Dedicated to my beloved twin, Cleodasia...(pardon me whilst I ravish her utterly)

And to bakayaro onna, the tireless artist and beta’er who has nearly broken me of my superfluous “that” habit.

And to her Stoopid Rat, Crockett, whose input and suggestions are greatly appreciated, though he may not know it. Well you know now!!!!

Warnings and Disclaimers: Sage is MINE. Except for Black Dragon Sage, I can safely say he belongs to Herself. I wouldn’t advise playing with him, he bites. I own none of the other Dragon Ball characters, though they have all told me they WISH I did...they have way more fun in MY universes than in their canon one!! AND they get LOTS more hot monkey sex!!! NC-17 rating. Blood, explicit sex with a minor, language, some violence, sexy Saiyjins.

If you know not who Sage is and from whence he hails, what have you been doing? Living under a rock? You can find most of my fics here...you would be able to find ALL of the finished ones if For-chan would update...*smirks and dodges the cookie*

First Heat

A BOAP Chibi Tail

By Talon

Chapter Three

Goku and Vegeta sat bolt upright in bed, staring in amazement at each other as Gohan and Sage’s mate bond was forged, returned and forever sealed in blood.

“Oh hell, Vegeta,” said Goku in amazement. “Oh, this is going to cause SO much trouble.”

Vegeta privately agreed with his mate, however his very Saiyjin self was rejoicing. His youngest son had a mate, one worthy of his chosen heir. And for at least the next generation there would be no weakening of the Saiyjin blood. Reality was forced back on him by Kakkarott’s shaking. He turned in amazement to his lover and was astonished to see tears streaming down the big man’s face.

“What is the MATTER with you, Kakkarott?” growled Vegeta.

Goku sighed and wiped at his face with a massive hand. “On the one hand I’m happy for both of them, Vegeta, but in three days Sage’s heat will be over and they’ll come out of rut.”

“So?”

Goku sighed again. “And Gohan will remember he is married to Videl.”

Vegeta snorted. “That shouldn’t matter; he’s claimed and marked my child.”

“Our child, Vegeta,” corrected Goku. “Sage is OUR baby, remember?”

Vegeta waved a regal hand dismissively. “Yours, mine, ours, what’s the difference? He’s been claimed. Gohan has no choice..”

“You’re wrong, Vegeta.” Goku’s voice was uncharacteristically dark.

“What the HELL are you talking about, Kakkarott? The brat claimed Sage, of course he doesn’t have a choice!!!”

“And I’m telling you he does. He claimed Sage, he’s the dominant partner in the bonding. Sage has no choice, but Gohan does. And you know it as well as I do, Vegeta.”

And Vegeta did know. He sat back against his pillows with a thump. “You think, you actually think he’ll go back to Videl?”

“I’m sure of it.” Goku’s voice was sad. “He’s like me, Vegeta. He’ll honor those vows he made until…well, I don’t know what it would take, but at this point, when they come out of rut he’ll remember Sage is thirteen and he’ll feel guilty, both to Sage and to Videl.”

Vegeta growled. “That’s fucking stupid, Kakkarott. Sage’s age is not relevant anymore. And what of the vows he’s just made to our son? What of those? They weren’t sealed with a kiss, Kakkarott, they were sealed in blood!”

A soft sigh. “I know. But this is one area which we cannot interfere in, Vegeta, so you can put those thoughts out of your head.”

Vegeta had indeed been considering interfering, violent thoughts. But his mate was right. And he well knew it. As much as he wanted to protect his son, and shove some common sense into his bond-son’s hard head, they couldn’t get in between a bonded pair. It wasn’t safe for one thing, for another; these things were better left to the couple to figure out themselves, as frustrating as it may be to those standing on the sidelines.

“Sage is going to be heartbroken,” he whispered.

“Maybe,” was Goku’s reply.

“What the fuck is THAT supposed to mean, Kakkarott?”

“It means that regardless of whatever else has gone on, Sage is STILL thirteen, and not ready to be mated. It means Gohan will have time to figure out what he is going to do, as will Sage.”

Vegeta growled. “Sage won’t be able to figure out anything,” he pointed out bitterly. “He’ll have no choice but to wait for Gohan.”

Goku’s eyes were sad as he gently cupped his lover’s cheek with a hand. “I know,” he said quietly. “I know, but maybe, maybe this won’t be as bad as we fear. Both boys are intelligent, clear-headed young adults. And they’ve always had an exceptionally deep bond with one and other.”

“Sage will feel betrayed,” said Vegeta, his eyes narrowing at his mate.

“Maybe,” was the calm reply. Vegeta snarled, and Goku brought his other hand to frame his Ouji’s face. “We have to give them the benefit of the doubt, love. There are three more days until Sage’s heat is over, and they come out of rut. Then, how long, do you think, to recover?”

Vegeta thought for a moment. “Two days at the very least. They’ll spend the rest of the heat solidifying their bond..are you really sure Gohan’ll go back to Videl?”

Goku closed tear-filled eyes. “Yes,” he whispered.

Vegeta cursed. Long and loud. He wasn’t certain if he cursed his bond-son, the moon, the heat, his partner, himself or simply the Saiyjin biology that had brought this all about. He did, however, curse his daughter-in-law directly for being pig-headed enough to marry his bond-son. He wished with all his soul now he had been able to stop that wedding. If he’d been able to, this wouldn’t even be an issue. He had never before feared his bond-son would hurt Sage. He knew Gohan would rather die than deliberately cause Sage an instant’s pain. Only the knowledge Gohan would be hurting every bit as much as Sage stopped him from cursing him outright. When all was said and done, Gohan was his son as well..and he didn’t want to see either of them hurt.

Goku simply sat, his tail twined with Vegeta’s, letting him rant, and casting his mind along the newly created bond connecting his two sons. Right now, Gohan had no intention of ever leaving Sage. But as soon as the rut-craze cleared from their minds, as soon as the heat-musk was dissipated from the air, Gohan would remember his marriage, his responsibilities, and his thirteen-year-old brother….now life-mate. He agreed with Vegeta, Sage and Gohan belonged together. He only wished he knew how long it would take his son with the displaced sense of loyalty to realize it.

