Dragonball M, Chapter 1: Silent Menace Aproaches!

[The Dog]

Moving over to Shiro, Midori looked to her sister and asked "So... do you have any ideas on how to take down this woman? Because I don't think my normal plan of 'running in with that energy sword of her's' is gonna work."

"Well, first thing we need to do is stay far away from Charco." Shiro said, and Midori nodded as she said "Of course."

"Next, we try to either find a way to attack from behind or disarm her of her sword." Shiro said, and Midori frowned as she asked "Do we bring anyone in, since this is supposed to be about teamwork? Because I think Totoma would be a good choice. Or maybe Ochazuke."

"Let's start with the non-mass murdering Saiyan." Shiro said, and with a nod from Midori the two began moving over to Totoma to speak with and hopefully strategize with him.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Ishtar watched calmly as the woman toyed with all of them. The others were quick to press the attack, and in so doing gave the woman all the advantage. Yet their impulse had afforded the Oni a chance to watch and see what this woman, their superior by any measure, was capable of:

As each attack gets close, a shimmering barrier of ki intercepts it as it surrounds her. As the various attacks either slide off or or blocked, she nods.

“Good idea. Entangle and trap me after Jack’s feint and Adam’s various prodding attacks. Solid idea. Now the, let us see how you deal with something unusual.”

Her barrier flares, grows bigger pushing people away briefly, then pops. She darts forward, and a blue sword is drawn from her waist they hadn’t seen yet. It seems to vibrate in her hand.

“Hand to Hand is all good, but how well do you do against melee weapons?”

She does a rapid fire series of jabs and slices at those closest to her, testing their defenses and reactions.

A barrier that rippled and shifted, but held firm against the attempts to get through it; even going so far as to knock away objects and threaded Ki by simply expanding. Also, a sword. The vision of the bladed Ki sent a shiver of familiarity up the Oni's spine. On what world had she first learned of things that cut and separate ? For the second time in as many days, remembrance washed over her like a flood, yet ... unlike yesterday, the Oni forced herself to focus. To shut out remembering in favor of the task before them now.

Miras, of the Galaxy Police.

She slice right through it and the tip of the very real sword touches his throat.

“Dead.”

She draws back, defensive stance still ready.

Slak’s staff cracks, but holds as Miras blocks the blow.

She watched the blade carve through steel, and crack gnarled wood as the woman danced around the battlefield; and in that watching formed an idea.

Ishtar was patient, now. Rushing in would avail her not, and she required time.

Exhaling, the Oni began to gently tug and pull at the tendrils of life she sensed in the plants surrounding her, and beneath her feet. Feet planted firm, the woman whispered for the blessings of the Earth to bolster her efforts; allowing her a respite should the Officer attempt to move her.

She would require a lot of energy, for what she was attempting to do.

Crimson Fist!

As the last second, she disappeared, leaving behind an afterimage that appeared to be swinging a quick jab for her unprotected flank. The real Sarada appeared on near her sword hand, spinning around to deliver a Scarlet Fever enhanced elbow in her kidney's.

"..."

He dropped back into the Saiyan-Do defensive stance. When the Namek charged in with his staff and Sarada with her Crimson fist, Totoma too charged in, jumping into the air and trying to cut off the vertical rout of escape with an axe-kick.

Asha'rah's eighth orb, formerly surrounded by the image of a disembodied head to create the convincing sound of a metal head hitting the ground and rolling to a stop, whirled in from the side, taking aim at Miras's knees.

Steeling himself, he waited for the woman's next attack and swept in low, aiming to catch her from an odd angle.

The others continued to pierce the barrier, the sounds of their struggle filtering into the ears of the Oni before being quickly replaced by the constant hum of the plant-life she now borrowed aid from. Some would die, many if she pulled what was needed; but their offering would not be wasted. And in the back of the woman's mind, a voice- from a time long before- surfaced.

Take it, Blue. Please.

... How long had it been ?

It began to coalesce then, a blade from a bygone age, held together by the woman's own resolve and bolstered by the plant life around her. It would be a few moments more before the weapon could be used, however, as, shattered as the fragments were; the woman required more time to reforge the blade.

[rhyvurg]

As each attack gets close, a shimmering barrier of ki intercepts it as it surrounds her. As the various attacks either slide off or or blocked, she nods.

