THE DANCE

WARNINGS: None, just a good, clean, romantic piece! ^_^

OH, AND BEFORE YOU READ... This is just my little idea touching on the subject of how Krillin and Juu got together. You may say that the characters here may be a little...OFF character, but hey it's a fanfic, right? ~_^ And I've always had this crazy idea that if Krillin could possibly know how to dance, then he would be a good dancer! (lol, that's just my opinion, I don't know why...) Just thought I should let ya know how different this fic may be to ya...oh, and if any of you have ever heard of the song "Hotel" by Tori Amos, then you should know that this entire fic, and the song described on it, is in sequence with the song! ^_^ Eh, well enough with my endless babble. ~_^ ON WITH THE FIC!!

She had been on his mind ever since her departure a while ago. He could not stop thinking about that hair of gold that framed her lovely face, or those piercing blue eyes that always seemed to scrutinize everything they came across. So many times Krillin wished those eyes would scrutinize him, to fall upon his face.

But that dream, like most of his other dreams, was pushed aside on his mind to be neglected, but only to succeed in engulfing his fantasies. Why on Earth would Juuhachigou, or any girl for that matter, like someone such as him? His size was like a plague on the opposite sex; he didn't have the ideal body of Goku's, he didn't have Yamcha's attractive ruggedness, Mirai Trunks's shy, mysterious uniqueness, or Vegeta's primitively dignified air. Heck, even Piccolo, a green-skinned man who could never possibly understand the subject of romance, had a better chance at getting a girl than he did!

And what would his friends say? "Poor little guy has fallen in love with a tin can. That's our Krillin, always good for a laugh."

Besides, any confidence he had around women had been shot down. His first crush, Bulma. He had loved her since the beginning, but he never told anyone about it, not even Goku. Naturally, she turned to Yamcha who was taller, handsomer, and more her age. Many years later, when the two finally broke up, Krillin thought for sure that she would turn to him. Why not? She knew him better than any other available guy she had hung around with. Not to mention all the times they went through together searching for dragonballs...

But no, she had to choose, of all the people in the world--no, the UNIVERSE, Vegeta! And it still puzzled Krillin to this day why Bulma would do such a thing, and to have the tyrannical saiyan prince's child on top of that! Figures. Women.

Including the miracle beyond miracles, his former girlfriend, Marron. She was his very first date, his very first kiss, and his very first brutal dump after less than a month of togetherness.

So what made him think that someone such as Juu would ever take interest in him?

There was only one thing he usually did to try to keep her out of his mind. It was what he would do whenever he wasn't battling some evil super-thing that he naturally couldn't handle, looking for work, or thinking about Juuhachigou. He would dance.

Yet another one of his little secrets, it was one of the things he did when he was young to keep himself occupied on his free time. He learned from watching TV between his Shao-lin lessons as a child, and he was now skilled at almost any type of dance from the waltz to the jive. His baldness was an advantage for break dancing, but he had recently decided to start growing out his hair in the tiniest hopes that Juuhachigou would come back and find him at least a little attractive.

Most of the time he would dance in his own special way, using various fighting stances and techniques in different patterns. It was the most calming and soothing way to dance for him, and he would often do it to enhance his fighting technique and style. Not being saiyan or namek, he had to work hard to keep in shape and to be able to fight at the best of his ability.

Often times when the conditions outside were too bad or too dark to practice on a little island somewhere, Krillin would dance in a tiny old auditorium an elderly man owned in the city. It wasn't much anymore, mostly for little plays run by the elementary schools during holidays. The man was nice enough to let Krillin use it at times, the former monk was nice company for a lonely, widowed old man with no family.

No one was around that night except for Krillin. All of the seats were empty and all of the lights were out save for a single dim one on stage where the little warrior stood. His rickety old portable stereo and cassette player sat off to one side and Krillin patiently waited for the next song to play. He had danced previously, his skin was shiny from sweat and he was panting. A damp T-shirt lay in a heap on the floor by the stage and Krillin was wondering if he should have worn shorts instead of the gray sweatpants he was wearing now.

