Morning all! I'm awake and ready to start the next chapter^_^! Thanx for
the nice reviews, I'm glad some people appreciate my work.
Veji: Hey, you told me that this would be a fic about me. I demand an explanation for this outrage!
Me: You are in this fic, just not quite visible yet. Don't worry, you'll be in this fic really soon. By the way, I got a question about if these wild Saiyajins were naked or not. Well, they are as naked as the day they were born! If it bothers you to think about naked Vejis and Kakis running around, just imagine them in loincloths or whatever. Someone else also said that the wild Saiyajins seem a lot like animals. Well, I hate to be sarcastic, but they are wild animals. Do you really think a wild animal would carry their babies around in their arms and walk on two legs? Then again, Veji already is a wild animal ^_^!
Veji: You'd better be nice to me, or I'll sick my 'Baka-rotto' on you!
Me: What's he gonna do, hug me to death?
Kaki: *instant transmission* Hugglez for New York-Chan! *grabs me and hugs me*
Me: *choking* Veji! Help!
Veji: What do you want me to do?
Me: He's your mate, do something!
Kaki: I love my New York-Chan! *squeezes tighter*
Veji: Not as much as ME though, right?
Kaki: No one is better than you Jita, especially in bed^_^!
Veji: O_O Shut up! Don't talk about that here! *looks at the thousands of eyes in the audience*
Kaki: *drops me and grabs Veji* I love my Jita!
Veji: *choking *
Me: Shoof! Now I get to do the disclaimer for this chapter.
F. Trunks: *appears out of nowhere* New York-Chan does not own DB/DBZ or anything else. Don't sue cuz she is so poor that she sells pencils on the street.
Me: I do not!
F. Trunks: I saw you! And you had some big weird sign on you!
Me: I was selling pencils for a charity fund!
F. Trunks: What charity fund?
Me: The one that is paying for my swimming pool. Now go away or I'll have to tell the readers how 'tiny' you are!
F. Trunks: O_O BYE! *jumps in time machine and disappears*
Me: Well, I guess there's nothing left to do other than start the fic.
Kaki: Huggles for New York-Chan!
Veji: Run onna! RUN!!
Me: AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!
Kaki: Wait! I want a hug! Come back! *chases after me*
Me: *trips and Kaki catches me*
Kaki: Hug me! *hugs me with a death grip*
Me: Start the fic Veji! I can't go on!
Veji: But I don't know how it goes!
Me: You have to! The readers are depending on you! Just push the upload button!
Veji: Um...okay...here goes nothing... (Remember folks, this is a yaoi, so there will be guy/guy in this fic. Also, this chapter contains some blood and gore, so those with weak constitutions should leave immediately.) *pushes button*
~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 2: New Life
The morning sun crept into the den where the small family lay. It was warm and comforting to the skin, but to the eyes it was an unwelcome intruder. Why had Kakarotto's parents chosen a den that faced the sunrise?
"...too early..." the cub whined and rolled over, trying to snuggle up to his Ni-ma. But, he wasn't there. So Kakarotto rolled in another direction, but still no warm bodies of his parents. Why wouldn't they still be there? It was barely dawn, wasn't it?
Then the thought hit him that they could be out hunting. How dare they leave him behind! He bolted up, the sun burning into his sleepy eyes.
"Ah! It burns!" he cried and shielded them with a hand.
There was a groan and some rustling next to him in the nest. Well, at least Gohan and Goten were still there. Then he remembered that they usually wanted to play with him when they woke up. Quietly, he slipped from the nest and tiptoed toward the den entrance. Several times he had to stop after making slight sounds across the stone floor that may have woken his brothers up.
When he did finally reach the opening of the den, he was about to make a mad dash for freedom when he felt two small bodies tackle him from behind.
"Play with us Kaki," Gohan chirped happily.
"Yeah, play with us," Goten piped in.
Kakarotto growled and rolled over onto his little brothers, pinning them beneath him. He then turned to run out of their reach when he was again tackled to the ground. The twins only thought their older brother's attempts to escape their clutches were in fact a game. Gohan grabbed Kakarotto's tail and pulled, trying to keep him from getting away, while Goten jumped up on his head and began pulling his hair.
Kakarotto twisted and jerked in his brothers' grips, until Gohan could no longer keep a hold of his tail and was sent flying back into the nest. Kakarotto had an easy time running down the rock face with just little Goten on his head, the little Suru cub wasn't quite as strong as Gohan and couldn't exactly hold his big brother down.
Goten soon dropped off his brother's head and rolled along the ground as Kakarotto continued to run on all fours. He looked back to see if the twerps were still in pursuit. He didn't have time to look however, as he crashed into a Saiyajin that he didn't see in his path. The youngster bounced easily off the adult and landed on his back with a grunt.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to--" he gasped when the Saiyajin turned around and faced him, a familiar scowl spread over his face. King Vegeta!
This was the one Saiyajin he had wished to have avoided today, but it didn't seem to be his day. Kakarotto just stared up at his leader in bewilderment. He no longer had the same cockiness he had the other day, he now knew much better than to show any disrespect to King Vegeta. They were in a stare down; Kakarotto was too afraid to take his eyes off the leader and King Vegeta was too prideful to let this brat stare him down. Well, it couldn't really be called a 'stare down'; Kakarotto didn't dare show any defiance today, he could tell the leader was tense about something.
The twins broke the tension as they barreled down on their brother, knocking him flat on his face. King Vegeta didn't even try to stifle his laughter as the low-level brat was subdued by his younger, not to mention weaker, brothers. Kakarotto felt so embarrassed at how he was attacked by the duo, especially in front of the leader.
Fortunately, King Vegeta had better things to think about than these cubs and got up and left the youngster to wallow in his shame. Kakarotto pushed his brothers off him and watched the leader wearily. There was an uneasiness about King Vegeta today and it made him nervous. A quick glance around at the other adults and Kakarotto knew he wasn't alone.
Every adult seemed on edge today, tense and skittish. The Surus huddled extra close to their mates, who licked their faces and necks to comfort them. They jerked at every sound; mostly it was just the youngsters playing. Even Bardock and Toma were restless, pacing along the outer rim of the pack's nesting sight. What was going on?
Kakarotto was distracted from these worries when he caught the glimpse of a desert hare in the corner of his eye, darting among the dry brush that lay only a few yards from the nest sight. His instincts to chase the hare were far stronger than his curiosity about the sudden alarmed state of the pack. He crept low to the ground on his belly, slinking passed a few troubled adults. All his focus was on that hare; he didn't even notice his brothers sneaking up in the same fashion, imitating their big brother.
Kakarotto slunk closer and closer, his eyes never leaving the hare. This could be his chance to really prove to King Vegeta that he really could catch a hare. He just hoped he could...
"BOO!!" shouted the twins as they leapt on top of their brother.
The commotion they created frightened the hare and it scampered off into the desert. Frustrated, Kakarotto threw his brothers aside and raced after his prey. Gohan and Goten decided to follow him; maybe they could get him to play again.
"Kakarotto! Gohan! Goten! Come back, it's not safe!" Bardock roared as his cubs ran from the nest sight.
"I've got to get that hare!" Kakarotto threw over his shoulder as he disappeared over the ridge.
"Don't worry, Ni-ma," Gohan chirped, "Kaki will look after us!"
