Day One: Evening

[Yamu]

Herald Sinclair closed the door to his secret Terminal, he hoped for the last time. He slowly walked back into the den, and checked the stats for Dante?s Abyss. He silently cursed at himself for missing such a massive battle. The comfort of a shot of whiskey and the knowledge he would be able to catch the highlights at midnight soothed him to where he thought he could drive.

He was going to his girlfriend?s?he had not seen her in a few days?his ?work? had had him working around the clock to locate possible candidates for Madam Kadabera, under the moniker ?Agent Cape?. He was done now?she would no longer be able to blackmail him?he was a free man again.

A free man.

He smiled?he had been under someone?s thumb for as long as he could remember but now?now he could go on living again. Living?he hoped with Bettie. Nothing was going to stop him?and tonight just felt right?he leaned over and popped the glove box where a small black suede box sat.

Preoccupied with the thought of the importance of what the box held Mr. Sincalair did not see the headlights that had been following him since he left his mansion.




Yamu awoke, hungry and still half dazed. The fires still had a nice burn, which meant he had not slept long or someone had been adding to the fire. He went to Hasky first?she was as good as she was going to be?he knew they would have to move again come morning?she needed help or she was going to be gone.

Gone.

Maybe?going was best for her. This was a game, if he just snapped her neck her pain would be over, she would be whole again back at the start. The human?s vein covered hands trembled, as he pictured himself snapping her neck as easily as a chicken?s.

No. He was delusional?tired?he wasn?t in his right mind. He turned and staggered away, afraid of what he might do if he lingered over her trembling body. The beastly fighter stumbled right into Bardock brandishing his brand new Ki Shotgun.

?I?ll take the next watch?? Yamu slurred to the older Saiya-Jin.

The veteran fighter gave the tottering human a rueful laugh. ?You aren?t fit to stand, much less guard. If you want to fight alongside me, you better be at the top of your game, because I?ll kill you as soon as my enemy?you haven?t proven anything to me, Yamu.? The man said his name as if it might be a lie, just like his reputation as a warrior.

The pit-fighter had zero energy for a comeback, he merely let the man pass him, driving a shoulder into him the tumbled him to the ground. To the ground right next to Bra.

Yamu stared at her, primarily her hair. He knew he had seen that hair before, the color, the cut. This face was familiar. ?Bra?? He asked not believing the name in his own mouth. The girl awoke, only momentarily startled by the face inches from hers. ?Bra?is?is that you.?

?Yes?Yamu, its me. I??

?Ssh?tell me later. It?it is just so good to see you.?

?You too, Yamu.?

?These good people??

?Yes.?

?Ok?I trust you.? With that Yamu passed out again, his chest rising and falling at a very even interval.

Those three words struck to the center of Bra. Did she deserve someone else?s trust? How could she take such a thing when she did not trust herself? Did this means she should trust herself?





?Ok?Dave?go home get some sleep?? The night director told him. There was no way one production team could man the week long endeavor without switching out once in awhile.

?Remember that bet?I?ll be tracking my little cash pony in there.?

?Yeah yeah?? the outgoing director winced, thinking of his empty wallet.

He drove towards his apartment, catching what seemed like every traffic light as his gas tank began to hit ?E?.

Without knowing why, he made a left when he should have gone right?he was going to see his ex-wife?he did not know what he was going to do when he got there, but he had to try, before she and their kids were out of his life for good.

[Ruhiel]

"Yeah. There is someone else." Twenty finally said, after forcing down a small portion of bread, the only amount he would allow himself to eat today. "But I have no idea where he is. I've been looking for him this entire time, but so far no luck."

Retane nodded, taking a small sip of water, and then looking up at the sky. The sun was setting rapidly, and dark shadows were beginning to stretch out across the landscape of the island of Dante.

"It's almost night." Retane muttered. "Almost playtime."

"Yes, it's almost our turn. Let's get moving. Scratch what I said earlier, about heading away from the sun. I want to head into it. We need daylight to find our prey."

The namekian muttered a "m-hmm" in agreement, and stood up. The two stretched for a moment, to limber up for what was to come. With the day drawing to a close, and the daylight waning, it was their turn to ironically shine. Two auras leapt up around their forms, and with a push, the two began to race through the trees, moving as quickly as they could without overly tiring themselves.

