Second Chances: Only After Dark

Disclaimer: Dragonball Z and its characters mentioned in this story, were created and are owned by Akira Toriyama, Toei Animation and Bird Studios.


Title: Second Chances
Author: Dragon Myst ([email protected])
Category: Yaoi, Romance, Lemon, Mpreg, OOC(Vegeta, Goku), AU
Pairing: GokuxVegeta
Summary: Things could be different the second time around...
A/N: Takes place after the Cell Games - Goku has not died. Text marked with // marks are thoughts.
Feedback: Desired - though, please check your attitude at the door before sending me any emails. If I receive any flames, I'll simply laugh and then delete it. If you cannot respect my style of writing and cannot express yourself in a civilized manner, don't bother wasting my time. We clear on that? Comments can be sent to [email protected].


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Chapter I: Only After Dark


It was a day like any other, and a perfect one at that. Puffy cumulus clouds exploded above the mountain tops. The sun was warm, the air generously cool and refreshing, though a little chilly if not in the sunlight. Birds flew about, happily chirping, while animals cavorted in the nearby forest. It was the calm after the storm. The day after the apocalypse known as Cell had fallen upon the earth to try and kill its people and the mighty warriors who protected it, only to have been defeated. Piccolo. Krillin. Tien and Chaoutzu. Yamcha. These powerful warriors were known as the Z-Fighters, and were led by the strongest hero of them all. Goku. Goku, one of the last remaining full-blooded Saiyans, had accomplished much in his young life, had saved the earth and other planets more times than he could count, had defeated some of the most feared enemies in the universe, had became the first Super Saiyan in one-thousand years...even before the Prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta himself. He had become a legendary warrior, immortalized by the lives he touched.


But the legendary warrior wasn't without his faults, his secrets. He was gazing down at one such secret right now as he sat up against a thick tree trunk, running his fingers through black, spiked mounds of hair. Physically, this one laying and sleeping in his lap was smaller than he, but was every inch a Saiyan and the only one he considered his equal in both ki, body, and mind. He was filled with pride and determination. He had had a heart of stone...before Goku came into his life. They were bitter enemies then - one, a Saiyan Elite. The other, a low-class Saiyan brainwashed by his time on the planet he called home. But now, after the smoke of doubt and denial had cleared after some years, both Saiyans confronted their inevitable fate. They were in love with one another, the fuel of wanting to better each other serving only as a smokescreen for their true emotions towards each other.


This fact they could not deny. Their love towards each other had blossomed from once bitter seeds. But at what cost? Goku was a married man, his son, Gohan, was growing into his early teens and needing him more than ever. Vegeta was in an equal predicament. While he wasn't exactly married to Bulma, he had fathered her son, Trunks and, had met him as his future self! They had trained together as well, in the Room of Spirit and Time, and had seemed to have connected in some way. Though, Vegeta vowed that his son keep their training a secret, fearing it would ruin his reputation as a cold-hearted warrior. Deep down though, Vegeta loved his son, and would do whatever it took to protect him. Vegeta didn't love Bulma though, and they often fought; he had nothing in his life but his one desire to be the best. That was the only thing that kept him alive. Trunks and Goku had somehow changed all that.


They taught him how to care.


Because of his pride, he would never admit this fact outright. But Vegeta was very aware of the change that had taken place within him. His once black heart was now beating with new vitality. It was still awkward to him however, and he would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. He had been alone for so long, since he was a child. Frieza, like the ruthless bastard he was, had killed his father, then blew up his home planet. His fellow Saiyan brothers, once full of pride about their race, had became nothing more that space dust all within a matter of minutes. The day he lost his fellow brothers, his homeworld, and his father, was the day his dark gray heart turned the blackest of black. From that day onward, ice water replaced his once warm blood. He didn't know how he would do it, but one day, he vowed to himself, he would come to avenge his father, his Saiyan brothers, and kill Frieza in the most brutal way he knew of. He cared about nothing more, and nothing less.


