"Where the hell is he?" Aayla had asked that question so many times to herself she had stopped keeping track.
It had been over a week now since the conclusion of the battle of Fuar, since the planet's untimely destruction. Frieza had been missing that entire time, most likely wounded and drifting in the debris field of what was left of the planet. As Aayla gazed out of the viewport of The Nemesis she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, it was like trying to find a needle in a bale of loflaire grass. Except in this case the bale was the size of a planet and the needle might not even be there cause it got itself killed.
No he's alive out there I know he is, Aayla thought to herself. The azure warrior had to continuously remind herself that Frieza would not be done in by something as trivial as a planet exploding under his feet. It was just a matter of time before they found him, their search party was working almost around the clock to find their missing leader.
"Nothing in this sector either Aayla should we move on?" Nadan asked from his work station. The Malakan had been searching almost nonstop since Weiss, Shuyo and herself finished their recoveries.
"Yes let's move on, keep scanning he's out there I know it." Aayla sighed as she turned to Tukkan who was busy monitoring the communications. "Have Weiss or Cooler found anything yet?" she asked the Konatsian chef.
"Not sure but they're both coming aboard now so you can try asking them." The entire crew had been in a solemn mood since the battle even the usually high-spirited master chef seemed to be moping around. Aayla simply nodded as she made her way to the airlock only to have two small blurs race past her to it first. Both Tyr and Raijin had been practically glued to Weiss after the battle, both of them feeling guilty that they weren't there to watch her back. Despite Weiss' protests they had spent the better part of a week glued to her making sure she was ok.
The airlock hissed open just as both Weiss and Cooler stepped into the hall Weiss was immediately bombarded with questions from her two cohorts, while Cooler simply locked eyes with Aayla. She didn't even need to ask the look on his face said it all, once again he had come back empty handed. Without saying a word Cooler walked away from the group, his tail swaying as he made his way down the hall.
Ever since he regained consciousness only to find his world destroyed and his brother missing Cooler's attitude shifted drastically, he wasn't his normal self-confident, suave self. He had become withdrawn, moody and downright unapproachable. He skipped most meals now and spent the better part of his day combing through the debris of Fuar for any sign of life, not just his brother but of any surviving Frost Demons who might have survived the blast. He didn't even object to Aayla taking command of the entire operation which shocked the Securan more than anything.
"Guys I am fine could you please just give me some space!" Weiss' agitated voice snapped Aayla out of her thoughts as both Tyr and Raijin mumbled apologetically before turning away to wander off.
"They're just worried about you sweetheart" Aayla said as she bent down to the Frost Demoness' height.
"Ugh I know but it's not their fault I got hurt it's my own stupid fault, all of this is my fault!" Weiss stamped down angrily. The way she crossed her arms and even the look of agitation she wore were almost identical to Frieza, the resemblance between the two was uncanny.
"We've been over this, it's not your fault this happened" Aayla placed both her hands on the young girl's shoulders and stared straight into her eyes. Weiss could only last a few seconds before she turned away from the piercing azure eyes of the Securan warrior.
Tears began running down the young girl's face as she raised it to look back Aayla "but if I hadn't jumped in I wouldn't have gotten hurt, then Mr. Shuyo wouldn't have had to save me and Nadan, he wouldn't have gotten hurt and he could have helped Frieza before that bug guy blew up the planet." Weiss had gone over this several times before and it didn't seem like any amount of reasoning would convince her otherwise. As far as Weiss was concerned she may as well have been the one to blow up their home.
Aayla hugged the girl as she sniffled into the crook of the azure beauty's neck, rubbing circles gently into her back to try and sooth the distraught child. After a solid minute Weiss broke away from the hug mumbling something about going to bed early so she could get back out to search. As the Frost Demoness rounded the corner Aayla exhaled deeply and leaned up against the wall, it hurt Aayla to see her, to see all of them, like this.
"You may be a megalomaniacal pain in the ass Frieza but god damn it they need you" after a brief pause of self-reflection Aayla snorted before continuing "hell, so do I."
