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Post by Belle on Sept 15, 2019 14:27:53 GMT -6
Belle's PL: 32,000
Aura Block: Set to 100
As more and more time passed, the more Belle thought that the time was approaching to say her goodbyes to her new Tuffle friends. Of course, she didn't want them to think that she was ungrateful or anything or that she was just going to tell someone like Mister Vocado about them. She wouldn't. She didn't want to help the Saiyan Kingdom take more victims. The empire... Mm. Belle stood on the outskirts of the Tuffle camp on a ridge overlooking it all. It was nice to see people busy. It was nice to have that feeling of belonging. But Belle didn't feel it. Not here or anywhere. Not with Tarch either... mostly because Chromo made sure to let her know at every opportunity that she wasn't welcome. An unwanted intruder. Anyway, Belle didn't want to lead Tarch to the Tuffles unintentionally either. So, it was best if she just left. Miss Roma would probably be sad, but Belle didn't mind if she came along. There was one person that she wanted to say goodbye to either way. Mister Duran. He had offered to help her when they had first met, and she hadn't forgotten it. It was really nice of him. Really kind. But, at the same time, anyone who tried to help her usually met with a pretty terrible fate. Tarch was insistent, but she didn't want to endanger any more people than she really had to. Plopping down, Belle sighed loudly to herself. She leaned over the ridge, trying to spot Mister Duran in the camp. Mmm... she didn't really see him though. It was harder than normal too because she couldn't see his aura. "I wonder where he is..."Mm... no that was someone else. There?! No, that was just a machine of some kind. Belle frowned and scratched her head. Mister Duran sure was a lot of trouble to find. She wondered how she was going to get in touch with him via telepathy if she couldn't sense his aura from afar. Hm... Think! There had to be a way, right? Usually, she focused in on their aura to point her telepathy at the correct person. She supposed she could just blindly reach out to different sections of the galaxy, but she wasn't so confident that she knew which direction Namek was from any given point in the galaxy. Well, maybe she could just check her ship's computer. Would that work?
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Post by Duran on Sept 18, 2019 16:29:18 GMT -6
Duran had been at work inside of his own makeshift house, an amalgamation of metal plating welded together to loosely resemble a 'home'. It wasn't much, but after the months he had spent living inside of it, Duran had gotten used to it. Despite what the outside might've told, the inside was home to quite advanced technology. Tuffle engineering seemed to run in the blood. Duran was, in fact, half-Tuffle. His brawny demeanor didn't mean he had any brains within that skull of his.
He ran his usual mechanical checks and tests to see if his body wasn't on the brink of collapsing due to either too much or too little Destron. His exhausts were working as intended, and his Destron Core was fully operational. Lucky for Duran, seeing as the Tuffles lacked a real engineer at their disposal. Duran was able to fix small errors and check up his own body, but when it came to real damage? He'd have been...Doomed.
Taking a small, subtle peek through his open window, Duran noted that he wasn't the only one doing a check-up on him. He spotted a curious little Saiyan spying at the Tuffle settlement from a nearby ridge. The mess of black hair and sunken, curious eyes immediately betrayed her person. ''...Subtle, Belle. Very subtle.'' Duran sighed to himself, hiding his person in the shade of his home once again.
Moments later, an ominous silence would envelop Belle as she confusedly tried to pinpoint Duran's location, unaware that she was truly the one being hunted. Like a predator stalking it's prey, Duran sneaked up to the child ever silently, not making the slightest of noise. He'd reach out to her with two metal fingers stretched out, and tapped them against the back of her head.
''Bang.''
Duran's voice would cut the silence and hopefully drag Belle back to reality. Despite how large he was, Duran was no slouch when it came to assassination. Korla surely bested him in that area, but still. Once Belle turned to him, he'd cross his arms and his not-so-arm.
''You should be more careful when spying on people, Belle.'' He spoke in his usual gruff voice, yet with a hint of amusement. The mask covering his mouth hid a warm smile. Duran let out a subtle chuckle however, tilting his head to the side.
''Were you looking for me?''
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Post by Belle on Sept 19, 2019 8:38:02 GMT -6
It was getting to the point where Belle was wondering if she should just go down to the village and ask around for Mister Duran. That would probably be faster than trying to find him herself. But… Belle didn’t like the way the Tuffles looked at her. She knew why they did it. Saiyans were bad. Especially the Vegetan Saiyans. But… it only made her hate herself even more. Because they were right. They were all so right about the Saiyans. So much so, that she wished that she hadn’t been born at all.
