Chapter 7
"I love Saturdays..." Bulma thought happily to herself. The fact that there was no work today meant that whenever Trunks wanted to speak to his mother, he wouldn't end up in a deathmatch with a certain android. Suddenly Bulma had an all new level of joy in her Saturdays.
Bulma looked toward the sky to see Juu flying away and could only wonder where she was going.
***
"Where do you think she is going?" Amano asked. Amano was a tall young man with brown hair, serious dedication to anything he set his mind to and one of Trunks closest friends.
"Dunno. Damn I wish she weren't a robot! She is awfully cute..." Joe replied. In contrast to Amano, Joe was short, silly and had a fairly bizzare (and often perverse) sense of humor.
Trunks rolled his eyes at Joe's comment.
"Aw, come on Trunks! Tell me you didn't notice that girls body..."
"Joe. She tried to kill me."
"That's just because she likes you! You lucky bastered you..." Joe laughed.
Amano and Trunks couldn't help but laugh too. Joe's humor wasn't really funny when they thought about it but the way the Joe said things was so ridiculous they couldn't help but smile.
"If you boys like her so much that you can't shut-up about her maybe you like her." Bulma said grinning as the boys jumped at the suprise of her sneaking up behind them. At least Amano and Joe did. Trunks never seemed to let his guard down. After the experiences he had had in his life it was understandable.
"Geez Ms. Briefs! Would you mind not doing that again? Ever?" Joe shouted with a good natured laugh.
***
Kaede seemed uncomfortable as Trunks, Joe and her boyfriend Amano told her about the android who was now Trunks' mother's newest employee. The four of them were sitting in a diner in North City in a small booth next to a window. Kaede lived in North City for college and it was not uncommon for Amano to come visit her. He hated having his girlfriend living so far away and took every opportunity to see her.
"I don't like the thought of an android being around..." She admitted. "With all the power they have..."
Trunks felt a strong surge of sympthy for Kaede. She, like so many others had, lost almost nearly everything because of Juuhachigou and Juunanagou. A smaller, fainter sympathy cried out to Juu, however. With how fresh the pain inflicted by the previous two androids still was Juu was going to be alone for a long time. This quieter sympathy is what caused him to say these words in Juu's defense: "I have more power then the other two androids seeing as I destroyed them. You don't think I am going to go around destroying cities do you?"
"No... But you've gotten into fights with her though right? She could be hostile like the others."
"She definetly is hostile," Trunks said with a smile, " but if they were serious fights I don't think either one of us would have stopped because my mother told us too."
"I don't know, man," Joe said, "your mom is a pretty intimmidating lady."
"Why did your mother hire an android anyways?" Amano asked.
"I don't know. She thinks Juu is cool or something."
Kaede sighed. Then smiled. "I guess I can accept her being around, but it would take some divine intervention for me to actually like her."
"None of us are asking that much. My mom is the only person who really likes her." Trunks said with a smile.
"Don't be so sure," Joe said pointing out the window. Looking out the window they discovered Juu, walking with an elderly couple and a small boy who seemed to be talking to her non-stop and seemed almost in awe of Juu. Like he was looking at a goddess.
Juu was completely oblivious to the four in the diner and continued to listen with slight amusment as Shinji continued to talk a mile a minute. She had decided it was probobly for the best to talk to Shinji's grandparents. To let them know that Shinji activating her was not a mistake. Daisuke and Karen had been aprehensive at first but with Shinji's repeated requests slowly began to warm to Juu. As Juu discovered, Daisuke was about as trusting and forgiving as his grandson. Karen on the other hand was a bigger challenge to communicate with. She still was concerned about having an android in their midst but seemed to relax more and more as she watched Juu interact with her grandson.
The four of them made their way across town until they reached a small shrine. While it was a traditionally built one, you could tell it was relatively new. When they stepped into the shrine Juu noticed it was almost as if the sounds of the rest of the world were closed off. Like the world kept it's traffic and screaming children out of this place because it felt it was a place best left in peace.
Shinji wandered away to go look at the small garden that was nearby and Daisuke explained what the shrine was for.
