Vegeta would be lying if he said he wasn't proud of their students. They had come a very long way in the six weeks of training. Everything they did, they worked together. He could see that their bonds had grown stronger, that they were closer than they ever had been. Making them hunt together, eat together, sleep, train, work, meditate together had worked exactly the way Vegeta had planned. They were respectful, obedient to the orders he and the other teachers gave them. They had all reached individual milestones in their training as well – Catie finally learned to calm her mind and meditate without giggling at Piccolo, Jenny and Seventeen had surprisingly emerged as leaders among their group, Sabriena and Leelee (previously thought to be the weakest of the group) proved that they were each a force to be reckoned with, and Lindsey had joyously run out of the cellar one morning, screaming that her pants fit again. Even Trunks and Gohan had made leaps and bounds in their training, learning to trust the judgment and strength of their teammates, figuring out that they didn't have to try to protect them all the time or go easy on them in training. They were all stronger, faster,smarter... There was nothing left to teach them now, save for one thing.

Vegeta had approached the other trainers one night after their students had gone to bed. "We need to talk," he said, drawing their attention.

Goku blinked at him, seeing an exceptionally stern look on his face. "What's up, Vegeta?"

"We've been training them to face our enemy in battle, but there's one part we haven't covered. How they handle themselves if they're caught and are put through an interrogation. We need to find something to test them with. If they pass, then I'd say our training here is done."

Tien felt a bit of excitement at that. It would be nice to have the cabin to just him and Sabriena again and to go back to the way things were before. It'd be nice to say her name instead of shouting "Schuler!" all the damn time. But this interrogation process... he wasn't sure he liked the sound of that.

Goku looked alarmed, "Interrogation?! Vegeta, you mean torture?! What... I mean... I don't mean to question it or not do it, but Vegeta, what if something goes wrong?"

Piccolo had his ears on the conversation as well. Interrogation. He knew the Saiyans had some rather interesting methods to get information out of people and he knew Frieza couldn't have been a walk in the park either. No doubt Vegeta knew exactly what they were likely to face. And Piccolo hadn't forgotten Leelee's vision, either. "He won't let them die, Goku. But I think we should know how far is too far before we do this."

Vegeta thought for a minute. "No one's going to lose their life or end up permanently scarred." He paused and tapped his temple. "But we can make them think we might. It's more mental than physical. They're too stubborn to give in to their own pain. But seeing their comrades hurt - that's how we get them to talk. Or, rather, test them to make sure they don't talk."

Goku drug a hand through his hair, looking at the others. He didn't know if he could watch...but it was a test for him as well. He had to watch and he would have to stay silent, trusting Vegeta and the training he had given over the past weeks. "How… how do we do this, then?"

"We have to find something to question them on," Vegeta answered thoughtfully. "They have to have made a mistake somewhere, tried to hide something, gone against our wishes somehow."

"I haven't seen anything like that," Eighteen stated. "Aside from that first week we were here, they've pretty much done exactly what we've told them to do."

"There's something," Vegeta insisted. "I don't care how small it is, they aren't perfect. They've slipped up somewhere. Now we just have to find it."

The opportunity came sooner than they expected. It was only a few days later when Tien found the exact thing they were looking for that would end the training at his cabin. He stood and watched as Goku oversaw their students going through their morning routine as he started preparing breakfast for everyone. He was starting to miss Sabriena's cooking something fierce and he was eagerly looking for something they could use to initiate this interrogation process and get the whole thing over with so that everything would go back to normal.

Tien sighed when he realized they were out of coffee and he headed out to the cellar to get more. He was proud of all of them. They were functioning as a team; they'd gotten over their defiance and the idea that going into battle was an every man for himself situation. Now it was all about their team. He smirked when he saw the rough bed they'd managed to make at the bottom of the cellar stairs. When had they done that? Smart kids. But something else caught his eye and he frowned. Sabriena's bow was sitting on an upper shelf, tucked behind some packages of meat he knew hadn't been there before. When had they snuck into the cabin to get it? He grabbed it and the packages off the shelf, staring at them in his hands. He felt a strange mixture of excitement and dread crash through him. This would be perfect. It was obvious they all knew about it and none of them had spoken a word; they'd tried to hide it. Drawing a long breath through his nose to steel himself, Tien marched back up the stairs, the coffee forgotten.

"Vegeta! Eighteen! Piccolo! Come with me," he barked as he went inside the cabin, holding the bow at his side, standing at an angle where their students wouldn't see it. Vegeta and Piccolo exchanged a look before Vegeta barked, "Continue with your training!" and headed into the cabin.

