Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z.
Author's Notes: This chapter was HARD to write. I hadn't even planned any of it. These transitions are driving me crazy. A bit of an angsty chapter here. Hope you enjoy.
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Chapter 31: Maturity
The light was starting to come in the window, basking the couple in a dull grey light. There was no sun shining through the imposing clouds, but there was light anyway. Jita groaned, dropping her book and rolling over. Why did Kakarrot think it was such a great idea to put their bedroom window directly east? Was he really that much of a morning person that he couldn't understand the concept of sleeping later than dawn?
But Jita knew her grumpiness was more than just the fact that she was not a morning person. It was also her child, her heir, her son . . . her brat. She'd though the pain and degradation would end after the birth. But no. Sure, she had her power back. Sure, her body wasn't swelling and hurting any more. Sure, she could go back to a more stylish mode of dress. But now there was the crying. And the feeding. And the diapers. And the late- night combination of all three. And the problem was Jiten knew exactly what he was doing. He was mentally maturing as fast as a Saiyan royal, which was light-years ahead of an average human, or even half-Saiyan, development. Along with the usual kinetic, language, and reasoning skills, Jiten was learning the fine art of manipulating his parents, and doing a fantastic job of it. He knew enough to hide his rapid maturity, because with maturity comes responsibility. Jiten enjoyed having everyone at his beck and call - especially his mother. Jita couldn't remember the last time she'd had a moment's rest. She hadn't even slept that night. Of course, the baby wasn't the only thing keeping her up. It was also the voice . . .
"MMOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Jita growled in tired anger and elbowed Goten roughly. "It's your turn," she croaked out.
Goten's eyes slitted open, and then closed. "He called for you," he mumbled sleepily.
Jita's scowl deepened. Goten had conveniently gotten to be a heavy sleeper in the past few months. She almost pushed him out of the bed, but decided to arrange for payback later on. Maybe by taking a sleeping pill the next night and making him stay up. Chuckling at the idea, she pulled herself out of bed and stumbled to the next room.
There was Jiten, already standing steadily on his chubby legs. He was weaned - which had been a terrible ordeal - and he had all his baby teeth. He still wasn't potty-trained - which Jita was NOT looking forward to - and he still fell down a bit when he walked. Once he got more experienced at walking, she'd start him on flying. Chichi had looked at her crazy when Jita had told her about flying (Children are enough trouble running all over the place), but Jita knew that Jiten would probably be long out of childhood before he could out-run or out-fly either of his parents.
"What is it, Jiten?" Jita asked, not seeing, or smelling, any dire emergency.
"Dropped my pillow," Jiten said innocently, pointing down at the floor.
Jita's brow furrowed. "The only way it could be down there is it you dropped it on purpose." Jita picked up the pillow, threw it in the crib, and wrestled Jiten in a horizontal position. "Next time that pillow falls, you're not getting it back. Ever. Now go to sleep." Jita walked out without waiting for a response, turning off the overhead. As she was leaving she heard a soft thwump and turned to regard a grinning Jiten pointing at the pillow on the floor. Jita merely raised her eyebrows and closed the door, walking back to her own room. First rule Chichi had told her about parenting: Always keep you promise.
Jiten pouted and sank back into his crib. That hadn't gone at all the way he'd planned. He'd been hoping to keep her there until he could drive her into taking him to the big bed with mommy and daddy. It'd worked before, but the old tricks weren't working anymore. He'd have to come up with fresh ideas. Some tricks still worked though. Falling when he was perfectly alright with walking went over well. He could usually get someone to carry him around that way. Stumbling over words worked too. Then he could pretend not to understand what mommy and daddy were telling him to do.
Jiten squirmed in his crib, trying to get comfortable. He couldn't get his head right. He looked longingly at the pillow on the floor, whishing he hadn't pushed mommy that far. Now she really wouldn't come when he called. Jiten stuck his lips out further. It wasn't fair. He hadn't been doing anything wrong. Since when was it wrong to drop a pillow on the floor and ask for help? Jiten huffed a little impatient sigh. He'd just have to take matters into his own hands. With agility unseen in other children of eleven months, he scrambled out of his crib. He grabbed the pillow and hugged it to his chest with both arms. He looked back at the crib, judging the distance over the bars. This was the first time he'd tied this, and Jiten just wasn't sure of what to do. He couldn't climb up holding the pillow, and his tail couldn't wrap around it. He doubted he could jump the distance yet, and even if he could it would probably make too much racket. He didn't want to chance annoying mommy further this close to breakfast. Jiten looked down at his tail. Grandpa had told him of all the things he used to do with his tail - hang onto things, fly like a helicopter . . . All really neat things. But Jiten knew his tail wasn't very strong yet, and using his tail to pull himself up and over would probably hurt really bad. Of course, it didn't occur to Jiten to just throw the pillow into the crib and climb in. That would have been too simple.
Jiten thought about flying. He thought about flying most of the time. It was just so neat. And everyone else did it. Grandpa would fly in and out, usually carrying Grandma. Mommy would hover around in the kitchen and the library. Everyone flew in the spider building - the name he had secretly used for the dojo. He wanted to fly so bad, but no one would teach him. He'd seen it done about million times, though. How hard could it be?
Jiten stood perfectly still and stared straight ahead. He remembered the look of concentration on everyone's face. Was it just a look, or was there something more? Jiten strained against gravity, stretching as far as he could. Still no luck. Jiten clutched the pillow tighter, his baby knuckles whitening. He had to do this. He just had to. Jiten paused for a second, wiping sweat fro his face. He thought back to all those times he'd seen someone fly. They always started glowing suddenly. Jiten wondered if and how he could do that. His tail swished back and forth as he though. He tried to remember everything he'd heard in the spider building - everything he'd heard when people thought he was asleep. Ki - energy - reaching into you core -
Slowly Jiten felt a spark with in him, making him tingle all over. He grinned as the tingling grew stronger and warmer. He looked over at the mirror and saw tiny white flames around him. His eyes widened in surprise, but the flames all but disappeared. Turning away from the mirror, he reached down inside and thought hard about flying. Unlike most babies, he had patience. Slowly - ever so agonizingly slowly, his feet lifted from the ground. Jiten was turned completely inward, his breathing steady yet hard. Centimeter by centimeter he floated haltingly upward. As soon as he could reach over the bars he threw the pillow in and hauled himself over as quietly as possible. Jiten lay in bed, gasping and sweating from the incredible strain. He'd never felt this exhausted before. Yet in his exhaustion, he smiled. He'd flown! He'd actually flown! And now he was back in his crib with his head resting comfortable on the hard-earned pillow. He decided to practice flying in secret. No sense in letting everyone know. Then there'd be too many new rules. No, better all around if he didn't tell anyone yet. After deciding this, Jiten settled into a contented sleep.
*****
Goten looked out a window from the beginners' classroom. He'd set the kids to a few minutes of meditation, with Pecon making sure they stayed in line. Often when he wasn't training, Pecon would offer his help in everything - from assisting in classes to housework to babysitting Jiten. At first it was annoying, since Pecon already paid tuition and didn't need to earn his keep, but now it was commonplace. Maybe it made him feel more a part of a family.
