Before I get to the action, I will admit that the recent review did get me thinking about exploring a bit more of Vegeta's character. I might end up going a bit further and devote an entire chapter of this soon enough. I honestly like people who give me ideas, so thanks!

Also, don't assume Goku's wanting to stay fused as Vegito forever—even he was reluctant when he heard the repercussions of this the first time. And originally, he was going to fuse with Gohan folks! I could imagine if he had and if it were permanent, this would make things really complicated in the Son household.

Yes, I'm not afraid to admit that this is a shameless exploration story that I wrote because the earrings were suddenly nerfed for plot convenience. No one actually wants to see a permanently fused Vegito wreck the foundation of the series, right?

*Dodges any tomatoes for those who disagrees with this statement.*

Gah! Seriously though! It's called fanfiction for a reason folks—we're more than welcome to interpret events differently from the original story! If anyone wants to write an alternative, they're more than welcome to!

Well, time to write the best battle scenes leading up to the fusion point of this chapter.

*Shamelessly starts listening to 'Stronger Than You' from Steven Universe.* ...what?

And yes, I know I left everyone hanging for months. *Shakes head.* It's called life, but when I update, I update.

Time to quench everyone's long-awaited thirst with more!

#abusepotaranerf

Darkness. Vegeta found himself underneath the rubble, the transformation he had no longer surrounding him due to the underhanded attack that Sifir delivered. If he had Kakarrot's ability to teleport, he would have countered the alien bastard's blast and delivered a Final Flash in his face at point blank range. Even if it had not been enough to wipe him off the face of the planet, it would have still been more satisfying then his current predicament.

The prince's back stung from the blast that easily pierced his armor, shattering the plate almost though it were made of porcelain instead of industrial materials Bulma used to reinforce it. The durable armor was made of strong materials that were synthesized in his wife's lab. She had done a great deal of research on his old armor back when he first arrived on Earth over a decade ago and vowed to make it even better.

At first, Vegeta scoffed at the woman, almost silently issuing a challenge to the young heiress who he doubted could create anything better than what the Planet Trade Organization's top scientists could produce. He was proven wrong when she created the armor within months—and to thank her, he had demanded for better training equipment.

Even though Vegeta had demanded much from the woman, she would sometimes retort and retaliate the fire, almost though she was provoking him. He had been tempted to kill her on Namek, but as time went on, the woman's feistiness became a siren's call to the prideful man, one he could not resist. Before he knew it, he found himself under her spell, and for the first time in his life, he was uncertain of the feelings that he had towards the weaker species. All he knew that she was a conquest, and he had to claim her in order to fulfill his own devices.

'Are you going to just lay under this crap while Kakarrot's stealing your thunder?' Vegito's voice interrupted the prince's inner musings. An explosion was heard overhead in the distance.

'Shit! Kakarrot!' Vegeta began to push aside the rubble. 'Why did that clown decide to come back anyway?'

'Probably to just sate his own battle lust,' Vegito summarized the other fusee's interaction with Sifir. 'He did seem to be toting that earring around.'

Vegeta froze at those words. 'He didn't break it? Idiot...'

'Neither did you, considering that you...'

'Shut-up...' Vegeta was growing annoyed at the dual-toned voice teasing him. It was almost though he were the devil's advocate the way he was jabbering teasingly in his mind.

'Can't really silence the voices in your head... unless of course you knock yourself out...'

'Honestly, I'd rather deal with the clown's voice right now than...' Vegeta's inner monologuing towards Vegito stopped suddenly when he heard a familiar pained scream directly above him. 'Goddamn it Kakarrot!'

The prince grunted as he started to push more debris out of his way. Vegeta's intentions were to intervene and have his battle with a worthy adversary that was not Kakarrot and destroy the emperor's pitiful foot soldier in the process.

_______

Goku had transformed into Super Saiya-jin Blue and engaged in battle with Sifir. At first, the naïve warrior thought that his opponent was weak; however, the blue-scaled lizard proved to be a worthy adversary to the Earth-raised Saiya-jin—easily evading the lightning quick jabs and countering with his tail striking the humanoid's back.

