From my birth the first thing I knew was the pain of existence. For twenty years I spent rejecting that sensation no other person could fathom. Training my mind to focus on not acknowledging the frosty heat that always sat at the tip of every single nerve ending. A normal person would tear at their skin to escape the hell that became my normal life.
Later on I discovered that absolute stillness could give me brief moments of reprieve. Where only a minimal amount of my nerves were alight with the never ending burning sensation. It took me a while to even sit still, my life refused to give me that kind of leeway. If I were any other race in the galaxy it would have been easier to commit to being a statue my whole life.
Unfortunately for me, I was born a saiyan. Worse yet for my debilitating nerve pain, I learned the harsh way it wasn't a static amount of pain I would feel. No, in reality I figured out it wasn't endless pain, but an endless and growing excruciating sensitivity to everything. When I got injured, and I got hurt the very day I left my pod, the pain would increase. How did I know it was getting worse? Because I was awake for those incubation years, most of those days crying out in agony.
I cried for my mother. I cried for my father. I even cried for the darkness that would suddenly swallow me most days. It did, but like some cruel joke I was brought back into the light.
Hikari, I chose that name.
***
Ringu was as patient as a loyal dog shifting beside his sick owner's bed could be. He would be embarrassed to admit the amount of time he spent just looking at the translucent material, the normally bright and cheery enigma sitting still and calm in one spot.
Eventually the chamber dictated the process was completed with a series of melodious beeps. A service alien would arrive and open the device. Just a moment of time that seemed to ache by slowly for the wavy haired saiyan.
The moment the liquid drained below her face Ringu noticed Hikari's eyes snap open. Well, he didn't notice the moment they opened, just that he blinked, and she was awake now. He could have sworn that he saw her shaking.
The liquid started to drain and Ringu averted his gaze when the water fell past her collar bone.
"Heee, are you alright. Doesn't anything hurt" Ringu's voice trembles as he drawls. "Hikari?"
This wasn't his first experience with a healing chamber, but his tenure spent with the flame squadron has instilled doubt in the saiyan race's lifestyle.
When the chamber opened Hikari stepped out. Her wet feet padding across the floor towards the rolling tray. A black skin tight body suit that hugged her petite and lean form, it contrasted her pale skin to the near opposite. Stuffing her feet into white boots before Hikari pulls over that distinct armor over her head. Just like the bodysuit, it fit snuggly on her torso. The gaudy brown pauldrons resting like wings jutting from her shoulders.
For the longest moment while she got dressed it was ominously quiet. Sure, Ringu had never seen this much of the woman or any at all for that matter, but what unnerved him most was Hikari not hopping all over him or announcing to enact her latest plans.
Then as if the tug at her collar were a trigger she twirled around, sweat bead falling from her forehead.
"Hehe, Riiing" her mischievous energy seems to return, along with the peppy brightness, "come on let's go back. I don't want to be in this cold asylum anymore…" she practically skips over from a sauntering start.
The simple nickname Ring, said in the woman's signature youthfully soft cheers. Her dark eyes mirrored his, and her energy always pushed him away. Batting her eye lashes with overwhelming femininity; a facade of charm built for this very reason.
"Leeeets..just head home" he drawled, resisting the urge to complain as he's done in the past. His eyes turn down and to the side seeing her shivering shoulders. It wasn't cold in that room.
"Hikari..are suuuure you are at-" he was cut off by his cheeks getting smoothed by two pale hands.
"Back to base! Yes sir" Hikari agrees abruptly while standing on her tippy toes to push into Ringu's face with exaggerated effort. Then she moves backwards.
Her expression eerily didn't change. As if it were made of thin glass, even a deep breath would disturb the small layer holding back whatever was contained behind the surface.
Ringu resigned to pushing away the uneasy feeling. His nod was all the woman needed as she turned on her heel.
She took a step and then another. Her boots are not making much noise, careful foot steps with unseen effort. Hikari could feel eyes on her back as she strode forward.
On her third step she suddenly stopped. The shuddering across her body intensifies. Though her body vibrates with an unknown energy, she was frozen to the spot. Her breath became ragged as she didn't answer.
Ringu observed the way Hikari looked from his step behind. He barely moved from his original spot. His eyes found her fists clenched and unclench. The man's eyes were decent so he could see the woman's hands were all clammy wet despite the fast drying liquid having long since evaporated.
Finally he just reached out and touched her shoulder. The skintight body suit creates the smallest non-existent barrier between them. In that miniscule instance where skin touched bodysuit and bodysuit to skin, a shock of static arched between them.
"Hiii-" Ringu starts to speak.
Smack!
Only to receive a backhand to the cheek causing him to reel back in pain. Holding said cheek as looks over at Hikari with mild horror.
"Eeeyaaaaah" The flame squadron's energetic bright pixie screeches violently.
