Day One: Early Morning

[Violet]

Timid fingers poked around the reddening tissue, examining the bloody puncture that tore a ragged path through the meat of her left shoulder. The old nostalgic feeling came back as yet again, the injury prone area was rendered nearly useless. Maybe it would fall off this time, but then, what would that leave left to hit? Perhaps if she just cleansed the wound, she could ward off infection and try to salvage as much mobility as possible. This was the killing field; even a minor wound like this could cost her not only her life, but that of Bardock’s as well.

His life wasn’t worth bartering over. Game or no game, she wouldn’t kill him, unless he begged for her to end it. Then would she lay him down with the honor due to another warrior; it would be instantaneous, as she wouldn’t let him suffer, she’d seen the gruesome, agonizing deaths on this battlefield so many times before, and never would she let him die like that.

The tips of her index and thumb rubbed over the steel head of the nail, and from its depth, knew that she couldn’t remove it completely without hemorrhaging. However, as she tugged gently at the embedded projectile, she steeled herself against the instant rush of pain that crashed over her, her limbs shaking from its intensity. Oh yeah, there’s a nerve. The hand began to spasm as she pulled the iron nail out just enough to feel its tip slide back into the cavity it’d created.

“Hey, Bar, come here a sec;” her free hand ushered him over, but the injured Saiyan wouldn’t budge. “Bar, I kinda need ya, man. Gotta borrow that fire finger you got.”

“Firefinger?” His head lifted slightly to gaze at her. What in the hell was she doing? Didn’t he tell her not even five minutes ago to leave it alone?

“Come over here, damn it;” she growled, the blues of her eyes sparkled in irritation inspired by the throbbing pain slicing through the muscle of her shoulder.

Sighing resignedly, Bardock rose from his place by the fire and stood over the ensanguined woman. Hadn’t he already helped her? The favor count was up to three, now, wasn’t it?

“What do you want?” he asked gruffly, arms hanging like twin weights at his sides.

Moving her fingers away from the nail’s head, she gingerly took his hand in hers and lifted it to the metal barb, molding his thick digits over where her tiny ones had resided. “We need to cauterize this so it doesn’t get infected. It’s too close to my heart, and I don’t want to risk infection. Infection bad, Bar.”

“You want me to pull this out?” He gave the nail’s head a slight tug, testing its resistance. It was in there pretty good, perhaps catching a few ligaments in its path.

“Ouch! Stop that!” she yelped, smacking his arm. “Just concentrate or whatever you do to get the fire going and put it in that nail. The nail will help burn it from the inside as well, so it can seal the wound up and staunch the bleeding.”

“You sure?”

“Just do it!” She commanded, regretting immediately the harshness of her tone. It wasn’t a good idea to piss off someone who was much stronger than you were, even if you share the same house.

Bardock’s brows knitted together as his arm began to glow, a fiery heat wafting off the surface of his skin. His breath became strained as he focused the burning energy into the metallic lance without overdoing it, and catching his partner on fire instead. That didn’t seem like such a good idea.

As the heat seared her tender skin, the smell of her own flesh reached her nostrils and she cringed. The pain came soon afterwards, and she couldn’t bite back the rattled hiss as vessels were melted together, and the sealing and sterilization of her wound was complete.

“You alright?” he asked, dropping his hand away from the smoking wound. The only hint of concern was the tightening around his deep set eyes. Just that small anomaly made him look much older, but it took nothing away from his eye-catching features. He had just suddenly matured.

Leaning back against her bunched up knapsack, she let the searing sensation in her shoulder ease away, and surprised herself with her calm, steady response. “Just fine. What are we going to do about you though? I know that’s got to hurt.”

Shrugging, Bar took his place at the other side of the fire, his attention suddenly plunged back into the dancing flames. “It’s nothing.”

“Bardock…quit bullshitting me. You’re missing an ear, man.”

“I said it was nothing;” he hissed, eyes twin coals as they glared at her from across the campfire.

Violet didn’t poke the lion anymore, she simply let it go. He wanted his space, obviously, and that’s exactly what she’d give him.