Chapter 17: Someday
"Mmm...," Kari moaned as her eyelids struggled, fluttering open. Her head was pounding and she felt sore all over. Had she just been hit by a subway train? After lifting her hand to her head to try and keep the room from spinning, she attempted to sit up. A strong hand gently pushed her back down to the bed, forcing her to lie down. She tilted her head to trace the arm back to its owner and found herself gazing into the warmest pair of cobalt eyes she had ever seen. Trunks.
"You really shouldn't try to sit up. After what you did, you'll be lucky to be out of bed in a week," he said, smiling down at her tenderly. He was sitting beside her bed on one of the many plush chairs in the room, just as he had been for the past three days.
"What I...did?" Kari wondered aloud. Then it all came back to her: Yamora and his monster, Vegita laying defenseless on the ground, the energy attack, her own transformation of power, and the silence that followed. "Oh. I guess I almost forgot," she said weakly, returning his gaze in kind.
"You saved us all, Kari, especially my father. Thank you," Trunks whispered in her ear, then tilted her chin up to his face and gently kissed her.
As the two parted and embraced each other, Vegita and Bulma entered the room bringing cold washcloths and food. Actually, Bulma carried everything while Vegita stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He cast an irritated gaze in Kari's direction. "Hmph, I didn't need any saving. I was prepared to die a warrior's death. Why the hell did you interfere like that?" Vegita snapped harshly, though no sign of disdain could be seen in his eyes.
"It didn't look to me like you want to die very much," Kari said with her usual smile. "Besides, Trunks needs a father, Bulma needs a husband, and everyone else needs an arrogant prince."
"Hmph," was Vegita's only reply as he left the room, leaving Bulma to fuss over Kari's bandages and offer her some food. After Bulma finished administering her treatments and left, a familiar voice could be heard resounding in the hall.
"Where is the savior of the universe? Still in bed, I see," Goten greeted loudly as he came striding in through the door, carrying a bouquet of orchids. "How's my girl doing?" he asked as he sat down on the bed next to her, giving her a large bear hug.
"Alright, I suppose, except for this feeling like someone is smashing me upside the head with a hammer," Kari replied good-naturedly, taking the flowers.
"I'm not surprised! I mean, after the way you powered up and clobbered that Tsunian wanna-be warrior…" Goten laughed. "At least he's gone now, so you don't have to worry about him anymore. Now you can finally enjoy life!"
"Yes, that's....," Kari started, then froze. No, God no! she cursed. Why?
Kensuke. She had almost forgotten about Yamora's brother who was still waiting on Tsunia, prepared to destroy her people. Without her there to protect them and lead them, they wouldn't stand a chance against another Tsunian attack. The last war had wiped out the majority of their main forces, and the planet was still recovering…
"Kari? Are you okay?" Trunks asked, the panic evident in his voice. He saw the horrified expression spreading across her face. It looked as if a ghost had just whispered in her ear.
"No, it can't be. Damnit!" she cursed aloud.
"What? What's wrong?" Trunks continued to plead.
She had to tell them. She gazed at the floor, not wanting to look into his eyes. She wouldn't be able to say what she needed to say if she became ensared in those eyes. "Kensuke," she whispered quietly.
"Who?" Goten queried. The name sounded strangely familiar…
"Do you remember when Yamora and Gheno first appeared, Trunks? And I asked him what my purpose was in his little twisted machinations? He said he and his brother were going to conquer Arquinia through the bloodline by forcing me to conceive a child with Yamora. And he said when I refused, they decided to follow through with their other plan: annihilate my friends and I using Gheno, and conquer Arquinia by force. He said his brother, Kensuke, was on Tsunia waiting for the right time to attack. Yamora said his time limit was running out, so the time to attack must be soon. And I only destroyed Yamora...."
"....Which means Kensuke is still on Tsunia, waiting to make his move with the warriors," Trunks finished slowly, his expression falling. He had completely forgotten about Kensuke and his plans to conquer Kari's people.
"I'm the only one who can stop him. The planet is still recuperating from the last war with Tsunia, and the army is nowhere near strong enough to defeat Kensuke. I can't allow what happened to my family to happen again," Kari explained, her voice taking on a tone more suited to convince herself, more than anybody else, of what she had to do. "So that means..."
"You have to go back," Trunks finished in a deadpan voice. The lethal blow he had been waiting for was finally dealt. He felt his heart drop from his chest, shattering like crystal at his feet, his stomach clenched into knots. She was leaving. There was no other choice.
"No! You can't leave, Kari! What about us? What about Trunks!?" Goten exclaimed, verbalizing the despair that had suddenly saturated the air around the trio. "You can't just leave us here! We're coming with you, we can help!"
