PART 16 One Moment To Say Goodbye
"Gohan..." Sasami whispered. Then she flinched away from the
hot stove. She was making her last breakfast and she burned
herself from the boiling hot oil. The spoon fell on the floor
from the pan and made a loud noise. Tenchi and Aeka cam inside.
"Are you all right, Sasami?!" Aeka asked.
"Yeah. Just a little careless." Sasami replied with a smile.
Tenchi put back the spoon and turned off the stove.
"Did you hurt yourself?" he asked.
"Well, I just got caught in the stove. Nothing to be worried
about, really. I'm fine." Sasami said.
Aeka took Sasami's hands and looked at them. She turned on the
faucet and put Sasami's hands under the cold, cold water. Then
she took them away and turned off the faucet.
"Better?" Aeka asked.
"I'm perfectly all right, Aeka." Sasami replied. "It's nothing.
Well, you'd better go now. I'm making breakfast and I want you
to relax while I fix it up."
"Well..."
"Go."
"All right. But if you get hurt again..."
"I'm capable of keeping myself safe."
"Of course."
Aeka and Tenchi went out. Sasami looked at her hands. Injured.
It had only happened once in her life. She knew that she needed
Gohan. She couldn't keep her mind straight if this went on. The
thought of losing Gohan hurt her hands, her head and her heart.
But she didn't know if he felt the same. For all she knew, he
was probably on an outing with Videl.
Gohan walked along the dirt road. He just didn't have enough
energy to fly. There was a big empty space inside of him. And
it kept growing and growing as his pain became stronger and
stronger. Sasami, of course. He could finally admit that to
himself. That Sasami had taken with her a big portion of his
humanity. It was like she took his whole purpose of living. Even
Videl couldn't fill in that empty space inside of him. He was
completely lost. How could he feel so strong for someone?
How could he have such powerful feelings for one person? He
stopped in the middle of the road. He just HAD to see her. No
matter what. He gathered enough energy to fly and went to the
direction of Okayama.
Sasami looked at the lake. So calm and beautiful. Unlike her.
So restless and scarred. Scarred everywhere. Especially in her
heart. Torn up into pieces and thrown with the garbage. Now
she had no heart. And if she did, it wasn't real. She lost
her true feelings. They tried to cling on to her beloved but
when he left, he took her feelings with him. She couldn't care
for anyone, she couldn't dislike anyone. She was just plain
package. A pretty one but the item inside...there was nothing.
Nothing, nothing, nothing. Completely empty inside. There was
only one way to destroy the pain and to return the happiness:
if the happiness returned. Everything would just disappear
by itself and everything would be all right again. Like nothing
ever happened. But it was too late for that. She had died already.
It was just too late.
Sasami reached into her pocket and pulled out a thick envelope.
She didn't protect it, as if it were her own life like before.
She clutched the envelope tightly with her finger and closed her
eyes. She just had to do it. She had to destroy the past. As
she heard a small ripping sound, someone tapped her shoulder.
She opened her eyes and saw that there was a small rip in the
envelope. She turned around and saw...her life. Her heart, her
soul, her mind...her feelings. Gohan.
"Hi, Sasami." he whispered. Tears filled Sasami's eyes as she
hugged Gohan tightly. She cried on his chest, soaking his clothes
and him, not minding.
"Don't cry." Gohan said, stroking her hair. Sasami looked up.
"I can't believe you're here..." she whispered.
"I can't either." Gohan replied.
"I thought you liked Videl."
"I-I do but...I just want to say goodbye."
Sasami's smile disappeared and she looked down at the ground.
She pulled away from Gohan's hold and she turned around. She clutched
the envelope in her hand.
"What's the matter, Sasami? Did I say anything wrong?" Gohan asked.
"N-no...yes, you did!" Sasami said, facing Gohan. There were
tears in her eyes.
"I wish you never came! Why did you have to do that?"
"Do what?"
"Why do you have to..."
"What?"