Being thrown past Sifir's side, Goku rag dolled for a few moments before spinning around and firing a stray energy blast that the alien lizard easily deflected. It careened into a rocky outcrop that caused an earth-shattering explosion.

"You are a stubborn monkey," Sifir noted as Goku flew back up to his level.

"Heh," Goku grinned at his opponent with a cocky smirk.

The Earth-raised Saiya-jin was growing more excited by the moment the more he was fighting his opponent. He knew that his Saiya-jin blood always burned at the challenge of fighting stronger warriors—a habit he knew was a bad one for any sane warrior to have. The only problem was he addicted to this method of pushing himself against people who easily outclassed him by a mile.

The first time Goku had felt that itch was while he was fighting Vegeta—while the simpleton had grown stronger, he was quickly overwhelmed by the prince's might and nearly died in the battle for the fate of the planet. And yet, during that fight, Goku felt that burning sensation in his blood, the battle lust to fight despite how much his muscles strained—and even after Vegeta broke nearly every damn bone in his body, the warrior that defended the planet he considered home was still unsated.

Days after, Goku had thought such a feeling would have left; however, it only left him desiring more strength—to once again challenge the prideful prince even though his body was still mending. He had no idea the spark that battle had triggered would lead him to fight against more strong opponents. Perhaps the first taste of Super Saiya-jin made it even more of an addiction, an addiction that no one could ever take from him.

The scary thing is if Goku known about his heritage half a decade prior to meeting Chi-chi at the tournament, he doubted he would have ever settled down to raise a family. He glanced over at Gohan who had been watching for any sign of Vegeta ever since the prince had fallen to the ground below.

"It's a shame that stubbornness is going to get you killed," Sifir told the naïve warrior.

"Really? I think I'm holding up pretty good against you," Goku chuckled.

"That is because I am holding back my power," Sifir warned.

"Aww... you guys always do this," Goku complained, not in the least bit pleased by the admission that the alien lizard gave. Apparently, the Earth-raised Saiya-jin was no longer satisfied that he was not fighting his adversary at his best. "Come on! Hit me with your best shot!"

"Are you suicidal?" Sifir noticed that his threat literally was absolutely ignored by Goku. With a shrug, he shook his head and flared his aura. Roaring, Goku found himself backsliding, his arms raised over his face while the blue-skinned lizard charged up.

"Wow... that's more like it!" Goku grinned with a child-like twinkle in his eyes.

"I'm going to kill you now," Sifir laughed darkly at the foolish Saiya-jin's folly.

"Wait, wha...?!" Goku was taken by surprise as he was suddenly gut checked, his pained scream filling the air as he went flying backwards. The blow was akin to a watermelon being struck by a one-ton hammer colliding into it at Mach 1 and sending it hurtling through the air without shattering into thousands of fragments.

_______

By this point, Vegeta had finished unburying himself when he was suddenly thrown into the rubble again by Kakarrot's flying body colliding into his. Both fighters went skidding against the ground before coming to a stop several meters away, the taller Saiya-jin resting on top of the prince. An angered growl escaped Vegeta's throat as he shoved the Earth-raised warrior off him and sneered in disgust.

"What the hell did you do Kakarrot?" Vegeta angrily vented, grabbing the front of the simpleton's shirt like he was going to slug him in the face for pissing him off.

"I... I think I just made him pretty angry," Kakarrot admitted, almost afraid of the prince as he seethed in absolute frustration.

"There are not enough times you've made me question why I put up with your bullshit," Vegeta released the clown, looking up at where Sifir was glazing down like a predator ready to kill. "You still have it, right?"

"Huh? Oh, oh yeah," Kakarrot started to pull out his earring, however, the prince stopped him.

"Mine's in my room, top drawer inside of a black and white striped sock. Bring it so we can put an end to this before he destroys this planet."

"Alright!" Kakarrot seemed almost too pleased by this change of heart. He vanished as the prince stared up warily, almost though daring the alien lizard to do his worst.

