Part Two
I don't know why, but I agree to
join the scientist, Kuririn, and Juuroku in the scientist's lounge. Kuririn,
for some reason, brightens up when I say so. The scientist leads us down
one of the many hallways that branch out from her lab, and she and Juuroku
take the lead. We walk in almost absolute silence for a while.
The scientist and Juuroku are talking softly ahead of us about some sort
of project they are working on, and the only other noises besides that
are the sounds of our feet and of the various machines filling practically
all of the structure. The scientist pulls Juuroku into a side room, saying,
"This is the machine that was giving me so much trouble. Can you help me?"
She then tells Kuririn and me to wait outside this room. The door shuts
loudly and unceremoniously.
"Juu...Juuhachigou?"
I'm a bit startled by the sound
of Kuririn's voice. "What is it?"
"Um...back in Buruma's lab..."
"Yeah?" What's he getting at? I wonder.
"You...you looked....happy, sitting
there with Trunks..."
"Yeah, so?" He's only confusing
me even more.
"Were you happy?"
What? I'm caught completely
off guard this time. What does he mean, 'were you happy'? How would
I know?! I clear my throat and answer the best way I can. "I...I really
don't know. I mean....how would I know?"
He stops walking. "What?"
I'm starting to lose patience with
this human. "Listen," I snap,"Here I am, ready to tell you something that
I would never, ever in my life tell anyone else, and all you can say is
'What?'?! Do me a favor. Next time remind me not to bother!" I turn to
go angrily. Never in my life have I ever wanted to leave someplace so badly,
yet want to stay at the same time....and this only infuriates me further.
"Juuhachigou...." he cries plaintively,"Come
back, chotto....oh, kami, come back!!" Then, more quietly,"Please..."
For some reason I stop. What
are you doing?! my mind rages. You're letting yourself be manipulated!! "Wh-what is it now?" I demand, trying yet failing to be harsh.
"Please....I didn't mean to upset
you...I-I guess...I guess I just didn't understand..."
"You're-" I halt in the middle of
my sentence.
I-I...I guess I just didn't understand....
He was trying to understand! I realize suddenly. No one's ever tried to understand me before. Juunana
and I just took each other's words to be facts, Juuroku and I never talked
much, and everyone else just tried to fight us....until now…
"Fine," I tell him, trying to retain
a little dignity,"I'll repeat this for you. But not once more, do you understand?"
"Hai..." He looks up at me in a
way that reminds me of a puppy. "But, um, Juuhachigou? ...I'm sorry. Gomen
nasai."
I blink at this. "Wha- uh, right..."
I stop for a minute to regain my composure. "Look, what I was saying is
how am I supposed to know if I'm happy or not? When in my entire life do
you think I have ever been happy? Tell me that much!!!" The anger boils
up inside me again, and I glare at Kuririn.
He stares up at me, surprised. "I...I...I
don't know, I guess. I suppose I thought that you and Juunanagou were happy,
now that Cell is gone and you can live on your own..." His shoulders slump.
"But...I guess I don't know that much about you..." He averts his gaze
again. "Look, I'm sorry, Juuhachigou. All I did tonight was upset you,
and that's not what I want to do. I...I just want to make sure you're happy...."
He turns to leave.
"Kuririn! Where do you think you're
going?!"
The scientist -Buruma, that's her
name- has emerged from the room along with Juuroku. "You get your sorry
butt back here! You came here for coffee and now that I'm going to make
it, you are not running off, got it?!"
"H-hai, Buruma." He turns back around
and we continue our journey to Buruma's lounge.
Juuroku walks beside Buruma again, so
I have to walk near Kuririn. He doesn't look ahead the entire time; he
walks with his head down and depression level up. There is more silence,
and it's getting tedious.
"Buruma-san?" Juuroku asks suddenly.
"Yes, Juuroku-san?"
"I don't think we should go down
this hallway any further. It doesn't feel right."
"What do you mean by that?" The
scientist is alarmed now.
>BOOOOMM
"That's what I mean." There is now
a large burning area about thirty feet down the hall from us.
"What in Kami-sama's name was THAT?!?!"
"I would walk faster, Buruma, not
ask questions!" Kuririn's come out of his daze and into survival mode.
"We all need to stick together and run like heck!!!"
We do so, smaller explosions following
us all the way. Buruma and Juuroku, being the most familiar to this building,
take the lead, with Kuririn and I following closely behind.
