Twenty at last
Phoenix opened his eyes slowly. The sunlight poured in the window and almost blinded him. Phoenix grumbled a few words before burying his head back into the pillows and pulling the sheet up to his neck. He sighed in pure bliss. Velvet always let him lie in on his birthday, no matter what. He snuggled into his pillow and sighed again. His tail, which hung out of the bed, flicked slightly in content. Phoenix folded his arms under the pillow and rested his head to the side. He glanced around his room for a few moments before smiling. Despite how sad it was to leave his teen years behind, Phoenix looked forward to his twenties. Unfortunately it meant more responsibilities but it also meant getting a mate and becoming the king of planet in place of his father, Vegeta. Phoenix brushed all his thoughts aside and shuffled under his sheets before drifting back into a very comfortable sleep.
Shadow yawned as she wandered to Phoenix's room, hugging her night-robe tightly around herself... Velvet had asked her to go wake the prince up. Yawning again, she turned down the corridor and stopped at Phoenix's door. The castle was incredibly peaceful and everyone was feeling rather drowsy for some reason. It was relaxed; no complaints though… Shadow smiled as she opened the door slowly and peeked in. Phoenix was no where to be seen except for the dead give-away of the lump under the bed-sheets. Shadow walked over and prodded the mound. A quiet sound was emitted and the mound jiggled a bit. Shadow smiled and prodded it a few more times. Yet more groans and jiggling.
"Oh, come on you… I know you're in there…" Shadow said quietly. The sheets were pulled down a bit and Phoenix's messy hair poked over the top, his bangs almost completely covering his eyes and nose.
"What d'ya want?" He asked sleepily, squinting in the light. Shadow smiled at the sleepy prince.
"Velvet-san asked me to wake you up…" She said, tapping his nose. Phoenix wrinkled his nose up and pulled the covers over his head again.
"You're cruel… imagine waking someone up on their birthday…" He mumbled. Shadow rolled her eyes as she knelt down by his bed. She prodded him again and heard a slight murmur. "Stoppit!"
"Well get up then!"
"I don't wanna…" Phoenix said in a muffled voice.
"You're so lazy…" Shadow sighed. Phoenix poked his head over the top of the sheets again.
"I'm allowed to be…"
"No you're not… Now come on!" She said, more firmly this time. Phoenix grinned before sticking his tongue out at her and retreating back under the sheets. Shadow frowned and grabbed the sheets before tugging at them. Phoenix yelped as the cold air hit him like a block of ice.
"Ah! Ah! Cold! Gimme the sheets!" He wailed, snatching for the sheet that Shadow was tugging away from him. Shadow stood up and gave the sheet a good hard tug, pulling Phoenix onto the cold floor and making him yelp in a very high pitch. Shadow giggled as she looked down at the shivering prince, clad in nothing but black boxers. He scrambled back onto the bed and sat cross-legged, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "I swear, I will get you back for this…"
The saiya-jins that had already woken up all sat around the new dining table, which had been replaced for the sixth time that month. Vegeta sat at the side of one of the end seats with Velvet across from him. Midnight sat next to her. There was a space next to Vegeta for Shadow, with Kakarotto sitting next to that ad Ikra sitting across from him, next to Midnight. They all turned to the door as Shadow walked in, a very sleepy-looking Phoenix behind her. Shadow sat down, as did Phoenix. He stretched before looking around. At once, the saiya-jins all burst into congratulations on his twentieth birthday, nearly scaring Phoenix out of his skin. Velvet shifted her chair round and hugged her son.
"Sorry to wake you up, Phoenix-chan…" She said softly, stroking her son's head soothingly. He smiled and closed his eyes.
"It's okay, mom…" He smiled, hugging her back.
"Well, you're not a teenager anymore… Hahahahaha to you!" Midnight giggled. Phoenix smiled.
"It's actually kinda weird… I don't feel any different but I know I am…"
"I don't want to turn twenty…" Shadow explained. "I love being a teenager!"
"Yeah, only because you have an excuse for violent mood swings!" Kakarotto joked. Shadow laughed and messed up her father's hair. He complained and fixed it as best he could.
"So, Phoenix… what do you want to do for the day? Since it's your birthday, you're free to do whatever you want!" Vegeta told him with a grin. Phoenix smiled.
"I'm just going to hang out with my friends until tonight…" Phoenix said simply. "Nothing too complicated… Besides, the gathering is less than two weeks away! I'll get enough excitement then…"
"Oh good, that's pretty easy for us then!" Ikra joked. Phoenix laughed before yawning. Velvet smiled.
"Still tired?"
"Yeah, a lot…" Phoenix smiled drowsily. Velvet smiled as her son looked at her pleadingly. She rolled her eyes.
