a:n Long waits…I keep saying I'll hurry and yet I can't seem to get the thumb out of my ass and do it. P Here's another installment, at least I know where I'm headed now… THANKS to everyone who is still reviewing, I know how annoying it is to wait and wait for a story to update…you'd think I'd use that knowledge to pump out chapters faster. sigh
Legolas was sitting at the same spot he and Piccolo had shared nearly an hour before. The spot wasn't nearly as comfortable as it had been then, but he wasn't sitting on Piccolo's lap this time either. He had quietly followed Piccolo from the hall, oddly surprised that the Namek hadn't noticed, and watched as Pippin pulled him away to see Merry.
The elf was happy that the Hobbit was awake and was hoping that the news would help Piccolo's distress. He was angry with Piccolo, but mostly worried. There was so much he didn't understand about the alien's moods and habits. Even more he couldn't begin to comprehend about his strength and the other eerily strong creatures from his world.
With a pang in his chest, Legolas thought that maybe it was for the best that Piccolo had been abrupt with him. The Namek couldn't stay with him forever. As soon as the war was won, all of the strangers would return to Rivendell and be whisked away home. Could he bear such a rough and abrupt departure if he let Piccolo wheedle his way further into his heart?
There was the sound of footfalls behind him and Legolas stiffened when he realized whom they belonged to. The feet came to a halt and Legolas didn't know if he should acknowledge the other or not.
Piccolo stepped forward a few more feet until he stood just behind Legolas. He had seen him sitting there when he paused and was going to blurt out his intentions and take off, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Instead, he stood there, mouth slightly open as he tried to think of something to say.
"You are leaving." Legolas said softly, face turned up to the sky.
"Yes." Piccolo replied, equally as soft. How was it in the moment he was away from Legolas he could forget just how enchanting and beautiful he was? He struggled with his pride for a long moment before he spoke again. "I'm sorry for being too rough before."
Legolas nodded. He rolled the apology around in his head and sighed.
"I--" Piccolo started, then stopped as that breath of air crossed his mind again. It was so marginal he thought he had imagined it, but it came again in time for him to latch onto it and follow it back to its source.
Legolas turned to face Piccolo when the Namek grew quiet. Piccolo was standing, staring into the open air at nothing. Legolas stood on the lip of the building and stood at Piccolo's height, obstructing the view of whatever held the Namek's fascination. His black eyes, however, were unresponsive. Worried, Legolas reached toward him cautiously, still feeling the slight sting from being shrugged off previously.
Cool fingers touched Piccolo's cheek and he blinked, eyes clearing. Legolas breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He was about to ask what had happened, but awed eyes held his and quieted his questions. The Namek looked positively shocked about something.
"What is it?"
"Vegeta." Piccolo whispered. Legolas nodded, remembering the loss he had felt when Piccolo had told them all he had died. Large hands gripped Legolas forearms, "He's still alive."
Shaking his head in confusion, Legolas tried to understand what the hell his lover was talking about. "What do you mean?"
"Alive," Piccolo spoke, "I don't know how. He was dead. For a minute, gone."
Legolas looked stunned, and still highly confused. Piccolo picked him off of the stones with no effort and crushed him to his chest in a tight hug. His antenna brushed across the tip of Legolas' ear and the elf forcibly ignored the warmth that heated his belly. Just as suddenly, Piccolo dropped him back onto his stone perch and held his face in his long fingers before kissing him.
Head reeling, Legolas had what he could to hold onto Piccolo's tunic to keep from falling off of the ledge and kiss him back.
When Piccolo pulled away he faced toward the south, hands still cupping Legolas face. He turned back, seemingly oblivious to what he had done seconds ago. "I need to go. If Vegeta is alive he can't stay there to die."
Legolas nodded numbly. "Of course not."
Someone cleared their throat and both of them turned toward the sound to see an amused Aragorn in the archway that led to the dining hall. "I am heartened to see you have settled your problems."
Legolas smiled secretly, acutely aware of how close Piccolo was standing and that the Namek's hands had found their way into his hair. He turned his face up to the Namek and nodded. "Go then, quickly."
Shaking his hands free, Piccolo nodded.
"Wait a moment." Aragorn said. He stepped forward, something small in his hand. "I was told to give you this nearly two weeks ago. I had forgotten until now. Perhaps it will help you." With that, the Ranger tossed a small brown bag at Piccolo.
The Namek caught it with ease and pulled the tiny draw strings open. He dumped the contents into his palm and clenched his jaw. "Where did you get these?"
Aragorn watched as the Namek sniffed and prodded at the small pile of green beans in his hand. "Elrond gave them to me before we walked the Paths of the Dead. He said the Lady Bulma had sent them. Are they of use to you?"
