Of Two Hearts
Chapter 12: Fate Unleashed
Snow was lightly falling when Chi-Chi crept outside from her back balcony. Swinging her leather knapsack over her shoulder, she gently closed the doors to the balcony behind her. She picked up the lantern by her feet and walked to the very edge of the balcony, where an outstretched tree limb waved at her via the nightly breeze.
Chi-Chi studied the tree limb. It seemed sturdy enough to support her. Placing the ring handle of the lantern in her mouth momentarily, she reached for the branch with both hands and climbed across it. She was precise in her movements as she descended branch from branch until she reached the ground.
Chi-Chi hid herself in the shadowy forest by the palace, where thick snow from previous weather conditions made hiding even more easier. She took out a map she had been always kept from her knapsack.
Precise decision-making needed to be made considering light intake. Chi-Chi didn't have that much oil to light her lantern, and wasting some now didn't seem wise. She read as much of the map as she could by moonlight.
The map was a local one, and had a flaw. The map wasn't detailed in showing divisions of villages or borders of other districts. That wasn't a serious problem though. Growing up in this area all her life, Chi-Chi knew these paths by heart.
A good thing about the map was the shows of bodies of water surrounding the area. Chi-Chi knew that the foreigners would be traveling overseas to go back home. If only she knew which body of water they would go by…
She had to work now before she rested at dawn. Traveling in the daytime was a preference, but that would be even riskier than venturing at night.
Either way, finding Goku was the ultimate goal and motivation. This time, the same mistakes that led to failed attempts would not be repeated.
Goku closed his eyes as he lay down in his tent. He was weak and tired from the voyage with the foreign caravan. As he tried to rest for the night, he tried to ignore a faint pain in his heart. His Saiyan bond with Chi-Chi was withering away.
He knew many factors that had caused this, but what was very evident right now was the fact he was losing. He was losing to Vegeta, even though he never planned to be his enemy.
He remembered all of Vegeta's (successful) attempts to keep him away from Chi-Chi, and how riled up he seemed when he thought of Chi-Chi, or was near her, and vice versa.
Goku sighed as he turned over. Are you happy now, Vegeta? He thought, hopelessly.
Congratulations… I can't even sense Chi-Chi. You got what you wanted. She's all yours…
The distinct traits of a Saiyan would urge unity and claiming of the mate, but with the current situation, Goku was too weak and ill to venture for Chi-Chi. And maybe that, more than his illness, was what tore him apart. The insanity that ensued separation…
The morning that followed would've appeared mediocre. The slaves were seeing to their tasks, the guards were on duty, and the chefs in the kitchen were busy preparing the first meal of the day.
Royalty would be the first to eat, but anyone could deliver the food. One of the maids-in-waiting was chosen to hand the princess her food, and a little more, considering that she hadn't eaten much the day before.
The maid-in-waiting was accompanied and assisted with the trays by a helping hand.
"Your Highness? Are you awake?" the maid called from behind the closed door of the bedchamber. There was no response, and the maid looked down at her assistant, concerned.
"Aw, there's no need to fret about it," Talim cheerfully offered. " The Princess is probably still asleep. Walk in and she will smell the food, and then she will wake up."
The maid seemed baffled. "You may do so? You mustn't knock or seek permission to enter? This is the princess, who is the daughter of the Ox-King…"
Talim rolled her eyes teasingly. "You worry too much, Natsuko. Just follow me."
She reached out to open the door, but the handle would not budge. Talim switched to using both her hands to open the door, but that was futile too.
"Hm, that's strange," she grunted, pulling and pushing against the door with all her strength. "I don't ever remember Chi-Chi locking doors or being mad about somethin'…."
"You think?" Natsuko asked, and then called Chi-Chi's name several times. There was no response. "Oh, this isn't good…"
"What isn't good?"
Talim and Natsuko turned at the new voice from behind, which belonged to Wakaru. He stood at the opposite end of the hallway, a confused look on his face. "I was on my way to fetch you, Talim," he told his sister. "You have neglected your studies with Otousan… What ails you both?"
