The Song of an Angel
By ssj Kinara
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except Jackie. The song is from Outlaw Star. Everything else is from Dragonball Z. So there.
A/N: Wow.I thought I'd have this up a month ago. Anyway, here it is now, and I'm sorry that I'm lazy. I really am!
Recap: Ten years have passed since Jackie left Trunks to live with her grandparents.
* * * * * * * * * *
Chapter ten / Epilogue: Ten Years
It's amazing sometimes how you can experience a time of happiness where everything goes right. It's almost like taking a vacation from life. But soon that time is gone. Life resumes and you fall back into that dark, uncertain routine of simple living.
That's how Trunks felt. It had been ten years since he had last seen Jackie, when she had left with her grandparents. For at least two years they'd been in close contact, writing letters almost every day, and there would be a phone call once every few months. After a while, though, the letters slowed to once every few weeks, then less. The phone calls stopped. The letters started coming only once a month, then finally, only when something important happened.
It was a nice summer day. It had been three months since Trunks had gotten Jackie's last letter. It had been about seven years since he'd gone back in time and met his father and Goku and the rest of the Z team. It had been ten years, to the day, that Jackie had left him.
Trunks lay in the swinging porch bench that he and his mom had gotten a few years back. There, he could hear the city being built up all around him. He felt happy chills run through his back and arms, knowing that children were being born, and eleven-year-olds were going to junior high without a worry, and mothers did not mind letting their children play outside. It felt good to him, knowing that the population was growing at a rapid rate, and that the cities, too, were growing without threat of destruction. He could hear the machinery running, cars driving, and, with his Saiyan hearing, he could hear the voices of the shop owners calling to their potential customers, children laughing, and even a radio playing.
It was such a happy environment.
Too bad the deep hole in his heart kept lurching with guilt whenever he felt happy.
That part of Trunks wouldn't let himself feel happy. Jackie's last letter had been short and vague. Not for the first time, he wondered how Jackie really felt about him. Did she consider him just a distant friend now? Did she think of him as often as he thought of her? Did she even have a different boyfriend now?
"Shut up," he told himself. "She's as old as you are. Just because you're twenty five and still live with your mother doesn't mean she's not married or."
But that thought made his insides hurt more so he shut his eyes and rolled onto his side, trying to think of something else.
He still often listened to the tape Jackie had left him. Along with the first song, and a few other love songs, she had recorded herself singing her lullaby.
He allowed himself a small smile at the memory of her singing. He remembered that the first time he had heard her voice she had been singing that song. He remembered that right before she had left she had sung that song into his ear. He listened to it on the tape every time he had trouble sleeping, until recently. Lately, it only hindered his sleep; caused thoughts that kept him awake and frustrated.
He changed positions again, angry with himself that he was so caught up in nothing. He had the tune stuck in his head. The slow, sleepy melody made the wrenching of his gut even worse. To add to it, he could hear Jackie's voice humming the tune.
He was about to leap up and run to his room and turn up music -any music- to drown out the haunting melody, but he heard a noise: the soft sound of feet on grass, coming closer from around the Capsule Corp building.
Trunks realized something; the humming wasn't coming from his head.
Faster that a normal human, he sat up, looking for any sign of movement coming from the voice and footsteps, which were coming closer.
The humming changed to singing.
"I don't know what words I can say."
He knew that voice!
"The wind has a way to talk to me."
He knew it, almost like a dream.
"Flowers sleep a silent lullaby."
Everything seemed to be moving so slowly.
"I pray for reply, I'm ready."
A sneaker emerged from behind the building.
"Quiet days calm me, oh serenity."
Jeans.
"Someone please tell me."
Her shirt.
"Oh, mmm, what is it they say?"
Her face.
"Maybe I will know one day."
Jackie! There she was. Ten years after she had left him she was standing ten feet in front of him. Her hair was shorter, but besides that, she still had the same eyes, the same face, and the same smile.
She was smiling.
"Hi, Trunks."
"Jackie," he breathed and stumbled out of the chair. "You're .here."
She giggled. It felt good to hear her laugh.
"Of course I'm here. So are you." She made it sound like no time had passed.
"But.why now?"
She smiled. "It's been ten years, hasn't it?"
He stared at her.
Her smile faded a bit. "Don't you remember our promise?"
Suddenly, he remembered, vividly, what Jackie had said on the same day she had left: "Don't forget that you promised to fly and get me in ten years. That's if I don't beat you to it."
