The man with the "1" scratched on his armor chestplate watched as the flame squadron took off with one of the recently added rejects. He didn't pay much attention to Zukki so this situation was new to him. Furthermore he could not hear from this distance.
Number 1 flinched back behind the wall and calmed every nerve in his body. There wouldn't be a way to tell if he was caught until the woman was upon him. Eventually he caught sight of the woman flying off and stepped out of his hiding spot.
Making his way to the unconscious duo of rejects. The very same pair that women paid him to retrieve.
Lifting them by the collar of their armor he swiftly dragged them away. It was early enough so he fully expected no one would run into him.
Only for a woman to bump directly into him when he turned the corner. His face crashed into a soft–brick wall. Pulling back he noticed that he had run straight into the reject with the number "69" scratched into her chestplate. The chestplate was missing a jagged chunk out of its corner.
The women scoffed before shoving him aside.
"Jeez..1 and here I thought the rumors of you eating newbies was fake" she spits out half caring about the mystery, half ready to go about her business. The rumors about how the so-called first reject were that wild and dumb.
It's how Number One doesn't deny the claim and just carries about his business that the woman was shaken. Even a cold hearted and tunneled minded person like her needs other stimulus in an environment like this. Mysteriousness held a certain power in a place like this. So as she sweats bullets and trails the man more rumors would be born.
***
The Flame Squadron's compound was one of the secret marvels of this world. Not the same expanse as the Royal family's castle or the Main shipyard. It was subtly built into a cliff side.
Looking rather unassuming at best, like a cavern filled in by structures that blend in. People who have seen it believe the squad to be one that had wasted their money.
A few aliens and a handful of saiyans waved to greet the returning warriors. Kappa and his squad touch down at the cavern floor. Zukki touching down on the ground herself.
"Father, let's go! I wanna see momm–mother" she corrected herself as Hikari snickered in the corner of her eye. Zukki was running ahead, already eager to return home after feeling so homesick.
"Alright alright, I understand your eagerness, little ember," he says to Zukki in a reserved tone. Still stone faced as ever, the moment above the clouds was just a rare second of vulnerability.
"Karada, Prepare the training ring. After you've taken a moment to rest." He says, then glanced over the rest of his elite squad. "That goes for all of you, rest up. Then meet me in the training hall three hours from now"
"Sir!" They all stood straight and answered before being dismissed to their various quarters. Each of them pulled the armor pieces off like chains they dropped to the ground now that they were home.
The aliens and saiyans took care of the armor pieces leaving the father and daughter to walk home. Through the cavern across buildings built for storage and living quarters for those who stay on base. Those staying on the base are most often aimless low-class saiyans.
Some of these warriors watched as Kappa walked his daughter towards the end of the compound. Towards a rectangular hole on the wall and a stone staircase case leading up. Despite the child's short legs she was leading this walk by half a mile.
"K-Kappa!" One of the stray saiyans called out to him. He was clearly angry. Clenching his fists at his sides and trembling. "I tried the heat trick...and i frickin burned myself"
Kappa and Zukki turned to face the man. The girl on impulse wanted to jump at his face, a bad habit of hers that was starting to form. The growl that escaped Zukki's lips, a low, but vocal passive disdain.
Her face was covered by her father's hand. Zukki's eyes widened as she saw the cracked dry greyness of it. She looked up to see her fathers unchanging expression. Then to the man.
"Young man, You were told to stop at creating an ember. Did you succeed?" He says, unmoved by the distraction. His tone understanding despite the interruption.
"I did..but it burned me. If the aliens weren't around it might have been agonizing to find a way back to.." he stopped himself mid complaint. "It doesn't matter...if i was just going to hurt myself to get stronger I'd just join the Frontline again!"
Kappa exhaled as he stepped towards the man.
Zukki observed the interaction with reverence. Anticipating how her father would react. Fully expecting him to send the man flying or cleave him in half.
Her father just placed a hand on his shoulder before doling out words he's spoken several hundreds of times.
"Son, our flames burn for a greater purpose. The pain you feel now will carve out a path for our future" his firm tone pierced the man's weak heart. The grasp on his shoulder anchors him to the ground.
"But.." he wants to protest but the presence of Kappa bears down on him. Like the heat of the sun barring down on him on a summer's day.
