Building a Mystery
A Dragonball DX Fic by Femme-Chan
You come out at night
That's when the energy comes
And the dark side's light
And the vampires roam...
Juunana stared up at the ceiling, lost in the sea of his thoughts. For the past several nights, he'd found himself unable to sleep; and even though this wasn't an uncommon occurrence in itself, his reasons for being restless were much different now.
And it was all Zukani's fault.
His thoughts were on her almost all of the time now - they had been ever since her death and resurrection almost four months ago. Even before she had been killed in the decisive battle against the Andromedans, he had been drawn to her somehow. He hadn't wanted to think about it, and pushed it to the back of his mind.
Then she had died in his arms, and all those thoughts came forward.
/Damn it!/ he thought fiercely. /There's no way on Chikyuu that.... I can't possibly be - be in -/
Cursing aloud, he violently shoved that thought away and closed his eyes, attempting once more to sleep. But every time he closed his eyes, he could see her face - that small shy smile she favored only those closest to her with, cute little sharp nose, big brown eyes that sparkled with life and -
- possibly love?
/Stop it! Get out of my head for once and let me sleep, please!/
As usual, his mind refused to listen. Sighing, he forced himself out of bed and gathered his clothing. Juunana dressed quickly and strode out the door of the cabin. If he wasn't going to sleep tonight, he could at least be moving around.
He took to the air, flying aimlessly, allowing all of his thoughts to drift away. Flying always helped him clear his head, and tonight, as every other night, was no exception. Closing his eyes, he smiled as the wind fluttered through his hair and clothes, merely enjoying the quiet and calmness of the night.
The sound of splashing water drew his attention, and he opened his eyes and peered down. He found that he had come to a small lake not too far from his cabin. Normally the water was still and calm, the only signs of life the small splash of a fish leaping through the smooth glassy surface.
Not tonight, though.
Juunana dropped down into a grove of trees and hid himself, silently watching for whatever had disturbed the calm of the lake. He didn't have to wait very long, for at that moment, a figure broke the surface and slowly reached up to brush the wet strands of hair from her face.
Apparently, Zukani was having trouble sleeping as well.
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You wear sandals in the snow
And a smile that won't wash away
Can you look out the window
Without your shadow getting in the way...
Zukani climbed from her bed, pulled on her clothes, and climbed quietly out her bedroom window. She often found herself unable to sleep at night, sometimes never even drifting off until four or five in the morning.
This was just one of those nights, and she wasn't about to just lie in bed and stare at the wall until then. She flew without any real purpose, wondering vaguely what there was to do at one o'clock in the morning, until she found that she had left the lights of the city far behind her.
She smiled and pirouetted in the air, a small brilliant smile on her face. Although she loved living in Capsule Corp. with her family, sometimes the lights and sounds overwhelmed her. After all, the world she had come from didn't have the benefit of Bulma Briefs' genius, and Capsule Corp. had been little more than her home and the unofficial headquarters of the Z Senshi. But here, everything was modern and bright. Only out here, away from everything, did she ever truly feel relaxed.
She spun in the air a few more times, then took off in a burst of pale ki energy towards the mountains. She had always loved exploring the woods in her home dimension; she had once discovered a small crystalline lake and claimed it as her own personal paradise.
/Could it possibly exist in this world as well?/ Zukani wondered, her eyes scanning the treetops for any signs of a clearing. She spotted an open patch in the trees and dove towards it, pulling up short just below the treetops.
The lake, her lake, did indeed exist in this world. With a soft, delighted laugh, she dropped onto the smooth rock that sat in the middle of the lake and lay down on her stomach. She dipped one hand through the water, drawing in breath as the cool water lapped at her skin, and rolled over to gaze up at the night sky.
/Just like home,/ she thought to herself, closing her eyes and sighing. /It's quiet, calm, perfect.../
The sudden urge to go for a swim came over the girl, and she began to peel off her clothing. There was no one around to see her, after all. She dropped first her tank top, then her sweatpants, and finally her undergarments, onto the rock and dove into the lake. The cool water embraced her skin, giving her chills, and she swam straight to the bottom. She watched the brightly-colored fish swim around her, some of them pulling curiously at her hair, for a few minutes before pushing off the sandy lake bottom and rocketing towards the surface.
She broke through the calm water easily, reaching up to brush the wet hair from her face and giggling softly to herself. She hadn't felt this good in a long time, except for when she was training...
Her thoughts turned to Juunana, and her smile faded, replaced by a solemn expression. He was her dearest friend, true, but, sometimes, she felt something more for the Jinzouningen. She sighed and slowly climbed out of the water onto the rock again, lying on her back once more with one arm behind her head to act as a cushion, and stared up at the night sky, trapped within her thoughts. Her free hand dropped back into the water, and she absently traced a pattern onto the glassy surface.
/Why am I thinking like this?/ she asked herself, watching as the clouds passed slowly overhead. /It's true that I had a major crush on my world's Juunana, but this one's never been more than a friend to me. But sometimes, I wonder what it could be like.../
Sighing softly once again, Zukani closed her eyes as a small smile touched her lips, and sat up, wrapping her arms around her legs.
It would never happen. But she could still dream.
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Oh you're so beautiful
With an edge and a charm
But oh so careful
When I'm in your arms...
