#fallafal

Chikori pretended not to hear him. It wasn't hard, given how hard she was focusing on picking one out of the list available to her. The damn Majins that were training her and Fallafal had restricted their access to what missions they could do without a senior Time Patroller to help.

The older Saiyan rubbed the back of his head. Something had definitely set her off. He knew that it wasn't like most of his kind to be open to sharing their issues, but that didn't stop him from trying to help where he could. It was that sort of helpfulness, willingness to listen, and his caring demeanor, that had earned Greg the title of “dad friend” in his own squad. He tried again.

“So what quest you need helpin' with?”

Chikori didn't say anything, but merely glanced briefly in his direction, confirming whether or not he was talking to her.

He was.

Fuckin' great.

She let out a short sigh; the last thing she needed was someone else getting in her business. And she couldn't trust anyone yet to believe her, much less be on her side. Everything here was just too... new to her. She couldn't get the vibe of the place, where people allowed those who were on the wrong side of history to train those who sought to protect it. Nothing about it felt right.

It was almost as bad as being on that peaceful planet the Majins left her on for two years.

“Look, I can tell ya's got sumthin' on yer mind, and I'd like to help ya. How's 'bout this. What do you say to a little friendly sparring, Saiyan to Saiyan?”

Chikori quirked an eyebrow. She turned around to get a better look at Greg. He was perhaps as wide as she was tall, muscles on muscles. Perhaps that was a bit of an exaggeration, but she felt dwarfed looking up at him. She might be able to get in a few punches, but the density of the older Saiyan made her feel almost as impotent as she did earlier with the Saiyan Commander. It would have to be a long fight, but whether or not she had the stamina for that anymore...

Greg was rolling up the cuff of his jacket, looking down at her. He cocked a grin.

“Got'cher interest wit' that, did I?”

Her eyes traveled to his waist; there was no tail resting there. Then perhaps....? She tried to nonchalantly look behind him, but wasn't able to see anything. She couldn't tell his ki from the next person's while they were standing in the central hub.

“You're a Saiyan?”

“Yer damn right I am! Hell, I can best e'en the strongest Great Apes these PQs can throw at ya!”

It sounded like an exaggeration to her, but she didn't acknowledge it either which way.

“Where's your tail?” she asked, suspicious of him.

“Eh? Oh, is that what y'were doin' just now, tryna look for that tail-tell sign? Hahaha!” He slapped his knee, laughing at his own joke. Chikori crossed her arms and stared at him, waiting. “You must be one of 'em newer recruits, huh? Don't know yet that it's mighty common for us to cut off our tails here, didja?”

She felt her stomach twist in disgust, and her breakfast threatened to come back up. Saiyans never cut off their own tail; it was a matter of pride and power! She recoiled physically, taking a step back from him in horror.

“What Saiyan in their rightmind--”

“'Ey! Don'cha know it's policy if you wanna go on some of these missions that you ain't got a tail, or you ain't going. We can't have no accidents where you be fighting wit' us one minute, an' the next we gotsta be fightin' YOU.”

She tsked. Of course that would be the case. Maybe that was the real reason why so many of those missions were restricted to her; only her squad leader could unlock them for her, and Nanna had impressed upon her that she wouldn't be able to go on them until they had a 'talk' later about some of the other rules and guidelines that the Time Patrol had. That had been a few weeks ago, and Nanna hadn't brought it up since.

“So we mutilate ourselves, in order to appease some higher power so that we can work for them?” It reminded her a little too much of Frieza.

Greg scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. “Well, w'en you put it like that...” He shook his head. "But that's neither here nor there! I was askin' youwhat ya needed help with. 'Cuz you sure were givin' them machines a mighty hard stare. If looks could kill, why I think Miss Bulma might have to come out here an' fix everything herself!”

Chikori had no idea who that was or what any of that mattered. Instead, she crossed her arms again and stared up defiantly at the taller Saiyan. Sensing that he was about to lose her interest in fighting, much less getting out what was bugging her, Greg tried again.

“So, how's 'bout that spar? If you beat me, I'll drop it an' leave you 'lones, if you wish. But if I beat ya, ya gotta tell me what's eatin' at ya.”

She sized him up again. She didn't need a scouter to tell her that he outclassed her. Survival instincts told her to flee, but her boiling Saiyan blood refused to turn down the challenge. And she still needed a punching bag to let out all of this tension, if she couldn't do any of the PQs. She'd like to not destroy the first one she set eyes upon.

“...Fine. You're on.”

Chikori followed Greg to an unused training arena. She stopped some paces behind him, looking around. It was like a coliseum, but instead of the stone, blood-stained seating that she knew, the seating here was made of metal. The walls that separated the seats from the arena were colorfully decorated with flags and symbols of unfamiliar origins to her. The actual arena itself was a simple, open area. Tiles marked the ground upon which combatants would fight. There was nothing to hide behind or use as an object to throw at someone. Surrounding the ring was grass, upon which some debris was being picked up by the bots that helped keep Toki Toki City clean.

There were hardly any Patrollers in the stadium at the moment. She could see some in the bleachers, spread apart enough that it was clear none of them were interacting with the others that they weren't already talking to. None of them would bat an eye at a couple of Saiyans using it.

Greg turned around to face Chikori. He crushed his hands together, cracking his knuckles as the easy-going, jovial face he wore instantly changed to serious.

“Alright! Now I wants ya to come at me like yer life depends on it!”

Chikori didn't hesitate.

“Haaaaaa!!!!”

She charged at him, aiming a kick at his head. It connected, giving herself a small satisfied smirk... until she realized that he wasn't giving under the force of it.

He didn't even flinch.

“Gahahaha!! That's a nice kick!” He held up a hand to push her away, and immediately she jumps far back, like a cat. Fear is alight in her skin, every sense in her screaming to dodge before he can touch her. She hasn't been this agile in years.

“But didn't I say to come at me like yer life depended onnit?”

He's quick. Quicker than her. Before she can realize where he is, he's already thrown several punches at her. All she can see is the sky spinning. The force of the wall-- no the ground-- that hits the side of her head as she crashes into the tiled floor comes far after she realizes the spinning has stopped. She can feel a deep impression in the ground, and struggles to focus her vision on the line of sky that separates ground level from her depression.

“'Ey! I reckon' you's got more'n that in ya, right?!” She can hear him shouting from somewhere far away, somewhere above her head. It's somewhere far away from this depression in the ground. “What happened to all that anger, lil' lady?”

Well, it sure wasn't beaten out of her in just one blow. Chikori reaches out a hand to pick herself up out of the ground. It travels up the uneven, rough rocky cavern until air tickles her fingers. She lifts her hand up and slaps down on the smooth tile, pulling herself out of the ground. She spits out the dirt and gravel that had managed to find its way into her mouth. Blood trickles down her head from where she hit the ground, and she wipes it out of her eyes. Those green eyes of her glare down Greg with a fiery passion that she hadn't dare show before. One that she hasn't felt in what feels like decades.

“That's a good look in your eyes. Great! Now c'mon, hit me with all ya got!”

With a yell, Chikori launches herself at him again. He easily dodges the flurry of kicks she sends his way, a smile on his face as he closes his eyes. Air breezes past his ears. He ducks to avoid a swinging kick aimed at his head, and sidesteps the incoming punch. He doesn't need his eyes open to read her movements.

“Ha! Yer like an open book.”

With a scream, she throws a punch at his head; it goes sailing past. Without any wasted movements, he's taken ahold of her and thrown her all the way over his shoulder. Chikori crashed into the wall on the far side. Tile falls down around her. Letting out a hiss of pain, she struggles to stand straight on her feet. Move! she yells at her legs, which threaten to buckle under her weight. Move! Get up! Stand!! With each thought she's taken a step forward, out of the ground. Panting, she looks up at him. Glaring.

“Is that....” She gasps, sharp pain taking the air out of her as she forces herself to speak. Chikori grits her teeth, fangs baring. A scream welling up inside her, as she yells, “Is that... All... YOU... GOT!?!?”

He had to hand it to her. He didn't think she'd be getting up so quickly from that one, even if she was struggling to stand, much less breathe. Probably broke a rib or something, but now wasn't the time to worry about that.

Now was the time to egg her on. To let that anger out in full force. Now was the time... for a hearty laugh!

“Gahahaha! Well, it's nice ta' see that ya got our indomitable spirit! But where's some of tha' fight?! I'm gettin' kinda bored here just watchin' you buzz 'round me like a fly. Don't wanna pull out the fly swatta just yet.”

Chikori gave Greg a rude gesture. He laughed loudly, a big guffaw.

It wasn't funny to her.

She charges at him again. And once more, he dodges her as easily as one moves around a toddler. He takes ahold of the punch she's thrown, and she twists herself like a cartwheel to throw a kick at his wrist to let herself go.

It's ineffective.

She feels like a toddler, just trying to hit him. Like when Fallafal's nieces would throw a tantrum and wail and bang against him because he wouldn't let them play with the model truck his family kept on a high shelf. She felt... helpless.

