Chapter Text
Phew.
Wiping the sweat off my brow, I stood over my kill, giving it one final once-over before heaving its massive body over my shoulder.
I lived in a smaller village in the outskirts of the Royal Capitol. With my mate and I’s higher rank and power levels, we could have easily settled down within the Capitol’s walls. However, I was born in this small village and felt it was my duty to bring some semblance of pride to my lower-class brethren. With an elite such as myself living amongst them, the village was supplied with top-of-the-line provisions and medical equipment. It was the least I could do for the people who raised me into the warrior I was today.
Touching down outside the village butcher’s stall, I rapped my knuckles against the doorway. The small saiyan woman inside yelped, her ruddy-colored tail fur spiking up in surprise. She glanced over her shoulder and grew more frightened at my large silhouette. She froze up like a deer in the path of a ki blast, the poor thing. Sighing, I stepped into the stall and raised a hand in greeting.
“Well, it’s good to see you too, Ruta,” I said, a warm smile on my face. Ruta blinked her chocolate eyes for a moment or two before returning my smile ten-fold and wagging her tail excitedly.
“Oh, Parsleigh!” Ruta chirped, setting down her butcher knife and rushing to my side. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t expect to see you up and about just yet!” Despite her smaller size, she pulled the kill from my grasp with little difficulty. “Thank you for the extra meat, really! But you should be resting! Warrior or not, you just gave birth, for Ozaru’s sake!”
Chuckling, I leaned against the counter and folded my arms across my chest, absently watching Ruta work her magic on the carcass. “And that gives me an excuse to laze about and get soft like some trophy wife?” I asked, quirking a brow at her. “No, I don’t think so. If Keltu thinks he can get rid of me that easily, he’s got another thing coming.”
Ruta laughed, shaking her head. “I should have expected that sort of response from you, Parsleigh,” she sighed, hacking away at the tough bones with her knife as she spoke. “Speaking of Keltu, have you heard from him lately? You’d think that dolt would hightail it straight back to Planet Vegeta to see his son the second word got to him that you gave birth.”
I clicked my tongue at her words and shook my head. “You know he still has his duties, Ruta,” I said, moving to stand closer to her and added with a grin, “as simpleminded as he may be, he’s not going to risk pissing off King Vegeta or Lord Freeza.”
Ruta slammed the knife down into the flesh of the creature and guffawed at that. This was what I loved about my village—little moments just like this. Ruta and I had known each other from childhood. Despite us going our separate ways in life—me becoming an elite warrior and her remaining a cook—we never drifted apart in our hearts. Such a friendship was a rarity in Saiyan society, I know, but to us it just felt...right somehow. As Ruta laughed and snorted and slammed her fist on the counter, I smiled. It was as if we were children again.
“Hoooh!” Ruta whooped, tugging off her bloodied gloves to wipe the tears out of her eyes. “Don’t let Keltu hear you say that! He’d blow a fuse for sure!”
I scoffed—yes, he would, the poor dumbass. But I wasn’t worried. I could call Keltu an idiot to his face and kick him square in the jaw before he even had the chance to land a hit on me. Keltu was another childhood friend of mine, and not once in our twenty years of knowing each other has the male been able to best me in hand-to-hand combat.
“Oh, that reminds me,” Ruta said, tugging me out of my reminiscing, “do you mind taking me to visit your son? Since you’re up and about, he must be in an incubation pod, right? I’d love to meet him!”
I nodded, smiling. “Of course. I was going to check up on him before leaving anyway.”
Ruta blinked, her wide eyes full of shock. She made a noise of exasperation and grabbed onto my gauntlets, tears already pricking at her eyes. “But you just got here!” She cried, squeezing my wrists. “Please stay just a little bit longer! Surely the great and powerful Lord Freeza can go without you for at least a couple more cycles!”
