AN: Yup, I had just about left this one to rot. But, then I got a nice review with questions posed. So, it inspired me to pick this sucker up! I watched the fight of Trunks v. Perfect Cell for this idea. And, K. Nightwing, your questions will be answered, just slowly, and not all in this chapter. ;)
Bulma heaved another sigh, hoping to draw Vegeta into a discussion. She glanced over at her love, and watched his fingers drum on the throne while his forehead added yet another crease to its collection. It was obvious something was troubling him, but Bulma knew that he wouldn't easily reveal his problems. Deciding to take the reins, Bulma leaned over and lightly ran her hand over Vegeta's bare arm. "What's the matter? Talks not go well with the Hoatians?"
Not removing his chin from the palm of his hand, Vegeta smiled at his wife. "Talk? Why bother talking? I could eliminate them all in an instant. Why would I talk with them?" Noticing the Queen's frown, he amended with, "They went fine. Only a few minor details to be hammered out."
"Hmm." Bulma quickly reasoned out that Vegeta's preoccupation was rather large, as normally he wouldn't have been so compliant in his addition. It was rare that Vegeta wasn't in a fighting mood. Shaking her head, Bulma played and picked at the lacy fringes of her royal gown while she attempted to decipher what her husband's mood was about. After a few moments had passed, Bulma heard Vegeta give an irritated snort and mutter something about Super Saiyans. An eyebrow shot up in realization as Bulma dropped her white sleeve and turned once more to Vegeta. "It's Trunks, isn't it?"
"How can that boy have not made the transition yet?" Clearly riled, Vegeta gripped both of Bulma's wrists as he vented his thoughts. "My blood carries with me the strength of a thousand generations of royalty, strength unsurpassed by any other race imagined. And my son has inherited that strength. His lack of emotion is stifling him. How can this be? And he must change, especially now that I have heard a rumor that another Saiyan may be reaching the plateau. I believe they said his name is Kakkarot. After he had taken on a false Saiyan wife, his village revolted, and he killed them all off in her defense. The witnesses claimed that his fighting for his wife and unborn child caused such a rapid power increase, it was akin to witnessing an attack that exponentially increases your power level. And now, he fought off another village when they moved. If this Kakkarot becomes a Super Saiyan before Trunks, I fear a massive uprising."
Bulma pulled her wrists free, got up, and then sat on Vegeta's lap, placing her arms around him. "You taught him to not show emotion, remember? From day one, you said that emotions were to be discarded. That is how you knew how to raise a Prince. It's how your father did it."
"But I counted on his pride remaining! He inherited our best qualities: your logical mind, and my strength and warrior's separation, but neither of our emotional ranges. And then our upbringing reinforced that. He is fighting with a false Saiyan in a moment. I must go watch." Removing Bulma from his lap, Vegeta flew off towards the training hall, leaving Bulma to further ponder how they had chosen to raise Trunks. He will make an excellent leader, with his logic and cool head. That is, if he can ever become leader.
Over in the training hall, Trunks was regarding Kameko with an amused expression. "Are you done stretching yet? Honestly, there are only so many ligaments in the body."
Looking up from her current pose, Kameko managed a sickly sweet smile. "Well, your Highness, some of us are not as naturally blessed as you." After a few moments, Kameko rolled her spine up, and snapped her neck erect. "OK, I'm ready."
"Finally." As they both moved into the center of the arena, Trunks happened to catch that his father had just entered, sitting in the stands.
"Your Highness? I have a request." Puzzled, Trunks nodded his head for her to continue. "As we both know, you desperately outmatch me in power, speed, and fighting ability. So, I propose that we fight this match fully powered down."
"You mean no ki manipulation?" Trunks folded his arms across his chest.
"Yes, not even to fly."
Cocking his head, Trunks thought about this for a moment. "Very well, no ki attacks. On the count of three, then. One…two…THREE!" Trunks launched at his opponent, fist homing in on the bridge of her nose. He was sure he had her, until the last second, when she pivoted, and simultaneously blocked and provided a counter by extending her lead arm over his. Her strike caught the Prince on the temple, and he turned, still calm.
Accelerating his rear leg off the ground, Trunks launched a front kick, which again barely missed Kameko. Snarling, Trunks figured that he was just too slow or that his timing was off. Surely this false Saiyan couldn't have tricked him! A lead leg side kick was suddenly between the two sparring partners, and Kameko deftly side-stepped, and countered with a hook punch to the kidney.
In the stands, Vegeta sat forward a bit in his seat. This little girl had managed, through flattery, to put Trunks on her terms, where his immense power was of no use. Her fighting style was what interested him, though. No wasted movements, pure efficiency. Not conducive to power, but to mobility. And, he mused, she didn't have to block Trunks' powerful attacks, she just moved and forced him to overcompensate, which gave the additional bonus of flustering the opponent. Finally, his son was beginning to show some emotional capability. Interesting.
Down on the floor, it was evident to Trunks that he had been relying heavily on his power while fighting. He couldn't land a decent hit on Kameko, and she was rapidly maneuvering herself into a position that left him vulnerable. With a war shout, Trunks barreled forward with a volley of punches. Left. Right. Left. Right. High. Low. Cross. Each was avoided, and on the last, Trunks lost his balance, and Kameko stepped off, and elbowed him in the chin. Immediately, the skin below his chin split wide open, from bottom lip to chin point. As he realized the pain, Kameko threw him to the ground and pinned him. Trunks yelled, and in frustration, sharply raised his power, the force of it throwing Kameko off. As Trunks powered a ki blast in his hand, Vegeta yelled for Trunks to stop before he could fire upon the semi-conscious Kameko.
Looking at his son, Vegeta was revolted. The skin split was laid open like a cauliflower, blood rushing out in between spurts. The energy crackling around Trunks served to arc off some of the falling blood, causing it to hiss and spit while bubbling. As Kameko struggled to get up, Vegeta floated down, stepping between the two. "This match is over. Trunks, you need a medic. As do you, girl. Once you are both healed, I will schedule a training session for the both of you. Trunks, it would do you good to learn this girl's fighting style. And girl, maybe you could raise your power level beyond its current abysmal level." Vegeta flew over, pressed the medic call button, and left both Trunks and Kameko to ponder what they had been sentenced to, before Kameko faded into unconsciousness.
AN 2: Don't worry, I ran Kameko through the Mary Sue Litmus test. She passed.