Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ To Begin Again ❯ Hidden Desires ( Chapter 5 )

To Begin Again, Part 5: Hidden Desires

Disclaimer: Dragonball Z is not, nor has it ever been, my property.

*Arguments & Persuasions*

They left the beach. Vegeta would not be persuaded to change his mind about telling the group, in graphic detail, the how-to's of Saiyajin male pregnancies. Goku, Trunks and Goten were disturbed enough about it. They didn't think Bulma and Piccolo would be happy about a ruined reception. Images of vomiting guests flashed through their minds.

For some reason Vegeta was intent upon causing trouble... again. "Vegeta, I really don't think this is a good idea. You telling them that... uh... stuff might ruin the wedding. Bulma will be furious. Piccolo, well, who knows what he'll do." Goku tried reasoning with the prince.

"Kakarot, I'm surprised. I thought the group was like a huge family. Don't you think they should be informed?" Vegeta replied.

"I'm not too sure they'd want to know about that... uh... stuff. It's pretty gross." Goku was panting and nearly running to keep up with Vegeta's fast paced walking. 'How can someone so short be such a fast walker?'

"It's one of the ways Saiyajin children are conceived, Kakarot." Vegeta wasn't even puffing as he walked along.

'I've been training Uub for years now. And Vegeta has been working at C.C. with barely enough time to train. I'm almost out of breath; and it's like he's taking a stroll.' Goku was so distracted thinking that he nearly stumbled over a tuft of beach grass. Luckily, Vegeta caught him.

"Watch it, Kakarot! You just about knocked me over!" The prince growled.

"Sorry, Vegeta. Could you slow down? I can't keep up." Goku whined.

An angst filled sigh, "Fine! What do you want?"

"Please don't talk about that stuff at the reception. It'll ruin the day. I don't want to see Bulma upset." Goku softly murmured.

"Why shouldn't I? They're all so damn nosy. They all have to be involved in everybody else's lives. Well, it'll show them they don't need to know everything about everyone else." Vegeta was quite adamant.

"Please, Vegeta. Reconsider? For Bulma? For Trunks and Goten? Please?" Pleading was Goku's last resort.

"I'll think about it." The prince was fast losing his patience. Kakarot knew how to nettle him into getting his way. Vegeta tried to stay resolute to his prior decision; but he had a feeling he won't go through with it.

Trunks and Goten stayed quiet hoping that Goku would talk Vegeta into not recounting his earlier lecture. If Goku could talk the arrogant prince into Potara fusing with a third class; he might be able to about this. They could only hope.

"Please think about what Goku said, dad. You'll just end up ruining mom's wedding." Trunks intoned to his father.

"Yeah. After we tell everybody about us; this could wreck their acceptance of our relationship. So please don't." Goten also requested of his lover's father.

"It's getting really late now. We have to get going. See you at C.C. tomorrow, dad. Hope to see you more often, Goku. Bye!" Trunks wanted to get Goten home to his apartment so he could do some physical investigating. He hoped to find some evidence of what his father said.

"Dad, please talk some sense into Vegeta. I want us to spend some more time together. Call me soon ok, dad?" Goten received a nod from his father. "Good. Then bye, guys!"

Both fathers watched as the lavender haired man practically dragged his black haired lover away. Soon both sons were flying off.

Goku began to chuckle at the sight. "So much of those two is starting to make sense. Do you know how long they've been together, Vegeta?"

"Almost ten years, Kakarot. Ever since their camping trip to Jero's lab." Vegeta easily answered the question.

"Ten years!" Goku squeaked out.

"Yes. Ten years." He reaffirmed for the younger Saiyajin.

"Kami! How did they keep it a secret all this time?" Goku posed.

"What secret? I've known the whole time." Vegeta walked along the beach's boardwalk. The stars were very visible in the moonless sky.

"You did?" Goku had no idea that the older man knew the entire time. It sounded to him like Vegeta had found out earlier that day.

"When they came back from the trip Trunks smelled of Goten and sex." Vegeta explained how he had known.