Aayla was roused by the sound of someone clearing their throat beside her causing Aayla to nearly jump out of her skin. "Damn it Shuyo, you can't just sneak up on someone like that!"
"My apologies" the green monk bowed his head politely, the monk had been nothing short of silent since he awoke from his time in one of the ships two bacta tanks. Once he got out Aayla explained to him where he was and what happened. The revelation of the planet's destruction and Frieza's disappearance seemed to unnerve the green warrior. It didn't help matters that upon realising Shuyo was on the ship with them Cooler's immediate reaction was to launch him out the airlock.
"What is he doing here?!"
"Calm down Cooler, Frieza tossed him onboard before the planet exploded."
"Well good for him, we're tossing him right back out!"
"No, Frieza went out of his way to save him so he's staying until your brother gets back."
"I outrank everyone on this ship therefore he goes!"
"And I don't give a damn about your rank!"
"Grrrr."
"On top of that Shuyo here saved Frieza, Weiss, Nadan and the entire planet during that fight, which he wouldn't have had to do if you hadn't lost your cool like a child!"
"…."
"So unless you have a good reason for kicking him off the ship get out of my face I'm taking him to Nadan!"
The memory of Aayla and Cooler's heated argument was still fresh in the Securan's mind, Cooler would never have given up his position so easily, but that battle had taken its toll on him mentally. Turning her attention back to the monk she smiled at him "It's ok Shuyo, how's your recovery coming?" Aayla still remembered Nadan frantically going over the monk's injuries, multiple broken bones, fractured skull, internal bleeding and 4th degree burns it was a miracle the monk survived at all with all the damage he sustained.
Shuyo stared at Aayla with a perplexed expression on his face, he always seemed to have one like that whenever he interacted with anyone on the ship.
Sighing to herself Aayla pinched the bridge of her nose before asking the monk "alright what's with that?"
Slightly taken aback by her statement Shuyo stumbled over his words before responding "w-what's with what?"
"That look you have right now, every time someone on this ship says or does something nice you look at them like they've just sprouted a second head." Aayla thought she knew the reason behind this behaviour and if she was right she knew she'd have to get it out of the way immediately.
"Oh, well you see I guess I was just expecting um…." Shuyo trailed off looking guiltily at the ground.
"Let me guess you thought that since we're with Frieza we'd all be a bunch of kill crazy goons?" Aayla smirked as she leaned back against the wall of the corridor.
"It's not about you specifically, it's more about…" Shuyo began before he trailed off, he was having trouble meeting the piercing blue eyes of the Securan.
"Frieza, look I'm not going to sugar coat it, everything you've heard about him is probably true. He's killed a lot of people more than I think even he knows, but he's not such a bad guy once you get to know him." Shuyo clearly wasn't fully convinced judging by the way his jaw clenched up, so Aayla just kept going. "Ever since he got back from Namek over a year ago something's been different about him. I don't think even he realises it himself but he's becoming a better person, whether he wants to or not."
"How?" Shuyo's question almost sounded like a plea as if he desperately needed to know.
"Well I don't think he's killed any of his subordinates since he got back, I know that doesn't sound that impressive but from what I've heard it's a huge improvement." Aayla chuckled at Shuyo's uncertain expression. "It's really the little things that show you how he's changing, he's made peace with his brother, which a lot of people didn't believe was possible. You should see him around the kids, they adore him and they are clearly rubbing off on him." Aayla couldn't help but smile thinking about the fun they had back in Ymir Stadium. "You yourself saw how he put himself at risk to save others, hell he did it for you twice."
"Yes, I know…. I just don't know what to make of this situation, I swore I would overthrow both Frieza and Cool-" Shuyo was cut off by Aayla outstretched palm.
"I'd like to direct your attention out this viewport" Aayla pointed to the window they were both standing beside. "As you can see their kingdom has been quite overthrown so congrats you succeeded, you should get bonus points because Frieza's still missing out there."
