Vegeta growled deeply in his throat as he heard the doorbell ring again that night. It didn’t matter where you went in the vast house; you always heard that damn doorbell which on this night meant only one thing.

It meant children dressed in cheap costumes to look like some sort of supernatural being asking for candy by chanting "Trick or Teat?" in those annoying high-pitched voices.

Of course he would let Bulma handle it as always, not trusting himself not to blow the little punks to ashes as the people on this planet didn’t seem to appreciate actions like that. True, life under Frieza had been pretty frustrating and it had practically been forced labour but at least there were plenty to opportunities to take out your frustration on a being weaker then yourself. Here he didn’t really have that freedom anymore.

On the bright side, at least he had some peace tonight. Trunks and Goten had taken Bra and Pan out on their first Trick or Treat so he knew that he would be left to himself for the night.

A small smile flickered at the corner of his lips when he remembered how his young daughter had eagerly shown him her princess costume but caught himself almost straight away and returned his face back to its usual hostile glare. Truth be told, he had thought that she looked more like a clown with that make-up plastered over her face but, for once, had bit his tongue and just given a small forced smile and a nod.

As he heard the door closing again with his sensitive Saiyan hearing, meaning that the group of children had been given their candy and sent on their way, he turned to glance down the corridor but ended up catching a look of his reflection in the mirror that hung on the wall instead.

The hallway was unlit and the light from outside was dimming heavily as evening quickly turned to night as it often did in the autumn month. A light breeze blew outside to pull a few coloured leaves off from the trees and onto the damp ground below where they would be swept into piles and maybe later jumped into and thrown around by playing children.

The wind was the only thing that Vegeta heard from outside as he stared back at his reflection in the mirror, the lack of light making his features look deep and old. There was the murmur of children talking excitedly amongst themselves as they compared the treats that they had received but he was able to block that well enough. He was part of a warrior race; he had learnt how to hear only what was necessary.

There was something about what he saw that bothered Vegeta but, for some reason, he couldn’t quite think what it was. It wouldn’t be ageing; it was hardly noticeable on a Saiyan. With the length of a Saiyan lifespan he was still young and in his prime anyway. Was it his eyes maybe? They did seem a little - - softer then they used to be. Less hard and full of bloodlust. Maybe that was it?

Snapping himself out of the stupid thought, Vegeta closed his eyes and shook his head before turning and heading back along the hallway. It was probably just because he hadn’t really done any proper training all this week but he could use tonight to catch up seeing as he finally had some peace and quiet. A good workout would get such stupid thoughts out of his head. Softer eyes indeed!

There was a far away flash of lightning as a storm began somewhere far in the distance and the shriek of startled children but Vegeta paid them no mind as he entered his Gravity Chamber and slammed the door behind him.

What he didn’t see was the reflection left in the mirror that he had glanced into. He hadn’t seen a copy of his face left in the cold glass that slowly opened its eyes again as the lightning vanished and a soft rumble of thunder was heard. Its eyes were dark underneath and the smirk that spread over its face was one of evil and a slight childlike mischief. In the middle of its darkened forehead stood a large curly ‘M’.

Turning to look where Vegeta had vanished down the hallway, it stepped out of the mirror and turned into a shadow on the wall, unnoticeable in the dim light. It slunk silently across the wall, moving quickly to get to its target. Within a few minutes it had reached the door of the Gravity Chamber and slipped under the thin gap at the bottom of the door. Where only a shadow could get through.

Inside it went to a dark corner where it would be unnoticed for now and watched as the stubborn prince put himself through another brutal self training session. Only its Saiyan copied eyes could follow the fast frenzy of kicks and punches that Vegeta sent out against an invisible energy as he twisted and turned in the air in every direction that he could muster.

There was already sweat running down his body as he tried to get used to the high gravity pressure that he had set that night to work off his frustrations of the day. His training shorts felt tight around his legs as his muscles tensed as tightly as they were able to. This way he would be able to push every single part of his body to the absolute limit and beyond so that he could better himself and finally be able to call himself the strongest warrior in existence.

Spinning around fast in the air, he halted suddenly and kicked out then flipped upside down, aiming a punch up above him before descending down to the ground again. He landed slowly, his chest heaving slightly and his forehead moist.

Sucking in a deep breath and holding it for a moment, Vegeta sat cross-legged on the floor before exhaling again. He folded his arms and closed his eyes to concentrate and focus his power. The prince knew that he would be able to go on for hours, all he needed to do was be in the right sort of mind.