Natsuko, being the cautious and timid one, aimed to avoid revealing a costly circumstance such as this. The innocence and matter-of-factly tactics of the child beside her ruined her efforts.
"Oh, Chi-Chi's gone again," Talim stated simply, with a shrug.
"Gone?" Wakaru repeated in disbelief. "How could she vanish again? I swear, that girl needs a leash!"
"Wakaru!" Natsuko chided. "Do not swear at all! Especially in the presence of a child, and your sister at that! There's no need to grow upset. At times, the best solution is to tell the authorities."
Wakaru chuckled. "And then we all wonder why the emperor is always so angry. All right."
"WHAT?! SHE'S LEFT AGAIN?!"
The Ox-King's roar was loud enough to wake up anybody that was still sleeping within a mile range. The anger he showed stirred the suppressed fear in his subjects as they timidly explained the situation, being very cautious as to not further upset him.
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty," Natsuko affirmed. "The door was locked, and I had Wakaru open it before we reported this to you. She was not there…"
The Ox-King growled, gripping the armrests of his throne. "What a foolish and disobedient child I have! A child that will face a worse reprimand once she's found! Gather the troops and begin a search at once! Do not rest until you've found her! Don't even come back here unless Chi-Chi is in your possession!"
Wakaru nodded. "Yes, sire. I'll round the troops…"
When most of the witnesses left, the Ox-King grumbled to himself, and then glared at the treasurer and supervisor.
"This is all your fault, you numbskulls!"
They stepped back in surprise. "Us?"
"Yes!" the Ox-King barked. He pointed at the supervisor first. "YOU were supposed to be watching her at all times!"
The supervisor frowned. "But even I had to leave the princess unattended for a moment for the International Coast Trade…"
The Ox-King sighed. "That ONE moment was all she needed to escape!" He looked at the treasurer now.
"She obviously tricked you into giving her the coordination of the caravans. Telling her the slaves were traded off in the early hours is the same as telling her that Goku is on Caravan One, Two, or Three! And with the labels of what number they are in the line, and which country they're from, it is as plain as day!"
The treasurer hung his head in shame. "I…"
The Ox-King sighed and hung his head.
At his left, Vegeta clenched his fist. "Kakarot," he whispered. Then he sighed as thoughts of Chi-Chi filled his head. Damn, I didn't think she'd go after him AGAIN… I'll drag her back myself if I have to.
The snow was a curse as well as a blessing for Chi-Chi. Being a blessing, the snow made it easy to see which way the caravans were heading. Being a curse, the snow may slow her and the caravans down.
But right now in the bright light of the morning sun, the snow glittered with caravans' trails all over it. The single file order the caravans traveled in was also a relief.
Yet, if only it were as easy as it sounded…
Chi-Chi gripped the bark of a nearby tree as she leaned against it, catching her breath. Catching caravans was never an easy thing to do, especially in the crisp, winter air.
Of course, she wasn't senselessly chasing the caravans. This game of tag had to be played carefully. It had to require more than hope and hours of tracking down. The risk had to be taken.
Travel by daylight was now necessary.
I have to get Goku back. I have to, no matter what happens. I won't rest until I do.
This is what she told herself. The only resting that would occur was when she was safe in Goku's arms…
Chi-Chi picked her head up, and nearly breathed in wonder at the not-so-distant sight. Two wagons of the caravan had stopped by a forest glazed with icy snow. It was snowing heavily now, but this was a miracle!
Chi-Chi recognized the numbers printed on the wagons. Goku was in either wagon two or three. This was her chance…
Sneaking closer, quietly, she tried to maneuver in a way where she could gather any hints of Goku's exact whereabouts. The only flaw was the blinding snow being tossed by a persistent breeze.
The untimely breeze caused Chi-Chi to flinch and shield her face. She wrapped her cloak around her tighter, but it didn't prevent her from coughing, which could be heard in the open area.
The men from the wagons turned around to see where the coughing came from. One man grabbed his rifle, just in case, even though another shook his head at him.
Chi-Chi clenched her teeth, cursing the fact she coughed. She wasn't supposed to be heard! No matter. It was always good to have a back-up plan. She slowly ventured from behind the tree, visible to the curious men by the wagons.
