Hunter Chapter 1
Disclosure: I do not own the Z Fighters or any affiliated characters.
x:x:x:x
Inside a dimly lit hall way, a lone century in red paced. The walls were grey, the floor was grey, even the ceiling was grey, the only color or light came from a lighted red strip where the floor met the wall. The armoured guard with his shouldered plasma gun moved in evenly measured paces. A soft hum came from the wiring in the walls and the soldier's footsteps echoed softly as he strode back and forth in front of a lone grey door.
Unknown to the guard, a silent shadow moved overhead. Perfectly timing the century's methodic strides, the shadow slipped into the door, shutting it silently just as the guard was turning toward the door again.
The room inside was even darker than the hall, the only light being from one of the planet's many moons, streaming in through a gap between heavy curtains. But the dark had no effect on the shadow. Gold eyes flickered in the blankness as the figure casually evaded the maze of furniture and slumbering naked bodies strewn around the room. Zitat hadn't wasted any time spending the money he had stolen from a prominent buisness man one star system over. Judging from the room and the numerous nude females, Zitat's first move must have been to hire an entire brothel and hole up with his new honeys in the most exclusive and secure hotel on the planet.
Golden eyes raked over the naked, slumbering thief. He was a decent enough looking male with the pale green skin and large horns desirable to his species. Zitat probably wasn't so bad, just a desperate guy longing for a lifestyle far out of his reach, but that didn't matter to the figure. The only thing that mattered was the bounty, and Zitat had pissed off the wrong man so the bounty was large.
Silently gliding to the window, the figure slid it open quietly. Cool night air and a wondrous glittering cityscape greeted the gold eyes from the sixtieth floor window. The loud sounds of a city at night assulted furry ears.
Savoring the night air in a deep breath, the shadow worked quickly. Grabbing the thief, Zitat was thrown out the window before he had a chance to wake, the shadow leaping out after.
The figure caught its prize midair and clamped a slender hand with pointed black tipped nails over her prey's mouth just as he woke to scream. Tying a gag over Zitat's mouth, the figure shifted him to her shoulders just in time to land with the subtlety and grace of a cat before striding off unseen into the night.
Thud
Zitat was plopped unceremoniously onto a large and ornate desk. A round figure in a chair facing away from the desk and toward a wall of windows jumped at the sudden noise.
"How the hell did you get into my..." a glutteral voice began to rage from behind the desk as he whirled his chair to see the scene before him. The first thing the buisness man saw was Zitat, naked, gagged, and hog tied on his desk, blinking at him helplessly. The next thing he noticed, was that his apparently useless guards weren't streaming into his still locked and well secured hundredth floor office. Finally, he noticed the female shaped figure standing half obscured by shadow. "Damn. You're good," the shadow's client mused before bursting into boisterous laughter. "I mean they said you were good, but damn, you're good."
"Enough flattery. Where's my bounty," the female voice snapped dangerously.
"Well, I was thinking..."
"Client's shouldn't think," the shadowy woman warned.
The buisness man turned from amused to irritated. No one dared speak to him like that! "Now see here, missy!..."
The shadow moved and was suddenly behind him. By the time he registered he felt a clawed hand on his throat, the obese hulking billionaire was crashing through twenty-paned glass and dangling by his throat high above the world below. The shattering glass triggered the security system. Seconds later, armed guards came filing in at an alarming rate. "Freeze!" The commanding shouted.
"Unless you wish to have a *stain* on the concrete for a master, I suggest you lower your weapons," the female snarled. "Besides, we were only negotiating," she smiled, bringing the large man back inside, placing his feet on the glass littered carpet. "Isn't that right?" She asked coyly, smirking to show a glint of fang as she dusted off the shards from her client's shoulders.
"R-right," he answered cautiously. He turned to glare at his men. "Well? You heard the lady, get out!" The buisness man roared. As his men filled out, he sat back down in his chair. "Very well. A deal is a deal. But I was only going to suggest another task with a significant pay increase."
"Not interested. Do you have what I want our not?" The figure crossed her arms inpatiently.
"Yes. Here," he handed her a sealed folder. "Information on the three known remaining Saiyans." The folder was snatched from his hand and the female stood by the shattered window to examine its contents. "I may have other jobs for you down the road. If you were to leave some contact information..."
"No."
"But..."
"No."
"Just a name then."
