Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ I Always Keep My Promises ❯ Obsidian-eyed rescuer ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 10

Obsidian-eyed rescuer

Trunks sat and waited patiently for the dressing room attendant to return with his clothing. Trunks was loathing the fact that Sasami was bribing him with the Dragonball to go out with her. He hated being used like that, especially by someone that he cared nothing for, but he needed that ball more than she did. A head full of red and black curls came into view as the short attendant returned with his correct size of slacks. He hadn't exactly planned on going to a formal gathering when he packed his clothing for their journey and was in one of his favorite formal occasion stores.

"Sorry for the wait." She giggled. "These should fit better than the last ones, and since you're pretty tall they shouldn't need to be taken up at the bottom." She handed him a pair of black silk pants as she spoke. He nodded his thanks and returned behind the dressing area's doors to try them on. Deep down he wished that he had gone along with Shay and Goten. Lately he had been feeling so high strung that he was afraid to stay around them too long for fear that he might snap at them. Between Tristan's death, finding the Dragonballs, and Sasami blackmailing him into a date, he felt like he was being torn in half. However, these weren't the only thoughts that had been plaguing him. With each passing day they found more Dragonballs, meaning they came closer to resurrecting their fallen friend, but he was also starting to have this looming feeling of wanting to move on. He loved Tristan with all his heart, but was this the best thing to do? Yes, he ached for her, ached to hold her… He longed for her with his mind, body, and soul, but was that what she wanted? Did she want to be separated yet again from her family only to be brought back to someone she had barely gotten to love, only because of his selfish want of her? And he did want her back…badly. He guessed that the only reason he had not died of grief was because they had not bonded properly, but in a way he had wished he died with her. He felt empty and lost without her, but as they say, time heals all wounds, and it has been a long time since she died…

He checked himself in the mirror after looping the leather belt around him. With a sigh he approved the fit of the pants pleased him. They were the perfect length and were slightly baggy, just the way he liked them. He changed back into his own clothing and carried the pants along with the rest of his suit up to the front desk. The same girl who had helped him find the right sized pants for him smiled up from the register.

"Will that be all today?" She asked sweetly. He gave a simple yep and waited as she removed the theft sensors from the garments. His wandering eyes soon landed on her nametag which read `Kimorah' in neat cursive letters. Kimorah was by far the cutest thing that walked Satan City since he had come here today, even compared to Sasami's beauty. Both were equally beautiful, but Kimorah still held an innocence about her, unlike Sasami who was…open… about her sexuality. Kimorah had shoulder length curly hair that was colored a chocolate brown and streaked with soft ruby highlights. She had a medium caramel skin color, making her stand out even more compared to her fairer-skinned co-workers, that only added to her features.

"That will be $153.70. Will you be paying with cash, check or charge?" She asked, her brown eyes shining with mirth.

"Um, charge." He reached into his wallet and pulled out one of his many platinum credit cards and his driver's license which she took with one well manicured hand. She briefly looked at the slim ID card and back up to him, making sure that the picture matched the face, then smiled and handed it back to him. Mere seconds later, she had finished the transaction and was folding the garments and placing them expertly into a bag.

"It's not everyday you see one of the richest men in the world, Mr. Briefs." She said while handing him his latest purchase.

"Huh?" He said, forgetting who he was.

"You know, Briefs, creator of Capsule Corp.?" She giggled at his confusion and continued. "Don't worry, I won't start jumping on you and snapping pictures!"

"What a relief." He said, genuinely relieved.

"Well I don't want to hold you up. Running a business must take up a lot of time. Just remember that those are dry clean only and since you brought them from this store, you can get them pressed for free at any time, just show them this card." She handed him a small laminated card with the stores name across the front.

"Thanks a lot, Kimorah. You were a big help."

"Anytime. Have a nice day!" She called behind him as he left the store.

Hm. She was nice. Pretty too… Wait, what am I thinking?! I'm supposed to be looking for Dragonballs to bring back Tristan, but… Am I just living in the past, clutching onto her memory? I love Tristan, but should I just… dare I say… move on…? His train of thought was interrupted by a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right, something besides his thoughts of moving on without Tristan. Not caring who saw him, he blasted off into the sky, heading toward Goten's distressed ki signature.

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Goten's mind raced as his went through the procedure for his situation. Trying his damndest to stay calm, he unhooked his weight belt from around him and let it fall, not caring at this point where it went. He attempted to do the same with Shay's but it was considerably harder since she was still thrashing about. He clutched her body with one strong arm and tried again to free her of the weights, this time succeeding. Trying to calm her was proving to be impossible, but he noted grimly that calming her would no longer be necessary, for she had just gone unconscious, falling limp into his arms. Taking a deep breath, he removed his own mouthpiece and placed it into her mouth, keeping it in its place with his free hand. He prayed to whoever was listening that she hadn't inhaled so much water that she wouldn't have enough room in her lungs for air. With her back facing his chest, he held her body steady with one arm, using the other to tilt her head back against his shoulder, and slowly made his ascent to the surface. Buddy breathing was one of the most unreliable ways to dive, but in this case he had no choice or Shay would be dead before they reached the top. The seconds agonizingly passed by as they slowly floated to the top. Goten was resisting the urge to blast out of the water, knowing that if he did, the drastic drop in water pressure combined with her water filled lungs could cause trauma to her body or worse yet, brain damage.

He looked down at Shay's limp body and noticed that although she had his mouthpiece in, she still wasn't breathing. The water pressure was beginning to decline, telling him that it wouldn't be long before they reached the surface. He just hoped that it wasn't too late.

