Aggressive

"I just don't know what to do anymore!" the brunette woman cried, holding her face in her hands. "My sweet little boy has become a disrespectful delinquent! He's out of control."

Bulma patted her friend's back and gently rubbed her shoulders as she listened to her pouring out her frustrations as a mother of a boy going through puberty. "It's ok, Chichi, he's just going through a rough patch. You know how teenagers are."

Chichi smacked her hands against the table in front of her and shook her head so fast her blue-haired friend was surprised she didn't make herself dizzy. "You don't understand, Bulma, this is Gohan we're talking about! He's not like other boys," she insisted, wiping a stray tear from her flushed cheek. "I just wish Goku were here to help him get through whatever's going on with him."

It was at that moment that the Prince of all Saiyans decided to make his appearance in the Capsule Corp kitchen. He caught the tail end of the women's conversation and scoffed audibly as he strode over to the refrigerator to grab a sports drink. He'd spent all morning training and was taking a short break before lunch. Had he realized the harpy was visiting he would have gone out of his way to avoid her, but it was too late for that now.

"My baby's not supposed to be a fighter like his father was," Chichi whispered to the table as she rested her head on its cool, smooth surface.

Vegeta nearly choked on his drink when he heard the younger woman's complaint. As much as he did not care, he had to say something about it. He finished his drink and tossed the empty bottle into the trash and got into his classic condescending pose with nose slightly raised and arms crossed over his broad chest. "Don't be an idiot, woman," he sneered, "The boy is half saiyan. Fighting is in his blood."

Chichi's head snapped up as she fixed the saiyan prince with a cold glare. She was not going to put up with an arrogant jerk like him telling her about her own son! "In case you'd forgotten, he's also human and he never liked fighting before. Now all of a sudden all he wants to do is go out and spar with that – that Piccolo," she spat, waving her arms wildly in front of her, "and now I can't get him to sit still long enough to complete his studies!"

The flame-haired saiyan shrugged as he crossed the room to take his leave. "He's thirteen this year, isn't he? All saiyans become aggressive at that age. He just needs to work it out of his system, then he'll return to normal. Too bad the brat doesn't have a decent sparring partner."

Both women stared at him wide-eyed as he disappeared through the door and then turned to each other with brows furrowed. That almost sounded like an invitation for Gohan to train with him. Not that Chichi would allow Gohan to come under the influence of that horrible man anyway, but was he actually willing to help the young demi-saiyan get through this change in his life?

"Do you think he's right?" Chichi asked her friend after a minute of silence passed.

Bulma, like her husband, shrugged and turned her gaze to the window where she could see Gohan practicing his kata in the yard. The boy did seem different lately. He wasn't less polite, exactly, but he did have an air of disinterest about him and he was always eager to train, either by himself or with one of the other warriors whenever the opportunity arose. The only one he hadn't had a spar with so far was Vegeta. Bulma had to wonder why he was avoiding the last pure-blooded saiyan. Fear? She didn't think so, but then, Vegeta could be rather intimidating.

"I'm sure Vegeta knows what he's talking about," Bulma said carefully, trying not to anger her temperamental friend. "He does know a lot about being saiyan, after all. Even though Gohan is only half saiyan, he's bound to act like one in some ways. So maybe it is just a phase that he needs to get through. I know it's hard, Chi, but maybe you need to let him fight more."

Chichi frowned but nodded slowly. She rapped her fingers on the table as she became lost in thought. She needed to let Gohan fight, but she was terribly afraid of him getting hurt. She wanted to guide him into a successful life as a scholar, but if he couldn't focus on his studies, that would never happen. It looked like the only way to make her dream come true would be to give in and let her older son train regularly, at least until he made it through puberty. Or, better yet, until he was done with his aggressive 'phase.' Yes, she had to get him through it as soon as possible, which meant he needed to spar a lot. A devious smirk formed on her lips.

Bulma quirked her eyebrow as she watched Chichi's expression change. She knew it meant trouble. She averted her eyes when her friend turned to her, ready to hatch a plan she knew she wanted nothing to do with.

"Bulma," Chichi started, her tone sickeningly sweet, "Since he knows so much about what Gohan is going through, you don't think Vegeta would be willing to help him, would you?"

The blue-haired woman smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand and shook her head. She did not want to get dragged into this mess. "I don't know, Chichi. You'd have to talk to him. Besides, Gohan might not want to train with Vegeta. He wouldn't go easy on him."

