AN: Hey guys! So this is a neat little idea I had; alot of people misconstrue Goku as a Superman like figure who only fights to save everyone. However, this is not the character Akira Toriyama intended. In the aftermath of the fight with Vegeta, there is a huge mistranslation - Goku spares Vegeta because he wants to fight him again because he's strong, not because he wants to be good at heart. This story explores this aspect of Goku's character. Anyway, on with it!

DISCLAIMER: The following is a non profit fanfiction. Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super are all owned by Fuji TV and Akira Toriyama. Please support the official release. ;)

"Dad, I have a question."

"Uh…Goten, if you want help with your homework or something, I think you're better off asking your mother. Or you could ask Gohan – I'm sure he'd be willing to help you out."

"It's not about studying – it's about you and fighting."

Goku looked at his son with a puzzled expression. It was odd that Goten came to him with martial arts questions. He very rarely trained, and even when he did he usually did it with Trunks. Goku narrowed his eyes and wondered what could have happened to make Goten want to ask him a question about fighting. He got out of the tractor he was driving and motioned for Goten to sit, and asked, "Sure thing son – what's up?" Goten sighed and was unwilling to meet his father's eyes. Goku, quick to notice this, put his hand on Goten's shoulder. "Hey, come on – what's the matter, sport? Did Trunks get a lot stronger or something?" Goten shook his head. Goku scratched his hair, not knowing what Goten was getting at. Finally, Goten said in a squeaky voice,

"Why do you fight? Is it just because you're a Saiyan?"

Goku, taken aback by such a question, widened his eyes and said, "Whoa, whoa – where'd you get that from, Goten?"

Goten sighed and looked at the ground. "I know that Saiyans love to fight more than anything – Trunks told me all about it. I guess his dad told him about it. So then I thought about you, because…well, both you and Vegeta are Saiyans, right? So….is that why you fight all the time? Just because you 'like' to? Do you care about Mom or Gohan or me?! Do you actually care about saving the planet?!"

What struck Goku immediately is the fact that Goten's voice was laced with anger - it wasn't very apparent, but it was definitely there. He scratched his head, wondering how he could answer his son. "Goten, while it's true that I am a Saiyan, of course I care about everyone here – I was fighting to protect you guys even before I found out I was a Saiyan – ever since I was a kid, in fact. I guess nobody ever told you all the crazy antics I was up to back then, huh?" Goku chuckled at the memories of his childhood. "Oh man - all that was so long ago. After my grandpa died, I trained a lot with Master Roshi, Mr. Popo, and even Kami. I met so many amazing people along the way, including your mother." Goten said, "Mom mentioned you didn't know what marriage was, but I thought she was joking. Was that true?" Goku laughed and nodded. "Yup; it was!"

"Then that means she really DID trick you into marrying her?"

Goku nodded sheepishly and scratched his head. "Technically you're correct, but it's not like I didn't like her back then – I just had no idea of the concept of marriage."

Goten sighed. "Dad, sometimes I think you're the one that needs to go to school, not Gohan."

Goku pouted. "Everyone's a critic, huh? But anyway, me not knowing about marriage was the least of it; by the time I was a young adult, I had defeated an entire army, several demons, and I even sent a rabbit to the moon!"

Goten's eyes went wide. "D-Did you make that last one up?"

Goku shook his head. "Nope – it's all true. Once, I had to fight Piccolo's father because he was taking over the world – he killed Master Roshi and even Shenron! Krillin was killed too. It was one of the toughest battles I ever fought. It took every ounce of energy I had to beat him. Another time, I fought Piccolo in a World Tournament. It was brutal – we ended up destroying the arena with the amount of energy we were using. He blasted a hole in my shoulder, but in the end, I beat him." Goten shuddered. "That must have been awful."

Goku nodded. "All this happened before I even knew about the Saiyan race. But I won't lie to you son, sometimes I wish to fight simply because I can. Call it a little selfish, but it's in my blood, and there's nothing I can do about it. Can I tell you a secret?" Goten nodded. Goku sighed and said, "When Gohan was a little kid, Vegeta came to Earth looking for the Dragon Balls. He wanted immortality, and he was pure evil - he killed everyone except Gohan and Krillin. I had to fight him, and it took everything I had to even land a punch on him. Eventually after many complications, we won and Vegeta retreated."

Goten said in a shocked voice, "But you've always been so much stronger than Vegeta! How come he was stronger than you?" Goku replied, "Hmm…..I've actually thought about this for a while – and I think it may have something to do with my mental state of mind at the time of the fight. You see, until that point, I wasn't willing to accept that I was a Saiyan because I had always seen myself as an Earthling. Perhaps I didn't want to believe that I was part of a battle driven society who only lived to conquer and destroy. So when I fought Vegeta, I guess I was also fighting against myself. It was an internal struggle which prevented me from using the full extent of my power. I actually lost that fight – if it wasn't for Gohan, Krillin and Yajirobe showing up, I would have been killed."

"At the end of the fight, Krillin was about to stab Vegeta with Yajirobe's sword. But I stopped him. I said that I wanted to fight him again someday because he was such a strong opponent, and that it would be a waste to let him die." Goten gasped. "You let him get away?! After he killed everyone you just let him walk out of there?!" Goku nodded. "I told you it's in my blood, right? At that moment, I accepted that I was a Saiyan – part of a warrior race that loved to fight. I chose my Saiyan side. So when I see a powerful opponent, I get psyched and I do anything to be able to fight that person." Goten stood up and screamed, 'So you let a bloodthirsty murderer get away just because you were looking for a challenge?! Even though he killed everyone you knew?! Dad, that's wrong!" Goku averted his eyes from his sons' and said, "I can understand why you'd say that, and I don't blame you for thinking that I'm a lunatic. But understand when I tell you that I would never put my desire to fight over protecting everyone here on Earth. This planet is my home and I will not let anyone lay a finger on it." He looked back at Goten and said in a firm voice, "I would be more than happy to give up my life for this planet if it meant keeping it safe. I hope you know that."

Goten nodded. "I-I guess so. Still….to know that you let someone as evil as Vegeta back then get away for such a selfish reason….I'm worried a little bit…" To his surprise, Goku laughed and ruffled his sons' hair. "That was a long time ago; I've changed a lot since those days. I probably wouldn't do the same thing again."

"Yeah because if you did Mom would kill you!"

"Now THAT is a true terror."

Both father and son laughed, and whatever anger Goten had felt at Goku faded away. He realized that he would just have faith in his dad, the person who's saved the planet so many times over. Even though he could be a bit selfish when it came to fighting, he was still an amazing warrior, and a loving father.

For Goten, that's what really mattered.