Chapter 7

"RUN SAIRO!" Fires were blazing all around him and everyone else there. He looked around searching for the voice that was telling him to escape. There was a woman falling to the ground, the one that was telling him to flee. He saw another, a man this time, fighting off what seemed to be invaders. The world around him was one massive fireball. He was in the centre. He saw the man fall to the invaders by another with a wide grin.

Sairo snapped into consciousness. He was in the infirmary at the army base, drenched from sweat. He tried to get up but felt a sharp pain flash in his body. After a while he slowly and gently rose from his bed. He looked outside the window. It was night time. How long would he have been unconscious for?. He massaged himself a bit to get rid of the pain, or at least make it bearable. Sairo was feeling a little hungry so he looked around for his clothes. They weren't anywhere he could see, so he laid in bet for a while. He started to think about how the mission went, especially the battle between him and Hurecan. Hurecan could fly, and he was able to shoot blasts from his hand. Sairo wondered if he could do that as well, or at least try. Sairo was tempted but then he remembered he was in the infirmary and not out in the field. Hurecan could also cloak himself in a sort of aura. Sairo remembered when he was aggravated. He nearly achieved that feat as he saw a bit of aura go over his head that was, or at least seemed to be, his own. Sairo decided to wait until he was by himself before trying out these techniques. After some time had passed a nurse came holding Sairo's clothes and his scouter. She placed them next to Sairo and left. Sairo took them, went to the changing room opposite of the infirmary and got changed. He equipped his scouter and checked to see it was fine. All the modes were working perfectly, so Sairo went to his quarters to see the others. No one was there when he arrived so he found a manga, took it back and read it on his bed. A while later his entire team stumbled through the doors, all with high spirits, except for Storme, but at this point it was normal. Sairo was playing catch with himself at this point. Luut smacked his hand down on Sairo, which didn't affect him completely (normally Sairo would've flinched a little; Sairo thought that he may have grown stronger from last time, or he got used to it). Luut fed information to Sairo about what was going on. They had a huge party that Sairo missed out on. Sairo told Luut that he done some important research.

"I read this manga, I think it was called Babuto or Maruto or something like that. Anyway the characters were able to use forms of energy using something called, I think markra? I think Hurecan would've used the same techniques or whatever." A soldier, who was known as M, spoke up to correct Sairo,

"Actually it's called Naruto, and they use Chakra, not makra." Sairo looked over at M and just nodded in acceptance of his mistake. Luut laughed.

"Dude, you know how that's a manga and not real?" Sairo nodded and said Hurecan's technique might have been similar. "Well, in the REAL world, people have mastered something called Ki, you know, people that are strong like Hurecan." Sairo nodded. Ki was something people could control if they were strong enough. Sairo remembered his slight aura. Maybe he could master Ki? He would know soon. In the dead of the night, Sairo got out of bed and creeped out. Little did he know Storme was still awake. She followed him out to see what he was up to. Storme took her blaster pistol, in case Sairo decided to wreck the base. Sairo left the base and went to a wide patch of rocky land, not too far away. Storme hid behind a boulder where Sairo's back was turned to so she could see what Sairo what up to. Sairo closed his eyes and concentrated all thoughts into making an energy ball. He felt something happening in his hand. When he opened his eyes he saw a bright yellow, but small, ball of Ki in his hand. He tossed it in front of him without a second thought, and exploded the boulders there. Storme stared wide eyed at what just happened. Did Sairo just learn how to do that in one night? Then she remembered that Sairo was a Saiyan and most likely knew this from beforehand. It was different to see it up close however. The ball of energy itself looked like a work of art, just pure energy hanging there, waiting for its creator to command it. Sairo put his two hands together and charged a ball of Ki and shot it away, which appeared to be stronger than the one with the single hand. However Sairo was confident, with the right sort of training, he could make a one-handed shot as strong as a two-handed one. Sairo sat down and started to meditate. He thought he may be able to control his Ki if he did some spiritual training rather than just physical training. All the while Storme was just hiding, wondering what else Sairo was capable. Even so she had to keep her status as his superior. So what if the commander said they were equals? She didn't care. Not one bit. She was just about to leave when she heard multiple footsteps running towards their location, coming from Sairo's direction. Sairo heard this as well. He got up and saw five wasteland bandits. He checked his scouter. Too easy. This is going to be a bloodbath. The bandits stopped before Sairo, and one of them stepped forward, presumably the leader.

"Hah! You're by yourself against five others, give up now and hand over your valuables. Sairo put his hands up and appeared to oblige. He gave his scouter to the leader. The leader was just about to gut Sairo with his sword when Sairo stopped the attack with two fingers instinctively. He tutted (mainly to hide his surprise at how he managed to catch a blade), then rammed the hilt of the sword through the leader. He fell to the floor, clutching his stomach. The other bandits raised their swords to attack Sairo. When they were close to Sairo he propelled himself upwards with a Ki blast and shot another at them, completely disintegrating them. The leader was still alive, and saw all this unfold in agony. Sairo walked over to the bandit, snatched his scouter back and equipped it. He looked the leader square in the eye, winked, and then stomped his head flat into the ground. Sairo withdrew quickly. His foot was covered in blood and brains, so someone would notice he'd been out.

"Storme." Sairo called. "Got a tissue?" Storme didn't know what to do. She couldn't just walk out. Maybe she could slowly creep back to base. "It's okay I know you were there all this time. I even detected you on my scouter. I won't tell anyone." Storme slowly rose and walked over to Sairo. She didn't say anything, nor did she have a face full of rage. She walked in front of Sairo and stared at the moon. "What's wrong, jealous?" Storme sighed.

"You're stronger than me aren't you?" She finally said. Sairo confirmed her obvious suspicions.

"Far stronger." Storme looked back at Sairo.

"I'm assuming you want to become my superior?" Sairo shook his head saying that no one was superior in the first place. "Wrong, I'm your superior, or at least was. You kind of angered me since we were assigned to each other." Sairo could guess this but stayed silent. "If you tell the commander, it won't be long before you're promoted, then you won't see me again." Storme never mentioned the fact Sairo may have his mind wiped, or be killed. Sairo wondered whether or not she would miss him, but he came to the conclusion that wasn't possible, seeing as it was Storme.

"You'll be happier when I'm gone right? Or slightly less angry, whatever you think it to be." Storme closed her eyes, facing the moon and giving Sairo nothing but silence. Sairo walked over to Storme. After a while she finally spoke in a gentle voice (to Sairo's surprise),

"Sometimes, when I'm uncomfortable, scared, or even a little hurt, I stare at the moon; somehow the light is soothing. Sometimes I even see my parents." Her eyes glistened with a pain more severe than her everyday behaviour that hurt Sairo, for a reason he knew but dismissed.

"Have you ever told this to anyone?" Storme, shook her head.

"You're the first; be glad." Sairo smirked and stared into the moon. After a while, Sairo spoke,

"It's been some time, you want to head back?" Storme nodded after a while, then they both departed to head back to base.