"We'll be landing on Planet Vejita in less than two hours, Sire." Announced a green alien as he stepped into the training hall.
Both Nappa and Raditz looked up. They'd been sitting there, watching as the prince stood silent in the center of the room, staring at his hands for hours upon hours.
"How is he?" Vejita questioned in an unusually soft tone.
"Recovering, Sire. He'll be fine, but it'll take some time." The soldier reported, waiting several minutes before finally trotting off.
"Prince Vejita, are you okay?" Nappa said, rising to his feet and approaching the warrior.
"Stand back." The prince warned, causing Nappa to quiet himself, stepping back to the wall.
"Sire, this isn't normal." Raditz said, also rising to his feet.
Vejita began growling, turning his attention to the two warriors as he burst into golden flames, "I died today! My mate became a Super Saiyajin and saved my life by giving up all his strength! He could have died and is battling for strength he doesn't have since I have it! I can sense his confusion and fears! And you want me to act normal!" he bellowed, the rage causing his power to peak before fading away completely.
Both bodyguards remained silent, there eyes wide.
"Entering the atmosphere of Planet Vejita in five… Four… Three… Two… One." Came a computerized woman's voice over an intercom in the ceiling.
"Sire, we'll be landing in less than ten minutes." Announced another soldier.
Without a word, Vejita turned to leave the room, Nappa and Raditz in tow. The soldier scampered off, fearful of the prince's strange mood.
Upon entering the brightly-lit room, Vejita found it hard to keep his composure. He quickly approached the large tank Kakarotto was in. The tank was filled with a translucent, bright blue liquid. Kakarotto's mouth and nose were covered with a mask connecting to a hose that supplied him with oxygen. There were many other tubes and wires connecting to him, helping him through his painful recovery.
The sight was nearly too much for him and Vejita had to look away, but he remained close, his hands pressed against the cool glass. He couldn't leave his mate when he needed him the most.
It was obvious the prince needed to be alone, so Nappa and Raditz left the room along with several physicians that had been keeping an eye on the boy.
Kakarotto's mind was completely clouded. He could sense Vejita near him, but he had no clue where he was. He was trying to recover from… Something, but he didn't seem to have any energy. He was rebuilding the strength of his muscles alone. There was nothing else. It was like being in a dream… More like a nightmare, because he only got glimpses of things. Blood pumping from Vejita's wound… Too much blood… His last words... And the gift he'd been given because of it all.
Vejita squeezed his eyes shut. Kami, Kakarotto… So much pain.
****
"What's going on? Where's my son?" King Vejita questioned as he and several soldiers approached the large ship.
Being second in charge after Prince Vejita, Nappa was given the task of explaining everything, "Prince Vejita refuses to leave Kakarotto, who is recovering in a rejuvenation tank onboard."
"Where the Hell is Lord Freeza?" King Vejita questioned, completely baffled. He'd been addressing the royal council when he'd received word that Lord Freeza's ship was entering the atmosphere and wasn't answering hails.
"He's dead." Nappa said, explaining the entire battle and how the boy had transformed and saved the prince's life.
"I see," the king said after recovering from the shock of the whole situation, "Have the boy and my son report to me as soon as the boy's recovered."
"And Freeza's slaves and soldiers, Sire?" questioned a Saiyajin soldier.
"Imprison them all until we can determine where their allegiance lies." The king said, turning to leave.
****
Days passed and Nappa found himself living onboard the tyrant's ship along with his fellow bodyguard and the prince. Exiting the mess hall where he'd prepared his own breakfast, he was surprised to see Raditz hurrying towards him.
"Kakarotto's about ready to come out." The breathless warrior announced as the two of them hurried towards the med. lab.
Vejita barely gave the bodyguards a glance as they rushed into the room. His eyes were fixed on the blinking Saiyajin numbers on the control panel of the rejuvenation tank as they slowly counted down. Three… Two… One. The blue liquid drained quickly and the tank hissed as the glass cover lifted.
Vejita reached forward, quickly yet gently removing all the tubes and hoses and wires.
