Disclaimer: I
dun own DBZ. Trust me, if I did, there'd be a lot of stuff that was different.
A lot of Buruma/Vegeta and Kuririn/Juuhachigou romance, to start, and some
more girl fighters. You know, stuff that would have Akira Toriyama rolling
in his grave and screaming "She's turning my work into a shoujo manga!
AAIIIIEE!!"
Chibi-Lena: Is he even dead yet?
Uhh.....anyway, on with the story...^^;;
~*~
"C-can I...sit down? Beside you?" My
entire body is shaking as I say these words.
She doesn't answer right away. For a brief moment I close my eyes, expecting a cold stare and some cyborg version of "Get lost, shorty." It's a familiar phrase; I've only heard it two or three hundred times from two or three hundred girls. When I open my eyelids, she's staring at me in an incredulous manner, but I can tell she's not being cruel by doing so. She regains her composure almost instantly and answers, "If you want."
I do. I take the required footsteps and carefully lower myself down beside her. We sit in silence, watching the sunset, and my eyes wander from the horizon to her. I can feel myself blushing as I watch her silent form. The words slip out of my mouth before I know it.
"You're beautiful."
Oops.~*~
"You're beautiful."
My head whips around to look at this...Kuririn, wondering if I heard correctly. "What did you say?!"
He seems to be struggling with himself. His face bears a determined expression that I seem to remember, and I suddenly remember where I'd seen him before. Before I was absorbed by Cell, I remember seeing him. He had been hiding behind some trees while Vegeta was fighting Cell. He had revealed himself after a while, along with his secret weapon: he had a control that could shut me down. That was, of course, if he used it, but...he didn't. I don't know why. I realize I'm staring at him again, and I quickly divert my gaze.
"I said, uh...your name! What's your name?"
Uh huh. I'm supposed to buy that? Oh well, there's always the unlikely chance that my auditory systems are malfunctioning. I don't know why, but I want to answer this meaningless question. "My name, huh? Juuhachigou. I'm surprised you haven't heard it before."
"Uh..." He's blushing. "Well, you see, Vegeta always just called you 'Jinzoningen', and Trunks didn't know your name, so I...."
I almost laugh. He and I both know it's a lie. I guess the expression contorts my face or something, because suddenly he's frowning. He looks at me, his expression oddly...concerned. "Are you all right? Do you need a senzu bean?"
"Senza what? What's that?" I kick myself mentally. There I go again, letting other people know my weak spot: I don't know everything.
He laughs and indicates his cloth bag. "Senzu bean. It replenishes your health. I don't know if it'll help you, but-"
I stand up, cutting him off. I don't know if it'll help you.... Of course. I'm an cyborg. Jinzoningen don't need people, I remind myself. I need no one.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Leaving, what's it look like?" I snap harshly. His expression goes from slightly surprised to shocked and hurt. Something almost like regret tries to stop me, but nevertheless, I fly off and leave him alone.~*~
For a moment I just stare after Juuhachigou's
silhouette as it disappears. Then shock, the familiar aftershock of rejection,
sets in, and my depressed gaze falls straight to the ground. I turn around
and start to head to Kame House. I rise into the air steadily and shoot
off.
I'm starting to feel more relaxed now. Flying's always been my favorite way of getting around. It makes me feel at ease, to be free above the rest of the world. It helps to clear my head. I don't think anyone else sees it that way; I tried explaining it to Goku once, but he just gave me an odd look and said that he was hungry. Of course, that could have been just Goku.
I've now reached Kame House. I can hear the boisterous laughter and talking from all the way out here, about a quarter of a mile away from the actual building. I change my mind suddenly; I don't want to be here, near everyone. I need to be alone. I start to leave for somewhere else, but it's too late. I've been spotted.
"Kuririn! Where've you been? C'mon down here!"
Halfheartedly I answer. "Sure, Yamucha. Coming."
Yamucha leads me inside, where I am greeted by a vast array of faces. It looks like the whole gang is here, even Trunks. My head spins and I ask, "What's the occasion?"
Yamucha laughs. "Don't tell me you forgot! This is celebrating Cell's defeat! Come and join the fun!"
Fun. Right. OK. I make my way slowly to the couch, saying hello every three inches or so. Sitting down doesn't bring about much of a change, but it's better than standing. My knees are still a bit weak from my earlier conversation with Juuhachigou. I lean back and stare at the ceiling.
"Well, hi there, Kuririn!"
I sit up. "Oh, hi, Chi Chi. How's it going?"
"Oh, just fine. How about you?"
"Same here, I guess."
"You guess?" Chi Chi turns away from me for a moment to yell something negative over her shoulder at Gohan and Trunks about a popcorn fight, then faces me again. "Is something wrong?"
"Well, not re-" I'm cut off by a stray piece of popcorn connecting with my eye.
"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT THROWING POPCORN?!?!" Chi Chi bellows. Gohan and Trunks cower. It's amazing how much power that woman can pack into simple phrases.
"Kuririn, if you don't mind, would you come with me?"
"Sure," I answer. I have nothing better to do.
I follow her to the kitchen, where the noise level is significantly lower and we are safe from flying food. After chasing Yajirobe out of the fridge, Chi Chi and I are alone.
"Kuririn, is everything all right? You seem depressed."
"Depressed? Me?" If you only knew, Chi Chi. Well, on second thought, I guess she would, what with Goku being dead and all. "I'm not depressed, just a little melancholy."
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"No, not really."
"Listen, you look tired. Why don't you leave the party early and go for a walk or something?" she suggests. "I'll tell the others that you had a phone call, or something came up."
Sometimes I swear the woman is a saint. "Thanks, Chi Chi," I say gratefully.
"Oh, don't worry about it. They won't suspect a thing. You wouldn't hear the phone in here even if it did ring, what with the noise level being what it is. Now, just go out the door over there, and I'll take care of the rest."
"Arigato, Chi Chi," I tell her again before I leave.
"Think nothing of it," she replies, and I go out the door.~*~
I don't know where I'm headed now. I
can see a large forest surrounded by mountains ahead of me, and I land
on top of a relatively large boulder. I look up at the night sky; it's
a clear night, and I can see more stars than I can ever remember seeing
before.
For the first time now, I can think clearly about my encounter with Juuhachigou. I don't understand why she just left abruptly like that. I suppose it's because she's an cyborg. Maybe they don't feel any emotions. That thought saddens me.
Could that be true? I ask myself. Could she really not feel anything? Does that mean that I'll never be able to tell her?
It hurts a lot to consider that possibility. Ever since she kissed me that one day, I've been trying to get up the nerve to tell her how I feel. It's amazing how three little words can be so hard to say: I love you.
Ironic, isn't it? You fall in love with the one person who probably can't ever love you back. I slowly lower myself down onto my back, still watching the stars. You're such a fool, I berate myself. You can't help it, but you're a fool. Juuhachigou's image appears in my mind, and I am almost to engrossed in it to notice the tears running down my face.~*~
"Hey, Juuhachi."
"What is it?" I demand a little less than civilly. "I was trying to think, you know."
My brother smirks. "Oh really. Well, I guess you're not interested then."
"Honestly, Juunana, you're just like a little kid sometimes. What is it already?"
"There's something out in our backyard. It's been there for a while now. Shall we go hunting?"
The backyard that he was talking about wasn't technically ours, but that didn't matter to us. After being revived, we'd ended up finding an abandoned shack out in the middle of nowhere. It was nice, actually. We were secluded, so no one could find us, and there were plenty of villages to destroy nearby. They were so small that they went unnoticed as they built themselves up, were destroyed by us, and were reborn again with the survivors.
"I don't know. I'm not really in the mood."
"Oh, come on. You hardly ever do this anymore. Just try it. All work and no play makes Juuhachi a dull Jinzoningen."
I roll my eyes. Sometimes it's impossible to resist him. "Fine, fine. Just don't make this go on all night. I need my beauty sleep, you know."
"Come on," he laughs, and we leave the house.
He's right. The night air feels wonderful, the breeze even better. "All right, where's the intruder?" I ask playfully.
"Over there," he says, indicating a silhouette on a large rock. "It's kind of small. Do you want it, or shall I take it?"
"I'll take it. What do you think, you want me to give it a head start?"
"Sure, why not. It makes it a little more fun."
I head up to the rock slowly. Stealth has always been one of my strong points, and it comes in handy during games like this. I'm hidden behind the life form now, and it's moving. Before it was lying flat, but now it's sitting up. It's also making some odd noises and touching its hands to its face repeatedly.
I smile to myself. This will be quite easy. I place my hand on part of the creature, and I recognize it as a shoulder. It's a human, I can tell. "Hello there," I greet it, my voice dripping honey and evil. It turns around, and I can tell it's frightened. It looks up at me and-
"J-Juuhachigou?!"~*~
"J-Juuhachigou?!" I squeak. What is
she doing here? Why is she behind me? And -oh, kami- was she watching me?
