A/N: Really quick; am I not able to use the 'star' symbol in FF? Because every time I copy-paste a document it disappears. Appreciate any help on the situation, because it just looks better than using 'xXx'. I also hate that, taking it from Google Docs, I lose all of my italics and bold words (-_-)
Warrior Instincts; Ch.21-Aftermath
xXx
The last thing Bulma could really remember was a brilliant display of lights in the sky, almost like fireworks, before one of them came rocketing down and then…
Nothing.
It was all foggy after that.
And yet, it was as if she'd simply blinked, because the young beauty found herself standing on that same baseball field as before, only now the sky was totally clear.
"What the…"
"B-Bulma!?"
Crystal-blue eyes barely had a chance to look around, catching the briefest glimpse of a hobbling Yamcha, before a blinding light enveloped their owner and everything seemed to vanish again.
Poor Bulma was starting to get a headache.
So when she could see again, the heiress forced herself not to fall on her butt as both legs shook like jello. Instead, she blinked rapidly and took slow, deep breaths before taking another look around. She definitely wasn't at the stadium anymore!
"Oh crap, now what? Why is this happening to me!?"
There was nothing but an endless blue sky as far as the eye could see, though Bulma quickly noticed she was standing on solid ground. Another interesting note was that there seemed to be storm clouds fading away from her position, rather than coming closer, and the crack of lightning growing quieter with every second.
Now, separately, these things would all make for a confusing puzzle; the pieces never adding up no matter what way you turned them. But Bulma looked at the bigger picture, bringing up memories of why she'd been in that stadium in the first place, and putting it all together into one big chain of events…
'I died! Th-Those lights were beams of energy, and one of them hit me!'
Which explained that small gap in her memories, and led to Bulma realizing what must have happened next; she'd been revived.
'Those clouds were because of Shenron, but I don't get it. If someone wished me back to life then where the heck am I?'
A gust of wind blew against Bulma's back and she shivered, not used to being up so high. Looking around again, a bit of color caught her eye from the corner, and she turned quickly to see what it could be.
What she found nearly knocked her off her feet…
He was beaten and bruised, with his uniform in tatters, but he was alive. Kakarot was alive!
"Y-You beat him right? Tell me you won...please."
Those dark eyes just blinked at her, before Kakarot offered a half-hearted shrug.
"Ah...yeah."
That was all she needed to hear.
"Oh, thank god!"
Tears welled up in Bulma's eyes as she broke out into a beaming smile. A bit of laughter filled the air, and soon enough Bulma was stumbling across the short gap on weak legs, eager to embrace her hero.
xXx
For Kakarot it was a strange feeling, being wrapped in Bulma's arms now. His memories couldn't really recall any other time this had happened, but as she buried her face into the nape of his neck one thing was for sure…
He liked it.
The feel of her soft skin as their cheeks brushed sent a tingle down through Kakarot's spine and jolted the alien teen's tail into a frenzy. When he tried to take a breath, to calm his quickening heartbeat, it only served to send Kakarot higher into the clouds when he took in a full burst of Bulma's scent.
Dizzy, he was so dizzy!
'Mine'
Dark lashes fluttered, and Kakarot's vision filled with spots as every breath came faster and faster. He didn't know what was happening, but a funny feeling had begun to take root in his belly, almost like a fire.
'Mine'
His arms were around her without the martial artist even realizing it, squeezing Bulma to him tightly but not so much that it caused her discomfort. He leaned further into her embrace, snuggling against the heiress' neck before taking another deep breath and swooning.
And yet, just as a powerful rumble started to build in his chest…
xXx
"If you two are finished-"
"Grrrr!"
The speed at which Kakarot moved boggled Kami's mind and left poor Bulma squeaking as she windmilled her arms to keep herself from falling forward.
It was only by taking hold of her friend's powerful shoulders, that the blue-haired beauty managed to save herself, though when she felt Kakarot's body quivering beneath her fingertips Bulma became confused.
"G-Goku?"
Leaning in, she took a look at the younger boy's face, and a pit quickly formed in Bulma's stomach at what she discovered.
'I-It's almost like being back at the tournament!'