He began to move as the next song started to play, slow and steady, cooling him down. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the front doors open, letting in the soft glittery lights of the city, and a figure stepped inside, the door closing to darkness once more.

Krillin saw enough to know exactly who had entered--and he froze. Juuhachigou herself was walking slowly up the aisle to him. How did she find him? Why did she come?

Come on, keep moving, he told himself. Maybe she won't see you in this kind of lighting. Maybe because you are dancing, she'll think you're someone else... He started to dance again, moving to the steady rhythm of a rather eerie-sounding song, trying his best to pretend that it was just his imagination going too far on him.

But it wasn't his imagination as Juuhachigou quietly hoisted herself up on the stage, settling herself down on the edge and watching him contentedly. Krillin's heart was pounding nervously from her presence, but for reasons he couldn't comprehend, his body was still moving; long careful motions with his arms and legs, surprisingly graceful and smooth.

I must look like an idiot he thought glumly catching glimpses of Juuhachigou's face every now and then. Always so blank, so expressionless. But he never stopped moving, never stopped dancing, although in that moment he felt like tearing out of the building and disappearing out of sight.

Then the song broke into a faster, more upbeat rhythm, and Krillin responded to this with more demanding movements. His usual technique at this particular segment of the song was a lot of fighting stances and attacks, yet without their physical, brutal meaning. Kicking, punching, spinning, jumping, ducking; they were attack moves indeed and yet the way they ran together, the way they were set up, it looked like an intriguing form of a dance, so smooth and graceful. Nothing was out of line and Krillin seemed to perfect it beautifully; his physique seemed perfect for such a performance.

Then the musical pattern changed, although the rhythm kept it's moderate pace. Krillin used mostly arm movements here, and it was at this area that he brought out his ki for a calming effect. Usually, he liked to watch as his hands would sometimes flicker and glow from the gather and release of his power. Or the way the images around him would ripple from the energy, almost as if he were in a delicate bubble of air and the room was filled with waving water. But this time he felt a little awkward, silly, knowing that the woman of his most recent fantasies was watching his every move.

And before even he knew what was happening, he had made his way to Juuhachigou, grasped her wrist, and yanked her to her feet. Her face registered emotion then as her eyes widened, not knowing what was happening or what to do next. The music returned to it's original slow, eerie sound and Krillin began to move in simple steps. A few to the right, a few to the left, some backwards, some forwards. Juuhachigou stood there motionless for a few moments, watching his feet, and then she surprisingly started to move as well, doing the best she could to mimic Krillin's movements.

It was strange for the once evil android to do this, but lately everything was strange for her. After the battle against Dr. Gero and Cell, Juuhachigou had decided to travel the world, to find a place where she could fit in. Her twin brother, Juunanagou, had chosen to live deep in a nearby forest somewhere, almost like a hermit. Juuhachigou had discovered that people to her were like math equations--she could easily figure them out, find reasons why they did the things they did. All except for one, Krillin. For some reason, she could never conjure up a logical explanation for why he saved her from Cell, why he did the things he did for her, why he was the only one in the entire world full of people that really seemed to care for her well-being, besides her brother. After a while of wandering the globe, she had decided to come back to him, to find the answers to those nagging questions.

And here she was, attempting to dance with him! Ever since she had met Krillin, her emotions had become confusing, overwhelming, uncontrollable almost. Giving Krillin a little peck on the cheek had later shocked her almost as much as it had shocked him then. Juunanagou took it as a big joke, thinking it was funny that his sister took a liking to a short little chrome dome. Juuhachigou wasn't really sure what the reason was.

Soon, the two of them broke into some sort of pattern, moving their feet to the music. It was strange for Juu, dancing side-by-side with this odd little man. It seemed as though she was actually having...fun. Dancing. With Krillin. It just didn't make any sense and yet it was exactly what she was doing, surprisingly enjoying every minute of it. Krillin himself was grinning, not believing how cooperative Juuhachigou was. Maybe having her arrive at that precise moment in time wasn't so bad after all.