She looks at me in surprise. "Kuririn?" she exclaims quietly. "W-what are you doing here?"
"Hey, Juuhachi!" a new voice calls. I recognize it as her brother, Juunanagou. "You gonna take all night? What's taking you so long?"
"Hold on," she tells me before calling back to him. "You go ahead and find something else, Juunana. I'll take care of this one. It may be small, but it's quick."
"All right. But remember, don't take all night!!" There is the sound of rustling leaves and foliage on skin, or at least skin substitute, and I guess that he has left.
She turns back to me. "So tell me, why are you here?"
"I....well, I..."
She sighs. I can tell she's annoyed, and I can feel my shoulders slump.
"Look..." she starts to say, "I....it's just....look, if you can't give me a straight answer then just leave, all right?"
My disappointment deepens. Just leave, all right? The pain of rejection is resurfacing and I feel the need to let it out.
"I understand..." I whisper, not meeting her gaze. Then, to myself, "I think...." And almost before I know it, for the second time today, we are separate. This time it's my fault, and that only adds to my dislike for the distance.~*~
He left. And it's my fault, I think.
What's
wrong with you? I ask myself. Why are you letting an insignificant
human turn you upside down? I suddenly hear branches breaking. I know
who it is without turning around. "Hey, Juunana," I ask, "How was the hunt?"
"Not bad," he answers. "Not as good as last week's, but last week's was something unusual. What about you?"
"It got away. I told you it was quick."
"You're slacking, Juuhachi. Tsk, tsk. My own sister."
"Kindly shut up. Anyway, you ready to go?"
"Yeah, I'm full. Let's go."
"Um...you go on without me. I'm going to stay out here for a little while longer."
"Whatever happened to Miss 'I-need-my-beauty-sleep'?"
"I just need to work on my speed. After all, you said yourself that I can't be slacking off."
He shrugs and begins to head back towards our house. "Suit yourself."
"I'll probably be gone all night," I call after him. "Don't start to worry or anything if I'm not back until breakfast or lunch tomorrow."
"Me? Worry about you? Please," he replies. "Where did you get that idea? I know you can take care of yourself. You'll manage."
"Thanks." I comment wryly. "I think."
"Always glad to help." He disappears into the bushes.
Now what? I think. I'm definitely not going 'hunting', no matter what Juunana thinks. What can I do? After a couple minutes of indecision, I choose to go visit Juuroku. After he was wished back from the dead, he still had pieces missing from his skull. Dr. Briefs fixed him up, and afterwards he stayed along as somewhat of an assistant to the man. I think that cat of the Briefs' had something to do with it also; Juuroku always had a thing for animals. It's not that far from our house, either. Besides, I always found Juuroku easier to talk to than Juunana.
As I begin the flight to the Briefs' laboratory, I unwillingly recall Kuririn's saddened expression when I told him to leave me alone earlier tonight. His disappointed comment afterwards also comes to mind.
I understand...I think...
I don't think he really meant for me to hear the last part, but he underestimated the power of my auditory systems. I guess they weren't malfunctioning after all.
I'm brought out of my deep thoughts by the fact that I've reached Capsule Corporation, and that I can hear shouting below. Looking down, I see the daughter of that doctor of Juuroku's...what was her name?...and a short, spiky haired man -Vegeta! What's he doing here? I wonder. I sink a little lower in the sky, increasing the probability of my overhearing the conversation. It's unneeded, though, as the argument increases greatly in decibel level.
"Baka onna! How many times have I told you, you have no authority over me! I am a Saiyajin prince! I listen to no one but myself!"
"Oh, so now you're too high and mighty to listen to a lowly woman such as myself, is that it?"
"Since when did I ever listen to you?!"
"There's a first time for everything, you know!"
"Shut your mouth! Why do you always have to give me so much trouble, woman?"
"I'll tell you why! Because you can't get it through your thick, princely, Saiyajin skull that I have a name! Because you never take any time to ask, "How are you doing, Buruma?" or, "It's a nice day, isn't it, Buruma?" or even a simple "Good morning!" !! It's always an insult! Because, no matter what I do, it's not good enough for you! And finally, because you never, once in your life, stop by to say hello to Trunks! For Kami-sama's sake, Vegeta, he's your son too!!"
A loud wail suddenly comes from inside the building. Buruma, glaring at Vegeta, says, "That would be Trunks, our son, whom we have just woken up with our petty arguing!"
"I know who it is, woman!"
"Well, I just thought I'd tell you, as you can't seem to remember who he is any other time!" Buruma stomps up to the doorstep. "I'm not finished with you yet, Vegeta," she growls harshly, then closes the door forcefully behind her. It opens once more and she pokes her head out. Noticing Vegeta is about to leave, she yells, "Fine! Leave if you want! If this is the kind of father you're going to be, I'd rather Trunks grew up without one!!!!" The deafening slam of the door behind her resounds in the cool, still, night air.
I'm rendered speechless. What was that all about?~*~
I've somehow found my way to Buruma's
place. I figure I can always talk to her, plus she makes a mean cup of
coffee. She and I have known each other for quite some time now, and we're
pretty good friends.
When I look down at the combination lab/house, I can hear a baby crying inside. Trunks, I think. It's unlike Buruma to let him cry for so long. The wailing stops, and then I notice that the lights are on inside but there's someone sitting outside alone. I squint and try to get a closer look, but the shadows of the tree the person is sitting in hides any recognizable features. I then try to identify the person's ki, and I hit the jackpot. It's Vegeta! He'd kill me if he knew I was here, so I keep a safe distance until some ten or fifteen minutes later, when he finally flies off. When he disappears into the horizon, I creep up and knock on the door.
"Go away, Vegeta!" a muffled voice calls violently from inside.
I knock again.
"I said, go away!!"
"Buruma," I call. "Buruma, it's me. Kuririn." I can hear the sound of someone getting off of a couch or something and coming to the door, which then opens.
"Sorry, Kuririn. It's been a long day."
"I can tell," I reply.
"What gave it away?" she asks in an attempt at humor.
"Well...for starters, the red, swollen eyes, the damp cheeks, the ruffled hair, the fact that you thought I was Vegeta..."
"OK, OK, that's enough. That obvious, huh?"
"Hai."
She takes a minute to straighten herself up, and we sit in silence for a few moments. "So...what brings you here?" she inquires, as if people are always dropping into her living room at 10: 46 pm.
"Nothing really. I just needed someone to talk to, plus some coffee."
Buruma laughs. "I can take a hint." She heads into the kitchen, still talking. "I guess it's a good thing you dropped in. I need someone to talk to also, now that I think about it. Coffee's probably a good idea, too."
"Hey," I say, just noticing something,"Where's Trunks? I heard him crying before I came in. Then he stopped, and I thought you got him."
"I was feeling kind of...worn out, so I asked Otousan if he or Juuroku-san could take care of him."
"Juuroku....-san?"
She nods. "Hai. You remember Juurokugou? Well, as you know, Otousan fixed him up after Cell totaled him. After Gohan sent Cell off into oblivion, Juuroku stayed on with us as Otousan's assistant. He's really smart, being an cyborg and all, plus he's gentle as a lamb. The cat loves him, and so does Trunks." She started suddenly as the coffee machine made an odd noise. "Uh-oh...hold on a sec." She turned to the coffee machine and fiddled with it for a moment. "Crud."
"What's wrong?" I ask, starting to feel a bit nervous. After all, Buruma and her father are both inventors, so Kami-sama only knows what they could do to coffee machines.
"Well, this thing broke last week and I never got around to fixing it. I called the appliance repairpeople and figured they'd take care of it. But now it looks like 'tousan went and fixed it before the repairpeople, and...well, let's just say that some of these parts should not be in here."
"Crud is right."
"Yeah...oh my god! What did he do to this thing?"
"Um...should I be offering to help or hiding under the table?"
"Hiding. Definitely. Now, where is that power strip?!"
That was not the most reassuring thing she could have said. "Hey, Bulma? Would it do any major harm if I unplugged it?"
"Don't think so...why?"
"Um...'cause I just found that power strip."
She jumps up. "Quick! Unplug it, now!!"
The coffee machine is shaking and making noises that should not, under any normal circumstances, come from a coffee machine. I pull out the plug and begin to feel a lot better, because that causes the coffee machine to return to dormancy.
"OK, what say we go to the lab for coffee?"
"How about in a minute? I still need to talk to you, you know."
"Oh, right." She walks into the living room, sits down on the couch, and motions for me to join her. "So, what's wrong with you today?"
"Hey! I don't come here every day to talk and mooch coffee off of you every day! Sounds to me like you're the one with the problem!"
"Hai, maybe I am." Her expression changes from laughing to solemn. "Maybe."
