Chapter Text
Earth.
It was a planet that Frieza wished he had not grown familiar with in the years following his resurrection. Of course, it would become customary for an emperor of his stature to gain familiarity with popular planets he had conquered or purchased.
However, the divine blue pearl was not part of his collection, as that pesky monkey, Goku, stood in his way. That sickening amnesiac of a Saiyan clearly had a few more brain cells lost than simply not remembering his destroyed home planet, twisting him into too much of a pathological nice guy by Saiyan standards… or for Frieza’s general liking.
Following the tournament that granted him his return to the living world, Frieza decided it was about time to get back to business, reclaim his empire, and wipe Goku's sickeningly sweet smile from his vision as soon as possible. Of course, a planet as populous as Earth would be an ideal purchase to help him get back on his feet. It would top his to-do list for sure, if it wasn't for the simian pest.
Goku's friends were filled with skepticism because of his promise to bring the emperor of evil back to life, but, every time the issue came to light, the Saiyan dismissed it. "Hey, don't worry about it," He would always say. "If he tries any funny business, I'll be there to keep him in check." Then he would proceed to place his paw atop Frieza’s head as if he were petting a small dog (and, with their height gap, he could, unfortunately, pass for one)- the sour cherry on top of the bitter-tasting cake.
Thankfully, Goku had left the picture twelve years ago for his own secret training. Midway through a World Martial Arts tournament (that Frieza was practically forced to attend by that woman, Bulma), the careless monkey up and left the tournament stage with a small human boy that was reportedly the reincarnation of the long-revered Majin Buu, finally bringing the pest out of his face.
He wasn’t out of the woods, however- if the Saiyan caught wind of any sort of devious scheme, he would surely drop whatever he was doing to handle it. Goku would likely overtake him and return him to his wretched cocoon strung over the chilling flower fields of Hell. Knowing his soldiers, the Frieza Force would soon jump to their feet and revive him, albeit with difficulty due to their incompetence, but Frieza was not set on dying by the Saiyan's hand. There was a sole reason he wanted to stay alive... for him : his pride and joy, Kuriza.
Almost two years after the emperor of evil's promised resurrection, he made the decision to sire an heir to the Frieza Force. After going through the pain of dying twice, he, unfortunately, thought of his own mortality more and more... having the assurance of the next generation would lighten some of his worries. So, he made a pilgrimage to Arcos, selected a suitable mate, and as soon as she bore her egg- no, his egg- she was dismissed without a word, her purpose fulfilled.
It may have seemed cruel to an outside eye, but it was the way things went with Arcosian mating. Few Arcosians picked permanent mates for love, while the remaining majority, regals included, performed these selections for the sake of pleasure or carrying on their bloodlines. They simply didn’t have time to invest- hell, Frieza didn’t even share a mother with his older brother, Cooler, his father simply skipping to another dame.
Females usually only lingered to nurture the resulting young until they could be handled on their own, but the woman’s early absence was no issue. If there were a matter that Frieza could not handle on his own, Berryblue, having experience as his own caretaker in the past, would surely find a way to take care of it.
It felt as if Frieza had never pried his eyes from the pearly amber-shelled egg for more than a few seconds until Kuriza hatched. Even when the young Arcosian was no longer an egg, the father and son pair seemed nearly impossible to split. The child was rather clingy, fearing most unfamiliar situations, and his father had no qualms about letting him into his lap as he worked within the confines of his hovering throne. It all felt… perfect.
Perhaps this was the parental hormones Berryblue had warned him about acting up. Perhaps this was pride in his son, the one who would inherit his forces and become a name that struck fear into hearts. Or perhaps it was something else… Something strange and confusing, but something he had observed about Goku and his companions. This new feeling, a feeling that he worked hard to avoid admitting he felt inside him…
It was a genuine feeling of love and care for someone other than himself.
Of course, admitting this would be tantamount to admitting he’d gone soft- that he wasn’t the hardened and ruthless leader motivating fear into his force. Berryblue had her suspicions, but all she would do was make a playful stab at this mushiness once in a while.
