GambolMuse

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Dibs...? Oh don't go playing that card on me Kai, we should have done rock paper scissors or something. Dibs just isn't fair dude..." Kabocha then raised an eyebrow, looking at his friend curiously before smirking. Was he really asking what kind of planets there were? "The only ones I've ever seen or know about are the ones we went to Kai, so besides those it's beyond me. All I know is there are probably any kind of planet that you can imagine. There's hot ones, cold ones, ones that don't even support life. Some that the gravity is strong enough to crush most people, and others were there's almost no gravity. I think we can avoid those kinds though, I don't particularly feel like getting squished." There was a fair good reason the Saiyans only attacked hospitable, or at least bearable planets. They had to be there for prolonged periods of time, going after a world then they couldn't handle would be silly.

Kai's little fit about women was to be expected, and really none of them had experience with girls. Kabocha didn't let that stop him though, he'd be persistent as long as it took. Seeing an ample opportunity to tease his friend he grinned, nodding his head understandingly. "Aha... I get it dude, you're not into women. Nothing wrong with that, everyone's got their own likes and dislikes." Chuckling softly he reached over, slapping Kai's back gently before taking a small step away. "Just uh... Don't hit on me, yeah? We're just friends, and I want to keep it that way."

Vegeta was quite surprised to find the engineers waiting with baited breath, fair confused as they cheered on his approach. Apparently Takeshi and the others had promised them something fairly good, he couldn't fathom what had them so excited about a total stranger wandering around their craft. Whatever it had been most definitely helped their situation, as it took no effort on his part to get them to agree to take the ship from the port. While the normal crew was off board the aliens here knew enough to pilot it, immediately assuming the most necessary of stations around the bridge. They left the actual controls up to him, perhaps not for the best. The controls themselves were placed at a chair in the center of the bridge, surrounded by a crescent shaped desk with a series of holographic displays and various panels of buttons. Everything from ship diagnostics to a star chart was on show here, and he could use near any of the ship's utilities from this spot. It would definitely take some getting used to, but he could seriously see himself enjoying a craft like this. Letting the engineers get the ship's systems online Vegeta began to bring up the control panels, pausing when his scouter beeped to life, Kai being on the other side. Hearing Viral was in such dire straits definitely wasn't good news, but he had to stay here and get the ship moving.

"As long as he's in the tank he'll be fine, physically. I'll check on him once we get out of the station, we need to get going," Vegeta explained, using one hand to swipe along the screen and bring up the healing room. Sure enough one tank was indicated on the screen, and the basic vitals were shown alongside it. His heartbeat was a little weak, but judging by how Kai had explained things that was to be expected. Viral would survive, certainly now that he was in there. God forbid Yumi should catch wind before he improved at all, she'd have an absolute panic attack. He didn't mean to downplay the Beastman's condition so much, but with all he had to do right now he couldn't really chat. "I'll monitor him from here, I'll need one of you guys to go to the room if something happens though. I can't leave here, none of these engineers know how to fly the vessel, and it doesn't seem TOO different from the rebel ships... Just... A lot more elaborate..."

Oh dear, what was she supposed to say to that? Yumi wasn't exactly experienced when it came to dating, her last relationship being... She must have been 12 or 13 at the time. That had been child's play, and it ended when her boyfriend had kissed another girl on the cheek, she'd given him a bloody nose over that. Now Choi was asking how she wanted to settle in, and she didn't know how to reply. Was he asking if they wanted to share a room? It almost seemed like he might be hinting at that but not saying it outright. She might be over thinking things too. After all, they weren't even technically a thing yet, sharing a room seemed like a huge leap forward. Ooooh, what was she supposed to say?

"I... I guess I could have a room to myself? Probably for the best?" Yumi asked rhetorically, giving her shoulders a shrug. She was the only girl after all, it might be awkward if she shared a room with a boy. Shu and T'charrl perhaps not so much, both were too innocent or perhaps clueless to make things uncomfortable. Smiling at Choi gently she stepped a little closer, bumping her shoulder into his with a faint blush. "Listen... I need to talk to you before we go to our rooms. Mind walking me to mine? I figure you can help me find a good one."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Oh come on, you're dumping both fighting people AND giving the news to Yumi on me? So not cool man, you know that's not fair!" They should really make Choi tell Yumi what was going on. Like Kai had said he seemed to be inexplicably infatuated with her, goodness knows why. Kabocha thought she was just scary and annoying. Sighing he rubbed at his forehead, not very thrilled his newest task. "Where do you figure we're heading after this? Back to Earth again? Or maybe we'll explore a bit more! It would be nice to see some planets now that we don't have to fight everyone we come across, don't you think? I know there were some worlds we'd been on that I wouldn't have minded spending a few days on."

"Oh! Maybe there's a planet out there somewhere with a ton of hot women!" Kabocha continued, grinning broadly as he rubbed his hands together. "Just think about THAT! And if we're the good guys now they'd welcome us, and treat us like kings! We could relax and have all the food we want... And all the girls." That part he definitely liked. He could imagine it now, a bunch of lovely women waiting on them hand and foot. Maybe then he could even get a girlfriend too. "Ooooh... I really hope that happens. That would be just awesome."

"My lips are sealed," Yumi retorted, smirking as he made a zipping motion. "I can't really say I feel bad for him either. If he wasn't such a pain I might be more sympathetic, but now it just seems kind of deserved." It was disappointing that she had found a pair of parents that reminded her of her own. Albeit it was the mom in this case being the aggressor, and the dad was kind of the pansy. Seeing Kabocha's parents made her miss her mother, that would definitely have to be one of the first things to do when they finally returned home.

