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Threnody = Verse04: Stopstart
Author = Gabriyel Crowwe [ gabriyel@planetnamek.org ]
Website = http://gabriyel.artshost.com/dbz
=====
Prelude
+
"I can't wait for you to get home. You've missed a lot, you
know."
"I can't wait to see mom and dad. Maybe even Justin."
"But next time, don't cut us off for two years wondering if you
still exist or not, okay?"
"Sure, Lilith. Whatever you say."
Mrianna Skydan, a hyperactive dark-haired brunette with tanned
skin and blue-green eyes, was driving the car, hair pulled into two curly
pig-tails, streaked with blue, that flowed a little past her shoulders.
Although it was night, she had her trademark sunglasses on, the starlit
sky reflecting on the black lenses.
Beside her sat Lilith White, a quiet strawberry-blonde who was
far from being a bimbo. Her hazel eyes were narrowed in concentration as
she focused on drawing, her hair pulled back into a high ponytail,
reaching down her back a ways. Her glasses reflected the road, cars
zipping past them on the other side of the road.
Mrianna looked up to the sky. "Looks like a full moon. Are you
two still into Wicca?"
"Of course," Lilith looked up from her clipboard, grinning. Then
her eyes grew wide as she stared straight ahead, and she let out a
scream.
=====
The alarm beeped exactly ten times before the radio turned on.
"... good morning, Nova Scotia! It's six o'clock and now we begin
our usual top ten list for music. But first, some information on the
weather and the news ..."
Gabriyel Crowwe opened an eye lazily, to glare at the red numbers
flashing on the small black box. It was set on her dresser, across from
her bed, on the sole purpose that she would have to stand up to shut it
off.
Gabriyel growled something unintelligent under her breath,
tossing her blankets away from her body and swinging her legs around the
side of the bed, planting them firmly on the floor before she stood and
headed to shut off the radio.
She wasn't even in school anymore, it was summer and she had just
gotten out of grade twelve, and had a glorious graduation, but she still
forgot to shut off the radio. Force of habit, perhaps.
Her dark brown hair, streaked with black, reached a little past
her shoulders in messy waves. Her skin was deathly blanched, and almost
amazingly so. Where her body had once been rounded, she was thin from
unhealthy diets and unhealth altogether. Her hazel-brown eyes were still
framed by thick black lashes, however, and she still seldom wore makeup.
"... just south of Halifax. Those involved were said to be two
young women, one eighteen and one twenty, although names have not been
released as of yet, we will keep you posted on the ordeal. Now, our
number ten hit, the newest from Korn ..."
Gabriyel stared at the radio for a moment before she smacked her
hand down hard on the top of the black box, trembling slightly.
"Gabriyel? Honey, there's been an accident ..." her mother opened
the door, looking in to her daughter.
Gabriyel clenched her hand into a fist, stepping backwards and
sitting on the bed, shutting her eyes tightly.
"Mrianna and Lilith were hit by a drunk driver last night,
heading home from Halifax ..."
The rest of her mother's words were droned out as Gabriyel
brought her hands to her face, exhaling deeply. Her friends were dead.
Possibly her best friends, if she had any best friends. But she didn't
cry. She couldn't. Literally.
+
End Prelude
=====
I suppose my life hadn't been the best from day one.
My father had left us when I was around ten, and from there
everything just went downhill. Mother got a boyfriend she grew infat-
uation with, of whom I didn't like much, but no one exactly listened to
me. I'd always had bad luck. Few friends, a crazy religion. And through
it all there had always been Lilith and Mrianna. They'd been pretty much
in the same rut I was in. They were Pagan, and didn't have many friends.
But what's the point in hearing me rant on and on about how my
life sucks? Does it really matter? I was still going to kill myself.
I glared down at the pavement angrily. Usually the high school
was closed, but because of summer school it was open. But that wasn't why
I was there. I had graduated. Just barely, but I had.
But this situation had nothing to do with Lilith and Mrianna.
They were dead, I had gotten used to it. This was something completely
different. This was for me. As selfish as it sounds, I was doing this for
myself.
I bit my lip, something I commonly did when nervous, and noted
how far away the ground seemed from the angle I was at. I blinked back
tears and jumped.
I suppose it's now that I should tell you this.
Don't try this at home.
In fact ... don't try it period.
The pavement rushed up at me, and I shut my eyes tightly,
getting ready for the pain I would soon feel. But it never came. In fact,
I was no longer falling. I was ... hovering?
I opened my eyes, looking around. No, I wasn't hovering on my
own accord, someone was holding me. Somewhere very tall, and very
muscular, alongside being green.
"Piccoro-sama?!" I asked. "What the -- ?!"
"Stop screaming or I'll drop you," Piccolo threatened. "I do not
enjoy carrying people around."