"It hurts" Kappa finishes the man's sentence like he really understands him. "I assure you, the pain will make sense and we won't let you fall to your injuries..but."
Kappa had stopped speaking when noticing an alien's timid behavior nearby. Zukki's eyes were wide as she didn't fully recognize what was going on. Her father wasn't preaching nor was he dismissive. He realized the plight of the weak and no longer ignored it.
"But, do not mistreat our faculty. Our assistants work tirelessly to make sure we don't die in the pursuit and those who disrespect them also disrespect our squad."
The alien on the side had stopped shaking. The weak saiyan had gone silent. Both were renewed in their line of service by the leader's speech.
"O-ok Sir!" He salutes Kappa before turning to the alien. His expression is strained and the alien mirrors him.
"Shake on it. That way we can be clear there are no hard feelings" Kappa practically demands, although it's more like a suggestion, his tone doesn't change.
They do shake on it, reluctantly so before going back to their business proper.
Zukki then leaped onto her father's shoulder. "Wow father! You didn't even need to beat them up to win" she giggles furiously while tugging on his ear to keep balance.
The man's face remains straight yet his lips quirk just a tiny bit upward, something hardly noticeable.
"Not everything should be solved in a fight, Zukki" he uses her name for emphasis on that fact.
"Or with fire?" She asks
"Especially not with fire" he answers as they continue their walk, making it to the stairs as Kappa peels Zukki off of his head.
"Whaaa..how do i beat my enemies if i can't use my fire? Grabbing and punching only get me so far.." she says then mutters. "Nowhere lately..."
Zukki was at her limit and wanted to use her fire in proper combat. It was an itch she was desperate to burn. Though as she bounded several steps at a time her attention started to turn to their destination.
Home.
Atop the long staircase light peeked out the tunnel's exit. The cavern's opening reveals a lush forest and grassy fields. The sunlight cast shadows inside as the ceiling was more like two mountain sides crashing into each other. Jagged and uneven, it successfully hid the flame squadron leader's house.
The house was built out of wood. Something unlike 99% of the homes residing on planet Vegeta. Windows crafted somewhat imperfectly. Green grew up the walls.
Zukki was already at the door by the time Kappa made it to the top step. His patience had returned once reuniting with Zukki. Despite this patience he was eager to be home, where she was waiting for him.
Zukki was somehow able to hold back the impulse to run right in. Looking back at her father with impatient eyes.
"Come on... let's go see mom together!" She says, first her tail wiggles, then it's frantically flailing, until the girl herself was jumping in the air. A start contrast to the brash and blunt personality she shows everyone else.
"Ok ok, just don't fizzle out too quickly or rush.." he starts while opening the door. A door knob, nothing automatic or sudden.
The door opens with a rough creek as the girl shoots forward regardless. Darting her waited through the house to find her room.
The door to her mother's bedroom swung open with more force than she intended. No matter the smile she received, it wouldn't be followed by admonishment today.
In the bed was a pale Saiyan woman. Her skin, a sick shade of white while her chopped shoulder-length hair was a contrasting vibrant color. Her tail flicked up with a familiar level of excitement to the girl in the doorway she herself couldn't hide. Even more so than the house this woman held something that made her 99.99% unlike the rest. Her hair, especially including her tail, is a deep blue that matches her name. As it only really can be described as close to the color of oceans on far away planets.
The light in her eyes reflected in Zukki's as the child dove out. Unseen carefulness in how she uses the bed to catch herself rather than slam into the poor woman.
"Gah.. Honey!" The woman squeals happily until her voice trails into something weak like a wheeze.
Zukki had been nuzzling her mane of hair into the woman. Giggling happily until she heard the woman coughing. The little girl looked up at her mother with a weary uncertain gaze. Despite the weakness evident in the shape of her expression, how it only raises with life to meet her daughter's gaze, the woman was so warm to the touch.
"Mom..are you ok?" Zukki's voice comes out as Shakey.
"Yes Honey..just got a little excited. Did you leave your father in the dust again?" Her mother deflects.
"That she did" The deep voice of Kappa finally intrudes. He doesn't stop at the doorway though, the man moves over to his family with carefully clops of his boots against the creaking floor.
His hand reaches out, both hands ready out and they hold his precious family. One through that wild mane on his daughter and the other caressing the side of his mate's head.
"We're home Mizu"
"Welcome home"