Fulfillment

Hidey-ho, folks! First off: I'm SO sorry I made you wait so long for this! I really DID try to get this done sooner, but a lot of stuff happened at once, and… Well, now I'm back and I should be able to update fairly regularly from now on! So, without further ado, let the entertainment commence!

Chapter 8

Krillin lay on the floor for a moment, trying desperately to regain his composure and ignore the pain pulsing through his face. 'It's always me,' he thought to himself. 'Why did I have to be such a klutz? And in front of a pretty girl… again!' He slowly began to push himself up off the floor.

"Are you alright?" Juuhachi asked with a smirk.

Krillin managed to climb into a sitting position, gently rubbing at the large red mark in the middle of his face. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've had worse falls than that before, believe me."

"Well, maybe next time you'll keep your eyes open when you're walking, huh?" Juu asked with a slight giggle. "I swear, how you managed to give Vegeta so much trouble is beyond me." She was taken aback slightly as Krillin visage changed from his slight smile he seemed to always have to one of sorrow and pain. "Um… hey, was it something I said?"

"I-we… we really didn't give HIM any trouble. Not him personally, anyway." His hands began to ball into fists. "We didn't last too long against him. His buddies he brought with managed to wear everyone else down… even Tien… and then when he attacked…" Tears began to fall as Krillin clamped his eyes shut, trying desperately to block out the memories.

Another loud explosion rang out from outside as silt fell from the cave ceiling. He tried to raise a weak arm to shield himself and nearly cried out from the pain. Why? Why now of all times…

"Krillin?! Are you alright?!" The shouts of his master were unmistakable. He tried vainly to answer, but only a strangled squeak came out. The sound of rapid movement and he soon saw his master's face directly over him. "It's alright, son," he said, "just stay down. The other boys and I'll take care of this."

"How… How'd they find us?" he managed to gasp out.

"I don't really know. Can't say for sure, but someone led 'em right to us. Maybe it was that long haired hippie kid we met up with last week, maybe they just found some way other than those machines they wear, to track us. Now you need to rest, boy."

"N-no! I have to fight… I have to help!" He tried one last time to push himself back up only to have his arms give out from under him, sending the back of his head slamming to the ground. Another explosion sounded, and his master once again rushed out of the small cavern into the battle. Everything was a blur to him, a grim tapestry of flashes, explosions and screams of agony and rage. In the distance, he could hear the barking of orders from the Saiyans that were outside.

"He's over there! Get him!"

"Watch out for the big guy! He's getting ready for some sort of attack!"

"AUUGGHH! MY EYES!"

All of this seemed to be going on in another world as he lay there trying to stay awake. He should be out there! He needed to be out there helping his sensei, not lying on the ground like some helpless child!

A sudden noise at the cave entrance caught his attention. He looked up to see a lone Saiyan clutching at his eyes, his armor already blackened and pierced in three places in the stomach area, a small trickle of blood coming from each. "That frickin' little midget!" he growled out. Wait'll I can see again. Then I'll teach him not to hit me when I can't see!"

Krillin held his breath, not daring to make a move. He was in no condition to face a Saiyan, not like this! Maybe, if he was extremely lucky, the monster wouldn't notice him and would just leave…

Another explosion rocked the cave, violently shaking even more dust from the ceiling... which fell directly onto him, some of it getting into his lungs. He tried to suppress the cough, but it was too late. The Saiyan turned to face him.

"Hey, who's there?!" he called, as Krillin tried to stop his cough. The Saiyan took another step into the cave and began pressing a small series of buttons on his device. A small light came on, shining directly onto Krillin's face. The Saiyan grinned, showing a lack of a few front teeth.

"Well, now! What have we here? A little human got separated from the rest of his little herd!" He rose up his hand and a small ball of red energy appeared. "Ha! Like shooting fish in a barrel!"

He took aim and prepared to fire-

Juuhachi found herself at a bit of a loss. The way she had been raised, emotional states were a somewhat complicated; she had always been told that as a noble, she was expected to remain emotionally detached in front of those outside the family, a practice she had put into place upon hearing the news of her brother. It was as her father always said, "We are to remain strong before others, lest they think us weak. There is always time for weeping when we are alone."

She thought it strange that she and her family were living by the words of some long-dead Saiyan philosopher, but it was all she knew. And, as a result, this display in front of her was making her somewhat… uncomfortable. She needed to do something to stop it; if this human was considered weak, she might be considered so by association.

"Hey, I thought you were hungry?" Krillin looked up into a stern pair of ice blue eyes and cringed slightly. He'd almost completely forgotten about that in the midst of all the memories that had come flooding back… and probably made a fool of himself to boot.

"Sorry about that. Just had some… bad memories for a second, is all." His stomach gave off another loud growl. 'Well, I can't change the past,' he thought to himself. 'Guess I better focus on the present for now.'

"So," he asked with a grin, "Where's the kitchen?"