His jaw fell slack a bit. "You.you beat me to it."
She smiled again.
"But your letter."
"What about it?"
He paused. What could he say? That it had been vague and that he had drawn conclusions that she hated him without any real evidence?
"It. was sparse."
Jackie put her fists on her hips. "Well, it's not like you gave me much to go on in your last letter, which, by the way, was six months ago. Just 'Hi, Bulma and I are fine. How're the kids and bye'!"
"You have kids?!"
"No!"
He stared at her. Tears were forming in her eyes.
"Trunks.you have forgotten me, haven't you?" she asked in a small voice. "Oh, you have! And I." Her voice broke off and she turned her back to him, her shoulders shaking.
Trunks could feel his heart breaking. He hadn't forgotten her. He thought of her every spare moment that he had. Then, when she finally was in front of him again, he made her cry. He had so many memories of her crying.
He stepped off the porch and walked up behind her. He placed his hand gingerly on her shoulder. "Jackie?"
She flew around and buried her face in his chest, sobbing and crying. " I've missed you, Trunks! I've missed you like you can't believe."
"No," Trunks said. He put his arms around her and touched his head to hers. " I can imagine," he said. "It's been a long time. I've thought of you every hour. And every time it gets more and more painful. It's because I've missed you.missed you so much."
"Trunks." she murmured. "I thought you hated me, you know, from how little you wrote."
Trunks smiled lightly. "I thought the same thing."
"Yeah, but I had an excuse for not writing much. I went back to school to make up for all the stuff I missed when the Androids were around. What's your excuse, smarty-pants?"
"I.I don't have one."
"I don't care." Jackie held him tightly to her. "I love you, Trunks. In all the years that I've missed you, I kept waiting for the feeling to get raw. Then it never did, and I came here today. Oh, what I felt to see you. I know I love you, Trunks, for real. I don't care if you can't love me back."
Trunks looked down at the girl -no, the woman in his arms. She had said it. She felt exactly the same way he did.
"Jackie," he said, so gently. "If you hadn't just said that, then I would have. I do. I love you. And I don't ever want you to leave me again."
With one hand, he lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes.
"I love you Jackie. Forever's not over yet."
She smiled. The sun glinted off the tears still in her eyes. It made her look so fragile and so perfect.
"You know," Jackie said, and looked right into his eyes. "You still haven't kissed me yet."
Trunk's stomach lurched.
"No.I haven't yet."
"Why?"
He wasn't sure why, but it felt like giant butterflies had entered his stomach, a rock was stuck in his throat, and clouds were filling his head.
"Well, I guess it's because. the time had never been right."
"Is it right now?"
Trunks thought. The sky was just beginning to tint pink. The wind was blowing only a little bit, and there was Jackie in his arms for the first time in ten years.
"Yeah," he said. "The time is right."
He leaned in close to her. They closed their eyes.
Their lips touched.
It was like music playing, only he couldn't even hear it. He felt it, and it was the ultimate euphoria.
They parted.
"Wow," said Jackie, dazedly.
"I can do better than 'wow,'" said Trunks. He picked her up and spun her in a circle. "That was amazing, Jackie!" He put her down and took her face in both of his hands. Both of them were feeling absolutely giddy. "Now," said Trunks, "there's no way I'm ever letting you leave me again."
"Never ever?" she breathed.
"Never ever."
"Good!" she said and leapt onto his arms. "Because I'm never leaving you again, for as long as I live!"
"Never?"
Jackie grinned, then kissed him. "Never."
"Good."
He picked her up off her feet and spun her again. Both of them were laughing. For Trunks, it was the happiest moment of his life. And, Jackie in his arms, he ran into the house, shouting, "Mom! You'll never guess who showed up at our back door!"
The End.
* * * * * * * * *
A/N: And so it ends. My first multi-chapter story and it was WAY too long in the making! Sorry again for all the delays and a huge THANK YOU to those of you who reviewed! You know who you are!
Final words: Well, I think this will be my last DBZ fic for a while. In fact, I'm going to be writing a Harry Potter story. It's already well on it's way, but to avoid such long gaps between posting chapters, I want to finish writing it out before I start posting it here. Please bear with me. But I do need help! I need a good name for a wizarding school. If you have any ideas, please e-mail me or leave it in a review. Thank you so much to everyone! I appreciate it!!
