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DBZ Story #4: "Berter Beginnings: A Ginyu Force Outlook"

Part 24

It had passed for many hours before Neizu's leg became remotely manageable. Their medical technology was decades behind anything on Freeza Planet, and it would be several months before she could even think of using it. Thankfully, Berter had gotten her help before infection had a chance to set in, but all the while he rolled over and over in his mind how a Razher dino could have gotten so far into the Plateau. In any case, he'd have to clear away its carcass as well as that of his Marzipan so as not to attract any more threats. Dusk now, he cradled his mate and dashed back home, but not so hastily, travelling at just enough speed to not make the trip any more uncomfortable for her. Neizu hadn't uttered a word the entire way through. It was all she could do to allow herself to be carried like a child in Berter's arms and keep a stiff upper lip, refusing to show just how much pain she was really in.

"Was… my Jaccwelyn still there?"

"Hm?"Oh. Her steed… "…I did not see her, but there was a split rope still tied to the hitchpost. I can only guess that she pulled free and ran off." She cast a disappointed look. Berter frowned. "How… did a Razher dino get this far into the Plateaus?" Asked she, though more of herself than of Berter.

"I inquired to that, as well. But, on a more positive level, we'll have plenty to eat." He smiled.

"'We'? Are you staying, then?" The male blinked. She made it seem as if she wanted him to stay… "Only for 10 days, their time. Then I have to return to the outer space." He had to take away two days to compensate for time taken to get back to 79. "Even so, I'll be here the entire time to care for you."

Neizu turned away, her cheeks darkening. "Why did you come back..?" She asked with head still turned. Berter's feelings became
a bit hurt at that. "Did you not want me to? Or rather, did you not believe I would?"

"I……"

"Ah, I see. You still doubt me, then…" He set her down gently on the dampened grass. "You know," he began as he squatted beside her. "That day I left, I was being truthful. I wouldn't ever abandon you, and I didn't."

Neizu remained silent. Berter took that as a sign of disbelief and tried to prove himself honest. "See this garb?" He pointed to his battle jacket. "I received this in the space. This material, we don't have it here on this planet, so……"

His face faulted as she became more despondent. "Um… Oh! Recently, we—that is to say, my team and myself—went to a planet Beelzebub and fought like Razher dinos, we did!" He recalled excitedly, swinging his fists to emphasize the point. "We… Ah…"

Perhaps that wasn't the right thing to say, either. She appeared even more depressed and looked as if she would cry if he continued any further. He bit his thumb nervously and tried to think of a way to restore her faith in him, if it was ever there in the first place. "…I know!" He quickly gathered her up in his arms once again, eliciting a surprised yelp from her in the process. "I'll show you what I've learned! If you don't want to risk a fall, you'd best hold on to me..!"

She turned to him with a puzzled look. "What are you…"

The female clung for dear life as she felt herself going up, up, and away into the ruby sky. Berter laughed heartily as he cavorted in the aerospace (to Neizu's discontent), being the aerobat doing all sorts of loops and tumbles and what have you. "Okay! Okay!" She screamed. "I believe you! Just set me back!"

Grinning, he descended to the earth below and gave Neizu her peace. Her heart thumped loudly and her breathing was just as audible and, whether she realized it or not, she was still holding on to Berter. He didn't mind, not at all, rather liking that level of closeness. Her warmth was inviting, like a small, homey fire on a cold night. He waited a moment for her to get a handle on her breathing before asking: "Are you all right?"

"How did you learn such a thing as flight..!"

"Those people from space, as part of a training." One of the lighter sides of it, anyway…

Neizu snorted. "If we Tokage were meant to fly, we would have been descended from the flyer dinos, not the giant pack lizards."

