Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ and I'm not making any money from this.
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Chapter 18: Ask Him Yourself.
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"Seventeen?"
The raven-haired man stopped, turning his head. His sister stood on the staircase, her ice blue eyes indifferent, as always. She gestured to Goten, who was being escorted into the drawing room by Goku, complaining all the while.
"Why did you help him?"
Seventeen folded his arms over his chest, walking into the study. The blonde followed him, walking gracefully the rest of the way down the stairs, and to the open door, her shoes making soft clicking noises on the marble floor as she went. Closing the door behind her, she fixed her gaze expectantly on her brother, who was examining a gilded letter opener with mild interest.
"Tell me." she said quietly.
"I owed the lavender haired boy a favour." Was the response.
"Why? He is a simple street peasant, is he not? What could he have possibly done for you?"
"He is no street peasant, Eighteen. He is a trained assassin, trained by the student of Raditz." He looked up from the letter opener, his eyes betraying nothing. But Eighteen was an intelligent woman, one who could easily understand her brother's motives.
"Masaki..." she whispered. Seventeen stood up, turning to look out of the window. There was a long silence before he finally spoke.
"Lady Bra was put in my care. I was once a Royal Soldier, you know that. I still have my duties. How could I let a descendant of the Prince be endangered?"
The blonde haired woman was silent. Seventeen was right. Masaki would have most likely killed her if he hadn't died when he did.
"So you hired the boy to assassinate him." she said softly.
"Yes. It was convenient for him, too. He had another mission which required him to obtain an invitation to the ball that your husband had organised."
Eighteen said nothing. She had recognised the young man, of course, how could she not? He had been the one who had played Romeo in Masaki's place. She'd never seen her daughter as happy as she had been up on the stage that night. Maybe her husband didn't understand, but Eighteen did. Marron wasn't suited to the reserved, snooty, boring life of a noble. Suddenly realising something, her head snapped towards Seventeen, who was now leaning against the wall, appearing to be in deep thought.
"What was the boy's mission? Why did he require a ticket to our ball?"
"We didn't discuss it."
"What? He's an assassin, and he needed to be here, and you didn't ask him why?"
Her brother pushed himself away from the wall, walking past her and out of the door.
"Ask him yourself." She heard him say before he was gone.
~~~~
"So then, you left the manor of your own accord?" Bra asked in surprise. "But why would you want to leave, Marron? You have everything a lady could wish for, here."
"No, Bra, I don't. When I was with Trunks and Goten, I was happier than I have ever been in this place. I do not want to become some trophy wife, just a pretty face for my husband to show off to his friends."
Bra lowered her eyes, and her blonde friend shook her head sadly.
"I am sorry, Bra. You know I didn't mean - "
"I know."
"But, you must help me, Bra! You have feelings for Goten, do you not?"
The blue haired girl looked up.
"I thought I did. But now I know what he did to Masaki... I don't know how to feel any more, Marron. I thought he was sweet and kind, he didn't seem the type to murder in cold blood."
Marron blinked, studying her friend's face. What did Bra mean? How could Goten have done that? It couldn't be the truth, surely.
"What? Who told you this?"
"Lord Krillin."
"What did he actually say, exactly?" Marron asked quickly. He was lying, he had to be.
"He told me that the two prisoners were being detained on two counts of crime. The first being your kidnap. And the second, the murders of Masaki and that vile friend of his, Serimori. Didn't you know?"
Marron couldn't look at her friend. Her head was lowered, so Bra couldn't see her expression.
No. I didn't know." She said softly.
"Release me, Sir Goku! Let me alone! Take me back down into the dungeons! Please, Trunks was lying so that I could be free, he was not speaking the truth!"
Both girls looked towards the door, surprised.
"That sounded like Goten." Bra said, rising from her chair. "But why is he freed?"
Smoothing down her dress, the aqua haired girl raced out of Marron's chambers, hurrying down the stairs, almost tripping over a table on which a candelabra was placed. Finally she arrived on the first floor landing, and flew down the final flight of stairs. Even after her talk with Marron, she couldn't dismiss how her stomach fluttered pleasantly at the thought of seeing Goten again. Her feet hit the marble floor with a clatter, and Goten, who had been desperately trying to escape from Goku's grip, turned towards her, and froze.
"M-miss Bra." He stammered, eyes wide.
"What in the world is happening, Goku?" Bra asked.
"Young Goten here was falsely accused, my lady. But he will not allow me to free him."
"I was not falsely accused!" Goten cried. "I'm as guilty as Trunks is!"
Goku shook his head, his black spikes rustling gently with the movement.
"Trunks told me everything, Goten. I know you were there, and I also know that you couldn't find it in your heart to do what your brother told you to do. Trunks didn't want you to be punished for something you did not do, so he devised a plan to free you. Lord Seventeen and I were only too happy to help when we found out. Especially me."
Goten started, turning towards the guard. Goku gazed at him, and the young man could see it in his eyes.
