Goku's Priorities

By Zogeta

Goku and Vegeta have been friends for years, and Goku finally gets a new girlfriend. How does it affect Vegeta? And what will happen when Goku does the unforgivable?

Chapter One: Meet Claudia

"Vegeta, I can't!"

"Stop being so weak, Kakarot! You wanted to find a new onna, and so here we are! We've been sitting in this damn club for over two hours! There's one over there that hasn't stopped flicking her hair and winking at you all night, and now you're too scared to ask her to dance! The great Kakarot, afraid of a simple question."

Vegeta punched Goku softly on the arm, and cocked his head at the red head at the other end of the bar. She blushed and looked away as her eyes caught Goku's, and he blushed too. Vegeta sighed, as he stirred his double vodka and vanilla coke with a toothpick, totally bored.

"I can't believe I ever agreed to come spading with you."

"Aaw, come on, Vegeta, it's not that bad!" grinned Goku, slapping Vegeta merrily on the back, and nearly knocking the other saiyan face first into the varnished wood of the bar. Vegeta growled.

"Yes, it is that bad! You're scared of women!"

"So are you."

"Am not!"

"Are too! I don't remember you ever saying no to Bulma when she was alive."

Vegeta grumbled, knowing Kakarot was right. His late wife had always managed to get him to admit when he was wrong. No one else could ever do that, besides Kakarot.

"Oh, and I suppose Chichi did whatever you told her to, and never raised her voice to you? I thought not. Now be a real saiyan and go ask that onna to dance."

Goku rubbed the back of his head with his hand, as he glanced over at the red head, a nervous smile on his face. He turned to Vegeta, and put on the famous 'puppy dog look'. Vegeta swallowed. He knew that whatever was coming, he wouldn't be able to say no.

"Vegeta, you've always been so confident…" sweet-talked Goku.

"And you're not? We can't go anywhere without you making friends! Maybe since Chichi died, you've been a little quieter, but I know that you still have it in you." Vegeta was trying to resist the puppy dog eyes of Kakarot. Goku turned up the cuteness level. He blinked like a kitten. Vegeta felt his resolve slipping.

"But, Vegeta, you're my best friend, please go ask her for me."

"What does me being your best friend have to do with anything!?"

Vegeta took a swig of his drink, his eyes never leaving Goku.

"If you're my really good friend, you'll help me out and ask her to dance with me. It's all I'm asking anyway. Pretty please, Vegeta Ouji sama royalty super cool really nice wonderful kind person, with senzu beans on top?" Goku turned up the puppy dog look on max, and Vegeta just couldn't say no. He nodded, took a sip of his drink , then stood up.

"Fine Kakarot, I'll ask her. But you'd better get her number, all right?"

"Thanks Vegeta, you rock! Next time, I'll ask for you, okay?"

"Kakarot, I've told you already, I'm not looking for a woman, I'm too old to be dating. But you deserve one, and any woman lucky enough to have you…" Vegeta's voice trailed off, as he slowly walked to the other end of the bar.

Goku didn't have a clue how hard this was for Vegeta to do.

The Prince didn't want Kakarot to meet any one. He wanted the "Saviour" baka to be with him. For years and years now, Vegeta had had a crush on Kakarot. Bulma and Chichi had passed away from old age eleven years ago, and the only ones still alive besides all the Saiyans were Piccolo, Dende, Popo, Buu, Roshi, and 18. Vegeta was seventy-nine and Goku seventy-one, although they still looked like young thirty-something's. Vegeta had thought that since both of them were both unattached, something might just happen. So he waited. And waited. But Goku didn't seem to have the same feelings, and Vegeta was too scared to ask. Fear of rejection, most likely. Same thing we all fear. But he didn't want Kakarot to be unhappy. Vegeta's quite used to living and being alone. Goku, on the other hand, needs some one to look after him, for him to love and protect, even if that person wasn't Vegeta. Vegeta could never deny Kakarot happiness, even if it came at the expense of his own. Every step closer to the red-head brought him farther away from hope and closer to blowing any chances he might have had with Kakarot.

But what chance did he have anyway? One stupid thing about this dumb planet is it's narrow-mindedness. In the rest of the universe where Vegeta has traveled, anyone could love anyone, regardless of sex, age, race, religion, whatever. But this stupid rock of a planet cannot really tolerate anything besides same race, same religion, heterosexual relationships. More than likely, Kakarot was brought up to believe that its wrong to love another man, even though 90% of Saiyans were male anyway, and same-sex relationships were the norm back home. But Kakarot didn't know that, and Vegeta didn't really know how to tell him that most Saiyans had male mates, so it would be fine for him to love Vegeta, if he wanted to.

Vegeta's heart was cracking, he could feel it coming apart. Even if Kakarot didn't hook up with the red head, there would be others. And all Vegeta could do was

watch

and

hurt

inside.

