A/N: Shoutout to FernandoCabreraYT ツ for inspiring me with his Goku x Caulifla video! You should go check it out (:
The door slowly creaked open as Caulifla entered Renso's empty abode, Goku by her side.
"Are you sure we'll be able to find anything?" the male saiyan questioned. "It looks like even the elites gave up on trying to get any clues."
Indeed, the entire crime scene was deserted. Only a few days ago there had been Sadala Defence Force officers swarming the place like bees, looking up and down for clues and interviewing anyone within a five hundred kilometer radius. Even the shady opium dealers had been so frightened by their digging as to hide their supplies in a more secret, yet to be discovered area.
But now...
All was silent, the sound of Caulifla's footsteps the only thing slashing the quiet before she spoke. "Have more faith in me, Goku. They may call themselves elites, but you and I are more capable than they ever will be."
"Touché." Goku pulled out a few books from Renso's bookshelf, flipping through adventure novels and textbooks alike.
"Be careful," Caulifla warned. "We don't want to disrupt anything too badly."
"The elites already trashed the entire place."
The man had a point. Renso's house looked like a hurricane had ripped through it. At the sight of Renso's precious tea kettle sprawled on the ground, rage ignited within Caulifla's belly. It was a kettle that he had crafted when they were still teenagers and life was good - well as good as it could be anyway. She stared at the kettle, unsure whether to kick it to oblivion or pick it up, dust it off and put it back in its place on the kitchen counter.
"Caulifla? Is everything okay?"
"Fine," Caulifla called over her shoulder without hesitating. She folded under arms underneath her breasts and continued to have a staring contest with Renso's kettle. After what seemed like an eternity, she reluctantly removed the vessel from the ground and placed it on the stovetop. There were a few scratches and a small dent in the metal but otherwise it was fine, testimony to Renso's excellent metalwork skills. She ran her hand over the smooth surface of the kettle absentmindedly, searching for the warmth that it usually gave off when it had just been emptied of hot tea. No such luck. The pot had not held tea for a long while.
"I think I might have found something!" Goku announced, staring intently at a marked page in one of Renso's books. The other books he had flipped through were neatly stacked on the endtable.
Caulifla whipped around, excited by the prospect of a new clue. As she turned, her elbow knocked the kettle over and she cursed, scowling when the pot began to roll away.
"Everything alright?" Goku was looking her way curiously.
"Fine." She bit her lip. "I'll be right there, just give me a second." She went after the kettle, which, thankfully, had not rolled under anything. As she picked it up, she noticed something peculiar on the floor. Are those... ashes? There were also some patches of the powder on the kettle's skin and she brushed it off with one hand. Setting the kettle back down, this time on the kitchen counter, she made haste to where Goku stood, his eyes moving from left to right as he scanned the book.
"I didn't know you could read the saiyan language," Caulifla commented as she joined him. "I was under the impression you've always been confined to earth, you know?"
"I have." He rubbed his head sheepishly and gave her a grin. "I was only looking at the pictures."
Caulifla laughed and took the book from him. "Should have figured." Her eyes widened slightly when she realized what she was looking at. "Huh. Of course he kept it... I burned mine." At Goku's confused expression, she elaborated, "The Academy handed out yearbooks at the end of our final year," she gestured to the book, "this is Renso's copy."
"Academy?"
"Right... I never finished my story, did I? The one that I told you when... when I was still training with you. You probably don't remember, but -"
"No, no, I remember," Goku interrupted, his gaze darkening slightly. "It's the one where you and Frost first met, right?"
Caulifla blinked once, then twice. "Yes... Yes, that's the one. Heh. I guess you do remember." She sat down on Renso's bed, gesturing for him to sit down next to her. "I guess I should probably finish it instead of leaving you hanging..." ... Then maybe we can learn to trust each other again.
Goku made himself comfortable, crossing his legs, giving her his undivided attention.
Frost laughed wickedly, having elicited the desired reaction from her. "Yes. You monkeys are beings that follow a Warrior's Honor, are you not? Yes, you now owe me a life debt for sparing you. And I know just how you can pay it back."
