Kakarot had just left Seba with Fasha and the rest of the cubs in the yard with Atarau to play. The woman had been occasionally helping the beta with his separation therapy over the past four months, and he trusted her to watch them for the afternoon. It was still rough going with some of the hired workers, but they mixed things up with people Kakarot knew personally to help him with longer periods of separation right now. It was easier to leave the cubs for the afternoon if he knew the person well. So far his longest sessions had been with Tora, Fasha, and Kale. He managed to let Yasi take the twins for the night once so he and Geta could get some rest.

He and Seba had just come back from the park with his brother Raditz, and he overheard something that made him feel nervous and unsure.

He didn't look bad, did he?

Kakarot whined as he remembered the whispers that asked Raditz if he was alright and not with a mean alpha. They said that he looked like he wasn't being taken care of. It was ridiculous, Geta took great care of him. Yasi too.

He walked in the bathroom and looked at himself hard in the mirror only to whine in distress. His eyes trailed over his skinny form taking in everything.

His hair was shaggy and felt coarse and brittle to the touch, and it and his tail didn't shine like Tama's did. His body was still too skinny to be completely healthy for a saiyan and might always be that way according to Chorri. He ate plenty with every meal and was close to portions that were healthy, but it was slow going putting on weight. The skin around his scars was tight every time he moved and was dry and rough to the touch. The scars themselves were an angry red especially the one around his throat. His eyes had a wild gleam in them, and there were bags under them from his lack of sleep.

Kakarot reached a hand up to feel over his mane, but he stopped when he caught sight of dry looking callouses and chipped claws. When the beta looked at his reflection once more, he realized that he did look bad. In fact, he looked terrible. No wonder Geta didn't touch him. And now people thought Geta was bad to him...

Tears came to his eyes at the thought of Geta being mad that others thought that the prince was a bad alpha. Toa growled in agreement with him. Kakarot yanked his shirt over his head as he darted to the bathtub. He had to fix this.

++break++

Yasi followed the soft whimpers to the bathroom of Kakarot's bedroom. Kakarot was sitting in the middle of the floor by himself wrapped up in a towel. What worried the older beta was the fact Kakarot was obsessively brushing his tail with tears in his eyes.

"Oh honey, what's wrong?" Yasi asked sitting beside him and gently taking the brush from the younger beta. He didn't want his son's mate to hurt himself. Kakarot took another look at his tail's dull shabby appearance and pulled his knees to his chest as tears finally fell.

"Geta won't want me." He whimpered. "I'm...I'm not…pretty." Yasi frowned and rubbed the little one's back as he cried. Some one was going to get an ass beating for upsetting the sensitive beta. Tarro help his son if he was responsible some how.

"No, honey, that's not true. Come here, sweetheart." He soothed managing to gather the still upset beta in his arms. "Why do you think you aren't pretty?"

"My tail...and mane..." Kakarot blushed and wouldn't meet Yasi's eyes. "They're dull...sad looking. I can't fix them. Teti helps me brush them…but they never look better. People say I have a b-bad alpha when they see me, that I look bad. Geta's not bad! I don't want him to be mad and leave." Yasi pulled the small beta back to his chest and purred. Kakarot was so upset he was trembling.

"I promise, sweetheart, Vege isn't going to leave you. You're right he's a very good alpha; and if he's gonna be mad at anyone, it's the people who upset you." He soothed feeling the small beta's tension fade. "As for the not pretty, I won't lie to you, sweetie, you look a bit on the rough side but nothing Tama can't fix. Come on, I know just the thing to cheer you up."

Kakarot stared in confusion at all the bottles in the room. Yasi had taken him to the royal bath chamber, a spa he said.

"Into the tub, sweetheart." Yasi said as he put down several bottles and some fluffy towels. "I'll help you with all the washing."

"What is all this?"

"Some things to help you feel better." Yasi said in his no nonsense tone. "You just let me worry about all this and let me work. I'll explain things when I'm done if you like it, ok? Let Tama take care of everything."