"Tell me, if you or anyone knew my name or how to contact me, would I be doing my job right?" And with that she gone, out the window, and somewhere out of sight.
×:×:×:×
Alone in a small ship that she called 'classic' but most would refer to as 'hunk of junk' or maybe 'pile of shit', 'jalopy' had been thrown around a time or two, the female flopped down on an old cot to examine her reward.
Inside contained documents and records of personal encounters and sitings of Saiyans since the destruction of Vegeta-sai. It painted her a story of three males, including the prince himself, who were off-world at the time working for Frieza. As far as the file was concerned, they were still under Frieza's employ and their last known location was some planet called Namek.
She had remembered the salty prince from the time she spent training on Vegeta-sai as a child, Napa and Raditz as well. They clearly weren't the female she was seeking.
Crumpling the papers in frustration, she resolved to check out Namek and see if these other Saiyans knew anything about a female making it off the planet before its destruction. The female closed her eyes and fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of a friend she knew long ago.
×:×:×:×
Walking through one of gardens on Lord Beerus' planet, Goku was deep in thought on his way to see Whis. He had a lot to mull over at the moment.
He had recieved a message through Whis a few months ago that Chi Chi was leaving him. She was fed up dealing with a husband that worked so hard on his training but wouldn't lift a finger to work and earn some money to support their young family. She was tired of nagging him and tired of trying. He initially thought she was just mad, like she so often got, but he hadn't heard anything since and was starting to realize it was really over.
Chi Chi was the only woman he had ever been with since they had been together since children. Sure he loved her, the only woman he had really thought about being with and the mother of his sons, but he found he wasn't as broken up as he should be. He was more broken up about not being broken up than he was about losing Chi Chi. It was actually causing quite the moral dilemma for the sweet hearted Saiyan.
He should be more upset. Only girl he had thought of being with, mother to his child, blah blah blah. But he found that his life really hadn't been effected much. He was still here, training with Whis. Chi Chi was still there, on Earth, raising their son Goten. Overall, the carefree warrior just felt bad for... not feeling all that bad.
On top of all that, Beerus had announced his impending retirment. His million year watch was drawing to a close. He was growing even more defensive of his position as his retirment drew closer, knowing one of Whis' Saiyan students was going to replace him. Ultimately, the feline was growing edgy waiting for his opportunity to sleep for the next several decades without interruption and his impatience at having to wait for a suitable God of Destruction to ascend.
Goku knew Vegeta was gunning hard for the position. The power, the fear, the respect, it suited the Saiyan Prince like a glove. Goku was more interested in the ability to train for the next million years and the chance to groweven stringer and fight stronger foes. And the food sure as hell didn't hurt.
But the kind hearted fighter wasn't really sure he'd be up to all the destroying, especially the killing, needed to keep balance in the universe. But then, maybe he was. Maybe he could make the universe a safer, more peaceful place if he was in charge of the destruction. If Vegeta got the position, honestly Gokuwas a little worried he might revert to his old ways and go on killing and destroying mercilessly. His life with Bulma and Trunks had changed him somewhat and kept him in check a little but since Bulma... well, she wasn't there to keep the gruff Saiyan in check anymore.
Goku was so deep in thought, he walked right passed Whis without noticing. "Ahem," Whis cleared his throat to get his attention.
"Oh, hey, Whis," Goku said with a not quite so cheery smile.
"Something on your mind?" The instructor asked.
Goku rubbed the back of his head. "Well... it's like I got a bunch of bees in my head."
Vegeta's scoff drew his attention. "Only you would make such an idiotic comparison for thinking. Try not to strain yourself too hard, Kakkarot, your brain may actually explode," Vegeta laughed harshly at the image his words provided him.
Whis tapped his staff. "Now now, that's enough, you two. Honestly, I don't think even Lord Beerus and Lord Champa fight this much," Whis said with a shake of his head. "Now listen up, after today's training, I have a special assignment for you both."
×:×:×:×
"But I don't want to go! I'll be the only Trodaí on a planet full of monkeys!" The young child complained to her father.
"Enough, Ethne. Not another word. You were selected to attend training on Vegeta-sai. It is a great honor for you and for our family," her stern father chided as he placed her bag in the ship. The fox-like Trodaí had recently forged an alliance with the Saiyans. Part of the agreement had been for the Trodaí to send their most promising student to be trained by the Saiyans in an attempt to familiarize eachother of their different cultures and the Saiyans felt it may be a start to spreading their way of life to valuable allies.