Android 20 had yet to kill in this entire tournament. He was getting edgy, and knew he needed to find an opponent soon. Gero, who was still scouting out ahead in his astral form, had yet to report a sign of any possible foes, further racheting up Twenty's desire to kill. For a machine, Android 20 was oddly primal when it came to the night. It was his time to hunt, to feed. Except for the fact that he wasn't a cannibal.

Several hours later, the sun was fully down. Retane and Twenty had been travelling in the same direction the entire time, and yet still had not seen a sign of any foes they could face. Twenty began to wonder how many could have possibly died so suddenly, that there was no one he could find, until Gero reminded him of the advantages of not having to deal with so many possible fights where he could be injured any further. His shoulder wound was not a serious problem for the android, but it was still an annoyance. It stung rather painfully, and limited the movement in his arm somewhat. But he had no means of dealing with the injury, other than to have made a makeshift bandage for it so that he wouldn't bleed all over himself.

Twenty, you're never going to believe who's up ahead. Gero suddenly announced telepathically.

Bigfoot? Twenty replied sarcastically.

Guess again. Gero answered with an annoyed sigh.

I don't like guessing games. Twenty answered, not wishing to play the human's game.

Hmph. You're no fun. Starts with a K and ends with a -rillin? Gero told him after a bit.

Krillin? He's really up there? Twenty asked in disbelief.

No, I lied. It's Bigfoot. Of course it's Krillin! I've just given him a hello telepathically. However, he can't see me without his ki sensing abilities, so he thinks the island is haunted now. Gero laughed at the last comment.

"Well I'll be damned. Retane, let's move! You remember that person I was talking about earlier?" Android 20 called back to the namekian.

"Yeah, what about it?" Retane questioned.

"He's right up ahead!" Twenty answered with a smile, and then bounded forward again.

A voice began to echo louder from up ahead, confirming what Gero had said to be true. Including the haunted bit, as Krillin's yelps of "voices!" echoed louder.

OOC: Hey Krillin.

[Whompt]

After that close-call, the beaten team found themselves dashing to safety through the woods. They just kept running, unaware that their attackers had given up the chase. It was better to be safe, then sorry. Coming across a small clearing, and out of breath, they stopped and waited. As his ally laid him back against a tree, Blue wheezed softly, ?That?was?bad?? The gaping wounding in his abdomen made speaking an effort, each word causing searing pain to course through wounded soldier?s entire body. ?Understatement, much?? said Koola sarcastically.

Gritting his teeth and fighting against unconsciousness, Roy was unable to retort. Luckily, Bujin took care of that for him. ?Cut him some slack, Koola. The guys got a hole in him.? Shooting the tiny alien a dark look, the changeling nonetheless went silent. After it became clear that they weren?t followed, Blue decided it was time to tend to his wound. At the rate it was bleeding, he wouldn?t survive for long.

Looking to Bujin, he asked, ?Mind finding me some mud?? The blue-skined alien gave him a strange look, but shrugged and walked off into the darkness. Using his ki-sword and an extra helping of caution, Blue started to slice his t-shirt into strips. By that time, his other companions had stopped staring at him as if he were crazy and were helping as best they could. Strange that it took something like this to bring everyone together.

When his ex-pirate helper returned, the red-haired man set to padding his front and rear holes with the wet dirt. ?Uh?? spoke Koola, ?Isn?t dirt in a wound a bad thing?? Giving his friend a weak grin, Blue explained, ?Normally yes, but it?ll help stop the bleeding. Hopefully it won?t get infected, but it?s still better than bleeding out, right?? The purple changeling nodded a little bit and helped his ally patch up.

The makeshift bandages taken care of, the blue-eyed human eased himself back against the tree. ?If yall don?t mind? I?m going to sleep for a bit. Do me a favor and make sure I don?t stop breathing?? And with that, darkness enveloped him.


(OOC: I know that the bandage does nuthing to help the wound, but IC I couldn't just leave it be, ya know?)

[Kami]

Garlic was wiggling on the ground cussing about someone's mother or something along those lines. Kami came to his aid and tried to bandage up his leg the best he could. Garlic kept squirming aorund. "Stop moving." Garlic didn't listen to the old Namek, his leg hurt too damn much. Kami slapped him across the face. Garlic suddenly stopped squirming around. "That's better. Now hang on." Kami took a bandage out of his bag and wrapped up Garlic's leg the best he could. It was still bleeding but it seemed like it might stop at some point. He then picked up the little green man to keep him from having to walk and went inside the barn.

