Lamb Without Blemish [Discontinued]
I Have Found You
Lamb Without Blemish
“So I came out to meet you, diligently to seek your face, and I have found you.”
(Proverbs 7:15)
Chapter Five
"Kakarrot's been really down lately." Raditz said between bites of his breakfast.
"Yes, he's been that way since Veggan stopped coming by." His father answered.
"I wonder what happened between them. As far as I knew, they seemed to be good friends until Kakarrot came back from the yard after dinner that night. What was up with that?"
"I'm not sure." Bardock said. "He was very upset though. He looked like he had been crying. Kakarrot is not the type to cry for no reason. He's emotional for a male, I'll admit, but only because he tends to be happier than most. He usually isn't sad for long." He paused, looking at his son. "Raditz, you should take Kakarrot to that speech tonight. It would be good for him to get out of the house. He's been in the house constantly for the past two weeks. We haven't had any meetings lately, and you got a special pass to that event. Take your brother. It will cheer him up to hear about the changes the King and Prince intend to make."
"Alright. I'll take him. I was planning to take one of my friends, but I know Kakarrot needs it. I've never seen him so sad before." Raditz smirked. "Maybe Veggan broke up with him."
"Raditz, be quiet. If he was in relationship with Veggan and they broke up, you know that your brother is really hurt. Veggan was probably his first boyfriend. Do you remember how you felt when you broke up with your first boyfriend a couple of years ago? May I remind you that you are still single?" Bardock narrowed his eyes at his eldest. "You haven't dated since then, so don't be mean to your brother."
"Fine." Raditz sighed. "I'll go get him."
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Kakarrot was laying on his bed, vacantly looking up at the ceiling when Raditz entered his room. He did not turn to look at his brother as he spoke.
"Hey, Kaka. What's up, bro?" Kakarrot felt the bed shift from his brother's weight. "I've got an idea. I got passes to that speech tonight. A lot of important people are going to be there. All the city mayors, provincial leaders, and even the King and Prince Vegeta are going to be there."
"Really?" Kakarrot said weakly after the mention of royalty. The King was notorious for his apparent lack of time for public meetings. For him to be present at a speech was really rare.
"Oh, yeah. I only got the tickets because I'm in that political program for the mayor's office. I've worked my butt off these past three years to get perks like this." He paused, thinking for a moment about all the hard work he had put into his job.
He continued. "They gave me two passes. Think Kakarrot. We could shake hands with the Prince and maybe even the King. I've heard the King isn't as willing to meet third classes, but they say the Prince is very nice to everyone. Maybe we could get his autograph and show it to Dad's friends at the next meeting. I bet they'd go crazy over that."
"I'm sure they would." Kakarrot rolled over to look at his brother.
"So, you'll go?" Raditz grinned.
"Yeah, I guess. I'm getting kind of tired of sitting in my room. The speech might be fun." Kakarrot smiled back, but without his usual warmth behind it.
"It will, Kaka. I promise. Come on and get ready. I want to leave early." With that, Raditz jumped up from the bed and walked out of the room. Kakarrot could not help but worry if he would run into Veggan while he was out, but he figured that was highly unlikely since the event was by invitation only. Veggan had never been to a meeting until Kakarrot took him, so he probably did not have any political connections. Kakarrot resolved to be confident in this belief and prepared himself in his best clothes for the speech that evening.
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With his mahogany tail wrapped around his waist, Kakarrot entered the dinning area in his finest clothes to meet with his awaiting brother and father. His father simply smiled at him in admiration. Raditz was not as subtle.
"Wow, Kakarrot! You look great! You been such a lump these past couple of weeks that I forgot there was a strong Saiyan under there." Raditz exclaimed. His father's glare made Raditz correct himself. "I mean. You look great, Kakarrot. Are you ready to leave?"
"Yeah. Let's go." With that, the two young Saiyans walked out the door and flew off towards the castle, where the speech would be held.
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Vegeta lingered in his chamber for some time. He did not want to go to the speech tonight but obligation demanded it. At least, he had arranged a deal with his father that enabled him to remain speechless. The King had agreed to speak if Vegeta would shake hands with the guests. It was an ideal trade for both men since Vegeta did not enjoy giving public speeches, and the King did not like talking to those that were not of noble blood.
When Vegeta heard a knock at the door, he knew that it was his father's servant coming to get him. Vegeta fastened his cape to either sides of his royal vest and walked to the door. He called for the servant to enter. Once the servant entered, he stated what Vegeta already knew. Vegeta then followed the boy to main hall, where his father was waiting.
"Prince Vegeta, it is unbecoming for a prince to be late." He said in a stern tone.
"I'm sorry, Father. I had trouble picking out what to wear. My servant has been sick this week."
"I told you that we would have gotten a replacement for you. We have enough help to go around." He folded his arms in irritation.
"I know. I just didn't want to pull someone away from their job. My servant has been helping me for the past five years. He is only one I trust to take care of my personal belongings." Vegeta replied, trying to smooth things over with his father.
The King was satisfied with the answer and ventured to another topic. "Are you ready for the guests?"
"Yes, Father. I am ready." Vegeta pulled back on his gloves to show his father that he was prepared to shake the hands of countless visitors. He normally wore gloves, but his father had given him strict instructions at dinner over the past week to be sure not to touch third classes without his gloves on.