Goten smiled at the sight of Jiten playing in the backyard. Jiten was alone and didn't know he was being watched. That's when he truly showed his abilities. Around Goten and Jita, and anyone else, Jiten stumbled around awkwardly. Now that he was alone, though, the child was running, jumping, even flying a bit. He seemed to be shouting something. Fro a child of a little less than a year, he acted like a boy ready to go to preschool. Mom had worried a bit about that, but Vegeta had said that he was maturing as fast as any high-class Saiyan with royal blood. He was right on schedule for a Saiyan.
Goten was definitely not worried about Jiten's maturity. It relieved him. It meant Jiten would get interesting a lot quicker. He wasn't even all that worried about Jiten's safety, like Mom. No, it wasn't that. It was - his manipulative nature. Jiten knew how to use his power over others too well, and he had no qualms over using any means to get what he wanted. He was . . . devious. Goten flinched at using such words to describe his own son, but he was more afraid of not facing the truth. Goten's insecurities were back in full swing as he thought about failing Jiten as a father. Should he be extremely strict, like his mother? Or should he be as easy- going as his father?
Goten's eyes narrowed as his son started chasing around a butterfly, on ground and in air. He shouldn't have to find things out about his son by spying on him. It wasn't right. Jiten had to be taught honesty. He was capable and prone to great power and great violence, like all Saiyans. He was also prone darkness from his mother's side. He had to have some moral grounding, or else he'd run wild and end up hurting someone. For Goten, lying was among the highest of sins. It was because it was a type of betrayal. And Goten was NOT going to let his child remain a liar.
At the sound of Pecon clearing his throat, Goten broke from his vigil. It was a bit past time and parents were waiting. Goten, despite his worries over his son, smiled proudly at his class. Not one of them had moved, even when they knew perfectly well it was time to leave. They were becoming more and more disciplined every day. After a few words of praise and a reminder to train, Goten dismissed the class. He smiled ruefully as the children shed their discipline to run shouting out to the parking lot. They didn't have to be perfect.
"Sensei?"
"Yes, Pecon," Goten responded. "What is it?"
"When did you teach Jiten to fly?" Goten looked back out the window. "I didn't. Is Jita through with her last class?"
Pecon accepted the abrupt change of topic. "Yes, sensei. Except for the extra training of my class, but she may not even come to that. We know what to do."
"Good," Goten said under his breath. "Pecon, could you keep an eye out on Jiten for a while?"
Pecon nodded and left the room, heading for the back yard. Goten nodded to himself as he saw Jiten stop flying immediately as Pecon arrived. Yup, he was hiding. And Goten was getting tired of his son lying to him. If Jiten matured that fast, he needed to stop being treated like a baby. If he acted like a three or four year old, he would be treated like a three or four year old. Goten needed to confront Jiten, but only with Jita. He needed to talk to her. Setting his teeth, he swept out of the room in search of Jita.
*****
Jita crawled out from the maze of circuitry, tiredly putting away her tools. Thankfully, the Briefs had fashioned the gravity machine from Saiyan technology, so Jita didn't have to bug Bulma every time is malfunctioned. She'd done enough shipboard maintenance to be comfortable with such technology. Actually, Vegeta didn't need Bulma to fix the gravity chamber most of the time. He just did it to irritate her.
Jita stretched her muscles and rubbed her tired eyes. Boy, did she wish she could get some sleep. The voice just wouldn't leave her alone anymore. And when it wasn't the voice, it was Jiten. It was like the universe was out to torment her, and she couldn't say she didn't deserve it. As much as it killed her to admit, she deserved anything that came her way.
Jita drug herself to her office, where Goten was waiting. She put away her toolbox and looked at him expectantly. He didn't come to her office often, and he looked worried. It took a lot to get Goten worried. "What is it?"
Goten laughed slightly. "Actually, now that I think of it, I'm not sure . . ." He plunked down in the chair. "I guess . . . Jiten. I'm worried about Jiten."
Jita sat on her desk in front of him. "A little more specific?"
Goten looked up. "Did you know he could fly?"
"What?" Jita's eyes went wide. "But I haven't taught him yet."
"He learns form imitation better than either of us. He watched us, and now he can fly. He just won't tell us. That's what worries me."
Jita rubbed her head. How could she not see? Was she so self-involved and involved in her students that she didn't even pay attention to her own son? He father had been like that. Too busy with the kingdom to pay attention to his own children, even his prized son Vegeta. And she hated her father. She panicked. She'd made Goten and Jiten her entire life, but she was neglecting them. How often did she speak to Goten nowadays, anyway? And did she really pay attention to Jiten enough? Apparently not, if she didn't even know he could fly.
"He's been hiding a lot of things from us," Goten broke into her thoughts. "I don't know why. He can talk better than he does. He's better at moving around. He's more mature than he acts around us. It doesn't make sense."
"He does it to manipulate us," Jita said quietly. "As long as he's a helpless baby, he can get us to do anything he wants."
"But he doesn't gain much." Goten jumped out of the chair and paced the room. "He's lying to us, and he doesn't find anything wrong with it. I won't have my son as a liar. He's already prone to -" Goten stopped abruptly. A tense silence filled the room.
Jita glared at him. "Prone to what?" she demanded in a think voice.
Goten averted his eyes.
"Prone to what?" Jita repeated, a little louder.
"Nothing. I wasn't thinking," Goten replied quietly. His heart was pounding. He really hadn't meant to say anything, but it had always been in the back of his mind. The boy took after Jita so much. He could see so much of Jita, and Vegeta, in Jiten. He'd seen the same thing in Trunks. Just this . . . darkness. Like the blood of all the people Vegeta and Jita had killed had . . . stained them and their children.
Jita was not fooled by his evasion. "What? Prone to lying? Prone to killing people? Prone to hell? Just like me? That's what you're thinking, isn't it? Just because of me and my family. Well, here's news flash. You don't exactly come from a line of saints. Don't forget - I knew your grandfather and I knew you uncle. They were killers a blood- thirsty as any. So you are the last person . . ."
"Now wait a minute," Goten broke in angrily. "I didn't say any of that, and I didn't ask for a family history. I know you Saiyans used to be evil -"
"And now I'm evil?!"
"Well, what do you call killing whole planets of people?!"
"I call it surviving! And at least I don't walk out on my family, or needlessly hate my father!"
"At least I have a soul!"
"Well, if you don't want a soulless wife, then leave! Get out of here! I'm sick of looking at you! And don't bother coming back!"
The two stared at each other in shock and anger. They were shaking with rage and didn't care if most of the people in the gym heard every word. They were too hurt by the words and the fact that those words were coming out of the mouths of the people they loved and trusted. Without a word, before he could say anything else, Goten ran out of the room and blasted into the air with a burst of angry energy. If she wanted him to leave, he'd leave. He just couldn't stand to be around her for another second. How dare she bring up the stuff about his father? She then she put words in his mouth.
Goten flew hard the whole way, cheeks burning with anger and hurt. He didn't realize he was heading to his old training spot until he got there. He plonked himself on the ground, face still twisted in fury. He'd stayed there before, and he could stay there again. Pulling himself up, he started training - hard. It was time to forget.