He turned to Goku, who nodded enthusiastically and gave him a thumbs up. Vegeta smiled back sadly, although he didn't think Kakarot would notice, or care. He turned away, shoulders slumped while swallowing back the hurt. He arrived next to the red head, and cleared his throat to get her attention. She turned her head and looked at Vegeta expectantly, with a hint of curiosity on her face.

She's probably wondering how I get my hair to stand up the way it does.

Vegeta decided to be direct and get this over with. The less pain he could avoid inflicting on his already bruised heart, the better.

"Um, hi. My friend over there, the tall one with spiky hair and the orange shirt, he's kinda shy, and he would like to know if you'll dance with him."

Vegeta said this all rather fast, as though he were the shy one. But she smiled and stood up, flicking her hair, which irritated Vegeta. She was slightly taller than him, and Vegeta couldn't help but notice that she was fairly attractive, by earth standards. Fire red hair, fair, clear skin, bright green eyes and a well sculpted face with high cheek bones.

"That's great! I was about to ask him myself, but I was just building up the courage. What's his name?"

"It's Goku."

Vegeta didn't want any one else to call him Kakarot, because that's all he really had left when it came to Goku. Besides, Kakarot prefers to be called by his pathetic earth name anyway. Vegeta wondered, not for the first time, if his chances would have been better with Kakarot if he'd called him Goku instead. Vegeta stepped aside to let the red head pass, then watched from a distance as they spoke briefly, then they moved onto the crowded dance floor, Goku blushing on his ears. Vegeta got another double vodka and vanilla coke, sat down by the bar and drank it absent-mindedly as he watched the two of them dance. He had to admit that it felt good to see Kakarot having so much fun. I don't think I could ever make him that happy.

Vegeta's self image wasn't great when it came to Kakarot. Whenever the other saiyan was around, he felt so horribly inadequate. Not good enough for any one as great as Kakarot.

Vegeta, the sinner, the murderer, loner.

Kakarot, the angel, the saviour, hero.

Vegeta's opposite. It could never work. Why would it?

Vegeta always told himself this, and he believed it. Vegeta didn't want to fool himself into thinking there was a chance, no matter how small, because there simply wasn't.

Four songs later, Goku came back, his arm around the red head's waist. Vegeta wanted Kakarot's arm around him, and he could have happily killed her and taken her place, but he hitched a fake smile on, willing away the scowl that threatened to latch onto his face.

Kakarot looks so happy, there's no reason why I should spoil it with my selfishness.

"Hey Vegeta!" beamed Kakarot, looking excited and happy. Vegeta's anger at himself melted away a little.

"So, introduce her, baka!" Vegeta tried so hard to sound normal, and to not develop an intense dislike for this woman. His jealousy demon was growling very loudly inside his head, and it was starting to interfere with his thinking.

"Oh, right! Vegeta, meet Claudia. Claudia, this is Vegeta, my best friend."

She smiled widely, and leaned against Goku. Vegeta's tail tightened around his waist, beneath his shirt. Just keep calm, just keep calm…

"Well, we've met already. But he told me you were shy, Kakarot."

Vegeta froze.

Kakarot? She called him Kakarot?

Goku laughed, and pulled Claudia closer to him. Vegeta swallowed hard.

"I was, kinda! Hey, we're going for a snack, Vegeta, wanna join us?"

Vegeta shook his head. He had to go, and soon. He felt like he was suffocating.

"I'm gonna go home, I'm really tired, and three's a crowd, as they say." Yeah, Claudia's the crowd. "You guys go have fun."

Vegeta got up from his seat, and swung his leather trench coat on.

"Are you sure, Vegeta? You know you're never unwanted with me."

Goku looked concerned, but Vegeta shoved his hands into his coat pockets and looked up at the two of them.

"Don't worry about me Kakarot, you enjoy yourself. You don't need old me to have fun. I'll be fine."

I'm always fine, even when I'm not, right Kakarot?

"Really?" Goku didn't look too upset.

"I'll catch up with you another time. Bye Claudia, it was nice meeting you." lied Vegeta, and with a brief nod, he made his way across the crowded club, threading his way through the crowds to the door. As he put his hand on the door handle, he turned back to see Goku and Claudia already slow dancing. Vegeta shut his eyes briefly, breathed in, then stepped outside into the rain, keeping his head down as his boots splashed into the puddles. As the door swung shut behind him, shutting out the romantic music that Goku was sharing with her, Vegeta let out a long sigh.

"That's it. It's over."

And feeling worse than he'd ever felt before, he started walking home, not really caring about the rain that was pouring down onto him, seeping down his collar and making tear tracks down his face as his hair drooped. All he could think about was that she had called him Kakarot. He sniffed, and folded his arms around himself.

My special name for him. My only claim on him. And now that's gone too.

AN- another story! I jus keep rolling them out…wish I could finish them! This one is already complete, and I will be allowing chapters out to play as time goes on. Hope that this one does well! I shall call him squishy and he shall be mine! Said Dory.

Just keep swimming…