Garlic was still cussing when they got inside. "Don't make me try and cauderize that with a ki blast." Garlic looked at Kami and grimmaced, for once he didn't have a witty comeback. His leg hurt too damn much to be funny right now. Trunks was in a pile of hay with Thirteen's body sticking out from underneath him. Kami shook his head, "Didn't anyone ever teach you how to shoot one of those things?" Kami said, nodding towards the gun nearby.

He set Garlic Jr. down and helped Trunks up. "Hey Hellfighter! Did you get any of em?"

"I know I got some sucker in the gut." Kami heard from the rafters in the bard. The android made his way back down to chat with the group, his sniper rifle slung over his shoulder.

Kami looked at the gun, "I just wouldn't look as cool with a hairbrush strapped to my back...anyways..." The Namek trailed off a bit. Thirteen was back up on his feet and Trunks was looking around. Kami spoke up again, "Hey, if anything we've kept ourselves out of a big fight again...it's too bad Garlic took a hit." Trunks perked up a bit, this was new information to him.

"Is he ok? What happened?" Kami pointed to the ball of swearing hay that was being kicked around.

"Apparently, his 'leg really fucking fuckedy fuck god damn why didn't I move better damnit! This sucks!', I think translated into English from merchant marine it means his leg kinda hurts. He should be ok, I bandaged it up. He should pull himself together soon as well."

They closed up the open barn door and sat down.

"Now what?"

[Banned Dana]

Thirteen could feel his inside stir as the Sayajin struck him hard. The force of the two bodies colliding had switched something on within his CPU. Though he was normally strong enough to counter this level of collision, the change zapped the energy from him, disabling his evasive capabilities. Both warriors landed in a pile of hay with Trunks on top and the droid?s legs sticking out from under him.

?Son of a bitch.? Groaned Thirteen as the halfling was lifted off of his body.

Removing himself from the hay stake, the droid shook his head, something was off, he could feel it. Glancing around, he saw that everyone was still good to go, except t he little green goblin Garlic Junior. The tiny man was hobbling all over the place, cursing up a storm while blood seeped from his leg. The elder Namekian Kami tried to silence him, but it too a bit of coaxing.

Looking outside of the barn and into the depths of the island, Thirteen knew that there was more danger awaiting him, but it only brought a smile across his face.

OOC: It would seem that the energy to actually write something of value has been pulled from me at the moment, I apologize for the hardcore suckyness that I've been displaying...hopefully this will be the last time it happens.

[Super Buu]

The group stumbled away from their location. They hadn?t slept, but they had to move. For all they knew the group that had killed three of their friends could be coming back for more. So, agonised and exhausted - both physically and mentally - they trudged on, not daring to look back.

What was done was done. But still, Buu couldn?t stop the burning feel in his stomach. As the shock of the event subsided, despair began to settle in. Sixteen ? he saved my life before. He?s always been the one to look after me. But now he?s dead. And so is Puar. I couldn?t help either of them. He cursed inwardly, grimacing as a pain shot through his chest. Why wasn?t I there?

He looked down at the weapon he held in his hand. Puar?s slingshot. It was the only memory he had now of the little cat. Then he glanced across at the weapon Violet was holding. Sixteen?s crossbow.

?Don?t lose that,? Buu shot suddenly across at her.

?What?? The girl was confused, and weary.

?That was Sixteen?s,? growled the majin. ?You can have it, but don?t lose it. If the time comes I want to shoot the bastard that killed him with it.? He tried to remember all of the fighters on the field, but it had been such a blur he hadn?t had much time to remember all of their appearances. Something was bothering him, but he didn?t know what, exactly. He turned to Violet again. ?Did you see him??

?Who??

?The one who killed Sixteen.?

The girl took a second to think back, not without a twinge of regret. Every time she remembered that battle, it was ? painful. ?It was a girl,? she said. ?With teal hail, and red clothes.?

Flash. A face filled the rubbery being?s mind. From the rebellion. A young girl, with teal hair, and red clothes.

Impossible, thought Buu to himself, as the others trudged on in silence. The girl I knew was only a child.

Flash. A voice. Something about it was familiar ?

?Buu! You did this!??

?No ?? he muttered, flustered, a damp hand squeaking across his rubbery temple. He shook his head a few times to confirm his thoughts. He had to be insane, thinking it was the same person. They had similarities, but ?

She had known his name.

?Fuck,? he groaned, attracting a concerned stare from Violet. ?That?s not ? there?s no way.?

