Pendulum Control

Never Judge a Day By Its Morning

It wasn't a difficult decision, Vegeta recounted later, as he followed at a safe distance behind his conqueror. All he had to do was go along with Kakarot on whatever escapades he'd had planned. It wasn't his ideal way of spending the day but whatever had gotten into Kakarot was making him very stubborn and unable to accept no for an answer. Besides, the clown had won the fight fair and square and was entitled to a winning request.

But still, Vegeta thought, Kakarot wasn't behaving like himself. Never had the naturally peaceful man threatened a downed and defenseless opponent so convincingly. It was almost unnecessary; Vegeta might have come along anyway out of mild curiosity and mostly to satisfy his doubts that the clown had any serious intentions of "concurring the planet."

“Alright,” Kakarot called back, after some minutes of gravely silent flight, “we're coming up to a city now. This should be a good place to start.”

Yet there he was, Vegeta mused in disgust, carrying on this ridiculous charade-- and convincingly too! With all his acting out, the idiot had probably even convinced himself that he was going to destroy the planet. Well, Vegeta was through playing along.

The inflamed Saiyan came to a jerking halt in mid-flight.

Kakarot, immediately sensing the loss of his company, stopped as well and turned to see the look of strained annoyance on his companion's face.

“I'm done, Kakarot.” Vegeta called sternly, “You beat me so I played along for a bit but it's gone far enough. I'm going home. Your little game was cute for a while but now you're just wasting my time.”

Goku turned to him fully.

“I'm not playing games,” he said, for what felt like the third time that day, “I don't know how to make you understand the severity of this, but if you like, I can try.”

Vegeta stared, looking indifferent as Kakarot fell into an aggressive stance. A small part of him wasn't sure he was serious but it was enough to keep him from bracing himself when Kakarot suddenly charged him, ramming him head-on and sending him souring down into the grove of trees below.

Vegeta lay gasping in a dusty clearing with a sharp ache in his abdomen. He wasn't prepared for that, to say the least. He was completely dumbfounded now and uncertain of how to react. Should he rise to his attacker and scold him for such a brutish move, or stay hidden where the reckless man couldn't do more damage?

Then all at once, he didn't have to make the choice, as Kakarot came gliding into view. He descended leisurely down to the clearing wearing the expression of a mother doting a disobedient child.

Vegeta rose to his feet at once, uncomfortable in such a vulnerable position while this unpredictable new Kakarot was advancing.

Within the second his feet tapped the leafy forest floor, Kakarot was off again. He dove for Vegeta, only this time the agitated Saiyan was prepared. He dashed out of the way and when Kakarot high-kicked the empty space, Vegeta was readily positioned for his own kick to the other's liver. However, Kakarot was prepared for retaliation as well and was gone before any damage was dealt. Vegeta, sensing the new location, turned swiftly on the spot and punched Kakarot dead in the jaw.

Kakarot did not need to prepare for any further assault, he knew. By the time he'd cranked his neck back to its proper position, Vegeta had sped off, vanished from sight.

“That's good, Vegeta,” he said, smiling, to the apparently vacant grove, “This isn't a sparing session. I want you to take this seriously. I'll kill you if I get the opportunity and I want you to have the same disregard.”

Vegeta, suppressing his ki behind one of the larger trees nearby, was appalled by this announcement.

Kakarot went still and pensive as he waited for his prey to reveal himself in his next move.

Vegeta had no intention of gambling an open attack-- though it was almost tempting as Kakarot stood planted in open view and apparently off guard. Though Vegeta did not think favorably of the third class Saiyan at the moment, he would not insult Kakarot's fighting ability by assuming he was truly as unsuspecting as he looked. He knew that at the slightest move, the crafty Saiyan would pin-point his energy and be on him in an instant.

What Vegeta had realized too late was that he had already underestimated Kakarot by believing that any amount of energy suppression could keep him undetectable to his predator.

His mistake was instantly corrected as the man he feared suddenly appeared before him in his hiding place, radiating and seeming to bend the trees around him with his power.