"See, Frank, it's just a little girl," one man noted. "What are you doing here, little girl?"
Chi-Chi glanced up at the foreign man, though most of her face was hidden from the large cloak she wore. He sure didn't look to be from around here with his clothes, and Frank sounded like an American name…
This might prove to be useful.
"I'm on my way to Osaka," she said, referring to the nearest village. "What are you doing here? Are you lost?"
The man frowned. "We're trying to find our way to Gen. It's a port around here, you know? Ships are supposed to take us to Europe."
Chi-Chi held her cloak close to her with one hand as she pointed to some mountains several feet away. "Around there," she said, and then gave them a curious eye. "Are there other travelers like you around here?"
"Some went to Nagasaki, another port, that way," Frank said, pointing east. "Why?"
Chi-Chi shrugged. "I was just curious." She saw several of the other men wander south to the feet of the mountains as she spoke. They had looked around and then turned back, announcing to their companions, "The girl is right! There's a port in a village around here! Let's go to Gen already!"
Frank and his friend nodded at them, and just before they were to join them, Frank turned back and said, "Why don't you guide us there, girl? Your English seems good enough. You can be our translator until we board the ship."
Um, no, Chi-Chi thought. She had something she needed to do. She didn't have time to deal with the likes of weird travelers.
"I'm very sorry," Chi-Chi said, bowing lightly, respectfully. "But I really must be on my way to Osaka. I'm meeting someone very important, and I mustn't be late. I wish you a safe journey."
She turned and strolled away, getting her thoughts of finding Goku back into focus.
Twenty miles back, the Ox-King's troops were marching through the hindering snow, led by Vegeta. They were carrying out their duty of finding Chi-Chi and bringing her back, thus ending another one of her escapades.
The troops grumbled as they trudged along, displeased with the weather and their future empress. Why did she always have to do stuff like this? They wondered.
Bad thoughts filled their heads as they imagined what might happen to her once she was caught.
They had been searching for four hours now, and finally, one warrior couldn't take it anymore. He dropped to one knee, growling, causing the others and Vegeta to turn around to look at him.
"I'm…going to go mad," the warrior muttered. "We've been tormenting ourselves searching for the lady for hours without rest and proper treatment. How can she move so far in such a short amount of time? I don't think I can walk any farther…"
"Quit your whining," another replied. "I speak for all of us when I say it's better to do this task than to return without the girl and face the emperor."
Vegeta turned his back and smirked. Not all of us, he thought humorously. He sighed. "What kind of a team are you if you can't cooperate and need encouragement?"
Encouragement? Everyone needed a little encouragement at this rate…
The troops looked at Vegeta, confused. Was he human?
Vegeta didn't notice, as he was busy sensing something else. He sniffed the air as his Saiyan senses were kicking in. A determined look crossed his face. It was very faint, but it was still there. Chi-Chi's scent was faintly in the air.
Vegeta turned around and looked at his troops. "No more whining. I know where to go. Follow me."
Hovering above the mountains was a mysterious creature, overseeing a very large area. An evil smile was on his face as he watched Vegeta picking up Chi-Chi's scent.
What a strange and useful person… He's behaving according to what I have been thinking all along. I'll have to keep a close eye on you, Vegeta…
The Ox-King pushed his glasses up on to his nose with his index finger as he looked down at writing in concentration. His quill pen scribbled across the paper that lay on the hard surface of a book.
It was silent as his subjects watched him. They wondered what he was writing. They glanced at the Ox-King, trying to read his expression.
He was determined, thoughtful, and he exuded a questionable air: Should he be touched or interrupted?
Just when it seemed the suspense couldn't be contained, the Ox-King stopped writing, and leaned back. He read over his work quickly and then nodded in approval.
He turned to one of the questioning subjects and handed him the sheet of paper. "Take this and show it to the others. This is the outline for the copies that must be made."
The curious man took the paper and looked it over.
Edo, February 18, 1618
Run away from the grand palace of the Gyuu-Mao on the seventeenth day of February, a fair lady named Tokumei Kibou, 5 feet high with an additional 6 inches, nineteen years old, slender and well-turned, of a clear complexion, has long black hair, dark eyes, a forthright look and frank manner. I have reason to believe she is headed far east of Edo.
