Shit's about to get real, yall… mwuhuhahahaha…
Bardock sighed as he slowly ate the breakfast that Motoki had brought him, and he wondered where Makoto was and what in the hell was taking her so long. Not that he minded, but she'd never left him alone this long during the last four days since she'd shown him to his own room.
He continued to eat slowly as he silently worried, and when he was halfway through with the plate of eggs and lots and lots of bacon, he heard the queen's voice, sounding awfully agitated as she went back and forth with a male, whose voice Bardock didn't recognize.
Both of them sounded absolutely livid with another, and Bardock stood, using his noise and his tail to locate the both of them and snarl softly when he sensed the male standing close enough to Makoto to strike her.
"Fine then! You've been avoiding me for days, Mako! And you say that you're taking care of some diplomat from a planet I've never even heard of, but I have yet to even see him! So where is he, huh!? Or have you been lying to me this entire time!?"
"I haven't been lying, Rubeus! Dear gods, you're such a fucking asshole! And you know what, if you want to accuse me of lying one more fucking time, I'll meet you in the training room and take the insult out of your ass in payment!" Mako shouted back. Unable to stop herself when his hands erupted into flames, she shoved him with the strength of Jupiter and sent him slamming into the nearest wall.
"Mako, you're going to pay for that!" He shouted as he stood and fire began to course between his palms.
"Oh, bring it, you sissy fucking bitch," she snarled as she waved a hand and was suddenly clothed in her Senshi uniform. "I will take your ass out, Rubeus, and you know it." She let the power of her planet fill her and was wrapped in lightning when he struck, but the first fireball met her powers with a crackle and a whoosh as the fire went out and she retaliated smoothly with a shock that would have taken him out had he not dodged. "That's right, Rubeus, you'd better run," she ground out, but when he flung another wave of fire at her and she prepared to block it, she yelped in surprise when a solid form darted in front of her and took the blow, his aura glowing gold as it surrounded him.
"Try it again and I will bury your ass," Bardock snarled in Saiyan, his chest rumbling steadily in a warning growl as he tracked Rubeus by scent, his ki crackling around him violently.
"Who's this, Mako? A new boytoy?" Rubeus snorted. "Well, he's certainly not hideous, I'll give you that. But blonde? Really? I'd always thought you more into redheads."
Blonde? Mako blinked, but she didn't really have to study him to see that Rubeus was correct; Bardock's hair was standing up in a spikier-then-usual style, and his hair was as golden as the aura of immense spiritual power surrounding him. Maybe that's how the warriors on his planet fought? And maybe their hair became golden, sort of like the way her clothing changed whenever she transformed. Hell, even his tail was golden, she noted as she looked him over from behind. "Bardock, I've got this," she finally said. "Trust me, I've kicked Rubeus's ass on several occasions through the years."
"Bardock?" Rubeus inquired. "So this is the diplomat? Looks more like a warrior to me," he commented as he powered down and stepped forward to look him over.
"Koto, if he comes any closer, I will rip his fucking head from his shoulders and shove it up his ass," Bardock warned softly in Saiyan, forming a ki ball in his hand as he continued to growl in warning. "No," he finally managed in Solarian when he felt Mako shifting behind him, preparing to step forward. "Koto, no."
"You're lucky he didn't rip you to pieces, Rubeus," Mako chuckled darkly. "You should've seen what he did to my sparring partner last week. Apparently his kind don't take well to men who hit women. Even if you do hit like a girl." With a comforting touch to his shoulder, she gently took the hand holding the ki blast by the wrist. "Bardock, it's ok."
"No, Koto," he growled softly. "No okay. F'ri en."
"Don't make me grab your tail again," she chuckled as she merely poked the base of it and he shivered in response.
"Koto, I swear by all that is holy, if you touch my tail again, I will fuck you senseless right in front everyone," he replied, unable to hide a hint of a smirk from his lips.
