Rights: All rights belong to Akira Toriyama, Toyotarou and Toei Animation

This is based on the manga cannon, so there may be some discrepancies with the anime.

WARNINGS: This story is very, very dark, with a large amount of violence, gore, and sexual references, including references to non-consensual sex.

Of all the things she could have expected, this was not one of them. Somehow the two remaining full-blooded saiyans in her life had appeared in her kitchen, both sitting on the tiles. Vegeta's clothing was a mess of burns and holes, while Goku was completely naked, rubbing the back of his head as he noticed her.

"Oh, hey Bulma!" he greeted, giving her a wave, uncaring of his lack of coverage.

Vegeta merely grunted, stepping back with his arms folded in customary reserve, regarding her with a blank expression.

"What?! What just happened?!"

"The idiot here used instant transmission to reach me without checking the environment first. He was not prepared for the result," Vegeta replied, stoic as usual.

"Yeah. I have no idea where Vegeta was training, but oh boy was it hot! Like, worse than lava kind of hot! And the pressure! It was way more than you get in that gravity ship! And the crushing feeling, the sensation like I was being incinderated."

("Incinerated," Bulma hissed)

The usually happy-go-lucky saiyan shuddered, "I think I'm lucky to be alive. I woke up here just fine, but I felt like I was hurt real bad."

"You were," Vegeta answered in a low voice, "I healed you."

"Oh, thanks!"

"You did?" Bulma asked, "If you could heal him does that mean…?"

"No," Vegeta sighed, "It doesn't necessarily indicate that I can heal humans, though it is a positive sign that I didn't blow him up."

"Huh?" Goku scratched the back of his neck.

"It means nothing until I try it on a creature with a much lower ki level."

Clearly not following their conversation, Goku broke in, "Where were we, anyway?"

Vegeta looked down at his feet, silent.

"Secret, huh?" Goku deduced, "Guess we've each got our favourite training places, haven't we? Although, I thought you'd be in the gravity room."

"And you didn't bother to check. It is…out of commission," Vegeta gave his wife a quizzical expression.

"Won't be ready for a while yet, I'm afraid. I'm waiting on some parts."

"Out of commission?" Goku questioned, "That's rough."

"Why are you here, Kakarot?" Vegeta went straight to the point.

"Huh? You brought me here."

"No," Vegeta grimaced, looking to the ceiling for support and patience, "Why did you come to me in the first place?"

"Oh, right," Goku laughed, "Merus sent for you. Something's come up that I'm sure I can handle by myself, but he insisted on bringing you in to it."

"Just like the support characters in Trunks' video games…Whatever," Vegeta sighed, "Look, I'm not fighting at the moment."

"Wait, what?" Goku's eyes bugged as Bulma's did the same, even though she knew the reason, or at least thought she did. But the very idea that Vegeta would give up what he lived for, or most of what he lived for, since his family was such a large part of his existence now, was mindboggling. She knew it was temporary, just until he got his power under control, but the refusal from Vegeta was still surprising. She thought he would leap at the opportunity to test his command against another foe, not play it safe like a sensible person. Saiyans just weren't reasonable when it came to fighting.

He had only indicated a similar move once before, at a low point in his life when nothing had seemed to matter, and when he had spent his days and nights staring at the walls until baby Trunks had screamed some life back into him.

"Who are you and what have you done with Vegeta?" Goku exclaimed, peering at the other man closely, circling him as Vegeta once again lamented to the clouds.

"You look like him," Goku considered, "and you have the same ki..."

"I am Vegeta, Kakarot," the prince sighed, "I have merely come into an inheritance of power, that is all."

Goku took on a dark expression, frowning at Vegeta as if he had murdered his pet.

"Don't tell me it's this again. I thought you'd changed. Piccolo thought so too."

"What are you referring to?"

"That whole thing with Babidi, throwing yourself away for the sake of power! Don't tell me you've done it again!"

"How would I even…?" Vegeta considered the virulent saiyan, whose hands were clenched at his sides as if trying to prevent himself from assaulting the prince. Vegeta took a defensive stance, and even Bulma retreated a step, not about to intervene between those two powerhouses, despite their proximity to levelling her kitchen. It wasn't a sense of self-preservation which prompted her retreat, although she was nervous, but an epiphany on what it would do to the saiyans in question if one of them was to hurt her accidentally. Especially how Vegeta would feel, regardless of whether he was the one who threw the blow.

Vegeta shook his head, "You're meowing up the wrong tree, Kakarot."

And the situation was too serious, with too much tension for Bulma to laugh.

"How do saiyans usually receive a significant increase in strength?" Vegeta asked.

"Umm…" Goku deflated, hand scratching his chin as he thought hard, "Don't we…ah, what was it? Oh yeah! A power boost every time we recover from nearly dying!"

