A/N: I've finally managed to have some freetime! ( No essays or projects to complete for a week!) This chapter's little obvious but the aftermath should be interesting... (evil smile) Read on, folks and thanks for all the reviews! Gee, I've nearly forgotten what it's like to be swept away by the story and receive reviews..

Disclaimer: I've got a whale to sell; just like I own the DBZ! Both are big lies and my doctor suggests I double the amount of medicine...

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Childhood: Part VIII – He's but a Prince

A week had gone by since their accidental purging incident and the two weren't quite the same. Innocence, what little they had had left was no almost completely erased from their souls. Killing off a planetful of people wasn't an easy task neither physically nor mentally to accomplish. The moment when they had set their feet on the familiar ground of Planet Vegetasei it had fully hit them; they had just finished a purging mission. The weeks on the pick up ship which had to go by it's schedule had been exciting and fun. They had met a lot of purgers: young, old and seen some of them die of their deadly wounds in the medical bay. Kakarotto had said many times how grateful he was that his father was such a good purger to be granted an own pod to go and come as he liked.

Vegeta had to agree on that as he sat on his desk and listened the home teacher preach about the Saiyajin wars and history, remembering the horrid hell from week ago. Never in his life had he seen so much blood, smelt so thick smoke and---

Vegeta solidly cut the thought there, but lately his mind had been taken over by another foreign emotion and feeling which he had identified as guilt and shame. He counted backwards and came to realization that he had almost known Kakarotto for half a year already. Just where had the time gone all the sudden? Why was he feeling guilty now? And why?

Because he had a secret he had to keep in order to remain as Kakarotto's friend, a voice whispered in his head and the young prince couldn't fathom where his guilty conscience came from. It was no big deal but if Kakarotto knew... it would be a big deal and it was a big deal, he realized and blanched considerably. His only friend would abandon him if he knew...! His prince half was an abomination to Kakarotto; the very thing that represented everything he hated about the upper classes. Like every Saiyajin, loyalty to the current ruler was practically bred to them but that didn't stop them from disliking the King and royal family.

"Prince Vegeta!?"

" Wha?" Vegeta blinked stupidly, grasping his desk in shock to prevent himself from falling over with his chair. He felt like he had just woken up from a nightmare, a really real and true possible future nightmare.

" Are you feeling alright? You are looking pale, your majesty," the teacher frowned at him and fixed his glasses in anxiety.

" Just peachy, get on with it!" Vegeta barked, making the elder Saiyajin's eyes round at his snappish attitude and scurry behind his desk in fright to resume the lesson. Vegeta winced inwardly: this was so going to be reported to the King and another round of I-ask; you-answer would be played between him and his father.

" Friggin' great..." he muttered and slumped on his desk. When life got so hard?

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Kakarotto paced the market square lazily, munching on a piece of bread that for some inexplicable reason had gotten stuck on his hand when he had passed the bakery stand. He had just spoken to Kuryu, the man being his usual sarcastic and jovial self. The old Saiyajin had greeted him and they had chatted for a moment and now the youngest son of Bardock was suspicious. Why would the man bother at all with him? An extremely weak third class like him. Like he was under surveillance or something...

Eating the last of the bread he dusted his hands free of the crumbs, wondering if Ve would be able to come out soon. Sure he had other acquaintances around the eastern district but only Ve he could count as a true friend. And how had Kuryu put it in the team's ship during their pick-up? Unrelated blood-brothers. The spiky-haired child didn't understand the whole meaning behind the definition but guessed it to be something powerful. Ve was the only person he actually trusted and could see as a brother.

" Gee, don't servants get breaks at all?" he mumbled and now bit down on a juicy fruit which almost magically had appeared in his hands. Praise be to you Dad, he thanked silently. Kakarotto knew he'd have to start purging for living at some point. As good as a thief he was it wouldn't be enough to keep him alive in the future as his appetite would grow. Up to eleven years Saiyain children would eat much less than adults, though on any other race's standard it was a lot, and from eleven and up Saiyajins started gaining appetite as their muscles began developing and they started gaining height, growing from three foot tall shrimps to even seven or eight feet tall warriors.

His keen and dark eyes darted to the side. And he was still being followed.

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Kuryu cursed himself as he suddenly and unexpectedly lost his sight on the weak Saiyajin boy. For someone to disappear from him that easily must be extremely good but then again Bardock had been mischievous little asshole and practically impossible to catch when he had willed it so. He certainly had managed to train his brat well. Clicking his scouter on he calibrated it to pick up the weakest level around, sure to find Kakarott that way fast and easily.

Nothing. It picked up few low levels none of them were Kakarotto's.

" Must be broken... piece of shit," he frowned and tapped the machine few time with his fingers. Nothing rattled or felt our of place. He had to search by hand and foot it seemed. With a sigh he got to work; he had a promise to fulfill for his dead friend after all.

