Chapter 13: Wounded Hunter
or "A Wolf's Head Can Still Bite After It's Been Removed"
The sound of the clock striking one reverberated throughout the hall.
Two hours. It had been two hours since Goten had seen Kari rush outside to the balcony; she hadn't returned. A feeling of alarm was mushrooming inside of him as he began to scan the room once more for her familiar face. She was nowhere to be seen.
He knew she had needed to be left alone so she could calm down, but two hours was far too much time to just stop crying and regain composure. Something was wrong, and Goten had the sinking feeling that she was in real trouble. Apologizing, he left Akane in search of Trunks. Between the two of them, they could find her very quickly and, hopefully, ebb his worries.
"Trunks! Hey," Goten greeted as he approached his best friend. Trunks was sitting at a table covered in a white tablecloth, next to one of the glistening bay windows. "You haven't seen Kari by any chance, have you?"
"No, why? Is something wrong?" Trunks asked cautiously, noting the worried expression on Goten's face.
"Well, it's been two hours since she went outside.I know she was hurting badly, but that's enough time to have gone to a psychiatrist and back! I have this feeling that something's just not right," he explained anxiously, furtively searching the room.
Trunks' cobalt eyes widened and his face grew pale; he hadn't realized how much time had passed since Kari had left. Now, he was beginning to grow increasingly frantic and a feeling of foreboding settled over the two. Suddenly, Trunks thought of something and intently began scanning the crowd. Noticing his friend's darting gaze, Goten inquired who he was looking for. "Kari's not here. Who else would you want to find?"
"If the person I'm looking for isn't here, then I will really start to panic," Trunks replied, still examining the sea of bobbing heads.
"Who in the he...Oh, Kami!" Goten exclaimed as realization dawned on him. "I don't see..." he started, leaving the sentence unfinished.
They both looked at each other and nodded, heading straight for the balcony doors. "You take the woods, I'll look around here. We'll meet back in an hour," Trunks commanded, his tone shifting from melancholy to authoritative. The time for playing games was over, and Trunks hoped against hope that his assumption was wrong. Oh Kami, please...
* * * *
Goten had been searching for nearly forty-five minutes without result and was about ready to move on to a new part of the woods. But after no more than ten paces into his fresh course, he spotted something shimmering on the ground at his feet. He looked around at the deserted forest. There was only absolute silence; no living thing stirred, chirped, rustled, or moved, and the wind was still. The only thing he spotted was a clearing about a half-mile from his position.
Picking up the sparkling object, he began examining it. He felt his heart drop from his chest, and all the color promptly drained from his face.
It was a silver necklace composed of two interlocking circles and a gleaming sapphire in the between them. The clasp was broken and the chain torn in two. Pocketing the necklace, he followed his instincts and took off for the clearing ahead as fast as he could fly, defying all known laws of science.
* * * *
He found her lying on the dew-laden grass under an oak tree, curled up in a tight ball. Her dress was torn in several places, her hair was tousled around, but the one thing his eyes were drawn to was the large gash on her arm. It was covered in dried blood as well as fresh. She appeared to be unconscious, but he walked over to her body and gently uncurled her. He attempted to bandage her wound as best he could with a torn piece of his sleeve. He hugged her to him tightly, afraid that if he released her whatever attacked her would re-appear from the shadows and strike again.
After about ten minutes, she finally regained consciousness, moaning as her eyes fluttered open. Her head was in a whirlwind of pain and confusion, but at the realization of being in someone's arms, she jerked and jumped up, scrambling back towards the tree and screaming for her assailant to stay back. Goten tried to calm her down, confused as to why she didn't recognize him, but her reaction only strengthened his fear; something horrible had happened to her, at someone else's hands.
"Kari, it's me, Goten. Come here, I only want to help you. You need a doctor and I need to get you back. Everyone's worried about you, especially Trunks," he coaxed, talking to her the way he would a frightened child.
At the mention of Trunks' name, Kari ceased her shaking and slowly unwrapped her arms from around her legs, as the memories of the past year came back to her in an instant. "Go...Goten," she stammered, taking in the worried face of one of her best friends. "I...I...he..." she fumbled, struggling to find the words to explain her situation. She began breathing faster.
"Sh, it's okay. Calm down. I'm here. Breathe," Goten soothed as he gathered her into his arms. She stopped her sudden, quick breaths and regained a stable breathing pattern as he stroked her hair and gently rocked her back and forth. "Now, tell me what happened after you ran out here. I saw what happened inside, so you don't need to explain that," he informed her in a compassionate tone. "But what happened when you got out here? How did you end up in the middle of the woods?"
