The anger at the table was almost enough to ruin Goku appetite. Almost, but not quite. It took an excessive distraction to keep him from his food and even the sound of his father's horribly frustrated voice only made his eyes lift from the rice in front of him. The rest of his body remained intently focused on the meal. Not only had he been cooped up in a shuttle for the last six hours, but there hadn't been anything to eat along the way. To say he was nearly starving wouldn't have been an exaggeration. Yet his father didn't seem to mind the interruption of their dinner. Goku watched him with a slightly hopeful expression. The call had come in mere moments after they landed, but from the sound of things, it wasn't good news. Even through the view screen, Raditz's face was visibly flushed and frustrated. That told him his older brother had failed in his mission. Again.

"We don't even know if he sent him to a school," Raditz muttered. He winced when the veins throbbed in his normally calm father's temples. It wasn't his fault the search had turned up nothing. He hadn't even been the one to pick the school this time.

"He wouldn't waste two years of the boy's life," Bardock growled, his fists tightening for a moment before he managed to calm himself. Raditz couldn't be blamed for the fact that their leads were proving useless. King Vegeta had told absolutely no one about his plans. In fact, Bardock hadn't even learned that the prince was gone until the king had returned without him. They were supposed to have gone on a small, private training session. But the king had returned mere days after their departure, and he had come back alone. Any questions as to the prince's whereabouts had been met with a conceited smirk and sharp silence. The king had hidden him away, and he had been far too smug for him to have hidden him anywhere where the boy wouldn't receive at least some sort of training. And there were enough schools that an enemy could search for years and not find the boy, especially if the person running the facility knew to keep his presence a secret. Bardock was certain the prince had to be in a school somewhere, but so far every idea had turned up nothing. All they knew was that King Vegeta had only been gone for three days, meaning his destination couldn't be too far from Planet Vegeta.

"Check the other schools there before you come back," Bardock said in a much calmer voice. It wasn't like him to take his anger out on either of his sons, but Raditz had a tendency to disappoint him. His eldest son was simply not strong enough.

"Are we going to be staying here, then?" asked Goku. He paused in his eating long enough to glance at his father's back again. The man was standing with his back to the table, but he looked over his shoulder at the question and gave a sharp nod. "Why? I thought this was too close to be a possibility."

"It is," Bardock admitted before looking back to view screen. "We'll be using this as our base for a while. As far as I can tell, this is about the center of the space the king could have gone to. It's no good for us to be darting all over the place checking out planets."

"But that's exactly what I'm doing," Raditz protested. "At this rate I'll probably be checking every planet in this sector!"

"And I will check the ones in the next sector," said Bardock. "But now isn't the time for Goku to be wasting his youth traveling." His older son's eyes narrowed in sudden anger, but Bardock ignored it. He was aware of the jealousy his eldest child held for the younger teen, but Goku showed more promise than Raditz ever had. No matter how much older Raditz was, or how much he tried to deny the fact, it had been clear for years that the younger of Bardock's children was definitely the only one who would surpass him. It didn't matter who had been born first. The son who surpassed him would be his heir. Raditz had failed to fulfill the potential in his blood. Now it was up to Goku, which meant Goku needed training far more right now than Raditz did. There was no point in the older saiyan getting so angry about it. "You know this could take a year. I'll be leaving him here while I make my jaunts, and you'll stop here between planets."

"You mean I won't be going with you?" Goku asked loudly, forgetting his meal as his eyes flew from the screen to his father.

"We'd get more done if he helped," Raditz muttered, not quite glaring at his younger brother. Yes, he knew that Goku was destined to be the stronger of them, but the saiyan barely seemed worthy of that name. As far as he was concerned, Goku cared more about eating and watching things than about fighting. And fighting was the center of the saiyan's universe.

"Maybe," Bardock admitted, "but I won't waste his life any more than King Vegeta would have wasted his son's. I won't have time to train him myself, so there is no reason not to follow the king's move."

"You aren't planning to enter him into a school too, are you?" With a quick glare at his wide-eyed brother, Raditz bit down on his anger. "I see."

"I'm going to a school?" asked Goku. Both his father and brother grunted in disgust. Goku blinked for a second before shrugging their annoyance off and leaning close to the table. "I thought the schools were only for people who've already surpassed their parents."

"Where have you been?" Raditz demanded, not bothering to hide his disgust. "King Vegeta hid his son in one of those schools, and we all know that boy wasn't stronger than him. The schools are for those whose parents can't train them, for whatever reason."

