Vegeta stared down at his hands and turned them over a few times. He didn't feel that different. In fact, he felt a lot like the last time he had died. Except this time there was no going back.

Dementia was what had got him in the end. Now that he could think clearly, he was somewhat ashamed of this. But if he had died in battle, he would have just been wished back again, so he had to accept it to be as fitting an end as any.

He was the only person with a solid body that he could see in the extensive line. To his surprise, this distance was much further and clearer than when he had died. He felt as he wished to, which was late thirties: the prime of a Saiyan. Perhaps he would make it upstairs this time?

It was impossible to estimate the passage of time here. All he knew was that he had been standing patiently in line for far too long. You'd think with all eternity to figure things out; the system would be better organised.

Vegeta was bored so far out of his brains that it was almost a relief when someone he knew showed up. Of course it was just the moron, who else in their right mind would come visit him? He had outlived his wife and children, but they wouldn't have the ability to run about the extensive afterlife as they pleased.

"I thought it was your Ki I sensed! How are you, Vegeta?" Kakarrot grinned and scratched the back of his head. He wasn't technically dead, and his lack of halo was conspicuous. He was more of a minor god, or patron saint of living with brain damage. Something like that…

Vegeta sniffed. "Pretty well dead. And you?" He felt a twinge when he saw Kakarrot had his tail back. He wondered if his would grow back in time, too.

"Hmm? Oh, not much has been going on lately. I visit my family sometimes, and I've been training to protect the universe of course, but not much in the way of excitement."

"At least you're not stuck waiting in line. If I'm going to hell again, I'd rather just get it over and done with!" he exclaimed. What little patience he had was already wearing thin.

"What? No, actually I asked if you could be like me. As long as you defend the universe when needed, they'll agree. I thought you'd get bored in heaven, and hell is pretty horrible." He laughed briefly before continuing. "Well, Piccolo likes it better over there. But he's the strongest person there at the moment, so it's no fun anyway."

Not for the first time in his life, Vegeta was taken aback by the kindness Goku showed him, especially since he didn't exactly reciprocate. "Thanks Kakarrot, I guess," he replied grudgingly, wondering what kind of favours he had had to call in.

A look of surprise briefly crossed his face before he smiled and nodded. "Hey look, we're nearly there!" he pointed out. One of the guide demons was sidling along the edge of the line, apparently trying to get to them.

"There you are Goku! Lord Enma said he wants to, uh, 'get this Vegeta thing over and done with.' So it would be best if you would follow me," he called as he got closer, clutching his clipboard.

"Ok!" Goku answered, grabbing Vegeta's forearm as they sidled through and around the crowd of souls. He didn't exactly approve of this manhandling, but anything that meant getting out of here faster was fine by him right now.

"Next!" Enma boomed. He looked slightly ticked off, as usual.

"Hi!" Goku called up casually as they entered.

The giant squinted down at them and sighed. "You Saiyans again? Just sign the contract and get out of my way," he grumbled, causing a few sheets of gigantic paper and a pen taller than Vegeta to drop to the floor in front of them. "Next!"

Vegeta flew into the air so that the extremely large print could be read more easily. It was short and to the point. Don't cause trouble, defend any quadrant of the universe as required and don't ally with anyone from the dark universe. He took a manageable pen from their guide's clipboard and wrote his name on the line, which was comically small.

As he did this, he felt something within him shift slightly. He felt alive again and ready for battle. All of his old injuries had been healed, including the scars that Frieza et al had left to him. But more importantly, his tail had grown back of its own accord. He ripped the spandex a little to allow it to move around freely. But he could feel it was relatively weak and untrained, so he kept it wrapped around his waist for now.

"Now what?" he asked of Kakarrot, since no one else seemed to care about them anymore.

"Um… What do you wanna do? We can go to heaven and see everyone, or hell to fight old enemies. I met some Saiyans down there, too. Or we could go exploring. I know a few places we can go to spar."

The amount of suggestions made Vegeta realise how great a favour Kakarrot had given him. They were pretty well free to do whatever they wanted until duty called. Yet, he didn't particularly feel like facing anyone yet, neither friend nor foe.