“Good idea. Entangle and trap me after Jack’s feint and Adam’s various prodding attacks. Solid idea. Now the, let us see how you deal with something unusual.”

Her barrier flares, grows bigger pushing people away briefly, then pops. She darts forward, and a blue sword is drawn from her waist they hadn’t seen yet. It seems to vibrate in her hand.

“Hand to Hand is all good, but how well do you do against melee weapons?”

She does a rapid fire series of jabs and slices at those closest to her, testing their defenses and reactions.

——-

Slak senses an impressive amount of ki. More than Kami even. It’s a good ki, no malice or anything like that.

When it's attacks hit a barrier, Adam changes tactics, pressing at the point of impact, taking her energy from her. When the barrier pushes, it pushes back, taking as much as it can get. The sword is different. Unknown qualities and abilities. But battle was never a sure thing, there was always risk, and permanent damage was unlikely during training. When her sword pauses at Totoma's throat, Adam pounces, snapping tendrils around her arm, drawing his entire body in to engulf the blade. More tentacles anchor it to the floor, trying to hold her arm still while it takes what energy it can from her weapon.

[Ptrvc]

As each attack gets close, a shimmering barrier of ki intercepts it as it surrounds her. As the various attacks either slide off or or blocked, she nods.

“Good idea. Entangle and trap me after Jack’s feint and Adam’s various prodding attacks. Solid idea. Now the, let us see how you deal with something unusual.”

Her barrier flares, grows bigger pushing people away briefly, then pops. She darts forward, and a blue sword is drawn from her waist they hadn’t seen yet. It seems to vibrate in her hand.

“Hand to Hand is all good, but how well do you do against melee weapons?”

She does a rapid fire series of jabs and slices at those closest to her, testing their defenses and reactions.

——-

Slak senses an impressive amount of ki. More than Kami even. It’s a good ki, no malice or anything like that.

"Shitshitshitshit!" Jack cried out as he struggled to stay out of of range the sword. The answer to your enemy pulling a weapon was, of course, pull another, preferably larger, weapon. Jack did not have a weapon however. This made things much more complicated.

Keeping track of his measure and timing Jack tried to keep just out of range of every cut and thrust thrown in his direction. Luckily his allies began to engage Miras, giving Jack some breathing room. Not as much as he would like, but some.

Against an armed opponent, when you were unarmed, you had to close distance to grapple, and control the weapon. Hopefully you could disarm your opponent, or break their arm. Which was just another disarm if you thought about it. This often resulted in just getting shanked however. Which was why the preferred method of dealing with a weapon, was another weapon.

But again, Jack didn't have a weapon.

****!

As his allies attacked Jack took a few false steps to sneakily close distance with Miras. Jack would wait until he saw an opening, clear from both Miras attention, and from getting in the way of any of his allies attacks. When the moment was right Jack lunged forward to wrap his hands around the wrist and elbow of Miras's sword arm, and cranked it as hard as he could behind her, in the hope of forcing Miras to drop the blade, or at least enable him to neutralize her ability to use it.

[Cyke]

When her sword pauses at Totoma's throat, Adam pounces, snapping tendrils around her arm, drawing his entire body in to engulf the blade. More tentacles anchor it to the floor, trying to hold her arm still while it takes what energy it can from her weapon.

As his allies attacked Jack took a few false steps to sneakily close distance with Miras. Jack would wait until he saw an opening, clear from both Miras attention, and from getting in the way of any of his allies attacks. When the moment was right Jack lunged forward to wrap his hands around the wrist and elbow of Miras's sword arm, and cranked it as hard as he could behind her, in the hope of forcing Miras to drop the blade, or at least enable him to neutralize her ability to use it.

With Jack and Adam both latching onto Miras' arms at full strength, Zaofan leapt into action. He faded from view and reappeared in a whirl behind Miras, grappling so that his arms folded under her arms and bent up around her shoulders, using Bojack behind her neck and on her spine to hold her torso still, while his left leg wrapped around hers to prevent any mobility. He pulled his weight back to further ground her into place.

But her pull was mighty, and Zaofan tightened both his grip and the clench of his jaw. Hopefully that will keep her in place, at least long enough for someone to do something about it...!

[Ptrvc]

With Jack and Adam both latching onto Miras' arms at full strength, Zaofan leapt into action. He faded from view and reappeared in a whirl behind Miras, grappling so that his arms folded under her arms and bent up around her shoulders, using Bojack behind her neck and on her spine to hold her torso still, while his left leg wrapped around hers to prevent any mobility. He pulled his weight back to further ground her into place.