His snarl was just as ferocious, the sunlight glinting off Kakarot's elongated canines as the teen's eyes began to bleed a frightening yellow. Bulma swallowed hard at the sight, and barely managed to pull her eyes away to find the source of Kakarot's fury.
'He's like something out of those weird games some of the guys from school used to play.'
A hooded robe and walking stick, with clawed fingers the color of wilting spinach, Bulma wasn't too sure what to make of this odd stranger standing before her, but after dealing with the likes of Piccolo she decided they couldn't possibly be any worse.
"Um, I don't know who you are, but this really isn't the best time to be sneaking up on people."
"Considering we're standing on my home, I'll take my chances Ms. Brief."
Crystal eyes widened a little as Bulma was taken aback; he sounded so old.
But then what the stranger actually said made its way through the girl's mind, and she turned her attention back to Kakarot, who had finished growling but still maintained an unhappy look.
"So, wait, if you brought me back to life here, that means you know this guy, right?"
The martial artist shrugged.
"Not really, but he did help with wishing you back, since Piccolo had apparently destroyed the dragon balls while I was gone."
"So that's what happened to them! It's no wonder they didn't show up on my radar anymore! But wait, how did this guy help then if…"
And that's when she saw it, there, printed clearly on the chest of his robes in a brilliant red kanji…
Kami. God. The Guardian.
Bulma's jaw dropped, "Oh."
"Yeah," Kakarot scoffed, "apparently this guy is your planet's overseer and made the dragon balls. But the really fun part is that he's not even from earth."
"Wh-What? B-But that's-"
"Irrelevant," Kami interjected with a sigh. "Besides, I think what you should actually be discussing is your selfishness, Kakarot. Why don't you tell Ms. Brief just what sort of toll was paid to bring her to the Lookout."
The confusion this created in Bulma was only magnified when she noticed how Kakarot seemed to stiffen at Kami's words.
"Toll? What are you talking about; Goku, what does he mean?"
Instead of answering right away,and choosing to ignore her use of his former name, the alien warrior glowered at Kami before sneering, "What's the point of telling her!?"
"If I can't hold you responsible for your actions, perhaps Ms. Brief will. But, rest assured, once this is over we most certainly will be heading out to begin your new training-"
"Whoa," Bulma stood to her feet now, "you can not be serious. You're leaving, again?"
Kakarot looked up at his only friend, saw the pain in her eyes, and felt an unpleasant twist turn his stomach nearly inside out.
'But...why?'
Deciding to shelve this strange affliction for later, the alien teen decided to first address Bulma's worries.
"Because apparently someone stronger than King Piccolo is supposed to show up on your planet soon, and Kami wants me to do all the heavy lifting...again. Besides, I doubt you want another maniac to attempt taking over your world, Bulma."
"W-Well, no, but I just-"
"It'll be fine; I will come back, after all."
Bulma bit her lip, the heiress' fingers digging in lightly to her folded arms as she looked away from Kakarot.
The silence stretched for another minute, with Bulma bouncing around the realization that she would be forced to separate from her best friend for what felt like the hundredth time, before finally…
"Alright, go. Just...promise me you won't be gone too long?"
An uncomfortable feeling turned in Kakarot's stomach, as he looked up into those crystal-blue eyes filled with hope, because the martial artist knew his next words would replace that light with darkness.
'So maybe, I'll try something a little different.'
"I can't promise that…" he fought the urge to wrap his tail around her wrist, "but I do promise you'll be the first person I see when my training is finished."
The smile she gave him could outshine the sun, "Good! Then I'll be waiting, so hurry back, okay?"
"Fine, fine, but only because you're being pushy."
Kakarot's smirk was reminiscent of his usual cocky facade, but there was a new light in the teen's eyes now. One that lit those dark slates of coal like glowing embers, and as Bulma found herself staring into that softend gaze, she felt a pleasant jolt run through her heart and butterflies kick up a whirlwind in her belly.
But just as the beautiful girl realized how badly her fingers tingled to caress their way through Kakarot's wild hair, their moment was stolen by an irritated cough…
"Ah-hem, perhaps we could get back to the root of my displeasure; Kakarot's disregard for human life?"
