Shu stared at Takeshi as he tried to come up with a way to tell him he wasn’t stupid, but he seemed to be having a little bit of a difficult time coming up with a reason. Staring at him, he frowned slowly before looking down again. He didn’t really seem to have an excuse for him, only that he wasn’t particularly experienced with their world. “I-I know it was a joke, no that stupid…” Feeling a little down because of multiple reasons his main reason had Takeshi confused, looking back up at him as he questioned just what he meant. “Ooh! You only say to make it better, but you not or reason to…” he spoke, pressing his fingers together as he raised his shoulders. “It like…all angry, tear everything, attack everyone, no able to make it stop a-and everyone getting scared and it…really scary. Can no find any control over it and so quick…always make Shu scared…”

Viral sighed, disliking how Vegeta was almost mocking his thought process. “Hm right…the Saiyans were eager to see whether I was a plant or not too…what with how they harvested parts of me as if I was a walking farm…” Viral was hardly envious of other creature’s way of healing, but if he was created to be a warrior then it was a little strange when he didn’t have a means to heal willingly. It made him a little annoyed, but it wasn’t as if it wasn’t just a fantasy after having to go through so much pain before. Just wanting to get settled again now that he was moving he continued moving slowly, his eyes going to the natives every so often as if seeing what their reaction was, but it was near to nothing if but a notice that he was up. Feeling slightly betrayed by the promise to be prepared for something he was seated with only the feeling of disappointment, his eyes going to Yumi briefly as she complained.

Not wanting to bother moving too much just to save him the trouble of feeling more pain he kept his attention down, not having much care for what else was going on. Despite the desire to mind his own business Yumi was fair asking questions about how he felt, his gaze moving to her before around at the party. He didn’t know what to say, but there was definitely one thing on his mind. “They’re allowed to be happy…after all they’re alive and not enslaved…” he spoke, closing his eyes momentarily, “They had their moment of happiness knowing I did something now minor, but I highly doubt they’re aware of what I did. They’re allowed to be happy…but I’m not sure what I’m supposed to feel right now…” He knew it was a celebration and that everybody was happy, but he didn’t know what he was supposed to feel when all he could feel was pain, exhaustion and partly just wanting to retire for the week. Of course they all would be happy, their health didn’t take a hit, but definitely what bothered him the most was none of these natives were aware of what he did. They would’ve maybe heard what happened, but none of them had any evidence other than hearing about it. He was probably okay with that, but it still bothered him as he felt like he didn’t belong.

T’charrl was just about to get up before he halted as Haku expressed his protest against going on a search. He didn’t know what Haku was wanting if he didn’t want him searching for it, but if that’s what he wanted to do then he would just have to remain while wondering where the spirit had gone. If the spirit was fine then it would probably show up before they left, but otherwise it had gone away for now and nothing could be said as to whether it was still in the physical realm or had decided it wanted to move on. Feeling less than enthusiastic to speak if it meant upsetting someone he continued to eat, staring down until Haku asked him about future planning. Staring at him for a moment his antennae twitched before he looked down again. “I should really try and improve my powers, I guess. I’m not strong enough physically or spiritually to be of much use independently. I wasn’t very good at tracking Yumi’s Ki which nearly trapped them all in another world…I-I just know I shouldn’t try to relax when we go back…”

"Well you're wrong Shu... You are stupid if you think I won't help you with that," Takeshi retorted, frowning as he looked at his brother, "We'll figure out a way for you to control it. I have a monster too. When I get angry I do bad things, you know? I don't change but I may as well be, I do things I really shouldn't do. So we'll work on it together, alright buddy?" They had to even if he had no clue what they were going to do for it. Vegeta and Aito both expected him to help out Shu and yet here they were weeks later and no progress had been made. Would asking again be bad? Even if it was Takeshi would check in with Aito once they returned, he needed help with this. Reaching over to Shu he smiled and placed a hand on his brother's head, giving his hair a gentle, affectionate ruffle. "I know I kept saying I'd help buddy, but we'll work on it this time. As soon as we get back we're gonna go see Aito and he'll help us, okay? Then you won't have to worry about monsters anymore."

"Your ability is a unique trait, one that very few beings have. So yes, naturally those who do not know you have some curiosity about it, that's to be expected," Vegeta stated plainly, frowning as he met Viral's eyes, "But that does not justify what was done to you, and nothing I say now will make what you endured disappear. Take some solace in knowing we've all but upended their Beastman project and the work they strove so hard to achieve is all but gone. Those who were effected by those experiments are safe now and you're on the road to recovery, take heart in that much." It was about as perfect a revenge as Viral could get on the Saiyans, being responsible for tearing down the program that, through him, they had worked so hard to achieve. Even with their supposed truce Vegeta was certain that the King wouldn't take this lying down and was bound to strike out, then again he may be too preoccupied with other matters as well.

Yumi just wanted Viral to enjoy himself for once, to be able to take pride in what he had done. He had played a huge role in saving all of these people and preventing future disasters, how could he not be happy with himself? She hated how he downplayed his significance, his part had been a major one. "You beat two of those giant monsters, Viral, and a lot of the smaller ones too. There was no way we could have done that on our own, and only because you did that we were able to save everyone," Yumi spoke, smiling as she placed a hand on Viral's paw, "There's nothing small about that. None of this would be happening without you." Even with that she felt like he still didn't feel appreciated, that he was just another face, a part of the crowd that had worked towards their salvation. Up until now T'charrl had gotten most of the recognition and while well deserved there were others who had played a part in all of this. Biting her lip she cast her glance out towards the bonfire in the center, spotting the leader approaching them, several of the guards in tow. Curious about what was going on she got to her feet unsteadily, putting on a smile as they approached. "Hello there! Um... Is everything okay?" Yumi asked, her eyes drifting to the men boasting spears.

"They're decorative, before you worry," the chieftain said with a laugh, his men clacking in laughter behind him, "And yes, better than okay! Villagers were saved, our village is saved, the Dark Ones are no more! You did us a great favor, we owe you more than we can ever repay. This celebration is small but it is the very least we can offer." Looking down to Viral then he tilted his head slightly and went silent, almost looking like he was observing the Beastman before placing a hand on his chest and lowering his head. "You must be the one they call 'Viral', yes? I hear you killed many of the Dark Ones, some as big as the hills! Such bravery, such power... Were it not for you many would be dead, many more may have died, but no more." Turning then towards everyone gathered the chieftain raised his arms, the six guards smacking their spears against the ground to silence the music briefly. "Everyone! Please, let us show our thanks for Viral, the slayer of the Dark Ones!" he shouted out, drawing applause before he'd even finished, "Enjoy yourselves and be sure to thank the man responsible for your salvation!"

T'charrl had already received some gifts and now it appeared that it was Viral's turn. Many small natives approached Viral after the chieftain gave his word, all bearing some fashion of gift, be it a small morsel of food or an item of value to them. One by one they came forward and placed it in a neat pile before him, each sharing a few words of gratitude before skittering back to their parents. Some had been saved from an early death because of his actions, others had family returned to them that had been taken, regardless of their story all were indebted to Viral and the others.

T'charrl jumped slightly at the applause, not expecting it to be as loud as it was. Though it had been directed towards Viral he noticed others still giving him and T'charrl smiles, and the rest of their group as well. Being so openly acknowledged and thanked made his face heat up in embarrassment as he tried to hide it, lowering his gaze and wringing his hands together nervously. It was... Nice, he was just terribly unused to it. "W-Well... When we get back I'm sure there's a way we can work on it..." he uttered once the noise died down, looking to his friend with a small smile. "You didn't think you could d-do the portal without having problems, b-but you did... I think you can do anything if you really want to..." He might offer to help, offer to train with T'charrl or to work with him on whatever he needed if he thought he could be of any use. The strength gap between them was too great, asking him to train was about as good as sparring with a punching bag. He didn't know enough about energy either, Ki being his own and never mind whatever they called T'charrl's. He'd love to help but he had no idea how to. Still... "If I can h-help any way just ask," Haku offered, "I don't know w-what I can do, but I'll try."

Shu stared at Takeshi, frowning a little before he sighed, lowering his gaze. He didn’t see how being angry made someone a monster, he was just saying that to make him feel better. Raising his shoulders he let out a sigh, pressing his fingers together. “Oooohh…o-okay. We do it and find out how to! Still no sure, though…I-I mean, what is wrong with Shu?” He still didn’t know what was wrong or why this even happened to him, it only really started happening after fighting became serious business. Maybe there was something truly wrong with him because of how he was raised and acted, or maybe he was just broken and something needed to be fixed. Thinking about it for a moment he squeaked when Takeshi decided to ruffle his hair, raising his hands momentarily before staring at Takeshi as he reassured him everything was fine. “Ooohhh…okay, okay. Maybe he no be busy, maybe…but no know yet! No seen in a while…”

Viral saw no reason for the Beastman project to be completely over, especially when the Saiyans had all the data they needed to just make more. It would be awfully convenient if that was the last of their experiments over and done with just through that small selection of Beastmen they managed to create. There was still going to be cases like Yumi that might pop up, they didn’t know for sure. Until he was able to destroy everything the Saiyans owned he was never going to find peace. Maybe if he actually got to attack the Saiyans he’d feel better, it didn’t matter whether the Rebels got angry in his point of view. For now though he was forced to try and relax and not get too upset over everything, even if everything was not quite going the way he wanted it to go quite yet. He was disturbed by the looks he was getting, as if they didn’t know how to react to him at all.

Staring down at Yumi’s hand he frowned lightly, looking away briefly. “It’s not important anyway…they were still just monsters like the rest…” Deciding to just drop the subject he tried to concentrate on keeping upright, still feeling overly exhausted but not enough to sleep. It was going to be one of those days where everything was just going to be normal with some added exhaustion, definitely not a good time for him. Keeping his tired gaze low he frowned when he noticed Yumi had got up as they were confronted by the chieftain and some guards, narrowing his gaze at them suspiciously. Not knowing why they were here he was immediately suspicious, staring at them until they offered an explanation with a little bow. It was awfully convenient that they would only come over after he mentioned it to Yumi, maybe they had heard him complain and asked about it before he could feel discouraged. Narrowing his gaze he flinched slightly when the guards made a whole load of noise to bring silence to everyone, his eyes searching briefly before groaning as an applause sounded out. Now he was just embarrassed, they could had asked him prior if he wanted that sort of attention but it seemed they couldn’t hold back. Slowly raising his paw he rubbed his forehead, finding it quite difficult to hide his embarrassment.

T’charrl didn’t know what had happened at first when there was sudden applause, looking around briefly before tilting his head when he noticed Viral. Guess it was for him, but he didn’t seem too happy with it. Frowning, he looked back to his food and sighed a little, looking up when Haku gave him some sort of support. “Oh…I don’t know about anything, but I will try to be good at what I can do in time…at least hopefully before everything ends. I would rather that didn’t happen”, he spoke, hoping he wouldn’t end up going feral before he found control. Everything was going to be hard from now on, especially if he was going to be able to get the portal happening again. Sighing lightly as he felt exhausted just thinking about it he tilted his head when Haku offered to assist. “Huh? Oh uhh, sure. Maybe there’s something…but I don’t know what”, he spoke before sighing lightly, “To make the portal work it would be a case of doing what I did there, but I don’t know how to without a link or a source. What if I just end up opening the way for those monsters too? I definitely feel worried that I’ll help those things more than help the others…”

"Well I ain't gonna lie to you, I don't know what's wrong. That's why I haven't been helping," Takeshi admitted lamely as he cast his eyes downward, smiling ruefully and shaking his head, "Nah, I didn't know how so I didn't try, you know? I kinda hoped if we just kept doing our thing, played a bit, that it'd go away, you know? But it didn't." He couldn't keep putting it off, not if Shu wasn't getting any better. They needed help though, they needed Aito. No more avoiding the issue then, he'd take Shu to see the doctor as soon as they got back and try and figure out what they could do. He owed Shu at least that much. Ruffling Shu's hair he smiled at his brother and gave a little nod, looking at the crowd beginning to gather near Viral. "He'll see us buddy, or we can see Sayomi about it, or Vegeta. Hell even Korian might be able to help even if I don't wanna talk to that jerk. We'll find somebody to help."

Yumi wasn't sure if someone had overheard their conversation but she was glad for this, glad that Viral was getting some attention now that was very much deserved. It wasn't just some small gesture either that they were giving, music stopped and near everyone present turned to cheer for Viral's efforts, several of the children coming forward with similar gifts given to the others, presenting them to him with smiles aplenty. If she didn't know any better she saw Viral's face turning red and she had to bite her tongue to stifle a laugh, finding it adorable he was trying not to seem so bashful. "Hey, you're being celebrated now, you should smile and wave," Yumi teased as she moved in closer, pausing briefly to smile at some children and wave to them as they rushed over to say hello. The village certainly was a lot more lively since their rescue mission, it was obvious people were much more relaxed now that those things had been dealt with. As the music picked up once again and people returned to their celebrations she leaned over across the log and smiled cheekily, giving Viral a quick kiss on his cheek and patting his back. "They're all having a good time and happy, and it's because of you."

"W-Well... If you can open the portal then you can close it, r-right? So if some monsters did c-come through you just have to close it again," Haku said, shrugging as he tried to make sense of T'charrl's unique ability still, "And you'll figure it out if t-there's a way, it was your first time. No one expects you t-to be perfect the first time." That of course implied that there would be a next time, something he was not terribly fond of looking forward to. When it did happen T'charrl would have another chance to try and master his powers and Haku could try and help, even if right now he had no idea of what that help might entail. "Uh... W-When we get back do you want to try w-working on it? I don't know how we can, but... M-maybe we should try?" Or go to someone for help, even if he didn't know who. There had to be plenty of smart people who could help T'charrl figure out what was going on with his energy, people way smarter than Haku himself. Would they even want to help T'charrl? Could they?