"I did smell Trunks on Goten; but I don't remember smelling that on him. I thought it was because they had spent the whole weekend together." Goku was busy trying to remember an event ten years ago.

"Saiyajin homosexual intimacy has a distinct scent all its own. You'd have to be familiar with it to know its scent." Vegeta informed Goku of additional facts of their ancestry.

'Did Vegeta have a male lover? Does he have one now?' A jolt of jealousy flashed through Goku. "How do you know that, Vegeta?"

"Your brother and Nappa were lovers. I'd often take assignments just to avoid those two when they were amorous."

"Were they mated like you said males have to be so they can have a baby?" Goku was curious about his brother's life. He never got a chance to know him. A pang of regret encompassed his body.

"No. Frieza would have killed them or the child. They wanted to be, though."

"That evil bastard!" Vegeta raised an eyebrow at the vehement curse. It wasn't often Kakarot would say such things.

"But they never had the chance to. Raditz and Nappa died before Frieza did."

"I killed my brother, Vegeta. He didn't die." Goku choked back some sobs at what he had done to the last full-blooded Saiyajin family he had.

"And I killed Nappa." Vegeta softly stated.

Goku looked up at Vegeta. He could see that the other had regretted the act. "Vegeta? You ok?"

"He wanted to die, Kakarot. When we where locked in a cell on a planet called Arlia he said to kill him. I told him I needed him with me. That there was no way I could kill Frieza alone. He didn't care anymore. He wanted to die on the planet Raditz did. He kept saying he should have claimed Raditz as a mate. 'To hell with Frieza! Raditz and I could have had a child together.' He used that as a mantra. He... he wanted to die, Kakarot. He wanted me to kill him. He felt it would be honorable to be killed by me than a traitor or Frieza. Since he practically raised me, I couldn't say no. I had to. For him." Vegeta shook his head in torment at the old private memories.

Goku was shocked. He had no idea that they had planned Nappa's death. "You guys planned it? His death?" Vegeta nodded. "But, the way you talked to him. It sounded like you despised Nappa."

"That was for Frieza's benefit. We did have those communicators on, remember. He could overhear the whole thing. He would have gotten suspicious otherwise."

"It was all a ruse?"

"Don't start thinking I'm a nice person; cause I'm not. I never will be. There's too much blood on my hands, Kakarot."

"I don't think you're so bad, Vegeta. You just need to know that there's more to life than power, strength and fighting."

Vegeta laughed. "Honestly, Kakarot, you're a fool. You think I'm like one of your friends don't you? All I need is to hang around with you for awhile then I'll be just as heroic as you? Or turn into an Earth defender like the others. Change my ways and be a good guy?" he laughed even harder, "you really are an idiot."

"Vegeta. You gave your life in the fight against Buu. And when that wish was made to Purunga

to bring all the good people that died on Earth back to life you were brought back, too." Goku didn't like hearing the shorter man talk like that. He saw more in Vegeta than he saw in himself.

"Were you knocked in the head so hard that you forgot what happened before that? Just how brain damaged are you, Kakarot?" Vegeta insulted the gentle man standing beside him.

Goku was deeply hurt by that statement. "Vegeta, you don't need to be so mean. It's just that you have changed some. I'm not saying a lot; but some."

Vegeta would not be placated. "I think we've talked about this enough, Kakarot. I have a meeting in the morning with a government contractor at C.C. Some kind of highly advanced jet engine contraption. Be seeing you soon then." Before Goku could protest; Vegeta had flown away.

"Stubborn. Just too darn stubborn. But, that's why I love him." Goku could only stare after the prince as his ki stream faded. When he could no longer see the blazed trail, Goku I.T.'d himself home.

*Goku Looks For A Job*

Goku bought a newspaper first thing the next morning. After coming back home with it he caught himself some breakfast. It consisted of fish, nuts, berries and a young wild boar. Cleaning and gutting the meat was rather messy. After he skewered the pig and fish on long sticks he laid them over the fire he had started before preparing the game.