Shuyo's shoulders slumped as he looked upon the devastation wrought from the battle, finally hanging his head the monk could only mumble "I didn't want this."
"I figured as much, and if Frieza can look past you being an enemy and actually save you then so can I. Let's face it the day Frieza becomes the most open-minded of us is the day the universe implodes." After garnering no reaction from her joke Aayla slapped Shuyo on the shoulder to get his attention. "Come on cheer up a little there's enough depressed people on this ship right now, I don't need another."
Shuyo once again looked into Aayla's eyes trying to discern why she was being so nice to him. "I wouldn't say I'm depressed, just…. Confused."
"Well how about we get you something to do, it might help you focus, what do you do for fun?" Aayla asked the tall monk who had the most quizzical look as he thought about his own pastimes.
"I don't really do much for fun, I mostly wander the universe looking to assist those in need, I meditate in my free time and-" Once again Aayla halted the green monk with her hand she was trying very hard not to burst out laughing.
"I get it you're kind of boring, look this ship has state of the art everything, workout rooms, dining area, theater center, a link to the galaxy's largest database we're going to find you something to do alright." Aayla patted Shuyo's shoulder comfortingly before continuing "after all you are going to be staying with us for a while, unless you're partial to Cooler's solution" she grinned up at the towering figure who tried his best to return the gesture. "You also need to work on that smile a little more"
Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the shipwide com system flicking on. "Attention everyone you are all cordially invited to our first ever Cheer the Hell Up Banquet!" Tyr's voice rang through the halls of the ship gathering everyone's attention.
The sound of rustling could be heard as Tyr leaned away from the microphone "wait, really? That's what that means? Ok uh never mind you are all mandatorily invited to the banquet that means you Mr. Big Green Guy and you Mr. Cooler, no more skipping meals!" Aayla couldn't help but burst out laughing at the uneasy look on Shuyo's face as the com system shut off.
"Is he serious?" Shuyo asked nervously, Shuyo wasn't the most adept at normal social gatherings let alone ones with his enemies. Were they really his enemies though? At this point Shuyo couldn't decide he needed more time.
The com system flicked back on and Tyr's voice once again rang through The Nemesis "I almost forgot if you don't show up I'm gonna get Weiss to kick your butt!" As the system shut off, hopefully for the last time that day, Shuyo and Aayla could just make out the sound of an angered Frost Demoness down the hall.
"Well you heard the kid, you better be there" Aayla chuckled
Shuyo entered the dining area nervously, the problem with being a tall, green monk in flowing white robes was that it made him stick out like a sore thumb. Hiding was not his forte and so the moment he walked into the dining area every eye there fell on him. After a brief moment of silence Weiss got up from her seat and walked over to the towering monk, upon reaching him she bowed her head before smiling up at him "thanks for saving me and Nadan, and for helping us in the fight." With that the young Demoness spun around coiling her tail around Shuyo's wrist before dragging him over to the table.
As Shuyo sat down he looked around the table Weiss had taken her seat beside Raijin with an empty one on her left, Nadan was discussing search patterns with Aayla just off to his right and Cooler sat directly across from him. Shuyo wasn't easily intimidated but the cold stare the Frost Prince was giving him was unnerving to say the least. Turning his attention away from the moody Frost Demon Shuyo tapped Aayla on the shoulder to get her attention, she was the only one he had actually spoken to so far.
"Who are the three empty seats for?" Shuyo asked trying to spark up some form of conversation.
"Well those two are for Tukkan and Tyr, they're just in the kitchen preparing the rest of dinner." Aayla paused as she looked at the seat directly to her right, "that one's for…" She trailed off, Shuyo could sense the anxiety and worry from her thoughts, clearly the seat was for Frieza.
The others around the table must have overheard their conversation as the growing sense of sadness spread through the group. This is why I don't do social gatherings Shuyo thought to himself, asked one question and I brought down the whole mood.