And she hated that.

Growling, she charges up ki in her hand and shoots it at his face, causing him to loosen his grip on her and stumble backwards. She floats high into the air, aiming more ki blasts at him. She's trying to keep him on his toes, growling and screaming in frustration as she shoots off the small energy blasts. But he regains his footing from the surprise blast. In no time at all, he's easily swatting them away like it was nothing. Clouds of dust burst from the ground where the scattered blasts landed. It gave her an idea. She changed tactics, shooting at the ground around him to build up a dust cloud.

“'Ey! What're you aimin' at?! ….Ahaha! I git it now. Thinkin' yer can sneak up on ol' Greg with an attack like this? Ain't no trouble for me!” He spins around at an impossible speed, building up a blue tornado that gathers up the dust. He's rising into the air with it as he controls the force. The tornado's still going when he stops spinning, eyes quickly searching for the small Saiyan. Behind him, he senses her ki. He turns around and grabs the outstretched leg, stopping her kick as she now struggled mid-air.

“Gotcha.”

He spins around like a discus thrower, tossing her into the ground.

This was beyond frustrating. Tears were welling up in her eyes. She pushes herself off the ground, stumbling to get her footing. She wasn't going to give up. Focusing, she stretches her arms in front of her, hands close together, palms facing outward. She charges ki into her hands, holding it long enough that when it launches, there's a trail of energy that follows behind. But rather than swat it away, he leaves an afterimage that dissipates the moment her attack touches. She wasn't even able to get a read on his movements.

“Now... lessee if you can take some of what yer tryna dish out.”

He's in her face before she's realized it.

“Boo!”

He claps her on the shoulder, and she's immediately swatted sideways into another wall. This time, he doesn't wait for her to recover. He's coming out her with his own techniques, holding back his true strength so as to not kill her. It was a playfight, after all. Training, if you could call it that. He could tell that Chikori needed some kind of catharsis when he first talked to her. Whatever was upsetting her, he knew that knocking her out before she could achieve it was counterproductive to what he was trying to do.

“Don't'chu go passin' out on me! 'Ere.” He tossed a capsule at her. It fell to the floor with a soft clatter. Worried that he might have knocked her out already, he looked at her more closely. She was staring back defiantly. She spat out what was probably blood and a tooth that he might have knocked loose.

He gave her a disapproving look. “I ain't tryna poison you, if tha's what yer worried 'bout! It's a healin' capsule. Swallow what's inside it an' you'll get yer energy back. Like a Senzu.”

Chikori didn't know what a Senzu was, and she didn't care to find out at the moment. She ignored it, instead getting herself into a new ready position.

“Take it, little lady,” he growled, his voice low with a warning tone. “You'll thank me for it later.”

In response, she stomped the capsule into the ground.

“Don't want the help? Fine, suit yerself. Don't say I din't offer!”

One more beating later, and he had managed to force-feed a nearly-passed out Chikori a Senzu Bean that he had fished out of a shirt pocket. The shorter Saiyan struggled out of his hold like a feral cat when she came to. She scrambled to get away from him, heartbeat still pounding from the excitement of battle. Her tail was puffed out; she was practically hissing at him to stay back, despite the fact that he was more than capable of taking anything she could dish out.

He crossed his arms, and tried to keep his frustration from showing.

“Ya should be thankin' me, ya'know. Us Saiyans git stronger every time we pick ourselves off th' ground.”

“...”

“You don't like to talk, do ya?”

“...”

“Alright, alright, fine. Here's an easier one. My name's Greg. What's yer name?”

“....It's Chikori.”

“Chikori! Why, I ain't heard a Saiyan name like that in a long time-- not too many Saiyans got them traditional names anymore. Ain't nuthin' wrong with that, though! So, 'bout wha'cher upset about earlier...”

There was a tense silence as she leaned away from him. He took the sign and sighed.

“You ain't gotta tell me what's actually goin' on, if you don't wanna. You jus' seemed madder than a wet hen. Well, I'm here ta' tell ya' that a fledgling Saiyan like you ain't got nothin' to worry 'bout, here with tha' Time Patrol. We're good people, doin' good things. Well, as good as you can let 'em be, given that it's 'bout protectin' history. Good, bad, an' ugly.”

“...I'm 25.”

He laughed. “Yer still a fledgling! I ain't callin' you one 'cuz of yer size, it's 'cuz of yer heart!! Ain't nothin' but a youngin' that goes 'round getting' upset an' lettin' strangers fight 'em ta' 'void talkin' 'bout it. C'mon, I'll take ya out on a PQ. We'll kick some apes' asses, an' I'll show you how it's all done in one go.”

The way he said it felt a little patronizing to Chikori. Her tail unfurled from around her waist, swishing angrily in the air with short, curt movements. But more than that...

“Didn't you say earlier--”

“Eh, I could take ya if ya turned Ape.”

“For what it's worth, I don't plan on turning into a Great Ape,” Chikori said when they arrived at their destination. Greg gave her knowing smile.

“Yah, no one plans on it. Doesn't mean accidents don't happen! 'Ere.” He tossed a pair of goggles to her. She caught them, giving him a questioning look. “Moon glasses. Think o' 'em like sunglasses, 'cept they block out the moon an' them whatchamacallit waves that transform ya. I know, I know, they look like goggles an' not glasses, but it's'ta keep it on ya better.”

Chikori looked around, noticing the bright sky and lack of night.

“It's day.”

“Ya, these Great Ape fights are durin' the day! Didn't ya know 'bout the artificial moons? Thought all ya old-fashioned Saiyans knew 'bout 'em...”

She shook her head. Chikori had heard about the technique called a Power Ball, but had never bothered to learn it. It was beyond her skill level, and she was fortunate enough that she had hardly needed it, much less worked with other Saiyans when she was part of the Frieza Force. As part of the scouting and recon ships, they hardly needed the manpower that required Saiyans to turn Great Ape. They hardly needed a Saiyan's power at all, in her experience.

She felt a sharp pain in her head, and clutched at it, letting out a small hiss of pain.

“Woah, woah. You ok there Chikori?” Greg quickly looked up, confirming what he knew. “There ain't e'en a moon made out yet.”

She gritted her teeth, bearing through it. Some echo of a memory threatened to resurface, but she couldn't remember what it was. What the words were. Something... blinking? Black, white lights, several others. Bright, blinding, something her ship's captain was saying.....

“Chikori?!”

She let out a gasp when Greg placed both hands on her shoulders, squeezing her gently.

“I'm... I'm okay.” The pain was beginning to subside. There was just this heavy, dull ache where sharp, blinding pain had been, and soon, the headache was gone as well. Greg handed her a flask, commanding her to drink from it. She eyed it suspiciously.

“It's jus' water.”

She gave the canteen a sniff, wrinkling her nose at the metal smell. But she didn't smell anything acrid, any alcohol---anything that would remind her of him. No, she didn't need that thought right now. She pushed it down, out of sight, and drank. A bit metallic, but it was definitely water. She handed the flask to him. He gave her a concerned look, doubting that she was altogether alright; if it even was a good idea after all to take her on a mission.

“Can you control yerself in yer Great Ape form?”

Chikori frowned. It was a genuine question he had asked. She had little experience with her Great Ape form. Everything would black out, and, she, like most Saiyans, wouldn't remember what happened during that time she was transformed. The thought of not knowing what happened, of what she did, of who she might have killed, was enough to keep her from using that form as much as possible. The night of the last full moon on Planet Tuffle, the night that turned the tide of the war... She hated the memories that the Great Ape forms dredged up.

Asking about it only made her feel even more inadequate.

Greg gave a slow exhale. He took in a deep breath, recollected himself, and decided to bring back the happy spirit by carrying on like usual. He gave her one last stern reminder.

“Well, you better put on 'em glasses if you wanna see o' remember the rest o' the mission.”

Reluctantly, Chikori put them on, adjusting her scouter over it. Greg gave her a grin and a thumbs up.

“Now yer lookin' ready to fight! An' just in time, too, 'cuz here comes one of 'em now.”

The air shook with an intense pressure that greeted the two of them before the Great Ape ever landed. The ground crumbled under the large ape's feet. Even Greg, with his massive size, was like an ant next to the looming giant that glared at the two Saiyans with its red eyes.

Chikori felt her body go weak at the sight of it, but caught herself. She was a Saiyan, she reprimanded herself. Saiyans don't flee from fights. And she wasn't planning on fleeing from any fight, ever. Fists tightening, she charged right in, sending a blast at the Great Ape. It bounced off its armor like a pebble. The Ape laughed, a deep chuckle that sent shivers down her spine. Behind her, she could hear Greg shouting after her.

“'EY! You don't need ta' go chargin' in recklessly like a bull! These damn fledglings...”

With an effortless swat of its hands, Chikori was sent flying into the nearest mountain. Gritting her teeth, she clawed her way out of the depression that it left. She was ready to fly back in there when she heard Greg shouting at the enemy.

