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Author's Note: Well, thanks to the proddings of Vegeta Pet and her furious jabbings at me with her Spork of Doom, I've finished this chapter faster than usual. I think I did, anyway. O_o; Well, you know the drill: read, enjoy, and pllleeeaaaaasse review? =D? I'll luv ya forever! Or at least for a few moments.

Chapter Nine: The Expectations of Traitors

The once glowing city was dull and black. The burned buildings were falling apart, and the falls of dislodged boards and stones were the only sounds that disrupted the silence.

His own footsteps were the exception at the moment as his boots clunked on the abandoned stone path, stained charcoal from the descended ash of long ago. He passed through a gap in the towering walls that circled the castle. The gate that formerly blocked the walk lay in the dirt nearby.

He would have continued past them without a thought as usual, but the recent developments on his mind made him slow down. He stopped, arms relaxed at his sides, and stared at the intricate bars that had once helped guard the palace.

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His high-necked uniform was pale gray and favored his pale complexion. The outfit was plain, but his features were enough to distinguish him: straight black hair was cut to just above his ear on his right, and the length angled downwards so that it reached below his chin on his left. Pupil-less red eyes were focused on the approaching group, surrounded by more guards.

First was the king, tall and proud, as many are. To the young man's irritation, the ruler did not even glance at him; he kept his eyes on the palace straight ahead.

Behind her father was the princess, beautiful as usual even with the pink scar slashed over her left eye. It had been brisk that day, and she'd chosen to wear a light hooded cloak that hid her body from view. Her face was enough for him, however, with her beautiful ivory skin framed by orange hair piled on her shoulders. Her lips smiled at him appreciatively from under the cowl, and when he looked into her brightly-colored eyes he could see the affection he drew from them.

But the man that followed brought him away from his infatuated thoughts. He was much taller than his companions, not to mention his unusual gray skin color. His eyes were also quite queer; the irises were white like his pupils, and it looked as if he should be blind. Long, straight, sleek black hair was tucked behind pointed ears. His green uniform was similar to the young man's in style, but it was trimmed in gold and epaulets were on each shoulder. He nodded to the young man by the gate.

"Relov," Kouruji acknowledged with a fanged grin.

"Welcome back," Relov said to all three with a bow. "I trust that the Western Province is well?"

"As always," was the king's cool reply. The three stopped at the open gate, as did the guards following behind them. The king looked to Kouruji. "Will you and your apprentice be joining me in the throne room while I receive the representatives?"

Kouruji glanced at Relov. "I am feeling a bit ill again, Highness. I think my time would be better served with another lesson for him instead."

The king snorted. "I'm sure he would learn more by doing, Kouruji. I do not want my daughter's advisor's head to be filled with all philosophy and no strategy." He gave the dark-skinned man a once over. "And did I not tell you to see my doctor?"

"I did, and, again, he could not find a cause for my fatigue." He bowed to his ruler. "Please forgive me, Majesty, but I must retire to my chambers. Perhaps tomorrow would be a better day for Relov to experience the problems brought up by the representatives."

The king turned back to his castle and waved a hand in dismissal. "Go ahead, Kouruji. I'm not one to strain the ailing." He set off towards the castle again, and some of the guards immediately followed him.

Serive glanced to her father and stepped towards Relov. "Let's talk again today in the field," she said softly so her father- as well as the remaining guards- could not hear. Her cloak parted and her ivory hand appeared. She squeezed his shoulder and smiled.

Relov wished he could kiss her just then, but the guards were watching. "As you wish, My Lady."

Her arm vanished beneath light blue fabric and she set down the path with more of the guards following her.

Relov closed the doors to Kouruji's chambers as his master sat back in a cushioned chair. The guards were stationed outside the room; the two were alone.

"A fire, please, Relov," Kouruji requested wearily.

Relov frowned, but waved his hand and the fireplace lit up. "You were able to start a fire yesterday," he commented.

Kouruji laughed dryly. "Barely," he muttered.

"Sir..." Relov sat in another chair across from the advisor. "Your power has decreased so much in the past month. Perhaps enacting this invocation is just as they say: impossible. If you die, all your effort will be worth nothing, and your vision will never come to pass."

The older man closed his eyes and shook his head. "It is all in the mind, my boy. My body may weaken, but as long as I can focus I will achieve my goal."

"But it's controlling your entire life!" Relov exclaimed. "I mean, the crude diet itself is near poisonous! And the drawings of blood and full days of meditation! I'm surprised that no one has gotten suspicious by now. No Wycanian has ever had an incurable condition; it's a weak defense for your behavior."

