Alive—that's a good thing, right?
*
"Geta..hey, Geta, wake up…wake up!"
Goku, or Kakarrot as he was called by the grumbling figure resting beside him, panted for air, his efforts exhausted. Vegeta cocked one angry eyebrow, his left eye popping open.
"What.Is.It!" Vegeta growled.
Seemingly indifferent to Vegeta's menacing tone, Goku beamed down into his scowling face.
"Look over there," Goku coaxed, his voice lowered to a whisper.
He pointed to a baby, almost a year old in age, who was balancing his hands on a tree, attempting to stand up. Vegeta testily brushed Goku's hands off of him, and pulled himself up to a sitting position. As soon as his hardened black eyes set upon the boy, the child tumbled to the ground, landing with a soft thump on his plump little rump.
Vegeta smirked, grunting his laughter. Goku frowned, shaking his head at Vegeta.
"Ah Geta, don't be so hard on him. He's just a baby. And you saw, he's almost there!"
Vegeta stood up with a huff. He stretched exaggeratedly, his compact muscles flexing golden in the cheery sunlight. Goku's frown deepened, as did Vegeta's smirk.
He walked towards the fallen boy, whose face was set in a scowl that mirrored his own. The toddler determinedly sought to regain his footing, but to no avail.
Goku watched with amusement as Vegeta scooped the child up by the back of his shirt collar. He walked back over toward Goku with the child dangling from his index finger, cooing and giggling, his limbs wiggling about.
Goku felt warmth surge through his chest at the sight. He kept his gaze on Vegeta as the man lowered the tyke down onto Goku's lap. The baby squealed happily, clutching onto his white undershirt. Goku poked his soft, chubby belly, producing more squeals from the excited baby. Again, Goku lifted his eyes to look at Vegeta.
"What do you keep staring at, Kakarrot!" Vegeta snapped, facing the opposite direction with his arms crossed.
Turning his attention back to the bubbling tot in his lap, Goku did not reply.
Expecting an answer, Vegeta peered over his shoulder , frowning at the goofy antics of Goku and his son. They were playing a game of patty-cake. Goku was very gentle with the boy, knowing that if he applied just a little more force his power could send the baby soaring.
"Kakarott," Vegeta mused, with a shake of his head, the closest he'd come to showing affection.
He turned to face the lively pair, wanting to be as carefree, but being too hard to do so. Instead, he sat against a nearby tree and continued to watch.
Goku looked over his shoulder.
"Come on Vegeta, join in! It's not like there's anything else better to do."
He was right about that. They were lone survivors of the androids destruction. They had not run into any other beings yet, so there was a possibility they weren't entirely alone, but Satan City was deserted. Strangely enough, not much physical damage was done to the city. All it took was a single zap, and the androids were able to take out almost everyone.
The only reason Goku and Vegeta were alive is because the androids thought they had died, but they were just unconscious. Baby Trunks was saved by his future self. He died saving himself, hiding the small bundle in an abandoned department store's crib. The androids were still out there somewhere, but the two Saiyans didn't know if they were still terrorizing Earth, or if they'd moved to conquer other planets.
Vegeta rolled his eyes and looked away. Sighing, Goku cradled the baby in the crook of an arm and stood up. Soon, he loomed over Vegeta, who stared back testily.
"Hold your son," Goku said firmly. "Really hold him. The way you handled him before, it was like you were picking up clothing instead of a living being!"
Goku gingerly laid the baby between Vegeta's outstretched legs. Immediately the baby crawled towards his father, arms outstretched.
"Looks like he wants you to pick him up," Goku piped eagerly.
"I can see that!" Vegeta snapped.
"Ooh, testy, testy," Goku teased, seating himself beside Vegeta.
Vegeta stiffly picked the boy up, raising him up over his head. He studied the child curiously.
"Geta, you have issues. Seriously," Goku sighed, shaking his head yet again. "You look at him as if you don't know where he came from."
Vegeta frowned, his eyes still gazing upon his son's.
When he spoke again, his voice was uncharacteristically soft.