"Saving people? Since when are we a rescue party?" Gobo spoke up, frowning as he fanned off himself with his hand. "I thought we were going to go find a new place to live, and you boys are going to run us around to play hero?"

"Oh have some backbone Gobo! For once in your life look forward to a fight!" Mizuna snapped. Rolling her eyes she placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head before looking at Choi and Yumi sternly. "Would you two hurry up and find us a room? My dear husband needs a nap it seems, and I can't be bothered to lug him around all day."

"The rooms are right here lady, find one yourself." Yumi quipped back, finally getting annoyed with the constant bickering. Despite the difference in strength Mizuna didn't back down, stepping right up to the Beastman and staring her in the eye. The two women glared at each other for a moment, neither willing to back down, making the place rather uncomfortable. Finally Gobo stepped in, easing the two women back with a nervous smile.

"Now now... She didn't mean anything by it dear, and we're perfectly able to find a room of our own." Pushing his wife aside he smiled apologetically at Yumi, giving her a small bow before dabbing at his forehead.

"Yes... I suppose you're right. I don't like relying on children any more than I have to anyways," Mizuna added, keeping her gaze steady on Yumi. Finally relenting to her husband's requests she was led off by him, the two heading around the corner of the corridor in search of a room.

Yumi kept her eyes trained on Mizuna right up until she was out of view. Exhaling softly she gave everyone an apologetic smile, folding her hands at her waist. "Sorry about that guys, I was close to smacking both of them upside the head though. These ears are pretty sensitive, and their constant bickering was driving me insane." Looking to Choi at her side she bit her lip, shifting her weight on her feet. Now was a good as any time to get him alone to talk, so long as he agreed to it. But how to make it discreet? "Uh... Mind helping me find a room Choi? I'd like one that's a little nicer, if its all the same."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Takeshi narrowed his eyes slightly at Kai's comment, not overly fond of it. Suggesting Viral might be dying was beyond okay, he refused to even consider that. "Just because he's artifical doesn't mean he's going to expire," he retorted, rolling his eyes as he folded his arms across his chest. "I mean... He can't die that easily. He's said before he'll live long past when we'll die, so he's got to be like... Immortal or something. There's no way this is going to kill him." It certainly was not going to be the end of him, not if the pod did its job properly. Hearing it kick to life and seeing the liquids begin to pour in was a promising sign, it meant his vitals were strong enough to warrant saving.

"Yeah, you can send something, that would probably be best." Takeshi commented, taking a seat in one of the chairs by the computer and leaning back in it lazily. "Go get something to eat for yourselves first, I'll get food if you bring it down, or I'll find something later." For now he'd sit and keep an eye over Viral, whether it was needed or not. "And... You really should tell the others that he's in here, just so they're not worrying. Let them know he's going to be fine and all that, please? I don't want anyone to have to worry too much." Now that they were for the most part free it was high time to sit back and enjoy themselves, not be stressed out incessantly.

"Whatever you say boss man, I'm not going to say no to a meal." Kabocha said cheerfully, giving his stomach a patting. "And sure thing, we'll let everyone know. Don't blame us if Yumi comes running though! I'm not getting in that chick's way, she can be really nasty when she wants to be." Flashing Kai a smile he gestured for his friend to follow, hurrying out of the healing room and into the corridor, impatiently waiting for Kai to follow suit. Anything at this point was going to be a tasty meal, he could hardly care what they fed him. With the buildup of food it would be a darn shame if they didn't have anything on board.

There went Choi again, babbling on about goodness knows what. As silly as it might be Yumi couldn't help but find it amusing, flashing a small smile as she giggled breathlessly. Still didn't answer her question about what had gone on, but she'd let it slide for now. Giving him a playful shove over it she then folded her hands behind her back again, humming softly. So he'd never had s'mores before then? Neither had Shu, and Takeshi probably hadn't either. All the more reason to do that when they got back to Earth then, that and smoothies. It was curious how much she found herself missing simple little things now that they were away from home. Perhaps they could find fruit on board this ship, then she'd make everyone a smoothie to enjoy.

"What...? Eeeew, really?" Yumi covered her mouth with her hands quickly as she snickered, looking back at Kabocha's parents amused. There had to be something about the relationship keeping them together, it only made sense. Definitely not looks, that was for sure. Kabocha's dad was a bit on the big side, and not exactly the most attractive looking Saiyan. His mother wasn't bad looking, and had a fiery behavior that would probably make her suited for another guy. Maybe there was some romance in that pairing that she just wasn't seeing. Once more her thoughts turned to herself and Choi, glancing at the boy before looking away, hiding her face with her hair to try and conceal a blush. Would she and Choi end up becoming romantically involved?

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"No... Never, it's never been like this. He even seemed to be getting better, I don't get what happened..." Takeshi replied, shaking his head.

Could it have come about by Viral using those arms of his? Takeshi had no clue what that ability did to one's body, there was nothing he could do that was anywhere near an equivalent. It must take quite a lot of energy to do, and judging by how the Beastman had been as of late it wasn't as if he had loads of energy to spare. Perhaps he'd overdone it and this was his body telling him he had to rest. Hopefully it was something as minor as that, but spitting up blood was rarely ever a simple manner. Keeping well in line behind Kai as the other boy led the way they quickly got to the healing room, going right on in and quickly turning on the instruments inside. There were three pods available to them, and a plethora of other machines that Takeshi could only begin to guess at what they did.

