A/N: ::sigh:: If only you guys knew how much it means to see so many reviews for this. I really, really, really appreciate them. And I'm happy to see people reviewing who've never reviewed before. Also, I apologize for the wait.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kakarot. Or Kakkarot. Or Kakarrot. Or Kakkarrot.

...

It was not a bad idea, what the woman had once suggested to him so long ago. To fight with Kakarot and prove his worth was a noble idea indeed. So why so hesitant?

He had stared at himself in the mirror for a long time. His golden Saiyan armor had grown dingy and his blue spandex had become stretched and worn over time. Vegeta only hoped that it was his armor which had weakened. He could not show himself to Kakarot in an inferior state.

Get a grip, he told himself with a glare in the smudged mirror. You've been training for this your entire life!

Vegeta then turned from his stony reflection and sat on his bed. He wordlessly slipped on his boots, cracking his toes inside of them. He stood up.

He had to be ready. If he could not beat Kakarot, he could not beat the Androids. He did not deserve the chance.

Vegeta sensed the woman before her abrupt knocking interrupted his burdensome thinking. Weeks before he might have snapped at her to leave him alone, but he knew that option had subsided long ago. It was best to let her inside without a hearing-sensitive argument.

The door to his room flew open. There, clad only in a damp yellow towel covered in ducks, she stood.

"I think I left my… where are you going?"

Vegeta arched an eyebrow. "Since when have my whereabouts been of any concern to you?"

He rechecked his armor.

"Don't get yourself too bloodied up Vegeta. I've been watching Goku train, alright?"

He didn't question how she had known, only why she was handing him advice he had not asked for.

Bulma shook her hair and tiny droplets of water stung Vegeta's face.

"Watch it woman!"

"Sorry," she apologized. She paused and then said, "I mean it okay? Goku can go a little overboard sometimes and he doesn't realize his own strength…"

"What are you? My mother?"

She looked at him with haughty blue eyes. "Well someone ought to act like it around here!" she yelled as though she had been stung by his comment.

"And furthermore," said the woman with an air of grouchiness Vegeta was certainly accustomed to, "clean up this room! And open a window for goodness sake!"

Vegeta disregarded her comments, his head too full of thought and uncertainty.

"Did you hear me mister?"

Bulma crossed the room, bent down to where he sat and fixed her eyes upon him. She flicked the end of his nose with a hot pink colored fingernail.

Vegeta growled.

"I'm talking to you Vegeta!"

"I'm not deaf woman!" he said impatiently, grabbing her finger and using it to swing her to the other side of him.

She slipped on the floor and landed with a soft 'thud' on the blankets and pillows littering Vegeta's bed. She yelped.

"I don't have the time to entertain your attitude today woman," said Vegeta with a final look in the mirror. "I've got some unfinished business to attend to."

And he attempted a cocky smirk, an egotistical affirmation of his superior strength and intellect.

It did not seem to click with the woman, who raised one teal eyebrow in response.

"I'm warning you Vegeta… don't go over there and pick a fight alright? Goku might like to spar or whatever, but I certainly wouldn't think about trying to make today 'I Kill Kakarot Day'."

Vegeta opened his mouth to speak but as usual, Bulma quickly interrupted.

"And how could you anyway with that armor?"

She rose from the bed and disrobed completely in front of him. She then used her towel to cover her soaking wet hair.

Naked, and with the Prince's full [yet reluctant] attention, Bulma stood in front of him, examining him quietly with one hand beneath her chin.

"Wow, look at that. Holes everywhere."

Vegeta looked down at himself. True, there were holes in his armor and a few well-deserved dents and scratches, but it was nothing to warrant her or anyone else's preoccupation. His armor was merely supplemental material as far as he was concerned. His true protection lay in his wit and power.

He batted her hand away as it came near him.

"Enough coddling!" he spoke firmly, stepping backwards from her. "I'm fine!"

The woman sighed and seemed as though she might finally let him be. "I'm sorry Vegeta," she apologized with a pursing of her lips, "I just can't help but worry about you sometimes."

She was quiet when he began to leave his room.

"You make it easy."

He had survived his mid-flight crisis; he had nearly flown back to Capsule Corp. when a sudden panic attack had surfaced, exposing all of his childish fears and reservations.

What if Kakarot is the chosen one?

What if I will never surpass him?

What if the legendary status of the Super Saiyan will to myself be unlocked forever?

Am I destined to be his lesser for the rest of this life? Me, the great Prince Vegeta of the Saiyans!

The questions had been maddening, but a more logical, rational Vegeta had been persuaded to continue on with his mission. It was a spar and a spar only. It was not meant to determine his fate. It could not be meant to determine his faith.

Several minutes later, standing on the front porch of the tiny round house of the Son's, Vegeta found himself battling the urge to run from the door and the sounds of Kakarot's woman screaming about her dirty, ruined kitchen.

He could not help but smile. Earthlings were a curious bunch indeed. He knocked, feeling slightly better. When Gohan answered the door, Vegeta returned to his normal state immediately. These people were not strangers to him. They were his companions on this desolate, filthy planet and he was not afraid of Kakarot.