Shu frowned, staring at Takeshi as he spoke. Telling him that didn’t help at all, especially when it was his biggest fear. He could had at least told him he didn’t know what he could do to help, otherwise he would have a better time accepting that he needed to try and find the help on his own rather than rely on Takeshi who said he could help but really didn’t know what could be done about it. He probably just didn’t want him to run off because of his problems, leaving him to it for so long without trying to tackle it had him anxious every single fight that came their way after all. Groaning, he raised his shoulders and shut his eyes when Takeshi ruffled his hair, seemingly to try and make him feel better. “…Why no ask them earlier? It been so long since you said you help…” he muttered, slowly shaking his head, “It easy for you when you no have the problem! But it always there for me…”

Viral was a little annoyed that he didn’t have any attention at first, but after receiving it he kind of wished that he didn’t. He was fine with a thank you or something, but not to have all the attention put on him like this. There was such a thing as asking before announcing such a thing to see whether he was okay with it, but it didn’t appear as if this lot knew what it meant to be considerate. Looking to Yumi he was already annoyed at her, disliking how she appeared to be enjoying every minute of it. “I’m not doing such a thing…” he grumbled before giving a glance to a couple of kids who insisted on seeing him. Staring at them for a moment he soon sighed, turning his head only to be ambushed by Yumi who once again did something without his permission. Growling, he simply became flustered and raised a shaky paw again to put a barrier between her and his face. “What was that for, in front of everyone…” he grumbled, letting out a sigh, “I really don’t know what to do on top of all of this. I’ve never had this happen…especially with you adding to it…”

T’charrl frowned, disliking the thought of being the one to let them through unwillingly because he wasn’t quick enough. He couldn’t see what was on the other side so wasn’t able to tell whether there was something coming through, it was all just a big gamble for him and his ability to know when to close it without getting something trapped going halfway through. That would be a big cause for concern, if he managed to cut the portal off just as one of those monsters were coming through. Not only would it half-exist here but the cut would damage his spirit and do much more harm to him than to the monster. “Not perfect the first time…meaning everybody will want me to do it again, anyway. I don’t know how I’m going to manage at all…” He had so much to work on, nevermind things like that. He still wanted to give the spirit inside him a chance to exist properly rather than feeling trapped and tainting his body. Sighing lightly, he looked to Haku when he suggested working on it. “I would have to try. I can’t put this off when it’s so important”, he spoke, frowning lightly, “I just can’t relax until I have this sorted. It’s so hard when I have to try teaching myself. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do…I wish I knew someone who knew something about this…”

There wasn't any magic word for Takeshi to say that would make everything better, no simple gesture or promise that would make Shu's problems go away. Of course he'd known that all along, he wasn't that daft, but he'd been reluctant to admit it. He couldn't fix Shu, he couldn't even help him a little so why should he try? Was it so wrong to hope something else might do the trick along the way? Sighing to himself the older boy hung his head a bit, eyes downcast as he lifted his shoulders slightly in a defeated shrug. "I kind of hoped... It'd just go away, you know? That if you had a little time you'd get better. I figured all I had to do was be around, help you have some fun, and that would be enough. I didn't ever really think I had an answer to it, I know I still don't... I'm sorry buddy." If he tried anything it would probably only make it worse, he didn't know how to take care of someone else still. Not like this. He could feed and clothe Shu, give him a roof, play with him, but clearly it took more than that. "Someone's gotta have the answer though, you know? Either Vegeta or Aito, or Sayomi, hell maybe even one of the doctors. Someone can help you where I couldn't and we'll find them back on Uuonoe. You... Just gotta tough it out for a little longer, okay bud? I promise first thing we do when we get back will be to find someone, then all your problems will go away."

"Oh not a lot of them are looking, don't fuss about it," Yumi teased with a wink, settling back into her place, "And I'd suggest trying to enjoy it, maybe? They're celebrating having each other, and they're also celebrating us, and you. This whole party is for us so you should... I don't know, sit back and have a little fun?" Which was like asking the sky not to be blue when it came to Viral... A saying that rather quickly lost its meaning with all of these alien worlds. Throwing her arms up in a stretch Yumi let out a drawn out yawn before folding her hands behind her head, looking up at the sky with a smile. "This trip of ours has been hard, but I've had fun too. That said I can't wait to get back to earth..." she reminisced with a dreamy sigh, "Smoothies, a nice day on the beach, the World Tournament. I want to take part in the next one, if we get back in time. Would you sign up if I did?" That would be fun, she'd love to sign up with her friends and see who went the furthest. It would be fun, some honest to goodness martial arts with no real consequences hanging over their heads, good way to unwind from all of this craziness.

Reassuring T'charrl didn't seem to be doing what he'd hoped, maybe it was better if he just let it go for now. Haku watched the flames dance in the fire for a moment before glancing back to his friend, smiling slightly and shrugging his shoulders before looking back at the flames. "Well... We could go back to your world too, couldn't we? Maybe after this..." he suggested with a slight hint of excitement, "I want to see your world, and... M-Meet your parents and try foods and... And just e-enjoy a world for a change." So far Uuonoe had been the only world he'd ever really gotten to visit and not worry about fighting, it was a first and an experience he'd love to have again. He'd heard Uuonoe had sprawling forests, trees as big as buildings, and all kinds of colorful places to visit, he had to see it for himself. He wished he could take T'charrl to his own world sometime but for obvious reasons that was never going to happen, not while Yamate was still there.

Shu didn’t really know what to think about it, he was hoping he might have some clue by now but there was literally nothing Takeshi knew after saying he would help him so long ago. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do if Takeshi didn’t know or tried to help him out, just that he was going to be stuck wondering whether he was ever going to be able to fight without being afraid of himself. He didn’t know what he was in the end and if Takeshi didn’t know how to help him he was going to be stuck getting worse. Staring at his hands for a moment as he rubbed them together he tried to think through his troubles, wondering if he was ever going to be able to get over his inability to control himself. If he couldn’t he would definitely have to stop trying to help everyone, he would just be useless and put everyone in danger. “Ooh, umm…it okay. Maybe it just go away, eventually…” he sighed, scratching his side slowly before looking up to Takeshi, “It okay. Just a little bit and it will go away. If they thought it was bad then maybe they would already had try to help, but they no do that so it probably not that important…”

Viral made a glance at Yumi briefly before grumbling from behind his paw, letting out a sigh. He didn’t really know why Yumi had become so attached to him, even invading his personal space so readily. He didn’t understand any of it, but he wasn’t going to be taken into it so easily, he was going to keep his stance on what was best for Yumi. He didn’t understand what she saw in him, he had remained the same for all these years and she wasn’t even the same species. She had a better chance at life with someone who was like her, yet she seemed enamoured by him for whatever reason. There was nothing attractive about him, she was just being stubborn. Disliking the idea of having fun while he was feeling so weak he just kept quiet, holding his head low as Yumi talked about Earth. Frowning a little, he hummed, thinking about it. “I would just be thrown off the stage by one of you flying around…” he muttered, not truly knowing about what he might end up doing to counter something like that. “I have no way of stopping anyone who might want to just pick me up and throw me off. Besides…I have no need for money or that level of attention…”

T’charrl was a little confused, he knew he had to get himself sorted and get everything balanced once again, but he didn’t know how or what was going to happen to him if he managed to balance himself. He was not good at confronting problems head on, he always veered off the course and stumbled dramatically whenever he tried. It was going to be difficult and he knew if he failed he was going to have to leave his friends and give up on trying to be useful. Sighing a little he stared at a piece of fruit before hearing Haku talk about going to his world again, frowning a little. “Back to my world…? Uhh, my parents? M-Maybe that might, uhh…help…” he spoke lowly, thinking about it for a moment. It might help, but he would need to know where to look if he was to find any sort of help and the only person he knew who had it was in another kingdom. “I, uhh…I hope the others wouldn’t mind it if I was gone for a little bit, but then again I guess they wouldn’t really notice. I don’t think it’s that far away from Uunoue…maybe? We can ask if it’s okay to take a trip over…”

"It won't just go away though buddy... If it was that easy it'd be fixed by now. That's what I was hoping for, that it'd just fix itself. But it didn't." He'd hoped like hell it would just go away on its on like some rash or something, that maybe a week would make it just fade away. Not only had that not happened but it had gotten worse, and Takeshi knew he was solely responsible for that. Hearing Shu bring up the others he bit his lip before shaking his head, groaning as he ran a hand back through his hair. "It's not their fault Shu, it's not. It's mine, all mine. Aito wanted me to try helping you, Vegeta did too, and I told them I would," the older boy admitted, "But I didn't know what to do so I just... Waited, you know? I wanted to try and just let it work itself out and that never happened. It's my fault, not theirs and not yours. That's why this time I'm gonna do everything I can to help make it better. As soon as we get back that's what we're doing, okay? We'll get right to work and fix this thing you've got, then everything will be okay." He had to help Shu by now, he was selfish and lazy and as a result his brother was in worse shape than before: he owed this much to Shu.

Returning to Earth seemed rather nice after all they had been through, it felt like years since they had been home. If they were to go back too she'd love to partake in the next tournament to have a little fun, and why not? They'd earned a bit of time to themselves and while this war might be going on it wasn't their responsibility to see it finished. "We wouldn't use Ki then, that solves that," Yumi answered with a smile, folding her hands together as she leaned towards Viral, "No one else there can probably use it either so using it would be cheating, and we won't cheat. It'll be fair and square, just regular martial arts like it should be! Though..." she paused, frowning as she tapped her chin thoughtfully, "If two people with Ki were to fight then I guess they could use it, since that would be fair... But other than that, no Ki! And we don't need the money or attention either, it'd just be for fun! We could test ourselves a little, maybe see who else on Earth is a good fighter while we're at it too. If I entered would you enter too?" She hoped so, it would be a shame for any of them to sit by and watch while they enjoyed themselves in the tournament.

"I m-mean... If someone knows anything about your power, it's g-got to be one of your people, right...? So we'll go there..." There had to be at least one person on Kaesstra that knew about what T'charrl was going through, someone that had answers for him and a way to master his abilities. Maybe it was rare but it couldn't be unheard of right? Plus being back home, getting to see his parents, that would make his friend happier too wouldn't it? Frowning when T'charrl mentioned getting permission Haku rose to his feet, standing before his friend and shaking his head angrily. "They don't own you! If you want to go then you go, that's all there is to it!" he said defiantly, his brief outrage quickly fading as he realized he'd shouted, lowering his voice again as he continued. "B-Besides, this war is technically on hold, so it's not l-like we'll be asked to go fight, and even if we were we can say no. You need to t-take care of yourself first, and they sh-should let you." It would be selfish to not let T'charrl go and get the help he needed especially after all he'd done today to help. Plus he missed his parents probably, and while not a sentiment Haku could share with his own he understood his friend would like to see them again.

---

T'charrl's return to Kaesstra hadn't gone unnoticed, and if they didn't know better one might thing their arrival had been announced beforehand. Since the last visit the city had seen a few great changes, the biggest of which was a newly constructed landing strip for ships to come and go. Upon setting down in their small vessel lent by a Uuonian Haku and T'charrl were greeted by a crowd of residents, both from above ground and down below, with the Queen and her husband at the forefront of the homecoming. It had doubtless been a rather sweet experience for the forlorn Prince who hadn't a chance to spend quality time with his family, and after landing they spent a handful of hours simply relaxing and recounting everything that had gone on as of late. Eslaria seemed very pleased if a little worried for her son's ventures: amusingly it was her husband, General Yusef that looked to fret more. Haku's first meeting with the royal family went off relatively well compared to the others' initial meeting, getting a warm welcome and even a gift upon arriving at the castle. The two opted to keep the exact details of how they met to themselves though, fearing if it got out then Eslaria was bound to have Haku's head as punishment.

The reason for their visit couldn't be avoided forever and T'charrl's parents had a right to know why they had come, if not just to see them. The response to their reason was a surprising one, promising even: the problem had been looked into. Word of their visit to another king last time had gotten back to Eslaria and, after some discussion, they had come up with a means of helping their son. It would be a little different than how those of days past got by but in essence things would work out the same: train oneself so that you had control of the spirit, not the other way around. The king had found that initially people like T'charrl underwent rigorous meditations and trials to help hone themselves, and while the nature of these were well recorded they were time consuming, far too time consuming for their likes. So training would have to suffice, they would do all they could and see if that was enough. Duties would be handled by Yusef largely and Katas, if the man could find enough time away from the many projects the city was undergoing. If need be Eslaria herself would step in and train her son, but her husband would be the primary trainer.

-----

Things on the war front should by all rights have calmed down by now. A ceasefire had effectively been called by both sides to combat the threat of the monsters appearing, neither side wanting to have to fight a battle on two fronts. Or so they had thought. Not long after returning to Uuonoe had news reached command of an attack by Saiyan troops on a nearby world. Krom had been immediately questioned and knew nothing of the attack, having nothing to offer nor no knowledge of who was carrying out the attacks. A second report revealed the one leading attacks to be a powerful Saiyan, evidently the replacement for Krom with the vacuum that his departure had caused. Clearly Yamate didn't respect the truce that had been called, either that or this was an action from a rogue group of Saiyans acting on their own. Either way it had to be handled, if they were allowed to run freely it would cause untold problems for everyone, Saiyans and Rebels alike. As quickly as they could muster a group was sent out to handle the problem, consisting of familiar faces as well as some new ones; 6 rebel soldiers, including Leto were dispatched along with Viral, Kai, Choi, Kabocha and Yumi, nearly a dozen troops in all to handle the attacks. Some would evacuate citizens while others focused on fighting, everyone had a part to play.

"I'm getting so tired of the Saiyans always ruining things," Yumi grumbled, laying her head back into her seat of the shuttle, "They just can't leave anything alone can they? I hate them." Remembering their mixed company she looked over at the twins and Kabocha with a small smile, "No offense to you three," she added.