A loud slam drew everyone's attention to the back of the room, Tyr had just kicked open the door to the kitchen, his arms were laden with the rest of the dinner they had prepared. "Alright people enough moping, Frieza would be pretty annoyed if he found out you were all just sitting around being emo about him." The young Dramon laughed as he placed the rest of the dishes, behind him Tukkan entered as well taking off his toque and throwing it back into the kitchen behind him.
"I don't know Tyr have you met Frieza? Everyone being sad over his disappearance would just inflate his ego." Tukkan chuckled as he tossed a bottle of wine towards Cooler who caught it deftly "little present I found for you Cooler, I think Frieza had that hidden away in the back."
"Of course he did, spoiled brat was probably hiding this away all for himself" Cooler chuckled, the first positive sound to leave the Frost Demon in over a week. And just like that smiles broke out among the group as they helped themselves to the meal prepared by their chefs. Tyr and Tukkan were busy explaining the dishes to everyone, Nadan and Raijin were discussing some secret project they were working on. Cooler sat sipping his wine contently and Aayla was busy scarfing down food by the forkful pausing only briefly for air whereas across from her Weiss neatly cut her food and ate it politely, the epitome of grace.
All around him Shuyo watched as the group enjoyed the time they spent with one another smiling, joking, telling stories and making plans for the future. He felt incredibly out of place these people had clearly formed a family with one another, he felt like the odd man out in this scenario, which brought on a surprising amount of loneliness. He was no stranger to being alone but this was the first time since the untimely death of his beloved master that he felt truly alone, ironic that it was in a room full of people.
"So, Shuyo since my request to launch you out the airlock has been down voted it seems you will be staying with us for the foreseeable future." Shuyo was snapped out of his thoughts by Cooler's voice, the Frost Demon was staring him down once more with his fiery red eyes. A small smirk passed over the Frost prince's face "why don't you tell us a little about yourself." Shuyo's eyes narrowed as the Frost Demon continued to smirk as he took another sip from his glass. Cooler was perceptive clearly he knew Shuyo was uncomfortable and so decided to exploit that, he couldn't kill the monk but he would make damn sure to make him as uncomfortable as possible while aboard.
Rising to the challenge Shuyo straightened himself up never breaking eye contact with the Frost Demon across from him. "Very well if you're all interested that is" looking around the table Shuyo could see no objections.
"Alright then, I can't remember my earliest years so I can't fill you in on those details, my earliest memories are living on the streets on a backwater planet called Veibos." Already every pair of eyes and ears was now fixated on the green monk including Cooler who hadn't expected Shuyo to actually speak. "It wasn't the nicest place to live to say the least, lawless and poverty was the norm unless you were the head of a gang."
Tukkan snapped his fingers as a smile grew on his face "Hey I dated a girl from Veibos once, good looking Brench with the biggest pair of…" Remembering the children at the table and noticing the death glare he was getting from Aayla quickly cut Tukkan's recount short. "Uh never mind continue man" he said cheerily waving his hand back towards Shuyo.
"Yes well I don't know how I got there, there were no others like me and I spent a long time searching." Reaching into his robes Shuyo extracted a necklace it was just a simple thin chain. It was silver in colour and the only thing to adorn its otherwise plain surface was a wooden semi-circle with a strange symbol carved into it, "This is the only evidence I have to my identity, I don't know what it is or how I got it, all I know is I've had it as long as I can remember. Everyone's attention was soon drawn to Nadan's raised hand. "Yes?" Shuyo asked uncertainly.
"So you have absolutely no clue what species you are?" To which Shuyo could only shake his head. "Fascinating, at first I thought you were a Namekian but clearly you're not, to be honest I don't believe I've ever seen someone like you." Nadan gazed at the seated monk looking as if he was trying to discern the monk's heritage by sight alone.
"That's partially why I travel the universe I don't know who or what I am, I guess I'm just looking for answers." Shuyo had only ever indulged one other person in the universe about this information, he couldn't determine why he was doing it for this group he barely knew, but he couldn't deny it felt good to get this off his chest.
