Warning: I wouldn't personally take Vegeta for a man of as many words as I've put in this chapter and it might be just a tad sappy too, though there's also a few more 'poor Trunks' moments. Now you've been warned. (It's really not that bad though.) AND, this is the LAST chapter too. I feel sad for this story ending (but I have more--longer ones--to come).

Chapter 6: The Bottom Line

Vegeta floated to the ground, landing about 20 feet off from his son. His arms were crossed, eyes hard, and mouth curved in that everlasting frown; stoic, as always, yet inside he ached for what he'd had to do to his son's pride. "Are you finished sparring?"

Trunks flinched, turning his head slightly. To his abhorrence, a tear escaped. It was as if his father were pouring salt in the wound.

For awhile longer Vegeta stood, waiting for his son to speak. He knew the boy wanted to.

"I've trained with you every day; when did you get so strong?" Trunks nearly choked on the words. His ego was so bruised he thought he wouldn't be able to ask.

"Your sessions are much shorter than mine. I don't train anywhere near my maximum when you're around, you couldn't stand the levels I train at," Vegeta answered. His heart ached to have to say it, but Trunks needed a harsh dose of reality right now.

Trunks didn't speak, he only tried to hide a sniffle. He didn't want his father to know he was crying. He was still trying to fight it back, but a few more tears had fallen despite it.

"You've improved, Trunks. Improved. But like it or not you're still a child. You have much to learn, especially about being over confident," Vegeta forced back the tiny voice that was telling him of his hypocrisy in that statement.

"You were hurt," Trunks was barely audible. "I wanted to defend you."

"Leave the defending to me and Kakarot!" Vegeta's voice came across very harsh. "Look at yourself! What does it take to convince you?! If I can defeat you so easily, how can you think you're going to make a dent on someone that's matched with me?! It's downright foolish! All you're doing is putting yourself in danger and by extention, everyone else as well! Do you realize your mother followed you?!"

Trunks looked up with surprise. When had she found out he'd left? And how? He looked down again, supposing it made sense. She'd been there when he woke up.

"What would she have done if you'd been killed out there? Did you ever think of that?" Vegeta gave his words a moment to sink in before he continued. "How about your sister? What if your mother had come earlier and been killed? Bulla would have no mother."

"Ok!" Trunks didn't want to hear anymore what-ifs. They were too disturbing.

"Has it ever occurred to you, Trunks, that perhaps the instructions I give you are because I know when an enemy is and isn't too much for you to handle? That perhaps I don't want to see you hurt either?!" Vegeta was angered to speak those words. Hadn't he made it clear how he felt about his son before his final attack on Majin Buu? Trunks should have known his life mattered to Vegeta!

Trunks drew in a breath as he looked to his father again and blinked. Had his father directly implied care for him? Oddly, as he thought back, he'd never questioned whether his father cared for him, but Trunks couldn't discern what reasons he would have for thinking that. Vegeta was a no-nonsense authoritarian where Trunks was concerned and he knew he'd never heard his father say he cared before, though he'd come close before Majin Buu. In fact, it was since that time, when Trunks had heard those words for the first time ever, 'you've made me proud, my son', that he had began trying so hard to hear them again.

"What is it going to take to ensure your obedience from now on?" Vegeta asked, his eyes hard again.

Trunks' spirits lowered. That momentary expression had passed. He wasn't completely sure what it had been, but for just that moment as Trunks had looked at him, there was something different in his eyes.

"Come here, son."

Trunks' mouth opened as he let out an uneasy breath. He'd already been thoroughly humiliated and lectured for ten minutes. Hadn't his father made his point clear enough already? What more could he possibly have in store? Trunks had a bad feeling he already knew, but he didn't want to think his father would really do it. After all, he was eleven years old! Thirty minutes ago he wouldn't have even thought his father could do it, but after so quickly being beat, his father's strength and authority over him was once again abundantly apparent.

