A/N: More than likely the last thing I'll upload this year. I hope everyone had a happy holiday, and your new year is a good one! With any luck I'll have lots of chapters to bring you all in 2022! But for now, please enjoy the next installment of Warrior Instincts.
Warrior Instincts: Ch.22- Sowing the seeds of light and dark
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As he watched Kakarot begin his journey down Snake Way, Kami couldn't help sighing, his shoulders sagging under the weight of knowing that Earth's greatest hope hinged solely on someone as unruly and arrogant as the teenage saiyan.
'Yet it must be so, otherwise there will be nothing to stand between Piccolo's reincarnation and the planets' desolation. I only hope that when this is all over, we haven't simply traded one tyrant for another.'
Eager to rid himself of these troubling thoughts brewing in his brain, Kami turned from Snake Way, and hurriedly descended a small set of steps before trekking back through the hall that would return him to King Yemma's office.
And yet, the cloud of foreboding only seemed to grow darker and more oppressive, until Earth's guardian was struggling to breath or even swallow the ball of nerves swelling in his wrinkled throat. Clawed fingers dug into gnarled wood, and Kami's yellowing fangs were bared as he forced himself to keep walking, the minor deity was determined to make it home!
"Just a little further," he rasped. Sweat had begun to bead over his creased forehead, and Kami pulled back his hood in an effort to alleviate the intensifying heat. "Surely, once I'm back on Earth these feelings will fade, with the help of some meditation."
He could see the end of the hall now, catching sight of Yemma sitting at his station through the archway, but a glance at the ogre's expression halted Earth's guardian in his tracks.
Pinched eyebrows, fidgeting hands that were twiddling their thumbs, and eyes that seemed to find the polished top of their owner's desk to be the most interesting thing in the cosmos.
Seeing Other World's most powerful ogre seated like a child caught with the cookie jar filled Kami with dread, and his knees began to shake at the implications of such a sight, however with only one way back to Earth the elderly god forced himself to keep moving. Although once he cleared the hallway, his heart stopped, and a deep desire to puke punched him in the stomach.
"Ah, there you are, Kami. I was wondering just how long you intended to keep me waiting."
Flinching at the undercut of displeasure in every word, Earth's guardian leaned heavily into his staff and dropped his gaze to the floor. "S-Supreme Kai, this is…unexpected. T-To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"You may be a fool, but do not think of me the same, you know why I'm here Kami. Surely you haven't forgotten the last time a deity meddled in mortal affairs, so what deformity do you suffer from that would make you think it's okay to do it again? Does the balance of the Macrocosm truly mean so little to you?"
Big, yellow eyes squeezed shut and Kami quickly shook his bald head, "No! Of course not, My Lord–"
"Yet your actions say otherwise."
It felt to Kami as though his tongue were swelling in his mouth, and he snapped his lips shut as he struggled to swallow. Shin's words were calm, but they were cold and precise, cutting the guardian down like the universe's sharpest metal.
"Lord Zeno has already allowed you to create the dragon balls, and even that is a kindness the Omni-King nearly denied you, until your other half destroyed them."
Kami's green skin felt warm as he was flooded with shame, and the deity could only nod his understanding.
"Ironic, isn't it? That a dark force, determined to take over Earth, winds up saving it in his cruelty."
"Yes, Sir."
"I'm glad you understand; now look at me."
It took all of Kami's strength to pry open his eyes, and he nearly fell over pushing past the weight of the Kaioshin's aura to do as commanded. The trip up from staring at pointed boots, to ceremonial blue robes, and finally into onyx eyes was a short one yet Kami felt as though his voyage took eons.
Shin's youthful face was nearly impassive, with only a slight inward turn of his thin eyebrows to indicate the Supreme Kia's displeasure. Those dark, coal-black orbs stared arduously at their prey though, and left Kami feeling as though he were the one being looked down upon, despite towering over the ruler of Universe 7.
"This is the last time you will interfere. I've already spoken to Korin as well as Yemma, and made sure they understand the consequences of disobeying my orders, so that just leaves you. A Supreme Kai was killed the last time we gods let our guards down; that won't be happening again. Or else Earth will need a new guardian, and we'll be finding another ogre to man the Check-in Station. Is that clear?"
