X Chapter 18 X
Warning: Language, Sexual Themes
The sun was soon to crest above the gentle hills... The soggy, dark earth contrasted with the brightening heavens, like yin and yang…
Camp was silent; the children still slept. A pile of ash and timber lay centrally among the rows of sod shelters. The bonfire had raged until only an hour before; embers still smoldered amid the ashen remains.
Komatsuna tossed and turned on Iseber's bed. She was having a nightmare about the battle just two nights prior. Her tail lashed wildly, knocking empty bottles of booze from the bed to the floor where they shattered. "Hnnn…" In her dream, Iseber was dueling Tarro and winning. Iseber had Tarro on his knees, utterly defeated. But just as it happened in reality: Iseber reached out his hand for Tarro to take. Komatsuna stood nearby, observing. "No…" When she saw Tarro's hand rise, she bolted towards them.
However, the distance between her and Iseber seemed to stretch as she went. Before she could stop him, Tarro's hand punctured Iseber's abdomen, spilling his guts. Iseber's lifeless corpse fell over on its side. The long-haired saiyaness let out a shrill scream that penetrated through the divide between dream and reality. She sat up in a cold sweat; the nightmare's hold on her was broken.
Her bloodshot eyes darted back and forth, scanning the bedroom full of empty beds. Had anyone heard her screaming? Goddamn it... Her feet hit the floor and shuffled over to one of the boarded-up windows. She peered through the cracks of the boards. The coast seemed to be clear… for now. *Sigh* "Thank otherworld!" It didn't matter what happened: No way was she gonna let anyone see her 'softness', not while sober anyway.
Komatsuna rubbed her temples as she walked back to the bed. Her 'activities' from last night were beginning to catch up to her. Her white boots crunched on the shards of glass strewn about the floor, to which she paid no mind. She hadn't taken her armor off before bed like she routinely did. Body odor from the tattered garb wafted up to her tapered nose. Fuck, I stink. This was an understatement; the former Cooler force mercenary hadn't had a bath since her stay aboard Cooler's flagship.
She stripped naked and discarded the battle-torn clothes aside. Seeing a dusty wardrobe in the corner, the saiyaness strutted over and swung the double wooden doors open. Several sets of saiyan armor were stacked within, untouched since their creation. Layers of dust were kicked up as she took a set out, causing her to have a sneezing fit. What the hell? Do those little shit-stains ever bathe?! These have been sitting here for eons!
The saiyaness carried the armor out of the bedroom, snagged a waterskin from the kitchen, and headed outside. Bitter cold winds nipped at her bare skin, compelling her to wrap her tail around her stomach. In plain view of the camp, she took the waterskin and poured the contents over her head. The chilled liquid stung as it ran down her scarred body and dribbled onto the soil. She washed herself, shivering like mad the entire time. Cold cold cold cold cold...
When she had finished scrubbing the grime from her unmentionables, Komatsuna used ki to repel the water from her skin, drying herself. The saiyan woman turned to where she left the set of old armor. She went to pick it up and noticed something in the corner of her eye. Her head snapped to find a boy standing frozen and alone in front of a nearby house. He was an older child, around the age of ten. His black eyes were wide open and dead set on Komatsuna.
It was a fairly uncommon sight for someone to be naked in the middle of camp. In fact, this particular child couldn't remember the last time he had seen anyone naked; Ginge was the only one that ever took her armor off, and that was always in private. Komatsuna facepalmed and harshly dragged her hand down her mug. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the boy found something pleasant about the whole experience. The long-haired saiyaness growled as she slipped the blue jumpsuit and white armor chest piece on, with peeping eyes scrying every inch of her.
Once dressed, she turned to face him again; he was still frozen in place with the same stupid look on his face. Her blood was approaching a boil until an idea popped into her head. Slowly, a mischievous smile crept across her face. Komatsuna beckoned with a finger for the long-maned child to come. Like a zombie, he followed this command, marching up to her. Concealed, in one hand behind her back, was a half empty waterskin. It was bath time.