"Drop me? I was aiming at that," I grumbled. "And I don't like
being carried. Maybe we could compromise and you could just go ahead and
let go."
"Hmph," Piccolo adjusted me in his arms as if I were nothing more
than a doll. "Really, kid, I thought you had more sense than that."
I felt my brow raise. A compliment? Well, Piccolo's form of one.
I wasn't to get another one, that I knew, unless he was drunk or stoned
or both. 'But neither three will be occurring anytime soon, I shouldn't
take this for granted.'
"Uh huh," I grumbled as one of his claw-like fingernails
scratched my arm. "You need a manicure. You know, you'd look really good
in black."
"You are possibly the strangest human I have ever met," Piccolo
said. "Just what are you doing here anyway?"
"Wish I knew," I sighed. "I jump off the high school and end
up ..." I looked around, and realised there was another Piccolo hovering
nearby, looking just as annoyed as the other. "Oh. Hmm. Talking to
yourself?"
"I was attempting to train," the Piccolo that was holding me
said. "You managed to fall right in the middle of our battle."
"Hmm, sorry," I sweatdropped. And then I realised that I had
indeed sweatdropped. I looked down to my hand. "Oh, shit ... I'm two
dimensional!"
"Yes. Our worlds are very different." The two Piccolos began
floating down to ground, and I was placed on solid flooring once again.
I sighed, adjusting my clothing.
I certainly was different from when I was third dimensional. Of
course, this was Dragonball Z, most of the women had perfect figures
anyway. I adjusted my shirt, a grey suit blouse, and fixed my jeans,
dark stone-washed blue. "Well, this is odd."
"Somewhat," one of the Piccolo voiced, looking to his other self.
"Excuse us for a moment."
I felt my brow raise again. Piccolo with manners? What did I miss
in the time period since I last saw him? But as he began the rather
gruelling process of merging the two forms together, I began to under-
stand what he was talking about. It was certainly not pretty, and was
certainly very close to being disgusting. And yet, the first words out
of mouth, definitely uncharacteristic of what many fixate me as, were ...
"Does that hurt?"
"Somewhat," Piccolo replied. "Quite amazed you aren't ill from
that little metamorphosis."
"Nah, just you, saw it on the show over a million times, and it
never grossed me out then, why should it start now?" I shrugged, looking
around the area. It was a desert-like environment, one I recognised from
the television show. It had been the training facility for Gohan, and I
supposed it was also Piccolo's home.
"Just me?" Piccolo folded his arms over his chest. "You sound
like you've known me all your life."
"Well, I've known you all your life," I smirked, looking back to
him. "I mean, in the cartoon. Not exactly like the real thing, but
considering? It's pretty close."
Piccolo looked up to the sun, which was low in the horizon. "I
can take you to Gokuu's home, I'm sure he can get you someplace to stay."
"If I get stuck with Chi-Chi I'm killing someone," I muttered.
"I didn't like her on the cartoon, and I sincerely doubt I'll like her
now."
Piccolo smirked to himself. "We should get going before it's too
late. Complain and I drop you."
"Wrong choice of words," I voiced as he picked me up. "Just don't
speed or anything."
"There aren't speed limits on flying." Piccolo smirked, taking
off into the sky, a slightly bemused Gabriyel Adria Crowwe in his arms.
Of course, the other part of me that was not amused was nervous like
I-don't-know-what.
At least he wasn't speeding.
=====
The person to open the door was a kid who made me think of some
sort of little Gokuu -- that, or he was Goten. Either way, he didn't
waste any time going off to get his father.
"Mind if I leave?" Piccolo asked, folding his arms over his
chest. "Not that I don't want to see Gohan, but I was interrupted in my
training."
"I have a feeling you wouldn't care if I voiced my opinion
anyway," I answered. "Talk to you later, Piccolo."
Piccolo nodded, and without a word took off into the sky, no
doubt speeding. I smirked to myself, turning back to the doorway as
Gokuu walked out. He seemed to stare at me for a moment, before he said
something in Japanese.
I cleared my throat. "Gokuu, you know I only speak English."
Gokuu broke into a grin. "Gabe-chan! What are you doing here?
Wow, you've grown ... not much taller, though."
"I fell out of the sky, Piccolo caught me, and then he brought
me here. Of course, how I ended up in the sky, or in this dimension, is
still to be known, but anyway ... how the heck did you remember me?"
"Gohan had a picture of you, Lilith, and Mrianna on his wall, it
was for the Waiyaado movie. The third one, I think. Anyway ... you have
no idea why you're here?"
"None whatsoever. I jumped off the high school, ended up in an
alternate universe."
"You attempted suicide?"
"Yes."