As he began to slip into his meditative state he was rudely interrupted by a low laughter that seemed to be coming from all around him. With a fierce growl his eyes were open and he was up like a shot, his body tense and his eyes shooting in every direction to try and identify the source of the noise.

"Where are you?" he called angrily when he found that he couldn’t see anything. "How dare you enter my Gravity Chamber! Come out and face me you coward!"

The laughter got a little louder and then right in front of him a gold-tipped white boot stepped right out of the wall.

Vegeta recoiled a little as the foot stepped out. He had seen a lot in his time but hadn’t experienced anything like this. Was it a ghost or something? There was no way that this Halloween crap was actually real!

A leg in a tight navy spandex came out next and then a whole body came gliding out of the wall with all the ease of simply walking through an open door. Vegeta blinked hard before looking again. He knew exactly what he was seeing, he just couldn’t believe that it was actually real. Maybe he had been pushing himself harder then he thought.

Before him stood what he had once been. Maijin Vegeta.

He looked exactly like Vegeta in every way with his tall thick hair, the tight blue spandex that he seemed to have taken up wearing when sparring with Kakarott lately right down to the particular way his arms were folded over his chest and the cruel smile on his face.

The only difference was the large M on his forehead that signalled one of the wizard Babadis henchmen, a Maijin.

"What - - is going on here?" Vegeta nearly choked as he stared at the Maijin warrior now stood in front of him. "Who are you?"

"What’s that? Who am I?" an amused look came over Maijin Vegetas face as his head cocked to the side a little. "I would have thought that by now you would be able to recognise yourself Vegeta."

"You’re not me!" Vegeta slapped one hand over his chest to put any uneasy part of his mind at rest. "This is who I am. You’re just an impostor!"

"Oh, but I’m not. Like it or not, I am you Vegeta," his arms unfolded and they dropped to his side. From behind him a dark tail flicked into Vegetas view before disappearing again. "I am what you are deep inside, what you long to be again. Think of me as your shadow Vegeta. Something that is unnoticed but won’t go away no matter what you do."

"Get lost!"

With a cry of fury Vegeta threw himself towards the Maijin, drawing his fist back and surrounding it with a blazing blue aura as he did so. Tensing every muscle in his body, even those that were not needed for the attack, he punched the face of the Maijin harder then he had ever hit anything in his life.

But it was no good.

To his bewilderment and indeed horror the fist passed right through the Maijins face, right through that twisted smirk on his face that didn’t move. The cold taunting eyes didn’t even blink as the fist came out through the other side and stopped just inches away from the wall that he had stepped out of.

In most cases Vegeta would have drawn back to regroup himself but on this occasion he didn’t. He just stared at the fist going right through the face that looked exactly like his own. His attack had been of no use at all, almost as if this person were as untouchable as a ghost was.

Or a shadow.

The smirk of the Maijin widened, showing off sharp white teeth as he casually raised a hand to grasp Vegetas wrist, his fist still clenched. In one swift solid movement he had thrust Vegetas arm up to leave him exposed before driving his knee hard into his gut. The prince’s eyes flew wide open as he almost choked, coughing up some saliva and a few drops of blood. The Maijin let his wrist go and Vegeta dropped to the floor, his shoulders hunched over as he wrapped his arms tightly around his bruised stomach.

"I told you Vegeta, I’m just like your shadow," he stood over the wounded Saiyan, stepping closer to him. "I’m untouchable to you, you can’t harm me at all. But as you can see, I am able to do whatever I want to you."

"Fuck you!" Vegeta hissed, raising his head to glare up at him with burning angry eyes.

"Actually, it’s going to be the other way around," the Maijin lay a hand upon Vegetas forehead, pulling at a few strands of hair before pushing him down onto his back. In a flash he was upon him, straddling his waist and holding his wrists just a little above his head.

"Get off me!" Vegeta cried with rage, straining against the Maijins strength to get back to his feet. He bucked his hips up sharply and tried to pull his wrists free but the grip didn’t loosen.

"You just don’t learn at all do you?" the tone of his voice was one of a nasty amusement. "I am equal to you in every way. The difference is that I can touch you but you can’t touch me. That would give me the advantage over you, don’t you think?"

Vegeta said nothing but growled loudly in his throat. His eyes met the Maijins and they were locked in a staring competition. The one thing that Vegeta would not allow himself to do was to show any sort of fear and concern so he did not, almost challenging Maijin Vegeta with his silent glare. But, just like his, the glare of the Maijin showed no signs of budging either.