"C-Crystal, My Lord."
"Good."
And then he was gone, taking his overwhelming power with him, leaving Kami to finally fall to his knees. The guardian of Earth gasped for breath as his staff clattered to the floor, and a loud 'slam' echoed through the Check-in Station from Yemma dropping face-first into his desk.
"K-Kami, what did you do!?"
The ogre King's voice was small and shaky as he trembled violently in his seat. Large, red fingers buried themselves in a mane of black hair and Yemma bit his lower-lip in an effort to stifle a wave of incoming sobs.
"I-It was the only way; I had to protect my planet."
Yet, even as he said this Kami struggled to keep his own body from shutting down. Black spots filled the guardian's vision and everything else grew fuzzy while that earlier nausea finally won out.
The stench of bile filled the air stinging Yemma's nostrils and nearly pushing him to throw up as well, but the ogre managed to fight this feeling before calling in his secretary.
"Cl-Clean that up and help Kami to the Bridge so that he can go. Kami, I'm sorry, but this is the last favor I can do for you. I-I can't help the Earth any more. Please understand."
Earth's guardian struggled to his feet with the aid of calloused, blue hands before steadying himself using his staff. Wiping away the stray vomit, Kami shuddered against the terrible aftertaste before nodding.
"I understand Yemma, and I'm sorry to have dragged you into this. Hopefully you'll forgive my foolishness in time. For now though I'll leave you, and hope Lord Shin does not change his mind. Goodbye old friend."
With that, Kami was soon led out of the Check-in Station, leaving Yemma alone at his desk. And in that ensuing silence, the ogre finally allowed himself the chance to reach into a single drawer, pull out a large bottle, then guzzle mouthfuls of burning alcohol before falling into another heap.
"Fenri!" He hollered to his secretary. "Get Pikuhaun on the line, and tell him to come see me! I need him to take over the sorting for a few hours."
Pulling off his helmet, Yemma lifted himself out of the leather chair and wiped away his tears with a heavy sniffle.
'I can't possibly hope to deal with the souls waiting to be checked in right now.'
So instead, he'd let the station's guardian do it for him, while Yemma stumbled his way out and towards the Bridge.
'Just a few hours at home,' he reasoned. 'And then everything will be alright. I-I just need a little time to myself, that's all.'
Yet, in spite of this optimistic thinking, Yemma would find it hard to rest when he sat down at home. Instead, his mind would be full of horrifying mental images of what it would actually be like to simply not exist.
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Back on Earth, as the two deities were struggling to rest, Tien-Shinhan found he was fighting to return to the land of the living. His body ached terribly, and there was a predominant pain streaking over the martial artist's chest, with both afflictions silently screaming at him to let that wonderful white light pull him away.
But he couldn't let it; not with Tao's killer still out there! So, the young fighter tightened his closed eyes, pushed back against a heavy wave of drowsiness, and forced himself to swim up into consciousness.
Even with the weight settled over his eyelids, Tien finally managed to flutter them open, and welcomed a world blurred by hazy vision. However, even in his rattled state, the student of the Crane school still managed to make out that he was not in a familiar bedroom, despite feeling his entire body sunk into a plush mattress.
'Wh-Where am I then? Th-The last thing I can really remember is…'
A flash, and then Tien's mental eye was filled with images of something big, green, and scaly that smelled of all things foul. The sinister look in its beady eyes as it licked its lips, the stench of its breath, Tien grit his teeth against this memory before trying to push it back.
'I ran away; like a coward! I'm a disgrace!'
However the rush of negative feelings brought with it a wave of dizziness, and almost immediately Tien was fisting the sheets beneath him in an attempt to ground himself as he rode it out.
"Nrgh! D-Damn it!" He hissed through clenched teeth. But because of the spinning agony, the martial artist failed to hear a female voice utter noises of surprise, or clinking dishes as they were left in a sink.
Instead Tien felt as though he were about to pass out again, as his body seemed unable to adjust to the onslaught of mental and physical attacks against it. Then, remembering his training, the young warrior tried to take a slow, steady breath.
