___Chapter 36___
Ratal didn't say a word- he was still staring at the thing.
Arcos stared back, his six year-old mind brimming with curiosity at the tall stranger. But that was suppressed when he glimpsed the other one, and muttered "Damn, you're hurt pretty bad." A closer look brought a little grimace on his face. "That has got to hurt." he mumbled under his breath.
Arcos took his eyes from Ishena, and looking back up at Ratal, said as cheerfully as possible "Don't worry- I can help you."
The tall thing just stood there.
"Can you understand me?"
Ratal nodded.
"Good! Then respond!"
"O-ok" Ratal mumbled in the general galactic tongue.
Arcos just stared at him like he had suddenly sprouted five heads. "Did you just sneeze? Or were you trying to say something, seeing that the former is highly unlikely, since you lack a nose." Before Ratal could answer, Arcos put a hand under his chin and stated "Of course, you can talk without a mouth. So shoot that idea.", saying it more to himself than anyone else.
Ratal was about to give up (Arcos was too busy arguing his theories with himself to hear him) when another shape leapt down, followed by a second. He glanced up at the two, and for a second thought he was seeing double they looked so much alike. But a second look distinguished the second as being older, and a few inches taller, in a white shirt with black pants.
The older boy walked up to Arcos, thunked him soundly on the head and said "Committee is over!"
Arcos' eyes jerked up as he exclaimed "When did you guys get here? Why didn't I notice you?"
"You were too busy talking to yourself to notice!" laughed the other child, who was dressed in a sleeveless white gi top with black/white pants. Then he turned to Ratal, and said "I'm sorry- my name is Triin, and my friend here is Katass. Arcos was drifting off again- he gets distracted easily."
Ratal nodded, and was about to say 'I noticed', but remembered they couldn't understand the galactic tongue, and so said it in their own language.
Triin smiled at that, and listened as Ratal asked "He said you could help me."
"That I can." Triin said as he placed his hand on Ratal's shoulder, but the templar involuntarily jerked away at the touch.
"It's ok- I'm not going to hurt you." he continued as he re-placed his hand. At first, Ratal had no idea what the boy was doing, but then he began to feel his pain ebb away. Finally, after a minute, he was completely healed. And too astonished to say a word.
Triin just smiled as Ratal stood up, but then he say Ishena and covered his mouth with his hand, an expression of sorrow covering his face.
Katass noticed too. "Oh my GOD!!" he yelled as a shiver went up his spine.
Ratal then remembered his friend, and fell to his knees, crying out "ISE!!!" He could not find any signs of life in her. "Please, help her!" he screamed at Triin.
Triin just shook his head sadly, whispering "I can't."
"Why not? You healed me!!!"
"You... were still alive."
At hearing that, Ratal just snapped, loosing the slight amount of control he had left. The three children stared, one in confusion, one in shock, one in sorrow, as Ratal began screaming, cursing, and crying.
As suddenly as he had started, he stopped, his eyes full of horror, and whispered "I'm the only one left... Oh Ise, you ARE right. We ARE dropping like flies. Shat, Cha, you, and how long will Zeratul last on that floating deathtrap? And how long will I last on this desolate planet?"
~~~~~~~
All three children had fled when Ratal snapped. "What HAPPENED?" yelled one when they pulled themselves out of the crater. Triin was crying.
"I don't know who they are or where they're from, but somehow they crashed here. He's alive, but his friend's not so lucky. Triin tried to help, but..." at that point in his statement, Katass shrugged and said "It didn't work."
"How do you even know if they're friendly?"
"Ask Triin."
The child, decked in brown and green, turned his brown eyes to the one in question. Another boy, in white pants + neck ruff with a long black vest walked over to Triin and spoke quietly to him for a minute.
Triin wiped his face dry, said "Thanks Swift.", and replied "Zite, I just don't get a feeling of evil from him."
"Ok. I trust 'ya."
"Whatever you say, Triin-boy. You are perfect of course." came another voice.
Swift stood up, and walked over the speaker, pulling his bandanna over his eyes as he said "Stop with the attitude, Flant."
Flant pushed it back up on his head as another boy with a blue gi stated "Triin hasn't been wrong before on matters of people's intentions."
"But Seta, what could we do?" said another in red and white.
The last child, in yellow, replied "I don't have a clue, so don't ask me."
Flant frowned. He didn't know why he was doing it, but he was going to help 'trusting Triin' aid a total stranger. "Yo, Triin? There is one way. Porunga."
Triin thanked him quickly, and ran back to the edge of the crater, yelling down to Ratal as he descended "Wait! I know how to help!"
Ratal stood up and calmed at once, asking "How. You said she was dead. And I can neither hear her breathing nor her heartbeat. So she is. How can you?"
Triin jumped the last few feet, and after getting Ratal's name, explained the dragonballs briefly. "But there's only one problem. Just a short two weeks ago we had to use them for something. You won't be able to tell them from rocks for another year. And we also have to get Sanchiro-sama's permission and his dragonball to begin searching out the other six."
Ratal was silent, and Katass, watching from above, feared he would go into another fit. But he did not, and only said quietly "Then I shall wait here for that time." and leaned back against one of the walls of the crater.
Triin looked back at him one last time, and began to climb out when he heard a voice behind him, and stopped. "Thank you." it had said. When he turned around, he only saw Ratal standing as firm as if he had never moved. But Triin knew better.
