Provocation

Vegeta stepped out of the gravity room and squinted in the bright summer sun. The blistering heat of the July afternoon wasn't unwelcome, but he was eager to get to the compound to get a cold drink. Since his daily shopping trip with Mrs. Brief, he had been training hard, pushing himself to his limits and beyond. Bulma's upgrades in the gravity room were good. He had already worked up to 90Gs and it would probably only be a day or two before he reached the maximum gravity the simulator could create. He figured it was time to demand another upgrade since the technical genius seemed so capable of making them. The bots, likewise, were an excellent addition to his training regimen. Nappa was having trouble keeping up with his gains in strength, so he couldn't train with him in the gravity room anymore because the gravity was too high for him to handle.

The prince stalked across the back yard of the compound, sweat trickling down his bare back and chest. Dinner would be served soon, so he wanted to grab a bottle of water from the kitchen and go upstairs to shower. It only took a few comments about the stench of his sweat from the blue-haired woman to convince him showering before meals was a good idea. He was incredibly insulted that she didn't like his scent. It wasn't his fault the air conditioning was broken in the gravity room and it was the middle of summer. Granted, he could allow Dr. Brief or Bulma to go in and fix it, but he didn't want to miss out on any training time. Besides, he didn't mind the heat. He was the prince of a desert species. He performed better in high temperatures. He attributed part of his quick gains in strength to the hot weather.

But, despite his gains, he was getting bored with his training routine. Every morning he rose before dawn to train without ki before breakfast. Then, after breakfast, he would run through his kata without ki until lunch. Immediately after lunch, he went with Mrs. Brief to the grocery store. When he returned, he would return to the gravity room to do more anaerobic exercises with ki and higher gravity until dinner. After dinner, he would move through his kata with ki and even higher gravity until he crashed sometime late at night. Then he would go to bed and rise early in the morning to repeat the routine. Aside from the shopping trips and the good meals and sleep, his days weren't passing much differently than they had when he was in space. After spending years doing the same thing over and over, he was getting tired of it. He needed some change, but only a change that would help him make further progress.

'Perhaps I could spar with Nappa more often,' he considered. He had thought of that often, but he preferred training in the highest gravity his body could endure, and since Nappa couldn't handle the same level, he gave up on training with him. Nappa still trained on his own in the yard or out in the wilderness, sometimes for days on end, but he wasn't making fast gains, if any at all. At least he wasn't getting weaker. 'Or perhaps Raditz. His training with Kakarrot has helped him become significantly stronger. He's beyond the level of a saiyan elite now.'

He paused as a sly smirk spread across his lips. 'Raditz is getting stronger because of Kakarrot, which means Kakarrot is stronger.' Chuckling to himself, he continued on in to the compound and stopped at the kitchen, grunting when Mrs. Brief greeted him as he grabbed a water bottle out of the refrigerator. He twisted the cap off and downed the water in three long gulps, then threw the bottle away and left the kitchen to go upstairs to shower.

After his shower, Vegeta put on fresh boxers, a pair of black shorts, and a dark gray sleeveless shirt. He went downstairs and headed for the kitchen where all the heavenly smells were coming from. Inside he found everyone already seated around the table waiting for him. Dr. Brief was reading his newspaper and Bulma was flipping through a magazine. Mrs. Brief was serving food onto the plates, and Nappa and Raditz were eyeing the food hungrily. Nappa didn't look like he had been training hard that day, but Raditz was covered in burns and bruises. His right eye was swollen shut and his knuckles were bloody.

Vegeta sat down. "Kakarrot beat you in a spar again?"

Raditz sighed and nodded. "Yeah. He grows faster than me. I don't get it."

"Hn." Vegeta smirked again as he started digging into the pile of food on his plate. So Kakarrot was still besting Raditz in every one of their matches. Pathetic.

When Vegeta stood up to go resume his training after finishing dinner, Bulma stood up with him and followed him out of the kitchen, stopping him when he reached the door. "Vegeta? Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Rolling his eyes, he rested his hand on the doorknob, silently telling her he wasn't willing to stay and chat long.

Bulma bit her lip, wondering how to begin. She noticed over the past couple weeks that Vegeta seemed…off. Whereas he used to seem to almost enjoy training, he now seemed less and less enthusiastic about it every day. He didn't linger longer in the kitchen after meals and he didn't go to bed any earlier or get up later, but she could tell that he was more reluctant to go train. As concerned as she was about his compulsive training obsession, she was becoming more concerned about his lack of interest. It wasn't like him. He seemed almost – almost depressed.

She decided he would know if she was going at the issue indirectly, so she decided to come out and ask what was on her mind. "Vegeta, are you okay? You've been acting weird lately."

