Day Two: Evening

[Bardock]

Violet nodded, and the two saddled up and moved on. Dusk was upon them, and they moved quickly as the shadows stretched and gave their lithe forms cover. Bardock felt the hard concrete beneath his feet soften and give way to lush, fertile soil. Gone was the cold metallic realm of stagnant silence. His scouter displayed the data of their movements, the primitive and basic scanner always on the lookout for bodies of energy. Now that his mind was somewhat refreshed from sleep, he could concentrate on thinking a couple of more moves ahead in this fatal little chess game. Only half the pieces left, and the saiyan couldn’t recall hearing too many names that were really much of a threat anyway. That worried him. The little fish were being eaten by the big fish, and that left a lot of sharks in the shrinking pond. His willingness to fight wasn’t a question, he just felt a little unprepared.

Bardock carefully recalled his previous runs in the tournament. His second year, he’d run in a large group. There had been safety in numbers, but the risk that ran with that had proved to ultimately be his undoing. The warrior scratched that example. His third year he’d run by himself, with a proven victory. Bardock tried to recount each move and what had led to his successes. That little device had certainly come in handy, but he didn’t have that little device now. All he had were his eyes and ears, and those were painfully limited in their ability to locate another’s presence abroad.

We need something, he decided. We need better weapons.

The medical kit still had a few supplies left, and they had some decent armaments. But it wasn’t going to be enough, Bardock decided.

Fuck…why can’t we just find somebody already? he mentally growled. It just
wasn’t right. A hunter without prey was hollow and empty. Two fights…only one kill. There needs to be more. Those bastards out there are probably praying they don’t run into me, hiding like cowards.

Hell, he even wondered what Raditzu was up to right now. His son certainly wouldn’t miss this, and Bardock had not heard his name listed off among those killed in action. The patriarch snorted. He was probably off befriending another crab or something. What was that other one called? Pincer McNabber or something? Pinchy McGrabby? He couldn’t remember. It had been completely stupid.

Bardock and Violet made leaps and bounds across the plains, their bodies moving smoothly and harmoniously. They had no use of Ki Sense, and were essentially running blindly. However, something in the back of Bardock’s mind told him they weren’t going in the right direction. The saiya-jin got her attention and jerked his head over his shoulder.

What’s up? she asked telepathically.

Let’s double-back. Go around, he thought, making sure the words were crisp and clear in his mind as he himself was unable to project them back to the human.

She smiled and nodded. She was getting quite good at her new ability.

We’ll take a break in a bit and then keep going. Eyes open! he added.

Not only did she not need to be told twice, she didn’t even need to be told once. Ever since this morning, she wanted this just as badly as he did. Bardock’s eyes darted quickly and easily as he mentally noted a possible place for good cover: a hollow in the middle of a clearing. He skidded to a stop, and Violet followed his cue.

Bardock delicately sniffed the air. “I smell…blood…”

His companion grinned, lust for battle evident in her eyes.

“…lots of blood…” he added, taking another whiff, deeper this time. “Fresh. Real close.”

He could barely contain his excitement as a shiver coursed through his spine. These were good signs, and would prove either to be a big score, or a serious let-down. Bardock tensed up, letting his muscles seize and relax as he cracked his neck. He reached into his bag and grabbed his water bottle. Thin trickles of the cool liquid dribbled down his chin as he greedily gulped the last of its contents and finally exhausted his supply. He was going to have to get more if he didn’t want to go thirsty.

“You wanna know something about me?” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he stuffed the empty bottle back in.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“This might be it,” Bardock answered, nodding his chin to indicate the path before them. “If there’s somebody out there, I intend to really feel it.”

He looked at her, his charcoal eyes flashing turquoise. She cocked an eyebrow. She remembered how dangerous he’d been when he lost himself to the power of a Super Saiyan. The human recalled the pain inflicted during their spar, but didn’t know much about the secret transcendence of the sons of Vegeta-sei. Only that it fucking hurt…a lot.

Bardock smiled, sensing her reaction, and his pupils lost their teal glow. The giddiness was welling up. The fighter felt like having some real fun. After waiting for so long, he deserved it. He began to walk towards her, the smirk growing. On impulse, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close. She seemed startled, and he began pulling her backwards, leading her to follow. Her feet shuffled awkwardly, so he let go and jumped backwards and away.

“Let’s go kill someone!” he called over excitedly, and then he turned around and sprinted to what might lie in wait.