Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z; all DBZ characters belong to Akira Toriyama. Darkreign & Evangel started this, and I plan to finish it for them.
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"Sayonara, Good-Bye" (A New Beginning)
Chapter Seven
A gentle breeze rustled the knee-high grass of the spacious clearing. Creatures indigenous to the planet, named New Vegitasei, scurried along at the sounds of a blade biting through air. The largest animals, damasu as Bandeku called them, grazed undisturbed a few metres away. The swishing noises had been going on since morning, and they had gotten use to the sounds.
Trunks let out a deep breath as he stopped for a moment from his sword practice. Given to him by Tapion, it held a lot of memories. It was this very sword that had killed Freeza, King Cold, and Android #14 in the past. The deadly weapon had also been used to eliminate the harbingers of man's destruction in his own time. For now, it served to relieve his stress. Trunks drank in the peaceful scenery and contemplated his new found life.
[I guess I was lucky when my space pod crashed here,] he mused to himself. [Finding the last remaining Saiyajins is the best for me.] He sighs a little, then decides to rest before he meets Kinu. Sitting in the shade of a tree, he reverently re-sheaths the sword and leans against the rough bark. [It's been three months since I left Chikyuusei. I suppose I should let go of the past to
concentrate on the future, a future where I may become king of the Saiyajins.]
A little shiver went down his spine, either in excitement or fear. [Am I prepared to take on that responsibility? Maybe it would be better if I just remained a low class warrior. Hmm, but what of my descendants? Will they always just be grunts because I never revealed my heritage?] Trunks started a bit. [Hmph, I'm already thinking about having children. How ridiculous of me.]
Thoughts of Kinu came unbidden in his mind, and he was shocked to realize he was
looking at her as a potential mate. [Whoa, what was that!?!] Before he could think on it more, a familiar ki started approaching. Glad for the distraction, Trunks waited for his friend to arrive.
Bandeku landed nearby and casually walked up to Trunks. "Ouji-sama," he intoned. "Cut the bullshit!" Trunks growled. "I thought I told you I hated that title."
"Oh really? How silly of me to forget," Bandeku answered lightly. "So, what have you been up to?"
"Just thinking," Trunks replied.
"That's what's wrong with your human side," Bandeku grunted as he seated himself close to his Prince. "You think too much."
"Yeah, that's a disadvantage," Trunks muttered to himself. "Anyway, I need to ask you about something. Err..." he shifted uncomfortably. "Tell me about Saiyajin females." Trunks looked at the tree's roots as Bandeku just stared at him. "What do you know about them?" the older warrior began. Trunks appreciated his aloof mannerism.
"Not a lot," he sighed. "Actually, absolutely nothing. Just that Saiyajin women were expected to fight like the males."
"That's a start," Bandeku said dryly. "Basically, when a pair is matched, they bond mentally with each other. It is recorded that a few with strong bonds can actually feel what the other feels. Quite interesting actually."
"And have you ever bonded?" Trunks inquired.
"Once," Bandeku said in a soft voice. "Another female warrior and I had a son. But they both died on Vegitasei."
"Oh," the Saiyajin prince looked at the ground again. "I'm sorry."
"No matter," Bandeku waved his hand as if to banish the memory. "Bonding is an odd experience. Sometimes, one does not notice he is bonding with a female."
"How does it feel like?" Trunks asked.
"It's different for each person, but it's commonly said that your body turns into jelly and you can't think straight. It's hard to explain, but you'll know when it happens. There is a mutual feeling of togetherness between the both of you. Don't worry," Bandeku grinned widely. "You'll eventually find out."
"Oh, thanks," Trunks muttered.
"So why do you want to know?" Bandeku raised an eyebrow.
"Wha...? I mean.... because," Trunks stuttered. "That is.... I'm just curious."
"Hn," Bandeku smirked.
[Boy, am I glad that Teppo isn't here right now,] Trunks thought. The scouter, which Bandeku had insisted he start wearing, began beeping. "Oh, I almost forgot," Trunks said aloud. "Forgot what?" Bandeku asked.
