Author's Note: Aww. This has been so fun to write! I appreciate all of the reviews, alerts, and hits I've received. Hopefully this fic has added some kind of brightness to your summer and beyond, because it's brightened mine. See you next time. :D

Everybody Loves Goku!

Part Eleven

It had been three days since Goku came back to his home.

Every second he spent alone, he was terrified.

He was always on his toes. Waiting. He got little sleep at night after discovering that tree branches would scratch up against his bedside window. He felt like he was in a horror movie, and that the monster could jump out at any time to end him.

He tried using psychology on himself. Before Goten even mentioned Chi-Chi's ghost, he'd never been 'hurt' by her before. So why worry now? But Vegeta got hurt several times. There seemed to be no method or order to when and where she would appear. He prayed she wouldn't ever appear as she did that one night at the party. Bloody.

All I can do is wait, he thought while making dinner. Night was falling quickly on his house, a time when he would usually go and gaze at the sunset. But he knew that if he went outside, he would make up an excuse to not come back in the house. He could call up Gohan for company, but what with the random visit to Capsule Corp a few days ago, Goku was too ashamed. Gohan called later, all shyness, to explain that he was there to only talk to Goten. Gohan never mentioned what he saw that day. Boy, did he and Trunks get an eyeful.

For the first time in all his life of knowing him, he wished Vegeta was around to give him confidence. He could even take a few insults at this point. The Prince of all Saiyans would never be afraid of ghosts. Goku laughed out loud at the image in his head of Vegeta punching a ghost in the face.

When would he see him again? Goku stirred the rice he was cooking, making zig-zag patterns through it. The sex had overwhelmed him, as well as opened him up to a whole new world of...feelings he didn't think existed. "Being naive sucks," he muttered, lowering the flame eye on his gas stove. Vegeta had given him all of that so fast, and he wished he could think on it constantly in pleasure. Not regret. I screwed up our friendship trying to get something I knew I couldn't have.

Brring!

Goku jumped. His heart began to race. He looked on the kitchen counter and saw that his phone was ringing. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Goku!" It was Taffy.

"Oh. Hi!" He was too enthused. Lonely.

"I was wondering if your schedule isn't too busy this week." She was chipper, a deep contrast to the world around him. Darkness was falling fast.

"Oh. Yeah! You can come over any time, really." He looked down at the stove. "In fact, I'm making dinner right now. Want to share?"

"Oh. Really?"

"Sure. I could use the company."

"That sounds neat. Where do you live?" He gave her directions to his house, hoping they weren't too vague. "That's a way's away, isn't it? But I'll start moving out now. You're too kind."

"No problem!" Their conversation ended.

Thank goodness. At least he could keep paranoia at bay while someone else was around. Bits of fish, string peas, and sauce were added to the rice. He wanted to stay calm and distracted until Taffy showed up.

Goku turned around. He saw that a chair at the kitchen table had been dragged a fraction of an inch across the floor. Maybe? He felt cold all of a sudden, and decided to busy himself with the food again. An hour passed, and the familiar sound of a car pulling up to the front of the house filled his ears. Eagerly, he ran to the front door and opened it.

"Hi!" Taffy waved. The engine to her car died as she climbed out of the driver's seat. She was wearing a light blue sun dress, slightly informal, but too showy for someone just interested in training. She carried a purse with her, huge on her thin arm. Goku thought of her as beautiful and out-of-place in the world around his home.

"Hello, Taffy." Goku held the door open for her. She walked in and immediately began to inspect his living room. He was glad he bothered to clean earlier. He led her into the kitchen, and she sat down in the chair that had moved yet again another inch across the floor holy gods—

"Goku, are you okay?" She scooted her seat up to the table. "You look—"

"Like I've seen a ghost?"

"Uh, sure. I was going to say sick, but whatever." Her small hands were dainty, he noticed. Has she fought a day in her life? She took the napkin set on the table and spread it across her lap. "I didn't know you were big into cooking, too."

"Oh, yeah. When you live alone you have to cook constantly." He felt dumb for stating the obvious, but didn't care. The smell of fried rice jogged his memory, and he rushed to the oven to pull out two plates he'd prepared earlier. Luckily, both were still warm. "I made stir fry. I hope it's okay."