Ethne sat next to her father in silence for the entirety of the four day journey. She didn't even mutter a goodbye when he passed her off to a large Saiyan male. Holding her chin high, fists clenched, golden eyes facing firmly in front, she didn't even bother watching her only family member leave. They wanted her to be like the Saiyans? Fine, she'd be Saiyan. She would be just as proud and cold and strong as any of those damned monkeys. The large Saiyan escorted her through the palace, pointing out places of note on their way to the throne room, kitchen, training grounds, trainee barracks, the like. The whole time, Ethne silently took in her surroundings, making mental notes.
When she arrived to the throne room, King Vegeta and his son were sitting proudly on their thrones. Ethne was walked to the bottom of the steps at the foot of the thrones where she knelt and bowed her head respectfully.
"The Lady Ethne of the Trodaí," the male Saiyan introduced.
"Hmph, she doesn't look like much," the child prince commented. Gold eyes snapped up to glare at the prince. Dark eyes narrowed back at her for her insolent glare but before the prince could respond, the King held up his hand to stay his young son.
"She is the best student the Trodaí have to offer. I'm sure she'll be a welcome addition. Take her to the training fields, let's see where she stands," the Kings said evenly, but Ethne didn't like the wicked smirk the little prince got from hearing those words.
Ethne had come to the conclusion that, with few exceptions, Saiyans had dark hair, dark eyes, and thin brown tails tucked around their waist. Well, at least they had one thing in common, a tail, except hers was bushy and a vivid red with a black tip she let sway and twitch freely behind her. Her hair matched her tail, fiery in color with black tips. As with all Trodaí, her eyes were a bright gold, her ears foxlike, and her mouth held sharply pointed canines, giving her a wolfish grin.
The female child was put in Saiyan armour and placed on the training field. The petite girl felt utterly lost in the crowd of large Saiyans that had gathered in curiosity to see the alien recruit in her debut.
Except for the prince, who was watching from a balcony with his father, all the young trainees had been gathered on the center training field. A young male, rather large for his age, was the first to step forward to face the quiet female, a cocky smirk plastered on his face. Ethne watched him crouch into a ready position before charging forward with a battle cry.
Ethne stood stoically until just before the Saiyan reached her. She flashed a fang in a smirk and twirled to the side, leaving the Saiyan to charge air and skid to a hault. He came at her again, this time she flipped over his head, landing back to back with him. The quickly enraging Saiyan youth sent an elbow backward at her. She easily dodged. Ethne continued the the young Saiyan's embarassment, never sending a strike of her own, until he was sweaty and panting, shamefully throwing in the towel.
She smirked at the Prince's visible frustration at the Trodaí for not having her ass handed to her by the first Saiyan she came across. Ethne continued her initiation, rarely attacking, always evading, getting the young Saiyans to relent of their own accord.
This went on until a young female, around her age, stepped forward into the ring. Ethne could sense this one was different.
Right off the bat, the female was visibly distinguished from other Saiyans by her dark red hair. Her movements differed slightly as well. She had the strong, proud gait of a Saiyan, but there was something slightly more reserved, perhaps thoughtful?
The red head and Ethne faced each other down, neither moving. "The males couldn't hack it so they send a female in to clean up after them," Ethne smirked, baring a lone fang. She had found that bantering with an opponent often gave her insight to her target.
The female shrugged and smirked. "I guess you know how it is." Slowly, they began to circle eachother, both looking for an opening. The Saiyan struck first, a test more than seeking concact. Ethne easily dodged. A few more test punches and kicks to feel her opponent out, all easily dodged by Ethne.
"Come on, Red, you're going to have to do better than that," the Trodaí teased, unintentionally igniting a nickname that would stick to the Saiyan female.
The Saiyan lunged at her. Ethne was temporarily taken aback by her speed, scrambling to block the attacks before finally settling into the pace and doing her usual dance.
"You're going to have to go on the offensive sometime if you expect to beat me, little Vixen," the female said between blows.
The two ended up in a grapple for a moment, each smirking, barely able to contain their excitement over the fight. They finally sprang apart and Ethne asked, "What's your name?"
"Pomegra," she said before rushing forward.
"Ethne," she introduced, sliding between the Saiyan's strides and ending up behind her.
