Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z.
Author's notes: THE WEDDING!!! You have no idea how difficult it was to write this chapter. I have been writing on this for weeks. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 28: Fear
Jita had faced rejection on Planet Vegeta. She had experienced shame and degradation under Frieza's rule. She had gone through mind-bending, soul- killing torture in Hell.
But nothing could have prepared her for this.
Fighting back the urge to scream, Jita finally saw an opening. An escape to sweet freedom. Normally she would face the danger head-on. She was no coward. But this was beyond her power. Her foes' attentions diverted, she slipped away.
Three steps. No more.
A firm hand gripped her shoulder, shattering the hope of an end to the pain. She turned to face her blonde captor.
"If I had to go through it, you do as well," whispered Eighteen.
Jita could have escaped from Eighteen's grasp, no problem. But that would only cause a scene. And Videl guarded the entrance.
And then her true torturers caught her attention. Those she thought of as friends, but had betrayed her.
"Oh, Jita. What do you think of this pattern?"
"This veil would be so beautiful with your hair."
Bulma and Chichi had kept her in the bridal shop for over an hour. And it was taking its toll on the Saiyan princess. The only thing that kept her sane was the prospect of glorious violence later on.
"Where are those men?" Chichi complained. "They were supposed to be here by now. How are they supposed to get fitted for tuxes?"
Videl turned a page in a catalogue. "What are the bridesmaids going to wear?"
Jita brightened up suddenly. Revenge was so sweet. She picked up a book, and thumbed to the page she'd dog-eared. "This one," she said, holding it up for Videl and Eighteen to see. The two tormenters-turned-tormented promptly fainted anime style, to Jita's evil glee.
And her mood soared again as she was getting fitted for her wedding gown. For Goku, Gohan, and Trunks were ushering in an unwilling Vegeta and Goten - neither of which had tuxes. Now Jita was not alone in her torment, as the women practically pounced on the two trapped Saiyans.
Vegeta growled and looked up at his sister. "You will pay for this, child."
Goten merely whimpered in fear of the psycho women taking his measurements. One young saleswoman admired Goten a bit too much, but was immediately scared into the back room by his possessive fiancée. Eighteen was laughing at the men's predicament, at least until Jita pointed to the bridesmaid dress from Hades.
Bulma pushed a tux into Goten's hands for a try on. "Hey, why doesn't Dad have to go through this? And Gohan? And Trunks?" He searched for the other men, who had wisely escaped the women's clutches.
Videl pushed him into a fitting room, since Bulma was busy threatening her husband. "Their tuxes from my wedding still fit. Yours doesn't, and Vegeta never came to any wedding. So quit whining."
By this time Jita was laughing so hard she fell off the little stand, causing pins to jab into her in uncomfortable places.
Chichi was elated. Even a few months ago she'd thought Jita was incapable of such a laugh. Goten and Jita were the best things that could have possibly happened to each other. The wedding chaos was entirely worth it.
Pulling herself up, Jita smirked at the sight of her brother in a tuxedo. She hoped those things were as uncomfortable as the horrid dress she was wearing. She looked down on the dress and frowned. Something wasn't quite right. "Chichi," she grabbed the woman's attention.
"Yes, Jita?" Chichi replied, helping Goten with his collar.
"Why are you not dying the material before making the dress. I'm not the expert on clothing, but wouldn't that make more sense?"
Chichi looked up in confusion. "Dying the . . . What are you talking about, Jita? We're not going to dye the fabric."
Jita paled to the color of her unfinished wedding dress, her eyes widening in shock. "You're . . . you're not expecting me . . ." Her voice raised in incredulity. "What do you think I am?!"
Bulma and Chichi paused to stare at the mortified Saiyan girl. "What do you mean?"
Hearing his sister's shriek, Vegeta finished changing into his regular clothes and walked out of the dressing room, absently handing the tux to Bulma. "What is wrong with you, child?"
Jita turned to Vegeta, holding the skirt of her dress for emphasis. "Look at what they're making me wear! I will not be insulted in this manner!"
Vegeta frowned and folded his arms in confusion. He knew she didn't like dresses, but she'd never reacted like this before. Unless . . . Suddenly his face broke into a smirk and he laughed under his breath.
"What are you laughing at?" Jita demanded angrily.
"Your study of this culture is flawed, child. Do you not know about color symbolism? Wearing white here means quite the opposite from Saiyan culture," Vegeta replied.
Jita stared at him for a second, realizing how much of a scene she had made. Of course she knew white meant purity in earth culture. It had been a big part of literature symbolism. She'd just never realized that the same symbolism went for weddings as well. She frowned at her own faux pas. She rarely had such lapses.
Bulma's face dawned with realization. "I forgot about that. I should have told you before, Jita. I keep forgetting how different a culture you come from."
"Hey, what's going on?" Goten walked out of the fitting room, handing the tux to his mom.
Vegeta rolled his eyes as Jita averted hers. "Jita just thought everyone was calling her a whore. Nothing important. If that is all that is required, I'm leaving." And with that, he did.
Goten walked over to Jita, who still seemed quietly upset. "Are you alright?"
Jita smiled slightly. "I'm fine. You don't have to stick around. I'll see you later."
Goten gave her a worried glance, but took the opportunity to leave anyway. There were some things that he just couldn't fix.
*****
"This is great!"
Jita finished setting the last of the food on the table, smirking at Goku's comments. After a full day of planning, the women had decided to just eat over at Capsule Corp, especially when they heard Jita wanted to cook. Gathered around the table was Goku, Chichi, Goten, Vegeta, Bulma, and Trunks. Bulma had briefly questioned Jita's ability to cook for such a crowd, but her comments were silenced by Jita's glare. But Chichi had no doubts to Jita's ability. Not only had Jita learned everything Chichi knew about cooking, she had revolutionized the art of cooking well in large quantities in a small amount of time. Something to do with controlling ki and using different spices.
Bulma looked at the heavily laden table as the Saiyans tore into the meal. She shook her head at Jita. "Showoff."
Chichi quickly grabbed an egg roll before her husband could get to it. "Now, let's not be bitter, Bulma. Just because you have to hire cooks doesn't mean everyone has to."
Bulma crossed her arms. "I could cook. I just don't have the time."
The argument could have gone on forever, but Vegeta was stewing over something a bit more important. "What's this foolishness about a human wedding?" he demanded.
Goten buried his face in his hands. "Oh, no. Do we have to bring that up again?"
Jita looked sharply at her fiancé. "That's what I've been talking about all day. Since we're more Saiyan than human then we ought to have a traditional Saiyan wedding. From what I heard of human weddings, it will be much shorter that way."
"We've already planned the wedding out," challenged Chichi. "You forget my son is half human as well. If a human wedding was good enough for me, and it was good enough for Gohan, then it will sure as hell be good enough for my Goten!"
Bulma rolled her eyes at her overly dramatic friend. "Personally, I was willing to entertain that suggestion, but Jita didn't remember a thing about Saiyan wedding customs, and has lost any books that pertain to the subject."
Jita sighed. "Well, what do you expect? I was six when Planet Vegeta blew up. I'm surprised I still remember the language."
"Anything you know about Saiyan culture is because of me." Vegeta frowned. He knew this may blow up in his face, but his sister deserved a Saiyan wedding. "I know all the rituals."
"Well, hey, that's great Vegeta," Goku exclaimed, his mouth full of food. "Now the argument can be settled."
Chichi turned to her husband. "What are you saying, Goku?! How could you even think of having a wedding like that?! For all we know the rituals could be hitting each other with painsticks! Is that the kind of wedding you want for your son?!"
"That's not what I'm saying, Chichi," Goku said, holding his hands in front of him in defense. "I'm just saying that maybe we can come up with a compromise."
Vegeta smirked. "Besides. Painsticks are optional, and usually reserved for the bride's mother-in-law," he added under his breath. Thankfully, only the Saiyans had good enough hearing to make it out, and quickly hid their amusement from Chichi.
"Well, that's good to hear," Chichi said, making it harder for the others to mask their amusement.
Trunks cleared his throat before Chichi could figure out something was going on. "I don't see why you can't just take different aspects of human and Saiyan culture to put into the wedding. That would be the most accurate representation."
Bulma beamed. "That's my boy. That's why he's going to be the head of Capsule Corp."
Vegeta smirked. "I thought you wanted him to take over for you because you have no business sense."
Bulma simply glared and stuck her tongue out, knowing it was true. "The reason I can't handle the stress of the job is because I too stressed out from putting up with you."