"All right, go on back to bed for a while…"
"Yes! Thanks mom!" He cheered happily, kissing Velvet on the cheek before bolting back to bed. Velvet laughed and shrugged.
"At least he's easy to please…"
Shadow sighed as she stared out at the kingdom around them. Her balcony over-looked the less-busy part of the castle area but it was still far from empty. She looked down below her and saw Phoenix. She sighed again. Phoenix looked up at her suddenly and smiled. Shadow blinked a few times as he flew up to her and floated in front of her, arms crossed and a smile on his face.
"Well?"
"Well what?" Shadow asked. Phoenix rolled his eyes with a smile.
"Are you coming or not?"
"What?"
"I said I was hanging out with my friends… that includes you…" He said with a grin, tapping her nose with his finger. Shadow pulled back and gave him a mock scowl before smiling happily.
"Are you for real?"
"Very much so, ma'am… I would be delighted if you would grant me the pleasure of your company on this fine day…" He said in his best posh-type accent, bowing low before her. Shadow couldn't help but laugh.
"I would be honoured, young sir…" She smiled, playing along with the little charade. Phoenix looked up at her through his wild bangs and smiled charmingly. He offered her his hand, which she took as she levitated off the ground and floated over the balcony. Phoenix pulled her close so that she was right against him. He leaned his head beside her shoulder and whispered in her ear, making her shiver.
"Although I should warn you that I still have to get you back for waking me up so you'd better be on the look-out…" He all but purred into her ear. Shadow's spine tingled as he let her go with a smile. "Well, let's go find the others!"
Phoenix and Shadow flew silently to Keisha's house. She was a close friend of the two, especially Shadow. When they got there, Himika, Casio and Xantis were already waiting. Himika, Shadow and Keisha all began chatting. Casio and Xantis gave Phoenix twenty hard pounds on the back each. Phoenix was hunched over by the time they had finished. Himika and Keisha turned to him and he quickly acquired a look of dread; the girls could be more violent than the guys sometimes… Himika giggled.
"You look pale, Phoenix-chan…" She purred as she walked over to him. Phoenix's eyes shot open as Himika rose up on her tip-toes and gave him a soft peck on the lips. Phoenix smiled sheepishly, blushing quite a great deal. Keisha did the same, causing the poor guy to turn crimson. Shadow suddenly found herself frowning.
"So, um, what do we, erm, do for the day?" Phoenix asked, still quite embarrassed. Himika shrugged.
"It's up to you…"
"Well… I don't know! Someone help me think of something…" Phoenix wailed. Shadow smiled at him.
"We'll all try and think of something. First one to get an idea can share it with the others and we'll give our opinions…"
"Sounds good, Shadow…" Phoenix smiled. The saiya-jins all began thinking, trying to find some form of amusement for the whole day.
"I know!" Shadow said happily, slamming her fist into her palm. "We can go to Chearis-sei! They have a wicked amusement park! That's why we didn't blow up the planet!"
"Really?" Phoenix asked, interested.
"That'll be fun!" Keisha squealed happily. The guys nodded in agreement as did Himika. Phoenix turned to Shadow and smiled, causing her to blush a bit.
"All right! Lead the way, Shadow!"
The group of saiya-jins made their way to the space pod take off site. There were four or five giant warehouses that contained every pod on the planet that wasn't being used. Phoenix spoke to one of the watchmen at the door and their pods were brought out. The six saiya-jin teens left almost immediately, setting the co-ordinates for Chearis-sei. It took about half an hour to get to the planet. When they landed and had all climbed out of the vast craters they had made, Shadow tried to get her bearings.
"So north is that way… I'll send out my sense to try and search for any living Chearis-sei-jins…" Shadow said. Phoenix nodded.
"I'll help…. You search to the south, Ill check the north…" He suggested. Shadow agreed with a nod and proceeded to cast her senses out southward. She and Phoenix were very proficient in using their senses to detect even the smallest traces of ki. Their parents had begun to teach them it when they were able to train - about five years old or so. This meant that they both had years of practice behind them; it was as natural as breathing to them. Suddenly, Shadow turned to Phoenix with a grin.
"Phoenix, there's a small cluster of them in that direction…" Shadow pointed south-west. Phoenix smiled.
"Alright… Let's go check it out…" He said with a grin as he took off. The others all looked at each other before racing after him.
"Look! You can see it from here!" Xantis said with a grin. He pointed to the distance and sure enough, the silhouette of a fairground rose out of the horizon. Keisha smirked.
