Part Four : "... and I'd Love To Hear Your Story"
"Do you know Vejiita-sama well?" Aleta asked me about two days after our three Saiyans had left for their training vacation. She had been lonely in her rooms without Gokuu, and so I had offered to let her sleep in Kado's room until they came back, and she had accepted.
We had found that we got along fairly well.
I put down the music I had been skimming and looked up at her. She stood on the far side of the room, still poised as if she were about to begin her katas. Her long teal hair fell into her eyes momentarily and she blew it away with a puff of breath from peach lips. Then she turned her glittering green eyes back to me.
Kami, she was a lovely young woman.
"Yes." I said. "I was the closest thing he had to a mother growing up."
"Oh." She said, shrugged as if this information was unimportant, and resumed her workout. Then she paused, looked at me, took in as breath as if about to speak, then shrugged again and went back to work. This happened about three times, until the curiosity became too much.
That pretty little teal tail of hers began to wave back and forth and she came to sit at the table with me.
"Was he always such a prick?" She asked, looking my directly in the eye.
I blinked in shock, then began to laugh. She looked at me with a puzzled expression for a moment, and then I said, "That's just the way he is. All Saiyans are like that. They just can't show their feelings, it makes them seem weak."
"But..." she ventured slowly, eyes dropping to follow her finger as she absent mindedly traced along the lines of my sheet music. "... he DOES feel them, right?"
"Yes." I said, my suspicion growing, "Why?"
"Oh, nothing." she responded hastily and I smiled.
"Do you have a crush on the King?" I chuckled.
She sputtered for a moment before shouting "No!"
I smirked knowingly, then bowed my head to my work once more. She shrugged again -a habit I had noticed she shared with Gokuu - and got back up, starting her katas all over again.
"You know..." I said after a few long moments, and she looked back at me. "Vejii really likes women in the colour green."
"Green?" she looked at me blankly for a moment, and I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively. The proverbial lightbulb switched on and she said, "Green! But... I don't OWN anything GREEN!"
"I do." I said, standing and ushering her into the bedroom and towards my closet.
***
"Again!" Vejii demanded and Kado and Gokuu exchanged a glance.
"Are you certain, my Lord?" Kado said, panting heavily, sweat dripping from his face.
"Yeah Vejiita," Gokuu scratched his head, only mildly out of breath. "Are you up to it?"
Vejii snarled, displaying impressive canines. "I cannot become a SuperSaiyan if I do not train, so ATTACK ME!"
Both Kado and Gokuu shrugged, hopped up into SuperSaiyan, and launched themselves at Vejii.
***
Six months later, word arrived on Vejiita-sei that the King had returned from his 'training hiatus' and was going to be arriving on the largest landing platform in the capitol that afternoon.
Aleta and I met Rurutip there and waited eagerly for our boys to return.
The first off the ship was Gokuu, to whose arms Aleta ran immediately with a loud and long, "Goooookuuuuuuuu-saaaaaaaaaaaan!" She jumped up and Gokuu caught her, spinning the two of them in the air.
The next to come down the platform was my son. He bowed stoically in front of his father, but I could see the pride shining in both their eyes. He then turned to me and gave me an affectionate but brief hug.
"Otousan, Okassan."
"Oi, brat." Rurutip whispered. "Did the King work you hard?"
"Hai, Otousan."
"Good."
Then all eyes turned to Vejii.
"I have something to show all of you!" He said loudly, making sure everyone on the landing platform heard. "A new era has arrived for our Empire! The Legend LIVES!!"
There was an immediate moment of silence as Vejii's regal and confidant gaze skimmed along the crowd gathered, and I was relieved that for the first time in a very long time, he was acting like his old 'holier-than-thou' self.
Vejii smiled smugly and snapped his fingers. The air around him caught fire and I shielded my eyes. When the intense light had faded enough for me to look up, I gasped in shock.
Vejiita had become a SuperSaiyan!
A great cheer went up from all gathered, and before I knew it, a party had somehow begun, and I was dancing in the arms of Kado.
***
Three days after my boys returned home, a great ball was given in honour of Vejii's first SSJ transformation. Of course, the people thought he had done it on his own, without the training and help of Kado and Gokuu.
They were never to know that my son had reached SuperSaiyan before the King - it was simply not possible to them, so we let the populace think it true.
To have someone -anyone- more powerful than the King was an unthinkable blasphemy. Not only did it mean that Vejiita was no longer the strongest and therefore unfit to rule, it meant that a halfling, an unpure Saiyan was what the Empire had fallen to.
