A Golden Meeting; Young Dragon and Tiger [Chaznut]

Nasu squinted briefly. Not in spite or anything else, but admittedly when he was corrected… he felt a bit awkward. It was not a big mistake but the correct name was so close, simple and more— he wondered if the Saiyan had been the one not to hear or pay attention well, but well. He did feel very awkward now, about this whole name thing. If anything he could maybe excuse himself pretty easily. The tiger did not look like the kind of man that would care about a mispronunciation.

“Y-yeah... my bad. Hah. Not a great first introduction. First thing I do is get your name wrong. Not a great start, but maybe we can catch up.”

He wondered if he looked like a tribesman. But even Chaznut admitted he did not look like the part at all. Well, that was fair enough. He looked more of a… he had no idea, honestly. But Nasu nodded along, with him, of course.

“Yeah, no way I am from here. I come from outer space, far away. From where the stars are nearly not even visible if you were to look for them from down here.”

He did not know if it was a threat, of course. But even if it was, the Saiyan was fearless against anything like that. The only thing he feared was a bad fight, and he did not expect to ever find one. The man looked behind himself. The vermin were the bandits, he believed. But he did frown a little at how he spoke of them, it hurt. Mostly because he felt like he could see a slight hint of himself in those words.

“Are you sure they are worth your time that much? I do not care for them, but they will weigh down on your soul, once you die.”

He had a close idea of what the Afterlife was by now, after speaking to his Shinjin friend. He did not believe Chaz was evil, however, he just was a little misguided at best. Nasu did not enjoy murder. He knew it had to be done at times, but, if one could avoid it… that was for the best. He knew it very well, after he lost everyone.

“If they have kids, fathers or… you know, family. Who will comfort them at their graves? Certainly not you or me, Death-Seeker.”

The man did not imply he would have fought the tiger just yet, over the fate of a few men, but he surely did at least want to talk the tiger out of this punishing activity. He shut his eyes briefly before he soon explained himself.

“It might be a little silly a reason for one of your kind, Chaz. But I will be honest: I seek a honey that is very unique to these forests, in the name of the one who sends me this deep in the forest. And, all the same, the very man who has told me tales of this very place and has also mentioned you. It seems your precedents truly have you as an infamous figure.”

He wondered: how long had Chaznut been in the forest, hunting down this very kind of small prey? As much as he knew what it meant being bound to something, he truly hoped the tiger had his horizons set far and high. Even Nasu did not want to travel or explore that much before, until he met a good Tuffle that led him on a different approach to life. It helped him grow, quite a lot.

“Not a great purpose. I know. But I also kind of like it here. It is different from the other natural places on Earth and yet looks so regular, too and all the same. Do you happen to be this forest’s guardian? You act like one.”

Nasu asked with genuine interest. Chaznut did give off those kinds of vibes, so he would not have been surprised if that was truly the case. An individual like this however felt rather different, in a way. He gave off a feeling that he also had his own kind of advantage over a person such as Nasu, despite their true difference in power.

His tail wagged quietly as it was mentioned, of course, there was no way the tiger would not have heard of or met Saiyans before, they were quite popular even on Earth. But there was also the fact that Nasu’s story was a little hard and complicated to say on very short notice, so, was he from Plant to begin with? — No, but he did travel from there to Earth.

“Saiyans, in reality, come from a world called Sadala. But Sadala has long since unfolded upon itself and is now gone. It is a dead planet and I doubt there is much left of it. It has been a long time ago, too. Nearly three generations, even. My grandfather was around to see and escape it. He took his crew and he moved to a far away planet, where I was born.”

Nasu felt a quick jab in his heart at the very memory of his grandparent, but soon he rephrased. His voice was nearly as deep as ever as he just told the tale and slowly so that he could make it easy to understand and comprehend.

“Most other Saiyans escaped that event, really. The majority, unlike us, moved to Plant and are now in war to kill and conquer that planet’s real native species. In a sense, they are no better than the bandits you knocked out just now. Those natives are called Tuffles, they are very small and smart but have very little to no strength.”

He chuckled briefly and his head shook, his arms well upon his chest as he began to tap his arm’s bicep with the fingertips of his hand as he began to idly explain.

