After All We've Been Through

By Zogeta

Summary: Vegeta takes Kakarot on a training trip without his permission. What ulterior motive does the Prince have, and how will Goku react to the regime?

Chapter one: Drugged

"Hey, what's the special occasion, Vegeta?"

I shrug as I sit opposite him, the table between us laden with all the sticky, gooey things he likes. His diet is revolting, it really is. He reminds me of Majin Buu...minus the human candy.

"It's your Saiyan name-day, and even though we're not really friends, someone should recognise your special day. Eat up, and then I'll fetch your present."

"Wow, Vegeta, that's really nice of you. Thanks!"

I try not to flinch as he starts gulping and slurping, chocolate and cake going everywhere. But he starts to slow down, his eyelids drooping. He shakes his head and tries to continue, but he yawns, chocolate-coated tongue stretching out.

"This is so weird…I'm feeling so tired all of a sudden."

"It must be the heat. Why don't you take a nap? You can always eat this later." I gesture towards the food, and he nods, a big hand covering his mouth as he yawns again. He stands up, swaying a little, and pushes his chair back. He hasn't even stumbled two metres before he passes out, and I grab the back of his gi to stop him from hitting the regulation blue Capsule Corp. carpet. I lower him down to the floor, out cold.

Industrial strength tranquilizers. Nothing like them. I bend down and chuck him over my shoulder, my knees protesting at the addition of dead weight. Bloody hell, but this idiot is heavy. I walk to the underground docking bay and up the gangplank of a prepared spaceship. I put the snoring lug on a bed and attach a dark blue manacle to his wrist before walking back upstairs.

"So, you're ready then, Vegeta?"

I nod, and pick up a briefcase full of capsules. Bulma looks sad, but she understands why I'm leaving.

"Just…don't be too hard on him."

She flings her arms around me, and I feel a warm dampness in the crook of my neck. I sigh and stroke her hair while she sobs. "Don't cry, Bulma. You know I don't know what to do with tears."

I lean back and look down. She manages a watery smile while I brush her tears away with the backs of my fingers.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to go to pieces, but you know about your time and all that. And I'll miss you so much."

I can't help a chuckle as I pull her against me. "I'll miss you too, Blue. Look after the brat for me."

She nods into my brown pilot jacket before stepping away. Knowing that it'll be a long time before I do it again, I give her a kiss goodbye.

Truth be told, I don't know when I'll back. It's not a question of if I'll be back, at least. I'll miss my wife and my son, but I have to do something before it's too late, and it involves Kakarot. It's not a job I particularly want to do, but it must be done. It's a father's role, but since I'm all that remains of the Saiyan race besides Kakarot, the job has fallen to me. It's a sacred tradition that Saiyan fathers have carried out for centuries; the legendary training. I must restart the tradition, and it will be hard; on me, on him, on the families we leave behind. But it has to be done.

I hate long goodbyes, and Bulma knows this. She opens the overhead doors to allow my spaceship to exit and I settle myself in the pilot's seat. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly before doing up my belts. I've spent the last two months on an intensive crash course learning to fly and maintain this damn thing, and Bulma says I would have made a great pilot.

"Ready to go, Vegeta?"

"Ready when you are, Blue. Everything's clear on this side."

"Alright, we're go then. Take care, Vegeta."

"Will do."

"Okay, start warming up the external engines, then release all the brackets."

"Done."

"Well, I suppose you're clear then. So, this is goodbye?"

I look at my lap. "Yes, it is."

"Then, in that case; I love you, Vegeta."

I hate blushing. "L-love you too."

I hear her laughing, and I smile a little.

"You're a softy, Vegeta, no matter how much you deny it. Take off in five…"

I rest my hands on the levers, and as the rockets start firing my grip tightens.

"Four…three…"

The rockets begin screaming, and I feel my heart nestle between my tonsils.

"Two…one…"

Gulp.

"GO!"

I pull the levers towards me, the restraints fall away and my spaceship rockets upwards, a giant black and white ball of technology. There's a lurch as we wrench free of the Earth's gravity and soon we're in orbit and on our way to a special planet in a neighbouring galaxy.

I unclip my belts and go down to the next level of the ship, where the bedrooms and bathrooms are. I put my head around Kakarot's door, only to find the fool still sleeping. Maybe I put too much tranquilizer in the éclairs. I walk into my room and open a drawer, my own manacle rolling around inside. I open the band, place it over my wrist and clamp it shut. Immediately, it creates a block on my energy and prevents me from using it by reflecting upon itself. Well, that's what it was designed for. I've got to hand it to Bulma; the woman is a genius.

While I wait for Kakarot to wake up I change into my usual blue combat armour. As I snap on a glove, I hear Kakarot groaning next door. Picking up a spare combat suit, I walk into his room and lean against the wall. The fool is sitting up and rubbing his knuckles with his eyes. He finally notices me and looks confused. Not all that different from his usual expression.

"Uh, Vegeta? Where are we?"

No time like the present to tell him the truth.

"We're on a spaceship and on our way to the most intensive mental and physical training that you'll ever go through."

"Huh?"

I chuck him the combat suit. It's similar to mine, just a darker blue. He looks at it, then up at me.

"But I've got to get home in time for dinner! I really don't have time for this."

He puts it aside and gets to his feet. I simply shrug. "You don't have a choice in the matter, Kakarot."

He laughs, and it grinds on my nerves. "Hey, it might have been a funny joke for you, but I'm serious. Chichi is going to be livid if I'm home late."

Now it's my turn to laugh. "You poor, hen-pecked bastard. So why don't you do your little instant transmission trick and go home?"