"Buruma, what's with you today? You're not acting like yourself."
"Well...if I tell you exactly what's wrong, you know that you'll be here for a while."
"Yeah, I don't mind. Just as long as Vegeta doesn't come barging in, I'm fine. He'd literally kill me if he found us together, even if we're just innocently talking like we are now. His philosophy is kill now, ask questions later."
"I know." Buruma's shoulders slump. "Believe me, I know."
Oops. I'm just Mr. Tactful today, aren't I? First those scenes with Juuhachigou, and now this...I shake my memories off and return my thoughts to the present. "Oh, geez, Buruma, I'm sorry. Here I am rambling on like a total baka about Vegeta while it's obvious that he's part of the problem. Gomen."
"Part?" Buruma lets out what could have been a bitter laugh, but I can't tell as I've never heard her laugh bitterly before. "He's not just part. He is the problem."
"Oh. Would you like to tell me about it? Sometimes it's better to let these things out instead of keeping them inside."
"Sure, why not. There's nothing else to do about it, I suppose." She runs her hand through her hair and keeps talking. "When I had Trunks, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I thought that now I could fulfill my dream of having a family while still being a scientist, just like my father. He always found time for us, no matter how busy he was.
"But I was pretty naive then. Of course, the fact that Vegeta actually did come visit me in the hospital once in a while didn't help me realize the situation I was putting myself in. I thought, you know, maybe he's actually coming around. Maybe now we can have a family.
"Once I got out of the hospital, I didn't see Vegeta for about three weeks. When he finally did come, I asked him where he had been. He said he'd been training, what else would he be doing? I told him that his son missed him, and he said to me, 'Life wasn't easy for me, and I grew up strong. Why should I pamper my son so that he'll be weaker than he already is?' I said that I thought I understood but that maybe he could come visit us every week or so. He gave me this...this look, I can't really describe it, and just flew off.
"It's just gone downhill from there. I hardly every see him, and when I do, it's him asking me to unlock the gravity room. I lost my temper at him tonight and yelled at him a lot. I told him that if that was the kind of father he was going to be, then I'd rather Trunks grew up fatherless. I slammed the door in his face and then you came by about five minutes later." she finished.
"Ah. I see." I muse, not really knowing what else to say regarding this situation.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"Look, I just poured my heart out to you. Now's the time where you give me some helpful advice or that kind of crap."
"Um." I try to think quickly. "Well, how about this? Try to get him to compromise. Tell him you'll meet him halfway. Or maybe set aside some time where you can talk to him alone. Tell him that, um....he can't use the gravity room until he spends some time with you and Trunks. Oh, and since this is Vegeta we're dealing with, make sure he agrees to conversation instead of arguing or silence. Make sure he also spends some time taking full responsibility of Trunks, if you'd trust him with Trunks alone, and see how it goes from there."
"Wow, Kuririn, you're good at this. Maybe you should start your own advice column."
"Yeah. Right. When I've got my own newly acquired set of problems to work out?"
"And what would those be?"
Oops. Did I just say that out loud? "Oh, er, nothing. Nothing at all, heh heh."
Buruma gives me her patented "I-will-believe-that-when-Vegeta-gets-his-hair-buzzed-of-his-own-free-will" look. "One more time: what would those problems be? You said yourself that sometimes it's better to let these things out than to keep them inside."
I sigh, admitting my defeat. I really don't have the willpower to resist Buruma's prying tonight.
"Well, Buruma, it goes like this..." I begin, starting to swallow my pride in order to tell Buruma the story of my being hung up on an cyborg, of all people...er, things.
"Look, Kuririn, cut the dramatic act. You and I both know that we don't have time for that."
So much for that. As I falter, my pride resurfaces and I willingly rely upon the time-old excuse of making up a person with the same problems as you. "Well, you see, I...uh, know this guy. He's pretty decent, the kind of guy who's nice enough but still sort of retains a spine, but he's kinda low-key. You know the type: the kind that fades into the background a lot. This, uh, friend of mine has this problem, though. He's-"
"Wait a minute," Buruma interrupts. "I thought you said that you were the one with the problems, not this...friend...of yours."
"Uh...well, this guy, um, he came and told me all this stuff so he could get it off his back, but now he wants advice. From me. So now this is all resting on my shoulders, no matter what I do, so I figured it'd be best to talk to someone." Phew. Thank Kami-sama for quick thinking. "Anyway, this friend of mine is really hung up on someone, but he's not sure that the person likes him back, or even can."
"What do you mean,'or even can'?" Buruma asks suspiciously.
"Um...er, she's kind of cold. She really acts distant all of the time, like she's not even on the planet. She doesn't even notice this guy, and he's starting to wonder if..." I trail off. This lie could easily start to get too realistic.
"If what?"
The words come spilling out of their own accord. "If...if she's even human."
Buruma looks at me blankly. "If she's even human? How...." Suddenly, her previously puzzled face lights up. "Ah-hah! I see now."
"What's your advice?"
She leans over and claps me on the back. "It's simple. Just make sure Juuhachigou knows how you feel, Kuririn. That's all I should, and will, say."
I'm stunned, to say the least. "B-but....how did you know?!" I stutter.
"It was too easy, Kuririn," she laughs. "The looks on your face, the way you stuttered, the unusual circumstances...I knew this was about you after the first couple sentences. The only thing puzzling me was your question about her mortality, but after I just thought about it, it all fit together."
"Oh," I mutter sheepishly. "Um...what say we get that coffee now?"
"Good idea." Buruma smiles at me. At least I'd managed to cheer her up.~*~
"So, Juuhachi," Juuroku says to me,
petting the cat he has on his shoulder, "What brings you here tonight?"
I shrug. "I don't know. Just wanted to see you, I guess."
He smiles. "You always were a bad liar, Juuhachi. What is the matter?"
"I just have a lot on my mind tonight. I needed to see a familiar face."
"Juunana wasn't in a social enough mood for you?"
"When is he ever? All he seems to think about is hunting whatever's in the backyard and guns. Oh, and let's not forget blowing things up."
"And what do you think about, Juuhachi?"
Juuroku always had the godcursed talent of knowing exactly what I needed to talk about, even if I didn't want to. "I don't know. Maybe what I'm going to practice tomorrow, how to keep Juunana from blowing up everything in sight, what I'm going to do with my life...." I exhaled loudly. The next part was hard to admit, but I knew Juuroku would never tell anyone what I was about to say. "And...well, Juuroku? Do you know that Kuririn person?"
He looks slightly surprised. "I do," he replies anyway, picking up the small crying child in the crib next to him. He somehow does this without dropping or annoying the cat, I note in an amused manner. That manner doesn't last for very long, though.
"Sometimes...Juuroku, he and I have been running into each other an awful lot, and....well, sometimes I....I think about him." I finish quietly, gazing intently at the floor.
He has a bemused expression on his face as he rocks the baby he is holding, soothing it. "This....Kuririn, is it? He is troubling you, or, rather, you are troubling yourself about him. What has happened that you aren't telling me, Juuhachi?"
"I...I wish I knew what was going on, Juuroku. I don't know why this is happening to me. i mean, I'm allowing a human, a human , to penetrate my defenses. I'm kicking myself for it all the while."
"Why?" Juuroku inquires softly. "Why does this cause you to berate yourself?"
"Because," I say, trying to make him understand, "We're supposed to be the invincible Jinzoningen. We were beaten by a fellow cyborg, that's understandable, I suppose. But now, I'm allowing a pitiful life form who couldn't be a worthy opponent of mine if he was twice as skilled as he is now to interfere with my daily life, my schedule, my logic. I don't see you or Juunana doing this; why is it me?!" I exclaim, my desperation apparent.
"Hush, Juuhachi," Juuroku says quietly. "It's just not time for us yet. Here, hold Trunks." He holds out the child in his arms.
"Why?"
"Sometimes holding him has a calming effect. When I'm feeling particularly frustrated, Trunks here always helps me out." He smiles affectionately at Trunks, who coos agreeably.
"Wait a minute." Something clicks in my brain. "Trunks? This wouldn't be the kid who came from the future, would it? Vegeta and that scientist's son?"
"I believe he is the one who was here from the future at one point, and yes, he is Buruma's son."
I take the child,Trunks, into my arms. He fusses and squirms a little at first, but then he settles down, sighing. I look down at this small, seemingly miniature human in my arms and feel calmed, just as Juuroku predicted. I can feel, for some reason, a smile forming on my face, and I sit down on the sole chair next to Juuroku. A need to close my eyes creeps up on me, and I do so, feeling strangely peaceful for the first time since I don't know when.~*~
Buruma leads me downstairs to the lab.
"Trust me, the coffee machine down here has slightly less attitude than
the one upstairs. At least, I think it does."