By ssj Kinara
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except Jackie. The song is from Outlaw Star. Everything else is from Dragonball Z. So there.
A/N: Wow.I thought I'd have this up a month ago. Anyway, here it is now, and I'm sorry that I'm lazy. I really am!
Recap: Ten years have passed since Jackie left Trunks to live with her grandparents.
* * * * * * * * * *
Chapter ten / Epilogue: Ten Years
It's amazing sometimes how you can experience a time of happiness where everything goes right. It's almost like taking a vacation from life. But soon that time is gone. Life resumes and you fall back into that dark, uncertain routine of simple living.
That's how Trunks felt. It had been ten years since he had last seen Jackie, when she had left with her grandparents. For at least two years they'd been in close contact, writing letters almost every day, and there would be a phone call once every few months. After a while, though, the letters slowed to once every few weeks, then less. The phone calls stopped. The letters started coming only once a month, then finally, only when something important happened.
It was a nice summer day. It had been three months since Trunks had gotten Jackie's last letter. It had been about seven years since he'd gone back in time and met his father and Goku and the rest of the Z team. It had been ten years, to the day, that Jackie had left him.
Trunks lay in the swinging porch bench that he and his mom had gotten a few years back. There, he could hear the city being built up all around him. He felt happy chills run through his back and arms, knowing that children were being born, and eleven-year-olds were going to junior high without a worry, and mothers did not mind letting their children play outside. It felt good to him, knowing that the population was growing at a rapid rate, and that the cities, too, were growing without threat of destruction. He could hear the machinery running, cars driving, and, with his Saiyan hearing, he could hear the voices of the shop owners calling to their potential customers, children laughing, and even a radio playing.
It was such a happy environment.
Too bad the deep hole in his heart kept lurching with guilt whenever he felt happy.
That part of Trunks wouldn't let himself feel happy. Jackie's last letter had been short and vague. Not for the first time, he wondered how Jackie really felt about him. Did she consider him just a distant friend now? Did she think of him as often as he thought of her? Did she even have a different boyfriend now?
"Shut up," he told himself. "She's as old as you are. Just because you're twenty five and still live with your mother doesn't mean she's not married or."
But that thought made his insides hurt more so he shut his eyes and rolled onto his side, trying to think of something else.
He still often listened to the tape Jackie had left him. Along with the first song, and a few other love songs, she had recorded herself singing her lullaby.
He allowed himself a small smile at the memory of her singing. He remembered that the first time he had heard her voice she had been singing that song. He remembered that right before she had left she had sung that song into his ear. He listened to it on the tape every time he had trouble sleeping, until recently. Lately, it only hindered his sleep; caused thoughts that kept him awake and frustrated.
He changed positions again, angry with himself that he was so caught up in nothing. He had the tune stuck in his head. The slow, sleepy melody made the wrenching of his gut even worse. To add to it, he could hear Jackie's voice humming the tune.
He was about to leap up and run to his room and turn up music -any music- to drown out the haunting melody, but he heard a noise: the soft sound of feet on grass, coming closer from around the Capsule Corp building.
Trunks realized something; the humming wasn't coming from his head.
Faster that a normal human, he sat up, looking for any sign of movement coming from the voice and footsteps, which were coming closer.
The humming changed to singing.
"I don't know what words I can say."
He knew that voice!
"The wind has a way to talk to me."
He knew it, almost like a dream.
"Flowers sleep a silent lullaby."
Everything seemed to be moving so slowly.
"I pray for reply, I'm ready."
A sneaker emerged from behind the building.
"Quiet days calm me, oh serenity."
Jeans.
"Someone please tell me."
Her shirt.
"Oh, mmm, what is it they say?"
Her face.
"Maybe I will know one day."
Jackie! There she was. Ten years after she had left him she was standing ten feet in front of him. Her hair was shorter, but besides that, she still had the same eyes, the same face, and the same smile.
She was smiling.
"Hi, Trunks."
"Jackie," he breathed and stumbled out of the chair. "You're .here."
She giggled. It felt good to hear her laugh.
"Of course I'm here. So are you." She made it sound like no time had passed.
"But.why now?"
She smiled. "It's been ten years, hasn't it?"
He stared at her.
Her smile faded a bit. "Don't you remember our promise?"
Suddenly, he remembered, vividly, what Jackie had said on the same day she had left: "Don't forget that you promised to fly and get me in ten years. That's if I don't beat you to it."