Bardock could only watch as his cubs, his only cubs, disappeared in pursuit of...a hare! He wanted to rush after them and bring them home, even if he had to drag them kicking and screaming by their tails. But Toma nuzzled him gently.
"Let them go," he put a powerful arm around his mate, "Kakarotto knows what he's doing, they'll be fine."
"They'll be fine!!!" Bardock felt like ripping his baka-for-a-mate's head off, "Don't you smell that thing that is heading this way?! What if it finds them?! I can't just let them go!"
"If worse comes to worse, they can always hole hide in a burrow."
"Oh, that's comforting! If this Saiyajin is as powerful as we believe, it could rip up the burrow and stomp their tiny little brains into vulture food!"
Bardock broke down and wrapped his arms around his mate, sobbing into his chest. Toma held his mate close, letting him pour everything out. He didn't feel safe out in the open anyway; he scooped his still sobbing mate into his arms and carried him toward their den, where knew he could better soothe Bardock's worries.
But not far, crouched and waiting for the right moment to attack was a dark shadow; the poor pack members never even knew it was so close.
~~~~~~~~~~
Kakarotto had lost sight of the hare long ago, but was bound and determined to bring it back to the leader and prove his worth. They'd been searching for hours, and Gohan and Goten's incessant whining about being tired were really getting on his nerves.
"If you hadn't followed me, you'd still be back home with the other youngsters," he'd say, "maybe you should learn to stop following me everywhere."
"You're never gonna find that stupid hare!" Goten sat down and began massaging his sore knuckles and feet.
Saiyajins walk and run on their knuckles and feet, like a gorilla or an ape. It is faster to get from place to place on four legs than just two. However, walking or running on coarse sand such as what is in the desert can hurt youngsters who don't have properly developed calluses.
Gohan sat down next to his brother and nursed his own wounded pads. Kakarotto was starting to bleed at the knuckles too, but he wasn't about to stop the hunt over a little cut. He licked the wound quickly and continued his search. Where do hares normally hide?
Then Kakarotto remembered his Pi-pa telling him that you can smell a hare on the ground if it passed by that spot. So he bent down and sniffed, nothing, so he sniffed around in other places. He kept his nose low to the ground, sniffing for even the faintest scent of a hare. His nose led him in a zigzag pattern across the sand. His brothers looked on curiously and after a few moments began to imitate his strange behavior.
Suddenly, Kakarotto jerked up; he was surprised when he actually caught the scent of his quarry. He quickly followed the faint trail his prey had left behind, his brothers trailing at his heels. He led them further and further, far from the boundaries of their territory. Gohan and Goten had never been this far before, but Kakarotto often came even further than this. His parents hardly ever noticed that he was gone, so he pretty much could go wherever he pleased.
Soon, they came across a small burrow. Kakarotto sniffed around the entrance, this was definitely the home of the same hare he had been tracking. The scent was so strong it was over whelming. Throwing caution to the wind, Kakarotto began digging and clawing at the burrow's entrance. Gohan and Goten wanted to help, so they dug around the edges. But their hands were very sore from traveling such a far distance and soon gave up, finding a soft patch of sand to curl up on and slept.
Kakarotto didn't want to sleep; he was so close to capturing his prize. The sand was much harder the further down he got and he was starting to wear his fingers raw. It wasn't long before he finally reached the chamber where the hare was no doubt hiding. He pushed into the relatively large chamber, and spotted the hare. Wait, that wasn't a hare...
It had bright purple fur with blood-red stripes. Its shape was more like a feline than a hare and almost the same size as Kakarotto. Its bright, frightened, yellow eyes flashed at Kakarotto. In an attempt scare off the intruder, it puffed up like a furry balloon and hissed. Gohan and Goten, realizing their brother had managed to dig into the burrow, peeked in to see what had made that noise.
"That's not a hare, Kaki!" Gohan cried, pointing out the obvious, "it's a Bengalaas cub!"
The Bengalaas, or Saiyajin Tiger, is one of the few beasts that kill and eat Saiyajins. They are swift, stealthy creatures, equipped with razor sharp 6-inch saber fangs, claws like daggers, and fur that even a bullet can't pierce. The cubs of a Bengalaas, however, are much easier to kill and are very tasty to eat, but are rarely unattended by their Ni-mas for too long, leaving little opportunity to get one. There are usually twins in a litter, but there was only one in the burrow. Kakarotto just figured the other one was killed by predators. Or perhaps disease; this one seemed to be ill, thin and frail. It would be easy to kill.
"Kaki! Let's go!" his brothers pleaded, "its Ni-ma could be back any second!"
Kakarotto just smirked, "I think I can handle a sick Bengalaas cub."
With that, he attacked, but was too slow. Even when sick, a Bengalaas can be deadly. The cub sprang out of the way and made an attack of its own. But Kakarotto had danced out of the way before the cub knew what had happened. Kakarotto went in low this time, aiming for its soft stomach. Again the cub dodged his attack and slashed at his arm. Kakarotto yelped and jumped back; the cub had delivered quite a wound for such a small thing. Blood trickled down his arm and pooled in the sand. It was rather deep, but not a threat to Kakarotto's survival; it would heal.
"You'll pay for that!" the young Saiyajin snarled and leapt at the Bengalaas.
This time, the cub wasn't quick enough to escape Kakarotto's clutches and was pinned beneath him. It fought wildly, clawing at its enemy with everything it had left. Kakarotto latched his teeth around its throat, cutting off its air, and the cub began kicking him with its hind legs, causing more deep gashes. After several minutes of this, the cub went limp, its life force gone. Kakarotto didn't dare release it yet; it could very well be faking and attack when he had his guard down. Then, out of exhaustion, Kakarotto dropped his prey and slumped to the ground, panting heavily.
"KAKI!"
Gohan and Goten crawled down the hole and rushed to their brother's side. They gently licked his wounds, trying to make him better and coax him into staying awake. They fussed over him until he finally pulled himself into a sitting position.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," he winced slightly as his wounds stretched, causing more blood to flow.
He then looked at his kill, his first real kill. When he told King Vegeta that he had caught a hare the other day, he was just bragging. It was more like a three-legged lizard than a hare. Ni-ma and Pi-pa would be so proud—
"Ni-ma and Pi-pa! They must be worried sick!"
Kakarotto picked the lifeless body up in his mouth and climbed up out of the hole, his brothers not far behind. He knew almost exactly where he was; he hadn't been to this exact spot, but he'd been to the ridge that was just up the hill. They were about a mile away from the pack, it would take less then an hour to get there if they hurried.
~~~~~~~~~~
All the way home, Gohan and Goten were being their normal annoying selves, all caution they had earlier at the Bengalaas burrow had been left there. They kept bouncing up and down, asking questions like, 'Can we carry it?' and 'Can we poke its eyeballs?' and 'Does it taste yucky?' Kakarotto let Gohan hold it for a little, he thought Goten was too small to hold it, and he could barely drag it along the ground. Kakarotto was having a hard time himself with the carcass, he wasn't used to having to carry prey.
They stopped by a small watering hole for a drink and some rest. Carrying that thing was hard! Kakarotto had no idea it would be so heavy, and this one was thin and sick. How heavy would a healthy one have been?