Pomegra turned and smirked at the smaller opponent across from her as she tightened her readied stance. She doesn't attack, just dodges and wears out her opponent with her quick, nimble form, the Saiyan thought in the few seconds the girls eyed one another. Coming up with a quick strategy, Pomegra rushed in and sent a basic one-two punch at the intern fox. Just as she thought, the crafty creature stepped wide right at the last possible second and Pomegra's first punch hit only the air behind where the fox used to be. Using her own momentum as she went ahead and readied the second punch anyways, Pomegra crossed the second punch under her outstretched other hand and barly grazed the startled fox's cheek.
Not letting her opponent think longer then necessary, Pomegra quickly untwisted her body and came at the tiny vixen with multiple, calculated attacks that made the foxy girl smile as she danced around in an evasive dance, sometimes barely missing the strong, red headed saiyan's relentless attacks.
Yes, this one is definitely different, the fox mused silently as she grinned. Both didn't know it then, but this was the start of a friendship that would last through the years and through countless battles and heartaches
×:×:×:×
On a moon not far from where Namek once resided, there sat a fueling station accompanied by a hotel and a saloon within a large dome to hold atmosphere.
The doors of the saloon swung open. Tail twitching, Ethne strode over to bar. The primarily male clientele eyed the petite female. Fixating gold eyes on the bar tender, Ethne leaned on the bar, her arms situated in such a way that pushed up her cleavage. Her tail swished slowly behind.
"Hi," she purred.
The bar tender, a tall blue male, looked the female over and leaned an elbow on the bar top, smirking at her. "Hi there. What can I do for ya, darlin'?"
For most females, wearing tight black pants and a black cropped tank in a place like this would be dangerous. For Ethne, sex appeal was just another tool she often used, and she didn't mind asking for trouble. With a black tipped claw, the Trodaí traced circles on the counter and looked up at the barkeep through long lashes. "I came here looking for a friend on Namek, but I can't seem to find it," Ethne pouted.
"Sorry, darlin'. Namek was destroyed, oh, probably close to twenty years ago. If you had a friend there they're probably dead or stood you up, but no one in their right mind would stand up a lady like you."
Fuck. Ethne cursed in her head but didn't let her frustration cross her face. The best lead she had had in years and the planet was fucking gone. "Well, maybe you've heard of my friend. She's a Saiyan with red..."
"Saiyan? Think there were a couple of those on Namek when it blew. From what I heard, the Namekians moved to some planet in the Sgtio System," he suggested, trying to stay on the beautiful girl's good side.
"Thank you, darling. You've been such a help," Ethne purred, running a nail under his chin. With that, she turned and strode out, the sway of her tail extenuating the sway of her hips.
×:×:×:
Thunderous cracks and bangs filled the air. A serene purple sky lay lazily overhead. Somewhere in the lush gardens, the God of Destruction lay slumbering on a particularly sunny branch. Standing on some rocky landscape nearby, stood a pale man with a white swirl of hair.
The raucous noise originated high above the patiently watching man. Blow for blow, the blue Saiyans clashed. Both grunted, growled, and groaned as they faced off. It had been a long afternoon of intense training, but both were eager for more.
Goku smirked, enjoying the fight, Vegeta was always a challenge. He chuckled as Vegeta connected a hard punch to his kidney. Wow, Vegeta's gettin' good, he thought before sweeping his leg under Vegeta's. He watched as the shorter Saiyan shot up and brought a fist towards his face. Grabbing the fist in his large hand, he spun a kick at the prince. He isn't the only one that's been trainin' though.
Growling, Vegeta ripped his hand free and leapt back. He smirked as Goku loudly exhaled over kicking air.
Down on the rocks below, Whis lightly tapped his staff a single time. Both warriors stopped instantly and lowered themselves to stand in front of their instructor.
The pale man smile contently at his panting pupils. "Oh my my, that was a good practice."
With his trademark goofball grin, the tall Saiyan's hand found the back of his head.
"Heh heh, yeah that was pretty good, Vegeta."
"Hmph," was the only reply the prince made as his arms crossed against his chest.
"Oi oi hey, keep the noise level down! What does a God have to do to get some sleep around here?!" the formerly slumbering god complained as he stretched and eyed the branch he lay on through lazy slits in his eyes.
"Beerus sama, isn't it about time for that mission?" Whis reminded his senior student with a smile. Both Saiyans perked up and listened to their mentor with new fervor.