"Last one there's a tuffle!" She laughed as she sped up, suddenly shooting herself way in front. The others all did the same but couldn't catch up with her. When they landed, there were a few Chearis-sei-jins wandering around and going on the rides. Himika latched onto Phoenix's arm and smiled at him.
"We should go on the love boat…" She whispered into his ear. Phoenix instantly flushed bright red. Shadow saw them both and scowled before folding her arms.
"I'm going on the ghost train…" She said as she stomped off. Phoenix looked over at her retreating form, which Xantis, Keisha and Casio were following.
"Shadow?"
"Oh, don't worry about her… We can catch up with her later…" Himika purred. Phoenix frowned.
"I don't know… maybe we should go catch up with her now…" He said as he broke off. Himika rolled her eyes.
"Okay, let's go."
Shadow sat down on the seat in front of the other three. She had asked them to share a carriage so she could sit alone. They had agreed reluctantly. Just before the bars went down, Xantis got up and sat beside her.
"Xantis…"
"I don't want you to sit alone…" He said sheepishly, blushing as he did so. Shadow smiled at the blushing saiya-jin.
"Okay…" She said softly. The scared Chearis-sei-jin at the controls prepared to pull the lever.
"Wait, wait!" Phoenix yelled. He and Himika jumped into the cart in front of Shadow and Xantis. Shadow scowled as the bars went down over their laps.
"O-O-okay… here we g-g-go…" The alien at the controls pulled the lever and watched the cart enter the tunnel. "S-s-s-saiya-jins…" He said in a trembled voice as he stumbled of to avoid them when they came out.
During the ride, Shadow kept a constant frown, which grew every time Himika latched onto Phoenix's arm; their saiya-jin reflexes meant that none of them could be surprised by such trivial things, but Himika pretended anyway. Shadow knew fine and well that Himika planned to ask Phoenix to be her mate but for some reason, it was really bothering her. Xantis was somewhat upset with Shadow sudden attitude. When they all got off at the other end, Xantis pulled Shadow over to the side.
"What's wrong, Xantis?"
"I should be asking you that, Shadow-chan… You seem troubled by something… What's wrong?" He said, his voice full of concern. Shadow couldn't help but smile, blushing a bit. She looked up at Xantis.
"I'm fine… Your concern is a pleasant surprise but don't worry about me…" she told him softly. Xantis frowned.
"Why is it a surprise?"
"Huh?" Shadow was confused now. Xantis shook his head.
"It doesn't matter… I'll tell you later, okay?" He said. Shadow decided not to pry and nodded. The two went back to join the others.
"So what now?" Casio asked. Keisha latched onto his arm with a smile.
"How about the Ferris Wheel? Come on!" She giggled. Casio smiled down at the female.
"Alright… what about you guys?"
"Count me in…" Phoenix smiled.
"And me…"
"Me too…"
"Me three…"
"Alright then! Let's find it first…"
On the way there, the group of saiya-jins couldn't resist stopping for some candy floss. They all found a bench to relax on.
"This stuff is awkward to eat…" Xantis groaned, pulling the blob of pink floss away from his mouth. Shadow looked up at him and giggled.
"You got some on your nose…" she laughed. Xantis went cross-eyed trying to see. With another laugh, Shadow reached up and scooped it off before delicately placing it on his lips. Xantis smiled and licked it off. Neither of the two noticed Phoenix's frown grow behind his candy floss.
"I love this stuff…. It gives you such a sugar rush…" Keisha smiled. Casio looked nervous.
"Um, Keisha… Maybe you shouldn't eat it then… you know what happened last time…" He said with almost fear. The others looked at him.
"Why? What happened last time?" Himika asked. Casio shook his head slowly as an indication to not ask. The others all turned to look at Keisha, who was eating the candy floss at an alarming rate. She finished with a sigh and got up.
"I'm gonna get more!" She proclaimed happily as she bounded off. Casio practically fell off the bench with a yelp. He chased after her with a call of "I'll be right back!" over his shoulder. The others couldn't help but laugh at the image of a hyper Keisha running around with Casio on her heels.
"Maybe we should help him…" Shadow suggested. Phoenix laughed.
"Nah. It's more fun to be a spectator than a participant…" He smiled. Shadow looked over and grinned.
"Well, that doesn't apply to ALL activities…" She purred with a wink. Both the girls burst out laughing whereas the guys simply looked confused for a moment. They both caught on and grinned.
"Oh! My, my… aren't you the horny little devil…" Xantis grinned as he looked down at Shadow. Shadow put on an innocent façade.
"Whatever do you mean?"
"You know fine and well…" He purred as he moved closer for effect. Shadow smiled sweetly.
"Yes! Yes I do! We were talking about eating and fighting! What about you?"
