Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Learn to Love ❯ On the Shoulders of a Child ( Prologue )

A/N: I know, I know. I have so many other fics in the progress, but I don't feel like working on them. So shoot me. *rolls*

Dedication: Ooo! Ooo ooo ooo! A dedication! This fic is dedicated to Kierushi. Thanks for everything. You're the greatest, girl. You know it! ^_^

prologue

on the shoulders of a child

"When they're fifteen," she said.

"Fifteen?" He asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. "That's a little young, don't you think?"

The onna shrugged. "I was mated when I was fifteen."

He sighed thoughtfully. "But Vejiita will be kokuo when he is mated, which will make your musume the jo'o. Do you really think fifteen is old enough for those responsibilities?"

The onna's brow furrowed in thought as she turned to her mate. "What's your opinion, Tetopo?" She inquired.

"I say eighteen," the otoko said. "If they are not ready to take on the responsibilities of a kokuo and jo'o at that age, then they never will."

The flame-haired kokuo turned to the onna at his side. "Eighteen?" He clarified, and his mate nodded one, quick nod. "Very well. Mendoa and Vejiita will be mated when they reach the age of eighteen."

Nasubili let out a shaky breath as she stood and bowed to her kokuo and jo'o across from her. "Kekko desu," she said. "Kekko desu." Her mate quickly stood and bowed as well.

"Tamgi, would you kindly escort this couple back to their home?" The kokuo asked a nearby soldier. The spiky-haired otoko nodded and montioned for Nasubili and Tetopo to follow him.

Nasubili bowed once more before she exited the room, and the jo'o smiled kindly at her. "Remember, eighteen."

***

"There we go. Theeerrre we go," she said softly as she laid her musume of the table and proceeded to change her. The chibi onna no ko giggled as her okasan's long, spiky hair fell into her face and tickled her nose. The warrior onna smiled a rare smile and tucked her raven black hair behind her ears.

"Are you sure about this?"

Nasubili sighed as her mate came over, her smile vanishing and turning into a frown of irritation. "Tetopo, we've been through this. I'm sure. Besides, it's not as if we can change it now. It's already been done."

Tetopo looked at his masume. "I think we should've given it more thought."

Nasubili snorted. "Like you're that practical."

"When it comes to Mendoa, I'll give it all the thought on Vejiita-sei," he said sternly. "I think we should have given her the choice to pick who she wants to mate. Suppose she doesn't like Vejiita? She'll have no choice but to mate him because we chose for her. Do you think that's fair? Everyone else on this wakusei has the freedom to choose who they mate. Why shouldn't our musume?"

Nasubili looked up from the diaper she was changing. "I know you want to be a good otosan, but over-protectiveness is not good for a warrior. Mendoa is a first-class fighter. She will be expected to go on missions when she reaches six. If you are over-protective, she will be looked down upon, degraded by all. Surely you don't want that. Besides, it was my okosan's dream for our family line to someday be royalty. I must carry out her wish."

Tetopo sighed. There was no point in trying to argue with his mate. Though caring and considerate, she could be just as stubborn and feisty when she chose. "I hope you're right, Nasu, for Mendoa's sake."

***

He glanced in the room at his sleeping musuko as he walked past. The Saiya-jin no Ouji would make a champion fighter when he grew up. He was already showing signs of a warrior in everything he did. Even the simple act of crawling was done with the ferocity of a first-class warrior. A smirk brushed his lips as he continued down the corridor.

Mendoa should make a fine mate for my musuko, he thought. She comes from a first-class family, and Tetopo is one of my strongest fighters. I trust he will do a good job training his musume.

Vejiita didn't even see his mate approach him. "Vejiita, do you think we made the right decision?" She asked.

A hint of a smile graced the kokuo's face. "Don't worry about it, Koshor. I think we did."

The jo'o nodded. "If you say so."

Vejiita nodded. "Which I do. I'm going to train now. I may not be back tonight."

Koshor nodded and watched as her mate walked off. She sighed. Training meant so much to him. Being the kokuo of Vejiita-sei, he had very little time left over to spend in the training facilities after he had completed his work for the day. Every chance he got, Vejiita went to train, determined to remain the strongest warrior, determined to keep the respect he had rightfully earned.