"But you said you didn't think the prince was even in a school," Goku reminded him, his voice dropping a bit until he trailed off. His older brother was definitely seething. He shrugged again and frowned at his father. "I don't mind being able to train again, but isn't finding the prince more important than that? I'm old enough to help you two search."

"There are plenty of saiyans who are old enough to search," Bardock said sharply. "You are at the peak of your life. Now is the time for you to be trained whether by my hand or another. In fact, you should have been training these last five years, not waiting for the war to finish. If it weren't for the war, you would surely be stronger now."

"Oh."

Raditz growled in frustration. "If there are saiyans old enough to search, then why do I have to do all of this running around?" His father's eyes snapped to him, and Raditz flushed again.

"You show disrespect to your future king," Bardock murmured, his voice smooth yet holding a definite warning. "As the next in line for the throne, it's our family's duty to find the crown prince. This is our duty, and our privilege."

Raditz dropped his eyes, leaning back in his seat. He was careful to hide his fisted hands from the view screen connecting him to his father. He knew it was their duty, but he simply didn't see why his father was so certain they would even find the boy. In fact, he didn't understand why Bardock had left Planet Vegeta in the first place. As heir to the throne after the prince, his father should already have been king. Only the man's determination to find the prince had stalled the announcement. All they would have to do would be to claim that the prince had died and they would be the crown family, no questions asked. After all, Bardock had always been the strongest next to the king, and he had been the leader of the winning side in the war. To take the throne was his right, yet the man had ignored that in order to search for some boy.

And Raditz remembered that boy very well. He had only seen the prince once since the boy had been too young to participate in real fights, but he would never forget that terribly conceited expression. The kid had been a brat, pure and simple, as unbearably arrogant as the king himself. Everyone who met the prince had told tales of the boy's attitude. Raditz was certain that even if they found the prince, they were better off with his father on the throne instead. King Vegeta hadn't been able to hold the saiyans together, and he doubted the son would be able to do it either. What they needed now that the war was over, was a king who could unite the remaining first-class saiyans, whether through trust or fear. His father was strong enough, and smart enough, to manage both.

"Which school will I be staying at?" Goku asked, having waited through the long silence until he couldn't hold back his excitement any longer. He had always wondered about the schools, and he had felt odd with so many years passing since his father had been able to train him. But Bardock had fought on the mainlines and Goku had been kept with the other young saiyans, protected since they were not yet strong enough to be anything other than a nuisance on the battlefield. Still, the war had lasted much longer than any of them had imagined it would. Goku had spent almost six years with only children to fight against. It was daunting to imagine trying to fight trained students, but he did want to improve. Despite how long it had been, there was something attractive in the idea of facing opponents stronger than him. His father was definitely too busy to train him, but the schools were supposed to be run by individuals who almost rivaled the full saiyan power. "How many schools are there on this planet?"

"There are over thirty," Bardock answered. He nodded when Raditz gave a sharp bow and the screen went blank. Turning to Goku, he finally took his place across from him. "Only two of the schools here were possibilities when we first started the search, but Raditz went through all of them again a month ago. The search turned up nothing, but one of the schools does show promise for you." His son nodded rapidly. Bardock smiled at Goku's evident excitement. It pleased him that the teen was eager to take up his training again. He had noticed that the boy had gotten a bit softer since they were able to fight regularly. It was good to know he hadn't completely lost his fighting spirit. "One of the schools is only thirty miles from here, close enough for you to come back here when Raditz and I stop by. I don't plan to leave you isolated, but there really is no excuse for your training to have been so neglected."

"When do I start?"

Goku's dark eyes were sparkling. Bardock shook his head, leaning back until the chair nearly creaked from his weight. "We just landed," he reminded his son. "I'll have to make certain the law will approve of a shorter stay. The regular term here is ten years, but I thought one year should be enough. If we don't find the prince before then..."

"I'm sure we'll find him," Goku said quickly, taking in the softness that crept into his father's voice. He was very aware of the fact that his father had been close to the king, even though he had never seen the man himself. He had only been nine when the rumors of war started, and as a child he hadn't had access or reason to be near the king. But he had heard his father talk of the man often enough to know he had held a deep respect for his sovereign.

"Yes," Bardock nodded, "we have to. There is no way I'll take King Vegeta's crown away from his son. You know that family has held the title for nearly the entire saiyan history."

"Where they really that strong?"