He chuckled. "I suppose I'll have to build a crutch for you, then. I'm sure you're not fond of this sort of escortage, and as I'm sorry to say, ne'r are my arms; you've fed too well since I've been gone…"

"Oh! You…" She gave him a pinch in the wrist, but he just laughed through and through. And when his laughter was over he spoke to her softly, "When I departed that day, I meant every word I said to you. I'll love and honor and stay with you for as long as the gods allow, so please, don't doubt me, my beautiful Neizu…"

"…You're such a bother…" She blushed once more and grumbled, pretending to be angry. Though in all actuality, she was thrilled. Nothing male had ever called her 'beautiful' before, besides her own father. It was nice being made to feel special like that. It was something that every girl hoped to have one day: that handsome someone to make her feel wanted, needed, exalted, and care for her the rest of her days… He was certainly attractive enough; a set of well-maintained fangs, a pair of eyes that were a calm carmine, as opposed to the blood or rust color that most males possessed, a broad chest and strong arms, and a sincere smile, not to mention that lovely cicatrix adorning his backside…

Ginyu returned to Rabenda,
And Recoom to his Kyokuta'r.
Berter took leave for Hachuurui,
And Guldo for the bar.
But Kaijin Jiizu on Seventy-nine,
To his own, he chose to stay
Until they all returned again,
Until the fourteenth day.

Writing was a thing Jeice enjoyed greatly, but rarely had the time for. It was nice finally having a moment to himself to do so. Most of his works were simple rhymes about the Force, or the battles they fought, but his favorites were the ones he wrote for Zarbon. Actually, he hadn't written any for him since that day. The Kaijin leaned back and sighed wistfully. Zarbon… Zarbon..? Zarbon! Realizing he was late for a game of high bound with Zarbon, he threw down his pen and book and dashed out the autoport.

Grueling, harsh, blistering play. The Azureman and the Kaijin sat on the floor and rested back to back, their bodies brimming with sweat, with an addition of blood to Jeice's. He had lost; rather, he had thrown yet another game to his best friend. They panted in unison, their chests rising and falling to time. "Good game," Zarbon huffed.

"Yeah," puffed Jeice in reply. "Hey, Zar, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Don't get mad, okay..?"

The taller man raised a brow in question, but decided not to probe into it. "Yeah, alright. I won't get mad."

Here it came… Jeice clinched his fists and wound up his courage. He'd have to phrase this carefully. "Zar… Do you… uh, would you… That is to say, I was wondering—"

"What is it, already?" Zarbon interrupted, a little annoyed. If it was one thing he couldn't stand, it was beating around the bush. "If you've got something to say, just say it."

"All right." He took a deep breath. "Do you… like men, Zar?"

"What kind of question is that?" He rose and stood imposingly over the Kaijin, considerably offended.

"Nothing! Nothing! I was… just wondering, that's all……" Dejected, Jeice turned his back to him and slumped. A little cooler now, Zarbon sat to meet him in their original position.

"…You know, I heard you, that day…"

Jeice spun around. "W-What?"

"That day I was kicked off the Force, I heard your every word."

The smaller man felt a chill creep down his spine. He had been conscious after all..? So then, he knew everything… What now? Would he be angry with him? He didn't seem to be. In fact, Zarbon was smiling. He placed a friendly hand on Jeice's head and ruffled his snow-white hair. "Well," the Azureman began. "I can't say that I've ever had someone love me for me, but I can't say that I'm attracted to men, either. I'm sorry."

"That's…… fine." His senses of relief and disappointment had trouble finding a happy medium. He had just been turned down, however lightly, but had been given the best case scenario for rejection he could have hoped for. "Best friends rather that boyfriends, then," he smiled weakly under his veil of chagrin.

"If it makes you feel any better, you have good taste," he smoothed out the end of his braid and tossed it over his shoulder. Jeice just scoffed. "Up for another game?" The Azureman inquired.

"…You bet..!" He exclaimed, though a bit hesitant. "And this time, I won't lose!"

It would be hard work giving all those false smiles over the next few days.

And for the next few days, Berter kept a constant vigil, never leaving her side—save to take care of the needs of the body—and it showed. He hadn't slept since his return; the guilt of not being there for his mate panged at his conscious night after night. The male crawled through the days like a zombie, carving away at the wood for her crutch, shearing away at the muscle of the wild saurs for food, making sure she didn't get too bored… He would tell her of his adventures in the outer space, but the most she could gain from her were merely 'mm-hmms' and 'uh-huhs.' Day in, day out, he tried and tried and tried and tired and tired and tired, with no noticible care from his mate.