The boy's screams woke Celle, who was sleeping with Veeda at Ginge's. Disregarding her sister's comfort, she threw the sprawled body of Veeda off of her and across the room where it slammed into the dusty wall. Veeda woke up, unhurt and ready for war. But instead of the fight she was expecting, she witnessed Celle sprinting out the door. The Gine doppelganger was fast to follow her sister. They ran out of the house to investigate the commotion.
Veeda stepped over the threshold to find Celle standing still like a tree, staring at something. Using her sister's head as a guide, she too saw what was so mortifying. Komatsuna had the long-haired boy buck naked and pinned, sitting on his back. She had his tail in a vice grip, rendering him helpless. The saiyaness poured ice cold water all over his head and shoulders. She furiously scrubbed the kid's head, washing his hair, then moved on to his pits all while he screamed his lungs out.
Celle couldn't quite process what was happening in front of her eyes, mouthing "What the fuck…" Finally, she worked up the nerve to say something, roaring at Komatsuna "Why are you doing that to him?! Let him go!" The long-haired saiyaness dumped the last of the water on the boy and kept washing. She whipped a hard glare to the sisters standing in front of Ginge's house. "I don't know how Ginge ran things in the past, but I know one thing: You runts aren't gonna live like little savages while I'm around! Once I'm done with him, you girls are next!"
The sisters looked at one another with a hint of fear on their faces. When they turned back, Komatsuna was standing in a wide stance, her mouth twisted into a malign smirk. Behind her, on the ground, the boy was curled in a ball, trembling from cold. Perhaps it was repressed maternal instinct that drove the brackish former mercenary; perhaps it was the petty desire to inflict pain on 'runts'; perhaps it was both. Either way, it was their turn.
Celle and Veeda split up in opposite directions, flying as fast as their little bodies could carry them. Veeda didn't make it very far, only getting just outside camp before having her tail caught in Komatsuna's steel grip. Celle was flying so fast that she didn't hear her sister scream bloody murder. It wasn't but a few seconds into flight that she reached the battle-scarred river bank; she had travelled south.
Unusual for the season, the river flowed freely, free of ice. The damage to the planet's magnetosphere allowed the sun's rays to hit the ground undeterred, melting any ice that accumulated overnight. It had only been a few minutes since the sun had risen...
Celle ducked into a leftover patch of dead reeds. The frigid water seeped into her boots, stinging her feet numb. Little did she know, she had set herself up. It wasn't long until Komatsuna showed up with Veeda in hand. Celle peered from the reeds as Veeda kicked and screamed in the saiyaness' grasp, dangling by her tail. With a fair bit of wind-up, Komatsuna chucked the girl into the river with a tall splash. Bubbles came up before Veeda surfaced, coughing up water.
She tried to get out, but the saiyaness dove from the air and wrapped her stout legs around the girl's body, dragging her close to shore. Komatsuna stripped Veeda's armor off piece by piece, fighting with her every step of the way. "Come… on! Stop squirming! You're making this harder than it needs to be!" When she finally had her stripped, the older female began scrubbing Veeda's thick mane. Tons of gunk and grime washed out of it and into the river, leaving a brown trail in the water. "Disgusting! It's like I'm washing a big rat!" spat Komatsuna.
Veeda's whining and Komatsuna's harsh barking made Celle anxious. She fidgeted in her hiding place among the reeds. Hang in there, Veeda. I'm so sorry… She couldn't watch anymore and shut her eyes. Celle would have done almost anything to shut off her hearing, but instead she was forced to listen to the borderline torture just under twenty feet away from her.
When it was all said and done, Veeda stood on the bank of the river, nude and sopping wet. Her hair was puffed out like a giant, black cotton ball. Komatsuna shoved the girl's armor into her shivering, twig arms. "Now get dressed. I need to find Celle." Celle cringed when she heard those dreaded words. The preteen cringed even harder when her hunter stepped within ten feet of her hiding spot. She held her breath, doing everything to not be spotted. Her heart was set on maximum overdrive.
