Once Upon a Dream - 16
Part Sixteen
They trod paths that no mortal had ever
walked upon to reach their destination. It was a fascinating
thing, the path they were currently on, because the color of it
never wanted to stay the same way for long. Katrinka looked at
the dark green path, blinked once, and glanced back at a pink
one.
"Why is it doing that?" she
asked, keeping her eyes riveted to the ground. She didn't want to
stray from it -- Michael told her that was a huge mistake -- and
the air about her was nothing but a deep sort of mist. She didn't
even know if there was a ground outside of the path. She sighed
silently, hoping that they reached the end soon.
"We're almost there," he said
kindly as if reading her mind. But he chose not to answer her
previous question. "Not too long now."
"I'm just so nervous, you know? I
haven't ever seen them before..."
"Don't be. You're parents really love
you and are most definitely proud of you."
She changed the subject, hoping to get her
mind off things. "Heaven is a really nice place. I hope I
end up here." She chuckled. "Maybe I can send a
postcard to Vegeta. Does Hell get mail?"
"You be surprised what afterlife
someone ends up in," He gave her a knowing look.
"Vegeta just may end up in Heaven."
"You've got to be kidding!"
He shook his head. "He may acquire
enough good deeds to overbalance the bad ones. As for you, you
don't go to an afterlife." He fell into a purposeful silence
and walked on, seemingly faster than ever. Kat had to trot to
keep up.
"Hey wait up!" Then she sensed
his urgency, like a cold knot in her stomach. "We don't have
much time left, do we?"
"No," he agreed. "We do
not."
And then, as the saying went, there was a
bright light at the end of the tunnel.
***
Katherine was waiting for them, hands on
her hips and looking quite impatient.
"Hurry up now, I haven't got all day.
Disaster is about to strike the heavens!"
Kat raised an eyebrow at her behavior.
"Who're you?"
"My name is Katherine," she bowed
low. "The Guardian of the Dead at your service." She
was suddenly startled as Kat threw herself into her arms and
began to sob wildly.
"Kaasan! I thought that I would never
get to meet you!"
Michael stood off a little ways to the
side, smiling at the touching scene.
"Katrinka?" She said her name
with a little roll on the 'r'. "Is that you
sweetheart?" She pulled the still sobbing woman back a
little to get a good look at her. "Well, you do look a lot
like your Tousan." Then she hugged her again as Kat's sobs
slowly ceased.
"Look at me," Kat smiled weakly
while rubbing her eyes. "We need to get going. I don't have
time for this. But it's just so nice to see you at last!"
Kathy nodded. "I finally get to meet
my baby all grown up in person!"
This just left her confused.
"Huh?"
"I've been watching over you. Sort of
as a Guardian Angel. I stopped you from making all sorts of
stupid mistakes. Vegeta did an okay job with raising you, though
it could have been better. I've already spoken to him about
that."
"I forgot to ask! Where are we in
time? Are we in ancient Vegeta-sei's time or my own?"
"Katrinka, we don't have a certain
time that we are in. We just are."
"I don't get it."
Kathy sighed. "This is something else
I must yell at that idiot for."
"Wait Kathy," Michael told her.
"How could Vegeta possibly begin to understand this?"
He turned to the still confused Kat. What she means is that the
afterlife transcends all time and space. It is the only constant
in an infinite amount of inconstants."
Kat felt as if her head was going to
explode from all the information she had been getting in such a
short amount of time. "Please stop for now. I don't think I
can learn anymore."
Her mother was quite ready to drop the
whole thing. "Sure. Let's go see your Tousan."
***
'The new souls,' Katherine had said, 'were
a little disoriented from the transition from life to death. Kat
could understand. I mean, one moment you were alive and in
familiar surroundings and the next moment you were not. It was
bound to confuse some people. The others, however, were the ones
who knew they were dying.
Michael had left them soon after the
tearful Kat had gotten control of herself saying that he had
things to attend to back at home.
"For a little while," Kathy said,
"you feel a little odd. Another one of my jobs is to help
ease the transition. Your father had it a little easier than
others because I was the first person he saw when he awoke."
"So where is he now?" Kat asked.
Kathy pursed her lips. "I have no
idea." Seeing her face fall, she was quick to continue.
"But rest assured we will find him." They continued to
walk, looking around for any sign.
"Have you see someone named Appuru
around here?" The goddess asked everyone they saw.
"Is that his name? Appuru?"
She nodded. "No one ever told you
that?"
She shot her a look. "Kaasan, you had
me stay with Vegeta."
"You're right. No one told you
anything. Most saiyans are so out of touch when it comes to
things like that."
Kat thought of Vegeta, *her* Vegeta and
sighed. "Tell me about it."
After looking for quite some time, they saw
hide nor hair of him and time was running out.
"Let me try this," Kat rose high
in the air, took a deep breath, cupped her hands around her
mouth, and shouted. "Appuru where are you? Katherine and
your daughter have business with you! Hurry up or the universe is
doomed!"
Kathy nodded in approval. "Now why
didn't I think of that?"
Her daughter smiled. "Because you're
not as smart as I am." The goddess groaned and smiled as
well.
Suddenly this *huge* man appeared around
the path. Both his hair and his tail were jet black but he was
the thinnest saiyan Kat had ever seen. He was also the mildest
looking.
"You rang?" he grinned widely.
"Katherine so nice to see you again! It's good to finally
get to meet you, Katrinka. I had been watching your progress on
Vegeta-sei and you have done quite well."
Kat stood there, mouth open, gaping at him.
"You're not at all what I expected." She slowly circled
him, taking in everything.
"You were expecting someone handsomer
weren't you?" His grin appeared to have gone up a wattage.
"Stop it," Kathy laughed.
"We're not here to listen to your bad jokes. You know what's
going on, don't you?"
"Who doesn't! It's all Heaven talks
about."
"Then you know we have to tell
her."
Kat's head jerked up. "Tell me? Tell
me what?" They continued to talk as if they never heard her.
"I guess you're right. She'll never be
able to kill Astor otherwise."
"But the knowledge may kill her!"
"It's a risk that we have to
take."
"Kaasan, Tousan, please tell me what
you're talking about!" She looked back and forth between
their faces, noting the expressions of both worry and
trepidation. Worry concerning how she would take the news and
trepidation for what might happen when the secrets out. Her
mother took her gently by the arm and waved her hand. The scenery
changed to one that mirrored that shadow realm she was in as she
walked the path but there was a large mirror only a few feet
away.
"Katrinka," Kathy said softly.
She and Appuru moved to either side of her. "Look into the
mirror. What do you see?"
Looking closely she came to the conclusion
that she saw the same thing that she always saw when she looked
into a mirror. Herself. "What is this supposed to do?"
"You see, you a special person. A
*very* special person." Her father said. "You know what
you are a godchild and the Time Warrior but you are something
more."
Kathy pointed to a place in the mirror.
"This is how you look on the outside. Speaking like a sci-fi
fanatic, this is your host body."
Kat blinked. "You're acting like I'm
someone else entirely. What in the world are you talking
about?"
Her father decided to come out an say it.
"You are two people. One is Katrinka, our daughter, and the
other is..." This is when he trailed off, unwilling to
continue.
"Yes? Who's the other person?"
Her mother continued. "The other is,
Katilyn, better known as the Creator."
I know my parts seem to be getting shorter
and shorter but this seemed like a good place to stop. Feedback
greatly appreciated.