After a quick nap, they set off again. It was taking a lot longer than Kakarotto had hoped, and rain clouds were staring to darken the sky. It was a welcome change from the blistering sun of the afternoon, and the cool ran would feel good on Kakarotto's wounds, which were healing quickly, but it wouldn't be good if this turned out to be a really big storm and they got stuck in it.
It had started to sprinkle a little by the time they saw the nest sight. Gohan and Goten made a mad dash for the comfort that awaited them there, Kakarotto held back though, the weight of the kill was too heavy to try and run with. He contemplated on what he would say to King Vegeta when he saw him with the Bengalaas cub. He'd have to watch what he said though; he didn't want to be battered up again like yesterday.
Suddenly, Gohan and Goten's shrieks of terror snapped him from his train of thought. He hesitated, then remembered that the adults were on edge that morning, which meant something was wrong. Without another moment to spare, he hauled the dead cub up on his back and raced toward his brothers' cries. He made it into the nesting area, and received the shock of his life.
Several Saiyajin bodies lay strewn out, all dead. Their faces were forever frozen in fear. Dried blood stained the ground on which they lay. Kakarotto was speechless, he realized that it wasn't just Saiyajins that lay dead, but also Surus. There were huge bloody tracks of some large animal--Kakarotto assumed they belonged to the culprit. Whatever had killed the pack members wasn't looking to control the pack, they wanted to destroy it. Kakarotto's heart nearly stopped in his chest.
"NI-MA!! PI-PA!!"
He raced up the rock face toward their den, where he hoped they would be. Gohan and Goten were already there when he got up to the den. They were in complete shock and couldn't speak. They just stared into the darkness.
"Are Ni-ma and Pi-pa in there? Are they okay?" Kakarotto asked desperately.
They didn't answer. Shaking, Kakarotto peered into the den and saw why the twins were so bewildered. In the nest lay their parents, battered and bloody. They neither moved nor breathed, just stared into the abyss with glassy doll's eyes. The same tracks that were down with the rest of the pack were scattered about the floor.
The twins rushed forward to make pitiful attempts to coax their parents back to life, pulling their hair and pushing them roughly. They soon realized that their attempts were futile; they hugged their parents, sobbing loudly. Kakarotto almost let a tear fall himself; he wanted to break down and cry--like his brother--but he had to be strong, for them.
A shadow started to creep over Kakarotto's back. He leapt out of the way and turned toward the shadow. Standing in the cave entrance was King Vegeta.
"W-what happened h-here?" Kakarotto stammered, partially from the fear of his leader and the lump that was hardening in his throat.
The leader looked on at the cubs, still clutching their parents and crying. There was an unusual look in King Vegeta's eyes, was that sorrow?
"We were attacked by a rival Saiyajin," he said flatly.
"But...these tracks are too big to be a Saiyajin!" Kakarotto was on the verge of being hysterical by now.
"It was a Saiyajin. And he was gigantic, possibly the biggest I've ever seen..." King Vegeta trailed off as he watched the cubs emotions pour out over their parents.
"Why didn't you save them?!"
The question caught King Vegeta off guard and he looked at the youngster that stood before him in confusion.
"You're our leader! Our protector! Why didn't you save the pack?! Why didn't you save Ni-ma and Pi-pa?!"
King Vegeta turned away, not wanting to look him in the eyes, "I...wasn't there...something came up...and I needed to leave."
"What is more important than the safety of the pack?!"
The leader turned back to him, his face full of worry.
"My litter is on the way. They're coming."
All three cubs froze when their leader said this simple phrase, a phrase that would mean the turning point for this small pack's future.
~~~~~~~~~~
King Vegeta, deciding it was no longer safe in their old nest sight, led them to the makeshift den he had made for Pita to whelp in. When a Suru gives birth, he or she usually leaves the pack for a few days with their mate and their young, if they have any. This way, they can have more privacy during the painful hours of labor and birth. But this can be an unwise choice; it is extremely hard on a Suru to bring cubs into the world, and many die during the delivery.
Unfortunately, King Vegeta had chosen to build the den quite far from the nesting sight. The journey was long and strenuous. The cubs were still very tired from their trek from the Bengalaas burrow. The leader ended up having to carry Gohan and Goten on his back, Kakarotto was fine to walk. Kakarotto had decided the Bengalaas cub might be good for food for Pita after she safely delivered her litter, so he carried it on his back the whole way.
It was well passed sun down and had started raining by the time they reached the den. It was quite cozy for a temporary home; King Vegeta had found this as a small cave about a week ago and had been digging it a little deeper over time until now to be adequate enough for protecting a soon-to-be Ni-ma and her new litter. It was a welcome to the cubs, who were soaked to the bone and exhausted from the day's events.
They were startled when they saw Pita; she was pale as a ghost, her face was drenched in sweat and she was panting heavily. She turned her head weakly toward them and smiled as best as she could, wincing slightly in pain.
"Hey guys," she said, her voice cracking.
King Vegeta rolled the two half-asleep cubs from his back and quickly went to his mate's side. He rubbed his forehead against hers, an action of affection for Saiyajins, and took her tiny hand his big powerful one.
"How have you been holding up?" he asked, almost convinced that she was actually going to die.
"Oh, I'm okay," she winced again as another contraction swept over her, "I've been holding them in until you came back and--"
"That's not healthy for you or them!" he warned, "Well, if you had to hold them in, I guess it's time to push."
Pita nodded, King Vegeta moved down her body and made her spread her thighs (A/N: No, he's not gonna fuck her, he is now 'Dr. Vegeta' ^_^). Kakarotto looked on in a slight bit of disgust; he had seen Gohan and Goten being born, and it wasn't a pretty sight. He still couldn't figure out how something as big as a newborn Saiyajin could fit through such a small hole! But somehow, he was drawn to watching this birth, after all, it was going to very special for Pita and he wanted to help.
He cautiously crawled across the den floor, his brothers, now wide-awake, followed suit. The shy trio peeked up over Pita's leg, and instantly Gohan and Goten retracted in disgust.
"EW!!! IT'S SO GROSS!!!" they squealed like schoolgirls.
The first cub was already crowning, its hair wet from the fluid of the birth.
"Yeah, it is gross," Kakarotto began casually, "but in the end there's gonna be brand new cubs to see and play with."
Pita smiled at how grown up the youngster seemed, not afraid of seeing something like this, and reached a trembling hand up to stroke his soft, wet mane. King Vegeta, however, was not listening.
"You should be concentrating on the litter, not the brats," he scolded.
"Oh Jita! Be nice, they aren't hurting anyone."
"You're supposed to be pushing," he said in his usual flatness.
Pita had put it off for long enough and she knew it, it was time to meet her cubs. She took a deep breath and pushed hard, her mate between her legs waiting for the first cub. Kakarotto watched, amazed at how fast it was coming out, it took Bardock a lot longer to have any of his cubs; it took almost an hour to get Gohan out, the first of the litter, but the rest of the litter came out much easier.
Kakarotto remembered his parents lying in the den when they found them. That monster had easily taken away what he truly cared about, everything he held dear. He never even had much of a chance to say anything to them that morning. It was painful to think about it.
