A History of the Triad Alliance, Book I

See notes in chapter 1. And keep the A/N in mind as well. I don\'t own any characters you\'ve seen anywhere else.

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Dende frowned. There were some things a young Namek like him should never have to face, like nervous Saiyans, or a grumpy Emperor. Both at once wasn\'t helping either. He\'d never thought that entering the healing profession could cost him his life.

\"So are they healed yet?\" Piccolo demanded. He was obviously still annoyed from his earlier meeting with the representative from the Cold family.

\"Mostly, Sir,\" Dende started, but Piccolo interrupted.

\"What do you mean, mostly? You\'re a Namekian Healer, for Xela\'s sake! You can heal anything short of death itself?I\'ve seen you do it!\"

The small healer held up his hands in a placating gesture. \"Indeed, your Majesty. The little one is only a little malnourished, something that with the quality of care we provide will be fixed in short order, same with the big ones. And their bruising and cuts and sores are gone. But the injuries that remain are the broken bones in their tails. I paused in the work to discuss this with you, as the attempt to straighten and heal them will likely cost you the life of the Imperial Physician.\"

Piccolo snorted. \"Surely you can turn off his nerves or block the pain somehow.\"

Dende gave his emperor a withering glare. \"Of course I can block the pain,\" his tone indicating such a task was easier than walking. \"The problem is that I have to touch a Saiyan\'s tail, in the presence of his mate. I won\'t have time to block the nerves before I\'m reduced to a smear on the ground.\"

There was silence as Piccolo considered this. \"Ask permission.\" He said.

\"What?!\" Dende was dumbfounded. \"You want me to just casually walk up to a couple of twitchy, nervous, exhausted Saiyan males and say \'Excuse me, but I\'ve got to put my hands all over your matetailtail, do you mind?\' I like my intestines where they are!\"

Piccolo gave him a long, level look.

Dende huffed. \"All right. But only if I get hazard pay for working with them. And a pension for my family if something goes wrong.\"

\"Hazard pay and a pension?! Are you trying to bargain with your Emperor?\"

\"Of course. He\'s also my client, and I can always get employment elsewhere.\"

The two stubborn Nameks stared each other down, the larger finally giving in with a huff. \"Fine, hazard pay and a pension?but only when working with the Saiyans. You get killed some other way and it doesn\'t count.\"

\"Fair enough,\" Dende nodded, then walked back to the doors or the examination room.

Piccolo sighed, leaning against the wall behind him. For some reason, he couldn?t shake off the feeling that he?d just been swindled. Well, he wasn?t the greatest healer on Namek for nothing. . .

Twenty minutes later the healer returned, the Saiyan family in tow.

?Here you are, Your Majesty, as good as new. Well, almost? he amended. ?aside from the malnutrition, and lingering psychological effects, not to mention the spiritual damage they must have incurred. . .?

?Hn,? Piccolo grunted. ?Good as new indeed.? He suppressed a smile when he saw the two tails intertwined, instead commenting, ?You know, Dende, I get the suspicion that you?ve somehow swindled me. . .? He started walking away, gesturing for the others to follow.

Dende?s eyes were wide and innocent. ?Whatever can Your Majesty mean??

Piccolo scowled. ?Hazard pay and a pension for a job that took you twenty minutes, without even a scratch??

?Well,? Dende bit his lower lip. ?They were in a good mood. You know Saiyans?moody lot, gleefully ravaging a planet one minute, depressed and vicious the next . . .?

?Are you trying to justify the possible waste of the taxpayer?s money??

Dende drew himself up to his full height. ?I am a government employee, sir. Wasting government resources is not only what I get paid for, but is my patriotic duty.?

Piccolo?s chuckle echoed through the marble halls. ?So you admit it, even??

The healer smirked. ?Your Majesty, I am not only a healer, I am a bureaucrat. It is a point of pride for us.?

?Wow, you?re talented!? Kakkarott grinned at Dende, who wasn?t sure if the Saiyan was teasing him or not.

?Actually, he is,? the Emperor grumbled. ?For some reason he thinks that being the most talented healer on the planet makes his job secure enough to ain ain with.?

