Vegeta lay stretched out on his bed, thinking about Goku. He
had changed so much, so quickly, it was hard to get a firm hold of.
One day he was the goofy, carefree Goku, who couldn't even stand up
to his hellcat of a wife, the next…he shows up at the door dressed
like a prostitute and willing to act like one.

      A deep purr began to rumble in his chest as he remembered
that night in the club. The strange new Kakarrot had been more than
happy to serve his prince.

      "Deep thoughts, my ouji?" a voice spoke from the doorway.

      The saiya-jin prince smirked. "What is it Kakarrot?"

      "I come bearing gifts." Goku replied.

      "Oh?" Vegeta glanced up at his lover, arching a brow.

      The larger saiya-jin sat down on the edge of the bed and
placed a small orange lump on his Prince's belly.

      The smaller man stared at the tiny ginger kitten sitting on
his stomach, a large bow tied to his collar. It stared at him with
large green eyes.

      "Mew."

      Vegeta stared back at the fuzzy kitty, his other brow rising
to meet its counterpart. "Kakarrot, what…?"

      "He's for you. A token of my affection and devotion for you,
my prince." Goku answered smirking. "I trust that if you have…need
for me, you'll come and get me. See ya."

      "Kakarrot!" the shorter saiya-jin called, but his companion
had already left, leaving him with the orange bundle of fur.
     
      The kitten walked up to his face and licked his chin. A small
smile flickered at the corners of the ouji's mouth. "Well, Carrot,"
he said, "I think we should get you some things…"

      Picking the ginger cat up, Vegeta walked out of his room,
both of them purring.



      Drying himself off after his shower, Goku strolled down the
hallway into his room, throwing the towel onto the bed as he dug
around for some gi pants. Finding an old black pair, he pulled them
on and followed the scent of food into the kitchen.
     
      Pausing in the doorway, he watched as Chichi bustled around
the kitchen, preparing dinner as best she could in the small space.
Looking away, Goku made his way to the living room and found Goten
watching some music on TV.

      "Hey, Goten. Whatcha watching?" He asked, sitting next to his
son.

      "Some music. Nicki showed me some the other day in class,
this is one of them…" Goten rocked and hummed along to the music.

      Goku focused on the TV, watching in silence as the video ran
its course, finally ending and causing his son to sigh.

      "We'll have to get you a CD player sometime Goten, then you
can get the CD for it if you like it that much…"

      Goten perked up.

      "Really, dad?"

      "Really, we'll just have to find a way to convince your
mother as well…"

      The family moment was broken as Chichi's voice rang through
from the kitchen, announcing dinner to be ready. Both Son men leapt
to their feet, instantly seating themselves down at the cramped
little table before tucking into the meal laid out before them.

      The meal continued similar to the one the night before, Goku
and Chichi ignoring each other for the most part, both asking
questions of Goten instead to cover up the silence.

      Eventually, the meal finished and while Chichi washed the
pots, Goku picked Goten up and carried him to the bathroom,
depositing him in front of the sink while he went to his room.
Picking up his sons pyjamas, he got them ready as he waited for Goten
to brush his teeth.

      Minutes later, the youngest Son appeared, grinning so his
father could see his clean teeth.

      "Right, Goten. Into your pyjamas…" Handing his son the
clothes, Goku got the bed ready while Goten changed.

      Leaping into bed, Goten snuggled himself down into the
covers, before promptly sitting up again and holding his arms out.
Smiling, Goku leant down and hugged the younger boy.

      "Night, daddy!"

      "Night, Goten!" Ruffling his son's hair, he left the room,
closing the door partway and made his way downstairs.

      Chichi sat on the couch, flicking through a book, having
switched the TV off. Goku sat himself on the couch, switching the TV
on, prepared to stare at something while he pondered Vegeta.

      "Goku, you realise you're on the couch again tonight?" Chichi
mentioned in a calm voice, not lifting her face form the book.

      "Yes, I gathered," Goku replied, looking at the couch in
distaste for a moment.

      Both parents sat in silence for the rest of the night, Goku
watching something on TV as he thought over his night with Vegeta.
Sighing, he mentally grumbled to himself about the Saiya-jin prince
having not claimed him.

      Absently running a hand over his neck, he began running over
the events of the night in the club, soon stopping when he felt
himself becoming quickly frustrated. Eventually, Chichi left him to
himself, disappearing up into their room and locking the door behind
her.

