Holy crap it's been so long! Does anyone read DBZ fiction anymore? I hope so because I actually updated "Hidden Bars." I re-read the chapters and felt inspired! I hope people read this, and if you do please review!
Last time on Hidden Bars:
She wanted to touch him; she wanted to tell him that she wouldn't turn her backon him, that she would be there for him. Yet the words couldn't form. She wasn't sure if he'd believe it.
Their bodies moved together as they laid down on the bed side by side, His arms were still around her as her back was to him. He held her close to his chest, not wanting to let her go. There was something about her that he had felt a connection with. There was something about her that he was able to cry in front of her.
They both stayed holding onto each other, crying into each other's arms until the night over took them, and soon they both gently fell asleep under the soft light of the moon.
Hidden Bars
Brave
- Son Akito
AJ woke up in the middle of the night, she didn't want to move in fear of waking up Gohan. She glanced behind her, he was softly asleep, holding her loosely. She leaned in slightly to him, enjoying his strong arms around her. AJ had never been been this open with someone, but for some reason it was easy with Gohan. Like her he lived in pain, but she knew deep down her pain was nothing like his.
AJ was strong, in fact she is one of the strongest beings on her planet. Her planet was a peaceful place, so being strong on her planet wasn't a hard goal to reach. Most of the people didn't have ability to use their chi, but it was common knowledge and there were many masters that knew how to use their chi.
Her ability to use her energy without powering up was a family tradition passed down to the oldest child. It was a rare ability which took a few years to master, and for AJ she still did not master it to its full potential. Her mother was able to use her abilities in every day life without draining her power. AJ can only focus on this ability when she danced. She tries to practice it when she is alone, but since her father has assigned her a bodyguard six years ago she has had less time to train.
This ability was not a skill she would use every day, if she lived in a more hostel world it would be risky to flaunt your power level so causally, yet since her father had done a fine job ruling the Kingdom and there was no worry. AJ had the abilities to be a great fighter, and she and Hazuki trained often, but Hazuki still over powered her. This fact annoyed her, but Hazuki would reassure her that she was a challenge.
She knew even Hazuki was no match for Gohan, in fact the first day he arrived and changed forms to destroy his collar, her father had received messages from all the masters in the area warning him of the dangerous power that the King had taken in. She would never tell Gohan this of course, he had already been though too much.
AJ had known Vanlash most of her life, he had made visits in and out of the Kingdom, and as an only daughter and future Queen, AJ had to know everybody. This included that man, and ever since she was a child she knew not to be around Vanlash, but sometimes she wasn't so lucky.
She wasn't sure if she could ever tell Gohan about her relationship with Vanlash. She hated remembering him.
She didn't know why her father did business with Vanlash, he was the King of the black market, everyone knew him and his crew were no one to mess with. After Frieza had died their business increased, in the last four years it had doubled. AJ assumed that is when they captured Gohan.
Of course she had heard of the boy with the hollow eyes. Everyone had. In the last four years the universe was in fear, wondering who would in the path of Vanlash and his crew.
She couldn't begin to picture what it must have been like for Gohan, to do the horrible things he had done and have no control over it. She had heard of collar devices on slaves, and although the Eastern part of the universe had slaves, there were still laws to protect them. There were yearly check ups, laws and even punishment for the masters if they were reported. One of laws were no brain washing devices to be used, breaking this law could even result in a lost of class, making that master a slave themselves.
Of course no was would question Vanlash, because what that device was doing to Gohan was clear as day.
Gohan twitched in his sleep, and AJ wondered what he was dreaming about. She saw his pain in the day, she only hoped that the nights would take some of it away.
For her it didn't matter if it was day or night, she thought of Vanlash often. Although what he did to her was nothing close to what he did to Gohan, she still understood Gohan. She still saw that signs that Eva or Hazuki weren't noticing.
She stayed into his arms and dazed into space, sometimes she couldn't help but to remember.
