CHAPTER ONE:

Vegeta stared dispassionately at the well coiffed woman across him. She was digging away at the well-prepared fugu dish in front of her. ~Hope she doesn’t die on me. ~ Vegeta thought warily. Fugu was a well-known delicacy in Japan and only the really brave ones dared eat the delicious yet deadly dish. His own plate was relatively untouched as his mind became focused on other matters of importance.

Being the CEO of the largest corporation in the world was no small feat. Although he could take as many days off as he could possibly want, Vegeta still insisted on a hands on approach to all his business endeavors. He insisted on traveling to each of his companies within and around the world to make sure that things ran smoothly. He wasn't called "The Tyrant" for nothing. Everyone and anyone who worked for him was expected to be on their toes at all times. He ran his business with the air of a war general, hence making Capsule Corporation the most successful enterprise in the world. Vegeta wasn't all work and no play though. He tried to get in as much fun as possible, hence his other title of international playboy. He probably had girlfriends in every corner of the globe and this only helped in fueling the rumors that pertained to his personal life in the gossip columns. Vegeta snorted, everyone was expecting him to get married again and the candidate for that job happened to be sitting right across from him, gobbling away.

Launch was a beautiful woman in a sophisticated kind of way. Her blond, wavy hair framed around a heart shaped face that had been on the covers of many international magazines. She had a figure to die for and was great in bed. However, when she opened her mouth to speak, nothing sensible seemed to come out of it...at least eighty percent of the time.

"So have you found another tutor for Trunks?" came the light, sing song voice.

Vegeta growled in frustration. His eight-year-old son, Trunks, was the only possible nemesis in his life right now. The product of his first marriage to Bulma Briefs, whom he had thought he loved. Bulma had died in a plane crash with one of her pilot boyfriends and Vegeta had not really felt the need to grieve. He was stuck with the botchan and Kami! The boy was a living nightmare! Educating Trunks was turning out to be a major challenge. Vegeta had called all the best tutors in Japan, but it seemed like all the tutors quit after a week. They all reported that Trunks was a menace and had not even wanted to be close to his home. Desperate, Vegeta had gone abroad, with the same result. No one wanted to teach Trunks or even be with the boy. He was hell to be around. Sighing wearily, he thought that Launch's idea of sending him to a boarding school was really looking appealing.

"Well? Have you?" asked Launch annoyingly.

"Aoki is looking into it." he replied shortly.

"Aoki?" raising well-shaped eyebrows, " That old geezer is still working for you?"

"That old geezer happens to be a very good friend of mine. He worked for my father and is the best there is!" Vegeta snapped angrily.

"Geez Vegeta. I was just asking." Launch protested, pouting rose colored lips.

Vegeta was spared a reply when his cell phone began ringing

"Moshimoshi." he answered briskly. He listened with furrowed brows to the other speaker.

"Hai! Go-chukoku domo arigato gozaimashita. Gomen kudasai."[Yes! Thank you very much for your advice. Goodbye.]

"Who was that?" Launch asked.

"Someone," he replied quickly, as he stood up from his seat. " I have a flight to catch in fifteen minutes. Here you go." He tossed some money to her. "Go buy yourself something sexy." Giving her a quick peck on the cheek, he set off to the waiting limousine that was taking him on the next flight to Italy.

**********************************

Aoki sighed wearily. He was getting way too old for this stuff. He held up the placard with the name ‘Goku’ blazoned brightly across it, and watched as passengers streamed off the train. Vegeta had entrusted him to find another tutor for Master Trunks. His fifteenth time. He had been the one to arrange for the tutors and the young boy to meet and had always watched in dismay as they had quit in anger, irritation or just plain fear. No one seemed to be able to reach the boy.

He had just about given up all hope when the strange phone call had arrived. Strange because, usually no one volunteered to take up the teaching position, no matter how high the pay was. He reasoned that the caller was probably from another country, but had been shocked when the cheerful voice had claimed that he was from Kyoto, a tiny village town amongst the high mountains of Okayama, millions of miles away from Tokyo. The owner of the cheerful voice had seemed excited at the prospect of coming to a big city. Aoki was so happy to have found a willing tutor that he completely forgot to ask for the man's credentials. Now that he thought of it, how in the world would this incoming tutor know anything if he had lived his whole life in Kyoto? The last time he checked, the only source of reasonable education that Kyoto had was an elementary school about fifty miles away from the village. Rubbing his temples, he was already envisioning Vegeta's rage when he got back with an uneducated applicant.