Kakarotto watched half-amused, half pissed off as Kuryu systematically searched every corner and street carefully. Why in the hell the man kept following him around? Perhaps trying to kidnap him on another killer purge because some higher authority ordered so? No thank you. Not like the man would find him. When Kakarotto wanted he could disappear completely; he wasn't sure how he did it and he had tried to teach it to Ve but without success.

Finally taking pity on Kuryu he hopped down from his observing place and crossed his arms, standing behind the searching Saiyajin ex-purger.

" Hey Kuryu, whatta hell do ya want with me?" he asked suspiciously, making the adult jump at his sudden question. Kuryu whirled around having already regained his momentarily lost composure and flashed him a light smirk. He smiled friendlily while trying feverishly to think up something real to say than admitting that he was keeping him safe by guarding him. His eyes spotted a flier posted on the wall which told about the Royal Parade coming up in few days and only those invited could come see.

" You ever heard of Royal Parade, brat?" he opened the conversation lightly and obviously took the young boy off balance.

" Royal Parade? Where the King and his family make a posh walk around the town with their upperclass brown-nosers with all the lights and show? What about that shit?"

" Well, hell, I have as a pick-up team Captain obtained an invitation. You wanna come watch too, weakling?"

" What? Me? Heck why not... nothing better do," Kakarotto shrugged, " Ve's been up his ass and tail in his duties lately so I haven't had time to spar with'im, either."

" Great, brat, I'll see you at the market square in few days. Be early! I don't wanna get pushed around that much, that day..." Kuryu patted him on the top of his spiky head jovially and grinned with such vigor that Kakarotto almost decked to the chin him in annoyance. The small Saiyajin could only nod in agreement and then Kuryu walked away, tail swishing with carefree attitude not belonging to the streets of the lower class district.

" What a weird man," Kakarotto frowned, but inside he was glad to be able to see the Royal Parade. Just wait when Ve would hear about this...!! I gotta tell him as soon as possible!

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To his great chagrin Kakarotto didn't see nor even hear a peep from his friend for the next couple of days. He even went to wait at the palace wall and made a quick climb of the wall and sat hours in the cherry tree, waiting for Ve. Kakarotto didn't dare to wander further into the Royal Gardens in fear of being discovered and that surely would be the end of him pretty quickly. Feeling sad, the Saiyajin boy gave up and decided to get something to eat; with an effortless leap he crossed the wall, energy field not even registering him as he willed so.

I so gotta try to teach Ve this, the third class thought to himself as he landed softly on the dusty alley.

It was basically so easy: he just told his energy to to go down. It was like powering up, expect for reversing the effect it had on chi flow. Not that he had very much experience with powering up since his powerlevel was still quite tiny for a child of his age, but in some vague way he understood the theory behind it better than most experienced fighters ever could even imagine knowing about energy and the usage possibilities of it in their battle-filled lives.

His tail curling childishly behind him,he ambled towards his hide-out home. Only the thought of the up-coming and exciting day brightened his mood. Ve's gonna be so Kamidamned jealous that I got to see the Parade...!!

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The morning was crisp, the burning hot suns of Vegetasei not yet up and about to warm the air as Kakarotto spotted Kuryu waving enthusiastically at him. The man almost jumped up and down and the grin he was wearing was out of place on hardened Saiyajin warrior's face as penguin in Sahara.

" Hello you squirt! You made it!" Kuryu said at his as he appeared in front of the veteran Saiyajin. Kakarotto scoffed in response; why wouldn't he make it? He may be weak but he acknowledged the fact and knew how to cope in his surroundings very well. The man was infuriating but strangely pleasant enough to be around; and thanks to him he and Ve were still alive.

Without farther talk the older Saiyajin warrior grabbed him from the scruff of his neck and hoisted him up on his armored shoulder before Kakarotto had a chance to react. "Better this way," Kuryu said lightly and began marching bouncily towards the great plaza where the event would take place and the small Saiyajin hung on irritatedly. He didn't feel like he was in the control of the situation at all and it was frightening. How could one ex-purger shake his inner balance that much he knew knew.

The plaza was filled with shouts and cheers of the Saiyajins: male, female, children, everybody in good spirits. Most of the attendants were wearing their best armors or casual clothes, the upper society in their grand silver and gold lined armours and fine silks standing apart from the crowd. Some foreigners from another planets were also mingling in the well organized chaos of the festivity, careful in their tourist activities and doings under the watchful eyes of the stern Elite Saiyajin guards. Kakarotto's eyes were wide in amazement: the air was filled with the sweet scent of rare sugary treats adults and young alike were only permitted to have on holidays and special days and it made Kakarotto's mouth water. He had never had any treats of candy or sweet things in his life.

Kakarotto couldn't help but eyeball the vicious looking guards with wide and wary eyes since he had witnessed and been beaten by them way too often and the faces were mostly familiar. The man with mustache, for example, standing dutifully in line often guarded the eastern district market square and the small Saiyajin child had received his share of angry swats just for being alive and near him...

