Author's Note: Forgive any of my inconsistencies on the stuff about the dragonballs here…I haven't actually seen all the episodes, so I'm little shaky on some of the background.
* * * * *
Needless to say, I'm persuaded to go back to the campsite. As we walk back, I sling my arm over Kakarot's shoulders, and he winds his around my waist and leans his head into my shoulder. He's just the right height to do that. And what should be a supremely awkward way to walk, well, isn't. I loop my tail over his arm, and we move in silence, not needing the words right now.
It isn't really a very long walk. When we get back, Vegeta is neatly tying up his bedroll, like he does every morning. Not that we're necessarily going anywhere today, unless we find that stupid dragonball. But Vegeta has always had this need for order, both physically and mentally. I remember…but I don't want to think about that now. Instead I just watch him as he glances up from that immaculate, tight bundle of fabric, and spots my brother and I.
It's almost all worth it at that point. He just stands there, staring at us. Not shocked…he never looks shocked unless he's angry. Just…staring, hands resting lightly on the bedroll, a slight breeze sifting gently through his defiant flame of hair. I sneak a quick glance at my brother, and he's smiling warmly at our prince, then at me. I can't help but smile back, then lean in slowly to brush a line of kisses along his jaw. My tail slides up to flicker at the back of his neck as I wind my way up to his mouth, capturing it briefly but intensely, before releasing him.
Vegeta's still staring. I curse his lack of a tail…I can't tell what he's thinking. But I decide to ignore him as I saunter over to my own blanket and begin folding it sloppily. I feel his dark eyes on the back of my neck, it takes an enormous effort not to look up. Kakarot's getting out the dragonball radar, turning it on, when I spot movement out of the corner of my eye. A small, brownish animal. There's a lot of them around here…they have a helpless round shape, but move surprisingly fast when given the opportunity. Not as fast as me, though.
I hold the thing up by its long ears, and my stomach growls at me impatiently. "These any good for eating, Kakarot?" I ask, turning to my brother and brandishing the animal. It's swinging back and forth, frightened.
My brother looks over, raising his eyebrows. "What, rabbits? Yeah, they're pretty good, but you'd have to get a whole lot of them for the three of us."
Rabbit, huh? I blink at the little thing, silently agreeing with Kakarot. One quick twist and its neck is broken. "Where do these rabbits live?"
Kakarot shrugs. "In a warren, I guess."
"Warren?"
"Series of holes and tunnels under the ground. Must be one nearby…there's sure enough rabbits around for one."
Hmm. I regret killing the other one so quickly…maybe I could have scared it back into its hidey-hole and found the other ones. But I spot a dappled white and grey one about fifty feet away. "Guess I'll get us some breakfast then," I grin.
I stomp loudly towards the rabbit, but the stupid thing just stares up at me, glassy-eyed with fear. Finally, I leap at it, and then it's off and running, skittering away. I keep up easily, and see it dart into a well-concealed hole in the ground. Ah, perfect. I flop down on my stomach, the warm grass tickling my cheek as I peer down into the hole. Too dark to really see much, but I don't doubt it connects to this warren thing. It's the next part that's going to be tricky.
Piccolo taught me this neat trick with my ki. That's all I thought it was at the time, a trick, because I couldn't imagine not using the maximum amount of force when trying to blast someone with ki. But he said learning control would be useful, and could potentially be a lot harder than just building strength.
"Of course, if you think you're not up to it," he had said, crossing his arms smugly, and that was that. I was going to learn how to do the stupid thing.
Basically what he taught me was how to manipulate ki like a sort of kinetic force, instead of a blast. Using it to pick things up, push things, stuff like that. Apparently he did this when he was training; lifting mountains with his mind and all that kind of shit. I found it exceedingly difficult to get the hang of; I've never been much of a ki manipulator. If I can't use my feet or fists on it, it doesn't seem much worth my while. But I was grateful to Piccolo today; maybe I could get another blank look from Vegeta for this one.
Carefully reaching out with my ki, I feel my way down the small hole in the ground. I close my eyes to concentrate better, hold my body still and quiet. To do this right, I'll have to have perfect concentration…ah! There! I can feel the little rabbit, trembling in the tunnel, its heartbeat thundering like a tiny drum. And more, beyond it…and more holes, on the other side of that little hillock. The main body of the warren must be right under the hill.
