A/N: Goddamn my fingers are so dead right now... hit the inspiration and receive pain in you fingers... anyways: thanks for all the reviews! Here's the update some of you seem to crave for! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned this the whole thing I wouldn't be finding myself in college... I don't own a thing!

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Childhood: Part VII – Pick up Team Kuryu

Vegeta inhaled and exhaled painfully and slowly as he laid on the hard and rocky ground, surrounded by debris and smoking ruins of once glorious city. He wasn't the only one on the ground. Mutilated and scorched bodies littered the area, blood ran in rivers and formed puddles. It was dark crimson of color, the color of the sin. Vegeta gasped for air as his small body ached like never before. Everything was blurry and everything went black and then came back into weird purple blur. He was hanging at the edge of his consciousness as blood seeped from numerous wounds and joined with the blood on the ground. His mind was disoriented and tired, his body demanded sleep and he didn't even dare to guess how many broken bones he had gained in the end, nor how many days had gone past. We're early? We're they late? To be honest he didn't want to know because it didn't matter.

Kakarotto was curled into a ball few yards away from him, shivering, and what Vegeta could tell with his blurring sight, he was covered in old crusted and fresh blood alike. Battered, and wounded and feeling probably worse than he was because Kakarotto was much weaker. That the boy had managed to tough it out for so long was a testimony to Bardock's legacy and stubborn genes.

Everything was quiet. The only sound was his harsh breathing and few coughs from Kakarotto. It felt weird to know that they were only living creatures on the whole planet. Alive...

They were alive!

A laughter bubbled inside him and he couldn't stop it from bursting out. It hurt like hell to laugh with busted sides and injured intestines but he couldn't stop. Another chuckling sound joined in. Kakarotto was also in fits of laughter. Funny thing was that neither one wanted to laugh but they just couldn't stop.

Unconsciousness gained them.

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Kuryu looked around with grim smile. Everything was eerily quiet like always after another horrifying purge. Ruins, debris and dead, bloody bodies. The old Saiyajin had long ago gotten used to this degree of carnage and destruction. He fumbled with his scouter, checking the data on the purge.

" Purger: Kakarotto, third class... planet status: advanced stronghold... purger amount upped to two? Huh...?" Kuryu frowned deeply and glanced at the waiting ship behind his back. He knew his three men that made up his crew were keeping check on everything, including his back, and had picked up two life signals, two very low scouter readings near this area.

" Kakarotto..." Kuryu mumbled and ran his large, calloused hand thru his short but spiky mane. Wasn't Kakarotto Bardock's son with incredibly weak powerlevel? Weak powerlevel or not, this planet was definitely purged following every directive and standard placed on subject. This made Kuryu darkly happy. He could now commence the pick up, though smuggling purgers who hadn't managed, despite their best efforts, to complete the mission wasn't foreign to him.

" Boss, hundred meters to your left. Two low and wavering signals." A voice crackled through the scouter on his ear, informing him curtly as always.

" Roger that..." Kuryu grumbled and ambled to the mentioned direction. Walking leisurely behind one huge chunk of ancient palace wall he found two small figures laying on the ground, few metres apart, almost bathing in spilled blood. Child purgers? Kuryu was surprised for according to the data this had been the first purge for Kakarotto and the mysterious addition boy and honestly Kuryu hadn't expected surviving purgers. Few third class children ever managed to come thru their first mission alive or without any traumas. Usual standard age to start purges was fifteen and these cubs were half that age.

He picked up the unconscious brats by the scruff of their necks and walked back to the ship, shaking his head in anger. No armour, no scouter, no equipment... the first class and everything above it was really out to get the third class population. He felt quite sick knowing that couple of children were forced to purge like that. Kuryu was a hard man with even harder lifestyle but small children of his own race happened to be uncharacteristically one of his softer and weaker spots.

Lifting his cargo up he inspected the boys. The other one was almost a carbon copy of Bardock and only the cross shaped scar was missing from his left cheek but Kuryu was almost sure the cuts on the brat's face would leave scars of their own, the stained scarf wrapped around his head. The boy was obviously Kakarotto. The one on his left hand didn't resemble anyone he could recall but just an ordinary Saiyajin brat, little older than Kakarotto. He too had an identical scarf around his head.