“Now look 'ere, Nappa. I knows you ain't too happy to see me beat yer ass again, but that's what it's gonna hafta be. Gotta show these youngsters how to have some Saiyan pride, right? Gahaha! Don't worry, I'll take the real you out for drinks after this!” Greg zoomed past the transformed Saiyan, getting behind the giant beast.

“Chikori! Can ya hear me? Now, to beat these fellas, all's ya gotta do is just... give their tails a great big squeeze--” Greg was big. Big enough that he could wrap his arms all the way around the tail of a Great Ape and lift. “--And lift 'em up into the air like so, and—hup!!” He tossed the Ape into a mountain, the force of which managed to knock it out. “Knock 'em senseless in one hit! Ain't nuthin' else to it!”

And that was it. The fight was over before she had a chance to counterattack. Anti-climatic. Chikori watched him effortlessly toss the Great Ape like a doll, disposing of it before it could ever even fight back against him. Greg was dusting off his hands, looking over at Chikori to see if she had gotten out of that hole that Great Ape Nappa had smacked her into.

“You got all that?”

She nodded slowly. Then... Wait... “...Did you call him Nappa?”

“Yeah?”

“As in, the Saiyan general that works directly under the King's son?”

“Err, yeah, I reckon he did... What's this got to do with anythin', Chikori?”

“I...” Chikori shook her surprise off. No wonder his ki felt intense. No, it wasn't worth worrying about. If he could clear them easily, then it should be fine. After all, these PQs were just little off-shoots of the real timeline. “What-if” scenarios, as Nanna called them. Training material. These weren't the real people, there wasn't any reason to be scared. Nothing to be afraid of. These people wouldn't know that she had dared to raise a hand against them in the real world.

“...No, it's nothing.”

Greg gave her a questioning look, but didn't prod further. “Alrighty, if you say so, little miss. Now, how's 'bout you take on the next one?”

The thought made her body shiver. But she clenched her fists, willing herself to be brave.

“...Sure.”

The next one was a bit of a struggle. Chikori wasn't anywhere near as physically strong as Greg, nor was she was big as him. It was easier for her to grab onto individual strands of the ape's hair than it was for her to grab onto its tail. Greg was doing his best to help subdue the Great Ape long enough for her to lift, only for her toss to be not more than a few yards away.

She was huffing from the exertion it took.

“Well, I reckon' when we git back I oughta help ya build up some muscle...” Greg said, watching the Ape pick itself up. “C'mon now, Chikori! You can do this! I'll give him a good punch in the face, an' you can finish 'im off with another toss!”

Letting out a frustrated growl, she flew behind the Great Ape. Greg flew above, punching hard into the transformed Saiyan's head, knocking him down into the ground. Chikori tugged and pulled at the tail, but the beast recovered before she could lift him off the ground. He moved his tail and grabbed at the tiny Saiyan that was clinging onto it, squeezing her as he picked her up.

Chikori screamed in pain.

“CHIKORI!!” Greg sped down to aim a kick at the Ape's fist, but was backhanded away.

The Ape glared down at Chikori with its red eyes.

“You....” He breathed heavily, ape breath stronger than the pain he was causing her. “You're a Saiyan too. Why not join us in our rampage?”

She gagged, though it wasn't from the offer alone.

“Bite me!”

“Oh, I'll do more than just that. I'll tear you, limb from limb. Should I start from your tail, since you don't want to transform? Or maybe I'll show you some mercy, and tear your head off first?”

There was something... unsettlingly familiar about the threats. About the voice. But she had no way to be certain. She had never met him. Never heard him speak in anything resembling public speaking. She had only heard stories about the self-proclaimed King's son, about the so-called Prince. About how his cruelty rivaled Frieza's... or so the stories said.

She tried to push her way out of his grasp. She couldn't get a single hand free.

He put a claw right in front of her face; it was larger than her head. The threat was not lost on her.

“Well? Have you decided?”

“VEGETA!! A'HM NOT OUTTA THA' FIGHT YET!!!” There was a surge in ki, and before either of them could blink, Greg had kicked through the Great Ape's hand. Blood spewed. In his pain, the Great Ape Vegeta had let go of Chikori, clutching his missing hand and roaring in pain and anger. Greg caught Chikori before she fell, safely transporting her to the ground.

“You okay, lil' miss?”

No. She wasn't okay. Her muscles ached from the tight grip. Perhaps she had even broken a bone or two. She couldn't tell, because her entire body ached. But more than that, her pride was wounded. She absolutely hated the feeling of powerlessness. Of being unable to do anything. Of having to rely on other for help. She needed to get by on her own power.

After all...

Help never came when you needed it.

Groaning, she pushed herself away from Greg. He put her down next to boulder. He leaned her down until her back was resting against it.

“Careful. Yer mighty hurt right now. I reckon this mighta been too high-level a mission for ya, but I thought it mighta been worthwhile for ya to see tha' yer anger ain't gonna git you nowheres if you keep on like you were. Guess I was wrong in thinkin' you might be a decent team player.” He let out a low whistle. “I'd hate ta be in yer trainer's shoes, if yer like this all the time.”

Chikori coughed, her throat scratched to hell and back from the screaming and blood she was hacking up. She looked down. Her armor was cracked and falling apart. She could see the brightly colored clothing that Fallafal's older sister was kind enough to give her when they were back on Earth. Fallafal would have something to say about how it was torn up, and she knew he'd tell it to her while he mended it. The blood though... Heh. He might faint at the sight of it. Her breath caught in her throat as she took a raspy gasp. She covered her mouth with her hand while she choked on her cough. She pulled her hand back and saw something red on it. Blood. Her blood. She tried to move a leg. It felt like a massive weight was sitting on it, something as heavy as the Great Ape that lumbered towards them. She couldn't even feel the pain from it. She coughed again, trying not to think about the blood.

Her blood.

She was losing blood.

Wasn't that bad?

Somewhere, she was faintly aware of thunder. Of the rumbling ground. Pebbles that jumped up and danced around on the ground, while she laid there, struggling to move. That wasn't fair. She wanted—no, needed—to move too. C'mon, body. Move! She was shouting at it, struggling to assess just how badly it was hurt. She wasn't supposed to die like this!

(She wasn't supposed to be here, either.)

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair!

Her lips moved, but no sound came out. The thunder was louder now.

Greg fished around in his pocket for a handkerchief. He began to wipe the blood away from Chikori's mouth, and she jerked away like a petulant child. She didn't want the assistance. She could do that on her own when they got back to Tokitoki City. Besides, there was a storm coming. Didn't he need to do something about it? He was supposed to, wasn't he...?

Greg frowned at her. “Hold yer head still, Chikori.”

She whispered something.

“I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear ya on account of all the blood yer coughin' up! Seriously...” He didn't seem bothered by the towering figure that loomed over them now that it had finally stopped howling in pain. Greg was still struggling to wipe the blood away from Chikori's mouth, despite her barely conscious mind jerking her head away from him.

“I...said......Fuck... THIS!”

With what strength she could muster, Chikori pushed Greg away from her. She ripped off her scouter, the stupid damned moon-gogglesthe Time Patrol had invented, and looked above to see the massive figure of the Great Ape blocking out every bit of light. Blood was dripping down his arm, falling in big droplets that splashed when it hit the ground.

“I'm sorry, but that offer to join us has expired. You're going to die now.”

“Like hell it has!” Her eyesight was blurring. Hair was sticking to her face from a mixture of blood and sweat, and she struggled to ignore it. She concentrated a ki blast in her hand, throwing it at one of the Ape's eyes. He snarled, holding a hand up to block it. While he was distracted, Chikori shot out from under his shadow, quickly looking around for that artificial moon that was allowing the Saiyan Prince to maintain his transformation. She could hear Greg shouting something behind her, but his voice was drowned out by the roar of the ape as he turned his attention onto him. Chikori's small size made it easier for her to hide amongst the rocky scene, and it was clear to Vegeta, even in his Great Ape form, that she was no threat to him. Even if she transformed...

There! She could catch the glimpse of something bright. Her heart beat faster. She had never changed intentionally before. It felt like she was crossing a line, one that she didn't realize she had placed so much emphasis on before. But it wasn't to turn on the Saiyan that had invited her here. It was to beat the shit out of the one that mocked and hurt her. To prove that she was capable of great strength, even if she had to go to lengths that... that what? The thoughts stopped there. She couldn't chase that sentence anymore. It had gone on too far ahead of her, and her eyes were closing, struggling to stay open...

The distant roar of the Great Ape rumbled through her. Her eyes snapped open again. Her body ached. She was sure she had broken bones somewhere, but not enough that it would hinder her if she changed. Her Saiyan blood was rushing now with adrenaline, from the anticipation of battle. It had given her a spurt of vigor that she hadn't known she was capable of. It was bleeding from the cut on her head again. It was in patches over her clothes. It pounded with excitement. She had never been pushed like this before; she had always played it safe. Could she, would she--?

Everything blacked out.