?Isn?t it?? The innocent look was back.

Even the Saiyans could barely hear what Piccolo muttered next. Something to do with ?Red tape? and ?arrogant geniuses.?

?Well,? Dende sighed. ?I must be getting back to the Med-Lab. You boys come visit anytime you want.?

?Dende. . . ? Piccolo growled.

The healer backed up under the Emperor?s stare. ?Your Majesty, I?m not cleared to go any further?you know that!?

The large warrior sighed, not having noticed that they were at the entrance to the south wing. ?Very well, you over-confident waste of resources. You?re lucky I like you.?

Dende grinned merrily as he trotted off. ?I know, Your Majesty! Have a good day!?

Piccolo grumbled under his breath again, then turned his attention to the two-and-a-half Saiyans. Gesturing behind himself, he spoke.

?This is the entrance to the South Wing, which only myself, my slaves, and the Ryuu Guards have access to. They, being not really alive in the traditional sense, are trusted to not be a threat to your. . . erm. . .virtue.?

The Saiyans looked up-- and up and up-- at the towering doors, their eyes dazzled by a seeming tapestry of gold, platinum, precious and semi-precious stones. Then their gazed traveled down to the serpentine forms coiled by each door.

?I remember reading about the Ryuu Guards in my childhood,? Vegeta said softly. ?The library was full off books on war-craft and martial arts. The Saiyans who wrote those books universally held the Ryuu in high esteem, as great and honorable warriors. It was the belief of many that they are immortal.?

Piccolo gave the Vegeta an unreadable look. ?They are great and honorable, their loyalty unstained since their creation. As for immortal. . . I suppose that?s true, too, in a way. . .? he turned back to the guards, gesturing the two Saiyans forward. ?Just place your hands on their noses so they get your scent.?

Kakkarot placed his hand on the reptilian snout first, followed by Vegeta, who then placed Gohan?s small hand down. The child giggled when the guard snorted into his palm, eliciting small smiles from his fathers and the Emperor.

?Come,? Piccolo said, pushing the doors open. ?This is where you?ll be staying.? They followed him through, and stopped in wonder as their wide eyes struggled to take everything in.

It seemed that they had walked into a large garden filled with trees, flowers, and herbs from every known galaxy. Marble flagstones made paths through the forest, bridging over streams and pools of crystal clear water. The twin streams met in the front in a deep, heated pool. Each arched away from the other, making an island in the middle of the room, at the back of which they could hear the distant thunder of a waterfall. On the far sides of the streams were what seemed to be small white houses, some with signs over the front doors, all surrounded by patches of flowers, herbs, and soft emerald grass. Over everything arched a tall, perfectly clear glass dome, allowing them to see a stunning sunset over the Razorwing Mountains.

?This. . .? Vegeta cleared his throat. ?This is where we will live??

Piccolo smiled. ?The houses with the signs over the doors are occupied. You may choose any of the others.?

As they looked around, people started coming out of the houses. First was the human they?d met earlier, Yamcha, who showed no hesitancy in greeting the Emperor in what he thought a proper manner. Vegeta?s tail tightened slightly around Kakkarot?s.

?Is that the, erm, standard way one greets his Majesty?? He asked.

A chuckle sounded in the shade of a couple spice trees, and Nail and Iscargo grinned. ?For some of us, yes.? The latter replied. ?But certainly not for everyone.?

Yamcha and Piccolo finally parted. ?I wasn?t gone for that long. . .? the Namek said.

?But I was worried!? Yamcha smiled. ?I thought perhaps the Saiyans would have gotten so hungry they would have gobbled you up!?

Piccolo chuckled. ?Come now, you know they?re better behaved than that. Though that reminds me, didn?t I order a Welcoming Feast for our new friends??

Iscargo cleared his throat. ?It?s in the meadow, Sir. Chichi and Bulma chased everyone else away. Tien and Krillin are by the filling the water jugs at the falls . . . and the rest of us are here . . .?