"Looks good to me," she said when the plates were set on the table. She flipped her hair. "So what is it you do out here everyday, all by your lonesome?"

"Uh." Goku gulped a mouthful of rice. "I train."

"Really? Like, all of the time?"

"Yeah!" Goku smiled. The woman had no idea who she was talking to.

"Wow. That must take a lot of dedication."

Goku jumped. "Wha!" Under the table her hand was on his knee. Rubbing. He blushed. "Umm, what are you doing?"

"Come on, Sooon Goku," she said, drawling on his surname, "I know you have some needs you don't get met while out here all alone."

Whoa. This is an interesting turn of events. "Uh, needs?"

"Yes." She purred and rose from the table. Soon she was sitting sideways in his lap. She was on top of something vital, and it only made Goku more uncomfortable. She draped her arms around his broad shoulders, looking tiny and vulnerable in comparison. Blonde hair cast a sheet over half her face as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his ear. "I am interested in more than training, you know."

"That's obvious," he said in a high voice.

She tilted head, her lips in a pout. "Don't you want a kiss?"

He opened his mouth to protest, but she was already advancing, her mouth so close to his own—but she stopped when he started to scream.

"What? WHAT?!" she hissed. She turned her head and looked across the table at what Goku was gawking at, and started to scream herself.

Oh no no no no—

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?"

A broken and much more horrible version of Chi-Chi was sitting on the opposite side of the table. Her hair cascaded in greasy locks across the tabletop and down to the floor. Dried trails of blood marked both sides of her pasty face. Her eyes were nothing but white, milky orbs. Blind. Goku could not see her arms, as she was dressed in a heavy kimono that was drenched with something black and putrid.

I'm going to die tonight.

"What the fuck is THAT!" Taffy screamed, holding onto Goku for dear life.

Goku clung back. "It's Chi-Chi!"

"Who?!"

"HIS WIFE," Chi-Chi bellowed, her deep voice echoing throughout the house. Goku's teeth started to chatter.

"Is she a—a—ah—ah—?!"

"A GHOST!" Goku cried out.

"YOU SLUT. YOU WHORE. YOU JEZEBEL!" Chi-Chi roared the last word, and her hair billowed as if a gust of wind blew through the kitchen. "WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU COULD ACCOMPLISH COMING HERE?"

"I—I don't know—"

"THEN LET ME BEAT THE ANSWER OUT OF YOU." The ghost floated up out of the chair and revealed two long, scaly appendages resembling arms. Goku moaned and tumbled out of his seat, Taffy still in his grip. Raised high above Chi-Chi's head was a warped frying pan. Taunting, she smashed it against the top of the table, which broke in half and crashed to the floor.

"I'm getting out of this place!" Taffy screeched. She pulled herself from Goku's grasp and dashed out of the kitchen. He froze and watched Chi-Chi speed through the air, frying pan wielded. A loud FWAP echoed through the house, and he heard a body fall to the floor.

"Taffy?!" He ran out of the kitchen and looked into the living room. On the mat by the fireplace was Taffy's body sprawled out and limp.

"Chi-Chi, why did you do that?!"

Chi-Chi turned her head around. "NO ONE ELSE CAN LOVE YOU."

"Wha—what is that supposed to mean?!" He started to back up as she floated toward him. "Why are you here? What do you want?" He found himself up against the kitchen counter. Trapped! "Chi-Chi, please tell me!"

But she twirled the frying pan in her hand, pulled back, and smacked him across the face. He dropped to his knees, the pain in his head incredible. A low groan emitted from his throat and he collapsed to the floor.

His vision blurred in and out, and all he could hear was a low ringing. Was he hallucinating the noise? It continued to echo in his mind and sharpen the pain throbbing on the side of his face. Excruciatingly slow, he lifted his head off the sticky kitchen floor and looked up. A dark figure was hovered over Taffy, doing something horrible...

The ringing noise came back. What the hell is that? It sounded like his pho—

"KAKAROT, OPEN UP THE FUCKING DOOR!"