“Ah!”
Belle jumped when she suddenly felt something really cold tap the back of her head. The voice that accompanied it only served to startle her more. Turning, Belle relaxed a bit when she saw who it was. Mister Duran! How had he snuck up on her? She tilted her head to the side in confusion. She blinked at him as he reprimanded her, but her confusion didn’t lessen.
“I wasn’t trying to spy?”
She smiled faintly at him until she realized his tone reminded her of… someone else… when he teased her. She pressed her lips together as she tried very hard not to think of her uncle. When Mister Duran asked his question, he provided an escape for her. She stood up and nodded.
“Yes. I wanted to tell you something. Um… I’m probably leaving soon for this place called Earth.”
Belle clasped her hands together, hoping that Mister Duran wouldn’t have some sort of outburst about how he knew taking her to the camp was a bad idea or that it was typical of a Saiyan. She was just bad luck. Mister Duran and his friends needed her to stay far away. For their sakes. Something would happen, and it would be all her fault again if Mister Duran got hurt or killed by whatever bad luck she brought. She bowed her head to him, mumbling softly.
“I’m really sorry. It’s not because I don’t appreciate or like you all. I’m not ungrateful… My friend thinks it’s better if we all stick together so… plus, there’s not as many memories on Earth… if I avoid certain parts at least…”
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Post by Duran on Sept 19, 2019 10:33:39 GMT -6
Duran merely shook his head at Belle's apparent confusion, forgetting that Belle was still a kid despite all of that power and potential she held. ''I'm joking, Belle.'' He assured her. After all, what business would she have truly spying on Duran? She hated her own people. Duran really doubted that that hatred had been a farce so she could act as a spy for the Saiyan Kingdom. Children like her were far too oblivious and simple to perform such tasks.
There was something he noticed about her demeanor, however. A strange look in her eye after Duran had finished teasing her. The Cyborg wasn't sure what it meant, besides giving off a negative aura. Ultimately, Duran decided to ignore it.
Belle nodded at Duran as she stood straight, before explaining what she wanted to talk about. The sudden news left Duran feeling shocked, and surprisingly...Disappointed? The Cyborg reflected within himself for a moment, feeling it strange that he was more than likely going to miss Belle. A Saiyan. Him? Miss a Saiyan? This child had a strange effect on Duran...
''...I understand, Belle. It's alright.'' Duran spoke calmly, effectively hiding his sadness. Belle quickly went on to excuse herself, obviously afraid of hurting the towering Droid's feelings. Duran merely shook his head and gestured toward her. ''Really. It is okay.'' He couldn't help but hide a small chuckle.
Letting a brief silence fall between them, Duran thought for a moment. His eyes averted to the horizon for a brief second, before looking back to Belle. ''You need to stick with your friends. That's very important. It is what Korla, Iyokan and I have done for our entire lives. It's the only reason we're still fighting. Besides, you are likely to be safer on Earth than you are here.'' Duran explained to her. Brief images of Earth's leader, that rat of a Saiyan Carro flashed into his mind, causing Duran to smack his lips as if a sour taste had settled in his mouth. Disgusting. But for her, a Saiyan? It was her safest best.
''...Before you leave, Belle-'' Duran paused, and gestured toward the vast plains behind them. ''Do you want to go on a walk? There are some things I want to tell you.'' He asked her calmly. Duran knew she couldn't see his smirk, so he reassured her in speech.
''Don't worry, it's nothing bad.''
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Post by Belle on Sept 19, 2019 11:32:57 GMT -6
“O-Oh.” Mister Duran was joking with her. He seemed to understand her need to leave as well, something for which she was grateful. She did want to stay with Tarch. He was nice. He was trying to help. She wanted to stay with him more than she was afraid that she might hurt him by being near him. Even though Chromo didn’t like her at all. Earth Saiyans were pretty different from Vegetan Saiyans. Probably because the Kingdom wasn’t twisting every Earth Saiyan with dogmatic pride and principles. Mister Duran admitted that she would probably be safer on Earth than Namek, but she wasn’t so sure.
“I dunno. Maybe… Mister Vocado might come looking for me again. It’s better that he finds me alone and does whatever he’ll do than if I’m with anyone else. I still have to fix things too.”