"Oh come on!" Xantis slapped a hand on his forehead. Shadow laughed and pulled his hand away.
"Only kidding…" She purred. Xantis instantly went red. Once again, Phoenix found himself frowning.
"I wonder how long Casio and Keisha will be…" Himika pondered out loud. The group fell silent as Keisha bolted past, four candy flosses in each hand and laughing maniacally. Casio also zipped by, arms outstretched as he tried to grab hold of the feisty female. Phoenix stood up.
"Meet you at the Ferris Wheel!" He yelled after the retreating saiya-jins. He turned to the others. "Well?"
After a few more rides, Casio and Keisha finally caught up with the other four. Keisha had ran into a pole and knocked herself unconscious so Casio could carry her to the others. She had one hell of a lump on her forehead.
"Maybe we should go back to Vegeta-sei…" Phoenix suggested. "Y'know, just hang out at one of our houses or something…"
"Good idea…" Casio nodded as he looked down at the unconscious female in his arms. They group made their way back to their pods. Phoenix inputted the co-ordinates for Vegeta-sei on Keisha's pod so that Casio could take her in his pod to make sure she was okay. After a short journey, the group arrived back on Vegeta-sei.
"Who's house will we go to?" Himika asked as they all walked away from the take off site. All shrugged.
"The obvious choice would be Phoenix and Shadow's…" Xantis mused out loud. Phoenix smiled.
"All right then, we'll go to the castle…" He agreed. They all took to the skies and didn't take long to fly to the castle. They entered via Phoenix's balcony. Casio carried Keisha over to Phoenix's bed and lay her down.
"Do you think she'll wake up soon?" Casio asked as he knelt down beside the bed. Shadow walked over and leant on his shoulder, her head bent over so she could see his face.
"This is too cute… You're so worried about her!" Shadow smirked. Casio flushed red.
"I... I… I just wanna make sure she's okay…" He stuttered. Shadow laughed and ruffled his hair.
"Awww! You like her soooooo much!"
"Shut up!" Casio whined as he folded his arms on the bed and buried his face into them. The others laughed as Shadow continued to tease the poor male.
"Hey Casio, maybe if you give her the kiss of life…"
"Shadow!" Casio whined even more. Shadow ruffled his hair once more and went to sit down on one of Phoenix's fold out chairs.
"Too cute…" She smiled.
Keisha woke up within the next half an hour, much to Casio's relief and delight…
"Where are we?"
"Phoenix's room…"
"When did we get back from Chearis-sei? Or was that a dream?"
"No, it wasn't a dream… We got back about an hour ago… You knocked yourself unconscious…"
"That would explain this headache…" Keisha groaned as she rubbed her temple. Casio smiled as he sat on the edge of the bed and helped her to sit up. The others came over and stood round the bed.
"Glad to see you're awake, Keisha… Casio was REAL worried about you…" Shadow grinned. Casio flushed with colour. Surprisingly, so did Keisha.
"R-Really?" She asked sheepishly. Shadow nodded.
"Yup…"
"You're evil…" Phoenix whispered to her. Shadow simply gave him a wink. She turned back to Casio and Keisha, gasping as she did so. As she looked, Keisha had took hold of Casio's head and pulled him down before kissing him. The four round the bed all gawked in surprise, jaws open. For saiya-jins, this was quite a big thing as they didn't usually get… involved with anyone until officially realised as mates. Shadow turned to the others.
"Let's go… we can go get something for Keisha's headache from downstairs…" She suggested quietly. The other three nodded and left the room.
"Isn't it great! I wanted them to get together for soooooo long!" Himika giggled. Shadow nodded with a smile.
"I know! She's liked him for ages!"
"Has she?" Both guys asked almost in unison. Both girls nodded.
"That's weird… he liked her a lot too!" Phoenix laughed as they entered the kitchen. They went about, each collecting either food or things to help Keisha-if she needed it anymore, that is. They all sat down at the table for a moment.
"So what do you think'll happen now?" Shadow asked.
"I hope they stay together…" Phoenix smiled. Xantis nodded in a agreement before laughing.
"I'm surprised they were the first of our group to get together!"
"WHAT?!" The other three choked out. Xantis laughed.
"Oh come on! It's obvious we all have a thing for at least another one of the group we hang out in…"
"Why? Who do you like?" Himika asked. Xantis tapped his nose.
"Aha… That's for me to know…"
"We'll find out later… Even if we have to play truth or dare!" Shadow grinned. Xantis grinned back.
"Bring it on, Shadow-chan…"
When they returned upstairs, Keisha was lying down again with Casio sitting beside her. Both smiled as the others entered.
