T’charrl frowned, shaking his head. “But this is not something I’m very good at, not to mention I still turn into a monster…” he groaned, clicking through his teeth, “I’m starting to wonder what they want from me concerning that fact…” He knew going into a place like this was full of energy, mostly negative, but he had a feeling the others didn’t believe such energies existed or could affect him so drastically. He knew there was probably purpose in that ability, but maybe it came from the madness that happened when a Kaesstrian absorbed a spirit with his kind of ability. Negative energy could be ignored by the strong minded, but T’charrl wasn’t that nor was he able to ignore the energy. Funnelling some of his energy into the plant he caused it to grow just a touch before slowly standing up, feeling really unsettled and under some force of pressure. “I don’t want to be used for clean-up, this is already very stressful…” he muttered before sighing, giving his arms a rub, “I’m not really aware of what happens between the Saiyans and other races, but I don’t want to be sent to places like this every time. I’ve said how much negative energy goes for me and every time it hurts. Do they want me to be a monster?”

----

Kiton was already sick of Ricken and despite his status as prisoner until proven tame he wasn’t going to let the guy push him around. He was still somebody who had conscious thought and to be placed under the thought that he would just sit there and take being insulted because of his background just meant he would bite back. So what if he was a criminal like these pirates, so what if he was a Frost Demon, it was people like Ricken that placed him under this role in life. Ricken had no excuse other than being prejudice and unable to see him as a real person. Even if he didn’t personally have an idea of what loyalty was like, he still knew what he had to do to allow others to trust him.

Pirates were pretty below Kiton though, he had dealt with them being and every time he had managed to deal with them correctly. They would often target him because of what he was and would want him to join a few times, but he had a ship at the time and didn’t want to be burdened with joining what was essentially a space-gang. Looking away from Ricken and Sasha he kept his arms folded, letting them have their little argument before he looked back to Sasha, staring at her when she mentioned the nickname before glancing to Ricken. So it was that easy to annoy him? Hearing this he smirked, looking away. “Sounds like you have a superiority problem, ‘Ri-Ri’. Maybe you should be concentrating on doing your work over worrying what I was and what race I am”, he spoke quickly before looking back, “Besides, you calling me by the name given to my race doesn’t give me much confidence that you trust me and want me to do good in this mission. Saying that kind of stuff isn’t going to make me want to hang around, after all”.

----

It had been some time since the incident at the late, quite an unknown amount of time in the end. It had definitely been a long time as the air of the area had completely changed compared to what it was before. Maybe it was a day or two, but either way Viral was only just waking up after being unconscious for so long. Everything was in darkness, but he could see where he was with his enhanced eyesight. Everything was damp and dirty, his body feeling cold because of whatever he might be lying in. Feeling around in his groggy state it felt like he was in soil or something, picking out a loose rock and examining it through tired eyes.

He had no idea what was going on, where he was or what brought him here, he barely had a clue about what anything was. He was confused and disorientated, his mind not focusing as well as it could be especially when he couldn’t remember much about himself. Slowly pushing himself up to sitting he chose to slowly rub his head, finding it to be heavy and sore. Despite the state he was in he still had some semblance of clothing, but a lot of it was ripped and barely worth hanging on to. The only clothing that was mostly in tact was his trousers but even they were ripped to shreds from the knees down. He was in quite a state, but he didn’t expect to be bumped in the head when he tried to stand.

Finally managing to focus on his surroundings he figured out that he was underground, enclosed in what appeared to be a tunnel of some kind. Being driven into alert mode by the sudden realisation that he was in an enclosure he started to panic, trying to dig upwards but ended up getting sprayed with water in the face. Grunting in frustration as he tried to bat it away he soon instead started to tear at its surrounding area, but in his haste to attack it he instead caused the wall that was holding the water back to break apart and sweep him back into the tunnel from its force. In a sudden fight or flight reflex Viral panicked, trying to prevent himself from being swept further down the tunnel by forcing his claws into the wall of the tunnel, holding on until the water calmed down before immediately swimming through the hole he had created and up in hope that he would find the surface. It didn’t take him very long, he was pretty close it seemed, but the moment he made contact with the air he started to panic all over again as he paddled over to the close shore and immediately ran out with a starting stumble. He didn’t know what was going on or where he was but he was determined to get away from all of that even if he didn’t know where he was running to.

"I don't know, maybe they sent you here to work it out?" Haku suggested hopefully, not having much of an answer aside from that, "I mean... There's no people here right? So there's no one in danger, and uh... Well you work with spirits and plants, maybe they figured... I don't know." He wasn't sure where he was going with that really as he grasped at straws, trying to find something to justify why T'charrl had been sent. All he knew was he'd come along in part because he was trying to make a friend and in part because he felt guilty; he'd followed orders out of cowardice and nearly hurt some good people, he had to make that up somehow. Lamenting how upset T'charrl was Haku rubbed at his neck, glancing around the wastes before smiling sadly. "I don't think so, maybe... This is how you get better? If you practice making plants grow maybe you learn how to use your power better?" he tried again, sounding a bit more confident as his features brightened, "That has to be it right? If you can make even some of these grow it means you're getting better at it. And that maybe means you won't turn into a monster then."

-----

"Don't call me that Frost Demon, you haven't earned the right to," Ricken hissed, his face beet red from embarrassment and anger alike, "And you're right, I don't trust you. You were a wanted criminal up until a few days ago, you have to do a lot more than what you have to earn my trust." He'd accept Kiton into their ranks if he had to, fight along side him if he was forced. Yet that didn't mean he trusted the alien entirely, he likely wouldn't for a while yet. He was indifferent as to whether Kiton lingered or not and he'd say as much had Sasha not cut him off yet again.

"Enough, both of you. We're here on a mission so quit arguing like children," Sasha said with an exasperated tone. Rubbing at one of her temples for a brief moment she sighed, looking back to her PDA and scrolling through documents to find a map of the area. "So the settlement they're holed up in should just be about half a kilometer ahead, and I'd expect they'll be pretty set in. We should be ready to have to fight through, and if we do it should be quick to save the hostages. Otherwise we can try sneaking through."

Ricken frowned at the idea of sneaking, finding it both too tedious and impractical. With so many pirates around did they honestly believe they could do that? "I have a better idea. What if someone acts as a distraction, pulls them away and lets the other two get the hostages? If they're free then its no holds bars, we can give those bastards what they deserve."

"But that's putting someone at risk by sending them off alone. They'll have to fight by themselves while the others sneak around," Sasha pointed out, frowning as she followed her brother's gaze to Kiton, "No, we're not volunteering him for it either. It's a bad plan Ricken, we'll find another way to do it. Kiton? Any ideas?"

-----

Mmm... What time was it now? Yumi had returned to the lake promptly after she and Aito had dropped off the creature back at the facility, spending some time tracking Viral down. She had kept her distance just to be sure not to agitate him, not that she expected to be detected anyways. He'd managed to get himself down in some kind of tunnel by the looks of it with the trees several dozen meters away to begin with, so there she waited, figuring he'd come out when he was ready. To get a better vantage point she had taken to one of the trees near the edge of the forest, propping herself up as she awaited her friend's arrival patiently. Before long the sun had begun to set and Yumi, still without a shirt from the day's ordeals, curled up a bit tighter to keep warm in the cooling air. Some time later still and there was no emergence of Viral, getting so late that Yumi eventually fell asleep. When she came to the following morning he had still yet to emerge, yet she could smell him and tell he was alive and well even if he was underground. Needing a change of clothes and a meal she'd gone back to the house, promptly returning afterwards to wait again.

By the time of dawn on the second day she swore she heard some rushing water, shooting a glance towards the dam and not spotting any valves released. Puzzled she directed her gaze out towards the lake itself, peering through the warm glow of the sun across the lake to try and spot any movement. And there it was, signaled first by bubbles rising to the surface and then Viral himself, breaking through and hastily moving towards shore. He seemed to be in a panic, clambering out onto the shore and breaking into a run. Where was he going? Dropping down from her tree Yumi took off after him, weaving through plants to try and catch her friend.

"Viral! Viral wait!" Darn it, what had him in such a fuss? Doing her best to chase him it wasn't terribly hard, he must have been under there for some time and hadn't rested well, she reached him before long. When she finally did Yumi reached out and took him by the arm to stop him, smiling nervously as she turned him around. "It's okay Viral, I'm here," she said as she pulled him into a hug, ignoring the water still clung to his body as she held him. "Everything's going to be okay now, just relax and breathe."

T’charrl didn’t like how Haku worded that, frowning at what he said before looking around the environment. “In danger? I don’t mean to put others in danger! Don’t say that…” he squeaked, feeling worried that it was a universal thought with all of them that he was dangerous because of his power. He was feeling pretty awful now, wondering if this was all an elaborate plan to get him out of the way of everyone so he could practice using his abilities without harming someone. He could do with the support of his friends, but it didn’t appear as if they wanted him anywhere near them when he was practicing his powers. Sighing lightly he slowly squatted down again, hovering his claws over the plant again as he stared at it. “I’ve only done it a few times, my first time ended with me sprouting an offshoot of my clan’s sacred tree which nearly took over the entire upper city’s sky. The tree was so mad at me…” he sighed, trying to get a grip on this abilities again, “The second time was an accident. I was trying to channel Ki. Ohhh…no wonder the others in my situation went insane…”

----

Kiton sighed heavily, hardly caring about what Ricken said anymore. The guy was just not listening to him unless it involved an insult directly aimed at him. What a bother, of course he had to be stuck with this guy, probably one of the more reckless decisions he’s seen so far concerning their boss. It didn’t say much if he had to be paired with him while being won over to their side, it didn’t help that they were all facing against people he would’ve once considered a possible ally too. This was hardly going to help him decide what he wanted to do in the future, but Ricken probably wanted to make it hard on him. If he decided not to join them or the other group then Ricken was probably going to try and kill him. He wouldn’t actually manage to kill him, he was aware that he was very strong otherwise so many people wouldn’t want to recruit him.