"Well," Jita interrupted, "since we've already picked out all the clothing, we'll wear that. I'm not going through another clothing nightmare. And since the clothing is such a big part of the human ceremony, that can constitute most of the human half of the wedding. Now." She pulled out a notebook and pen that she just happened to be carrying around with her. (Hey, some people do that.) "What are the Saiyan traditions?"
The others drew their attention away from the rapidly depleting food. This was one of those rare times that Vegeta would say anything about Planet Vegeta.
"The ceremony begins with a pronouncement of each warriors' worth - usually name, power levels, accomplishments, or whatever else. Then the officiator of the wedding, usually a person of noble birth, proclaims the union of the two. The two then make a link of ki with their left hands, symbolizing and formalizing their union. Then there's the optional beating with painsticks," he added with a smirk.
"That's all?" Chichi squawked.
"That's doesn't sound so bad," Goten replied. "In fact, I think I'd prefer it." Goten blushed. He had a problem with kissing in public.
Chichi was horrified. "But that's just too short a ceremony. Are you sure there's nothing else."
"Well," Vegeta said, "there's usually a banquet afterwards."
Chichi brightened up. "That sounds much better."
"Of course," Vegeta continued, "the main dish is usually a captured enemy of the family, or an invading alien."
Goku burst out laughing. "You're kidding, right?" He stared into Vegeta's dead serious eyes. "You're not kidding."
"OK, so no banquet," Bulma said stiffly. "But we can do everything else. Except there's one thing that's missing. You need to say vows. And Vegeta needs to officiate the wedding."
Vegeta nearly choked on a bite of chicken. "What?!"
Trunks started laughing. "Well, you did say the officiator is someone of noble birth. Who else in here is of Saiyan nobility?"
Goten smiled mischievously, despite Vegeta's stuttered protests. "That's alright by me. Jita?"
Jita nodded. "That is acceptable. So that's settled." She was tired of the subject, and just wanted to think of something else. Anything else. She surveyed the now demolished meal and the piled-up dishes. She also saw the men making motions to leave the table. "Not so fast," she ordered. "Bulma and Chichi helped me cook, and none of you helped me in the slightest, so the four of you will wash the dishes. And don't think I can't force any one of you," she replied the rebellious looks she was receiving.
Leaving the table and the disgruntled workers, she ran up the stairs to her room. She was desperately seeking solitude. The princess threw herself on her bed, holding her hands over her face, trying to shut out the world. She had spent her life avoiding social situations, and lately it seemed that was how she spent all of her time. There were the wedding plans, not to mention beyond the wedding.
Beyond the wedding . . . Jita had also spent her life making definite plans for the future. Well, she took that back. She had spent her life making definite goals. Up until she was six, her goal was to earn the titles of princess and warrior. After she had achieved those goals, she hadn't known what to do with herself. She wasn't sure what would have happened if Planet Vegeta hadn't blown up. But it had, and had led to her enlistment in Frieza's Elite and the goal to become Super Saiyan and kill Frieza. She hadn't planned any beyond that, possibly because she hadn't expected to achieve those goals. Well, death had changed everything, and suddenly her goals had become to come back to life and kill Frieza and Vegeta. If she HAD been planning in advance, she would have seen that selling her soul was an extremely stupid idea.
So, recently, her goal was to get married to Goten. And there was the same problem. She had no idea what life would be like after that.
Jita looked around the room at all the familiar objects - some were the Saiyan relics she and Vegeta had salvaged from various parts of the universe, and others were little knickknacks she had accumulated on Earth in the four - almost five - short years she had resided on the planet. Had it been that long? Yes, it had. Jita herself had changed so much. Suddenly, feelings were not weaknesses, but strengths. Love was accepted, and peace was jealously preserved and defended. So unlike the world in which she had been raised, and yet this world was more home to her than any other place she'd ever been. It didn't matter if she had spent the least amount of time referring to this place as home. It was the people who made it home. The problem was - would it all last.
Nothing lasted. Everything was transient - whether it be life or death or all the little things that are included in either. Even the things people fought to preserve. Kakarrot and the others had fought so many times to preserve their little home planet on the outer rim of the civilized galaxy, even once using the dragonballs to restore it from complete destruction. But how could they prevent Sol from going nova? Or the weak, oblivious humans using their nuclear weapons against one another? How could they protect the planet after they are dead, and no one is left strong enough to defend the little blue planet they've fought so hard to protect? It was the same with the relics she had jealously protected. Even if she left the relics to others to care for, eventually their meaning would become obsolete, and no one would care enough to care for them. The boxes and armor would go into obscurity, the ancestral bones would return to dust, and nothing would remain.
Was it worth it? Sure, life with Goten would be wonderful. She could live out a normal life, have a family, fill in all the needs that had been unsatisfied all her life - but it was so fragile. She felt like she was planning an unrealistic dream - idealizing Goten into a "knight in glittering armor" who would save her from everything, even save her from herself. This was ridiculous and weak-minded, of course. Goten was certainly not perfect. He had problems of his own. Could he be a good husband and father? He'd said enough about how Goku had paid little attention to his family. Would Goten unwittingly follow in his father's footsteps? He'd already skipped out on his family once - leaving them for four years. Would he just skip out on her some day? To train alone? Or worse, infidelity?
Then there was herself. Could she even handle the responsibility of a family? She didn't even know where to begin with being a wife and mother. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to go through the process of creating a child. What if it was too much like those times she remembered . . . Even if it wasn't like that, could she separate it in her mind? Would she look at Goten the same?
And even if that wasn't a problem, and she managed to conceive, Vegeta had told her that Saiyan women have an extremely difficult time giving birth. What if she died giving birth? It wasn't uncommon in Saiyan society, and actually more probably the higher in rank the woman was. If that was the case, she was in the worst situation imaginable.
And if she died, then where would she be? She'd never even get to see the child - or Goten - even in the afterlife.
"Hey."
Jita pulled her hands from her face, plopping them in place at her sides, and looked wearily over to the doorway. Goten stood there, fairly filling the threshold, shifting from one foot to the other, as if nervous to enter her inner sanctum. Jita realized that the noise had died down downstairs, and Goku and Chichi must have left, which mean Vegeta was training in the gravity room, Bulma was working in her lab, and Trunks had gone out somewhere. Jita gave a half-lidded smile and invited him in with a jerk of her head.
Goten strode across the room and sat at the edge of the bed. Jita closed her eyes again, and felt Goten's hands as they began to stroke her hair. Her worries and inner turmoil melted away as she was mesmerized by the intriguing sensation of Goten's hand in her hair. As she tried to regain her train of thought, what she remembered sounded utterly ridiculous. Goten - leave her? Why, she wouldn't let him. And if Vegeta could be a father, then she could be a mother.
"Hey, Jita."
"Hmm?" she responded distractedly.
"What were you worrying about?"
Jita opened her eyes and gazed straight into Goten's eyes. The question had almost been rhetorical. "Nothing important."
Goten smiled and leaned in for a kiss. "Good."
*****
The sun began setting as the group gathered beside the lake - the same lake of that fateful battle only a few years before. The once battle-scarred ground had all traces of the battle wiped away, as if forgiven. Beautiful flowers covered the ground. Most could be recognized by a practiced eye, but there were a few that were completely alien to Earth. Much like the group of humans and aliens that graced this beautiful scene.
The world seemed to be in a golden half-light, the sky splashed with pink and orange and red. Once Goten had thought of only death and violence while watching a sunset. Now, he could see the beauty.
He felt a tap on his shoulder, and shook out of his reverie. He turned to see Trunks smiling encouragingly at him. "It's time?" he asked his best friend.
"Yeah. It's time."
Goten let Trunks lead him toward the others, tugging nervously at his collar. As he came into view of the wedding party, the first thing he saw was Jita. The sight of her nearly took his breath away. She was dressed in a white gown that made her the quiescence of simplicity and elegance. She wore no veil, and her black eyes were luminous against the pale skin and white dress. She looked to be made of fine porcelain and white silk. But the most beautiful thing about her was the tiny smile she was giving him. He knew Jita was happy.
A gong sounded, made from the shield of the first king of the Saiyans, the traditional gong for royal weddings. A nine-year-old Bra tried to suppress a goofy grin. She thought that ringing the gong was extremely cool, and she wanted to look cool.
Jita and Goten joined hands and began to walk forward. Before them was an unlit bonfire. Vegeta was standing behind it, dressed in full armor. Saiyan tradition had overridden Bulma's insistence on a tuxedo. That, and Vegeta's stubbornness. The rest of the spectators had gathered in a loose circle around the bonfire. Bulma stood closest to Vegeta on the right, where Trunks quickly joined her, along with Bra, who forgot to leave the stick next to the gong. On the same side Krillen's family and Yamcha were gathered. To the left of Vegeta stood all the Sons - Goku, Chichi, Gohan, Videl, and Pan. Hercule stood close to Videl, a bit nervous about this alien ceremony. Apart from the others, Piccolo watched with arms folded.
