Current time: December 738

Current location: Palais Yasai

The Prince Kakarotto was indulged and restricted in ways that Gine was grateful for. She was allowed to stay close to him at all times, though the Queen was somewhat bothered by her presence. Two females in the same position, to rear offspring, was sometimes difficult. The Queen, however, aided her in educating the boy. Gine taught him of fighting styles that she had learnt on the battlefield, while the Queen taught the boy of simple diplomacy and etiquette.

He was not allowed to leave the Palais unless expressed by the King and he was to be accompanied at all times by a guard, Gine, or the Prince himself. If the Prince was not present, the Queen was to be there.

Kakarotto was currently following Gine's movements, blocking her punches with his small arms and fists. He was somewhat slow, but it was expected of a two-month-old Saiya-jin. She bared her teeth in mock violence, Kakarotto smirking at her in amusement. He enjoyed delivering his punches and kicks, never stopping whenever Gine threw him back down. He just jumped back up and continued forward.

After an hour of their play-fighting, the boy's stomach grumbled and he whimpered at the feeling.

"Gine, I'm hungry. Can I eat?"

"Can 'we' eat?" Gine looked up to the doorway of the training room, seeing the Queen stand there.

"Queen Botani," she addressed, bowing. Kakarotto mimicked her. As Queen Botani approached, the two Moto kept their heads bowed until the familiar, pale hands of their Queen laid themselves on their heads.

"How is Kakarotto progressing, sister?" The Queen welcomed the boy's hands on her robes; they weren't anything delicate or fine, as such things usually were not durable and the Queen found them somewhat repugnant.

"His skills are improving drastically. His time of those… experiments don't seem to have inhibited his growth, Queen Botani."

"This pleases us." The Queen blinked, shivering, and Gine gasped as she saw that Kakarotto had brushed his fingers through the fur of the Queen's tail. She reached forward for him, but Queen Botani raised her hand. "It's all right. He must learn. Coddling him won't help him."

With that, the Queen wrapped her tail around the boy, keeping a firm grip on the wriggling infant.

"Do not touch someone's tail, boy." Kakarotto was lifted to see his mother-in-law's face, tilting his head.

"Why?"

"It is not proper nor polite. Anyone you meet who touches your tail without permission deserves punishment. If you touch someone's tail without permission, you must be punished. Royalty is not exempt from this."

Kakarotto pushed his lower lip outward, confusion apparent on his face. Gine almost laughed at how cute her son looked. He was the epitome of infantile. He gasped as Queen Botani threw him with her tail, grunting at his impact with the pads of the training room floor.

When he stood up again, he toddled over to the Queen. He offered up his palm, lowering his gaze to the ground. He mumbled an apology, to which the Queen answered with kneeling down and grabbing his small hand.

"You are learning well, little Prince. Listen to your dam and to us, and you will be great." She pressed a kiss to his hand, something sweet but distant, as their blood was not the same. Kakarotto nodded, kissing the Queen's hands and then reaching for those of his dam's.

The infant's kisses were sweet.

It was a happy time when Raditz and Prince Vegeta both returned to the Palais. Raditz came to miss his younger brother, this one that smelled so much like his bearers that he knew that they were meant to stay together. He praised his younger brother, the new Prince of the Planet Vegeta, in the new strength that he'd gained. When Prince Vegeta came, Kakarotto was showing them both what he could break with raw strength and even that smallest of energy beams that scorched the surface of a wall.

"Kakarotto, you're getting stronger!" Raditz cheered. He held the boy close, enjoying the purring that the infant emitted and kissing the boy's soft mouth. He could still remember how small his brother had been when he had been born. There had been the scent of fear and worry that night in their Dwelling, and to see his brother like every other Saiya-jin. The energy beams were coming early for him, something that he would be able to master at a young age like the Prince had.

"Of course," Prince Vegeta affirmed, letting Kakarotto kiss his cheeks. "Shall we go to eat then?"

Kakarotto squealed at the idea of food, and it made the two older boys laugh as the infant toddled away to his dam that had been standing and watching them interact with a smile on her face. As Prince Vegeta began to follow them, Raditz reached out a hand to grasp the younger male's shoulder.

"Raditz?"

"... Kakarotto was mine first. You will have him, but I want him too."

The Prince's eyes furrowed. He looked confused that someone aside from his dam and sire was telling him about a condition, but he shook his head. Perhaps it was because Raditz was older than him.

"If Kakarotto will let you, I don't mind."

Beasts.

Bardock let his younger son stay on his shoulder. The boy was able to hold himself up as Bardock walked them to the Shiteya-Dan.