"Hey we hate them too. Just because we're the same doesn't mean we get along," Kabocha pointed out with a shrug, scowling as he thought about his kin, "A lot of good being nobility has done me in all this, they were quick to cast out me and my family. I've heard even some of our closest friends back on Kortal would sell us out now, no loyalty. It's disgusting..."

"Do not lose heart, dear Kabocha! There are still good men among your people! The Commander and Sayomi show us as much!" Leto interjected, flexing as he flashed a thumbs up to the group, "Maybe your OLD friends have forsaken you, but I'm positive there are many who applaud your efforts! When you finally return home you'll be celebrated as a hero, not a villain! Just you wait!"

Yumi laughed awkwardly at Leto's enthusiasm, looking at Viral after a moment and rolling her eyes. Optimism was good but he was laying it on a bit thick, or much too thick actually. No one thought that things would go over smoothly even once this whole mess was over with, not at this point. After the war ended there was probably going to be more fighting, people who refused to accept the change and wanted to stick to how things were. And even if they dealt with that there was always going to be something, the universe was plenty big enough to brew some kind of trouble as they had learned. "Maybe he'll figure out how to not yell every time he talks too," Yumi whispered to Viral with a small smirk.

-----

Awkward was a decent way to describe the situation right now. Ricken had never made it a secret as to how he felt about Saiyans, his despise of their general species as a whole for what they had done to him, Sasha and to their people. With rare exceptions he loathed the Saiyans and everything they stood for, their need for senseless bloodshed, their violent tendencies, everything about them. Aside from Korian and Sayomi he was still terribly hard pressed to like anyone from the warrior race and that still held true for Shu and Takeshi. And yet... Here he was, in a room with Aito, a Saiyan, Shu and Takeshi, his sister and a Uuonian doctor. All for the sake of helping the youngest one here with his issues, issues that stemmed from the very people he loathed. If nothing else he agreed to help because he knew what it was like to live with PTSD, to experience things so horrifying and traumatic that it haunted you for days on end, denying you peace of mind as long as you struggled. Even after being helped he still had rare moments of weakness but his life was better for it, and now it was time for him to repay the kindness done for him. That didn't mean he was happy to do it though.

"So you will have private therapy sessions with me Shu, then group sessions with Ricken and Sasha. I'll speak with Takeshi about everything that goes on so he is able to help you if you need it, and we'll meet once a week to see how things are going." This was the plan that Aito had laid out for the young boy and everything seemed reasonable, the sessions would be infrequent, yet frequent enough to make some difference. Nothing would be forced, Shu would be able to carry on as though little was changing and his brother would play a larger part in his recovery, or one would hope. "I'm not going to lie and tell you that this will be quick, because it won't be. In fact I can't tell you how long this will take at all. It could be a month, it could be two, it could be a year. But I can guarantee that as we move along it will get better, slowly at first, but it will get better."

Things would get better, that was all Takeshi needed to hear. Of course knowing it would take time probably hurt for Shu, someone who doubtless wanted to be better sooner than that. But at least they were finally getting down to the problem and having it taken care of. His brother would be back to his happy-go-lucky self again before long, he'd be able to sleep through the night, not be so afraid when it came to fighting, everything would be better. Even with his playing a part in the recovery it was a massive load off of his shoulders knowing he wasn't left to handle everything on his own now. Aito would handle therapy, as he should, and Ricken and Sasha could talk to Shu in ways he couldn't, they would be support for him when he was having a hard time. And he'd be there too for help, he would be in charge of making sure his brother didn't get bogged down by everything, he'd keep Shu going and make their days busy and fun, that much he could manage.

"Just remember that you're not alone through all of this. We'll be here to help you." Sasha knew how lonely and isolating everything felt when you went through these kinds of things. No one knew your pain, no one understood you, no one could without being there beside you. She'd been lucky to have Ricken there to empathize, though they still needed outside help to recover. Now it was their turn to be supportive of someone else in need, and unlike her brother she was more than happy to do it. "Since we're not starting today how about we do something fun, if you want to. I hear there's a little festival going on in the city, we could go and look at that," she added, looking to Takeshi as if asking permission. She didn't want to be overstepping her bounds but she knew it was important for Shu not to always focus on his problems too.

"Uh... Yeah, it could be fun buddy, we should go check it out!" Takeshi agreed with a grin, reaching out and ruffling Shu's hair playfully, "They've probably got all sorts of yummy food, you know? And games, probably loads of games! And maybe when we're done there we can go play a bit, how's that sound?"

T’charrl didn’t know what the reception of his return was going to be like but he had hoped it would be a quiet one, instead everything somewhat exploded and he was barely given a moment to relax. He had to say hello to everyone and explain what had been going on, whether he was okay and what was bothering him. It was all a big farce in the end, especially when he just wanted to sit down for a moment and take in the fresh air of his home planet. He was worried that his mother might be mad at him for not saying much through communications when there was a functioning radio, but she seemed alright and just happy that he was home. He had taken all his gifts he got from the other planet with him too, he didn’t want to leave them anywhere randomly, they might get damaged if he left them somewhere he didn’t fully have trust in for them to keep safe. He didn’t have too much in his own room so there was space, and even then there was plenty of empty rooms in the palace that he could use to keep things safe.

T’charrl was feeling pretty settled otherwise, even though he knew he was here for more than just chilling out with his family. There was a lot he had to do and he didn’t know how he was going to accomplish any of it, especially when he didn’t even know where to start. He did eventually try to talk about it to see if there was anything that had changed since he had left previously, but there was still uncertainty. Hearing that the way to go about it was meditations and all that wasn’t exactly helpful, he already tried that sort of thing and found it to be the only way he found control, but he had no idea what trials were. There was too much that he didn’t know and it really bothered him, especially after all this time. He was sick and tired of going through all the pain and stress all the time only to end up physically and mentally weakened from the ordeal, he just wanted to find balance.

As wonder over whether he was going to be able to keep going like this washed over him constantly he was left stressed out and unable to understand why it had to be him for this to happen. Why couldn’t he find balance, he was just constantly haunted by his shortcomings. He had offers to train him because of his weaknesses and problems, but he didn’t know what they could do to help him. While he was ready to start training, he was still uncertain about it helping him in any possible way. Maybe his father knew something he didn’t, although he did still need to hone his skills with his blades.

----

The lack of battling going on lately was really getting on the nerves of both Kai and Choi when there was nothing for them to do other than what they had been trained to do most of their lives, but there was only so much enjoyment one could find in the kitchen. They were still Saiyans, pure blooded Saiyans, and the lack of battling was really getting to them. It was life-changing when they qualified to fight for the Saiyan army, they got to discover that fighting was in their blood and that battling was definitely less stressful than providing a good meal for the higher ups. Just because they were out of the main battlefield by not fighting for the King didn’t mean they were relieved, they still wanted to do some fighting even if it was against their former colleagues.

Hearing about the Saiyans being on the move again definitely made Kai and Choi eager to say they wanted to battle and were quick to volunteer to go out again, not taking too much care about the whole trying to settle down idea. Breaks were nice and all, but they wanted to be able to fight and not turn into some set of cooks again. It wasn’t fair, they weren’t like the other rebels who were bred from the desire to put an end to the fighting. Kabocha was probably the same, he was raised to be a fighter and not fighting for a cause probably made him itch for battle too. Training was fine and all, but there was only so much you could do without feeling like you were losing skills you could only learn from having your life on the line.

While going out with Leto, Yumi and Viral on the team wasn’t exactly expected, Kai was tolerating the ride a fair bit but Choi was having a harder time. Choi didn’t know if he could handle being around Yumi too much, even though she had broke it off with him. As the twins sat beside each other it was very easy to tell which was which by the mere expression, Choi looking a little more distressed than Kai. It was just difficult to get over something like that when it was your first and only. Even Leto’s banter was lost to him, he just couldn’t be bothered with his annoying cheering. It was one thing to be enthusiastic, but to annoy others with it was just a bit too much for Kai. “I doubt they even remember who we are and what we did if we ever return home. Maybe Kabocha, but nobody really cares for the servants”.

Viral just had very little care right now for what the others were talking about, his mind going elsewhere rather than to everyone else around him. He was going off to fight again with soldiers to act against an aggression that was being classed as the Saiyan army but in reality he couldn’t care less. He knew what it meant to fight against them and was well aware that they were playing the bad guy part in this play, or at least that’s what he was told. They had been advancing on some sort of settlement and they were supposed to go in and stop them. It was all fairly standard stuff, but that was probably what the problem was.

He had done this all before, but he wasn’t exactly feeling like the hero going into save these people from oppression. It felt like he had done it all before many times except he was on the other side, he wasn’t going to be able to shake off those memories so easily. He would go in and stop the rebels from attempting to take over territory, sometimes turning the area into a graveyard to fight them off and restore order. It was all too difficult to shake away such memories, even as Yumi intruded on his moment as he remained silent, barely realising she was talking to him until he looked and noticed she was staring at him. “…Hm, sure. Sure…” he spoke before looking away again, “I’m sure that’ll happen eventually…”

----

Shu didn’t know how he was supposed to feel about this. He was suddenly the focus of everyone’s attention with little going on other than everyone contemplating what they were going to do with him. He didn’t know what they were planning, all of them were here watching him and analysing him with two strangers in the room making observations of his behaviour. When he was told he was going to get some help he didn’t think he would be surrounded by this many and with such pressure too. He was too awkward for all of this, it would be better if his problems were just ignored again since nobody had any clue as to what he was supposed to do about it. Everything was so much easier when nobody bothered with his problems, it wasn’t as if they were going to be fixed after so long anyway.

Squeaking when he was suddenly talked to he raised his shoulders, keeping his eyes down as he nodded at the battle plan. He didn’t know how he was supposed to respond to that, mostly because he was not sure what it all meant. Private sessions sounded rather scary and he didn’t know Ricken and Sasha well enough to know if they were going to be able to help him. Sasha seemed nice enough, although Ricken didn’t look very happy to be tasked with this. Hearing about how long it was going to take didn’t really bother him, it was a matter of how long it would take until they forget about treating him and go on their merry way. Giving Takeshi a glance to see what he thought about it he soon sighed and looked down again, pressing his fingers together slowly.

Sasha was quick to try and reassure him that he was going to manage, but he really didn’t know if that was true. It was already hard to express what was wrong with him, so feeling alone felt like it was going to happen anyway. “Help…help…” he muttered to himself, thinking about how they were going to help him before squeaking when he was told nothing involving the treatment was going to go ahead today, instead he was going to go out somewhere. He didn’t know how he felt about that, maybe a little bit confused but also interested. He didn’t fully understand why he was going to get a day off like this, but it did sound kind of fun. “A ffffffestival…a festival? Fun festival…” he spoke lowly, thinking about it before looking to Takeshi after he ruffled his hair. He didn’t understand why he was getting a break already, but everything did sound rather fun and food did sound pretty good. “O-Okay…okay. Games and food and play. And it all okay? No help today, just fun? Where be that fun festival?”

Kabocha was itching to fight, he was sick of sitting on the sidelines while the Princes and their friends did everything. How was he supposed to carry the family name after the war if he never accomplished anything? No one was going to care who he was before, he had to kick some serious butt now to earn himself and his parents a place in the new Kortal. That was foremost in his mind as they rode off to this fight, secondary being the actual job itself, saving whatever world they were heading to. "I doubt they care for any of us right now, noble or servant," Kabocha pointed out before leaning towards the twins, a grin plastered on his face, "But that's fine, because once the King loses this war we'll be at the top anyways. They can look down on us all they want now, things will turn around real quick when this is over. You guys won't have to cook for anyone anymore and my family and I will be back where we were, with some added perks. Hell, if you really wanted you could probably be nobility too! You should give it a try, its pretty nice." Having people do the things you didn't want to, getting a say - generally a say in what went on, sure beat being some help in the royal kitchens.

"Hey, whatever's on your mind don't worry about it, everything is going to work out just fine here," Yumi reassured with a smile, hoping to turn Viral's mood a bit before the fight. "We have Krom back on Uuonoe remember? And I doubt the king is down there so we're not dealing with someone that bad, I'm sure we can handle them. We've done this so many times now its basically second nature to us." That wasn't to say there was no risk involved, there was always going to be risk. But they were all capable, the rebels were capable, they'd done it before and so long as they were careful everything would be okay. Adjusting the padded braces on her wrists Yumi turned her head and glanced out the window, watching stars race by as their shuttle continued on its course to the planet. "If we win today maybe that will make them thing twice about attacking worlds again," Yumi muttered, daring to hope as she frowned, "I don't get why they do it, I really don't. With everything else going on they're still hurting everyone, they're really the worst sort of people."

------

Haku was filled both with trepidation and excitement over the visit. It was wonderful on one hand to see a world as a peaceful visitor, rather than a combatant. There was no risk of Saiyans attacking here, they had no reason to, and the war between Kaesstrians had largely died down since T'charrl had last visited. If he didn't know about the fight at all he might even say there were no signs of anything wrong, save for the occasional group of soldiers maintaining order in the cities. It was even better for them that nothing serious was going on as they could focus on training and, hopefully, T'charrl getting better. People had been busy even while he was off planet and already plans were in place for helping him with his condition, plans which mostly consisted of some type of meditation and training. To Haku it almost seemed similar to how a Saiyan learned to control their Oozaru form, you only had to work your tail off until you were strong enough to keep the power from spiraling out of control... Easy. For some, there were plenty of Saiyans like him who hadn't been able to master it and, as a result, lost his tail. That wouldn't happen with T'charrl though as he'd definitely manage, he had to. Plus he didn't have a tail to lose.

"If you're ready to train now we can go. I'd understand if you want to spend the day resting though," Yusef said after the meal as servants cleaned the dining hall. Eslaria had since left for the upper city to overlook one of Katas' projects which left father and son to spend the afternoon together. Having a friend of T'charrl's along was still a touch unusual as he'd never quite had friends before but it was a nice change, there was a visible difference in how their child looked now that he had friends. Rising up from his chair he thanked the servants as they carried away the last of the dishes, moving to T'charrl's seat and pulling it out for him. "If you and your friend would prefer we could give him a tour of our city too. There's been some changes since you were last here, both above and below, and I think you'll like them a lot."

