AN: Another week, and another update. The last one was quite short; I hope the length of this makes up for it!

Greetings to the following:

Kevornman: And that is exactly what I need to hear! Thanks!

Blackroseinvasion: Veggie occasionally pulls the stick out of his ass! Nothing overt, but its there.

Chuquita: glares Still waiting…but you're forgiven! Excellence is worth waiting for! Yeah, I really like having Kakarot eat the raisins…I dunno, I just like it. Tis…cute. And I love your Veggie battles! Veggie is going to give Kaks a hard time today, but he'll be just fine. Sort of.

Omnimalevolent: Okay, I see where you're coming from, but the thing is, dub Goku is like that. The Japanese one thinks things out a lot more and although he is silly too, he isn't a complete moron. (I have uncut original Jap episodes: love them!) I like to think that he's an idiot when he has to be, but give the man credit; he is about 39 or 40 at this point; he was 36 when he fought Buu. He can't think like a child his whole life. People are scared of Vegeta because he is powerful AND smart…but Goku/Kakarot/Son-kun is just a silly, naïve moron that doesn't really scare anyone.

Of course, you're welcome to your opinion and that's what reviews are about, but sorry, Kakarot is staying this way! And I'm glad I got Vegeta somewhat right. He likes to curse everything as imaginatively and violently as possible.

Wildgirlxyz3: First person is sometimes hard to work with, but I find it allows for better emotion expression. Third person is better when there are more characters involved, but because the majority of the whole thing is between these two, this view works for me. I'd love to read yours when you're done; it sounds interesting! Hope its coming along well and falling into place. Yeah, Vedge is hurt (it happens often in my fics) but he'll be fine. And who knows how things are going to work out? Best of luck and thank you for the positive words!

Clarobell: I have this thing about injured Veggies…but it won't happen again in this story. This was just to scare the hell out of Kakarot (because I'm mean)

Brolly: Yes she is.

Out, muse!

I don't often work in first person but it works here, ne? I'm trying to get going on another story to post after this one; I have quite a few but none of them are really up to scratch yet. It'll take some time but I know you'll be there to read it because you've been with me since my very early days, for 2 and a half years! You rock, dude!

Lenora: I'm basically offering a challenge to all my reviewers to write or suggest an odd pariring, preferably write though. The best one to land in my inbox by the last chapter of this story wins! I can't offer a prize but I just find it fun! And Vedge will be nasty again very soon! Heh…dig the email…Sirius lives! I saw him buying a Mac Meal!

rolls around laughing

hehehe…

Aseret Kitsune: Ah, thou art cunning! I'm glad you so enjoy my writing style! It's nothing special but I do take great care with what I do and insist that my editor beta it, even though she thinks I don't need her anymore but that's bullshit…she's being modest, as usual. Silly noodle that she is. Here is another update, Aseret! Enjoy!

Linkin Park 04: I can't promise I'll be able to read your work soon, but I'll try. I've already been on the net too long tonight, but I'll do my best! Hmm, I never spend time on Yahoo messenger…sadly…but Vedge can be soft sometimes. Kakarot is a bad influence!

Yami Persophone: Thank god Harry has finally grown up, even if he is annoying sometimes. I dig the twins most. And I think Draco would suit Harry well…yaoi is my weakness. I also read it quickly, even if it was depressing…Hmm, I might just take that bunny from you. Give me a little while because the damn bunny has now sunk its teeth into my ankles and won't let go until it has been appeased. Who knows? I might just have a side-story next week for you! Aw, I bet your writing ain't like that! I often think I can't write for senzu because it's so hard to step out my head and read objectively. Half the time, I cringe and don't write for a while. But you reviewers keep me going, and that's what counts.

Oh, those are review alerts! Yeah. They're nice to have, but I kinda build myself up to Sunday nights and read them all in one go. Geez, its exactly ten reviews every chapter, but that's wonderful because ten people I've never met want to talk to me! Its awesome!

And in closing…

Whew, long reviews get long replies! Here's my request for the week!

I'd like to know where you all hail from! Just out of curiosity, you know. Also, I have to modify my work because American English is different to South African English and British English. Hope to hear from you all soon,

Zogeta

Chapter Five:

Stage Three

Tail Training

Ah, blissful rest…

"WAKE UP!"

Ice cold water smothers my face and runs up my nose down my throat. I jerk up, coughing, wet and not at all impressed.

"Dammit, Vegeta! What the hell was that for!"

He throws the bucket to the side and chucks me a combat suit without armour.

"Stop whining. Get up and be dressed within three minutes. I expect you outside the ship in five minutes for your daily blind-folded combat."