Or anyone else.

"I've got to admit Vegeta, I'm surprised to see you."

Kakarot stretched his arms dumbly to the sky, his spiky black hair blocking the sun from the much shorter man's view.

"You know, I've been waiting for you to come," he continued, leading Vegeta through his spacious backyard. "I think I've really worn Gohan out with all this training!"

Vegeta snorted.

"I think he's really close Vegeta… really close to being a Super Saiyan!" Kakarot said excitedly, turning around to face Vegeta with a wide grin on his face.

There was a tense silence.

"How have you been coming along Vegeta?"

His question fell upon deaf ears. Vegeta was seething inside, fighting his anger. Kakarot's spawn was going to surpass him as well!

"Vegeta? Did you hear me? I asked how you were doing?"

"Fine," snapped Vegeta. He looked around at the leafy, green scenery before him. Nature had always suited him. "Are we almost there?"

Kakarot smiled again. "Sure are! Just want to make sure we stay clear of the house."

He shuddered.

"You should have seen what that kitchen's been through. Master Roshi built us a brand new table the other day. Gohan put Krillin right through it! Man those two!"

Kakarot laughed.

"You should have seen the look on Chi-Chi's face! I thought I'd finally met my match!"

Vegeta had had enough.

"Are you going to fight Kakarot, or are you going to keep rambling on about your ridiculous life?"

Both men stopped in their tracks, and Kakarot blushed a little. "Sorry about that Vegeta. I guess this is far enough. Just a few animals to worry about…"

Vegeta powered up instantly and sent a ball of energy straight into the forest. A large flock of black and purple birds took to the air, screeching. A handful of furry green animals followed.

"There. Cleared out."

"Uh, thanks Vegeta."

Kakarot looked around [Probably for more signs of wildlife, Vegeta mused irritably] and slowly began to power up.

At this Vegeta took considerable notice. Was there something different that Kakarot did to make himself more powerful than his opponents? Was it any different from his own?

At once Vegeta saw that the answer to both of these questions was 'no'. Kakarot's method was no different than his own, albeit somewhat slower. Possibly more methodical.

"You ready Vegeta?"

An aura of silence surrounded the two of them.

It was time.

"You've clearly-ugh!-been training!" Goku shouted at Vegeta, blocking a right, a left, a left, a left, a right, a right, and another left.

Vegeta didn't hear or didn't care to answer. He responded with another right, left combination that left Goku in a vulnerable position.

If Goku were completely honest with himself, he would admit that the thought of a spar with Vegeta hadn't worried him in the least. In anything he had assumed he would need to go easier on Vegeta than his own son. It was not that he doubted Vegeta's ability or skill. It was just that he had been so focused on the man's coupling with Bulma that he had forgotten that Vegeta had time to train.

"Ah!"

Vegeta had leveled him. Sent a left jab straight into his jaw. Luckily Goku was quick enough to avoid a large tree. And even quicker to avoid Vegeta's powerful right leg which would have delivered a [very] painful sensation to his groin.

On the defense again, Goku began to fight back. He utilized enough strength to appear a match for Vegeta and then, in a very Goku-like way, began to daydream.

He wondered what Bulma and Vegeta's wedding would be like. Trunks hadn't mentioned a wedding; in fact, he had clearly stated otherwise. Goku believed everything the boy from the future had said, but he really did want to plan a wedding. Chi-Chi hadn't let him do a thing with theirs.

The food! Wedding cake and caterers and ….

"OW!"

Vegeta had grabbed him by the neck and had punched him directly in the face.

"WAKE UP KAKAROT! WAKE UP AND FIGHT ME!"

Goku had certainly been woken up. He had never been sidetracked during a fight before. Maybe he ought to take it a little more seriously. Vegeta definitely was.

He was released and dropped to the ground.

"You think you can go easy on me because you've become a Super Saiyan?" shouted Vegeta, his face red with anger. "You think that a fight with me is nothing? That I'm weak? Well! Is that true Kakarot?"

Goku rubbed his neck, feeling a little sore. "No way! Of course not! I just got a little distracted, that's all. Calm down."

"Distracted? Saw something shiny in the trees Kakarot?" Vegeta balled his fists and the power radiating from him increased dramatically. "Hope your attention deficit disorder doesn't kick in while pummeling the Androids!"

Scratching his head, Goku stared at Vegeta. "Attention what?"

Instead of answering, Vegeta attacked. This time though, Goku was ready and he vowed that there would be no more distractions.

His fist broke through an opening in Vegeta's usually spot on defense. He heard his opponent's nose crack.

No distractions.

Even if it cost Vegeta his pride.

It was already nearing midnight. Bulma glanced at the digital clock in the laboratory. She put another fingernail into her mouth and broke it off with her teeth. The seventh one that night.

Vegeta had gone to visit Goku a long time ago. He had yet to return. Because of his absence, Bulma had only to guess what had happened that day. Had Vegeta killed Goku? Had Goku killed Vegeta? Had they done something to make Chi-Chi kill them both?