Hikari had flipped out, limbs fully coiled with immense tension that led to her launching herself like a spooked cat. Flying into the ceiling before crashing down with some wires tangled around her, a metal ceiling panel falling behind her. The woman screams and scrambles like everything that touches her burns.
Ringu was shocked to see this display. Reaching out uselessly just to try and make sense of it. He recoils with a flinch as his cheek stings.
He just watched for a long moment as she huffed pained breaths. Each time she seemed to loosen any tension, that act alone caused her more pain. Going back and forth from seeing pained expressions, her eyes bloodshot from denying tears most likely.
After a long while it was Hikari that broke the silence.
"T-take me away for here..mmgullp" she chokes out finally meeting his eye, the sweat falling off her face like rain pooling on the floor beneath her.
Her hands slip on the floor due to the ridiculous amount of perspiration glistening off her pale, albeit deeply flushed skin.
"Yoooooou should just get in the pod" Ringu's drawl raised with commanding confidence despite the confusion. He had his doubts now, but the healing chambers were a proven method.
The look in Hikari's eyes was one of exasperation.
"Just.." she gasps after starting her sentence."just..get me out. Come on.." she gasped again. The flickering vulnerability in her eyes was unmistakable even to him.
This side of her wasn't something he thought to monopolize outright, but the thought of even some alien witnessing Hikari in such an unflattering state made his chest tighten. Logical thoughts went out the window as he answered.
"back to base?" He asks with building nerves.
"No.." she denied right away in-between labored breaths. "Come on R-ring!" She demands while holding onto a spark of her former energy to say his nickname.
Ringu finished thinking because he knelt down. His hands reach over for Hikari's arm, pulling back while remembering the back hand. She looked like a wounded animal with no wounds. He couldn't tell where touching her would cause pain so eventually he had to rip that band-aid off.
"Ahhh" Hikari groaned like she was holding back a louder screech.
Moving his hand away and the back again he lifted her arm over his shoulder. Standing up with an arm slung around him. Her weight, even if it all fell onto the man, would be nothing to worry about.
"Ahhh, MOVE NOW!" She starts to groan as his touch anywhere made her pain worse, only to demand they get away from there.
Hikari couldn't stop herself from letting out groans of pain all the way to the doorway. He hesitated at the doorway because she did.
"Hmmm Heee?"
"I- need to get somewhere isolated" Hikari gasps out in one brief moment of focus.
Ringu started to catch on to what she currently needed. He just hoped this was a personal problem of hers that could be fixed. He was starting to believe he would never see her real self again.
He nodded in understanding. Then his eyes darted around before settling on a device sitting on one of the trays. Picking it up despite loathing what it stands for. Hikari didn't bat an eye.
With a beep the scouter revealed where all the power levels were in the area. With a few more presses recalibrated the sensor to focus on power levels above a low threshold; ignoring any weak creatures for miles and miles out.
"No one's around..hee let's go towards the mountains" he implied that they travel towards home base regardless.
With an agreeable shrug Hikari just wanted to leave the populated area.
Now that they were in agreement, Ringu rushed off with her arm around his. Stopping briefly to allow the one outlier to pass obliviously down the hallway. The moment lagged agonizingly as Hikari held on to the vast oceans of agony welling up inside; Ringu could only guess what was going on and rushed as to not get caught.
When the low class saiyan passed by they found an exit that could lead them outside despite being on a higher floor. The building was designed for those who could fly in mind so they leapt from a dozen stories up. Catching themselves on a jet of flames that only made the woman finally release her screams.
"Eyaaaaaaahaaahh" She lets out to release the agonizing tension of pain in her body someway. Ringu fully expected this and pushed forward anyway.
They shouldn't have been able to evade detection at this point, but they did. Realistically the tension was all on Ringu as he had no clue what would happen if they were caught and did not want to find out.
***
Hikari's screams started up as they got far enough that the sounds of the capital dulled. Ringu titled his head away and shifted.
"Dont..move so much" she spits out in between pained yells. The complaints were endless as if they soothed just a bit more than wordlessly filling the night with her screams. "Stop..Ringu..ugh"
When they finally were close to a clearing in the forest beside a mountain Hikari flopped out of his arms to the exact results she expected. Writhing on the ground like a worm split in two.
Ringu must have been feeling deja vu because he's seen this before. Hikari just acted like a Beast that lost half its limbs. Just like before, only now they were alone in a forest rather than a building.
Now that they were alone and away from the capital Hikari really let it loose. Eventually she would be pushed to suppressing the pain, getting used to it was a step not relief. Pushing the pain to the side, focusing on a plan of action.
When her horse voice stopped rasping out desperate cries, Hikari had shifted to deep labored puffs of breath. Now she could think straight, in fact with each puff it felt like focus returned to her. The main thought on her mind currently is to limit those who knew about her weakness.
Rustle! Crackle! Wooosh!
Something had jostled the bushes and Hikari reacted immediately by blasting a hole in whatever was hiding. An impulsive act that revealed a secret about her.
