Aito didn’t sound like the reasonable type at all, it felt like it knew it was going to die soon because of this crazy person. It was probably going to die soon anyway no matter what happened, whether it would be that monster they called their colleague coming back or even when it returned to its own world. Failing such a mission and being discovered was the worst outcome. Feeling like giving into the possibility of death it became depressed, not caring for what Aito was saying to it anymore or what he might do to it. Groaning when Aito tried to intimidate it some more it simply stared out into the lake, sighing when Aito decided to try and get more answers out. ”I highly doubt your comrades are returning. Sounds like they left without you…” it grumbled, only feeling a little confused by what Aito was trying to compare its own world with. [i]”I don’t know what this ‘Otherworld’ is, all I know is we first travelled using rifts…the rest, I don’t know. I’m not old enough to know the full details of how and why such rifts exist. I don’t know why you find this at all interesting, though…seeing how irrelevant it is to someone like you…”

This whole place was confusing Viral and what was worse was he was too big to feel comfortable in such a place. He had to keep his head down to avoid a majority of the branches, he was having to watch his feet and was struggling to find space to wander. All the smells in the forest felt too jumbled up, everything either smelling too strong or too unfamiliar. He wanted to investigate these smells, but the source of the noise had to be discovered first. Trying to discover the source which bounced all around the place off the trees he soon heard something else, looking around slowly before gasping when the noise came from right behind him, spinning around only to snap a tree completely in half with his tail. Jumping back and snarling in surprise he quickly redirected his attention away from tree and down at Yumi, staring at her as she spoke to him. He didn’t appear to take in what she was trying to say, his head slowly tilting before he snarled as he slowly moved forward. Staring at her his eyes soon went to her wounds, hissing lowly as he looked ready to pounce on her. He didn't appear to be in his right mind but he was looking a little less stressed out, just hungry for blood.

"Oh they'll come back. Viral's going to need to calm down thanks to you, but Yumi will get him there. Once that's settled they'll return, I know it." Where else would they go? Besides both of them likely boasted some moderate wounds at this point, it would be foolish to run off and ignore those. While he hardly had the means to treat injuries on hand they could easily find some substitutes nearby and make due until they got back into the city. Hearing the creature's rebuttal to his interrogation Aito let out a sigh, finally getting off of it and rising to its feet, "So that's it then. You're still infantile despite your intellect, only following orders blindly without knowing any better. And it is very relevant to me. Your kind have been ravaging worlds and causing havoc for people all over, I think it's very much relevant we know where you're coming from. If you've no answers however..." Aito paused, turning and extending a hand towards the creature, poised as though he'd fire off a Ki blast. "Then... I suppose we're done with questions! I'm tired, you're tired, and this is getting us nowhere frankly," he muttered, letting out a sigh as he shook his head, placing his hands at his hips, "Honestly, to think I'd feel sorry for the thing that tried to kill me..."

Yumi had found Viral again, or rather, she had found him. Hard to lose track of a giant shark man in the middle of the forest. So how would she proceed from here? There was hope that speaking to him directly might appeal to whatever sense he had left and bring him down, while a smaller yet just as vocal voice screamed to fight him and wear him down. She tried to ignore the latter, hurting her friend was the last thing she wanted, necessary as it may be. Smiling nervously as he began to approach her she kept her arms out and stood in place as he silently begged for him to see her for who she was, not as a mid-afternoon snack. Every fiber in her being screamed for her to flee when he came closer yet she held firm, feeling his breath tickling her skin with how close he was coming. Noticing his eyes going to her wounds repeatedly an idea occurred to her then, quickly untying one of the makeshift bandages around her arm and holding it out. "This is what you want right? My blood?" she asked, setting it on the grass before taking a few steps back to give him space, "I can find you food, if that's what you're after. Let me help you, Viral. Please."

The creature was barely concerned with where ever the other two had gone to, they would probably want it dead pretty quickly in this position. There was very little that could be done right now other than wait and see whether it would be spared or killed as fast as possible after it had provided enough information. It didn’t know what else to say that wouldn’t end with the destruction of its species. Letting out a prolonged groan it soon looked back to Aito, staring at him before looking to his hand, narrowing its gaze. ”Feel sorry for me? How curious that you would feel sorry towards a foreign entity…especially one from another world…” it spoke slowly, soon looking away again with little fear towards Aito’s threat to kill it. ”Now that is something I do not understand. I can sense you are one of those Saiyan aliens, but you spared me for this long. Usually they would just kill my kind immediately without trying to discuss. It’s been like that for so long, but do you even know why? Why did the Master decide now was the time after so many years? You may call me infantile, but I wonder about such curiosities too. Why was I created to poison millions? Why am I what I am? Perhaps I was simply created to send a warning or escalate the war, maybe I am really this dispensable…”

Viral saw her as pretty appealing, especially when the smell of blood was all over her. He did wonder where she had gone for a whole few minutes when she disappeared, forgetting about her until now. His attention span was very limited at a time like this and very few things mattered to him at this point. He didn’t know where he was or what was going on but he was still content with that. He didn’t know much other than the fact that Yumi was a free lunch with her popping up like this. Approaching her slowly he hissed as he stared dead on at her wounds, opening his maw as he moved closer before finding he was quickly distracted by a bloodied bandage being dangled directly in front of Yumi. Staring at it his eyes followed it as it was slowly placed on the grass, hissing at first before dropping down on all fours and snatching up the bandage all while tearing away the earth like it was nothing. Chomping away at it for a moment he soon stopped and hissed, staring at her as if expecting more to fall off her before he was to eat her.

