Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Time & Tide ❯ The Progeny ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter Three

Three months had passed since the episode of Prince Vegeta's birthday party. The Prince was growing quickly, and was learning new things every day. Of course, all of the time that Sdhoirm spent at the palace helped that a lot.
Warfrost, too, was proving Sdhoirm's prophecy that he would grow larger than Cassinian one day. The Emera puppy was already the size of a German Shepherd, and enjoyed wreaking absolute havoc on the castle. His large wings and needle-point teeth caused big problems for the servants.
Zafira was used to the puppy, and to her son often trying to climb from his crib to play with his pet. Fortunately, although Warfrost didn't take orders from anyone except Sdhoirm, he was wise enough to listen to Zafira when she became angry.
King Vegeta was often preoccupied with political business, and it was hard for him to find time to be with his family. Sdhoirm was willing to take his friend's place when it came to certain things, but he refused to overstep his boundaries and do anything that should have been restricted for a father.
Sdhoirm had tried to be of as much help as possible. He had never mentioned the incident with Zarbon, although he had returned to his family in a tight internal fury. Sikah had known better than to talk to her husband when his eyes were stormy like that. He would come to himself again if given time.
Zafira saw Sdhoirm almost every day, when he came to train Vegeta. (Even at such a young age, Sdhoirm wanted him to be as prepared as possible.) But still Zafira wondered what life was like for the Saiyan back in his own home.

~*~
The front door to Sdhoirm's house swung open, and he strode inside with Turles on his shoulders. Both of them were laughing, and Turles looked tickled after his training session. Sikah met them in the hallway.
"Well, somebody looks happy," she said in her smooth, silky voice.
"Yup!" Turles cried as Sdhoirm took him down and placed him on the floor. "Dad says I'm getting so strong, pretty soon I'll be beating him!"
"Is that so?" Sikah replied, raising an eyebrow to Sdhoirm, who grinned, shrugged, and headed for the kitchen.
"Turles, it's getting awfully late, and you've got a big day tomorrow, why don't we get you to bed?" Sikah suggested firmly.
Turles groaned. "But Mooooom...what for? It's still early!"
Sikah put her hands on her slim hips. "Because, number one, you're going over Raditz' house tomorrow, number two, you've been training with your father all day and you need your sleep, number three, it's ten o' clock. Why your father lets you stay out so late is beyond me. And finally, number four, because I said so."
Turles didn't know how to argue with his mother, so he just puffed out his cheeks angrily and stomped up the stairs. Sikah smiled and shook her head, then went into the kitchen to find Sdhoirm.
Her mate had raided the fridge and was seated at the table with a week's worth of food in front of him. He was shoveling it into his mouth at top speed, but he looked up when Sikah came in.
"Hey, hon. What's up?" he grinned.
Sikah smiled. Sdhoirm could be such a clown at times, but then again, that was part of why she loved him. He always put everyone at ease. Then she remembered something that had happened earlier, and a shadow fell over her face.
Sdhoirm noticed that she looked troubled. He was instantly alert. "Sikah? What's the matter?"
"Shiva called me today," she answered.
Sdhoirm gave a tiny grin. "Bardock's wife? She CALLED you? Of all the nerve! Why I oughta..."
Sikah had to giggle. "Stop it. I mean, she had some news for me."
Sikah's tone made Sdhoirm nervous. "And...?"
Sikah sighed. "Well, she's...pregnant."
Sdhoirm's shoulders sank and he exhaled heavily. Here it comes...
"Sdhoirm, why can't we have another baby?" Sikah pleaded. "Remember how it was when Turles was that small? How cute and helpless he was? He needed us so much..."
"Sikah..." Sdhoirm started, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"What?" Sikah cried, tears forming in her eyes. "Why don't you want me to be happy, Sdhoirm? I want a baby to need me again!"
"Now, that's not fair," Sdhoirm started, but Sikah cut him off again.
"You won't have me forever, Sdhoirm! Life is hard with Frieza, any of us could be killed at any time! I just want to be sure...that we are really mates," she sobbed.
Sdhoirm started to protest...but then a flash of Zarbon and Zafira came to his mind. What if something like that happened to Sikah? He didn't want to be threatened with her loss. Suddenly he felt the same way she did, and all because he was afraid of losing her.
Sikah was crying quietly to herself by the table. Sdhoirm stood up and went over to her, wrapping his strong arms around her small body. She burrowed her head into his torso and sniffled for a few minutes. Then she looked up at him.
"Does this mean...we can have another baby?" she said hopefully.
Sdhoirm sighed. "Yes...I guess...it does..."

