[IC] Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

[Mogtaki]

Shu giggled at Takeshi’s dislike, looking down at his own feet. “Is that how you feel about my feet? Gross and dirty?” he questioned him, giving his toes a quick wiggle. “I walk everywhere and bounce everywhere! I walk all over the place we were in and not even care for what we walking on!” He didn’t really feel sore walking on his feet all day unless it was always flat and indoors so his feet were feeling a little strain. Playing around should help take the strain off his feet but otherwise the bottom of his feet were too tough for him to feel pain from rocks or other disruptions. Takeshi’s feet were probably all soft and weak so shoes were needed, shame about that since it felt like freedom not having to wear shoes. Giving his brief explanation as to why he was so happy and bouncy he giggled, raising his hands to his face briefly before shaking his head. “Oooh but Krom and Mister Aito want me to! They want me to control, but that really hard! No even sure how to do it properly…”

Viral was having a bit of a struggle finding focus again, his face expressing barely an emotion. It was as if he was back to being mind controlled again except his awareness was still somewhat there and there was nobody controlling him. Giving his head a brief rub when Vegeta started talking again he slowly shook his head, trying to make it out like he was just growing bored of talking to Vegeta about this sort of stuff. “All this damn fighting with the rebels…like I owe them anything! I can fight Saiyans in my own time…and kill them if I wanted to…” he grumbled, looking away with a slow sway to the side, “I bet the rebels will take the Beastmen anyway…just so they don’t turn into me…”

He definitely felt like he should be sitting down by now, at least before he faceplants. Giving a side glance at Vegeta he simply frowned, looking away again. “As if they would know. Not even I knew what I wanted to do…” he muttered, sighing heavily, “That kid doesn’t smell like the rest either…smells like a mongrel…” Not really focusing on what he was saying he looked up when he realised they had finally made it to the dining hall, staring blankly at the tables before blinking and focusing on Vegeta. “What? My hunger has been…moderate…” he spoke, sounding more confused about how he actually felt. He didn’t know if he was hungry or weak just now, everything seemed to just blend together. He probably should try and stomach something to keep Vegeta off his back, waving his paw before he headed off to a seat. “Anything that doesn’t make me gag, probably keep away from bones too for now…”

Once they were finally in the training room Shu bounced around a bit, rubbing his hands together as he waited for Takeshi to get ready. He thought this was a good room what with the mats making playing around feel all the more smoother. Walking on after Takeshi once he was ready he bounced on the spot when Takeshi started talking, watching the stance he moved into as he tilted his head. “Ooh? Kick my butt? No no, that is silly to think you can do that”, he spoke before suddenly bouncing right at Takeshi without warning, trying to pull to pin him down.

[GambolMuse]

"Well I definitely wouldn't eat off of them, that's for sure. Then again I doubt I'd eat off of anyone's feet... They'd be all sweaty and gross..." Just thinking about it made him cringe, resisting the urge to gag as well. Best to get off that topic before he started feeling nauseous and can't play with Shu. Much as the two of them were looking forward to goofing off Takeshi knew too they were ignoring something important here, and whether it was due to lack of knowledge or discomfort they were dancing around the subject once again. "Well I guess that's what the training is for yeah? And you've done loads of stuff that's been hard. You learned to fly, you learned to use Ki, this is kinda the same thing, you know? You'll get it buddy, even if it takes a bit."

There was no denying the fact that Viral was worn out from today, the way he spoke in a sluggish manner coupled with his expression said as much. Rather than call him out though Vegeta was giving him a chance to admit it and accept he might need some extra help. Slim chance of it happening, but he wanted to give his brother the opportunity. "Aside from a common enemy we've little to do with the rebels though. If they wanted a say in what happens to the Beastmen then they would have gotten them themselves," Vegeta remarked, "No, they have no say in what happens after this. So long as the Uuonians themselves welcome these people that's all we need. Their fate is in their own hands, or ours if need be, but not the rebels. And certainly not Korian's."

Vegeta furrowed his brow at the mongrel comment as he tried to put meaning behind it. Was he saying the child was lowly, or did he smell off somehow? An examination should be able to answer that but he wasn't terribly keen on forcing a young child to go through those sorts of tests. "Well... There must be some explanation, I'm sure we'll learn about what it is eventually," he commented, shrugging as they entered the dining hall. That would come later, for the time being they would focus on getting Viral some food. Viral's confusion as to his own hunger however made Vegeta give him a perplexed look, wondering just how truly out of it he was from today's ordeal. Frowning disconcertingly he stood before the table where his brother sat, placing one hand on top and leaning down, seeming to scrutinize Viral's face. "Did you... Change while you were down there?" Vegeta asked suddenly, "You seem fatigued. Given the sunlight on that planet you shouldn't have been denied power, yet you seem burned out."

A nice padded training room should do wonders for their mock-fighting. Even though it was play too Takeshi couldn't help but try and compete with his brother, threatening to beat him even at some silly wrestling match. Smirking when Shu tried to deny him he opened his mouth to shoot something back, instead yelping when Shu threw himself forward abruptly. Being grabbed by the shirt the older boy could do little as he was tripped up and tumbled onto the mat, laughing as the two of them hit the ground and rolled. "H-Hey, I didn't even say go!" he shouted, managing to pry Shu's hands off of himself and roll away. "That's not gonna happen again, you caught me off guard," Takeshi said as he turned around, grinning and wagging his rear at his brother, "Come and get me if you can Shu! Betcha can't!" he added with a laugh, starting to run in a circle around his sibling.