Piccolo carefully returned the beans to their pouch and tucked it into his pocket. He smiled grimly, "You have no idea." He touched the bulge in his pocket, as though to make sure the beans were still there and not just a figment of his imagination. And with one last look at Legolas he lept into the sky and blasted toward Goku and Freeza.
Goku felt unbelievably tired. He frowned to himself as he staved off Freeza's blows. He shouldn't be this tired, maybe it was Middle Earth having an effect on his system?
At the back of his mind he could feel something probing at him, but he was too preoccupied with keeping his ground to explore it. Freeza was turning out to be a real handful, even with Trunks' help. Both of the saiyajins were keeping the icejin on his toes, but it was only enough to make him sweat and not nearly enough to beat him. Silently Goku mourned Vegeta again. Not only was his mate dead, but with him gone they would surely loose. From what he could see, only a fusion might save them. But that was impossible.
A rough blow hit Goku in the jaw and made his teeth ache. In retaliation, he drew up his energy and sent several short blasts into Freeza's face. It did very little.
"Give up, monkeys," Freeza spat, "and I promise I will make your death quick and painless."
Furious, both Goku and Trunks increased their attack. They were preoccupied with Freeza, and did not notice a green blur in the distance.
Piccolo drew up to the fight and stopped to watch a moment. He frowned harshly. Freeza was much stronger than he had been. Turning his eyes away, he began to scour the surrounding area for Vegeta and he found him on the shore.
Quickly, he landed next to the prostrate body and checked for vital signs. The saiyajin prince was breathing very shallowly but it seemed steady. Piccolo surveyed the great hole in Vegeta's chest and grimaced, that must have hurt like hell.
Withdrawing the bag from his pocket, Piccolo shook a bean into his palm and quickly replaced the bag before shoving the little green vegetable between Vegeta's lips. Being careful, Piccolo reached out help Vegeta chew it when a garbling hiss caught his attention.
Looking up, Piccolo stared openly at a creature he had never seen before. It was rather pretty, in an aquamarine kind of way, and Piccolo wondered idly if this is what Gohan had meant decades ago when he talked of mermaids.
The thing gurgled and hissed again, thin blue lips peeling away from small pointed teeth. For a minute, Piccolo thought it wanted Vegeta for a meal the way it was glaring and working its way painfully along the sand. But his mind changed a second later when the things eyes flicked away from Piccolo and looked at Vegeta in a kind of reverence before it glared at him again.
Kami, it's protecting him, Piccolo thought. If the sea creature was only trying to help, then Piccolo would try his best not to kill it, but at the moment, Vegeta's survival was more important. Ignoring the creature that was still struggling back up the shore, Piccolo opened Vegeta's mouth and nested the sensu bean against the saiyajins molars before pressing his jaws shut again.
"Come on, Vegeta." Piccolo growled. He helped Vegeta chew again and hissed down at him, trying to draw a response. "Come on, pathetic monkey. Can't even take one blow to the chest and your done."
One of Vegeta's hands clenched into a fist where it lay on the sand. Piccolo smirked. "Wake up. You're missing all the action." Slowly, Vegeta's mouth worked on its own, tongue trying to free it from whatever bitterness was drying it out. Seconds passed, and Piccolo watched as the great hole in Vegeta's chest began to knit from the inside out.
The sea creature had finally made it to Vegeta's side and was staring in awe between them as though they were both the most interesting things he had ever seen. It's mouth worked and before long it was speaking in gurgling words reminiscent of a man drowning. "I have not heard of an orc healer."
Piccolo scowled at it. "I am not an orc."
Between them on the sand, Vegeta stirred. "No, he's a slug," Vegeta's voice was a grating whisper. Piccolo sneered at him but carefully helped the saiyajin sit up.
"What's going on?" He asked a moment later, body feeling much better but head still fuzzy.
"You were dead, for a moment." Piccolo said honestly, voice tight.
Vegeta snorted, clenching his eyes shut when the action made his head throb. "And you brought me back to life?"
"No." Piccolo shook his head. "I don't know what did. I just got here."
Eyes narrowed in suspicion, Vegeta carefully looked at the creature beside him, but it scooted away a pace and hung its head in submission. "Was it you? What are you?"
"What I am matters not, but I did not heal you. The large one, he did." The shining creature with a round face blinked jeweled eyes at him in amazement.
"What are you talking about?" Vegeta growled, he was achy in places, but the feeling was fading and in the sky he could see Trunks as he battled Freeza. Goku flew in from another direction, kicking Freeza in the chest and pushing the alien back several feet. Vegeta's heart clenched tightly and his head ached quite suddenly.
He tore his eyes away from Goku and breathed deeply. The pain subsided and at the back of his mind he could feel the stir of something that was not there before. When he concentrated on it he could dimly hear thoughts...thoughts that were not his own.
