Disclaimer and Warnings: Mentions Mpreg, Heats, violence, swearing, and Alpha Dominated Society!
Timelines and ages are slightly different from the original DBZ world.
Since I'm making up a lot of terms here I thought I'd drop some definitions.
Suitors:An Alpha who is courting a Omega. During the courting phase they are Suitors, after the pair has mated they are referred to as Mates.
Pillage: When a crew goes off to claim planets in the name of Vegeta-sei. A first Pillage and how well a crew does on pillages is a status mark.
Ranks of the Saiyan Warriors: (from lowest to highest)
Third Class
Second Class
First Class- Also known as Elites
Captains
High Council:The High Council is a level between Captains and the King. They advise the King on troublesome planets and which troops should go to what planets. There are Six Council members total. Generally, the position is passed down from generation to generation, unless circumstances dictate otherwise.
In This Chapter: Goten finds himself back with the Elites and Goku returns home.
Alpha Royal
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Four-Star Ball
His dorm room was a mess. Goten stared at it for a long moment, taking in the destruction around him. Clothes littered the floor, carelessly thrown from their rightful place in the closet. His desk was no better, the small personal effects had been pushed to the ground and the drawers emptied. At first, he thought the enemy had infiltrated his space, but more likely it had been the King upon realization of what he was.
Sighing, he bent down and got to work cleaning up. The mess could have been worse, he never made himself at home in the small room so there hadn't been much to dig through. It took no time at all to finish cleaning. When it was presentable he sat on the bed and sighed. For the first time in months he was alone. His heart ached against the silence, he missed Trunks. Sleeping in this bed without his mate would be difficult, but he could manage. It wasn't like he wouldn't see Trunks. If he asked, his mate would probably welcome him back to the royal quarters without any fuss. But that wouldn't do, they had to pretend that nothing was going on between them.
A light knock on the door broke him out of his thoughts. He looked up just as the door opened, revealing his crewmates. Beet wore a bright smile in greeting, "Welcome back with us peons."
"Haha," Goten rolled his eyes but found himself smiling nonetheless. It did feel good to be back. Compared to the royal quarters his small room looked like a cell, but he loved it all the same. In here he wasn't an Omega, he wasn't even the Prince's mate, he was just Goten, an Elite fighter of Vegeta-sei, and that was enough.
Leta slapped him happily on the back in greeting, the impact short of her full strength. "How about some breakfast? It will help take your mind off the Prince."
"My mind isn't on him," Goten lied.
Neither looked convinced as they pulled him out the door. Together they walked to the chow hall, his crewmates chatting happily as if nothing had changed.
Being with them again felt right. Not in the same way being with Trunks felt, but similar to his love for Gohan. Over the months Leta, Beet, and even Axal had become more than his crew. His Omega instincts thought of them as family, as pack.
Goten basked in the feeling as Leta caught him up on everything they had been doing in the month they had waited. "It was crazy. The King didn't want to risk anything so he put us in a special room, gave us a private training slot, he even allowed us to use the royal gravity chamber."
Beet sighed longingly at the memory. "It was pretty nice not having to deal with the other Elites."
"Very nice," Leta added, "But we'd rather have our crew back, plus it was getting old having to stay in the palace." She huffed, blowing a piece of wild dark hair from her face.
"Well they can't keep you back now," Goten pointed out.
"You're right!" Beet brightened as if coming to the realization for the first time. He grabbed Leta's arm with a gasp, "We're free! We can go out again."
Leta laughed, "Do you think you'll still be up to it after we train? First day back is always a pain."
"Nothing can stop me," Beet said, "Hey, we should all go! We can celebrate Goten and Trunks' return."
"I really don't think the Prince will be up to that." Leta looked around, making sure wandering soldiers weren't within earshot of their conversation. "Have you forgotten that we're in a heightened state of alert?"
"Oh come on!" Beet's eyes fell on Goten as he pleaded, "It has been forever since we've been out. And now we have Goten!"
"Me?" Squeaked Goten, "What do I have to do with any of this?"
