Echoes of the Past
By: Demara

The Saiya-jin's smirk curled his lips into a hideous expression of evil. Flames from the nearby buildings reflected in his eyes, and he seemed like a demon in his own private hell. His black hair spiked to and fro, one piece laying between his eyes and the rest cascading towards his left ear in vicious spikes.

In the distance, rolling over the hills like thunder, could be heard the great war cry of an Oozaru, soon joined by a chorus of moaning growls. The sun was setting and soon the pale rays of the rising moon would turn this Saiya-jin too into a great monkey.

In the mean time he busied himself with the natives. A ball of ki grew in his hands, glowing a pale red. A tap on his scouter told him that the people were in one of the buildings nearby. Its roof was only beginning to feel the touch of the flames. With a grin he aimed his ki ball at the structure and shot it off his fingertip. The building exploded on contact, and the barest squeak of a scream was emitted before the voice was silenced as its source evaporated.

The Saiya-jin laughed. He picked his way through the burning rubble, all the while his tail lashing mischievously about his ankles. He smelled fear; the unmistakable scent of the cold sweat of apprehension. There was something else as well. There was woman.

He ignored his scouter, preferring for now the chance to hunt. He followed her scent through a crumbling building, and out the other side into the town center. There was a cobbled square, a few forgotten and broken carts of vendors, and a fountain.

She was so close now, her scent was like a taste in the air, solid and tangible. "Come out, come out, little one..." he teased. "I know you are here..."

The first rays of the moon reached out their pale fingers, touching his back in a tantalizing, beckoning caress. The hair on his tail stood on end with anticipation. For the moment he ignored the moon's call, and closed his eyes to concentrate on the smell. A smirk curled his lips, and in a moment he seemed to fade out of existence and reappear before a vendor's cart.

One blow of his hand destroyed it. As the pieces settled his prey could be seen, shivering and pale in the moonlight. She had beautiful golden hair, so reminiscent of the Legendary for so weak a creature. With a malicious grin he grabbed her, lifted her by the throat-

Bryce suppressed the chill that ran down his spine as life support began to power down and the medication that kept him asleep during long voyages ceased its steady flow into his bloodstream. His pod had touched ground. Out the viewport he could still make out traces of smoke rising from the scorched hull as it cooled.

From a side compartment he retrieved his gun and scouter. He held the green lens to his eye for a moment and pressed the button over the ear-piece. Yellow symbols scrolled on screen, accompanied by a beep, then the racing shapes stopped and numbers appeared; the device went silent.

A grim smile twisted his lips. "Two high power sources, unmistakably alien compared to the rest of the population. It must be the Saiya-jins... The last." Bryce closed his eyes and laid the scouter on his lap, nodding his head in respect. "Kami preserve me in my final hours - watch over me and grant me success in my time of need."

He opened his eyes and reached for the hatch release. The round pod opened like the seams of a baseball, and he stepped out. His scuffed, worn chest armor shone dully in the sunlight, and his baggy gi pants rustled and shifted with a slight breeze; his blond hair, stiff as an adult Saiya-jin's, did not move. Bryce breathed deep of this new air, taking in the scent of scorched grass and moist earth. It reminded him of home; he pushed those thoughts away. After retrieving his pack and a jagged-edged sword from beneath the seat, he checked the scouter again.

"Prince Vegeta... You and the last of your race will pay for the lives you've taken and the horrors you have committed. I swear it on my life," Bryce uttered to himself. Then in silence he lifted off the ground and flew in the direction of the power sources he detected.

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