“Yes, pretty much. But we do not look… the very same, we just have a pattern. I guess. The only real differences you would spot in a Saiyan are in their face and behavior. I for one am considered to be very different, as I was raised elsewhere. In a much better and kinder household. That is also why I side with the Tuffles and plan to battle away my own kind from Plant, in the future.”

However Nasu was left stunned when the tiger said he had no souls whatsoever, and even called himself a ghost. The man did not believe in ghosts, but surely there was no way this man was serious besides mere philosophy, right? And as proof, the Saiyan approached closer and tried to tap one closed fist, his knuckles to be precise, upon the tiger’s sternum to try and get a feeling of his packs.

“I don’t know. You look very real to me. And a body has a soul, whether you have lost yourself or not in the past. And I am not even kidding when I say the Gods will judge your soul once you die. I should introduce you to Tiamat, perhaps.”

He chuckled but by any and all means he backed off and nodded towards Chaznut. He understood what he meant by giving it all up, but there was no way he could accept it. Nasu had also been in the same shoes before, despite the fact that he did not go on a murder spree but he could have, surely.

“I think I understand what you are talking about. You gave it up for something else, but your soul is still there. And I feel like if anything, becoming a Death-Seeker means that you had the chance to start anew and recreate your soul, but you can not stay one forever. In a sense, it is time for cleansing. Blood and death will only weigh on you to the point where you will fall off your path, my man. And in the end, you might just become worse than these bandits.”

Nasu was spouting a lot of wisdom, he was not sure if Tiamat was having an effect on him or something but surely he was developing mentally. And emotionally even he could feel a soft spot for Chaznut, about his tribe.

“I am sorry. My own family was murdered and ashamed, because of other Saiyans that are much like the ones you would find on Plant. They betrayed us and killed my family. I know what you are feeling, but can you really let it get to you?”

In reality Nasu was being a little bit of a hypocrite, even the man was afraid: because he knew that if he had to fight other Saiyans he could have possibly had to face mixed feelings, some of death and others of mercy. He did not feel them at the moment but he could not help but think it over and over. But the thoughts were dismissed at the thought of the honey. He blinked and rubbed the back of his neck at the mention alone of the bees’ sting.

“Great… definitely what I came for. Well, thing is. An old man has the tavern around and he allowed me to stay in with very little money, so I wanted to thank him properly by finding this ingredient he would regularly sell or use.”

Very similarly to Nasu, he even lost his ‘home’, in a sense. This place was not his anymore, albeit only spiritually. While Nasu virtually and realistically lost his, he slowly nodded and began to realize that this guy really was good, but very… misguided in a way. In the harsh and punishing way. But he looked him over, he had to have gotten his message. He did not want to press him into not killing them.

“Consider what I told you.”

That was the best he could muster up.

“It is not, you say?”

The man began to wonder: apparently there was no reason that the tiger had to really stay here all the time. Therefore even the Saiyan felt both reassured and relieved, he could have been quite worried that such a talent would indeed be going to waste and yet apparently that was not the case at all. In any case, that only called for of course an even better question.

“Well, what do you plan to do then? Or well, what are you doing, besides training and meditating? I know the feeling all too well. As I said I have also been in exile before, but there was not one day I was happy with myself. I believe men like us need something in their lives. And not just something that drives us, but an actual duty to fulfill.”

He soon began to of course slowly get in the point: this was not just questioning, this was a very precise way to try and get information out of the tiger as there was no better way, probably, than conversing at ease.

“Do you not agree?”

“Yeah. Saiyans.”

He doubted the tiger would have found any difficulty learning this word once he was to actually practice it a little. It was probably easier than some other names he had heard such as ‘Namekian’, now that was a real tongue cracker. He was not sure either what Chaznut was meant to be, but animal people were considered humans, too, just a different batch. But there was no doubt that the Saiyans alone were a special case due to their warrior culture and harsh ways.

Even Chaznut picked up on most of what Nasu had told him, as the man could only bob his head back and forth in agreement. It was pretty much all that and more, but there was no easy way to list all of the things the Saiyan race had done. Nearly impossible, of course.

“Yeah. Not all Saiyans are like that. But even those that are different and have tried to end the conflict, were killed by their own kind. And Saiyans are not very political creatures, they would not so easily have ‘ulterior’ motives for killing their own so they could halt their anti-war campaign. So, you could say some of our blood has produced monsters down the line.”

