******************Episode 7*****************
**The Dreaded First Week; Bardock Gets a Friend**
Bardock stood in his place of disgrace/honor for the full 48 hours. During that time, first class students were allowed to pass by and jeer and spit at him. Bardock would call back names, but he never moved his feet or arms. He never felt cheated or wronged; he had expected this.
He spent the time thinking. The thoughts weren't random but well thought out, far more advanced then the average five-year-old. In fact, they were thoughts not meant for a five-year old:
'Sayins are so power-hungry and violent because we can be. It is in our nature to be violent, and when we don't have other creatures to pick on, we can easily pick on each other.' He sighed when he came to this conclusion. 'Makes me almost ashamed to be a part of it, but what else can I do? Nothing, that's what. Just gotta bare it day by day.'
Once his sentence was up, he was allowed two hours of sleep, then was to report to his class.
Bardock opened the door to the classroom and stood there in silence. He checked the paper he was given with the name of the room. It was correct. But it looked more like an interrogation room filled with zombies!
Each student, all wearing gray, looked tired and bored. Again, there was only one light source above, and it made the students' eyes have deep circles and pale skin. They slowly took down notes from a droning teacher who didn't even glance at the new occupant of the room. The Elderly Sayin continued to whirr on and on about famous battles and wars.
Bardock slid into the back seat. Notebooks and pens were provided, so he took out a pen from the desktop and began to write. Of course, never being taught *how* to write made the task all the more difficult. By the time the lesson (which lasted what felt like five years) ended, one could have thought a chick had run across the paper. Perhapse the next full day would be better.
Because it was already dinner time, Bardock planned to go straight back to bed and hope that this was all a nightmare. The teacher said that he was allowed to keep his notes for one week. Then they were to be destroyed for security purposes.
'Who'd want these things,' Bardock said to himself. 'Even I can't read 'em. I just hope I ain't gonna run inta anybody.'
But any television fan knows that these words are the immediate death sentence.
Up the corridor, nearly to his room, our young hero passed the Mess Hall. A group of third class teenagers were bustling out and joking when Bardock ran into them. To the head boy, it didn't feel any more threatening then a light tap. But Bardock crashed to the floor from the impact and accidentally tripped another boy.
"Hey," he cried, falling flat on his face.
"What happened, Turnook," another asked.
Turnook, who was easily twice Bardock's height, pointed at the fallen boy. "He pushed me! He attacked me!!"
The head boy, a bowl-cutted, broad shouldered, chisled faced boy named Nipper, turned and glared at Bardock. "You piece of rookie gutter trash! You gotta lotta balls pullin' a stunt like that!"
"Ano*," considered another, "isn't that the low level kid?"
Bardock's ears burned at the words. He stood up and declared, "I'm no Low Level!!"
Nipped smirked, showing pointed teeth. "Oh yeah? Whatever Rubaru says goes. You callin' him a liar?"
"I'll show him!" screamed Bardock, forgetting himself. "I'll prove it!"
"I dare you to." Nipper folded his arms and looked down at the runt. "Prove it now."
For the first time, Bardock regained his senses and realized the size of his opponents. A sweat drop grazed his head. "Uh . . . hehe . . . gomen-nasai, but I remember that we ain't allowed to fight in the halls, so -"
Before he finished, he was dragged by the ears into the nearest classroom. On the floor once again, Bardock saw a semi-circle being formed around him with Nipper in the middle. "We ain't in the hall no more," the tall boy said. "Prove it now."
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[Commercial Break]
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The boy's small frame shook. The teens towered like redwoods above him. Sweat poured down his face. "Um . . . I don't-"
"Scared kid," questioned Nipper. "You oughta be. 'Cuz no one messes with 'Nipper the Face Ripper,' not even Rubaru."
"Really," came a voice from the door.
The teens turned around. Bardock couldn't see through the wall of boys, but by the sound of the voice, the kid couldn't have been much older them he. "Ya know, these handy-dandy hidden vids o' mine come in real clear. I got your little challenge to Sir Rubaru himself on this very tape. Care to say anything else to your adoring public before you beat up a puny rookie?"
Turnook whispered to his leader, "It's the Squealer."