"It's just that…he looks so much like me. His face, anyhow. And he looks up at me, with my face..except his face has love, whereas mine is hardened by the life I've led."
Goku looked over at Vegeta, a look of intense concentration on his face.
"Uh, what are you trying to say Vegeta?" he asked.
Vegeta sighed. "That it is not him I am trying to understand…it's me. I don't get me."
Trunks was now nestled onto his father's stomach, sleeping…like a baby.
_______
A new family, an old argument
*
Goku and Vegeta soon joined Trunks in peaceful slumber. Vegeta's head had slipped onto Goku's shoulder, followed by Goku's head resting on his. A small dribble of drool streamed from Trunks mouth onto his father's black tank top.
Save for a gentle breeze now and then, the city was quiet. Not eerily, but serenely. Some of the rubble had disappeared, and several buildings showed slight repair. Trunks hair glistened from lavender to gold, gold to lavender.
Capsule Corp arose from its rubbly ruins, slowly reconstructing, stopping when the infrastructure was complete. Trunks hair dimmed to lavender.
Vegeta stirred. His head felt heavy. Peering sideways, he noticed his head rested on Goku's, and that Goku's huge head of black spiky hair was in his face. Snarling, Vegeta snatched his head from under Goku, causing the saiyan to keel over onto Vegeta's lap, startling the baby, who began crying on cue.
"Shoot!" Vegeta grumbled. "This is all your doing, Kakarotten!"
"My fault!" Goku cried. "If you hadn't moved your vegetable head, I wouldn't have fallen in the first place!"
The baby howled louder at the sounds of their yelling.
"Shut up brat!" Vegeta bellowed.
Trunks howled.
"Don't tell him to shut up, ya bully!"
"He's my brat, I can say to him whatever I please!"
"Not if you want him to stop crying you can't!"
Goku picked Trunks up and rocked him back and forth in his arms. He began singing softly, his voice a light and pleasant tenor.
Vegeta stared.
"Kakarrot…you sing?"
His question went unanswered, as the other saiyan continued to sing and coo at the baby, who was now sniffling, his head nestled against Goku's chest.
Once the baby had quieted down completely, Goku frowned at Vegeta.
"You should be ashamed of yourself! We are a family now, Vegeta. All we've got. Got it?"
Vegeta was taken aback by Goku's uncharacteristic bad-temper, but he quickly regained his proud footing.
"Family?" he huffed. "I suppose now you want me to call you dear and say things like honey I'm home when I come home from a hard day's work. Ah yes, but that won't happen because there is no work to be done. There is nothing at all but a pissed off saiyan prince and another saiyan with the mental capacity of the baby he is now holding!"
Goku fumed. Gingerly wrapping the baby into his blankie, he laid Trunks down on the grass. Standing up, he towered over Vegeta, who stood up defensively.
"This dimwitted saiyan has been taking care of your son, taking care of all of us, keeping us from falling apart of depression! If Trunks and I weren't alive with you, I doubt you'd be all haughty and full of trash talk like you are now. What a joke!"
Vegeta clenched his teeth and fists, refraining from striking out at Goku because he did not want to awaken "the brat" again.
"Go ahead, get angry," Goku snapped. "I don't care anymore! I'm tired of your insults and I'm tired of your stupid pride. Stop being a saiyan 24-7 and for once learn how to be a man! Feel!"
Goku stopped to catch his breath. His panting was ragged, skin flushed maroon.
"Ka..Kakarrot?" Vegeta sputtered, eyeing the other warily.
Goku clutched at his chest, which rose and fell rapidly with each desperate inhalation. He fell to the ground, twitching violently. Vegeta flung himself on top of Goku, rooting the spurs of his boot into the ground to prevent from being tossed aside. He shook Goku hard.
"Snap out of it Kakarrot! You can beat this, I know you can! You are a Saiyan! Fight it!"
Goku fainted.
________
From death springs life
*
Vegeta pushed his hands up and down on Goku's chest, but the other saiyan remained still. Emitting a frustrated growl, Vegeta began pounding upon it, causing the muscles to flex and ripple. Goku regained consciousness with a sickly cough.
