Seven Years Later
Upon the World Khitomer, the pace of life was generally slow. A largely uninhabited World on the border between the Central and Northern Quadrants, it was the favourite location for any diplomatic meetings for its warm atmosphere, location and political neutrality. Queen Serenity was enjoying the first virtue at the moment, the evening Sun bringing about a lovely view of the area outside Serenity's rooms, a large lake with sloping hills in the distance made for a pleasant view as well as a relaxing one. A hard day of negotiations had finished and for now, relaxation was the order.
Just as Queen Serenity had sunken into a very comfortable chair, a small drink of iced tea in her hand, the door to her rooms opened as the guard let in a guest. Inwardly muttering at such inconvenience, Queen Serenity turned around to see Kami enter the room and allowed herself to smile. The Namek had entered her service as a true and loyal Minister in the days after Gohan's death, his advice and aid being invaluable in the following years. She knew of his own guilt regarding Gohan's death and the events surrounding it and had tried to help him get through that, with mixed success. Reluctantly rising from her comfortable seat, Queen Serenity rose to greet Kami with a smile.
"Back so soon? I thought you were going for a walk." Serenity said, a part of her starting to fear what could have cut her friend's walk short. She needn't have bothered.
From out of his robe, Kami pulled out a small slip of paper, giving it to the Queen "A message from Princess Serena. Apparently yesterday afternoon, the Saiyan Ambassador gave her an offer from Emperor Vegeta regarding the Worf System."
As she took the slip of paper and began to read the details, Queen Serenity found herself growing more and more curious by the second. Negotiations regarding the Southern Quadrant were supposed to be between those attending the conference at Khitomer only. Why had he involved Serena in this? As if reading thoughts, Kami spoke "Perhaps he was gauging Serena's own reaction to the offer to see what sort of skill at diplomacy she has?"
It certainly appeared to be a valid enough reason and the note had shown Serena had given the same answer Queen Serenity would have given for that offer. Something she presumed would happen before too long "It appears to look that way Kami." Queen Serenity said as she placed the paper on a nearby table with a half smile "Seems as if the rumours about me abdicating refuse to go away."
A smile crossed across Kami's face at the words "Maybe they wouldn't stick around if you hadn't given Serena so much authority. It won't be long before you're out of a job at this rate."
"Oh come on, you make it sound as if I do nothing." Serenity chided softly, turning around to head back to her drink "Believe me, if it wasn't for the fact there were so many Com-Screens around these days, I'd have sent the usual diplomatic team to this conference. But letting Serena have some experience by herself as Queen was as good a reason as any to sort out this issue by herself."
While Queen Serenity picked up her tea and took a sip, Kami sat down on a nearby seat as he spoke "Well she seems to have made some impression if the Emperor went straight to her instead of you. She has the makings of a true Queen."
"Yes, if only…" Serenity stopped suddenly, her words suddenly biting her as she realised what she was about to say.
Kami however knew his friend well enough to know what she was going to say "If only it hadn't come at such a price." His face had a sad expression as he knew the truth behind the words "Gohan's sacrifice has not been in vain Serenity, you know that more than anyone. Serena has honoured Gohan's memory to the utmost, redemption being her major motivation."
"I know." Serenity said "But the cost… If only so many hadn't died because of it." She gave a sigh as she thought about what had happened.
"How many times have we spoken of this?" Kami asked "And how much have we actually achieved in doing so?"
Serenity was forced to concede that point at least, there was only so much talking about it could do. Taking another sip of iced tea, Serenity changed the subject "So then the Worf system shall be ours. With that, this brings us one step closer to going back to the Moon Kingdom. With luck, we'll be back by the end of the week and in time for the Gala."
A frown quickly spread across Kami's face at that announcement, his distaste for social events coming to the fore once again "Maybe we can string out negotiations for a week or so…"
Tutting in good humour, Queen Serenity smiled a little "Oh come on Kami, this is once in a century event. The Celestial Gala will be magnificent; everyone will be there from the Central Quadrant and beyond. At least try to have a good time Kami."
