Hmm… it sounds like most of you are enjoying it so far! (Thanks for the positive feedback! Woohoo!)

….And a few aren't :/ Ah well. You can't please everybody. Constructive criticism would be nice in the future though, instead of "It's rubbish but finish it."

Just a heads up: Jacqueline is the Queen of Marion and therefore Jameson's wife.

Oh, and I know that this chapter is a little bit slow. I am developing the characters, and leading up to the romantic aspect- it will begin in the next chapter for both of the couples. This chapter is necessary, though. And hopefully not too boring :) Let me know how it's progressing! And if there is anything you would like to see happen later on. I have an outline, but if there are little things you think that I should do to make it a better story…I would like to hear them!

Also, there is no official drinking age in Marion. There aren't any problems with abuse, because allowing teens to choose whether to drink or not is a responsibility that helps them feel like adults…and therefore, they don't do it to rebel, or because it's cool.(Okay, so I'm against the 21-year-old drinking age here in the states. I feel like it should be 16, or old enough to see over the counter, like it is in plenty of countries. Oh, and by the way, most other countries do not have the problems with abuse that we do.)

Sorry for the rant! You don't have to agree with me, but just know that it's my story and my rules. No drinking age. No alcoholics or rebelling kids/teens. Ta-dah. Happy world.

Chapter Two

It was bright and early the next morning. Bulma had spent the morning absolutely miserable and alone in her bedroom, fully aware that her sister was nowhere near the palace. She had gone into Chi's bedroom that morning hoping she was still there, only to find a note to their parents: Be out late today and possibly tomorrow. At Moon Bay. Love, Chichi. Jameson and Jacqueline were irritated by Chichi's note, and decided to confront her upon her return. Bulma sighed, knowing that was not likely to happen. Chichi was gone, for better or worse.

It was clever of her, she thought, to leave a note in that manner. Moon Bay was a lively bay several miles away to the south. Older teenagers and adults alike went there for games, drinking and fun. It was a favorite of Chichi's. She often stayed in Moon Bay overnight with her friends, to the massive annoyance of the king and queen.

By mid-afternoon, Bulma was tired of reading Marriage Rituals Around The World and starting to really worry about her sister. Tonight Chichi would be alone, unless she happened to meet someone. What if she was raped or murdered? No, Bulma argued with herself, Chichi can certainly take care of herself. She is strong, quick-witted, and knows exactly what she's doing. And at any rate, Marion was perfectly safe. It wasn't a place where you often heard about anything violent happening… People were nice here.

Bulma was unsure that it would be the same in Koraie. The thought scared her, and once again she wondered what she was getting into. Marriage? A binding contract for life?

"Agh!" She wrung her hands in the air. What was she to do? She began pacing anxiously, wishing she had more courage.

There was a gentle knock on her door.

"Come in."

As she had expected, it was her father. He stood before her, looking solemn. "Darling. Prince Vegeta has requested that you get acquainted with Koraie at once, and I agree. You will leave tomorrow morning; a carriage will take you. The wedding will be held as soon as possible." He didn't add the reason for it: Politics. War. Protection. But she knew. "Your mother and I will follow later- we have some business to attend to."

"Okay, Daddy." She said shakily, with as much of a smile as she could muster. He smiled back, and hugged her. She wiped away a tear, and told him she would pack her things.

He shook his head. "The servants will attend to that. Today, Jacqueline and I would like to spend some time with you. We wanted to include Chichi, but-" He sighed "- She seems to have made her own schedule."

Yes, she has, she thought wryly. For a moment, her anxiety about her sister almost made her confess so that the king could find her and bring her home. Then she remembered Chichi's primary argument- that it was her life. Her life to live the way she wanted to. Freedom was a very important thing, and Bulma couldn't ruin it for her. She only hoped Chichi would be happy. And find her again, someday.

"What did you have in mind?" She asked her father.

"Shit!" Chichi cursed as she slipped, flying through the air and landing on her side. She had been walking over to a blueberry bush she had spotted from the trail, only to find a pothole in the mud. She winced, looking up at the muddy trail. It had lightly rained for barely half an hour that morning, but it was enough to create chaos on parts of the trail. Not to mention being thoroughly soaked, and Greystone was in a poor mood.

On the brighter side, Chichi had never felt so alive. The world was hers, and she had already made it to the edge of the mountains.

And the sun was shining.

Chichi carefully stood up, and was annoyed to see that her side was pretty banged up. It hurt to walk, and she sincerely hoped she hadn't bruised a rib.. She grimaced as she walked to the bush, glaring down at the offending pothole. Damn holes in the ground.

