Chapter Eleven...Already!
The day after Chichi had convinced Bulma they were going into space together, she and Gohan moved temporarily into Capsule Corp. There was much to be done around the house, and Chichi wanted to make sure Bulma slept and ate in between the cups of coffee. It was almost eight, the sun had left rose and gold streaks of cloud across the sky in a perfect late summer evening.
Gohan was asleep on Bulma's couch, one arm and one leg dangling off the side. He had spent the vast majority of the day training, and had exhausted himself. The new determination ruling his routine was always on his mind: Destroy them, destroy them now.
Chichi was laying out plates when she heard the yell in Bulma's voice from the lab rooms. "I HATE that word!" Bulma yelled. "Glitch! There's no GLITCH!"
Gohan automatically tensed him muscles on hearing the yell, and made a move to run towards the sound.
He opened his eyes staring at a extreme close up of Bulma's carpet, pushed himself off the floor and looked around.
Chichi sighed, turned off the stove and removed the spoon from the pot. "Calm down Bulma." She called, making her way down the hall with Gohan running ahead.
"What happened?" He asked, letting himself in. Bulma was on her knees working on the ship, thick bare panels of metal had been removed to expose the wiring and complicated looking computer chips underneath. Wires ran to one of the computers, and the screen flashed. The largest word 'glitch' shone red light over the keyboard.
Bulma got to her feet, grumbling, and kicked a large spanner, which made a satisfactory clang against the metal panel. She glared at the computer ferociously. But before she could determine the nature of the error, Chichi took her arm.
"This can wait until after you've eaten." She said, reasonably, as she pulled Bulma out the door. "Leave it for half an hour. Wait."
Bulma grumbled louder. "It won't take a minute." She said, pulling back.
Chichi's attitude did not change. "No it won't. It'll take longer. Now go and wash up, and we'll all have a nice dinner together." She smiled at them expectantly. "Won't we!?"
~*~*~*~*~
"Do you know Kumar?" Trunks asked Lushka, as they walked down to the huge eating hall together.
"Everyone knows Kumar." Replied Lushka. "Everyone in the Palace gets beaten up by him at one point in their lives."
"You wouldn't think the training master would be the one to break it to you that you were supposed to be married, would you?" Trunks asked. He was still musing over the concept and still trying to make himself believe that these people actually expected a wedding out of him. One that they were most definitely not going to get, if Trunks had anything to say in the matter.
Lushka paused a moment before answering, either thinking or translating all the 'yous' in his language. It was a difficult concept to grasp; when 'you' meant 'I' . "Well, that is the way the Palace works." She said. "I think I'd be insulted if there was not a queen on the throne. My mother would be, certainly."
"Yeah well, your mother." Trunks shrugged.
"What does that mean?" Lushka demanded.
"Well, she doesn't have a say in it, does she?"
"What has that got to do with anything?"
Trunks shook his head. "I don't know. I'm just talking, I'm not really thinking. I don't want to get married. They can't make me."
"Is that what you said to Parsnal?"
"Pretty much. I bet I sounded pretty arrogant tho, I said 'I'm the Prince and you have to do as I say." Trunks sounded regretful of his word. He meant them -most certainly, but he wished he'd chosen a better way to say it.
Lushka laughed. "Oh Trunks!"
Trunks looked surprised at her laugh. "What?"
"I bet no one has ever said that to him before!" She giggled again, a bigger smile on her face. "I wish I had been there."
"He said he would discuss it with the Council." Trunks added.
Lushka nodded. "Of course he will. They will all be discussing and debating the best suitor for your Highness's bride." She said these last three words with a mocking tone on them, knowing it would make him laugh, and it did.
Trunks made a face. "Blak, I'll just have to be gone by then."
"What?" Lushka's whole expression changed into one of surprised concern.
Trunks realised he'd spoken out loud, and looked away. "Nothing." He said quickly. "Look we're nearly there."
"Your planning to leave!" She cried, and Trunks jammed a hand over her mouth.
"Ssh!" He hissed, and looked up and down the hall frantically. "I'm not, really, I was just kidding."
She took his wrist in her hands and removed it from her mouth. "Your a lousy liar, Prince Trunks."
"I-" Trunks began in his defence, then stopped. "Don't tell anyone, please."
He looked so sweet, with those strange blue eyes watching her face, pleading. Lushka answered before thinking about what she was saying. "I won't."