Goku blinked. "Vegeta?" A loud explosion filled the living room, the door blasting off its hinges and landing onto the couch. Dust spread out in a circle from the front entrance, Vegeta's lone figure standing as a silhouette through the smoke.

"Where are you, and why aren't you answering your phone?!" He walked through the debris. "And whose car is that in the—"

"Vegeta!" Goku cried out. He clawed against the kitchen floor. "Vegeta, watch out!"

Another explosion shook the house. "What the hell is THAT!"

"It's Chi-Chi!" Goku could see her rising up off the floor now, away from Taffy. Splatters of blood were on the front of the blonde's blue dress. Vegeta held up a hand and sent a series of blasts through the ghost, destroying furniture and walling in his wake. Horrified, Goku pulled himself off the floor with all of the energy he had left. His muscles burned with every movement, but he ignored it in his plight. Running, he jumped on top of Vegeta and threw him to the floor, acting as a living shield. "Stay away from him!"

Vegeta squirmed beneath his weight. "Let me kill this thing! It looks disgusting!"

"Don't hurt him," Goku mumbled, clinging to Vegeta. Chi-Chi began to screech, the awful noise shaking the floors and the ceiling. "Please, please don't hurt him."

She howled, and smoke began to furl around her, until it wafted off into the breeze entering the house. She had disappeared.

Vegeta shoved Goku off of him. "What is going on?!" He looked over at Taffy's body. "And what is she doing here?"

"Chi-Chi's ghost attacked her." Goku gulped. "And then she attacked me."

"Your wife is a ghost?!"

"Ya-huh."

"Ugh." Vegeta rolled over onto his side. "I'm starting to wish I never came to this planet."

Goku stood up. He was still in pain, and glanced around to see if any more danger was lurking. He peered out the front door. "Hey, look at that." Wincing, he raised an arm so he could point outside. It was already nighttime, but Goku could see his lawn clearly. On a rock sat a small woman bent over. Goku raised both arms up off his sides to balance himself. "I'm going outside."

"What?!" Vegeta was still shocked by the blood-covered woman on the floor. "What about her? It looked like your harpy was sucking the blood out of her neck!"

Goku was already out the doorway. The moon was full and glowing in the cloudless night. A faint weeping noise rose from the woman sitting on the rock. Her back heaved up and down with sobs. Goku limped over to the rock and fell down onto his tailbone."Chi-Chi?"

The woman's face was buried between her hands. She lowered her palms, exposing a woman maybe eighteen or nineteen years old. While translucent, her appearance was familiar to him. She was wearing a flowing wedding dress that hid her feet, and her hair was down to her shoulders. She tilted her head as she looked at Goku, eyes filling to the brim with what looked like real tears. "Goku," she said softly, voice no longer booming.

"Is it really you?" Goku's eyes widened. He tried to touch her cheek, but his hand only passed through her image.

"Oh, Goku," she sighed. She rested her head on his shoulder. Goku felt only a cold breeze blow against him. "I've missed you."

He wanted to hold her, and ached when he knew it to be impossible. "I've missed you too."

She held up a hand. Goku saw that it was covered with a lacy white glove. "You have forgotten me."

"No! Never." He pressed his hand against her ghostly one. He spun his fingers around and saw wisps of smoke twirl around them. Weightless. She is so young.

"I love you, Goku. Why don't you love me back?" Tears fell from her face. "I love you so much."

Never thinking he would have the chance to speak all he'd felt in over a year, he slumped over his knees, exhausted. "I couldn't give you what you deserved. I was just a kid when we got married. I didn't know all that I know now."

She looked up at the moon. "So it's my fault."

"No. It's no one's fault."

"But you're in love now."

Goku frowned and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah." He stretched his legs out and watched his shoes get wet from dew in the grass. "I am."

"UGH! I can't believe you're talking to it!" Vegeta screamed from the doorway.

Chi-Chi looked over her shoulder, and more tears began to flow. "What does he have that I don't have?"

Way to break the moment, Vegeta. "Oh, Chi-Chi, I didn't know that I was—"

"Hush," she said, bringing a ghostly finger to her mouth. "Let me rest knowing it true only in my mind."

"I'm sorry it took this long."

She was staring at the moon again. "I just wanted what was best for everyone in my family. That's the reason I'm here now."

