"There's no way! That can't be Goku! He's so young!" Raimi thought. He looked about ten years old, but the hair, and that beautiful face...it was he! She was dizzy thinking about the possibility of it.
"Raimi? Uh, are you awake?" She heard the Doctor's voice in the fluid of the tank. She nodded, and then tried to say she was fine, but the air mask wouldn't let her speak. He appeared in front of her, a thick green robe over one slender pink arm. She realized that she was naked in the clear blue water, and yelped in embarrassment. The Physician hit a button and the fluid began to drain away, leaving her dripping wet, her hair plastered to her body. She was surprised to see that her hair and her tail, both dyed dark by Kakarrot, were once more red. She wondered if the stuff in the tank had removed the dye. The Physician pulled the mask off, and held out the robe, waiting as she pulled it on over her slightly sticky skin.
"Let's check you out. The Prince really worked you over." She looked up at the sound of her Sensei's voice. Kakarrot's face was grim, and he followed her into the examination room quietly, not looking at her. The Physician declared her fit, and sent her to wash the tank fluid off. When she came out, she found Kakarrot waiting with new armor in his hand.
"The King is holding a celebration in honor of your graduation, AFTER you defeat a Saiyan warrior in the ring. You have one more week to train for this little event. The Prince is to train with Nappa for the time being." Raimi paled at this news. She began to dress, ignoring Kakarrot's presence despite her nudity. She noted the armors heavier weight, and just knew that she was probably facing Nappa himself in this fight. She asked if he knew whom she was to fight.
"Yes, his name is Potah. Togai said you would know him; he said he was your first acquaintance here." Raimi stared at him blankly, then she laughed, relieved that it wasn't Nappa or the Brat himself.
"Oh yes I remember. He's a tough one. Is there any way I can find out about him?" Kakarrot nodded and led her to the Temple, where he showed her a room (He had more hidden rooms in that place!) with a computer in it; she could access any Saiyans profile and history from here, except the King, the Prince's and her own. She typed in Potah's name, and was alarmed to see that he'd nearly been killed twice since she had met him. His power level would be much higher than she remembered, and indeed the record showed that he was now at mid Elite level. She would not have that much advantage with her strength, skill and cunning was on his side. She had to work hard to prepare for this challenge.
Kakarrot pushed her hard, letting her eat only once a day, and letting her sleep for a mere five hours. She was tired and starved, and in a black mood, but she was improving rapidly. Kakarrot made her hold her power down as far as he thought she could, closer to his level so he could compete. He didn't ask her how she had made her power rise so high so fast in that fight with the Brat. He didn't want to believe he had even seen that happen. It wasn't possible to level up that fast, so he had to have been mistaken.
The evening of the fifth day, he stood in the doorway of her room, watching as she slept, so tired that she wouldn't have heard bombs going off right next to her. In her sleep, he could see her youth; remember that she was only seventeen years old now. She looked sad, worried too, as if this fight was scaring her. He knew that it wasn't, she was ready for it; so what bothered her so? He left her and went to watch the moonrise. It wasn't full, and wouldn't be for years, but all Saiyans liked to see the moon and be thankful for the gifts the Moon gave. It was one small indulgence to the soft side they all had and hid away from even themselves.
The night before the Duel, as Kakarrot called it, he took Raimi to the Palace and put her into the tank. She needed some healing and also the deep rest it could provide. She needed it after the near constant battling with her Sensei, and the lack of food or sleep. She was in it until dawn, when the Physician came and released her. He led her to the shower, and when she emerged, she was surprised to see the Queen waiting for her.
"My Lady! Why are you here?" She gasped. The Queen smiled and waved at Raimi's hair.
"You cannot fight in public with that red hair. Too many think of you as black haired. Come, I'll dye it for you." She led Raimi in her green robe to her own chambers, where she dyed both Raimi's hair and tail to proper Saiyan colors. She pulled the hair on either side of her face into three braids, and then pulled these and the rest of her hair up on top of her head. The Queen braided all of it together, letting the fat ponytail fall down her back.
"This is the classic fighting style of the women who don't crop their hair. The Prince's mother wore her hair like this. I also have a special gift for you." She went to the wall and pressed on a panel. The panel opened, and she pulled a battered case out of the space in the wall. Raimi looked at it with interest. It was old, very old, and was marked with the symbol or crest of the Royal Family of Vegeta-sei.
"What is this, my Queen?" She asked. The Queen smiled.
"HER armor. The Armor worn by the first true Queen of Vegeta-sei, the very first Vegeta. She spelled it Vejita, but she was the first to bear the name. She was small like you are, by all accounts. The armor of her day expanded, just as ours does, so it's hard to know for sure. I want you to take it." The Queen said, her voice tight with emotion, as if she spoke of a close friend, not a woman long dead. Raimi took the case reverently.
"I can't believe it, Queen Vejita's armor? Really?" She opened it, and smelled it; the musky scent of Saiyan. Her eyes closed, and she could almost see the girl in question, small, pretty, and sad. She felt her, believed that the young Queen would approve of her wearing this armor during her trial. She smiled through the tears that had come to her eyes.
"Thank you so much! I will be honored to wear this armor, but it might be hurt if I do, this guy has a vendetta against me, you know." She said, hoping the Queen didn't take it away. The Queen only smiled and told her about the technology that had gone into the case itself. It would repair the armor if it were damaged, which wasn't likely. It was much more flexible and strong than most modern armor, though Korudo-sama's scientists had begun to come close to these ancient materials, two thousand years after they were lost to the Universe. Raimi needed no more encouragement, and pulled on the black full body suit, then the gold tipped white boots, and the gloves, before letting the armor drop over her shoulders. She adjusted it for comfort, and smiled at how lightweight it was. It was white with a tan back and epaulettes, and had short white fur trim at the seams. It was elegant, and looked like a woman's armor. She turned to the full-length mirror, and was amazed at her appearance. She hadn't seen a mirror in a long time, and she looked so different from the last time she had seen herself.
Her body was leaner, more slender, yet the armor made her look broad shouldered. She was very toned, muscular, but not too much. The black hair looked strange, and made her face very pale; her eyes were brilliant green and she had a slightly wild expression. She looked very much the part of a Saiyan warrior. The Queen stepped into view, towering over her.
"All the women of Vegeta-sei will be watching you today. I know you'll do us proud. Take it with you when you leave, and wear it with pride." She said, resting her slender hand on Raimi's shoulder. They waited for the signal to go, both lost in thought.