"Hm... It's called empathy. Strange things we humans have, you feel sorry for something lesser than you, or something that's been injured, or in a worse situation," Aito explained, casually shrugging it off despite insulting the creature, "One of the emotions that I would as soon do away with. Though I suppose I'd forfeit my morality along with it..." At this point with the creature effectively disabled and hardly a threat so simply put he had lost interest in it. Now it more or less boiled down to babysitting the thing until Yumi and Viral returned, then they could head to the city from there. Hearing the creature go and begin asking questions itself the doctor itched at his elbow distractedly, letting out a sigh before placing his hands on his hips, taking a glance out across the reservoir. "Maybe you are this dispensable. Maybe you were sent simply to test us and then die, and your supposed purpose is a lie. Maybe you weren't ever intended to really live to begin with," Aito posed, looking back with a slight smile, "But you know a beautiful thing about being alive? Regardless of your purpose coming into this world you've a choice to make. You're sentient where others were not, you can think, you can choose what you do. This 'Master' of yours, whoever they are, they aren't here. You've free will now. Just as I have free will not to kill and kill despite being a Saiyan, you too have free will. What you do with that is up to you."

Using bloodied rags to appease Viral was a pretty big gamble but so was any other idea. At this point Yumi was just buying time, trying to come up with a legitimate way to calm him down. With her friend so focused on blood though the only thing she could really think of was help his appetite, and hope with that he'd turn back. Watching with baited breath as he attacked the cloth for blood she unwrapped another around her shoulder, laying that out as well. She should find an animal, give him something to eat and hope that would work. With the second scrap down she untied the last one around her midsection, tearing it into shreds and throwing bits down as she walked away, using it as a sort of breadcrumb trail. There had to be some kind of creature for him, something he could eat. Listening intently to the sounds of the forests she found a small animal several meters ahead, rustling through the leaves looking for a meal of its own no doubt. Dashing over to it she managed to catch the small marsupial, killing it quickly and silently apologizing before turning back to face Viral. With a timid smile she approached, holding out the animal as an offering of sorts. Maybe if she could feed him herself he'd not attack, gain his trust or something.

"Hm... It's called empathy. Strange things we humans have, you feel sorry for something lesser than you, or something that's been injured, or in a worse situation," Aito explained, casually shrugging it off despite insulting the creature, "One of the emotions that I would as soon do away with. Though I suppose I'd forfeit my morality along with it..." At this point with the creature effectively disabled and hardly a threat so simply put he had lost interest in it. Now it more or less boiled down to babysitting the thing until Yumi and Viral returned, then they could head to the city from there. Hearing the creature go and begin asking questions itself the doctor itched at his elbow distractedly, letting out a sigh before placing his hands on his hips, taking a glance out across the reservoir. "Maybe you are this dispensable. Maybe you were sent simply to test us and then die, and your supposed purpose is a lie. Maybe you weren't ever intended to really live to begin with," Aito posed, looking back with a slight smile, "But you know a beautiful thing about being alive? Regardless of your purpose coming into this world you've a choice to make. You're sentient where others were not, you can think, you can choose what you do. This 'Master' of yours, whoever they are, they aren't here. You've free will now. Just as I have free will not to kill and kill despite being a Saiyan, you too have free will. What you do with that is up to you."

Using bloodied rags to appease Viral was a pretty big gamble but so was any other idea. At this point Yumi was just buying time, trying to come up with a legitimate way to calm him down. With her friend so focused on blood though the only thing she could really think of was help his appetite, and hope with that he'd turn back. Watching with baited breath as he attacked the cloth for blood she unwrapped another around her shoulder, laying that out as well. She should find an animal, give him something to eat and hope that would work. With the second scrap down she untied the last one around her midsection, tearing it into shreds and throwing bits down as she walked away, using it as a sort of breadcrumb trail. There had to be some kind of creature for him, something he could eat. Listening intently to the sounds of the forests she found a small animal several meters ahead, rustling through the leaves looking for a meal of its own no doubt. Dashing over to it she managed to catch the small marsupial, killing it quickly and silently apologizing before turning back to face Viral. With a timid smile she approached, holding out the animal as an offering of sorts. Maybe if she could feed him herself he'd not attack, gain his trust or something.

"Hm... It's called empathy. Strange things we humans have, you feel sorry for something lesser than you, or something that's been injured, or in a worse situation," Aito explained, casually shrugging it off despite insulting the creature, "One of the emotions that I would as soon do away with. Though I suppose I'd forfeit my morality along with it..." At this point with the creature effectively disabled and hardly a threat so simply put he had lost interest in it. Now it more or less boiled down to babysitting the thing until Yumi and Viral returned, then they could head to the city from there. Hearing the creature go and begin asking questions itself the doctor itched at his elbow distractedly, letting out a sigh before placing his hands on his hips, taking a glance out across the reservoir. "Maybe you are this dispensable. Maybe you were sent simply to test us and then die, and your supposed purpose is a lie. Maybe you weren't ever intended to really live to begin with," Aito posed, looking back with a slight smile, "But you know a beautiful thing about being alive? Regardless of your purpose coming into this world you've a choice to make. You're sentient where others were not, you can think, you can choose what you do. This 'Master' of yours, whoever they are, they aren't here. You've free will now. Just as I have free will not to kill and kill despite being a Saiyan, you too have free will. What you do with that is up to you."

Using bloodied rags to appease Viral was a pretty big gamble but so was any other idea. At this point Yumi was just buying time, trying to come up with a legitimate way to calm him down. With her friend so focused on blood though the only thing she could really think of was help his appetite, and hope with that he'd turn back. Watching with baited breath as he attacked the cloth for blood she unwrapped another around her shoulder, laying that out as well. She should find an animal, give him something to eat and hope that would work. With the second scrap down she untied the last one around her midsection, tearing it into shreds and throwing bits down as she walked away, using it as a sort of breadcrumb trail. There had to be some kind of creature for him, something he could eat. Listening intently to the sounds of the forests she found a small animal several meters ahead, rustling through the leaves looking for a meal of its own no doubt. Dashing over to it she managed to catch the small marsupial, killing it quickly and silently apologizing before turning back to face Viral. With a timid smile she approached, holding out the animal as an offering of sorts. Maybe if she could feed him herself he'd not attack, gain his trust or something.