*****
Jita hugged Jiten close to her as they landed in front Goku and Chichi's house. Jiten immediately brightened and ran into the house, screaming for Grandma and Grandpa. Jita solemnly followed him in. He'd been crying. He'd heard the fight. Jita shuddered at the thought. He'd actually heard all that. And he knew his daddy was gone for now. He was gone . . .
Goku had already picked up Jiten and was playing with him, making the giggling boy into an airplane. Chichi was smiling at the two, but instantly sobered when she saw the look on Jita's face. Something was wrong - she knew it. But she knew Jita wouldn't say a thing with "Kakarrot" around. "Goku, why don't you take Jiten into the woods and play?"
The oblivious Goku grinned at the idea. "Sure! There's a newborn dinosaur I want to show Jiten."
Jiten grinned fiercely. "A dinosaur!" he yelled, pumping his tiny fist in the air. In the blink of an eye, the two were gone.
"Now," Chichi said matter-of-factly, "there's some tea ready, and you're going to tell me what's wrong."
"What makes you think anything's wrong?" Jita said bitterly.
"Jita," Chichi said warningly. "You came here for a reason."
Jita sat at the table while Chichi poured the tea. Jita sipped some of the steaming liquid, and the hot fluid soothed her churning stomach somewhat. But she was still angry. And hurt. And ashamed. Her hands shook as she set the cup down, and Chichi reached out to steady the cup and keep it from spilling. Jita took a shuddering breath. "Goten . . . and I . . ."
Chichi gave Jita a knowing glance. "You had a fight, didn't you?"
Jita only looked down, not wanting to meet the woman's eyes. "It was more than a fight. You should have heard him. He . . ."
Chichi folded her hands in front of her. "Tell me from the beginning."
Jita fought with the details in her head. How had it started? Jiten . . .
"Goten came to me to talk about Jiten. He'd found out the baby was able to fly, and he was worried about Jiten hiding things from us and lying to us. I was worried too, but then Goten goes off on this tirade about Jiten being prone to lying and evil in general because of me and my family and then he mentioned some very private secret things about my past and I told him to get out and he did."
Chichi listened to this outpouring, at a loss as to what to believe. She knew these stories were always so one-sided. Fights between married couples always were. She had realized this about her own marriage - that neither she not Goku was always in the wrong or the right. And not only her. She and Bulma had become really good friends after Goku had died, and she'd heard enough of Bulma and Vegeta's stormy relationship, and it was always so subjective. Chichi now placed herself in the precarious situation of reassuring Jita without bashing Goten, her own son. Chichi swirled her tea, choosing her words carefully. "What exactly did he say to you?"
Jita kept herself from shattering her cup. "I just told you. I can't remember the exact words or anything."
"What did you say to him?" Chichi continued patiently.
"I . . . oh, Kami . . ." Jita trailed off, growing paler.
"What?" Chichi prompted.
"I . . . I brought up the whole thing with him and Kakarrot. No wonder he stormed out. No wonder he said what he did." Jita buried her face in her arms. "I was just so angry. I knew what he was thinking." Jita raised her head to look in Chichi's eyes. "He thinks that I'm evil. He thinks that Jiten will be evil because of me."
Chichi winced. Goten would probably not say it in such blunt terms, but it sounded like something he would think. And there was a reason. "Jita," she cleared her throat. "You mustn't blame him entirely for thinking those things."
Jita's eyes flashed. "And why not?"
Chichi stared straight into Jita's eyes, not flinching from the truth. "Because it's my fault."
Jita frowned in puzzlement. "I'm not sure what you mean."
Chichi sighed deeply. "You must forgive my prejudice. At the time, when Goten was growing up, I didn't have a very high opinion of Saiyans. I must admit, I especially didn't like Vegeta. I was used to him being the enemy, and I wasn't there when he was forced to work on Goku's side. All I knew is he had tried to kill so many of my loved ones and I couldn't see any beyond that. I think I passed it on to Goten. I tried to keep him from seeing Trunks, because I thought 'like father like son.' I didn't want Goten turning out like that." Chichi laughed quietly. "Couldn't keep those two apart though. I was a fool to try. But I did try. And some of that is in Goten, and I'm sorry."
Jita was staring forward with that look of utter intensity that so hurt and yet so calm, like she was used to being hurt and didn't really understand anything else. But she did understand other things. She had a family, and husband and a son. A husband who loved her, however foolish he could be at times. And a son . . . "oh, Kami," she repeated in a whisper.
"What."
Jita cursed herself. "Jiten heard the whole thing . . . I'm so selfish . . . I promised myself he'd have a good home life . . . I promised . . ."
Chichi's face softened. "I'm sure he's fine. Children are more resilient than we think. And so are adults. Just give it a little more time, and you can have another talk with Goten. You're not going to hate each other forever, no matter how much it seems like that now."
Jita smirked. "I suppose you're right, as usual, Chichi." She downed the last cold dregs of her tea, only to have Chichi fill her another.
"Now, tell me," Chichi said briskly, trying to make things a little more upbeat. "What is this about Jiten?"
*****
"There it is," Goku said quietly into Jiten's ear. They were hiding behind some dense undergrowth and they could just see the tiny dinosaur creeling for food. The remains of the shells were long gone, but the baby looked freshly hatched anyway.
Jiten squirmed in delight. Grandpa always had the coolest things to do. He wanted to run up to the baby dino and pet it, but Goku had a firm restraining hand on his shoulder. "Can't we feed it?" Jiten said plaintively. "It's hungry."
Goku smiled down at the boy. "Nah. We can't do that. Hear it? It's calling for its mother. I've seen her over the past few days. Don't worry, she'll come. But she doesn't want anybody to mess with her baby, so we'll just watch."
The two watched the baby until the mother came, bringing the baby a fresh kill to feast upon. They watched the baby tear into the meat for a little while, and then left the mother and child in peace. They started walking along a little stream, throwing rocks and sticks into the water occasionally.
"Grandpa?" Jiten asked. "Does the mommy dino and the daddy dino ever fight?"
Goku gave Jiten a confused look. "Why do you ask that?"
Jiten shrugged. "I dunno. Do you and Grandma ever fight?"
Goku stopped and squatted down so he could be eye level with Jiten. "Sometimes. Not as much now. Why?"
Jiten plopped down cross-legged and pouted. "Mommy and daddy had a fight and they said really mean things and then daddy flew away." Jiten looked down. "I think they were fighting because of me. I think daddy's mad at me."
Goku laughed and put his arm around Jiten. "Mommies and daddies get mad sometimes, but it doesn't mean they don't love you."
Jiten regarded him with an unbelieving expression.
Goku paused for a second and thought. "It's like . . . do you remember last week when you broke the toy train you'd been bugging mommy and daddy for?"
Jiten scowled and blushed at the remembered bit of trouble. "I 'member."
"And you couldn't play with any of your toys for two days?"
Jiten nodded in shame. He hated talking about when he got in trouble.
"Were you mad at mommy and daddy?"
Jiten looked at his grandpa warily. He wasn't sure how to answer that. After a few minutes, Jiten nodded slowly, deciding that grandpa wasn't a snitch.
"So you didn't love them?"
Jiten eyes widened. "Of course I love them. I was just mad, but it wasn't a big deal."
Goku smiled as he saw realization dawning on the child's face. "So daddy'll come back." Jiten said, nodding sharply. "Hey, Grandpa! Let's go swimming!"