Sasami couldn't say it. It was just too hard. She started to
run towards the house but then, as she was passing Gohan, she
suddenly stopped. Gohan grabbed her hand. She tried to pull herself
free but Gohan's grip was too much for her.
"It's about Videl, isn't it?" Gohan asked. Sasami could only nod.
"Why do you care so much?" Gohan asked.
"Because I...care about you." Sasami said.
"I do too." Gohan said.
"I love you, Gohan."
"Well, I do too."
"Not in your way... I know you deserve better, Gohan!"
"I'm happy with Videl, Sasami. I like her and she likes me."
"You're just too special!"
"I know I'm not good enough for you."
"You are! You are!"
"No. YOU deserve better."
"It doesn't matter what I deserve!"
"Then that's the same thing with me. It doesn't matter."
"I only meant that..."
"No, Sasami. It's the same."
Gohan let go of Sasami as she cried in his arms.
"You told me once...that we would end up together, somehow." Sasami
said. "How?"
"I-I...don't...know."
"Gohan?"
"What is it, Sasami?"
"Will you forget me?"
"No! Never! I would NEVER do that."
"Never?"
"Never."
Sasami put her hand in her pocket and hesitated for a while. Then
she took out a handkerchief. She opened it up and let a small
pill fall into her hand.
"I want you...to have this." she said, giving the pill to Gohan.
"What is it?" Gohan asked.
"If you...if you take it, we can see each other again. It's
Washu's invention and it will give you everlasting life. You
won't get old and you won't die. Only if...you take it."
"I... This is so much to receive. It's too much for me."
"Then I'll have to say farewell then. May I have the pill?"
"Well... No!"
"What?"
"I said no! You can't have it back."
"Why not?"
"Because...because you'll have to cut me open first!" Gohan
popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it. Sasami jerked
away in surprise but then smiled.
"You look better when you're smiling." Gohan said. Sasami
blushed.
"Well..."
"I guess we'll be seeing each other sometime." Gohan said.
"Yes." Sasami said. She clutched the envelope in her hand.
"We'll be seeing each other sometime. Sooner or later. But
not now. Not yet. Just...sooner or later."
"Gohan..." Sasami whispered. Then she flinched away from the
hot stove. She was making her last breakfast and she burned
herself from the boiling hot oil. The spoon fell on the floor
from the pan and made a loud noise. Tenchi and Aeka cam inside.
"Are you all right, Sasami?!" Aeka asked.
"Yeah. Just a little careless." Sasami replied with a smile.
Tenchi put back the spoon and turned off the stove.
"Did you hurt yourself?" he asked.
"Well, I just got caught in the stove. Nothing to be worried
about, really. I'm fine." Sasami said.
Aeka took Sasami's hands and looked at them. She turned on the
faucet and put Sasami's hands under the cold, cold water. Then
she took them away and turned off the faucet.
"Better?" Aeka asked.
"I'm perfectly all right, Aeka." Sasami replied. "It's nothing.
Well, you'd better go now. I'm making breakfast and I want you
to relax while I fix it up."
"Well..."
"Go."
"All right. But if you get hurt again..."
"I'm capable of keeping myself safe."
"Of course."
Aeka and Tenchi went out. Sasami looked at her hands. Injured.
It had only happened once in her life. She knew that she needed
Gohan. She couldn't keep her mind straight if this went on. The
thought of losing Gohan hurt her hands, her head and her heart.
But she didn't know if he felt the same. For all she knew, he
was probably on an outing with Videl.
Gohan walked along the dirt road. He just didn't have enough
energy to fly. There was a big empty space inside of him. And
it kept growing and growing as his pain became stronger and
stronger. Sasami, of course. He could finally admit that to
himself. That Sasami had taken with her a big portion of his
humanity. It was like she took his whole purpose of living. Even
Videl couldn't fill in that empty space inside of him. He was
completely lost. How could he feel so strong for someone?
How could he have such powerful feelings for one person? He
stopped in the middle of the road. He just HAD to see her. No
matter what. He gathered enough energy to fly and went to the
direction of Okayama.
Sasami looked at the lake. So calm and beautiful. Unlike her.
