Barracks

Yaoi_Angel: I’m glad you’re still following Barracks. There are about ten chapters of it left, so there’s light at the end of the tunnel ^_^ Harada is a fun guy. He’s very strict but he has no idea what he’s supposed to do with Goten XD

TristaML: I’m glad to see you back. To see old readers return is always a pleasure. Thanks for your support as well ^_^ During over a decade of fiction writing I’ve already gotten used to complaints and whining coming from some of the readers. Some of them are repetitive due to my style of writing and choice of plot. I like building up stories, long and with OCs while nowadays we have a cliché of fast and at once. So I get a lot of complaints and urging to just get on with the main pairing. These make me laugh. I mean, I don’t comply with requests – I’m not a commercial writer and trying to pressure me is futile. Commercial writers write what sells. I can afford to write what I like and want, and no one can influence my decision.

Disappointed: I don’t do requests. You wish you stopped reading after chapter 30, and I wish you never read Barracks at all since you completely missed its point. I hope we are clear.

Gittoh: thanks for your comment. Here’s an update. I hope you’ll have fun reading it ^_^


Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z – it belongs to its respective owners. This fan fiction is not a commercial project, and I am not making any money from writing it.
Warnings: Alternate Universe. Yaoi (male x male). Goten x Trunks and vice versa. Other pairings.
A/N 1:
Head of Royal Division - Harada Lorimara
Deputy Commander - Ealdira Fidan
Captain - Amren Komira

Barracks

by chayron (lttomb@yahoo.com), beta-read by quatreofdoom

Part 63

Goten was staring at the stack of books on the desk while Reyn was arranging them according to the material they had to memorize first. Goten started thinking about a nap. He had barely slept yesterday. In addition, after taking the books from Berada, they’d had dinner, and the full stomach was making Goten feel heavy and even sleepier.

“How about we go spar in an hour?” Reyn suggested without turning around. “I feel I’m getting rusty.”

“Same here,” Goten agreed. He flopped onto their large makeshift bed. “Wake me up in an hour, then.”

“Huh?” Reyn turned to look at him. “Aren’t you going to study?”

“Screw that,” Goten muttered. “The sooner they toss me out of here, the better.”

Reyn stared at him. Goten was right. But only now it had dawned on him that Goten had no plans of doing what was requested of him.

“You take everything too seriously,” Goten muttered after noticing the surprised look the other man was giving him. “I can’t say I hate that about you, but…really?”

“Umm… Well, I just thought that since we’re already here… Why not? Some service within the Royal Division would look nice on my profile.”

Goten rolled his eyes. Both he and Reyn were of a similar nature, with an instilled sense for order and, as long as it didn’t interfere with their lives too much, just went with the flow. In the end, it appeared that, of the two of them, the flight officer was much more practical.

“No surprises there,” Goten muttered softly, rolling onto his left side. He closed his eyes. The leaves of a book started rustling. He wondered whether Reyn was really more practical or if it was more a matter of obedience and duty. Probably all of that. No matter what Reyn thought of the youngest prince, he was still a member of the Royal Family, and Reyn was going to obey him, both because he had to and because he held the authority. The flight officer was pissed off of course, pissed beyond belief but there was no helping it. Goten, though, felt that, unlike Reyn, he had a choice. As long as he didn’t die first.

“I don’t think he would let go of you just because you didn’t pass the tests,” Reyn said wistfully after a long spell of silence. “I, on the other hand, would be easy to get rid of in that case.”

Goten hummed. “True. Good luck with your exams.”

“Asshole.”

Goten chuckled. He wondered how fast the prince would get rid of him if he started making serious trouble for him on purpose. Probably in a day or two. They had to talk. Hopefully, this time, he would manage to talk some sense into that purple-haired bastard.

ooOoOoOoo

It took them some time to find the training hall since it appeared to be located in the left wing of the palace, opposite the garages.

“Wow!” Goten exclaimed at the sheer size of it as soon as he entered. It was about the same size as the one back at Hataro Officer Training School.