She took a deep breath and settled into an Indian-style sitting position across from him, hugging her arms to her body. His eyes were full of understanding and kindness as she recounted what had followed her out into the darkness.
* * * *
She burst outside into the cool, fresh night air. Hot tears were streaming down her face as she slowly made her way over to the balcony and gripped the marble handrails to steady herself. As she gazed forlornly out over the vibrant garden and lush woods, fresh tears started down her face, rolling off her cheek and landing silently on the roses far below. She put her face to her hands and began to sob out loud, thankful that she was alone.
She jumped at the sudden weight of a hand on her shoulder. She turned to recognize Yamora's face, a concerned gaze penetrating her hate. Crying anew, she threw herself into his open arms, not caring that this was the man who had made her life a living hell for the past three years. At that moment, it seemed as if the only one that cared at all for her was Yamora; obviously the man she loved didn't love her in return. Besides, Yamora was the only one that seemed to care enough to follow her outside. He wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair lovingly as she sobbed into his shoulder.
Yamora knew precisely what had just happened, and things couldn't have worked out better had he planned them himself. All that was left was for her to trust him.
"It hurts, ne?" he whispered into her hair. "I told you that guy was nothing but trouble, and now look what he's done. He's hurt you, because he doesn't care for you the way you care for him. But I love you, Kari, and I'm here if you want to talk. Let's go for a walk, and you can talk to me for as long as you like," Yamora murmured quietly. Kari nodded her consent, and the two made their way down the marble steps towards the woods. She needed someone to listen to her, and at that instant he was the only one in the whole world who seemed willing to speak and commiserate with her.
* * * *
The soft chirping of crickets was the only audible sound as the two made their way deeper into the woods. Even though they were walking in silence, it relaxed Kari to be in the arms of someone who was concerned for her; it gave her a sense of peace and warmth.
Another wave of dizziness suddenly overtook her and she stumbled, but Yamora was there to catch her before she fell. As she looked up, she noticed they had come to a clearing in the middle of the woods. He led her over to the opposite side of the clearing and set her down next to him on the soft grass. The dizziness was more persistent now, and Kari felt as if she were about to faint. Something began tugging at her, something about the situation she was in.
"Are you okay, Kari?" Yamora asked, feigning a fretful tone. It's only a matter of time now...he gloated as he grinned inwardly.
"Yes, it'll pass. Arigatou, Yamora, for helping me. I really need someone to talk to right now. Thanks for being here," Kari said, steadying her head with her hand.
"I'll always be there for you Kari. And especially now," he said, a malevolent smile beginning to play at the corners of his mouth, "that you're pregnant."
He laughed at the shocked expression on her face as she stammered, "I...I'm not...pregnant, Yamora." Something was wrong. That look on his face was no longer the look of an empathizing friend. It was evil.
"Oh, you're not? Well, you soon will be then," he laughed as he pinned her to the ground. The drugs should be taking full effect in a matter of minutes; it wasn't easy to knock out one of the most powerful people in the universe. But he could soon have his way with her.
"What?! Yamora, what are you doing?" Kari screeched, her voice turning to panic as the realization of what was happening hit her full force.
"You'll find out soon enough. Or maybe not, because...oh yes, you'll be unconscious," he smiled maliciously. He was finally going to get his revenge; his plan was finally going to be carried out! Barely able to contain his twisted joy, he began undoing her zipper.
Kari's eyes grew wide as she realized what had happened: he had drugged her drink. How could she be so stupid?! However, despite the fact that the drugs were starting to take effect, she still had some fight in her. Rage was a potent source of energy.
"I'll be damned if you're going to get your way!" she screamed at him, flipping him over her with her leg. She scrambled up, but soon collapsed back to the ground as the waves of nausea overtook her. No, she couldn't lose this fight, not even if she was on the verge of unconsciousness!
Yamora shook his head as he pulled himself back up. He hadn't expected her to be so strong under the influence of the drugs, but he realized it made little difference as he saw her on the ground. She was struggling just to stand up! He began to advance toward her. It would do just as well if he were the cause of her unconsciousness instead of the drugs...
* * * *
Kari coughed and heaved as he threw her against a tree, her lacerated arm bleeding anew. She couldn't take much more of this, the drugs were almost at their full effect, and he was still advancing. Realizing she was fighting against time itself, she picked herself up and prepared an attack that would send him flying on a one-way trip to unconsciousness. I hope.