"Where did that fool go?" Sifir asked, wondering if the taller Saiya-jin had fled.

"Oh, he'll be back," Vegeta smirked, almost giddy with the idea of bringing this bastard down to his knees. The familiar sound of Instant Transmission phased in behind the prince moments later, and his left hand reached out to feel the earring placed in his palm almost like a silent offering.

Vegeta wasted not one moment putting it on the right lobe. He turned his head to grinning Kakarrot, noting the younger Saiya-jin was already wearing his earring. The grin must have been infectious because Vegeta gave his own to the man standing across from him.

In seconds, the magic of the earrings took effect, and everything melted around him. Within seconds, bloodlines and differences no longer seemed to matter—the prince and third class faded away in the brilliant light that engulfed them both and left one man to take their place.

_______

Vegito drew in a breath, his rebirth complete as he felt the merged powers of Vegeta and Kakarrot within him once more. Both warriors—so different and yet, so similar—had willingly joined themselves together in order to take down this threat. The fusion was trembling with excitement due to it being so long since he was formed. He took in the delight that he was here to fight against anyone that decided to mess with his planet, his family, and friends.

"Where did the other two go?" Sifir stared angrily at the fusion almost though trying to figure him out by a mere glance.

"The Saiya-jins? They're here. I am they. We are one," Vegito smirked; however, a hint of confusion remained on the alien lizard's face. "Vegeta and Kakarrot are a product of who I am, and you can call me Vegito."

"So, you two combined together," Sifir pondered as he finally came to realize what this meant to him. "I suppose that makes my job easier since I will have one less corpse to drag back to the emperor."

"Who said you're dragging me back to someone dead?" Vegito heatedly pointed at Sifir. "I think I prefer being alive and kicking your ass in the process."

With a flare of power, Vegito summoned the energy of Super Saiya-jin Blue, the cocky smirk becoming more intimidating before the might of his adversary. Sifir shook his head.

"Seems that I'll have to prove you wrong," Sifir lunged at Vegito, his left hand poised to take the fusion's head off—

—only to miss as Vegito aimed a well-timed energy blast to the middle of Sifir's belly. The blue-skinned alien's reddish eyes widened as he was knocked back by the sphere of energy, tumbling against the ground moments later. He managed to regain his footing and launched himself back up at Vegito, a grating roar escaping his gaping maw.

The fusion cringed from the loud sound, yet he managed to slide right past Sifir's right side before delivering a double-axe handled blow directly to the alien lizard's back. A grunt of absolute surprise escaped the creature as Vegito followed with a volley of energy blasts raining down right behind him. The bullet-like beams pelted against the hard-scaled skin as he righted himself on the ground; the very earth beneath him collapsing from the intense impact in splintered fragments.

Sifir swung his tail as he roared again in absolute fury, the energy rising around his being as it engulfed him in a crimson hue. By this point, Vegito knew that he was facing the alien at his best and wasted little effort pressing his fingers to his brow; quickly shortening the distance between himself and his adversary. Not allowing much a distraction to rattle his composure, Sifir quickly swiped at Vegito; the fusion narrowly avoiding getting clawed by the beast's talons as his outer shirt was torn. A look of panic—or perhaps surprise—crossed the fusion's face at how his foe had nearly drew blood. He managed to regain his composure as he landed a few mere strides from the alien lizard.

"Pity, I could have ended it had my claws managed to cut you," Sifir snorted in distaste.

"What's so important about your manicure huh?" Vegito teased.

"You would think it humorous now, but if you were scratched by them, it would paralyze you," Sifir warned, his claws gleaming menacingly at the fusion.

"I doubt you'd be able to do it," Vegito crowed the challenge. He was being overconfident in his way of thinking—perhaps he assumed that he could avoid Sifir without being scratched.

'He could probably scratch us if we are not careful...' the part of Vegito that was the prince confirmed his doubts and insecurities.