This uneasy feeling stirred within his heart for over fourteen years now and it never seemed to cease. His growing son was his irreplaceable treasure. He simply could not deny the happiness of his sole heir, Kuriza…
...which was exactly why he was stuck in the situation he was in now.
Frieza thought he had left the chilling memory of the planet Earth in the rear-view mirror once the hope of acquiring its Dragon Balls for a wish and the planet itself for his collection had been dashed, but, alas, something had pulled him back onto the surface of the Earth. Thankfully, the monkey was not the one who had pulled the strings to bring him back to the precious blue pearl, most likely desiring a sparring partner.
It was by Kuriza’s desires, however, that the emperor of the universe sat in not a throne, but in a stiff and confining plastic patio chair amidst the Saiyan prince and his human mate. It wasn’t his picturesque vision of how to spend his time, but he really had no choice in the matter.
That fateful tournament twelve years ago, the one that the emperor had begrudgingly attended and the one that finally got Goku out of his metaphorical hair, was the spark of Kuriza’s interest in Earth. Since the human woman, Bulma, had coerced him into attending with the dastardly trick that was the ‘no admission refund policy’, Berryblue, being one of the few sane and rational leader types remaining on the main counselor ship, was assigned the task of holding the fort in Frieza’s absence. Managing the empire and a young Arcosian of two years would clearly be a strain on his attendant, so Kuriza would have to tag along.
During this time, the normally reserved child seemed to have discovered a new playmate in the least likely of places. She was a half-Saiyan girl that did not sport the common raven locks of the simian species, but a medley of robin’s egg blue with violet instead, inherited from her mother. She preceded him in age by two years and this particular pint-sized partial primate’s lineage had some rigid interceptions with Frieza’s own- the daughter of the Saiyan prince Vegeta: his precious little princess, Bulla.
Despite the ongoing spiteful relationship between their fathers, Bulla and Kuriza almost naturally gravitated towards each other and paired together like a fine wine to an exotic fromage. Wherever the half-breed girl wandered, the Arcosian was no more than a few steps behind… and behind them came Frieza, keeping tabs on them with mild anxiety. He barely trusted a good portion of his foot soldiers around the boy, let alone a four-year-old girl in a ponytail.
Seeing this supposed “blossoming friendship” sent the Bulma woman into an excited maternal frenzy, as, with great fervor, she began rattling off such detailed plans for them to meet again on this planet's surface for countless playdates. The packed itinerary almost made Frieza’s head spin- which was saying a lot considering he was the emperor in charge of a grand army and an extensive planetary trade business.
Frieza was quick to object that this was simply a fluke and meant nothing. Young Arcosians would often pick up a fascination with most shiny objects, namely the band of silvery beads and play pretend gemstones around the girl’s wrist, like a magpie. Kuriza's “magpie instinct” must have drawn him into following the bracelet wherever it went, regardless of whose wrist it was bound to. If not for Bulla’s jewelry, the pint-sized lizard would probably have remained hidden, clinging to his father’s ankles.
However, Bulma, despite the believable case and point he made, was clearly too excited to listen to reason, which was a stark contrast from her brilliant scientist persona- that rotten oversentimentality that had put him in this mess in the first place.
Soon enough, the foretold “playdates” were arranged, allowing Kuriza and Bulla to hang out with each other. Thankfully, due to distance concerns, these meetings were not as frequent as Bulma’s initial frantic vision. As these playdates went on, the fluke of a friendship Frieza initially believed in solidified into the blossoming bond as the woman expected. Soon enough, as the children grew into their adolescence, they began scheduling their intermittent weeks of being together amongst themselves and speaking over scouter communication channels in the time in between.
Usually, Frieza was too busy with business matters to attend these meet-ups. In these circumstances, it was Berryblue who served as accompaniment on these excursions. This particular instance was what Frieza believed was his caretaker’s turn, but the woman had teasingly brought his attention to the digital planner.
Sure enough, the next galactic week had been accordingly labelled with bold text: KURIZA, TO EARTH . It was colored accordingly in the boy’s designated red color on the schedule.
