Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z or any of its characters. This work of fiction is meant for entertainment purposes only.

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Chapter 4

Mai tapped her pencil against her freckled nose and stared at the ceiling. The teacher droned and scribbled equations on the board that the saiyan female had already differentiated in her head. Ceiling fans whirred against the dead heat. Mai's temples vegan to throb with a dull headache. Everything seemed to press down on her. School had seemed like it would be fun.

"No that's not true," Mai thought silently. "School was just a good excuse to get out of the house." She sighed and rested her chin heavily on her hands, all her weight resting on her bent elbows. "Calculus, what a breezy bore."

Akira leaned out of his seat, gripping the far of edge of his desk to keep himself from falling completely out of his chair. The boy practically panted at his crush, who sat two rows away from him. He tried to smooth out his wrinkled uniform collar, but sweat made it sticky and wilted. "She's so hot," he mumbled without blinking his eyes.

"God, I'm so hot," Mai heaved, dropping her head back and fanning her exposed neck with a spiral notebook. Akira actually moaned aloud, falling onto one knee, drawing disgusted looks from his classmates. He stuck his fingers into his mouth and sucked on them, but his rapture broke. He pointed with a dripping finger to what appeared to be Mai.

"Who's that?" he asked incredulously, his voice cracking. Mai looked at him, slightly disgusted, but putting on a very warm, but…

"What a fake smile," Vegeta sneered, leaning against the glass window, peering into the classroom. He had to cup his hands around his eyes to block out the glare. His legs were planted widely on the thin window ledge with Goten clinging to his boot, staring wide-eyed at the distant ground. "What's your problem, half-breed?" Vegeta asked, tearing his eyes away from Mai.

"We're so high up," Goten chattered and buried his face completely into the crook of Vegeta's knee. The Prince laughed and kicked the boy off his leg and into the air. Goten fell screaming, then stopped in mid-flight. He opened his eyes and looked at his feet hovering in the air.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," he laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Idiot," Vegeta grumbled and returned back to spying on the classroom. By this point, most of the students had backed away from the window, cowering against the far wall. That left only a very annoyed looking Mai sitting by herself in the middle of the room. Empty desks surrounded her. She alone had remained silent when Vegeta had kicked her brother off the ledge. The class had screamed, covering their eyes and burying their faces into their neighbor's shoulders. But when Goten began to fly, then the real hysteria began.

"Oh my god, he's a murderer and he's a freak!" Akira screamed. Mai rolled her eyes, but Vegeta could only see her waving her hands calmly at the frightened class. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped and shook her head. Instead, she rose out of her seat and strutted to the window. She squinted up at Vegeta, who stood a good three feet higher than her on the ledge. He grinned evilly down and rapped playfully on the glass. Mai's pulse began to stir. Only she could see the tiniest ball of energy gathering in his palm. She shook her head, mouthing the word 'no,' but the blast descended, showering the classroom in glass. The fragments blew past Mai, harmless as dust. But her classmates exploded in terror.

"You're disgusting," she growled and leapt through the newly opened window. The broken bits of glass that lined the window like teeth didn't even faze her. She brushed them off and burst into her attack on Vegeta.

"I know," the Prince replied. "Are you going to punish me for being bad?" he chuckled, catching her punch with his hand. Mai pulled back to renew her attack, but she was brought completely off her guard when his hand closed around her fist and dragged her entire body against his own. He purred with wicked delight and promptly bit her ear. Mai yelped, but Vegeta quickly let go and kissed the tiny wound. She struggled, but his strength completely overwhelmed her. She wasn't prepared for this outburst, and truth be told, she was a little distracted that the students, who had spilled out of the building below the two warriors, would be able to see up her skirt.

"Stop Vegeta, I'm wearing a skirt," she pleaded. But he only smelled her hair, and brought her hand closer to his mouth.

"I know, it's ridiculous, look how tiny it is," he growled, letting go of her hand so he could hang his head over her shoulder, watching the skimpy cloth flutter over her rump. Mai took advantage of his own distraction and kneed him in the balls. Vegeta crumpled and burst away from her. He rubbed the spot tenderly.

"Well that' what you get for biting me," Mai spat, and rubbed her ear lobe. Vegeta smiled lopsidedly.

"Just a love bite, woman."

Mai rolled her eyes again and crossed her arms. Vegeta imitated the stance down to her slumped shoulders. Goten, who had hovered safely out of distance, now returned to Vegeta's side. Mai's concentration faltered and she let her arms fall.

"Why does he always go back to Vegeta?" she asked herself sadly. Pulling her shoulders back, she glanced down at the milling crowd below her.

Akira looked up at the three fighters. "I think I can see up her skirt, man, I'm so lucky," he thought excitedly to himself, clenching his hands into fists in an awkward display of warrior's valiancy. The three saiyans were so far above him he hadn't noticed Vegeta's advances on Mai, or the disarming blush she yielded along her collar bone.

"Woman, let's go have fun elsewhere. I don't need an audience."

"Me either," Mai returned then smacked her mouth closed with her hand. "That sounded far too agreeable," she thought. Vegeta smirked. Goten looked dumbfounded. The boy jumped onto Vegeta's back, who caught him easily.

"Let's go," Vegeta ordered and promptly disappeared. But Mai could feel him directly behind her. Goten sniggered softly into the Prince's back. The Prince pushed her along, herding her farther away into the horizon where the mountains peeked. Mai protested softly with each bump, but finally she let him nudge her before him as they escaped the school.

"Wait," she yelled and spread out her arms and legs. Vegeta slammed into her, knocking Goten askew.

"Hey," the boy protested. Vegeta agreed with a low growl.

