"Raindrops"
by Acey
Disclaimer: DBZ is Mr. Toriyama's, and for making up the Dragon Ball world and its unique, wonderful characters, I, Acey, thank him sincerely.
For the next ten minutes Marron continued to annoy him, barely pausing for breath between long, frenzied sentences and questions while she buttered the bread slices.
"Is toast okay? Mama can't cook, so I do. Don't tell her that or she'll get really, really mad at you. If you want I can make eggs or oatmeal..."
It took a massive effort on the part of Juunanagou to keep from dryly informing her that eating was optional in his case, and that if her version of eggs was as unhealthy-appearing as her version of toast, he'd rather not have either.
"I'm fine."
"So you want toast, Uncle Juunanagou? Okay."
She slathered, if at all possible, more butter on a piece of it and continued with the sugar, fairly evenly pouring what looked like four tablespoonfuls on each slice, still speaking rapidly, amazingly enough.
"Daddy should be waking up soon. Don't worry. If he doesn't, Mama'll wake him up. He didn't get to meet you when you came in last night, either. But you know Daddy, so that shouldn't be a problem. Don't you?" And onward the harrassingly bright, cheerful tones went as the possessor of the voice at last stuck the bread in the oven and put it on custom broil.
Kuririn. A midget from a monastery. A human fool that had somehow caught his sister's eye long enough to propose to her and be accepted, marrying her, even fathering the child that stood talking aimlessly in front of him.
Oh, yes, he knew Kuririn.
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True to his daughter's report, he emerged within five minutes, half asleep, led in by Juuhachigou. He had failed to notice that his collection of books now lay in a pile on the floor, bookcase standing empty. Kuririn had very nearly missed even his wife's presence when she got him out of bed, thinking and hoping that he was still dreaming.
Juunanagou sitting in a wooden-backed chair in the middle of his kitchen did not escape his sleepy attention.
"Juuhachigou! Your brother, he's here! Get out! Take Marron and go, Juuhachi-- I'll take care of him! Go!"
Kuririn jumped to his feet, drowsiness completely gone. Reflexes acquired from thousands of days, so many years spent training made him automatically go into a fighting stance, knees bent, fists balled up in front of his face as a defense.
The severe contrast would have been very humorous had it not been for the sheer intensity in the former monk's gaze up at the young man, who, smirking suddenly, stood now derisively in front of him. There was no good-naturedness in those sooty black eyes any longer. Kuririn's face was set in stone, grim, determined, mind made completely up. He was going to attack, at least buy enough time to let Juuhachi and his daughter leave, just enough for them. Then at least he could die knowing that they were safe. Every memory of the fact that he had close friends who would very much be able to destroy the cyborg in front of him had left his mind. He wasn't thinking about them. He was thinking of his wife and child.
Juunanagou took stock of the situation and stood waiting in amusement for his brother-in-law to begin the ill-fated onslaught. If the human was idiot enough to try to kill him, he could by all means go ahead. Kuririn could go ahead with the lunacy and attempt to fight. He wouldn't move an inch.
Juuhachigou, unfortunately enough, behaved with the first bit of sense her brother had seen her display in years.
"Kuririn! Wake up!"
Her husband blinked and she strode over to him.
"He's not here to kill us! Don't you remember? Kuririn, my brother lives here now!"
"What-- Juuhachi?"
"Remember? Juunanagou came in last night, right before--"
"The earthquake," Kuririn finished, quickly lowering his defenses to their normal level for one who has stared death straight in the face many more times than he would have ever prefered to. "I'm sorry."
Juuhachigou advanced to her brother.
"And you! You would have let him fight you if I hadn't stopped him!"
He said nothing, not bothering to remove the derisive look on his face. Juuhachigou rolled her eyes in total disgust, not realizing that that was the last thing Juunanagou wanted her to do, as she sat down and stared at her plate like she was waiting, even willing it to explode in front of her face, oblivious to any consolation her brother would never give.
Hastily, Marron glanced in the oven and announced that breakfast was ready.
