Puss in Boots part 3.

By Zoicyte aka Johnnyjosh

Rating; NC-17

Warnings; Yaoi, lime, language, violence.

Couple; Yamcha/Vegeta.

Notes; OOC, AU, TWT, general insanity. Yet another of JJ's Fabulously Fractured Fairy Tales *LOL*.

Disclaimer; Don't own DBZ or the story, also some of this fic was inspired by Nora Roberts' Tears of the moon, Jewels of the sun and Heart of the Sea novels, which I also do not own.

Archive; Ask first.

“Speaking”

*thoughts* also used for Celera's sign language.

//flashbacks\\

==diary entries==

 

Yamcha was silent for several seconds, then turned to her, eyes wide. “So, the prince of today...is Prince Vegeta the third, and I'm the third generation of the family you're helping, as soon as you get both of us to fall in love, you're free!” He grinned.

Puar turned and smirked evilly at him. “Yes...indeed, as soon as we can get you two to fall in love...we're free.” *Perfect...* Puar thought with a grin. *I've been hearing rumors about Prince Vegeta's propensity for men, and there's always been rumors about the Saiyans that rule these lands...children appearing where no wife was around until _after_ the babe was born. Why, it was said that Prince Vegeta the third's birth was by sorcery, because King Vegeta was also attracted to men.* She chuckled softly. *Of course, the same people that said these things soon had their heads removed in the village square, but no matter. We will find out soon enough if there's any truth to it.*

 

Yamcha had gotten to his feet and was pacing back and forth across the small cabin, muttering to himself. “I have to make something of myself Puar, I've just got to! I want to be successful like Father, and Ox, and I want to help you and Korin be free of your curse.”

 

Puar smiled at him affectionately. “It's alright, Master Yamcha, as I said before, I have everything all worked out,” she reverted back to her cat form, and stretched out on the bed. “But I can't tell you all my plans, just yet. I need you to trust me, can you do that?”

 

Yamcha nodded. “Yeah, I think I can do that Puar. What do you need me to do?”

 

Puar grinned and rubbed her paws together. “Well, I'll give you my plan in a nutshell,” she looked up, a faraway look in her eyes. “About 150 years ago, the land and castle now inhabited by the ogre was owned by a mysterious figure called the Marquis of Carab. Few ever saw him, except the King and his advisors, and occasionally the people that tended his holdings,” she patted the bed beside her. “He was a kind man, was good to the people that farmed on his land and raised the livestock, and always had good fortune with his crops. People flocked to his holdings to work for him, his reputation was so good.”

 

Yamcha sat beside her and looked down, brow furrowed. “So what happened?”

 

Puar sighed. “Oolong happened. He blew in like a hurricane, and killed the Marquis, all his family too. He then proceeded to take over his holdings, and enslave all the people working on them,” she shook her head. “The King tried to stop it, but it was useless. He almost lost his entire army, and his own life trying to take on Oolong. His power was too great at that time, and no one has dared challenge him since.”

 

Yamcha slammed his fist down on the mattress. “That jerk! He...slaughtered an entire family, just for some land and a castle?”

 

“Some said that one or two members of his family escaped, but were too afraid to come back and try to reclaim their lands. To this day there are people that insist that one of the Marquis' descendants will come back, slay Oolong, and reclaim their family holdings.” Puar looked up at him. “And that's where you come in.”

 

Yamcha blinked. “Me? How do I figure into all of this?”

 

Puar smirked. “As I said, not many ever saw the Marquis, and those that did would be long gone by now. It is a simple matter to say you are the descendant of the Marquis, then we go in there, and slay Oolong together,” she finished with a growl.

 

Yamcha gaped. “Slay an ogre?! Puar...how are we supposed to do that?”

 

“We'll find a way, master Yamcha, we'll find a way,” she quickly moved on to tell him what she needed from him.

 

~~oOo~~

 

Over the next four weeks, Puar snuck onto the ogre's lands as a teenage boy, dressed in some clothes borrowed from Yamcha's sack. She always declared herself a messenger from the new Marquis of Carab, who was intent on reclaiming his ancestral home. The people were afraid, and suspicious at first, shying away from Puar and refusing the money she offered them, until a wizened old man stepped forward.

