Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Danger in the horizon ❯ Training day ( Chapter 30 )

Chapter 30 - Training Day

Note: I don't own DBZ

{} means as always a characters thoughts.

On with the story………………….

Once Yamcha had left the grounds of Capsule Corporation, Bulma fell to her knees, the wet early morning dew on the grass soaking through her threadbare jeans. She wanted to cry and scream out loud but couldn't, now that it was finally all over. 10 years of tears, recriminations, adventures and affection with Yamcha, all over in a matter of 5 minutes. The final straw had been the forceful way he had tried to tell her that Vegeta was not her destiny, which he was. The moment that Yamcha had forced his lips onto hers in a pathetic attempt to convince her of the truth in his words was the moment that Bulma saw everything clearly about him, for the very first time. Yamcha never saw her as a partner in life or as a friend. It was all about his needs, his desires. All he saw was her beauty and her money. It was all so fucking sad really. Bulma had been more than willing to keep Yamcha in her life, albeit just as a friend. Now it was all over.

Shuddering as the chilly early morning air forced its way through her thin shirt, Bulma rose from her kneeling position. She looked out at the horizon, the suns rays starting to break through the swirling mist enveloping the countryside. Earth was such a beautiful place, full of wondrous places. There were many places and things she wanted to show Vegeta. A thought suddenly struck her. {When Freeza is defeated, will Vegeta want to go back into space, start a new empire? Is this my destiny? To leave my family, my friends?} A flash of orange coming into view interrupted her troubled thoughts.

"Hey Bulma!!!!" Came the cheery voice from above as Goku descended from the sky, smile firmly in place.

Bulma waved at her friend and smiled back at him, attempting to brush aside the worries on her mind. "Hi Goku. Isn't this a rather early start for you?"

Goku landed softly on the ground, directly in front of Bulma. "Sure it is. But who gets to catch up with their long lost brother every day, huh?" He cocked his head and studied his friend's expression, noticing the lack of Bulma's usual sparkle. "What's wrong, Bulma?"

Bulma breathed a great sigh, revealing in an instant her trouble state of mind. "Yamcha, who else?"

"He was here?" Questioned Goku, his eyebrows raised quizzically. "What for?"

Bulma gave a short cheerless chuckle. "To sort things out. Between him and me. Only things didn't go the way he expected." She walked slowly towards the seat she and Yamcha had occupied only moments earlier and sat down, Goku beside her.

She chewed her lip reflectively for several moments before speaking again, her eyes cast downward at the wet grass. "He, Yamcha thought that there was still hope for us both. Told me that he loved me."

Goku gently took Bulma's hands in his own, rubbing them softly to comfort her. "And then what happened?"

"I, I exploded." Bulma noticed Goku's expression of barely concealed mirth at that fact. "Don't laugh, Goku. This is serious."

Goku pursed his lips to suppress his fit of laughter threatening to escape. "Alright Bulma. Please go on."

"As I said, Yamcha professed his love for me. Do you have any idea how angry that made me? I had waited for the best part of 10 years to hear those words from his lips." She paused and closed her eyes. "Anyway, I explained how I had waited all those years for that admission and then told him that in not so many words that I was not going to reciprocate his feelings." A tiny glimmer of a smile briefly graced her lips as she thought of Vegeta. "He kissed me then and told me that he knew me better than anyone else, that he was the only one for me. After that I told him in the nicest way possible to have sex and travel. I don't think I'll be seeing him again."

Goku's eyes widened at the information being revealed to him. It was as he had guessed even if Bulma was not divulging the last piece of the puzzle. Otherwise Bulma would have been more than willing to take Yamcha back, despite the differences between them. He grinned widely. Bulma was involved with Vegeta. As Goku had known Bulma for years he knew that she would have blasted the one-time desert bandit if she had the power to do so after his abortive attempt at wooing her back into his arms and his bed. "Whoa Bulma, I think that you may be right about Yamcha not coming back. You kicked him bang on in the balls." {About time you found someone who really cares for you}.

