I'll Love You Forever

Chapter 2:



I woke up the next day, Saturday, to sun pouring through the blinds, which I had forgotten to close last night. Great, now I’ll have striped tan lines across my face, I thought while pulling myself out of bed.



From what I could smell, Trunks was already awake and had tea brewing. I stumbled into the kitchen to see him sitting at the table, sipping tea and reading a newspaper.



He looked up when I came in and started laughing. “Chibi, your hair,” he gasped, “your hair’s all on one side!”



My hands automatically went up to my mass of black hair. It did feel lopsided. “Oh shut up,” I grumbled, still drowsy.



Trunks chuckled some more before setting his paper down and watching me. “You want me to help you? You look a little wobbly.”



I shook my head. “No, I just need some caffeine.” I pulled a mug from the cabinet and poured myself a cup of tea. I sniffed it before taking a swallow. “Mmm, jasmine.” I took a seat across from Trunks. “So what’re you going to do today?” I asked, my mind finally beginning to wake from its sleepy stupor.



“Finish my homework, do some paperwork, nothing really,” he answered. “Why, did you have something in mind?”



Perfect, I thought. “No, I was just wondering. I’m going to buy groceries after breakfast.”



I had come up with a plan last night long after Trunks had gone to sleep. I didn’t particularly like it, but nothing else would have worked.



We talked a bit about random things, school, work, life. I would really miss it. After a few minutes, Trunks stood and walked to the counter.



“Chibi,” he said, “catch.” I turned just in time to snatch his credit card from the air. “For groceries.”



“Oh come on, I can pay for them,” I retorted, flicking the card back at him.



He caught it and fixed me with one of his glares, inherited from Vegeta no doubt. “I don’t want you to.” He threw it back at me, but this time with more force and it hit me on the forehead.



“Ow,” I muttered, rubbing the sting.



Trunks snickered. “That’s what you get. I’ll see you later, I’m going to finish some work.” With that, he disappeared into his room and shut the door.



I changed into a shirt and jeans, as it was early spring and not too cold. “I’m leaving,” I yelled before closing the front door.



Outside, a gentle breeze was blowing. The sky was blue, not one cloud in sight. I inhaled deeply, loving the crisp air. Spring was my favorite season. Life everywhere, and new lives being made. As if to prove my point, a pair of birds landed on a nearby telephone pole and chirped at me.



I grinned before walking to the store. True to my word, I did buy groceries. But after that, I took an extra trip of my own. After capsulizing the bags of food, I jogged to CC. Before climbing over its tall gates, I dropped my power level as low as I could to avoid detection by Vegeta.



I crept around the walls, avoiding the security cameras. I knew exactly where they all were from the many times Trunks and I had snuck out as kids. Finally, I made it to the back, where a large room jutted out of the building.



After making sure it was empty, I picked the lock on the window and jumped in. It was Bulma’s lab. Tools littered the floor and parts of experiments covered every wall. How was I supposed to find anything in this mess?



I searched around for a few minutes and finally found it buried beneath a pile of papers. I picked up the metal collar and slipped it in my pocket. The collar was small but would grow to accommodate whatever it was called upon to surround.



With that done, I crept back out the window, closed it, and ran home. When I arrived, Trunks’ door was still closed, a sign that he was working. I put the groceries away and started lunch.



Trunks came out of his room while I cooked and helped me out. We spent the rest of the day in our separate rooms. I told him I was going to do my homework, but actually was figuring the collar out.



It was some silver metal. I didn’t like it one bit, but it was vital if my plan was to succeed. A key hung on it, and I slid it off. It didn’t seem too hard to use. I stowed it in my desk drawer.



After dinner, I took out the beer I had bought at the store. Trunks eyed the packs suspiciously.



“That’s a lot of liquor,” he commented.



I grinned at him. “Come on, let’s take a break this weekend. Have a little fun?”



“I’m not sure, Chibi…”



“Oh come on, Trunks,” I urged, ripping a pack open, “just a few.”



He hesitated. “Ok, but only a few.”



I grinned inwardly and picked up the cases. “Let’s watch a movie or something.”



Trunks followed and sat on the couch as I popped a DVD in. I joined him on the couch as the movie started and popped open a few cans. I handed him one and took one for myself.



As the movie played, Trunks forgot what he was drinking and asked for more. I gladly gave him more. While Trunks got more and more drunk, I limited my alcohol consumption. But every time he finished a can, I would set my unfinished one down on the table and open another one to give the impression I had finished one too.



After about three hours, Trunks had passed out on the couch. I stopped the movie and cleaned up our mess of cans. I quickly packed a duffel bag of my belongings. I couldn’t bring too much if I wanted to move quickly.



I stood at the door to my room. Goodbye room. I quietly shut the door and set my bag down at the front door. I peeked in the living room to see Trunks still sleeping soundly.



I walked to the closet and took out a blanket which I wrapped around my best friend. I kneeled by his face, memorizing every feature I knew so well. His lavender hair spilled across his eyes and I gently tucked it behind his ear. A tear ran down my cheek.



Before I could change my mind, I left him and went to the front door. I pulled the metal collar out of my pocket. I knew it would restrain my ki, limiting me to the strength of a human’s. Bulma had originally invented it in case of another Saiyan attack.



I rolled the small key around in my palm. I have to do this. I concentrated a small amount of ki into my palm and watched as the metal melted and evaporated under the massive amount of energy. There, now the only key that could open this collar no longer existed. If I put the collar on, it could never be taken off.



I stood at the front door, my duffel bag on the ground. I looked around at all the familiar objects of my home. But I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t hurt Trunks.



But what if leaving was the wrong choice? A picture of Trunks sleeping on the couch with no clue what was going on flashed into my mind. He would wake up the next morning expecting me passed out next to him. But I wouldn’t be there. Would he hurt?



I held the collar out in front of me, as if waiting for an answer. But none came. Should I do this?