'Meditate,' he told himself. 'Focus! D-Don't let this beat you! It's your own body, damn it! You're in control!'
Yet despite his resolve, and the training, Tien quickly found himself unable to center himself. His condition was one he'd never really experienced while trying to focus; the pain and inner turmoil leaving him totally off balance. It was so unlike his lessons with Master Shen. Tien could feel the increased beat of his heart, sensed how it might either explode or send him into cardiac arrest if he didn't do something, but the young man simply could not calm down!
'No! Th-This can't be where it ends; not when I have so much left to do! Come on Tien-Shinhan! Fight it! Y-You can't lose here!'
But where his mind was strong, the warrior's body was weak. It was a chore just to open his eyes again, and the total darkness only made Tien's dizziness worse, which snowballed into intensifying the bald fighter's heart beat faster until—
'COLD!'
A frigid clash of sensations crashed against Tien's sense of touch, as an avalanche of ice seemed to settle over his burning forehead. The contrast sent the martial artist's heart into a skip, and his eyes were finally forced open, before the jolt passed. Leaving behind a gentle current of relaxing waves to pass over Tien's sweaty skin.
In his delirium, the Crane School student could only just make out an arm in all his fog, but trying to turn and see where it led was simply too strenuous, and he let out a groan at the effort.
"Shhh, it's alright, you're safe now. The monsters are gone; it's going to be alright."
The voice was so close, but might as well have been on the other side of the world for how terribly it distorted in Tien's ears. Yet, he was sure it belonged to a woman, as he knew the gentle touch that left his forehead and traveled to his neck couldn't be from any other creature.
What he now knew to be a washcloth trailed slowly over the thick muscles of Tien's throat, stopping above his adams apple as he swallowed before continuing, and then carefully tracing the warriors collar bone.
He wanted to ask how she knew Piccolo's army had been defeated, he wanted to know who she even was!
But…
'That just feels so good.'
A brief loss of that cooling sensation left Tien grunting in need, only to sigh as it was quickly returned stronger than before.
"I just had to wet the rag again," the voice told him. "I'm not going anywhere; don't worry. I'm going to take care of you, help you, so just rest. Let your body heal, and when you're strong enough again I'll make you something good to eat, okay?"
Help. When was the last time he'd ever had that? Tien couldn't recall. Nor were there any memories of being doted on, or spoken to so softly. It was...strange.
Yet, rather than put him on guard, the woman's words lulled Tien into a relaxed state far beyond anything he'd achieved with meditation. And with her gentle tone, combined with such tender motions across his chest, the martial artist was soon discovering something he hadn't experienced in a long time; a peaceful sleep.
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However, back in the remains of Capsule Corp, another young man seemed incapable of finding similar feelings.
Lapis sat along the edge of an observation table, staring down at the floor as his twin sister was being checked on by Bulma. The heiress had already given him a clean bill of health, provided the teen waited six weeks to train again, and was now telling Lazuli about her plans to visit the Ox-King.
"I met him through searching for the Dragon Balls, but after the Turtle Hermit put out a raging fire surrounding his castle we were all captured by this gross little goblin named Pilaf, and if it weren't for Kakarot I wouldn't be standing here now. But, the Ox-King's daughter has an interesting bit of technology I wanna try and study, because I think it can help me to be more useful the next time there's trouble."
"Would you mind if my brother and I tagged along? I've never really seen much of the world, and it'd be nice to get out of here for a while."
Bulma's eyebrow arched as she gave Lazuli a curious look. "Um, sure, but what about Jingle Village? Don't you and Lapis wanna go home?"
"W-Well yeah, but–"
"My sister wants to see Kakarot again, and she knows that the best way to do that is by sticking close to you."
Both girls turned their eyes on Lapis, who had his fingers gripped tightly around both knees and his shoulders tensed with barely restrained agitation. The teen's dark hair, free of its pony-tail, spilled around his angled face; casting it in shadows. But this only helped to draw attention to his eyes. Those raw-cut gems, the color of he and his sister's namesake, were brimming with self-loathing the likes of which Bulma had never seen before, and she struggled to find any words to say as Lapis continued to stew.