But her pull was mighty, and Zaofan tightened both his grip and the clench of his jaw. Hopefully that will keep her in place, at least long enough for someone to do something about it...!

With the sudden addition of another grappler Jack decided his services were no longer needed at this juncture.

Also he did not want to get cut by Ishtar's blade. Which was probably going to happen if he stuck around. Unlike Adam, Jack could not flow back together.

Jack released his hold on Miras arm and istead delivered a powerful kick to the side of her knee, hoping to collapse the structure of her stance.

He then sprung out of the way before one of his allies coul hit him. Jack's back still had tooth marks.

Thanks Charco.

[Miburo]

As each attack gets close, a shimmering barrier of ki intercepts it as it surrounds her. As the various attacks either slide off or or blocked, she nods.

“Good idea. Entangle and trap me after Jack’s feint and Adam’s various prodding attacks. Solid idea. Now the, let us see how you deal with something unusual.”

Her barrier flares, grows bigger pushing people away briefly, then pops. She darts forward, and a blue sword is drawn from her waist they hadn’t seen yet. It seems to vibrate in her hand.

“Hand to Hand is all good, but how well do you do against melee weapons?”

She does a rapid fire series of jabs and slices at those closest to her, testing their defenses and reactions.

——-

Slak senses an impressive amount of ki. More than Kami even. It’s a good ki, no malice or anything like that.

The Nevadian advanced to meet the challenge.

Quickly, cautiously, he advanced, darting forth towards his opponent. The point of his spear rotated in a counter clockwise direction as he bounded forwards.

In this scenario, my weapon holds the advantage in range. Even with her skills, I imagine it would be difficult for her to take the offensive so easily...Well, assuming I'm not completely out of my depth....

Suddenly, like the strike of a viper, the point sprang forth.

Just as quickly, the point retracted, barely moving from where it had started, an elaborate feint.

The Nevadian bent his legs into his stance, inhaling deeply.

Ki flowed from the body of The Nevadian, into his weapon, the faintest glow of an aura enveloping it. Teeth gritted, eyes narrow, he exhaled, and began his attack.

Piercing Horn!

A barrage of thrusts and stabs erupted, ki streaming behind each blow as it sought to overwhelm and overtake the more half hearted attacks of his opponent. The Barrage seemed endless, strikes launching one after the next. Striking at the entirety of her, from various angles.

He sought to pierce not only through her defenses, but through her very being, as false as it was.

[MrSandman]

Jinzi leads them all back to the arena, though he himself doesn't step into it.

"Now then, we saw how well you did against me. Let us see how you do against someone else, shall we."

A figure stands in the arena, looking like a blank automaton, motionless. As they gather, features begin to overlay and appear on the figure, until this person is now standing there.



Prominent on her chest is the silver badge indicating she is Galaxy Police.

the woman looks around, then spots Jinzi and smiles.

"Well well, seems the thingamabobber worked, ehh Pants?"

Jinzi shakes his head, but a smile tugs at his lips.

"Special Agent Miras Thane, always a pleasure. Thanks for doing this for me, I'll owe you one."

The women shrugs, still looking around.

"I was on break and bored. Just booked a Saiyan pirate stealing regen fluid. Netted me some off duty time and, well, you always make it worth my while."

Jinzi, blushing a bit at her flirting, clears his throat and motions towards the group.

"Agent Miras here has agreed to use my experimental long range polymorphic hard light construct to help train you all today. She's not really here, but the arena is simulating her physical body while her mind controls it. I have a meeting with President Grinthorn, so if you'll excuse me....."

Jinzi flees quickly, still blushing as Miras gives him a parting wink before turning her attention towards the group. Miras is tall, at least 6'3 or so, and her uniform does little to hide how pretty she is.

"Well then, Pants has left so now we can play. The body here can only mimic part of my power, so I'll be going easy on you all. Any questions before we begin?"

"Erosa have question!" Erosa screamed. "Exactly how long was pantsman underpants snake and why you not come in person and beat badguys for us.....oh wait, that two questions." Erosa turned back to Etrina, who was now reclining just off the arena floor with a book in hand and looking generally unconcerned with proceedings. "Sister need to come up and train!"