Aoki watched as the passengers passed him by. They were already thinning out. Just as he began thinking he might have checked the wrong train, he watched as a young man stepped onto the platform. He had on a cheap brown suit that looked a size too small for him. In his hand, a small black carry all suitcase that looked like it had seen better days. Aoki's eyes traveled up the well-built body to a smiling, cheerful, handsome face. Dark, sparkling eyes were behind thick glasses and the wild shock of dark hair fell into bangs that framed the angular shaped head. ~ Onegai, Kami...tell me that is not him. ~ Aoki pleaded. He watched with growing agitation as the man turned, grinned even wider and began walking towards him. ~Oh no! Vegeta will never forgive me for this! ~

"Ohayo gozaimasu!" came the cheerful voice, "I guess you must be Aoki-san. I'm Goku!"

Aoki took the outstretched hand and shook it numbly, plastering a smile on his face while thinking of whom he was going to hire next. ~This kid won't last a week. ~

"Nice to meet you, Goku. Yokoso Tokyo e.[Welcome to Tokyo]. Let's go pick up your other luggage, shall we?"

"Umm...other luggage?" Goku asked quizzically, scratching his head.

Aoki stared at him, "Hai. Surely you have other luggage?"

"Hehehe...anoo...this is all I have." Goku laughed sheepishly, patting the black suitcase.

Aoki's jaw dropped. Where were his books? His clothes? Didn't this man know what he was here for? All the other tutors had arrived with boxes filled with educational material, but this one had basically nothing.

Goku smiled reassuringly at the older man's expression and winking replied, "Don't worry. I have everything I need in here."

Before Aoki could mumble out a reply, a loud growling sound was heard.

"What was that?" the old man asked, panicking.

"Oh...that's just my stomach growling. I didn't get to eat much on the train and I am really hungry. Do you think we could stop somewhere to get a bite? Please?" Goku pleaded.

~Well, this is a first. ~ Aoki thought. Unable to resist the man's innate charm, he smiled weakly, "All right, Goku. A quick bite and then we go and see your new deshi."

"All right!" Goku shouted happily as they began walking towards the waiting limousine. "So, where are we going to eat? Man, I have never been to the city before. This is really neat. I hope..."

Aoki sighed for the umpteenth time as Goku rambled away. ~ How am I going to explain this to Vegeta? ~

*****************************

"What do you mean, he had to eat something?!!!" Vegeta barked into his cell phone. He was about thirty thousand feet in the air and he still made Aoki feel as if he were just two inches away from his face.

"I swear, sir, he made me do it."

"Shimatta! Am I paying for that too?!"

"Anoo...well he said you could take that out of his paycheck..." Aoki finished lamely.

Vegeta quite frankly didn't quite know what to think. None of the other tutors had done this before. Rubbing hands wearily over his face, he muttered tiredly, "Look, Aoki, feed the baka and then let him know that by the time I get back next week, he had better guarantee me results or I will have his head! Understood?"

"Hai, Vegeta-sama." Aoki replied meekly, before hearing the sharp click of the other phone shutting off. He turned around to stare at his new burden. Goku had basically overtaken the whole restaurant. Swallowing down his tenth cup of sake, he belched happily and grinned at a harassed-looking Aoki.

"I am ready to go now, Aoki-sama! That was an awesome meal!"

Bowing down respectfully to the owners of the restaurant, Goku thanked them as well,

"Okurete gomen-nasai. Domo arigato gozaimashita." [I am very sorry, excuse me. I thank you very much for your kindness.]

"Hai! Do itashimashite." [Yes! You are very welcome.], the manager replied dazedly.

Aoki winced at the total cost of all the food. Vegeta was definitely not going to be happy.  Goku had already headed outside and was oohing and aahing at all the high-rise buildings that graced the Tokyo skyline. Aoki had to smile a little at the childlike display the grown man was putting up. He figured that Goku had a right to enjoy it, since it was his first time here. ~Enjoy it while you can, my good man, for you might be leaving it all too soon. ~

"Come, Goku," he said aloud, "It is time for us to go and see your new pupil."