Lazuli on the other hand…
"And what if I am? You don't have to come with us, if you don't want to, I'll be perfectly fine on my own."
"Like you were fine against that guy who came to kill Kakarot?"
Feminine features scrunched into an annoyed mask, "Is that what your problem is? That we lost? Lapis, my arm still isn't even fully healed, and even at our best we just don't have the same training as some of these other fighters. I thought after the tournament you'd realize that."
"The only thing I've realized is that I've been fooling myself this whole time." His voice was low, and heavy with an anger that left every word blurred by a growl. "All these years, struggling to survive and keep us safe, what the hell was it all even for if I keep losing?"
"Oh, come on–"
"No!" Lazuli and Bulma both jumped at his abrupt shout, but Lapis didn't seem to care. "You know I'm right Lazuli. I haven't been able to do anything against the enemies we've faced, even before leaving Jingle Village. I had to get someone else to save our home; to avenge our mother! Because I was too weak to do it myself!"
Lapis threw himself off the table, landing with a heavy 'thud' before he began to stalk off in a huff.
"So if you want to run off on a vacation with Bulma, be my guest, but I'm going to go out and find the strength to make sure no one ever hurts my family again…no matter what it takes."
As he stormed out, the teen's negative cloud left behind a mist of discomfort that swirled around his sister and Bulma. Lazuli just sighed however, shaking her head as she allowed Lapis to have his fit.
"You're not gonna go after him?"
"When he gets like this there's no point; just leave him alone for now. He'll get over it. He always does. Right now I just want to get my arm recast; the damn thing is killing me, Bulma."
"A-Ah, right. Sorry about that."
Yet, even as she went about setting Lazuli's bones and re-constructing the sling that would help them heal, Bulma couldn't help worrying that their decision to leave Lapis on his own was a terrible mistake.
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At the same time, Krillin was trying to convince himself that what he was doing wouldn't wind up being another big mistake. Rather, the last practitioner of Kame-style martial arts did his best not to break down into tears as he stood before Muten Roshi's former home.
With the waves crashing behind him and seagulls calling from above, Krillin allowed the scent of the sea to calm his nerves as he reached out to pull open the front door.
All at once he was hit with the scent of after-shave and dated cologne, that familiar aroma bringing back memories of arduous training regimens, but before Krillin could truly lose himself to those phantoms he heard a voice. One that nearly broke his already cracked heart.
"Master? Is that you?"
His waddle was slow, but excited, with a tone riddled with anxiety and hope. Which was why, when Turtle came scuttling into the living room, only to have his eager face drop into a depressed frown, Krillin had to bite his lip to fight back a sob.
"Oh, hi Krillin. I'm…glad you're okay."
"Y-Yeah, I um, I barely got away."
"That's good."
He could sense the desperate desire to ask about Roshi settled on the tip of Turtle's tongue, and how fear of the truth was all that kept it at bay. But then, Krillin couldn't really blame Roshi's oldest companion either. After all, he didn't want to believe it either.
Which only made what he had to say next that much harder.
"But…the Master, he, h-he um–"
"He's gone, isn't he, Krillin."
Tears stung the corners of his eyes. "Y-Yes. I'm sorry. I-I wasn't strong enough, and he had to save me, i-it's my fault Turtle, and I am so sorry."
Even through the blur of his sadness though Krillin could see the sea creature shaking his head before the young man had even finished speaking. "No, don't blame yourself, it wasn't anything that you did, or didn't, do. Master Roshi's death was King Piccolo's fault, Krillin. It was that monster who took him away from us. I-I just wish I could have been there with him at the end."
"He used the Mafuba," Krillin explained as he wiped his eyes. "S-So at least he didn't suffer."
"That's good. But, what happens now? Without the Master, what'll happen to Kame House, and the Turtle school?"
Here, Krillin allowed himself the chance to take a deep breath and collect his emotions, before finding his voice again.
"Actually, th-that's part of why I'm here. With your permission, I'd like to become the new instructor for Turtle-style martial arts, a-and open a dojo so I can teach it to others. Ya know, as a way to keep his legacy alive."
