Author's note: i don't own Dragon Ball Z or any other characters related to it. The whole shebang belongs to Akira Toriyama except for this alternate fic thought up and written by me. No stealing! This is another future fic with Buruma as the main character. It's kind of short but very meaningful. The lyrics were taken from Record of Lodoss War's "Kiseki no Umi," the opening theme, so if you have the means, i suggest you download the song and then listen to it while you read to get the whole effect! i think the words and melodies fit this fic perfectly.
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Yami no yozora ga futari wakatsu no wa (The dark night sky divides the two)
Yobi au kokoro hadaka ni suru tame (to unclothe the hearts that)
kazari nugi sute subete na kusu toki. (call to each other.)
Nanika ga miseru... (I cast off ornaments and when everything is gone...)
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Buruma sighed in a mixture of relief and sadness as she ran her fingers through her unconscious son's silky hair. It was a foolish thing for him to follow
Gohan to fight the androids in the first place... Hadn't she told the both of them that she didn't want Trunks training to fight such monsters that had killed almost everyone she loved?
"Save for you, Gokuu," Buruma whispered. "Everyone's gone now but Trunks and me... Oh, Gokuu, take care of your only son!" Tears sprang to her eyes as the image of a lifeless Gohan drifted into her head. A pain itched at her heart.
She couldn't just leave Gohan out there; sure, he was dead now, but he deserved to rest in honor and be distinguished as a hero. Her deep blue eyes,
shimmerless from the immense holes in her heart where her friends used to be, fell back onto her son's resting form. She gave him a quick kiss on his bandaged forehead and headed out of his room.
Her feet fell softly on the tiled-floor hallways as she made her way silently through the Capsule Corp. building. The night was dark, blacker than normal, and bitterly cold. Buruma slipped on her coat and shoes, grabbed a small but densely packed capsule and headed out into the stillness. The sky seemed more vast and empty to her then, as if it would touch down to the ground and swallow her up and she would be no more. Sometimes she wished it would...
"I have to go on, for Trunks' sake." ::Trunks...:: Her son by Bejita-ouji, the only thing she had left now. He was her muse, her motivation for saving this Earth from more destruction and extinction. Had he not been born, Buruma would easily have let herself die or be killed. The pain of being alone would be too much for her to bear. She needed companionship; she needed Bejita, and he wasn't there.
As she walked the wounded earth, her legs carried her to the nearby city that had just been destroyed by the jinzouningen twins. It was the place of Trunks' defeat and Gohan's slaying. She took a deep breath and stepped easily, wary of her surroundings. She doubted the cyborgs were there anymore; after all, they had succeeded in destroying the only super Saiya-jin that gave them any trouble.
Shards of broken glass crunched under her shoes and random pieces of a building crumbled nearby. It was beginning to rain softly, but Buruma didn't mind; the coldness felt refreshing on her tired skin. She raised her face to the wet air, allowing the small drops to mist gently over her. Finally, after wandering into the heart of the city, she came upon the fallen form of a heroic fighter.
"Gohan-san." Tears slipped out of her eyes at the sight of him. He lay broken on his back, neck twisted at an awkward angle and one arm stretched out on the ground as if he were beckoning to her. He was less than ten feet away from her, yet Buruma froze, unable to go to him. She didn't want to believe he was actually dead. But there he was, still and cold. A deep pallor was set on his face, mouth hanging slack in a painful grimace. His eyes were completely black and puddles of his own crimson blood encircled him on the ground. Buruma's brain screamed at her to go to him and her muscles complied.
"Oh, Gohan! Not like this!" Buruma wailed and threw herself on his lifeless body. She didn't care that his blood was soaking into her jacket; she didn't care that his joints and muscles were stiffening under her; she didn't care that his fingertips had turned a gloomy shade of blue. All Buruma cared about was this man whose life had ended much too soon. He had given up everything to save the world and continued to fight even when the odds were against him. She had seen him go from a scared little boy, always hiding behind mommy's skirt, to a skilled fighter who surpassed Gokuu's and Piccolo's expectations, to a handsome young man that was forced to grow up within a short amount of time. Tears stained her cheeks as she sat up and sniffed. Her fingers closed around the capsule in her pocket and she brought it out. The capsule exploded into a motorcycle and she circled her arms around Gohan. With strained effort, Buruma managed to pull the corpse up and drape it over the side of the motorcycle. She patted Gohan's back.
"Don't worry, Go-kun," she smiled sadly. "Trunks and I will see to it that you are given a proper funeral. You were so much like your father and that is honor in its own." Bracing herself against the endless night, Buruma swung herself onto the vehicle and sped off with Gohan on the back. She would rest his body in the shrines of all the other dead until Chi-Chi could manage to come over and arrange his funeral. In the short distance to her home, Buruma's thoughts shifted to her dead husband. The memory of him slashed deep scars into her chest and her throat tightened. ::Not now, Buruma. Your son needs you.::
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Kaze yo watashi wa tachi mukau... (I can see something...)
Yukou kuru shimi no umi he to! (Oh wind, I will face you!)
Kizuna kono mune ni kizan de; (I will go to the sea of anguish;)
Kudakeru nami wa hatenaku tomo. (bonds cut my breast.)