" Scarves from Silver Alley?" he recognized quite calmly ad the realization dawned on him. This could only mean...!! " Bardock's dead, right? That's why you're out purging. They made you replacement for him, Kakarotto? But why he gave you both the protection of Silver Alley... non-related blood brothers, perhaps?" Kuryu spoke to himself. Knowing he wouldn't get the answer out of the boys he marched into the ship, barking orders to prepare the medical kit. It was not like the government would provide his ship with regeneration tank...

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Kakarotto became aware of the quiet talking in the back ground and momentarily later the painful thudding in his head overcame the talking. His limbs felt like lead and very single muscled ached like hell was burning them. Foreign smells of sweat mixed with blood and dirt assaulted his nose and it didn't smell so much of chi-burnt flesh, smoke and blood. He was laying on something semi-hard comfortably and a sheet was covering his body.

" Whatta hell...!?" he exclaimed weakly and opened his eyes. They ached too but he kept them open and a crude metal ceiling came into view.

" Ah you're awake, lad," a voice said and Kakarotto whirled his head to the direction of the voice. A tall, muscled Saiyajin with short cropped and messy hair was smirking at him rather confidently. He was quite old judging by the lines marring his face and wrinkles in the corners of his eyes. Kakarotto stared, trying to ignore the ache in his head and body, not comprehending anything for few seconds.

" Who the fuck are ya?" he blurted out before the thought had time to catch up with his mouth.

The tall Saiyajin laughed heartily.

" I can see where you got that mouth of yours, definitely! HAHA! You're Bardock's brat, alright! Could tell it without the mouth already, your face is definitely his!" the man told quite cheerily.

" You knew my old man?" Kakarotto croaked out.

" Hai, hai... we were pals for years... worked for the same team in the beginning before we both got promoted to team Captains..." the Saiyajin shrugged jovially, " But enough of shit talk. I'm Kuryu, the Captain of this pick-up team. Just saved you and your little friend's asses from that planet trap! You were badly malnourished, over-exhausted, injured and bleeding all over; a friggin' miracle you're even alive! Had we arrived few hours later... bye bye ever losing your virginity to a brothel whore!"

Kakarotto inspected himself and found his wounds dressed and cleaned up. He sighed deeply, not quite believing he had pulled thru that hell. Without Ve he surely would have died... Ve!?

" Wait! Where's Ve!" he queried in panic, looking around wildly.

" That brat with you? He's alright. Being stronger than you he has been up and about for a day already! Damn does that lad have a grumpy temper... You were out for three days, by the way!"

" What? Oh well... goodie..." Kakarotto sighed in relief, " Ve maybe stronger and better warrior than me but he's an ignorant ass when it comes to basic survival." Kakarotto rubbed his temples in irritation and his headache worsened and his stomach was eating him alive.

" Boy."

" Huh?" Kakarotto uttered in confusion as he suddenly found Kuryu's face only centimeters from his. He backed away in slight fright but the tall Saiyjain male grabbed his chin roughly and lifted his face. The grip hurt his jaw and the bruises only added to the discomfort and made him nervous. The child Saiyajin screwed his eyes shut and tried to pull his face away.

" Look me in the eyes!" Kuryu barked sharply and applied more pressure to his jaw. Kakarotto muffled a cry of pain and was forced to look into Kuryu's battle-hardened, black depths. Kuryu kept his face unreadable and studied the boy. His eyes were deep inky black, glistening with unshed tears caused by the pain. Flaming anger towards this treatment smouldered in his eyes; determined, spunky spirit. Kuryu sensed Kakarotto wanted nothing else than to wrench his head away and beat the shit out of him. His eyes were also confused, edges of coldness and shadows growing in them, yet wiser and experienced than before. The boy's mind set had been changed for good, the remaining gentleness and crying ability beaten away from him through the purge.

He let go, now smirking. Kakarotto immediately jumped backwards, snarling, and slapped Kuryu's hand away. Kuryu's smirk only deepened as the brat glowered at him and demanded what the hell was that about and if he did it ever again...

Saiyajins hardly apologized so Kuryu just shrugged his shoulders, faking clueless. " Too bad about that. It's just a test we Captains have to make to the first time purgers after the mission. Psychology, you see, in case you have any traumas from the event and just to determine your future persona from going psycho on us and go on killing rampage on our own planet. I didn't detect any so you really must have hard and resilient personality, which is good for you... Had you gone all ding dong I would've been forced to kill you."

"..." Kakarotto glared, not as pissed off as before. What Kuryu left unsaid was that there was not a person who didn't come out of their first purge without mild repercussions on personality.

