Chapter 11 Confessions To A Lover
The two young teens trudged solemnly through the forest, holding each other though it was clear it was mostly the girl that was supporting the boy. Eventually the couple came to rest at the foot of a large hill. Note carefully sat Goten onto a large rock letting him down but keeping one of her hands on his shoulder looking at Goten with worry filled eyes. The troubled half sayian's eyes met Note's and he understood that he wanted to, no he needed to tell her the truth or at least enough of it to explain his psychotic outburst. "N-Note, I-I don't know how to explain myself" Goten lamented to Note in a voice mixing of sorrow and fear. "Can you try? Goten...I'm really worried about you...you didn't just lose your temper, you sounded like a different person" Note said voicing that she was concerned but was also frightened by earlier events. "That's because...it sort of was..." Goten admitted carefully to Note. "What do you mean?" Note questioned not understanding what Goten meant. "I mean I have a split personality... I hear its voice in my head, I can feel my body trying to do things I don't wanna do, or maybe I secretly do but know that I shouldn't-ahhh! I don't know!" Goten yelled out clutching his head half freaking out over confusion and fear of what was happening to him and what that might mean for the everyone and everything he cared about. Note had backed away a bit from Goten's shouting but once he stopped and he was just sitting head clenched and shaking making struggling worried moans she tiptoed back towards him. The young girl put on an expression of sympathy and understanding as she leaned closer to Goten. "I've heard of this kind of thing before" Note revealed surprising her companion enough to snap him out of his sniff mental entrapment and look at her as she explained further. "I know a lot about people who have multiple personalities from my Uncle Key. He's a humanitarian who works at mental institutions and homeless shelters and he's always telling me about people who feel like two different people at once. Usually it's because they get bullied and all other sorts of mean things done to them and feeling angry all the time but don't let it out making it come out some other way. Is that what happened to you?" Note asked tenderly brushing some of Goten's hair out of his eye's line of sight. The Demi saiyan was taken aback by Note's background knowledge of people with his kind of mental disorder but he was grateful nonetheless. "Y-yeah, a...a lot of people have...hurt me and forced me to do all kinds of things...things that I didn't want to do, yet they made me do it anyway and battered and broke me whenever I refused" Goten explained trying to both hold back tears and from blurting out all the incriminating details of his story. Note fell to her knees holding her mouth in shock as she started theorizing how these awful people hurt Goten and what kind of "things" they were making him do, regardless of what she thought, they were all horrible. "T-they still come to me every so often for me to perform another task for them" Goten explained further adding a detail that surprised Note. "What?! These people are still using you even after you wound up on the street?!" Note asked flabbergasted thinking that the men who were hurting Goten would have left him alone since he was penniless and starving. "I thought criminals or street gangs usually left homeless people alone!" Note thought in her mind. "Yes...they do, and there's one other thing I need to tell you Note" Goten stated firmly gaining a laser sharp focused look on his face. Note leaned in closer now all ears. "I didn't become homeless because my parents died, my parents are alive but I can't go home to them" Goten admitted completely befuddling Note. "W-why not?" Note asked somberly getting teary eyed herself. "Because...if I reveal the organization that has me under its boot...they'll come and kill my whole family" Goten finished finally letting the tears escape from his watery eyes. Note gasped in disbelief and cried softly herself for Goten and before he could see it coming she grabbed him, pulled him in and wrapped her arms around him giving him a tight hug sobbing into his chest. "I'm so sorry Goten, I can't imagine how hard it must be for you" Note comforted Goten her voice muffled somewhat. "You're-you're not afraid of me?" Goten asked unable to comprehend how Note was still willingly speaking to him and touching him though he wasn't complaining about the warmth she gave off. "Of course not! I may have only met you yesterday but I feel like I had gotten to know you pretty well Goten, and I can tell that what I saw today wasn't all there was to you, don't you dare to start believing that's all you are!" Note answered Goten in a manner that was full of love but also some aggression which threw Goten for a loop but he his spirits were lifted up once he realized the genuine love in her voice. "Hey! You know what?! Let's go kick these people's butts right now! Come on Goten! We'll show them that you can't bully anyone!" Note proposed suddenly perking and jumping up with gusto opening up one