Love's Crusade
Chapter 3
Chi-chi, rather Rin, awakened the next morning snuggled against something warm. She didn't care where she was at that moment and kept her eyes closed. She almost wished she could stay in this spot forever; however, she felt something wrap around her waist that caused her eyes to open in alarm. Looking down, she saw something long and thin before she screamed.
"Rin, what's the matter?" Goku asked closely to her. She realized then where she was. She was in Goku's arms; the same arms that she fell asleep in. The thin object pulled away from her waist as she grabbed it harshly. "OW! LET GO! LET GO!"
"Eh?" Rin looked at the champion and wondered why she hadn't of flung it aside yet. "What is this thing?" She felt it squirm in her grasp; wanting to break away, but failing to do so.
"It's my tail." Rin paled and released it moments later. "What?"
"So, is that the thing my father says could make me pregnant?"
"Pregnant? What's that?"
"Um… nothing…" Rin lied. She hoped that it hadn't of impregnated her; however, she had no idea how these things actually worked. Last thing she needed was to live her mother's curse. "Um, Goku… I…"
"Hey Rin! Master Roshi wants you to start your housework!" Krillin said from the stairwell moments later.
"Oh, okay, I'll be right down," Rin absentmindedly replied. She pulled out of the warrior's arms almost shortly after saying those words; however, a part of her longed to had stayed there longer.
"Wear this," Goku took off his shirt and handed it to her. It was a brilliant silver-white shirt that seemed not of this world and he was easily giving it to her to wear.
"Oh, you don't have to go through the trouble of handing me something that wouldn't fit me…" Rin explained.
"I insist," Goku smiled. Seeing such a warm smile compared to the many angry and deranged ones seemed to make Rin's heart melt.
"A-alright, but close your eyes…" Rin stated.
"W-what? Why should I…?"
"Just do it!" Rin snapped.
"Okay princess…"
"And don't call me princess!" Rin growled while Goku closed his eyes.
'Honestly, what's her problem?' Goku thought while keeping his eyes closed. He heard the sound of fabric falling to the floor and the other being stretched upon her form before it fell almost in a whisper upon her form.
"Alright, you can open your eyes now…" Rin reassured the Saiya-jin. When his eyes opened, he saw that the shirt that easily fit over his frame was almost like a short dress upon her form. It stopped slightly above mid-calf while the short sleeves were down to her elbows. Still, something was missing.
"Hold on a moment…" Goku went back to the ragged dress and tore off a piece of it into a long thin strip. Rin watched while he repeated the action and walked behind her. She felt his body heat behind her as a pink hue stained her pale cheeks. She felt him take her hair and wrap it into a ponytail and felt something wrap around her waist again. She glanced down to see that he used part of her tattered pale pink dress to tie down the extra fabric that would have revealed more of herself than needed.
"T-thank you…" Rin muttered softly.
"Don't mention it…" Goku smiled. He felt something while he was taking care of her and almost wished he could have held her from behind a little while longer; however, he felt the hesitation vibrating from her body and immediately backed off.
Rin heard the sounds of sparring outside while she dusted and cleaned the turtle hermit's house and home. She almost wished that she were watching instead of cleaning; however, she knew that it would have been risky for her to go out. It was around noon when the males returned inside the house, stomachs giving into the usual siren's call for food. This time however, she was greeted with a large fish that fell upon the kitchen counter.
"What's this?" Rin looked at the flopping creature in a confused manner.
"It's our lunch for today, so get to it." Master Roshi told the female before leaving the kitchen. She had no idea how to cook such a thing and merely poked at it. Almost after Master Roshi left the kitchen, Goku entered and helped her skin and gut the creature in question.
'What can he not do?' Rin thought silently to herself while they worked together to prepare the lunch in question. It wasn't until the food was again being cooked that the champion started cleaning the counter top. "W-wait, that's supposed to be my job…"
"Relax princess…" Goku grinned. "You've done enough right now."
"Goku," Rin hated the idea that he said her title twice that day without thinking otherwise about it.
"Besides, Master Roshi wants us to visit a village later today and do some chores since we need this 'money' he has been talking about lately."
"I… I can't really go…" Rin explained.
"Why not?"
"You know why. If my father's men find me, I'll be locked away again."
"Oh, I see…" Goku thought silently before he looked at her. "Unless we disguise you."
"Di-disguise me?"
"Yeah, just leave it to me, okay?" Goku ran out of the room, leaving Rin to her thoughts.
After lunch, Rin found herself back in Goku's room sitting there while the champion carefully cut her long hair to shoulder length. He took the white petticoat from beneath the dress and tied it in a bonnet of sorts. As a final precaution, he went to where his ship was and dug out the box that had more of his clothing inside. Opening it, he pulled out a red dress shirt and white shorts before dressing the female in the clothing.
Rin took in the surroundings of the ship; wondering what had brought him here in the first place and what kind of place he came from. Goku had hardly spoken much about his past to her and of course, his past was an enigma to her. Before she knew it, she was scooted off the ship before it buried itself under the sand again.
"Goku, what kind of man are you?" Rin asked.
"I'm not sure, but I am from Zen…" Goku grinned.
"Zen… sounds peaceful."
"Oh, it is, but it gets boring after awhile."
"Have you always lived there?"
"Ever since I could first form words," Goku closed his eyes. "I used to fight in tournaments every month. Of course, I hadn't won until I was twelve years old. By then, I was challenged almost daily by hundreds who wanted to see if I had cheated or not. I couldn't say no to them and in time, I had practically become one of the best of that world; however, I gave it all up."