The brunette wasn't really listening as she stood up so fast her chair toppled over backwards. She was a woman on a mission now, and nothing was going to stand in her way. She practically ran out of the kitchen and went outside to where Gohan was practicing his fighting techniques. Bulma watched out the window as the poor boy was dragged back inside without a choice in the matter. She had to stifle a laugh when she heard his polite protests as they moved past the kitchen and down the hall in the direction of the gravity room. As fearful as she was of Vegeta's reaction to the plan, she didn't get up from her seat, instead deciding to let the others work it out themselves.

Chichi pulled Gohan to the gravity room door and started banging on it with both of her fists. Her son tried to sneak away while he was free of her iron grip, but before he could get more than two steps away she had the back of his gi balled in one hand while the other continued pounding mercilessly on the door.

"What the hell does that harpy want?" Vegeta asked himself as landed on the floor with a thud, having been hit by his own attack when the sudden knocking distracted him for a fraction of a second. He rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself to his hands and knees and groaned in pain. Falling twenty feet in 500 times Earth's gravity was not a pleasant experience.

"Mom, I don't think he's going to open the door," Gohan mumbled as a bright red blush rose in his cheeks. He felt Vegeta's ki plummet to the floor and knew the saiyan would not be happy about his mother's interruption of his training.

By now Vegeta was back on his feet, walking stiffly over to the gravity console to turn it back down to normal gravity. He knew why the crazy banshee had come to see him since he could sense Gohan's energy outside the door with her. With a sigh of relief when the intense gravity lifted, Vegeta stalked over to the door and threw it open with his best scowl already set on his face.

He crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow as he waited for the woman to explain why she was bothering him. He certainly wasn't going to offer to help the boy, even though he was interested to see how much he had progressed in the past two years. That was the only reason he was even considering training with the boy, or at least that's what he told himself.

Chichi shoved Gohan into the training room with Vegeta and calmly crossed her arms as if nothing needed to be said. But when she felt the full-blooded saiyan's piercing glare she reconsidered. "I'd like you to train Gohan," she said confidently, "At least until he's had enough of fighting once and for all."

"And if I refuse?" Vegeta asked, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe.

It was apparent the boy's mother hadn't thought of that possibility as her eyes widened in surprise and she stammered for a sensible reply. Finally, she swallowed and waved her hand dismissively as she answered, "Oh, you won't refuse. I know you're dying to see if he's still stronger than you."

Vegeta growled as he slammed the door shut in her face and stalked over to the gravity console, ready to start his training session with his rival's son. He couldn't take his anger out on the harpy, but he would have no qualms about beating the boy senseless for his mother's audacity. "Get ready, boy," he snarled, "I'm not going to go easy on you."

Gohan gulped as he raised his ki in preparation for the increased gravity that would come at any second and lowered himself into the fighting stance that was a perfect blend of Piccolo's and Goku's. He hadn't really wanted to spar with the saiyan prince. He wasn't afraid of him, really, but he did know that things could easily get out of hand with him. The saiyan was infamous for his pride and ability to hold grudges when he was humiliated, so if he beat him in a spar, he would have to constantly watch his back. But if he lost, he would never live it down, and while it may not have bothered him before, the idea of being thought a weakling enraged him. This was why he avoided Vegeta: fighting with him was a lose-lose situation. Now he didn't have a choice in the matter, it seemed, so he had to quickly come up with the answer to the question he was asking himself. Which loss is worse?

Brushing aside the nagging voice in the back of his mind that was telling him he was going soft, Vegeta set the gravity for 50Gs, which would provide for a light workout for him while still being manageable for Gohan. Once the gravity simulator was engaged, he turned to face his young opponent and sank into his own fighting stance. He smirked as Gohan appraised him, looking for any flaws in his defenses and finding none.

"First to ascend automatically loses. Otherwise normal rules," Vegeta stated as he finished his assessment of the demi-saiyan.

Gohan nodded curtly as he readied himself to make the first attack. His father always taught him to wait for his enemy to make the first move so they would have to fight on his terms, but he thought it might be better to try catching the saiyan prince off guard. He knew he had years of experience over him and maybe greater strength since he'd been training for the past two years while he'd been stuck inside studying.

Immediately after a simultaneous nod indicating the start of the spar, Gohan rushed forward with fist raised ready to strike. Vegeta blocked the punch and sent his own toward the boy's exposed chest, but it was easily dodged. Smirking, he swung his leg around and felt his leg connecting with Gohan's back. It had been far too long since he'd had a real opponent to test his strength against.