”Hmm, ‘Humans’…I have not heard of such a species. If they are not known to me then they are not a threat…and yet here you are, squashing me and calling me a lesser being compared to you. I don’t know how strong you actually are so maybe that is true…” There was little regard to what it should strive for, whether it should try and free itself from Aito’s grasp and try to drown him or just wait for death. It could only question why the whole war started and whether it was in the right itself or Aito was correct to treat it like the waste of intelligence he appeared to be treating it like. Wondering when Aito was just going to straight up blast its face it waited for death to come until it turned out Aito had withdrawn his hand. Looking back to him in slight confusion it hissed a sigh, feeling somewhat relieved but also unsure about what direction Aito was going in. It didn’t like being called a mistake, it was too intelligent compared to the so-called ‘mindless ones’ these creatures called them. Keeping quiet apart from the pained breathing it was having to let out it soon looked up at Aito again, unable to help the feeling of confusion growing inside. ”You…are saying I don’t have to fulfil my duty? What am I supposed to do with my power if that’s the case? I am aware that I am a monster compared to your people and I cannot hide in my own dimension! I will be found and I will be punished the moment I returned. I don’t understand what I am supposed to do if not my duties…”

Viral was barely aware of what he was doing, he just knew it was something he wanted and eating it would appease these primal desires of his. To see Yumi as a food source as well as a provider was practically playing with the idea that he could exploit her until she gave no more, then when that happened he would feast on her. Despite his shark-like appearance he still had feline instincts in there and toying with his prey was definitely one of them. Despite eating half a mouthful of soil and grass just for the bandage he seemed unaffected, instead wanting to see if she would provide more just like that. Hissing lowly his attention was soon directed to another scrap that she had provided, immediately rushing down and chomping on it, shaking his head as if treating it like an actual animal. With his mind occupied with primal thoughts he barely noticed the other scrap she had left for him, immediately pouncing at that too and snapping it up. While occupied with that Viral barely noticed Yumi had disappeared temporarily, letting out a hiss as he slowly stood up again in rising anger which soon subsided again when Yumi had actually returned with a treat. Letting out a hiss he soon grabbed the creature quickly and immediately ate it, practically swallowing it in one go. Licking at his claws momentarily his attention soon went back to Yumi, staring at her before slowly approaching her again. He wanted more from her and she was going to provide for him, otherwise he was going to devour her instead which he made sure she knew about as he let out a hissing snarl.

"Humans? Hm... They're a lot like Saiyans, though they lack the power we have, and tails. They're a resilient species though despite that, always somehow making it through tough times." Humans weren't necessarily weak either, plenty of humans in the past had achieved great levels of power. Many of those whom had fought alongside Goku years past could likely be among the strongest fighters now, if not the strongest. To say they lacked power then wasn't wholly correct, they had their own power. "That is precisely what I am doing. It's fine to be given direction in life, but ultimately what one does with their life is their own decision. You can spend your life doing as you're told, sure, but some autonomy is well too. And I cannot answer that for you, it's not my life to dictate," Aito replied with a shrug, casting a glance over at the creature, "Your decisions will effect how you're treated though. Continue to cause problems for innocents and we're enemies, and we will not be so merciful next time. Or, fight your brethren, betray your Master and try making your own choices." Those weren't the only options either, there were other things available to the creature too. "Or... Find another world, where you won't be harming anyone else. Find more of your kind, live your life as you wish. So long as you don't harm others doing so then we have no problems, there's no need to terminate you."

Bringing Viral a meal was probably not the best idea, but what else was she supposed to do right now? Keeping him content by giving him morsels looked to be about the only thing keeping him at bay right now and she'd keep doing that until she thought of a better plan. After handing over the small animal she'd found she smiled tentatively, a smile which quickly vanished when he snarled at her. Well he wasn't attacking which was good but he was still hungry, meaning she had to be quick and find something more for him to eat. A quick glance around didn't prove to show anything around, and she doubted she could wander off too far to find another meal. Biting her lip Yumi glanced once at Viral and slowly began walking away, making a gesture to try and prompt him to follow along. She would double back to the water then, he could go into the lake and find some fish there to fill himself up with, that should do the trick. Goodness knows it was easier than trying to hunt down a dozen animals with him on her heels.

The creature hissed, contemplating what Aito was saying. ”…So they are not a threat. Probably why I was never granted knowledge about them…” it spoke lowly, contemplating their existence, ”You should feel grateful that I do not know about them and I’m sure you’re intelligent enough to know why…” When it was brought down to it the creature didn’t know what it was supposed to do to avoid death, especially when the guy was practically suggesting exile. Staring at Aito when he tried to advise it and tell it what it should do it only grew confused and concerned. ”My abilities cannot harm my kin, it would only empower them. I would need to go through modifications…but your kind don’t know much about my kind, anyway…” it hissed lowly, disliking the very thought, ”To live alone for all eternity would only drive me insane, even more than the fact that you’re granting me mercy. It’s so strange that you’re perfectly fine with that despite what I did…even if you’re sitting on me during the process…”

Viral was fine with the whole eating a little critter but he wanted more than that, his attention remaining on Yumi as he expected more food. Staring down at her as he grew impatient he let out an angry snarl, approaching her to see if there might be something for him he stopped when she started walking away from him. Staring at her as he could only wonder what she was doing he hissed lowly when she gestured for him to come with her. Maybe now she was going to get some more food for him which hopefully wouldn’t take too long. If there was going to be food on the way he was going to follow her and see, hissing as he wandered after her with heavy steps he watched her closely, his patience pretty thin with the only thing preventing him from attacking her being the thought that he wouldn’t need to hunt for food so long as she knew what she was doing.