"...Ughh.....Its just mock fighting. I'm an intellectual....we don't get stronger by getting punched in the face." Etrina groaned. "Your the muscle, you handle the combat. I'm the brains..I handle the thinking." Etrina shoed Erosa forward absentmindedly with her hand, eyes not leaving her book. "...Go on.....make your master proud...."

"No fair sis! Combat training for team....We all team! There no Erosa in Team!" She paused. "....Wait.....Erosa must have mistaken saying somewhere."

"No..No I'm just gonna observe for the moment and determine the most appropriate stratagem for victory." Etrina said, eyes still stuck in her book. "I'm at a good part...so I'll be....right behind you..."

"Oh! So this IS team! Ok! Erosa soften up huge boobed police girl!" Erosa turned back the the fight, already underway. "C'mere! Erosa wanna get piece of action!" With the tact of a 5 year old, she turned and tauntingly slapped her butt in the Miras direction.

[Eternal Torment]

As each attack gets close, a shimmering barrier of ki intercepts it as it surrounds her. As the various attacks either slide off or or blocked, she nods.

“Good idea. Entangle and trap me after Jack’s feint and Adam’s various prodding attacks. Solid idea. Now the, let us see how you deal with something unusual.”

Her barrier flares, grows bigger pushing people away briefly, then pops. She darts forward, and a blue sword is drawn from her waist they hadn’t seen yet. It seems to vibrate in her hand.

“Hand to Hand is all good, but how well do you do against melee weapons?”

She does a rapid fire series of jabs and slices at those closest to her, testing their defenses and reactions.

——-

Slak senses an impressive amount of ki. More than Kami even. It’s a good ki, no malice or anything like that.

With the others trying to assault Miras from the front and sides, Chuan decided to take to the skies as he always did. While he hadn't learned to fly as a few others had, he still could leap with the best of them. Trusting the team's attacks to keep her too busy to strike him while he was mid-air and vulnerable, he ran in and did a huge side-flip, hoping that he was high enough to stay at the outskirts of the officer's range as he rained Phantom Needle shots down at her shoulders to try and slow her arms' movements!

[Cyke]

The Nevadian advanced to meet the challenge.

Quickly, cautiously, he advanced, darting forth towards his opponent. The point of his spear rotated in a counter clockwise direction as he bounded forwards.

In this scenario, my weapon holds the advantage in range. Even with her skills, I imagine it would be difficult for her to take the offensive so easily...Well, assuming I'm not completely out of my depth....

Suddenly, like the strike of a viper, the point sprang forth.

Just as quickly, the point retracted, barely moving from where it had started, an elaborate feint.

The Nevadian bent his legs into his stance, inhaling deeply.

Ki flowed from the body of The Nevadian, into his weapon, the faintest glow of an aura enveloping it. Teeth gritted, eyes narrow, he exhaled, and began his attack.

Piercing Horn!

A barrage of thrusts and stabs erupted, ki streaming behind each blow as it sought to overwhelm and overtake the more half hearted attacks of his opponent. The Barrage seemed endless, strikes launching one after the next. Striking at the entirety of her, from various angles.

He sought to pierce not only through her defenses, but through her very being, as false as it was.

With the others trying to assault Miras from the front and sides, Chuan decided to take to the skies as he always did. While he hadn't learned to fly as a few others had, he still could leap with the best of them. Trusting the team's attacks to keep her too busy to strike him while he was mid-air and vulnerable, he ran in and did a huge side-flip, hoping that he was high enough to stay at the outskirts of the officer's range as he rained Phantom Needle shots down at her shoulders to try and slow her arms' movements!

With Adam's tight grip and seeing that Held charged at both he and Miras with his spear, Zaofan quickly released his hold on Bojack and backflipped twice to gain distance behind Miras. While in a crouched stance resting on one bent knee, he looked up to see Chuan unleash his Phantom Needle shots, speeding right at her. Zaofan, being just a few feet away from Miras, he stood and assumed another offensive stance with Bojack.

He sensed that Chuan was up above. But by Zaofan's estimate, with Adam holding Miras' arm, both the spear to her chest and the needle shots would hit her at the same time, a literal pincer attack if there ever was one.

[grampagen]

The first melee was repelled by a demonstration of this Galaxy Policewoman's skill. When more members of the team moved in for a greater assault, a barrier manifest as a show of force. Now the officer drew a weapon curious to test their performance.