He stared at her for a moment, then scoffed and opened the door. "Stupid girl. I'm fine."

Bulma followed him out the door, unwilling to give up. She knew something was bothering him and she was determined to find out what. "Listen, maybe you've been training too much, that's all. I can tell you don't enjoy it anymore."

He could have laughed. He didn't train for fun. He trained because he needed to get stronger. "I don't have time for breaks, girl. Even if what you said is true, if you haven't forgotten, Frieza is going to be coming in less than a year and a half and I need to be ready for him."

She ran around him and stood in his path, blocking his way to the gravity room. "Vegeta, stop. Seriously, are you depressed or something? Because if you are, I'm not letting you train until you feel better. I'll disable the gravity simulator."

"Depressed?" he spat. "I'm not depressed! And if you so much as try to interfere with my training, girl, I will make you sorry. Besides, I would be able to override your meddling."

"What are you going to do?" she asked, planting her hands firmly on her hips. "Kill me?"

"Girl…"

"Honestly, Vegeta! I'm just worried about you. And if you've figured out how to override our overrides, then I'll – I'll take out the power core and hide it where you'll never find it!"

"You wouldn't dare."

"I would too! And I will unless you tell me what's bothering you."

He bared his teeth. "Nothing is bothering me. Stop nosing around in my business."

"Oh, so something is there to nose around in!"

Vegeta's hands clenched into fists at his sides. He looked down at the ground, forcing himself to take deep breaths to calm down. He scowled at her shadow, just as insolent as her, standing there, stretched across the ground with hands on hips and head cocked to the side. Wait, shadow? The sun set a while ago. He turned around and looked up at the sky. The moon was already out, almost full. His tail uncoiled from his waist and flicked erratically behind him. He heard his pulse rushing in his ears.

Bulma followed his gaze when he suddenly turned away and gasped when she saw the moon. It was so close to being full she might have thought it was. She looked down when she saw movement as his tail continued flicking and twitching like it had a life of its own. She swallowed hard. She'd seen Goku's tail do that before. Right before he… before he transformed into a giant ape monster thing.

"V-Vegeta?" she squeaked. "You okay?"

He whirled around, a feral snarl curling his lip, revealing abnormally long canines. "I told you I'm fine!" he shouted.

Bulma backed away from him as he started advancing on her, slowly, smoothly, like a predator. "Vegeta? Stop it, you're kind of scaring me."

The primal instinct was clouding his mind. He needed to fight, to hunt, to battle. His heightened senses easily picked up on the trace of fear as he stepped closer to Bulma. It made the animal inside claw to escape. So close, he was so close to being able to transform. He wanted it, but it was just out of reach. It was enraging. "You want to know what my problem is?"

She shook her head quickly. "No, not at all. You don't have to tell me anything."

"My problem," he said, pausing to flick his tongue over his canine, "is that I have gone far too long without killing. I train every fucking day, but I never get to kill a real opponent."

She looked into his eyes, the eyes of a madman with dilated pupils and burning embers of fury. "Very – very funny, Vegeta."

"Hilarious, I'm sure."

Bulma found herself backed up against the door to the gravity room. Vegeta leaned in, bracing his arms against the wall on either side of her, leaving her with no escape. Her fear turned into anger when she saw the mocking glint in his eyes. "You can't kill anyone, Vegeta. And even if you could, why would you? You're not a monster!"

Vegeta's expression darkened. That word, it cut him deeply. "A monster?" he whispered. "You think I'm not a monster?"

"Well, maybe you are if you want to kill. Honestly, Vegeta, what the hell is wrong with you?" Bulma put her hands on his chest and shoved him away.

He growled. "Stupid brat! What do you know about me?"

"Nothing, obviously!" She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "What's your problem? I'm worried about you because you're acting weird and you throw it in my face!"

"I never asked for your concern!"

"Fine!" she screamed. "Then go on being depressed, I don't care!"

Maybe it was her words that hurt, maybe it was his boredom that made him want an outlet for his anger and energy, or maybe it was the primal power coursing through him. Maybe it was a combination thereof. Whatever the reason, Vegeta lost control of himself. His power erupted around him, rapidly increasing until a blazing fire of ki surrounded his body, rising high into the air and dissipating into the atmosphere. He snarled as he again advanced on her, pinning her against the gravity room, not caring that his aura was burning her.

"You should learn to keep that big mouth of yours shut."

Bulma cringed in pain, but she was unwilling to back down. "Oh, really? Well you should learn how to accept it when someone cares about you! You big jerk, get the hell out of here!"

"You want me to leave?" he growled.

"I said," she roared, "Get! Out!"

