AN: Damn I'm good at being lazy. Sorry bout slacking off everyone. Here's the next chapter since I was told to update.
Several loud explosions followed by deep rumbling was enough to awaken Ginyu from his peaceful nap. The quiet pond that formed as a result of the last fight shimmered as the ground shook lightly. The small frog sighed.
Hmmm...I guess Frieza hasn't destroyed them yet. He's probably just fooling around. Not like I was any better when fighting.
Ginyu attempted a chuckle with minimal success thinking about his antics as leader of the Ginyu Squad. What a glorious farce all that was...
"... cough ...wherE'sss daADdy?"
Rubi jumped at her daughter's sudden 'outburst'
"Don't worry. He'll be back soon." She put her hand on her daughter's head. "Just rest for now Rice.
Chalrice leaned against her mother. I'll be sixteen next week...I can't even walk anymore. Why does this life hate me so much? She fought back the urge to cry. Dad always said to be strong like him. He'll help me...I know he will.
Meanwhile, Gin and his aquaintance were flying over a large city. Gin was soaring easily while the alien with the briefcase had some apparent difficulty. Gin came to a stop mid-flight over a few odd shaped buildings.
"Tell me, how are the preparations going?"
The alien opened his briefcase and glanced over a few sheets of paper. "Actually General...we're running surprisingly ahead of schedule. Everything will be set by tomorrow, early morning."
Gin let out a sigh of relief and punched his right fist into his open left hand.
"Excellent. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. That means I have a few moments to speak with our troops, right?"
The man nervously closed his briefcase and quickly nodded his head. "Of course sir. Let me go tell the field commanders you are going to stop by."
Before he had a chance, Gin had already started flying in the direction of the the main barracks.
"Don't worry about it! I prefer to just show up. Nothing like a good speech to boost morale!" Gin's speed increased as he left a ki trail far behind him.
Outside the main building, a few hundred or so men were gathered. Most we talking amongst themselves while others were sparring. Very few were actually sitting down or sleeping. Gin peered down from inside the cloud cover. They never do sleep the night before a fight. I think I'll give them a show tonight. Gin brought his arms up in front of himself and let his ki flow outward. The clouds instantly gave way to his power and the star-lit sky poured in. All of the soldiers below immediately stopped what they were doing a look upwards. Sparks of light began darting from Gin's body as his let loose more and more of his energy. The soldiers began to cheer as they recognized the form of their leader dropping down from the sky. Gin landed gracefully and flashed an enormous toothy grin. He stood about a foot taller than most of his troops and probably that much wider. Some of the newer recruits' scouters sparked and fizzled as they forgot to turn them off in the General's presence. Gin lowered his arms to his side and took in a deep breath.
"Everyone listen up!" Every soldier immediately snapped to attention. "At ease people. I come to talk to you as an equal; as a fellow warrior on the battlefield." The troops smiled to each other and all took a seat where they stood. Gin smiled again. What a wonderful military this is.
Gin began telling stories of when he was just a recruit serving under the previous general. He filling their heads with feelings of motivation and confidence. The fresh grunts moved themselves closer and stared at him with eyes of admiration. He rattled on for almost two hours when he realized how late it was getting.
"Tomorrow we end this war for good. Our techs put our combined fighting strength well over that of our enemy. Just don't get to overconfident and attack their general. He's my prize." The troops roared their approval of his inspiring words. Gin raised his hands to quiet the crowd. "Everyone sleep well tonight. I'll see you all tomorrow at zero-six at the transport depot." The troops stood up and packed up their gear quietly and in a hurry. The silence was broken by a faint tearing of air. Gin recognized the sound immediately and whipped around in a guard stance. A thin beam of pink ki was tracing its way to his location. He raised his hands to block but felt no impact. A loud crackling sound filled the grounds. He looked down to see a small soldier hovering in front of him; blood pouring freely.
"Don't worry sir. No sweat. Just let me...take..." His words trailed off to silence as he fell to the ground. The attack had removed both his arms below the elbow and tore into his chest cavity. Gin gritted his teeth angrily and slowly raised his head. He found to his surprise that every grunt in the area was now standing between him and the area where the blast came from. A tall figure was hovering off in the distance. It was moving closer, one finger pointing towards the center of the group. Gin raised himself off the ground effortlessly, never breaking eye contact with his new foe. He uttered one word to his men and they split immediately.
"Back..."
As soon as clear line of sight was established between Gin and his enemy, another pink light appeared on the tip of the creature's finger. Gin didn't flinched as the beam made its way to him. A few of the troops went to jump up but it was too late. The attack was on him however it never made contact. It had stopped about an inch from the spot between his eyes. The beam collapsed into a small ball and vanished as fast as it was created.
"So now you cowards are using assassination tactics to win your battles? Pitiful..."
The figure laughed out loud. Gin knew the voice and started to raise his power level. He slowly flew away from his men to meet his enemy face to face. Gin's face clearly showed his malcontent.
"Cold, you little rat bastard. How dare you attack me when my back is turned! I ought to kill you right now for taking the life of one of my men."
Cold shrugged his shoulders and raised his hands. "What? I was only playing around. Besides if he hadn't jumped in the way, he wouldn't have died, would he?"
Gin gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "You are so lucky there are still warriors like me that uphold a honor code. You have a lot of balls coming to my home the day before we do battle."
Again Cold shrugged. "Sure whatever. You sound like my father. King Frost is always going on about ethics of battle and warrior this and that. It's all rediculous. Whoever is stronger wins and whoever wins lives. That's all that's important." Gin felt a hard tap on his left shoulder. His hand shot out and grabbed the object forcefully. Cold's demeanor changed instantly and he wasn't afraid to voice it.
"Let go of my tail this instant before I get mad."
Gin smiled deviously. "Tell you what, you can have your tail back..." He began to tighten his grip, forcing Cold to wince. "...when you defeat me tomorrow." In one motion Gin brought a ki-laced hand down and through the tail. The energy cauterized the wound as fast as it cut. Cold let out a scream into the night sky.
"You...you shit! My tail! I'm going to kill you General Gin. I'm going to kill you and everyone you hold dear."
Gin tossed his new trophy back towards his men and faced his agitated opponent. "I can't wait to see you try, General Cold. Now leave before I start taking more 'valuable' items." A slight chuckle was heard from a few of his troops. Cold's ki flared up and fire could almost be seen in his eyes.
"You're going to lose tomorrow. We have something 'special' that I personally organized that is going to make your life pleasantly miserable. We will kill you, along with everyone else on this forsaken planet." Gin didn't have time to respond as Cold sped away into the distance at a speed greater than the troops could see. Gin turned around and relaxed in front of his troops.
"You...with my trophy...put that somewhere safe. Everyone else hit your racks. Last one out of my site has latrine duty for a year." Gin blinked and already there was practically no one within visual range. He sat down on chair next to the fallen grunt. He leaned over and placed his hand softly on his back. What is that boy thinking? Something isn't right. Tomorrow feels ... uncertain.
AN: Sorry if this seems a bit rough. I wrote it literally on a spur of the moment decision so please be gentle :-P. Peace