Please go away. Please go away. Please go away. The simple mantra replayed in Celle's head like a broken record. Komatsuna stood there for several seconds, which seemed like several hours to Celle. The saiyan woman tilted her chin a bit and took a whiff of air. A smirk appeared on her face and she uttered "Hmm…" Her prey was sure she was caught. However, just when all seemed lost, Komatsuna abruptly turned away and stalked in a different direction.
The messy haired girl sighed a sigh of relief. Making sure the coast was clear, Celle popped her head out of the reeds and hissed at Veeda. "Psst! Veeda! Over here!" Veeda paused putting on her boots to look at the source of the whispering. "Celle?! How long were you there?!" Celle shook her head. "Nevermind that! You have to help me get out of here! She's-" Veeda interrupted her sister, shouting "Komatsuna! Hey! She's over here!" Celle brought her voice as low as it could go. "What are you doing?!"
Veeda gave Celle a shit-eating grin. "This is for not helping me. Komatsuna! She's here!" The long-haired huntress finally heard her calling and dashed over. "Where?!" Veeda pointed right at Celle's reed patch. "There!" Celle leapt from the reeds and cursed her sister. "Damn it, Veeda!" Komatsuna snickered and said "I thought I smelled something rank. Well, let's get this over with!" As she got closer to Celle, looming over her, Celle gulped. Behind Komatsuna, Veeda's grin grew even wider, relishing in sweet revenge. There was no chance to escape; the saiyaness was too fast in grabbing Celle's tail.
*Plunk* Celle was dunked in the water. She yelped and clung to Komatsuna like a koala cub to its mother; the frigid water felt like an ice bath on her bare skin. Komatsuna had to pry Celle's arms from around her chest. "Don't be a little bitch! It's just water!" Celle's struggling only stopped with a little coercion via tail crushing; for a saiyan low-class, nothing was worse than having your tail squeezed. Komatsuna gave Celle the same treatment she gave Veeda, scrubbing her messy hair. Like Veeda's, gobs of gunk and grime washed out.
Celle whined and pleaded the entire time to be let go. The long-haired saiyaness responded each time with "Not until I can see my reflection!" Eventually, Celle ceased resisting and resigned herself to her fate. The water had made her skin numb; she couldn't feel the stinging anymore.
Once it was over, Celle bolted for dryland. Veeda burst out laughing at seeing the sight of her sister's pathetic state. The Gine doppelganger chucked her sister's clothes at her, laughing harder at Celle's scrambling to put them on. Komatsuna waded out of the river, snorting at the pitiful scene before her. Celle finished putting on her armor and snarled hatefully at Veeda, who was still laughing at her expense. "Go to hell, Veeda! I hate you!" Then, she stormed over to her sister and clocked her right in the chest, knocking her to the mud. Celle dried herself and took off for camp.
Veeda watched her sister take flight, still sitting on her backside. Tears started rolling down her cheeks and she rubbed the spot where Celle struck her. She wondered if Celle really hated her. Komatsuna awkwardly looked away and scratched the back of her head; she certainly wasn't comfortable with dealing with this kind of thing. Veeda kept sniffling and quietly shedding tears.
Soon, the sounds of sniveling got to the hard woman and since there was no one else around: started walking up to the girl. Veeda looked up from her lap to see Komatsuna lording over her. The saiyaness bore a scowl; her eyes possessed a fire in them. "You're a saiyan, are you not?" Veeda just stared. Komatsuna answered for her. "You're part of a warrior race whose warrior traditions and glorious conquests span back thousands of years. You shouldn't be crying because someone hit you!"
The slim girl dropped her chin and went back to sniveling. "I don't care about that! Celle hates me!" Komatsuna mulled things over. It made no sense to her; why was this pup bawling just because some other girl said she hated her? "Why does that matter, kid? Who gives a shit what that brat says?" Veeda choked on her answer. "S-she's my s-sister! She's all I have!"
