Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z and I'm not making any money from
this.
Chapter 11
In the large conference room of a mansion on the outskirts of the village, a young woman sat motionless, staring straight ahead at nothing. Tears streaked her pretty face, but she was silent, refusing to let out any sound that showed she was grieving.
She felt alone like she had never been in her whole life.
Her mother hadn't come around to see her, since she was preoccupied with the disappearance of Lady Marron from the Lord's manor in the village. Seventeen, the owner of the mansion, was never one for long conversations, and had merely fixed his calm, ice blue eyes on her, put a hand on her shoulder lightly, and then left the room.
He was probably in the gardens somewhere, it was a sunny day as usual, and the peace of being outside, surrounded by nature was obviously something he enjoyed. However, the woman wished that there were someone there who would keep her company, now, someone who would tell her not to worry, that everything was going to be alright. Someone who knew what she was going through.
So many emotions were raging inside of her, there was the deep hurt, the misery, and the anger. But there was also a tiny nagging guilt locked somewhere in her heart. And she knew exactly why.
Repressing a sob, she cast her mind back to that night, the night of the ball at the Lord's manor. After Goten had left the manor, she had walked out onto one of the many balconies overlooking the beautiful gardens. She had breathed in the scent of the night-blooming jasmine, and she had looked up to the stars. She had thought of Goten, and how she bore such an insatiable attraction to him. She had thought about his dark eyes and his shiny, raven hair. She had thought of how pleasant and proper a man he had been.
She had known then that he was not a noble man. He was different, exciting. She had wondered who he was. She had compared him to her fiancée, Masaki. And she had made a silent wish, which haunted her up until now.
'I wish that Goten and I could be together, with nothing to come between us. Not Masaki, not Serimori, not anyone.'
Well, her wish had been granted. Masaki was dead now. She was no longer his property.
She had not loved him. She knew that for certain. He was far too plain and ordinary for her. Just the same as every other noble man she had been with in the past. He had considered her his property, to do with as he pleased. In his eyes, she was there to look beautiful. To speak only when spoken to. She couldn't be like that; it was against her nature. Her mother had once said that when she got angry, she could see so much of her father in her that it brought tears to her eyes.
She didn't know who her father was, but she had always believed that he was a great man. Someone proud, strong, and handsome. She had an image of him in her head, and she had always took pride in knowing that he was her father, even if she didn't know whether he was anything like that really.
More tears made their way down her cheeks, and she furiously rubbed them away. She couldn't cry anymore. There was nothing left to cry for, and being upset wouldn't change anything. Standing up, she smoothed down her dress, gathered herself together and blinked her tears away. She would not cry anymore.
Just as she reached for the door handle to the conference room, there were three light knocks on the other side. Jumping a little, she opened the door hesitantly.
"M…Miss Bra, I just heard about Masaki"
Bra took a step back in surprise. Standing before her was Goten, dressed in a loose white shirt and baggy black trousers, torn on the knees. The resemblance between him and Goku, the stablehand at Krillin's manor was startling. She hadn't noticed at the ball, since he was wearing formalwear, but here, in the light of day, he looked so much like the kind servant that she choked back a gasp.
"Miss Bra?" Goten was giving her an odd look. "Do you not recognise me?" he asked, sounding a little disappointed. Bra finally snapped out of her trance and nodded.
"S…Sorry Goten, I was a little surprised. Wherefore did you come here?"
"I heard of Masaki's death and thought perhaps you could do with a little comfort," he said, smiling sadly. Bra felt new tears on her face, and fell into Goten's surprised arms, sobbing bitterly.
"So, what was it that you wished to tell me, Gohan?" Trunks asked. He leaned against the rickety brick wall of the hideout, one arm clutching his stomach to try and get rid of the dull ache that he set up residence there, and the other around Marron's waist. He could feel her trembling under Gohan's gaze, and he himself was surprised by the sheer amount of hatred he could see in his friend's eyes. Gohan's eyes travelled to Marron's waist, and he turned away.
"Trunks, I did not ask for the girl to be here," he said quietly. Trunks ignored him.
"I asked you a question," he stated flatly. He saw Gohan's back tense. There was a long pause.
"I asked you here to tell you the truth about who you really are. I know that is what you have always yearned to know. It was only when I heard your delirious ramblings yesterday morning that I decided to tell you"
Trunks frowned.
"What are you saying? That you knew about my past and the person I am all along, but you just decided not to tell me?" he asked through his teeth.
"Yes, that's exactly what I am saying" Gohan snapped. Trunks seethed, but the way in which Marron's grip tightened on his arm calmed him a little.