She laughed, the delicate sound breaking out from the tension that had built up seemingly unaware of Goku's discovery. "Yep, I sure did. God, if I had the power to, well Yamcha would most likely be toast." She turned her head around, suddenly nervous that Vegeta had observed all that had happened. She changed the direction of the conversation. "Anyway Goku, enough about me, let's get you inside to talk to Radditz. I'd also guess that you're starving, am I right?"

"That obvious, is it?" Grinned Goku, rubbing his once full and now rumbling stomach.

Bulma merely nodded her head and started walking towards the house, Goku following closely behind. As she reached the steps, a prickle travelled the length of her spine. She shrugged her shoulders and continued inside to the 2nd floor ignoring the nagging feeling she had.

Vegeta had been watching after all. After being interrupted in the shower with Bulma, he had stormed down to the garden and hidden in the large shrubs, which had been planted to create a barrier against the wind. It was not his usual style to hide like a sneaky rat to observe something of interest to him, but it was necessary in this case. His blood had almost come to boiling point as his mates former lover tried to touch her, but as he watched, Bulma shot the man down, almost grinding his soul into the dirt as if it was physically possible. He had almost revealed himself at that moment to enjoy the man's complete humiliation at the hands of his fiery life mate. What had happened next almost caused him to lose control and burst through the shrubs and blast Yamcha to hell.

Yamcha had touched Bulma, kissed her against her will, further proving his unsavoury intentions towards her. Bulma had torn him down again and rejected his advances, sending Vegeta's rival in her affections from the grounds of her home. Regardless of that fact, Vegeta was convinced that the dishonourable bandit would try and make his move again, despite the final parting shot Bulma had thrown at him. He was sorely tempted to follow the man, to lock onto his energy signature and dispose of Yamcha like the piece of shit he was. Then he checked himself. There were more important issues to think about right now. {You are safe for now bastard, but watch your back.}

Vegeta extracted himself from the shrubbery after Bulma and Goku had left, slightly uneasy about the manner in which Goku had touched her. There were no ill intentions directed at her, that much he could sense. Vegeta could not pick up on Bulma's thoughts because she had spitefully closed herself off to him as he had with her, making it impossible to communicate with other people around him.

Stealthily Vegeta crept back into the house, hoping to catch Bulma and finish what had been started in the shower. It wasn't the most important thing on his mind, but after seeing her display of courage he had found himself aroused and wanting. His training could wait for another hour or two.

Radditz wearily rolled himself out of the bed that had been provided for him. Unfortunately for him though the bed had been designed for a much smaller person to sleep in it, not a hulking mass of 7-foot tall muscle. He raked his hands through his wild hair and stretched, then padded quietly to the bathroom. Radditz had never been afforded the luxury of his own personal bathroom before as in the past he had been forced to share with at least 200 other soldiers in Freeza's army. He was quietly thankful that Bulma's family had given him a place to stay and food to eat while they all awaited the arrival of Freeza.

As he luxuriated in the warm water flowing over his body, Radditz's thoughts drifted to Bulma. Nothing much had changed for him since she had bonded with his Prince, he still felt the same way about her as he had the first time he had laid eyes on her in Station Delta. Her eyes, her body, the one moment she had touched him, these memories still set his body and mind on fire with desire for her. But as he well knew, it was not to be. Fate was still mocking him. He would have to look elsewhere to satisfy his urges as he had on Station Delta with Lisa. Radditz smirked at the memory of their sexual escapades on that one night, recalling the pleasure he had received from her lithe body. She had been almost as insatiable as him. Radditz had known that she was a vicious little bitch, intent on some scheme or other although he was not aware of her treachery towards Bulma. As Radditz scrubbed at his body, he recalled the tour he had taken the day before with Bulma's strange father, to avoid Bulma's even stranger mother and remembered the attractive blonde woman he had spoken to, Amanda. She had looked at him with some interest as he had with her. {She might be willing…}

His reverie was disturbed by a quiet knocking on his door.

