Peripheral Reality

Chapter 6

A month passed. Kakarot was growing nervous, knowing the time to conceal his secret about his betrothal to Broly from Goku was limited, and growing more limited by the day. His time with his furred companion was likewise dwindling, and he counted each moment like his last; never wanting it to end, never wanting to be torn away from the one thing that had made him happier than anything ever had.

He received a bit of a shock when next he saw Vegeta; he'd been showing Goku the south side of the royal city, and he'd nearly walked right into the prince, who had looked up in time to be kissed full on the mouth by Kakarot's older brother. When Radditz released the royal lips, Vegeta averted his gaze, blushing furiously, and muttered some noncommittal response when Kakarot asked when the hell that had started. He was glad for Vegeta as long as he was happy, and though he'd heard the prince ranting at Radditz as the two walked away, he could hear the amusement and maybe even fondness in his voice. Companionship would be good for the usually solitary prince, Kakarot thought, it might get him out of his shell a little bit.

For the time being, Kakarot himself was happy. He might not have gotten Goku to say he loved him, but he'd gotten pretty damn close, and with each tender kiss the older Saiyan gave him, and after being put through the best positions all night nearly every night, he forgave his counterpart for his inability to admit what he wanted him to.

X

Vegeta woke up on the floor. Again. Pushed out of bed by that useless lug he now shared his room with.

"Dammit Radditz," he groaned as he got stiffly to his feet, his back aching from being pressed to the hard wooden floor.

A contrite pair of dark eyes surveyed him through long shaggy hair, and Radditz gave some kind of apology in a mumble, his tail swishing once.

"If you keep doing this I'm going to stop letting you sleep here," Vegeta muttered, "You'll just have to suck it up and fly home once you're finished with your business."

Radditz dropped his gaze to the ground, "Sorry Highness," he said, "It's just the bed's too damn small for both of us."

"Then get me a bigger one," Vegeta said dismissively, slipping on his spandex leggings, "It's not my problem if your family grow like weeds."

Even Kakarot had towered over Vegeta since he was fifteen; it was ridiculous, he was a prince, he was supposed to be able to loom over his subjects and sneer, not stand on his toes just to look them in the eye. Though he supposed Radditz had a point; the one-man cot he'd slept in since he'd returned from his last mission on planet Shikk was much too small for two Saiyans to sleep comfortably in, regardless of height difference.

Radditz stood and started to get dressed, his head bowed in chagrin. Vegeta took a step over to him and kissed him lightly.

"Forget about it; I'll get my father to provide new sleeping quarters for us, it's not a problem."

Despite the fact that he'd only seduced Radditz to divert his suspicions of Kakarot, he had actually grown to care for the long-haired idiot. Though he doubted he'd ever admit such a thing out loud, he was sure Radditz knew his true feelings, and returned them.

X

It hadn't taken long for Goku to learn his way around the royal city, the architecture wasn't very straightforward, so it should have been easy to get lost with few recognizable landmarks, but he was soon able to navigate around the city without a problem, even without Kakarot's help.

He was beginning to really enjoy Vegeta-sei, now that he understood it and had seen enough of it to have a good idea what the planet on the whole was like. It was strangely familiar, as if he'd seen it before in a dream, or had it described to him in a half-forgotten memory. He found he was more suited to the climate here than he'd ever been on planet Earth; the almost constant warmth felt great on his skin after enduring freezing winters for years. On Vegeta-sei, there was no such thing as winter; there was a wet season and a dry season, and with two suns, the temperatures nearly always soared, making the planet wonderfully scorching for much of the year.

To add to the heat, he spent almost every second of his time around Kakarot, who was like a living furnace himself, with burning kisses and steady body heat, his scent like fire and ash, though nearly identical to Goku's own.

The passion that had been stoked between them since their first meeting had not faded over the course of the month; it had only grown, and though both knew exactly how and where to give the other pleasure, the possibilities for new combinations and intensities of sensation were endless.

The day had dawned hot and arid, just like every other day Goku had seen on Vegeta-sei thus far, as it was the middle of the dry season. Kakarot had left a few hours earlier, saying he had to talk to Vegeta about something, and so Goku was alone for a while. It was a rare occurrence, and while he loved Kakarot's companionship, and enjoyed the company of the other Saiyans, he reveled in the solitude for the moment. He got dressed and sat on the windowsill for a while, sipping one of the strange tea-like drinks that was indigenous to the planet.

He was interrupted as he felt a familiar ki approaching him, and glanced up to see Radditz on the other side of the room, looking around for something. Goku raised a hand in a wave of greeting, but the gesture wasn't returned as the other Saiyan was too preoccupied with his search for some unknown object.

