It was a good thing the senzu beans had finally ripened, Goku thought as he dug through the rubble that had been part of Capsule Corp. Trunks and Bulma had both been caught in the blast, and the only things that had saved them was the speed at which they were rescued, and the little beans. No one had found Vegeta yet. His energy was so faint Goku wasn't even sure he was digging in the right place, until he found Vegeta's hand. He worked faster, uncovering the prince, and forcing a senzu down his throat.

The wounds vanished. "Vegeta? Can you hear me?"

Obsidian eyes opened, the terror that had caused the blast obvious. Vegeta looked up at Goku, and tears began slipping from his eyes.

"Oh, Vegeta," Goku said softly. He wrapped the smaller man in his arms, holding him until the wracking sobs subsided. "I guess I better take you home with me."

They put him in Gohan's old room. Chi-Chi would have protested, but Goku took her aside and told her exactly what kind of shape Vegeta had been in when he'd found him, and about the nightmares that still plagued the prince. She subsided – not quietly – but allowed the new arrival. Her main complaint was having to cook for another Saiyan appetite.

It didn't take her long to realize that Goku had been right; that something was very wrong with the prince. He didn't insult Goku, and more importantly, ate about half of what she'd expected him to. He jumped and cowered away if she walked in on him unexpectedly. He also did any chore she assigned him, without protesting. And he still wouldn't talk.

Goten moved in with him after the third night he woke up screaming. The young demi-Saiyan's uncanny resemblance to his father seemed to ease the prince, though Goten found it a bit odd for Vegeta to be following him or his father around like a puppy. The two would take Vegeta fishing and hunting, swimming and camping. They went for walks and devil-may-care flights, and trained every day.

His appetite improved, and gradually, the haunted look left his eyes. And Chi-Chi, fed up with his silence, told him he wasn't getting fed if he didn't start talking.

Goten sprawled on the couch, watching cartoons. Vegeta slept, his head resting against the boy's shoulder. Chi-Chi, who'd just finished making supper, was planning on announcing such when she realized that Goten had his arm around the prince. "Goten, what are you doing?"

"Watching Inu-Yasha, why?"

"With Vegeta?"

"Huh?" Commercial break, Goten looked from Vegeta to his mother, confusion on his face. "No, Vegeta fell asleep during Wheel of Fortune. He's watching the insides of his eyelids."

"Supper's ready." She was going to have to have a talk with Goku. He could speak with their son. They had the same brain wavelength.

"Huh?" Definitely the same brain wavelength, Chi-Chi thought in exasperation. Slowly and carefully, she explained again, this time with simpler terms.

"Oh! Well, of course Goten cares about Vegeta. So do I. What's the big deal?" She glared at him. "Um, you don't mean friends? Oh. Oh. Oh!" It finally penetrated, and his eyes widened. "Chi-Chi, that's ridiculous! Goten's got a girlfr… oops! I wasn't supposed to mention her."

"Vegeta?" Goten helped the older Saiyan back to his feet. "You don't look so good. Do… are you sick?"

A slight pause, as Vegeta took a breath. Then, he shook his head. He wasn't sick, just hungry. Chi-Chi had meant what she said, and browbeaten (read harpy-screamed) her husband and son into not sneaking him any food. Once she'd found out they were, that was.

"Hungry?"

Vegeta's lips moved soundlessly when he tried to answer. Frustrated, he nodded, shrugging helplessly, still unable to express himself verbally. He'd gotten hungry enough to even sink to eating bugs and worms when he hadn't been able to catch anything else.

"Maybe… Look, I know whatever happened was bad. But Gohan, he's a doctor. If you'll let him, maybe he can help?"

Vegeta's face went white. He had more fear of needles now than Goku did, though the others hadn't learned that yet. It was a doctor who had drugged him, kept him so weak and helpless. He remembered the white coat as the man bent over him, felt the scalpel slicing through his skin. The other things that had been done….

He bent double, retching blood.

Gohan stepped from the room, troubled. His father had remained with Vegeta. "Gohan? Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine, Goten. He just needs time to recover, psychologically. Physically, all he needs is food."

"Mother…"

"I'm going to speak with her."

"I think I will go," Goten looked down the hallway at the window, "outside someplace."

Gohan laughed. "I would!"

Vegeta leaned back against Kakarot, trying to stop the tremors racing through his body. The taller Saiyan wrapped an arm around him, his other hand rubbing gently along Vegeta's tightly crossed arms. "Relax, Vegeta. You heard Gohan. You just need a little more time, is all. Then you'll be back to your old self."

His old self wouldn't have stood for Kakarot being so close, or accepted the sympathy and compassion. His old self wouldn't have turned, nuzzling against the younger man, pleading for affection. And his old self wouldn't have crumpled into sobs when the younger man left, instead, not understanding the silent plea. His old self would have turned his nose up at this weakness, and probably killed himself to escape the shame.

Goten crept in through the hallway window. His mother was still arguing with Gohan, and he could hear his father's softer voice trying to reason with her. He slipped into the room he shared with Vegeta. Already dark, but it had been late by the time Gohan had arrived. He sighed, and shrugged out of his clothes before slipping into the bed.

"It's just me," he whispered as the other whimpered. "They're still going at it downstairs, so I'm not about to go down there. Gohan says you've got to recover psychologically. I'll have to go look that up, though, cause I don't know what he meant."

Vegeta smiled through his tears. The boy was just like his father, patently clueless yet intelligent, goodhearted and caring. He relaxed as the boy curled around him, an arm sliding across his chest, the hand cupping his face.

"It's gonna be alright, you know. Daddy won't let anything happen to you." The teen nuzzled against Vegeta, getting comfortable. His lips brushed against skin as he continued, "He may be third-class by Saiyan standards, but he'll take out anyone who threatens you. You're one of his friends."

The baka always did fight better if his friends were threatened, Vegeta thought, drifting off to sleep.