"Radditz?" Bulma's soft voice came through, sending a jolt of desire through his body. "Radditz? I have organised some food for you on in my quarters. Goku is here to speak with you."

He flared his ki to dry off and answered gruffly attempting to cool his ardour. "I'll be there in a few minutes." He looked down at his naked torso and mumbled quietly to himself "It might be a little longer than a few minutes considering the state I'm right now."

{I'm going mad.}.

It was 10 minutes before Radditz arrived on Bulma's floor, as he had become lost in the veritable rabbits warren that the house was. He paused for a few seconds before entering the dining area, thinking of what he was going to say to his brother. There really wasn't a lot to tell, just random memories of what their parents were like. In actuality Radditz had spent a relatively small amount of time with them, due to the fact that he had been sent off on various small purging missions from the time he had come of age.

He stepped into the room noting that only his brother Kakkarot was present, Bulma was nowhere to be seen or even sensed. Radditz let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief, the last thing he needed was Bulma to be there due to his mind and body not yet accepting fully that she was no longer available. He didn't want another run in with Vegeta.

Goku dragged his attention from the food he had been somewhat messily shoving into his mouth and greeted his older brother, eager to make some kind of a connection to him. "Good morning Radditz."

"Brother." Replied Radditz not entirely sure if it was a good morning as his brother put it. It seemed that being part of the rich fabric that was Earth agreed with his sibling. He had taken on all the characteristics of a human, albeit with the super strength of a Saiyan warrior. Radditz had been able to sense the great power within his brother and realised that he surpassed his own strength and power.

He settled himself on a chair on the opposite side of the table and started to do something he had not done in years, have a real conversation.

Bulma had meanwhile proceeded to her room to change her clothing and don more suitable attire for assisting her father in the construction of the Saiyans training facility. The jeans she wore currently had grass stains and wet patches on them due to her kneeling in the wet grass as Yamcha had departed, making her feel even more used up and dirty.

Bulma strode into her room, quickly removing her clothing as she went and almost savagely kicked the discarded items aside as she scrabbled in her wardrobe for a pair of overalls and steel capped boots. Tears began to prick at her eyes suddenly as the emotions from her meeting with Yamcha finally started to kick in and she fell heavily to her knees again. Violently Bulma brushed the tears away, knowing that what was done was done and she could never retract her angry words. She hated crying over something as stupid as a failed relationship, too many tears had been shed before.

A voice came from the direction of the bed and caused her turn her head, blue hair whipping across her face as she did so.

"That worthless human. He is not worth your time, woman." Grunted Vegeta as he strode out proudly to her, putting out a gloved hand to help her to her feet. "You wasted too much time on him."

Bulma took a shuddering breath and nodded, knowing that the dark prince in front of her was completely right although it didn't stop her from being angry with his spying. "So you were watching," she replied in an accusatory tone, but the tears refused to stop coming.

Vegeta's expression did not alter with her somewhat angry words; instead he dropped her hands and stood back, arms crossed. "The prince of all Saiyans does not spy, such actions are beneath me. I have the right to protect what is mine. His life is forfeit."

Bulma narrowed her eyes. "And I have the right to be trusted, Vegeta" she spat venomously, turning her back on Vegeta. "Did you really think that I would return to his arms? I dealt with him in my own way as all Earthlings do. Without violence if possible." She shivered, still only clad in her underwear, recalling the frenzied mini battle between Vegeta and Radditz on Station Delta. "Killing Yamcha would serve no purpose and I don't want his blood on my hands, despite what happened."

"You are foolish to even think that he will not attempt to come between us again, Bulma." He replied huskily, moving close to her and wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Think what you will, Vegeta." Bulma moved from his loose hold and proceeded to don her overalls, attempting to ignore the heat building within. She slipped the boots on and sat on the bed to fasten the laces, keeping her eyes averted from Vegeta's bottomless obsidian ones. She stopped mid way through tying the laces and looked piercingly at Vegeta, a strange lost look passing across her features. "What kind of creature am I, Vegeta? I'm like a virus, infecting those around me, forcing them to do things they would probably never ordinarily consider."

