Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ, don't know anybody at FUNi, don't make any money
(hehe, that rhymed)1
2
3 Several months later
Meleina gazed up at the starlit sky and smiled faintly. Every night she came to stargaze- every night, that is, except for the night of the full moon. She had broken the rules and befriended the Namek people, and didn't want to harm them in any way. She didn't know what they would do if she transformed, anyway, so it was in her best interest to stay inside on the night of the full moon. The Namekians thought her to be rude- they celebrated the full moon. Only Kami had asked for her reason, and she had simply told him, "Dangerous things happen to Saiyans at the full moon."
Kami came up behind her and smiled faintly. "A beautiful night." He sat down beside her. "Do you still miss your home?"
"Not as much as I used to." She smiled. "I love living here, but.I loved my life as a Saiyan."
Kami chuckled slightly. "Which one is your planet?" he asked, gesturing to the stars.
Meleina pointed. "Right there. She's so beautiful, isn't she?"
"Very beautiful," he agreed. Suddenly, Meleina put a hand to her head and winced. "Meleina? Are you alright?"
"Yeah," she said. "I just-" She stopped talking and stared at the sky. A voice filled her head. It was familiar- masculine, warm, and tender, but she couldn't place it. Meleina.you're alive! My wonderful Mel. She twitched and looked at Kami. "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling very well."
He nodded. "I'll help you back. I want to make sure you're okay."
"Thanks." Meleina took his extended arm and sighed. When she returned to her small house, she lay down on her bed and shook her head. "Meleina, you're losing it, girl." Without warning, the voice filled her head again. Kakarot! She clutched her head and groaned. Kakarot, my son. She stood up and staggered to the door. She had to get help.her head felt as if it were exploding, and she knew that hearing voices was not a good thing. And then a second voice joined the first. Bardock! Meleina cried out and fell to her knees. Of course! The voice was her father! She leaned against the door as the second voice spoke up. Bardock! You know who I am, don't you? Suddenly, she wasn't in her tiny house anymore. She was on an unfamiliar planet, watching her father reaching out to a young man who had his back turned.
4 Yes.you're my son!
5 It's not too late to change, Father. To be different.than him. A vision of Frieza suddenly filled her mind, and she felt a deep sense of fear and anger from her father. She screeched loudly and clutched her head.
Meleina choked as strong hands grabbed her and hauled her to her feet. "Meleina! Leina, are you alright?" She trembled and looked up at Kami with wide eyes.
"My father!" she blurted. "My brother- oh, Kami, I saw them.I." He shook her hard, and she burst into tears. "I saw them, Kami.I saw them.He knows I'm alive now." She laughed softly and hugged him. They stayed in the position for several long minutes, then suddenly her father's voice filled her mind.
Meleina.Mel.I love you. I know you're alive.Frieza's destroyed the planet, Mel. You're one of the only survivors. Kakarot.the brother you never knew.he's alive, too. Find him, Mel. Teach him about his family.
I will, Father! She cried with her mind.
You were right, my son.it wasn't too late to change. I wish I could have held you in my arms when I had the chance. Meleina felt the connection to her father cut off suddenly and she knew he had died.
She broke down and wept into Kami's arms as the Namek held her tightly, confused.
The next morning she was in better mental shape, though she looked as if she hadn't slept at all. Kami greeted her warmly, but she didn't seem to notice he was in the room.
"Meleina? Are you alright?"
She kept her back to him. "I'm not sure, Kami. I."
"Yes?"
"Never mind." Her voice was soft and mournful, and Kami felt his heart contract at the pain in it.
"You're certain you're fine?"
She turned to meet his gaze, and he saw the drying tear tracks on her cheeks. "I don't know. I don't think so."
Kami pulled her into his embrace and she sighed softly. "It's gone, Kami. All of it.gone. Just like that." She snapped her fingers, then dropped her hand to her side.
"Meleina, you have to tell someone what happened."
She drew back and glared at him angrily. "Didn't you hear me? It's gone."
"What's gone, Leina?"
"Don't call me that," she said sharply.
He gave her a startled look. "Meleina," he said in a forcefully calm voice. She lifted her gaze from the floor. "What's gone?"
"Vegeta," she whispered. "Everything. Mom, Dad, Raditz, Socha, Vegeta." A bitter smile twisted across her lips. "All but my baby brother."
Kami drew her back into his arms. "Then there's hope."
"There's no hope. He was sent away. I'll never find him."
"You must never give up hope for the future, Meleina. There must be other survivors."
"Frieza is more thorough than you think. No, they're all dead." Her gaze turned distant as she stared out at the sky.
He touched her shoulder. "Meleina."
"If only I had been there," she whispered darkly. "I should have been there for my father, for my friends. They needed me, and I failed them." She closed her eyes and leaned back into Kami's arms. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For acting like such a jerk. You're trying to help me, but.I just need to be alone for a while."
