Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Altiverse: Dawn of Time ❯ Aftermath ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 7

Aftermath

The next morning, Vegeta woke up first, about an hour before everyone else would get up. He didn't want to open his eyes for fear that the night before had only been a dream. But finally, he gathered his courage to do so.

He was in Vaya's room, in her bed, under her covers. Vaya herself was sleeping quietly with her back to him, her body pressed against his. Vegeta's arm was wrapped snugly around her waist, and he could feel the rise and fall of her sides as she breathed.

Vegeta shivered with happiness. It hadn't been a dream...Vaya belonged to him now. The bond had been completed. He kissed her hair and nuzzled the space between her neck and shoulders, causing her to make a contented sound in her sleep and stretch under his arm. Vegeta smiled and hugged her closer to him. Comforted by her presence, he drifted back to sleep.

~*~

When Vaya awoke an hour later, Vegeta's arm was still around her. She stretched. Vegeta, who was a light sleeper, opened his eyes as she moved. Vaya turned to him and smiled. "Hi."

Vegeta smirked back. "Hey." Then he kissed her.

Vaya started to kiss him back, when she caught a glimpse of a clock that was above the door. She squeaked. "Oh my gosh, I have to go! I have a training assignment in ten minutes!"

Vegeta frowned. "Do you have to?"

Vaya nodded apologetically. "I've been trying to get this psychic training for awhile...I have to leave, I'm sorry..." She started to get out of bed.

Vegeta wrapped both arms around her and tried to pull her back in bed. "Nonononono, stay, stay, stay..." he pleaded.

Vaya took one look at him and melted. "Okay...okay..." she murmured, sliding back down to him and starting to kiss him again. Then she jumped back up. "Oh, I really have to go..."

Vegeta groaned and released her, covering his forehead with his hands in exasperation and allowing her to get up and scramble into her clothes.

When she was ready, Vaya went back over to Vegeta, who was now sitting up and watching her. She leaned down and kissed him again. Vegeta smirked and pulled her down, trapping her beneath him as he finished the kiss deeply. He smirked at her and she raised an eyebrow.

As much as I like having you on top of me, you have to let me go, Vegeta, Vaya sent to him. It'll look very suspicious if I'm late to a session like this.

Yeah, yeah. Just don't forget about our session later tonight, he replied.

My, but don't we have a one-track mind? Vaya sent airily as she stood up and headed for the door. Don't worry, my love. I'll always make time for you and that sweet body of yours. And with those thoughts and a last tiny seductive smile, she left the room.

Vegeta smirked again. He folded his hands behind his head and leaned back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling. It didn't matter to him at all that he also had someplace to be in five minutes. He was the prince, and could do whatever the hell he damn well felt like.

~Later~

"Good! Very good! Now...drop the chair to the ground, turn the table at a thirty-degree angle, flip the computer upside down, and slowly spin the scouters all the way around three times! Go!"

In one of the high-powered training facilities, Vaya was psychically training with a special coordinator, by the name of Caruso. Caruso was an old alien, and he had studied the Mental Arts for his whole life. Although he had no powers of his own, he knew how to control and regulate them very well. He trained every one of Frieza's warriors with prominent psychic capabilities, but by far his favorite student was Vaya. He could already tell that her powers were limitless, and would only continue to grow as time passed. So he put her through the most grueling exercises that he knew of.

At that moment, Vaya was standing upside-down, balancing on the tip of her index finger. Her body was straight up and down, but her other arm was outstretched with fingers spread. On top of her feet sat a computer that she needed to balance the entire time. Objects floated in the air all around her: a chair, a desk, a table, another computer, three scouters, and a suit of armor. She was blindfolded so that she couldn't see these items, and yet she had to balance herself and all of them using her telekinetic powers alone. It was incredibly difficult, and very tolling on her mental strength, but for some reason today it seemed to be particularly tiresome...

Vaya obeyed each of the commands simultaneously, causing Caruso to clap his hands with delight. However, there was sweat pouring down Vaya's face, and the computer on her feet was wobbling dangerously.

"Vaya, my dear, you are brilliant, absolutely wonderful! In all my years of research I have never once come across such a magnificently powerful Mental Master such as yourself. Why, one day you might even rival the Saiyan Mystics in ability!"

At the mention of the Saiyan Mystics, Vaya's whole body stiffened imperceptibly.

