Chapter 17 – Illness

A soft purr erupts from the mess that used to be a bed. A tail coils up, then settles down again.

'If I wasn't dead already, you would've killed me, Vegeta.' Radditz speaks to Vegeta's mind with reassuring ease.

Vegeta chuckles lazily. 'You've always been a weakling, Radditz.'

'And you like it.'

Radditz rolls over and faces Vegeta.

"I told you I have to talk to you," he says in a serious tone.

"Feel free to talk," Vegeta says, yawning and stretching, finally resting his head on his arm and looking Radditz in the eye.

"I'm worried about Kakarot," Radditz states bluntly.

"You should, he's an idiot," Vegeta growls. "He should keep his distance."

Radditz gives him a sad smile. "You really don't want to see it, do you?"

"See what? It's just a crush, it will pass. He just has to get over it."

"Why get over you? You want him!" Radditz looks at him angrily.

"You forget your place, soldier," Vegeta glares daggers at him and abruptly gets up.

"What is this, a conspiracy of the crew of matchmakers? Why are you and Toorah so eager to get us together? You're my Saiyan family, even though our bond wasn't one of choice." Vegeta almost rips his pants when he puts them on. His muscles are tightening with frustration.

"Kakarot is a very sensible choice, Vegeta," says Radditz, keeping his cool even though Vegeta's insulting him by reminding him of his status.

"Well I don't feel like choosing for Kakarot, Radditz! He's only a low class!"

"You've been saying that to yourself so many times that you almost believe it, don't you? It's a lie and you know it. Hell, he's become stronger than you are! Why reject him? It's obvious that the bond has already been established partly. That's why you're overreacting to the subject so much."

"What would you know of bonding?" Vegeta spits. Fire burns in his eyes.

Radditz sighs and looks up to Vegeta.

'More than you do, my Prince.' Radditz's voice echoes inside Vegeta's mind as he shows Vegeta images of something he has never revealed to his lover before.

Vegeta gasps. 'A deep bond? With a fellow soldier?' Vegeta falls to his knees as he sees how Radditz's partner is brutally crushed by Zarbon.

'It hurts… Kami it hurts. How come… you never told me this?'

"I was saving it for the right time. You don't realize what a bond can do for you, Vegeta. You're still searching for rest, for someone to quiet that war in your head. It almost disappears when I'm with you, but not completely."

"What are you trying to tell me, Radditz?" Vegeta asks hoarsely.

"I was never the one for you, Vegeta. Kakarot is. You two have already made your choice, but your stubbornness is killing him right now! He will die if you don't do something fast. It has already begun… Sense his energy, Vegeta, and you'll know what he's going through."

Vegeta reaches out for Kakarot's ki and feels it.

"Kuso…" he whispers.

Crouched down under the trees, he sniffs the air. The cave must be near, he can smell it. A crazed grin flashes across his face. Kill it.

A bear emerges from the mountainside. It walks towards the stream, but then stops dead in its tracks. It stands up on his hind legs and roars. Something has entered its territory… and it doesn't like it.

Kakarot jumps out of the bushes and attacks the bear head on. He's not using his ki, just his raw strength. Soon the bear and Kakarot roll over the forest ground, both fighting for their life.

The bear takes the upper hand and prepares to give the intruder the final blow. Kakarot grins widely as he welcomes it… but then the bear freezes and crashes down on the ground.

"What the…" Kakarot shoves the dead weight off of him and gets up, bleeding badly. His body feels hot, the fever is getting to him again.

"You look like you need to pass out, Kakarot," a familiar voice says from behind his back. The world becomes black as he receives a hard blow to the back of his head.

Vegeta looks down on his fellow Saiyan. Bloody, beaten and barely any clothes on him. He's lost a lot of weight and his hair limps down from his head.

"Kakarot," he whispers softly, "what have I done to you?"

He carefully picks him up and carries him deeper into the woods.

Kakarot wakes up slowly. He smells a strong scent, but his brains refuse to work with him to recognize it. His mouth waters as he realizes he smells food. Cooked food.