"So then tell me, Gohan. Tell me who I am"
Gohan turned around, walking over to one of the battered old chairs and sat down, gesturing for Trunks to do so too. But even though the walk from Lowell's house to the hideout had exhausted the young man more than he cared to admit due to his injury, he stubbornly refused to sit down. Gohan sighed in forbearance.
"Tell me what you have to say" Trunks said icily. The older man looked from him to Marron at his side, and narrowed his eyes.
"She will have to leave," he said firmly. Trunks shook his head.
"If it is something about me, she will stay. I owe her that. You can tell her more about me than I can myself"
"Very well. She will stay" Gohan ran a hand through his messy spikes, and took a deep breath.
"You were taken from your mother, Bulma when you were nothing more than a child. The person who took you was named Raditz, but you know that, of course. What you do not know is why. This is the reason. Raditz used to be the Prince's right hand man. However, due to a series of events that he neglected to mention to me, he was cast out of the royal palace and onto the streets. He had to learn to survive on his wits alone. That is when he decided that he would have his revenge on the Prince, and all who were important figureheads in our society. He realised that he could not do it by himself. And so, when he heard that a servant woman named Chi-Chi was pregnant, and was being forced to give up her child, he decided to give it a home. His idea was to take her child from her, and raise it by himself, bestowing his own views and values upon this child, inevitably making one a lot like he. That was the way in which he reasoned he would be able to carry out his plans of vengeance on the Prince. I was that child."
He looked across at Trunks, who hadn't moved an inch, and whose expression had not changed at all. Conversely, Marron was clutching onto Trunks' arm, her eyes wide with interest. He took another deep breath, and continued.
"Raditz taught me everything I know, Trunks. He taught me the skills of thievery, of murder. Those same skills that I taught you. When he heard that a servant woman named Bulma was with child, and had been told by her employer that she must give away her baby or both of them would be cast out onto the streets, he saw an easy way to recruit a new member. That was you. And the following year, he was able to obtain the last of his recruits, Goten. That same year, the Lord who was the owner of the manor at that time died. The ownership was passed over to Lord Krillin and his wife. At this time, the Prince was still alive. Raditz wanted to get his revenge on him, and one night, when you were about two years old, he set out to kill him. I do not know the details of the fight, but it was a fight to the death. The morning after, Raditz was dead, and the Prince mortally wounded. Before his death, the Prince bid one of his servants to send a message to Bulma, who was now working as a nurse to the Lord's newborn daughter"
Trunks nodded, glancing at Marron, who was still enraptured by Gohan's story. The blonde haired woman brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and bit her lip.
"So Prince Vegeta was the father of Bulma's child" Marron said softly.
"Children" Gohan corrected her. "Bulma's second child was born the same year. You know her as Miss Bra Briefs, who was engaged to the late Masaki"
He glanced at Trunks again. The young man's eyes had widened at this latest revelation, and he collapsed into on of the chairs scattered around the room, trying to regulate his breathing.
"She is my sister?" he choked out. Gohan nodded, his face betraying no emotion whatsoever.
"Raditz left me his final orders before he set out. I still have them, somewhere. They stated that I was to destroy the final remaining figurehead in the crumbling upper class society of this village. Lord Krillin. He was the only Lord remaining at the time. Of course, things are different now. Raditz reasoned that the easiest way to destroy the Lord was to go through his loved ones, one at a time. First, on the list were the allies of the Lord, those two being Emperor Chou-Tzu and his companion Sir Tenshinhan. Then was the Earl of Estal, and finally, Krillin's daughter, Lady Marron. Raditz had hoped that these murders would serve to drive the Lord away from the village, leaving it without a social hierarchy, and in his words, with a renewed sense of freedom, where people were not prejudiced, and where the working class, the majority of people, would have the run of the village. His theory was that the nobles would be wiped out, either they would be murdered or would leave, leaving the village in the hands of the working class, whom he had always said that it should have belonged to all along. That was his ideal. And we have almost realised it. There is only one more thing left to do now"
Gohan fixed his gaze on Marron, narrowing his eyes. "And if you won't do it, Trunks, then I will"
A/N: Hmm, what now? Hope that chapter explains a few things! Sorry for making Gohan so utterly OOC, but it had to be done, and this is my fic, so there! ^_^ And sorry it took so long to get out, exam nastiness abound these past two weeks, but it's over now! Hope you enjoyed that chapter, and don't forget to review! Hugs and DBZ novelty chocolates to everyone who has so far! Ja ne!
