Goku decides that he wants to give something important back to Vegeta for his birthday. Yet, the implications of what he does are something he does not understand. It only takes some time for him to find out the mistake he has made and how it could affect everything and everyone. "Vegeta, wait…take…take me with you."
02:
The Sickness
I had laid Kakarrot down in his bed, but getting him to release my hand was an entirely different matter. I let out a small sigh, watching him sleep. He seems to be peaceful in his sleep, above all else. However, I cannot guarantee that there isn't something wrong with him. He defiantly had a fever of sorts, but I am not sure what he has. That is, he also brought up to me, before he passed out, that he wasn't sure it was a cold. "Kakarrot…" I mumble a little bit, wanting to know what was going on. If he wasn't unconscious, that is, then I could get an answer from him. However, he's not awake, which means I'll have to find another way to figure out what he could have meant. I growl a little now, thinking about how weak this man has made me become. Before I would never have acted like this, there would have been no need to worry about him. He would have been fine had I left him alone. Yet now, I cannot be sure he will even survive the night.
"If it's not an illness what could it be!" I growl a little, starting to pace back and forth. "Damn it Kakarrot, you need to wake up." I look over at the man, who is still unconscious. I wish to smack him if anything…try and wake him up in any fashion. Yet, I cannot risk making him worse. Whatever has happened to him, could, and probably will affect me as well. I take another look at him, making my decision. I walk out of his room and over to the control panel. I had hoped to make this a surprise, but I can tell now that I cannot wait that long. I sit down in the 'captain' seat as they referred to it, and started to work on the control panel. Eventually, my work pays off.
"This is a private communication. You are not allowed to authorize it. Please- "
"Don't you dare shut off the communication with me." I hiss at the person running the response system. "I need to speak with my Father. And if you need proof of my identity, turn on video feeds! Your prince will not be humiliated like this!" The video feeds quickly switch on and the horrified worker sees my face. She knows that I am not messing around. "Now, let me speak to my father."
x-x-x-x
"What is the meaning of this? I am busy, I do not have time for some idle chit-chat when I need to be reforming this planet. There are other duties- "I see him on the screen, speaking to the woman who answered me. His words are intended to be harsh and the precedent to a form of punishment. How pointless, as this is actually important.
"Father." I warn him of my presence. His head turns in a fraction of a second to look at the screen. "I believe that my message does hold some importance, don't you?" I ask, and he clears his throat.
"My son." He speaks, stepping up to the screen. "I did not…expect you to…" He swallows. "I thought you were dead. You did not come back to the planet and I could not find you anywhere near."
I snort. "You didn't look far enough, Father. I am on my way to the planet now, but I request a medical crew to meet the ship I am in."
"Has something happened, my son?" He looks confused, and perhaps even worried. "Are you alright?" I snort, I wouldn't be talking to him if I wasn't alright.
"I am quite alright Father, but I have someone who requires medical attention."
I watch my Father give me a scowl. "We're not wasting the precious recourses that we just got back on whomever-"
"Father listen to me." I growl at him, my eyes getting dark. "I have another sayian on my ship. He needs medical attention, and I expect to get it from him. For the last ten years he has been the only other sayian alive. He is strong Father. We cannot afford to lose him!" My father watches me, before he lets out a long sigh. "I do not lie to you Father. His strength is something we cannot afford to lose."
"…" He sighs, before he nods. "Alright, my son, I will send a medical ship to meet you half way. Is there a chance of- "He stops, and I blink.
"Father?" Before I turn upon hearing a sound. Kakarrot stands there, his face red, and he's holding onto his arm. "Kakarrot, get back to bed. You're ill."
"B-but…" He makes a small noise, a whine almost. He looks as if he will collapse at any moment. "V-Vegeta I think it's something else." He looks at me, his eyes a little glazed over. "…I…I…" He hesitates despite how sick he looks. I scowl, motioning to my Father to wait a few moments. I get up off of my seat and walk over to him.
"Kakarrot, out with it! You look as if you will collapse at any moment!" I snap at him and he flinches a little.
"Before…before…I left…d-despite lashing out at her… I ate a last meal…with them…" He trails off a little bit, closing his eyes. I can tell that he's not feeling good, and whatever he's about to say will likely piss me off even more than I am already.
"What happened Kakarrot?" I force my tone to be a little calmer than before. For some reason he seems a lot more uneasy when I'm yelling or loud. "You know you can tell me."