His concentration was shattered when he felt a tail slip up into the legs of his shorts and slowly started running up and down the inside of his thigh. Before he could stop himself, his eyes widened and he let out a sharp gasp as the small hairs lightly tickled his skin.

"Enjoying that?" he taunted him, his voice almost becoming a little serpent-like. "You’ve seen nothing yet Vegeta, trust me."

His tail snaked up further, brushing against the sensitive skin on Vegetas upper thigh to make him gasp and buck his hips a little again. The furry appendage slipped out of the top of the training shorts and hooked the tip around the hem before pulling them down in one fast pull. The tail pulled Vegetas shorts down to his knees so he used his foot to guide it the rest of the way.

"No underwear for training Vegeta?" Maijin Vegeta said with a low laugh as he kicked the shorts aside. "That’s OK, it makes my job a little easier."

"You’re fucking twisted!" he snarled, biting his lip as the tail began to caress his leg again. "Let me up now!"

"Hmm, let’s see. Let you up or have you writhing beneath me," the Maijins voice dripped with sarcasm as he mocked the prince. "I think I’d rather go with the second one. Believe me, you’ll learn to enjoy it."

With another rage-filled cry, Vegeta began straining to get up again but the Maijin leaned forward slightly to place some more weight upon his wrists and wrapped his legs around the Saiyans, parting them to spread those of his victim.

Before he could even think about trying to control himself, a low groan came from Vegeta as the tail entered his body, slowly pushing its way in further and further. His hips bucked up again but this time as a reaction as the tail slowly withdrew a little before sinking back into him. His mouth flew wide open and his breath hitched in his throat, making his heart pang painfully.

"Relax a little," he closed his eyes as he heard the voice in his ear. "I would have thought that you’d be used to it by now."

"You what?" Vegeta growled, slightly opening his eyes to glare at him. "How - - how did you?"

"I told you before, I know everything about you. You can’t hide from your shadow. Tell me, does the name Kakarott ring a bell?"

"Kakarott? But - - that - - "

"Oh yes it was," he wriggled his tail a little inside him, touching something very sensitive inside Vegeta to make him hiss through his teeth, throwing his head back. "There’s been a lot of times hasn’t there? Like that time at the celebration barbecue, remember? When you went off he did too and got you cornered, neither of you two could resist it could you? Or what about the time before that at the tournament when the two of you went off just after the numbers had been drawn? You two almost got caught that time but you enjoyed it, am I right?"

Vegeta didn’t respond as he now lay still, his half-closed eyes distant and thoughtful. The Maijin shadow was right, there had been quite a few times with the other Saiyan. But what did that have to do with anything?

"So, how about it?"

He blinked as he was brought back into reality by a different voice. It wasn’t his, not the one of the Maijins. This voice was different, less harsh and more relaxed. Looking up, Vegeta found himself looking right into Gokus face smiling down at him.

"Kakarott?" he almost choked on his surprise. What had happened to the Maijin? He could still feel the cold floor underneath his bare skin so he knew that he hadn’t been dreaming. Or had he? Or was this some sort of mind game? What was going on?

"Glad to see that you’re happy to see me too," the other Saiyan grinned before he bent down to take Vegetas lips with his own, kissing him deeply.

Vegeta didn’t know exactly what was going on but at that moment he was convinced that the one above him was truly Goku. His lips, his touch, they were warm and gentle like nothing else that he knew. It had to be him. Nothing could mimic what Goku had.

Responding to the kiss, Vegeta slipped his wrists out of Gokus loosened grip to snake them around his back and neck and pushed his body up against him, drawing out something that was somewhere along the lines of a moan or a purr of pleasure from Gokus throat.

Steadying himself with one hand, Goku ran the other slowly down Vegetas body, tracing a path with his fingertips to build a mental map of the way his muscles dipped and curved in his body. He didn’t stop when he passed Vegetas stomach, beginning to stroke him slowly but hard to draw out a low man from Vegeta as he broke the kiss and somewhat buried his face in Gokus hair, tightening his grip around his lovers flesh.

"Tell me Vegeta, do you fear me at all?" Goku spoke softly into his ear, flicking out his tongue to lick his earlobe.

"What? Why would I?" Vegeta managed to speak through his heavy breathing as his chest heaved up and down from how Goku touched him, wondering why he would ask such an odd question. "Why?"

"Oh no reason."