Vegeta looked over to Pan and nodded. At the signal, she drew her panflute and began to play a melody, strange and sweet. It was a melody that Vegeta's mother had taught to him, and he had passed it on to Jita, who had taught it to Pan and Bra. Pan had been practicing it for a long time for this very occasion. The twilight, the smell of the flowers, the haunting melody - they all lent a dream-like quality to the air, and Vegeta felt the barriers of time and space between his two homes thinning. He was almost startled when the music stopped, signaling that it was time to begin.
"Hey, what's gonna happen now?" whispered Hercule, though a bit too loudly.
"Shh," Videl whispered back, fortified.
"Oh, sorry."
Vegeta frowned at the humans, but let it slide. "The union of two warriors is a sacred bond. Warriors must be strong for the good of all. What is your worth?"
Goten put a fist over his heart and bowed - the sign of his station in the Saiyan hierarchy. "Trunks Brief, son of Prince Vegeta, will speak for me."
Trunks walked over next to Goten. "He is Son Goten, son of Son Goku, or Kakarrot. He is a Saiyan warrior, third class. He was trained by Son Chichi, Son Gohan, Son Goku, and Piccolo. He was the youngest Super Saiyan. In a close match, he came in second in the 25th Tenkaichi Budoukai, junior division. He fought valiantly against Majin Buu. He has reached Super Saiyan level three. He is strong and worthy."
Vegeta nodded to his son solemnly. Attention focused on Jita, as it was her turn. Instead of bowing, she barely inclined her head and said, "Kakarrot, son of Bardock, will speak for me."
Goku stepped forward, unusually solemn in honor of the occasion. He panicked for a minute when he couldn't remember the words, but then calmed down. "She is Princess Jita, daughter of Kind Vegeta. She is a Saiyan warrior princess. She -" He suddenly snorted in laughter, unable to contain himself. The others stared wide-eyed at him. One by one they got the joke, and fought against laughter.
"Kakarrot!"
"Sorry, Vegeta," Goku said, looking chidden. "She is a Saiyan warrior - ahem - princess." He was about to laugh again, when he saw glared from both Chichi and Jita. "She was trained by Prince Vegeta and Frieza."
Everyone watched Jita closely as her eyes twitched. Surprisingly, she was insisted on this inclusion, maybe because she would not even name the person that had trained her after death.
"She defeated many great warriors, many of whom had never been beaten before." Jita's eye twitched again. That was actually no mean feat. The people she had killed were far too many to mention, and most of the time never being beaten merely meant being alive. Never dying, that was a real accomplishment.
"She gave her life in rebellion against Frieza."
Jita head jerked up at that sentence. That had been added. She looked over to Vegeta, figuring it was he who had told Goku to say that. It was a surprise. He had never truly approved of her method of rebellion against Frieza. Mostly because it had gotten her killed. He smirked, telling Jita all she needed to know.
"She has reached Super Saiyan level two. She is strong and worthy."
Vegeta nodded to Goku. "Son Goten, Princess Jita, you are worthy. You will swear at each other now."
Goten and Jita exchanged shocked expressions as the rest of the company lost control of their laughter. Chichi tried to bring her family in line with much glaring and ear-pinching.
"I meant," Vegeta responded with barely disguised irritation, "that they should swear to each other."
At lengths the laughter subsided, though most were smiling or smirking, as the case may be. Jita was still laughing under her breath, until she looked into Goten's eyes, and realized why they were there. She drew in a breath, steadying her nerves. This was it. "I, Princess Jita, swear to you, Son Goten, my love, respect, and fidelity, for all the time that I am existing."
No one, not even Vegeta, had the presence of mind or the nerve to remind Jita that she was supposed to go second in her vows. Goten smiled, and pulled out the wedding rings from his pocket. Jita blushed at her nervous forgetfulness, but said nothing. Quickly she took a ring form Goten's hand and tried to put it on Goten's finger. When it wouldn't go on, she nervously exchanged the ring for the right one, her action causing a bit of murmuring and repressed snickers.
But again Jita's frustrations were forgotten as Goten caught her hand in his and stared in her eyes. "I, Son Goten, swear to you, Princess Jita, my love, respect, and fidelity, for all the time I am existing." With that he smoothly put the ring on her finger.
"Goten," Chichi whispered, capturing everyone's puzzled expressions. "Wrong hand."
Goten stared at her as if she'd gone crazy and mouthed the word "What."
"Wrong hand," she whispered more insistently. When he still didn't understand. Chichi walked over to the couple, pulled the ring off Jita's right hand, and thrust both the ring and Jita's left hand to Goten. Then she walked back to her place and smiled, as the others murmured their amusement. Goten, blushing furiously both at his own mistake and at his mother's controlling nature and lack of subtlety, put the ring on the right - er - left hand. Fortunately for Goten it was getting to dark to see. The sun had fully set and it was a moonless night. But the ceremony was almost over.
Vegeta cleared his throat. "This part of the ceremony is usually spoken in formal Saiyan, but since there are but two who understand the language, I have translated it. Princess Jita, Son Goten, you have accepted the most sacred of responsibilities with honor. May your union be strong, your line prosperous, and may you ever triumph over you enemies. The bond is done."
Goten and Jita smiled and faced each other. With their right palms a bit apart from each other, a burst of blue ki came from each and joined in the middle. Goten smiled at the memory of reconciling with his father. Strange coincidence.
After a few seconds, the ki ignited the bonfire, which shot up in a blaze from the intensity of the ki, illuminating the night in a burst of blue and orange and flame and spark.
Cheers and applause came from all around, and the bride and groom were suddenly surrounded by family and friends. Videl and Eighteen slipped away to get the food capsules, and before long there were two long tables covered in mostly Chichi's cooking, all of it still hot and fresh.
As the group began to attack the food tables, they couldn't help but notice the strange wedding cake that Chichi had cooked. They had not wanted an extravagant wedding cake, saying that a small one would be fine. But this . . . The cake was decorated with alien heads, the kind with teardrop heads, large eyes, small mouths, and green skin. "What's up with the cake, Mom?" Goten asked.
Chichi's face flushed a little, but she was ready to defend her reasoning. "Well, Vegeta said something about eating aliens at wedding banquets, so . . ." She trailed off as everyone started laughing again.
"And I wasn't even being serious," Vegeta said under his breath.
"Mom?"
Bulma looked down at her daughter tapping her arm. "What is it, Bra?"
"Isn't it supposed to be gift time?"
Bulma smiled. "Actually, yes."
Bra and Pan herded Goten and Jita over to where the gifts were as the group hastily finished their repasts. Most people had capsulized their gifts, being the most practical method of gift-wrapping. Yamcha, being one of the few that wasn't family, went first. "Well," he began nervously, "I wasn't sure of what to get you, so here." He handed the two a gift bag. Inside was season tickets to the Titans games, and autographed ball with the rest of the teams signatures on it, a toaster, and dish towels.
"Wow. This is great, Yamcha," Goten said. "I've been bugging you since I was a kid for this."
"I didn't know you wanted dish towels as a kid?" Gohan piped in, earning good natured laughs all around.
When the laughter died down, Piccolo walked forward. Wordlessly, he stretched his arm out and formed a shaft of ki in his upward palm. After a moment's concentration, the ki began to form expertly into the shapes of Goten and Jita, as they were then. After Piccolo was sure he had gotten the shape right, he willed the ki into a solid form, and held it out to the couple. "Unbreakable crystal."
Jita took it and held it to the light of the bonfire. The ki sculpture had been pure artistry. No one had known that the Namek was capable of such a feat. Jita inclined her head to Piccolo in appreciation.
Next Krillen, Eighteen, and Marron stepped forward. Krillen scratched his head. "Umm, well, I guess you noticed this place was kind of cleaned up from how it was."
"Yeah, I was gonna ask about that," Goten interrupted.
Eighteen smiled. "We gathered the dragonballs and asked Shenlong to repair the land for the wedding. We also asked for it to be decorated by flowers. If you'll notice, some of the flowers are varieties that have been extinct since the Planet Vegeta was destroyed."
Jita looked around at the flowers. Actually, she'd barely noticed them in her preoccupation with the wedding. Sure enough, she actually recognized some of the flowers from her childhood.
"These flowers won't die," Marron added. "They'll be here forever, so you can see them other times."
Gohan, Videl, and Pan stepped forward next. "Well, I figured you wouldn't be able to get to the library every day," Gohan smiled knowingly, "so here's a library for you, and a list of the books."