She leaned over and began picking groups of blueberries to add to her lunch of apples (one for her and one for Greystone) and cold noodles with green beans. Healthy. How she would love something hot and spicy….And meaty.

Oh well, you wanted this life, she reminded herself. Time to figure out how to make it on your own.

Greystone chose that moment to whinny, letting Chichi know how hungry she was. "Sorry, girl. Let's feast."

Several miles away, past the mountains in the most northern part of the small kingdom of Marion, lay a vast forest. It was an untamed wilderness that few went into.

Near the center of the forest was a large clearing where several sturdy wooden cabins were clumped together. There were 7 people living here, mostly men. All were rough and tough and loyal to each other. Hard times -in various forms- had brought them together several years ago. Almost all of them came from Koraie. Since Koraie was not kind to them, they decided to travel together until they found a place to call their own. Now they had, and they had never been happier. They were completely cut off from the world, and for them, it was bliss.

The only thing missing, for some of them, was a mate.

That evening, Chichi wearily climbed off of her even wearier horse and tenderly patted her neck. They had just left their first mountain behind, and were now in a deep valley. There were mountains all around her, and a small stream to her right.

Chichi's hands-on knowledge of Marion had ended at the mountain's summit, but she could picture her father's map in her head easily enough, and she had seen the view from the mountain she had traveled up and down that day. There were no towns or villages nearby, but if she remembered correctly, there would be a large river in the forest somewhere- probably with trout or salmon. She estimated that she less than thirty miles from the ocean, and that she had two more mountains to cross. She guessed she could do that tomorrow as they weren't very large or very steep. After that, there was a huge forest.

Once she entered the forest, she doubted very much that her father's men could find her. Besides, they would be busy if the war came upon them. She felt a twinge of guilt, which passed when her anger at her parents and pain of not being free to make her own choices returned. She would not turn back. Not now, not ever. They would simply have to make do without her.

Chichi's thoughts turned to where Greystone and she were going to sleep that night. The grass was soft, but there wasn't much for shelter. A few saplings were scattered here and there, but there were none nearby, and she was so tired. She knew Greystone was ready to rest and eat as well. She had a thick blanket in her pack, but now she wished she had brought two, so she could prop one up with sticks or branches and sleep beneath it –in case it rained, as was fairly likely. There were a few clouds in the sky, though thankfully none that looked like stormclouds.

In the end, she cuddled up under the blanket, being careful of her side, which still hurt, and watched the stars come out. Greystone slept comfortably nearby. Little droplets of rain fell down for a few minutes, then all was quiet. Luckily, her blanket was waterproof, and only her head got wet.

Chichi had survived her first day alone. Independence was a wonderful thing, she decided, and soon she fell asleep.

Same time, back at the palace.

Queen Jacqueline and Bulma were walking in the gardens. The king was inside with his general, planning out possible battle strategies as a precaution. The three had spent a lovely day together, and now her time in Marion was about to end. There would always be visits, of course, and some of her friends and family would be at the wedding. But it would never be the same again.

"I really wish that Chichi would spend less time with her friends," Jacqueline fretted to Bulma. "Particularly when there are matters of importance to discuss."

Bulma nodded, afraid to speak lest she reveal the truth. Nearby, some late roses were still in bloom, and she leaned over to smell them, avoiding her mother's eyes.

"Honestly." The Queen shook her head, her dark curls almost shimmering. "She is such a disappointment to me. Does not care at all about her appearance, eats more then enough for two people, always roving about outdoors with those friends of hers."

"Mother…please stop talking about her like this." Bulma finally objected. "Chi's wonderful. She's just… different then you or I. We love jewels; she loves swords. We love shopping; she loves swimming."

"Hm." Jacqueline pursed her lips. "She acts as if we do not matter to her." She said it icily, but there was a tone of sadness in her voice.

"She loves us, Mother. Don't act so hurt because she just wants to live her life. Is that so wrong?" Bulma asked, standing up tall and facing her mother.

Jacqueline narrowed her eyes. "When her country is at stake, yes, it is wrong. She needs to think of others before herself."

"Perhaps… But you do not think of her at all!" Bulma snapped, her temper once again getting the best of her. She put a hand to her head as her mother gasped. "I'm sorry. I just…. I don't want to talk about Chi. I want to sleep. I have a headache."

"Of course, dear. Sleep well. You have a long day tomorrow." She hugged her deeply. "It's a four-day ride to the heart of Koraie." She paused. "You should bring something to read."

Bulma sighed. "Thank you, mother, for thinking of me." Still irritated, she stalked up to her bedroom, saying goodnight to her father on the way. Tomorrow, she would leave her home forever, and everything good in her life would be gone.

