Peripheral Reality

Chapter 4

Those idiots, Vegeta thought heatedly as he flew further away from Kakarot's house, One or both of them is going to be seriously hurt by this, it's only a matter of time.

He had barely believed his ears when he'd heard Kakarot ask Goku why he didn't love him, and heard the other Saiyan try to reassure him that it was still possible, if not immediate. Eavesdropping wasn't something he usually stooped to, but being both intrigued and horrified, he couldn't stop himself from listening to the entire conversation, and then intervening.

He'd warned him. He'd told Kakarot from the moment he found that furred Saiyan in the woods not to get attached. And this was exactly why he had! Kakarot didn't understand. Still didn't understand. For all his power, he could be damn childish, especially about responsibility and consequence.

Kakarot was just now experiencing what they called the doubt phase of love. He'd already gone through the pleasure phase, which was the easiest one. The light, ecstatic elation of the emotion called love that sucked a person in and made them blind to every other aspect of it. Vegeta winced as he thought of the phase the young Super Saiyan would be forced to go through shortly. He knew why it was called "falling" in love. And Kakarot in particular would fall extremely hard; maybe he wouldn't be able to pick himself back up. It was inevitable. He would be forced to let go of his counterpart in the face of duty, as he had been arranged to be mated to Broly. He had no choice.

Sighing, he admitted mentally that he only thought this way and reacted the way he had because he cared about Kakarot. He didn't want the young Saiyan to get hurt, he didn't want to see him fall. He knew Kakarot hadn't chosen deliberately to fall in love with that Goku; but dammit, he could have tried a lot harder not to!

He should never have left those two alone. He should have seen the look in Kakarot's eye when he first laid eyes on the red-furred version of himself and realized that – promise though he may – he wasn't about to keep his word to not get attached. He should have – he grimaced as the dark thought came to mind, but couldn't force it down... he should have dragged the younger Saiyan away and left Goku to bleed to death.

And strangely, though he'd seen the two completely naked together and knew what had gone on between them... he wasn't all that disturbed about their relationship that was not only homosexual but selfcestual, much as he'd acted like he was. He was actually just angry, and that anger was only a cover for the worry he felt for his friend's future. Nothing good could come of this.

But of course, Kakarot wouldn't listen to reason. His head was up somewhere in the clouds and his body firmly in the possession of his other self. He wasn't going to straighten himself out long enough to listen as Vegeta tried to warn him of the consequences of his actions. Tried to warn him that his heart was going to get stepped on sooner or later... probably sooner, if events transpired the way Vegeta assumed they would.

Also, as far as Vegeta gathered, the love was not requited. Though the exchange itself definitely was mutual, Kakarot's feelings had not been returned, and that would make the eventual day when he was forced to give Goku up much easier for everyone but Kakarot himself. Vegeta felt something twist inside him with pity; knowing Kakarot's innocence and tendency to do nothing halfway, this unavoidable heartbreak was sure to tear him apart.

Vegeta landed on a craggy plateau in the middle of scenic nowhere, fixing his gaze on Vegeta-sei's twin suns until his eyes teared up from the combined brightness of them. Not from sorrow for his friend, he reminded himself. The prince of all Saiyans did many things, but he did not cry.

Swiping deftly at his eyes, Vegeta allowed himself to think undisturbed for a long stretch of time, wishing there was at least something he could do about this precarious situation. He wasn't accustomed to feeling so powerless.

X

Kakarot sighed. Vegeta's abrupt departure had left the air with ringing silence and tension that could be cut with a knife. Hesitantly, he glanced at his furred counterpart, unsure of Goku's reaction to the prince's accusations and insults.

Goku didn't seem all that fazed, and Kakarot reminded himself that he'd known Vegeta before. He must have known that his words, while biting, usually held a deeper meaning than he let them.

"...Goku?" he asked tentatively, his tail swishing with unease.

His older self shot him a glance through golden eyes, but Kakarot couldn't decipher the emotion behind his gaze.

"What?" Goku asked eventually.

"I... I'm sorry," once the words left his mouth, they just kept pouring out of him, "I sh-shouldn't have pressured you for an answer, I should have just... I should have been happy with what I had, I shouldn't have assumed... shouldn't have pushed you..."

He flinched as the other Saiyan reached out and touched a finger to his lips to silence him.

"Hush." he said shortly, "It's fine. It's not like it would have stayed a secret anyways."

"What happens now?" Kakarot asked once the contact of the finger on his lips was removed.

"Now?" Kakarot blinked at the amused tone of Goku's voice, "Now we're going to get rid of these meddlesome pants and I'm going to slowly turn you inside-out as I pound you into the mattress."

"But Vegeta said -" Kakarot protested.

"To hell with what he said," Goku smirked, tail curling at his side, "It doesn't change anything."

Kakarot wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or guilty by these words. Goku didn't know why Vegeta had been so insistent and harsh. Didn't know why the two of them being involved as they were was so wrong. But... he couldn't tell him. If this brief rift hadn't made the other Saiyan leave him, the knowledge that he was sleeping with someone else's eventual property definitely would.