From his place by the couch Turtle's eyes grew wide at hearing Krillin's request, and for another moment there was nothing but the sound of crashing waves to break apart an otherwise deafening silence.
However, the longer it stretched on, the heavier it became until finally Roshi's last student couldn't take the quiet anymore.
"I'm sorry, it was a dumb idea, I just thought that–"
"Krillin, stop."
The former monk clenched his fists at those whispered words, but before he could turn to fly off in his borrowed capsule car, the teen was stopped by what Turtle said next…
"I think that would be perfect; and so would the Master. If there were anyone he would want carrying on the title of 'Turtle Hermit', it would be you."
Dark, watery eyes shot open at this and Krillin's lips parted as he finally managed to look Turtle in the face. Their gazes locked, and all the martial artist could find was pure sincerity staring back at him. This time, when it got hard to breathe, Krillin could feel his struggle came from a sudden rush of something he hadn't felt in a long time: hope.
And as he slowly let a smile take over his face, basking in the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel, the young man made a silent promise to share this warmth with everyone he met and protect it with his life.
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Yet where there is light, darkness is sure to follow.
The rhythmic 'thwacking' of skin slapping against wood echoed clearly through a nearly empty gym, and a single woman could be found within, practicing her kata against a Wing Chun dummy. Deep, clear eyes like sapphires were narrowed and fine eyebrows knitted together tightly as their owner struck again and again at those wooden arms.
Sweat dripped down her cheek, once ivory skin now flushed red, and pooled for a moment in the curve of her collar bone before being flung away as she struck out like a serpent with her left hand.
A final breath passed the woman's soft lips then, and the palm of her hand sat against that stained wood as she took time to steady her heartbeat.
'A full hour, and I still can't relax. Maybe some laps will help?'
Thinking about how amazing a dip in the on-base pool would feel against her heated body, and the water's cold embrace swallowing her whole as she dove in head-first, the woman almost allowed herself to believe this would be the thing to calm her anxious nerves.
"But it's just gonna end the same way," she sighed. "I can't relax knowing he's still lying in that damn bed."
Running a hand through her violet, layered bob-cut the woman scoffed as she started to make her way to the showers. "If he saw me like this though, the brute would probably just tell me to 'get over it'."
Though in spite of this, a smile found its way onto her face, as she felt a cascade of hot water spray from the shower-head and imagined those stern arctic eyes staring down at her, while Commander Gold's chiseled jaw set itself into a gruff scowl.
Lathering her stomach, the woman traced the cut of her abs but replaced slender fingers with large rough hands. That phantom gaze of pure steel softened just enough to see tenderness, and love beneath it, and what was once a wry grin became a gentle smile at such cherished memories.
"Colonel! Colonel Violet! Are you in there!?"
Then, just like that they were shattered, and Violet's mood soured.
"Of course I am, you idiot! Can't you hear the water running!? Now what do you want!?"
"I-I just, ya see Ma'am, it's-"
"Out with it already!"
"It's the Commander; h-he's awake!"
Colonel Violet felt all the breath in her body vanish. A moment later she was forced to lean back against the wall, lest the loss of feeling in her legs force Violet to crumble. She stared at nothing, blinking slowly as she did her best to process this new information.
He'd been unconscious for so long; it was hard to believe this day had finally come!
"He's…awake?"
"Y-Yes Ma'am, the doctor is with him now, giving him a check-up as we speak, but from the looks of it Commander Gold is in perfect health. I remembered your orders to be notified immediately, b-but did I come at a bad time?"
Alive. He was alive! Her Commander wasn't going to turn into a vegetable! Colonel Violet sucked in a deep breath with this realization, biting her lip as she scrambled to turn off the shower.
"No! No, you did exactly as you were told, good work! Now leave me, so I can get dressed, a-and tell the Commander I'll be there to see him shortly!"
"Of course, Colonel. By your leave, then."
"Dismissed!"
She listened as his combat boots beat against the floor in a hasty retreat, and only waited until the sounds left the locker room before leaping from the shower to towel off. Grabbing her spare uniform, Violet dressed quickly, but silently cursed the wild state of her hair even as she sped out of the gymnasium and into the hall.
