Of Two Hearts
Chapter 9: A Fateful Test
Blackness.
That is all Goku saw. He felt his eyes open slowly, and his body reawaken, sensitive to the pain that spread throughout his body. He realized he had been leaning against something cold and parallel, and it was pressing into his skin.
Sitting up and grimacing at his massive headache, Goku wearily looked at his surroundings. He appeared to be in a dim cottage that smelled very badly. The wooden shutters of the windows were closed shut, as if the cottage were a secret hangout. It was a dirty and stuffy place.
Goku blinked and then bolted forward, surprised. He was in a cage! He was in a cage like an animal!
Goku gripped the bars, angry, but a hand shoved him backwards to the opposite end of the cage. Goku grunted and then looked up to see three men laughing around the cage.
"Stupid ape-man," one laughed. "Don't you know you're not going to escape?"
Goku growled, and assumed these were the same men who kidnapped him last night. He remembered the rugged, elderly appearance of one of the men, who was holding a bottle of liquor in his hand now.
He took a swig, hiccupped, and laughed. "Yea! I worked my tail off to capture the ape-man. Get it? Tail? Heh, heh…"
"Good one, Koto," the third man, Saku, joked with sarcasm. He prodded at the second man beside him and mumbled in his ear, "We must get him off the sake, otherwise we won't make it, eh, Jiro?"
Jiro nodded and sighed.
"Make it where?" Goku wanted to know. He glared at the three men suspiciously.
Koto growled and took another swig. "You shut your mouth, beast. You're just lucky to be alive."
"I'm not a beast!" Goku protested, and then scowled. "If you wanted to capture me so badly, why didn't you just kill me when you had the chance?"
"Aw, shut your trap already," Saku whined, and threw a wooly blanket over the cage. He sighed, irritated, and gestured toward the door of the cottage. "Come already. We must make haste if we ever hope to make it to town."
"Town?" Goku questioned again, and then tumbled backwards as he felt the cage being lifted up. He tumbled again once he felt the cage was carelessly set down on top of an open cart. He bounced as the cart moved, and he felt sunshine pouring through the blanket, once they left the cottage.
"Where are we going?" Goku asked, annoyed.
There was a reply only after the cart had moved for half a mile. Goku heard Koto's voice respond evilly, "You, my little friend, are going to make us a lot of money."
***
The past reoccurred sadly as Chi-Chi retreated from the palace to the entrance. Dawn's sun would be rising higher soon, and Chi-Chi longed for the comfort of the serenity of watching and of the comfort from a gentle breeze. She was also worried about something, but she wasn't sure what…
Chi-Chi stepped outside and saw Wakaru guarding the entrance as usual. She didn't have the heart to talk very much. She knew that soon, many of the kingdom's inhabitants would begin an exodus to the temples for funeral arrangements. It would be disrespectful not to go.
And she knew why the people would be going.
Goku killed their families, and though this was true, it still hurt Chi-Chi. She knew everyone would just be reminded of whom Goku was, and their buried hatred for him would surface.
"My lady?"
Chi-Chi glanced at Wakaru, acknowledging him. Wakaru frowned. "You seem down this morning. What is it?" He saw her gaze, in concentration and emotion, at the ground. Thoughtfulness was clearly shown on her face.
"Wakaru…" she said slowly and downfallen, as if she were anticipating bad news.
She paused, and then glanced at him again. "Where is Goku?"
Wakaru was quick to avert her questioning gaze, and he sighed. There was bad news coming all right. He gripped the hilt of his katana and scraped the bottom part of its sheath against the cobblestone path.
"He is no longer in my quarter," he answered Chi-Chi. "I mustn't take any chances like that."
Chi-Chi felt a thousand knives slicing down into her heart. This was awful. The one person she could count on, and she thought Goku could too, had turned into one of the frightful and suspicious civilians.
Disappointment was Chi-Chi's atmosphere as she hung her head. Her eyes closed quickly, and she sighed, as she indeed received bad news.