"We'll tell Vegeta later, we got to get him inside first." Once Viral was stable and inside safely then they could worry about spreading the news. With Kai holding the door Takeshi and Kabocha carefully got Viral inside, propping him up against the back wall. "Viral? Just hang tight, we're going to get you set up and put you in here to rest, you're going to be fine."

Right... Now for all of the cords. Thankfully no needles were involved, none of them were medics and wouldn't quite know where to stick one anyways. The vital sensors came in the form of small pads, stuck in major parts of the body to record things like heart rate. Uttering a faint apology Takeshi tore Viral's shirt open, taking two of the pads and sticking one right over his heart and another down near where his wound had been earlier. Another was administered onto his left bicep, and the final onto his right shoulder. It was probably not the ideal placing, not that they really knew any better. Holding up the Beastman then Kabocha grabbed the mask from the top of the pod, pulling it down and extending the hose before carefully stretching the band, dropping it down onto Viral's head and gently easing the mask over his nose and mouth. When all that was said and done they gingerly let go of him, closing the door as quickly as they could to begin filling up the pod. The controls for the machine were easy enough to use, it was one of the few things most soldiers were trained in, typically for the care of Elites. With the door closed Takeshi grabbed the latches, making sure they caught before pressing the proper button on the control pad. From the few pumps built into the tank came the healing solution, pouring down fair quick and filling up the tank. Soon Viral was floating inside, suspended in the liquid that would hopefully fix his problems. Consoled slightly at that thought Takeshi sighed, rubbing at his forehead and looking back at his squadmates.

"Alright... You two should go on back to the others, get some rest or something. See your parents, do whatever. I'll hang around here until someone else comes by, don't want to leave him alone." Gods only know there might be something else onboard, the last thing Viral needed was to be attacked when he was in effect in a coma. "If you're going to go eat save me some, will you?"

"Man, if we're eating now I doubt there's going to be anything left for you," Kabocha quipped, smirking in spite of his heart pounding away frantically in his chest. "I'll see what I can do though. I suppose mom and dad need to get the run down on what's going on... And it's probably best that I do it, since anyone else is going to want to smack them stupid."

Thankfully Kabocha's parents finally died down in their arguing, for the moment at least. Yumi was darn near smacking both of them just for a second of peace and quiet, now it wouldn't be necessary. With the little dysfunctional show out of the way they sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments awaiting the arrival of Choi. What had they been doing, she wondered? It took an awfully long time just to find the control room, albeit they had probably checked the ship for people too, so that could explain it. Spotting Choi running towards them Yumi found herself smiling again, folding her hands in front of herself and standing as still as possible, rather not wanting to do anything to embarrass herself. Just as quickly as he had stopped did the Saiyan start up again, making her and the others begin to follow in suit.

"Nasty thing...? Well that hardly sounds good..." Yumi remarked, frowning to herself. If she thought Choi would tell her she'd push as to what 'the nasty thing' was exactly. Glancing over at him curiously she smiled a bit then, reaching over and giving his shoulder a small push. "Oh we had a blast in there, let me tell you. We sat around and sang campfire songs, told ghost stories and ate s'mores. It was an absolute laughing riot." Leaning over to the boy she giggle lightly, gesturing over her shoulder with a thumb at Kabocha's parents, neither of which would look at the other right now. "Really all I got to do was listen to those two. They're so moody with one another, why the heck are they even together?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Takeshi really wished Viral would just let them help him out. Not for nothing, but he needed it, that much was obvious. As passive as they were trying to be with assistance it was high time they finally got around to doing something for him, whether he liked it or not. The pods would fix anything, both internally and externally. It would also rest his body and mind, more or less put him to sleep. The only thing it wasn't going to do was feed him, and hopefully he'd be more open to eating after he felt a little better. If not, well... There was always intravenous nutrition. Looking back at Viral again to tell him to lay off Takeshi instead let out a soft gasp when his friend abruptly collapsed, watching him land and seeing the blood slip out from between his lips. Okay, that was definitely not good.

"Oh crap... Hang on Viral!" Takeshi bit his lip nervously, kneeling down at the Beastman's side and looking at him uncertainly, not sure if moving him was the best idea. A quick glance showed no wounds externally, meaning this bleeding was internal. That was it then, like it or not they had to get him into the tank now, otherwise this could very well become fatal. Grabbing one of his friend's arms he slung it over his shoulder, shooting Kabocha a demanding look to help him out. Soon the two Saiyans had Viral supported between them, and they began a modest pace towards the healing room. So worried over the Beastman's condition Takeshi scarcely noticed that Choi had left, only realizing when he looked back to send one of the twins off at Yumi's behest. This was very much not a good thing, Viral hadn't done this before in spite of being rather ill. Was he getting worse then? Hopefully the tanks could fix him up.

Everyone had gotten together relatively easily, thank goodness for that. Kabocha's mom and dad were still snipping back and forth at one another, and Yumi was beginning to think that was just how they normally talked. Daiko was pleasantly quiet, probably in part due to not having anyone to speak to himself. She'd gladly have a conversation with him again if she wasn't trying to coordinate getting everyone inside. Once everyone had gathered together her scouter sounded again, and it was none other than Choi. Hardly able to hide her elation she smiled cheerfully at hearing him, turning her back to the group to mask it. Daiko knew how she felt, she didn't need everyone else knowing too.