Nipper glanced back at the kid, gave him a farewell kick in the gut, and stormed out the door, his posse following him.
Bardock clutched his stomach in agony. He had skipped six whole meals just to avoid trouble, and now it was torturing him. Just as he felt ready to scream, a piece of bread fell on the floor in front of him. "Thanks," he said, not bother to glimpse at the sender, he grabbed the offering and gobbled it down.
"Next time, don't pick a fight with those guys. They are the enemy, only wannabe tough kids."
"Fanks," muttered Bardock through a mouthful of food. "You really saved my life." He paused at the words, remembering ones that he had heard before:
'When one Sayin saves another's life, it creates a special bond between the two. Its known as the Bond of Alliance. It normally means you two will become good friends.'
He finally moved his head up to look upon his savior. The Sayin boy, about eleven or ten Earth years, was already heading out the door. "WAIT," yelled Bardock.
The other turned around. Bardock figured out with a jolt that it was the same boy who had laughed during the orientation speech a couple days before. He was tanned, had short black hair on top, but came into a small ponytail in the back. "What," he asked.
Still hurting and awkward, Bardock stood up. "What was he supposed to say? "Ano . . . thank you."
"You already did," the other smiled. "Turning into a broken record? Just know better next time." Again her turned to leave.
"Wanna be my friend," Bardock asked in a small voice.
The kid stopped. "I don't make friends," he said, not turning this time. "I just help the pathetic." And with that, he was gone.
Hours later, when most of the others had gone to sleep, Bardock lay awake. He felt too tired to sleep, and too empty to try. What was the point of trying to stay alive in this Hell hole if he was to suffer alone?
He shifted positions for the fiftieth time. A week ago, just a week ago, he would have thought such behavior for him was impossible. Pining for, longing for, wanting for some other person to talk to was absurd! Friendship was not meant for 'Low Level Losers'!
But now that he had had a taste of friendship, he knew that it was more worthwhile then anything else in the world. He would trade all the gold of the Kolds for one now.
A terrible ache formed in his heart. He thought of Cole, his first friend, so strong and smart. His voice made everything seem possible, like he was special! And Zucina, so energetic and spunky, with her own charm that made her irresistible to be fond of once you met her. She may have been mean sometimes, but even that grew in importance.
Something wet streamed down his face. He looked at his pillow in curiosity at the growing dampness. He was leaking from his eyes, and he didn't know why or what it meant. But for some reason, it helped. He lied back down, ignoring the tears, and sobbed. "I wanna go home! I wanna see Cole-sensei again! I wanna fight with Zuni-chan! I wanna be happy!"
A hard pillow bonked him from the top bunk. "Shut up and go to sleep," the owner grumbled.
Bardock massaged his head, forgetting his tears. He didn't notice someone had moved in above him. "I will when I like ta," he retorted back.
The Sayin above him hung his head upside-down to see Bardock. "I'm trying to-" But he stopped in surprise.
"You again!?!" they both cried. It was the same boy who saved him!
The boy laughed. "Small world!"
Bardock chuckled nervously. "I didn't know you were new."
"I'm not. I just got demoted by Rubaru for starting a food fight." His face fell to that of concern. "You okay?"
Bardock wiped his face. "Yeah, fine." He stared at the boy.
"So . . . what's your name, small fry?"
"Bardock. What's yours?"
"Tora." Tora looked down (or up, in his case), and said, "Look, I'm not saying I'll be your friend, but if you need someone to talk to, I'll listen. I'm a good listener. Its what I'm famous for."
If Bardock had known what one was, he would have hugged Tora. "Can we talk? Really?"
"Sure. But tomorrow. You look like shit. Get some sleep, and we'll swap stories during free time."
Bardock nodded and lied back down. "Goodnight, Tora."
"'Night, Bardock." And Bardock finally went to sleep, with a happy feeling in his heart.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
* Ano - Japanese term for "Um", "Er", "Well
Hey! I'm Bardock!
Every day is the same ol' thing! Boring, boring, boring! I hate Nipper and his gang always givin' me an' Tora Hell. I hate Sir Rubaru's classes. And I hate the slop they call food! Whe will something good happen?
Next time on DragonballBC: Routine School Days; The Big Surprise Coming?