"So how did you get off Veibos?" Raijin asked from across the table as he reached for some vegetables.
"A very kind man found me one day, he saw incredible strength within me, at least that's what he said at the time." The memories of his fateful introduction to his master brought a warm smile to Shuyo, one that he hadn't felt in a long time. "It turns out he was a nomad of sorts traveling from system to system seeking out evildoers and defeating them. He wanted to make me his apprentice, I accepted on the spot, he had me sold at 'leave Veibos'"
"So this guy taught you how to fight and use your power?" Weiss asked to which Shuyo nodded gently. "That's so cool you're just like me! Frieza's been training me as well to help me control my power." Weiss' grin was from ear to ear, if Shuyo was any indication of what a good mentor could produce then she would strive to better herself more than ever.
"Frieza trains you?" Shuyo asked, he had not expected one such as Frieza to be of the mentoring mindset. But looking around at all the people he had attracted into his company clearly meant there was more to the Frost Demon then merely a forceful dictator.
"It's so wonderful see for yourself." Weiss held a glass of water up triumphantly which Shuyo could only stare back in confusion at. "A few months ago I'd have shattered the glass because I had so much trouble keeping my power in check." Weiss was beaming with self-confidence brought on by her accomplishment.
"You also lit your bed on fire, you blew up two no wait three kitchen tables, you blew out a bunch of windows when you sneezed that one time oh and then there was OWW!" Tyr was cut off as Weiss slugged him on the arm, her face contorted in annoyance.
Clearing her throat Weiss once again addressed Shuyo as Tyr rubbed his arm sulkily "Yes well I have made leaps and bounds in my training, we'd put in at least an hour every day." Weiss' smile downturned as she looked at her plate, moving the food around with her fork she continued glumly "we haven't been able to this week."
"So might I ask, where is this master of yours now?" Cooler had finally spoken up to break the morose silence that had once again settled on the table.
"He's gone now, he was quite old I believe around fifty standard years, that was actually quite old for his species." Shuyo nodded to himself remembering the fateful morning "he passed in his sleep peacefully, ever since I took up his mantle, all the while searching for my own past."
"Well now that you're with us we can totally help you, we have so much information stored in the archives we're bound to find something about your people." Tyr chimed in happily "Also The Nemesis is like the fastest ship in the universe, we can get you anywhere you need to go!" Tyr exclaimed "I bet it can go from Cetera to the Zunus system in under twelve parsecs!"
"Parsec is a unit of distance dolt" Weiss said beside him shaking her head at her friend's mistake.
"Oh, really? Well it's still superfast" Tyr huffed as everyone at the table laughed, even Cooler and Shuyo joined in.
The unlikely crew of the Nemesis continued to chat and eat while getting to know the statuesque monk, all the while sharing about themselves. All in all Shuyo had to admit they were good people, Cooler was still a bit of an unknown but the rest were simply people who came into Frieza's company and made a home there. It was also all too clear that without their leader there was something missing from the group. So just as dinner ended Shuyo rose from his seat attracting the group's attention, he cleared his throat as he mentally urged himself onwards.
Just do it.
It was one of his mentor's favourite lines and always helped push him towards a goal. "You've all been searching for Frieza for some time now, and I can see how much he means to all of you." Every eye in the group was trained on Shuyo save for Cooler who was quietly sipping another glass of wine. "I also owe him my life as I would be gone if not for him, so…" Shuyo paused wrestling with his own conscious, this is Frieza we're talking about, he thought to himself.
Come on my boy just do it.
"So I will assist you in your search for him." Smiles broke out among the group as the children cheered, Nadan and Tukkan nodded to each other in their own form of unspoken communication. Aayla smiled up at the monk beside her giving him a pat on the back, the sound of Cooler clearing his throat brought everyone's attention to the Frost Demon.
"As commendable as that is I have to ask, how exactly do you expect to help us? I don't believe you can survive in a vacuum." Cooler chided from his end of the table.
