[5] Prison

[Bardock]

Bardock had only known him for a short time, but he had fostered such respect for the big blue reptile in mere moments. The azure alien was full aware of what he was throwing himself into. He knew the stakes, and what would be lost or gained. But he had plunged into a path of no return, willing to die for what he believed in, willing to die to keep his son safe. He had let his own existence be erased, giving the ultimate sacrifice. As a saiyan, Bardock could give deference to that honor. All that was left of him now was memory, and his son.

Bar had given up his first chance to mangle Kao to save Burter Junior, and hadn?t been able to contribute, but was able to honor Burter Sr.?s wishes to be the one to fight Brim, and prevent Bebi from interference. The saiyan wasn?t stupid. Sadly enough, if Brim could come back from an attack the fighter surmised had happened in the previous game, what was to stop him from returning from the elder Burter?s assault? At the very least, his son was safe. Bardock suspected the kid had been bait. Why else would Brim have taken him, only to release him upon his father?s arrival? It was completely underhanded, but a tactic Bardock himself had and would use to get what he wanted. He couldn?t judge the producer for that. The black-haired brawler watched and gritted his teeth at the passing of the great warrior, who was able to express some wish that the saiyan help watch over his son in his stead. Bardock would do his best to uphold that in any way he could.

The human beside the saiyan began to spout words of tribute, a sermon in dedication of his good friend. He and his younger companion exchanged words of resolve, and the gray-skinned being known as Bebi approached, his blue eyes alight with a fire unprecedented. With words of steel, he made known to the three his oath of vengeance; that of a wrath unquenched until his ambitions were fulfilled. Junior nodded, acknowledging the tsufuru-jin?s pledge on his vendetta. Then he left, whoever to find, they did not know.

?Don?t worry, Little Blue. It will be you and I who make him pay,? Yamu assured the chibi reptile.

?Yamu?? a female?s voice piped up.

Bardock eyed two approaching fighters, one a young cyan-haired girl, no more than a teenager, and a dark-skinned fighter whose skull was adorned with a black mohawk. Their scents wafted to the saiyan?s nostrils. The girl was?saiyan?but her blood was impure. She was only a Halfling. A tinge of human swirled and mixed freely with what Bardock considered to be her better half. The male was wholly human?too many humans. The saiyan regarded them emotionlessly, and they ignored him, for the time being at least.

?Where?s Burter?? she continued.

They must have all been friends. They were inquiring about the larger beast. They did not yet know he was?gone.

So many things had happened since the commencement of Brim?s sick little intrigue began. Bardock?s eyes clouded over, his mind slowly withdrawing from reality as the memories overcame him. Somewhere in the background, the voices of Yamu?s acquaintances echoed indistinctly.

The saiyan could remember the feeling of surprise when he was no longer where he thought he was. Kao?s voice snickered sinisterly in his mind?s eye.

You must be Bardock. I?ve heard a lot about ya.

?I don?t see him anywhere.?

Pain wracked his body as the little snipe viciously assaulted and overpowered the seasoned warrior.

One blow to disable him.

?Ha ha ha! BJ, have you been hanging out with this freakish-looking monstrosity again? Where?s your Pa at??

Bardock fell to the ground, unable to defend himself after being so completely crippled.

?Bi?Burter?he is actually dead??

A second blow rendered the proud fighter unconscious.

?Oh well, we?ll see him back on Arlia soon enough. How disappointing that he got out so soon??

Faces passed before his sight, blurred at first, and then sharpening into clarity: Reijin; Prince Vegeta; Metal Koola; a golden-haired human; Yamu; Bebi.

Burter Junior?

?No?he?he is actually dead??

Bardock couldn?t explain why the kid brought out in him what he did. Even if that bond wasn?t acknowledged, he could feel it forming. Maybe it was only one-sided. Maybe little BJ didn?t care. But Bar did. Was it sad that he was grasping at straws, trying desperately to resolve his failures in his own life? Or did the child really need him, and it was some kind of internal calling? No. How could he? Burter Junior had others. He had?Yamu.

?Burter has come back from dying more than once I believe. We?ll see him again, soon enough.?

Katel. Would he ever get to see her again? She had entranced him so easily, enthralled him so deeply in her enchantment. She didn?t ever seem to realize what she?d done. Bardock had seen the way other men looked at her. How could they help it? Her beauty was mesmerizing. They had formed a link through Kao, but something more was buried beneath the surface?something that might very well go unrealized. His memory could all too easily recall the touch of her skin, the scent of her body, the sight of her disarming smile. She was all soft edges, but underneath those layers, a will stronger than most lurked. She had a purpose, a purpose that was greater than him: her sister. Katel would stop at nothing to pry Akira from Brim?s clutches. Eventually, that was what had separated them. Bardock was meant to pursue Kao, and he could not do so if he followed her down the path she had chosen. He secretly hoped she was alright. He secretly hoped that he would see her before game?s end?even if it was only one last time.

?NO!?

Kakarotto, dead? Impossible. Just eliminated. Rage swelled up from within his chest. Once more, he hadn?t been there when his son needed him. Once more, he had let something happen to his offspring. Would he fail Raditzu equally as bad? Was he destined to watch as his family lived their lives without him? No. Brim would pay for it, no matter how the bronze bruiser had to strike at him. Kakarotto would be avenged, somehow. The pain of loss was a powerful driving force.

?The collar?it did not send him to the afterlife?it?Brim wiped him out of existence. Big Blue is?he?s nowhere.?

There he was, just waiting for him, taunting him. Kao was no more than two feet from him. At last he would have what he desired. At last the sweet taste of vengeance would be his to savor. And then Brim went and fucked it up. He stole Burter Junior away. Bardock clenched his teeth, and did something that was all too difficult to do?he swallowed his pride, and left the kin of the producer to save the scaled reptile?s son. The seasoned fighter had done what he could, even though that hadn?t felt like it was enough. Everything was so skewed. And now he was in the presence of those who would feel pain, and loss.

The sick part was, that Bardock didn?t care. Even now, he still didn?t care what Brim was doing. It happened everyday, whether anyone wanted it to or not. Brim was just committing it behind the curtain of entertainment, showing it to anyone who would see. All Bardock cared about was the means to his own ends. No, that wasn?t completely true. Katel, and Burter Junior.

A roar of rage snapped him from his reminiscing.

?I?ll KILL him!?

The girl was true to her saiyan heritage: angered, she was volatile and unpredictable. The wrath of her fathers boiled in her blood.

How long had it been since Yamu spoke his words? Bar had finally faded away from reality completely. It could have been minutes since the human?s last words.

Everyone had a score to settle. It made for great television.

?Kakarotto?? Bardock whispered, the word becoming lost in the cacophony. Reliving what Burter had revealed to him brought his deep-seated animosity to the surface. He gritted his teeth, jaw firmly clenched. He did not know what the future held in store, nor who he would next meet, but one thing was for certain: Kao was going to die.

Slowly and painfully.


OOC: An attempt to make up for lost postage. I tried to coordinate Yamu's conversation with what Bardock was feeling, don't know how well that worked. There's a part in there where the PB group can make an insert. Hope I got Bra right. =/