Juunana sat in the bath, the water surrounding him like a warm, liquid
blanket, clouds of steam rising up around him. He wondered if some of his
mechanical additions would rust and waste away if he stayed underwater long
enough. But as much as he liked to think of Gero as a sick, perverted
madman, he didn't think the late doctor's stupidity would extend to
including perishable components to such a perfect creation as him and his
sister.
Perfect. The word rang inside his head as both a compliment and a curse. He wondered what it was they had had, he and his sister, which had caused Gero to choose them.
No use wondering, he chided himself as he hauled himself out of the bath. He showered quickly, then wrapped a towel around his waist and slid the bathroom door open.
He let out a yelp of surprise. Juuhachi was standing there, her arms crossed, a frown on her face. He cursed himself for letting her sneak up on him like this. But before he could think of anything witty to say to save his honour, his sister spoke, in a somewhat soft voice.
"There's something I need to tell you."
"Oh?" He raised one eyebrow. "What about?"
"Hope, I think," she almost whispered.
The answer startled him. Hope? Hope for what? Forgetting he was wearing nothing more than a towel, he led her into the small living room, and sank into his favourite couch. She sat at the other end of it, just at the edge, a strange look of determination in her eyes. But she remained silent.
"Well?" He pressured her teasingly. " If it was so important that you could sneak up on me while I was in my bath."
She folded her hands nervously in her lap. "There's this doctor... He works miracles. I went to see him, and he might be able to help us."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She inhaled deeply, and then let out the answer in a single breath. "He can make us human again."
Juunana stopped breathing. To be human again. To leave Gero completely behind. To be granted a second chance, to start a whole new life, to have what was stolen from them restored. To be human again!
His sister grasped his hands in her own and squeezed them tightly, so tight that if he hadn't been an android like her, some bones would have probably snapped. "Isn't that what we've both dreamed of? We can be just like we were before!"
But Juunana shrank away from her. "A doctor, huh?"
"His name is Black Jack. He's one of the top surgeons of the world. He's an outlaw in the world of medicine, he hasn't got a certificate or anything, and he charges astronomical prices, but they say he's really the best."
Juuhachi's eyes glowed with excitement. This was the Juuhachi no one but Juunana knew. To the others, even sometimes to her husband Kuririn, she was a cold, unfeeling cyborg, but to him, she was this 18-year-old girl, with her dreams and her fears and her worries.
And dreams and fears and worries there were, especially since Marron's birth, which had seemed to make Juuhachi's otherwise ageless face gain about ten years. But nothing had stopped her from regularly visiting her brother in his little forest cabin to share thoughts and feelings. They were twins, after all, so it was normal for them to be linked by this special closeness.
But Juunana was afraid that this time he would have to disappoint her. He shook his head. "I don't know about this, sis. He's not even a certified practitioner?"
"What do we care? It could work! It's worth trying!" Juuhachi's eyes were burning now.
Juunana's face hardened. "Look, I've had a doctor meddle with my life before." He gestured at himself, then at her. "And look at the result!"
She held his hands tighter. "Exactly! I don't want to stay like this forever. And I know you don't either."
He pulled his hands free and folded his arms, pouting. "I'm still not going."
Her eyes hardened into iron. "Well I'm not giving you a choice. He accepted to run a medical test on both of us this afternoon."
"Over my dead body."
"I will drag you there if I have to." Juuhachi looked absolutely serious about that last threat, and Juunana knew well which one of them was the strongest. He clenched his fists, silently stating he would not follow her of his own free will, but more and more worried she actually would drag him over to that Black Jack guy's house.
And rightly so.
Juuhachi sprang forward, extending her hand in a lightning-quick, blurred motion. Her fingers curled around his ankle. He kicked and twisted to free his foot, but her grip was iron. She tugged at his leg. His response was a powerful ki blast aimed at her face, but she simply raised her other arm to block the attack. As she lowered her arm, the torn fabric of her ruined sleeve hanging limply, he saw how a scowl had replaced the hopeful expression she'd worn just a second before.
Standing up, she started toward the door, still holding her brother's ankle. He landed on the floor, sprawled flat on his face.
It was as they approached the front door that the thought struck Juunana.
"Hey! Juuhachi! Heeeeeyyyyyyyyy! I'm still naked here!"
His twin stopped and turned around, looking down at him. "Oh. Right." Taking advantage of the sudden distraction, he shook his foot in hope to regain his freedom. But her grip hadn't weakened. She wheeled around, still dragging him behind her, and scanned the floor for the discarded pieces of clothing she knew would be lying around. In a way, Juunana reminded her of her little daughter Marron, never cleaning up after himself.
Juuhachi bent and used her free hand to pick up a random shirt and some pants from a small heap on the floor. What did she care if the colours didn't match? He'd probably have to take everything off for the exam anyway. She rolled the clothes into a ball and tucked them under her arm, starting for the door once again.
Juunana screamed and whined, and she rolled her eyes in exasperation. She walked past his dining table, and he grabbed its feet, clinging to them, vainly hoping he could hold on tight enough that he would slip free of her grip. But once again his efforts produced no results. The weight of the table wasn't even enough to slow her down, and she just kept walking, her brother and the table trailing behind her.
Finally, Juuhachi reached the door, pushing it open and pulling Juunana outside behind her. He was forced to let go of the table. He made a brief grasp for the doorframe, leaving ten scratch marks there. When they were out, he dug all ten of his fingers into the earth, but his sister went on, and all his desperate holding on did was leave a trail of deep furrow in the ground behind them.
