Author: Kiarene
Published: 25th Feb 2003
Warnings: None
so far. The story starts out light, but will become darker in the middle.
Pairings: Vegeta/Goku, Trunks/Goten… and a
surprise?
Disclaimers: DBZ is not mine… But this story is, even if
it’s not intended for profit.
Archive? Please ask first.
Notes:
Rivals is the second part of the long series I Am Vegeta.
Clueless was the prologue and Rebels was the first part. Clueless
was a fluffy get-together set after GT, Rebels was more of an
action/adventure with a sci-fi bent and some dark parts.
Quick summary of Rebels:
Vegeta stumbled upon reports
that there were still Saiyans alive and he left Earth with Goku, Trunks and
Goten to find them. He found them, and the four super Saiyans assisted the
rebels in their fight against one ice-jin, Coolant. They won a crucial battle
but Goku was captured. Vegeta rescued him and killed Coolant. The story closed
with the Saiyans and their allies settling on a new planet.
I introduced 4 Saiyan
characters in Rebels:
Gion, along with Zarbon, was one of the commanders of the
rebels, first introduced in Chapter 9. Momo was the audacious scout
leader, introduced in Chapter 10, who had the hots for Vegeta. She ended up
with Zarbon at the closing of Rebels. Kon’s first minor appearance
in Rebels was as one of the guards in Chapter 9, and later in Chapter
17. Koron was another scout, introduced in Chapter 10.
Link to the prequels: http://www.anzwers.net/hot/kiarene/IAV/iav.html
Rivals: Sometimes, the greatest threat comes is not the
most obvious.
Action/adventure with a
sci-fi and fantasy bent.
‘…thoughts…’
A shimmering greenish-blue
planet spun lazily through space. If one were to take a closer look, one would
notice a pair of coupled moons that traced a tight orbit around their parent.
This unusual planet lay in a comparatively desolate sector; there were no other
inhabited planets within a month’s journey from it and its only celestial
neighbors were barren asteroids. Yet, the planet itself was teeming with life.
Carbon-based life had evolved undisturbed by external influences for millennia;
the only regulatory factors were wholly natural.
The planet, twin moons and
the asteroid belt formed their own contained, if small, solar system, revolving
around a luminous celestial body that supplied heat, light and life. The
aforementioned planet took approximately 421 days to complete its elliptical
orbit around this bright star. By sheer coincidence, this planet, which was
slightly larger than another occupied one called Earth on the other side of the
galaxy, rotated about its axis at a slightly lower circular velocity than that
of Earth as well. This resulted in a day spanning 28 Earth hours, as well as in
gravity about 1.38 times that of Earth.
Two revolutions around the
sun ago, a small group of assorted aliens landed on the blue-green planet
intending to make it their home. In honor of the dead home world from which the
majority of the refugees came, they had named the planet New Vegetasei. After
some debate, the ex-rebels decided to settle in the equatorial rainforests that
blanketed most of the continental landmass dotting the virgin paradise. This
decision was largely due to the fact that most of the aliens were Saiyans, a
simian warrior race that felt more at home in the warm, humid environment of
primeval jungles.
And for two years they had
lived peacefully, rebuilding a new home.
Dawn crept upon the part of
the world where the aliens had chosen to live. The velvety ebony of night bled
into deep vermilion and lightened further to the brighter yellows and soft
blues as yet another perfect morning unfolded on New Vegetasei. Slowly, the
jungles came to life. While its nocturnal denizens settled after an active
night, the majority of the wildlife on the planet was diurnal, and soon the
crisp, cool morning air was alive with the chirps, whistles and calls. A
fragrant bouquet of aromatic flowers, fresh foliage and damp, rich soil wafted
on the nippy breeze that sprung up as the morning sun warmed the air unevenly.
A muscular, lithe figure
stirred as bright morning rays filtered through the sheer emerald curtains of
the royal bedchamber and slanted onto a large circular bed in the middle of the
room. The spacious, austere room was tastefully decorated in varying hues of
deep forest greens, and the only furniture was the bed, a wardrobe and a small
dresser, all made from the rich brown woods that came from the local forests.
With the muted light streaming in, the high-ceilinged room resembled an
ethereal forest glade.