~*~

The Saiyan Mystics, not to be confused with the Mystic Saiyans, were a very special breed of Saiyan. Very few in number, they only needed one large valley to hold them all, and would have populated only a small city. However, the valley itself was called Lurai, and it was beautiful and green with jungle life, with sparkling waterfalls and tropical flowers, and a silver castle for the Mystic Emperor.

The Mystics were indeed a powerful, magical, and beautiful breed of Saiyans. They believed that their biggest mission in life was to watch over those that they had sworn to protect, the Sylvan, or normal, Saiyans. The Sylvan Saiyans and the Saiyan Mystics were in a firm and enduring alliance, because the Mystics themselves avoided physical fighting if they could help it, and were not as physically powerful as their allies. They possessed a vast knowledge of magic, and their psychic powers were the strongest in the universe. They were so strong that they could create an entire planet using their power. They had even begun work on a utopia, a Saiyan star millions of miles away, a rare gem that would serve as the ultimate paradise for the Saiyans. It was called Vega.

Each Mystic was also a precious jewel, an incredibly talented creature that was as beautiful as the moon and as mysterious as the stars. They were an attractive breed, inquisitive and wise, but rather quiet and very secretive; and if they had one thing that could be considered a fault, it was their almost nonexistent family values. Mystic blood was influenced by Mystic energy and was not hereditary, which was why there were so few of them. Two Mystic parents would often give birth to a Sylvan child; in such a case, the child would be sent to live in the care of a foster family. The Mystic parents would keep an eye on the child, but would rarely be directly involved with it during its whole life.

As a race, the Mystics were closer to immortality than the Sylvans could have hoped for. The average lifespan was around 5,000 years old. Disease was unknown to them, and they were far too wise to fight over trivial matters, and even on the rare occasion that they were forced to do so, they were so powerfully magical that they seemed impossible to defeat.

However, many years ago, when even King Vegeta was still a child, a terrible disaster had struck the Saiyan planet of Vegetasei. They were invaded by the most powerful race of beings in the universe, so strong and evil and cruel for the sake of cruelty that even Frieza went white with fear when they were mentioned. They were known only as the Nightshade, and every planet in the universe lived in fear of them.

When they attacked, there was nothing the Sylvan Saiyans could do to defend themselves. The Saiyan Mystics came to the aid of their magic-less allies and managed to drive the power of the Nightshade back into space...at dire cost. Every single one of the rare and beautiful Saiyan Mystics had died, killed in the war for the planet. The Sylvan Saiyans were forced to rebuild from the destruction alone and learn to survive without the magic of the Mystics. And since there was no more Mystic energy to fuel the birth of more Mystics, the entire civilization disappeared, leaving behind only a lush and glorious valley protected eternally by a magical, impenetrable barrier. No more had been born, and no more were ever suspected to be born...

~*~

Caruso was too busy praising Vaya to notice that she was about to collapse.

"I'll have to request to Lord Frieza that you and I have sessions every day, it would be wonderful to have such a promising student at last! Such a treat, really, absolutely wonderful...Now...Ocean waves with everything! Go!"

Vaya obeyed. She dipped and twirled each of the floating objects, listening to the excited squeaking sounds that her teacher was making. Suddenly, a wave of a strange sensation passed over her, and all of the items crashed to the ground, including the computer on her feet. Fortunately, none of them were broken.

Caruso watched in surprise as Vaya dropped her legs down and kneeled on the floor, pulling the blindfold off of her eyes. "I'm sorry, Caruso, that was an accident. I'm just not feeling like myself this morning..." she sighed.

Caruso was instantly concerned. Vaya had never gotten sick in her life, and it was extremely unusual for her to mess up her psychic training so badly. She had never dropped every one of the items before.

"Is everything all right, my dear? Perhaps you should visit the military doctor," Caruso suggested, giving her a hand up. "I have no problem postponing the rest of this session to a later time."

"Thank you, sir," Vaya said with a slight head bow. "I would appreciate that."

She turned and left the room, with Caruso staring quizzically after her.

~Elsewhere~

Vegeta, already dressed, headed down the hallway towards the recreation area. He was meeting with Nappa and Raditz for some brief relaxation before he had to pound them both into the ground in the training rooms. Vegeta suppressed his smile at the thought of what they would say when he told them about last night.