Giving Sasha an annoyed glare he looked away again, shaking his head. Technically according to their aging system he was still a kid, but even he didn’t know if he was considered one according to his race. Not caring about that he also placed very little care into the pirates, sighing lightly as Sasha gave a rundown of what they were up to. So it was a typical hostage situation, probably designed to lure them in so the pirates can kill them and steal their ship or maybe even collect a bounty the Saiyans had placed on the rebels. There was quite a few reasons this could be happening and what Ricken had in mind was just reckless and would make everything worse. Glancing to Sasha he sighed, scratching his side. “I don’t care if he wants to throw me into the fray by myself, seeing how that’s what people like him seem to think that’s what I’m only good for. I don’t know why you’re asking me either, I would had just killed the pirates. But…if I must give an opinion, I would say you could try surrendering to them and if they decide to try and kill you instead of capture you then just blow them up…even if chances are they’d capture you. I don’t even know why you brought me on this mission, honestly! Your boss must really despise me to send me against people under my own social rank. It’s like destroy my own people”.

----

Viral didn’t know what was going on or anything that was happening to him, everything down to what planet he was on and where he was running. There had to be something that was familiar to him or was he really lost? He was in a lot of pain, his eyes couldn’t focus properly either and everything continued to go black for an unknown length of time. Everything was startling to him, even the trees that appeared before him as he ran startled him. Running as quick as he could manage he didn’t hear Yumi call out to him, he could barely recognise his own name at this point. Whatever he was planning on doing now was completely lost to him and immediately things got worse when his arm was grabbed and he was pulled back. Finding that he was instead grabbed by his entire body he tried to struggle out of it, trying to push her away but found he was much too weak. Continuing his struggle for a few seconds he soon slowly came to a stop, panting as his eyes remained lazily closed before he slowly opened them halfway. Everything seemed so fuzzy and confusing, his energy was low and he felt he couldn’t fight back. Staring at nothing at first he soon slowly looked down at Yumi, not looking like he recognised her at first. “…What…what is…” he muttered almost collapsing but managed to stop himself, “I can’t-…I can’t see…”

"Oh, t-that's not what I meant, honest! I just meant... Uh..." What had he meant? He'd said it sure enough yet Haku hadn't meant to imply T'charrl would put others in danger, had he? Biting his lip uncertainly the young Saiyan pressed his fingers together, knitting his brow as he wracked his brain for the right words. "I just meant... You can focus out here, right? Everywhere else we go there's people being attacked or something, but it's quiet here. Well... You know what I mean." Considering he could speak to spirits and the plants, or lack thereof, it was likely anything but quiet for his friend. Watching as T'charrl went back to the sapling he smiled slightly, crouching down beside him. "So you made a mistake, that's why you practice stuff, right...? If you don't do it then you won't get better at it," Haku pointed out, reaching out and tracing a leaf with a fingertip, "And... Hey, so what if others went nuts huh? I mean look at me, I'm a Saiyan with no power really, but here I am, doing something good instead of just being a soldier," he muttered, his smile turning a bit sad as he sighed, "I might not be good for much, but I'm doing something different than the people who came before me, and you can too."

-----

"Maybe that's the reason he sent you? You said it's like killing your own, right? So that means you're still considering yourself a pirate?" Sasha asked, scrutinizing Kiton for a moment before shutting off the PDA, "Maybe they want to see who you decide with before this is all done. Ricken and I can probably do this alone, I'm guessing this is for you to prove where your loyalties lie. Korian does it with a lot of converted Saiyans and soldiers, to make sure they're not going to stab us in the back. Not saying you will, it's just a thing we do." She wasn't too sure what Kiton meant by social rank, that bit was beyond her. Aside from your typical military rankings most everyone in the rebellion fleet was on equal footing, and she'd never seen much hierarchy on Uuonoe save for their leaders and everyone else. Besides, that social rank thing only applied again if Kiton still thought he was a pirate right? If he was something else then it didn't matter, he wasn't one of them and that didn't apply to him.

"As for what we'll do... I think we still should try to sneak in. I know it's not your style Ricken but if we go in blasting everything in sight they could kill the hostages. And we'll probably have to fight our way out regardless, it's best we make sure the people we're here to rescue are safe first." That may be easier said than done of course, there was no way of knowing where in the settlement they were even being held.

"Fine, then we'll do it your way. But we'll have to locate the captives first," Ricken pointed out, frowning as he crossed his arms, "Best way to do that, I think, is nab one of their men and make him talk. Most of them put on a big act but they'll buckle as soon as you push them a bit, it should be easy getting what we need. And don't worry sister, we won't kill him. Even if the bastard deserves it..."

Oh dear, two temperamental warriors with little regard to the rules, why her? If Ricken was to be assigned to this job she supposed she was the best fit for him, keeping him in line for the most part was her specialty. Kiton was an unknown but hopefully he'd listen to her too and not do anything too extreme. "Good, thank you. Now, the settlement should be just up ahead here, it looked like there was a bit of a patch of trees before we get there. We can scope it out before going in, see if they have patrols or anything like it. After that we'll see if it's all clear or not, take it nice and slow. Any questions?"

-----

It was startling to see Viral's reaction to her touch, he was panicked and trying desperately to get away from her. Refusing to yield Yumi kept a grip on his arm and even pulled him in for a hug, having to keep extra care to put him up as she felt him nearly collapse in her arms. "It's okay, your eyes probably just need a moment," she said gently, glancing up and giving her friend a reassuring smile. Boy did he look haggard, all covered in dirt and mud, his hair matted and his clothing torn. Easing Viral down into a sitting position to relax she removed her jacket, draping it over his shoulders before giving him her lap to lay his head on. "You're safe Viral, don't you worry. You had changed on us but now you're okay, everything's going to be just fine..." Yumi whispered as she rubbed his back, trying everything she could think of to bring him down from his panicked state. Parents did this sort of thing with their kids right? She was far from his parent and he far from a child but she figured it might still do some good. "Just take a minute and catch your breath, we can head home when you're ready, okay?"

T’charrl was feeling pretty terrible now knowing that there was no excuse for what they thought of him. If he was going to put them all in danger then he had to get better, he didn’t want to lose his friends or become excluded because he was too unstable. He was feeling very self-conscious now, even if it wasn’t Haku’s intent. “Sending me to a place full of death isn’t what I had in mind when I mentioned the need for training space”, he frowned before sighing, “There’s so many spirits here…it’s awful…” Being expected to repair this entire area was asking a lot from him, especially when he had such little experience with it. He had only managed to fully grow one plant once and he was transformed for that, the other was just a seed and then there was this one which was just so small. Sighing as he tried to channel his energy into the plant again he looked to Haku with a frown, staring at him before he shook his head. “But a race doesn’t need to fight, they choose to. Saiyans choose to fight, but me? I didn’t choose this. My parents didn’t have this ability…in fact it’s incredibly rare. I am something different than the people who came before me and that’s the problem. You have the choice to change”.

----

Kiton gave Sasha a confused look, wondering if she thought pirates were on a completely different spectrum compared to other criminals. Frowning a little he sighed and shook his head, disliking this whole scenario he was being thrown into. “So…he’s sending me specifically after pirates to see that I don’t go back to crime that is close to what the pirates do? I’m guessing he sends former soldiers against soldiers on the enemy’s side? Heh! That’s pretty messed up, you know?” That kind of attitude towards newcomers was a little worrying, especially when the slightest misstep meant jail forever.

Letting out a groan as he thought about it he listened to what Sasha’s plan was, wondering if he could pull off a sneaking mission. He probably shouldn’t walk during it, his feet could be quite noisy when it came to sneaking around. Giving Ricken an annoyed glaring at he quickly looked away again, disliking how he was still generalising criminals and thinking they were so easy to tame. “I don’t have any questions…maybe other than are you even sure that there is actually hostages? That’d be pretty embarrassing…” he sighed, giving his cheek a quick scratch, “Not saying I’ve done it before, but…ehh, it’s really easy to do. You just pretend there’s a hostage, wait until the authority come along and then just ambush them, steal their stuff and flee. They’ll probably steal the ship and user it for spare parts”.

----

Viral didn’t know what was happening, even Yumi was proving to be an unknown to him as he tried to get his mind together. He was weak, his mind was only half there and the confusion remaining his drive. With his senses near gone in his confusion and with the pain lingering he didn’t understand anything that was going on, feeling angry but also saddened that this was happening to him. Trying to keep standing he could feel his heart racing as Yumi gradually eased him down to the ground, his paw going to his head as Yumi tended to him. He still didn’t know where he was still, but as Yumi told him what was happening he was starting to recall some things. “…What…? No! Aghhh…” he groaned, the pain not making it easy to recall what had happened to him, “I couldn’t had changed…no I-…I was made to, I was forced to! Is that it…? What planet is this…how could this happen…”

"I guess anyone wouldn't be happy about a place like this. Like I said I can't really see anything, but I do feel... I don't know, like its almost sad here. I can't imagine what you're feeling..." There had to be something that could be done to help though, T'charrl must have a way of fixing things. He could talk with spirits right? Maybe if he could help them find peace or something, move on, maybe that's what they were here for. "Well... Maybe you don't have a choice like that, but you can choose what you do with it? I don't know, I don't have any idea the kind of things you're feeling or going through," Haku muttered, frowning as he sat on his rear, "And I mean... You're the first of your kind to travel like this, right? I've heard you say it before. Sure maybe you can't choose what you are, but you chose to do that. And you're choosing to try and learn your ability. That's all your decision."