Eventually, they both calmed enough to rest for a few minutes...but it wasn’t long before the moon’s influence took over and they were working out their frustrations by pounding the mattress further into the floor. Rational thought would have to wait until the moon set, and the sun rose, ending the thrall of scent and spice and riotous lust.

*~*~*~*~*~*

The sun rose the next day in a starburst of color over the frozen landscape. In various rooms of the main house, pair-bonded Saiyjins groaned, stirred and considered never moving again. Coming down from moon-lust was always wearing, but the call of the stomach was stronger than the aching of muscles and heads, and two by two, they stumbled downstairs to breakfast.

Settling Vegeta in front of his loaded plate, Goku took the breakfast cart himself to Gohan and Sage in the gravity room. He didn’t want Vegeta in there just yet, the prince had very little control when it came to the health and happiness of his youngest child; and he was never at his most reasonable the day after a full moon. Add an empty stomach, and Goku was fairly sure there would be bloodshed.

The cart’s contents rattled cheerfully as he rolled it across the gravity room floor, one eye on Sage and Gohan. They were awake, and absorbed in each other, but Goku knew how quickly that could change. Their combined scent was supremely happy, and Goku couldn’t fail to notice the fresh claim marks adorning his son’s and bond-son’s necks. He sighed quietly and changed the water cooler bottle to a full one, loading the empty one on the used cart and wheeling it away. He turned to close the door, and caught a glimpse of perfection, of two bodies made to be joined, sharing a deep and intimate kiss. His tail lashed, a confusing combination of elation and abject misery warring within him as he locked the door behind him.

At the table, Vegeta was explaining what had happened to Goten and Trunks, Bulma looking worried and puzzled in the background at Trunks and Goten’s obvious delight at the news.

“Boys,” she admonished severely. “This isn’t something to be happy about. It is very serious. Gohan is still married to Videl, and…”

“So what, Kassan,” said Trunks joyfully. “He’s only married to Videl, he CLAIMED Sage!!! Can’t you be happy for anyone? They were meant to be together, me and Goten were just talking about that yesterday!!”

“Yep,” chirped Goten, obsidian eyes shining as he felt along the sibling bond he shared with his elder brother. “Now Gohan can protect Sage forever,” he said blissfully. “It’s what he’s wanted to do since Sage was little! This is a good thing, Bulma-san!”

“A good thing it may be, Goten,” said Goku quietly. “But it comes with more than its fair share of problems. And over the next hour, the family discussed the potential problems, who was going to tell Videl what, and possible solutions. At the end of the impromptu family meeting, Trunks and Goten were more than a little subdued, their initial happy reaction squashed by the reality of the situation.

In the gravity chamber, the newly bonded couple had no such qualms. Sage’s heat continued, as did Gohan’s, though without the pull of the full moon, it was somewhat less hedonistic than it had been the night before. They lay quietly together, tired for the moment after rigorous joining, each touch, each kiss, each tender glance strengthening their bond, drawing them closer together, the intimate knowledge of the other fairly buzzing in the black-clad skulls. The vibrant duet of contented purrs rolled around the room as Gohan held Sage close to him, delighting in the heat fusing their very souls together. In the haze of the newly forged bond, he had indeed forgotten all about his marriage to Videl, whatever vows he had made to her were nothing when held against the consummated bond in blood he and his mate had created together last night. Two hearts and souls forever joined, two bodies made for one and the other, a bones-deep happiness thrummed between the lovers.

Sage was content, supremely so. His heat was still rising within him, though it was contented also for the moment. He had never felt so…complete before. It was as though he had had a gaping hole inside of him, and he hadn’t even known it until Gohan filled it. He was safe. Always protected. Gohan had promised to protect him forever, to love him forever, and Gohan never lied to him.

He closed his eyes as Gohan gently kissed his face. “Tired, koibito?” he asked tenderly.

Sage yawned. “Hai,” he admitted, “just a little bit.”

“Sleep then, I’ll watch over you,” whispered Gohan, nuzzling softly at the mark he had created last night.

Sage obeyed, delighted to be cuddled in Gohan’s scorching warmth. He drifted off into sleep, aware distantly of Gohan’s watchful manner, surrounding him in safe seclusion.

In the end, those waiting on the outside decided no one would tell Videl anything for the time being. Chances were slim she’d show back up after seeing what she had the last time, and without knowing exactly what Gohan was going to do after the heat was done, really no plans could be made. It was decided to just wait, and see and deal with events as they presented themselves.

Easier said than done.

With the gravity room taken, the remaining Saiyjins were forced to vent their frustration outside. And while cold weather sparring could be extremely satisfying, it just wasn’t the same as going at it under three or four hundred times gravity.

If Gohan and Sage noticed anything outside the gravity room, it didn’t show. The stamina of the demi-Saiyjin race proved to be truly astounding in that first day after rut alone! Sage’s inhibitions had gone completely, and now he initiated as many encounters as Gohan, if not more. Things got extremely heated, and not a little kinky in the round room as the day progressed into night. At one point Goten and Trunks hadn’t been able to control themselves as they had watched Gohan toss a grinning Sage up against a wall and proceed to fuck him silly standing up. As Trunks said after performing the same maneuver on Goten, it was one of the most arousing, disturbing things he’d ever seen in his entire life. Goten merely grinned and asked his koi if he wasn’t supposed to be unmoved by things like that, owing to his scientific mind and all…

Fifteen minutes later, they finally managed to stagger from the observation room and make it back to their room, breathlessly cursing the damned heat scent that somehow managed to make its way out of the soundproof, weatherproof, sealed chamber.

For all the kink and wild uncontrolled sex, there was also tender, gentle loving. Time and time again, Gohan made slow, careful love to his young mate, affectionate kisses and adoring murmurings interspersing each joining, cementing their bond ever tighter with each passing hour. It was clear, to anyone with any sense of smell, or observation how the two cherished each other, and every heart in the house clenched at the thought of their separation.

Goku was adamant in his declaration. He was certain Gohan would return to Videl. After that, no one could say for certain, and everyone in the house, including Goku hoped he was wrong.