Heh, maybe that's what she wanted? They had grown surprisingly close over the last few days, exchanging words in both languages and joking over each other's pronunciation. And that computer Ami had sent had only made him realize just how sharp the queen of Jupiter was as she'd told him stories about her younger years, even though the device lacked battery time and required charging after less than an hour of translating.
Another gently spoken request for him to power down had him relenting, and Bardock sighed and nodded, letting his ki return to normal despite the power high he was experiencing. Apparently nearly dying had really given his ki a boost, he'd never felt so powerful in all his life!
But as his ki sank back down, he grunted as he sensed the other male powering back up, but was too slow to stop the blast of fire and didn't have enough time to raise his ki to defend himself. But the expected blow never came, and he gaped as he scented Makoto right in front of him, panting heavily, her body trembling with rage. "Koto…? Koto!" He snapped, worried despite the fact that he didn't smell any blood.
"Rubeus, if you ever strike out at anyone under my protection ever again, I will execute you on the spot. Now get the fuck out of my kitchens and send your people to clean up the mess," Mako ordered roughly, lowering her arms from in front of her and giving them a shake to stop them from trembling in a mixture of rage and fear. That bastard would have killed Bardock with that blast, for sure, but thankfully Mako knew Rubeus's tactics all too well and would never, ever drop her shields in his presence.
She sighed when she felt arms spin her around and saw the panic written all over Bardock's face as he used his hands to check her over, obviously searching for any signs of injury. "Bardock, I'm fine," she sighed.
"Uh-huh, just a diplomat, sure," Rubeus sneered from the doorway. "He sure is touchy-feely for being only a diplomat, Makoto. You sure you're not fucking him?"
A string of curses and a bolt of lightning flew from her, and she grinned savagely when the shot hit home and Rubeus fell, still alive and concious, but twitching all the same. "He's blind, you fucking asshole. And whom I'm fucking is none of your godsdamned business, anyway. Now get the fuck out of my kitchen!" She screamed at him.
Mako unthinkingly winced when Bardock's hands reached her forearms, but before she could pull away, Bardock was gripping her firmly and sniffing the flesh, his mouth turned down in a frown. "Bardock, I'm fine," she sighed.
"You were injured saving my life, woman, so don't even start with that 'I good' shit!" He snapped out at her. "Toki!" He bellowed.
The queen of Jupiter blushed and hung her head a little when Motoki came running and Bardock began barking out orders in Saiyan, releasing her to make quick little hand gestures. But when she tried to slip away silently, Motoki cleared his throat and Bardock was there in a flash, moving with a speed she'd never witnessed before. "Um… hi?" She squeaked out.
"Koto—"
That was the only word she understood during the forty-five second tirade he went on, and Makoto was positive that he was swearing at her vehemently and creatively, describing just what he would do to her if she didn't sit her ass down and let him dress the burns on her arms. "But… but they aren't that bad, Bardock," she whispered softly, her eyes darting from side to side to try and find some means of getting away and out of everyone's line of sight. If word got out that she'd let a blind man push her around and coddle her like a child—never mind that he was fast as hell and a lot more powerful than she'd previously thought, he was still blind—Rei would never, ever let her live it down.
Her meek little protest made him chuckle darkly as he hefted her tightly against him and carried her back to the table he'd been sitting at, placing her gently in his seat. "Hi'nah," he snorted when she tried to say something else. "Au a'hir, Koto. No…" Damn, what was that word? "Moof. No moof."
"A'hir is move?" She asked, trying to get him to wipe that furious look from his face.
"F'ri, Koto. A'hir ish—" He lowered his hands to her arms and touched them lightly, pulling them back when he felt the heat in them and she winced at the contact.
"Hurt," she supplied. "A'hir is 'hurt.'"
"G'in. En, Koto," he replied gruffly. "Moof ish h'tir."
"Gah-eeen?" She replied with a slightly forced giggle in an effort to get him to lose the frown. Mako felt a little better when his lips flickered into a smirk for a brief moment, but apparently Bardock was all business and wouldn't be swayed. "Can we please not do this down here at least?" Mako hissed out, knowing that Motoki would at least get her back on this one thing. "Please, the servants are staring and I don't like the looks I'm getting. I'm supposed to be the tough, undefeatable queen of Jupiter, and having them see me like this is unsettling. I should be walking the fuck around, strutting like a rooster, crowing about how Rubeus hits like a girl!"
