The Saiyan Empire

Part Two: Tournament Trials

Chapter One : The Need To Train

She jumped out of bed, nearly falling over a mass of jumbled up armor that was strewn across the floor. She looked onto the message screen and clicked the button, watching as it came up in flashing symbols; an order from the queen to report to her quarters. She slipped on her warm up outfit, and stepped out as quietly as possible. At the last second she heard a voice from the bed

"Kij... what now?" a rasy male voice spoke.

She sighed and turned. "Urgent order from the queen, its likely the brat again."

He laughed "You've taken to calling the heir a brat? You and the queen are close now."

Kijah was out the door before he could finish. She knew it was likely a simple false alarm, but with the queen's and the heir's life at stake in any measure, Kijah's instincts pushed her to hurry. She passed the few night guards who saluted nonchalantly; used to her late-night runs. She stopped outside the Royal quarters and knocked once, waiting for that same leave

"C'mon in Kijah," the queen's soft voice said, rather than ordered.

Kijah did as she was told and entered to see the queen in one of her night garments, sitting uncomfortably in a seemingly comfortable chair. Her stomach area had grown slightly in size in the past few months. She saw the king sitting in another chair in the shadows. He pulled on his last glove and strode past her without a word. Kijah was used to his attitude, as she knew he hated having someone else come to watch over his mate. And had gone to train in private while she looked over Bulma. She was absolutely giddy with the fact that the king actually left her alone with his mate, for the simple act told her that she was trusted.

Bulma waved her over with a weary smile.

"What is it?" Kijah asked, not accompanying the question with the usual 'my queen'.

The queen rolled her eyes softly. "This baby. He's kicking hard! Here-" she took Kijah's hand and placed it over her abdomen.

It had taken Kijah awhile to get used to the heir being called, 'the baby'. It had taken her even longer to get used to the queen's tendancy to grab her hand out of nowhere to show her something. She waited and sure enough, Kijah felt the kicking, which would keep even the toughest warrior awake. That is precisely why they used gestation tanks.

Kijah smirked "Strong one. Very strong."

Bulma raise both brows "Well if I don't get any sleep I'll never have the energy to work on this tournament! And I'm sure this little guy has to sleep sometime! I'm just trying to figure out when!"

Kijah smiled. Even with the pregnancy, this human knew how important the tournaments were to the citizens. How could anyone have a doubt that Bulma was fit to lead Saiyans? She broke her own thoughts to speak "The tournaments usually take care of themselves."

Bulma sighed and let her eyelids fall for a second in between the kicks.

Kijah prepared to stay the rest of the night to get the queen food and keep her company. This had become a usual thing, and Kijah had actually come to enjoy it. All the while, she made sure to keep her duties as a guard in mind. Whether or not the king was present, the queen's life was in her hands.

Vegeta kicked at the wall before spinning, punching at speeds that couldn't be seen by the keenest eye. He stopped and sat down for a second, realizing that it may be better to 'think things out' like Bulma always tried to get him to.

He scowled. Every evening she had insisted on calling her only female guard in to help her out, knowing that he hated being around the guards, as he couldn't make 'small talk' as she could. The woman would not break down and let the heir be put in a gestation tank, and calling on the Saiyan female every night was her way of coping with the kicking.

She had yet to experience the scratching and such that may ensue, as every Saiyan child was born with an attitude and strength that promised warrior's instincts. He quirked his brows, wondering if the child's attitude would be watered down by her human genes.

Vegeta scowled and stood. He erupted into a barrage of kicks and punches, and decided that thinking things out was definitely not the right way to handle this situation.

She slowly rolled her way out of his grip and slid off of the bed, but before she could get her first foot on the floor, his arm had pulled her back against him again. Not that she minded that.

"Where you going?" he was half asleep and she could hear it. Mainly because he had said it right into her ear.

"I want to train before duties," she said in a voice just as tired.

Kakarott smiled to himself and pulled her closer "I'll get you out of duties to train tomorrow. Just sleep for now, the sun hasn't even peaked yet."

Liena sighed. He had relieved her of her duties three times in the past few months. If other warriors began to take too much notice, one of their jobs might be on the line. The Saiyans respected mated couples, but they certainly did not take it as an excuse. Her mind began to oppose, but as he bit her neck lightly, any and all thinking faded out.

One more day couldn't hurt. Their tails intertwined as she settled back in and relaxed.

She watched the stars fly by, knowing she'd be there in a matter of hours. The planet was in sight, and looking as beautiful as ever. It had been a long time. She couldn't wait to see Kijah's face when she showed up at her quarters, and smirked, wondering if her friend had found a mate as quickly as she had.

At the thought of her mate, Golkor coincidentally chimed in on her scouter.

"Have you reached the outer sector yet?" he asked, sounding as formal as ever. This made her teeth break through in a feral smile.

"Yes, yes I have. The palace is in sight. The sun hasn't risen there yet, but it is as gorgeous as ever. Don't you just wish you were here?" she drawled to her mate.

