|
Post by Tomoroko on Jul 10, 2015 17:55:17 GMT
The life support in her pod was just enough to get Tomo back to planet Vegeta, keeping the girl alive, but hardly healing any of her wounds. The long trip back had started to do that for her, healing the cuts and leaving burn scars where the Astarians had hit her with their strange techniques. Tomoroko's ship soon came burning through the planets atmosphere, her ships navigation system blaring out a warning, as red internal lights began flashing. <<Warning, warning, pod coordinates off course, prepare for crash landing. Warning, life support systems no longer functional. Warning...>> On and on the warnings continues, switching between one catastrophe over another until the pod soared through one of the tall earth columns of the wastelands, slowing it's speed and forcing it to spin out of control before it finally hit the ground, bounding once, then twice and skidding to a stop just before becoming submerged in a large pool of water. Tomo groaned, having brought her hands up to protect her face, tearing the oxygen mask from her as it no longer supplied her with oxygen. For a moment, her eyes flashed as spots came in and out of her vision. However, she shook her head to push them out of her sight. She had to figure out how she had landed so that she could at least try to get out of the ship. With her fantastic luck, the door was wedged against the earth, partially scored and dented into place where it wouldn't open. She could only imagine what the rest of the pod looked like from the outside. "Fantastic..."She murmured weakly as she sat back down as best she could in the pod's awkward landing state. If she fired off an energy beam in here, no doubt at her current strength it would kill her.
|
|
|
Post by Natto on Jul 10, 2015 18:22:12 GMT
[Thread Power Level: 33.472] [Heavy Weights On. Current PL: 8.368]The young saiyan was at the eastern part of the central wasteland by himself, a few miles from the oasis where he used to bath and rehydrate every time he would finish a training session. He was all sweaty due to the heavy weighted battle suit he wore as a mean to grow even stronger. War was indeed coming and he needed to be ready. There was no time to waste and nothing would take him away from his goal of becoming a super saiyan! Nothing! Well… Perhaps a crashing attack ball would be reason enough to make him stop it for a while, but at the wasteland, what were the odds? Well… That’s exactly what happened!
Natto was finishing a series of one handed push-ups when he heard the strong whistle of a falling spacepod, which caught his attention on the spot. ”What the heck?!” he exclaimed, startled for a second. The pod came down completely out of control, soaring right next the big columns of solid rock of the wasteland. Following that, the pod hit the ground, bouncing twice before skidding for another while until it fell into the large pool of water. ”By the looks of it it’s definitely a saiyan pod! I’ve got to check it out!” he decided, flaring his ghostly-white aura and flying towards the oasis. Natto didn’t waste any time and dived into the water pool, finding the wrecked pod on its bottom, 20 feet from the surface.
The door was wedged against the earth and the person inside didn’t come out. ”What’s going on? Maybe the person is hurt! I need to be quick or he’s going to drown!” he was definitely concerned, as he swam to the pod as fast as he could and grabbed it, lifting the pod above his head with both of his hands and getting out of the water immediately after that. The pod itself was in quite a bad shape, but it could definitely do at least one other trip. As he got out of the water, he put the pod on the ground, opening its door right after that.
To his incredible surprise he saw a saiyan girl, even younger than him. She was really hurt and the life-support system was all over the place, meaning that it’s been used by her. The young saiyan had this sort of startled and concerned look on his face that was incredibly strange and rare on the saiyans. His tone was equally preoccupied. – Hey… Are you okay? Can you hear me? – he asked, staring at her eyes. Word Count: 431
|
|
|
Post by Tomoroko on Jul 10, 2015 19:18:49 GMT
She held her head in her hands, trying to steady herself and make a decision as to what she should do when the pod was suddenly jostled once more. She quickly extended her hands to either side of her body, pressing against the pod to stabilize herself as it moved. While it wasn't moving as much as before, with her head now spinning the way it was, she might as well be crashing into the ground again.
When it finally stopped moving, the door was pulled open and Tomo had to cover her eyes from the bright light, temporarily slinking back into her seat until a voice broke through her confusion and pain. It was a male voice... but no one that she recognized. Of course it wouldn't be... they were all dead... her whole team... how could she even expect it to be Haku or Komatsu. She grit her teeth tightly before swallowing back another wave of tears that threatened to spring into her eyes. Whoever had pried her ship open... she couldn't let them see her like this... damn it she was a saiyan!