Motoki laughed at that, leaning against the wall for support while his sides shook from the effort it took not to cackle loudly and draw more attention. "You are so vain, Mako-chan," he finally giggled, tears streaming down his face from laughing so hard. "I suppose it didn't occur to you that they aren't staring at you. They're staring at Bardock," he whispered conspiratorially, "and they're wondering three things. One, why in the hell you rushed to protect him and vice-versa. Two, why he freaked the fuck out over some minor third-degree burns that would make the queen of Mars call you a sissy for even wrapping… and three." He grinned broadly at that and Mako's emerald eyes narrowed; clearly, this third thing was the most entertaining.
"Just spit it out," she snarled softly.
"Three… they're wondering what's going on between the two of you that you'd actually let him boss you around like this."
"Toki… fuck off," Mako growled as soon as she could actually voice a reply.
"Here, Majesty," one of the girls from the kitchen said solemnly, but the little grin on her face completely belied her tone of voice.
Mako snatched the gauze and the ointment up but shot the girl a venomous look, and was pleased when the maid or cook or whatever she was scurried out of her line of sight. "Here, Bardock, let me see, I got some gauze and—fine," she sighed when he automatically grabbed them and growled at her in a warning to let him take care of her injury.
"F'ri h'tir, Koto," Bardock grunted for good measure as he carefully spread ointment over the warm spots he could feel under his fingertips, taking care to not put any pressure on the blisters. He was pleased when she listened and didn't fight him, but equally troubled by the fact that she'd just saved his life… again. He definitely owed her a blood debt now, there was no arguing with his beast about it. The only problem was figuring out how to repay it. "Rubeeeeush," he finally said as he was using his dexterous fingers to feel out how to wrap her arm with the protective gauze. "M'eh a'hir."
"Ugh… no, Bardock. Just… just let me handle it. Trust me, I'm gonna kick his ass for firing on you, but it needs to be handled delicately, ok?" Mako sighed when he growled at her, his tail thrashing about angrily. "Computer?" She suggested.
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"No," Mako sighed once they were in his room and the computer had been opened by an irate Bardock, who immediately demanded that she lead him to Rubeus or he'd find him by scent. "You have to understand, Bardock. Rubeus and I… it's almost like a game. The last time this sort of thing happened, I put his head through a wall. Literally. Before then, he dunked my head in a trough full of water and I semi-electrocuted myself. Him and I have been squabbling for years, and we just constantly have to one-up the other."
Bardock rubbed the bridge of his nose as his tail thrashed about in pure anger, and his words came out as a growl when the computer finished translating her explanation. "So today was normal behavior for the both of you?"
"More or less… until he fired on you," Mako replied with a little growl of her own. "And for that, I am going to make him pay. I just don't know how, yet. He's half Lunarian and half Martian and he's a royal diplomat for Rei, so I can't just kill him like I want to. While Rei would tell me to fry him, Rubeus's Lunarian family would raise a bit of a stink… his brother, Diamond... he's more than a bit of a dick."
Bardock blinked in surprise and wished he could see her face so he could study her expression. She wanted to kill Rubeus for trying to hurt him, but not for the attack on her own person? Not only that, but he was reminded yet again that she'd thrown herself in front of him and had taken the blast, burning her arms as a result. "Ch'teru," he mumbled to himself.
"Blood debt," the computer translated.
"Huh?" Mako asked in confusion.
"Nothing," Bardock replied, waving her off. Hell, how could he even possibly repay a blood debt anyway!? The only possessions he had were what she'd given him, and on top of it all, he was blind! He would think it over, though, he decided. His honor would allow nothing less, but he was going to need to get creative in regards to paying her back. Perhaps once his sight was restored, he could offer his services as a warrior and a guard. If he was stuck there, he'd prefer to stay close to her anyway.
