Kakarot sighed. This was the tenth time this month. Coco was standing next to him. Chichi thought that it would be a good idea for him to bring the bird with him when he went hunting, but that was not the case. Coco was scaring off anything within a 5-mile radius.
Kakarot looked down to find the bird pecking at the ground. It wouldn't take much to lose it, but Chichi wouldn't be happy with him if he didn't return with her precious bird.
Coco pecked at the ground, pulling up a small mouse and eating it.
Kakarot rolled his eyes. He didn't have time for this. He was going to be a father soon. He didn't need to be babysitting a bird.
Kakarot's mind drifted to what it would be like once the baby was here. Maybe Chichi would finally see that having Coco was just a pain. Kakarot didn't mind having a baby around. He could show his child how to do everything saiyan. Coco was a bird, so there was no way that he could get the same joy from it. The bird was weak and Kakarot didn't have any time for that. He already had high expectations. If Chichi had never told him about that witch's words, then he wouldn't be wondering these things.
Pride filled him. He couldn't wait to show off his child to his family. He bet that his father was going to be very proud. Knowing that information beforehand meant that he had no reason to let anyone make him feel bad about his oath. That felt like such a long time ago. Part of him couldn't believe that he had even made that oath. Raditz had probably told him that stuff to scare him. He was going to give it to him when he got home.
Something like pity came over him. Raditz would probably never be this happy. His brother was holding on by a thread of hope when there really wasn't any.
But there wasn't time to think about that. He had to grab something. Chichi was getting hungrier every day, which he took for a good thing. His child had to have a saiyan diet.
Coco chirped. "What the fuck do you want?" Kakarot snapped at it.
The bird only shook its head before running off into the brush. Kakarot sighed. At this rate, he was never going to get anything for Chichi.
"Coco, get your ass back here!" Kakarot yelled after the bird, only to hear an odd clacking sound.
Kakarot moved forward and deeper into the forest. Chichi would kill him if something happened to Coco.
He called after the bird but found nothing. Kakarot began to laugh. Finally, he would be free of that stupid bird.
The clacking started again and he sighed. "Why couldn't you just stay quiet?!" Kakarot said irately, but froze when he looked down. Coco was chirping happily as she stood over nine dead carcasses. "When the hell did you do this?" He asked as the bird chirped.
Kakarot moved forward and started putting the carcasses over his shoulder. "Are you going just stand there or are you going to grab one?" He snapped.
Coco leaned down and grabbed what looked like a dead deer and began dragging it back to camp.
Kakarot smiled then stopped himself. He wasn't supposed to like this bird. Coco was just lucky that's all.
Tarble sighed as he finished up the day's group of glyphs. It was getting late anyway. Even if he couldn't see the outside world, he just knew that it was dark out.
Betra only smiled at him. "So we meet back tomorrow?" He nodded and stood up. "Prince Tarble?"
He looked back over at her. "What?"
"I…sorry if I'm intruding, but you seem to have something on your mind. I wouldn't normally ask, but you're distracted." Betra said, giving him a worried look.
Tarble should have felt offended, but something about her presence kept him calm. "Don't worry. It does not concern you."
She nodded. "I shouldn't have overstepped my bounds then."
Tarble shook his head. "You had your reasons. You wouldn't be wrong, though."
She looked concerned. "Anything I can help with?"
Tarble sighed. "I…I just don't know what I'm even doing anymore. Gure is still out there and here I am staring at pictures looking for answers." He looked her in the eye. "And now…" She waited patiently. "Can you keep a secret?"
She nodded. "I've kept the secret of the library from the world. I can surely keep any secret that you have, my prince."
Tarble felt himself turn red at that. No one called him their prince. Betra seemed like the only one that did that anymore. He had noticed the lack of respect as of late. "As of late, I've noticed that I've been forgotten."
"No one could forget you, Tarble. You were the reason we won against your father." She said, grabbing onto his arm.
"I can't take the credit for that." He said.
"But you came up with the plans. You were the one who built this city too. Your inventions are everywhere." Betra said.
Tarble felt a warm place in his chest. "I did do that."
"See, they have no reason to forget you." Betra said.
He looked away from her. "But they have." Anger began to stir in him. "Vegeta is the beloved emperor. Everywhere I go, I'm pushed away. Even by my own brother." A couple of the books flew off of the shelves. "It's not fair!" He growled.
She walked up and made him look at her. "I'm sorry you feel this way. Do you regret helping Vegeta get the crown?" She asked.
Tarble froze, but still shook his head. "No…my father had to be stopped."
"But Vegeta is doing the same thing, isn't he?" Betra questioned.
Tarble stared at her. "What do you mean?"
Betra frowned. "Well…I don't mean to be frank, but you two just seemed so close until recently. Did something happen?"
Tarble felt a chill go down his spine. "Nothing much," he lied. He did wonder how Betra knew about his problems. She gave him a look and he knew that he was caught. "He's just been a little stand-offish since he and Bulma mated." He admitted.