No one had noticed as a third person entered the building and sat in one of the auditorium chairs in the shadows. Sleek dark hair. Icy blue eyes so identical to the woman's up on stage. Juunanagou knew his sister would be coming back, he knew she would pursue the one called Krillin. Juunanagou had been cocky and foolish around her during her little kiss with him, but he knew the subject was never any laughing matter. Juuhachigou was moving on, and it was quite possible that this man was part of her plan.

But why him of all people? Why not someone taller, more attractive, not so nervous or so much of a wise-ass? It just didn't make sense, but then again, nothing had been reasonable after the riddance of Dr. Gero and Cell. It was almost as if he were reborn, life was so fresh and new for him now. All he needed to do was to get a hold of it--and to make sure his sister, the only person in the universe whom he truly cared for, was doing the same. It was quite possible that after all their lives of sticking up for one another that Juu might finally move on to replace her brother for someone else...

It had become a goof-off session for them. No real dancing was produced, instead they moved in playful, silly ways to the music. Juuhachigou had been a little reluctant, of course, but Krillin managed to get her into the swing of things. His little goal was to make her laugh, for he had never seen a real, genuine smile or a chuckle that came from the heart out of her. She did look amused, however, and so far she didn't show any signs of resistance to his little antics. Awfully strange of her, he thought briefly, but he dismissed it with funny little foot movements and a twirl, laughing the whole time.

That laugh. In a way it was so annoying, but it was also a little intriguing how Krillin could do such a thing around Juuhachigou. What was so funny about her? Was he actually enjoying himself in her presence? Was he not intimidated by her? I'm getting too soft around this guy, she thought briefly. But why not? It felt particularly strange and somewhat satisfying to be able to throw away her past, her reputation, who she was, and to just exist. With this little man. And for that brief moment with him, she had actually allowed herself to do just that, to let go.

And then the beat of the music changed.

It was the fast part of the song again, the part where Krillin displayed the difference between the facts of fighting and the grace of martial arts. He began to move swiftly, flashing his arms and legs in ways that would have been so lethal in actual contact, had the moves not been so graceful. And so Juuhachigou moved with him, showing off her moves as well to him, getting a feel of using something she knew into a dance. He looked a little surprised at first, but then he got into her pace, staying in sync with her to the music.

They moved, facing each other. Their bodies never touched, assuring the one watching that they weren't actually fighting each other. In fact, it was quite strange to Juunanagou how movements designed to destroy were used for something quite the opposite. So opposite, in fact, that it had to make him wonder if they were bonding somehow, if their movements were actually generating energy between them that could only be shared between the two.

Then something seemed to change as they moved in dips, jumps, circles. They seemed to be moving faster and faster, despite the constant rhythm of the music, until their images seemed to blur a little and...split? Where there was once one pair of dancers were now three, each identical person behind their look-alike. The fastest pair was the original pair, the second pair, like a shadow, was half a beat slower than the first, and so on. Krillin and Juu seemed to be streaking across the stage, and yet it looked as though they were moving in slow motion. Juunanagou had never seen such a sight and he was amazed by it. No picture, painting, or thought could describe the spectacle on the stage as the slowly streaking pair crossed, circled, and rebounded from each other.

Then the music shifted into the bouncier, cheerier mood. Juuhachigou stood still, out of breath, not sure on what to do next. And that's when she felt the air being pushed and shifted, a wave of heat that seemed to flitter and bounce through her, all around her. She knew it was Krillin, doing his conditioning stances with his ki energy. He wasn't facing her, rather, he was facing the chairs, unaware of the one-man audience hidden within the darkness. He seemed to be totally engulfed into the music, his face set in concentration as he moved his body slowly, cooling down from the activity beforehand.

And so Juuhachigou joined him, filtering her own ki out slowly through her palms, playing with the sensation through her fingers. The atmosphere changed and shifted all around her, the same bubble that was around Krillin now engulfing her. Juu's actions astounded her; never before had she used her ki for anything other than defense. This new method put a different perspective on her, a perspective where such beings of Earth were able to do wonderful things with the spirit, the soul.

She never realized that Krillin had moved in front of her until she felt his hands clasp hers. The clash of the two energies sent a startling shock up and down her spine, flashes of light dancing in her eyes. She gasped, and the music changed, taking on a tone a little different than any of the others before.