"Humans not a threat? Human and Saiyan interbreeding led to the most powerful warriors the universe has ever known. Maybe by themselves they're not terribly imposing, but they're a key to power unimaginable. I'd advise against underestimating humans. That woman you were fighting earlier? She may not look it now but she is truly human, and she's quite powerful." Of course he knew why the creature's lack of knowledge was a good thing: if humanity was deemed a threat they would be attacked as well, yet Earth remained untouched from all this conflict, solely because humans were underestimated. Perhaps it was best the creature believed Yumi to be an exception to the rule, no sense in putting Earth in the crosshairs. "Well then we're only left with one option left -- You remain here under our supervision. We'll develop a room to contain you, question you and then decide what to do with you. I'm personally indifferent, my stake has ended once I finished this job. The rebels may be more inclined to see you killed however, so I'd advise against causing more damage," Aito chided, smiling slightly as he gazed back to the forest, "Where in the world are those two? I'm famished, all this talking is making me hungry..."

"That's right, right this way Viral..." Yumi cooed with the wave forward, relieved Viral was taking after her. The lake should more than give him what he'd need and, with luck, he would change back afterwards. Hopefully too he'd not be terribly worn down from having changed either, they had to get Aito and that thing back to be looked at. Keeping on high alert as she full knew she might be attacked they managed to make it to the lake without incident, pausing at the shore as she turned and smiled at her friend. "Fish in the water for you, eat as much as you want," Yumi explained with a sweeping gesture over the lake. To drive the idea home in case words fell on deaf ears she rubbed her stomach, opening her mouth and pointing to it then to the water again. Viral seemed to be able to recognize simple gestures still at the very least, perhaps he'd get that too. Just to be safe and get herself out of harm's way Yumi put herself a ways up in the air, not terribly high but just enough to avoid becoming a collateral snack. "Go on, go eat Viral, it's all yours!"

The creature remained silent for a moment, thinking through the concept of a Human and what they were according to Aito and what their possibilities were. Eventually letting out a hiss it felt it came to a suitable conclusion. ”Humans are not a theat. The Saiyan is what makes the hybrid and that female is the only one I have heard of. Since she is the only one, there is no threat”. Since there was no other Humans around it didn’t feel worried, there was the feeling that the rest of its kind wouldn’t be worried over them either. If Yumi was the only Human that this man knew other than the hybrids that may exist then the Humans were hardly a threat. They weren’t a part of the war unless the Saiyans inserted them into it and right now there was no other Humans to be seen. Listening to the offer Aito was giving it there was definitely some hesitation, the offer sounding like solitary confinement with a possibility of death upon arrival. ”I suppose I have little choice. I don’t want to die. This whole struggle has been my fight for survival…” it spoke lowly, disliking the fact that it had been reduced to this. ”I can only sense one of their energies nearby. I haven’t been able to sense the transformed one ever since they arrived…”

Viral continued to lumber after Yumi, watching her the entire time as they made their way through the forest. He was very quickly losing patience the longer he went on with her, seeing how she wasn’t getting him any food and continued to take him somewhere. He didn’t know where he was going, he was growing even more confused by the minute and Yumi speaking to him was something he wasn’t fully understanding. Hissing lowly as they continued to move he made a stop when they both emerged from the forest, finding themselves at the lake again. Staring at the water quietly he soon grunted when Yumi spoke to him, making a gesture as well as she again pointed to the water. Hissing lowly as he slowly walked towards the water he sniffed out at it, recognising the strange foreign smells as toxins and one that was removing the toxins. It was confusing, but it wasn’t something that would harm him. Quickly turning around to see where Yumi went he snarled when he didn’t find her on the ground, looking around quickly before finding the water more appealing and taking an immediate dive into the water, swimming close to the surface at first before diving down into the deeper water to investigate the lake.

"If you say so. I can't exactly change your mind on that now can I?" Well, he could, probably easily at that. The strongest Saiyans save for Goku and Vegeta had been crossbred, allowing them to tap fully into emotions and become more powerful for it. By that logic humans were extremely dangerous, they allowed the already imposing Saiyan race to gain even more strength. Their so-called King had learned that and hence had Shu and Takeshi born, he'd intended to create powerful children to fight for him. That hadn't quite worked out though had it? "You've been dealt a lousy hand in life it seems, and like it or not you must play the part given to you," Aito commented, looking at the creature thoughtfully, "However... I see little reason to allow the rebels or anyone to harm you once you're contained. There are many a number among them who were once enemies, you're no different then. Yes you'll be punished and confined somewhere, but you'll live. And who knows, your situation may change." It was of little condolence to someone facing imprisonment to be sure, but he'd not try vouching for the creature, it had tried to kill him after all. "Hm... So he's still transformed then, that's unfortunate. Still Yumi will bring him back, we only need to wait."

Well here was the lake, now the question was whether or not Viral would take the offer. There was much more food waiting in the water than up on land yet he'd have to look for it, would he want to? He was trying to eat her earlier and still may well do so seeing her as an easier and more accessible meal. For her safety she'd taken into the air and went over the water, wincing inwardly as she was snarled at. That slight annoyance didn't keep Viral from going into the lake as she'd hoped however, and one he'd dove beneath the water she went back to the beach, breathing a hefty sigh of relief while collapsing on her rear on the sand. Racing heart aside she had quite the headache now too for some reason, and her throat felt awfully sore to boot. Was she coming down with a cold? Rubbing at her throat she looked out over the lake and noticed brief traces of Viral beneath the waves, though those quickly vanished as he went deeper and deeper. Soon she was alone on the lake's shore, with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company as she awaited her friend's return. He would come back right? She hadn't considered how long he might be out there, this could have been a mistake. "I don't want to be here all day..." Yumi mumbled, groaning as she laid her head across her arms, knees pulled to her chest.

