Disclaimer: No DBZ is owned by me. *Tra-lala*
Hey!
Well, it seems all of your inspiring words has given me enough faith to type up another chapter. And in that, I am grateful.
One thing that all of you fantastic readers touched on--the character, Urami, is definitely not what some would call a 'Mary Sue'. KAT asked some very perceptive questions, that should be answered sooner or later. Man, I hate being cryptic ^^;
This story has a theme song! 'Synthetic' by Spineshark! Which is what the lyrics are that will be appearing to help aid in getting you familiarized with the character.
Ciao!
Synthetic
Installment 2
~I can never feel the way you do
But it still becomes me now
I can't take the way you do
But it's still inside me
Synthetic solution
Synthetic, I'll become
Synthetic, if it makes this go away ~
Urami Iakes turned the keys in the lock to her apartment. The rain had plastered her hair to her face, and it was making her clothing cling. After a moment of fumbling the keys clicked and her door to Room 202, third and final floor, was opened. A wave of cool apartment air greeted Urami as she swiftly slipped inside, shutting her door behind her.
The apartment was simple and big enough for just one person. A bed was propped to the right side along the wall to an adjoining room, a television to her left in the main area. There was a nightstand by the bedside with a simple lamp. An unfinished book lay on it's surface, with a pair of reading glasses strewn across its cover. The lamp gave the apartment room a warm glow even from an opposite room, even though it was cold inside, thanks to the air conditioner that had been left on. There was a bar on the far side of the living room, which connected the simple off-white kitchen. A couch was seated in the corner, a table sitting in front of it with a bag of half-eaten chips and a remote covering it. Simple artistic portraits decorated the walls, and a few simple mirrors.
Urami pulled off her shoes and chucked them into the corner. Stretching her toes, she proceeded to rid herself of the white clothing and shove it into a basket perching in the corner. Grabbing some attire from off the couch, she clothed herself again--this time in simple slack blue-jeans with a simple black tank top. And then she collapsed upon her couch. Her legs were aching from having to walk from work, in the rain, and up flights of stairs because the elevator wasn't working.
After a moment of enjoying the vast silence of her apartment (And the occasional sound of her neighbor's next-door clattering dishes) , Urami reached for the remote. She turned the television on but had it's volume placed on mute. With a hefty sigh she draped her arm over her forehead, her eyes closing in weariness.
~Still I waste another day of my life
And it sickens me to feel this way
Now I can't make up my mind, is this right
How I let you get inside of me? Twist my words the way that you do
'Cause it falls on deaf ears now
Still, I've learned to numb your views
But they're still inside me~
Thump. Urami opened an eye, her thought process weary with the need for sleep. Darn neighbors...why do they have to make so much noise? Urami had half a mind to march over there and knock on their door and demand they keep quiet. But she was too tired to attempt such a thing.
Grudgingly, Urami's gaze wavered over to the cell phone that sat propped on the floor beside her. She really needed to move it to the table. She might step on it. But she was too tired.
Besides, no matter where the cell phone was, she might still get a call from work demanding she go back to help with one thing or another. To sort papers, or help with some other patient. Or something.
There was some man on the television. Advertising some cream that was supposed to relieve tensed muscles. Or at least, that's what it looked like. The volume was still on mute.
'It would be nice if I had some of that right now.' Urami closed her eyes again, detaching herself from the television. A waste of electricity, leaving it on when she wasn't watching it. Oh well.
Thump.
Blearily, Urami opened her eyes again and forced her vision to re-focus.
That noise had not come from her neighbors.
-_-_-_-
Careless humans. Impudent fools...
Cell cursed the habit of humans to just leave various roof-repairing tools just lying about on roofs. And this apartment was no better. That was the second time his foot had lightly clinked against a wrench. Or perhaps it had been a screwdriver. But still it had caused noise--and plenty of it, to the android's sensitive ears.
He froze momentarily, narrowing his feline-like irises to focus along the range of buildings in front of him. The rain was making his sense of smell dampen, and it caused a lot of noise, especially to his keen hearing, as it tapped along metal frames and drive-by cars. Flickering signs, human advertisements, and the lights from various vehicles flashing by from the road was enough to annoy him beyond relaxation. Why do humans have to be so...raucous?
Creeping to the edge of the roof, beyond a series of smoke and steam-billowing pipes, Cell crouched and peered over at the city in front of him. Light played across his face, illuminating his features. He wasn't worried, there were no humans who were paying attention to the area he was confiding it. The android could see them scurrying along the sidewalks. Just like little ants.
The thought almost made him chuckle. Little ants. Yes, that was exactly what they reminded him of. There was a strong resemblance, as he watched them at that late hour.
There was a crash of thunder in the horizon. So, this wasn't merely a light downpour. It was a storm.
Briefly, Cell pondered over within his mind where he could spend the night, out of this accursed rain. Certainly nowhere here. Far too busy with human activity. But there were some alleys not very far off, with some abandoned office buildings...a great spot for him to be.
Whipping his tail like a satisfied kitten, the android crept away from the edge and slipped over to the back of the apartment. Peering down, he could see some windows from various rooms inside the apartment, and a dumpster below. But beyond that was a nice alley, the walls tainted with various graffiti messages and littered with diverse debris.
With grace that none would expect him to have, Cell slipped over the side and began scaling his way down the apartment. It would be aggravating to fly in such weather, and him flying in the middle of a city only increased his chances of being seen by wandering eyes. Being careful not to scale over any windows, Cell continued his trek down. Three stories. It wasn't far.
~Synthetic solution
Synthetic, I'll become
Synthetic if it makes this go away~
-_-_-_-
Absently, Urami found herself staring out her window. She drew the curtains apart and gazed out at the falling maze of rain. When she wasn't directly in it, Urami didn't mind the rain. It was sort of comforting...soothing...but...depressing all at once. It reminded her of the day...well, it reminded her of that day.