Whoever delivers the said woman to me shall have a reward of 10,000 yen; and I hereby forewarn all persons not to harbor or entertain her.
Gyuu-Mao
The man was confused as he looked at the Ox-King. "A notice? Are you certain, my lord? Don't you trust that the troops will bring the princess back? Even Prince Vegeta is with them."
The Ox-King sighed. "This is in case they don't find her."
The man looked over the notice again. "Why do you call it Gyuu-Mao? No one ever addresses you by your true name… And why is it that you refer to the princess as Tokumei Kibou?"
The Ox-King sighed again, growing annoyed. "Why should I lie about whom I be? Only a few people know that Tokumei Kibou is the alias Chi-Chi took when I told her to go compete in the Tenkaichi Budokai. I prefer to use that name instead of 'Chi-Chi'. That way, they will not be certain of who she is for sure, and will not interrogate her. It wouldn't endanger her as well. Either way, if she responds to that name, then they will have their mystery woman."
The man nodded, understanding, but he still had one more question. "What if she's hurt?"
The Ox-King shook his head, and then a look of regret and thoughtfulness came over his face. "She will be safe. She may do dangerous things in the name of what she believes in, but she finds a way to live. She gets her determination and her spirit from her mother…"
The Ox-King's words were true indeed, as Chi-Chi continued venturing for the third caravan. She wouldn't stop until she had a hint, a clue, anything that would lead her to Goku. She kept going until she saw several signs hammered into trees, or into wooden poles.
And then her heart raced with fear.
Chi-Chi gazed at the signs again, and realized they looked strange to her. They made no sense. It's no good if the signs are here and I can't read them! She thought frantically. No Kanji, no directional arrows…
Chi-Chi stared hard at the signs again. She had seen this language once before. If she could just get herself to remember the shape of one of the letters… She shook her head in despair.
It was no good. She just couldn't read English.
Chi-Chi groaned inwardly, and suppressed the confusion and hopelessness in her. She looked away from the signs, and her eyes caught something else. A hopeful smile appeared on her face.
Ships!
There were people loading things onto ships near the ports. So, Chi-Chi had made it after all! Frank and his friend weren't lying. Here she was at the ports. There was only one problem: Which port was Nagasaki?
Chi-Chi looked up at the sky. The sun was setting, and she was going to lose her light source. Not only that, but she was tiring from the journey. She had to act fast.
Chi-Chi carefully observed the men loading the ships. One of these ships was going to the Americas, and Goku was on one of them. Exact planning was needed in order to save Goku.
Before she could take a step forward, Chi-Chi heard a gun click as it was being loaded. She bit her lip to stifle a gasp, zipped behind a tree, and prayed she wasn't the target.
Chi-Chi closed her eyes, breathing quietly, deeply, and slowly… She wanted to see who the gunman was, but she didn't move. She let this tree be her refuge. When she heard footsteps, she assumed it was the gunman.
But they were sounding faint.
Chi-Chi turned her head slowly to peek. The guards were walking away, their rifles hoisted at their shoulders. Chi-Chi let out a sigh of relief. They were only preparing for a nightly patrol.
But that was scary.
Chi-Chi's vision was blocked suddenly as a bright light shone into her eyes. Squinting them, she circled the tree so she would avoid the angle of the light. She could see it was coming from a tent.
She looked up at the tent, and her heart nearly leapt at the discovery. Goku's silhouette was in the tent! His perfect, muscular figure and his head of wild hair were unmistakable. She had really found him after so long!
She breathed in wonder and admiration as she saw what he was doing. It was visible to see him discarding his clothes as he changed into his night attire. The outline of that body…
Chi-Chi blushed and shook her head. Oh, there wasn't any time for that now. She had to get to him.
Sneaking carefully to the tent, she watched out for anything or anyone that might stop her. Sometimes she had to freeze in place or hide behind various objects, but this method proved useful as she finally made it to Goku's tent.
Joy filled her heart as she opened the tent.