"What are you looking for?" Goku asked interestedly, getting to his feet and setting down his cup.

Radditz muttered something that sounded like "paint", and Goku raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Paint? What for?"

Radditz rolled his black eyes exasperatedly, as if reluctant to explain.

"Ceremonial body paint," he clarified, "It's made of crushed minerals... in a flat circular pot about... this big," he brought his index fingers and thumbs together to form a small circle, "Do you know where Kakarot put it?"

"No," Goku shook his head, "Why would Kakarot have something like that anyway?"

"...Father shouldn't have entrusted him with something that sacred," Radditz muttered to himself, ignoring Goku's question,"Even if it is his ceremony..."

Goku blinked, "What kind of ceremony?"

Radditz glared at him, his long tail twitching irritably, "That information is a secret that I wouldn't have the authority to share with an outsider. It's more than my life's worth to give the details of a Saiyan mating ceremony to someone who doesn't even belong on this planet."

For a long moment, Goku stared, unsure if he'd heard correctly, "Mating ceremony? Who...?" he began, trepidation setting in.

Radditz moved his hair out of his face impatiently, "Yeah, Kakarot's mating to Broly, it's in less than a month so it's important that I find that damn paint before -"

"What?" Goku shouted, only registering the look of startled confusion crossing Radditz's face for a moment before he teleported.

X

Kakarot jumped, startled, when Goku appeared directly in front of him, his energy snapping around him like a tangible aura, a look of rage on his face. Vegeta was a few feet away, he'd reacted much the same as Kakarot had, and had taken a step back when the furred Saiyan appeared, wisely giving him space.

"Goku, what -?" Kakarot began bemusedly, but he was interrupted.

"When the hell were you going to tell me?" Goku snarled, his black bangs shadowing his golden eyes fiercely.

"What?" Kakarot asked in confusion.

"You're mating to Broly in a month?! Why didn't you say anything?" the red-furred Saiyan demanded.

Kakarot's heart leapt into his throat and he stammered unintelligibly for a moment, unable to speak. Oh gods, he knew! It was all over now...

"How long were you going to keep fucking with me until you bothered to mention that you were planning on being bonded to someone else the whole time?!" Goku shouted, his energy reaching dangerous levels, nearly blowing Kakarot and Vegeta backwards with the intensity.

"I-I wasn't planning on -" Kakarot began, breaking off and swallowing hard, "I h- I had no choice!"

"THEN WHY THE FUCK DID YOU KEEP PLAYING THIS GAME WITH ME?" Goku roared, the volume of his enraged voice making Kakarot cringe, "Why did you let me kiss you and sleep with you... Why did you fucking say you were in love with me?!"

"Not like you ever returned the favor." Kakarot retorted angrily.

"That's not the point!" his counterpart snarled furiously, "You knew you couldn't stay with me, but you... You didn't give a damn, did you?!"

Kakarot counted how many times Goku had swore... it was a lot. He was really upset, and Kakarot knew he had a good reason to be.

"Goku, I'm sorry -" Kakarot began, feeling his eyes pricking with tears.

"Save it for someone who cares, Kakarot!" Goku growled, "I can't believe I ever thought we were the same person, I would never do something like this! What was this then? One last fling before you mated to that bastard?! Something interesting to do before you settled down?! I'm sure Broly will have a good laugh with you about the freak from another dimension you were fucking before -!"

"Shut up!" Kakarot shouted, the tears escaping his eyes and running down his cheeks, "You don't know what you're talking about, Goku, I love you!"

"Is THIS what you do to the people you love?!" Goku screamed, enraged, "Play with their hearts and then throw them away? It must be just fucking great, Kakarot, to be loved by you." the last few words were absolutely dripping with bitter sarcasm, and Goku gave him a mutilating glare with piercing brass eyes rimmed by red.

"I can't believe I was stupid enough to believe you," the furred Saiyan snarled, tail lashing, "I should have just run the other way when I laid eyes on you, it would save us both a lot of trouble."

Kakarot could feel the other's energy rising ever higher, higher than he'd ever sensed it before, and it took him a moment to realize it was a deliberate effort; and he remembered Goku's story of how he'd managed to come to this dimension... by raising his power so high that he ripped a hole in time and space.

"Goku don't -!" he began desperately, reaching out for the Saiyan he loved; but he was too late to stop his counterpart from breaching the same barrier he'd crossed before, and Goku disappeared, leaving a wake of swirling energy dissipating in his sudden absence.

TBC

((Short chapter, but I think the content makes up for that. Sorry I haven't updated in so long, I've been a little preoccupied lately.

Thanks, as always, for reading and reviewing,

-Shinsun))