Vegeta stepped forward and knelt down by the bed, and cupped Bulma's face tenderly, stroking away the tears and looking deep into her blue eyes, speaking directly into her mind, dropping his barrier. {You are my kind of creature, spirited, intelligent and beautiful.} Vegeta checked around quickly to ascertain if they were being observed, then moved in closer to brush his lips gently against hers. Or he would have if only Goku hadn't gatecrashed the tender moment.

Vegeta dropped his hands from Bulma's face, scowling at the intrusion. "Kakkarot," He spat out, obviously still twitchy about the other Saiyans attachment to his mate. "What do you want?"

Goku ignored the growl from Vegeta's throat. "I'd prefer it if you would call me Goku," he said calmly, turning to look at the Saiyan Prince, "In answer to your other question, I want to spar with you while Bulma and her father complete your training facility."

Bulma smiled broadly at her life long friend, her face pink with embarrassment at being caught sharing an affectionate moment with Vegeta. She had not knowingly revealed anything of their relationship, but now realised that it was now in the open even if Radditz had not filled him in on the details.

"Good idea, Goku. It will be at least another day before the chamber is ready for use." She looked back at Vegeta, a scowl of disapproval clearly marking his face. "That way I won't be distracted by either of you while I'm working with my father."

Vegeta stood up stiffly, scowl still in place but no hint of embarrassment present. "What makes you think that you will be a challenge to me Kakkarot?"

Goku grinned. "You might be surprised Prince Vegeta at what I can do. Maybe you'll pick up some tricks from me, who knows?"

"As you wish, Kakkarot." Snapped Vegeta. He turned his attention back to Bulma, a look of amusement fleetingly crossing her face, raising his ire slightly. "Where?"

Bulma frowned in concentration before coming up with a viable option. "I suggest the badlands, about 50 kilometres from here, Goku knows the way. I'll get Radditz to assist me with the construction while you are gone."

"Right," replied Goku, his eyes shining in anticipation at the session he was hoping to have with Vegeta. The conversation he had had with Radditz had been rather fruitful. Radditz had explained to him about the legend of the Super Saiyan, the level prince Vegeta was striving to attain. Now the changes that Goku had felt in the hyperbolic time chamber seemed to make sense. It appeared that he was also on the cusp of the mystical state. With a little more training and the right trigger, he could attain the level also, making himself even more useful in the defence of Earth.

Goku knew that he had read the Saiyan Prince correctly when they had first met and this was going to be better than sparring with Piccolo. Goku glanced back at Bulma. "By an amazing stroke of luck, I remembered the sensu beans this time, Bulma. I have the strongest feeling both of us will be needing them." Goku left the room and Vegeta followed closely a quizzical expression firmly in place, his eyes boring holes into the back of Goku's head, mentally hoping the man's head would explode. {Bring it on, Kakkarot…..}

The two Saiyans flew silently to the desert wasteland; which many nearby had dubbed the "Badlands" due to its unforgiving climate and the many bandits who patrolled the area, waiting to prey on unsuspecting travellers making their way through. Yamcha had been raised here and was once a rather enterprising bandit himself until he happened upon a teenage girl and her even younger companion 10 years ago. Goku recalled those days with fondness, when they were all younger and more carefree, searching for the legendary dragonballs. Before the days of Garlic Junior and Piccolo the demon king.

As he flew, he glanced at Vegeta, the older man's face impassive as they neared their destination, an area far enough away from any prying eyes. He had not uttered a single word during the short trip, and Goku had been wise enough not to engage the Prince in mindless chitchat. Abruptly Goku dropped out of flight and touched down on the hard baked earth, cracked from the lack of rain, small puffs of dust rising to meet his feet.