It was a route she knew like the back of her own hand, but something about this trip felt longer than any other. What should have been a five minute, full-speed sprint, seemed to take forever and Violet's stomach was ready to drop onto the floor just before she turned that last corner…
And if anyone noticed her desperate stumble, they either knew not to mention it or accepted it as a trick of the mind, because as soon as their Colonel was in sight they found nothing but a perfect example of what it meant to be part of the Red Ribbon army. Her eyes were sharp, and all emotion had been stripped from the woman's beautiful face, leaving nothing but a lioness of the battlefield in their wake.
Moving towards the door, Violet's every step was measured and precise, the woman's muscles were seamless in their motion as they carried her to her goal.
An aura of cold ferocity dropped over that hallway like a blanket, thick and stifling, forcing each and every other soldier standing outside the medical bay to step back lest they be brought to their knees under the weight.
With one final clap, Violet's polished black boots stopped, finishing their journey, and she could see through bullet-proof glass that the news really was true.
'He really is alive…thank the Gods.'
When those eyes she'd burned into her memory turned on her, it came as no surprise, yet Colonel Violet felt a powerful spark pass through her heart just the same. It took all of her power to actually open the door, but with a heavy swallow that final barrier was pushed aside, and sterilized air soon hit the woman's nostrils along with a faint hint of something familiar.
"Commander," she wasn't sure if her voice cracked or not. Though Violet prayed it was just in her head. "It's good to see you up; how do you feel?"
"Like there's an echo in my head; it's whispering for vengeance. Tell me, Colonel, was my father really killed or did I dream that?"
His voice was low, and raspy from lack of use, but Violet's ears still shivered at hearing that deep rumble again after so many weeks without it. Unfortunately this wasn't the time to revel in good fortune; her Commander asked her a question, after all.
"He was, I'm afraid. The one responsible was a boy–"
"Kakarot. That was the name I heard in my dreams; what information do we have about him?"
Before his second-in-command could give her report though, the doctor who'd been charged with the Commander's care blustered and pushed himself into the conversation.
"Sir, I'm sorry, but this is no time for such things. That bullet just barely missed your heart; another half an inch and you'd have died! Please, you need to rest–"
"Rest is for the dead, doctor. I am a soldier, and a son, whose father was taken before his time. What I need is vengeance. Whoever this 'Kakarot' is will pay dearly for what he's taken from me, so unless you have information on him to give me, your work here is done. Leave us."
"But Sir–"
"Now."
It never ceased to amaze Violet how her Commander could be so terrifying without raising his voice. But then, as she saw him tower over the head physician, with biceps the size of bowling balls and shoulders wider than her entire body, it shouldn't come to a surprise for anyone really.
So when the doctor choked on his fear, and scuttled out of the room like a dog with its tail between its legs, there was little Violet could do to keep back a snicker at the skinny man's pathetic performance.
"Good riddance."
Commander Gold hummed his agreement, leaning forward to rest both hands on his knees. "Yes, and with him out of the way, you can give me your report on 'Kakarot'. What were you able to find?"
The switch back to business was as easy as flipping on the lights. Colonel Violet stood just a little straighter, and let her hands fold behind her body after she pulled the door shut.
"Unfortunately, Sir, the men weren't able to recover much about Kakarot besides a few sightings of the boy before Muscle Tower's destruction. It's as if he came out of nowhere; there's not even a birth certificate for the kid. Though he did win the last Tenkaichi Budokai, defeating reigning champion Jackie Chun, and becoming the tournament's youngest title holder ever."
Thick, red eyebrows knitted together at the news and Commander Gold's jaw shifted slightly as he turned his gaze towards the floor.
"What about those sightings; was he alone? Does he have any friends, or known associates?"
"He's been seen with the Capsule Corp heiress quite frequently, and it appears the kid has met with the Ox-King, while also training under Muten Roshi before the last World Tournament."
"Which would explain how he won the belt, but to be so powerful that he defeated all of Muscle Tower? At his age? Even I would struggle to finish that fight. What else do we know?"
Here, Colonel Violet tensed.