“Indeed,” Reyn agreed with the younger man’s reaction, looking around. The hall was lined with ki-absorbing material that seemed to have a thicker texture than usual. Seven control panels hung on the walls, and Reyn went to inspect the closest one. The panel showed that it was possible to split the hall into six separate training chambers. The gravity could be adjusted in each of them independently as well. Reyn turned back to the hall. There was even a separate room for weights.

There were only two elites in the hall. Their faces were familiar but neither of the two third-classes was able to remember their names yet. After a short discussion, Reyn and Goten took their armor off. It was best not to crack it, since they presumed that the price was not something they could afford. The next fifteen minutes were spent stretching and warming up. Both of them hoped that they would be able to go back to their routine training and spars to maintain their skill and agility.

Once they were done, Reyn went to examine one of the control panels again. “Can you move to the other end of the hall, please?” he asked the sparring elites. “I want to split the training hall in half.”

“Sure.”

The elites moved, and after storing their scouters in the room with the weights, the third-classes went to the opposite end of the hall. With Goten watching over his shoulder, Reyn tinkered with the control panel there. A loud warning sound echoed in the hall, then a beam of red laser light appeared to pinpoint the location of the forthcoming force-shield. Reyn pressed one more button to confirm and the red laser ray was replaced by a green force-field.

“How high do we power up?” Reyn asked.

“Um, how about twenty thousand?”

Reyn nodded. He watched Goten power up. As usual, the younger male was awful at measuring his ki. “That’s fifty thousand.” The flight officer gave him a puzzled look. “It’s more than twice what you were supposed to do. Can’t you tell the difference? And to think that you were already getting better at it…”

Trying to concentrate on the flow of his ki, Goten ignored the remark. He lowered his ki to what he thought was half. Reyn rolled his eyes and powered up another ten thousand to catch up with him. At least Goten was getting better at controlling the lower amounts of ki.

Goten flash-stepped away from a large ki-blast and appeared behind Reyn. The older male, though, had predicted this and swung himself sideways before Goten’s foot could connect with his side. Goten quickly shifted his weight and retracted his foot, but it wasn’t fast enough. The other third-class’s fist caught him on the side of the face, flinging him on his back. He went after Goten with the intention to pin him down, but Goten’s foot shot out like a spring. That fraction of time that Reyn used to avoid it gave Goten an opportunity to roll over and get to his feet. Leaning backwards, he nearly performed a bridge in order to evade Reyn’s incoming fist. He successfully blocked the next blow and punched the older man squarely in the face.

Reyn fell sideways with a grunt but, with his ki up, felt no pain and recovered his balance in no time. They exchanged a few blows again, then Goten retreated to bombard him with ki blasts. While Reyn was busy deflecting them, Goten flash-stepped in front of him. The older male was a fraction too late to block Goten’s punch.

There was something off with his timing, Reyn realized. Since they had powered up about the same, there shouldn’t be such a difference in their speed. Goten’s reaction time has always been shorter than his, but not to such an extent. Even though he managed to land a hit on the younger male, it seemed more like a fluke as it had only happened at the very start of their spar.

The flight officer flash-stepped to him, and Goten immediately assumed a defensive stance. However, instead of meeting the blow directly, he managed to avoid Reyn by turning sideways, then slammed his shoulder into Reyn’s side, throwing him off balance. Reyn stumbled, rolled over and was back on his feet. They exchanged another series of blows and kicks, most of which they deflected.

Reyn swung his fist at him, Goten ducked, squatting down, his left foot shooting out at Reyn’s ankle. Still caught in momentum, the flight officer’s arm whooshed over the other man’s head. Reyn’s eyes started widening in alarm when he realized that he had time neither to change his stance, nor to flash-step away. His mind hadn’t caught up with the extent of the danger yet but he knew it was going to be bad. And then Goten’s sole hit Reyn’s ankle but, instead of hitting it with full strength, limited itself with a light tap.

“Crack!” Goten imitated the expected sound, grinning.

From above, the flight officer glared at the top of the younger male’s head; the bastard had time to play around. Reyn had the urge to yell at him to stop mucking around, but the problem was that if Goten did stop mucking around, he would really break something, be it an ankle or an arm. Reyn didn’t know how, but the younger man had obviously gotten much faster and more efficient during the past few weeks. And that was despite the fact that, except for powering up once or twice, they hadn’t even been sparring.

