Falling Down

Sequel to "Girls' Day Out"

A Dragonball Z fanfic

By Hana Noir

Kyrie landed easily on the well manicured grass that surrounded the large dome that was Capsule Corp. Taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell, barely noticing that all the lights in the building were out. Minutes ticked by as she waited numbly for someone to answer. Finally, a light came on above the door, casting a long shadow out behind her.

The door was snatched open by an irate Bulma, who was dressed in a comfortably ratty green housecoat. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA—" she started to bellow, only to break off at the sight of the pale girl on her doorstep. "Kyrie??" She opened the door wider, beckoning her into the warm house. "Are you okay?" she asked as she closed the door, shivering as a last breath of wind snaked past its protection.

Kyrie appeared to have taken no notice of the chill outside. She was dressed only in a pair of cutoff jeans and a white cotton t-shirt. Light tennis shoes were on her feet but she seemed to have forgotten socks. "I forgot my things here," she said dully. Her eyes were shadowed by more than the dim light in the corridor and Bulma was rather worried. She had thought that Kyrie would have gotten better over the last two days, but she actually seemed worse.

Bulma led her down the hallway to the room that she had left her things in and opened the door. "Mom put your things away," she said with a bit of a grin. "She didn't want them to get all wrinkled."

"It won't take me long," Kyrie said, opening the closet. "I'll just throw them back in the bags and I'll be gone."

"Gone?!" Bulma asked, aghast at the idea. "It's almost two in the morning and you look beat. You're spending the night!"

A ghost of a smile pulled at Kyrie's lips. "I think it would be best if I didn't stay, Bulma."

Bulma planted her hands on her hips, advancing on the younger woman. "And I say you're not going anywhere. If I let you leave in your condition, I'd worry about you all night." Kyrie hesitated, unsure how to react to Bulma's obvious concern. "Come over here," Bulma said, taking Kyrie by the arm and leading her to the bed. "Sit down." The two sat down on the bed, one frowning, the other expressionless. "Now, tell me what went wrong."

Kyrie blinked, and for a moment she wondered if Bulma had esper abilities she hadn't mentioned. "What makes you think anything's wrong?" she asked, falling far short of the casual tone she was going for.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "You show up here, at TWO a.m. looking like death warmed over and I'm supposed to think that all is right in the world? Sorry, I wasn't born yesterday, you know." Her face grew softer and she touched Kyrie's hand lightly. "I told you once that I'd like to help you. And you look like you could use a friend."

Kyrie stared at Bulma, unable to swallow past the huge lump in her throat. Her breath hitched and she struggled for the hard won control she had used as a shield all her life. But the expression in Bulma's blue eyes had it impossible and before she knew it, she was spilling her life story to an almost unknown woman.

Bulma's eyes filled with tears as Kyrie spoke, unable to hide her horror at the girl's story. A smoldering fury that had been burning within her ever since she had learned of Dr. Gero's experiments burst into full flame and she fisted her hands in the thick comforter covering the bed. How DARE such things be going on in defiance of the stand the scientific community had taken on such radical experimentation?? She resolved to speak to her father first thing in the morning. And once she got into the office, she was going to be making some calls. There were going to be some MIGHTY sore government officials by the time she was through with them!! In the mean time, however…

"Kyrie, I'm so sorry this happened to you," she said softly, reaching out to embrace her gently. Kyrie's dry eyes grew wide and she stiffened slightly. She wasn't used to being touched like this. No-one had ever reached out to her with such warmth and sympathy. Her breathing became erratic and before she knew what had happened, she was weeping quietly onto the shoulder of Bulma's terry cloth robe. "Shhh…" Bulma said, rubbing her back soothingly. "I'll do whatever I can to help you, I promise."

Kyrie struggled to control herself, trying to stop the tears that still wanted to fall. She straightened up, pulling away from Bulma. Smiling slightly, Bulma let her go, watching as she rebuilt the mental walls around herself. "Thank you, Bulma," she said softly.

"I only have one more question, then I'll let you get some sleep," she said, her smile fading a bit. "Why aren't you at the Tenka with Piccolo?"

The hurt that she had tried to bury reared its head and the color drained from her cheeks again. "I – I just felt like I had to leave. Piccolo… Piccolo's closed himself off from me…" Her voice faded to a barely audible whisper. "I don't know what he wants from me… but I do know that he's killing me emotionally."