Grabbing the front of Goku's undershirt, Vegeta pulled the saiyan's face to his.
"Don't you ever do that to me again, Kakarrot! Understand!"
Goku smiled weakly. It warmed his literally aching heart to know the underlying concern in Vegeta's voice and facial expression. He raised a hand to Vegeta's face, resting on a cheek.
"I won't leave you, Vegeta. Not if I can help it," he whispered.
Vegeta's eyes widened, his scowl softening. Momentarily he appeared on the verge of tears, but he slapped Goku's hand from his face.
"Enough of this sentiment. You seem fine now. Can you get up?"
Vegeta rose up from off Goku's chest, as if to demonstrate.
Goku was able to prop himself up on his elbows. He dragged himself back against the tree, where Trunks slept obliviously in the shade.
He felt his passing would come soon, but he didn't want to let Vegeta down. His chest felt riddled with needles, but he controlled his breathing to appear "fine."
Vegeta studied his companion. "Well?"
"I'm fine, Geta," Goku breathed.
He couldn't hold it in any longer. The needles that he felt in his chest seemed to be rising upwards. A moan emerged from his mouth, deep and grievous, his pain vocalized.
Vegeta walked briskly over to Goku, grabbing his shoulders.
"Come on, Kakarrot! Not again! You've got this far, don't go now! Don't go!"
Vegeta's face scrunched up as if he was going to be on the verge of tears again. He tried to speak again, but his voice choked.
Goku weakly ran his hands over the tracks of Vegeta's tears. For the first time, Vegeta did not brush him off. He cried silently, his teeth clenched with fury over his powerlessness in the situation.
"Don't…go…Kakarrot," Vegeta managed to choke out. "You said we are a family, and now you are going to abandon me? Us?"
Vegeta pointed to the baby, who had begun to stir.
"I'm sorry, Vegeta. This is one battle I cannot win. But don't worry. We shall meet again. I promise you."
"What? That sounded like a dying man's last words to me! Where do you think you're going, Kakarrot! Huh? Answer me!"
Vegeta shook Goku desperately. Goku went into a coughing fit. Vegeta stopped shaking him, but kept his firm hold on the man's shoulders.
"I never wanted to give you this honour before, because you had always been so prideful and selfish…but, I must say, Vegeta, that something in you has changed. I can see it in your eyes, hear it in your voice, as you fight to keep me alive. You truly are my prince…"
Goku and Vegeta stared at each other long and hard. For the first time it wasn't confrontational, but respectful. A bond that ran deeper than their friendships, even deeper than their marriages.
Vegeta then held the lifeless body of Son Goku in his arms, his head bowed. Trunks gazed up at the sky, cooing and giggling.
Vegeta barely re-opened his eyes before the body of Goku evaporated. He lifted his gaze up to the sky.
"Your death will not be in vain, Kakarrott. Son Goku."
Vegeta tenderly lifted Trunks in his arms.
"Da! Da!" Trunks squealed.
Baby Trunks was sleeping again. Vegeta trained nearby, his power tremendously increased by grief. Piles of toothpicks that had once been trees littered the area, and the grass had become blackened hay. He was relentless in his furor; occasionally sending ki blasts upwards, as if to destroy the very heavens that took Kakarrot from him.
He was going to find the androids, and when he found them, he was going to school them. Teach them not to take what is his. They were going to be a family. Kakkarot and "the brat" was all he had left. That, and the rage within him. The remainder of his pride left him after Goku had given him a speech. The first two fatal blows to his pride was when Bulma died, and then when Android 18 smacked him down to the ground, and he lay prone on the ground like a helpless child. He was spared watching Bulma killed, which saved him from going completely over the edge; but then, Kakarrot was still alive, and still the optimist.
Kakarrot is gone, and Vegeta wasn't an optimist. Life sucks, it isn't grand, it's not a wonderful world—these are the thoughts that ran through Vegeta's mind now, that ran through his mind whenever bad things happened to him, or those he cared for. He was tired of the hurt, and there was only one way he knew of alleviating the pain—if only temporarily. Fight.