The second day after the rut proceeded much like the first. There was a bit less sex, and more cuddling and sleeping, but not much talking. The heat-haze still held sway.

On the final day, things got frantic again, and there was an urgency in their joining that hadn’t been there before. It was as if they couldn’t get enough of each other, as if on some level, they knew what they had was ending…or changing. It was, mused Vegeta as he watched the screens impassively in the observation room, but the ending of heat shouldn’t cause this kind of..well it was akin to panic.

Abruptly he rose and stalked out of the room. He needed to go blow something up.

Sage grunted weakly as Gohan came inside him again for the fourth time in as many hours. He was beginning to get sore, and knew Gohan was as well, but neither of them were ready to stop. He held himself steady as Gohan collapsed over his back, locking his elbows and supporting both his weight and Gohan’s on his hands and knees, waiting for Gohan to let him know it was all right to lie down. He waited as Gohan’s breathing evened out, and he carefully pulled himself from Sage, tugging with his dark brown tail around Sage’s waist to join him on the mattress.

Smiling contentedly, Sage curled up into Gohan’s side, basking in the sweaty heat of his lover. He purred as Gohan’s hand moved to caress the side of his face, almost wonderingly.

“Kami-sama, Sage, I love you so much,” he said in an awed voice. “I…I never realized until now...how is that possible?”

Sage flung an arm across his lover and considered the question. “I don’t know, koi,” he said finally. “I didn’t know how much I loved you either until…how long has it been?” He frowned as he tried to remember.

Gohan chuckled. “I don’t know, chibi, but it feels like forever. I could stay in here with you…forever. I wish this…I wish it would never ever end.” He drifted off to sleep, and was never sure if he actually heard Sage whisper, “It doesn’t have to,” or if he imagined it.

On the seventh and final day of Sage’s first heat, they rested…so to speak. A final, languorous fuck, and they both passed out cold. Sage’s scent changed back to normal, with the subtle shift marking him as a claimed adult, and Gohan’s scent also altered, marking him as an alpha male. Their body temperatures cooled to a normal 105.5 or so and their skin lost it’s flushed appearance. Since Gohan’s heat was triggered by Sage’s and the full moon, meaning it wasn’t natural, it ended at the same time Sage’s did, and after they had both been asleep for five hours, Vegeta and Goku decided it was safe to go in.

Once they had discerned the boys’ heat was indeed finished, they allowed Bulma in with the hot water and soap. Together, the three parents carefully and lovingly cleaned their offspring, rinsing away a week’s worth of sweat, semen and blood from the exhausted bodies. Easing both boys into loose fitting, unbleached, infinitely soft cotton gi pants, Goku and Vegeta gathered them up and carried them to an upstairs bedroom, settling them together and smiling as the boys sought out contact with one another in their healing sleep. Bulma called Videl to let her know the heat had ended, Gohan was currently recovering and she would call when there was a change. Videl seemed somewhat cheered to learn the heat was over, and asked when she could expect her husband. Bulma answered her honestly, she had no idea. Vegeta estimated at least two days before either of them would wake, and probably longer before they would be able to function normally. Surprisingly, Videl didn’t ask to see Gohan, but she did mention Pan wanted to see her Daddy. Bulma promised to ask Vegeta if it would be ok and get back to her. Videl thanked her mother-in-law, and hung up. Bulma sighed, feeling more than a little guilty at what she hadn’t told the girl, but it was too late now. They all had to wait for Gohan to wake and make the first move.

Vegeta gave permission for Pan to come over; after all, the girl had to learn what was expected during heats and ruts. She was a quarter Saiyjin, but had been born with a tail, indicative of the possibilities of her going into heat herself at some point.

Pan’s sapphire eyes were big as she gazed down at her Daddy and “Uncle” Sage. “How long have they been asleep, Grandpa,” she whispered.

“About a day and a half,” replied Vegeta quietly.

“And how much longer will they sleep?”

“Probably at least another day, maybe a bit longer.”

“Wow.” There was silence for a bit as they both watched the sleeping demi’s.

“Grandpa,” began Pan, but stopped, unsure of how to say what was bothering her.

“What is it, Pan-pan,” asked Vegeta, kneeling down so he could meet his granddaughter on her level.

Pan bit at her lower lip and twisted her hands together, her tail lashing a bit before she answered. “Um, Mommy is mad about this, about Daddy coming here to help Sage. And she was mad when she said I could come visit. How come?”

“Did she sound angry, Pan?” asked Vegeta casually, trying to discern whether Videl had been taking her frustration out on her daughter.

Pan shook her head. “No, she doesn’t sound angry, but she smells mad. And she’s broken a lot of dishes the past week. And when I came home from school Friday, she was sad too.”

“Hn…well, Pan, there’s not an easy answer to that. I guess the real reason she’s angry is because she doesn’t really understand. She’s human, and she can’t understand why your Daddy came to help Sage through his heat, she didn’t understand when we tried to stop her from seeing them on Friday, and she won’t understand what’s happened.”

“But Mommy’s smart,” protested Pan. “And she’s lots older than I am…she can understand it!”

“But she doesn’t. Maybe some day she will, maybe some day she won’t, but it’s not anything you need be concerned about bratling. Now come on,” and he stood, holding his hand out to his granddaughter. “I think your Grandma Briefs has some cookies about ready to come out of the oven with your name on them.”

The next evening Goku was reclining on the couch watching sumo while Vegeta was giving Trunks and Goten a lesson in the gravity room, when he felt a tingling along the bond to his eldest. Quickly he transmitted himself to the room where the newly mated pair had been recovering and waited in the near dark as Gohan’s eyes opened and he sat up blearily.

Goku held out a glass of water and Gohan took it gratefully, draining it as he attempted to wipe the sleep from his eyes.

“How are you feeling, Gohan,” asked Goku quietly.

“Not too bad…sore mostly,” replied Gohan, stretching, his tail unfurling as he yawned. He froze, his hand going to his neck. “Oh, Kami,” he whispered. “Oh no...oh no…Dad, tell me I didn’t…”

“You did, Gohan. You claimed Sage the night of the full moon. It sent you into heat, and the both of you into a full-fledged mating rut. You allowed him to return the claim, and you are bonded with him. Permanently. He is your mate.”