Bulma ground her teeth, her anger spilling over onto Piccolo's thick head. I hope he shows up here, she thought, more than willing to throw something at him right now. She stood suddenly, startling Kyrie. "Tomorrow, we'll get started on the encryption on those files of yours," she said briskly, pulling back the warm blankets on the bed. "Right now, you need a bit of sleep. You still look tired. And there'll be a nice big breakfast waiting for you when you wake up." A bit bemused, Kyrie allowed Bulma to tuck her into the bed like a sleepy child. "If you need anything, I'm right down the hall." Bulma gave her one last smile and flicked off the light switch, pulling the door closed behind her. Surprisingly, she didn't have any trouble going to sleep.

*******

Piccolo's fangs were bared in a vicious snarl as he watched the towering dinosaur gallumphing at him with its jaws spread wide. He's spent most of the day antagonizing the lumbering T-Rex and it had finally gotten angry enough to charge him. He dodged the gaping, tooth-lined maw and delivered a stunning kick to the back of its thick skull. The massive animal stumbled, shaking its head as it turned to run at him again.

A small ki ball aimed at its foot caused the beast to stumble again, this time falling over with an earth shaking boom. The animal tried to regain its stance, its stubby arms not much use in this task. Piccolo spat to the side, turning to leave, rising into the air. A fetid breath of warm air across his back was his only warning.

He dodged to the left instinctively, dagger sharp teeth snapping shut where he had been only seconds before. A sharp tug on his shining white cloak made him realize that the creature had snagged it. He pulled free, leaving his cape to dangle from the jaws of a smaller T-Rex that was standing protectively next to the one still down on the ground. A female, he thought in disgust as it mauled his cape, the male's mate most likely. He began to build a ki ball, intending to throw it at the female, when she nuzzled the male, a rumbling croon urging him to rise. Piccolo paused, holding his glowing weapon, watching the dinosaurs with reluctant fascination.

The male redoubled his efforts to stand, managing to get to his feet. With an enraged bellow, he snapped up at the hovering Namek. Piccolo tossed the ki ball at the male, who let out a shriek of pain, staggering backwards. The female roared with rage, torn between assisting her injured mate and attacking the thing that had hurt him. She finally decided to turn to her mate, rubbing her head against him, that rumbling croon rising from her throat again. Watching the dinosaurs, Piccolo felt that familiar twinge in his chest, the one he always got when Kyrie was around.

"Dammit…" he growled, shooting up into the bright blue sky above, losing all desire to aggravate the T-Rexes any further. As the warm wind rushed past his face, he relented enough to relax the barrier blocking him from telepathic contact. To his surprise, she didn't immediately contact him. Someone else did, however.

Piccolo! Dende's urgent voice hit him with the force of a sledgehammer between the eyes and he slowed, shaking his head.

Damn, Dende, he shot back, tone it down some!! What's wrong?

Several things, the young deity replied, moderating his mental voice. Where are you?

Somewhere to the far west of the Tenka, Piccolo answered, picking up speed again. In the desert. What's the problem?

There was an unexpected meteor shower two nights ago. And Kyrie… Dende hesitated, not sure how to bring it up.

What about Kyrie?? Piccolo growled, an icy ball of dread knotting up his stomach.

She's gone, Dende said soberly. She left two nights ago. She's been staying at Capsule Corp. with Bulma.

Piccolo ground his teeth, his anger returning. Two nights ago, she'd been ready to promise him the world and now she was gone? To hell with all the emotional games, he thought bitterly. I'm fed up with trying to figure it all out. If she wants something, she can damn well come to me…

*******

On an isolated prairie, an old man watched as his cattle milled around anxiously. They seemed to be avoiding a hole in the ground, lowing and swinging their heads in distress. He swung down out of the saddle, cautiously approaching the small, seared crater, a long stick in his hand. All that was there was a pitted chunk of rock. Remembering the spectacular meteor shower that he had seen several nights ago, he pulled off the flannel shirt that covered his plain cotton undershirt and reached for the meteorite. Maybe one of those universities might pay something for it, he thought with a touch of gleeful greed. It'd been a hard year, a little something extra wouldn't go amiss.

His cloth wrapped hand reached for the rock, and a cold chill swept over him, causing him to stumble. He caught himself, his bare hand landing flat on the surface of the stone. As soon as his flesh made contact, the old man screamed, feeling like a thousand razor blades were shredding his brain. He screamed until his throat was burning and raw. The nearby cattle, unnerved by the sounds of human suffering, stampeded away, mooing and bawling in terror.

Suddenly, the screams cut off, and high above, Dende, Earth's Kami, shuddered as a human life abruptly ended.