She finally pushed herself up to her feet, stumbling her way out of the pod, cursing lowly before stopping and leaning back against it for support, her vision just now focusing on the form of the man who had found her. Who was he... he kind of looked... like a saiyan? Had she already made it back home? But... why wouldn't her ship have programmed the right co-ordinates. She scanned him quickly, spotting his tail wrapped around him before she spoke to him.
"Y...yeah... thanks but... I didn't... need help." She said, her own tone exhausted. As she looked back up into the face of the man before her, she saw his genuine concern, and hoped that her own face didn't show the real turmoil brewing inside of her. She wanted to act like it was expected of her... but first and foremost she just wanted to cry...
|
|
|
Post by Natto on Jul 10, 2015 21:02:31 GMT
That girl was tough! To be badly hurt like that and stand up the moment she got out of the spacepod was quite an amazing feat that made Natto quite impressed. It wasn’t uncommon for saiyans to be so brave, but still, she was young, younger than him at least, and already displaying such a strength. A little after that she leaned on the pod and looking at Natto, like she was somehow evaluating him, to which he showed no discomfort. Saiyans here like that anyway… Always staring at each other, like they were trying to measure the other’s strength and spot weaknesses. He couldn’t help but to notice, as they stared at each other, that her tail wasn’t wrapped across her waist. ”That’s diferent…” he thought, letting a discrete smile appear upon his face.
Shortly after that she answered, thanking Natto for the help, but also mentioning that she didn’t need it, which made the smile disappear, as he sigh feeling somehow disappointed. ”There we go again…” he thought to himself. He was really bored of how saiyans wanted to act tough all the time. He didn’t like how they were so harsh toward each other, since his nature was a way gentler one, but he wouldn’t make a fuss out of it… The girl was beaten to the pulp and he would help her, like it or not.
The saiyan girl seemed exhausted which was quite obvious by her tone, but with a closer look he saw something else almost completely hidden deep inside her eyes. It was some… Sadness, maybe? He couldn’t be sure… Even though Natto had quite a lot of empathy, he was still bad at reading people’s exact feeling. He would often confuse them or something like that, but he knew something was wrong. And by the way she was hurt; it most definitely was something serious.
With that in mind, he looked straight into her eyes, showing concern and empathy, as alien as empathy may seem from a saiyan perspective.
– Look… It’s pretty obvious something happened… I don’t like to see anyone in this state, so, please tell me… What happened to you? Why are you on such condition? – he said. He had that will burning inside his eyes and he was resolute not to let her go before knowing what happened. Deep inside his hard there was another serious concern, other than the girl well-being itself: who did that to a saiyan?! Word Count: 412
|
|
|
Post by Tomoroko on Jul 10, 2015 22:37:52 GMT
She was struggling just to keep her breathing steady and to stay up on her feet, but as Natto had already determined, she would try not to show weakness, even if it was obvious. It felt so strange to have him legitimately worry over her... even with her team, they never really showed any concern for one another. Well... at least the others didn't. If any of them were to die, then the others would just move on. If a saiyan died in battle, then their life was honored.
At the thought of that, she bit her lower lip and leaned her head back against the ship before letting herself sink into a sitting position on the ground by her ship, her tail slipping onto the ground next to her as if portraying the same exhaustion she felt.
"I... we... my team... we took a mission we thought that... that we could handle. We've been climbing through the ranks so fast we thought..." She shook her head and took a deep breath, looking back up to Natto as the faintest of tears snuck into her eyes, her throat becoming slightly hoarse as she continued her story.
" CC 83113 was too much... they... my whole team... they're all gone and I... I couldn't do anything to save any of them... We shouldn't have... " She broke her eye contact there and burried her face in her hands, ashamed to even look at another saiyan while she let herself be so vulnerable... physically and emotionally. He had been sympathetic until now... even very kind... but no doubt he would ridicule her now that she explained just how weak she really was... or how weak she thought she was.
|
|
|
Post by Natto on Jul 11, 2015 1:26:19 GMT
Somehow that girl’s emotional armor was breaking down and she was letting her feelings arise a little bit more. She bit her lower lip as she leaned her head against the ship, sinking into a sitting position that showed how weakened she was. Her tail was on the ground, just reassuring how beaten she was. Both physically and emotionally. Natto crouched, to remain on eye to eye level as she sink, keeping the eye contact with the girl, showing the same amount of empathy, even though she was starting to show what was sitting there.