He was torn from his thoughts by Pita's blood-curdling scream. With a loud splash of birth fluids, the cub landed in its Pi-pa's waiting hands. King Vegeta commenced cleaning it as it squealed in the sudden cold of the world outside of its Ni-ma's womb. It flailed its chubby little arms around, the leader now severing the umbilical cord. (A/N: Sorry if this grosses anyone out! _)
King Vegeta held the cub up to get a good look at it. It opened its eyes and, seeing some strange big monster holding it, began squealing even louder than before. The leader chuckled at the cub and looked it over and sniffed it.
"It's a boy," he announced, "and a Suru, I think".
"Yeah, well, the next one is coming!" Pita shouted impatiently.
"Hold this," he said, thrusting the newborn into Kakarotto's arms.
Kakarotto glared at King Vegeta, how could he call his own cub a 'this'? He looked down at the wet little bundle of flesh in his arms. He was so cute; he looked just like a mini King Vegeta, except his hair was black with a tint of red instead of dark brown, and he didn't have facial hair. The baby looked up at this knew creature that held him, but this one wasn't as scary as the first one. He was much littler, and didn't hold him up in the cold night air, but it still wasn't Ni-ma.
Kakarotto gently touched the newborn's nose, "You're a cute little one, aren't you?" he cooed.
The cub grabbed his hand and started chewing on his finger, wrapping his tail around Kakarotto's arm. Luckily, he didn't have fangs yet, so it didn't hurt Kakarotto when he was gumming him. The youngster felt his heart swell at this tiny helpless cub, but why did he feel like this about him? Probably the excitement of having an heir to such a strong leader; sure, King Vegeta was a bit of a stuck-up bully, but he had many good qualities about him that made him leader in the first place.
"Hey, you two!" King Vegeta boomed at Gohan and Goten over new squeals from the next cub, "Get over here and help!"
The twins obeyed reluctantly and rushed to their leader's side, trying as best as they could not to look at the birthing. King Vegeta plopped a wet squealing cub into both their hands. This one was slightly bigger than the first; it was another boy, and no doubt a Saiyajin. He was another King Vegeta lookalike, but his hair was tinted a slight blue instead of the first one's red. The young Saiyajin was very strong, and Kakarotto's brothers were having trouble holding him still. He flailed about, smacking Gohan with his hands and whipping Goten with his tail.
"That's not how you do it," Kakarotto picked up the large cub, "like this."
But the cub was even too much for the older brother, and Kakarotto just ended up laying him on the floor. Gohan and Goten laughed at their big brother and tended to the cub again. The cub obviously didn't like all the attention he was getting from these youngsters and continued to protest as they fussed over him.
They heard the sound of the next and hopefully last cub being born.
Gohan turned to Goten, "This next one is yours."
"Uh-uh, it might be bigger than this one, you take it!"
But King Vegeta never passed them the cub; in fact, he looked rather frightened. He held something so tiny in his hands that none of the youngsters even thought it was a cub. This one must have the runt of the litter. But wait, where were its squeals? King Vegeta began to rub its back rigorously, trying to get it to breathe and make at least some noise. Kakarotto's heart nearly stopped at the thought of Pita loosing a cub before it even had a chance to meet its Ni-ma.
After several minutes of rubbing, and not a sign of life, it was clear that this cub was dead. The den fell silent, even the newborns seemed to sense the sorrow that hung in the air.
"Jita? Is it okay?" Pita asked desperately.
But the leader shook his head, "It didn't make it."
All the life in Pita's eyes seemed to fade away at the news of the death of their cub. Her eyes began to water as pain in her heart grew. King Vegeta, not wanting his mate to see the cub and burst into tears, took the cub in his mouth, freeing his hands for walking, and left the cave. Kakarotto handed Pita the cub he held and followed the leader.
King Vegeta was digging a hole not far from the den when Kakarotto reached him. He watched the leader lay the poor dead cub in the hole and, looking it over one last time, fill in the hole. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach as he watch the leader; he'd never seen him like this, he never knew King Vegeta could even do real emotions.
King Vegeta turned and saw Kakarotto standing there. He walked over to the youngster and nuzzled him gently, something Kakarotto wouldn't expect the leader to do to anyone, let alone him, other than his mate.
"I-I'm sorry for your loss King Vegeta," the cub managed.
But the leader didn't say 'thank you' like he was hoping, "It wasn't my loss, it was Pita's."
He walked back up to the den, Kakarotto at his heels, confused at how it was Pita's loss. Well, he knew Pita was upset about loosing a cub, but why would one cub be so important if she still had two others?
King Vegeta, as if sensing the reason for the cub's confusion, paused before entering the den and turned to him. Kakarotto could see despair in the proud leader's eyes as he spoke.
"Pita has always wanted a daughter, and that cub was a little girl."
Kakarotto was in shock; a baby girl?! They were so rare, the youngster never thought that the cub could ever be a girl. It would have been so obvious, but he just didn't think; he was so used to seeing males that he didn't even think that another girl could be born into the pack. He looked up at his leader and he swore the water running down King Vegeta's face were tears instead of rain.
"Don't mention it to Pita though, I can't bare to watch her heart break," he pleaded to the cub.
Kakarotto agreed with the need of further explanation, and the duo reentered the den. They found that the newborns had been given back to their Ni-ma, and were now feeding from her milk. King Vegeta shook like a dog to dry himself off from the rain, Kakarotto did the same. Gohan and Goten didn't even turn to say hi, they were so interested in the new cubs.
"Whatcha gonna call them?" Goten piped happily, petting the bigger cub's mane.
Pit looked up at her mate, "That's for Pi-pa to decide."
Now King Vegeta was in trouble; he had fussed over making everything perfect, he had forgotten to think of names for the cubs. He knew he wanted to name one of them Vegeta after himself, but which one? And what about another name for the other cub? He sat down, his brow raised up in slight confusion, them his eyes lit up as he thought up the names for his offspring.
"The Saiyajin will be Vegeta Jr., or just Junior, and the Suru will be Vega."
Gohan and Goten chirped happily and continued to fuss over the newborns. Kakarotto watched young Vega feeding, 'He's so innocent, so fragile, so...'
Then Vega stopped suckling and stared back at the youngster, his tiny eyes penetrating deep into Kakarotto's soul. Kakarotto smiled and finished his train of thought, '...so beautiful.'
~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 2
~~~~~~~~~~
Veji: ...My name's not 'Vega'!
Me: Relax, piggy. It'll all become clear in time.
Veji: I'm not piggy! o\_/o
Me: And I'm not a half-breed bitch!
Veji: ...I didn't call you that...
Me: Yes you did! Last chapter!
Veji: Oh come on!
Kaki: Jita, are you being bad again? Do I have to punish you?
Veji: O_O NO!! I'm being good, see? *imaginary halo floating above his head*
Me: I thought you were the dominant one, Jita.
Veji: Apparently not in this fic!
Kaki: *now all dressed in black leather, holding a whip* You've been a bad boy!
Veji: RUUN!! It's Dominatrix Kakarotto!! *flees for life*
Kaki: You'll have to come home sometime! And I'll be waiting! *sees me* I guess I'll toy with you until I catch him.
Me: O_O AAAHH!!! *runs for dear life* Please review, hope you enjoyed this chappie (sorry if it's sketchy and a lil long, I was trying to fit a lot of stuff in). I'll do next chappie soon, if Dominatrix Kakarotto doesn't beat me first!
Kaki: *chasing me* Come back and take it like the bitch you are!