“And you are bringing this to my attention, why?” Frieza had asked with a roll of the eyes. “I’ve known about this for a while now. I don’t need to pack him lunches or anything. Go ahead and take him, I’m not going to stop you.”
Of course, her devious little smirk did not vanish. “ Look again, my lord. ” She directed his attention to the columns on the schedule.
“ I don’t see any- ” Frieza quickly cut himself off as he answered his own question. He noticed an absolute lack of events in the schedule besides the trip to Earth. Meetings, zilch . Training observations, nada . Not even a chat over wine with planetary leaders. His stomach lurched at the thought. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to accompany his son. It was the fact that he did not particularly enjoy the planet he would be visiting. “ Oh gods, please… ” He grumbled under his breath.
“ You’re free this week, my lord~ You’re coming along. ” Berryblue smiled, her expression a mixture of genuine sincerity and playful malice.
Soon enough afterward, Frieza found himself where he was now, in an earthen patio chair. His tension had immediately been detected by the woman, who had quickly retrieved him a stemmed glass of white wine, most likely fearing what would happen if he snapped. It was a silly thought to think that alcohol would spare their lives, but he did admit that it was effective at easing his worries. His contentment showed through the gentle swish of his tail, though quite restricted in movement, the plastic seating justifiably not built for the tailed folk.
As he slowly downed the wine, he joined Vegeta in observing the occurrences in the yard filled with yellowing grass- dying out and becoming crisper with the shift to chilly autumn weather; Frieza was thankful he got to see at least something die on this trip- a show of a spar in its gold expanse.
The shorter and more alien of the duo was, of course, the emperor’s own pride and joy, Kuriza. From observation, he was shorter than most species would be at the age of fourteen. He came up to slightly below his father’s shoulder, which wasn’t saying a lot considering Frieza was short to begin with. However, despite his height predicament, he had the benefit of a slim and agile build. His ash rose limbs were almost like twigs and he had yet to adjust to his growth patterns, but he was surely taking advantage of his flexibility. His pearly biogem skull of a maroon shade formed a point at the top, making it resemble his namesake nut, and glittered, freshly polished, in the noonday sunlight. When he stayed on Earth, he seemed to cover his identity of a ruthless emperor’s next-in-line shown through his copper chestplate with a humbler earth style of a soft gray jacket.
His human partner in this passive spar, however, happened to be the simian spawn of age sixteen… Bulla. As the years progressed, she had grown from a petite innocent child learning her place in the world to a stubborn as an ox brat of a teenager. It probably didn’t help that her parents had the finances to buy her all of the jewelry, high heels, and ponies her twisted heart desired. Yet, somehow, there was still some allure to her in Kuriza’s mind. The likely theory was that the sadistic nature of a ruthless emperor that the boy had been immersed in throughout his life had some effect on his interest in companions. Either that or he was too naive to detect her toxicity.
In contrast to her cool-colored hair, her outfit favored the warmer side of the color spectrum with clothes in bright cherry red and the occasional splash of rosy pink. In this particular instance, a paisley print scarf in the glorious color of blood tied back Bulla’s hair and the pale magenta of her jacket gave the eyes a temporary reprieve before observing her denim jumper dress in eyesore cherry. It was peculiar that she chose a skirt for this- modesty in a short skirt and flowing combat didn’t mix, unless her goal was to “accidentally” flash her panties to her partner. No one wanted to see that .
Tall boots stretched up to hide most of her legs and each hand featured a fingerless glove, unknown if purposeful or simply worn out- these articles were also in similar strokes of red. There was some of that tomboyish attitude present like the Saiyans before her, but she was still just a young and stubborn woman.
However, what intrigued the emperor the most about this passive spar was not the young half-breed dame’s choice in attire, but rather, her strange insistence on not fighting back. She only dodged each blow Kuriza attempted like a busy bee buzzing about its flower. Was it a fear of soiling her outfit with the muddy work of a fight or the concern of hurting her partner? The damsel had voluntarily chosen to spar with these risks in mind, so why was she avoiding them?