There was little reason to see Humans as a threat unless there were reports of them suddenly joining the struggle for dominance, but right now Yumi was the only one it had heard of and regarding the chances of ever finding another it was of no concern. It was the Saiyans who were breeding with the Humans, the Humans weren’t actively seeking out the Saiyans to breed with. While that was one way of seeing it the other way was to make sure the hybrids were exterminated, but if Aito was going to get his way with how things were going then it shouldn’t need to worry about that anymore. It didn’t actually know what it should be worrying about, technically. There was no other purpose it had other than using its abilities to poison and kill. Hissing lowly at Aito’s words it looked away to the lake again, disliking how everything was up to chance regarding its treatment. ”So long as I don’t become a test subject, I don’t care for punishment. This humiliation has been bad enough so I doubt it could be even worse than this…” it spoke lowly before sighing, ”Hmm…unfortunate that he possesses a transformation ability? How curious, it’s usually a benefit to be able to transform, I’m sure you as a Saiyan should know the logic in that…”

Viral knew where he was and what could be found in this lake, it was all part of his natural instincts to want to be in this kind of environment searching for what could be found in here. Other than the ground the water was his element and he was exceptionally good at swimming because of his own anatomy and natural instincts. Swimming through the water he acted like a complete predator, his need for food being his primary goal. His energy was constantly depleting and the only way he felt he could keep it from disappearing completely was by eating, just so he didn’t feel like he was going to die. Hunting around the lake was proving easy, everything was hiding at the bottom because the toxins had been closer to the surface. Even the largest creatures in the lake were no match for him, but all this hunting and movement was really irritating his physical state. He was already previously injured and had changed at his lowest point so trying to keep above that state after all that fighting was proving difficult. After a lot of easy fishy meals Viral was soon resurfacing, looking less angry as he carried a fat fish creature in his jaws as he slowly lumbered over to Yumi, staring at her as he hissed lowly before dropping the fish down in front of her. Staring down at her for a moment he soon turned around slowly and started lumbering his way along the shoreline, looking like he was contemplating going back into the lake or go underground instead in his tiredness.

"I don't know, I'd take humiliation over being executed any day. But that may just be me," Aito mused with a thoughtful look, tapping his chin in thought, "Hm... Yes, I certainly prefer humiliation. I've tried death before, it's a bit painful and then just boring. I'll trip on my own feet over that." He supposed there were painless ways to go as well, not that he was going to start thinking about that. Nothing screamed positivity like contemplating one's own demise and the ways one might go. "You say that as though transformation is the key to power, or that it's a necessary ability. Many people cannot initially control themselves however, some never do. You're right, it's usually a benefit, but not always. Sometimes it is just as much a curse than anything." For Shu and Viral their transformations might well be a curse, being unable to rein in their own power and keep it under control. That could change of course with plenty of practice and hard work, and for everyone's benefit those two would need to master their own power. With Viral's final form finally showing itself today they now had all but that handled, and Shu still remained questionable. "Ho boy... Sure is going to be a lot of work," Aito grumbled, rubbing at his head with a sigh.

Yumi remained seated on the beach for what felt like an hour, slightly paranoid Viral might resurface elsewhere and leave her here. Chasing after him in that state was far from what she was wanting and it was extremely dangerous, there was no telling how the rebels might handle him. Drawing circles idly in the sand she stopped when the smell of fish assaulted her nose, wrinkling it in confusion and looking towards the water as Viral resurfaced. Well there he was then, and with what she could only assume was his meal. Watching him curiously she scooted back when he dropped the fish before her, getting up confused as he started to walk away rather than eat. Had he brought it for her? Glancing at the fish she saw it was more or less dead already, leaving it be for the moment as she hurried after her friend, bent on keeping an eye on him. "Viral, wait up!" Yumi called after him, staying back just a little for safety, "Do you feel any better now that you're fed? Can you understand me?"

The creature hissed lowly, disliking how Aito was contemplating over death in such a way. Death was always going to be the worst thing over a temporary humiliation, there was no need to contemplate over it. ”Nothing wants to die on instinct! Humiliation only lasts for a short time before it dies out. Why would you even want to contemplate the thought that death would be comparable to humiliation…” That was quite a silly thing to think about, of course death wasn’t going to be the option when choosing between the two. Getting a little annoyed at how idiotic Aito appeared to be it tried to not think about it, instead wanting to know about the reasoning behind why Aito saw Viral’s transformation as not a great benefit. ”Hmm a curse. How unfortunate. That must be an awful existence, knowing you might destroy your allies because of something you can naturally do. I’m surprised you have the patience to just sit on me while he has disappeared with the girl like that…”

Viral was a little distracted after all that, feeling like he could get nothing more from the lake unless he went back in again and did all that hunting once again. There was so much he could do whether it was keep moving and find somewhere else to go or go back in the water and make himself a home there; however, those desires were being hindered and held back by something else. There was other places he should be and some other elements missing that he was supposed to have at this moment. He felt confused and cloud and despite wanting to eat Yumi, he gave her food that he had picked up instead of trying to attack her in a vulnerable moment. With his eyes staring onwards he grunted when Yumi called out, slowly turning around to stare at her he hissed under his breath before groaning as he rubbed his head. He didn’t really know what was going on, he didn’t even know if he was understanding her. Slowly rolling his head in his palm he soon withdrew it, staring at his claws before turning around again, continuing his walk to somewhere as his mind could barely focus.

"I wouldn't say it's comparable, but some wish for it. Some people see death as a release, grim as it may sound. Is it right to wish for death? Of course not. It's every life's sole purpose to avoid death actively, that's why we live, to not die. Survival, it's quite simple really isn't it?" People fought for survival, they farmed for survival, they worked and cooperated, every labor done was somehow geared towards survival. As advanced as any society could become that remained a constant, just the way one approached it differed. Realizing he was getting a bit off the rails the doctor glanced down at the creature thoughtfully, wondering why it was so concerned about that. "Hm... I suppose they have been gone quite a while, haven't they? Seems like I should go find them..." Finally rising up off of the creature Aito let out a groan as he stretched out, popping his back before looking down again, "Oh... Leave us while I'm gone and I won't be so merciful, I guess. Suppose I ought to make sure you don't run off. Right, I'll be be back, no being evil while I'm gone." Without much energy still he couldn't fly, meaning the doctor had to take a stroll down the beach to find his son and his friend.