Vegeta waited, his stance not altering a bit. It took Trunks a moment to decide that Vegeta truly meant for him to approach and then awhile longer for him to get to his feet and shuffle over, refusing to look his father in the eyes. Vegeta watched every bit of it, knowing full well what things were going through his son's mind. When he was within a few feet he stopped and Vegeta reached out, grabbing his arm. Trunks shuddered and tensed, then looked up with a mixture of uneasiness and fear.

"Dad?" His voice was small and eyes hinted with pleading. He knew what was coming, but desperately hoped to get out of it.

Vegeta's heart was stabbed by the word and it surprised him, but he kept the feeling well hidden. "If you behave like a child," Vegeta brought his hand down hard across his son's rear. "Then I'll treat you like one," he landed a second one.

Trunks yelped, drawing in a breath. His face immediately flushed red both in pain and extreme embarrassment. He took it back. This was thorough humiliation!

"And believe me," Vegeta swatted a third and final, particularly hard, blow, then grabbed his son by both the shoulders and gave him a jolt hard enough to bring the boy's tear-filled eyes to look into his own. His voice lowered and softened somewhat. "This hurts you far less than your death would hurt me."

Trunks let out a shocked breath, his eyes widening, and before he could even begin to react he was pulled into his father's chest. Vegeta wrapped one arm firmly around his son's back and placed his other hand around the back of his head, his features twitching slightly as he looked down upon him. The emotions he'd been holding back this whole time where now flooding him and a few tears were forming on the rims of his eyes. He was fighting to keep them back, but one escaped him.

Still shivering, Trunks drew in a breath and sniffled. He hadn't had any chance to recover after either one of his humiliations and now this? It was baffling to go from a feeling of such shame and failure to being held by a father than had only done so one other time that he could remember. It had to be the point his father wanted to make, but to put him through all of that other stuff first? Why? Before Trunks could think about it, he thought he felt something wet land on the top of his head. Confused, he tried to look up, but his father tightened his grip and wouldn't allow him to.

After a minute or so, Trunks had managed to dry the flow of his tears and relax a little bit. His father was lingering in this far longer than Trunks would ever have anticipated and a feeling of understanding was beginning to creep into him. It was love. All of this today that his father had done was out of love. Without his father letting him see for himself that he wasn't as strong as he thought, and without him mentioning all the what-ifs, Trunks thought he may very well have thought once again to disobey the next time. Even the last bit of humiliation in the end was to bring the point home. He wanted so much for his father to be proud of him, but this was almost as good. He would know for sure from now on that his father loved him.

Just as quickly as it had started, Vegeta suddenly pulled away, immediately turning his back and walking a few feet. Trunks was almost sure he'd seen him briskly wipe his eyes.

"Enough of this sentimental crap. Let's go home," Vegeta's voice was different, despite the annoyed edge to the words. It was softer and a touch more raspy.

Trunks watched in surprise and wonder as his father took to the sky, turning after a few seconds and calling him. "What are you waiting for? You're not planning on disobeying again are you?" there was only the slightest hint of a joke in his tone.

Trunks faltered briefly, then lifted himself into the air, following behind the man he most admired.

THE END

A/N 1: Sorry for those who are offended by the spanking. I know some people are, but Vegeta just strikes me as the physical punishment type (intimidation didn't seem like quite enough for this situation either) and I prefer spankings to beatings (plus judging by his reaction over hitting Trunks when he first went super-sayain as an eight-yr old I don't believe Vegeta would hurt his son in that way).

A/N 2: I've got three more stories (so far) that follow on the timeline of this one, so if you enjoyed it you may want to read the others as they're published. One will be "Like Father, Unlike Son"; one is more of a stand-alone brother sister moment-- "Flying Lessons for Bulla"; and the third is the most linked to this, almost like a conclusion of the matter of making Vegeta proud, and it will probably be called "Daylight".

A/N 3: For any kids/teens out there, here's my own personal added moral for this story (even though it was really written just for fun): The reason obedience to parents is so important is (a.) in almost all cases what they ask of you is because they love you and wish to teach you lessons that will better your life in the end and (b.) because they see dangers that you may not see (as in this case, though real life is likely to be FAR less obvious than this situation).