"Ah," Banira greeted them. "This is your boy, then, Bardock. A month old then?"

"Yes. Two now, actually." Bardock set the boy down on the counter, where Banira began to take out things with which to measure the boy for his new Battle Armor. "How long will this take?"

"A day, as always." The boy was fascinated with the instruments, trying to break them already, as was instinct of examining things. His small teeth, Bardock noticed, made small indents in the wooden instruments, as Banira made his measurements around the boy's head, neck, and chest. When it came to the boy's legs and arms, the wooden instruments were used to measure their length, as well as that of the boy's torso.

Banira set the infant on the floor, watching how the boy attempted to toddle on his own. Kakarotto made it to his sire without trouble, his tail swaying behind him to balance him. He climbed into Bardock's embrace, purring softly. Bardock rubbed at the base of the boy's head, lulling him into sleep.

"Come later in the evening." The tailor waved the younger males away, dismissing them. "Is the boy going on a mission?"

"He's going with Raditz and our Prince to train with the rest of that Cartload."

Banira chuckled. "Your sons continue to amaze, Bardock. Two months and he's going with the Cartload and not a weak planet. They're much like you."

The Cartload of Saiya-jin infants intimidated Kakarotto somewhat. They were bigger than he was, and the scouter that he was being trained in using seemed too big for his hands. He was first trained in reading its many symbols. Being the youngest present, the tutor was somewhat patient with him.

First, the translation chip was inserted to the space behind his ear. The universal language was understandable now to his ears, as well as the other languages that Raditz practiced with him. As he tried to speak the universal language, Raditz helped him, moving the infant's tongue to help him handle the more complex sounds.

Then came functioning the scouter properly, learning its many buttons and properties. He was told not to bite it, which was somewhat upsetting. The device was showing him power levels, which he did learn to read, and soon he was learning all of its features, not just the readings. He could record things for later and have them playback. He'd be sure to remember that.

The infants in the Cartload did their best to frighten him, panting and hooting and saying words that Kakarotto did not yet understand. He did his best to growl and grunt at them in the ways that the Queen Botani taught him. Some actually did not bother him afterwards; others followed him. After all, two-month-old infants of the third-class were usually tearing up planets, not training officially.

He practiced hard, using all that Gine had taught him in the past month to his advantage. Despite others overcoming him usually due to size, he was told that he was advancing well.

For his senses to be trained, they blindfolded him. He would then use his nose to find a certain plant in the room, avoiding obstacles that the tutors would warn him of beforehand. After a week, there were no more hints and he could only use a little bit of information they gave him to find his way. Eventually, his other senses were trained as well, inhibiting the others and soon teaching them to be integrated.

His training would continue like this for several weeks.

They were in the Palais Yasai, muttering soft things to each other.

"You will be a wonderful warrior, Kakarotto." Raditz kissed his brother's neck and ear. Kakarotto was purring against him at the praise and gentle touches. The small hands gripping at his armour were loosening and clenching the fabric.

"Di."

It was the infant's favorite thing to say whenever he could get Raditz's attention, his special shortened name. He pressed his lips to his older brother's chin, nickering softly. Raditz hummed against his brother, pressing his lips to the infant's.

"Karo, what do you want?"

"Mee."

"You want more meat?" He shuffled the boy in his arms, shifting his weight so that he could glide through the air to the Meatery. He pulled out some dried pieces of meat and offered some to his brother. "You had one piece earlier. Just two more. Don't just swallow it."

Kakarotto nodded, ripping the meat apart under his small fangs. He smiled and purred, chewing on the food and pressing wet lips to Raditz's cheek. His short tail curled around the older boy's arm, showing his affection further.

The two boys ate, Raditz listening to Kakarotto's babbling and few combined word-phrases. He could understand some of it, like his complaints of the tutors tying him away from the other students, and that the oldest boy in his section of the Cartload always called him a "brat" and he didn't know what that meant but it sounded bad, especially with how the older boys of the Cartload would try to smell the base of his tail. Raditz smiled at his little brother's discussions, because they seemed so new and different from his.

'He doesn't understand yet, that we're born to fight and die.' Raditz pressed more kisses to his brother's mouth, licking at the corners of the infant's mouth the meat that remained there.

'I don't want him to die. I care too much for him.' He pressed his tongue into Kakarotto's mouth, tasting the meat there and taking it into his own mouth, eating it. Kakarotto protested and reached for more meat, chewing it greedily.

"Di... Mean." Kakarotto reached up and threaded his fingers in Raditz's hair, attempting to groom his brother.