Why does this have to happen? I had no idea that Goku could do that, but why did it have to happen? Now he has nothing, and nowhere to live. Where did he go? She thought worriedly.
Then she remembered Goku telling her he wouldn't leave. She believed his promise, but somehow, it seemed less and less credible…
Wakaru's voice brought Chi-Chi out of her dazed state. "You should get ready for the funeral arrangements, my lady. The temples will be full and crowded with the departed ones' families, and you and the emperor should be the first to get a good seat."
During the mass funeral, Chi-Chi knelt against the alter, barely concentrating on paying respect to the dead. She didn't mean to; she really did try to concentrate. There were so many things around her that would force her to concentrate.
The atmosphere of the temple, the soft murmurs of people praying, and the crying of women and children.
Despite all of this, Chi-Chi found she could only kneel, bow her head and think of Goku. As some would say, this was his entire fault, but Chi-Chi didn't care about that. What worried her was not knowing where he was.
He was abandoned and hated. How could the words she said keep him in this hellhole? Any man in his right mind would get away from pain.
It had to be, Chi-Chi guessed. Goku was gone, and it saddened her. Worry and fear wrapped around her as the same thought stayed in her head.
Where is Goku?
***
It was late morning when Goku and his three kidnappers arrived into a town. A shackled and spiritless Goku stayed in his cage, waiting for whatever was to come.
Jiro took out a map out of his knapsack, unfolding it and looking through it. "Hmm, let us see… We're in Nakano, right? So, if we just do it here, we can go to Osaka across the river. Believe me, with all this money, we will have ferry tickets."
He sighed happily. "We're going to be the richest men in all of the world! You have a brilliant mind, Koto."
Koto smirked. "Yea. Let us go. We don't want to be late. They're going to be expecting us soon."
Well, that wasn't exactly accurate.
The people of Nakano were expecting to see Goku. They heard of the three brave men who captured the monster that killed many. The news of the 'giant ape' and his capture spread like wildfire across vast lands.
Seeing this as a chance to gain fame and popularity, the three men were going to keep Goku in the cage as they traveled from town to town, showing him off for money.
And it was working, unfortunately…
The sun was blazing high overhead at noon, when the first show started. Goku didn't move or speak; he only sat there, tied up in the hot cage, as he barely heard Koto, Jiro, and Saku speak about him and collect the money.
"Make haste, make haste and come! Do not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Right here in this cage is the one and only ape-man! You may get close and see him, but only for a price!" Jiro announced loudly, drawing the people closer to the exhibit.
"Yes, ma'am, he is safe in here and he will not come out. Thank you for your money. Yes, thank you, and thank you. I'll take your money, and the ape-man is yours to see and do whatever you please," Saku said to various people as he answered their questions and took their money.
Koto spoke things about Goku off the top of his head, making up facts that were sure to sound scientific. He bragged about Goku's capture and it seemed the tale got more dramatic every time he said it.
Goku lulled in the cage, and his head hung in defeat. He could do nothing as his arms were outstretched and bound to the cage. His feet were tied up as well, and he could only sit on his knees. His tail was slipped inside an animal trap that would hold it down and squeeze it hard, should he move it.
Goku was weak and lost. He couldn't do anything, and couldn't concentrate on the people who came to see him. He only perked slightly when some children threw some food at him to see his reaction.
Well, Goku had been treated just like an animal, so even leftover food looked good now. He moved to reach for it, but he felt a stick slap his face. He looked up at Koto, who shook his head. "Stupid. I said you could eat two shows from now."
Goku sighed and sunk back in his spot.
"He understands you?" a boy asked Koto. "If he's an animal, how does he understand the human language?"
"Don't be silly," a girl scolded the boy. "There's no way it could understand the human language. It is an animal."
"Now, now," Koto calmed the children down. "Goku here is an animal, so he is an it, but he also has the characteristics of a man. Thus, he is called the ape-man, all right? May I take the next question?"