 

He said he remembered the tales his grandfather would tell him about the Marquis of Carab, how he was brave, but kind and generous as well, and how it had been a joy to be accepted to work his lands, because they were always treated well by their lord.

 

The others were intrigued by the old man's tale, and finally began to accept Puar, taking the small amount of money she had to give them, with hearty thanks. They all agreed to do what they could to assist the new Marquis in regaining control of the land, so they might at last be rid of Oolong.

 

~~oOo~~

 

Meanwhile, the time for taking Ox's crops and livestock to market drew near. Yamcha grew increasingly nervous with each passing day.

 

“Oh, Puar, what if I forget something? What if I say or do something stupid, and get into trouble? What's worse, what if I make Ox look bad, or get him in trouble too?!” The young man paced back and forth in the cabin. “We go to market tomorrow, and there's so much I must observe, and remember... I'm not sure that I'll be able to do it!”

 

“Now, Master Yamcha, relax!” Puar chuckled, standing in front of him, in the guise of a teenage boy once more. “You'll do fine. Just take it one step at a time. On the way to the city, listen to Ox's instructions and observe the routes he takes, so you'll remember the safest routes through Oolong's territory. Don't worry about the market, or the city, until you get there, alright?” She laid a hand on his shoulder.

 

Yamcha sighed. “You're right, Puar, no point working myself into such a state. Just take it one step at a time.”

 

“Exactly.” Puar said softly, setting a gentle hand on his shoulder. *How am I going to tell him that I overheard Ox talking about introducing Yamcha to his close friend Roshi, King Vegeta's personal advisor and closest friend?* She thought, pasting a bright smile on her face to hide her nervousness. *Not to mention the King and Prince Vegeta themselves... If he knew that, he'd be ten times worse than he is now.*

 

Yamcha sat down on the bed, stripping off his shirt and pants. “We should get some sleep, we've got an early day tomorrow, and I want to be well rested and alert,” he grinned, lying down and pulling the covers over himself.

 

Puar changed back into her cat form, jumping onto the bed and cuddling up beside her friend. *Just one more couple, then we'll be free at last, Korin my love,* she thought, yellow-green eyes shimmering in the moonlight.

 

~~oOo~~

 

The royal palace....

 

Prince Vegeta paced his room angrily. “Stupid father,” he spat. “How dare he try to force me into marrying that wench!” The young man raged, fists waving in the air. “Did he honestly think I'd be happy to marry that...that...shrew?”

 

Korin make a chortling sound, eyes half closing in amusement as the prince spat into the fireplace.

 

“Hmph! That shrieking, arrogant blue-haired creature, I'd rather die than be forced into a union with her! She's nasty, vile, rude, ill-mannered, ill-tempered... I won't do it! Not now, NOT EVER!!” Vegeta roared, reducing the large wooden table in the corner to splinters. “This is unfair, Korin, what am I going to do,” he said quietly, walking over and sitting on his bed. “I don't want to marry anybody right now, I haven't met anyone that makes me feel,” he sighed. “That makes me feel anything really, I've felt lust, friendship, perhaps a bit of affection... But nothing even resembling love for anyone yet,” he picked up Korin, cuddling the large white cat.

The prince had always known there was something special about Korin, right from childhood.

 

~~oOo~~

 

Seventeen years ago...

 

//// “Father?” A six- year- old Vegeta asked, tugging on the king's cape.

 

“Yes, what is it son?” King Vegeta turned and scooped up the boy.

 

Vegeta pointed to the royal family portraits, two in particular. “How come grandpa has Korin in his lap, and you've got Korin on the desk behind you?” The boy's lips turned down in a thoughtful frown. “You were both little like me in those paintings, so how can Korin be in those, and still be sitting there?” The prince pointed to the cat, which was lounging on the couch watching them with wide yellow eyes.

 

King Vegeta chuckled. “Korin is a very special cat, son,” he said quietly. “He's been in our family for three generations, guiding us and being our friend. You'd do well to make friends, and always remember to be kind to him. Just think of him as being a... A person inside a cat body.”

The king finished, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips at the statement.

 

“A person, in a cat body...?” The boy stared at the cat, who stared back with half closed eyes. \\\\

 

“What am I going to do, Korin? I can't marry that bitch, I just can't.” Vegeta sighed.