Belle’s shoulders sagged as if the weight of the whole galaxy was upon them. She couldn’t do anything against Mister Vocado. He could kill her. Forcibly drag her back to Vegeta. Whatever he wanted to do. Why hadn’t he done that on Arcose? Was it because she had managed to get away while he was distracted with murdering Mister Lord Chill? Maybe. There was the option that he wanted as much to do with her as she wanted to do with him, but Belle was gonna be cautious. She wouldn’t let herself be surprised by him again. Earth had Dragon Balls too. He could show up looking for those.
Belle nodded when Mister Duran asked if she wanted to go for a walk. She shook her head to clear it and stuck her hands in her pockets where she could feel the cold metal of the dragon radar. She had checked a few times already, but it seemed as though the Namekian Dragon Balls were well and truly gone. Tarch said they would come back… but she didn’t want to wait if she didn’t have to. Setting off with Daisy in her arms, Belle glanced over to Mister Duran curiously.
“What is it?”
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Post by Duran on Sept 19, 2019 12:54:54 GMT -6
Vocado.
Duran choked on his breath at the mention of his name.
A distinct fear sunk into his eyes as Duran recalled visions of the Golden-haired Saiyan, cackling wildly as he reduced Duran's then final hope into ash and blasted him across the horizon. The Cyborg shuddered at the thought, thankful that he survived their encounter. Vocado's appearance still haunted Duran's dreams at night, yet it was the one fear he sought to conquer, above all else.
What terrified him though...Is that Belle knew him.
''You know of Vocado?'' Duran asked her, fear lacing his tone as he walked beside her.
Breathing in, he didn't even want to imagine what that barbaric Saiya-jin had done to this poor child. While shocking, it was convenient, as the topic somewhat went hand in hand with what Duran intended to speak to Belle about.
''...Vocado was the first Saiyan I encountered on this planet. The very first person, even.''
Duran's tone was hollow and bitter as he recalled that day. The pressure he felt, along with the indescribable fear nearly was enough to send him into a panic. He collected himself, breathing calmly as he continued.
''Seeing him brought up some very bad memories. Scary ones...'' His eyes sunk to the grass at his feet as they walked.
Momentarily, Duran was silent. He'd always try his best to stay strong and fearless, yet he couldn't deny that his encounters with the Saiyans had brought nothing but traumatic experiences. Talking about it was painful and difficult for Duran- he truly struggled to remain calm as he recalled all of the memories. His eyes glanced toward Belle, thinking of how tough it must be for her. The Cyborg had seen countless battles and was a full-grown adult. She...was a child. Scared, alone, and afraid.
''I'm sorry to hear that Vocado hurt you as well,'' Duran apologized to Belle in a sympathetic tone. He sighed out, glancing at the Saiyan. He'd actually grown quite calm around her, despite her heritage.
''We have a lot in common, Belle. More than you think, probably.'' Duran paused. ''...Have I ever told you about where the others and I came from?''
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Post by Belle on Sept 19, 2019 14:01:33 GMT -6
Belle nodded solemnly when Mister Duran asked if she knew him. She couldn’t say she knew him all that well. But she knew him. She remembered first seeing him when her uncle had come to rescue her from Mister Lord Chill. That had been the first time that she had seen a Super Saiyan’s golden light. She also remembered how her uncle had held her so gently even in his Oozaru form. How warm and safe she had felt as he hugged her. Somehow that was tainted now. She could only look back at it with a certain bitterness and doubt. Had it even been genuine?
“Mister Vocado… helped my Uncle rescue me. Then we travelled together for awhile… and then he showed up at my birthday party and killed Mister Lord Chill right in front of me. Put a hole right through the middle of his chest.”
Belle patted the middle of her chest to emphasize her point. She winced a little when Mister Duran said that Mister Vocado had been the first person that Mister Duran had met on Namek. That couldn’t have gone well. But, moreover, did that mean that he was still on Namek? Belle felt an electric shock of fear in her chest. If that was true, she had to leave. She had to leave now. Her eyes went a little wide. Her breathing grew ragged. Not again.
She remembered vividly the madness on her uncle’s face as he shot a deadly beam at her. The look of unrepentant rage on Mister Vocado’s face when he dealt the lethal blow to Mister Lord Chill. Belle’s vision went fuzzy all of a sudden. Her head felt light. Belle reached out for Mister Duran to steady herself, but ended up falling to her knees. Her hand squeezed his metallic arm feebly. Belle wasn’t physically strong. Her grip was that of a child. Weak. Trembling. If Mister Duran pulled away, she wouldn’t be able to hold onto him. Just like she hadn’t been able to hold onto her uncle before he lost his mind. Just like how she couldn’t hold onto Mister Lord Chill or anyone else she cared about.