"I know Bulma will try to kill me again if she finds out I chose this over her, but I haven't fought in so long…"

Goku grinned at that. "I won't tell if you don't. Here, there's this place that looks kind of like planet Vegeta. Dad wanders around there sometimes, so we should be able to instant transmission," he said, holding out his arm and bringing his other hand to his forehead.

"We're going to hell?" he asked, placing his hand on the oaf's proffered forearm.

"Sort of, this is more on the outskirts. I think it's actually a part of limbo. He died unconventionally, so no one really knows what to do with him. Something about dying before he was born, even though that kind of time travel is supposed to be impossible when mortal," Goku said, before the scenery suddenly changed to rocky desert land.

"Kakarrot?" an unfamiliar voice asked. However, the accent was unmistakeably that of a low-class Saiyan.

"Just me again… sorry to bother you," he replied, heading in another direction.

Bardock nodded and looked at Vegeta. He frowned and looked away. He tugged on the red bandanna held in his hands as if contemplating something. Eventually he seemed to decide on this something and walked in the opposite direction to them, tail flicking around almost lazily. They heard him mutter, "How did I die?" before they were out of earshot.

"Ok, this should be far enough," Goku eventually said. Vegeta could tell he was more preoccupied by his father's Ki than what was in front of him.

"No abusing my tail," he reminded, wrapping it around himself more firmly. He powered up slowly, getting used to the exhilarating sensation again.

"As long as you don't touch mine! I know you said it can be trained, but I don't know about that…" Goku replied, patiently waiting for Vegeta. He wasn't going to power up at all himself. It would only be a matter of time before they could face each other again properly, and he knew that right now Vegeta still had the mindset of a relatively frail old man.

"I'll show you later," he grunted as he finally changed into the first stage of Super Saiyan. He experimentally threw a ball of Ki at the other man, which hit him squarely in the chest.

Goku put his hands behind his head and laughed it off. "Let me know when you're ready to get serious."

"Shut up, Kakarrot," came the predictable response. The dolt's strength was more terrifying than usual. "At least my aim isn't off."

"How's your hand to hand?" he asked, and phased in front of the other Saiyan. He put in a single punch, which was easily blocked, but the retaliation seemed extremely slow to him.

They persisted like this until they were both sweaty and hungry enough to stop. Vegeta had improved rapidly until he had achieved some semblance of his old self, but Goku was far beyond that level now. While Vegeta had been growing old and dying, Goku had been training non-stop.

"Do you want to take a bath? There's not much to eat in Otherworld other than a weird kind of rice, but there's plenty of it if you know where to look," Goku asked as he walked up to Vegeta, who was sitting on the ground and trying to recover his breath.

"Yes, a bath. How do I sweat when I haven't had anything to drink for the past however long?"

Goku shrugged. "It's easy to make whatever you want here. Maybe you expect to be sweating, so you are? Anyway, there's a bath house just over there. I think my dad may have thought it up. Maybe he thought up this whole place!"

They flew over slowly and landed beside a couple of stools and a few shower heads. There was a hot spring hidden in a rock formation. Vegeta began to question the plumbing, but eventually decided to just leave it. The place made about as much sense as anything else around here.

Goku grabbed the wooden tub that was sitting near the taps and shower heads. He stripped down and put his clothes into it. "Here, we can wash our clothes as well," he said, plonking it down next to Vegeta before turning to take down one of the shower heads to fill the tub with water.

Given his own history, Vegeta was a little more hesitant about displays of nudity, especially around those he knew to be his superior in strength. It felt like he was revealing a weakness. But this was Kakarrot, mostly harmless and completely oblivious. He faced away from him as he changed and threw his spandex and gloves over his shoulder.

He heard Kakarrot retrieve it without complaint. The full tub was pushed to the side and Goku sat down next to him before spraying the freezing water over both of them. Vegeta shivered and distinctly felt the hair on the back of his neck and tail stand on end.

Goku sighed, pleased by the reprieve. "Isn't that better? I'm still acclimatised to Earth so I always feel the heat here."

"So am I, but that is freaking freezing!" he complained and turned away more. He didn't want to be looked at right now.

