Teresa: And now, for something completely different! Well, not really, but I just felt like saying that.
Jade: Teresa? Get on with it! Geez, all I ask is for you to write a nice, short introduction, and I see that you insist on blabbing on about nothing!
Teresa: What? I just quoted Monty Python, gimme a break!
Jade: Finish the intro. Now. I have a chain saw.
Teresa: whispering Hmph. Psychotic slave-driver. I helped write this story too, but do I get any credit? Noooo.
Jade: starting up chain saw with a menacing glare What was that, Teresa?
Teresa: weak smile and nervous cough Oh, ah nothing at all, Jade.
Jade: That's what I thought. Now FINISH THE INTRODUCTION!!!
Teresa: Fine, fine. Okay, this is a collaboration, between jade, the author who is currently in the process of bringing you The Legend of The Shards and me, the wonderful and talented teresa, who brought you such fine stories as A Shelter From My Storm and uh…nothing else yet, I guess. Anyway, it's an alternate reality fanfic in which Vegeta-sai was never destroyed. I know, I know, what an old idea. But it's good, I promise. And this doesn't focus on Vegeta, but on his son, Vega. Well, Vegeta is really the young one's name too, but he's always called Vega for short, and to avoid confusion. Oh, and he's not Trunks, since Vegeta isn't with Bulma. And since in our little world, Frieza never existed, the Saiyans are a lot less…evil, basically. Okay, on with the story!
*****
The Best Of Both Worlds
Part 1
*****
Princess Beruna sighed, rolling her eyes in frustration. Her father, King Saiya, was talking about the responsibilities of being Royal Princess. 'Blahdiddy blahdiddy blah blah blah,' Beruna thought to herself. She didn't see why she had to have all of this recited to her seemingly every single day.
"Beruna, are you listening?" King Saiya paused in his droning.
"Yes, of course, father." Beruna suppressed a yawn.
"What did I just say, then?" questioned the King as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his daughter.
"You just said that I may not think I'm important now, but I'm one of the most prominent figures on the planet Saiya." Beruna guessed. That was the point of the lecture where her father usually stopped to ask if she was listening.
As her father continued, Beruna began musing over the possibility of escaping this lecture in the future. Perhaps she should not have skipped her Politics lesson. 'But really,' she thought, bored at the very thought of studying politics, 'who cares if I know all the names of the royal family of all the Saiyan controlled planets? What useless knowledge. It's not like I'm going to be the king when father dies.'
"You are dismissed, Beruna." King Saiya announced. Beruna nodded slightly and left her father, going to her own chambers. Once there, she packed up an old, well-used looking cloth bag. After that, she wrote a short note and left it on her bed, scooping up the bag just as a maidservant knocked. The slightly older woman looked a bit surprised when the Princess opened the door while she was knocking, but she quickly recovered her composure.
"What would you like for lunch today, Your Highness?" the maid asked, eyes expectant.
"No lunch for me today, Melana. I'm running away. I'm sick of being lectured every single day." Beruna told her servant proudly.
"Again, Milady?" Melana sighed slowly. "Very well then." She watched as Beruna stormed down the hall.
Princess Beruna had left the palace just to run into Oniro at the gates. She wanted to run away as fast as she could, but he had seen her. Oniro was the most obnoxious of all her suitors. She wished he would just go away and let her alone.
"Why, Princess Beruna, what a lovely surprise! I was just coming to visit the palace and see if you wanted to have lunch with me." Oniro grinned his slimy grin that made Beruna want to puke, "Or, if you prefer, we could go to my gardens. I had some new flowers arrive just the other day, they're quite lovely." He explained.
"No, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Oniro, but I really am very late. I don't have time to spend with you right now. I…I have to be somewhere right this moment." Beruna told him. 'Yeah,' she thought, 'anywhere but here.' But as she turned to leave, Oniro latched onto her arm quickly. 'How does he always do that?' Beruna barely suppressed a growl of annoyed frustration. Instead she gave him a sweetly curious smile.
"Then please, My Lady, allow me to escort you." He smiled at her again and Beruna could feel her skin crawl. Where his arm was touching hers, she felt dirty. She had to get away from this guy.
"I'm sorry Oniro, but I…ah, I already have an escort waiting for me." Beruna scanned the surroundings quickly, then pointed to a group of guards about thirty paces away. "See, there they are. I'd best not keep them waiting. It was very…nice talking to you, Oniro. I must be going." She wrenched her arm away from his grasp and confidently continued toward the guards. Once Oniro had turned to leave, she continued on toward the nearby shuttle station.