Vegeta inadvertently coiled against the large, gnarled tree.

Kakarot struck him down with a seemingly effortless swat and the stunned Saiyan landed on his elbows at the sully base of the tree.

“It would cost me very little effort to do this,” Kakarot said, plainly, “but it's not necessary. I don't want to kill you, Vegeta. I think you could work with me. But if you're going to fight me on this, you leave me no other choice.”

Then, raising his hand in a familiar fashion, Kakarot aimed an electric ball of light directly at Vegeta's head.

All the air deflated from the caught Saiyan's lunges.

It would be the third time this morning that Vegeta had been threatened: First, his home was threatened if he didn't follow Kakarot outside, then later his life was threatened if he didn't agree to come along on this bizarre tirade, and now again Kakarot stood over him threatening to blast him from existence if he didn't join him.

“Why, Kakarot?” Vegeta gasped more than spoke.

Kakarot didn't have to think.

“Is it not a Saiyan's nature to destroy all those who pose a threat to him?” He said with a smarmy grin.

Vegeta growled.

“You're afraid of me, Kakarot?”

The comment was a futile attempt at being biting, not helped by Vegeta's humbled position in the mud.

Kakarot smiled.

“If you're not with me, you're against me.”

“I'm not against you, Kakarot! I just don't want to destroy the planet!”

The simmering ball aimed at Vegeta's face suddenly died and Kakarot kneeled to be level with his prey.

“I don't want to destroying the planet,” he said and looked as though he sincerely wanted Vegeta to understand, “I want to conquer it... like our Saiyan brothers would want.” he paused and seemed to wait for Vegeta to react.

Vegeta listened.

Kakarot continued, “I can rule Earth, Vegeta-- We can rule Earth! The last two Saiyans and the most powerful beings in the universe-- we'd be the living legacy of our race! We can revive it!”

Vegeta had bore witness to Kakarot's persuasion technique many times-- he'd even been on the receiving end on more than one occasion. When it became clear to Kakarot that he could not force his opponent to back down using physical strength, he resorted to verbally coaxing his adversary into seeing reason.

The look in his eyes was as tentative as it had always been when he was talking down an opponent, however the plea could not have sounded more strange coming from his lips.

“Join me.” Kakarot said at last then stood up.

Vegeta thought it was the last time the offer would be presented so nicely. Then he snorted at himself, realizing that Kakarot had no intention of offering again.

The trumped prince looked up into the eyes of his rival, his face hard and defiant but behind his eyes was a crumbling resilience.

“You want me,” Vegeta said slowly, still unable to believe it, “to conquer the world with you?”

“Yes.” Kakarot answered, pleased, “We could be like Royalty-- the rulers of Earth! You could be Prince Vegeta again.”

Vegeta turned away, something in him suddenly boiling. He became suddenly aware of his unseemly position in the mucky forest soil. He stood up and began dusting himself off. Once he'd brushed the last of the rubble from his shoulders he turned to Kakarot, meeting what he could manage of his rival's height, and, with all the dignity of a prince, said, “alright, Kakarot. I'll go along on this little charade.”

Kakarot smiled.

“Not as though I have anything else to do.” Vegeta huffed and crossed his arms.

“This'll be fun, Vegeta,” Kakarot assured with a cool confidence, “It'll be just like the old days.”

Vegeta turned, giving his response with an indifferent cheek.

Kakarot had been ship wrecked on Earth for the duration of the “old days” and Vegeta was certain the softened warrior knew nothing about the pillaging and roving of populated planets. It was a farce, Vegeta thought, that this sheltered Saiyan pretended to know anything about taking a planet.

However, everything he'd learned to expect of Kakarot from the time they'd spent together in the past had been completely contradicted in a matter of a few short hours. More than once that day, Vegeta had been shocked and caught unaware by the unpredictable behavior of the brash man standing before him and as a result, he was now reluctant to make any further assumptions about what Kakarot might or might not be capable of.

