Isala was sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office; something that had he shifting uncomfortably in her seat. She had spent a lot of time being tended to by medics, in healing tanks, and she'd even been for a check-up here before, but there had been no waiting then. Now she was simply waiting to be tended to, so this Doctor could check her body was damaged in a way that a healing tank couldn't fix.
She didn't even feel bad, save for the usual bruising and injuries that could be expected from a tough battle, but those had faded thanks to a dip in the tank and one of the weird capsules capsules she'd been given.
But at least she wasn't alone, she frowned to hear her herself thinking, as she noticed somebody else sitting with her in the doctor's dome. She was much taller than her, still as lean, but without Isala's definition. She had white hair, green eyes, and distinctly flat hair –not really enough to go on.
"Hey." Isala said to the other girl, looking up from under her sedge hat. It was distinct for being the only part of her current attire, her battlesuit, that wasn't covered in scorches and stretches of thinner fabric. "You're an Earthling, right?" Not a Saiyan?"
The girl pulled the buds out of her ears nodded at Isala. "Hey, that's right." She paused, her sharp eyes catching sight of Isala's tail. "Whoa, wai' a moment, aren' you Isala? Trunks' par'ner? The original Saiyan?"
Isala blinked and scratched her cheek. "Yeah, that's me, I guess. I'm not used to being called that, but compared to everyone else here..." The pride in her heart struggled to overcome the overbearing weight. "I suppose I am the original Saiyan. How about that?"
"It's nothing to sneeze a'." The stranger laughed. "I don' wan to sound like a fangirl or anything, but, you're pretty cool in my books. How're you se'ling in?" She asked, as she smoothed down her skirt with a manicured nail.
"It's good, it's good." Isala half-truthed. "It's kind of weird to...know there are so many half-Saiyans around and not know who's who or what and whether or not they're actually, like, connected, to what I know?" She explained, before catching herself revealing too much. Perhaps the recent aches of battle were making her babble. "The best idea I've got is punching them and seeing if they want to fight."
"Yacould always look them up on the da'abase...no, wai', tha's creepy." The other girl laughed. "Sorry, I'm no' much help, huh? But wha' I am is Reyki, and it's nice to mee' ya." She held her hand out to Isala, who stared for a moment before shaking it.
"You Earthlings have weird names."
"Ya King was li'erally named after vegetables, so ya don' ge' to cri'icize." Reyki pointed out with an accusatory finger. "Bu', I guess tha's no' fair. We've had dogs as Kings, so, I wouldn' say monarchy is anyone's strong sui'."
"I completely agree." Isala smirked.
"Nice, nice." Reyki nodded. "No' tha' I'm all the way an Earthling. I'm an Android, ya see."
"What does that mean?" Isala raised an eyebrow at the other young woman.
"I' means tha' I've gone through several procedures to turn me in'o a biomechanical Earthling instead of a regular Earthling – I say regular, we're abou' as varied as one planet can ge', My skin's tougher, muscles, I've go' an infini'e energy reserve. I's a pre'y swee' deal, if ya willing to go for i'."
Isala furrowed her brow. "Why is every Earthling not an Android?"
"Wow, tha's a bigger question than you'd think." Reyki laughed. "There's the money, of course; comple'ely rebuilding an Earthling is hard and has a lo' of tech involved. Finding somebody to do i', because the science has a bad reputation, and tha's also par' of why people don' wan' i'. I's qui'te horrible to think abou', having your whole body broke down and pu' back together again. And the bigges' one is tha' i's only useful for figh'in, really."
"Saiyans would be all over that." Isala said, considering for a moment just how much tougher they would be if that were the case. She brought herself out of her daydreaming by reminding herself that she didn't actually know how much stronger it would make somebody. "You took it because you wanted to fight, right?"
"I...sor' of?" Reyki shook her head. "I's not something I talk abou' with jus' anyone, bu' I guess you're alrigh'." She flashed a smile. "I was born withou' everything in the righ' place, a condition tha' mean' I wouldn' be able to walk properly, ge' around, bump in'o something withou' sha'ering every bone in my body." She laughed. "So no' the tough girl y'see righ before ya. Tech only did so much, so I was kind of screwed."
"Bu', one day, I was in the hospi'al, watching reruns of old figh's and saw wha' those guys could do. And I though' to myself: Those guys are flying and I'm stuck in a bed cha'ing with nurses, ge'ing my nails done and being miserable. No' that I mind being fashionable," She tugged on her stylish blue jacket. "Bu', I wan'ed to meet some of those martial ar'ists and see whether they could do anything for me. And they could."
"Hmph." Isala said. "On Vegeta, you'd have been lucky to live if you were born like that."
Reyki scowled. "Well, on Vege'a, I'd be dead like the res' of them, wouldn't I?"
Isala's nostrils flared, she clenched her fists, and stared at the ground. "...nevermind. Go on."