That was how Kakarot found himself spending hours in that room having various oils, creams, shampoos, and conditioners used on his body and hair. It felt wonderful between the warm water and gentle fingers working at his scalp. Yasi had climbed in the tub with him. He was gentle, always asking or telling him what he was doing if the smaller beta couldn't see him. After his bath, Kakarot was shocked at how soft his skin had become. The angry red scars on his neck and shoulders weren't as stiff, and he just felt…better. His skin felt smooth like Tama and Geta's.

Next, Yasi did his nails while his hair was sitting with something in it, putting oils on them and filing them just enough to remove the jagged rough edges on top of buffing them to a natural shine. The smaller beta smiled and kept flexing his hands once his tama was through. His claws had never looked this nice or been this sharp. Yasi smiled and laughed a bit while doing his own nails. Kakarot watched intently wanting to keep his own this nice.

After finally rinsing his hair and giving it one more wash, Kakarot examined his tail while Yasi dried and brushed his mane. It was soft, he couldn't remember how long it was since his tail was this well groomed. The black fur was like silk, and shone under the lights, laying smoothly along the limb instead of the shaggy look from before. It almost made him cry. He couldn't believe Yasi fixed his tail just by washing it.

"What do you think about yourself now?" Yasi gently asked turning him to look in the mirror.

Dark eyes widened and then flooded with tears. The person in the mirror didn't look like him. His mane was smooth, shining and soft just like his tail. It looked like his father's, like it had before everything happened with a few longer pieces down near his neck. He…he looked pretty, people would stop thinking Geta was bad to him.

"Oh honey, its ok." Yasi said hugging him as he started crying. The older beta wasn't sure what was going on in Kakarot's head. "We can do something different if you aren't happy. I have some different things we can put in your hair."

"No!" Kakarot said in a panic jerking away. He didn't want to change anything. Toa growled at the suggestion of changing anything. Alpha might like them this way. Nothing needed to change unless Alpha wasn't pleased.

"What's upsetting you then?"

"I'm…I'm…pretty now." Kakarot said with a soft smile. "I look like I used to. Not…I didn't think I could look….." Yasi hugged him again and relaxed a little as Kakarot cried a bit. The beta was overwhelmed and crying because he was happy. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. You were always pretty, Kakarot, we just needed to clean you up a little bit. Your father means well, but he just doesn't understand there's more to taking care of your hair and fur than brushing and washing with soap. Us betas have to look out for each other. Your brother could certainly learn a thing or two to deal with that thing he calls a mane himself."

"Can you teach me?" Kakarot asked sitting back so he could see Yasi's face.

+++break+++

"Alright hairball, who had the balls to upset my cub!" Yasi hissed going into the lounge of the guesthouse having finally found the alpha. "Because I'm going to rip them off the bata!" Raditz nearly fell off the couch as Yasi stormed into the living room.

"Wait, who upset Kakarot?" Raditz was confused. His little brother was uncomfortable, but he hadn't been upset earlier when they brought Seba back from the park before his shift.

"That's what I want to know." Bardock hissed dangerously as he and Vegeta came into the room as well having heard Yasi's warpath. The younger alpha was visibly irritated as well.

"I found Kakarot in the bathroom upset because someone put the idea in his head that he wasn't pretty. He told me he was with you this morning, hairball, so talk." Understanding filled the long haired alpha then.

"They weren't saying anything to be cruel." Raditz said explaining. "We took Seba to a park to play, he likes the ducks. Some of the parents were concerned, worried that Kakarot was being abused and asked me if he was ok since I was in uniform. I didn't have to rush back early to change and make them leave early. I didn't know Kakarot heard any of it, or I'd have sat him down and made him understand."

"That explains why he was worried Vegeta would be mad at him." Yasi said after a moment of thought. "He said people thought you were a bad alpha, and he was very upset about it. I found him in the bathroom almost in tears."

"Where is Kakarot now?" Vegeta asked worried about his little mate.

"He's laying down." Yasi said to his son. "We had some nice bonding time, and I gave him a little pampering to make him feel better starting with a hot bath and a little makeover. He was very happy with how everything turned out, just worn out after all the emotions this afternoon."