Rejection. Despite the rage burning inside, her words cut deeply. She had reached the end of her rope with him. She wasn't going to put up with him any longer. She wanted him to leave. His expression slipped into its schooled stoicism as he stepped away from her. And though his face gave away nothing, she caught a quick flash of pain in his eyes that was immediately extinguished.

"Fine. I'll leave," he snarled. He flared up his ki and blasted into the sky to find somewhere more secluded. He stopped his flight when he reached an area that must have been a forest at one time. It was nothing but a pile of ashes and cinders now, with blackened tree trunks and branches sticking up from the black, scorched ground. He dropped out of the sky, the ash puffing up in the air around his feet when he landed.

He clenched his hands into fists and concentrated on his ki, the way it coursed through his veins. He lost himself in the rhythm of its ebb and flow, like a river winding through every fiber of his being, strengthening him, energizing him. He found it with practiced ease, in less than a second of time, but it felt like eternity to him. The ki was constant, timeless, his very being. And once he found it, he could raise it, pull it in from the air around him, expand the ki until it swelled through his body, so much that his body could not contain it all and it erupted around him in a fiery aura of raw power. He growled at first, then roared as the energy grew until he felt he would be consumed by it. And still it increased.

The ground cracked and shook around him; the dead trees crashed to the ground in the earthquake, and more fell as his energy gusted around him like a great wind, blowing up the ash in a cloud around him, making him invisible from the outside. Still his power soared, higher and higher, to unchartered heights for a saiyan. It stung, but at the same time it was invigorating, like a shockingly cold splash of water on a hot summer day. Sparks of electricity crackled through the air, surrounding his body like a lightning storm. Clouds overhead gathered above him, darkening until rain began to fall across the barren land. He laughed as his power rose, laughed until he could hardly breathe. Never had he felt such power before. He felt unstoppable, invulnerable. It was glorious.

…

Goku shot out of bed minutes after retiring when he felt it. That power, it was incredible. It almost hurt his senses when he felt it. He winced when it continued skyrocketing and rubbed his forehead with his hands. Groaning, he took a few steps across the room, but his knees felt shaky and he nearly collapsed to the floor. The power was too overwhelming. It was unreal. He had never felt anything like it before in his life.

Chi-Chi threw the covers off when she felt her husband abruptly get out of bed. "Goku? Is something wrong? Is it Gohan?"

He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. "No, Chi, Gohan's fine. But I feel some huge power level. I don't know who it is."

She got out of bed and padded over to her husband, wrapping her arms around his waist and nuzzling into his back. "It's probably one of your friends, Goku. That's all. You know they're all training for this Frieza guy."

His eyes snapped open wide. "I don't know, Chi. It feels way too high to be anyone we know." He gently removed her arms and hurried over to the closet to get a gi. He threw it on and rushed out of the small house to go find out who was raising their power so high. The more he concentrated on it, the more sure he became that it was, in fact, someone he knew. Someone he knew and didn't trust. Vegeta.

Raditz told him once that Vegeta would sometimes raise his power to his maximum to see how much progress he'd made in his training. Goku had felt him do it a few times, and each time he did he was amazed at how much his power had grown. Vegeta's power seemed to know no limit. He worked to catch up and close the distance between their power levels, but the power he was feeling now was staggering. He might have brushed off the fact that Vegeta was powering up as he had done before, but unlike the other times, his power didn't slip back down to its normal level a couple minutes after peaking. Either Vegeta was fighting or he was planning on fighting – or something much worse. Goku forced himself on faster, desperate to reach the saiyan prince and see what was going on.

…

Vegeta unclenched his fists and breathed a satisfied sigh. The power was making him lose his rationality, his mind clouded with a primal desire for blood and battle. He looked up at the sky as the ash settled around him, the rain pattering against his face, trickling through his thick mane and soaking through his earthling clothes. His tail unwrapped from his waist and twitched behind him. He thought he finally understood what Nappa meant when he told him power was the most real thing in the universe. There was nothing more absolute. He stood still, losing himself to his senses; the smell of the wet ash, the sound of the rain on the soft ground, the feel of the cold water coating his body, the sight of the dark clouds above, and the sweet, sweet taste of power.

He felt a high power moving toward him. He smirked and raised his arms to his sides, feeling his own energy pumping through every muscle fiber, empowering him. Sensing power levels, once he learned of the technique, was easy to acquire. He taught himself in less than a day when it took Raditz and Nappa each weeks to master it. It always took them longer to pick up on new techniques. He figured it was because of his superior breeding. It wouldn't be long before someone came to instigate a fight he was more than willing to engage in.

He wasn't surprised when Goku touched down a few yards from him, fists clenched and on edge, ready to power up if need be. Vegeta looked indifferent, but he was just as alert and prepared to defend himself from a sudden attack.