"Mmmm? Oh...right," Beerus said with an exaggerated yawn, "But only one of them can ascend. See to it, Whis, I have more pressing matters to attend to, but bring me back some sushi when you get to Earth," The cat smiled in self-satisfaction as he closed his eyes again and nestled back comfortably on the tree branch.
Whis laughed lightly before turning back to the Super Saiyan Gods. "You see, there is a small planet in the lower third quadrant of our universe that has become a dead planet. No life is on the planet and it needs to be eradicated. Beerus sama and I thought it would be good practice for you two to go destroy it." His smile broadened.
Goku's brow furrowed as he scratched his head with one long finger and Vegeta stood still thinking. That seemed pretty rash to Goku and he spoke first. "Sooo, there's no life on this planet then?" The attendant shook his head to confirm and Goku resumed his thinking.
"Why?" Vegeta asked suddenly.
Whis looked at him curiously, "Why what, Vegeta?"
"Why do you want us to destroy it?" He eyed the flamboyant attendant suspiciously.
"Oh ho ho ho, he is on to us, Beerus sama. Oh ho ho ho ho," the attendant laughed.
An idea sprang in the sweet Saiyan's mind and he punded one fist into his other hand. "Yosh! I know! Why don't we just take some animals and people to the planet and make use of it? No reason to destroying the whole thing…"
Vegeta rolled his eyes at his naive counterpart and Beerus growled, his sensitive ears perking up at the loud Saiyan once again, "Grrr, it is a waste of space and needs to be destroyed!" He roared with an almost comic intensity, springing to a sitting position with spittle flying from his mouth. He soon settle back though, content with the shocked look on each of the Saiyan's faces.
Whis sighed, "How about the first to destroy the planet doesn't have to do housework during Beerus sama's next nap, hmm?" The blue haired males exchanged a disbelieving look before turning back to Whis.
"You better hold to that," Vegeta muttered under his breath as he flew to Whis, stopping to stand next to him. Goku, still racking his brain over other options than flat out destroying a planet, joined, but slower, more apprehensive pace.
Whis smiled, and with a gentle tap of his staff, the trio transported away; up into the sky in a beam of lights off into the vast emptiness of space. Goku had a bad feeling about just up and destroying a whole planet like it was a field trip. He wasn't sure if it was his reluctance or something about the way Whis smiled, but something had him feeling uneasy.
×:×:×:×
After a month's journey, Ethne had reached the Sgtio System, a large star system consisting of seventeen planets. Starting from the planet that was closest to the sun while being a livable distance away, she made her way down the line.
On a tepid, lush planet, Ethne scanned the natural scenery for signs of civilization. Seeing none where she landed, she flew off to scan nearby areas. As she soared, she pulled out the tear shaped stone that resided on her shirt attached to a silver chain around her neck. The stone pulsed softly with a crimson glow. As she searched for life, her mind wondered to how she had obtained the stone.
x:x:x:x
A young Saiyan Prince watched two females in their early teens, his age, fighting in the training grounds below. From his vantage point on a balcony, Vegeta could see the girls smirking as they traded blows. Every day he saw the two females go at it. One ever evading, one ever striking, both learning a great deal from the other as they egged eachother on.
He could hear their teasing comments echoing off the walls behind him. They were relentless, both in their taunts and their attacks, but neither held the malice the prince would expect. Vegeta growled and clenched his fist. He was tired of watching them fight, they needed to get off his training grounds. A smirk crossed his face as a plan quickly formulated. The Saiyan Prince drifted over the balcony and landed on the packed dirt below. The girls instantly stopped fighting to bow to the young prince. He smirked, at least they had learned that much.
"What do you need, Veggie," the fox asked, irritably crossing her arms.
Vegeta grit his teeth and let that horrendous nickname slide this time. "Can't I come by to check on my troops?"
The girls looked at eachother then back to Vegeta. "No," They answered simultaneously.
He snarled. "Very well, I have a side project for you."
Ethne's ears lay back in irritation. Pomegra rolled her eyes. "Right. What meaningless chore is it this time?"
"Well if you're not interested I can always get Raditz and Riimu to do it for me," Vegeta shrugged and turned to walk away.
The girls exchanged a look, both now curious. "What kind of project are we talking about?" Pomegra asked.
Vegeta smirked triumphantly before turning around. "I've been hearing reports about a monster over in the high mountain caves of Sector 9."
"A monster?" Pomegra asked disbelieving.
"It's said to be unbeatable," he tempted.
The girls smirked and Ethne said, "Consider it done."