The duo mingled about for few hours, buying, for once thanks to Kuryu's special income as a purge pick-up team leader, some food and sweets that Kakarotto savored like they were the very pieces of his soul. Who knew sugar could be so sweet...! Life was good at the moment and if only Ve could be with him to share it. Kakarotto frowned lightly, still paranoidly clinging to his temporary bodyguard to avoid being picked on; his ragged and cheap clothing practically screamed his low status.

A grand fanfare suddenly blasted across the air and people turned immediately to watch the beginning of the Royal Parade. Kakarotto skittishly urge Kuryu to find and good watching place, who only smilingly obeyed and jogged through the throng to the very frontline. Kakarotto had never seen hair nor hide of the Royal Family so he was excited, though he hated and resented them; it was sad that the lower class was bred for unwilling loyalty to the crown.

Standing in front of the rowdy crowd Kuryu suddenly stopped, going stiff as a board and muttered a curse. " Uh... fuck..." How could he have forgotten...?!

" Whatta hell, old timer?!" Kakarotto demanded at the sudden halt which almost sent him toppling down from Kuryu's shoulder, but at the same time his onyx eyes reached the Royal Family and he felt as time itself had stopped. In the Royal carriage stood the King in his royal colors, an impressive figure whose power could be felt even in the back of the crowd. Stern visage and goatee gave him totalitarian outlook and it made Kakarotto shudder unconsciously as his brains tried to progress what his eyes were seeing. The Queen dressed in curve-hugging royal blue was stunningly beautiful and it was said she was one of the King's concubines since Vegeta's real mother had died many years ago: beautiful but cold, her eyes calculating though she was smiling sweetly to be pleasant.

And...

King's hand on the prince's shoulder and under that white-gloved hand stood Ve! The familiar scowl on place on his young features, the very epitome of aristocracy and power shining from his eyes. Royal blue spandex suit and silver armor; a luxurious cape hung from his narrow shoulders, the pendant of his Royal status hanging around his neck on straight display who was to be the next King of the planet. His facial expression was that of bored indifference, which suited his royal persona well.

"... and presenting his Majesty King Vegeta the XIII, his Royal cohort and Queen Parasti and the heir to the honored throne, Prince Vegeta!" Kakarotto dimly heard the announcement and the cheers that erupted in response. He felt numb, totally displaced in time and place as the information sunk into him with force he never knew could exists.

" Ve... it can't be... all the damn time? A lie? A fucking lie..." he muttered, eyes dazed, betrayed. Of course... Ve stands for Vegeta; a nifty little abbreviation of his real name and all the time I've been too stupid to realize it...

" Kakarotto..." Kuryu mumbled soothingly, berating himself for forgetting that Ve was in reality Vegeta, the heir of King Vegeta, and Bardock's youngest son didn't know that. He could only hope their future hope wouldn't be crushed by this: fate never let anyone have it easy, eh?

Ve!

The mental plea of desperate confirmation rang across the space as Kakarotto's mental turmoil reached that of his unrelated brother. Vegeta's head snapped up a bit and his expression was that of utter surprise for a split second. The prince's eyes dilated in sudden fear and his eyes immediately found the one he hoped would never have found out his secret, the mental shout aiding his eyes impeccably straight to the source of it.

Kakarotto sat frozen on Kuryu's shoulder with expression of utter disbelief and betrayal etched on his dirty face. No, Kakarotto shouldn't have been there during the Parade. Only the ones with an invitation, a silvery string to be worn for guards' eyes to see, could of even... His train of thought was cut off with a knife as he spotted the silvery thread wrapped around Kuryu's bicep. Shit!

Kakarotto!

Vegeta's own mental shout registered on the other boy's mind and Kakarotto blanched before his face turned cold and closed. With a leap from Kuryu's shoulder guard, who tried to catch the fleeing boy, he vanished into the crowd, his mental guarding slamming into place and blocking Vegeta out. Blinking at the sudden rejection of their shared connection they never had used before, the young prince felt dejected. The sudden foreboding loneliness choking him like a vice; it wasn't supposed to happen like this.

" Oh fuck..." he breathed, lost.

" What?" his father queried, not quite having heard what his son had said.

" Uh, I thought I saw a duck?" Vegeta replied, his mind not quite present at the moment, but he still knew there would be hell to pay if he were caught cursing. King Vegeta gave his son an odd look before forgetting about it and concentrated on being mighty and retaining his reputation in front of his people.

Determination to retain the only friendship he had, and the fear of loosing all the fun and future adventures took over and soon as the stupid festivity would let out Vegeta would go find Kakarotto no matter what it took and face the consequences.

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A/N: I'm a bit rusty but whatta heck! I hope you enjoyed for there's more to be coming...!! Next: Aftermath!! Review plz!! ( Doesn't particularly speed the process of writing the next chapter but they're always nice to receive :)) JA NE!