Then she started talking about what happened. The girl told him that they went to some sort of mission that they mistakenly thought they could handle; a common saiyan mistake, to which Natto sighed in response, feeling rather sad with this stupid and deadly flaw on their race’s personality. Don’t get me wrong! Natto could be proud and foolish too, but he was less than the average saiyan. She also mentioned that they were climbing through the ranks fast, which made sense, considering her high power level, but the fact that she was not summoned to the meeting with the queen a few days ago.
After she shook her head, she looked at Natto and the young saiyan could see some tears stuck on her eyes, which made his mouth open slightly, impressed with that scene. He never had seen another saiyan crying on his whole life and that touched him so deeply that he felt completely nervous that moment, like his stomach had been taken over by countless butterflies and shivers down his spine. ”She is… Crying?” he gulped discretely as she continued to speak. The girl mentioned the name of a planet that didn’t ring any bell on Natto and following that she informed that her platoon, all of it, died and that she couldn’t do anything about it.
He sighed, feeling her sadness on his own heart. At the same time she broke eye contact, burying her face on her hands. It was only natural to feel like that among their race, but luckily Natto was an exception. He almost felt like crying, as he easily related to the time he heard about the death of his parent’s platoon, when he came back from conquering Argavat, and that made him swear revenge. He wasn’t close to his mom, but his father was someone he admired and loved, and the pain of losing him as too big.
Natto hesitated for a moment, as he didn’t want to upset her. ”Should I comfort her, or will she get angry? You know what?! I don’t care! I just can’t stand it to see her like this!” he thought to himself, determined to try and help her. His hands were shaking as he approached them to the girl and he closed his eyes a second before touching her shoulders, pressing them gently. – Please… Don’t be like that… I know it hurts like hell when we lose people close to us… But you are alive! You are their living legacy and their will, courage and memories will be able to live through you! – he said on his kindest tone. – At least that is what I tell myself when I think about all the people that I loved and lost… Eventually the pain will diminish… But it will never fully heal… Nonetheless, you will have to turn the pain into will power to move forward, not only for yourself, but for them too. – he was a little afraid about what her reaction would be, but that was his nature and he wouldn’t fight it. – By the way… My name is Natto. – he said with a little and gentle smile on his face. Word Count: 629
|
|
|
Post by Tomoroko on Jul 12, 2015 17:30:10 GMT
Tomo tensed whenever Natto placed his hand on her shoulder, peering up over her arms at the man she had only just met. He was definitely strange... she had never known a saiyan to show such compassion to another before... especially when one presented herself in such a sorry state of affairs. His words rang true though, as she thought back on everything Haku, Okono and Komatsu did for her... it was like they were building her up for something... the youngest of their team... It didn't make losing them any easier though.
She finally brought her arm up and rubbed the tears from her eyes with her forearm, serving only to smudge the dried blood even more on her face.
"Thank you Natto... for everything... It actually means a lot to...to me to hear one of us say something like this..." She started, her voice still quaking under the pressure of her trying to stay conscious and push through the intense pain that her body was still in. She took a deep breath before she spoke again.
"I'm Tomoroko... I uhm... don't supposed you'd be able to... help me back to the capital so I can heal... and uh... please don't tell anyone... It's embarrassing enough...as it is..." Part of her had wanted to swat his hand away and fly off towards the capital on her own. She did need a healing pod and rather quickly... but being so rash and rude to the man that had already done so much to help her out wouldn't get her there any faster. In fact, she could really keep using his help. Now the only thing she had to watch out for was getting attached to him... the more attachments she made, the harder it became for her to deal with the later consequences...
|
|
|
Post by Natto on Jul 12, 2015 21:31:05 GMT
To Natto, showing one’s feelings wasn’t a real sign of weakness. It was quite the opposite. You had to be very strong to be able to admit that you had weaknesses and sadness. Moreover, he admired that Tomoroko was being so open about her pain. She was the first saiyan he ever met to be able to show such a display of emotions, the first saiyan to resemble him. To realize it made him feel like his stomach had been completely overtook by butterflies, real warm ones in fact.
