Chapter Thirty-Seven
Remembering Who I Used To Be
v
As they headed out, Nathan was picking at his fingernails, leaning against the side of the ship, waiting. He glanced up and saw Kakarot pulling Vegeta back out. Vegeta's face was moist with smeared tears. Nathan could only stare. He had never seen Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans cry before. Kakarot came up to him and stopped. Vegeta slowly raised his head to see Nathan standing there. His eyes widened slightly, remembering the human Elite. Nathan's brow furrowed slightly.
"What happened?"
Kakarot tried to grin, but couldn't do it.
"We're taking him back…"
Nathan just stared at Vegeta who stared back. Nathan glanced up over Vegeta's shoulder and saw me exiting the building. I looked depressed to him. He slammed his hand to the button to open the door on the side.
"Fine, take him inside…"
Nathans voice was filled with anger. He glared at Vegeta and then nodded up at Kakarot. Kakarot nodded back and pulled Vegeta inside the ship. Nathan walked over a little towards where I was. I stared at him.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, that's exactly what I was going to ask you…"
We stared at each other for a moment.
"Well, we decided that there's nothing else we can do with him. Were taking him back to the prison… We only needed to speak to him, but we needed to be in private. It doesn't matter, though; we didn't gain anything from taking him…"
I looked down disappointedly almost. It made Nathan feel angry, but he did his best not to show it.
"Come on… Let's just go…"
Nathan simply nodded and waited for me to walk ahead of him before following back to the ship. Rose and Goten were fast asleep in their bunk-beds as we got onto the ship. Nathan went to sit and Kakarot forcefully sat Vegeta down near where he was sitting to fly the ship. Nathan stared at Vegeta, whose head was down and looked miserably depressed. I boarded and closed the door.
"Okay, we can go."
I called to Kakarot and looked at Nathan.
"Can you watch him while Kakarot flies the ship? I want to go and check on Rose and Goten."
Nathan nodded,
"Sure…"
I nodded back and then went to the bunk room. After I closed the door, Nathan looked back at Vegeta, who was staring at him. It made him flinch slightly at how bad the man looked.
"So… Vegeta, you're going back? That's what Taylor told me…"
Vegeta didn't respond; he simply stared at him.
"What? Do I have something on my face…?"
Vegeta glared at him. He shook his head and looked away, down at his shackled hands. He brought them up to his face and rested his head in his hands.
"Well, I see you don't want to talk…"
Nathan frowned at the man and stood up, walking towards where he was sitting. He sat down next to him and looked down at him. Vegeta didn't acknowledge him.
"Serves you right, Vegeta… after the shit you pulled all those years ago… you deserve everything you're getting…"
Vegeta stayed silent. Nathan was purposely trying to get on his nerves now. Kakarot could hear him from the front, but wasn't going to intervene.
"Mister high and mighty has nothing to say, so I'll say everything for you… you're a fucking asshole and I hope that you die as soon as you get back to that prison…"
Vegeta didn't speak. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, shakily. It sounded as if he was about to cry again.
"Taylor didn't deserve anything you did to her…"
"YOU DON'T THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT ALREADY?!"
Nathan flinched at the man's harshly loud voice. It was the first thing he'd said to him in eleven years. Nathan slowly relaxed as he stared at Vegeta's face, tears running down his cheeks, his teeth clenched down together. He slowly turned his head back to his hands and rested his face in his palms again, weeping quietly. Nathan stared at the shattered Prince. Did he know how badly he hurt me, let alone him, too?! Did he truly know?!
Nathan stood and walked to the front where Kakarot was. I emerged from the bunkers and sat down across from Vegeta, seeing Nathan had moved to the front. Nathan sat down next to Kakarot and started talking about how fucked up it was to see Prince Vegeta the way he was. I stayed still, staring at the Prince. The Prince stayed still, staring at me. Our eyes connected, but our minds didn't. He attempted speaking to me through his thoughts, but I wasn't getting a good enough signal through.
Taylor, Taylor, please… Can you hear me?!
