Day Two: Early Morning

[Reijin]

"What's that smell?" Reijin gumbled as the four warriors continued along their path. As they grew closer, the smell of day old rotting flesh seemed to be permeating their area. The two Saiyans wrinkled their noses up as they smelled it. They glanced at one another and nodded, sharing the same thought. Neither of them minded the smell of fresh rot... They loved it. It carried with it the thrill of the kill, the battle fervor... However, this was just a waste, and they had not partaken in anything to cause this event.

Metal Koola simply strode silently beside them, a titanium monstrosity with nothing to say. Reijin's eyes wandered until they found the little Saibaman suddenly darting off before them. "Wait," he motioned to the others. "My Scouter isn't picking anything up..." he whispered. Stepping silently forward, he kneeled down to spread open the bushes.

It was at that moment that the Saibaman filled his vision, meeting him face to face with its toothy grin. Reijin rolled back in surprise, and immediately rose to his feet. "Dammit!" he cursed. "You little rat!" he growled, leaping forward to grab it. It laughed and leapt into the air, and Reijin rolled straight through the bushes into the pile of organs that was immediately after them.

He immediately climbed to his feet and looked down at the disembowled corpse. It had obviously been there for sometime, and had been eat by various animals on the island. The Namekian body was covered in a multitude of bugs and flies, and numerous vultures were sitting in the trees waiting on it to be open for the taking.

The others immediately stepped through the bushes and looked down at the green rot, but noone could recognize the fallen warrior due to he massive amount of flesh missing. "Its at least a day old," Metal Koola speculated. "Maybe more."

Vejita shook his head in disagreement. "The game hasn't been going long enough for longer. Its a shame..." he rasped, looking around with his Scouter. "This one has been flatlined long enough that whoever killed him is long gone."

Reijin chuckled. "That is a shame. I would have loved to have crushed another pathetic excuse for a warrior." He kneeled down to the corpse and poked an organ with a gloved finger. "Seems like everything has been taken from him, too." Rising to his feet, he turned to the others. "I wanted a fight!" he growled, spinning around and kicking the corpse hard. It rolled through the ground, spilling its intestines across the dirt and sending birds everywhere. He looked to the others, a vision of blood thirst in his eyes. "Let's go."

[Android 17]

OOC: This post actually precedes Kid Buu?s since I started it earlier today, but stupid holiday delayed its completion until now.

?Something bad had to have happened,? Goku Junior inquired, his childish intrigue prevented him from dropping the point despite the android desire to not talk about it. ?Are your friends nearby, Seventeen?? The youthful saiya-jin asked, his eyes skimming the layout of the tiny region between two tall elms trees. The machine-hybrid turned his head, pointing back to where his friends and he had set up camp. A few minutes before the child had stumbled upon him, the raven-haired warrior had limped a few feet away from the campsite. It hadn?t really mattered since all of his friends had fallen asleep by the time Seventeen got bored. Squinting through the darkness, the cybernetic warrior could faintly see the fire?slowly being suffocated by the own ashes it had generated.

?We got attacked by a group of overwhelmingly physically superior warriors,? the cyborg stated, his breathing patterns still slightly labored. ?They seemed to be out to pick on the weaker warriors in the bunch,? the android added, sighing slightly at the proposition of considering himself inferior to anyone, especially those people, but the more cybernetic half of his psyche understood that nothing could be done about numerical values. ?Some blonde-haired bitch shot off one of my friend?s legs, and then she unloaded a slug of energy particles into my abdomen. Three of my allies were killed in the exchange before the survivors and I managed to escape. We managed to set up a camp and sit around whilst we lick our wounds, but we have to be moving in the morning. We can?t risk staying in the vicinity of that monstrous group anymore, because another direct attack would be more disastrous than the first,? Goku Junior?s mouth had twisted into a perplexed expression. It didn?t really surprise the android?the youth probably hadn?t contended with anyone who had been a real threat to him. ?If, by chance, we get attacked once again, just stay close to me, Goku,? Seventeen said, smiling faintly as he tried to block out his wounds with a coat of pseudo-chauvinism. ?I can?t do the fighting for you, but at least you?ll have some assistance.?