Vegeta was a man possessed. Aside from his new rival, the one he called Kakarot, killing Frieza was the only other thing in life he cared about. While Vegeta wanted to be better than Kakarot, it was a mere competition, done out of their natural love of the fight. Destroying Frieza had always been his main goal. But when he failed and died at the hands of the tyrant and was later brought back to life, he didn't quite feel like the same man. He'd changed. It was only then, after Goku had recovered from his heart ailment, when he confessed to Goku his love for him, that the Saiyan Prince realized just how much he had transformed. While he still considered Kakarot to be his rival, he now considered him his brother as well. No longer did he see Goku as the low-class Saiyan he was born as. He now seen him as his only equal, and one he knew he couldn't live without. They were the last of their race, full-blooded and proud of who they were.


**************


Goku felt as though he had been gazing mindlessly at his lover for hours. He had lost all track of time just watching the smaller Saiyan sleeping in his lap. But when he looked up for a moment, he knew that much time had clearly passed, judging by the beautiful mix of reds, oranges, yellows and purples above him. The sun was most likely halfway done setting by now and it would be night soon. And like in past instances, Goku did not want to go home, to his wife, to his son. If he did not, it would be the third time this week, no doubt worrisome to Chi-Chi, who had a tendency to be a little bit too protective and nosey. She wanted to know any and everything Goku had done on a particular day. She still refused to see that her only son was becoming a man; she still washed his hair for Kami's sake! And then there was the constant pressuring of Gohan by his mother, who encouraged him to study, and read, and someday become a great scholar. Many a bonding session between Goku and Gohan had been ruined because of Chi-Chi's obsession with Gohan becoming a great this or that. Goku wasn't in the mood to hear her prodding tonight. He would stay with Vegeta.



Goku tapped lightly against Vegeta's shoulder with his finger, rousing him for a minute. The smaller man blinked a few times, his eyes still slow in focusing Goku into a clarity beyond blurry. When he came to, Goku was there to give him a kiss on the lips. "I didn't mean to wake you Vegeta but, it's going to be night soon. We should get going. Don't want to be walking in the dark." One of his large hands came to rest against Vegeta's cheek, stroking it as the prince came to sitting up and giving Goku his jacket back. Vegeta said nothing, and just looked up at the sky in wonder. Clearly he had a lot on his mind. Maybe too much. "Hey...Vegeta, you okay?" asked the kind-hearted Goku as he rested a concerned hand on his lover's shoulder.


Vegeta remained silently still, acting as though he hadn't heard a single word Goku had said. Ithey were coming back to him again. The nightmares. Cell, killing his son. And for the first time in his life, Vegeta was feeling fear, real, gut-wrenching fear. He was terrified. Terrified of the possibility of losing one or both of the people he only cared about in life. How would he go on, knowing that Goku, the only other remaining Saiyan and his lover, was dead? How would he be able to go on, knowing that his only son was dead? He was afraid to think about it, and tried to get it out of his mind. To avoid such a vicious cycle, he turned to look at Goku, and looked in his eyes. Such confidence, compassion and kindness, combined with the intensity of a bottled up thunderstorm, resided in those dark eyes. When Vegeta was enraged, he could look in those eyes and feel free of his bubbling anger. He could never live life again without those eyes there to soothe him, to let him know that whatever happened between them, everything would be all right.


"This...may sound awkward coming from me but...I'm afraid of losing you and Trunks, Kakarot. If I lose you two, I'll have nothing. I don't want to think about it, but it keeps coming back to me like some twisted boomerang. I know it's over, but Cell keeps haunting my mind."


