Chapter 8 - The way I hate you

Vegeta to Goku: "And you wonder why I hate you!  Its not just because you beat Frieza and not me!  I just don't like you! You can even be fucking honest with me let alone yourself or anyone else.  But everyone fucking just loves you!  AT least I'm honest.  I have never lied to you or anyone like you do.  But then I don't have to and I don't care to.  Why should I?"
 
 

     He had come to spar with that ever-present grin on his face.  I hate that damn smile.  It's like he's having some private joke at my expense.  The thought never fails to enrage me and the challenge is accepted.  His fighting style has relaxed in favor of fast, powerful blows and ki-strikes.  The simplified technique would leave plenty of advantage to me if I was Super Saiyan as well.  But I'm not yet, and at times like this, when his advantage is like a slap in the face, I grow all the more determined.  If I do nothing else in this life, I will beat Kakarotto.
    I just barely have time to dodge a feint and blunder right into the real attack.  A thick fist pounded into my ribs twice and the air rushed from my lungs as I'm pushed back.  My leg lashed out and grazed his jaw.  Another direct blow to my bruised ribs and they would crack.  I jump back and his fist plows into the hard earth.  I flew up a bit and flung ki blasts at him but he bounced them away effortlessly.  He wasn't smiling anymore, which was a relief.  He took aim and let loose a blast that nearly decapitated me.  Then I felt another crushing blow in the same spot.  My ribs cracked and I bit my lip to hold in a cry of pain.  I lashed out angrily and caught his jaw with my fist.  Finally.  His head snapped back but he used the momentum to bring his knee up- again in the same spot.  The pain made everything go white for a moment and I knew without a doubt that if I took another blow to that area, my lungs would be punctured by my broken ribs.
     Damn it!  The bastard thought he could use me as a punching bag!?  The intense pain and indignant fury left me totally vulnerable and soon I was hurling towards earth.
    At least, I thought I was.
    After a few minutes I realized I was coughing up blood and dust and the baka was standing over me looking like he just saw Gohan get a cock in his ass.
    "Vegeta?  Are you alright?"
    "Of course!" He offered a hand and I spit at it.
    "I'm sorry!  Truly!  I was just-"
    "You were pissed about something."  I tired to sit up but I suddenly began to choke and I could feel something warm dribbling down my chin.  I knew what it was without looking.
    "Oh Kami!  You're bleeding internally!"  I was surprised he knew that, although his stupidity sometimes makes me forget that he knows about as much about battle injuries as I do.
    "So what?" I snapped when he tried to get closer.  "You think you can do something now to ease your conscience?  Why do you even bother?  Your petty emotions make you weak!  You could have easily killed me just now but instead you humiliate me further!  Who the hell do you think you are?!"  more choking on blood and feeling it dribble down my chin.
    "I'm not!" he tried.
    "But you ARE! And you know damn well!  I refuse to believe your innocent act.  There is no one like that alive.  Part of you hates me as much as I hate you, for wanting to be stronger than you!"
    "No!" he gasped, but I could see some of the color fade from his face.. had I hit a nerve?
    "Yes!" I crowed, I tried to stand again and finally succeed but the effort had left me weak and panting, and my lungs were being torn with every breath.  The pain was making me dizzy.
    "No Vegeta!  You have to believe me!" he grabbed my elbow.
    "Kisama!  I don't have to believe anything you say!!" I screamed, jerking away.  I tried to stand again and even managed to for a moment before falling gracelessly on my ass.   "Your such a fucking fake!  That mask of stupidity you hide behind makes me sick!  You’re a coward!" I roared, again trying to find purchase and pull myself to my feet, but for some reason I was too dizzy.
    "What?" I heard him whisper.  I managed a glance and saw his face was bloodless.  Ah, I've definitely hit a nerve now!
    "You heard me!" I snapped, finally making it to my feet without falling backwards.  I jabbed my finger in his ashen face.  "You act like two different people.  The idiot for your stupid friends, and when you fight, you act like a Saiyan.  It is fucking ridiculous.  You probably are so used to playing the part that you don't even know!"
    "That's not true!" Kakarotto snapped, his face was slightly pink and his eyes were narrowed in anger.
    "Oh, look who it is!" I exclaimed with mock surprise.  "It's Kakarotto!  Where the hell have you been?"  I heard a deep growl rumbling through his chest.  I could feel my lips turning up in a satisfied smirk.  "Why do you lie to me?" I snapped, dropping the game.  "Do you think I'm stupid?"
    "N-no!" he blurted, flushing.  I spat another gob of blood.  It was thick and dark and tasted foul.  I grimaced, but ignored him and his lies.
    "Yes!" I snarled.  "Obviously you do!  If you didn't you wouldn't try to act like an ass in front of me.  You disrespect me each time I see you. And you wonder why I hate you!  Its not just because you beat Frieza and not me!  I just don't like you! You can even be fucking honest with me let alone yourself or anyone else.  But everyone fucking just loves you!  AT least I'm honest.  I have never lied to you or anyone like you do.  But then I don't have to and I don't care to.  Why should I?"
    "I'm not lying to you!" Kakarotto snapped.  My lungs burned with each breath, but I was determined to say all I meant to before I passed out.
    "You are.  I have been trying to explain in a way even YOU couldn't possibly misunderstand.  You wear a mask and its name is 'Goku'.  And I hate it.  And you fucking disrespect everyone including yourself by keeping it."
    "That is NOT True.  Unlike you I am capable of caring for other people." I rolled my eyes.
    "Caring?  For who?  That bitch you are mated to?"
    "Hey!"
    "Shut up! Your going to fucking listen to everything I have to say, and no less.  If you don't that just proves that I'm right." His mouth snapped shut, but the angry flush did not leave his face.
    "Fine." He hissed.
    "How Saiyan you can be sometimes.  Why do you hide it?  Are you afraid that no one will like you?" I said sweetly, but the underlying sarcasm wasn't missed by Wonder Boy.  "It's the only explanation.  You are ashamed of your race but have no problem with taking advantage of the benefits of your blood.  Do you know what we did to bastards like you?"
    "Vegeta.  Get to the point." Kakarotto snapped.  I smiled briefly.  Didn't he realize how much easier things would be if he just dropped the mask and crushed it underfoot?
    "I am.  Bulma tells me that your woman tricked you into marrying her.  How very dishonorable.  Yet you've never had one bad thing to say about her.  Which, frankly, I find amazing.  I've been close enough to hear her scream at you plenty of times.  Shit, it embarrasses me to hear that and to hear you say nothing in response.  How could a Saiyan let anyone treat them so?  You’re her whipped little bitch."
    A fist pounded into the side of my head before I even realized it was coming.  I flew into a solid cliff face and couldn't stop the tortured gasp that escaped my tattered lungs.  Everything grayed out for a moment and I felt someone shaking me.
    "-geta!  Vegeta!  Are you ok?  Jesus H. Christ!"  I tried to jerk out of his grasp but my arms only flopped weakly.  Everything was going in and out of focus and my anger rose another level.  And he did prove my point.  The Saiyan in him shut me up quick enough.  And two seconds later there was 'Goku' all 'concerned' and supposedly regretting the sucker punch he had given me.
    "To hell with you Kakarotto." I barely heard myself say it over the ringing in my ears.  I knew I had a slight concussion then. And that meant another day that I'd miss out on training.  Damn it.
    "How many fingers am I holding up?"
    "I don't know! They could be up your fucking asshole for all I know." I blurted.  But it was true.  I couldn't tell if he was holding up two or six.  I had to get Bulma to build me a regeneration tank.  This shit is ridiculous.  I was starting to feel sick to my stomach.  Great.
    "Can you get up?" I closed my eyes and the dizziness and nausea increased.
  "Fuck you!" I choked.  I was shaking with fury, the fog dissipated long enough for me to throw myself on the unsuspecting fool and pummel him in the face a few times before he recovered sufficiently.   I couldn't keep it up, as aggravating as that knowledge was.  My fists weren't doing as much damage as I would like.  Suddenly Kakarotto's fist slammed into the side of my face and everything went black.