New toys for their training game, a fresh challenge.

The others continued to pierce the barrier, the sounds of their struggle filtering into the ears of the Oni before being quickly replaced by the constant hum of the plant-life she now borrowed aid from. Some would die, many if she pulled what was needed; but their offering would not be wasted. And in the back of the woman's mind, a voice- from a time long before- surfaced.

Take it, Blue. Please.

... How long had it been ?

It began to coalesce then, a blade from a bygone age, held together by the woman's own resolve and bolstered by the plant life around her. It would be a few moments more before the weapon could be used, however, as, shattered as the fragments were; the woman required more time to reforge the blade.

And still more surprises revealed. The sense-awareness of Ochazuke's battle meditation missed nothing, tactile energy bringing to clarity every form, every movement.

Still more withheld. These are indeed trying circumstances if you are forced to reveal your secrets.

Still, Ishtar as he now well knew would not reveal such an action without sufficient reason. Nor would she make a move without sufficient confidence in asserting her will.

He spread the fingers of his right hand to a knife's edge and smirked. How exciting.

You've decided your course in this moment. Very good.

Sharpening his battlefield sense further, he took note of the actions of his comrades on the field. Avoidance. Confrontation. Charging spears. Falling needles. Feints and seizures.

When you're ready, I'll clear the path.

[KamenRaida]

As each attack gets close, a shimmering barrier of ki intercepts it as it surrounds her. As the various attacks either slide off or or blocked, she nods.

“Good idea. Entangle and trap me after Jack’s feint and Adam’s various prodding attacks. Solid idea. Now the, let us see how you deal with something unusual.”

Her barrier flares, grows bigger pushing people away briefly, then pops. She darts forward, and a blue sword is drawn from her waist they hadn’t seen yet. It seems to vibrate in her hand.

“Hand to Hand is all good, but how well do you do against melee weapons?”

She does a rapid fire series of jabs and slices at those closest to her, testing their defenses and reactions.

The others did as Koorimaru expected of them. Taking Mira's challenge by the horns, they leapt into the fray, wielding a mixture of threads, spears, orbs and whips to overwhelm the offworlder.

It was by no means a condemnable strategy, even if only performed because for many, they knew no better means of carrying a battle to its conclusion. If by some chance they had all been too cowed to take the battle to their new challenger, he would not have hesitated to make the first move himself.

Fortunately, their proactive approach meant that he could watch the battle from a distance.

Where it's safe?

The brief thought, words that were his but not of his own conscious choosing, took his mind from the battle. But only briefly.

There was little time to ponder his own adequacies. All that mattered now was this Mira and what she was capable of.

Her first indication of power was in an impressive burst of speed that placed her behind Totoma before any of them had even registered it. Her contention against the same Saiyan's threads and Slak's staff only further served as further proof of her speed combat.

So, why the barrier then, under that first assault?

Was it a display of power meant as much to intimidate as it was to defend? Or were there limits to her speed that necessitated its use?

Whatever the case, perhaps the barrier could become as much their ally as it was hers.

"If our enemy erects another barrier," Koorimaru spoke, hoping that the Shinjin's vocal filtering was in full effect, "Focus on using ranged ki-based attacks on it. I have a plan that may provide us an opening."

[Yun Lao]

"98...99...100..."

It had felt like an eternity for what was essentially a minute and 40 seconds, but seeing the others in action had got his blood pumping.

"...Ready or not, here I come."

It was not because he thought himself better that Charco had given the others a head start, no, but rather he felt it was best he let them get situated in the fight, take their places and more importantly, get ready for his entrance.

Second around him in defense spiral. Does not want to pull a Charco with friendly fire.

"Well, first thing we need to do is stay far away from Charco." Shiro said, and Midori nodded as she said "Of course.".

If one saw evidence that his presence might have required some extra preparation, it wouldn't take much to confirm that his last excursion on the training field had made an effect. Others occasionally shot glances at him, as if to determine the best direction to jump away or just avoiding the general radius that he occupied. He didn't blame them, but it did hurt, just a small bit, to know of the isolation his methods had placed him. All in all, he hoped their cautiousness would prevail this time around. Would he prove to be a liability this time around as well? Charco didn't know, but what he did know was that he was time to join the fray. Stuffing in his ear buds, he hit play on his streaming app and allowed the music to play.