"You know he's just trying to get rid of us for a while," Pomegra commented as they flew through the clouds.
"Yeah. Anything to get away from the palace for a while," the fox said.
Red smirked wickedly at her friend. "You know it's going to be freezing up there, right?"
Ethne faltered and fell back for a moment. "Fuck. I hate the cold," she grumbled, catching up to the laughing Saiyan.
As they rised in altituden the duo both raised an arm to shield their eyes from the blinding snow and wind as they flew through the highest peaks on Vegeta-sai. The freezing air screamed by their ears, the fox lay hers flat against her head. Ethne's pointed ears perked up from low sounds coming from nearby.
"Hey, wait up," she yelled, barely audible over the wind. Pomegra came to a stop and looked to her friend. Ethne pointed to her ear then down in the direction of the noise. Pomegra nodded in understanding and the girls flew down in search of the source.
The red-headed Saiyan's whistle drew Ethne's attention from her search. She saw her friend nodding to a cave entrance. Both entered cautiously, immediatly greeted by the sudden stillness after the blizzard that raged outside the narrow entrance.
Ethne's ears twitched, she could hear metal sliding on metal and tapping rock. The pair moved silently down the hall, peering around a corner, they saw a cavern open up. Lit by lanterns strung around the wall, three Tuffle males were mining something. Two hacked away at stone while a third loaded the rubble into a cart. The cart sat on a metal track that disappeared into a tunnel that vanished deep into the mountain.
They ducked back around the corner. "I'm guessing the "monster" is just this little mining project," the Saiyan said flatly.
"I thought the Tuffles were dead," the Trodaí questioned.
"Looks like they missed a few," Pomegra smirked and moved to make an attack.
Ethne put a hand on her friend's arm to stop her. "Wait. I want to see what they're doing."
"Why?" Red questioned. The vixen shrugged. The Saiyan rolled her eyes at her friend's curiosity. "Fine. How? Are you just going to walk right up and ask them?" She asked with biting sarcasm.
Ethne nodded and smirked. "Yep." She strode towards the cavern entrance.
Pomegra's eyes widened in shock. "Wait! Are you insane?" She whispered harshly.
"Follow my lead," the fox winked at her friend and walked right into the cavern. She walked up to the nearest Tuffle who was swinging away at the stone. "Excuse me, sir?" She asked sweetly. The startled male dropped his pic ax, drawing the attention of the other two. "Thank goodness we ran into you! We've been wandering around these caves for hours, we can't find our way out," Ethne pouted.
The Tuffles looked at eachother nervously then back to the female addressing them. Her golden eyes glinted in the flickering light as she smiled innocently at them.
"Hey, you're Tuffles aren't you? I thought you were all gone. I've always wanted to meet one," the young vixen purred. "My friend and I have always found Tuffles interesting," she cued Pomegra who entered the carvern. The Tuffle she was addressing blushed slightly and chuckled nervously.
"What are you guys doing in a place like this?" Pomegra asked, following her friend's lead. She approached the other two Tuffles.
"Mining," one answered but then recieved an elbow to the ribs by his comrade as though it was secret.
"It must get awfully lonely down here all by yourselves," Ethne said, backing the one against the rock wall.
"We're not alone," he responded, cheeks bright red now.
"Are your mates here?" Red asked sweetly.
The males laughed nervously. "They're off in the tunnels on the other side with the rest," the one Ethne addressed said.
"I don't have a mate," offered up one of the two Pomegra talked to. She winked at him and he blushed.
Ethne noticed a tear shaped stone in the rock next to the Tuffle's neck. She reached out a hand, gently brushing him with her claws as she reached passed and plucked the stone out. "Is this what you're mining?" She asked.
The Tuffle nodded. "Yes."
"It isn't very pretty. What's it for?" The Trodaí inquired.
"It's how we keep track of eachother in the tunnels. If you cut yourself on the stone, they glow with your Ki so long as you're alive. If a stone stops glowing, we know someone is dead. If it is glowing, they're missing and need help," the single one eagerly explained to Pomegra.
"Well, we really should be getting back to our friends," Ethne said, backing away slightly.
"I thought you said you were lost," one said suspiciously. The Truffles exchanged suspicious looks before grabbing up their pick axes.
"Shit," the fox cursed.