"Um… Thanks…" Keisha smiled as Shadow walked over with an ice pack. She handed it to her friend with a smile and sat down beside her.
"How's your headache?"
"Still throbbing a little…" She smiled. Shadow leaned in closer.
"How was he?" She whispered. Keisha had to keep from giggling.
"Not bad at all!" She whispered back. Shadow stood up and walked over to the fold out couch and sat down.
"So what do we do now? The residents here, also known as Phoenix and my families, are holding a birthday dinner thing when you guys leave so…"
"Just sit and talk?" Himika suggested. The others nodded.
The teens had all sat down in a circle, turning the couch and chairs to suit them. Shadow was on the couch with Phoenix and Xantis on either side of her. Himika was sitting on the chair that was next to Phoenix, and Keisha was on the other couch, her head resting on Casio's lap.
"What do you guys think the best thing we've ever done together was?"
"Probably the time when we played that prank on King Vegeta and had to run for our lives with him hot on our heels! That was fun!" Himika laughed. The others also laughed. A while back, Phoenix had put a thorn on the throne before Vegeta had sat down. The group watched as Vegeta sat down, the thorn digging right into his tail and causing him excruciating pain. The sudden chorus of laughter from the next room caused Vegeta to chase after the teens, cursing loudly. It was only when he crashed into Velvet that he gave up his pursuit, only to run away from his enraged mate.
"That was hilarious!" Shadow laughed. "Remember Phoenix's tenth birthday?"
"That wasn't funny!" Phoenix yelled.
"Yes it was! You fell right into your own cake because Midnight tripped you up!" Keisha laughed. Phoenix folded his arms.
"At least I didn't take a chunk out of someone else cake before it had even been cut!"
"I didn't!" Keisha protested. "That was Xantis! And it was MY cake!"
"I said I was sorry, okay?!" Xantis whined, hating to remember that time. Shadow laughed and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Awww… He said he didn't know… Besides, it was only because Casio spiked his drink…" She defended. Xantis smiled sheepishly, blushing a bit.
"Thanks, Shadow-chan…"
"No probs!" She grinned as she sat upright again. Phoenix folded his arms and hmphed. Shadow noticed but decided not to say anything. She had noticed him doing that a couple of times, especially when she hugged Xantis or flirted with him. Still, she didn't see the problem… she didn't have a mate and hey, she kinda liked Xantis. He was cute and sweet… Shadow looked over at Himika out of the corner of her eye. Besides… Himika wanted to be Phoenix's mate so what was his problem? Shadow sighed and decided to ask him when they were alone…
Xantis, Himika, Casio and Keisha all left a couple of hours later. Phoenix and Shadow still had that birthday dinner to sit through. The two decided to hang our in the sitting room until it was time to join their families again.
"That was quite a relaxed day…" Phoenix smiled as he leant back in the chair, relaxing. Shadow nodded.
"Yep! No rushing around doing errands or anything…" She smiled. As the two relaxed, Shadow remembered what she had wanted to ask Phoenix. She sat upright. "Phoenix?"
"Yes, Shadow-chan?" He replied, looking over at her through half-shut eyes. Shadow caught her breath. He had never called her 'Shadow-chan' before… And the way he was just now, she had never found him so… attractive… Shadow gulped, calming herself.
"I wanted to ask you something… about today…" She said quietly. Phoenix sat upright and turned to her.
"What's wrong, Shadow-chan?" He asked with a bit of concern. Shadow clenched a fist. There was that 'chan' thing again… Was he trying to make this difficult or what?!
"It's just that… Well… I noticed…" Shadow trailed off, mentally kicking herself at her sudden nervousness. Come on! This was Phoenix! She'd lived with and been around the guy since she was born! She could tell him anything! She gasped as she suddenly found him shuffling closer to her. He took her chin in his hand and turned her head to look at him. Shadow felt her heart race as she stared into his eyes. Oh yeah, he was definitely trying to drive her crazy… and he was managing…
"You seem… troubled by something… Please, tell me…" He said softly, his eyes searching hers to try and work out what was wrong. Shadow smiled. For some reason, she absolutely loved it when he showed so much concern… It made her feel much better…
"Phoenix… I was just wondering… today, you kept scowling about something… Y'know, folding you arms and sighing as if you were annoyed and thing like that…" She said. Phoenix let go of her chin and pulled back a bit, looking away.
"Oh… Um, yeah, well…" He said, his voice and actions showing his sudden nervousness. Shadow found herself giggling, causing Phoenix to turn back round. "What?"
"It's just… you're all embarrassed all of a sudden…" She giggled. Phoenix cheeks flushed with colour, causing Shadow to laugh even more. Phoenix frowned.
"Hey!" He whined.