What was best for everyone? Goten. Goku wanted to be angry, and felt it would be righteous. But Chi-Chi wasn't even alive anymore, and the woman next to him may only be as real as a mirror image. She was defeated and lonely now. Maybe harmless with her less threatening facade. "Why did you tell Goten to run away? And that I would die if he stayed here?"

She wrung her hands together, the gloves peeling off some. "It was my unfinished business."

"Your what?"

"Before I died…" She winced, as if the knowledge of her own demise pained her. "Before I died, I wanted Goten to live and be somewhere safe."

"I know," Goku growled, remembering the letters she sent him so long ago. He hadn't looked at them once since Vegeta arrived at his house weeks before. The words they held made him fume inward, but he continued to listen with bubbling impatience. He clenched his fists and dug his fingernails into his palm.

"I thought that was the only reason I came back. To try and save Goten. So I threatened him into leaving, making him believe I would kill you if he didn't. I knew he wouldn't leave on his own."

"Chi-Chi…That's awful. How could you ever do that to him?" Goku glared at her. "For the longest time I thought he left because I couldn't handle him. Because he got into a bit of trouble I could have told him to avoid."

She grasped both sides of her head. She was in pain. "I wanted what was best for him. But it turned out all wrong."

Ugh. Goku shook his head. The ghost was being irrational, and he was tired of trying to dig up information. "So if you accomplished your goal of getting Goten to leave me, why did you stick around? Why did you hurt Vegeta and Taffy?" And me, he wanted to add.

"I was wrong." She twirled a finger around in her hair. Childish. "Goten wasn't my only unfinished business. I wanted you to be in love with me so badly…"

"So what did you hope to accomplish!" Goku's voice rose, stark in the still night air. "How could you get me to love you when you would hurt other people?"

She began to cry again, real tears dropping off her face and falling to the ground. It was borderline melodrama, but Goku assumed Chi-Chi had no reason to grasp for sympathy. "I couldn't, Goku. So I tried to keep you away from other people."

Running from Capsule Corp...passing out at the party...and then there was Taffy...

She kicked up a foot from under her dress, aimless, simply distracting herself. "I have boundaries, though. Tonight, I am at my strongest."

"What do you mean?"

"This is the first time I've ever been outside." She gazed up at clear sky, mystified. "It's beautiful."

Sick of her erratic attitude, he brought her back to focus. "So why do you look the way you do now?"

"YEAH, why aren't you a monster anymore?!" Vegeta was still standing a safe enough distance away.

More noise from the peanut gallery! Goku looked over his shoulder and stuck his tongue out at Vegeta. "Shut-up! You're not helping."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I gave up. I saw how you acted in there." She pointed back at the house. "You two are nearly inseparable."

Goku felt sad, not even sure if he and Vegeta were really friends anymore. Rivals. "I will always care for you, Chi-Chi. The best I can."

She rubbed his forearm affectionately. "Yes. Yes."

"And I'm going to take care of Goten the best I can." He wanted to shake her. "I am a good father. I am."

"Goku..."

"I'm not leaving ever again, Chi-Chi." He stared into her eyes, the ones he remembered gazing into for most of his life. "I left you all of the time. I'm so sorry, even for the times I couldn't help it. But I'm not going to do it anymore. All I can do now is stay faithful to our son." It's all I can do because the past has left me.

"Oooh," she moaned. She stared at Goku for a moment, as if reading his heart and mind. More tears flowed. "Why couldn't you have said that a long time ago?"

"It wasn't true until recently." He stared back at her, and noticed she was starting to disappear. "Chi-Chi?"

"I'm sorry too." She clutched his arm. "I could have been better to you." She got up from the rock and smoothed out her dress. "I guess you can only do so much while alive."

"Chi-Chi, where are you going?"

She walked away from Goku and treaded across the grass. The train of her dress floated behind her. "I have enough strength to visit one more person."

"Huh? What do you mean?" She was almost gone completely, slipping from the world. "Chi-Chi!" He ran after her.

"Stop chasing the past, Goku. You'll end up like me." Her voice was light and airy; she began to lift upward off the lawn. She walked as if an imaginary staircase was before her, leading up into the span of sky.