Kakarotto opened his eyes, rubbing them as he slowly stood, completely unashamed of his nudity, "Jita… Jita? I can't see."
"I'm here." The prince said, helping his mate out of the tank and wrapping a large towel around him.
Opening his eyes again, Kakarotto found that he was slowly beginning to see again, "Where am I? Why is it hard to see you?"
"We had to place you in a rejuvenation tank since your injuries were so severe. Give it a second and your vision will return." Vejita explained, waiting patiently as the boy blinked his sight back to normal.
Grinning like a goof, Kakarotto leaned forward, hugging his mate, "Jita! You're always so good looking!"
The prince couldn't help but smirk as he returned the embrace.
"But… Why's it feel so weird ta move? And why don't I have any energy? I can't sense my own ki!" Kakarotto said, starting off calm and ending in panic.
"Do you remember what happened?" Vejita asked, finding this unbelievably hard. To a warrior, strength was everything. You were nothing without strength.
Kakarotto's eyes suddenly filed with tears, "Jita, you died…" he whispered, "Am I dead?"
"No." Vejita answered quickly, and continued to explain everything that had happened afterwards.
"So… So, will I ever have ki again?" confusion evident in the boy's voice.
"I don’t know. I really don't know." Vejita answered, waiting for the boy to break down. This was going to be so hard.
"Heh, I guess you really will have to protect me now, huh?" Kakarotto said through a lopsided grin, placing a hand behind his head as he chuckled.
Vejita's shock took a moment to fade before he smirked, "Man, you really had me worried, Chibi!"
"Welcome back to the world, brother." Raditz said as he stepped closer receiving a grin in reply.
"Sire, we should report to King Vejita immediately." Nappa said.
"You're always a party pooper, Nappa! So serious. Can't I get dressed first?" Kakarotto said, causing the room to erupt in laughter.
****
"Ah, Prince Vejita, turns out Freeza had plans of destroying the planet. It's a good thing you what you did." The king said, gesturing for the four Saiyajin to come closer.
"Father, I wasn't the one who defeated Freeza." Vejita said, finding himself oddly proud of Kakarotto rather than jealous.
When the king only responded with a confused expression, the prince continued, "Kakarotto transformed into a Super Saiyajin and defeated him single handedly."
"Nonsense, the boy seems to be weak as ever!" the king snapped, suddenly sensing that his son had a tremendous power, "You must have! You're… You're a Super Saiyajin, aren't you?" the king questioned.
"Freeza killed me, and Kakarotto saved me by giving me every breath of his energy, including his power to transform." Vejita explained. They all remained in the large throne room for hours explaining every detail that had taken place before the king was finally satisfied and sent them away.
****
Vejita felt as if he'd been thrown into the mix of the most confusing tale ever… He was happy to have finally returned to his beloved home planet, yet now he was faced with the possibility of his father learning of the relationship he now shared with the "third class orphan." Trying his best not to think about it, Vejita stepped into he and the boy's room, Kakarotto right behind him along with the others.
"Sire…" Nappa said, unsure of what exactly was going on, since it was still a bit early for bed.
The prince turned, "Kakarotto needs rest now, be sure we’re awake early tomorrow. Oh, and keep your mouths shut." Vejita said, closing the door after he'd received nods from both bodyguards and Kakarotto had entered the room.
"If ya wanna stay up, it's okay. I'm really feelin' alright." Kakarotto said, plopping down on the bed they'd been sharing before their trip into space.
Vejita sighed, "I just need time to think," the prince paused for a moment as he began undressing, "Are you sure you're alright?" "Nn… I dunno. I'm not in any pain or anything, but I feel so helpless. Sometimes I forget that I don't have a ki anymore and I almost panic. I guess… I guess I'll just have ta get used to it." Kakarotto said, pulling his clothes off as well.
Finally, the two were in bed, warm naked bodies pressed against one another.
"So much has happened… I'm… I'm sorry you had to endure so much." Vejita said after building the courage to apologize.
Kakarotto pressed his cheek to the warm smooth chest he'd grown so fond of sleeping against, "Don't worry." He mumbled just before falling asleep.