"Awww! How cute!" She laughed, causing Phoenix to redden that little bit more.
"Shadow! Stop it!" He yelled suddenly. Shadow stopped with a yelp.
"Wha?! What? What's wrong?" She asked as Phoenix stood up and began to walk away. "Phoenix! Please!"
"Shadow…" He said quietly, neglecting to turn around and face her. "I acted like that because of you… Don't you realise that…?" He trailed off and walked towards the door. Shadow watched him leave, almost speechless.
"Surely… surely he didn't mean…"
Shadow and Phoenix didn't see each other until they were called to the dining room. Shadow noticed he wasn't making eye contact with her as they sat down at the dining table. As the rest of the family chatted away, Phoenix and Shadow sat silently, only talking when they were asked a question.
"I can't believe you two are finally going to get mates!" Midnight giggled. The gathering is in two weeks and you two will bond with your life partners! Isn't that scary?"
"Uh yeah… a bit actually…" Phoenix said with a slight smile. "Still, it'll all be worth it!"
"Of course it will…" Velvet smiled "It's great when you finally get a partner… someone else who has to go through everything you do from there on in!"
"Tell me about it…" Vegeta groaned. "Someone to worry about when they're not around or thought for dead for two weeks…" He snorted. Velvet laughed.
"I can't believe you still worry about that!" Velvet laughed. Kakarotto also joined in.
"We were fine all along!" He laughed. Shadow turned to her father.
"What happened?"
"Ask Vegeta…" He smiled. Vegeta rolled his eyes.
"A race of aliens, known as the Yggdrasians, were on their way to Vegeta-sei according to your grandfather, Bardock-san. He predicted that they would come and start a war in order to take over our planet…" He trailed off. Ikra finished off for him.
"Not only that, Bardock predicted that there would be some deaths of some close to us. After the death of King Vegeta and Queen Aphrodite, Vegeta and I had to take care of Velvet and Kakarotto, since they were destined to die as well…" She trailed off as Vegeta sniggered. "What?"
"Uh, Ikra… About that…" Vegeta was grinning like crazy. "Kakarotto never was going to die… If anything, he was the only one guaranteed to survive… I only told you that so you have the anger to turn Super Saiya-jin…"
"You WHAT!?!?!" Ikra roared as she stood up quickly and whacked the table top with her fists, her chair clattering to the ground. Vegeta laughed again.
"Yep… Kakarotto was never going to die…"
"You made me worry for nothing! I'll fucking KILL YOU!!!" Ikra screamed. Midnight stuck her fingers in her ears with a smile. Shadow and Phoenix gasped as Ikra leapt over the table and knocked Vegeta to the floor before sitting on him, her hands round his neck. Velvet and Kakarotto were hysterical with laughter. Vegeta made little yelping noises each time Ikra shook him. By this time, everyone was laughing like crazy. Velvet and Kakarotto looked at each other before nodding and getting up to stop Ikra from killing Vegeta. Kakarotto grabbed his mate's waist, causing her to let go with a squeal. He lifted her up by the waist so her feet didn't touch the ground. She kicked and wriggled, shouting curses at Vegeta, whom Velvet was helping up.
"I can't believe you did that to her…" Velvet smiled as Vegeta rubbed his neck. He smirked.
"Well, it got her to Super Saiya-jin, didn't it?"
"Yeah well I almost died of bloody DEPRESSION!!!" Ikra screamed, shaking her fist at the king. Kakarotto laughed.
"Come on Ikra… It's WAY in the past now…"
"Yeah but… but…" Ikra trailed off as no excuse came to her. She hmphed as Kakarotto set her back on the floor. He wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"How cute…. Died of depression, huh? Did ya really love me that much?" He asked. Ikra blushed.
"Well… I was…"
"Awww!!" Kakarotto laughed as he caught his mate in a headlock and gave her a noogie. Ikra wailed and tried to free herself. The others simply laughed at the two.
After everyone had calmed down, they resumed the meal. Phoenix went back to being quiet and Velvet noticed her son's discomfort, but decided to wait and ask when they weren't at the table. Kakarotto, however, wasn't as patient to find out what was wrong with his child. He leaned towards her since he was sitting beside her.
"Shadow-chan… Are you feeling alright?" He asked. Shadow turned to him, smiling.
"Yes daddy… Just a little tired…" She lied. "May I be excused?" She asked, almost pleadingly. Ikra nodded with a smile.
"Of course, Shadow… Go get some rest and come back later if you feel up to it, okay?"
"Okay mom…" Shadow smiled again as she stood up. She glanced back at Phoenix as she left. Phoenix looked over at the door she had left through, his expression sad. He really wished he hadn't told her, or at least hinted towards it… Now things were awkward between them… He cursed to himself as he went back to dinner.
