Vegeta silently landed in a field of long green grass and spared a few seconds to glance at his surroundings before focusing on his reason for being there.
“Kakarotto.”
Goku remained silent from his seat in the grass, his back to the prince. Vegeta waited patiently as he moved forward and sat beside the younger man. Several moments passed and nothing was said.
“She only wanted the money.” Goku finally said.
Vegeta frowned. “Does that surprise you? I told you that banshee didn’t care for you.”
The other Saiyajin sighed and slumped further into the grass before falling backwards to lay flat on his back while tucking his arms behind his head for a pillow.
“I know. And I knew before. I just decided not to believe it.”
The prince smirked down at him. “Hn. That’s why you’re a baka.”
A frown appeared on Goku’s lips as he glared at the sky above him. “You always know just what to say, you know that, Vegeta?”
The older man snorted and folded his arms over his chest as he looked in the opposite direction. He waited a few moments before speaking again. “So I assume the woman kicked you out?”
The sound of an agitated tail hitting the ground was the initial reply. “Unofficially. Doesn’t matter. I wasn’t planning on going back anyway.”
Vegeta turned back to the other Saiyajin and gazed upon the angry eyes that still refused to meet his own. “So what do you plan on doing then? Sleeping in the woods?”
“Not like I haven’t done it before.”
“Nonsense. You’re staying at Capsule Corp.”
Goku blinked in surprise and finally looked at the other man, who was now looking in the opposite direction. “What?”
A low growl of irritation came from the prince’s throat. “You heard me, baka!”
The younger Saiyajin sighed and sat up. “You know I’d drive you insane.”
“Hn. You drive me insane no matter where you are, so you might as well just shut-up and go get your things.” Vegeta said as he stood and brushed himself off. “And as long as you’re staying, I expect a decent sparring partner, so you better get yourself back into shape. Quickly.”
With that, the prince took to the sky, leaving Goku to make up his mind.
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“What do you mean you’re leaving??!! We still have payments to make!” ChiChi shouted as she followed her husband through the house. The Saiyajin was currently gathering his few possessions and packing them into a duffle bag.
“No, YOU have payments to make!” Goku snapped as he brushed the woman aside and headed for the door. He didn’t want to stay longer than he had to, and the sooner he got out of that house, the better.
ChiChi growled and threw herself between him and the door. “So you’re just leaving me here with no source of money?!”
Goku glared at her. “You have a source of money. I suggest you put on something nice and hit the city streets. Prime hours are between nine and eleven. Have fun.”
With that, the Saiyajin pushed ChiChi aside and threw open the door.
“How dare you!” the black-haired woman screamed as he ascended into the sky. “Filthy monkey! You’ll be back!”
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Vegeta watched from the forest as Goku took off toward Capsule Corp, leaving the screaming banshee behind.
“Filthy monkey! You’ll be back!”
The prince growled as ChiChi turned and disappeared inside, slamming the door behind her. He stepped out into the open and studied the home closely, then, with a smile on his face, began destroying everything Goku’s money had paid for.
Once the little things were taken care of, a large ki blast destroyed the new addition.
Vegeta was enjoying himself so much he didn’t even notice the screaming woman at his side.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
The prince growled and pushed the woman away, annoyed by her foul stench. “Making sure you don’t get any enjoyment out of Kakarotto’s suffering! I want all the money your insurance will give you from this damage, and I want the money you get when you sell that fancy car over there too.”
“So you’re a common thief and bully now, huh?” the woman sneered.
“No, I’m the judge and jury, you bitch! If I don’t see that money by the end of the month, I’ll come back here and destroy more than your house.”
The murderous expression upon Vegeta’s face made ChiChi take a few steps back.
The Saiyajin glanced to the side and pointed towards the garden. “And I want those plants delivered to Capsule Corp by the end of the day. And for every damaged leaf, expect a broken bone.”
With that, Vegeta blasted into the sky, leaving the shaking ningen behind.
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Even with his delayed departure, Vegeta still managed to arrive at Capsule Corp just as Goku touched down.
The younger man had a strange expression on his face. “What were you doing at my house? I felt your ki.”
The prince mentally slapped himself for not concealing his energy better when he was ‘cleaning house’. “I’m not in the mood for your questions, baka!”
Goku flinched at the icy tone and his tail dropped limply behind him.
The older man rolled his eyes at his own behavior and pushed the door open, motioning for the other to follow.
“Since we aren’t trying to hide your presence this time, you can choose whatever room you like. Come and go as you wish, but stay out of my gravity chamber unless I give you permission to use it, got it?!”
“Yeah.” came the quiet response.
Vegeta glanced back at the other Saiyajin as they climbed the stairs and noted his miserable expression and downcast eyes.
“Probably regretting his decision now. And I doubt I’m helping.” the prince thought.
As they reached the top of the stairs, Vegeta moved aside and motioned down the hall.
“Take your pick. You’re probably hungry, so when you’re ready, Bulma’s mother will jump at the chance to fix something for you. Cooking is what that woman lives for. Kami knows it isn’t her husband.”
A small smile appeared on Goku’s lips as he started down the hall, seemingly knowing exactly which room he was heading for. “Thanks, Vegeta.”
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Goku sighed and glanced at the clock beside the table.
5:30 pm.
He’d been laying there for two hours, just thinking. Yes, he was capable of thinking, as shocking as that might sound.
He was hungry, but he didn’t want to face Bulma and the others yet. They’d want to know why he was there and not at home, and he never was very good at lying. He was also dreading running into Vegeta again. He knew everything, and he was afraid of the looks he may get from the prince. He cared about what the older man thought of him, even if it didn’t seem like it.
Goku rolled off the bed and went to the dresser, where he had thrown his wallet. Yes, he had one of those too. He grabbed it and glanced inside, smiling slightly when he found several crumpled bills inside. He’d managed to keep some of his money, though he had to hide it from ChiChi, and it looked like he had plenty to go out for something to eat.
After pulling on a pair of jeans and a black button-up shirt, Goku tucked his wallet into his back pocket and left the room. He managed to get to the bottom of the stairs before he ran into Vegeta.
“Where are you going?” the prince asked as he eyed the other Saiyajin. He only saw the younger man in normal ningen clothes for one reason, and he wasn’t about to let him do that to himself again.
Goku rubbed the back of his head as he studied the tiles beneath his feet. “I’m just going out for a bit.”
This didn’t ease Vegeta’s suspicion. “To do what?”
By then, it had dawned on Goku what the prince was thinking, and he growled under his breath and made his way to the door. “It’s really none of your business, Vegeta. And NO, I’m not doing THAT!”
The older man frowned as his eyes followed the lashing tail of the other Saiyajin. Perhaps he’d jumped to conclusions a bit too quickly. Still, he had this annoying feeling that told him he should accompany Goku.
“I’m going with you, Kakarotto.” Vegeta said.
Goku’s hand paused on the knob as his shoulders slumped. “Do you really think I’d keep doing that to myself?”
“No.” the prince said as he brushed past the younger man and stepped outside. “I just want to get out of this cracker box for awhile.” He paused halfway down the sidewalk and looked back at Goku, who was still standing in the doorway.
“Well?”
With a look of uncertainty on his face, Goku pulled the door closed behind him and started down the sidewalk.