“Oh, Kami-sama,” whispered Gohan in disbelief. “I’m a fucking pedophile!!! I claimed a thirteen-year- old…my thirteen-year-old brother!!!”

Goku smacked him solidly across the face. “Stop that,” he said firmly. “You aren’t a pedophile, and you hardly claimed him against his will. And though we’ve never differentiated between you boys as brothers or bond-brothers, the fact of the matter is, you aren’t related to him genetically.”

Gohan held the stinging side of his face, and gaped at his father. “You can’t tell me you approve of this,” he said in disbelief.

“Of course I do. And so does your bond-father. So do your brothers for that matter, and Bulma-san. Gohan, the only surprise we had when you claimed Sage was the timing. And given the full moon, perhaps we shouldn’t have been surprised at that.”

“But…but I’m married! I gave my vows to Videl! I love her, I have a child with her!” Gohan’s voice was panicky, beside him Sage frowned in his sleep and snagged his tail around Gohan’s, stroking gently. A purr erupted from Gohan’s throat as he calmed and affectionately ran his fingers through his mate’s faintly cobalt-streaked hair.

“Tell me you don’t love Sage,” replied his father in a low voice. “You made vows to Sage that night, and sealed them in blood, Gohan.”

Gohan looked down at his sleeping brother…lover…no…brother. No matter how vehemently he forced himself to think of Sage as his brother, and only his brother, he couldn’t make himself believe it.

“I..I..I can’t Dad,” he said finally, never letting up on his gentle stroking. “I can’t say I don’t love him. Oh, Kami-sama, I do. But what am I going to do? He’s too young, and Videl...I don’t understand! How could this have happened?”

“It couldn’t have happened if something in you didn’t fit with Sage. Regardless of the rut, you would not have claimed him if there was nothing but sibling affection between you. And yes, Sage is too young. But Gohan, you’ve made him an adult. You’re going to have to deal with this and you’re going to have to choose.”

“Choose? Now?” Gohan looked frantic. “How can I choose between my wife and my...my...”

“Your mate.” Said Goku firmly. “Sage is your bonded mate, and the sooner you get used to that the better. As for choosing now, it would be best, but no, you don’t have to choose now. As you say, Sage is too young. But you won’t be able to put this off forever. As the dominant in the relationship, the decisions rest with you. Sage can’t leave you...even should he wish to.”

Gohan looked down at the sleeping child beside him, his brow furrowed in thought, his mind racing a mile a minute. He could feel Sage inside him, and he reveled in the sensation, the knowledge of him residing so close, the love, the protective feelings, the intimate perception of another being. His mate. He felt…complete with Sage. Right now, as he gazed at his love, there was nothing and no one else. But...there was Videl. And Pan. And the inexplicable fact Sage was thirteen. Surely he had a few years to figure this out. Sage would understand, wouldn’t he? He’ll have to, said a cold voice in his head. He has no choice. He has to wait for you, and you know it. Gohan frowned and pushed that voice away. Really, the best thing for everyone would be to go back to Videl…for now. He knew from experience Sage wouldn’t be interested in sex for a very long time…at least until the next full moon...he would still be close by...it wouldn’t be as though he were really leaving...would it?

Yeah, keep talking, Gohan, he grimaced to himself. Keep talking, and maybe you’ll convince yourself too.

“I have to go back,” he said aloud. “I have to go back to Videl...for now,” he added at the look on his father’s face.

“You’re going to leave now?”

“Hai, I think it’s best.”

“You’re not even going to wait until he wakes up and you can talk to him?” His father’s voice was incredulous.

“No. I’ll come back, when I’ve sorted things out with Videl and we can talk.” He stroked a hand over Sage’s brow, his eyes closing in concentration. “He’ll sleep for another thirty hours or so anyway. He’s pretty worn out.” Gohan retrieved his tail and pushed the covers back, wincing as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Wobbling slightly, he stood, and collapsed into his father’s waiting arms. Wordlessly Goku helped his son to the adjoining bathroom and assisted him in cleaning up and dressing.

“I should make you walk home yourself,” grumbled Goku, “but I won’t.” He prepared for teleportation, but stopped at Gohan’s hand on his arm.

“Dad, is Otousama angry with me? Um..is he going to kill me?”

“He isn’t going to be happy, but this won’t be a surprise. You see, I knew you’d return to Videl.”

Gohan’s eyes were wide. “You did? How? How did you know?”

Goku closed his eyes for a moment, then opened the pain-filled orbs. “Because it’s what I would have done at your age.”

And Gohan was left to muse that over as his father transported them to the Son house.

They arrived on the front steps with little fanfare, Goku knocking sharply on the door. Light from the entryway spilled out over the frozen steps as Videl opened the front door and gazed at her husband and father-in-law. Wordlessly, she stood aside and allowed Goku to help the still faltering Gohan into the house. The elder Saiyjin stayed long enough to make sure Gohan was steady enough on his feet, then apologized to his daughter-in-law, saying he had to get back to the house. A scant disturbance in the air and he was gone, and Gohan was left to face his wife.

Before he could even open his mouth, an icy voice declared, “You’re sleeping on the couch, Gohan.”

Gohan closed his eyes and spoke wearily. “I’ll be damned if I’ll sleep on the couch when we have a guest room. I’m too tired to argue with you, Videl. We’ll talk tomorrow.” He turned to go towards the guest bedroom when her voice stopped him.

“Fucking your brother wears you out that much?”

Gohan bit back his anger…hard. It wasn’t easy…millennia of evolution and instinct told him to atomize the bitch who had maligned his mate, however his human side eventually overrode those impulses and reminded him the bitch wasn’t just any bitch, she was his wife.

“I would have thought,” he said, his voice bitter and sharp, “you would have understood what has been going on a little bit better by now. I guess that’s too much to expect from you. I don’t know what you want from me, Videl, I came home to you. And now I am going to sleep. As I said, we can talk tomorrow.” With that, he hobbled off, ignoring his wife’s sputtering and protests, his mind never leaving the still, quiet body of his beloved, only a few miles away, the pain in his very soul fiery and agonizing.