The beats of the song reverberated through him, calming his excitable nature long enough to take note of the "battlefield" before him. Their instructor, Mira, had presented herself as a skilled swordsman, proving to be more hands-on than Jinzi's elaborate means to keep them all at bay. In commendation of her skills, Charco would reply in kind, pitting her blade against his Terrible Claws. Propelling himself towards here with a Carnotaurus Charge, he slashed out at her, seeking to witness her response and invoke her retaliation.

[grampagen]

If a warrior fell and was unable to stand, he was weak. It was simple as that. Either he was never strong to begin with, or he lacked the pride in himself and his strength to stand up. "They were," she agreed. "They lacked the will to push through their weakness."

"A warrior who falls lacks will. The one who stands apart or flees, lacks pride. So the coward and the victim both leave only a legacy of shame," he replied, granting for the moment a font of affirmation to her words.

"A head held high sees only the full height of the fall before it is brought low. So one who fears weakness is already full of it," Ochazuke chuckled dryly, "Such fickle pride is the source of such shame, the fountainhead of fear. How terrifying to consider, being brought low by enemies all around, unseen and...waiting."

That... sounded similar to what she believed Willia's issue with the world government was. He was a rebel, in a way. An anti-authoritarian who would rather follow his own path than be confined to the whims of someone who deemed themselves above him. Her mind flashed back to when they first encountered Kami and his reaction toward her. His words shone that reaction in a different light.

It was briefly surprising that he even agreed to be led by the nose like this, until she remembered the dragonball in his possession. He made it his duty to protect the ball at all costs, even going so far as to destroy it to prevent Old Kami from using it. It was that self-assigned duty that led him here, under Kami's command. Whether she was a fickle pretender remained to be seen; her choice in proxies left much to be desired.

"Why do you think Kami chose us?"

It was a change of subject so abrupt, it would have thrown anyone else off kilter. She was sure, though, that he would take it in stride. His comment about fickle authority figures made her curious about his opinion on why they in particular were chosen.

Ochazuke chuckled darkly to himself at this swerve in the conversation

"Why would it matter to you? Let Kami speak to her intentions," he replied, "But if it will entertain you, Offworlder, I refuse to accept living under the heel of either tyrant or god."

Moreover, that it was revealed to him that Kenshiko still lived after what happened on that day so long ago, a ghost stripped of everything that made her the person he once knew.

"Again, this is my home. Unable to protect her charge from what may come, Kami gave us a choice and a path for us to do something about it. Whatever you can say of this group, she respects our autonomy."

And didn't he ever know that.

[grampagen]

That 'cheh' told him quite a bit. This Ochazuke fellow, at least to some extent, saw through him. To say that made Totoma uncomfortable would be an understatement. Still, he could just turn, leave, and that would be that.

And yet...

He was curious. He wanted to ask this man a question. Just one, and perhaps he'd humor him with a response. Probably not. He felt his hand shake, his heartbeat quicken, and a shiver run up his spine.

Fear?

He could merrily throw himself into battle, uncaring about the consequences. If he lived, then so be it. If he died... then so be it. A few people would be sad for a few months, and then he'd be forgotten. A mere footnote in the lives of those people.

And yet, despite this, he feared asking a mere question of a man who would likely not even "waste the effort" to answer? What harm was there in asking? At best, he'd receive an answer, and at worst, be disregarded. So then...

...

He was afraid of how the man might answer, of what that answer might force him to confront about himself. He was fine with where he was at the moment, but he was certain he'd reached the limit of what he could achieve on his own, in terms of figuring himself out. But...

He sighed, mentally steeling himself. He'd likely only have one chance, so he'd have to think of a good question.

"Mister Ochazuke, this may surprise you--or not--but I am actually a halfbreed. A mutt, as Sarada would put it. My father was an Earthling, like you, and I grew up here, mostly. I did visit my mother's homeworld a number of times, and it was..."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "...my kind are not treated well there. We are... mutts. Trash. Slaves."

Totoma paused again, and then added with a noticeable amount of resentment. "...meat."

"It is hard to disregard, try as I might to ignore it," he scoffed, "When the two of you are within view of each other, it is as if nothing exists in that space but this sentiment."

He remembered after the fall of the ancient snow beasts of Cask, she'd spoken this to Totoma directly, and loudly enough for everybody to hear. He'd summarily dashed a Kiho into a tree, then folded behind a simpering facade of laughter. The would-be hero who'd seized the arms of the yeti mere moments ago caved his will to the words of a stranger.