Yumi let out a huff when Viral didn't seem to acknowledge her much, frustrated that none of her attempts had done anything yet. He'd eaten hadn't he, so what more did she need to do to get him back? Rather than stay back with the meal he'd delivered she followed after him, watching him walk down the beach with little regards for where he was even heading. Catching up to him she figured she was safe closer to him at this point with his hunger sated and showed no fear, looking up at her friend with a disapproving frown. "Where do you think you're going now? We have to stay here until you're back to normal," she chided, though did little else; Viral was easily 10 feet tall and several times larger than she was, what was she going to do to him? With her words falling on deaf ears she let out a sigh, folding her arms and looking ahead as they walked side by side. He really should burn out, he had before hadn't he? There should be a way to make him change back otherwise but she hadn't a clue what that might be, and without Aito present... Oh, speak of the devil.

So there they were, wandering around on the beach of all things. Seems as though Viral hadn't changed back quite yet which was a shame, though he didn't appear to be attacking anyone either. "Ah, I was wondering where you two might be, saves me more walking," Aito laughed, stopping as he let the others come to him. Seeing Yumi's attire or lack thereof he threw her a quizzical glance, one which he quickly redirected when she gave him a "Don't even ask" look in return. Figuring it was best not to touch that with a 10 foot pole he glanced at Viral, seeing the rather absent look in his eyes and figuring his mind was far from there just yet. "Well I can see we won't be going back just yet, we need to tend to our friend here first," the doctor muttered as he placed his hands on his hips, letting out a sigh before smiling ruefully, "And I don't have the serum on hand, which means out friend here must burn himself out in order to change back..."

The creature didn’t know of such a thing, all it was aware of was the need to survive and carry on living. Maybe it really was too juvenile to understand such desires like seeing death as the ultimate release. It wasn’t like the other creatures that these people most likely were talking about when they questioned its awareness and ability to speak, those creatures were supposed to be wild and soulless anyway. ”Hmm, survival…but to think like that would be to be aware of there being more to life than fulfilling a purpose. It must be great, having the opportunity…” When Aito decided it was best to go and see where the others were it hissed lowly, knowing this meant it was no longer going to have to be squashed between the ground and this guy’s backside. Once he finally moved the creature moved its claws underneath itself, feeling the relief before looking to Aito when he threatened it in quite a lazy way. ”’Evil’ is not something I am! Just because I fought as your enemy I was not the one being mocked and threatened with death at the same time…” It hissed in annoyance, slowly sitting up itself. ”I am not a coward either. I won’t be running away if that’s what you’re concerned about…”

Viral felt a little more content after eating, but he felt pretty terrible too. He was confused and felt like he was stumbling around pointlessly, like he didn’t belong here. He was far superior compared to the creatures in the water and had proven that in the time he was in there. Feeling lazy and unable to satisfy himself with no battles left to fight he decided to walk onwards, not feeling entirely up to picking a fight with Yumi. She had given him food and he gave her a little bit as a thank you, so now it was time to move on. Groaning in response to Yumi talking to him he simply carried on, giving her a quick glance when she decided to follow along beside him. He didn’t understand why she was walking along with him, she had fulfilled her purpose and probably had better things to do. Continuing on his way he soon stopped when Aito approached them, staring at him as if contemplating what he was supposed to do with him. He was feeling pretty lazy, but not lazy enough to fall asleep. Staring at him for a moment he lowly hissed, getting fed up with him right up to the point where he was growing annoyed with Aito, his low hissing soon turning into angry snarls. Raising his tail as he leaned forward, his arms remaining lowered as he focused on Aito. He definitely didn’t like him and had half a mind to tear him apart just for being in his way.

Viral had appeared to have calmed down from a distance considering his proximity to Yumi. Yet when Aito approached the pair he was rather quickly deterred, his son growling at him and threatening him in any way he could. Were the Saiyan a bit more able-bodied at the moment he'd not mind, yet as things stood he hadn't the energy to really contend with Viral. Putting his hands up defensively he smiled, giving Yumi a side glance before stepping back and out of the Beastman's way. "Even when transformed he can't stand me, I just can't win can I...?" he asked no one in particular, his shoulders sagging as a sigh escaped his lips. Seems like he had an awful lot of work to do to be in Viral's good graces. "Er... Perhaps it's best we leave Viral be for a while. Let him get this out of his system," the doctor mused, using what little Ki he'd managed to recover to float up into the air, "Come along Yumi, we should get that creature back and let Viral wear himself out. We can come back in a little while for him."

"You think leaving Viral alone here is the best idea?" Yumi asked uncertainly, giving her friend a glance. She had considered it too though, letting him burn himself out and change back that way. Preferably she'd want to be there when he came to so he wasn't alone, but who knows how long it might take for that to happen. She'd have to come back immediately then and just keep an eye on him from afar, the last thing she wanted was her friend feeling abandoned. Smiling slightly she glanced at her friend before rising up into the air as well, hovering before his head and giving him a small wave. "I'll be back, have fun while you're out here. Uh... Don't go wandering off too far, okay?" She'd like to give him a hug or something to show things were okay but thought better of it, that massive gaping jaw of his made getting close a little intimidating. Instead she reached out and simply rubbed his snout before following Aito back towards the creature, not sure what his plans were for it.