Goku watched them as they went into the cabin, closing the door behind them. He had to admit, Vegeta's training was effective. The more he saw them being able to handle what they were throwing at them, the more he began to relax and let them do what they had to do, not afraid to bark an order here and there. He didn't want to make a career out of it, but he could do it. He couldn't help wondering what had Tien looking so stern and he suddenly wished he had Piccolo's hearing so that he could listen in on what was going on inside the cabin.

Tien set the bow and the packages of meat on the table. "I found this in the cellar. It's the bow I made for Sabriena and I know that meat wasn't in there before. Somehow they got into the cabin and stole her bow and arrows without us noticing."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes for a moment before he smirked. "Perfect."

Eighteen blinked at the bow on the table. "So what do we do now?" she asked. "And how the hell did they manage to get past us?"

"I suppose that'll be up to us to figure out," Vegeta answered. He drew a long breath through his nose, staring out the window of the cabin, watching them as they practiced in the yard, their movements perfectly in sync with Goku's instruction. This was going to be the hardest part yet. His eyes scanned over the line of students, trying to decide which one to go after first.

Piccolo looked out over Vegeta's shoulder, staring at them as well. "You've trained them well, Vegeta. Getting a confession out of any one of them isn't going to be easy."

"We'd better not get a confession out of them at all," he replied. His eyes narrowed on his own son, remembering how he'd been the most vocal about being hungry. He stormed out the front door, letting it bang against the wall of the cabin as he marched forward and slammed his fist into Trunks' face, knocking him to the ground.

Goku was so stunned by the change in Vegeta's attitude and demeanor that he froze, not knowing what to do or what had gotten into the older Saiyan. He half raised up, getting ready to defend Trunks when Piccolo reached out a hand and caught his shoulder.

Leelee's eyes widened, recalling the horrifying vision as if she had seen it yesterday. The look in Vegeta's eyes was feral, like he was ready to tear Trunks apart with his bare hands. "Oh gods, no..." she breathed. What was Vegeta on about?

"Thief!" Vegeta accused.

Trunks could have swore, the punch to the face smarted but when his father grabbed him up and accused him of that, he was at a loss. He grabbed at Vegeta's hand trying to pry him off, "What are you talking about?! "

"You know damn well what I'm talking about, now tell me what I want to know!" Vegeta demanded, slugging Trunks across the face again.

Catie was frozen to the spot, not knowing what to do, her heart hammering against her ribs as she watched the scene before her. Was this some kind of test? Had Vegeta snapped or was he being controlled by some spell? Vegeta had told them over and over again to work together, protect each other. She made up her mind in an instant and if she was wrong, she'd accept the punishment. She jumped on Vegeta's back, trying to grab his wrist to stop him from punching Trunks again, but Vegeta gave a loud snarl and threw her to the ground with his tail.

"Bind their hands," Vegeta barked, pulling Trunks up and twisting his arm behind his back, binding his hands with energy bands.

Tien felt like his heart had leaped into his throat. This was it. Their final test, to see if they could hold out against the pain and mental abuse, to not give in should they be captured in battle.

Goku hesitated only a moment before he sprang into action, following Vegeta's orders and quickly set energy bindings on everyone's hands, watching them all struggle.

Jenny growled, "What the hell is this?!"

Goku barked, "Shut up, Wick. Or the next one to talk is going to regret it." He sneered. Hate... he hated himself in that instant... wanting nothing more to go to protect them, but he knew it was as much as a lesson for him as it was for them. They were ready. They could do this on their own

Sabriena was glaring at Goku and Tien as they stood over them, their expressions stoic. She looked to Piccolo, whose face devoid of emotions as well. 'Bastards,' she thought to herself, wondering what in the hell was going on. They'd done nothing wrong as far as she knew.

Vegeta stood at Goku's side, watching them, not saying a word. They stood there for a good long time, their students on their knees before them, the silence building. Vegeta fought the urge to smirk. It didn't bother them the way a growing silence like that would bother most people. "It would seem we've had a bit of mutiny here," Vegeta said slowly, his voice level, calm. "What's the matter? Couldn't handle a little hunger pain?"

Jenny felt her insides turn to ice, but didn't dare flinch. Her mantra to not move, not blink, don't look around, don't give anything away. She saw the bow Tien carried with them and their stash of jerky. He threw it on the ground in front of them, still wrapped. Fuck that. If they hadn't done what they did, they wouldn't have made it through what they did.

