Chapter 5

The Princess...

Loud banging from the adjacent door alerted the sleeping guard from his sleep. Tugging on his wrinkled t-shirt and navy blue cargo pants he rushed out the bedroom door. There at ChiChi's door stood a giant man, the slender woman from the night before at his side, and a guard banging at the door.

"Sire, I told you that she is in need of some dire punishment! She won't listen to a soul," cried the woman, her hands crossed over her chest. She wore a scowl that could kill any man, and her midnight blue orbs danced with fire.

"What is going on?" Goku interjected.

The large man glanced over to the half sleeping Goku, a brow now arched. The scowling woman shook her head in disapproval. "Who are you?!" The large man bellowed, the halls of the castle shaking.

The little woman stepped forward a hand pressed against the large man's chest, and her eyes fixed on Goku. "Sire, do remain calm. I had explained everything to you on your journey through mail, this is"

The creaking of the door silence the woman in her speech and all heads turned to the cracked door. "Who is knocking?" Came the rugged cry.

"ChiChi Ox, how dare you think to ask me who is there?" voiced the large man.

The door swung opened, and ChiChi rushed out jumping into the large man's arms. Goku, the lady, and guard watched as the large man spun ChiChi around with ease as a father would their young babe. "Daddy," giggled ChiChi, as he placed her on her feet.

"I've missed my sweet pea," ChiChi's dad, exclaimed.

"I've missed you," she answered. The three stood awkwardly by as the two stood their eyes locked together, and smiles as wide as the horizon on their faces.

"I have many gifts that I brought back," he informed.

"Really?" asked, ChiChi.

"Yes, and I've sent Launch to get you ready for my return bash but she said you wouldn't wake. So I had to get you myself," he said with a hint of disappointment.

"I was looking at the pictures of mother," she answered, mournfully.

"Oh…I see," he answered. "Well I want you to have Launch help you prepare and you meet me at the ballroom in two hours."

"Ok," she answered.

Her father was just about to leave when he caught sight of the perplexed Goku. "Wait, and who is this young man?"

ChiChi looked to her right and for the first time noticed Goku standing close by, and wave. "Oh daddy, he is my choice."

"Choice?" asked her father, hesitantly.

"Yes, you do remember telling me I could choose my personal guard. Right?" innocently, she asked.

"Yes, yes of course!" he laughed off his unsettled thoughts. "Well what's your name?"

"Goku," tersely, he answered.

"Well than Goku it is great to meet you, I'm OX. You don't have to be formal with me and bow," he informed.

Goku now raised his brow. Why would he have to bow to him? There was no requirement as far as he knew to bow to the king's help. "Ok," he answered.

"Well than you must come with my daughter!" he sung song, "we wouldn't want the pr-"

"Daddy, I can surely protect myself," she interjected. ChiChi felt butterflies in her stomach, and wanted no more than to see them off. She didn't want her father telling Goku anything she wasn't ready to tell him herself, she wanted to tell him everything first.

"Of course you can, but I love you to let someone else do it sometimes. Anyway, I will see you two shortly than," he said, and left.

Goku stood unease and more perplexed than he had been the night before. "Goku?" Chichi's soothing voice woke him from his daze, and then he noticed her.

She was wearing a long white gown with lace trimming and her hair pulled back and tied with a white ribbon. Her cheeks were a subtle shade of pink, and her large onyx orbs shone with care and she looked beautiful. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry if they woke you," she apologized.

"You need to get ready, and you don't need to be speaking to him as if he is a good friend!" Launch interjected.

"Will you prepare my bath Launch, and I will be right in," she instructed.

"Fine! You only have five minutes," she spat, disappearing behind ChiChi's bedroom door.

"Please don't think badly of her, she is really nice. She has just had some very rough patches in life," said ChiChi.

"I won't," he replied. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, but only if you can answer a question of mine first." ChiChi clasped her hands behind her back and leaned against the cold castle wall.

"Ok," he answered.

"I don't know…but I feel like I can trust you and you will always tell me the truth. I see something in you, and I don't understand how I did. It was the weirdest thing I'd have to say. I could see that in ways your brother Raditz is stronger than you. However; something told me that you were the one that I should choose. "ChiChi looked at the wall across the room distantly, and drew in a breath of air. " Will you promise me that you will never lie to me, and be completely open about everything and anything? I will do the same. Okay?"

Goku nodded in agreement. "I will, I promise."

"Great! So I wanted to start by telling you the thing I've held from you before anyone else can," she exclaimed. She unclasped her hands and pushed herself off the wall, and came closer to him. She was still amazed at how tall he was, and muscular at that. " Goku when we were commencing the selection I introduced myself as ChiChi the right hand of the princess, and to some effect that is true. However; I'm not the right hand I'm the-"

"Enough is enough, you two can talk when you're at the bash it has been over five minutes. Time to get ready!" Launch lashed, and yanked ChiChi into the room.

Goku shook his head, and reluctantly made his way to his room. He would have spent time wondering what she was going to say, or why they were always being interrupted, or so many others things had there not of been a man waiting inside of his room.