"I…I'm not completely sure." He admits softly. "But she was talking about something. I wasn't paying…well…too much attention. I was mostly just trying to keep my instincts under control…but…I do remember one thing she said… It was…It was to Goten. "Don't worry dear, your Father will be staying home a lot more soon enough" …I…I guess I just didn't think about it before, you know? I wasn't really concerned about it… I was going to leave with you…. Well I hoped to…" He trails off for a moment and closes his eyes again. "But…you know….thinking about it….I was going to tell you before…I think she may have done something to the food I ate…" He looks at me through a very small opening. "And if…if she did…she's probably…" He trails off and winces some. His knees buckle, but I catch him the second later. I hold onto him gently, sighing a little bit. He feels warm, but I know that's not a good thing.
"Kakarrot…let's get you back to bed… We'll figure something out." He moves an arm up to grip onto me. He's taller, and I know he is, so this position is a little hard to hold him in. "Kakarrot, you're going to have to let go. I can take you back to bed." However, he only grips onto me harder. I know he wants to say something, but he's likely too weak to.
"…I don't want to go back." There is a break in his voice and it's so quiet that it was hard for me to hear. "I don't want to go back." He repeats it before his body goes limp against mine. To think Earth's strongest warrior would be taken out so easily… I sigh a little and shift enough so I can lift him up in my arms. His head falls against my chest after I finally get him positioned there in my arms.
"My son." I turn my head instead of walking forward to where Kakarrot's room is.
"One second Father, I need to lay him down in bed." I start to walk away then, holding Kakarrot close in my arms. He makes a soft sound, and I feel a tighter grip on me. I wasn't even aware that he was still somehow holding onto me. I sigh a little as I bring him to his bed. He curls up against me, and I sigh softly. I try and set him down but he honestly just doesn't want to let go of me. "Kakarrot…I need to attend to some matters…so we can help you." I manage to get one arm away and I run a hand through his hair. He makes a small sound and accepts that I am going to let go. Eventually the grip ends and I leave him there, resting. My Father is still waiting for me when I come back to the screen.
"How long until you arrive here on Vegetasei?" I look over at the countdown, taking into consideration any stops that we may have to make.
"We should arrive within the month."
"How bad do you believe his condition is?" I hesitated at this, I'm honestly not sure. I don't know what could happen to him. There is no way for me to tell exactly what happened to him. She could have done anything.
"He has been sleeping often for the last few days. He hasn't been like himself since the day we left either. That was also one of the last times we held a conversation in some time." My Father watches me for a good moment or so, before he lets out a soft sigh. I know he is contemplating what he should do.
"I do not know if a medical ship will help. It is possible that it will not reach you in time in any case. What will you do then?" A growl comes involuntarily from my throat. I do not intend to lose Kakarrot over something so trivial.
"I do not know what I would do. To see a warrior so strong taken down by some kind of poison just…it pisses me off!" I hiss, and my Father seems a little taken aback by how I responded.
"…" He takes a deep breath, "My son, listen to me. I believe that if it was meant to kill him, it would have already done so. Yet, from what I heard of your conversation… It's possible that it just takes some help to get better….it goes against every part of my being, but perhaps all you can do is watch over him."
"Watch over…" I groan a little bit at the thought. Yes, taking care of Kakarrot is defiantly something I want to do. "Alright." I agree though, knowing that losing him is the worst of those two options by far. "…I guess in that case you don't need to send a medical ship. We will land within the month." I move to cut the connection but he holds up a hand.
"There is one other matter my son." I sigh a little bit; I can only imagine what he's about to tell me. Whatever it is, I wish he would wait until we actually land.
"Yes?" I ask, leaning on one hand.
"I believe I have the right to ask you where you have been for the last ten years." He wants an answer; he is not asking me to tell him.
"A planet known as Earth." I sigh some, "that planet is off limits for invasion Father. I have reasons and I will have the time to tell you when we land. For now, I believe I have a poisoned Sayian to deal with- "
"So he is a Sayian, not some other kind of species." My father muses and I snort.
"Of course he is!" I sigh, running a hand through my hair again. "In fact he is one of the most powerful sayians you will ever meet, Father. But again, that is for another time." I move to cut the channel again but he speaks before I can.
"You have many things to tell me, Vegeta. Your Mother and I will await your arrival with a festival." And I cut the line before he gets a chance to say any more. I growl a little bit. It has been years since I have seen my Mother. And by that, I had not seen her since I was the age of three.
