Koneka's Excellent Vacation

koneka10 Koneka is horrified at what she finds when she arrives home... Disclaimer: Vejita is owned by no one (except Toei Animation, FUNimation and Toriyama). I’d like to claim Goku for myself, but he, too, is owned by the same folks. Oh, well... _________________________________________________ Koneka’s Excellent Vacation, Part 10 Cell Games: Horror in the Streets I had never been afraid of heights (my parents and countless trips to the emergency room will testify to that), so I came in high over my town and looked for a secluded spot to land. I didn’t have to look far. There was no sign of life anywhere. I landed softly in my street and walked slowly to my apartment. It wasn’t just quiet, it was eerily devoid of any sound. No cars, no kids, no stereos blaring. I stood at the base of the steps to my apartment complex and turned in a circle, tuning in to any sound of life. There was a little rustling in the bushes and a squirrel popped out, then ran hell-bent for the nearest tree, spiraling up until he disappeared into the branches. I watched as one branch after another bent and swayed and finally stopped when he found his home. Just up the street in front of the Yamamura home, their blue sedan sat oddly, the rear end sticking out at a forty-five degree angle. A couple circulars blew down the street, chasing each other in the warm breeze. I figured that once I settled back in, I’d go see if everyone was all right up the road, so I produced my key and let myself in the front door and walked the two flights u my my apartment. Finally, I could hear someone’s TV playing rather loudly and I sighed in relief. Just a fluke... I flipped on my TV, then headed for my bathroom. First thing I did was take a hot shower, then I dressed in leggings and a baggy sweatshirt. The man on the TV was talking about Cell, so I threw myself in my big easy chair, popped the top on a can of diet soda and watched Mr. Satan make a fool of himself. It was possible I was only one of three people on Earth who thought he was a clown. The other two were my parents. I wondered what the mighty Saiyans thought of him, and I nearly snorted soda out my nose imagining what Vejita would say! Then the camera panned to a huge arena in the desert. How did that get there? And there was Cell, standing still as a statue. The cameraman must have been terrified, because the picture suddenly started tilting crazily. The announcer was saying, “Only six days until the beginning of the tournament. Will a hero step forward to save us from this evil that threatens our world?” and now the camera was showing empty streets and empty clothes. My heart did a leaping arabesque into my throat. The soda can dropped from my hand and went rolling across the floor, spewing soda everywhere as I flew out the door leaving it wide open. I hit the pavement running and had to grab the hood of the blue sedan to stop my forward motion. Without thinking I leaned into the window, and hit my head pulling it back out. Someone was screaming. It was me. Empty clothes were on the seats. I ran up and down the neighborhood pounding on doors and screaming my neighbor’s names. Empty homes. Empty clothes. Every single one. I raced back to my apartment and pounded on the door with the loud TV. When I grabbed the handle, it opened. I stepped inside. Clothes on the floor, clothes in the kitchen. I collapsed to the floor, buried my face in my hands and cried. “Koneka? Why are you crying?” I nearly jumped out of my skin. There before me stood five-year-old Jimmy Lee. “Jimmy!” I cried, and grabbed him to me. “Ouch! You’re squashing me!” “I’m — I’m sorry!” I kept patting his head and rubbing his arms. “When I woke up from my nap, my mom and grandma were gone. They left their clothes.” He frowned, then giggled. “I hope they’re not running around bare!” I started to laugh and laugh, and then my laughter changed to great gulping sobs. “They’re coming back, aren’t they, Koneka?” I looked at his innocent face while mopping my own with my sleeve and thought about Trunks telling me the tale of the dragon balls. “Yes, Jimmy. They’ll be back, but not right away. You’ll have to stay with me until then, okay?” “Sure!” “We’ll make it an adventure. Just you and me, bud!” “Cool!” he cried, then gave me some weird ritual handshake that I couldn’t get, and he laughed at me. We got some of his stuff, clothes and toys, and moved them into my apartment. I transferred all the food from his apartment to mine, and we were stocked for a while, but I couldn’t get over the feeling that I should be doing something besides just sitting here. I tried calliy pay parents home, their offices, and my office, and there was no answer anywhere. I feared the worst, but left messages on all the machines just in case. I flipped through every channel, watched the news the rest of the day, and found out more than I wanted to know. I tucked Jimmy in around nine o’clock and sacked out on my sofa, thinking. Praying. And wondering what Vejita was doing. It wouldn’t be long and Goku and Gohan would be leaving the room of spirit and time, and Trunks and Piccolo would be going in. With the kind of clarity that comes to you in the darkest hours, I realized that my world had changed, not just because of Cell, but because I was now part of another world altogether. A world filled with wonders, like flying and energy blasts and aliens from another planet. I would never be the same again. Tomorrow — tomorrow I would look for the Saiyan warriors and do what I could. But I wasn’t going to sit here and watch our world collapse around me. I knew I had a responsiblity to Jimmy, but what safer place to be than with the strongest men in the universe? I had to know, I had to be there when the whole thing went down. Having mthatthat decision, I finally fell asleep. *********** “Where are we going, Koneka?” “I’m taking you to the safest place I can think of, Jimmy. And do I have a surprise for you!” I packed clothes, a sketchbook and pencils, and some food and water into my backpack — clothes, toys, snacks and water into Jimmy’s. Out in the street, I watched his little face as he looked up and down. “Where’s your car?” “Don’t need one! Here, throw your arms around my neck.” I knelt in front of him and he complied. I snapped a strap around his waist and hooked it to my backpack, wrapped my arms around him and said, “Are you ready?” He nodded, and as I rose into the air, he squealed in delight. “You can fly, Koneka!” “You bet, buddy! Let’s go!” Now, I just had to find the temple in the sky. ...continued...