[Mogtaki]

Viral had little regard when it came to the enemy, so long as they were out of his way he would be happy enough. They just needed to get out of his way first, then victory would be assured. If they were dead then they would never be able to get back up to attack him once again, it would be punishment for being on the wrong side. Having absolutely zero tolerance for the rebels’ actions because of Korian he didn’t care what the rebels thought so long as they didn’t get in his way or take what was his. He got the Beastmen so they were technically his. Finding a seat not too far from the kitchen area he slowly sat down, sighing lightly as he made a quick glance to Vegeta. “If they got to the Beastmen first, they would have them killed, most likely…” he spoke, briefly rubbing his head, “You better keep that thought process once we get back to the planet with them…”

Viral felt only slightly better now that he was sitting down, but it was definitely a case of his head needing more tending to than a simple change of height. He wanted to get some medicine for this but he didn’t want to expose himself as being unwell. He had been unwell for long enough, they didn’t need to hear any more of his complaints. Once it went through his system he would be okay, whenever that might be. Just because he was over the whole being mentally controlled part didn’t mean his head had recovered quite yet. Trying to get around an explanation about his hunger and what he might want to eat he found that Vegeta had gone quiet, raising his shoulders as he stiffened up. He knew he would blow it at some point, the guy was obviously suspecting something now. Watching Vegeta carefully he frowned when giving a fairly sudden question, narrowing his gaze before turning his head as he leaned on his hand. “So what if I did…it doesn’t matter. I didn’t kill anyone! It’s hardly an important detail…” he spoke quickly, shifting his elbow a little further out, “I did my job, that’s all that should matter…”

Shu was pretty excited to get play fighting, so much so that he could hardly wait and immediately went for it. If he gave Takeshi a chance he would probably be unable to take the advantage of a surprise attack. Managing to grab onto Takeshi he rolled around on the ground with him, giggling as Takeshi tried to get him off. Eventually succeeding, Shu squeaked a little as he bounced to his feet, seeing Takeshi taunt him before going on a little run around. “No say go! Always go! I catch you!” Quickly running after him he tailed slightly behind him before dropping on all fours, immediately increasing his speed before he made another pounce at Takeshi as he tried to grab him to pull him down again.

[GambolMuse]

"Which is part of the reason we agreed to be the ones to undertake the mission. We considered what Korian might do if he'd been the one to come here," Vegeta nodded in agreement, figuring by now that was an obvious point. Much as he tried to separate himself from other Saiyans the man was still one of them, he had tendencies that showed as much. Compared to himself or one of the others, Saiyans raised on Earth, he was prone to violence and anger just as any of them were. Simply put Korian wasn't much better than some Elites, and while he fought for a just cause his methods could sometimes be questionable. Vegeta meant to go and cook now yet found himself unable to leave in good conscience, not after seeing Viral's distant look. The signs were too much to ignore and he had to bring it to attention, unsurprisingly getting a begrudging acknowledgement from his brother.

"I'm not concerned about that, I want to know how it happened. If it was randomly triggered then it means the therapy was a failure and we have to try something else. Unless you changed willingly?" There was a look, one that told him that wasn't the case. Furrowing his brow Vegeta took a seat across from Viral, folding his hands on the table and letting out a sigh. "We'll not get into what your job is, that's not the discussion. If you changed we need to know about it. Or if you don't want to talk to father, I need to know about it," Vegeta explained, moving his hands into his lap and glancing at the table top. For a moment he seemed to stare at it in silence, pursing his lips before letting out another sigh. "Look... I know I've been, distant and seem dismissive lately. Or for a long while actually. I don't want you to take that the wrong way, I don't want you to think I resent you, it's quite the opposite," he explained, looking away as his face turned a light pink, "I'm... Concerned. Call you my friend, my brother, whatever we are, I'm concerned and I have been. I'm not as... Adept as Yumi when it comes to this kind of thing, but my expertise can help whatever you're dealing with. Probably. So talk to me."

Takeshi had figured his brother was all giddy about this, but not that giddy! He'd barely even gotten comfortable before he was tackled, rolling around with Shu and managing to finally fend him off. It was all in good fun though and he figured he'd play along, taunting the younger boy before starting to run around him. "Always go huh? No wonder you're so hyper!" he laughed, grinning as he kept well ahead of his brother. Heh, so he was faster after all! Sticking out his tongue tauntingly Takeshi laughed again, then quickly let out a surprised yelp as Shu gained on him on all fours. Trying to be swift and step to the side to avoid being tackled he only tripped himself up, getting knocked down and again nearly pinned by Shu. Laughing all the while the older boy tried to roll him over, and once he did he attempted to crawl away, scrambling to put distance between him and Shu. "Gotta do better than that!"

[Mogtaki]

Viral was finding it harder and harder to keep Vegeta in the dark, especially with the inevitable question. He found it difficult to lie, it was something only cowards did but when it came to the circumstances he had worked hard for so long to control himself and not falling sick. It was the worst part of talking to someone when he had problems, he had become used to hiding it all away and keeping quiet until it finally exploded into fits of rage or pain. He had been hungover plenty times before, he was trying to treat it in the same fashion without feeling like he could gag, but with the way Vegeta was trying to treat it as something more serious than that it was becoming harder to dismiss it. Side glancing at Vegeta at the mention of the therapy possibly being pointless after all he looked away hastily, trying not to think of it like that. Forcing himself to eat food was feeling more appealing than this interrogation. Disliking how Vegeta was now getting invested in this rather than going to make food he tensed up slightly, still trying to ignore him.

Vegeta was really going in with his concerns and really trying to push himself into his problems, but this time there was something a little different about it. He was sounding less like a doctor the more he went on despite how aggressive he had been with his pressing on the matter. Feeling like it was being taken way too seriously Viral shut his eyes as well, his other hand tapping a claw on the edge of the table. He was finding it hard understanding what brought this on with Vegeta, how he was acting more like he was upset rather than annoyed that he was keeping quiet about his problems. In the brief moment of silence he slightly lowered his head, turning away a little when Vegeta started talking again. The more Vegeta spoke the harder he found it to ignore him, the way he was trying to sound like someone who cared more than someone who was concerned about research and treatment; it was really starting to get to him.