---

Wow... Now here was a planet that had seen the worst of the fighting. Haku had never even heard of this world up until now, yet they had been asked to come here and try to help. Now that they were on the surface he could see why their help was needed; what he could only assume were forests were now barren wastelands, a tree here or there but otherwise large craters littered the landscape. The town they had landed near too was ruined, with skeletons of buildings still standing and not a single resident nearby. There were supposedly residents on the world still but they were avoiding them for now, not sure how they might react to seeing a Saiyan on their world after all that had happened. That struck Haku as grimly funny, thinking anyone would consider him that much of a threat. It wasn't as though he and T'charrl were here to help the people persay anyways, it was more what they could do for the planet itself. He didn't much get that order yet he understood it had to do with his friend's powers, and they were somehow the best fit for this kind of job.

"This planet just feels... Sad..." Haku muttered as they exited their ship, glancing around at the ruined landscape before them. He'd been on desert worlds before and at least those had color, and you could tell there wasn't supposed to be plants or anything. He could almost imagine how this place had looked before the fighting though and it must have been a beautiful world. How was T'charrl feeling? Considering he could talk to trees and all there must be some awful things coming through to him, he wasn't envious of that. Walking around a little bit he glanced at scattered remains of trees, bits of buildings that bad been blown well away from their homes and traces of what he could only assume were people. His stomach churned uncomfortably at that even if it wasn't anything new, he always hated seeing that on a battlefield. Coming across what looked like a tiny sapling sprouting up all on its lonesome he squatted down before it, a sad smile on Haku's face as he touched it gingerly with his fingertips. "Man... If the Saiyans did this then we're even bigger jerks than I though. Sorry T'charrl..."

---

A group of space pirates? With everything going on this was what Korian had them doing? Ricken supposed he couldn't argue too much, it was their job to help worlds with problems after all. Compared to the creatures attacking planets though and the still looming threat of Saiyans this seemed so trivial by comparison, they could have sent anyone else to handle this job. What's worse was it wasn't just him and his sister this time either, they had sent one other person along for the ride. Glancing back at Kiton as they walked along he frowned in disapproval, making no secret that he wasn't a fan of the Frost Demon. He'd been one of these people before and he was still one of these people now, no matter who he was fighting for. For all they knew he'd turn on them during the mission and help out the pirates instead, it was an inevitability he'd considered from the very moment they were introduced.

"Sayomi said the pirates were holed up in a nearby settlement, and they've been demanding payments from towns to spare them from being attacked. Apparently they've even kidnapped a few people too for ransom so we know there's going to be some civilians inside," Sasha recounted, using a small PDA to read over the notes provided for them, "So we have two jobs on this planet then: save the civilians and get rid of the pirates. I'm sure if we knock them around a bit they'll not come back, though worst case scenario we can stuff them in the ship and bring them back to Uuonoe for imprisonment." She rather hoped they'd leave of their own accord, a ride back with a ship full of criminals hardly seemed fun.

Ricken scoffed at the idea of pirates leaving on their own, figuring they wouldn't give up a haul for anything short of their own deaths. "I know what Korian's rules are Sasha but we might not have a choice here. Space pirates are the lowest of the low, they'll do anything for pay and they don't care who they hurt doing it," he spoke aloud, glancing back again at Kiton, "Or they just do as they please. They're selfish, ruthless and that never changes."

"Oh shut up Ricken. We've seen plenty of people change since joining the rebellion, Kiton's one of them," Sasha snapped, rolling her eyes as she closed the documents, "He's one of us now, and Korian sent him along to prove that. I don't doubt you Kiton, for the record. You could have left at any time but you stayed with us, that should be proof enough you're one of the good guys."

"That or he's using us to hide from the police, ever consider that sister?" Ricken asked, frowning as he shook his head, "Whatever, I know nothing I say is going to override Korian's orders. You better be on your best behavior here Frost Demon, I'm not going to hesitate to deal with you if you try anything."

Viral didn’t want Aito near him, looking like he was coming close to pouncing on him if he dared take a step closer. There was always going to be suspicion about him that something horrible was going to happen if Aito got close, something painful. Hissing lowly when Aito decided to back off he watched as he took to the air, raising his claws all while looking close to jumping at Aito. He wasn’t going to, he was not in the best of conditions for that kind of stuff even if he was mentally up for it. Hissing lowly he quickly looked to Yumi the moment he noticed she was looking at him, staring for a moment in the same position as he watched Yumi take to the air too. Not fully understanding what was going on he stared at Yumi as she spoke to him, not fully understanding what she was saying before she rubbed his snout and decided to leave. He didn’t understand anything, but he knew he couldn’t fly to go after them. Hissing lowly to himself he looked down, his eyes wandering around before he decided to go for a wander, groaning to himself as he moved to try and occupy himself with something, probably try to find something to destroy or kill.

----

T’charrl didn’t know why he agreed to this little outing, especially when he had no training whatsoever in all of this space stuff. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do other than use this as a distraction for his unstable powers. They were getting worse overtime, even if he was able to control himself better mentally. It was everything else he was having problems with like turning into a monster and the growing number of bad visions he was getting. The bad visions were very often untrue, they were usually just there to taint his mind and to turn him into the monster this kind of power demanded him to do, but he wasn’t going to give into that. He made a promise that he would learn how to control it before he would try and expel the Spirit. The Spirit had nowhere to go, it was the General that had stolen it from its home and probably destroyed that home in the process to make it into a weapon. He needed to learn how to harmonise with it or he would succumb to the madness.

T’charrl wasn’t completely sure about taking him to some place like this to get that practice, though. He had heard how there was a battle and seeing it for the first time he couldn’t help but feel sick. There was so much destruction, so much that had died and the number of spirits that continued to wander aimlessly. There was energy left over everywhere and it was fairly strong, a lot of it having negativity but much of it made from when the spirits left their bodies. As he tapped his claws together he continued to stare out, frowning deeply as he wandered along with Haku. “You feel it too…? It is…a little too much…” While he wasn’t too fussed about seeing corpses he was still feeling uneasy, knowing they were mostly citizens that were minding their own business. He could see the spirits were lingering, he just wanted to help them move on but he didn’t know if he could ever do such a thing. Keeping silent for a moment he stopped quickly when Haku did, staring down at him to see what he was doing. Frowning when it was a tiny little plant he too decided to squat down, eventually falling into a sitting position. “I don’t know why I was sent here. I thought they knew I could see the dead, and the energy around here is just dense…” he frowned, slowly moving his feet underneath him again, hovering his claws over the sapling, “The life that’s here is all new and underground, seeds blasted everywhere as the plants were destroyed. Ohhh…this is awful…” Frowning, he channelled a little bit of his energy into the seedling, causing it to grow a little before he stopped. “Why was I sent here…?”