She was safe. He could trust her with his life, and frankly, his beast was gnawing at the bars of its cage more than just a little at the thought of leaving her. "Koto, from now on, if you want to spar, I will spar with you," he said thoughtfully.
Mako bit her tongue when she nearly pointed out that he was blind, mentally slapping herself for even thinking such a thing. Bardock had proven more than once that he didn't need his eyes to see an opponent; she'd watched him track Rubeus across the kitchen using only his nose and tail, and he was clearly a dominant warrior when he powered up. "Ok. Deal," Mako agreed after a long silence. "But none of that 'I won't hit you because you're a girl' stuff. I ain't no sissy, Bardock."
Ugh, shit she was right! How were they supposed to spar if he couldn't even bring himself to bruise her? "My beast won't allow me to hit you," he rumbled thoughtfully. "It is literally impossible, Koto. But we'll think of something and see if we can't work around it. Yes?"
"Hey, up to you, Bardock. Just don't whine when I hand you your ass on a silver platter," she giggled.
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Bardock had refused to spar with her that day, insisting that she be fully healed before he did so, and they spent the rest of the day just chatting, then walking around and being lazy, simply enjoying one another's company. And when the time came for bed, Bardock chuckled as he snagged Mako's hand and kissed the back of it. "Ve'sh m'yo," he said smoothly, giving her a little wink. "En m'kor."
Makoto couldn't help but giggle at that and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "Night, Bardock. Sweet dreams."
Bardock had a sappy little smile on his face when he retired for the evening after a long, hot shower, and he sighed in contentment as he listened to Mako humming something from the next room, her voice coming through the thin door between them. It had been behind a bookcase and he'd discovered it the day before, and with Mako's permission, he'd moved it.
Not like he needed it there or anything for easier access to her suite, but it was nice knowing that she was only a few feet away through the door should she need protection or help.
Despite Makoto's wishes for his dreams to be sweet, Bardock's were anything but, and soon after he drifted off, he was tossing and turning in bed, growling in Saiyan and fighting phantoms in his nightmares.
First it was Frieza, who slaughtered his entire squad before his eyes while Bardock stood caged in ki bands, unable to do anything, and he screamed himself hoarse in the dream, shouting out to Toma and Fasha as they fell. Then it was Romayna, fighting some sort of being that neither of them could see, and he knew it was the cancer that had killed her while she was pregnant with Kakarot, taking her life just after they'd removed him from her womb and put the child in the incupod.
And then it was Raditz and Turles, his boys—the boys he'd raised—and it was Frieza that killed them as well while Bardock screamed in rage and helpless tears rolled down his face as he begged for Frieza to take him instead, just anything but his boys.
Kakarot was next, slaughtered in the incupod, and Bardock wept silently as he cradled the son he'd seen only once in his arms, his little lifeless body bloody and cold.
"Make it stop!" He shouted out loud and in the dream.
It seemed for a moment that the gods were listening, because then Makoto was there, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. He couldn't see her in the nightmare, couldn't put a face to the smell of her, but it was her, without a doubt. He relaxed and wept into her shoulder as she whispered comfort to him in her language, his tail wrapping tightly and possessively around her waist.
But that comfort was short-lived when he felt heat surrounding him and she screamed in pain, jerking as she burned to death and begged for him to help her.
And at a loss for what he could do, Bardock screamed with her as she burned in his arms.
##############################
Mako yelped and shot out of bed when she was violently shaken from sleep, the cold and clammy hands on her shoulders like vices, and so shocked by the aggressive awakening, she zapped the hands hanging onto her.
Her panicking alarm clock wasn't discouraged though, and she blinked in the inky pitch when someone breathing heavily and clearly terrified shook her again. "K—Koto!?"
"Bardock?" She asked groggily, relaxing a little at the sound of his voice. Gods, he sounded absolutely hoarse, like someone had rubbed his throat with sandpaper! "What's up, honey?" Mako pressed, feeling around a little to draw the covers back and rise up a bit. Her hand went to his face, but when she touched his cheek, she gasped in surprise. He was cold as ice, but his face was soaked in tears, and if she wasn't mistaken, he was still crying.