Jita's eyes practically bugged out as Gohan handed her a box with ten capsules and a sheaf of papers that could have passed for a book itself. Her eyes scanned the list greedily. This had to be the best so far.
Hercule cleared his throat and stepped forward. He was used to Goten, but was uneasy about the strange sister of Vegeta, a man he already feared. "I - um - got you a car."
To any other couple this would have been a tremendous gift. Goten and Jita did appreciate it, and expressed their appreciation, but the gift was rather absurd. Sure, it was the latest model, and extremely nice, but they would rarely use it.
Goku, impatient to present his gift, walked ahead and handed a thin package to Goten, who took it with some confusion. He had expected a capsule. Opening it, he found a picture of a house. "What in the world?"
Goku grin got even wider. "I built you a house."
The enormity of the gift summed up in that simple sentence was almost too much to conceive. In the shocked silence, Chichi spoke up, "And I furnished it. Of course, you can change whatever you want, but since neither of you care much for those things, I took the initiative."
Jita looked up from the picture in relief. "Where is it?"
"It's in the outskirt of Satan City. I knew you didn't want to live in the woods, but I thought you might want to live away from the other people. I'm including the property around it. It used to be a part of Oxking's holdings. I guess it's part of your inheritance come early."
"Extremely early," Chichi piped in. "You won't be dying for a VERY long time."
"Of course not, Chichi," Goku said hastily. "I'll show you where the house is whenever you want," he said to Goten and Jita.
Trunks quickly stepped forward. "Well, I was supposed to go next, but I guess this is better. Now my gift makes more sense." He handed Jita a capsule. "This is something you need just as much as a library."
Jita gave him a wry grin. "This is a gravity room, isn't it?"
"Hey, I've always wanted one of those!" Goten said excitedly. "Ever since me and Trunks snuck in when I was six -" He broke off as Trunks clamped a hand over his mouth with a panicked expression. They could both feel Vegeta's glare beating down on them. "He doesn't know what he's talking about," Trunks assured everyone.
"He'd better not," Vegeta warned, arcing an eyebrow.
Trunks sighed. "Way to go, Goten."
Goten pulled away from Trunks's hand. "How was I supposed to know you hadn't told him?"
Jita smirked at the childish antics from the two grown men. "Thank you for the gift, Trunks."
Trunks slunk back to join the others, avoiding his father's gaze. Bulma stepped up, ready to break the mood. "Well, I guess that just leaves me," she said brightly, handing Goten a capsule with the label 'honeymoon' on it. Goten looked up in confusion, and threw it into a safe area to decapsulize. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he definitely didn't expect what came out.
"A spaceship," he whispered.
"Not just any spaceship," Jita amended. "That's the one I came in."
Bulma smiled proudly. "Fully refitted and improved. It's faster, more comfortable, and has a better weapon and defense system to it, just in case. I figured you two might want to truly be alone for you honeymoon."
Jita was about to board the ship to check it out, but a hand restrained her. "Not so fast," Vegeta said. "If you get on that ship, you may not leave it, and that isn't the last gift."
Everyone looked on in surprise. Most had known about each others' gifts, but no one had known Vegeta would be giving anything. He usually wasn't the gift-giving type.
Vegeta retrieved two boxes, and gave one to each newlywed. Jita opened hers first, and gasped. Inside was an old and used book, with papers sticking out of it in all directions. No title graced the cover, but Jita recognized it instantly. "My diary," she said reverently. She looked at Vegeta with wide eyes. "I thought it was destroyed."
"Do you not remember that you made a second copy?" Vegeta said softly.
"And you kept up with it all these years?"
"Jita, what is it?" Chichi asked.
Jita almost smiled. "This is the thing that got me killed. I was researching Frieza's method of pretty much manipulating the universe. I was going to use the evidence to start a revolution among the warriors. I never got to. It was discovered."
Anyone else would have considered this gift to be somewhat macabre, but Jita was not normal. It was the best gift she had ever received.
Goten had been absently opening his own gift while looking at hers, but his attention was drawn back to the box before him when his hand closed on something that felt like bone. He pulled out an elegant dagger with an intricately designed bone handle. The handle featured characters from another language. He looked up in confusion and saw that Jita was looking at Vegeta strangely. "What does this mean, Vegeta?" he asked, convinced that everything in Saiyan culture had some sort of meaning.
Vegeta folded his arms. "According to Saiyan culture, you would not have been allowed to marry the princess - you being from a third-class family and a half-breed at that. I know all that truly doesn't matter anymore, but this is something only I can give. The gift of an ancestor dagger from the leading member of the royal family elevates you in rank, to that of first-class elite. You are part of the Saiyan nobility now, boy."
Most were able to comprehend the enormity of this gift. Vegeta was a stickler for hierarchy, something that had made him hate Goku from the very beginning, and frustrated him every time his attempts to pull rank went unnoticed. Vegeta had also been a stickler with the difference between a demi-Saiyan and a full-blooded Saiyan. For a while, even the birth of Trunks had not changed this view. To award Goten with rank and title was a huge step for him. Goten smiled and bowed his head slightly, clutching the dagger. "I am honored."
The party began to break up. Pan and Bra's frequent yawns had not gone unnoticed by their mothers, so everyone started to clean up. When the first to leave looked around for Goten and Jita, the couple was nowhere in sight.
"What's that sound?" Pan said sleepily.
No one had noticed Jita dragging Goten into the spaceship, or the door being shut. What they did notice was a huge ship lifting from the ground, blowing everything all over the place. Most smiled indulgently, and the rest smirked. Goten and Jita were finally alone.
*****
And finally Goten and Jita were alone. Truly alone. Bulma had given them a wonderful honeymoon trip as a wedding present. They would not have been alone any place on Earth, and Goten had always dreamed of space travel, wishing he had been around for some of the other adventures in space his family and friends had told him about. And now he had finally left Earth, and was now even leaving the solar system.
Goten glanced nervously as Jita worked the controls, muttering to herself - more to remember the intricacies of space navigation. Jita had seemed - detached. She was as amiable as she would allow herself to be during the wedding. The reception, or banquet, had ended rather abruptly after the gift-giving. There had been no music or dancing as was common in human weddings. One mention of the prospect of dancing had brought an instant veto from both bride and groom. Chichi explaining that not all dancing was like the fusion dance had not changed his mind.
Goten snapped his brain back into focus. Jita - detached - why? Maybe it was because she was uncomfortable with the ceremony - intended to make her a spectacle. She didn't like to draw attention to herself socially. Maybe it was because of the gifts. She wasn't used to receiving gifts.
Then again, maybe it was the same thing he was feeling. Uncertainty. Apprehension. Alright - ok - fear. He was married. He would spend the rest of his life with this one woman, no matter what.
Why was he wracking his brain like this? If he and Jita told each other everything before, why not now?
"What's wrong?"
Jita continued to concentrate on the navigation.
"What's wrong, Jita?" he repeated with some insistency.
Jita tossed him a look. "We're at Alpha Centauri. I just put the ship into orbit until we decide what to do."
Goten smiled and dismissed his worries. She was just being herself, and nothing was wrong. He was just nervous, that was all. He reached out to touch her hand.
She flinched away.
It had been a quick, almost imperceptible movement. You could almost miss the flash of panic on her face. Almost.
Understanding dawned on Goten. She wasn't afraid of the future. She was afraid of right now. He repressed a slight feeling of hurt and remembered that she really didn't know any better. Every aspect of the past she had spoken of was drenched in violence and pain.
Gently he took Jita's hand, which she now seemed to be consciously willing not to pull away. "I won't hurt you. And I won't do anything until you're ready."
And the look of gratitude and relief in her eyes was worth more than anything he could have had all night. Instead they talked long into the night, and fell asleep in each other's arms.
Author's Notes: Thanks to all my reviewers: Dark Wolf (You think I would leave it at that? I have so much to do. I haven't gotten Jita's character anywhere near to resolved. I got one plot point half-way resolved, and that's it. Oh, well. Thanks for the compliments. I was so happy to have my battle scene praised by the master of battle scenes.), Omega (Thanks a bunch. That makes me feel really special.), aqua-illusion (heh-heh. You know me better than you think.), Ssjgoddesschico, and tim333 (hope you got my e-mail and consider my advice. Hope to see you writing again real soon.)
I decided to make an e-mail update thingy. If you're reading this, and don't sign in, or have an author page on FF.Net, then please email me if you want to receive this. I'm just going to do a bulk thing for all of my stories, so this may be incentive to read some of my other work (hint hint). Anyway. So long.