He snorted into the scouter. "Don't tease. I'll be there before the brat is put in the tank, and then you'll have nothing to do but entertain me. Until then, you'll just have to deal with it alone!"

"Eh, you'll be here before then. The tournaments are coming up, and youknow you can't resist those," she continued, not allowing him a space to interrupt. "Plus, it isn't so hard to live without you. Yamako, off."

The scouter obeyed as she scowled. There was no doubt in her mind that he was grinning, and paying no heed to her words. He knew how much she depended on him, and how much she hated to admit it.

She placed a hand on her stomach, and waited for the ship to descend into the atmosphere of her home planet.

Shinto's eyes rolled back into his head before he he snapped back to attention. These night shifts were definitely getting to him. He smirked as he thought of his sister who was likely up more often than he. The queen's pregnancy was the big deal around the palace, and the entire planet.

His face contorted as he rethought. His sister spending more time with the queen could only prove her status, and none could find one higher than hers. Shinto scowled. Just what he needed; more competition. He looked down the hall at his guards. Half of them, including his best officer, Ranku, were just about asleep.

How had he been forced into such a rank? There has been so much hope for him growing up. He had been told countless times that if he trained hard and kept his sights set high, he would achieve so much. Yet here he was, guarding a random section of the palace in the middle of the night, while all of the high-profile workers slept.

Shinto found himself sighing again. He had no right to complain, as he could just as easily be stuck on the outer council, or worse, the field workers. As another wave of dejected acceptance fell over him, he heaved a third sigh and kept guard as he was supposed to.

He silently vowed to show them all what he could do at the tournament. That would be his chance to shine.

Yamako stepped into the seemingly dead palace. She had checked in with the guards, and was officially on maternal leave for the time being. As she walked down the corridors, Yamako wondered what Kijah was up to, and instantly decided that she'd pay her a visit (whether it was the middle of the night or not).

She stopped at the door she knew to be Kijah's, and remebered that Liena's was right next door. The simple sight of them brought back memories. Yamako recalled their friendship, and how jealous she had been when she was younger. The two had connected, despite having polar opposite attitudes, and Yamako had felt cast aside for a time. She smirked, shaking the memories off as she stuck her fingers in the code box. It took awhile to compute her status, but the door slid open, revealing a very dark room.

So dark in fact, that even Yamako 's Saiyan eyes were having trouble. She heard a stirring from the bed. "Good morning sunshine," she drawled. Nothing. Damn, the girl was still a heavy sleeper. "Hey Kij, the palace is burning down!!!"

The figure sat up, and Yamako smirked.

"Kijah's with the queen. What do you mean its burning down?" a male voice spoke from the bed.

Yamako 's usually smug look dropped to one of pure surprize. Kijah must have switched quarters. "I was joking. Have Kijah's quarters been relocated?" she asked, not quite processing what the male had said.

"No, these are her quarters. I just said she's with the queen. Now if you don't mind, tell me who you are. I assume you know Kijah, otherwise you would probably be strapped to the wall right now." the male spoke.

Yamako gaped, stumbling backwards, feeling for the lightswitch. He just said- "Kijah. You said- she's with the queen?" she asked.

She had heard about the new human queen, but had no idea why Kijah would be with her. Only very, veryhigh ranked guards had such a privilege. Another thought struck her a moment later : Who was this male in Kijah's room? Yamako found the button and turned on the light, the entire place illuminated. This gave her a chance to asses this male, in every way, considering he had no armor...or even clothes on.

Chatsu sat up, squinting and apparently careless about his lack of attire. "She's with the queen. That's the last time I'll say it. Who are you?" he asked, agitated.

Yamako 's mind was racing as she looked him over. She definitely did not recognize him, but she could appreciate his looks nonetheless. She found herself appreciating them a bit too much, and immediately focused her eyes on his, trying to look cool and calm. That was another mistake. His eyes were amazing! Her warrior's mindset snapped, as did her form. Yamako stood up straight and scowled. "I am Yamako, off world soldier and ruler of Ginosei. I'm on maternal leave, and decided to visit my veryoldfriend Kijah, only to find that she's with the Queen and there is a nude male sleeping in her quarters."

Chatsu smirked, sat there for another second, and finally pulled some cloth over himself and sat up more. His light brown eyes lost their glazed look as he stretched and woke up more fully. "She got promoted, Yamako. She's a Queen's guard now. I am her mate. My name is Chatsu, former off world troop, now Royal Guard Trainer," he said simply, never removing that smug look from his face.

'Quite the catch Kij' Yamako thought. "Queen's guard? I think I have missed too much in my absence," she admitted, looking around Kijah's room for the first time. Not much had changed there. She could only hope that her friend had stayed the same.

Chatsu shrugged. "She's usually back by sunrise, and since you've already done the wonderful deed of waking me up, I ought to be off to train for the tournament," he proceeded to get up and slip into the armor that had been strewn across the floor.

Yamako lifted her gaze and pursed her lips, doing her best to douse her annoyance. To be pregnant during the tournament! She swallowed her anger before speaking. "I'll stay here, then. They have yet to issue me a place. The order around here hasn't changed a bit," she said as she sat down, inspecting the room, and Kijah's mate when she got the chance.