-----

"It makes sense though when you think about it. Is it a good idea to trust someone who won't fight people they used to do bad things with? If someone we bring in is going to turn on us then it's not worth training and putting them up right?" Sasha pointed out, "It might not be the nicest way to do it, but it makes sure we don't have allies who could betray us." With their non-lethal methods of combat too it wasn't though as Korian was asking anyone to kill a former friend or comrade. Fight yes, but fighting someone and taking their lives were far different. As they approached the settlement the trio sought refuge in some nearby trees, taking the opportunity to scope out the place and come up with a plan.

"The request was sent by some villagers, I doubt its a set up," Ricken explained as he knelt on one knee, "And if there are none then its free rein over how we handle this. The only thing keeping us from completely leveling them is the chance there are hostages inside. If it turns out there aren't any then they're as good as done." No holds bar, and while they might not go and kill those pirates they sure as hell would regret ever causing trouble.

"Either way we should be smart about this. Sneak in and learn what we can, and we'll go from there. So I guess you two just stay at my back then? We'll look for a lone guard and question him as soon as we get the chance, sound good?" Blessings or not that should be how they went about this, the alternative involved wild fighting with who knows how many enemies and potentially endangering the hostages. Motioning for the boys to follow her lead Sasha took one glance around to make sure the coast was clear, running across the open ground and hiding behind the nearest building. Nice and slow, getting spotted would probably raise the alarms.

-----

It likely wasn't much consolation to be doing this yet Yumi had little else to offer. Just her company and some kind words would have to suffice, at least until Viral was able enough to get moving again. "It's okay, what happened wasn't your fault. You were attacked, you fell in the water. I... Don't remember what happened after that. But we're on Uuonoe still, everyone else is fine and back home. We're in the woods together." How badly worn out was he? It was one thing to be fatigued, it was another to be completely absentminded and not know where he was at whatsoever. "Do you remember anything at all? It's okay if you don't."

T’charrl looked around, giving a light frown before shaking his head. “It’s pretty bad, it’s like they don’t want to face the truth that they’re dead or have unfinished business”, he frowned, looking around again, “They won’t go to the Otherworld until it’s over with, unless this is part of their culture like it is mine. Spirits on my world often hang around to ascend”. It was hard to describe why these spirits would still be lingering, but whatever the reason it was making him feel unsettled and in some measure of pain that wasn’t physically seen. He would just have to try and focus again though if he was going to do any healing, but tending to the plant and helping it grow was a little difficult under this condition. Helping it grow a little bigger he gave Haku a glance, frowning before looking to the plant again. “Uhh well, another reason for me to try and learn these abilities is that I will have to be put down if I didn’t because I would go out of control. It’s uhh…well, it’s a big risk I have to take. I know I shouldn’t be allowed to live if all I’m going to do is kill and destroy using my power”.

----

Kiton frowned, definitely not agreeing with that. Sighing lightly he shook his head, shrugging his shoulders. “You wouldn’t feel comfortable wiping out a settlement full of drifters because they’re making a mess despite the fact that you used to be one. You see the problem I’m having?” Surely he wasn’t the only one who would go through these concerns upon initiation, it didn’t help that he was still new to this and had only been picked out of the ground not that long ago. He wasn’t even treated well but probably because of his criminal record.

Deciding to float instead of run around he moved with the Sasha and Ricken, peering past the trees. Disliking how Ricken aimed to treat them as anything less than people he gave him a glare before looking to Sasha, appreciating that she was at least level-headed enough to not end up going down that rather hateful road. If anything was going to put him off it would be treating the pirates like they were nothing to the rebels. “Great…okay. If I went in the front they’d just spot me faster, anyway”, he spoke quickly, looking down at himself, “I am very aware of my natural colourings and how bright I am…” It wasn’t his fault that he was an absolute predator to near enough everything in the galaxy, the colours were just a warning to lesser lifeforms for that reason. Flying behind Sasha when she told them to move he looked around quickly before darting past her and behind the building. Shame typical villagers wouldn’t have a very strong Ki signal, they could find them that way and probably even the pirates. “…I wonder how many of them will be in this ambush they are obviously conducting…”

----

Viral was concerned on a number of levels, mainly the fact that he was told he had changed and had no memory of any of it. He didn’t even know where he was and why there was so many familiar scents that he couldn’t pin down. He could be anywhere, this could be some sort of crazy lucid dream for all he knew and with his eyes not on Yumi all he knew was she was going to slowly lower her head as she distracted him and tear his throat apart. Feeling particularly tense if it was going to be exactly that he closed his eyes again, trying to focus his energy as he tried to make sense of this he started to recall some things from the event, but it was quick and flashy and couldn’t hold his focus. “Home…? This isn’t home…this isn’t my home…” he growled lowly, simply picking words from what she said. He didn’t know what he had changed into if she was correct that he did, his fear immediately being he was going out of control again and was deteriorating. “I remember…being…crushed. And…there was a lot of pain…” he spoke slowly, his paw continuing to rub his head before he gasped, his paw going to his neck and grasping at his scarf, “…I still have it. What I-…I need to get out of here. I shouldn’t be here. I have to get out of here…I can’t be in this strange setting! How did I change?? Do I-…I don’t look different…do I??”

Haku couldn't offer any ideas, he had no idea why a spirit would hang around. It wasn't exactly something spoken about much back home, if you died then you died in the line of duty, you were honored and that was that. He'd since learned about things like Otherworld since joining this group yet he still had more questions than answers. Kind of creepy too now that he considered it, being surrounded by a bunch of spirits. Of course none were visible when he glanced around but he knew they were still there, it was creepy enough knowing some may be watching him.

"P-Put down? You mean as in killed?" Haku asked, frowning before shaking his head, "No way! They would never kill you, they're the good guys, right? And... And you can learn how to use it, I'm positive you can! I mean... You are already better than you were right? You didn't get this far to just stop now. And... Even if you didn't there's no way they would kill you, they're your friends, I'm your friend. I wouldn't let that happen." They had to find a way for T'charrl to be able to control his ability, but how? Truth be told he wasn't completely sure what the ability was and only knew it had something to do with spirits and plants. If he had some idea he could give an idea, if anyone had some clue they could help yet apparently no one knew. If they did they weren't talking and that infuriated him. "Well uh... You can talk to the spirits? Can you talk to the one you have? Maybe it can help?"

-----

"I did say it wasn't easy. But it's about having the resolve to do the right thing. No matter who it is, if someone's harming others we need to be able to stop them," Sasha reiterated, "Sometimes its someone we might know, or even someone we used to fight with. It happens, we've been there, and it does suck. But that's what it takes to keep people safe sometimes." It's what it might take here, and while it wasn't a simple thing to ask Kiton to do he needed to be prepared to face these sort of challenges. If he didn't want to be viewed as a criminal anymore and turn over a new leaf he'd have to do difficult things regardless of the path he chose, it wasn't like just flipping a switch and expecting everything to work out. They were approaching the settlement now in earnest and there wasn't any backing out now, Sasha hoped Kiton could see this through, for his sake if nothing else.

"Doesn't matter, we'll take them out," Ricken whispered as he followed Sasha's lead, cutting across an alleyway to the back of an adjacent building, "Just have to keep an eye out and watch for any signs of a trap, so stay alert." When they were on the job he could quickly turn all business just as he had, his entire focus now on freeing these villagers. As they reached the rear of another house the siblings exchanged glances, and without a word Sasha ran across as Ricken disappeared, landing on the rooftop above Sasha and peering from around the wall on the top. From here he could spot about four pirates standing in front of a building, chatting away and drinking, having a good time of it all. Disgusting, criminals acting all happy and pleased with themselves. Reaching back he knocked against the roof four times, just loud enough for Sasha to hear.

"Four enemies ahead, meaning number wise we're pretty even," Sasha explained to Kiton, stopping at the corner and putting a finger to her lips. Taking a glance around the corner she saw the men Ricken had pointed out, taking a quick look around to see if anyone else was around. From here she could see into the front of the building too and no one stood out, it was likely just those four here. Giving the Frost Demon a hand signal she paused, smiling apologetically before whispering, "I'll lead, you follow my lead and Ricken will bring up the rear. We're going to take them out."

Rising up on the balls of her feet Sasha looked to be ready to break into a sprint as she eyed the men, trying to decide who to pick off first. Two had blasters visible, the other two appeared unarmed, she should try getting one of the first two then. Counting down to herself she raised her rear before taking off, dashing across the ground at a surprising speed and leaping into the air as soon as she was close enough. It would feel like a sudden gust to the men, and before they knew it Sasha had her legs around one of their necks, twirling herself around and him in turn before throwing him into the wall. Ricken was a split second behind, using his arm to catch one of the pirates in the neck, nearly flipping him over as he was knocked out and landed ass up on the ground. Sasha tripped a third man just as Ricken was getting his footing, and with a single quick strike to the side of the head he was out too. The fourth pirate was now fumbling for his blaster, trying to get a shot off on the siblings.