Tapping his claw slightly faster on the table he started to groan, his shoulders tensing up before he finally turned to face Vegeta. “Concerned or persistent…call it what you will, you have the knack of making it hard for me to keep matters to myself…” he growled lowly before he sighed, resting his head in his paw as he looked away, “I…changed unwillingly…in fact, I had no will to call my own at all at the time. That scientist, the one in charge of the project…he poisoned me with something that broke my mind and destroyed my free will and all independent thought. I was worse than what I had been when I had the collar…like those were simply a beta test…” Pausing for a moment he lightly growled, his fingers becoming slightly tense. “I tried to kill them on his order. Takeshi, Shu, Yumi…and all I could do was watch as I tried. I was half-hoping they would just kill me at that point, I left myself completely open too, but it wasn’t until Shu attacked that my body started to realise that I was going to die if I kept going. I changed not even by the will of the scientist at that point, but…I guess that’s what stopped me too. If Yumi was just a few inches closer, I probably would had eaten her before I came to again…”

Shu wasn’t going to slack with this little play-fight session and he wasn’t going to let Takeshi do so either, chasing after him as he tried to avoid the fight aspect. He was pretty seasoned in play-fighting while Takeshi was not, giving him the advantage in knowing how to cut him off each time and initiate wrestling with him. Going down on all fours he very quickly dashed and pounced straight for Takeshi, managing to drive him to the floor as he quickly tried to wrestle again. Grabbing at Takeshi to try and keep him down this time he pulled at his clothing, trying to stop him from throwing him away but eventually he lost his grip when he was thrown over again and Takeshi tried to flee again. Turning over quickly he giggled, crawling after Takeshi at a fast pace to catch up to him. “No running! You fight me! No running forever!” He squeaked before making another leap for Takeshi’s legs hoping to grab hold.

[GambolMuse]

It may be persistence as Viral claimed and that was fine, Vegeta needed some way to get the Beastman to talk. Even now after opening up somewhat there was a large degree of reluctance in the conversation and it was hard to say whether he'd get the full story or not. "Changed unwillingly...?" he repeated, frowning as he listened to the rest of the explanation. Something sounded very off about all of this, in fact it shouldn't even be possible. Heightened aggression, a forced transformation, what could have been in that mixture? It almost sounded like hormones or some combination of that and drugs to send Viral into a frenzy, not totally implausible given the nature of his changes before. "So it wasn't of your own volition, that's good. It means that all of the work we did was in fact effective," Vegeta uttered thoughtfully, leaning back in his seat and rubbing at his chin, "I'm... Sorry you had to go through that, but it's good that it turned out for the best. Seeing as we have the man in custody I can learn more about it, develop preventative measures perhaps. But you only need to know that it wasn't your fault, you were manipulated by the scientist and that solution. I know that may not absolve guilt entirely but it's the truth."

Fighting Elites? Easy. Getting in a brawl with some scumbags back on Earth? That was child's play, he'd done it more times than he could count. This type of fighting was something he'd never really get used to however and it showed as he scrambled about, desperate to avoid being tackled. Despite himself Takeshi couldn't help but laugh all the while, barely managing to keep ahead of Shu. His slight lead vanished when the younger boy went to all fours and promptly was tackled to the ground, breaking free once again. "You have to catch me to fight! And you aren't catching me again squirt!" he shouted, laughing as he darted off again. A glance over his shoulder and he saw Shu leap for him, to which Takeshi jumped up and over him to avoid. Feeling pretty tricky after that he grinned with satisfaction, wagging his rear again and going to take off... Only to slip on his own feet and face plant on the mats. Feeling Shu grab his legs then he groaned and tried to crawl away, ending up dragging his brother along. "Noooo, he's got my legs!" he laughed, looking back and playfully pushing at Shu's head, "He's going to eat my legs!"

[Mogtaki]

Viral was feeling a little stressed out after that, he really didn’t want to have to talk about it and just leave it all in the past. It was just going to be the same thing as before, nothing was going to come out of this discussion so there was no point in talking about it. Remaining rather tense as he braced for Vegeta’s reaction to it, but when Vegeta simply started giving his own thoughts to it the whole reason he was concerned came right out into the open. Hearing the stilted apology over his hardships he narrowed his gaze, letting out a sigh before leaning back on his paw again as he turned away. “Right, like I said…just part of the mission. It’s my job. It doesn’t matter if some things happened along the way…” He couldn’t believe he fell for that, of course Vegeta was just concerned about his research. He didn’t want the treatments he had been going through to be wasted and had become concerned over that. That was the Vegeta he was familiar with. “Weren’t you going to make some food or whatever? Unless that’s the report done and we’re finished here…”

Shu was determined and wasn’t going to let Takeshi get away with trying to avoid him and his attempts at winning especially when Takeshi was the one who was being a coward and not trying to win. He would catch him again and pin him down, he just needed to catch him again when he tried to flee. Pouncing once again at him he managed to grab his legs, holding onto them tight as Takeshi tried to flee again. “I got you! I got you!” he giggled, holding on tighter as Takeshi tried to push him away again, “Eat your legs! No walking or running again!” Trying to grab Takeshi a little further up he shook his head to try and divert Takeshi’s hand before he started to claw at Takeshi’s clothes, looking like he was on his way until he made a grab for Takeshi’s hand as he wrapped his tail around Takeshi’s foot. “I catch you! No running from Shu!”