-----

"Yeah, we already talked about it and we'll start tomorrow. We don't want to rush into things and overwhelm you," Sasha explained, smiling at Shu's hesitation, "The festival is in the city, they're probably just about done setting it up by now. You'll see, it's really a lot of fun and it'll help get your mind off of things." Which in of itself was a sort of therapy, and as luck would have it Korian had given them the day in case Shu needed his support group meaning they had the entire day to enjoy it. Before they got going though they really should make sure there wasn't anything they were missing, things were going to be intense for Shu for a few days and it was best they don't overlook anything. "Aito, right? Is there anything you think we should avoid? We're not sure what his triggers are..."

"Loud noises for one, so if they happen to launch fireworks," Aito explained, pausing when he saw the perplexed looks on Ricken and Sasha's faces. Right, Earth things. "Er... If they are exploding anything for whatever reason keep him away from those. Enclosed spaces too, I believe our little friend here isn't fond of being inside anything small. Other than that I believe he should be fine." There were potentially other risks too but so long as they avoided any severe stimuli Shu shouldn't have an issue being out. Smiling at the young boy he leaned forward in his chair and pushed his glasses up the brim of his nose, mentally making a note of how tense he seemed before posing a question. "Shu? We'll start our sessions together tomorrow, just you and me. When do you want to start them? I can make time at any point in the day for you, you just tell me when. And while we can't have anyone else in the room we could have your older brother sit outside, if it would help. Basically what I'm saying is that I'll be leading our sessions, but be sure to speak up if you want to change anything, or if something isn't working. We're focusing on you here so whatever you need, tell us, understand?"

Both Kai and Choi leaned away from Kabocha when he decided to get just that little bit closer, both of them staring at him quizzingly. There was surely someone out there who did have a care for them on the other side, they knew a lot of people out there and surely not all of them had forgotten about them. They were pretty quiet, sure, but it wasn’t as if twins wouldn’t be noticed normally especially when it wasn’t as if Saiyan twins were common. They were the most uncommon kind of Saiyan so there had to be some people out there who knew them and would be happy to know they were doing alright, not everyone they knew was a Saiyan loyalist after all. “Just because you were a noble doesn’t mean none of them care”, Kai interjected, waving his finger briefly before folding his arms, “Not many like nobles…”

“Yeahhhh, you were all kind of jerks to the servants…” Choi sighed, folding his arms as well. Kabocha was born into a wealthy family who had a lot of power while they were simply bred to be servants, their mother being some random Saiyan they didn’t know just told she had to have a kid. It was a different time a long time ago when Saiyans were rare after losing their home planet so breeding was just the way things were back then and probably still are now. He didn’t really care, he didn’t feel anything for his unknown mother when she wasn’t exactly interested in them. “Nobility a try? I don’t think nobility works like that, you know…” Choi sighed, shrugging his shoulders, “You’ve got to be born into it, anyway! We’re just the dirty bloods, bred for population rather than out of any feeling for family or heirs”.

Viral didn’t know if he should really be caring about going off to fight again, but his past experiences were definitely having an influence on his thought pattern. The rebels were pretty comfortable asking them to go to war for their cause because they were ‘free’ and not doing much else, they had no qualms asking these things as if it was a simple chore that had to be completed. Sure there were people in danger, but he had his own problems he still hadn’t dealt with that did affect his ability to fight. “Hmm right. Second nature…” he sighed before he slowly sat back and looked elsewhere, looking like he was close to drifting off to sleep. He wasn’t sure what to think about right now, he just didn’t want to have problems on a foreign planet where people were counting on him to do well. Glancing at Yumi as she spoke to herself he soon looked away again. “They don’t just attack worlds at random. There’s always a reason…” he spoke lowly, “Whether it’s to impress the King or if the planet’s causing trouble, spots of high criminal activity or biological interest. All the Elites were up to dealing with these worlds…even I have been responsible for such things. Once planets have space travel, they need policing…”

----

T’charrl was pretty nervous but had still managed to eat something, seeing as how he was quite hungry and being able to control his hunger was something he hadn’t learned quite yet. He hated feeling always hungry for something, especially when the hunger was hard to define. He didn’t know whether it was for more power or for more food to gain more energy for more power; it all ended in a drive for power in the end, anyway. He really wanted to know why these things happened to him, but that’s why he was here. His people used to do this sort of thing, but since people like him were often killed off that kind of ‘spirit magic’ had become nearly extinct. He needed to have faith in his family and the fact that they knew how to help him.

As he continued to feel nervous he remained fairly quiet, not really knowing how he was supposed to act when he had a guest over due to not having anybody over before that wasn’t someone from the immediate group. Looking quickly to his father as he approached he gasped when he insisted he get off the chair and get going around the city. “Uhh! Yes! Yes I-I would like to see what’s been happening”, he spoke as he got to his feet, stepping away from it rather quickly before clasping his claws together, “Wait, what was there to add? Wasn’t everything okay? It’s not the tree, is it…?”

----

Shu didn’t know if he was glad or concerned that he had been brought into this room with all these people only to be told he was having a day off before his treatments. Staring at Sasha as she explained the festival he soon looked down as he thought about it, humming for a moment before nodding quickly. “Lot of fun! Okay…okay. Not sure if been to one before…” He hadn’t really had time to go to some sort of event, the biggest thing he went to was the tournament but doing what they said was easier than trying to find his own way. Curious to what she was asking from Aito he tilted his head, frowning when he was naming things he didn’t particularly like. He was feeling a little embarrassed now that his fears were getting around, but maybe they were just trying to help after all.

Groaning a little under his breath he quickly looked up again when Aito spoke his name, staring at him curiously as he was asked a fairly important question. Now that was something he had no idea how to answer, he wasn’t really familiar with what the times of days were or when it would be best. He only knew a few times of the day and that was due to certain prompts. “Uhhh, maybe, umm…after food…? After morning food, sometime then…” he spoke, trying to remember what it was called but found it particularly difficult to think of the right words when he was feeling nervous, “I-I understand. Say everything! Bad stuff no get Shu! No change a thing…uhhh, w-what do, anyway? What do so that changes maybe be made if no good…?”

Kabocha earnestly did not understand why the twins were so put-off by nobility, it had great perks. Maybe just because they had never been nobility they couldn't appreciate how incredible it would be to have that, it was the only explanation he could think of. "Things will change when the war's over, including how nobility works," he pointed out with a smirk, "I'm telling you now, we'll be treated as heroes. You know as well as I do there's plenty of people who don't like Yamate, they just follow him because there's no other choice. If we beat him, put someone better in charge, don't you think we'll be given something?" Maybe not a position in whatever government was put in place of the king, Kabocha wasn't sure he wanted the headache of trying to actually lead. But they sure as hell deserved something once everything was said and done, a nice place on Kortal at the very least. And the whole business about being born into nobility or not? "Look at it this way: You know there's always going to be upper class and lower class, that's just life. It's true on Kortal, it was true on Earth, it's been true on most every world we went to. So if you've got a chance to move up then heck, take it! Who knows when another chance like that will come by, and unless you want to spend the rest of your lives as some kitchen boys you should think about it. Or jeez, think about how your father would be better off if you two moved up the social ladder a bit."

"Even if they have a reason it doesn't make it right," Yumi muttered in disdain, frowning as she crossed her arms. "Maybe a world does need policing, but that doesn't mean its up to the Saiyans to tell them how to do it. Its their world, they should be able to sort it out themselves." She could understand the other side of that too though, a world being unable to help itself and needing a hand. She and the others had gone to plenty of planets like that on the rebels behalf to free its people and in some weird way she could see a planet turning to the Saiyans for the same thing. But they didn't know what they were asking for, and once they did there was little they could do to stop it. "There's been something I've been thinking about though, it's been bothering me for a while now..." Yumi began again, setting her hands in her lap and folding them together, "So the Saiyans move into a world and take over, whatever their reason is. Maybe they make some people troops, maybe they use the world as a base, whatever they do. The rebels come in then and get rid of the Saiyans, but... Don't they do the same thing? Isn't it just changing who is in power?" Her hands clenched tight around themselves as she cast her glance at the floor, ears folding down in disappointment as she let out a sigh. "It's just... What if we haven't been helping? What if we're actually part of the problem?"

"We're approaching the atmosphere, everyone please be sure to be strapped in for entry," the pilot called back. The windows were covered by a sheet of heat-treated metal as they began to descend, the telltale rattling of the ship showing they had broken into the planet's orbit. As usual the turbulence increased briefly as their speed picked up and the world's gravity took hold of them, but within moments they had gotten through the worst of it and the ride became far more pleasant. Once they had reached a reasonable altitude the shields were pulled back and the windows uncovered to reveal a highly populated world below, one which even from their current height you could make out cities on the ground. For a planet that was supposed to be under attack by Saiyans it looked oddly peaceful, no signs that anything had been razed or was even in the process of being attacked. Yet Leto was quick to rise to his feet and move to one of the windows, his normally boisterous attitude turning somber as he pressed against the glass, his face paling noticeably.

"We're back on Lioma..."

Leto's homeworld Lioma, the place that had been taken by Saiyans early in their campaign before ultimately being abandoned once its strongest fighters had been recruited. It was supposed to be left alone in exchange for the service of its warriors, so why had the Saiyans returned? No wonder Korian hadn't told Leto where they were going.

-----

"Great, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by everything," Yusef said with a smile, gesturing for a servant to go and tell the Queen what they would be doing, "There's been a great deal of change, and thankfully most for the better." He didn't want to spoil anything and would leave it for T'charrl to see with his own eyes. Kaesstra had been left in a bit of a state after he'd left home, their kingdom still on the brink of another civil war even with General Garesh removed from power. But since that time everything was far better, and with luck things would continue to improve. Making way for the doors Yusef paused when his son asked about the tree, smiling and shaking his head to calm his concerns. "Nothing is wrong with the tree, quite the opposite in fact. And things could have been better since your last visit, and they have gotten better. Just wait, you'll see what I mean."

All of this talk of trees and wars was lost to Haku, he hadn't ever seen the former and knew very little of the latter. Just hearing that things were getting better though was good enough for him and made him wish at the same time their own stupid war could end soon. But that was neither here nor there and wishful thinking wouldn't suddenly make it end, they had to beat the King to make that happen. Keeping close to T'charrl as they departed the castle he took a bit of time to enjoy the sights, still amazed anyone could build a city like this beneath the surface. The glowing plants above were one of the most amazing things he'd seen yet, casting enough light down below that it almost looked like midday even this far beneath the surface. Haku wondered how they worked, whether they were on all the time or of they ever darkened, he'd have to remember to ask sometime. "Your kingdom really is nice... You're so lucky to get to live somewhere like this."

"Now that civil war isn't looming over us both cities are wonderful places to live," Yusef chimed in, glancing back at the two children, "Other kingdoms have begun speaking with us again now that the power struggle has ended as well, which means we're getting more goods in and out of our cities. Like I said, things are looking up for everyone here." That wasn't to say it was without problems but overall the situation was vastly better than it had been in months past. Those who lived above and those who lived below were getting on better, and while it would take time until they were truly equal at least one could walk in the other's city now without fear of attack. It was hard not to be optimistic about the future of their kingdom and Kaesstra as a whole. "We'll save the tree for last T'charrl, there is something different but it's... A good different. I want to save the best for last," Yusef said with a knowing smile to his son, "But first I want to show you something Katas developed for us. It's a wonderful technology from Earth, something that your friend Vegeta shared with us. I think you'll enjoy it."

-----

"So after breakfast then? Alright, that sounds just fine to me," Aito agreed with a nod, "And as for changes I'll put this as simply as I can. There are different ways for doctors to help people like you, different approaches to treatment. We'll try a few things right away and then take a different approach if that doesn't work, that's all. And regardless of what approach we take we'll take things slow, ease you into it so you don't feel overwhelmed or pressured. This is all about letting you get better at your own pace, we're just here to help you along the way, okay?" That should just about cover everything, today was just meant to lay out the plans and make sure Shu understood what they would be doing. Tomorrow they would begin in earnest and, depending on how receptive Shu was to the therapy, they would know where they would go next with his treatment. For now however... "That should do it for today, you should go out and enjoy the festival now," Aito added in, winking at Shu as he leaned back in his chair, "And when you go do try the candied auran. It's a fruit they have here on Uuonoe, I may have grabbed one myself on my way here. It's quite tasty, I think you'll enjoy it."

Takeshi felt relieved that they finally had something in place for Shu after all this time. He was also immensely relieved it wouldn't be all on him, he'd felt smothered and burdened having to come up with ways to help his brother all on his own. Not that he hadn't wanted to help but he hadn't known how, and naturally having to ask over and over for ways to help wasn't going to work. Too prideful, he'd reflected, kicking himself for being such an idiot. But now things should be getting better for them, or namely for Shu. "You heard the man, time to go out and have some fun buddy!" Trying to pep up his brother Takeshi put on a grin and jumped to his feet, reaching over and playfully prodding Shu's forehead as he was getting up. "There's gotta be loads of awesome games and stuff up there, we'll probably be busy all day. Come on, let's go see what's there!" Moving to grab hold of his brother and pull him along he frowned when Sasha instead took Shu's hand, giving her a puzzled look in turn.

"There's no rush, the festival isn't going anywhere. Besides we have all day, plenty of time to do everything," Sasha explained before looking to Shu and giving him a gentle smile. He was still just a little kid wasn't he? No matter how old he might be he carried himself the same as many of the children on Uuonoe, something she'd never really noticed until Aito had pointed it out. So she'd try to treat him like one, or at the very least be a little more patient and gentle with him. Thanking the doctors for their time she gently pulled Shu along as they left the building, stepping out into a beautiful clear day, not a pressure in the world. Even from where they were one could hear the music carrying over the city from the festivities, machinery looming over some of the smaller structures, rides for everyone to enjoy. Behind her Sasha could almost feel Ricken rolling his eyes as she led Shu alongside her, pointing to a tall ferris wheel up ahead. "Isn't that neat? You sit inside of the chairs and it picks you up and you ride it around and around. There's a lot of rides like those all over the city, would you want to try any?"