-----

Okay maybe "home" wasn't the right word, but that's where they were heading. June had been worried sick and Yumi had promised to bring Viral home as soon as possible, she couldn't be sitting here forever with him; moving Viral right now seemed like a bad idea given how shaken up he was. It was so unusual, seeing a generally self assured Viral losing it like this. Watching as he grasped his scarf she gave him a tearful smile, finally getting to her feet and cradling her friend against herself for warmth. "I don't know how you changed, but you're okay now. Nothing bad happened, no one was hurt, everyone is safe," she said gently as she turned, heading back the way they had come to leave the forest, "And well... Aside from being half naked and wet? No, you don't look different. Please, just save your energy and rest, everything is going to be fine Viral." Aito could check on him once they got back, June would probably try to force loads of food into him and see he was made comfortable. For her own part Yumi intended to stay at her friend's side until he calmed down, and longer still if need be.

T’charrl was aware that the spirits would eventually move on once they woke up from their dream-like state, but that would take some time as well. Once they woke up from that they would go straight to the Otherworld with sometimes little realisation that they had a life before the Otherworld in the first place. It was rather sad when he thought about it, but that as far as his understanding went other than the fact some people retain their bodies. Despite having a lot of knowledge about death it still scared him and the thought that if he didn’t master his abilities he would have to be killed. Nodding at Haku’s exclamation he frowned when Haku instead protested, still finding it a little strange that he got so upset over that. “My friend? Even if I scare you sometimes?” he smiled a little, letting out a sigh, “I am better sometimes, but my powers are also getting stronger and unstable. Sometimes I am okay, but a lot of the time I feel like I’m going to lose myself”. Wondering if he might be able to grow the plant into its fully grown state he looked over to Haku curiously, his eyes going to the spirits, frowning. “I don’t understand these spirits very well and the one I have I can only talk to when I’m asleep. That’s the problem I’m currently having. It’s impossible for us to both be awake at the same time. I wonder what would happen if that happened, though…I mean, a spirit is most powerful when it’s awake”.

----

Maybe Korian was a little sadistic and did these kinds of missions to newbies on purpose to break them, Kiton didn’t know fully. It was a little unsettling thinking about having to destroy those who tried to recruit him and saw him as someone they could make deals with, even if they were somewhat aggressive about it at the best of times. “I’m really concerned about your boss…” Trying to not think about it too much he decided to turn his attention to the task at hand, frowning as he looked around for the pirates. There was definitely a few pirates out there that he could see and it was definitely a fact that there was going to be more inside if four was the maximum they thought would be good enough to stand guard. These guys weren’t worried at all, they looked incredibly relaxed.

Looking to Sasha he stared as she spoke, his eyes looking back to the pirates before he sighed. If he had to be behind everyone else then there was no way to show off what he could do to them and prove he was more than just some asset. He knew they didn’t have much of a clue when it came to his abilities and what he might be able to do, all they knew was he was a Frost Demon and probably carried the ‘demon’ part of his race’s name well. Waiting for Sasha to take the lead he didn’t expect her to go in so fast, chasing after her while only having a brief look to see what was left. Spotting the pirate that was about to fire he immediately threw his finger forward, firing a quick finger beam which destroyed the blaster before immediately zooming in, his tail wrapping around the pirate’s neck. Lifting him up slowly he looked to Sasha and Ricken as if for approval, barely caring that the pirate was struggling in his hold. “I caught one of them! Is this where we prod for information through torture or do I just slam him like you did the others?”

----

The very thought that he was a freak again worried him greatly, knowing just how long he had been stuck like that previously. Viral didn’t want to go through that again, the pain he was experiencing was only causing him to recall how he felt back then. Still trying to understand where he was and what was happening he did try to see where he was, the sight of the forest only slowly coming together. He didn’t have a clue about his whereabouts, he didn’t understand how he got here but he had to trust Yumi and hope that she wasn’t a dream that was just waiting to kill him. “I don’t understand…I thought I had it down…” he muttered, not appearing too aware of the fact that they were moving now. He was just stumbling along with her, wondering why he was feeling cold when he didn’t usually. It took until Yumi told him that he wasn’t physically different to understand that he wasn’t going through any changes, feeling his chest slowly before lowering his paw again. “Relax…? I have to get out of here. I can’t be here…” he muttered, finding it hard to understand how he could possibly relax when he was out in the middle of nowhere completely vulnerable, “I can move faster than this…just let me go. I’ll find my way…probably…”

"Well yeah... I mean so maybe sometimes you surprise me, doesn't mean you're not my friend. Would be a pretty stupid reason not to consider you a friend," Haku answered back, wondering why he even had to explain it. There was also the small fact that T'charrl was likely his only friend, but he left that out, not wanting to make it sound bad in any way. "Hey, sometimes is better than never. And if you keep working on it then it will be all the time, right? You can do this." He had to, he didn't even want to think about what might happen if the powers weren't mastered. Surely no one would really hurt him right? He wouldn't let anyone hurt his friend, for whatever that was worth, an imposing fighter he was not. "What if you tried a sort of... Oh what's it called... That thing where you sit really still and think. Why don't you try that? I mean its not really sleeping, but maybe that would help? I've seen people around the base doing it and I've tried it, though I think I'm doing it wrong. That way you won't really be asleep though right?"

-----

Their surprise attack had more than done the trick, three guards laid out in a matter of seconds by Sasha and Ricken. With Kiton handling the final one they had effectively rendered that guard obsolete, now they only had to question the remaining man. Perhaps Kiton wasn't terribly familiar with how interrogations worked but generally having the person conscious helped. "Uh, good job, but can you not choke him?" Sasha asked, smiling slightly as she gestured for the man to be set down. When he was he tried scrambling away, whimpering as Ricken grabbed him by the shirt and threw him back against the wall, a foot slamming next to his head to make sure he didn't go anywhere. Giving Kiton a grateful smile she walked over to the man, crouching down before him and rolling her eyes as he began to plead for his life.

"We're not going to kill you, relax please. We're only asking you a few questions," Sasha explained, reaching up and pushing Ricken's leg away to give the pirate some space, "We were told you have some hostages here, we're just looking to free them, that's all. No one has to die in this place, and we're going to try avoiding that at all costs. But we're going to need your help to do that, okay?" Watching the man nod frantically she smiled, relaxing a little as she stood up. "Good, now please, if you know where they are tell us, we won't hurt any of your friends either, at most they'll be knocked out. You're doing a good thing helping us here."

The pirate nodded again, stammering incoherently at first before clearing his throat and pointing down the road. "T-That way! They're back in some big s-stone building, about 500 meters from here. C-Can't miss it, should have some more men o-outside," he got out, frowning as he shook his head, "And these people a-aren't my friends, I'm just trying to make a q-quick haul, need money. C-Couldn't care less if you killed them to be honest."

Ricken scowled hearing that, reaching down and smacking the back of the man's neck to knock him out. "That's why I hate pirates, there's no loyalty there. Just after money without any regard for what happens to others," he mumbled, placing his hands on his hips, "But at least we know where the hostages are now. These four should be out for a bit, we can probably go take care of that and deal with rounding these guys up later. Kiton? Next time try not nearly breaking their neck, not exactly a safe way to restrain someone."

"He did fine Ricken, cut him some slack," Sasha quipped in annoyance, glancing at the four men thoughtfully before going into the building, returning moments later with a cord she'd found. Pulling them all together she managed to just get the cord around them, tying it securely to bind them, albeit temporarily. Should do well enough to keep them from running off until they returned at the very least. "Next step I suppose is go find that building, and figure out how we're getting those people out," she mused, looking at Kiton carefully for a moment before smiling, "Any ideas? I want to see how you'd handle this."

----

"You did... Well everything else anyways. I never saw you change into this before. It was like a shark only... Well on land. And in water, and underground," Yumi muttered as her brow knit together, trying to think of a better way to describe it, "Aito might know more, but it was new to me. I've seen your cat form, and I've seen the lizard form, but I've never seen this. It's not your fault if a new form came out, and honestly that new form probably saved your life." Having reassured Viral he wasn't going to change they began moving back out of the forest, towards their temporary home and no doubt into the waiting arms of June. Again Viral began to grow panicked, seeming like he was running from something despite safely being in her arms. Sighing when Viral asked to be put down she reinforced her hold on him, cradling him against her chest and giving her friend a stern smile. "I wish you stupid men would just let someone help you for once. No I'm not letting you go, I'm making sure you get back safely. And to do that I need to carry you, so clam up and enjoy the ride."

“Well, friends don’t usually scare friends, so it’s just one of those questions. I do try not to, but I always wonder how everyone feels”. T’charrl didn’t want to deny friendships but he did worry that he was only making it harder for him to have friends because of all the problems he went through with his powers. Staring at the plant he glanced at Haku when he mentioned doing something, frowning when he couldn’t say what the word was and expecting him to know it instead. “Uhh…not sleeping and sitting still? Uhhh, I do that already…I think, if I understand what you mean. I can try and do that just now, but it might disturb your energies too”, he spoke, slowly backing off from the little plant in a crawl, moving away before slowly sitting down again away from the plant, crossing his legs as he looked to Haku. “I mean, I can’t talk to the spirit but I can still try and make this place look better by doing this. Maybe if you tried to do that thing to it won’t affect you too much?”

