Shadows of the Past
Chapter 19
It was still dark out when a familiar song disturbed Vegeta's meditation. He smirked and started to turn around, already knowing Shani was playing her Salute to the Morning, like she did every other morning. But he got up and looked out the window anyway. Something was different this morning. As always, Shani played her flute with incredible skill, but the song seemed to reflect no happiness or even hope now. He knew that her music was meant to evoke emotion, and always reflected her own feelings very strongly as she played, but this morning it was almost as if she were dreading the morning instead of welcoming it.
The notes were slow, and lingered wistfully. Vegeta shivered in spite of himself. As often as he had heard her play this melody, he really should've been used to it. But there was sadness in the tune that he had never heard before. Light and drifting, the enchanting sounds were beautiful, as always, but haunting and powerful in their almost tangible pain. He had never heard her play with such emotion, and it started to worry him as the first rays of the sun began to warm the sky with color. The notes slowed further, and with one off note, she stopped playing all together… What could be wrong?
Blaze would know, but she almost always went with Shani to welcome the morning. Still, when she was upset, Shani liked to wander the gardens alone. Seeing Shani sitting in the tree above the garden's only dark crimson rosebush, her knees up to her chin, shoulders slumped and obviously crying, he decided he had to find out what was wrong. He didn't often admit it, even to her, but she was his first friend, and he didn't like it when she was sad or angry.
He knocked on the passage way between their rooms and was about to shrug it off when he heard Blaze's soft voice. " Come in Vegeta. "
" Blaze… " He paused, looking into the bottomless emerald gaze of the tiny dragon. " What's wrong? "
" With Shani? Well, she told me that she blurted out in class the other day that the Ronalians are negotiating the purchase of our planet. So you know about that. But her baby nephew has died, and she never got to meet him. "
" What's a nephew? "
" Her aunt's newborn son. Shani didn't know about him until yesterday night, when he died. Her mother and I thought it might be better to keep it from her, since he was very early and we didn't think he'd survive. "
" Why didn't you just tell her? You should've known she wouldn't like not knowing. "
" Yes, of course we knew, but there wasn't anything we could do for him. Even magic can't mature an infant that wasn't ready to be born. Perhaps my evil creator could have. But no magic commanded by mortals is powerful enough to shape the future; it can only accept it, once it is written. "
Vegeta climbed up on Shani's bed and gave Blaze a skeptical look. " You're saying that destiny can't be changed. But how do you know when it's too late? "
" In the case of Shani's nephew, that would be too early. But when we use magic to look into the future, it's not 100% accurate. After all, certain situations will sometimes cause people to act differently than they normally would, and that is how destiny can be changed. For good or bad, the way we usually act is the way we will conduct ourselves about 98% of the time, and that ninety-eight percent, is what our magic shows, when we cast a divination spell. The future is very difficult to alter, though, because our actions are not the only ones to be considered. Our enemies, allies and sometimes even truly neutral parties can affect situations that can keep the future on its most likely course. Most often, when we reach these decisions, we are not even aware of them, and that is why destiny is so difficult, and so dangerous to alter. "
" Is Lord Frieza going to sell Talon to the Ronalians or is he just trying to see what Shani's mother will do? "
" At this point I don't know. Frieza is unpredictable because he is given to cruel whims and yet his dislike for Ronalian science is well known. I thought you were taking Radditz and Napa out on a training mission today. "
" No. " Vegeta growled. " Lord Frieza wants me here so I can finish that stupid lab project with Shani. Radditz and Napa left this morning without me. "
Blaze chuckled lightly, watching Vegeta's tail curl back and forth in annoyance, until he wrapped it back around his waist, and glanced at the clock on the wall. "Is she coming to breakfast or not? "
" I don't know, if you try to talk her into it, she might, but obviously she's upset this morning. She won't yell or even look at me. "
Vegeta scowled, staring at the floor silently until Blaze sighed.
" Please? "
" How should I know what to say? At least for the time being your planet still exists… Yeah, I'm sure that'll make her feel better. " He grunted sarcastically.
" Say whatever you want, Vegeta. Don't you think it'll matter to her more that you came to find her? "
" Whatever Blaze… Why does she like that spot out there so much, anyway? "
" I don't know, " Blaze tossed her head as if to shrug. " Ask her, Vegeta. "
" Oh, fuck that shit, you do too. " He snorted, heading to the door.
" Shani's right, Vegeta… you do have quite a gift for swearing. " Blaze said thoughtfully, skillfully changing the subject. " It's too bad Mr. Poupon isn't here to hear you use language like that in front of a lady. "
" Yeah, right, that's nothing compared to the way the soldiers talk at the Barracks. Then again, after spending two months with Dodoria being in charge on Shadin 5; I think even Zarbon would've learned a few new ones…" Vegeta snorted. "You know, I can't believe we've been here almost a full year now. " Blaze looked away sadly, and Vegeta sighed, as he shut the door.
