Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Trials and Tribulations of Being Royalty ❯ Chapter 21: Forbidden Desires ( Chapter 22 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT or its characters. I do not own any other licensed products that may appear throughout this fan fiction piece. Nor do I own "Glaring Dream," from the anime, Gravitation.

AN: Alright, I know it's been forever, but my computer hard drive crashed, I had two worms infiltrate my computer, and college just started back up. I am determined to finish this story as soon as I can. Enjoy and please, review!

~*~

Chapter 21: Forbidden Desires

The sun set with a brilliant display of crimson and gold, leaving behind the navy blue sky and the twinkling starlight. The surrounding city slowly fell into the darkness, the houselights blinking off as their inhabitants fell into their nightly slumber. However, in the towering castle, the peaceful escape from reality was eluded as the knowledge of the next day and night's events overshadowed their futures.

Gathered together in one of the many rooms of the castle, a small group of friends basked in the warming glow of the fire. Krillin stood poised by the fireplace, examining the ancient treasures that were placed and forgotten upon the room's mantle. Yamcha and Maron were curled up on the antique couch in front of the flickering flames. Silence had fallen upon the three friends, their minds filled with questions and silent wanderings.

Hesitant to break the stillness of the room, Krillin spoke. "Do you think this will really happen?"

"I don't know Krillin, but it seems like it. No one could come up with any idea on how to stop it, and both Chi-Chi and Vegeta are going along with it. Damn it. It's like both of their fathers are ignorant to what they are doing, but really its just that they don't give a damn enough to help them out of it." Yamcha hissed, the bright flames that reflected in his dark eyes illuminating the anger held within them.

Maron calmly placed a hand upon her boyfriend's shoulder, a glistening tear falling from her bright blue eyes. "There's nothing we can do now."

Krillin shook his head vehemently. "We didn't think hard enough. We need to come up with something. Tomorrow is the wedding; we have until midnight tomorrow. It's not over until they both say `I do,' Maron. We just have to think . . . we can't just sit around and do nothing!"

Yamcha noted to the strain in his friend's voice, the inner turmoil raging within each member of their group of friends. Slightly altering the subject, he quietly asked a question that had been plaguing him. "Have you seen Goku around?"

His head falling to the mantle softly as he leaned against the unmoving structure for support, Krillin let out a deep sigh. "No. Ever since he was forced to come here early with Vegeta . . . he's just been so quiet. It's like he doesn't care anymore. Like he couldn't care less that the love of his life is going to marry his best friend. Every time I try to talk to him and tell him not to give up . . . he just mumbles something about his duty . . . about being a Saiyan . . . how none of it matters anymore."

Yamcha and Maron stared at their friend. Neither had known that the usually joyous teen had been reduced to acting as a silently suffering youth. It seemed as if he had given up . . . given up on a fight that never should have existed.

Growling, Yamcha glared at the fire. "If Chi-Chi had never shown her damn face around here, none of this would have happened. I wish she had never come to our school or into our lives. It was so much simpler without that bitch around."

Empty eyes stared at the angry teen as Krillin softly spoke. "And if she had never come, Goku never would have known love." Yamcha's head snapped up, locking eyes with the smaller boy. "Not love like this, Yamcha. This is special . . . better to have tasted than to have never felt at all eh?"

A dead chuckle left their lips as Yamcha sighed, resting his head within his hands, staring into the cold fire that held no answers. "Maybe, or perhaps its better not to have known what he was bound to loose . . ."

~*~

Dull obsidian orbs clashed with an identical pair, trapping the mutual pain in an unending gaze, inner pain and remorse tearing him apart within himself. Yet, his face remained neutral, his stoic expression never lifting for a minute. It was a mask he had perfected years before, one that was desperately needed for the time being. Nothing betrayed his suffering, even as he was alone within his darkened room. He had been trapped behind his mask for so long that he had lost himself within its depths. He no longer knew just who he was, no more than the title he wore and the darkness he projected.

Finally breaking away from the mirror, Vegeta ambled to his ridiculously large four poster bed. Dropping to the smooth silken sheets, he stared at the darkened ceiling above him, willing for sleep to come quickly and trap him within his dreams, giving him a break from the harsh reality he was unable to escape.

Creamy lids closed tightly over painful ebony as he willed himself into oblivion. All the while, the stoic prince was unaware of the single silvery tear that had escaped the mask, falling to its freedom amongst the crimson silk that surrounded him.

~*~

`Don't you understand? There isn't a chance in hell this will stop! No matter what you or I do, that marriage is going to happen regardless. It doesn't care about love . . . just politics . . . people as property.'

"It doesn't . . ." A quiet voice whispered.

