AN: Well, it's been a rough week, contending a flu virus while going to work and trying to placate my miffed editor.

looks over at sulking GB

I said I was sorry about the snarky posts.

is ignored

Ah, well, she'll come around when football season starts. She can't stay mad at me for long, right, GB?

ruffles hair

gets fingers bitten

Ow! Never mind…

Hello to my reviewers!

Wildgirlxyz3: I wish your friends had left some reviews! Where is everybody! Yeah, Goku goes nuclear sometimes, it's quite scary! Thanks for staying with it, and maybe they'll resolve things, or maybe I'll be all nasty and make them hate each other for eternity…BWAHAHAHAHA!

Just kidding.

Yami Persephone: I love that! Bunnicula! Well, would you believe that I've written three chapters of the damn idea! I'll kick your ass for inspiring me! snickers Just kidding. Bra and Piccolo are quite fun to write…when its done, I'll put it out. Promise not to laugh! Pan and Piccolo sounds odd…but that's what I'm looking for! And viva Malfoy/Potter action!

As for the angsty bits…Vegeta and Kakarot have a very complicated history when one stops to consider it. I did a one-shot last night about the two, maybe I'll post it…who knows? And it would be pointless to send them home, but I did want to air things a bit between them. Ah, Brits rock! Half my family comes from there! I'd love to go to Scotland someday, even if Macbeth makes it sound a little cold and drab. And don't be mean to the Swedes…I'm sure they're nice enough!

Linkin Park 04: They'll stick about…and it's still a while to the end. I'll be around for a while, and so will Vegeta!

Chuquita: My high school biology has served me well! They respect each other a lot, which is why they get so twitchy when the other yells. I like the poisonous butterfly bit the most! And Vegeta is cute when he blushes. Any wonder why we adore him so?

I can't wait to read the battles! How is Brolly going to take hurting his 'Vejita'? Ooh, I hope the big final is a Brolly/Kakarot match up because it'll be the fight over 'who deserves to have Veggie'! Take your time, and I'm probably alone and selfish in hoping for Kaks to let Vegeta know about his feelings…and have them reciprocated! I'll still keep checking for updates and I look forward to the usual Chuquita hilarity!

And it's a good idea to break the chapters up a bit; I like long chapters, but there is a fine line which can be easily stumbled over.

Omnimalevolent: Saiyans need anger management! And perhaps neither is right? They both have a point but both find it hard to be objective. This training thing took forever to write because of my research and constant checking over, but I'm glad that everyone is responding so well. Vegeta knew the words in Saiyan, and did a lot of research too before he whisked Kakarot away. He's just like that. Ah, so I have two Britons reading! Very cool! I didn't mean to sound all mean…this is what reviewing is all about and in this chapter Goku does use some very Vegeta-like language, I hope it doesn't seem too out of place. And he was cute with the butterfly…that's his style. Killing the butterfly is Vegeta's style!

I'm glad that you're sticking with me through this, even if some things don't sit right with you. That makes you cool! And thank you for such detailed reviews, it means a lot.

Clarobell: Goku will have to decide what he wants in this chapter, and we'll have to see what he decides. Aw, it makes me fuzzy to know that you print out my fics! Personally, my other ones make me cringe and I won't look at them because I think I've improved a HELL of a lot! Yeah, a Vegeta mobile would freak out babies, but I don't mind if he's my teddy bear!

And in closing:

Well, I consider this a turning point in the story, and I like it. I've got The Return of Cooler playing in the background and I love that movie so much! There's more proof for the Vegeta and Kakarot argument! That and Janemba…and the Kid Buu battle!

I'm so chuffed that you are all enjoying this story, and it makes me happy to know that!

Keep warm, and as ye none harm, do as ye will!

Zogeta

Chapter Six:

Kakarot's Decision

I get home long before the lumbering baka and take my pills, grateful that he isn't here to see me. Wouldn't he laugh if he knew the Prince had a weak heart? That I have a heart at all? He's so convinced that I haven't changed.