Goku looked at the food on the ground, realizing that Vegeta had finally found the thing he was looking for. He looked back at the group, trying to figure out which one was guilty. "So who did it? Who stole the bow? Who went and got a midnight snack?"

Not one of them gave any indication that they'd even been spoken to.

"Not talking, huh?" Vegeta asked. Still, no one responded.

Lindsey ground her teeth together as she tried to inconspicuously work her wrists free of the energy binds. They could all go to hell. She wasn't ratting out her friends and she'd do it again if it meant her husband had a decent meal. Her knees were aching as she knelt on the cold, hard ground, but like her peers, she said nothing.

"So who do we interrogate first?" Vegeta pondered aloud.

Piccolo crossed his arms, looking fierce. "It's Schuler's bow. Maybe we should start with her," he suggested.

Goku pressed his lips together and walked forward, grabbing Sabriena up by her hair and making her stand before he pushed her in front of Vegeta, yanking her head back. "Did you use that bow to get some extra food for you and your friends?" He hated himself. He hated how low his voice was, how dangerous. He hated how heartless he was. He hated the pride that swelled in him when Sabriena didn't speak a word. "Not talking Vegeta."

Sabriena refused to look at either of them as her head was pulled back by her hair. She could've killed Goku in that moment for treating her like this. She saw Tien out of the corner of her eye, but he wasn't looking at her. The bastard. 'I ought to poison their food the next time I cook for them,' she thought to herself. Here they'd gone back to working decently together, much better than that first week, and now they were all going back into asshole-mode. She wasn't going to tell them a thing. This was a test, this was what they'd been training for, to not give in to the enemy, not give information, to hold your tongue and go somewhere else in your mind away from the pain.

Eighteen walked out into the yard, carrying one of the wooden chairs from Tien's table and set it on the ground, grabbing Sabriena and shoving her roughly to sit in it.

"How'd you do it, Schuler?" Vegeta asked.

She pressed her lips to a thin line and said nothing.

Goku swallowed, his insides going cold. His power level was already low. He drew back his hand and back handed her, the sound resounding in silence of the yard. "He asked you a question! You ANSWER when you are asked a question! Tell us how you did it!" He could see the hatred in her eyes as she glared at him, the pain there, a muscle working in her jaw. But the determination he saw kept him steady. If she could do it, so could he. He just prayed they would all forgive him when this was over.

The pain exploded across her cheek, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She righted herself in the chair and stared straight ahead again, trying to remember Piccolo's teaching about going somewhere else in your head.

Vegeta let himself smirk this time. "Stubborn little bitch, isn't she?" He leaned closer to her, trying to look in her eyes, but she kept staring just over his shoulder. "There's no denying it. Tell us who helped you steal from this cabin!" When she refused to answer, he grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her to the ground, kicking her hard in the stomach with his boot.

Sabriena's eyes went wide at the impact, the air forced from her lungs and she gasped for air, choking... Vegeta kicked her again and she cried out, but quickly fought to regain her composure, breathing heavily. "Not... telling you... shit," she spat.

Goku growled, "Speak to him properly!" He roughly moved her into an upright position and backhanded her again. "And sit up straight!"

Piccolo closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself. He didn't like Sabriena, but even this was brutal by his standards. "Anyone want to talk? You could save her a lot of pain if you do." He glared at all of them before glancing at Tien.

Tien was trying to block out what was happening to Sabriena, but he could feel the fury building up in him. This was as much torture to him as it was for her. He wanted nothing more than to attack Vegeta and Goku for hurting her. He ground his teeth together, but maintained his composure. "Come on. I know one of you knows something. Speak up. It all ends as soon as someone gives us just one piece of information." His mind was screaming for someone to crack before he did. But they were unmovable. Vegeta's training had been too solid.

Sabriena tipped her jaw to the side, popping her neck before she sat up straight. "Sorry. I'm not tell you shit, SIR." Moving so fast she didn't see it, Vegeta punched her in the face, knocking her back so hard she hit her head on the edge of the steps to the cabin. She screamed out as she felt her scalp split and the hot blood trickle down the back of her skull.

Goku's eyes went wide, he stepped forward before he could stop himself, but froze, his eyes locking on Vegeta's. If it was the enemy who split her skull, they would laugh in her face and do it again. He picked her up roughly by her arm and hauled her up and forced her to stand. "Don't bleed all over my boots." He gave her a shove towards the others, turning his attention to them instead.