He awoke in the dark, a few hours later, his face being bathed with a cool cloth. It wasn’t Videl, the hand was too small…

“Daddy? You awake?” His daughter’s high-pitched voice was music to his ears.

“Hai, Pan-chan,” he said, reaching out in the dark to touch her hair. “I’m awake.”

“Oh good,” she chirped. “Are you hungry? Mommy’s mad, but I made you some ramen…Grandpa said you’d be very hungry, but you shouldn’t eat stuff that’s too heavy for awhile. I asked him what that meant, and he said stuff like soup and toast and crackers till tomorrow would be best. So I made some ramen in the microwave so I wouldn’t get in trouble for trying to use the stove, cause I’m not allowed to use the stove cause I might burn the house down, but that’s silly like I couldn’t put a little fire out even if it did get out of control, but I didn’t, cause I used the microwave.”

Gohan smiled as her chattering washed over him. She picked up a large, steaming bowl from the bedside table and handed it to him, a pair of chopsticks poking out, resting against the lip of the bowl. He slurped the long, crinkled noodles down, quickly and gratefully, drinking the savory broth when he was finished and thanking his daughter. She beamed.

“Grandpa said to tell you Sage is still asleep. He said you’d want to know.”

“Hai, thank you, Pan. I did want to know. Where is your mother?”

Pan frowned. “I don’t know, Daddy, but she’s awfully angry. She snapped at me for no reason after you got home. And how come you’re in the guest room and not in yours and Mommy’s room? And how come you smell different from when you left?”

Gohan groaned. “Damn, Pan, you must have more Saiyjin blood in you than we give you credit for! I had no idea your nose was so sharp.” He could hear her clothes rustle as she shrugged. He sighed. “Well, you’re going to have to find this out sooner or later. May as well be now, and from me. Turn on the light, ne?” He gestured to the small lamp on the table beside the bed, just out of his reach. A small click, and his daughter’s earnest face was illuminated by the soft yellow light. Gohan took a deep breath.

“Pan, you know a few nights ago there was a full moon, yes?”

“Hai, Daddy. That was Friday. I got into two fights at school and Mommy scolded me for wolfing my food.”

Gohan grinned. He couldn’t help it. His daughter was a scrapper.

“Well, the full moon happened when Sage was in heat. And it affected Sage and me.”

“Is that what changed your scent, Daddy?”

“Well, it’s what led up to my scent changing, brat.” He scooted over a bit, and Pan clambered up beside him, worming her way under the covers and snuggling into her Daddy. “Mmmmm…I like your new scent, Daddy,” she said blissfully. “It smells, a little sweet,” she frowned slightly in thought. “Kind of familiar, but I can’t place it.”

“Hn,” he said. “Well, there may be a reason it seems familiar to you. Pan, during the full moon, Sage and I went into a rut. A mating rut.” Pan’s eyes got very very big.

“A rut?” she squeaked.

“Yes.”

“Woooooooooow.” Gohan couldn’t help it. He grinned again and gently stroked her face with the tip of his tail.

“Pan, when Sage and I went into the rut, I…I claimed him.”

Pan was silent for a moment. “You claimed Sage?” Her small voice was confused. “And you marked him?” Her small fingers sought out his claim mark, and he shivered as they passed over the marred flesh.

“Hai, Pan, I did.”

She looked up at him, confusion clear in her vivid cerulean eyes. “But, Otousan,” he blinked; surprised at the formality in which she addressed him. “If you claimed him, how come he isn’t with you? He belongs with you now.”

Choked with overwhelming emotion, he hugged his offspring close to him, marveling at the ease in which a six-year old had ferreted out the root of the problem now plaguing him. “I don’t know, Pan,” he murmured into her unruly cap of black hair. “It’s…complicated.” And about to get more so, he thought as he heard his wife move away from the doorway where she had been eavesdropping for the last little bit. Hope you heard what you wanted to Videl, he thought tiredly as he purred to his daughter, both of them worn-out and drifting off to sleep. Pan, he thought, I hope you understand. I’m not sure I do.

Late the following afternoon, without any dramatic preamble, Sage awoke, confused, and sore, and alone. He could scent Gohan in the empty bed, but the scent was hours old. He fought down panic. Gohan wouldn’t leave, he wouldn’t! He promised he’d protect me. He wouldn’t leave. HE WOULDN’T….

“GOHAN!!!!!” A near sob rent the air, air disturbed slightly as his bond-father flickered into existence and gathered him into his arms.

“Shhh, it’s all right, Sage. Baka is here.”

“Baka,” said Sage, sniffling quietly. “Baka, where is Gohan? Why isn’t he here?”

Goku stroked Sage’s mane soothingly. “I think he meant to be here when you woke, Sage, but he’s still pretty torn up. He went back home yesterday after he woke.”

He had left. Sage hadn’t known it was possible to hurt this much and still breathe.

“He left me. He left me here….why????”

“Baby, Gohan is very confused; much like you are. I know he claimed you, but he’s still married to Videl. I think you’re going to have to be patient with him.” He broke off as Sage growled savagely.

“I’ll kill her.”

“You’ll do NO such thing,” said Goku firmly. “Do you really think Gohan would allow you to kill his wife? Pan’s mother?”

Sage had the stubborn look on his face Goku knew all too well.

“Vegeta,” he began when the child sagged suddenly against him.

“Baka…Goku-san…can you get Tousan for me? Please?” His voice was whisperish and thick with tears that would remain unshed, Goku knew.

Goku kissed his bond-son’s forehead softly and rose. “Of course I can, chibi…just give me a few minutes, ne?”

Sage nodded. Goku prepared to teleport, but was stopped by a soft noise from Sage.

“Ne?” he asked. “What is it?”

“Um...It’s not that I don’t want you, Baka,” said Sage quietly. “it’s just I want Tousan also.”

“I know. I’ll be right back, chukra,” he promised, and flickered out of sight.