No! Caulifla wanted to scream, her mind conjuring numerous ways of 'payback'. Sexual favors perhaps? Pfft, yeah right. I doubt the guy even has a dong. A sparring partner, maybe? He seems like the type to break his opponents... She shuddered. Frost had her pinned - literally and figuratively. Years of lessons from her parents about a saiyan's honor - the Warrior's Honor - flashed through her head. A Warrior's Honor was something that was instilled into almost every saiyan - a second nature; something hardwired into their systems.
"Just tell her already," Kafara said, never once taking her eyes off Caulifla's stiff form. "The little one is getting restless..."
"So strong and powerful," Frost mused, not showing any indication of hearing his lieutenant. Caulifla did not miss the annoyed look the albino woman flashed the back of his horned head. "I need someone like you to serve me."
In what way? Caulifla wondered. What could he possibly want from me?!
"You will serve me as one of my elites in my personal armada." He removed his foot from her and held out his hand. "Welcome aboard... comrade."
Even as she took his cold, icy hand, there was only one thought that ran through her head - a thought that went against all the teachings of her parents.
Deep down; deep down she knew...
Debt is the slavery of the free.
At the tender age of thirteen, Caulifla was sent on her first mission. It was to a blue planet called Xandonia and she was accompanied by her squad. She was not leader - she had not been part of Frost's Empire for long enough to be named a Squad Leader - instead, she was merely a subordinate, something that she hated. If she was going to put up with this, she would have preferred to do it while climbing her way to the top.
"There it is," their squad's commander said, a malicious grin decorated on his face. "Let's go greet the little insects, shall we?" He keyed in a few commands and the ship began to descend, the planet's gravity field speeding up the drop.
"Insects?" one of Caulifla's comrades wondered, his lip trembling slightly.
Caulifla rolled her eyes and forced her heart to harden. By the time the year was over, this boy would undoubtedly be dead and rotting away somewhere. He was not strong in any kind of sense that mattered as a soldier - he wouldn't last long.
"You need to pay more attention in class, River," his twin sister scolded. "Planet Xandonia is home to a race of people that are described as insectoid. Honestly. Boys; they're all the same." She snuck a glance at Caulifla, as if expecting her to agree, she and the saiyan being the only females in the squad.
But Caulifla merely ignored her; this girl wasn't worth her time of day. She was weak, just like her brother. She was better off being a cook or a laundress.
"Quiet, recruits," their leader ordered, his condescending tone rubbing Caulifla the wrong way. She sneered at the back of his head. He was around their age, only a bit older, so why did he get the right to boss them around? Her teenage mind refused to comprehend his authority.
"Yessir, Squad Leader Bijou!" River and his sister chanted, them being the only ones who had flapped their gums just then.
"See, look what you did," River's sister muttered quietly. "Now we're in trouble."
"Maybe we wouldn't have been if you just shut your trap," River hissed back. "Stop being such a know-it-all, Willow."
"Shut up, both of you," Caulifla said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Or you'll get us all into trouble." She narrowed her eyes at the twins; both had the grace to look at least a little ashamed. "Good. Now kindly keep your traps shut." Fucking kids... They're nothing but children.
Dead children walking.
She was thankful for his presence; without it, Caulifla doubted that she would have remained sane. But when she looked at him, she knew that he had changed - for better or worse she did not know. She watched, leaning against the wall, as Renso chatted up a female soldier. From the sultry look on the female soldier's face, it was obvious that she wanted nothing more than to get in his pants. But Caulifla knew that nothing like that was going to happen - from day one, Renso had always been obsessed with 'defending the peace' and idolized Frost. There would be no fraternizing on his part.
Caulifla almost wished he had taken up the slut's offer when said slut walked away with a miffed expression on her face, having been denied of sex from one of the most desirable soldiers on the fleet.
"Heartbreaker," Caulifla remarked as she walked up to Renso.
Her brother was completely oblivious. "Huh? What are you talking about."
"Ugh, nevermind." She resisted the urge to facepalm. "How was your mission today?"
"It was great. We got the Berthians to sign a peace treaty with the Mairinians!" Caulifla softened at the excited expression on Renso's face. He had given up his dream of becoming one of Sadala's defenders to look after her - she would be forever grateful for his sacrifice. She was glad that he was living the dream now. But how long would it be until he became disillusioned?