"Chi-Chi!" He flew up after her, throwing his hands out to catch the hem of her dress. But she disappeared the moment he touched her.

He drifted back down and landed on his back. This has been the weirdest month ever. Soft steps walked across the lawn toward him, and he looked up to see Vegeta's frowning face. "Look at what's next to you."

Goku turned his head and saw two familiar envelopes an inch away. They were sitting on the grass as if placed gently by a kind messenger. The letters! Frantically he opened them. Expecting pages laced with Chi-Chi's dark ink, he saw that each sheet was blank and clean. As if they'd never been written on at all.

"Are you okay?" Vegeta pulled Goku up off the ground. Almost motherly, he dusted the mud off Goku's pants; he even spun him around to wipe caked dirt off his rear. "So she's the reason your son left?"

"Yeah." Goku closed his eyes and smiled. "But that doesn't matter anymore. She knows now."

"Knows what?"

"That I'm a good father."

"I already told you that you were a good father." Vegeta supported Goku's back with a palm. "I told you that long ago."

"You did." The pain from getting hit earlier had disappeared, but Goku still felt weak. He slung his arm across Vegeta's shoulder and walked back into the house. Quickly he glanced at Vegeta's face to see how he would react to the physical contact.

Vegeta remained placid. "So when…freaky stuff would happen to me—that was her?"

"Yeah."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "If I'd known that, I would have blown her fucking head off while she was talking to you."

"You wouldn't have been able to even if you tried—"

"Don't walk." Vegeta bent Goku over so that he leaning backward; he pulled him up off the ground so that he supported him in both his arms. Bridal style. Vegeta walked through the blown-up doorway, Goku feeling dreamy. Until he noticed what was on the floor.

"Taffy!" he yelled.

"Oh. I almost forgot," Vegeta said sarcastically. He placed Goku on the now beat-up couch, and shook Taffy violently with the toe of his boot. "Hey. You. Get up."

"Vegeta, that isn't nice." Goku spread out on the couch as much as possible. The door blasted off earlier was taking up most of the space over the cushions.

"Uuuugh…" Taffy roused out of unconsciousness. Slowly she brought her hand up to her neck. "That thing earlier…It bit me."

"Yes." Vegeta glared down at her. "It was a…vampire."

"A vampire?" Her blue dress pooled around her as she gathered enough strength to get up off the rug. "A vampire? Really?"

"Yes." Vegeta smirked. "Goku and I are vampire hunters."

Goku coughed through a bit of smoke that rose up out of the couch. "Goku? Goku? Who is this Goku?" he asked aloud. Has Vegeta ever called me by my Earth name?

"Vampire…hunters?" She swayed dangerously on her feet. "Are you for real?"

"Oh yes. Very much."

"Vegeta, you're terrible," Goku yelled from across the room. But Taffy was buying it completely. She bumbled into the kitchen, picked up the purse she brought earlier, and then wandered back into the living room. "Vampire hunters. Amazing. I never would have thought."

"Yes. Now go home." He extended his hands out in the direction of the door in an ushering gesture, as if she couldn't figure out on her own how to exit the house. Goku noticed that her blonde hair was frayed, and that the ends were dyed with blood. She's going to have fun figuring that out later. Limping and confused, she ran outside to her car.

Vegeta turned around and laid eyes on Goku. "Kakarot, explain."

"It's a long story, Vegeta." Goku rubbed the side of his face. "I don't know how much you got from my chat with her earlier, but before she died—"

"No, no, no." Vegeta waved a hand in dismissal. "Explain why she was over here. The woman."

Goku laughed. "I just invited her over. It's no big deal."

Vegeta turned his nose up in the air. He rested on the exposed edge of couch Goku didn't lie on. "You should have invited me over, not her."

"Yeah?" Goku wrinkled his nose and sneezed. The dust in the room was irritating his sinuses. "I thought you would be mad after…you know. I mistakenly thought you and me were going to be together."

"No." There was finality in his tone. "I am not mad at you." He blushed, and pulled Goku's hand up to his face. "Do you want me to be honest about something?"

"I guess?" Goku frowned. Vegeta was being weird.