This was not the way I planned
to spend my evening, I think wryly as I run. In fact, I didn't terribly
want to see any explosions at all. I get enough of that living with Juunana.
"Juuhachigou! Look out!!" I turn
around quickly, only to see Kuririn leap between me and the ensuing explosion.
The two of us are thrown back from the explosion, and I can't see Buruma
or Juuroku.
We stop by running into a wall.
The impact stuns me as I am the wall's source of contact, but I am not
hurt, thanks to Kuririn and my artificial endurance. I gasp as I search
frantically for him, and to my relief and despair I find him unconscious
in my lap. "Kuririn!" I shake him vigorously. "Wake up!!" He doesn't move,
so I pick him up and run as fast as I can. Buruma and Juuroku's silhouettes
are now becoming visible to me, and I pick up the pace until I'm right
behind them.
"Kuso!!! Trunks!!" Buruma is screaming,
and she takes a sharp right into the main lab. A fire extinguisher hangs
on the wall, and Juuroku grabs it and sprays the encroaching inferno. The
thought that it must be an interesting fire extinguisher to try to put
out this blaze enters the back of my mind, but I shake it off. Slowly,
the sound of crackling flames is replaced with the sound of fire fizzling
out and dying, and the danger has passed. I sink to the floor, relieved,
but the feeling does not last long. I remember the unconscious person in
my arms, and hear a scream. Is it Buruma's? Juuroku's? Mine?
Buruma is right beside me in an
instant with Trunks and a first aid kit in her arms. She holds the baby
out to me, and I take him numbly. She quickly performs some actions I do
not know the name for and devotes her attention to the side of his body
that is charred and bruised- the side of his body that shielded me from
the blast.
"How is he?" Juuroku's calm voice
comes from next to me.
"He's alive," she says. I hear the
words as if in a dream. "But he's in very bad shape."
Very bad shape....
For some reason, the words strike
me deeply. I stand up stiffly, still holding Trunks, and leave the room.
Out of the corner of my eye I can see Buruma starting to go after me, but
Juuroku holds her back and says, "Let her go."
As I wander down the stairs, Kuririn's
previous words echo in my mind.
I guess I don't know much about
you...I'm sorry, Juuhachigou...I just want to make sure you're happy...
I look out the nearest window and
see that outside, as if to fit the mood, it is raining. There is suddenly
an odd stinging sensation near my eyes, an unfamiliar feeling, and suddenly
my cheek is wet. Something wet streaks down my face, leaving a salty trail.
It's a tear, I realize, surprised. It's the first I've ever known, or maybe
just the first I can remember.
What's your problem?! my
inner self scolds. I don't know, I answer myself, wiping the tear
away violently in my frustration. Perhaps in response to my sudden movement,
Trunks looks at me in a surprised way that somehow reminds me of Kuririn.
I can feel that stinging sensation behind my eyes again, and I shut my
eyes tightly. What's wrong with you?!
Trunks makes little baby noises
and snuggles up to me as if he wants to comfort me. I let him do that.
For some strange reason, it is comforting, I realize. As I gaze out the
window, Kuririn's image seems to appear in the rainy haze.
My knees begin to feel shaky. I
sit down in a conveniently placed chair and continue to stare out the window.
I can't remember ever feeling so emotionally drained in my existence.
As my eyelids slowly slide shut, the last image I see is Kuririn's face
superimposed over the falling rain.
Soft sounds permeate my shell of darkness.
"Is she back yet?" It's Bulma. Good, she made it.
"I presume you mean Juuhachi. No, she's not." That's Juurokugou- er, Juuroku-san.
"I'm starting to get worried about her, Juuroku-san...she's been awfully quiet..."
"She'll be all right, Bulma-san. I think she's just....what is that word you used earlier? Contemplating, that was it. She's contemplating matters, and from the looks of her, she'll be doing this for a while. I would say something like 'don't worry', but I don't think it would help you at this point."
I can almost see Buruma's sad smile, the one she wears so often. "You know me too well, Juuroku-san."
"Perhaps so. That is what comes with working with you for this long, though. Do you really think I should go check on Juuhachi?"
"i don't know, Juuroku-san. You know her better than I do. You should be the one to decide. I just can't help but be concerned about her."
"Would you be able to rest a little easier if I made sure she was all right?"
"I think so. It just strikes me as unfair that she be singled out to take so much weight at one time."
"I see. I'll go look for her, then."
"Thank you, Juuroku-san."