 

Korin's eyes narrowed. *No, you certainly can't. My job is still not yet finished with your father. If you marry the Duke's daughter Bulma, and don't love her, that means Puar and I will be trapped like this for two more generations,* he shuddered, making Vegeta look down at him briefly and scratch his ears. *I've got to do something... But what?* He sighed and rubbed his cheek against Vegeta's chest.

 

“Don't worry Korin, we'll find a way out of this yet. I'll disappear, and give up the crown if I have to before marrying a witch like that, then father can just hand the crown over to my dear brother.” Vegeta chuckled, remembering the fateful day he'd discovered his father's diary.

 

~~oOo~~

 

10 years ago...

 

//// “Korin! Where are you leading me, you crazy feline?” 13-year-old Prince Vegeta hissed. “You know we're not supposed to be in Father's bedchambers!” He looked around cautiously before shutting the door behind them. “We could get in a lot of trouble for being in here without Father's permission!”

 

Korin purred and jumped onto a desk, pawing at the top and mewling softly at Vegeta.

 

“What is it?” The prince sighed, rolling his eyes. “I suppose you've got something to show me again have you?” He remembered the last time Korin had tried to show him something, they'd wound up spending three days locked in his room. “Well it better not turn out like last time,” he snapped, stalking over and pulling open desk drawers. After a few minutes, he looked at his feline friend, exasperated. “What? There's nothing here, Korin, other than some blank stationary, Father's seal, and some wax. What was so bloody important?” He demanded.

 

Korin purred loudly and rolled around on the desk, snagging a handkerchief with his claws and pulling it over himself. He peered out from beneath the fabric, and meowed at Vegeta.

 

The teen glared at him for a second, before a thought struck him. “Hm...” He tilted his head to the side. “Hiding... Is there a hidden compartment or something? Is that what you're trying to tell me?”

He grinned as Korin leapt up and started pouncing on objects on the desk. “That's it isn't it? Well, where's the catch, huh? Let's find it!” The next few minutes were spent feeling inside drawers, down the back of the desk, under the writing surface, until at last Vegeta found a small latch in the back corner of the bottom drawer. “Found it!” He crowed. “This drawer,” he pulled it all the way out. “Has a fake wall at the back. Hello,” he opened it, and gasped as he caught an ornately bound black book. “Wha...? This... This is father's diary,” the prince breathed.

 

Vegeta curled up on the chair, Korin draping himself across the prince's shoulders, as Vegeta skimmed through the entries. He laughed at some, sighed at others, until he came to one specific entry:

 

 

Year fifteen hundred nine, eleventh month, sixteenth day.

 

Father took me aside today, just after my fifteenth birthday party had ended, saying he had some things we needed to discuss. I am in shock, appalled. How am I supposed to accept what he's saying to me? He told me that Saiyans... I can barely say it; it makes no sense! Saiyan men can conceive children. There, I have committed it to paper now. But yet, that makes it no more believable. Saiyan men can have babies, as women can? How is this possible? I know he's told me how birthing goes... But not how this came to be for our race! This is so strange to me!

 

 

Vegeta snapped the book shut, breathing hard, face pale. “What... How can such a thing be possible?!” He looked at Korin with wide eyes. He reopened the book and skimmed farther ahead.

 

 

Year fifteen hundred thirteen, third month, fifth day.

 

Father has been found dead in his bed this morning, the doctor says it was his heart; he had been having chest pains for some time now. He is to be laid to rest in the family tomb on the morrow, with my coronation ceremony taking place three days hence. I will miss you, father. I can only hope I will be half the king you were.

 

 

Vegeta sighed, imagining what it would be like to lose his own father when he was so young. *I hope it doesn't happen to me.* He continued to flip pages, reading a line here and there, until he came to an entry that turned his world upside down.

 

 

Year fifteen hundred nineteen, sixth month, eighteenth day.

 

I cannot believe what I have done! It all happened so fast! Why, why did I do it? Why did I allow it to happen? It started innocently enough, we were out on a hunt, myself, Roshi, some of the top generals of my army. All was well, until we made camp at sunset. He came into my tent, to discuss some concerns he had about the way I was handling the Sereonans, who had been trying to encroach on our east border. I must admit I was angry at his brashness, who did he think he was? Just a soldier in my army, albeit a damn good soldier, but regardless. He is the son of my best general, Kyabitzta. His name is Bardok. We talked, and I became angry with him for being so presumptuous, and arrogant. I stood and berated him, and to my shock and amazement, he stood and berated me right back! We were soon standing toe to toe, nose to nose shouting at one another.