They retreated from each other and continued. Goten rushed him, and Reyn jumped up, turning in midair, his foot catching Goten on the back, sending him stumbling forward. Instead of falling, though, Goten glided through the air. The only part of his body that touched the ground was his right palm. He suddenly straightened like a spring, his legs shooting out from underneath him. To avoid the kick, Reyn threw himself sideways. Goten had gained momentum and nearly flopped onto the ground as he lost his target and, at the same time, his footing.

Reyn tried to ambush him while he was still off-balance, but it didn’t work. Goten avoided his kicks easily, flash-stepping out of the way. Then he counterattacked, and the two engaged in hand-to-hand combat again, neither wanting to give in, pushing each other for more and more. The spar lasted for about an hour until they couldn’t go on, and, after announcing a temporary truce, they collapsed onto the floor.

Panting, they lay on the ground, catching their breath. A few minutes later, Reyn got up and turned the force field off. His legs felt shaky after such a vigorous spar. He thought that, next time, they could spar in increased gravity. When he turned away from the control panel, he became aware of an audience. Besides the two aforementioned elites, now there were three other royal guards in the hall. All five of them had obviously been watching the third-classes spar.

Reyn’s silence roused Goten, and he sat up to look what was amiss. “Oh.”

“You’ve got some nice moves there,” one of the elites said, approaching.

Not certain if he meant one or both of them, the third-classes nodded in acknowledgment. The elite cast a look over Goten’s sitting form, but it didn’t seem that he was much interested in the younger third-class. Instead, his gaze traveled towards Reyn.

“Care for a little bit more action?”

“Sure, just let me catch my breath.”

Goten wondered why it was Reyn the elite was particularly interested in. “I’m sorry,” Goten said, “but we aren’t familiar with everyone here yet. What’s your name?”

“Avyera Kesina.”

The other four elites introduced themselves as well, but their names were lost to Goten’s mind almost as soon as they had been uttered. He watched Avyera taking his royal armor off. It seemed that the armor really was a pain in the ass while sparring.

When Reyn recovered his strength, Goten, together with the rest of the onlookers, moved to the side and leaned against the wall. The red warning lights appeared and then the force-field was back on, enclosing Reyn and the elite in the same part of the hall where the flight officer and Goten had just sparred. The two of them powered up to twenty thousand.

Reyn wasn’t surprised when Avyera went at him with a flurry of attacks at once. The elite was good and, if it weren’t for Reyn’s enhanced speed, they would have been more or less equal. As it was now, Reyn had an obvious advantage and the fight was going in his favor.

The third-class sprang sideways to avoid the elite’s fist and had enough time to retaliate with a kick of his own. Avyera was thrown sideways but managed to turn over and land on his feet. He scowled at the throb in his right side. He charged at Reyn again but that resulted in a painful blow to the face. He whirled around and, suddenly powering up, punched the third-class. Reyn’s back hit the force-field with a loud, painful thud.

To indicate a sudden, high increase in power levels, Goten’s scouter beeped belatedly, and he rolled his eyes. “That’s not exactly what I call fair,” he muttered. That had probably been the elite’s goal all along. This was some kind of planned bullying or maybe Avyera was an incredible asshole in general.

Even while being momentarily stunned and dazed, Reyn powered up immediately. He was not a moment too soon since the elite was already on him, punching him. The abrupt increase in Reyn’s ki had created a buffer that absorbed most of the hit, Avyera’s fist tapping lightly against the third-class’s face.

Reyn’s ki surged up even higher in response, and one of the observing elites started making his way towards the nearest control panel on the wall. He stopped in his tracks when Goten’s fingers wrapped around the back of his collar. The guard hadn’t even felt Goten move, and the amount of ki the youngster was currently emitting made his scouter beep hysterically in alarm.