From Veeda's vindication, the problem was made clear to the hard-nosed saiyaness. This runt was an orphan; she didn't have parents to look after her. Ginge was the closest thing to a mother-figure in her life, and she was gone now. Komatsuna thought back to when she was bathing the girl. She pictured the grievous burn scars that covered Veeda's stomach; the girl had received them long ago from Tercres, just before his beating at the hands of Ginge and subsequent banishment.
The child was already living life virtually on her own, essentially an infiltration baby with no mission and no homeworld to someday return to. Most saiyan children were guaranteed at least a few years at home with their families while they attended the army academy. Yet Veeda was just getting to the age where she'd have been sent on missions offworld, and already sported terrible battle scars.
It was then, in those moments, that something began to slip and crack within Komatsuna. The circumstances of both herself and the other surviving saiyans seemed to smash its way into her mind. For the first time in her life, the prideful saiyaness felt true empathy for someone else's feelings. It made her physically revolt to think of herself as getting 'soft', and even more so to imagine sharing these feelings. What. The. Hell is happening to me?!
These children were all alone with no connection to their saiyan heritage; no one was around to teach them. Even if that green asshole managed to bring Ginge and Iseber back somehow, they had next to no knowledge of their people. Who cares?! Fuck em!
Komatsuna reflected long and hard about it. She didn't have to stick around. She could, right now, pack her shit up and fuck off into the sunset in her attack ball. But as good as that sounded, it just didn't feel right. That was another thing that was bugging her. Why the hell did she care? Why not just leave? Had her memories from the past few days been erased, she certainly would have. Seriously! Why can't I just do it?!
It was a redundant question. She already knew the answer. They were all that was left; the next generation. She was their only connection to their heritage and the saiyans that came before. If she forsook them, saiyan ways and saiyan traditions died with her. Hell, the very memory of Planet Vegeta could very well die in a few generations. And that was something that Komatsuna's saiyan pride wouldn't allow.
Komatsuna gave in, and in the deepest fathoms of her heart, resolved to be their teacher... even if it meant facing head-on, the repressed feelings that she so loathed.
The former mercenary repelled the water from her body and sat down next to Veeda. The girl continued to sob, ignoring her. Komatsuna made many attempts to speak, opening and closing her mouth several times. Finding words she could say without vomiting was a task and a half. Eventually, she croaked "Kid... What's your name?"
Veeda tilted her face towards her a little, briefly ceasing her weeping. *sniff* "Veeda." When Komatsuna didn't say anything in turn, Veeda buried her face back in her knees. The saiyaness squirmed in her seat on the ground. It was a start... in a way.
Several awkward moments passed, and Komatsuna hadn't said anything, just watching Veeda sob. Words of consolation bounced around in Komatsuna's head; she thought of anything to say to make her feel better. Nothing seemed to roll off the tongue, however. Internally, the whole farce both frustrated and infuriated her; she really hated being in this situation. For fuck's sake, she was a warrior, not a mollycoddler!
After many more unpleasant moments, an idea finally popped in her head, though it too made her want to heave. What if she didn't have to say anything at all? Hugging was something weaklings did when they wanted to feel better, right? It couldn't be worse than having to come up with sappy drivel to say, could it? First standing up and scanning the horizon one last time for anyone watching, the saiyaness sat back down, wrapped her lean arm around Veeda's shoulders, then pulled her in.
It was the most awkward embrace of all time; both parties were thoroughly uncomfortable, though for slightly different reasons. Veeda stopped crying and just endured limply in the woman's embrace. The girl's eyes flicked back and forth in a way that said 'Uh... what the hell is happening?'
Komatsuna didn't notice the mutual discomfort. She swallowed and parted her lips to speak; her face was beet-red. "Look... Veeda. It's gonna be alright." Veeda kept very still, semi-terrified. It was the first time she had ever been hugged and thought it was some kind of grapple. The only reason she didn't dig her fist into Komatsuna's ribs was that she couldn't feel any hostility coming from her.
Hugging wasn't really a thing in camp; saiyans didn't typically show physical affection among themselves, with perhaps the exception of family. Even orphaned children kept their distance.
