Chapter 18
Innocence
Vegeta sat at a desk, thrumming his fingers loudly on the polished wood, waiting. His father stood behind him, and though Vegeta looked calm and collected, his insides were churning. With what, Vegeta wasn't sure of.
They were waiting for the results from the doctors to tell them if Trunks was ok or not. If he wasn't… Vegeta was ready and prepared to kill-and it didn't matter who.
Time dragged on, and no sign of a doctor came. Vegeta was becoming angered-and worried? His father leaned against the wall, waiting, his tail flickering impatiently.
A doctor suddenly scampered into the room, shutting the door behind him quickly. His face was extremely stressed, and nervous that the King wouldn't take the news the way he hoped he would.
Vegeta was an irritated man at the moment, and no sooner had the doctor entered the room did he questioned him. "Well? How is he?" he growled.
"Well, you see-"
"I have no time or patience for games! Tell me now!" Vegeta snarled, scaring the doctor right out of his skin.
"Trunks is better, your lordship. Better then before, at least," the doctor slurred his words in his haste to get them out, and it took Vegeta and his father a moment to decipher them, and took another moment for the words to actually sink in.
"…What?! How?! He was on his death bed before that blasted girl came in and tried to finish off the job!" Vegeta's father said defiantly-he couldn't believe it.
"We're not sure, but he is better off then he was. They say…" the doctor took a breath to organize his thoughts, and began again. "They say that he'll most likely live." Vegeta could only stare at the doctor, his eyes incredulous. The only thing he knew was that this had something to do with Son Pan.
The doctor fidgeted nervously, not liking to be in Vegeta's line of sight. As soon as Vegeta dismissed him, he dashed out of the room as fast as he could. Vegeta seemed not to notice, not with the daze he was in.
Vegeta looked to his father, and though he tried not to show it, relief shown through his usual emotionless coal black eyes. "Well… I guess I better get back to my regular schedule."
His father did not miss the rare and unmistakable relief in his eyes. He grinned. "I suppose so."
*******
Vegeta read a few reports at his desk a few days later, wanting to get back into the swing of things. The reports were both boring and annoying, but it beat walking around the palace. Though he would admit nothing-he was tired, both mentally and physically. The reports were a good way to rest his mind and his feet.
He sighed, putting the pen down. Something was bugging him much of the late, and wouldn't let him work until he solved it. Resting his head in his head, he was free to relax-and to think.
If Son Pan was supposed to be so malevolent, and so wicked because she had tried to destroy the King and Prince-then why did she heal Trunks? Was it a mistake on her part?
If it was, he could tell. She hadn't awoken since she had passed out on the hospital floor, and he doubted she would awake ever again. She already had lost a tremendous amount of energy when she had been tortured, and when she healed Trunks the little energy she had summoned in her rage was gone, leaving her totally powerless-therefore, almost dead.
But why did he care so much?
Was it because she had caused him so much pain-not physically but mentally? Was if because she had tried to assassinate his son, and had almost succeeded? Was it because she, just a mere female, had over-powered his palace?
Or was I because she was innocent?
He sighed, and before he knew what he had done, he pressed the intercom button on his desk. "Hello? Send Doshen up to my office." He closed the line to him and the secretary, and then thought about what he had done, and what he now had to do.
Doshen knocked on the door once and then opened it, bowed immediately to his King. "My lord. It's a pleasure to have you back."
Vegeta nodded once, and then went back to his paper work so it would appear as though he wasn't too interested in the subject. "Doshen, I would like you to order the guards to stop torturing Son Pan and bring her up to the hospital wing," he said nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal.
"WHAT?!?!" Doshen shrieked and nearly toppled over. He fell down heavily into a seat, starring with large eyes at his King. "My King, are you feeling alright?"
"Quite well, thank you," Vegeta snapped. No one asked the King questions. "Now do what I say."
"But excellency! She tried to murder both you and Prince Trunks! You can't just let her walk away!" Doshen protested.
Vegeta scribbled something down on a piece of paper, not bothering to look at Doshen. "She is my prisoner to deal with. If I say bring her to the hospital wing for her to heal, you will do it. Do you question what I say?" Vegeta growled, and handed Doshen a piece of paper with his signature on it, so Doshen could prove to the guards that King Vegeta had ordered him to do this.
"N-no, of course not, my lord," Doshen stuttered.
Doshen took the paper with a trembling hand, and starred at it for a moment before he bowed and left. As soon as he was gone, Vegeta rested his head in his hands, not knowing what he was doing anymore, and realizing with shock that he didn't care.
*******
Doshen walked down the hallway, very, very confused. Instead of going to the dungeons, like ordered, he walked toward the royal corridors. There was something he needed to do, and it needed to be settled now-and not a second later.
Author's Note: Ah! What's Doshen doing?!? Only Kami knows….
*ducks another flying chair* I know you love the cliffhangers! Just calm down!
Lol-anyway, thank you for the wonderful reviews!!! I've decided to have a 100th Review Special (If I get there) and no cheating to be the 100th reviewer!! ^^
And, as always:
THANK YOU!