I laugh, albeit halfheartedly. That's Buruma's idea of a joke when she's in one of her 'scientist' moods. My mind is still occupied with thoughts of Juuhachigou, but I push them out of my head, telling myself to save them until after caffeine. It's very hard to do so with no conversation, so I try to get Buruma to talk. "So," I say, "Um...how's Trunks been doing?"
"Pretty well," she responds. "He's starting to become more active, and he's more accepting of strangers now."
"That's great. Is he up in the lab?"
"Hai. I'm pretty sure that Juuroku-san is holding him right now. If you want, maybe he'll let you hold him."
"Sounds good." Silence reigns again, but not for long.
"All right, we're here." Buruma announces, opening a door at the end of the long hallway we have been walking down. "Welcome to my laboratory."
"....." I know I'm gaping at the vast array of equipment Buruma has arranged in this seemingly moderate space, but I can't help it. "Whoa...you've added some stuff since the last time I've seen this place, huh?"
She smiles proudly. "Hai. All the latest equipment for all the latest procedures, plus some new apparatuses designed by 'tousan and myself, of course."
I whistled my appreciation. "Nice. Don't let me near any of the valuable and irreplaceable ones, though. I can just see myself dropping my coffee cup all over your top-secret original plans for something and ruining them."
She chuckles softly. "Whatever you say, Kuririn. Just don't take all day getting through the door."
I then realize that I am still standing outside the door, while Buruma has walked inside already. "Oh...hai." I take the few steps needed to enter the lab and follow Buruma to a seat.
"Oh, Juuroku-san! I didn't expect you to still be working this late!"
"Nor did I," the large, lab-coat-wearing cyborg replies in his usual calm manner. "You could say something came up."
"Really?" Buruma sounds bemused. "Care to tell me about this?" She draws him into a corner and begins talking to him quietly. Knowing that this conversation does not involve me, I look around the lab, taking everything in. There are large, odd-looking apparatuses mounted on the walls, and smaller shapeless ones held firmly in place by cables in the corners. A few chairs are scattered throughout the room, but I'm the only person sitting. Glancing around the room again, I notice that Trunks is not in his crib.
Hmm, I think. That's odd. I thought that he was up here.
"Is he in the lab?"
"Hai...I'm pretty sure Juuroku-san's holding him right now..."
I scrutinize the room one more time, looking for Trunks. I can see no one at first, but my eyes then catch a glimpse of someone sitting in a chair near the wall that I had previously thought to be empty. I creep closer to this person, who seems to be asleep in this darkened part of the lab, and am able to tell that he or she as shoulder length hair. Hmm, I think, either Yamucha's grown his hair out again, or this person's female. I can't think of anyone, female or otherwise, who would be here so late at night, so I try to identify this person's ki. I can't get a reading, and that puzzles and disturbs me at the same time. I find a light switch on the wall, and switch it on, allowing me to see this person's face. It's Juuhachigou!
"Juuhachigou?" I whisper softly. There is no answer, and I guess that she is asleep. Suddenly I hear a soft noise, as if in answer to my whisper. I look down, and I notice that Juuhachigou is holding baby Trunks! To top that off, Trunks is asleep as well!
"Amazing," I murmur, more to myself than to anyone else. "Trunks doesn't fall asleep with just anybody, you know." She moves just a little bit, and I quickly silence myself in fear of waking her up.
She looks just like a mother, I think, So tranquil and peaceful.
"Kuririn!" Buruma's voice comes from the opposite side of the lab.
"Right here," I call back quietly. "But keep it down. Juu-, I mean, Trunks is asleep."
"All right," she replies more softly. "Kuririn, you just stay here. I need to discuss something concerning the lab with Juuroku-san."
"Hai, Buruma."
"And don't worry, I'm pretty sure we can scrounge up some coffee later on."
"Sounds good."
I hear the sound of a door shutting and I know that I have been left alone with Trunks and Juuhachigou. At this sound, Trunks stirs and wakes up.
"Hi there," I greet him gently.
He gurgles at the sound of my voice. "Ku-wi-wa," he giggles, saying my name the only way he can. "Ku-wi-wa."
"Yup, that's me."
Juuhachigou then shifts her position a bit, and yawns. "Juuroku? Is that you?"
Trunks perks up at the sound of his caretaker's name. "Juu-ko? Juu-ko?" he asks me.
"Um..." My throat is unusually dry; I can't seem to make the words come out. "I...I'm not Juurokugou."
She straightens her posture. "Who is it?" she demands dangerously.
I clear my throat. "It's me," I tell her quietly. "Kuririn."
She whips her head around to look at me. "What are you doing here?!?!"
"I came to talk to Buruma. I needed...some advice."
She just stares at me blankly. "Why is it that, no matter where I am, there you are too?"
"I don't know." I answer her. It's actually the truth. I don't know why fate threw us together in this odd sort of way. "Maybe it's fate."
"What's that?" she asks, her voice only partly scornful.
"Nothing really," I reply cheerfully. I might as well keep the mood bright for a little while. "Just something that us humans made up so that, if something goes wrong, we don't take all the blame. Or, sometimes, when things go right, people say that it was fated to be. Other times it's a pickup line, though."
"A picket line?"
"A pickup line. People use this to try to get other people to like them."
"I still don't get this." She doesn't sound scornful now, just curious. I wonder for a brief moment why she's acting so...so....human, but shake it off and answer her question. There's no point in being rude.
"Well, say that, um...this guy was, er, at a restaurant, and he sees this-"
"Hold on," she interrupts. "If you stumble that much, I won't be able to understand you."
"Uh...right. So, um, let's see, I'll put this really simply. Say that, uh, you were sitting in a restaurant and I came up to you and started talking to you, but you really weren't interested. So then I might start, I don't know, saying how much I like you or something. If you still weren't interested I might tell you that fate meant us to be together."
"I....think I understand."
Suddenly, Trunks starts getting fussy again. I guess he was feeling left out of the conversation, and for good reason.
"Here," I hold Trunks out to Juuhachigou. "I think he wants you to hold him again."
"Uh...sure." She takes him, and he immediately stops fussing. He coos, and when Juuhachigou bends her head down to look at him, he grabs her hair.
"Ow!" she blurts out, then covers her mouth.
"Here, let me help," I offer, and bend over to help detangle Trunks' hand from her hair. After about five minutes of struggling, Trunks suddenly decides that he would much rather grab onto my shirt than Juuhachigou's hair, and switches his attention to doing just that.
"OK, Trunks," I told him sternly while engaging in tug-of-war with him over my shirt, "It's time to let go now." Trunks giggles and pulls harder, almost tearing the article of clothing. Juuhachigou reaches over to help me, but I'm too preoccupied to be surprised.
"I...mean it...Trunks..." I mutter in between tugs. He laughs harder and is joined by someone else....Juuhachigou? I look up at her, surprised, because it's the first time I've ever heard her display any emotion except self-assurance and anger. I can feel Trunks stop moving too when he hears Juuhachigou, and his grip loosens. Juuhachigou and I pull together, and the shirt and I go tumbling into Juuhachigou's arm. Trunks is still sitting on her lap, and he decides it's time for another round of tug-of-war. As I turn around halfway to make sure that I didn't break anything behind me, he grabs my shirt from the back, and this time I can't reach back far enough to discourage him. Juuhachigou laughs again, and I can feel her hands on my back as she gently coaxes Trunks to let go.
"Come on, Trunks," I plead, but I find myself laughing too. "It's enough now!"
"Well, well, well, aren't we the happy little family?" a laughing voice interjects. It's Buruma! Trunks squeals and immediately lets go, calling, "Ma-ma! Ma-ma!"
"You're awake again?" Buruma asks him as she removes him from Juuhachigou's lap. He coos in response. "Sorry about this, Kuririn, Juuhachigou." she tells us. "He's not usually this...energetic. You guys want some coffee?"
"Sure!" I reply enthusiastically. Juuhachigou, on the other hand, doesn't answer. Maybe she doesn't feel like she can be human around anyone but me. Despite myself, I feel a little swell of pride. She let her defenses down for me.
"What about you, Juuhachigou?" Buruma asks kindly. I guess she's more comfortable with the cyborgs now that she's living with one. "Do you want some too?"
Juuhachigou replies softly, "I don't need any."
Buruma is not at all fazed. "Neither do we. We don't need it to survive, but we drink it anyway. So, how about it?"
I can see the desperate look she shoots Juurokugou as well as the nod he gives her in return. Please let her listen to him just this once. Please, Kami-sama...~*~
End Part One
Chibi-Lena: Is he even dead yet?
Uhh.....anyway, on with the story...^^;;
Warnings: Angst. Sap. Japanese names and
phrases. A teeny tiny bit of language(mostly in Japanese =P). Possibly
out-of-place humor. Kuririn and Buruma's addiction to coffee. Internal
conflict. You know, the usual.