The usually hard-boiled saiyaness found herself jabbering on. Words came easier to her; she was already in too deep to care anymore... and the embrace was strangely endearing. "I guarantee you she didn't mean that. She's just angry right now... We saiyans. All of us. We have our pride. She's no different. Just give her some time…" The Gine doppelganger didn't say anything. She just listened to Komatsuna talk, letting her arms hang while Komatsuna's held her.
As if by instinct, Veeda's skinny arms rose. They wrapped around the tough woman's stomach. Her eyes shut as she rested her head against Komatsuna's chest. She had no idea what strange technique Komatsuna was using, but it felt... comforting. The woman's voice was starkly different from usual; soothing instead of forbidding. Warmth permeated through her breast plate onto Veeda's cheek.
Komatsuna and Veeda remained like that for a couple minutes longer. Neither said a word that entire time. The former planet pirate was at war with herself inside. She cursed herself and everyone on that quaint mudball for her getting soft. Yet at the same time, she savored the moment. There was something... fulfilling about embracing with the runt. It was like she had patched a hole in her life that she never knew she had. She was at peace.
That peace faltered when a tremor in the ground spooked the pair. They hastefully separated and leapt to their feet. On and on, the ground shook, getting worse and worse. The sky was rapidly turning black. Veeda and Komatsuna looked to one another briefly, exchanging a look of worry. Komatsuna turned in the direction of camp to see a massive red dragon of a skinny type, whose lanky body seemed to stretch upwards, originating from camp itself.
Veeda noticed it too. But before she could open her mouth, Komatsuna grabbed her by the hand and towed her, flying max speed towards the mysterious creature. The saiyaness had a hunch of what was going on, and rushed to get back in time.
They reached camp in a matter of seconds, traveling many miles. Everyone was gathered around a pile of glowing, orange orbs; there were seven in total. The dragon's origin appeared to be coming from the balls themselves. A tall shrouded figure stood among the short saiyan children with his arms stretched out towards the towering dragon.
The figure noticed Veeda and Komatsuna land, and turned to face them. His voice revealed himself as Conch. "Hey! You guys made it!" The long-haired woman released Veeda's hand and stepped towards the dragon, passing the masked namekian. She uttered "So. This is what's going to bring them back…" The dragon emitted a low growl of impatience.
Komatsuna whipped a glare back at Conch. "What is this thing, namek?" He spitefully coughed into his fist. "Namekian is the proper term. And this thing... is the eternal dragon, Gnost." She cast a suspicious glance at the dragon, raising her brow. "Eternal dragon, huh… And how is it supposed to revive Iseber and the others?"
Gnost growled once more, then spoke in an explosively loud voice, startling everyone. "Why have you summoned me, Conch? Have you not a wish?!" Komatsuna jumped back twenty feet when it spoke, cursing. "Holy shit! It talks!" Conch chuckled at her reaction, making the woman very self-conscious about her brief display of cowardice. He looked up at the dragon and replied casually "Yes, of course... I know how much you value your sleep. Eternal dragon! I wish for the restoration of this world to its natural, unforsaken form!"
The dragon's green eyes glowed even more fiercely than before. "...Such a wish will not be easy to grant…" Conch crossed his fingers. As the creator of the eternal dragon, he was well aware of Gnost's limits. But, he wasn't sure if even an eternal dragon could undo the ancient binding ritual that had turned his lush, beautiful world into a sullen tomb and legacy of an extinct and bloodthirsty race.
The answer that Conch so desperately wanted, came. "...It shall be done... Though it will take time…" He sighed a sigh of relief. Finally, he would be free of the guilt he had bore for so long. No longer would the swamp swallow up anyone else.
As a wave of green light expanded out in the form of a gargantuan ring in the sky above the dragon, Komatsuna ran up to Conch and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him down to her level. "What the hell did you just do?! You were supposed to revive Iseber with that wish!" Conch gently removed her hand from his cloak. She didn't resist; he was leagues above her in power. "Gnost grants three wishes each time he is summoned. I used one wish just now to undo the damage done to the planet during the battle... and to right some wrongs I did. The rest are yours to use as you please."