"No, you can't. It's not your fight to fight, and I don't think you would be strong enough to stand against Kensuke. He is the leader of the Tsunian forces, and more powerful than Yamora. And I did not save you just so I could see you die," she averred. "This is something I have to do on my own. I'm sorry." She lowered her head for fear the tears would spill over and drown them all.
"I understand. You have to do it," Trunks said, straining his voice to keep his emotions from overwhelming him.
"Yes. I have to go back," Kari stated verily, although her face betrayed her true sentiment. Her heart was shattering into a thousand tearful pieces, and there was nothing she could do about it. There was no other choice. But, if it's the right thing to do, why does it hurt so badly?
* * * *
"We're all going to miss you a lot, Kari. You were a great warrior, even though you couldn't eat as much as the rest of us Saiyans," Goku smiled. "Come back sometime, ne? Take care of yourself."
"I will, Goku-san. Thank you. It was great getting to meet the preeminent warrior in the universe in person," Kari said, shaking his hand.
"You've got to be a strong person to be able to put up with my brother. I respect you," Gohan laughed. "I hope everything works out for you, Kari."
"Me, too. Thank you, Gohan," she said as she shook his hand. She then turned to the boys' mother. "Thank you for the wonderful cooking, Chi Chi. I bet I'll never have a better meal."
"Oh, you're so welcome, Kari. Come back anytime. I'll be happy to cook for you again!" the sobbing woman replied, holding up her handkerchief to her eyes.
Kari thanked the Son's again and they headed inside Capsule Corp. before Chi Chi completely broke down. She then turned to Bulma, Vegita, Bra, Goten and Trunks. "Arigatou, for everything, Bulma. It was nice of you to repair my ship. I'll come back and visit," Kari said as she hugged the older woman. It was more than difficult to say good-bye to the woman who had come to mean so much to her. "You've been the mother I never had," Kari whispered.
"Thank you so much, Kari. You know I'd help you anytime. Have a safe trip, and if you ever run into any trouble remember we're right here," Bulma replied, tears streaming down her face.
"I will. And thank you, Vegita, for putting up with me and my weakling ways," Kari said smiling. "I promise I won't call in any favors for saving your life."
"Hmph, don't expect a thank you from me!" Vegita grumped haughtily. He then focused his gaze on something beyond Kari's shoulder as he mumbled, "You fight well. Don't get killed." Looking around at everyone's surprised faces he quickly added, "It's not everyday you encounter a warrior of great strength on this puny planet! I'd like to see the opportunity to defeat her myself!"
They left then, knowing that the trio of friends wanted their privacy together. Bulma, Vegita, and Bra headed inside Capsule Corp. to join the others, all of them sensing the tension in the situation. Now came the hardest good-byes of all, and Kari wished with all her might that she didn't have to do this.
She turned to face her best friends, and the one she loved so deeply. I don't think I can do this, she thought. How could she say good-bye to the people that cared most for her without a guarantee that she would ever see them again? She didn't know how the battle with Kensuke would end. She may defeat him but she could also die in the fight. This may be the last time she would ever see either of them. That thought scared her more than anything, and she knew they sensed the uncertain truth of the situation.
Goten spoke first. "So, you're really leaving. I'm really going to miss you, Kar. Life won't be the same without you here to kick my ass in sparring," he said, laughing shakily. This was the first time he wasn't even able to fake a laugh. Perhaps that was because he felt more like crying.
"Yes, I guess I am. I'm so sorry, Goten. I'll miss you so much…I don't think you know," Kari said, her voice trembling. Why must we say good-bye?
"It's not fair," Goten said through clenched teeth. "But I know you'll kick Kensuke's ass. Promise you'll come back?" Goten said, barely able to keep his voice from shaking.
"I can't do that, Goten. You know I can't. This...this may be good-bye...for good," Kari said, unable to keep the tears back any longer. She rushed forward into his open arms and hugged him fiercely.
"I know. I was just....hoping that you might have changed your mind," Goten said, the tears beginning to fall down his cheeks and clench his throat.
"Thanks for everything, Goten. Especially...that horrific night," she said, referring to the night of the ball. "Thank you so much."
"Hey, no...problem. Here, I have something for you," he said, reaching into his pocket to retrieve something he found that night. He withdrew a silver necklace with two interlocking rings and an iridescent sapphire in between them. Her family crest. "I found it that night in the woods. It was broken, so I had it repaired for you. I know how much it means to you."
"Thank you, Goten. This means more than you know," Kari said, fastening the necklace around her neck and kissing him on the cheek. "Good-bye."
