Chapter 10
If finding Arden attempting to rape Sabrina the night before wasn't bad enough, the next morning would finally destroy the peaceful streak East Kaioshin had been feeling for several years now.
He had woken up three hours earlier than his usual rising time when he heard screams coming from nowhere. He had jumped up in bed and discovered that everything on Kaioshin-kai was normal.
Getting up and forgetting about everything else for the time being, Kaioshin summoned his crystal ball to show him Majin Buu. The screams he had heard were not in a dream; they were very much real. Majin Buu was turning hundreds of people into running bodies of fire, buildings were being destroyed, and people were being terrorized before they died.
And it was all happening on Gerbatra, one of the very planets he had saved only hundreds of years before. His worst nightmare had come true. He was being forced to watch the death and destruction of an entire civilization, and he was powerless to stop it.
In an instant, right before his very eyes, the crystal ball shattered, pieces of glass flying everywhere. He had shielded his eyes and went unscathed from the sudden burst of glass, but he knew why it had happened. Majin Buu had blown up the planet Gerbatra.
"Damn it!" Kaioshin swore as he pounded his fist on the table. He knew it was only a matter of time before the next planet was gone.
Even a long hot shower wasn't enough to relax even a third of Kaioshin's body. He felt helpless. He didn't know what to do. He had heard the stories of Bibidi and Majin Buu from Dai Kaioshin, but now it was real in his quadrant as well.
"How long will this go on?" He asked no one as he dressed himself. Once dressed in his everyday attire, he went back over to the table where shattered fragments of his crystal ball still lay. He waved his hand over the surface of table and another ball appeared.
He feared what he would see when he summoned the image, but he had to know. He held his breath as the entire eastern quadrant appeared as a tiny 3D map-like image inside the crystal ball.
And it was just as feared. Four planets from the galaxy closest to the southern quadrant had been hit, and two planets, including Gerbatra, in the middle were completely gone. Yet, he was forced to rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing things correctly. Half of a planet next to where Gerbatra had been was floating out of its orbit.
Kaioshin hadn't even thought about what the others would think when he wasn't at breakfast. He had to see if there were any survivors. He teleported himself to the crescent-shaped planet and was torn at the devastation he saw.
Smoldering buildings lay ruined on burned soil. The smell of corpses littered the air. Personal belongings lay scattered on the streets. And what hurt East Kaioshin the most was a small child draped over a bench like he had been a rag doll.
"Majin Buu…." He muttered between clenched teeth.
There had been no point on staying. He felt no life force anywhere on what was left of the planet. These people had been a peaceful race, never a war in their history. The inhabitants had gotten along with everyone, and the thought of all of those innocent men, women, and children slain for the pure joy of it all disgusted the god.
When he returned home, he hadn't stayed around the grounds of the mansion. Instead, he flew to the other side of the planet to where he wouldn't be disturbed until someone had realized he was there. He sat himself on top of a hill and meditated, trying hard to think of a solution to this disaster.
He hadn't known how long he had been sitting in the same position since he arrived on the hill, but a warm hand rested on his shoulder and brought him back to his senses. East looked up to see the friendly eyes of West Kaioshin.
West sat down next to him and looked straight ahead to where he had been staring. "I heard what happened," she said softly. "I'm sorry, East."
"More planets were lost in my quadrant than South's, and all I did was sit there and watch it all happen," East said, trying to keep his emotions in tact, especially in front of West.
"You couldn't do anything," she said. "We're trying to find a solution, but it's going to take some time."
"And what happens to those people who die during that time! Tell them in advance that we're sorry, but they'll have to die because we haven't figured anything out yet? That's not acceptable, West! It can't be this way!"
West didn't respond at first. She wanted to let him get it all out. And she knew that he had once he took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry," he apologized. "It's just…I can't stand seeing innocent people die without mercy."
"I know," she said. She put her arms around him and gave him a comforting hug. "Dai Kaioshin has locked himself up in his study all morning. He's trying to figure out a way where we could all trap Majin Buu and defeat him."
For a long time, they sat in silence, each thinking of possibilities, and each wondering what would happen next.
"East…you don't think that Majin Buu could come here, do you?"