"Gabriyel ..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, and I'm not going to try it again. I
dislike falling now. A lot." Of course, there are other forms of
suicide ...
"Where's Lilith and Mrianna?"
I sighed. "Six feet under, if you get my meaning."
Gokuu's brows furrowed as he went into thinking mode. Then,
suddenly, he seemed to understand. "Oh. Hmm, well, you can come in.
Chi-Chi's out with Buruma's mother after her dragged her off, so it's
just Goten, Gohan, and I. Um, I'm assuming you have some idea who Goten
is."
"The guy who answered the door. He looks a lot like you. A whole
lot like you. As in, identical."
"Um, yeah, that's him. Come on in ... uh, do you have anyplace
to stay?" Gokuu opened the door farther, letting me in.
"I just fell out of the sky. No," I slipped off my boots. "Heh,
this situation still freaks me out. I'm a cartoon." I eyed my hand, my
fingernails still black. "Hmm ..." And then I noticed my arm. "Oo, no
hair ..."
Gokuu sweatdropped. "Um ... yeah ... uh, Gabe, are you okay?"
I looked up, sweatdropping. "Hmm, sorry ..."
I heard a voice, and we both turned to face a very tall man with
short black hair, black eyes, and glasses. He adjusted them, eyeing me
oddly, holding a book in his hand. He had been speaking Japanese, so
once again I was totally lost.
"Gohan ... ah, I'm sure you remember Gabriyel?" Gokuu asked,
sweatdropping.
Gohan's brow rose, and he smiled. "Gabriyel? What are you doing
here?"
I sweatdropped once again. "Hi Gohan. I, uh, well, I tried to
kill myself and ended up here."
Gohan chuckled. "So, where's Lilith and Mrianna?"
"Um, well ... Mrianna, who was twenty, was driving home from
university with Lilith, who was eighteen, who went to pick her up ...
this drunk driver came out and kinda hit their car, and they both kinda
... sorta ... well, died."
"The end of Waiyaado," Gohan's smile faded, and he looked to his
father, who let out a sigh. He looked back to me. "Just like in the
movie ..."
"There was never an ending to Dragonball Z, I don't think ... I
think Gokuu went to HFIL to fight Frieza or something. And then when he
couldn't come back, Piccolo switched places with him. I can't really
remember, it's been a while."
"You sure it wasn't Gohan?" Gokuu asked.
"I'm sure," I sweatdropped. "Very sure. Mrianna would have lost
it if it had been Gohan ..."
Gohan sat in a chair at the table, taking off his glasses and
setting them on the table. I shoved my hands into my pockets, looking
around. I was, undoubtedly, in the kitchen. I remembered it well from
the cartoon. Especially the part where Gohan had been imagining what
would happened if Captain Ginyu and Gokuu stayed in switched bodies, and
Gokuu-as-Ginyu had been wolfing down the food. I smirked a bit at the
reminisce. I remembered distinctly Mrianna and Lilith laughing over it.
"Heh ... I remember this place," I hooked my left thumb on my
pocket, walking further into the house. "Well, from the cartoon ... of
course, Gohan wasn't so ... tall ..."
Gohan looked over to me, smiling. "You hate me now, don't you?"
"Yes," I replied, grinning. "You get taller and I'm stuck as
five foot three."
"Hmm, I never thought there was that much of a time difference
between our worlds," Gohan mused. "You're eighteen, correct? It's been
roughly thirteen years here since we last saw you."
"It's probably because in your cartoon they always had everyone
grow up fast. I mean, in Dragonball GT you're married and with kids,
while in Dragonball Z you'd last been ten or something. I can't remember,
I think it ended at Goten's birth. And then, in Dragonball, the last
time we hear of Gokuu he's a little kid, and then in Dragonball Z he's
married to Chi-Chi and has a kid. I can't remember much of Dragonball,
except for when Oolong wished for the underwear."
"I remember that," Gokuu grinned. "He's still as weird."
"Heh, she's younger than me and knows more about your past than
I do," Gohan said. "Just where are you staying, by the way?"
"Nowhere," I sweatdropped. "I have my wallet with me, but I
don't know if I have a bank account in this dimension, so ... heh ..."
"Hmm ... well, you could come stay in my apartment. I doubt okaa
would approve much, she never really liked your character much." Gohan
sweatdropped. "No offence."
"I neither liked your mother much either, so the feeling is
mutual," I clasped my hands together behind my back, looking out the
window at the dark sky, stars still just beginning to show. "I don't
know. If Mrianna were alive she'd kill me."
"That was a very odd sentence."
"For me, it's not."
"She has a point," Gokuu scratched the back of his neck. "Heh."
More Japanese. Another voice joined the conversation, and I
turned to face the little Chibi Gokuu. Gokuu replied in Japanese, and I
felt my brow raise.