Tien gave a start at the sight of his girlfriend, the blood starting to mat the hair at the back of her head, the bruise on her cheek. His back to the students, he scowled at Goku, but said nothing.

Leelee wanted to shout at them, her mouth opening to do so, but she quickly shut it. Sabriena was okay. She looked pretty rough, but she'd be all right.

Tien was furious. Let's see how they handled it when it was one of their own. He grabbed Gohan up and shoved him towards the door. "Lord knows he can't control his appetite. You know he had a hand in it," he said nastily before he grabbed Sabriena and drug her over to the line, sitting her up on her knees where she'd been before.

Piccolo snorted; this he could do. He'd been hard on Gohan before. He stalked over to him. "Own up Son, we know you had something to do with it. You were just hungry right? Saw Schuler's bow and thought you could get away with a snack... be the hero for your little group. Speak up!" He threw a punch at his face, knocking him backwards end over end.

Goku felt his anger surge at seeing his own son being treated that way and he sent a heated glare towards Tien and Piccolo.

Gohan sat up, his glasses falling from his face, and got to his feet, staring defiantly at them. Yeah, he'd been part of the plan. He and Catie had provided the distraction to get the bow out of the house and they'd been punished for it. And he'd do it all over again. Even now, when he knew they were going to beat him until he either broke or they moved on to the next person, he'd do it again.

"This one doesn't want to talk either, huh?" Tien smirked and grabbed Gohan by the arm and threw him against the side of the cabin, his shoulder smacking into the hard logs.

Gohan gave a painful growl through clenched teeth, but got to his feet once more. "Fuck you," he spat.

Goku gritted his teeth together, locking his knees in place and crossing his arms across his chest. He would not interfere, reminding himself that they knew what to do. They knew exactly what to do.

Just as Sabriena had been, Gohan was forced into the chair by Vegeta who leaned over him, grabbing his face roughly, nearly growling at him. "Tell me how you did it," he said in a dangerously low voice.

Gohan was a smart kid… he'd like to think himself as one at least. He pressed his lips together and stared straight ahead, ignoring Vegeta, his mind playing over the details from his training. "I don't know anything about it, sir," he stated firmly.

"You don't know?" Vegeta mocked. "Maybe this will help you think." He pulled his fist back and drove it into Gohan's stomach, smirking as he heard Gohan heave for air. He stepped back and gave a nod to Eighteen, who stepped around in front of him, balling her hand into a fist.

"Now, let's see if we can get you to talk," she said in a smooth, even voice.

Seventeen leaned over to Jenny, his partner in crime when it came to getting themselves out of these sort of things. "What is this?" he whispered, watching as his sister began to brutally beat Gohan. "How the hell do we get out of this one?"

Jenny shook her head. She didn't know. Her mind was working furiously, taking in everything going on around her. Gohan seemed to be keeping his composure, refusing to say another word to Eighteen or Vegeta as his own father stood there and watched. Sabriena looked woozy at best, slightly swaying on her knees. She'd hit those stairs hard and Jenny feared she might have a concussion. Sabriena needed healing and fast before she passed out on them. Jenny struggled against the energy binds, but it was no use. They were far too strong.

"We have to break these binds somehow," she whispered back, even though she knew her husband could hear every word.

Piccolo growled and walked over to her, back handing both Seventeen and Jenny. "Think you are being clever, do you?" He grabbed her up and gave her a hard shake. "If you have something to say, why don't you share it with the whole class?"

She grit her teeth, a smirk pulling at her lips, "You should go fuck off, SIR," she spat.

Catie's eyes went wide and her lips formed a tiny 'o' at Jenny's answer. She had NEVER heard Jenny speak that way to her husband before. This was it. Time to see if they could put all that training to use, to hold their own. She forced her breathing to remain steady, exchanging a look with Trunks, both of them silently agreeing to not give in to whatever they were faced with. Though she stared hard at Piccolo, she was also sharply aware of where Tien and Goku were, what they were doing, and what was happening to Gohan.

Seventeen got to his feet, the pain stinging through his cheek, glowering at Piccolo. "Hey, fucker! Let go of her! Why don't you take on someone your own size?!" he challenged, tipping his chin up defiantly, a vicious gleam in his cold blue eyes.

Piccolo slowly, eerily, turned his head towards Seventeen. "What's that?" he asked in a dangerously low voice. He let Jenny slip from his grasp back to the ground. "You have information you want to share, Android?"

Seventeen held his ground as the tall Namek stalked forward. He would not give them what they wanted. He refused. "Come on," he taunted, "you think you're a bad ass, puttin' your hands on a woman? Try me on for size!"