"I am trustworthy. That will hold off all suspicions for some time."

"I have to admit, Sir..." Relov looked away from his teacher. "While I appreciate your goals of peace and equality, and understand that they can only be achieved through war, I can hardly condone what the spell itself does..."

"Do you not trust me to use it responsibly?" The older man's eyes snapped upon to glare shame upon Relov.

"I do trust you!" Relov insisted pleadingly. "But isn't there a way to make him willing?"

"We have no time for negotiations. The portal is only open for a short time."

Relov bit his lip, but he nodded in understanding before continuing. "There is another thing..." he admitted. He was very used to opening himself up to his mentor. Kouruji seemed to seal up all the cracks in his thoughts and emotions; it was very comforting. "I feel... as if I should tell Serive. Perhaps she wouldn't misunderstand-"

Kouruji snarled. "Are you a fool? She is much too loyal to her father to listen to anything even you had to say." He relaxed and sat back in his chair. He reached down the neck of his uniform and pulled up the necklace hidden beneath his shirt. "Just follow the plan as I told you," he muttered, fingering the clear charm absently. "It won't be long now until the spell is effective enough to open the gateway."

Relov looked at the clear jewel and thought of its purpose. "You... you will release him when we win the battle, yes?"

The advisor gave his student a hard stare. "You have dedicated yourself to me for this long, and you doubt me now?"

Relov swallowed. "Forgive me..."

Kouruji looked back to the fireplace. "It's alright. It's to be understood that your anticipation of the drastic changes to come would jar your resolve, especially at your young age."

"I am not that young," Relov tried to defend himself. He did not like being treated like a child. Granted, most Wycanians lived to be around three hundred years old and he was only a decade short of Serive's half a century, but that did not make him a mere boy.

"You are young enough." Kouruji replied. "Just follow me and I will come through with my promises. You want an equal world, yes? A place where each person receives the same respect? A land with the fairest, sparest government that can deliver happiness with its decency? A land where the princess and a lowly apprentice can be wed?"

Relov nodded. He did want those things, but... "I fear that Serive will never understand."

"It will take time," his mentor assured him, "but I'm sure she will see the light."

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Relov smiled bitterly at the memories of his last days as an apprentice. Now he served as Kouruji's lieutenant and assisted with breaking the rebellion that had formed after the assassination of the King. He could hardly wait until the new government was installed, but first the rebels had to be defeated and made to realize how much of a better life was waiting for them. It was taking such a long time, though; they would enter the sixth year of the war in a little over two months.

He set off again up the path to the charred palace. A set of towering doors was the castle's entrance, but one of the doors had come down long ago, and he merely walked over it. His thoughts went to his precious Serive. He knew she would have supported the goal of equality many years ago before the late Lord Freeza kidnapped her. But her time purging planets had altered her. When she finally escaped and returned home, Serive had eagerly embraced all that was familiar, and her negative attitude towards change was soon obvious. Even their love could not make her stand up to the old ways.

"I must wed one who is brought up refined and wealthy, one who is diplomatic and military, one who would be the perfect king for Wycan. You are not all these things, Relov."

"I will change for you. I will study all those things and-"

Her fingers pressed up against his lips and silenced him. "I do not want you to change. Besides, you would never be able to be all that a king should be, such as military. You hate war, Relov."

"I would go to war for you, Serive."

"But you hate it, and I would hate for you to be responsible for something you despise."

"So you just want to throw this all away?" His eyes burned.

"I do not want to. I have to, for all our people. As future queen, I have obligations-"

"Love should be above obligations."

"It is above them, but it cannot conquer them."

"I will change if I have to. I will become the most bloodthirsty soldier-"

Her eyes were angry. "I do not want to you change," she repeated. "Besides, Father would never accept you as the future king. He finds you too soft, too young-"

"I am not much younger than you!"

"It is one of his excuses. But his dislike for you does not cancel the fact that your station is too low to ascend to a ruler."

"Your father is... is... enraging," he finally muttered. He did not want to say what he really meant, for fear of insulting her.

She chuckled. "He is still my father and the king, and his word is my law." Her sympathy changed to sadness as she looked at his frown. "And my burden."

"If you had not gone away... you would think differently."

She looked away, and her eyes were hard. "Well, I did 'go away.' And..." She swallowed. "And I think it actually did me good. It made me appreciate my life here."

"It made you fear any alteration in your life!" he snapped, frustrated with her stationary thinking.