She tried to wipe her tears, but it only made it get mixed up with her blood, making quite a mess on her face, but he decided not to make any comment about that, as the situation wasn’t propitious and they only just met. She finally spoke, thanking him for… everything… Which made him gaze away, blushing slightly, as he was not used hearing those kind of words. But what she said was most definitely true: it did mean a lot to hear that from a saiyan, and he was glad that he was able to be there to help a saiyan like her.
After that, she spoke again, as if she was making a huge effort to be able to do so. Her name was Tomoroko, which was quite a big name. After that, her next sentence was like she was using the saiyans emotional shell again, to which he responded by smiling with kindness. Without a warning, Natto took Tomoroko to his arms, lifting her: one hand at her back and the other on the back of her knees. – Look, you don’t have to play tough saiyan with me, okay? I’ll take you to the healing pod… I know one that is not quite attended, as it is almost on the outskirts of the Capital… I’ll also take an alternative route, so that nobody will see me caring you… - he said in a gentle tone while looking into her eyes, until, out of nowhere, he blushed intensely and gazed away again. ”Oh my… Why am I such a fool… Maybe it’s because I never expected to meet someone like her… She just got back to the planet, losing everything she had, just like me when I came back from Argavat… And… And she is not a complete jerk, like everybody else…” Natto gulped, with his mind racing like crazy. ”She already suffered enough… I’ll not let any further harm come to her!” he wasn’t quite sure why he felt that way. Maybe because they were alike, maybe because she’d just lost everything. Well… At any case, it just felt like the right thing to do.
– Hold tight, okay? – he said, carefully holding her as his knees bent. A ghostly-white ki aura engulfed their bodies as he jump into the sky, starting his flight. Maybe it was fate, but he found another reason to grow even stronger, as he felt a small bond with that young saiyan girl. Word Count: 502
|
|
|
Post by Tomoroko on Jul 13, 2015 16:31:17 GMT
"Who said im playing?" Tomo retorted to Natto's comment, huffing slightly as he scooped her up, causing her face to go red as she attempted to shift uncomfortably in his arms. He could of just... looped her arm around his shoulders or something to help her fly there... he didn't have to treat her like she was totally incapable... However, as he took off and spoke of somewhere he could take her away from anyone's prying eyes, she relaxed slightly, taking in a breath as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against him. Okay... so maybe his carrying her was a good idea... she really couldn't keep her eyes open anymore... she couldn't feel anything anymore.
"Okay... thanks..." She said softly again before she let her mind accept the darkness that had been attempting so hard to engulf it. She had no reason to trust Natto, nothing beyond instinct told her that he really would take care of her. It was crazy to think that in a moment as desperate as this, she would find the one compassionate saiyan who could understand what she was going through without ridiculing her weakness...
|
|
|
Post by Natto on Jul 13, 2015 17:11:17 GMT
He didn’t notice her face turning red, but he blushed heavily as he felt her head leaning on him. His heart was pounding really fast and he could even feel it. ”Stop it, fool!” he rebuked himself for feeling warm when he leaned onto him, and focused on flying in the most discrete way he could. When he finally arrived at Cacumber, he extinguished his ghostly-white ki aura and silently flew towards the medical center on that almost desert part of the town. Natto got in by one of its window, startling the Kagami that worked there, and old acquaintance of Natto, named Nabana.
– Natto, what are you doing here, coming in from the window?! – he asked, nervously, as he stared at the girl on his arms. – Shhhhsh, Nabana! I need you to put her into a medical machine… The most hidden one, okay? Like you do when Miso beats the crap out of me! – he said, giving a small embarrassed smile. The kagami had a rather puzzled expression, but he nodded and led the way.
When they got there, Nabana took the girl onto his arms. The kagami had an androgynous look and it was quite hard to define if he was a guy of a girl. – I’m putting her on the pod… So I’ll ask you to leave. – he said, as he slowly took off her damaged armor, leaving her with the jumpsuit. Natto shook his head, folding his arms. – No way! I’ll stay here until she heals… - his tone was rather stubborn and the kagami didn’t complain, just sighed and shrugged, putting Tomoroko on the healing chamber, configuring it and leaving shortly after. Her healing would take hours, but it didn’t seem to bother the young saiyan, as he sits on the floor in front of the chamber.
