Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ do ut des ❯ ruined plan ( Chapter 10 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

There was a strange atmosphere this evening, familiar smells lingered in the air. An antic smell, vague and dusty, yet comforting in its acquaintance.

I had spent the remains of the day with a well deserved sleep. And when I woke up I felt much better, and I had found the source of energy to continue this day. Which was good, because Bulma's plan was still waiting for us.

The sun was about to set, and the air was still soft and slightly tanned. Swirls of clouds, pink and orange, were sucked down with the downfall of the sun. And I felt bound to cherish this moment.

A smile graced my lips and I opened my arms and circled over our path, as the little girl I once was, and often still long to be.

"What's up with you?" Chi Chi asked amazed, and slightly sarcastic, as she was in a less better mood. The raven-haired Vestal Virgin was nervous to confront the soldier again.

"How can you just jump around happily with that leg of yours." Unlike Bulma, who remained confident over the cause.

"It think it's healed." And I thought it was, even though I was still a bit secure when I touched the ground for the first time again. I didn't want to try and lean on it with full pressure, but I was still able to walk-though it might look a bit clumsy.

Bulma continued her everlasting sarcasm. "I think you bumped your head a bit too hard on those stones."

I turned around and glanced over her, thinking desperately of a comeback. I knew she was just kidding with me, but then again, even kids have competitions. A shadow casted over the two women, and I realized that we had entered the forest. The antic smell was replaced by the smell of fresh leaves. I ignored the urge to rub my arms, as the air dropped in degrees in the darkness of the shadows.

I was just about to say something about Bulma's hair, that it was 'tied up to look good for mister mighty', when Chi Chi interrupted me.

"Bulma, do you really think the plan will work?" The Vestal was clearly unconvinced, which you could see at her whole appearance. Her hair was tied up, rather messy, and her expression was that of doubt. The edge of her tunica, we had all decided not to wear our expensive stola's to a forest trip anymore-except for Bulma who claimed that it would look proffesional, was turned around. End the basket, filled with a meal as payment for Goku's help, was nervously being tossed back and forth-in an unbalanced pace.

Just looking at her, would give you the urge to bite your nails.

I looked questionly at Bulma, I really didn't know what to think about it. And now that Chi Chi gave me the impression that it is a lost cause, Bulma had to restore the balance by telling me otherwise.

"Of course it will work!" Bulma exclaimed, putting her arms akimbo. "I have him wrapped around my little finger."

"I hope so Bulma," She sighed and was still unconvinced. "I really hope so."

The conversation ended, and nothing but silence remained. Scared that the little hope we had, would be scattered when words were uttered in the new, and fresh forest air.

~ ~ ~

It was wise not to draw to much attention. We we're always welcome, everywhere and at anytime. Since some saw us as priestresses, many tried to be on our good side. A light conversation and small chat seemed for them the only way to cross the line. It was always unnerving for me, talking to strangers just wasn't my style. Neither was it Chi Chi's, it had always been Albruna, Bulma and Claudia who could get along with strangers. Ganna used to have a quick tongue and a fierce attitude that she, unlike Bulma, failed to fake on the most important times. Either way, explanations and conversation were things to be eluded, as if they were traps that would chain us down. So we decided to split up and enter the camp one by one, in order to avoid questions and sneak by unnoticed.

Bulma would leave at first, going straight ahead to Vegeta's quarters. Next would go Chi Chi, who would be keeping an eye on the baby, waiting for her cue to leave the camp with the baby unnoticed. I would go last, much like a back-up system, ready to improvise when things would go wrong. First I would be checking up on Bulma, next on Chi Chi. When everything would be alright, I'd retreat in the forest shadows and wait till they left.

I had such a little role in this play of deceive, and yet I was so nervous...

"Ready?" The raven haired Vestal Virgin asked me. Bulma had left a few minutes ago. She didn't seem to be harrassed by conversations in her little journey to the prince's quarters. And all I could do was hope that Chi Chi too could go by unnoticed.

"Yeah, good luck!" She gave me a look that told me that I wasn't the only one being nervous about this. She seemed just as stressed out as I was, and it didn't comfort me at all.

"You too." She added a quick smile before turning away and leaving my sight.

And so I was alone, and the unnerving silence returned once again. Leaving me with my own thoughts.

'It's not going to work.' a voice in my head told me... and it was so hard not to give in. 'It's all going to fail.'

I swallowed as I tried to convince myself other wise, my eyes were alertly fixed on the distance as I waited patiently for the blow to come. 'Everything will be alright.' I closed my eyes and listened to the loaded silence for several minutes.

'No it's not, and you know it.'