"I've only allowed for twenty passes to be handed out, so do not concern yourself too much. There may be some third classes here though. They have made a habit of accepting them into work programs at the city offices." The King sneered.
"I see." Vegeta's mind floated to one Saiyan in particular. He knew Kakarrot did not work with the mayor's office but was unsure of his father and brother. He hoped more than anything that Kakarrot was not so unfortunate to get a pass to the event tonight. Vegeta was worried about the scene that may come from them meeting under such circumstances.
A servant approached the King and said something to him in a low voice. "Come, Prince Vegeta. We must take our spot."
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Kakarrot stood behind his brother in the line, waiting to enter the main hall at the castle. Both men had remarked on all the splendors the castle held. There were fine jewels and gold about the rooms while elegant statues and paintings of leaders past lined the walls. Kakarrot had seen pictures of these things in the books that Raditz had brought home from the mayor's office, but it was so much more magnificent in person. He was stirred by his brother's arm on his own.
"Come on, Kakarrot. It's our turn. We didn't come all this way just to stare at the walls." Raditz hurried him into the room.
The long pathway opened to a massive hall. The ceiling reached at least one hundred feet. Bright lights and flowers framed the room. Kakarrot thought it was beautiful. The brothers were shown to their seats, for the opening ceremony was about to begin. Kakarrot sat on the edge of his seat as the lights dimmed.
The announcer called in a loud voice, "May I present King Vegeta and Prince Vegeta." Everyone stood up as the King and his son walked out from behind a curtain.
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Kakarrot forgot how to breathe.
When the Prince's face came into view, he could hardly believe his eyes. "No, there's no way." He said to himself amidst the applause of the crowd.
The King took to the stage while the Prince sat nearby. Kakarrot felt a nudge against his ribs. "Sit down, you idiot. Do you want to get kicked out?" His brother fussed. Kakarrot had not even realized that everyone else was already sitting. He quickly took his seat.
Kakarrot dug his fingers into his thighs in attempt to keep away the tears. He could not believe that his friend was the Prince. 'There's just no way.' He thought. 'How can he be the prince? I thought the prince wasn't even allowed in the city without a ton of guards.'
Kakarrot then remembered that every time he had seen Veggan he had his head covered. 'That's why.' His eyes widened. 'Now, I get it. He said we couldn't be together. It's because I'm a third class. That is what he meant by "what I am."'
Kakarrot did not know whether to be upset or overjoyed. He felt relieved that Vegeta had not denied him because he did not want him or did not care for him; he was disheartened because he was a third class while Vegeta was a prince. He understood why Vegeta had pushed him away. Kakarrot knew little about the government on the Saiyan planet, but knew that the noble families could not mate with those from the third class.
Although Kakarrot never before felt inhibited due to his standing in society, he painfully watched a gloom overshadow his future happiness. The past two weeks he had only thought of Veggan and his desire to see him once more. He finally gave into his emotions, accepting that he was in love with his friend.
Now, he felt crushed, even more so than when Vegeta left. At least then, he had hope of possibly meeting with Veggan again. He had visited the tree daily to wait on his friend to no avail. Kakarrot did his best to push away the sobs that began to grow in his chest.
By this time, the King was nearly done with his speech. Kakarrot slumped down his seat, barely able to hear anything above the constant counseling he was giving himself. He shifted his eyes quickly to the stage and found the Prince.
Prince Vegeta was seated near the King in an ornate chair. His arms were folded, but his eyes were wandering the crowd. Kakarrot shot his eyes down and assured himself that the Prince did not know he was there. Suddenly, everyone was on their feet again. Kakarrot slowly moved out of his seat to stand next to his brother. The speech just ended, and the crowd gave the King a standing ovation. 'I missed the whole thing because of Veggan. I mean Vegeta.' Kakarrot sighed.
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It was finally time for Vegeta to fulfill his end of the deal. His father had reminded him of that when he finished his speech. "Come, Prince Vegeta. You must take your place." He told his son.
Vegeta left his seat and moved to an elevated platform on the other side of the room. The guests had already formed a line in front of his spot. Vegeta exhaled deeply, hoping that this process would go by quickly. Before Vegeta motioned for the guard to let the first guest come forward, he gathered his control so that he could be cordial towards the eager Saiyans.
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"Kakarrot, why don't you want to shake hands with the Prince? I thought that is one of the reasons why you came." Raditz stared incredulously at his brother.
"I just don't want to. Let's stay here." Kakarrot looked at his chair, hiding his eyes from Raditz.
"We're going. I will not hear you complain later about not getting to meet the Prince because of momentary fear."
"But, Raditz…" Before he could finish his sentence Raditz gripped his arm tightly and nearly dragged his younger brother to the back of the long line.
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Vegeta breathed a sigh of relief. There were only five more people in the line. His hand was numb, and his head was on the verge of aching badly. He greeted the next two people. It was a young couple. Vegeta listened to their meek voices as they explained how pleased they were of the King's changes for children.
Vegeta's eyes drifted to the protruding belly of one of the Saiyans before him. When he cut his eyes back up, he beheld a face. He did not believe his eyes at first. The face was that of someone he knew. He scratched his mind for the name. When the young couple left, he watched as the man moved closer to the platform. He barely heard the next Saiyan in front of him. His body went into autopilot. While the Saiyan before him spoke, he finally recalled that special person's name.
It was Kakarrot.
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TBC