?What?s wrong, Buu?? asked the purple haired girl, rushing across to him. She grabbed his hands, which had been gripping his head, as if to stop something spilling out. Her voice rose to a more panicked pitch - she couldn?t lose another ally, not today. ?Buu! What?s wrong!??

?I?m fine!? he spat, pushing her roughly away. ?I just ? need to think, that?s all.?

They continued their trek. But as soon as silence resumed, Buu fell back again. That accusing look still haunted his brain, that girl who had looked so grown-up, face filled with emotion. He muttered to himself.

?Shit ? Bra ? what have I done??

[Belle Hibiki]

Buu swallowed, felt his throat ache in silent protest and silently cursed his luck. He raised his canteen to his lips and took a long draught from it, feeling the cool water prickle over his sore throat. The blonde in the attacking group had struck him across the neck and just above the collar in one of their many exchanges. Unluckily for her, such a devastating move didn't work on him. Unluckily for him, however, it still hurt like a bitch. He raised one of his hands and stroked across the pink puttyflesh of his throat, spidering his digits across the only slightly dented puttalin. The bomb-collars apparently didn't just inhibit regeneration, but was making even the simple act of rebounding his flesh into a semblance of normalcy a trick of hours rather than milliseconds.

The golden hair of the android whipped by as he charged, the nimble warrioress slipping in under his blind spot and hammering a Herculean blow into his gut. He gagged on air as pain raced through him, fire burning through his puttalin frame as ripples spread from his stomach and seared across his body in waves of pain. He remained frozen for the merest fraction of a second before he retaliated on instinct, snarling a brutal curse as he rotated and brought his elbow against the back of the woman's head. She grunted but did not yield. She was a tough one, he realized at the back of his mind, although he wasn't exactly going all out either.

How?! How did this happen?! he raged inwardly as the dance-like movements of his opponent carried her out of striking range with the elegance of a ballerina. How could they have found us? Was I right? Did Super Buu and Violet... betray me?! Buu felt his anger, ever present beneath the surface, leap into full flame and scorch across the surface of his mind.

The two warriors faced one another across the endless expanse of a scant three meters. As the war raged around them and screams and blood exploded from mouths, Buu's rage manifested in a bestial roar that seemed to shake the very atoms of the air, that cleaved and blasted through it as effectively as a bullet train tearing through a wet paper bag. He rushed at the androidess, throwing out one of his hard-as-cement boots in a return blow to her stomach...

Well, he thought miserably. At least I know they aren't traitors. He hissed as a sharp jolt of pain from his wound slithered up his back, prickling like a quilled snake and stabbing needles of pain into the already growing ache at the back of his skull. Super Buu, Violet and Seventeen... They had all come under fire from the ambush party, so Buu felt reasonably sure that they had been innocent - at least this time. Still, it wouldn't do for him to be taking chances. He turned down the offer of help with a stubbornness that he was glad to hear back in his voice. Yes, he was reduced, but he was still a majin.

Buu hissed and stretched his arms out before summoning up his mental focus. One day, he might have to teach Super Buu its intricacies, but for now it was his and his alone. As if they were xenomorphic chestbursters, two extra arms erupted from Buu's sides with a sound like squelching mud and fingers dragging across balloons. He flexed their mighty, slightly shorter fingers before he heaved himself upright and balanced himself. He was still a majin, damn it, and his lower arms stretched at his will. He placed his lower palms on the ground and pushed, pushed with them and grew his arms until he lifted himself off the ground and rose, arms spread as if in defiance to the powers above. A leg was nothing.

He turned to the others, his splayed fingers grounding deep tracks in the dirt. "Let's go."

[Violet]

Camp.

Flames danced across the faces of the diminished, lethargic group. Quiet was their only comfort, but also their greatest fear, for it is the solitude, that aura of safety that had brought the demise of three of their clansmen. It was a misleading trust, but something that they couldn?t do much about?they had nothing else to go on except instinct.

The fire crackled in its makeshift pit, sending small fingers of red embers reaching towards the black, inky sky. Seventeen?s head rested on Violet?s lap as she was busily grinding herbs and berries she had found along the way in a crude, but effective grinding bowl. The mushy red paste was meant to hold back the pain, but with a wound like her brother had, she wasn?t sure if she?d ever have enough of the medicine.

The android grunted beneath her. Pain etched itself across his deep, black eyes; he was trying to hold it all back, but even Seventeen could only take so much.

?Hold on, Seventeen?just a few minutes more, honey.? She cooed, grinding faster. Finally, it was done, the paste thick enough to mix with the pan of water she had Buu make for her especially for this purpose. ?Buu? Could you please hand me that pan??