`If you don't love her enough to stop this, then what type of a man are you? What ever happened to being the strongest? The most dependable? Do you just not care anymore?'

"I care . . . but what can I do?"

`Fight my son, fight for what you desire. Remember with all of your heart, when you need the strength in the future, it will be there, but if you let go . . . all will be lost."

"But how can I remember when my heart has been destroyed? How can I fight when my strength has been stolen?"

"Someday we'll be together . . . Aishiteru . . ."

"Gomen Chi-Chi . . . I just . . . can't . . ."

Goku stared out into the night, the knowledge of the coming events haunting him. He had given up. There was nothing he could do to even begin to damage the disrepair that they had been placed into. He could not stand against the two sovereigns alone, nor even with all of his friends. Despite his strength, despite being a Super Saiyan, he wasn't strong enough to risk so much and watch his dreams being crushed yet again. He was weak.

A choked sobbed escaped his lips as he pressed his forehead to the cool glass of the window pane. In little more than twenty-four hours, he would watch the woman he had grown to love marry his best friend, the person he saw as a brother. The situation was tearing him up from the inside, voices haunting him. Everything was falling apart. An image of Chi-Chi's bandaged wrists flashed through his mind.

Anger well up within him, chasing away his tears. He had seen the mangled flesh that had been hidden by the white bandages. He had caressed the blood red slices that she had created in an escape from reality. He had watched hem close, slipping into fresh pink scars and fading to pale white lines that would forever mark her own attempt at stopping the upcoming marriage the only way she knew possible only to fail.

With his anger, he could feel his Saiyan instincts and power rising as well. Basic instincts of his race called for him to make a challenge for his own possession. In his culture, if there was a claim, it had the right to be challenged. However, years on Earth had dulled those instincts, only to have them come raging back at the upcoming loss of Chi-Chi. Golden energy began to crackle around his fist as the transformation to the Legendary Super Saiyan began.

Flickering green and ebony eyes closed as he took in a deep breath, slipping into a light mediation, willing away the power and anger. He knew that this was no time to do anything rash. If he were to formulate a plan, he would have to make sure it worked. Time was almost out, and if he wanted to repair his ravaged future, he would have to act quickly and accurately, no mistake was allowed.

As the clock struck midnight, Goku strode from the confines of his room with determined strides, intent on finding a way to put a stop to the events that would permanently destroy his life in exactly twenty four hours.

~*~

Bulma watched as Goku stormed from his room, brushing past her without the slightest glance back. Cloudy blue eyes watched as he turned the corner, heading for a destination that eluded her. Quietly, she turned and made her way through the dark hallways and corridors, stealthily avoiding the guards who roamed the castle and the tell tale flashing red lights of the security cameras.

Even with her vast resources and extensive mind, she had come up with no valid and legal reason for the union of royalty to occur. She had put her heart and soul into her research, sacrificing precious chance hours with Vegeta in order to search for the answers to her questions. In the end, she was left with frazzled nerves, chewed up nails, a dozen half baked plan, and little hope.

Sighing, she paused at the ebony door before her. Quickly glancing around, she quietly knocked upon the door. Hearing the deep voice from the other side, she slipped into the dark room, disappearing from the single unseen camera that focused upon the dark doorway.

~*~

The stars zipped by as Juuhachi stared out the small window from the plane that was headed to the Maou kingdom. She and her brother had been delayed by an important seminar of their father's, making their appearance at their friends' wedding later than the rest of their friends.

Narrow ice blue eyes traveled to study the darker counterpart of the blonde female. Juunana had been relatively silent in his objections to the upcoming marriage of their friend, respecting the wishes of the royal couple. They both knew the importance of duty and responsibility and neither had gone as far as to speak more about it.

Juunana, still getting over the sudden breakup between Bulma and himself, easily acknowledged Chi-Chi's responsibility to her people. She had been born and raised for a future as its ruler, the people of her kingdom depending upon a successful marriage and subsequent rein to sustain them. Those burdens had been upon the girl from birth, something she could not escape without guilt haunting her. The dark haired male understood her point of view, despite his lack of a close relationship with the future Queen.

However, when it came to Vegeta, Juunana could not help but be slightly jealous of the amount of attention he had always gathered from Bulma. He had fallen for the blue haired beauty in junior high, slowly working up his courage to ask her out. Just as he had been prepared to approach her, Vegeta had shown up, stealing away her heart. Despite all of that, he had prided himself on building a strong friendship with the girl. After the breakup, he had once again gathered himself, successfully dating her . . . until Vegeta had shown up again.

