Pacifist

Chapter 25—The News

Disclaimer: All characters, locations, and scenarios are the legal and intellectual property of the one who first created them.

It was the most bizarre sight Chessa had ever encountered, and she prayed to every god she knew that it would end soon, because she was sure that if it didn't the world would come to an end.

It didn't, of course, though that might have been because Vegeta stopped laughing quickly enough to prevent it. Stepping towards the elder Saiyan, the young woman tried to glare at the prince, but wound up looking curious.

Vegeta just looked smug. Belligerently ignoring the young woman, he walked back towards the locker room without saying a word. Chessa followed him with her hand on her hip, highly perturbed. It was not until the next match had been set and Goten and Liran had left that Vegeta even looked at her again.

He looked even more pleased than he had when he had discovered Trunks and Chessa had mated. Why he should look so pleased when he had just somehow been inexplicably and undeniably beaten …

Then he turned to Trunks, still smirking, and very gruffly said, "Congratulations."

Congratulations? What was that supposed to mean? Perplexed, she turned to Trunks, who looked equally baffled. Then his eyes widened, and he turned to Chessa. Slowly, he walked over to her, inhaled her scent, and then kissed her deeply and with almost startling passion. Whatever the reason, Chessa sank into the kiss, melting in his strong embrace.

He pulled slowly away, smiling like the world had just been handed to him. "Chessa," he said softly, "you're pregnant."

"What? How could I be—" she broke off, looking over at Vegeta. He looked all too smug for the answer to be anything else, and he wasn't even the father!

"Females do not go Super Saiyan," the Prince of all Saiyans said, sounding just like the cat in the cream. "But while pregnant, if anything threatens, they go into a state that is their equivalent. The aura goes red, and the female goes berserk. Only victory stops them in defense of the unborn child."

"Females do not go Super Saiyan—hmph. No one at all went Super Saiyan until Goku. I'm sure a female, given the same chance, could go Super." Then she sobered. "So I'm pregnant. And set to face Trunks next." Worry etched on her face, she nestled back against her mate. "I don't see how we could be ready," she told him in a tiny voice.

"We have to be," he said gently, wrapping his arms around her.

Then Goku came over, his spiky head appearing over Trunks's shoulder, that enormous grin in place. "You're pregnant? That's exciting! When are you due? What are you going to name it? Is it a boy or a girl?"

"We just found out," Trunks said, saving Chessa from having to answer. His arms tightened protectively around her, and she smiled. How was it he could so easily make her want to melt? Two weeks ago he'd just been her friend. Things were going so fast, it should have disturbed her.

But it didn't. This was natural. This was right. So she was pregnant … they would deal with it. It was not the end of the world, however it might appear to those outside their relationship, and somehow as soon as the initial shock wore off it did not seem surprising at all. Of course she was pregnant.

"So," she said quietly to her mate, "what now?"

"You're slated to fight me once this fight and the next are over with," Trunks said, his brow furrowed nervously.

"And this is not exactly what I would call 'fighting prime'," Chessa said sardonically, waving a hand at her still flat stomach. Her human experience still told her there was no way to be sure yet, but her Saiyan instincts flattened any objections with the strength of a steamroller.

The lavender-haired prince laughed, shaking his head. "You say that after you beat Vegeta. You beat Vegeta, Chessa. I'd say that your current state is something close to fighting prime, and perhaps even above that. I'm just worried about what might happen to the baby if I'm not careful enough."

Chessa nodded thoughtfully, her tail slowly swishing behind her. She was exhilarated, excited, and terrified all at the same time, all tied up in a jumble of emotions that knotted her stomach around a bundle of butterflies. The more she thought about it, the more worried she became. Chewing her lip lightly, she placed her hands over her stomach, looking down at the place where her hands rested. Could there really be a little Saiyan growing inside her?

Of course there was.

Looking up at Trunks, she held her face arrogantly blank, looking every inch a First Class Saiyan from the tip of her jauntily held tail to the mercilessly proud look on her face. All the same, she nodded.

Finally it was time for Chessa to face Trunks in the ring. Once more, she stepped onto the platform that dropped away, and once more she rode along the dark tunnel with the window-like lights that flickered in her vision as she sped past them. Then she was in the ring – the blue corner this time. For some reason, she was more nervous now, knowing what she had to do, than she had been knowing that she was facing Vegeta.

And she had beat Vegeta. Even now, as she went on to her next match, it seemed as though she was dreaming. How could she have beaten Vegeta? She would not have, had she not been pregnant.

"In the blue corner, Chessa Ohanzee!"

The cheer went up, louder than any before. She had gone from underdog to favorite. She had, before them all, beaten Vegeta. The cheer made her sick to her stomach, and her throat tightened because she knew she would disappoint them all.

"And in the red corner, Trunks Briefs! He's a frequent contender, but can he stand up to Chessa's berserker rage?"

There was cheering for Trunks, though nowhere near what there had been for Chessa. It seemed that the audience loved the little guy, loved the idea of someone winning their first tournament—especially one on this scale. She looked at Trunks, knowing if she wanted to face him, he would let her … but he would be too afraid he would hurt the baby to bring his A game.

And she would not face him when he was giving anything less than his best. So this was no decision at all; what they had discussed would be done. The orange-haired announcer took a breath to shout the beginning of the match into the microphone, but before she said anything, the Saiyan woman grabbed her arm.

Chessa spoke rapidly to the announcer, holding the woman's slim arm in a firm grip. The orange-haired girl shook her head once, then again, as Chessa nodded and continued to talk rapidly to her. Finally, the announcer pulled away, rubbing her arm in irritation.

"An interesting development! Chessa Ohanzee, who was quickly becoming a favorite despite the fact this is her first tournament, forfeits!"