Dragonball Z
7th Heaven and Cloud 9
Disclaimer: Dragon Ball Z does not by any means belong to me. It rightfully belongs to Akira Toriyama-sensei, TOEI Animation, Bird Studios, FUNimation, and other licensees.
Disclaimer 1: The central characters Nyoke and Togara belong to me. So no stealing or you will suffer comeuppances beyond that of your imagination!
Disclaimer 2: This story is in conjunction with H-san's fan fiction The Unique Alliance. Therefore, most of the credit goes to her and her ingenious story writing skills.
Disclaimer 3: I am not profiting from H-san's expense, nor am I profiting in general. I just felt inspired!
Please Read: You must understand The Unique Alliance in order to get the terminology that occurs in this story. So please, read H-san's story!!
Author's Note: "Ore wa…" is Japanese that stands for "I am…" It is the proper male way of saying it.
Chapter 1: Ore wa…
Shadows enveloped the prison cells. I sat by the walls with my head laid upon its cold steel surface. Sleep was something difficult to accomplish in such a place. The smell did not help as much either with the low hygiene that invaded into these prison walls and crept everywhere. If not for the weekly laundering of this wretched place, the men incarcerated would have died of the foul living conditions long ago. I turned towards my cellmate who slept peacefully beside me on his rickety bunk filled with holes, broken springs, and patches of decay that stained the cloth he laid upon. I still could not believe his capabilities to slumber in such a derogative state. But for most of the men in these cells, it was a miracle in itself. I could not sleep, and kept well away from my own bed as if it were a creature humbly waiting for me to step into its hungry jaws. My thoughts wandered and darted everywhere, staring above at the ceiling covered in murky rust that continued to crawl towards the floor.
Twelve years, eight months, and three days it has been since I was imprisoned. I could not imagine having to survive for this long in a secluded and sordid place as this. Much has changed in such an amount of time, but news rarely spread towards the prison confinements of the Queen, and I have not heard news about her for so long. How I long for her. Many days I try to push her out of my mind and not dwell on the thoughts for long, but they seem to return stronger than before. I wondered how she was, if she still lived under the same pastel coloured roof, and the silk laden rooms, or even if she still remembered me. My days in the prison, despite the horrid smell, continued to be lifted with the scent of her still hanging loosely in my memory.
I raised my hand towards my cloth-bound eye, touching its soft woven threads across my face. Trailing it around my features, I brushed against my thick beard and realised how old I may have looked. The last I remembered of her was a young and vibrant woman. I lowered my head between my legs and held it there for quite some time ignoring the events that stirred in the large male compound that surrounded me. The events that led me here all started with the life I led myself to be, the life of a Saiya-jin.
The morning rounds reported disturbance in the south quarters of the Queen during my third long and tiring shift of the week. The Quillisian law enforcement had sent for Saiya-jin reinforcements to halt the commotion that disrupted the empire's society. The troops travelled in packs down the trail, passing as if they were in a marching band towards the south quarters. I stood guarding the citadel walls alongside my best comrades as we saw the event unfold before us with Saiya-jins making their way through. As they passed, Cue waved his hands in a light manner.
"I don't get those guys," he stated in a mild arrogance. "Can't they relax for once in their lives?"
I looked up at him with an air of scepticism and followed my eyes towards the group that had disappeared down the track.
"Well, it's their job," I answered casually with a monotonous tone.
Cue looked away with a grimace on his face as he turned to lean on the walls beside me. He was not one to be taken seriously often, but it was not everyday you find someone so debatable. Cue practically questioned most things that he believed were trivial, and at some points, even created one too many conspiracy theories. None of this ever got us into trouble, but it had further deepened my understanding about Cue: he definitely needed someone else to ramble these things to but me. I had handled myself with a share of his debates.
I pulled on my collar, fixing up its grip on my neck as I loitered on the granite walls behind me. The steel contraption slid across my neck and glistened in the artificial light that the Queen provided.
"Uncomfortable again, huh?" asked Cue, turning his head towards me.
I mumbled incoherently, returning back to loitering on the wall behind me.
"It's weird though, why we have to wear these things," continued Cue, as he played around with his collar.
"It's better not to think and just follow rules," I warned.
Cue rose from the wall and stood before me with a defensive posture.
"I mean, come on Togara," he began waving his hands around exaggeratedly. "Don't you ever wonder why every Saiya-jin has to wear these?"
I stood from the citadel walls and tugged at my collar once again, staring at my comrade before me. I sighed, holding my hand at my waist.
"I know that it's the rules, so you have to get used to that," I answered.
Cue raised his arms in the air in defeat, standing limply before me and sighing deeply.
"Yeah, Cue," spoke a voice from the left, catching our attention from our small conversation. "Just accept the fact that we're all dogs for the Quillis and that we're supposed to be home-trained."
Our eyes caught a shapely figure, with her arms stretched above her head. She gruffly moaned and sat on a crate opposite us amongst other boxes and other trash. Cue scratched and shook his head with a chuckle.
"Always the optimist, aren't you Basil?" he questioned, looking back at the woman before us.
