The Reality Vortex: Red Reputations

Status
Not open for further replies.
Berserk's stern look remained unchanged up to the point most of the breakers departed, softening up when Cuki began to speak. She pondered the thoughts presented by Cross and Cuki; the Breakers' alignment was anarchy yet they did not want to be perceived as evil like the people Berserk tended to hang out with. Her ribbons bounced in the air as she tilted her head in contemplation. 

"I see... my sisters get rowdy with me sometimes since they don't always agree with my thinking, and Brute especially likes to talk with her fists. But our roughousing doesn't go that far; just got caught a little off guard is all..." Gazing off to the side, Berserk's tone darkened. "That old man reminds me of my dad." It wasn't phrased like a compliment.

"Anyway-- what you said earlier had me thinkin'... you'll be on the hot seat for a while with fixing this mess. And you guys seem like magnets for trouble." Berserk smiled at her. "That sounds like fun! I love trouble. As long as I get a good fight, I'm happy. Plus, I don't like being the only girl, and I'm not old enough for the bars, so I have to go elsewhere most of the time. Makes it hard to socialize."

====
Bernkastel grinded her teeth together as she continued pulling Gogeta towards her.

"... what the hell... You're just going to accept being called a loser so easily?" Her voice started to give way to sounding angry, no longer able to hide it under a facade now that Spina had left. "One setback is enough to make you give up? You do that, and all you're ever going to feel is defeat no matter who you fight. Doesn't that piss you off?!"

Moving herself to face Gogeta, she finally tilted up her head completely. Bernkastel's cheeks were bright red and her eyes, although furious in its glare, had her eyelids brimmed with angry tears. "The other Blue Devil is me, remember--" She jerked a thumb toward herself as she continued to speak in a hushed whisper. "If you're a loser then so am I, and that's wrong! When people hear that name, they should know their place, not make fun of us so casually."

"But to some people, it doesn't matter how strong my magic is... Because I... don't know how to use these." Her fists shook violently gripping onto the ribbon as Bern squeezed her eyes shut in shame of admitting it even quietly. "How am I supposed to look after you if I'm not prepared for that situation? I don't want to keep being put in this sort of position when everyone is fighting... I'm trying to be a good buddy."
 
"It's not like we enjoy the trouble though..." Cuki sweated. "But you're free to tag along Berserk, I got extra rooms in my apartment that can suit your needs. I'm sure the smell most likely vented out by now. Still have to clear up the paint bomb..." 

Cuki pinched the bridge of her nose at the work she still needed to do. She also had to worry about Spina and his character towards the others, especially towards Gogeta. She assumed all bridges would be fixed after their small break but she feared she made things worse by exposing the colors of some people. The burden weighed on her shoulders but there was nothing she could do now. She looked at Gogeta and Bernkastel then to the direction of her apartment. With multiple glances back and forth, Cuki bit her lip in a sign of an internal struggle. With the sound of a tsk escaping her lips, she slowly approached the two.

Cuki stared at the situation between Gogeta and Bernkastel, silently catching the words they spoke and waited for them to finish before adding some of her own. It was obvious she struggled to push the words out and refused to make eye contact, yet, she was honest and sincere.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I thought you were kinda cool Geegee..." Cuki said in a low grumble, hoping no one else heard her. "Not a lot of people can stand up to Mr. Spina like you did... Errm, so, yeah." The young Saiyan awkwardly looked towards the direction of her apartment, fumbling her words around. "Just don't beat yourself up over this... uhm... See, we all have embarrassing moments like this-- no, that's not it... This is a learning experience that can help you-- No, wait..."

Cuki's ears perked when she heard the soft chuckle of her Master as she tried to comfort Gogeta in some way, given her history with him. Her cheeks flared red, no doubt embarrassed from her attempt to cheer him up. Her stance changed and she crossed her arms in front of her chest like a pouty child, turning her back to the Saiyan. She spoke a little more aggressively but her words were still full of the intent to lift his spirits even if she was a little grumpy.

"There are no losers in the Breakers, alright?! You... you just need a push in the right direction, so don't feel bad. So quit beating yourself up, I don't like seeing my friends sad. Pick yourself up and brush off the dirt, dinner's on me tonight." Cuki walked towards her Master, standing behind him so his tails blocked her from view. "And if you keep downing yourself then I'll... uhh... I'll..." Cuki paused for a moment before grunting. "I-I'll just have to fight you then! M-Maybe a good bump on the head might change your attitude about yourself!"