The Namek rolled his eyes at that; he had never enjoyed stately balls and dinners, despite being one of the most prestigious people in the Galaxy. The drone of chatter, the food and the oppressive formality of them just got to him "Well, we'll see." He conceded "Hopefully, something will come up."
XxX
As the kettle boiled and steam whistled with an incredibly annoying pitch, Washu had to be thankful for the distraction. Getting up from her seat, she went and took it off the stove before looking over to the young girl behind her "Would you like some tea Sammy?" She asked, hoping to bring the Princess out of her stupor by making her feel as welcome as possible. Ever since she had collapsed in tears, Sasami had plunged into a near catatonic state, barely able to even function as the guilt over threatening her and her actions after Gohan's death had almost caused her to utterly collapse. She had barely moved since then, only doing the most basic things to get by.
As Washu looked over, Sasami showed little to no reaction to those words, merely keeping her face down towards the floor, keeping silent. She had barely said a word since she had broken down, only begging for Washu's forgiveness before going to silence. Unknowing on how to deal with such a situation, Washu had merely placed a comforting hand upon Sasami's shoulder and waited it out with her, only realising when her throat started to ache that neither of them had eaten or drank in nearly an entire day.
Pouring the boiled water into two cups with some tea leaves, Washu let them stay there for a moment as she scrambled around the small cupboard she used for food, taking out a small packet of biscuits that Sasami had brought down during her last visit. Hardly ideal but it was the only thing she could think of at the current time. Balancing the collection on a tray, Washu brought it over to Sasami, placing it down between them with no reaction from the girl.
Having stayed up all night with the girl, trying to offer some comfort only to be repeatedly be ignored as Sasami was plunged into guilt. Realising the soft approach was no good, Washu tried a different tact. Rising from her seat, she grabbed onto Sasami's shoulders and shook her hard. The Princess blinked in surprise at the sudden contact and shouting by Washu "WAKE UP ALREADY!!" She yelled, practically in Sasami's face "OR ARE YOU JUST GONNA MOPE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE??!!"
That had an impact on Sasami as she gave Washu a scowl, the insulting tone of her voice firing up something inside her "Moping?! Don't you realise what I've done?! I came this close to killing you Washu! And I've betrayed everything Gohan believed in! What am I supposed to do?! How can I make up for it?!"
"Well for a start, you can forget about apologising to me. And think about Gohan, you really think this Crusade would have been what he wanted? What would he have wanted you to do, after he died?"
The truth, something Sasami had been denying for too long now came out as she had forced herself to speak "H-He would have wanted me to be happy…"
"And is this really making you happy?" Came the bitter rhetorical question.
"No… No it isn't." Sasami answered, finally acknowledging the elephant in the room. She had been so caught up in her quest for vengeance; she had blotted out almost every other emotion. Only her unrelenting hatred for Princess Serena had been her unrelenting thought, almost everything else had been blocked out.
Not noticing the nod Washu made in confirmation at those words Sasami did however listen and absorb the words that the older woman spoke "That ain't no surprise. Look Sammy, I know you're a good kid and maybe this Gohan guy was alright. But you've got to let go already. He's been dead for seven years, how many more are you going to waste to make him turn over in his grave?"
Washu bit down on her tongue the instant the words left her mouth, realising that she had gone too far. Her panic stopped however as she realised that Sasami seemed to be mulling the words over in her head rather than take offense to them "I… don't want to anymore… Washu, I've been an idiot."
"Points for stating the obvious." Washu muttered under her breath before speaking out loud "Well you can start to change that right now you know. Take off the suit; go back to your family and settle down. You can do a lot better for yourself you know."
Nodding a little in agreement, Sasami realised that her seven year quest for vengeance had to end. She had accomplished nothing and sullied Gohan's memory in doing so; she could only hope his spirit would forgive her transgression "I'll do that Washu." She said sadly "I only wish I could have realised this sooner."
Unable to let any remark like that go easily, Washu's ego quickly leapt up to her mouth "Well not everyone can be as wise and knowing as me."