Cupping her hands at her side, she formed a glowing, aqua sphere in her palms that would certainly knock him out. She didn't have enough strength to kill him. He saw the energy forming and tried to attack, but she let her hands fly and the now huge sphere launched itself at Yamora, hitting him square in the chest and rendering him comatose upon impact.
Knowing that she couldn't just leave him there with her when she fell cataleptic, she staggered over to where his body lay. Using the last of her remaining strength, she pointed a finger at his body, then raised her hand and pointed her finger towards the distance. His body floated up in the air and flew in the direction she was pointing, leaving her alone in the clearing. No longer able to withstand the power of the drugs, Kari collapsed into a tight ball under an oak tree, welcoming the oncoming waves of unconsciousness with tears streaming down her face once more.
* * * *
Goten listened to her story in complete silence, and wrapped his arms around her when she finished. He knew she felt betrayed and dirty. A deep anger began building up inside of him as she sobbed. That bastard's going to pay dearly, Goten swore to himself as he stroked her back and let her cry into his shoulder. However, he felt there was something she wasn't telling him. She had finished her story very quickly.
Gently, he asked her, "Did anything else happen? Did he say or do anything else, Kari?"
"Actually," she mumbled through her tears, "he did say something that scares me even more than what he did."
"What did he say?" Goten asked, wondering what else could go wrong.
"Right before I knocked him unconscious, he said 'The Tsunias will reign! The Arquinians are finished.'
"Goten," she said as she looked him straight in the eye, "I never told him I was an Arquinian. The only way he could know about the Tsunias and the Arquinians would be if he were a Tsunian himself."
* * * *
Goten flew back towards the balcony as fast as he could, Kari in his arms. He laughed darkly as he realized his uneasy feeling about Yamora's presence at the party was well justified. He had been right, twice in one night.
As the two landed on the marbled balcony, Goten carried her over to a stone bench and gently set her down. "I'm going to go find Trunks and a doctor for your arm, okay? Stay right here."
He turned to leave, and if he had not looked back at her one last time he would have missed the bitter expression on her face at the mention of Trunks' name. "Kari," he said as she looked up, "I hope you know that there are many people who love you. I care about you very much; I want you to know that. Trunks does, as well. And he loves you a lot more than what you're giving him credit for," he finished with a smile and was gone.
or "A Wolf's Head Can Still Bite After It's Been Removed"
The sound of the clock striking one reverberated throughout the hall.
Two hours. It had been two hours since Goten had seen Kari rush outside to the balcony; she hadn't returned. A feeling of alarm was mushrooming inside of him as he began to scan the room once more for her familiar face. She was nowhere to be seen.
He knew she had needed to be left alone so she could calm down, but two hours was far too much time to just stop crying and regain composure. Something was wrong, and Goten had the sinking feeling that she was in real trouble. Apologizing, he left Akane in search of Trunks. Between the two of them, they could find her very quickly and, hopefully, ebb his worries.
"Trunks! Hey," Goten greeted as he approached his best friend. Trunks was sitting at a table covered in a white tablecloth, next to one of the glistening bay windows. "You haven't seen Kari by any chance, have you?"
"No, why? Is something wrong?" Trunks asked cautiously, noting the worried expression on Goten's face.
"Well, it's been two hours since she went outside.I know she was hurting badly, but that's enough time to have gone to a psychiatrist and back! I have this feeling that something's just not right," he explained anxiously, furtively searching the room.
Trunks' cobalt eyes widened and his face grew pale; he hadn't realized how much time had passed since Kari had left. Now, he was beginning to grow increasingly frantic and a feeling of foreboding settled over the two. Suddenly, Trunks thought of something and intently began scanning the crowd. Noticing his friend's darting gaze, Goten inquired who he was looking for. "Kari's not here. Who else would you want to find?"
"If the person I'm looking for isn't here, then I will really start to panic," Trunks replied, still examining the sea of bobbing heads.
"Who in the he...Oh, Kami!" Goten exclaimed as realization dawned on him. "I don't see..." he started, leaving the sentence unfinished.
They both looked at each other and nodded, heading straight for the balcony doors. "You take the woods, I'll look around here. We'll meet back in an hour," Trunks commanded, his tone shifting from melancholy to authoritative. The time for playing games was over, and Trunks hoped against hope that his assumption was wrong. Oh Kami, please...
* * * *
Goten had been searching for nearly forty-five minutes without result and was about ready to move on to a new part of the woods. But after no more than ten paces into his fresh course, he spotted something shimmering on the ground at his feet. He looked around at the deserted forest. There was only absolute silence; no living thing stirred, chirped, rustled, or moved, and the wind was still. The only thing he spotted was a clearing about a half-mile from his position.