Goku inched closed to his lover, only to embrace him tenderly. The embrace was warm, caring...reassuring. Yes, very reassuring. Kakarot wouldn't let anything happen to himself, Vegeta or Trunks. Vegeta's mind seemed to relax as he continued to drift there, in Goku's thickly muscled arms. He felt his warm breath tickling the inside of his ear, rousing a cute shiver from the Saiyan Prince. Then, with the utmost sincerity, "Don't be afraid. Everything will be okay; nothing's going to happen to you, me, or Trunks - I promise you. I wish there was something I could do to ease your nightmares about what happened." Vegeta glanced up at Goku then, his hair ablaze in yellow spikes, his turquoise eyes burning brightly before his own. Vegeta could only smirk. In that instant of silence, as they continued to hold each other, Vegeta knew that everything would be all right in the end. Goku and Vegeta got to their feet, with Goku eager to put his arm around Vegeta's waist, and began their trek back to town.


They decided not to fly, but walk instead. Intimate conversation couldn't be intimate when airborne. About half way home, they decided to take a stroll through a bustling street market on the far outskirts of the city. Eager customers lined the various stands, with money in hand. Everything from fruit and produce to clothing and home decor could be found here. But it was a rather gorgeous blue pedant that caught Goku's eyes. He and Vegeta decided to stop at a jewelry stand to take a closer look at the intriguing piece of jewelry. The item was shiny, sliver, with the blue stone hanging from a chain. It was too good to pass up and Goku placed what money he had on the counter, with his index finger pointing to the accessory.


"Excuse me. How much is that pendant?" he asked.


"The blue one? I'll give to you for twenty." said the man behind the stand.


Goku gave the man the money and took the pendant from the dark man's hand. "Thank you very much."


Resuming their walk, Goku and his lover were getting pretty close to Capsule Corporation Headquarters, but he still hadn't told Vegeta what he would be doing in concerns to sleeping arrangements. Vegeta lived at Capsule Corp. and would often times let Goku stay for the night if he didn't want to go home. The nervous Saiyan, torn between wanting to spend a quiet night with Vegeta and spending a ruckus of a time with his wife and teenage son, gnawed at the inside of his mouth. With his nervousness becoming too much to endure, Goku suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, squeezing Vegeta's wrist.


"What's with the stopping Kakarot? We're almost there. Kakarot...?" Vegeta asked, noticing little beads of sweat starting to drip down Goku's face. At first glance however, the prince thought Kakarot might be crying, but for what reason? "Why are you sweating?" he asked again, his tone of voice sounding deeper and more concerned.



Goku took a deep breath to steady himself. "I don't want to go back home, my home. I want to go back to Capsule Corp. with you but I was nervous about asking. It's just that...I'm not exactly in the mood to hear Chi-Chi filling Gohan's head with the same talk she seems to give him whenever he faulters even for a moment on his school work. Besides..." The taller man pulled Vegeta closer to his body, "I want to spend more time with you. Quiet time," he ran his finger down the middle of Vegeta's shirt and lowered his eyes, "...Intimate time." then, engulfed his lover's lips, plunged his tongue into the prince's warm mouth. A slow and deep, searching kiss. They both grinned at each other soon afterward, and took hold of each other's hand, now extremely eager to get back.


When they returned to Capsule Corp., arms wrapped around each other's waist, to his complete surprise, Goku found his wife and son, sitting in a leisurely room with Bulma and Baby Trunks. Vegeta and his lover immediately recoiled their arms from around each other's waist and distanced themselves slightly, trying not to look too conspicuous. Goku tucked the pendant he had bought in his pocket as the two women and his son approached him, never looking so relieved in their lives. Chi-Chi immediately scolding her husband, her voice and disdain for him reaching a fevered-pitch. Vegeta gave the man and his wife their space and decided to watch the unfolding debacle from the comfort of a couch.


//No wonder he doesn't like going home. That woman bites his head off for every little thing. Why do you take such abuse Kakarot?//


Gohan was soon sitting next to the contemplating prince, albeit, sitting a little rigid and uncomfortable. While Goku was confident that Vegeta had changed for the better, his son sill had his doubts. He tried to drum up a conversation. "So...what did you and Dad do today Vegeta?" he asked, not feeling bold enough to make eye contact with the Saiyan.