"I'm not an it," Goku weakly spoke for the first time in hours. "I'm a he, a human with feelings…"
This caused the crowd to laugh and sneer, and Koto bent down to Goku's level. "YOU, a human? Don't make me laugh. There's no way you could be human after you killed hundreds of humans. Now hush your mouth."
Goku was silenced. He didn't have the strength to argue, and he was reminded of his depression. I know I killed them, and… They hate me for who I am, he thought. Only a few people liked me for ME. My friends, Chi-Chi and Ojiisan. If I hadn't known, I might've killed them too.
Suddenly, it struck him.
A giant ape killed Ojiisan Gohan! I'm the ape! I… I killed him.
The reality of the truth cut right through Goku, through his fatigue and anticipation of death. The realization was the bulls' eye to the center of his soul. That thought was like a fatal shot, erupting the stored grief.
It was an uncommon sight to see a man cry, but the impact of this knowledge caused tears to stream down Goku's face. The painful fact was true. He had killed his own grandfather. The tears continued to silently fall as the show went on.
***
Days had gone by since then. The money and silver coins kept rolling in as Koto and his two employees traveled everywhere, putting on shows and offering special prices for anyone who wanted to touch and see Goku.
It was like this for a very long time. Each day of doing shows for three weeks was tiresome and cruel for Goku, and he was disgusted to know this kept going on. Right now, he and the other three men were eating lunch at an inn they stayed at overnight, while Goku slept in his cage, like a dog, at their feet.
"So Koto," chuckled Jiro as he leaned forward on his elbows at the table. "We have been doing this for nearly thirty days, and we're so rich that it brings me to tears. But don't you think we have a little too much money?"
Koto nearly choked on his soup. He gagged and looked at Jiro, astounded. "You fool!" he exclaimed. "One can never have too much money! Don't you understand? If we continue this, we'll be richer than the emperor!"
Jiro frowned. "But we can barely carry our money bags. There are too many that bulge to the point of overflowing. If we walk around with huge bags like that, society is going to notice."
"It does not matter," Saku said, munching on his food. He laughed. "All we have to do is say we're donating it to the poor, and they'll believe us."
Jiro still wasn't convinced. "Each of us has enough money to buy many houses and food for life. We're already richer than what we could ever dream of. We even have enough money for our grandchildren to survive off of. We should stop doing this now. It was fun, but where are we keeping this extra money? We're a target for thieves."
He frowned down at Goku sleeping. "In addition, he's not worth all the trouble of hauling around. He did his job of getting us rich. Let us just kill him."
It was starting to make sense to Koto and Saku. They were thoughtful for a few moments, and then Koto sighed. "All right, Jiro. You made your points. We will just kill the ape-man and get it over with. We'll receive more reward money for our great grandchildren to live off of."
Saku nodded. "Yea. Let us take him back home and then hold a trail. We already know he is guilty of all the crimes humanity will speak against him."
And so, an even bigger catastrophe was unfolding…
***
The peasants were doing the last work of their morning routine in the fields. They cut away withering crops and gathered the last of the sprouting vegetables. They cleared the garden of weeds and unwanted animals. It was almost an average day…
One peasant blinked curiously as his eyes caught something by the lake. He had been drawing water from the lake to cool himself, but a flash of brown in the midst of green grass made his eyes open wider.
He bent over and parted the grass to reveal the brown object. He stared in awe as he picked up a broken straw basket. Several things fell out of it, and he suddenly remembered where he had seen this scene before.
A basket with medical things in it, used for a sick man. Well, this wasn't the apothecary's room, but this area… It was where the giant ape was!
"I knew it!" the peasant exclaimed again and again. He called the other peasants to see.
Thinking it was an emergency, the other peasants ran as fast as they could to the first. Panting, one peasant asked him, "What, Ryo? What happened?" Ryo held up the basket and the things that fell out of it. He faced the crowd of peasants, excitedly.
