Voiceless

Stars

*Vegeta's POV

Sleep? No. No sleep. Bright. Lot of it... Kakarrot! Made it go away, huh. Thanks. Won't get me now.

*Normal POV

Goku heard his mother answer the phone. "Hey, Mom... Yeah, I'm doing good, you?... Wow, really? Tell him I say hi. Listen, I'm gonna need a favor... Yeah, its a doozy. You see, um, I kind of took in this kid... No, he's older. Around sixteen... He just needs help right now. I'm almost positive that I can't take him to work with me, and I can't leave him alone... Seriously? Oh my gosh, thank you so much!" Goku smiled at the tiny Saiyan, who was drawing. Again. "Yeah, I'll bring him over. I'll bring his stuff too... OK, love you too. See ya!"

Vegeta looked up when Goku sat beside him. He smiled a little. Goku rubbed his back, but not too close to his tail. "Whatcha drawing, Vegeta?"

Vegeta showed him what he had so far. It was actually not one of the scary pictures; a creature about the size of a pony, but that was impossible to compare to any animal, was sitting at the end of the couch, looking up at Vegeta with big, starry black eyes.

Goku slowly peered at the end of the couch. If he saw anything, he knew he'd freak out. Nothing was there. A breath of relief escaped him. Sure, the beast was cute- this time. But Vegeta's friends were hardly ever cute and fluffy like this one.

Huh, Goku thought with a smile. Vegeta's friends. Never thought of them that way before... He patted Vegeta's shoulder. "You wanna come with me? I'm going to take you to my mom's. It'll only be for a few hours, hopefully. You can draw more, or maybe you can sleep."

Vegeta looked a little anxious, but he nodded. While Goku grabbed his bag, Vegeta picked up his papers and pencils. He followed Goku to the car silently. The older Saiyan opened the door, allowing Vegeta to slip inside. He watched Goku intently as he moved around to get in as well. Goku noted that he relaxed notably once he'd also entered the vehicle.

"I think you're gonna like my mom and brother." Goku knew that gentle, constant speech did wonders for Vegeta's anxiety. "The house isn't too big, but it's definitely not cramped. Raditz is about your age. You two can screw around or whatever kids do these days." He laughed a little. "I gotta admit though, Raditz can be a little overbearing, but don't be scared of him. He wouldn't hurt a fly."

Vegeta gazed at him, then tilted his head up slightly. "... S... Saiyan?"

Goku slowed down and looked at Vegeta. He grinned. "Yeah! Yeah, they're Saiyans, just like you and me."

"Kakarrot."

"Yup. Kakarrot and Vegeta."

Vegeta suddenly flushed and looked away. Goku found himself with a warm face too. Why on earth had he said that? But Vegeta was smiling a bit, so... that was good, right? In the quiet, Vegeta began to fidget and rub at his right ear. He glanced at Goku, then back at the bag behind Goku's chair.

*Vegeta's POV

Hot... Want it. But... bad. He.. said no. Bad. Hurt... White. White said- But I- bad- need it...

*Normal POV

Goku noticed Vegeta glancing now and then at the bag. Every time, though, he would tear his gaze away, shaking his head. Goku blinked. So he did realize that it was hurting him... "You ok, Vegeta?" he asked gently. Vegeta only began to gnaw on his finger in response. Goku noticed that Vegeta was pale and looked a little ill. "It's ok, we'll be there soon."

When they did pull into the driveway of his mother's house, Raditz was waiting for them. His eyes quickly found Vegeta, and Goku saw him smile a bit. He got out of the car. "Hey, bud!" he called as his little brother trotted over. "Ok, take it slow. He's a little out of sorts right now." Goku helped Vegeta out. The sick teenager eyed Raditz warily. "It's ok, Vegeta. This is my brother, Raditz."