Fight, fight, fight. For hours. She loved to fight, Raditz hadn't been wrong about that when they met- but she hated to lose. It was her worst quality, she knew it. Roshi had done his best to teach her the lesson when she lost to Jackie Chun, and she knew it was true: there's always, always, someone stronger. And when she did lose it certainly didn't stop her- in a way it was exciting, because she had something to strive for and look forward to. But all of that didn't stop the dissapointment from turning to stone and settling in her gut with an unforgiving weight that wouldn't shrink for a long while.

She could tell when she was starting to lose, generally. She was of the mindset that a battle was never won or lost until the end, but she wasn't dumb when it came to a fight, and she could clearly see the odds she planned to overcome. Still, she was in bad shape. So was he, but... she was worse. And it killed her, but that was fairness. And fairness always sucks for the party that was brought down to the lower terms to meet even with the inferior.

"What are you thinking about there, Kakarot? Mourning your loss already?"

"I haven't lost yet, Vegeta. I can still win this!"

"Right. So tell me, which name do you preffer, Shishito or Satoimo?"

She flew at him without dignifying him a response. He caught her wrist and looked down to meet her in the eye. "Well well, didn't know you were so eager to be with me. But if you insist..."

She slapped her free hand over her mouth right before their lips could meet. He pulled back with a growl.

"I said, you haven't won yet."

"And when will you say I have? When I can walk and you cannot?"

"Maybe."

"You could surrender."

"I don't do that."

"You should consider it- or..." He smirked. "No, I think that may actually be part of what makes you so attractive. It's so very saiyan of you."

"I'm not a saiyan."

He took a step closer. "You are a saiyan whether you like it or not."

She matched his step. "I'm an earthling whether you like it or not!"

"Fine!"

"And another- fine?"

"Fine. You can keep pretending you're an earthling, and you can say your name is 'Goku', but I'll be damned if I let you forget a whole part of yourself. I refuse to let you ignore your heritage any longer. Your name is Kakarot, your mother was Gine, your father was Bardock, and if you damn well insist then your grandfather was a human named Gohan. But you are saiyan as well as me, and I won't have you be ashamed of it any longer!"

She smiled.

"What?"

"That was actually a bit thoughtful."

"No, woman, it was the truth."

"You know what? You're not as bad a guy as you like to think you are."

He scoffed. "Please. I'm as evil as any other serial killer on your planet."

"You're trying to be a decent person."

"I'm doing no such thing."

She mock gasped. "You're... sorry."

"Stop that!"

"Why?"

"Because- because you don't have the right to mock the prince of all saiyans!"

"SaiyaN. One of them."

"Maybe you haven't noticed, Kakarot, but that's what I intend to fix!"

"Because you care."

"About what?"

"Your people? Your family? Someone you lost when your plant was destroyed is someone you miss, if not more than one- I can tell. You loved them and it hurts you that they're gone. You're a good guy somewhere in there after all."

"And you're full of bullshit after all!"

"Right."

"Right."

She parted her lips as if to speak again, then stopped, and took another step so the space between them was almost null. Her stared down at her in an armor of apprehension. She froze there for an eternity, and his eyes widened. He smiled against her lips. Was it a surrender?

It depended on which one you asked.

-Chapter End-

AN: Hnnnn. Slighlty hate this chapter, I think. Maybe. I'm not sure- we'll see how long I leave it up, I might totally take it down and redo depending on how you guys feel about it. I'm honestly super exited to get to the Majin Buu arc but that's obviously a long ways away, but I just have to keep pushing! I've been super distracted lately from fanfiction since I was Portia in a local production of Merchant of Venice, all done in original Shakesperian pronunciation, which is actually very interesting if anyone wants to look into it on YouTube or something :)