"I have to meet Kinu," Trunks responded absentmindedly. "Kuso!" he said as he slapped his forehead. "Really?" Bandeku said in a tone that was close to amusement. "You work fast for someone who's new to the culture. And you've only been here for three months."
"It's nothing like that!!!" Trunks blushed furiously as his fingers began to twiddle. "I'm just helping her train. That's all."
"I see," Bandeku nodded seriously.
"I have to go now," Trunks sighed. [I am such a baka yaro.] Hastily getting up, Trunks started walking away from the tree. A few feet away, Trunks stopped.
"Ano, Bandeku," he looked bashfully at the hermit. "This is suppose to be a secret so you can't tell anyone, especially her father."
"I won't," Bandeku answered.
"Err, thanks." Trunks blasted off into the blue heavens so fast that he wasn't sure if Bandeku was chuckling at his departure.
Trunks flew fast as he watched the scenery beneath him rapidly pass by.
[Damn it, I'm late,] he cursed inwardly. [Oh well, it's not like we have a date or anything.] He found himself blushing at the prospect. [You baka yaro,] he thought again. Smiling somewhat wistfully, Trunks put on a little more speed.
Kinu was waiting for him at their designated spot, the mountains. Her arms were crossed, and she wore an impatient look on her face. Her furry brown tail was still curled around her waist, but the end was tapping against her hip. It was the equivelant of someone tapping their foot on the ground. When she sensed him approaching, she uncrosssed her arms but the frown was still there.
"Where have you been," she asked immediately.
"Hello to you too," he answered back sarcastically. "It's none of your business where I've been. All that's important is I'm here."
"What do you have that on for?" she asked as she pointed to the sword strapped behind his back.
"Hmm? Oh, I was just practicing with it. It helps me focus my ki. Anyway, we won't be using it for your training," he explained as he fingered the hilt.
"Fine, let's get started," she imperiously waved her hand.
"We'll begin by seeing how good you are," Trunks stated as he led the way to a more isolated area. "Once we find an appropriate clearing, we will spar. Don't worry; I'll go easy on you."
"You don't have to do that!" she snapped angrily. "Uh, right. Sorry," Trunks shrugged. "Look there, that clearing should be big enough."
Without waiting for a response, he started to descend. They landed almost at the same time. The Saiyajin Prince carefully regarded the area.
[Hmm, lots of open space, floor is almost clear of all debris, water's close at hand, not a bad place.]
"Get use to this Kinu; this will be your home away from home."
"I suppose it'll do," she inspected it herself.
"You can't always choose your battle grounds, so you better be able to adapt to anything," Trunks lectured. "Now, attack me. I want to see how good you are. And don't hold back."
"I won't!" Kinu said exuberently, glad that they had finally begun. Both went into combat crouches and sized each other up.
[He's taller then me, which means he has a longer reach. But he's also thicker bodied, and that gives me a bigger target to hit. How odd, I've never seen someone so pale. It's sort of attractive in a weird sort of way,] she mused.
[She has a lighter frame so she has to have speed,] Trunks contemplated in turn. [I wonder how good she is at ki blasts?] He didn't get a chance to observe her more as Kinu took the initiative. Coming in fast, she put all her strength in her punches. To her disappointment, Trunks seemed to be dodging them easily. Gritting her teeth, Kinu re-doubled her efforts in the hopes of at least landing one lousy punch!
[Is this all she has?] Trunks thought. [It's not as bad as I expected. Not as good either.... I don't think she's pulling her punches either. Oh boy.]
Trying to catch him off guard, Kinu attempted to kick his chin. Seeing this a mile away, Trunks caught her ankle and flung her. She flipped a few times before landing on her feet.
"Okay," he sighed. "I'll be blunt; you'll need to work a lot if you want to beat Kokoro in a fight."
"I'm prepared to do it," she said defensively.
"Good," Trunks fiddled a little with his sword's strap to try to cajole his brain to think.
[All right, what do we do first?] "We'll concentrate on improving your strength because that's where you're lacking the most. Oh, which reminds me, how are you in ki attacks?"