----

Kiton was fairly proud that he had managed to help by grabbing one of the pirates, but when Sasha instructed him to not hold the man like that he frowned and set him down, backing off when Ricken decided to take control. The big thing was that he did indeed help grab the guy and definitely made a difference since they were going to pull a gun on them all. He saved them so that was all that mattered. Watching Sasha start her interrogation he slowly floated over, staring at the pair as if analysing whether there was any torture going on. Frowning when there was no torture and instead a quick hit to knock the guy out, sighing in disappointment. That was hardly exciting, but at least he played his part in that.

Looking to Ricken when he decided to make a comment about the pirates he frowned, folding his arms. Sighing in slight frustration from Ricken’s ignorance, looking off in the direction the building was in before frowning at Ricken when he decided to critique the way he handled the pirate. “Yeah, what’s the problem? It’s not like I cracked his skull on the wall…” Watching Sasha wrap them all up his eyes slowly went to the direction of the building again, frowning when she instead asked him what they should do. “What? Uhh…ideas?” he repeated, scratching his cheek, “Well, nobody knows about me being picked up by you lot other than…well, you lot, so maybe if I approached them saying I’ll join them? Worst case scenario is they capture me because of my bounty, but it’ll still give a good enough distraction for you two to sneak in while I mess around with them. That’s all I got, otherwise I’d just dash in there and destroy them all…”

----

Viral didn’t understand, he didn’t change into a shark but then again the fact that he could change into a feline was still pretty new and not under his control yet. “Don’t call me a lizard…it’s not a lizard! It’s…ughhh…it’s not a lizard…” he spoke, finding it hard to focus his thoughts, “When I can see straight, I’ll set you straight too…” He couldn’t even think through his own personal thoughts nevermind finding the right words to explain to Yumi why it wasn’t a lizard. Changing into a shark was something he was having a hard time seeing himself changing into, letting out a groan as the very thought only made him dizzy. This was horrible, he felt like he had downed way too much alcohol and was paying the price with ill health and a foggy mind. Right now his idea of finding peace was trying to get out of the forest, but Yumi wasn’t letting him go so that he might be able to run. Groaning as he was only making his muscles hurt he slowly moved his paw back to his head. “Don’t bring gender into this…you can be easily stubborn…” he muttered, trying hard to bring his focus in again, “All I need…is to be able to see again…”

"I wouldn't know, never really had friends. If getting a bit of a surprise means being your friend though then that's fine, it's worth it," Haku said with a smile, snickering then behind his hand, "Well I know Takeshi looks like he wants to piss himself. He acts so big but he's scared of bugs, and ones that are way smaller than you. Some big scary prince he is." To think he'd been so intimidated when he heard about the older prince at first. Sure he was strong but all it took to beat him was something crawly, some warrior. They could probably joke about Takeshi's irrational fear all afternoon but there were more important things to be doing: T'charrl needed to get more comfortable with his ability and Haku might just know what could help. Shame he couldn't remember what it was called for the life of him but it seemed like his friend figured it out. Mimicking what was done he sat down cross-legged as well, placing his hands in his lap with a smile. "Uh... Yeah, I can give it a try. I haven't gotten it to work yet but it's supposed to be good for you, so can't hurt." Closing his eyes he sat there unmoving, not totally sure what he was supposed to do at this point. It'd come to him... Maybe.

-----

"Not the point. You could break someone's neck like that, and hard to get information from a dead man," Sasha pointed out before disappearing inside, returning with cord to restrain the men. Gathering that information had been easy enough, now they only needed to find the building and get the hostages. But how should they go about it? Again a direct attack just seemed like an awful idea, and they couldn't well break in and risk hurting anyone inside, so that was out of the question.

"You want to be bait? Is that it?" Ricken asked, a bit surprised to hear Kiton willing to do such a thing. Smirking he scoffed before folding his arms, shrugging and waving his hand. "Well go ahead if you want to, I don't care. Saves us a headache having to come up with an alternative."

Sasha frowned at her brother's callousness, shaking her head then and looking to Kiton. "There's other ways we can do this, that's too risky for you. You shouldn't have to put yourself in danger like that if we can help it. Maybe we can... I don't know, find another door, or a window or something. There has to be another way in."

"But none are as easy as this and you know it. Besides, it's not like we'd completely abandon him. He goes up to the building and tries getting in, if they get suspicious or attack him then he can handle them, or we'll move in and help. It's our easiest way inside sis," Ricken pointed out, looking to Kiton then with a frown, "Question is whether you can handle it or not. Pirates are usually pushovers, getting through them shouldn't be hard if you have to fight. But think you can not screw up and kill someone?"

-----

"Whatever it is, I've seen that. This one wasn't anything I had seen before, that's what I'm saying." Losing control was okay if it was new, Viral was unfamiliar with it so it was fair he wouldn't know how to use it right. Given that Aito and Vegeta had helped with the other two it was only a matter of time until this one was taken care of as well. Smiling coyly at Viral she giggled, her smile wavering when he mentioned he couldn't see. "Are you... You're not blind are you?" she asked worriedly, glancing down and trying to get a peek at Viral's eyes, "I mean... It is still very early, and you were underground for a while. I'd have a hard time seeing too if I was in your position." Definitely something worth having looked at just to be safe it wasn't a real issue. Hopefully Viral's vision would improve once they finally broke out of the forest, something which only took a moment longer to get to. With the warm glow of the sun now the temperature picked up a little and they could see easier. "I bet you're probably hungry too. I'll make you something when we get back."

T’charrl frowned, glancing to Haku before looking away. “I’m not a bug, though! It’s just coincidence…” he squeaked, shaking his head, “I don’t do the same to your race even if you only have four limbs! Even if I don’t think there’s anything on my planet that looks like your kind…” He really didn’t like that Takeshi put his looks in the same realm as these bugs they had, he really didn’t understand how he looked like one even look at pictures during his studies. Feeling a little upset by that he let out a sigh, trying to relax himself again so that he might be able to concentrate his power and maybe use the negative energy in the area. Looking to Haku when he took to the position, staring at him for a moment before he let out a sigh, trying to relax himself as he lay his lower arms near his feet and his upper arms over his knees. “I’ve had to do it a lot…but I haven’t needed to use it for negative energy like this. Even when people are fighting on the ship it causes me to lose my concentration…” he sighed, closing his eyes, “But, uhh…you just have to calm yourself to do it, listen to everything around you rather than what your mind says. Don’t talk to yourself…and uhh, don’t fall asleep”.

----

Kiton frowned, disliking how Ricken was reacting to his willingness to self-sacrifice. It should’ve been a good thing to hear from him, it showed he was willing to play a part in this mission, but Ricken simply mocked it and couldn’t care less. Sighing in annoyance he looked to Sasha, staring at her as she tried to find another way to go about this. It was probably going to end with the hostages in deeper trouble if they ever went with something like that, plus the entrances would probably be sealed or guarded. Folding his arms as Ricken tried to justify his decision in return he sighed lightly, looking in the direction of the building quickly before to Sasha, ignoring Ricken’s little snide comment. “Look, it’s the least I can do after being treated for my injuries. It’s not like any other traveller would’ve come across me! Even those natives probably would’ve rather seen me dead. If I am going to pay you back the least I can do is use my race and wanted status to your advantage. Don’t you trust me?”

----

Viral groaned, generally disliking the thought that there was more he was going to have to deal with when he hadn’t even finished mastering the other. This was all getting to be too much for him and what was worse was there was probably going to be a day where he’ll kill someone with his unpredictability. “Not like this…I can’t go through this again…” he muttered, slowly rubbing his face before lowering his paw again. He was supposed to be a warrior, but lately he had been a burden that constantly needed to be carried around and assisted. When Yumi questioned his eyesight he simply sighed, trying to see her through the haze that clouded his eyes. “I have no energy…I might as well be dead…” When they finally emerged from the forest the haze turned into blinding light, irritating his headache and eyes even more. Growling in annoyance he raised his paw again, simply resting it on his forehead and over his eyes. “I don’t know if I could eat…I mean…when pain overtakes all your senses, food isn’t a main concern…”

Haku's face flushed a bit from embarrassment at that, feeling awkward as he rubbed at his neck. "Oh, I k-know... I mean you look like one, but I uh... I mean that doesn't make you one. We look like humans but we're not... Uh, sorry." Idiot, putting his foot in his mouth like that, he'd gone and upset his friend. What other reason would Takeshi be afraid though unless T'charrl looked like one? It was the prince's fault anyways for being such a baby about bugs to begin with. Trying to move on and help his friend Haku assumed the position to relax, sitting but not doing much. Unsure of how to proceed he looked to T’charrl for help, nodding once at his suggestion and closing his eyes again. “Right… Okay, I can get this.” Taking a deep breath, he settled down, trying not to think too much, to not move or not let himself be distracted. Listening to what was around him he could hear his own breath, T’charrl’s and the wind. Wasn’t doing much for him but he assumed this was right.

-----

If there was an alternative to sending Kiton in on his own Sasha couldn’t think of it. The whole ordeal seemed dangerous as they still didn’t know exactly what or who they were up against. Those four pirates had been pushovers yet there was no guarantee the rest would be just as easy. “It’s not that I don’t trust you… You’ve stayed with us and you seem like a good person, that’s not it. It’s just kind of moot, trying to help you turn over a new leaf, if you end up dead doing it. We don’t know what risks there are here, we shouldn’t be so ready to just throw you to the fire.”