"Azura Jun," the King looked down at his small daughter, her small hand holding his. She smiled up at her father, but it was a small smile, as if she couldn't think of what else to do.
"As future Queen you must make sure to hold your head up high, I know your mother dying has been difficult for you, as it has been for me, but we must be strong and indifferent. Our people cannot see fear in our eyes, we are the leaders of this world and even as a small child you have to remain strong. Do you understand?"
"Yes Daddy," Azura Jun softly spoke.
The former Queen had fell ill and died only two weeks ago. AJ was only ten, and she missed her mother dearly. She wanted to cry, she wanted to go into her mother's room and smell her but her father had strictly refused to let her in their room. 'Its no place for a child' he would tell her, and it would hurt her, all she wanted was to remember her mother.
She let go of her father's hand, and walked down to a tree near the garden. This spot was were her mother taught her to dance. It was the only place her father couldn't take away from her. She heard her father sigh before walking away.
Even at the young age of ten, she knew what her father was trying to tell her. Her mother would also often tell her she had to be brave so her people would feel safe. She wanted them to feel safe but she also wanted to cry. She pulled her knees to her chest, and turned her head side to side, no one was around.
She lowered her head into her arms and cried.
"Princess?"
AJ shot her head up and to the person next to her. He was in his late twenties, with long red hair and silver eyes. He leaned against the tree, staring down at her.
"Mr. Vanlash," She quickly got up, smoothing out her dress and whipping her tears. She didn't want him to tell father she had been crying.
"It's okay to cry," he told her, but his tone was not smoothing, not gentle, but almost wicked.
AJ looked down, not sure if she should go find her father or continue to talk to Vanlash.
He lightly touched her shoulder, looking up he softly pushed her, "Let's go find your father, I'm sure he wants to make sure you are okay."
"Okay," she softly spoke, walking ahead of Vanlash, keeping her head down. All she wanted was a few minutes alone to cry, and now she was not allowed too since she had been spotted.
Not really paying attention to where she was heading or who was following her, AJ had made her way to her room, and without noticing Vanlash had followed her, closing the door behind him.
With no emotion she sat down on her bed, looking down at her hands, Vanlash sat next to her, placing his hand on her thigh.
She looked up at him, his physical features he was studding to look at, his eyes were deep silver, and sparkled like stars.
"I wish mother didn't die," she told him, unaware that he reached his other hand to her chin. They stared at each other, as Vanlash moved his hand up to her small cheek.
When she tried to turn her head he held on, refusing to let her move it. AJ eye's widen in fear as he moved his head to the back of her long brown hair, clenching it tightly making it impossible for her move, "It's okay to cry."
The first memory of it was so haunting AJ shut her eyes and shook away the memories. That man was pure evil to touch a child the way he did. Of course, after that night he got her any time he caught her alone. As soon as she told her father about it, he showed no emotion, never confronted Vanlash about it, and after a year later hired a bodyguard. After that one bodyguard slipped up and left AJ alone with Vanlash, he was quickly fired and Hazuki replaced him. Soon after that Vanlash was never alone with her.
A part of her hated her father for never doing anything about it, but she knew that there wasn't anything her father could do. Although he was King of this planet, Vanlash was a lot more powerful then he was. Vanlash knew the King knew about them. The King never showed emotion, they simply did their business, whatever that was.
It was unusually that AJ knew nothing about their meetings, because AJ was at the age when she is starting to learn how to rule the Kingdom. Whatever they did together she would soon have to learn as well. She hoped once she found out what that was, she could get rid of Vanlash and figure it out on her own.
She thought about telling Gohan about her past, to let him know that Vanlash was evil and that Gohan had someone else that at least knew a little bit of his pain. That is why she was so drawn to him, because she felt the same kind of fear. Yet, she decided she would never tell Gohan. Even though she opened up to Gohan unlike any other, she had to be strong, she had to keep everything bottled up.
She needed to be brave in front of everyone so they could feel safe with her as their leader. It was the only way she could handle the stress.