"Damn him." I hiss before stalking back to Kakarrot's room.
x-x-x-x
Kakarrot sleeps for most of the time, but his sleep isn't always peaceful. From time to time he tosses and turns, whimpering and crying out. It's in those times that I'm not sure what to do about him. My touch soothes him for a time, but it doesn't last for long. He gets unnerved easily when I am not nearby. Even if that includes eating or simply leaving for a moment. I have never taken care of anyone before. I am finding this harder and harder as the days go on.
As the days pass, we get closer to Vegetasei. I worry that he will not get ready by the time we land, or even get worse. However, despite everything, his night terrors appear to be the worst thing so far. He wakes sometimes and all he gets out is a breathless whimper. I have made him food before, trying to make him stay strong, and he will eat…from time to time anyways. However, he still appears to be weak.
"Vegeta…" I hear a soft murmur from him, and I turn to look at him from my seat near the bed. I sigh a little bit, trying to quiet him. It's best for him to rest, I know that… "Vegeta…" He repeats my name, and I have a mind to smack him on the head.
"You need to keep rest-"
"That's all I've been doing…" He shifts a little bit to look at me better. "I think…I think that I'm getting better…"
"Your night terrors haven't gotten any better." I calmly state. "Thus, I don't think you really have gotten any better." He makes a sound at me, almost like a whine.
"Those aren't…those aren't…all…" He trails off. "A lot of those are because I'm scared." He admits these words softly, and looks away from me after. "...you know…of a lot of things..." He moves to try and get up but I gently stop him with my hands.
"You haven't gotten up much, are you sure about it now?" His eyes give off a shine as he looks back at me. I won't ask him what his fears are. That is a bit too much for him right now. I never expected to see someone like Kakarrot so beat down. It is nothing like him. He smiles at me though, nodding to my words.
"Yeah, I think I could use it…don't you? I know we land in a week and a half…I've heard you counting… If I don't now…then things will be harder when we get there." I sigh, but nod. He isn't wrong.
"I still don't know what she did to you. That could mean that you are not able to move as you want still." He smiles though, confident in himself.
"Vegeta, I know you've been taking care of me to help fix it. You've done a lot, and I'm grateful that you have! I think…I think that was what I needed." He looks forward at the door. "Chi-Chi probably wanted to prove to me…well prove that she was still a good wife. And that I needed her when something bad happened. But in the end you ended up taking care of me!" He smiles, before his face gets a light tint of red. "Oh…" Then he shakes his head to dismiss whatever he thought of. I raise a brow at him, and he just smiles sheepishly. "It's nothing…"
"If you say so Kakarrot…" I get up as well, watching him take a careful few steps. He does appear to be doing better. "…I think you have improved."
He gives another sheepish smile. "…sometimes when you would fall asleep I would walk around and try to get a grip of everything..." He says softly. "I wanted to get better as fast as I could. It's not right that you had to take care of me so much. After all, this whole thing was supposed to be a present to you!" I blink before lightly tapping him on the head.
"…oh shut up. It's already been done, so just leave it at that." He blinks a little before giving a slow nod.
"…okay…." But I know he won't drop it there. At some point he will attempt to repay me. "…um…I'm going to go bathe alright?" He blushes a little. "I know I haven't in a while…" It's true but I have been making sure he's at least tolerable enough to smell.
"Alright. Call me if you need anything." He nods a little before heading to the connecting bathroom. I sigh, watching his tail flick up in the air. I know he won't be fully capable by himself for a time, but it's good enough for now. I stand up, my tail wrapping gently around me. I need to eat something, and I'll heat something up for Kakarrot as well. I know he has not had a full meal in some time…due to whatever that woman had done to him.
x-x-x-x
"...geta…Vegeta…." I groan, opening my eyes. I blink a few times, trying to register where I am…and who was calling my name. Kakarrot stands there, blinking a few times. He only wears a towel around his waist, somehow keeping it up with his tail. He grins when he sees that I am awake. "You're okay! That's good." I lift my head, looking around a little. I knew I had come to the kitchen area to make something to eat… I do not recall laying my head down and falling asleep.
"…hn… Go put some clothes on, Kakarrot." He gives a small pout before nodding. "I'll make dinner…"
"And where did that get you before?" He grins at me, and I snort at his answer.