“I’d appreciate it if you let them sort it out on their own,” Goten said softly but firmly, tugging the elite away from the wall. He let go and turned to the other three elite guards, but he needn’t have bothered – the men were just standing, motionless. Goten offered them a mirthless smile and an approving nod. His smile slipped when Avyera’s body was suddenly flung into the force-field, passed it, and hit the wall at the opposite end of the hall.

Reyn whooshed by the force-field after Avyera, but the elite was stuck halfway in the wall and was unconscious. The third-class turned around.

“Anyone else?”

Goten waved at him a bit uncertainly. Reyn really looked as if he was ready to pick a fight with all the guards. “It’s alright, enough,” Goten said. “You’ve passed their little test of courage.”

For a few moments, Reyn stared at the younger male, then shook off the violent feeling directed towards Goten. He grunted unpleasantly. “But those idiots haven’t passed mine yet.”

“What’s going on here?”

His mind already coming up with dozens of possible excuses, Goten turned around and saluted Trunks Vegeta. Then a sudden rush of anger engulfed Goten, and his mind gave up.

“We’re settling in, Your Highness,” Goten spat, feeling more and more pissed off by every passing second. He would have added a few more sentences but didn’t dare argue with his former shaii in front of an audience.

Reyn didn’t answer anything. He just stood saluting and staring somewhere behind the prince. Furious beyond belief, didn’t trust himself to speak.

“Are you?” the prince drawled indifferently. “Well, continue, then. Don’t let me detain you.”

Trying not to show how much self-control it cost him not to power up in response to the third-classes’ abnormal ki, the prince’s eyes slid over the elite still stuck in the wall. The man was bleeding and, presuming from the unnatural position a few of his limbs were arranged in, was broken in general. The prince turned back to the third-classes. Did Goten even realize that, currently, his power level was close to three hundred thousand? With that amount of ki he could easily level the palace to the ground. His boyfriend’s was close to a hundred, but that, according to the data he had studied previously, was normal.

He motioned at one of the four elites. “Kailan, get the doctors here.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the guard said, rushing to the door.

With one last glance at the third-classes, the prince turned to go. “I’d like to have a word with you two. After you’re done settling in, that is. We wouldn’t want to interrupt this essential procedure after all, would we?”

The prince left the hall, and Goten with Reyn glanced at each other. The adrenaline rush was still coursing through their bodies, and their minds were chaotic. Yet, they realized one thing – they had finally gotten an opportunity to talk to the prince. At once, Goten was skeptical about the outcome, but they had to try.

The third-classes powered down and started donning their armor. They helped each other with the clasps, Reyn put his scouter back on, and they left the training hall. Once outside, the third-classes realized that they didn’t know where they were meant to find the prince. Did he have some kind of an office or was it his chambers they were supposed to go to? Finally, they decided to ask the captain. Amren was surprised by their request, and that was clearly visible on his face. He asked them straight away why they needed to see the prince but, since Goten said that it had been an order, couldn’t interfere no matter what kind of stupidity he thought Reyn and Goten had gotten themselves into. No sooner than the third-classes had left, Amren was informed about one of the royal guard’s injuries.

The third-classes went to the main building and, after a short discussion with one of the guards stationed there, were shown to the prince’s chambers. This time they had more time to look around but, worried about the upcoming conversation, they were hardly aware of their surroundings. They followed the guard to the chambers without really taking in the furniture or carpeting or anything else for that matter.

Goten knocked and, after receiving permission to enter, opened the door. His eyes fell on the prince in the middle of the room at once. The second heir to the throne was engaged, making or receiving a call via his scouter, talking rapidly. Busily, he waved something unclear to the third-classes, and, without a clue what he meant, they stayed standing at the door.

Listening in to the call, Goten looked around. His former shaii was giving orders concerning some kind of shipment and a carrier. The room they had entered wasn’t as lavish as he had expected. With relief, Goten realized that this was not the room he could remember himself dying in.

The prince’s room was spacious, but there weren’t many things in it. There was a large TV screen on the opposite wall from the door. In the middle of the room, there was a couch with a glass coffee table in front of it. A cupboard next to the window held varicolored bottles of liquor, as well as a bunch of glasses and, on the lower shelves, a few rows of books.