“You can’t just change the meaning of a word and position just because of some war being over…” Kai sighed, not understanding why Kabocha couldn’t get it into his head, “Heroes are not the same thing as nobles, not to mention they’re often quickly forgotten. I don’t see how the soldiers will be seen as heroes over the commanders and captains…” That would be a long shot, all the soldiers being treated like heroes too. They would be known as veterans forever and then be forgotten about, most likely. Who cared anyway, once it was over they’d probably either keep fighting evil or live with their father, maybe even travel. Kai didn’t really know what they’d be doing or what Choi wanted to do in the end. It was all pretty difficult in the end, having to decide what was going on in your future when you still relied on someone else for company who might want to do something else with the rest of their life.

Choi wasn’t really believing Kabocha either, finding it to be a little strange that someone would be considered a noble because they were part of a war. That wasn’t how society worked, he learned that a long time ago. Nobles were born rather than made, it had always been like that. “Yeahhhh don’t you have to be of a high class in your blood too? I’m pretty sure we’ve got blood that noble females wouldn’t want in their family, anyway”, he sighed, looking elsewhere, “You may be told you can be anything, but not everyone’s special like that. I thought that much was pretty well known…heh, I guess you were never told because you’re a rich kid who don’t need no education on the struggles of society, huh? Heh!”

Viral groaned lightly at Yumi’s little fussing over the Saiyans, seeing it as pointless to try and question it. There was always going to be people thinking they were doing good on each side and those who thought of the other side as evil, she just so happened to think the Saiyans were all evil for what they did. To him, the Rebels removing worlds out of the Saiyan’s control just made things worse, sending the planet into political chaos rather than curing it from what they would call tyrannical control. “Every world we’ve been to so far that has been under their control has been populated by bestial races of a primitive nature…races that could make it into space with confidence. To remove that control is like giving fire to cavemen and telling them to deal with it themselves…” Viral remained very bitter towards the Rebels because of their actions and decision making, especially when he didn’t see if they had control over the situations they left the other planets in. It couldn’t be too many planets they had managed to seize control of, but so far the ones that the Saiyans had no control over but the Rebels did were planets filled with civilised high-tech species. They probably didn’t know how to handle the more primitive type and he sure as hell hadn’t seen evidence that they knew how to.

Simply glancing over at Yumi when she spoke of her doubts over the Rebels as well he simply looked away when the pilot called out to tell them of their progress, his eyes soon glancing to the streak of burning atmosphere as they began to enter the planet’s system. So they were finally going to land and now they had to get prepared, but with Leto having second thoughts about going to this planet that was apparently his homeworld Viral was having some regrets. He could barely handle one Leto nevermind a whole world of them. Groaning lightly he slowly sat up, looking elsewhere. “You don’t know if the Rebels are any better than the Saiyans, is that it?” he questioned her, letting out a sigh, “Until I see for myself that they are doing better than the Saiyans, I’ll never willingly call them my allies. Politics aren’t my forte, anyway…”

----

T’charrl opened his mouth before simply sighing as he was told about the tree, eventually smiling. “Great…that’s great. It was still mad at me for doing what I did, but I think it was more afraid of the surface harming it and stealing fruit…” That would be a pain for the tree, especially when the fruit was sacred and had to be gifted rather than picked. They only had a few monks down below that could look after the tree without talking to it and know when the fruit was being gifted, so training more for the surface would probably be a fair big problem. If the tree got mad it would stop fruiting altogether and stop providing the underground with light and keep the cities safe from wild beasts. It would be a bad time all around until it was given a happier existence again. Feeling like a lot of worry had been taken away from him he looked to Haku as he commented on the kingdom. “Really? Oh uhh…t-thanks…” It was hard to make a proper comment when he had lived here all his life so was familiar with everything, he was just so used to everything.

Smiling a little, he looked to his father at the mention of the civilian situation and how society was getting on. It was nice to know that they were gaining allies now that there was no more fighting between nations, but he didn’t know if it was a good thing when he didn’t know what they were planning to offer. There was always a reason for them to want to talk to them, but he wasn’t a diplomat and was best keeping out of all that political stuff. Not particularly wanting to think about it his interest changed when his father decided to mention some new technology, one that made him a little nervous. “Uhh…technology…here? From Earth? What? It’s not something the other kingdoms are after…right?”

----

Shu gave Aito a quick nod before looking down again, feeling a little nervous already. Even if Aito said he shouldn’t feel overwhelmed from the treatments while they were happening he was already feeling quite overwhelmed, knowing it was all going to happen to him. “Ooohhhh…o-okay. I get, I get…” He didn’t know if he liked the attention, even if he was going to get better. He was a little scared that it would end in some change in his personality or something, that he wouldn’t be ‘Shu’ anymore because there was so much wrong with him that had to be fixed. As his attention just slowly disappeared he squeaked when Aito told him there was no more for today and that he was okay to go to this festival thing.

Nodding a little he looked to Takeshi, nodding a little before squeaking as he was poked. Rubbing his forehead as he got off the chair he stared at Takeshi for a moment before his attention went to Sasha as she took hold of his hand. Tilting his head he soon smiled and bounced a little, squeaking happily. “Ooh! Not really sure what a festival is, but it sounds fun!” Maybe it was like a party or the tournament, but he wouldn’t know until he went there and saw what there was on offer. Feeling rather curious now he continued on with her, looking around quickly as he heard music before gasping at the sight of the strange structures ahead. He hadn’t seen these things before, he had no idea where they all came from at all. Bouncing as he walked along with Sasha he turned his attention to the large machine, feeling a little intimidated by the size of it. “Sit in chair and move? Ride it? Is it like a ship…? Where the candied thing Mister Aito said?”

"You two aren't getting what I'm saying are you? I'm not saying you'll just become nobles, I'm saying you'll earn it," Kabocha shot back with a roll of his eyes, as if it was the simplest distinction in the world. "You'll earn it for winning the war and getting rid of Yamate. Once he's gone anyone who backed him is going to lose their power, and people who were against him are going to take over, just watch. And since we're out here on the front lines, beating back his soldiers, I think we'll get some of the better positions." They were too stuck on how things used to work, having to come from a noble family or be born into a lineage. But there were other ways too, with someone in power losing their place anyone could fill in that void, nobility or not. Growing irritated by how the twins were incapable of understanding as much he narrowed his eyes when Choi took a shot at him, grumbling something incoherent before sneering at both of his friends.

"If you two stopped feeling sorry for yourselves long enough you could be something more. You're only destined to be what you let yourself be. Know my family's history at all? Think I've always been from a noble bloodline?" Shaking his head Kabocha scoffed and sat back, looking up at the ceiling as he folded one leg over another. "My father's grandfather wasn't nobility until he helped turn the tide of a great battle, and because of that my family was given the rank of a noble family. I'm living proof you can move up in society and you two can too. If I'm going to be taking some seat of power in the new Kortal I can't have some kitchen losers as my best friends, you'll have to step up too and make something of yourselves. Or jeez, just get out of the kitchens! That can't be what you want to be doing for the rest of your lives can it?"

Now was not the time to be doubting themselves, they were getting ready to go into battle and had to know where their allegiances lay. Yumi couldn't help but question if the rebels really were the better side here or if they were working against progress all this time. Why had Korian left exactly? Because he didn't agree with methods? She wasn't overly fond of how the Saiyans did things either, running around conscripting worlds, but they had been told why Yamate did it and that much she could understand. Were they and the rebels hurting the efforts to keep everyone safe? Maybe, or they could be giving everyone a better chance by letting them rebuild and empower themselves, she didn't know. Ears folding flat as she rubbed her arm uneasily Yumi turned her head and glanced over at Leto, frowning when she heard his quiet mutterings about what this world meant to him. It was his world, he'd probably not been here since being conscripted and now they were back, fighting to protect it. How hadn't Korian told him where they would be going? Leto looked shocked that they were coming here and Yumi couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger for the deceit.

"We should do what we think is right, whatever side we might fall on," Yumi said as she gripped her harness, the shuttle rumbling a bit before finally settling down and coasting through the sky, heading towards their landing zone. "People on these worlds should be able to decide for themselves who they join, it's not up to anyone but them to pick." Rebel or Saiyan it was an outside force working to lead someone they had no business with, someone who didn't see the people here as anything more than potential troops or hands during conflict. She couldn't let them keep going that route regardless of what their reasons for doing such a thing was. She had an idea then, something that would cause huge problems if anyone found out on Uuonoe but the risks were worth the potential pay off. Leaning closer to Viral she kept her voice low, her eyes carefully watching Leto and the pilots as she spoke. "Viral... Let's beat the Saiyans and then leave, don't tell them about the Rebels. I can't ask anymore people to fight for them."

Speed was lowered as she shuttle began its approach to its landing site, a stretch of open land outside of one of the cities. Going in was going to be a mess already as clear signs of battle were taking place in the city before them, buildings erupting in towers of smoke as skirmishes raged on. Trying to keep clear of the frenzy the pilot directed the shuttle further along, some ways from the designated spot to an area near a decline, sitting just above a wide river below. The vehicle didn't set down as the back bay door was opened and a light overhead flashed signaling it was safe to leave, the roar of the engines outside deafening most of the explosions. "Can't land, to dangerous! I'll circle around and find somewhere to set her!" the pilot shouted as everyone began to leave, Leto being the first to rush out of the ship, "Call if you need me!"

Leto hadn't heard much of what was said, out the shuttle and on his way to the city before the pilot had even finished speaking. With no Ki to use he couldn't fly but that hardly mattered as he ran with all his might, moving so quickly he might as well have taken flight. His own world under siege even after they had sworn loyalty to the Saiyans, after some of their best were killed and the remainder were conscripted, all to preserve Lioma. What had all of that been for if the Saiyans had come back anyway? Was this because of his defection to the Rebels? No more being made into a pawn by those people, he wouldn't allow his kin to suffer any longer. "Come my friends, battle awaits us!" Leto shouted back at the others, his frame a blur as he surged forward, tearing apart the ground with each deafening footfall, "Hold fast Lioma, your heroes have arrived!"

-----

"We've been certain to keep the tree from harm. No one is allowed to build near it, anyone whose home was destroyed when it sprouted was replaced elsewhere, it's become a rather nice place actually. You'll see when we get there." The tree was hugely beneficial to everyone within both cities and no one wanted to ruin that, even those who were still against the changing tides. Everyone finally understood just how crucial that tree and others like it were to their world and how important it was to maintain their natural resources, not exploit them. So much was in the works now and so much would change in the days to come and Yusef was positive it was all for the best. Of course some would resist change but they too would come to see how much better life could be. Sooner or later they would have to accept what had become obvious to him already: the world was bigger than they were and it would provide all they needed if they cared for it, turning their back on the world could only spell their destruction.

"Not at all! In fact we're sharing a lot of what we're discovering with our neighbors, for the betterment of our entire species. It's an incredible time to be alive right now my son, there are so many things in the works, so many changes happening. Quality of life will improve, we'll become more efficient, we'll be able to support ourselves and the need for war, for fighting over resources, will vanish. It's unbelievable really but I've seen it with my own eyes, it's coming and a new world will be here before long." Katas would lead their cities and many others in developing technologies to better Kaesstrians the world over, Eslaria was working with other kingdoms to help cease conflicts and to get everyone working towards the greater good and the amazing part was everything was working out. With a bemused smile Yusef folded his hands behind his back, letting out a chirping laugh as he glanced up at the sky. "I'll be out of a job if this keeps up... But I'm okay with that. My father was a soldier, and his father, and his father before him, back as far as I can remember. If we have a world where you won't have to spend your life fighting then I am okay with that."

-----

"It's um... Sort of like a ship, I guess? It's more like just a chair on a big wheel, you sit in the chair and they buckle you in, you ride it around the wheel." Sasha had never had to explain exactly what a ferris wheel was, everyone just knew and understood that they existed here, even those outside of Uuonoe. Shu really had come from some isolated place then if he'd never seen anything like them before. Feeling the young Saiyan's hand tighten nervously around her own as they neared the rides she looked back with a calming smile, directing them away from the ferris wheel for the time being. "You want some of the candied fruit first? We can get that then, the rides will be there later. I think I saw some stalls over here before..." Big difference from when they were out earlier in the morning, the suns barely rising above the peaks of the mountains and birds were singing their songs signaling the start of a new day. With the suns now sitting high overhead there were throngs of people out and about now, many of the stalls near invisible as crowds gathered to buy food and other goods. Being sure to keep a grip on Shu so she'd not lose him Sasha brought him to the first stall she could find, buying herself and him each a candied auran. "It's got a bit of a hard shell and its really sweet, you might have to lick it a bit first," Sasha explained, doing so before handing Shu his, "Try it, they're really good."

It was nice having someone else around to help with Shu and Takeshi hoped he'd continue to have a helping hand, at least until he had a better idea of what to do himself. Sasha was proving to be a lot like Yumi in regards to how she was with Shu, treating him like a little kid and doting on him. A reminder that people still seemed to be inevitably drawn to his little brother with a want to care for him, something the little guy didn't seem to mind too much. Everything would be just peachy right now if Ricken hadn't had to come along too, and while he got the reason he'd been brought he still had a hard time actually liking him. Watching Shu happily Takeshi frowned when someone grabbed his shoulder, turning his head slightly and shrugging off Ricken's hand in annoyance. "What? Hands off."

"Stop looking at my sister, you monkey. Don't even think about it," Ricken growled as he narrowed his eyes, "I saw that a second ago, it's disgusting. Do it again and I'll take your head."