East Kaioshin looked up slowly at West. For the first time in his life, he saw fear in her eyes. He had been wondering the same thing, although he had told himself it weren't possible. "I don't think so," he said, although he didn't know for sure.
"I hope not," she said looking up at the sky. "I don't want to even try to think of what would happen if Bibidi brought him here."
"I'll protect you," he said. "As much to my ability, I'll always be there for you."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Not having any breakfast was taking its toll on Kaioshin by the middle of the afternoon. He had foolishly skipped lunch and now he was suffering for it. His stomach gurgled loudly at him and he knew by the time dinner rolled around he wouldn't even feel like eating because he would be so hungry.
After eating two sandwiches and drinking the homemade punch Cilla gave him, East Kaioshin pulled up the book he had been trying to read for weeks now. He slowly made his way across the front yard and over the hill to the lake.
Finding his favorite tree and sitting himself beneath it, East opened his book, but couldn't bring himself to read a single word beyond the page number. His gaze rested on the still water and his mind floated with a leaf he had watched fall from the tree.
"Are you alright?"
Kaioshin looked up, broken out of his daze and glad of it when he saw Sabrina's gentle face. "Please, sit down," he offered and scooted over as a gesture of welcome.
"You didn't answer my question," Sabrina joked as she took a spot on the grass next to him. She had grown much more comfortable with him now, especially since the previous night when he had saved her from a terrible fate.
"Too much has happened today for me to be alright, I'm afraid," admitted the god. "But I'll be fine. How are you feeling?"
"I'm good," she replied truthfully. "I'd like to thank you again for what you did for me. I'll be forever grateful."
Kaioshin didn't respond, but instead let himself get lost in the shimmering pool of green in her eyes. "You're beautiful Sabrina."
Sabrina looked away while blushing. She had been told that before, but for some reason it had meant more coming from Kaioshin, and he knew it.
"Forgive me. I just had to tell you before I didn't have the courage to do so again."
"I don't know what to say besides thank-you, Kaioshin." She gave him a pearly white smile. "You know, you're a great guy. I've never met someone who hasn't let his job go to his head—not in a bad way, at least."
Kaioshin chuckled lightly. Then he began to stare at her again. "Sabrina…." His mind told him no not again, but his heart urged him to go on. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he continued; "Would you…let me…kiss you?"
There had been a pause; a very long and worrisome pause. Then Sabrina's head nodded and she let out a meek, "Okay."
Kaioshin took a deep breath and then leaned over, watching her eyes until their lips met. His eyes closed and his mouth took over, kissing her as gently as he could, feeling his heart flutter when he felt her kiss him back.
He didn't want to push his luck. So, with his brain now asking him, "Why did you stop you fool?" Kaioshin released her and backed away a few inches. His hand reached up and raked his fingers through the hair on the side of her head, avoiding the part that was pulled back with a ribbon.
Before either of them knew it, their mouths connected again, as if they were two magnets attracted to the each other. Kaioshin used the hand tangled in the curls of her purple hair to pull her toward him and she automatically put her hand on the side of his face.
But Sabrina surprised Kaioshin when she backed away and looked at the lake. "I can't," she said softly.
East Kaioshin felt his heart shatter, like the crystal ball had earlier that morning. Sabrina turned to him and he caught sight of a tear running down her cheek. "I know about you and West Kaioshin."
"You do?" Kaioshin asked appalled. He hadn't thought that anyone knew about them. It had been so long ago, and the servants that worked for the Kaioshins back then were no longer in existence. "Sabrina, I can explain about that."
"You don't have to, Kaioshin. I know that if you're caught with me like this then you'll be in trouble in more ways than one. I don't want that to happen. And I'm okay with it."
"Sabrina, please, let me tell you," Kaioshin tried to get out, but she had stood up and started to leave.
"I have to go!" She called as she jogged back to the house.
East Kaioshin let his head lean back and thump against the trunk of the tree. He thought he had been doing the right thing by letting himself go lose and let his heart lead instead of that little logical side of his brain. "Such a fool," he muttered softly and closed his eyes, remembering the kiss he had just shared with the first girl he ever considered loving.