"Retrospect"
by Acey
Disclaimer: I still don't own DBZ, nor will I probably ever own DBZ. Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. I looked at chapter one again and realized I had made one of those errors that I don't ever catch before it's too late, namely putting in too much detail. I apologize for that. I decided to stop the hyphenations. It just took too long. (Plus, I'm not entirely sure if they're even correct-- if they aren't, I'll just claim poetic-- I mean, literary license.)
Juuhachigou visited later that evening, wearing a trim businesswoman's outfit and a dutiful look on her face. It was time for her infrequent trip to Juunanagou's cabin, and he supposed the other cyborg felt it was like visiting a delinquent at the boot camp, she seemed to show so little interest in it, at least, from Juunanagou's perspective.
"How's life, Juunana?" she asked. Her voice was as monotonous as ever, azure eyes, replicas of his own, still striking on the pale face, but Juunanagou could see the difference in them now, not like his, not calculating or cold. It had taken him years to register the subtle change a happy marriage and family had brought to his twin's features.
"How you expect it to be when you live in the middle of the woods," he responded, privately wondering if his sister had always thought of him as a cross to bear with sarcasm. "Very boring."
"Well, you don't have to live here. There's no rule against moving," she said absently.
He grinned. For once, she was varying the conversation.
"No, but the rural area is making me an idealist," he said, straight-faced, "and to repay it, I'm staying to admire the scenic wonder and majesty."
Juuhachigou laughed, a bitter sound that did not go well with the image she had forged of herself over the past decade but seemed to strangely fit, anyway.
"I imagine. Marron just got out of first grade. She's going to be a good student. She won the award for best reader over at Orange Star Elementary School."
He nodded, not really caring if his niece won the Nobel Peace Prize.
"She's very smart. She was reading before preschool."
"Hm."
"What about you, Juunana? Still chopping down trees?"
"Of course."
She shook her head, thinking, 'little brothers,' but Juunanagou didn't see the affection behind the outward annoyance.
"You really should be done by now. If you didn't make such a game out of it, you'd have been done ten years ago."
"I've made progress."
He hadn't been able to get through some of his land for the myriad pines and maples, and he knew it. Worse, Juuhachigou knew it, or seemed to, by the way her eyes flashed after he said it.
"Uh huh. A tree a day would give you three thousand six hundred fifty trees, but I've had to fly to get here for them for five years. You need to clear out the underbrush at least, unless that's part of the game, too."
Juunanagou failed to realize his twin was joking.
"The underbrush shouldn't bother you at all since you fly here."
"I was kidding." She glanced at her watch, a meaningless item for someone with an internal clock. "I-I've got to go. Bulma's hosting a picnic over at the Capsule Corp., and I promised to come."
He didn't bother to ask for her to stay. It was pointless now. Every connection they'd had was gone. The twinship was broken, and for the first time in his life Juunanagou realized it on a conscious level.
Juunanagou glanced at the female cyborg that was his sister, scanning her face into his mind like he did everything else he'd seen since activation. The look on her face told him that she had known they were growing apart for years, told him she knew and, adaptable person that she was, had made adjustments. He'd never understand how painful they were, or how she'd tried so hard to prevent the separation. He only knew that a former monk and a blonde child with pigtails had taken the only person he'd ever given a care about in his miserable existence, and like every other time, the so-called amazingly efficient cyborg had realized it too late.
"Good-bye, Juuhachigou," he said as she turned to leave.
"Good-bye."
He stared once more at the image of a blonde woman in the sky, stared as if it was the last and most painful thing he'd see in his life, and then the mask went back on and he went back to his cabin.
Author's note: In case you were wondering, there is an alternate "missing" scene to chapter one that serves no importance to the plot, but is perhaps enjoyable. If you would like me to send you the scene, please go to my bio and email me with the request. Thanks, and chapter three will come shortly.
-Acey
Disclaimer: I still don't own DBZ, nor will I probably ever own DBZ. Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. I looked at chapter one again and realized I had made one of those errors that I don't ever catch before it's too late, namely putting in too much detail. I apologize for that. I decided to stop the hyphenations. It just took too long. (Plus, I'm not entirely sure if they're even correct-- if they aren't, I'll just claim poetic-- I mean, literary license.)
Juuhachigou visited later that evening, wearing a trim businesswoman's outfit and a dutiful look on her face. It was time for her infrequent trip to Juunanagou's cabin, and he supposed the other cyborg felt it was like visiting a delinquent at the boot camp, she seemed to show so little interest in it, at least, from Juunanagou's perspective.
"How's life, Juunana?" she asked. Her voice was as monotonous as ever, azure eyes, replicas of his own, still striking on the pale face, but Juunanagou could see the difference in them now, not like his, not calculating or cold. It had taken him years to register the subtle change a happy marriage and family had brought to his twin's features.
"How you expect it to be when you live in the middle of the woods," he responded, privately wondering if his sister had always thought of him as a cross to bear with sarcasm. "Very boring."
"Well, you don't have to live here. There's no rule against moving," she said absently.
He grinned. For once, she was varying the conversation.
"No, but the rural area is making me an idealist," he said, straight-faced, "and to repay it, I'm staying to admire the scenic wonder and majesty."
Juuhachigou laughed, a bitter sound that did not go well with the image she had forged of herself over the past decade but seemed to strangely fit, anyway.
"I imagine. Marron just got out of first grade. She's going to be a good student. She won the award for best reader over at Orange Star Elementary School."
He nodded, not really caring if his niece won the Nobel Peace Prize.
"She's very smart. She was reading before preschool."
"Hm."
"What about you, Juunana? Still chopping down trees?"
"Of course."
She shook her head, thinking, 'little brothers,' but Juunanagou didn't see the affection behind the outward annoyance.
"You really should be done by now. If you didn't make such a game out of it, you'd have been done ten years ago."
"I've made progress."
He hadn't been able to get through some of his land for the myriad pines and maples, and he knew it. Worse, Juuhachigou knew it, or seemed to, by the way her eyes flashed after he said it.
"Uh huh. A tree a day would give you three thousand six hundred fifty trees, but I've had to fly to get here for them for five years. You need to clear out the underbrush at least, unless that's part of the game, too."
Juunanagou failed to realize his twin was joking.
"The underbrush shouldn't bother you at all since you fly here."
"I was kidding." She glanced at her watch, a meaningless item for someone with an internal clock. "I-I've got to go. Bulma's hosting a picnic over at the Capsule Corp., and I promised to come."
He didn't bother to ask for her to stay. It was pointless now. Every connection they'd had was gone. The twinship was broken, and for the first time in his life Juunanagou realized it on a conscious level.
Juunanagou glanced at the female cyborg that was his sister, scanning her face into his mind like he did everything else he'd seen since activation. The look on her face told him that she had known they were growing apart for years, told him she knew and, adaptable person that she was, had made adjustments. He'd never understand how painful they were, or how she'd tried so hard to prevent the separation. He only knew that a former monk and a blonde child with pigtails had taken the only person he'd ever given a care about in his miserable existence, and like every other time, the so-called amazingly efficient cyborg had realized it too late.
"Good-bye, Juuhachigou," he said as she turned to leave.
"Good-bye."
He stared once more at the image of a blonde woman in the sky, stared as if it was the last and most painful thing he'd see in his life, and then the mask went back on and he went back to his cabin.
Author's note: In case you were wondering, there is an alternate "missing" scene to chapter one that serves no importance to the plot, but is perhaps enjoyable. If you would like me to send you the scene, please go to my bio and email me with the request. Thanks, and chapter three will come shortly.
-Acey