(For help with the Japanese names and
phrases, go to http://www.greenepa.net/~lena/japguide.html.)
Programmed Response
Part One
I sit alone on a rocky outcrop on
a cliff, staring at the sea. I don't know what to do with myself. My purpose
is lost, the battle with Cell over. My eyes skim over the cliff face for
the xth time. My gaze lands on some sort of plant; my sensors define
it for me, but I don't pay attention. I draw my knees up to my chest and
begin to sigh, but cut myself short. Stop it, I tell myself. You
are Jinzoningen. You don't feel. Feeling is for humans. Humans aren't logical
. You're supposed to be logical.
Suddenly I am aware of someone -or
something- behind me. I could turn around, define the life form, and kill
it before it could blink, but I'm not in the mood.
"Who's there?" I say disinterestedly,
only partially playing my usual role of the aloof, omnipotent cyborg. For
a moment, there is no answer. Feeling almost intrigued, I turn around.
Standing alone behind me is a short human male in a blue and orange gi.
His eyes are a deep black and he has six circular marks in two columns
on his bald head. He is holding a small cloth bag filled with something
I cannot identify, yet he looks familiar somehow.
"Well?" I ask, getting ready to
turn back around and lose myself in my thoughts again after disposing of
him. Surprisingly, he meets my gaze.
"You can call me Kuririn," he says.
The name doesn't ring a bell at first, but I feel a flash of data recall
approaching. I think I've heard this name before.
"What do you want?" I demand crossly.
He's only human, after all. He probably wanted to fight me or some utterly
useless thing like that. Typical human behavior. I sigh, waiting for the
battle challenge.
"C-can I...sit down? Beside you?"
She doesn't answer right away. For a brief moment I close my eyes, expecting a cold stare and some cyborg version of "Get lost, shorty." It's a familiar phrase; I've only heard it two or three hundred times from two or three hundred girls. When I open my eyelids, she's staring at me in an incredulous manner, but I can tell she's not being cruel by doing so. She regains her composure almost instantly and answers, "If you want."
I do. I take the required footsteps and carefully lower myself down beside her. We sit in silence, watching the sunset, and my eyes wander from the horizon to her. I can feel myself blushing as I watch her silent form. The words slip out of my mouth before I know it.
"You're beautiful."
Oops.
My head whips around to look at this...Kuririn, wondering if I heard correctly. "What did you say?!"
He seems to be struggling with himself. His face bears a determined expression that I seem to remember, and I suddenly remember where I'd seen him before. Before I was absorbed by Cell, I remember seeing him. He had been hiding behind some trees while Vegeta was fighting Cell. He had revealed himself after a while, along with his secret weapon: he had a control that could shut me down. That was, of course, if he used it, but...he didn't. I don't know why. I realize I'm staring at him again, and I quickly divert my gaze.
"I said, uh...your name! What's your name?"
Uh huh. I'm supposed to buy that? Oh well, there's always the unlikely chance that my auditory systems are malfunctioning. I don't know why, but I want to answer this meaningless question. "My name, huh? Juuhachigou. I'm surprised you haven't heard it before."
"Uh..." He's blushing. "Well, you see, Vegeta always just called you 'Jinzoningen', and Trunks didn't know your name, so I...."
I almost laugh. He and I both know it's a lie. I guess the expression contorts my face or something, because suddenly he's frowning. He looks at me, his expression oddly...concerned. "Are you all right? Do you need a senzu bean?"
"Senza what? What's that?" I kick myself mentally. There I go again, letting other people know my weak spot: I don't know everything.
He laughs and indicates his cloth bag. "Senzu bean. It replenishes your health. I don't know if it'll help you, but-"
I stand up, cutting him off. I don't know if it'll help you.... Of course. I'm an cyborg. Jinzoningen don't need people, I remind myself. I need no one.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Leaving, what's it look like?" I snap harshly. His expression goes from slightly surprised to shocked and hurt. Something almost like regret tries to stop me, but nevertheless, I fly off and leave him alone.
I'm starting to feel more relaxed now. Flying's always been my favorite way of getting around. It makes me feel at ease, to be free above the rest of the world. It helps to clear my head. I don't think anyone else sees it that way; I tried explaining it to Goku once, but he just gave me an odd look and said that he was hungry. Of course, that could have been just Goku.
I've now reached Kame House. I can hear the boisterous laughter and talking from all the way out here, about a quarter of a mile away from the actual building. I change my mind suddenly; I don't want to be here, near everyone. I need to be alone. I start to leave for somewhere else, but it's too late. I've been spotted.
"Kuririn! Where've you been? C'mon down here!"
Halfheartedly I answer. "Sure, Yamucha. Coming."
Yamucha leads me inside, where I am greeted by a vast array of faces. It looks like the whole gang is here, even Trunks. My head spins and I ask, "What's the occasion?"
Yamucha laughs. "Don't tell me you forgot! This is celebrating Cell's defeat! Come and join the fun!"
Fun. Right. OK. I make my way slowly to the couch, saying hello every three inches or so. Sitting down doesn't bring about much of a change, but it's better than standing. My knees are still a bit weak from my earlier conversation with Juuhachigou. I lean back and stare at the ceiling.
"Well, hi there, Kuririn!"
I sit up. "Oh, hi, Chi Chi. How's it going?"
"Oh, just fine. How about you?"
"Same here, I guess."
"You guess?" Chi Chi turns away from me for a moment to yell something negative over her shoulder at Gohan and Trunks about a popcorn fight, then faces me again. "Is something wrong?"
"Well, not re-" I'm cut off by a stray piece of popcorn connecting with my eye.
"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT THROWING POPCORN?!?!" Chi Chi bellows. Gohan and Trunks cower. It's amazing how much power that woman can pack into simple phrases.
"Kuririn, if you don't mind, would you come with me?"
"Sure," I answer. I have nothing better to do.
I follow her to the kitchen, where the noise level is significantly lower and we are safe from flying food. After chasing Yajirobe out of the fridge, Chi Chi and I are alone.
"Kuririn, is everything all right? You seem depressed."
"Depressed? Me?" If you only knew, Chi Chi. Well, on second thought, I guess she would, what with Goku being dead and all. "I'm not depressed, just a little melancholy."
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"No, not really."
"Listen, you look tired. Why don't you leave the party early and go for a walk or something?" she suggests. "I'll tell the others that you had a phone call, or something came up."
Sometimes I swear the woman is a saint. "Thanks, Chi Chi," I say gratefully.
"Oh, don't worry about it. They won't suspect a thing. You wouldn't hear the phone in here even if it did ring, what with the noise level being what it is. Now, just go out the door over there, and I'll take care of the rest."
"Arigato, Chi Chi," I tell her again before I leave.
"Think nothing of it," she replies, and I go out the door.
For the first time now, I can think clearly about my encounter with Juuhachigou. I don't understand why she just left abruptly like that. I suppose it's because she's an cyborg. Maybe they don't feel any emotions. That thought saddens me.
Could that be true? I ask myself. Could she really not feel anything? Does that mean that I'll never be able to tell her?
It hurts a lot to consider that possibility. Ever since she kissed me that one day, I've been trying to get up the nerve to tell her how I feel. It's amazing how three little words can be so hard to say: I love you.
Ironic, isn't it? You fall in love with the one person who probably can't ever love you back. I slowly lower myself down onto my back, still watching the stars. You're such a fool, I berate myself. You can't help it, but you're a fool. Juuhachigou's image appears in my mind, and I am almost to engrossed in it to notice the tears running down my face.
"What is it?" I demand a little less than civilly. "I was trying to think, you know."
My brother smirks. "Oh really. Well, I guess you're not interested then."
"Honestly, Juunana, you're just like a little kid sometimes. What is it already?"
"There's something out in our backyard. It's been there for a while now. Shall we go hunting?"
The backyard that he was talking about wasn't technically ours, but that didn't matter to us. After being revived, we'd ended up finding an abandoned shack out in the middle of nowhere. It was nice, actually. We were secluded, so no one could find us, and there were plenty of villages to destroy nearby. They were so small that they went unnoticed as they built themselves up, were destroyed by us, and were reborn again with the survivors.
"I don't know. I'm not really in the mood."
"Oh, come on. You hardly ever do this anymore. Just try it. All work and no play makes Juuhachi a dull Jinzoningen."
I roll my eyes. Sometimes it's impossible to resist him. "Fine, fine. Just don't make this go on all night. I need my beauty sleep, you know."
"Come on," he laughs, and we leave the house.
He's right. The night air feels wonderful, the breeze even better. "All right, where's the intruder?" I ask playfully.
"Over there," he says, indicating a silhouette on a large rock. "It's kind of small. Do you want it, or shall I take it?"
"I'll take it. What do you think, you want me to give it a head start?"