Vegeta wondered for a moment what exactly had possessed Goku to ask such a strange question as the other Saiyan started to attack his neck and shoulders, kissing him and scraping his teeth over the heated skin. His train of thought was soon interrupted however as he felt Goku inside him, forcing out the breath that he hadn’t even known that he had been holding in a short sharp gasp. His back arched as he pushed himself up right against Gokus body, forcing the larger Saiyan a little further inside him. His arms were wrapped tightly around his neck, almost as if he were clinging to him for dear life. Suddenly Vegeta found that he didn’t care about why Goku was here and what had happened to the Maijin, he found that he couldn’t care less.

Small pleased noises rumbled from somewhere in Gokus throat as he began to move back up his neck and returned to his mouth, running the tip of his tongue over Vegetas bottom lip before kissing him again. He slipped his tongue inside the other Saiyans mouth, running it along anything that he could reach. Soon he felt Vegetas slip up against his and they danced together.

Unable to break out of the hungry kiss this time Vegetas sharp cry was muffled as Goku pushed hard against him once again, this time able to reach something inside him that shot harsh intense waves of pleasure through every nerve and vein in his body. He tried to fight it but Vegeta still found himself a little overcome with dizziness that came and arched his back a little further as whatever it was inside him was pushed against again. Heated flesh rubbed against each other only to cause more excitement and passion in the actions of the two Saiyans.

Eventually Goku broke the kiss, panting and breathing hard but still managed to keep himself supported over Vegeta with his hands either side of him, almost as if he were trapping him. As Vegetas grip loosened around him so that his back was lowered back onto the cool tiled floor he went down with him, running his tongue over whatever he could reach with the salty taste of the princes skin lingering in his mouth long afterwards.

He could feel Vegetas relaxed state that was now usually there when he was around him. Before he had been forever hard and cold, almost like a living statue that had been carved a heart from cold steel. But now that was changing, the tension about the prince was loosening when he was around, a little more every time.

And that was probably one of his greatest weaknesses now.

Purring deeply and kissing Gokus neck, Vegeta suddenly stopped when he heard laughter. But it wasn’t Gokus laughter. It was different, it sounded more sinister, deeper then what Goku could do. In a way, it almost sounded like his own laughter.

"Kakarott?"

Opening his eyes instead of seeing Goku he found himself staring right back into his own face, right back into the grinning taunting face of the Maijin.

"What?" crying out in surprise, Vegeta immediately let go of him to press himself back against the chilled floor tiles. "But - - I - - how?"

"I would have thought that you would have been smart enough to figure that out," the Maijin smirked down at him, his eyes silently laughing at the foolish prince below him. "You’ve been on a few night hunts in your time. You know that the shadows become disorientated and disfigured. They look like one thing when really they are something completely different, like when a knarled grabbing hand is really just the bear branches of a tree. Sometimes it’s easy to be fooled by them just like you were. You are so easily fooled by your shadow that you thought that I was your precious Goku."

Vegeta said nothing but cried out in rage as the low mocking laughter broke out again.

But then he felt the weight on his body vanish. The legs intertwined with his were no longer there anymore; neither were the hands holding him down. Suddenly it all seemed to just vanish without a trace.

Looking up again he saw nothing this time. The Maijin was gone, no where to be seen. His reactions slow and sluggish for a moment Vegeta lay on his back, still naked, and stared up at the ceiling as he wondered what had happened. Turning his head, he could just about see through one of the small circular windows that had been installed around the walls of the Gravity Chamber. There was thick dark cloud covering the sky with rain pouring down from it, blocking out the moon and the stars.

That was it! That was how the Maijin had suddenly vanished!

Because he was a shadow, and now the moon was blocked. At night shadows couldn’t show without something like the moon to illuminate them. But now that the moon was blocked by this cloud that seemed as dark and heavy as the night itself there was nothing that would allow him to show himself.

Deciding that he had had enough training for tonight, Vegeta scrambled to his feet and hastily pulled his shorts back on, unable to care about whether they were the right way round or not.

He walked quickly to the door and reached out a hand to open it before he froze as the laughter came again. Turning quickly to press his back against the door as his eyes shot around the room to try and pinpoint where this taunting noise was coming from.

But it was coming from every single direction; it was all around him, harshly mocking him, telling him that it would follow him wherever he went.

The hairs on the nape of his neck stood up and a cold chill ran down his spine when he felt a hand come through the closed door and grip his shoulder tightly, the fingers digging in to cut his skin open a little.

As the taunting laughter continued to sound all around him, Vegeta heard a slow harsh whisper in his ear.

"You can run as far as you like Vegeta. But you can’t escape the shadows."

THE END