Me: Why does everyone keep calling me a bitch?! _
Veji: Hey, you told me that this would be a fic about me. I demand an explanation for this outrage!
Me: You are in this fic, just not quite visible yet. Don't worry, you'll be in this fic really soon. By the way, I got a question about if these wild Saiyajins were naked or not. Well, they are as naked as the day they were born! If it bothers you to think about naked Vejis and Kakis running around, just imagine them in loincloths or whatever. Someone else also said that the wild Saiyajins seem a lot like animals. Well, I hate to be sarcastic, but they are wild animals. Do you really think a wild animal would carry their babies around in their arms and walk on two legs? Then again, Veji already is a wild animal ^_^!
Veji: You'd better be nice to me, or I'll sick my 'Baka-rotto' on you!
Me: What's he gonna do, hug me to death?
Kaki: *instant transmission* Hugglez for New York-Chan! *grabs me and hugs me*
Me: *choking* Veji! Help!
Veji: What do you want me to do?
Me: He's your mate, do something!
Kaki: I love my New York-Chan! *squeezes tighter*
Veji: Not as much as ME though, right?
Kaki: No one is better than you Jita, especially in bed^_^!
Veji: O_O Shut up! Don't talk about that here! *looks at the thousands of eyes in the audience*
Kaki: *drops me and grabs Veji* I love my Jita!
Veji: *choking *
Me: Shoof! Now I get to do the disclaimer for this chapter.
F. Trunks: *appears out of nowhere* New York-Chan does not own DB/DBZ or anything else. Don't sue cuz she is so poor that she sells pencils on the street.
Me: I do not!
F. Trunks: I saw you! And you had some big weird sign on you!
Me: I was selling pencils for a charity fund!
F. Trunks: What charity fund?
Me: The one that is paying for my swimming pool. Now go away or I'll have to tell the readers how 'tiny' you are!
F. Trunks: O_O BYE! *jumps in time machine and disappears*
Me: Well, I guess there's nothing left to do other than start the fic.
Kaki: Huggles for New York-Chan!
Veji: Run onna! RUN!!
Me: AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!
Kaki: Wait! I want a hug! Come back! *chases after me*
Me: *trips and Kaki catches me*
Kaki: Hug me! *hugs me with a death grip*
Me: Start the fic Veji! I can't go on!
Veji: But I don't know how it goes!
Me: You have to! The readers are depending on you! Just push the upload button!
Veji: Um...okay...here goes nothing... (Remember folks, this is a yaoi, so there will be guy/guy in this fic. Also, this chapter contains some blood and gore, so those with weak constitutions should leave immediately.) *pushes button*
~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 2: New Life
The morning sun crept into the den where the small family lay. It was warm and comforting to the skin, but to the eyes it was an unwelcome intruder. Why had Kakarotto's parents chosen a den that faced the sunrise?
"...too early..." the cub whined and rolled over, trying to snuggle up to his Ni-ma. But, he wasn't there. So Kakarotto rolled in another direction, but still no warm bodies of his parents. Why wouldn't they still be there? It was barely dawn, wasn't it?
Then the thought hit him that they could be out hunting. How dare they leave him behind! He bolted up, the sun burning into his sleepy eyes.
"Ah! It burns!" he cried and shielded them with a hand.
There was a groan and some rustling next to him in the nest. Well, at least Gohan and Goten were still there. Then he remembered that they usually wanted to play with him when they woke up. Quietly, he slipped from the nest and tiptoed toward the den entrance. Several times he had to stop after making slight sounds across the stone floor that may have woken his brothers up.
When he did finally reach the opening of the den, he was about to make a mad dash for freedom when he felt two small bodies tackle him from behind.
"Play with us Kaki," Gohan chirped happily.
"Yeah, play with us," Goten piped in.
Kakarotto growled and rolled over onto his little brothers, pinning them beneath him. He then turned to run out of their reach when he was again tackled to the ground. The twins only thought their older brother's attempts to escape their clutches were in fact a game. Gohan grabbed Kakarotto's tail and pulled, trying to keep him from getting away, while Goten jumped up on his head and began pulling his hair.
Kakarotto twisted and jerked in his brothers' grips, until Gohan could no longer keep a hold of his tail and was sent flying back into the nest. Kakarotto had an easy time running down the rock face with just little Goten on his head, the little Suru cub wasn't quite as strong as Gohan and couldn't exactly hold his big brother down.
Goten soon dropped off his brother's head and rolled along the ground as Kakarotto continued to run on all fours. He looked back to see if the twerps were still in pursuit. He didn't have time to look however, as he crashed into a Saiyajin that he didn't see in his path. The youngster bounced easily off the adult and landed on his back with a grunt.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to--" he gasped when the Saiyajin turned around and faced him, a familiar scowl spread over his face. King Vegeta!
This was the one Saiyajin he had wished to have avoided today, but it didn't seem to be his day. Kakarotto just stared up at his leader in bewilderment. He no longer had the same cockiness he had the other day, he now knew much better than to show any disrespect to King Vegeta. They were in a stare down; Kakarotto was too afraid to take his eyes off the leader and King Vegeta was too prideful to let this brat stare him down. Well, it couldn't really be called a 'stare down'; Kakarotto didn't dare show any defiance today, he could tell the leader was tense about something.
The twins broke the tension as they barreled down on their brother, knocking him flat on his face. King Vegeta didn't even try to stifle his laughter as the low-level brat was subdued by his younger, not to mention weaker, brothers. Kakarotto felt so embarrassed at how he was attacked by the duo, especially in front of the leader.
Fortunately, King Vegeta had better things to think about than these cubs and got up and left the youngster to wallow in his shame. Kakarotto pushed his brothers off him and watched the leader wearily. There was an uneasiness about King Vegeta today and it made him nervous. A quick glance around at the other adults and Kakarotto knew he wasn't alone.
Every adult seemed on edge today, tense and skittish. The Surus huddled extra close to their mates, who licked their faces and necks to comfort them. They jerked at every sound; mostly it was just the youngsters playing. Even Bardock and Toma were restless, pacing along the outer rim of the pack's nesting sight. What was going on?
Kakarotto was distracted from these worries when he caught the glimpse of a desert hare in the corner of his eye, darting among the dry brush that lay only a few yards from the nest sight. His instincts to chase the hare were far stronger than his curiosity about the sudden alarmed state of the pack. He crept low to the ground on his belly, slinking passed a few troubled adults. All his focus was on that hare; he didn't even notice his brothers sneaking up in the same fashion, imitating their big brother.
Kakarotto slunk closer and closer, his eyes never leaving the hare. This could be his chance to really prove to King Vegeta that he really could catch a hare. He just hoped he could...
"BOO!!" shouted the twins as they leapt on top of their brother.
The commotion they created frightened the hare and it scampered off into the desert. Frustrated, Kakarotto threw his brothers aside and raced after his prey. Gohan and Goten decided to follow him; maybe they could get him to play again.
"Kakarotto! Gohan! Goten! Come back, it's not safe!" Bardock roared as his cubs ran from the nest sight.
"I've got to get that hare!" Kakarotto threw over his shoulder as he disappeared over the ridge.
"Don't worry, Ni-ma," Gohan chirped, "Kaki will look after us!"