----

Kiton thought he was going to have a great time finally after being locked away for so long, thinking maybe they were going to trust him or give him something to fight; however, when Ricken was mentioned as one of the people to go with him and Sasha everything suddenly got a whole lot worse. It was severely unfair, now he was going to have to prove himself too. He was told to take care of some space pirates and being one sort of did mean he knew how they thought and how to handle them. This was probably why Korian wanted to send him with Ricken and Sasha to sort them out, but he didn’t fully know since he didn’t know Korian and whether he actually did trust him enough with this. He didn’t know if he could trust Korian himself, maybe this was just a way to see how destructive he was and how efficiently he could take out criminals. He didn’t want to be used for such things, he was done with being used. He thought he got that through to Korian and everyone else he had interacted with, even when his father was still around he was being used.

As he walked behind Sasha and Ricken he gave Ricken an annoyed look when he was stared at, looking away quickly as he let out a sigh. Listening to Sasha as she talked about the job he thought it was nothing unusual, kidnappings happened all the time and usually it was space pirates. Humming to himself as he rubbed his neck his interest was elsewhere as Sasha and Ricken discussed what they should do with the space pirates and how they acted, his eyes going to Ricken when he started insulting them. Kiton knew exactly what he was trying to do and he was not impressed, giving him a glaring at before Sasha stood up for him. Letting out a huff he looked away again, dusting his shoulders off before looking back to Ricken. “I have a name, you know, and you can’t deal with me and you know it”, he sighed, looking away again, “You should try and relax. I have this! I know how space pirates work and what they’re aiming for with this so don’t worry your pretty face, okay? Sheesh…”

"It's hard not to. I don't know what I feel, but this place is just... Bad..." Haku muttered as his eyes surveyed the landscape. It was easy to put on the bravado and play the part of the evil Saiyan warrior, he'd had to do so often to appease his commanders. Yet he never got used to seeing destruction on this scale, he couldn't. He got why you had to kill an enemy warrior yet he never understood this: buildings, forests, innocent civilians, that wasn't showing the enemy who was more powerful, it was simply being a bully. Breaking things because you could, that kind of thing. Examining a small sapling in the ground he gave a sad smile and lightly traced its leaf, dejected that it seemed to be the only plant left. "Because you're the only person who can do this sort of thing," Haku pointed out as he watched the plant sprout up, not by much but enough to get it on its way. "Who else do we know would bother doing this kind of thing? I mean... I know I did some lousy stuff before, but I always tried not to ruin the planet. Other planets are so... I don't know, pretty compared to Kortal. Ruining them by blowing it to pieces always seemed like such a waste."

-----

It had been a while since she and her brother were given an honest mission, given everything that had been going on. Dealing with space pirates was about as simple and straightforward as they came yet Sasha was more than happy to do as she was asked. Just because the Saiyans were temporarily staying themselves didn't mean the rest of the vile sort out in the universe were as well. She even didn't mind taking Kiton with them either as she saw it as a chance to prove what he was capable of: being a Frost Demon meant he probably had a lot of power, but so did being a Saiyan, and not ever Saiyan she'd met was exactly imposing. So she'd take his pedigree with a grain of salt, see how he did in the field and hold her reservations until after they finished. Besides it was impossible really to think much on it anyways with her brother and Kiton barking at one another back and forth. Ever judgmental Ricken was quick to question Kiton's loyalties, at least he was consistent. Unsurprisingly Kiton had a retort for that too.

"No one is going to have to deal with anyone other than the pirates, got it? Like Kiton said we're aiming for the pirates here, not each other. So quit giving him a hard time Ricken." She loved her brother dearly yet sometimes it was infuriating to work with him. Saiyans, other aliens, whatever it might be he was harshly critical of them. In some parts it was warranted, they had taken in a lot of people with shady pasts, the majority of which truly did reform however. There was another reason for it too, one which bringing up would cause her brother no endless amounts of grief. "I know you're trying to look after your little sister, but please, I'm not a child anymore," Sasha threw in teasingly, glancing back and smiling at his flustered expression, "I'll take care of myself big brother."

Ricken grumbled something beneath his breath and looked away as she brought up their sibling relationship. They shouldn't look at themselves in that light anymore, they were both adults and warriors, members of the rebellion trying to make the universe a safer place. Yet he knew clearly as well as Sasha that he'd still treated her in such a way, much of his abrasiveness born out of a desire to keep her safe. "I am the stronger fighter between the two of us, it has nothing to do with our being siblings," he muttered, folding his arms and sniffing, "It's natural for a superior to keep an eye on his subordinate, that's all." Seeing Sasha stop out of the corner of his eye he stopped as well, edging himself back half a step when she glowered up at him. "What? Now what are you on about?"

"Superior? You're older than me, I can't help that, but we're of equal rank. And... Last I checked I've done more missions than you," Sasha retorted, smiling proudly as she turned on her heel and laughed, "SO... Age aside, that probably makes me your superior. You should get used to calling me ma'am pretty soon." Looking at Kiton she gave him an amused glance and a nod towards her brother. "If he gets on your case again call him 'Ri-Ri', it's what the other children used to call him. He loves that nickname, don't you, Ri-Ri?"

"Stuff it Sasha," Ricken hissed, his face growing redder as he narrowed his eyes at her. Honestly he had the most insufferable sister in the world sometimes.