“But he’s willing, and it could be our only option. Look, I’m not your biggest fan if that hasn’t been made clear already, but I won’t let you die either. I’m not that heartless.” If Kiton was to be their newest ally then he needed to try and treat him as such. Easier said than done of course as he still had issues with the princes and their friends, but he’d give it an attempt. “If you’re willing to do it then go for it, we’ve got your back.”

Sasha could see regardless of her disapproval this was going to be their likely course of action. Fine, she’d just have to be absolutely sure not to let anything happen. “It’s my job to make sure you get back in one piece, so we’ll help if you need it,” she added, smiling slightly as they came to the end of the road. It looked like the building they were after was down at the end of the next, if the small crowd of pirates was any indication. Glancing around she considered their options, getting back around the corner and gesturing towards their target. “I think the best option is for Kiton to approach them while Ricken and I go down the side roads. If things take a turn we’ll be able to pincer them, there’s more than us but we’ll have surprise on our side.”

-----

“You won’t have to, it’ll get better. This was just a little hiccup right?” Viral had come a long way, much too long to start relapsing and fall back again. He had those other forms down even if he didn’t believe so himself and he was far healthier than he was. Yumi refused to let him think he was going to fail, he’d spent too much time down to have to go through any of that again. Breaking free from the treeline she started down the road, keeping Viral in her grasp while they walked. “I guess not, sorry. Let’s just focus on getting you home for now, yeah? We can worry about all that later.”

Walking worked just fine but it would take too long, there was one alternative to that. “I’m going to fly us there to get us back quicker, just giving you a fair warning. I won’t go that fast though.” Doubtless Viral didn’t wish to fly but they needed to pick up the pace, and running with him in tow just wouldn’t cut it. Breaking into a slow jog Yumi jumped off of her back foot, taking up into the air and rising a few dozen meters from the ground, just high enough to clear any trees. Her hold on Viral was secure as could be now, tucking him against herself like a child as she began flying. “I’m sorry I didn’t help you before, I didn’t know what to do. But I’ll be sure to make it up to you now.”

T’charrl really wished Takeshi would get over his looks because it did make him pretty upset, especially when he didn’t even like touching him. He liked being held and cuddled, it took a lot of pressure off him to receive such treatment, but Takeshi made him feel self-conscious and wonder whether they all felt uncomfortable going near him. He knew he had shedding problems, but that was just a condition that stemmed from anxiety. Trying to relax himself he lowered his head, letting his body relax as he focused his energy. If Haku could keep quiet then this should work faster, but it would still take some length of time if Haku was expecting it to go fast. Keeping quiet and still for a while he kept his breathing low, focusing his energy until he could use it to see his surroundings without opening his eyes.

Twitching his antennae he frowned as his mind gazed across the landscape, seeing how much negative energy there was and how much there was that had to be changed. If he could properly focus he could pull his energy out and allow it to absorb it, using it to strengthen his own powers. Slowly moving his lower arms out in front of him he held his palms out, trying to take control of his ability. Taking a few moments to try and find his centre he soon began to expel his energy, trying to do what he did to the plant before but on a larger scale. His energy began to build up creating an aura around him, his breathing ceasing as he tried to transform the entire area. As the energy of the area was slowly converted into his own he dropped it, the area soon changing as his energy influenced the area. Plants were beginning to spring out of the ruined ground and climb up the buildings, the spirits of the area becoming visible with many disappearing in a flash. With the area slowly springing to life the sapling he had been tending to earlier was growing large, twisting into a strange entity of a plant that was native to the planet. It was a struggle to do all of this, the negative energy felt heavy and like needles all over. He didn’t know if he could reach through the entire area but he was trying his best, even if it was doing a number on his own body.

----

Kiton knew he was going to need to be careful, he knew he couldn’t underestimate the pirates like Ricken seemed set on doing. The most he had to do was hope that they were out of the loop and hadn’t heard that he had been taken in by the rebels. Looking between Sasha and Ricken he sighed lightly, hoping it was going to be as smooth as he thought it was going to be and not how dangerous as Sasha thought. “I survived crashing from Space. I’m pretty sure I can survive pirates”, he spoke, looking back to the road before floating a little higher, “Just be nearby and uhh…don’t freak out if they start shooting me. I’m not going to let them hit me so easily”. Deciding to make his way towards the building he started flying, not going too fast but appearing high enough to be seen by any pirates that might be in the area. There must be some around the area, hopefully drawing their eyes to him rather than to Ricken and Sasha.

----

Viral groaned, not sounding terribly confident. “I don’t know…but I don’t want to have to rely on them…” he muttered before growling, “I want to use my blade!” He was rather angry that he was only allowed to kill the monsters none of them understood, especially when he was built to destroy and kill efficiently. It felt like he was forced into missing his weapon so that he might forget about it, their way of trying to alleviate his beast-like tendencies and put him off killing altogether. He hated the thought of being controlled and if they were all planning that then he would just have to get his weapon back himself.

Meanwhile, Viral was growing annoyed at the light that was supposed to be beneficial for him, finding that he was too low on energy to feel anything other than that sharp pain that came with having to go cold turkey for a long time. “…What? Fly? Damn Ki users…” he grumbled, unable to protest the very action when he was pretty much disabled. Feeling rather unsettled as she started on her build up he removed his paw from his head, instead grabbing hold of his scarf as if it would fly off. He didn’t know where he was or even where she was heading, only assuming that the place she kept calling home was going to be the base. Groaning in frustration he paused when Yumi spoke, letting out a huff instead. “Like you could had helped me before. If I’m out of control, you might as well try and take me down than try and help me…”

Normally fading into silence like this would be unsettling for Haku. He was used to being made to rush everywhere, having people bark orders at them and people making fun of him. Was it better than silence? Of course not, but he wasn't accustomed to it. Silence always preceded trouble in his mind so relaxing was proving to be a nightmare for him. Fidgeting as he tried to take breaths to settle down he opened one eye and glanced at T'charrl, a bit jealous his friend had done it so easily. It was while looking at T'charrl too he noticed something amazing, bits of greenery seeming to appear out of nowhere along the landscape. At first he thought maybe he was seeing things, blinking a handful of times and rubbing at his eyes for good measure. Yet sure enough as he looked around he saw patches of grass coming in, saplings sprouting up and even flowers coming in. Along the ruined buildings were vines and other small plants, giving the brown, desolate landscape a bit of color. Was T'charrl able to do all of this himself?

This was... It was amazing. What he wouldn't give to be able to do something even remotely as impressive, to be of some use. He couldn't do anything right now though and he'd have to accept that, it was just how things were. Not wanting to disrupt T'charrl either he kept silent as he closed his eyes again, attempting to force himself to relax. Knitting his brow in concentration he found it even more difficult now, the very air around him sparking with energy as all the plants began to grow. It wasn't a bad sensation but certainly a distracting one. Frowning as he found it next to impossible he let out a sigh, wondering if he should maybe go for a walk instead and let his friend work. Turning his head to ask about it he jumped when something brushed against his arm, opening his eyes startled and glancing around at the nothingness before him. What was that? When he next felt something cool touching his cheek he yelped and scrambled back, startled as he tried to see whatever it might be. "W-Who's there? What's going on?!"

-----

"Right... We'll be nearby in case you need help, I promise," Sasha reassured, smiling as she watched Kiton go off. He really didn't seem like a bad person despite what he was, just that he had a lousy hand in life. The number of people in their fold who were like him were innumerable, she couldn't fault someone for something they were handed. Glancing at her brother she gave a nod before running across the road, getting to the buildings opposite Ricken and starting to move along the backs. No pirates back here from the looks of it, meaning setting up their ambush should be a piece of cake. Reaching the end of her buildings she took to a crouch and peered around to get a view of the building, seeing the pirates there still chatting away without a care. On the far side she could just spot her brother doing the same, hiding again and preparing to leap into action at a moment's notice. Kiton should be okay though, maybe, so long as nothing unexpected happened.

"Can you believe the guy? 'Let us go and we'll give you all the money you want!' Idiot! Their money's no good off-world, why would we want money!" the pirate laughed, his own echoing with the sound of his companions.

"Higher market for some of their things though, they've got fancy tools here," another pirate added, grinning as he thumbed back towards the door, "Not to mention the ladies are easy on the eyes. Could probably drag a few with us for the ride home, pawn them off somewhere even. Probably a big market for some lookers like them!"

It was now the men found themselves taking notice of Kiton's approach, not sure what to make of him at first. None recognized immediately what or who he was, only that he didn't readily belong on the planet. He hardly seemed opposing, a bit colorful and frail looking to be honest. Not the sort to just start shooting at everything in sight they kept their places and just simply watched, waiting to see what the stranger might do. Once the Frost Demon set down they exchanged uncertain glances, muttering something among themselves before everyone burst out laughing.

"Look at this! Seems like a clown as come to entertain us!" one of them roared, pointing at Kiton in amusement, "All them bright colors, what's with that?"

"Poor lad's gone and painted himself, he's not right in the head! Where's he get off doing that anyways?"

One of the pirates smirked as he approached Kiton, parting his coat to show the blade underneath, the blaster clear on his wrist. "Look boy, this isn't any place to be coming around all willy nilly, understand? We're doing important business, so why don't you get on out of here?" Wait a moment... How did he get in here anyways? The whole town was under guard, he shouldn't have been able to make it this far. Knitting his brow in confusion for a moment the pirate took a second to look around, clearing his throat and stepping a bit closer.

"Look... I don't know how you got in here kid, but you'd best leave, now. This town's on a bit of a lockdown, and no one's supposed to be allowed in. Unless you want us flaying your hide for trespassing I suggest you get a move on, understand?"

