Chapter Three - Royal Matters
Hotaru dropped down quickly through the rooftop opening in the Clinic. The medics in the room turned to look, startled at her sudden entrance. Hotaru didn't wait for them to do anything though, she knew the procedure inside out. Moving quickly she laid Sango down on one of the beds and then ran over to one of the several large tubs in the room and began the pumps beside it. In a matter of seconds, a thick purple substance began to flow through several openings in the tub and fill it. That taken care of, she moved back over to where Sango lay and began to strip her.
As soon as she had Sango's shirt off she realized just how bad the injury was. The girl's stomach was purple and swollen. "Oh damn... I must have caused an organ to explode..." she said in a bit of shock. She shook it off quickly and finished stripping her clothes. That finished, she picked her up again and carried her over to the tub and sat her down inside the still rising purple substance. "How did I..." she closed her eyes and she realized there was only one way her attack could have done that much damage. "She was overdoing it with the Kinryoku..." she said softly. "Her body couldn't handle the power she was generating..."
She took a deep breath as the pumps shut off. Opening her eyes she looked down at her friend, covered from the chin down in Tomyu Flower Extract, and swallowed a lump in her throat. /If she dies... because of me... NO! Don't think that Hotaru. Damn it, I should have been able to tell that it was straining her body!/ She clenched her teeth, angry at herself, as she walked away from the tub. With injuries like hers, she'd be out for at least an hour, it'd be two or three before she was fully healed. Hotaru was just about to leave the Clinic when Yamcha descended through the opening in the roof.
"You okay Hotaru? Your power kept jumping up..."
"Just worried about Sango." she said glancing back again. "She's my best friend, we grew up together, always tried to outdo each other in everything... And now I may ha-have j-just..." She swallowed another lump in her throat as Yamcha walked over and wrapped his arms around her pulling her close.
"Hey, don't worry. She seems like tough girl, I'm sure she'll be okay." Hotaru didn't say anything, just rested her head against his chest and cried. A few moments later he noticed that she'd fallen asleep in his arms. He picked her up and drifted up through the opening in the ceiling. /Hmmm, now where is your room anyway?/ he wondered looking down at her. /Hmmmmm, well, looks like I'm sleeping on the couch./
With that he flew over to the main part of the palace and inside. He found his way to his room again in a few seconds and laid her down in his bed before covering her up. Then he moved over to the nearby couch and laid down to get some more sleep himself.
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Akira frowned as he watched Yamcha enter the palace again with Hotaru in his arms. He didn't like this... Human. And the current scene wasn't improving that any. He drifted down and landed on the balcony and then entered the palace as well. He followed Yamcha all the way to his room.
After the door closed he moved across the hall from it and leaned against the wall keeping his senses locked on Yamcha and Hotaru. A few seconds after entering the room he felt Yamcha move away from her and then stop. Akira decided he'd stay right where he was all night.
After around an hour had passed Akira sensed another power nearing his location. He recognized the power as Kavar's instantly and frowned. A moment later the blue skinned alien rounded a corner and started toward him. He was of average build and height and his hair was short and a little spikey. "Akira..." he said nodding to him. "Hotaru wasn't in her chambers..."
Akira grunted. "She's in there with the Human." he said.
"I could sense that much." Kavar replied. He knew how little Akira liked him and had long since given up on trying to change his opinion. Kavar turned and knocked on the door loudly a few times. There was a stirring inside and after a moment the door opened and Yamcha stood there yawning and rubbing his eyes.
"Hmmm? What's up?" he asked sleepily.
"I am Kavar, head of palace security." the blue man said with a light bow. "Sorry to disturb your sleep but I must speak with the Princess."
Yamcha glanced back at the bed as Hotaru rolled onto her side. "She's really tired, I mean, she fell asleep on her feet... is it really that important?"
"Afraid so."
Yamcha sighed. "Alright..." he turned and walked over to the bed and shook her shoulder lightly. As her eyes opened slightly he smiled. "Hey, Kavar's here to talk to you." he said.
"Kavar?" she sat up and looked around. "Where am..."
"You fell asleep at the Clinic and I didn't know where your room was so I brought you back to mine."
"Oh..." she slipped out of the bed and rubbed her head before walking over to Kavar. "What is it? I'm really tired..."
"I am sorry to disturb you but we are already months behind in prepartions for your 20th birthday and your coronation. We only have two weeks left and months of work to do. Your Mother has given me orders that you are to make it the top priority and are to work on the preparations..."
"Now? What time is it?"
"Three AM."
"Three!? This can wa..."
"Your mother insists that we start now. It seems you have yet to visit the tailor for your gown and he wont be open the rest of the week. Since it will take at least ten hours to ge..."
"Alright." Hotaru replied waving him off. "I'll be out at the courtyard in a few mintues."
