I'll Be Here
By Juuko
*A/N* I know I haven't written very many of these :P But anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone for all the reviews – Arigatou! The following chapters will be rated PG because of mild destruction and some violence (not too much, though) Ja ne!
*Disclaimer* The same as in
Chapter 1 ^_^
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A Threat
From The Future
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I know that you're strong
emotionally,
But don't you ever tumble down?
Even the strongest breaks
someday,
But you haven't, not even now.
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A month had passed since the mysterious disappearance of Bulma's 'time machine'. It was more or less a month of peace. Even though the Capsule Corporation vehicles had since long been fixed, to Juuhachi's puzzled delight and Krillin's evident dismay, Juunana-gou had chosen to stay at Kami's House instead of returning to his forest cabin. The reason for that was only truly known to himself and Marron, who was now revelling in her long awaited summer holidays.
Rolling
lazily on her sun-tanned back, Marron reached across the relatively cool wooden
flooring of the lounge room and turned on the radio. This is sooo hot,
she thought, half-listening to the steady beat of music and fanning herself
gently with the playing cards in her other hand. Juunana had promised to take
her flying over the scenic port town of Cobalt, but the sweltering heat forced
her to stay indoors. Instead he compensated by resigning to spend all day with
her playing games and trying to keep as cool as possible with the portable fan
pelting full blast beside them. Marron smoothed out her orange bandana that was
currently hanging around her hips like a sarong over her flimsy citrus-dyed
sundress. She found that she had gotten very attached to it since she got it,
and never went anywhere without wearing the bandana in some style or another,
just as Juunana had done before.
A while
ago he had disappeared to the kitchen to refill his glass and Marron wondered
how long Juunana was going to take. Maybe Turtle has roped him into one of his
'little' conversations. He won't be back for a long time. Marron was
considering taking a peek at his cards when a static crackling erupted from the
radio.
"We have
just received an emergency report of a brutal attack on the town of Cobalt, 15
miles west of the coastline. The extent of damage and fatalities is not known
as yet. Any people living in close
proximity of the danger area should evacuate immediately…" Marron bolted
straight up from her catnap, ignoring the cards and sweat droplets that
scattered off her like a miniature whirlwind, and switched on the television. A
hazy cluster of blue dots filled the screen as all the current programs were
interrupted and the familiar news bulletin room flashed onscreen.
"Minna-san,
come over here! There's been an attack!" Marron called out to the rest of the
house. Just as the reporter began talking, Juuhachi, Krillin and Master Roshi
filed into the lounge room, some looking perplexed while others looked plain
annoyed at being called in the middle of their business. However, their
previous thoughts quickly disapparated and a horror surfaced when a blurred but
recognisable aerial screenshot of dirty black smoke tendrils and settling dust
storms writhing out of the bloated crannies in a gargantuan mass of rubble that
resembled anything but a once thriving city.
"This
just in," the shaky voice of the reporter cut through the clip, "although we
have no absolute proof, survivors claim that this horrendous assault is the
work of an individual. Here is an exclusive taping one former resident
retrieved from a surveillance camera that has managed to survive the
explosion."
The
scene switched once more to an even more vague shot that was tilted at a sharp
angle, as if the camera had fallen on its side while filming. Even so the
company watching made out a solitary figure hovering in mid-air in the top
right-hand corner. The figure, seemingly unknowing that it was being watched,
swooped down until its body filled the entire screen. Glowing red balls of
light gathered around its out-stretched hands and a main explosion followed by
some subsidiary blasts were heard. The force of the blast blew back the
attacker's clean-cut dark hair, giving the camera a fleeting view of its face.
The reaction of each onlooker was different.
"Nani!?"
Juuhachi gasped.
"Damn
you!" Krillin cursed.
"Huh, I
thought so." Roshi grunted.
"No
way," Marron stated.
Despite
the low quality and alien angle of the picture, the attacker's identity hit
them with a sickening lurch. A lightly tanned angular face and striking pale
blue eyes titled like a cat's under long coal-coloured hair.
"Juunana-gou?"
"That jinzouningen
scum!" Krillin yelled through gritted teeth, powering up to his highest level
in blind fury, "I'm sorry I ever even slightly trusted him…"
"Krillin!
Stop that! There must be some explanation for this…" Juuhachi struggled to
restrain her small but now unusually violent husband from breaking through a
wall.
"What
have I done?" An inquiring voice announced over the melee. Four pairs of eyed
snapped around to see the young male android standing innocently in the door
way to the kitchen, holding a tray with two chocolate ice-cream laden bowls,
"sorry I couldn't come when you called Marron, but I was getting us some
ice-cream because it's so hot…" Juunana-gou was cut short as he barely ducked a
small ki blast aimed at his head. Instead it soared out the open doorway
and disappeared into the depths of the ocean outside, spraying the beach with
hot sparkling seawater. He automatically dropped the tray onto the floor and
slipped into a fighting stance.