Mid sip of wine, Frieza’s ruby eyes darted to Vegeta with a look of confusion. Thankfully, the prince was able to read into his subtle signal rather easily, shortening the amount of words that needed to be spoken between them. Conversing between the two was often found… difficult to put it lightly.
“Yeah, yeah… I know she’s not striking back.” The Saiyan seemed visibly frustrated as he answered.
“And why is that, prince? I was under the impression from what Berryblue reported back that you were personally advising to her training yourself.” The Arcosian’s gaze of perplexity quickly shifted to one with a stab of malice. “Cowardice is not an admirable trait to inherit , Vegeta…”
“Tch…” Vegeta’s gaze was averted. “You’ll have to ask Bulma about that one.”
Oh dear, the woman . Frieza grumbled to himself. Oh, how the prince could rant on and on about her when she was out of earshot. Being around both halves of the couple made it hard to decide who to sympathize with.
Thankfully, Vegeta could not begin his biased account on the matter, as Bulma was in range to hear her husband’s complaining. She had returned with a small tray of drinking glasses, which were accompanied by two pitchers: one containing lemonade and one filled with plain water. She had offered to top off Frieza’s wine glass, but, since he was satisfied with what he had remaining, he abstained. Things hadn’t grown too stressful, so one glass was enough to please.
“For the last time, Vegeta, it’s not fighting.” Bulma responded to her husband with a huff as she set the tray down. “She only took up training from you to work on her agility. Tactics, fighting stances, the like. That’s all we agreed on letting you teach her.”
With all of the stress brought on by living with a Saiyan, it was a wonder that her face hadn’t become one hundred percent worry lines. In fact, her complexion was surprisingly clear. Her age was increasing in number, but the youthfulness of her face and figure lagged behind. Allegedly, she had been harnessing the wishes of the eternal dragon simply to look a touch younger. Wasteful...
Within seconds of Frieza snapping back into reality from his train of thought, he noted that the couple had reentered their usual state of squabbling- “lovers’ quarrels”, as Bulma put it, the lizard barely picking up a word of it. However, each part of the pair knew firsthand about the emperor’s low tolerance for spectating their marital spats- he barely needed to lift his hand, knowing he’d try to fake a Death Beam.
“Get to whatever damn point you were trying to reach and get there soon, if you please.” His ruby red eyes were narrowed, visibly frustrated. He took a small sip of his drink in between sentences. “If she’s not learning these tactics for their intended purposes, then why is she learning them at all?”
“Well, you know,” Bulma shrugged. “It’s just kind of… girl things, you know.”
Frieza merely blinked in total confusion and it took a few seconds for it to click within the human woman that he had no clue what she was referring to. “Oh, right… uh…” She attempted to rephrase herself. “It’s somewhat of a hobby. Here on Earth, we call it ‘gymnastics’. It’s much like dancing and it takes a lot of flexibility to help master it. Bulla finds it relaxing, so she uses it to put her mind at ease, especially with all of the hustle and bustle with school. Vegeta’s helping to refine her skills and, in a way, Kuriza is too.”
“It’s kind of like what the Ginyu Force did, except a lot less...” Vegeta simply snorted. “...Ginyu.” Frieza, understanding his point and adversely recalling the flamboyance of the former captain, simply rolled his eyes.
“Oh, and speaking of our two little sparring buds…” Bulma turned away from the happenings at the patio table and called out into the yard. “Finish up, you two. Lunch is almost ready!”
The two paused mid-motion, Bulla forming a pose with her graceful dodge and Kuriza dropping his strike, which minimal power had been put into, purposefully. The older teen rolled her eyes with a grumble. “Alright, mum, fine.” She seemed clearly bothered that her time had been cut short. Kuriza let out a sigh as well.
Bulla attempted to readjust her footing from the convoluted position she had managed. “Okay, just gotta stick the…” Planting a foot to the ground, she began to stumble. “W-whoa-”
Without even a second of hesitation, her Arcosian sparring partner had swooped in to catch her fall, even though she had only expressed a slight wobble. His hands, colored a pale and chalky rose, gently cupped her wrists, and his tail instinctively curved forward and served as a bar to hold up her exposed knees. “Careful~” Kuriza’s soft voice finally showed itself after its period of silence. An accent had begun to form in his voice over time, picked up from his father’s own. However, a touch of youth and his more timid tone seemed to help mold his voice into one varying from Frieza’s. “You almost fell. We don’t want you to chip that tooth again.”