He chucks my blindfold at me then sweeps out of the room. Geez, what a shit way to be get woken up.

I check my watch as Kakarot runs out of the ship, tugging on his gloves. "You're five minutes late. You owe me two hundred one-armed press-ups. Get going."

He grumbles but complies, working on his left arm. I count along in my head, and he doesn't try to cheat. He finishes and flicks to his feet, towering over me as usual. Why did I have to turn out so short?

"Put your blindfold on. Your first task for today is to find me and land twenty punches, and then I'm going to show you a few things about your tail I'm sure you didn't know about."

He unwraps the strip of velvet from around his wrist, closes his eyes and wraps it around his head before knotting it at the back. He nods to let me know he's ready.

"Okay. Five, four, three, two, one…catch!"

I sprint away, changing direction often and zigzagging. He's keeping up, obviously working by scent at this point. I move upwind and he skids to a stop. I don't even move as he turns slowly, except for crouching down onto my haunches, fingers pressed into the snow to hold my balance. He claps, but is disappointed when he can't detect any anomalies in the echo. I'm too low for that to work. This method now ineffectual, he holds out his hand to try and find wind direction. Ah. He's going to get downwind of me so that my scent will carry to him again.

When he does find me, he starts charging me down, and I'm forced to use diversionary tactics. I scoop up a handful of ice and pelt it into his face, but he stampedes right through it, his fist meeting my nose. I feel the cartilage almost giving away, the force of his punch carrying through me and sending me backwards.

But what does he take me for? An amateur? As I fall, I flip onto my hand and kick my boot up into his jaw, probably splintering the bone. I follow through, flicking onto my feet, and blocking a punch with my forearm while my foot slams into his stomach.

"Only one punch, Kakarot? You're slacking!" I taunt, dodging a fist and giving him an uppercut. He staggers backwards but lashes his tail and regains his balance. He manages to catch my fist before it retracts and he swings me around and down into the ground. He tries to punch a hole though my back, but I roll to the side and he misses, knuckles crunching into the ice. But the idiot thinks faster than I thought, and in one fluid movement he flattens his palm and starts swinging his legs in a windmill, alternating his hands as his legs pass, and his boot catches me in the face before I can even get up. But I catch his other foot and twist it, forcing him off balance and face-first into the snow. I take this as my chance to run, but he grabs my ankle.

"Where do you think you're going, Vegeta?"

He jerks hard and pulls me down, my hands instinctively going out to prevent my face from hitting the ground. I grunt and kick out hard, dislodging his grip and crunching my heel into his nose. I roll forward, jump to my feet and start running again. He staggers to his feet, hand gently holding his nose while blood dribbles over his lips and down his chin. I move upwind again and watch from a distance.

To be honest, I'm surprised at the brat's aptitude for blind-folded combat. He's thinking two kicks ahead and using all his senses. And, admittedly, it was an enjoyable exercise, but as much as I'd like to continue, we've got more to do today.

"Alright, Kakarot. Take your blindfold off. We've got to keep moving."

He looks relieved as he tugs it off, but the expression turns to disgust when he looks at his blood-covered hand. "Gross."

I walk up to him. "Pinch the bridge of your nose and lean forward, otherwise the blood will run down your throat."

He nods and does this, and the blood flow stops after a few minutes. I didn't realise that I'd kicked him that hard. He digs up some ice and uses it to wash his face, leaving behind a red slush in the snow. Charming.

"Let's start moving, Kakarot. We're going to a fairly peaceful place today, I'm sure you'll like it."

I start walking and he pads along behind me. After half an hour of silence, he walks beside me. "Vegeta, wouldn't we get there faster if we run?"

I shrug, privately pleased at this opportunity to show off. "I suppose we could…but you had better do your best to keep up."

"Excuse me, but your legs are shorter than mine, Vegeta. I think you'll have to keep up with me."

I quirk an eyebrow as we slow down. "It's not always what you have, clown, but how you use it. Observe, brat."

He cocks his head to the side and watches me uncurl my tail and hold it horizontally behind me. Then, one deep breath, and off I go, kicking up a snow cloud behind me as I streak away as a blue blur, with Kakarot very far behind me.

I've always enjoyed running; it requires more effort than flying and it's more rewarding in its own way. I can run almost indefinitely because I've learnt how to control my breathing and thus keep my body well supplied with oxygen. People generally stop running because they can't breathe, and thus run out of energy because their bodies need oxygen for aerobic respiration. This obviously doesn't apply to me.

I only skid to a halt when I hear Kakarot yelling and trying to find me. I casually inspect my gloved hands while he catches up. We've passed through the desert and now we're on the border to the next environment.

