Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Unfaithful ❯ Part Four: 30 ( Chapter 30 )

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

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........................................................................ ...........Rhapsody~*



________________________~*Part Four*~: War
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Turles rushed through the maze-like halls of the palace, dodging random people who beckoned to him as he went. It seemed that in such a short time, the entire elite class of Vejitasei had gathered out in the halls, ready to ambush anyone who might have some information as to when they were going to 'finally crush those Earth weaklings'. Unfortunately, Turles was quite a bit stronger than them, and was able to push through without saying much more than 'no comment'.

Now that he was in the royal wing of the enormous building, the throngs were reduced to a few servants here and there, with the exception of the few men who had been bold enough to trail along behind him. As he neared the former queen's chambers, however, even those men eventually disappeared. Rumors had gone around the palace saying that ever since Vejita had overthrown her, Magdalene had been in a horrible temper, and above all things, the people feared the woman's temper. Turles frowned-- he feared it himself.

Vejita had finalized his arrangements with Valyn at last, and sent Turles to do his dirty work while he sat atop his throne, sipping fine wine and planning out the last moments of Yamcha's life, mostly likely. The men had decided that Valyn would send for weapons of mass destruction rather than guns for every individual soldier, since they could uphold their ki shields for a sufficient amount of time. They would then use these bombs or whatever Valyn came up with to shock the capital cities of the planet in the dead of night, then use the moon to go Oozaru and wreak havoc on the planet. The weakling humans, even with their little guns, would have no defense against this unexpected talent of the Saiyan race. Vejita had been smart not to let Yamcha know of the transformation, Turles mused. Soon enough the armies would be crushed, and Vejita would be free to go to the palace rescue Bulma. Naturally, he assumed that he would win and be able to just sweep her off back to Vejitasei, but something about all of these easy plans tickled Turles' mind, teasing him.

Sure, the odds were all in their favor, but the situation was such that the tables could turn at any given moment. The Saiyan army was surely the strongest in the universe, and Vejita was the most powerful fighter anyone had ever laid eyes on, but he was also very impulsive, and if he were to lose his temper at any time, this would be it. Yamcha would probably end up facing him one-on-one, with Bulma's delicate life on the line, and who could be sure how Vejita would react? Turles shuddered as he dared to imagine what would happen if Bulma were killed. He made a vow to himself that if he were there, he would do everything in his power to protect the queen. That is, if he even made it to the palace. The humans may have been weak, but they could never guess at what kinds of technology Yamcha had up his sleeve. And besides that, the man was a dirty fighter. He would betray his kind to save his own ass, maybe even retreat with Bulma to another planet.

"What do you want, Turles?"

Turles was startled out of his thoughts and found that he was standing in front of Magdalene's door, which was guarded by two of Vejita's men, one of which had just asked him the question. The elite fighter shook his head to clear his thoughts, then replied.

"Vejita-sama sent me to speak to Magdalene," he said arrogantly, letting the man know just who had the higher position at the moment. "Move your ass out of the way."

The man nodded and opened the doors for him. Turles stepped briskly through and into Magdalene's exquisite chambers, decorated in shades of gold and crimson, with black marble floors and columns. The royal colors. Turles felt a small, unexpected pang of remorse for what Vejita had done. Magdalene was the epitome of royalty, and it just wasn't quite right to strip her of her title so high-handedly.

Magdalene was reclining on her bed, her face set into a brooding expression, with Bardock and Kakkarott standing around her, each looking more sympathetic than the next. When he entered, all three looked up in surprise.

"What do you want?" Bardock snapped. "Did Vejita send you here to strip us of our titles, too?"

Turles growled. "If you don't watch yourselves, that could very well happen. I came here to relay a message to Magdalene, a message that is not to be overheard. Would you please excuse us?"

Kakkarott, ever trusting of family, nodded and exited the room without protest. Bardock, however, made sure to stop before his other son and give him a level stare.

"I don't think that Vejita knows what he's doing right now," he said quietly, with a glance over his shoulder at the still figure of Magdalene. "He is pushing away those who he is going to need most. When he leaves to attack Earth, I suggest that he bring Magdalene with him. I sense that she has a big part to play in this yet."

"Vejita is two steps ahead of you, as usual," Turles replied coldly. "He has sent me to tell her that she is to accompany us to Earth."