So restless and scarred. Scarred everywhere. Especially in her
heart. Torn up into pieces and thrown with the garbage. Now
she had no heart. And if she did, it wasn't real. She lost
her true feelings. They tried to cling on to her beloved but
when he left, he took her feelings with him. She couldn't care
for anyone, she couldn't dislike anyone. She was just plain
package. A pretty one but the item inside...there was nothing.
Nothing, nothing, nothing. Completely empty inside. There was
only one way to destroy the pain and to return the happiness:
if the happiness returned. Everything would just disappear
by itself and everything would be all right again. Like nothing
ever happened. But it was too late for that. She had died already.
It was just too late.
Sasami reached into her pocket and pulled out a thick envelope.
She didn't protect it, as if it were her own life like before.
She clutched the envelope tightly with her finger and closed her
eyes. She just had to do it. She had to destroy the past. As
she heard a small ripping sound, someone tapped her shoulder.
She opened her eyes and saw that there was a small rip in the
envelope. She turned around and saw...her life. Her heart, her
soul, her mind...her feelings. Gohan.
"Hi, Sasami." he whispered. Tears filled Sasami's eyes as she
hugged Gohan tightly. She cried on his chest, soaking his clothes
and him, not minding.
"Don't cry." Gohan said, stroking her hair. Sasami looked up.
"I can't believe you're here..." she whispered.
"I can't either." Gohan replied.
"I thought you liked Videl."
"I-I do but...I just want to say goodbye."
Sasami's smile disappeared and she looked down at the ground.
She pulled away from Gohan's hold and she turned around. She clutched
the envelope in her hand.
"What's the matter, Sasami? Did I say anything wrong?" Gohan asked.
"N-no...yes, you did!" Sasami said, facing Gohan. There were
tears in her eyes.
"I wish you never came! Why did you have to do that?"
"Do what?"
"Why do you have to..."
"What?"
Sasami couldn't say it. It was just too hard. She started to
run towards the house but then, as she was passing Gohan, she
suddenly stopped. Gohan grabbed her hand. She tried to pull herself
free but Gohan's grip was too much for her.
"It's about Videl, isn't it?" Gohan asked. Sasami could only nod.
"Why do you care so much?" Gohan asked.
"Because I...care about you." Sasami said.
"I do too." Gohan said.
"I love you, Gohan."
"Well, I do too."
"Not in your way... I know you deserve better, Gohan!"
"I'm happy with Videl, Sasami. I like her and she likes me."
"You're just too special!"
"I know I'm not good enough for you."
"You are! You are!"
"No. YOU deserve better."
"It doesn't matter what I deserve!"
"Then that's the same thing with me. It doesn't matter."
"I only meant that..."
"No, Sasami. It's the same."
Gohan let go of Sasami as she cried in his arms.
"You told me once...that we would end up together, somehow." Sasami
said. "How?"
"I-I...don't...know."
"Gohan?"
"What is it, Sasami?"
"Will you forget me?"
"No! Never! I would NEVER do that."
"Never?"
"Never."
Sasami put her hand in her pocket and hesitated for a while. Then
she took out a handkerchief. She opened it up and let a small
pill fall into her hand.
"I want you...to have this." she said, giving the pill to Gohan.
"What is it?" Gohan asked.
"If you...if you take it, we can see each other again. It's
Washu's invention and it will give you everlasting life. You
won't get old and you won't die. Only if...you take it."
"I... This is so much to receive. It's too much for me."
"Then I'll have to say farewell then. May I have the pill?"
"Well... No!"
"What?"
"I said no! You can't have it back."
"Why not?"
"Because...because you'll have to cut me open first!" Gohan
popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it. Sasami jerked
away in surprise but then smiled.
"You look better when you're smiling." Gohan said. Sasami
blushed.
"Well..."
"I guess we'll be seeing each other sometime." Gohan said.
"Yes." Sasami said. She clutched the envelope in her hand.
"We'll be seeing each other sometime. Sooner or later. But
not now. Not yet. Just...sooner or later."