"Think nothing of it. Besides, I'm concerned about Juuhachi, too." Juurokugou's footsteps grow quiet as he walks away. I can feel exhaustion start to creep up on me, but I can't go to sleep...not yet...not until I know…if Juuhachi is safe...I hear faint footsteps…and the world is fading…no, not yet…
"Buruma-san?"
"Oh! Back already, Juuroku-san?"
"Yes, she's not so hard to find if you know her like I do. She's asleep in the other room. Trunks was asleep with her, but I brought him back with me. Now will you consider resting?"
Buruma's reply is unheard by me, as the darkness beckons…I can rest now…I know Juuhachi's all right…she's safe…
The last thought that enters my head before the darkness claims me is of Juurokugou's words.
She's not so hard to find if you know her like I do…
And then there is my plaintive wish, hopeless as it may be…
That's the way I'd like to know you…Juuhachi…
Don't you understand? This is just a game.
Just a...game?
Yes. This is all just a game. Why not make the game fun?
So why are you chasing Goku? Why can't you just leave him alone?
Did you hear that, Juuroku? He wants us to leave Goku alone. What do you say?
…It is in my programming. I must pursue Goku.
There you have it. It's in our programming. So, we will find Goku.
Just listen to yourselves! Dr. Gero is gone; you took care of that! You don't have to do this!
…you don't have to do this…
…don't have to do this…
…I guess I don't know much about you...I'm sorry, Juuhachigou...I just want to make sure you're happy...
…Juuhachigou…
…Juuhachi…
I wake up from my dream with Kuririn's previous words ringing in my ears. What is wrong with you?! my subconscious demands. This is going on too long! What is the problem?!
I sigh. I do not want to experience any more internal battles; I'd had enough for one night, thank you very much. Bent on clearing my head, I sit up slowly, then stand and stretch quietly. Falling asleep on a chair takes its toll on everyone, even me after Dr. Gero's "modifications". Stretching complete, I walk down the hall silently.
Why am I even here still? I could have left hours ago. Why am I here? I ask myself as I walk. If I hadn't stayed, I would be home with Juunana and secure, instead of being confused and alone. If I hadn't come here in the first place, I wouldn't have gone through all the painful reminders that I'm not like these, these…humans…and that I won't ever be…
Is that true? asks my subconscious, a different part than the one that tells me to leave. Is it your fate to be wandering, lost and alone, for all time? Is this their fault? Or is it yours, for keeping your distance, for alienating them, for never giving them -or yourself- a chance to change?
I stop dead in my tracks. Part of me is saying no, no, it's not my fault, it's not....and somewhere in me, I hear a voice, familiar somehow…a child crying…
No, it's not my fault, I swear! I didn't do it! It's not my fault…!
Then it's gone, and another part of me screams yes, yes, I was wrong, I'm trying to change!
And the two sides seem to just crash into each other, and my mind is shrieking…
No, it's not me! Yes, it is, I'm to blame! No, I'm wrong, yes, I'm right, yes, no, yes, no-
SHUT UP!! I scream at myself, and I run as fast as I can, away from everything…
Dead end. I've ended up in a small room with a single bed and table with a chair and a window. My knees feel weak and I collapse into the chair. The world is spinning, around and around, and I need to rest…but I can't. The phrase "too tired to sleep" suddenly applies to me. I look around at my surroundings and notice there is someone in the bed. I can barely make out the person's features, but there's no hair. It must be Kuririn. I can hear his steady breathing, and for some reason it soothes me. The darkness sleep offers is approaching, it's so welcoming…and I sink into sleep.
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Forget that. My entire right side feels like it's on fire. Wincing and breathing raggedly, I lie back down again, forcing myself to be content with staring at the ceiling. Slowly my breathing regulates again.
Wait a minute, I realize after a moment. I hear something else. I hold my breath, just for a moment, but the sound of breathing continues. What's going on? Who else is in here? Ever so slowly, I turn my head as far to the left as I dare. Nothing. Even more slowly, I raise myself up and turn over so that I'm lying on my stomach. Suddenly I can see a streak of pale golden hair…
Juuhachi?!
I straighten with a start. How could you let yourself be caught unawares like that?! an inner voice scolds, but I ignore it. Looking around, I see the chair, the table, the bed, the person in the bed, the window…the person in the bed?! I do a double-take and cast my gaze back on the bed. Kuririn is looking up at me. As if he has just realized that he is staring, he averts his gaze abruptly, blushing. I can feel my face flush red as I too look away, but why? He clears his throat, and the sound almost seems to echo in the suddenly silent room.