Kami nodded and started off, but suddenly stopped. "Leina? There's something I need to tell you."
She opened her eyes and stared curiously. "What?"
He sat down on the bed and pulled her down next to him, taking a deep breath. "This is going to be very difficult for me, Meleina. Very difficult. I don't enjoy naming my faults so openly, but.you need to know this." He met her gaze. "Your stay here has been for no reason." He spread his hands. "You could have left at any time."
"I have no way to get off, Kami," she growled, knowing where this conversation was going.
He fidgeted, then shrugged. "We had a working craft in its final stages of completion when you arrived. We finished it.many months ago, but I didn't tell you. I suppose I didn't want to tell you because I knew you would leave. I didn't want that. You'd quickly become a part of our society, and we would have greatly missed you. But.you can have that craft, if you want it now." Meleina closed her eyes again.
"Kami.This is big." She smiled. "This means that I can find my brother, Kami."
6 "Quickly now.go find him."
"Hey, Kami? Thanks for everything. I'll be back as soon as I find Kakarot, I promise."
"I know you will, Leina. Good journey." She smiled, and embraced the Namek a final time.
Meleina worked the controls of the unfamiliar ship toward the remains of Planet Vegeta. It was the only place she knew her little brother had ever been, and it was as good a place as any to begin her search. Besides, she wanted to get the full picture of what that blasted Frieza had done to her people, and the only way she knew how was firsthand: go back home.
She gazed down at the fragments of the broken planet, remembering fondly the many happy times that she had spent there. It hadn't been gone long; she felt its energy still somewhat alive. She saw Frieza's vessel in the distance, but steered clear of it. She wanted to have a rational mind when she killed him, and she knew that if she attacked now she would lose it completely.
Meleina clenched her fist and hissed to the destroyed planet, "I will avenge you, and all those who died because of Frieza. I promise you this till the day that I die." Something flecked across the screen of her craft and she worked the controls to snag it and bring it in. It was a small piece of fabric, an armband or headband, or something along those lines. It appeared that there was nothing special about it- but then she picked it up. The second she touched it, she felt the deep life force of her father and his good friend Taura floating off it. She squeezed it, then wrapped it around her head. "I will always remember," she growled, then turned the ship to head away from the planet. She remembered from Frieza a list of some of the weaker planets that a Saiyan infant could destroy. Might as well start searching those.
2
3 Several months later
Meleina gazed up at the starlit sky and smiled faintly. Every night she came to stargaze- every night, that is, except for the night of the full moon. She had broken the rules and befriended the Namek people, and didn't want to harm them in any way. She didn't know what they would do if she transformed, anyway, so it was in her best interest to stay inside on the night of the full moon. The Namekians thought her to be rude- they celebrated the full moon. Only Kami had asked for her reason, and she had simply told him, "Dangerous things happen to Saiyans at the full moon."
Kami came up behind her and smiled faintly. "A beautiful night." He sat down beside her. "Do you still miss your home?"
"Not as much as I used to." She smiled. "I love living here, but.I loved my life as a Saiyan."
Kami chuckled slightly. "Which one is your planet?" he asked, gesturing to the stars.
Meleina pointed. "Right there. She's so beautiful, isn't she?"
"Very beautiful," he agreed. Suddenly, Meleina put a hand to her head and winced. "Meleina? Are you alright?"
"Yeah," she said. "I just-" She stopped talking and stared at the sky. A voice filled her head. It was familiar- masculine, warm, and tender, but she couldn't place it. Meleina.you're alive! My wonderful Mel. She twitched and looked at Kami. "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling very well."
He nodded. "I'll help you back. I want to make sure you're okay."
"Thanks." Meleina took his extended arm and sighed. When she returned to her small house, she lay down on her bed and shook her head. "Meleina, you're losing it, girl." Without warning, the voice filled her head again. Kakarot! She clutched her head and groaned. Kakarot, my son. She stood up and staggered to the door. She had to get help.her head felt as if it were exploding, and she knew that hearing voices was not a good thing. And then a second voice joined the first. Bardock! Meleina cried out and fell to her knees. Of course! The voice was her father! She leaned against the door as the second voice spoke up. Bardock! You know who I am, don't you? Suddenly, she wasn't in her tiny house anymore. She was on an unfamiliar planet, watching her father reaching out to a young man who had his back turned.
4 Yes.you're my son!
5 It's not too late to change, Father. To be different.than him. A vision of Frieza suddenly filled her mind, and she felt a deep sense of fear and anger from her father. She screeched loudly and clutched her head.
Meleina choked as strong hands grabbed her and hauled her to her feet. "Meleina! Leina, are you alright?" She trembled and looked up at Kami with wide eyes.