Nasu was not too proud of it himself, but for the most part he felt unrelated to that kind of people and honestly, he had been built differently to begin with — he found no sympathy whatsoever because of heritage alone.

“Well.”

The man began to slowly nod and paced quietly with his feet, adjusting himself briefly. He did not feel quite comfortable getting complimented, but it was not an act of awkwardness; rather, he spotted a trunk base left without an actual tree as he headed over there and took a seat for himself.

“I appreciate it. But I feel like you would do the same. No matter, however. I only do it because the Tuffles are the rightful natives of that planet and have little strength to defend themselves. I am not their soldier, however. I have decided against anything more than an ally. I feel like being part of an army takes away quite a lot of humanity. It is not really worth it.”

He chuckled quietly and shook his head. He did not see himself as much of a character, the Shinjin was far more interesting. In the end, Nasu was mostly being a storyteller at the moment but he soon also let his eyes follow through and look at the bandits, and then once more upon the tiger. Was this stranger that easy to trigger? Not that it was uncommon for people to have short patience, but Nasu believed there had to have been a silver lining between that and killing.

“What if some of them have family? Do you know that they do not? Killing them will just put their families in a tough spot, Chaz. And it is not going to change anything that happened back in your younger years. Killing for that reason is useless. An ass beating is sure enough to drive them away from here.”

Chaz also offered his help in finding those bees and the honey. Sure, that was something the Saiyan could appreciate but nevertheless it was true that he said even more interesting things, such as what his sensei taught the tiger. He sounded like a wise, peaceful person. Nasu was surprised none of it had touched and influenced Chaznut’s thinking but it caused Nasu to soon stand up.

“He is very right. The innocents need to be protected, whether one likes it or not. But I insist killing them will not provide much other than hurting innocents affiliated with them, people that may not even know their significant other or whatever get money from bandit work. And surely neither you or I can afford stuff or the sentiment for those families. You have done more than enough with that beat-up.”

Nasu shut his eyes briefly, it was interesting. Nasu had found his own destiny, he believed. Or at least a part of it, but what about Chaz’s?

“How do you think you will find your destiny?”

It was difficult not to find himself smiling a bit at the very last comment of Chaznut. Making sure that others could have a better life than what the person alone had been served, if anything, it was also hard not to see himself in this stranger. He thought it was oddly unfitting for one named Death-Seeker, but who could tell? Perhaps Nasu was the one wrong all along and this tiger was a lot more dangerous than meets the eye, but there was no doubt that it had all been positive so far.

“That is good. Very good, as a matter of fact. If I was your sensei I would probably feel proud. However, great energies are flowing through our galaxy at the very moment. There are people I have met that hold unspeakable power,”

He paused briefly, there was no doubt he was referring to Azoth. He was definitely the strongest dude he had seen thus far, and while Azoth introduced himself and acted like a good person and while he surely was one: it did not feel right that one person had to be relied upon and honestly, it could lead to troublesome scenarios if certain things were to happen.

“And trust me, you will not do much improvement if all you do is train and only fight bandits. I had to get started by seeking the tallest ladder in the order of ass-kickings I could get, and I found it. Not only did she help me grow, but she is also a special friend now. I guess that is how life works.”

Soon enough, the proposal was basically obvious but Nasu turned towards the tiger with both his fists ready to raise in a fighting stance. His smile invited challenge and confidence, and yet no malice from his eyes as rather he was about to advise that it could have been Nasu himself to try and shape up the Death-Seeker up to the challenges that were to come in the future.

“So, what about it? Feel like having a squabble? I may learn something myself, too.”

Maybe Nasu was indeed right, huh? It was a positive reaction. Not because he wanted to be right, but rather it could mean there would indeed be broader horizons for the Tigerman. It was not something to be underestimated, honestly, in this day and age. And out of many, Nasu knew that change was the first step perhaps into becoming whole. He did not know much about the tiger’s teacher, but he believed firmly that the mentor had to have left the tiger to mend for himself at some point. As they would say, see the world for himself. Or that is what Nasu assumed.

“If you begin to see what I say as right, then your heart is well in good hands. But I suppose you still have to see beyond Earth and above. There are things out there neither you or I could imagine, Chaz. And honestly, even if I were to go at them with my full power, I would most likely lose.”