In ways, Juunana had relished in the knowledge that Vegeta had shared in the heartbreaking realization he could not be with the one he desired. Thinking back to his initial reaction to the announcement of engagement between Chi-Chi and Vegeta, guilt rose over his being. He had seen the damaging consequences, ones he could not bear to wish upon even his worst of enemies. Instead, he had focused upon providing extensive amounts of comfort to Bulma, who had been hit rather hard at the events, hiding the pain behind a façade of determination. Determination that had been waning . . .

A small smile played upon Juuhachi's countenance, knowing that her brother's mind was still focused upon her best friend. She had always known of his `crush' on the blue haired genius, just as she had known from the beginning of their relationship that her friend had given her heart to the short tempered prince, never having it returned.

Juuhachi was in no way an optimist. She saw things as they were, never dressing up the situation. She had known that Bulma would eventually realize her continuing feelings for Vegeta, just as he would eventually have to act on them. She had known that Chi-Chi would play the catalyst in their relationship, eventually falling for Goku. Her mind was almost mechanical, working on fact and probability. And deep down, she knew that no matter what her genius friend tried, the wedding would happen. The plain fact of the situation was that nothing could put a stop to the event . . . at least nothing they were capable of. The future remained in the hands of the Kings and their children, even if the younger pair had no knowledge of this.

Two pairs of identical wintry orbs locked in a strong gaze, their emotionless eyes conveying their thoughts to the other without the slightest flicker in their icy blue depths. A loud voice rang through the cabin, causing the two to look away, reaching for their buckles in preparation for landing.

A sardonic smile danced upon her lips as Juuhachi shot a look to her brother out of the corner of her eye. "Get ready, Brother . . . its going to be a bumpy ride." Each knowing that her words were not of the plane's landing, but of the world they were about to walk into.

~*~

A bitter chill crept up her spine as she slowly made her way through the dimly lit hallway. Pushing back a loose lock of ebony, Chi-Chi glanced over her shoulder, feeling the gaze of sinister eyes that danced over her. Self consciously, she tightened her black silk robe around her, hurrying her step in an attempt to escape the unease that plagued her.

Her heart raced, thumping loudly against her chest. Her breathing became heavy, coming out in gasps as her senses enhanced, waiting for the clues of the danger she could feel around her. Obsidian eyes widened as she looked around, trying to reassure herself that nothing was there, that she was safe. She had always been terrified of walking the halls of her home at night, her imagination calling for the monsters that dwelled in the shadows of the passages of the castle to expose themselves and attack her.

Even now, the dim light played with the dark contrasts of the shadows, creating an illusion of movement. Unable to push away her childish fears, she sprinted down the hall, rushing to her familiar bedroom door. Once inside, she slammed the thick door closed, locking it to ensure her safety. Falling against the solid frame, she allowed a sigh of relief to pass from her lips as she waited for her heart to slow down.

nigiyaka no hitogomi ni tokeru tsubuyaki ga

ashi moto ni chirabatta omoide nijimaseru

The whisper that dissolves into the bustling crowd

makes the memories scattered underfoot blur together.

Slowly, Chi-Chi glided through her familiar surroundings, dropping the papers her father had given to her onto her vanity, not bothering to place the crystal rose paperweight on them, hoping the winds would blow them away. Removing her black silk robe, she draped the article of clothing onto her bed, her fingers dancing along the matching silk of her gown. She pushed a lock of ebony behind her ears as she headed to adjoining door into the bathroom.

mayoi aruku machi no kagayaki wa glaring one way

kogo e sou na boku o terasu

The blazing of the street where I walk about lost (glaring one way)

illuminates me as coldly as though it freezes.

Sinking into the steaming water of her black marble tub, she allowed her body and mind to relax for the first time in what seemed to be ages. A dull pounding made its presence known as it increased in intensity. Her well manicured fingers slowly made circles at the temple in an attempt to sooth away the headache. The stress had increased with every passing day. Even seeing her `friends' had been unable to alleviate the weight she carried upon her shoulder and within her heart.

tsumetai toki ga yume o furaseru kono te no naka o suri nukete

negai kazoo e mezame ta toki ni yureru maboroshi ni kimi ga utsuru

boku o michibiku kasu kana shiruetto

The cold times make dreams fall like rain and slip through my hands.

When I woke up from the countless wishes, you are reflected in a shimmering

illusion - -

the silhouette whose faint smile leads me along.

