An Amity Revived
Chapter Eleven
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Damn her!"
The gray-skinned man only stared at his companion in response. What could he say? Obviously he was worried, but luckily Totepo was not like the rest of his people and didn't point it out. But he was also like the rest of the Saiya-jin by providing no words of comfort.
Already noon was approaching and the sky was tinted to the same exact color as it had been on their last day of life. Pinkish-white swirling designs were made on the surface of the sky, where the sun was hidden. There was still light, of course. Everything on the planet could be seen perfectly.
The expression worn on the Toma's face was very visible indeed. He looked frustrated and exhausted. The other feeling he was showing neither of them would dare mention, although he was also expressing it in both his words and his voice. He felt the emotion that he did because three hours had passed, and Celipa had not returned to the landing site. Toma had just learned that she hasn't run into the landing site of their old commander either.
While Totepo kept quiet, the sub-leader kept rambling on. His tones of voice were silent and almost like a growl. The words he spoke were not reassuring to either of them. In fact, it could bring a person's spirits down further than the ground. And according to what he muttered, he had a very strong feeling she was dead.
As his voice kept getting softer and softer, the higher and higher the tension grew. Finally, when Toma's voice was in a whisper, Totepo knew what he had to do to snap him out of it. "Toma," he said simply in a snappy tone. Amazingly enough, it did the trick.
Toma looked at his companion, biting the inside of his cheek, the ends of his brows connecting and a corner of his mouth only slightly lower than the other. He quit talking and stayed that way for a moment, before squaring his shoulders in determination. "We have to find her," Toma stated quietly. "I'm not leaving this place without knowing how she is. Dead or alive. It's not like her to push herself this much. It can't be a practical joke either. She isn't capable of coming up with things like that."
Totepo kept his blank expression, and his voice was just as dull. "What do you suggest we do?" he questioned. Normally he wouldn't ask Toma that question, but Bardock wasn't on the planet. Therefore, Toma had the authority to command the crew. Although this had nothing to do with the missions, and was concentrated more on a group problem rather than a crew problem.
The sub-leader just shook his head, almost indicating he had no bright ideas. "Something is better than nothing," Toma muttered to himself. "Let's go back to Panboukin. One of us will stay at the landing site, and two others will look for her for three hours. Then we return and someone switches spots."
Totepo nodded grimly, having no better ideas. Both of them took off back to the landing site in unison without any other motions or words foreshadowing their sudden movement. It was as if they shared a brain. Actually, to a certain point of view, they did. Continuing this theory, neither said anything at all during the journey. After all, both were too blinded by their emotions so much that they couldn't even think clearly.
It would be considered a rare case for Saiya-jin. But with these certain two Saiya-jin, that would be a lie. At least when it came to a close comrade's whereabouts. Without scouters or any other source of communication, concern was to be expected from any species. That is, those who actually had feelings.
Ha! Success. How he loved the taste of that. It was the best and the most delight the Resurrector had ever received and allowed himself to feel. Other times the taste for success just came to him blindly. Of course he enjoyed it, but this time he did it himself, and without the help of others. He didn't need help this time. Oh no, he didn't.
His opponent was trapped. Pinned down. Surrounded. Imprisoned. It took a good while, but not too much time. Only a mere six hours. In another two hours he can send this traitor back down to Hell, when the gates reopen. Then he can rejoice for a few years or months, monitoring the four Saiya-jins' lives, which he couldn't get to at the moment. He had no idea what was happening and that did not come lightly to his senses.
Well, one could be patient for another few hours.
Thank goodness that he had won this battle! If he hadn't, then his one chance to save the Saiya-jin race went down the drain with a loud plop. He was only allowed resurrecting one group of people within three days, and it was gruesome work. Their bodies must be still in good condition as well. Not decayed, moth-eaten. Not vanished or obliterated into tiny little pieces like their home planet, where the remains of their other comrades stood.