“Hey, don’t worry your pretty little head off, buddy. I’m not going to hurt myself.” Bulla let out a soft giggle. She still remained in Kuriza’s gentle semblance of a grip hold. It felt… pleasant. “Besides, wasn’t that…”
“Five years ago.” Kuriza finished. “Your eleventh birthday party, you tripped while we were running and playing tag in the garden and hit it on one of the stones. Your mom freaked out, but your dad told you to tough it out like a big girl. Which you did.”
Another laugh from the half Saiyan. “Wow, I don’t even remember that much of the details.”
“Well…” The tip of his tail lightly dragged in the grass before the realization that it was leaving the shaky legs of his female companion unguarded again prompted it to return back. “Papa always told me it pays to have an eidetic memory…” His voice dwindled and his eyes seemed to shift to the side, as if he was embarrassed by this divulged information.
“He thinks so? Even with trivial details for the less important things? I thought that he’d only care if it’s for all that empire work he wants you to do.”
“But…” The young Arcosian stuttered. “You’re what’s important to me r-right now.” His face was already a pale pink, as that was the natural color of the scales in that area, but it had started to fill a bit with a more flushed color, though only in small blotches. It still blended in with the pinks he currently had. “I don’t have to take over… so soon.”
“And, I like that. You don’t have to be stuck up and serious like him.”
A satisfied smile now adorned Kuriza’s face, which was once filled with panic. A state of being flustered shifted to one of contentment. His hands left her wrists as things began to slow once again. His tail began to drift from its position, switching from a guard rail to flowing free… However, the reptilian appendage seemed to have a seperate mind, wanting to latch on… to hold on, eventually finding the back of Bulla’s knees and coiling into an anchor…
Sending the two falling to the grass. Everything had been tranquil and calming, which made the sudden fall much more jarring. Kuriza had let out a nervous squeak as his own tail’s attachment pulled them to the ground.
Flat on top of Kuriza, chest at his face, Bulla regained her composure and propped herself up off of the young Arcosian. His eyes were wide and startled, not only from the sudden fall, but the surprise of the two's sudden proximity.
“Oh… I...” He had returned to a state of nervous stuttering. “I- I’m so-”
“No, no. It’s fine.” Bulla interrupted. “I think I was the one who tripped you up.”
However, Kuriza’s eyes were still turned away. His face had grown much pinker than natural. It felt like… it was burning. It didn’t help that she still hung close to him. Why was she still so close? Why did his face feel like it was further bursting into flames as each second passed?
“Haha, you don’t need to look so flustered. It was an accident.”
He still could not speak, sound only coming out as a soft mumble, the flushed pink continuing to spread and the fiery feeling in his cheeks did not let up, even as she pulled herself away.
“Okay, I’ll just help you up.” Bulla let her hand encapsulate Kuriza’s wrist as they had done before and lifted him from the ground. “See, it’s not a bother at all.”
“Yeah, it’s nothing.” He attempted to brush it off. However, despite his calm demeanor, his tail still gently batted about in a non-stop pattern behind him, in contentment.
“Kids! I told you two to hurry up!” Bulma called into the yard once again.
“We know, mum! We’re coming.” Bulla turned back to her reptilian companion. “We’d better make our way over there. If we dally any longer, my mom will get mad, which means Dad will get mad and their senseless bickering will get your dad mad. And none of us want that , do we?” It was comforting that she could still give a chuckle at Frieza’s short and dangerous fuse. She was confident enough to joke about it without fear.
Kuriza laughed as well. “I know, I know.” The soft swishing of his tail brushed against the yellowing grass, crunching the dying blades beneath its gentle touch. “It’s about time, anyway. I’m starving ~ ” Pleasure filled his smile which had yet again shown itself, brought on by the thought of lunch.
