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To Win A Royal Heart By Kami Kaze Part 2 Goku awoke with a jolt, his body tingling and sore. He couldn't remember the last thing that had happened to him, his mind was much too foggy. Now he lay in the grass, staring down into the mud. His nose wiggled, his brows drawn together in a frown. Something smelled strange, and he couldn't quite place what it was. A noise a few feet from him had him sitting up in seconds, his heart jumping into his throat. His head swam as a bout of vertigo overtook him, a groan of protest escaping his dry, cracked lips, as his eyes seemed to spin on their own accord. "Dad?" A voice asked weakly, shortly before the vertigo tapered off. Goku squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head slightly before opening them again, his eyes wandering over the limp form of his youngest son. "Goten...are...are you all right, son?" He asked, edging his way over to Goten. Goten groaned, trying to push himself up. "I feel like shit." Goten replied. "Yea, me too. What happened, do you remember?" He asked, rubbing his head. "The box, dad....the light...." Goten answered, lifting his head, eyes meeting his fathers. Goku's eyes widened at the memory. "That's right! But...where are we?" He asked, glancing around at their surroundings curiously. They certainly weren't in the desert where they had been fighting that monster; And Vegeta, Gohan and Trunks...were they ok? By Goten's shake of his head, he knew his son didn't know any more than he did. “Well…let’s wander around and see what we can find.” He said, standing. Almost immediately, he felt heavier, as if the air was denser…or like gravity was pressing down upon him more than usual. He frowned as he watched Goten stand with some difficulty, then turned wordlessly and began walking. Goku froze suddenly as his eyes lifted skywards, his eyes widening, tail stopping its playful swaying to bristle rigidly. “Dad! What’s wr-“ Goten started, then gasped. The sky above them was red, nearly the color of blood. “Kami! Dad, what’s wrong with the sky?” Goten managed to gasp out. “Goten…I’m afraid we aren’t…we’re not on earth anymore.” Goku said softly. As if to verify that statement, a sudden gruff voice called out to them. “You there! Stop where you are!” The voice belonged to a tall man that was just stepping out from a small crop of strange looking trees. The man approached, his muscled bulging around his armor with each move. “Why aren’t you suited up?” He demanded, a gloved finger pointing at them accusingly. “bah…gah…um…” Goku stuttered, then flashed the man a goofy smile. “We don’t have uniforms!” Goten studied the man and his strange attire then leaned over to his father and whispered. “Uh..dad? Isn’t….isn’t that saiyan armor? Like Vegeta’s?” He asked, watching as the recognition flashed in his father’s eyes. Goku’s eyes shot skyward again, peering into the red sky, then back to the man. “Oh boy…” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Lower you Ki some and play the part, Goten. Don’t ask questions.” He muttered softly. The man snorted, stepping closer to Goku. “No uniform? Everyone on the base should have armor; Surely you aren’t a peasant?” the man snorted again, his eyes raking over both men’s physique. “Come with me, I’ll get both of you suited up and into quarters before you’re hung for being out here after hours. Why are you just now joining the saiyan army…you a farming family or something?” he asked as he began to walk away, motioning for them to follow. Goku wasn’t a liar, and had never been one…but now wasn’t the time for honesty. “Uh…yes! Yes, I am a farmer, and this is my son. We thought…it was…about time we joined, since we are relatively good fighters…” His eyes slid sideways as his sentence was ended by a strangled cough from Goten. They rounded a corner and at last emerged from the brush, only to be faced with a large expanse of beaten down dirt, a perfect area for sparring, Goku thought idly, before his eyes settled a few miles across the expanse, on the large dark looming fortress. “Well, come on.” The man said simply, his short dark spikes swaying only slightly in the crisp breeze as he burst into the air, flying quickly towards the fortress. Goku eyed his son, silently making sure his son understood the need for as much silence as possible. Goten nodded, and both blasted off into the sky after the large saiyan. The fortress was huge, yet slightly primitive looking with it’s rough rock outer walls and its basic square shape. On the top of the fortress stood many tall spires, very simple and domed, with doors that led onto a small rail-less balcony. Goku assumed these were lookouts. As they flew above it, father and son spotted many small round pods, known to them as being saiyan spacecraft, along with a dozen or more round indentations about the same size. ‘for landing the pods, I bet..’ Goku thought to himself as his eyes wandered over the expansive roof. The siayan warrior before them began to descend to the ground outside of the fortress, Goku and Goten following behind slowly. After landing,they both glanced around briefly before the man motioned for them to once again follow him. He led them up a wide steep set of steps to the front of the fortress; Goku couldn’t help but stare at all the saiya-jin that surrounded him, walking, talking, arguing…daily life for them. He had never been around so many of his own kind before. He looked around in wide-eyed wonder as they entered the large entryway, leading into a spacious court filled with hundreds strong male warriors, only a few females to be seen amongst them, all of them dressed in the same familiar armor. They were swiftly pulled out of the court and down a long hallway, until finally, they stopped before a set of double doors. One guard stood rigid outside of them, but he simply gave the man with them a nod before opening the doors wide, letting them pass into the bright room. One man sat behind a metal desk, his eyes moving over a computer screen on his right. A wall of lockers ran the full length of the wall on the left, and the right was dominated by a section of chairs, in what looked like a waiting area. The man glanced up from his computer, then did a double take. “Dreggen, what’s this?” the man asked, his dark emotionless eyes drifting from Goten to Goku and back again. “Sir…I found these two outside of the battle field. They claim they are farmers who wish to join combat. They are father and son.” He added, stepping aside so the man could get a better look at them. The man stood, his eyes showing no interest whatsoever. His hand reached down for something, and a device was slipped over the man’s eye, it’s button pressed. The man looked up at Goku, a haze of lights flashing softly against the lens as the device read Goku’s power level. The man blinked in surprise, then pressed the button again, coming up with the same number. “Hn.” The man said, turning to Goten and repeating the process. After he was finished, the lens was removed and he stepped around the desk to stand before Goku. “You have the power reading of a first class, young man. How is it you’ve escaped the ranks so far?” He asked quietly. “Farmer or no, this kind of reading does not go unnoticed.” Goku blinked, not knowing what to say. He had suppressed his ki drastically, without making it so low that it was obvious he was suppressing. He shrugged his shoulder lightly, his face blank. “I don’t know, sir…no one has ever said anything to me before about it. My son and I have worked hard training the past few years, though.” He said, glancing to Goten, who looked like he was about to throw up. The man stared at Goku for a brief second, then nodded slowly, not completely accepting the reply. His dark eyes studied Goku’s face, a deep frown crossing his features. “You aren’t related to Bardock, are you? You look quite a bit like him, wouldn’t you say, Dreggen?” The man asked, pointing a finger in Goku’s face. “What is your name?” “ah…no…well, I don’t know, sir. My name is…Goku.” He answered. “And this is my son, Goten. What class reading is he?” The man’s eyes flickered to the younger saiyan, then back to Goku. “He is showing promise of the second class. By the way, I am General Kellek” He said, then opened his mouth to say more, but just at that moment, the door behind them was flung open roughly, harsh footsteps stomping up to stand next to Goku. “SOMEONE had BETTER give me some answers about THIS!” A male voice growled softly, slamming a creamy sheet of paper down on the general’s desk. General Kellek crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. “Well now, Bardock…we were just speaking of you.” The General said with a smirk. Goku gasped softly, spinning around to face…himself. Or nearly so. The man looked exactly like him, with the exception of the long scar upon the man’s cheek; and the eyes…they were much…harder. Bardock’s lip lifted in a snarl before his eyes met Goku’s; there, the eyes of his father widened slightly, a haze of confusion masking their dark depths. “What…” Bardock began, not knowing what to say. Father and son stared at each other with open curiosity, though Goku’s interest was innocent, Bardock’s was fueled by confusion and anger. The general chose to step in at that moment. “Bardock…meet Goku, a new recruit to our army. He is of…first class readings.” The last three words were meant to hang in the air purposefully. “And his son, Goten…second class. As you are but a third class, I will assign you to show them around, after they are situated. You will also be accompanying them to the meeting this week. Understood?” The general asked, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes as Bardock bristled. “But general, I should be on planet Yarron right now! Why was I barred from the flight?” Bardock asked, nearly shaking with rage. “You know the answer to that, Bardock. You were hurt badly two days ago, and need time to heal, son. It’s just a week…you’ll live without killing for a week, eh? Now…help these two get their armor and get them settled into their new homes. Dismissed, all of you.” The general snapped, turning his back to them to look back at his computer monitor. Bardock stood gritting his teeth, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Goku blinked, then gave a lighthearted laugh. “Well…guess we should get some armor…” He said happily, cringing at the death stare his father sent him. If only you knew, father… Guest Main Page / Chapter 1 / Chapter 3 |