"This place was built as a memorial to those who died because of the androids in North City. There wasn't any more we could do for the dead but build this," he said sadly, "there was little to nothing left of them after the androids killed them..."
"I see." Juu said simply. At least her words were simple. Her voice seemed to speak every regret she had for her brother and sister and every apology they never gave to their victims.
"My dear, after speaking with you today I see a small light of hope. Even those two androids who were so heartless had some good in them or at least the memory of a time they were good people. You are an android as well and you who everyone would think to be evil are truely good. I find it rather inspiring that what we think of as evil has a good side to it." Daisuke said with a comforting smile on his kind, old face.
"When I came here today," Juu confessed, "I was afraid. That is really kind of dumb considering you're only humans but...well Shinji's parents..."
Karen placed her hand on Juu's shoulder, "That wasn't something you did. God knows why the other two went insane but that wasn't your doing." Karen sighed. "I am not like my husband. I still cannot forgive them. I have nothing to forgive you for though. You have done nothing wrong. I am glad Shinji convinced us to give you a chance." She said with a small smile.
***
It was late when Trunks and Joe got back from North City. Amano was staying a while longer to be with Kaede. They were just about to go their seperate directions to get to their homes when Joe stopped.
"Hey Tunks, if..." Joe paused as if trying to figure out what to say, "if everyone reacts the Kaede did to Juu don't you think Juu will be lonely...? I mean it would be kind of sad for her. If you think about it no one would give her a fair chance. I know I haven't given her one."
"I noticed that too." Trunks replied uneasily. "You seem serious. That is out of character for you isn't it?"
"Yeah. I get this way when I think I have something to be sorry about. Which I do in Juu's case." Joe said sheepishly. "How do you tell when she is upset. I mean if she is an android..."
"If she attacks you with a letter opener she's upset." Trunks said with a grin.
"Right." Joe said with a laugh. He then took off for his house.
As Trunks walked to his house he couldn't help but wonder if anyone knew Juu well enough to know when she was really feeling all of the pain that seemed to go with her very existence as an android.
"I love Saturdays..." Bulma thought happily to herself. The fact that there was no work today meant that whenever Trunks wanted to speak to his mother, he wouldn't end up in a deathmatch with a certain android. Suddenly Bulma had an all new level of joy in her Saturdays.
Bulma looked toward the sky to see Juu flying away and could only wonder where she was going.
***
"Where do you think she is going?" Amano asked. Amano was a tall young man with brown hair, serious dedication to anything he set his mind to and one of Trunks closest friends.
"Dunno. Damn I wish she weren't a robot! She is awfully cute..." Joe replied. In contrast to Amano, Joe was short, silly and had a fairly bizzare (and often perverse) sense of humor.
Trunks rolled his eyes at Joe's comment.
"Aw, come on Trunks! Tell me you didn't notice that girls body..."
"Joe. She tried to kill me."
"That's just because she likes you! You lucky bastered you..." Joe laughed.
Amano and Trunks couldn't help but laugh too. Joe's humor wasn't really funny when they thought about it but the way the Joe said things was so ridiculous they couldn't help but smile.
"If you boys like her so much that you can't shut-up about her maybe you like her." Bulma said grinning as the boys jumped at the suprise of her sneaking up behind them. At least Amano and Joe did. Trunks never seemed to let his guard down. After the experiences he had had in his life it was understandable.
"Geez Ms. Briefs! Would you mind not doing that again? Ever?" Joe shouted with a good natured laugh.
***
Kaede seemed uncomfortable as Trunks, Joe and her boyfriend Amano told her about the android who was now Trunks' mother's newest employee. The four of them were sitting in a diner in North City in a small booth next to a window. Kaede lived in North City for college and it was not uncommon for Amano to come visit her. He hated having his girlfriend living so far away and took every opportunity to see her.
"I don't like the thought of an android being around..." She admitted. "With all the power they have..."