Piccolo snarled and grabbed Seventeen, throwing him so hard against a tree that the trunk cracked. Stars popped in the android's eyes, but he struggled back to his feet, laughing. "That all you got, bitch?"

Leelee whimpered, drawing Tien's attention.

"Got something you'd like to add, Dawson?" he asked.

"No, sir," she squeaked.

Tien snorted at her and turned his attention to Lindsey. "How about you, Blackwell?"

Lindsey was trying to hide the fact that she wanted to cry as she stared at her husband. Bruises were forming on the left side of his face, his lip split and blood pouring from it. She wanted to cry out, to beg them to stop, hell she'd even take the blame for taking the bow just to make this end. She opened her mouth to speak, but Gohan gave her a firm look, telling her he could handle it. She breathed evenly through her nose, closing her mouth, and ignored Tien's question.

To tell the truth, Goku wasn't much better off. He was screaming inside for someone to break, to end this. He looked around at them all, the blank expressions on their faces. It was like this was nothing to them. It was going to take more than this to get them to talk and deep down, he knew Vegeta was just getting warmed up. He cringed inside, his stomach twisting painfully into knots. The sooner this was over, the better.

Vegeta questioned each of them in turn, trying to use their pain to get them or their teammates to talk, but no one said a word. He was proud of them. But he wasn't through just yet. It was late afternoon when he strolled out of the cabin, a length of black fabric in his hands. He ran it through his fingers, smirking at them. "On your feet, all of you!" he shouted.

Everyone awkwardly got to their feet, their hands still bound behind their backs.

"Take your sorry asses down to the river. NOW," he growled.

They turned sharply and walked in a line to the river, none of them saying a word, as Tien grabbed Gohan and marched him along behind them.

Though she said nothing, Lindsey couldn't help but throw Goku a nasty look as she passed him.

Eighteen gave her a rough shove to keep walking. "He's not saving your ass today."

"This will make you talk," Vegeta sneered as he fell into step with them.

Goku gave away nothing, pushing them forward when they stumbled and looked at them all before he looked to Vegeta. This next part was going to be one of the he hardest things he was ever going to have to watch. He didn't want to. He wanted to go cry. This was more difficult than any enemy he had to face before. Fighting, dying, pain - it was easy because he could do it. But this... it wasn't him... not at all.

They were forced to sit on their knees on the cold river bank, the rocks digging painfully into their knees, as Vegeta blindfolded Gohan and shoved him forward. He stumbled into the cold water, falling to one knee, but got up again. Two strong pairs of hands grabbed him by his arms and drug him further out into the river. The cold water was stabbing his skin like knives, he could hear the rushing of the waterfall. What were they doing? He was being forced backward… he could feel the spray of the waterfall on his face… "DON'T TELL THEM SHIT!" he screamed before the water hit him full-force in the face. He couldn't help himself. He struggled against Piccolo and Tien, his nose filling with water as he tried to spit out the constant stream that filled his mouth. He was drowning, he was sure of it...

Goku bit his lip so hard he could taste blood, but he watched. He watched as his son was drowned. He looked at the others, their expressions were wide eyed and jenny had even gotten to her feet. Her eyes blazing. "Sit down wick! Unless you want to join him!" he spat at her, taking out a bit of his frustration by yelling at her.

"Just give us a name and this all ends," Vegeta taunted. "Are you going to let your comrade die? He's drowning! Hell, he hasn't been brought back by the dragon before. You think we should tempt fate and see if Shenron can bring him back after the Fates already revived him once?"

Tears were brimming in Lindsey's eyes as she watched her husband struggling for air. His legs were kicking wildly in the water - it looked like Tien and Piccolo were almost having trouble holding him down. She knew what that felt like, to be held under water, to feel like you were drowning. Surely Vegeta wouldn't go that far, would he?

"Tell us who did it!" Tien ordered, standing Gohan up straight.

Gohan gratefully sucked in a lungful of air and turned towards the sound of Tien's voice. "No," he answered in a dangerous tone and slammed his head forward, connecting with Tien's nose, knocking the bigger man backwards into the water.

Goku could see the blood spilling down Tien's face and the whole of the group was starting to get antsy. They all had the same expression, they all were prepared to lay down their lives for this, to protect whoever had a hand in getting the bow. This was about to come to a head – they wouldn't stand for much more of this.