"Well, there's another one over there, you can make it a temperature you're happy with," he said and moved away so that his water wouldn't splash all over the uncomfortable prince.

They both decided to pass on the hot spring and their hunger had, surprisingly, dissipated. Goku yawned loudly and put his underwear back on. Their underpants were the only pieces of clothing that had dried completely.

"No, I don't know why I still have the urge to sleep, either," he put in before Vegeta could comment. "There's a safe place I like to stay, I've managed to make a house and everything. It's still in limbo, I think, but it's a bit closer to heaven than this place."

Vegeta nodded. He still felt extremely exposed, but his paranoia was abating a little since Kakarrot hadn't done anything so far. He picked up their damp clothes and held them in front of him like a shield before placing his hand on Kakarrot's arm again.

They were inside a tiny Earth-style house that consisted of a bedroom, toilet and basic kitchen area. "Here, I'll hang the clothes around the place so they'll dry properly. There's another sheet in there somewhere. The futon is probably already out," he babbled on, taking the clothes.

Vegeta slid the indicated door open to reveal a small room, most of which was taken up by a futon. He pulled apart the nest of bedclothes until he had separated the two sheets. Goku sat down beside him and laughed sheepishly. "I never really get around to cleaning anything up," he admitted.

"I can see that," Vegeta replied, wrapping himself up in a sheet. He instantly felt better for having done so.

"What's wrong?" he asked, leaning in as if to inspect him more closely. "What are you so uncomfortable about?"

Vegeta leaned back instinctively. "I just have problems, alright? You're stronger than me, I'm practically naked… this kind of situation never exactly has a rosy finish, in my experience."

"I guess I can sorta see why you kept insisting I kill people back then." Goku replied, looking concerned. "But you know I'd never do anything like that." He absent-mindedly scratched the base of Vegeta's tail, which earned him a whack on the back of the offending hand.

Vegeta cleared his throat. "Just don't…"

"Did you just… purr?" Goku asked in astonishment. It seemed his instincts had led him to console Vegeta. He vaguely remembered doing something similar to Gohan when he was small.

"No," he vehemently denied. But it was useless.

"Ok, ok, I'll leave you in peace. Sleep well," he said, shuffling over to one side of the futon and curling up on his side. A giggle escaped his frame a moment later and Vegeta punched him in the floating ribs.

"Shut up, that was a perfectly normal response… not that you'd know."

Vegeta groaned as he woke. He was hurting from yesterday, but it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. It wasn't as though he'd been injured; his body was just unused to working so hard. It had been years since he'd done anything like that.

He turned to see Kakarrot lying on his stomach. He was spread out, but was also consciously giving him room, so most of his limbs were on the floor. Except his tail, Vegeta noted with sudden clarity that their tails were loosely wrapped around each other. He felt his face heat up as he slid away. He would have yelled at him for being inappropriate, but even if he had done it consciously, the fool probably didn't realise what it implied.

At Vegeta's movement, Goku's Ki rose a little as he woke up. "Hey, you hungry?"

Somehow Vegeta was not surprised that these were the first words out of his mouth. "Yeah I guess," he replied and rubbed his quads. Goku rolled over and stood up, scratching his butt as he exited the room.

Vegeta shook his head and wondered if Goku knew what embarrassment felt like. He was back a moment later, fully dressed. He tossed Vegeta's clothes into the room before shutting the door. Clanging could be heard from the small kitchen area.

Vegeta pulled on the spandex, gloves and boots before performing some light stretches in an attempt to loosen up a bit. By the time he was done, a steaming pot of something rice-like was sitting on the tiny table in the corner of the room. Goku set out bowls and chopsticks before indicating he should sit.

"Are you ok? You look kind of sore," he asked, piling the rice into his bowl before pushing the pot towards Vegeta, who winced as he sat.

"I'll live… rather, I'll be fine," he replied, watching the food vanish. Truthfully he didn't feel particularly hungry, but he'd been trained to eat when he could and that eating usually solved problems.