"You know, don't you?" he whispered. "You know that I'm your - "
"Sir Goku! What are you up to? Escort the boy out now! We have much to talk about, I have brought the execution of that ruffian in the dungeons forward. He will be killed in two days, rather than two weeks. You must help me make the arrangements."
Krillin was standing in the doorway to the drawing room, his arms folded.
"So hurry up, get the boy home. We must start on the proceedings. If we make good time, we may even be able to arrange the execution for tomorrow night"
A choked sob was heard from the stairwell, and the four people in the main hall turned as one, to see Marron standing at the foot of the stairs.
Before her father could react, the girl turned and fled towards the dungeon door, wrenching it open and slamming it shut as hard as she could. The key had been left on a hook on the wall, and so she snatched it up, quickly pushing it into the keyhole and locking the great door. On the other side, she could hear her father yelling her name, banging on the door with his hands, and telling her to take out the key so that he may unlock the door from the other side, that it wasn't safe with the ruffian in there. She ignored him.
Sitting down at the top of the stone steps, she hugged her knees to her chest and wept.
It was only after a few minutes that she realised there had been voices within before she had began to cry. Hearing footsteps cut their way through the dark, she instinctively shrank back. A warm hand rested on her shoulder, and she looked up into the gloom, confused.
"Mother?"
"What are you doing in here, and in this state of upset, Marron?"
Her mother's voice sounded soothing and comforting, rather than angry as Marron had thought she would have been.
"Father...has arranged that the execution takes place tomorrow night." Marron told her, hot tears still trailing down her face.
"Heh. It seems that your father doesn't like me very much, doesn't it?"
"T-Trunks? Is that you?"
Eighteen stood from her kneeling position in front of her daughter and took one of the torches, lighting it carefully, and the room was immediately bathed in the warm, orange glow. Now Marron could see him, leaning against the dungeon wall, arms folded, in a stance not unlike that of her uncle Seventeen.
"Where else would I be, my love?" he asked, a lazy smile on his face as he regarded her.
The girl ignored the way her heart leapt at his words, and managed to suppress the flood of relief that took over her, putting on her best expressionless look.
"Tell me the truth. Did you really kill Lord Masaki and Lord Serimori?"
The smile left his face. His lowered gaze was all the answer she needed.
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A/N: Man, I'm really terrible with this Fragments updating business, ne? I hope this helps clear up any confusion the previous chapter may have caused. So tell me what you thought, and hope you enjoyed it! I'll try and make updates on this one quicker so that you know I'm still alive, icemint! *grins*
Aerith
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Chapter 18: Ask Him Yourself.
~~~~
"Seventeen?"
The raven-haired man stopped, turning his head. His sister stood on the staircase, her ice blue eyes indifferent, as always. She gestured to Goten, who was being escorted into the drawing room by Goku, complaining all the while.
"Why did you help him?"
Seventeen folded his arms over his chest, walking into the study. The blonde followed him, walking gracefully the rest of the way down the stairs, and to the open door, her shoes making soft clicking noises on the marble floor as she went. Closing the door behind her, she fixed her gaze expectantly on her brother, who was examining a gilded letter opener with mild interest.
"Tell me." she said quietly.
"I owed the lavender haired boy a favour." Was the response.
"Why? He is a simple street peasant, is he not? What could he have possibly done for you?"
"He is no street peasant, Eighteen. He is a trained assassin, trained by the student of Raditz." He looked up from the letter opener, his eyes betraying nothing. But Eighteen was an intelligent woman, one who could easily understand her brother's motives.
"Masaki..." she whispered. Seventeen stood up, turning to look out of the window. There was a long silence before he finally spoke.
"Lady Bra was put in my care. I was once a Royal Soldier, you know that. I still have my duties. How could I let a descendant of the Prince be endangered?"
The blonde haired woman was silent. Seventeen was right. Masaki would have most likely killed her if he hadn't died when he did.
"So you hired the boy to assassinate him." she said softly.
"Yes. It was convenient for him, too. He had another mission which required him to obtain an invitation to the ball that your husband had organised."
Eighteen said nothing. She had recognised the young man, of course, how could she not? He had been the one who had played Romeo in Masaki's place. She'd never seen her daughter as happy as she had been up on the stage that night. Maybe her husband didn't understand, but Eighteen did. Marron wasn't suited to the reserved, snooty, boring life of a noble. Suddenly realising something, her head snapped towards Seventeen, who was now leaning against the wall, appearing to be in deep thought.
"What was the boy's mission? Why did he require a ticket to our ball?"
"We didn't discuss it."
"What? He's an assassin, and he needed to be here, and you didn't ask him why?"
Her brother pushed himself away from the wall, walking past her and out of the door.
"Ask him yourself." She heard him say before he was gone.
~~~~
"So then, you left the manor of your own accord?" Bra asked in surprise. "But why would you want to leave, Marron? You have everything a lady could wish for, here."
"No, Bra, I don't. When I was with Trunks and Goten, I was happier than I have ever been in this place. I do not want to become some trophy wife, just a pretty face for my husband to show off to his friends."