"I suppose I was tired, that's all." I mumble, but I'm not sure exactly what happened…
"…why don't you go sleep?" He frowns a little bit. "You've been watching over me instead of getting all the sleep you need-"
"And what if something bad happens to- "
"…I know I was weak before and out of it…but you and I both know that I can handle myself. Now go get some sleep, Vegeta." He makes it clear that I can't argue with him.
"…fine." I grunt. "But if something bad does happen, you cannot hold me accountable." I huff and leave him there. I know he watches me as I go back to my room…but at this time I can care less. I pull off my clothes and climb into the bed, situating my tail as I do. "He better not collapse." I mutter before closing my eyes. It has been rare this trip that I have slept in my bed… It is nice to be able to tonight…
x-x-x-x
When I wake up, something doesn't seem right. I do not know why I feel this way, but my undisturbed sleep has come to an end for a reason. I slink out of my bed, carefully maneuvering my steps. I make my way into Kakarrot's room, seeing his form asleep in his bed. Nothing appears to be wrong, but I am not put at ease by this. I slip over to his bed without making a sound, and test to see if he is breathing. I can see barely that he is, but that is also how he sleeps. I sigh a little, turning to head back to my room. He makes a small sound, and I pause for a moment.
"….stop…" The word comes out strained. "I'm sorry…" More pain than before. I had not always listened to what he would say during a night terror. As he would often repeat himself sometimes and make no sense. Yet tonight he is clear…and whatever it is…it brings him pain. "I'm sorry!" He flings an arm and then quickly recoils it into himself. "I'm sorry…" A slight sob comes out of him… Gently I move so I can touch his shoulder, reassuring him that everything is alright. I have never found myself so gentle with him, or with anyone other than my family. He calms after I do so, and I know he has gone bac to sleep…
"You're alright, Kakarrot." I murmur gently. "No one will be hurting you like whatever you are dreaming…" I then gently move to leave his room, yet I am stopped. "Kakarrot?" I turn my head to see his tail wrapped around my arm. "Hn." I sigh a little before moving to sit down next to his bed. I wish to get more sleep in my room, but it seems as if that is almost impossible as of right now. "I will find a way for you to repay me…at some point." I murmur, before trying to find a more comfortable positon where I sit.
x-x-x-x
When my eyes open, I notice I am no longer sitting next to Kakarrot's bed. Rather I am back in my room, under my bedsheets. There is no evidence of how much time has passed, but I know that I have been sleeping here for some time. I climb out of my bed and head toward the common area of the ship. He is sitting on the couch, nestled into a pillow and blanket that Bulma provided. It is one of the softer blankets that she had purchased some months ago. I had taken to them due to the softness and the resemblance of furs. He lifts his head when he feels my presence, and smiles just a little.
"Breakfast is on the table." He says gently. "It might be a little cold now."
"Did you bring me back to my room?" I ignore the call for food for a moment, until I have my answer. He hesitates before nodding. "Why?"
"I told you that you didn't need to do that anymore. But I woke up and found you sitting there."
"…you were having a night terror, Kakarrot." He nods, he knows that he did.
"But you could have left…I…I noticed my tail had wrapped around your arm. I'm sorry…but you could have made it let go…" He shifts the tail, almost hiding it from me.
"…Kakarrot." I shake my head; he does not understand anything. Had I pulled on the tail, and woken him, it would have been a worse scene. "I'm going to go eat." I leave him there to go get the food that he had spoken of. There is in fact plates of food waiting for me, and there is enough to satisfy the hunger I have felt since the night before. "You ate?" I call to him, but there is only silence that I get back. I suppose that is an answer enough, and I begin to devour the food that is before me.
When the dishes are taken care of, I carefully more to go back to my room. I need to bathe, there has been a long time since I have managed to do just that. I see the younger sayian resting on the couch. He has nestled into the blanket that he was under before. Yet, he makes no implication if he is asleep or awake. I grunt. "Kakarrot, I'm going to bathe." He does not respond, so I simply move on to my room. However, I wonder if he is trying to avoid me now. If he does not want to bother me further after I have taken care of him. Damn it. I think to myself, making a small noise of discontentment. I wish that I was not bothered by such things, but I am. For some reason, I did not hate taking care of him as much as I thought I would…
A/n: Okay, bare with me here. I know that something seems a little off with how Goku and Vegeta are currently acting. However, there is a reasoning for this that I will be getting into soon! So I apologize for how they are out of character, but know I will handle that soon.