of her hands and making a fist with the other one and then mushing them together to emphasize her readiness to beat up Goten's abusers whomever they might be. "Note...that won't work... I'm telling you right now, most of the people in this organization are a lot stronger than even the two of us together and there are...a lot of people in the operation, we wouldn't last a second if we confronted them now" Goten told Note despondently to bring her down back to reality knowing without a shadow of a doubt that she get killed on the spot. "Really? Are you sure Goten? Who even are these people? We really don't stand even a small chance? Cause I'll take it even if the chance is remote" Note asked Goten showing her willingness to fight for his freedom. Though touched by the sentiment, Goten shook his head pushing out the faint childish thoughts of Note's gamble out of his mind, took one of Note's hands into his and looked at her firmly in the eyes. "No Note, we will die if we challenge them now, and I don't want you getting hurt because of me so please leave them alone. I'll figure out what to do eventually, I can't tell you who they are either unfortunately, secrecy is one of their terms for not harming my family" Goten confirmed trying to reassure Note giving her a small smile of hopefulness which Note was glad to see. "I just... need to be able to think straight but the damn split personality keeps talking to me in my head and periodically takes control of my body, between that and doing what the em- I mean the mafia wants me to do I just can't" Goten lamented letting Note go to put both his hands on his forehead nearly spitting out the name of the "organization" slamming his fist on the rock making it break. "You seem to be normal when I'm with you...maybe you just need someone like me to help you!" Note squealed in delight thinking she could help Goten while continuing to have great times with him taking Goten's hand back. Goten was about to laugh off her idea when he felt her hand grip his own and a realization suddenly occurred to him, between meeting Note yesterday and the biker incident the goblin hadn't made a peep in his mind. "And when she called me in the midst of my rampage, it was like he just, poofed away and hasn't reared his head since either!" Goten thought in his mind. "Yeah yeah I think you're right Note! Whenever I'm with you he doesn't bother me! You keep the Goblin away!" Goten exclaimed excitedly to Note shaking her arm, and most of her body which he promptly ceased once he realized how much he was shaking her much to his embarrassment. "Huh?" Note questioned not understanding what Goblin meant once she could focus again after Goten shook her a lot. "Oh that's the name of the other personality" Goten clarified for Note. "Well whatever the other personality goes by, your still Goten, and... I like you just the way you are. "You do?" Goten inquired his lips curving into a smile. "Yeah I do" Note responded back affectionately. "I'd also like you to teach me some of those tricks you did today, especially the one where a beam shot out of your hands! How did you even do that?!" Note asked ecstatically now her unknowingly yanking Goten around with her hand that she was still gripping when she mimicked Goten's earlier attacks. The young boy was taken aback by Note's request. "You...wanna learn martial arts and energy control from me?" Goten asked in a dumbfounded tone. "Would you please Goten?! It was so cool and I wanna protect you and anybody else who's getting picked on! What'd ya say Goten? Can you teach me? Please" Note declared pleading her grey yet shiny eyes sparkling with hope. "Uh ok! Sure! We'll start tomorrow ok?" Goten agreed putting on a smile put judging from his slight sweating and nervous rubbing of his neck it was clear he was a little nervous. "Boy, of all the things I imagined being in this world I never pictured myself as a teacher" Goten mused in his head more than a little apprehensive but was willing to give it a shot anyway.
Two Days Later Early Morning
Goten landed on the grounds of a property Note gave him the address of the other day just before they parted. It was the address of her home. Note wasn't kidding when she said her family were on the higher end of society cause Note's home was a literal mansion in a fenced off area of land with dwellings of matching status. The boy knocked on the big mahogany front doors and Note answered it just seconds later. "You came! Yay! I'm really excited for you to teach me Goten!" Note greeted hugging Goten happily nearly jumping out of her robe, that and her hair being completely down and messy looking being clear indications that she had just woken up that morning. "He he yep here I am! Had to negotiate with my uhhh bosses to find the time but I managed" Goten said sheepishly both because he was nervous about teaching Note and remembering the tension he felt when he was negotiating with his "bosses". "Oh really? They didn't hurt you for it did they?" Note inquired in a worried tone feeling bad that her request might have gotten Goten into trouble. "Surprisingly, no" Goten revealed in a pleasantly surprised manner.