Deep in the darkness of space, a lone ship cruised toward its destination. The ship had been, at one time, a troop transport for Frieza's army, but now… Now it looked to be capable of fighting a war in and of itself. The sheer amount of turrets pointing in every conceivable direction on the ship's circular hull as well as the black camouflage paint that covered it suggested only one possible use for the ship.

It was a pirate vessel.

The crew on board was what one would expect in this day and age: remnants of Frieza's army that no longer had a master to serve and were looking for a way to kill time and 'have fun'. And they had all that and more under their new captain.

Said captain stood in front of the viewport in his quarters, taking in the view of the stars. He was dressed in a flamboyant red armor similar in design to the armor he used to wear. Various medals were pinned to his chest with no regard for their meaning, most of which had been taken by force in one raid or another. Each of the medals were polished until they shone, much like the two large black horns that made their home on his head.

Yes, life was indeed good for Captain Ginyu.

"A beautiful sight," he said with a slight sigh. "Don't you agree my dear?"

The human woman chained to the wall next to him simply whimpered slightly. He walked over to her and patted her lightly on the head. "Now, now, don't worry. None of my men will lay so much as a hand on you. Nobody will pay for you if you're damaged, now will they?" He stepped away from her with a chuckle. "If that rich fool of a monkey was willing to pay that much to buy you in the first place, imagine how much he'll pay to have you back! So you'll remain in my care until then. After that, however…" He laughed again. "Well, I think you know what fate awaits you, don't you?"

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," the Captain called out. The door slid upwards to reveal a short, orange-skinned humanoid with long white hair saluting. Ginyu rolled his eyes. "What is it now, Jeice?"

"Beggin' your pardon, Cap'n, but Burter and I spotted something off to starboard that you should take a look at. And I'd hurry; Recoome seems a bit too anxious to blow it up, if you ask me." He rolled his eyes slightly. "All muscle, no brains, that'n."

"Fine, fine! Let's just get going, then!" The Captain stepped through the door. "Knowing his patience, he's probably blown it up already."

"I doubt he'd do it without us knowing it, Cap'n. He's want'n to use the big guns."

Ginyu sighed in exasperation. "Always with the overkill, Recoome?" he asked as the door slid shut behind him.

The woman was left alone, staring off into space. Tears fell silently from her eyes as she uttered a single word.

"Bulma…"

Ginyu half ran into the control room to see Burter physically restraining Recoome from destroying whatever object he was targeting. "Oh, come on!" the large man cried out. "It's such an easy shot! And I didn't get to blow anything up the last time!"

The big blue alien struggled to hold him back. "I said NO! Not until the Captain arrives!"

"Please?!"

"NO!"

"PLEASE?!"

"NO!!"

"…"

"…"

"Please?"

"NO!!"

Their fight was interrupted by the Captain's uproarious laughter. "Oh-HO! I swear, the way you two go at it… HA!" The two stopped their fight and quickly saluted their captain. He grinned. "Alright, boys, what are we dealing with this time?"

Burter scurried back over to his control station and brought back a data pad. "You're not gonna believe this, but… It's a pod.

Ginyu raised an eyebrow. "A space pod? As in what Frieza used to stick us in?"

"The very same, sir!"

Ginyu's mouth changed from an amused smile to an all-out grin. "Perfect! Bring it aboard! If it's a smuggled shipment, we snag it, and if it's a person… well' we'll just unload 'em for some cash at the spaceport."

Recoome hung his head. "Aw man! I wanted to blow it up!"

Ginyu frowned at him. "Stop your whining and get to the capture bay to see what's in it!"

Recoome gave one more sad sigh and saluted. "Yes sir."

"Recoome to bridge… Man, I hate talking like this. Pod is secure!"

The captain's face loomed over him on the view screen. "Well, don't just stand there, stupid! Open it!"

"Yeah, yeah. Gimme a sec!" Recoome pressed the large button on the pod's panel. The panel flashed red and a series of smaller buttons lit beneath it. "Aw crap! Looks like we're gonna need a security code in order to open this stupid thing."

Ginyu covered his mic and turned to Jeice. "You don't suppose he can crack it, do you?"

Jeice raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Cap'n… do you remember who it is we're talkin' about?"

"Ah… yes, well… can anyone on this ship crack it?"

"I highly doubt it, Cap'n. At least, not before we reach the spaceport."

Ginyu uncovered his mic and turned back to the screen. "Well then, looks like you'll just have to break it open, won't you?"

Recoome grinned from ear to ear. "All right! Now that I can do!!" He picked up a long, thin metal strip and placed it in the crack that was at the top of the entrance. "Well, here goes nuthin'!"

He applied slight pressure to it at first to gauge the amount of force he'd need. Once he was satisfied, he began applying the full force of his weight behind the strip.

On the screen behind him, Ginyu twitched slightly. 'Why does he bother trying to be all scientific when he's just gonna do that anyways?'

Recoome began pushing as hard as he could, ignoring the loud groans of metal coming from the pod… as well as the slightly rhythmic chirping coming from the keypad as the red lights slowly became green.

