I waited for him for an hour. Finally, I decided he wasn't coming back, so I left. I went back to Master Roshi's to face whatever punishment they'd give me.

When I came back, Krillin was at the front door, with his arms crossed, and a deep frown on his face. He was much shorter than I, so his overall appearance was somewhat amusing.

"Morning," He said icily. "And just where have you been?"

I shrugged my shoulders without a response.

He sighed. "I know that you don't like being cooped up here, but it's for your own good. Your dad's my best friend, and he asked me to keep an eye on you. What's he going to say when he finds out you were gone all night?"

I crossed my arms as well. "I'm not a little kid. I can take care of myself."

"I understand that you're not like other teenagers. You're much stronger, and you probably can take good care of yourself. But your parents asked me to make sure you didn't get into trouble, and that's what I'm going to do. So, you're grounded."

I scoffed. "No offense Krillin, but you're not my father. And I've been grounded pretty much since I was six and a half up until now. There is honestly nothing you can do to keep me in check, or keep me under control."

Master Roshi stepped out of the house. "Kids these days. No respect for anyone."

I grit my teeth. Old people think they know everything.

"I have a job for you to do, Aizel. And if you have any shred of respect for your father, you'll do it." He handed me a bucket and a paint brush. "You know how these work?"

I frowned deeply. "Yes, sir,"

"Good. Now, paint the whole house. If I see one drop on the windows or doors, I'll make you start all over." He smiled brightly. "Have fun."

He and Krillin disappeared into the house.

I set the bucket down on the sand. Like I was going to paint the old man's house. He thought he could guilt trip me into it with that whole respect for your elders shit. I snorted.

My stomach growled, and it must have been loud, for Master Roshi poked his head back outside. "And you won't get any food until it's done."

I groaned, and went to open the paint can.

It was noon before I was even half done. The trimming took forever. After another grueling hour in the hot sun, I finished. I checked over the windows and door, and then went inside.

"I'm done," I announced bitterly.

"Fantastic," Master Roshi said. "And as promised, here's your reward."

He set before me a plate of steamed fish and rice. My hands were covered with paint, but I didn't care. I hadn't eaten since breakfast the previous day. I felt faint, and I understood now how easy it was for a Saiyan to starve. Every precious calorie counted.

Krillin sat down at the table, staring at me. "So, where were you, really?"

"I was," I paused to swallow, "In town. I was just walking around. Needed some time for myself."

"You didn't do anything, did?"

I thought it best to leave out the incriminating parts, "Nope. I was a little angle all night." If they had known me, they would have caught that I was being sarcastic.

That seemed to brighten him up. The phone rang. He got up to answer. "Hey, Goku!" He said cheerfully and paused, "Yeah, you want to talk to him?" He handed me the phone without a word, a huge smile on his face.

"Hello?" I answered after I swallowed.

"Hey son!" He cried, "Happy birthday!"

I grinned. "Hi, Papa. Thanks."

"I'm not supposed to be talking to you," He went on in a hushed tone, "But Da says Happy Birthday too."

Da had never wished me a happy birthday in my life, so I knew it was a lie, but it was nice of him to lie to me anyway.

"Okay, I gotta call your brother now. Bye!"

"Bye," I replied, and he hung up. For some reason, I felt a little more depressed than before.

I wondered how Lysander and Vienna were doing. They couldn't possibly be having as tough a time as I was.

Things were so mixed up and confusing now. My emotional rage before rut season was pretty much mad, happy, and sad. Before, it was easy to know exactly how I felt and why. But now I was anxious, excited, frustrated, exasperated, worried, completely insane (although I don't think that's a feeling), and every other adjective that describes bipolar disorder; and, I think, I was in love.

I had never been truly in love before, so I wasn't sure if that was the right thing to call it. No one had ever taken the time to sit me down and explain love to me. Not my parents, or a teacher, or a book, or even TV, which had taught me pretty much everything I know about the world. I had seen Lifetime; I had taken the time to roll my eyes at it. But this was different. This was not something that was expected from everything on TV.

Whenever I thought about Kage, I felt weird. Not weird in a bad way, though. It was like… it was like liking someone so much for reasons you don't even understand to a point where you feel like if you don't do something quickly, something will happen, and you'll miss your chance.

That's how I felt. I felt like if I didn't go tell him, or do something, someone else would steal him from me. But then I think, 'Who would want a murderous drug addict?' And then I think, 'I would.'

It was strange to think these things. I had never had an erotic thought about a man in my life, even though I had never been opposed to the idea. But now, all I could think of was him. I fantasized about him doing random things; cooking, washing dishes, taking out the trash; all naked.

I wondered if Lysander was thinking the same thoughts I was. Probably not. He was pretty in to girls. He always wanted to talk about them; or at least parts of them.

Never mind.

I decided I would sneak out again that night. That little voice in my head said I shouldn't; the one that tells you not to do bad things; but I didn't pay much attention to it. I think it's used to being ignored.

