Life or Death
Elizabeth Knight
Chapter 21
Bra sat upright in the massive bed, her heart pounding. She took a few minutes to look around the room and frowned. There was nothing unusual, so why had she awaken? Smiling to herself, she shook her head and laid back down. It was probably nothing. She closed her eyes and willed her heart to slow down. She was almost asleep again when her eyes flew open. This time she heard the slight scratching sounds that were echoing through the rooms. It was almost impossible to tell where they were coming from.
Climbing out of the bed, she crept over to the next room and peeked in. Although she didn't see anyone, the tapestry that led into the Library was swaying slightly. "Phantom?"
She crept into the darkened library and watched a shadowy figure stumble over to a hidden cubby hole. Bra went back to her room and grabbed one of the many torches from it's holder. Going back she lit torches all along the way back to the library. When she lit the one next to the tapestry in the library, light flooded over the cloaked figure. He turned to look at her and dropped the vial in his hand.
Bra watched the Phantom collapse to the stone floor, blood trickling out one side of his mouth. "Phantom? What happened?"
He tried to stand back up and turn from her, but he simply didn't have the strength for it. He slumped back down on the floor, and his eyes rolled back. Giving a cry of fright, Bra ran to him and shook him to no avail. Panicking she looked around the room in helpless desperation. Her eyes locked onto the vial upon the chair next to her. Looking back down at the native, she picked up the vial and emptied it into his mouth.
After several hours there was still no change in his condition except an exceptionally high temperature that didn't bode well. She had come across the dark passage way in the acoustic room that led out of the rooms, but she hadn't left. She couldn't quite seem to justify leaving him so helpless in his condition. He'd spared her life and she felt compelled to at least try and save his own. She owed him that much at least. He'd emptied his stomach several times into a large clay bowl he'd brought her some supper in, but each time he fell back into unconsciousness.
At one point he opened his eyes and grabbed her by the shoulders as she tried to pour some cool water into his mouth. "I'll get you for this White Fang! I will kill you!"
Bra had shaken her head and pushed him back against the seat he'd collapsed next to. He was too large to drag to the bedroom and even if she managed to get him there, she wouldn't be able to get him up into the bed. It was probably best that he was sitting up already as well. This way he couldn't choke if he was sick, and she wasn't there.
Giving a sigh of weariness, Bra sat down upon the chair above him. Her eyes were so heavy she didn't think that she would be able to keep them open much longer. Instead of trying to stay awake, she closed her eyes sure she would awake if he became sick again.
The delicate glass jar containing the dried flower shattered against the stone wall and fell to the floor in a dozen pieces. RepSarah raised one eyebrow at Kyle as he ranted. "I'll find her myself. I don't need anyone to help me. They can't forbid me to go!"
"Your uncle is right, Kyle. She could already be dead by now." RepSarah repeated.
"You don't believe that anymore than I do. If he was going to kill her we would have found her body by now. She's alive." His face was set in determined lines as he paced across the floor in the tree house.
"You can't expect your people to be jumping to go with you to bring back this saiyan that you've claimed, Kyle! They probably feel betrayed that you chose her in the first place." Kyle heard her reasonable voice, but the truth was he felt betrayed himself.
"So they'll let her die because of their own spite. Some lot of people I belong to!" he spat sarcastically out the door as he passed.
"You wouldn't waist the time to save a saiyan before you met Bra either, Kyle."
She was right, but he wasn't going to admit that. "I would risk everything I have to do this now. Why can't they trust me?"
"Not every one is you. They need more time. Peace was never said to be easy."
Kyle rounded on RepSarah with a look of exasperation on his face. "Why aren't you helping me? I thought you were on my side, RepSarah."
"I am, but you have to be reasonable about you demands of your people." she said standing up from her perch by the wall.
"I won't beg for their help! I've already ask, and they've given me their answer. They won't go. I'll go alone." Kyle stormed out of his room with the large roll under his arm.
"You can't go alone. What if something happens to you?"
"Then it'll be over won't it."he said.
"You can't let that happen. You have a responsibility to your people. You're their leader!" she cried desperately trying to reason with him.
"They'll find another one, I'm sure." he barked back.
"You and I both know there isn't anyone else qualified to take your place."
"Obviously they think there is. Let them fair their hand with someone else and see what happens. I don't care anymore." He flung a second smaller pack of food over his shoulder.
"What will you do after you find her?" RepSarah ask him.
"I'll find something to do. There are several outsider camps that I could always get into. They're fiercely loyal to their members ya know. We'll be fine." Kyle stomped out of the house with RepSarah on his heels.
They both stopped and stared at the small group in front of them. "What are they doing here?" RepSarah whispered to Kyle.
"We're here to help. You didn't think I would let you go alone to find my daughter and possibly let her get killed did you?" Vegeta ask innocently.
"I wasn't the one who allowed her to be stolen in the first place, Vegeta!" Kyle growled.