Nothing could have prepared Fallafal for what he saw when he walked into the nearby diner in Tokitoki City.

He had only wanted to stop in for some pop, and take some time to wind down from the day's events while seated at the counter. He had called Nanna and Mulla to help him with a person who had mysteriously arrived in the Central Hub. He was someone that he had seen Chikori talking to, albeit with very little excitement. That Saiyan that he saw Chikori talking to out in the Central Hub was identified as a Saiyan Commander, and it sure explained why her mood had suddenly gone sour. They had finished questioning him, with Fallafal taking notes, and now he was on his way to see her. Or, well, he needed to find her first, then see how she was doing.

At the counter, near where he normally sat, was Chikori, slouched over the counter like she was asleep. Her armor was broken in places, the clothing underneath looking torn to shreds. There was a white jacket draped over her backside like a blanket. Next to her was a large man in a blue shirt, itching at his goatee while he talked to someone on his left. The guy had ordered a water for her that was left untouched, and was drinking a strawberry shake for himself.

Fallafal was beside himself. He rushed over, unable to restrain himself as he fretted over her passed out form.

“WHAT IN THE HELL HAPPENED TO HER?!”

The man next to her took a sip from his drink and calmly answered him.

“Saw a moon.”

“...W-what?”

“She's better now. Ain'cha girl?” He gave her unconscious form a prod. “How're we feelin'?”

They could barely hear the utterances of a groan come from her.

“Yeah, yer fine.”

“I'll be...” Fallafal shook his head, turning to address the stranger more properly. “I'm so sorry, sir, for her... outburst. Do you mind tellin' me what happened?”

“Yeah!” He laughed. “It ain't no problem at all! See, she saw a moon, wen' an' become the Ape, so 'ah had to smack 'er against a mountain a coupla times to get her all incapacitated-like. She'll be fine.”

“WHA-- WHA'S THAT S'POSED TO MEAN?? YER TELLIN' ME SHE'S S'POSED TO BE OK AF'TA THAT???" That was more than enough for his normal dialect to slip out.

“Don't worry, I'm sure no one was recordin' it, if dat's what'cher worried 'bout.” He took another sip from his drink. Seems this younger feller's awfully worried 'bout her, he thought with a smile. He couldn't help it.

"R-recordin'? What th' hell's that got to do with anythin'?! I'm worried 'bout her health!! Got damnit, I ain't got none of those capsules them Majins told us 'bout...." He fumbled about his pockets, trying to find something to wake Chikori up with.

"Don'chu worry yerself none 'bout that. I already used a coupla when she got back t'a normal, she'll jus' need some rest. It ain't my first time wranglin' Great Apes; I know how 'ard to hit 'em to make 'em stop without lastin' damage. Enough to get 'er knocked out, but not to cause lastin' damage. Prolly wake up with a headache, though.”

As though on cue, Chikori let out a groan.

“There's our girl.”

“The hell?! Yer tryna' tell me tha's ok!?” Fallafal turned his full attention to Chikori, helping the Saiyan slowly sit up. “Hey, hey... You ok?”

“Fallafal...?” Blinking awake, she looked around. This wasn't that rocky outcropping where they were fighting the apes. This wasn't... anywhere that she was familiar with! Panic seized her, making her jump up, suddenly alert, ready to fight-- only for the motion to cause a pounding headache to nearly knock her back down. Fallafal kept her steady as she gritted her teeth, trying not to sway. He slowly guided her back down to her seat.

"Ah, there we go, already up'an'attem. Take it slow, Chikori. Yer head's gonna hurt a bit, but I got painkillers on hand."

Greg dug through his shirt pocket for one. Chikori glared at him. Fallafal barely had the water in hand to pass to her when she grabbed the pill out of Greg's hand, swallowing it dry.

"Uh... Ch'ikori? I ain't thinks yer s'posed to take that dry."

Chikori turned her glare on him and Fallafal kept his mouth shut.

Greg slapped his knee, amused at that little event.

“Hah! Thought I was th' only one who took 'em dry too!” He gave them a hearty laugh, but when neither of them join in, he stopped, sobering up for the moment. "Ah... but uh, seriously, don't worry little lady. Yer in good hands. Ah made sure yeh got out of it a-ok."

Bitter thoughts embroiled Chikori. She didn't say anything, too stubborn and prideful to concede her loss. It didn't seem like she often had the traits that Saiyans were known for: hot-headedness, pride, stubbornness. But this time was one of those times. Rather than say thanks, she glared at the Saiyan who had helped her, against her will. And took her on that PQ, against her skill level. Irresponsible of him, really. She had nothing to thank him for.

Fallafal, on the other hand, couldn't stand the lack of manners that she was displaying right now.

"A-ah, Chikori!” Seeing that it was hopeless, he turned towards Greg and bowed. “.... Err, S-sir, thank you for taking care of Chikori!"

"Heh, any time! I always make sure mah team is taken care of! But uh, no need ta be so formal 'round me, ya can relax. I ain't needin' it."

Greg rubbed the back of his neck, not used to such formalities directed towards him.

"Don't think I got y'er name, by the by. Judgin' by your concern, ya must be friends with Chikori. The name's Greg.”

"Haha... Thank you, sir. I mighty appreciate it. Name's Fallafal." Fallafal held out his hand for a handshake, not aware of the incoming squeeze he was about to receive. "If ya don't mind me askin', where're you from, sir? I aint' heard too many people with our kinda accents here... an' it's already hard 'nuff bein' a human round here too."

Greg gave Fallafal a remarkably firm handshake. He made sure not to use his full strength, but he couldn't help giving it a bit of a squeeze nonetheless. Fallafal winced at the grip, but he did his best to give his own right back (with whatever meagre strength he had, compared to so many other fighters, he found himself thinking in the back of his head--)

While they were talking, Chikori took a look around the... bar? cafe? Whatever it is that they're in. All sorts of Patrollers were there, taking a break from their busy lives. Friends were laughing together, others clinking glasses together. The merriment reminded her so much of the bars back home-- and something inside of her ached, unrelated to the physical injuries. She winced, and took a sip from the glass that Fallafal had put back on the counter. It was dry before she was done drink, and, with some regret at its emptiness, she placed it back down on the counter. Someone on the other side of the counter came over and filled it up for her, and she thanked them. It was out of the corner of her eye that she saw it.

Purple skin. Black horns. A height nearly as tall as Greg, and an ego that couldn't be dimishned, even among a crowd. Her skin crawled. Her breathing quickened. Her pulse was pounding in her head worse than any headache could give her. She took her hand off the counter and hid it underneath. She curled it into a fist, squeezing with as much strength as she could at the moment.

That... couldn't be... right... Was this a nightmare? Was she still unconscious, trapped in some haunting memories that were bleeding together to make whatever this could be?

"Heheh, well ah can tell ya I ain't's a human, though guess without th' ol' tail, wouldn't be able to tell a human from a Saiyan!” Greg laughed, and Fallafal joined in nervously.

"Ah, I sees. I heard 'em talkin' 'bout how somes of the Saiyans got'er tails removed, an'--" he stopped, his eyes glancing at Chikori as he remembered the topic when it came up before. Guilt started to gnaw at him. But before he could feel bad about the topic that came up, he noticed that she's more rigid than a right angle. Her tail, which had been lifeless while she was knocked out, is now puffed out to twice its width. It quickly wrapped around her waist instinctively, fur still bristling. He could see beads of sweat forming. A trembling that he hadn't gotten used to seeing in her.

"Chikori? You ok?"

He reached out to touch her, and she jumped in her seat, scowling at him for startling her. Fallafal gave her a sheepish smile, holding his hands up defensively.

Greg was quick to notice the sudden rise in Chikori's ki. The fear that she held was plain on her face as she struggled to keep her composure. It didn't take him long to figure out why, as one look at his drinking buddy explained it all.

"Oh... uh, right then, guess I should uh, 'splain this. Fallafal, this is mah drinkin' buddy, Captain Ginyu."

Captain Ginyu gave the pair a surprisingly welcoming wave. Surprising, considering who he worked for, and the reputation that preceded him.

Fallafal hazard a glance at the Captain.

"A-ah... Pleasure to meet you, Cap'n Ginyu."

His gaze went back to Chikori again, trying to register how okay she was right now, or if he needed to figure out an emergency exit. He tried again to let her know that he was there for her by putting a hand on Chikori's shoulder, giving it a gentle but firm squeeze. Hoping it could help ground her. She jumped in her seat again, instinctively wanting to spin and toss him, before seeing that it was Fallafal, and not an enemy, that had taken hold of her.

"This 'ere's Chikori, sir. We're newer recruits to the Time Patrol."

"A pleasure to meet the both of you two! Glad to see your Saiyan friend has gotten back on her feet! I'll admit, I was concerned when Greg had to cancel our usual drinking night when he mentioned a work incident, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn't check in on him?!"

Greg chucked under his breath. He was more concerned about Chikori.