When he wasn't acknowledged, Goku took a step forward, his heavy boot sinking deep into the soft, wet ash. "What are you doing out here, Vegeta?"

Vegeta snorted and turned his back on Goku, nonverbally telling him he wasn't worthy to be considered a threat. "I don't have to answer to you, Kakarrot."

Goku took another step forward, quietly growling at the insult. If he had a tail it would have been twitching with agitation when he saw Vegeta turn away from him. "Look, I don't want to start a fight, but I want to know why you're here. It's late. Shouldn't you be back at Capsule Corporation?"

"If you didn't want to start a fight you shouldn't have come here," Vegeta hissed. "And how dare you presume I have any reason to be anywhere near that infernal woman."

"What woman?" Goku asked. "You mean Bulma? What's she got to do with anything?"

The prince whirled around, a snarl curling his lip. "It does not concern you, Kakarrot. You had better leave before I tire of your incessant questions. It's been a long time since I've had a decent battle, and killing you is just what I need." He shifted into his fighting stance. "Not that you could offer me a good challenge, third-class. But at least you would make a good punching bag."

Goku's ki flickered as he tried to keep it in check. He wasn't eager to get into a fight with Vegeta. His power was incredible and he had no doubt that any fight, even if it were over something trivial, could end badly, maybe even with a casualty. Still, he sank into his stance across from Vegeta. "I wouldn't be so sure about that. Fighting me wouldn't be easy."

"I'm sure." Vegeta spat on the ground between them. "Cut the small talk, Kakarrot. You came for a fight, so fight me. You might even last five minutes."

His opponent's confidence was enough to make his own shake. Goku didn't know if he was as strong as Vegeta. Probably not. But he did have the Kaio-ken technique that could instantly multiply his strength and speed in short bursts. It hadn't worked well against Vegeta in their first battle, but now that he was stronger and faster without it, perhaps it would give him some leverage in a fight against the saiyan prince.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Goku asked condescendingly. "You wouldn't have a chance against me."

Vegeta snorted. "The Prince of all Saiyans not have a chance against a weakling, third-class, tailless disgrace? You've got to be kidding."

Goku was not raised as a saiyan, so he did not understand the concept of 'saiyan pride.' Still, he did not appreciate his strength being underestimated, if not outright insulted. Vegeta's taunts were starting to wear on his patience. His ki started rising, slowly at first, then like an explosion it flooded through him until he was engulfed in a flame of energy.

Vegeta was somewhat surprised by the other saiyan's level of power; though he knew it was higher than both Raditz and Nappa, he wasn't expecting what he felt. His expression revealed nothing, but the tip of his tail started flicking in anticipation of a good fight. His own power exceeded 200,000 now, but Kakarrot was not far behind, his power hovering around 150,000.

"Tell me," Vegeta said with boredom lacing his tone, "How did a third-class like you get so much power? Raditz isn't as strong as you."

Goku smirked, realizing that Vegeta had underestimated him and was impressed with his power. "You're not the only one who trains under high gravity."

Vegeta sneered at him. "What do you mean?"

"When you started training in the gravity room Dr. Brief built for you, Bulma thought it would be a good idea for me to have one too. So she built one and gave it to me so Raditz and I could use it to train." His smirk grew when he saw Vegeta's eyes narrow in a hateful glare. "Don't tell me you didn't know."

As a matter of fact, he hadn't. Vegeta felt betrayed. Why would she give those idiots a gravity room of their own? He was supposed to be the only one with such privileges. He was the prince! He growled deep in his chest, his tail twitching more agitatedly. "At least it'll make defeating you more interesting."

The two saiyans stood there, silently appraising each other, before Goku leaped forward, charging Vegeta with his fist raised. A moment before he reached his adversary, Vegeta phased away and reappeared several yards above him, a beam of ki already firing at him. Goku jumped out of the way, the following explosion flinging his body out of control until he crashed to the ground, sliding through the muck until he finally came to a stop. He threw himself to his feet, rubbing his head, and batted a ki ball away before phasing out of sight.

Vegeta used his ability to sense ki to locate Goku, but he was half a second too slow and didn't see the kick aimed for his hip in time to dodge or block. He took the blow full force, but he grabbed Goku's leg and twisted until it was wrenched from its socket. Goku howled in pain while Vegeta spun him around and around before letting go, sending him straight into the ground. Goku hit hard, his body forming a small crater.

"Really, Kakarrot," Vegeta jeered, "This isn't even a challenge!"