-----

"Well your blade was left back home, remember? We didn't think we were going to need it, and it's uh... Well it's not something you can really carry around town," Yumi explained, smiling sheepishly. There had been a handful of residents who had seen Viral with it before and gotten into a panic over it, and rightfully so. Seeing a big man like Viral lugging around a giant blade would probably put anyone on edge, she couldn't blame them even if she knew he wouldn't harm anyone. "You've never had to really rely on them before, and you won't have to later. If you're talking about your forms just your energy is enough for them, right? And your blade is sharp enough to hurt them too, your forms will be a last resort." Once he had them figured out and under his command too there would be no more accidentally changing, no more worries that he may transform on a moment's notice and hurt someone. She hoped so anyways.

To get moving faster Yumi opted to fly instead, letting Viral know before making a gradual build up and taking off. She knew he hated to fly but it was so much quicker, and they needed to get him back to be looked at. Smiling at his Ki comment she shrugged it off, not remotely bothered by it. Everyone knew Viral wasn't too terribly fond of some of their abilities and that was fine, no one had to like everything. You couldn't argue against its usefulness though, being able to fly and get around so quickly was of huge benefit to them.

Yumi felt guilty over earlier and that she somehow should have done more, making it clear she'd try making it up somehow. There had to be something she could offer to make things better and she would find out what, anything to help ease the trouble. Pulling her mouth into a hard line when Viral doubted her ability she growled at the notion of 'taking him down', tightening her grip on him before glancing at him. "You realize what you're asking right? You're asking someone who's been your friend your whole life to hurt you. You realize how impossible that is don't you?" Yumi posed, frowning as she looked ahead, "You need to realize how much just the idea of that hurts me Viral, and please stop suggesting I do it. I'll find a way to help without hurting you, just wait."

T’charrl remained in tune with his energy, lowering his palms just a little as he tried to keep the energy down he fought with the negative energy, converting it into his own slowly. He didn’t know how Haku was doing or if he was feeling anything, but right now he couldn’t pull his attention away to see. He needed to concentrate and focus on keeping his mind clear, just so he didn’t have to go through any negative effects later on. Feeling like he had everything under control he suddenly jolted when Haku let out a yelp, snapping right out of his trance his glow dispersed as he quickly looked around. “What happened?? What did I do wrong??” he exclaimed in fright, not appearing very lucid until he focused again, staring out at the scene he had created before quickly turning to Haku, “What I-ah!” He didn’t know why but it seemed Haku was seen by a spirit, something he knew definitely wasn’t supposed to happen, “H-How is it touching you?? I don’t know what I did!”

----

Kiton gave Sasha a thumbs up before going off on his way, hoping this was going to work. He would have to play it safe at first, there was a possibility that they would just open fire at him or something. He was prepared for anything, plus they were only pirates meaning the worst they could do was keep attacking him. He didn’t know if he would be able to keep his promise to not kill anyone if that happened, then again he could probably maim them or something; he was sure that was probably in the rules somewhere that maiming was fine but killing wasn’t. He wouldn’t try to experiment either way, he would probably get into a hell of a lot of trouble if he tried to do anything out of the ordinary.

Looking out for any pirates it turned out they were not all that hard to find, staring at them as they conversed with each other. They certainly didn’t look imposing, at least to him. He had met many terrible people in his lifetime and compared to some of the average people these guys looked like pushovers. Slowly coming in for a landing he stared at the pirates who were very quick to laugh at him, joking about his appearance. Seemed they had never seen a Frost Demon before, but Kiton couldn’t blame him considering how rare they were nowadays. The only other Frost Demon he knew was his father and even that relationship didn’t last very long. Slowly approaching the pirates he narrowed his eyes, sighing lightly as he lazily glanced to their weapons. “Yeah yeah, so I heard. I don’t care about the town, though. I just want to see your captain”, he spoke, lazily glancing around, “I received word that you had captured this place and if an outlaw like me could hear about something like that…don’t you think that’s just gonna attract the Saiyans or worse? I just want to lend my aid, is all”.

----

Viral let out a growl of frustration, really hating that logic. His weapon was part of him, he needed it just in case he ran into one of those creatures and couldn’t get any attacks off that used his energy. There was only so much punching and kicking you could do to try and kill an enemy. Feeling rather annoyed at her logic he let out a grumble when she mentioned his forms. “My energy is dangerous to everyone around me! So is everything I do…” he spoke quickly, sighing in annoyance, “I’m better at going solo than fighting with you and everyone else…” What a bother, he couldn’t do anything with everyone around him in a battle without having to limit himself. That was probably what happened to him here, but he would probably never know since Yumi said she couldn’t really remember. Just his luck, especially when he was showing how reckless he could be by ending up in a state like this.

Disliking how he was now flying now he felt somewhat glad that his senses weren’t working very well, knowing he would just feel inferior once more at the multitude of abilities every Ki user had. In battle he would probably lose to a Ki user, they would just have to keep their distance from him and constantly shoot at him until he went down. He knew even if he went all out he would have to be brought down again by his own team because of how out of control he would become, but that would only happen if Yumi actually agreed to do it. She was once again being stubborn about it and not letting his request through. “Sometimes drastic measures have to be taken and if that is the last resort then do it…okay?” he sighed, not really knowing how he could convince her, “Time is running out and the more surprises that come out of me like that, the worse it gets. You can’t have me running around with my power going off the rails forever…and sometimes I’ll have to be silenced, got it?”

One second he'd been sitting still perfectly fine and the next something had brushed up against him. If he wasn't mistaken something licked him too. Yet when he'd opened his eyes to look around there wasn't anything in sight; if T'charrl had licked him, which he doubted, it was impressive for someone sitting almost two meters away. Scrambling back to try and get away from the unseen threat he looked around nervously, hearing his friend's stammering over the pounding of his own heart. "What d-do you mean how is IT touching me? What is it?!" Haku asked in a panicked voice, cracking a bit as he looked around. Again something brushed against his side, and while it felt soft having something you couldn't see touch you was too freaky. Letting out a yelp he crawled away towards T'charrl on all fours, hiding behind him and trembling. "C-Cmon... Wh-what's going on? Make it stop!"

-----

"Heard about it? Who'd ya hear it from huh?" one of the pirates asked, narrowing his eyes right back, "One of those idiots from out of town go running to you? Supposed to be some kinda hero?"

"Hey, shut up, if we just go randomly blasting folks the boss will be pissed," another interrupted, reaching out and pushing his comrade's arm down and the blaster with it. "Look kid, we don't just let anyone inside, got it? And what reason would the Saiyans have for coming here anyway, huh? This world ain't nothing special, there's no reason for those sorts to come here."

"Well we're here for their people, the Saiyans could do the same," a third spoke, seeming a bit unsettled moreso than the others, "We can't be the only ones who want these folks right? Maybe the kid has a point..."

The men seemed to consider that for a moment, turning away from Kiton and silently discussing among themselves. If word had indeed gotten out then the Saiyans could well show up and if they did anything they had here was forfeit. Getting out seemed like the ideal way to go about things, yet they hadn't gotten a single bit of pay for their captives yet and leaving with a few people hardly seemed worthwhile. If they didn't leave though and the Saiyans showed up... Well, they had best hope their boss could fend them off.

"Alright kid, we'll let you in to see the boss, but no funny business," one of the pirates explained, ushering Kiton forward before knocking on the doors. At once they were pulled back and the way inside revealed, two more pirates beyond the entrance ready to escort the newcomer, "Take him to the boss, says he's got some knowledge that he may wanna know. If he tries anything shoot him then and there, got it?"

-----

"So you think running off on your own is safer than fighting with us? Really?" Yumi wasn't even attempting to hide her disbelief, rolling her eyes and letting out a barely muted groan. "Viral... I know you don't want to fight near us and hurt us, I get that. But do you stop and consider what the things you're wanting to do end up doing to us? How nerve-wracking it is to think you fighting alone? Getting hurt? Dy-" Her voice cracked at the last word and she bit her tongue, clearing her throat and shaking her head. It needn't be said anyways, Viral had probably thought about it a dozen times himself before she'd ever brought it up. "Maybe it's selfish but I can't let you go fight alone, and I don't think the others can either. We're your friends Viral, none of us could live with ourselves if you ended up hurt or worse because we weren't there to help."

Having taken flight to get home sooner Yumi ignored Viral's protests, knowing full well how he felt about it. He may need immediate attention for all she knew and so taking a casual stroll home just wasn't going to cut it. As if Yumi wasn't already nervous enough about everything now Viral was bringing up his well being again, namely whether he was unstable or not. She hated this conversation and it shouldn't even be up for discussion, yet here they were going over it again. The idea just tore her to shreds inside, she could never do such a thing. Yet he was persistent and insisted it was inevitable, that it might have to be done.

"Just stop it! Please just stop it!" Yumi shouted, shaking her head before staring down at Viral tearfully, "I won't silence you, I won't hurt you, I definitely will not kill you. I don't care how bad it gets, I'll... I'll find another way to stop you. I'll restrain you or I'll... I don't know..." Damn it, she always hated this. He was supposed to be getting better, happier, not asking to be put down if he went a bit out of control. Closing her eyes to force back any tears that might fall she took a second to compose herself, gradually dropping towards the road now that they were closer. Tentatively setting down on her feet she eased Viral onto his own, keeping an arm around his waist to support him. "Let's just get you home, okay? We'll worry about that stuff later..."