?Are there things out there that powerful?? The child asked, his youthful eyes filling up with a boyish intrigue. The cyborg?s faint smirk degraded into a smug edifice of the utmost seriousness.

?It?s nothing to be excited about,? the machine-hybrid said, turning and heading back towards the campsite. The boy was soon off his haunches and walking right alongside the limping cyborg. ?Power is the most corrupting thing in this world of ours, Goku Junior, and those in power will do everything that can to stay in their positions. They fear the future and the younger generation, so incidents like the one earlier are to be expected I guess in situations like this. I guess what I?m trying to say is that I loathe the upper-class of warriors. They are all the same: corrupt and archaic, unwilling to capitulate despite the fact that they are slowly dying out. Watch your back around those kind of people?? The rest of the short voyage was silent, and upon arriving at the camp, Seventeen help Goku Junior get situated. Before falling asleep for the night, the android woke up Kid Buu and asked him to keep watch.

[Violet]

?Five bucks he kills her by tomorrow.? Cory nudged his brother. They had been watching the DAS for two days straight now, their favorite was watching this rick rack team of seven, now down to four, fight, get killed off, and the survivors move on.

?Please?? snipped Dave. ?I bet she?ll kick his ass. Just watch.? He pulled a fiver from his back pocket and slammed it on the coffee table.

?You?re on.?

++++++

The sun was only a few hours away. She could feel its heat pressing closer, closer?even in her sleep, it felt like cold steel against her temple, like a gun, cocking to fire directly into her skull. The sun would have to wait?the hunt called to her from her slumber like a lost lover in her dreams, and her eyes flashed open.

The fire crackled, slowly dying as the night wore on, its fuel supply turning into ash in the center of the rock lined pit. Scuttling to her feet, she observed the camp, Super Buu and Seventeen were sleeping feet away from the warm coals, Kid sat on a log, an observant eye searching for anything that may cause them misfortune. His gun rested in his lap, the cool metal shining in the fire light.

?You?re up early.? Kid said, glancing over at her. He shifted in his seat, folding his good leg under him.

?I?have to go check something?? She muttered, looking off into the trees. ?I?ll be back.?

Suspicion moved across the dark depths of his eyes. He didn?t say anything, though. He seemed just as anxious as she.

Turning her back to the majin, she had a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach.

You know what he did?didn?t you?

She moved further into the depths of the woods, the darkness wrapping her slim body in its blanket of deceit. The bubbly feeling never went away, the voice, only pressing harder.

That little punk, Kid Buu?that gun was just conveniently placed on his lap for a reason. He?s going to kill you. That fucking voice. She had thought she had supressed it long ago, but it was still there... Red Ribbon was trying to succeed, trying to coax her both physically and mentally into reverting back, back to her old life. The killer.

She felt her power rise, that beast within her moving under her skin, gliding snakelike into control. Her eyes narrowed into vicious, yellow slits, canines extending just past her full lips. Her fingernails extended, the tips becoming razor like daggers, perfect?

Her nose caught a scent, and she lumbered off into the forest?searching.

------

The soft fur glimmered dully in the moonlight filtering through the break of the trees. She was quiet, stealthy. The bushes hid her well as she scouted the animal?s energy. So full, so?ripe.

Antlers jutted from the deer?s skull, twisting into deadly branches extending well beyond its snout. The round, black eyes were focused on its meal, it didn?t suspect a thing.

She jumped out of the bushes, claws brandished, and descended upon her prey. Just as the claws came down, something hard, something feral blasted into her side, pushing her sideways, missing her target. The deer leapt away into the safety of the woods, never to be seen again.

Her problems were only beginning. The claws of her attacker swiped at her face, the hot breath as he growled into her face stank like a thousand rotting corpses, but its green tinted eyes bore into hers, intelligent as any human. To the panther, she was just another would-be snack just waiting to be caught.