Aerith
Chapter 11
In the large conference room of a mansion on the outskirts of the village, a young woman sat motionless, staring straight ahead at nothing. Tears streaked her pretty face, but she was silent, refusing to let out any sound that showed she was grieving.
She felt alone like she had never been in her whole life.
Her mother hadn't come around to see her, since she was preoccupied with the disappearance of Lady Marron from the Lord's manor in the village. Seventeen, the owner of the mansion, was never one for long conversations, and had merely fixed his calm, ice blue eyes on her, put a hand on her shoulder lightly, and then left the room.
He was probably in the gardens somewhere, it was a sunny day as usual, and the peace of being outside, surrounded by nature was obviously something he enjoyed. However, the woman wished that there were someone there who would keep her company, now, someone who would tell her not to worry, that everything was going to be alright. Someone who knew what she was going through.
So many emotions were raging inside of her, there was the deep hurt, the misery, and the anger. But there was also a tiny nagging guilt locked somewhere in her heart. And she knew exactly why.
Repressing a sob, she cast her mind back to that night, the night of the ball at the Lord's manor. After Goten had left the manor, she had walked out onto one of the many balconies overlooking the beautiful gardens. She had breathed in the scent of the night-blooming jasmine, and she had looked up to the stars. She had thought of Goten, and how she bore such an insatiable attraction to him. She had thought about his dark eyes and his shiny, raven hair. She had thought of how pleasant and proper a man he had been.
She had known then that he was not a noble man. He was different, exciting. She had wondered who he was. She had compared him to her fiancée, Masaki. And she had made a silent wish, which haunted her up until now.
'I wish that Goten and I could be together, with nothing to come between us. Not Masaki, not Serimori, not anyone.'
Well, her wish had been granted. Masaki was dead now. She was no longer his property.
She had not loved him. She knew that for certain. He was far too plain and ordinary for her. Just the same as every other noble man she had been with in the past. He had considered her his property, to do with as he pleased. In his eyes, she was there to look beautiful. To speak only when spoken to. She couldn't be like that; it was against her nature. Her mother had once said that when she got angry, she could see so much of her father in her that it brought tears to her eyes.
She didn't know who her father was, but she had always believed that he was a great man. Someone proud, strong, and handsome. She had an image of him in her head, and she had always took pride in knowing that he was her father, even if she didn't know whether he was anything like that really.
More tears made their way down her cheeks, and she furiously rubbed them away. She couldn't cry anymore. There was nothing left to cry for, and being upset wouldn't change anything. Standing up, she smoothed down her dress, gathered herself together and blinked her tears away. She would not cry anymore.
Just as she reached for the door handle to the conference room, there were three light knocks on the other side. Jumping a little, she opened the door hesitantly.
"M…Miss Bra, I just heard about Masaki"
Bra took a step back in surprise. Standing before her was Goten, dressed in a loose white shirt and baggy black trousers, torn on the knees. The resemblance between him and Goku, the stablehand at Krillin's manor was startling. She hadn't noticed at the ball, since he was wearing formalwear, but here, in the light of day, he looked so much like the kind servant that she choked back a gasp.
"Miss Bra?" Goten was giving her an odd look. "Do you not recognise me?" he asked, sounding a little disappointed. Bra finally snapped out of her trance and nodded.
"S…Sorry Goten, I was a little surprised. Wherefore did you come here?"
"I heard of Masaki's death and thought perhaps you could do with a little comfort," he said, smiling sadly. Bra felt new tears on her face, and fell into Goten's surprised arms, sobbing bitterly.
"So, what was it that you wished to tell me, Gohan?" Trunks asked. He leaned against the rickety brick wall of the hideout, one arm clutching his stomach to try and get rid of the dull ache that he set up residence there, and the other around Marron's waist. He could feel her trembling under Gohan's gaze, and he himself was surprised by the sheer amount of hatred he could see in his friend's eyes. Gohan's eyes travelled to Marron's waist, and he turned away.
"Trunks, I did not ask for the girl to be here," he said quietly. Trunks ignored him.
"I asked you a question," he stated flatly. He saw Gohan's back tense. There was a long pause.
"I asked you here to tell you the truth about who you really are. I know that is what you have always yearned to know. It was only when I heard your delirious ramblings yesterday morning that I decided to tell you"
Trunks frowned.
"What are you saying? That you knew about my past and the person I am all along, but you just decided not to tell me?" he asked through his teeth.
"Yes, that's exactly what I am saying" Gohan snapped. Trunks seethed, but the way in which Marron's grip tightened on his arm calmed him a little.