Bra lowered her eyes, and her blonde friend shook her head sadly.
"I am sorry, Bra. You know I didn't mean - "
"I know."
"But, you must help me, Bra! You have feelings for Goten, do you not?"
The blue haired girl looked up.
"I thought I did. But now I know what he did to Masaki... I don't know how to feel any more, Marron. I thought he was sweet and kind, he didn't seem the type to murder in cold blood."
Marron blinked, studying her friend's face. What did Bra mean? How could Goten have done that? It couldn't be the truth, surely.
"What? Who told you this?"
"Lord Krillin."
"What did he actually say, exactly?" Marron asked quickly. He was lying, he had to be.
"He told me that the two prisoners were being detained on two counts of crime. The first being your kidnap. And the second, the murders of Masaki and that vile friend of his, Serimori. Didn't you know?"
Marron couldn't look at her friend. Her head was lowered, so Bra couldn't see her expression.
No. I didn't know." She said softly.
"Release me, Sir Goku! Let me alone! Take me back down into the dungeons! Please, Trunks was lying so that I could be free, he was not speaking the truth!"
Both girls looked towards the door, surprised.
"That sounded like Goten." Bra said, rising from her chair. "But why is he freed?"
Smoothing down her dress, the aqua haired girl raced out of Marron's chambers, hurrying down the stairs, almost tripping over a table on which a candelabra was placed. Finally she arrived on the first floor landing, and flew down the final flight of stairs. Even after her talk with Marron, she couldn't dismiss how her stomach fluttered pleasantly at the thought of seeing Goten again. Her feet hit the marble floor with a clatter, and Goten, who had been desperately trying to escape from Goku's grip, turned towards her, and froze.
"M-miss Bra." He stammered, eyes wide.
"What in the world is happening, Goku?" Bra asked.
"Young Goten here was falsely accused, my lady. But he will not allow me to free him."
"I was not falsely accused!" Goten cried. "I'm as guilty as Trunks is!"
Goku shook his head, his black spikes rustling gently with the movement.
"Trunks told me everything, Goten. I know you were there, and I also know that you couldn't find it in your heart to do what your brother told you to do. Trunks didn't want you to be punished for something you did not do, so he devised a plan to free you. Lord Seventeen and I were only too happy to help when we found out. Especially me."
Goten started, turning towards the guard. Goku gazed at him, and the young man could see it in his eyes.
"You know, don't you?" he whispered. "You know that I'm your - "
"Sir Goku! What are you up to? Escort the boy out now! We have much to talk about, I have brought the execution of that ruffian in the dungeons forward. He will be killed in two days, rather than two weeks. You must help me make the arrangements."
Krillin was standing in the doorway to the drawing room, his arms folded.
"So hurry up, get the boy home. We must start on the proceedings. If we make good time, we may even be able to arrange the execution for tomorrow night"
A choked sob was heard from the stairwell, and the four people in the main hall turned as one, to see Marron standing at the foot of the stairs.
Before her father could react, the girl turned and fled towards the dungeon door, wrenching it open and slamming it shut as hard as she could. The key had been left on a hook on the wall, and so she snatched it up, quickly pushing it into the keyhole and locking the great door. On the other side, she could hear her father yelling her name, banging on the door with his hands, and telling her to take out the key so that he may unlock the door from the other side, that it wasn't safe with the ruffian in there. She ignored him.
Sitting down at the top of the stone steps, she hugged her knees to her chest and wept.
It was only after a few minutes that she realised there had been voices within before she had began to cry. Hearing footsteps cut their way through the dark, she instinctively shrank back. A warm hand rested on her shoulder, and she looked up into the gloom, confused.
"Mother?"
"What are you doing in here, and in this state of upset, Marron?"
Her mother's voice sounded soothing and comforting, rather than angry as Marron had thought she would have been.
"Father...has arranged that the execution takes place tomorrow night." Marron told her, hot tears still trailing down her face.
"Heh. It seems that your father doesn't like me very much, doesn't it?"
"T-Trunks? Is that you?"
Eighteen stood from her kneeling position in front of her daughter and took one of the torches, lighting it carefully, and the room was immediately bathed in the warm, orange glow. Now Marron could see him, leaning against the dungeon wall, arms folded, in a stance not unlike that of her uncle Seventeen.
"Where else would I be, my love?" he asked, a lazy smile on his face as he regarded her.
The girl ignored the way her heart leapt at his words, and managed to suppress the flood of relief that took over her, putting on her best expressionless look.
"Tell me the truth. Did you really kill Lord Masaki and Lord Serimori?"
The smile left his face. His lowered gaze was all the answer she needed.
~~~~
A/N: Man, I'm really terrible with this Fragments updating business, ne? I hope this helps clear up any confusion the previous chapter may have caused. So tell me what you thought, and hope you enjoyed it! I'll try and make updates on this one quicker so that you know I'm still alive, icemint! *grins*
Aerith