The two warriors were fairly evenly matched as they fought, exchanging rapid flurries of blows too fast for the human eye to see. Gohan was looking the worse for wear, though, as Vegeta's attacks were much more accurate and carefully calculated to deliver the maximum damage without letting his defense down. The fact that he was being beaten despite his power being equal to the prince's infuriated Gohan until he was almost blinded by his rage. His attacks were coming faster, but they were sloppy and rarely made their mark.

Vegeta saw what was happening to the teenager and frowned. He knew how it felt to want so badly to win, yet still be unable to control himself. It happened to him when he was thirteen, too. It happened to all saiyans. It was a miserable time during which he experienced many more losses than victories when he fought. His boiling rage made battles dangerous because he would lose control and either push himself too hard or make nearly fatal mistakes. Gohan wouldn't have to fight for his life as he had, but he still understood how painful it was for the boy to go through the tumultuous waves of inexplicable aggression and bloodlust with no outlet for it.

As he dodged another punch, Vegeta drove his elbow into the small of Gohan's back, driving him down into the floor. He sidestepped the boy as he walked back over to the gravity console to turn it off when he felt his ki drop with unconsciousness. He derived no sense of satisfaction from his victory; not because he didn't enjoy beating his rival's son, but because he knew the win only stemmed from the boy's messy technique.

Gohan's eyes cracked open and a low groan ripped through his dry throat as his whole body seemed to throb in agony. He blinked as his vision focused until he could make out a pair of white boots standing in front of him. Who did he know who wore white boots? He tried to think, but his mind was too jumbled. He couldn't remember what happened to make him hurt so badly. All his memories came rushing back when he heard the owner of the boots speak.

"Get up, boy," Vegeta growled. "You've obviously been trying to repress your aggressive nature for too long and it's having a stronger effect than normal."

"Repressing what?" Gohan asked dumbly as he forced himself to sit up and ignore his spinning head.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "At age thirteen the full aggressive drive of a saiyan awakens and for a period of time becomes overwhelming before it can be controlled and used effectively. Trying to ignore your aggression has only made it worse. If you'd just give in and fight, you would be able to learn to tame it and stop yourself from going ballistic at the drop of a hat."

"You must have never gained control, then," Gohan laughed as he struggled to stand up. He didn't even realize he voiced his thought until he found himself on the floor again with a new throbbing sensation in his jaw.

Insolent as the comment had been, Vegeta had to smirk as he mentally agreed. He knew as well as anyone that his temper was rather mercurial. It didn't take much to set him off. Still, he was mostly able to control himself and wouldn't allow some brat to mock him. "You might also learn to control that mouth of yours," he snapped as he walked to the gravity console. "Now get up. It's time for another spar."

Without waiting for a reply, Vegeta engaged the gravity, turning it up to 75Gs this time. He was only slightly fatigued from his last fight with the demi-saiyan and was ready for another round. He turned again to face the boy and scowled when he found him staring blankly at him as if he had just grown a second head.

"Another spar?" Gohan asked shakily. He hadn't recovered from the first yet!

Vegeta moved into his fighting stance as he replied, "That was a hardly a spar before. More like me using you as a punching bag. We're going to keep fighting until I've beaten that disrespect out of you, boy. Same rules as before."

Gohan's face contorted in an uncharacteristic scowl as a flame of anger ignited in his core again. It was becoming a familiar feeling. He didn't know exactly what set him off. It might have been the way Vegeta's attitude was so condescending, or maybe the fact that he wasn't being given a choice about fighting. Or maybe, most likely, it was the way Vegeta was calling him a weakling! He knew it, he just knew that's how it would be if he ever lost a fight. He was determined not to lose again. The prince's pride be damned, he needed to get over himself.

The next fight only lasted a few minutes before Gohan was once again knocked unconscious and lying on the floor of the gravity room. Vegeta shook his head as he circled around the bruised and bloodied body of his rival's eldest. "I know this is tough, brat," he muttered, "but you'll get through it. We all do. You're just lucky you don't have some sadistic bastard tyrant as your 'trainer.' I would never do to you what he did to me."

Vegeta's cold eyes softened for a second before he shook off his foolish sentimentality. He turned off the console on his way out of the gravity chamber. If he was going to keep this up, he needed to get some nourishment. He sighed, knowing it was going to be a long few months ahead.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far! I really appreciate your feedback. I am trying to keep Vegeta in character as much as possible, so it's always encouraging when you tell me he is. :)

Also, if you have any ideas for future chapters, don't hesitate to tell me! I have a few ideas lined up, but I'm always open for more. Keep the reviews coming and I'll keep writing new chapters.