"Swear it?" He asked, still watching her with those eyes.
"On our friendship." Lushka promised, suddenly very aware of Trunks's wrist in her hands. She let go, and looked a little embarrassed.
Trunks nodded, and smiled again, in relief and hope that he had gained someone to help his escape. "Shall we go in and eat?" He asked, and pulled open the large wooden door to the noisy dining hall, which grew suddenly quieter as the signal of his arrival. Two door-guards bowed to them, one escorting Trunks to his seat at the head of the table. He gave Lushka a little wave before sitting down, and she found her face going a shade of red as she sat down with her mother.
"What's wrong with you, child?" Maroda asked, and nodded to a Krinchi serving wine.
"Um." Muttered Lushka. Not having the slightest idea why her face was warm. "It's just the heat of the dining hall, compared to outside."
Maroda seemed to accept this, but as she sipped her wine her eyes flashed to the Prince's seat to try and read his face. He acted more relaxed than when she had seen him on previous occasions. Up until someone proposed a toast to him finding the perfect queen and he scowled almost menacingly into his food, and crammed a piece of meat in his mouth so he wouldn't have to reply.
Trunks was in rather a bad mood after the dinner. There had been six more toasts all from rich members of either the Council or from the Palace court. They were all worded differently, all wishing him the same thing, and all with the hidden message 'Marry my daughter' underlying the smiles and toasts. Conversation had then turned to the Rat and the riot, and Trunks tried to listen to pick up any 'whys'. Why were they rebelling? Why did everyone at his end of the table hate them so much? There didn't seem to be any answers, just banter at the mess left by the riot and what this could mean in the long term relationships with Arkosia. Trunks grew very very bored, then annoyed each time the conversation turned to the accursed word 'wedding' and he was toasted. He wanted to yell at them all, and was glad when everything was eaten and he could escape back to his room. His frustration overran the hope of escape, for now at least, and all he wanted to do was slam some doors, or blow something up.
It was dark outside, although it tended to get dark quite early on Planet Vegita, and Trunks was worn out from the day that had consisted mainly of training and eating. He dismissed the guards at his door and they took their position in front of it, ready to escort him anywhere. He slammed the door on them, and felt satisfied at the wonderfully loud bang it created.
Sena was dusting the Prince's room, a task that had been done the day before, but was being done again. Mainly because Toma's instruction's to talk to the Prince were still weighing heavily on Sena's mind.
"Prince Vegita." Sena said, and bowed, standing straight and waiting for either a dismissal -as was the norm- or something that would allow her to talk to him.
Trunks didn't say anything. He sat down hard on the bed and looked sulky.
Going against everything she had been taught as a Krinchi, Sena takes a short breath then asks; "Milord? May I ask what is wrong?"
"Ah!" Trunks exclaimed, exasperated. "This planet!" He kicked his feet out at nothing, watching them swing back and forth. "They want me to marry."
Sena was surprised, to say the least. Why on Vegita would the Council want Prince Vegita to marry? The wedding rites would hand over all the power to the royal couple, which made no sense at all. The Council liked ruling, anyone could see that. She'd served at banquets, she'd heard the tales and seen them for herself, and had no doubt that the Council loved power.
Besides...at his age? What were they, insane? Sena sighed. This could only be another power play, one she would spend hours figuring out later when the pain in her ribs had returned and it was too bad to sleep.
"They wanted my mother to marry a Prince." Sena said, taking a chance at speaking out of turn.
Trunks didn't look up. "Stupid huh?" He asked rhetorically, still swinging his feet with more force than necessary.
"Yes milord." Sena nodded.
Cooling off a little, Trunks asked. "So what happened? With your mother."
"She ran away."
"Clever." Trunks muttered
"No." Sena replied. "Well, maybe it was- she was with her love, my father, for a good part of my childhood. She had already had two children by him, a brother I never knew, although that is not unusual. Boys are so very often sent out. And another- another we don't talk about." She flicked quickly back to the story. "Mother eventually had to return to the Palace, and for a half year she lived there until Prince Vegita disappeared, before the wedding."
The realisation came to Trunks that the Prince Vegita she talked about was his father. And he lifted his head from watching his feet to listen properly.
This was going better than anticipated, not only had he not ordered her to shut up, or be removed, but he was actually listening to her story with interest.