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Once at Capsule Corp., Buruma used one of her robots to carry Gohan. The shrine room was dimly lit and the smell of burned incense lingered in the air. Buruma ordered the body to be placed on a ceremonial altar; the robot did so and left. Sighing, Buruma crossed her arms and walked slowly around the room. Slabs of marble covered the walls and at the bases lay withered flowers and small offerings. Her fingers traced the inscriptions on each section as she paced by slowly. The first was Son Gokuu; then Tenshinhan, Yamucha, Kuririn, and Piccolo; some friends and family, and in the middle of it all was Bejita. His she made special, even though he'd never admit his love for her and their son, and there was a single spotlight cascading over the characters. As Buruma looked around the room at all of the dead, a large lump rose in her throat and she tried to fight back stinging tears of anguish. She clenched a fist; suddenly the room was beginning to suffocate her. She had to get out.
Bursting back outside, Buruma gasped for air. The wind had picked up and it whipped violently around her, and her baby blue strands of hair danced around in the pale moonlight. Shivering, Buruma wrapped her arms around her and gazed over the horizon to the decrepit city. Anger rose inside of her and she shouted to the open void.
"Why are you doing this?!" Buruma cried; the only response she received was her voice echoing back at her. "Haven't you killed enough? Haven't you destroyed most of the life already? Why are you toying with us?!" Defeated, Buruma sank to her knees as silvery tears dropped to her jeans. They soaked up into the fabric leaving little imperfect wet circles as reminders of her loss.
"So much death... Will no good come of the blood shed?"
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Nani wo motomete daremo arasou no; (The crushing waves are endless;) Nagashita chishio hana wo sa kaseru no? (to what end is everyone fighting?) Touto ki ashita kono te ni suru made? (Will the spilled blood cause flowers to bloom?)
Deaeru hi made... (Until the precious tomorrow is in my hand...)
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"Kaa-san?" Trunks groaned as he opened his eyes. A blurry double-image of his mother appeared and he could barely make out a faint smile.
"Hai, my son."
"Mother, G-Gohan's..." Trunks' voice choked off and Buruma placed a hand gently on his.
"I know, Trunks. I figured as much anyway. I went into the city to-"
"What!" Trunks cried, bolting up from bed. A thousand sharp knives crashed inside his brain and stabbed at his temple, but he paid no heed. "Are you crazy, Mother?! You could've gotten killed!" Buruma waved him off.
"I went to find Gohan's body. I-I brought him back here, Trunks. He's laid out in the temple room." Trunks bowed his head and nodded.
"It was all my fault, Mother. I should never have been there... I was the one that caused him to lose his arm; he never had a chance! I feel so ashamed!" Trunks balled a fist and cursed himself.
"Hey," Buruma said firmly. "Gohan wouldn't like to hear that kind of talk. What happened to him was no one's fault, got it? He was a brave warrior and he sacrificed himself. He died nobly, Trunks, he died with honor. That's all that matters, neh?"
"I-I feel so responsible." Trunks' hair fell into his eyes to mask the tears that threatened to spill over. Buruma pushed them back and forced her son to look at her.
"It's done now, Trunks. Let it go. Come, pray for him with me." Trunks nodded and the two set out slowly for the shrines. Trunks held onto his mother for support. He walked with a slight limp, but Buruma gripped him tightly.
They entered, bowed in remembrance of those killed and knelt in front of Gohan in prayer. A few times Buruma heard her son emit a quiet sob, but she left him alone to grieve in his own way. Giving her last respects to Gohan, Buruma stood and knelt in front of Bejita's memorial. She recited a formal prayer that would be given to royalty and kissed her fingertips, which she pressed gently to the cold, solid marble. Prayer was the only way she could talk to the dead until it was her time to join them. ::Prayer is my solace.::
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Kaze yo watashi wa tachi mukau (Until the day we meet)
Yukou kagaya ki wo mezashite; (oh, wind, I will face you;)
Inori kono mune ni dakishime (I will go and aim at the brilliance)
Samayou yami no youna mirai... (prayer embrace my breast...)
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Once Trunks was safe back in bed, Buruma settled down in her own room. The bed she had shared with Bejita many a night was lonely without him. Sometimes in her sleep she would reach out and clutch his pillow, thinking it her prince, only to find in the morning that she was wrapped around a bundle of feathers. Buruma flopped onto the satin sheets and exhaled slowly. It was so late and she was having trouble staying awake to check up on Trunks. Her head turned to look at a framed picture of herself with her son and late husband.
"Oh, Bejita, you baka... I still love you," Buruma yawned into her hand. "Hear that, kami-sen? You take good care of him for me." ::Yes, I love you, Bejita. That's why I'm not afraid; because I know you love me too, however it pains you to confess, and I know you're watching us to make sure we're okay. I may be alone in this dying world, but I still have the memory of you. The memory of a dream...:: Buruma drifted off to sleep. Outside the wind had picked up even more and carried with it a violent storm. But still Buruma and Trunks slept through the night, blissfully unaware of the chaotic weather. Deep in the sky a cluster of stars shone through the torrent of rain; but one star was isolated from the group, shining bright and proud on its own. As it twinkled, a smile grew upon Buruma's face. Dreams of better times flooded her mind throughout the night and she was comforted, even if it was only for a few short hours.
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Kaze yo watashi wa osorenai (I wander the darkish future)
Ai koso mitsuke dashita kiseki yo. (Oh, wind, I will not be afraid.)
Kimi wo shinjiteru yorokobi (Love is the miracle I have found)
Arashi wa ai ni kizuku tame ni fuiteru (the joy of believing in you, the storm blows to realize our love...)
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THE END.