[GambolMuse]

"I'm not saying some things don't matter, don't misconstrue my words. And having a mission or job doesn't change the fact you have needs and your health matters. You're not an inanimate object or a tool that can just be worn down. I know that now." He'd underestimated Viral's intelligence initially and then refused to accept responsibility for his father's work, whether out of reluctance or by being intimidated by it. Whatever the case he'd been neglectful, and then further ignorant in thinking that neglect would be excused. It was no small wonder why Viral didn't trust him. "Food? Yes of course, I'll go prepare something for us right away," Vegeta said, his voice monotone as he kept his eyes off of the Beastman, "Please just sit here and relax, I'm sure you're tired from today. Take a nap even if it helps, I'll be back when its done."

Takeshi tried pushing Shu off of his legs, laughing all the while. Like hell he was going to let his little brother get a hold of him that easy! "No you don't! I'll get away!" he retorted, feeling his hand slip off of Shu's head and miss him entirely. When his arm was grabbed and his foot wrapped up he became thoroughly caught, unable to do much other than squirm. "H-Hey, that's cheating you know! I can't even fight back now!" He could fly away with Ki but then where was the fun in that? Using his free arm he dragged himself a bit further, pushing himself and rolling to try and get Shu off of him. No matter how much he rolled though the younger boy's grip was firm, and after a while he stopped, laying on his back and laughing breathlessly. "Sheesh... You really aren't letting me go huh?" Takeshi asked, looking down with a smirk, "Fine, I'll not let go of you either!" Reaching down he grabbed the back of Shu's shirt, being unable to really reach anything else as he tried to pull his brother off of him, "Come on you little fuzzball, let go!"

[Mogtaki]

Viral slowly looked back to Vegeta as he tried to change the meaning of his words, simply frowning and looked away again when it hardly turned into anything but a means to explain himself. So he was just doing it to try and make up for his shortcomings in the past but in reality he struggled to relate to him or see anything in him that would make him feel close. “Hm yeah, it only took you two decades to figure that out…” Well he wasn’t going to fall for that again, it didn’t change anything and only made him embarrassed that such a thing happened. If it was not a big deal then he wasn’t going to talk about such things again. His health only really mattered if it meant he would endanger others, he understood that much. Hearing Vegeta decide that making food would be ideal too he sighed heavily, moving his arms around to rest his head on them. “Right…if I don’t wake up just give it to Yumi. She did all of the work…I’m sure you can write that in the report…”

Shu had Takeshi in a hold and wasn’t going to let go. He was going to get Takeshi wrestling with him even if it meant he might eventually take a beating. It was hardly a case of giving up simply because Takeshi was pushing and shoving him. Managing to get a fairly good grip on Takeshi’s arm and foot at the same time he held on tight, giggling happily as Takeshi only complained. “You made mistake to not fight back!” Keeping a tight grip on Takeshi he giggled away to himself when Takeshi finally came to a stop on his back, looking up at him when he seemed to give up. Smiling happily he gasped when Takeshi grabbed at his shirt, trying to keep a grip on Takeshi but ended up only managing to keep a grip of Takeshi’s foot as he wiggled to try and grab Takeshi’s hand. “Nooo you gonna rip it!” he squeaked, giggling as he pulled at Takeshi’s foot, “I still got you good!”

[GambolMuse]

"Better late than never?" Vegeta offered lamely, sighing as he rubbed at his head, "I was wrong and I was ignorant. Nothing I do or say now will make up for that or change how you feel. All I'm doing is acknowledging it, hoping I can improve for you." It was a sorry excuse and it sounded like he was only trying to defend himself with that, he knew that much. Offering anything more now would only be excuses and making promises would fall on empty ears, the only way to make amends was through his actions. He could at least start with a hot meal for Viral, he figured, help replenish his brother's strength after the battle. "I'll see what her take is on this, after you eat. You know as well as I do that she'll probably say you did most of it," Vegeta retorted, smiling slightly, "If you don't wake then I'll refrigerate the food until later, that's all. For now though rest up." With that he went off to the kitchen to prepare the meal, figuring Viral might enjoy some kebabs for a change.

"F-Fight? You call this fighting?" Takeshi asked between laughs, rolling to try and get Shu off of him, "You're crazy buddy if you think this is fighting, you know!" Unable to just get Shu away outright he did the only thing he could at this point, grab him by the shirt and try to pry him off. While he managed to partially separate his brother his tail had a vice-like grip on his foot, and after some clambering he grabbed an arm again. "You don't wear shoes, so why wear shirts?" Takeshi teased, finding himself unable to free himself like this. Giving up promptly on that he rolled again and tried to pin Shu under him, using his free hand to try and tickle at his brother's sides. "I'm gonna make you regret holding onto me! You're gonna pee your pants!"

[Mogtaki]

“Acknowledging it doesn’t help. I don’t see how having thoughts about something and possibly thinking up some things in the future is going to make everything better…” Vegeta was probably right about that, even he didn’t know how Vegeta was going to make up for all those years be spent ignoring him and thinking he was an inconvenience and money sink to have around. He was someone who was constantly eating and sleeping around at most times because he had nothing better to do, probably bugging Vegeta to no end relating him to some sort of freeloader. Vegeta knew all those years that he was an experiment, he was the one who let him out after all. He wondered how many years Vegeta spent regretting letting him out again and how many more he hated him for possibly being the reason his parents were gone. Deep down inside Vegeta probably knew all along he was the one who did it, it was the reason he kept his ultimate form hidden for so long and even going to the length of threatening Takeshi if he told anyone. His own abilities had been suppressed and locked away for so long because of Vegeta and his worry as to how Vegeta would act, even if he didn’t fully understand where his worry came from himself. It wasn’t as if he remembered he killed his parents, it was just an instinct that rested within him for so long. Trying to rest off the headache until food was ready he sighed lightly, closing his eyes. “I already told you what I did. Hit some guys around, got lucky with an Elite and hit my teammates around…hmph, she would only say I did more because she pities how weak I am in reality…” Shifting to a different side because of the discomfort in his head he sighed heavily, his paw slowly rubbing his head. “I have physical strength, I get it, but I can’t ever compare to a Ki user. That Elite went down because he got cocky…nothing else”.