Goku quickly took a hot shower to get the smell from his body. He then dressed in the clothes he borrowed from Gohan. They were the cleanest he had to wear. He went outside to check his food. The fish were nearly done; so he turned them over. The pork would take awhile longer. Goku washed the fruit and cracked open the nuts.

He took a box of granola cereal out of a cupboard. Picking out a large bowl he filled it an inch from the top. The berries were then sprinkled over the top before crushed-up nuts were added. Goku stirred the bowl's contents around until he was satisfied he would get berries, cereal and nuts in every bite. When that was done he poured a generous amount of milk over top the cereal.

Soon the fish were completely done. Carefully he removed them from the spits and onto a plate. When the boar was ready he would eat what he could then use the rest to make sandwiches for lunch.

As he ate his meal he scanned the help wanted section. Finding a few appealing advertisements he circled them in red. One was at a restaurant. They needed a waiter. The restaurant would provide the noon meal. A dojo was looking for a children's karate instructor. A moving company was looking for a mover. Most of the other ads needed people with a degree or experience in those fields.

Seeing that the pig was done he set down the marker and got up to remove it from the fire. After putting out the fire Goku let the roasted meat cool off enough so that he could eat it. When he was sufficiently stuffed; Goku made his lunch with the leftovers. He placed the wrapped sandwiches into an old lunch bag of Goten's along with some apples and sodas.

When he was finished with cleaning up he grabbed the paper and lunch bag. Goku then locked the door and then flew off toward Satan City to apply for the circled jobs. He wanted desperately to prove being able to take care of himself.

*It's A Lot Harder Than It Looks*

The moving company already filled the position. They were impressed at Goku's ability to lift very heavy objects, though. They promised to keep his name on file if they needed another mover.

The restaurant was also impressed at him being able to carry heavy trays and maneuver through the crowded tables. What scared them was Goku's gigantic appetite and that he would almost drool when saying the specials. They told him he wasn't what they were looking for.

Goku walked out dejectedly. He hoped that the next place would hire him. He saved that for last. It was the one he really wanted. He was certain that being the World's Martial Arts Champion would insure him the job. With a firm resolve to be hired at the next interview he started to walk to the dojo.

Hercule had retired from competing in the tournaments after Videl was killed during a bust on a local drug mob. Goku had decided to enter so he would have money to put aside for his sons and for the village. Vegeta had also competed. They had come in first and second.

The owner/ manager was shocked to see Son Goku walk into his dojo. The man was known all over the martial arts world. 'Why on Earth would he be looking for a job as a children's instructor?'

The interview proceeded well. Goku talked about how he taught both his sons martial arts. He also told the manager about his childhood training under the legendary Master Roshi. His past participation in the previous tournaments was well documented; so he needn't talk about those.

"I'm just looking for something new. I want to help a new generation of students to be their best. I know I can give them experienced lessons and a good structured example." Goku felt confident about getting the position. He wanted to impress his views of teaching to the manager.

"But, Mr. Son. You're the World's Champ. Don't you think you should start your own dojo franchise like Hercule did? You'd make more money there than you would working for someone else." James Gordon*, the manager, asked.

"I honestly don't know how to run a business. Besides, I'd be happier just teaching rather than operating my own place." Goku answered the man truthfully.

"Hm. I know what you mean. Some days I wish I could hand the reins over to someone else and instruct the youngsters. Listen, I'd be happy to have you here. Parents will love that you'd be teaching their kids." James Gordon rubbed his jaw as he though it over.

When he decided to hire Goku he told him the first day's schedule. "How's about you start this coming Monday at 9:30 am to 11am. That'll be your first class for the day. Then there's one at 11:05 am to 12:30 pm. An hour for lunch then a class from 1:30 pm to 3 pm and the last at 3:05 to 4:30pm. We clean the place after the last classes then close up." Goku wrote this all down on a corner of his paper. "Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday are scheduled the same. On Tuesday, Friday and Saturday we have classes at 9 am to 10:30am. Then at 10:35 to noon. An hour for lunch then one last class at 1 to 2:30 pm. Again we clean up; then it's closing time."