Bardock nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Good. I hope that Vejita has come to this decision for the right reasons."

Turles waited until he had left, then turned to Magdalene, who watched him expectantly with her unsettling green gaze. She could scare the shit out of just about any warrior, he mused.

"What does His Majesty want now?" the woman asked, her voice flinty. "I suppose he'll ask me to move in with the third-class women now."

"Please don't glare at me like that, Magdalene," Turles pleaded uncharacteristically. He was behind Vejita all the way, but that didn't mean that he had ever intended to get Magdalene pushed down like this. She was, after all, kind of like his mother figure. "I'm only doing what my king bids me to. I've come here to let you know that when Vejita leaves for Earth tomorrow, you are to accompany him."

Magdalene sat up sharply, her eyes narrowing. "I don't understand-- I could only get in his way."

Turles looked over his shoulder, as if expecting Vejita to materialize there at any moment, then looked back at the suspicious Magdalene. "He didn't say this to me directly, but I think he's worried about what will happen here when he's gone. You might be able to stir up a rebellion of some kind."

"A rebellion?" Magdalene managed a cynical laugh. "He gives me more credit than I had thought he would."

Turles berated himself for this little lapse of control, then gave voice to what he had been wanting to say ever since entering her chambers. "I overheard your conversation with Vejita-- you know, when you said that you had gone to his father's grave."

Immediately she was on the defensive. "Oh really? So you are going to call me crazy too?"

"No," he said uncertainly. "Its just that I don't think that Vejita was right to brush you off like that. I mean, I don't think he's as far gone as his father, but he's still in danger of losing it."

"He won't listen to the voice of reason any longer. He started this out with good intentions in mind, but the jealousy has clouded everything." Magdalene said this calmly, radiating confidence. "Bulma is a very dangerous woman-- she'll bring peril to any empire that she presides over, whether it be Earth's or Vejitasei's. When a single person possess that kind of beauty-- that kind of power-- only adversity can become of it. When one man has her, the other will crave her, and it will be hard for him to resist the temptation of violence, because love and violence go hand in hand, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't know," Turles admitted somewhat uncomfortably. "I've never experienced the emotion myself, and from what I've seen of it, I don't want to."

Magdalene laughed humorlessly. "Vejita is too far gone to reach, Turles, but you are not. You are his closest friend, and it is through you that we can reach him. Stay close to him through these dark times, and pounce on every bit of hope that escapes through his cool exterior."

He was not sure of how to respond to Magdalene's heavy statements, so he remained silent, turning them over in his head. He felt as if he were in the middle of a tug-of-war, with Magdalene and the voice of reason on one end, and Vejita and the bonds of friendship and loyalty to his empire on the other. Magdalene recognized his confusion and leaned back onto her bed again.

"Go tell Vejita that I will go," she said quietly. "Run along, or else he'll get suspicious. The next time that you get a chance, please come and tell me of the battle plans. I think that I have a right to know."

Feeling a headache coming on, Turles nodded and left the former queen alone.
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Midday found Vejita not in his throne room, making last-minute plans for his invasion of Earth the next day, but instead sitting out on the rocks near the ocean, glaring broodingly out to sea.

The insistent nagging of the nobleman and elite soldiers had gotten to the point of suffocation, and by the time noon rolled around the Saiyan King had decided that he had two options: kill them all or escape from the palace. Somehow, his mind told him that the first option would not go over well with the people he was struggling to gain support from, so he had slipped out of the oppressive building while the others had been momentarily distracted.

He hadn't done it because he was afraid of becoming unpopular-- quite the contrary, he was proving to be a very endearing leader. He was darkly handsome, charismatic when he chose to be, and the very embodiment of the Saiyan ideals. Not only that, but he was the most powerful man in the universe, a force to be reckoned with, and anyone with half a brain could understand that Vejitasei needed a man like him to uphold their reputation. Vejita thought of all this and smirked. When the time came that he had to return the throne to his mother, they might be met with some opposition. Not that he minded. He loved to rule and to hold the brunt of the empire's power in his hands, but at the same time he knew that he would never live it down if he ripped it from his mother's hands before it was his time. That would be acting just like his father, something that he had never aspired to do.