“Well, someone bounced back quickly. I guess food can help you forget your worries, huh?”
“Well, that’s part of the reason I suppose, second only to being with you. My tail seems to show it...” The Arcosian lifted his tail from the ground, the lizard appendage still wagging like a branch in a light breeze.
“Oh, right, I forgot your tail does that.” She had learned quickly that a major part of Arcosian body language was conducted through how the tail moved. A relaxed swishing, much like Kuriza’s current pattern, was a symbol of happiness, contentment, and pleasure. Harsh and fast flicks, on the other hand, meant the opposite: a sign that someone should probably back off before they become an eviscerated husk. “That thing’s been at it… almost since you arrived this morning I think. Has it even let up at all?”
“Barely…” He responded near silently, concern now flooding his voice. The slow rhythm of his tail grew to almost a halt, but there was still a remnant of tiny beating about. “Guess that means everything is going alright.” Within a few seconds, the tail sped back up.
“Well, what’s good about you…” She had her same constant happiness displayed on her face before a sigh caused the smile to run away from her face and her expression to grow somber. “...is that you’re actually easy to read into.” She walked off without waiting down the glowing gold hillside towards the pavilion where their parents sat in wait.
“Bulla, wait…” Distress caused his tail’s movement to slow to near nothing and Kuriza proceeded to follow after his half-Saiyan friend. “What does that mean?”
“Does it have to mean anything?” Bulla sighed, continuing down the path.
“Doesn’t it always?!” Kuriza retorted, his tail stiffening straight.
The older girl paused in her tracks and turned around. “Your tail stopped swishing around. What’s wrong?”
“You…” The Arcosian spoke almost completely under his breath. His tail was starting to relax itself from its prior tension. “Something’s eating at you. What do you not want to tell me?”
“Hmm? You’re mumbling…”
“What do you not want to tell me?” He repeated, louder. Realizing what was distressing her friend, Bulla stepped over to face him.
“You’re really cute when you worry about me, you know.” Though her hair was mostly tied back, a few loose strands of it cascaded over her shoulders as her head turned. “I’ll tell you if that would put your mind at ease.”
“Yes, it would, actually.”
She let out a soft giggle again, laughter that no obstacle could bring down, until her tone turned serious again. “Don’t tell my dad that I’m making a fuss over this, but there’s this guy that I really like at school. His blue eyes sparkle, his blond hair shines in the schoolyard sunlight. Everyone wants to be his… I even took up some new things just to help his head to point in my direction. He finally picked me, but…” She sighed. “I’m not sure if he even likes me back.”
“But, why wouldn’t he like you? You’re a pretty likable person.”
“Not that way, silly. I want him to, like, ‘like’ like me. Like… love me.”
“Love... you?”
Bulla looked dumbfounded. “Are you serious? You don’t know what that means?” She rested her fingernail between her lips as she thought of how to put things into different terms. “It’s just something you sorta… feel, y’know? It’s like… a bond that brings two people together for a really long time,” She interlocked her fingers, symbolically. “And the strength of these feelings is what keeps them united that long and what helps them to start a family of their own in the long run. Take a mum and a dad for an example…”
A confused blink was Kuriza’s only response.
“Oh, right… You never knew your mum…” Bulla’s eyes were averted as she berated herself. “Dang it, Bulla. Bad comparison.” However, her eyes soon looked back. “But… Did Frieza ever talk about her? What she was like? How they fell in love? How things were before she was… gone?”
“Hardly ever… He usually brushes her off as a topic, as if she was no one.” The Arcosian answered. Noticing the sad look in the half-Saiyan’s eyes, he changed the topic. “But, let’s get back to talking about you. Why are you not sure if your feelings towards him are mutual? If he chose you… doesn’t that mean he feels the same about you?”
“The thing is… he’s being very vague with how he feels about me. He’s always going with what I suggest, never deciding for himself. He says everything is okay… What does he mean by that? I don’t even know if he genuinely chose me or if he’s using me… Especially since I’m the heiress to the biggest corporation on the planet. I should really bring it up with him before tomorrow night…”
“What’s tomorrow night?” Kuriza asked, head turned to the left like a curious owl.