Goku had been lying down in his futon, and his eyes were closed as he tried to sleep. The light from before was eliminated as Goku put out the lantern before he nearly collapsed on the futon. He heard the tent's flaps spread apart from each other as someone entered.
"Please…water…" he slurred. He wanted to point to a small bowl on a wooden stand by his bed, but he was too tired.
"All right," came the soft, feminine voice Goku hadn't been expecting to hear.
In surprise, he opened his eyes, slowly at first, and then he let out a slight gasp.
"…What?"
His eyes must deceive him! There was no way that Chi-Chi was pouring water for him from her gourd. Yet…
She came and settled on the floor by his side, holding out the bowl for him to drink out of. She touched his face gently to let him know she was there. That touch was unmistakable.
Goku looked at her in a mix of adoration and disbelief. "You're really here," he whispered, and then sat up, slowly, as if he were struggling to do so…
He reached out to take the bowl from her, and clumsily drank to his satisfaction. But it seemed he barely had control of the bowl, as the water sloshed in all directions, some spilling out of it.
Finally, he handed Chi-Chi the bowl, who placed it back on the stand.
Goku settled beneath his sheets and sighed. "Thank you… But what are you doing here?"
Chi-Chi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I'm here for you. I was worried about you." She reached out to touch his face again, and she gently combed her fingers through his hair.
"I'm glad you're all right," she whispered, smiling.
But that same smile soon disappeared from her face as she felt Goku pull away from her touch and roll over in the dark. "No, I'm not," he gravely corrected.
The serious tone in Goku's voice made Chi-Chi worry. She scooted closer to him.
"Why?" she whispered, nearly inaudible. "Whatever it is, I'll try to fix it…"
Goku rolled over on his back. He shifted his eyes from the dark ceiling of the tent to Chi-Chi's eyes. "Your efforts will be worthless," he sighed.
Chi-Chi glanced at the floor, and then looked back at him. "Why?"
Goku closed his eyes.
"Because I'm dying."
To be continued…
Chapter Thirteen: Going On
A/N: I need to tell you all that I'll be going out of town for a couple weeks. I doubt I'll have Internet access while I'm gone. That means I've left you to suffer, in your suspense, from this cliffhanger. ::One of you jumps up on a platform and shouts, "All in favor of killing Sadako say 'I!'" ::sees all of you respond:: Uh-oh. Good thing I'm leaving by plane. Heh. Later days.
Moon girl 16: People can be pretty mean, hm? Oh, Chi-Chi is with Goku now, but there's a problem now, isn't there?
Lady Athena X: Vegeta's going to do all he can to win. Goku and Chi-Chi are still in a tight spot, and now this kinda ruins Chi-Chi's plan…
Lady Thundera: LOL. Are you sure Chi-Chi will allow it? Hey, Vegeta kissed Chi-Chi in your stories too. Heh. ::Goku shakes his head at you:: Will she give it up? I'm not going to America. I mean, those fan girls will kill me. That is, if Chi-Chi doesn't kill them first.
Noname: Yep, yep. Now is it too late? Good job! That's exactly right. That's why Chi-Chi is misled. The problem is even worse now.
Caryl Mc: Why? Because I can. Heh. Yeah, Vegeta's pretty evil I guess, but he thinks what he's doing is right. You don't like V/CC? Heh. I do. What? You want to challenge both Ox-King and Vegeta? It was nice knowing you. Heh, that's right. I love being evil. I'm sorry, but angst is sorta my thing in writing. I'm good at it. There will be nice chapters, nonetheless, so look out for them. Thanks for the review.
Candy the Duck: I think this is my longest fanfic yet. This will stretch to a long tale.
Carrie2sky: Goku and Chi-Chi aren't going to get together at this rate. Heh, just kidding. You'll find out what happens. Thanks.
Lady Kouga: Yeah. It's gotten worse now.
Gogirl: Yep. LOL. I don't understand it either. Poor Chi-Chi, heh. Yes, Vegeta has started creating a Saiyan bond with Chi-Chi. Uh-oh. Run, Vegeta! Yeah, Chi-Chi will do anything for her man.