"Fine, I will. Just you watch."

Oh this is going to be so priceless. He puts two fingers to his forehead and frowns. A moment later…

"It's not working."

I clap sarcastically, feeling rather smug. "Of course it doesn't. You've got a ki-cutting manacle on your wrist. You're not going anywhere."

He scratches his head. "You've got to be kidding me…" He finally sees the dark blue metal strip around his wrist, and looks at me with something remarkably like distaste.

"Vegeta, this isn't funny. Take it off and let me go home."

"No."

"No? Why not?"

"Because, idiot, I have the task of granting you full use of your considerable Saiyan abilities, that's why."

He sits down hard on the edge of the bed and stares at me, while I lazily inspect my gloved hands.

"But I'm a Super Saiyan three. I don't need any more training!"

I mentally groan. "Look at you. You get completely thrown if you can't use your ki. You're useless. The unpleasant task of making you a true survivor has fallen to me because your father is dead. Don't get me wrong; I'm not doing this out of any fondness for you, but because the Earth will benefit and my father told me to do the best I can for my subjects. And I have other reasons too."

He stands up and walks over to me. He looks me right in the eye and folds his arms. "I know the two of us have never really gotten along, but kidnapping me was totally mean. Now take this stupid thing off before I –"

"Before you what? What are you going to do? Bore me to death with one of your self-righteous speeches? Spare me, Kakarot. Get into that combat suit now and get ready for your first bout of training."

I start to move towards the door, but he growls and grabs my shoulders, pinning me against the wall.

"I'm not going to do what you tell me to do! You can't command me and I refuse to follow your orders. In the bigger scheme of things, Vegeta, you're nothing to me! I'm not your lowly Saiyan to serve over, I'm not your third class, and you're not doing me any favours. Now take me home!"

I tried to be patient. But not any more. I ram my fist right into his gut, making him double over and gasp. With a snarl I grab the front of his gi and hold him to my eye level, knuckles white. I ignore his wince as I jerk him closer.

"Listen here, idiot. I've also given up my family and my time to make you stronger. You know damn well how much I hate the fact that you're stronger than me. You have no idea how fucking hard this is for me! I'm going to teach you skills and give you strengths you never even knew you had, and the least you can do is give me a chance! I don't like this any more than you, but ultimately, you are Earth's guardian, and if I can do anything in my power to look after my home and family, it's this. So just fucking grow UP and get changed!"

I drop him to the floor and walk to the door.

"I expect you upstairs in five minutes."

I can almost feel his shock on my back as I leave.

I've just finished my stretches when I hear him stomping up the stairs. I raise an eyebrow as he slouches in, tail practically dragging on the floor. He may be acting like a petulant child, but at least he's in combat armour.

"It's about time. Warm up."

He shoots me a glare before starting his stretches. As he swings his arms, he scowls at me.

"I'm only doing this because it'll help the Earth. But you could have just asked; you didn't need to yell at me."

I laugh to myself. "You would never have agreed to come. And before you even start complaining, I'm also wearing a ki-cutter. I see you tried to pull yours off."

I can see trickles of blood staining the blue of his suit and he ignores me. The manacles only come off with a spoken password, but when a bearer tries to pull them off they clamp down and tiny hooks sink into the skin, laced with pain-inducing drugs. A part of me feels rather smug that the bastard tried. Serves the insolent idiot right. But I also would have been disappointed if he hadn't made the effort.

Finally, he's finished. He folds his arms and looks away, tail curling tightly around his waist. His posture screams that he'd rather be anywhere but here with me. I push aside any sympathy; there's no room for it here. I know that at one point he might have wanted us to be friends, but I think he's slit that idea's throat.

"So…now what?"

I walk over to the control panel and key in a number. I hit the blue button and the room begins to hum. The computer drones my command.

"Initiating gravity simulation…"

Kakarot has the audacity to smirk at me. "Oh, how original. You dragged me out to space for this?"

Now it's my turn to smirk.

"Nine hundred times standard Earth gravity."

"WOAH!"

He falls over onto his ass, but I stand, no problem. I always train at this level. I won't move to help him; he will do everything on his own.

"This is nothing compared to what's coming, clown. It's going to get much worse. Now get off your third class ass and fight me."

He struggles to his hands and knees, and then manages to get to his feet. With difficulty he gets into a stance. "Fine, Vegeta. But you know I'm stronger."

I beckon with my hand. "Not without your energy, you aren't. Now shut up and stop acting like a human."

He launches towards me, and I can see that it takes some serious effort. I dodge him easily and drive my knee into his solar plexus, hitting all the breath out of him before I elbow his lower back, slamming him face-first into the floor. I step back and survey the coughing heap at my feet as he holds his stomach.

"See what I mean? Weak. You're far too dependant on your energy. Now get up and try again."

We finish three hours later and although Kakarot managed to get a few punches in, he is definitely the more injured one. I switch off the gravity and grab a nearby towel. I wipe my face and hang the towel around my neck while I walk to the staircase down to the living level. I put my hand on the railing and watch Kakarot get to his feet, coughing blood.

"Hn. Passable. Get clean and get into bed. We begin the first stage tomorrow. And no senzu beans. You'll be fine without them. Besides, you're far too reliant on them anyway."

And without a backward glance I leave, hearing Kakarot growl behind me.

AN: And that's the first instalment! Hope you all enjoyed it!

Thanks to my evil editor for her swift beta!

And thank you all for the wonderful reviews you left at the end of my last story! I feel so loved now! Huzzah!