Okay, next step. I stop for a moment, take in a few deep breaths to help me focus, concentrate. I try to block out the noises around me, just focus on the feel of the earth underneath me, dark and loamy, cool below the surface and slightly moist. I dig my fingers into the ground, breaching the topsoil layer of grass…and then I give a little push, down the tunnel.
It hurries the rabbit further down the hole. I push again, letting my ki spill down that hole like water, finding all the crevices, filling all the cracks, pushing the rabbit harder. But not too hard! I have to be careful, I don't want to kill the thing. Not yet, anyway. Another deep breath, another push…and now I'm falling, tumbling down two tunnels, three…another, five, six, ten. Careful, careful…I've got a full freight of rabbits now, and other debris, sticks and rocks and whatnot. Just about enough…
I give one final, hard push, and everything comes popping out the other side of the hole. I look up, grinning madly, watching the impromptu rain of rabbits and dirt. I leap to my feet, not even pausing to dust myself off, and begin running in wild circles, scooping up rabbits right and left. When I've got eight good sized ones, plump and soft, I desist, falling back in the grass to watch the rest of the little animals bolt every which way, trying to figure out what the hell happened.
I have to laugh. It's just too damned funny, and I know exactly how these rabbits feel. To have your whole world turned upside down, to be shoved out of your comfy, dark hole…I look up at the sky and laugh and laugh, and my tail dances time.
Finally, I get to my feet, and hook my tail around the necks of my prize. I'm about to take these beauties back to the fire when I see something glinting golden mellow in the brilliant autumn sun. Frowning, I trot over to look at it. It's the goddamn dragonball!
Shaking my head in amusement, I scoop the tiny thing up. Fits perfectly in the palm of my hand, must've popped out with the rabbits. "Well, shit." Laughing again, I toss it up in the air and then catch it neatly. It's got an odd feel…looks a bit like glass, but feels like stone, heavy and cool, wrapped in my callused fingers.
As I move back to the fire, I spot Kakarot and Vegeta engaged in some sort of heated conversation. Neither look particularly angry, but Vegeta is frowning and they're speaking in low voices, presumably so I can't hear. I snort, and toss down the rabbits.
"Breakfast," I announce, then toss the dragonball at Vegeta's head. "Catch."
There is no universe in existence in which Vegeta will ever get hit in the head with any sort of ball. It's just not possible. So I'm not surprised when he deftly snatches the dragonball out of the air and examines it briefly. What I am surprised at is the slow smile which blooms on his face like some sort of suspiciously sweet-smelling flower that is very likely highly poisonous.
He spins the dragonball over the back of his hand, dancing it along his knuckles, before rolling it around to hold it again. Doesn't fit neatly into the palm of his hand, they're much too small. Compact, his hands are, lean and precise, not like my too-large ones. His obsidian eyes follow its course briefly, then flicker up to me. He smile grows a bit wider, and he nods at me. "Not bad, Raditz," he says in that low, whiskey voice he has. High praise indeed, from him.
I nod to him in thanks, trying with some success to master my urge to jump in the air and shout, "Yes! Eat that, you arrogant bastard!" So instead I settle myself cross-legged in front of the fire and begin skinning the rabbits.
"Only one more to go," Kakarot comments, sitting down next to me with a handful of long sticks. "Where'd you find that thing?"
"In the warren…came out with the rabbits," I explain, licking some blood off my fingers absently, uselessly, since I still have seven more to skin.
"No wonder we couldn't find it before," Kakarot muses, then grins at me lopsidedly. "Neat trick, with the rabbits."
"Thanks." I give him a companionable smile, and he snares the rabbit from me, mounts it neatly on a stick, and sets it to roasting over the remains of our campfire. I wouldn't mind eating them raw, frankly, but Kakarot's gotten into the human habit of cooking everything.
"Have you thought about the second wish at all?" I glance up again from my work, frowning.
"What?"
"The second wish. I mean, since this was your idea, I figure you should get the second wish…"
Huh. "I didn't know you could have two wishes…"
"Oh yeah, Shen Long'll grant two. One is the tails…and two is yours."
Wow, that's a lot to think about. A whole wish, just for myself? Maybe I should give it to Vegeta…I look over at my prince, now sitting idly next to the stream and splashing cool water on his bare legs. The sun in his hair brightens the normal black with brilliant auburn highlights, impossibly beautiful. And the muscles along his shoulders as he leans over, glimmering with barely formed sweat. The back of his neck, that place where his hair springs upwards, something about that spot I just love to stare at…no. No, I'm not going to give away my wish just yet.