Hugging him immediately, Mako began running her fingers through his hair as soothingly as possible, her arms tight around his broad shoulders. "Bardock, tell me what's wrong, honey. What happened?"
Bardock just shook his head frantically while she continued to whisper sweet little things in his ear and she smoothed her hands up and down his back. At least, until he realized that she'd been doing the exact same thing in the dream just before she'd burst into flames. She'd even been wearing the exact same gown that he could feel under his hands and against his chest and stomach, and his hands trembled as he broke awake from her to yank it over her head and toss it away.
"Bardock? Bardock, what the hell are you doing!?" Mako asked insistently, trying to pull away when he suddenly began to run his hands over every inch of bared skin. She gasped when his calloused palms boldly ran down her breasts and her thighs, but when he popped back up after running his fingers over her calves and feet and began to examine her arms just as carefully, she understood and relaxed. "You dreamt that something bad happened to me, didn't you, honey? Well, I'm fine, I promise," she added when he found the healing burns on her arms from earlier that day.
The Saiyan drew her into his arms again and held her tightly once he was sure her previous injuries were the only burns marring her flawless skin, and as she continued to coo and soothe him in her language, he gradually relaxed enough to speak. "Mah'ni," he whispered.
"R'en… m'kor?" She asked, hoping he'd understand.
Bardock did understand, but he merely shook his head, unwilling to release her to go get his computer to translate. "It was like the dream was telling me that every single one of their deaths was my fault… and really, they were," he breathed shakily. "I couldn't save Romayna from her illness. No matter how hard I tried to convince our king that Frieza was coming, I couldn't save our people. And I was gone and thrown into the future and couldn't do a thing to save my sons. And now… it's like the dream is telling me that there is no way to save you, either. It makes me wonder if the curse the Kanassians placed on me really ever left when Frieza killed me," he ended in a fearful whisper. "Gods… what if it's the truth? What if something is going to happen and I won't be able to stop it?" He gasped out, his arms tightening around her to the point that she couldn't breathe.
"Bardock—need to breathe, honey," Mako whispered, grateful when he apologized softly and loosened his hold. She reached out to the side then and found her discarded gown, but when she motioned to put it back on, he stopped her with a fast shake of his head and wrenched it out of her hands. "Bardock… not that I mind being naked in bed with an equally naked and gorgeous man, but I have a feeling that you're going to wind up staying the night. So I'd be a little more comfortable if I had some clothes on, ok?"
"No," he grunted. When she shivered, he realized that she was probably saying that she was cold, and he nuzzled her throat apologetically before maneuvering them both beneath the covers, her body held tightly to his. "Mah'ni, Koto m'yo," he breathed in her ear, his fingertips whispering gently down her spine. "If the dream is real, I'll never let it happen," he told her even though she couldn't understand him. "I owe you my life, and if that is how I must fulfill the blood debt, I will give up mine for yours without hesitation."
He sounded so downright dark and solemn that Mako looked up at him in the pitch, her fingers gently tracing his face and brushing away the remainder of his tears. "Bardock, I don't know what you're saying, but I promise you that I'm alright. And you are, too. I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise. Ok?" She craned her neck then and brushed her lips over his, sealing the vow with a kiss and hoping to comfort him at the same time. "Sleep, now. M'kor, Bardock."
He was slightly ashamed thirty minutes later when he heard her singing something softly as she continued to soothingly pet him, kissing his cheeks or his lips on occasion, and knew without a doubt that she was trying to sing him to sleep. Her voice wasn't the best, he noted silently, but it had a calming quality to it that relaxed his beast enough for him to shut his cloudy eyes. "Koto m'yo," he mumbled, nuzzling his face deep into her thick hair. "D'in m'yo."
Combined with her scent, the singing did the trick, and Mako sighed in relief when she felt him grow a little heavier against her, signaling that he'd finally dozed off.
