Disclaimer; Still don't own it, sorry
A/N; Well, here is the next installment of A.T.Y.K. Something tell me that this might be the chapter you have all been waiting for, why you ask? Well, read on to find out! I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter, because I've been working really hard on it! ~D.B
And Then You'll Know
Chapter 43
"Vegeta, are you in there?" Krillen called, knocking lightly on the door to the sitting room.
"Go away" came the reply from the other side.
Sighing to himself, Krillen pushed open the door and walked in. "Vegeta, you are acting like a child"
He didn't reply.
"Listen, you need to drop the grudge against father and give him a straight answer. Tell him why you don't want to be King. He can't understand it without your help"
"The last thing I want to do is help him"
Krillen raked his hands through his hair, not really knowing what to do about the current situation. When he did speak, his voice was so serious that Vegeta had no choice but to listen. "Vegeta, you can't leave it like this. Father is leaving tomorrow, and you need to sort this whole thing out before then. You are a grown man and you need to start acting like one. Just talk to him ok. Sit down and tell him exactly what you're feeling. You'll be a bigger man because of it"
"That's easy for you to say. You're not faced with the prospect of being King"
"You wanna know what I think?"
"No"
"I honestly don't think being King would be all that bad" said Krillen, then left his big brother to his thoughts.
After about 5 or so minutes of walking around the palace, he came across Bulma.
"Krillen, thank god I found you. Every one around here seems to have vanished"
Krillen chuckled "No, not vanished, just hiding really well. What can I do for you?"
"Have you seen my husband anywhere? We haven't even been married for 48 hours and he's already hiding from me"
"Yeah, he's in the sitting room. Maybe you can clear his head up"
"He's still going on about that King thing?"
Krillen slowly nodded and Bulma rolled her eyes. "Honestly, he needs to get over it. I'll go talk to him. Thanks Krillen, tell 18 I said hi when you see her"
"Will do" Krillen agreed then continued on his stroll.
***
"17…" a soothing voice calling his name filed his ears.
In reply, he rolled over and pulled the pillow over his head.
"17 it's almost 11am, get up" Tarie ordered, her voice much more demanding than before.
"Babe," he groaned "5 more minutes"
"You said that 20 minutes ago"
"Fine," 17 gave in, and rolled over onto his back. Looking up at Tarie, he flashed her a big smile.
Tarie rolled her eyes, then picked up a pillow and threw it at him. "Get up" she said with a grin.
A few minutes later, 17 walked out into the living room, still half asleep and running his hand through his sleep tousled hair. "Morning" he muttered.
"Only just" Tarie informed him, pointing up at the clock.
Walking across the room, he took her small frame in a tight embrace and kissed neck. Eliciting a shrill cry of laughter from Tarie's lips. "Forgive me?" 17 asked, his lips gently brushing up against her own.
"Well," she mused out loud, "just this once. No more sleeping in though," she warned
He flipped her a playful salute. "Yes ma'am" he said. Untangling himself from his beloved Tarie, he pulled open the fridge door and stuck his head inside. "There's nothing to eat" he cried after a few minutes of searching, "only jars and jars of baby food"
"Well you're just going to have to go hungry until Bulma brings us some food this afternoon, aren't you" Tarie informed him.
"Well, I could go see 18, she's always getting food from somewhere," 17 thought aloud, "Yet she never seems to put on any weight"
"Um, 17. Did you ever stop to think that perhaps it is Krillen supplying her with food?" Tarie asked. Sarcastically stating the obvious.
17 was silent for a few minutes, then as he realized he was beat he said "Shut up!"
Tarie only laughed. "Fine, go and see your sister. Tell her I said hi"
"Will do" agreed 17, and he left.
~
As he wandered down the hall, he spotted Chi-chi up in the distance. Even from here 17 could tell she looked like shit. She was yelling something, but by the time the sound echoed down the long corridor, it was so contorted that it just sounded like muffled screaming.
But before he got there, Chi-chi disappeared around a corner further up the hall and he was left wondering what she had been so irate about this time.
He soon arrived at Krillens bedroom door, gently knocking a few times, he stepped back and waited. After several minutes of waiting, 17 heard noised from the other side of the door and then it swung open and he saw his sister.
"17, what are you doing here?" 18 sounded surprised
"Am I not allowed to visit my own sister?"
