that, his family had gone.

Vegeta used to look at himself as tough, no nonsense, an elite warrior. Someone who would not hesitate to kill any weakling who stood in his path. All he cared about was immortality, power and unlimited strength. It was only until he settled down on Earth, that he knew he needed to protect his family with all his might. He'd risk losing them otherwise.

He remembered the night he realized all of this, through his rival, Kakarot. Kakarot had shown him what was at stake, and had slowly taught him to leave the past behind and embrace a bright future. One without violence, greed or hatred. Without even trying, Kakarot tore down Vegeta's stone-cold walls, and broke through to heart of gold within. And life had appeared to finally be falling into place for Vegeta.

But now it was all gone. He didn't have a single soul left to comfort him, except for Kakarot possibly, and yet it almost felt good. He could go back to being that cruel, heartless Vegeta, the very same Saiyan who used to devastate nations and destroy lives. Back to the way his life was before all of this. Before Bulma and their children. Before… Kakarot.

Vegeta shivered again as his feet touched the chilled rocks that were scattered in the driveway. He didn't need shoes, he was a strong Saiyan Prince, after all. He looked up at the sky, as the crisp air blew right through his body. His heart pumped vigorously at the thought of his rival, who he was still afraid of calling a true friend, at least out loud.

But Kakarot was not afraid of that. He was never afraid, not of death, suffering, or the end of the world. He took everything in stride, and somehow all of life's problems evaporated around him. His ambition and burning spirit ripped and slashed through even the toughest of enemies. Including Vegeta.

Vegeta took off towards the forest, his legs on fire. Damn you, Kakarot, always having to be one step ahead, always getting what you need, always being everyone's hero. His face soon became numb from the wind, but his body still burned with envy, along with another emotion that startled him.

Desire.

Kakarot had more power than anyone Vegeta had ever seen, and still, he never abused it. Instead, he focused on bonding with others, forming relationships. He was never selfish. He never fought to kill, only to hone his abilities. Vegeta always used to think he was naïve, but now he almost... admired his Saiyan rival because of it. He almost loved him because of it…

No. Vegeta shook off the pestering feelings as soon as they crept into his consciousness. I am not weak. I will never admit to such pathetic affections towards someone whom I've always strived to defeat.

But with the thought of love came the memory of his ex-wife. Vegeta knew that he never really loved Bulma as much as everyone was led on to believe. He did become attached to her, but it was never true love exactly. More of a companionship. The only one who noticed this had been Kakarot, much to Vegeta's dismay, and when questions arose, he turned them away angrily. Kakarot could never know the truth that had burrowed itself deep within Vegeta's heart.

And now that Bulma had left his life, Vegeta could make one of two important choices.

He could lead a path of merciless destruction, go back to the man he used to be, harden his shell once again and rebuild the stone walls from the crumbled debris that Kakarot had created. He could go back to killing, because killing was what he was best at.

Or he could find Kakarot, and tell him everything. Every single, solitary feeling that bubbled up inside of him and caused him to soften up in the first place. He could finally tell him about the true reason he'd even started to love.

Vegeta stopped in his tracks and gasped for air. There was no way he could ruin Kakarot's life with his ridiculous actions. If he followed through with it, he'd surely hurt Kakarot, and ruin any sort of relationship that could still be lingering between them. He'd hurt Kakarot's family, he'd hurt himself. He had become weak because of this, and he could not stand for it any longer.

Vegeta's head began to throb, and the weight of his guilt and melancholy crushed him. He collapsed to his knees and hunched over, wanting to disappear. After a few minutes in that lowly state, he began to grow wearier and wearier, and his surroundings abruptly faded to black.

Then, the dream came back. All at once, in a blinding blur of events, Vegeta's mind twisted and cracked under the pressure. He could feel his limbs losing sensation, and there was nothing he could do to relieve himself of the frightening paralysis

"No, no, no! Not again!" Vegeta felt himself clutch his head and shake violently. It all came back to him, as much as he'd hoped to repress it.

In his mind, he pictured a wasteland, ravaged by the relentless fury of two opponents. Kakarot was facing off against a nameless adversary. A powerful one at that. Vegeta watched helplessly, immersed in air that seemed thicker than smog. He became a slow motion figure trying to run towards his friend in a feeble attempt at saving him from himself.

"Kakarot! Stop! You don't know what you're up against!" Vegeta shouted, but his voice was warped by the invisible barrier that kept him from the battlefield.

Kakarot couldn't hear the plea, or he was choosing not to. Vegeta could barely take it. He'd watched his rival fall too many times in this exact scenario, and now it was happening all over again. Once again, it was too late to save him.

"Gaah!" Kakarot's scream pierced the sky like lightning as the enemy's attack blasted through his chest in one solid beam of energy. Then, all went silent, and Kakarot slumped forward to the ground.

"K-Kakarot…" Vegeta's eyes widened in panic as he looked at the lifeless body in front of him.

Then, he awoke, ending the nightmare.

"Vegeta? Are you all right?" A figure stood above him, waving his one hand around. Realization struck Vegeta. Had he passed out?

"Ughh… where am I? What happened?" Vegeta rubbed his eyes, sat upright and focused his vision. Sure enough, the person standing close to him was whom he'd anticipated. Kakarot. Suddenly, Vegeta's mouth went dry, and his heart quickened at the touch of a calloused hand against his shoulder. "Kakarot? What are you doing out here?"

The tall Saiyan's face twisted into a playful grin, and he started to chuckle. "I was about to ask you the same thing, Vegeta."

Vegeta flinched at the sound of his laughter. After that horrifying nightmare being relived for the twentieth time, it was hard for the Saiyan Prince to feel anything other than alarm and fear. How could Kakarot be so effortlessly cheerful?

"So, what are you doing anyways? I saw you passed out in the middle of the woods here, and I was a little worried for a while, haha." So he had been unconscious. Kakarot held an outstretch hand to aid his friend, and he took it with slight hesitation.

For a split second, Vegeta considered pushing past his rival and fleeing in another direction. To go somewhere far, far away from the inevitability of him pouring out his feelings for all to hear. But he faltered, his legs were frozen in place, his feet encased in imaginary concrete.

"None of your business." He lied, desperately trying to avoid bringing up anything about his loneliness, his desires or his dream. As some sort of emotional protection, he raised his arms and crossed them.

Kakarot looked disappointed, like he was expecting detail, but he quickly changed his attitude and smiled again. For some reason, Vegeta couldn't stop staring at his rival's lips and the way they curved upwards. A smile. A facial expression that Vegeta couldn't even seem to muster at times without forcing himself.

Kakarot swung one arm around the shorter Saiyan, causing him to slump over in embarrassment. "C'mon Veg. What's on your mind? A strong fighter like you wouldn't just come outside in the middle of the night to take a nap." He continued in a sly voice.

Vegeta pulled away at the unexpected display of affection and from sheer annoyance at the ridiculous nickname. "Don't call me that, Kakarot." He spat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving. I need to go train." Vegeta closed his eyes as he turned to walk away, but abruptly stopped and opened them when he heard his rival's voice pipe up once more.

"Why don't we train together? I could use the practice."

A/N: Oh good God, I finally did it. I pulled myself together and finished the first chapter. Yeah, it's not great, but it's my first time writing for DBZ, as I'm pretty new to the fandom. But I just can't deny that Vegeta and Goku(Kakarot) love! Oh, and for everyone who doesn't know who "Bra" is, it's Vegeta's daughter apparently. I decided to add her in seeing as this is post-canon and all. So with Bulma out of the picture, how will this epic story continue? T-T... I dunno yet, need more coffee first….