Vegeta followed, his landing a little heavier as he looked around the forbidding landscape. Some things about it reminded him vaguely of his long since destroyed planet, the red earth, the cliffs surrounding most of the region they had landed in. He noticed almost immediately that Goku had taken on a fighting stance ready to defend or strike whatever the case may be. Vegeta smirked and relaxed, loosening his muscles in readiness for what he hoped would be a worthwhile sparring session. After the many years of only having Nappa and Radditz to train with, Vegeta had been secretly pleased to have the opportunity to test himself against a Saiyan whose power he could not fully detect. It was as Bulma had told him. Goku did hide the bulk of his ki instead of displaying it like a lighthouse in a storm as he himself did. It would be a very good skill to master. But first he had to show this 3rd class Saiyan how powerful he was, and now was the perfect opportunity.

Clenching his fists by his side he strode purposefully toward his prey, his breathing

shallow in preparation, stomach muscles now tense as his unmistakable blue ki flared into life, his power now on display. Goku stood unmoved, legs bent at the knees, tight lipped as he stared, the moment drenched in anticipation.

"Well?" snapped Vegeta.

"Well what?" replied Goku, momentarily taken off guard

"Aren't you going to flare your ki?" Vegeta was taken aback by Goku's apparent lack of battle experience.

Goku smiled. "I prefer to draw on my energy as a reflex, not to display it to my opponent."

"Fool! You will not get another chance to raise your power, how do you intend to block my blows with little or no energy?" Vegeta somewhat angrily retorted.

Goku looked skyward suddenly noticing the presence of Piccolo floating above them both, observing. Goku knew that the wily Namek had his own agenda in following them both to this desolate spot. Piccolo obviously wanted to pick up some fighting tips of his own. Goku returned his gaze to the irate prince. "I will demonstrate it to you, but in return the Piccolo must be allowed to observe your techniques. He will not interfere with our sparring."

Vegeta glanced swiftly above himself to see the Namek hanging in mid air, arms crossed, clearly impatient for them both to start. He narrowed his eyes upon returning his gaze back to Goku. "As you are so eager to discover my true power Kakkarot then fight me damn you!"

He purposefully strode towards his quarry, stubbornly trying to provoke Goku to stop this foolish time wasting. But Goku wasn't having a bar of it, instead turning his back on Vegeta and watching Piccolo land atop a rocky cliff some distance from the intended arena. Satisfied that Piccolo had taken up a prime yet safe position for observation, he turned back to Vegeta.

"Ready whenever you are" He spoke without a trace of anxiety, further fraying Vegeta's tenuous hold on his patience.

"Very well, Kakkarot." Vegeta hissed, "Ready for a lesson you will never forget?" as he launched into a full frontal assault, using his speed. Vegetas body was aglow with what seemed like blue fire, his energy passing through the very core of his being. His barrage of blows from his fists hit their target sending Goku to one knee, his left hand breaking his fall, the top half of his gi torn to shreds. Goku raised a hand from his ribs to clear the trickle of blood present at the corner of his mouth. He seemed clearly stunned at what had just happened as he looked at Vegeta who in turn looked almost disappointed at the ease of Gokus knockdown until he noticed the grin evident on Gokus face.

"What's so fucking funny?!" He growled, convinced that Goku was mocking his ability.

The grin disappeared as Goku replied calmly. "Your energy, can you gauge the amount of energy you used in that attack?" He stared at the prince but did not wait for a retort, instead choosing action. Goku flared his ki, a bright blue flame engulfing him.

Finally he spoke. "Do you recognise my energy signature Vegeta?"

"What manner of trickery is this?" Grunted Vegeta, clearly interested to see Gokus next move but growing ever more impatient.

"Well, with your ki flared in such a fashion I can draw on your energy, using it as a shield during close hand to hand combat." The grin returned. "You surprised me with your speed though and I have to say Vegeta you can really pack a wallop."

Vegeta questioned him further but kept up the façade that he was unwilling to show any real eagerness to learn the technique for himself. "Very clever Kakkarot. But what is the limit of this technique? Will it withstand an energy blast?"