"Very well, I shall see you then." Kavar said with a bow before turning and leaving. Hotaru shut the door without even seeing Akira standing againt the wall. Hotaru went into the small private bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face. "The fun of being Royalty." she muttured. Turning she looked at Yamcha. "Think you could track Kavar down again and have him take you to my room? I need a change of clothes..."
"Sure."
"Thanks... get one of my GI's, Mother will complain but at the moment I don't care." With that she turned to her right and started the shower. Yamcha laughed as he walked from the room and reached out with his senses for Kavar. He found him down the hall with Akira. "Figures, just my luck." he muttered walking off down the hall.
"I still don't trust that..." Akira was saying as Yamcha neared.
"You barely know him Akira." Kavar said. "And you don't trust anyone that wasn't born here. I, for one, trust Hotaru's judgement. And so does her mother. And this Yamcha is quite powerful too, so you can't use that against him."
"What? Why would I... Oh no, you have GOT to be kidding me!" Akira nearly cried, he sounded a bit shocked about something and Yamcha decided to slow down his pace and listen in a moment longer. "You mean to tell me that he's... that's outrageous! It would be one thing for him to be an ambassador but to be..."
"He is, and I'd watch that tongue of yours Akira." Kavar said. "You may not like him but by this time next year he will most likely be king."
"He's not even a Tanarian! Every member of the royale family has ALWAYS been Tanarian. And what about heirs? I mean, is it even possible?! Hotaru's an only child, without any heirs of her own the royal line would die off!"
"The Queen is already having preparations made for the needed tests and exams." Kavar replied calmly. "Well know soon enough whether or not Tanarian and Human DNA is compatible. Though both the Queen and I are of the opinion that it is."
"And how did you come to this conclusion?" Akira asked skeptically.
"Simple. The child Gohan."
"Who?"
"Gohan is a half Sai-jin half Human hybrid." Kavar explained. "And we already know that Sai-jin and Tanarian DNA is compatible."
"But limited." Akira corrected. "Sure, Tanarians and Sai-jins can have mixed children but those children are always sterile. That would extend the line one more generation but no futher."
Kavar sighed. "This is true, and we have no information as to whether or not Gohan is sterile or not. But, be that as it may, even if a child in any shape or form is not possible the Queen will still stand by her daughter in this. She told me she's far more proud of her daughter than she had believed possible. I, for one, can understand that. Hotaru stood up for what she thought was right, despite your attempts to keep her on the planet, and survived encounters with Zarbon, the Ginyu Force, and Frieza himself. I would say she has damn good judgement."
Akira merely grunted and then walked off. Yamcha, in the mean time, was lost in thought. Here these two were already talking about the possibility of him and Hotaru having kids and... it was making his head spin. He shook it off and reached out for Kavar's energy again finding it a bit further down the hall from where it had been. Rounding the corner he jogged after him. "Hotaru wants me to get a GI from her room while she showers, but I don't know where it is..."
"Alright, follow me then." Kavar said.
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The next two weeks were... hectic, to say the least. Yamcha was soon employed by everyone in town to help out with anything they needed him for. From helping to decorate the ballroom, to helping build the coronation stage on the beach, to catching fish and gathering herbs and fruits. The entire city was busy with work, they only had two weeks to finish up four months of work. But somehow, in some way, they pulled it off.
They finished up the day before Hotaru's twentieth birthday and the coronation ceremony. That gave them all a single night to rest beforehand and then they'd be back at work taking down the decorations and dismanteling the stage. At least, that was the general thought amoung the people of the city. But over the past two weeks Hotaru and Yamcha had done a lot of talking and come to a decision. There wasn't much time left, but after a short dicussion with Sora, the plans were set. The Tanarian people would be in for a surprise the next day.
Sango had recovered just fine from her injury. Hotaru's first reaction was to hug her, and her second to yell at her for being such an idiot. Akira then took his own shot at the girl for her stupid actions and then for not telling him she'd mastered the Kinryoku.
Now, as the sun was setting for the day, Hotaru, Yamcha, and Sango were sitting up on the cliff face over the river. The girls sitting in the same spots they had been two weeks before and Yamcha on Hotaru's left. "So this is it." Sango said looking out over the trees. "Tomorrow you're crowned. Queen Hotaru..."
"It's only in title." Hotaru said with a shrug. "Mom's still going to be ruler for a few more years at least. Tomorrow's only tradition."
"It's still a big deal." Yamcha said. "No matter what you say."
Hotaru nodded. "Yeah, I know. But it's the second ceremony I'm looking forward to." she said with a smile.
"Second ceremony?" Sango asked looking over at them. "What second ceremony?"
"You'll find out tomorrow Sango." Hotaru said with a grin. "Until then, you'll just have to wait, like everyone else."
"Oh come on! Hotaru? Yamcha? What's going on guys?"
Hotaru shook her head grinning. "Nope. Not telling."