18 smiled at him, "of course you are. Please, come in" she said.
Stepping into the room, 17's eyes did a quick scan. "Where Krillen?" he asked
"Shower" 18 replied busing herself by making the bed.
"Need any help?" asked 17
"No, I'm fine" 18 moved from the bed and pulled open the curtains, revealing a beautiful blue sky outside. "So," she said "what brings you here?"
"Just dropping in. This Kingdom is screwed up, I haven't done anything in 5 days now"
"You know why right?" 18 asked her brother, raising an eyebrow.
"No, why?"
"Well, it's the Kings duty to sign the forms each week to…you know…make our work…official. And what don't we have right now?"
"A King" 17 said with a grin as it all came together, "Well, that makes sense"
At that moment, the bathroom door opened and Krillen emerged with nothing but a towel covering his lower half. 17 very quickly averted his eyes out the window and 18 couldn't help laughing watching the many shades of red that graced Krillens face.
"Maybe you should get changed in the bathroom" she suggested
Krillen mumbled something to her as he quickly gathered some clothes from the wardrobe then disappeared back into the bathroom.
"He's so cute" 18 said to her brother once Krillen had gone to get changed
"So, how long till you two tie the knot?"
18 gave 17 a funny look, "Somehow I can't see that happening. I highly doubt Krillen would want to spend his life with someone like me"
"Why not?"
"Look at me. Krillen could have anyone he wanted, why would he want to get stuck with a slave?"
"Are you nuts 18? He is crazy about you. Everyone can clearly see that"
"Really?"
17 sighed and shook his head. "Why don't you ask him yourself? I have to go"
18 watched her brother leave the room, then turned to look at Krillen, who was now dressed, but still his cheeks were a little flustered.
"Well?" she asked
"Well what?" Krillen repeated. Dropping the towel he was holding to the floor
"Are you crazy about me?"
Walking across the room, he took her in his arms and squeezed her tight "You better believe it baby"
18 smiled and kissed him.
"In fact…" Krillen said, his eyes shining with glee.
"In fact, what?"
"Wait a little longer and then you'll know," he said pulling her close again.
"Know what?" she asked
"It's a surprise"
"I hate surprises"
***
"Vegeta, dear" Kahlia walked across the large bedroom holding a night gown in her hand, "Please, cheer up"
"Cheer up? Kahlia, my love. My planet is in shambles. How can I possibly cheer up?"
"Perhaps you could start by talking to your son. I bet you'll find he needs it just as much as you do"
"My son does not want to speak to me. I have failed him both as a father and a King"
"I'm willing to bet he disagrees with that"
"No," the King shook his head sadly, "he agrees"
Blowing out her breath in an exasperated sigh, Kahlia spun around and walked back across the room, where she disappeared into the bathroom and slammed the door shut hard behind her.
The sudden noise shocked the King and made him jump. Turning to find out why his wife had suddenly lost her cool, he followed her tracks across the room and gently tapped on the now shut and locked bathroom door.
"Kahlia, dear, what's the matter?"
"You are the matter!" she hissed back.
The King was slightly taken aback; he would never understand females and their hormones – one second they were showering you with affection and the next they were ready to rip your head off. It frustrated him no end.
"What did I do?" he asked, "Come out we'll talk about it"
"I'm not the one you need to be talking to" came the annoyed response from the other side of the door.
Then it all clicked. Kahlia was mad at him for not even attempting to smooth things over with his children before he left. But really, what could she expect from him, some kind of miracle he could never pull off anyway. Krillen, well he was the understanding, most mature one – even if he was the youngest – of the group. Chi-chi, she was a lost cause, the King made a note to himself then to ring up someone today and organize to get Chi-chi some professional help before he left. And Vegeta, well Vegeta didn't want to know him from a bar of soap. But still, for Kahlia, he was willing to try and reconcile.
"Alright, I'll talk to them if you come out of there"
A few seconds later the door was unlocked and Kahlia stepped out, wearing a victorious grin on her face.
***
Bulma rubbed at her sore sleepy eyes and sighed. Here she was, she had been married for approximately 32 hours and she was back at work! She should be honeymooning at Vegeta-sei's most luxurious resort. But no! Vegeta had things to sort out with his father and she had to work. It was never ending. Looking at the little clock in the corner of her computer screen, she groaned. It was only 20 past 2. Was this day ever going to end?