Author's notes: THE WEDDING!!! You have no idea how difficult it was to write this chapter. I have been writing on this for weeks. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 28: Fear
Jita had faced rejection on Planet Vegeta. She had experienced shame and degradation under Frieza's rule. She had gone through mind-bending, soul- killing torture in Hell.
But nothing could have prepared her for this.
Fighting back the urge to scream, Jita finally saw an opening. An escape to sweet freedom. Normally she would face the danger head-on. She was no coward. But this was beyond her power. Her foes' attentions diverted, she slipped away.
Three steps. No more.
A firm hand gripped her shoulder, shattering the hope of an end to the pain. She turned to face her blonde captor.
"If I had to go through it, you do as well," whispered Eighteen.
Jita could have escaped from Eighteen's grasp, no problem. But that would only cause a scene. And Videl guarded the entrance.
And then her true torturers caught her attention. Those she thought of as friends, but had betrayed her.
"Oh, Jita. What do you think of this pattern?"
"This veil would be so beautiful with your hair."
Bulma and Chichi had kept her in the bridal shop for over an hour. And it was taking its toll on the Saiyan princess. The only thing that kept her sane was the prospect of glorious violence later on.
"Where are those men?" Chichi complained. "They were supposed to be here by now. How are they supposed to get fitted for tuxes?"
Videl turned a page in a catalogue. "What are the bridesmaids going to wear?"
Jita brightened up suddenly. Revenge was so sweet. She picked up a book, and thumbed to the page she'd dog-eared. "This one," she said, holding it up for Videl and Eighteen to see. The two tormenters-turned-tormented promptly fainted anime style, to Jita's evil glee.
And her mood soared again as she was getting fitted for her wedding gown. For Goku, Gohan, and Trunks were ushering in an unwilling Vegeta and Goten - neither of which had tuxes. Now Jita was not alone in her torment, as the women practically pounced on the two trapped Saiyans.
Vegeta growled and looked up at his sister. "You will pay for this, child."
Goten merely whimpered in fear of the psycho women taking his measurements. One young saleswoman admired Goten a bit too much, but was immediately scared into the back room by his possessive fiancée. Eighteen was laughing at the men's predicament, at least until Jita pointed to the bridesmaid dress from Hades.
Bulma pushed a tux into Goten's hands for a try on. "Hey, why doesn't Dad have to go through this? And Gohan? And Trunks?" He searched for the other men, who had wisely escaped the women's clutches.
Videl pushed him into a fitting room, since Bulma was busy threatening her husband. "Their tuxes from my wedding still fit. Yours doesn't, and Vegeta never came to any wedding. So quit whining."
By this time Jita was laughing so hard she fell off the little stand, causing pins to jab into her in uncomfortable places.
Chichi was elated. Even a few months ago she'd thought Jita was incapable of such a laugh. Goten and Jita were the best things that could have possibly happened to each other. The wedding chaos was entirely worth it.
Pulling herself up, Jita smirked at the sight of her brother in a tuxedo. She hoped those things were as uncomfortable as the horrid dress she was wearing. She looked down on the dress and frowned. Something wasn't quite right. "Chichi," she grabbed the woman's attention.
"Yes, Jita?" Chichi replied, helping Goten with his collar.
"Why are you not dying the material before making the dress. I'm not the expert on clothing, but wouldn't that make more sense?"
Chichi looked up in confusion. "Dying the . . . What are you talking about, Jita? We're not going to dye the fabric."
Jita paled to the color of her unfinished wedding dress, her eyes widening in shock. "You're . . . you're not expecting me . . ." Her voice raised in incredulity. "What do you think I am?!"
Bulma and Chichi paused to stare at the mortified Saiyan girl. "What do you mean?"
Hearing his sister's shriek, Vegeta finished changing into his regular clothes and walked out of the dressing room, absently handing the tux to Bulma. "What is wrong with you, child?"
Jita turned to Vegeta, holding the skirt of her dress for emphasis. "Look at what they're making me wear! I will not be insulted in this manner!"
Vegeta frowned and folded his arms in confusion. He knew she didn't like dresses, but she'd never reacted like this before. Unless . . . Suddenly his face broke into a smirk and he laughed under his breath.
"What are you laughing at?" Jita demanded angrily.
"Your study of this culture is flawed, child. Do you not know about color symbolism? Wearing white here means quite the opposite from Saiyan culture," Vegeta replied.
Jita stared at him for a second, realizing how much of a scene she had made. Of course she knew white meant purity in earth culture. It had been a big part of literature symbolism. She'd just never realized that the same symbolism went for weddings as well. She frowned at her own faux pas. She rarely had such lapses.
Bulma's face dawned with realization. "I forgot about that. I should have told you before, Jita. I keep forgetting how different a culture you come from."
"Hey, what's going on?" Goten walked out of the fitting room, handing the tux to his mom.
Vegeta rolled his eyes as Jita averted hers. "Jita just thought everyone was calling her a whore. Nothing important. If that is all that is required, I'm leaving." And with that, he did.
Goten walked over to Jita, who still seemed quietly upset. "Are you alright?"
Jita smiled slightly. "I'm fine. You don't have to stick around. I'll see you later."
Goten gave her a worried glance, but took the opportunity to leave anyway. There were some things that he just couldn't fix.
*****
"This is great!"
Jita finished setting the last of the food on the table, smirking at Goku's comments. After a full day of planning, the women had decided to just eat over at Capsule Corp, especially when they heard Jita wanted to cook. Gathered around the table was Goku, Chichi, Goten, Vegeta, Bulma, and Trunks. Bulma had briefly questioned Jita's ability to cook for such a crowd, but her comments were silenced by Jita's glare. But Chichi had no doubts to Jita's ability. Not only had Jita learned everything Chichi knew about cooking, she had revolutionized the art of cooking well in large quantities in a small amount of time. Something to do with controlling ki and using different spices.
Bulma looked at the heavily laden table as the Saiyans tore into the meal. She shook her head at Jita. "Showoff."
Chichi quickly grabbed an egg roll before her husband could get to it. "Now, let's not be bitter, Bulma. Just because you have to hire cooks doesn't mean everyone has to."
Bulma crossed her arms. "I could cook. I just don't have the time."
The argument could have gone on forever, but Vegeta was stewing over something a bit more important. "What's this foolishness about a human wedding?" he demanded.
Goten buried his face in his hands. "Oh, no. Do we have to bring that up again?"
Jita looked sharply at her fiancé. "That's what I've been talking about all day. Since we're more Saiyan than human then we ought to have a traditional Saiyan wedding. From what I heard of human weddings, it will be much shorter that way."
"We've already planned the wedding out," challenged Chichi. "You forget my son is half human as well. If a human wedding was good enough for me, and it was good enough for Gohan, then it will sure as hell be good enough for my Goten!"
Bulma rolled her eyes at her overly dramatic friend. "Personally, I was willing to entertain that suggestion, but Jita didn't remember a thing about Saiyan wedding customs, and has lost any books that pertain to the subject."
Jita sighed. "Well, what do you expect? I was six when Planet Vegeta blew up. I'm surprised I still remember the language."
"Anything you know about Saiyan culture is because of me." Vegeta frowned. He knew this may blow up in his face, but his sister deserved a Saiyan wedding. "I know all the rituals."
"Well, hey, that's great Vegeta," Goku exclaimed, his mouth full of food. "Now the argument can be settled."
Chichi turned to her husband. "What are you saying, Goku?! How could you even think of having a wedding like that?! For all we know the rituals could be hitting each other with painsticks! Is that the kind of wedding you want for your son?!"
"That's not what I'm saying, Chichi," Goku said, holding his hands in front of him in defense. "I'm just saying that maybe we can come up with a compromise."
Vegeta smirked. "Besides. Painsticks are optional, and usually reserved for the bride's mother-in-law," he added under his breath. Thankfully, only the Saiyans had good enough hearing to make it out, and quickly hid their amusement from Chichi.
"Well, that's good to hear," Chichi said, making it harder for the others to mask their amusement.
Trunks cleared his throat before Chichi could figure out something was going on. "I don't see why you can't just take different aspects of human and Saiyan culture to put into the wedding. That would be the most accurate representation."
Bulma beamed. "That's my boy. That's why he's going to be the head of Capsule Corp."
Vegeta smirked. "I thought you wanted him to take over for you because you have no business sense."
Bulma simply glared and stuck her tongue out, knowing it was true. "The reason I can't handle the stress of the job is because I too stressed out from putting up with you."
