Chapter 3: Shadows In The Twilight
Kari, Trunks, and Goten made their way up to the pulsating main floor of the club. She had to release both her grip on both of them to avoid being smacked upside the head with the flailing arms of the dancers. With Goten and Trunks clearing the way for her, she led them up to the bar and introduced them to the bartender, Ryo, who greeted them very openly. He gave Kari a kiss on the cheek and congratulated her on a spectacular performance.
"I'm telling you, Kari, now that we've got you on board, this place is going to be packed every Saturday night!" Ryo asserted while drying a glass with his hand towel.
She smiled. "Arigatou, Ryo. That's really sweet. But let's not forget who the real star is here! What would these people do if you weren't here to water them down after all that dancing?"
They both laughed as Trunks stole a furtive glance at Kari. There was definitely something different about her, but what in Dende's name could it be? I'm going to end up as crazy as Babaa if I can't forget about it.
He decided now would be a most opportune time to explore the surroundings a bit more and give the two friends some time to talk by themselves. But as he turned to leave, Ryo broached a topic that piqued his interest and wiped all thoughts of mingling from his mind.
Ryo had leaned his head closer to Kari's so as not to alert the people around him and began to whisper. "Kari, watch yourself tonight. You-know-who showed up and was watching you pretty closely onstage. He came by and asked if I knew where your dressing room was. Promise me you'll be careful, ne Kari?" Ryo urged, looking her straight in the face with concern.
"Kami, you're serious? When is he going to leave me alone! I told him it's over, why won't he stay away?" she returned, sounding slightly afraid.
"I don't think he's ever gonna leave you alone, Kari," Ryan averred seriously. "For him, it's not over. I'm trusting you guys to be my eyes when I'm not around, " he said suddenly, turning to Trunks and Goten. "If anything happens to her, I'm coming after you both!"
At this assertion, both hastily agreed. "You have our word," Goten assured him.
"Arigatou, Ryo. You'll let me know if you see him again, ne?" Kari asked, anxiety resurfacing on her countenance.
"Hai, of course, Kari! You're my girl, and I wouldn't do that to you," Ryan avowed. They had been good friends since the day they had met, and he wasn't going to jeopardize her safety to save his own life.
Kari thanked him again and went to sit down on a creamy colored bar stool. As she collapsed onto the seat, she put her tanned hands to her face and shook her head to clear her mind.
The one person who could cause her more pain and suffering than a thousand lurid deaths was still following her just as relentlessly as he always had.
At that moment she wished that she had never come to Earth. It was because of people like him that she was always so alone and would remain that way for an interminable amount of time. Because of him, her life was a living hell. Her head was reeling with fear and regret when two concerned faces appeared in front of her.
"Who is this guy that's got you all worked up?" Trunks asked, obviously concerned.
"Yeah, who is it? Old boyfriend? Don't worry, Kari, we won't let him near you," Goten reassured her.
She nodded her head at Goten's last question, confirming that her oppressor was her ex-boyfriend. Looking as if she was on the verge of having a mental breakdown, there wasn't anything anyone, not even her, could do about it.
Kari decided she had better convey the whole story to them if they were to truly understand the situation. "He's my old boyfriend, Yamora; the only one I've ever had. We dated for a while when I first came here, but I broke it off because I couldn't handle a boyfriend at the time and he was getting too aggressive with me. I told him it was over between us, but he didn't listen."
"He's been following me everywhere, indefatigably. He's not a weakling, so I suppose there's some reason for concern, but I'm not a weakling either," she explained, looking up at the two of them. "I can take care of myself, you guys. Don't worry about it," she added confidently, though Trunks caught what he thought to be a flicker of doubt in her eyes.
She smiled and thanked them for their concern, but decided this was putting a damper on the party. Pulling herself up off the chair, and pushing all thoughts of Yamora out of her head, she offered to dance with them. Goten declined and said he was going to talk with Ryo and see if he could find this guy. As he left for the bar, Trunks and Kari smiled at each other.
He led her out to the dance floor, and soon they were dancing around wildly to the fast-paced music streaming throughout the club. As they were moving the lights reflected off Kari's face, making her look positively exotic. Her chestnut hair gently swiped at her tanned skin as they laughed and her lavender eyes were on fire. It's no wonder this guy wants her so badly, Trunks found himself thinking.
Kari was smiling, laughing, and genuinely enjoying herself. It was really one of those truly perfect moments in life of which she had experienced so precious few. By that time, Trunks had taken off his dark suit jacket and rolled up his white shirtsleeves. The lights were bouncing off him and his muscles were clearly pronounced as they danced. Hanging loosely around his chiseled face, his lavender hair accented his already defined features. You're different from others, aren't you, Trunks? Maybe I'm the only one who can see it, but something tells me you can sense it too...