His jaw fell slack a bit. "You.you beat me to it."
She smiled again.
"But your letter."
"What about it?"
He paused. What could he say? That it had been vague and that he had drawn conclusions that she hated him without any real evidence?
"It. was sparse."
Jackie put her fists on her hips. "Well, it's not like you gave me much to go on in your last letter, which, by the way, was six months ago. Just 'Hi, Bulma and I are fine. How're the kids and bye'!"
"You have kids?!"
"No!"
He stared at her. Tears were forming in her eyes.
"Trunks.you have forgotten me, haven't you?" she asked in a small voice. "Oh, you have! And I." Her voice broke off and she turned her back to him, her shoulders shaking.
Trunks could feel his heart breaking. He hadn't forgotten her. He thought of her every spare moment that he had. Then, when she finally was in front of him again, he made her cry. He had so many memories of her crying.
He stepped off the porch and walked up behind her. He placed his hand gingerly on her shoulder. "Jackie?"
She flew around and buried her face in his chest, sobbing and crying. " I've missed you, Trunks! I've missed you like you can't believe."
"No," Trunks said. He put his arms around her and touched his head to hers. " I can imagine," he said. "It's been a long time. I've thought of you every hour. And every time it gets more and more painful. It's because I've missed you.missed you so much."
"Trunks." she murmured. "I thought you hated me, you know, from how little you wrote."
Trunks smiled lightly. "I thought the same thing."
"Yeah, but I had an excuse for not writing much. I went back to school to make up for all the stuff I missed when the Androids were around. What's your excuse, smarty-pants?"
"I.I don't have one."
"I don't care." Jackie held him tightly to her. "I love you, Trunks. In all the years that I've missed you, I kept waiting for the feeling to get raw. Then it never did, and I came here today. Oh, what I felt to see you. I know I love you, Trunks, for real. I don't care if you can't love me back."
Trunks looked down at the girl -no, the woman in his arms. She had said it. She felt exactly the same way he did.
"Jackie," he said, so gently. "If you hadn't just said that, then I would have. I do. I love you. And I don't ever want you to leave me again."
With one hand, he lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes.
"I love you Jackie. Forever's not over yet."
She smiled. The sun glinted off the tears still in her eyes. It made her look so fragile and so perfect.
"You know," Jackie said, and looked right into his eyes. "You still haven't kissed me yet."
Trunk's stomach lurched.
"No.I haven't yet."
"Why?"
He wasn't sure why, but it felt like giant butterflies had entered his stomach, a rock was stuck in his throat, and clouds were filling his head.
"Well, I guess it's because. the time had never been right."
"Is it right now?"
Trunks thought. The sky was just beginning to tint pink. The wind was blowing only a little bit, and there was Jackie in his arms for the first time in ten years.
"Yeah," he said. "The time is right."
He leaned in close to her. They closed their eyes.
Their lips touched.
It was like music playing, only he couldn't even hear it. He felt it, and it was the ultimate euphoria.
They parted.
"Wow," said Jackie, dazedly.
"I can do better than 'wow,'" said Trunks. He picked her up and spun her in a circle. "That was amazing, Jackie!" He put her down and took her face in both of his hands. Both of them were feeling absolutely giddy. "Now," said Trunks, "there's no way I'm ever letting you leave me again."
"Never ever?" she breathed.
"Never ever."
"Good!" she said and leapt onto his arms. "Because I'm never leaving you again, for as long as I live!"
"Never?"
Jackie grinned, then kissed him. "Never."
"Good."
He picked her up off her feet and spun her again. Both of them were laughing. For Trunks, it was the happiest moment of his life. And, Jackie in his arms, he ran into the house, shouting, "Mom! You'll never guess who showed up at our back door!"
The End.
* * * * * * * * *
A/N: And so it ends. My first multi-chapter story and it was WAY too long in the making! Sorry again for all the delays and a huge THANK YOU to those of you who reviewed! You know who you are!
Final words: Well, I think this will be my last DBZ fic for a while. In fact, I'm going to be writing a Harry Potter story. It's already well on it's way, but to avoid such long gaps between posting chapters, I want to finish writing it out before I start posting it here. Please bear with me. But I do need help! I need a good name for a wizarding school. If you have any ideas, please e-mail me or leave it in a review. Thank you so much to everyone! I appreciate it!!