Goku rose to his feet but kept his distance. "No, only physical contact. And I can only draw provided that my ki level is almost equal to that of my opponent. Piccolo showed me that little stunt. Want to know how?" Gokus offer was appealing to Vegeta but he was impatient to see the full level of power that this Earth raised Saiyan had within. So instead of saying what was really on his mind, he opted to continue the sparring session, engaging in hand to hand combat with Goku, the flurry of blows and kicks so fast that their arms and legs became colourful blurs. Neither man seemed to gain the upper hand, both almost equal in speed and power. What Goku lacked in finesse he more than made up for in strength, landing a few blows directly on Vegeta's most vulnerable areas, causing the smaller Saiyan to retreat and rethink his plan of attack before diving once again into the fray. However, Vegeta was finding the whole experience exhilarating, finally he had someone to train with who was strong enough to take the punishment as Goku undoubtedly was and to dish it out. Vegeta was well aware that the more punishment he took the more powerful he would undoubtedly become.

Bulma had meanwhile commenced assisting her father with the final stages of construction for the training facility. Due to the heavy work involved, she had press ganged Radditz into doing the manual labour while she and Jock Briefs fitted the controls which regulated the level of gravity and the monitor for the users vital signs. The latter being almost as important as the former due to the dangerous nature of too much gravity being forced onto an unprepared body. The gravity level started from 100 times normal gravity up to 300, but it could only be raised once the monitor for vital signs was satisfied that the user was ready to take the next level and even then only taking it up in increments of 25gs. This little enhancement was Bulma's idea, ensuring in her own way that Vegeta would not be able to push himself beyond the brink and injure himself. She was aware how important that this was to him, his very survival depended on it.

Halfway through, Jock Briefs had been interrupted by a message from Station Delta via his vid link, informing him of his daughter's disappearance. To the surprise and consternation of the Station director, Jock Briefs laughed almost hysterically, making the Station Delta director believe that the poor man was losing his mind with worry. A few moments later, after calming himself down, Jock explained that Bulma was very much alive and well, currently assisting him on a project. To demonstrate further that these were not the ramblings of a distraught father in denial, he pulled Bulma over to the screen to show without a doubt she was very much alright. A few embarrassed apologies later from the director and the link was cut, allowing them both to carry on with the job at hand, laughing at the absurdity of it all.

As the hours ticked away, Bulma and Jock released Radditz from his servitude of hefting the large metal plates into place and continued their own work. Bulma had found that with her mind fully involved in something as intricate as the gravity chamber, she had no time to dwell on the events that had transpired earlier in the morning, although her curious nature was teasing her a little as she wondered how the sparring session was going with Goku and Vegeta. She hoped that the sensu beans were not going to be needed as Goku had so jokingly said before the two of them left. She shook her head and returned to the job at hand. {No point in worrying about it Bulma….}

Radditz for his part was relieved when Bulma informed him that his services were no longer needed. It had been a struggle for him to remain so close to her without reaching out to touch her. Now that he had been left to his own devices he decided to take a wander around the complex, carefully avoiding any area, which Sarah Briefs might be in. Surprisingly, Radditz soon found himself in the scientific wing, watching the technicians and scientists at work, his gaze resting on one blonde woman in particular as she patiently worked through her experiment, occasionally brushing aside her long blonde hair, completely unaware of Radditz's lustful gaze. {She might be willing.}

After hours of steady blocking, punching and kicking in close quarters, bursts of their energy flashing and lighting up barren area, the session took on a more serious tone, going from a mere warm up to a no holds barred full out assault on each other. Neither of the two Saiyans held any thing back in reserve, causing Piccolo to look on with worry written across his face as he observed the two mighty warriors go head to head.

It had been Goku who had started it surprisingly and not Vegeta who had been hurling taunts and insults for the best part of an hour, belittling Goku's fighting skills. Goku had ignored the taunts with barely a grimace, instead riling the prince by mentioning Bulma and probing him about his past.