"My master taught me many things, one of which was how to feel the life force of others, I can sense their energy" All eyes were back on Shuyo now, excitement quickly spreading through the group.
"So you think you can sense his energy even though my scanners, which are state of the art cannot?" Nadan questioned, only mildly annoyed that someone said they could outdo his engineering.
"It's not just his energy, my senses go deeper than that I can feel the thoughts off all living beings if I focus to varying degrees." Nadan leaned back taking in this new information, searching by both energy signature and thought waves would help narrow the search, plus a another perspective searching for Frieza would be invaluable.
"This is great Mr. Shuyo!" Weiss exclaimed happily, turning to Cooler she grinned coyly. "And you wanted to shoot him out the airlock" she mocked to which Cooler only grinned back.
"Oh I assure you I still do, let's not forget he is responsible for the deaths of Neiz, Dore and Salza." Cooler was back to staring down Shuyo who bowed his head. "However" Shuyo lifted his head back up as the Frost Prince continued "if he can help find my brother then that will be a good start to making things up to us."
Aayla stood up garnering everyone's attention "Alright everyone that's enough of that it's late, time for bed, for all of you." Aayla glanced over everyone at the table children and adults alike. "Tomorrow we're going to find Frieza so I want you all well rested and up early got it?"
Everyone mumbled their agreement Tyr and Raijin were the first to leave as the cleaning drones came to clean the dining area. Weiss was next however she made a brief stop in front of Shuyo and Ayala. She bowed to the bemused monk, Shuyo had not experienced such civility in a long time. Coming from someone so young who was trained by the galactic overlord himself was even stranger.
"Even if you can't find him, I just want to thank you for trying, and don't worry I won't let Cooler shoot you out of the airlock Mr. Shuyo." She said cheerily before turning around and walking towards the door.
"You can just call me Shuyo, there's no need for the Mr." Weiss turned back with an uncertain expression before she smiled happily.
"Sure thing Shuyo, I'll see you in the morning." With that she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. Followed by Nadan and Tukkan who were busy arguing with each other over something, Shuyo couldn't hear the details but it sounded like Tukkan was winning.
Turning around he was now face to face with Cooler who, after a brief few moments of intense staring, nodded before leaving as well.
"Aww I think he likes you" Aayla teased from beside Shuyo, she was snickering at the entire interaction. "Don't worry, much like his brother, Cooler's not so bad once you get to know him. He's just kind of in a slump right now, you know after everything that happened."
Shuyo nodded somberly understanding all too well. A quick slap on the back brought the monk back from his thoughts as Aayla grinned "come on big green bed time for you too."
Smiling back Shuyo followed the Securan warrior as she left, upon exiting the room they went their separate ways Aayla going left and Shuyo going right to their respective rooms. As he lay down in his bed that was prepared for him Shuyo realised just how much he had enjoyed the meal. As the sweet embrace of sleep enveloped him Shuyo couldn't help but smile.
Morning came for Aayla the same as it had for the last eight days, with one massive headache. Trudging out of her bedroom she made her way to the bridge, but not before grabbing a cup of caf from the kitchen. She waited on the bridge for the rest of the crew to show up, she had to admit these few quite moments she got were not bad. As Tyr walked in sleepily with his shirt on backwards Aayla addressed the entire group.
"Alright you all know what your jobs are right?" She asked the still slightly groggy bunch before her.
"Cooler and I will be out in the debris field searching by sight." Weiss chimed in to which Cooler gave a terse nod.
"And I'll be handling their communications so we don't lose them out there" Tukkan added in his normal carefree attitude.
"I'll be piloting the ship, while Raijin mans the energy sensors and Tyr monitors the rangefinder." Both boys saluted to the woman in charge before grinning at each other.
Shuyo stepped forward next, he had been at the back of the group "And I'll be scanning for Frieza as well."
"Excellent" Aayla stated before raising a questioning brow at the green monk. "Is there a specific place where we can situate you Shuyo?"
After a brief moment of consideration Shuyo nodded "somewhere quiet would be preferable."