"See, you all didn't believe me, but I knew I was telling the truth! This is the same basket with medical tools in it that was used to aid the ape-man when we didn't know he was part animal. See where we are? It's the hill and fields where the giant ape attacked. But the most important things are these items right here! Whom do they belong to, ladies and gentlemen?"
Ryo held up dirty, decrepit bandages and jagged fragments of a smashed water gourd. Then, he held up the most astonishing piece of evidence.
A tattered, bloodstained, and silky piece of clothing, looking to be torn from a type of an expensive, high quality kimono…
One woman gasped. "The princess! She was the one to see the ape-man!"
Ryo nodded. "Exactly! I told you I was telling the truth! The princess came to him! She stooped to that level to go out and see him!"
This put the other peasants in a very thoughtful and considerate mood. They thought long and hard about this, until one spoke up.
"…Ryo is right. This proves that the princess has favored the ape-man. This could be bad. Should we tell the Emperor?"
Another shook his head. "No. The Emperor has enough to deal with considering this war. We should tell the Officials, who are next in rank to the emperor. They will know how to deal with this outrage. Besides, you know it's not proper for us peasants to present such a subject to the emperor, uninvited."
Another woman nodded. "Yea. Let us go to the Officials right away. We just discovered the truth today, but this affair between the princess and the monkey has been going on for a long time. This needs to be acted upon immediately."
A handful of peasants crossed the garden and fields to the Ox-King's palace. Before they went to see the Officials, they noticed something else.
There were three men pulling a large cage behind them in the distance. The peasants went towards them to get a closer look. They were surprised to see Goku out cold in his cage.
"You have the beast!" one peasant told Koto. "How did you do it? What are you doing here?"
Koto blinked. "The ape-man? Yea, I have him. Me, Saku and Jiro here used our heads to catch him, and we've brought him home to present to the emperor. We have finally caught the despicable beast that's a murderer. He should be put to death for such a crime."
The peasants clapped with cheer and delight. "We were thinking the same thing! Except, we know we don't have the power to put Goku to death. But with your help and the help of the Officials, I'm sure we can have something going on," one suggested.
Koto smirked. This was a step to the trial he had in mind. "All right," he told the peasants. "Show us the way to the Officials."
The new allies journeyed toward the Officials patrolling the halls in the Ox-King's palace. The Officials were puzzled to see the peasants out of the fields, and the strange man, Koto. He merely smiled and looked two Officials in the eyes.
"Gentlemen, I'd like to have a word with you…"
***
The sun was at its highest point in the sky, shrouded in the sailing clouds. The weather was surprisingly pleasant for fall. Such a peaceful day as this would put a person to sleep, shaking off their cares, and just falling into serenity.
Except, this wasn't the case for Chi-Chi.
The depressed girl strolled in her garden with a concern on her mind. It was evident to see her problems, especially when one knew her well.
Talim looked up from watering the flowers in the garden, obviously noting Chi-Chi's concern. Both she and Chi-Chi were supposed to be watering the flowers, but Talim had done most of the watering, while Chi-Chi plainly spaced out, thinking.
She could only guess. She knew Chi-Chi's secret about Goku, and how it was affecting her. There was no word about Goku in weeks, and he hadn't arrived. Sadly, Chi-Chi's dream slowly faded away as time went by. She had no opportunities to go anywhere to see Goku. Though she longed to see him, she knew there was no chance, and with every sunrise and sunset, she finally accepted the chances of reuniting with Goku were slim.
Talim frowned as she looked up at Chi-Chi. "Why are you down? It's good that he's gone, isn't it? He nearly killed you."
Chi-Chi slowly shook her head. "It's not like that, Talim. Love isn't like that. It's a very powerful and deep emotion. And even then, love is more than a feeling. You have to act, and demonstrate that kind of love. Then that person will know how you really feel. No matter how much that person has changed, or what they've done, you still love them. That is, if you really do…"
Talim blinked, taking this all in. She stared at Chi-Chi in amazement. "Huh… I-I never knew that kind of love exists. It's so deep… I suppose you do love Goku after all."