"Eheh, yeah... Guess I can gauge Chikori don't have any good memories with none of Frieza's men, as I think is normal with a lot o' races, I s'pose, 'specially us Saiyans... If it means any sort of comfort, Chikori,” he began, turning towards her. Her wide, green eyes were focused on Captain Ginyu. Greg continued speaking as calmly and clearly to her as he could, “Ginyu is off the clock, an' the Miss Kai of Time's got some pretty strict policies in place so people like 'im can help train some o' the other Patrollers, so yer safety is assured. Ain't he nor no one else s'pose to hurt you while yer in TokiToki."

The more the two men spoke, the more Chikori's nerves felt like nails on a chalkboard. The cheerful laugh, the humor and camadrie... but no, all she could hear was the sound of Captain Ginyu's voice recorded along the halls of the various stations, encouraging everyone to fight for Frieza, long live the Frieza Force! The background noise of the (pub? cafe? eating station? she couldn't tell anymore) bleeded into the sounds of a cafeteria. Of a recorded speech where Ginyu talked about the greatness that is the Frieza Force amongst a Saiyan barracks' cafeteria, the hall lined with silent, fuzzy tension that everyone wanted to break, but none had the power to.

She screamed, lunging past Greg--

--only to fall silent as he hand-chopped the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious. His movements were calm and concise. Her forward momentum allowed him to catch her in his arms, and he lifted her back up by the back of her shirt. With great care, he guided her unconscious body back to her seat, doing his best not to add to her injuries.

A small exhale escapes him after a couple seconds pass.

Fallafal was the first to break the silence. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, sirs!!" He rushed to take Chikori from Greg. “I--”

Greg held up a hand to stop Fallafal midsentence, and the human fell silent.

"...Fallafal, I 'pologize for knocking her out ag'in. If you would, please take 'er to 'er home an' make sure she is settled."

He turned around to address his friend. But before he can say anything, the Captain's already on his feet, hands on his hips as he looked indignantly at the passed out Saiyan.

“What in the world was that for?! I did absolutely nothing to her!”

“Well didn't I say tha' maybe we Saiyains ain't got the best history wit' you an' yer employer?”

“And?! That gives her absolutely no excuse to go attacking me on the street. Of all the nerve... And she didn't even do a battle pose beforehand!”

Greg was quiet for a moment. He let out a long sigh, deciding that it wasn't worth it to explain to his buddy right now why now wasn't the time nor the place for that conversation again.

"Might be in yer best interest for ya t'a git on th' trail. If she wakes up sooner than later an' sees yer still here, she might try to git yeh again."

Which meant nothing to the captain, who merely laughed off Greg's concerns.

“Greg! Buddy of mine!” Ginyu slapped Greg on the back, leaning onto him. He was completely unaware of the glare that Fallafal was giving him, even though the Earthling had no idea who this strange man was. “Do you really think a little Saiyan girl like her could do any harm against someone like me? I'm Captain Ginyu! She couldn't even make a dent in my armor!”

Greg slowly took Ginyu's hand from off his shoulder. He spoke slowly this time, choosing his words carefully, so the captain might glean their meaning.

“It ain't 'bout whether or not she could take ya. It's 'bout whether or not she could live from it. An' don't forgit. We's in TokiToki. Ain't no fightin' allowed on the city streets, but I git you to any sort of trainin' facility...”

Finally getting the hint, Ginyu backed away slowly. “Well then. I think it would be prudent if I head back. The Ginyu Force's Special Pose Training is soon! We're working on a new formation to welcome some special cadets with!” Ginyu looked over at Fallafal, completely unaffected by the human's glare, his composure back to normal. “I wish you two Time Patrol recruits luck!”

And with that, he left.

Fallafal was conflicted on whether or not he should have offered another apology to Ginyu, unsure of how to respond to him after that. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding once the captain had left, and adjusted his hold on Chikori. He was muttering quietly to himself about this being “a pickle of a situation”. Although this wasn't the first time he had seen Chikori lash out suddenly, it was still a time that he had seen it, and he was once again powerless to help her.

It was a good thing that they lived in the countryside, back on Earth....

"I... I'm..." He let out a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry I couldn't... help....."

Regardless of whether or not he have done anything to restrainher, he felt bad that he couldn't help her feel safe. But what was done was done.

"Can I tell ya sumthin', Greg?"

"Go ahead, Fallafal. Jus' hope a'h haven't made a bad first impression."

Fallafal shook his head. "No! Not at all, sir! You've..." given him something to hope for? A goal to reach? Ah, but it wasn't possible for him; Greg said he was a Saiyan, and Fallafal... he was just an ordinary Earthling. A human.

"I... I only joined up with th' time patrol 'cuz of Chikori. She didn't ask me or nuthin', hell, I wasn't even part of the equation that our trainers were asked to solve." He looked down at her passed out form. Even then, she hardly looked like she was at peace.

"I jus'.... I wanna see her happy, y'know? Not... having outbursts like that ag'in. I know, I know, it ain't easy, an' I ain't qualified to be no therapist or nothin', but... I wanna be able to help 'er when she gets like that. I wanna be able to calm 'er down, or hold 'er back, or, or... just SUMTHIN'!" He slammed a fist onto the counter. Chikori started to slip, and he quickly adjusted his hold on her again, cursing under his breath.

"....I'm startin' to see that jus' ain't possible for an orn'ary human like me."

Greg nodded thoughtfully as he listened to Fallafal. The more the younger guy talked, the easier it was to see that the human had a crush on the Saiyan he was holding. All the signs you could check for, he could tick the box right off. He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, but quickly let out a couch to hide the fact that he found Fallafal's crush charming.

“I think I'm pickin' up what yer puttin' down. I'd rightly say she's lucky to have someone lookin' out for her. I'll let you in on a little secret, just between you an' me. Us Saiyans can be pretty darn stubborn. Many of 'em have a deep sense o' pride, sometimes too much if ya ask me! Makes 'em wanna keep fightin' e'en when the odds are ag'inst 'em. Reckon partly mighta been 'cuz of ol' King Vegeta enforcin' such a brutal lifestyle when he were around, but I couldn't tell you for sure.”

Fallafal rolled his eyes at the “secret”, hearing it from Chikori herself how stubborn Saiyans could be. “You could say that ag'in. Ain't ever met someone so stubborn in my entire life, an' I got two little nieces! Them girls is more spoiled than days old milk!”

Greg laughed, clapping Fallafal on the back.

“Sounds like them girls just got you wrapped right 'round their pretty little fingers.”

“Naw-uh, they just thinkin' they do. Moment they start actin' up, they go tellin' on me to their ma for not lettin' 'em have their way. Reckon my sis just thinks it's even for how I was when we was growin' up.” He let out a wistful sigh; he never knew he could miss his family so much. It almost made him want to go home, but the shifting weight of the Saiyan he held up reminded him of why he stayed.

Greg thought for a moment. Talking about Earth reminded him about how Vegeta—the same one that had thrashed Chikori and threatened to pop her head off-- had heavily mellowed out after making Earth his new home. He always found it interesting, how such a small, remote planet could calm such vicious fighters. He had half a mind to ask Fallafal about what Chikori was like when they met, but decided to save that for another day.

“I'll have you know, not everyone's got that kind of patience with Saiyans as you seem ta with Chikori.” Sounds like you an' her are mighty friendly towards the other if she brought ya along to the Time Patrol.”

Fallafal nodded, though he pretended to not hear the subtle hinting the Saiyan man was getting at. “I been told patience is one o' my virtues, an' I don't e'en feel like it's been tested 'round her that much, 'cuz she's usually more reasonable, but...” There were times. Like earlier today, with that stranger he had seen her speaking to. “Reason goes all out the door when it comes to PTSD. An' sure'n'uff, she's got plenty of it. She ain't told me all the details of her life, but I reckon it's got a lot to do with.... whatever yer 'friend' Ginyu does, judging by what happened... An' it's not like she asked them to bring me along!” Fallafal found his face warming at the memory, much to his dismay. He looked away from the two Saiyans, deciding to fixate his attention on a very interesting part of the wall. Verrrry interesting. But not enough that he couldn't keep himself from talking.

“I asked-- no, demanded that them Majins bring me. Told 'em I wasn't gonna let 'em take Chikori without me.” Nope, the wall was too high up, time to burn a hole in the floor while pretending that he wasn't blushing. Yep, floor. Much safer. Ain't no eye contact down here. He cleared his throat. How the Majins had responded to him was always sobering, and it didn't take long for that embarrassed smile to fade. “....They laughed at me, askin' me how's I was s'pposed to stop 'em from takin' her if I couldn't e'en beat 'em in a fight.”

He let out a long sigh. He didn't like remembering, but the Majins didn't make it easy to forget, with the constant “oh yeah, you're here too” attitude that they gave him. They treated him like an afterthought. Worthless. It made him want to tell them to put a sock in it, but they were kind enough to let him join them afterall. Even take responsibility for him when they got chewed out by the Kai of Time for taking him with. Maybe it was just hazing? Though, they didn't treat Chikori with the same indifference as they gave him.