Shadow lay on her bed, still clothed, staring at the ceiling. She had been doing so for a good couple of hours now… She hadn't wanted to leave but her appetite just wasn't there… She felt really awkward around Phoenix now… She cursed.
"He might not even have meant that!" She yelled at herself. "Stop being such a fool, Shadow!"
"Shadow?" Her door opened a bit and a voice floated through. Shadow clamped her hands over her mouth and prayed her hadn't heard that as she pretended to be asleep. Phoenix called again and she sighed.
"Um, yeah?" She called over. The door opened and Phoenix peeked in.
"Oh, you're not asleep… Good…" He smiled. Shadow smiled back timidly. Phoenix came in and closed the door behind him. In the darkness, he fumbled his way over to her bed. "Hey, where are you?" He asked. Shadow giggled as she sat up and reached out her hand.
"Right here…" She smiled. Phoenix managed to get a hold of her hand and guide himself over to her.
"Found ya!" He grinned happily as he sat on the edge of her bed. Shadow laughed a little.
"Had a bit of trouble, did ya?"
"A little…" He laughed. Shadow smiled as she lay down again.
"So why are you here?"
"Thought I'd come see you… you seemed pretty upset at dinner…" Phoenix said quietly. Shadow sighed.
"Um, yeah… Well…"
"Look, if it was because of me storming off, I'm sorry… I was worried that my temper was the reason you weren't speaking to me…"
"Oh Phoenix.. It wasn't that… I'm just having a bad evening I guess…" She told him. "I don't blame you for anything so don't worry…"
"Thank goodness!" Phoenix exclaimed happily. "You had me worried, babe…" He said with a grin. Shadow was glad that he couldn't see her blush in the dark…
"Hey, where are you going?" Shadow asked as Phoenix stood up.
"I thought you wanted to sleep… I just really wanted to make sure you weren't mad at me…" Phoenix trailed off. Shadow sat up.
"Well, yeah but…"
"Hey, I'll see you if you come back downstairs…"
"What? Are you just trying to make me leave my room?!"
"Maybe…" Phoenix laughed as he walked away from the bed. Shadow growled.
"I want to talk to you for a while…"
"Then come downstairs…"
"No! You stay here!"
"Can't make me!" He laughed again. Shadow smirked as he walked away a bit more, teasing her.
"Oh yes I can…" She sniggered. Phoenix turned around in time to be knocked to the ground as Shadow sprung onto him. Phoenix yelped as he hit the floor with Shadow landing on top of him. He called out again.
"Ow!"
"What?! What happened?" Shadow asked as she sat up on his stomach. He winced.
"You kneed me in the leg!" He whined. Shadow laughed and ruffled his hair.
"Don't do that! I thought it was something serious!"
"It was!" He yelled. Shadow yelped as she was rolled off him, landing on her butt. She groaned. It turned to a yelp as she was pinned to the ground. Phoenix loomed over her, a grin on his face. Shadow could just make out his features and tried to keep herself calm when she noticed how close their faces were. "Gotcha…"
"Not for long!" She laughed. Shadow rose her leg, kneeing him in the thigh. Phoenix yelped.
"Ow!! How can you hit me in the same place twice?!" He whined loudly. Shadow laughed.
"Aww… Poor baby…"
"Yeah…" Phoenix pouted, flinching a bit as Shadow's leg came in contact with his again. Shadow smiled and lay her leg down flat. Phoenix kept her arms pinned up by her head whilst straddling her waist. Shadow blushed when she actually took notice of the position they were in. She yelped as she felt something brush against her leg.
"What the…?"
"Sorry… my tail…" He said sheepishly. Shadow laughed and flicked her own tail back and forth. With a smirk, she wrapped it around Phoenix's leg, causing him to gasp.
"Haha! Did I startle you?" She purred. Phoenix gulped.
"Um, yeah…" He said nervously. Shadow giggled. She stopped and let her tail unwrap from Phoenix's leg. She felt him tense up.
"What's wrong? You tensed up…"
"Just thinking…" He said quietly. Shadow raised an eyebrow.
"About what?" She asked. Phoenix didn't answer.
The two just stared at each other for a few moments, neither knowing what to do or say. Shadow noticed with a bit of alarm that his face was steadily getting closer to hers. Without thinking, she closed her eyes. Shadow was surprised when Phoenix got up off her. She looked up at him and frowned.
"Here… let me help you up…" He said quietly. Shadow wordlessly gave him her hand and he pulled her to her feet.
"Thanks…" She finally uttered quietly. Phoenix sat down on the bed and Shadow sat beside him.