Chatsu flicked a sly gaze to her. "Oh it's changed much more than you think. You'll see." he waved goodbye and walked out, his tail raised high behind him.

Yamako sat scowling, her own tail lifting and flicking occasionally behind her. Pompus jerk. No wonder Kijah liked him.

Kijah flicked a dark gaze over to Bulma, who again had her head in that book. Computer, or whatever it was. She sighed "Is there anything I can get you?" Kijah asked, standing and walking over, more out of curiosity than anything else.

Bulma smiled into her book, as it turned out to be. She looked up at Kijah, noticing her interest. "No, I'm fine," she smiled. "I'm working on a gravity machine concept."

Kijah raised a brow, the action voiced her question well enough.

Bulma grinned and turned, placing a hand over her swollen middle. She focused on the well built female and began the explanation, which was likely her favorite part. "Well I figure your training arenas have heightened gravity levels, proving that someone must have known training under weight increases muscle structure, speed, etc." Bulma began, and Kijah had a feeling she had been speaking with the King about this. "Once you've reached a certain level, many get used to the gravity, and do not advance in power. I figure if I can make a machine to control the level of gravity; the user can adjust it to his or her level, and slowly work up, all the time advancing in power. Only with this machine, the limit will be set much, much higher," she finished with a proud smile

Kijah raised both brows, taking a moment to compile. "So in other words...we can make more gravity in the training room, and once we get used to it, we can heighten it manually?" she asked

Bulma's brows went up "Exactly! I'll have a bit more trouble explaining that to Vegeta, but I think he'll like it," she spun around in her chair and shoved her head back in the book again, drawing strange things and symbols on pages.

Kijah thought about what she had just learned. True to the queen's usual concepts, it was a brilliant idea. The race would get stronger and stronger as they trained. Maybe the gravity was the reason some off world troops returned as more powerful warriors.

She smiled to herself and then stood to an attentive stance as Bulma flicked a tired blue gaze to her. "You can go now," she smiled wearily, which made Kijah a bit nervous for her health. "The sun is about up, and I'll be awake for awhile. Plus you probably want to practice. I'll just have a messenger get you if need be."

Kijah nodded "I will return shortly, my queen."

Bulma smiled, waved and turned back to her book.

Kijah made her way out, passing the king as he walked by. He ignored her presence as usual, and entered the royal quarters. Without a second though, she walked to her quarters, thinking that she might get a little sleep before training.

Liena gripped her arm and grimaced. It throbbed worse today. Kakarott had caught a hole in her defenses, and hadn't given in to show her where it was also. She caught Kakarott's eye as he looked at her from the side of the arena where he was getting some water. Four hours worth of training could make one thirsty, especially that one. She put on a smug face and let go of her arm, not willing to show he'd done any harm. But he narrowed his eyes in turn, knowing that she was in pain and wondering if he should still push her.

'The tournaments are coming', she reminded herself. With that thought, she stood up straight, forgot about the pain, and stalked over to him. Liena grabbed his arm, making him get water all over his face "Come on, we have to get a few hours in before duties."

He scowled, yanked his arm back, and followed. Just as Liena did, he ignored the stares that were sent their way. Many of the guards and palace members were still getting used to the two of them being bonded. Kakarott had been considered a very good catch by many, and jealousy ran through many females as they saw Liena dragging him around.

On the other hand, almost as many males considered Liena's looks and fighting skills an attractive pair. She had had quite a few suitors in the past few years, and the pairs of eyes directed at the couple were not all female.

Neither of the two had any idea of the controversies that they had caused.

Liena turned and dropped to a fighting stance. "Is there any heavier armor I can wear? I'm getting used to these."

Kakarott smiled, shook his head a bit and dropped also. "I'll see what I can do."

They sparred heavily with the time they had left, Liena getting better and better. Kakarott, she knew, was still above her, as no usual warrior she faced fought with such an enchanted gaze on his face.

Vegeta scowled and folded his arms. He absolutely hated not being able to understand her projects, but he wouldn't let her know this. In fact, he could care less. Not caring made it easy to keep his mind on more important things, like surpassing his current power.

"Vegeta, are you paying attention?" Bulma asked and turned to look at him. Her eyes were heavy from sleepless nights.

He snorted, "Woman, I could care less. As long as the engineers can do it and it works. Now get some sleep, or I'll put the brat in the gestation tank myself."

Bulma's lip quivered as she turned around. She mumbled something and continued writing, though, apparently unafraid of Vegeta's threat.

Vegeta sighed and sat across the room, checking with the guards that the arena was being properly prepared. For Bulma not to erupt into yells was a miracle in its own. Humans could be so moody, and he had a feeling this gestation would not be one he would appreciate. Once he was done the overall check, he retreated to some dark corner to watch his mate, and wait for any other idiotic obligations.

She, on the other hand, shut everything out (one of her perfected skills) and continued working. She meant to show him just how much of a genius she really was.