Thank goodness his lover, who had died before he had, took care of the bodies immediately after they died. She knew that he would want them to be alive again. He had a feeling that she had something to do with his place as a partial god. She never killed. Despite how she had normally acted during her lifetime, she was almost innocent. Almost. But not quite. So if she asked the gods for her husband as a partial god, like she became a partial goddess, they'd probably grant her it. She may have been put on "community service" in Heaven to make up for some of the bad things she's done before.
It didn't matter. He loved her anyway.
The main thing on his mind was: how much longer could those barriers hold? After he was sent back to Hell, how long until he managed to break free again and this time succeed in getting what he wants?
The Resurrector won't let that happen. No chance in Hell. No chance in Heaven. No chance by the name of the living world would he allow him to get away and destroy all that he worked hard for.
Totepo was what he was before he died. He is what he was before he died. The way things are looking, he will always be what he was before he died. The official referee of all arguments between or among his comrades. The peacekeeper in drastic measures. Well, there was one in every group. Totepo was either the lucky or the unlucky one that he was it.
But those two. They had never argued or even disagreed in their entire lives, yet there they were an hour ago. Toma and Panboukin seemed like they were soon to be on the verge of killing each other. Perhaps they were. Their heated argument was quiet and low, not loud and deafening. This brought out the uneasiness in Totepo. But when he saw the sharp move indicating a fight was going to start, so he cut in calmly and reminded them that Celipa was still out there on the planet alone.
Amazingly, they forgot that they had to be looking for her. In fact, they were arguing over whose fault it was that she never returned, too! Awkwardly enough, they never blamed it on her. They blamed it on each other. It was more of a bounce-back argument. Panboukin started it off, saying that if Toma hadn't snapped they wouldn't be in this situation. Then Toma counterattacked. The rest went on from there.
Well, at least they were off on their search again. "Again" didn't necessarily mean that they were back on the search to find Celipa. "Again" meant that they were off finding answers of their companion's whereabouts. This time, however, only two of them were out on the search. But now Totepo realized that there was no use in them just sending out two at a time. It was confirmed that she was not going to return on her own. She hadn't for the past twelve plus hours. What even made Toma begin to think to make someone stay behind?
Despite Toma's anger at the overweight Saiya-jin, he instructed Panboukin to stay at the landing site until someone returned to cover for him. He said he needed to get some rest. Totepo knew what he was thinking. Perhaps some sleep will vanquish some or most of the steam. Knowing Panboukin and everyone else, it might be possible. Either he needed sleep to ease his temper or something else that they couldn't give him right now.
Or were they helping him now? It could be just him, but Celipa always seemed to be closer to either Panboukin or Toma. She seemed to value them more than Bardock or Totepo, although she still trusted the taller Saiya-jin more than anyone else and loved to help out with training Bardock's son. Nonetheless, in times of trouble the two people she turned to, depending on the situation, were the two most out-going males of the crew.
Then again, it could be just him.
Swift images came past his eyes as he searched the ground thoroughly. Bones and decaying flesh. Demolished buildings. The signature of their destruction. Why hadn't the Planet Trade come through here yet, cleaning up after them? They always had. In fact, once Totepo went to an old planet he got rid of just out of mere curiosity and saw that a new, thriving city had been established. The buyers really wanted a planet to claim as their own. And they did. Ultimate pride had gone through him, and it was only three years later that did he realize they had been used.
A split second before he had died.
Totepo jerked his head up all of a sudden, noticing a single building still in contact. It was awfully familiar, although he barely took notice of the designs of the buildings of the Meatsei-jins. This was exactly what it was. Almost perfect condition, with the exceptions of a few punctured walls. There were more than four walls on this building. Although it was light, inside of the building was absolutely dark. Too many openings for that to be possible.
But he took notice of something else that was peculiar. It either amazed him or struck him hard. Again, he found the answer to the question. This time, he wasn't proud that he did.