"Sure, why not. It makes it a little more fun."
I head up to the rock slowly. Stealth has always been one of my strong points, and it comes in handy during games like this. I'm hidden behind the life form now, and it's moving. Before it was lying flat, but now it's sitting up. It's also making some odd noises and touching its hands to its face repeatedly.
I smile to myself. This will be quite easy. I place my hand on part of the creature, and I recognize it as a shoulder. It's a human, I can tell. "Hello there," I greet it, my voice dripping honey and evil. It turns around, and I can tell it's frightened. It looks up at me and-
"J-Juuhachigou?!"
She looks at me in surprise. "Kuririn?" she exclaims quietly. "W-what are you doing here?"
"Hey, Juuhachi!" a new voice calls. I recognize it as her brother, Juunanagou. "You gonna take all night? What's taking you so long?"
"Hold on," she tells me before calling back to him. "You go ahead and find something else, Juunana. I'll take care of this one. It may be small, but it's quick."
"All right. But remember, don't take all night!!" There is the sound of rustling leaves and foliage on skin, or at least skin substitute, and I guess that he has left.
She turns back to me. "So tell me, why are you here?"
"I....well, I..."
She sighs. I can tell she's annoyed, and I can feel my shoulders slump.
"Look..." she starts to say, "I....it's just....look, if you can't give me a straight answer then just leave, all right?"
My disappointment deepens. Just leave, all right? The pain of rejection is resurfacing and I feel the need to let it out.
"I understand..." I whisper, not meeting her gaze. Then, to myself, "I think...." And almost before I know it, for the second time today, we are separate. This time it's my fault, and that only adds to my dislike for the distance.
"Not bad," he answers. "Not as good as last week's, but last week's was something unusual. What about you?"
"It got away. I told you it was quick."
"You're slacking, Juuhachi. Tsk, tsk. My own sister."
"Kindly shut up. Anyway, you ready to go?"
"Yeah, I'm full. Let's go."
"Um...you go on without me. I'm going to stay out here for a little while longer."
"Whatever happened to Miss 'I-need-my-beauty-sleep'?"
"I just need to work on my speed. After all, you said yourself that I can't be slacking off."
He shrugs and begins to head back towards our house. "Suit yourself."
"I'll probably be gone all night," I call after him. "Don't start to worry or anything if I'm not back until breakfast or lunch tomorrow."
"Me? Worry about you? Please," he replies. "Where did you get that idea? I know you can take care of yourself. You'll manage."
"Thanks." I comment wryly. "I think."
"Always glad to help." He disappears into the bushes.
Now what? I think. I'm definitely not going 'hunting', no matter what Juunana thinks. What can I do? After a couple minutes of indecision, I choose to go visit Juuroku. After he was wished back from the dead, he still had pieces missing from his skull. Dr. Briefs fixed him up, and afterwards he stayed along as somewhat of an assistant to the man. I think that cat of the Briefs' had something to do with it also; Juuroku always had a thing for animals. It's not that far from our house, either. Besides, I always found Juuroku easier to talk to than Juunana.
As I begin the flight to the Briefs' laboratory, I unwillingly recall Kuririn's saddened expression when I told him to leave me alone earlier tonight. His disappointed comment afterwards also comes to mind.
I understand...I think...
I don't think he really meant for me to hear the last part, but he underestimated the power of my auditory systems. I guess they weren't malfunctioning after all.
I'm brought out of my deep thoughts by the fact that I've reached Capsule Corporation, and that I can hear shouting below. Looking down, I see the daughter of that doctor of Juuroku's...what was her name?...and a short, spiky haired man -Vegeta! What's he doing here? I wonder. I sink a little lower in the sky, increasing the probability of my overhearing the conversation. It's unneeded, though, as the argument increases greatly in decibel level.
"Baka onna! How many times have I told you, you have no authority over me! I am a Saiyajin prince! I listen to no one but myself!"
"Oh, so now you're too high and mighty to listen to a lowly woman such as myself, is that it?"
"Since when did I ever listen to you?!"
"There's a first time for everything, you know!"
"Shut your mouth! Why do you always have to give me so much trouble, woman?"
"I'll tell you why! Because you can't get it through your thick, princely, Saiyajin skull that I have a name! Because you never take any time to ask, "How are you doing, Buruma?" or, "It's a nice day, isn't it, Buruma?" or even a simple "Good morning!" !! It's always an insult! Because, no matter what I do, it's not good enough for you! And finally, because you never, once in your life, stop by to say hello to Trunks! For Kami-sama's sake, Vegeta, he's your son too!!"
A loud wail suddenly comes from inside the building. Buruma, glaring at Vegeta, says, "That would be Trunks, our son, whom we have just woken up with our petty arguing!"
"I know who it is, woman!"
"Well, I just thought I'd tell you, as you can't seem to remember who he is any other time!" Buruma stomps up to the doorstep. "I'm not finished with you yet, Vegeta," she growls harshly, then closes the door forcefully behind her. It opens once more and she pokes her head out. Noticing Vegeta is about to leave, she yells, "Fine! Leave if you want! If this is the kind of father you're going to be, I'd rather Trunks grew up without one!!!!" The deafening slam of the door behind her resounds in the cool, still, night air.
I'm rendered speechless. What was that all about?
When I look down at the combination lab/house, I can hear a baby crying inside. Trunks, I think. It's unlike Buruma to let him cry for so long. The wailing stops, and then I notice that the lights are on inside but there's someone sitting outside alone. I squint and try to get a closer look, but the shadows of the tree the person is sitting in hides any recognizable features. I then try to identify the person's ki, and I hit the jackpot. It's Vegeta! He'd kill me if he knew I was here, so I keep a safe distance until some ten or fifteen minutes later, when he finally flies off. When he disappears into the horizon, I creep up and knock on the door.
"Go away, Vegeta!" a muffled voice calls violently from inside.
I knock again.
"I said, go away!!"
"Buruma," I call. "Buruma, it's me. Kuririn." I can hear the sound of someone getting off of a couch or something and coming to the door, which then opens.
"Sorry, Kuririn. It's been a long day."
"I can tell," I reply.
"What gave it away?" she asks in an attempt at humor.
"Well...for starters, the red, swollen eyes, the damp cheeks, the ruffled hair, the fact that you thought I was Vegeta..."
"OK, OK, that's enough. That obvious, huh?"
"Hai."
She takes a minute to straighten herself up, and we sit in silence for a few moments. "So...what brings you here?" she inquires, as if people are always dropping into her living room at 10: 46 pm.
"Nothing really. I just needed someone to talk to, plus some coffee."
Buruma laughs. "I can take a hint." She heads into the kitchen, still talking. "I guess it's a good thing you dropped in. I need someone to talk to also, now that I think about it. Coffee's probably a good idea, too."
"Hey," I say, just noticing something,"Where's Trunks? I heard him crying before I came in. Then he stopped, and I thought you got him."
"I was feeling kind of...worn out, so I asked Otousan if he or Juuroku-san could take care of him."
"Juuroku....-san?"
She nods. "Hai. You remember Juurokugou? Well, as you know, Otousan fixed him up after Cell totaled him. After Gohan sent Cell off into oblivion, Juuroku stayed on with us as Otousan's assistant. He's really smart, being an cyborg and all, plus he's gentle as a lamb. The cat loves him, and so does Trunks." She started suddenly as the coffee machine made an odd noise. "Uh-oh...hold on a sec." She turned to the coffee machine and fiddled with it for a moment. "Crud."
"What's wrong?" I ask, starting to feel a bit nervous. After all, Buruma and her father are both inventors, so Kami-sama only knows what they could do to coffee machines.
"Well, this thing broke last week and I never got around to fixing it. I called the appliance repairpeople and figured they'd take care of it. But now it looks like 'tousan went and fixed it before the repairpeople, and...well, let's just say that some of these parts should not be in here."
"Crud is right."
"Yeah...oh my god! What did he do to this thing?"
"Um...should I be offering to help or hiding under the table?"
"Hiding. Definitely. Now, where is that power strip?!"
That was not the most reassuring thing she could have said. "Hey, Bulma? Would it do any major harm if I unplugged it?"
"Don't think so...why?"
"Um...'cause I just found that power strip."
She jumps up. "Quick! Unplug it, now!!"
The coffee machine is shaking and making noises that should not, under any normal circumstances, come from a coffee machine. I pull out the plug and begin to feel a lot better, because that causes the coffee machine to return to dormancy.
"OK, what say we go to the lab for coffee?"
"How about in a minute? I still need to talk to you, you know."
"Oh, right." She walks into the living room, sits down on the couch, and motions for me to join her. "So, what's wrong with you today?"
"Hey! I don't come here every day to talk and mooch coffee off of you every day! Sounds to me like you're the one with the problem!"
"Hai, maybe I am." Her expression changes from laughing to solemn. "Maybe."
