"How long is it gonna take?" Kakarotto questioned, a solemn look on his face.
"I'm not sure. It's pretty far. I'm guessing…" Vejita said, pausing as realization dawned on him.
"What's wrong? How long?"
"More than two months, maybe."
"But… The baby… How am I supposed ta have it anyways?" Kakarotto questioned.
"I don't know, but you certainly can't do it in here. Hopefully, the Nameks will know how."
The small pod was filled with silence for a few moments, "I'm… I'm sorry about your dad." Kakarotto whispered.
"Hn." Was the only reply Vejita gave, refusing to think about it.
"I wish I was stronger. I could have helped."
The prince turned to look at his mate, the sad tone almost too much to bear, "Enough of that. Let's go to sleep. We'll wake up when we get there."
"Kay." Kakarotto answered, slouching down and leaning against his mate. He watched as the prince reached forward, pressing a small white button, and with that they were both fast asleep.
****
Blood. There was so much blood that it was unbelievable. The pain reached its peak and the smell of blood grew stronger. There was crying and rejoicing. Everything was so fuzzy.
Kakarotto sat up quickly, his body covered with a slick sheen of sweat. A dream?
"Wake up Prince Vejita. Entering Namek's atmosphere in ten..." Came a computerized woman's voice over the intercom.
Vejita slowly opened his eyes, surprised to see that his mate was already awake, "Are you okay?" he asked, noticing the worried look on the boys face.
"Five…"
"I'm fine. I just had this dream…" Kakarotto said, leaning forward to look out the round red-tinted window of the space pod. The planet was a large one, made up of soft shades such as green and blue.
"Another dream." The prince said, more to himself. As the past proved, the boy's dreams were more like premonitions.
"Atmospheric entrance successful. Landing in ten…" the computer continued.
Flipping the intercom switch, "Nappa, Raditz."
"Sire?" the two bodyguards answered back.
"Once we've landed, do not act with hostility. In fact, don't act at all. There's no room for mistakes now." The prince ordered, flipping the switch off rather than waiting for a reply.
"Five… Four… Three…"
Kakarotto braced himself, remembering well enough that the landings were a bit rough. Instinctively placing his hands over his stomach, the boy was more than surprised to feel that his abdomen was in fact quite large. The baby.
"Two… One…"
****
Nappa and Raditz landed first, stepping out and waiting patiently for the prince. They were both surprised by the change in the boy's appearance.
Kakarotto looked around, still keeping a hand held protectively over his stomach. The planet was quite beautiful and practically in opposite to Planet Vejita. Its sky was an aqua color, as well as its waters. The grass was a bluish color and covered every inch of the ground. The trees were tall with heads of round bluish leafage and were strewn out sporadically. No buildings or complexes of any kind were visible.
"Well, are there or aren't any life forms here?" the prince asked, annoyance visible in his voice. He didn't have time though… He didn't know exactly how long it had taken to get there and he need to know if the beings were advanced enough to deliver his child. Otherwise, they'd have to go elsewhere.
"Yes, there are people here," Kakarotto said quietly, "They're hiding."
"Hn. Seems they've encountered scouts looking for planets worth purging," The prince said, "Well, let's get going. Can you fly?"
Nappa couldn't help but wonder over the concern his prince continued to display for the boy. Soon they were all in the air, following Kakarotto's directions.
****
"This can't be good. There are four of them. Three of them seem to be very strong while one is off the charts."
"He must be the leader," said the elder, "How much longer?"
"Seconds." Answered the young Namek.
****
"There." Raditz said, pointing down at a large group of white, dome shaped buildings.
Landing with a tap of their boots, they looked around only to see what appeared to be an abandoned village.
"No one's here." Nappa said, wishing they'd remembered to bring along a scouter.
"No, Kakarotto was right. Someone's here, they're just hiding." Vejita said, his eyes narrowing in concentration.
****
"It's no use." The elder said, sweat dripping from his chin.
"Shhh…" said one of the other Nameks in panic.
"There's no point in hiding in here. They know we're here." The elder said, standing and exiting the crowded room.
"Jita." Kakarotto said, motioning with his chin to the green being that had just stepped out of one of the buildings. He seemed to be quite old, wearing large amounts of light-colored, draping material. He also had antennae jutting out from his forehead.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" the Namek said, his voice gruff, but obviously cautious.
"I am Vejita, King of the Saiyajin. This is my mate, Kakarotto, and these are our bodyguards, Nappa and Raditz. We want nothing more than to remain on this planet until it is safe for us to return." The prince said, stepping forward and standing tall.
"I am the elder here and I've seen your kind before. How do I know you don't intend on 'purging' this planet?"