Bardock could only watch as his cubs, his only cubs, disappeared in pursuit of...a hare! He wanted to rush after them and bring them home, even if he had to drag them kicking and screaming by their tails. But Toma nuzzled him gently.
"Let them go," he put a powerful arm around his mate, "Kakarotto knows what he's doing, they'll be fine."
"They'll be fine!!!" Bardock felt like ripping his baka-for-a-mate's head off, "Don't you smell that thing that is heading this way?! What if it finds them?! I can't just let them go!"
"If worse comes to worse, they can always hole hide in a burrow."
"Oh, that's comforting! If this Saiyajin is as powerful as we believe, it could rip up the burrow and stomp their tiny little brains into vulture food!"
Bardock broke down and wrapped his arms around his mate, sobbing into his chest. Toma held his mate close, letting him pour everything out. He didn't feel safe out in the open anyway; he scooped his still sobbing mate into his arms and carried him toward their den, where knew he could better soothe Bardock's worries.
But not far, crouched and waiting for the right moment to attack was a dark shadow; the poor pack members never even knew it was so close.
~~~~~~~~~~
Kakarotto had lost sight of the hare long ago, but was bound and determined to bring it back to the leader and prove his worth. They'd been searching for hours, and Gohan and Goten's incessant whining about being tired were really getting on his nerves.
"If you hadn't followed me, you'd still be back home with the other youngsters," he'd say, "maybe you should learn to stop following me everywhere."
"You're never gonna find that stupid hare!" Goten sat down and began massaging his sore knuckles and feet.
Saiyajins walk and run on their knuckles and feet, like a gorilla or an ape. It is faster to get from place to place on four legs than just two. However, walking or running on coarse sand such as what is in the desert can hurt youngsters who don't have properly developed calluses.
Gohan sat down next to his brother and nursed his own wounded pads. Kakarotto was starting to bleed at the knuckles too, but he wasn't about to stop the hunt over a little cut. He licked the wound quickly and continued his search. Where do hares normally hide?
Then Kakarotto remembered his Pi-pa telling him that you can smell a hare on the ground if it passed by that spot. So he bent down and sniffed, nothing, so he sniffed around in other places. He kept his nose low to the ground, sniffing for even the faintest scent of a hare. His nose led him in a zigzag pattern across the sand. His brothers looked on curiously and after a few moments began to imitate his strange behavior.
Suddenly, Kakarotto jerked up; he was surprised when he actually caught the scent of his quarry. He quickly followed the faint trail his prey had left behind, his brothers trailing at his heels. He led them further and further, far from the boundaries of their territory. Gohan and Goten had never been this far before, but Kakarotto often came even further than this. His parents hardly ever noticed that he was gone, so he pretty much could go wherever he pleased.
Soon, they came across a small burrow. Kakarotto sniffed around the entrance, this was definitely the home of the same hare he had been tracking. The scent was so strong it was over whelming. Throwing caution to the wind, Kakarotto began digging and clawing at the burrow's entrance. Gohan and Goten wanted to help, so they dug around the edges. But their hands were very sore from traveling such a far distance and soon gave up, finding a soft patch of sand to curl up on and slept.
Kakarotto didn't want to sleep; he was so close to capturing his prize. The sand was much harder the further down he got and he was starting to wear his fingers raw. It wasn't long before he finally reached the chamber where the hare was no doubt hiding. He pushed into the relatively large chamber, and spotted the hare. Wait, that wasn't a hare...
It had bright purple fur with blood-red stripes. Its shape was more like a feline than a hare and almost the same size as Kakarotto. Its bright, frightened, yellow eyes flashed at Kakarotto. In an attempt scare off the intruder, it puffed up like a furry balloon and hissed. Gohan and Goten, realizing their brother had managed to dig into the burrow, peeked in to see what had made that noise.
"That's not a hare, Kaki!" Gohan cried, pointing out the obvious, "it's a Bengalaas cub!"
The Bengalaas, or Saiyajin Tiger, is one of the few beasts that kill and eat Saiyajins. They are swift, stealthy creatures, equipped with razor sharp 6-inch saber fangs, claws like daggers, and fur that even a bullet can't pierce. The cubs of a Bengalaas, however, are much easier to kill and are very tasty to eat, but are rarely unattended by their Ni-mas for too long, leaving little opportunity to get one. There are usually twins in a litter, but there was only one in the burrow. Kakarotto just figured the other one was killed by predators. Or perhaps disease; this one seemed to be ill, thin and frail. It would be easy to kill.
"Kaki! Let's go!" his brothers pleaded, "its Ni-ma could be back any second!"
Kakarotto just smirked, "I think I can handle a sick Bengalaas cub."
With that, he attacked, but was too slow. Even when sick, a Bengalaas can be deadly. The cub sprang out of the way and made an attack of its own. But Kakarotto had danced out of the way before the cub knew what had happened. Kakarotto went in low this time, aiming for its soft stomach. Again the cub dodged his attack and slashed at his arm. Kakarotto yelped and jumped back; the cub had delivered quite a wound for such a small thing. Blood trickled down his arm and pooled in the sand. It was rather deep, but not a threat to Kakarotto's survival; it would heal.
"You'll pay for that!" the young Saiyajin snarled and leapt at the Bengalaas.
This time, the cub wasn't quick enough to escape Kakarotto's clutches and was pinned beneath him. It fought wildly, clawing at its enemy with everything it had left. Kakarotto latched his teeth around its throat, cutting off its air, and the cub began kicking him with its hind legs, causing more deep gashes. After several minutes of this, the cub went limp, its life force gone. Kakarotto didn't dare release it yet; it could very well be faking and attack when he had his guard down. Then, out of exhaustion, Kakarotto dropped his prey and slumped to the ground, panting heavily.
"KAKI!"
Gohan and Goten crawled down the hole and rushed to their brother's side. They gently licked his wounds, trying to make him better and coax him into staying awake. They fussed over him until he finally pulled himself into a sitting position.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," he winced slightly as his wounds stretched, causing more blood to flow.
He then looked at his kill, his first real kill. When he told King Vegeta that he had caught a hare the other day, he was just bragging. It was more like a three-legged lizard than a hare. Ni-ma and Pi-pa would be so proud—
"Ni-ma and Pi-pa! They must be worried sick!"
Kakarotto picked the lifeless body up in his mouth and climbed up out of the hole, his brothers not far behind. He knew almost exactly where he was; he hadn't been to this exact spot, but he'd been to the ridge that was just up the hill. They were about a mile away from the pack, it would take less then an hour to get there if they hurried.
~~~~~~~~~~
All the way home, Gohan and Goten were being their normal annoying selves, all caution they had earlier at the Bengalaas burrow had been left there. They kept bouncing up and down, asking questions like, 'Can we carry it?' and 'Can we poke its eyeballs?' and 'Does it taste yucky?' Kakarotto let Gohan hold it for a little, he thought Goten was too small to hold it, and he could barely drag it along the ground. Kakarotto was having a hard time himself with the carcass, he wasn't used to having to carry prey.
They stopped by a small watering hole for a drink and some rest. Carrying that thing was hard! Kakarotto had no idea it would be so heavy, and this one was thin and sick. How heavy would a healthy one have been?