With an exasperated sigh, Juuhachi flew off, her brother dangling in the air beneath her, trying to hold the towel up to cover himself, still screaming in protest.
Perfect. The word rang inside his head as both a compliment and a curse. He wondered what it was they had had, he and his sister, which had caused Gero to choose them.
No use wondering, he chided himself as he hauled himself out of the bath. He showered quickly, then wrapped a towel around his waist and slid the bathroom door open.
He let out a yelp of surprise. Juuhachi was standing there, her arms crossed, a frown on her face. He cursed himself for letting her sneak up on him like this. But before he could think of anything witty to say to save his honour, his sister spoke, in a somewhat soft voice.
"There's something I need to tell you."
"Oh?" He raised one eyebrow. "What about?"
"Hope, I think," she almost whispered.
The answer startled him. Hope? Hope for what? Forgetting he was wearing nothing more than a towel, he led her into the small living room, and sank into his favourite couch. She sat at the other end of it, just at the edge, a strange look of determination in her eyes. But she remained silent.
"Well?" He pressured her teasingly. " If it was so important that you could sneak up on me while I was in my bath."
She folded her hands nervously in her lap. "There's this doctor... He works miracles. I went to see him, and he might be able to help us."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She inhaled deeply, and then let out the answer in a single breath. "He can make us human again."
Juunana stopped breathing. To be human again. To leave Gero completely behind. To be granted a second chance, to start a whole new life, to have what was stolen from them restored. To be human again!
His sister grasped his hands in her own and squeezed them tightly, so tight that if he hadn't been an android like her, some bones would have probably snapped. "Isn't that what we've both dreamed of? We can be just like we were before!"
But Juunana shrank away from her. "A doctor, huh?"
"His name is Black Jack. He's one of the top surgeons of the world. He's an outlaw in the world of medicine, he hasn't got a certificate or anything, and he charges astronomical prices, but they say he's really the best."
Juuhachi's eyes glowed with excitement. This was the Juuhachi no one but Juunana knew. To the others, even sometimes to her husband Kuririn, she was a cold, unfeeling cyborg, but to him, she was this 18-year-old girl, with her dreams and her fears and her worries.
And dreams and fears and worries there were, especially since Marron's birth, which had seemed to make Juuhachi's otherwise ageless face gain about ten years. But nothing had stopped her from regularly visiting her brother in his little forest cabin to share thoughts and feelings. They were twins, after all, so it was normal for them to be linked by this special closeness.
But Juunana was afraid that this time he would have to disappoint her. He shook his head. "I don't know about this, sis. He's not even a certified practitioner?"
"What do we care? It could work! It's worth trying!" Juuhachi's eyes were burning now.
Juunana's face hardened. "Look, I've had a doctor meddle with my life before." He gestured at himself, then at her. "And look at the result!"
She held his hands tighter. "Exactly! I don't want to stay like this forever. And I know you don't either."
He pulled his hands free and folded his arms, pouting. "I'm still not going."
Her eyes hardened into iron. "Well I'm not giving you a choice. He accepted to run a medical test on both of us this afternoon."
"Over my dead body."
"I will drag you there if I have to." Juuhachi looked absolutely serious about that last threat, and Juunana knew well which one of them was the strongest. He clenched his fists, silently stating he would not follow her of his own free will, but more and more worried she actually would drag him over to that Black Jack guy's house.
And rightly so.
Juuhachi sprang forward, extending her hand in a lightning-quick, blurred motion. Her fingers curled around his ankle. He kicked and twisted to free his foot, but her grip was iron. She tugged at his leg. His response was a powerful ki blast aimed at her face, but she simply raised her other arm to block the attack. As she lowered her arm, the torn fabric of her ruined sleeve hanging limply, he saw how a scowl had replaced the hopeful expression she'd worn just a second before.
Standing up, she started toward the door, still holding her brother's ankle. He landed on the floor, sprawled flat on his face.
It was as they approached the front door that the thought struck Juunana.
"Hey! Juuhachi! Heeeeeyyyyyyyyy! I'm still naked here!"
His twin stopped and turned around, looking down at him. "Oh. Right." Taking advantage of the sudden distraction, he shook his foot in hope to regain his freedom. But her grip hadn't weakened. She wheeled around, still dragging him behind her, and scanned the floor for the discarded pieces of clothing she knew would be lying around. In a way, Juunana reminded her of her little daughter Marron, never cleaning up after himself.
Juuhachi bent and used her free hand to pick up a random shirt and some pants from a small heap on the floor. What did she care if the colours didn't match? He'd probably have to take everything off for the exam anyway. She rolled the clothes into a ball and tucked them under her arm, starting for the door once again.
Juunana screamed and whined, and she rolled her eyes in exasperation. She walked past his dining table, and he grabbed its feet, clinging to them, vainly hoping he could hold on tight enough that he would slip free of her grip. But once again his efforts produced no results. The weight of the table wasn't even enough to slow her down, and she just kept walking, her brother and the table trailing behind her.
Finally, Juuhachi reached the door, pushing it open and pulling Juunana outside behind her. He was forced to let go of the table. He made a brief grasp for the doorframe, leaving ten scratch marks there. When they were out, he dug all ten of his fingers into the earth, but his sister went on, and all his desperate holding on did was leave a trail of deep furrow in the ground behind them.
With an exasperated sigh, Juuhachi flew off, her brother dangling in the air beneath her, trying to hold the towel up to cover himself, still screaming in protest.