"Back at Capsule Corp, I thought to myself, 'I should bring Kakarot's clothes back to his house, since he was dumb enough to leave them here.'"

"That's the Vegeta I know. So loyal and thoughtful."

"Shut-up." He thumped the side of Goku's head gently. "Then later I thought, 'That motherfucker took my shoes when he ran off. I'm going over his house to get them back.'"

Goku laughed. "That's better."

"So I'm flying over here, calling your phone, mad as hell…And I realize I forgot to bring your clothes entirely. And I didn't even remember what the shoes you took looked like."

"Okay." Goku trailed a finger across the back of the couch. "What's your point, then?"

He kissed the back of Goku's palm, all elegance, and Goku felt as if he were being courted by true royalty. "My point is that I have no idea why I really came over here. But I think it has nothing to do with clothes."

Goku was breathless. He wondered if all the events that had just occurred were maybe part of a dream. Maybe Vegeta is a dream? He closed his eyes and tried to will himself out of possible sleep. "Do you want to," he gulped, "stay with me until you figure out why?"

"I…do. I want to stay with you, and even if it takes forever for me to figure this out, I won't mind."

He wants…to stay…ah…

"Kakarot, are you okay?"

Wants to stay. With ME!

Vegeta waved his hand back and forth in front of Goku's face. "Are you sleeping? Did you faint?"

"Vegeta…" Goku covered his face. "Do you remember when you said you cried because you were happy?"

Softly, Vegeta said, "Yes. Why?"

"I think I'm starting to cry. Because I'm happy."

"And why are you happy, Kakarot?"

"Because I love you."

He felt his hands be pushed apart, and light kisses grace both his eyelids. The couch beneath him disappeared as Vegeta pulled him into an embrace. The stiffness in Goku's muscles faded away, leaving him renewed. He stood up, and Vegeta walked behind him to wrap his arms around his waist. He propelled the taller Saiyan forward, across the living room and into the hallway.

"The house is a mess," Goku said. "It'll take forever to fix."

"You have bigger problems." Vegeta pressed open the door to Goku's bedroom. "Your bed is too small."

"I think it fits me perfectly," Goku said with an air of offense.

"I am the Prince of all Saiyans. When I sleep in a bed, it has to be the largest one possible."

"Oh." Goku slid onto the mattress slowly, and felt the cool ocean breeze flowing in through the window. "I hope it'll be okay for now."

"Bulma. Bulma!"

She woke up, thrashing against the silk sheets of her bed. Annoyed. She removed her nightcap, and gazed out toward the terrace connected to her bedroom. Outside the glass doors stood Vegeta. He looked calm, and was glowing with moonlight pouring over his face and arms. She slid out of bed and opened the doors, a strong gust of wind fleeing inward. "Vegeta, what the hell?!"

He walked into the room and swept his hair back with a gloved hand. Her carpet was plush and red; his boots left small muddy footprints after each step. He sat down on the edge of her bed, and planted his chin in his hands.

"Vegeta, do you know what time it is?!" She looked over at the analog clock sitting on her nightstand. Glowing red and bloody in the dark were numbers indicating two o'clock. "And where have you been all evening?"

"Over Kakarot's house."

Still confused, she studied him closer. Slung over his shoulder was a small duffle bag. Her face became soft. "Going on a trip?"

"Yes. I had to come back here to get some things."

She sat down beside him. He was staring at her intently...wondering. She patted his shoulder. "You aren't coming back, are you?"

"When I need to be here, I'll be here."

She hugged him. "Trunks will be coming back in a few days. I hope. He's still in shock."

He squeezed her gently, and kissed the side of her cheek. "He'll get used to it." He opened his mouth to say something else, but nothing came out. Instead, he embraced her.

"I understand, Vegeta." She pulled away from the hug. "You've never been that direct."

"Bulma. There's, uh, something else I need cleared up." He rummaged through his duffle bag. "I need you to show me how to text again."

"What?" Bulma pressed her pinkie into the corner of her mouth and chewed on the nail. "What's this about?"

"Look. I think texting is the stupidest thing in the world. You know this." He pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. In the unlit room it glowed blue. "But I think I may have to use it when the time is right."