He did not refer to himself as a ‘role model’ due to the fact his very strength was still limited for the most part. But even then his ki was more powerful than Chaz, even if the latter would not know — he firmly believed if Chaz would keep to himself, bending after bandits, he would not grow. In a way, the Saiyan was growing a little interested in dragging the true tiger out of this stranger and seeing where he would go from there.

“Normally. I would be worried if you did change overnight. Or well. I would not believe you. That is rule number one, honestly.”

Nasu chuckled, however. It looked like it was sinking into the tiger; these bandits, other than disposing of them, were a waste of time. And they were pretty much wasting Chaznut’s potential, if anything, he knew that the tiger had to aim higher and higher. And Nasu was going to help him with that.

“Well! If you are willing to move on and embrace your true self… maybe I can see if I can make the real tiger inside you come out. Of course, though, first I will have to see what power you truly possess! Let us go, Chaznut!”

The man closed his fists tightly against one another, there was no doubt that a brawl against this one could have been interesting and even then, the opponent himself was surprisingly the first to make the first move and charge up at the Saiyan with his punch. The man, with no hesitation, frowned— his whole body grew rigid and stoic, as if he was bracing himself as he took it to the chest and refrained the incoming pain by increasing the tension in his eyes, staring at him with eyes that could possibly kill if one tried. And his power grew one bit.

“Brace yourself!!”

Nasu roared before his whole body began to dissipate into nothingness, but he reappeared into the same spot with his leg up and high, he aimed to kick with no hesitation and instead gave it a powerful spin to try and land it against the very fist that hit him, before his body once more disappeared. It was gone, disappeared. Who knew where it went. But, surprise surprise, there it was. He reappeared and with no hesitation, so did Nasu move out for another kick— but he was on his left, and then once more on his right. A quick flurry of kicks.

Nasu once more reappeared on the concrete, with his stance and solid footwork down to stand on all two’s while his other limbs, or as a manner of speech, his arms began to raise up and his hands came together. Cracks could be heard; his very knuckles had been idle far too long in this forest, and now a little sentiment of ecstasy in his brain now. He had to pull out a little more power to stand on the same level as the Tigerman. How strange. His senses did not sense the difference in power and yet it looked like the stranger managed to somehow enhance his attacks without having to rely solely on power.

“You surprised me. I was prepared for something a little weaker back there. You did say you had been taught by a mentor, so is it safe to say this is his doing as well?”

He believed it had to be a matter of technique, if not for power. Otherwise he could not really explain it in other ways. He did not really have any other way to explain it, rather. While Chaz defined him a Juggernaut, even. An interesting name. He kind of liked it. Nasu the Juggernaut, it had some kind of meaning to the way he fought… maybe he could develop that part a bit. But regardless he nodded to him.

“Thank you. You are not that bad yourself.”

He tried not to be too transparent about his true power, either. He wanted to keep Chaz motivated for the long run of the spar, rather than just kicking him around. Nasu’s arms laid yet at waist height and yet they were just slightly spread almost like an embrace was ready, an invite for the Tiger to strike already.

Chaz came, straight towards him. The man waited and yet only a hand rose forth in a closed fist towards him as the barrage came, and Nasu did not retaliate at all at first. His body remained sturdy and shut, his expression was unreadable for a few moments. And as the Tiger once more spoke, then the Saiyan did as his eyes inspected Chaz briefly.

“Yeah.”

Perhaps by now Chaz would have noticed that nothing happened. As in, no reaction and no pain had been inflicted at least by naked eye upon the body of the man before him. The tailed fellow let his very fuzzy limb wag briefly.

“I am somewhat of a physical fighter myself. This will be a good match, then. I will get to learn something.”

The man said before he spun upon the heel of a boot and then once more, his arm that followed the motion was launched forth, followed by a sturdy roar that impacted through the air at the same time as a fist in the nothingness from Nasu’s part did, suddenly, the very mass of energy that Chaz’s punches would have dealt, recoiled back into the air under the form of a powerful air wave. It flew through the air, straight to Chaz to return the attack back to him.

But that was not all.

Nasu charged in the very air, and up once more to find himself face to face with Chaz, before the Saiyan disappeared out of thin air. If Chaz had been paying attention and taken his notes at school, he would know what was about to happen: Triple Force, baby. It once more happened, just like earlier: Nasu appeared, tried to land a hit with a high leg top kick and then disappeared again. Rinse and repeat.