They would see Kado's success as an omen that the Empire was doomed.
So, unwilling to create anarchy, a secret agreement had been reached.
In return for teaching him the secrets of the SuperSaiyan, Gokuu demanded that Vejii become more humane in his practices. The empire was no longer allowed to purge entire civilizations for profit.
This demand rankled Vejii, but his greed eventually won through and he accepted. He wanted so badly to be the SuperSaiyan, just as his late older brother had.
It turned out, though, that not only was this deal better for the planets that had been meant to be purged, it was better for the Empire as well. All the expenses that had formally gone into patching up broken Soldiers and spacepods, making deals and treaties, and the general spending that was present in ANY war - technological development, funerals, mass amounts of food for starving and exhausted warriors - could now be used to better their own planet and those they ruled.
The quality of life went up all over the galaxy. Slowly, at first, but after even a few months the changes were beginning to become obvious. People no longer had to fear that they were next on the Saiyan's list, and so became more willing to open their planets to trade and enterprise.
The Empire became a sort of "Galactic Village", much as earth had become a Global Village in the late Twentieth century.
But that's me getting ahead of myself yet once more... at the time of the ball, these changes had only just begun to occur.
Gokuu and I sat alone at a table on the far side of the room from the throne where Vejii was watching over the festivities with a superior eye. He sure had gotten mighty cocky since he could transform into an SSJ, and he rarely ever fell out of it. He was trying very hard to make being in SSJ as natural as possible, so he remained blond and green-eyed at absolutely all times.
I bet he was the first blond to ever sit in that throne.
Rurutip was out sparring with Celik, who had returned to the planet for the celebration. They had been at the party for a while, until Celik had proclaimed with an arrogant smirk that he was probably strong enough to be an Elite now.
Rurutip had given him a look that said 'oh yeah?' and they had retreated to a sparring room to see who was right.
I didn't mind being left alone with Gokuu, he was pleasant company despite his inability to hold a conversation. Sometimes he was the most intelligent person I knew... and then he'd be as dumb as a door-nail.
I often wondered how much of Kakarotto was really still there in him.
Movement from where Kado and Aleta had been re-filling their stomachs at the buffet on the far wall caught our attention. A guard said something to Aleta and gestured towards the King.
Aleta stared at him for a moment and then nodded, following the soldier to the dias. Vejii offered her a seat on the floor beside his feet - a very gracious thing to do, as no one was ever allowed that close to him in public, not even me - and leaned down to whisper a few things in her ear.
She nodded and together they got to their feet.
Gokuu made a confused grunt, and I smiled. I knew that look on Vejii's face. He had been muttering to himself about choosing a mate for weeks before he and Kado and Gokuu had gone off world.
It seemed in his time away from Vejiita-sei, he had decided who he wanted.
"What is he doing?" Gokuu said, sitting up rigidly. "Why is Aleta-chan going with him? Where are they going?"
I chuckled softly. Gokuu was so naive sometimes, but his determination to protect his late best friend's daughter from all Saiyans was touching.
"I think they're going somewhere private." I sighed. "Vejii had been asking me a lot of questions about Aleta in the last two days. I guess I know why now." I smiled roughishly, then leaned over to whisper in Gokuu's ear, being quiet enough that the nearby music drown my words to all but him. "Do you want to remind him she's half Chikyuu-jinn... or shall I?"
Gokuu frowned, eyebrows pulling down to such a degree that half of one was lost under his eyepatch. "I don't want Vejiita around Aleta."
"You can't stop him." I sighed. "Vejii has decided." I pointed to where he had begun to lead Aleta out of the room towards his private chambers. "And she has too, or she wouldn't be going willingly. They're going to be mates, Gokuu."
"No." he snapped and began to move towards them, but I grabbed his arm and he allowed me to pull him back to his seat at the table. "I don't want her with him!"
"Gokuu," I said in a slightly pleading tone. "They've chosen each other."
He said nothing, face as dark as a thundercloud.
"Gokuu, what was your mate's name?" I asked softly, and he turned to blink at me.
After a long pause he said, "Chichi."
"Chichi." I echoed. "That's a very pretty name. Was she beautiful?"
"Yes." He hung his head. "She was the most beautiful woman on Earth."
I placed one of my delicate hands over his. "Did you love her?"
"Oh, yes!" he groaned, melting into his seat.
I cupped his chin in my other hand and forced him to meet my eyes. "Would you deny Aleta and Vejiita that same love?"