      Muttering to himself, Goku stared at the TV for a while
longer before deciding on a better place to sleep. Sneaking along the
landing, he peeked in Goten's room.

      Walking over to the bed, he gently nudged his son with his
hand.

      "Goten?"

      "Dad…?" Goten blinked sleepily.

      "Can I sleep in here with you tonight? Mummy wants our
bedroom to herself tonight…"

      "Sure…" Goten shuffled over, not quite opening his eyes
fully, and waiting until Goku had climbed in, before wrapping one arm
around his dad's neck and resuming sucking on his thumb.

      Goku remained awake for a little longer, sense of frustration
leaving him as his son's scent filled his nose. Finally drifting
asleep, he wrapped his tail around his son and snuggled up against
him, both Son's curled up in the small bed.



      The next morning, Bulma rushed back to her laboratory, coffee
cup in one hand and a packet of cookies in the other. A few hours
before, she had made a breakthrough on a new model of the capsule car.

      Suddenly she stepped on something, which emitted a loud
yowl. Stumbling in surprise, she dropped her snack, coffee
splattering her pants and shoes. Glancing down she was startled to
see a hissing ginger kitten dart away from her feet.

      Following the flight of the small cat, she watched as it hid
behind a pair of familiar spandex covered legs. Bending over to
retrieve his kitten, Vegeta glared at Bulma.

      "What the hell are you trying to do, woman?!" the prince
snarled. "Kill my cat?!"

      Stunned, the blue-haired woman just gaped at him.

      Grumbling, Vegeta turned and stalked off, muttering. "Come
Carrot, I won't let the stupid bitch woman hurt my little kitty
again..."

      Blinking, one thought repeated it self in Bulma's mind. `What
the hell...?'



Goten stared at the brick in front of him. At some point, he'd
stopped /seeing/ the brick, looking right through it. Or, well,
that's what it looked like in the outside world. In the boy's
personal inside world, however, things looked a mite bit different.
     
Kind of like his dad. What'd happened? Even though he was only eight
years old, and a real Son, he couldn't help but notice the fact that
his father was acting very out-of-character. That outfit of his...
The way he moved, the way he talked, it was just... wrong. He
couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, though.
     
He was snapped out of his reverie quite rudely by a passing shoe. He
moved just quick enough to dodge it, and refocused.
     
Nicki sat on the wall he'd been staring at, both her feet swinging
from side to side in either impatience or habit. Next to her,
standing on the tiny little brick elevation was Len, wielding Troy's
other shoe in her right hand. She was grinning quite maniacally at
the brown-haired boy, who was jumping up and down in an attempt to
reach at least one of his shoes.
     
"Give it!" he commanded, or at least tried to; it came out as a high-
pitched whine. Not for the first, or the last time in his life, Troy
vaguely wondered why he'd ended up being the girlie one in his group
of friends. /Especially/ since there were two actual girls involved
in said group.
     
The brown-haired girl was having none of it. She tossed the gym shoe
up into the air, then caught it again. "No way, wimpy! Not until you
take it back!" She smirked in a smug way, which vaguely reminded
Goten of Vegeta. He shook it off.
     
"I can't take back something that's true! You really are a midget!"
the taller boy staunchly defended, waving a sock in Len's general
direction. This somewhat detracted of the general effect he was
trying to get, but he decided to ignore such things. Instead, he just
glared back a bit harder.
     
Then he got hit in the face by the other gym shoe, right between the
eyes. He fell backwards, hitting the ground with a `thump', out cold.
Len hopped off of the wall, and gave him a quick nudge in the ribs
with her foot. "Sissy."
     
Goten felt the corners of his mouth tug upwards involuntarily. It'd
been less than a day, but all of this was already familiar to him.
That was good. It meant he'd gotten something else to hold on to
besides his father.

      Which was really what he needed now, with his dad being all
weird and all.



      Goku stared out of the window, massaging his temples, tail
thrashing behind him as his wife ran through her `latest annoyance'
list.

      "You came home dressed like a whore the other night, you're
being totally uncooperative, you STILL haven't found a job…"

      Baring his teeth at his reflection, the Saiya-jin rubbed the
muscle where his shoulder and neck joined. Tuning out the screeching,
he tried to will a claim mark into existence, wishing for the
thousandth time that morning that Vegeta had claimed him during their
night together.