Chi-Chi nodded, feeling her heart ache for unity with Goku. "Yeah. I really do…"
It wasn't long before a certain day arrived. That one fateful day: the day that would change everything forever. From the morning of that day, to the afternoon, there was an evil scheme brewing in the Town Square. A considerate and sly plan was unfolding on a clear, fall day. No one would expect what would happen. That is, except for a certain few…
"Come one and all!" Koto exclaimed as he urged townspeople to come to the Square. "Come and see the trial and fate of the ape-man, Goku! This is the day you all have been waiting for! This is the day when we avenge the ones who fought for your safety! This is the day you can see the turn of events, for your families!"
A large crowd surrounded a platform in the middle of the Square. On that platform stood Koto, Saku, Jiro, several Officials, and Goku. This time, Goku wasn't in his cage, but in a pillory. He picked up his head and looked at Koto, struggling.
"What are you going to do to me?" he whispered hoarsely.
Koto glared at him. "It's time you pay for everything you've ever done." Then he faced the crowd.
"Let the warlock trail begin!"
***
Something wasn't right.
Chi-Chi perked up from her work of attending to the garden. She could hear the faint, uproarious shouts and cheers from a crowd somewhere. Today was an average day, and there should have been no festivals or celebrations. Something was wrong.
Talim looked up from pulling weeds out of the ground. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand and glanced up at Chi-Chi, curiously. "Is something the matter, Princess?"
Chi-Chi looked around, trying to sense where the commotion was coming from. "Do you hear that?"
Talim's ears picked up the sound of a loud announcer, accompanied by the roar of a crowd as well. She nodded. "What could that mean?"
Chi-Chi was about to say she didn't know, but something inside her snapped. Her heart began to pound suddenly as she sensed something. That wrong thing had to do with Goku. Whatever that noise was, it felt like Goku was a part of it for a very wrong reason.
"Goku," she whispered subconsciously. "He's not well."
Talim stood to her feet and looked around, confused. "What do you speak of, Princess? I don't see Sir Goku anywhere." Chi-Chi blinked slowly, as if she were trying to understand this sensation herself. "I don't know exactly… But, something is wrong. We must go to the Town Square right now!"
Dropping her water bucket, she dashed away, leaping over the bushes, leaving a confused Talim behind.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Talim yelled after Chi-Chi. "Have you gone mad?! We can't go parading into the Town Square! Princess! Aw, wait for me!"
She followed the older girl's example and chased after her, following her to the Square. It would be a while until they got there, considering the distance. Talim had lost Chi-Chi along the way, but she had intentions of snapping Chi-Chi out of whatever state she was in.
However, a voice startled her and caused her to be still.
"Here ye, here ye! On this fifteenth day of November in the year 1617, my faithful companions, Saku and Jiro, and I have tried Son Goku. Now I, Koto, ask Saku to bring the Scroll of Crimes." Koto took a paper megaphone away from his mouth and held out his hand as Saku handed him a scroll.
Talim let out a soft gasp. That scroll has a scarlet ribbon tied around it! What is going on?
Koto slid the ribbon upwards, and the scroll unfolded. He began to read from it. "This document contains the following charges against the ape-man. According to the witnesses, there have been hundreds of crimes against humanity. One hundred were of assault, and another hundred have major injuries. What else has been recorded? Countless murders… all committed by Son Goku. If anyone objects to this, speak now."
***
The wind was pressing hard against Chi-Chi as she ran as fast as her legs could take her to the Square. She hadn't thought about anything behind her-- not Talim, not her duties, not the people wondering where she fled. She just knew something was wrong, and that it had to do with Goku.
This feeling was unexplained, but it urged her to locate Goku.
However, Chi-Chi had skidded to a stop, suddenly, as she heard a menacing, piercing voice. She hadn't heard much of the announcements, but she did hear the charges against Goku.