He looked at me hard and long, then groaned and hid his face in his large hands.
"No."
***
I wouldn't allow Vejii to continue the tradition of killing the newborn Prince's mother after he had been weened, but Vejii really didn't seem to mind that we had destroyed yet another foundation of his society this time.
He really did love Aleta. It took me a few months to nag it into him, but he realized it eventually.
Thus, Aleta was alive to see her son ascend to the throne of Vejiita-sei, his clear blue eyes sparkling with pride as his father graciously stepped aside and placed the Royal Seal around his neck.
Setsun-Vejiita was a very good boy, and Vejii and Aleta loved him a lot. They had done a very good job of raising him. Gokuu tells me that Setsun, who was forever tinkering with technology to try to find yet another way for the Empire to improve, had a lot of his Grandmother Bulma in him. I didn't doubt it.
And I loved Setsun too. I came to think of him as one of my own grandchildren. Kado's boys, Aurek and Ruratin, were as intelligent and loveable as their father, but both had the thick black hair and gruff disposition of their grandfather, and the sharp tongue of their mother.
Kado's mate - Nanbas - and I never completely got along, for she still thought like her fore-bearers had; I was a slave and had no business getting my nose into Kado's choices. But she respected me for being so devoted to my boys, and I respected her for being able to deal with Kado's silly 'reading' habits and human mannerisms, and that was enough.
Ru and I never had anymore children, but Kado and Vejii were enough for me.
And soon enough Reeko and the rest of Gokuu's wild gang of halflings moved onto Vejiita-sei and were integrated into society, finally finding for themselves the mates and families that they hadn't had before. Some of them even found their blood fathers or mothers.
And I was happy.
I AM happy.
I am old, worn, weathered, and fragile, but I have lived long enough to see the entire universe change into a better place because of one song I sang so many years ago.
And I am no longer ashamed that I am a slave. I am not a slave anymore, not really. Only in name.
I am a loved mother and mate, a friend to many, a guardian to some, and loved by few.
I am going to die one day, there is no avoiding that - but one thing is certain:
I am going to die with a smile on my lips.
And when I do, I would be more than glad to meet you in heaven.
I'd love to hear YOUR story.
***
THE END
(series conclusion)
"Do you know Vejiita-sama well?" Aleta asked me about two days after our three Saiyans had left for their training vacation. She had been lonely in her rooms without Gokuu, and so I had offered to let her sleep in Kado's room until they came back, and she had accepted.
We had found that we got along fairly well.
I put down the music I had been skimming and looked up at her. She stood on the far side of the room, still poised as if she were about to begin her katas. Her long teal hair fell into her eyes momentarily and she blew it away with a puff of breath from peach lips. Then she turned her glittering green eyes back to me.
Kami, she was a lovely young woman.
"Yes." I said. "I was the closest thing he had to a mother growing up."
"Oh." She said, shrugged as if this information was unimportant, and resumed her workout. Then she paused, looked at me, took in as breath as if about to speak, then shrugged again and went back to work. This happened about three times, until the curiosity became too much.
That pretty little teal tail of hers began to wave back and forth and she came to sit at the table with me.
"Was he always such a prick?" She asked, looking my directly in the eye.
I blinked in shock, then began to laugh. She looked at me with a puzzled expression for a moment, and then I said, "That's just the way he is. All Saiyans are like that. They just can't show their feelings, it makes them seem weak."
"But..." she ventured slowly, eyes dropping to follow her finger as she absent mindedly traced along the lines of my sheet music. "... he DOES feel them, right?"
"Yes." I said, my suspicion growing, "Why?"
"Oh, nothing." she responded hastily and I smiled.
"Do you have a crush on the King?" I chuckled.
She sputtered for a moment before shouting "No!"
I smirked knowingly, then bowed my head to my work once more. She shrugged again -a habit I had noticed she shared with Gokuu - and got back up, starting her katas all over again.
"You know..." I said after a few long moments, and she looked back at me. "Vejii really likes women in the colour green."
"Green?" she looked at me blankly for a moment, and I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively. The proverbial lightbulb switched on and she said, "Green! But... I don't OWN anything GREEN!"
"I do." I said, standing and ushering her into the bedroom and towards my closet.
***
"Again!" Vejii demanded and Kado and Gokuu exchanged a glance.
"Are you certain, my Lord?" Kado said, panting heavily, sweat dripping from his face.