Someone tutted in her mind and Caulifla almost wilted as Kafara sunk her claws into her thoughts, tearing those kinds of thoughts apart. The Arcorsian's lieutenant was a safety measured employed by he himself; not wanting Caulifla to blab about the inner workings of their... business.
"Are you okay?" Renso asked, concern evident in his voice. "You look pale."
"I-I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I can handle myself." Frost certainly seemed to think so anyway.
After all, she was the one he sent to purge a planet of half its population and ravage the ripe land.
It's funny, Caulifla mused. The lengths people go to to get a quick buck and a good reputation.
Kafara ripped at her mind once more.
By the time her fifteenth birthday had passed without her explicit knowledge, Caulifla had earned quite the name for herself.
'The Wraith', people from almost every planet in all four galaxies called her, Frost's rule having been exponentially expanded over the past two years. All because of a single saiyan adolescent.
Of course, no one outside of Frost's most loyal really knew who 'The Wraith' was. She was just like her namesake, a ghostly apparition that appeared to wreak havoc, to slaughter indiscriminately; to take out her fury on the land.
"Is this really all they talk about?" Caulifla complained to Renso one day, having overheard a couple of recruits discussing The Wraith with much rhapsody involved. She mimicked their annoyingly high-pitched, unbroken voices: "'Ooh, The Wraith is soooo coooool! Is The Wraith real? I wonder what her power level is?' The Wraith this, The Wraith that! I'm sick of it!"
Her complaints got her a few disapproving looks from some of her comrades. To them, The Wraith was a goddess that showed up to Frost's side like his whore. A powerful whore, to be precise. She was proof that what Frost was doing was right; that everyone should follow his example.
"Is someone jealous?" Renso said teasingly. At her angry look, he raised his arms defensively. "Relax, Cauli. It's just gossip. No need to get so worked up about it. You gotta admit though, The Wraith is pretty amazing."
Caulifla heaved a sigh. Sometimes, she kept forgetting that her brother didn't know; Kafara always managed to filter her words at the last moment. The saiyan didn't know whether to be somewhat grateful to the demon woman or to hate her even more. At her mixed feelings, she could almost feel Kafara cackling as she sank her claws into the depths of her mind, manipulating every 'dangerous' thought that entered her mind and threatened to exit through her mouth.
Renso glanced around conspiratorially. "Hey... This is from a brother to a sister, okay?"
"Hmm? What? What do you know that I don't, huh?"
His breath tickled her ear as he whispered, "I hear they might be promoting you soon again."
"Hooray," Caulifla said wryly, not at all excited at the prospect of moving up the ranks. She had long since abandoned that dream - being in a higher position only put her closer to where Frost sat at the very top of the hierarchy.
When Caulifla returned from a mission bruised and bloody, testament to a particularly brutal fight she had had with an Arlokian, she decided that she absolutely despised her job as a planet purger.
The kind aliens that worked in the kitchen would not be here to look after her forever - there would be things where they would not be able to fix. Without even glancing at the inviting kitchen doors, she marched straight to Frost's quarters, her uniform still splotched with mud and dried blood from her fight with the Arlokian. In her mind, she could feel Kafara tearing away at her sanity in an attempt to drive Caulifla back from what she was about to do.
Without even knocking, she kicked the doors open, revealing Frost, who sat on his floating throne. By his side, his ever faithful lieutenant Kafara stood with her back straight and her face pinched in a scowl.
"I was wondering when this would happen," Frost remarked, swirling a his glass of wine casually. "Thank you for warning me, dear."
"I live to serve," came Kafara's wooden response, though it sounded more strained than usual.
"Then you'll know what I'm here for," Caulifla snarled, ignoring her throbbing wounds. "A challenge, Frost: a fight. I'm going to buy the freedom of my brother and I from you."
"Tch..." Frost rose from his hoverthrone. "Are you really sure you want to do this?"
"... Yes." Caulifla cracked her neck. "Let's dance, lizard king."
"So you won?" Goku queried.
Caulifla tilted her head slightly to look at him. "... I guess. Yeah. Yeah, I won." A grin made its way onto her face. "I won. I won my freedom back. And my brother's as well. Knocked him down before he could transform."
"Is she still in there?" Goku prompted, referring to the parasite that had invaded her mind all those years ago.