"J-Juuhachigou?"
I can think of a million and one sarcastic, cold comments I could make right now, but the side of me that encourages me to make them feels far away and distant. I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out. My subconscious berates me -What's wrong with you?! - but it seems to be just a faint whisper instead of its usual raucous shriek. I look up slowly, almost shyly. Then suddenly our eyes meet, and I don't know what happens, but all of my thoughts cease and time seems to stop. Neither of us says a word, unable to break the silence that has fallen over us.
As I stare into his deep black eyes, something surfaces within me....
"I'm sorry. She's gone." Thus speaks one of the tallest of the figures, the one who smells of strange chemicals.
"But...but..." This is one of middle height, a man.
"There's nothing more I can do. I will leave now, to arrange for her burial." The slam of the door is loud and unceremonious, and nearly echoes in the quiet room.
"No!! No, not Kasai!!" the shortest one, a woman, sobs. She raises her head and looks at the two children, her eyes wild with grief. She points at them. "It's their fault!! Those children!! They killed Kasai!!"
"Ankoku..." the girl whispers, "Sayo-san...is she all right?"
He squeezes her hand reassuringly. Even though he is younger, he's more mature than the girl. He acts as if he's her guardian.
"Wh-what are you saying, Sayo? They're just children! How could they have killed Kasai, their own mother?!"
"No one knows who their father was!! Kasai-chan nearly died in childbirth with the damned whelps because she wasn't expecting them both!! And now she dies with hardly any notice!!! They're demons, bastard demon-spawn!! They killed Kasai!!"
"It is true that no one knows who their sire was..." another man muses.
"And Kasai had been having trouble ever since she had them."
"Her illness and death were sudden. For all we know, Sayo could be right."
"Maybe they are really demon-children."
"What would happen if they were? They could kill us all."
"Just like Kasai."
"But what if they aren't?"
"Would you rather be safe or sorry? They're so young, yet they might have killed already. There's no chance of teaching them otherwise. We should leave them in the forest nearby. If they really are, then we'll all be safe. If they aren't..."
"Then the gods'll save them. That's the way it works in legends."
"Then it's decided? We'll dispose of them?"
"Hai."
"Ankoku..." She's started to get nervous.
He squeezes her hand again. "Don't worry, Kirei, I'll always protect you."
Someone from the group steps forward. It's Hanae, a middle-aged woman. "Hanae-san, what's going on?" the girl asks her.
She almost smiles. It looks like she might cry. "I'm so sorry, little ones. But this is for the best." Her hand comes forward in an impossibly fast motion, and then everything goes black.
The young girl can hear Ankoku's voice calling her as if from afar. "Kirei! You've got to wake up!!"
"Ankoku...?" she mumbles, while opening her eyes and trying to make the world stop spinning around.
"Kirei!" She's never heard Ankoku sound so relieved. "You have to get up now. We can't stay here."
"Why not?"
"It's dangerous here. The forest isn't safe."
"I want 'Kaasan to come get us. Where's 'Kaasan?"
Ankoku looks away. "Kirei...you don't understand, do you? 'Kaasan's dead. She can't come get us anymore."
"B-but....'Kaasan can't go...not without us."
"She can. She just did." Ankoku still wouldn't look at Kirei.
Raindrops start falling from the sky, ice-cold and wet. "Ankoku...look at me, please!" I cry, starting to panic. "Ankokuuu....." She can feel tears starting to fall down her face. "Don't leave me too...!!! Ankoookkkuuu!!!" The rain is getting heavier now, but she doesn't care. She falls to her knees as her face is soaked by rain and tears.
His head snaps up. "Kirei..." He kneels next to her and puts his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Kirei, I'm sorry. I'm hurting too, and I'm trying to deal with it. I'm sorry. I won't ever leave you, I promise, Kirei."
"Ankoku?" she asks, wiping her tears away.
"What?" He stops hugging her and looks at her.
"What were Sayo-san and the others saying about us and 'Kaasan?"
He sucks in a breath. "They...they were saying that we killed 'Kaasan. That we were demons, and that we were trying to kill her since we were born."
She stares at him for a moment, not understanding. "B-b-but...Ankoku...we didn't. We didn't kill 'Kaasan, we didn't." The tears come back. "No, it's not my fault, I swear! I didn't do it! It's not my fault…!" She throws herself into his arms again, sobbing uncontrollably. "It's not my fault...."