"Buruma, what's with you today? You're not acting like yourself."
"Well...if I tell you exactly what's wrong, you know that you'll be here for a while."
"Yeah, I don't mind. Just as long as Vegeta doesn't come barging in, I'm fine. He'd literally kill me if he found us together, even if we're just innocently talking like we are now. His philosophy is kill now, ask questions later."
"I know." Buruma's shoulders slump. "Believe me, I know."
Oops. I'm just Mr. Tactful today, aren't I? First those scenes with Juuhachigou, and now this...I shake my memories off and return my thoughts to the present. "Oh, geez, Buruma, I'm sorry. Here I am rambling on like a total baka about Vegeta while it's obvious that he's part of the problem. Gomen."
"Part?" Buruma lets out what could have been a bitter laugh, but I can't tell as I've never heard her laugh bitterly before. "He's not just part. He is the problem."
"Oh. Would you like to tell me about it? Sometimes it's better to let these things out instead of keeping them inside."
"Sure, why not. There's nothing else to do about it, I suppose." She runs her hand through her hair and keeps talking. "When I had Trunks, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I thought that now I could fulfill my dream of having a family while still being a scientist, just like my father. He always found time for us, no matter how busy he was.
"But I was pretty naive then. Of course, the fact that Vegeta actually did come visit me in the hospital once in a while didn't help me realize the situation I was putting myself in. I thought, you know, maybe he's actually coming around. Maybe now we can have a family.
"Once I got out of the hospital, I didn't see Vegeta for about three weeks. When he finally did come, I asked him where he had been. He said he'd been training, what else would he be doing? I told him that his son missed him, and he said to me, 'Life wasn't easy for me, and I grew up strong. Why should I pamper my son so that he'll be weaker than he already is?' I said that I thought I understood but that maybe he could come visit us every week or so. He gave me this...this look, I can't really describe it, and just flew off.
"It's just gone downhill from there. I hardly every see him, and when I do, it's him asking me to unlock the gravity room. I lost my temper at him tonight and yelled at him a lot. I told him that if that was the kind of father he was going to be, then I'd rather Trunks grew up fatherless. I slammed the door in his face and then you came by about five minutes later." she finished.
"Ah. I see." I muse, not really knowing what else to say regarding this situation.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"Look, I just poured my heart out to you. Now's the time where you give me some helpful advice or that kind of crap."
"Um." I try to think quickly. "Well, how about this? Try to get him to compromise. Tell him you'll meet him halfway. Or maybe set aside some time where you can talk to him alone. Tell him that, um....he can't use the gravity room until he spends some time with you and Trunks. Oh, and since this is Vegeta we're dealing with, make sure he agrees to conversation instead of arguing or silence. Make sure he also spends some time taking full responsibility of Trunks, if you'd trust him with Trunks alone, and see how it goes from there."
"Wow, Kuririn, you're good at this. Maybe you should start your own advice column."
"Yeah. Right. When I've got my own newly acquired set of problems to work out?"
"And what would those be?"
Oops. Did I just say that out loud? "Oh, er, nothing. Nothing at all, heh heh."
Buruma gives me her patented "I-will-believe-that-when-Vegeta-gets-his-hair-buzzed-of-his-own-free-will" look. "One more time: what would those problems be? You said yourself that sometimes it's better to let these things out than to keep them inside."
I sigh, admitting my defeat. I really don't have the willpower to resist Buruma's prying tonight.
"Well, Buruma, it goes like this..." I begin, starting to swallow my pride in order to tell Buruma the story of my being hung up on an cyborg, of all people...er, things.
"Look, Kuririn, cut the dramatic act. You and I both know that we don't have time for that."
So much for that. As I falter, my pride resurfaces and I willingly rely upon the time-old excuse of making up a person with the same problems as you. "Well, you see, I...uh, know this guy. He's pretty decent, the kind of guy who's nice enough but still sort of retains a spine, but he's kinda low-key. You know the type: the kind that fades into the background a lot. This, uh, friend of mine has this problem, though. He's-"
"Wait a minute," Buruma interrupts. "I thought you said that you were the one with the problems, not this...friend...of yours."
"Uh...well, this guy, um, he came and told me all this stuff so he could get it off his back, but now he wants advice. From me. So now this is all resting on my shoulders, no matter what I do, so I figured it'd be best to talk to someone." Phew. Thank Kami-sama for quick thinking. "Anyway, this friend of mine is really hung up on someone, but he's not sure that the person likes him back, or even can."
"What do you mean,'or even can'?" Buruma asks suspiciously.
"Um...er, she's kind of cold. She really acts distant all of the time, like she's not even on the planet. She doesn't even notice this guy, and he's starting to wonder if..." I trail off. This lie could easily start to get too realistic.
"If what?"
The words come spilling out of their own accord. "If...if she's even human."
Buruma looks at me blankly. "If she's even human? How...." Suddenly, her previously puzzled face lights up. "Ah-hah! I see now."
"What's your advice?"
She leans over and claps me on the back. "It's simple. Just make sure Juuhachigou knows how you feel, Kuririn. That's all I should, and will, say."
I'm stunned, to say the least. "B-but....how did you know?!" I stutter.
"It was too easy, Kuririn," she laughs. "The looks on your face, the way you stuttered, the unusual circumstances...I knew this was about you after the first couple sentences. The only thing puzzling me was your question about her mortality, but after I just thought about it, it all fit together."
"Oh," I mutter sheepishly. "Um...what say we get that coffee now?"
"Good idea." Buruma smiles at me. At least I'd managed to cheer her up.
I shrug. "I don't know. Just wanted to see you, I guess."
He smiles. "You always were a bad liar, Juuhachi. What is the matter?"
"I just have a lot on my mind tonight. I needed to see a familiar face."
"Juunana wasn't in a social enough mood for you?"
"When is he ever? All he seems to think about is hunting whatever's in the backyard and guns. Oh, and let's not forget blowing things up."
"And what do you think about, Juuhachi?"
Juuroku always had the godcursed talent of knowing exactly what I needed to talk about, even if I didn't want to. "I don't know. Maybe what I'm going to practice tomorrow, how to keep Juunana from blowing up everything in sight, what I'm going to do with my life...." I exhaled loudly. The next part was hard to admit, but I knew Juuroku would never tell anyone what I was about to say. "And...well, Juuroku? Do you know that Kuririn person?"
He looks slightly surprised. "I do," he replies anyway, picking up the small crying child in the crib next to him. He somehow does this without dropping or annoying the cat, I note in an amused manner. That manner doesn't last for very long, though.
"Sometimes...Juuroku, he and I have been running into each other an awful lot, and....well, sometimes I....I think about him." I finish quietly, gazing intently at the floor.
He has a bemused expression on his face as he rocks the baby he is holding, soothing it. "This....Kuririn, is it? He is troubling you, or, rather, you are troubling yourself about him. What has happened that you aren't telling me, Juuhachi?"
"I...I wish I knew what was going on, Juuroku. I don't know why this is happening to me. i mean, I'm allowing a human, a human , to penetrate my defenses. I'm kicking myself for it all the while."
"Why?" Juuroku inquires softly. "Why does this cause you to berate yourself?"
"Because," I say, trying to make him understand, "We're supposed to be the invincible Jinzoningen. We were beaten by a fellow cyborg, that's understandable, I suppose. But now, I'm allowing a pitiful life form who couldn't be a worthy opponent of mine if he was twice as skilled as he is now to interfere with my daily life, my schedule, my logic. I don't see you or Juunana doing this; why is it me?!" I exclaim, my desperation apparent.
"Hush, Juuhachi," Juuroku says quietly. "It's just not time for us yet. Here, hold Trunks." He holds out the child in his arms.
"Why?"
"Sometimes holding him has a calming effect. When I'm feeling particularly frustrated, Trunks here always helps me out." He smiles affectionately at Trunks, who coos agreeably.
"Wait a minute." Something clicks in my brain. "Trunks? This wouldn't be the kid who came from the future, would it? Vegeta and that scientist's son?"
"I believe he is the one who was here from the future at one point, and yes, he is Buruma's son."
I take the child,Trunks, into my arms. He fusses and squirms a little at first, but then he settles down, sighing. I look down at this small, seemingly miniature human in my arms and feel calmed, just as Juuroku predicted. I can feel, for some reason, a smile forming on my face, and I sit down on the sole chair next to Juuroku. A need to close my eyes creeps up on me, and I do so, feeling strangely peaceful for the first time since I don't know when.
I laugh, albeit halfheartedly. That's Buruma's idea of a joke when she's in one of her 'scientist' moods. My mind is still occupied with thoughts of Juuhachigou, but I push them out of my head, telling myself to save them until after caffeine. It's very hard to do so with no conversation, so I try to get Buruma to talk. "So," I say, "Um...how's Trunks been doing?"