Tien got to his feet and scooped up a handful of water to rinse the blood from his face. Damn kid broke his nose. He grabbed Gohan and shoved him under the waterfall again, tightening his grip as Gohan struggled harder than ever.

"GET CONTROL OF HIM!" Vegeta shouted at Piccolo as he went to Jenny and grabbed the back of her neck, pinching her pressure points. "You have something you want to say, Wick?"

Jenny growled dangerously at him, tears in her eyes from seeing her friends being treated like this... from her own husband doing it. She wasn't giving up anything.

"Suck my dick," she spat at him.

Seventeen openly laughed at Jenny's insult and Vegeta kicked him hard in the jaw for it. "You're going to regret that, Wick," Vegeta snarled and drove his fist into her stomach, doubling her over before he smashed his elbow into her spine, knocking her face-first into the snow crusted rocks.

"Yeah, suck her dick, Vegeta!" Lindsey screamed.

Catie was furious at seeing her sister treated that way. She and Lindsey locked eyes and nodded before they launched themselves to their feet and rushed Vegeta, catching him in the stomach with their shoulders, and knocked him to the ground.

Goku blinked, frozen to the spot, watching the chaos before he found himself doubled over, the air heaving from his chest. Leelee had used his distraction to jump up and drive her knee into his stomach.

Jenny got up, spitting blood, and charged Goku as well, both of them trying to take him on with their hands still bound behind their backs and Seventeen rushed his sister, shouting something about sibling rivalry.

"Enough's enough!" Trunks cried out, his hair flashing to blonde. "Break these stupid energy binds! We've proven ourselves to them, we don't have to take this anymore!" With a scream, he wrenched his hands free of the binds and flew out over the river towards the men holding Gohan under the falls.

Piccolo's eyes widened as he roared in pain as Trunks jumped on his back, grabbing hold of his ears, tearing one. He released Gohan, turning to fight the other Saiyan instead.

Tien's grip on Gohan slipped when Piccolo let got and Gohan powered up, his hair turning gold as he too broke the energy binds behind his back. "I've had enough of your shit, old man!" he shouted and slammed his fist into Tien's face. "Come on," he challenged. "I've been waiting to kick your ass for three weeks now."

Sabriena sat back on the beach, laughing her ass off, despite the pain in her head. Some interrogation. This had turned into an all-out brawl. "KICK HIS ASS, GOHAN!" she encouraged as she watched the men fighting in the river. She narrowed her eyes at Goku as he fought off Jenny and Leelee. She got to her feet and powered up, snapping the binds behind her back. "I oughta kick you in the dick for slapping me," she growled at him.

Goku felt lower than dirt. Vegeta hadn't said what it would be like after the training was over. He could say sorry, but would it be enough? He didn't think so. He felt sick to his stomach just thinking about it. He deserved whatever they deemed he deserved. He switched to defensive stance; he wasn't going to throw any more punches against them. He looked over to Vegeta, still fighting off Lindsey and Catie. He wasn't going to back down from them.

Vegeta swung a hard punch to Lindsey's face, splitting her cheek open and knocked her to the ground.

"Bastard!" Catie screamed and powered up, her hair turning green. She'd had enough. She lashed out at Vegeta, smacking his arm with a thorn-studded vine. He came back at her, his hair turning gold and caught her in the chest with an energy blast that sent her spiraling across the yard. Lindsey and Catie got up again, attacking together, using their training to take Vegeta on...

Seventeen had joined the fight in the river after throwing his sister into the freezing water and now he, Gohan and Trunks were overpowering Piccolo and Tien.

Sabriena narrowed her eyes at Goku, his defensive stance... She rushed forward and slapped him square in the face. No, it wasn't enough to probably do more than sting his cheek, but that wasn't the point. "Put your hands on me or my friends again and I'll murder you in your sleep," she spat. She turned and looked out at the fight. They'd proven their point. They weren't going to be broken, not now, not ever. "Enough!" she shouted and her teammates froze. "We've made our point. Come on. We're done." And with that, she linked arms with Jenny and Leelee and marched back up towards the cabin.

Jenny spat out blood on her way up, "forget this fucking shit." She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry. She wanted a hot bath and an all you can eat buffet. "I am not thanking them for this. Fuck this fucking shit. " She turned and shouted over her shoulder, "I'm throwing you off the Lookout if you set foot there tonight!" She was trembling and clung to Leelee and Sabriena for support, feeling them shaking as well.

Down by the river, Goku sat down on the bank, hardly feeling the cold, pulling his knees up to his chest and looking out over the icy water. He'd go back home today, probably to a lumpy couch and something he would have to cook himself. He wondered if Chichi had missed him, if she would just let him hold her and cry.

