I'll Be Here
By Juuko
* * * *
* * *
Reunion
* * * *
* * *
You are a complete mystery,
No one knows what you feel
inside,
Not your happiness nor misery,
What is it you're trying to
hide?
* * * *
* * *
The sky had turned a deep navy indigo
streaked with sparkling white stars, and the soothing, musical chirps of
cicadas filled the air by the time Juuhachi-gou returned. A warm orange glow
poured out from the windows of Capsule Corp., along with the raucous noise of
dinner conversation. This was one of the rare moments when all the Z-senshi
were gathered in one place during peacetime. Juuhachi just hoped she wasn't
going to ruin this peace.
* * * *
* * *
The
doorbell rang. Though it was barely heard above the din of arguing voices and
the clatter of cutlery, Marron's head perked up at the sense of her mother's ki.
Getting up from the table, she rushed to the foyer.
"I'll
get it! Chotto matte!" she yelled behind her, slightly wondering why
'Kaasan didn't just come in like she usually did. It must have something to do
with the mechanic, she thought. As she approached the front door, Marron sensed
another ki that was compressed but growing behind her mother. It seemed
familiar, like she knew it but just couldn't remember who it belonged to.
"Hello,
'Kaasan," Marron greeted cheerfully while trying fruitlessly to peer behind her
mother to see who the strange ki belonged to, "We're just having dinner.
Where's the mechanic you were talking about? Would he like to eat too?"
"Marron-chan,
meet Juunana-gou." Juuhachi stepped inside and revealed a lithe, tall teenage
boy. Marron surveyed the newcomer with awe. He had jet-black hair that swayed
across his shoulders like a shimmering midnight veil, and icy blue eyes that
stared straight ahead with coldness from his perfect tanned face. He wore a
cream-coloured trench coat over his clothes - bright orange bandana on a black shirt with a red ribbon symbol, blue
jeans ripped just above the left knee tucked loosely into neon green socks,
brown gun holster and blue and white tennis shoes.
"Number
17?" Marron asked finally. So this is where the strange ki was coming
from, she thought, he looks a lot like Okaasan, only younger. The boy didn't
respond. He just stood there silently with his arms crossed and a stony gaze
emitting from his eyes. Juuhachi-gou placed a firm hand on his shoulder and
turned to Marron.
"Where
is Bulma?" she asked as Juunana-gou entered. Marron swallowed and stepped back
to let him pass.
"In
the dining room, with everyone else."
"Good.
Could you ask her to come out here, sweetie?" Why all the secrecy? She
wondered, still intrigued by the mysterious Juunana-gou. Where did he come
from? Why is his name so like 'Kaasan's?
"I
know! Why don't you come inside and meet everyone?" Marron suggested, grabbing
Juunana's smooth, cold wrist and catching him off-balance, "you must be really
hungry from the flight."
"Matte!
Marron!" Juuhachi-gou called after her, "I forgot to tell you…"
Stunned
silence filled the air for a split second, before chairs were upturned and
dishes crashed to the linoleum floor, spraying half-eaten food and ice-cold
drink across the room. Marron froze with shock as everyone who could fight
quickly slid into a fighting stance. Her silent companion eased out of her grip
and leaned casually against the archway as if oblivious to the steadily rising ki
of the people in front of him. Smirking with superiority, Juunana spoke for the
first time.
"Well
this is a nice warm welcome."
"One
step further and you're spare parts, android," Vegeta growled, ignoring the
butter-smooth voice that echoed off the walls. Goku, Gohan, Goten, Trunks,
Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu and Yamcha murmured warningly in agreement.
The boy levelled his gaze.
"I
didn't come here to play with second-class warriors," he stated bluntly. With
an enraged roar the Saiya-jin Prince powered-up and a blazing golden aura
appeared as he fired a pulsating ki blast across the room.
"Stop!"
Marron yelled at the same time as Juuhachi darted in from behind her and deflected
the beam out an open window, barely missing her by a few inches. Outside a
resounding boom was heard as it hit and incinerated a nearby tree.
"Kuso!
Vegeta you bakayarou, what did you were doing?! There are other
people in this house you know!" Bulma shrieked from her spot on the upturned
table.
"I'd
like to know what this thing is doing here at all, woman!"
"Calm
down, it's o.k.," Juuhachi-gou announced, "Juunana-gou isn't going to hurt
anyone. He's come here to help Bulma with the machines-" after Bulma raised a
quizzical eyebrow she mouthed the words I'll tell you later "—and
Marron, you shouldn't have barged in here and made everyone panic."
"Gomen
Okaasan, Minna-san," Marron hung her head and became absorbed with the floor as
she felt her cheeks grow hot. She was truly utterly embarrassed. Because of
her, dinner was ruined and the Capsule Corp. Headquarters had bordered on
destruction. Not that the guest seemed to care. Marron could feel his
unrelenting, somewhat bored stare flicker over, and rest on her.