Goku nodded as he wrote down the hours. "Does that mean I've got the job?"

"It sure does." James was glad at hiring the famous Son Goku. 'That jerk Hercule will crap a brick.'

"Ok! That's great. Oh, yeah. Before I forget; what's the pay?" Goku nearly left without asking his hourly wage.

"Since I'm sure we'll be getting a lot of business now that you'll be here; I think we should start at 14.50 an hour. It may go up to 20 an hour if I'm right about all the clientele we'll get. That sound ok to you?" Mr. Gordon thrust out his hand for a deal sealing shake.

Careful not to hurt the man, Goku shook his hand then left after saying, "I'll see you Monday at 9am so I can check the place out!"

"That sounds good. See you then." James waved as the enthusiastic man walked off. 'I'm sure to do a ton of business with him here.' He chuckled as he began to reassign classes.

*Banks*

Goku was so happy that he wanted to tell somebody the news. The first person to come to mind was Vegeta. It was nearing noon. Goku thought about asking the prince to join him for lunch. Goku wanted to celebrate getting a job. He checked his pockets and noticed a severe lack of funds. He groaned realizing he had no way to pay for lunch.

Then an idea came to him. He could withdraw some money from the bank account he set up for the kids when he won the last Tournament. With a plan in mind Goku made his way to the bank's nearest branch. When he got there he saw that the lines were rather long.

Instead of waiting in one of the long lines he made his way to a small park nearby. Finding an empty bench he sat down to eat the bagged lunch. He figured it would leave more money for buying Vegeta lunch. When he got through with his snack he got up from the bench. After throwing away his garbage Goku made his way to the bank.

One of the lines was now very short. Stepping to the back he awaited his turn. Soon the teller called him over to her window. She asked him what business transaction he wanted to do.

"I'd like to take some money out of my savings account." Goku plainly spoke.

"I'll need a filled out withdrawal slip with your account number, name, date and an amount, and your savings book. The slips are over there along that wall." The teller drawled out as she pointed over to said wall.

"Savings book? What's that?" Goku asked.

"When you opened up the account you where given a book that would show all deposits, withdrawals, and accrued interest. It would be about the same size as a passport." The teller stated in a bored manner.

"Oh, that. I'll have to go home to get it. Be right back!" Thankfully Goku thought to step outside and into a side street so he could teleport himself home. He looked through the house till he found the bank book in a desk drawer. When he found it he teleported back to the same place in the side street then walked back into the bank.

'Withdrawal slip. Which one is it?' Goku paced in front of the display of bank papers till he saw the one he was looking for. Luckily he still had his pen with him because there were none in the pen holders. 'Someone must have stolen them.' Goku began to fill out the form. He wasn't too sure of how much lunch would cost so he settled on five hundred zeni.

He stepped back in line and again awaited his turn. He overheard the first teller he went to talking unkindly about someone in line. When it was nearing his turn he realized it was about him.

When he got to the window the teller smiled a fake hello and began to research his account. Her eyes widened when she saw that he had started with fifteen million zeni. There were no withdrawals; but there weren't any deposits either. The interest had added up quite fast, though. Looking at the name on the account she realized that the 'World's Champ' was at her booth and that he was rich. And so very cute.

Donna smiled again at Goku; trying to charm her way with the man. "Wow, you're Son Goku! I can't believe it! A real live celebrity. And so handsome, too. I'm sure all the girls try to get a date with you."

Goku wasn't impressed. He knew feigned kindness when he heard it. "I'd just like to get my money and leave, please."

"Of course! You must be a busy man." Eye lashes fluttered as she smiled again.

Goku just stood there staring right at her. He was trying his best 'Vegeta Intimidation Glare'™. He was certain it worked when the teller looked away and started counting out his money. She placed the money in an envelope. Then Donna handed both the envelope and bank book back to him. Goku then left without saying good-bye or thank you.