I clenched my teeth and gripped Ruta’s forearms in retaliation. In hindsight, I should have been more level-headed about this, but at the time I was wholly blinded by rage. Ruta was my greatest friend—but her disrespecting my superior? The man who’s family has done so much for the Saiyan race? It was completely uncalled for. If I had been wearing my scouter and Lord Freeza had heard her, then I had no idea what would have become of Ruta.
“Parsleigh,” Ruta said meekly, struggling against my grip, “you’re hurting me.”
Snapping out of my rage, I glanced down at her hands. She had long let go of my wrists and her fingers were trembling. Her forearms were mere twigs compared to my large, capable hands. After a beat of silence, I released her and stepped back.
“Ruta, I-“
Ruta raised a tiny hand to quiet me. “No, no, don’t apologize. I know I spoke out of line,” she said, glancing down at her feet, “I just—it’s been so long since you last visited. I wanted...to spend some more time with my best friend, is all.” She flashed me the brightest smile, a smile that still shakes me to my core to this very day. “This might be the last time we ever get the chance.”
Exhaling, I knelt down and placed my hands upon Ruta’s shoulders. “I will stay for as long as I am able, Ruta.” I said, staring intently into her eyes. Puffing some air out of my nose, I reached up to ruffle her hair. “Now, let me show you my son.”
-
“Well, he sure has his father’s hair.”
Ruta circled around the incubation pod, drinking in every one of my son’s features with her insightful gaze. I stood back and admired my son in a more subdued manner. She was right, with a mane like that there was no mistaking that Keltu was his father. The boy might have inherited his father’s hair, but he absolutely inherited my dark skin and larger size. He dwarfed the other infants in the nursery by comparison.
“Before he was born, Keltu suggested we name him Silan,” I said, biting back a chuckle as I watched Ruta wave at the floating infant.
Ruta smiled. “Silan! That’s a magnificent name!” She chirped, poking a finger at the glass. “You hear that, Silan? You have a magnificent name.”
As my heart swelled in pride and Ruta cooed at the snoozing infant, a pair of thundering footfalls echoed through the nursery. Instantly, my attention snapped to the doorway, arms poised and ready to defend my child.
“Don’t shoot, don’t shoot! I’m sorry I’m late, the ship was damaged and had some difficulty returning home.”
Slowly, I lowered my arms, my eyes widening in surprise. It was Keltu, he was back. With a gentle smile, I strode over to the panting Saiyan and knelt down to give him a nuzzle. Ruta peeked her head around the incubation pod and perked.
“Welcome back, Keltu!” She called, walking over to slap the male on the bicep. “I take it you were thoroughly chewed out by Lord Freeza for being late before you flew over here?”
“I, uh,” Keltu combed his gloved fingers through his hair, “I haven’t reported back to Lord Freeza yet, I’m afraid.”
I rolled my eyes and locked an arm around Keltu’s shoulders, drawing him in closer. “The longer you wait to report in, the angrier Lord Freeza will be. You know that, Keltu,” I said, fixing him with a sharp glare. Keltu balked under my gaze and ducked out of my grasp. He held his hands up in mock surrender.
“Hey, hey, Parsleigh, calm down! I’ll get right to it after I take a look at our son, alright? I promise!”
I grunted in protest, but gave him a nod.
Keltu whooped and flipped around to admire our son, his scarred tail flitting about excitedly. “Ah, I see he’s got my hair!” He said following a short whistle. Keltu angled his head to grin at me. “He’s going to grow up to be a beautiful warrior like his Papa, I just know it.”
I sighed and flicked his forehead. “Let’s pray to Ozaru he doesn’t have your stupidity.”
“Hey! Stupidity or not, you can’t deny our little Silan is gonna be a badass warrior when he grows up!”
Smiling, I placed my hands on my hips. There was no arguing with Keltu—it was like talking to a brick wall.
“No,” I said, leaning down to nuzzle my mate, “no, I can’t deny that.”
Oh, how horribly wrong I was.