Unfortunately for Bulma it was going to get a whole lot worse before it got better, because at precisely that moment the door was pushed open and her ex best friend came strolling in. Rolling her eyes, Bulma leaned back in her chair and watched Chi-chi advance across the room.
"Are you happy?" she sneered, leaning over Bulma's big desk.
Bulma flashed her a cocky grin, "Yes, quite thank you" she replied.
"Well then, I'm just here to inform you that I'm about to make your life a living hell. Just because we are related now, doesn't mean I'm suddenly going to be all lovey-dovey with you."
"Chi-chi, do you honestly think I expected any thing less from you. Believe me, when I married into this family, I was well aware of everything I was going to have to take from you. But I don't care. I don't care what you say to me, or do to me, because if you try anything – and I mean anything" she spoke in a deadly tone and flashed Chi-chi a glare to match, "Vegeta will be on to you in a second"
Chi-chi's lips rose up in a twisted grin, "Vegeta?" she asked, "What can't you fight for yourself? You need to hid behind my brother?"
"My husband" Bulma informed her.
"Yeah whatever, like I care. I'm only here to tell you to watch it. You've taken something away from me Bulma. Something I wanted very badly. So now, I'm going to take something precious away from you"
Bulma didn't back down, she wasn't scared of Chi-chi – she wasn't mentally sound and she hadn't been for a long time now. In fact, Bulma suspected that this whole thing had started back when Lumie had died, almost 9 years ago. That Chi-chi had never really gotten over the pain of losing her mother and found hurting others as a suitable way to vent her anger. Then, Kakkarot leaving her pushed her over the edge, took from her whatever morsel of sanity she had been holding onto for all those years. "I'm not scared of you Chi-chi," said Bulma slowly, "You cant hurt me"
"Bulma, you took from me the once chance I had to be Queen – the one thing I had left. You're next in line now, and that makes me very unhappy. And I don't like being unhappy, so now, I am going to have to eradicate the cause of my un-happiness"
"I'm not scared of you and I never will be" Bulma repeated her self, standing up to be eye level with Chi-chi.
"You say your not scared of me," she paused for a few seconds and chuckled to herself, "and when I get through with you, there will be nothing left of you to be scared." With that, she turned and walked away, purposely knocking a beaker off the counter and sending it crashing to the ground on the way out.
Bulma swore to herself as she leaped out of her chair and dived towards the mess on the floor. "Damn it" she muttered angrily as she reached for some paper towel to clean the thick clear liquid off the floor. That formula had taken 19 hours to come up with and another 10 hours to make. That was over a whole day of work down the drain.
"Screw you Chi-chi" Bulma said to herself as she wiped up the mess, "I don't care if you're crazy or not. Enough is enough"
***
"Vegeta?" called the King as he walked into the throne room. It was an odd sensation, and although it had only been 3 weeks since he had been in here last, it felt more like 3 lifetimes had passed.
"I don't have time for you father, can't you see I'm very busy"
The King raised an eyebrow, the throne room was dead and Vegeta was sitting perched comfortably in the throne reading a newspaper.
"You don't look busy to me"
Looking over the top of the newspaper, Vegeta shot his father a nasty glare "alright, I just don't want to talk to you"
"You can't keep up this attitude Vegeta"
"Wanna bet? I can be bitter just as long as you"
"Vegeta please, we need to talk" the King approached his son and gently pried the newspaper from his hands, he didn't protest.
"Fine, if it will get you off my back, you have 10 minutes."
A thankful smile washed over the Kings face. "You love your wife don't you?" he asked
Vegeta didn't see what that had to do with anything, but still, he replied, "With all of my heart"
"And you want to provide for her as best you can?"
"Of course"
"Well then, you can see where I am coming from. I love my wife, and I want to provide for her as best I can. And Vegeta-sei is not where I can do that"
"That doesn't justify what you did to us"
"I know son, believe me, I know. I realize that what I did was less than wise and far from noble, I was acting out of love, and I still believe that even though I didn't go about it the right way, I did the right thing."
"Funny, to me, leaving your children with no idea where you were or even if you were alive, doesn't seem like the right thing to do" he said bitterly.
"Vegeta" the King begged.
"We didn't even know you were seeing her. Then you show up an announced you got married to her. Father, how in the hell did you expect us to react? Did you honestly expect us to openly accept the fact that you went off and married another woman besides our mother?"