When he opened the door, Nappa immediately waved him over to where they were sitting at one of the tables by the bar. Nappa and Raditz already had their own beers when they pulled over a chair for Vegeta to sit in. Vegeta himself had never went in for beer...he didn't like the way it tasted. He preferred wine instead.

"So, what's new with you?" Raditz asked casually when Vegeta sat down.

Raditz knew something. Vegeta realized instantly that the question wasn't merely friendly, but investigating. Vaya must have said something to Raditz before, and although Vegeta was a little miffed by this, he didn't show it. It was, after all, the perfect opportunity.

Vegeta watched Nappa, and waited until the big Saiyan had taken another gulp of beer. Then he said, "I bonded with Vaya last night."

Nappa spewed the beer out of his mouth, spraying it all over Raditz, who jumped up in disgust, toppling his chair over backwards in the process. Vegeta snickered. Nappa, however, was horrified.

"You WHAT?!"

Every head in the room turned towards them. Vegeta glared at all of them, and they gulped and ducked their heads nervously back to whatever they had been doing before. Then the Saiyan Prince turned back to Nappa, who looked like he was trying...vainly...to pull his hair out.

"You heard me. Sit down, Nappa, you'll give yourself a hernia."

Nappa was furious, but knew better than to disregard an order. He sank back into his chair reluctantly, then leaned in towards Vegeta and growled. "What the hell were you THINKING?"

Vegeta frowned darkly, causing Nappa to instantly increase the distance between them. "Nappa, when has it ever been your right to question my judgment? I do not remember asking for your opinion on this matter...objectionable or otherwise."

Nappa spluttered with angry shock as Raditz, finished cleaning himself off, righted his chair and sat down again. Nappa finally came out with, "But don't you even worry that Frieza might find out? You're bordering a very dangerous line, Vegeta! Do you even care that you might one day be caught and punished? What are you trying to gain from this?"

"I'm just trying to get some enjoyment our of this nightmare that Frieza calls my life!" Vegeta hissed back.

"But what if this little `live for the moment' philosophy gets you killed one day?"

"I'm not concerned with one day! I'm concerned with now!"

"Like so many things in life, it is the journey, not the destination that counts," Raditz murmured unexpectedly.

Vegeta and Nappa turned to him. "Huh?"

Raditz repeated the saying for them. Vegeta stared at him questioningly. "Where did you learn that? That's what I meant."

Raditz hesitated, reluctant to tell Vegeta. Finally he mumbled, "Sephiroth used to say that." He and Nappa turned to Vegeta, anticipating his reaction.

They were shocked to see that Vegeta's eyes were as big as dinner plates, his face was white, and he was utterly silent. He stared at Raditz as if he were not really seeing him, but was looking through him at something else. Raditz gulped.

"In my opinion...Sephiroth would've been delighted to see his soul-son and daughter get together...and he was my hero as a kid, after my dad. So that's what I think."

For a brief instant there was something almost like sadness in Vegeta's eyes...but neither of the other two could tell for sure, because a second later it was gone. Vegeta seemed to snap out of his trance-like state, and regained his usual cool, unfeeling demeanor. Nappa looked uncomfortable.

"Hey, Vegeta...if you and Vaya want to be mates...you know, it's not, uh, my place to interfere..." he started slowly.

Vegeta glared at Nappa. "You're absolutely right, Nappa, this is not your business at all. And I told you before, if I want an editorial, I'll ask for it," he hissed malevolently. Then he pushed his chair back and stood. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find Vaya." And he strode away.

Nappa swallowed fearfully, dreading the next training fight he would have against Vegeta in a bad mood. Raditz glanced at him as he took another swig of beer.

"Pack some shorts," Raditz said calmly. "It'll get warm where you're going."

Nappa groaned and buried his head in his arms on the table.

~*~

"No. This is...not possible...It...can...not...be...!"

Vaya sat on the edge of the doctor's table, staring at the ground with wide, unseeing eyes. She was gripping the edge of the table so hard that the metal was dented and almost flattened by her grip.

"I'm afraid it is true, Vaya, the results are 100% effective," the doctor sighed. "I'm sorry if this has come as a shock to you."

"A SHOCK? How could this NOT come as a shock?" Vaya said angrily.

"Well, I assumed you and Vegeta had made plans of some sort for this..." the doctor shrugged, turning back to his lab table.

Vaya twitched. "What was that?"

"I said, I assumed you and Vegeta had planned for this in some way."