Gohan didn't even look at his father as he walked by, he was so angry in that moment. He threw his arm around his wife as he caught up to her and leaned heavily on her as she managed to transform, her fire throwing a warmth over him.

Tien hauled himself out of the water and sat next to Goku, shivering from head to toe. "Gods, that was rough," he said thickly. Sabriena would probably leave him after this. And he wouldn't blame her. "I think we went too far."

"No," Vegeta said, smiling in spite of himself as he watched the rest of them head up to the cabin. They were building a fire in the pit there, working together to check each other over, healing each other, trying to make sure they kept each other warm. "Look at them. They're a team now. If they hate us, so be it. But they'll take care of each other no matter what now. Even if we aren't around to save them."

Tien had to admit, there was a marked change about the way they were acting. "So we're done here?" he asked hopefully.

"Not yet," Vegeta answered.

Goku was miserable as it was; he didn't think he could take much more. "What more do you want us to do to them, Vegeta?" he demanded. "They are finished with us! They aren't going to listen to anything else we have to say." He sighed, raking a hand through his hair, taking the cold as his punishment. "We'll be lucky if they even speak to us again after this."

Piccolo snorted and ripped off his ear that was damaged, concentrating for a moment and growing a new one. "What aren't we finished with?"

"Celebrating. They're done with their training here," Vegeta answered. "They've earned a good meal and a night of fun. We'll let them get cleaned up and we'll take them out for the night. My treat. I'd say you've each earned it as well."

Tien cocked an eyebrow; he didn't much fancy going out in the city, but after all this, it might actually be nice.

"Screw you," Eighteen shot at him, shivering in her wet clothes. "I'm done here. They aren't going to want to celebrate with us. You've lost your mind."

"We can't let them leave here angry," Vegeta stated. "That wasn't our purpose here. Now come on. I'll talk to them."

Goku didn't feel like he deserved a night out. He felt lower than dirt. Celebrating what they had just done didn't feel right. "I don't think so, Vegeta. I don't want to celebrate that. It was training. It was worse than training. I know it was needed, but it's not something I want to put on a pedestal and be clapped on the back for. Count me out." He didn't know what the others would think either. The looks of hatred they'd given him that day still fresh in his mind. After all this, did Vegeta really think it would be that easy to go up to them and say great job, how about a drink and a night on the town?

Tien got to his feet and pulled Goku up with him. "Come on," he said, "we might as well hear what Vegeta says to them. We can't just walk away without some sort of... you know... closure." He didn't know what to expect.

They followed Vegeta up to the group that was huddled around the fire. Their angry looks even made Tien falter in his steps, but Vegeta wasn't bothered. He went right over to them and sat down in the circle with them, ignoring their hateful glares. He stared at the fire for a moment, recalling his own training. His had been worse, had lasted for months, not this shortened version he'd given them. But he constantly reminded himself that they were human, mostly, and this had been just as intense for them as it had for him. "I went through the same training as you," he said slowly, still staring into the fire, his voice low, his tone softer than anything he'd used since they'd arrived. "And I remember feeling the same as you do now. I hated my commanding officer. Who did he think he was to put me and my comrades through such torture? It took a while to understand that what he did was for our own betterment. Our hatred for him and the training is what brought us together, taught us to work as a team, to care more about the team as a whole and not just ourselves. Hate me and them all you want, but you know I speak the truth. You're stronger for this and you care more about each other now than you ever did."

kJenny didn't know what to say to that. She looked around at them; Vegeta looked proud at what he did, what he had accomplished. Piccolo looked indifferent as did did Tien, and Eighteen looked livid for being thrown in the river. But Goku - the man looked like a kicked puppy. Hating them wasn't going to do them much good. "I suppose it would be better if we directed our frustrations at the enemy. If they hadn't declared war on us, we wouldn't have needed to go through that," she admitted. She didn't know what to think; she wanted to retaliate. She didn't know what she wanted.

"You're right, Jennifer," Vegeta said, "Hate the enemy for forcing my hand on this. You should be proud of yourselves. There were Saiyans on my planet who couldn't handle it. But you did. Every single one of you. And now I know that I can sleep at night because you can handle yourselves in battle, no matter what they throw at you." He finally looked up at them. "When I completed my training, our commanding officer took us out for a celebratory meal. I'm offering the same to you now. Go home, get cleaned up, and we'll go out. It's on me. Anything you want."

