He'd been tossing and turning all night, whirling the covers around him like a twisted mass of hot, annoying weighted taffy. Sleep was teasing him, eluding him, mocking his need and fatigue. Finally, a mere hour or two before dawn a fitful slumber descended on him only to be violently shattered by the crashing sound of a blaring rock music station.
"Goddammit" he growled Ki blasting the offensive appliance off his night table. Bits of plastic and transistor exploded across the bedroom raining down like hail. Grabbing the blankets, the annoyed occupant of the bed rolled over squeezing his eyeballs shut but it was already too late. He was awake - tired as fucking hell, but no less awake. Sighing resignedly, he stood up from the futon; no one was there to marvel at him in all his nude glory. He stretched and his back muscles rippled and tensed. He relaxed and they with him though he still looked like he'd been painstakingly chiseled from the finest marble.
His face however was a different story. Cuts and bruises decorated it in a lop-sided fashion. His training, intense and brutal, was reaching a critical juncture. The gravity chamber had long ago stopped being a challenge at levels that did not cause the device to implode. He'd turned to live sparring. His body had taken the brunt of this decision, his face the map of intentional brutality.
Heading for the shower the battered fighter mumbled, "Today Kakarott, you will get yours." A crooked smirk played at his upper lip as he turned on the water, thinking of smashing in the face of his most hated rival and sparring partner.
Dressed and slightly damp he took the stairs two at a time to get to breakfast. He had plans and was anxious to accomplish them.
"Well hi Vegeta! How nice to see you." Mrs. Briefs chirped as he strode through the kitchen.
"You needn't act so surprised to see me. I've resided at your dwelling for months now."
Mrs. Briefs ignored his rudeness and poured him an extra large glass of juice. Vegeta didn't know if she was just too stupid to realize he was rude or if she was merely used to it by now. It mattered not an iota to him. He ate his meal in silence and left with a slight nod of thanks.
Taking off from the lawn, Vegeta flew as quickly as he could without rushing. His mind was on only one thing: winning the spar today. He wanted to beat down Goku, defeat him utterly and cause him pain the way the third class Saiyan had to him the previous two days running.
What Vegeta didn't know was that Goku was just as sore and abused as himself. He was rising slowly, his face full of chagrin when he felt the approach of the would-be Prince.
"Chi-Chi!" he called. "I have to go now."
"But you haven't had any breakfast!"
"It's okay. I'm not that hungry."
His wife ran over to him and pressed a small tin box into his hands.
"At least take a snack, okay?"
She reached up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "I'll make some extra dishes for dinner."
He smiled at her. "Thanks honey. You're the best."
Her eyes glittered with pleasure at his compliment.
Goku waved as he ducked out the door.
Few words were spoken, if any, when the two landed in the field. They both knew what they were there for. In the beginning Goku had tried to make some conversation but was rebuffed every time. He didn't mind it really. But he didn't feel like wasting energy on it either. Today was different. He felt a dangerous wave wafting off Vegeta. Something about him almost smelled intimidating. The hair on his arms rose up and he willed it to relax. He stepped back into his stance, settling his spirit and calming his mind. Vegeta stepped forward and smiled an unkind smile. His eyes narrowed as he lowered into a crouch. It was going to be long, painful day.
A yell ripped through the moist morning air as Vegeta hurled himself at Goku. The younger man wasn't surprised by the attack, just the speed. He miscalculated the time it would take Vegeta to cross the expanse between them. The cost was an uppercut to the chin that caused the familiar coppery taste to disperse in his mouth. Goku recovered lightning quick and countered with a roundhouse and punch combination that didn't actually hurt Vegeta but accomplished its goal: to back him off.
The two men clashed over and over, punishing each other with their hands, feet and ki until they had to back off and catch their breath. Vegeta's eyes glowed menacingly. Goku wondered for split second what that was all about. Surely he knew how much his rival envied his skill and how easily it came to him. But this was different. It was as if today was the day Vegeta had marked to kill him. Again this pause proved to be an error because Vegeta had faded and reappeared behind Goku. His two-fisted downward blow sent Goku soaring towards the ground. He turned a front salto and was able to stop himself from crashing into the hard dirt. His opponent was on him instantly casting a flurry of blows that caused him to back up step after step.