Picking up the sparkling object, he began examining it. He felt his heart drop from his chest, and all the color promptly drained from his face.
It was a silver necklace composed of two interlocking circles and a gleaming sapphire in the between them. The clasp was broken and the chain torn in two. Pocketing the necklace, he followed his instincts and took off for the clearing ahead as fast as he could fly, defying all known laws of science.
* * * *
He found her lying on the dew-laden grass under an oak tree, curled up in a tight ball. Her dress was torn in several places, her hair was tousled around, but the one thing his eyes were drawn to was the large gash on her arm. It was covered in dried blood as well as fresh. She appeared to be unconscious, but he walked over to her body and gently uncurled her. He attempted to bandage her wound as best he could with a torn piece of his sleeve. He hugged her to him tightly, afraid that if he released her whatever attacked her would re-appear from the shadows and strike again.
After about ten minutes, she finally regained consciousness, moaning as her eyes fluttered open. Her head was in a whirlwind of pain and confusion, but at the realization of being in someone's arms, she jerked and jumped up, scrambling back towards the tree and screaming for her assailant to stay back. Goten tried to calm her down, confused as to why she didn't recognize him, but her reaction only strengthened his fear; something horrible had happened to her, at someone else's hands.
"Kari, it's me, Goten. Come here, I only want to help you. You need a doctor and I need to get you back. Everyone's worried about you, especially Trunks," he coaxed, talking to her the way he would a frightened child.
At the mention of Trunks' name, Kari ceased her shaking and slowly unwrapped her arms from around her legs, as the memories of the past year came back to her in an instant. "Go...Goten," she stammered, taking in the worried face of one of her best friends. "I...I...he..." she fumbled, struggling to find the words to explain her situation. She began breathing faster.
"Sh, it's okay. Calm down. I'm here. Breathe," Goten soothed as he gathered her into his arms. She stopped her sudden, quick breaths and regained a stable breathing pattern as he stroked her hair and gently rocked her back and forth. "Now, tell me what happened after you ran out here. I saw what happened inside, so you don't need to explain that," he informed her in a compassionate tone. "But what happened when you got out here? How did you end up in the middle of the woods?"
She took a deep breath and settled into an Indian-style sitting position across from him, hugging her arms to her body. His eyes were full of understanding and kindness as she recounted what had followed her out into the darkness.
* * * *
She burst outside into the cool, fresh night air. Hot tears were streaming down her face as she slowly made her way over to the balcony and gripped the marble handrails to steady herself. As she gazed forlornly out over the vibrant garden and lush woods, fresh tears started down her face, rolling off her cheek and landing silently on the roses far below. She put her face to her hands and began to sob out loud, thankful that she was alone.
She jumped at the sudden weight of a hand on her shoulder. She turned to recognize Yamora's face, a concerned gaze penetrating her hate. Crying anew, she threw herself into his open arms, not caring that this was the man who had made her life a living hell for the past three years. At that moment, it seemed as if the only one that cared at all for her was Yamora; obviously the man she loved didn't love her in return. Besides, Yamora was the only one that seemed to care enough to follow her outside. He wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair lovingly as she sobbed into his shoulder.
Yamora knew precisely what had just happened, and things couldn't have worked out better had he planned them himself. All that was left was for her to trust him.
"It hurts, ne?" he whispered into her hair. "I told you that guy was nothing but trouble, and now look what he's done. He's hurt you, because he doesn't care for you the way you care for him. But I love you, Kari, and I'm here if you want to talk. Let's go for a walk, and you can talk to me for as long as you like," Yamora murmured quietly. Kari nodded her consent, and the two made their way down the marble steps towards the woods. She needed someone to listen to her, and at that instant he was the only one in the whole world who seemed willing to speak and commiserate with her.
* * * *
The soft chirping of crickets was the only audible sound as the two made their way deeper into the woods. Even though they were walking in silence, it relaxed Kari to be in the arms of someone who was concerned for her; it gave her a sense of peace and warmth.
Another wave of dizziness suddenly overtook her and she stumbled, but Yamora was there to catch her before she fell. As she looked up, she noticed they had come to a clearing in the middle of the woods. He led her over to the opposite side of the clearing and set her down next to him on the soft grass. The dizziness was more persistent now, and Kari felt as if she were about to faint. Something began tugging at her, something about the situation she was in.