Goku laughed at the quick change of mood and raced Jiten to the water.
*****
Vegeta touched down on the soft earth. The sun had set and the stars were beginning to come out. The moon was full, but Vegeta knew he'd be able to sense it even if he couldn't see it. He glanced around the area and found what he was looking for. A campfire.
Vegeta walked the short distance to the orange light and looked down at the warrior lying beside it. He grunted disdainfully and crossed his arms. "Are you going to stay here all night?"
"Go away, Vegeta," came the quiet reply.
Normally Vegeta would have a sharp retort or maybe a more tactile attack to respond to such impudence. But that would just get him side-tracked, and he didn't come here for himself. He came here for Jita, and Jiten. "I'm not going to go away. Even if I did, your idiot father would probably come looking for you. Do you want that?"
Goten muffled a curse and looked away from hid brother-in-law, who merely shook his head. "You think you're the only one who's ever had a fight with his woman?"
"I can't go back now," Goten said bitterly. "Those things I said to her. Those things she said to me . . . You wouldn't understand."
"Oh, wouldn't I," Vegeta replied laughingly. "And you've never heard Bulma and I argue?"
Goten bit his lip. He'd almost forgotten who he was speaking to.
"Besides," Vegeta continued casually, "I know what was said."
Goten looked at him in confusion. "How could you . . . You were there?!"
Vegeta's face twitched. "I wasn't eavesdropping, if that's what you're thinking. My gravity room is not being very reliable lately, so I was using one in your dojo. After the fight . . . I figured I'd leave you two alone."
"Why aren't you doing that now," Goten replied bitterly.
"I don't know," Vegeta said ironically. "It's none of my business. It's not like you're family or anything. It's not like you're married to my sister. It's not like I care about how this is affecting Jiten."
Goten looked up at him, halfway convinced. He'd promised Vegeta he'd take care of Jita, and he wasn't doing it. And he was also screwing Jiten over in the process.
Vegeta regarded his expression of indecision. He decided to play his trump. "Tell me, Goten. Do you really want your son to hate you as much as you hated Kakarrot?"
Goten's eyes went wide. He'd said it. That was Goten's one greatest fear. He realized he was doing just that - running off into the wilderness and leaving his family. He'd promised himself he would do that. He'd promised Jita he wouldn't do that. And no matter how much the words that afternoon had hurt, he knew he had to get back and make things right. If there was anything worse than lying, it was abandoning one's family. Goten rose from the ground swiftly and doused the fire.
The moon provided enough light to fly home by. Vegeta flew with Goten as far as he could, making sure Goten actually made it all the way home. Before he left Goten to go to Capsule Corp, he faced the young husband and father. "Jiten's over at Kakarrot's. I'm not going to be around every time. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and take care of that family."
Goten nodded meekly, knowing he deserved the harsh words. Watching the older man leave, he strengthened his resolve and flew down to the house. The place was completely deserted except for Jita. Every student living there had gone out, either at Jita's behest or just to avoid her had temper. Either way, Goten was grateful. Other people had heard enough of their personal life.
Goten had expected to get attacked when he walked in the house. He was surprised, though, when he found Jita lounging on the couch, reading something that looked thick and old enough to be thoroughly over Goten's head. She was just sitting there, the fury he had seen on her face not too many hours completely gone from her visage. He didn't know whether to be relieved or worried. He sat on the edge of the chair near the couch.
Slowly Jita put her book down. "I was wondering when you'd be here."
Goten cleared his throat. "Waiting for me?"
Jita looked into his eyes with that same intense look. "What are we going to do?"
Goten looked away from her gaze. "I'm sorry," he said in a whisper.
Jita put a hand on his chin and gently pulled his eyes back to hers. "We didn't really mean anything of what we said. I was . . . rather defensive."
That was as close as Jita was going to come to apologizing and outwardly admitting she was wrong. But it was enough. The two smiled at each other. They knew things were far from being perfect, but they also knew they had each other. "Let's try to not fight anymore. Jiten must have heard it," Goten added.
"Ah, yes," Jita sighed. "Jiten. I've been talking with you mother, and she gave me some advice."
Goten half-smiled. "Mom's famous advice. What strategy did she say?"
Jita shook her head. "It's unbelievably simple. I kicked myself when I didn't think about it before. You know how Jiten is lying to us to manipulate us?"
Goten nodded.
Jita leaned forward. "We stop letting him."
Goten stared at her dumbly. It WAS simple. It was the type of thing he would automatically do to one of his students, but he hadn't even thought about it for his son. He'd been fooled by Jiten's age, still expecting him to be just like a human child. But he wasn't. He was a Saiyan royal, and needed to be treated as such. "Do we confront him about being able to fly?"
Jita shook her head. "No. No confrontations. Jiten would react badly to it. We just stop carrying him around so much. And we'll start teaching him how to fly. I just don't want to send the message that learning on your own is a bad thing. I'm rather impressed that he was able to learn how to fly all by himself. I sure wasn't able to."
Goten laughed. "Me neither. I was going Super Saiyan before I was able to fly. I didn't learn until Gohan had time enough to teach me."
Jita nodded. "And we start him training. I was completely shocked when your mother suggested this, but . . ."
"I wouldn't be so shocked. I was pretty young when Mom started training me. Not a year old or anything, but still pretty young. Maybe she just wanted me to be able to defend myself against Trunks."
"Well, this'll be mostly for the discipline. And to channel some of his energy. We can teach him just about anything through fighting."
"But we won't put him in any of the classes," Goten added. "He's too powerful already for the youngest classes. We'll start training as a family, and including him."
"Starting tomorrow," Jita concluded. "Now, why don't we go to bed?"
Goten grinned at the inflection in her voice and the light in her eyes. How could he ever even consider giving her up?
-----
Author's Notes: Thanks to all my reviewers: aqua-illusion (I personally think the whole "compiling Saiyan culture" thing would be useful, but it WOULD be a lot of work. I had an idea to compile the many different character interpretations that are out there, but it would take too much time that I don't have, as shown by the gaps in my updates. Maybe if you set up a type of forum and asked authors to send in their ideas and theories. Whatever.), Dark Wolf (hehe. I though Gonad was pretty great myself. My boyfriend suggested calling Jiten "Goat". Don't ask. But you're taking your own sweet time getting a chapter out on "A Saiyan's Worth". And with a cliffie too. Shame on you. Ah, who am I kidding? I'm the last one to scold people for update gaps. I'm just selfish and want to know what happens next.), Omega (Thanks for the compliment!), tim333 (I know, I know. I'm rushing again. There's so much stuff I would like to do, but I'm trying to limit myself. It WOULD have been funny to see Jita being all pregnant, but I wasn't sure if I could write it realistically, having never been pregnant or never been around a pregnant woman, since I'm an only child. I think I'm able to get away with a little bit with Jiten since he's more alien than any of the children we see on DBZ. Since Vegeta was so powerful in the anime at age five, it's not too much of a stretch to show Saiyan babies maturing at hyper-speed, as I've shown in this chapter.), and Ssjgoddeschico. Thank you all!
On a side note, I've estimated about three more chapters of transition for the reason that I want Jiten to be a little older when the action really starts. So bear with me.