"For one, you can convince the Prince of anything." Beet answered with a sly grin, "and for another, you are the ultimate wingman! Now someone can finally tell me how to land the Omega of my dreams!"
Leta tilted her head, finally seeing the merit of her friend's suggestion. Goten, felt his cheeks heat up. "I don't know about that guys. I'm terrible at that romantic stuff. Really!"
Neither looked convinced. "Says the boy with the Prince wrapped around his finger," Leta said with a smug smile.
Beet let out a low whine, "Come on Goten. I need to get out, remember how much fun we had last time?"
He remembered well the last time they'd gone out. The excitement that clung to him for days after. It had been the first breakthrough he'd had with Trunks, the first time he considered the Prince as something more than royalty.
It would be nice to go back. There was no way Trunks was going to let him, but the least he could do was bring it up. "I'll... ask."
His crewmates grinned at each other victoriously as they stepped into the chow hall. A familiar sight of saiyan Elites, greeted them. The smell of cooked meat and vegetables filled his senses. Goten's stomach let out a loud cheer at the scent. "Just like old times!" Beet said with a smile, "It feels like forever ago we were all in here together."
"Yeah, it does." Goten agreed. Those mornings spent with Beet, Leta, and Trunks eating in the chow hall hadn't lasted long but they were fond memories. A pang pinched his heart as he wished Trunks could have joined them. But in their heightened alert status, the King wanted to keep the crowned prince under close guard.
The three fell into line and gathered their food quickly. Goten's mouth watered as the food piled high on his plates before they all sat at the usual table. Beet and Leta were deep in their morning chatter, trading jabs with nearby elites and pointing out new recruits. Their bodies relaxed but eyes keen as they noted new faces and the old. Goten found himself impressed by their ability to act so calm. Leta and Beet were always so relaxed around him, he sometimes forgot they were elite warriors. Their sense for carrying on a mission and ability to pick up on their environment made them the best fighters on the planet. For the Prince, they made the best spies. In comparison, Goten felt clumsy in his attempt to act normal.
Then Brolly strolled in.
As always the saiyan was by himself, looking as regal as royalty. The crowd parted around him as he stalked to the chow line and began grabbing his food with meticulous care.
All at once Goten remembered the strange questions Brolly had asked him the day before. If they needed a place to start in their investigation, Brolly was probably it. "I'll be right back," he said getting to his feet.
"Wait, where are you going?" Leta asked, her eyes locking on him, "we should go with you."
"Eat your food. I'm justing getting some more fruit," Goten lied, leaving before the girl could protest.
There was a nice Goten sized opening beside Brolly where no other saiyan dared to go. He nestled in and grabbed a plate pretending to be interested in the food laid out. It didn't take long for the other to notice him. Brolly's body turned just slightly to make room for Goten and his head tilted in the Omega's direction. Goten looked up and gave the saiyan a warm smile. "Morning Brolly, funny running into you here."
"Indeed," a low baritone voice answered, black eyes narrowed on Goten for a moment before turning back to the fruit displayed on the table. "So, you're back to training with the other Elites."
"Yep, no rest for the wicked and all that. Gotta get ready for our next pillage." From across the room, he could feel Leta and Beet's eyes burning into his back. He prayed they wouldn't get up and interject themselves like they had done the day before. This was his chance to get some useful information, hopefully, but now that he had started he had no idea where to begin.
"Goten…" The sound of his name was a surprise coming from Brolly.
He jumped, nearly dropping his plate of fresh orange slices. "Yeah?"
Brolly was looking down at him again. His height was impressive, he was definitely taller than his father, or any other saiyan for that matter. It gave him an air of intimidation other Alphas would kill for, but Brolly's soft voice was at odds with his towering demeanor. "What are you doing?"
A cold chill clutched Goten's tail. Busted. "I er…"
"You must know that your father and brother have no love of my family nor I with them," his frown deepened with the words.
Goten's brain hurried to come up with an excuse, anything to throw the other off. "I've heard the stories, but I…" He swallowed hard, well no lie was more convincing than the truth. "I don't know if I believe them."