He felt his companion's brass gaze on him again and he was surprised to see concern in those red-rimmed eyes.

"Is that... is that okay with you?" the furred Saiyan asked uncertainly. Kakarot was sure the conflict must have shown on his face and did his best to banish it from his mind. Much as he knew he should break this off easily while he had the chance, he couldn't bring himself to let go of the other Saiyan.

"More than okay," Kakarot forced conviction into the words and allowed Goku to kiss him deeply, dropping his doubts for now.

X

Goku knew Kakarot was distressed. He didn't have to read his mind to know that. Something about the arrival of Vegeta had shaken him pretty badly, and Goku had to wonder what it was. He didn't pry though, for though they shared nearly everything; Goku had his secrets, and Kakarot had his.

He could tell the other was a little startled by his reply when he'd asked what happened now. True, Goku wasn't usually so forward, and apparently his attempt to get a smirk or a laugh from his counterpart had failed. If anything, he'd made the conflicted look in those green eyes intensify.

Unsure where exactly he'd put a foot wrong in his words, he asked carefully if Kakarot was okay with this. There was more behind the question that he didn't voice; after all the younger Saiyan had placed his trust, his virginity, and just about every other facet of himself in Goku's hands in a very short amount of time. He could understand if it was all catching up to Kakarot now, if he even regretted some of it.

But Kakarot simply smiled and the look of consternation was erased as he gave his consent. It was a response that reminded Goku very much of what he would have done. He didn't tend to second-guess or doubt things, usually he just went with it. Another trait the two of them apparently shared.

But still, even as he laid the younger Saiyan on the bed and captured his lips in a slow kiss, he couldn't help but think that whatever had caused that conflicted look in Kakarot's eyes was only being covered, not fixed.

X

Vegeta lay in his bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling above him. The royal mattress was soft and comfortable and his mind and body were begging him to slip into sleep and forget about this mess, but he wouldn't let the issue quiet itself. Kakarot and Goku were both damn lucky that it had been Vegeta who had found them out and not Radditz. The long-haired soldier couldn't keep a secret at arm's length if his life depended on it. If it had been Radditz who had discovered the two selfsame Saiyans' relationship with each other; well, it would have taken all of two minutes for the whole royal city, and then the whole planet, to know every little detail about it.

What am I going to do to ensure that doesn't happen? Much as he prayed Kakarot would get some sense slapped into him soon and take his advice before the matter got infinitely more complicated; if he couldn't convince them to split up, he'd have to make sure they stayed together. A slightly impossible mission, considering it would only be maintainable for about two months. Then Broly would come and demand his conquest and there wouldn't be a damned thing anyone could do. Broly was a rather unstoppable force, and the laws of Saiyan mating were absolute.

But, Vegeta wanted Kakarot to be happy, at least while he could be. Kakarot had made his choice, for now, and while the young warrior may be naïve and foolish in many infuriating ways, he was Vegeta's friend, and Vegeta wouldn't change that because of who he loved.

It seemed the real enemy here was Broly, but it was an enemy none of them could fight. Not for lack of strength, considering both Kakarot and Goku were Super Saiyan... and beyond. No, they had an abundance of strength, that wasn't the problem. The problem was that the law was on Broly's side, and both Saiyans would undoubtedly be punished for their crime. … And anyone else who supported them, Vegeta mused, but he couldn't back out now. Either way, in keeping the Saiyans' secret for them, Vegeta was committing insubordination, and if he was going to do anything, he should give it his all. Though his royal blood protected him from severe retribution, he was sure he'd be made to suffer for this as well if his hand in the matter was found out. No, I'm definitely not the one at risk here. Kakarot may be spared the worst of the punishment because of his heritage and his being a native Super Saiyan, but Goku will be tortured or even killed for this. Of that I'm sure.

Well then, his path from here was clear. Vegeta would just have to make sure no one else knew of the two Saiyans' intimacy. Yes, he'd have to be sure no one had the slightest inkling that the pair of remarkably similar – aside from appearance - Saiyans were anything but comradely associates.

If he played his cards right, Vegeta could prevent some very serious consequences from coming in contact with his friends – he was a little alarmed at thinking of Goku as his friend as well... but not necessarily surprised – however, he reminded himself sternly, there was no way he could prevent the overall outcome of this situation. Which meant that no matter what he did to keep the two Saiyans together, they would inevitably end up apart.

TBC

((This seemed angsty, short and unclear with very little dialogue. At least Vegeta's perspective came into light there, though he's been thrown rather out of character (but what else is new, this is me we're talking about). This fic is gonna get serious pretty soon, but for now, I'll let these two narcissistic Saiyans be happy for a while.

Thanks, as always, for reading and reviewing, and I'm sorry this chapter wasn't very long or exciting, it's past 2 in the morning and I must sleep now.

-Shinsun))