"I knew, Vegeta, the moment you arrived with her and Radditz. It was obvious." He panted, barely avoiding the blow meant for his head.

"It is none of your business Kakkarot," growled Vegeta in warning, advancing angrily on Goku. "I suggest that you stay away from her, she is mine."

Goku retreated, aggressively wiping away the sweat and blood from his face. "Well that's obvious. But there is something about you that is not quite right. I know that Bulma is safe with you, but you are hiding something." Goku paused and retreated further, deftly avoiding Vegeta's madly flying fists. "Radditz didn't tell me very much about these purging missions you both were involved in. I know that you have killed before, but how many was it Vegeta? Did you enjoy the killing? Did it make you feel better after your world was destroyed?"

Vegeta howled angrily, the sound filling the cavern, "Shut up Kakkarot! You know nothing of my past!" He launched himself forward, speed at maximum, fully intending to knock the other Saiyan into the ground and pound him senseless.

Goku grinned, he realised that now he was getting somewhere with Vegeta, forcing the prince to raise to full power, to hold nothing back. He had no real idea why he was doing it, it just felt right. He yelled out one last insult. "Did it make you feel helpless when your father was killed and you could do nothing?"

Vegeta finally snapped. This nothing, this earth bound 3rd class Saiyan was taunting him, the Prince of all Saiyans! The carefully buried emotions of 20 years erupted like a volcano, spilling his rage and shame out. He increased his speed, and for a bare few seconds a golden light enveloped him, raising his power to almost unimaginable heights as he struck Goku squarely in the chest, sending him careening to the dusty ground below. The loud boom reverberated around the canyon as Goku hit the ground like a falling brick, a large crater being created by his body. Vegeta hung in the air, shocked at force with which he had sent Goku plummeting to the earth. For the most fleeting of moments had the power of the legendary within his grasp, the golden aura enveloping him. He had been so very close to attaining his goal but not by training obsessively, instead by releasing some of his anger and hate. Slowly he descended to the spot where Goku was, and noted that Piccolo was attending to him, helping him swallow a sensu bean to heal his injuries.

As Vegeta landed he slumped onto one knee, breathing heavily. "I should kill you for that insult, Kakkarot." He panted, the strain now showing from his immense surge in power. His armour was cracked, his fighting suit torn almost to shreds, gashes and blood spattered all over. But he disregarded his physical injuries and smiled inwardly, finally he would have the means to defeat Freeza, and reclaim his honour. All, it seemed because of man who until a few weeks ago it seemed had not even known of his origins.

Goku chuckled despite the pain it caused to his body. He felt like a freight train had driven over him repeatedly, leaving scores of cuts and bruises over his entire body. It had been the very best sparring session he had ever had. "It worked though, didn't it?" He coughed up some bloody phlegm, and turned his head to spit it onto the dry dusty earth before continuing. "Radditz explained the legend to me this morning, and now we both know how it works Vegeta. All you need now is the right stimuli to bring it forth."

Vegeta smirked at his counterpart. "I suggest we continue then."

"Enough!" boomed Piccolo. "If you continue on this course, both of you will die out here." He reached into the bag of sensus at Goku's waist, handing one of them to a perplexed Vegeta. "Eat." He commanded with as much authority as possible. "It will heal your most serious wounds. The most minor will have to heal naturally."

Vegeta glanced at Goku, and saw that the biggest injuries on his fellow Saiyan were slowly but surely disappearing, leaving behind only the small cuts and bruises not to mention the blood. He grimaced as he popped the small bean in his mouth, the taste was in a word, disgusting. As he swallowed however, he could feel the effects almost straight away, replenishing his energy and healing the hairline fractures in his ribs and skull. As he healed, Vegeta sat back and let the almost magical beans do their work. So much new knowledge had been attained, he now had the key to unlock his hidden power. He closed his eyes, his thoughts no longer clouded by doubts in his own ability to ascend. {Do you see me father?}