After a quick nap, they set off again. It was taking a lot longer than Kakarotto had hoped, and rain clouds were staring to darken the sky. It was a welcome change from the blistering sun of the afternoon, and the cool ran would feel good on Kakarotto's wounds, which were healing quickly, but it wouldn't be good if this turned out to be a really big storm and they got stuck in it.
It had started to sprinkle a little by the time they saw the nest sight. Gohan and Goten made a mad dash for the comfort that awaited them there, Kakarotto held back though, the weight of the kill was too heavy to try and run with. He contemplated on what he would say to King Vegeta when he saw him with the Bengalaas cub. He'd have to watch what he said though; he didn't want to be battered up again like yesterday.
Suddenly, Gohan and Goten's shrieks of terror snapped him from his train of thought. He hesitated, then remembered that the adults were on edge that morning, which meant something was wrong. Without another moment to spare, he hauled the dead cub up on his back and raced toward his brothers' cries. He made it into the nesting area, and received the shock of his life.
Several Saiyajin bodies lay strewn out, all dead. Their faces were forever frozen in fear. Dried blood stained the ground on which they lay. Kakarotto was speechless, he realized that it wasn't just Saiyajins that lay dead, but also Surus. There were huge bloody tracks of some large animal--Kakarotto assumed they belonged to the culprit. Whatever had killed the pack members wasn't looking to control the pack, they wanted to destroy it. Kakarotto's heart nearly stopped in his chest.
"NI-MA!! PI-PA!!"
He raced up the rock face toward their den, where he hoped they would be. Gohan and Goten were already there when he got up to the den. They were in complete shock and couldn't speak. They just stared into the darkness.
"Are Ni-ma and Pi-pa in there? Are they okay?" Kakarotto asked desperately.
They didn't answer. Shaking, Kakarotto peered into the den and saw why the twins were so bewildered. In the nest lay their parents, battered and bloody. They neither moved nor breathed, just stared into the abyss with glassy doll's eyes. The same tracks that were down with the rest of the pack were scattered about the floor.
The twins rushed forward to make pitiful attempts to coax their parents back to life, pulling their hair and pushing them roughly. They soon realized that their attempts were futile; they hugged their parents, sobbing loudly. Kakarotto almost let a tear fall himself; he wanted to break down and cry--like his brother--but he had to be strong, for them.
A shadow started to creep over Kakarotto's back. He leapt out of the way and turned toward the shadow. Standing in the cave entrance was King Vegeta.
"W-what happened h-here?" Kakarotto stammered, partially from the fear of his leader and the lump that was hardening in his throat.
The leader looked on at the cubs, still clutching their parents and crying. There was an unusual look in King Vegeta's eyes, was that sorrow?
"We were attacked by a rival Saiyajin," he said flatly.
"But...these tracks are too big to be a Saiyajin!" Kakarotto was on the verge of being hysterical by now.
"It was a Saiyajin. And he was gigantic, possibly the biggest I've ever seen..." King Vegeta trailed off as he watched the cubs emotions pour out over their parents.
"Why didn't you save them?!"
The question caught King Vegeta off guard and he looked at the youngster that stood before him in confusion.
"You're our leader! Our protector! Why didn't you save the pack?! Why didn't you save Ni-ma and Pi-pa?!"
King Vegeta turned away, not wanting to look him in the eyes, "I...wasn't there...something came up...and I needed to leave."
"What is more important than the safety of the pack?!"
The leader turned back to him, his face full of worry.
"My litter is on the way. They're coming."
All three cubs froze when their leader said this simple phrase, a phrase that would mean the turning point for this small pack's future.
~~~~~~~~~~
King Vegeta, deciding it was no longer safe in their old nest sight, led them to the makeshift den he had made for Pita to whelp in. When a Suru gives birth, he or she usually leaves the pack for a few days with their mate and their young, if they have any. This way, they can have more privacy during the painful hours of labor and birth. But this can be an unwise choice; it is extremely hard on a Suru to bring cubs into the world, and many die during the delivery.
Unfortunately, King Vegeta had chosen to build the den quite far from the nesting sight. The journey was long and strenuous. The cubs were still very tired from their trek from the Bengalaas burrow. The leader ended up having to carry Gohan and Goten on his back, Kakarotto was fine to walk. Kakarotto had decided the Bengalaas cub might be good for food for Pita after she safely delivered her litter, so he carried it on his back the whole way.
It was well passed sun down and had started raining by the time they reached the den. It was quite cozy for a temporary home; King Vegeta had found this as a small cave about a week ago and had been digging it a little deeper over time until now to be adequate enough for protecting a soon-to-be Ni-ma and her new litter. It was a welcome to the cubs, who were soaked to the bone and exhausted from the day's events.
They were startled when they saw Pita; she was pale as a ghost, her face was drenched in sweat and she was panting heavily. She turned her head weakly toward them and smiled as best as she could, wincing slightly in pain.
"Hey guys," she said, her voice cracking.
King Vegeta rolled the two half-asleep cubs from his back and quickly went to his mate's side. He rubbed his forehead against hers, an action of affection for Saiyajins, and took her tiny hand his big powerful one.
"How have you been holding up?" he asked, almost convinced that she was actually going to die.
"Oh, I'm okay," she winced again as another contraction swept over her, "I've been holding them in until you came back and--"
"That's not healthy for you or them!" he warned, "Well, if you had to hold them in, I guess it's time to push."
Pita nodded, King Vegeta moved down her body and made her spread her thighs (A/N: No, he's not gonna fuck her, he is now 'Dr. Vegeta' ^_^). Kakarotto looked on in a slight bit of disgust; he had seen Gohan and Goten being born, and it wasn't a pretty sight. He still couldn't figure out how something as big as a newborn Saiyajin could fit through such a small hole! But somehow, he was drawn to watching this birth, after all, it was going to very special for Pita and he wanted to help.
He cautiously crawled across the den floor, his brothers, now wide-awake, followed suit. The shy trio peeked up over Pita's leg, and instantly Gohan and Goten retracted in disgust.
"EW!!! IT'S SO GROSS!!!" they squealed like schoolgirls.
The first cub was already crowning, its hair wet from the fluid of the birth.
"Yeah, it is gross," Kakarotto began casually, "but in the end there's gonna be brand new cubs to see and play with."
Pita smiled at how grown up the youngster seemed, not afraid of seeing something like this, and reached a trembling hand up to stroke his soft, wet mane. King Vegeta, however, was not listening.
"You should be concentrating on the litter, not the brats," he scolded.
"Oh Jita! Be nice, they aren't hurting anyone."
"You're supposed to be pushing," he said in his usual flatness.
Pita had put it off for long enough and she knew it, it was time to meet her cubs. She took a deep breath and pushed hard, her mate between her legs waiting for the first cub. Kakarotto watched, amazed at how fast it was coming out, it took Bardock a lot longer to have any of his cubs; it took almost an hour to get Gohan out, the first of the litter, but the rest of the litter came out much easier.
Kakarotto remembered his parents lying in the den when they found them. That monster had easily taken away what he truly cared about, everything he held dear. He never even had much of a chance to say anything to them that morning. It was painful to think about it.