"Well," Jita interrupted, "since we've already picked out all the clothing, we'll wear that. I'm not going through another clothing nightmare. And since the clothing is such a big part of the human ceremony, that can constitute most of the human half of the wedding. Now." She pulled out a notebook and pen that she just happened to be carrying around with her. (Hey, some people do that.) "What are the Saiyan traditions?"
The others drew their attention away from the rapidly depleting food. This was one of those rare times that Vegeta would say anything about Planet Vegeta.
"The ceremony begins with a pronouncement of each warriors' worth - usually name, power levels, accomplishments, or whatever else. Then the officiator of the wedding, usually a person of noble birth, proclaims the union of the two. The two then make a link of ki with their left hands, symbolizing and formalizing their union. Then there's the optional beating with painsticks," he added with a smirk.
"That's all?" Chichi squawked.
"That's doesn't sound so bad," Goten replied. "In fact, I think I'd prefer it." Goten blushed. He had a problem with kissing in public.
Chichi was horrified. "But that's just too short a ceremony. Are you sure there's nothing else."
"Well," Vegeta said, "there's usually a banquet afterwards."
Chichi brightened up. "That sounds much better."
"Of course," Vegeta continued, "the main dish is usually a captured enemy of the family, or an invading alien."
Goku burst out laughing. "You're kidding, right?" He stared into Vegeta's dead serious eyes. "You're not kidding."
"OK, so no banquet," Bulma said stiffly. "But we can do everything else. Except there's one thing that's missing. You need to say vows. And Vegeta needs to officiate the wedding."
Vegeta nearly choked on a bite of chicken. "What?!"
Trunks started laughing. "Well, you did say the officiator is someone of noble birth. Who else in here is of Saiyan nobility?"
Goten smiled mischievously, despite Vegeta's stuttered protests. "That's alright by me. Jita?"
Jita nodded. "That is acceptable. So that's settled." She was tired of the subject, and just wanted to think of something else. Anything else. She surveyed the now demolished meal and the piled-up dishes. She also saw the men making motions to leave the table. "Not so fast," she ordered. "Bulma and Chichi helped me cook, and none of you helped me in the slightest, so the four of you will wash the dishes. And don't think I can't force any one of you," she replied the rebellious looks she was receiving.
Leaving the table and the disgruntled workers, she ran up the stairs to her room. She was desperately seeking solitude. The princess threw herself on her bed, holding her hands over her face, trying to shut out the world. She had spent her life avoiding social situations, and lately it seemed that was how she spent all of her time. There were the wedding plans, not to mention beyond the wedding.
Beyond the wedding . . . Jita had also spent her life making definite plans for the future. Well, she took that back. She had spent her life making definite goals. Up until she was six, her goal was to earn the titles of princess and warrior. After she had achieved those goals, she hadn't known what to do with herself. She wasn't sure what would have happened if Planet Vegeta hadn't blown up. But it had, and had led to her enlistment in Frieza's Elite and the goal to become Super Saiyan and kill Frieza. She hadn't planned any beyond that, possibly because she hadn't expected to achieve those goals. Well, death had changed everything, and suddenly her goals had become to come back to life and kill Frieza and Vegeta. If she HAD been planning in advance, she would have seen that selling her soul was an extremely stupid idea.
So, recently, her goal was to get married to Goten. And there was the same problem. She had no idea what life would be like after that.
Jita looked around the room at all the familiar objects - some were the Saiyan relics she and Vegeta had salvaged from various parts of the universe, and others were little knickknacks she had accumulated on Earth in the four - almost five - short years she had resided on the planet. Had it been that long? Yes, it had. Jita herself had changed so much. Suddenly, feelings were not weaknesses, but strengths. Love was accepted, and peace was jealously preserved and defended. So unlike the world in which she had been raised, and yet this world was more home to her than any other place she'd ever been. It didn't matter if she had spent the least amount of time referring to this place as home. It was the people who made it home. The problem was - would it all last.
Nothing lasted. Everything was transient - whether it be life or death or all the little things that are included in either. Even the things people fought to preserve. Kakarrot and the others had fought so many times to preserve their little home planet on the outer rim of the civilized galaxy, even once using the dragonballs to restore it from complete destruction. But how could they prevent Sol from going nova? Or the weak, oblivious humans using their nuclear weapons against one another? How could they protect the planet after they are dead, and no one is left strong enough to defend the little blue planet they've fought so hard to protect? It was the same with the relics she had jealously protected. Even if she left the relics to others to care for, eventually their meaning would become obsolete, and no one would care enough to care for them. The boxes and armor would go into obscurity, the ancestral bones would return to dust, and nothing would remain.
Was it worth it? Sure, life with Goten would be wonderful. She could live out a normal life, have a family, fill in all the needs that had been unsatisfied all her life - but it was so fragile. She felt like she was planning an unrealistic dream - idealizing Goten into a "knight in glittering armor" who would save her from everything, even save her from herself. This was ridiculous and weak-minded, of course. Goten was certainly not perfect. He had problems of his own. Could he be a good husband and father? He'd said enough about how Goku had paid little attention to his family. Would Goten unwittingly follow in his father's footsteps? He'd already skipped out on his family once - leaving them for four years. Would he just skip out on her some day? To train alone? Or worse, infidelity?
Then there was herself. Could she even handle the responsibility of a family? She didn't even know where to begin with being a wife and mother. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to go through the process of creating a child. What if it was too much like those times she remembered . . . Even if it wasn't like that, could she separate it in her mind? Would she look at Goten the same?
And even if that wasn't a problem, and she managed to conceive, Vegeta had told her that Saiyan women have an extremely difficult time giving birth. What if she died giving birth? It wasn't uncommon in Saiyan society, and actually more probably the higher in rank the woman was. If that was the case, she was in the worst situation imaginable.
And if she died, then where would she be? She'd never even get to see the child - or Goten - even in the afterlife.
"Hey."
Jita pulled her hands from her face, plopping them in place at her sides, and looked wearily over to the doorway. Goten stood there, fairly filling the threshold, shifting from one foot to the other, as if nervous to enter her inner sanctum. Jita realized that the noise had died down downstairs, and Goku and Chichi must have left, which mean Vegeta was training in the gravity room, Bulma was working in her lab, and Trunks had gone out somewhere. Jita gave a half-lidded smile and invited him in with a jerk of her head.
Goten strode across the room and sat at the edge of the bed. Jita closed her eyes again, and felt Goten's hands as they began to stroke her hair. Her worries and inner turmoil melted away as she was mesmerized by the intriguing sensation of Goten's hand in her hair. As she tried to regain her train of thought, what she remembered sounded utterly ridiculous. Goten - leave her? Why, she wouldn't let him. And if Vegeta could be a father, then she could be a mother.
"Hey, Jita."
"Hmm?" she responded distractedly.
"What were you worrying about?"
Jita opened her eyes and gazed straight into Goten's eyes. The question had almost been rhetorical. "Nothing important."
Goten smiled and leaned in for a kiss. "Good."
*****
The sun began setting as the group gathered beside the lake - the same lake of that fateful battle only a few years before. The once battle-scarred ground had all traces of the battle wiped away, as if forgiven. Beautiful flowers covered the ground. Most could be recognized by a practiced eye, but there were a few that were completely alien to Earth. Much like the group of humans and aliens that graced this beautiful scene.
The world seemed to be in a golden half-light, the sky splashed with pink and orange and red. Once Goten had thought of only death and violence while watching a sunset. Now, he could see the beauty.
He felt a tap on his shoulder, and shook out of his reverie. He turned to see Trunks smiling encouragingly at him. "It's time?" he asked his best friend.
"Yeah. It's time."
Goten let Trunks lead him toward the others, tugging nervously at his collar. As he came into view of the wedding party, the first thing he saw was Jita. The sight of her nearly took his breath away. She was dressed in a white gown that made her the quiescence of simplicity and elegance. She wore no veil, and her black eyes were luminous against the pale skin and white dress. She looked to be made of fine porcelain and white silk. But the most beautiful thing about her was the tiny smile she was giving him. He knew Jita was happy.
A gong sounded, made from the shield of the first king of the Saiyans, the traditional gong for royal weddings. A nine-year-old Bra tried to suppress a goofy grin. She thought that ringing the gong was extremely cool, and she wanted to look cool.
Jita and Goten joined hands and began to walk forward. Before them was an unlit bonfire. Vegeta was standing behind it, dressed in full armor. Saiyan tradition had overridden Bulma's insistence on a tuxedo. That, and Vegeta's stubbornness. The rest of the spectators had gathered in a loose circle around the bonfire. Bulma stood closest to Vegeta on the right, where Trunks quickly joined her, along with Bra, who forgot to leave the stick next to the gong. On the same side Krillen's family and Yamcha were gathered. To the left of Vegeta stood all the Sons - Goku, Chichi, Gohan, Videl, and Pan. Hercule stood close to Videl, a bit nervous about this alien ceremony. Apart from the others, Piccolo watched with arms folded.