Vaya felt the blood drain from her face, but she kept her cool. "Why would you think that Vegeta and I would plan this?"

"Well, you two are mates, aren't you? I mean, I've heard you talking..."

But that was as far as he got, because Vaya leaped over, grabbed him by the front of his lab coat and slammed him into a wall. Her eyes burned with fury as she hissed, "Listen to me very carefully, and answer my questions honestly, because each word out of your mouth could be your last. Who told you about Vegeta and I?"

The doctor seemed a bit frightened, but maintained his professional mannerisms. "Why, no one told me. I figured it out for myself."

"How did you manage that?" Vaya asked calmly, bitterness laced in her words.

"For one thing, you two are always in here together. Whenever one comes in, the other is sure to arrive soon afterwards and stay until the first is healed and released. For another thing, Vegeta is very possessive of you. If it were not for that side of him, I don't think I would ever have noticed it. But since I have known you two all your lives and have dealt with you both on a regular basis, I was able to see when his reaction towards you changed from brotherly to...well, this almost goes beyond possessive to osmosis," the doctor finished with a slight smile.

Vaya listen carefully. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. So it wasn't a failure on our part... she thought to herself. He's just paid more attention to us than anyone else does. Then she looked back at the doctor. "If you've told anyone...Anyone at all..."

"Of course not, my dear girl," the doctor said in an almost insulted way, brushing himself off. "I have told not a single living soul, not even Lord Frieza. I also intend to keep this information to myself in the future...But because I like you two, not because I fear you."

Vaya gave a start. That was the first time she had ever heard that someone was dealing with them out of affection and not fear. She didn't quite know how to deal with it. So she just let it go.

"I appreciate this," she said sincerely. Even in her shocked position, it just wouldn't be Vaya to forget herself.

"It is my pleasure," the doctor smiled. "Now...I believe a visit with Lord Vegeta is in order? He will be most anxious to hear these reports, I would think."

Vaya swallowed. "Yes...it would be...best..."

~*~

Vegeta had searched the training rooms, the recreational facilities, the outer meadows, and even Vaya's bedroom twice over. But there was no sign of her. Just when he was beginning to get both frustrated and worried, he turned a corner and saw Vaya heading towards him, looking very preoccupied. A mere glance in his direction was the only indication she gave that she had acknowledged his presence. Vegeta's eyes lit up and he hurried over to her.

"There you are. I've been looking for you everywhere. Where've you been?"

Vaya didn't look at him. She continued to stare off into space towards the floor as if thinking hard about something. "I went to see the doctor."

Vegeta blinked. "Why, is something wrong?"

Vaya didn't answer for a minute. Then she looked up at him from under lowered eyelids. "Well, I've been feeling strange since this morning, so I asked him about it. He said I could expect to be sick for a while longer. Also, I'm going to start retaining fluids and gaining weight. But in about five months I'll be completely over it."

Vegeta furrowed his brow. "Hmm...Strange symptoms. What have you got?"

"Give yourself time. It's going to come to you."

Vegeta stared at her for a second. Then, slowly, an idea dawned on him, and the look on his face changed from mild confusion to abject horror. "No...don't tell me you're...you're..."

Vaya nodded solemnly. "You got it. I'm pregnant."

Vegeta looked like he was choking again, and couldn't quite wrap his mind around the subject. "You...we...you mean..."

"That's right, pregnant. So what do you think?" Vaya asked.

"I...It's incredible...Just..."

"Maybe you had better sit down, Vegeta."

"Yeah...okay...good idea." Vegeta immediately dropped to the floor.

Vaya sighed. "I meant on a chair..."

Vegeta just shook his head in disbelief. "Pregnant! I can't get over it! You're sure?"

Vaya nodded again. "The doctor seemed quite certain. Oh, and he knows about us, by the way."

Vegeta sat bolt upright. "What! How--"

"It's all right. It was a simple deduction on his part. He hasn't told anyone and promises not to."

Vegeta seemed to accept this, and sank back down as the issue at hand came back into perspective. "Vaya, I have to ask you a question. And I don't want you to get mad."

"Why would I get mad?" Vaya asked almost sarcastically. She didn't like this idea any better than he did.

Vegeta swallowed. "Vaya, was this something we decided to do?"

Vaya rolled her eyes, but then took a deep breath. "Relax. It got by both of us. But listen to me, Vegeta...we're both adults, I'm in good shape, and the doctor says I'm in perfect health. So it's really up to us to decide whether to go through with having the baby. So how do you feel about all of this, Vegeta? Do you think I should have it?"