The intercom beeped from across the room and static filled the air.

"Dear? Are you still working down there?"

"Yeah mom," answered Bulma, sliding her hands across the smooth blue fabric in front of her. "Why? Need something?"

Her mother sighed loudly. "It's late sweetheart. You've got a long day tomorrow. Remember those boys from AIT are stopping by in the early morning to look at those papers for that machine? Your father went to bed a long time ago."

Bulma had completely forgotten. Advanced Information Tech was a new software company that had hired Capsule Corp to make plans for a new program they were writing. Dr. Brief had designed it immediately, but it was up to the beautiful, charismatic Bulma to sell it.

"I know mom," Bulma lied, "I'm just finishing up a few things here and then I'm hitting the hay."

"Okay honey. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight."

She hit the button to turn off intercom output when it beeped again.

"And dear?"

Bulma looked longingly at her work. "Yes mom?"

"Keep an eye out for Vegeta. He isn't home yet and I'm getting worried about him! He doesn't know what's good for himself, traipsing off in the middle of the night and whatnot! There are robbers out there!"

Bulma smiled in spite of herself. "Okay mom. I will."

They hung up. Bulma looked up at the clock.

12:00.

I've got to hand it to you Vegeta… you really know how to give a girl gray hairs!

Bulma looked at her broken pink fingernails. She'd rip them all off just to know that Vegeta and Goku were both alive and well.

At 12:33, Bulma had nearly finished her latest project. Tired, she looked down at the table where small patches of dark blue lycra spandex had been patched to their original suit. She hoped that Vegeta would appreciate what she had done and forget that she had obviously had to go through his wardrobe to get her supplies.

If only she had gotten to the armor quick enough. One large armory piece that Vegeta wore over his chest lay on another table, sparkling clean but still dented and scratched. The dent repair could probably be done with a simple hair dryer and compressed air. The scratches could be painted over she supposed.

Bulma picked up the armor. It was pretty tough.

"Whoa-wait a minute! How do those guys get this on!"

"It's expandable."

Bulma shrieked and in her haste to get away from the so-called 'intruder', she fell over sideways, knocking over a table and nearly crashing to the floor. "V-Vegeta?"

The Saiyan Prince stepped out of the darkness. His face was scratched and bloody. His nose sat crooked upon his face and his hair had obviously seen fire.

"Kami, Vegeta! Are you alright?" Bulma asked anxiously, standing up instantly so that she could look him over. "You look awful!"

Vegeta ignored her question and walked to the fallen table. He sat it back up and grabbed his armor. He made a face that was contrary to his usual handsome one.

"What have you been doing in my room woman?"

Bulma blinked rapidly, trying to avoid his temper and keep her own at the same time. "I noticed earlier that your armor was nearing its end. I thought I'd fix it before you came home."

Vegeta snatched his blue suit off of the floor as well. "For what?"

Bulma shrugged. "I don't know. To surprise you I guess."

"I don't like surprises," he told her with a grimace. He held up his armor. "You don't know how this works and yet you've tried to fix it. Stupid woman. You should have asked me."

"Well you're welcome!" Bulma said angrily, feeling quite deflated now that her work had been insulted. "And besides! I can figure this out on my own-thanks!"

With that she snatched the material out of Vegeta's hand and slammed it onto the table.

"And for your information, I would have figured it out all on my own if you hadn't shown up!"

Bulma put the blue material in front of him. "For example, I figured out on my own that this jumpsuit is almost as durable as the chest piece. I added a few touches of my own of course… but I guarantee it's just as elastic and durable."

She held it out to him.

"I'm glad I didn't have to make an entire suit-though I could," she added. "Reducing prepolymer is not a fast job."

Bulma observed with an air of smugness that Vegeta seemed at a loss for words. He took the material and twisted it through his calloused hands. He sniffed it.

"A purpose for the woman after all," he said under his breath, but each knew she had heard him.

"I'll take that as a thank-you."

"Whatever."

Vegeta handed her back the attire and looked around her lab. While he did this, Bulma took care to look at him.

He was bloody, covered in ash, his face and uniform blackened with dirt and dust. Both legs of his jumpsuit had been ripped to shreds. His brown legs could be seen underneath them, covered in scratches.

It as a pain to not say anything about his condition, but Bulma knew from experience to keep her mouth closed. He would tell her, in time.

"What is this?"

Bulma snapped back to the present and followed Vegeta's tilted head. He was staring solemnly at a large chamber.

"It's a Gravity Room simulator my father and I are working on," she replied. "Dad figures we should make another one so that you have something to train in when you blow the other one up."

Vegeta made a facial gesture that could be mistaken for a tiny smile.

"More like the servants I left behind every day."

He stared at her, locked his blackened eyes with her pale ones. His body may have been listless, dull. His eyes were not.

And to have him look at her like that… like he was actually grateful for her hard work… it touched her more than anything ever had.

A/N: I'M BACK!