"Enough you two!" Bulma said pushing between the two angry men. Kyle shrugged off the hand on his arm, but someone kept persistently pulling him back. Swinging around he grabbed her shoulders and shook.
"What are you doing here?" he snapped as he looked down at the bright redhead. "I leave my sister in your care and look where she's at. Already getting in trouble again. I would have thought you would've taken more care of her than this, Trunks."
"I'd like to see you tell her she can't come. If it didn't get me anywhere it sure won't get you anywhere." Trunks smirked.
Kyle snarled and tossed Zantha his way. "Take her home."
"You'll need all the help you can get, Kyle. You might as well let them come along with us." RepSarah told him.
"Goku and his boys are behind us too." Robert said from behind Kyle.
"Robert? Charles? What are you doing here?" Kyle looked at his friends.
"We couldn't let you go alone, Kyle. Bra is one of us ya know." Charles shook the cat-man's hand as Vegeta scowled at them.
"I'll go on ahead and scout out the terrain. Perhaps I'll find something useful." RepSarah excused herself, passing between the two crowds.
"You're not going anywhere." Isaru grabbed her arm as she passed him.
"You can't tell me where I will and won't go, Isaru. You don't own me."
"Perhaps I'll keep you here until Goten can tell you you're not going. Then maybe you'll listen." Isaru tightened his grip as she struggled to tug free.
"You wouldn't keep me here so he could get a second chance to finish the job he left undone. Now let me go."
Kyle caught Isaru's glance and frowned. RepSarah always went where she pleased, and no one stopped her. They needed her to help find the Phantom's lair. She was the only one who knew enough about the flower and the Phantom to find Bra. Isaru wasn't giving in and RepSarah was glaring daggers at him. There was something going on he didn't know about, but Isaru wouldn't have detained her unless it was something important. "Perhaps you should stay here, RepSarah. It would be a help if you would watch over the women."
"I can't believe this! I'm the only who can get you there. You need my help." RepSarah informed him as if he didn't already know this.
"She has a point." he told Isaru.
He didn't look up at Kyle. "She's staying behind. No buts."
"I'm going Isaru. I have to."
"And if you get hurt, then what? You're not invincible. You could be killed." he informed her. RepSarah opened her mouth and then shut it. Kyle watched strange expressions cross her face before she finally looked away.
"How?" she ask Isaru quietly.
"We'll talk about it later. Right now I want your word you'll stay here where it's safe. Tell me how to find the Rebel Phantom, and I'll go in your place. I promise we'll bring her back."
RepSarah looked at him with a poker face, displaying no emotion.
"Alright, but not here. In the house." Isaru nodded, and Kyle moved the hide aside for her to enter the house. A third body he hadn't noticed pushed passed him into the house as well. Kyle brought up the rear not wanting to miss this for the world.
Bra's eyes fluttered open as she was laid upon the bed. The Rebel Phantom receded into the shadows as she sat up. "Are you feeling better?"
"Quite. I ...." He seemed at a loss for words as he stood there watching her.
"What's wrong? Are you still ill?" she ask, getting up to go to him.
"No. I simply don't understand why you stayed. You could have escaped at anytime. Why save my life?" He looked so confused and lost that Bra smiled.
"I owed you, or have you forgotten. You spared my life."
"I didn't spare your life, Bra. You would never have left this place. Never had the freedom to go anywhere else. I didn't let you see my face just to let you go and tell everyone what you knew."
Bra frowned up at him. "Perhaps not, but I still wouldn't have let you die. I couldn't."
"Why?"
It was a simple question Bra couldn't answer. Looking over at him she kept her silence. She watched him lean back against the stone wall and study her. His eyes never left her own as he considered what to do with her now. She felt as if she could read his mind the way his expressions danced across his beautiful face. She knew the moment he'd come to a decision. He started for her and grabbed her arm pulling her up off the bed. Dragging her through the library to the secret passageway, he pushed open the stone door. He led the way through it to the rear entrance of the caves. They stopped at the edge of the cliff and looked out over the forest below. Bra was suddenly deathly afraid he was going to throw her over.
"Some people would consider this a view to die for. Did you know that?" he ask.
Kyle ducked a low hanging branch as he raced over to Isaru. They had taken RepSarah's advice to start toward the cliffs about a day and a half away from where they were. Isaru had led them on a trail that they weren't sure was going anywhere, but it was all they had. Now Isaru was ahead of them and had called to Kyle.
"What did you find?" Kyle yelled at him.
"Maybe nothing. Maybe something." was his reply. Kyle rolled his eyes as he reached Isaru's side. "Take a look at this and tell me if you recognize it."
Kyle took the small band of metal from Isaru's palm and shuddered. "We're going the right way. This is Bra's."
"Everyone spread out and look for an entrance of some sort in the rocks. The cliffs are right through those trees." Isaru ordered of the small party following them.
"I'll check the cliffs." Kyle told him, heading in that direction.