"Tatama...?" Vegeta was a little worried about what Yasi had done to his mate. He didn't want Yasi to overwhelm Kakarot. It's not like his mate would tell Yasi no if he didn't want something.

"Nothing serious, Vege. Mostly I showed him some skin and hair care Kakarot's been missing out on. Simple things he could do himself for the most part such as moisturizer and conditioner. I don't think he knew there's other products for skin and hair besides soap and shampoo." Vegeta relaxed hearing there wasn't anything too overwhelming done to Kakarot.

"That's probably my fault." Bardock admit. "I don't know much about that sort of thing and before everything happened he didn't seem interested. Fasha was going to teach him some of that stuff when he was ready." Betas weren't feminine exactly, but they did feel stronger urges to care for their appearance when it came to attracting a mate and often used similar products.

"He'll certainly keep it up I think." Yasi said with a soft smile. "He asked more questions than he has about anything in a little while. And he really likes how he looks now." The beta sighed running a hand through his hair.

"You need to be careful what you say about his looks, Vege. He thought you wouldn't want him because he wasn't "pretty". I know that's absurd, but his self esteem is still painfully low."

"I know. And I've never thought he's not beautiful." His mind went back to the moment he searched for a name to call him. Yasi and Bardock smiled a bit having heard Vegeta's pet name for Kakarot. Aiyo, little beauty.

"Well its only fair to give you a heads up. He looks more like himself than he has in a long time. I honestly think this is a bigger boost for him than anything else done so far." Seba squealed running from the bedroom and climbing up Vegeta with a soft trill. The small cub loved Vegeta and did the same thing every day when the prince came home.

"Did you have fun with your Tama at the park?"

"I saw ducks! Uncle Radi showed me how to feed them."

"Did he now? I've never fed ducks before." Vegeta admit.

"I can show you!" The cub chirped with his tail wagging. "Did you see Tama? He's really pretty now!" Atarau perked up, and her tails started wagging as she looked at the bedroom. Kakarot was shyly peeking around the door frame.

"Don't be shy, sweetheart." Yasi said gently as he went to guide the smaller beta out of the bedroom. "They all want to see your new look."

"Aiyo?" Vegeta's soft utterance of his name for the beta coaxed him into letting Yasi pull him from the bedroom. Bardock and Raditz felt their eyes burn. Kakarot looked like himself. He was certainly older, but he looked like himself, like he used to. He looked like a softer version of his father. And he was beautiful. Kakarot had been a late bloomer and certainly was far from unattractive when he was younger, but seeing what his youngest had grown into only filled Bardock with smug pride and satisfaction. They all said Kakarot wouldn't amount to much. His son was now absurdly powerful, mated to royalty, and beautiful to boot.

Vegeta felt his breath catch in his throat. Kakarot was shyly avoiding his gaze wearing a loose silk shirt in the deep blue of the royal family. He saw 'Kakarot'. He knew what the beta really looked like, he'd seen Kakarot in the illusion world. But it was different. He looked his age now, and the subtle beauty that he loved about his mate was plain as day now. Kakarot was beautiful, he'd have had alphas all over him vying for his affections. Jealous, possessive pride burned in his chest. Kakarot was his. This beautiful submissive was his, and he wasn't going to let anyone touch him if that's what his mate wanted. They lost their chance when they ridiculed his mate and cast him aside.

Kakarot's hair was so dark it nearly absorbed the light and had a soft, luster to it with a light shine. The prince was willing to bet it was soft as silk. His skin was still pale, nothing would change that in the span of an afternoon, but it looked smooth and soft. The prince felt his fingers itch to touch his mate, and he ruthlessly crushed that urge and the urge to take Kakarot back in the bedroom and show his little mate how much he liked this look.

Kakarot had a soft blush covering his cheeks while staring at the floor. He could smell Geta's arousal and happiness fluttered in his heart. Geta was pleased and that's all mattered to him and Toa. The beta could hear Toa's purring inside.