That day had etched within her mind the importance of rain. The promise it brings. But that didn't matter, as did everything else.
There was a flash of...something, that caught Urami's eye. But it had gone and come so quickly...well, it didn't matter. If it was a robber, coming to steal from her apartment, tough luck. She had nothing to steal. Or if it was a maniac mass murderer, that didn't matter either. He could kill her, and be done with it.
No, nothing mattered. Life included.
Urami backed away from her window, idly pulling the curtains back together. She really needed to rest. She would need rest, for work tomorrow. And being at work would tire her again. And when she would return home, she would need more rest, for another day of work.
Urami paced to the kitchen and turned off the coffee maker. Not bothered to go to the bathroom to wash her face, she used the kitchen sink. Brandishing a dish cloth she dampened it, and proceeded to wash her face.
It felt nice. After a moment Urami turned the sink back on and let the cool water run over the cloth again. And then she pressed the cloth to her face. And just held it there.
~Still I waste another day of my life
And it sickens me to feel this way
Now I can't make up my mind, is this right
Now I let you get inside of me?
I will never follow you...~
-_-_-_-
Cell made his body go stiff, pressing his tail lightly against the cool, moistened brick that made of the back of the apartment building. For a brief moment, his tail had absently wavered just in front of a window that had signs of activity from within, due to the light that was coming from the apartment room.
Just to make sure he had not been spotted, yet risking being spotted even more, Cell reached out a clawed hand and took hold of the window ledge--being very quiet and skillful, and scaled over to his right. Once he was directly under the window, he slowly brought himself up with his rippling muscles that coated his shoulders and arms.
Thankful for the cover of darkness, Cell peered into the apartment. The curtains had been pulled, but he could still make out shapes and figures of furniture in the apartment. The light, even though it was low, still hurt his eyes that had been focused for the darkness of night that was creeping in.
Narrowing his focus, Cell could see a human only a few feet away, in the kitchen. It appeared to be female. She was leaning over the sink, probably performing some human ritual. But in any case, it didn't appear she had seen the android.
Cell uncoiled his fingers from the ledge, ready to continue his way down.
-_-_-_-
~At this time I thought I was myself
And I thought I never could become you
All this time I thought I was myself
And I thought I never could become you
Wrong~
Suddenly Urami lashed out in an unprovoked spout of anger. She tore the cloth from her face and threw it into the sink. Her face was still set, as if it had been etched from stone--but her eyes were filled with some form of...
The sink was still on. She turned it off.
...resentment.
-_-_-_-
~Still I waste another day of my life
And it sickens me to feel this way
Now I can't make up my mind, is this right ~
Cell frowned, the sound of something thudding against a surface catching his attention. Had he, indeed, been seen?
He was peering back through the window now. It appeared the woman had just thrown a cloth of some sort into the sink. And now she was standing. Her back was to the android, but still, he could feel an angry aura radiating from her.
But then, with sudden calmness...placidness...the woman idly turned the sink off, as if nothing had happened.
'Intriguing. A maniac, perhaps,' Cell thought, his beak curving in disgust. Humans. Too emotionally weak. They always let problems get to them to the point where they were completely detached from reality.
Still aware of what was going on inside the apartment, Cell studied the woman as she turned to rub her leg. For a moment he briefly saw her eyes. They looked like eyes that would belong to any other human, but due to the android's keen eyesight...or perhaps, his insight...he could detect something more.
Barren.
That would describe her eyes.
Indeed, maybe she was emotionally unstable.
-_-_-_-
Urami massaged her calf muscle to ease the cramping pain. She could feel something...eyes, or something of that sort, watching her. From somewhere.
But she wasn't deterred. She had to go to sleep. Wandering eyes from somewhere couldn't deprive her of sleep. Because without sleep, another day would never come.
Then again, another day was just like the day before.
And so the cycle would continue. Right?
Urami exhaled, letting stale air from her lungs escape. She noticed the television was still on. Rounding around the bar, she limped over to the table and took the remote, absently switching it off. Her cell phone was still on the floor. She bent and picked it up, sitting it on the table beside the remote.
~How I let you get inside of me?~
-_-_-_-
Cell shook his head. No need in being bothered with unstable humans. By tomorrow, mid-day, there wouldn't be anymore humans in this city who would have to cope with their troubles anymore.
Oh no, they would be a part of the Perfect Being.
A light smirk playing on his beak, Cell dropped from the window and with fluid motion crept down the apartment side. Thunder crashed again, illuminating him for a moment before he dropped to the ground with barely a sound, slipping off into the shadows that even night couldn't hide.
-_-_-_-
Urami entered into her bedroom. The sheets were scattered everywhere. She couldn't bother with organizing everything right now.
She flumped onto the bed, attire and all. Looking up at the slightly cracked ceiling, she closed her eyes and breathed another sigh. Reaching out a hand to her bedside table, she fumbled around until she felt the lamp, and turned the light off.
She could feel the sudden surge of darkness take the room in its grasp. Letting herself drift off into the confines of silence, she rested her heated cheek against the soft, cool pillow.
Her heart was thumping. Fear threatened to creep in. But it wasn't fear for the dark, or the silence.
It was the fear for tomorrow.
And if one was there, at that time, and looked close enough--one might have been able to see a stray, steady stream of tears wash down the woman's face unto the sheets bellow.
~I have become synthetic.~
A/N:
So...what do you think? Think I should quit while I'm ahead? Or am I actually doing a fair job at carving this out?
I'll give out a cookie to the person who can tell me the meaning to the name 'Urami'.
^^