*Lunch Date?*

Goku wanted to celebrate getting a job. He also wanted to talk about the bank teller's comments about him to someone he knew he could trust. Someone that would listen to him and would keep his confidence. Some of the others would listen; but they would more than likely tell everybody else. He knew of only one person that he could trust. And that was who he wanted to take out for lunch.

Stepping into the side street Goku concentrated on Vegeta's ki. When he found it he I.T.'d himself to the familiar life source.

Goku got a bit of a shock. Vegeta was in his private bathroom at Capsule Corp's office headquarters. There was the Saiyajin Prince standing at the urinal relieving himself.

"Oops! Sorry 'Geta," a blushing Goku apologized. He did try to get in a peek.

"Kakarot! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Roared the pointy haired royal.

"I was hoping to take you out for some lunch. I kinda wanted to talk to you about something." Goku hedged. He wasn't too sure now that Vegeta would join him.

"Do you have any money to buy lunch?"

"Yup. Got five hundred zeni right here." Goku lifted up his hand to show the other man the money.

"For Kami's sake, Kakarot! Don't go showing that around to people. They'll try to take advantage of you." Vegeta warned the innocent Saiyajin.

"Somebody already tried."

"What did you do?" he was curious to know what the younger man did.

"I gave her one of your intimidating glares."

"You actually glared at someone that wasn't trying to blow up this dirt ball planet?" Vegeta was incredulous at the statement.

"Ah ha. And it worked, too." Goku was smiling like a kid who just got a home run after years of practice.

Vegeta could only chuckle. 'Kakarot learning to be more of a Saiyajin wouldn't be so bad.' He took a long look at the other man. Coming to a decision he washed his hands. "So? Where are we going for lunch?"

Goku beamed a Cheshire grin. "I was thinking of the new all-you-can-eat place on Turner Street. Sound ok to you, Vegeta?"

"Hn." Vegeta agreed to go since he only had paperwork to do for the rest of the day. His only appointment of the day was with the government contractor and the meeting ended hours ago. "Let me get my coat and I'll let my assistant know I'm going out for lunch."

"Ok, 'Geta." Goku was able to tell by the tone of Vegeta's chuckle that the man was proud of him. That knowledge had him feeling even better.

With a nod Vegeta went to inform his assistant, Michael, that he was leaving for lunch and that he wasn't sure how late he'd be. They left for lunch when he was done.

The ride over to Turner Street was uneventful. Both men sat in comfortable silence as Vegeta drove his red '58 Corvette** convertible to the restaurant. Goku played with the radio until he found a classic rock station. Led Zeppelin***'s 'Black Dog' was just finishing when they pulled into a parking spot in front of the restaurant.

They got out after Vegeta set the car alarm. His Corvette was not suited for a capsule. Walking inside the restaurant the scent of delicious aromas aroused their hunger even more. Goku was quick to say they wanted menus and the Buffett. The young host showed them to a table in the non-smoking section.

Soon their waiter approached. He asked what they wanted for drinks. They told him a pitcher of both milk and water. Before leaving to get their drinks he said to help themselves to the Buffett.

Goku and Vegeta quickly got themselves two highly piled plates of lo mein and rice. Atop his rice Goku added chicken in a sweet sauce. Vegeta had pork with a hot and spicy sauce over his noodles. His rice was covered with mushrooms and seafood. When they got back to the table the waiter had already set down their glasses and pitchers.

"Did you gentlemen also wish to order from the menu?" Henry got out an order pad from his apron's left hip pocket.

"Yeah. I'll have the waffles supreme****. The eggs fried, please. Then I'll have the chicken cordon bleu. Thousand Island Dressing, french fries and the asparagus. I also want all the seafood dishes." Goku ordered.

"And the sides, sir? How would you like those?" Young Henry asked in a robotic manner.

"Doesn't matter. Just mix and match."

"And you, sir?" asked the waiter of Vegeta.