Ratal didn't say a word- he was still staring at the thing.
Arcos stared back, his six year-old mind brimming with curiosity at the tall stranger. But that was suppressed when he glimpsed the other one, and muttered "Damn, you're hurt pretty bad." A closer look brought a little grimace on his face. "That has got to hurt." he mumbled under his breath.
Arcos took his eyes from Ishena, and looking back up at Ratal, said as cheerfully as possible "Don't worry- I can help you."
The tall thing just stood there.
"Can you understand me?"
Ratal nodded.
"Good! Then respond!"
"O-ok" Ratal mumbled in the general galactic tongue.
Arcos just stared at him like he had suddenly sprouted five heads. "Did you just sneeze? Or were you trying to say something, seeing that the former is highly unlikely, since you lack a nose." Before Ratal could answer, Arcos put a hand under his chin and stated "Of course, you can talk without a mouth. So shoot that idea.", saying it more to himself than anyone else.
Ratal was about to give up (Arcos was too busy arguing his theories with himself to hear him) when another shape leapt down, followed by a second. He glanced up at the two, and for a second thought he was seeing double they looked so much alike. But a second look distinguished the second as being older, and a few inches taller, in a white shirt with black pants.
The older boy walked up to Arcos, thunked him soundly on the head and said "Committee is over!"
Arcos' eyes jerked up as he exclaimed "When did you guys get here? Why didn't I notice you?"
"You were too busy talking to yourself to notice!" laughed the other child, who was dressed in a sleeveless white gi top with black/white pants. Then he turned to Ratal, and said "I'm sorry- my name is Triin, and my friend here is Katass. Arcos was drifting off again- he gets distracted easily."
Ratal nodded, and was about to say 'I noticed', but remembered they couldn't understand the galactic tongue, and so said it in their own language.
Triin smiled at that, and listened as Ratal asked "He said you could help me."
"That I can." Triin said as he placed his hand on Ratal's shoulder, but the templar involuntarily jerked away at the touch.
"It's ok- I'm not going to hurt you." he continued as he re-placed his hand. At first, Ratal had no idea what the boy was doing, but then he began to feel his pain ebb away. Finally, after a minute, he was completely healed. And too astonished to say a word.
Triin just smiled as Ratal stood up, but then he say Ishena and covered his mouth with his hand, an expression of sorrow covering his face.
Katass noticed too. "Oh my GOD!!" he yelled as a shiver went up his spine.
Ratal then remembered his friend, and fell to his knees, crying out "ISE!!!" He could not find any signs of life in her. "Please, help her!" he screamed at Triin.
Triin just shook his head sadly, whispering "I can't."
"Why not? You healed me!!!"
"You... were still alive."
At hearing that, Ratal just snapped, loosing the slight amount of control he had left. The three children stared, one in confusion, one in shock, one in sorrow, as Ratal began screaming, cursing, and crying.
As suddenly as he had started, he stopped, his eyes full of horror, and whispered "I'm the only one left... Oh Ise, you ARE right. We ARE dropping like flies. Shat, Cha, you, and how long will Zeratul last on that floating deathtrap? And how long will I last on this desolate planet?"
~~~~~~~
All three children had fled when Ratal snapped. "What HAPPENED?" yelled one when they pulled themselves out of the crater. Triin was crying.
"I don't know who they are or where they're from, but somehow they crashed here. He's alive, but his friend's not so lucky. Triin tried to help, but..." at that point in his statement, Katass shrugged and said "It didn't work."
"How do you even know if they're friendly?"
"Ask Triin."
The child, decked in brown and green, turned his brown eyes to the one in question. Another boy, in white pants + neck ruff with a long black vest walked over to Triin and spoke quietly to him for a minute.
Triin wiped his face dry, said "Thanks Swift.", and replied "Zite, I just don't get a feeling of evil from him."
"Ok. I trust 'ya."
"Whatever you say, Triin-boy. You are perfect of course." came another voice.
Swift stood up, and walked over the speaker, pulling his bandanna over his eyes as he said "Stop with the attitude, Flant."
Flant pushed it back up on his head as another boy with a blue gi stated "Triin hasn't been wrong before on matters of people's intentions."
"But Seta, what could we do?" said another in red and white.
The last child, in yellow, replied "I don't have a clue, so don't ask me."
Flant frowned. He didn't know why he was doing it, but he was going to help 'trusting Triin' aid a total stranger. "Yo, Triin? There is one way. Porunga."
Triin thanked him quickly, and ran back to the edge of the crater, yelling down to Ratal as he descended "Wait! I know how to help!"
Ratal stood up and calmed at once, asking "How. You said she was dead. And I can neither hear her breathing nor her heartbeat. So she is. How can you?"
Triin jumped the last few feet, and after getting Ratal's name, explained the dragonballs briefly. "But there's only one problem. Just a short two weeks ago we had to use them for something. You won't be able to tell them from rocks for another year. And we also have to get Sanchiro-sama's permission and his dragonball to begin searching out the other six."
Ratal was silent, and Katass, watching from above, feared he would go into another fit. But he did not, and only said quietly "Then I shall wait here for that time." and leaned back against one of the walls of the crater.
Triin looked back at him one last time, and began to climb out when he heard a voice behind him, and stopped. "Thank you." it had said. When he turned around, he only saw Ratal standing as firm as if he had never moved. But Triin knew better.