Zenta shook his head at the odd words of encouragement that came from Cuki. He couldn't help but laugh since he knew Cuki struggled greatly to say them. Regardless, he turned back to Bernkastel and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm inclined to agree with Lady Bernkastel here, Gogeta. I was impressed by how you held up against Mr. Spina. You should not be discouraged due to a setback you encountered. As for you, Lady Bernkastel, I am sure your fists simply need a target to practice on." Zenta took hold of one of Bernkastel's hands. "I believe these petite hands are capable of much more than you think, Bernkastel. If you can find a way to mix your magic and fists together... well, I'll just leave that up to your imagination, my Lady."
 
Gogeta’s head lifted slightly, meeting Bernkastel’s eyes throughout the exchange. His frown remained throughout, but the smoldering frustration he had with himself seemed to alleviate in listening to what the witch had to say. The corners of his lips slowly lifted into a small, half smile once she finished, and despite his words being blunt, his dual voice held a genuine apologetic tone.

“I keep forgetting that we’re buddies...I guess I really haven’t been a good one to you, huh? We still have that deal to keep up, and that won’t work if I’m being all mopey.”

His head perked a bit, noticing Cuki approach. His eyebrows instantly narrowed into a scowl, staring up at Cuki with clear disdain once she began her attempt to calm him down. The small compliment in the beginning did nothing to alleviate the stern angry stare; Gogeta training his eyes on her while she spoke.

His annoyance clearly grew under Cuki’s fumbling of the situation, and before long, he turned his own glare to the opposite side of Cuki. Yet a single sentence nearly washed away the anger on his face, his eyebrows peeking up in surprise and turning his head back around.

“I don’t like seeing my friends sad.”

Gogeta blinked, turning back around. His expression softened a bit, and it wasn’t long until a small smile formed on his face once again. He turned his head slightly at Zenta’s affirmation, before slowly looking back towards Cuki.

“Thanks. Maybe...you’re not so bad after all.”
 
Bernkastel sniffled awkwardly, wiping at her eyes using her free hand as Zenta offered her assurance. "Do you... really think so?" She studied his expression and tone of voice, but did not sense any malice or mockery from it. She blurted it out in the heat of the moment and fully expected to be laughed at for it. 

"I guess the only way to know is if I try." Her tail curled around in the air anxiously. "Training is what you guys do, right? So it wouldn't be a waste of time if I tried it as a complete beginner? ...You won't laugh?" Bernkastel sheepishly asked, glancing between the three. After thinking about it, she nodded, certain in her choice before looking over at Gogeta with a genuine smile of her own. "A deal is a deal. Don't forget it just because I'll be starting training with you, okay?" She said to him before undoing the tie on the ribbon that wrapped around his waist. The small Witch maintained her smile peeking beyond Zenta's tails.

"You didn't have to stay behind with us, but you chose to anyway..." Bernkastel cleared her throat. "And you even helped cheer Gogeta up. It was the one positive thing that resulted from our outing, so... I am happy to see you both start getting along. Thank you, Cuki."

Berserk looked satisfied at the interactions displayed before her. "D'awww. That's more like it," she said to herself before yawning and putting her arms up. "I'll be cheering you on the sidelines Mr. Gogeta! You're still cool no matter what that grandpa says," she giggled. "When you're rested up, let's definitely spar sometime! All this action sure made me hungry now that I think about it. I'll help ya inside!"

"Home..." Bernkastel scratched her cheek as her smile faltered uncomfortably. "Right. I'll heal you once we get you into bed," she stated upon determining the severity of Gogeta's wounds. These were much worse than what Spina inflicted on Sound and Grey-- she was certain that an ordinary person would have died from the fatal precision the attacks had. Holding out her hand, a large portal in front of the apartment complex's front lawn opened to shorten the trip significantly. As Berserk moved to help Gogeta stand up, Bern having tried fruitlessly with how heavy he was, she stood up to brush the gravel off her scraped knees and retie her bow with a determined movement.

I'll train hard so that every last naysayer takes me seriously! Starting with you, Spina!!
 
"I--Uhhh! I-I only stayed because Master stayed! B-Besides! Someone's gotta help keep an eye on Geegee, right? I'm just, errm, I'm just making sure he's behaving himself!"