"I'll have four waffles supreme. All the eggs scrambled. A large pepperoni, sausage and mushroom pizza with extra cheese. Two of the barbeque chickens. Baked potato, Italian dressing and the mixed vegetables. I'll also have one of each hamburger with the sides mixed like Kakarot. I think that'll be it for starters." Vegeta rambled off his order. He didn't eat his food while he ordered; unlike Goku. Who had a lo mein noodle hanging from his mouth.

"For starters?" squeaked Henry.

"Yes. And I suggest you get that to the back quick. Have the cooks work on them fast; or we'll end up eating all the Buffett." Vegeta warned the waiter.

With a nod Henry ran off to place the orders. He just hoped he got a big tip.

Goku and Vegeta soon finished with their rice and noodle concoctions. Goku went up to get a variety of international cuisine while Vegeta piled a clean plate with spaghetti and a meat sauce. He grabbed a half dozen rolls and a fist of butter packets. Both men made it back to the table in time for their salads and soups.

Several large bowls where filled with crispy greens, cucumber slices, carrot shavings and cherry tomatoes. Each one had a different dressing. Before their seats were several stacked plates.

"Um, we don't need a plate for each salad. We'll just use one for each of us." Goku let the waiter know of the unnecessary additional plates.

"It's health regulations, sir."

"That's for going up to the salad bars. Not for at the table. We're the only ones sitting here." Vegeta explained further. 'I'm not some filthy cretin off the streets. How dare he imply that I might pass some kind of bacteria around.'

"Sorry, sirs, but that's the way it is." The waiter then walked away to help another customer.

Both men just shrugged. They would use the clean plates on their next trip up to the food bars.

They ate their food in companionable silence. Soon the soup bowls were all empty and stacked at the end of the table. The salads were quickly disappearing. Henry came back to their table time and again to clear away plates and refresh glasses.

"Want some more bread, Vegeta?"

"You going up?"

"Yeah. That's why I asked."

"Sure then; and some crackers, too."

"Ok. Be right back." Goku soon returned with two more plates. One with more rice and chicken and another with rolls, butters and crackers.

Soon Henry came out with a large tray laden with several plates. One had baked potatoes, one was piled with french fries, a bowl was heaping with mashed potatoes and a carafe had gravy to go with it. There were plates and bowls with different vegetable variations. A large bottle of ketchup was placed on the table. A paper lined basket was filled with syrup, butter and jam packets.

Henry went to the back to bring out some of their dinners. He first brought out the waffles and the chicken dishes. Vegeta and Goku ate their salad bar items then began eating their waffles. Goku used three butters and five of the strawberry jam packets on his waffle. Vegeta used all the remaining butter packets in the basket along with six of the syrups.

Goku had a piece of bacon between his left hand's index finger and thumb. He bit off a good bit before he shoved a fork full of waffle in his mouth. He chewed with relish at the smoky salty bacon and the fruity buttery waffle's taste mixed together. When he swallowed that down he forked some of his eggs onto the slice of ham that came with the waffle. He would fork in waffle and bacon then egg and ham. When he ran out of the bacon he used the sausage.

Vegeta liked eating his waffle along with the ham. He dipped the sausage into the syrup and took a large bite from that end. His eggs he sprinkled with some pepper before eating them along with the bacon.

Before long they had completed their breakfast dishes; and began to eat their selected chicken dishes. Goku asked Vegeta if he could have a leg from a barbeque chicken. Deciding it would be better to hand it over instead of Kakarot snatching it from his plate, Vegeta gave a leg to the younger man. With a word of thanks Goku bit into the tangy section.

The side dishes were disbursed between the two men. The first dinner plates started to get barren as Henry came out with some of the other dishes. Goku was thrilled to see the fish dishes arranged by fried, broiled and stuffed.

Vegeta wanted to sink his teeth into a beefy burger. He grabbed the ketchup bottle and smothered some of his fries and the tops of his burgers. There were three things he loved about Earth. One was the music; another was the food. The last was the man sitting across from him.