"Uh... Okay, got it! We'll see you there in a minute." Yumi replied, finding her cheeks a light pink again. She'd liked him before, sure, at least she thought she had. Now though that she'd spoken up about it she found herself rather self conscious about seeing him again. There was this silly notion that somehow he would know how she felt and that would be that, her secret would be out. She wanted to say something, but on her own time, when she was ready. Sighing as she released the button on her scouter she led everyone to the door out of the hangar, bringing everyone into the corridor to wait for their escort.

Far From Home

Who's a villain? I see no villain >.>

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I do think we're all equal! Maybe it's just a force of habit? I did sort of do this for a year after all." That was a lame excuse and Takeshi knew it. He really didn't have any business ordering anyone around, he had no right to. Now that he thought about it too he quite disliked the fact that anyone did as he told, who was he to say what should and shouldn't be done? "If one of you want to take charge sometime then by all means feel free, I won't stop you."

Right, enough of the politics of leading, there was a friend to be helping. Viral could really use that healing pod by the looks of things, and seeing as Takeshi had nothing else to do he could most certainly bring the guy there. Fair grateful to avoid getting into anything as well, keeping the pace relatively slow for the Beastman. Try as me might to put on bravado there was no hiding how utterly ragged he looked, he was slumping slightly not to mention his overall sickly appearance. Sleep was most definitely needed, and the pod would help him with that. Maybe once he was out they could give him a nice big meal too, if he'd be up for eating then. That was provided too of course they could actually find enough to get everyone's stomach filled, since apparently there wasn't a whole lot on the ship.

"What? I'm going to be concerned, it's what friends do. Telling us not to be concerned is like our telling you not to breath, it just doesn't work." Takeshi smiled kindly then, giving his head a shake and slowing a little more just as not to strain Viral more than he had to. "I'm just bringing you to the tank and getting you in, that's all. After that I'm going to help secure the ship, so don't worry, I won't be lingering over you." He'd probably come by on occasion to check how he was faring, since he may well be the only one who knew how to operate a pod. Vegeta could well figure it out, as could anyone really, but why go through the trouble when someone already had an idea.

Yumi perked up hearing her scouter come to life at Vegeta's command. Finally they could get going, people were beginning to become a touch restless down here. Or Kabocha's parents were anyways, they'd been at their significant others throats since they had gotten here more or less. It was becoming quite the bothersome thing to have to listen to, hopefully these news would settle everyone down. Slipping down off of the container she had perched upon she cleared her throat, giving her hands a hard clapping to get everyone's attention.

"Hey everybody! Listen up!" she shouted, waiting until all eyes were on her before continuing. "We've gotten the go ahead to join the others inside, so let's all get ourselves together and move along. Just to be safe I'll lead everyone through, they want us to find ourselves some bedrooms first." Wherever those might be. Not a whole ton of direction in that regard. Walking over to where Shu and T'charrl sat she smiled at them hopefully, leaning over and giving the former's nose a tiny tap. "Would you two mind bringing up the rear? I want to keep the parents safe, and we should escort them to do that. Thing you two big men can handle that?" she asked teasingly.

Now, for the matter of actually finding said bedrooms. The ship was big, like, really big. It had looked like there were two separate yet equally large level on the outside, and goodness knows how many rooms this place had then. Yumi didn't even know what floor to begin on, let alone at what side or end of the ship to search. They were going to need help, and with Vegeta already busy she'd need to call on one of the others. Sighing softly she put a finger to her scouter, holding up a finger for everyone to wait as she walked closer to the door.

"Hey, can someone come down to the hangar and show us to the rooms? We're kind of flying blind here."

Far From Home

Collabs ahoy!

Far From Home

Well crap, here came the guilt. Suto's nerves were understandably strained from all that had gone on, putting him on edge. In any other circumstance he'd never have snapped at someone like that, certainly not to a little girl. She had been a tad rude in interrupting them, but it didn't deserve the rebuttal he had given. Sighing softly he shook his head, excusing himself quickly from the room to chase after the young girl. Unfortunately he hadn't seen where she went, so he needed to methodically check the rooms just to figure out where she had slipped off to. One door after another Suto knocked, offering several apologies as he interrupted other players or woke some up. Feeling pretty bad over himself for being so curt he wasn't well going to leave it alone, not until he had apologized and set things straight.

The last door on this floor, of course it was the last one, he chided himself. This wasn't going to be terribly delightful, probably awfully awkward, but he needed to make things right. Exhaling softly he put on the most polite of smiles he could muster, gently rapping his knuckles against the hardwood door.

"Uh... Hey kid...? You in there? Can we talk?" Suto called, perhaps forgetting that it was near impossible for anyone to hear somebody outside their room with the door closed. Just to make sure he knocked again, stepping back and folding his hands behind his back to wait.

Go away… just go away… The girl prayed to herself, rocking back and forth. If only she could disappear… A knock at the door and she held her breath; maybe it was an accident. They could be looking for somebody else. Certainly it wasn’t one of the guys from downstairs coming up to find her, right? She heard the last voice she wanted to come through the wood and she wiped her face, unable to resist the scowl that came forth.

“Why? So you can tell me off without knowing who the hell I am again? No thanks,” She said coldly, despite the loss of power in her words when her voice cracked and she had to sniffle, approaching the door.

As it swung open, she stared daggers through her slightly puffy eyes at Suto, her fist shaking at her side while she sneered through her tears. The teenager was an absolute mess, this much was clear due to her glistening cheeks. It was quite surprising how strong she appeared despite this fact, though, as she stood in an almost battle-stance at the threshold, her small form ready to slam the door in his face.