At once, the alien warrior's charming mask shattered, and in its place was a much more normal scowl as he whirled around to glare at Kami while Bulma blinked rapidly after hearing such a thing.
"Why can't you just let that go!? How important could those people have really been, anyway!?"
Kami's eyes glowed with power from beneath his hood as he countered, "Some of those you selfishly sacrificed were children, Kakarot! Younglings who had their whole lives ahead of them!"
"Big talk from someone who already admitted King Piccolo's whole reign of terror was their fault!"
Bulma watched her planet's guardian jerk back at the alien martial artist's words, before seeing his knuckles tighten around his staff in fury. It was easy to see that Kami planned to retort, but Bulma wasn't having it…
"Now hold on! We'll get to how that freak was apparently your fault, but will one of you hurry up and explain to me what all this stuff about Goku is supposed to be about!?"
Her eyes shifted between the monkey-tailed boy and deity, while Bulma firmly planted her fists on her hips.
Kakarot sucked his teeth at the sight of the beautiful girl's features screwed up into an increasingly menacing glare, and after scratching his head, decided to simply come clean.
'Besides, if I don't, I'll never get to start this new training!'
Yet even with this thought, there was a part of the alien teen that seemed uncomfortable with Bulma being upset with him.
Deciding he would explore these new feelings later though, Kakarot pushed down his oddily beating heart, and turned his full attention on Capsule Corps' heiress…
"When Kami recreated the dragon balls he made them stronger; now they grant two wishes, instead of just one. Something else you don't know...is that it was my attack that...that killed you Bulma."
He'd tried looking her in the eye, but found it impossible the longer he talked, until finally Kakarot could hardly even manage to stare down at Bulma's shoes as he spoke.
"I was so angry, so furious, when it seemed like my training with Korin wasn't going to be enough, that I started losing control again. After we moved beyond the stadium I…I fired off a ki storm to draw Piccolo out of hiding, a-and it worked, but it cost me you."
The girl's lips parted at the revelation, her eyes wide as she felt the strength of her body start to leave her…
"Your death was my fault, and when I learned the truth, when I thought there was no way to bring you back, I didn't know what to do until Kami told me about being able to recreate the dragon balls. I even agreed to defend the planet because he promised to help me get you back-"
"Yet not once did I ever tell you to use the second wish to bring the girl here, rather than reviving all those lost before your battle Kakarot-"
"I was getting to that," the boy snarled as he looked up at Kami, his fists clenched tightly as he gnashed his teeth.
And then Kakarot turned back to Bulma, but another nauseating twist took hold of his gut as he quickly took note of her confused, searching stare.
"You really didn't wish back Roshi, or the others? W-Why?"
"I did wish back everyone," he countered, "or at least, every life taken by my own attack. But after that...I-I can't explain it. There was this feeling, and I just wanted to be sure you were really alive, Bulma."
Her friend's eyes had ducked to look off into the clouds, but Bulma could clearly hear Kakarot's raw emotion in every word. His confusion, his sincerity, and it touched the female genius's heart to know Kakarot really did care about her…
'But he did sacrifice hundreds of lives-'
'But he wanted to see us; he needed to!'
This left Bulma's cheeks dusted a faint pink as she bit her bottom-lip. His reasoning was sweet, even if Kakarot himself couldn't see it, but the martial artist's method was something Bulma couldn't be comfortable with.
Unfortunately, the young alien wasn't keen on giving her anymore time to think about it.
"There," he spat at Kami, "you got what you wanted, now let's go. I'm supposed to be training for some great threat, but you'd rather have me talking about 'feelings'; it's no wonder your pathetic planet's always in danger."
One look and Bulma knew; the walls were up. Whatever emotion, whatever kindness and vulnerability, Kakarot had been willing to share with her was gone now. But even as she felt a twinge of sorrow that their moment was over, the girl also found she was upset at Kami for being around to ruin it in the first place.
'I think I need to lay down, this whole situation is just way too stressful.'
She was pulled from her thoughts however, by Kami's sigh…
"Very well; I can only hope King Kai is able to curb that mouth of yours. Follow me."
With eyes bulging as the other two began walking away, Bulma squealed after them to wait for her.