"My father!" she blurted. "My brother- oh, Kami, I saw them.I." He shook her hard, and she burst into tears. "I saw them, Kami.I saw them.He knows I'm alive now." She laughed softly and hugged him. They stayed in the position for several long minutes, then suddenly her father's voice filled her mind.
Meleina.Mel.I love you. I know you're alive.Frieza's destroyed the planet, Mel. You're one of the only survivors. Kakarot.the brother you never knew.he's alive, too. Find him, Mel. Teach him about his family.
I will, Father! She cried with her mind.
You were right, my son.it wasn't too late to change. I wish I could have held you in my arms when I had the chance. Meleina felt the connection to her father cut off suddenly and she knew he had died.
She broke down and wept into Kami's arms as the Namek held her tightly, confused.
The next morning she was in better mental shape, though she looked as if she hadn't slept at all. Kami greeted her warmly, but she didn't seem to notice he was in the room.
"Meleina? Are you alright?"
She kept her back to him. "I'm not sure, Kami. I."
"Yes?"
"Never mind." Her voice was soft and mournful, and Kami felt his heart contract at the pain in it.
"You're certain you're fine?"
She turned to meet his gaze, and he saw the drying tear tracks on her cheeks. "I don't know. I don't think so."
Kami pulled her into his embrace and she sighed softly. "It's gone, Kami. All of it.gone. Just like that." She snapped her fingers, then dropped her hand to her side.
"Meleina, you have to tell someone what happened."
She drew back and glared at him angrily. "Didn't you hear me? It's gone."
"What's gone, Leina?"
"Don't call me that," she said sharply.
He gave her a startled look. "Meleina," he said in a forcefully calm voice. She lifted her gaze from the floor. "What's gone?"
"Vegeta," she whispered. "Everything. Mom, Dad, Raditz, Socha, Vegeta." A bitter smile twisted across her lips. "All but my baby brother."
Kami drew her back into his arms. "Then there's hope."
"There's no hope. He was sent away. I'll never find him."
"You must never give up hope for the future, Meleina. There must be other survivors."
"Frieza is more thorough than you think. No, they're all dead." Her gaze turned distant as she stared out at the sky.
He touched her shoulder. "Meleina."
"If only I had been there," she whispered darkly. "I should have been there for my father, for my friends. They needed me, and I failed them." She closed her eyes and leaned back into Kami's arms. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For acting like such a jerk. You're trying to help me, but.I just need to be alone for a while."
Kami nodded and started off, but suddenly stopped. "Leina? There's something I need to tell you."
She opened her eyes and stared curiously. "What?"
He sat down on the bed and pulled her down next to him, taking a deep breath. "This is going to be very difficult for me, Meleina. Very difficult. I don't enjoy naming my faults so openly, but.you need to know this." He met her gaze. "Your stay here has been for no reason." He spread his hands. "You could have left at any time."
"I have no way to get off, Kami," she growled, knowing where this conversation was going.
He fidgeted, then shrugged. "We had a working craft in its final stages of completion when you arrived. We finished it.many months ago, but I didn't tell you. I suppose I didn't want to tell you because I knew you would leave. I didn't want that. You'd quickly become a part of our society, and we would have greatly missed you. But.you can have that craft, if you want it now." Meleina closed her eyes again.
"Kami.This is big." She smiled. "This means that I can find my brother, Kami."
6 "Quickly now.go find him."
"Hey, Kami? Thanks for everything. I'll be back as soon as I find Kakarot, I promise."
"I know you will, Leina. Good journey." She smiled, and embraced the Namek a final time.
Meleina worked the controls of the unfamiliar ship toward the remains of Planet Vegeta. It was the only place she knew her little brother had ever been, and it was as good a place as any to begin her search. Besides, she wanted to get the full picture of what that blasted Frieza had done to her people, and the only way she knew how was firsthand: go back home.
She gazed down at the fragments of the broken planet, remembering fondly the many happy times that she had spent there. It hadn't been gone long; she felt its energy still somewhat alive. She saw Frieza's vessel in the distance, but steered clear of it. She wanted to have a rational mind when she killed him, and she knew that if she attacked now she would lose it completely.
Meleina clenched her fist and hissed to the destroyed planet, "I will avenge you, and all those who died because of Frieza. I promise you this till the day that I die." Something flecked across the screen of her craft and she worked the controls to snag it and bring it in. It was a small piece of fabric, an armband or headband, or something along those lines. It appeared that there was nothing special about it- but then she picked it up. The second she touched it, she felt the deep life force of her father and his good friend Taura floating off it. She squeezed it, then wrapped it around her head. "I will always remember," she growled, then turned the ship to head away from the planet. She remembered from Frieza a list of some of the weaker planets that a Saiyan infant could destroy. Might as well start searching those.