Author's Notes: This chapter was HARD to write. I hadn't even planned any of it. These transitions are driving me crazy. A bit of an angsty chapter here. Hope you enjoy.
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Chapter 31: Maturity
The light was starting to come in the window, basking the couple in a dull grey light. There was no sun shining through the imposing clouds, but there was light anyway. Jita groaned, dropping her book and rolling over. Why did Kakarrot think it was such a great idea to put their bedroom window directly east? Was he really that much of a morning person that he couldn't understand the concept of sleeping later than dawn?
But Jita knew her grumpiness was more than just the fact that she was not a morning person. It was also her child, her heir, her son . . . her brat. She'd though the pain and degradation would end after the birth. But no. Sure, she had her power back. Sure, her body wasn't swelling and hurting any more. Sure, she could go back to a more stylish mode of dress. But now there was the crying. And the feeding. And the diapers. And the late- night combination of all three. And the problem was Jiten knew exactly what he was doing. He was mentally maturing as fast as a Saiyan royal, which was light-years ahead of an average human, or even half-Saiyan, development. Along with the usual kinetic, language, and reasoning skills, Jiten was learning the fine art of manipulating his parents, and doing a fantastic job of it. He knew enough to hide his rapid maturity, because with maturity comes responsibility. Jiten enjoyed having everyone at his beck and call - especially his mother. Jita couldn't remember the last time she'd had a moment's rest. She hadn't even slept that night. Of course, the baby wasn't the only thing keeping her up. It was also the voice . . .
"MMOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Jita growled in tired anger and elbowed Goten roughly. "It's your turn," she croaked out.
Goten's eyes slitted open, and then closed. "He called for you," he mumbled sleepily.
Jita's scowl deepened. Goten had conveniently gotten to be a heavy sleeper in the past few months. She almost pushed him out of the bed, but decided to arrange for payback later on. Maybe by taking a sleeping pill the next night and making him stay up. Chuckling at the idea, she pulled herself out of bed and stumbled to the next room.
There was Jiten, already standing steadily on his chubby legs. He was weaned - which had been a terrible ordeal - and he had all his baby teeth. He still wasn't potty-trained - which Jita was NOT looking forward to - and he still fell down a bit when he walked. Once he got more experienced at walking, she'd start him on flying. Chichi had looked at her crazy when Jita had told her about flying (Children are enough trouble running all over the place), but Jita knew that Jiten would probably be long out of childhood before he could out-run or out-fly either of his parents.
"What is it, Jiten?" Jita asked, not seeing, or smelling, any dire emergency.
"Dropped my pillow," Jiten said innocently, pointing down at the floor.
Jita's brow furrowed. "The only way it could be down there is it you dropped it on purpose." Jita picked up the pillow, threw it in the crib, and wrestled Jiten in a horizontal position. "Next time that pillow falls, you're not getting it back. Ever. Now go to sleep." Jita walked out without waiting for a response, turning off the overhead. As she was leaving she heard a soft thwump and turned to regard a grinning Jiten pointing at the pillow on the floor. Jita merely raised her eyebrows and closed the door, walking back to her own room. First rule Chichi had told her about parenting: Always keep you promise.
Jiten pouted and sank back into his crib. That hadn't gone at all the way he'd planned. He'd been hoping to keep her there until he could drive her into taking him to the big bed with mommy and daddy. It'd worked before, but the old tricks weren't working anymore. He'd have to come up with fresh ideas. Some tricks still worked though. Falling when he was perfectly alright with walking went over well. He could usually get someone to carry him around that way. Stumbling over words worked too. Then he could pretend not to understand what mommy and daddy were telling him to do.
Jiten squirmed in his crib, trying to get comfortable. He couldn't get his head right. He looked longingly at the pillow on the floor, whishing he hadn't pushed mommy that far. Now she really wouldn't come when he called. Jiten stuck his lips out further. It wasn't fair. He hadn't been doing anything wrong. Since when was it wrong to drop a pillow on the floor and ask for help? Jiten huffed a little impatient sigh. He'd just have to take matters into his own hands. With agility unseen in other children of eleven months, he scrambled out of his crib. He grabbed the pillow and hugged it to his chest with both arms. He looked back at the crib, judging the distance over the bars. This was the first time he'd tied this, and Jiten just wasn't sure of what to do. He couldn't climb up holding the pillow, and his tail couldn't wrap around it. He doubted he could jump the distance yet, and even if he could it would probably make too much racket. He didn't want to chance annoying mommy further this close to breakfast. Jiten looked down at his tail. Grandpa had told him of all the things he used to do with his tail - hang onto things, fly like a helicopter . . . All really neat things. But Jiten knew his tail wasn't very strong yet, and using his tail to pull himself up and over would probably hurt really bad. Of course, it didn't occur to Jiten to just throw the pillow into the crib and climb in. That would have been too simple.
Jiten thought about flying. He thought about flying most of the time. It was just so neat. And everyone else did it. Grandpa would fly in and out, usually carrying Grandma. Mommy would hover around in the kitchen and the library. Everyone flew in the spider building - the name he had secretly used for the dojo. He wanted to fly so bad, but no one would teach him. He'd seen it done about million times, though. How hard could it be?
Jiten stood perfectly still and stared straight ahead. He remembered the look of concentration on everyone's face. Was it just a look, or was there something more? Jiten strained against gravity, stretching as far as he could. Still no luck. Jiten clutched the pillow tighter, his baby knuckles whitening. He had to do this. He just had to. Jiten paused for a second, wiping sweat fro his face. He thought back to all those times he'd seen someone fly. They always started glowing suddenly. Jiten wondered if and how he could do that. His tail swished back and forth as he though. He tried to remember everything he'd heard in the spider building - everything he'd heard when people thought he was asleep. Ki - energy - reaching into you core -
Slowly Jiten felt a spark with in him, making him tingle all over. He grinned as the tingling grew stronger and warmer. He looked over at the mirror and saw tiny white flames around him. His eyes widened in surprise, but the flames all but disappeared. Turning away from the mirror, he reached down inside and thought hard about flying. Unlike most babies, he had patience. Slowly - ever so agonizingly slowly, his feet lifted from the ground. Jiten was turned completely inward, his breathing steady yet hard. Centimeter by centimeter he floated haltingly upward. As soon as he could reach over the bars he threw the pillow in and hauled himself over as quietly as possible. Jiten lay in bed, gasping and sweating from the incredible strain. He'd never felt this exhausted before. Yet in his exhaustion, he smiled. He'd flown! He'd actually flown! And now he was back in his crib with his head resting comfortable on the hard-earned pillow. He decided to practice flying in secret. No sense in letting everyone know. Then there'd be too many new rules. No, better all around if he didn't tell anyone yet. After deciding this, Jiten settled into a contented sleep.
*****
Goten looked out a window from the beginners' classroom. He'd set the kids to a few minutes of meditation, with Pecon making sure they stayed in line. Often when he wasn't training, Pecon would offer his help in everything - from assisting in classes to housework to babysitting Jiten. At first it was annoying, since Pecon already paid tuition and didn't need to earn his keep, but now it was commonplace. Maybe it made him feel more a part of a family.