"How the heck am I supposed to get home!?"
xXx
At the same time, another young woman could be found walking through the forests near her own house.
Narrow, pine-green eyes scanned their surroundings with every step while keeping the barrel of a sub-machine gun on a perpetual swivel.
"No way are those scaly bastards gonna get the drop on me," she growled.
The woman continued on until her ears caught a familiar sound; running water. Letting a little tension drain away, she quickened her pace until a clear blue stream was in sight, and then the woman sighed.
"Someday we'll have enough money for a real house, then we won't have to do all this anymore."
'Maybe, if you quit stealing, we'd have saved up enough for that by now!'
Ignoring that thought, and tying back her luscious, blonde hair with a red ribbon the young woman was about to get to work pulling a bucket from the backpack she carried, but then…
CRASH
"Ah!"
A body came stumbling out of the woods on the river's other side!
"Wh-What the hell!?"
The only thing stopping a spray of bullets,, was when she noticed that whoever had interrupted her was human. Taking a step back, the blonde's first instinct was to turn and leave the stranger to their fate, but a sudden nagging sensation in the back of her brain put a stop to that.
'Wait, what if he's hurt!?'
'Then that's even more reason to ditch him! I don't have a lot of ammo left, ya know, what if he was followed!?'
'But what if he wasn't? We should at least make sure he's alright!'
Growling to herself, the blonde stomped her foot against the ground before giving in.
'Fine! But only because you're starting to pout!'
From there those steely green eyes did another quick sweep of the area, before their owner hopped across the rocky tips of peeking boulders to reach the fallen man at the other side of the river.
Keeping her eyes open for danger, the blonde knelt down and quickly rolled the stranger over, only to reel back at what she discovered…
"Holy shit!"
'Oh my!'
Bruises new and old littered a body of solid muscle, leaving the man a kaleidoscope of midnight-purple, dark blue, and fading yellow. Blood crusted over open wounds while a thin trail leaked down from his bald head and over his closed eyelid. One particularly nasty set of claw marks could be found wrapped around the stranger's side, just under his ribs.
Yet despite it all, there was still the obvious rise-and-fall of a heartbeat.
"My god…"
'W-We have to help him!'
For once the blonde didn't argue, there was no telling how long he'd been out in the woods in such a state, so there wasn't any time to lose. Carefully lifting the beaten man onto her back, the woman hurried back towards her cabin, all the while hoping she could get the stranger patched up in time.
xXx
Krillin wasn't sure just how long he sat in that bunker, he just knew that every second there meant another second he got to live.
'But then, is it really living?'
Weighted down by fear, shackled in place by the mean thought of what might be waiting out in the world for him, to the point he was too frightened to even watch a sunrise...was that really living?
'You used to call yourself Goku's rival…'
Just remembering Bulma's last words to him was like a punch to the throat, because she was right. He wasn't a fighter; he was a coward.
'All I've ever done is run away,' Krillin lamented.
First from his home, because no one would support his dream of being a martial artist, then Orin Temple after he realized just how hard the training turned out to be, and now this. He could help people, had already helped people, but instead the teenage martial artist was choosing to let hundreds more suffer because he was too afraid to stand up for them…
'Too afraid to try and make a difference, even though a normal girl like Bulma is fully willing to sacrifice herself without a second thought.'
Krillin felt sick.
His knuckles popped as he gripped his knees tight, muscles tensing with the young man's building sense of self-loathing.
What would Master Roshi think of him?
Krillin didn't have to think about it for long; he already knew the answer. His sensei would be ashamed. As a man who valued life, there was no doubt in Krillin's mind that the Turtle Hermit would have never looked at him the same if he'd seen the cowardly display Krillin had put on in front of Bulma earlier that day…
"Damn it!"
Tears stung the former monk's eyes now, and his chest heaved violently with barely contained sobs.
"H-How can I call myself a real martial artist, if every time things get rough I'm the first one to turn tail and run!?"
An image of Roshi's lifeless body laying at Piccolo's feet bombarded Krillin's memory then, before suddenly switching out the old man with Bulma, and in the heat of the moment Krillin leaped to his feet!
"Well, no more! I'm done letting my fear rule my life! I'll prove that Master Roshi was right to take me on as his student, and make him proud!"