"I have to tell Akira I won't be going out with him today," Mai smiled sweetly and dropped to the ground. Her aim was nearly perfect. Akira stood wobbling only a few meters away. Mai strode up to him confidently.

"Hey Akira, sorry but I have to…" and she never finished her sentence.

"This is my rival?" Vegeta laughed incredulously leaning his head over her shoulder. He glared at the scrawny boy in the wrinkled uniform.

"Who?" Akira stuttered.

Vegeta grinned and squeezed his arm around Mai's waist. She hummed in annoyance, pushing her hand against his chest. "She's my mate to be, runt."

"Runt?"

"I can't believe I even got worked up about you," he chuckled, and spun Mai around. The two saiyans walked away, although Mai struggled half-heartedly to turn around and give an excuse to Akira. But she never got a word out as Vegeta lifted her effortlessly into the air. Goten followed quickly behind.

"Vegeta?" she asked him softly as the air whipped through their spiky locks.

"Yes, woman."

"Sometimes I hate you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Well, I love Vegeta," Goten butted in and did a mid-air somersault.. Vegeta looked smugly at Mai, who couldn't help but smile at his raised brows.

"How can you love, him, Goten?" Mai asked her brother and ruffled his hair. "Didn't he kick you off the ledge today?"

"Tee hee, that was fun. I forgot I could fly."

Mai sighed, but it was a sigh that filled her with a sense of ease and relief. Vegeta was an ass, she thought looking sidelong at the stern Prince flying beside her. He would attack her classmates. Harass her brother. Bite her. But they would still love him.

Mai remembered when Vegeta had first entered the Son household unknown to the rest of the family. She had attended school part time in those days. She hadn't wanted to leave Goten all alone with her mother all day, but she couldn't deal with her Chichi's constant sobs. She had to leave occasionally, and her mother had practically forced her to go.

"I'm not doing you any good," Chichi had sniffled, handing her daughter a satchel filled with the workbooks that Mai had already finished.

"Are you sure?" Mai had asked her mother, feeling that incredible guilt pulling down her heart, making it hard to breathe. But it had been easier to leave since Goten tended to be a quiet and easy baby. "He's saiyan, I guess. Tough like Daddy," Mai had thought to herself, stepping out the door.

But one day she had returned home to an empty house. She called into the kitchen, but her mother didn't answer. Nor was there any smell of food or cooking. Mai yelled out into the woods from the front doorstep, but Chichi had apparently left. Mai didn't worry too much.

"She's not the type to leave home for long," Mai had reasoned, tossing her bags on the couch. But she froze, tensing every muscle. Her pulse thumped loudly in her ears. Inside, she had heard a deep male voice talking softly. And she heard her baby brother gurgling.

"Who is that?" Mai had wondered to herself, clenching her hand above her back, searching for the sword she had grown so used to carrying, but had recently given it up for school. She crept through the house on soft knees and light step, sidling her way through each room. But she knew where the stranger lay.

Peering just around the corner into Goten's room, Mai almost laughed, and almost screamed. Inside, Vegeta was holding her brother, bouncing the boy slightly on his hip, muttering incoherent words and phrases. Occasionally, a Japanese sentence entered the mix.

"What a big, stupid, baby you are. Cry baby. Scared off that infernal mother of yours," Vegeta had almost…cooed. Mai had once seen the same young man punch his arm through his own comrade. She had seen him crush her own father's legs. She had witnessed Freeza crush the Prince's throat, willing the saiyan to lower himself to the emperor again, and Vegeta had refused.

The same man was now tickling her brother under the chin and biting softly at the boy's fingers when they awkwardly slapped the Prince in the face. More foreign language spilled from Vegeta's throat. It was deep, husky, and Mai had felt indescribably drawn to the words.

"What are you doing?" she had asked softly, stepping out from behind the door and raising her ki gently. Vegeta had turned, looking very startled. His hair stood up a little straighter. Mai had been surprised to see that he held Goten even closer to his chest than before.

"Stupid mother of yours couldn't take it," he sneered.

"When did you become a baby-sitter?" Mai asked, unsure whether she felt angry or not. Vegeta looked almost embarrassed, but he sounded annoyed and combative.

"Have you ever seen your family killed?" he smirked. Mai tensed.

"Yes," she spat blandly. "You basically murdered my father, though he died later with Cell."

"Fool, I know what happened to your father," Vegeta had barked and set Goten roughly into his crib. The baby stood up and grasped at the Prince and pouted. Mai was suspicious that this chance meeting hadn't been the first for Goten and Vegeta. The Prince turned on the balls of his feet and closed the distance between himself and Mai. She had backed into the wall and looked away from his glare.

"I've seen my race destroyed, my entire family gone faster than you can spit." He had stalked out the room, lashing Mai with his muscular tail as he walked past her. The whip stung and she grasped at her arm. "I wouldn't leave the brat with your mother if you want him to live," he had snarled. Goten began to cry forcefully, so Mai had rushed to pick him up. But the baby wouldn't hush without the Prince near.

"Vegeta, why do you look after Goten and me?" Mai asked the Prince flying beside her, momentarily returning to the present.

"Altruism," he snapped. Mai tried to stifle a snort, but she couldn't help herself from laughing. Vegeta smirked and dropped his speed so he could fly just barely brushing against her.

"What's so funny?" he teased her. He bumped his head against her shoulder.

"You are," Mai giggled.

"Let's go to the mountains, to my old place," Vegeta ordered with a nasty grin. Mai halted her merriment and looked confused.

"Why?"

"There's some stuff I want to get settled with you." He glanced back at the boy trailing him, occasionally grabbing his tail for a little ride. "It won't be easy to be rid of the boy for the time I need," he thought silently. Mai swallowed heavily, guessing what would come next.

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