Hotaru dropped down quickly through the rooftop opening in the Clinic. The medics in the room turned to look, startled at her sudden entrance. Hotaru didn't wait for them to do anything though, she knew the procedure inside out. Moving quickly she laid Sango down on one of the beds and then ran over to one of the several large tubs in the room and began the pumps beside it. In a matter of seconds, a thick purple substance began to flow through several openings in the tub and fill it. That taken care of, she moved back over to where Sango lay and began to strip her.
As soon as she had Sango's shirt off she realized just how bad the injury was. The girl's stomach was purple and swollen. "Oh damn... I must have caused an organ to explode..." she said in a bit of shock. She shook it off quickly and finished stripping her clothes. That finished, she picked her up again and carried her over to the tub and sat her down inside the still rising purple substance. "How did I..." she closed her eyes and she realized there was only one way her attack could have done that much damage. "She was overdoing it with the Kinryoku..." she said softly. "Her body couldn't handle the power she was generating..."
She took a deep breath as the pumps shut off. Opening her eyes she looked down at her friend, covered from the chin down in Tomyu Flower Extract, and swallowed a lump in her throat. /If she dies... because of me... NO! Don't think that Hotaru. Damn it, I should have been able to tell that it was straining her body!/ She clenched her teeth, angry at herself, as she walked away from the tub. With injuries like hers, she'd be out for at least an hour, it'd be two or three before she was fully healed. Hotaru was just about to leave the Clinic when Yamcha descended through the opening in the roof.
"You okay Hotaru? Your power kept jumping up..."
"Just worried about Sango." she said glancing back again. "She's my best friend, we grew up together, always tried to outdo each other in everything... And now I may ha-have j-just..." She swallowed another lump in her throat as Yamcha walked over and wrapped his arms around her pulling her close.
"Hey, don't worry. She seems like tough girl, I'm sure she'll be okay." Hotaru didn't say anything, just rested her head against his chest and cried. A few moments later he noticed that she'd fallen asleep in his arms. He picked her up and drifted up through the opening in the ceiling. /Hmmm, now where is your room anyway?/ he wondered looking down at her. /Hmmmmm, well, looks like I'm sleeping on the couch./
With that he flew over to the main part of the palace and inside. He found his way to his room again in a few seconds and laid her down in his bed before covering her up. Then he moved over to the nearby couch and laid down to get some more sleep himself.
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Akira frowned as he watched Yamcha enter the palace again with Hotaru in his arms. He didn't like this... Human. And the current scene wasn't improving that any. He drifted down and landed on the balcony and then entered the palace as well. He followed Yamcha all the way to his room.
After the door closed he moved across the hall from it and leaned against the wall keeping his senses locked on Yamcha and Hotaru. A few seconds after entering the room he felt Yamcha move away from her and then stop. Akira decided he'd stay right where he was all night.
After around an hour had passed Akira sensed another power nearing his location. He recognized the power as Kavar's instantly and frowned. A moment later the blue skinned alien rounded a corner and started toward him. He was of average build and height and his hair was short and a little spikey. "Akira..." he said nodding to him. "Hotaru wasn't in her chambers..."
Akira grunted. "She's in there with the Human." he said.
"I could sense that much." Kavar replied. He knew how little Akira liked him and had long since given up on trying to change his opinion. Kavar turned and knocked on the door loudly a few times. There was a stirring inside and after a moment the door opened and Yamcha stood there yawning and rubbing his eyes.
"Hmmm? What's up?" he asked sleepily.
"I am Kavar, head of palace security." the blue man said with a light bow. "Sorry to disturb your sleep but I must speak with the Princess."
Yamcha glanced back at the bed as Hotaru rolled onto her side. "She's really tired, I mean, she fell asleep on her feet... is it really that important?"
"Afraid so."
Yamcha sighed. "Alright..." he turned and walked over to the bed and shook her shoulder lightly. As her eyes opened slightly he smiled. "Hey, Kavar's here to talk to you." he said.
"Kavar?" she sat up and looked around. "Where am..."
"You fell asleep at the Clinic and I didn't know where your room was so I brought you back to mine."
"Oh..." she slipped out of the bed and rubbed her head before walking over to Kavar. "What is it? I'm really tired..."
"I am sorry to disturb you but we are already months behind in prepartions for your 20th birthday and your coronation. We only have two weeks left and months of work to do. Your Mother has given me orders that you are to make it the top priority and are to work on the preparations..."
"Now? What time is it?"
"Three AM."
"Three!? This can wa..."
"Your mother insists that we start now. It seems you have yet to visit the tailor for your gown and he wont be open the rest of the week. Since it will take at least ten hours to ge..."
"Alright." Hotaru replied waving him off. "I'll be out at the courtyard in a few mintues."