The young man's nerves were jittery with adrenaline, his hands shook almost violently, but there was a new fire to be found in the depths of Krillin's onyx eyes that spoke of conviction and purpose. So much so, that even with his heart pounding against his chest, the bald teen took his first step towards the hallway in days.
Bulma's family had built a rather large shelter under their spacious home, one that housed a number of private rooms along with a well-stocked supply of food and a small section separated for medical needs; which currently housed Lapis and Lazuli.
To reach the house itself, one had to walk through a single, narrow hallway before being scanned and disinfected by a bio-chamber that ultimately led to a ladder.
Krillin was just about to pull open the door to the aforementioned chamber, when it came flying open, and smacked him in the face!
"Gah!"
"Crap!"
Falling onto his butt the young man held his throbbing forehead while noticing that whoever had just spoken was female, and the voice sounded familiar.
"Krillin, are you okay!? Wh-What were you doing so close to the bio-chamber!?"
Blinking through a small flow of tears, the martial artist managed to make out a head of hair colored like a clear sky and crystal-blue eyes brimming with curiosity and concern…
"B-Bulma? Is it really you?"
"Huh? Of course it is cueball, who else would it be? And why are you crying; what happened? Are the twins okay!?"
Noticing she was beginning to get worried, Krillin waved his hand and told the girl to calm down.
"Lapis and his sister are fine, Bulma. The tears are because...well, because you just smacked me with a metal door."
"Oh," she looked both relieved as well as sheepish, before the mask of curiosity made its way back to the surface, "But that still doesn't answer my other question; where were you going?"
Here the former World Tournament competitor's gaze hardened.
"You were right, Bulma. I was being a coward, someone my sensei would have been ashamed to call his student after making such a noble sacrifice, so I decided I was done running away and was coming to help you and...wait, where's Yamcha!?"
Bulma winced at the volume of his voice, but Krillin didn't seem to notice, choosing instead to try and peer around her shoulder in hopes of finding the former bandit.
"He's fine, don't worry. In fact, Piccolo's gone Krillin; Goku came back. He beat him!"
Now the young fighter's look of concern shifted to one of shock and awe, and Krillin's jaw dropped to the floor, pulling a slight giggle from Capsule Corps heiress.
"That's right," she teased while bending down, "and just think, you doubted him."
Yet even as she spoke, Bulma couldn't help remembering what she'd learned back on Kami's Lookout before the deity had teleported her home.
All those lives lost...for her.
But then Kakarot's words, and that look in his eyes found their way to the front of her memory, and Bulma felt her heart speed up again.
It was inky thanks to Krillin, waving a hand to get her attention, that stopped the swarm of butterflies from fluttering around in joy a second time.
"Oh, um, sorry about that. What were you saying?"
"I asked where he was; did you leave him up in the house?"
The joy that had been keeping Bulma on her toes deflated, and she dropped to the floor with a heavy sigh.
"No, he's gone, again. Off to do more training apparently."
"Wh-What!? Doesn't he think he should rest first!? You just said-"
"I know," the young woman groaned, "but Kami said that there's supposed to be some terrible evil coming, and only Goku can stop it."
Krillin blanched, his breath catching in his throat.
"A-Another one!? Already!? When does the Earth get a break, Bulma!?"
She could only shake her head, "I don't know anymore, Krillin, but one thing is for sure; next time I won't just get in Goku's way. Now come on, we should check on Lapis and Lazuli and see if they're alright before going back up top."
It was hard to do with his body so stiff now, but the bald teen managed to scramble to his feet and follow after the genius inventor when she began to walk away. Catching up, they walked side-by-side for a moment before something clicked in Krillin's memory…
"Wait a second; did you say Kami!?"
xXx
"Achoo!"
"Ya know, it's a bit silly to think that a deity can catch something as silly as a human cold."
"Which is why I know I don't have one; your friends are talking about me."
Kakarot lifted a curious eyebrow, "So then the twins are wiry Bulma? I suppose that shouldn't be much of a shock."
"They are," Kami confirmed, "though I meant the young bald one; Krillin. He and Ms. Briefs are actually about to discover that Lapis and Lazuli are in good health, they should even awake within the week."