Goku was surprised at how it turned out to be such a good day. He was so busy eating that he nearly forgot his news. "Hey, Vegeta?"

"What is it, Kakarot?" The prince had to stop between fork fulls of fries to speak. Good manners were so ingrained into him and his pride would not allow him to embarrass himself by talking with food in his mouth.

"I got a job this morning." Goku stated happily.

"Where and doing what?" Vegeta had no idea the man wanted a job.

"At a dojo teaching kids karate. The pay is good; at least I think it is." Goku answered him.

"How much will you be making?"

"At first I'll start at 14.50 an hour then it should go up." Goku was grinning as he ate and talked to Vegeta. He felt comfortable and safe with him. It was like he didn't have to worry about pretending to be something he wasn't with him. That was the way it was with the others.

"Sounds like a good start. Why did you want to get a job in the first place, Kakarot? All those years the harpy yelled at you for not having a job, you never got one. Now you go and get a job. What is going on?" Vegeta was getting suspicious.

"I just wanted to get one. I guess I didn't like having to depend on everybody to take care of me. Like yesterday I had to borrow some clothes from Gohan, the ones I'm wearing now." Goku explained his reasons. He hoped Vegeta wouldn't laugh at him. That would hurt more than all the yelling ChiChi did.

"You're the one who takes care of everybody else, Kakarot. This whole planet wouldn't be here if it weren't for you." Vegeta stated. "But I do understand the need to prove yourself capable."

"You really understand why I got a job, Vegeta?" Goku asked softly.

"Yes I do, Kakarot." Witnessing the younger man's happy smile at his statement, Vegeta softly smiled in return.

Goku loved it when Vegeta would smile. Especially at him. His day just went from good to great. Then thoughts of the way the teller acted towards him had Goku frowning.

Vegeta saw the younger man unexpectedly frown. He became curious about the sudden mood swing. "Kakarot?"

"It's nothing, Vegeta." Goku looked down at his plate not wanting the older male to see his face.

"It is something. You don't frown for no reason." Vegeta wasn't used to being concerned about another's emotions. 'Am I honestly concerned about how he feels? I suppose I am.'

"Why are people so mean to others? Why do they say hateful or cruel things?" Goku wondered out loud.

"Did someone say something like that to you? Who?" Vegeta asked. He was finding that he felt protective of the other man lately.

"Two women at the bank. I went in to take out some money from the account I had set up for Gohan and Goten with all the prize money I won. The first teller I went to said I'd need a slip of paper filled out and my savings book to withdraw money." Goku began to explain his earlier experience of the day.

"Those things are needed. But, when did someone say mean things to you?" Vegeta wasn't quite sure where this was going.

"I'll get to that. It's just that I didn't know that a savings book was the same as a bank book. So I then went home to get it after she told me what it was. When I went back and filled out the withdrawal slip I went to stand in line again. I over heard the first teller talking to the teller of whose line I was in. She was saying some nasty stuff and then when it was my turn at the window the second teller said some stuff back. They were talking about me, Vegeta. Calling me an idiot. That 'how can one person be so dumb that they don't know what a savings book is.' That I was some air head. Probably could barely read. That I was someone who relied on my looks to get by. Like I was a nobody." Goku had gotten choked up on the last word he spoke.

Vegeta could feel his temper rise as the younger male told his story. 'Damn humans. Who ever they are will pay.'When he was calm enough he said, "Kakarot, who ever they are they sound like two spiteful fools to me. Don't let what they said upset you. You're better than all these humans put together a thousand times over. But I do want to know something."

Goku felt hundreds of times better. "What, Vegeta?"

"Which bank was it? And who were they?"

Goku told him the bank name and street it was on and the names that were on little plaques in front of their windows. The older man's sudden devilish grin worried Goku. "What are you going to do, Vegeta? You're not going to hurt anybody, are you?"

"No, I won't hurt anybody, Kakarot. Maybe scare them a bit." It had been a while since Vegeta had such a look on his face. He looked like a cat cleaning its claws in preparation of a hunt.