Komatsuna had little trust in Conch, even after having the eternal dragon's power demonstrated to her. She glared suspiciously at him until she felt countless pairs of eyes staring holes in her. The saiyaness turned to see several angry faces looking at her. Immediately, she realized her mistake.
After a brief moment of silence, Veeda stepped forward and said "You told us Iseber was with him. So that was a lie?" Komatsuna scanned around, looking at all the enraged saiyans, then back at Veeda, who looked more hurt than angry. The woman dropped her gaze to the ground. "Yeah... He... He died in the battle. My former comrade, Tarro, killed him… Please! You have to understand! I only lied because the namek said he could revive him!"
She once more looked around at all the children. Their expressions didn't soften, their scowls persisted. "Guys... please…" She stretched her hand out towards Veeda. "Veeda… I..." Veeda's face became wrathful as well and she growled "Celle was right. We can't trust you... I think you had better go." Komatsuna stared ruefully at the girl. She felt tears trying to spill over, though she contained them. Her heart felt like it was being torn in two.
Accepting it was hopeless to redeem her reputation, the long-haired saiyaness lowered her head. Her feet sullenly lifted from the dirt and she began floating away. Once several meters high, she blasted off into the distance, heading for her attack ball. When she was well out of sight, perhaps a tear or two graced the snow.
With the liar gone, everyone turned to Veeda. An older boy asked "Where is Celle, anyway? Wasn't she with you and that lying cow?" Veeda snapped a worried look at him. "She left before us! You mean she never showed up?!" He shook his wild-haired head, a little intimidated. The girl had forgotten all about the earlier spat with her sister and just wanted to make sure she was alright. "I need to find her. Just revive Iseber and Ginge without me." In a flash, she took off back towards the river.
The boys and girls looked among themselves, murmuring to one another. No one had any idea what to do or how to wish for something. Conch, who had been standing quietly until then, spoke up. "One of you, speak to the dragon. And quickly! He gets mad if you make him wait!" A second passed, and the same boy who had spoken with Veeda, stepped up. "Ok... how did he say it? Uh... Eternal dragon! I wish to bring back Iseber and Gin-"
Conch interrupted him. "Wait! Isn't there a bunch of others that died?! Gnost can bring back any number of lives at a time. So you should wish for everyone that died during the battle to come back to life." The boy looked at him, then back at the others. They nodded in approval. He turned back to the dragon and began to make the wish. Yet, something else came up inside his head. Again, he turned to Conch. "Say... Is there a limit to the time someone can be dead before they can't come back?"
The shrouded namekian shook his hooded head. "No. Gnost has no such limit. He can revive anyone, even if they've been dead for a thousand years." Secretly, he feared what wish could be cooking up inside the boy's mind. He nervously asked "But just in case, how about you run the wish by me first." As asked, the boy told him. "I want to wish the saiyans back that have died since we got here."
Conch internally thanked the kais that it wasn't the wish he thought it was, but pried further into the boy's motives. "Why? Who died and how?" The boy looked down at the ground and smiled. Perhaps he would get to see him again. "My baby brother, Quash. He died the first night we got here... because I didn't look after him." Conch discreetly used remote-telepathy to read the boy's mind. The story checked out. "Hmm... Go ahead. I was afraid it might not work because Gnost can't revive those that died from natural causes... But since neglect was involved, it should technically work... technically…"
The wild-haired boy, whose name was Squas, grinned gleefully and gave his wish to the dragon. "Eternal dragon! I wish for all saiyans that have died since we arrived to come back to life!" It took a second for Conch to realize the implications that came with such a wish. His fear of a hypothetical wish had distracted him from the true danger. Shit...
In a distant field littered with corpses and giant craters... A saiyan warrior stood up from his 'final' resting place... Smoke and steam curled and wafted away from his body as his form and features filled in; the damage to his skull was no more…