This reminded him of the scene that Magdalene had made the night before. She had claimed that she had seen through her deceased husband's eyes, and had realized that Vejita was becoming just like him. At first, Vejita had brushed it off as the typical bullshit that came out of desperation, but then he had taken a few steps back and looked at the big picture. And he had been horrified to see that his mother was half right. But never for one second had he even considered changing his behavior. If he shared some miniscule traits with his father, then that was acceptable-- heredity was a bitch-- but Magdalene was surely exaggerating. Vejita had assured himself of this already, and refused to waste another moment on the subject.

Instead, he focused on the breathtaking view of the sea. He had come here thinking that it would calm the inner turmoil that had been waging beneath his cool facade, but instead it was having the opposite effect. Not only were the hovering battle spacecraft at the docks nearby and the gathering groups of loud soldiers accompanying them distracting, but the color of the water and the sky above it seemed to be taunting him, reminding him of the impossibly blue eyes that he might never see again. And even worse than that, the rock that he had taken Bulma to multiple times lay only a few yards away, a painful reminder of the woman that he was risking all of this for.

Never in his life had he ever imagined that he would allow himself to get into such a fuss over a mere woman, and look at him now. But this woman was like no other, he reminded himself. She was almost unbelievably beautiful, and her intriguing spirit was even more alluring to the man. He had never needed something so much in his entire lifetime, so it only seemed fitting that he should have to fight for it. The way he saw it, Bulma was the ultimate prize and the war and murder of Yamcha was just an added bonus. He would have fought any planet, or all of them banded together, to get her back. Instead of thinking of this strange emotion as a weakness, as he might have before meeting Bulma, he viewed it as an empowering edge. He now had the motivation that few others had, and he planned on using it to his advantage.

Organizing his thoughts had always relaxed Vejita, and it worked now. He was finally able to tune out the noise of the preparing army and instead just focus on the crashing waves around him, the waves that perfectly imitated his personality. He could have sat there like this for hours, but instead he was rudely interuppted.

"Vejita-sama?"

The Saiyan King started and almost fell off of his rock before was able to right himself. His onyx eyes flashing with anger, Vejita turned to glare at his interuppter. "What the fuck do you want?"

Kakkarott, who looked a little taken aback at the rude question, raised up his hands in defense. "Sorry for scaring you. I just wanted to ask you a question. It took me forever to find you, too-- the ocean hides your ki pretty well, you know."

Vejita massaged his temples in annoyance. "Did it ever strike you that I chose this spot because I did not want to be bothered?"

"I guess so," Kakkarott admitted, strangely forlorn. "But I really need to get an answer. I mean, the war is basically starting tomorrow."

"What is it then?!"

Kakkarott glanced over at the awaiting ships, and then back to Vejita. "When you leave for Earth, will I be coming with you?"

Vejita rolled his eyes. "You think that I'd let you out of this that easily? You were there when it all started, so you will be there for the end."

"I understand." Kakkarott still looked melancholy, an emotion that did not suit him. Vejita was interested in spite of himself.

"What's your problem, Kakkarott?" he snapped, as if he weren't really interested but instead obligedto ask.

"Its just that if I leave with you, I'd be leaving Chichi behind, and..." Kakkarott trailed off self-consciously. "I don't know if I'll be able to come back to her. She's pregnant, you know."

Vejita was surprised. He had always known of Kakkarott's would-be mate, but it had never occured to him that Kakkarott might be interested in starting a family so soon. That was something that Saiyan warriors usually did when they grew too old to fight anymore, not during their prime years. "And what does that have to do with anything? Its your duty to fight for your empire, fool!"

"I know that," Kakkarott replied. "I wasn't going to pull out, I was just hoping..."

Vejita was sick of all of this sentiment. Besides, it angered him to speak to the man who had sided not with him, but instead with his overthrown mother. "Hoping what?" he demanded impatiently. "That I would let the bitch come with you?"

"Oh no, Vejita-sama," Kakkarott assured him. "I would never put her in that kind of danger. I was just hoping that you would place me in a safer position during the fighting, so that there might be a better chance of me returning home to my mate."

Kakkarott was allowing his feelings for the woman interfere with his battle, Vejita realized with distaste. When it came right down to it, would this interfere with his ability to depend on the man if things got rough? Vejita decided to stop this dangerous thing before it started. "I will do no such thing. Who do you think I am, Kakkarott, your mother? This isn't a little skirmish, this is a fucking war, and I cannot have men who will not give their lives for the cause. Do you understand me?"

