AN: Its been a long, LONG week filled with various ups and downs but its always good to know that you wonderful reviewers are out there!

Arigato!

Kevornman: Aw, thank you! I hope I can live up to your expectations, and yeah, Goku and Vegeta are the most awesome guys in anime…and believe me, I've watched a hell of a lot. Thanks for the support, and (in a good way) I hope I can make you shed a tear.

Pixelgoddess: Oh, hell, I didn't realise there were no POV breaks! Thank you so much for pointing it out. Dammit, is really shoving hairs up our asses! Thank you for the detailed review, and you've pretty much nailed Vegeta's thoughts. Hmm, I'm not too twisted a person but I hope I can live up to any and all expectations anyone may have for this story. You'll see how things change; there'll be more Goku POV to come; I may have been looking too much from Vegeta's eyes but there's a reason: exposition!

Omnimalevolent: I haven't checked recently, but I prefer to follow Monster on the saiyanhideaway instead. At least that's the complete version. Yeah, isn't she awesome? I spork her often and she kindly puts up with me.

Blackroseinvasion: Silly Kakarot. He'll get the hang of it and start kicking ass!

Lenora: I know you would never ignore me! I hate it when Internet is being absent/pernickety. Hope you like Puppy Love…I'm not all that proud of it myself, but hey…a dare is a dare.

Chuquita: Hey, I'm waiting for an update from you! I'm desperate for Chuquita humour! I just love Vegeta demanding his unquestionable semeness back…although one would think that Goku would just go find a dictionary and look up 'uke' and 'seme'…

Yeah, evil Titan! Arrrgh! It's based on the one in Kingdom Hearts…love that game too much…I like my Saiyans all evolutionarily advanced too! Tune in to see what happened to the Veggie! Thanks for reviewing! One day, I hope to be as popular as you and get 20 reviews for every chapter! I'm averaging 10…gonna get there, someday!

Falconsblade: BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes, it is I, evil Zogeta! Cower from the evil! Thanks for the perfectly flattering email. Vegeta isn't having a nice time, is he?

cackles EVILLY in corner

Linkin Park 04: Yeah! You rock! I like to get the feedback from reviewers; it is only fair that I answer their questions and share a few laughs. Nothing like seeing one's name in print, ne? All the people who badmouthed me have run and I stand victorious! Thanks for the support, and who knows? This might not be as sad as everyone thinks…

Aseret Kitsune: Dude, do you watch Love Hina? I love the Kitsune in that series! Cool screen name, I'd love to hear the explanation! Thank you for the kind words; I'm starting to think that there's hope for me yet!

Yami Persophone: But I can see the attraction, he suffers so prettily! That line will be immortal! That's so true! I got the uncut episodes of the Buu fight and watching Vegeta haul his ass out of that crater after taking a DIRECT HIT to the face just made me cheer for my boy! Of course you're demented. I am too. Look at my writing. Yeah, I've grown out of the being-mean-to-Chichi/Bulma thing…kinda gets bitchy, ya know? I cried at the end of HP6…so tragic…sniffle, sniffle, sob, but it was better than the last one. I really like that idea! Bra and Piccolo! Yeah! I can so see it! Well, scribble a one shot and enter it! I bet you'll come up with something cool. I can just imagine Piccolo giving her that look and saying 'you're just like your father'…And how does BOT work? Is it on I'm glad you're really involved…it's about to get interesting!

On another note:

I'll try to fix the POV breaks, please let me know if it works or if you have any suggestions how. I'm trying 'v' and 'g' to show breaks; they probably won't look like page breaks to the system. Would super big gaps work?

The odd pairings competition is getting interesting: Lenora, your story of Goten and 17 does count! Now I have two stories in and one idea. Come on, just a one-shot will do!

Onwards, fair readers!

Chapter Four:

Training Break

"Hey, Vegeta…come on…"

He sounds like he's three worlds away…I feel my body being shaken, and the pain plunges back in.

"Ow! Don't touch me, dammit!" I yell, feeling something jar somewhere in my back. His hands leave me, and I try opening my eyes, only to have trouble focusing. Everything is swimming and blurring, shapes and colours indiscriminate. Gods, I don't need this right now. I gasp and cough, sticky blood running down my chin. I must have internal injuries somewhere. And why won't my eyes focus? Must be a head injury…this is not good. I shut my eyes tightly and moan softly, the pain throbbing and burning all over my body, except for below my waist. I can't feel my legs.

"Vegeta, can you hear me?"

Kakarot…are you worried? About me? Your renewed rival?

The best I can manage is "unnnn" as my hand blindly gropes my chest. That pain is the worst, and I need my pills now, but I don't want him to know about my heart problems. I tore the label off the bottle, but he might recognise the pills. I'll have to get them later; I can hold on for a few more minutes. I force myself to speak, just to ease the big lug.

"K-k-Kakar-r-rot…"

"Oh, thank God, Vegeta! You're speaking! That's good! Look, are there any senzu beans anywhere?"

I cough again, blood building up in my throat. He gently helps me get upright so that I can clear my throat. His hands are surprisingly gentle, considering how big and clumsy they look. My vision returns somewhat; at least now the colours are less hazy. Oh, right he asked me about senzu beans. I manage a nod; Bulma made me take the blasted things in case of an emergency. This would qualify as one of them. Fuck, I feel nauseous…

"Where are they, Vegeta?"