Half lidded eyes struggled to stay awake, knowing that her dreams would be filled with dancing illusions of the real world. She was unable to escape her situation, not even her dreams could push the reality away from her. Guilt washed over her as she thought over the event to come once more. If she had never moved in, never became friends with the popular teens, never introduced her father to them, then they would all be free. Her care was not found in the loss of friends that could have been, but for the knowledge that she had not brought the pain to them . . . especially to him.

nagasareru fuan dake o tsugeru yasashisa mo

eien ni mita sareta ashita mo hoshi kunai

Even if the gentleness that tells me only what makes anxiety flow

had fulfilled eternity, I still don't want tomorrow.

Her heart clenched at the thought of the young man who had somehow fought past her icy defenses, worming his way deep within her heart. She knew she loved Goku, but part of love was the willing to sacrifice that love. This was something she was more than willing to do, taking back everything, just so that he would not have to feel one ounce of the pain she had caused him. Someone had once told her, `It is better to have loved and lost, then never to have been loved at all.' But now she knew better . . . it would have been better if she had never met Goku. If she had never known him, never seen him, never have touched him . . . It would have been better for everyone involved if she had never let them in.

kimi ni todoke ruhazuno kotoba wa its talk to myself

kage mo naku hibi ni ochiru

The words that I have to give to you are (its talk to myself)

falling into an everyday routine, even without shadows.

Wrapping the thick terrycloth towel around her body, she seated herself before the mirror, mechanically brushing her dripping hair. The reflection that used to show a vibrant young woman, exuding confidence and reeking of arrogance had faded, leaving a broken porcelain doll hidden away in the darkest corners of a child's toy box, every flaw haunting her. Shuddering, she slipped into the silver floor length dressing robe that trailed behind her as she somberly left the steaming room, only to be shocked as she entered into her darkened bed chamber.

furueru yubi de yume o kasaneru iki mo dekizuni kuzureteku

tashi kana koto futashi kasugite nani o shinji reba kimi ni aeru?

shiroku kieteku ano hi no shiruetto

With a trembling finger, I gather up the dreams; without even breathing on them,

they're crumbling.

Even the certain things are too unreliable; if I believe in something, can I be with

you again?

It's whitely vanishing, the silhouette of that day.

Obsidian eyes widened, alight with the flickering flames of hundreds of white candles that surrounded her bed. The sheer curtains that wound themselves around the frames glittered gold as the rich violet silk sheets shimmered with the warm light cast by the small flames. Moonlight cast its own silvery light into the room, the sheer curtains of the balcony doors blowing in the wind as the cold air moved in, causing each of the flames to dance wildly. Unsure of how to react, Chi-Chi moved to the open doors. Peering out onto the stone balcony, her breathe caught within her throat.

awaku somaru kisetsu o maigeru Life Winter Dream

tachi domaru boku o sarau

Looking up at that palely-dyed season (Life Winter Dream)

I, who stopped to stand still, am swept away.

The moon and stars reflected off of the snow, creating an iridescent glow that illuminated the young muscular figure that leaned against the balcony railing. As his head lifted up, two sets of shadowy eyes locked in an unending gaze. Goku slowly approached her, his hand settling softly upon her cheek as he moved to kiss her, their lips pressing together, their twin desires flaming at the forbidden kiss. Breaking away, Goku allowed his hand to drop to her waist, his thumb caressing her flesh through the thin silken material. The pain that was so prominent in the pairs eyes dimmed as they soaked in the feel of the other body pressed so close to their own.

Kaze ni kisareru torinoko sareru mune ni kaji kamu akogaremo

The wind blows it out, makes it be left behind; even the yearning is growing numb

from the cold in my heart.

Slowly leading the young Princess back into the room, closing the door behind him, Goku turned, staring into the flames of the candles, his eyes searching for something unknown. Chi-Chi moved to him, forcing him to look at her, their eyes to meet once more. Unable to recall the words he had perfected hours ago, he lost himself in her gaze, his fingers slowly moving through her hair. Lowering his lips to hers, the two met in a chaste kiss. A calloused hand moved to her shoulder, softly stroking the silk covered flesh. His head slowly lowered, moving to trace her exposed neckline, his kisses covering her collar bone. Two pairs of hands mutually met at the simple knot of the robe, entertaining as they worked as one in untangling the fabric. Liquid silver silk puddled upon the ground, exposing the fleshly body beneath. Strong arms encircled the warm flesh, lifting her from the ground, cradling her naked form to his chest, moving them to the warmth of the waiting bed.

Tsumetai toki ga yume ni tadayou sono te no naka ni uketomete

Negai kazoo e mezame ta toki ni yureru maboroshi ni kimi ga utsuru

Boku o michibiku kasu kana shiruetto

The cold times drift about in dreams, but are caught and held in your hands.

When I woke up from the countless wishes, you are reflected in a shimmering illusion - -

The silhouette whose faint smile leads me along.