It wasn't difficult for her to do that same; his scent and the feeling of being held securely to his chest like some sort of favorite stuffed toy made her feel safe, and Mako found herself dozing as well within minutes.
But when she woke eight hours later, the queen of Jupiter was confused when she found herself naked, tangled up in another set of equally nude arms and legs. Then the events of the night before came back to her and she flushed in slight embarrassment, turning an even brighter red when she shifted a bit and felt a hard cock pressing into her mound. "Oh boy," she choked out, followed by what could only be a nervous giggle. "Big boy," she amended.
Bardock muttered something in his sleep and his purr started up then, and Mako couldn't help but laugh when his hands slid down her sides, his callouses tickling her. "Bardock…! Hee… tickles! Cut it out! Hi'nah!"
"Hmph… Koto?" He rumbled groggily. It was his turn to blush when he felt his arousal pulse and jump in response to her squirming, and his cheeks grew as bright as his headband when his tail slid around her waist and she giggled again. Oh, he was tickling her! "Mah'ni, Koto," he said, parting from her just as quickly as the words slipped from his mouth.
"Nah, you're ok!" Mako giggled, pecking him lightly on the mouth at the sight of how crimson his face had grown. "Au en?" She asked nonchalantly as she slipped from the bed and drew on a robe. "En m'kor?" She added seriously when he grunted in response.
"G'in, Koto. D'in m'yo. Joo?" He inquired.
"Best sleep I've had in a long time," she admitted, but only because he wouldn't understand her. Something about his alluring, musky scent aroused her and calmed her at the same time, and she found herself wondering if perhaps she was more than just a little attracted to him. Sure, he was gorgeous, but something told her that it was more than just his looks that were drawing her in. "Ad?" She asked with a shaky, slightly nervous smile that she was grateful he couldn't see.
"F'ri. Ji'shi," he replied, waving at her before clenching his fist and holding it up.
"Oh, spar? Sure!" Mako said brightly, deciding to forgo a shower since she'd be getting sweaty. "Go on, go get dressed, I'll meet you in a minute!"
Bardock was waiting for her, fully dressed in his armor instead of some of the clothes that Toki had found for him, and dwelling on her previous thoughts of him, Mako couldn't help but appreciate the way he looked dressed for battle. "Any other woman would have tried to eat you alive by now," she mumbled under her breath.
He hid the fact that he'd heard her and partially understood, but Bardock couldn't stop a tiny smirk from gracing his mouth at the compliment. Was she interested…? Nah, she was probably just appreciating the view; he knew he looked good and was used to women admiring him whenever he landed on an alien planet. "Ji'shi, Koto m'yo?" He drawled absently, coloring slightly when he realized that he'd uttered a term of endearment reserved for those interested in courting. Damn it, he'd called her 'his' yesterday, too, hadn't he? Fuck it, she likely didn't know what in the hell he'd said or what it meant, so it wasn't a big deal.
Looping his tail around her wrist automatically, he hesitated as he thought about the implications of that as well, but followed her silently as he mulled it over. He trusted her. He clearly didn't want anyone threatening her or causing her harm. And his beast had made it crystal clear that he wouldn't harm her, either.
The thought of his beast made him inwardly groan; that little bastard was definitely attracted to her and more than just a little aroused by her scent and her presence. Huh… would I have felt the pull for her if I was able to make eye contact? He wondered to himself as they turned a corner. He wished that he had something to compare it to, but he and Romayna had pairbonded during a full moon and it had been a heat of the moment coupling when he'd been only seventeen. There had been no pull, just a physical attraction for each other that was more common on Vegeta-sai than the rare, legendary jerk in one's chest or stomach when a warrior met his soul mate.
He was about to think more deeply on the subject when the queen's voice broke him out of his inner thoughts, and judging by the scent in the air, they had reached their destination. Oh well, he'd have plenty of time for thinking of such things later on.
I cut it off there to keep it T, lol… there shall be a little citrus in the next chapter, though, mwuhuhahahahahaha! R&R and I JUST might write it before I continue working on Redemp and Con!