So, he thinks that I committed suicide for fun? That I don't love my son and wife? Has he decided to conveniently forget the sacrifices I've made for him? Like holding Frieza off? And kid Buu twice? Forgotten that I've died twice on his behalf? He thinks I'm still the twisted asshole I was so many years ago. Never mind the fact that he's driven me past the point of insanity because I've tried so hard to prove myself equal to him. Dammit, I've had gravity chambers collapse on me and weakened my heart and trained day after day, year after year just to be his equal!

I'll let him think that he's done no wrong and that I am the complete bastard that doesn't have any heart, excuse the pun. I don't have the energy to remind him of all the things I've done to save Earth, to save my family, to save him.

I will admit that it does hurt…minutely, of course. I don't like having all my faults thrown at me, but I suppose that I provoked him. This feeling of rejection doesn't sit well with me, however. I know that this entire expedition is no way of gaining his trust and/or respect, but he would never have given it anyway. No reason for him to respect someone 'weaker'.

We're rivals. Always have been. And if I made ANY attempt at friendship he'd probably treat it with a great deal of suspicion. Well, so be it. Funnily enough, I would have thought that he'd be the first to reconcile things.

Time passes…

It's been eight hours and the fool hasn't come back yet! What is he doing out there? Sleeping?

Fine, I will admit that I'm worried. Just a little. I'm sure he can look after himself. I mean, there're only snakes the length of Shenron and bees with stings that can go right through his arm, not to mention the worms…

Maybe I'll deactivate my ki manacle and go look for him. Just to make sure he hasn't hurt himself. Bulma would never forgive me if anything bad happened to the big lug.

Wait a second…ah, he's back. I'd recognise those heavy footsteps anywhere. At least now I can call off the search party. I'd feel like a twat flying around calling him.

"Vegeta!" he calls, and I walk down to the bottom floor where the entrance into the ship is. I drop down through the hatch and see him standing there with two huge animals slung over his shoulders, freshly killed with blood dripping onto the floor.

"Where have you been, Kakarot! I was about to go look for you!"

He drops the carcasses to the floor, more blood on his suit than what's left in the animals, splatters of it across his face.

'"Hello to you too. And since when did you care about my whereabouts? Judging by our last conversation, I would think that you'd be glad to see me go."

I fold my arms and wrap my tail, painfully aware of how defensive I look.

"I have to care because my wife would be livid if I got you killed. And how would I explain it to Chichi?"

He looks down at his feet, obviously abashed. I relax my stance a little, but keep my arms folded.

"So…you were hunting. Enjoy it?"

He nudges one of the woolly beasts with his toe, smiling a little.

"Yeah, I did. Needed to work off some frustration. And I was gone for so long because I needed to think about…things. And I got lost."

I nod and move to kneel next to one of the cow-sized beasts. These guntazi will make fine eating. I look up at him.

"These things are ferocious. You did well to bring them down."

He scratches the back of his, looking pleased. "Ya think so?"

"Of course I do." He manages a sheepish grin as I straighten up and look him in the eye. "Well, Kakarot, start packing. I'm taking you home."

The grin slides off his face.

"Why?"

I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean, why? You obviously can't stand me; I 'make you sick' and I see no point in inflicting my apparently arrogant presence on you."

I keep my face impassive, but I can hear the bitterness in my voice. Why does this nag at me so? He looks at the ground, nudging his boot in the fur of the guntaz.

"Vegeta…can we talk? Please?"

I nod curtly and sit down with arms still folded. He plonks down opposite me, legs crossed and arms resting on his thighs, his tail plainly visible in a gesture of friendship.

"I didn't really mean what I said back there…about how you cause me trouble and being the same prick you were fifteen years ago when we first met. I thought about our past and about the ways you've helped me over the years, while I was trying to find my way back here."

When I don't say anything to agree or contradict, he wets his lips nervously and continues. "And I don't mean to disregard your title and gestures. This trip has been amazing in parts but the way you treat me derives from my overall satisfaction in this…venture. It hurts to be treated like shit by someone I hold in high regard. Maybe you're not my friend yet, but I respect you as both a rival and ally with such incredible battle genius and stamina. You've earned my respect, Vegeta. But I just can't seem to earn yours."

He swallows and looks down at his lap, clearly finished with his point. I unfold my arms and lean back on my palms, frowning slightly as I consider this young, obscenely gifted Saiyan that has never stopped baffling me.