Takeshi smiled innocently as he looked away, playing innocent as he shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea what you're talking about, you're imagining things." Maybe he had taken a quick look at Sasha, and who could blame him? When they'd first met he thought she was pretty too, heck a lot of people did, and now that it was just the four of them he could peek here and there. It wasn't as if he was doing anything either, just looking. In the corner of his eye he could still see Ricken tensing up, turning back to the other boy and grinning as he folded his hands behind his head. "You could be more like her, you know? At least she's fun to be around, Shu likes her already too, but you're still a pain in the ass. Then again it'd be kind of hard, seeing that you don't have a chest or anything..." That did it, Ricken had grabbed his shirt and was now lifting him off of his feet and Takeshi just smiled back at him, holding his arm as he raised an eyebrow. "What? I say something?"

"Ricken, Takeshi! Cut it out, both of you!" Sasha shouted when she noticed the argument going on, though having no idea what it was over. Her brother did as she asked promptly but pushed the Saiyan back before coming over to join her and Shu. "We're here to have fun today, so let's have some fun. There's plenty of other things to do other than fight with each other, right Shu? What do you think we should do next? Go and see some rides? Look at some of the animals? Maybe go listen to them play music?"

Ricken glared at Takeshi for a moment as the Saiyan continued looking smug, an idea coming to him after a moment as a smirk replaced his frown. "I know, why don't we go and play a game, one that has prizes?" he suggested, forcing a smile as he leaned down towards Shu and placed a hand on his head as he'd seen Takeshi do. "They have a lot of different games you can play and compete in for all sorts of things, mostly toys. That seems like something a kid like you would enjoy right? Come on then, let's go try." If Sasha wanted him to try acting friendlier then fine, he'd give it a go. Though he'd make it no secret it was forced as he grabbed Shu by the shoulder and turned him around, a hand at the boy's back as he ushered him along, Sasha at his heels to be sure he wasn't too forceful. Now it was Takeshi's turn to glare as he had to watch someone he didn't care for try warming up to his brother. Good, let him sulk.

Kai really saw there being no way they would ever be considered a noble just because they were soldiers, especially when there was probably thousands more capable than both him and his brother. They weren’t particularly memorable other than being twins and that wouldn’t be enough to consider them nobles because they won some war. He just didn’t see how people would accept that, not to mention there was no way it would bring them anything more than what they already had. “Even if they take notice of us and decide to give us a ‘reward’ like becoming a noble, just what is it supposed to change about us?” he asked looking quite suspicious about what kind of answer he’d receive, “You can’t make thousands upon thousands nobles just because of some war. Back when your father’s grandfather was fighting it would’ve been on a much smaller scale. It would had just been the Saiyans…”

“Now that I think about it, there are loads of other races in this war too, huh?” Choi sighed, scratching his head briefly, “Isn’t there hundreds more qualified than us too?” It would be a pretty broken social system if everyone who fought could be a noble, not to mention there was the point of what even did a noble do that was different from being a normal citizen. He wasn’t too bothered by it all, so long as they didn’t end up homeless after the war. “Kitchen losers?? Excuse you but the kitchen is a very respectable place to be! You know we could easily poison you if we wanted to? Wait, you consider us your best friends? Heh, thought you were only putting up with us because we’re on the same team…”

Viral was generally fed up with the Rebels the moment he met them, especially when he had such a terrible start and first impression. They didn’t like him because of what he had done when he was with the Saiyans, even if he had been under the control of someone else. He had still shown he could be a monster when allowed to do terrible things under command so maybe they shouldn’t be blamed for that. He still didn’t like being around those who knew what he had done and were probably hiding their hatred for him. Yumi didn’t seem to know what to think about when it came to the Rebels herself, but of course she didn’t know them as well as he did. She was really naïve when it came to these issues of war and what people could survive on when it came to space travel. Sighing lightly he grew a little fed up, but when Yumi invaded his personal space he gave her a staring at, narrowing his gaze.

He really didn’t know if she was just saying that on the fly or if she was being serious because that was not a particularly smart thing to say. It didn’t much make sense either, there was too much they would have to watch out for after the battle. “They’ll want to know who sent us…and then there’s Leto. No doubt he’ll be talking after this”. As the ship came into land Viral got prepared by unbuckling his harness and held onto the top of his seat as he stood, balancing fairly easily as he waited for the signal. It didn’t seem as if they were going to be able to get much closer to the ground before the hatch was open and the signal to leave was given. Looking to the pilot in annoyance at the place he decided to almost land at he gave Yumi a quick glance before heading out after Leto and the other soldiers. That big idiot was already heading out without them like he was the main hero here which certainly managed to piss him off already. While the rest could fly he had to jump out and run after Leto, hardly managing to stop his way onward like Leto could as he was more soft-footed than the big idiot. “Are you trying to split us apart, you imbecile??”

----

T’charrl was pretty happy to hear all that, he was certain he wasn’t going to get a telling off if the tree was alright. He had been its friend since he was little and he had caused it to overgrow like that so it was his fault it was as it was now. “Oh, really? T-That’s…really good…” He didn’t like the thought that he might’ve left his world in a bit of a state after leaving so suddenly, he did want to help fix things but luckily his family had fixed everything for him. He was feeling happier to say the least, even if he was still needing to be fixed up himself. To be stuck unable to fix his own body while his powers had caused things to escalate pretty badly stressed him out a lot, but maybe soon he might be able to find a way to manage all that and limit the stress he was going through by hopefully a lot. He wondered how many people he had upset because of what he had done, knowing he had destroyed people’s homes as well by being so hasty. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do though, he was panicking pretty badly when it was his first time changing like that. He barely knew who he was until Takeshi’s friends called out his name which made it even worse for him to bear.

Hearing about what had been going on had him feeling a little nervous, however. He had seen what it was like in Space and how hard it was to survive sometimes and if their discoveries were getting to the point where it would benefit their species he didn’t know if that would end with them all in Space too. It sounded like so much had happened while he was gone, like several decades of progress in such a short time and it was scaring him, especially when he was used to everything going so slow and having to scrape a living together even as a royal family. He didn’t know why his family were so happy about it, but maybe he should try to be happy about it too and hope that nothing terrible would come of it. “A new world? Oh uhh, that sounds uhh…kind of scary, but I believe it will be okay…I hope”. Frowning a little, he looked to his father as he reminisced about his position and their ancestry, disliking the thought that it was all going to end if things continued to progress. “I-I’ll still be a soldier! I’ll keep it going! I mean, warfare and battling is in our blood and I don’t want that to disappear. There’s much worse threats out there than just our kind and I want to be able to keep battling until I can’t anymore! There may be no more wars here, but out there it’s a whole new world of struggling and fighting…”

----

Shu felt mildly interested, but he wasn’t sure how he’d do all tied down and on a strange machine that moved seemingly on its own. It couldn’t be that much different than being in a vehicle and that freaked him out a bit, but this was all therapy work and he was supposed to get over that meaning he had to be brave. He needed to be able to put up with this and brave through the day that was supposed to be really fun, especially as everyone else around him was having lots of fun themselves. He was going to try and be brave, he was supposed to be a Saiyan and not afraid of things that people younger than him were able to do with ease and enjoyment. Gasping a little when Sasha ended up suggesting going for the fruit first he stared at her for a moment before giving a quick nod, trying to keep up with her as she took him along to a stall to get some. Feeling curious, he watched the entire process and stared at the fruit as they finally got one, gently taking his from her when offered before giving it a thoughtful sniff.

He didn’t know what to make of a day like this. Everything was happening because he had problems and not because they actually wanted to go. He wondered how things might had changed if he never did get treatment and was just going to continue going about his daily life, he probably wouldn’t had come to a place like this. Licking at the fruit thoughtfully he squeaked a little before staring at it, feeling quite mesmerised by how sweet and unique it tasted. Feeling a little better for just a moment he squeaked when he heard Ricken sounding quite angry behind him, turning to see he was having a bit of a fight with Takeshi. Not really knowing what was going on he frowned deeply, hiding his expression behind the fruit.

They were here to have fun today but he couldn’t quite figure out whether they were having fun themselves, all three of them. They were already fussing over seemingly nothing all while expressing general dislike over one another. He felt it was his fault a little bit, it was because of him that they were all together today. Licking at his fruit before having a nibble he stared out thoughtfully, trying to work everything out in his head before looking up at Sasha when she mentioned his name. Staring at her, he listened to what there was to offer before turning to Ricken who made a suggestion. “Prizes…?” he repeated before squeaking when he placed a hand on his shoulder, looking to it thoughtfully before back up at him. “Oooh, a kid like me?” Not really knowing what he was talking about he gasped as he was forced to turn around and pushed forward, his feet hurrying along as he continued to try and eat at his fruit. Maybe this was normal, so he had to act like he normally would in return and continued along, hoping he was doing everything correctly himself to keep the others happy with him and not end up fighting again. “W-What kind of games is there? How do you get toys…?”

"I'm talking about nobility on Kortal. You know, Saiyans, not whatever other races are out there," Kabocha said with a wave of his hand, "There'll probably be loads of people getting promotions after this is over but I'm talking us, our kind. No one who sided with Yamate is going to get a promotion, it'll be us. And there aren't exactly loads of Saiyans on this side are there? And it'll give you, oh I don't know... Your own home? People won't treat you like trash? Your father can live comfortably? You know, little stuff like that." Kabocha couldn't understand why anyone wouldn't want to be nobility, it had to be leagues better than being some hired help like the twins were. Then again they weren't even hired help, they were a lot more like indentured servants if anything. "You wouldn't poison me though, I'd kick your ass before I died. Then you'd have my folks to deal with," he joked before pulling his lips in a thin line, "Well... My mother. My father's not good for much other than holding money. And well it's not exactly like you two were my first choice. How do you figure I felt when we were assigned to the same team together at first? It was a joke," Kabocha admitted, shrugging before smirking, "But hey, for what it's worth things turned out alright. I'm glad you two ended up on my team."

Yumi smiled knowingly as the ship began to settle, shaking her head and winking at Viral. "Sent us? We heard a distress call and we came to help, no one sent us. At least that's what we'll tell them." It wasn't a lie, a distress signal was exactly how the rebels had found out about the attack, it just so happened they were told secondhand. Actually they should leave this to Leto to decide ultimately seeing as it was his home world. Watching the back of the shuttle open she heard Viral growl beside her when Leto all but jumped out and took off, fighting with her belt to get up before racing after Viral in turn. "He's right, we have to stay together Leto! We don't know where we're even going yet!"

"To the fighting my friends, isn't it obvious? My people need me and I must aid them! I cannot wait!" His city was in trouble, his comrades were fighting and dying to save their home and he was able to help, he couldn't wait around. "Your friends have Ki and I know you're fast enough, Commander. We must hurry!" The closer they got to the city the more prominent the sounds of battle became, blasts erupting on nearly every block and unintelligible shouting being drowned out by them. It wasn't just a small scale invasion then, it wasn't just a small force sent to teach a lesson to someone: the scale of battle likely meant an entire battalion of troops had been sent down with an Elite at the helm, more than his people were probably prepared for. Charging headlong towards the fray Leto glanced up as a vehicle was blown apart and the debris flew his way, tumbling out of the air in a flaming mess. "We will not let Lioma fall!" he shouted, cocking back a fist and punching the vehicle out of the air, smashing it into a nearby ruined building.

So much or a leisurely start to the fight, looked like they were going into it right from the get-go. "Come on guys, we can't let them show us up now can we?" Kabocha grinned as he threw off his harness, rushing past the rebel soldiers unloading and jumping out the back. "Come on, nobility isn't going to just hand itself over!"

-----

"The world will be the same, but our people will change. Maybe that is a better way to put it? We will work together in ways we haven't in generations and Kaesstra will become all the stronger for it. Instead of fighting the kingdoms will begin working with one another, it's a bright future for everyone here." A world where children wouldn't have to fight for their homes, where family would no longer be torn apart by the ravages of war and cities could grow and prosper. It would not be an easy transition to a world of peace but it was possible, and the beginnings were already taking shape. "Other worlds... I envy you, T'charrl, to see other worlds... I've always tried to imagine it since you left but I can't picture it. What other worlds must be like. But that is fine and well, nothing would make me prouder if you fought for the freedom of others, just as you did for those here," Yusef said, smiling as he stopped in his tracks, reaching out and placing a hand on T'charrl's head. "Perhaps some day our people can join you among other worlds. But that is neither here nor there, I want to show you something magical."

Ahead was the tree, plain as day as it towered over even the tallest of buildings within the city. That was their destination and it was within a few blocks, reaching it took no time at all. Even before they had arrived though it should be obvious what Yusef was so keen on showing: Roads had been engulfed and covered by soil and grass, plants sprouting up and dotting the landscape. Buildings once inhabited had been taken over by plants, but were painted and maintained, used as part of the scenery. The closer to the tree they got the more plentiful other plants became, vibrant flowers creating beds of rainbows. Once the tree itself was in plain view T'charrl was greeted by the sight of a massive park, a large pond forming between two of the roots and several benches and tables set up around the space. Pathways were designated by flat stones and several Kaesstrians were already there, running about and enjoying themselves.

"We originally thought the tree would be a problem, since it had destroyed so much. But instead it's given us a wonderful gift, and new opportunities," Yusef explained with a smile, folding his hands behind his back as he looked to the canopy, "After the tree fell a mysterious glimmering light fell from it and coated the area, and within a day plants had begun to take root. People were evacuated and we almost considered taking the tree down, but we waited to see what would happen. Growth went on for three days until it suddenly stopped, and not terribly many homes were taken from it. We were able to relocate those effected to better homes and began to develop the park you see before us. No one harms the plants here and its a wonderful addition to the city, something everyone can enjoy. Rich, poor, young, old, its open to everyone. Isn't it wonderful?" And there were other benefits as well, though Katas would be vastly more qualified to explain those than he was. "There's one more thing about the tree as well," Yusef added, looking to T'charrl and Haku with a twinkle in his eye, "You should see it at dark. It glows."