Groaning slightly, the
Saiyan no Ouji turned, purring slightly as he rubbed his leg along the other,
enjoying the sensual feel of bare skin against bare skin. He nuzzled his face
into the warm chest of his brawny mate, trying to escape the shafts of sunlight
that peeked in. However, when the birds
started chirping outside the tall bay window, he gave up and cranked open sandy
eyes. The thin sheets pooled around his narrow hips as he sat up, blinking and
yawning. Twisting his head slightly, he stared almost resentfully at the large
slumbering form beside him. More than once, he had wondered at and envied his
mate’s miraculous ability to sleep through anything. A small grin tugged at the
ouji’s lips. Well, almost anything. And though the morning was cool, he was
feeling hot. Really hot. His purring increased in volume as he crouched over
the sleeping Saiyan, a mischievous glint in jet eyes.
-----
After the defeat of Coolant,
the rebels quickly wrestled control of the large sector of space that the
ice-jin once ruled over, including the highly populated solar system known as
I6. When the dictator was abruptly removed, it was not only that system, but
the rest of the galaxy as well that was thrown into chaos. Other rulers were
severely shaken by the might and legend of the super Saiyans; as fast as news
traveled, wild rumors spread even faster. Most had elected to extend friendly
congratulations to the reemergence of the Saiyan empire, or at least cordial,
if neutral, relations. The other two known ice-jins, Icnia and Tundra, remained
conspicuously silent on the issue of Coolant’s demise. Slowly but surely, the
consequences of the rebels’ actions rippled outwards, and the ice-jins’
iron-grip vise on many populated planets weakened.
Some of the rebels had
elected to stay behind to oversee the administration of the system I6, which
was now officially under the sovereignty of the Saiyan Empire. These ex-rebels
now occupied top governing positions. Most of the Saiyans, however, chose to
follow their ouji to New Vegetasei. The small group of pioneers also included
some non-Saiyans, who were proud to throw their lot in with the Saiyan no ouji.
Construction of their new home
was slow, for New Vegetasei was very isolated. The fighters made every effort
to use the natural resources available instead, and there were plenty of those.
They still had to import equipment such as computers, as they neither had the
facilities to purify silicon nor the delicate equipment to etch the boards
precisely, but almost everything else was made locally. Work was hard but
eminently satisfying.
The Saiyan palace was built
on a tall ridge. Careful blasting flattened the top into a plateau and stepped
terraces were constructed all around the ridge. Cave-like rooms extending into
the interior of the elongated mountain constituted the living quarters while
the training grounds and other communal areas were located on the plateau. Some
had chosen to make their homes elsewhere, especially certain species which
found the hot, muggy environment of the rainforests stifling, but the Ridge
remained the small colony’s primary base of operations and the main hub where
the ex-rebels often congregated.
The communal gathering areas
like the kitchens were generally located near the plateau; it also ensured that
ravenous fighters after a heavy bout of training did not keel over from hunger
on their way to eat. The higher security areas, for example the communications
and server rooms, were situated deeper within the Ridge, nearer to the base of
the mountain. The entire Ridge itself in reality WAS the Saiyan palace,
although the term palace was misleading. It was more like a fortress, built
right into the bedrock and blending seamlessly into the natural surroundings.
The ouji and his mate made
their way to the kitchens along one of many corridors that honeycombed the
Ridge. Though windowless, the corridors were spacious and adequately lit with a
particular luminescent moss that produced a warm, yellowish glow. Vents allowed
a constant flow of air that prevented the interiors from becoming dank.
The royal family was given
well-appointed rooms on the highest terrace, commanding a panoramic view of the
sweeping, lush jungles below. Yet their rooms were far enough removed from the
training grounds and other common areas, which were located on the other end of
the ridge, to be private.
Vegeta and Goku entered the
large dining hall and made their way to the side tables to help themselves to
the food. Though a hierarchy existed, the atmosphere in the palace was largely
informal. Commanding officers and underlings dined together in easy
camaraderie; the shared, harsh experiences and war had removed many barriers.
Their plates heaped high,
they carefully made their way to the balcony outside. When the weather was
fine, most of the fighters preferred to eat outside on the large terrace that
overlooked the jungles, which stretched like an undulating sea of varying hues
of green to the horizon. The sun was still hidden beneath the treetops,
slanting rays of warm amber waking up the land.
Their sons were already
halfway through their breakfast when the older Saiyans sat down. Curt grunts
were exchanged by way of greeting before the four males turned their attention
back to their food. Saiyans took their feeding times very seriously. Some of
the local wildlife, hoping to be fed, hung around the terrace, but unless they
approached a non-Saiyan, they were generally not very successful.
Goku, generally a kind and
generous fellow except when it came to food, eyed the miniature dragon that was
flapping around the table distrustfully as he munched faster. “When did they
appear?”
“Oh, I’ve seen a couple
around the castle…” Trunks flipped a scrap of bacon off the side of the terrace
and watched as the flying reptile dive-bombed after it. “The others have taken
to calling them dragonets. Cute little buggers.”