Her heart had been pounding incessantly at the fact she had been running so fast without ceasing. But now, it pounded out of great fear. What would happen to Goku now? Oh, she wished she were there to speak!
Chi-Chi strained her eyes to see past the back of a forest. It shouldn't be much farther to the Square. She flinched suddenly as she felt something cool and wet touch her nose. Chi-Chi looked up to see a huge gray mass of thunderclouds sail by. The sky was turning black.
Then, she remembered her intent.
No more wasting time, she thought, intrepid. No matter what, she was going to make it there to save Goku. No matter what.
***
"Heh, heh," Koto chuckled. "I see no one here denies these facts! It's not as if anyone could. You all saw what the ape-man has done with your very own eyes! Anyone who denies this now is a lunatic!
Now…" He trailed off, turning to the pillory, his large boots thumping against the hollow wood of the platform.
He freed Goku, and held him by the hair, knowing his feet and hands were bound together. He walked Goku out to the front of the platform, smiling evilly as the crowd roared with anger.
"Take your last good look at him now!" Koto announced to the crowd. "We shan't waste much more time. We have the permission of the Officials to choose Son Goku's fate. But I want to ask you all… Shall he have a quick death by the slice of a sword? His head would be a wonderful prize. Or shall he die a slow and painful death by burning at the stake? As you can see, we have provided both."
"Behead him! Behead him!" a section of the crowd cried.
"Slow and painful! Slow and painful we say! Burn him to death!" another section protested.
Saku and Jiro chuckled to themselves. "Decisions, decisions… What do you think, Riko?"
One of the Officials looked up at the mention of his name. He twirled an end of his mustache around his finger, thoughtfully. "Hmm… He did destroy our army quickly, and just for that, I think he should have the opposite treatment. Slow and painful."
"You heard the man!" Koto told the crowd. "To the stake the ape-man goes!"
The crowd roared with delight, as Koto guided Goku down the platform and to the stake beside it. He wore his despicable smile continuously as he tied Goku to the stake, leaving extra rope nearby, in case Goku had plans of escaping. He threw hay at Goku's feet, and then walked to Riko, who held a lit torch for him.
Once the torch was in Koto's hands, he raised it high above his head. "Death to the ape-man!" he cried.
"Death to the ape-man! Death to the ape-man!" the crowd repeated after him.
"I haven't done anything!" Goku yelled. His frantic eyes darted around, and he caught a recognizable glance of an elderly woman and her nephew. "Shi Lu! Han Wong! Help me!!"
From the crowd, Han Wong gave Goku a confused look, as if he didn't know him. Then he shook his head in disgust, and turned his back. He began to retreat.
Goku couldn't believe his eyes. He struggled in his shackled state, and yelled after Han Wong, "What are you doing?! Don't walk away! Come back!!"
But Han Wong vanished.
Goku's last hope…
He locked his desperate eyes with Shi Lu's. "Please," he whispered.
But the woman only stared at the ground, as if she didn't hear him. She wore a solemn face, but there was something about her lips… They were slightly curved into an evil and fulfilling smile. What was there to smile about?!
I finally see the true power you have, She said to Goku telepathically. What a useful subject you were.
Then she turned and followed her nephew, walking away, leaving a stunned Goku behind.
Goku could only stutter and stare in disbelief as Shi Lu deserted him as well. Then it came to him suddenly. He finally understood her words.
I could've kicked myself for not noticing! Goku thought angrily. He finally realized Shi Lu had lied to him and used him. He had ignored a whisper that night Wakaru told him Chi-Chi was in love with him. The whisper mentioned something about power…
It was Shi Lu, but Goku hadn't noticed. He hadn't even noticed when he visited Shi Lu several times. He was aware that he felt ill every time he left Shi Lu's hut, but he didn't know why…
But now he did, even though it was too late. He drank the herbal liquids Shi Lu made for him. They weren't really herbal liquids at all, but rather potions, which caused the appearance of his Saiyan tail…
The master plan was finally revealed, but it was too late. The master was gone too.