Flashback to the Day Before Somewhere in Space
The spiky haired preteen slowly drudged his freshly bloodied body towards Shredder's Chambers wearing a look of nervousness twiddling his thumbs rapidly. Eventually he reached the tyrant's chamber and the samurai like ruler was in the middle of species inspection. This was when all members of a newly conquered race of sentient beings were lined up for Shredder to inspect. Said aliens were humanoid reptilians with three bony ridges running along their skulls and skin similar to that of a green snake mixed with lizards. Goten was never in the chamber when the inspections were taking place partly because he was busy with some other task but even when he wasn't he chose not to check it out himself because he didn't want to see the inspections figuring they involved a lot of explicit and invasive procedures and methods. So it was a complete surprise to the young Demi saiyan when he saw that no form of physical handling of any kind was taking place. Shredder was just staring leaning his head down at each member of the alien race from his throne as they came up to him one by one. "Huh I would have thought the master's inspection's would have been more... I probably shouldn't question it and just be thankful it isn't like that" Goten mused in his head. Goten steadily inched closer to his boss his anxiety and fear growing with every step closer until he was standing next to the alien Shredder was currently inspecting. Goten's eyes met shredder's feeling their intensity and power, with him noticing the glow in shredder's eyes seemed much brighter usual, to the point where he squinted his own eyes out of the feeling of them being burnt. A few seconds later the glow of Shredder's blood red eyes dimmed and he leaned back into his throne a little. "You Tetlya shall be one of my negotiators, I give you this honor because you were able to overthrow the Krill's previous government in a matter of days, your task is to persuade other leaders of un annexed planets into joining my glorious Mortal Empire with no resistance or conflict. Do you accept?" The shredder inquired of his subject now known as Tetlya. "Yes" Tetlya replied immediately knowing the question was really an ultimatum, she had to take the job Shredder assigned her less she risk death. The Krill woman then marched out of the chamber presumably to begin her work. "What is it that you want Goten?" Shredder questioned Goten in an impatient tone. "Um Master? I... I know I'm scheduled for training drills tomorrow but I was wondering if I could, uhhh... skip it tomorrow and do it the next day instead?" Goten shakily requested sweating bullets. "And for what reason do you wish to defect from my direct orders?" The Shredder interrogated Goten in an accusing suspicious manner leaning closer to the boy. "Uh uh it's because... I have a date with a girl!" Goten blurted out due to the peer pressure. Goten remained stiff straight in place eyes shut tightly anticipating a punishing strike from the Shredder for his reason for wanting a day off. But the strike never came, instead Shredder's normally stern eyes widened. "A date with a girl you like?" Shredder asked Goten with a voice that sounded unusually calm and emotional from the tyrant. "Huh? Uh yeah" Goten awkwardly confirmed caught off guard by Shredder's shift in demeanor. Shredder lowered his head in contemplation before raising it back up eyes narrowing back to their usual angry look staring back at Goten who cowered in fear. "Very well, you are except from your duties tomorrow but be back here early the next day and don't make this a frequent occurrence, understand?" Shredder asked granting Goten's wish returning to his normal commanding position though it still sounded less intense than usual and definitely didn't hold the same kind of menace and terror it usually carried. "Wha?! Um...yes sir! Thank you!" Goten thanked Shredder befuddled that he was getting away with it at first but quickly turned genuinely joyful. "That's master to you!" Shredder corrected Goten shouting at him aggressively now fully back to his usual demeanor. "R-right right sorry master!" Goten swiftly apologized stiffening his body straight putting his hands into a praying position. "Hmph I'll let it go this time, you may go now" Shredder said dismissing Goten's slip up and giving him a hand signal to leave him. "Going now! Thanks again Master, I am truly grateful" Goten replied speedily and then started rushing out of the room. "Oh and Goten?" Shredder suddenly spoke to get Goten's attention. Goten abruptly skidded to a halt at the sound of his boss's voice. "Give my regards to your lady friend" Shredder requested to Goten in a tender sincere manner. Goten's blinked in bewilderment of Shredder's sentiment towards his relationship with Note especially since he hadn't even told him her name. "Um yeah you got it sir- I mean master!" Goten frantically answered back clumsily before running out of the room.