"I'll give you a challenge," Goku muttered. Biting his lip, he forced his joint back into place and rose to his feet, testing the amount of weight he could put on his leg without it hurting. Not as much as he'd like. It would be almost useless through the rest of the fight. Vegeta worked quickly and ruthlessly, that was obvious. Goku took a deep breath and forced an influx of power into his body. "Kaio-ken times two!"

His aura blazed red as he shot into the sky, hammering his fists down on Vegeta's head, catching him on his knee, and hurling him down into the ground in a fraction of a second. But his attack didn't keep Vegeta down; the prince immediately blasted out of his own crater and took to the air again, rage burning in his obsidian eyes. He phased out of sight a few feet before he reached Goku, reappeared behind him, dodged an elbow, phased around him, and kicked him hard in the abdomen. Goku doubled over, gasping for breath, while Vegeta crashed his fists down on his head.

Goku fell several yards before he caught himself, having gained his breath. He was startled when Vegeta appeared right in front of him, fist drawn back for a hard punch, but he was able to react on time to block the hit with his forearm while his left leg rose to kick Vegeta's ribs. But Vegeta anticipated the move and blocked with his arm. They broke apart, then, and flared their ki before diving in for close hand-to-hand combat with flying kicks and punches so fast neither was able to block or dodge them all. Goku was taking more hits than Vegeta, but he was holding his own fairly well until Vegeta got one good kick in that ended with him sprawled on the ground, seeing stars.

Vegeta dropped down to the ground as Goku rolled onto his stomach, then raised himself to his hands and knees. "Third-class trash! You should know better than to get into a fight with the Prince of all Saiyans!" He viciously kicked Goku's ribs, satisfied when he heard bones crack. Goku yelped and clutched his side when his body stopped rolling.

The tailless saiyan again rose to his hands and knees and shouted, "Kaio-ken times two!" Again he was surrounded by crimson flames as he darted toward Vegeta, catching him with a punch that broke his nose. But when he rose his other fist to strike, Vegeta caught it in his hand and crushed it until he felt bones snapping in his rival's hand. Goku, still infused with extra energy, tried to kick Vegeta to break free, but his leg was caught with Vegeta's free hand. Almost completely immobilized, Goku used his free hand to punch Vegeta again. Vegeta, though, cocked his head to avoid the blow.

Vegeta released Goku and phased away. He flew high into the sky and cupped his hands at his sides, preparing his Gallic Gun. Down below, Goku looked up and saw what he was doing. He moved his hands to his side and started gathering energy for his kamehameha wave. The land, blanketed in the darkness of night, was lit with the energy held in the saiyans' hands.

"Ka…me…" Goku tried to relax when he felt the magnitude of Vegeta's power. He thought it was high before, but now it had the power to kill him if he wasn't able to hold him off with his counterattack. He took a deep breath. "Ha…me…"

Vegeta moved his hands in front of him, his strongest attack now ready. He released it, the bright violet beam shooting forward, headed directly for the earthling saiyan. He felt the power in Kakarrot's hands and knew it would be hard to overcome, but he was still confident. He could beat him.

Goku slid his left foot back, preparing himself for the jolt when the two beams impacted. "Ha!" He threw his hands forward, releasing the beam of blue energy directly in the path of Vegeta's attack. He grunted when he felt the resistance, nearly enough to throw him backwards. He grit his teeth and poured more energy into his kamehameha, unwilling to step down, unable to back out now.

They were almost evenly matched, neither making any progress pushing their energy far enough to overcome his opponent. It was a stalemate, the only sign of their ongoing struggle the growing bulge of energy in the middle where blue met violet. Both had reserved enough power to push forward and both were driven by a fierce determination to win, to prove himself as the stronger warrior. Vegeta's fury rose and Goku's desperation grew the longer the draw continued. Unrelenting, they were oblivious to the world around them, focused solely on each other and the dangerous amount of energy manifested between them.

This is how they were when the others arrived: Piccolo, Tien, Krillin, Raditz, and Nappa. They all felt the two tremendous powers facing off against each other, rising and falling in battle. The earthling warriors landed a safe distance from the battle while the two saiyans stayed in the air, high above the struggle. No one knew what started the fight and no one wanted to step in; these were the two strongest warriors pitted against one another, and there was enough energy in a single one of their ki beams to kill them all.

Finally, after what felt like hours to the dueling saiyans, Vegeta started making headway, forcing so much energy into his attack that he felt like his arms were on fire. He roared with the effort and forced it farther, pushing Goku's wave back inch by inch, then more rapidly until it was only a few yards from Goku's hands. Seeing the trouble he was in, Goku gathered his last reserves of energy and poured them into his attack, then yelled, "Kaio-ken times two!"