The realization of betrayal stirred great anger in Goku, and he let out a furious yell. That only caused Koto to smack Goku across the face. "Stop screaming, you stupid beast."
Goku stared down at the hay at his feet, which would soon be set ablaze. He wished Koto would just light the hay already and let the consequences follow quickly. There's no point in escaping, he thought, dolefully. Not when I'm going to die beforehand.
"Death to the ape-man!" the crowd continued to cheer as Koto walked toward Goku. He sneered at Goku and spit in his face. "Finally, you receive your just reward." He stood back and raised the torch above his head and led the crowd in unison to a final cry of, 'Death to the ape-man!'
"No!" a new voice yelled.
***
The crowd's attention was diverted from Goku to the person of whom that voice belonged to. Surprise was etched on everyone's faces, and a unified gasp rang in the air as the people laid their disbelieving eyes on Chi-Chi.
The girl had been panting from her restless journey, bending over slightly as she caught her breath, but now she stood upright, a clear expression of anger and disgust on her face.
She ran past the Officials, ignored their questioning, and darted through the crowd, roughly shoving aside whoever was in her way.
Chi-Chi's final stop was in front of Koto, whom she glared at. "You monster!" she yelled.
Koto blinked, and then chuckled. "What do thou speak of? The monster is right next to me."
Chi-Chi glanced at an expressionless Goku, and then growled as she returned her icy glare toward Koto. "Don't lie!" she chided. "You're despicable, and absolutely horrible! Do you hear me?! How could you try to do this?!"
Koto waved his free hand in defense. "Calm yourself, Princess… What are you even doing here?"
Chi-Chi clenched her fists, ready to pulverize Koto's 'innocent' face. "That's none of your concern!" she answered sternly. "Now I order you to release Goku!"
Koto shook his head, smiling once more. He shook his finger at her. "I'm sorry, but even royalty has no say in this." He snapped his fingers and Saku jumped off the platform, the Scroll of Crimes in his hand. He handed it to Koto, who opened it and held it out for Chi-Chi to read.
She skimmed it and then shook her head. "Liar!" she spat.
Koto rolled his eyes. "You know it's true! The signatures are there and everything! You know the Officials are in charge of these kinds of things, so what you say now is useless."
"Besides," he added, facing the crowd. His tone grew louder. "It's not as if only you can stop me from doing what's right. According to the law, a crime committed is followed by justification. Son Goku is a murderer, and must be put to death. Even more so, he is a monster…"
The crowd roared in agreement, but one man spoke out, "What is she doing?!"
"What?" Koto asked, turning around. He nearly recoiled at Chi-Chi, who had picked up the extra rope to tie herself to the stake with. She formed the last knot around her left wrist, and leaned back against the stake, looking at the crowd, unremorseful.
"You fool!" the same man exclaimed to Chi-Chi. "What have you gone and tied yourself to the stake for?! Do you want to die?!"
Chi-Chi glanced at the man, and then spoke. "If Goku shall be put to death, then so will I."
Behind her, Goku grunted and turned his head so he could see her out of the corners of his eyes. "Chi-Chi, no," he whispered hoarsely. "What are you doing?"
"You're insane!" the same man exclaimed again. Confusion was then written on his face as he heard Riko laugh uproariously.
"Are you that blind?" he asked, gasping for air. Through choked breaths, he added, "C-C-Can't you see it? The princess has fallen in love with the ape-man! Oh, Kami! What a turn of events! It's classical!!"
Some people had burst out laughing, while others gasped with incredibility. They looked at Chi-Chi, expecting to hear denial, or see her whimper in her hurt. Instead, she stared at them straight on. "Go ahead and laugh!" she yelled. "It's true! I do love him!"
The people were silenced immediately, astounded at Chi-Chi's declaration. One woman stuttered, "I-I… I don't understand. What do you see in him?"