"Hey,
what was that for?"
"Don't
think you can fool me, we saw you destroy that town!" Tearing out of Juuhachi's
grip Krillin launched a heavy lunge punch at Juunana. "And don't think you can
get away with it, either!"
"Town?
You must be dreaming," Juunana exclaimed as he caught the punch with one hand
and blocked an oncoming side kick with his elbow, "I've been here all day, you
fool, and why would I want to attack some stupid town anyway?"
"Hai,
'Tousan, Juunana would never do something as cruel as that!" Marron cried,
trying to pull Krillin away.
"Come to
think of it, the timing of the attack makes it impossible," Juuhachi mused, leaning
against the television set, "see, it all happened today, and in the time
Juunana wasn't here – around twenty, maybe thirty minutes – he could not have
flown the 15 miles to Cobalt, stayed around long enough to make sure it was
destroyed and flown all the way back." For a moment, Krillin paused to
think.
"But… it
looked exactly like him," he argued, pointing an accusing finger at Juunana,
"who else could it be?"
"Maybe,
just maybe, it could have been possible," the old master spoke up, peering at the
blank-faced boy through his sunglasses, "yes, it could… if there were two
of him." This last remark left Juuhachi and Krillin staring at each other. Of
course there was only one Juunana-gou. Unless… both threw their minds back to
the time of Mirai Trunks. There had been two of the same person then, but that
was because…
"The
time machine!" the pair yelled simultaneously. Somehow, Bulma's runaway
invention had found another time's Juunana-gou. And that was the one they had
just seen. The one that totalled Cobalt. Juuhachi nearly slapped herself. She
should have been more concerned when the machine vanished, she should have been
alert, and because she hadn't, thousands of lives were lost. Here breaths grew
short and ragged as Krillin hurriedly explained to the rest of them about the
time machine and their theory. The horrid thought lingered heavily in her mind.
"Because
of me, all because of me… all those innocent people…" she moaned softly,
putting more weight on the dusty black box. Now the others could see that
Juuhachi was trembling. Unable to bear the situation any longer, Juunana
grabbed his sister's slender shoulders and spun her around so he could see her
pale face.
"It is not
your fault, Juuhachi," he said, staring intently into those eyes that were so
like his own, "no-one knew this was going to happen, and it wasn't you who made
or activated the machine. I'm still not completely sure of what's going on, but
this is serious, there are more lives at stake, and you can either stand around
here blaming yourself or you can go to Capsule Corporation and tell Bulma and
the saiya-jin what happened and see if they can help."
There
was a strangled gasp from Juuhachi's part. Juunana had never looked nor spoken
to her so openly before. But he was right, now was not the time to sulk or
ponder.
"Gomen,
it's been a while since we've had an enemy, I must be growing old." Juuhachi
headed out the back door, but paused when she remembered something that was
strangely missing. "What are going to do while I'm gone, Juunana?" Flashing her
one of his cheeky smiles he walked past out onto the wind-tossed sandy beach,
letting the airstream whip his hair around.
"I think
you already know the answer to that. I'm going to drop a little visit on my
counterpart and perhaps politely ask him to stop razing those poor defenceless
towns. Krillin can go to Son Goku's house and warn them if he wants." Juuhachi
rolled her eyes. It seemed that with Juunana's becoming open, his old sense of
'fun' had return ed as well. Like she used to do before, Juuhachi crossed her
arms in mock exasperation and hovered well above him, as if he were some little
spoiled child.
"Fine,
but don't expect me to mop up your remains when your 'friend' answers," she
retorted out of habit. When Juuhachi saw the familiar mischievous glint in
Juunana-gou's eye that told her she knew he was just leading her on, it was too
much. Everything – all those carefree, trivial days when they were together
were coming back. "Just make sure you don't get hurt." She added more quietly.
"I'll be
fine. If it's just another time's Juunana-gou how much stronger can he be?"
"Let's
stop the chatter already!" Krillin interrupted from his spot far away from the
island, "we're wasting valuable time!" The two nodded hastily and took off,
leaving a thin trail of light where they had just been.
Marron
stood indecisively on the cobbled porch, gazing longingly after her mother,
Juunana and her father. She wished that she could help them in some way, but
she knew better than anything that her lack of fighting skills rendered her
useless in this battle. Still, there must be something she could do.
Something… anything…
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*A/N* That's
the story so far… Sorry this chapter was so slow-paced, it should get *slightly*
better in the next couple :P So, did you like it? Hate it? Please review and
tell me what you think… *please?*