Her chest was tight. She couldn’t breathe. She felt tears stinging at edges of her eyes but refusing to come out. What was happening? It hurt… and she couldn’t force the hurt away. Belle’s hands shook. She wanted it to stop. Why wouldn’t it stop? Fear seized her body, locking it up. Shutting down. She tried calling out but her throat seized up, and all she could get out were choked partial words.
“M-Mis… Du…”
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Post by Duran on Sept 19, 2019 19:48:52 GMT -6
Something was terribly wrong. A strange and sickening silence came from Belle after she finished talking about what Vocado had done to her. Duran had no idea who 'Mister Lord Chill' was, nor who her uncle was, but it all seemed truly terrible. Having to see someone you care about die infront of your own eyes, on your very birthday, no less...
Duran couldn't even begin to describe the emotions that began to swirl from within. A mix of sympathy toward the child and sheer unbridled fury toward the Saiyan known as Vocado. ''Damn him...'' Duran muttered under his own breath, shaking his head, ''I am so sorry, Belle. You shouldn't have had to witness those things...-'' Duran's voice trailed off as he finally took a better look at the child.
He immediately noted the intense fear in her eyes. That vacant, distant stare spoke more to him than any words ever could. It was something the Cyborg was sadly all too familiar with. Immediately, Duran placed a hand on Belle's shoulder, and gripped it firmly. ''Belle?'' He called out, but to no avail. Slowly but surely, the Saiyan's breathing began to grow restless and panicked.
Belle fell to her knees, weakly holding onto Duran's arm as she ceased her breathing altogether. Duran knelt beside her, attempting desperately to shake her back to reality. ''Stick with me, Belle.'' Duran tried to gain her attention, his voice as calm as he could feasibly make it. Nothing worked, however. As Belle's entire body began to tremble and shut down as it recalled the absolute worst in her life, Duran's brow furrowed immensely. He was no stranger to dealing with these sorts of panic attacks, having witnessed many of them through his comrades and himself. But they were adults! Belle was a child! 'Damn iiiit!'
The grip on her shoulder grew firmer as she croaked out pained, choking syllables. The Cyborg cursed wildly inside of his mind, eyes focused and adrenaline pumping as he forced Belle's focus onto him by redirecting her by the chin.
''Belle, here, look at me. Look at me!'' Duran spoke rapidly, ''He is not here, there is nothing to be afraid of! Are you listening?!'' Duran's voice was clear and stern, calling out to the child as she once again tried to gain her attention, snapping his cold metallic fingers infront of her face.
''He is not here!'' Duran repeated. ''He- Is- Not- Here...'' And once again, yet calmer. Slower.
His facial features softened up, the strain on his brow loosening as he tried to display a serene and calm feeling for her to mimic. ''I need you to breathe with me.'' He instructed her, placing his hand on her shoulder cautiously once again.
''In...-'' Duran inhaled slowly.
Carefully, he breathed out. ''-...And out.''
He'd take a moment to inspect the traumatized child carefully, looking to see if she was feeling better yet. ''No one can hurt you here. This place is safe.'' Duran assured her once more with the calmest voice his brutish form could muster.
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Post by Belle on Sept 26, 2019 10:44:24 GMT -6
Her head was spinning. Belle could vaguely hear Mister Duran’s voice from far away. She tried to focus on it through the suffocating haze that enveloped her mind and body. She felt something under her chin, her eyes slowly focusing in on Mister Duran’s face. She blinked when he snapped his fingers in her face, enabling her to actually comprehend what he was saying. Mister Vocado… he wasn’t here. He wasn’t here? She tried to follow Mister Duran’s instructions.
Breathing was difficult but not impossible now. Her body wanted her to take huge, rapid breaths. Her lungs burned for it. It took her a few repetitions to get herself to slow down. Soon, that crippling feeling of frenzied panic drained out of her with each slow, careful breath. What it left behind was a dull sense of dread and fear that Belle could lock up behind her slowly regenerating walls. Her hand squeezed Mister Duran’s metallic one.