?Which means we can eat now,? Yamcha said happily, pulling away from Piccolo. ?Come on, guys, Chichi?s a great cook, and she?s been getting this meal ready for a week!? The human led the way over a marble bridge, through the slanting shadows of the trees, and into a wide meadow where a long table stood, groaning under the weight all the food piled on it.

On the far end of the table was what seemed to be a two female humans, which surprised the Saiyans, females being so rare in their own species. Strangely, both looked at once delicate and fierce, and seemed to be standing guard over the food. They glared at Yamcha as he entered the meadow, but he seemed nonplussed.

\"Don\'t glare so hard, ladies,\" he said. \"Our new friends have arrived, so we can now enjoy all those long hours of labor you put in for us!\"

The black haired female swatted his hand with a wooden spoon as he reached for a small tart. \"Wait until they\'ve had their share, you thief!\"

\"Chichi! Come on! It smells so good. . . \"

Vegeta turned to Kakkarott. \"It seems we will have to be careful around the Chichi. She bears herself like royalty, and that voice . . . it is a formidable weapon.\"

Kakkarott nodded, mouth watering at the scents attacking his nose. \"Maybe if we asked her real nice?\"

With that in mind, the tall Saiyan approached the black haired female. \"Um, excuse me, that food smells really good. . . could my mate and I have some?\"

Chichi smiled gently. \"Of course, Bulma and I made this all for you, you can have as much as you\'d like.\"

\"Aw, \'Geta, didja hear that! She said we can have as much as we want!\" He quickly grabbed a plate and loaded it up.

\"Hn.\" Vegeta followed, holding Gohan in one arm as his mate filled his plate. \"I\'m quite sure they underestimated your capacity.\" He turned his attention to the females. \"Thank you, ladies. This is a definite improvement from our past meals. . .\"

Bulma snorted. \"That\'s not saying much, considering where you\'ve been.\" She smiled then. \"But I\'m glad our work is appreciated.\"

Vegeta followed Kakkarott over to where a blanket had been laid out on the grass. Soon, all were seated, and introductions were made all the way around. Everything went smoothly, until Gohan started to get wiggly. No matter how hard Vegeta or Kakkarott tried, they simply couldn\'t keep a hold of their son, who finally escaped, and crawled around the circle of people, sniffing each one until he reached Piccolo. With an ecstatic cry, he crawled up into the surprised emperor\'s lap, and promptly fell asleep in his arms.

Piccolo glanced nervously over at the two Saiyans, not knowing how to interpret this. Vegeta\'s eyes were narrowed, but in thought, not anger. And Kakkarott seemed to not have noticed at all, still munching happily on a piece of bread.

Kakkarott, did you notice what just happened? Vegeta asked his mate, mind to mind.

The other hardly slowed his eating. Looks like he\'s chosen a pack for himself. And a possible future mate. . .

They\'re not Saiyan. . .Vegeta\'s tone wavered between dismay and curiosity.

What other choice is there? Kakkarott looked his mate in the eye. We\'re the last of our kind, love, whether we like it or not. He needs a pack to grow up with, and this is much better than the alternative.

And the Emperor? That does indeed seem to be the sort of favor placed on a future mate. . .

Kakkarott finally put down his food with a sigh. We\'ll deal with that when the time comes. In the meantime, he\'s found a home here. I know it\'s not the palace back on Vegetasei, but I think we should try as hard as possible to make this our home as well.

Vegeta grunted. It can never be my home, Kakkarott, you know that. As Prince, I was wed to the land even before I was wed to you. And now. . . He took a deep breath. I don\'t know if I can form anything resembling a pack-bond with a non-Saiyan, but I\'ll try. For Gohan\'s sake.

Kakkarott smiled gently, picking up a bowl of water. For Gohan\'s sake, indeed. He is the only future we have left..

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more coming at some later point in time. . .
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Ok, so I know it took. . . forever to wrote that . . . but honestly, I bow to peer pressure. If you send me more reviews/ harrassment than the fans of my PotterFic, you\'ll get more sooner.
That\'s the way it works, ok?
So, yeah, review. . .

^_^