"Pretty fair," she negligently wiped away some sweat.
"I'll test that to. Use you most powerful ki attack on me, and I'll counter attack. That way I can sort of gauge its strength. And while I do, my scouter can also mesure it."
"Hai," Kinu backed away a few feet. "Here goes." Extending her right arm with her palm aimed at Trunks, she began gathering ki. Pressing a button at the scouter's side, he set it to his specifications. Giving the thumbs up, he signalled Kinu he was ready. "HAAAAAAAAA!!!"
"Whoah," Trunks braced himself. A large beam of blue energy crackled towards him, and Trunks took a few moments to examine its power level. [You can't even compare it to my special attacks, but it feels almost as strong as Yamcha's ki blasts. Which is pretty pathetic for a Saiyajin.] Frowning to make it seem more difficult, Trunks swatted Kinu's attack almost effortlessly.
"So how was it?" she asked casually, but he could here a twinge of fear in her voice. Checking the scouter, he read the last measurement it took. [Only 18,000? Kami-sama help me!] "Err, um. It was good, but we still need to work on it."
"Oh," she said as her face fell a little.
"Hey, don't be so glum," Trunks whacked her on the back. "You know what they say, Rome wasn't built in a day, right?"
"What's a rome?" she asked quizzically.
"Never mind, human reference. Anyway, that analogy means it takes time to make something great."
"So why didn't you just say so?"
"Forget it," Trunks smacked his forehead. [Mental note: never try that again!] He was feverently thinking up exercises to help her improve when he heard a rumbling in the distance.
[What was that? A thunderstorm? An explosion?] he thought frantically.
"Ahem," Kinu coughed. "Can we hunt for something? I'm hungry, and I haven't eaten all day." To state the fact, her stomach growled. True to the Saiyajin way, it was loud as a lion's roar.
"Eh? Sure!!!" Trunks half-shouted nervously, expecting Kinu to somehow read his mind and see the dumb assumptions he just made. She just gave him a strange stare, and then lifted off to the sky.
"Come on already," she said coolly.
"Yeah," he nodded and followed suit. In a few minutes Kinu was feeding off a large carcass she killed herself. It was an adult damasu male, huge and strong. She had played with it for a bit, shouting and goading it to attack. A stern look from Trunks had stopped her festivities and with a scowl, finished it off quickly. "Aren't you going to get one too?" she asked after swallowing a mouthful of raw meat.
"I just ate," he shrugged. He did feel a bit peckish though, so he picked a fruit that looked a little like an Earth plum. It was the size of a grapefruit and had a blueish skin. Trunks slowly peeled it to reveal a lighter blue flesh that was very sweet. He slowly ate it, to savor it's taste and give Kinu time to eat her meal.
"What's that?" a voice very close by asked. Startled, Trunks gazed up and found his student standing nearby. Blood glistened off the white bones of the now fleshless skeleton.
"How the...?" he asked, then shut his mouth. [Well, she said she was hungry,] he chided himself.
"Well, answer me," Kinu frowned.
"It's called tanshii," he revealled. [Or that's what Bandeku calls it.] "You can find it on those trees," he pointed at a nearby grove. "They're actually quite sweet."
"Honto?" Before he could move, she had taken a bit from where he had bitten and popped it in her mouth. After chewing it a little, she made a face. "It is sweet, but it tastes odd."
"Of course it would," Trunks rolled his eyes. "The taste of damasu blood is still on your tongue. Try it again when you've washed out your mouth."
"Okay," she said quickly. "But later. Let's get back to work."
"Give me a minute to wash up," Trunks got up from the stump he was sitting on.
"Why?" she unconciously tilted her head to the side. It reminded Trunks of a small, curious puppy.
"You don't want to fight with sticky hands, right?" he said carefully. "Doesn't matter if we miss a few minutes; we have all day. As long as we need to actually." Taking one more bite out of the tanshii, Trunks threw it over his shoulder. "Fine," she huffed out.