**The Dreaded First Week; Bardock Gets a Friend**
Bardock stood in his place of disgrace/honor for the full 48 hours. During that time, first class students were allowed to pass by and jeer and spit at him. Bardock would call back names, but he never moved his feet or arms. He never felt cheated or wronged; he had expected this.
He spent the time thinking. The thoughts weren't random but well thought out, far more advanced then the average five-year-old. In fact, they were thoughts not meant for a five-year old:
'Sayins are so power-hungry and violent because we can be. It is in our nature to be violent, and when we don't have other creatures to pick on, we can easily pick on each other.' He sighed when he came to this conclusion. 'Makes me almost ashamed to be a part of it, but what else can I do? Nothing, that's what. Just gotta bare it day by day.'
Once his sentence was up, he was allowed two hours of sleep, then was to report to his class.
Bardock opened the door to the classroom and stood there in silence. He checked the paper he was given with the name of the room. It was correct. But it looked more like an interrogation room filled with zombies!
Each student, all wearing gray, looked tired and bored. Again, there was only one light source above, and it made the students' eyes have deep circles and pale skin. They slowly took down notes from a droning teacher who didn't even glance at the new occupant of the room. The Elderly Sayin continued to whirr on and on about famous battles and wars.
Bardock slid into the back seat. Notebooks and pens were provided, so he took out a pen from the desktop and began to write. Of course, never being taught *how* to write made the task all the more difficult. By the time the lesson (which lasted what felt like five years) ended, one could have thought a chick had run across the paper. Perhapse the next full day would be better.
Because it was already dinner time, Bardock planned to go straight back to bed and hope that this was all a nightmare. The teacher said that he was allowed to keep his notes for one week. Then they were to be destroyed for security purposes.
'Who'd want these things,' Bardock said to himself. 'Even I can't read 'em. I just hope I ain't gonna run inta anybody.'
But any television fan knows that these words are the immediate death sentence.
Up the corridor, nearly to his room, our young hero passed the Mess Hall. A group of third class teenagers were bustling out and joking when Bardock ran into them. To the head boy, it didn't feel any more threatening then a light tap. But Bardock crashed to the floor from the impact and accidentally tripped another boy.
"Hey," he cried, falling flat on his face.
"What happened, Turnook," another asked.
Turnook, who was easily twice Bardock's height, pointed at the fallen boy. "He pushed me! He attacked me!!"
The head boy, a bowl-cutted, broad shouldered, chisled faced boy named Nipper, turned and glared at Bardock. "You piece of rookie gutter trash! You gotta lotta balls pullin' a stunt like that!"
"Ano*," considered another, "isn't that the low level kid?"
Bardock's ears burned at the words. He stood up and declared, "I'm no Low Level!!"
Nipped smirked, showing pointed teeth. "Oh yeah? Whatever Rubaru says goes. You callin' him a liar?"
"I'll show him!" screamed Bardock, forgetting himself. "I'll prove it!"
"I dare you to." Nipper folded his arms and looked down at the runt. "Prove it now."
For the first time, Bardock regained his senses and realized the size of his opponents. A sweat drop grazed his head. "Uh . . . hehe . . . gomen-nasai, but I remember that we ain't allowed to fight in the halls, so -"
Before he finished, he was dragged by the ears into the nearest classroom. On the floor once again, Bardock saw a semi-circle being formed around him with Nipper in the middle. "We ain't in the hall no more," the tall boy said. "Prove it now."
============================================================================
[Commercial Break]
============================================================================
The boy's small frame shook. The teens towered like redwoods above him. Sweat poured down his face. "Um . . . I don't-"
"Scared kid," questioned Nipper. "You oughta be. 'Cuz no one messes with 'Nipper the Face Ripper,' not even Rubaru."
"Really," came a voice from the door.
The teens turned around. Bardock couldn't see through the wall of boys, but by the sound of the voice, the kid couldn't have been much older them he. "Ya know, these handy-dandy hidden vids o' mine come in real clear. I got your little challenge to Sir Rubaru himself on this very tape. Care to say anything else to your adoring public before you beat up a puny rookie?"
Turnook whispered to his leader, "It's the Squealer."