It wasn’t difficult to trace the elder ouji’s ki…he was busy blowing stuff up in the gravity room, something he’d been doing quite a lot of since it had been vacated. He stopped as his mate flickered into the room, looking at him curiously.

“Your son has awakened, and is asking for you,” said Goku simply. He reached out and stopped Vegeta before he could reach the door however, and was completely unfazed by the growl emanating from his love’s throat.

“Before you go to Sage, you’re going to listen to me, Vegeta, or else you are going to end up hurting your son.”

That stopped Vegeta. “I would never hurt Sage, Kakkarott, you KNOW that.”

“Not intentionally, no. But you have hurt him without meaning to in the past, and I can prevent you from doing that again.”

Vegeta was silent, remembering all too well the events Kakkarott was referring to.

“First, koi, you must NOT berate Gohan. Not at all. Don’t threaten him, don’t speak badly of him, nothing.”

Vegeta opened his mouth, presumably to protest, but Goku gave him a look, and he closed it.

“You don’t understand, Vegeta, you’re seme, you’ve always been the seme in our relationship. And Trunks is the dominant in his and Goten’s bonding. But this is different, and you need to know just how being uke influences us. If you insult or berate Gohan, you will provoke Sage. He won’t stand for his mate to be maligned, in any way. From anyone. Do you understand?”

Vegeta was giving his mate a perplexed look. “I guess…I guess I never thought of it that way, Kakkarott...”

“You’ve never had to, love; you were born to be seme. Period. You understand the mechanics of uke, but not how we think, how the bonding affects us. Sage, no matter how angry or hurt or betrayed he feels by what Gohan has done will defend his mate’s honor to his last dying breath. Just as I would yours. Just as Goten would Trunks’.

Vegeta nodded slowly, dawning comprehension clear on his face.

“Second, remember, Vegeta, Sage is coming out of rut, not just his first heat. He’s going to be dealing with Gohan leaving, and residual effects stemming from the events eight years ago. And chances are pretty good he’s not going to be able to even walk on his own just yet. Gohan couldn’t, and he wasn’t the one getting fucked. So be sensitive about that. Ideally, Gohan should be here, to take care of his mate’s needs, but he’s not.”

Vegeta growled slightly, but bit it off, knowing his mate had more to say.

“Finally, remember Gohan is also your son. And as much as Sage is hurting right now, remember Gohan is hurting just as much. We have to give both of them time, Vegeta. They’ll both need our support. Gohan loves Sage. He honestly thinks, right now, what he’s doing is for the best. Whether or not we agree is immaterial. Does this make sense to you, Vegeta?”

Vegeta frowned slightly. “So, what you’re saying, even though Gohan left him after claiming him, Sage will still be compelled to defend him?

Goku nodded.

“And you’re right, I think. I keep forgetting, or keep trying to forget he’s coming out of rut. Normally when a rut ends, there’s a pregnancy. Thank Kami he’s not pregnant, this would be much worse. I might have had to kill Gohan if he’d left Sage pregnant.”

Goku paled slightly. “I didn’t even think about that, koi!” He shuddered. “I’d have helped you, honestly!! A pregnant Sage...at thirteen. That’s just…scary.” He paused and caught his mate’s eyes. “You won’t upset him? You understand what I’m telling you about being uke? About Gohan?”

Vegeta nodded, truly understanding, and ready now to face his son. Goku smiled, took his lover’s hand and the pair vanished and re-appeared in the room where Sage waited, face dry, eyes huge, heart and soul torn to shreds and bleeding.

For a moment, Vegeta simply stood staring at his son. He saw the child he’d always seen, the nearly perfect replica of himself, down to the impossibly midnight upswept hair, the heavy slanted eyebrows, the seemingly endless obsidian eyes, the cynical smirk...over the years there had been changes, the molestation until this point had been the biggest change, usurping even the physical changes of growth and aging. But now...Sage was still that child, even with this mammoth change that had just thrust itself upon his pale visage. Gohan’s claim mark seemed enormous on the slender neck, the semi-circles of bruised and still somewhat bloody teeth marks vivid against alabaster skin. His son. His baby had been claimed. And his claimer was absent. In less than a heartbeat, Vegeta was holding his dry-eyed son, tail wrapped tightly around the boy, purring soothingly, sending strong, reassuring thoughts, feelings, support along the bond he shared with his youngest. On his other side, Goku joined him, tail around Sage, brushing tightly up against Vegeta’s as he helped cocoon their child in a warm envelope of love and trust.

None of the three were aware of time’s passage, finally simply letting go and sitting back.

Vegeta brushed a hand over Sage’s face. “Are you all right?” he asked softly.

Sage shook his head. “I’m not,” he said, his voice low. “I want Gohan.”

Vegeta felt his throat tighten. Kami take it, he couldn’t remember a time in his life since the birth of his second child where he had been so close to tears so damned often!

“Why did he leave, Tousan? I don’t understand?” Sage’s voice was small, plaintive.

“He left, I think, because he is confused,” said Vegeta honestly. “And because he feels guilty.”

“But why?”

Goku’s voice ran easily over Sage’s ears. “He feels guilty because he claimed you when he was still married to Videl. He feels guilty because he knows now he married Videl for the wrong reasons. He feels guilty because you are so young, and are now bound to him, no matter what you might wish. And he is confused, because he loves you, wants to be with you, but he can’t seem to let himself. When he first woke up, baby, and realized what he had done, he thought of himself in terms of Stanley Burns.”

“NO!” Sage’s shout was deafening. “How could he THINK that?? Do I have no say in this? He claimed me, but he didn’t force me. He did it to protect me. He didn’t hurt me…at least; he didn’t hurt me until he left...” Sage’s voice trailed off.

Goku hugged him tightly. “I know, sweetheart, but know this is hurting Gohan as well.”

“Then WHY did he leave?” Sage burst out. “Why leave if it will do nothing but hurt us? I...I...I don’t understand why I feel this way. I want him here.” He fixed his gaze with his Tousan’s. “I need him here, Tousan,” he said quietly.