"No. She's gone." I don't know how or when she disappeared. But she's not here anymore and that's all that matters.
Kafara would not bother her again.
Caulifla decided that it would be best to return to the subject at hand. "Anyway, the Academy was where all the recruits did their training. There were barracks and all that shit." She flipped through the yearbook. "You think the suspects might be one of them?"
"Well, they do look pretty suspicious if you ask me."
At that, Caulifla chuckled. Of course they did - most of them were nothing more than petty criminals. Finding someone genuinely good at heart was a rarity. "Fair enough... I found something as well." She tugged his arm, leading him to where she had found the ashes. Had it not glittered slightly, the powder would almost be completely invisible.
"What is that?" wondered Goku, smearing some of the suspicious powder on his finger before blowing it away. "Was there a fire here or something?"
"That was my initial thought. But how could it be? The house is still here." Caulifla tapped her knuckles on the walls, her body tense. When nothing happened, she relaxed. "It's not an illusion or anything. It's real. Dammit, we should have brought bags or something to collect some samples."
"I can go back and get some," Goku offered, backpedaling.
"No, no. The boys back home aren't really used to you yet. If you return without me, they'll probably get antsy." Her gaze flitted to where the kettle was. "I have an idea, anyway."
After some more searching, they returned home with a freshly stained kettle (Caulifla had rolled it in the patch of ashes once again to collect its remnants) and Renso's Academy yearbook. It was going to be noon soon; Kale would be up and cooking brunch for them.
They were not disappointed; upon rolling open the warehouse door, the pair were greeted by a wave of delicious smells.
"Wow," Goku said, his voice filled with an almost childish awe. "Is... is it possible for her to cook anything better than seluin?"
"I wouldn't underestimate Kale if I were you," Caulifla said, her voice filled with pride. "She's a master in the kitchen. God knows where she picked it up from. I can't cook for shit."
The book and kettle were set down on the dining table just as Kale turned around, giving them a small wave, a spatula in one hand and a cooking instrument similar to a frying pan in the other.
"Good morning," Caulifla greeted, pulling out a chair and sitting down. When Kale only smiled weakly, she frowned. "What's up, Kale?"
Goku, who was also sitting down and had the yearbook in one hand, also turned his attention to Kale.
"Oh... Um, it's nothing." At their disbelieving expressions she insisted, "It's really nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Kale..." Caulifla's voice carried a warning tone and Kale sighed, knowing that she was fighting a losing battle.
"Something's bothering you pretty bad," Goku observed. "Come on, Kale, you can tell us."
"I-I..." The meat she was frying sizzled and she tossed it up in the air. The food landed artfully back into the pan with a hiss. "It's about Cabba..."
"Oh?" Caulifla leaned forward, Kale having confided in the older saiyan about her kiss with Cabba and the dinner with the latter's parents. Caulifla's gaze darkened almost instantaneously as possibilities flooded her mind. Cabba and Kale having an argument. Cabba transforming in anger. The pair fighting; Cabba in his super saiyan two form and Kale in her berserk form. And - heaven forbid - Cabba hitting her. "Kale... What did he he do?"
"He didn't do anything," Kale protested lightly. She fished something out of her skirt pocket. "Umm... I'm just concerned... It's dumb, really, I'm sorry..."
"Kale," Caulifla said chidingly. "Don't bottle it up." Opposite her, Goku was nodding in agreement.
At their insistence, Kale lowered her defenses, slumping and sighing. "Cabba... Isn't returning any of my texts."
There was a brief silence.
"Is that all?!" Goku cried in surprise.
"How dare he!" Caulifla hissed at the same time.
They whipped their heads to face each other. "What are you talking about?!" they demanded in unison.
Kale sweatdropped.
"What am I talking about?" Caulifla echoed, sounding incredulous. "He's blatantly ignoring her." A snarl was etched on her face. "That saiyan needs to be taught a lesson."
"He probably just needs time to himself," Goku said. "He's like a police officer, right? He's probably working or something."
"So he's too busy to talk to Kale?" Caulifla challenged.
"Well, to put it bluntly, yes! Gah, Cauli, why are we even fighting about this?"
Caulifla was about to retort but stopped herself. Exhaling, she straightened in her chair, recollecting her composure. "It was pretty dumb," she admitted grudgingly.