Shu was pretty close to wriggling around if Takeshi didn’t let go of him and it certainly didn’t seem as if Takeshi was going to even if he tried to move around. Making a grab for Takeshi in retaliation he let out a squeal, not really getting a good hold of him but still trying. “I gots you still! I still gots you and you no get away! Would be fight if you no flee!” he squealed, giggling inbetween, “People would get mad if run around without clothes! It also cold too!” Keeping a hold of Takeshi he gasped when he was suddenly rolled over onto his back, looking to him at first before squeaking as he was pinned down. Trying to get out of it he pulled quickly before squealing as he was suddenly tickled, wriggling around as he tried to get out. “Nooo! That bad! Bad Takeshi!” he squealed, giggling away before he started kicking out to try and get Takeshi away.

[GambolMuse]

"All I can do at this point is try to improve the future for you. The past is said and done, it's out of my hands. Regrets, indecision, mistakes, regardless of what happened nothing I do now can change those. All we can do is look forward." It was all he could do to make this up to Viral. It wasn't simply guilt that propelled Vegeta forward either, though it certainly existed; for all Viral did, for all he'd endured, he deserved better treatment. They spoke one way and acted another, praising him yet treating him like some fragile being. In some ways he had been as of late with his degrading health and yet now that he was healing he deserved to be treated better, given more liberties. "So you beat some soldiers, including an Elite, and yet you say you're weak? That seems to be the exact opposite," Vegeta mused, pushing himself up from the table, "I know Yumi is concerned about you, but I'd never assume she pities you. She knows perhaps better than I do what you're capable of, and she knows you can handle yourself in battle. Perhaps I should take notes from her for a change..." With that thought he left to prepare a meal, hoping Viral could sit long enough to wait.

"T-This isn't even a fight anyways! You're just tackling me!" Takeshi retorted, laughing as Shu commented on his losing his clothes. "I'm not stripping you, you know! Don't get any ideas!" Last thing he needed was this little kid running around in his underpants, he'd have some serious explaining to do! Finally managing to turn the tables a bit Takeshi rolled himself over, pinning down Shu and smirking triumphantly. Not knowing what more to do, and still trying to break free, he began to tickle at his brother's sides, hoping it might loosen his grip. "What's wrong squirt? You didn't want me getting away!" he taunted, keeping a grip on Shu's shirt as he went on, "Now you want to get away?" This was fun, they really never just clowned around like this did they? Taking pity perhaps on his sibling's plight the older boy finally released his brother, watching him as he rolled away and crouched, sticking out his tongue childishly. "It's all fair in a fight! You want to hold onto me? Then I'm gonna do what I can to get away!"

---

Saving a bunch of Beastmen had been one of the more recent highlights of her life. Yumi still felt proud for what they had done, and even if the transition was proving to be difficult for them she felt they had a better life now. Free from the Saiyans, and free from Korian's rule, much to his chagrin, the Beastmen were being allowed to decide for themselves where they went. Some of them settled down and were adjusting to their new lives while others opted to continue fighting. The latter group was off with Kai, Choi and Kabocha right about now taking on some mission, something light for them to get their feet wet. She'd have gone if she could have yet she'd been volunteered for a more local job. Was it fending off invaders? Fighting some vicious local monster? Nope. Something was making the reservoir by the city dirty and they had been asked to go and clean it up. Or Aito had, and she and Viral were volunteered to accompany him for some reason. Not that she minded doing this, but given her last job this was awfully boring by comparison.

"I hope they're going to be okay on their mission. That's a lot of people to have to watch out for," Yumi thought aloud, glancing out the window of their vehicle as it rolled along the streets. That Eris woman had gone along with their friends along with 4 other Beastmen. While all of them were keen on fighting they had no idea how capable any of them were, all the more reason they'd gone to take on a relatively easy job. Leaning back into her seat she let out a soft sigh, folding her arms and one leg over the other. "Why do you need help running tests on water again? I don't even know the first thing about this sort of work," she asked with a look to Aito, "Wouldn't Vegeta be a better assistant here? It's not that I don't mind helping, we're happy to help. But... I don't get why us?" Viral was intelligent too but she'd never known him to be terribly scientific. She could look at water and probably even smell what was wrong with it, but that didn't mean she'd know what it was or how to fix it. That sort of work was well beyond her ability.

"I figured it's not a bad idea to expose you two to a bit of science. Knowledge is a good thing," Aito answered, smiling knowingly as he eased the vehicle down a maintenance road, "And the work is quite simple really. We just put the water into some tubes, add chemicals and, if the water changes colors, we know whats in it." They had the same process back on Earth actually though the chemicals the Uuonians used were a bit different. Pollution aside he had brought Yumi and Viral along for a wholly different reason altogether, one he'd yet to tell them. When studying the samples brought to him he'd noticed some irregularities, traces of what almost appeared to be bacteria. When examined however the cells began to join together, becoming a noticeable blotch on the petri dish and even beginning to grow. Had he not sent a current through it to kill whatever it was he'd have had a potential problem on his hands. Simply put something more than simple pollution was taking place here, and bringing along a few extra bodies to potentially deal with a threat wasn't such a bad idea. That and he'd rather have company, working along could be so dull.

