"Good morning, my prince." Nappa chimed. He’d been waiting outside the prince’s door for longer than usual and was beginning to worry. He understood what had taken longer when he saw the boy standing beside his prince and remembered his king’s orders.
"Do you wish to get some breakfast?" Nappa asked, watching as the boy reached for the prince’s hand, playing with it childishly.
Vejita nodded as he made his way to the mess hall, walking a little faster now, expecting the boy to keep up, which he did. He’d talked the boy into leaving the blanket in their quarters to avoid ridicule from other warriors.
Upon entering the mess hall, many heads turned and bowed slightly out of respect, but Vejita continued forward to the table he and Nappa shared every morning. The room was large and dull with the sound of clattering plates echoing off the walls. Soon, a slave woman of some other species came to the table and served them three heaping plates of bread and various meats. Vejita was surprised to see that for a child, Kakarotto had quite the stomach, cleaning his plate like any other Saiyajin would.
"What’s your name again?" Kakarotto asked, resting his chin on the table, eyeing the prince with a sincere smile.
"Prince Vejita." The prince answered flatly.
"Vejita?" Kakarotto said slowly, pronouncing each syllable, watching the prince’s face to see if he had gotten it right. He was rewarded with a nod and a grin spread across his face as he waited patiently for what they were going to do next, watching as the prince ordered seconds.
"What’s his name, Jita?" Kakarotto asked, finally acknowledging the other warrior at the table.
"Prince Vejita," Nappa said, pausing to bow his head, "I was just trying to make the boy understand that he shouldn’t speak to you like that."
"Don’t worry over it, Nappa." The prince said flatly, noticing that Kakarotto was calming as well.
"Nappa? Jita, his name’s Nappa?" Kakarotto questioned, bouncing in his seat.
"Yes." Vejita answered, motioning to the slave woman that he was done. He watched the innocent boy smile as the woman cleared the table. After a while the boy lost interest in whatever it was he had found interesting and was now looking at the palms of his hands.
"I want my blanket back, Jita." Kakarotto said through a pout, crossing his arms over his chest.
"How dare you demand something from the prince!" Nappa snapped, unable to resist the urge.
Vejita glared at his bodyguard, warning him to keep quiet. Then he realized that the boy was sniveling and on the verge of tears.
"Nappa, I’m taking Kakarotto on a tour of the palace. Your services will not be needed today." The prince said as he rose from his seat and motioned for the boy to stand.
Kakarotto slowly stood in his seat, almost eye level with the prince.
"Yes, Sire." Nappa said, remaining seated as he watched his prince pull the boy to him, lifting him in his arms to where the boy was seated on the prince’s hip. He was surprised to see that his prince was capable of softening. Never in his life had he seen anything like what he was witnessing at that moment.
****
"Jita, why’s everyone mad?" Kakarotto asked, resting his head on the prince’s shoulder.
"No one’s mad, chibi."
"Yu-huh, Nappa was loud." The boy argued.
"That’s just the way it is. If you don’t want people to yell then maybe you should start calling me Prince Vejita or Sire." The prince explained as he stepped into the training hall, setting the boy down.
"Where’re we?" Kakarotto asked, noticing a number of other warriors beginning their morning workout.
"This is the training hall. Remember, this is where we met yesterday," Vejita said, noticing the confused look that remained on the boy’s face, "Not too bright are you?"
"More trainin’?" Kakarotto asked with a pout.
"Do what you like… Just stay in this room. I’m going to find someone to spar with."
"Hai." The boy said, plopping down on the floor to watch the show.
****
"Sire, you called for me?" Nappa asked, approaching his king with a bow.
"Yes, I received word of you wondering around on your own. Where is my son?" King Vejita questioned, sitting back in his large throne.
"He’s showing Kakarotto the palace, Sire. He said my services were not needed today." Nappa answered, watching as a group of alien warriors stepped into the large throne room. His king was always meeting with other kings, making treaties and threats nonstop.
"I see. Keep an eye on him regardless."
"Yes, Sire." Nappa said, bowing again as he turned to leave. He hadn’t told his king of the strange relationship between the prince and the boy. It was as if they were friends, which didn’t happen often. It was even stranger that the prince allowed the boy to speak to him so improperly. Nevertheless, the king’s word came before the prince’s and he made his way to the training hall, where the prince spent most of his time.
****
Two Years Later
****
Nappa watched as the young prince continued his assault on the boy. It was amazing how much they’d both improved. The boy was ducking, dodging, and blocking nearly every attack, however, the prince wasn’t using all of his strength for fear of hurting or even killing the boy.
"Kakarotto! Don’t just dodge, attack!" the prince scolded, watching as the boy’s brows knitted in concentration.
"It’s hard…" Kakarotto whined, throwing a few punches that were easily brushed aside by the prince.
Prince Vejita was thirteen now. He was taller and stronger, and his arrogance was much more than it used to be. The pride of holding such a high power level and title wore on his heart.
Kakarotto was five now and had grown quite a bit. He was taller, faster, and stronger, but he was still unable to create ki blasts.
"Nonsense, baka! You’re stronger than this!" the prince hissed, whipping around and kicking the boy in the jaw, causing his small body to fly backwards and land with a thud.
Groaning, Kakarotto sat up, cradling his injured jaw in his hands. He slowly climbed to his feet, pulling at his gi to straighten it. He’d refused to wear the usual tight clothing and armor of the warriors, saying it was uncomfortable and gaining a few choice words from Vejita.
"Impressive, Sire." Nappa said, stepping closer. He watched as the boy stepped closer as well, his tail hovering behind him.
"Kakarotto, why do you carry your tail like that?" Nappa asked curiously.
"Dunno. Just easier." The boy said, smiling and, putting his hand behind his head and laughing, a nervous habit of his.
Vejita smiled inwardly. He always found the boy’s embarrassed, lopsided grin humorous. He too found that the way the boy held his tail was odd, but never thought to question it. It didn’t matter. If the boy wanted to make a fool of himself, it was fine with him.
****
Nappa sat up, stretching out his arms and yawning widely. Glancing at the digital clock on the wall, he found that it was 3:15 AM. He was a little confused as to why he was still in his uniform, but thought nothing of it, figuring he’d just been too tired to change earlier that night. Suddenly, he heard a faint sound that gained his full attention. Someone was talking. He stepped over to the door separating his and the prince’s quarters, pressing an ear to the cool metal partition.
"Please, Jita." Pleaded Kakarotto’s childish voice.
"What… What is it?" asked the groggy voice of the prince, most likely just waking.
"There’s a monster… Please."
"Oh, alright." The prince snapped and then there was silence.
Nappa stood still, wondering what exactly was going on. After some time, he heard a faint sound much like that of a snore. Hoping they were both asleep, he pressed the pad-like button, causing the door to slide open. In the dark, he could make out two beds. One was empty and in the other he found both the prince and the boy. Surprised, Nappa stepped closer to see that they were sound asleep, the boy clinging to the prince and the prince gently stroking the boy’s tail. The sound he heard wasn’t snoring, it was purring. The prince had soothed the boy to sleep. More than a little shocked, Nappa slowly stepped back into his own quarters, closing the door between him and the wrathful prince.