Vegeta put a hand to his head in exasperation. "Vaya, in this place, having a baby is just too dangerous. It'd be asking for a funeral!"

"Then I should terminate it?"

"You mean an abortion? No way! Forget it! I can't kill my first child!" Vegeta yelped.

Vaya couldn't stop herself from giving a tiny smile. "Vegeta, I'm afraid having it or not having it are the only options."

"Are you sure? Maybe we should find another doctor."

Vaya helped him to his feet and said, "Listen, I know this is a big decision for both of us. So why don't we sleep on it? Hopefully there'll be an answer in the morning."

Vegeta stared at her dazedly, and she waited patiently for an answer. Finally, he nodded. "Yeah...okay. That's good."

"All right. Remember, don't let this bother you today. Continue as normal. Our decision does not yet have to be made."

~*~

The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully. Only once did Vegeta see that Zarbon had returned from his little excursion in the forest, looking furious and suspicious, but too smart to risk going to Frieza and having to confess how he had gotten the idea of following them in the first place. Vegeta knew that both he and Vaya were safe, at least for the time being.

But this knowledge did not help him remain focused during the day's events. His thoughts kept wandering, trying to find a solution to the problem that would present itself as soon as Vaya's stomach started to grow. And now that Frieza was taking an extended vacation...It was pure rotten luck. But then Vegeta's thoughts would drift back to Vaya herself, and he would not regret anything.

No turning back, and no regrets.

And there were none...no regrets at all.

~*~

That night, Vaya lay asleep in her bed, an oversized shirt for her pajamas. She was sleeping warm and peacefully, and everything was quiet.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes.

She had no reason to wake up. She had been right in the middle of a dream, and there was no noise or anything to stir her from sleep. She just had a feeling...a sense that she should go to Vegeta. It wasn't a sending, but a very strong awareness that came from inside of her. She couldn't ignore it, and got out of bed.

Vegeta's room had been right next door to hers for as long as they had been under Frieza's command, but for some reason Vaya did not go there. Instead, she headed in the opposite direction, knowing instinctively that Vegeta wasn't there.

Vaya padded along the carpeted halls, following the sense that had drawn her from sleep. She didn't know exactly where she was going, but she knew better than to ignore her mind. So she kept on until she reached the front doors.

Not wanting to leave the building in case Zarbon was prowling nearby, Vaya hesitated briefly before the doors. But somehow she knew that Zarbon was nowhere around, and that Vegeta was close by. So she continued out in front of the building. There she stopped. Something told her to look up.

When she did this, she saw Vegeta sitting on the roof of the building. He sat Indian style with his arms leaning back and his face lifted towards the starry night sky. Vaya flew up to him and sat down beside him.

"What are you doing?"

Vegeta just shrugged. "Watching the stars."

Vaya didn't say anything else. Instead, she too leaned back to gaze at the sky. The stars shone bright and seemed to dance for the two Saiyans below them. Gradually, Vaya started to feel an extreme sense of comfort, almost as if the stars were casting a spell on her, protecting her, and telling her that they had everything under control and would make sure that things turned out all right.

Vaya knew that Vegeta felt the same way too, without knowing how she knew. They had both watched the stars as children, usually only in times of uncertainty or worry. It never failed to comfort them. Vaya realized that the stars she watched now were the same ones she had watched on her home planet, many years ago. The thought was sad, and yet it made her feel better as well. She sighed with contentment.

"I think we should have it."

Vegeta's voice broke into Vaya's thoughts. She looked at him. "You mean the baby?"

He nodded. "It is a Saiyan, after all. And it'll be our child, so it will be a part of us."

Vaya smiled with approval. "I agree completely."

Vegeta bowed his head and smiled briefly. Then his eyes drifted to Vaya's stomach.

She noticed. "What is it?"

He shook his head, but continued to look her over. "I was just thinking...this baby's gonna have to be pretty damn tiny to fit in there," he said as he motioned to her belly.

Vaya laughed and punched him affectionately in the ribs. They both snickered playfully for a few minutes...then Vaya inhaled deeply and relaxed. She scooted closer to her mate and leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes contentedly.

Vegeta looked down at her, a little surprised. Then he smiled. He put his arm around her to hold her close, and looked back towards the stars again.