I open my mouth to tell him, but I dry heave instead. All that comes up is more blood and it splatters all over my white sheets. Revolting. I sway as I try to get up, but Kakarot gently (and firmly) pushes me down.

"Stay still, Vegeta, I'll get them. Where are they?"

"My cupboard…inside a boot…"

I heave again, and bitter blood and bile jam in my throat. I cough it out, feeling something in my back twinge again. That fucking titan…

Kakarot leaves and I hear him rummaging inside my cupboard, probably throwing everything out. I put my hands on my knees, lean forward and try to steady myself as I gasp for air, pain raking through my entire body. Kakarot thuds back towards me and sits on the bed, slipping the bean into my mouth. I can't seem to swallow, so he pokes it down my throat and massages it down. My first instinct is to retch, but I hold it down long enough for the bean to start working. I let out a long breath as the pain and nausea leaves me. Now my vision is as clear as it always was and I can see Kakarot in front of me looking…relieved?

"You're okay…"

I fall back on my pillows, closing my eyes for a moment. The heart pain will come back in a minute, but I need to get Kakarot out so I can take my pills…and have a shower.

I open my eyes and he's peering at me. I frown and sit up, scratching at the blood on my arms. "Move, Kakarot. I need to get up."

He obliges and I put my feet on the floor.

"Shouldn't you take it easy, Vegeta?"

I shake my head. "I'm perfectly fine. But I really need a shower; I'm covered in titan gunk. When I get out, I want to hear what happened."

Kakarot walks to the door, pausing with his hand on the doorjamb as he turns to look at me. "I guess I could use a shower too. I'm just glad that you're okay and that we found a senzu in time."

He leaves before I can say anything. Since when did he care? We've been at odds ever since we started this trip. Mind you, the witless fool would feel sorry for an injured dog, even if it were a rabid Rottweiler. And he won't get home if I die, so it's in his interest to make sure I'm okay.

I get my pills out of my safe, using my thumbprint to open the lock. I shake two little blue pills out and knock them back, feeling the pain subside a little already. After I lock the pills away, I take a well-earned shower.

G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G

I was really worried about him. That thing threw him so hard against that rock and I know I heard bones break. If he hadn't brought senzu beans, he might have…he could have…I don't want to think about it.

Dammit, Vegeta.

This trip is starting to get really dangerous. I could have melted that thing in two seconds with a kamehameha! But I think that's one of the reasons why I'm here; I'm too dependant on my energy. We managed to make it through that scrap without any ki, and if Vegeta hadn't been caught by that thing, we would have no problems at all. I suppose it served as an extra lesson; I am capable of doing things without my energy.

My radar is improving greatly, and the little trick about temperature control will surely prove useful one day. Maybe I should stick around and keep trying. It's such an incredible feeling to learn something new and to put it into practice. My hand-to-hand combat will most certainly improve as well. Vegeta has an amazingly unpredictable, varied fighting style, and to be honest, I'm loving the challenge.

I just wish he wasn't so mean to me. I wish he didn't hate me so much. I'm still not sure exactly what I did that could fuel such dislike. I don't want to fight with him; I'm over the whole kidnapping issue and I'm glad I'm here. It's been so long since I had a decent challenge. I've been bored since Majin Buu and this is fast becoming a pleasant release.

If anything, I should be thanking Vegeta for this, but I have a feeling that he'll shrug it off. Maybe if I just show him how much this means to me by trying harder, maybe he'll start being nicer. It's worth a try. I'll make it all up to him, and I'll be the best student he's ever had.

V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V

I pull on a tracksuit and shake the last of the water out of my hair before pulling my tail through the tail hole on my pants. I wag it a little to get off excess water, then fluff it out to dry. I feel much better now; all the pain has gone and I'm clean. And hungry.

"Kakarot! Dinner!"

I'm tempted to laugh as he literally skids into the kitchen and almost slams into a wall. I chuck him a dinner packet, which he rips open. The meal finishes in a minute or so, and I enjoy my dessert, which is a chocolate muesli bar. There is comfortable silence while we sit; I have my feet up on the table and Kakarot has spun a chair around so that he can rest his arms on the back.

"So, what happened after that bastard titan sent me flying through the air?" I ask, picking the raisins out of my snack. I don't like them, but Kakarot eats the ones I take out.

"Well, I picked you up and got you upright so that you wouldn't choke on your own blood, and I got you away from the ice thing. It was melting anyway, and it was dead, well, evaporated, in a minute. After that, I sprinted back to the ship and tried to stay calm; you were bleeding out of your ears and that's always a bad sign. But you came round, and you know the rest."

I take a sip of raspberry juice and look at Kakarot over the carton. He looks down at the ground, tail curled around his waist, and he looks up again when I put down the carton.

"Listen, Kakarot…you…you did well today. I might just make something of a Saiyan out of you. Get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a lot more painful than today. Good night."

I get to my feet, chuck the carton into the trash and amble off to my room, stretching my arms and yawning. It's been a long day.

GGGGGGGGG

Did he just say what I thought he did! Was that praise? Wow…