"Um, sorry, I didn't know you were only English," said the kid.
"What's going on?"
"You know those posters I used to have in my bedroom? Well, she
is the brunette girl. Er, well, she was the short one," Gohan explained.
I rolled my eyes. "Short. Oy vey."
"Goten, this is Gabriyel. Gabriyel, this is Goten," Gokuu
grinned. "Um, you're a cartoon to her, and she's a cartoon to you. It's
hard to explain, don't ask."
Goten nodded slowly. "Right ... hi."
"Aloha," I replied with a nod.
"Aa ... loha?"
"It's Hawaiian. It means hello, and it also means goodbye."
"Uh huh ..." Goten gave his father a funny look. "I'm going back
to my television show ... bye."
Gokuu nodded. "Right."
"Well, I should be going ... I guess I'll take Gabriyel with me
then," Gohan said, standing and shrugging. "Talk to you later, otousan."
"Talk to you later," Gokuu replied. "Goodbye, Gabe-chan."
"Eh heh ... bye," I waved, following Gohan out the door after
having slipped on my boots. "Please tell me we're using a car."
"Yes, why?" Gohan asked.
"Because I just flew here from Piccolo's training ground. Or
rather? I was carried here," I sweatdropped, following Gohan to a hover
car thing. I blinked several times. 'Hoo boy ...'
Gohan got in. "And what did he say to that?"
"Well ... truthfully, he didn't seem to care," I shrugged,
getting in beside him. "It's hard to tell with him though."
"I didn't think he would," I thought I heard Gohan mumble under
his breath as the engine drowned out most of his words.
"Pardon?" I queried, looking over to him, somewhat incredulous.
"Hmm? Oh, uh, nothing," Gohan sweatdropped, grinning nervously.
Funny, he inherited a lot from his father, including the trademark grin
that Mrianna had so many images of.
I shook my head, looking out the window, all the time wondering
what Gohan meant by the small snippet of inarticulate speech.
=====
I lay on Gohan's couch, after having won a war over who would
sleep where. His apartment was, unsurprisingly, very clean, and he
reminded me a great deal of some sort of antithesis of Mrianna. I
smirked to myself, staring at the ceiling.
'This isn't happening ... it can't be happening. It's just not
possible ... is it?' my thoughts were interrupted by an annoying sound I
recognised as the phone. I sat up, wondering where Gohan kept his phone.
He was probably asleep by now.
Gohan came out of his bedroom, grabbing a phone off the wall in
the hallway, starting to speak in Japanese. I pulled the bulky T-shirt
down further over my thighs, the one he had lent me for the night, and
sat up, watching his expression change to, what I suppose, was ultimate
joy. I tilted my head, usually not one who would bother someone about
personal phone calls, nor one who would care in the first place.
Gohan hung the phone up, walking over, grinning. "Guess what?"
"Um, what?" I asked, almost afraid to ask what would make him so
happy. I didn't know Gohan very well, I paid little to no attention to
him on the television show.
"Popo visited otousan ... Gokuu thinks he knows where Mrianna
and Lilith are."
"Erm, pardon?!"
"Look, I'll explain in the morning ... you just get to bed and
in the morning we can head to otousan's and figure things out."
I nodded slowly. "Riiight ..."
Gohan grinned. "Night, Gabe-chan."
"Goodnight."
Gohan walked off into his bedroom, disappearing behind the door
as it shut behind himself. I lay back down, bringing the blanket around
myself and wondering all the time what he meant.
'Does that mean Mrianna and Lilith are here too?'
I looked up as a shadow played across the room, interrupting the
moonlight. I stood, walking over to the sliding doors out onto the
apartment's balcony, opening them and looking out to Piccolo, who was
standing, arms folded over his chest, watching the horizon, cape blowing
in the cold night's breeze.
"Dramatic," I commented, stepping outside into the crisp air.
Piccolo looked down to me. "Hmph."
I smirked, leaning against the side of the balcony, watching the
cars below. "Came to see Gohan?"
"I had not expected you to be here," Piccolo grumbled.
"I love you, too," I joked, smirking up to him. "You going to
just stand here all night, or should I get Gohan?"
"Is he asleep?"
"Probably."
"Then no. It is unimportant."
"Probably something about training, huh?" I looked back to the
street. "It'd be a nice night if this wasn't the city."
"You'd think so."
"Yes, I would." I headed back to the doors. "Goodnight,
Piccoro-sama."
Piccolo nodded in reply, jumping onto the ledge and leaping off
into the sky in a blur of green and white, tinged with blue. I watched
him disappear into the distance before re-entering the apartment, in
time to watch Gohan disappear into the bedroom. I shook my head.
'Voyeur.'
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