In an instant all the progress Vegeta had made was reversed and it was Goku's kamehameha that was overtaking the Gallic Gun. 'No!' Vegeta thought, 'I will not be defeated by a third-class clown!' He thrust even more ki into his attack, pouring out the last dregs of his energy, but it still wasn't enough. He was going to be overcome by Kakarrot.

"Kaio-ken times three!" Goku screamed as energy flooded through him, renewing his power and pushing his kamehameha the rest of the way until it enveloped Vegeta, sending the saiyan prince high into the atmosphere before he was able to free himself from the beam.

Panting, Goku sank to his knees. He doubted that was enough to hold Vegeta off for long. But he was exhausted; there wasn't any fight left in his body. It was only then he noticed the other warriors who had come to see what was going on. He waved to Piccolo, Tien, and Krillin before he fell forward, too tired to catch himself before his face met the ground.

Krillin was the first to rush over to his side, kneeling on the ground next to him. "Goku? What the heck is going on here? Why are you and Vegeta fighting? Goku?" He grabbed his tall friend's shoulders and shook him violently. "Come on, answer me!"

By the time he had Goku rolled over onto his back, the rest of the warriors – including Nappa and Raditz – had come over to hear his explanation. Goku looked around at them and sighed. "I sensed Vegeta's power out here and I came to see what he was doing. I guess he wasn't in the mood for a visit and started a fight with me."

"Kakarrot, you idiot!" Raditz groaned. "I've told you to leave Vegeta alone. When you feel his power, he's just training."

"Hey, don't call him an idiot," Tien growled. "We can't trust Vegeta. You tell us he won't hurt anyone, but how are we supposed to believe that? You're all murderers!"

"Tien, please!" Goku sat up, wincing in pain. "We don't need to fight amongst ourselves."

"Are you seriously taking their side?" Krillin asked incredulously. "Tien's right, we can't trust them! They're bad news."

They were still arguing when Vegeta landed softly behind them. He was holding his right shoulder, which was badly burned and bleeding profusely, and his breathing was quick and ragged. It took every ounce of strength he had left to stay on his feet. "Kakarrot," he spat. "We're not finished yet."

The others whirled around when they heard him. The earthlings took defensive stances when the incensed saiyan started plodding toward them, each foot forward a tremendous effort though he hid it well. "Stay back, Vegeta. This fight is over," Piccolo warned him.

"This fight is over when I say it's over," Vegeta hissed. He raised himself to his full height and dropped his arms to his sides, hands clenched into fists. "And it's not over. Get out of the way if you want to live."

Nappa and Raditz inched away from the other warriors, distancing themselves from them in case Vegeta sprung an attack on them. They didn't want to get in the way. Still, they moved into their fighting stances, ready to obey the orders of their prince. Raditz was more reluctant, not wanting any quarrels between his comrades and his brother, but he was loyal first and foremost to the throne and would not hesitate to kill Kakarrot if he was ordered to. They watched Goku as he struggled to his feet and pushed through his small band of friends.

"You don't have any energy left, Vegeta," he said. "Stop this fight before you get hurt."

He didn't know that Vegeta was already hurt, more than he would ever admit. Physically, he was more exhausted than anything, but his pride was shattered. He had been bested by a third-class warrior, a fool with no tail, hardly a saiyan. He would sooner die than discontinue the fight before he could take his pride back and gain revenge. He was about to say so when he was momentarily distracted by the sound of a jet nearby, flying low. He turned to see where it was and growled loudly when he saw that it was a Capsule Corporation jet, top of the line, no doubt the blue-haired banshee chasing after everyone to stick her nose where it didn't belong as usual.

He turned back to Goku and slid his foot back, preparing to pounce. "You're weaker than me. I will not be defeated!" With a feral snarl he leaped on Goku, knocking him to the ground, and started beating him with everything he had. Kicking and punching as they rolled around in the ash, they struggled for dominance. Vegeta was vicious, animalistic. When punching and kicking were not enough he started clawing, digging his nails into his opponent's body, and bit him, tearing off chunks of muscles, shredding his flesh. He ignored the others shouting for him to stop, their attempts to pull him off, and their weak hits.

Bulma landed her jet a short distance away when she spotted them and took the scouter off. She used it to track their power levels after Nappa and Raditz abruptly left the compound. She knew something was amiss and wanted to figure out what. She jumped out of her jet and ran over to the fight, at first confused about what was happening. Like a fight at a school her friends were gathered in a huddle, shouting and shoving each other out of the way.

"Guys!" she screamed, trying to make her voice rise about the ruckus. "Guys, stop!"

She managed to catch their attention, and other than Goku and Vegeta, who continued grappling on the ground, everyone turned when they heard her approaching. "Bulma, stay back," Tien said.