"Are you okay, Kari?" Yamora asked, feigning a fretful tone. It's only a matter of time now...he gloated as he grinned inwardly.
"Yes, it'll pass. Arigatou, Yamora, for helping me. I really need someone to talk to right now. Thanks for being here," Kari said, steadying her head with her hand.
"I'll always be there for you Kari. And especially now," he said, a malevolent smile beginning to play at the corners of his mouth, "that you're pregnant."
He laughed at the shocked expression on her face as she stammered, "I...I'm not...pregnant, Yamora." Something was wrong. That look on his face was no longer the look of an empathizing friend. It was evil.
"Oh, you're not? Well, you soon will be then," he laughed as he pinned her to the ground. The drugs should be taking full effect in a matter of minutes; it wasn't easy to knock out one of the most powerful people in the universe. But he could soon have his way with her.
"What?! Yamora, what are you doing?" Kari screeched, her voice turning to panic as the realization of what was happening hit her full force.
"You'll find out soon enough. Or maybe not, because...oh yes, you'll be unconscious," he smiled maliciously. He was finally going to get his revenge; his plan was finally going to be carried out! Barely able to contain his twisted joy, he began undoing her zipper.
Kari's eyes grew wide as she realized what had happened: he had drugged her drink. How could she be so stupid?! However, despite the fact that the drugs were starting to take effect, she still had some fight in her. Rage was a potent source of energy.
"I'll be damned if you're going to get your way!" she screamed at him, flipping him over her with her leg. She scrambled up, but soon collapsed back to the ground as the waves of nausea overtook her. No, she couldn't lose this fight, not even if she was on the verge of unconsciousness!
Yamora shook his head as he pulled himself back up. He hadn't expected her to be so strong under the influence of the drugs, but he realized it made little difference as he saw her on the ground. She was struggling just to stand up! He began to advance toward her. It would do just as well if he were the cause of her unconsciousness instead of the drugs...
* * * *
Kari coughed and heaved as he threw her against a tree, her lacerated arm bleeding anew. She couldn't take much more of this, the drugs were almost at their full effect, and he was still advancing. Realizing she was fighting against time itself, she picked herself up and prepared an attack that would send him flying on a one-way trip to unconsciousness. I hope.
Cupping her hands at her side, she formed a glowing, aqua sphere in her palms that would certainly knock him out. She didn't have enough strength to kill him. He saw the energy forming and tried to attack, but she let her hands fly and the now huge sphere launched itself at Yamora, hitting him square in the chest and rendering him comatose upon impact.
Knowing that she couldn't just leave him there with her when she fell cataleptic, she staggered over to where his body lay. Using the last of her remaining strength, she pointed a finger at his body, then raised her hand and pointed her finger towards the distance. His body floated up in the air and flew in the direction she was pointing, leaving her alone in the clearing. No longer able to withstand the power of the drugs, Kari collapsed into a tight ball under an oak tree, welcoming the oncoming waves of unconsciousness with tears streaming down her face once more.
* * * *
Goten listened to her story in complete silence, and wrapped his arms around her when she finished. He knew she felt betrayed and dirty. A deep anger began building up inside of him as she sobbed. That bastard's going to pay dearly, Goten swore to himself as he stroked her back and let her cry into his shoulder. However, he felt there was something she wasn't telling him. She had finished her story very quickly.
Gently, he asked her, "Did anything else happen? Did he say or do anything else, Kari?"
"Actually," she mumbled through her tears, "he did say something that scares me even more than what he did."
"What did he say?" Goten asked, wondering what else could go wrong.
"Right before I knocked him unconscious, he said 'The Tsunias will reign! The Arquinians are finished.'
"Goten," she said as she looked him straight in the eye, "I never told him I was an Arquinian. The only way he could know about the Tsunias and the Arquinians would be if he were a Tsunian himself."
* * * *
Goten flew back towards the balcony as fast as he could, Kari in his arms. He laughed darkly as he realized his uneasy feeling about Yamora's presence at the party was well justified. He had been right, twice in one night.
As the two landed on the marbled balcony, Goten carried her over to a stone bench and gently set her down. "I'm going to go find Trunks and a doctor for your arm, okay? Stay right here."
He turned to leave, and if he had not looked back at her one last time he would have missed the bitter expression on her face at the mention of Trunks' name. "Kari," he said as she looked up, "I hope you know that there are many people who love you. I care about you very much; I want you to know that. Trunks does, as well. And he loves you a lot more than what you're giving him credit for," he finished with a smile and was gone.