And, she thought suddenly, she would have sex for the first time. With a new husband that she didn't even know. What a scary prospect.

The next morning, Chichi continued her journey through the mountains. There weren't any problems, except for the fact that her food supply was dropping and there was no source to get it from on the mountains. She believed it would be different once she reached the forest- there was bound to be plenty of fruit-bearing trees and bushes, as well as that river which she hoped had fish. And she could always hunt. It would be just fine, she thought. Just fine. And she stubbornly pushed past her insecurities.

Her side continued to hurt terribly, and she did not know what to do about it. She hoped it would heal on its own.

Back in the palace, Bulma put on her favorite blue gown. It was long and had short sleeves and showed just a little bit of cleavage. The best thing about it, though, was that it very comfortable and therefore ideal for the first day of the trip.

Her friends were gathered in the front courtyard when she came out of the doors to leave. They were all sweet, but very high-maintenance girls.

"Bulma!" They squealed, running to hug her, so that she felt a little suffocated. "We will miss you soooo much! We love you! Hope it's everything you've always dreamed of!"

She very much doubted that, but she hugged them back and forced a big smiled onto her face. "I am going to miss you too! So much. I will write to you when I can!"

"We will write back," The girls chimed together.

After a few minutes, Bulma couldn't stand t anymore. It was too painful. She waved goodbye and stepped into her golden horse-drawn carriage, feeling like Cinderella once more. Except her destiny was not a good one.

"See you at the wedding!" She called out to them from tiny window on the side.

They waved frantically at her until she was out of sight, and Telia, her best friend apart from Chi, burst into tears.

Much later that day…

Chichi gave a triumphant shout. She had made it past the mountains and to the very edge of the forest! "Thank you, Greystone!" She grinned, climbing off of her. Her side ached still, but her mood was too good for her to care.

She looked all around. She had gone through a small grassland, and there were several small streams and ponds. Greystone was happily drinking. The forest loomed in front of her and all around her. This part of the forest held mostly pines, with a few elms and redwoods. So far, no fruit trees. There were plenty of clovers, however. Not that she could eat many without getting sick…they were very acidic. And then she spotted a huckleberry bush a little further in, and then another, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She patted Greystone, and walked over to the huckleberry bush to inspect it. The good thing was that she could eat both the leaves and the huckleberries. The leaves were great for fighting against stomach and intestinal cramps.

"Who are you?"

The deep voice startled her, and she looked up into dark eyes, preparing to attack if she had to. It was an athletic man in a dirty orange gi, and she had no idea how he had gotten so close to her without her noticing. He was standing with a curious expression on his face. No open hostility.

"I am…Chichi." She had debated whether or not to use a fake name. In the end, her love of her name had caused her to keep it. "Who are you?"

"Goku, of Koraie. Where are you from?"

"Over the mountains," She pointed. "A town called Sanders." She deliberately chose a town she knew well. It had enough people for her not to stand out, and was near Moon Bay.

She looked back at him, wondering what he wanted. She didn't think he was a rapist, but she remained on her guard.

"Why have you traveled here?" was his next question. The words were chosen carefully, and made her even more curious about him.

"I no longer have a home." She said quietly. "I am alone in the world, and I came here to get away from… everything. To….have my freedom."

His eyes became sympathetic. "You are alone? There is nothing worse then being alone."

She shrugged. "Perhaps I will make friends... Somewhere."

He continued to appraise her silently, and then he said something that nearly took her breath away. "There is a group of us, deep in the forest. We live together. You may join us, if you wish."

She smiled after the initial shock had passed. "That sounds very appealing."

"Allrighty…follow me." He smiled back, and she was surprised to see how his face transformed from calm into cheerful. His eyes and smile were bright and he had gorgeous dimples. It gave her an odd fluttery feeling.

She went over to Greystone, coaxing her gently.

"One more thing." He said. "If you come…. You can never tell anyone where we are. Not one person."

She nodded. "Sure. I will never tell." It sounded perfect, as long as it wasn't a lure. She glanced once more back at the mountains, inwardly wishing Bulma luck and happiness. "Let's go."

They traipsed through the forest, and she couldn't keep a smile off of her face. Goku was whistling softly, and she began to whistle with him. He looked back at her and grinned.

CHAPTER TWO END-----

Okay, so Goku is slightly OOC. I had a hard time writing that last scene, and I couldn't think of a better way to write it. I think it's fine…. Naturally, he would be a little bit suspicious and curious about her at first, considering the way he's lived…(I will reveal his past later on.) Next chapter, you will see more of happy-go-lucky Goku! Yay. He IS going to be portayed as more intelligent then in the show, though.

Bulma will meet Vegeta in the next chapter.

What did you think?