"I know, Kirei, I know. They're wrong, all of them. They had no right to do this to us. They're the ones who killed 'Kaasan, not us." His voice grows angry, and he squeezes her more tightly. "One day...I'll go back and I'll show them...I'll make them see that they were wrong!! We both will!!"
"Excuse me..." This is a new voice. The two children turn around immediately. The speaker is tall and a man, but they can't tell much else.
"What is it?!" Ankoku snaps. It's unsure why he's being so harsh.
"I think I can help you." Lightning streaks through the sky, and the girl can see he's grinning, but not in a nice way.
"Ankoku?" she whispers.
"What do you mean, 'help'?"
"I can...make you stronger."
"Can you?" Ankoku's voice has lost its edge now.
"Ankoku!" she cries, but he isn't listening anymore.
"Yes, I can. I can make you strong enough to show everyone how they were wrong."
"What about Kirei?"
"The girl? I can make her stronger if you want, or I can protect her."
"What do I have to do for you?"
She can tell from the man's tone of voice that he's grinning again. "You just have to come with me." He extends his hand. "Is it a deal?"
"Ankoku, I don't know..."
He doesn't seem to hear her. He extends his own small hand as if in a dream.
"Ankoku..."
Their hands meet and shake.
"Yes. It's a deal."
"Ankoku!!!"
"Do you, um, want a handkerchief?"
I whip my head around. Who is that?! I'm still on edge from the dream, I guess.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." It's Kuririn. He is sitting on the chair next to the bed I was lying on. I notice in the corner of my mind that his feet can't touch the floor.
"Wh-what are you doing here?!" I demand roughly. I sound like that boy, Ankoku, I notice, a little shakily.
"I-I was worried about you. You just collapsed all of a sudden on the floor. I moved you to the bed so that you would have a better place to be. You were breathing really shallowly. I was going to go get Buruma, but I couldn't just leave you here alone. So I stayed." He casts his gaze to the floor. "I didn't think you'd mind that much. I'm sorry."
"You just surprised me. That's all. You don't scare me." I retaliate, feeling the need to put myself in control of the situation again.
He looks surprised. "I never thought I did. Scare you, that is. I thought you just saw me as...as one of the guys in the background. Someone who wasn't worth noticing, someone unobtrusive and just sort of there."
"If you were actually unobtrusive, then I wouldn't have a problem with you!" I snap.
He blinks. "I'm sorry," he says quietly, "but I can't just sit by silently when I think you're in pain."
"Why not? Everyone else seems to be able to." I reply with a hint of spite.
"..." He looks away again. "I guess the others are still wary of you. But...I..."
"You aren't scared of me? Oh, how brave." Sarcasm runs rampant in my voice.
"I-I don't know. I just...I know you don't need anyone to protect you. But still...I want to...I want to...I don't know how to say this. If you ever needed someone to...to help you, or to run to, or just to watch over you....I want to be that person more than anything in the world." he finishes quietly. Slowly, as if he is afraid, he raises his head to look at me.
There are no sounds for a moment. Once again, it is as if time has stopped. What is Kuririn -this human- saying?! I don't understand this...after all the times I've scorned him, all the things I've put him through, he says that he wants to protect me?? What is he thinking?! And, even stranger, what am I thinking?!
A short, contemptful laugh escapes from her throat suddenly. "You? Protect me? Hah!! You're weak and pitiful compared to me. You'd only be in my way. To top it off, you're short and bald!! What kind of protection would you be?!"
I can feel my shoulders slump instinctively. She didn't understand, I think unhappily. Or maybe she did, and she just doesn't- I sigh depressedly at this new, unfinished thought. No. I straighten. This is a new inner voice. You can't give up now. Have a spine for once, and stand up for yourself. Show her what you're willing to do for her. I blink surprisedly. What I'm willing to do for her? I'm willing to change. I can't change my height, and training up to her level and growing my hair would take years- wait a minute. I suddenly have an idea.
I clear my throat. "Wait. Hear me out. Nothing's going to change the fact that I'm short. However, you'll see about the baldness and the strength." I get up to leave, and half bow respectfully. "I'll see you in a few days, Juuhachi. Ja ne." With that, I walk out the door and go to say goodbye to Buruma. I have a trip to make.
Where do I go from here?
I can't help the slightly stupid grin that crosses my face as I skim across the clouds. Why didn't I think of this before? It's so simple now that I think about it.
