Disclaimer: No time for anything fancy- don't own a thing.
Chapter 3:
Ballad
It was tucked away in a little corner of the city, wanting nothing but the most dedicated to music to enter through its doors. So it remained indistinctive on the outside, carrying just enough in stock, more often than not things you couldn't get anywhere else, to make the true musicians happy. It didn't even show its name on the outside, in fact no one was entirely sure if it had a name. But it was there and that sufficed.
Vegeta stood outside its door, wondering what he was doing here. He shouldn't be. It wasn't "in character." If he was caught…he didn't know. He couldn't predict what they would do beyond have little breakdowns one after another as the word spread around the group like a virus. More likely than not he would be ostracized, left with no money in the middle of a city as far away as they could get him because even though they pretended to be excepted, they were. Not where he was concerned.
But he was so sick of this all.
"Oh fuck them," he said to himself and pushed the door open. The small bell that rang when the door opened was unique. It wasn't a simple ding, it was a small section of Greensleves, at least that was what he believed the song was called. Much as he wanted to, it was hard to learn about all the music on earth with everyone always watching.
At least the music he really wanted to listen to, the classical and the rock. He was well immersed in pop culture thanks to Bulma and the brats. He was fairly certain if they stepped through the threshold of the door they would be shot on sight. Assuming, of course, their heads didn't explode at the notion that the world didn't revolve around Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi and Hilary Duff. Which was an entirely plausible scenario.
It felt…right in the store. It had the feel of home, the right aura of that laid back, yet hard working at the same time, music had. Musicians had.
The first thing that caught his eyes was the violin. It should have been his. He was struck with an intense longing when he saw it that he hadn't felt in years, so many years. It should be his. But- it couldn't be. He couldn't hide it. If he had it he would have to play it…
But why shouldn't he at least try it out now? It wouldn't hurt anyone. No one would mind. No one could mind.
It was almost like he had never had to it down, like that violin he had had so long ago was back in his arms, as though it had only been minutes since he had last touched it. A song he had written, for them, suddenly poured out, like a rush of water dying to get down the water fall.
He wasn't as good as he used to be, there were a few mistakes, but he didn't really notice. God, he had missed this. Why? Why had he allowed himself to change? Was it really to late to go back?
"That was really good," said an admiring voice. He jumped a little, which was strange. No one had made him jump, since, well, since her.
"Thanks," he said cautiously. He didn't know her, right? No connection to her in anyway? She didn't sound particularly familiar. It must be safe to turn around.
He nearly dropped the violin.
"Kai-" he tried to say.
"Huh? Didn't catch that. My name's Aiyu by the way," she was standing behind the only checkout counter, her hand stretched out over the counter. She looked just like her, the same small frame, the same spiky black hair that stretched down her back, the same coal black eyes that seemed to be dancing…it was her. But it wasn't.
"I'm Vegeta," he said automatically, taking her hand as he stepped over closer.
"You are going to buy that, right?" she asked him. "I mean, seriously, it would be a crime against humanity if you didn't."
"Well I'm not," he said coolly. Her eyes widened.
"You're kidding? Why the hell not?"
"I can't," he said regretfully. "I'll just go put it back and go."
"No! You can't! You can't, you can't, you can't!" she howled. "You're a musician, you're meant to have that violin! You can't buy it! Why not? Do you not have any money? I'll get it for you?" He felt himself smile a little.
Smile? Wait. He didn't smile. He couldn't smile. His hand traveled up to his lips, and, and he was smiling. He didn't understand it.
God she was so much like her.
"No, that's not it. I can't bring a violin home."
"Why the hell not? Don't tell me someone in your house doesn't like your playing, 'cause if so you're seriously in the wrong place and whoever it is that doesn't needs a really good shrink. I'm sorry, but really. You're so amazing!"
"I suppose," he said. And I am in the wrong place. But I have no where to go…not that he would tell her that. No matter how familiar she looked, Aiyu was a stranger.
"Hey, how about this," she said, a light bulb going off in her brain. "What if you buy the violin, but I keep it here, and then you come back and play it any time you want."
"I, I don't have any money either," he confessed. The way things were going, he was just happy he wasn't blushing. Today had been odd, since that spar with Kakkarot. He had gone home to shower and change and then had decided to go out. He was baffling himself, scaring himself a little. He was getting a little unpredictable, like he used to be. Could he be changing back a little? Maybe?
"All right then, I'll buy it for you. On one condition." On one condition, he thought bitterly. He knew it was a little too good to be true. No one didn't anything for free.
"I want you to listen to a song I've been working on and tell me what you think." He blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"Listen to a song I wrote- tell me what you think," she said to him, a little too clearly.
"That's it?"
"Of course that's it. What did you think I was going to ask you?"
"You don't want to know," he replied jokingly. Jokingly? Who was she? No one else on earth could make him act like this. He decided that he might like her, and not just because she was a clone.
"All right. Let me get my guitar and I'll be back in a second. Don't go anywhere," she said warningly.
"Wouldn't dream of it," he said smoothly.
Why couldn't he have found her before getting all muddled up with the Z group? Or someone like her? It should have occurred to him that all humans were so difficult, so personality lacking.
She was back in but a moment.
"Okay, I haven't had time to really refine it yet, but this is what I've got:
Listen,
I'm trying to speak here,
Yes me,
That shadow that's been wandering near
You
In a complicated
Messed up motion
I've decided enough
of these emotions
I hold
I can't be me
Because me isn't what you believe
So of my presence
I'll relieve
You
In a complicated
Messed up motion
I've decided enough
Of these emotions
I hold
I know I've lost all that's sane
I kept staying here
But now I speak
And you don't understand
So its time to end it
I've got to go
In a complicated
Messed up motion
I've decided enough
Of these emotions
I hold.
I know, not spectacular, but I'm working on it."
"Actually, its not that bad," Vegeta told her. "With a little more work I think you might really have something."
"Thanks," she grinned. "Now give me that violin and I'll sacrifice my paycheck for you."
He knew it now. He had to leave.
AN: I'm sorry, I don't have time to answer the reviews, so I'm just going to thank you all. I"ll answer them next time I swear!
Major thank you to:
Kit-kit
Midnight-flame-Princess
Nitara
Anjanka
For reviewing. I really appreciate it and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Again, I will answer reviews in the next chapter, I just didn't have time today. Sorry! Remo