And besides, I had to make sure he made it back alright.

So I went up to my room to be 'grounded' for a few hours. I found a ball and threw it up against the wall for a while. Then I drew some pictures of the stuff in my room; the dresser, the closet, the light fixture. Then I played with the blinds.

Finally, I managed to get myself tired enough to fall asleep.

I dreamed of nothing.

When I woke up, I was met with a strange feeling. The light was still on in the room. All the color had drained from everything; to be replaced by red.

I grew hot, panicked. Was I going blind? What-

Krillin was in my room. He was nailing the window shut. I stared at him curiously, trying to still my beating heart.

"I'm nailing the window shut," He told me. Unnecessary chatter. I could see what he was doing. He just wasted five seconds of my life. "It probably won't stop you, but I'll know if you left."

I nodded, already thinking of another rout of escape. I couldn't stay here. This place was too closely associated, at least in my mind, with death. I felt that if I stayed here, I would die.

He said good night, and I did not reply. I could not. I couldn't remember how to speak. I was suffocating, and no one even realized it.

I lay in my room for a long while, spacing out, trying to rationalize everything. That strange, life altering terror gripped me. The same terror I had felt back at the house when Da had pretended to drown me.

My lips trembled. Eventually, I could take no more. I had to get out of here. It was too hot; there wasn't any air. It was like being inside a kiln.

I forced open the window, ripping out all the nails. I was coughing, trying to breath, fumbling to get outside before that heat consumed me.

I fell onto the sand and lay on my back for a while, dazed, the heat still biting at me.

"I know that hurt," A voice said.

I looked up and squinted. The red made it difficult to distinguish figures from the dark.

A moment later, something fell next to me. I glanced at it. It was a banana.

"Hungry?" The person asked.

I wasn't. "I…" I tried, but I was too overwhelmed to make a sentence.

The person left the roof they sat on the sat down in the sand. Erie red eyes reflected the light of the stars.

Kage grabbed the banana and began to eat it, peal and all. "These things are the best. I can't believe I went an entire childhood without ever having one." His tail thumbed against the sand. "Having a good day?"

I was dying, and he wanted to know how my day was? Was he blind, like I was?

"I… I can't see,"

He cocked his head until his neck cracked. "Yes you can. You just can't see anything but red. That's Rut Season for you." He inhaled deeply. "Can't you smell it?"

I inhaled, and then coughed on the dry air. It smelled of something familiar, and something unfamiliar. I guessed the unfamiliar to be the scents of Rut Season, while the familiar I knew to be alcohol.

"You've been drinking," I breathed.

He shrugged. "Who cares?"

"You said… you wanted to be sober,"

"Yeah, that's the thing about me. I lie a lot. Pretty much all the time." He glanced over his shoulder at the house. "Krillin's coming down. What do you want to do?"

"I can't go back in there," I said desperately.

He nodded. "So then were do you want to go?"

"Away from here," I cried.

He got to his feet, his thin legs bowing slightly. "Can do."

He picked me up and slung me over his shoulder. He took off just as Krillin opened the front door. We were gone before he had time to say my name.

The wind cooled me off some. It felt good to be outside, away from those suffocating walls.

Kage smelled my hair, and then made a delighted expression. He kissed my forehead dryly, as if I were his brother, or son. His tail threaded with my own. "I missed you," He whispered into my ear.

"I missed you too." I said back. My voice was returning. It must have been something about the house that was making me sick. "Do you know what happened to me? Why did I freak like that?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Saiyans are not meant to stay inside all the time. You're Da should have known it wasn't a good idea to keep you there. That was just asking for insubordination."

I frowned. "But if he knew it wasn't going to work, then why do it?"

"What other choice did he have? Better to make an effort and bargain for success than to ensure failure."

I understood what he meant. I wondered what Da would do when he found out that his plan had not worked at all. He might just go postal on the entire world. End up on the six' o'clock news with a sniper riffle on top of a clock tower shouting about the evils of Capitalism. It would be funny to see that. He'd probably kill me before that, though.

I think that there truly was something wrong with me. That there had been something wrong with me before Rut Season even began, but I was too proud to say so. I was just prone to making mistakes. I had made too many to count, and they would have all been prevented, if I just listened. If I just took someone's advice, and fallowed their direction. But I was incapable of doing so.

We landed on a volcano.

"Aren't you hot?" I asked.

"Yes, if you catch my drift," His eyes raked over me hungrily.

"You know what I mean," I replied, looking away from his staring eyes. I wondered why he would take us to a place that made no sense. I left the house to cool off, not to come hang out by an active volcano.

"Why didn't I take us to the North Pole or something?" He asked himself aloud. "Well, for one, I hate the cold. And second, there's no reason to go to the North Pole unless you're looking for Santa, because apparently, penguins live in the South Pole."

I blinked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

He waved his hand. "Don't worry about it, love." He stepped forward and kissed me.

I leaned into it, this being the first time we'd ever kissed standing up. His hand snaked up my shirt, and pinched a nipple.