"No.... No that's not it at all!" Suto retorted, frowning as he looked at the door fitfully. "I came to apologize, alright? Will you open up?"

Suto knew there was no reason for the girl to let him inside, he certainly didn't deserve it. After how he'd behaved just a moment ago she could very well just have ignored him and not been in the wrong at all. To his surprise she did come to the door, opening it and greeting him with a rather distraught look on her face. It instantly smacked him in the face just how rude he had been to this girl, even if it wasn't really his fault entirely. Smiling nervously he lifted a hand to itch at his nose, not quite sure how to begin.

"Uh... I just wanted to say sorry, for snapping at you. It was out of line, and we probably should have closed our door." Looking at the girl's face again he cringed, mentally kicking himself for causing this. He really hated upsetting someone that much, it just wasn't in him to be that guy. Akwardly he took a step back, putting his arms at his sides and bowing down in a show of apology. "Please don't be upset, I'm sorry for everything."

Kimi didn't move until he took his bow and she rose a hand, shaking her head with a sigh, "It's okay." She stepped back and gave a silent invitation for him to enter, sitting down on the edge of the bed, staring blankly downward as she worked to swallow her pride, "I don't even know where I was going... I shouldn't have interrupted whatever was going on," She said.

However, she was still one who rather lacked social ability, "Close the door, please. What happened?" Her gaze moved over to Suto with the slightest curiosity.

"N-No! Don't apologize, it's cool, really," Suto said quickly, smiling as he stood back up. "Water under the bridge, yeah? It never happened as far as I'm concerned."

Now that he'd apologized shouldn't he get going? He wanted to bury the hatchet first, and it seemed like that had been done. In good conscience however he still couldn't leave, not with the girl looking as down as she was. Feeling quite the pang of sympathy then when she asked him to stay and chat, inadvertantly perhaps, he readily agreed. Nodding his head Suto stepped right on inside, softly closing the door behind himself before taking a seat in the chair opposite of the girl. She had to ask what had happened, a topic that he'd prefer not to discuss with it being so fresh still. Maybe saying something would help though, goodness knows he could use it.

"Well... We're part of the Clearers, my friends and I. We've been working at it since the earliest floors, and we've always been at the frontlines. Up until today we've been very lucky, not a single one of us was lost. We had some close calls, sure, but everyone had made it along well enough."

Now came the part he wanted to leave well alone and just as soon forget. Doing that would be an injustice to Yari's memory though, and he knew fully enough if he let it fester it would only become worse. Sighing somberly Suto looked down at his hands, rubbing them together before nervously twisting his fingers.

"This last boss we fought, it was... Different. No one knew how the boss was going to act, so we were cautious going into the fight. All the caution and planning in the world didn't prepare us enough though... Our friend Yari... She was one of the strongest in the group, if not THE strongest..." Suto shook his head, trying to keep himself together. His eyes had rather quickly begun to sting with tears and he could feel his lower lip trembling. He didn't want to cry, not now, not in front of some stranger. Yet he was very hard pressed not to do so.

"The fight started, and things seemed a bit... Off... But we kept going anyways. We were even doing really well, got its health down low. Yari... She shouldn't have gone after it... None of us know how it happened, or why. She just... She was there one second... And gone the next..." Suto found himself slouched over in his seat, arms crossed tightly to his chest. His cheeks were becoming damp with tears, but he couldn't well help it now.
"She's dead... She's really dead... This game took her away from us..."

Now the tears were allowed to flow in earnest, the magnitude of the event finally sinking in. Yari, his lifelong friend, was gone forever. From the game, from the real world, completely gone. They wouldn't even get to attend her funeral now, all that would be waiting for them, if they did return, would be a cold slab of stone. Not the warm smiling face of their friend or her supportive words. Along with the flow of tears came audible sobs, and Suto was holding himself pitifully.

"She can't be dead... She can't be! She... She's too strong to die!" he cried, leaning over and giving a frustrated shake of his head. "Damn it all!"
Kimi blinked as the boy told his story, faltering, “O-oh…” Nice work… You picked the wrong people to get mad at, she silently scolded. She hesitantly reached forward and placed a hand on Suto’s knee, “I’m… Really sorry for your loss…” She truly had no idea how to behave in a situation like this one, as with most situations, and she retracted her hand as he began to deny reality.

What should one say to this? That yes, she’s dead, that reality is hard? No, he knows that… At least she didn’t feel any pain? That’s not comforting, because she’s still gone. “Well… Erm… W-with friends like you guys… I’m sure she’s happy…” There was a pause as she gauged his response, not that she was exactly skilled at reading people, “B-because she may be gone… But she’ll, uh, never be forgotten – right?” She tried to make the statement reassuring, but it came out more like a question and she fidgeted again. Of course the statement was a little bit cliché, but at the same time, she had truly meant it… “After all… That’s all we can ask for in this world… To be seen… known… Cared about… To someday leave knowing that you’ve touched somebody so greatly that they’ll always hold you… here,” She spoke, finishing her statement and bringing her clasped hands to her chest over her heart wistfully.

Suto fully appreciated what this girl was trying to do for him, but words weren't enough right now. In reality nothing was going to make this okay, shy of the impossible return of Yari. It was going to take time, and a lot of time at that, but this was a good start. It kind of felt good to finally allow the tears to fall, he felt like a bit of his anguish was fading with each drop that fell into his lap. Glancing up at Kimi as she spoke he sniffled fitfully, lifting a hand to wipe at his eyes and cheeks before giving a small nod. She was right, he liked to think she was anyways. Yari was always going to be with them, albeit not in the way that he and the others would have liked. The memory of her would live as long as they did, and perhaps even longer, she was never truly gone.