" Come on brat. Let's get something for you to eat..." Kuryu said and barely saw the blurred figure of Kakarotto running outside and heading towards the kitchen his keen nose was surely leading him into. Shaking his head he went to the piloting deck to write down the character profiles from both Kakarotto and Ve, deciding that Kakarotto could handle his crew members in the kitchen with the help of his friend. And questioning about the scarves could come later.

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Kuryu arrived later to the kitchen and wasn't surprised by the sight in front of him. The small boys were eating like they hadn't eaten in a month. His crew members just lazed around, glaring at the ever-growing pile of dirty plates. Ignoring them, Kuryu decided to go straight for the business.

" So what's with the scarves?You two related or something?" he asked.

Ve and Kakarotto stopped eating and glanced at each other, like asking if it was okay to tell.

" We... we got them from Bardock... he always told us that wind was picking up and the change was coming and to always wear these bandannas..." Vegeta explained, his eyebrows slanting slightly more. Kakarotto continued shoveling food into his mouth, staring questioningly.

" Wind of change, he said..." Kuryu whispered, barely keeping the shock out of his face, as if contemplating. " Oh well, better get us back to Vegetasei... we'll be arriving in few days, give or take." He shrugged and with a nonchalant wave of hand exited the kitchen area, leaving his crew members gawking at his wake.

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With grim smile Kuryu pushed delete -button and watched with dark satisfaction as the information he had just loaded up but had not yet sent disappeared into the endless sea of cyberspace. He changed the info quickly instead of 'survived' to 'died on their wounds' and sent the file to the Vegetasei's Main

Data Central in the capital where it would be stored and documented. There was always the risk that the boys would be later on exposed to be still alive but Kuryu doubted he himself would be dead by then, so no worries.

" You always talked about it, didn't you, Bardock, you lazy bum. You never would have guessed one of the changers be your weak, pathetic youngest son... though I always wondered why you kept the brat, dare I say you even loved him as your son as if he were actually strong, but I can see it now why. You knew, somewhere in that hard and cracked soul of yours you bastard knew you had to keep the brat alive... don't worry, Bardock. I'll keep an eye on them, I'll give my life for them if needed. Everything, so the wind of change can blow freely and fill it's purpose. The path those two have is not easy one, far from it and their hardships have only barely began... You had the gut feeling didn't you? You knew you were gonna die, you bastard... Just like I as a warrior know when my end is nearing, but until then I shall look out for those two hellions..." Kuryu made a promise to his dead friend, talking as if Bardock could hear him.

He smirked.

" They're both strong-willed and spirited and they sure aren't turning out to be sissy faqs either..." Kuryu shook his head, his features illuminated by the glow of the huge computer screen. Kuryu had no doubt that women of Vegetasei would probably jump at the chance to have a fuck with either of them in the future. Wild personalities as they were, wild in bed would be natural. Both of them would grow up to be quite handsome Saiyajin specimen, nonetheless.

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The ship landed three standard days later on planet Vegetasei and learnt of the uproar going on. Prince Vegeta had been missing for nearly three weeks and everybody was out looking for the missing heir to the throne. The King himself had returned a week ago and was mad as pissed off bee. Nappa was still in ICU regeneration tank since the King had returned.

Kakarotto and Vegeta only could look on in shock as the landing bay bustled with action like never before. Vegeta was quite pale and sweatdropping at the ridiculous hassle. He nervously smirked. He had totally forgotten what impacts his disappearances did to the planet and his father's temper... everybody was pretty much driven up the wall in general.

Okay... maybe I should little watch out when and where I disappear... no more rash and impulsive decisions... in few weeks, at least...! Vegeta thought sourly, while Kakarotto was snickering at the whole episode.

" Man... how they can lose a one single prince this bad! They really should sharpen up!"

" Yeah..." Vegeta muttered and mentally debated whether he should drop by some store to buy ear plugs. He was so going to get yelled at for this... and as usual there would be no explanation heard from his side. He couldn't say to his father and chancellors that he had just purged a planet, now could he? No, better settle for the ear plugs.

Thus Kakarotto and Vegeta finished their first purging mission and adventure.

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A/N: Since this episode is out of day order I think it's time for Kakarotto to find out that Vegeta's a prince... oh the drama to come! Muahaha! By the way, Kuryu means something along lines Black Dragon in Japanese. Toodles and review, please!!