Close Your Eyes
The dust particles grated against her throat with every shuddering breath; it was like breathing in million pieces of glass, scraping down her windpipe to slowly suffocate her. The discomfort of it was soon replaced by hot and thick liquid as blood flooded up to well under her tongue, washing out the said dust in temporary relief. She merely opened her cracked lips, letting trails of crimson slip down her chin and neck. Not fast enough—the bitter fluid backtracked into her throat. It took every conscious effort she had to resist the gag reflex, tensing up torn muscles and biting down on her tongue to keep from screaming. She couldn't afford to make a sound.
Not with the cyborgs so close.
The black haired one was still shooting the destructive lights, so relaxed, as if he was merely wiping dust off a cupboard and not demolishing buildings. The blond one stood by, commenting about heading north for more "fun".
Monsters. No—worse.
She could only watch from her little niche of rubble—not that she had any choice. They came so suddenly, so ruthlessly; she barely had time to brace herself as the building around her crumbled like a stack of matches. Blackness engulfed her—but not enough.
No. Mercy was denied, no gift of unconsciousness. She had to feel the heavy cinders crush her legs, tearing off flesh and skin. She was tossed out and skidded back to feel metal spikes pierce—hot fire burned please make it stop make the pain go away—through the side of her stomach and left shoulder blade just underneath her collar bone.
The shock of the pain kept her from screaming, announcing her position just a mere few meters away from them. Them. Her awareness barely surfaced through, commanding her not to make a sound. Not to draw attention.
But what use was silence? She was certainly dying.
kami the blood the pain I can't take must not make sound pain fire go please stop
Be killed? Die bleeding to death?
At one point the pain had solidified into pure agony; even the sensation of blood gushing out made her vision dance with mosaic spots. She wanted to scream, to call out—please kill me make it stop please I want to die kill me kill me make it stop—but she couldn't. She might have actually lost consciousness for that moment, just blinking the world and pain out for a glorious second. It was enough though. She wouldn't scream.
Videl Satan does not beg.
It had been tremendous effort to turn her head to the right, trying to figure out just where she had ended up. She was propped up, staked to a slab of concrete and half covered in concrete. She was fairly hidden, though, if the cyborgs were to just look around she would be found. She had a clear view of them, so close, too close.
She never saw them this close before. They looked so young. Her age? Younger?
The female one raised a finger behind and Videl barely had the time to catch the baker, Mr. Roll, become engulfed in flames. She couldn't even cry. It's not like she wouldn't be joining the friendly man soon after.
A golden flash. The black-haired one was suddenly sent crashing into the rubble on the other side. What—
It was a man. Dressed in and orange and blue gi with flames of pure gold radiating off his form. He landed, leg still raised from the kick, a few feet from her. She forgot to breathe, so spellbound by his entrance. Smoldering jade eyes upon a scarred face glared at the fallen cyborg, teeth clenched back in a snarl. She noticed almost immediately he was missing an arm. Was this marred warrior going to fight the cyborgs?
The one named Juunanagou stepped out from the pile of debris, unhurt. Inwardly she cursed the failed attack and took the moment to cough out the blood that had been choking her. None of them noticed, too engrossed in each other. She just finished spitting out the blood, earning a bolt of pain up her whole frame from the action, when the blazing man spoke.
"This time, I'm ready for you. It's your turn to lose."
The voice did something to her. Something to her—deeper, something to her soul. A ripple, a disturbance in her reality, something happened. Something will.
Something had.
"Our turn?" Juunanagou chuckled in full confidence, "Sorry to disappoint you, but…" he smirked, "I didn't even use half of my power last time."
"What…?" The warrior gasped out, shock and fear washing over his scarred features.
Kami, please, no.
Videl watched in desperation as, seconds after, the cyborg shot forward. The orange bandana clad youth blurred from her view and all she could see was the mysterious fighter's body—jerking from invisible fists, blood splurging from nearly every pore. It wasn't a fight. It was an execution.
She cried. Tears rolling down her cheeks clearing a path through the dirt and blood.
The man's glow disappeared, hair and eyes turning black. She wasn't surprised. She had known—expected—from the start that they were black. Endless black. How? She didn't know, didn't want to. The cyborg held his limp body up by the front of his gi, an arm drawn back to deliver a final blow. The man's head lolled on his shoulders to face her. Eye to eye. Black to blue.
She cried.
His eyes.
It was him.