"You sound like an old married couple..." Kale murmured quietly.
"Eh? What did you say?" Goku said, scratching his head. "I didn't catch that."
"Me neither," said Caulifla. "What else did Cabba do?"
"H-huh? Oh, um, Cabba didn't do anything else, sis...!" She glanced at her communicator. "He just hasn't responded since last night. I'm... I'm worried."
Now that she thought about it, Caulifla had to acknowledge that Kale might be overreacting a little. "Try not to get too worried. He can take care of himself. He's a super saiyan, you know. But when he does respond." She clenched her fist. "Rip him into shreds."
"Uhh..."
"Maybe don't go that far," Goku countered, sweatdropping slightly. "But if I were in your position I guess I'd ask him about what he's been doing all day." He perked up slightly. "Here's your chance."
Before anyone could respond, the sound of the rusted warehouse door rolling to the side was heard. There were fast-paced footsteps and then Cabba appeared at the doorway of the kitchen.
"Cabba!" Kale exclaimed, fumbling with her spatula. "H-hello."
"Kale," Cabba acknowledged, looking like he hadn't slept the night before. "Hey, Goku; Caulifla."
Caulifla merely nodded in response while Goku gave him a two-fingered salute and a "Yo!"
"You look like you got into a battle with a laggerwomp and lost," Caulifla drawled. "Seriously."
"That bad?"
The looks Goku, Kale and Caulifla all gave each other was enough to tell Cabba that yes it was indeed that bad. Circles of black surrounded his eyes, making him look like the hairless primate equivalent of earth's panda bear.
"Appearances aside," Cabba said loudly, hoping to divert the attention away from the dark bags underneath his eyes, "I... I think you might want to see this. The other day, you mentioned something about a threat." He tossed Parsley's diary onto the table. Caulifla hissed when it nearly knocked the kettle off. "This belonged to Parsley."
"Oh?" Caulifla said, her brief ire gone. "That's your cousin right?" Out of her peripheral vision, she noticed Kale stiffen up. What's that all about? She forced herself to ignore her protégée and keep eye contact with a weary Cabba.
"Was," Cabba deadpanned.
"Semantics," Caulifla shot back brutally, knowing the implications of his one-word response. "But truly, I'm sorry for your loss. No one should have to go through that shit."
Cabba merely looked down at his feet.
The awkward atmosphere was thankfully broken when Goku managed to put two and two together. "Say, do you think your cousin was," he hesitated, "murdered by the same threat?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Cabba said with a nod, grateful that he did not have to say it himself. He opened up to a marked page. "And this is who is responsible."
At the familiar, malicious grin, Caulifla's blood chilled.
Then the doll on the page spoke.
"Hello. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Five minutes ago...
"Is it ready?" Kafara demanded, sweeping into the laboratory without warning.
"Y-yes, My Lady!" Niifa said, hoping that Kafara would forgive her for not saluting as she held something precious to the woman with both hands. "Here. It can be consumed now." She could almost feel her veins freeze as Kafara brushed her moon-white fingers against her hand in order to properly grasp the bottle of dark chi.
Niifa's breath hitched as she waited for Kafara to pop the cork open and drink the substance. "W-well?" she blurted, cursing herself for her uncontrollable mouth.
Luckily, Kafara only turned the bottle in her hands, observing the literal energy drink with a calculating gaze.
A day ago, Kafara had ordered Niifa to convert the dark chi into something consumable lest she be executed. Niifa was merely lucky that it had not taken long for her to transform the chi's medium.
"Good work," Kafara said in a clipped tone. She conjured a portal and dropped the bottle into it, ignoring Niifa's weak protests of "it's delicate!"
Then, as quickly as she had arrived, she was gone. Niifa managed to peer into the portal for a second before it completely closed off. From what she had seen, it seemed to be a pocket dimension of some sort.
The zoorian grimaced. She's a strange sort...
A/N: HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I SURVIVED EXAMS ASDFGHJKLAJSBIWDBDOBOOD
*sniffs and cries openly* I did it...! My last exam (science) was today...!
Thank you for all the reviews. Thank you all and goodnight!
Time to unwind now...
*stares intently at all the Haikyuu fanfiction available, scrolling through every single fanfiction*