If only I could kill you, you bastard for what you've done! I'm so sorry Vegeta...
The ouji's eyes snapped up and he watched, nearly transfixed as Goku fought against Freeza. Places in his mind and body that had lain dormant for decades of his life began to stretch and unwind. A delicious ache throbbed at the juncture of his neck and shoulder and Vegeta reached up to touch it. Pinpoints of light blurred his vision and a perverse pleasure tingled his spine even as the spot spiked with pain. Above him, he faintly heard Goku gasp.
"You fool..." Vegeta whispered, fingers coming away stained with a bit of crimson. A strange smile curled onto his face even as he willed it not to.
Piccolo was staring at him with confusion. "Are you alright?"
Vegeta grunted. He stood and brushed the sand from his hair and the seat of his pants. "I need you to do something."
Piccolo stood and nodded. "What do you need me to do?"
"Keep Freeza's attention for a minute." Vegeta grinned.
Raising a brow at how maniacal the saiyajin prince looked at that moment, he nodded. Immediately, Piccolo began to gather energy. He wasn't a match for Freeza blow for blow, or for speed, but he did have a pretty good energy blast when he needed it.
A moment later, Piccolo touched two of his fingers to his forehead and nodded at Vegeta. The saiyajin didn't wait another moment, and took into the air with a blast that kicked up sand and waves for a ten foot radius.
Piccolo watched and grunted as Vegeta tackled Goku away from Freeza and pointed his fingers at the icejin before the tyrant could decipher what had happened. Piccolo grinned ferally as he yelled, "Special beam cannon!"
Goku's mind reeled as he was blown backward. Whatever had hit him was clinging to him tightly. His mind registered Piccolo's special beam cannon attack as it struck Freeza and blew him skyward until he was a dot.
He was jerked to a stop, still floating in the air, when a familiar velvet voice purred into his ear. "Kakkarot."
Spinning in the loose hold Goku gaped at Vegeta's grinning face. "Vegeta! But, you were dead."
"I don't have time to explain it now," Vegeta clipped, instead he was cupping Goku's face with one hand while the other held Goku tightly by the front of his tunic. Confused, Goku opened his mouth but the hand on his face quickly embedded in his hair and yanked his head to the side. A second later, hot pain flared at the base of his neck.
"'Geta," He mumbled, mind hazing with pain and pleasure. Greedy lips were bruising his flesh as the hand in his hair pulled his head down. In an instant reaction that Goku didn't quite understand, his teeth bit into the soft tissue of Vegeta's throat in the same spot he had bit him a short time ago.
Blood pooled across his tongue, hot and spicy. He purred in pleasure as it warmed his stomach. He was yanked away too soon, eyes wide and angry but Vegeta was smirking at him with blood on his lips. They kissed roughly, biting at each others lips and tasting their commingled blood.
Vegeta roughly pushed him away again. "Sorry, Kakkarot, but it's your own fault. We don't have time."
Mind slowly clearing from the rush, Goku frowned at him. "What's my fault?"
Vegeta grinned again and Goku felt his body shiver in response. "I'll explain that later as well. Now, we have a fight to win."
At Gondor, night was growing quickly though it was hard to tell. The thick cloud cover that had increased over the hours had effectively blotted out the setting sun. The sleepy city was uneasy after confrontation and the ever glowing lamps in the high windows of the Halls of Healing served as a reminder of what had been lost.
Pippin had fallen asleep curled at the foot of Merry's bed. The healers had merely smiled and left the Hobbit be. Two layers of earth below the two, Gimli was snoring soundly in his narrow bed. Even though most others of the city were turning without catching the slippery line of unconsciousness, no one would begrudge the dwarf his rest.
The tower at the apex of the mountains glowed softly in the intrusive dark. Aragorn had moments ago peered into his seer's globe and challenged Sauron's will with his own. The fire of the eye had seared into his mind and had left him with a constant throb at the base of his skull. He felt deep in him that what he had done was the right thing, even though his active mind had its doubts. He was trying to quail his depressive thoughts with happy memories. His hand perpetually wrapped around Arwen's pendant.
In a chamber beside the orthanc's room where Aragorn sat brooding, three elves were seated in lush chairs. They were silent, the only sound in the room the low crackle of the fire and their shallow breathing. The twin sons of Elrond were mind-fasting, delicate smiles on their faces as they shared each others memories and experiences. At the moment, most of which revolved around the lithe and hardened body of one saiyajin princeling. It wouldn't necessarily make things easier in their wait for the young man to return, but it did make for interesting viewing.
Thranduil's son sat watching the two with mild amusement, partly intent on distracting his mind from the departed Namek. He could never fully succeed, but at least he could content himself with distraction. Until Aragorn called them together in the morning to start their trek to the gates of Mordor, he only had his mind to contend with.