A large orange and
black-striped cat with large liquid eyes sat down beside Vegeta and mewed
loudly. The dark-haired prince hissed back and his tail bristled in the
universal language of intimidation. The feline spat, revealing sharp canines,
and stalked away proudly. “Larger and spunkier than the ones back on Earth…”
Vegeta snickered. “I like it.”
Finally, Goten leaned back,
pushing his empty plate away with a satisfied burp. “Did you know that Kon
ascended last week? And already, job offers are pouring in now that word is
out.”
Many of the ex-rebels,
especially the younger ones, often free-lanced as security guards for merchant
ships or important personnel. The Saiyans were in high demand especially, and
when one could boast of being a super Saiyan, their market value immediately
tripled. All along, many had assumed the legend of the super Saiyan to be just
that, but when tales of the rebel war – as it had come to be known –
circulated, curiosity and awe spiked. The Saiyans who wished to eventually work
off-world spent all their free time training intensely, often rejecting current
job propositions and setting their immediate goals on achieving what they now
knew was attainable.
And after two grueling
years, Kon had become the latest entry into a very small handful of Saiyans,
joining the elite ranks of the super Saiyans. Kon had played an active role in
the rebel war as one of the fighters, and the young Saiyan quickly struck up a
firm friendship with the two demi-Saiyans. As one of the youngest fighters
among the rebels, he was shy and often relegated to smaller roles. Since then,
with Trunks’ and Goten’s influence, he had become a bit more outgoing, though
the duo despaired of ever converting him into a wild party animal. He spent
most of his spare time training hard, determined to prove himself, and it
looked as if his hard work had paid off.
“So will he take up any of
the offers?” Trunks grinned, pleased for their friend.
Goten shrugged. “He’s not
sure if he even wants to leave Vegetasei in the first place.”
The others smiled slightly
at that, fully understanding. New Vegetasei was truly a paradise.
“He should go
off-world…maybe he’ll finally meet somebody,” Trunks mourned dramatically. “And
now that he’s a Super Saiyan, I’m sure suitors will be falling all over him.”
Everyone burst into laughter at that remark. The two demi-Saiyans had been
trying to hook up the self-effacing guard, but without much success.
“Sometimes, I can’t believe he’s a Saiyan… He’s practically celibate!”
“He’ll dither, but he’ll
finally take up a job offer,” Vegeta predicted. “The brat’s still young, and
he’ll quickly get bored here.” He gave a snort. “Hell, even I’m starting to get
restless… If Gion…”
“Uh, don’t look behind you,
koi, but Gion’s on his way here.”
“Speak of the devil…” The
ouji rolled his eyes in an expression of mute suffering as the others muffled
snickers.
Gion and Zarbon were
officially the second-in-commands after Vegeta, but in reality, Gion oversaw
most of the details in the running of the new Saiyan Empire. The grizzled
administrator still persisted in bringing all these details to the ouji for his
final approval, an action that irritated the hell out of the short-tempered
ouji. However, Vegeta was cognizant of the elder Saiyan’s worth; the newly
re-established Saiyan Empire would probably collapse without him, and he reined
in his temper.
“Prince Vegeta.” Gion
inclined his head respectfully. “The Algeran and Dagoon delegates have
requested a meeting this afternoon to finalize the details of the trade
agreements.”
Vegeta growled. “This had
better be the *final* meeting then.”
“We have almost all the
details hammered out. You just have to
give your approval,” Gion reassured the impatient prince.
“Hn. You mean *you* have all
the details hammered out.” Vegeta snorted. “I have every confidence that the
conditions you set will definitely meet my approval. Why don’t you just forge
my signature? I know you can.”
“I’m overjoyed at your
highness’s confidence in my abilities. But your presence is necessary.” The
commander-turned-administrator gave a bland smile. This banter between the two
was familiar, but everyone knew that Vegeta would insist that the final
decision be his. The ouji liked being in control; he just didn’t like being in
control of the numerous minute details.
“Oh, all right. And I was
planning on sparring this afternoon,” Vegeta muttered, grumbling
half-heartedly. “But the meeting must end by dinnertime. Moon Week starts
tomorrow.” A devilish smirk tugged at his lips as he recalled the morning’s
activities. Oh, yes! Moon Week was definitely here.
Gion nodded. As he turned to
leave, he remembered another detail. “Ah, and the delegates have expressed
interest in attending the Saiyan Games.”
“As participants?”