Bulma's stomach dropped through her pelvis, so much that she was surprised not to see it on the floor beneath her. Nearly dying? She knew, intellectually, that Vegeta faced the gauntlet of a gruesome and probably painful demise every time he engaged in combat. That was just the risk he took. But as a wife contemplating the possibility was too much, even though she knew there were three sets of dragon balls at their disposal (or well, close enough) with which to resurrect him if the worst did happen. Bulma just didn't want her husband to spend a single day in Hell, where he was so certain he would end up. She didn't want to see him, or hear of him, being hurt at all. The very idea made her feel sick, despite his obvious wellness now, standing in their kitchen in a ruined outfit. He was okay.

He was okay.

But she couldn't stop her hands from shaking.

Goku didn't seem to be quite so affected by the realisation, commenting, "You seemed pretty fine when we found you."

"And how easily you forget that I can heal myself."

"Oh yeah! I did forget that!" Goku frowned, "Wait a minute."

He held up his hand, inspecting the prince, taking in his derelict appearance, the holes, the scorch marks. And the lack of accompanying injuries on his body.

"Don't tell me you've been using that ability to train," Goku chided, "Getting to near death only to heal yourself and gain the whatzit boost."

"Zenkai Boost. And no, I have not. I have a family to think about, now."

Which made Bulma feel sick again, even as she was just recovering from her most recent bout of nausea. She knew what he was implying, that if the opportunity had arisen back when he was unattached or when he hadn't cared for them, he would have taken it with both hands. That power meant more to him than his safety or his health. Of course it did, she had seen the wild regime he had put himself under when training to fight the androids. It was insane, and still drove her to worry even now, when she tried to reassure herself that he wouldn't put his life on the line like that again. The gravity room exploding just reminded her of all those concerns, waiting in the wings for her to recall them.

"I'm glad you think about us in the mental haze you enter when you train," she commented, finding a seat at the table, giving up on getting back to work anytime soon. It wasn't as if she actually had a rigid schedule, but it set a good example for her employees.

"Of course I do!" Vegeta recoiled, "How could you even suggest –?"

"Goku!" Bulma interrupted merrily, "You were telling us why you came to see Vegeta."

"Yeah, and then Vegeta was saying that he didn't want to fight," the suspicious look overtook Goku's features again as he stepped towards the prince.

"Are you sure you're not sick?" he asked, reaching out to feel Vegeta's temperature.

The prince ducked hastily away, warding off his subordinate with barely-gloved hands.

"I'm not sick!" He protested, "I thought we had established that I received an increase in power, an increase that I can't control."

"Oh, I didn't know that bit. But since when has that stopped you?"

"I…" Vegeta collapsed in on himself, "I just don't want to cause any more destruction."

"Huh?"

Vegeta gave Goku a baleful look, answering, "You wouldn't understand."

To which Goku shrugged, saying, "I guess not."

"Why do you want my help anyway?"

"Oh, Merus wants your help. I don't," he didn't even react to the fierce glare sent his way.

"Merus?" Vegeta questioned, "Wasn't he erased?"

"Oh, he showed up a few days after the battle with Moro. A bit of him was absorbed into Moro, and it sorta...reformed him I guess."

"Right. Angels." Vegeta muttered, shaking his head, "But anyway, what is the situation?"

"See there was an apprentice to that pretty lady from Universe 2, what was her name…?"

"Heles?"

"That's the one! Anyway, they had a falling out or something, maybe she wasn't pretty enough, I don't know. But she, that is Jarrah, heard about my perfected ultra instinct, and she wanted to challenge me."

"So what's the problem?" Vegeta relaxed against the kitchen wall, "She wants to fight you, and you like to fight. Surely it's a match made in heaven."

"Well, see, she didn't realise that and she kinda took a leaf out of your book."

"My book?"

"Yep. She's kidnapped a whole bunch of people from all over Universe 7, and says that I have to face her, and win, or she'll kill them all."

Bulma gasped. That sounded terribly, eerily like Vegeta's own ultimatum with Goku, so many years ago at a time she wanted dearly to forget.

"Hmph," Vegeta tried to seem undisturbed, but he was clearly thinking the same thing as her, memories making him pale, "It sounds to me like a duel. As in, between individuals."

"And you care why? She's kidnapping people! Threatening to kill them!" Bulma exclaimed, "How can you be thinking of honour at a time like this?!"

"It isn't about honour," Vegeta objected, "She might react negatively if she sees that Kakarot has brought reinforcements."

"Merus seemed to think you could be my second, or something. I'm not sure what that means, but you probably do."

Vegeta nodded, "I suppose I can join you if it is an emergency, for the sake of those she has abducted. But Kakarot," he gave the other saiyan a grave look, "you need to defeat her, understand? I cannot refuse the call, but under no circumstances am I to face her."