The duo shot away, heading for the nearby spring before they continued training.
End of Chapter 7
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"Sayonara, Good-Bye" (A New Beginning)
Chapter Seven
A gentle breeze rustled the knee-high grass of the spacious clearing. Creatures indigenous to the planet, named New Vegitasei, scurried along at the sounds of a blade biting through air. The largest animals, damasu as Bandeku called them, grazed undisturbed a few metres away. The swishing noises had been going on since morning, and they had gotten use to the sounds.
Trunks let out a deep breath as he stopped for a moment from his sword practice. Given to him by Tapion, it held a lot of memories. It was this very sword that had killed Freeza, King Cold, and Android #14 in the past. The deadly weapon had also been used to eliminate the harbingers of man's destruction in his own time. For now, it served to relieve his stress. Trunks drank in the peaceful scenery and contemplated his new found life.
[I guess I was lucky when my space pod crashed here,] he mused to himself. [Finding the last remaining Saiyajins is the best for me.] He sighs a little, then decides to rest before he meets Kinu. Sitting in the shade of a tree, he reverently re-sheaths the sword and leans against the rough bark. [It's been three months since I left Chikyuusei. I suppose I should let go of the past to
concentrate on the future, a future where I may become king of the Saiyajins.]
A little shiver went down his spine, either in excitement or fear. [Am I prepared to take on that responsibility? Maybe it would be better if I just remained a low class warrior. Hmm, but what of my descendants? Will they always just be grunts because I never revealed my heritage?] Trunks started a bit. [Hmph, I'm already thinking about having children. How ridiculous of me.]
Thoughts of Kinu came unbidden in his mind, and he was shocked to realize he was
looking at her as a potential mate. [Whoa, what was that!?!] Before he could think on it more, a familiar ki started approaching. Glad for the distraction, Trunks waited for his friend to arrive.
Bandeku landed nearby and casually walked up to Trunks. "Ouji-sama," he intoned. "Cut the bullshit!" Trunks growled. "I thought I told you I hated that title."
"Oh really? How silly of me to forget," Bandeku answered lightly. "So, what have you been up to?"
"Just thinking," Trunks replied.
"That's what's wrong with your human side," Bandeku grunted as he seated himself close to his Prince. "You think too much."
"Yeah, that's a disadvantage," Trunks muttered to himself. "Anyway, I need to ask you about something. Err..." he shifted uncomfortably. "Tell me about Saiyajin females." Trunks looked at the tree's roots as Bandeku just stared at him. "What do you know about them?" the older warrior began. Trunks appreciated his aloof mannerism.
"Not a lot," he sighed. "Actually, absolutely nothing. Just that Saiyajin women were expected to fight like the males."
"That's a start," Bandeku said dryly. "Basically, when a pair is matched, they bond mentally with each other. It is recorded that a few with strong bonds can actually feel what the other feels. Quite interesting actually."
"And have you ever bonded?" Trunks inquired.
"Once," Bandeku said in a soft voice. "Another female warrior and I had a son. But they both died on Vegitasei."
"Oh," the Saiyajin prince looked at the ground again. "I'm sorry."
"No matter," Bandeku waved his hand as if to banish the memory. "Bonding is an odd experience. Sometimes, one does not notice he is bonding with a female."
"How does it feel like?" Trunks asked.
"It's different for each person, but it's commonly said that your body turns into jelly and you can't think straight. It's hard to explain, but you'll know when it happens. There is a mutual feeling of togetherness between the both of you. Don't worry," Bandeku grinned widely. "You'll eventually find out."
"Oh, thanks," Trunks muttered.
"So why do you want to know?" Bandeku raised an eyebrow.
"Wha...? I mean.... because," Trunks stuttered. "That is.... I'm just curious."
"Hn," Bandeku smirked.
[Boy, am I glad that Teppo isn't here right now,] Trunks thought. The scouter, which Bandeku had insisted he start wearing, began beeping. "Oh, I almost forgot," Trunks said aloud. "Forgot what?" Bandeku asked.