The sound of her musuko whimpering caught the beautiful Saiya-jin's attention immediately and she hurried to his room.

The child's room was richly furnished, the signs of royalty shown in every piece of furniture. It was a large room, the walls painted an emerald green that matched the dark hardwood floors perfectly. The otoko no ko's dresser was also made of dark wood, intricate patterns carved into each drawer. Vejiita's crib was also wood, though not as dark as the floors or dresser, but still just as elegant. The slight rocking of the cradle gave Koshor the indication that her musuko was moving around.

When the onna approached, her musuko was on his hands and knees, looking at her intently, the white blanket with the House of Vejiita emblem on it twisted around his legs and torso. He had obviously moved quite a bit while sleeping.

Vejiita Ouji was the spitting image of his otosan, except for one slight difference: This Vejiita had dark brown hair, while his otosan's was pitch black. The brown came from his okasan. It pleased the onna to know that if he must look identical to his father, at least he had her hair.

Vejiita opened mouth and smiled, showing his toothless gums. "Ah ba-ba ooeya!" He babbled, speaking in his incoherent aka-chan talk. Koshor chuckled and picked her musuko up, dodging playful blows from his tiny fists as she did so. The instant Vejiita was in her arms, he began suckling at the air.

"Are you hungry?" She asked. "Are you hungry, aka-chan?" She giggled. "I think you are. Roesuri! Fetch a bottle of milk from the kitchen, would you!"

"Yes, ma'am!" A wakai onna suddenly rushed past the bedroom door towards the kitchen to fetch the milk the jo'o had requested. She returned less than a minute later. Koshor smiled at the onna and stuck the bottle in Vejiita's mouth.

"Will you be needing anything more?" Roesuri asked.

"No," Koshor said. "You may go about your business." Roesuri nodded, bowed, and backed out of the room, closing the door gently behind her.

Koshor sighed and walked to the window, looking at Vejiita-sei. The dark was settling in, and less and less people were out on the streets. They were returning to their homes for the night, preparing for another day of training and space travelling. During the day many of the Saiya-jin wore simple garments; a shapeless brown dress or a plain shirt and pants. But at night everyone was wearing their armor. Though the chances of someone attacking Vejiita-sei were slim, no matter what the time, wearing the armor at night seemed to bring more security when less people were around to help defend.

The future of this wakusei, Koshor realized, is in my arms. And that onna no ko, Mendoa, she is the future too. Will people always feel so insecure at night when Vejiita is kokuo? Will the Saiya-jins wear their armor only when on a mission, or when in battle? Or will they sense such fear that the armor is never removed, except to sleep and bathe? Will Vejiita-sei grow, or diminish? The answer lays with two people, two aka-chans. She looked down at her son and smiled. I hope we've done the right thing, for Vejiita-sei's sake.

***

Nasubili looked out the window of her kitchen at the palace that loomed nearby. Her musume's future home.

The future lays on the shoulders of a child, Mendoa, she thought, glancing at the onna no ko who sat playing with a ball nearby. Everything to come rests with you and Vejiita Ouji, my masume. I just hope we've done the right thing. It could mean Vejiita-sei's destruction if we didn't.

Well people, there it is. The prologue of my newest fic. I know I included a lot of Japanese, so I've translated them below:

Japanese Translations:

aka-chan - baby

chibi - little; kid

jo'o - queen

kekko desu - thank-you

kokuo - king

musuko - son

musume - daughter

okasan - mother

onna - woman

onna no ko - girl

otoko - man

otoko no ko - boy

otosan - father

wakai - young

wakusei - planet

Main Characters:

Tetopo - Tetopo, first class Saiya-jin warrior, father of Mendoa and mate of Nasubili

Nasubili - Nasubili, first class Saiya-jin warrior, mother of Mendoa and mate of Tetopo

Mendoa - Mendoa, daughter of Tetopo and Nasubili

Koshor Jo'o - Queen Koshor, mother of Vejiita no Ouji and mate of Vejiita no Kokuo.

Vejiita Kokuo - King Vejiita, father of Vejiita no Ouji and mate of Koshor no Jo'o.

Vejiita Ouji - Prince Vejiita, son of Vejiita no Kokuo and Koshor no Jo'o.

Please e-mail me at keruri@earthling.net or leave a review. Constructive critisim is welcome, but please, no flames.