Looking at my surroundings, I smile a little bit wider and glide down to land on what looks like a half-sphere with a temple on top. A small, green creature comes out to greet me.
"Ohayou, Kuririn!" he shouts.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, Dende," I call back to him as my feet brush the floor. "I have a favor to ask you."
"Ask away," he responds, smiling a benevolent smile fitting of the Kami.
"May I use the Room of Spirit and Time?"
You're so stupid, my mind taunts me. Working yourself up over a flawed human. What did I tell you? You're different from them. No human will ever care for you.
My eyes darken. These thoughts are all too familiar. That's right. I'm not one of them.
"I know you don't need anyone to protect you. But still...I want to...I want to...I don't know how to say this. If you ever needed someone to...to help you, or to run to, or just to watch over you....I want to be that person more than anything in the world."
I blink. Why did he say that? What does he want from me? If no human will ever care for me...
Then why does he want to protect me?
I can't help but wince. I had no idea that such a small kami could make such a large noise.
"Shh, calm down, Dende," I try to soothe him. "I just want to use the Room of Spirit and Time. That's all."
"That's all?! Kuririn, listen, you're a nice guy. I like you. I like everyone on Chikyuu. But this is pushing it a bit. I mean, the Room of Spirit and Time has only been used a few times before. It's a last resort! What makes you so sure you need it right now?"
I'm a bit thrown off by this one. What do I tell him? Somehow, I don't think 'I need to be stronger to impress my girlfriend' is going to cut it here. Girlfriend...heh. I only wish. But maybe... I can feel my face growing a bit red at the prospect. I shake my head rapidly. Calm down. What's a good excuse? Think, Kuririn, think!!
"Um, well, you see," I start, stalling for time, "I've noticed that the other fighters are training more often now. And you probably know that my power level's significantly lower than theirs. So I think that I'd be in a better position if a new enemy comes along if you let me get away with a little extra training time." I tell him with an innocent "You-can-believe-me-I'm-telling-the-truth" look.
Dende is looking at me with an odd, unreadable expression on his face.
Please, Kami, let me do this just once, I pray before I remember that Kami is the one that I'm trying to convince. Eep! What if he can hear me? I immediately stop praying.
The young Namek's facial expression changes to one of fondness. "All right," he sighs with the air of a parent looking after a small child. "I'll have Mr. Popo help you get settled in."
A giddy grin crosses my face. "Domo arigato!!" I bow as low as I can.
"Go on, before I change my mind," he urges.
"Hai!" I run off to meet up with the small African man. This is it! Juuhachi...I'll be ready soon!
Then just leave.
My head snaps up at this sudden revelation. Idiot, idiot, idiot! Why didn't you think of it sooner? Why didn't you leave before?
The thought is strange and light compared to the heavy, deep worries I have had the entire evening. I turn around again to face the window. The sky is a pale cornflower, and the sun is brightly shining. It seems as if a decade has passed in the course of the night. Or, perhaps, no time has passed at all, and I've been dreaming for so long...
Listen to yourself. What kind of garbage are you spouting? One night here and suddenly you're a poet. Get out of here before you get even more confused. Get out!
"Get out." I try the words out on my lips. My own voice sounds ragged and torn, and the phrase is alien. But now what choice do I have? I can't stay here. Not anymore.
So, without really thinking about it, I open the window and fly out, leaving the night behind.
I nod vigorously. I know some of what he's told me already from Buruma and Gohan, and I have other things to be worried about, so my mind really isn't on the information he's giving me.
He narrows his eyes. "Are you quite sure you're listening?"
"Hai, hai!" I assure him hastily.
The short man eyes me suspiciously before giving up. "All right, just step inside here," he says, and opens a huge, ornate stone door in front of us. A blinding white light beams out of it, and I have to shade my eyes.
"Good luck," Mr. Popo tells me solemnly.
Then, I step inside.
End Part Two
Author's Notes: Geh. Angst, anyone? ^^;;
Not many notes for this chapter....whether Dende actually heard Kuririn's
prayer is up in the air, though. ^.~ The last 16 pages of this story took
place on the same day. O.o
Juuhachi: You're making us into insomniacs.
....I'm tired. -_-;;
Kuririn: If you're tired, why don't you
let us sleep?
....I'm tired.
Juuhachi: ?? *pokes her with a stick*
....I'm tired.
Kuririn: Right....umm....anyway, the official
song for this chapter is "Crawling in the Dark" by Hoobastank. As always,
R&R! (And tell her to let us sleep sometime!)