”You are gonna be okay!” he thought to himself as he folded his arms. Slowly the sleepiness caught him and he allowed himself to sleep, adjusting the sensibility of his scouter to wake him up should somebody approach or Tomoroko wake. ”I hope… You get better soon…” those were his last thoughts before falling asleep. Word Count: 364
|
|
|
Post by Tomoroko on Jul 13, 2015 19:52:45 GMT
As Tomo was shifted from Natto to the Kagami, she stirred lightly, wincing slightly but never waking up, even as she was stripped of her armor and placed into the healing pod. Her body welcomed the oxygen mask as fluid began to fill the pod around her, soon engulfing her completely as it's healing properties immediately began working on her body. While she remained unconscious, she could feel something attacking her mind... a white fog that had been present since her departure from CC 83113. The white fog would bring up one memory after another, starting with the earliest one's in her mind.
She could suddenly see the memory of her father leaving her family due to the fact that she wasn't born a boy, nor was she expected to grow very strong. She had only begun to focus on the memory before the white fog came up and swallowed it, changing and shifting the shapes and distorting the memory until she couldn't tell what she was looking at anymore... All of a sudden, another memory crept into her mind... a Stone creature appeared on a desert planet, a kind creature that found her and raised her as his own for a little over a year. She watched the familiar memories play out, a smile on her face until she watched herself begin to transform into her Oozaru form. She winced as she watched the ape destroy everything... from the stone creature that had raised her, to the rest of the planet. Just as sadness welled up in her chest once more, the white fog seemed to distort and eat that memory as well. Her tears dried up as she seemed to completely forget the images that had played out.
Time and time again, her memories played out only to be eaten by the white fog. Lastly, the image of her team dying was brought once more to the forefront of her mind. She was forced to watch yet again as the Astarians killed them all... wiping out a team of saiyans as if they had never been an issue... She began to feel the same rage she had in her memory, her outward power level actually beginning to rise at an alarming rate, a red aura surrounding the girls body before the fog made it's way through her mind once more, eating away at the memory, distorting it, but failing to eat passed Tomoroko's rage and destroy the memory completely. Now, she could only make out the shape of those she considered family... all she had left of that memory was the pain, the figures and the face of the Astarians. All she knew, was that she had to find the aliens to restore that memory...
Then... the image of Natto came into her mind, calming her down once more, suppressing her power level back to it's normal resting count. The white fog this time seemed unable to affect this memory, not for lack of trying however... perhaps it was because she had met Natto after she had been cursed by the Astarian..? Whatever the case, she was glad it couldn't take that away from her... even though they had just met, he was the only thing she could hold onto right now... If it hadn't been for him she might have completely lost herself to her rage... she would have been very different than she was now...
Just then, her eyes slowly began to open, hours having passed since she had been placed in the healing pod. She still felt... strange... not weak as the pod had healed all her wounds, but everything around her seemed wrong. She couldn't remember anything of her past, no matter how hard she tried... all she could remember was the crash, and Natto's rescue.
|
|
|
Post by Natto on Jul 13, 2015 20:07:04 GMT
Natto didn’t sleep very well. He was to anxious to be able to sleep properly as he kept waking up from time to time to check upon Tomoroko. He would get up and walk towards the machine to check her vital signs, only to feel relieved as she was actually getting better. ”Relax… She is gonna be okay!” he would repeat to himself, but even though he knew everything was under control, he still couldn’t manage to rest properly. His body was a little tired from the training he had before, and was feeling sore due to the weighted battle suit, but he tried his best to ignore it. He knew that if he were to take it out, his power level would rise too much and it may arise suspicion on Tomo, as changing power levels like that wasn’t quite common.
After some hours, he heard the beeping sound of the medical machine, informing that the healing process had come to an end. Tomoroko was fully healed and he woke up with its sound, staring immediately to the machine, seeing that she was opening her eyes. He sighed in relief and got up as fast as he could. Natto sprinted to the healing pod, pressing a button that made the healing liquid get sucked away by the tubes. Right after that, he pressed another button and the glass part of it opened. He looked at Tomo right in the eye and a gentle and sincere smile took over his expression.