"It's
all right, Marron-chan," her mother's voice softened, "and if anyone has a
problem with our cars being fixed, deal with me, not my brother. Let's
try to be friends, ne?"
"It's getting
late, we better get going ChiChi, Gohan, Goten," Goku piped up amiably,
slipping out of his stance and leaving, "we can catch a lift with the others.
Thanks for the food, guys!"
"I think
we'll have to spend the night here 'cause it's too dark to fly home – if that's
o.k. with you," Krillin asked Bulma, who nodded. Slowly the guests either left,
after several threatening glances at Juunana-gou, or stayed and drifted off to
the kitchen to clear up, until only Marron, Juuhachi, Bulma and Juunana were left
standing in the darkened hallway. Still confused, a thought struck Marron.
"'Kaasan,
what did you say, about your brother? I didn't know you had a brother."
Juuhachi slapped her forehead and sighed.
"I
haven't told you this before, Marron-chan, but I have a twin brother."
"Nani?"
"Jinzouningen
Juunana-gou is your uncle."
* * * *
* * *
Usually
the Capsule Corp. garage was blanketed in dark gloom, but today it was broken
as beams of fluorescent sunlight filtered and bounced off rows upon rows of shelves,
odd-looking tools and metallic contraptions of all shapes and sizes scattered
around the cement floor like chess pieces on a chessboard. But a muffled
muteness still hung in the chilly atmosphere, with the occasional brazen clang
of a hammer or the static zapping of wires the only sounds to be heard. Marron
fingered her pink baubles, as she usually did when she was curious, and dangled
her feet off the cold metal chest of drawers she had been sitting on all Sunday
morning.
"Ojisan,
I'm Marron. It's a nice day isn't it?" Marron said warmly, trying to start a
conversation for the umpteenth time. Not receiving any response from the
black-haired boy, who had now gotten rid of his trench coat and rolled up the
sleeves of his white undershirt while he intricately configured some complex
part of a car that was completely unknown to her, Marron tried another
approach, determined to get his attention somehow.
"I never
knew Okaasan had a brother. You look a whole lot younger than her for her
twin."
"…"
Juunana still failed to acknowledge her existence.
"What do
you think of Capsule Corporation? It's pretty interesting, ne? When I
first came here the machines were in a lot better shape, though."
"…"
"Are you
all right? We can always go outside for a break if you want to."
"…"
Juunana-gou tried to block the girl's painfully cheerful voice from his mind,
concentrating on his work. Maybe if he ignored her for long enough, she'd take
a hint and go away. He had made good progress this morning, and all the
controls and transmitters of the aircar were working again, thanks to his skill
hands. The sooner he was done, the sooner he could get away from this dreaded
place. In fact, he had no idea why he even bothered answering when Juuhachi had
knocked on his cabin door out of the blue last night. He hadn't wanted anything
to do with her ever since she left him for that noseless monk weakling. That
had been over ten years ago. He thought he could forget the past, the hurt and
the pain, but no, she just to come back and re-surface all the stinging
emotions that he knew he wasn't supposed to feel.
"Ojisan…
Ojisan… Uncle Juunana-gou, are you listening to me?" There. The voice of
the brat again. The offspring of his sister and the dwarf.
"SHUT
UP!" Juunana snarled, his strained mind finally snapping, "don't you ever call
me that! I am not your ojisan! I hate you! Child of Juuhachi and that
stupid human! Get lost and never come near me again!" His eyes were blazing
with fury and his ki skyrocketed. All the suppression of last night had
broken through his calm, cold exterior. His cyborg parts had screamed out for
him to blast the building and it's wretched inhabitants to kingdom come, and it
had taken his every ounce of his willpower to control what he had been
programmed to do, as it did now to stop himself from tearing a gaping hole
through the girl's body.
"I-I'm
sorry…" she stammered. Juunana noticed that the girl's large cerulean eyes
showed a mixture of fear, confusion and sadness, before she stumbled off her
seat and ran out the door. Stupid brat was probably going to go crying to her
mommy. Not that he cared. Let them fear and despise him, it wasn't as if he
liked any of them.
* * * *
* * *
Carrying
a heavily laden picnic basket, Marron hummed a tune as she walked down the
pebbled pathway that led around the back to the garage. The roller doors were
still wide open, and a grinding sound of a drill floated out from the grey
interior. She smiled at the thought of Juunana-gou bent over his work and
completely unaware of the time. Now that she knew more about him, she also knew
what he needed. Letting the warm breeze carry the smell of freshly cooked food
into the garage, Marron called out,
"Juunana-gou,
it's time for lunch, and Bulma's cooked lots of food for us! Why don't you come
out?" This time she was careful to call him by his real name. The drilling
ceased, but other than that there was no sign of Juunana hearing her. By now
she had pretty much expected it.