Pomegra jumped back towards the exit and blasted the ceiling above the Tuffles. "Run!" She called to her friend. The two bolted and sped through the tunnels they had come in through as the cavern collapsed behind them. Gravel and dust invaded their nostrils as they reached the edge of the collapse. The pair coughed violently then started laughing. "So did you learn everything you wanted to?" Pomegra asked.
"Yep. I'm satisfied," she beamed playfully. "And look what I snagged," she opened up her grey and dusty palm to reveal two dark tear shaped stones.
The Saiyan wiped her brow with a dusty arm uselessly as she approached. "Are those the stones they were mining for?" Ethne nodded. In a swift motion, she swiped the point of one along her friend's grey forearm. A small red scratch appeared as the cut drew blood through the dust. "Hey!" Red snapped indignantly, grabbing her arm. Ethne showed the other stone to Red then sliced her own arm. "What are you doing?" Pomegra asked.
The Trodaí held out her palm. The dark stones were each tipped in blood. The crimson droplets soon soaked into them and they began to admit a light. One stone glowed a blood red, the other glowed a fiery orange-red. They shone brightly for a moment before settling in a low, pulsing glow.
"Remember what the Tuffle said? It stops glowing if the person who cut themselves on it dies," Ethne said, handing the orangeish one to her friend. "Now I can keep track of you," she smiled wolfishly.
x:x:x:x
After a few minutes of searching, Ethne was about to call it quits until her sensitive nose picked up the smell of smoke and something cooking. It was a long way off before she saw a wisp of smoke rising into the air. Shortly after, small round buildings came into view.
Her eyes scanned the green men before she landed in the center of their small village. The curious faces all gathered around her apprehensively. The last time some unknown being came to their planet things didn't turn out so well. Still, the peaceful Namekians wanted to trust people.
Ethne scanned the crowd. Every face was green, not a single Saiyan among them. "You are Namekians, correct?" She asked clearly so they could all hear.
An old Namek, perhaps the eldest there, stepped forward holding a staff. "Yes. We are Namekian. And may we ask, who are you? Why have you come to our planet?"
"My name is Ethne. I've been searching for a Saiyan," she informed them.
"There are no Saiyans here," the elder stated, not giving her any unnecessary information since he still couldn't discern her intentions. For all they knew, she was seeking to destroy their Saiyan friend Goku or his sons.
Ethne approached the elder slowly, making sure that her hands remained visible to the Namekians at all times. Her ears lay back in a submissive gesture. "Please. I've been searching for someone I knew as a child. She was Saiyan. I simply wish to know if she died when Vegeta-sai was destroyed or if she is still out there somewhere," she explained, doing her best to display honesty and openness to gain the peaceful people's trust. "I managed to trace the last remaining Saiyans to Namek, but when I tried to look there... Please, I'm just looking for a friend."
The elder Namek mulled her words over for a time before he finally answered. "There were a couple Saiyans on Namek, yes. But you say your friend was female?" Ethne nodded. The elder shook his head. "I'm sorry, but the only Saiyans we saw were male."
Fuck! This just wasn't turning out to be the lead she hoped for. "I see," she said sullenly. "Did those Saiyans survive Namek's explosion?"
The elder nodded. "Yes. They saved our people from a great evil and managed to make it home."
Ethne perked up slightly at this information, though she was deeply confused about the Saiyans saving a race. "Where are they now? Perhaps one of them can tell me about my friend."
The elder thought this over again. She seemed to be telling the truth and her intentions seemed good, but still the Namek didn't want to give away his friends' location without truly knowing this woman. Still, if anyone could handle themselves, it was Goku and Gohan. "They live on a planet called Earth."
Ethne smiled a pointed grin and took the Namek's free hand into hers. "Thank you. Really," she thanked, locking eyes with the elder and smiling.
All the Namekians smiled and waved good bye as she went to depart. "I hope you find your friend!" The elder called as she flew away. Ethne turned to her back and waved and smiled at the peaceful green men as their village quickly faded from view.
Rolling back over, she rocket towards her ship with a new determination. She was going to Earth.
x:x:x:x
The foxy hunter is headed to Earth, let's see what kind of trouble she stirs up.
If you are curious about Vegeta and Pomegra's side of the story, you know you are, you can read their side of the story in Destructive Games: Survivor (Pomegra). Last-Saiyan-Princess and I are doing a collaborative fanfic. You can find Pomegra's story under my favs.
Follow, fav, review! Come back soon for more! -Hel
(A VixNMonkey collaboration)