[Mogtaki]

Viral had since recovered from his little bout of mental poison, but it did leave him feeling tired. He wasn’t very good at sleeping but when he did manage to sleep he slept for a long time, he just wished he didn’t constantly wake up in a fit of terror because he thought he was going to kill someone he knew or he thought he was going to get cut apart. It was not supposed to be a big deal but every time he tried to not think about such things before going to sleep he always ended up waking up in terror. It really needed to stop, but it wasn’t a priority and was probably a stupid thing for him to be fussed all up and over with. He needed to pull himself together for one and the only way to do that was to get over his imagination. If he was going to be tired all the time waking up then he was just going to struggle with the rest of the day every single time so that was his problem. With everyone splitting up and deciding to go on their own missions to test the Beastmen he was left with Aito and Yumi to check out some water. No big deal but it sounded boring, probably something the rebels should be checking out since it was their duty to protect the city.

While he would’ve preferred being with the Beastmen he didn’t mind being with Yumi too much, it was Aito that he didn’t feel he could withstand properly. Despite wanting Aito back originally he had proven to be both annoying and difficult to withstand. He felt he was being rushed into everything because it had all been a massive inconvenience beforehand, like Aito didn’t really want to get to know him again but felt more compelled to turning him into the fighting machine he was supposed to be. It all made him feel tired of his existence, but he had to carry on. Everybody else was so why not him as well. As he sat staring out the vehicle at the scenery below he sighed as Yumi only questioned why they were coming along, giving Aito a side glance when he mentioned science before away again. Science wasn’t something he was really into, even if he had been created through science.

“So we’re doing the dirty work…great…” he muttered, slowly sitting up again, “This all would’ve been faster if you didn’t take me. You two could’ve just flown there by now…” Even if he could’ve ran along he wouldn’t know where he was going so obviously the best course of action should’ve been just to let the pair fly there themselves. There was nothing he could add to some trip to some lake, just company when he could’ve been somewhere else. “Even if there was a threat there what am I supposed to do about it that you can’t? You’re a Super Saiyan...the hell kind of excuse do you have?”

[GambolMuse]

"Don't look at it that way. It's an opportunity to learn, and as I said, knowledge is power," Aito retorted, smiling despite the obvious annoyance from Viral. "And it's not a race, the lake isn't going anywhere. I'd prefer having both of you along anyways. It's been much too long since we spent an afternoon together." And granted this wasn't quite what he'd call a leisurely afternoon it would still be time spent together. There was more to this venture than a simple water test too, or there was the potential for it. Funnily enough Viral seemed to pick up on that much. Glancing at his son through the rearview mirror Aito let out a chuckle, unable to hide it from them it seems.

"Something which a Saiyan is powerless against, perhaps. Or at least something that's a challenge for us," the doctor responded cryptically, reaching into the center console and pulling out a document. Well, to say it was a document might be a little much, it was more a frayed notebook, held together haphazardly by stables along the spine. "The water samples brought to me before had some kind of contamination in them, something which I thought was sludge at first. It quickly became apparent however that this 'sludge' was somewhat sentient, similar to single cell organisms. When I introduced some food into the sample the cells attacked it voraciously, and began to form together after the fact. It's only a theory since I terminated the experiment, but they seem to be some kind of creature, or pieces of one. And I'm going to venture a guess and say that creature is here, in this lake."

"But why do you need us then? And what's so bad about this... Whatever it is, that you can't fight it?" Yumi asked in confusion, looking to Aito for answers. Wait a second, something that Saiyans had trouble killing. There were creatures like that it just so happened now that she thought about it, creatures they've not seen in a little while now. But why here? And why on Uuonoe?

"There's those gears turning, that's exactly why you two are coming along. I'm concerned whatever this creature is, its similar to the monsters that have been appearing across the universe as of late," Aito continued, "They're quite obviously vulnerable to the forms of energy Beastmen wield, so naturally you and Yumi are perfect fits, should there be combat. Ideally I'll simply have to go in, introduce chemicals into the filtration systems and the reservoir will clear itself out. Considering what I came across however I doubt it will be so easy. So while I work on cleaning the water, you two may have to fend off whatever beasts come about."

So that was it then? Some of those things might be on Uuonoe and they would have to fight them? It was more exciting than simply coming around to test water yet Yumi couldn't say she was terribly thrilled to hear such a thing. "Well if that's the deal then Viral and I will kill every last one of them," she said confidently with a nod, looking back and giving her friend a smile, "They won't know what hit them when we show up. I might not be a real Beastman, but I know how to fight those things. You won't have any problems Aito."

Fantastic, that's what he liked to hear. Aito doubted there would be too much trouble yet one could never be too careful, the enemy was still largely an unknown here. Around a bend in the road up ahead was the reservoir, or to be more precise the damn leading to it. The filtration systems were just outside the damn, that's where he'd be working. Yumi and Viral would be guarding him while he worked, a job which had a potential to be quite dull if nothing came of this. Pulling the vehicle up to the side of the road he fetched a container out from beneath his seat, stepping out of the vehicle and waiting for the others to do the same. "Of course... If either of you want to handle the tests, I'll gladly fight in your place," Aito mentioned with a smirk, "Much as it needs to be done, even I find this work dull. I'd far prefer bashing around some monsters."

[Mogtaki]

Viral let out a groan, shifting his head to the side when Aito just went off trying to make it out like it was some sort of field trip. He saw no benefit in this, he would’ve been better trying to train his body up, nevermind having to go out during the day to some lake. If this was supposed to be some sort of outing then he was going to be pretty annoyed. He was behind with everything and if he was going to be held up all the time by various things then he would never be able to fight true enemies. He didn’t want to have to get lucky all the time, he wanted to win a real battle with an equal opponent. This was just a waste of time in his eyes, seeing how Aito was perfectly capable of protecting himself from whatever dangers were out in the wilderness.