"When the time is right, huh?" Bulma asked. "Why are you being so mysterious?"

"I'm not being 'mysterious'. I think what I plan to do makes all the sense in the world. I just choose not to tell you what that plan is."

Bulma shrugged, and led Vegeta through the drop menus and screens on the phone to send a text message. "This all feels very silly," she said to him.

"It is silly. It's absolutely ridiculous. But thank you." He stood up and shoved the phone back into his bag. "I think...this will be the last time I'm in your room."

She smiled up at him, hair in disarray from just waking up, innocent as ever. "That's good. Because I don't like dirt being tracked all across my carpet. Your boots are disgusting."

"What?" His head fell down, and he looked at his shoes. "They are awful, aren't they? I'll go clean them now." He stomped across the carpet, as if emphasizing the fact he was wearing dirty boots, and walked back onto the terrace. He flew off into the night, melding in with the darkness.

"Asshole," Bulma laughed.

Goku rose. "Did you hear that noise outside?"

Skin smooth as silk and covering bunched muscle, Vegeta rubbed his bare legs against Goku's. He was lazy and content beneath their bed sheets. He extended an arm so that it hung off the edge of the bed. "I did hear something, but I don't really care."

Maybe. Maybe…Quick, Goku was out of bed and pulling his pants back on. "I'm going to go check, okay?" He didn't wait for Vegeta to comment as he barreled out the door of his room, and headed outside. After two weeks, the door still hadn't been fixed. And having been occupied with…other things lately, Goku simply decided to prop it up against the hinges. Annoyed, he dragged the door to the side, and blinding sunlight spilled into the living room. Soon after, the strong scent of fresh flowers drifted through the doorway.

Outside, the world was lit up beautifully. But Goku didn't want to be distracted today. He walked further out onto the lawn, barefoot, and came across a torn bag with its clothes guts strewn across the grass. "Whose stuff is this?"

"Hey, Dad."

Goku looked up. Goten was lying on the lawn a dozen feet away. His clothes were ripped and dirty, and he was barefoot as well, most likely not by choice. Goku raced over to him and pulled him into a hug. "GOTEN!"

"It's so bright out here," Goten mumbled. "Why does it have to be so cheery so early in the morning?"

"Where did you go?!" Goku rubbed his son's hair. "And why did you come back?"

"I dunno." Goten picked up a few blades of grass, and blew at them so that they twirled in the air. "I went places. And I'm back," he grinned up at Goku's face, "because I was told to come back."

Goku nodded his head, understanding. "Finally."

"Yes. Finally."

Goku pulled him up off the ground, and watched him adjust his legs. He swaggered into the house. "Dad, why is the door off the hinges?"

"I'll explain that later." Goku beamed, and followed Goten back through the living room. Naturally, his son headed into the kitchen.

"Uh, Dad?" Goten scratched the back of his head. "Why is Vegeta here?"

Sitting at the new kitchen table was Vegeta; he was wearing a pair of pants that obviously belonged to Goku due to their bagginess. In front of him was a microwaved bowl of oatmeal, and in his left hand was his cell phone. He rolled his eyes at Goten. "If you care to know, I went through some of your stuff. You have bad taste in pornography."

Goten blushed. "What?!"

"Goten," Goku said, bursting with happiness, "Vegeta is going to be staying with us."

"Oh…Okay." He sat down at the table opposite from Vegeta. "Uh, why?"

"Why? Why?" Vegeta put down his cell to smirk at Goten. "Because I always get what I want."

Goten still looked befuddled—but he took one look at Vegeta's oatmeal and got up from the table to scour the cabinets for food.

Blip!

Goku jumped. The sound was faint, but unmistakable. "I'll be right back, guys." He went back to his room, and searched through the pile of clothes on the floor. "Oh, there it is!" He looked at the screen on his phone. "A text? Wha? From—"

What in the…He felt jittery all of a sudden. He read the text sender's name over and over again, thinking it was some kind of mistake. He pressed a few keys on the phone to open the message.

His hand began to shake. Uncontrollably. The phone fell from his hand and bounced when it hit the floor. His eyes started to water, and soon the world was blurry and distorted.

From: Vegeta

I love you too.

The End