My eyes shot open when an unhumain cry in the distance disturbed the silence. And scattered all possible hope at that exact moment.

~ ~ ~

Dark mud was pressed underneath me as I ran towards the camp, fresh footsteps leaving a trail of rush. My breathing was trying hard to keep up with the pounding of my heart, and I was having a hard time to focuss.

Where did that horrible sound came from? The place was deserted, and ghostly quiet all of the sudden.

That cry... felt so incredibly wrong. A scream for mercy, for life, for pain. Who was it that unleashed that cry? Franticly I decided to check out the West side of the camp. I ran between the tents, pinned up with cloats and animal fur, and felt frustrated beyond belief. Somebody life was at risk, please let it not be Chi, Bulma or the baby, and I was lost between the tents... it was still dead silent.

Could it have been my imagination?

I was starting to doubt the situation, when the next cry affirmed it. The sound was coming from the North, just as soon as it came, it had left. I quickly sprinted, while I repeated the sound in my head. It could not be Bulma, Chi Chi or the baby, I realized, since their voices were too high to produce such a cry. No, it was a man. But who? I knew no man that had done something wrong... except for Philippus, and if it was him I would have no need to get involved.

I slowed down when my thoughts hovered over the situation once again. Why was it my business if our soldiers were torturing an enemy... that's what they did, it was their job.

I was at the point of turning around and walk back to my position, when I froze at the familiar cry. My head shot up as I realized the closeness of the situation. In front of me was a mope of soldiers, standing around their victim.

It was the feeling that scared me, the premonition that something was about to go very wrong. That the victim, whoever it was, should not be in the centre of the circle.

It felt so incredibly wrong.

'It's not my business.' and it wasn't... but I decided to take a peek, just to calm my thoughts, just to be sure it wasn't anybody familiar.

When I reached the circel, rather hesitantly, the soldiers on the side paid me no attention. I tried to peek through the armors and muscles, but I could see nothing. Another cry followed, and I was slightly panicking... as somewhere in the back of my head I recognised the voice where it belonged to.

"Get out of my way!", I exclaimed, trying to make my way through. Several soldiers glanced at me surprised. And some stepped away in their first reaction.

I took the opportunity to push myself through the crowd. And suddenly there was no more.

I had wringed my way through them, and now they were all looking at me surprised... I felt out of place and took a step backwards, scanning the area once more for a familiar face- and tripped over something.

I felt on the ground, and there my eyes crossed the view of three other eyes.

I gasped in awe.

It was the ranger.

~ ~ ~

Suddenly I was picked up by two strong arms and, after an excuse was murmered, I was thrown over a shoulder and leaded away from the crowd of stunned soldiers.

But his gaze did not leave me. His eyes followed me, astonished and in shame.

His cloathes were torn, his leg twisted. His face was bruised, and the area around his left eye was red and puffy. I briefly wondered if it would bleed when you'd poke a nail in that swallowed tissue. I had the urge to throw up, whether it was of the sight of Tien, or the fact that I was upside down.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, in order to dismiss the picture of the eluded ranger, and to calm my stomic.

It was just starting to work, when the world was turned around once more, and my stomic was flipped around again.

I opened my eyes and recognised the prince standing in front of me, we were in his quarters. Bulma was standing uncomfortably and somewhat shy behind him, she seemed to find the wooden floor rather interesting.

The events of the past 5 minutes were a bit to overwhelming... so I decided to skip over them step by step... Bulma's plan... Scream in the distance... his three eyes... the urge to throw up came back. The sickening feeling coming from the pit of my stomic...

He looked so beaten up... so desperate.

I felt as if I suddenly became sober. What they did to the ranger was horrible... why? What had he done to them?

I nervously turned around and glansed back at the circel, that started to break up. The soldiers were leaving him?

"What is your business with the gladiator?" I turned around to meet the harsh glare of the Saiyan Prince, his voice was thick and demanding. I glansed at Bulma questionly, who, after finally looking up, shrugged her shoulders.

Did I ruin the plan?

"Well?" He persuaded, his foot tapping the wooden floor impatiently. His eyes swifting back to the mope, and back again.

"I.."

He looked at me directly as I started to speak, and I paused just as he did that... I was scared of saying the wrong thing. And Bulma wasn't a big of a help either as she seemed to be lost in thought.

"You what?" The tapping of his foot had stopped, and eyes were now fixed on only me, practicly squeezing an answer out of me.

"I had a vision..."

Bulma and Vegeta both lifted an eyebrow at the exact moment, if we were in any other situation it might be funny... but at the moment I couldn't think of anything else than a way to get me out of this whole I was creating.