Greg watched Fallafal fall quiet. The mood was getting sulky again, and he didn't want the two youngings to leave him with a sad smile on their faces, even if one of them was passed out at the moment. He placed a hand on Fallafal's shoulder, getting the young man's attention.

“I will say tha' you shouldn't sell yerself short, though. If yer dead set on tryin' to be able to keep her from getting' hurt or lashin' out on others like that, then use that drive to make yerself stronger! Ya got somethin' you thinks is worth defendin'!”

Fallafal's face was pink again at Greg's words, but he nodded in agreement.

“Yer right. It's not like I did this without havin' somethin' I wanted to protect. It took a lot of courage to be able to just leave my kin; my Ma and Pa, my sister an' nieces. Kami knows I didn't wanna leave 'em behind, an' I miss 'em e'ery day tha' I'm here. E'en writin' letters that I ain't sure how yet to send 'em. But I left, 'cuz I... I figured I might be of more help to her 'ere than if I stayed at home, wonderin' if she were okay 'til the cows came home.”

His face was burning again. He used his free hand to hide his face for a few moments.

"GAH!!! This is so embarrassin'... I prolly sound like a sap to some seasoned warrior like ya."

He couldn't help but make a dorky grin as he realized how much he had spilled his guts out like this.

"Hah! Not really! We all need someone, an' seems like you got your heart out on her! I'd say she's a lucky one!"

“S-Sir, pleaaase....”

If anything, he felt like the lucky one between the two. Even though life on Earth was peaceful compared to what she had lived, her coming into his had somehow livened up and brought new perspectives to what he knew as mundane.It gave him a new appreciation for his life, and everything in it. That included her, and he had told her as much one time.

He doubted that Chikori would ever feel the same towards him, though. She seemed confused at his sentiment, and always spoke with detachment when it came to her life, back then or even before they met. If anything, seeing raw emotion out of her was such a rare, and sometimes ugly, experience. He often didn't know what to do. So maybe that was why he thought coming along with her, he might learn enough about her to figure it out. To be better able to help her.

“C-can we talk 'bout sumthin' else?!”

Greg laughed, patting the human's shoulder. As much as he enjoyed seeing young love, there was still one more topic that he had wanted to address with the young man.

“That all said... if e'er ya wanna know more 'bout us Saiyans, I reckon I could give you a crash course. 'Course, that don't mean the history lesson's gonna be easy. I'm one o' the lucky ones, ain't from the time that I reckon she might be knowin', if her name's anythin' to go by.”

“Her name?” Fallafal blinked. He didn't understand what her name had to do with anything.

“Ah, it ain't much, but some time ago we Saiyans used ta have names that were mighty diff'nt than yours an' mine. They all say mah name's weird, but I think theirs is weird too. But that's neither here nor there. If ya wanna know, I'm more'n free 'nuff to tell ya.”

“I... see...”

Fallafal was thinking about it when Chikori groaned.

“I'll hafta take a raincheck on that, sir. I reckon Chikori's needin' sleep more'n I need answers.”

Greg nodded. “Seems wise. Well, I'll give ya my contact info so ya two can get 'hold of me if ever you need me. Oh! An' I reckon y'all might need some mentors, if you ain't got some yet. They help ya train an' teach ya so you can git yerself outta any scrape. If yer gonna be callin' yerself a Time Patroller, yer gonna wanna partner up with one of 'em. Krillin is usually a safe bet, very friendly an' good with newcomers! He's a human, too! Yeh'd like 'im, I bet! I'm thinkin' Chikori might liken a no-nonsense girl like his wife, 18. She's kinda scary, but yeh'll know she's sweet 'nuff on 'er husband. Heck, maybe e'en Krillin can give ya some pointers!”

Fallafal was listening earnestly to the older Patroller's suggestions, all the way up until that last thing he said. His face turned bright red and he looked far away from Greg, as far as his head would let him turn. “I ain't--”

Greg laughed, clapping his hands. “Boy, you sure are easy to tease. I better lighten up 'fore you pass out from heatstroke!”

“I-wh-but you--” he sputtered, before giving up and hanging his head. “Well, I oughta let you git on with yer evenin', sir. Thank you, for the history lesson. ...An' for helpin' Chikori, I reckon', in what mighta been a way that only you Saiyans would understand."

“Yer welcome. And hey, try not to think too much 'bout what's going on. If she wants ta tell ya, she'll tell ya. I reckon she trusts you well 'nuff, if she didn't push you a way's way from her like she did me!”

Fallafal gave him a doubtful look. He started to pick up Chikori, if only to noticed that the white jacket was still around her. It made the already small Saiyan look even smaller.

“'Ey. This jacket yours, sir?”

“Ah! Yeah, that'd be mine. Y'see...” He lowered his voice, leaning in towards Fallafal. He figured that neither of the two newer recruits would like the embarrassing, yet well-known fact shared aloud. “When a Saiyan turns 'to a Great Ape, they grow mighty big. If they got the right armor on, it'll stretch with 'em. But if what they's wearing ain't 'specially made for it... Well... I figured yer girlie might 'preciate somethin' 'til she's got her armor repaired. Yeh can give that back tomorrow.”

There was a sputtering of words as Fallafal tried to process how to even proceed from there. Now he knew why she had gotten out her old armor when she was leaving Earth. Why she was adamant about wearing it until she could buy something new here-- and maybe that had to do with why she was having such a hard time finding anything to replace it with.

He hadn't taken the time to truly process how bad the damage was to her armor, much less her clothing.

“Issit that bad?” he whispered, now afraid to touch her unless it somehow got misconstrued as inappropriate.

“Nah, son! I jus' figured she didn't wanna be caught dead walkin' round with crumbling armor and holes in her clothes. Not that she wasn't almost dead,” he added quietly. “You know how some women are! They git real mad 'bout their clothes in public.”

Trying to skim the book was hard. Saiyans from her time were not a particularly well-read bunch; and while she had come to a decent, working relationship with reading, it was only fairly recent. Skimming and long-term reading weren't skills she had developed yet. And the international language that it was written in was different than the one she knew, meaning that she would have to slow down more to make sense of the symbols on the page. But that didn't matter to her; she was looking at the pictures. Once more, they found themselves idly flipping through the pages, stopping shortly on an image of Bardock and his attempted standoff against Frieza; a footnote of a battle, if one could even call a single standoff that. Frieza had wiped the Saiyan race off the pages of history with that, except for a few that had already been allegiant to him, and the scattered few that had been raised on other planets.

She stared angrily at the picture of Frieza, gleefully charging up an attack against the hundreds or so Saiyans that refused to cower under his might.

There was a knock on her doorframe that startled them. She jumped into a fighting position, fists raised and tail wrapped defensively around her waist. A glare befell the person at her door; it was Fallafal. He held up his hands in an apologetic manner, startled by her aggressive response. She lowered her fists when she saw him, but her tail did not unfurl itself.

"Sorry," she muttered, looking away. Her eyes landed on the book, its pages still open to that bastard that had destroyed not only her home, but any chance of reconciliation with the feelings that bothered her.

"It's okay!" Fallafal said, sounding a little nervous. "I'm sorry, I shoulda know by now then to disturb you. But yer door was left open, an' you were reading, and--" Chikori was no longer paying attention to him. He followed her gaze to the book, taking a couple steps inside her room to better see what they were looking at.

"You were…. Studyin'?" He hadn't opened any of the books that the Time Patrol had provided him with in his room, instead opting to work on his physical training so he wouldn't be so far behind Chikori or holding her back. Now he found himself wishing he had been reading on top of that.

"Mn."

He kept quiet, unsure of what kind of answer that was. So he took another few steps closer so he could read some of the words on the page.

"Oh shit," he said under his breath. He looked at Chikori. "I'm sorry; I didn't realize you were readin' 'bout your people--"

"I'm not reading about them," Chikori cut him off. "I'm looking."

Fallafal gave her a curious look, but they never saw it. They never continued, so he spoke again, trying to prod about for more information.

"I, uh… I don't git it," he said, his accent slipping even more. "Ain't they the same?"

"I already read about what happened to the rest of the Saiyans," Chikori said quietly. "Now I'm looking."

"Well, uh… what're you lookin' for? I could, uh… I could help you, y'know?"

The Saiyan said nothing, simply picking up the book and looking at the photo of Bardock once more. There were so many Saiyans that had stood with him, and though it hadn't been enough, she couldn't help but wonder how many faces she recognized that had been with him. How many were annihilated because they refused to live under Frieza's rule. Maybe even in the new era the other Saiyans had created after the war…

But no matter how hard she squinted, she couldn't find the one face she was looking for. No matter how much Fallafal watched her, she kept her focus. It wasn't until an idea finally came to her that she looked up.

"Chikori…?"

The Saiyan threw the book down and ran past the human, speeding through the hall and startling several other Patrollers who lived in the dormitories, until Fallafal could no longer see her.

