Rutaba
Member
Rutaba’s body crashed into the ground like a broken doll, the fake Savage Cannon scorching across his chest and arms with searing heat. Raw burns blistered over his already dark bruises, his torn clothes smoking and hanging in ragged shreds. Pain exploded through every inch of him — ribs screaming with every breath, lungs burning like fire, arms and legs feeling like dead weight. His vision blurred badly, the world tilting wildly as he lay sprawled on his back in the torn-up grass, chest heaving in shallow gasps.
He forced his eyes open anyway, teeth gritted against the agony. When Liari suddenly crashed down beside him and jerked him up by what remained of his shirt, his head lolled forward heavily, legs dangling uselessly like broken strings. Sharp agony ripped through his battered torso as he hung there limply, face inches from hers. The movement made fresh burns sting and his bruised ribs throb even worse.
“…I’m… not… done…” he rasped, voice weak and cracking, blood trickling slowly from the corner of his mouth. His small fists clenched uselessly at his sides even though his arms felt like heavy lead. “I can still… fight… I have to… get stronger… for my mom and dad… I promised them… I have to find them…”
The words came out shaky and barely above a whisper, but they burned with every last bit of stubborn fire he had left. When Liari snarled and raised her hand like she might slap him awake, Rutaba’s hazy eyes narrowed in pure defiance for one stubborn second — his tail giving one weak, defiant flick despite how much it hurt to move.
But his body betrayed him completely. His head drooped heavily, eyelids fluttering as the pain and exhaustion crashed over him like a tidal wave. Everything hurt too much. His burns stung like fire, his bruises throbbed deeply, his muscles refused to listen anymore, and a heavy fog was pulling at the edges of his mind.
Liari dropped him. Rutaba collapsed back onto the grass in a limp heap, arms and legs splayed out like he was making a snow angel in the dirt and rubble. His chest rose and fell in shallow, ragged gasps. The world spun slower and slower around him. He tried desperately to reach for his Savage Staff lying nearby in the grass — his fingers twitched weakly, scraping uselessly against the dirt — but he couldn’t even lift his arm more than an inch.
“…Next time…” he whispered hoarsely, voice fading as darkness closed in around the edges of his vision. “…I’ll train harder… I’ll be so much stronger… I’m not giving up… never… I’ll protect everyone…
Even as an invisible force lifted his limp body and floated him toward the open school doors, Rutaba’s small, battered form twitched one last time. His head lolled to the side, but his fists stayed loosely clenched at his sides. A tiny, tired, stubborn grin lingered on his lips as the cool stone floor of the hallway met his back.
The last thing he felt before everything went completely dark was the distant, roaring explosion of Liari’s aura… and the burning promise deep in his heart that this wasn’t the end.
He’d rest. He’d recover.
And when he woke up… he was going to train harder than ever before. No matter how much it hurt. No matter how long it took.
He was a Saiyan.
And Saiyans never stay down.
He forced his eyes open anyway, teeth gritted against the agony. When Liari suddenly crashed down beside him and jerked him up by what remained of his shirt, his head lolled forward heavily, legs dangling uselessly like broken strings. Sharp agony ripped through his battered torso as he hung there limply, face inches from hers. The movement made fresh burns sting and his bruised ribs throb even worse.
“…I’m… not… done…” he rasped, voice weak and cracking, blood trickling slowly from the corner of his mouth. His small fists clenched uselessly at his sides even though his arms felt like heavy lead. “I can still… fight… I have to… get stronger… for my mom and dad… I promised them… I have to find them…”
The words came out shaky and barely above a whisper, but they burned with every last bit of stubborn fire he had left. When Liari snarled and raised her hand like she might slap him awake, Rutaba’s hazy eyes narrowed in pure defiance for one stubborn second — his tail giving one weak, defiant flick despite how much it hurt to move.
But his body betrayed him completely. His head drooped heavily, eyelids fluttering as the pain and exhaustion crashed over him like a tidal wave. Everything hurt too much. His burns stung like fire, his bruises throbbed deeply, his muscles refused to listen anymore, and a heavy fog was pulling at the edges of his mind.
Liari dropped him. Rutaba collapsed back onto the grass in a limp heap, arms and legs splayed out like he was making a snow angel in the dirt and rubble. His chest rose and fell in shallow, ragged gasps. The world spun slower and slower around him. He tried desperately to reach for his Savage Staff lying nearby in the grass — his fingers twitched weakly, scraping uselessly against the dirt — but he couldn’t even lift his arm more than an inch.
“…Next time…” he whispered hoarsely, voice fading as darkness closed in around the edges of his vision. “…I’ll train harder… I’ll be so much stronger… I’m not giving up… never… I’ll protect everyone…
Even as an invisible force lifted his limp body and floated him toward the open school doors, Rutaba’s small, battered form twitched one last time. His head lolled to the side, but his fists stayed loosely clenched at his sides. A tiny, tired, stubborn grin lingered on his lips as the cool stone floor of the hallway met his back.
The last thing he felt before everything went completely dark was the distant, roaring explosion of Liari’s aura… and the burning promise deep in his heart that this wasn’t the end.
He’d rest. He’d recover.
And when he woke up… he was going to train harder than ever before. No matter how much it hurt. No matter how long it took.
He was a Saiyan.
And Saiyans never stay down.
