Goku became angry. This wasn't sparring. This was a battle. He decided to stop holding back and put everything he had into the fight.
"Finally Kakarott. You get it!" He punctuated the last syllable with a large charge blown directly at Goku's head. He ducked and returned fire. Flying to put some distance between them, he pulled both arms back to his right side, cupping his hands in the familiar pose.
"Kah…..me…..ha….me……HAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Vegeta watched it build and finally sail toward him. He curved his mouth into a smile. He enjoyed the battle, the challenge of living or dying. He reeled back and launched his own Big Bang attack…watching the two collide in the middle. The Saiyans were uncaring of how much this was tearing up the landscape. The only thing that mattered at this moment was winning. Every single molecule in a ten mile radius seem to quiver and shake as the energy burst in the center and tore a crater into the planet's surface, a mushroom cloud accenting the devastation.
Both warriors stood transfixed by the sight, taking the time to recharge and plan the next move. Goku's stomach growled loudly. He tried to ignore it. Vegeta was coming over the line again. The impassioned fighter flew into Goku's space, combining kicks and punches with such speed that it was almost impossible to block them all. Almost. Vegeta's anger and frustration was mounting. He burst into SSJ.
Goku followed, his own energy clouding around him. They flew directly at one another and became entangled in battle again. There was no clear winner. Each had cuts. Each had injuries. Each was getting tired. Goku finally backed up and powered down.
"How about lunch?"
"How about I finish you?"
"Man, Vegeta! What's your deal today?"
He didn't get an answer. Just more punishment at Vegeta's hands and feet.
He kicked him down, over and over striking his temple with the ball of his foot. All his anger, his frustration from the years of being second or third best was bubbling forth, spewing out in articulated violence. Goku's life was being systematically robbed, each blow, each kick was bringing him closer to that goddamned halo.
"Vegeta!"
His voice was strong; it enraged the prince who escalated his attack. He backed off and charged another big bang, launching it straight at his would-be sparring partner. Goku crossed his arms in front of himself. The incredible blast was blocked partially. Not totally. Goku knew this place. It was the place that he needed to take the offensive or die.
His voice started in his gut and growled up through his entire being, gathering strength and volume on the trip up. It shattered the air around them and made everything rock and tremble.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Goku launched an incredible attack, so fast it was invisible. He struck Vegeta down and flipped his body into the air, kicking it several times on the way down, virtually splitting the man in two. The front end of his body lay over Goku's foot at an unnatural angle, demonstrating the breakage of at least a few ribs. Blood spurt forth from his mouth, internal damage becoming evident. Once Vegeta hit the ground, Goku gave him a moment to regain his composure.
"Come on Vegeta! It ends here."
"Never Kakarott. It ends when you are dead!"
He surged forward, despite the searing, blinding pain. He surged forward despite the fact that he knew in his heart he could not defeat this third class warrior. He knew he was truly defeated. Maybe it was this knowledge that really beat Vegeta. But it was his anger, his spite and bitterness the propelled him into Goku's grasp again.
Unable to do anything else, Goku attacked again. He tore open Vegeta's mouth with his fist. His legs kept pummeling his body until the Prince lay unconscious on the ground.
He knelt, placing a hand on his self-made enemy's shoulder.
"Vegeta. I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you. But you made me."
He stood and looked to the sky. He thought how Vegeta needed help. But he wouldn't accept it from him. He left. He noticed the tin box lying next to his victim, the rice spilled across the field, the top blown off.
He became conscious slowly. It felt like he was being breathed, that his body and lungs were not his own but only part of a set he'd borrowed. His eyes lazily opened and he realized he was floating. Again, in that damned tank. His body had failed him again. He had failed himself and his absent race. His eyes closed, half in fatigue, half in acrid disappointment.
Bulma had been monitoring him around the clock. The small glimpse of consciousness had not escaped her watchful gaze. Before she could cross the floor, he was out again. Her fingers trailed a small line, caressing where his jaw line would be had there not been three inch thick glass and hundreds of gallons of goo in between them. Her lips danced and his name passed over them, like a breath of a prayer. Her heart was breaking. How many times did she have to watch him pass like this before her very eyes? She turned and walked back to her desk chair. There were at least another twelve hours to go before he'd be even awake.