Brolly's brows lifted. Goten hurried to continue, "I mean, you were so nice to me that day in the Gravity hall and yesterday as well. I guess I don't see what everyone else does."
"I see…" Brolly said quietly. "Elite fighters aren't supposed to be nice."
No one had told that to his father and brother, or to his crewmates. Goten turned Brolly's words over in his mind. Elites often acted tough, he remembered the show Trunks had put on in front of the other elites, the facade of an arrogant prince. Maybe it was true, Elites weren't supposed to act nice, but that was just to hide the fact that they were.
"I guess I'll have to keep your secret then," Goten answered, watching the other man carefully.
Brolly's brows knitted in consideration and a large lump of fear clung to Goten's throat as he wondered if the other man had figured out what he was up to. He really didn't want to believe Brolly was as bad as everyone said. He didn't want to think the man who saved him from Squral could be a traitor. But, he needed to find out information and Brolly seemed like his best shot.
To his complete surprise, Brolly's face relaxed. Softening into a small smile. "I have too many secrets for you to keep, but thank you Goten." He held out one of his plates, full to the brim with juicy pieces of strawberries and apple slices. "Here, take this. I should be going anyway."
"Oh okay," Goten took the offering, his heart fluttering in distress. Secrets? Brolly had secrets? He wanted to ask more but the other Saiyan was gone before Goten could adjust his grip on two plates. Crap.
Dismayed he ventured back to his table and sat down, doing his best to ignore the quiet glares of Beet and Leta. He knew what was coming next, "I know, I know. That was stupid. I shouldn't go off on my own. I should have told you what I was thinking." He picked a strawberry and popped it in his mouth giving them a meaningful look, "Did I miss anything?"
"Yeah," Leta was looking more irritated than usual, "You forgot to mention that Brolly was trying to court you."
Goten sputtered, pieces of the berry flew across the table. "He's not trying to court me!"
Leta rolled her eyes and pointed down at the plate of food. "He offered you food didn't he?"
Goten looked down at the fruit, sitting innocently in front of him. His face immediately heated up at the implication. Brolly had given him a plate of food, something no Alpha in their right mind would do for another Alpha. And he, an omega, had accepted it.
Worse than all of that though was the gut-punching reality behind it. "He knows…"
The day went by quickly after that. Training on the Quad, lunch, and then evening formation. Goten was pleasantly sore when the day was over. He showered, dressed into clean clothes and snuck down to the Royal Quarters. It would look strange having a soldier waltz into the Royal Quarters with familiarity, even an Elite like himself, luckily he knew a back route. He flew along the walls outside until he found the same window he had snuck into the night before. From outside he could see the dull light of Trunks' lamp, acting as a beacon, letting him know exactly which room to sneak into. Goten smiled and tapped on the window.
He didn't have to wait long. Trunks appeared behind the glass, shirtless and slightly rumpled looking. Goten felt his mouth go dry at the sight. It had only been a day but he had forgotten how attractive his Alpha was. His Alpha.
Maybe being apart wouldn't be so easy if one day was enough to make his mind go blank.
The Prince smiled as if he could read his mate's mind, "You have got to stop coming in this way."
Goten laughed and ducked his body into the room. "Well if you can give me an alternate route I'd be happy to take it," he added with a wink.
Trunks closed the distance between the two of them Goten could feel the heat from his bare skin and then heat from his lips as the Prince kissed him.
Oh, it felt so good. His tail curled at the contact. He would never get tired of this. Of the gentleness Trunks showed to him and him alone. When they pulled apart, sapphire blue eyes sparkled with unmasked lust. "How was your first day back?"
"Busy!" Goten beamed. Trunks stepped back enough to give him space and he happily flung himself on the large King sized bed. The scent of his mate surrounded him and he inhaled it greedily. "I won all my matches on the quad and at formation they formally recognized that we had accomplished our first pillage. It was great."