Juunana watched in stunned silence as the half-Saiyan giggled and brushed her wet bangs from her face. He couldn't be certain, but from where he was standing it seemed she was sans clothing. A quick glance at the pile of clothes on the rock in the middle of the lake confirmed this fact, and he felt his face redden slightly. He turned his gaze from the lake, but soon found himself staring at her again.
He watched breathlessly as she climbed solemnly out of the water, skin glistening from the water that clung to her body, and leaned back onto the rock. She stretched, trailing one slim hand in the water even as she tucked the other one behind her head. The starlight gave her a silvery glow, and she gazed up at the sky without really seeing it. He was so familiar with her mannerisms that he could sense she was thinking about something, but was unable to discern what could be on her mind.
/Kami-sama, but she's beautiful,/ he thought, watching as she pulled herself into a sitting position, drawing her knees up to her chest. /I've always thought she was beautiful, but tonight..../
/... tonight, she looks like a goddess./
He sighed and leaned his head against the tree, watching her in silence until she stood and began to slowly pull on her clothes. Only after she had finished dressing and leapt into the air was he able to move again.
He watched as she began to fly back towards the city, then slowly flew out to the rock she had just vacated. He sat down, ignoring the fact that his jeans were going to get soaked, and dropped his chin to his knees and closed his eyes. His mind was a jumble of thoughts, all of them revolving around that strange, quiet half-Saiyan girl and the fact that he had just spent the past half-hour watching her and wondering what it would be like to...
/When the hell did I become a hentai?/ he thought wryly.
"Juu-kun?"
He drew in a startled breath and looked up to find that Zukani hadn't gotten very far. Hell, she'd turned around and come back, and was at that moment hovering only inches away from him, a small frown on her face.
"Bishounen?" she asked in her soft voice. "Nani wa? Is something wrong?"
"Iie, Zu-chan, nothing's wrong," he answered once his mind started working properly again.
Zukani studied his face for a moment, not seeming to believe him. "You look like you've got something on your mind? Wanna' talk about it?"
/No!!/ he screamed mentally as he calmly said, "It's nothing, really. Don't worry about it."
"You sure?" she asked again, narrowing her eyes and taking on a Vegeta-esque quality.
"Positive."
Sensing that she wasn't going to get anything out of him tonight, she nodded her head and settled down onto the rock next to him. Juunana stole a sidelong glance at her, noting absently that her hair was still wet. Before he realized he was doing so, he wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her a little closer to him. Her body tensed for a moment, then relaxed, and she dropped her head onto his shoulder. They sat that way in companionable silence for a long time, until a slight breeze began to stir.
"You're shivering," Juunana said accusingly, the barest hint of a smile in his voice.
"Am not," came Zukani's reply. "I'm just a little chilly, that's all. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm soaking wet, baka!"
"Oh, is that why my shirt's damp?"
"Baka," she mumbled again, and rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm herself up a bit.
"Maybe you should go home. You need to get into some dry clothes, and it is getting rather late."
"Getting? It's after two o'clock in the morning now!"
"Is it? Well, then, all the more reason to get you indoors," he reasoned. "Besides, won't Vegeta - what's the word I'm looking for? - 'freak' when he discovers that you're missing?"
"He'll get over it," she said, a note of amusement in her voice. "But you're right, I should get home." She barely bit back the words and into a hot shower, even though she was dying to find out he'd have reacted. She stood up silently and effortlessly took to the air once more, stopping and turning to look at her friend again. She tilted her head slightly and a thoughtful expression crossed her face.
"Have you thought anymore about Kaasan's offer?" she asked hesitantly. "I mean, about moving into the CC building. There's tons of room, and it wouldn't be any trouble."
/Damn,/ he thought, blinking at the girl, /here I am thinking of reasons I shouldn't get close to you, and you turn around and bring temptation into the picture! And after seeing you out here tonight, I'm more confused than ever. What is it about you, Zukani Briefs Vegeta, that's made me like this?!/
He heard himself say, "Some. I still need to think over a few things before I decide though."
"Oh," she said after a few seconds. "Well, if you do decide to move in, you know where to find us. Ja na, Bishounen."
She smiled and took off towards the city, leaving a trail of ki energy in her wake. Juunana remained where he was for several minutes, finally realizing that she'd called him 'bishounen' not once, but twice during their conversation.
"Is it possible that she feels the same about me as I do about her?" he wondered aloud. "Could she... could she possibly...."
Although he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud, he found that he could think the words without any trouble now: /Could she possibly love me, too?/
There was only one way to ever find out.
His decision made, Juunana smiled softly and began to fly back to the cabin for what might very well be the last time. Tomorrow, he was going to call Bulma and tell her that he was accepting her invitation.
And maybe, he'd find the answers he was looking for.
'Cause you're working
Building a mystery
Holding on and holding it in
Yeah you're working
Building a mystery
And choosing so carefully
The End is the Beginning...
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DISCLAIMER: Dragonball Z and all related characters are the property of Akira Toriyama. Zukani belongs to me and no one else ^_^ "Building a Mystery" (italicized verses) is ©1997 Arista Records, Inc. and was written by Sarah McLachlan.
Back to the zone...
Back to the beginning...