"Pretty well," she responds. "He's starting to become more active, and he's more accepting of strangers now."
"That's great. Is he up in the lab?"
"Hai. I'm pretty sure that Juuroku-san is holding him right now. If you want, maybe he'll let you hold him."
"Sounds good." Silence reigns again, but not for long.
"All right, we're here." Buruma announces, opening a door at the end of the long hallway we have been walking down. "Welcome to my laboratory."
"....." I know I'm gaping at the vast array of equipment Buruma has arranged in this seemingly moderate space, but I can't help it. "Whoa...you've added some stuff since the last time I've seen this place, huh?"
She smiles proudly. "Hai. All the latest equipment for all the latest procedures, plus some new apparatuses designed by 'tousan and myself, of course."
I whistled my appreciation. "Nice. Don't let me near any of the valuable and irreplaceable ones, though. I can just see myself dropping my coffee cup all over your top-secret original plans for something and ruining them."
She chuckles softly. "Whatever you say, Kuririn. Just don't take all day getting through the door."
I then realize that I am still standing outside the door, while Buruma has walked inside already. "Oh...hai." I take the few steps needed to enter the lab and follow Buruma to a seat.
"Oh, Juuroku-san! I didn't expect you to still be working this late!"
"Nor did I," the large, lab-coat-wearing cyborg replies in his usual calm manner. "You could say something came up."
"Really?" Buruma sounds bemused. "Care to tell me about this?" She draws him into a corner and begins talking to him quietly. Knowing that this conversation does not involve me, I look around the lab, taking everything in. There are large, odd-looking apparatuses mounted on the walls, and smaller shapeless ones held firmly in place by cables in the corners. A few chairs are scattered throughout the room, but I'm the only person sitting. Glancing around the room again, I notice that Trunks is not in his crib.
Hmm, I think. That's odd. I thought that he was up here.
"Is he in the lab?"
"Hai...I'm pretty sure Juuroku-san's holding him right now..."
I scrutinize the room one more time, looking for Trunks. I can see no one at first, but my eyes then catch a glimpse of someone sitting in a chair near the wall that I had previously thought to be empty. I creep closer to this person, who seems to be asleep in this darkened part of the lab, and am able to tell that he or she as shoulder length hair. Hmm, I think, either Yamucha's grown his hair out again, or this person's female. I can't think of anyone, female or otherwise, who would be here so late at night, so I try to identify this person's ki. I can't get a reading, and that puzzles and disturbs me at the same time. I find a light switch on the wall, and switch it on, allowing me to see this person's face. It's Juuhachigou!
"Juuhachigou?" I whisper softly. There is no answer, and I guess that she is asleep. Suddenly I hear a soft noise, as if in answer to my whisper. I look down, and I notice that Juuhachigou is holding baby Trunks! To top that off, Trunks is asleep as well!
"Amazing," I murmur, more to myself than to anyone else. "Trunks doesn't fall asleep with just anybody, you know." She moves just a little bit, and I quickly silence myself in fear of waking her up.
She looks just like a mother, I think, So tranquil and peaceful.
"Kuririn!" Buruma's voice comes from the opposite side of the lab.
"Right here," I call back quietly. "But keep it down. Juu-, I mean, Trunks is asleep."
"All right," she replies more softly. "Kuririn, you just stay here. I need to discuss something concerning the lab with Juuroku-san."
"Hai, Buruma."
"And don't worry, I'm pretty sure we can scrounge up some coffee later on."
"Sounds good."
I hear the sound of a door shutting and I know that I have been left alone with Trunks and Juuhachigou. At this sound, Trunks stirs and wakes up.
"Hi there," I greet him gently.
He gurgles at the sound of my voice. "Ku-wi-wa," he giggles, saying my name the only way he can. "Ku-wi-wa."
"Yup, that's me."
Juuhachigou then shifts her position a bit, and yawns. "Juuroku? Is that you?"
Trunks perks up at the sound of his caretaker's name. "Juu-ko? Juu-ko?" he asks me.
"Um..." My throat is unusually dry; I can't seem to make the words come out. "I...I'm not Juurokugou."
She straightens her posture. "Who is it?" she demands dangerously.
I clear my throat. "It's me," I tell her quietly. "Kuririn."
She whips her head around to look at me. "What are you doing here?!?!"
"I came to talk to Buruma. I needed...some advice."
She just stares at me blankly. "Why is it that, no matter where I am, there you are too?"
"I don't know." I answer her. It's actually the truth. I don't know why fate threw us together in this odd sort of way. "Maybe it's fate."
"What's that?" she asks, her voice only partly scornful.
"Nothing really," I reply cheerfully. I might as well keep the mood bright for a little while. "Just something that us humans made up so that, if something goes wrong, we don't take all the blame. Or, sometimes, when things go right, people say that it was fated to be. Other times it's a pickup line, though."
"A picket line?"
"A pickup line. People use this to try to get other people to like them."
"I still don't get this." She doesn't sound scornful now, just curious. I wonder for a brief moment why she's acting so...so....human, but shake it off and answer her question. There's no point in being rude.
"Well, say that, um...this guy was, er, at a restaurant, and he sees this-"
"Hold on," she interrupts. "If you stumble that much, I won't be able to understand you."
"Uh...right. So, um, let's see, I'll put this really simply. Say that, uh, you were sitting in a restaurant and I came up to you and started talking to you, but you really weren't interested. So then I might start, I don't know, saying how much I like you or something. If you still weren't interested I might tell you that fate meant us to be together."
"I....think I understand."
Suddenly, Trunks starts getting fussy again. I guess he was feeling left out of the conversation, and for good reason.
"Here," I hold Trunks out to Juuhachigou. "I think he wants you to hold him again."
"Uh...sure." She takes him, and he immediately stops fussing. He coos, and when Juuhachigou bends her head down to look at him, he grabs her hair.
"Ow!" she blurts out, then covers her mouth.
"Here, let me help," I offer, and bend over to help detangle Trunks' hand from her hair. After about five minutes of struggling, Trunks suddenly decides that he would much rather grab onto my shirt than Juuhachigou's hair, and switches his attention to doing just that.
"OK, Trunks," I told him sternly while engaging in tug-of-war with him over my shirt, "It's time to let go now." Trunks giggles and pulls harder, almost tearing the article of clothing. Juuhachigou reaches over to help me, but I'm too preoccupied to be surprised.
"I...mean it...Trunks..." I mutter in between tugs. He laughs harder and is joined by someone else....Juuhachigou? I look up at her, surprised, because it's the first time I've ever heard her display any emotion except self-assurance and anger. I can feel Trunks stop moving too when he hears Juuhachigou, and his grip loosens. Juuhachigou and I pull together, and the shirt and I go tumbling into Juuhachigou's arm. Trunks is still sitting on her lap, and he decides it's time for another round of tug-of-war. As I turn around halfway to make sure that I didn't break anything behind me, he grabs my shirt from the back, and this time I can't reach back far enough to discourage him. Juuhachigou laughs again, and I can feel her hands on my back as she gently coaxes Trunks to let go.
"Come on, Trunks," I plead, but I find myself laughing too. "It's enough now!"
"Well, well, well, aren't we the happy little family?" a laughing voice interjects. It's Buruma! Trunks squeals and immediately lets go, calling, "Ma-ma! Ma-ma!"
"You're awake again?" Buruma asks him as she removes him from Juuhachigou's lap. He coos in response. "Sorry about this, Kuririn, Juuhachigou." she tells us. "He's not usually this...energetic. You guys want some coffee?"
"Sure!" I reply enthusiastically. Juuhachigou, on the other hand, doesn't answer. Maybe she doesn't feel like she can be human around anyone but me. Despite myself, I feel a little swell of pride. She let her defenses down for me.
"What about you, Juuhachigou?" Buruma asks kindly. I guess she's more comfortable with the cyborgs now that she's living with one. "Do you want some too?"
Juuhachigou replies softly, "I don't need any."
Buruma is not at all fazed. "Neither do we. We don't need it to survive, but we drink it anyway. So, how about it?"
I can see the desperate look she shoots Juurokugou as well as the nod he gives her in return. Please let her listen to him just this once. Please, Kami-sama...
End Part One
Author's Notes: Oy. Long enough for ya?
^.~ There's plenty more to come in the next chapter. So...let's see, where
was I? Oh yeah, notes. On Juuhachi not knowing about fate, I figure, Dr.
Gero modified her to be a fighting machine. So he wouldn't put anything
about pickup lines in her database. Oh, and the official song for this
chapter is "Absolutely(Story of a Girl)" by Nine Days.
Kuririn: *starts singing kareoke* This
is the story of a girl, who cried a river and drowned the whole world....
O.o Go to the next chapter before it's
too late! (Oh yeah, and please R&R! ^^)