Kakkarott knew what Vejita was implying. The king would sooner kill Chichi, therefore getting rid of Kakkarott's distraction, then allow one of his best men to fight half-heartedly. Swallowing hard, Kakkarott knew that he had no choice. All he could do was give it his all and pray to Kami that the enemy was easily beaten.

"I understand."

Vejita only half-believed him, but did not want to waste any more time on the man. "Go and bother Bardock instead of me. At least he will be interested in hearing your complaints."

Without another word, Kakkarott was gone. Vejita shook his head at the strangeness of the man and his ridiculous feelings. But then again, another part of his mind argued, wasn't he doing much the same thing? Letting his feelings for a woman cloud his reason?

Growling, Vejita smothered that self-incriminating train of thought and tried, once again, to focus on the ocean, his source of inner peace. After twenty minutes of this forced contentment, Vejita could stand it no longer.

Compared to this thoughtful hell, even the pressing questions of the nobles seemed tolerable.
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With Vejita's unsympathetic words still in his head, Kakkarott flew slowly to the third-class section of the city, still deep in thought.

Kakkarott could not decide what to do for the life of him. On the one hand, he felt a strong need to defend his planet and the honor of his people in battle, but on the other... Chichi's kind brown eyes flashed in his mind, taunting him. She had just broken the news to him a few days ago-- she was carrying his child. A baby boy. No matter how he looked at it, leaving her to bear the child alone, with the possibility of him dying in battle, seemed terribly wrong and against all of the morals that Kakkarott had set for himself. But he didn't have much of a choice, because Vejita had threatened to harm her already, and the Saiyan King made no empty threats.

Below him, in the dirty streets of the third-class neighborhoods, children playing stopped to wave at the flying soldier, grins on their little dark faces. Kakkarott smiled at the thought that one day, he and Chichi would have a child of their own. Fatherhood was not something that he wanted to miss out on, and he had a foreboding feeling about this oncoming war.

Vejita and the others all seemed to think that it would be easy, but Kakkarott knew that that would not be so. What the humans lacked in strength and training they made up for in technology, and vice versa for the Saiyans. They were evenly matched, as far as Kakkarott could tell. Also-- Yamcha had possession of Bulma, something that could be used against Vejita in a tight situation. Kakkarott shook his head. All of these conflicting thoughts were going to drive him mad before he even had a chance to talk to Chichi.

Finally, he reached the familiar little brown house, and touched down before it quietly. Chichi's neighbors knew of her relationship with him, but that didn't mean that he should set tongues wagging, she had told him. In her peers' eyes, her mating with an elite soldier-- even one who had come from poverty himself-- was something that a woman could easily flaunt. Kakkarott remembered how competitive the third-class were amongst each other, each battling for the highest position in the lowest class on Vejitasei. He was glad that he didn't pay much attention to social things like that, he decided.

Chichi came swiftly out of the house, wearing a hooded cloak, as if she had been expecting him. No, Kakkarott corrected himself, she was expecting him. They had formed a strong bond between them since their mating, and it seemed that they could tell each other's general whereabouts, no matter how far apart they were. In a way, this was a blessing, but then again, neither were sure what would happen if the other partner were to die. Kakkarott didn't know about all of this, but he did know that even if he could be harmed through the bond with her, he would have done it anyway. He loved her.

"Why are you here so early?" she asked, embracing him modestly. "We aren't going to dinner until later tonight, remember?"

Kakkarott looked down at his feet, his face reddening. "Well, actually Chi, I don't think that I can go with you tonight."

Her black brows came together in confusion. "What? I thought that we had arranged for it--"

"Its not that I don't want to," he was quick to add. "But I don't have a choice. Vejita is leaving tomorrow for Earth, and I have to go with him. I don't have a choice." He looked into her eyes, then down at his feet, his voice getting weaker with distress. "He threatened to harm you if I did not do what he asked."

Chichi placed an understanding hand on his shoulder. "Lets go somewhere more private, and we can talk more."

Kakkarott took her hand and nodded, leading her through the narrow streets and towards the outskirts of the city, where they could be alone. Finally they stopped at a public garden and seated themselves on a bench, secluded from the other people loitering there. Chichi grabbed hold of her lover's chin and forced him to look her in the eyes.

