Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z
Title: Long Live the KingAuthor: Elysian DreamerChapter One
As the air whirling around him dissipated, Vegeta held his breath. To his left, Goku stood mystified. It was strange to see his Saiya-jin rival in the clothing of their home world. Almost as strange as Vegeta felt wearing them again himself. He made a mental note to give his mate an almost-compliment on the accuracy of their attire upon his return to the present... that is, if he ever saw her again. As its movement caught Vegeta's eye, he added the regrowth of their tails to the list.
The thick air burned Vegeta's throat as he took another breath to steady himself. "Tell me again why we can't just wear stretch armor, Vegeta?" Goku asked while tugging his tunic out of place uncomfortably.
The Saiya-jin prince turned to glare and with a low voice, hissed, "Quiet you fool! If anyone hears you call me that its a penalty of death."
Quickly glancing around, Vegeta saw no other Saiya-jins in sight. It appeared that the device Bulma invented to bring them to the past had placed them far from civilization. He could not feel another ki for miles and he felt satisfied enough to explain... again. "At this point in time, there are no armor suits as Freezer has yet to visit Vegetasei." Looking Goku over, Vegeta growled, "And fix that tunic. No respectable Saiya-jin elite would be caught dead looking like that."
Silver threaded into the edging of Goku's green tunic caught one of the suns causing Vegeta to turn to the crimson skies of Vegeta-sei for the first time in almost forty years. As one red sun sunk into the horizon, a small white sun was beginning to rise. Directly above his head, a black, ringed moon hung low and large. The Saiya-jin prince took a moment to appreciate the hot breeze swaying the trees that dominated the landscape, their violet leaves pointing faithfully toward the white sun rising.
"What should I call you then?" Goku's questions were causing Vegeta a migraine. He started to wonder if bringing the Earth raised Saiya-jin along was a grave mistake.
"I'll think of something. Until then, its probably best if you don't talk at all until you pick up the language. The device Bulma implanted in your skull will only allow you to understand, not speak."
The sounds of Goku's reply faded from Vegeta's ears as he concentrated on ki. He could feel several large clusters of ki, but knew that the strongest concentration could only be the Imperial City. It was impossible to distinguish one ki from another, much less find the specific person he was seeking.
"... either way as long as we're back before dinner-"
"North." Vegeta interrupted without turning to look, "Our best bet is to fly north."
In a flash of ki, Vegeta took off into the sky, leaving Goku to catch up.
Celerus stared down into the valley into the Imperial City of Nori. The residents gathered in the the grand coliseum that rested in the center of the Palace, waiting for the coronation to begin, she gripped the branches of the tree she perched herself in an attempt to quell her rage. Her brother was murdered and the culprit was being celebrated and crowned king.
After fifty years reining over the people of Vegetasei, Queen Vegeta Tatsoi was stepping down. Her father, the former King Vegeta, had sired over two hundred children, all named Vegeta, including Celerus' half brother, Vegeta Chard. Queen Vegeta, having produced no heir, issued a challenge to her siblings: Advocate or die. All Saiya-jin's given the name Vegeta were to give up the right to their name and the throne, or fight to the death in pursuit of the title of undisputed ruler of Vegetasei. She claimed that the challenge was issued to prevent war, but it was a little known secret that the treasury was nearly depleted having to support hundreds of royals.
For a moment the crowd below quieted and then began to cheer as the coronation began. The current queen and her now only heir entered the pit of the coliseum from opposite entrances. Obviously her heir was to prove his worthiness.
As the contenders met in a flurry of blows, Celerus pulled back the hood of her black mourning cloak. Behind her she could feel the pressure of other Saiya-jins touching down from flight. Though they were technically out of city limits, the no fly zone of Nori extended another two hundred miles past this point. The right to fly in Nori was exclusively for royals and all others were to be considered hostile or terrorist and executed.
Ignoring their infraction, she stared on at the fight. Had this been six months ago, she would have faithfully carried out her obligation as an elite to challenge them herself in the queen's honor. As things were, she felt little loyalty to the new king.
A haze hung over the coliseum; dust kicked up by the fury of their blows. The queen's ki flared, thickening the haze and interrupting Celerus' view. The last of the battle she could make out was the queen's ki knocking her opponent to the ground. Celerus' stomach jumped to her throat and held her breath. She couldn't help but feel that her body was betraying her. She strengthened her grip on the trunk as a wave of nausea washed over her. A heat rose from her core, scorching her skin causing her to lose her grip. Celerus found herself completely unable to control her ki to slow her fall. It was not until she was free falling that Celerus realized that her affliction was not concern for her brother's murderer at all. She slipped out of consciousness, the last sound she heard was chanting from the stadium, "Long live the king!"