…
It just sounded muffled and wispy. He sighed in disappointment and I sighed in annoyance.
v
We dragged the Saiyan back up the road that led into the prison. Dozens of guards came running towards us.
"FREEZE…!"
Kakarot threw Vegeta against the ground in front of us. I stood strong, not trying to feel for him. Kakarot knew I was being torn apart by this, but I knew that he had to do this.
"This inmate was caught escaping northwest of the prison from his cell. We finally managed to catch him."
Two big guards, all of them in the same uniforms as us, didn't realize we weren't really guards and bought our little trick. Tears streamed down Vegeta's face as they pulled him up and dragged him back. I saw him weakly look back at me before one of the guards smacked the side of his head, yelling,
"Eyes forward, inmate!"
The others talked to us for a while before we parted ways and we turned and headed back. It was done. I'd never see him again… but, was it really that bad? I barely remembered him, but he sure as hell remembered me! He seemed to know everything about me and it triggered something dark, something sad within me. Kakarot said that that had to have been because of the bond we shared and I told him that's probably why I dreamt about him almost every night. It saddened me a lot, but, Kakarot cheered me up by hugging me and lifting me onto his back as we flew back to the ship.
We blasted as fast as possible from the planet, heading back to the other planet with the scientist that was researching the serum to bring my memory back. I couldn't wait, and neither could Kakarot or Nathan. Nathan was glad we took Vegeta back, but he also knew what kind of damage it'd cause me once I got my memory back or… if I got it back, and so did Kakarot. We all talked and laughed and joked as the ship flew through space; enjoying the time we had being together, and off Planet Xenophore-21.
v
"Rose! Goten! Come out here!"
Rose ran out first and froze, staring at the mysterious man with her parents. Kakarot and I grinned at her expression. Goten came after and stopped, hiding shyly behind his sister. She stared at Nathan for about a solid minute before she slowly began smiling like crazy. She squealed in her little, high-pitched voice and ran over to him.
"Mom, his hair…! Look! It's red like mine!"
I giggled and patted Nathans back.
"It sure is… This is a close friend of mommy and daddy's… He's going to stay with us now… His name is Nathan."
The two, young children stared up at the tall Earthling. Rose ran right up to Nathan, giddy and jumping.
"Can I touch it?! I want to touch it!"
Nathan chuckled and knelt down to her level.
"Sure, kid…"
She petted his head, making us laugh. Nathan couldn't stop laughing at her reaction.
"You're beautiful… just like your mother…"
Rose giggled, hugging him as Nathan looked back at me. I blushed and laughed at him. My daughter was so embracive and adorable around new people. She always welcomed people who knew us or were our friends with open arms. She must get that from Kakarot.
"Red, red, red…!"
She was so excited, I couldn't even believe it. He glanced back and saw Goten standing in the middle of the room, shy and timid, holding onto his little, furry tail like a safety blanket.
"Hey, little guy…"
Nathan reached a hand out slowly, ignore Rose playing with his hair and focused on the small boy. Goten stayed silent and looked up at me and Kakarot.
"Its okay, Goten… He's a friend. Go say 'hi', it's alright…"
He looked at Nathan and slowly walked towards him. Rose kept petting and playing with Nathans long, thick hair while Goten came closer to him. Nathan put a hand around the small child's back gently,
"You know, kid… you're going to be big and strong, just like your dad when you grow up."
Instantly, Goten's eyes lit up as he stared up at Nathan.
"Really…?"
"Yeah… your dad is the strongest guy I know! He's like a super hero!"
Kakarot chuckled at the flattery Nathan was giving him. Goten hugged his arms around Nathans neck, letting go of his tail. Nathan hugged back with one arm and then Nathan grinned back at us while still hugging Goten.
"They're perfect. You two have great kids."
He paused for a moment to glance strictly at me.
"Taylor…"
I focused as calmly as I could on him, a little nervous as to what he was going to say.
"I'm so proud of you…"
I smiled at him as Kakarot put his arm around me, holding me close. He flicked his tail and kissed the top of my head. Letting the children go, Nathan slowly stood, looking at us.