Chi-Chi turned her head to get a better view of the crowd. "What don't you see in Goku? He may be a little different, but he's still one of us! He's still human with feelings, and here you all are treating him like dirt! Who helped keep this kingdom safe as a samurai? It was Goku! Who vowed loyalty and protection to the weaker? It was Goku! Don't you see it?"
Thoughtfulness seemed to be on the people's faces, but Koto shook his head. "The girl speaks lies!" he cried, and then pointed toward Goku. "You are forgetting who this is! This is the beast! He will eat us alive! Terrorize our children and wives! He must die!!"
"But…" one woman spoke from the crowd. "Lady Chi-Chi is right… Sir Goku has done those things…"
Koto growled. "You're wrong! Don't fall under the influence of the girl! I'm telling you, she speaks lies! Two good deeds versus a thousand wrong ones; the bad side shows firstly! You know what Goku has done! He practices witchcraft, for Kami's sake! Do you call that normal?!"
The woman was silenced, and Koto continued, "I caught the ape-man, therefore he belongs to me and I can do whatever I wish with him. The ape-man himself knows it, right?"
Goku looked extremely fatigue and made no effort to speak. "See there," Koto whispered.
He turned toward him and Chi-Chi. "The original plan was to put Goku to death, but if the princess wishes to share the same fate, then so be it!"
"Is that so?" a new voice spoke.
The crowd gasped as they saw the Ox-King come out from behind the platform, with Talim at his side. The little girl had obviously made a trip back to the castle to alert the Ox-King of the event and of Chi-Chi's whereabouts.
"What in Kami's name is going on here?" he growled.
To be continued…
Chapter Ten: Ambition Destroyed
A/N:
(1) C'mon, you knew I had to make Chi-Chi come rescue (or attempt to rescue) Goku. It was the Saiyan bond that urged her so, and um… Yes, this is where it gets a little Disney-ish.
Lady Thundera: Yes. Goku's always falling into some sort of calamity. Dun, dun, dun! Lady Thundera to the rescue! Double team with Chi-Chi! Vegeta doesn't know anything yet, but he will figure it out soon.
Lady Kouga: Yep. Her love is his inspiration.
Moon girl 16: Yeah, those guys are pretty evil. You always have some losers that want to mess everything up. I think that G/CC's love is more powerful than that of other couples on DBZ. I don't know; I just think there's a deeper connection that B/V and the rest of them. Then again, I love G/CC better.
Cb: Thanks. Yeah, everyone's picking on Goku and basically Chi-Chi is all he has left. He's starting to learn to have feelings for her. No, Vegeta doesn't know that this is happening, so the mystery man isn't him. It was Jiro. Yeah, Chi-Chi's pretty determined when it comes to Goku. I think G/CC are the best too.
Lady Athena X: Yeah, Goku has to put up with all the hating and stuff. Well, now there seems to be a little light shining on Goku with the Ox-King here. I guess you find a lot of Disney similarities in my story. I like The Hunchback of Notre Dame too. Thanks again.
Noname: Well, you found out. Koto and his boys are bad. No, I'm not going to have Bulma and Vegeta hook up. I prefer G/CC and V/CC, plus Bulma really wouldn't fit anywhere in my story. And maybe it's just me, but I think Vegeta secretly liked Chi-Chi all along. And hey, the fight for the girl is the best part.
Carrie2sky: Sounds like high school, huh? One mistake and everyone hates you. I feel sorry for Goku too and I'm the one writing this fanfic. The battle for G/CC to be an official couple is even harder now.
Caryl Mc: Yep, everyone's picking on Goku. They're really mean. You need a tissue? Heh. I used to write a whole bunch of angst-y, depressing fics. Still do kinda… Glad you liked this one.
Candy the Duck: LOL. You looked forward to this, didn't you?
Gogirl: LOL, yes! Koto and his boys are little [censored] s. Goku can't save himself, but Chi-Chi and Lady Thundera are coming to his rescue. LOL. No, rant away! Goku is an awesome character. He's one of my favorites too. Heh. Cliffhangers are good. It's all okay.