My breath hitched and I jerked, my knees almost giving out as a throbbing erection formed in my pants.

He grabbed my ass and held me closer to him. I would have pushed his hand away, but I didn't want him to stop kissing me. I needed him then, more then I'd ever needed anyone. I needed to be with someone who was more screwed up then I was. So I could feel normal.

It was a selfish thought, I know, and I felt terrible the second after I thought it, but it was true. Perhaps the only reason I was so attached to him was because in comparison to him, I was a fucking Saint.

I had never quite fit in with… anyone before. I was the 'black sheep' at home, the freak with two dads at school, the problem kid, the dark void of lost hope… I wasn't good at anything. I wasn't smart or even all that good looking since I had an identical brother who was the 'good version' of me. I was hostile towards everyone, and that made them keep their distance. I had successfully isolated myself in just fifteen years.

This revelation was extremely depressing. Like when you're told there's no such thing as Santa or the Tooth fairy. Like part of your world has crumbled.

He pulled away from me. "What's wrong?" He asked, looking confused.

I was crying. I hadn't realized it until he'd asked me. "Nothing." I replied.

"Do you usually cry over nothing?"

I whipped my eyes violently with the back of my hand. "Yes. Just kiss me."

I devoured his lips, trying to distract myself. My hands roamed all over his body in a boldness I had never before possessed. He seemed to back down to me, submitting as if he were not the dominant one in this situation.

We sank to the ground, continuing with hungry desperation until he pulled away and cocked his head. But I wasn't quite done. I kept kissing down his throat until I came to his collarbone and bit him.

He jerked. "Ah," He said softly, but did not stop me.

I had no idea why I was so aggressive, but I knew that we both enjoyed it. He panted like he'd made me pant when he'd touched me for the first time.

I kissed down his chest, biting here and there, as I undressed him. He was less boney then the first time I'd met him. His ribs were not as noticeable, but his hips still protruded.

I ran my tongue down his stomach, past nearly defined abs, and then flicked it into his bellybutton.

He let out a hiss of air.

I bit his hip. He jerked with surprise. I glanced up at him. His head was tilted back, his eyes half closed. He clutched his shirt in one of his hands, and other hovered over my head, as if unsure of what it was supposed to be doing.

I grasped the waistline of his jeans and began to unfasten them. I realized at once he had on no underwear, and smiled to myself.

His arousal stood up proudly, pulsing hot.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do next. I hadn't thought I'd get this far.

I touched the tip of the throbbing member with one finger, pre-cum sticking to it.

He groaned, which was the first verbal sign of pleasure I had gotten from him. It had not been very loud, but I bet myself I could make it louder.

I grasped the base in my hand, and began to move up and down slowly.

He let out a breath of air, and then lowered himself to the ground, completely submitting to me. He trusted me, like I had trusted him. It would have been easy to hurt him, especially with such a sensitive part of his body before me, but he trusted me enough to let his guard down and allow the contact.

For the next few seconds, he was very quite. He was apparently not a 'screamer' like I was. Every now and then, he would moan softly, or shift his legs.

I could tell the pressure was beginning to build when he twisted sharply and sat bolt upright. Our head almost collided. His face was strained as he quickly grasped my wrist and forced me to stop.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked, suddenly worried I had hurt him or something.

He shook his head, taking a deep shuttering breath. "We should finish… together."

He hastily pulled off my shirt and pants, and had me sit on his lap, facing him. He grabbed onto my own erection before I could do anything and began to stroke me, hard and rough.

The feeling was maddening. I almost came right then and there. But then I remembered what he said about being quick, and I held it back.

I wrapped my hand back around him, and we continued, each giving as much pleasure as we took.

After about a minute or two, my body was starting to seize up with the pressure. "I'm going to come," I groaned out, my head resting on his shoulder; the one I had bitten.

"Hold on for one more minute, love," He said, kissing the side of my face repeatedly.

"I can't," I cried out, my stomach clenching, just barely able to contain myself.

"Okay, okay," He said hurriedly, and then all his muscles clenched as he came. As he did so, I fallowed his lead. We became covered in each other's seed as we rode out our orgasms together.

He fell backward onto the ground, and I fell upon his chest, breathless. The heat began to leave us both, coinciding with the warm air of the volcano.

We lay for a long time, catching our breath.

He began to move first, and he swatted my bare ass playfully. "Can't wait to do that again, huh, love?"

I nodded my head, on the verge of drifting off to sleep.

He laughed. "I love when you're spent like this. Then I know I've done a good job,"

He said 'job' funny, but I didn't tell him so. I was too blown to care. My lower regions were still riding the orgasmic waves he had produced.

He gently shifted me off him and put his clothes back on. "You might want to get dressed, love. Our fun's almost over,"

I didn't know what this meant, so I turned to ask him, when I suddenly understood. I could sense my parents, both of them, coming towards us fast. And they were not happy.

Holy fuck. I was so dead.