"Tell me all about it."

So Kakkarott told her. As he related to her what he knew of the battle plans and the circumstances, Chichi's expression grew more and more frustrated. She never was too subtle with her emotions, Kakkarott mused. At least that made it easier for him to figure out what she was thinking. Stubborness was becoming apparent on her features, and that set of warning bells in Kakkarott's head.

"Don't do anything stupid, Chichi," he warned her. "You're carrying our child now, you're delicate--"

"Bullshit!" Chichi exclaimed angrily. "I've got lots of time before I get weaker, Kakkarott, and you had better get used to that! There is no way that I'm going to let that ass Vejita separate us, maybe forever."

"We don't have a choice," Kakkarott replied sadly. "I have to go fight, and your place is back here, where its safe."

Chichi lifted her chin, refusing to accept what she did not want to hear. "During war, nowhere is safe. I'm sure that I can get a position on the ship, maybe organizing--"

"No," he cut her off sternly. "I won't allow you to put yourself and our baby in danger, Chi. I'll go fight, and I promise you that I'll return at any cost."

Her dark eyes were smoldering, a sure sign that no amount of arguing could sway her. "Promises mean nothing! Promises are easily broken, Kakkarott, and you know it just as well as I do. Vejita can't dictate your entire life! He has a million other soldiers that can serve him-- what's one more?"

"Every man counts. This is going to be a close battle."

"This is a pointless battle!" Chichi crossed her arms defiantly. "All of these innocent lives are going to be wasted just so Vejita can get back his favorite bedwarmer! I've met Bulma, and she's nothing special, believe me."

Kakkarott laughed in spite of himself. "I don't know about that. She's awful pretty." Then, in response to Chichi's black look, he wiped the smile off his face. "But she couldn't hold a candle to you."

Chichi rolled her eyes. "Alright, I admit that she's the prettiest girl I've ever seen, but I hardly think any one woman is worth going to war over. Vejita's lost his mind, just like his father did."

Kakkarott grew protective of his king and childhood friend. "I don't think he's crazy, Chi, and he's not like his father, either. At least not totally. I just think that he's in love, and he's scared to lose it. Think about it-- Bulma's the only girl he's ever spent any amount of time on. I think that now that he's experienced compassion, he doesn't want to let it go."

"I think that he's thinking with his groins and not with his head."

There was no swaying her, so Kakkarott reluctantly gave in. "That isn't for us to decide, anyway. But please, Chichi, promise me that you'll stay here, where its safe."

Chichi was silent for a moment, her eyes averted from Kakkarott's, then finally she replied. "Fine. I promise."

Kakkarott heaved sigh of relief, then smiled. "I'm so glad. It'll make me feel better knowing that at least you and our son are safe." Gently, he leaned over and kissed her, what he thought was their final good-bye.

Chichi returned it, then pulled away with a half-hearted smile on her face. "I'll be missing you every moment that you're gone," she told him solemnly. "Just return to me safely, alright?"

He nodded, then stood to leave. "I love you."

Then, he was gone. Chichi watched him leave, and didn't feel bad about breaking her promise, because as she had said before, promises were all too easily broken. Standing and pulling her hood over her face, she began in the direction of the palace, her lips set in a tight line.

She was going to get on one of those ships with Kakkarott, even if she had to stowaway like a common criminal. She was on her way to the chambers of the former queen Magdalene, who would surely have need of an extra handmaiden.
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The next morning, just before the ships departed for Earth, Kakkarott ventured down to Chichi's residence to say his last good-byes. When he knocked on her door, no one answered.

On one of the ships, Chichi watched King Vejita and his close followers, including Kakkarott, got onto their own ship. Beside her, Magdalene offered a conspiring smile.
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Rhapsody~*
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(A/N): Well, I think that this was a pretty quick update, compared to my other ones as of late. I'm sure that you're all looking forward to the next chapter, when things really get started, just as much as I am, so I'll try to make it another quick one. Special thanks to all of the cool people who have been e-mailing me with their compliments. You have no idea how much I appreciate your extra feedback. To everyone else-- feel free to IM me anytime, I love to chat!

PLEASE remember to leave a review, and until the next chapter... ja ne!

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