“For your sake,” Vegeta said coolly, “you'd better be serious. If I find out this is all some joke and you've been wasting my time dragging me around all day, don't expect me to laugh it off. I'll kill you, Kakarot.”

whatever response Vegeta had expected from the usually placid Saiyan, it wasn't this.

Kakarot had rounded on him in a flash, backing the smaller Saiyan into the tree.

“You don't threaten me, Vegeta,” He said in a cold, quiet voice, “as of today, any threatening will be done by me. You speak to me with anything but respect and I won't hesitate to pick up where we left off here today. I don't need you, Vegeta. And if I decide your attitude is interfering with my authority, I'll dispose of you. Because, like I said, I can't afford to let someone with your power waste away on the fence. You're either with me or you're dead.”

Kakarot made sure his words sunk in and stared Vegeta down for an extra moment before backing off to allow the ruffled Saiyan to catch his breath.

Vegeta awkwardly pushed himself off the tree and straitened himself, brushing his hair back and tugging at his shirt.

“Well, your timing's awful.” he mumbled.

Kakarot smiled.

The two took to the skies again, Kakarot leading the way with Vegeta following silently behind. It was as though no outburst had taken place and Kakarot's mind was securely back on track.

They were once again closing in on a city that Kakarot had deemed suitable

When they came to a smooth stop some miles above the busy city, Vegeta found himself confused again as to what it was exactly they were planning to do. He didn't ask and wasn't entirely interested, but watched the busy city below.

“Time to carry out my mission.” came the low, collected voice of Kakarot, more to himself than to Vegeta.

Vegeta hadn't caught was was said but watched as Kakarot raised an open hand to the city below.

Vegeta continued to watch as a spark began in the center of Kakarot's palm. Then Vegeta looked down at the city and then back at Kakarot and then down at the city again. He scanned the busy roads and bustling crowds and finally began to deduce that Kakarot might not be kidding.

“Kakarot!” he spat.

The man ahead of him did not answer but the growing spark in his hand turned red and electric.

Realizing then what he'd missed before, he shouted again, “Kakarot! Our planet is destroyed-- There is no mission anymore! You answer to no one now! If you destroy this planet, it will be for no one but yourself!”

“That's not true,” Kakarot said, a grin spreading on his lips,“its prince is still alive and kicking. You say the word and I'll put a crater in place of this city.”

Vegeta didn't believe for a second that after Kakarot's morning power trip he would play the role of his subordinate, and judging by the the manic glint in the larger man's eye, Vegeta certainly didn't believe that anything he could say at that point would stop Kakarot from smudging the large city off the face of the Earth. He knew, however, that he had to try.

“Kakarot, you can't do this.” urgency bled into his voice, “It's completely pointless!”

“Listen to you, Vegeta!” Kakarot laughed almost good-heartedly, “years ago, it would've been me who'd have to talk you down from blasting away a population. It seems our roles have been reversed!”

This irony was not lost on Vegeta. It seemed to be the theme of their day.

“Listen Kakarot!” he urged, “What can you have to gain from this? These people mean nothing! They pose no threat to you at all! They're like helpless little insects!”

At this, the spark in Kakarot's deadly hand utterly went out and his face became vacant.

“You're right, Vegeta...” He spoke quietly, catching the former prince off guard, “This is pointless...I could destroy every city on Earth and it would be the same every time.” his hand fell to his side, “Even if they fought back, they wouldn't stand a chance. It would be like taking candy from a baby. If I want a challenge, I won't find it here on Earth. I'll need to search elsewhere.”

Kakarot turned and fixed Vegeta with a meaningful stare.

Vegeta suddenly looked aged.

“You're not serious...”

Kakarot only smirked. Everything he had done today was with fatal seriousness, Vegeta was kidding himself if he thought he would start making jokes now.

“Are you coming with me?” He said at last, with little conviction needed-- it was mostly a rhetorical question after all.

Vegeta crossed his arms and glared.

“Do I have a choice?” he growled.

Kakarot smiled, satisfied.