"I think you're the first Elite who has ever said that in all sincerity." Trunks said, sitting on the bed beside him, "Maybe they need to work you harder."
"The only way that is going to happen is if you come down there yourself," Goten smirked, a devious glint in his black eyes. "Nobody slacks off when the Prince is on the quad."
"Maybe I will," Trunks gave him a secretive smile, his hand rubbing circles along Goten's abdomen in a steady pattern. His touch was so warm, Goten felt himself melting into the mattress. "Did you find anything out today?"
"Kind of," Goten said with a sigh. He had been dreading this moment all day. "I saw Brolly again."
The circles stopped. "Did he approach you?"
"No, I approached him."
"Goten," came the low growl of warning.
"What?" Goten met his gaze, daring his mate to finish the sentence. "He's probably our best lead Trunks. You said it yourself, it was weird that he wasn't at the council meeting."
Trunks' silence confirmed his assumption was right, the Prince just didn't want to admit it. His stubbornness only held on for so long though. With a scowl he asked, "Did you find anything out?"
"I think... I think he knows what I am."
Trunks' face clouded in unmasked anger. Goten quickly nudged him, trying to drive the rage away. "It's not like I told him or anything."
"Then why do you think that?"
"He just said some weird things." And did some weird things, but Trunks would be livid to find out Brolly handed him a food offering. It was best not to mention it, for now. They needed to stay calm and keep their wits. "It's just a hunch, everyone treated me the same today except him. What is he doing down in the elite training field anyway? Isn't he preparing to take over for his father."
"Well, yeah." Trunks said, "But Brolly isn't like your brother. He's... different."
Goten frowned at the choice of words. "Different how?"
"Well he's a weirdo for one," Trunks muttered under his breath, "but he's a strong weirdo. I've never fought him one on one, but Gohan did and he lost."
That caught Goten's attention. He body sat upright, ready to defend his brother's honor, "No way."
Gohan would have told him if someone in the academy was stronger than him. And surely he would have felt that kind of power coming from Brolly.
Trunks shrugged, "You're telling me. It was before I was training on the Quad with the other elites, but I heard about it. After that Dad took Brolly off missions and encouraged he learn Paragus' job in technical affairs. He's gone on only a few pillages since then." As he spoke Trunks' eyes narrowed, as if realizing for the first time how strange that all seemed. "But Paragus said he was preparing for another mission soon."
"He's a Captain?" Goten asked.
"Yeah, but his crew is small. Everyone jokes he doesn't really need them because... because he could pillage planets by himself." The realization dawned on them both at the same time. Trunks cursed under his breathe, "Shit, of course. If anyone is responsible for those missing planets it would be Brolly."
Goten sat straighter, something about Trunks' tone had his nerves rattling. Trunks sounded… scared. "He's that powerful?"
"I need to ask my dad. Double check the records, if we can prove Brolly wasn't on the planet when the others were destroyed." Trunks let out another curse, "But Paragus is smarter than that. He probably hacked the records."
"We should at least let your dad now." Goten said, "And keep an eye on him."
Trunks nodded, blue eyes narrowed dangerously as he asked, "and you think Brolly knows about you?"
Ice kissed Goten's spine at the worry in his mate's voice. The lie nearly didn't come out, "I don't know for sure, but he is definitely suspicious of me."
"He and your family don't really get along. It makes sense."
Does it? Goten wondered, then why did he help me against Squral? He hated to think that the other saiyan could have known what he was even back then. There was more to Brolly then everyone thought. Again, questions were building up and they had no answers.
Trunks made a sound of annoyance, "I'll look into it, but in the meantime don't do anything by yourself. If he's in the room make sure you keep Leta and Beet close." Goten frowned at the command, Trunks bristled back, "What?"
"We're in this mess because everyone wants to do things on their own. I'm not going to let you do all the work. We know that he knows something so why don't we get evidence."
"And how do you suppose we do that?"
"We make him act," Goten leaned forward, pressing his body against Trunks. "Beet suggested we should all go out to celebrate, and I'm starting to think he's right."
