The Nature of Moonlight

Chapter 12

One year later...

The answer arrived on a Monday. Whis delivered it personally to Vegeta in the middle of lunch with Goku and Bulma. He held in his gloved hands the scroll of parchment, preserved in place with a blood red wax seal, sporting the insignia of the House of Sadala. In some places, he recognized his own handwriting done in rich black pen, words like t'sha'to and ch'ue and mah'kha'or, done with impeccable penmanship, as immaculate as the King of Sadala's.

He pushed a finger under the seal and the paper unfurled easily in front of him, landing right on the table.

His initial letter to King Sadala rested before him. Vegeta flipped it onto its back and saw a two-worded, one lined answer to his request, similar to the one he gave the King more than a year ago that fateful day.

Ku'jalo, ta'fr'utu. Of course, fellow Saiyan, brother.

Goku chose that moment to peek over Vegeta's shoulder. Unlike then, he didn't ask 'what,' but a sharp, excited, "Sweet!"

"Had you any doubt, Kakarot?"

"I know, but still!" He watched his mah'kha turn to his perplexed urave sitting across from them, his animated arms flailing all over the place. "They said yes, Bulma! It's happening!"

"What is?"

"The t'sha'to phe'hi! The thing like marriage that isn't marriage but it kinda is!"

He loved the look on her face—that beaming grin, her big blue eyes sparkling like water droplets. The elation in her shout of, "That's great, Goku!"

"The crown princess also asked me to give you this," Whis said, handing over to Goku a thin blue book with gold trimmings. "It apparently has all the details you will need for this event."

"If there isn't food, I'm not going," Beerus muttered in between chews of dark chocolate mousse.

Goku took the book from Whis, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Even if there isn't, I'll make sure there is! Did they say when we have to be there by?"

Whis nodded. "About twenty-four hours from now, I believe."

As one, both Bulma and Goku shouted on top of their lungs, "WHAT?!" Their voices soon overlapped each other. "I have to test out three students tomorrow!" "I have a massive project due tomorrow!" "I can't disappoint them, they've trained so hard!" "I don't have anyone who could finish this for me, no one's as good as me, dammit!" "Oh man the kids are going to be so disappointed." "Oh God I'm going to lose this contract." "Maybe Piccolo can do it?" "Maybe dad can do it?" "He could bring Pan if Gohan and Videl are okay with it!" "Maybe if I leave him notes he can figure out the rest of it." "What if he's not interested?" "What if he's too busy?" "Oh man—!" "UGH—!"

His loud cough stopped the two of them dead.

They turned to him at the end of the table, where Vegeta simply opened the book to the first page, slid it over to Goku and said, "Kakarot, start interpreting." Then turned to Bulma and said, "Bulma, write down everything he says." Finally, he turned to Whis, who gave him an amused look, his lips curled into a smile around a spoonful of pudding he was halfway through. "Whis, please tell the King later we will be there in time."

Whis chuckled, popping the spoon out of his mouth. He nodded to him. "As you wish, Prince Vegeta."

When he turned back to Bulma and Goku, they shouted as one: "BUT—!"

"Woman, your father built this company, he can finish a measly project, no matter how complicated, and Kakarot, if the Namekian won't do it, someone else will, because they all quite frankly owe you. Now, get to work, you two. And Lord Beerus—" He turned to the God of Destruction and said, "Eat as much food as you'd like, for as long as you wish, until whatever inconvenience or annoyance my mah'kha and urave have brought upon you is rectified."