She never in her 23 years had she fell in love. Never had the chance. Never met him. Yes. This man she never met before—was him. That part of your soul that every person has. The one you would know upon first meetings that would be the one you'd grow old with. She knew it like she knew her name. It wasn't a wish, wasn't hopeful last thoughts—it was a fact.
She loved him then.
Loved the stranger she just seen minutes ago so much that it hurt. It hurt more than her injuries, squeezing her heart and soul in merciless claws. Tears poured even faster—despair, pain, love, and indescribable emotions flooding to her very core—I love him so much I love him—
"… Stop…"
It was barely a whisper. Not even able to reach her own ears.
"… Please…"
Videl Satan does not beg. But she would. She would do anything for him.
And he knew.
In those split-seconds just before she could raise her voice louder to plead, his black orbs gave out such emotion that it was like he verbally barked at her. They reached out and held her in phantom arms, silencing her in one breath.
Don't, they said. Please don't. Don't let them find you.
Every moment is worth it. Every dying breath.
So she didn't. Just watching as the cyborg plunged a hand through his chest and let go. His eyes never left hers, not even as his body fell back to the dusty ground, blood splashing to create a dark red deathbed. He was still breathing, still alive—hanging on—for her.
every dying breath every second every moment i love you don't leave me not yet
Then were they alone—the last ones still alive in the area. They could be the last ones alive on earth for all they cared. They—they—were all that mattered.
Her life steadily flowed as did his, streaming out in sync with every quivering heartbeat. Only spider threads held them to the world; thin, fragile, threads.
i won't leave you not yet stay with me i love you
They known each other. Touched, laughed, cried, fought—loved. Somewhere else. Another time. Another place. They knew. It was so clear, in reach, tangible.
Warm, secure, safe, the best feelings—ecstasy. His scent, her touch, skin to skin never to let go. Peace and content, wrapping them in a blanket of euphoria. Her lips moved against his neck, like fluttering butterflies, sending webs of pleasure down his spine.
You'll never leave me right, Gohan?
His chest rumbled against hers, vibrating like a purr. Strong arms—inhumanly strong arms—embraced her delicate frame even closer without harming a hair on her skin.
I promise, I swear. I'll be here; I'll never leave you, Videl.
I love you.
I love you.
They both saw it, felt it. It was all they needed; their lives were completed in the last seconds. Even though they never touched each other, never even spoke, they were closer than they ever could be. Nothing could bring them closer then death. Nothing.
And the threads broke.
Close your eyes, Videl.
She did, smiling as he coaxed her to rest her exhausted body.
Will you be there when I open them?
He brushed his lips against hers, sealing the promise by crying out with his soul. Across time. Across space. He would never let her go.
Always. No matter what or when. I'll be there when you open your eyes.
What if I never open them again? What if I open them in another—different—place, Gohan?
I'll still be there.
Likewise.
She sealed her promise with a kiss as well,
pouring her very existence, engraving her soul to his. Across time. Across
space. She would never leave him.
Closer. Hold me closer. Never let me go.
I'll be there when you open your eyes.
So close them.
Close your eyes.
I'll be there.
I love you.
I love you.
Close your eyes.
Ann's notes: I'm taking a little break from Veritas so don't kill
me just yet! You know, I think I spent too much time with Sage. It's actually
hers and ShaggyDiz's faults AGAIN. The two of them been writing out these
angsty one-shots so I said, "Guess it's—my turn?" Sage killed off Gohan
in her The Reason Why and Fred killed off Videl in Anniversary
of an Uninteresting Event—so it was natural for me to take what's left
and kill them both off in mine (based on the manga once again).
We do expect Mike (PsYChO) to pick up after me and do something like killing
off everyone but Gohan and Videl *not so subtly nudges Mike*.
Speaking of the guys, Courtney (sage) and I had the time of our lives proving that men are mentally inferior to women. The girls (us) have been using a standard e-mail option called "reply all" when sending group e-mails. The guys—well, time for some quotes!
Fred : Oh, so there's a "reply ALL" button, huh?
Mike : Dude, there's a 'REPLY ALL' button!!! Man, to think, all this time I was copy pasting you people's e-mail address like a jackass.
And then a few e-mails later:
Fred : Dude... Mike, they'll never live down this 'reply all' button thing. I'm surprised they didn't use it for the very recent update they had, though they might do it for their individual stories. The male species will never be the same again because of us.
You couldn't have said it better, Fred.