There was one more door leading to, most likely, the bedroom. On the right side of the door, one of Harada’s numerous paintings hung. This time it was a squadron of Saiyan spaceships engaging an enemy close to Earth, defending it. It had clearly been Harada’s cheesy but genial gift to the prince.

There were two potted plants: a cactus on the desk and some kind of a large-leafed palm sitting in the corner by the window, next to the cupboard with liquor. It was bearing some yellowish fruit. Goten wondered if it was edible. It certainly looked tasty.

“As soon as you’re done with your inspection…” the prince said to Goten, waiting, an amused smile on his face.

“Oh,” Goten said, his eyes leaving the palm with the fruit. Embarrassed, he saluted. He hadn’t even heard when the prince had finished his call.

The prince motioned the third-classes to the couch. While the men were getting comfortable or, in this case, even more stressed, he went to the cupboard to get a bottle of white wine and glasses. In silence, where awkward shifting of bodies and the squeaking of leather was heard, the prince carried everything to the table and started filling the glasses.

Reyn took his when offered, but Goten shook his head. “Thank You, Your Highness, but I don’t drink on duty.”

Reyn gave his glass a suspicious look while the prince scowled at Goten. The prince felt shocked and, most of all, hurt. He knew that, mainly, Goten had refused the wine because he was angry and wanted to make a point, and yet, no matter how much he had deserved it, it hurt.

“Don’t insult me,” the prince said. “Your work hours are over. Do you think I poisoned the wine just like in your dream?” Again, he waited for Goten to take his glass, but Goten didn’t.

“Oh, no, Your Highness, not poison,” Goten said, waving his hands in front of him, giving the most innocent smile he was able to muster. “Not me at least,” he said with a meaningful look at Reyn, who now had no intention of drinking his wine either. “But I would not be surprised if, after drinking, I were to wake up someplace else.”

The prince rolled his eyes. “Now you aren’t being fair.” Since it didn’t seem like there was even a tiny chance that Goten would take his glass, the prince set it onto the table.

“If we talk about being fair, Your Highness,” Goten drawled, taking malicious pleasure at the obvious signs that the prince felt awkward and uncomfortable, “it was You who brought us to this palace and threw us together with a ton of elites who hate our guts.”

The prince waved this off dismissively. He took a chair from the nearby desk and sat down in front of the third-classes. “After today’s demonstration, they’ll be kissing your asses. By the way, you fooled me nicely back on the base.”

Goten gave him a confused and annoyed look. “Huh? The hell Your Highness is talking about?”

Goten’s sarcastic and mocking way of talking was grating on the prince’s nerves but he chose to ignore it for now; it was his own fault after all. “Back then, when you pretended it was impossible for your ki to reach three hundred thousand.”

Goten’s face became even more confused look, then he shrugged. “I don’t get it.”

The prince rolled his eyes. “Well, of course.” He took Goten’s discarded glass and sipped from it. “So any progress concerning those dreams?”

“Oh, yes, Your Highness. A very triumphant progress - at the rate things are going, soon half of the palace will be inclined to play out that particular dream. Could I humbly suggest Your Highness to let us go before everyone here unites their powers in realization of those dreams?”

“Don’t you think their intentions will just follow you to wherever you go?”

“And whose fault is that, Your Highness?” Reyn said, not managing to ignore the conversation anymore. There was just something absurd in the situation. The way Goten and the prince were spitting at each other like Mr. Elite at a mirror was ridiculous, and yet, he could not help but add to the general feeling of irritated discontentment.

The prince turned to Reyn. “I didn’t give you permission to speak,” he said curtly.

Goten’s eyes narrowed in disdain; the prince was being downright unfair and insulting to Reyn. “If he is not allowed to speak, then I’ve got nothing to say either.” He stood up abruptly, turned around, and started walking towards the door.

“Where are you going?” the prince grunted in disbelief. “I didn’t give you permission to leave. Wait!”

Goten flipped him off.

Wide-eyed, the prince stared at the door that had just closed behind Goten. In a few seconds, he became aware of Reyn trying to hold in his laughter. The third-class was obviously uncomfortable and apprehensive and yet, he could not help feeling amused. The prince glared at him.