"Hmph. If you must know, Kakarot and I sparred. Naturally, I came out victorious!"


Gohan simply smiled. That Saiyan pride was talking again. Gohan had heard its boasting voice all too often. "Not surprised to hear you gloating, Vegeta. After what you and Dad did yesterday to beat Cell, I could only imagine how that spar went." Gohan turned his attention to his mother and father, his mother's all-too-familiar scolding reaching a climax. After her scolding of Goku, Chi-Chi's eyes shot Vegeta, and tried to burn a whole through his lion-hearted soul. "GOHAN!! GET AWAY FROM THAT MONSTER!!" she exclaimed on the edge of hysteria. Gohan glanced at Vegeta then, and excused himself. "See you later Vegeta." he said as he walked towards his mother's beckoning hand. Goku looked at Vegeta then, as his wife took him by the hand and began to stomp out the door. Vegeta could sense pain in Goku, seen it in his eyes. He rose then, a finger pointing directly at his lover.


"Kakarot! I demand to speak with you in private!" he hollered.


"His name is Goku, you monster! Leave my husband alone - I will not allow him to come near you; how do I know you won't do something bad to him?!" Chi-Chi interjected, snappy in her tone.


"Chi-Chi, stop it. I'm not a little boy. Let me go hear what he has to say."


Chi-Chi looked up at her husband, wide-eyed, thinking he would reverse his decision to speak with Vegeta. The Saiyan stood firm however, and jolted himself from Chi-Chi's grip. Vegeta took Goku in to another room where they embraced one another after closing the door and locking it.


"Kakarot..."


Goku ran a finger down Vegeta's cheek and kissed him hard, gazing into his eyes afterward. "I know, Vegeta. I know. I don't want to leave you either. Who knows, this might be the last time I hold you, knowing how obsessive Chi-Chi is over things..." Goku laughed sheepishly as he felt Vegeta snuggling warmly against his chest.


"Shut your mouth, Kakarot - don't talk like this will be the last time we see each other." scoffed the Saiyan Prince as his eyebrows knitted together in mild anger. Goku simply looked down at him, and ran his fingers through his mate's hair.


"Easy Vegeta. I was only kidding. We'll see each other again, and maybe it doesn't have to be such a while away..."


"You'd better get going...Kakarot. Your ass is in hot water already. I... No, nevermind."



Goku reached behind himself to unlock the door, his one-armed grip around Vegeta easing until he broke fully away from him. He patted his shoulder, a warm smile on his face. "...I know Vegeta. I do too. Sleep well..."


Soon after Goku's departure, Vegeta headed off to his room, turned off all the lights and shrouded himself in the dark emptiness that threatened to consume him but as long as he had Goku, everything would be all right.


**************


A sharp, stabbing pain jolted Vegeta awake in the middle of the night. It held his spine captive, like a vice, and caused him to grunt, groan and pinch his eyes shut. His hands, clenched into powerful fists, felt like they would break from the inside out; his knuckles were bone white. Then, he felt something tear through the butt of his sleeping sweats. The pain was nothing more than a memory now, and he realized he could control the movements of the strange appendage. He reached behind himself, in the pale blue darkness of the night, only to find that his tail had grown back! He hadn't had his tail in years, but then remembered that if removed, it usually took quite a long time for it to grow back. And as if that wasn't enough, he was tickled by a certain presence then, turned around to look out the window, only to find Goku standing outside, gesturing that Vegeta open the window.