"What?" Trunks growled, "That idiot."
"No, think about it Trunks," Goten implored, "We're supposed to be acting like nothing is wrong. Well, if the Prince's crew came back from a successful mission wouldn't we all go out and celebrate?"
Trunks didn't deny the claim, once against he looked unsettled at being called out so easily. "We'll be attacked for sure."
Goten grinned, "I know and this time we'll be ready."
His lover still didn't completely looked pleased with the plan, but at least they had one. He was quiet for a long moment, rolling the idea around in his head before sighing in defeat. "You're right. Sometimes it's scary how alike you and your dad are." Goten tilted his head, unsure how to take the compliment.
"Alright," Trunks said finally, "Let the crew know, in fact, let the whole Elite training corp know that the Prince will be celebrating tomorrow night. Make it something no one will want to miss out on."
Tarble Town was a stranger to him. From the sky, Goku could see the updated fighting school, buildings with new towers, and the additional plot of land added to expand the outdoor market. It was still small in comparison to the capital city. Vegeta always called it a speck of a town, but that had been what Goku liked about it.
He smiled at the sight despite himself, flying low enough that saiyans stopped to wave. A few let out the cries of recognition. "Is that Kakorot? Is he back?"
There had once been a time when he knew everyone in the town.
Chichi had dragged him out of the house often to explore the nearby inhabitants, asking him questions and picking up food for the week's meals. She'd been nervous on planet Vegeta, but had eventually found her footing in Tarble. Despite being human, she had managed to bargain with the butcher and make friends with young parents and their new cubs.
Now strangers stared at him as he flew by. He pushed forward quickly moving out of the town and into the woods surrounding it. The number of homes dwindled until he spotted one that stood the furthest from the town.
Something unpleasant wiggled in his stomach when the house came into view. The usual sight of smoke billowing from the chimney was gone. The house was a dark empty shell of what it used to be. Goku landed softly in the front yard and stared at his home, taking in the large Capsule Corp signal along the side. A reminder of a time long gone and the people they had lost.
The home had been a gift from Bulma, one of her few capsules left after Earth was destroyed. Chichi cherished it, taking an abnormal amount of time flying around Vegeta-sei with Goku in tow until they found the perfect place to set up their new home. A place that had reminded her of Earth, of Mount Patzou and the forests where she had grown up.
A swell of emotions hit him at the memories. He didn't like feeling sad, hated feeling weak even more, and this house forced him to feel both at once. It was the worst kind of torture.
He'd had every bone in his body broken before, had been at the point of death, but that was nothing compared to facing his old home.
At least he wouldn't have to go in. The thing Goku needed sat in the small wooden shed nearby. He followed a dirt path to the shed and opened it to find a stack of chopped wood and unused antiques. Everything was covered in dirt but he managed to find what he was looking for. An old shovel, propped in the same place he had put it years ago. Goku grabbed it and took to the sky, pushing on without a backwards glance.
Ahead he saw the Red Mountains in the distance and Tarble Lake that sat at their base. Goku swallowed hard at the sight, he hadn't been back in years.
His feet touched the soft grass along the edge of the lake. Under the harsh Vegeta-sei sun the water's surface glittered like glass. Chichi had loved coming here, picnicking with the boys while Goku caught their diner. Away from the other Saiyans, they could pretend that they were back on Earth, it was like living in a dream.
His feet moved on their own accord, taking him to the hiding place of the dragonball. Most of the trees were still the same, he realized in awe when he spotted one with branches overhanging the water. Goku touched the rough bark, searching for his marker. Along the back, he saw a faded engraving, "Love You."
He'd made the mark but the words were Chichi's. A Earth saying that she would kiss against his lips and whisper to their sleeping children. Saiyans said the same words but they didn't hold the depth of meaning. They had mates, they had lovers, but to say "I love you" wouldn't carry the same meaning. Goku had been fascinated by how often Chichi said the words.
"You say that a lot."
"Do I?" She laughed as she always did when he brought up their differences, "Don't Alpha's say I love you to their mates."