Catie stared hard at him for a minute before she grinned, "Fuckin' A. I'm in."

A smile pulled at the corner of Vegeta's lips and he gave her a gentle shove. "Good girl, Catherine." She'd gotten it. She understood. And she didn't hate him for it.

She shoved back at him, "I knew you still loved us, you sadistic bastard."

Goku couldn't believe his ears at Catie's words and Vegeta's laughter. Was it really that easy? He looked over watching Jenny and the rest of them milling it over in their heads.

She finally shook her head. "Gods I am buying the most expensive item on that fucking menu. And you, green bean. You are giving me a fucking massage when we get home tonight."

"Quit calling me names and I might think about it," he answered, a tiny smile playing across his lips.

Tien dared to look at Sabriena, wanting to go to her, to hold her. But no one knew of their relationship yet and he didn't feel this was a particularly good time to announce it.

She felt his eyes on her and she looked up at him. "You look like shit," she snickered. His nose was swollen and bruised, a bit of blood on his upper lip.

"Language," he warned, but he couldn't stop the smile that worked across his face.

Seventeen looked at the men who'd inflicted so much pain and torture on him for the past six weeks. "Another night with you assholes?" he asked. He shook his head and sighed, "Fine. But there'd better be lots and LOTS of beer involved."

Leelee giggled and laid her head on his arm.

Jenny still wasn't done with Piccolo. "I'll call you whatever I want, you chicken lollipop."

Tien's interest picked up at that. "Someone explain that to me," he demanded. "I keep hearing it. What on earth does it mean?"

Sabriena ducked her head as Lindsey snickered. "What's another name for a chicken?" she asked Tien.

He blinked curiously at her. "A hen? A rooster?"

She shook her head. "Another name for a rooster."

Tien thought about it for a minute. "A cock."

Lindsey nodded. "And now another name for a lollipop."

"A sucker?"

"Put the two together."

Tien spoke slowly as he put the two answers together. "A cock-sucker…" He rounded on Sabriena, "That's what you've been calling me?!"

Sabriena gave a little squeak as her friends doubled over in laughter, her face going red and she ran for the cabin, slamming the door behind her.

"SABRIENA!" he roared.

Lindsey and Gohan exchanged a look and groaned as they got to their feet, going over to Goku. Lindsey looked him up and down once before she crossed her arms. "So, you goin' out with us tonight, Dad?" she asked. She gave him a smile as she said it - he looked guilty and upset with himself. She playfully poked his ribs. "Come on, you know you want to."

"Yeah, come on, Dad," Gohan answered. "You know you can't say no to a good meal."

Goku almost sobbed with relief at their words. "You mean... you guys still want to be around me? Y-you aren't mad? I would be mad. I'm mad at myself, " he grumbled, pulling them both close and burying his face between them, unable to stop himself from shaking.

"I'm a little mad," Gohan admitted. "But you're my dad and I still love you." He hugged his dad back, realizing how hard this had been on him, too. Six weeks of putting on this hard-ass persona had taken a toll on Goku.

"It's okay, Dad," Lindsey said softly, hugging him tight. "Now come on, please go out to eat with us tonight? I wanna hang out with the real you." She pulled back, "But first, I want a shower. And I want you guys to shower. Cause ya'll kinda smell funny."

Gohan threw his head back and laughed. "All right, all right. Let me just find my glasses, cause SOMEONE knocked them off my face," he said, throwing a glance at Piccolo.

"I'm sorry, kiddo," Goku murmured, pulling her in for another hug, needing the reassurance that they didn't hate him.

"Don't be," she said. "We needed this. I understand. I know it was hard on you, too. Now please say you'll go out to eat with us."

He nodded and squeezed her a little tighter before he let her go. He looked at everyone else – Eighteen had already left. Vegeta, Catie, and Trunks were headed back to Capsule Corp, Seventeen and Leelee following them to their own apartment in West City. And Jenny was listing off all the things Piccolo was going to do to make this up to her, including carrying her back to the Lookout.

Gohan came back with his glasses on his dirty face, saying he was ready to go, placing a hand on Goku's shoulder.

"We'll see you in an hour or so, right, Tien?" Goku asked loudly, trying to be heard over Tien's banging on the cabin door.

"Yeah, if I can ever get in my own house," he paused to answer before he turned to the door again, banging his fist rapidly on it. "Sabriena! Open the damn door!"

"LANGUAGE!" she giggled and the door remained firmly shut.

Author's Note: Fuck this chapter and the ungodly amount of time it took me to edit it.