Chapter 7: Painful Thoughts
Alistor had remembered full well what happened to his brother. A vivid memory painted by a macabre scene: his neck snapped, right in front of him. Those words still ringing in his ears: "Go now, run and hide!" He couldn't help a tear roll out of his eye.
His brother was dead, and there was nothing he could have done about it. Not just his brother; in fact, save three, his entire race had died, perished to the monster only known as Frieza.
"Ali, you alright?" Team RWBY stepped into the room.
"Uh, yeah, fine," he lied.
"I got the clothes, like promised." Yang tossed him a bag. "Try on different things to see what you like." Yang was a bit more used to seeing Alistor topless, the rest however, were not. They were trying very hard not to get nosebleeds.
"Thanks, Yang." He looked skeptically at the others. "Why are your noses bleeding? You guys get hit or something?" The team promptly turned away, trying to hide their reddened faces. "And you're asking me if I'm okay. Sheesh. Anyway, thanks, again." He headed to the bathroom to change.
"He's… he's..." Weiss started.
"Yeah, I know." Yang replied. "Kind of a shame all that's hiding under clothes again." She threw herself on her bed. "Y'know, he told me he had an older brother. Imagine what he'd look like." She sighed. "Ruby, you told me you didn't like boys."
Hearing that only made Ruby more flustered. "S-shut up!" The other three just laughed.
"Alright, it's on." Alistor stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a gray wife-beater and a pair of jeans. "This weighs nearly nothing! I can barely feel it on me! Although, these pants do restrict my flexibility. Then again, I won't be fighting for a while, anyway. Thanks." He looked at Weiss, who promptly looked away. "What's up with you?"
"N-nothing." Weiss refused to turn around, Alistor suddenly realizing why. So, he decided to joke around a bit.
"What, am I too hot for you? He said, flexing his biceps. Ruby laughed, now knowing she wasn't the center of attention anymore.
"N-no, shut up."
"Aw, c'mon. If not that, then what?" Alistor laughed for the first time since he got to Remnant. A hearty laugh, making Weiss even more embarrassed, although glad that this guy wasn't a stranger anymore.
"Alistor, if you don't mind me asking," Blake finally spoke up, "What was your home like?"
Yang blurted out, "Blake, I don't think-"
"No, no, it's fine." Alistor, having calmed down after the joke, hardened his expression again. "It was rough times I was born into, Blake. My mother took pride in me, although my father… he cast me away from him, calling me a freak because of my hair and eyes. Normally, a Saiyan has black hair and brown eyes. On top of that, Planet Vegeta was under a dictatorship. We had King Vegeta, yes, but even our royalty falls to their knees whenever he was around. Everyone called him Lord Frieza." He shuddered. "Three years ago, my brother and I went to a different planet for a mission that, supposedly, Frieza had sent us. Only, it wasn't a mission, rather a trap for him and I. They… did so many things to us." He pointed to his scars. "I was lucky to even get out. But my brother..." A tear rolled down his cheek. "He yelled at me, 'Go now, run and hide!', and then… they killed him. Snapped his neck, right in front of me." He paused, holding back tears. "Two years later, a man named Bardock warned us about how Frieza was going to destroy the planet. Of course, no one believed him, but on the off chance that he was right, he sent his own son, Kakarot, away, the King doing the same for his son, and my mother for me. Frieza then destroyed Planet Vegeta, killing every Saiyan." He buried his head in his hands, sobbing. "HE KILLED EVERYONE!"The bitterness in his tone… it sounded as if it was his fault this happened. He slowly stopped crying. "That's why… that's why I'm here with you four. That's why, I promise. I promise that, no matter what happens, you four will be the ones I thrive for. As long as I'm here, nothing will hurt you. He stood up and left the room.