"Workout room it is, the thing's completely soundproof." Shuyo nodded his head in appreciation as Aayla turned back towards the rest of the crew. "Alright everyone I have a good feeling about today, let's bring Frieza home."
The group dispersed to their respective positions and Aayla took to the captain's chair. While at first glance it may seem like all she was doing was delegation but in reality she was doing her own part to search out her missing partner. Much like Shuyo she was using her mind specifically the mental bond they had formed through months of training with each other and spending hours upon hours in each other's company. This was partially why, on the inside at least, she had been so tense these last few days. She couldn't feel that connection, it disappeared the moment Fuar exploded.
It also didn't help her mental state knowing that in the span of about a month she had now lost two planets she had called home. Both times because of monsters she couldn't defeat herself. Aayla shook her head to clear it she needed to focus, the loss of Secura cost Aayla her people, she refused to have the loss of Fuar cost her Frieza.
The search was taking hours and no one was taking a break, even after Aayla demanded Weiss get back to the ship to rest, which she completely ignored. No one wanted to quit, to everyone searching it felt like if they couldn't find their missing leader today they would have to accept that maybe he was gone forever. The longer Aayla reached out with her thoughts into the void the more depressed she became, she couldn't feel a damn thing. "Where the hell are you?" Aayla muttered under her breath for what felt like the umpteenth time that hour.
The sound of running footsteps broke the Securan's concentration, angrily she turned around to berate whoever was making so much noise when Shuyo burst through the door. There was a brief moment where their eyes locked before Shuyo stated "I found him."
Both Shuyo and Aayla stood at the viewport of The Nemesis as they made their way through the debris field. They had relayed the information to Cooler, Weiss had taken off her communicator after Aayla's earlier outburst. Nadan had left Raijin to pilot the ship while he prepared the med bay for Frieza, Shuyo didn't give details but by the sound of it their lost leader was unconscious and incredibly drained.
The spotlights of The Nemesis fell upon the unconscious floating body of the Frost Prince just as Cooler reached him. An emerald streak of energy rushed past the ship, Weiss must have just spotted them gathering together. Aboard Aayla smiled as she felt the gentle presence of her partner's own mind, her headache was already beginning to dissipate at last. A warning light flashed indicating the airlock was being opened signalling the Frost Demons' return, at once everyone left their stations and rushed to the airlock.
Aayla arrived at the entrance just as the hatch opened up revealing Cooler carrying the unconscious form of his brother. Frieza was a mess, bruised all over with severe looking burns and welts along his normally flawless skin. His arm hung at an odd angle clearly broken in two locations and cuts and scratches lined his body, they were now scabbed over but the purple stains left behind by his blood left him looking absolutely ghastly.
"Out of my way, out of my way" Nadan shoved his way forward bringing with him a floating gurney and his scanner. Cooler gently laid his brother on the mobile table as the Malakan began scanning his body, the gurney was now heading towards the med bay with everyone following closely behind. After a few moments of reading through his scanner's findings Nadan's face blanched in a mix of shock and horror. "How the hell are you still alive My Lord?" Upon reaching the med bay Nadan quickly turned around to face the others "someone help me get him in here now!"
Bacta was truly an amazing substance, capable of healing just about any injury given enough time. That was the key word, time, Frieza was in rough shape and he was going to be recovering for a while. This hadn't deterred Aayla, after telling Raijin to get them out of the debris field and everyone to go rest she took her place on the med bay's couch. There wasn't anything to do but wait, even Nadan had gone to get some much needed sleep.
Aayla was busy skimming through a story she had been reading to pass the time, it was then that she heard the door slide open. Standing in the doorway was an exhausted Weiss, dark circles were forming under her eyes and she stumbled as she entered the room.
"You should be in bed dear" Aayla said worriedly as she placed her tablet down beside her.
"I couldn't sleep" Weiss mumbled as she clumsily made her way to the Securan. She had been pushing herself every day since her own recovery and the wear and tear was finally starting to show on the resilient Demoness.