Vegeta approached the tree where she was sitting, still with her head on her arms and her knees tucked up to her chest. He sighed, wondering what to say, but she looked down and her eyes widened as she saw him standing there. " Vegeta? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Napa and Radditz. "
" No. Frieza wanted us to finish that lab project. I think he has something bigger than a training mission that he wants me for. "
" Oh. " She wiped her tears away on the back of her hand and looked again at the lingering colors of the sunrise. " Vegeta… "
" What? " He sighed, swinging himself up onto the tree branch next to her.
" Why don't you ever talk about your family? "
" There isn't much to tell. My father was an asshole. And my mother wanted nothing to do with me. Even at state functions she never said anything to me unless it was to remind me that she hated me… and my father. Why does it even matter? My whole planet is gone... they're all dead. "
" That's not right. Every body should have family, someone that loves them. I don't know why it doesn't matter to you, Vegeta, but Napa cares about you. "
" Napa is my bodyguard, Shani. Following a Prince around and training him pays quite well. "
" But like you said, your planet is gone… and he's still loyal only to you. "
" He's like a big dog Shani, he doesn't know how to do anything else. "
" Don't you have any aunts or uncles or anything? "
" My father killed his only brother to assume the throne, and he had not yet taken a Queen. Do you want to come to breakfast? "
" I think I want to sit for a while longer. "
" Why do you like sitting here so much? "
Shani looked down and pointed to one of the roses below. " The flowers on that rosebush are called Red Shadows, and they are the symbol of Shinalla. She's the goddess of love and healing that Blaze and I follow. My people believe these roses have their almost black shade of red because they reflect both the healing magic of creation and the dark magic of decay. Love and its counter hate also have a balance reflected in the red and black velvet of each petal. These roses only grow in places where they can be touched by both the sun's rising and setting rays… as if they will stand forever half-way in shadow, and half-way in light. I like to sit here because they remind me of home and that no matter what Frieza does, somewhere out there, the cycle of life will continue… " Shani looked up and smiled. " I guess I do feel like going to breakfast. Want to join me? "
Two days later, right before Physical Training class, Vegeta remembered that he needed his gloves out of his room and went back to get them. He ran to his table and picked them up, he threw his books on his bed and froze. He sniffed at the air… sweat and fear and Vegeta felt his tail bristle at the scents… his keen nose lead him to the closet that hid the secret passage to Shani's room… Voices… two of them… both of them masculine and vaguely familiar. Vegeta growled low in his throat, his tail flickering back and forth in anger.
Silently he opened the closet door and crept inside, shutting the door behind him just as quietly. Shani was already in the coliseum waiting for class to start, so who could be in there… and why?
" Damn it, what in the fuck are we looking for? This rooms so neat you couldn't hide anything in here, let alone some lizard in here! What the fuck are we even bothering with this for? "
" Shut up soldier and quit complaining. Frieza says there's some weird dragon in here and he wants it found! "
" If he knows it's here why doesn't he come and look for it? "
" That's what he pays us for, you moron! " The officer hissed. " Shut up stupid, someone's going to hear you! "
Vegeta smirked, and crept out of the closet back to his own room and went into the hallway where he went to Shani's front door. " Too late. " Vegeta growled, opening the door to let himself in, since the lock had been broken by their forced entry, that was easy.
" P-prince V-vegeta! " The officer stuttered, shrinking back toward the vanity, where Blaze had camouflaged her fiery red scales to mahogany brown and sat motionless above the mirror like a decorative carving of a dragon. " You- you're supposed to be in class, Sir. "
" And you are not supposed to bother the rooms or possessions of the students here. " Vegeta snapped. " What are you doing, searching this room? "
" Lord Frieza has reason to suspect that Princess Shannelle had brought a pet of some kind to the school, Sir, and he told her she couldn't. "
" She doesn't have any pets. Now get out. " Vegeta growled.
" But Lord Frieza… "
" I will tell him that you searched thoroughly and found nothing. And I will also tell him there are no pets in this room If there were animals in here I would've seen them. "
" So there aren't any dragons in here? "
Vegeta forced himself to laugh, but glared at them coldly. " The dragons of her world wouldn't fit in the palace, let alone in one room. Who gave this information to Lord Frieza? I should kill them on Lord Frieza's behalf, since they wasted his time with such a ridiculous lie. "
" I'm sorry, Sir, Lord Frieza didn't tell us who told him about it… we were just following orders, Sir. "
Vegeta nodded, and watched as they left, skidding across the polished marble floors in their rush to get down the hall, away from him. Vegeta glanced up at Blaze and scowled. " You're lucky, Blaze. Someone smarter might have noticed you don't match the rest of the room, up there. "
" I was taking a nap when they broke in, I didn't have time to hide or turn invisible. "
Vegeta nodded. " Just be careful. Who besides me, Shani, Gunnar and Wires knows that you are here? "
" Napa and Radditz have seen me. "
" Napa wouldn't mention it to anyone, not even me. Neither would Gunnar or Wires. That means our tattle-tail is Radditz. And if that is true… something else I have spent the last year wondering about makes sense too. "