"You got it! Don't worry, I'll take her down!"

Goku was glad Vegeta was leaving it up to him, of course he was. A saiyan loved to fight and Goku was no exception – he wanted no interference in his clash with Jarrah. He was pleased Vegeta had agreed to hang back and let him take her on alone.

But he was also bothered by it. Vegeta was a saiyan, so he should love to fight, to feel the blood rushing through his veins and the glorious heaven of knuckles impacting on bodies. Sure, Vegeta had shown more reluctance than Goku in the past, but not a great deal, his hesitance being only noticeable when compared to Goku, the more exuberant and carefree saiyan. Now, though, Vegeta had not only volunteered to stay out of the fight, which wasn't uncommon as the prince honoured single combat, but had demanded that he not even be needed, that Goku come out victorious. The attitude shift would have been worrisome to someone who wasn't Goku, and even bothered him. Since when had a power boost made Vegeta tentative? The idea was laughable, but it was very true.

As Goku used Instant Transmission to reach Merus, stationed on Planet Vermillion, which was coated in luscious green foliage, he caught his first glimpse of the dreaded Jarrah. Standing at least a head taller than Goku, lean and lithe, she looked like she had just exited the centre-fold of one of Master Roshi's magazines. She was clearly dressed for the beach, wearing a one-piece leotard with a paisley print, its blue hues complementing her auburn hair and peach-coloured skin.

"Hello, Goku," sounded the mezzosoprano voice, which would have sent tingles down the spine of an interested male. But Goku was just here for the fight, and the idea that his opponent was female, and very proud of it, wasn't something which triggered any response from him.

"I see you've come, as requested. And you've brought back up too!" she laughed, "I know you can't interfere, angel, but I should warn your sidekick that I'll only take one at a time. For the sake of the hostages," she gave him a shark-like grin.

Vegeta scowled, eye twitching as he backed up to stand beside Merus, biting out "Sidekick?"

"So, Goku," the woman pacing out away from them, gesturing for him to follow. With some trepidation, Goku did so, parting ways with his entourage as his boots (courtesy of a flustered Merus who wasn't going to have his student traipse around naked) crunched over the highly decorated earth. Flowers of all colours bloomed around him, some meeting unfortunate ends as the pair walked.

"I hear you were the one to defeat the dreaded Moro," she said conversationally.

"Actually," he objected, "I had a lot of help with that one."

"Well," she glanced back at the saiyan prince, seeming to finally notice him, "You won't be getting any assistance this time. This battle will be between the pair of us."

"That's just fine with me," Goku announced, dropping down to perform some stretches and warm up his body. Although he didn't really want to think about warming up, not after the episode of incineration wherever Vegeta had been training at. He remembered the feeling of flesh sizzling away as the life was crushed from him and the world faded to black. He hadn't even the time to reach ultra instinct. He wondered vaguely how close to death he had come, waking, feeling perfectly fine, in Bulma's kitchen, Vegeta's palm facing him. Goku wasn't a capable thinker, so he couldn't really parse out the clues to realise Vegeta's location. Perhaps a volcano on a planet with very high gravity? That would make sense. Vegeta loved the gravity training, and would have been missing it with his room down for the count. Goku himself had never experienced a planet with such high gravity before, but that wasn't to say one didn't exist – he certainly hadn't seen everything this universe had to offer.

Jarrah took her stance, drawing Goku back to the present, back to the battle. He had been craving a new foe ever since Gemuse had defeated him so embarrassingly easily. He wanted to test himself, to prove himself, to reassure himself that he was not weak, that the loss to Gemuse had been but a small blip on the radar. The idea that Vegeta had surpassed him again, taking down the mighty deity where Goku and Gohan had struggled, was a fact that rankled Goku. It didn't matter what technique he had used, he couldn't have the prince succeed where he failed – it was unacceptable to his own sense of self. Was this what it felt like to be Vegeta, angry and irritated at another person climbing higher than him, reaching levels he strove so hard to attain? He really didn't want to empathise with Vegeta, didn't want to have that same pride to be dashed over and over again. But he couldn't help but feel….ashamed…for falling so far behind. Couldn't help but feel embarrassed, and determined to not only close the gap between them, but outshine Vegeta once again. The universe just wasn't in balance unless he was on top. The idea that Vegeta had beaten an enemy he couldn't was just...

Weird.

Admittedly, the prince had been the more powerful warrior when they had first met, but Goku had almost consistently outstripped him ever since, no matter how hard Vegeta trained. Goku was only now getting an inkling into what the frustration must have been like for Vegeta, and he wasn't even royalty with a giant need to prove himself. To who, Goku didn't know.