Letting out a groan he turned to the window again, folding his arms. He didn’t think too hard about what he said, Aito was rarely ever straight to the point with things and to be so cryptic simply meant he was just trying to act smart. Something about water and contamination, if that was the case then it just needed to be purified. It may not had been something a Saiyan could do, but that was only because Saiyans were rarely brainy and could only handle the thought of fighting most of the time. Staring out the window as Aito continued to talk he frowned and glanced to Yumi when she spoke up about it, simply giving his head a quick scratch before he folded his arms. He was really starting to wonder where Aito was getting this kind of information about his energy and what not, finding it all too farfetched that he learned it on New Namek.

“Oh yeah, sure…I’d love to watch your ass while you play around with chemicals…” he muttered, looking to Aito, “Soooo…what, is this what you made me for and all that ‘protecting Earth’ was just a cover for that fact? Maybe some day you’ll actually tell me what those things are because you obviously know more than anyone else does. Besides, you haven’t been alive during any of the attacks…” He was rather bitter about the whole issue, especially when Aito and June had been ignoring his existence throughout his years on Earth. The whole thing with ‘the dead watch over you’ was supposed to be something that would get him through the days, but all he felt was bitterness and anger from being alone for so many years and not understanding what happened and why he was being ignored. Vegeta had grown up fine, even if he distanced himself quickly once the staff decided he was better off being cared for by Humans.

Once they had finally stopped he made a glance out the window before slowly standing up and getting out of the vehicle, sighing once he was finally out. He didn’t much like travelling in a vehicle that had no weapons, it made him feel rather edgy despite Aito and Yumi being perfectly capable of firing off attacks. Just because they could didn’t mean he would feel better, especially when he had very little to defend himself with. When Aito spoke of his distaste for testing the water he let out a low growl, turning to face him as he threw a paw up. “Fine! I’ll do the tests while you fight! Since you’re so eager”, he snapped at him, “Yumi needs the practice, anyway! It’s not like I can fly over the water, anyway…”

[GambolMuse]

Aito smiled at Yumi's snicker, amused she found Viral's "ass" comment to be funny. His son did raise a fair point though, he was asking about something that really had never been addressed until now. Glancing back at Viral briefly the doctor let out a sigh, not seeing any point in trying to lie or twist the reality of things. "In part... Yes, you were made to combat these creatures," he admitted, looking out the front of the vehicle with half-lidded eyes, seeming to be in thought about something, "I'll explain everything to you when we finish today, I promise. There's a lot you and the others deserve to know, and I should have told you a long time before now." Ideally he'd prefer to do it with everyone around, yet telling Viral first seemed fair, it was his purpose after all.

Stopping the vehicle alongside the road Aito climbed out with the testing kit in hand, waiting for the others to join him. This wasn't particularly his idea of an enthralling afternoon, a fact which he made well known. Almost jokingly he offered it over to the others and got an unexpected offer in return, a very begrudging offer at that. Blinking a few times the doctor let out a chuckle, shaking his head and waving a hand dismissively. "I was joking Viral, it's really no bother. Besides if these are the same creatures then my Ki is useless anyways, you're more suited. I'd imagine they will try to stop the purification as it would eradicate them from the lake, so there's a chance the battle could be taking place on land."

"What do you mean I need the practice, huh? I can fight just fine!" Yumi said haughtily, placing her hands on her hips and frowning at Viral, "I won't even fly if it makes you feel better, I don't need to. I fought just fine before I ever knew how to." Letting out a 'hmph' at the end she turned and started walking down the path towards the dam, determined now to fight and beat this monster herself. She was tired of everyone thinking she wasn't a strong fighter or capable, she didn't need practice. Practice was for someone just learning, she'd trained all of her life! So maybe she wasn't a Saiyan or a true Beastman, but she was just as strong as any of them, maybe even stronger, and better trained. She'd prove it today too.

Aito watched Yumi storm off ahead before letting out another sigh, rubbing at his head exasperatedly. "Oh dear... Seems someone is a little agitated today," he mused, smiling as he looked at Viral, "Seems like you've both got something to prove today, so let's give it our best shot, hm?" Slapping his son on the back for encouragement he started down the path as well, waving Viral along as he went. There very well could be nothing here to fight too, though the samples suggested otherwise. Aito in part hoped some of the creatures were here on Uuonoe, saved them from having to travel later to find some.

[Mogtaki]

Viral felt he couldn’t believe Aito even if he wanted to try, he just saw him as using this time to think up answers that he couldn’t answer quite yet. The longer it was going to take him to say something about it the less of a chance he’ll believe him. It had been years since he was able to come to a conclusion to the purpose of his life and being told he was in part created to be a weapon against these things just made him think of Aito chaining his limbs and forcing him to fight those creatures. It probably would’ve turned into a case of him being forced into complete servitude if those creatures actually appeared on Earth. Giving Aito a distasteful glaring at he exited the vehicle he wondered how long it would take after this outing to come up with a reason, whether he would end up coming up with something that was convoluted or something he read out of a fictional book.

Once he was out and on his feet again he was immediately annoyed by Aito, offering to take up the responsibility of doing all the scientific stuff; however, Aito making up the excuse that he was joking was only sounding like Aito was trying to avoid humiliating him with such a simple task after taking him out so far away. Lowly growling he narrowed his gaze. “Doesn’t stop you from punching them for a while, you know…” He didn’t see how him punching the things would be any different than himself punching them. Just what makes him more capable, anyway?

Looking to Yumi he stared at her as she spoke, not looking like he was understanding the wrong in what he said. Staring at her as she walked off, frowning momentarily before Aito decided to butt in as usual. Glaring at him he gasped when he was slapped in the back, finding that to be too much unwanted physical contact already. “You’re really overstepping your boundaries, old man! And I’ve got nothing to prove! I’m still capable of fighting, just because I’m a Beastman doesn’t make me a lesser warrior!”