Haku didn't hear most of what was being said as he was too busy gaping up at the tree. He'd never seen anything so massive, not even a building! And the park... He was pretty sure he'd never seen so many plants in one place either, besides maybe a forest. And it all looked so nice, had this place really been at war recently? He'd said it before and he'd say it again: T'charrl was lucky to live in such an amazing place. "This is incredible... It's so nice..." Haku gasped, jumping slightly when a child screamed. Worrying there was something wrong he relaxed and smiled seeing them being thrown up in the air and caught by, what he assumed, were its parents. How did you tell T'charrl's people apart anyway? What were the differences? With Saiyans and humans it was easy, one gender had a flat chest and the other had... Not a flat chest. "C-Can we come back here at night, T'charrl? It's so n-nice," Haku asked, his eyes shining excitedly as he smiled at his friend, "P-Please? If the tree glows I really want to see it!"

-----

Ricken had brought up the idea of games but Sasha was the one who would explain them to Shu. "There are all kinds of games here Shu. Throw a ball at dummies to win toys, and then there's trying to fish in little barrels, and if you catch something you win a prize. There are also fun things like races, and they have a wrestling competition later in the evening. We usually don't enter it but that could be a lot of fun if we'd all enter." It might be a little bit unfair though if the Princes took part, most of the participants were usually casual fighters or some of the newer, less busy rebels that had free time to spare. Not that they shouldn't get to compete, just against Saiyan royalty...

"I wouldn't mind competing in that later if we have time actually... I've been going stir crazy being back here." Ricken was used to being the utility man for the rebels, being sent on all kinds of missions that required different skill-sets. Which was a nicer way of putting 'he did work no one else wanted to.' Someone had to take it on. Besides getting to take part in that would give him a chance to smack Takeshi around a bit without getting into trouble, what more could he ask for? Of course he had to bear in mind that this was all for Shu, they couldn't do anything that would agitate the little kid.

"That could be pretty fun... It'd be a lot like the tournaments back on Earth," Takeshi mused aloud, smiling as he looked at Shu, "Remember that? It's where we met, back in the World Tournament. We got to the last round and we both... Lost." What had happened again anyway? It had been so long, all he could recall was somehow both of them tumbling off the ring and splitting the earnings. Things were a hell of a lot different now for them though, if they ended up in another tournament it'd be purely for fun, no money or anything on the line. "We should do it buddy, it could be fun. When is it anyways?"

"Not until tonight, they always do it at the end of the day. You'll know when its starting too, most of the city usually goes to either participate or watch. It's a lot of fun, it's just some innocent sparring and a way for people to unwind. Plus they do a huge feast after it for all the competitors, it's really neat!" The people who took part got some really great food, items that were usually hard to come by or were brought in from other worlds. Rare and exotic, it was a feast that people had to work hard to get. "There's also a lot of music that is played all day too, and shows that we could see. That tournament isn't the only thing we can do, you just tell us what you want to do Shu."

Kai let out a sigh, shaking his head. “As if Kortal will still exist as it does now. The rebels will probably make it some sort of base”, he quickly, “Saiyans are already seen as brutish and uncivilised by other races, you really think they’ll let us still have a society of our own?” He didn’t see a future for Saiyans when most of them were under the ruling of the King, the Saiyans were probably going to end up being kept in check overall. There was no way the Saiyans were going to get away with living normally, given their history. While there were a few Saiyans in the rebellion, other races were probably going to want to put sanctions on their race. “When things end up going belly up for Kortal, you might want to just keep your nobility status to your own family and the rest of the Elites”.

Choi sighed heavily, brushing back his hair. “Yeahhhhh, I’d rather just have a medal and bugger off somewhere than sit and hope that I’ll be given a title in nobility! Only reason we got to keep out tails is because it turned out they wanted to test run how double-Oozaru worked. They’ll probably want to dock us!” Choi didn’t care about nobility, he was pretty alright doing something else with his life than sitting around on a pile of money he didn’t earn. “Heh! Bet you had trouble telling us apart too. Bet you still have trouble telling us apart sometimes…” Rather suddenly they were forced to get serious again, the hatch opening as they were forced into the battlefield once again. Removing their harnesses the twins were quick to follow after Kabocha, the guy still set on getting them that nobility neither of them thought was possible. “Hey! Maybe think about keeping your own nobility, huh? Would be embarrassing if you ended up coming back half-naked and word got out about it!”

Viral was already on the edge, he didn’t need this idiot going out and ruining all sorts of plans and just getting more people hurt than need be. That man was supposed to be experienced, but yet here he was running off into battle without any of them to back him up. If he died it was his own fault, he wasn’t going to cover him and say he ‘fought hard’ and nothing of the sort. “You can’t rely on others keeping up on assumption, you idiot!” He couldn’t let him rush off like that, even if he was an idiot and probably deserved to die at this point. It was important to keep everybody together and not lose sight of them right at the start, it was only fine once they were all fully aware of what they were facing. Once they all approached the city’s war torn area the sight of the ongoing struggle had Viral stopping for a moment, his eyes glancing around in various directions briefly before he growled, moving forward again. This was all feeling way too familiar for his liking, making him feel rather uncomfortable and definitely not wanting to be here. “Watch where you’re punching crap! If civilians were in that building, then what??”

----

T’charrl didn’t like how all of it could mean his people would end up being put at risk because they were exposed to the wonders of the universe. The planet worked hard to keep external forces out, but if his people started wandering all over the place then they might end up getting killed. They didn’t know how to speak the language others in the universe used either, they would have to go into advance teaching too which a lot of people probably weren’t ready to do or receive. There would just be so much that would have to be done, it would be extensive and rather difficult too. Feeling really conflicted over letting his people grow or trying to keep them on the planet he grew frustrated and hesitant to speak up unless it was a negative, frowning as his father simply spoke like he wanted to go into space even more. “Ah, umm…a lot of worlds are dangerous. One tried to rip me apart and the other was too cold for our kind. It wasn’t all fun”.

Staring at the tree as they continued along he frowned as they drew further towards it, the ruined buildings really making him uncomfortable. Even if they had been done up a little to appear more pleasant it still made him think on what he did for this to happen and how distressed they all must’ve been too. Feeling really guilty over what happened now he stared up at the tree before slowly down to the pond, sighing at it as he remained focused on it. Unsure on whether ‘gift’ was the right word for this he slowly scratched his arms, listening to what had happened in the time he had since been gone. Everything had been practically destroyed then, but everyone got together to make it all better again. Not knowing how to feel about that he groaned a little, shrugging. “I-I guess that’s wonderful, but I can’t imagine how they felt when it was happening…” Looking to his father when he mentioned the tree glowing he frowned a little before looking to Haku as he mentioned coming back, tilting his head a little before looking back to the tree. “Y-Yeah, we can come back to it. It would be pretty nice to see, I think…” he spoke, giving his shoulders a rub, “I-I tend to glow in the dark too with these things in me. I don’t even know what they are…”

----

Shu just didn’t know what he was supposed to be doing as he was dragged around, his attention being momentarily taken to different subjects that they were trying to give him interest in. The toys was definitely interesting, he liked toys even though he only had one on the ship which was his first real exposure to items that could amuse you. These toys seem to come at a price in the form of a task he had to complete, making the process sound a lot more complicated than he thought it might be. “Dummies? Ooh! Why there be fish in barrels, anyway…” he contemplated, trying to make sense of the strange procedure and how it rewarded toys. It’s such a curious thing, doing a task then winning a toy. “Ooohhhh…wrestling competition? Wrestle, wrestle, wrestle…”

He liked the sound of wrestling, but he only wrestled with his brother. He didn’t know if he might hurt someone if he was put up against someone else, it made him a little worried that he might end up hurting someone in the process instead. Thinking about how it might work out he scratched his cheek, tilting his head a little before he looked to Takeshi. “Ooh! Didn’t lose! It was a draw! Got really far then you no let go”. Listening to when it was going to occur he frowned at first before hearing about the feast, his expression lighting up again. “Oooohhh…choice for me? Ooh! Can get toys first! Or try to get toys…not really sure how it works”, he spoke, contemplating it for a moment before bouncing on his toes. “It will be fun, yes? Nice good fun! No really sure what happens here…”

"The city would have evacuated by now, there should be no civilians!" Leto's reply came as he continued forward like a bull through a china shop, nothing deterring him from his path. If there were any civilians left within the city then they were likely dead, a grim truth that he acknowledged the moment he realized where they were. Saiyans would often kill the innocent populace as a means of demoralization and it often worked; some planets were hardier than others and took it as more reason to fight, but in the end it rarely made a difference. Leto knew full well they were likely dealing with at least one Elite soldier and several troops, nothing that his people would be prepared for. Those at his back would be what Lioma's salvation relied on and he prayed that it would be enough. "Come my friends, there's a world to be saved!"

They could argue about Kortal and nobility later, with Leto rushing into battle there wasn't a whole lot of time for chatter. Kabocha hit the ground running as soon as he stepped out of the shuttle and flew low to catch up with everyone, running along the group as they entered the city limits. They hadn't wasted any time in taking this place apart that was for sure, towers of smoke blotched the otherwise clear sky and explosions rung in their ears every few seconds. Further in they went and they began to see recent signs of battle, smoldering wrecks of vehicles, bodies laid across the roads, a few Liomans helping one another, warriors by the looks of them. Was the whole planet under siege or was it just this city? What made this city so important?

Yumi's nose stung as the smell of smoldering bodies and other noxious fumes hit her nose, her face wrinkling in disgust. The Saiyans had absolutely no care for who they hurt or how many people died did they? They claimed to be trying to save everyone and yet they killed more than anyone else, more than those monsters ever had. It made her blood boil knowing that this world too had been one they'd already been too, conscripted its people and probably ransacked for all it was worth. This was how they repaid that? Gritting her teeth her head swiveled slightly when the sound of falling rubble alerted her, skidding to a stop seeing a Lioman trying to climb out of a building. Calling out to the others she rushed over to the wreckage and began pulling away blocks, her stomach turning inside seeing the man's leg all but gone, crushed by the weight of the stone. "We'll get you out just hang in there! We have a medic who can help you."

"R-Run..." the Lioman whispered hoarsely, frustrated when Yumi didn't pay him any mind. "R-run... You must... Flee..." Across the street a figure walked up onto the rooftop and stared down at them, the man paling as he shook his head fitfully, "GO! YOU MUST RUN! LEAVE NOW!" Reaching forward he grabbed Yumi and pushed her back off of the pile just as a Ki blast engulfed the rubble, swallowing the man in its blinding light and blasting away everything it touched, leaving nothing but a smouldering crater in its wake.

"So we do have visitors, how quaint..." The Saiyan looked down upon Yumi with a condescending smirk, leaning on one knee as he watched her helplessly go to the pit, as though the man might still be saved. "Your entrance wasn't very well hidden, we've been expecting you. And the former Commander as well..." Turning to Viral the Elite grinned, spreading his arms in greeting as he stood to his full height. "How we've waited for a chance to meet you in combat! There was quite a stir when you abandoned your post, Commander. His Majesty almost wanted you back but we brought him to his senses, and we shall treat you and yours as we do any traitor."

Several more Ki signatures began speeding towards the group then, high class warriors and standard fare soldiers alike swarming on their location. The odds were at the very least 3 to 1 in the Saiyans favor in terms of sheer numbers yet the Elite knew not to relax because of that. Viral was dangerous, those boys were dangerous, and even the bumbling Lioman in his own way could be a threat. What a satisfying kill they would all be though. "Men, we have ourselves a group of traitors, how about we give them the greeting they deserve?" the Elite shouted, eying Viral viciously as he raised a hand and snapped his fingers, the troops immediately going on the attack as he went after the Commander.

-----

"Ah... Well I suppose not every world would be. Our own can be dangerous too, it shouldn't surprise anyone other planets are the same." Still he would give anything to be able to travel to at least one other world in his lifetime, to be able to see what existed beyond Kaesstra. Not that there was anything wrong with their own planet, only that he'd seen almost all of it in his lifetime, there was nothing new for him here. But then there were new things weren't there? Their own city was changing at a rapid pace and others were bound to follow suit, their whole world was changing now. It was refreshing as well to have someone like Haku along to which everything of their world was a new surprise. That must be how it was to visit a new planet and see it for the first time, he could hardly imagine the elation. "I was wondering about those, perhaps Renthal could look at you later?" Yusef suggested, "He could at least tell you what they are made of, if not why they appeared on your body. And with time he may even know of a way to help you be rid of them too."

So those weren't normal for him then? Haku had only ever known T'charrl to look as he had, well that and his much more imposing form. He had noticed how different the others were compared to his friend since arriving, so it really was a big change then. "I w-want to see more of the world, if th-that's okay with you. It all looks so amazing so f-far..." It was really a whole different type of world from Kortal, a largely barren world with sparse trees if any. But this world was littered with them, enough so that from high enough above it didn't look like there was anything but trees. There was a bit of jealousy that T'charrl had gotten to grow up somewhere like this, Haku wanted to spend as much time as they could here. Seeing his friend's father start to move away he smiled at T'charrl and followed along, taking another passing glance back at the massive tree. "There has to be someone here who can help you with those, and with everything else too..." he muttered, rubbing at one of his arms, "I m-mean... They said they had an idea, r-right? So you'll be back to your old s-self in no time."

-----

"Uh... I'm pretty sure it was you that didn't let go buddy, you and that damn tail of yours," Takeshi retorted with a smirk, reaching over and playfully trying to tug at the offending limb, "But whatever, we got the money and we met because of it, so it's all good. Next time we do that though don't get all wrapped up on me, you know?" The tournament might be a lot of fun but there was a little to be concerned about with it: Aito had said not to do anything that might trigger Shu, and wrestling, however innocent, might be enough to do that. Unless they were talking about just letting Shu watch then Takeshi wasn't so sure how good an idea that was. And if he could figure that much out then Sasha and Ricken surely had thought of it too. "If it's anything like fairs on Earth then you've got to try and win 'em buddy. Of course on Earth they charge you to play and the games are rigged, and the prizes are usually crappy little things. They'd better be worth it here."