"I guess I don't know what to wish for, Kakarot. What would you do, if it was yours?"
He thinks about it. We've been out here a little over two weeks, and little by little I've watched his natural good humor return to him, so now he's something much more like his former self. The eternal optimist, so cheerful and bright sometimes it's sickening. But also comforting. Despite what Vegeta would have him believe, we Saiyans are not naturally a dour people. Quick tempered, maybe, and that's where Kakarot did differ from most of us, but never dour. Of all the different races I have met, Saiyans are the most passionate, about everything. About people, about love, about fighting, about joy. Vegeta was always considered unusually serious, even as a child, and having his entire race of people wiped out only made him worse.
"I don't know what I'd wish for. I mean, there isn't really anything I want." He laughs, a light chuckle, free of worry, that makes him sound about twenty years younger. "Just miss my tail. Though honestly, I never thought about it much until you showed up again."
"Fat lot of help you are," I grumble, punching him hard in the shoulder. He'll hardly feel it.
"Shouldn't have help on your wishes, anyway," he chides me, eyes like sun-warmed obsidian dancing playfully.
"Maybe I should just wish for world domination. Or to be immortal or something." But those have never been my wishes. Power yes, what Saiyan doesn't want power? But my ambitions have always been confined to people, as opposed to things. Or one person, anyways. And I don't want to force my prince's affections with a wish.
"Taking a leaf out of Vegeta's book?" Kakarot teases me, and I snort. Hardly.
"If I was, then I would just wish to be taller," I shoot back, and am pleased at the choke of laughter I wring from my brother.
"Raditz! Don't let him hear you talking like that!" His eyes still hold amusement, though, and I turn back to my rabbits feeling somewhat better.
"Talking like what?" Ah, his voice is like desert-cracked sandstone.
"Oh, I was just saying I was going to wish for the ability to kick your ass when we find the last dragonball," I respond airily, and I hear Vegeta snort, a sound so like the one I just gave in response to my brother. But while I'm like a frothing bull, he's some sort of purebred racing horse, all flash and style and elegance.
"Shen Long only has the power of the one who makes the dragonballs. And the guardian of the Earth can't 'kick my ass', as you so crudely put it, nor can anyone on this mudball, so looks like you're out of luck." I hear the amusement slide through his voice, and I find myself grinning down at my busy hands in response.
"I know several Sons that would beg to differ with you on your estimation of your prowess, my Prince," I answer, deliberately not looking at him. I hear his little in-drawn breath of outrage, though.
"How dare-" but he cuts himself off before he can start, showing some of that fabled self-control. "I'll forgive you that, you're obviously been listening to your brother for far too long."
"Actually, Vegeta," Kakarot pipes up, but then stops when we both look up at him, frowning. "Oh. Okay."
"I find far more interesting things to do with my brother than listen to him talk, these days," I respond as though Kakarot never interrupted. And I'm intrigued to hear the way Vegeta's breathing quickens for just a moment. Angry? No…as I sniff the air, blocking out the overwhelming scent of blood, and old embers and dead wood, I can taste the faint traces of Saiyan desire in the air. I lick my fingers again, this time more deliberately, rolling the pad of my thumb into the back of my mouth and savoring the taste if the still-warm blood. I let my eyes drift up to Vegeta's face, looking at him from under my thick, dark lashes.
Vegeta's very, very good at giving blank face. But not good enough…I can see the small twitch at the corner of his mouth, the way his nostrils flare. I smile around my thumb, pull it out slowly from my mouth and run it along my lower lip before returning to my task. There's a small rustle of cloth, then Vegeta's standing and walking away, still breathing heavily. I look up again, this time to note my brother watching me with bemused interest.
"You're playing a very dangerous game, do you know that?" he asks me, but of course I do.
"Yeah. Do you mind?" That's really the question that matters most. I don't want to…can't…hurt my brother at this point.
"Nope," he responds cheerfully, "But I may not bail your butt out when you get in too deep."
I laugh, and give myself permission to silently celebrate both my sudden daring and the absolutely amazing time I'm having out here in the woods, kissing my brother and trying my damndest to seduce my prince.