His time was down to the last three days. Hachuurui's orange sun gave its last few hours of light as the two began preparing for retirement. Well, Neizu, at least. Already tucked under the sheets, she sat in her bed staring at the opposite wall as if it was another world that only she could see. Berter, meanwhile, but his back to her bedside and maintained the only sounds in the room, save their breathing, carving away at her near-complete crutch…

Scrape, scrape, scrape, scr--

His face separated into a highly satisfied grin, the kind that one might have upon completion of a paper after staying up all night to write it. Then, his eyelids drooped and his shoulders slumped, and for the first time in days, he actually slept. It became clear just how tired he had been within a few minutes time, as Neizu's attentions were brought to his increasingly clamorous snoring. Annoyed, she punked the back of his head in hopes of him waking up. Nice try, but no Zipan fruit. Turning her body sideways, she leaned forward and gave him a good push, but still no luck. Her growing annoyance dissipated momentarily, as she caught sight of the work he cradled in his slumbering arms, much like he did her person.

It was her crutch, finished and furnished and simply beautiful. There were masterful reliefs of flyer dinos and Ridre dinos and intensely detailed Zipan trees… No wonder it had taken days for its completion! And what was this on the arm groove? An inscription?

"Let this be your support when I myself am not here to do so."

����--Berter of Kyôrusan

Right about then, her heart began to melt like the wax of the candle that lit their bedroom. He had put his entire soul into something as simple as a support just for her. He really didn't have to take the time to build the thing from scratch; he could have ordered one from the medic. He wasn't required to do a lot of the things he had done for her, not even return her home. All he had to do was get her medical attention, even had the option to leave her in the medic's care, he did. But… he didn't… because…

Reluctantly, she extended her arms and formed a tentative ring around his neck. Resting lightly her head where the neck met the collarbone, she whispered, "…You work much too hard." and closed her eyes to sleep. Then the worst thing possible (for her) happened…

He stirred.

When he opened his eyes, he was met with the startled look of hers. "Neizu…" He said with slight slur. Good, she thought. He wasn't totally awake yet. She quickly removed her arms from him before he could take notice of that, too. Turning from her to his lap, he took his work and displayed it graciously in his large hands.� "It's finished…" He said with a proud and sleepy grin. "Is it… acceptable..?"
He asked nervously, looking as if his very soul would break if her response didn't turn out to be a positive one. She weighed her options. It could be a bit of fun, crushing his spirit just like that. But, somehow, it didn't seem like the thing to do. He had done so
much for her…

"Very much so," came the reply, though flatter than she had intended. To compensate, she flashed a very brief smile at him.
Though it was there only for a second, he caught it and his heart fluttered. He deserved so much more…

"Berter…"

"Hmm..?"

She would have to word this carefully. "You are… permitted… to sleep up here tonight, if you want…" She promptly rolled to have
her back face him and a few silent seconds went by. Neizu breathed an internal sigh of relief, glad that he didn't take her up on her
offer. But to her displeasured surprise, she felt the left side of the bed sink. She could already feel his eyes boring into the back of
her skull. "Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Stop watching me."

"It can't be helped." He smiled. But she did seem generally bothered by him keeping her under a watchful gaze, so he politely rolled so that they were back to back, and could feel some of her tension lift already. "You made me quite happy, just now, you know…"

"I know…" Great. Now he was going to give her something more to be embarrassed about…

"I'm glad you're not as tenacious as you were when we first met," he continued. "Initially, I didn't think we could function as mates, but now, I'm glad that we're together. I truly am."

"Scared."

"What..?"

"I was… scared… That's why… I always acted like that." Each word felt like a cut on her dignity. Every single weakness she admitted created a wound. Why was she doing this to herself?

"Of what?"

"…Of what the future held, of what I would end up with…" Let it bleed. "That day, during the Championships, I… wasn't angered with you. I was angered with the fact that I couldn't choose my life, these blasted traditions…"

"Neizu…"

"But I suppose…" She giggled a bit, if one could believe such a thing. "It was rather humorous, that day… My person falling into the water…" The more she thought about it, the funnier it became, and she laughed and laughed and laughed. She had the most annoying, unnerving, high-pitched squeal his audibles had ever had to tolerate.

…He loved her even more and laughed, too. And when their laughter had ceased, they found themselves entangled in each other's arms.