Madness

Chapter Three

The air was electric. Everyone was completely on edge. Despite his apprehension, Goku sat directly beside his mate. Their link had shut off completely. Vegeta leaned listlessly against him, silent and exhausted. Three more days of silence and sleeplessness. His eyes were dull, as if he wasn't even there. Goku rubbed Vegeta's leg. No reaction.

"Goku, come here," he heard Dende whisper. His throat tightened and he stood, glancing over his shoulder at Vegeta. Vegeta didn't notice the lack of his presence. He moved to the Kami's side. Dende had tears in his eyes as he looked out at the white clouds. "Goku... It's time. We're out of time. I can feel him breaking. I can't stop it-"

A soft hiss so soft that only a non-human might have heard it made them both halt. Goku and Dende whipped around to see Vegeta clawing at his face. "K- Ka-ka-rrot-!" Vegeta choked, writhing in pain.

Goku shot over quickly. "No! Vegeta, hang on!" He caught Vegeta's face in his hands, his heart wrenching when he saw tears streaming down Vegeta's cheeks. His eyes were wild, getting more so by the moment. "You've gotta hold on! You gotta keep thinking! Vegeta, please!"

"Kill me!" Vegeta rasped suddenly, lashing out directly at Goku. "You have to kill me!"

"No, I can't!" Goku cried. "I can't! We'd both die!"

Vegeta struggled against Goku. "N-N-N-Not like- this-!" Vegeta wailed. "Ka- Kaka-rrot! M- Make it stop-! Stop! Make him stop!" The Prince released a scream of agony and terror, wiggling out of Goku's grasp. He tried to fly away, but his ki stuttered and shattered. He hit the ground and screamed again. He continued to claw at his face.

Goku launched forward. He pinned Vegeta's arms to his sides, hoping to calm him even a little. Their link suddenly reconnected with full force and volume. Mangled whispers and screams exploded in his head; beyond it he could hear Vegeta laughing. It sounded awful, wild and evil. He finally couldn't help it. "Vegeta!" he roared. "Vegeta! Stop it! Just stop it!"

And like that it was over.

Silence reigned again, but the tension in the air had vanished. A dark shadow seemed to have fallen over the Lookout. Everyone had rushed out at the explosion of activity, but not a sound penetrated the quiet. Goku felt Vegeta shudder slightly under him, then fall still. The younger Saiyan slowly exhaled the breath he'd been holding. "Vegeta?" he whispered, barely more than a breath. "Vegeta, are you ok?"

A low hiss was the only reply.

Goku slowly rose, bringing Vegeta with him. The Prince did not resist at all. He looked down as Vegeta looked up. Goku caught his breath. The face was Vegeta's. The eyes were not. Someone else entirely gazed out at him from Vegeta's body. A smirk was on his face, satisfied and arrogant. A soft, breathy laugh slipped out of him. "Ha. Ha." It was a sound of completely mockery.

It made something in Goku snap. "Enough!" he growled, tightening his grip on Vegeta's shoulders. Surprisingly, something sparked deep in the darkened eyes and he looked down sharply, meekly even. Goku blinked. "Vegeta?"

"Let me go." Vegeta's voice was clear and sharp. But it still didn't sound like him.

"No," said Goku, snapping him back into place when the smaller Saiyan tried to pull away. "Stop it."

Again, Vegeta was quelled. Dende slowly approached. Vegeta twitched, and he glanced at the Namek out of the corner of his eye. He tossed his head back with a growl. Goku turned him back sharply. "Incredible," Dende murmured. "Goku... you have complete control over him. Can you imagine the chaos if you weren't here?"

"What do you mean?" Goku asked, not taking his eyes off Vegeta. "I'm confused."

"I'm beginning to think that, since you're the dominant, the seme, you have control of him, to some degree. His natural instincts deem him beneath you, no matter what's in his head." Dende grinned. "Watch." He reached out towards Vegeta.

Vegeta snarled viciously, and Goku saw a flash of white fangs flying at Dende's small hand. "No!" he barked, and Vegeta flinched back. Goku exhaled sharply in disbelief.

Dende laughed. "You see? As long as you're here, we're all safe."

Goku narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. No pressure at all. For sure. Nice."

~~Timeskip brought to you by Neko Vegeta~~

"Ow! Vegeta!" Goku snapped, yanking his finger away. Vegeta snarled at him again and knocked the plate of food to the floor with a snort of contempt. Goku gestured speechlessly at the mess. "You little brat! What is wrong with you!?"

"Tchah!" Vegeta stalked away.

"Nope! You get back here. Vegeta!"

Vegeta halted, shaking with rage. He turned and came back, his gait slow, measured. With a growl and a roar he leapt forward at Goku, knocking him to the floor. Goku yelped. He managed to fight Vegeta to the floor. "Enough! I said enough!" Goku actually raised a hand to strike him, but the blow never fell. Vegeta was quiet now, but still looked angry.

Goku got up, shaking his head. "Go to our room; stay there. I'll come get you in a minute. Now!" he said more insistently when Vegeta didn't move. Vegeta spat at him hatefully and turned on his heel, stalking away. Suddenly the mess at Goku's feet vanished. Goku blinked and looked over his shoulder. He smiled when he saw Dende smiling back at him. "Thanks, Dende. I don't know what to do with him..." Goku sat down wearily. "He's driving me nuts. Every time I try to do something, he literally goes out of his way to harass me or stop me." Goku held his chin and rested his elbows on his knees. "What are we going to do?"

Dende laughed softly, which surprised Goku. "Well, first of all, I think he's as frustrated as you are. He's... on a different plane of existence, I guess you could say. He doesn't get it anymore. I don't think he comprehends normal interaction; it's foreign to his natural code. He's trying to get your attention, Goku. About what, I couldn't tell you.

"Second of all, what you're going to do is love him and continue to fight this battle for him, no matter how tired you get, or how angry you get, or how hopeless it may seem. Maybe if we survive this long enough, he'll come back to his senses. You believed in him when he first came here to Earth. You'll believe in him until the Universe goes dark." Dende hugged Goku's shoulder, then went on his way.

Goku watched after him, now feeling calm and rejuvenated. Dende was right, of course. He'd seen into Vegeta's mind, even if only briefly. He knew more about what was going on than anyone else. Goku stood up and went after Vegeta.