"I have to meet Kinu," Trunks responded absentmindedly. "Kuso!" he said as he slapped his forehead. "Really?" Bandeku said in a tone that was close to amusement. "You work fast for someone who's new to the culture. And you've only been here for three months."
"It's nothing like that!!!" Trunks blushed furiously as his fingers began to twiddle. "I'm just helping her train. That's all."
"I see," Bandeku nodded seriously.
"I have to go now," Trunks sighed. [I am such a baka yaro.] Hastily getting up, Trunks started walking away from the tree. A few feet away, Trunks stopped.
"Ano, Bandeku," he looked bashfully at the hermit. "This is suppose to be a secret so you can't tell anyone, especially her father."
"I won't," Bandeku answered.
"Err, thanks." Trunks blasted off into the blue heavens so fast that he wasn't sure if Bandeku was chuckling at his departure.
Trunks flew fast as he watched the scenery beneath him rapidly pass by.
[Damn it, I'm late,] he cursed inwardly. [Oh well, it's not like we have a date or anything.] He found himself blushing at the prospect. [You baka yaro,] he thought again. Smiling somewhat wistfully, Trunks put on a little more speed.
Kinu was waiting for him at their designated spot, the mountains. Her arms were crossed, and she wore an impatient look on her face. Her furry brown tail was still curled around her waist, but the end was tapping against her hip. It was the equivelant of someone tapping their foot on the ground. When she sensed him approaching, she uncrosssed her arms but the frown was still there.
"Where have you been," she asked immediately.
"Hello to you too," he answered back sarcastically. "It's none of your business where I've been. All that's important is I'm here."
"What do you have that on for?" she asked as she pointed to the sword strapped behind his back.
"Hmm? Oh, I was just practicing with it. It helps me focus my ki. Anyway, we won't be using it for your training," he explained as he fingered the hilt.
"Fine, let's get started," she imperiously waved her hand.
"We'll begin by seeing how good you are," Trunks stated as he led the way to a more isolated area. "Once we find an appropriate clearing, we will spar. Don't worry; I'll go easy on you."
"You don't have to do that!" she snapped angrily. "Uh, right. Sorry," Trunks shrugged. "Look there, that clearing should be big enough."
Without waiting for a response, he started to descend. They landed almost at the same time. The Saiyajin Prince carefully regarded the area.
[Hmm, lots of open space, floor is almost clear of all debris, water's close at hand, not a bad place.]
"Get use to this Kinu; this will be your home away from home."
"I suppose it'll do," she inspected it herself.
"You can't always choose your battle grounds, so you better be able to adapt to anything," Trunks lectured. "Now, attack me. I want to see how good you are. And don't hold back."
"I won't!" Kinu said exuberently, glad that they had finally begun. Both went into combat crouches and sized each other up.
[He's taller then me, which means he has a longer reach. But he's also thicker bodied, and that gives me a bigger target to hit. How odd, I've never seen someone so pale. It's sort of attractive in a weird sort of way,] she mused.
[She has a lighter frame so she has to have speed,] Trunks contemplated in turn. [I wonder how good she is at ki blasts?] He didn't get a chance to observe her more as Kinu took the initiative. Coming in fast, she put all her strength in her punches. To her disappointment, Trunks seemed to be dodging them easily. Gritting her teeth, Kinu re-doubled her efforts in the hopes of at least landing one lousy punch!
[Is this all she has?] Trunks thought. [It's not as bad as I expected. Not as good either.... I don't think she's pulling her punches either. Oh boy.]
Trying to catch him off guard, Kinu attempted to kick his chin. Seeing this a mile away, Trunks caught her ankle and flung her. She flipped a few times before landing on her feet.
"Okay," he sighed. "I'll be blunt; you'll need to work a lot if you want to beat Kokoro in a fight."
"I'm prepared to do it," she said defensively.
"Good," Trunks fiddled a little with his sword's strap to try to cajole his brain to think.
[All right, what do we do first?] "We'll concentrate on improving your strength because that's where you're lacking the most. Oh, which reminds me, how are you in ki attacks?"
