Rock Your World

Part 7 – Complete

"You… you cared all along, didn't you?" I gasped; still stunned with the revelation that Vegeta actually cared about anything at all.

"What are you talking about, Kakarot?" His voice was blunt, emotionless. I felt my hope waver.

"…Because you wrote about me in the same way I wish I could write about you, because you took the words right out of my mouth."

I forced myself to breathe as I remembered what he'd said not a moment ago. Suddenly Ongaku's strap felt unbearably tight and chafing around my neck and shoulder.

"N-nothing," I amended quickly, embarrassed that I'd let my emotions show, "Forget it."

"Cared about what? Explain," the prince pried, shrugging off my denial.

Sorry for thinking you actually cared about me, I thought wretchedly, my mistake.

"I said forget it," my voice sounded defeated, but I forced a completely fabricated smile on my face, it almost hurt to pretend.

He glared daggers at me, coal eyes smoldering.

"Fine," he muttered, getting up to leave, "Whatever."

I watched him as he walked away, his tail slashed once through the air before curling around his waist. The motion was strangely defensive, as if he were retreating.

Something told me if he walked away now, I'd never get him back; there would be no second chance.

"Vegeta, wait!" I teleported directly into his path and he almost walked right into me, eyes downcast and cross. He stopped, tail twitching from its place around his hips.

"Don't leave, please." I implored, hooking Ongaku's strap from around my neck and leaning the guitar against the wall.

"Why not?" He snapped, "What do you want from me this time, idiot third-class?"

The insult stung worse right then than it had on the other thousand-odd times he'd spoken it. I hung my head, shamefaced.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"For what? You didn't do anything." He grumbled.

I paused with my mouth half-open. What was I apologizing for again?

The prince made as if to push me away and I stopped his hand with my wrist before he could shove my shoulder. A gentler version of the same block I'd used in countless spars over the years, but a block nonetheless. His eyes sparked angrily again.

"I'm sorry for whatever you're mad at me for," I cast around for things that could trigger his anger, "I'm sorry for beating you in a spar I don't remember, for writing a hateful song about you a month ago, for being an idiot third-class, what did I do wrong, Vegeta?"

He stopped, dropping his hand to his side, and just looked at me. There was something about his intense gaze that made me self-conscious.

"You asked me if I 'cared all along'," he began.

"I'm sorry for that too!" I interrupted in a rush, was that what had made the prince so mad? That I assumed he had feelings? Didn't he?

No, that wasn't it; he seemed disconcerted that I assumed he had feelings for me.

I guess that made sense.

"Don't interrupt me, Kakarot," Vegeta continued, "Did you mean to ask if I cared about you?"

Oh gods, he read me like a book, how did he do that?

I guess my face said it all because he went on.

"You meant to ask if I… had feelings for you?" his tail coiled a little tighter around his waist as he spoke, his eyes never leaving me.

Slightly ashamed, I nodded. We were getting along so well a second ago, now he's going to hate me again…

"I do," I almost didn't hear the two words he whispered, and even when they registered, I still didn't believe them.

"What?"

"I said I do, Kakarot," he hissed, spitting out the words, "I always have."

I stared, dumbstruck. Of all the things he could have said…

"You wha-?" I began, but he cut me off by capturing my lips in a tentative kiss, giving me enough time to move away if I chose to.

As if!

I closed my eyes. He tasted even better than I dreamed of, indescribably amazing, like velvet and fire, like power and energy, like everything that made Vegeta who he was. I was helpless to resist, I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe, I could only respond in the only way I knew how; by pressing my lips against his and deepening the kiss, never wanting the golden moment to end.

He broke away a mere few seconds later, but his taste still lingered on my lips, and my heartbeat refused to return to normal; it kept skipping and changing pace, sometimes seeming to stop altogether. I let my eyelids flick open and looked at him. He was watching me with something between nervousness and indecision, as if afraid I would shout at him.

"Why?" I breathed, not trusting my voice to say more than that one word, I barely trusted myself to remain standing.

"Because I care about you," the prince murmured, "Because I don't want to wait anymore. I want you, and if you don't want me back, just say so, so that I can stop wasting my life biding my time."

"But… I thought you were mad, I thought you hated me," I whispered, hardly daring to believe what I had just heard.

"Because of my reaction to your other song?" he raised an eyebrow, "You do realize that in the lyrics of "Save Me", you never once mentioned anything but hate and pain, right? You gave me a pretty good reason to react the way I did."

"So you were mad?"

"No, I was sad. I thought you were rejecting me, that you hated me."

"But then - ?"

"Then you disappeared for a month, your energy plummeted and I thought you were going to kill yourself," Vegeta continued, "I thought I was going to lose you again."

Again? Oh gods, how long had he been waiting? How long had he been waiting for me?

"After we sparred, I found the sheet with your lyrics written on it, and I found some that drew my attention; such talented writing," I glowed under his praise, but the prince wasn't done explaining. I couldn't guess how long he'd been waiting to say all this.

"I gave it back to you, along with a senzu to help you heal, in a gesture of peace. I hoped you would forgive me for storming off before," he tail tip twitched as he spoke, "I hoped you would at least go back to being my f-friend," oh, he stammered on that word. I wondered if he'd ever said it in his life, he paused and took a deep breath, as if afraid of what he had to say next.

"That second song changed my original plan to win back your friendship, I wanted you; I couldn't hide it anymore."

"Then you liked the song?" I asked hopefully.

He chuckled, "Gods, yes. It gave me chills, just to listen to your voice, the music of your soul, washing over me."

I think I blushed, but I didn't care.

"I was confused when I tried to explain what I felt; I've never been good at explaining emotions, and I wasn't even sure what I was feeling then. I was afraid you would be angry, that you would show me that other side, show me that hate, again. So I tried to leave, I tried to escape. But then you… apologized, pleaded with me not to leave, and… I just couldn't help myself…"

I hesitated, trying to decide if the gesture was too much too soon, before leaning forward and hugging the prince, burying my face in the fiery scent of his neck and shoulder. Then he surprised me; he purred and hugged me back, tangling his fingers in the spikes of hair at the nape of my neck. I looked up, his eyes an inch from mine, his mouth even closer.

Our lips connected again. No words needed to be spoken, for we both felt the same; content, slightly foolish, and complete.

It had been a very long time since I'd felt complete.

TBC