Rolling her eyes Aayla smiled as she pat the spot on the couch beside her inviting the younger girl to join her. Weiss hopped on the couch leaning her head back into the soft fabric as her body sank into it. For the first time in a week Weiss could truly say she felt relaxed.
Aayla smiled as she returned to the story she was reading, five minutes went by until she felt something brush up against her arm. Looking down she chuckled at the sight of the dozing Frost Demoness. Lifting her arm up she watched as Weiss' sleeping form cuddled up to her side finally resting her head into her sides just under her armpit. Aayla wrapped her arm around the child while she continued to read, not noticing the darkness clouding her vision until it was too late.
A sharp beeping roused Aayla from her sleep, still groggy from the unexpected siesta she reached out to turn off her alarm clock. When her flailing hand hit nothing she opened her eyes wide realising where she was. Jerking her head up she could now hear the sound of liquid draining, the beeping was coming from the bacta tank which had just finished!
"Hey Weiss wake up" Aayla shook the Frost Demoness awake as she heard the locks on the machine begin to release.
Weiss' head slowly rose, her vision clearing just in time to see the hatch of the bacta tank begin to open. Almost tripping on her own tail Weiss jumped up and began to walk towards the machine just as a gleaming ivory figure made his way out. Frieza took a deep breath, the first he voluntarily took since his planet's destruction, the sharp intake felt exquisite. He barely had time to look over his rejuvenated body before a white and green blur flew at him. Latching her arms around her mentor's neck Weiss cried out, her massive smile a stark contrast to the tears flowing down her cheeks.
"You're alive, you're alive, you're alive!" She repeated shoving her head into the crook of his neck to make sure this wasn't just a dream. "I'm so sorry! It's all my fault please don't hate me!" She sobbed into his shoulder.
Coiling his tail around her waist Frieza lifted the distraught Demoness off of him. "I'm glad to see you as well" Frieza smirked at the young girl's trembling lips. "Don't blame yourself, this whole mess was my fault, also father's, but mostly my own."
Weiss broke into another burst of tears and wailing as she rushed forward breaking the older Frost Demon's grasp, once again she latched her arms around his neck.
He managed to look over the young girl's shoulder to Aayla who was clearly enjoying the site of their reunion. Returning the smile she gave him Frieza asked "So what did I miss?"
Author's Notes: Hey everyone really sorry about the late release but I have had a week and a half, work, buying a new car, Captain America and getting back in the gym have left me drained.
So no action this time around I felt it was time to slow down a little and use the downtime to get into how the rest of the crew function together. It was a surprisingly jarring change considering the last three chapters have essentially been 80% fights.
One of the main focuses was Shuyo's integration into the crew, which I felt was slightly easier than expected. The kids would be totally cool with him especially Weiss, Nadan was saved by him, he also represents a mystery to which Nadan will want to look further into. Tukkan's so laid back I'm pretty sure he would be cool with anyone joining up so not a problem there. Aayla is basically a good judge of character, not to mention that Frieza went out of his way to save him so that's another plus. The main thing is Cooler, Cooler still sees him as somewhat a threat and won't be letting go of Neiz, Salza and Dore's deaths for quite some time, the two of them are not through by a long shot.
Shuyo's mystery origins will be delved into deeper in some later chapters, this was just me planting the seeds for the future while at the same time serving as a 'getting to know you' talk with the rest of the crew.
One of the other things I really wanted to show was that Aayla can work independently of Frieza while at the same time showing that she truly does care about him. So I decided she needed to step up and take command in his stead. And I also wanted to use this time to build up Weiss' relationship with Aayla, which I'll admit I had as much fun writing as Frieza tearing apart Seluba… what does that say about me? (Don't answer that)
I am super tired so if I missed anything or you just want to ask a question or talk about the story feel free to hit me up. We're now at over 6200 views and 53 followers that is crazy, you guys have taken this farther than I ever could have anticipated.
As always you guys have been great I'll see you in the next chapter