'Something I won't be around for,' Kakarot mused as he walked with the Guardian of Earth into what Kami called the 'Check-in Station'.
There was an uncomfortable feeling in his gut as he thought about that though, being away during such a time that Lazuli would have probably liked to have him around. However this just brought back the same confusion as when Kakarot had been reunited with Bulma, and it sparked a sense of agitation.
What was happening to him?
Why did he care this much?
And why did it feel as though Kami were looking at him funny!?
Unfortunately, these questions would be left unanswered, as the pair finally stepped up to a very large desk being manned by an enormous ogre. His red skin clashed horribly with the striped, indigo suit he wore, and Kakarot also found the giant's hat to be a bit...silly.
'Who the heck is this clown?'
Large, beady black eyes shifted up from stacks of paperwork, and Kakarot caught a gleam of familiarity when they landed on Kami's hooded form before a set of bushy eyebrows lifted.
"Kami, what a surprise," the boom of his voice nearly rattled Kakarot's bones, "I wasn't expecting to see you today. What's the occasion?"
"Well, King Yemma, I've come before you today because King Kai has requested that I bring this young man to the Other World for special training."
It became apparent that Yemma couldn't see him from his seat when the ogre was forced to lean forward, and peer over the lip of his desk to get a look at Kakarot. However, what the alien martial artist wasn't expecting was for King Yemma's squinting gaze to widen into a look of surprise.
"Well now, that's something I never thought I'd see again. Where did you find one of them, Kami? I thought his kind was extinct!"
Kakarot's own dark eyes narrowed.
"Actually, Sir, he crashed to Earth as a baby and was cared for by an elderly man named Gohan before his fairly recent demise."
"Really? An earthling raised him, hmm? I must have missed this 'Gohan' in the crowd then, because I don't remember sending him off-"
"Just like how you both seem to be forgetting that I'm standing right here. So if you're going to talk, do try and keep in the loop, because I would very much like to know what you're talking about!"
Both sets of eyes drifted over to where Kakarot was standing with his arms folded, and a scowl on his face. Sharp, angry onyx eyes glared up at Yemma despite their owner's fatigued state, and the ogre could feel how much heavier it felt just to breathe.
But, this only made him angry.
"You're definitely one of them; your manners are atrocious, boy! Do you have any idea who you're talking to!?"
With no time to rest, and hunger gnawing at his belly, the young martial artist was at his limit. He could feel the way his tail bristled, and let it unwind to trash about while clenching and unclenching his fists.
"Why should I care; it's you guys who want my help! So either explain to me who 'they' are, or point me in the direction of this 'King Kai', because I refuse to stand around all day listening to you two go on like a pair of old women!"
Kami immediately sensed the building power inside King Yemma, and saw how his already red face was beginning to turn purple with fury, so Earth's guardian quickly grabbed Kakarot's shoulder before beginning to steer him away…
"Ah! Yes, well, it was good to see you Sir, but it seems we need to be going now! Come Kakarot, I'll show you to the beginning of Snake Way, and you can begin your journey."
The boy allowed himself to be guided, but he kept an eye on Yemma for as long as possible, until they were around the corner and the ogre could no longer be seen. Then, Kakarot pulled himself away and sneered at Kami.
"Journey? What else do I need to do; where is King Kai?"
"His planet sits at the end of Snake Way, a long and winding path that any who wish to be trained by him must endure-"
"That wasn't part of the deal," Kakarot huffed, once more crossing his arms.
"Yet it must be so, otherwise I fear you will not have the power to defeat what is to come-"
"Something else you haven't told me yet."
Kami sighed, bringing a set of clawed fingers up to rub at his forehead. However, this gave Kakarot his first real look at the deity, and he noticed something very...interesting, about the guardian's hand.
It looked familiar.
He'd seen it before, fought against it, had those claws wrapped around his throat!
Gritting his teeth Kakarot hissed at Kami, "In fact, I'm getting a little tired of being left in the dark about a lot of things; why don't we start with why you need to wear that hood?"
There was no missing the way Kami's entire body seemed to freeze.
'Bingo.'
"What difference does it make, why are you so interested in what I look like? It's the mission that matters, Kakarot."