"And Karo is greedy." Raditz followed suit, grooming his younger brother and purring.

It was upon this that Bardock walked in, his sons and he picked up his younger son, ushering Raditz to spar with him while Kakarotto went with his dam back to the Training Room.

"Why can't I be with Kakarotto, Bardock? You never like me being with him alone." Raditz turned just fast enough to block the punch that his sire threw at him. His arm was in pain, but he grit his teeth to bear it. He stopped, though, when he felt Bardock's strong grip on his arm.

"You haven't seen the change yet, Raditz. Prince Vegeta has claim over Kakarotto, but he's not here." Bardock smirked and threw the boy to the ground, staying over him. He pressed a kiss to the corner of Raditz's mouth. "Stay away from Kakarotto, or stay away from the two of you being alone. We don't need you and Prince Vegeta fighting over him."

"But we are done fighting over him!" Raditz struggled against his sire's grip. "Kakarotto was going to be mine, but Vegeta got him. Vegeta said I could have him first though. He doesn't even know anything yet, because he's younger than me, but he said I could!"

He didn't expect the punch to his stomach, nor the slap across his face. His ear was ringing and Raditz had trouble understanding what Bardock said.

"You haven't seen what I've seen, boy! When the Moon comes, you'll hurt Kakarotto more than you can imagine! You will be the end of us!"

But… he cared for Kakarotto.

Why then..?

He felt the pain more than the hits that caused them. He heard Kakarotto's laugh and felt his kisses more than the cracks in his bones. Bardock bit his neck with painful kisses, licking at the blood and pressing his lessons into his son. When Bardock pressed his lips to Raditz again, the boy whimpered. His sire had always been a dominating presence, and his lips against Bardock's were bleeding. Raditz panted against his sire's mouth, whimpering and closing his eyes.

"Kakarotto..."

"You may stay with him when someone is there to watch you two. Otherwise, I will have you sent on missions until Kakarotto is older."

"How much older?" he dared to ask.

"Enough that he will be with Prince Vegeta, and he'll be able to say 'no' to you himself." Bardock let his son rest for a moment. "Your brother is going to be something rare and great. You'll protect him, but do not think of harming him. One day, he may be the only family you have."

The small Saiya-jin sat up slowly, Bardock moving backwards slightly. He was dazed and dizzy, eyes almost swimming and terribly unfocused.

"But... I care for him. Why would I want to hurt him, unless we're fighting?"

Bardock looked down to his son, petting his head. He finally saw the tears he'd been smelling run down Raditz's cheeks - a rare and pretty thing to see.

In Bardock's vision, there was sadness.

As the dam's belly swelled, in the only slight way that was specific to the Saiya-jin, the sire could not find a way to assist. He was more horrified in that the dam was not allowing him to come close, as though the dam was fearful of him.

When the infant was born, the dam stared as the sire took the infant and began to mark him with his scent. The infant marked, the sire attempted to give the small creature to its dam.

The dam didn't even reach forward, more puzzled as to how the infant appeared, both in conception and in birth, in the first place.

"How..?" the dam asked. There were tears there.

They were the small family unit's death notice if they continued.

"Are you sure?" The King Vegeta hummed at the new information. That Raditz would desire his brother, whether in a familial manner or intimate manner, was of no concern to him, but the Prince would not be fond of this; as arrogant as he was, the King couldn't imagine the Prince willing to share his Mate.

"Yes," Bardock assured. "It would be more beneficial to have Kakarotto in the incubator, to keep him safe not only from Raditz, but other males. The liquid will mask his scent and keep him healthy while the Moon changes occur."

The tutor that was there for Kakarotto when with the Cartload, Riridei of the Botsu Clan, nodded. "Some of the males around Raditz's age, those already close to sexual maturity, have been responding to Kakarotto. Even if he is only two months, my Lord, they sense that he could bear them offspring."

The King turned away from the concerned sire and tutor. It was interesting, to say the least.

"Then do so. He will be in the incubator until we all deem appropriate. Bardock, there is a room here in the Palais if you feel that the guard here is sufficient. Riridei, contact the physician Karora to have him care for the infant." The King Vegeta dismissed the tutor.

"Bardock, you have something else on your mind."

The commander looked down to the floor, thinking of a proper way to word the horrors he'd seen.

"Your Highness, of Lord Freeza…"

Notes:

Botani - from Botany
Banira - Fruit vegetable: Vanilla
I wanted some cute Bardock and Kakarotto time.
Infant - technical term for a baby monkey
Cartload - A group of monkeys
Riridei - from the Flower vegetable: Daylily
Karora - from the Sea vegetable: Carola