    When I open my eyes again I saw the onna sitting next to me on the bed.  I had a feeling that I had been out for awhile if the hollow pit where my stomach would be was any indication.  She smiled when she noticed I was conscious and put her hand on my forehead.  I tried to pull away but I was utterly exhausted, and that tiny movement was too much effort.
    "How are you feeling?" she asked, handing me a glass of water.  I drank it in a few quick gulps, the cool liquid removed the ache from my throat.
    "How long-" I rasped and broke off in a pain-filled coughing fit.
    "Try not to get too angry Vegeta, but your lungs were punctured and you needed surgery.  You were in the hospital all day yesterday and the day before.  I just got you out this morning and it was almost impossible seeing as you were still unconscious."
    "Surgery!" I croaked.  I should have known.  The only way humans could do anything medically was to pump you full of drugs and/or saw you open, hack things up a bit, and stitch you back up like a stuffed turkey.  It was fucking sick.
    "I know, but we had to.  You would have died with your lung filling with blood.  And the concussion…" she trailed off.  She shivered and I frowned, wondering what she'd seen.  I hated not knowing what happened, especially when that something is involving myself.
   But I wasn't at all surprised with Kakarotto's actions.  He had unwittingly proved my point.  He could act Saiyan whenever he chose.  The problem was that he still tried to act human.  The fool.
    Ah, the hell with him.  He keeps adding fuel to the fire, whether he knows it or not.  Kami I'd been out for almost three days and all I could think of was closing my eyes and sleeping some more.  I should have been training, but I wouldn't last in the GR for five minutes in that sorry state.
    "Woman, if your slipping me drugs to make me sleep I suggest you stop now-" I broke off in a huge yawn that made my jaw ache.  I heard a light chuckle from her.
    "Only if you can promise me that you will let yourself heal fully before training in the GR again."  I could feel my mouth involuntarily pulling into a pout.  "Or I can just disable it for awhile…"
    "Fine." I snapped in anger.  Damn the conniving female.  I remember her lips pressing to the undamaged side of my face.