Basil pouted and crossed her arms before her chest while crossing her legs over each other.
"Well, I would think you've gotten that fact in your head by now," she replied with a cock in her brow. Basil was a very provocative Saiya-jin female. She stuck to her own opinions and, despite her irrational loathing of Cue's conspiracies, believed her own thoughts were just as true. She was very disciplined though, always following orders, but she had her tendencies to make things her way. Most gossip I heard from other male Saiya-jin guards included her name in their conversations. For my own self-judgement, I kept away from learning what they were exactly talking about, but it did not go completely ignored. Basil was a tease for most of the men. I just laughed for the incompetence of such a thing. Now that was trivial.
I walked between the two and crossed my arms across my chest.
"All right you two," I began. "We don't need any more hostility."
Cue slyly smirked and shrugged his shoulders, whilst Basil grumbled and looked away in disgust. We all stood listening to the echoes of the riots down south that by then had diverted our attentions from each other for quite some time. The smoke billowed above the townhouses and residency that inhabited the southern area of the Queen. Gunfire and screams continued to relentlessly fill the air with destruction.
Basil held her forehead with her fingers and shook her head in dismay.
"Riots are such a bore," she commented.
"Hey, you can't help but rebel," absently stated Cue with his shoulders shrugged.
Basil stared at him with scepticism. "That's something coming out of you."
"Look who's talking, Miss Duty."
"Guys?" I slowly interjected before blood would be shed. "Now you know we're on our shift. Let's try to behave today."
Despite my intrusion, a group of Quillisian men stormed through our way with casualties carried upon their shoulders. We parted as if we were the Red Sea and made way for the men. To me, the analogy was a distinct portrayal. Where I had read such things was beyond me, but during my youth, books were a great source of knowledge of the world outside the Queen. Curiosity was my satiation back in those days. Now orders and regulations ruled my life.
We continued to gaze upon the wounded in the troop as they moved on towards the citadel. Many were injured with their blood spilling from their wounds and cuts around their bodies. Cue looked on ahead and spotted more arriving, and very soon the troops had returned from the revolts. The empire now laid in silence from its deafening roars and the smoke simmered to a trail of mist above the residences. By then our shift had ended, and, we too, returned into the citadel for a break of our own. The three of us stopped by the pit stop that had served for many of the citadel guards and ordered up our rounds as usual. We sat by a table we had instinctively made our own and habitually came to sit by on every shift. Again, Cue and Basil began to debate over things, but I occasionally calmed them down once again.
Those were the days like any other ordinary day. How I miss the company of my fellow guards in a forsaken place of a prison. How I remember the days of my youth, merely twenty when I began my life as a citadel guard. The times spent everyday were always filled with much amusement as I watched Cue and Basil match each other idea after idea. I still remember the last time I had seen Cue. It was a day we both would remember as our last day together as citadel guards.
He and I walked through the streets of the empire. We both had no shifts until after nightfall when the artificial light is needed to recharge for the next day. Basil meanwhile still stood guard of the chambers from within the citadel walls, and was not permitted to speak to anybody but those who were on shift. With the credentials that she had obtained through her years as a guard, she would be able to be a royal guard sooner than expected. But it was quite a feat to obtain. She was quite young for her level of expertise. I usually wondered how she was doing nowadays with her type of loyalty towards His Majesty. At most, she must have attained a high rank in class, but to think about these things was not of my concern.
Both Cue and I eventually reached the central square of the empire. A large monumental fountain adorned the large square in its centre with water spraying from every cavity. The display was magnificent to see, elegant and beautiful, it was a sight. Cue sat by the fountain's edge and sighed incoherently as he wiped his brow with the back of his hand. He looked up at me as I still watched the water dance on the fountain's rocky surface.
"Hey," he called, catching my attention. "You think we have to walk around the walls again tonight?"
I sat down beside him and leisurely laid my arms upon my thighs.
"Not sure," I replied. "I think we're taking to the citadel doors."
Cue ruffled his short coarse hair in disarray and shook his head. He sighed again and lowered his head above his chest.
"More standing," he grumbled. "At least we're only needed for two hours. I really need the sleep."
I chuckled under my breath, hanging my head above my chest in order to disguise it. Despite my bland attempt to do so, Cue recognised my mockery and punched me on my arm hard.
"That's not funny!" he exclaimed in a small tantrum.
I looked up at him with content eyes and slapped him on his back, signalling my apologies as a friend. Cue took this into account, and returned the favour. He was quite a character in my books. He persistently wanted to sleep as much as possible, even on days when he had no shifts at all. The lazy type to lounge around all day, but the time he uses to sleep were also sessions when he had more theories behind everything that goes around. His brain always kept ticking.
Cue stood from the fountain and now watched the display. He looked down at me with a thoughtful look on his face.
"You know, " he began. "You think it's true?"
I looked up at him perplexed and stared at his face that still eyed the fountain.
"What?" I asked.
"That there may be more than this out there?"
"Why are you thinking of such things like that?"