"Yeah Vejiita," Gokuu scratched his head, only mildly out of breath. "Are you up to it?"
Vejii snarled, displaying impressive canines. "I cannot become a SuperSaiyan if I do not train, so ATTACK ME!"
Both Kado and Gokuu shrugged, hopped up into SuperSaiyan, and launched themselves at Vejii.
***
Six months later, word arrived on Vejiita-sei that the King had returned from his 'training hiatus' and was going to be arriving on the largest landing platform in the capitol that afternoon.
Aleta and I met Rurutip there and waited eagerly for our boys to return.
The first off the ship was Gokuu, to whose arms Aleta ran immediately with a loud and long, "Goooookuuuuuuuu-saaaaaaaaaaaan!" She jumped up and Gokuu caught her, spinning the two of them in the air.
The next to come down the platform was my son. He bowed stoically in front of his father, but I could see the pride shining in both their eyes. He then turned to me and gave me an affectionate but brief hug.
"Otousan, Okassan."
"Oi, brat." Rurutip whispered. "Did the King work you hard?"
"Hai, Otousan."
"Good."
Then all eyes turned to Vejii.
"I have something to show all of you!" He said loudly, making sure everyone on the landing platform heard. "A new era has arrived for our Empire! The Legend LIVES!!"
There was an immediate moment of silence as Vejii's regal and confidant gaze skimmed along the crowd gathered, and I was relieved that for the first time in a very long time, he was acting like his old 'holier-than-thou' self.
Vejii smiled smugly and snapped his fingers. The air around him caught fire and I shielded my eyes. When the intense light had faded enough for me to look up, I gasped in shock.
Vejiita had become a SuperSaiyan!
A great cheer went up from all gathered, and before I knew it, a party had somehow begun, and I was dancing in the arms of Kado.
***
Three days after my boys returned home, a great ball was given in honour of Vejii's first SSJ transformation. Of course, the people thought he had done it on his own, without the training and help of Kado and Gokuu.
They were never to know that my son had reached SuperSaiyan before the King - it was simply not possible to them, so we let the populace think it true.
To have someone -anyone- more powerful than the King was an unthinkable blasphemy. Not only did it mean that Vejiita was no longer the strongest and therefore unfit to rule, it meant that a halfling, an unpure Saiyan was what the Empire had fallen to.
They would see Kado's success as an omen that the Empire was doomed.
So, unwilling to create anarchy, a secret agreement had been reached.
In return for teaching him the secrets of the SuperSaiyan, Gokuu demanded that Vejii become more humane in his practices. The empire was no longer allowed to purge entire civilizations for profit.
This demand rankled Vejii, but his greed eventually won through and he accepted. He wanted so badly to be the SuperSaiyan, just as his late older brother had.
It turned out, though, that not only was this deal better for the planets that had been meant to be purged, it was better for the Empire as well. All the expenses that had formally gone into patching up broken Soldiers and spacepods, making deals and treaties, and the general spending that was present in ANY war - technological development, funerals, mass amounts of food for starving and exhausted warriors - could now be used to better their own planet and those they ruled.
The quality of life went up all over the galaxy. Slowly, at first, but after even a few months the changes were beginning to become obvious. People no longer had to fear that they were next on the Saiyan's list, and so became more willing to open their planets to trade and enterprise.
The Empire became a sort of "Galactic Village", much as earth had become a Global Village in the late Twentieth century.
But that's me getting ahead of myself yet once more... at the time of the ball, these changes had only just begun to occur.
Gokuu and I sat alone at a table on the far side of the room from the throne where Vejii was watching over the festivities with a superior eye. He sure had gotten mighty cocky since he could transform into an SSJ, and he rarely ever fell out of it. He was trying very hard to make being in SSJ as natural as possible, so he remained blond and green-eyed at absolutely all times.
I bet he was the first blond to ever sit in that throne.
Rurutip was out sparring with Celik, who had returned to the planet for the celebration. They had been at the party for a while, until Celik had proclaimed with an arrogant smirk that he was probably strong enough to be an Elite now.
Rurutip had given him a look that said 'oh yeah?' and they had retreated to a sparring room to see who was right.
I didn't mind being left alone with Gokuu, he was pleasant company despite his inability to hold a conversation. Sometimes he was the most intelligent person I knew... and then he'd be as dumb as a door-nail.
I often wondered how much of Kakarotto was really still there in him.
Movement from where Kado and Aleta had been re-filling their stomachs at the buffet on the far wall caught our attention. A guard said something to Aleta and gestured towards the King.