[GambolMuse]

"I suppose not, but then why should I get to have all of the fun? I'll take on the boring work, you and Yumi can have fun." There were ulterior motives to his decision of course, but where was the fun in sharing those? If he were to test his hypothesis then best to do so blindly, lest he skew the results. Smiling in mild amusement as Yumi grew bothered over Viral's choice of words the two watched her storm off, the doctor unable to not comment on the situation. Even if it hadn't been explicitly stated by either of them, Viral and Yumi were both wanting to gain something from this, he was certain of it. His only hope was they got what they were after here.

An innocent enough slap on the back for good luck and still it wasn't taken well by Viral? Aito blinked when he was yelled at for it. "I never said you were lesser, not for a second. In fact I think I've suggested quite the opposite," he responded, frowning before hanging his head, "And I'm not old. I mean... If you account for my time in Otherworld, and combined with my age prior to passing, then I suppose I am old. I don't feel old though, I mean I'm still physically the same age. But then aren't I older? Oh..." Of all the things to bog down his mind now his age was weighing heavily. This meant he was nearly fifty, technically, right? On top of owing numerous birthday gifts, anniversary gifts, he should probably consider retirement. Well, he should probably consider getting back to work first, then retirement.

"But retirement sounds so dull..." Aito spoke aloud, sighing to himself, "But if I'm nearly fifty years old, that is a bit up there..." In the midst of his self-conscious ramblings they had made it down to the fence surrounding the filtration systems, a large purifier and several pipes leading into the dam itself. Nearly bumping into the gate he smiled sheepishly, nodding as Yumi pulled it open to let him inside. "Ah... Right, the job at hand! It should be near enough a quick job, I've simply got to flush the system, get some new water flowing through and then add the chemicals to purify the water. Shouldn't take long, you two ready?"

"Ready as ever, nothing's going to get to you while you work," Yumi answered, punching her fist into her palm and glancing over at Viral, "I'm sure we'll do fine, even if this is practice." As if she'd let that little comment go so quickly. She had pride too even if she was normally good at keeping it under wraps, but that one had been a little much for her. Putting on a smile she walked back through the gate, reaching out and poking Viral teasingly in the chest. "Try to keep up with me? I'd hate to show you up while I'm still learning."

[Mogtaki]

Viral was just growing annoyed with Aito the more he hanged around with him, finding it hard to relate to him with anything. The man was essentially a stranger to him despite having a sense of familiarity around him which wasn’t enough to make him feel comfortable around him. He couldn’t understand why he felt such a way towards him, maybe there was some old instinct where he might see him as a father, but mostly he was a simple stranger who was too attached to him for his own good. Having him trying to show him encouragement by slapping him on the back was definitely not helping that feeling and only sent a chill down his spine as his boundaries were invaded. Snapping at Aito he gave him a glaring at when he ranted about his age, letting out an annoyed sigh he shook his head and looked away. “I don’t know how an idiot like you could possibly be smart enough to create life…” he groaned, “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re just deploying someone else’s experiment here…”

Looking to the gate as it was held open he looked to Yumi as he passed through, frowning at her words as if he didn’t understand what she was saying. He didn’t need practice so there was no ‘we’ really, just her. Looking away as he carried on he stopped and looked quickly to her finger as she poke him, looking back at her as he went to backhand her finger. “Are you calling me incapable? You may be a capable Ki fighter, but as a Beastman you’ve got plenty to learn!” he snapped back at her, waving his paw in dismissal as he walked on, “But whatever, if you’re not willing to accept you need practice then keep doing what you do if that’s what you think is best. If you think trying to focus on Beastman abilities will leave you at a disadvantage then don’t try and do whatever you do best…”

[GambolMuse]

Well this was an existential crises if he'd ever experienced one. What a silly thing to be trouble by too, he knew he was only 29 years old, that he hadn't aged since going to Otherworld. Yet technically he'd been alive in some way while there, meaning he was far older. Smiling apologetically when Viral took a shot at him, Aito chuckled and put his hands up defensively in protest. "Even a genius can worry about simple things..." he offered lamely, letting out another sigh as he hung his head, "And besides, appearances aren't all there is to a person. Would you ever think that tired, lazy, unassuming me might be a Super Saiyan?" he added, winking at that. That aside it had been quite some time since he had done the work, and even if it was his own there was a need to refamiliarize himself with it, to a degree. Easily done, but it took a little while to get precise.

Perhaps she was being a little unreasonable, but Yumi hated having anyone think she needed practice. She hadn't spent all of her life learning an array of fighting styles only to need practice. "I never called you incapable, you're the one saying I am," she responded, rather passive aggressively at that, lifting her shoulders in a shrug and poking him in the chest as she walked past. "I admit I'm not perfect at them, but I can still fight without them too." Besides, she'd never really used any of her Beastman abilities before had she? Sure there was the enhanced smelling and hearing, plus this odd empathy thing she'd picked up. Other than that she wasn't transforming like Viral nor was she able to use solar energy, she was plain old Yumi otherwise.

Regardless Yumi was determined not to lag behind Viral today. Ki didn't work and she knew that, she'd just find another way to kill the monsters. Going down to the shoreline with her friend she stopped on the sandy shore, glancing out over the water before them. It looked clean enough, the suns above shining brightly and causing the surface to sparkle like a polished crystal. On a whim she leaned forward and took a whiff of the area, not smelling anything unusual either. "Whatever's here, it doesn't stand a chance against us. We'll tear it to shreds before it knows what hit it," Yumi spoke confidently, lifting her arms in a stretch before turning her hips as well, getting limbered up for a possible fight. "No boys to get in our way today either. We kicked those Elite's butts saving those Beastmen, we'll kick this thing's butt too," she added in, winking at Viral with a smirk.