"How come you don't get tired?" he pants, coming into view. I simply shrug and lean against the cliff behind me.

"Yet another thing I have to teach you. God, Kakarot, don't you know anything?"

In the corner of my eye I can see how angry he's getting, and I'm in no rush to put a lid on it. Let the idiot blow off a little steam.

"I know more than you think, Vegeta. It's not my fault that my father died before I could see him! Who was supposed to teach me this? You forget that I didn't even know I was a Saiyan until Raditz told me! And considering the fact that I'm much stronger than you without all these fancy little tricks, you're hardly one to tell me what to do! I think you just like bossing me around."

He folds his arms and glares at me and I narrow my eyes.

"Listen here, you prideless idiot. I'm fulfilling a promise I made before you were even ten years old. When I turned sixteen, your brother Raditz asked me to make sure that you turned out to be a true Saiyan if he failed to see you again. The brother, I might add, that you murdered. So, consider this; I'm making you even stronger than me, which goes against everything I've ever been taught. I'm helping Earth in the long run and I'm keeping a promise I made to a close comrade. That's my justification for this and you can take it any way you like. But despite what you think, in many regards I am stronger than you. You know nothing of the unadulterated hell I have been through in my life."

I take a breath, and he looks at his feet. "You, Kakarot, have never held dying comrades in your arms or been lonely or forced to survive on the flesh of fallen enemies. You haven't had to fight wars despite broken limbs and concussions and any other injury you can think of. You don't know what suffering really is. You never grew up with a deranged Ice-jin who did unspeakable things to his own warriors! Without your ki you start floundering! You're a pretty decent fighter, Kakarot, but you are not a survivor. But if you think all this is below you, then tell me right now. If the mighty fucking Kakarot can afford to miss out on things that could save his life, then so be it."

I fold my arms and turn away from him. "It's amazing how you can so easily call me arrogant, but your arrogance astounds me, it truly does. Go back to the ship. I'm not wasting my time on a prideless Saiyan who thinks he's too perfect to learn anything new, especially not from someone he thinks is weak."

I look ahead of me and ignore him, instead looking over the forest at the bottom of the mountain we're standing on. I don't hear him moving.

"Well, go, Kakarot. This training obviously isn't good enough for you."

Still no movement. I love reverse psychology.

"Vegeta…" he sighs then takes a few steps until he's beside me. I just look at the forest.

"I'm sorry," he says quietly. "I know this is hard on you and that you aren't personally gaining anything out of this, and I tend to forget that. I guess I'm just not used to being second best."

"Welcome to my world," I snarl, and I catch his wince out of the corner of my eye.

"I shouldn't have said that…but please just hear me out, Vegeta."

"Hn."

He shuffles his feet slightly. "Look, I am learning new things and it is making a difference, especially in the long run. I know that I don't have as much pride as you and that I take my heritage for granted. I promise I'll stop complaining; it's just damn hard living up to someone else's expectations."

I sigh and unfold my arms. It's hard to stay mad at the idiot when he's being honest.

"Apology accepted. Follow me into the forest."

This forest is unlike any normal Earth forest. Perhaps 'forest' is too gentle a word. It's a jungle really, densely packed with plants ranging from bug-eaters to living ivy that could strangle an unwary Saiyan. Not to mention the ugliest, biggest insects and reptiles that even the Devil himself couldn't imagine. I turn to face Kakarot, who's smiling at a large green butterfly balanced on his finger. I smack it away and sending it spiralling into a tree trunk. He looks highly offended at this, and pouts miserably.

"Hey! What did you do that for? It was pretty."

"Stop sulking, Kakarot. That pretty insect is poisonous enough to kill you in three minutes. Stop playing with the wildlife."

The pout slides off his face, and I take advantage of his silence to begin today's training.

"Alright, you can stop mourning the butterfly. More importantly, we're here to test your tail. That extra appendage doesn't only serve to cool your body down, but it helps with your balance, it can be used as an extra limb in battle and it can be used for improved hearing."

He cocks his head to the side, considering this. "Wait a second…so, it's like another ear?"

"Precisely." My tail curls and flexes behind me. "It can pick up sound vibrations, just like the membranes in your ear. The only minor problem is that it shrieks out one's emotions. Best keep it wrapped around your waist at the appropriate times. However, the stronger it is, the better you can hear. Today, I'm going to show you how to strengthen your tail, and in turn, it will improve your hearing and your balance. Not to mention the added advantage in battle."

His eyes light up and his tail wags happily behind him. "I saw Raditz knock Krillin out with his tail; maybe I can do some real damage with mine!"