While Beruna had already left planet Saiya, King Saiya and Queen Efuda had just heard that Beruna had run away.
"Oh well, she'll be back in a couple of days anyway." Sighed Queen Efuda.
"She runs away every few weeks." King Saiya growled, "I wish she wouldn't."
The next day on the planet Vegeta-sai, King Vegeta sat on his throne thinking idle thoughts when Royal Prince Vegeta, called Vega by those who knew him, came running in with panic on his face. He quickly swirled around to shut the huge double doors, locking and barring them as well. Vega finally turned around, panting and slumping against the door. King Vegeta quirked his eyebrow at the faint sounds of pounding on the doors and girls squealing when he realized his son was running away from his vast horde of female admirers. King Vegeta began to laugh slowly. Once he regained his breath, Vega went to his own room because he didn't want to listen to his father mocking him.
"Hiya Vega!" a young girl squealed, popping into his room just as he sat down on his bed.
"Go away, Nabana." Vega replied in annoyance.
"Whatcha doing big brother?" Nabana asked curiously.
"I'm studying, which you should also be doing." Vega quickly grabbed a book off of his bedside table.
"I don't need to study." Nabana waved a dismissive hand.
"Why not? Don't you want to do well on your exams?" questioned Vega.
"I can't study. I can't even think. Guess what? I'm in love!" Nabana sighed dreamily.
"Oh no! Who is it today?" Vega groaned.
"The Royal Prince of Saiya!" Nabana squealed.
"He already has a mate, Nabana." Vega replied, sighing in frustration, "Besides that, he is 15 years older than you."
"So?" Nabana shrugged her shoulders, eyes wide in confusion.
"Well, you—oh, never mind." He shook his head at her before changing the subject. "Hey Nabana, there are cookies in the kitchens."
"Cookies!" Nabana squealed as she ran off jubilantly.
Vega closed his door as she left and quickly changed into some peasant clothes, gelled his hair down a bit, and headed toward the marketplace.
A passing woman smiled warmly at Vega and he reached up to be sure his stubborn hair hadn't defied the generous amount of gel he had rubbed into it to force the strands into a less recognizable style. He sighed in relief as he noted that, though it was sticking out at odd angles, his hair was not shooting straight up in the distinctive style of Vegeta-sai's royal line.
He had been foolish to wander around outside the palace walls in his royal cloak, with his black, gravity-defying hair serving as a beacon to let everyone know who he was. Not only that, he had gone without a royal guard escort. Vega had not thought his careless actions would cause him to be chased by a rabid mob of admiring females who all hoped to one day be queen of Vegeta-sai, ruling beside him.
But Vega enjoyed being among his people, getting to know them. It was even better when he wore his peasant disguise. He saw how the people treated him when they didn't think of him as Vegeta, the Royal Prince of Vegeta-sai, but simply as Vega, the peasant. He still received quite a bit of attention from women, even when they couldn't see who he was. Nabana often told him that her friends thought he was attractive and polite. Vega didn't try to understand women. He usually didn't mind their attentions either, unless of course it was a horde of them attempting to maul him.
"Vega, dearie!" an aged saleswoman waved at him from her colorful stand of merchandise. "Come here and humor an old woman!"
"Guvara, how are you today?" Vega made his way through the crowd to her stand.
"I'm just fine, young Vega." She smiled. "I've recently acquired something I thought you'd like." She turned around and began searching through a jumble of recently shipped items.
"May I say that you are looking radiant today?" Vega grinned at the friendly Guvara.
"Oh stop that, your smooth talk and flattery won't get you any discounts!" Guvara teased, laughing.
"I can try, can't I?" Vega continued the banter smoothly. "So, what've you got for me?"
"Well, I can't seem to find it." Guvara's brow furrowed. "Silly old woman I am, my memory must be failing me."
"Old?" Vega gave her a look of mock surprise. "You don't look a day over seventeen!"
"I'll bet." Guvara smirked, but then turned to face another prospective customer before shooting a comeback at Vega. "Hell miss, can I help you?"
"Oh, hello." The female smiled brilliantly, pushing back unruly black locks of hair from her face. "I was just looking at that dress." She pointed to a maroon sun dress in the back. Vega noted it's elegant simplicity. He had always preferred peasant clothes to formal Saiyan wear, but if he wore "those rags" as his father called them, around the palace, he would be in no end of trouble with the strict King.