Bulma shook her head and shoved her way through them until she saw what they were all watching. Her heart leaped in her throat when she saw the blood. It was everywhere, coating both saiyans. She couldn't even tell whose it was. There was a layer of wet ash covering them, hiding their injuries. "Goku! Vegeta! Stop fighting! What the hell are you doing?"

Vegeta was distracted for just long enough that Goku was able to throw him off. He jumped to his feet and ran after him to continue fighting. Vegeta dodged a kick and rose into a handstand, then sprung over Goku and kicked his head. He landed behind him in a low crouch before shooting forward to punch Goku's kidneys. But Goku turned and jumped, caught Vegeta around the waist, and threw him into the ground as hard as he could. The prince staggered to his feet and threw a ki ball at Goku, throwing him on the defense.

"I said stop!" Bulma ran over and tried to place herself between Goku and Vegeta, not noticing Goku disappear and phase in front of Vegeta to try another barrage of blows. She shrieked when one of Goku's punches caught her shoulder, knocking her to the ground. She cried out in pain as she clutched her shoulder.

The fight instantly stopped when Goku realized what he had done. Bulma had barely hit the ground before he was picking her up in his arms. "Bulma, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you."

She bit back her tears and tried to smile reassuringly, but it came across as a grimace. "It's okay, Goku. I know you didn't do it on purpose."

Vegeta watched their short exchange, horrified that Bulma had gotten hurt. Whatever anger he held against her for their argument earlier disappeared when he saw her go down. And then, then that fool Kakarrot had the nerve to tell her he didn't see her? That he was sorry? Sorry was never, ever good enough.

Goku turned when he heard a low, ferocious growl. He backpedaled when he saw Vegeta crouching, ready to pounce, his lips curled in a snarl and tail lashing behind him. "Vegeta? Seriously, I think we should stop."

Bulma wiggled a little. "Goku," she murmured, "I think you should put me down."

He released her, letting her slip down to her feet. She stayed in front of him, blocking Vegeta from getting to Goku. She had seen that look before, when he saved her and her mother from the people who tried to kidnap her. He had gone into protection mode, and while that might have flattered her any other time, she was frightened about what the outcome may be.

"Vegeta, calm down. He didn't mean to hurt me. It's okay," she said reassuringly.

He wasn't swayed. He gnashed his teeth and circled around, but Bulma circled too, keeping herself between him and Goku. "I'm not going to let you hurt him, Vegeta."

"Get out of the way, girl."

"Bulma, it's okay," Goku said. He gently pushed her aside and faced Vegeta. "I'm not going to fight you anymore, Vegeta."

That wasn't enough to make Vegeta back off. He didn't care if Kakarrot kept fighting or not, he was still going to kill him for hurting his pack mate. Bulma didn't want to let their disagreement escalate further, but there was obviously nothing she could do. She could only hope that Vegeta would show enough restraint to not kill Goku.

As soon as she was a safe distance away, Vegeta leaped forward and attacked Goku, flooring him. He straddled the taller saiyan's chest and punched his face until his jaw fractured and his left eye was swollen shut. Goku finally managed to throw Vegeta off, then phased out of sight, reappearing next to him as he spun into a roundhouse kick that caught Vegeta's arm. There was the snap of a bone breaking. Both saiyans then disappeared and the only sign of their fight was the shockwaves as their fists collided, they blocked blows, and made solid hits.

Bulma looked all around, but she was never able to catch sight of either of them. She glanced over and saw that the others were able to track the fight with their eyes. She shook her head and sank to her knees. She didn't mean for Vegeta to get so upset in the first place. If she hadn't pushed him he wouldn't have left Capsule Corporation and this fight never would have happened. She hated to think what kind of shape they would be in when the fight ended. Hopefully both of them would make it through alive, but either way she was sure she was going to have to rush them to the infirmary to take care of broken bones, cuts, burns, and other injuries.

The fight seemed to last forever before Bulma saw an orange streak fall from the sky. The ground shook when Goku hit. She screamed, terrified that he had been killed. It was only a few seconds later that another body crashed to the ground. Neither of the saiyans rose from where they landed. Bulma sprinted over to Vegeta's body and knelt down next to him. She felt for a pulse on his neck and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the steady throbbing. He was alive, but he was knocked out. She glanced over to where Goku had landed and saw that Krillin and Piccolo were already over there.

"How is he?" she called over to them.

Krillin stood up and rubbed his head. "Well, he's alive, but he's in pretty bad shape."

Bulma nodded and stood up. "We'll have to get them both to the infirmary. Can you carry them back to my jet?"

Tien came over and glared down at Vegeta. "I don't see why you want to help him, Bulma. You saw what he did! Goku was willing to concede but he kept fighting! He has no honor."