"Righ'." Reyki nodded. "Sorry, i's jus'...so, these guys, the New Crane School, they weren' willing to take me on at firs', being half dead and all, but one of the masters there saw me causing a fuss and agreed to teach me for a month. If I could walk across the hall by myself, no injuries, by the end, he'd take me on. And I did, and he did, so I star'ed using ki to help me deal with my condition. Then, one day, the Supreme Kai of Time showed up and offered me a fix."
"Now, I was scared ou' of my wi's, but she looked the type to know a lo' about ki. Short, pointy ears, weird skin, fancy old clothes? Guaranteed ki-master. She took me through the process, gave me a choice, blah, blah, so I wen' for it. It's not been long now, bu' I feel be'er than ever." Reyki grinned. "Best of all is being able to be normal for once."
Isala nodded slowly, absorbing Reyki's tale, then looked up to catch her eyes. "So you chose to stop being a real Earthling and now you're happy with how you are? Don't you think that makes you too different to keep being one?"
"...nah." Reyki shook her head. "Being an Earthling isn' abou' wha' ya body's made of, it's abou' what ya carry in ya hear'." She tapped her chest. "Ya could turn my skin in'o rocks and my muscles in'o magma and I'll still know where I came from and what means the mos' to me. Being an Android isn' going to stop me from enjoying anything about being an Earthling. It's go'a be the same for you, righ'? You're an original Saiyan, regardless of the sta'e Vege'a's in."
"Yeah." Isala said, though her heart wasn't in it. "I guess."
Reyki licked her lips, stared at Isala, then leaned back in her seat. "Anyway, the only person I've me' who has a problem with i' is your par'ner. No' tha' he le's it be obvious or anything, but I can tell he doesn't like being around me much. The Supreme Kai says it's because of something in his past, and me being here will help him get over i', and I trust her more than most to know wha's best."
"What do you think you'd feel if Earth was destroyed?" Isala asked. "Would you still know all of those things you do now?"
"Uh, I'm no' sure." Reyki laughed. "I suppose i'd be hard for a while seeing as I'd need to change jus' about everything in my life, and, uh, I'd...I'd jus' try to keep the best things about Earth going while I was around. I wasn' anyone impor'an' while I was there and I'm not tha' no'eworthy now, no' ye', bu' I think the bes' thing I could do is take the par's I loved the mos' and keep them going."
"Why?" Isala asked.
"Because...I like i'?" Reyki shrugged. "If I like the place I was a', i's only righ' that I keep wha' I liked going and see if anyone else would like i' too. And I think all of the people tha' didn't survive would wan' the same – seeing as they wouldn' have the chance to. And there are a lo' of things abou' Earth worth keeping around."
"Do you think that there are a lot of other planets that would feel the same?" Isala asked. "Not just Earth?"
"Yeah, I think there are." Reyki said. "I' seems like some planets migh' be filled with too many evil people to be worth keeping around, but that's a lo' of nonsense in my opinion. Some of history's greates' heroes have been bad people who were given a chance to stop being tha' way. And you don' have to be a hero to be impor'ant or worth keeping around. Look a' me – I wouldn' even be here if i' weren' for the Supreme Kai of Time, or the New Crane School, seeing something in a weak li'le girl."
"Yeah, that makes sense." Isala went silent as her mind delved into all of the worlds she'd visited, all of the lives she'd taken. Before, it had just been her own world, her own horrible memories, but since the time she spent with the Supreme Kai, she was thinking about them. And the things she'd done. It helped to make her angry, but it wasn't the pure rage she'd felt for her King, or the Emperor. It was fuel, but it came with pollution.
They sat there in silence for a few moments, then Reyki's wrist beeped to call her into the doctor's office. "Here I go." She said, pulling herself to her feet and smiling down at Isala. "It was nice talking with ya, Isala. Do ya mind if we talk again some other time?"
Isala managed to smile back at the taller girl. "No, if you can find me, we can talk, if you want."
"Grea'." Reyki said. "Hey, would you mind standing up real quick?" She asked, as her wrist beeped once more and she tapped it with her other finger. "I wan' to check something."
"Uhh...yeah, why not?" Isala said, as she stood up. The height difference between them was even more pronounced, which wasn't something that bothered her. It just meant there was more limb to break. "But if you're trying to get your perv on, Avada's got that covered."
"What? No, no." Reyki laughed. "Ya a real Saiyan, aren' ya?"
"Of course I am." Isala said.
Reyki opened her mouth to speak, then threw a punch at Isala's face. The Saiyan dodged to the side of it and back-flipped where she stood, sending the point of her boot straight into the Android's jaw. The latter stumbled backwards and Isala was already leaping at her again.
"Whoa, hey, hey!" Reyki grinned, as she did her best to block the blows. "I was jus' checking if ya were a Saiyan." She said, as the gap in Isala's assault allowed her to rub her jaw. "Tha's ya method, righ'?"
Isala's mind flicked back to their conversation and she shook her head with a smirk. "Go to the Doctor before I throw you in there."