I don't remember quite how it started, but I do remember the sweaty, musky smell about him, it made me want to reach out and touch him, taste him. I also noticed his face, so handsome, and his unruly hair, sticking out in all directions despite the red band he wore round his head. The next thing I remember clearly after starting to argue, is darting my head forward and pressing my lips to his.

He tasted so good... I think I moaned, my arms snapping round his neck and waist to pull him closer. He protested at first, struggling in my grasp, until I wrestled him to the floor, settling myself between his legs and kissing his throat.

He did something then, he grabbed my hair and forced my head up. “How did you know?” He asked, staring at me with those deep, dark eyes. I answered that I hadn't, and he nodded.

The next few moments were spent rolling each other over as each of us tried to dominate the other, both of us growling and snarling like animals as we tore at each other's clothing. Finally, I managed to pin him, one of his legs over my shoulder, the other slung over my hip as I held his arms over his head.

I'll never forget those eyes, black as midnight, staring up at me hooded with desire as he waited for me to take him. And take him I did, most of the night and the better part of the morning until we heard the rest of the men stirring and decided it would be best to get dressed and act as if we'd simply fallen asleep from too much ale.

 

 

 

Vegeta snapped the book shut once more, face flushed as his breath came in labored gasps. “So... Does that mean...? No, it can't be!” He cried, opening the book and scanning several more pages. He blushed furiously as he found page after page of detailed accounts of his father and Bardok's exploits, telling of them having sex in almost every room of the castle. Finally he came to the entry he had been dreading.

 

 

Year fifteen hundred nineteen, tenth month, twelfth day.

 

I am once again shocked at the course my life has taken, although I should have expected it. Father did warn me that such things were possible. How could I have been so stupid? Bardok is carrying my child. He is frightened, as am I. I have gone to my advisor, Roshi, and he has found a woman who is suitable to be my wife, and play mother to this baby. I know she will keep the secret, for she is mute, and cannot read or write. I will raise this child as my heir, no one ever need know. As for Bardok and I, we have agreed he will stay sequestered within the palace until the baby is born, then he will go home, and later marry the woman his family chose for him some time ago, Horetsu. After this is all over, I doubt my love and I will see each other, save for at social functions at the palace, or on the battlefield.

 

 

 

Vegeta paused in his reading, saddened by his father's declaration of love for the other man. *He wanted him, but he couldn't have him, because the people would never stand for something so strange from their king.*

 

 

Year fifteen hundred twenty, third month, thirteenth day.

 

The baby has come today, a boy. He will be named after his grandfather and I, as is tradition now. He is a healthy, handsome baby. I am proud, as is Bardok, even as he is sad, for he knows his time with the child will be extremely limited so as not to arouse suspicion.

 

I am happy to see my wife, Celera, has accepted the baby. She may be mute, but she is not stupid. She knows what has happened, and does not seem shocked by it. I am wondering if perhaps something similar has happened in her family because of the knowing looks she gives us at times. She is a strange woman at times, my wife. She seems to be quite happy having her own bed, and spending time in the sewing room I had made for her, or in the garden my mother tried to make behind the castle. Celera is a gifted seamstress, and has a way with animals, children and plants that simply astounds me. She will make a wonderful mother for Vegeta.

 

I am happy today, yet also sad. Bardok has stated he will be leaving as soon as he is able. Horetsu's father has given them an estate on the far south border of the kingdom. I suspect that I will not see Bardok again for a long, long time.

 

 

 

Vegeta sighed as he closed the book. “I have to go talk to mother about this,” he said quietly as he slipped his father's diary under his shirt. “Come on, Korin, I want some answers and I want them now.”

 

Korin jumped to the floor with a soft meow, padding after the prince as Vegeta stalked out of the room.

 

TO BE CONTINUED....

 

Hooo boy! Vegeta's found out some things, but has he found out all his father's secrets? I don't think so! *evil grin* Keep reading to find out what happens next!

C & C appreciated and craved.

Johnny