"Don't you dare bring your mother into this" snarled the King. Though he quickly forced his rage away by taking a few deep breaths closing his eyes.
"Vegeta," he spoke again, his voice taking one a much calmer tone this time. "You are doing an excellent job here"
"It will suffice until you can find a suitable replacement for your position"
"Vegeta, this is the role you were born to play. You were born into royalty, you were always destined to take the throne some day"
"I'm not doing it" Vegeta firmly stood his ground
"Think of everything you will gain. The respect, the nobility"
"Father, I defeated Frieza, how much more respect could I possibly want?"
"Tell me son, what is it about the title of King that is so unattractive to you?"
"Nothing"
"Excuse me?"
"It's not the title, it's the responsibility. I don't want to be like you" Vegeta knew it sounded harsh, but it was the truth.
"What?" the King asked, "What do you mean?"
"Father, we grew up hardly knowing you. We were raised by nannies, teachers and personal trainers, not by our own father. When I have children of my own, I don't want them to be raised by strangers, to grow up knowing their parents only as King and Queen. Can't you see where I'm coming from?"
The King blinked slowly. He had never ever though of it like that. Had never thought of how his job had effected the way his children had grown up. He had always thought he had given his children the best childhood anyone could possibly ask for, when in actual fact, they had all been miserable. All the toys, training, education he had given them, was not what they had wanted at all, all they had wanted was a dad who made time to acknowledge they existed.
"I…I never thought of it like that, son"
"I thought as much"
"That doesn't resolve the main issue though. This planet still doesn't have a King"
A thoughtful smile formed on Vegeta's lips, he was having an idea, a great idea. "I might be able to do something about that" he said.
"Really? What?"
"I'm not taking over the position of King. I think I might be able to find someone who will at least consider it though" Vegeta said, standing up and walking towards the door. Leaving his father standing behind in the empty throne room.
***
It had been a beautiful day, and just as Krillen had hoped it would, it had become a beautiful night. The stars sparkled a million different shades of silver in the sky illuminated everything around them. He didn't care if he knew the mechanics of the stars, from here they were nothing more than magic, and he prayed that tonight a little bit of their magic would rub off on him.
Pulling open the glass doors, Krillen stepped out onto his balcony and deeply inhaled the night sky. He walked a small circle around the table that he had set up on the balcony earlier that day, scrutinizing over every tiny little detail, he wanted everything to be just perfect. Walking across the balcony, he rested his arms on the banister and looked down at the grounds below. Everything looked so much different in the dark, so much more whimsical.
"What's going on here?" a familiar voice asked from behind him.
Turning around, a bright smile settled on Krillens face, "I was wondering how much longer you were going to be. Come here"
18 walked over to Krillen, and rested herself beside him. He put an arm across her shoulders and held her close. They were quiet for some time, just looking out at the palace grounds below them, watching the silver glow of the stars shimmer off the reflection of the lake. It was Krillen who spoke up first.
"Are you hungry?" he asked
18 nodded, "I suppose so" she replied
"Well, then, lets eat"
A few minutes later, they were both seated at the small table, enjoying a beautiful meal that had been prepared just for them.
"This is beautiful Krillen. You've gone to so much effort" 18 sounded amazed.
"You know I'd do anything for you babe"
18 tilted her head and smiled warmly at him, "What did I do to deserve you?" she asked.
Krillen blinked. "What?" he asked.
"How did someone like me, end up with someone as amazing as you?" she repeated her question
"18, sweetheart, I think you've gotten yourself mixed up. The real question is what did I do to deserve you?"
18 cast her gaze to the floor. She felt ashamed. Why? She was not sure. But it was a feeling that almost always nagged in the back of her mind. The constant thought that plagued her mind. What was she doing with Krillen, how long did she actually expect the game to last? How long would it be until Krillen woke up to himself and realized he could do so much better than her?
18 tuned back in to realize that Krillen was calling her name and staring intently into her icy blue eyes.
"Yeah?" she asked quietly, her eyes still had the strange glazed over look to them.
"What's wrong?" Krillen asked.
"Nothing" she replied with a smile.