Krillin began to move her to the music, so hard and driving. The sound of a furious piano thundered throughout the auditorium as Krillin spun and twirled Juuhachigou around the stage with such fierceness, such intensity. She was startled, a little disoriented by Krillin's sudden actions. She wondered if even he was conscience of what he was doing, making Juu feel like she was in a phenomenon more free and wonderful than what even flying could bring. There were times when she had to bend down a bit. Krillin's size seemed so out of place compared to the performance he was submitting now. His intensity, fire, and spirit made up for his lack of height, however, the man with the most desirable features couldn't have done any better.

And as the music started to slow, so did their dancing until Krillin broke away his hold on her, taking a few staggering steps back. He panted, out of breath from his dancing, blinking at Juuhachigou. I-I must have gotten way too carried away with the dancing! he thought, his mind flashing back to what he had just done. Juu must think of me as some love-sick freak now! She isn't even the type to enjoy dancing, particularly with me. A bright red blush started to creep over his cheeks as he laughed nervously in response to his actions. "I'm sorry, Juu," he said bashfully. "I didn't mean to force you in such a situation. I-I don't know what came over me." He glanced at her face, always so calm and expressionless. And so beautiful, he added in his head. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

He turned around with his back to her, swiping up a towel from the edge of the stage and draping it around his shoulders. He started to gather his things together, getting ready to leave. He suspected that Juuhachigou had already left. Whatever chances we had together are probably gone now.

Then something touched his sweat-soaked shoulder, so soft, gentle, and cool against his skin. "Krillin."

Eyes wide, Krillin turned around, only to find Juuhachigou's face inches from his own. And then she kissed him, startling him in the same way as she did before. The kiss was completely different than the last, however. All Krillin could do was stand there, totally shocked and rigid as Juuhachigou's soft lips roamed over his own.

Juuhachigou parted after a moment, standing up. Krillin just stared at her, dazed, a blush brighter than the first invading his cheeks. "Why?" he finally uttered.

Juuhachigou smiled at him, a very slight, secretive smile that seemed to be barely there. "I have the same question about you," she answered. "We'll find that out another day, perhaps." And with that, she turned, hopped off the stage, and walked up the aisle and out the door.

Krillin stared after her, alone on stage, speechless. Then he broke into a wide grin. "Wow!" he exclaimed to himself. "That was...that was...." He gathered his things together, his head in the clouds and his heart soaring. He knew there was no doubt Juuhachigou would return to him. The question was, when and why? That doesn't matter, as long as I get to see her again. Every time we meet, it just gets better and better! Maybe next time we will..."

Krillin shook his head vigorously and chuckled. He hopped off stage with his things and headed for the door. One step at a time, Krillin, he thought. In the meantime, a cold shower should do wonders.

The poor guy was so absorbed with his thoughts that he never noticed another person leave as he had gathered his things. Now Juunanagou walked slowly down the dark, night-shrouded streets of the city, on his way home. Flying didn't appeal to him at that moment, he wanted time to sort things through in his mind.

After all the years of being together with his sister, he knew that she had finally decided to move on with her life, to start a second chance and a better future. She had left behind her long and horrid past with all her pained or missing emotions--along with her brother. He felt as though he was now slowly losing her, that she was replacing him for the short, witty little former monk that was once an enemy to them both. Why Juuhachigou chose Krillin was beyond him, even after their previous performance. There had been something in her eyes while she had danced with Krillin, something Juunanagou hadn't seen since the two of them were mere children contentedly killing time on a sunny day in a meadow near their old home. Those memories were so vague to him now, since Dr. Gero had seized him and his sister for experimentation. But he would never forget that sweet happy look that was once on his sister's face, that he had just seen again. And that was why he couldn't kill Krillin, to make sure that nothing stood between the siblings. It wouldn't be right to take away the light reborn in Juuhachigou's eyes after so long. He loved his sister too much to let that happen.

And so Juunanagou marched onward in the lonely streets of the night, knowing that in order for him to move on, he had to allow his sister to do the same. Farewell, my friend, my companion, my family. Whatever path you choose, I wish you the best of luck. He himself had yet to find his own way to a new beginning.

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