"There you go; you're thinking like a true Saiyan." I glance around, looking for an appropriate place to do the lesson. "There. That branch will do. Come here, Kakarot."

He follows me over to a branch level with my head. I pull myself up onto it and gesture for him to follow, and he swings up and looks at me expectantly, waiting for the lesson to continue. I swing my tail until it's between the two of us. His eyes shift down to my reddish-brown fur.

"This exercise won't hurt now, but your tail will feel a bit raw and stiff tomorrow morning. It may not seem like it, but your tail has the potential to be as strong as an arm or leg. The only way someone can take my tail off is if they cut it off. They can't pull it out at the root. Anyway, here's your first exercise. Wrap your tail around the branch, like so –"

I curl my tail around the branch and tighten it, and Kakarot follows my example with his blackish-blue tail.

"– then you fall backwards and use your tail to support your weight."

Kakarot winces as I drop backwards, loosely hooking my legs around the branch and forcing my tail to take most of the weight.

"That looks sore!"

I laugh, blood running to my head. "It isn't really, once you get used to it. Your turn."

He swallows then falls backwards, flinching as his tail is pulled taut. A relieved sigh escapes him; I suppose he was worried about his tail being pulled out by the root.

"See, it's not so bad. Once you start lifting weights, you'll be able to put all your weight on your tail, like this."

I unhook my legs and do a back flip until I'm suspended horizontally above the ground, stomach muscles keeping me level and in place. I hear a snort of laughter behind me and spin around to face Kakarot.

"Now what are you laughing at?"

Kakarot grins at me, his blood-red face bright with laughter. "You look like some sort of spider…or like a mobile above a baby's cot! Vegeta the baby mobile!"

I smirk at him. "Well, idiot," I swing myself up and onto the tree branch, tail releasing in time. I land on my hands and continue smirking down at him. "At least my tail is strong enough to hold my weight…and I could knock you out with it too…if I wanted."

He grunts and grabs onto the branch with his hands to pull himself up. By the time he's upright, I've flicked onto my feet and sorted my balance. He scratches his head, tail flopped onto his lap.

"Wouldn't these exercises toughen the hearing membranes?"

I sit down, legs on either side of the branch and back against the tree trunk. "That's the point. You see, Kakarot, in your ear you have three little bones called the ossicles; the anvil, the hammer, and the stirrup. Sound waves vibrate though these bones and are amplified as they travel through. The same applies to your tail. Sound hits the membrane and travels into the bones of your tail. As a result, your tail serves as your third ear because nerve impulses are carried to the brain via nerves and are translated into sounds by your temporal lobe. Almost exactly like your ear, and this explains your radar sense."

His eyes widen, his fingers pausing in their stroking of his tail, the appendage frozen in its undulation. "Wow…my tail can really do all this?"

I nod, swinging my tail below me. "That's why Saiyans are such incredible survivors. There are so many adaptations in the Saiyan body that make us capable of surviving extreme situations. We're the last two models of perfect evolution. If something doesn't kill us, we adapt and evolve."

Kakarot frowns slightly and looks at his tail. "I wish I had known all of this before. Man, it pisses me off that my father and all the Saiyans had to die. I've been a human for too many years."

I allow a small smile to appear as I tap Kakarot's knee with my tail. "I know it hurts, Kakarot. I know. But don't worry; we're pretty good proof that they ever existed."

Silence falls, and Kakarot fidgets. Having nothing better to do, I watch him chew at his lower lip, tail tip ticking. Something's on his mind, but he'll blab it out in a minute or so. Sure enough…

"Vegeta, why do you hate me so much?"

I wasn't expecting that. I blink once or twice.

"What?"

He blushes and shifts further away from me.

"It's just that…you…you snap at me and say really harsh things and treat me like an idiot. But then you can be almost nice. I'm just a bit confused as to why you really dislike me the way you do sometimes."

I fix my stare on him. Such an irritatingly touchy-feely subject, but he deserves an answer.

"Kakarot, I don't hate you. I might have, undoubtedly, a long time ago, but I've reconciled it in my mind and made peace with it."

"But you don't like me either." He states this simply, catching me hard between the eyes. My tail ticks at the tip as I consider this.

"To be honest, Kakarot, I don't know. This is the most time we've spent together since fusion; it takes some getting used to. But I can promise you that I don't hate you."

He frowns, tail wrapping around his waist. Defensive. Very defensive.

"I can understand that, but I wish you'd lay off with the insults and put-downs. They're not easy to deal with."

I lean back and study him, watch him looking at his knees as though they hold the answer to this little predicament.