"Doesn't he look nice, Vege? Vege?" Yasi looked at his eldest and saw the predatory gleam in his son's eye. He was happy to know Vegeta was pleased which would make Kakarot even happier, but this wasn't the time for him to go all possessive alpha. He smacked his son on the back of his head.

"Get your head out of the gutter and say something!" He snapped softly. Kakarot's blush darkened, and Vegeta felt his blood burn as the small beta peered up through his bangs at him with those dark intense eyes that were only things Vegeta could remember from their mating.

"You look amazing, Aiyo." There was a soft growl in his tone that the prince just couldn't keep out. The smile he received from the beta made his knees weak. It wasn't blinding. In fact, it was soft and small, but it was a rare sight and so purely Kakarot and full of love he couldn't help the weakness he felt. He stepped forward and kissed his mate on the cheek. "I mean it, you are even more beautiful than before."

Kakarot purred and leaned into his alpha still smiling while his tail fluffed and swayed behind him. He felt very happy when one of the prince's arms came up to wrap around his shoulders. He could feel the light touches of Vegeta's free hand over his arms and his chestnut tail over his own black one. The feeling of fur on fur had the beta shuddering.

The alpha marveled at the satiny feel of his mate's skin, and the wonderful softness of his hair. It made him want to take his small submissive back to their nest to find out just how soft the rest of his body felt. Just being in the presence of Kakarot like this was making it harder to control his thoughts and desires.

All he could think about was running his hands over the pale skin slowly and marking every inch he could touch to show his claim on Kakarot. He wanted to explore that small body to see just what his mate liked and didn't before….Vegeta squeezed his eyes shut at that thought. It was too soon to be thinking that way about the fragile beta just yet. He needed to be patient.

He was so distracted over the younger saiyan's look that he tuned out the conversation his tatama was having with Raditz. It was only when he heard a soft but agitated growl that he looked up. A sudden tension settled over him at the sight of Bardock glaring at him with his upper lip twitching.

The older man turned his head away from the pair with a barely repressed snarl, and he closed his eyes to try and keep from doing something that would scare his youngest. He was happy for his cub that his alpha liked his look, but he was still very angry at the prince.

"Teti?" The small voice of Kakarot had him looking back over, and his face softened at the worried expression he wore. He saw that the beta was torn between shifting away from Vegeta or closer to him for comfort.

"It's nothing, cub." He almost roughly gripped the younger alpha's arm and nearly shoved it away while gently using his other to pull Kakarot close to him for a hug. He nuzzled his face in the silky smooth mane of his youngest and softly whispered to him. "You look wonderful."

The beta shyly purred at the words and hugged his father back. He was happy to hear those words from Bardock, but he knew that his Teti still didn't like for Geta to touch him. He buried his face in the older man's chest at a loss for what to do.

++break++

"So did you find anything, Turles?" Bardock said as he and the others sat down. Kakarot was back in their room with his cubs. Last Vegeta checked he was curled up with a pile of cubs on top of him while Kome read them a story. The pirate took a long drink from a bottle of serenity and tried to will away the sense of disgust he still felt.

"I found plenty, but I'm not sure how useful any of the information is." He admit. "I went in deep. Too deep to risk doing again anytime soon."

"That bad?" Bardock asked concerned.

"Contrary to what I've let everyone think, I'm not the psychopath I've led every one to think I am. Yes, I've done a lot of…..questionable things….but some of the shit I see when I'm in that crowd…." He shuddered and took another drink before putting the bottle down and pushing it away.

"Anyways, whatever did happen with Kakarot was purely an inside job." Turles explained. "Frieza might have been gunning for saiyans, but he didn't have any connections to anyone here. None of the demons do. There were dozens of ambush points set up on multiple worlds, still are, but with the Ginyu Force being eliminated, Zarbon murdered and 228's destruction the demons have taken a serious hit to their command structure. Cooler has actually managed to take over or eliminate about 30% of Frieza's forces."

"What?" Vegeta said in shock. They had never heard of in fighting between the Colds.

"Without the Ginyus, and Frieza's ridiculous stunt while Vegeta was his prisoner, he's royally pissed off the other two." Turles explained. "Regardless of all that, he had nothing to do with setting up either Vegeta or Kakarot."