Bulma frowned at him. "You don't understand, Tien! He was just trying to protect me."

"From Goku?"

She shrugged. "Goku hurt me."

"Not on purpose."

"Whatever. Help Krillin get Goku to my jet." Bulma turned away from him and waved Raditz over. "Hey, Raditz! Come here! I need you to help me get Vegeta to my jet. I'm going to take him back to the infirmary at the compound."

Raditz glanced at Nappa, then came over and picked Vegeta up. Bulma led the way to her jet, with Tien and Krillin carrying Goku and Raditz carrying Vegeta. Piccolo and Nappa followed after them, just to make sure the charges were well taken care of. Once they were laid in the back of the jet, Bulma hopped into the pilot seat.

"Anyone coming with me or should I just meet you back at the compound?"

"I'll go with you," Krillin said. He walked around the jet and got in on the passenger side.

"Alright then, let's go!" Bulma started up the engine and took off, escorted by two saiyans, a Namekian, and a three-eyed man. She looked in the back at the two unconscious saiyans and sighed heavily. "I can't wait to see what kind of injuries these guys have," she grumbled.

It was over two hours later when Bulma's jet landed in the back yard of Capsule Corporation. She got out and opened the door for the others to take the saiyans out and carry them inside to the infirmary. She had already called her father to let him know she was bringing two beat-up saiyans and that she would probably need some extra medical staff on duty to help patch them up.

Within a few minutes both saiyans were in the infirmary hooked up to machines to monitor their vitals. Bulma ordered full-body x-rays and decided to start cleaning them up to treat their cuts and burns, but they were covered in a thick layer of blood and muddy ash. Eventually, she just pulled their outer clothes off and used a rag to clean their exposed skin while Dr. Brief tended to the more serious wounds.

"I have a feeling these two aren't going to be training for a while," Dr. Brief commented as he bandaged a deep gash on Goku's shoulder. He had strange wounds; some of them looked like bites more than anything.

Bulma snorted as she cleaned the burn on Vegeta's shoulder. "Good luck keeping them in bed long enough to heal. You know these guys."

"Why were they fighting anyway? It doesn't look like they were sparring."

"I don't know. Everyone got there after they already started." Bulma shrugged and ran her hand through Vegeta's upswept mane. "I have a feeling Vegeta was looking for a fight and Goku played into it without knowing better."

"That sounds about right," Dr. Brief chuckled. "Well, they're both going to be fine, so I guess it doesn't matter. They could have done a lot more damage to each other."

"You're telling me." Bulma bent forward and kissed her saiyan brother's forehead. "Stupid saiyans. They like to fight too much for their own good." They continued working quietly, cleaning and bandaging the saiyans while their medical staff studied the x-rays. There were over a dozen broken bones between the two of them. Cracked ribs, fractured jaw, broken nose, broken humerus, and shattered metacarpals and phalanges. Luckily no vital organs had been damaged aside from bruised kidneys.

Despite the severity of the injuries, Bulma was actually excited that Vegeta wouldn't be able to train for a few days while he healed. That meant she would be able to hang out with him a little and hopefully apologize for what she said to him that made him leave the compound. She was sorry for what she said, but she knew saying so wouldn't mean anything to him. Keeping him out of the gravity room was going to be a chore, but she was willing to take off work for a few days to make sure he didn't try training and end up hurting himself even worse. What a pity that she had to miss some boring board meetings. She smiled.

A/N: SnowflakesInSummer, I don't typically do shout-outs because I have so many reviews that I would feel bad only addressing a few of them in my author's notes unless I make them super long. But hey, I guess I just did one. :) As for everyone wanting Bulma/Vegeta romance, hold up! I never move fast in making romance happen in my stories. And don't worry about incest. It's not like Bulma and Vegeta are actually brother and sister, so no worries, right? But then, did I ever say this was going to be a B/V romance fic? Let's not get ahead of the writer here. Bonds between saiyans are the same as being pack mates, though there are different kinds (e.g., mates, parents/children, friends). Bulma is still training with Chi-Chi even though she gave up training with Vegeta. And happy late birthday to Ayaka86.

I wrote chapters 60 and 61 today (yep, I've been busy, but they're freaking awesome chapters. I know you'll love them). I'm getting pretty excited about finally writing the crazy, twisted, action-packed climax of the story. Oh, and a heads-up about the next update: Saturday is my roommate's wedding so I won't be able to update at 2:00AM (I won't have internet). So, I'm giving you a choice...do you want me to update Friday or late Saturday? Cast your vote via review. If not much opinion either way is given, then I'll just do late Saturday.

Beta'd by lilpumpkingirl

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