Its back paws tore into the armor, but fortunately for her, the leather was just strong enough to hold up, albeit with a few slices and scratches in her abdomen. She grappled for its forepaws, taking the wrists within her palms, and crushing the bones inside as if they were crackers, all the while growling her own untamed call into it?s sleek, black face. The panther never gave up.

It scuttled back, away from her, and then pounced back onto her, pinning her to the ground with its broken paws, his teeth bared as he came down on her neck?

One arm freed itself and shot into the animal?s ribcage, grinding through the bone to wrap her taloned fingers around its wet, beating heart. She tugged harshly, and its organ slid easily from its chest, blood pouring like waterfalls onto her body. The enticing scent overwhelmed Violet as the animal gave one last screech and fell over, dead, its still beating heart trapped within the grip of the woman. Her eyes burned red in the darkness as she lifted the detached organ to her mouth and sank her fangs into its hot, wet surface, the meat sliding into her mouth as easily as a piece of apple. She sighed in contentment, the blood running down her chin and neck to stain her breasts and stomach.

Discarding the leftovers, she grabbed onto the back legs of her kill, hoisting it over her shoulder, and trotted further into the forest. A bath should be in order now?for Kami?s sake, she couldn?t go back to camp covered in fresh blood. It wasn?t proper.

____

Laying the limp carrion on a tree log, Violet stripped her clothing and headed to the small creek she had found moments ago. The water smelled fresh, glimmers of moonlight sparkling across the rippling surface.

Her sleek, solidly built frame glided into the cool liquid, and she went under, allowing it to flow through her blood encrusted locks. She worked the globs out of her hair, and went under again, then resurfacing moments later.

She finished her bath in silence, all the while thinking to herself of how delicious that meat would taste once roasted over the flames of her campfire. She wasn?t sure how well her clanmates would take it, but food was food. Take it or leave it.

Emerging from the water, it didn?t take long for her to realize that she hadn?t done a thorough job of cleaning herself up. She could still smell the alkaline tinged scent lifting to her nostrils like a drug?she closed her eyes and inhaled deep?

Her eyes snapped open. Something moved.

[Raditzu]

In the dead of night, the long-haired wonder found himself strolling aimlessly through a patch of particularly dense forest. Or so he assumed, since he was surrounded by trees and couldn't see more than ten feet ahead of him. All of this, however, wouldn't register until he found himself being chased by a group of rather angry Arlians. What he had done to them, he wasn't entirely sure. He was sure, however, that not letting them catch him would be in his best interests. His somewhat less than joyful jaunt through the woods was brought to an abrupt halt when he ran smack-dab into a wooden door. His first concern was that those rowdy Arlians would catch up to him, but, looking over his shoulder, he saw they had managed to make like ninja and vanish. With a smile he pulled open the wooden door for no apparent reason. There were two things beyond the door. A chair (scaled for someone no older than eight) and black. Admittedly, it was a lot of black. As if he had planned it all along, Raditzu floated through the door (which promptly disappeared) and took a seat in the chair.

There was a movement within the darkness, something stirring. As if someone had flipped a switch, an outline appeared. A faint shimmering whiteness (for lack of a better word) outlined, what looked to be, Raditzu. Where the saiyan's eyes would have been were two glowing slits, and when it opened its mouth to speak (which it shortly did) it exhumed a glowing mist made up of some unknown substance too thick to be gasous, but not substantial enough to be liquid. It was quiet mesmerizing. Its voice was almost identical to Rad's, but it carried a raspy hiss to it, as though the warrior had yelled himself hoarse in the recent past. This was a being Rad had hoped he would not be seeing for quiet some time. An incarnation of his inner emotions... mostly anger, though.

"Long time no see," the Dark One hissed. A glowing grin spread across the outline of its head. Raditzu didn't bother responding. After a pause, the grin faded. "I assure you, I'm no more pleased to see you than you are to see me, but I think its important we get something straight." Raditzu couldn't help but laugh. "You laugh now, but you're heading straight for a fall, big guy, and you're going to take me with you. I don't think that's in anyone interests."