"You sure about that?" he asked quizzically
"Yes I'm sure"
Krillen flashed her a bright smile and patted his lap, "come sit over here" he said
18 shook her head and chuckled, but still, she stood up, walked around the table and sat down in Krillens lap. He wrapped his arms around her impossibly small waist and sighed deeply.
"What's up?" she asked, as she leaned back, pressing her back against his stomach and tilting her head back until it came to rest on his shoulder.
He kissed her cheek and smiled, "I love you 18" 18 bit down on her lower lips, she loved hearing him say that, it made her whole body tingle with an odd sensation that she just couldn't get enough of.
"I love you to, Krillen" she replied softly.
18," Krillen paused for a few minutes as he collected his thoughts, "there is something I want to ask you"
"Ok, go ahead" she said, closing her eyes and listening to the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat.
"18, I think – well, I hope, that you know how much I care about you. You're on my mind 24 hours a day and I never want the feelings I have when I'm with you to end…" he trailed off for a few minutes.
18 opened her eyes, a look of absolute shock on her face. Was this going where she thought it was going?
"Well, anyway, 18 would you please make me the happiest man on the planet and do my the honor of becoming my wife?"
"What?" 18 sat up straight and twisted around on Krillens lap so she was facing him. "Are you crazy?"
Krillen looked like he had just been stabbed in the heart, and it killed 18 to see him hurt like that, but she had to do it. "I can't marry you" she said, sounding totally over whelmed.
"W-w-what? Why not? Don't you love me 18?"
"Yes Krillen," 18 took Krillens face in her hands and looked him intently in the eyes, "Yes Krillen, I love you. But I can't marry you. I'm not worthy to spend my life with someone as amazing as you. It wouldn't be fair on you to tie you down for ever with someone like me"
Krillen didn't know what to say, "18, please, don't do this to me" he begged, his eyes filling with tears that 18 quickly wiped away.
"Don't cry," 18 pleaded, her own eyes becoming a little teary, "You'll see in time that I'm trying to do the right thing. You'll find someone who is just as beautiful, and classy and amazing as you and you'll forget all about me"
"Don't do this to me," Krillen repeated. "I don't want anyone else 18. I fell in love with you the very first time I saw you, and ever since that minute I knew you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Can't you see that I am absolutely, totally in love with you, and every second I'm not with you I feel like I'm going to die"
18 didn't know what to say. Inside there was a grand battle going on between her emotions. One half told her to get up and run away, to give Krillen a chance to live the life he deserved to live, without her burden. And the other half told her to throw her arms around his neck, kiss him like she never had before and tell him yes of course she would marry him.
"Krillen," she muttered his name, "I'm sorry"
"I'll die without you"
"Krillen, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to do what's right" she whispered through her tears.
"The right thing is to marry me. I can give you everything you've ever wanted"
"But I can't give you anything. Krillen, life with me would be miserable. You'd hate it"
"18, all I want is you. That's it, I swear. I love you" he said, wiping tears off 18's cheeks.
"Really?" she asked
"Yes. You're my everything 18. Please…"
There was a long silence as 18 fought against her inner demons. After what seemed like hours for Krillen, 18 picked up her gaze, and gave him a small teary-eyed smile.
"Ask me again" she whispered
"18, will you please marry me"
She nodded, wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed him. Krillen held onto her as tight as he could, terrified that if he left go she would disappear. She had given him a real scare there, Krillen really didn't know what he would do without 18 in his life – he had never even really thought about it, since it just seemed so impossible not to have her there by his side forever.
"I love you" he whispered into her ear.
"I'm sorry I did that to you Krillen" 18 confess. She was literally shaking from the shock she had gone through.
"It's alright sweetheart, it's alright now. There's just one more thing I need to do"
"What's that?" 18 asked, sitting up
Krillen reached into his pocket and pulled out a small red box. Flipping up the lid he revealed a gold ring with an amazing square diamond sitting on it. 18 loudly gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Krillen" she quietly uttered his name, her eyes darting between the ring and Krillens sparkling black eyes.
He slipped the ring onto her finger, and then kissed the back of her hand. "I hope now you can see exactly how I feel about you"
18 nodded her head, then leaned in and softly kissed him.
***
A/N; Well? Was it ok? I really hope that last Krillen and 18 scene was to your liking, because I really did work very hard to make it good! Only a 2 more chapters (and an epilogue) to go now! Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter, and hopefully the next one will be up soon! ~D.B