"Good-bye, Kari. I'll always be here if you need me," Goten said. He kissed her on the forehead and hugged her one last time, then headed inside, leaving her with Trunks. He lifted his sleeve to his eyes to wipe the tears that were now coming down in waterfalls.
Kari wiped her eyes and turned to face the good-bye she had been dreading all this time. There was so much she wanted to say, but knew she would be unable to speak once she looked into his eyes. The tears welled up once more as she fell into his open arms, holding him tightly, never wanting to let go. "Trunks, I...I...," she stammered, not knowing what to say to him. She never did know what to say when it came to him.
"Shh, I know," was all he said as he wrapped his arms around her and began to sway back and forth. "We never finished our dance. I want to do that before... you..." he said, but was unable to finish because of the tears streaming down his face.
And so the couple stood in front of Kari's ship, locked in each other's arms, gently swaying back and forth in the breeze to their own silent music. Kari wrapped her arms tighter around him as the tears rapidly poured down her hot cheeks. She felt glowing warmth on her chest, and knew it was her necklace, gleaming beneath her shirt. She had finally found the one she was destined to love, only to lose him moments later. What a destiny.
Trunks pulled her tighter against him, not wanting to release her, ever. He had fallen so deeply in love; he would wait until time's end for her return. But he didn't want her to leave at all. He wanted her to stay on Earth, with him, from now until forever. But she had to go. His throat was clenched shut, his stomach was in knots, and his eyes were wet with shed and unshed tears. Why does it have to be this way? he pleaded desperately.
Slowly, the two parted as their hushed melody ended. It was time.
"Promise you'll come back, for me?" Trunks whispered.
"I promise, for you. I love you, Trunks," Kari said, her throat rapidly closing up. "Here, I want you to have this. It glows whenever the one you love is near," she said, handing him her necklace. "I want you to keep it for me, until I return."
"Kari, I love you," he told her, tilting her chin up to met his, kissing her deeply, both tasting the salt from their tears.
"Will you wait for me?" she asked, pulling back.
"I'll wait for as long as it takes," he promised, leaning down to kiss her again. "Good-bye, Kari."
"Good-bye, Trunks. I'll be looking back at you whenever you turn your eyes to the stars," she replied, embracing him one last time before turning and racing into her ship. As she closed the door, she took one last look through the window at him, and she remembered the first night they had met. A tear slid down her cheek and fell from her face to the floor, splattering into thousands of tiny droplets.
She lifted off, and was gone.
Trunks watched her ship fly high into the night sky, like a shooting star racing through the atmosphere, and looked at her necklace in his shaking palm. The glowing light of the sapphire was slowly fading with every second she flew farther out into space. Evemtually, it ceased its glow altogether. He gazed up at the night sky and saw the light from her ship was no longer visible. Collapsing to the ground in grief, he began shaking with uncontrollable tears. He felt as if a part of himself had been ripped away, leaving an empty, aching void in its place. But as long as she was out there, he would wait for her to return. Nothing could come between them, not even death. That was something that would never and could never be changed.
And he knew somehow that it was not good-bye forever. Just for now.
I knew that this moment would come in time
That I'd have to let go and watch you fly
I know you're coming back so why am I dying inside
Are you searching for words that you can't find
Trying to hide your emotions but eyes don't lie
Guess there's no easy way to say goodbye
So I'll be standing at the edge of the earth
Hoping that someday you'll come back again
I'll be standing at the edge of the earth hoping for someday
Don't misunderstand what I'm trying to say
I don't want to let you leave this way
I want you to know that I stand right by your side
And I know this may be
The very last time that we see each other cry
But whatever happens know that I'll...
I'll be standing at the edge of the earth
Hoping that one day you'll come back again
I'll be standing at the edge of the earth hoping that someday
You'll come back to me
I'll be praying for whatever it's worth
Believing that one day you'll come back to me
I'll be standing at the edge of the earth
Hoping for someday
And I know that this may be
The very last time that we see each other cry
But whatever happens know that I'll...
I'll be standing at the edge of the earth
Hoping that one day you'll come back again
I'll be standing at the edge of the earth hoping that someday
You'll come back to me
I'll be praying for whatever it's worth
Believing that one day you'll come back to me
I'll be standing at the edge of the earth
Hoping for someday
Waiting for someday Believing in someday
Praying for someday, I'll be...
Longing for someday Clinging to someday
Cherishing someday, I'll be...
Thinking of someday Dreaming of someday
Wishing for someday, I'll be...
Living for someday Counting on someday
Knowing that one day...
I will see you
© Blessid Union of Souls, 1999