T’charrl didn’t know what to do, he hadn’t had to deal with something like this before and seeing it interacting with Haku distressed him. It shouldn’t be able to interact with anything other than him so he must had done something wrong. The spirit must had been too close to him when he was using his abilities, maybe it was the fact that Haku was here during it that caused the spirit to gain the ability to see him. Looking to Haku he disliked how he was using him as a shield, almost as if the spirit was something to be feared. “It’s just a spirit! I don’t know why it’s able to interact with you, but that’s not what’s supposed to happen”, he said quickly, holding out his claws to it he tried to channel some energy again, not knowing what he was trying to do but maybe it’ll stop Haku from freaking out if he actually tried to stop the spirit. It looked like some sort of animal to him, but he couldn’t be entirely sure since he wasn’t familiar with the residents of this planet.

----

Kiton stared at the pirates, not looking too impressed that one was a little apprehensive and quick to go for his weapon. If these pirates were actually wise then they should know someone who so confidently approached pirates would be able to deal with blasters no problem. He had approached them without appearing as if he might attack them, he knew there was going to be a risk too to the hostages but his confidence told them he wasn’t there on hostile terms. Explaining himself to them he folded his arms, staring at them as they talked together. This was something that Ricken wouldn’t be able to do, he would had just punched them and threatened them into silence. Pirates were people too so they had to be treated as such, giving them the option to consider his words before smiling a little when they allowed him to go and see their captain.

“Hey, just because you think of me as a clown doesn’t mean I am one. Don’t think I didn’t hear that”, he pointed out. Waiting for the entrance to be opened up to him he looked to the two other pirates that had appeared, his eyes glancing back to the pirate speaking to him. “Shooting me won’t do much, I am a Frost Demon, after all”, he spoke, shrugging lightly, “I wouldn’t be telling you this either if I didn’t see you pirates as possible allies”. He needed to gain their trust and he knew the best way to do that was to tell them something personal like that. He hoped that the captain would be willing to hear him out like those two did too, but all that depended on how reasonable the man was.

----

While Viral couldn’t quite see Yumi hearing her complain about what he said made him somewhat frustrated, unable to understand why she was so against it. Being around him often meant placing everyone in danger and he was pretty useless when it came to enemies that were Ki users. It was impossible for him to win against that and he knew it, but everyone else was simply too accepting of him. Trying to express his frustration on this matter to Yumi was simply running him into a dead end with her telling him how bad it is to try and fight solo. He wasn’t made to fight in a group, he was meant to be reckless and go in at full power if he could. Simply trying to express his frustrations and worries he made an attempt to tell her to stop him if he ever went out of control, but instead he was snapped at as if it was the worst thing he could say, his eyes trying to search her shadow before he let out a sigh.

Everything was falling out of his favour rapidly while even life-saving requests were being put down. He really was awful at all of this honest stuff or anything related to emotions. He found it hard enough to make requests to help save others and with his power having such bad control issues he felt he needed to make precautions. Once they were finally on the ground again he kept what was left of his vision away from Yumi, simply staring down at the ground as they walked onwards, his feet having only a little trouble finding where he was going with the unfamiliar ground. He felt rather disappointed, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do when his words always fell on deaf ears. “Later usually turns into avoiding the subject until I request again. There won’t be a later”, he spoke, shaking his head, “I don’t know how anybody doesn’t see me as a problem, especially after what happened all those years ago. Everyone is just so accepting and I don’t understand why…”

"W-Well why is it happening then, huh? What does it mean?" Haku asked hectically, glancing around from behind T'charrl to look for the spirit. He still couldn't see anything, now this was creepy! Biting his lip as his friend began doing something he moved back a bit, trembling slightly from nerves as he waited for the situation to be resolved. Something he could see was one thing, being wholly unable to see what was touching him was much too unsettling. For a moment nothing seemed to happen, everything as silent as it had been moments before. When a whimpering noise caught Haku's attention however he became even more confused than before and had to look around, wondering where in the world it was coming from. When he spotted a strange almost transparent animal nearby, its head hidden under its front paws, his eyes widened in shock; that thing, whatever it was, had to be what had been touching him. It looked like one of those dogs back on Earth, only this one had a lot of really long, broad things on it, he had no idea what it was. It looked harmless though.

"Wait, wait, I think you're hurting it!" Haku said as he moved over slowly, still quite a bit uneasy about getting close. When T'charrl finally stopped the creature seemed to stop whimpering, lifting its head from its paws and glancing at him curiously. Well this was very weird, he was looking at a ghost right now wasn't he? Smiling timidly he continued moving along, stopping dead in his tracks when the creature began moving towards him. Despite his trembling Haku stayed put, watching as it came right up alongside him, sniffed at him and then licked his cheek. So it really was like a dog wasn't it? Laughing nervously he sat down on his rear, reaching out and trying to touch it, startled and withdrawing his hand when he actually felt the creature. "No way... It's... It's a spirit right?" he asked with a glance to T'charrl. "So why can I touch it?"

-----

The pirates seemed to tense up slightly at that claim, that blasting Kiton would do no good. It was true that none of them knew what he was or had ever heard of "Frost Demons", and goofy though he may have looked earlier up close he was somewhat intimidating. No one was brave enough to openly admit that though and they remained silent, ushering the boy inside where two more pirates awaited him. As the doors were shutting behind them Kiton may catch glimpse of two figures swooping in, Sasha and Ricken respectively as they made quick work of the guards, ready to move in after him at a moment's notice. Those escorting the Frost Demon would be blissfully unaware that as the doors shut behind them their compatriots were now lying out in the dirt unconscious.

Where there were a few pirates stationed intermittently outside here in the building they were plentiful. Some rooms were full of them sitting around, enjoying food and drink and having the time of their lives. Others lounged about, and now and again a room would be passed, doors sealed and closely guarded. Doubtless if there were indeed hostages that was where they would be hidden. They moved directly past those rooms and continued down the central hall, passing through two sets of doors before stopping at a third and final set. A sign designating this room as the mayor's had been crudely scratched out and hanged from a single bolt, four more pirates stood outside of this room, all armed and lined up against the walls.

"Here's the boss kid, you'd better be quick, and don't say anything to make him mad," one of the pirates warned, stepping back and gesturing for the door to be opened, "Whatever you are it ain't nothing compared to the boss, so don't go thinking you're something special. He'll kill you in an instant if you try anything."

The doors were parted, and the room beyond was revealed to be heavily cluttered, all kinds of personal belongings stripped from homes and shops littered around the room. At the head of the room was a massive man in what looked like well worn Saiyan armor, his massive blue toned body straining the malleable material around him. His hair was a deep grayish-blue, long and unkempt matching the beard that hugged his jaw and chin, covering most of his face. When the man glanced up from the device in his hands only one eye looked at Kiton, the other hidden behind a patch. Silently looking at the newcomer for a moment he smiled slightly, setting down the device and rising up from his chair.

"A Frost Demon... And here I thought your kind extinct," the pirate mused, rising to his full height of just over two meters, well towering over the diminutive Kiton. "I expected a lot of people to appear here. The rebels, the Saiyans, the Galactic Police, but you? What reason could one of your kind have for coming here?"

-----

Yumi couldn't keep flying, not with how upset the conversation was making her. After setting down back on the solid ground she kept an arm around Viral for support, moving slowly as not to strain his tired body. What more could she say about this? She'd made her stance clear and so had he, they were two completely different positions and neither was going to back down. She knew this and she should respect that yet she couldn't. Viral was too ready to let himself be the victim, to be hurt, for something he had no control over. That wasn't fair to him, or her, or anyone, she wouldn't allow it. Yes maybe things would be easier if they brought him down during those rampages, maybe trouble would be spared everyone if he was just knocked out or beaten. But that was far from an ideal solution, it wasn't something they could do every single time.

She wanted the conversation to just be dropped, she couldn't keep listening to it. Proposing that he be hurt or worse to spare others trouble, it was unthinkable. Yet here it came again though Viral sounded more confused than anything now. It was painful to hear him speak this way as though he were a burden on everyone when he really wasn't. Shu had troubles, T'charrl had troubles, even she had some, everyone did and yet no one else saw anyone as a problem; with everyone else's struggles not being a huge deal why would Viral be any different? Not to diminish his struggles, Yumi would never do that, but she just thought it shouldn't be made into a big deal. Making a huge deal made it seem worse than it was, like that was all the person was, a problem to be fixed. She didn't want that and she was sure no one else did too.

Everyone is just so accepting and I don't understand why... Those words felt like a shot directly at her heart as they were spoken, Yumi stopping in her tracks as a result. Why couldn't he understand? Was it really so hard? Swallowing nervously she turned to Viral then, and when doing so placed her hand on the side of his face. Without so much as a single thought on her part she rose up on her toes and placed her lips against his own, closing her eyes and holding that embrace. It only lasted seconds yet it felt much longer than that, and when she finally pulled away her face was red as the scarf around his neck.

"Because we love you Viral, because I love you..." Yumi muttered, putting on a smile as she tried to cheer up her friend, "We've said it before, you're like family to us, and to others you're even more than that. It's what friends and family do for each other, we help each other and we accept one another for who we are. Just because you have some trouble doesn't mean we'll abandon you, we'd never do that. No matter what happens we're here for the long haul," she explained, giving his cheek a stroke with her thumb before pulling her hand back too, "Nothing will change that, no matter how you might change or what you say, we'll all always be there."