She glared at him, and her affection was replaced with ice. "Maybe it has!" she snarled. "I would rather keep things the way they are here- safe and stable- then risk alienating my own father and king for selfishness." She turned her back to him. "Perhaps some time with Freeza would make you understand better," she said coldly.

He bit his lip for being so harsh with her and bringing back memories. "I'm sorry-"

She walked away before he could finish his apology.

They had easily made up later, but not much had changed since that conversation. After the fall of the Capital, Serive battled to keep the goverment Wycan had developed hundreds of years ago, while he fought for changes to make life better for all the planet's people. He still despised war. He hated the horrid battles, the bitter smell of blood, the sense of death. But he had not lied to Serive; he had sustained all the horrors for her, and soon she would see that change was okay if it destroyed barriers between love.

Relov passed through the front hall and marched to the far, scorched doors. He pushed them open and approached the throne at the head of the room. He ignored the corpse sprawled near the dias; he was used to ignoring its existence. He bowed to his lord and said, "I bring word from the military base in the Eastern Province."

"Ah, yes." Kouruji nodded. "How was your travel, my friend?"

"Very good, Sir."

"What is the news you bring?"

Relov frowned as he spoke. "The troops finally discovered the rebel hideout in the Yeahidwa Mountains, but they must have been seen crossing the Poen Pass the day before because a majority of the rebels were gone when they entered. All but three of those remaining were captured and taken back to the base along with all supplies and other articles that were discovered."

"Anything useful found?"

The young man's scowl deepened. "A trunk with many of Princess Serive's belongings was found. She was not among those captured or seen fleeing when our military invaded the rebel headquarters, and it is odd that she would have left such personal things behind if she'd gone ahead with the missing rebels."

"Hmmm..." Kouruji leaned forward in his chair. "That is interesting. Did you get any information from the prisoners?"

"Yes, the Information Accumulation groups were able to... eh... coax... an explanation out of one of the weaker agitators." Relov winced, recalling the screams of the unfortunate rebel.

"Do tell." His elbows rested on the arms of his chair and grey hands formed a steeple beneath his chin.

"He said that the former queen had a vision after the battle in the Eastern Plains. The princess was sent in a space pod to seek the aid of..." Relov hesitated to finish.

"... Yes?" Kouruji pressed.

Relov felt almost embarrassed saying it. "A... a Saiyajin, Sir."

Kouruji chuckled. "A Saiyajin?"

"I know there is great insistence that they are extinct, Sir," Relov said hurriedly, "but there is also rumors that some still-"

"I'm aware of the gossip," Kouruji interrupted him. "I only find it difficult to believe that Serive went in search of one of very few Saiyajins in an entire universe."

"The Queen was very specific. She said he would be on a place called Earth."

Kouruji laughed. "Thus is the flaw in the queen's abilities. They say that a Saiyajin killed two of the Kold family on Earth. And then there is also the three Saiyajins Serive met while she was serving Lord Freeza. The Queen likely unknowingly drew from her subconscious that her daughter had before encountered warriors of unbelievable strength and that one of those warriors killed two of the most feared tyrants in the history of existence on a place called Earth."

"So you believe that the precognition was only an illusion of hope?"

"It's a possibility." Kouruji's amusement and arrogance faded. "But I do not deny that her dream could have been true." His eyes flickered strangely. "It would be quite unfortunate if Serive brought back a Saiyajin to challenge me. The limits of their strength... Well, there aren't any limits."

Relov raised an eyebrow in confusion. "How could you know that?"

The dark man glared at his subordinate. "Are you questioning my knowledge?"

Relov gulped and averted his eyes. "Forgive me."

"Do you have proof that this story is true at all? Are you sure it is not a clever ruse to get some of our army to leave the planet in search of her?"

"Very sure. The rebel was broken quite well, to tears, in fact. And upon returning to the former rebel site we discovered a crude pod-launching mechanism."

"Hmm.." Kouruji was thoughtful.

"What are we going to do?" Relov pressed.

White eyes dropped to gaze at the floor. "There isn't much we can do besides proceed with dissolution of the rebellion. We will just have to wait and see what Serive brings us from her trek."

Relov nodded. "She has always been determined. If there is a Saiyajin out there, she will find him."

Kouruji did not respond to his comment. He was used to his lieutenant's fond comments of the princess. "Well, I have no further orders for you now, other than to destroy Serive's trunk. It is useless to us."

Relov hesitated. "Sir, I wondered if I might... um..." His face was tinged pink.