Back To The Present
"Not sure how or why I was allowed but I did, and I ain't complaining!" Goten exclaimed happily. "Neither am I! Come on in, make yourself at home while I change!" Note offered gesturing for Goten to enter her home. "Are your parents home?" Goten questioned Note a little afraid of her parents since she told him how they tended to treat people that look like him, even more afraid of what would happen to them if they pushed him. "No neither of them will be back until tonight, they left yesterday for an auction a couple towns away to try and win a priceless violin or something" Note relied shrugging not really knowing or caring what her parents were doing as she found most of their activities boring. "In that case, I'd love to!" Goten accepted the offer running into the mansion, the sight of which stunned him to a stop. "Wow wee your home is beautiful" Goten complemented Note. The mansion's walls were painted royal red and adorned with intricately designed paintings of musicians, some of which looked really old. Scoured across the walls and even the dark brown floors were etched in designs of various musical instruments. "Told ya my parents loved music ha ha!" Note said laughing at Goten's wonder filled face as she went up a flight of stairs presumably to get ready. Goten wondered around the mansion seeing much of the same paintings and carvings all around. Sporadically he came across actual musical instruments that the family was obviously collecting and hoarding. At some point Goten came across a room that had a higher ceiling than the others and was the keeping place of a humongous piano. "Cool!" Goten exclaimed marveling at the piano edging closer to it and rubbing his hand on it. Not only was it huge but it music notes etched into its main body and the keys were golden instead of the standard white and black. "I see you found my family's centerpiece" Note's voice rang out startling the preteen turning around to find Note standing at the room's entrance now sporting a red woman's gi with yellow exercise pants and her hair tied back up into a ponytail. "Yeah it's amazing" Goten said. "You wanna give it a go?" Note suggested playfully. "Oh I don't think I'd be any good" Goten doubted himself rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Aw come on you'll never know till ya try you know" Note encouraged waving her finger in a teasingly teacher like manner. "Ok I guess I can give it a whirl" Goten accepted sitting down on the seat next to the piano. He pressed a few of the keys to get a sense of which keys made which sound and gradually he started pressing them in random sequences. The melody he generated was impressively good shocking Goten and delighting Note. "Hey! You're good with the piano man!" Note said in a graciously happy tone lightly dancing to Goten's music. "Really? You think so?" Goten asked Note feeling too that his musical raw talent was impressive but he needed to know her opinion too and wanted to make sure she wasn't just being nice. "Oh yes I do! Your fantastic! You should play at a bar or something dude!" Note reaffirmed enthusiastically. Once the couple got their fill of music Note led Goten to the large backyard area of the property. Note jumped excitingly giddy to learn from Goten. "Alright so what do you wanna learn first Note?" Goten inquired sheepishly. "Uh how to fire freaking lasers out of your hands duh!" Note answered in a playfully ignorant voice. "Ha ha, well ok the first step towards that is to learn how to control Ki" Goten began instructing. "What's Ki?" Note asked in quizzically. "It's basically energy within every living organism. With enough practice and focus one is capable of concentrating and harnessing that power to perform techniques and attacks like the beam you mentioned. "Wow awesome! How did you make yours so big?!" Note practically shouted. "Well one because I've been doing it for most of my life and because the power of the blasts can vary depending on how strong you are, plus my family as had a long lineage of strong fighters that mastered ki control. "That's incredible! I wanna try I wanna try! I wanna try!" Note chanted jumping and squealing like a girl half her age. "Ha ha ha! Ok ok settle down Note because since you're just starting out with it you need to calm yourself and focus" Goten said to his friend/student. Note winded herself down and took a deep breath trying to calm herself and focus. "Now cup both your hands together, feel for the energy within your body, the same you use for running or lifting weights and try form a ball of it in the palm of your hands" Goten instructed further demonstrating the lesson as he spoke. Note copied Goten's position and did exactly what he told her to do and to her admonishment she slowly but surely had a tiny ball of ki in her hands. "Look at that Goten I did it!" Note screamed in enjubelatioin. "Good job Note! You did it!" Goten cheered for Note. "Yes! This is so c-wha?" Note's celebration was cut off when she moved her hands a little and the small ball of ki went out like a candle. "That's ok Note, ki in small amounts especially with someone untrained is very easy to lose its integrity" Goten explained so that Note didn't become discouraged or confused. "Oh I see, well that was still cool!" Note said understanding now proud of herself again. "Now to help you stabilize your energy wielding you need to control all the energy in your body at once being able to raise and lower it to whatever you want or need it to be, to start try raising your power to the highest you can make it, do what you did before only this time spread whatever energy you find within yourself evenly throughout your entire