He was torn from his thoughts by Pita's blood-curdling scream. With a loud splash of birth fluids, the cub landed in its Pi-pa's waiting hands. King Vegeta commenced cleaning it as it squealed in the sudden cold of the world outside of its Ni-ma's womb. It flailed its chubby little arms around, the leader now severing the umbilical cord. (A/N: Sorry if this grosses anyone out! _)
King Vegeta held the cub up to get a good look at it. It opened its eyes and, seeing some strange big monster holding it, began squealing even louder than before. The leader chuckled at the cub and looked it over and sniffed it.
"It's a boy," he announced, "and a Suru, I think".
"Yeah, well, the next one is coming!" Pita shouted impatiently.
"Hold this," he said, thrusting the newborn into Kakarotto's arms.
Kakarotto glared at King Vegeta, how could he call his own cub a 'this'? He looked down at the wet little bundle of flesh in his arms. He was so cute; he looked just like a mini King Vegeta, except his hair was black with a tint of red instead of dark brown, and he didn't have facial hair. The baby looked up at this knew creature that held him, but this one wasn't as scary as the first one. He was much littler, and didn't hold him up in the cold night air, but it still wasn't Ni-ma.
Kakarotto gently touched the newborn's nose, "You're a cute little one, aren't you?" he cooed.
The cub grabbed his hand and started chewing on his finger, wrapping his tail around Kakarotto's arm. Luckily, he didn't have fangs yet, so it didn't hurt Kakarotto when he was gumming him. The youngster felt his heart swell at this tiny helpless cub, but why did he feel like this about him? Probably the excitement of having an heir to such a strong leader; sure, King Vegeta was a bit of a stuck-up bully, but he had many good qualities about him that made him leader in the first place.
"Hey, you two!" King Vegeta boomed at Gohan and Goten over new squeals from the next cub, "Get over here and help!"
The twins obeyed reluctantly and rushed to their leader's side, trying as best as they could not to look at the birthing. King Vegeta plopped a wet squealing cub into both their hands. This one was slightly bigger than the first; it was another boy, and no doubt a Saiyajin. He was another King Vegeta lookalike, but his hair was tinted a slight blue instead of the first one's red. The young Saiyajin was very strong, and Kakarotto's brothers were having trouble holding him still. He flailed about, smacking Gohan with his hands and whipping Goten with his tail.
"That's not how you do it," Kakarotto picked up the large cub, "like this."
But the cub was even too much for the older brother, and Kakarotto just ended up laying him on the floor. Gohan and Goten laughed at their big brother and tended to the cub again. The cub obviously didn't like all the attention he was getting from these youngsters and continued to protest as they fussed over him.
They heard the sound of the next and hopefully last cub being born.
Gohan turned to Goten, "This next one is yours."
"Uh-uh, it might be bigger than this one, you take it!"
But King Vegeta never passed them the cub; in fact, he looked rather frightened. He held something so tiny in his hands that none of the youngsters even thought it was a cub. This one must have the runt of the litter. But wait, where were its squeals? King Vegeta began to rub its back rigorously, trying to get it to breathe and make at least some noise. Kakarotto's heart nearly stopped at the thought of Pita loosing a cub before it even had a chance to meet its Ni-ma.
After several minutes of rubbing, and not a sign of life, it was clear that this cub was dead. The den fell silent, even the newborns seemed to sense the sorrow that hung in the air.
"Jita? Is it okay?" Pita asked desperately.
But the leader shook his head, "It didn't make it."
All the life in Pita's eyes seemed to fade away at the news of the death of their cub. Her eyes began to water as pain in her heart grew. King Vegeta, not wanting his mate to see the cub and burst into tears, took the cub in his mouth, freeing his hands for walking, and left the cave. Kakarotto handed Pita the cub he held and followed the leader.
King Vegeta was digging a hole not far from the den when Kakarotto reached him. He watched the leader lay the poor dead cub in the hole and, looking it over one last time, fill in the hole. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach as he watch the leader; he'd never seen him like this, he never knew King Vegeta could even do real emotions.
King Vegeta turned and saw Kakarotto standing there. He walked over to the youngster and nuzzled him gently, something Kakarotto wouldn't expect the leader to do to anyone, let alone him, other than his mate.
"I-I'm sorry for your loss King Vegeta," the cub managed.
But the leader didn't say 'thank you' like he was hoping, "It wasn't my loss, it was Pita's."
He walked back up to the den, Kakarotto at his heels, confused at how it was Pita's loss. Well, he knew Pita was upset about loosing a cub, but why would one cub be so important if she still had two others?
King Vegeta, as if sensing the reason for the cub's confusion, paused before entering the den and turned to him. Kakarotto could see despair in the proud leader's eyes as he spoke.
"Pita has always wanted a daughter, and that cub was a little girl."
Kakarotto was in shock; a baby girl?! They were so rare, the youngster never thought that the cub could ever be a girl. It would have been so obvious, but he just didn't think; he was so used to seeing males that he didn't even think that another girl could be born into the pack. He looked up at his leader and he swore the water running down King Vegeta's face were tears instead of rain.
"Don't mention it to Pita though, I can't bare to watch her heart break," he pleaded to the cub.
Kakarotto agreed with the need of further explanation, and the duo reentered the den. They found that the newborns had been given back to their Ni-ma, and were now feeding from her milk. King Vegeta shook like a dog to dry himself off from the rain, Kakarotto did the same. Gohan and Goten didn't even turn to say hi, they were so interested in the new cubs.
"Whatcha gonna call them?" Goten piped happily, petting the bigger cub's mane.
Pit looked up at her mate, "That's for Pi-pa to decide."
Now King Vegeta was in trouble; he had fussed over making everything perfect, he had forgotten to think of names for the cubs. He knew he wanted to name one of them Vegeta after himself, but which one? And what about another name for the other cub? He sat down, his brow raised up in slight confusion, them his eyes lit up as he thought up the names for his offspring.
"The Saiyajin will be Vegeta Jr., or just Junior, and the Suru will be Vega."
Gohan and Goten chirped happily and continued to fuss over the newborns. Kakarotto watched young Vega feeding, 'He's so innocent, so fragile, so...'
Then Vega stopped suckling and stared back at the youngster, his tiny eyes penetrating deep into Kakarotto's soul. Kakarotto smiled and finished his train of thought, '...so beautiful.'
~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 2
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Veji: ...My name's not 'Vega'!
Me: Relax, piggy. It'll all become clear in time.
Veji: I'm not piggy! o\_/o
Me: And I'm not a half-breed bitch!
Veji: ...I didn't call you that...
Me: Yes you did! Last chapter!
Veji: Oh come on!
Kaki: Jita, are you being bad again? Do I have to punish you?
Veji: O_O NO!! I'm being good, see? *imaginary halo floating above his head*
Me: I thought you were the dominant one, Jita.
Veji: Apparently not in this fic!
Kaki: *now all dressed in black leather, holding a whip* You've been a bad boy!
Veji: RUUN!! It's Dominatrix Kakarotto!! *flees for life*
Kaki: You'll have to come home sometime! And I'll be waiting! *sees me* I guess I'll toy with you until I catch him.
Me: O_O AAAHH!!! *runs for dear life* Please review, hope you enjoyed this chappie (sorry if it's sketchy and a lil long, I was trying to fit a lot of stuff in). I'll do next chappie soon, if Dominatrix Kakarotto doesn't beat me first!
Kaki: *chasing me* Come back and take it like the bitch you are!
Me: Why does everyone keep calling me a bitch?! _