“Your Highness,” Reyn said softly, ignoring the icy blue in those eyes, “I hope that, at this point, You will forgive my insolence and will share Your insight with me.”

To hide his embarrassment, the prince sipped his wine. “You mean it will be you sharing your insight, right?”

Reyn nodded. “Your Highness, I won’t repeat all the thoughts which, I’m certain, You keep recycling to Yourself. Let me ask one question instead. What can You promise him?”

The prince’s lips pressed into a tiny dash. Despite Reyn stating that he wouldn’t repeat the thoughts that kept continuously whirling in his head, he still mentioned one. What kind of future did he and Goten have? This question had been a constant in his mind. He couldn’t promise anything to Goten; they had no future. It wasn’t possible, and yet he kept entertaining the potential solutions over and over. More than anything, he wanted them to come true.

Wistfully, Reyn watched the prince. Just as he had thought, the prince had myriads of doubts about his and Goten’s improbable relationship. Even through his cold exterior Reyn could see how much he liked Goten and how much he was hurt every time Goten discarded his words and intentions.

“Promises…” the prince snorted with contempt. “With the way the things are going, we’ll be lucky if we last one more month. I can’t promise him anything, but neither can you.”

Reyn stared at him in shock. “That bad?” he muttered, forgetting all about honorifics.

The prince nodded. “That bad,” he repeated. “That abominable dream or not, there’s not much to expect. It’s very likely that most of us will be dead pretty soon anyway.”

Reyn watched him quietly. That was obviously the main reason why the prince had chosen to ignore Goten’s dream and his attempts to distance himself. A few weeks or days here or there…they were still doomed. And yet, who was he to decide when and how? Ah, yes, he was their prince.

“All the more, Your Highness,” Reyn said suddenly. “You can’t make this work anyway. Trying to fence him in, forcing him into guilty pleasure? Surely, You are above that. Do You want him to spend his last days in limbo? Let him go and bring some kind of conclusion to this.”

“I refuse.”

Reyn felt like punching him. They stared at each other, hating each other, wishing the other would give in.

“Everything you say is true,” the prince said finally. “However, at this point I’m not strong enough to let him go.”

Reyn pursed his lips in disgust. No, the prince was strong enough, he was just too selfish and desperate. How in the universe did Goten manage to addle his brain so much? This had to be a special talent.

“Is that all?” the prince said.

‘You tell me,’ Reyn said in his head. “Your Highness was the one to tell us to come,” he pointed out loudly.

“Ah, yes, I wanted to tell you not to power up so high. Pass it to Goten as well, will you? There’s no need to send men to the sickbay.”

Reyn saluted. “Understood, Your Highness. I’m sorry for causing trouble.”

When Reyn left, the prince finished his glass of wine in one gulp and fell into the couch with a sigh. He felt annoyed, hurt, and ashamed of himself all at once. He had to commend Goten on choosing his men. He rather liked Reyn and, were they not rivals, would probably like him even more. Reyn was not going to give up without a fight. The prince could understand why. Besides the fact that he obviously liked Goten, Goten was his equal. Goten was just like him, a third-class, but was just as or even more powerful. Reyn was going to fight tooth and nail for him. The problem was that Goten’s stance was very similar. They had a mutual understanding and looked out for each other. That was most annoying.

Despite the age gap between them, they had good chemistry, and it made the prince feel even guiltier for interfering. Reyn, naturally, was of the opinion that him chasing Goten was unfair and arrogant. He could have anyone of similar abilities to his own, elite, class. And here he was trying to take Goten away from Reyn. Of course the man would be possessive and hostile.

ooOoOoOoo

When he saw Reyn leave the prince’s chambers, Goten pushed himself off the wall and gave Reyn an amused look. He had waited for about fifteen minutes.

“So you two had a chat?” he wondered. “This kinda completely nullifies my attempt to make a point, not to mention makes me feel stupid for walking out like that.”

Reyn rolled his eyes. He started walking down the corridor, and Goten joined him. “He got your point no problem. He even got my point no problem. The trouble is that he doesn’t care.”