"Well that's not fair," he said to himself more than to the confused Patrollers that were passing by. "She know I can't do that yet."

He let out a sigh and left, making sure to close the Saiyan's door for her as he pondered where to find her next.

Fallafal headed out to the Time Machine Station of Tokitoki City. It was a large plaza, where many of the Time Patrollers gathered. On the far edge, Fallafal could see the actual station, where all the Time Machines were parked for use by the Patrollers. He felt a sudden panic, wondering if Chikori had managed to get in one of those to find whatever it was that she was looking for, but he shook his head when he saw that there was staff nearby, making sure that everything was set properly and that the Patrollers had the proper clearance. She didn't seem like the kind of person to just run straight in anyways, not without researching.

That was why she was looking through that book, Fallafal realized.

He was hoping he could find his trainer, or his mentors, and see if they had happened to see Chikori pass by. While he was sure the Saiyan herself was mostly fine, he didn't like that she didn't tell him anything about what was going on with her. It was always a mystery with Chikori. Even after knowing her for almost two Earth years, he knew very little about the Saiyan, or what she thought about, or what she wanted to do or accomplish here with the Time Patrol. Their mentors, two Majins, had come back to pick up Chikori, saying that they made an "oopsies", and were "supposed to bring her to the Time Patrol". And Chikori had shrugged and agreed, without any hesitation about leaving him or his family, and for…. What, exactly? What information she had shared about her past, she never seemed to be very fond of. So did she really want to come here to get more information, or something else…?

He was passing by one of the Parallel Quests counters, lost in his thoughts about Chikori, when he had caught sight of a familiar tuft of purple hair. Curious, he made his way through to the counter, where he found Chikori scrolling through a hologram screen.

"Welcome to the Parallel Quests Counter!" greeted one of the bots that helped with the station. "Would you like information? Can I help you find a PQ?"

Fallafal waved it off with a nervous smile. "Naw, I'm good. Thank you." The bot answered with a beep and a chirp, turning away to talk to other Patrollers. Fallafal turned his attention back to Chikori, who was flicking through images of missions. All of them had a lock image on them, forbidding the trainee from accessing them.

"Chikori!" he hissed at her. "What're you doin'?!"

"Looking."

"Well yah, I can see that. I meant why're you here? You know we can't do any PQs yet! We'd need Nanna an' Mulla's permission ta' git through!"

"I know that!" they retorted, icy blue eyes not leaving the screen.

"Then what d'ya think you're doin'?!"

Chikori paused, trying not to get irritated. She looked at him, a warning growl in her tone.

"Mind your own business, Fallafal."

"You ARE my business, Chikori! I'm only here 'cuz of you!"

"No one asked you to come, if I remember correctly."

"Still didn' stop 'em from lettin' me come, if I recall correctly."

Chikori let out a hiss at Fallafal; another Patroller shoved him into her so they could access a terminal. He apologized to the stranger for being in the way, but it went ignored. Sighing, he looked at Chikori, whose light blue eyes were still glaring daggers at him.

“Look, I'm'not tryna to git you in trouble. I'm just tryna figure out what's goin' on so I could help a friend.”

The Saiyan continued to look at him, saying nothing, tail twitching at their waist as though in thought. Rather than share, she instead looked back at the holograph screen, irritatedly flicking at the screen, as though it would help them find what she was looking for.

“Chikori....” Fallafal let out a long, annoyed sigh. Were Saiyans always so stubborn, or was it just her? He took a good look around the PQ counter, noticing other Saiyans in the area. He could feel their power emanating off of them. Though he was fairly new at sensing others' ki, theirs felt overwhelming. Like they could crush him with just a single flick of their finger.

Maybe he didn't want to find out the answer to his question.

Chikori never looked at him. But when she spoke, their words had a sharp edge to them, almost threatening; a warning.

“If you're going to stay, make yourself useful. Look for a mission that has to do with the Saiyan Bardock or the destruction of Planet Vegeta.”

Fallafal didn't move. He watched as they continued to scroll through the different missions, reading the descriptions, watching videos of what the timelines were expected to look like, looking furtively for something in the clips. He didn't know what to do. Neither of them knew anyone here particularly well. He could go to their mentors, but he wasn't sure if it would do them any good, or if it might backfire and cause Chikori to distance herself from him more than she already did. And trying to talk to her was... well, doing it the gentle way wasn't working very well, and she could beat him in a fight if he had to do it the ugly way. But something had seized Chikori's thoughts, and it wasn't letting go.

“...Fine.” He took a deep breath and let out a slow exhale. “What am I looking for, if I find those?”

She didn't respond.

They had spent some time searching among the Parallel Quest database for anything with the description that she had given. But they lacked the credentials to really search for anything within their skill level; even the easiest of missions was locked off to the trainees, unless they had been given permission by someone. After awhile, Fallafal let out a defeated sigh and whine.

“Auuggh.... Chikori, we ain't gonna find anythin' in here. An' it's not like these missions are a one-for-one replica of our history. Chikori, these're just trainin' missions. If you're lookin' for sumthin' in particular,” he paused, debating if he should say what he was gonna say next. “O-or if yer lookin' for someone in particular, you ain't gonna find it here.”

The Saiyan didn't say anything. She kept looking at the hologram, flicking through the missions once more.

“L-look, if yer lookin' for somethin' particular, I've got an idea.” Chikori stopped, finger hovering over the hologram. Fallafal took the chance. “Dunno if you took a look 'round when you got here, but there's the place called Time Vault. It's got all sorts of scrolls of timelines. I dunno if we can git in there to see one, but it's worth a try. If nuthin' else, we can check it later, when we git permission. I'll show you where, but ya gotta tell me what'cha lookin' for. Deal?”

Chikori looked at him carefully. She hadn't expected him to be of any use to her while they were here. He couldn't even keep up with her in training; how could she expect to rely on him for anything that was useful? And yet, he had proven that, even out of his element, he could make use of his time here.

He waited for her response. “Look, you don't even hafta join me, but either way we oughta leave here. We ain't gonna be able to do much here.”

Again, she said nothing. Her hand moved to close out the terminal that they had been using. They turned around, tail slowly unwinding as she moved away from the crowd of Patrollers waiting for their turn at a console.

“Let's go.”

Fallafal led Chikori over to the Time Vault. They were fortunate enough that Fallafal had made friends with one of the Patrollers that worked in the area, so they were let in without much issue. He asked another attendant for help in finding a particular event scroll, while Chikori hung back, silent and trying to look as unaggressive as possible.

“Oh, that one? Sure, I can help you find it no problem!”

“Thank you very much, miss. I really appreciate it.”

“It's somewhere over here...”

While the young attendant looked for it, Fallafal hung back with Chikori. In a low voice, he asked, “Are you gonna tell me why you're lookin' for that, or am I gonna have to hold it hostage 'til you tell me?”

She continued to say nothing. He put his hands behind his head and looked away, scoffing.

“Here you go! There's a protective spell on it, so please don't try to enter the scroll.” At their confused looks, the attendant explained. “Patrollers can enter the scrolls to help protect events, if they're given permission to do so. I know you're new around here, but you'd be surprised how many people keep trying to enter the various events in history without the Kai's approval. Just don't tell her that I let the two of you look at one of them, okay?”

“'Course not, miss. I'll make sure of it.”

The attendant handed the scroll over to Fallafal, and he took it with a gentle smile. He motioned towards another area, where he and Chikori could look at the event unfold before them. Before he unfurled the Time Scroll, he looked Chikori in the eye.

“I need that answer, Chikori. I can't just be usin' up my goodwill 'fore I even get started 'ere. I need to know fer certain that this is sumthin' worth lookin' into, an' not some personal vendetta 'gainst this Frieza or whomever.”

Chikori scoffed. “Frieza? I couldn't beat him even if I trained here for years. That....” she stopped, and shook her head. “He decimated the entire planet, and a whole race of warriors, with just one attack. He got rid of that bastard who took my real home away from me. I don't like Frieza better than Vegeta. He may have wanted to wipe out every single one of us, but he has my thanks for getting rid of those Saiyans that followed their king.

“...Maybe if those Saiyans hadn't killed all of the Tuffles, maybe we could have stood together and stopped him.” The thought was sobering, and she calmed down. Her growing irritation was replaced briefly with the reminder of unsung grief that followed her, a reminder of what could have been. Remembering everything that happened. Remembering... him.

“Fallafal. Please show me the scroll. There is something I need to know.”

Fallafal had listened intently to her, hoping that he might glean an idea of what this all would be about. But, as always, Chikori kept her intentions close to her heart. He took a moment to think about it, hands on both ends of the scroll, thumbs absentmindedly rubbing back and forth along its texture, as though it might bring him an answer. He down at her, all five-foot-one inches of fighting prowess. She could take me, he thought to himself once again. She might not do that, but she could.

“...Okay. Jus' don't make me regret this, y'hear?”