"Very well, I shall see you then." Kavar said with a bow before turning and leaving. Hotaru shut the door without even seeing Akira standing againt the wall. Hotaru went into the small private bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face. "The fun of being Royalty." she muttured. Turning she looked at Yamcha. "Think you could track Kavar down again and have him take you to my room? I need a change of clothes..."
"Sure."
"Thanks... get one of my GI's, Mother will complain but at the moment I don't care." With that she turned to her right and started the shower. Yamcha laughed as he walked from the room and reached out with his senses for Kavar. He found him down the hall with Akira. "Figures, just my luck." he muttered walking off down the hall.
"I still don't trust that..." Akira was saying as Yamcha neared.
"You barely know him Akira." Kavar said. "And you don't trust anyone that wasn't born here. I, for one, trust Hotaru's judgement. And so does her mother. And this Yamcha is quite powerful too, so you can't use that against him."
"What? Why would I... Oh no, you have GOT to be kidding me!" Akira nearly cried, he sounded a bit shocked about something and Yamcha decided to slow down his pace and listen in a moment longer. "You mean to tell me that he's... that's outrageous! It would be one thing for him to be an ambassador but to be..."
"He is, and I'd watch that tongue of yours Akira." Kavar said. "You may not like him but by this time next year he will most likely be king."
"He's not even a Tanarian! Every member of the royale family has ALWAYS been Tanarian. And what about heirs? I mean, is it even possible?! Hotaru's an only child, without any heirs of her own the royal line would die off!"
"The Queen is already having preparations made for the needed tests and exams." Kavar replied calmly. "Well know soon enough whether or not Tanarian and Human DNA is compatible. Though both the Queen and I are of the opinion that it is."
"And how did you come to this conclusion?" Akira asked skeptically.
"Simple. The child Gohan."
"Who?"
"Gohan is a half Sai-jin half Human hybrid." Kavar explained. "And we already know that Sai-jin and Tanarian DNA is compatible."
"But limited." Akira corrected. "Sure, Tanarians and Sai-jins can have mixed children but those children are always sterile. That would extend the line one more generation but no futher."
Kavar sighed. "This is true, and we have no information as to whether or not Gohan is sterile or not. But, be that as it may, even if a child in any shape or form is not possible the Queen will still stand by her daughter in this. She told me she's far more proud of her daughter than she had believed possible. I, for one, can understand that. Hotaru stood up for what she thought was right, despite your attempts to keep her on the planet, and survived encounters with Zarbon, the Ginyu Force, and Frieza himself. I would say she has damn good judgement."
Akira merely grunted and then walked off. Yamcha, in the mean time, was lost in thought. Here these two were already talking about the possibility of him and Hotaru having kids and... it was making his head spin. He shook it off and reached out for Kavar's energy again finding it a bit further down the hall from where it had been. Rounding the corner he jogged after him. "Hotaru wants me to get a GI from her room while she showers, but I don't know where it is..."
"Alright, follow me then." Kavar said.
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The next two weeks were... hectic, to say the least. Yamcha was soon employed by everyone in town to help out with anything they needed him for. From helping to decorate the ballroom, to helping build the coronation stage on the beach, to catching fish and gathering herbs and fruits. The entire city was busy with work, they only had two weeks to finish up four months of work. But somehow, in some way, they pulled it off.
They finished up the day before Hotaru's twentieth birthday and the coronation ceremony. That gave them all a single night to rest beforehand and then they'd be back at work taking down the decorations and dismanteling the stage. At least, that was the general thought amoung the people of the city. But over the past two weeks Hotaru and Yamcha had done a lot of talking and come to a decision. There wasn't much time left, but after a short dicussion with Sora, the plans were set. The Tanarian people would be in for a surprise the next day.
Sango had recovered just fine from her injury. Hotaru's first reaction was to hug her, and her second to yell at her for being such an idiot. Akira then took his own shot at the girl for her stupid actions and then for not telling him she'd mastered the Kinryoku.
Now, as the sun was setting for the day, Hotaru, Yamcha, and Sango were sitting up on the cliff face over the river. The girls sitting in the same spots they had been two weeks before and Yamcha on Hotaru's left. "So this is it." Sango said looking out over the trees. "Tomorrow you're crowned. Queen Hotaru..."
"It's only in title." Hotaru said with a shrug. "Mom's still going to be ruler for a few more years at least. Tomorrow's only tradition."
"It's still a big deal." Yamcha said. "No matter what you say."
Hotaru nodded. "Yeah, I know. But it's the second ceremony I'm looking forward to." she said with a smile.
"Second ceremony?" Sango asked looking over at them. "What second ceremony?"
"You'll find out tomorrow Sango." Hotaru said with a grin. "Until then, you'll just have to wait, like everyone else."
"Oh come on! Hotaru? Yamcha? What's going on guys?"
Hotaru shook her head grinning. "Nope. Not telling."