Goten smiled at the sight of Jiten playing in the backyard. Jiten was alone and didn't know he was being watched. That's when he truly showed his abilities. Around Goten and Jita, and anyone else, Jiten stumbled around awkwardly. Now that he was alone, though, the child was running, jumping, even flying a bit. He seemed to be shouting something. Fro a child of a little less than a year, he acted like a boy ready to go to preschool. Mom had worried a bit about that, but Vegeta had said that he was maturing as fast as any high-class Saiyan with royal blood. He was right on schedule for a Saiyan.
Goten was definitely not worried about Jiten's maturity. It relieved him. It meant Jiten would get interesting a lot quicker. He wasn't even all that worried about Jiten's safety, like Mom. No, it wasn't that. It was - his manipulative nature. Jiten knew how to use his power over others too well, and he had no qualms over using any means to get what he wanted. He was . . . devious. Goten flinched at using such words to describe his own son, but he was more afraid of not facing the truth. Goten's insecurities were back in full swing as he thought about failing Jiten as a father. Should he be extremely strict, like his mother? Or should he be as easy- going as his father?
Goten's eyes narrowed as his son started chasing around a butterfly, on ground and in air. He shouldn't have to find things out about his son by spying on him. It wasn't right. Jiten had to be taught honesty. He was capable and prone to great power and great violence, like all Saiyans. He was also prone darkness from his mother's side. He had to have some moral grounding, or else he'd run wild and end up hurting someone. For Goten, lying was among the highest of sins. It was because it was a type of betrayal. And Goten was NOT going to let his child remain a liar.
At the sound of Pecon clearing his throat, Goten broke from his vigil. It was a bit past time and parents were waiting. Goten, despite his worries over his son, smiled proudly at his class. Not one of them had moved, even when they knew perfectly well it was time to leave. They were becoming more and more disciplined every day. After a few words of praise and a reminder to train, Goten dismissed the class. He smiled ruefully as the children shed their discipline to run shouting out to the parking lot. They didn't have to be perfect.
"Sensei?"
"Yes, Pecon," Goten responded. "What is it?"
"When did you teach Jiten to fly?" Goten looked back out the window. "I didn't. Is Jita through with her last class?"
Pecon accepted the abrupt change of topic. "Yes, sensei. Except for the extra training of my class, but she may not even come to that. We know what to do."
"Good," Goten said under his breath. "Pecon, could you keep an eye out on Jiten for a while?"
Pecon nodded and left the room, heading for the back yard. Goten nodded to himself as he saw Jiten stop flying immediately as Pecon arrived. Yup, he was hiding. And Goten was getting tired of his son lying to him. If Jiten matured that fast, he needed to stop being treated like a baby. If he acted like a three or four year old, he would be treated like a three or four year old. Goten needed to confront Jiten, but only with Jita. He needed to talk to her. Setting his teeth, he swept out of the room in search of Jita.
*****
Jita crawled out from the maze of circuitry, tiredly putting away her tools. Thankfully, the Briefs had fashioned the gravity machine from Saiyan technology, so Jita didn't have to bug Bulma every time is malfunctioned. She'd done enough shipboard maintenance to be comfortable with such technology. Actually, Vegeta didn't need Bulma to fix the gravity chamber most of the time. He just did it to irritate her.
Jita stretched her muscles and rubbed her tired eyes. Boy, did she wish she could get some sleep. The voice just wouldn't leave her alone anymore. And when it wasn't the voice, it was Jiten. It was like the universe was out to torment her, and she couldn't say she didn't deserve it. As much as it killed her to admit, she deserved anything that came her way.
Jita drug herself to her office, where Goten was waiting. She put away her toolbox and looked at him expectantly. He didn't come to her office often, and he looked worried. It took a lot to get Goten worried. "What is it?"
Goten laughed slightly. "Actually, now that I think of it, I'm not sure . . ." He plunked down in the chair. "I guess . . . Jiten. I'm worried about Jiten."
Jita sat on her desk in front of him. "A little more specific?"
Goten looked up. "Did you know he could fly?"
"What?" Jita's eyes went wide. "But I haven't taught him yet."
"He learns form imitation better than either of us. He watched us, and now he can fly. He just won't tell us. That's what worries me."
Jita rubbed her head. How could she not see? Was she so self-involved and involved in her students that she didn't even pay attention to her own son? He father had been like that. Too busy with the kingdom to pay attention to his own children, even his prized son Vegeta. And she hated her father. She panicked. She'd made Goten and Jiten her entire life, but she was neglecting them. How often did she speak to Goten nowadays, anyway? And did she really pay attention to Jiten enough? Apparently not, if she didn't even know he could fly.
"He's been hiding a lot of things from us," Goten broke into her thoughts. "I don't know why. He can talk better than he does. He's better at moving around. He's more mature than he acts around us. It doesn't make sense."
"He does it to manipulate us," Jita said quietly. "As long as he's a helpless baby, he can get us to do anything he wants."
"But he doesn't gain much." Goten jumped out of the chair and paced the room. "He's lying to us, and he doesn't find anything wrong with it. I won't have my son as a liar. He's already prone to -" Goten stopped abruptly. A tense silence filled the room.
Jita glared at him. "Prone to what?" she demanded in a think voice.
Goten averted his eyes.
"Prone to what?" Jita repeated, a little louder.
"Nothing. I wasn't thinking," Goten replied quietly. His heart was pounding. He really hadn't meant to say anything, but it had always been in the back of his mind. The boy took after Jita so much. He could see so much of Jita, and Vegeta, in Jiten. He'd seen the same thing in Trunks. Just this . . . darkness. Like the blood of all the people Vegeta and Jita had killed had . . . stained them and their children.
Jita was not fooled by his evasion. "What? Prone to lying? Prone to killing people? Prone to hell? Just like me? That's what you're thinking, isn't it? Just because of me and my family. Well, here's news flash. You don't exactly come from a line of saints. Don't forget - I knew your grandfather and I knew you uncle. They were killers a blood- thirsty as any. So you are the last person . . ."
"Now wait a minute," Goten broke in angrily. "I didn't say any of that, and I didn't ask for a family history. I know you Saiyans used to be evil -"
"And now I'm evil?!"
"Well, what do you call killing whole planets of people?!"
"I call it surviving! And at least I don't walk out on my family, or needlessly hate my father!"
"At least I have a soul!"
"Well, if you don't want a soulless wife, then leave! Get out of here! I'm sick of looking at you! And don't bother coming back!"
The two stared at each other in shock and anger. They were shaking with rage and didn't care if most of the people in the gym heard every word. They were too hurt by the words and the fact that those words were coming out of the mouths of the people they loved and trusted. Without a word, before he could say anything else, Goten ran out of the room and blasted into the air with a burst of angry energy. If she wanted him to leave, he'd leave. He just couldn't stand to be around her for another second. How dare she bring up the stuff about his father? She then she put words in his mouth.
Goten flew hard the whole way, cheeks burning with anger and hurt. He didn't realize he was heading to his old training spot until he got there. He plonked himself on the ground, face still twisted in fury. He'd stayed there before, and he could stay there again. Pulling himself up, he started training - hard. It was time to forget.