Vegeta forcibly fought down the response Sage wanted from him. An assurance he would of course bring Gohan here, make him stay…FIX it, as he was wont to fix everything in his son’s life that wasn’t right. Instead, he swallowed, and replied, “I know you want him here, chukra. You are bonded with him after all. And you will see him, the very nature of the bond won’t allow you to be apart from him for terribly long. But this is something you must work out with Gohan. We cannot interfere with a bonded pair.”

Sage stared for a moment in disbelief at his father. Then, as though a light had turned on behind his eyes, he nodded slowly. “I think...I think I understand, Tousan, Baka...I can feel Gohan. I don’t like this. I don’t like what he’s done, leaving me to go back to HER. But...I love him. I have to wait, don’t I.” It wasn’t a question expecting an answer but a statement. A testament to his new maturity. Sage, for his age, stature and overall childishness, was no longer a child, not completely. His first heat had changed him, then Gohan’s claim had changed him further. A man-child, trapped between childhood and adulthood, with adult responsibilities and a child’s boundaries.

Goku and Vegeta both saw the dawning realization in Sage’s face and felt it through their blood bonds with their youngest offspring. They shared a glance, full of pain, resignation and pride, and helped their son to the bathroom to clean up.

Sage spent the rest of the day and the following morning quietly recovering, managing earlier than anyone expected of him to walk on his own, albeit it slowly, and with a pronounced limp. His pain was evident to the entire contingent of Saiyjins and demi-Saiyjins alike; he couldn’t even manage to hide it from the human aspect of the house. Most everyone kept their distance from Sage, sensing solitude was what he wanted most. Only his grandmother seemed exempt from the banishment, drawing genuine smiles from the boy as she cooked his favorite meals and baked his favorite cakes, cookies and pastries.

Consequently he was alone when he had a visitor in the early afternoon the day after his awakening.

Sage was lying sprawled out on his stomach on his father’s bed, sitting and laying on his back still being somewhat painful, and very uncomfortable. He was sketching industriously, using the pictures in the photo album beside him as references, trying to capture the differences between Gohan’s “Gohan” face, his “Kakkarotto” face, and his newest, Sage smiled to himself, his “Sage” face. He sighed and stretched, reaching out for his family. His fathers were out at one of their favorite sparring grounds...no longer sparring. Sage smirked and turned his attention to his brothers, yoked into slavery for the day, a punishment for a prank involving ki, cake frosting and their grandfather’s black cat. They were currently in Kassan’s lab, doing grunt work, and would be so for the rest of the day. He resisted feeling out for Gohan. Sage grimaced and sighed again. He was no closer to being used to being away from Gohan, though the sharpness of the pain had dulled somewhat. He understood a bit better now, what Gohan had been trying to relay to him in regards to Truten. How they were the same, but different. Brothers still, but more. He could see it from the inside now, and the ache plaguing him was relentless. What would it be like, he wondered, if Gohan were here with me? No, he corrected himself. What would it be like if I were with Gohan, where I’m supposed to be.

He turned his attention to the photo album beside his sketch pad, running slender fingers over a picture of himself and Gohan only a few months ago, by the pool. Did I know then? He wondered. Did Gohan? He examined the picture, Gohan’s arm around his sinuous, tanned waist, easy grin on a wet face, his own face turned up towards Gohan’s, hinting of a smile just below the surface as two dripping tails twined together off to the side. Brotherly affection, nothing more, just as it had always been, right? He frowned, remembering his fury at finding out Gohan was going to marry Videl, his mixed emotions when Pan had been born, delighted in the new baby who was Gohan’s, but feeling strangely ambivalent towards the mother, always resenting the time Gohan spent with Videl, ever since he could remember. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the woman; he just didn’t like her around Gohan, and never had.

Well, nothing was going to get resolved about that anytime soon. He flipped back a page, and started going over a sketch of Gohan as an ascended Super Saiyjin. Finding the right color of blue-green to match the shade his eyes became was near impossible. He grumbled to himself as he selected an art marker he had dubbed “Super Saiyjin Gold” and carefully began coloring in Gohan’s flaming spikes. It was soothing, and he didn’t hear the door opening from its half-closed position.

He paused, marker suspended as a shadow fell over him. His face settled into a scowl as his sensitive nose recognized the caster of the shadow. Videl.

“What do you want?” he asked, not bothering to look up at her.

Videl wasn’t certain what she had expected, but Sage’s near snarling at her wasn’t it. She’d been struggling with this whole situation for nearly two weeks now, since the day Gohan had left to help Sage through his first heat. She honestly hadn’t understood why it had to be Gohan, but had halfway accepted the necessity...until that Friday. She had felt, seeing Gohan holding the small demi-Saiyjin so close to him and snarling, “MINE” at her, as though she had lost her husband. Lost him forever. She had known since the first day she’d really met Gohan, not just seen him around at school, he wasn’t completely human. She had thought she had come to terms with his alien side, even going so far as to never suggest their daughter’s slender tail be removed. She knew the full moon affected him, she knew he had regular “heats”, though she never thought much of them. She realized now it was because Gohan had strove to hide them from her. But to see him so possessive of the boy he called his otouto, to see the same boy she had helped diaper as a chibi lift his mouth up to her husband’s to share a kiss so intimate the mere thought of it even now bringing a rise of rose to her cheeks, how could he? How could she bear it, deal with it, accept it? She couldn’t.

And for some reason, the main point against it being the overheard conversation between Gohan and Pan Gohan’s first night back, she didn’t believe it had ended when the rut ended. She knew what claimed meant, sort of, it was a Saiyjin marriage tradition. Goku-san and Vegeta-san didn’t wear wedding rings; instead they had oddly shaped bite marks where their shoulder and neck joined. Recently, she had noticed Goten and Trunks sporting identical marks as well. And after that bit of eavesdropping, she had noticed Gohan’s. She could see now, clearly on Sage’s slim neck a bruised mark consistent with the other “claim marks” she had seen. Gohan had never claimed her, she was glad he’d never even suggested it. She shuddered thinking of how hard she’d have to be bitten to have a mark like that. It was…ugly. She fingered her pretty gold and diamond wedding band absently as she considered the boy prone before her.