"How can I repay you? You guys just take me in… I… I really don't know what to say… I don't want to be a burden or anything…"
"Then don't say anything… just stay and have fun, you big lug!"
My voice was cheerful and excited as I playfully elbowed his arm. Even though he was a lot stronger than he was back on Earth, my elbow still hurt him somewhat.
"Ow, seriously… those things are still just as deadly as I remember!"
I laughed as he and Kakarot eyed one another, as if agreeing. I elbowed Kakarot and he grunted. The kids laughed and I turned my attention to Nathan again.
"…and Nathan, you'll never be a burden to us…"
Nathan smiled down at me before he and Kakarot looked at one another.
"Thanks, man… for everything… for telling me everything… and bringing me here… Thank you."
Kakarot grinned as he straightened himself up.
"No, problem, bro…!"
v
The next few days flew buy fast on the ship. Nathan played with Rose and Goten. I thought about when Rose screamed so loud the first time she saw Nathan because the two were probably two of the last beings in the universe with natural red hair. She couldn't believe her eyes. Nathan almost felt the same way. She was such a cute, young girl with my eyes and looks and she looked up to him like no other had. It had been years since he saw someone else with natural red hair; it reminded him of his brother's hair, except way, way longer. Rose's hair was a flame of bright red that went over her shoulders and down her back to her tailbone, while Nathans was dark burgundy with hints of silver through the sides of his head. He kept his pulled back in a long ponytail that just hit his mid-back, but that quickly changed when rose got her hands on it. They joked around with one another and she braided his hair, saying that he looked like a beautiful princess while placing a silver and diamond crown from Nathan's bag that he'd stolen on his head. Kakarot and I laughed when they played with one another and Goten tackled him, wrapping his little tail around his arm. Nathan lifted him in the air and Goten began to swing with his tail like it was a swing. For a child his age, his tail was already pretty strong. I felt Kakarot wrap his around my side as we watched. It was so enjoyable to watch him play with my kids. They loved him almost immediately. Goten asked if he'd be like their uncle or something and Nathan simply laughed and said, 'Of course…! Your father and I are pretty much brothers!' I couldn't stop laughing for almost twenty minutes straight. It was the most fun I'd had in years. It all reminded Nathan so much of Earth; like when he and I would babysit for his cousin's kids. It all felt like déjà vu.
One, quiet evening came and I decided to cut Nathan's hair, slicing his braid of tangled, burgundy off completely, and then styling it to be short and even. He was relieved to feel so light and I just laughed at his reaction. He admitting to the fact that the only down-side to losing his long hair was that he could no longer use it as a weapon in battle; that really cracked me up! When the kids saw him, they were so shocked; like looking at him again for the first time; their little faces couldn't even believe it. They weren't really afraid of him, though, just shocked; they still loved him and played with him like the big best friend he was to them.
Sure, I had fun with my family, but it was never like this; with someone else. Kakarot and I didn't know too many people. Other than the scientists we stayed in touch with on trying to bring my memory back and a few other outlaws and scavengers, we couldn't trust anyone else. Nathan was a spark of joy in our lives. He brought happiness to a whole new level. I felt complete, even without a lot of my memories. Kakarot and I cherished the moments he spent playing with our kids, eating dinner, playing games, sparring outside and lastly… just simply being together.
v
The day was hot and dry as we all walked into the building and asked the head scientist if the serum to help bring my memory back was ready for testing again. It was one day after landing on the new desert-like planet. Nathan liked it; it reminded him of Star Wars.
"Yeah, man… Like two years ago, I got with this chick that was like so overly obsessed with my hair; it was fucking weird…!"
Kakarot laughed and replied,
"Yeah, no, I know exactly what you r talking about… My brother once was with one of those aliens that were obsessed with overly long hair. I don't know what it is… It's so fucking weird."
They both laughed as Kakarot patted Nathan's back in a friendly 'bro' gesture. I walked behind them, listening to their pathetic conversations. I rolled my eyes at them and Kakarot chuckled, seeing me in the corner of his eye. Nathan backed up and grabbed me in a big hug.
"Stop…! Damn it! You guys are just big idiots, you know that…!"
"He-he; you're so adorable…!"
Kakarot laughed and grabbed Nathan away from me and ruffled his hair in a head-lock. I giggled at them and continued to head inside. Kakarot shoved Nathan away and Nathan punched him in the arm. They were the biggest dorks ever!
v
Nathan walked in behind us and simply sat in a chair in the corner silent, waiting, and observing the surroundings of the giant, run-down looking lab. The old man looked at me with a smile,
"Oh, Taylor, how are you?"
I smiled and replied,
"I'm fine, how are you?"
He grinned,
"I'm fine… So, are you ready?
I looked at Kakarot and he smiled down at me and nodded. I looked back at the old man and replied,
"Yes…"
"Okay… Just have a seat over there…"
He pointed to a chair near the testing table. Kakarot held my hand tightly as we walked towards it.
"Here, I'll take your jacket…"
Kakarot pulled it off my shoulder and held it over his arm.
"Thanks."
I stepped in front of the metal chair where the scientist was with the machines and heart monitors. Nathan eyes focused on my back and he just stared. Scars lathering my skin; my arms shoulders and lower back could all be seen from my little tank top I was wearing, along with black tattoos and markings, symbols and drawings.
Kakarot smiled as I went to lie back in the chair. He had similar tattoos to mine on his back, but they were barely visible other than his mid-bicep. Because he always wore t-shirts, the only people that ever really saw them were I and sometimes my kids if he walked around the house without his shirt on. It was truly something. Nathan stared in shock, for he hadn't seen them in the time he'd been with us.
Oh, my God!
That was all he could think as he stared at my battle wounds and bad memories. I looked like the smaller, female version of Kakarot with my wounds, dark hair, broad shoulders, and beautifully handsome features; I was a stronger, prouder woman than he ever remembered me being.
Huh, they actually look alike a lot more than I thought… They look like they're happy… though…
He grinned slightly as the project was about to begin.
"Thanks, Brian… I can always count on you…"
Nathan's eyes shot up.
Wait, what did she just say?!
That name… he hadn't heard a name like that in years… it was… an Earth name, a human name! He slowly stood from the chair and came walking slowly towards where we were. The old man turned to see Nathan standing right near him, staring down at him with a concerned, shocked look on his face. Kakarot and I turned and looked at him.
"Hey, man. What's up?"
"Young man, is there something that you need?"
The thirty-two year old man's eyes began watering. He couldn't believe it. It couldn't have been true; after all these years… Was… Was it really him?!
"D-D-Dad…?"
His voice was shaky and low. The old man's eyes widened as he stared at the red haired man standing before him. Kakarot and I froze in place. Did he just call Brian 'dad'?! What was happening?!
"I-Is it really y-you?!"
Nathans hands were shaking as he slowly stepped forward, closer to him. The man hesitantly stepped back, confused at first, but then… after a minute of studying his face, it hit him. It was him; his son; Nathan.
"Nathan… oh… oh, my God… y-you're alive…"
Brain fell against Nathan and Nathan wrapped his arms tightly around the older man, crying. Brains eyes began watering. The two other scientists in the room stopped what they were doing and watched. Kakarot stared confused, but also amazed. I gasped as I just had a sudden recollection of the two being together at some point in my life, in my mind. A memory came back of father and son, bickering at one another at their old home on Earth.
Oh, my God! It can't be…
"I thought you were dead."
Brian began crying; one of his son's was alive. Nathan was alive. Nathan wept into his father's shoulder; his father was alive. They couldn't believe it. They stayed hugging for a few minutes before finally letting go and smiling at one another. Kakarot handed the two some tissues, grinning. Nathan grabbed them and grabbed Kakarot's hand, pulling him in for a hug. I stared at Nathan confused. Kakarot chuckled and pushed away gently,
"Hey, man… what's up? All I did was give you some tissues…"
Nathan chuckled, wiping his eyes, before replying,
"No… that's not the only thing you did, Kakarot…"
Kakarot stared at Nathan confused before Nathan finally answered,
"You brought me with… Brought me here… Thank you…"
Nathan looked at his old man, who wiped his eyes and smiled. Kakarot smiled sincerely.
"You're welcome, man."
They chuckled and held each other's hand as friends who'd hadn't had a 'bro' moment in years.
I giggled at the two before speaking,
"Hey, let's all get caught up later… I want to see if the serum will finally work."
They nodded and Brian went and got the syringe. Kakarot took a few steps back. He was still afraid of needles and it made both Nathan and I laugh. Once I was out, Kakarot, Nathan, and Brian all sat down for over three hours and just talked about everything they'd all been through over the past eleven years. Nathan and Brian communicated like they'd never had before. It was the most overdue talk.
v
"So… what happened to mom?"
Nathan focused his eyes on his father who looked down, sad and almost like he where in pain.
"Your mother died years ago… I don't remember exactly when, but… she was killed by one of those Saiyan guards after trying to escape… the only reason I'm still alive is just because I agreed to work in the science department on more research for healing capsules and technologies for the soldiers…"
He rubbed his forehead tiredly; Nathan placed a hand on his back, rubbing it gently.
"I'm sorry… dad…"
"Don't be… We survived a long time there… but it was only a matter of time… I thought I was going to die, but then… I was sent here. No one ever came back to pick me up… I just recently heard that the empire was overthrown… Is that true?"
They both nodded. Brian seemed a little off and on with topics, but the man was getting older; he couldn't focus nearly as well as he once could on specific topics and things they were talking about. Nathan didn't mention anything; he just let the man speak whatever he pleased; he was just happy to be in his company once again. Brian grinned slightly, still looking down. Nathan stayed close to him. He was the only family he had left. Things were becoming too hard to comprehend; why… why did he feel this way?
Kakarot watched the two of them talk about their lives on Earth after they were separated and then what it was like to be on Planet Vegeta… Brian was always in the science department and because Nathan was never on that side of the palace, they never even knew one or the other were still alive… it was sad to think about, but they were reunited at last; that made him feel happy for them. Kakarot grinned slightly at the two as they started laughing about a joke Nathan made about the Prince, but then all went back to bleak dark and sadness when Nathan confessed of what had happened to us; him and I. he spoke of how Vegeta tormented us and tortured us; more me than him, but it was still a very dark and cruel experience to have to deal with over all these years. Kakarot and Nathan were both glad that I had lost my memory of that incident, but were saddened that, if the serum worked, I would remember it all again. The upside was that I'd remember Nathan again… that's all Kakarot wanted. It didn't matter to him that we were together and had a family; he wanted to see me remember the one I used to love… and probably still do.
v
Several minutes passed and I woke up to see Nathan standing over me.
"Hey, Taylor… How do you feel? Can you hear me?"
My eyes were fuzzy and a blur at first, and then, when he became clear to my sight, my eyes went wide and I began crying. I grabbed him by his shirt and before he could react, I kissed him. Kakarot jumped up from his chair, shocked, but then, grinned, whispering to himself quietly,
"So, her memory came back… Oh, Taylor… I was so worried it never would…"
Nathan pulled back, shocked and out of breath. I was still crying and Brian stared almost teary-eyed at us, knowing that after eight long years of research, the serum finally worked.
"Nathan…! Oh, my God…! I thought I lost you!"
I pulled him back down and hugged him tightly. His eyes began watering. Finally, his woman, his mate, the love of his life, was back in his arms… or… more or less, he was in mine. I remembered everything again. All the good and all the bad; between Nathan and me over the years we were together. I remembered being separated. I remembered all the horrible things that Vegeta did, that Kakarot did, and then… I remembered Kakarot. I remembered our family, our children, and my eyes went wide. Nathan let go and let me sit up from the reclined, metal chair. Brain came over and unhooked the heart monitor from my wrist.
"You remember me…? You remember everything…?"
I nodded my head and wiped my eyes. My eyes quickly glanced over to Kakarot, who was leaning against the wall near the exit, smiling. I stood up and ran to him, jumping into his arms.
"Kakarot, it worked! It worked! Thank you!"
He chuckled and looked over to Brian.
"Don't thank me… thank him."
I turned around to where Brian was and he stood waving his hand at us.
"No, no… there's no need for that… What happened today was simply a miracle… You all take care of yourselves now."
We nodded happily. Nathan placed a hand on Brian's shoulder, turning him towards him.
"Dad… I don't know how to repay you…"
Brian smiled.
"Just keep well, son… Take good care of her… both of you…"
His eyes panned over to Kakarot, who moved away from me and walked towards Brian, handing him a bag.
"I will, sir… We will… Thank you…"
Brian took the heavy bag. It was filled with cash.
"Twenty-thousand Zenti… I counted it before I brought it here… I can count it again if you want, just to be sure…"
Brian shoved him away gently.
"Oh, get out of here, there's no need… Now, go and live your lives… I don't expect anything from you two unless you start losing your mind, Kakarot…"
Kakarot laughed,
"Ha, I think I already did a long time ago, sir!"
Brian laughed, coughing slightly.
"Get out…"
Kakarot chuckled and turned back to me to leave.
"Okay… Come on, guys. Let's go…"
Nathan stayed still for a moment.
"What about you…?"
Brian grinned.
"I'm already home…"
Nathan glanced around the lab and smiled.
"Okay… I'll be back. I promise…"
Brian laughed and turned away with the money.
"Just go…"
Nathan smiled and turned to the door. Before he left, Brian spoke to him one final statement.
"I love you… my son."
Nathan felt his heart ache, but he tried to stay strong, slightly turning his head back.
"I love you, too… dad… It was good seeing you again…"
Nathan exited the lab. Brian was the happiest he'd ever been in his whole life.
v
Nathan ran out after our cruiser, which Kakarot had already started driving away.
"HEY, HEY, WAIT; SLOW DOWN, YOU ASSHOLE!"
Kakarot laughed as he slowed down enough for Nathan to run up to the side and jump in. as soon as he did, he grabbed Kakarot, hooking his elbow around his neck, ruffling up his hair. Kakarot swerved and pushed Nathan off.
"Damn it, I hate you…!"
Kakarot laughed as he tried staying in control of the wheel.
"Hey, come on! It was a joke, man!"
Nathan laughed as he breathed heavily from running so fast. He sat back, tired and getting comfortable. I scooted from the front into the back seat where Nathan was and curled up next to him. Nathan was hesitant to even touch me. He glanced up at Kakarot in the rear-view mirror and Kakarot simply grinned, rolling his eyes and shook his head, mouthing 'whatever'. Nathan smiled and put his arm around me. I purred up against him. It felt like we were back on Earth. Nathan felt weird, considering he hadn't done this with any other woman in years, even all the others he had been with. He never cuddled or cared for any of them like he did me. He kissed the top of my head as we drove off into the horizon line.
Kakarot smiled as he watched us fall asleep in each other's arms. He wanted to see us get back together for years. Even after we'd started a family together, he still thought about how beautiful it'd be to see it happen, and now, thanks to Nathan's father, it came true. Of course, things would be a little strange, Nathan staying with us and our kids. He'd be like an 'uncle' to them. Him and Kakarot were close enough 'bro's' that they were practically brothers; and Kakarot would much prefer Nathan as a brother than his actual brother, and Nathan missed his deeply; Kakarot being a close friend and a loyal warrior was comforting enough for him to forget about all the bad in the past, though. Nathan was going to be a part of our family now. No matter how strange it seemed, he respected him greatly and I loved him dearly. Kakarot raised an eyebrow at the thought,
What if something like what happened with Vegeta; that little three-way-fun happens with Nathan?! He-he; that'd be interesting…
Kakarot grinned at the vulgar, but humorous, sexual thought and continued driving back to the house, thinking about how long it'd been since we'd been wild and crazy in bed like that!