"Then how were they captured?!" King Vegeta demanded.

"Don't misunderstand, the demon was a cunning bastard and set traps for saiyans and just happened to get both of them, but he did it without inside information. Basically, he analyzed the patterns of our responses and deployments and figured out situations he could use to turn against us, at least in Vegeta's case."

"And Vegeta wasn't even originally going to take that assignment." Bardock said in thought. "In fact, no one knew Vegeta was taking that assignment until he headed that way after completing his prior assignment and noticed that one was on his way back."

"Exactly." Turles said. "And I think Kakarot was captured through sheer chance on Frieza's part. That planet wasn't even set up to be an ambush point. It was a long range communication relay with a bunker."

"What are you talking about? There was nothing about a bunker in any information we found about Kakarot's assignment or the assignment on that planet." The king said.

"If there was a bunker, there's no way a single saiyan would have been sent on that assignment. We couldn't even find a trace of a bunker on that world." Bardock growled. "I combed every inch."

"From what I found, the bunker was hidden inside one of the mountains. The stone and mineral content make scanners useless for finding it. When they captured Kakarot, the whole operation was shut down and abandoned because they knew a saiyan vanishing like that would attract a team to investigate. Kakarot was on world with no communication for 6 days on top of his pod being destroyed 2 days in. That alone would have merited an investigation and retrieval team and with the damage Kakarot did left them vulnerable to another team coming in."

"How the hell did we miss a bunker?" Vegeta asked. "Even with the topography masking it we have measures in place to account for that."

"We couldn't. At least 3 separate teams screen mission data before they even go to the assignment committee and then us." Bardock said. "There's no way we missed a bunker. Even just looking at the topography would have flagged that as a possibility. I assumed…." The alpha trailed off.

"You assumed what?" Turles asked.

"Before I knew what Kakarot's assignment was, I assumed it was simple recon. Just him going in and getting the lay of the land. Now that I know this….There wasn't any sign of a structure on the surface so how could Kakarot have been sent there to destroy a relay station. And how did he even get the assignment. Kakarot is well known as a beta simply because he's my son and at the time had one of the lowest power levels in the army."

"I don't know." Turles admit. "That's where the trail goes cold. There's no less than 25 people that could have handed him that assignment, if not more. I don't need to explain to you that there's no record of Kakarot's assignment, deployment, or that he stole a ship, anything. It's like Kakarot was just ignored."

"So after all that, we know nothing." Vegeta growled. "We still don't know who betrayed us."

"No." Bardock said. "We know whoever did was acting alone. They weren't working with the Colds to that's a blessing at least. But I don't know how we are going to figure this out now. I've spent years searching for all this."

"As much as I hate to say it, unless Kakarot remembers something I don't think we're going to get any farther." Turles said picking the bottle of alcohol up and taking a swig before handing it to his brother. "We aren't dealing with an amateur. Whoever this is knew what they were doing and made sure Kakarot was the only one who saw them and knew about his assignment. And I have a feeling they made sure to warn Kakarot about being caught with his orders. Or delivered them verbally so there wasn't a paper trail. For all we know, Kakarot was coerced into it."

No one said anything. Any attempt to get Kakarot to remember anything prior to his arrival on planet ended badly. Not even Paragus had much success. Kakarot wouldn't or couldn't tell them anything and broke down into a fit when pressed for information. Bardock couldn't even bring it up anymore, it hurt too much to see his son fall apart. And the idea he was coerced was one that all of them worried about with how afraid he seemed to be thinking of who gave him the assignment.

"There is one more thing." Turles commented as the other's passed around the bottle. "This hasn't happened more than once as far as I can tell."

"What do you mean?" Vegeta questioned.

"I mean that aside from Kakarot, no other beta's or women have gone missing on questionable assignments. There haven't been any other solo assignments. So either Kakarot was the target making it an isolated incident, or…"

"Or whoever is responsible hasn't had the opportunity to try again or a reason to." The elder Vegeta finished.