– You look much better! I’m glad! Come on, let me help you out, okay? – he said, as his right hand reached out for her. His heart beat was a little accelerated as he was looking forward for her reaction. He wanted to know everything that happened with her, and help her with that terrible mission. He was quite determined to do that. Word Count: 315
|
|
|
Post by Tomoroko on Jul 13, 2015 23:07:58 GMT
As the healing liquid drained from the pod, Tomo took the oxygen mask from her face, letting it fall next to her with a clank. She was about to go and open the glass door when it suddenly opened from the outside. She looked hesitant for a minute, but then stepped out of the pod, her tail flicking one side to the next in anticipation for what was going to come. The first thing she saw, and heard before even stepping foot outside however was Natto, the saiyan she recognized as the one who had helped her after crashing back on this planet. She gave him a gentle smile before taking his hand and stepping out.
"I feel better... thank you Natto." She stated before taking in a breath of real air. Finally, she looked around her immediate area, her eyebrow raising as she remembered their earlier conversation. Apparently this place was off the beaten path... so much so that no one would of seen him carry her in, however to her it looked like any other chamber she had used in the past after... after what? She suddenly frowned as she tried to grip at the lost memory... obviously this held some sort of significance to her but she couldn't quite figure out why.
"What... happened again..?" She asked NAtto suddenly, finding it strange that she couldn't seem to remember whatever it was she was attempting to remember. Everything from before the crash seemed hazy.
|
|
|
Post by Natto on Jul 14, 2015 1:03:07 GMT
As he reached out for her, Tomo smiled in response, before grabbing his hand, which made him feel really happy: to see a smile upon her face after everything she went through and the serious damage she took was quite something. She said she was feeling better and proceed to thank him, to which he slightly shook his head. – You don’t have to thank me. – he said, with a gentle smile, looking into her eyes. Suddenly, however, as she looked around the area, she frowned, making Natto arch one of his brows, feeling puzzled. ”Is something wrong? I mean… Another thing wrong?” he thought to himself, as he stared at the young saiyan girl. Then, out of the blue, she asked Natto what happened, making his eyes widen. ”What?!” he startled, being unable to answer for a couple of seconds.
Natto gulped as he had been surprised by Tomoroko’s question. ”What is going on? I was supposed to ask that question to her… Maybe she took some serious damage… I don’t know… Maybe I should try getting back to the point where we stopped…” it was a tough call to decide what to do, but he had no time to think about something better to say. – W-well… - his tone was rather shaky. – You were telling me about what happened on planet CC 83113… You know? – he said, trying to make her remember where they stopped their first conversation ever. – You were telling me about your platoon… - he said, trying not to bring up the worst part of the history, since he didn’t want to strike her spirits at the very moment she left the healing pod. It was a tough situation and he didn’t quite know what to do.
”Dammit… I’m not good at this…” he thought, as a single drop of sweat ran down his left temple. Word Count: 314
|
|
|
Post by Tomoroko on Jul 15, 2015 17:20:57 GMT
"CC 83113?" She repeated, turning inwards to search her own memories for the planet. Nothing seemed to come up... at least nothing specific. The only thing the name of the planet did was serve to make her furious, this reflected by her tail suddenly twitching from one side to another in annoyance.
"I don't know where that is... I can't remember it... and my platoon? They... hmmm" She crossed her arms now, frowning as she closed her eyes trying to remember. She could see the ghostly faces of two men, and one other woman which she had considered her family. However the more she tried to focus on them, the farther and farther away they seemed to get from her.
"They... I'm not sure but... I think they d...died... maybe on that planet..." She then turned to Natto once more, opening her eyes and letting her arms drop to her sides as she came to her own conclusion about the memory loss she seemed to be currently suffering.
"I think one of them did something... to me too... All I can see when I try to think of my past is a white fog... I bet whatever alien is on that planet did something... and that's why I can't remember them very much... If I had to run though... and if they weren't strong enough... then I need to get stronger. I need to get stronger and go back there to find out what happened." She said in conclusion, looking at him with a sudden strange determination in her eyes. Her brain was working over time, trying hard to process everything from who she was, to where and to where to go from here. She wouldn't just sit back and wallow in her sadness, as much as a small part of her wanted to do nothing but that.
|
|