Goku, being the klutz that he could be sometimes, stumbled into Vegeta's room, nearly falling over himself. He was hot in getting to his feet, his face bright red with embarrassment. He pushed the focus away from himself and concentrated on his perplexed lover. "Did I come at a bad time?" he whispered after giving Vegeta a kiss. He had the bigger man have a seat at the foot of his bed. "No, your not the problem Kakarot. It's this that's the problem..." Vegeta's voice ebbed off as he swung his tail forth. Goku gently held it, knowing what would happen if he squeezed too hard. "Your tail grew back... ? It's a good thing it decided to wait to grow back the day after we fought Cell; you would have been toast for sure with such an obvious weak point. Hey, I wonder if that means mine can grow back too?" "Baka. You had yours surgically removed, remember? But...hell, don't be surprised if it does; anything is possible..." Vegeta laughed in his throat and grinned evilly at his lover, who pulled him down to the surface of the bed with him.


Goku suddenly pulled something from the back pocket of his pants. "I had meant to give this to you earlier but...well, you know..."


A leather pouch of some sort, a gentle weight pushing against the bottom of it.


Inside the pouch was the same blue stone pendant he had bought earlier from the merchant. Though, Goku had clearly taken the time to clean it to a sparkling purity.


"The pendant? But...I thought you bought this for yourself Kakarot?"


Goku closed his hand around Vegeta's. "No. I bought it for you, but I was waiting for the right time to give it to you. That's why I wanted to spend some quiet time with you..."


Goku's gesture of kindness made Vegeta all but speechless, his eyes looking into the sparkling blue purity of the shiny stone. He had never been given anything in his life, didn't know what to say in response. He could just stare at his gift from Kakarot, almost like the stone had some sort of hypnotic quality to it. Somehow though, the Saiyan Prince got himself to turn his attention away from the pendant and to his lover who lay beneath him, dressed in casual attire of jeans and a dark green sweatshirt. "...What's this for, Kakarot? I...I can't take this."


Goku placed his hands on Vegeta's muscled shoulders, stroking them. "No, please. I want you to have it. It's important. No matter what happens, promise me you'll never take it off. Okay?"


Vegeta looked at the pendant again, wondering what made it so important that he never, ever take it off. He took his time putting it around his neck and shivered for a second when its coldness pressed against his bare chest. "Ok. I promise Kakarot. You look like you have more to tell me."


Goku, his eyes wide, looked to be thinking deeply about something. An irritating growth on his brain, it just kept gnawing and growing like a cancer, one that he couldn't keep a secret anymore. But how would Vegeta react once his secret was out? Goku wouldn't know until he tried.


"I want..." his voice broke then, as he wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and sat up, scooting closer to Vegeta and taking his hand in his own. "I want to start over."


"Start over?"


"Yeah. I mean...I feel like I failed as a father - sometimes I look at Gohan, he's there existing, and it feels like I never seen him before. He's changed so much. He never had a chance to be a regular child, one I could play catch with, could bond with. It's because of Chi-Chi and her dream - not Gohan's - of becoming a great scholar. She's living out her dream through our son and in the process, she's robbed him of any individuality, any remaining chances of being a regular kid. He's 13 and growing up, needing me more than ever. But every time I reach out to him, he's whisked away by Chi-Chi's obsession. Instead of fishing with his father, he's cramped up in his room with his head in a book. It kills me to say this but...Chi-Chi's brainwashed him for so long that I don't know if I can even call him my son anymore..."


"Kakarot..." whispered Vegeta, his arms coming to envelope the shattered Goku, hoping he wouldn't fracture any further. The painful testimony had reduced Goku to tears. Vegeta had never seen Goku cry before, much less in front of him. But even the toughest warriors had human emotion, and showed it in times of stress or pain. The smaller Saiyan consoled his lover through comforting back rubs, whisperings of sweet nothings into his ear. But just being with Vegeta had calmed down the clothed bundle of nerves he was holding. Goku, now able to speak, looked up at his prince, who wiped away his tears with a finger. "Vegeta...I want to start over - I want another child..."


Vegeta's eyes bolted open as if something had snapped inside of him, some sort of shock or disbelief. Goku, wanting another child, another brainwashed child? It didn't make any sense to him. "Wait a second. A minute ago you were just saying how Chi-Chi has brainwashed Gohan, but yet you want to have another child? Your not making any damn sense Kakarot."