"Whoa, what happened there?" Phoenix asked. Shadow looked at him.
"What?"
"A few moments ago… we almost…"
"Yeah…" Shadow grumbled. Phoenix chuckled a bit.
"Sorry, Shadow-chan…"
"There you go with that 'chan' thing again!" Shadow suddenly yelled as she stood up. Phoenix watched as she stormed to the other side of the room.
"Huh?"
"Look, you got all jealous when Xantis and I were flirting, you've suddenly started calling me 'Shadow-chan' and now… that 'incident' a few moments ago! What are you trying to do to me?!" She yelled. Phoenix looked away sadly.
"Shadow, I…"
"Tell me…. Please…" She said, her voice quieting a great deal. Phoenix looked over at her and took a deep breath.
"Shadow… In case you haven’t figured it out, I have strong feelings for you… I just couldn't admit them to you until now… It was only today that I actually admitted them to myself. I saw you with Xantis and my blood boiled with anger. He's my best friend but seeing him with you like that just made me want to kill him. I shouldn't interfere with you if you wish to have a relationship with him since it's not my business but I can't help it… I… I think I'm in love… Lately, I want nothing more than to be with you and it tears me apart everyday and..." Phoenix stopped. Shadow felt tears well up in her eyes.
"P-Phoenix…" She said in a voice choked with emotion. Phoenix stood up, his head bowed.
"That's why I was acting like that today… I wanted to tell you but I couldn't… I'm sorry, Shadow…" He said quietly. Shadow watched through her tears as Phoenix walked towards the door. She wasn't letting him walk out on her again… He had to know she felt the same… "Phoenix!" Shadow ran over to him as he turned round and fell into his arms. Phoenix gasped as he was knocked back against the door as Shadow pushed him back. Without a word, she pressed her lips firmly against his…
The two stayed like that in the dark; Phoenix leaning against the door with Shadow leaning against him, their lips locked in a long-awaited kiss. Shadow had her arms around his neck and Phoenix had his arms around her, his hands resting on her back. When they finally pulled away, both were grinning from ear to ear. Shadow rested her head on his shoulder, hugging him tightly. Phoenix smiled and held her close.
"Does this… mean that you're… mine now?" Phoenix asked quietly. Shadow sighed with a smile as she pulled away. She pulled out of his arms and walked into the middle of the room.
"Well… not officially until the gathering when I beat your ass but…" Shadow smirked. Phoenix laughed happily and ran over to her, hugging her tightly again. Shadow also laughed as she was lifted up as Phoenix spun her around. Phoenix slowed down as he got dizzy and fell backwards onto the bed. Shadow laughed harder.
"Whoa! Head rush!" He grinned. Shadow smiled and hugged him even tighter.
"Silly…" She told him before kissing him again. She could feel Phoenix smiling as he kissed her back. When she pulled away, the two simply smiled at each other.
"You're all mine!" Phoenix laughed suddenly as he rolled them both over pinning her down on the bed. Shadow laughed but was quickly cut off as Phoenix kissed her passionately. When he pulled away, she was a little dazed. Phoenix laughed.
"Phoenix… that was unexpected…" She smiled. Phoenix purred.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"God, no!" She laughed. Phoenix also laughed.
"So… does anyone know that you had a thing for me?" Phoenix asked as he got off her and sat beside her. Shadow shook her head.
"Nope… You?"
"Yeah…. Mom knows…" Phoenix said sheepishly. "She worked it out a long time ago but I denied it…"
"I thought as much… Velvet-san can work out anything!" Shadow said with a giggle. Phoenix smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, pretty much… I have to tell her about this since I promised I tell her who my chosen mate was going to be…"
"Ah… I see…"
"But not now… They're all downstairs drinking…" Phoenix said. Shadow laughed.
"That means we don't have to worry about them!"
"Which means we can spend the night together…" Phoenix purred. Shadow smiled.
"My… you do have some good ideas…" She said thoughtfully as she reached over and ran her finger down her side. Phoenix wriggled and laughed.
"Hey!" He chuckled. Shadow smiled as she reached up and stroked his cheek. Phoenix held her hand, nuzzling his cheek into it. Shadow smiled and pulled him down to her before kissing him softly. Phoenix ran his fingers through her hair, causing her to sigh. Phoenix yelped as Shadow slid her hands onto his butt. Shadow laughed as he squirmed a little.
"What's wrong?"
"Uh… a little unaccustomed to the feeling…" He told her. Shadow laughed and kissed him again.
"Well… it's about time we got accustomed to a few more feelings, don't you think?" Shadow purred. Phoenix grinned.
"I couldn't agree with you more…"