"So you say," he shrugged, "but something tells me that this 'mission' has a lot more to do with you than you're telling me."
The hooded guardian groaned.
"Aren't you the one who said they didn't want to waste anymore time? Because this certainly feels like one to me."
Flaring his nostrils against Kami's use of his own words against him, Kakarot bit back a growl before conceding.
"Feh, whatever. Just know that after this is all over I will get my answers, either from you, or this so-called 'evil'. Now come on, show me this 'Snake Way' so that I can get started."
xXx
'I always hate coming down here; the stench alone is enough to make me never wanna eat again. Who the heck designed this place, anyway?'
Passing another river of blood, the horrible smell was easy to identify thanks to sightings of rotted corpses floating in its depths.
Black pointed slippers tread quickly over barren rock and dried soil, careful not to step on lingering bone fragments or kick any skulls lying around.
Looking out past his dark sunglasses, a portly figure rolled his eyes at catching glimpses of more souls hardening into Erinyes eggs.
'Oh great, more ogres. Because that's what this place was missing.'
Somewhere off in the distance, a malevolent roar vibrated through the air, and the wanderer stuck a blue finger in his ear to make it pop after being closed off by the noise.
'Just a little longer, and then I can get out of here. That kid had better be worth all this trouble, or else Kami can kiss his spot at my poker night goodbye.'
It took him another minute of walking, but finally he came upon the bottom slope of a hill, and looking up revealed a series of homes built from stone and carved diligently into domes.
"It's about time," he sighed. Baba hadn't thought to tell him just how far he'd have to walk!
However, before another step could be taken, a tingling sensation nagged at the back of his skull and drew the blue wanderers' attention towards the skies behind him.
Two men, both short and stocky, with one holding more weight in his middle, came down from a bleak and cloudy horizon and touched down a few feet from the portly stranger.
Armor covered their torsos, but left the men's large shoulders and lower-bodies open. The one with a big belly seemed to wear animal pelts beneath his armor, while his partner had on a pair of heavy-duty dark-blue combat pants.
Over their shoulders they carried large carcasses with wide wings; Harvesters. And a note of intrigue flickered over pudgy facial features at the discovery.
"Who are you, and whaddya think you're doing around here? This territory's been marked already bub, or hadn't ya noticed?"
With his thin mustache, the heavier of the two men's gruff facade was completed thanks to the odd inflection in his voice. It wasn't 'deep', so much as...accented.
"Ah yes, I am aware, in fact that's precisely why I've come. I was hoping to speak with your leader, if he's around?"
"About what; he wasn't expecting any visitors."
It was the other one who answered this time, and those hidden eyes looked beyond dark lenses to catch a set of scars across the balding warrior's forehead.
Thankful that his shades hid the rolling of his eyes, the blue wanderer simply shrugged.
"Oh, not much, I just have someone he might be interested in meeting is all."
Mr. Mustache scoffed.
"Heh, right, like we've never heard that one before. Look pal, if this is another one of Goz and Mez's stupid attempts to take over our terf I suggest you go back and tell 'em you don't want any part of it...otherwise I'll just blow you away right here and now."
A snort-filled laughter was the wanderer's response.
"You think that's funny!? Alright, that's it, no one laughs at me and gets away with it-"
"Shugesh; enough!"
The power that had built in Shugesh's palm faded quickly, and there was no way of missing how his partner twitched at the harsh female voice that called to them from the top of the hill.
Peering up through dark lenses, that voice was discovered to belong to a woman of both enticing beauty and deadly fury, both of which were found in her opulent indigo gaze.
Finely toned arms were tense as their owner stood to her full height, hand on her hips, glaring down at the trio of men at the foot of the hill.
"You two hurry up and get those Harvesters up here so Gine can finish dinner! Everyone's getting tired of waiting!"
It was a funny sight to see two grown men shake under the weighted stare of such a small woman, but noticing the wildly thrashing tail and building pink aura, the pot-bellied stranger decided he could understand their fear.
Saiyan women were quite frightening in their day.
Which was probably why he felt his own shiver of discomfort when those purple orbs settled on him…
"As for you; what do you want with Bardock!?"
xXx