With regards to the androids, Vegeta was going to do more than just fight them. They needed to be destroyed. As far as he was concerned, they killed Kakarrot. They weren't going to take his son, too. It would have to be over his dead body.
He trained and trained and trained. Night fell, and then dissolved, as the sun rose from the horizon. Vegeta slumped to the ground on his knees, emitting a low moan before falling the rest of the way down. The sound awakened his son, who whimpered as he looked around, trying to sense where his father was. He scrambled to his hands and knees and crawled over to where Vegeta lay, grasping at the midnight spikes of his tall mane.
Vegeta moaned, his eyes fluttering open.
"Da-da! Da-da!" Trunks whimpered.
Vegeta gritted his teeth. A rare sensation gripped his chest as he stared into his son's big, round eyes. He slowly propped himself up on one arm; the other, he used to pat the boy on the head. Trunks giggled. The corners of Vegeta's lips twitched as an unfamiliar smile softened his face. He picked the boy up, holding him high in front of him.
"You are my son, and therefore destined for great things. There is a possibility that I may be leaving you soon, but I want you to be strong, for you will be the last saiyan."
He lowered Trunks down into his lap, and the baby snuggled in. Smiling again, Vegeta ran his fingers through his son's hair. The smile faded as he remembered his plan, and he looked out ahead of him.
They were back in Capsule Corp. Vegeta had bundled Trunks up to get food and other necessities from the convenience store, which was now conveniently open due to the owners being blasted. As they walked into town, Vegeta noticed that some structures had been repaired. He hadn't seen any other beings since the final android attack, so Vegeta wondered who could be behind it.
On a whim, Vegeta walked to Capsule Corp to see if it had been reconstructed as well, and it had been. The outside was completely repaired; the design, different but impressive. Trunks wiggled excitedly in Vegeta's arms at the sight.
"Think of it as an early birthday present," Vegeta said with a smirk.
Trunks' first birthday was tomorrow.
Before they could enter their home, Vegeta sensed an awful presence. He stiffened.
"Home sweet home," Android 17 jeered.
"You animals," Vegeta seethed, turning rapidly around to face the androids.
"Awe, look at the cute lil' baby!" Android 18 cooed. "Can I hold him?"
"I want my son left out of this!" Vegeta roared.
"Out of what, Vegeta?" 17 asked with feigned innocence. "Why do you always assume the worst of us? We just wanted to give you a proper housewarming, that's all!"
"Cut the crap," Vegeta snarled. "I know why you're here. To finish what you started. Well, I'm game. But first let me take my son to a safe place."
"What would be the point of that?" 17 asked. "There's no one around to take care of him. And aren't you afraid we'll dispose of him after we destroy you?
17 laughed wickedly.
"Oh, I know!" 18 cried gleefully. "I could be his new mommy! And 17, you can be the daddy! Or uncle, since you're my brother and all."
17 immediately ceased laughing.
"What are you talking about, I don't want to raise that brat!" 17 snapped.
"And you're not going to," Vegeta said quietly, "because I'm not going anywhere. But you two are—TO THE NEXT DIMENSION!"
17's lips curled into a malicious half-grin.
"Challenge? I accept," he said.
"I'll keep an eye on the baby," 18 piped.
"You will not!" Vegeta bellowed. "Who programmed your brain? I think it needs to be scanned for viruses!"
"Why you…" 18 sputtered. " That's it! You want your child to grow up without a mother that is fine with me. I'm through playing nice."
She positioned herself in a fighting stance, nodding her head at 17, who mimicked her pose.
Vegeta gritted his teeth.
"I don't want to fight with my son around. Let me put him inside the house, and then we can go search for a more suitable battleground."
"Oh, fine!" 18 snapped.
Vegeta turned around. He lowered his head and stared into his son's eyes. Trunks giggled happily, oblivious to the danger he was in. Such childlike innocence, the innocence of his own offspring, his likeness, tore at Vegeta's heartstrings. He swallowed back his urge to cry out, and spoke softly to the baby.