**********************************************************************
Disclaimer: DBZ is Mr. Toriyama's, and for making up the Dragon Ball world and its unique, wonderful characters, I, Acey, thank him sincerely.
For the next ten minutes Marron continued to annoy him, barely pausing for breath between long, frenzied sentences and questions while she buttered the bread slices.
"Is toast okay? Mama can't cook, so I do. Don't tell her that or she'll get really, really mad at you. If you want I can make eggs or oatmeal..."
It took a massive effort on the part of Juunanagou to keep from dryly informing her that eating was optional in his case, and that if her version of eggs was as unhealthy-appearing as her version of toast, he'd rather not have either.
"I'm fine."
"So you want toast, Uncle Juunanagou? Okay."
She slathered, if at all possible, more butter on a piece of it and continued with the sugar, fairly evenly pouring what looked like four tablespoonfuls on each slice, still speaking rapidly, amazingly enough.
"Daddy should be waking up soon. Don't worry. If he doesn't, Mama'll wake him up. He didn't get to meet you when you came in last night, either. But you know Daddy, so that shouldn't be a problem. Don't you?" And onward the harrassingly bright, cheerful tones went as the possessor of the voice at last stuck the bread in the oven and put it on custom broil.
Kuririn. A midget from a monastery. A human fool that had somehow caught his sister's eye long enough to propose to her and be accepted, marrying her, even fathering the child that stood talking aimlessly in front of him.
Oh, yes, he knew Kuririn.
**********************************************************************
True to his daughter's report, he emerged within five minutes, half asleep, led in by Juuhachigou. He had failed to notice that his collection of books now lay in a pile on the floor, bookcase standing empty. Kuririn had very nearly missed even his wife's presence when she got him out of bed, thinking and hoping that he was still dreaming.
Juunanagou sitting in a wooden-backed chair in the middle of his kitchen did not escape his sleepy attention.
"Juuhachigou! Your brother, he's here! Get out! Take Marron and go, Juuhachi-- I'll take care of him! Go!"
Kuririn jumped to his feet, drowsiness completely gone. Reflexes acquired from thousands of days, so many years spent training made him automatically go into a fighting stance, knees bent, fists balled up in front of his face as a defense.
The severe contrast would have been very humorous had it not been for the sheer intensity in the former monk's gaze up at the young man, who, smirking suddenly, stood now derisively in front of him. There was no good-naturedness in those sooty black eyes any longer. Kuririn's face was set in stone, grim, determined, mind made completely up. He was going to attack, at least buy enough time to let Juuhachi and his daughter leave, just enough for them. Then at least he could die knowing that they were safe. Every memory of the fact that he had close friends who would very much be able to destroy the cyborg in front of him had left his mind. He wasn't thinking about them. He was thinking of his wife and child.
Juunanagou took stock of the situation and stood waiting in amusement for his brother-in-law to begin the ill-fated onslaught. If the human was idiot enough to try to kill him, he could by all means go ahead. Kuririn could go ahead with the lunacy and attempt to fight. He wouldn't move an inch.
Juuhachigou, unfortunately enough, behaved with the first bit of sense her brother had seen her display in years.
"Kuririn! Wake up!"
Her husband blinked and she strode over to him.
"He's not here to kill us! Don't you remember? Kuririn, my brother lives here now!"
"What-- Juuhachi?"
"Remember? Juunanagou came in last night, right before--"
"The earthquake," Kuririn finished, quickly lowering his defenses to their normal level for one who has stared death straight in the face many more times than he would have ever prefered to. "I'm sorry."
Juuhachigou advanced to her brother.
"And you! You would have let him fight you if I hadn't stopped him!"
He said nothing, not bothering to remove the derisive look on his face. Juuhachigou rolled her eyes in total disgust, not realizing that that was the last thing Juunanagou wanted her to do, as she sat down and stared at her plate like she was waiting, even willing it to explode in front of her face, oblivious to any consolation her brother would never give.
Hastily, Marron glanced in the oven and announced that breakfast was ready.
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