"So you feel left out?" She asked.
He looked down at the ground. "They're keeping things from me. I just wish I knew what."
Her hand came under his chin and forced him to look up at her. "Maybe they are scared of you."
Tarble felt uneasy about that. His mind flashed back to his father's dying words. Was he really that dangerous? Didn't Vegeta say that he wasn't scared of his powers? But then why was he being pushed away?
Bulma's words about his weakness came back to him, and he growled. The room went dark around him. Was Betra right? Were they really against him? After watching their actions, he couldn't argue against her words. It had to be true. Bulma and Vegeta were pushing him away. They didn't want him around because of his power. For some reason, Tarble was in their way. Now Tarble just needed to find out how.
"If that is the truth, then I'll have to figure out why that is." He stated.
"I think you already know the answer to that, my prince." She said.
Tarble smirked. "Why do you say that?"
She giggled. "Because the crown really belongs to you."
Tarble froze. "What?...But Vegeta is the first born son."
"But you were named King Vegeta's heir. Not Vegeta." Betra said.
Tarble stood there in shook, but his mind remembered what his father had said. At one point, while he was in his father's care, his father had referred to him as his heir. It was right after he killed that Tech-Tech. "But that was only after he wanted me to…"
"Get rid of Vegeta?" She said with a smile on her face. "No, it was in your father's will." She said.
Tarble couldn't believe this. "My father had a will?"
"You didn't know? It's in the archive." She said.
Tarble stood there in shock. Why did his father want him to be his heir? That didn't make any sense. "Can I see it?"
"Anyone can see it." She giggled. "Follow me."
She took his hand and led him back up the stairs to the library. The room was covered in moonlight when they returned, making the walls sparkle in a way.
Betra led him over to a computer. "Just get into your father's files and you'll find it."
"But I thought that my father's database had been destroyed after the battle." He said, even as the files opened up.
"Your brother ordered them to be destroyed. Don't you remember?" She asked.
The image appeared in his mind. His brother had been pacing as he told him to wipe the computers clean of his father's reign. Tarble remembered doing so. "But Vegeta couldn't have known…"
"Why would he be so adamant about destroying the files then?" Betra asked as she began to rub his shoulders. It really was relaxing, even if he was being shown the truth of Vegeta's betrayal.
"So Vegeta has been keeping me in the dark about who the real ruler is? Why?" Tarble stated.
"Because it would be easier to shove you back into the dark if you didn't know, My Prince." She said into his ear. A chill went down Tarble's spine. If what Betra was saying was true, then Vegeta and Bulma were planning to lock him away again. "Think about it, Tarble. Of all of the women in the galaxy, your brother just happens to find a mate that is an engineer like you are." Tarble couldn't believe this. Had he really been deceived? "And to think that Raditz-sama was also taken away from you." His eyes went wide as he processed everything.
"Vegeta…he didn't…" His voice was barely a whisper as everything suddenly made sense to him. The computer was lit up in front of him including the date that the thing was penned. His birthday… the day he was born…Tarble had been chosen…
Tarble felt rage start to stew in his bones. Vegeta knew this. He knew this all along. The younger prince snarled. "So you see the truth now…My Prince." He nodded, still overcome with anger.
Tarble shook his head. "I still have Gure." Then sighed. "When I return her to my side, everything will be fine."
Betra nodded. "I know it's bad timing, but I need to return home. My family is waiting for me."
Tarble stood up and walked her to the door. "Get some sleep. We have a lot to do in the morning." She nodded then bowed as she left the library.
Tarble stared at the wall. Anger still filled him as the door came open. "What are you doing up?" Tarble turned to find Vegeta standing there.
"I could say the same for you." Tarble said with an edge to his voice.
Vegeta glared at him. "I can do what I want."
"Bulma must be missing you. It's late." Tarble snapped.
Vegeta didn't back away though. "She is. I just wanted to know why you weren't at supper."
Tarble only glared at Vegeta. "I wasn't hungry."
Vegeta looked angry. "What is your problem?"
Tarble only laughed as the room filled with darkness. "What problem? I don't see a problem."
Vegeta turned Super Saiyan and grabbed onto Tarble's shirt. "Get this through your head, you little shit. This is my house and you'll follow my rules." Vegeta then tossed Tarble to the floor. The figment of Tarble's imagination disappeared.
Tarble dug his face into his arms as he began to cry. Everything was shattering to pieces as the world around him became foreign once again. His bonds of trust were starting to tear…it was only a matter of time before they completely tore apart.
He just hoped that he could find Gure and Raditz before the last rip tore. If not, he wasn't sure he even wanted to be here anymore.
To Be Continued…
Author's Note
It looks like a certain female is stirring the pot. Bad Betra. Very bad Betra. For anyone wondering, Vegeta is only a figment of Tarble's imagination at the end there... or is it?