"I thought long and hard of what words of wisdom I should tell you, in the event that I was to be taken from you. I remembered things my father once told me, even thought of things Kakarrot had said. I even considered telling you everything about my life, and why I am the way I am; but all of those speeches, all of my experiences, seem meaningless right now. You are too young to understand the ways of this world, so I shall leave you with three words that even the simplest creatures can understand. I love you. I love you, my son."
"Da-da, da-da!" Trunks squealed, reaching his stubby arms upward.
Vegeta accepted, pulling his son to him in a firm, loving embrace. A single tear slid down each of his eyes. He didn't bother to hold anything back now. Nothing mattered now. He was going to be taken from his son, his last tie to love, his last hope in the world. His only consolation was that he would soon be joining the few other people he cared about in the afterlife.
Trunks gurgled into his father's chest, drooling blissfully onto the black spandex shirt. Vegeta raised his head, preparing to walk into Capsule Corp, and lay his son down, assuming that the interior of the house was also repaired. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered how the building was reconstructed, and by whom.
Before his outreached foot touched the ground to walk, two ki blasts shot into his back. Trunks slipped from his arms, narrowly avoiding the blasts. Vegeta slipped to the ground, almost gracefully, and in seeming slow motion. He landed softly, face turned to the side, his arms outstreched. Trunks landed on his father's hair; its thick texture cushioned his fall.
"Da-da! Da-da!" Trunks whimpered, pressing his face onto Vegeta's. "Da-da?"
"Awe, it almost makes me want to cry," 18 whispered. "Almost."
18 and 17 cackled.
A gale whipped past the androids, pushing their hair upwards.
"What was that?!" 18 yelled.
"I don't know!" 17 snapped, looking around wildly.
Trunks hair glistened with gold highlights. Creaking sounds were heard as more buildings began to resurrect. 17 and 18 stared around them in disbelief. They turned to gaze at the baby, who was still touching his father's face with his small, stout fingers.
Figuring his father was asleep, Trunks sadly crawled off his father's head. Steadying himself by placing his hands on Vegeta's back, Trunks slowly rose up on wobbly legs. Slowly, but surely he released his hands from his father's back, and began stepping. He wavered from side to side, his face scowling with determination.
The city was up again, although the physical appearance was different than before. There was a sparkle to everything, and all was spotless, no trace of destruction anywhere.
And baby Trunks was walking. Walking as his father lay in dark red blood, a hole in his back. Walking towards the androids. His hair now fully golden, the short, fine strands sticking up in every direction. When he stood right before them, he stopped to steady himself, his legs suddenly becoming shaky again. The scowl faded from his face, and he howled. Trunks cried…like a baby. He was hungry, tired, and wanting affection all at the same time, but daddy was "sleeping." All he had were these two in front of him, and he had a bad feeling about them. So he cried, but it went beyond the normal shrill of the human child; his cry was the earth-shaking cry of a super saiyan. A super saiyan whose diaper needed to be changed.
17 and 18 looked at each other, looked at the crying baby, then looked at each other again. Two ki blasts from behind them ended their confusion. Permanently.
Trunks' crying softened, becoming light whimpers as he stared up at the new figure before him. His hair dropped down, returning to lavender. His pouting lips trembled with joy, for he recognized the new figure standing before him.
"Go-go!" Trunks cried.
"Trunks," the young man choked, his eyes welling with tears.
He ran to the baby, picking him up and embracing him excitedly.
The two Saiyans, Gohan and Trunks, embraced each other. Gohan powered down from his SSJ3 level.
Death was before them, in the form of the androids, and the fallen prince Vegeta, but a rebirth had also occurred. The city was back, and the small, but promising group of people that stood off in the distance watching Gohan and Trunks' reunion, was proof that good had triumphed again. Gohan waved the group over, and they all gathered around, cooing at the baby, solemnly observing the dead bodies, and planning what to do next.