"So then tell me, Gohan. Tell me who I am"
Gohan turned around, walking over to one of the battered old chairs and sat down, gesturing for Trunks to do so too. But even though the walk from Lowell's house to the hideout had exhausted the young man more than he cared to admit due to his injury, he stubbornly refused to sit down. Gohan sighed in forbearance.
"Tell me what you have to say" Trunks said icily. The older man looked from him to Marron at his side, and narrowed his eyes.
"She will have to leave," he said firmly. Trunks shook his head.
"If it is something about me, she will stay. I owe her that. You can tell her more about me than I can myself"
"Very well. She will stay" Gohan ran a hand through his messy spikes, and took a deep breath.
"You were taken from your mother, Bulma when you were nothing more than a child. The person who took you was named Raditz, but you know that, of course. What you do not know is why. This is the reason. Raditz used to be the Prince's right hand man. However, due to a series of events that he neglected to mention to me, he was cast out of the royal palace and onto the streets. He had to learn to survive on his wits alone. That is when he decided that he would have his revenge on the Prince, and all who were important figureheads in our society. He realised that he could not do it by himself. And so, when he heard that a servant woman named Chi-Chi was pregnant, and was being forced to give up her child, he decided to give it a home. His idea was to take her child from her, and raise it by himself, bestowing his own views and values upon this child, inevitably making one a lot like he. That was the way in which he reasoned he would be able to carry out his plans of vengeance on the Prince. I was that child."
He looked across at Trunks, who hadn't moved an inch, and whose expression had not changed at all. Conversely, Marron was clutching onto Trunks' arm, her eyes wide with interest. He took another deep breath, and continued.
"Raditz taught me everything I know, Trunks. He taught me the skills of thievery, of murder. Those same skills that I taught you. When he heard that a servant woman named Bulma was with child, and had been told by her employer that she must give away her baby or both of them would be cast out onto the streets, he saw an easy way to recruit a new member. That was you. And the following year, he was able to obtain the last of his recruits, Goten. That same year, the Lord who was the owner of the manor at that time died. The ownership was passed over to Lord Krillin and his wife. At this time, the Prince was still alive. Raditz wanted to get his revenge on him, and one night, when you were about two years old, he set out to kill him. I do not know the details of the fight, but it was a fight to the death. The morning after, Raditz was dead, and the Prince mortally wounded. Before his death, the Prince bid one of his servants to send a message to Bulma, who was now working as a nurse to the Lord's newborn daughter"
Trunks nodded, glancing at Marron, who was still enraptured by Gohan's story. The blonde haired woman brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and bit her lip.
"So Prince Vegeta was the father of Bulma's child" Marron said softly.
"Children" Gohan corrected her. "Bulma's second child was born the same year. You know her as Miss Bra Briefs, who was engaged to the late Masaki"
He glanced at Trunks again. The young man's eyes had widened at this latest revelation, and he collapsed into on of the chairs scattered around the room, trying to regulate his breathing.
"She is my sister?" he choked out. Gohan nodded, his face betraying no emotion whatsoever.
"Raditz left me his final orders before he set out. I still have them, somewhere. They stated that I was to destroy the final remaining figurehead in the crumbling upper class society of this village. Lord Krillin. He was the only Lord remaining at the time. Of course, things are different now. Raditz reasoned that the easiest way to destroy the Lord was to go through his loved ones, one at a time. First, on the list were the allies of the Lord, those two being Emperor Chou-Tzu and his companion Sir Tenshinhan. Then was the Earl of Estal, and finally, Krillin's daughter, Lady Marron. Raditz had hoped that these murders would serve to drive the Lord away from the village, leaving it without a social hierarchy, and in his words, with a renewed sense of freedom, where people were not prejudiced, and where the working class, the majority of people, would have the run of the village. His theory was that the nobles would be wiped out, either they would be murdered or would leave, leaving the village in the hands of the working class, whom he had always said that it should have belonged to all along. That was his ideal. And we have almost realised it. There is only one more thing left to do now"
Gohan fixed his gaze on Marron, narrowing his eyes. "And if you won't do it, Trunks, then I will"
A/N: Hmm, what now? Hope that chapter explains a few things! Sorry for making Gohan so utterly OOC, but it had to be done, and this is my fic, so there! ^_^ And sorry it took so long to get out, exam nastiness abound these past two weeks, but it's over now! Hope you enjoyed that chapter, and don't forget to review! Hugs and DBZ novelty chocolates to everyone who has so far! Ja ne!
Aerith