"Sometimes." He mused, "but never in public. Not even in front of the cubs."
She kissed him then under the shade of the odd fruit tree. In front of their two sons who laughed at the sight of their father blushing. "I say it because I want you all to never forget. I love my family. I always will."
The memory ached against every muscles in his body. It was good he had come alone. It was the only time he felt like he could mourn over the woman he loved. His fingers lingered on the words for another second before he entered the dark woods.
Under the dense branches, Goku counted his steps. 30... 31...32...
At 50 he came upon a small stone shrine. The red paint had faded but it still stood out among the green of the forest. A stone slab sat in front of it. Son Chichi: Wife, Mother, Earthling.
A hard lump filled Goku's throat at the sight. His next words came out as a croak, "Hi honey."
He sat on the ground beside the stone, feeling the ground shift from recent rain. The wet grass soaked his armor, but he didn't care. "I'm sorry I haven't been back in a while. Seems I've been slacking in all of my duties." He licked his lips nervously, as if expecting her voice to appear at any moment to reprimand him.
A breeze lifted the branches gently and Goku took it as encouragement to continue. "I guess I should start from the beginning and tell you what's been going on..." so he did, he told her things from the last time he visited and everything after that. He told her about Goten, about Bulma, about his mistakes and his attempts to make things right.
He told her about the dragonballs and the sudden danger that was threatening their family.
"That's why I'm here. I'm sorry, but I have to make sure everything is safe." He touched the tombstone gently, "Forgive me?"
Only the silence of the forest answered him. Goku sighed, "I guess everyone is mad at me today. Can't say I blame you."
He really didn't want to do this, he really really really didn't want to.
But at the time he had thought of no safer place to hide the dragonball then at the secret burial sight of his wife.
Goku stood and stared at the area in front of the tombstone. His grip on the shovel tightened in resolve. There was no choice.
He lifted the shovel and made the first dig into the earth. It sunk easily in the wet soil, almost too easily. Goku frowned, pulling back and making another dig somewhere else. Again the shovel cleaved easily into the ground.
He was strong yes, but even wet soil had some resistance. Keen black eyes took in the ground before him, noticing for the first time the difference in the grass around the tombstone. It was shorter, not as wild as the rest of the wood.
Goku's breath caught at the realization. "No..."
He got to work quickly, digging with little regard to the shape of the hole. As the grave grew deeper his worst fears were confirmed. There was evidence that the soil had been recently dug up.
Using every ounce of strength he managed to dig up the earth in minutes. Goku almost forgot what might await him at the bottom of the hole until he hit the hard outer shell of a coffin.
The sight brought him back, eyes widening as they took in the sleek metal of the Saiyan made coffin. His sudden urgency disappeared as he realized what needed to happen next.
"I'm...I'm sorry," He whispered again, wanting desperately to hear her voice tell him it was alright, but nothing came.
With a deep inhale Goku reached down and flicked open the locks. A swell of mist fell from the coffin as it acclimated. He could feel the chill from the chirotemperature inside as the lid popped open.
And there she was, laying on a bed of white cloth as if she were just sleeping. Chichi's skin was slightly blue from the cold, if he looked past that he could pretend she wasn't really dead, just sleeping. Goku was tempted to reach out and touch her, but he managed to hold back. There are more important things, his mind hissed viciously.
Like the dragonball. The dragonball that he had been nestled in her hands before burying her. The dragonball that was no longer there.
Author's Note: Happy Holidays everyone! Consider this an early Christmas present! We're not done yet with all the reveals and surprises! But I hope this one caught a lot of you off guard! Mahaha. I've been working on this chapter for what feels like FOREVER, but for some reason, it just didn't feel right. I hope it was alright and it brightened everyone's holidays. Now please give me a gift and leave a review or follow.
As always, the grammar mistakes are my own as well as some minor changes in spelling. I was rereading some old chapters and...yesh, you guys are too nice not to call me out. I'll be doing a edit/rewrite sometime in the near future. But first, gotta finish this story!