~*~
The baby came 9 months later during one stormy and hectic night when Sdhoirm and Sikah were visiting the king a queen. King Vegeta and Queen Zafira came rushing to the entrance to the infirmary where Sdhoirm was pacing, a look of worry written all over his face.
"How is she?" Vegeta asked. He stopped his pacing to look up at the king and queen.
"N-Not too good. Her health is dropping and she's having trouble pushing the baby out. I don't know what I'd do if--" he said in a shaky voice, but Zafira cut him off and placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed his hand gently. Normally, the king wouldn't have condoned this, but this was a bad time.

An hour later...

A doctor finally came out.
"Well?" Sdhoirm looked up, hope in his eyes. The doctor couldn't hide the sadness (or the fear) in his voice. The doctor was alien, purple skinned with lighter-toned scales coming down his back. He worried that telling them the news might cost him his life.
"I-I'm so sorry Master Sdhoirm, but...she didn't make it. She just gave up after the baby was brought out," he said, lowering his head. The king and queen stood wide-eyed and turned to Sdhoirm who was no longer in the room.
"Sdhoirm--" Zafira put a hand over Vegeta's mouth and hurried down the halls find Sdhoirm beating his fist into the walls. Zafira couldn't help but frown at the situation. This was terrible, he didn't deserve this. Zafira managed to stop him by grabbing onto one of his arms. He could never strike her, no matter how angry he was, so he just looked at her. He fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting the side of his face against her stomach as he tried desperately not to cry. Zafira placed hands and clutched his shoulders.
"It's okay Sdhoirm...sometimes you just need to let it out," Zafira said in almost a whisper, her eyes already watery. He balled his fists tighter and clenched his eyes closed as silent sobs filled the empty hallway.

~*~
They had discovered that the child had survived the labor and the king and queen insisted on helping him out. Zafira immediately sent over a wetnurse to care for Vaya and a maid to care for the house. Everything was beginning to go right-side up again. Turles, being affected so strongly by the loss of his mother, spoke even less than usual and was allowed to train in the junior training facilities in the palace while Sdhoirm sparred with the king in his free time.

~*~
15 years later...

"Come on Nappa! My mom spars better than you and she hasn't done so in years!" the now 16-year-old prince yelled at his trainer who was panting and barely keeping up with the teenage prince.
"Come on Prince Vegeta, can't we take a break? I'm exhausted!" the bald giant pleaded with the prince as he bent over to catch his breath. The prince smirked and phased out and phased back in behind his trainer, kicking him in the rear, knocking him against the wall. The prince burst out into laughter as the over-grown saiiyan pulled his head out of the hole he made in the wall. He turned around to see the prince exiting the training area with a towel around his neck.

After getting back into his room and taking a thorough shower, he came back into his bedroom with a towel around his waist and another which he was using to dry his hair.
"I spar better than Nappa, do I?" an authoritative and feminine voice filled the room. Vegeta stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide as if death itself were in the room.
"Aw mother, you know I was just playing! I was only saying that to get some more fight out of Nappa!" the prince said with a nervous grin as his mother continued to stare him down.
"Oh, I think you meant something else by it..." Zafira said with a smirk as she sat there comfortably. Vegeta sighed and walked up to his mother, giving her a kiss on the cheek before walking over to his closet to find something to wear.
"I take it training went well?" Zafira said, her back to him.
"I guess, but I think I'm outgrowing Nappa. He can barely keep up anymore," the teen prince said as he slipped on some blue spandex pants.
"Hmm," Zafira said as she stood up and headed for the door.
"'Hmm'? What are you thinking mother?" Vegeta asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Nothing, dear," Zafira said with a smirk.
"Mother!" Vegeta whined, knowing that tone all-too-well. It was the same smirk she had on her face when she introduced him to that strange female during his 13th birthday. All 1st class and elite saiiyans from all around were bringing their daughters to try and impress him with. And his mother saw this as the perfect opportunity to find him a possible mate, he thought with a frown.