'What? No way! We can keep our distance if you're too worried...' Kakarrot's voice seemed to reverberate with the carefree and confident denial through the fusion. It was this odd sense of discord that affected Vegito's next actions—discord that would remain with him throughout the remainder of their latest fusion.

"I see," Sifir chuckled. "I might not be able to touch you with these, but what about that young man watching this battle?"

Vegito suddenly recalled Gohan had not left the battlefield as he hovered there watching with his guard completely down. He turned and yet, Sifir was already halfway to the half-breed whose eyes widened in absolute shock.

"Damn it!" Vegito cursed, the very idea of this alien using one of their allies as bait. He quickly shoved Gohan out of the way as he felt the talons scratch his back. Pain ripped through the fusion's body as Gohan gasped in shock.

"Dad! Vegeta!" Gohan saw the grimace on the man's face, his hair reverting to the raven locks he was born with.

"I figured that you were not as invulnerable as you stated," Sifir sneered as he grabbed Vegito by his neck from behind. "Send the others of your kind my deepest regards."

"How about you say it to them instead?" Vegito managed to grit out, struggling to turn his right hand towards himself as his fingertips were literally were pointing to the center of his chest. Gohan's eyes widened when an energy-infused sword pierced not only the fusion's chest, but also Sifir's as the alien lizard was forced to release his captive.

Falling earthward, Vegito felt both the blood loss and paralysis take hold as his consciousness was snuffed out.

_______

Consciousness slowly filtered back into Vegeta's mind, a slight distortion as his last memory was that of being a part of the accursed fusion. The strange thing was he felt no hesitation taking down Sifir even if it meant killing himself in the process. And yet, he had no idea if he was truly successful considering he had blacked out.

Slowly, the prince allowed his eyes to open, squinting somewhat due to the intensity of the harsh, bright light that made it difficult to defuse the situation at hand. Covering his eyes slightly with his hand was a difficult affair, but when he managed to do so, he finally managed to make out the distinct, yet familiar objects that surrounded him.

The Lookout. How in the hell did he manage to get up here?

A growl of hunger temporarily distracted Vegeta as he glanced over and saw Kakarrot lying there in a disheveled state, yet not looking much worse to wear. The earring had been thankfully removed from the simpleton's ear to avoid having yet another unwanted fusion from happening. Vegeta reached up to unclip his only to pause when he noted that his earring had been unfastened as well.

'Whatever, it's not like I wanted to fuse again with him,' Vegeta internally thought to himself. He did not feel like moving at that moment—he was too drained physically, and the battle left him feeling sluggish. Not only that, but he felt Sifir's paralyzing venom still in his body. He figured the same was affecting Kakarrot.

'And why not?' Vegito's voice whispered in the prince's ear in a rather teasing manner. 'Didn't you enjoy the amazing sensation of wielding all that power not long ago?'

'This is all your fault,' Vegeta blamed the fusion that seemed to have a bad habit of trying to influence him to do things he preferred not to get involved with.

'My fault? You know it was his fault for being so damn cocky and confident...' Vegito attempted to defend himself; however, the prince was not having any of this with the perturbed merger that seemed to weasel his way into the royal's mind without his permission.

'Just shut the hell up and leave me alone,' Vegeta growled angrily at the dual-toned voice that was responsible for his current state. Thankfully, the fusion decided to listen as a tall, shadowy figure obscured the light, forcing the prince's thoughts back to the present.

"Whoever you were fighting managed to get away," Piccolo told Vegeta, the irritation clearly in his voice.

"I figured that much since we're still alive," Vegeta dismissed. "Shame, it would have been nice if we had taken him out..."

"About that..." Piccolo produced the trinkets that were responsible for Vegito's formation. That would explain why they were nowhere nearby. "How long have you two been doing this?"

"Why should I tell you? Afraid that we might try to ask Shenron if we make this more of a permanent thing?" Vegeta questioned with a raised brow.

"As much as you would try to ask the eternal dragon for something like this, using this extensively can lead to undesired consequences," Piccolo warned. "It should be used only in emergencies, not abused to the point that you're doing it excessively!"