Day One: Early Morning

[Yamu]

Yamu would have whistled, but he knew to well how well the ears of Namekians worked to be so fool hardy. He just felt?good. It was a weird sensation to the veiny brawler, which only made him feel weirder that such a common emotion should do that to him. He sighed at sat with back resting on a particularly large tree. The tan juggernaut had been hiking for hours across some rough terrain?flying had spoiled him more then Yamu had thought.

He pulled out a hunk of bread and began munching the crusty grain, more for entertainment that actual sustenance. It gave him something to do as he gazed at the crowded heavens. The sky was full of stars, completely devoid of dimming light pollution. Yamu?s ebony eyes had gazed into the universe from multiple planets and he still could not believe there were that many stars out there. He flipped the scouter lens to the side so that he both of his eyes could see in the same tint. A low hill rose out in front of him, obscuring the rest of the rolling plains beneath it, a single, lonely hill. Yamu twirled ?Kari? between his legs, the bottom of the bat drilling into the ground in pace with his thoughts.

He could see his gravestone on the side of the hill, a forlorn marker of his resting place to go with the forsaken bulge of earth. He tried to shake the thought, but something that grim had a way of sticking with you. It was right there in front of him, a shadowy hunk of stone.

What would you say if I were gone today? How would I be looked upon by a passerby? What would they think of me?

?Yamu? was a given?but the four letters felt more alone then the hill and the tombstone combined. Loving father or husband, even son were far from applicable to him. None of the traditional niceties would ever be used to describe him?even if he wanted them to. He had recently earned the title ?The Conqueror?, but who wanted such a violent epitaph? It pigeon holed, it only spoke of war and death, not of any of the good things he had done. It was a part of him, but fell far short of being him.

?The Guardian of Arlia?? Most would probably just say it was a sham?truthfully, he had not performed any duties to earn that title yet. It might one day apply?but right now it would just be lies carved in stone.

?Knight of Namek?? He had pledged his life in defense of Guru, had even helped save the spiritual leader once?but how could a planet hopping adventurer like himself ever be there if he was actually needed a second time? He meant it when he said it, and would uphold it till he died, but Guru did not need him, Namek did not need him.

?Defender of Earth?? He had played a large part in saving the blue planet from the Icer Takeover?but he had actually spent more time on Frost?s planet then he had on the place of his birth. Yamu was more an Arlian then a human in his own mind. He had roots there now, people who depended on him. That just would not work either.

The hairless human stood once again, stuffing the half eaten bread back into his shouldered sack and resting ?Kari? on his other shoulder. He walked past where his imaginary tombstone sat and patted the imaginary space it occupied, ?Well, I guess it is just ?Yamu? for now. Let?s see if we can change that??

Serenity was still in control as he walked away but his smile was much more lackluster this time and his knuckles whiter on his wooden weapon.