"He disappeared, and the Council took over." Sena's voice tone changed noticeably as she talked of the Council, from nervous and sadness to angriness, with the still lingering hint of sadness. "The alliance with the Arkosian people was formed. And my mother was given to seal the deal."
Trunks's eye widened, then his eyebrows took on a confused expression. "Why would they do that?" He voiced his thoughts.
"Because that is the way they work." Sena replied. "I've often wanted to ask that same question."
Trunks looked at her thoughtfully, contemplating her change of attitude since he'd last seen her. "Are you still nameless?" He asked.
"Um." Said Sena in a small voice. "Yes."
"I'm not going to get you into trouble." Trunks promised. "Really."
"Sena." Squeaked Sena, wondering what she was condemning herself too.
There was a period of silence as Trunks thought. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them, chewing his thumbnail with eyes unfocused.
"You know, Sena, I'd give anything to have met my father. And to see my mother again soon." Trunks said thoughtfully. "Parents are special."
Sena sighed, knowing exactly what he meant. "She was." She agreed.
"That's why," began Trunks, standing up in front of Sena, "I'm going to get your mother back."
Sena gasped, then nearly chocked She froze as a tingle jolted through her body and sudden tears wet her eyes. What the Prince had just said was more than she could have ever hoped for. Not more than she had ever wished, because nothing is beyond wishing for, but the concept of seeing her mother again has far beyond hope. Words failed her for a long time, before she managed to choke out, "the Councill kill you!" Utterly forgetting the 'milord' or 'highness'.
Trunks spread his arms out. "Someone's already tried. But I'm still here."
Sena swallowed hard.
"I'll talk to Parsnal and see if I can talk to the Council tomorrow about it." Trunks said, working it out as he went along.
"Oh Your Highness, 'thank you' is n-not enough." Sena stammered, still in a state of shock.
"It's alright. I'm going to go to bed now, so I'll see you in the morning." Said Trunks, "Good night."
Sena bowed. "Thank you." She bowed again. "Good night, Highest One." She disappeared through the side door the Krinchi used, leaving Trunks to muse over the re-union he'd promised, which would slow the escape process, which in turn would make the stupid-wedding pressure heavier. Stupid-wedding, ah well, he'd have to tell the Council there was no way he was getting married.
And then, he was kind of excited about this tournament. His mother had said the tournaments she went to with Goku were a lot of fun. Trunks yawned and rolled over. Maybe if he could send his mother that message, then he could stay a little longer -just enough time to get Sena's mother back- without her doing anything rash. Like coming to get him. He chuckled at the idea of Bulma telling off Parsnal, he was almost twice her size! But she could almost definitely make him yield. This image sent Trunks into peals of laughter, which bought the guards rushing in to see if he was alright.
He dismissed them, still laughing to himself, and went to sleep a lot happier than he had left the dining hall.
~*~*~*~*~
AH! My Reviewers! Aaaah!!! *runs*
Ok, you know I'm only kidding, right? Right!?
But so many questions! Especially Penchy-chan! Which actually made me think if I could fit in all the answers -which, if all goes according to plan, I will be able to. I'm not giving away any answers though. Some things you guys aren't even suspecting ^_^.
Assena! I don't have time to make it 'looooong' ! Some people have school you know *crumbles under sudden weight of bursary chem and bio and calc* Y!Y!Y???... But I will/have update/d before I go away for the nice and looooong weekend. And since I have to wait however many hours on the ferry, I'll be taking a notebook, so I can write ch12, hopefully a nice loooooong one *thinks* hopefully.
Yay Alexis! I'm so glad your still reading. Thank you for the reviews, (Yes, it's really annoying when people spell LoTR chars names wrong, like...Marine....*snigger* instead of Merry (yes, it happened)
AH! The LOTR exhibition...Its interactive!!! I'm gonna get to hold swords and stuff!!!
You know, just to keep you all from reviewing a little longer, this chapter was unexpected. Its jumped out and surprised me. I was not going to write the whole Trunks talking to Sena bit. But I'm a bit of a puppet to the Story whenever I write, and it wanted to be written. But things happened!
So even when I think I've got everything under control, it chews it's way out of the bottom of the sack and goes for the throat.
Excuse me I have to go pack. Have and awesome weekend everyone! (I'm well aware that its Wednesday, but it's now officially my weekend!)