"I believe that he is the chosen one." My voice was thin and nearly scattering into a hundred pieces... I glanced at Bulma, but the only thing that she mouthed was 'what the hell are you doing?'

As if I had a clue...

"The chosen one...", Vegeta uttered with pure venom,"chosen to be... what exactly?"

'Yeah, to be what, Launch? To be our personal slave? Our coach, our cleaner? Our... '

"Our Pontifex Maximus, of course." I was failing, I knew it. "Philippus is getting old... and-"

Bulma interfered. "Prince Vegeta, please. Shall we continue our coversation? We'll deal with this later on." She waved her hand in a dismissed manner.

I noticed how Vegeta's shoulders tensed when she said "we will deal", and I'm not sure whether he felt disgusted or favored.

Even in this sitaution I managed to feel slighly offended. Which was plainly stupid, since we were all working for the same cause.

Bulma was looking at me with this big exclamation sign, and I knew better than to react.

"As you wish," he glansed over Bulma once more as she took the lead and walked in his quarters. "Vestal, you will stay here."

"Yes sir." I nodded as I sat down on the sofa.

He gave me a nod before stepping behind the red curtains himself.

~ ~ ~

I watched as the movement of the curtains had stopped, and went to sit nervously on the couch that was placed in this hall.

I dropped my head in my hands and closed my eyes. Between the harsh pounding of my head I could faintly hear the soldiers in the distance. They weren't loud... they were rather quiet actually... I guess they did not knew what to do about this situation either.

What will Vegeta expect me to say when he comes back? The chosen one... how the hell did I came up with that?

My thoughts drifted back to that what was happening only a short distance away... he was just laying there, bleeding in the mud.

Then another thought entered my mind... Where was the kid... Chiaotzu? They would not dare to hurt a kid, would they? What did they do them?

'I was a gladiatior once,' I remembered him telling me... he had escaped with the child. Maybe that's why he was here. The soldiers must have found him.

My attention was turned, as I could faintly hear out the hidden conversation behind the curtains.

"So Vestal," Vegeta started. "what kind of urgent news did you want to tell me?" I could make up the words perfectly, and noticed the sarcasm that dripped from his words.

"I came to ask you a favor, Vegeta."

I could hear him pacing around the room.. it was the slight connection of steel against steel that betrayed he who wore the armor. The prince was getting annoyed as his pace quickened, and iron sound rattled on.

"I do not do favors."

"I want you to send Philippus away." I heard the determination in her voice, but I doubted if it would have any effect on the saiyan prince.

The iron sound came to an halt. "Now why would I want to do that?" He spoke with the same determination. "Like I said litle one, I do not do favors."

I was totally shocked by her fast reply. "I did not say you have much of a choise."

She was playing with fire...

It was followed by a cruel chuckle... goosebumps appeared on my skin. "What makes you think, woman, that you have any power over me?"

The plan was failing, I knew it, as I had always known it.

"Because you kissed me, my prince." A slow pause followed. "And I am a Vestal Virgin, forbidded to be touched." Her voice shivered, and it betrayed her.

What was she on to? Did she really think Vegeta would allow this? This is practicly suicide.

I was surprised once again as Vegeta seemed to find it quite amusing; and another chuckle followed.

"Well, well... tell me Vestal, you are going to tell that to...?" I know he stepped closer to Bulma, a mixture of the iron sound and her short gasp. "And do you expect them to believe you?"

"I-I...-"

"And what if they did? Do you think they dare to work against me?" Fortunately he did not wait for an answer. "I'm their prince, little one. I'm their ruler. They worship me, I'm their..."

"If Gods are what they believe in, then they will listen to me just as much as to you, Vegeta. And you know it."

I doubt if he knew, but she did have some point here.

"You are not holy." He hissed.

"And you are no God." Her voice softened, and I knew that she was changing tactics. "But that is something only we know, and we should keep it our little secret."

"Why do you want to get rid of that old man, anyway? So you can look after that little child of yours? O yes, I noticed the child Bulma, and believe me, it is not your place to ask for favors."

We were so screwed. I glansed between the curtains to take a glimp of the scene.

"But," he said. "Since I am such a nice guy, we will make a deal. The people are searching for amusement." His hand trailed over Bulma's face, who shivered at the contact. "And look what I found."

She swallowed.

"We will have a little deal, Vestal."

I held my breath as I waited for the blow to come.

"I will send Philippus away, as you wish. The child can stay at your home, if it is noticed-," He stopped himself, thinking. "It wouldn't matter, because I'll publicize your betrayal later on anyway... You and those other two Vestals will be trained... and then you'll fight..."

"Fight for you freedom..."