~*~
It was his 13th birthday and the only reason he was so worked up was because he'd be getting new training equipment. Sure his father was too busy to come, but it didn't bother him, his mother was there. This is where he met saiiyans of the opposite sex. Strange emotions overcame him. All these saiiyan girls in their tight-fitting armor and their alluring smiles were doing things to his sensible train of thought. He couldn't concentrate, and for some reason, Nappa and the rest of the older saiiyan elite were smiling and laughing uncontrollably. This was the day he hit puberty, and these girls weren't helping. They had chosen the perfect opportunity to introduce themselves to him. They would smirk flirtatiously and compliment him on his physique and training abilities. Sure, he didn't mind be complimented on his strengths, but they seemed to be doing it for other reasons besides being on his good side.
But out of all those girls, one stood out the most. She was the only girl that wasn't all over him. At the beginning of the party, each girl bowed and introduced herself with a smirk on their faces or would throw a wink his way. But her, when she introduced herself, she seemed more interested in returning to where she came from.
"I am Vaya, daughter of Sdhoirm, elite class," she said in a bored tone, bowed and walked off. Sdhoirm had introduced her to him as a little boy and they trained every once in a while. Though not too often, he didn't want to hurt her because she was a girl and he knew how much his mother liked her. The two would argue every once in a while, but they were good friends, if that's what you wanted to call them. Zafira had suggested going up and talking to her because she seemed shy. He grudgingly obeyed his mother.
"Hi, I'm Prince Vegeta," he said, seemingly annoyed that he could've been off training instead of talking to girls. Turles had told him once that females had "cooties" and he didn't want to catch any.
"No offense your highness, but I know who you are. Every girl in this room seems infatuated with the mere mention of your name," she said in a bored tone once more. He blinked and looked around, noticing the girls were all looking at them at that very moment. Some winking towards him while others were throwing hateful glances at the girl.
"W-What was your name again?" he asked, trying to pay them no mind.
"Vaya," she said quietly. "Vaya", it was a pretty name. A pretty name for a girl.

~*~
Ever since then, the queen insisted on hooking them up on "play-dates" so that they'd get to know each other better. Of course, sometimes their schedules conflicted with each other. He hadn't seen her in 3 years and wondered what had become of her.

"Hey...Mother?" Vegeta started, pulling on a shirt.
"Yes?" Zafira replied. She had been on her way out, but she turned back to her son.
"Can I go meet up with Kakarrot? He said he found a secret spot in the forest that would be perfect for a hideout," Vegeta said in a hopeful voice.
Zafira shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Vegeta. You know I don't like you leaving the palace unless you're with someone. I'm too busy, and Nappa's going to need some time to heal."
Vegeta's face fell. "But Mother..."
"No buts, Vegeta. I mean it." And with that Zafira turned and left the room.
As she headed down the hallway, she smiled to herself. It should be about five minutes before he decides to sneak out. I just hope everything goes according to "plan".