"My Saiyan brethren say I am inferior... weak, pathetic, deserving only of scorn and enslavement. And those who know what Saiyans are like--myself included--would say that the Saiyan blood in me diminishes any positive I may have inherited from my Earthling father. Empathy, to give just one example."

"All that hatred and scorn directed at me when I was younger... I was like a mirror. I began to reflect that hatred back. To put it simply... I began to hate Saiyans. All saiyans."

He paused for a moment, shifting uncomfortably. "Even myself, I think. Though I have other reasons to hate myself, beyond that."

Like getting his mother killed, causing his loved ones so much trouble over the years, and other failings.

And finally, the question he'd been giving context for. And, perhaps, delaying a bit to work up the courage.

"...is there any way for me to move past that hatred? I thought I'd managed that, but the past two days have made it clear that I was wrong. Even being around that woman has made me irritable and moody."

That woman being Sarada. He could go from hot to cold back to hot and so on with her over the course of a few minutes, and, frankly, the emotional rollercoaster ride had already tired him out. Some of that was her touchiness, but still.

He exhaled sharply. "...I don't expect you to 'waste the effort' to answer, of course. Just thought I'd try to plumb your mind for answers... or at least hints. Miss every shot you don't take, after all."

That had been the hardest thing he'd done in years. If nothing else, getting a little of that off his chest made him feel a tiny bit better, even if Ochazuke didn't give a hoot.

A puzzling reaction from one who'd seemed so resigned to avoid confrontation; not from the battlefield, where the obstacles were obvious and the task simplistic, but with any deeper consideration outside of the moment. To a Saiyan, Ochazuke supposed breath was the tepid time-keeper between each struggle and conflict, a moment's pause across spans of opportunity to prove their worth.

Rubbish. He'd left such sentiments behind with the old man and the fledglings who swallowed Chahan's every self-serving dogmatic regurgitation. It sickened him to think how even now the training had become part of him, instincts honed to forms and motions.

"One who cannot examine himself to find his answers and surrenders to impulse is not a man but an unthinking animal. Set to the whim of a master, a beast of burden. A tool," he responded, pointedly marking his gaze on the Half-Saiyan, "Are you an animal, Totoma? A monkey on a leash picking at the dirt for morsels?"

Still, he understood. When Totoma blithely figured him for a martial philospher, it was a projection of a naive hope.

"I wouldn't know what to tell you about Saiyans or their paltry culture of fear. But you do not see your mother or your father in the mirror, do you," he said dryly.

The words from earlier from Ochazuke seemed a tad to sharp and cut into flesh wounds barely hidden in plain sight for the young woman's liking. Her instinct, her first one was to say something before the voice in her back of her head told her to hold it.

So she took a mental step back.

Karine knew the protective streak in her towards her loved ones was a mile wide, an trait that had greatly magnified due to certain instances in the past. Normally an admirable trait but she knew if left unchecked it could be smothering, even unwanted at the given time. Even if the blood of Sayains didn't run in Totoma's veins, she knew many young men had their own form of pride. The catch as with pretty much anything else was finding the proper balance, something she suspected was a learning experience with age and wisdom.

Her decision to take that step back and instead wait seemed to be partially at least the correct one. Totoma confided in the other man, something that surprised her. It wasn't like him to reveal the cards upside down for others to properly scrutinize and judge. Granted, it wasn't everything and there were secrets that even she wasn't aware of; the large scar she found when helping him in the healing tank told a story of its own without needing to say anything. The fact Totoma's past troubled him enough he hated himself of course bothered her, it was actually the first time her admitted openly to that fact. Why now? In front of a stranger no less?

The rest of the idle chatter to various degree's didn't interest her as much, which was a normal trait when she got pensive. When opporunity came, she'd speak. For now, she just listened.

So she waited.

He regarded Karine, feeling a moment's intensity, held fast below the graceful pallor restraining her inhuman form. So easily she seemed to fade away, unnoticed.

She told him the night before she'd make it her mission to in a way get to know everybody. Amicable pleasantries. Ochazuke would acquiesce directly.

"Victim. Pariah. Meat. If the labels from others define you, there's nothing left to discuss," he said, "Accept it. Be mindful of it. Preserve what you need and discard what is useless. Then take responsibility and move from it."