Rock Your World

Part 20:2 – The Meaning of Love

I kissed Vegeta again, and again, unable to believe I was really alive again. I knew how it felt to be dead, I'd died before, twice, but instead of awakening in Otherworld, I awoke slung across the shoulders of my lover and son. I had almost passed out in shock, but Vegeta's face kept me there. Him too, but mostly his face. The love and concern in his eyes, the sorrow, the relief; it reawakened my heart to how much he truly cared about me.

Cliché it may be, but I realized I only just now could truly fathom the meaning of love. I'd died for Vegeta. Not for anyone else this time, not for the world's safety like before. For him. And he'd believed in me, loved me enough to stop at nothing to bring me back. That was love. Being able, and willing, to lose, and give, everything for one person. And that one person for me was Vegeta. Maybe it always had been.

Gohan had been wrong; I had loved ChiChi, as much as I physically could. I gave her what I could give, all I was able to give. I just loved Vegeta on a different level. We were the same. He understood me, I understood him. We were like two sides of the same coin. Sometimes I forgot where I ended and he began. Maybe fusing into one being had something to do with that.

Shoving the thoughts aside, I stopped my assault on the prince's mouth and simply watched him again. Marveling at his beauty, looking at him through new eyes. I believe there's a word for this. Epiphany. Seeing everything in a new light, changing who you are through experience and revelation. I felt as if I'd been born anew, and I wanted to explore everything around me again and rediscover the world with this new knowledge.

Gohan cleared his throat and I glanced at him, then at Dende and Popo. I'd forgotten any of them were there; my whole world had been the prince in my arms.

Dende smirked, "I think that's the first time that I've healed you and you haven't immediately thanked me,"

"Thank you," I said quickly, afraid I'd offended him.

"That's okay, you had other things on your mind," the Namek child consoled, shooting Vegeta a grin.

I looked at Gohan again. He looked tired, defeated. Like he'd lived a hundred years and seen terrible things.

"Gohan? Are you… still mad at me?" I asked carefully, letting Vegeta go and facing him.

Gohan blinked slowly, studying me. It was the first time in a long time that he'd looked at me with anything but contempt. The answer was in his eyes. I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders and stepped forward, hugging my son for the first time in over three months.

"I'm sorry Dad," he whispered into my shoulder.

"I know, I forgive you," I murmured back.

"I didn't mean to –"

"I know. Just let it go. I don't blame you and I know you feel terrible for what you did."

He unhooked my arms from around his neck and looked into my eyes for a few seconds. Just stood there and looked.

"I missed you," his voice cracked midsentence and his eyes were bright with the precursors of tears.

"I missed you too," I nodded. Vegeta's tail wandered and coiled around mine. I let the brush of fur against fur sooth me and I sighed, glad this whole mess had been sorted out.

The first thing Trunks did when Vegeta, Gohan and I returned to Capsule Corp was throw himself at his father and hug Vegeta around the waist (which was about as high as he could reach). Vegeta smiled and ruffled his son's lavender hair. Even now, he had a hard time speaking his emotions; and while Gohan and I had shared honest words and these two shared silence, the meaning was the same. Forgiveness. Closure.

Bulma was in tears, hugging everyone – literally everyone – and sobbing. When she got around to me, she said the oddest thing.

"I'm so glad you didn't die… again…"

I nodded and patted her gently on the back, "Me too, Bulma, me too."

Vegeta's mouth was on mine, his bare, satin-bronze skin caressing, hiding fathomless muscle. His tail and mine were wound into a single twisted cord, his fur pleasuring the very areas that had been tortured not four hours ago. Vegeta broke the kiss and looked down at me; he'd done that a lot lately, just stopped and stared. I think he was again reveling in how lucky we both were. Fortunate fools. We'd both done some stupid things, said some stupid things, and somehow we still ended up together with everything either of us had ever wanted.

The prince trailed a slender finger down the side of my neck, kissing my forehead gently. His tail, still wrapped with mine, curled around my arousal, stroking slowly, leisurely, savoring the sensation and making us both shiver and sweat.

"Kakarrrrrot," Vegeta purred, rolling the r's into a purr that rumbled from his chest and vibrated into mine.

I arched against him, whimpering his name as his fingers threaded through my hair. If anything had been even a little different in this life; if I hadn't killed my brother to entice Vegeta to come to Earth, if I hadn't healed in time to make it to Namek and save him from the Ginyus, if I had come back from Yardrat early, or late, if I hadn't died against Cell, if he'd refused to fuse with me, the possibilities were endless; if anything had been different, I might never have this.

"Kakarrrrrot," Vegeta purred again, giving each syllable its own tone, yet somehow blending the word into a beautiful, colorful, baritone rush of sound. Only he called me that now. To everyone else I was simple, two-syllable, four-letter Goku. To Vegeta I was so much more. I think it was my hand in song-writing that made me appreciate words so much. Such simple things, often used unwisely by people; and never enough to explain the true depth of emotions.

"Stop thinking so hard, Kakarrrrrot," Vegeta smiled, kissing me gently and stroking me again, eliciting a groan, "Just relax,"

I did as he said – hell, I'd jump off a cliff for him if he kept purring my name like that – and let my shoulders loosen, banishing thoughts from my mind and simply letting myself drown in his touch, his scent, his taste. Sensory overload. I smirked, remembering using the term frequently during our first time, but it still rang true.

The night was young, and Vegeta took advantage of the time on our hands to seduce me slowly. Setting his own pace, exploring my proffered skin with his hands, tail and mouth. Now and again he would murmur something, purring against my flesh, making me shiver and moan. But mostly he just watched me while he worked, his ebony eyes never leaving mine as he caressed every inch of my body with his own.

Before too long he was preparing me, loosening the tight muscle of my entrance and purring soothingly. I was ready for it this time, and when his fingers brushed against the bundle of nerves deep inside, I howled my approval and lashed my tail, encouraging him for more, always more. He smirked at me, as if reading my mind. Not hard to do, I was practically begging him.

I moaned with him as he entered me, stealing his mouth in an all too brief kiss. Then I broke away, throwing my head back and groaning when he slammed home. Again, and again, he thrust slowly, gently, but passionately, shivering even as I shivered, moaning even as I moaned. We were one entity, one being. It was a lot like being fused, except the other way around; one mind, two bodies. And we reached the brink together, shuddering as one as we cleared the peak and came. He pulled out and curled up against me, still purring, and winding his tail with mind again.

"I love you, Kakarot," he whispered.

"I know, love you too," I replied sleepily, "go to sleep,"

"Okay, Goodnight." He yawned.

"Goodnight."

TBC