    Several hours or days passed I couldn't be sure.  But when I opened my eyes again it was still dark outside and I felt the earth-raised Saiyan approaching.  The nerve of him. If he was going to attempt to apologize, I knew I'd vomit in disgust.  Or maybe he wanted to kick my ass some more.
    He used that coveted instant transmission technique, that I would love to learn, and was standing before me.  I rolled my eyes at the guilty expression on his face.
    "Vegeta-" he began
    "Don't even say it.  I don't want to hear it."
    "But-"
    "No!" I growled, painfully sitting up.
   "YES!" He shouted, his teeth bared.  He pushed me back easily, ignoring my resentful glare.  "Now you're going to listen to me!  You don't understand what goes on with me and ChiChi.  I love her, something I know you don't like, but I don't care.  And as for the way I act around my friends.  How would you know how to act?  You killed Nappa without batting an eyelash and how long had you known him?  If that's how you treat people close to you then you obviously don't know what it is to have a friend.  And if I ever offer anything more than someone to spar with you take it as an insult, which it isn't!  Why can't someone smart like you grasp something as simple as friendship?" he said, his face twisted in something akin to anguish.  I could feel my own face twitching, I wanted to break his nose.  But I didn't have half my strength back and I knew it was the onna's fault.  I told her no more sedatives.
    But more importantly, I was seconds away from attacking Kakarotto, regardless of my strength at the moment or the abuse my body had already taken.  If he had had any smugness in his expression I would have done so already, but he didn't look amused or triumphant in any way.  If anything, he looked defeated.
    "Don't try to pin this shit on me Kakarotto!" I hissed.
    "I'm not!" he snapped.  "I'm trying to explain in a way YOU can understand!" he said, mocking my earlier statement.
    I leapt on him and we both tumbled to the ground, but my hands were firmly locked around his throat.  My side was screaming in agony but I was far too angry to notice it much.  Kakarotto's fingers pressed into my wind pipe making breathing even more difficult.  I squeezed harder, hearing rabid growls and realizing they were my own.  Kami damn this third-class piece of shit!
    "Ve-ge-ta!" he choked.  "Stop!  I… don't… want to… do this!" his face was almost purple.
  "Fuck you, 'Goku'!" I rasped.  His eyes narrowed.  I saw his fist come up and blocked the blow with my knee, protecting my trashed ribs.  But then I felt two quick jabs to my stomach which sent all the air from my lungs in a rush.  I couldn't hold him any longer and was thrown to the ground.
    For several minutes we each lay there gasping for air.
    "Why does this always happen?" Kakarotto rasped after he regained enough air to speak.
    "Because." I said. 
   "Fine then.  I will spar with you when you want." And he lifted two fingers to his forehead and was gone, his ki reappeared at his house a second later.
    "Fine." I mumbled.
    Somehow that didn't go quite how I'd hoped.
 
 

The End