*****
Jita hugged Jiten close to her as they landed in front Goku and Chichi's house. Jiten immediately brightened and ran into the house, screaming for Grandma and Grandpa. Jita solemnly followed him in. He'd been crying. He'd heard the fight. Jita shuddered at the thought. He'd actually heard all that. And he knew his daddy was gone for now. He was gone . . .
Goku had already picked up Jiten and was playing with him, making the giggling boy into an airplane. Chichi was smiling at the two, but instantly sobered when she saw the look on Jita's face. Something was wrong - she knew it. But she knew Jita wouldn't say a thing with "Kakarrot" around. "Goku, why don't you take Jiten into the woods and play?"
The oblivious Goku grinned at the idea. "Sure! There's a newborn dinosaur I want to show Jiten."
Jiten grinned fiercely. "A dinosaur!" he yelled, pumping his tiny fist in the air. In the blink of an eye, the two were gone.
"Now," Chichi said matter-of-factly, "there's some tea ready, and you're going to tell me what's wrong."
"What makes you think anything's wrong?" Jita said bitterly.
"Jita," Chichi said warningly. "You came here for a reason."
Jita sat at the table while Chichi poured the tea. Jita sipped some of the steaming liquid, and the hot fluid soothed her churning stomach somewhat. But she was still angry. And hurt. And ashamed. Her hands shook as she set the cup down, and Chichi reached out to steady the cup and keep it from spilling. Jita took a shuddering breath. "Goten . . . and I . . ."
Chichi gave Jita a knowing glance. "You had a fight, didn't you?"
Jita only looked down, not wanting to meet the woman's eyes. "It was more than a fight. You should have heard him. He . . ."
Chichi folded her hands in front of her. "Tell me from the beginning."
Jita fought with the details in her head. How had it started? Jiten . . .
"Goten came to me to talk about Jiten. He'd found out the baby was able to fly, and he was worried about Jiten hiding things from us and lying to us. I was worried too, but then Goten goes off on this tirade about Jiten being prone to lying and evil in general because of me and my family and then he mentioned some very private secret things about my past and I told him to get out and he did."
Chichi listened to this outpouring, at a loss as to what to believe. She knew these stories were always so one-sided. Fights between married couples always were. She had realized this about her own marriage - that neither she not Goku was always in the wrong or the right. And not only her. She and Bulma had become really good friends after Goku had died, and she'd heard enough of Bulma and Vegeta's stormy relationship, and it was always so subjective. Chichi now placed herself in the precarious situation of reassuring Jita without bashing Goten, her own son. Chichi swirled her tea, choosing her words carefully. "What exactly did he say to you?"
Jita kept herself from shattering her cup. "I just told you. I can't remember the exact words or anything."
"What did you say to him?" Chichi continued patiently.
"I . . . oh, Kami . . ." Jita trailed off, growing paler.
"What?" Chichi prompted.
"I . . . I brought up the whole thing with him and Kakarrot. No wonder he stormed out. No wonder he said what he did." Jita buried her face in her arms. "I was just so angry. I knew what he was thinking." Jita raised her head to look in Chichi's eyes. "He thinks that I'm evil. He thinks that Jiten will be evil because of me."
Chichi winced. Goten would probably not say it in such blunt terms, but it sounded like something he would think. And there was a reason. "Jita," she cleared her throat. "You mustn't blame him entirely for thinking those things."
Jita's eyes flashed. "And why not?"
Chichi stared straight into Jita's eyes, not flinching from the truth. "Because it's my fault."
Jita frowned in puzzlement. "I'm not sure what you mean."
Chichi sighed deeply. "You must forgive my prejudice. At the time, when Goten was growing up, I didn't have a very high opinion of Saiyans. I must admit, I especially didn't like Vegeta. I was used to him being the enemy, and I wasn't there when he was forced to work on Goku's side. All I knew is he had tried to kill so many of my loved ones and I couldn't see any beyond that. I think I passed it on to Goten. I tried to keep him from seeing Trunks, because I thought 'like father like son.' I didn't want Goten turning out like that." Chichi laughed quietly. "Couldn't keep those two apart though. I was a fool to try. But I did try. And some of that is in Goten, and I'm sorry."
Jita was staring forward with that look of utter intensity that so hurt and yet so calm, like she was used to being hurt and didn't really understand anything else. But she did understand other things. She had a family, and husband and a son. A husband who loved her, however foolish he could be at times. And a son . . . "oh, Kami," she repeated in a whisper.
"What."
Jita cursed herself. "Jiten heard the whole thing . . . I'm so selfish . . . I promised myself he'd have a good home life . . . I promised . . ."
Chichi's face softened. "I'm sure he's fine. Children are more resilient than we think. And so are adults. Just give it a little more time, and you can have another talk with Goten. You're not going to hate each other forever, no matter how much it seems like that now."
Jita smirked. "I suppose you're right, as usual, Chichi." She downed the last cold dregs of her tea, only to have Chichi fill her another.
"Now, tell me," Chichi said briskly, trying to make things a little more upbeat. "What is this about Jiten?"
*****
"There it is," Goku said quietly into Jiten's ear. They were hiding behind some dense undergrowth and they could just see the tiny dinosaur creeling for food. The remains of the shells were long gone, but the baby looked freshly hatched anyway.
Jiten squirmed in delight. Grandpa always had the coolest things to do. He wanted to run up to the baby dino and pet it, but Goku had a firm restraining hand on his shoulder. "Can't we feed it?" Jiten said plaintively. "It's hungry."
Goku smiled down at the boy. "Nah. We can't do that. Hear it? It's calling for its mother. I've seen her over the past few days. Don't worry, she'll come. But she doesn't want anybody to mess with her baby, so we'll just watch."
The two watched the baby until the mother came, bringing the baby a fresh kill to feast upon. They watched the baby tear into the meat for a little while, and then left the mother and child in peace. They started walking along a little stream, throwing rocks and sticks into the water occasionally.
"Grandpa?" Jiten asked. "Does the mommy dino and the daddy dino ever fight?"
Goku gave Jiten a confused look. "Why do you ask that?"
Jiten shrugged. "I dunno. Do you and Grandma ever fight?"
Goku stopped and squatted down so he could be eye level with Jiten. "Sometimes. Not as much now. Why?"
Jiten plopped down cross-legged and pouted. "Mommy and daddy had a fight and they said really mean things and then daddy flew away." Jiten looked down. "I think they were fighting because of me. I think daddy's mad at me."
Goku laughed and put his arm around Jiten. "Mommies and daddies get mad sometimes, but it doesn't mean they don't love you."
Jiten regarded him with an unbelieving expression.
Goku paused for a second and thought. "It's like . . . do you remember last week when you broke the toy train you'd been bugging mommy and daddy for?"
Jiten scowled and blushed at the remembered bit of trouble. "I 'member."
"And you couldn't play with any of your toys for two days?"
Jiten nodded in shame. He hated talking about when he got in trouble.
"Were you mad at mommy and daddy?"
Jiten looked at his grandpa warily. He wasn't sure how to answer that. After a few minutes, Jiten nodded slowly, deciding that grandpa wasn't a snitch.
"So you didn't love them?"
Jiten eyes widened. "Of course I love them. I was just mad, but it wasn't a big deal."
Goku smiled as he saw realization dawning on the child's face. "So daddy'll come back." Jiten said, nodding sharply. "Hey, Grandpa! Let's go swimming!"