Aleta stared at him for a moment and then nodded, following the soldier to the dias. Vejii offered her a seat on the floor beside his feet - a very gracious thing to do, as no one was ever allowed that close to him in public, not even me - and leaned down to whisper a few things in her ear.
She nodded and together they got to their feet.
Gokuu made a confused grunt, and I smiled. I knew that look on Vejii's face. He had been muttering to himself about choosing a mate for weeks before he and Kado and Gokuu had gone off world.
It seemed in his time away from Vejiita-sei, he had decided who he wanted.
"What is he doing?" Gokuu said, sitting up rigidly. "Why is Aleta-chan going with him? Where are they going?"
I chuckled softly. Gokuu was so naive sometimes, but his determination to protect his late best friend's daughter from all Saiyans was touching.
"I think they're going somewhere private." I sighed. "Vejii had been asking me a lot of questions about Aleta in the last two days. I guess I know why now." I smiled roughishly, then leaned over to whisper in Gokuu's ear, being quiet enough that the nearby music drown my words to all but him. "Do you want to remind him she's half Chikyuu-jinn... or shall I?"
Gokuu frowned, eyebrows pulling down to such a degree that half of one was lost under his eyepatch. "I don't want Vejiita around Aleta."
"You can't stop him." I sighed. "Vejii has decided." I pointed to where he had begun to lead Aleta out of the room towards his private chambers. "And she has too, or she wouldn't be going willingly. They're going to be mates, Gokuu."
"No." he snapped and began to move towards them, but I grabbed his arm and he allowed me to pull him back to his seat at the table. "I don't want her with him!"
"Gokuu," I said in a slightly pleading tone. "They've chosen each other."
He said nothing, face as dark as a thundercloud.
"Gokuu, what was your mate's name?" I asked softly, and he turned to blink at me.
After a long pause he said, "Chichi."
"Chichi." I echoed. "That's a very pretty name. Was she beautiful?"
"Yes." He hung his head. "She was the most beautiful woman on Earth."
I placed one of my delicate hands over his. "Did you love her?"
"Oh, yes!" he groaned, melting into his seat.
I cupped his chin in my other hand and forced him to meet my eyes. "Would you deny Aleta and Vejiita that same love?"
He looked at me hard and long, then groaned and hid his face in his large hands.
"No."
***
I wouldn't allow Vejii to continue the tradition of killing the newborn Prince's mother after he had been weened, but Vejii really didn't seem to mind that we had destroyed yet another foundation of his society this time.
He really did love Aleta. It took me a few months to nag it into him, but he realized it eventually.
Thus, Aleta was alive to see her son ascend to the throne of Vejiita-sei, his clear blue eyes sparkling with pride as his father graciously stepped aside and placed the Royal Seal around his neck.
Setsun-Vejiita was a very good boy, and Vejii and Aleta loved him a lot. They had done a very good job of raising him. Gokuu tells me that Setsun, who was forever tinkering with technology to try to find yet another way for the Empire to improve, had a lot of his Grandmother Bulma in him. I didn't doubt it.
And I loved Setsun too. I came to think of him as one of my own grandchildren. Kado's boys, Aurek and Ruratin, were as intelligent and loveable as their father, but both had the thick black hair and gruff disposition of their grandfather, and the sharp tongue of their mother.
Kado's mate - Nanbas - and I never completely got along, for she still thought like her fore-bearers had; I was a slave and had no business getting my nose into Kado's choices. But she respected me for being so devoted to my boys, and I respected her for being able to deal with Kado's silly 'reading' habits and human mannerisms, and that was enough.
Ru and I never had anymore children, but Kado and Vejii were enough for me.
And soon enough Reeko and the rest of Gokuu's wild gang of halflings moved onto Vejiita-sei and were integrated into society, finally finding for themselves the mates and families that they hadn't had before. Some of them even found their blood fathers or mothers.
And I was happy.
I AM happy.
I am old, worn, weathered, and fragile, but I have lived long enough to see the entire universe change into a better place because of one song I sang so many years ago.
And I am no longer ashamed that I am a slave. I am not a slave anymore, not really. Only in name.
I am a loved mother and mate, a friend to many, a guardian to some, and loved by few.
I am going to die one day, there is no avoiding that - but one thing is certain:
I am going to die with a smile on my lips.
And when I do, I would be more than glad to meet you in heaven.
I'd love to hear YOUR story.
***
THE END
(series conclusion)