The others burst out into
laughter at that derisive remark. The Algerans looked like a strong wind could
blow them over, and while the Dagoons shared the Saiyans’ love for food, they
did not share the warrior race’s love for fighting, which resulted in a
somewhat …prosperous build.
Gion stifled a smirk. “As
spectators.”
Vegeta crossed his arms and
tapped his biceps thoughtfully. Though the Saiyans were a naturally reserved
race, selective attendance at their Games would be good for their reputation
and advertisement as warriors. “Why not?”
-----
Vegeta leaned forward,
elbows on the table and hands steepled, looking very serious and appearing as
if he was concentrating on the discussion that was going on around him. In
reality, he was bored out of his skull and daydreaming of the marathon the next
day. The pull of the waxing moons was starting to affect him and he was feeling
very restless.
‘I can’t believe I left the boardrooms of Capsule Corps on Earth, only to be stuck here listening to bakas droning on and on again…’
When they initially landed
on the planet, the twin moons of New Vegetasei had enraptured everyone,
especially the Saiyans. It was only a couple of weeks later that the settlers
realized they had a problem on their hands.
A huge problem.
The most dramatic and
visible effect of the moon on the Saiyans was the oozaru transformation. It
required a minimum, critical level of moonlight to trigger the transformation,
and with two moons, this minimum level was reached about three quarters through
the moons’ monthly cycle. The twin moons took 35 days to wax and wane, and 12
such moon cycles constituted a year on New Vegetasei. Thus a month consisted of
5 weeks of 7 days each. And in the first week of every month, both moons
reached their peak simultaneously. There was a window period of 4 days at the
end of this week where the number of photons from the moons was sufficient to
trigger the oozaru transformation.
However, that was not the
main problem. After all, it was relatively simple not to look at the moons, and
even when transformed, the Saiyans were able to retain control of their oozaru
forms, despite the twin moons. Besides doubling the number of days where it was
dangerous for a tailed Saiyan to stare up at the night sky, Vegetasei’s
nocturnal duo had a more disruptive effect on the Saiyans and the other alien
species they lived with. It heightened their natural aggressiveness and
generally made them more restless…
It made them practically
hyper.
After the first moon cycle,
there had been an urgent meeting. All had attended to give their suggestions
and to vote as to the course of future action. Although the topic had been
broached, none had wanted to abandon the lush planet just yet. The Saiyans
themselves were caught by surprise, but confident that they could handle future
moon cycles with practice.
And so the idea of the Games
was put forward.
The first week of every
month was known as Moon Week. The first
two days of the week were spent in intense, vigorous activities meant to bleed
off the feeling of restlessness and to hopefully exhaust the Saiyans before the
four following Full Moon nights. Or at least take the edge off their
restlessness.
And, after a while, everyone
started to look forward to Moon Week. What was initially a tense and
uncomfortable situation became a week of fun and partying, Saiyan-style. There
was blood and broken bones, despite the strict rules, but it only added to the
excitement. The non-Saiyans also looked forward to a good show, sometimes
taking part as well. And at the end of the week, there were the welcome two
days where the entire planet heaved a sigh of relief and passed out.
Typically, there would be a
marathon on the first day. An event whose sole aim was to exhaust the
participants so that not too many people were badly hurt in the fights the next
day. The distances, location and constraints varied from race to race, and
there were prizes for the top five winners, usually in the form of monetary
rewards. This time round, the ultra endurance event route traced a straight
line across the continent; that meant bashing through dense jungles and
floundering through a few lakes, finally ending with a mad scramble up the
Ridge. To ensure that the race was fair (otherwise the super Saiyans would
definitely win), and to make it more challenging, the competitors were not
allowed to raise their ki level above a certain point. The idea of ki cuffs was
considered but discarded, as parts of the route terrain could be considered
dangerous. Instead, there were course referees with scouters to monitor
competition fairness.
Vegeta frowned momentarily,
causing the speaking delegate to quail and falter, thinking that the Saiyan no
ouji was somehow displeased with what he said. Actually, Vegeta was remembering
how Kakarotto had beaten him to first place yet again during the last race. A
small part of his mind registered the Algeran’s slightly frightened expression
and he waved his hand with irritation, indicating that the speaker should get
on with it. Turning his attention back to his problem as he cracked his
knuckles slowly and unconsciously one by one, he considered his latest game
plan. Despite the ki level constraints, the ouji and his mate were almost
always among the top few winners.
Vegeta was so lost in his
thoughts that he almost missed the end of the last delegate’s speech. Gion’s
discreet clearing of his throat shook him from his musings and he looked up
with an irritated expression. “Are you done?”