"This beautiful dress?" Guvara took the garment down, "It can be yours for a mere 300 marks."
"Guvara!" Vega protested, "300 marks! Don't cheat the pretty young girl."
"Vega, behave yourself." Guvara shot him a warning look.
"Yes, ah, Vega." The young woman looked over at him teasingly. "I can manage my own business quite well without your help." She quickly turned back to Guvara. "Now about that price. I'll give you 20 marks."
"20 marks? Are you trying to starve an old woman?" Guvara looked at the girl in shock. "I'd be the one who was cheated! How about 250 marks? That is surely a fair price."
"No way." The younger woman shook her head, black hair shining under the twin suns over head.
"But this is fine silk, woven by Fidarian craftsmen!" Guvara protested, urging the woman to feel the smooth silk herself. "225."
"Ha! Fidarian indeed." The woman laughed. "This is clearly Cerulux work, and I'll give you 40 marks for it."
"Hmm." Guvara grinned slightly. "You are certainly well-learned, and quite clever. What is your name, young lady?"
"Aperu." The young woman replied, smiling secretively.
"I'll tell you what, Aperu. It takes a trained eye to know the difference between Fidarian and Ceruluxan silks." Guvara admitted. "So I'll give it to you for 100 marks."
"50." Aperu challenged.
"80 marks." Guvara countered.
"Done." Aperu dug out the money and handed it to the old woman, who then gave her the dress.
"You are a skilled haggler, especially for one so young." Guvara allowed, "If you ever need a job, I could use you."
"I'll remember that…what was your name?" Aperu cocked her head to the side, her hair falling aside and revealing a tiny, shining gem on her earlobe. Vega watched with fascination as the jewel glittered different colors in the light.
"Guvara." The old woman smiled.
"Well, thank you Guvara." Aperu waved and walked away. After a moment, Vega followed her out of curiosity.
"Aperu!" he called after the young woman.
"What?" she swirled around and eyed him curiously. Vega ran up to her.
"I really like your…uh…" he pointed to his own earlobe, an unsure look on his face.
"Oh, my earrings?" she laughed lightly at his confusion as she pulled her hair away from her ears with one hand, revealing both tiny jewels.
"Earrings?" Vega's brow furrowed as he repeated the unfamiliar word slowly.
"Yes, they're quite popular around the Narvel system. These are Porthian fire stones." She explained. "See how they change color?" Vega nodded.
"They're beautiful." He told her.
"Thank you…Vega, was it?" Aperu beamed at him and his breath caught as he nodded. She was gorgeous, especially when she smiled at him like that.
"So, uh, why haven't I seen you in the market before?" Vega asked after a pause.
"Oh, I'm from Saiya, not here." She explained.
"And what brings you to Vegeta-sai?" he asked.
"Nothing much. I'm an orphan, so I like to wander, you know? I've traveled a lot." Aperu told him.
"I gathered that you were a traveler." Vega grinned knowingly. This young woman was rather interesting. "Since you're new here, how would you like it if I showed you a few of the sights?"
"Sounds good to me, how about we do it tomorrow? I think I'll hang about here today." Aperu's hand indicated the large market place.
"Okay. I'll meet you at Guvara's booth at midday." Vega smiled, bowing slightly. "Goodbye, until then."
"Until tomorrow." Aperu waved after the young man. "Now, he is a handsome one, Beruna." She spoke to herself softly. "What would daddy do if he saw me with him?" Aperu, who was Beruna in a peasant's outfit, smiled fondly as she pictured her father preparing yet another lecture.
***The End (Of Part 1, that is)***
Teresa: So, how was it? Good, bad, ugly? It couldn't have been horrendously terrible, or you wouldn't have read the full seven pages. At least, not unless pain makes you happy…and we just shouldn't explore THAT possibility. Okay, so please comment on this labor of…ah, something, I'm sure. Oh, and keep in mind that if there were any bad parts, those must have been written by Jade, because, as we all know, I am utterly infallible. I wrote all the good/funny parts.
Jade: What are you prattling on about now Teresa?
Teresa: Oh, uh, hi there, Jade. Nothing, nothing at all.
Jade: Hmm…okay then. Stop your jabbering and let the nice readers go!
Teresa: (gulps nervously) Uh, sure. Bye bye nice readers, please come again!!