Kouruji snorted at the younger's obvious request. "So you think she'll immediately return to you if she knows you saved a bunch of her sentimental articles?" He couldn't help his anger at the man. Relov always seemed to be thinking of that insufferable woman. "If you'd like, you may keep the damn trunk," Kouruji snapped with a wave of dismissal.

The red-eyed Wycanian couldn't hold back his smile, but he noticed his lord's agitation. He quickly said his thanks before bowing, then hurried off.

The boy is always so eager to carry out my orders, the dark man remarked to himself as he watched Relov disappear through the front hall doors. With a wave of Kouruji's hand, the doors to the chamber slammed shut. With a second gesture there was a long, creaking noise behind his throne. He stood and moved around his seat to the open door hidden behind it. He entered the concealed room, closing the door with another hand movement.

Kouruji's cruel eyes glittered as he looked upon his greatest achievement. A round platform rose from the center of the square room, and from the stage stretched a great white pillar. It was not strange to the incorrigible man that the cylinder had no top; it just faded away some short distance from the ceiling perched upon towering walls.

The dictator fingered the crystal that hung from a chain around his neck. Within the jewel swirled a strange iridescence. He held a claw out towards the round column, but did not make contact with it. He could feel his prisoner inside, and he grinned at the despair that radiated with the energy.

The immeasurable, unimaginable energy.

He had indeed been as innocent and naive as lore had it- Kouruji could feel those things right now, and had he focused on them for too long, he was sure he would have become ill. The being had great instincts, though, which had nearly caused a problem in apprehending him.

Nearly.

Kouruji closed his eyes, reveling in how the limitless power within the pillar pumped through his body like electricity. He never would have imagined having such energy, and he probably wouldn't be experiencing it now without the help of Serive.

"Honestly, Kouruji, some of these spells and incantations are dangerous! Look here. I'm sure you've heard of the Gni Dri'an."

"I believe it is one of the banned spells, My Lady. Are you sure you want me to read it?"

"Oh, Kouruji! You're the advisor. We trust you. Anyway, the Gni Dri'an fully details how to imprison a soul in order to gain ultimate power! Granted, the task is near impossible due to the great stress it puts upon the enchanter, but to let such plots exist! They endanger our very government!"

"I do see your point, Princess. If you would like, I will hold onto such texts for now and speak to your father about perhaps destroying them."

"Very good. At least they'll be in the hands of someone trustworthy."

The advisor turned dictator grinned as he remembered the expression on the princess' face when she discovered his treachery in the form of her father's dead body. How horribly foolish, how blindly trusting, how unbelievably stupid she must have felt.

He only wished he'd seen her face when she'd realized whom Relov's loyalty went to. Guiding the man in the proper direction was all too easy; he was dissatisfied with Wycan's monarchy, especially in matters such as class. He had been heartbroken when Serive was betrothed to some aristocrat from the South. When Kouruji promised him that there was a way to build the perfect world where his relationship with the princess would not end as an affair, it had not taken long for the student to offer his services.

Unfortunately, as much as Kouruji appreciated the young man's loyalty and company, Relov would be killed at the first moment he realized his own foolishness. The dark man was surprised that Relov had kept his faith in him for this long, but soon he would probably come around and realize that after the war there would be anything but equality. Did the man really expect Kouruji to throw away the power he had acquired with his army? Did he really believe that all the enemy prisoners who had not pledged loyalty to his reign were still alive?

Ah, the convenience that came from the ignorance which stemmed from hope...

But it was better to have an unknowing accomplice. It left no chance for anyone to discover more about the Gni Dri'an, such as that after one year the imprisoned being's energy was completely absorbed by the spell's conjurer. This, of course, destroyed the prisoner. So each year Kouruji was forced into another bought of meditations, rituals, and strange diets in order to acquire another pawn. Luckily it took only a few days of such to get another soul instead of two months like with the initial incantation. He had not even felt any fatigue for this most recent capture; with each recitation he became stronger and stronger.

Kouruji's thoughts went to Serive's journey and he frowned. It would be very unfortunate if she found a Saiyajin and brought him back here. The Saiyajins had always been known for acquiring great strength in addition to being vicious in battle, and he would rather not fight one and discover that he was the weaker. Of course, with the power he'd gained thanks to the Gni Dri'an, it was very unlikely that any creature could surpass him.

One thing was for sure.

When Serive returned, he'd be waiting.

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Damn, the closest mention of a DBZ character was just the word "Saiyajin." O_o So I guess my disclaimer ain't far off.

Please take the time to review... Or I'll melt into a puddle of goo! I mean it! I'll do it! O_O