There were over five sets of clothes on his bed and pairs of shoes on his floor. "Goku, I'm the tailor and the King has sent me to prepare you for the afternoon bash.

Goku could only stand in horror as the man begun to mix and match the outfits and have him try on everyone.

Goku stood outside of ChiChi's bedroom door next to two guards unease, struggling to restrain from tearing off the silk shirt and blazer he wore. It had been a nightmare being dressed over and over again, as a little girl would dress her doll. After the umpteenth change and the tailor's 'magic trimming ' as he so called it, but Goku thought it was more of poking and pricking he was dressed. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the needlessly countless change of attire, all to find the first selected outfit.

The door cracked open and Launched peered outside the door, and motion for Goku to come closer. "Listen you will need to make sure that before we enter everything is fine. The other two guards here will stay one behind her and one directly before her. You should check the perimeter closely before we get to the ballroom and then check around where she will be siting. Then you than will sit on her left side. Understood?" Asked, Launch.

Goku nodded in agreement. "Good. I will get her," Launch disappeared behind the door again.

Goku glanced around the halls carefully as he was taught trying to see if he could find anything out of place, his eyes made a complete 360 around the halls. He never looked back once, only keeping his eyes focused on what was before him and his ears opened for everything happening behind him. The large hall doors opened, and he entered into the large ball room filled with a sea of faces. All eyes had turned to his direction, and as he rounded the room he spotted Raditz next to the princess and ChiChi's father at a large table. He made his way over to the table and once he looked it over he signaled to the guard standing at the entrance of the large door to enter.

"Princesses, Princes, ladies and Gentlemen the Princess," announced a tall slender man. Trumpets begun to sound peppered with the sound of flutes, and the guard walked in. Goku stood dazed for a moment, and perplexed but when he seen ChiChi walk in in all her splendor everything begun to click together.

Her long raven hair poured over her shoulders bangs hung a few inches above her eyebrows, and she wore a sparkling pink corset top that flowed into a poof out bottom that poured down to her feet. With every step she took closer to him, his mind flash back the events of the past few days.

Then it clicked!

She's the Princess. ChiChi stood before him a smile upon her face, and the same love he always seen dancing in her eyes. She held out her hand for him, and for the strangest reason he felt the fear that she held in her heart that he might be mad. He couldn't explain were that feelings had come from, but he felt it. He felt what she was feeling. He took hold of her hand and she lightly squeezed his, worriedly. He sat her at her father's side and the crowd roared, and then he took a seat next to her as instructed.

She's the Princess. It made perfect sense, and then it hit him: the voice. How could that voice have been himself? How could he have made himself become the guard of the Princess? How could he predict that?

"I'm sorry Goku," her soft voice, interrupted him from his thoughts.

"No, I understand. I'm not mad," he informed a brilliant smile upon his lips.

She looked over him for a few minutes trying to read his countenance, and then when she seen the genuine truth in his eyes she returned the smile. "Thank you."

"Goku, I must say I'm glad that my daughter has allowed someone to guard her. She has been a fire ball since her mother's death, and I'm glad when she lets someone in." OX King took a large sip from his cup of wine, and then gave ChiChi a loving rub on the back.

"Dad, just because I like to fight doesn't mean I'm filling a void, only that I have the character of my father. You know very well that you were always in love with martial arts," interjected, ChiChi.

"I wasn't speaking of your love of martial arts," corrected, OX King. "Goku you might not know it yet, but my daughter is one of the hardest catches in the sea!"

"Sire," interrupted, a tall slender man. He leaned forward to Ox King's ear when signaled, and whispered in his ear.

"Oh, well it looks as if your greater present has arrived, and I do hope that it will catch your eye," Ox King, informed. He squeezed ChiChi's left leg, as trumpets begun to sound and the large ball room doors opened again.

ChiChi was always excited to see the gifts her father would bring back from his travel, and she felt just as those many times before: excitement. A line of men dressed in navy blue suits strolled in with sashes of gold swung over their shoulders. They marched in pride, and when all twenty men final entered they split into rows of ten. In each man's hand they held a golden trumpet. All eyes in the large ballroom were glued upon the men's display, and then the two men closest to the door on both sides blew their trumpets.

Goku glanced over to ChiChi who sat memorized by the fancy display. She leaned forward her chin rested in her palms longing for her present, as a child at the local candy parlor. Then the dazed expression melted away, and he looked over to the display of men and noticed a new face. A tall slender man with dark hair and broad shoulder, dressed in a fine royal purple silk suit walked between the row of men each blowing their trumpets as he passed.

He stood with a smile embedded upon his face, and the guests in the ballroom went wild. Whispers erupted through the crowd, and then with a slight wave of hand the crowd cheered. Goku had never seen anyone look more silly than they had now, and he didn't understand why the commotion.

"You have to save me," delicately, ChiChi whispered to Goku.

His eyes left the display before him, and returned back to the beautiful princess. She had pleading eyes, and there was no way he could say no.

A/N: Happy New Years!^.^ I hope everyone is having fun with family, friends, and everyone else. Lol, let me know your thoughts!