Cue again ruffled his hair behind him and paid attention to my presence by the fountain. He realised my confused look upon my face and shook his head as if I would have known what he was speaking of.
"Togara," he began. "There had been so many things that had spread throughout the Queen that you have to sit and wonder."
I continued to be perplexed about the subject matter, but my old curiosity began to creep from behind me. I raised my hand towards my chin and thought for a moment.
"All right," I started, looking up at Cue. "Name a few things I should be thinking about."
Cue paced for a while, slowing to a halt before me.
"Well, I know what really happened to Planet Vegeta," he started. "We were both born on the planet before we were rescued, right?"
I nodded accordingly.
"Do you remember, Lord Frieza?" he asked again, soon mumbling incoherently: "I sure as Hell do."
Again, I nodded.
"It was he who destroyed Planet Vegeta." Cue swaggered triumphantly, as if he had won an old wager.
"What?" I asked.
"That's right!" he exclaimed.
"Cue, it was destroyed by a large comet."
"Wrong! And more to think about, there had been some word going around that there are others like us out there."
"Yeah, they're in other colonies."
Cue shook his head at me negatively.
"No, no, no!" he responded. "I mean outside the affiliations of the Queen. There are other Saiya-jins out there who live outside this type of society, and apparently survive under that tyrant's rule still."
I thought about Cue's theories for quite some time. Although I did not succumb to his radical thoughts, there had been word going around about others that lived outside the Quillis regime. It was around this time continuous information leaks kept occurring every once in a while. I paid no mind to such sources, as I had not thought of it to be true at the time. But, the more I thought about the possibilities, the more Cue began making sense. But, then again, I was becoming like him in a way. I was reforming again. I was turning towards questioning things rather than living the way things were. He was influential, as he was contagious.
I looked up at him once more with a question of my own.
"But, wouldn't that be like dictatorship?" I answered. "And isn't that a poorer way of living?"
Cue opened his mouth to speak, but then delved into thought. He sat down beside me once again by the fountain and raised his hand towards his chin.
"I guess so," he replied, as he turned and smiled at me with a goofy grin on his mug. "Well, the ideas of others living out there was probably the fascinating point I was trying to get across."
I smiled back at him and our conversations continued to jump from one conspiracy theory to another. If not for that, it would be our next shifts or breaks. As guards, nothing ever came free. If we wanted a holiday, it was up to the discretion of His Majesty. But to think of such a ludicrous thing was of the impossible. The Saiya-jin guards were always put on a shift one way or another. We were given some time off in between, but also long and tiring hours despite of that. There had been some things I could not even comprehend myself at times. Having to stand there and do nothing for long periods of time would get you thinking about many things. Now when I look back, I realise why Cue had always been like that.
I always thought highly of Cue, despite his incessant ramblings. His way of thinking had always peaked my interest. He came up with many things, whether real or not, and thought of ways that would explain a great deal. For as long as I've known him as a Saiya-jin, he was quite brooding, but that made up much of his personality. If he were any different, that would have scared me. For the time we spent by that fountain, it would be one I would never forget. For now, I wondered where he would be now, like Basil. That day was the last I had seen him. He know longer was a guard. He recruited himself into the Quillis militia and had disappeared from the Queen entirely. I still wonder about his travels and his own story.
Many things happened that led me here. And the news rained down on me on a day like any other. I arrived by the large citadel doors alongside Basil who still worked with me on duty. We talked sensibly enough when a Quillisian guard dismissed me from duty. Confused, I made my way into the citadel, leaving Basil behind outside the walls. I found myself standing before the commanding officer at the time. He smiled at my presence.
"Welcome Togara," he greeted.
"Likewise, sir," I responded, saluting the commander before me.
"You've been sent here on the grounds of His Majesty to be assigned a new shift."
The commander led the way through the large chambers as I followed. I had never been within the citadel walls, and for the first time, it was a surprise for me to see. Although Basil had described the setting of the citadel during her rounds, it was a different experience first hand. The walls glistened with a shiny polish, as did the marble stone below my feet. The ceilings were decked with drapes that floated above, and the doors came in thousands by the walls beside me. It truly felt larger than the empire itself.
"You are to guard a very important entity within the citadel," continued the commander as we walked through the large halls. "Your old shifts have been assigned to another guard. I don't understand why His Majesty had given you the responsibility, but it was not my place to judge His Majesty's decisions."
It occurred to me then the topic of the situation that brought me inside the citadel. It was strange for a citadel guard to be summoned by His Majesty himself. For truth, I felt out of place from inside the walls. I had accustomed myself from around the empire, but never did I realise how different it felt inside the citadel.
The commander stopped in his tracks and turned towards me, looking up at me from his diminutive height. He was quite a short man, but his record was impeccable.
"Togara," he began, eyeing me strictly. "You are to safeguard a very important person to the royal family."
I stood holding my surprise behind my serious façade.
"You are to be sentry and guardian of Nyoke-sama," he ended.
It was the day that had changed me, and led me to this place below the Queen in the dirty confines of imprisonment. I would not have known how it had unfolded, but for certain, I had never regretted that day. For that was the day that I met her.