"T-Thanks... Thanks a lot," Suto whispered, smiling meekly as he sniffled once again, giving his face a good wiping on his sleeve. It was odd how quickly their tones had changed, now they were comforting one another. Perhaps a bit selfishly he realized that he had not asked Kimi what she had been fussing over. It could well be just their having snapped at her, but somehow he felt like it might have been a little more profound than that. Shyly he leaned over and put his own hand on Kimi's, giving it a patting and her a warm smile.

"If you don't mind me asking... What about you? Anything you need to talk about?"

Kimi nodded, but said nothing until he placed a hand on hers. She pulled her hand away slightly, hoping the hint was enough to keep her from being touched. At his question, she shook her head and hesitated. “Since I started here… I’ve been alone; I haven’t been able to stay with a party for more than two or three floors before they tell me to get lost,” Her voice rang coldly as she stared downward. “I’ve never been a part of the clearing group, but I’m strong… I’ve been told off for being stronger than everybody in some of my groups… Some just think I’m too controlling…” She shrugged and shook her head, “I’ve seen people die… I’ve been blamed for their deaths, as if I chose to let them die… I don’t care about anybody in this stupid place, I just need to get home… We’ve already been trapped here for too long, there’s no saying what’s happened to my family since it happened…”

"Sounds like you've been having a pretty rough time of things... I can't imagine what it must be like," Suto remarked, smiling sympathetically. All alone in this unforgiving place, it was enough to drive anyone mad. No one should have to suffer that way though. Even with friends this game was hard, so being without anyone in your corner must be nigh unbearable. Suto had a solution, one he figured the others wouldn't have any real problem with.

"You can always join us, if you want to? I don't mean right away of course. And since we're clearers it'd be awfully dangerous, but you can travel with us whenever you like." Sitting upright in his seat Suto lifted a hand, swiping his fingers to open up his menu and pull up his friends list. Once finding the girl's name, Kimigami apparently, he selected her and sent a friend request.

"That's there if you decide to join us, or if you ever want to talk," Suto explained, smiling as he stood up. "Don't worry about us turning you away like the others, we won't do that to you."

Kimi shrugged, “We play with the hand we’re dealt, yeah?” His offer caught her slightly off-guard and she recoiled only slightly. As he said that she might not join them for clearing, she did something she’d down for absolutely nobody before; her hand swept the air to summon her menu before she navigated to her stats and swpet her hand, the menu flicking around to face Suto.

“I said I was never a part of the clearing group… This game’s not really based around how strong somebody is… It’s numbers,” She said softly, “I was strong for myself.” The girl smiled slightly and accepted the request, but she didn’t take up his offer. “Thank you… Erm… Suto, but… I think perhaps it’s best that I don’t join you… for now, at least…” Her hand wiped her eyes slightly as she shook her head, “Believe me, I’ve heard that before, and as appreciated as it is, they’re only words. Nobody knows what they will do, but only what they think they won’t… We can keep in touch… But I think you and your friends should work for each other for now… I won’t be much help as you are now,” She said.

The girl rose to her feet and opened her menu, changing into a set of leather armour with a black jacket. Emblazoned on the back was some sort of red, silhouetted bird with outstretched wings. Her rapier flashed and reappeared at her side with a more elegant hilt and slightly longer blade. Whereas before her gear had been very basic and seemed on-par with the just above-average group she was with, she now wore that which rivaled even the clearing group’s. The only downside was that she had no last-hit bonus object, but it was only a slight inconvenience.

“I think, though… that I’ve been living too selfishly…” She admitted with a small sigh, “I’m sorry, Suto, about Yari… I think I would have very much liked to meet her… But, if I don’t see all of you at the boss for this next floor, you can bet that I’ll find you, okay?” Her eyes were sad and still shined with the tears she refused to shed… She was just a small teen, yet those dark eyes held wisdom beyond her years, experience in more than just some heartless game’s system.

"If that's how you feel about this then I suppose I can't well change your mind. Just know that the offer is always going to stand." Suto replied, smiling kindly. "I've seen too many people die already in this game, and for some reason I'm still alive. So long as I am I'm going to do whatever I can to stop as many deaths as I can. It's a huge mantle to take on, but..." he shrugged, chuckling lightly. Chances were playing the hero would get him killed, throwing himself into goodness knows what to help others. But somehow he was fine with that, especially if it meant his friends made it out of here alive.

Pausing at the door Suto turned to say a last goodbye, instead staring a bit surprised at what Kimi now had equipped. It wasn't any ordinary gear, pretty darn high levelled in fact. It wasn't anything gained from a boss encounter, but it was most certainly rare and unique. Without seeing the actual numerical stats themselves he could already imagine it was fair powerful equipment. Strange that this girl who supposedly played by herself was sporting such high tiered armor and weapons. Suto wanted to ask how she'd gotten it, but it seemed a little intrusive to question something like that. Instead he only smiled, giving Kimi a small wave from the door.

"The offer is still standing, and it always will. I'm always around to talk if you need someone, and so are the others. Take care of yourself Kimi." Suto closed the door behind himself, sighing and looking at it for a good silent moment after the fact. Maybe he should have pushed her joining them a little more, it would be for her own benefit ultimately. She'd been going it alone thus far, so maybe he ought to give her more credit. Either way she had his name now, she could always call on him if she needed a hand.