He unfurled the scroll on a table. It was blank. Nothing happened at first, to the point that he briefly wondered if there was some sort of magic set of words he had to say. Then, slowly, images began to paint themselves on the scroll, before coming to life, moving as though it were a live feed of the events that the scroll contained.

It showed Frieza's flagship and entourage arriving to the Saiyan planet. Chikori's curling of their fists was not lost on Fallafal, but he didn't say anything. If she wasn't going to do anything, then there wasn't a reason to stop this just yet. Soon, the scroll showed Bardock flying up, out of the planet's atmosphere, to challenge Frieza. Chikori held her breath as other Saiyans had followed suit, appearing within the scroll. She placed her hands on both sides of the scroll. Her eyes scanned it, watching closely, looking at every Saiyan that was shown as part of the fight. But it didn't last very long; all too quickly, they could hear Frieza's laughter. Fallafal looked away, but Frieza's parting words, relishing in the destruction of the Saiyan planet and its race, exclaiming happily, “Look at the fireworks!! Aren't they splendid?!" would haunt him for the near future.

The scroll ended. A heavy silence hung in the air between the two. The scroll did not wait for any command, and automatically furled itself back up, surprising both of them. Chikori scowled and struggled to open it up again.

“Chikori...” Fallafal spoke softly, cautiously placing a hand on the Saiyan's shoulder. “I am... I can't even... I don't got words for what that... ugh, thingdid. I am truly sorry, from the bottom of my soul.”

But his empathy for the Saiyans' loss was brushed aside, as Chikori shoved his hand off of her.

“Do you think I care about that right now?! How do you make this thing replay? Can you make it zoom in? Make it show me every single Saiyan that was there!” She shoved the scroll at him hurriedly.

Fallafal took a moment to absorb the frenzy with which Chikori demanded things of him. The fur on her tail was on end, and her tail was twitching like crazy, swishing back and forth. She had a desperate look on her face. It reminded him of the time that a mother was demanding to go back into a burning building to find her child. But, far as he knew, Chikori didn't have any kids. Heck, he didn't even know if she wanted kids, or how that worked-- ahhh, but now wasn't the time to think about personal things like that! The Saiyan was becoming more aggressive, more forceful as she continued to shove the closed scroll at him.

“I... I dunno. I reckon it only shows us once? Maybe the Kai of Time could do it, or someone else here, if you wan' me to ask, but I. Don't. Know. Chikori. What-- what is so important about knowin' what Saiyans was there? I'm sure we could find a list.”

Frustrated with his answer, the Saiyan growled, but she let go of the scroll. It fell to the ground, before being summoned back to where it was meant to be, fitting snugly back onto a shelf with other scrolls. As though sensing the irritation, a few attendants came over to see what was wrong. (Unbeknownst to Fallafal, they sensed the rising level of ki in Chikori, and were worried that a fight or berserk Saiyan might break out inside the Time Nest, and that would have been no good.) The same attendant from before came over, assessed the situation (incorrectly), and tsked to herself.

“Oh boy. This always happens whenever a Saiyan wants to see that scroll.”

“Chikori,” Fallafal began slowly and softly. “You gotta calm down. We don't want to make an issue for these people here, right? Let's go for a walk. Wherever you want. But we gotta leave if you want that.”

The Saiyan let out a much louder growl, keeping her temper on Fallafal. But the calm, pleading look he gave her made her cool off long enough to leave. She let out one final growl before turning her back and storming outside. With a quick apology to the staff, Fallafal followed after her, determined to not lose her this time. She was still outside, fuming, but she no longer had that frenetic, desperate look about her.

“Hey.” He still spoke softly, trying to reach out to the Saiyan, to get them to open up and tell him what was wrong. “You gotta tell me what's wrong. I need you to tell me what's wrong. I can't just up an' leave you like this.”

Chikori was pacing back and forth, arms crossed. Her tail was coiled around her waist. She turned an angry glare on him. Challenging him. There was an intense, angry aura about her; Fallafal could sense how angry she was, but rather than cower to it, he kept his eye contact.

“ 'm not'yer enemy here. I'm your friend. You 'member? I'll listen to anythin' you gotta say, but you gotta tell me first.”

She let out another angry growl, this time not directed at him so much. “Fine!” she growled. “You wanna know? I'm pissed. I'm fucking pissed. I was reading that damn book, and I saw that there was one last stand before the Saiyans were wiped out. And I thought, I thought that maybe, just maybe, maybe he made the right decision. Maybe he realized he was wrong. And I wasn't there, I missed that call to return because of my ship, but maybe... Maybe I could hear it from him. I could hear it from him that he regretted what he said, how he acted, everything about it. That the one last stand made him realize it. And it's just so....” she let out a frustrated growl. “ARRRRGH! Do you understand? I wanted to go back and find him and fight him, and then I find out that I could. I could do that now, because of all this Time Patroller shit! But we can't do that, as part of the Patrol. So maybe I could make peace if I could just find out if he was part of that group. Not part of the suck-up squad that stuck with the king's son and Frieza. --Did you know? Frieza told us, all remaining Saiyans on his ships, that a meteor had crashed into the planet. That it was destroyed instantly. I always though that was bullshit; a meteor leaves debris. But the planet was completely eviscerated. Hardly any debris. And now I see why. But that's not why I'm angry. I'm angry because learning about this shit only makes me think of him! It eats me up inside, knowing that I could go ahead and do that, and maybe that might result in the Time Patrol killing me or some shit, but at least I'd have my answer. And I. Can't. Do. That!!!”

Other Time Patrollers had heard the shouting, and those that were morbidly curious had stopped their work from within the Time Nest. They lurked about, pretending to be busy when the purple-haired Saiyan had stopped their shouting. Fallafal glared at the staff, wishing he got to pick a different spot to get Chikori to open up, without an audience. But here they were. In a place that was of extreme importance. Having a one-sided argument over an ex-companion of hers. He could have done anything... to not be having it right there.

“Hey. Look. We ain't gonna have the answer to that, yer right 'bout that. But... An' it's a long maybe, but maybe, if we git to bein' good Time Patrollers an' all that, maybe we can ask Nanna an' Mulla for a personal request. It ain't gonna change history much, if we just jumpin' in to ask him, right? Heck, I bet we could make 'im forget an' make 'im think the conversation's a dream, but I dun't know much 'bout that. But if you really want 'em answers, yer gonna hafta calm down an' learn to play the hands being dealt to ya. It'll happen on its own, you'll see.”

The Saiyan was silent, taking the time to let Fallafal's words sink in. She gave it some thought. He had a valid point-- as Patrollers, there might be a chance where she might run into Turnip again. However that wound up being, they wouldn't know until it happened. But for their sake, Chikori hoped it might be in a circumstance where she could question the other Saiyan properly, without a fight to distract them.

There was a long moment of silence between them. Fallafal could hear the staff murmuring as they finally went inside. He could hear the sound of something playing or hunting in the nearby pond, splooshes and splashes. The hum of a bug as it flit about. The angry breathing of the person in front of him as they slowly calmed down. The frustrated shouts that were held back in one, final teeth-gritting scream before he saw her shoulders drop. The intense energy that was around her had slowly dissipated, gone completely once Chikori finally let go of her anger. Fallafal felt like he could relax, now that the situation was calmer. He watched her carefully, as she slowly crossed her arms, looking to the side in shame of her reaction.

“...I don't want to fight him. I don't want to kill him. But I want him to hurt. I want him to suffer for his decision.”

“You want 'im to feel guilty. So he knows he was wrong?”

“Mn. Is that what that is?”

“Sounds like it to me.”

“I want to believe he made a better choice, at some point. It would be nice to think of him like that.”

“I'm thinkin' that's also normal.”

“Is it?”

“I dunno. I haven't had that kinda issue since I was in grade-school, an' I ain't gone through the complexities that you have. Not by a long shot. But I can meet ya where I can meet ya, and listen to ya whenever you need it. But you can't git yerself worked up like this. 'Specially not if we get on a mission where that's gonna happen.”

“What was it that you told me before, the last time we talked about this? ...About him.”

“Gosh, I don't know. That was nearly two years ago, I think? It'sa lil' hard with the whole... time jumpin' thing.”

“You said something about seeing someone. Or something?”

Fallafal paused. He looked at Chikori, trying to replay in his mind the night Chikori had finally told him something personal about herself. Sharing the feelings that she had kept bottled up inside.

“Oh, that!” He laughed. He laughed so loud it made the Saiyan stare at him, tilting her head slightly in confusion. “That's uh... Well, I don't know if they got 'em here, but I guess I could ask 'round for ya. Might e'en be a thing they could need 'round here. If they got 'nuff of you Saiyans' 'round here, they definitely be needin' that.”

He knew that he couldn't be of much help to her in a fight. But he knew that he could support her, in more than just battle. That was part of why he decided to tag along, wasn't it? Because he knew that she'd need someone for that emotional support, to help her along with the issues she'd face and fight against. And wasn't that better with a more familiar face to help guide you through those things, in an unfamiliar place like this?