He tries to lift his eyelids, but they are very reluctant to open. Finally he manages to open his eyes. He's back in the cabin in the woods. He's lying in bed, with sweat pants on, his wounds are bandaged. The mess he's made in the past weeks has been cleaned up. And, what's more important, his head feels clear of distractions. He doesn't feel the need to go out and kill something or someone.

"So, your fever has finally given up on you."

There, in the doorframe, stands Vegeta, arms crossed over his chest.

"You…" Kakarot's voice deepens as his eyes darken. How dare he?

"Confused? You should be, considering what you went through. I never knew that Saiyans could actually die from rejection."

"I'm still alive," Kakarot growls. "But trust me, in a few moments you won't be."

Vegeta laughs at him. "You're the one to talk! You look like a reincarnation of the Mummy. You're in no condition to get out of bed, let alone fight someone."

"Watch me," Kakarot growls as he throws himself at Vegeta, who is too late to block him. Kakarot's fist connects to his jaw and he stumbles back, blood trickling from his mouth.

"You're going to pay, Vegeta. For what you did to me you need to be annihilated. When I'm through, there won't be enough left to send you to Otherworld. Not that I think you have a soul anyway."

Kakarot approaches Vegeta like a predator, ready to kill his prey.

"Are you INSANE?" Vegeta shouts. "I'm here to help you, Kakarot, not fight you! Our rivalry is over!"

"Is it? I don't think so, Vegeta. I think it has only just begun. Since I've always been holding back on you, today is our very first fight. Trust me. It'll be your last." A gleam of madness is in Kakarot's eyes as he grabs Vegeta by his throat.

'You're not yourself, Kakarot. You're still sick! You need to rest… Regain your strength…' Vegeta starts choking.

'Rest? What for?' Kakarot switches to telepathy as well. 'I'm fine, really.'

He plants his foot into Vegeta's stomach, sending him through several trees.

'Now let's finish this once and for all.'

'If this is what you want, this is what you get, Kakarot! My patience doesn't last forever.'

"HAAAAAAAAAA!" Vegeta emerges from a pile of tree trunks, flaring his golden battle aura.

"It's about fucking time," Kakarot mutters before charging up too. Due to his illness, he can't power up past SSJ 2 though.

'Still holding back, I see,' Vegeta mocks him inside his mind.

'Shut up, you son of a bitch. I could take you with my arms tied behind my back.'

'Really? Let's try that.' Vegeta fires his famous ring shots with the intention to staple Kakarot to a wall again, but it doesn't go as planned. Kakarot stretches out his hands and the ki rings freeze mid air. They start to glow red as they charge up.

'Nice try. But now they're mine!'

Before Vegeta knows what hits him, the rings close around his wrists, ankles and neck.

'Impossible!'

'No, Instant Transmission.' Kakarot smirks evilly. He stretches out his hand again and the rings tighten around Vegeta's body.

"Uunnnhh… You son… of a bitch! I won't… give up… that easily…" Vegeta is silenced by a fist blow to his face.

"Feels nice, huh, you slut?" Kakarot's face is a mask of hatred. "All that talk of humiliation because I became stronger than you… BULLSHIT! You have no idea what the concept 'humiliation' means! You rejected me! You dared to reject me, knowing I'd eventually kill myself over you! And then, you would have finally defeated me, like you've always wanted to. First you seduce me, then you reject me. I'm beginning to understand Frieza's point of view."

Vegeta's blood becomes icewater as he hears what Kakarot implies.

'You can't be serious. Don't compare yourself to Frieza, Kakarot. You're not like him!'

Kakarot's insane grin grows wider. 'You think so?' His dark voice echoes through Vegeta's mind. 'You hurt my feelings, Vegeta. You shouldn't have.'

Dark clouds gather over the two warriors as Vegeta helplessly struggles against his restrainers. Kakarot powers up to his maximum as he prepares to fire a blast.

'Let's play, Prince.'