The girl nodded after him, “Thank you, Suto…” She said, giving a soft sigh and wave in return. As she checked over everything, she left her room and headed down the hallway.

Nero stood outside of their small party’s room, taking a short break to collect his thoughts. He was skilled when it came to emotion, he could keep himself calm under nearly any circumstance. Yuna stayed behind to be with the others and he watched as Kimi passed curiously. His brow furrowed – there was no question that she was the girl from before, but he said nothing. He recognized the material of the gear – he’d gathered plenty of it – and was a bit surprised. She’d gone from what looked like barely level twenty to what had to be about forty. He waited another minute and turned, stepping back into the room, joining the rest of their group.

---

Monsters in the field were pitifully simple to cut down. One after another fell to the sword, hardly any effort required to do so. Perhaps the boss was the best way to go after all, maybe then there'd be a real challenge. Doku swung his blade down in an arc, a blank expression on his face as he sliced through an orc like creature, watching as its body shattered into the familiar blue pixels. All this killing to gain power, it seemed so rudimentary and second nature now that it hardly took any thought to do. Coupled with the system handling his skills for him and the slaying of beasts was literally a mindless task. How long had he been out here in the field, he wondered? One hour? Two? At least since the floor had been cleared, he'd immediately gone on to train. His level was fair high, comparable easily to that of the Clearers, and yet he kept fighting. After all, what else more was there in this game but to fight?

Doku finally reached the point where he couldn't be bothered to train any longer, finding it so effortless it had become dull. He had managed to amass a fair amount of Col from this session, and gained a level or two overall, so it had been worthwhile. Sheathing his sword away he began the solitary walk back to town, a faint, self satisfied smirk on his lips. This money would go nicely into further supporting his guild, and in turn perhaps buying the allegiance of a few other players. By no means was his guild among the top, and the numbers were regretfully low, in part due to casualties. They had to begin recruiting soon, otherwise the guild might as well be disbanded. He needed a few good warriors to bulk up the overall strength, that would be the quickest fix.

As luck would have it there may just be someone he could recruit yet. Granted the situation was not exactly ideal, and it would require Doku go out of his way to help someone, but if played right it would work out. The boy in question he scarcely recognized, but knew full well that he was a Clearer. To have someone of that caliber in his ranks, that would make them several times over all the more imposing. Unsheathing his one handed straightsword he gave a small flick of his wrist, a smirk creeping across his lips as he darted right for the monsters. They weren't about to steal a possible acquisition from him, not if he could help it.

One second the skeleton had been looming over Fitch, its weapon poised to strike, and the next it shattered into a hundred shards, vanishing from sight. Not missing a beat Doku activated his next attack, a flurry of strikes that managed to cut down two monsters in its use. A horizontal slash took a severe amount of health out of a fourth skeleton, and a hard thrust finished that one off as well. The final made a swing for him with its curved sword, the blow being quickly deflected by Doku's sword. Sneering in satisfaction as the monster reeled slightly he took his opening, stomping down his foot and initiating his flurry skill once more. A series of rapid jabs followed by two quick slashes reduced the skeleton's health to zero, and then some. The skill persisted well after the beast was "dead", and only after it finished did the model finally shatter. In a rather quick attack Doku had easily taken out five monsters, making it look effortless. It helped a fair bit their AI was still trained on Fitch, he had a moment to capitalize on having no aggro.
"Sitting around waiting to die, kid?" Doku finally asked, not turning as he examined his loot screen, tolling up the Col he just got for himself. Smiling slightly he closed out the window, finally turning to look down at the other player, arching an eyebrow. "What are you doing that for? You and your friends just cleared another floor, you ought to be celebrating, not committing suicide."

Was he dead yet? Fitch dared not open his eyes or search for a heatlh bar... But he thought there would be some kind of message. There was a shattering sound... Was it him? No, because then he heard another. When he opened his eyes, there was a single player standing before him and not a single monster left. His fist shook as he rose, “Yes. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He asked coldly, “There’s nothing to celebrate. What do you think we have to enjoy here? Oh, hooray, we moved up a floor… There are a hundred god damned floors and we conquered one. We should celebrate moving along in a world we shouldn’t even be in? I’m not doing that anymore. I’m done here… So how about you leave me alone and mind your own business?”

"I think I saved your life, if I'm not mistaken," Doku replied, looking at Fitch curiously as he finally got to his feet.

Ah, so that was it then, the kid was distraught. Doku knew precisely what had happened too, recognizing the expression all too well. He'd lost somebody, this boy, and was giving up on life as a result. His hope was gone, evident in the bitter, cold wording of how he felt. Another soul, crushed, torn to shreds by the cruel world that was Sword Art Online. Perfect... This was exactly the kind of person he could make use of. Nothing to lose, no hopes or desires, and willing to die. He'd make an excellent addition. But before he could even recruit the guy Doku had to win his favor. Not that he was going to be an absolute sweetheart about it.

"This world is hard, kid, that's a fact. People die, people we care about, things are lost, lives are ruined. We're only a quarter of the way there and already so many people are suffering, and will continue to do so until the game is cleared. It's a shitty place to be, no doubt about it."

Doku looked back at Fitch for a moment, stepping forward and giving the boy's shoulder a shove abruptly. "But get this, everyone's having a shit time of things. And how many others do you see out here trying to throw themselves to the wilds? Besides us there's nobody else. Know why? Because other people aren't willing to just lie on their backs and die, they want to get back home. To the real world. Because whoever you lost in this place, no matter how close, isn't worth dying over. They'd want you to carry on with yourself, not succumb to depression and throw your life away like it means nothing. You think that's how they would want to see you in your final moments? Glum and not even putting up a fight?"