The strange thing was that Vegeta wasn't boasting about his newfound abilities, hadn't made any comment about superiority. And he had to have gained a considerable power boost of some sort to incinerate Gemuse like that, even if the being hadn't been operational at the time. That might just make him more powerful than Goku. Vegeta ought to have made at least an off-hand remark on the subject, but there had been nothing.

Odd.

But Goku wasn't able to think any more on that peculiarity as Jarrah instigated their battle.

Leaping towards the saiyan, she launched a right hook, which Goku moved to block, realising too late it was a feint and taking a glancing blow to the ribs as he ducked out of the way. Calling on the power of his ultra instinct, he dodged around her, but her speed soon kicked up, reminding Goku that this was an ability of the gods, and she had been training to become one. She kept up easily with him, trading blow for blow, weaving around him as he did the same for her. Plants met an early end as their ki sizzled around them, air feeling as if it were shattering with the force of their attacks.

It wasn't long, though, before the cracks started to show in Goku's defence.

"Not bad," Jarrah acknowledged, delivering a strong kick to Goku's kneecap, crippling him for a moment. Gosh, he thought wildly as he dove to the side, it might even be broken! Nothing Vegeta couldn't fix, though, as long as Goku gained the victory. That ability sure was handy, and Goku was disappointed he had been unable to learn more advanced techniques than the simple instant transmission. And it had taken him a whole year!

But Vegeta was older and more skilled than he had been at the time. That was definitely the reason.

"I can see how you were so troublesome for Moro. But you're no match for me."

Jarrah parried a sloppy punch, driving Goku to the side only to land a solid hit on his spine, forcing him to the ground. He hastily rolled away, spitting out a mouthful of foliage as he contemplated his predicament. Jarrah certainly had the upper hand, weakening him with significant punches and kicks while he only managed minor blows on her. It wasn't looking good for him, but that was okay. Most battles he had faced began like this, only for him to break through another barrier and turn the tables. He just needed to smash that wall preventing his victory.

His knee threatened to give way as he failed to dodge a firm punch to the head, making him see stars for a moment, the world doubling before his wavering vision. Relying on his other senses, Goku retreated, rubbing some life back into his eyes and throbbing cranium.

"Give up yet?" Jarrah taunted, appearing before him, striking out with her elbow in an unexpected move Goku barely avoided.

"You know, if you surrender, I'll let you live. Only, you can kiss those hostages goodbye."

The threat was completely unnecessary. Goku didn't fight for the sake of others, he fought for himself, and sure, he would do a great deal to help people, but when it came to combat, he didn't need any reason other than the rush of his blood to engage. There was no need to bring innocent people into this, not when Goku was already committed and trying his hardest.

"You didn't need to do that!" he yelled, taking a hook to the jaw for his troubles. Spitting out a tooth which would take days to grow back, he hopped away, resuming his battle stance.

"I'm going to give this fight my all, no matter what. You didn't need to threaten other people to get my attention, I live for the fights. It was unnecessary and cruel."

"Buddy, do you realise what Gods of Destruction are?" she taunted him as her hand lashed out, catching his arm with a ki blast as he swerved aside. The bruises and pains were adding up, making him wobble as he struggled to dodge.

"The Gods of Destruction destroy things. That's what they do. That's what I was trained to do. Their entire purpose is annihilation."

"Is that what got you kicked out?" Goku asked, gasping as a foot landed in his gut.

"What do you mean?" Jarrah hissed, vanishing and reappearing behind him.

Goku turned, barely managing to block a vicious blow to his head, arms shuddering under the strain.

"Your attitude," he panted, "You're trigger happy. More so than a God of Destruction should be. Is that why Heles wouldn't train you anymore?"

"That's none of your business!" Jarrah exclaimed, fury empowering her fist as it connected with Goku's ribs. He cried out as he felt a crack run through his body, but remained standing.

He had to remain standing.

"And for your information, it was my decision to leave!"

Goku's damaged knee could not withstand another direct hit, causing him to topple onto the flora. Unable to roll away in time, the former apprentice dived down onto him, driving her elbow into his stomach hard enough to cause him to project blood.

"Aarrgh!"

"I've got you now!" she had him pinned, well and truly. She didn't weigh much but she had enough power to hold him down even as he squirmed ineffectually against her grip.

"So much for your might, oh defeater of Moro."

"Actually—" Goku wasn't able to finish as his face was shoved roughly into a noxious weed, stinging him with its prickles.

"Now comes the big question. Should I end you here, or let you run off with your tail between your legs?"

A/N Understanding Goku has never been my strong suit, I have to admit, made even more difficult by the nature of the media (anime and manga don't really explore internal character motivations etc.) This is more of a warning of what he might become, I feel (see also next chapter). Also, he's never been known for his thoughtfulness, and telling Moro how awesome he and the fight was in front of Vegeta and Piccolo was probably not the most sensitive move.