"You
know just as well as I do that even androids like to eat. Listen, I know you
might not like, but it's really nice outside and…" Marron stopped when
Juunana-gou's frame appeared right in front of her in the doorway. His elegant
eyebrows were arched with anger and a slight hint of surprise.
"I
though I told you never to come near me again," he said frostily, "and what are
you doing with that ridiculous heavy basket?" With one deft swipe the basket
disappeared from Marron's hands to Juunana's. Marron's eyes widened at the
boy's speed. She had to admit it was hard to think of someone only a few years
older than her as her uncle. Gratefully stretching her arms – the picnic basket
had in fact been heavy – Marron sat down under a leafy chestnut tree on the
gentle slope in front of the garage, motioning for Juunana-gou to join her.
Instead he glared at her and turned to go back inside.
"Matte!
Okaasan told me all about you – about Dr. Gero, about your mission to destroy
Son Goku, about what happened with Cell and after that, about 'Kaasan and
'Tousan. I know why you don't like me, and I'm not asking you to, either. But
you must be lonely after spending thirteen years alone in that forest, and you
hate that, don't you?" Juunana froze. Marron cheered silently, sensing that she
had finally struck a nerve. He turned back and stalked up to her until his
shadow engulfed all the spaces that weren't already covered in shade. There was
a hesitant pause, as if he were looking for a trap, before he slammed down
against the tree trunk, glowering all the way.
"What
do you care about it?" Juunana growled, keeping his eyes focused away from the
girl. Why was he doing this? Sitting next to the spawn he had sworn to hate.
This was definitely not what he had wanted to do. But somehow he didn't feel
like getting back up and walking away, and he didn't have as much of an urge to
slam the girl into the ground as he did before. And still, the food was
tempting…
"I
feel lonely too, sometimes," she replied and chewed a steaming rice dumpling,
"when my parents go out for weeks on their journeys and leave me stranded on
Kami Island…" she stopped and blushed "… but I guess that's nothing compared to
you." Juunana smirked before he bit into a dumpling himself. One thing was
still bothering him.
"Aren't
you afraid of me? I could destroy you right now if I wanted to." The girl –
what was her name? Marilyn? Mary? – gave him a blank look.
"Well
I don't see you trying to destroy anything right now." Good point. Just to
spite her, he kicked a nearby rock into the air, watching it spin around. He
slowly lifted a finger and in the blink of an eye the rock exploded causing a
miniature fireworks display. The girl's mouth formed a small "o" of surprise.
Then a pink and golden butterfly fluttered down from the thick foliage above
landing on the soft folds of her red polka dot dress.
"Wow,
it's beautiful," she crooned, gently rubbing its wings with her finger as that
they furled and unfurled. Disgusting, Juunana thought, what do these humans see
in those things? She giggled as the creature crawled up onto her hand.
Extending it out to him, she asked,
"Do
you want to hold it, Juunana?" After seeing his confused expression she added
playfully, "Don't worry, it won't bite."
"Me,
afraid of a butterfly?" he snorted indignantly, reaching out to grab the pink
and gold thing and prove her wrong again. By now most of the food had gone and
Juunana laid back, feeling something strange and different. It was warm, and
pleasant, sort of like what they called "being happy". A searing jolt ripped
through Juunana's cyborg parts as he bolted upright. Happy? No, he wasn't
supposed to be happy. Maybe he had felt happiness before, but he had since been
changed to recognise only hate, coldness and rage. It wasn't right. It just
wasn't right. With a swift blow the butterfly was crushed into a pitiful lump
against the tree. The girl scrambled onto her feet in alarm.
"What
did you do that for?" she gasped, "poor thing…"
"I
did that because I hate you! I hate you, I hate Dr. Gero, I hate your
traitorous mother, I hate that cowardly chrome dome she loves so much, I hate
those pathetic losers you hang around with, I hate everything!"
Now
the girl balled her tiny fists and stared up at him defiantly. For a moment
Juunana could've sworn he could sense a hidden ki somewhere.
"Hey,
baka! You don't have to be so rude and cruel all the time you know! I
don't care what you say about me, but stop insulting my parents and thir
friends! What you're saying is not true, and especially seeing as they
are trying to be nice to you!"
"I
couldn't care less about their kindness, I never asked for it, and I meant
every word I said!"
Her
lip quivered. She violently shoved Juunana-gou's heavy weighted body, though
her thin arms didn't make him move an inch. Glaring, she turned on her heel,
making her thick pigtails whip around her face, and ran off down the hill for
the second time that day.
"Fine!"
she yelled behind her, "but you're never going to get any friends if you keep
thinking like that!" Friends? Juunana thought, what's her problem? Why does she
keep bugging me? Still, he couldn't help feeling that pang of loneliness again
as her small form disappeared into the dome.
* * * *
* * *