“O-Okay… I’m okay… now. I think…”
Belle wasn’t totally sure if she was. That had come out of nowhere. She had been completely helpless against it. It was scary. Her carefully constructed walls were broken down instantly. Why did she have to feel this way? Why couldn’t she just stay numb forever?! She didn’t want to feel anything anymore. It hurt too much. It scared her too much. It wasn’t fair that she had to feel this way. Something in her head only just registered Mister Duran’s words.
“Namek is a nice place… Vegeta isn’t good, Mister Duran. It’s really bad. The Saiyans there…”
Belle shook her head.
“Uncle… Father… Everyone…”
Belle looked up at Mister Duran.
“It made them bad. It makes them bad.”
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Post by Duran on Sept 27, 2019 6:57:15 GMT -6
He felt a lot of remorse for the girl, despite what she truly was deep inside. Seeing her descend into such panic and primal fear spoke to Duran. Ever since he met her that first day, he couldn't help but feel a strange kinship with the Saiyan, as if they weren't that different after all. Now however, Duran was certain of it; They had a lot more in common than he initially speculated. As Belle slowly began to calm down, Duran couldn't help but link all the connections inside of his mind, nearly choking on his own breath as he did so. Both of them had their lives tormented because of the Saiyans, had everything taken away from them. They held a shared hatred and fear for the Saiyan race, thrust into a world they never wanted to be a part of. Duran knew that Belle was ashamed of her Saiyan blood, Duran felt that shame better than anyone could. He too, was ashamed of his Saiyan genes. ''I know, Belle...I know.'' He spoke calmly, carefully placing his hand on her head. ''But you're here now, on Namek. You do not have to go there.''
She could've known as much, ofcourse, but sometimes it was nice to hear it coming from someone else. Duran saw just how much the fear of reality was gripping her soul, as if it held Belle in a chokehold. He wished he could simply shelter her from it all, hide her away in a nice and comfortable place where she would never be confronted with such horrors again...But such a thing was impossible.
Soon, someday, the Saiyans would come to that place. Someone would come looking for her. As long as her blood was affiliated with them, she would not be free. She had to break these shackles someday- face her fears.
It pained Duran, but he had no choice. He would help Belle grow stronger.
''...Can I tell you a secret, Belle?'' Duran spoke after spending a moment in his thoughts. Perhaps what Belle needed was someone she could relate to, to know that she wasn't alone in this sick, sad place they called reality.
''Vegeta wasn't always called Vegeta. Hundreds of years ago, it was called 'Planet Plant'...'' His voice grew somber and quiet for a second as he paused. He looked Belle deep in her eyes. ''And it was my homeworld...Korla, Iyokan...We all came from Plant.''
He grew silent for a moment, allowing Belle to soak up the massive bombshell of information he had just dropped on the little girl. He could understand if it was hard for her to understand, or even comprehend. He'd look into her eyes with a reassured expression. Duran chuckled briefly, as he came to a rather funny conclusion.
''All three of us are technically over 2,000 years old. We're old enough to be your grandparent's grandparents.'' Duran grinned under his mask, giving Belle a soft pat on her head. ''Didn't think that, did you?''
It felt strange to be able to talk about his past so openly to someone that wasn't Korla or Iyokan. He actually felt calm, too. There was no fear that was clawing at the back of his mind, no anger building inside of his chest...Just serenity. Knowing that Belle was going through the same horrors he did, he couldn't prioritize his own fear and anger- it wasn't even a factor. The only thing Duran could think of was trying to help Belle come to terms with things, and help her grow stronger in the process.
''Do you want to hear a story, Belle? There is a lot you probably don't know about. We have a lot more in common than you think.''
Duran spoke in a positive tone, standing to his full height as he extended a hand toward the little girl.
''Come, take my hand. Let's walk.'' |
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Post by Belle on Sept 30, 2019 8:35:55 GMT -6
Belle actually smiled when Mister Duran told her that she didn’t have to go to Vegeta again. It was something she told herself often, but it was reassuring to hear it from someone else. As her heart calmed, she felt herself slowly returning to normal. Belle nodded with a curious tilt of her head when Mister Duran seemed to want to share a secret with her. What he said… troubled her. The concern was clear on her face. If they were from Vegeta, did that mean… they were bad too? But Belle couldn’t remember anyone ever mentioning the name Plant. She didn’t even remember reading about it in her history books. It wasn’t something Uncle Kala had bragged to her about. Just how old was Mister Duran then?