Goten nodded. He had expected nothing different.

“And I do get the feeling that you don’t particularly want him to care either.”

Goten turned to him abruptly, his eyes flashing. “Now, wait a moment, how did you come to this concl-”

The older man patted Goten on the head comfortingly, and, not finishing the sentence, Goten gave Reyn an annoyed look.

“It’s fine, really. I know you’re stupidly in love with him. As long as you don’t become as blind and desperate as he has become… I’m proud of your loyalty as it is.”

Goten didn’t have anything to say to that. Awkwardly, he traipsed behind the older male, then just followed him quietly. Making excuses or trying to explain wasn’t going to work since Reyn was telling the truth. It didn’t sit well with Goten, but there was nothing he could do.

It was late when they returned to their room. Both of them were tired. Reyn fed the cat, and Goten washed him and his box. The cat didn’t even seem to protest as much anymore. Goten hoped that there wouldn’t be a problem with the other residents about the cat in the bathroom. On the other hand, as long as Mr. Elite didn’t stink, he doubted anyone would care.

ooOoOoOoo

Goten woke up just before his alarm clock went off. Yawning, he groped around on the bedside cabinet for his scouter and turned the alarm off. Next to him, Reyn rolled on his back with a short dissatisfied groan.

Yesterday events came back with a rush, and Goten covered his face with his hands. He had no words to name yesterday’s encounter with the prince. Instead of discussing it calmly and laying out all the facts… True, they had been tired and lost but… The hell had it been about?

“Feeling bad about yesterday?”

Goten nodded and, through the grating of his fingers, looked at Reyn. “I think I was hysterical.”

Reyn chuckled. “All of us were.”

“Oh, gods, so embarrassing.”

Reyn laughed again. His laughter stopped abruptly, though. “Never mind that. He told us that we can hold out for no more than for a month.”

“Uh? What…?”

“Against the Ice-jins.”

Goten moved his hands away from his face and stared at him wide-eyed. “What? Seriously?”

Reyn nodded, and, thinking, Goten turned his head to stare at the ceiling. They had known it was bad, but not this bad. He had been so lost in his own little drama that he had forgotten to look at the bigger picture. “A month, huh?” he repeated.

“At best.”

And then all of them were going to die. There wasn’t even a question about that. Vegeta House wasn’t going to run. It was every Saiyan’s duty to defend its members, the core of Saiyan society. They were going to die performing their duty.

“Well, I do hope I die in battle instead of in a bed,” Goten concluded.

“I hope we don’t die, but yeah, if it comes to that…”

“Aren’t we going to be late?” Goten wondered, not showing any intention of getting up.

Reyn sniggered. “Yes, the fountain might have sprouted legs and run away.”

“Meow!”

The third-classes fell silent.

“Meoooooow! Meeeeoooow!”

“Is that coming from the bathroom?” Goten wondered quietly.

“Did you forget to let him out?”

“Uh. Could be?” Goten said, getting up. He rushed toward the bathroom to let Mr. Elite out before the cat could wake the whole palace and came face to face with his neighbor.

“What the hell is that noise?” the elite demanded, looking around. Like Goten, he was only in his underwear.

“Ugh, that’s our pet. Sorry,” Goten said, opening the bathroom door a fraction. Two yellow eyes appeared in the crack.

“What the hell is this?” the elite wondered, the sight of the glowing eyes making him lean away from the door. “Is it dangerous?”

“It’s just a cat. No danger whatsoever.”

“What does it do?”

“Err… Nothing.”

The elite contemplated this for a few seconds. “Why do you keep it, then?”

“It’s like a potted plant, but better,” Goten explained. “It can walk.”

“…And shit, and make horrendous noise, and scratch, and stink, and eat a ton,” Reyn added, appearing in the doorway. “Hurry up, will you? At this rate, the fountain really will sprout legs.”

“If you want my advice,” the elite started, pointing at Mr. Elite through the crack in the door, “you’d…”

“No we don’t,” Reyn cut him off. “But thank you nonetheless. We apologize for the noise.” He opened the door to their room as wide as it went. “Well?”