He rose from his rock and grabbed the pan, shoving it in Violet?s free hand, and then promptly returned to his rock, laying his head on it and staring straight up at the sky, lost in his own thoughts.

She had no idea what was running through his head, but never had the girl seen the majin so stoic as he was now. There was just no erasing what had happened.

Mixing the hot water into the small bowl a little at a time, she stirred it with her finger and tasted it. Bitter?but it will work. Years of living in the woods paid off at times like these, and it made her happy that she had chosen that path. It paid off, after all.

She placed the pan at her side and lifted Seventeen?s head, eliciting a growl of pain from the android?s throat. He glared at her dangerously, but it affected her none. He would be patched up soon, or at least knocked out long enough for the pain to subside.

Bringing the edge of the bowl to his pale mouth, he parted his lips, so trusting?It was good to have that trust. She treasured it. There weren?t many instances in her life that she could remember someone just trusting her like he was doing now. Maybe it was the pain. He slurped the potion slowly, biting back the urge to retch at the bitterness. ?I know?? She sighed, petting his black locks comfortingly. ?But it will make you sleep, and get rid of the pain until we can find some way to fix you.?

?Forget it.? Super piped from his rock.

?Forget what?? Violet shot back.

?Getting him healed. We probably won?t be able to find anything before the damage is already done.?

She was getting irritated with his emotional constipation. Sick and tired of it. Easing Seventeen off of her lap, gently placing his head on her sack, she stomped over to the puttilan construct, her azure eyes glaring. ?I am tired of all this pent up bullshit, Buu. If you have a problem, fucking talk about it already.?

?I wish you two would just get it over already. Shit.? Kid Buu grunted from his makeshift bed.

?Get what over with?? The two asked synchronously.

?Fight.?

?AARRRGH?? Violet, irritated, stalked away from the campsite, not too far away, however, she could still see the flicker of flames through the trees. Only a few minutes?.just a few minutes?she needed to be alone.

One blazing fist tore through the trunk of an unfortunate sapling, then thudded to the ground.

Violet suddenly got an idea.

[Bardock]

Bardock tapped his head against the wood, eyes staring off into the distance. He had run the battle through his head so many times, he knew every detail, like a movie in constant playback. Their camp had quieted down considerably. Still keeping an eye out for intruders, Bar reached into his bag with his free hand, pulling a small fuzzy object out of the mess of supplies. He examined it carefully, pondering how best to use it.

It was brown and furry, kind of like a saiyan in Oozaru form, which automatically dubbed it ferocious. The upper appendages were outspread, almost in preparation for an embrace?an embrace of death.

?Where did you get a teddy bear?? Eighteen asked from across the way. Bardock looked over. He didn?t know how much time had passed since he looked at anyone?s face. His expression took a moment to adjust to the change in silence.

?It was my weapon,? he shrugged. ?Is that what it?s called??

?You?ve never seen a teddy bear before??

?No, but I figured out what it does. It?s an explosive device. The fur is just camouflage. There?s a lightweight box inside, and this little appendage right here says, ?Press Me.? The button underneath the hand is the detonation device,? the saiya-jin explained. ?I figured if the switch was a dud, I could always use my flames and trigger it manually.?

Android Eighteen gawked at him, and shook her head incredulously. ?No. Just, no.?

Bardock jumped down from his perch, stuffed animal in hand. As he neared, the androidess reached out and grabbed it. She moved her fingers over the paw, and much to the startling of the male, pressed the button.

A sickeningly sweet voice erupted from the box: ?I love you thiiiiiiis much.?

?What?the?fuck?? Bardock stuttered.

?It?s not a weapon?it?s a toy,? she grinned, knitting her brows in amusement.

They said they gave us all weapons. Why would they give out playthings? the fighter wondered, irritated.

?I?m keeping it,? Eighteen announced suddenly, breaking his train of thought. Bardock threw up his hands in disgust, as if to say ?whatever,? the shotgun waving in the air. He cocked the weapon, slung it over his shoulder, and did his infamous turn and walk.

On his way back to the tree, he noticed a sleeping Bra. She may have fooled the others, but she didn?t fool him. Her pain was palpable, whatever its source. If Bardock were a nice guy, he could have given her the teddy bear as comfort. That might make her feel better. The saiyan shook his head and let his chin hang, almost in regret. If Bardock were a nice guy, he would have given her the teddy bear.

But Bardock wasn?t a nice guy.