Cuki tried to hide her red face by sinking into her shoulder and keeping herself hidden behind her Master's tails, to no avail. As hard as she tried to act tough in front of the two, a muffled giggle was heard despite her attempts to hide it. The words from Bernkastel and Gogeta seemed to lift her spirits as well given how poorly she fought today. 

"I will never laugh at you, my Lady. I am here to offer help in any way I can. Besides, we were all beginners at some point, Bernkastel," Zenta said assuringly to the Witch before peering down at Cuki. "Isn't that right, Cuki?"

"Yeah! Even when things look bad, you shouldn't give up Kettles." Cuki said as she cleared her throat. "B-But we should hurry home, we should eat first then tend to the wounded..." Cuki overheard Berserk and her wish to spar Gogeta and she quickly butted in, the tone in her voice returning back to the nervous mess from before. "No way, I'm going to spar him first!"

"Oh? I thought you said that you needed to train more to fight Mr. Gogeta," Zenta reminded his student as he placed a finger on his chin, smirking. "You mentioned to me that you believe Gogeta is stronger than--"

"Master, shh!" Cuki quickly pressed her hand against his mouth before he spoke more. "I want to spar Geegee because I want to... uhh, test my techniques! Yeah! I-I'm getting a bit rusty! But anyway, let's just go home already, I'm hungry!"

The girl huffed before quickly stomping towards the portal before anyone could say a word to her. It was almost cute seeing her hold back her inner thoughts. At least Cuki, deep down, still liked them despite what they have done to her, even willing to toss aside her own negative emotions to cheer them up. Zenta seemed to be amused by Cuki's adorable tantrum.

"Oh, my! Here I thought Cuki finally opened up." Zenta laughed loudly. "Never mind her, she is going through her own trials. Let us return home, a nice dinner should sit well with us after the events of today. You should come too, young Lady," Zenta addressed Berserk. "The more the merrier, yes?"

Zenta walked to the portal and moved to the side before bowing his head towards Bernkastel and Berserk.

"Ladies first."
 
Gogeta kept a small, tired smile in reply to Bernkastel, nodding his head curtly.

"Yeah, I know. We'll start easy and see where it goes."

He then grimaced a bit, turning his head towards Beserk as the latter began to help him to his feet.

"Thanks...I'll look forward to it."

Gogeta panted heavily, the movements of even his undamaged limbs too taxing on his body. The inflicted damage left him in a hobbled state: the man could not move on his own and would effectively have to be carried. The ringing pain in his head blocked out the flustering Cuki displayed, ironically leading to him missing her attempts to belittle the kindness she displayed earlier.

His eyes turned down to the floor, dull and prepared to pass out as the portal opened before the group.

"This really hurts."
 
"Well, the way you say it, it'd be rude of me to refuse an invitation to stay!" Berserk nodded to Zenta as Bernkastel made her way into the portal, whose brow was furrowed.

"Just hang in there, we'll get to the room in no time. Please follow me, and do handle him properly," Bern beckoned them before walking through the portal herself. She sucked in a deep breath to regain composure, flattening out her features.

Hearing Gogeta vocalize the pain he was in, Berserk frowned deeply in a scowl upon instantly remembering who dealt out this level of damage in the first place. What kind of leader was willing to do this to a teammate? The Powerpunk made a mental note to keep a close eye on their 'leader'.

"Yeah... I know, Mister. Let's get you home. This might hurt, but you'll be easier to carry." In one swift motion she hoisted the man into her arms as if she were doing a casual bridal carry, hovering off the floor and through the portal towards the other side after the other girls entered. "I got 'im, no worries!"
 
Once back at the apartments, but still outside for the time being, Brachi and Bara had taken a bit of time for themselves to continue training under the supervision of Jize, whom was currently holding her own in a two vs. one sparring session, partially helped by using her trident, but also to show that Jize, despite being a Supreme Kai, was definitely no slouch. In fact, it appeared that throughout her association with Brachi and her friends ever since they met has caused even Jize to pick up on some additional training herself, partially inspired by the knowledge of what has happened to her brethren in the past.
 
Cross thinks as a book appears in his hand "I gest I will let the others do there things."
 
Cuki’s Apartment Complex

Shortly after the arrival of Bernkastel, Zenta, Cuki, Gogeta and Berserk at the apartment complex, Spina can be seen leaning his ear against the main door of the building. It seems be that the old Saiyan is listening to in on a conversation inside. Judging from his facial expression, Spina seems to be concern, and at the same time, anticipating for a battle as his aura flourished outward.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom