Falling Away from me….

1 Chapter 8: Explanations and Excuses







~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Gohan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





We had just left the studio to rest. I love to practice in the studio with my otousan, but at that present moment I wished to escape from my dad for a little bit and get to know my prince a little better.

We amble across the street and enter the eatery that had established itself on the side. I enter first and head for the coziest booth in the corner and grab two menus. Their cool plastic laminated surfaces slide across my fingers. Vegeta strolls in behind me with all the grace of a hunting leopard. He slides his dark eyes to and fro, observing the scene before him. I shiver as he sets that ebony stare on me, almost as if he is already devouring me. I find that I enjoy it. Almost instantly he settles down beside me, the dark maroon plastic seat groans and squeaks as his weight settles on it.

I sigh. I am so hungry and have no idea what to order. I nervously eye Vegeta out or the corner of my eyes to see what he will ask for.

He swiftly scans the lists of food within a matter of minutes. Almost instantly he sets down the menu and gazes at me, his eyes pools of inky jet. The midnight leather jacket whispers as he leans toward me and places his lips next to my ear. His breath is warm as it washes over the side of my head. Errant locks of sable hair float on the breeze created by his presence.

" I have a better idea, Gohan." he begins, voice silky with velvet edges as he whispers, "Why don't we go to my house instead? I can cook a hell of a lot better than that slop they are trying to sell."

I swallow slightly and turn to him, barely managing to hang on to some semblance of control. I put on a surprised face.

"You? Cook? I didn't know you did anything but fight," I bantered lightly back, almost daring to flirt.

I waited, watching for clues of how he would react to that jest.

I didn't have long to wait.

"Well," he replies, " I had to survive somehow on my own. I do not prefer my meals the way Kakarrot's brother did. I prefer mine cooked and clean. Come on… If you go with me I will give you a special treat." One inky orb closes at me in a definite wink.

My mouth drops open but shuts again almost instantly as I smile.

"Wow… I even get desert."

This earns a small smile from him.

He smoothly gets to his feet and moves away from the booth. I follow him and we leave the restaurant. The sidewalk is crammed with pedestrians on their way home. The sun begins set behind a bank of storm clouds that hover in the distance. Their black heights dwarf the mountains they hover over, reeking havoc on the inhabitants below.

We turn to the north and begin on our trek to Vegeta's place. I am glad for once that Bulma is not home. I shudder to think how she would react to knowing that Vegeta had feelings for me. But then, maybe she would be accepting, knowing that Saiya-jins are not humans and will never be human. We are a separate species with different needs and drives. I only wish my own mother could understand that. I think Piccolo-san was the only person who ever understood that, besides Vegeta.

A weight suddenly presses down on my chest as I think of my old teacher and best friend. I feel a vague sense of unease that worms within my breast. I look behind me and see nothing amiss, but still I cannot shake this feeling. I sigh and push it down into the corner of my thoughts, lest Vegeta see it and think that something is wrong.

All too soon we come to his dwelling. He slips an arm around me and squeezes my waist. He walks me to the door. With his other hand he punches in the master code into the alarm keypad, disarming the security system. He opens the door and leads me in.

The warrior unwraps his arm from around my waist and heads for the kitchen. He takes off the smooth leather jacket, revealing a skin-tight black muscle shirt that shows off every one of his curves and contrasts seductively with his pale milky skin.

"Make yourself at him, Gohan." He calls from the kitchen. I can hear aluminum pots and pants rattle and clank as he shifts them around in the kitchen.

"Alright." I reply, voice shaking a bit in nervousness. I sigh and steel myself. I know I shouldn't be nervous for anything, but still…

It is a carry over trait I had since I was in the forest training with my sensei. With my senses heightened to instantly seek out enemies and my instincts honed to a razor's edge, I was a constant mess of nerves. I managed to calm down somewhat, but I still do it in certain situations.

The feeling of unease grows as my thought once again return to my sensei. I growl quietly as not to alert Vegeta to my condition. Why can't I concentrate on anything else? Why is Piccolo dominating my thoughts? I close my eyes and concentrate on the mental link he and I have together. It allows us to constantly update the status of the other's condition, whether it be mental, physical, or emotional.

I do a quick once over and see nothing out of the ordinary, other than an odd feeling of foreboding. I frown slightly and start to focus on that particular emotion when my contemplation is broken by a loud sound.

My eyes snap open and I am rushed back to reality at a dizzying pace. I get a hold of my senses and rush to the kitchen, fearing the worse.

I stop at the edge of the kitchen.

And stare.

And start to laugh.

Vegeta is lying there in the midst of a sea of pots, pans, and other aluminum cooking paraphernalia while cursing up a storm.

His head suddenly whips around and he zeros in on me. I try to choke the laughter but it comes out in a spasm of choking guffaws.

He stares murderously at me for a few brief seconds then, miraculously he starts to smile and begins to laugh himself.

I tiptoe past the offending cookware and offer my prince a hand up. He takes it gratuitously and heaves himself up.

"Thanks;" he offers, "I was trying to reach the colander on the top shelf. It seemed to be stuck on the lip of the bottom cabinet, so I tried to tug it out. Evidently I tugged too hard and brought the rest of the kitchen down on to me."

I chuckle a bit more. "No problem, Vegeta. Anytime you need to be rescued, just yell… Or in your case… Just rattle the saucepan… I will know who it is."

He glances me with mirth in his eyes. " Smartass" he retorts back.

I step back and find the world before my tilting precariously as I try to retain my balance as I slip on something.

I crash down amid the clutter and peer up dazedly to find Vegeta laughing at me. He stands there for a second and then offers me a helping hand.

"Never say anything bad to anyone, Gohan. Insults have a bad way of boomranging right around and biting you in the ass when you least expect it."

"Herr. Har. Har." I reply with a sarcastic edge to my voice, but I grab his hand and he lifts me up into his arms. For balance, I tell myself.



"Let's get out of this mess before either one of us falls again," he says softly but neither of us make a single move. I find my eyes closing slowly. Vegeta gently leans toward me and I move to meet him. Our mouths are so close that I can smell the mouthwash he uses, minty with a tint of ice.

We move until we are nothing more that a hairs breadth away.

I rise to meet him and we are nearly there when it happens.

A jolt of pain sears up and down my core. I can't suppress the cry of agony that escapes my throat.

I tense up for a brief moment and then suddenly collapse, exhausted.

A pair of warm strong hands catches me and lead me the couch. Footsteps retreat and then come back a few moments later and a cold rim of glass is pushed against my lower lip.

"Drink this." Says a gently but firm voice.

I do as it commands and gulp down the cool liquid. I feel a little bit better and hang my head, trying to figure out where that sudden paroxysm.

Vegeta settles down beside me and we sit in silence for a brief moment.

He opens his mouth to begin a question, but I cut him off.

"No, I don't know what caused it, but I do have an inkling of an idea." I whisper.

He quirks his head to the side and pulls me into a warm embrace.

"I wasn't going to ask you what happened." He replied, " I was going to ask you if you felt any better."

I smile gratefully and nod my head. Then, I get to my feet. Still slightly unsteady I wobble for a second and then gain my equilibrium. I grab my jacket and start to head for the door.

Vegeta rushes to my side in an instant, blocking my exit.

"Hold on a minute. You damn near fainted, had a sudden seizure and expect me to let you go out that door." He glares at me, " Hell no… If you go, then I am going with you. If nothing else then to make sure you don't fall down and kill yourself."

"Fine." I smile as he grabs his own jacket and follows me out the door. I stand there for a moment, waiting on him to enter the code to set the alarm. Within a few seconds he is at my side waiting on me.

"Where are we going?" He asks as we head south, towards the edge of town.

"To Piccolo-san's place." I reply without tearing my gaze from the horizon.

"I thought the Namekusei-jin lived at the Tenki with Dende and Nail. What happened?"

"Piccolo-san hates noise and crowds. To him two people are crowd. He can stand them when he fights, but he prefers to live alone. The only reason he stayed at the Tenki for so long was to train Dende. Now that the young guardian is competent enough to handle it on his own, Piccolo-san left.

He lives by himself on the edge of town near the old Mt. Pazou region. Out by where I used to live." I explain to Vegeta as we hurry along, ignoring the swarming ningen that surrounds us.

"Ah." he replies, "So why are we heading there?"

I duck under a couple of signs and arrive at a crosswalk. I wait for the light to turn green for the walk signal and then hurry across the pavement. Vegeta follows instantly.

" When we left, I got a look at Piccolo-san's face. He didn't seem too well in the studio. Then as we left to go to your home, I got this weird sense of foreboding for no reason. It grew and then went away for an instant. Then suddenly that wave of pain hit me." I glance sideways at the slightly shorter man. " The pain wasn't all mental… Some was physical. The last time that happened and I found him afterwards, Buu had put a hole the size of a dinner plate through his right shoulder."

"Maybe I am being nothing but a worrywart. I just wanna make sure he is alright."

I glance worriedly at Vegeta. He merely shrugged his shoulders. Then he glanced back at me.

"I don't mind, Gohan. He is your friend. That means you oughta care for him. If you didn't do it then that is when I would be worried. Your sensitivity is one of the things I find attractive about you."

I blush at this statement and continue on my journey.

Finally after sometime, we arrive at the apartment.

"Not too bad. Enough for one or two people." Is my prince's remark.

I don't answer. I am too busy staring at the front door.

Vegeta gaze follows mine and he too gapes at the yawning hole in the house.

Our eyes meet and he nods once. Using the utmost caution, he carefully enters the doorway, craning his neck this way and that searching for signs of an ambush. Seeing none he motions for me to come on.

I stalk inside the doorway and see Vegeta staring at something in the foyer. He isn't doing anything…

Just standing there…

That worries me.

I call his name three times and he ignores me. Finally I get fed up and rush to his side, intent on giving him a piece of my mind.

I stop as I observe the expression on his face. It is closed and thoughtful. Observant, and gauging.

I follow his gaze and gasp.

A small lake of blood stains the pale carpet.

I want it to be someone else's.

But there is no mistaking that lurid violet hue. Only one species has blood that color and there are only three of them that inhabit this planet.

No… Piccolo-san….

It can't be…

Can it?

I tear my gaze away from the horrific sight and rocket out of the room and rush out side. I stare up the falsely beguiling blue sky framed by black clouds in the distance. I take a few minutes to make up my mind and then I leap into the frigid air. As I speed towards my destination, I feel a presence beside me. I turn my head a little to the left and spot Vegeta at my side.

To my astonishment, he seems to have taken this newest development in stride.

"Where to next?"

I focus my gaze forward again, then reply.

"Home… I gotta tell Otousan about this."

And with that we speed towards my old home.

To be continued.