“Very good.” he said, “We'll leave immediately,” and started off in the direction of Capsule Corp.

“Wait!” Vegeta halted him, “I have children, Kakarot, a wife. You may have easily severed ties with your family...” he paused then his voice went unnaturally soft, “but I'm still very attached to mine.”

He waited for a response from the strange, new Kakarot-- a disparaging comment, a mocking smile. When it didn't come, Vegeta continued.

“Let me say good-bye to them. At the very least, let me give them a sensible reason for what we're doing! They'll think we've both lost our minds if we just show up demanding a ship without an explanation!”

Kakarot appeared to seriously consider this and for a moment almost looked as though he was reconsidering the whole thing.

“All right,” he said at once, “We'll go to Capsule Corp. and and I'll let you handle them. We'll gather up what we need and then,” he said with punctual finality, “we ship out.”

Vegeta saw no room to argue and nodded.


It was closing in on noon when Vegeta descended to the lawn of Capsule Corp., landing briskly in a bed of daffodils. His mother-in-law was a devoted housewife who delighted in tending to the countless pets and plants all over the property. Vegeta had no patience for her daffodils at the moment and stomped through them on his way to the door.

“Vegeta!” Bulma called, rushing out to him at once, “Have you seen Goku? Chichi's been calling-- She says he was behaving strangely this morning before he-”

At that moment, Kakarot landed directly behind Vegeta.

“Hello, Bulma,” he said simply, “Vegeta says you have some pills for me.”

Vegeta could feel himself breaking a sweat. It was taking all of his control to maintain composure.

“Kakarot and I are going for a trip. We need your father's space ship.” He explained sternly, not allowing any space for the stream of questions that were sure to come flooding through after Kakarot's sudden appearance.

Bulma quickly lead them inside, nearly bursting at the seams with questions and speculations that had been building up during their absences.

To Vegeta's surprise, Kakarot spoke freely to Bulma, however not hinting to anything slightly out of the ordinary. It almost seemed as though nothing had changed and he was the same old Kakarot-- or Goku-- that had left him yesterday after their spar. It was making Vegeta feel like it was he who had the problem as he nervously scurried them along to his father-in-law's laboratory trying his best to squelch his wife's questions.

They met up with father Briefs and recited their request. Both Bulma and her father were visibly bewildered by the Saiyans' sudden whim but seemed appeased as Kakarot maintained that it was just a casual vacationing trip for some Saiyan R&R in space, once again hinting to nothing amiss.

Vegeta followed along in restrained silence as Dr. Briefs lead them to the grand room with his latest space ship. It was the only one he had on hand and since the Saiyans insisted they wanted to leave immediately, he offered it for their convenience.

The space ship was the size of a vacationing yacht and looked more like a royalty ship than a battle ship.

“It's a luxury ship,” Mr. Briefs explained, as they were lifted up into the main flight deck.

The flight deck was very roomy with magnificent high ceilings. At the head of the room was the control panel and behind the cozy pilot chairs was a large round couch with a coffee table in the center.

“This is the lounge slash flight deck,” he guided them along the rounded room, “What's special about this room is the artificial sky.”

“Artificial sky?” Kakarot asked intently.

“Yes, if you look at the ceiling you can see it's a screen. It's programed to follow Earth-time and you can turn it on and see the blue sky and clouds of Earth during the day hours, or at night time there's the moon and stars.”

“Wow,” Kakarot said, looking truly impressed.

“Yes,” Mr. Briefs agreed giddily, “I recommend you turn it on in the evening, the sunsets are particularly stunning!”

Vegeta looked annoyed and mumbled something about a waste of time and technology. As Dr. Briefs wandered ahead of them, explaining the functions of various dazzling devices, Vegeta felt eyes upon him. When he looked up, he met the stoney gaze of Kakarot. The intense and threatening stare was not held long; As Dr Briefs made his way back to them, Kakarot quickly shifted his gaze and

“So is there a training room?” he asked in his usual friendly manner. Vegeta shuttered to himself. The heavy stare, though passed, still weighing upon him.