      "Goku! Are you even listening to me?!"

      "Yes woman, you're coming across loud and clear," he growled,
turning to face her.

      Chichi paused for a moment. More often than not these last
few days, the size difference between herself and her husband became
alarmingly apparent. She still trusted him not to hurt her, even with
the sudden change in his behaviour. However, she still hated being
reminded how much stronger than her he actually was.

      Goku waited for a reply, scowling at the dark haired woman.

      Chichi took a deep breath to compose herself, and then
continued.

      "Look Goku. I don't know what started this. You've been hit
over the head harder than that before, so it can't have just been me.
All I'm asking is that you calm down and find a job like any other
man. Everyone else does it, I don't see why you can't. You can do
something worthwhile with your time now, there's plenty of job
opportunities…"

      Goku stared. "Worthwhile?! Saving the world isn't worthwhile,
oh yeah. IF I HADN'T BEEN OUT THERE FIGHTING, THIS WORLDAND EVERY
PERSON ON IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HISTORY WHEN RADITZ ARRIVED!"

      Chichi's eyes widened. She had seen Goku upset or angry
before, but he'd never shouted like that. Stubbornness kicking in,
she switched to the usual defence.

      "IS IT SO MUCH FOR YOU TO WORK A JOB AND SAVE THE WORLD ONLY
WHEN IT NEEDS IT?!"

      "NO! YOU WANNA KNOW WHY? LOOK AT GOHAN! HE COULD HAVE BEEN
STRONGER THAN ME, YET WITHOUT THAT OLD KAIOSHIN'S HELP, HE WAS NEXT
TO USELESS TO US! THAT'S WHY!"

      Both people went silent, glaring at each other, muscles
tensed up as they stared each other down.

      With a "Ksh!" sound, Goku lifted two fingers to his forehead
and disappeared.



      The hunter stalked it prey, slinking slowly across the ground
getting closer...closer...Then pounced! Vegeta began to laugh as the
kitten latched on to his hand, attempting to bite off his thumb. He
shook the cat off lightly onto the bed, then watched as it attacked
again.

      The prince had noticed some interesting things about Carrot
throughout the day. The ginger kitten ate an enormous amount of food
for a creature its size and seemed to enjoy fighting. It had already
attacked the woman's father, his cat, Trunks and molested Bulma's
ankles, twice.

      Suddenly, Carrot darted under the bed as a large figure
appeared in the middle of the room.

      It was Goku. And he looked pissed, his ki fluctuating wildly.

      "Kakarrot?" Vegeta spoke, questioningly.

      "I hate them!" the taller man shouted. "I hate them all!
Ungrateful bastards! And I especially hate HER!"

      Goku panted heavily, angry thoughts streaming through his
head. He began to pace. "Kami-dammit, why can't she get off my back?!
Doesn't she realize that if I hadn't spent my time saving this
pathetic excuse for a planet time and time again, there wouldn't BE
any jobs for me to get?"

      He stopped his pacing at the window, laying a fisted hand
against the glass. "Though even if she DID realize it probably
wouldn't make a difference, she'd still treat me like an child. She
acts like I can't think for my self, hell, they ALL act like I'm an
idiot! I'm not stupid! Yeah, sure, I know I'm not as smart as your
average Joe, but what do they expect?! I lived alone and isolated for
the time most children would be learning how to spell and do math!
Dammit, I suffered head trauma that would have killed a human child,
as a baby!"
     
      The muscles in his body tensed, and a slight crack resonated
from beneath the saiya-jin warrior's fist. "I've died three kami-
damned times for this planet, and what thanks do I get?! My `wife'
yells at me, my `friends' think I'm an idiot and no one else even
knows I exist! And they still expect me to risk my life every time
some creature comes to destroy the world!"

      "Well I've had it! Next time someone comes to take over the
world, they can just fight it themselves, `cause I. Do not. Give a
damn!" Goku's ki gave one last flare, and a web of cracks laced
through the glass around his fist. He let his hand drop, taking deep
breaths.

      "Kakarrot..."

      Goku turned to look at Vegeta, who was now beside him. "What?"

      The prince smirked and said "Shut-up," then pulled the taller
man down into a fiery kiss.

     
     
Bwah! I'm sure you can guess how he mellowed Goku out...

Sara