Nipper glanced back at the kid, gave him a farewell kick in the gut, and stormed out the door, his posse following him.
Bardock clutched his stomach in agony. He had skipped six whole meals just to avoid trouble, and now it was torturing him. Just as he felt ready to scream, a piece of bread fell on the floor in front of him. "Thanks," he said, not bother to glimpse at the sender, he grabbed the offering and gobbled it down.
"Next time, don't pick a fight with those guys. They are the enemy, only wannabe tough kids."
"Fanks," muttered Bardock through a mouthful of food. "You really saved my life." He paused at the words, remembering ones that he had heard before:
'When one Sayin saves another's life, it creates a special bond between the two. Its known as the Bond of Alliance. It normally means you two will become good friends.'
He finally moved his head up to look upon his savior. The Sayin boy, about eleven or ten Earth years, was already heading out the door. "WAIT," yelled Bardock.
The other turned around. Bardock figured out with a jolt that it was the same boy who had laughed during the orientation speech a couple days before. He was tanned, had short black hair on top, but came into a small ponytail in the back. "What," he asked.
Still hurting and awkward, Bardock stood up. "What was he supposed to say? "Ano . . . thank you."
"You already did," the other smiled. "Turning into a broken record? Just know better next time." Again her turned to leave.
"Wanna be my friend," Bardock asked in a small voice.
The kid stopped. "I don't make friends," he said, not turning this time. "I just help the pathetic." And with that, he was gone.
Hours later, when most of the others had gone to sleep, Bardock lay awake. He felt too tired to sleep, and too empty to try. What was the point of trying to stay alive in this Hell hole if he was to suffer alone?
He shifted positions for the fiftieth time. A week ago, just a week ago, he would have thought such behavior for him was impossible. Pining for, longing for, wanting for some other person to talk to was absurd! Friendship was not meant for 'Low Level Losers'!
But now that he had had a taste of friendship, he knew that it was more worthwhile then anything else in the world. He would trade all the gold of the Kolds for one now.
A terrible ache formed in his heart. He thought of Cole, his first friend, so strong and smart. His voice made everything seem possible, like he was special! And Zucina, so energetic and spunky, with her own charm that made her irresistible to be fond of once you met her. She may have been mean sometimes, but even that grew in importance.
Something wet streamed down his face. He looked at his pillow in curiosity at the growing dampness. He was leaking from his eyes, and he didn't know why or what it meant. But for some reason, it helped. He lied back down, ignoring the tears, and sobbed. "I wanna go home! I wanna see Cole-sensei again! I wanna fight with Zuni-chan! I wanna be happy!"
A hard pillow bonked him from the top bunk. "Shut up and go to sleep," the owner grumbled.
Bardock massaged his head, forgetting his tears. He didn't notice someone had moved in above him. "I will when I like ta," he retorted back.
The Sayin above him hung his head upside-down to see Bardock. "I'm trying to-" But he stopped in surprise.
"You again!?!" they both cried. It was the same boy who saved him!
The boy laughed. "Small world!"
Bardock chuckled nervously. "I didn't know you were new."
"I'm not. I just got demoted by Rubaru for starting a food fight." His face fell to that of concern. "You okay?"
Bardock wiped his face. "Yeah, fine." He stared at the boy.
"So . . . what's your name, small fry?"
"Bardock. What's yours?"
"Tora." Tora looked down (or up, in his case), and said, "Look, I'm not saying I'll be your friend, but if you need someone to talk to, I'll listen. I'm a good listener. Its what I'm famous for."
If Bardock had known what one was, he would have hugged Tora. "Can we talk? Really?"
"Sure. But tomorrow. You look like shit. Get some sleep, and we'll swap stories during free time."
Bardock nodded and lied back down. "Goodnight, Tora."
"'Night, Bardock." And Bardock finally went to sleep, with a happy feeling in his heart.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
* Ano - Japanese term for "Um", "Er", "Well
Hey! I'm Bardock!
Every day is the same ol' thing! Boring, boring, boring! I hate Nipper and his gang always givin' me an' Tora Hell. I hate Sir Rubaru's classes. And I hate the slop they call food! Whe will something good happen?
Next time on DragonballBC: Routine School Days; The Big Surprise Coming?