"Why? You had everything you could ever ask for, so why did you give it all up?" Rin asked.
"Because what I wanted wasn't something I thought could be granted, so I left and gave up everything to find it."
"Oh." Rin was quiet after Goku admitted all of this to her. "…what are you searching for?"
"I don't know, but I'm sure I will know once I find it."
"I really hope you find it," Rin smiled softly.
"Thanks." Goku heard Krillin calling his name. "Let's get going, alright?"
"Yes!"
The village that they visited seemed to have wanted posters of a painted Chi-chi on them and the female paled when she noticed them. While everyone's backs were turned, she found some sort of marker and added various non-true facial features to the image. Random piercings, tattoos and other various disdaining things decorated the once beautiful replication of what she looked like. She even went as far as beards and curvy mustaches to ensure that this wasn't the same princess they sought. Why she did it was the fact of the reward her father put on her head being that a man could have her hand afterwards as long as she sired a son.
Yes, this was the main reason her father locked her away in the tower most of her life: the fact that her mother failed to sire her father a son to carry on the bloodline. The king himself was so furious that he locked both her and the child in the tower. Eventually, the woman would commit suicide, leaving the child to the hands of her cold, manipulative father. Then again, Rin didn't believe her mother would have committed suicide; rather her sorry excuse of a father murdered her own mother in cold blood.
"Rin, are you alright?" Goku's voice said behind her. She quickly hid the marker in the pocket of her pants and turned around smiling.
"Oh, I'm fine," Rin smiled softly, lying about what she was thinking about.
"Well, come on. We have a job to do," Goku held out a hand to her. She took it and he lead her to where their first tasks were to start.
'Of all tasks, I have to weave?' Rin thought silently while she attempted to carefully weave on the large loom according to the wishes of the landlord. Goku and Krillin were sent out to tend to gardening while she had more of the same house chores she was stuck with.
"Good, very good," the male spoke in such a tacky accent. "You should feel privileged to be taught to weave from such a man like myself." Rin held her tongue while the male touched her ass in a perverted manner that rivaled Master Roshi's. "Perhaps I should teach you another weaving technique that will ensure one's rapture…"
That was all Rin could take as she jerked away from the landlord's hands; the spindle of thread falling to the floor.
"Stop touching me like you owe me…" Rin growled.
"Ah, but I'm sure you are available, otherwise, why else would you not wear a ring?" the male advanced towards her. She backed up against the wall in utmost fear and closed her eyes.
Goku's head snapped up in confusion. One moment, he was happily and eagerly plowing the fields while the next, he was feeling something uncomfortable in the pit of his stomach.
"Goku, why did you stop?" Krillin asked the warrior of Zen.
"Oh, I'm just getting thirsty," Goku lied, knowing something else was pulling him at that very moment. "I'll be right back." He left the field and moved towards the house he had seen Rin enter hours earlier.
He barely walked inside when he saw a male with his hands on Rin, his lips pressed to hers while tears ran down her cheeks. Something snapped within the usually peaceful warrior of Zen as he tore the male off of Rin and threw him to the floor. He grasped the front of his shirt while his tail unwound from his waist and snapped angrily behind him. At that moment, Goku wasn't the same man Rin had been saved by, but a man who was determined to protect the woman at all costs.
"Goku, stop…" Rin grasped the tail softly, causing the champion to release the demented male. A soft, lulling purr escaped Goku's throat as he turned to the female in question.
"If that's what my princess requests…" For once, Rin didn't complain about her nickname, she heard how possessive he was when he said my princess instead of just princess.
'Oh Kami, don't tell me he's fallen in love with me…' Chi-chi released the tail before running out. It snapped Goku out of the spell he had been under once she left; however, his tail still tingled from her soft grasp. He yearned for her to touch it again, so much that he didn't realize that he was still on top of the man who had passed out when he attacked him.
The change purse was filled with very little coins inside for Rin, who of course, refused to continue weaving after the male nearly sexually assaulted her. Still, it was better than nothing and she took what she had and went to a shop. Goku followed confused of course.
"How may I help you?" the shopkeeper asked.
"What kind of ring can I get with this?" Rin asked before pouring all she owned upon the table. The shopkeeper looked at the loose change and laughed bitterly at her for what she had.
"My dear, you couldn't even get a brass ring with that much money," the shopkeeper vainly stated.
"How much does a brass ring cost?" Goku's voice piped up. Rin saw the warrior of Zen at the doorway with his own bag of coins in hand.
"About a hundred shingles," the shopkeeper explained. Goku sat down the sack of money that seemed heavier than what Rin had.
"Is this enough or do you need more?" Goku asked.
"Uh... not all of it…" the shopkeeper went under the counter and fetched the brass ring while Goku counted out what he assumed was a hundred shingles. With the transaction completed, the warrior of Zen gently took the ring and looked at Rin in question.
"Goku, you didn't have to…" Rin began to say.
"But I wanted to…" Goku looked at the shopkeeper again. "…um, which hand does it go on?"
"Are you from the boondocks? If you're proposing to her, it goes on her left!"
"Proposing?" Goku looked quizzically at the shopkeeper.
"It means…"
"Goku just put it on my hand…" Rin shifted uncomfortably. Goku fumbled putting it on her and tried each finger until it slid comfortably on the finger closest to her shortest finger on that hand. After he did that, Rin hugged him tightly, her mouth close to his ear. "…it means that I am yours... no one else's…"
At that moment, Goku felt he was getting himself more than he was willing to commit.
To Be Continued…