The occupants of the bridge sat in suspense, waiting to see what cargo lay inside. Some believed it to be narcotics, which they wanted to keep half of. Some believed it to be some ancient artifact that they could sell to some private collector or other. Still others were hoping for a gorgeous woman or two. Debates raged on and some even placed bets until one astute crew member watching the view screen noticed something.

"Hey… didn't those little lights used to be red?"

Everyone focused on the screen just in time for the final light to turn from red to green. Suddenly, the door flew open, slamming Recoome to the floor and nearly crushing him beneath it. A green creature the likes of which none of them had ever seen stepped out, placing a single foot on the door directly above Recoome's head. "So I was right," it said. "Someone WAS foolish enough to pick me up." He heard a muffled cry from underneath him and jumped off the door, snaking his tail around his victim's neck as he did so. He pulled his prey out from under the door and examined him for a short time. "Bah, no tail. You're not even worth my time, insect!" He flung Recoome against the far wall.

Ginyu jumped up out of his chair. "Quick, set the camera to focus on that thing's movements! Now!"

The screen adjusted to follow the creature as it crept away from it's pod. Suddenly, a pink flash engulfed the creature, and a small explosion shook the ship.

"Recoome, you idiot, you'll kill us all if you keep that up!" Ginyu sighed. "Oh well, at least he got that… thing, whatever it was."

As the smoke cleared, however…

"N-no way! No freakin' way!! That thing's not even hurt!"

The creature just stood there for a moment before turning back to face the injured Recoome. "Now I know you weren't stupid enough to try that with me, were you?" it said, blinking it's evil eyes only once. Recoome raised his arm and fired again. And again. And AGAIN. The creature just stood there, unaffected by the blasts. Suddenly, it lunged forward, thrusting its needle-pointed tail out in front of it.

A loud thud came through the speakers, and all crew members slammed their eyes shut for a moment, anticipating Recoome's impalement. When they opened their eyes, they saw the tail was not in Recoome, but lodged in the ship's hull directly behind his head. The creature leaned forward until he was at eye level with Recoome. "I warned you, moron! Now I think I'll test a new killing method on you." He whipped his tail out of the hull and slammed Recoome's head up against the hole. "Let's just see what happens when your head is sucked out through a tiny hole by an absolute vacuum!!"

Recoome began clutching at his head, scratching and screaming as he literally felt the back of his head being slowly ripped off and sucked through the hole. The pain was terrible and immense, and the screams… the screams, mixed with the laughter of that monster… Ginyu couldn't take it anymore and slammed his palm down on the view screen deactivation switch. "I want a unit down to that hold immediately! I don't care what it takes, that thing dies!"

A voice crackled over the ships communication system. "Um, sir… This is unit two. We came down here as soon as we saw what was happening…"

Ginyu was growing impatient. "Yes, and?!"

"Well, sir… we got here, and the doors… they were already torn off! Two huge hull doors ripped apart, sir! And Recoome… his head is… almost completely gone, sir…"

The bridge was completely silent except for the captain, who was beside himself with rage. "Are you telling me… that that-that… THING is loose on MY ship?!"

"Yes sir, but we're already starting to search for it. We should have it located before too looooAAAAAAUUUUUGGGGH!-"

The com speakers became a mess of screams, blasts, and splatters until all was silent… except for that one evil laugh.

Ginyu slammed down on the shipwide communication button. "Attention all units! Get to the bridge IMMEDIATELY and protect it AT ALL COSTS!!" He turned to look at the crew on the bridge. "That means all you idiots, too! GET OUT THERE!" All members of the crew rushed out the door. Ginyu turned to Burter. "You go, too. I need someone COMPETENT to command those men!"

Burter saluted and rushed out the door.

Silence reigned throughout the ship. The only sound that could be heard was that of Ginyu's and Jeice's panting breaths. When suddenly….

BOOM!!

"There it is, men! Kill it!"

"WHAT IS THAT THING?!"

"LOOK OUT!!"

"AUUUGGHHH!"

"GET IT OFF ME!!"

"IT'S OVER THERE! KILL IT NOW!"

Then came the unmistakable voice of Burter. "HELP ME! HELP ME! OH GOD, HELP MEEEEEEEEE-!!" A sickening crunch soon followed, and the sound of the few remaining men retreating was heard. Soon, there was an insistent pounding on the door.

BANG!!

Jeice turned to Ginyu, shaking like a leaf on a tree. "Cap'n, what're we gonna do?!"

BANG!!

"Cap'n?!"

BANG!!

"CAP'N GINYU, SIR!"

Ginyu just stood there, shaking.

BAM!! The door burst open as Burter's head was hurled through it, landing at the feet of the two remaining officers of the ship. Before either one could react, a green blur flashed into the room, and a gore-covered tail was held at the captain's throat.

"My name is Cell. So very nice to meet you… Captain."

So, how was it? Not too bad, I hope. And a special, and inexcusably late 'Happy Birthday' to Kapsule corp. I told you I'd get it out for you! Sorry it's a few… months… late. Anyways, enjoy!! R&R, folks!