"You would never do anything for me unless I forced you into it. Remember when I was Majin, and you refused to fight me? I had to destroy half a stadium before you would listen. You've never really held much respect for me before, Kakarot, and if there's any dislike here, I'm sure you dislike me. I doubt you'd be doing any of this training if I didn't piss you off and goad you into it."

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say. With a snarl, he jumps off the branch and turns to look up at me.

"You could have just asked, Vegeta! If you had just been upfront about this training thing, I would have obliged happily! Hell, I would have jumped at the chance! But you're so fucking quick to assume that you're always right, just because you're Vegeta, the bloody Prince!"

His tail has come loose and is lashing behind him as he glares at me with a ferocity I didn't know he had. "And I wonder what I was thinking when I thought you could possibly have changed. You haven't changed a bit since the godsforsaken day I met you and to be frank, I'm not surprised. You make me so mad, Vegeta! Ever since I've met you, you've only caused me trouble! Killing my friends, challenging me twice, letting Cell turn perfect, allowing Majin Buu to emerge…you know what? YOU MAKE ME SICK!"

With that said, he stalks away and into the foliage, leaving me staring. What did I say to deserve that outburst?

But hell, Kakarot, that hurt.

GGGGGG

I never thought it was possible for me to be so annoyed by one person. If I had my ki now, I'd be blasting these damn plants out of my way. But I don't have my energy, and that's his fault! I don't care any more about this stupid training. So what! I learn some stupid tricks that I've managed to do well enough without. Mr fucking Almighty Prince. How could he assume that I don't have any respect for him? Before all this crap, I used to think very highly of him. I used to respect his power and intelligence and his ability.

Well, that's yet another lamb on the altar.

I tear another plant out by the roots in my irritation. This shouldn't piss me off! This anger isn't like me! I slow down to a walk as I come to a river and sit on a jade-coloured rock. I catch my reflection in the water; in this combat armour, I look more like the Saiyan I'm supposed to be.

I put my head in my hands and let out a long breath, some of the frustration receding. I hate being so confused. Raised on Earth, but not part of it; never really have been. Vegeta's the only one who understands me. It's hard to be understood without being liked by the same person. I guess I was a little harsh back there. I've always held those grievances against him, but he's tried to atone. And his motivation for this whole training venture is selfless; I can't really fault that.

I don't know why I blew up like that. I think his words just rubbed me up the wrong way. Like how I dislike him and have no respect for him. Maybe I'm just pissed at something else altogether.

Pissed at not being in control any more.

This routine is not my own. It's been planned out for me and I don't know what's coming. I'm not used to being so reliant on someone. Heh. I hate to admit it, but right now, I'm dependant on that arrogant little Prince without a kingdom. The irony is too rich for my blood.

My tail uncurls from around my waist and sags, looking dispirited. Treacherous thing. Always pointing up my emotions when I'd prefer to keep them hidden. Yet…I would never part with it. One morning I woke up, and it was just there. Vegeta's arrived a month or so later. It's still a mystery to me as to why they came back, but no point in looking a gift dragon in the mouth.

I trail my tail in the water, relaxing slightly when currents brush along the sensitive skin. I really need to calm down right now; this anger is making my head throb and things get ugly when I lose my temper.

But, then again, how threatening am I without my ki?

VVVVVV

Hypersensitive, tactless idiot. Prat. Watered-down, brainless excuse for a warrior. How dare he! Self-righteous dolt!

I occupy my mind with colourful curses to throw at the…bastard when he drags his sorry self back to the ship. I start the trudge back to the ship to take my pills before the pain starts. It wouldn't help for me to die now. How would that idiot get home? And I would like to say goodbye to Bulma and Trunks too…

I don't know why I care. I should let the bastard be. He'll come back, whining for food and I'll take him back to earth. I'm tired of fighting a losing battle. Well, fantastic. What a fucking massive waste of my very limited time.

But, on the bright side, I might get a few months, maybe even a year extra to spend with my family before I...leave. The Earth should be fine after I die. It's not as though all the villains in the Universe are going to make tracks for the Earth as soon as I move over to Otherworld. But that oaf has no idea what I've given up to do this for HIM.

Things were fine! So what touched him off like that? Maybe he's just been bottling up the frustration I'm sure he feels. If it weren't for the ki-dampers, he would have jumped right into that third level. I could see the anger darkening his eyes. The magnitude of his temper has never ceased to scare me.

That's settled, then. When he gets back, I'll take him home.

Pity.

I really would have liked to push him to the extents of his seemingly bottomless power. Even though it isn't my own, it still fascinates me. What a waste of talent.