"What... do you mean?"

"You may not talk about it, but I know what you're thinking. I know every little quip you don't say, every single fear you hold back... all of it."

"I'm very impressed. What's your point?"

"Tch... fine. You want to protect people." The outline obscured as Darkling folded its arms over its chest. "What's the deal?"

"What do you mean 'what's the deal'?! You just said I wanna protect people."

"Look," the figure sighed a puff of the strange smoke, "we both know the 'hero' routine isn't for you. You stick your neck out," the jagged scar around the long-haired saiyan's neck burned, as if to emphasize the point "and you'll end up paying for it."

"I don't plan on trying to be a hero, but I'm not going to sit there and watch people I care about get hurt. I have the strength to protect them, so I will."

"You think they want your protection?!"

As though struck by a powerful blow, Rad recoiled. That was something he had never actually considered. What did he mean 'not want your protection'? Who wouldn't want his protection? Sure, he may not always be 100% reliable, but he was always there when it mattered. It made perfect sense. Why else should he be trying to become stronger? If not to aid those who mattered to him, then why? He'd been down that road of self-doubt before and it was anything but pretty. Rad shook his head and glared back at the Dark One, opening his mouth to speak. Before he could say anything, though, he was cut off.

"How would you feel if someone insisted on watching over you all the time?" The outline loomed larger in his field of vision. "You think you'd actually be helping people? The only thing you're doing is keeping them from growing. Stunting their own abilities just so you can pose dramatically." Rad opened his mouth, his face contorted in anger. "Don't try lying to me! I told you, I know exactly what you're thinking. Luckily for the both of us, I'm not stupid enough to buy into your web of self-delusions. If it weren't for this," the Dark One tapping on a previously invisible wall, which flashed when he touched it, "I'd be able to take a more... direct role in our self preservation."

The Darkling opened its mouth and started to say something, but seemed to decide against it. For several moments the two Raditzus stared each other down. Despite his outrage at these propoterous accusations, Rad wasn't dumb enough to ignore them. As much as he loathed that part of his being, it was still a part of his being. If anything the Darkling said angered him, it was his own doing. In many ways, his darker half was right. Raditzu knew what he was doing, and he understood the reprocusions of it. Maybe it was, in the end, a bit selfish of him, but that was something he could deal with in time. The long-haired saiyan would have kept turning those thoughts over in his mind, but it was then that he woke from his slumber with a rather violet jerk.

[Kami]

The small band of warriors was now one stronger. Kami went over and introduced himself, it was apparent that the young sayjin knew Trunks, and Kami couldn't help but feel like he'd seen him somewhere before. The two were talking, Goten obviously feeling a little more relaxed now that he had found some allies.

13 seemed a little disoriented. Kami made a mental note to keep an eye on him, just to be sure. He had only recently met some of these fighters and while he trusted them all for the time being he couldn't help but be weary of who might try and win the whole tournament for themselves.

HF 17 was back up on a loft scouting around with the scope, and Garlic was hobbling around, trying to make sure his leg would be fine for the time being. Kami decided to take a moment to mediatate and wandered over to the side of the barn. He sat cross legged on the floor and closed his eyes. He searched his thoughts for a happy, calm place to venture off too, far away from the paranoia and tension of the tournament.

He found himself flying across the surface of the planet Namek, the ball shaped trees dotting the landscape. There was a vast green tinted sky stretching endlessly onward as the wind blew past him. He zipped across the surface of the water and saw it flare up behind him creating a large wake which resumed it's silent sloshing once he was gone.

Small Namekian villages dotted the landscape, the Namek's who inhabitated the homes going about their daily lives. A large coulumn of ground shot up into the air off in the distance. It was where Guru lived, high atop the pillar like structure. Kami whistled past the house and kept on traveling towards the horizon.

The old Namek opened his eyes and let out a long sigh. He was still on an island in a tournament full of people who would enjoy eliminating him in some horrificly entertaining manner. He stood up and went to go see what the others were doing.