~*~
At Bardock's house, Sdhoirm was visiting his friends. He had brought his 15-year-old daughter with him, so that Vaya could meet up with her best friends, Kakarrot and Chi-Chi. Chi-Chi was ever present at Kakarrot's house, because the two of them were dating. Turles had long since moved out.
Sdhoirm had drastically changed since the death of Sikah. He rarely smiled anymore. The carefree attitude that he used to have was gone, and the flame of life that used to burn bright in his eyes was covered in shadow. He never joked or laughed, and Zafira and King Vegeta had seen much less of him. Only in his daughter did Sdhoirm find an image of happiness. Vaya could always recall him to life.
Sdhoirm was inside the house, talking to Bardock and Shiva. Outside on the lawn, Vaya, Kakarrot and Chi-Chi sat in a circle. Vaya and Kakarrot had known each other the longest out of all of them, because they lived so close to each other. Chi-Chi and her boyfriend were being mushy as usual, slowly pushing Vaya to the brink of insanity...
"What do you guys wanna do?" Kakarrot slurred lethargically.
"I dunno, what do YOU wanna do?" Chi-Chi replied, playing with his hair.
"What do YOU wanna do?"
"What do YOU wanna do?"
"I know I wanna argue about what to do for the next hour," Vaya grumbled sarcastically.
"I'll do whatever you want, Chi-Chi. You always have the best ideas," Kakarrot grinned as he kissed her. Chi-Chi giggled playfully.
Vaya pretended to gag.
Chi-Chi gave her a look. "Oh, come on, Vaya. You'd be the same way if you had a boyfriend of your own."
"Speaking of which, when are you gonna hook up?" Kakarrot asked, sitting up from where he had been lying in Chi-Chi's lap.
Vaya shrugged. "I'm not sure yet."
Chi-Chi nudged her. "You know, that Dactyl guy was checking you out yesterday. I think he's a pretty good catch, don't you?"
"Hey!" Kakarrot cried.
Chi-Chi smiled reassuringly at him. "Don't worry, I think you're cuter."
"Oh, okay."
Vaya raised an eyebrow in disgust. "Listen, my personal life is my business. And, right now, I'd rather spar with Frieza than have to sit here and listen to you two for another minute."
Just then, Kakarrot's door opened and Sdhoirm walked out. "Come, Vaya. It's time to leave."
"Sure, Daddy." Vaya got up and went over to him. "See you guys later," she said to her friends.
They waved goodbye as Sdhoirm called for Cassinian. Then he and Vaya mounted the Emera and flew away.
Kakarrot and Chi-Chi started to go up and get something to eat from the house, when suddenly there was a tremor as something large landed with a thump behind them. They turned around.
"Vegeta!"
Warfrost stood, looking regal and proud and absolutely enormous. He was at full size, and huge, much bigger than Cassinian. His green eye sparkled, and the yellow one seemed to stare right through them. His powerful white wings beat the air once, then folded lithely behind him. On his back sat his master, Vegeta, the young Saiyan Prince.
"What are you doing here?" Chi-Chi asked in surprise. "I thought you weren't allowed to leave the palace!"
Vegeta shrugged. "I'm not. I sneaked out."
"You...you what? But you could get in so much trouble for that! Why would you do such a thing?" Chi-Chi cried. Then she caught a glimpse of the guilty look on Kakarrot's face. "You! Did you tell him to do this?"
"Hey, no one tells me to do anything!" Vegeta said indignantly. "I chose to do this. I hoped you guys would have something to do."
"Actually, we were just talking to Vaya about how bored we all were," Kakarrot explained.
Vegeta stiffened. "What? Vaya was here?"
They nodded. "She just left, in fact," Chi-Chi replied. "Sdhoirm was here, too. Boy, you missed them by a matter of seconds, Vegeta."
Vegeta's spirits sank. Not only had he missed a chance to see his soul-father, but he had also missed the opportunity to see how Vaya had changed in the past few years.
"We were actually talking about how Vaya needs to get a boyfriend," Kakarrot shrugged. "C'mon, Chi-Chi, let's get some food." He started off, but Chi-Chi grabbed him.
"Wait a minute...Vegeta, I don't think you have a girlfriend either, do you?" Chi-Chi said slyly.
Vegeta regarded her warily. "Yeah...so?"
"Well, don't you think that you and Vaya would be the perfect couple?"
Vegeta gave her a look of horror. "What? No way!"
"Why not?"
"Because, she's...not my type," he mumbled, blushing.
Chi-Chi raised an eyebrow. "How would you know that? You haven't seen her in a while. She's no longer the gawky twelve-year-old you remember, pal."
Vegeta couldn't think of an answer to this, and the conversation was making him uncomfortable. "Look, can we just stop meddling in my personal life? Let's just go do something."
"Yeah! Food!" Kakarrot cried, hauling his best friend off to the kitchen.
Chi-Chi smiled to herself before following them. They even think alike, she giggled to herself.

~*~
"So, what do you plan on doing today?" Vaya asked her father as he took his seat at the kitchen table. Sdhoirm merely sighed, resting his arms on the table top, "I have no idea..." Then he recalled the plan he and the queen had discussed a while back and his face lit up, slightly.
"Why don't you just go outside and find something to do. Right now, I just want to rest," he said with another sigh. Vaya looked at him strangely, but remembered the affect of losing her mother had on him. She nodded and headed outside.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Sdhoirm rose to his feet and opened the door to see a slender figure donning a black cloak. Sdhoirm's brow rose, "May I help you?"
The figure chuckled in a feminine voice, "Oh stop being silly Sdhoirm, you know who I am." And with that, she pushed past him.
"Your highness?" asked Sdhoirm. The queen removed her cloak and placed it on one of the chairs and fixed her hair.
"So, how is the plan going so far?" she asked with a smile. A light smile came to his face, "So far, so good. I just sent her out so she should run into him anytime now." The queen smiled. Then there was an awkward silence between the two. Ever since Sikah's passing, the two had seen less of each other and being alone together once again was a little strange for the two.
"So, how has Vaya's training been?" Zafira asked, trying to make conversation as she reached for a seat. Sdhoirm immediately walked behind her and pulled the seat from under the table for her as she took it.
"Quite well, actually. I see great promise in her," he said as he took a seat as well, a distant look on his face.
"She reminds you of Sikah, doesn't she?" Zafira said, a frown on her usually cheerful features.
"Yes," he said with a sigh. Zafira placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I doubt there's anything I can do to make you feel better, but just remember that you're always welcome in the palace," she said, trying to form a smile. Then she got up and headed for the door with her cloak, "I might as well return home before Vegeta gets back. I'll have to think of a suitable punishment for him for sneaking out."
Sdhoirm got up and walked to the door to open it for her, only their hands touched each other's when they reached for the knob. Sdhoirm quickly apologized and opened it for her. There was that awkward silence again. Zafira smiled once more, "Take good care of your daughter. I expect a strong and healthy grandson from her." Sdhoirm couldn't help but smile and nod and with that, she put her cloak back on and left as quickly as she arrived.