Instead of tutting in annoyance at the egotistical scientist, Sasami actually giggled at the words, thinking that she was trying to bring her spirits up "I can't argue with that." Sasami said playfully before her nose wrinkled unpleasantly as she started to sniff "What's that smell?"
Now it was Washu's turn to giggle as she told Sasami "That'll be you. The suit was designed for combat, not hygiene." Washu's giggles turned to outright laughter at the look on Sasami's face as she realised just what the scientist meant. Pointing a finger to near the back of the lab, Washu managed to stop laughing in time to say "There's a shower behind the reactor I'm building. Should clean off all that sweat."
Blushing in embarrassment (And deciding to not ask Washu just why she was building a reactor), Sasami started to walk in the direction of the shower, starting to loosen the many links of the suit as she went. After waiting for a few moments, Washu heard the sound of running water as the shower started and Sasami stepped in. Looking down and seeing that the tea had gotten cold, Washu sighed in annoyance and started to make another batch, knowing they both needed a drink after this. As she started to prepare the cups and tea, she called out towards Sasami "What do you want me to do with the suit?"
The water ran for a moment as Sasami considered the solution to the question "Keep it for now! Might come in handy some day!"
As she took the kettle and filled it with water from the tap once more (Allowing herself a smirk at hearing Sasami squeak from the sudden change in temperature), Washu turned to the other problem "What about your mother? What're you going to tell her what you were doing all night?"
"I'll tell her I was with a boy!" Sasami yelled, grinning evilly as she heard the kettle give a clang as Washu dropped it into the sink in shock "On second thoughts, I'll say I got lost in the dungeons! Easy enough to do and she'll believe me!"
Muttering darkly about Princesses with strange senses of humour, Washu filled the kettle and put it back on the stove "Yeah, who wouldn't?" She said under her breath "Princess Sasami, as pure as the driven snow."
"What was that?" Sasami called out.
"I said of course she'll believe you! You're as innocent as they come!" As she said the words, Washu felt the slightest twinge of doubt, thinking back to when Sasami looked as if she'd blast her away. Putting that thought aside, Washu turned back to the kettle and making a damn good cuppa.
XxX
Work was the backbone for the Doctor's existence. Every day and night he slaved away in order to complete each and every objective that stood before him, thinking of little else. When he was interrupted, he always treated the interruption with the contempt and outrage he felt it deserved. Unless of course, it was a direct call from Galaxia herself, in which case, he received it at the double if he wanted to remain breathing. Right now a message was being sent via a small Com-Screen in his small house, directly from General Nezu herself. The young woman looked fairly put upon as she gave Doctor Gero his orders "… So in short Doctor, you are to be sent to the Celestial Gala with the Saiyan in order to see that his mission is completed as planned."
A frown crossed Gero's face at that news "And why is that? I finished my work on the Saiyan seven years ago. He's been Galaxia's toy since then. I don't see why I…"
"HEY!!! GRANDPA!!!"
"… Oh. That Saiyan." Gero said as realisation dawned. As hard as it was to believe, there were times when he had forgotten that the boy Slug had brought to him was the second Saiyan he had… modified for Galaxia. The fact that he had been living under the same roof as each other had only made the idea of the boy being a Saiyan be neglected and the idea that the lie Gero had been living was almost the truth. Turning away from the Com-Screen, Gero turned to the door of the small house, watching it rush in as his 'grandson' entered "What is it Ephraim?" The Doctor asked, his patience already tested.
Tall, muscled with black hair that fell down to his shoulders and hung in bangs across his forehead, Ephraim looked quite different to when he had been brought in by Slug, at least at first. The air of innocence, of goodness still held, as evidenced by the small bird cupped carefully in his hands "I found the bird out in the fields! I think it's really hurt! Can I use some of your equipment to help it recover?"
Giving the sigh of a man who's already being put upon, Gero motioned towards the lab "Take care not to mess things up." He said gruffly as Ephraim ran to the lab. He watched the boy (Well, really a young man) hurry over to take care of the small bird, worry etched in his face. Gero turned back to the Com-Screen, giving Nezu a look that warned her not to press the point, the Doctor went on "So then, both of us to the Moon Kingdom? Why now?"
