Bounty by blood

Chapter 2: Daily trails

The next morning, Kira awoke from a heavy sleep in the bed that her and her mother shared, it was no more than a blanked draped over a stand alone hammock a foot above the ground with two lumpy and stained pillows. Slowly, Kira lifted her head up and rubbed the backof her skull from the slight ache she received every morning after lying on those pillows, stretching her arms above her head she exhaled a yawn and breathed in deeply through her nostrils.

Sicuro had already awoken a while earlier as she needed to every morning, Kira could hear the scraping a thick bristles along the equally bristly ground outside, she guessed her mother was sweeping the front of the house.

Rubbing her left eye with her knuckle she walked out of the small room, theirs was considered large for a bedroom, she headed for the front door.

Sicuro heard as the shoeless footsteps approached from inside the house, smillign she continuing the sweeping with a rigidly barely bristled broom, the brown dust carrying away in the slight breeze as she swept it away from the house.
"Mommie, what time is it? "Kira stood in the door less doorway of the stone house, still rubbing her large sky blue eyes with one first and combing her other hand through her unruly navy hair.

"Good morning... Kira." Sicuro emphasised then returned to her sweeping."It's the same time as it is every morning dear, in a little while ill send you to fetch water as i always do, so get ready for me alright?" she said in a flowing manner, each morning Sicuro awoke at the same time like and alarm clock, she was never late.

Kira nodded then returned to the small bedroom, kneeling down by a table she reaching beneath the half ripped table cloth, pulling out a wooden box that she slid alogn the ground until it was away form teh table, inside one of her greatest treasures.

She reached her fingers in, scraping the bottom of the shallow box as she pulled out a garment.
In her hands she admired the dress, her most treasured of her clothing that she never wore in fear of it being ruined or worse stolen, such garments were rare, it was white with blue trimming along the rim, and a large blue bow across the chest. The collar was a bout neck also with blue around the rim, it was sleeveless.

She clutched it to her chest smiling, it was a gift from a giver that she never knew, all she did know was that she has had if her entire life.

"KIRA, what is taking so long, what are you doing in there?" Kira jumped at her mothers calling, swiftly folding and placing the dress back into the box, grasping her usual attire that was stores away in another open.
A few moments later she ran outside, still adjusting the knee length brown shorts and sleeveless top of the same colour.

"There you are, what were you up to in there" Sicuro asked in a humorous manner, one hand on her hip and other holding a bucket up.
"Nothing. Im sorry mommie ill be quicker next time" she smiled innocently, her face melting her mother heart, she was so full of innocents.

"Alright, here you are" Sicuro leaned down onto one knee placing the bucket in Kira's hand.
"You remember the road, don't leave the path and be sure come straight back, no stoping and no speaking to strangers, understand?"

Kira nodded sighing, each morning she went to fetch the water and each morning she would be lectured upon the same thing."Yes mommie, I promise"
I am twelve years old I can look after myself, I wish mommie would trust me she thought to herself.
Sicuro stood up, leaving down she left a kiss on Kira's forehead while tucking the loose hairs behind the little girl's small rounded ears.
"Hehe, that ticked" she giggles backing away to avoid the torment, which she inwardly found very familiar and comforting.
"You be good" Sicuro waved as Kira began walking down the two mile dirt trail to the nearest water.

Sicuro slowly seised her waving, allowing her true feeling to surface with her smile upturning into a frown.

Her daughter would be thirteen soon...thirteen, a dangerous age for a girl these days but years ago it was not thought of so warily and was hardly noticeable.
Sicuro crossed her arms beneath her breasts still watching as her daughters small form continued to walk away, swinging one arm by her side as the other grasped the handle of the bucket.

Twelve was considered the pre peak age for girls to be claimed as personal slaved by Sayajins, Kira was unmistakeably appealing physically and mentally even more, she knew she coudlent hide her for much longer.
She signs, looking to the ground before grasping the bristle based broom from the side of the house, continuing her sweeping of endless dust and sand from the frond of the one window stone house.

Being sure that no other was in view as she swinged the bucket in her hand, Kira skipped along the path; by nature she was shy but also a very happy child, always smilling.

A few dozen furthur along the path she stopps, she was approaching the small street market where slaves would sell what they could for their livelihoods; those who farmed sold food and then there were traders who dealt with ships and mechanical parts.