"They are," Bardock corrected, putting emphasis on the present tense. "Vegeta-sama had complete confidence in his son's potential. Wherever he is, the boy has surely surpassed his father by now."

"But he's only my age! Right?" Goku's eyes widened when his father smirked at him. "Isn't he?"

"Actually, he is a year older than you," Bardock smiled. "And you must remember, he has been in a training school since he was ten. You have been sitting with the children for the last five years."

"I did get to fight a little," Goku protested, "I mean, I exercised as much as I could."

"It's not the same without an appropriate sparring partner. I had the best when I was young."

"You really fought with the king?" Bardock gave a slow nod and Goku dropped his eyes, recognizing the slightly glazed look that meant his father was reminiscing again. To think, his father had fought with the king. It was hard to imagine that their king had once been a child himself, especially when he was said to have been one of the most cold-hearted saiyans ever born. But his father never referred to the man as evil or even cold, merely determined and with the power to back up that determination. "Were you strong enough to be a good partner for him?" he asked softly, blinking when his father grinned.

"Don't tell your brother this," Bardock confided, his grin widening a bit more, "but I could have taken the throne on more than one occasion. Vegeta-sama was powerful, but we have blood as strong as his. I think..." His eyes drifted to the side and he nodded slowly, his smile fading a bit. "I think I was seventeen the first time I threw a match. I simply couldn't stomach the thought of beating him."

"What?! But why would you-I mean, it's heresy to throw a fight!" Dark eyes flicked to him and Goku closed his mouth suddenly, feeling a wave of nervousness at his father's dangerous gaze.

"To have defeated him and taken the throne would have been far more disrespectful to the king's authority than to fight at less than my full power. And I knew then that I did not have the rigidity to rule the way he did. He had no leniency. That is necessary to rule a species such as ours. Had the opposition not used such cowardly methods, he would be ruler even now."

"Mm." Goku wasn't sure if he really understood his father's argument, but he had an idea that the king wouldn't have taken being beaten very well. Though he hadn't met the king, he had heard enough from Raditz's friends to know the man had been almost overly confident in himself. But it was amazing. His father didn't lie, but he couldn't imagine that his own father had been stronger than the king. No one was supposed to have been stronger, that was why the opposition had resorted to such cowardly methods. And it was even worse than that. If his father was stronger than the king had been, then Goku would have to get even stronger than that. The thought was far too daunting.

His son had never been very good at hiding his thoughts from him. Bardock smirked again, taking in the teen's dazed expression. "You aren't even close to being as strong as I was at your age, but you will be. Once you start your training again, your inborn potential will show itself."

"But to get that kind of strength..."

The boy was looking younger with each passing second. Bardock set his hands down heavily on the table. "The school I have in mind is headed by someone more than strong enough to challenge you. All it will take is determination. Just fight, Kakarott. Fight and get stronger."

The name made him flinch and flush. The only time his father called him that was when he was acting too much like his mother. It wasn't that she was weak, not by female standards, but she had always been more kind-hearted than most. Goku had spent the last four years under her care, which was why he was so accustomed to going by the name she had given him. While his father had agreed to address him by that name, Bardock did occasionally refer to his first, male-given name. It was the man's way of reminding him that he was the son destined to be stronger than the sire. "Yes," said Goku. "I'll do my best."

"Your best should be more than enough for you to surpass the head of the school within a year," Bardock nodded. He really did worry about how much time Goku had spent with his mother, but the boy was stronger than he realized. Despite the lack of training, Goku was nearly as tall as him and easily as muscular as Raditz. Goku simply need to grow up emotionally and become the man he appeared to be. Bardock's eyes dropped to the table suddenly and he frowned. "I'll set things up for you after I eat. You didn't leave much, though."

Goku gave a soft laugh and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Sorry! I guess I wasn't paying attention."

"As much energy as you're going to be burning in the next year, you'll need to eat that much," Bardock admitted, frowning darker when he realized the food was not only half gone, but cold as well. "But there's no reason for you to eat so much right now." A glance at his son found the boy visibly embarrassed. It was unnatural for a saiyan to be so openly awkward, but at least he didn't have to worry that the boy had become a picky eater in the last five years. And Goku was still growing. He wouldn't be surprised if his son ended up being taller than him by the end of the year. He supposed he would have to thank the boy's mother for that. She might not have fed Goku's need to fight, but she obviously fed his need to feed. He was a bottomless pit. Hopefully that would help fuel his training. In the meantime, Bardock made a mental note never to leave his youngest alone with his share of the food.

.-.
TBC