"That's because your not listening Vegeta. I don't want another child with Chi-Chi. I...want one with you. A real full-blooded Saiyan. Think about it..."


He thought about it for a moment, trying to drum up an image of his and Goku's child. He'd have a face like Goku, a tail, hair like a combination of both Goku and Vegeta, and pride like any other. Seemed cute enough. But, for once, Vegeta had his doubts. Saiyans were a warrior race. From birth, they were taught how to survive on their own, and how to kill and conquer planets. They were a powerful race and feared by many...which is why Frieza had killed all of them but Raditz, Nappa, Kakarot, and himself. He didn't want another megalomaniac killing off his child just because he was a Saiyan and a possible threat to his power. He couldn't go through that again.


"I can't go through that pain again... How will I know some power hungry freak like Frieza isn't going to come and kill the boy just because he's a Saiyan? That's what happened on our home planet, Kakarot. Every one of our brothers was destroyed by that son of a bitch. Your father, my father, everyone."


"I know. But, Vegeta, look how strong you and I have become since the very first time we battled. Our powers combined are and will always be bigger than any threat that's out there. I've come to accept who I am and will no longer deny it. I'm a Saiyan, a natural born fighter. And I'm proud of what I am, no longer compelled to run from it. I may be kind-hearted, but I'm still every inch a Saiyan. I want to pass it on; I missed my chance with Gohan. What do you say?"


The Saiyan Prince couldn't help but snicker in appreciation of what he was hearing. He heard a proud, confident voice, full of his own Saiyan pride and appreciation of his history, his heritage. He never expected to ever hear such a thing come from Goku. Needless to say, it got the gears in his head turning rapidly. Then, he came to touch his nose against Goku's with that same proud grin on his face. "With talk like that, you've made me proud. But...who..."


Goku pulled his lover in for a kiss, his hands holding either side of his face. "I've got it...don't worry. Thank you Vegeta..."


**(45 minutes later...)**


Goku's sweaty, shuddering body quaked beneath Vegeta as he rocked himself within his mate. He felt the bigger man stretching to receive him in his entirety, every beautiful inch of it. Vegeta closed his eyes, the sound of Goku's pleasure making him thrust more fluidly until he moved in time with the beatings of Goku's heart. Together, they moved with each other slowly, rhythmically, passionately. Vegeta ran his tongue down the crevice of Goku's chest, along his toned muscles, feeling him shuddering beneath him. Goku's legs found Vegeta's waist, pushing him further inside. Goku quaked beneath him now, yearned to be conquered. The more he voiced his need, the more Vegeta felt apart of him, wanted to share this moment with him. And to think somehow, someway, a full-blooded Saiyan baby was going to come from this.


//It's not as far-fetched as I think. Before female Saiyans on Planet Vegeta, Procreation was done by the males. They would mate with one another, carry the offspring to term, and then give birth. Saiyans, by nature, and for the good of the planet, are asexual. On Planet Vegeta, both males and females could create, carry and give birth to young. After the war with the Tuffles, however, we took our first steps into technology and found other ways to produce young. And as more and more women perished during childbirth, the more we had to rely on test tube procreation...


Maybe Kakarot isn't as inferior as I once thought he was. He's learned much since I first met him, including how to procreate without the help of a female. Very well. I'm going to help him see this through...because...


I want this too.//


Suddenly, like lightning through delicate glass, the Saiyan Prince shuddered as he released inside of his lover. They had reached this together, as one, and would share the euphoric afterglow as one. And in a matter of passionate seconds, the seed that was their possible offspring had been planted, the water that was their love nurturing its needs. with more to live for now than ever before and a bond growing stronger by the day, it would take more than trying to keep a secret a secret to break the two greatest Saiyans their race had ever seen. They would see this through, together, and make their brothers proud.