Eventually, when the song ended and another one began playing, he announced he was parched to the point of unconsciousness. He offered to get Kari something and she told him a simple chardonnay would suffice nicely. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by a "simple chardonnay". This really is a classy place, he thought as he made his way through the throng of people. After he had left the dance area, Kari moved away from the throbbing crowd of dancers and off to the side against one of the brick walls of the building.
As she leaned back against the wall, she opened her sapphire bag and pulled out her cell-phone. When she looked up again, she screamed. Her pulse was pounding as she recognized the face of a man she saw in her nightmares staring her straight in the eye.
Yamora.
His eyes sparkled with something inhuman as he pinned her against the wall by her slight shoulders and whispered, almost politely, "You were great tonight. I was watching you the whole time. Would you dance with me, Kari?"
"I've missed you a lot and I want to make it up to you," he added slyly, looking her up and down.
"Get away from me, Yamora! I told you it was over! But, then again, you were never very good at handling rejection, now were you?" she shot back coldly. Quickly composed her shaking nerves, she realized she had to get a hold of herself if she didn't want something even worse to occur. She twisted his arm and pinned it behind his back, moving so swiftly he didn't have time to stop her.
"I guess I have to ' rub you the right way' to get you to come back to me, ne?" he mocked callously. He spun around and this time he grabbed her shoulders with one hand and her slender waist with the other, pinning her against him. His grip was as strong as steel and she was struggling to break free his grasp when someone tapped him forcefully on the shoulder. Irritated, Yamora turned to see Trunks glaring ferociously at him.
"Let her go, " Trunks said, his voice low and threatening. He had come back just in time to hear Yamora's last comment about her and he had had to restrain his power so he didn't turn Super Saiyan in the middle of the crowded place.
"Who are you, pretty boy? This isn't your business!" Yamora shouted at him.
Kari sensed Trunks' power level rise higher at the comment. At least my skills can be used for something other than self-defense, she thought as she watched the two face off. The fighting background she possessed was something she had yet to tell Trunks about and didn't want to if she could help it. She didn't want to reveal everything about herself just yet, despite her growing trust towards him. I guess I really haven't changed that much, she silently scorned herself. Even after all this time, I still won't tell anyone the slightest bit about my past...
Knowing Trunks meant business, she tried to get away to find Goten but Yamora whirled around and grabbed her again just as she tried to make a break for it. What can I do that won't reveal who I am?! I'm not ready for him to know yet! Dende help me...
Suddenly, Trunks grabbed Yamora's shoulder, whipped him around, and punched him in the face. He followed up the punch by grabbing Yamora's shoulders and jabbing his knee into his stomach. Yamora spit and coughed, doubling over in agony, which gave Kari time to grab Trunks and head for the bar, away from the crowd that was rapidly forming around them.
She thought his actions were justified and was thankful he was there, but they had to get out of the building before her manager showed up. She knew she was fired without even being told, but the thought didn't faze her at that point. Pulling Goten away from the bar, she lead them both quickly to the door, shoving anyone in her way.
As soon as they got outside into the cool, city air, something came over Kari. She tore away from them with a speed so quick Trunks and Goten could barely make her out in the darkness. Unfortunately, they could easily keep up and took off after her, catching up with her as she was approaching a building two miles away from the club.
As they ran, Trunks told Goten what had happened and both of them began to run even faster. They had to hand it to her that she could run like she did in platform sandals and a long dress, but they cut her off and forced her to stop. Through her anger and humiliation and tears, she looked up just in time to see them standing in front of her. Coming to a sudden halt, she staggered back against the clear glass store window near which they had stopped.
She put her hands to her tear-streaked face and slid down the window, dropping to the ground and hugging her knees, with her head turned away from them. They bent down and Goten put his arms on her shoulders, forcing her to turn towards them.
"Kari, whatever this guy did to you, he'll pay for it. I promise. But you can't take off on us like that. How are we supposed to protect you if you won't let us near you?" Goten chided softly, stroking her hair.
She looked up at them and quietly told them why she had run away from them so suddenly. "He hasn't left me alone since we broke up, and I've sort of gotten used to him stalking me, but now it's getting worse... And now I've dragged you guys into this and it's not fair to you... This is my fight, not yours, and I'll win it. You don't need to worry about me," she assured them.
She was speaking the complete opposite of her true feelings. If only you guys knew how much strength it took for me to say that...
They were surprised at her reaction to the night's events, but they didn't want to abandon her now. They were friends now, and they would stick together through thick and through thin, in good times and bad, and nothing could change that. Nothing. After all, that's what friends were for.
After she had calmed down enough to stand, they helped her up and walked her to the park where Trunks and Kari had first met on that fateful night. She sat down lightly on a green park-bench and assured them of her safety. She needed time to herself to think, so she gently urged them to go home and get some rest.
"After all, rescuing a damsel in distress is an energy consuming task!" she joked, attempting to lighten the mood. They smiled and agreed, then bid her good night.
Strolling back through the wooded paths of the park, in the direction of their respective houses, they occasionally glanced up at the twinkling night sky, wondering what other troubles they would encounter.
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