Her brain went over and over again the conversation she’d had with her mother-in-law after seeing Gohan and Sage that Friday. Next to her upturned overwhelming emotions, the scholastic side of demi-Saiyjin biology simply made no sense to her. And at this point, she was beyond caring. She wanted Gohan back, the way he had been before he’d gone off to screw the brat on the bed in front of her. Heats, ruts, full moons, what were they to the everlasting promises she and Gohan had made together? What were bite marks against the gold and diamond bands adorning their ring fingers? And above all, they had a child together. Gohan and Sage couldn’t have that, (conveniently forgetting the onkru’kah part of the conversation)...her teeth ground together at the very thought.

“Well? Is there something you want, Videl? Or are you going to just stand there glaring at me. I’m not going anywhere just now; I’m still a touch sore, so if you have something to say, by all means, say it.”

She set her jaw, remembering she’d have to be careful dealing with him. If she made a wrong move, there could very well be several pissed off Saiyjins bearing down on her..fast. The fact of the matter was Sage was EVERYBODY’s favorite. And recovering from...she shut it out of her mind, she did NOT want the image of Gohan screwing Sage in her brain.

“I want you to release Gohan from whatever hold you have over him.” Simple enough, she thought.

Sage stared at her. She stared back. The corner of his mouth twitched. She watched as it twitched again. His blue-black tail snapped in the air. He couldn’t hold it back...he snorted, a prelude to an all out belly-laugh. The laugh however, to anyone who cared to hear the undertones, was bitter.

“The hold I have over HIM? What would that be exactly, Videl? You must not have been paying attention in demi-Saiyjin Biology 101...and I know you’ve taken the course. If I had any hold over him, he would have never left to go back to YOU.”

Her jaw was dropped in amazement as she watched the boy slowly push himself up into a kneeling position, then lithely swing his legs around to sit on the edge of the bed, his tail draped gracefully over a tightly muscled thigh. She watched for a sign, any sign of discomfort or pain, but his face was set, blank. She could read nothing from his expression.

“Look, Sage, I don’t know what exactly happened...”

He cut her off. “Then I’ll tell you, onna. It really is simple. Gohan came to help me through my first heat. No big deal really, and yet a huge deal all the same. It shouldn’t have changed anything, but the full moon, and the mating rut that followed did. Gohan claimed ME. There is a hold, but he is in charge of it. He commands it. He holds sway over ME, not the other way around. You’re talking to the wrong demi. I have no choice but to wait for whatever decision Gohan eventually makes.” He stood, facing her, slightly shorter than she, but casting an aura of power Videl could almost taste. “I am his bonded mate, Videl. I don’t know what my koi will choose, but realize whatever he decides, nothing can erase the bond we have, will always have. He married you. He CLAIMED me.”

Before she had realized what she was doing, her hand had lifted and was moving to slap the smug smirk from the boy’s face. Her hand had barely moved when it was clamped in a vice-like grip, stopping it’s forward momentum dead. Sage hadn’t budged, but his eyes were big and shining, a small, sweet smile gracing his face replacing the arrogant smirk that had so infuriated her. She turned her head, expecting to see one of her fathers-in-law.

Instead, she saw her husband.

“Gohan?” she squeaked, suddenly nervous at the look in his turquoise eyes.

“You will NOT touch my mate.”

Her eyes were wide…VERY wide. “Gohan, let go, you’re hurting me!” His grip didn’t relax, and she realized he was waiting for her to say something. “I won’t hurt him, I won’t touch him, Gohan, let go, please!”

He released her wrist. “I will say this only once, Videl. I have not made my decision. I claimed Sage under a full moon, in the midst of a mating rut. I wish I had not done so, though perhaps not for the reasons you may think. Until I have made my decision, I will return home, with you, and with Pan. When and how I decide is not your business nor your concern. You are my wife. Sage is my mate. For the time being, you are both going to have to learn to live with that. I cannot make a true decision with Sage so young. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us because any decision made would be tainted by that fact.”

“I don’t see what decision there is to make, Gohan, you’re married to me,” said Videl. “And if you think I’m going to leave...” He silenced her with a look.

“Hai, I married you. In a human tradition. And I will honor those vows. However I also gave Sage vows beneath the full moon and sealed them in blood. Tell me, which should hold more sway?”

“Our marriage vows, of course,” said Videl promptly. “They came first, and besides that, they’re legal. Your “relationship” with Sage isn’t.”

Gohan considered that. “True. However, as a subject of the Saiyjin no Ouji, I am bound by honor, tradition, blood and Saiyjin law to keep true the vows I made to the one I claimed. And our “relationship” is more than legal, it has the approval of the Saiyjin no Ouji AND his mate, the boy’s Saiyjin parents. How is that less meaningful than our marriage vows?”

Videl had no answer to that. She sputtered, trying to form a coherent sentence, when Gohan ushered her out of the room. “Go home, Videl. We'll talk later. I need to have words with Vegeta.”

For once in their relationship...she obeyed.

Gohan turned to Sage, his golden spikes fading to obsidian, teal eyes melting into vivid black wells. Gently, he took Sage’s small chin in one great hand and turned his face up, dragging Sage’s onyx eyes to meet his own ebony orbs. “Sage, I will keep my vows to you. I swore to love and protect you always. I will. Do you understand why I must wait to make my decision?”

“I understand. I don’t agree there is a decision to be made, but then neither does Videl.”

Gohan chuckled darkly. “I am sorry, chibi...”

“Don’t call me that, Gohan, please.” Sage’s voice was uncharacteristically soft. “I’m not a child anymore, you’ve seen to that. And don’t apologize. I love you, Gohan...I always will. And even though I have no choice but to abide by your wishes, I do so willingly, out of my endless love for you.” He paused. “But don’t expect me to be this…compliant about it all the time.”

Gohan laughed out loud. “I wouldn’t expect it of you...my Ouji. I am your humble subject, yours to command, always.”

Sage snorted. “In that case, I command you to kiss me, damnit.”

And smiling, Sage’s elfin chin still grasped gently in his deft, immense hand, Gohan leaned down, tipped Sage’s royal head back slightly, and obeyed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Owari???