"The games aren't rigged you monkey, you were just bad at them," Ricken said with a roll of his eyes, staring at Takeshi unamused, "And you don't pay for these games either. Everything for these festivals is funded by local business and by the rebels, meaning you just go in and have fun. What kind of festival charges people to attend? It's a party, not a business." Earth sounded like a lousy world if you had to pay for this sort of thing.

Sasha wasn't even going to bother trying to keep those two from butting heads any longer, she'd just focus on making sure Shu had a good time. Easing him from Ricken's grasp she smiled and winked at him, pulling him to the side of the road for their first game. There sat a lengthy display, several floating targets sitting atop of a pool of water, being pulled back and forth along guided lines. Above was a sign with the prizes, each becoming greater and greater the more points one scored. Standing in line Sasha pointed up to the sign and explained what it all meant. "Here they give you five balls and you try hitting those targets. The ones in the back are worth more points than those in the front, and the more points you get the better your prize is. Sounds easy enough right?" It could be a little unfair perhaps for people like them who trained constantly, their precision was generally a bit better than your everyday townsfolk. "Want to try this one or move on?"

Civilians weren’t the only worry, there was the soldiers of the world that would be around too. They would have to keep an eye on where they might be and whether there was any that could use some help. It was difficult trying to coordinate when the native rebel was acting like an idiot just because it was his planet. Kai hardly approved of that, they needed to act calm and this was definitely not the best way to go about it. If they were to do anything on this planet, however, it was to stay away from the possible Elite that was here, or more like guaranteed Elite because no way would this kind of attack be conducted without one. This was on devastating levels of destruction, like someone really angered a higher up and they were taking it out on the city. This was going to be the time where they would be redeemed for what they did in turn while under the command of the Saiyans, they would be able to finally do some good against their horrendous acts.

The state of the city was pretty awful to say the least. The people of this planet were all particularly large, they looked like they had seen this sort of thing before in the past and weren’t strangers to it. None of them were as largely built as Leto were, but it still managed to make them an intimidating looking race. They would need help too, there was a lot of devastation everywhere and leaving them to it would just leave them looking like a typical bunch of Saiyans looking for a fight. Not wanting to go on without leaving a good impression Kai came to a stop in the air, his brother quickly stopping as well. “Hey! We should help these guys! If there’s an Elite here then it’s best we get as many people out as possible!”

Viral didn’t have the time to stop by and see if people needed help, the source of the destruction had to end and he was going to be the one to do so. He had seen such a scene before, in fact he had been directly involved in a few scenes like this before. His Enki could wipe a city away in one blast and that would be the work done. Being here was bringing back awfully familiar scenarios he had been through too many times, but he was very much pushing that to the back of his mind. It wasn’t important enough to worry about, his feelings were the least important subject right now. Coming to a halt he growled a sigh and looked around, his eyes slowly gazing over the terrain. He could feel something near, something threatening approaching from somewhere. Trying to find the source he gasped when his instincts kicked in, his attention quickly going to Yumi before the area she was close to was blown apart.

Barely managing to give it a good reaction the sound of someone familiar speaking brought him away from the smouldering crater and instead to the source. Immediately his gaze sharpened, his eyes focused on the man. So he was the reason for the city being the way it was, he should’ve known. He had often assumed he wasn’t going to meet this man again; it was a large galaxy, the odds had been very slim up until this point. “The fact that he would even let you out onto the field is absurd…” Soon enough it started to show that the man had reinforcements, but in the end it was hardly a surprise to Viral. From experience, the man preferred to have lackeys dealing with the dirty work. Raising his fists he growled lowly as he was quickly set upon by several soldiers, but the moment they came close he had grabbed one soldier and swung the man straight into his partners. “You think your lackeys will be able to do anything to me?? You never could handle doing the dirty work yourself!”

----

T’charrl sighed lightly, lowering his head briefly. “I wouldn’t mind being able to explore our own planet. I don’t even know a fraction of what’s out there…” he spoke, briefly looking to the tree, “I could defend myself against the wildlife out there now too. Then there’s the underground systems…y-you know, barely any of the other planets I went to were as big as ours? Yet they were so different…” He may not had been as experienced as his father but he felt he could try and gain that experience eventually himself, not just by travelling to other planets. Maybe his friends would like to see what kind of world his own was all over, especially when it wasn’t only trees and Kaesstrians. They may had been the most civilised population on the planet, but the number of other species that were stronger and larger could easily outnumber theirs if they had no protection. Luckily the trees protected them, but only if they gave them something in return. It was a complicated relationship but still one that benefitted them and had them keeping safe away from the other species that would see them killed for food.

While he was curious about possibly travelling around and becoming an explorer as well he frowned when it turned out the orbs on him did bring in the attention of others without them wanting to ask him about it, making him feel rather embarrassed now. He wondered how the other people who were out and about thought about them, like whether they thought they were some sort of attached jewellery or ritual marks. “O-Oh…I guess he could, I mean…sure, he should probably…” he spoke lightly, raising his shoulder a bit, “Now I just want to hide them…” Looking to Haku he stared at him for a moment before looking to his father briefly. “Oh, see more of the world? Uhhh, it would be nice if I don’t even up being busy. Your scouter may be able to help with our language, but the energy of my planet blocks its other functions so you might get lost without a guide”. Looking back to his father he soon followed after, glancing up at the tree momentarily. “Huh? Oh…right, my old self…” he spoke before he sighed, “I don’t want to end up killing the spirit, though…or losing my abilities altogether. It’d be if I lost my sight…”

----

Shu squeaked when Takeshi tried to grab hold of his tail, pulling it away before hissing at him. He didn’t exactly have a lot of resistance in his tail yet and definitely didn’t want it being touched, even if it was Takeshi who was doing it. The whole wrestling thing sounded kind of fun either way, if he was able to have any part in it at least. Staring at Takeshi as he talked about games he looked to Ricken when he put his claims down, frowning a little. It didn’t sound like it was something to have fun with as he went on with all this technical jargon he didn’t really understand. The concept of funds and money was pretty lost on Shu still, he couldn’t even count time. He wanted to have fun, but those two were really making it difficult to feel it when they seemed to argue a lot.

Not knowing where their argument was going he looked to Sasha as she instead took hold of him, looking up at her before to where they were going. It was a curious display to him, he hadn’t seen such strange contraptions before and did wonder what you were supposed to do with them, his eyes searching over the strange devices before looking to Sasha as she helped him out with the game’s purpose and goal. It sounded a little complicated, he couldn’t count something like points if they all added up but he wasn’t stupid enough to not know how many balls he had left when given to him. “Ooh! Throw and hit stuff? Sound good, I wanna try!” he spoke, bouncing on his toes a little before abruptly stopping again, “What you get if you do good? What do I need to get? Are you able to count? I might miss stuff, no sure how good at the aiming I be...”

How would the Commander handle a few soldiers, he wondered. Last they had seen Viral he was in a pitiful state as always and being sent off to do battle against the Princes, that had been some time ago. Seeing him now it was evident the man was in better shape than before, and no small amount of venom came from the words he spat. "Handle the dirty work? You have it all wrong Viral," the Elite laughed as he lowered himself onto the road, "My men do most of it because I'm terrible at holding back. I tend to kill whatever I fight and His Majesty doesn't always demand we kill, so it makes things difficult for me. However he gave no such restriction today which means I'll fight you myself. Besides..." Another crowd of soldiers came racing in from not too far off, their numbers slowly increasing, "There are more then enough men to entertain your friends. So how about we settle this?" No wasting time posturing, no slowly building up his power and toying with Viral. He'd kill the man here and now and be done with it. Unleashing his Ki and letting it surge to its limit the ground at the Elite's feet burst apart, a swirling vortex of energy turning the air around him into a violent storm that sent rubble flying around, nearly striking several of his troops. With a sneer the Elite lowered himself slightly and rushed right at Viral, arms lifted over his head and swinging down trying to hammer him into the ground.

Yumi wanted to help Viral fight, worried that an Elite might be too dangerous for any one of them to take on. But she wouldn't have the luxury of lending a hand, there were far too many enemies to deal with. Not only that but a handful were dressed in armor similar to that an Elite wore, and while not Saiyans themselves she assumed they must be high ranking, and in turn powerful too. They weren't pulling any punches if multiple Elites had been sent after them were they? Clicking her tongue in annoyance Yumi picked out the first and closest Elite she could find, dashing right past a group of ordinary soldiers to get after him. A smaller man covered in orange fur with a long snout and clawed hands, nothing like anything she'd ever seen before. Throwing a straight punch at him to test him out she grit her teeth when her fist hit his chest and he didn't budge, promptly flipping backwards to avoid being smacked aside. With surprising speed he was upon her and she jumped up to avoid being kicked, flipping again and bringing her leg down in an axe kick that shattered the road on impact but missed him by a fair margin. So he was moderately fast then, so much for an easy fight.

"The King must really be running out of troops if he's sending nobodies now," Kabocha quipped, squaring off against a blue, gilled-humanoid. Now here was an odd looking alien, large yellow eyes, gills, what he assumed were some kind of dorsal fins on his arms and a tail to boot. Shouldn't this freak be in water? Letting the Elite make the first move he watched on confused as the man refused to move, wondering why in the world they weren't doing anything. When the Elite tilted their head to the side and emitted a strangle bubbling sound he felt a chill run up his spine followed by the sound of stone crashing down, turning to see a large piece of pipe hurtling towards him. Flying into the air to avoid it he watched awestruck as it halted itself, a purple glow engulfing it before it flew up towards him. "What the hell?!" Firing off a Ki blast he blew it into pieces and was stunned when the shards continued on their path, dashing away to avoid being torn to shreds by them. What in the hell was going on? Looking back at the man below he got his answer: the yellow eyes were now glowing an ominous purple, and wherever he went the man followed with his gaze. A telekinetic, now that was annoying.

Leto wasn't facing off against an Elite though he had plenty of trouble himself. Instead of a single powerful soldier a group of four came at him all at once, clearly trying to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. On a typical soldier such odds might spell doom to be facing so many foes and yet for him it was little trouble. His size, massive compared to them, and experience made fighting a small group the same as a single opponent. Catching the leg of the first soldier to attack him he reached out and caught the arm of another, bashing them together before hurling them aside into buildings. "I will defend my homeland! None of you will harm another Lioman as long as I'm here!" Leto shouted, charging after one of the nearby soldiers. The man tried to take flight and escape but was quickly enveloped in Leto's grasp, bear-hugged as he was driven back through a wall and only released thereafter. The fourth soldier tried to use the opportunity to land a shot on him but it barely phased the Lioman, and swinging a trunk like arm backwards Leto smacked the man in the head, shattering their visor and sending them flying. Another four soldiers were upon him in no time however and he began doing his best to fight them off. He refused to let any of these people beat him, Lioma's future could ride on their battle here.

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"O-Oh, yeah the scouter... Or I could try to l-learn your language too," Haku replied with a small smile, "I mean... You learned ours, so it's only f-fair I try learning yours, r-right? And I have a guide right now, you. T-Though I guess if we travel somewhere you've n-never been then we m-m-might be in trouble." Nice as this world was he'd prefer to not get lost on it given how expansive it was. Still he would love to get to see more of it, he'd never seen any planet quite like Kaesstra. Even from the atmosphere he'd noticed just how varied and colorful the entire planet was, there had to be so many new and exciting things just waiting to be seen. Traveling may have to wait a while though until T'charrl was able to figure out what was happening with him. Haku thought they could be rid of the orbs and be done with it but apparently doing so would kill the spirit within T'charrl. Why was the spirit so important, and why was T'charrl willing to suffer for its sake? Losing abilities might be a downside but T'charrl must have had something before he'd changed, what was so bad about going back to that? Haku opened his mouth to pose the question but was quickly silence as Yusef spoke instead.

"There may be a way to look yourself and keep the spirit, who knows. We'll have to look into it more to find out," Yusef smiled as he spoke, turning heel and beginning to walk from the tree, "We'll get to that, there's still so much for you to see! I wanted to show you some of the amazing things Katas has developed for us! We have this new vehicle, I think Vegeta called it a "monorail"? I'm still not sure what we're building it for but it's astounding, wait until you see it!" As it happened the project site was not a terribly long way away either, a few blocks and they were there. At the site of an old building there was now a tunnel and a set of stairs leading into the ground, a domed building over the stairs to cover them from the elements. Several machines were sat around the entrance and out of use and a handful of Kaesstrians could be seen coming and going, all dressed in some manner of work gear. "It's a vehicle that travels underground at high speeds, we'll be able to use it to safely connect with neighboring kingdoms, without fear of the wildlife attacking us. And we're being extra careful to avoid the root systems of trees, they're dug deep enough the roots won't reach. I'd show you inside but it's off limits for the time being, until they finish the tunnels."

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Getting hissed at... Now that was a new one. What was Shu, a cat? Takeshi put his hands up in resignation and continued following the others along to the game, wondering why in the world they were doing this instead of the tournament. He figured that was later but they could still go check out the arena, get a feel for it and maybe an idea of who else was competing. But where they weren't supposed to trigger Shu he supposed they probably weren't doing that anyways. "I'd guess you get one of those if you win Shu," the older boy pointed out, a large board beside the game itself. There were plenty of things from festival clothes to toys and a few items Takeshi couldn't even begin to pretend he knew what they were. It all had to be kids stuff though right? "One of us will keep count for you buddy, all you've got to do is throw and try and hit them. Easy, you know?" Seeing as they were next up Takeshi stepped forward first and asked for just one of the balls, showing it to Shu with a smirk. "It's easy Shu, just look at what you want to hit and throw, you should hit it then. Nothing to it really." Looking at the furthest target, the 5 pointer, Takeshi gave the ball a lob and easily struck what he was aiming for, motioning for the woman manning the game to hand over all of them. "Go for it buddy."