Carefully, Goten opened the bathroom door. Mr. Elite hesitated for a moment, snuck out into the corridor, sniffed the air carefully, turned around, and returned into the bathroom.

“Can I kick him?” Goten asked hopefully.

“Sure.”

“That’s one stupid pet,” their elite neighbor concluded before returning to his own room.

ooOoOoOoo

In the shade, Goten exhaled blissfully and turned onto his side, the grass making a pleasant crispy sound. He yawned – he lacked sleep again. The weather was fantastic – it was somewhat cooler than yesterday but just as sunny. It probably couldn’t get any better than this. There were even some kinds of little birds flitting from one branch to another, singing their throats out. Pure idyllic bliss.

Next to him, Reyn turned a page over and continued reading. He was already half-way through his course book.

“I think I’ll go to take a look at that swimming pool in the evening,” Goten ventured. “I really want to see what it’s like. Do you want to come with me?”

Reyn’s eyes left the page to give Goten’s relaxed posture a reproachful look.

“We are supposed to meet the lecturer in Royal Law.”

Goten rolled his eyes. “Pah. What’s there to learn about it? They order, we obey.”

“Don’t be an ass.”

“You’re surprisingly okay with all this,” Goten accused him. He rolled over on his stomach. “You…”

“Shut your fucking mouth!” Reyn snapped at him. “You know perfectly well how ‘okay’ I am with all this! I’ve been putting up with your bullshit all this time. Don’t you dare say a word to me!”

For a few moments, Goten stared at him then rolled on his back again. It was best to keep quiet for now. With time, this was going to get only worse. Reyn was frustrated with his inability to do anything about the situation. It was only natural when faced with a rival he wasn’t able to deal with on equal terms. The prince had driven them into a corner, they were running out of time, and Reyn was taking his frustrations out on the closest person available.

“And if you’re having second thoughts about all this, you’d better tell me now.”

“Stop exaggerating. The only thing I said was that you’re eager to undergo this damn training.”

“I know perfectly well what you said!”

“Fine.”

“It’s not fine!”

“Ugh. Well, what do you want me to do?”

Reyn was quiet for some time. “I’ve got no idea, but it pisses me off! How about you punch him?”

Goten rolled his eyes at the sky. “I’ve done that already. It seems to have had the opposite effect.”

“Huh?” Reyn grunted after a pause. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, I don’t remember why I punched him, though.”

“You punched one of the Vegetas, and you can’t remember why?”

“Um, I think he did something stupid or insulted me.”

Reyn chuckled. “Same thing.” His eyes were drawn to his book where a wet spot spread on the page. “Hmm?” he hummed, raising his head to the sky. It was still sunny, but a few darker clouds were edging their way over the sky. “Is it about to rain?” A few more tiny droplets fell onto the book, and he raised his ki-shield to protect himself and the book from the rain.

Goten rubbed at his left eye, where a raindrop fell in. “Why don’t they keep the shield up?”

“I suppose they have to water that myriad of plants somehow,” Reyn muttered. “Stupid fucks.”

“Yep, now we need an invasion,” Goten agreed with him, raising his ki-shield as well. “You know, you can spar with him. His defense is lacking, and, if you agree on a certain amount of ki, you’d surely total him. That should make you feel a bit better.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Reyn grunted. “He won’t agree to these terms.”

“Oh, he will.”

“He does know about the project, doesn’t he? He was the one to tell you, right?”

“Yeah, but he won’t refuse.” Goten felt he was grinning. “I can promise you that.”

Reyn closed the book. This talk was annoying him more and more. He knew Goten meant well, but, instead, he was making him jealous. He was becoming increasingly aware of how much the two knew about each other and to which extent their feelings corresponded. And he could not forbid them to see each other. He could not even tell Goten to end it because there was nothing he could end. And yet, there was an obvious and huge something.

The rain was increasing, and the third-classes got to their feet, thickening their shields. Absently, Goten watched water hitting Reyn’s shield and cascading down to the ground over the invisible walls. The smell coming from the wet ground and grass was most alluring. The rain continued belting their ki-shields for about half an hour then started lessening, and the sky became clear again.

TBC