"Actually, Sir, we weren't able to do any more digging. Roughly two weeks ago, the planet was under siege from a...a monster who called himself 'King Piccolo'. We lost contact with our intelligence team soon after, and haven't heard anything from them since, even though Piccolo seems to have been defeated."
"By Kakarot, I'd wager, based on what you've told me so far."
The woman's mouth dropped open, and she stared at her commander wearing a mask of sheer disbelief.
"Y-You can't be serious? Gold, he's like fifteen-"
"And already strong enough to defeat a man who's been practicing martial arts for over fifty years; possibly even longer than that. You and I both know that Roshi and Chun were one and the same, only a complete fool wouldn't have made the connection. Yet Kakarot somehow managed to best a warrior I'd have never beaten in a hundred years!"
His voice was like thunder, booming with mounting fury as the man's entire body tensed. Every muscle coiled, and eyes colder than an arctic glacier were now hot like electric plasma.
"If a man like Tao can exist in this world, then there's every bit of a possibility that Kakarot is just as gifted; just as powerful. If not stronger. So yes, Violet, I do believe that Earth was saved by a teenager."
That sneer trailed off into contemplative silence, with both officers of the Red Ribbon army quietly digesting Gold's last words. Violet dropped her stiff posture, and after seeing that the halls were empty now, decided it was okay to move over and sit beside her leader.
His tan had faded from being bed-ridden for so long, but the warmth that came off him was every bit as comforting as she remembered. Closing her eyes, Violet leaned into the red-head's burly frame, snuggling as Gold wrapped an arm around her smaller body.
"So," she broke the silence with a whisper, the colonel's voice tinted by worry as she spoke.
"If he's this strong...what will you do? This kid sounds like he was born to be the perfect fighting machine."
Violet didn't see it, but her words set off a spark in Gold's steely gaze, and his face shifted to a look of determined purpose.
He knew what to do.
"You're right. But, just because I wasn't born the perfect warrior, doesn't mean I can't be made into one."
She looked up at him now, and as they locked eyes the colonel realized where the man's thoughts had traveled to, a second later her shoulders dropped.
"Is there really no other way? Your father's work was brilliant, but, Gold, that procedure is experimental. It's dangerous!"
He brought a single hand up to cup her cheek, using his large thumb to wipe away a tear as it fell.
"I know, but it's my only chance."
Violet laid her own hand over Gold's calloused knuckles, gripping the man's thick fingers with all her strength.
"At least practice it on someone else first, please. There are more than enough useless weaklings on base, or even the planet, use them! Make sure your father's work is perfected before you let someone start cutting you open! Please, Gold, promise me you'll wait until you're sure you'll survive the surgery, because if something happens to you…I don't know what I'll do."
Staring into those beautiful, glistening sapphire eyes the Red Ribbon's last commander found himself helpless to deny his colonel's pleas.
"If it'll dry your tears, I'll do it."
Violet's eyebrows shot up into her fringe, but just before she could fully break out into a beaming smile, Gold held up a single finger to halt the woman's rush of relief.
"But, we won't use any of the men under my command; I have a better use for them. I like what you said before, so we'll find 'volunteers' from around the world. The homeless, sick and feeble, prisoners or deliquentants. We'll take the rotten apples from the tree, and use them to pave the way for a new tomorrow…and Kakarot's destruction."
That earlier excitement at being appeased turned to a small, powerful fire which settled in the middle of Violet's chest. And as she stared up into those eyes that were burned into her memory, the colonel felt her heart beat quicker with every tick of the clock. The longer their gazes were locked, the harder it became to breathe, yet the sensation only heightened Violet's growing excitement.
'When did Gold get so close?' She wasn't sure, but the woman found it difficult to care, and soon enough the beautiful colonel ached to close the rest of that gap.
Stretching up without sliding off the table, Violet was practically in the commander's lap, but neither seemed to notice. Instead their eyelids grew heavier with each passing second, until finally both pairs were lost to darkness, and moments later the commander's rough lips came down to capture his colonel's softer pair in a slow kiss.
Yet, in the light of this love, shadows of vengeance and promises of death followed close behind.
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