"Only you and… your 'grandson' are going to help the completion of the mission during the Celestial Gala." The words were somewhat flustered, Nezu having spied Ephraim and blushed a little.
Gero gave the General a stare, realising that the rumours of her eye for handsome young men weren't just rumours. Overlooking her roving eye, Gero went on "Is Galaxia so worried about her inept soldiers that she requires me and Ephraim to do her dirty work for her?"
A small angry flush spread across Nezu's face as the Doctor impugned the ability of her soldiers and by extension; herself "You are to go to the settlement of New Lunos by tomorrow morning at ten! You will be met by the group we've sent to pick you up. From there you shall be taken to the Moon Kingdom and shall be met by our agents there. Those are your orders."
"And they shall be obeyed." Gero said roughly before leaning over and unceremoniously switching off the Com-Screen before Nezu could reply. Pausing for a moment in thought, Gero then turned to look over to the lab where Ephraim was putting the finishing touches to the bird as he helped it recover from its wound. From what Gero could see, it was only a minor injury, probably from flying into a bush but that boy had a tendency to fret over anything when another living being was hurt. It was sickening in a way.
Waiting until the boy had finished, Gero stood up and walked over to the lab table, noting despite himself that the boy had done some good work. At least he had learned something while under his roof "Not a bad job Ephraim." Gero conceded "But now we have something else to do."
"What's that grandpa?" Ephraim asked as he set aside the equipment and looked at the man who he truly believed was his grandfather. Well, looked down. The height difference was immense as Ephraim towered over Gero although he had to blow a few bangs out of his line of vision. Evidently he had not heard the conversation between Gero and Nezu, being too busy with the bird.
Waiting until Ephraim had cleared his long hair out of his eyes, Gero spoke "Tomorrow we are heading to New Lunos to board a ship that shall take us to the Moon Kingdom. The day we have been waiting for has arrived." The statement was broadly true, Gero had always expected that Ephraim would be called away for a mission for Galaxia; he hadn't really expected that he would be ordered to go as well.
Letting out a small gasp, Ephraim raised his eyes in shock at those words "You mean… I'm finally being sent away?" He had known, ever since He had first sat up from Gero's lab table that he would be called up to fight a mission against the Moon Kingdom. Long had he been told of its cruelty and oppression in the lies Gero had repeated again and again. Knowing that he would eventually be called up to strike against the Moon Kingdom, Ephraim had waited for the call. Although he hated the actual idea, the tales Gero had told him of the atrocities by the Moon Kingdom over the last seven years had rallied his resolve.
"We're both being sent away." Gero snapped impatiently "Now stop your kvetching and pack your belongings. We'll need to be off early in order to make it in time. Go! Now!"
With the order barked out, Ephraim leapt up to follow it. An obedient boy if nothing else Gero mused. Pausing only to check on the bird, Ephraim rushed off to collect his meagre belongings for the long journey ahead of them. Gero watched him go only to muse on how the boy had swallowed all his lies so easily. He had managed to suppress all his memories but his personality had remained from before the procedure. Gero was unable to believe that someone who was apparently responsible for bringing down the Dark Kingdom could be so desperately naive. He would watch Ephraim and guide him through this, not for his sake or the cause of Galaxia but simply to keep his own skin intact. Nothing else was higher in his priorities.
To be continued…
Lord Edric – Alas, Videl will not be featuring in this fic. Not because she isn't wanted but because she isn't needed.
LanceXstorm5 – Karma may have something in store for Darien and indeed, quite a few other characters. Keep an eye on the top to make sure. ;)
Shiva the Sarcastic – Glad you're liking it. There will be a few more segments between Washu and Sasami yet to come. Hope you enjoy them.
KagomeSMercury – Well that wasn't Gohan but someone else… Who? You shall see in time.
Brutal2003 – Quite a few indeed. She's a sly minx is that Galaxia.
Echelon9 – Glad you're enjoying it so much. I'll have a look at the one you're writing if I can, sounds as if it'll be good.
Third chapter in and we're getting things moving now. Hope you're enjoying it and please, R&R!