"Well, mmf…" He attempted to speak and inhale food at the same time. He swallowed before continuing, "Do you wanna go see family today? They don't have their bodies, so they act a little different, but they're always happy to see me…" Goku got out before resuming wolfing down his breakfast.

"I suppose… I don't feel like an old man anymore. It might not feel strange to see them," he answered, soon finishing off his own portion.

"Well, let's go then!" Goku replied enthusiastically, bringing his hand to his head.

"I see… that's why this place is a sty," Vegeta answered, reaching for the oaf's arm nonetheless.

Goku giggled and the scenery changed yet again.

Their surroundings were made up of an odd combination of cherry blossom trees and bright white and fluffy clouds. There were small pricks of light floating about everywhere. One in front of him shimmered and became hazy before a translucent image of Bulma appeared. She looked a lot younger than when she had died.

"Vegeta!" she exclaimed delightedly as Trunks and Bra appeared, along with Kakarrot's family. They floated strangely around him, but it was physically impossible for them to hug or display any other type of greeting Vegeta had privately hoped for. He guessed this was what Kakarrot had been referring to when he said they acted differently. They didn't have hormones or other physical ailments to contend with.

He nodded; still glad to be able to communicate with the few people he loved. They chatted about things he found to be inane, and he again felt a rush of gratitude towards Kakarrot. He was right; a life in heaven would be incredibly boring, especially if you still had a body.

Eventually they parted ways, agreeing to visit again sometime. He was glad to see Bulma had finally found peace, but their relationship had changed. They were no longer alike enough to want the same things. He felt only familial love for Bulma, and she obviously felt the same.

When they returned, Goku absently stared into the distance for a while. Just as Vegeta was beginning to get concerned about whether his brain was still managing to function, Goku turned to look at him. "Hey, the Kais just said they wanna talk to me about something. It'll probably take a while, so do you mind staying here?"

Vegeta frowned. Kakarrot seemed to be trying to hide it, but it was obvious the Kais probably wanted to talk about him. "Sure, whatever,"

Goku smiled and moved a few paces to the kitchen's only cupboard. He got on his hands and knees to investigate it. "Guess I'll pick up some food too."

Vegeta turned in an attempt to better hear Goku's voice. He didn't bother to respond, but somehow found himself staring at the other man's backside. The loose gi didn't reveal much, but he had seen it all before. Then he found himself being mesmerised by his tail, waving carelessly through the air then curling around his upper leg…

"Ok, I'll be back soon!" Goku announced as he suddenly stood and vanished.

Vegeta blinked a few times, wondering where that had come from. But the thought still bothered him and he soon found himself imagining things about the other Saiyan he never thought he could. It was obviously a response to his sudden regain of sex hormones and a lack of any other options. At least, that's what he told himself.

He sat on the futon, feeling himself become more and more aroused by these imaginings. Well, he was probably going to be alone long enough to take care of the problem…

However, much to his embarrassment, Goku was back a lot sooner than expected. He tried to remain dignified, but found himself flushing and yanking the sheet up.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry Vegeta! You don't have to be embarrassed, I sometimes feel like that after seeing Chi for the first time in ages…" He nimbly stepped aside as Vegeta left the bedroom and slammed the toilet door behind him.

How could he even find that moron attractive? He sighed when he'd finished and sat down on the toilet contemplatively.

"Um, Vegeta, I didn't mean to upset you…" Goku's voice came through the door a few moments later. "I know this is a sensitive thing for you, but it's normal, you know? Don't worry about it. Also I made some food if you want some…"

Vegeta snorted, "Normal?"

"Well, yeah, you're technically alive again. Given our species we want to reproduce as much as possible."

Vegeta just shook his head, even though he couldn't be seen. "I wasn't thinking about Bulma, you idiot." He flushed the toilet and opened the door to see a confused oaf.

"Really? Well -" he stopped speaking as Vegeta pulled him down to his level by the front of his gi. He wasn't sure what to make of the look in his eyes, but it was intense. "Um, then who?"

"Are you really that dense?" he demanded, shaking the compliant man a little.

It finally seemed to dawn on him. Goku pulled him into a hug and nuzzled the prince's face. Shocked by the sudden action, he flinched away from the unexpected contact.