Growling with annoyance, "Your planet will be spared as well as your people, if there isn't any trouble." Vejita said.
By then, a few of the braver Nameks had emerged from several of the other buildings and homes, all of them looking quite similar to the elder, except much younger.
"Very well."
Suddenly, Kakarotto felt a sharp pain in his stomach and doubled over, knees bent.
"Shit, Kakarotto, is it time?" Vejita asked urgently, quickly on his knees at the boy's side.
"Not yet, but I need some food. I'm starving." The boy groaned.
Vejita chuckled lightly, "Of course."
****
Several Nameks stared in awe. Never had they seen a being eat so much and so fast with little to no manners.
"Man, I was really starving!" Kakarotto said through a mouthful, continuing to stuff his face.
"Your…" the elder began, unsure of the word.
"Mate." Vejita said, filling in the blank.
"Pardon me for asking, but what exactly is a… Mate?"
Vejita tried to think of a way to explain it without sounding too sappy.
"Like…" Kakarotto said as he too tried to think of a way to explain it, "Lovers!"
Vejita slapped a hand on his face, thinking, "Way to go."
"Hmm… I think I understand, but isn't it common for such relationships to be shared between those of the opposite sex? See, Nameks are all the same sex and are born from eggs."
Vejita eyed the strange old man, and Kakarotto had paused in his face-stuffing to stare, "That's weird." The boy said, then returned to his food.
"Sire, we've transported our pods. They're now sitting behind our quarters." Nappa said, stepping into the large building that served as a kind of meeting hall.
"Good. And where's Raditz?"
"Right here, Sire." The young bodyguard said, stepping into the room as well.
"Saiyajin, huh? Pretty scary stuff." Said one of the younger Nameks seated near Kakarotto.
"Wow! That was the best meal ever! I'm stuffed!" the boy said, leaning back in his chair.
"I'm glad you liked it. It was pretty tricky considering all we need is water." The young Namek said, introducing himself as Yasashii.
Vejita took the opportunity to take a look at his mate's stomach. He'd seen women much smaller that were ready for birth, "Are there doctors here?"
"Healers?" the elder questioned.
"My mate's with child and should be ready for birth any day now. None of us know how it's done."
"I don't know, but I can have a healer talk with you on it. Perhaps he'll know something." The elder suggested.
****
"Sire, how long are we staying here?" Nappa asked, taking a seat at a large table in the house they'd been given temporarily.
"I honestly don't know," Vejita answered, irritated with the very problem, "Let's just wait until the child is born before we worry over it."
"Let's go ta sleep." Kakarotto said, rising from his seat.
Vejita smirked before rising as well.
"But it's not even dark out." Raditz said, gesturing to the window.
"That elder said this planet has three suns. It's never dark here." Vejita said as he and Kakarotto stepped into the large bedroom they were to share.
"No wonder they're green."
Nappa couldn't help but laugh at his friend's statement, "Well, I guess we should get some sleep as well." He said as the two of them each retired to their own smaller room.
****
"It's weird ta think that you're tha king now." Kakarotto said, lying nude on his back in the large bed.
Vejita smirked, climbing into the bed as well, "I just wish I knew when we're supposed to return."
Kakarotto snuggled up to his mate, "It's even weirder to think that I'm gonna be a mom."
Vejita laughed, a real laugh. It had been so long since they'd been happy like this. Pulling the thick covers up over them, Vejita reached a hand down, placing it over the swell of his mate's stomach.
"You know, inside of you there's a Saiyajin prince?"
Kakarotto smiled, nuzzling the warm, smooth chest his head rested against, "Could be a princess."
Vejita couldn't help but laugh again, "Never in the history of the Saiyajin royalty has the first born been a princess. Even for low class Saiyajin it's extremely rare for the first born to be female."
Kakarotto looked up, "Why?"
"I guess the male gene is just that strong. It insures our survival. So many of us die that we have to be the strongest possible, and females tend to be weaker."
"Nn."
"I was thinking," Vejita said, remembering back to when he was child, "A long time ago, when I was just a child, I used to be friends with the head cook of the palace. I remember one time when she took me outside to see where the animals were raised. One of them was having trouble giving birth and they…"
Kakarotto looked up again, "What?"
"They cut open its stomach and delivered the babies, sewing it up afterwards," Vejita said, looking down at worried onyx eyes, "Never mind. It's not worth it."
"If it comes down to it, I want you to do it. I'm strong enough. I may be able to make it, but it doesn't matter… As long as the baby makes it." Kakarotto said quietly, laying his head down again. The room grew silent and soon, they were both fast asleep.