"Do you mean all of that, Kakarot? Or are you just trying to avoid a beating?"

He looks up abruptly, looking quite taken-aback at my brusqueness.

"Relax, brat. Just checking. Do you mean it?"

He gives a tiny nod, looking back down at his lap. I cock my head to the side, formulating my thoughts carefully. I don't want to blurt out anything embarrassing.

"It seems that we both misunderstand each other. As unbelievable as it might seem, Kakarot, I also take things personally. I do have feelings, you know. I know that you only consider me a rival, and given our rather strained history, it's only fair that you should think so."

I shift my weight more comfortably and let my tail trail behind me. "But you should also know that you do have my respect, no matter how grudgingly given. I only realised it when you were fighting Kid Buu three years ago, but it hasn't changed. You, Kakarot, have more natural power within you than I can ever hope to have and extraordinary talent. You've proved this countless times over the years and at least four times over the course of this trip."

He hesitantly looks up at me, probably afraid to believe that this is true.

"And not only that, but you put up with me in the desperate hope that there is something worth knowing about an old bastard like me. The truth is, Kakarot, I thought I had to make you angry, to make you want to spite me and prove me wrong. I just didn't have the guts in the first place to simply ask. I now know that it wasn't fair and that I should have explained it all at the start."

My tail flexes and curls behind me as I finish my point. "So, I'll take you home, if you want to go back. Otherwise, I'd like to continue this without the harsh words and really test the limits of your abilities."

I push to my feet, and pick a guntaz up by the tail, Kakarot's dark eyes following me.

"Think about it, Kakarot. While you do that -- and maybe have a shower-- I'm going to skin this thing and cook it; I daresay that you'll enjoy some gamey meat. I'll be in the kitchen."

And with that, I leave the bewildered Saiyan to his thoughts.

I dump the guntaz onto the kitchen table before digging around for a decently sharp knife to work with. I find one that could cut off a dinosaur leg and start working. Peeling off the skin, I vaguely wonder where exactly I misplaced my mind. Although I admittedly have a grudging respect for the man, I don't know why it matters so much to me whether he hates me or not. I can't pretend to understand it, but I'll let it be. Best not go too far down that path. I hope that he decides to continue his training; it would be a waste to let all that talent lie unused.

After about five minutes, I pull off the last strip of skin and drop it into the garbage bag on the floor by my feet. Now there's a dripping carcass with many pounds of meat just waiting to be harvested. I can't help wrinkling my nose at the pungent smell coming from the intestines of the creature. This is the worst part about gutting.

"That's a disgusting smell, Vegeta. Are you burning garbage in here?"

I look up and Kakarot walks in, dragging the other guntaz behind him and leaving blood streaks all over the floors. He's still in his filthy combat outfit and I'm up to my elbows in blood and gunk. What a pair we must look like.

"No, Kakarot. That stench would be the decomposing matter in this creature's intestines. Haven't you ever gutted before?"

He grimaces as I start pulling out slippery organs, dropping them into a bucket.

"I have, but nothing as big as this. I'm surprised the kitchen table hasn't broken yet."

I drop the stomach on top of the colon with a splat, and put the heart and livers to the side. They're full of vitamins and protein and I can use it for the sauce.

"There's always a first time to do everything."

I grab my monstrous meat knife and begin carving chunks of meat off, cutting along the grain and avoiding sinew quite well. I'm surprised at how much I remember; I haven't done this since I became an Earthling. Kakarot leans against the fridge and watches me intently.

"Um, Vegeta?"

"Mm?"

A piece of meat comes loose and I put it in the baking tray before I continue. Kakarot shifts slightly, trying to breathe shallowly to avoid inhaling the smell.

"I'd…I'd like to stay here and continue training with you, if that's okay. Please?"

I smile as I look up, and he mirrors it.

"It's no problem at all, and I'm glad you changed your mind. I'll try cut the harshness out of my moods and be nicer, but the training will not get easier. You sure you still want to stay?"

He cocks his head to the side, smile turning into a grin. "I'd be disappointed if you tried to coddle me, Vegeta. I don't mind working hard; I just don't like being emotionally abused as well."