Vegeta looked over to Pan and nodded. At the signal, she drew her panflute and began to play a melody, strange and sweet. It was a melody that Vegeta's mother had taught to him, and he had passed it on to Jita, who had taught it to Pan and Bra. Pan had been practicing it for a long time for this very occasion. The twilight, the smell of the flowers, the haunting melody - they all lent a dream-like quality to the air, and Vegeta felt the barriers of time and space between his two homes thinning. He was almost startled when the music stopped, signaling that it was time to begin.
"Hey, what's gonna happen now?" whispered Hercule, though a bit too loudly.
"Shh," Videl whispered back, fortified.
"Oh, sorry."
Vegeta frowned at the humans, but let it slide. "The union of two warriors is a sacred bond. Warriors must be strong for the good of all. What is your worth?"
Goten put a fist over his heart and bowed - the sign of his station in the Saiyan hierarchy. "Trunks Brief, son of Prince Vegeta, will speak for me."
Trunks walked over next to Goten. "He is Son Goten, son of Son Goku, or Kakarrot. He is a Saiyan warrior, third class. He was trained by Son Chichi, Son Gohan, Son Goku, and Piccolo. He was the youngest Super Saiyan. In a close match, he came in second in the 25th Tenkaichi Budoukai, junior division. He fought valiantly against Majin Buu. He has reached Super Saiyan level three. He is strong and worthy."
Vegeta nodded to his son solemnly. Attention focused on Jita, as it was her turn. Instead of bowing, she barely inclined her head and said, "Kakarrot, son of Bardock, will speak for me."
Goku stepped forward, unusually solemn in honor of the occasion. He panicked for a minute when he couldn't remember the words, but then calmed down. "She is Princess Jita, daughter of Kind Vegeta. She is a Saiyan warrior princess. She -" He suddenly snorted in laughter, unable to contain himself. The others stared wide-eyed at him. One by one they got the joke, and fought against laughter.
"Kakarrot!"
"Sorry, Vegeta," Goku said, looking chidden. "She is a Saiyan warrior - ahem - princess." He was about to laugh again, when he saw glared from both Chichi and Jita. "She was trained by Prince Vegeta and Frieza."
Everyone watched Jita closely as her eyes twitched. Surprisingly, she was insisted on this inclusion, maybe because she would not even name the person that had trained her after death.
"She defeated many great warriors, many of whom had never been beaten before." Jita's eye twitched again. That was actually no mean feat. The people she had killed were far too many to mention, and most of the time never being beaten merely meant being alive. Never dying, that was a real accomplishment.
"She gave her life in rebellion against Frieza."
Jita head jerked up at that sentence. That had been added. She looked over to Vegeta, figuring it was he who had told Goku to say that. It was a surprise. He had never truly approved of her method of rebellion against Frieza. Mostly because it had gotten her killed. He smirked, telling Jita all she needed to know.
"She has reached Super Saiyan level two. She is strong and worthy."
Vegeta nodded to Goku. "Son Goten, Princess Jita, you are worthy. You will swear at each other now."
Goten and Jita exchanged shocked expressions as the rest of the company lost control of their laughter. Chichi tried to bring her family in line with much glaring and ear-pinching.
"I meant," Vegeta responded with barely disguised irritation, "that they should swear to each other."
At lengths the laughter subsided, though most were smiling or smirking, as the case may be. Jita was still laughing under her breath, until she looked into Goten's eyes, and realized why they were there. She drew in a breath, steadying her nerves. This was it. "I, Princess Jita, swear to you, Son Goten, my love, respect, and fidelity, for all the time that I am existing."
No one, not even Vegeta, had the presence of mind or the nerve to remind Jita that she was supposed to go second in her vows. Goten smiled, and pulled out the wedding rings from his pocket. Jita blushed at her nervous forgetfulness, but said nothing. Quickly she took a ring form Goten's hand and tried to put it on Goten's finger. When it wouldn't go on, she nervously exchanged the ring for the right one, her action causing a bit of murmuring and repressed snickers.
But again Jita's frustrations were forgotten as Goten caught her hand in his and stared in her eyes. "I, Son Goten, swear to you, Princess Jita, my love, respect, and fidelity, for all the time I am existing." With that he smoothly put the ring on her finger.
"Goten," Chichi whispered, capturing everyone's puzzled expressions. "Wrong hand."
Goten stared at her as if she'd gone crazy and mouthed the word "What."
"Wrong hand," she whispered more insistently. When he still didn't understand. Chichi walked over to the couple, pulled the ring off Jita's right hand, and thrust both the ring and Jita's left hand to Goten. Then she walked back to her place and smiled, as the others murmured their amusement. Goten, blushing furiously both at his own mistake and at his mother's controlling nature and lack of subtlety, put the ring on the right - er - left hand. Fortunately for Goten it was getting to dark to see. The sun had fully set and it was a moonless night. But the ceremony was almost over.
Vegeta cleared his throat. "This part of the ceremony is usually spoken in formal Saiyan, but since there are but two who understand the language, I have translated it. Princess Jita, Son Goten, you have accepted the most sacred of responsibilities with honor. May your union be strong, your line prosperous, and may you ever triumph over you enemies. The bond is done."
Goten and Jita smiled and faced each other. With their right palms a bit apart from each other, a burst of blue ki came from each and joined in the middle. Goten smiled at the memory of reconciling with his father. Strange coincidence.
After a few seconds, the ki ignited the bonfire, which shot up in a blaze from the intensity of the ki, illuminating the night in a burst of blue and orange and flame and spark.
Cheers and applause came from all around, and the bride and groom were suddenly surrounded by family and friends. Videl and Eighteen slipped away to get the food capsules, and before long there were two long tables covered in mostly Chichi's cooking, all of it still hot and fresh.
As the group began to attack the food tables, they couldn't help but notice the strange wedding cake that Chichi had cooked. They had not wanted an extravagant wedding cake, saying that a small one would be fine. But this . . . The cake was decorated with alien heads, the kind with teardrop heads, large eyes, small mouths, and green skin. "What's up with the cake, Mom?" Goten asked.
Chichi's face flushed a little, but she was ready to defend her reasoning. "Well, Vegeta said something about eating aliens at wedding banquets, so . . ." She trailed off as everyone started laughing again.
"And I wasn't even being serious," Vegeta said under his breath.
"Mom?"
Bulma looked down at her daughter tapping her arm. "What is it, Bra?"
"Isn't it supposed to be gift time?"
Bulma smiled. "Actually, yes."
Bra and Pan herded Goten and Jita over to where the gifts were as the group hastily finished their repasts. Most people had capsulized their gifts, being the most practical method of gift-wrapping. Yamcha, being one of the few that wasn't family, went first. "Well," he began nervously, "I wasn't sure of what to get you, so here." He handed the two a gift bag. Inside was season tickets to the Titans games, and autographed ball with the rest of the teams signatures on it, a toaster, and dish towels.
"Wow. This is great, Yamcha," Goten said. "I've been bugging you since I was a kid for this."
"I didn't know you wanted dish towels as a kid?" Gohan piped in, earning good natured laughs all around.
When the laughter died down, Piccolo walked forward. Wordlessly, he stretched his arm out and formed a shaft of ki in his upward palm. After a moment's concentration, the ki began to form expertly into the shapes of Goten and Jita, as they were then. After Piccolo was sure he had gotten the shape right, he willed the ki into a solid form, and held it out to the couple. "Unbreakable crystal."
Jita took it and held it to the light of the bonfire. The ki sculpture had been pure artistry. No one had known that the Namek was capable of such a feat. Jita inclined her head to Piccolo in appreciation.
Next Krillen, Eighteen, and Marron stepped forward. Krillen scratched his head. "Umm, well, I guess you noticed this place was kind of cleaned up from how it was."
"Yeah, I was gonna ask about that," Goten interrupted.
Eighteen smiled. "We gathered the dragonballs and asked Shenlong to repair the land for the wedding. We also asked for it to be decorated by flowers. If you'll notice, some of the flowers are varieties that have been extinct since the Planet Vegeta was destroyed."
Jita looked around at the flowers. Actually, she'd barely noticed them in her preoccupation with the wedding. Sure enough, she actually recognized some of the flowers from her childhood.
"These flowers won't die," Marron added. "They'll be here forever, so you can see them other times."
Gohan, Videl, and Pan stepped forward next. "Well, I figured you wouldn't be able to get to the library every day," Gohan smiled knowingly, "so here's a library for you, and a list of the books."