Goku tilted his head to the side questioningly before shrugging and making his way to the table. "Come on, I'm starving!"

That night, Vegeta could feel the presence of the proverbial elephant in the room. Goku entered the bedroom in just his underpants again and immediately curled up to go to sleep on his side of the futon. His tail was never still for more than five seconds, indicating he was nervous or restless about something.

Vegeta wondered about this. What did he think was going to happen? He was the one who should be worried; the moron was the powerful one. "Kakarrot," he began, absentmindedly stroking the other's tail.

"Yeah?" he replied, turning to lay on his back so he could look at Vegeta.

Goku slowly reached out to the other man, putting a hand on his forearm. Vegeta accepted this physical contact; it wasn't like he had anything to fear from him. He shifted his arm so that their hands were touching.

Goku slid his tail over Vegeta's because he felt it was the appropriate thing to do. Vegeta's prudish nature caused his face to heat up again. Goku shuffled closer, curious. He cautiously pressed his lips against the shorter man's brow. He didn't want him to pull away again.

He was shocked when Vegeta rolled on top of him and straddled his stomach, due to their height difference. He leaned over the taller man and kissed him properly, running his fingers through his coarse hair.

Goku wrapped his arms around him, trying to pull him in closer. He knew he'd have to be gentle for now, so was sure not to squeeze too hard. He ran his hands up and down the other's muscled back, reflecting on how it was different from Chi-Chi, but still nice. He couldn't help but want to feel skin instead of spandex.

Vegeta moved from his mouth to his jaw and neck. He felt Goku hug him tighter as he came to a particularly sensitive spot. He could now feel that Goku was just as aroused as he.

After a few incessant tugs, Vegeta finally got the hint and sat up to remove his training clothes. Between them, with much giggling from Goku, they managed to get the suit off without changing position too much.

Vegeta used his tail to stroke the taller man so he could return to kissing his mouth. He groaned and wriggled a bit, liking the sensation. Goku tried to get his underpants off without interrupting the ministrations too much.

Vegeta had to admit he felt powerful when he saw what he could do to the stronger Saiyan. Even though he was more powerful and should therefore, in Vegeta's experience, want to exert his dominance, he was docile and gentle. He didn't mind submitting.

Goku looked down with a concerned expression when Vegeta kept tracing his fingers over his butthole. "Um, what are you doing?"

Vegeta just snorted. "I don't suppose you've ever had sex with a man before? No? Well, things would be easier if we had condoms and lubrication."

"Won't it hurt?" he asked, but seemed to be concentrating intensely on something else.

"Not if you relax and just tell me what you want."

"Ok, here." Goku said, still looking a little unsure. He reached under his pillow and pulled out what Vegeta had asked for. He was getting better at the conjuring trick.

They continued on, and once Goku was comfortable with the idea, he was soon becoming very aroused himself. "Harder," he groaned again. Sweat was forming on Vegeta's brow as he tried to keep up with the other's demands. He could never do anything like this with Bulma; she was far too fragile.

"Pff, who do you think you are to demand things from me?" Vegeta grunted. His muscles still ached from their training, but he wanted to continue.

Goku laughed, properly this time, not his weird giggle. "Well, if it doesn't bother you too much, my Prince, would you kindly go at it a bit harder? When things become rough, I just get so… excited."

Vegeta just shook his head, smirking all the same. "I always knew you were a masochist."

"Me? You're the one who used to demand I beat you up weekly!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes and changed the angle at which he went. If the other's sudden lack of coherent sentences was anything to go by, he liked the change.

They lay together afterwards for an immeasurable amount of time. Vegeta had no idea how long he'd been dead for, let alone how long they had been in bed. Day was when they were awake and night was when they chose to sleep. The external environment didn't change much at all.

Goku used Vegeta's chest as a pillow and slowly traced patterns over his muscles. Vegeta found himself relaxing more than he had in a long time.

"Thank you, Kakarrot…" he muttered as he felt himself slowly drifting to sleep.

"No need," he mumbled, wrapping his tail around the older man's thigh.

Tomorrow they would definitely train for real.