With a downward slash and a thud of my knife, I sever a leg from the guntaz, bone splinters flying everywhere.

"That's good to hear. Now grab a knife and help me finish up here before this meat goes off."

He obliges and we work side by side in silence for a little while, only hearing the sickly sounds of skin separating and organs dropping. But Kakarot's mind never stops working.

"What did you say this animal was called?"

Another thud and a limb is severed.

"They're guntazi; one guntaz, two guntazi. These are both young bulls. Were young bulls. The meat is rich and dark red and high in protein and minerals. But they're hell to catch; I got badly gored in the back by one when I was here at the age of seven. How did you do it, Kakarot?"

He shrugs but looks pleased at the question.

"These two were grazing together in a little clearing in that forest where we were. I hung by my tail from an overhanging branch – neat trick that was – and dropped onto the back of the smaller one. It started bucking like crazy; it was like I was in a rodeo!"

I grin as he gets involved in his story and relives it with glee.

"So, I grabbed onto its horns, right, and then I used my weight to twist its head until it fell over. Then I kept turning until its neck broke. I must have twisted too far, because its throat split and blood spurted out all over me. That was pretty gross."

I raise both eyebrows, knife paused in midair. This man is a great storyteller.

"And how did you get the other one?"

He grins, carving off a huge chunk that will make a tasty steak.

"Well, it was harder the second time round. See, the other one must have smelt the blood on me, and it tried to attack me. So it charges me down, and I'm thinking, what the hell must I do now? And then in a split second I put my hands on top of its head and flicked over and landed on my feet on its back! Of course, this pissed the guntaz off even more, so I sat down and wrapped my legs around it and held on. Well, these things aren't dumb at all. It reared up on its hind legs, fell back, and BAM! It crushed me between the ground and its back! The damn animal broke a few of my ribs. So, in revenge, I wrapped my arms around its throat and pulled, like so –"

He demonstrates, hooking an arm around the neck of an airy guntaz, holding one wrist with the other hand and jerking backwards.

"– and soon it ran out of air and died. Then I grabbed their tails, slung them over my shoulders and started walking home, with frequent breaks to rest."

I pat him on the back with my tail, since my hands are full of blood and meat.

"Nicely done, Kakarot. I'm certain that you're ready for the next part of your training. But first, we'll finish with these creatures, and then we'll go out and have a proper barbeque under the stars. How does that sound?"

He nods his head happily. "I've missed having a real fireside dinner. Chichi doesn't want me to hunt; she thinks its 'uncouth'."

I shrug and put more meat onto the rapidly growing pile. "Pity. There are some lakes here with really good fish; maybe we'll get some tomorrow. I hear you're quite adept at catching them."

"Well, I've never lost a fish if that's what you mean."

I smirk. "I'm going to add another aspect to training tomorrow, then. Let's see how well you can catch fish the size of a bus. There are a few tricks, and I'm going to teach you how to hold your breath for ten minutes."

He stops cutting, wide eyes turning to look at me. "Wow! That's going to be so awesome!"

I soften my smirk a little. "I'm glad you're so thrilled."

He laughs as he drags the unusable remainders off the table and shoves them into a garbage bag. "Of course I am! It's not every day that I get to learn cool things from the Universe's smartest Prince!"

Hn. Silly idiot. Always knows right where to aim. Even I can't dislike that.

KKKKKKK

I guess he can be nice when he wants; like when he isn't so dead set on being an asshole. Well, speak of the devil; there he is now.

"Hey, Vegeta. Thanks for dinner; it was really good."

He leans against my doorjamb, arms folded and tail swinging behind him. "Thanks for catching dinner. How are your ribs feeling? Did you bind them?"

I look down at my chest and run my fingers down my sides. "Yeah, I bound them before I met up with you in the kitchen. They'll be fine in the morning, I'm sure."

He nods and pushes off the wall. "They'd better be; you can't learn how to hold your breath otherwise. Sleep well, Kakarot."

I grin and flop back on my pillows. "You too, Vegeta. See you in the morning."

He smiles and switches off the light before pulling the door closed behind him. With a sigh, I smile up at the ceiling.

You're not half bad, Vegeta.