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With a muted thud, Trunks discarded his shopping bag on the soft, white sand, running toward the closest place of Goten's ki. He guessed that he and Shay were underwater for some reason. He also knew that something was terribly wrong. God, I hope nothing's happened to her. I wouldn't forgive myself if I let Tristan's best friend die… He waited there on the beach until he saw Goten's head appear above the water, which wasn't very long.

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Goten gasped for air as his head emerged through the water. Without hesitation he flew to the beach, carrying Shay in his arms. He was somewhat relieved to see Trunks waiting for him, but was still well aware that Shay wasn't out of the woods yet. He touched down a few feet away from Trunks and laid Shay on the sand, tearing the mouthpiece from Shay's mouth. Before Trunks could ask what had happened, a stocky lifeguard dashed over to Shay's motionless body.

"What happened here?" He asked frantically while checking for a pulse.

"WHAT THE FUCK DOES IT LOOK LIKE!? SHE'S DROWNING!" Goten yelled. Immediately the lifeguard started performing CPR on Shay, however it was producing no results. After a minute had gone by, the lifeguard was obviously beginning to give up on the still motionless woman, declaring her to be a lost case.

"She's still not responding!" He yelled. Goten flung the man out of his way, not caring what happened to him. Opening Shay's mouth, he moved her tongue out of his way and breathed into her, desperately hoping that she would show some sign of life… soon.

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Darkness is the only way Shay could describe her surroundings. She could hear voices around her, yet she didn't care who they were coming from. She felt like her eyes were open, but they couldn't be since all she could make out was darkness. Slowly the muffled voices faded into silence, leaving her adrift in the dark abyss. I must be back in my bed. Everything is so soft! Like… clouds…? Shay let her body completely relax against the soft sensation, letting the fluffiness roll along her skin.

"Are you gonna lay there all day with your eyes closed?" A familiar female voice said mockingly to her. Shay slowly opened her eyes to see that right in front of her stood her best friend in the world.

"Tristan!" Shay ran up to her and embraced her with a ferocity that made both of them stumble. "God, I've missed you!" She said, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

"I've missed you too, but," She looked at her empty wrist as if there was a watch around it. "It's not time for you, yet. You still shouldn't be here for a long time." Shay looked at her blue eyes in confusion.

"What are you talking about, Tristan? Aren't I sleep or something?" She asked, genuinely unaware of her location.

Tristan slapped her head, letting her palm run down her face. "No, Shay. You're not sleep."

Realization dawned on Shay. "If I'm not sleep… that means I must be… dead?" She said, somberly. She looked at her surroundings. All around them were pink and yellow colored clouds, all in the atmosphere of an off-white, infinite sky.

"Well, kinda." Tristan looked down at her friend and laughed. "What the hell are you wearing?"

Shay looked down at the swimsuit she had on. "What's wrong with it? I look cute, thank you!" She said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, you look like a cute slut!" She laughed loudly, her voice echoing around them.

"Bitch. And what about you, Ms. I Believe I Can Fly?" She commented, flicking at one of Tristan's wing feathers.

"Hey! I just finished brushing those!" She griped. "I got them for… doing a good deed." She turned her nose in the air.

"You mean you got them for blowing yourself up." She folded her arms. She looked at her childhood friend and her eyes softened. "I really have missed you, Tristan." Shay walked over and hugged her friend again.

"Awww, I miss you too, bitch!" She exclaimed in her best baby voice, then withdrew from their embrace. "But seriously, you're not supposed to be here. You're making two particular men worry themselves sick over you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right! I was only sent down here to intercept you. Now get outta heah!" She said in a fake Mafia-like accent. "Tell the guys I said hello!" She called behind her. Shay felt her body being pulled down and watched as Tristan's smiling face disappeared into the enveloping darkness. Less than a minute later, she felt a sensation that resembled being laid down on the ground.

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"…waking up…"

"…Shay, open your eyes, please!" What the hell… Why is everyone yelling at me? Is that Goten screaming like that? The voices around her were coming back to painful clarity, along with the feeling that she needed to cough… badly. So she did.

Water spurted out of Shay's mouth followed by frantic gasping for air. Never in Goten's life had he been more relieved for someone to spit in his face. He had been struggling to resuscitate her for minutes on end, ignoring anyone who tried to tell him that she was gone for good. His persistence had paid off. She turned on her side and continued to cough, trying to expel the water that shouldn't have filled her lungs, wetting the sand about her. After her fit of coughing subsided, she felt a trembling hand turn her gently around. She came face to face with her savior, tears streaming down his flushed face. He took her shakily into his arms, embracing her softly as if she would break if he applied any more pressure.

"Shay, I'm so sorry! Thank God… I'm so, so sorry!" He brought his hands to her face and tilted her chin up to face him. "A-are you okay? You're not… are you…" Goten stuttered, not sure of what to say to someone who had almost drowned. Before she could answer, two paramedics ran over to the group that had convened around them, all worried about the well being of the unfortunate stranger. They cleared a path and asked Shay a few questions to make sure that she was still coherent, a sure sign that she may not have brain damage due to lack of oxygen. After a few more quick checks, the medics helped her into the small ambulance that was parked a few feet away from their location, earning a round of cheers from the gathered spectators. Goten climbed into the truck to accompany Shay to the hospital after Trunks assured him that he would meet them there later. After they were safely seen inside, the medics hopped into the front cab and drove their charge to the nearest hospital to receive any necessary treatment.