"Pretty fair," she negligently wiped away some sweat.
"I'll test that to. Use you most powerful ki attack on me, and I'll counter attack. That way I can sort of gauge its strength. And while I do, my scouter can also mesure it."
"Hai," Kinu backed away a few feet. "Here goes." Extending her right arm with her palm aimed at Trunks, she began gathering ki. Pressing a button at the scouter's side, he set it to his specifications. Giving the thumbs up, he signalled Kinu he was ready. "HAAAAAAAAA!!!"
"Whoah," Trunks braced himself. A large beam of blue energy crackled towards him, and Trunks took a few moments to examine its power level. [You can't even compare it to my special attacks, but it feels almost as strong as Yamcha's ki blasts. Which is pretty pathetic for a Saiyajin.] Frowning to make it seem more difficult, Trunks swatted Kinu's attack almost effortlessly.
"So how was it?" she asked casually, but he could here a twinge of fear in her voice. Checking the scouter, he read the last measurement it took. [Only 18,000? Kami-sama help me!] "Err, um. It was good, but we still need to work on it."
"Oh," she said as her face fell a little.
"Hey, don't be so glum," Trunks whacked her on the back. "You know what they say, Rome wasn't built in a day, right?"
"What's a rome?" she asked quizzically.
"Never mind, human reference. Anyway, that analogy means it takes time to make something great."
"So why didn't you just say so?"
"Forget it," Trunks smacked his forehead. [Mental note: never try that again!] He was feverently thinking up exercises to help her improve when he heard a rumbling in the distance.
[What was that? A thunderstorm? An explosion?] he thought frantically.
"Ahem," Kinu coughed. "Can we hunt for something? I'm hungry, and I haven't eaten all day." To state the fact, her stomach growled. True to the Saiyajin way, it was loud as a lion's roar.
"Eh? Sure!!!" Trunks half-shouted nervously, expecting Kinu to somehow read his mind and see the dumb assumptions he just made. She just gave him a strange stare, and then lifted off to the sky.
"Come on already," she said coolly.
"Yeah," he nodded and followed suit. In a few minutes Kinu was feeding off a large carcass she killed herself. It was an adult damasu male, huge and strong. She had played with it for a bit, shouting and goading it to attack. A stern look from Trunks had stopped her festivities and with a scowl, finished it off quickly. "Aren't you going to get one too?" she asked after swallowing a mouthful of raw meat.
"I just ate," he shrugged. He did feel a bit peckish though, so he picked a fruit that looked a little like an Earth plum. It was the size of a grapefruit and had a blueish skin. Trunks slowly peeled it to reveal a lighter blue flesh that was very sweet. He slowly ate it, to savor it's taste and give Kinu time to eat her meal.
"What's that?" a voice very close by asked. Startled, Trunks gazed up and found his student standing nearby. Blood glistened off the white bones of the now fleshless skeleton.
"How the...?" he asked, then shut his mouth. [Well, she said she was hungry,] he chided himself.
"Well, answer me," Kinu frowned.
"It's called tanshii," he revealled. [Or that's what Bandeku calls it.] "You can find it on those trees," he pointed at a nearby grove. "They're actually quite sweet."
"Honto?" Before he could move, she had taken a bit from where he had bitten and popped it in her mouth. After chewing it a little, she made a face. "It is sweet, but it tastes odd."
"Of course it would," Trunks rolled his eyes. "The taste of damasu blood is still on your tongue. Try it again when you've washed out your mouth."
"Okay," she said quickly. "But later. Let's get back to work."
"Give me a minute to wash up," Trunks got up from the stump he was sitting on.
"Why?" she unconciously tilted her head to the side. It reminded Trunks of a small, curious puppy.
"You don't want to fight with sticky hands, right?" he said carefully. "Doesn't matter if we miss a few minutes; we have all day. As long as we need to actually." Taking one more bite out of the tanshii, Trunks threw it over his shoulder. "Fine," she huffed out.
The duo shot away, heading for the nearby spring before they continued training.
End of Chapter 7