Goku laughed at the quick change of mood and raced Jiten to the water.
*****
Vegeta touched down on the soft earth. The sun had set and the stars were beginning to come out. The moon was full, but Vegeta knew he'd be able to sense it even if he couldn't see it. He glanced around the area and found what he was looking for. A campfire.
Vegeta walked the short distance to the orange light and looked down at the warrior lying beside it. He grunted disdainfully and crossed his arms. "Are you going to stay here all night?"
"Go away, Vegeta," came the quiet reply.
Normally Vegeta would have a sharp retort or maybe a more tactile attack to respond to such impudence. But that would just get him side-tracked, and he didn't come here for himself. He came here for Jita, and Jiten. "I'm not going to go away. Even if I did, your idiot father would probably come looking for you. Do you want that?"
Goten muffled a curse and looked away from hid brother-in-law, who merely shook his head. "You think you're the only one who's ever had a fight with his woman?"
"I can't go back now," Goten said bitterly. "Those things I said to her. Those things she said to me . . . You wouldn't understand."
"Oh, wouldn't I," Vegeta replied laughingly. "And you've never heard Bulma and I argue?"
Goten bit his lip. He'd almost forgotten who he was speaking to.
"Besides," Vegeta continued casually, "I know what was said."
Goten looked at him in confusion. "How could you . . . You were there?!"
Vegeta's face twitched. "I wasn't eavesdropping, if that's what you're thinking. My gravity room is not being very reliable lately, so I was using one in your dojo. After the fight . . . I figured I'd leave you two alone."
"Why aren't you doing that now," Goten replied bitterly.
"I don't know," Vegeta said ironically. "It's none of my business. It's not like you're family or anything. It's not like you're married to my sister. It's not like I care about how this is affecting Jiten."
Goten looked up at him, halfway convinced. He'd promised Vegeta he'd take care of Jita, and he wasn't doing it. And he was also screwing Jiten over in the process.
Vegeta regarded his expression of indecision. He decided to play his trump. "Tell me, Goten. Do you really want your son to hate you as much as you hated Kakarrot?"
Goten's eyes went wide. He'd said it. That was Goten's one greatest fear. He realized he was doing just that - running off into the wilderness and leaving his family. He'd promised himself he would do that. He'd promised Jita he wouldn't do that. And no matter how much the words that afternoon had hurt, he knew he had to get back and make things right. If there was anything worse than lying, it was abandoning one's family. Goten rose from the ground swiftly and doused the fire.
The moon provided enough light to fly home by. Vegeta flew with Goten as far as he could, making sure Goten actually made it all the way home. Before he left Goten to go to Capsule Corp, he faced the young husband and father. "Jiten's over at Kakarrot's. I'm not going to be around every time. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and take care of that family."
Goten nodded meekly, knowing he deserved the harsh words. Watching the older man leave, he strengthened his resolve and flew down to the house. The place was completely deserted except for Jita. Every student living there had gone out, either at Jita's behest or just to avoid her had temper. Either way, Goten was grateful. Other people had heard enough of their personal life.
Goten had expected to get attacked when he walked in the house. He was surprised, though, when he found Jita lounging on the couch, reading something that looked thick and old enough to be thoroughly over Goten's head. She was just sitting there, the fury he had seen on her face not too many hours completely gone from her visage. He didn't know whether to be relieved or worried. He sat on the edge of the chair near the couch.
Slowly Jita put her book down. "I was wondering when you'd be here."
Goten cleared his throat. "Waiting for me?"
Jita looked into his eyes with that same intense look. "What are we going to do?"
Goten looked away from her gaze. "I'm sorry," he said in a whisper.
Jita put a hand on his chin and gently pulled his eyes back to hers. "We didn't really mean anything of what we said. I was . . . rather defensive."
That was as close as Jita was going to come to apologizing and outwardly admitting she was wrong. But it was enough. The two smiled at each other. They knew things were far from being perfect, but they also knew they had each other. "Let's try to not fight anymore. Jiten must have heard it," Goten added.
"Ah, yes," Jita sighed. "Jiten. I've been talking with you mother, and she gave me some advice."
Goten half-smiled. "Mom's famous advice. What strategy did she say?"
Jita shook her head. "It's unbelievably simple. I kicked myself when I didn't think about it before. You know how Jiten is lying to us to manipulate us?"
Goten nodded.
Jita leaned forward. "We stop letting him."
Goten stared at her dumbly. It WAS simple. It was the type of thing he would automatically do to one of his students, but he hadn't even thought about it for his son. He'd been fooled by Jiten's age, still expecting him to be just like a human child. But he wasn't. He was a Saiyan royal, and needed to be treated as such. "Do we confront him about being able to fly?"
Jita shook her head. "No. No confrontations. Jiten would react badly to it. We just stop carrying him around so much. And we'll start teaching him how to fly. I just don't want to send the message that learning on your own is a bad thing. I'm rather impressed that he was able to learn how to fly all by himself. I sure wasn't able to."
Goten laughed. "Me neither. I was going Super Saiyan before I was able to fly. I didn't learn until Gohan had time enough to teach me."
Jita nodded. "And we start him training. I was completely shocked when your mother suggested this, but . . ."
"I wouldn't be so shocked. I was pretty young when Mom started training me. Not a year old or anything, but still pretty young. Maybe she just wanted me to be able to defend myself against Trunks."
"Well, this'll be mostly for the discipline. And to channel some of his energy. We can teach him just about anything through fighting."
"But we won't put him in any of the classes," Goten added. "He's too powerful already for the youngest classes. We'll start training as a family, and including him."
"Starting tomorrow," Jita concluded. "Now, why don't we go to bed?"
Goten grinned at the inflection in her voice and the light in her eyes. How could he ever even consider giving her up?
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Author's Notes: Thanks to all my reviewers: aqua-illusion (I personally think the whole "compiling Saiyan culture" thing would be useful, but it WOULD be a lot of work. I had an idea to compile the many different character interpretations that are out there, but it would take too much time that I don't have, as shown by the gaps in my updates. Maybe if you set up a type of forum and asked authors to send in their ideas and theories. Whatever.), Dark Wolf (hehe. I though Gonad was pretty great myself. My boyfriend suggested calling Jiten "Goat". Don't ask. But you're taking your own sweet time getting a chapter out on "A Saiyan's Worth". And with a cliffie too. Shame on you. Ah, who am I kidding? I'm the last one to scold people for update gaps. I'm just selfish and want to know what happens next.), Omega (Thanks for the compliment!), tim333 (I know, I know. I'm rushing again. There's so much stuff I would like to do, but I'm trying to limit myself. It WOULD have been funny to see Jita being all pregnant, but I wasn't sure if I could write it realistically, having never been pregnant or never been around a pregnant woman, since I'm an only child. I think I'm able to get away with a little bit with Jiten since he's more alien than any of the children we see on DBZ. Since Vegeta was so powerful in the anime at age five, it's not too much of a stretch to show Saiyan babies maturing at hyper-speed, as I've shown in this chapter.), and Ssjgoddeschico. Thank you all!
On a side note, I've estimated about three more chapters of transition for the reason that I want Jiten to be a little older when the action really starts. So bear with me.