She walked through hastily with her eyes to the ground watching her feet, it was a dangerous place in the market as many went missing here, many were also killed in heated disputes over money and goods, the area was filled with desperation.
On that note there were many people here today, she was wary not to accidentally pump into the passing people beacuse if could be missintrepreted as a challange, that is the level of which peaople sunk.

As she passed the stalls she woudl hear many yelling to her to purchase their stock, but she did as she was told, to ignor all strangers as she walked to the edge of the last stall and toward the murky river.She reached it soon after, it was a familiar place to Kira, children as young a six were being sent out to fetch water for their families and today was no exception, it was crowded.

"Kira!" Kira turned to see a familiar young girl waiting in line to gather water; she waved and motioned for Kira to approach. Kira smiled hoping over to the young girl.
"Hi Mesa" Kira went to stand behind Mesa to wait her turn.

The two girls giggled together to pass the time as they waited withbuckets set downin front of them, chatteing about all that had gone on since their last days earlier, Kira told of teh encounter with Nappa a day earlier.

"Wernt you scared?" Mesa asked wide eyes, Kira shrugged as she tried to hide her chin. "I was, but mommie was tehre and nothign woudl have happened, any anyways he was talkign about how we wont have to be slaves anymore..." She explained.

The area suddenly turned quite except for Kira and Mesa who were absorbed in their conversation, Mesa was first to nitice the silence andalso became exceptionally quite which disturbed Kira.

"Mesa? What's wrong" she asked frowning, Mesa's face turned as white as a clean bed sheets as shelook tosomething over Kiras shoulder.

Kira looked around slowly to see vividly shaken children staring at whatever stood behind her, they stood asstill as statues.

Finally turning Kira looked up and stared for only a second before stumbling backm andbumping into Mesa.

Dressed in a the customary sayajin amor with large outward pointing shoulder pads, a saiyajin stood, histreterouse copper painted tail wrapped around his firm waist, a green glass scouter secured over his left eye. He eyed each of the children as hisscouter picking up all their power levels and when he reached Kira the level rose significantly, but nowhere near enough to be leathelr.

He paused a moment then turned off his scouter, lookingd at the little girl as she trembled at the sayajin who stared down at her.

"All of you leave this very second." Raditz commanded in a callous tone, hissing at the recoiling children.

"Except you," he pointed at Kira, rather gently contrary to the way he spoke toward the others. Kira froze as she heard the light thumping of the other children's footsteps hurrying away with their buckets in hand.

Raditz kneeled down as the last of the children dispersed, now eye level with the young and frightened Kira.

"Name, child?"Hedemanded as if commanding a lower classing officer, looking intoher light blue eyes. Kira stiffened staring back into his large black orbs, grasping the bucket in front of her like a shield. Raditz raised an eyebrow then adjusted his position on the ground.

"Do you know who I am girl?" He smirking, hiscomplexforehead musles in a constantscorwl.

Kira nodded faintly after a few seconds as his large intimidated her furthur, herfingers squeezing rightly around the buckets warped iron handle.

"Well then you must know that any who refuse myorders will not fare well." Raditz stood to his feet crossing his arms over his massive chest. He noticed Kira bite her lower lip fear in her eyes as she watched him rise.

"You have no reason to fear child, I am no intension of harming you." he remarked looking away from her and outto the swampy waters edge. Kira's mouth hung ajar but still kept her senses sharp.

"You have higher power than any child on this planet, I wish to know where you acquired it! who are your father?" he stated firmply as helooked back at her.

Kira was now confused as she looked General Raditz up and down, his hair was a magnificent length longer than any sayajin she had ever seen, his handsome height also caught her attention.

"I. I do not know my father.. he is dead "Kira stuttered as her eyes turned to the ground submissivly, she feared punishment for not answering a question with the wanted answer.

The general paused a moment then gave a single nod, uncrossing his arms he turned walking away casually.

"Get your water and return to your dwelling, it is 'unsafe' to be out on your own" he said emphasising 'unsafe'.

As he walked a few more steps Kira could hear his boots making a similar clanking noise toNappas from the day before, The general then poweredg up causing grass and leaves to flyas heleapt into the sky, a trail of ki following as he disappeared into the distants.

Kira stood dumfounded adjusting her hair back into place after his windy takofftake off made it unruly thenshe hurried over to the river, kneeing down onto the bank she dipped the empty bucket in and lifted out with as much water weight as she could carry.

Looking around one last time to be sure she was not being watched she stood up, lifting the bucket with both her small hands that still trembled, she started back home as quickly as her young legs were able to carry her.

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