Mister Duran gave her the answer, making her eyes widen a little bit. She couldn’t really understand how long that was. A hundred times her lived life? Two hundred? It was impossible to comprehend. She just shook her head in response. She hadn’t thought of that. She couldn’t have guessed that Mister Duran and the other Tuffles were that impossibly old. She took his outstretched hand and stood up, walking with the old android.
“What story…?”
Was he going to tell her about himself? Belle was a bit curious now. She wanted to hear what old Vegeta was like. Before it was the way it was now. Before the Saiyans came. It was then that Belle realized something. She had plenty of bad memories of Vegeta, surely, but at its heart, it was the Saiyan’s fault that those memories were bad. Their nationalism. Patriotism. The blind loyalty to which they devoted themselves and sacrificed everything else. It was the culture that had taken her happy childhood away. It had twisted and been twisting up Saiyans to be wicked for years. Her father. Her uncle. They had been twisted up and had tried to twist her up as well. She didn’t know if things were going to be better on Vegeta after the Tuffles reclaimed it. She imagined she still wouldn’t want to go back to it.
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Post by Duran on Dec 8, 2019 15:33:12 GMT -6
Duran let out a relieved breath of air as Belle took his hand, rising up from the ground. He looked from the Saiyan child to the vast, grassy hills sprawled out infront of them. Calmly, the two began to walk. He glanced at the Saiyan kid again, smiling under his mask. ''The story of our people, Belle. My story.'' He announced. After everything Belle had gone through, it was obvious that she had many unanswered questions. She deserved to know the history of her people, of how the Saiyans truly came to power. He wanted Belle to understand everything, and come to clarity with her lineage.
''Like I said, 'Vegeta' wasn't always Vegeta. A long, long time ago it used be named 'Plant', home of the Tuffles.'' Duran repeated to Belle as they walked, simply for clarity's sake. ''At some point, the Saiyans crash-landed on our planet, in need of a new home. We gave it to them, and for several years, we lived in peace.'' The Cyborg took a moment to assess Belle's reaction. He looked at her face, to see if she was still following along. After the pause, Duran sighed, knowing that this was when the story was to grow dark.
''However, we then found out just how violent the Saiyans could be. They wanted to take more and more from us, and when we refused to give such things, they attacked.'' Duran paused, feeling the frustration grow from within. He kept calm however, and continued. ''Eventually, we declared war on eachother. A long, terrible war...''
They now stood atop a hill, overlooking the Namekian lands. So peaceful and serene, a vision lost to Duran, something he could never truly understand.
''I was born in this war. To a Saiyan father, and Tuffle mother, parents I have never had the opportunity to meet. They both died in the war, shortly after I was born. I was trained for the war while I was just a kid, younger than you. How to fight, kill, and hate. It's all I've ever known.''
Duran's voice trailed off, visibly struggling with the memories of his own past. He pushed on however, all for the child's sake. She had to know.
''Everything that's ever been on my mind was the war, the Saiyans...And how much I hate them. They have taken so much away from me. My friends, my family...My childhood.'' The cyborg choked on his words briefly. He suddenly kneeled down next to Belle, and looked into her eyes.
''This is what I meant when I told you that we have a lot in common...I know how you feel, Belle. I know what it's like. I am so sorry to bring it up again, but all I ever wanted was for someone to understand me. I can't help but think that the same goes for you.'' He placed his hand on Belle's shoulder, gazing into her eyes empathetically.
''...Needless to say, we lost the war. But somehow, I survived, along with Korla and Iyokan. Even after everything that's happened, all the horrible things the Saiyans have done to us, we're still able to smile.'' Duran placed a lot of emphasis on the final part of his sentence, hoping to inspire Belle in some way.
''We haven't given up, and when I feel like there's no hope, Iyokan and Korla are always there to lift me up. The same goes for you, Belle.'' Duran paused, removing his hand from Belle's shoulder. ''When you're sad or afraid, there will always be someone...-'' The Cyborg's voice trailed off as he moved to wrap his arm around Belle's waist and hoist her off the ground, promptly seating the kid on his shoulder-guard.
''To lift you up!''
And Duran wanted to be that person for her.
He'd keep Belle steady on his gargantuan shoulder, which was fairly easy considering his pauldron served as a seat of some sort. Duran let out a relieved sigh as he looked at the Namekian landscape. It stretched as far as the eye could see, so peaceful and calming. He'd hoped that after all was done, he could spend every day with a view like this.
''Looks pretty from up here, doesn't it?''
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