"If you really want to die, then let me put you out of your misery," Doku continued, drawing his sword. Stepping back slightly he held the blade out before switching his grip on the weapon, driving the blade into the ground. "But, if you're half the man I think you are, you won't let me do that. And if you won't let me do it then you shouldn't let some damn numbers be the death of you either. Do this person of yours a favor and live on, because you're no use to anyone dead."

Fitch's lip curled slightly in anger... Who was this guy to tell him how to live? He didn’t know Yari – he didn’t know anything. Yet, he was so detached; it was admirable. “Don’t touch me,” He snarled, “I’m not going to let anything, or anyone, kill me.” The boy rose and checked himself over, wiping himself blank as he stared at the mysterious person in front of him. “If you wanna kill me, you’ll be risking your own life too…” Their eyes met and Fitch furrowed his brow in curiosity; there was an emptiness to those eyes – it was what Fitch was out here looking for. He paused, was this man thinking of anything at all, or everything at once? “Who are you..?”

"Oh, and there it is." Doku chimed, finally smiling amused as he gestured to Fitch. "Now you refuse to die, I like that. When death seems so easy and almost welcome you still have to fight it, that's the measure of a real man, not giving into it."

"Me? My name is Doku, kid, pleasure to meet you." Taking a small, patronizing bow Doku lfted his sword up out of the ground, laying the blade flush across his shoulder as he cocked his head to the side. "I run a little guild of my own, one that I think you might be interested in checking out sometime. It's full of people like you, ones that have lost and don't see a purpose in going on. I give people purpose, and I give them a new lease on life. And believe me, I've seen a ton of cases like yours, you could use this."
Fitch sheathed his sword and shield, crossing his arms with a sigh, “We’ll see… Stay in touch – I’m not ready to abandon my friends if I’m still alive,” He said before sending a friend request over to the man. “I… guess I should get back… If I’m going to be alive tonight, they’ll want me around.”

"I wouldn't ask you to abandon anyone," Doku retorted, smiling as he accepted Fitch's friend request. "Just bear in mind, you ever feel like you need something more in your life, you know where to find me now. My guild is always welcoming new members." Swiping his sword through the air Doku then sheathed his weapon, giving Fitch a half wave as he walked off. "Take care Fitch!" he called, lowering his tone to a mumble as he grinned maliciously, "I know I'll be seeing you soon."

---

Several days later, while everybody had grown more wary of the world's danger as the entire air of the gorup was still somber. It would remain so for a long time, but Nero approached them with a quest that had rumours of a strong reward. With some resistance, the group finally agreed, deciding they had to move forward no matter how they felt. Fitch declined, having recently started tending to his own business and spending slightly less time with the group than he used to.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I thought Kabocha was team leader now...? I defected after all." Takeshi pointed out, frowning as he scratched at his head. "And if we've all defected... Well there's no real leader, we all kind of work together." He could certainly tell Vegeta what had happened at least, seeing as he was the one who had more or less brought it on them. "Uh... But yeah. We found some engineers back in the control room, they told us about the monster. And... Since I figured we'll need help piloting this thing and they kind of hate the Saiyans too I offered for them to join us... Which they're going to do." Ah crap, that's right, they were on a very strict schedule here. Biting his lip he looked at Vegeta hopefully, gesturing to the open door. "We should get this thing moving, especially after that little fight. You ready to fly?"

"You offered for more people to join us, in spite of not really knowing their intentions?" Vegeta rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh before putting his face in his hand. Lovely, they could well have a group of the enemy with them now, the engineers could well have said all of that to save their own skins. Maybe that was a touch too cynical, he couldn't know for certain what was going on. Looking at Takeshi he gave a curt nod of his head, making way to the door but stopping at Viral. "Hey... Good job, seriously. I'm thinking it's probably a good idea to get you to a healing tank now, if you're okay with it. Have Takeshi take you there, I've got to get us moving." Patting the Beastman on the shoulder he hurried along, jogging past the others as he tried to rush along to the bridge at the opposite end. While running he reached up, turning on his scouter to speak. "Yumi? Shu? Everything is all set in here. If you two want to help everyone get inside we can take off in a few moments. There's plenty of rooms, just pick out one for yourselves for the time being."

Well darn. Taking Viral to the healing room wasn't quite what Takeshi had in mind once they got the ship. A shower was definitely still in order, and some food for that matter. With no distractions at the moment he could focus on the two things inconveniencing him most. For the sake of his friend though he'd postpone those a little longer, it wasn't like he was starving anyways. There was one minor flaw with Vegeta's plan too; just where in the hell were the healing pods? Picking up on the clearly flustered look on his face Kabocha was gracious enough to provide an answer.

"About a quarter of the way down the hall we took to get here," Kabocha pointed out, smiling slightly amused. "I'd think you would have seen it on the way down dude, heads up much?"

"Too busy making sure the engines weren't about to blow up," Takeshi retorted, smirking before turning back to Viral and motioning for him to follow. Seeing the trail of blood at his nose he worried a bit, wondering if it was just a bloodied nose or perhaps something more. While wanting to avoid making the Beastman feel weak there was a certain degree that he had to express caution, it wasn't a secret that he wasn't holding up too well. "Can you walk Viral? It's not that far, I just don't want you having a tough time of it getting there."