"You mean you'll really go and frighten some people just for saying something cruel about me?" Goku couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"As a Prince it is my duty to protect and defend any of my subjects from harm of any kind." Vegeta simply stated. 'I can't say that I'd rather rip out the throats of anyone who would do harm to you. No matter how much I ache at times to.'

"Oh." 'So, he's just protecting his people's reputation; not me.' Goku felt saddened at the thought.

The table became quiet. Their concentration went from talking back to food as the waiter came with the rest of their food. Before long the table's clutter was dwindling down to a few plates. Goku did not feel like dessert. He just wanted to go home and be by himself for awhile.

Vegeta caught onto the other's mood. He could sense Kakarot's withdrawn mind set. He thought it was about what happened at the bank; not his casual statement of princely duty.

Henry soon came with the bill. Goku just had enough to cover lunch and leave a good tip. So he just took out the slip from the bank money envelope and left it on top of the bill. Looking at the older man, Goku said as cheerily as he could, "See you around, Vegeta. It was nice having lunch together. See you tomorrow for our usual spar. Bye."

Vegeta sat silently in his seat as he watched the other leave. He could tell Kakarot wasn't as mirthful as he made himself appear. He decided to pay a visit to that bank. It would be fascinating to see how the manager would react about losing a potential client like himself because of some cruel comments stated by some of his tellers. He would make sure that Kakarot was given the proper respect he deserved. The man had given his life more than enough for this ungrateful planet. He would see that the incident never repeated itself. With a firm resolve to take care of the situation; Vegeta took the money envelope and bill up to the counter. He payed for the meal with a C.C. credit card and left eighty dollars on the table for a tip. He was going to make sure they redeposited the bills into Kakarot's account.

§Author Notes§

*: If there is a dojo owner out there by the name of James Gordon, sorry. Just using the name that popped into my head at that second. So, please don't sue me.

**: '58 Corvette is my favorite car. Red with white along those indent things and a black convertible top. My dream car. Just too bad they chug gas like an alcoholic does vodka.

***: I just love that song. I hope the band and any of the living members don't sue me. It's just a great song.

****: A waffle supreme has a large round Belgian waffle with two eggs anyway you want them, two pieces of bacon, a large breakfast sausage and a large slice of ham or Canadian bacon. A local restaurant that serves breakfast all day and night has that. My favorite from them; except for the desserts. The place makes a great chocolate layered cake.

Well, I think that was the longest chapter so far. 14 pages worth. Not counting these little foot notes. Told you this one would be longer.

Sorry if it's kinda sappy. I just think that with the villains coming along all the time people never really get to know the characters. I hope I'm as close as I can be, but not too in character. People evolve their personalities as they get older. Why can't DBZ people?

I know I'm a nasty little shit for still not explaining the details of Saiyajin male conception. By the fifteenth chapter I'm sure I'll have it written down. This story will be at least 30 chapters long, I think. And when nearly every chapter so far as been close to ten and above; well, that's a lot of typing.

If you want to review; please do! I don't mind. It would be appreciated. Feed back and comments are welcome. Even criticism. No pressure. No threats of stopping the fic if no one reviews.

Please forget about the whole cold thing in the last chapter. I wrote that one in April. I had a cold then. But if it will make anybody happy, I was sick back on the 5th of July. I also redid chapter 4. Noticed I forgot to change a few things. Reread it if you want to. It's basically Vegeta correcting Goten about the whole vagina thing. They don't get the whole thing, just the birth canal. Actually, they already have it. It's the labia that needs to form. That's where the crease or vertical scar comes into play. In a later chapter most of it will be explained. Vegeta will save a few details for when he and... Hehe... almost let too much info out!

People like the tellers really piss me off. I was one of those students who got detention for sticking up for others and myself to teachers, other students and even the counselors back in school. I never got a good chance to tell off the Principle though. Damn.

I proudly admit I get it from my mom. She's the best and my hero. Other than my dad. Miss you daddy.

✌ ❃  ☺ ♡