The two ambassadors nodded
pompously and slid their copy of the trade agreements over to him for his
signature. Scanning the documents quickly, he noted that nothing appeared to
have changed from the draft he had read before the meeting. The ouji looked up
and caught Gion’s eye. The meticulous, older Saiyan gave a small smile and nod,
indicating that all was in order and that the delegates had not made any new
demands during the meeting.
The Saiyan no ouji nodded
curtly and reached for his pen to ink his royal approval. The ink in his pen
was a special blend, making it difficult to duplicate for some of the
components were derived from plants only found on New Vegetasei. He noted idly
that even in this age of computers, most beings still preferred a physical
copy, for it was too easy to forge electronic documents. And more importantly,
people still liked the assurance of holding a physical document. Of course
there would be encoded electronic copies for distribution, but once everyone
had signed on these papers, the trade deal would be official.
Vegeta pressed his hand onto
the thin layer of Klagan gel on the back of the document and then raised the
shiny black square at the bottom of the polymer-paper to his eye, whereby a
tiny scanner in the microchip embedded there captured the image of his retina.
The dark-haired prince then
passed the documents over to his son, who repeated the procedure. Both royals
had been groomed from childhood for heavy responsibilities, though in many ways
Trunks was actually more suited to this type of administrative ruling. It was
probably due in no small part to his Ningen heritage, which exerted a calming
influence to balance the wilder Saiyan nature. While Vegeta had been trained as
a leader of a warrior race, his son had been groomed for the boardroom. Trunks
had been placed in charge of a large corporation almost as soon as he had
graduated, and that experience was invaluable in this instance.
The two ambassadors broke
into wide smiles as the trade deal was finally concluded. Bowing, they handed
over their documents with both the signed approvals of their sovereigns and
their own as representatives of their governments.
As Vegeta swept out of the
room, his faithful retainer a step behind, he muttered dryly. “Sometimes you
amaze me, Gion.”
“Why’s that?” It had taken
Vegeta quite some time, but he had finally broken Gion of the habit of affixing
a ‘sir’, ‘your highness’, ‘ouji-sama’ or some other title of respect to every
sentence. Ironically, while Vegeta had desired all his life to be recognized
for his royal title, now that he had all that and more, he found himself highly
irritated by all the bowing and scraping. He had spent far more years of his
life as a fighter than a monarch.
“You know what I mean. It’s
the start of Moon Week, and you are probably the only Saiyan, aside from my son
and his mate, who can still function.” Vegeta loosened the collar of his shirt
irritably. He had forgone his formal attire, which was considered more
appropriate for such official functions, in favor of a loose, comfortable
shirt; but somehow it still felt restrictive. The ouji had a sudden urge to
strip and run stark naked under the wide-open skies, howling like a banshee.
Trunks fell into step beside
his father, smiling wryly. “I feel restless as well.”
“Hardly.” Vegeta rolled his
eyes in disbelief, his russet tail puffing and twitching jerkily. His shirt was
now halfway undone, revealing his chiseled chest.
“The pull of the moon
doesn’t affect one as old and dry as me,” The elder Saiyan replied with a
straight face.
“Bullshit.” Vegeta gave a
derisive snort. “You’re still in your prime; Saiyans are a long-lived race.
You’re just too anal.” Gion only gave a genial smile at that comment. “Do you
plan to run tomorrow?”
“My bones creak in cold
weather.”
“It’s not cold.”
“The waters are.” His lips
quirked slightly. “Ach, the marathon is for you young ones to run off your
excess energy. I will need all of my reserves for the fights the following
day.” Old or not, Gion was still a Saiyan and enjoyed a good spar as much as
any of the younger fighters. Both as a spectator and participant.
“What about Full Moon? Some
of us are planning a trip up to the ice-poles this month. We’ve heard rumors of
some truly huge creatures up there.” The ouji’s eyes gleamed and his tail
lashed excitedly. The Saiyans usually occupied themselves on Full Moon nights
hunting, fighting or simply screwing each other’s brains out.
“Perhaps.” Gion gave a
non-committal shrug.
“Do you know what you need,
Gion?” Vegeta gave a wicked laugh. “You need sex. You need a virile, vigorous
mate. You need to fuck until you can’t walk properly the next day.” His tail
bristled and curled as he spoke, his own thoughts drifting.
Trunks roared in laughter
and Gion gave a rare smirk. “I noticed Goku hobbling a little this morning.”
Vegeta’s only answer was a
feral grin, his lips lifting to reveal sharp canines.
tbc…
-----
Onto
Chapter 2
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