Trunks felt a strong surge of sympthy for Kaede. She, like so many others had, lost almost nearly everything because of Juuhachigou and Juunanagou. A smaller, fainter sympathy cried out to Juu, however. With how fresh the pain inflicted by the previous two androids still was Juu was going to be alone for a long time. This quieter sympathy is what caused him to say these words in Juu's defense: "I have more power then the other two androids seeing as I destroyed them. You don't think I am going to go around destroying cities do you?"
"No... But you've gotten into fights with her though right? She could be hostile like the others."
"She definetly is hostile," Trunks said with a smile, " but if they were serious fights I don't think either one of us would have stopped because my mother told us too."
"I don't know, man," Joe said, "your mom is a pretty intimmidating lady."
"Why did your mother hire an android anyways?" Amano asked.
"I don't know. She thinks Juu is cool or something."
Kaede sighed. Then smiled. "I guess I can accept her being around, but it would take some divine intervention for me to actually like her."
"None of us are asking that much. My mom is the only person who really likes her." Trunks said with a smile.
"Don't be so sure," Joe said pointing out the window. Looking out the window they discovered Juu, walking with an elderly couple and a small boy who seemed to be talking to her non-stop and seemed almost in awe of Juu. Like he was looking at a goddess.
Juu was completely oblivious to the four in the diner and continued to listen with slight amusment as Shinji continued to talk a mile a minute. She had decided it was probobly for the best to talk to Shinji's grandparents. To let them know that Shinji activating her was not a mistake. Daisuke and Karen had been aprehensive at first but with Shinji's repeated requests slowly began to warm to Juu. As Juu discovered, Daisuke was about as trusting and forgiving as his grandson. Karen on the other hand was a bigger challenge to communicate with. She still was concerned about having an android in their midst but seemed to relax more and more as she watched Juu interact with her grandson.
The four of them made their way across town until they reached a small shrine. While it was a traditionally built one, you could tell it was relatively new. When they stepped into the shrine Juu noticed it was almost as if the sounds of the rest of the world were closed off. Like the world kept it's traffic and screaming children out of this place because it felt it was a place best left in peace.
Shinji wandered away to go look at the small garden that was nearby and Daisuke explained what the shrine was for.
"This place was built as a memorial to those who died because of the androids in North City. There wasn't any more we could do for the dead but build this," he said sadly, "there was little to nothing left of them after the androids killed them..."
"I see." Juu said simply. At least her words were simple. Her voice seemed to speak every regret she had for her brother and sister and every apology they never gave to their victims.
"My dear, after speaking with you today I see a small light of hope. Even those two androids who were so heartless had some good in them or at least the memory of a time they were good people. You are an android as well and you who everyone would think to be evil are truely good. I find it rather inspiring that what we think of as evil has a good side to it." Daisuke said with a comforting smile on his kind, old face.
"When I came here today," Juu confessed, "I was afraid. That is really kind of dumb considering you're only humans but...well Shinji's parents..."
Karen placed her hand on Juu's shoulder, "That wasn't something you did. God knows why the other two went insane but that wasn't your doing." Karen sighed. "I am not like my husband. I still cannot forgive them. I have nothing to forgive you for though. You have done nothing wrong. I am glad Shinji convinced us to give you a chance." She said with a small smile.
***
It was late when Trunks and Joe got back from North City. Amano was staying a while longer to be with Kaede. They were just about to go their seperate directions to get to their homes when Joe stopped.
"Hey Tunks, if..." Joe paused as if trying to figure out what to say, "if everyone reacts the Kaede did to Juu don't you think Juu will be lonely...? I mean it would be kind of sad for her. If you think about it no one would give her a fair chance. I know I haven't given her one."
"I noticed that too." Trunks replied uneasily. "You seem serious. That is out of character for you isn't it?"
"Yeah. I get this way when I think I have something to be sorry about. Which I do in Juu's case." Joe said sheepishly. "How do you tell when she is upset. I mean if she is an android..."
"If she attacks you with a letter opener she's upset." Trunks said with a grin.
"Right." Joe said with a laugh. He then took off for his house.
As Trunks walked to his house he couldn't help but wonder if anyone knew Juu well enough to know when she was really feeling all of the pain that seemed to go with her very existence as an android.