Ringu witnessed a fire breakaway into light. What he saw was energy, not the burning source of their faith in the squadron. His lips had parted in shock with no words escaping only to close as he accepted it rather quickly.
After the beam of light shot into the darkness lurking in the bushes followed by a nearly imperceptible "Thump" could be heard. It was low, but they both heard it.
While Hikari lowered her hand she grunted due to the effort it took and the increased pain it added. Effort always equals pain for her. She clenched the dirt on the ground. Considered something drastic as Ringu walks off.
Hikari only glanced his way as he went off and checked the spot where she had shot. Pulling back a body toward her.
Some average height low class saiyan. He had to be, to die so easily and not show up on a scouter. His eyes were whited out and most importantly he was missing a circular hole the size of a child's fist right on the middle of his torso. Blood gushed down his mouth like he had gagged on it before dying.
"Hikari..you" he starts to process what just happened with the evidence before him.
Only Kappa had the skill to burn such a hole so quickly with fire, the light that flashed as a result told him it wasn't flames at all that she used.
His eyes wobble as he struggles to put two and two together, before his brain can process it Hikari speaks up.
"I- I'm going to run away" she interrupts with a pained whine.
"What!?" His question snaps out. "Now….we need you Hikari.."
They had successfully started training their 6th successful saiyan. Life under cruel rulers would end. His priority should be the cause, but he wondered what would come first; The King's cruelty or some murals hopeful prophecy.
"Not now…" she whimpers out. Her posture still crumpled on the coarse ground. It's clear to Ringu that she's struggling.
He stood there frozen, woefully ignorant, and unable to make a decision. It gave Hikari more time to reclaim control of her swirling mind, gaining control of anything in this painful throbbing haze.
"Buuuuuut…" his drawl lasted long at how important this next retort was. " what about this guy..why did you have to suddenly. And with energy." He didn't seem to be shocked about the energy aspect of this dilemma.
"We don't dooo that!" He says, more to himself than to protest her actions. He was running his hand through his hair to relax the building anxiety; the unknown variables mashing with his emotions and not knowing who to follow.
Kappa the man who believed in him or Hikari the woman who brought light into his life. One forced him forward while the other he was pulling himself towards.
***
[Hikari]
("F*ck") I curse internally, and my face scrunches up as I look away. Ringu can see it all. How frail and crazed I must look right now. Someone could end me right now and I might even thank them from the afterlife at this rate.
Ringu was frozen, probably contemplating what my sentence will be when the rest of them find out I can control my energy. I just had to react and kill that trashy low class fool.
Then Ringu moved.
Crackle! Fwoosh!
His hand had been wrapped in flames, my mouth was agape as I witnessed him set the dead fool's body on fire. His flames shot out like a gust of wind, engulfing the body and consuming it as it was quickly incinerated.
Honestly if it weren't for this unbearable pain, I would want to praise him for his work.
Beep!
Ringu had pressed the Scouter button. Looking straight forward before looking down. I saw what looked like relief on his face and interpreting that as the coast being clear i also felt something close to relief touch the ocean of my agony.
"It's clear! Heeeee, explain yourself right nnnnnnow" he demanded an explanation, but i could tell he was still that bookworm holding up the storerooms.
I prepared to speak but a sharp ache welled up in my throat instead. Parting my lips to gasp before I speak.
"Fine..just..let me catch my breath" He hears me and just stands there. His head looked titled back every so slightly like my words were going to hit him or something.
"I…I'm in pain…"
I told him about my pain. I told him what he needed to hear. Hell, I even tried to evoke that cute persona I'd crafted. All so that I could get him to turn away.
The moment he turns I'm going to blast him. I just wait for him to avert his gaze.
("Look away") I threaten him inwardly. My face can't lie right now, exhaustion is taking over. I honestly have no idea what face I'm making right now, I just hope it's the smile I need.
"So when you fight..and when you train" he starts to say minus the usual drawls, that has to mean he's putting something together in his head.
I was waiting for the scoff or the sneer, but I should have known this push over would look at my agony as a book to decipher.
"Yes it..hurts like hell" I finish his sentence and feel a semblance of my former state returning to me. His eyes seem to be ignorant of that.
Unclenching the dirt I postponed his execution. Between letting my pain settle and fixing a short term problem, I choose not to compromise my current lifestyle. Truthfully I have no idea how to explain his death, would they believe we were attacked twice so soon?
While deeply contemplating my next move I was surprised to see Ringu kneel before me.
"We'll" he starts before correcting himself. " I'll find a way to help you. Heee, so, don't run oooff. This saiyan wasn't a part of our Squadron and he didn't seem important to the other side. A causality of war "I see how that last line seems to drive home what this decision meant to him.
I was going to get what I wanted at the cost of knowing someone would be watching me. Our return home after that was very uneventful, no confrontation, just the normal split up. Finally i could pass out In a bed, letting the pain overwhelm me until i do.