Jita's eyes practically bugged out as Gohan handed her a box with ten capsules and a sheaf of papers that could have passed for a book itself. Her eyes scanned the list greedily. This had to be the best so far.
Hercule cleared his throat and stepped forward. He was used to Goten, but was uneasy about the strange sister of Vegeta, a man he already feared. "I - um - got you a car."
To any other couple this would have been a tremendous gift. Goten and Jita did appreciate it, and expressed their appreciation, but the gift was rather absurd. Sure, it was the latest model, and extremely nice, but they would rarely use it.
Goku, impatient to present his gift, walked ahead and handed a thin package to Goten, who took it with some confusion. He had expected a capsule. Opening it, he found a picture of a house. "What in the world?"
Goku grin got even wider. "I built you a house."
The enormity of the gift summed up in that simple sentence was almost too much to conceive. In the shocked silence, Chichi spoke up, "And I furnished it. Of course, you can change whatever you want, but since neither of you care much for those things, I took the initiative."
Jita looked up from the picture in relief. "Where is it?"
"It's in the outskirt of Satan City. I knew you didn't want to live in the woods, but I thought you might want to live away from the other people. I'm including the property around it. It used to be a part of Oxking's holdings. I guess it's part of your inheritance come early."
"Extremely early," Chichi piped in. "You won't be dying for a VERY long time."
"Of course not, Chichi," Goku said hastily. "I'll show you where the house is whenever you want," he said to Goten and Jita.
Trunks quickly stepped forward. "Well, I was supposed to go next, but I guess this is better. Now my gift makes more sense." He handed Jita a capsule. "This is something you need just as much as a library."
Jita gave him a wry grin. "This is a gravity room, isn't it?"
"Hey, I've always wanted one of those!" Goten said excitedly. "Ever since me and Trunks snuck in when I was six -" He broke off as Trunks clamped a hand over his mouth with a panicked expression. They could both feel Vegeta's glare beating down on them. "He doesn't know what he's talking about," Trunks assured everyone.
"He'd better not," Vegeta warned, arcing an eyebrow.
Trunks sighed. "Way to go, Goten."
Goten pulled away from Trunks's hand. "How was I supposed to know you hadn't told him?"
Jita smirked at the childish antics from the two grown men. "Thank you for the gift, Trunks."
Trunks slunk back to join the others, avoiding his father's gaze. Bulma stepped up, ready to break the mood. "Well, I guess that just leaves me," she said brightly, handing Goten a capsule with the label 'honeymoon' on it. Goten looked up in confusion, and threw it into a safe area to decapsulize. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he definitely didn't expect what came out.
"A spaceship," he whispered.
"Not just any spaceship," Jita amended. "That's the one I came in."
Bulma smiled proudly. "Fully refitted and improved. It's faster, more comfortable, and has a better weapon and defense system to it, just in case. I figured you two might want to truly be alone for you honeymoon."
Jita was about to board the ship to check it out, but a hand restrained her. "Not so fast," Vegeta said. "If you get on that ship, you may not leave it, and that isn't the last gift."
Everyone looked on in surprise. Most had known about each others' gifts, but no one had known Vegeta would be giving anything. He usually wasn't the gift-giving type.
Vegeta retrieved two boxes, and gave one to each newlywed. Jita opened hers first, and gasped. Inside was an old and used book, with papers sticking out of it in all directions. No title graced the cover, but Jita recognized it instantly. "My diary," she said reverently. She looked at Vegeta with wide eyes. "I thought it was destroyed."
"Do you not remember that you made a second copy?" Vegeta said softly.
"And you kept up with it all these years?"
"Jita, what is it?" Chichi asked.
Jita almost smiled. "This is the thing that got me killed. I was researching Frieza's method of pretty much manipulating the universe. I was going to use the evidence to start a revolution among the warriors. I never got to. It was discovered."
Anyone else would have considered this gift to be somewhat macabre, but Jita was not normal. It was the best gift she had ever received.
Goten had been absently opening his own gift while looking at hers, but his attention was drawn back to the box before him when his hand closed on something that felt like bone. He pulled out an elegant dagger with an intricately designed bone handle. The handle featured characters from another language. He looked up in confusion and saw that Jita was looking at Vegeta strangely. "What does this mean, Vegeta?" he asked, convinced that everything in Saiyan culture had some sort of meaning.
Vegeta folded his arms. "According to Saiyan culture, you would not have been allowed to marry the princess - you being from a third-class family and a half-breed at that. I know all that truly doesn't matter anymore, but this is something only I can give. The gift of an ancestor dagger from the leading member of the royal family elevates you in rank, to that of first-class elite. You are part of the Saiyan nobility now, boy."
Most were able to comprehend the enormity of this gift. Vegeta was a stickler for hierarchy, something that had made him hate Goku from the very beginning, and frustrated him every time his attempts to pull rank went unnoticed. Vegeta had also been a stickler with the difference between a demi-Saiyan and a full-blooded Saiyan. For a while, even the birth of Trunks had not changed this view. To award Goten with rank and title was a huge step for him. Goten smiled and bowed his head slightly, clutching the dagger. "I am honored."
The party began to break up. Pan and Bra's frequent yawns had not gone unnoticed by their mothers, so everyone started to clean up. When the first to leave looked around for Goten and Jita, the couple was nowhere in sight.
"What's that sound?" Pan said sleepily.
No one had noticed Jita dragging Goten into the spaceship, or the door being shut. What they did notice was a huge ship lifting from the ground, blowing everything all over the place. Most smiled indulgently, and the rest smirked. Goten and Jita were finally alone.
*****
And finally Goten and Jita were alone. Truly alone. Bulma had given them a wonderful honeymoon trip as a wedding present. They would not have been alone any place on Earth, and Goten had always dreamed of space travel, wishing he had been around for some of the other adventures in space his family and friends had told him about. And now he had finally left Earth, and was now even leaving the solar system.
Goten glanced nervously as Jita worked the controls, muttering to herself - more to remember the intricacies of space navigation. Jita had seemed - detached. She was as amiable as she would allow herself to be during the wedding. The reception, or banquet, had ended rather abruptly after the gift-giving. There had been no music or dancing as was common in human weddings. One mention of the prospect of dancing had brought an instant veto from both bride and groom. Chichi explaining that not all dancing was like the fusion dance had not changed his mind.
Goten snapped his brain back into focus. Jita - detached - why? Maybe it was because she was uncomfortable with the ceremony - intended to make her a spectacle. She didn't like to draw attention to herself socially. Maybe it was because of the gifts. She wasn't used to receiving gifts.
Then again, maybe it was the same thing he was feeling. Uncertainty. Apprehension. Alright - ok - fear. He was married. He would spend the rest of his life with this one woman, no matter what.
Why was he wracking his brain like this? If he and Jita told each other everything before, why not now?
"What's wrong?"
Jita continued to concentrate on the navigation.
"What's wrong, Jita?" he repeated with some insistency.
Jita tossed him a look. "We're at Alpha Centauri. I just put the ship into orbit until we decide what to do."
Goten smiled and dismissed his worries. She was just being herself, and nothing was wrong. He was just nervous, that was all. He reached out to touch her hand.
She flinched away.
It had been a quick, almost imperceptible movement. You could almost miss the flash of panic on her face. Almost.
Understanding dawned on Goten. She wasn't afraid of the future. She was afraid of right now. He repressed a slight feeling of hurt and remembered that she really didn't know any better. Every aspect of the past she had spoken of was drenched in violence and pain.
Gently he took Jita's hand, which she now seemed to be consciously willing not to pull away. "I won't hurt you. And I won't do anything until you're ready."
And the look of gratitude and relief in her eyes was worth more than anything he could have had all night. Instead they talked long into the night, and fell asleep in each other's arms.
Author's Notes: Thanks to all my reviewers: Dark Wolf (You think I would leave it at that? I have so much to do. I haven't gotten Jita's character anywhere near to resolved. I got one plot point half-way resolved, and that's it. Oh, well. Thanks for the compliments. I was so happy to have my battle scene praised by the master of battle scenes.), Omega (Thanks a bunch. That makes me feel really special.), aqua-illusion (heh-heh. You know me better than you think.), Ssjgoddesschico, and tim333 (hope you got my e-mail and consider my advice. Hope to see you writing again real soon.)
I decided to make an e-mail update thingy. If you're reading this, and don't sign in, or have an author page on FF.Net, then please email me if you want to receive this. I'm just going to do a bulk thing for all of my stories, so this may be incentive to read some of my other work (hint hint). Anyway. So long.