“I'm afraid not.” Mr. Briefs answered, frowning, unaware of the static that passed through the room, “I build this ship to be used by my wife and I. There was just no need for a training room. However, there is a pool and a tennis court.”

Kakarot's eyes perked up.

“You'll find this ship is bountiful with anything you could want.” The old man continued, “sadly, however, it's not very practical. If we were ever attacked during our vacationing, we'd be completely defenseless. The ship has no surface shield and it's not equipped with any artillery. So, if you come across any hostile aliens you'll most likely be obliterated.”

“I'm sure we'll be fine.” Kakarot said, nodding his thanks to the generous professor.

After the short tour, Vegeta went to bid his good-byes to his family while Kakarot remained on the ship, familiarizing himself with the controls.

Vegeta's good-bye hugs were lingering in a way that perplexed his wife and son. Vegeta couldn't explain to them why he was so somber so he said very little. He almost felt that he was saving them by leaving the planet with the suddenly reckless Kakarot. He didn't know what the man was capable of at the moment but he recognized the look in his eyes every time Kakarot had shot him a stony glare that day. Vegeta knew the look because he'd mastered the look once upon a time. Back when he was the feral and dangerous Prince of Saiyans working under “Lord Frieza,” his face was home to that look. Somehow, in the years he'd spent on Earth and distanced from his dark past, that wild look slowly departed. Now it seemed that it had adopted a new home. Kakarot, for whatever reason, had become enraged and within him a new thirst for destruction and dominance had awoken.

Vegeta released his wife and small son, imparting onto them a last look of sincere affection. It was returned-- however somewhat curiously. Only Vegeta knew what the sadness in his eyes meant. He knew this might be the last time he would see his loved ones. It hurt him that he couldn't say more to them. It wasn't that Kakarot had forbade him to speak about their mission, but Vegeta knew that it would only make things more complicated for himself. So, he left them without a reassuring word.

And so it was that the Earth's most powerful hero became its most powerful threat. In his stead, Vegeta became Earth's new hero. Unfortunately, he was not the most powerful and could not deal with the unwanted villain in the traditional way. For his part, all Vegeta could do was quietly escort the threat to a safe distance away from the planet and when they got there, they would settle it then.

The ceiling of the massive garage slid open. Vegeta rose into the flight deck to see his hijacker standing over the wide board of intricate controls. Kakarot pressed a few buttons that the doctor had shown him earlier and the whole ship vibrated to life.

Vegeta stayed his distance from the tall Saiyan, glaring at his back with loathing.

They slowly began to hover out of the building, Kakarot directing them with a steady, focused hand. He'd operated a Capsule Corp. space shuttle before but nothing like this. Mr. Briefs had greatly updated his equipment since his last model.

They rose higher and higher above the city and the two Saiyans looked out from the eye of the ship onto the shrinking terrain below.

“Well,” Kakarot said, “It's just you and me, Vegeta.”

Indeed, Vegeta thought but said nothing.

“The last two pure-blooded Saiyans out to revive the legacy of our race.”

Vegeta felt a chunk of himself was being slowing torn out of him as they distanced themselves further from the Earth. All this time loathing the wretched, dull planet, now he found himself actually missing it. He felt a aching sorrow growing in his pit that he couldn't suppress. He was grateful that the distracted idiot didn't see it.

The day had begun not unlike any other and very quickly it had taken off in a way he still wasn't quite clear on. Now, after an interesting twist of events, he was on a ship with a deranged Kakarot sailing off the planet to go rule the universe. It just goes to show that you never know how a day's going to go, Vegeta mused in spite of himself. If Kakarot was as changed as he seemed, Vegeta could at least be pleased that he was getting him away from Earth and his loved ones that might otherwise be endangered. However, he was worried that the motives of this strange new Kakarot might keep him from ever seeing the Earth again and ultimately lead to his death.

Kakarot hummed at the controls.

Vegeta felt a collapse in his heart.