body" Goten instructed his second lesson demonstrating the standard powering up stance bended legs, arms raised and hands in fists. Just like before Note mirrored Goten turning her head away from him and began to charge up her inner ki. Much to Goten's surprise Note started developing a white aura around her body and her ki was higher than he expected it to be. "Woah Note, your a natural" Goten whispered to himself, his saiyan blood being tickled by her higher than average power. Note's power kept rising leaving her screaming as she wasn't anticipating this much energy to come from herself and her aura reflected that as it went from being smooth and flowing to more fiery and erratic. "Woah Note you can stop if it's too much!" Goten yelled out to Note when he noticed she was struggling when her power rose to about halfway as powerful as some of his more human friends. "Ahhhh!" Note continued wailing either ignoring or not hearing Goten's call power still coming out of her buried potential she didn't have a clue was there. After another minute her wells dried up and her power level steadied to about where Tien was at least the last time Goten sensed him. "Oh my god Note are you alright?!" Goten asked frantically figuring Note was probably either struggling to contain her power and/or scared of her own power. "I'm better than ok! I feel fantastic!" Note turning to face Goten screeched out in pure joy and adrenaline rush. "Oh really? Good!" Goten approved relieved. Note looked at her hands and her aura feeling her ki almost overwhelming her. She gained a slightly devious look as she took one of her hands and within seconds charged up an energy ball four times bigger than the one she made minutes beforehand and looked out to the horizon. Goten yelped quickly realizing what Note was about to do. "No wait Note! You haven't practiced aiming! You might-!" Goten's plea was too late as Note fired a beam of energy from her hand about twice the size of her body. "Yahoo! I did it!" Note congratulated herself letting the beam fade out of her hand jumping up and down in triumph. Her celebration was premature because the energy she released changed direction and was heading right back towards her. "Note look out!" Goten screamed at Note. Note stopped jumping only just now noticing the beam coming at her. She froze having no idea how to block the blast or any time to run away and too scared to dodge. Acting quickly, Goten zoomed to just in front of Note and when the blast reached the pair he rose his hand and tanked the energy as it barreled at them. Eventually the energy dissipated and crumbled away into the air leaving the pair, the mansion and...most of the land intact minus the small trench created when Note first fired it. Note was left nearly breathless almost hyperventilating. "Note! Are you ok?!" Goten questioned worryingly swiftly turning around and holding Note's hands. Note's breathing slowed and her eyes met his. The two stared longingly at each other for what felt like hours to both of them. "Note, you sure your-mhhm!" Goten's question was answered before he could finish it when Note rushed in and kissed him, lip to lip. The Demi's shock rapidly succumbed to instinct and love putting his hands around her as did she with hers and the two kissed passionately fully embracing their feelings for each other. After that wonderful moment the now semi official couple kept on training though now with more romance centered humor and taunts. When the time came for them to eat they retreated back into the mansion and continued strengthening their bond. After they had satiated themselves Note asked Goten for a request before they continued training and together with Goten that the helm of the piano they sang a song together.
The world around usis so magical
But now it's been placed under a spell
Even our passionate love
Will soon be sealed in our flowing tears
My love, come with me
And together we shall search for a charm
We'll travel to the land of our dreams where forbidden dreams just may come true
When we're alone, tomorrow
We will sneak away and secretly meet
Up on top of a hill where there are birds everywhere, and we can be all alone
I know someday I'll hold your hand
While we sit alone in the morning mist
And our seal in our way
Of the shining road
Will be broken
Till the end of time
I was afraid that you might break my heart
So I withheld how I truly felt
But every time that I would see your smile
My heart would race with a new dream of love
My love, please give to me
All the courage and ambition I will need
In order to erase all the things
That will hinder our passionate love
Come let us go and be alone
Where together we shall share a sweet kiss
Such a magical moment will be like
Stepping into our own fairytale
And when the wind begins to blow
Flowing all around the sweet morning dew
The splendid shining road will continue on to stretch ahead
Now and evermore
Calling you
Calling out to you all night
Only hoping you will hear my sad plea to you
Calling you
If you'll only hear my voice
That will be the key to break
The spell on the world
When we're alone tomorrow
We will sneak away and secretly meet
Up on top of the hill where our futures will unite
And we shall start our journey
And on that day I'll hold your hand
As we vanish into the morning mist
And the bright shining road
Will stretch on ahead before our eyes
Till the end of time
Author's Note: This song is actually a fandub of a Japanese sonic song so the lyrics aren't entirely accurate to the original but it was beautiful nonetheless and the changes the creator of the fandub honestly made the song work better to facilitate Note and Goten's love for each other.