“Shoot, I forgot to tell you!” Bulla’s eyes sprung up. “Tomorrow, this Sunday, is the big Autumn Formal dance and he invited me to go with him!” She let out fast and excited claps.
“I thought we’d have tomorrow night to ourselves…” He whimpered. “Sunday night’s always when we watch the stars together.”
“Aww, ‘Reeza, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for things to get in the way of our time together… Hear me out,” Bulla suggested. “You can go watch the stars from your spaceship and you can act like I’m still sitting there next to you. Then, for the rest of the week, I’ll finish my homework extra early so you don’t have to wait so long for me to be ready to hang out. Alright?”
“I suppose that’s alright.” Kuriza nodded. His tail began to swish happily once again. “And if things don’t go well with him...” He sighed, pink color flushing through his face once again, without him noticing. “Remember that I’ll still be here. I’ll still be your friend…”
“Right, I know you will, buddy.”
“Kids, please .” Bulma called back for a third time. “Frieza’s trying not to break into more wine.”
“Oh, we’re very sorry, mum. We’re coming for real this time.”
The rest of the day seemed to fly by without much fanfare. Soon after lunch, activities moved inside due to the blustering and chilly autumn winds, but this inconvenience did not curb the young duo’s fun time hanging out together.
Frieza could only make assumptions on how they spent the rest of their time in the daylight hours, as they had retreated back to Bulla’s bedroom. There was laughter and occasional mentions of topics the emperor didn’t know if he could even begin to understand could be made out from the conversations down the hallway.
The evening concluded with spars of two varieties. Beneath the cold moon of the harvest season, Kuriza and Bulla played in near pitch black darkness, initiating some semblance of a “fight”. However, indoors, Bulma had arranged for Frieza and Vegeta to use the gravity chambers for a light spar, simply to shake off the rust- they both grew tired rather quickly, perhaps age causing them to lose their respective luster.
When the moon had reached its peak in the sky, he supposed the time spent with the Briefs for the day had come to a concluding peak as well. Despite Kuriza and Bulla’s high-pitched begging in favor of engaging in the taboo “teenager boy-girl sleepover”, Frieza’s mind was made up on returning to the comforts of the main counselor ship, which, at present, hovered within Earth’s orbit. The small landing shuttle they had used for transportation to the planet’s surface contained basic living amenities that Berryblue considered to be “adequate” for past excursions, but, as an emperor, Frieza’s standards were somewhat higher and he desired to retire to his own personal quarters for the night.
Plus, he knew that if he stayed at Capsule Corporation, he would likely be booted to their living room couch.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, buddy~” Bulla bid farewell. “I’ll have to show you the dress I picked out before I head out for the evening.”
“Sure thing, I…” Kuriza hesitated. “...hope he likes it. Good luck talking to him.”
“Hah, luck’s not a problem.” The older girl scoffed. “I’ve got this. I’m endearing as heck-!”
“Sometime tonight , you two.” Frieza’s tail angrily flicked, crunching dead grass in its sweeping motion. “Remember, Kuriza. Early to bed, early to rise…”
“...makes an emperor healthy, wealthy, and wise… Yes, I know, Papa…” Kuriza finished with a sigh. His tail slowly wagged, the low speed being a combination of his current satisfaction mixed with a tired feeling attempting to drain his body.
“Well, we should be off now…” The grass was once again rustled by the older Arcosian’s irritated motions. “Unfortunately, I will have to see you gnats tomorrow morning.” He turned back to the landing shuttle, raising a dismissive hand.
Wanting to stay but knowing his father’s low tolerance for nonsense, Kuriza followed not far behind. Before the ship door closed, he turned back to Bulla and gave a quick reassuring smile, which was soon after returned. The day was over and he could rest easy until the next day. However, certain questions continued to eat at him even now.
Since the counselor ship was not very far off from the surface of the planet, it did not take long for the small shuttle to reach the docking bay, which was intermittently speckled with the occasional footsoldier. Most were tending to ship repair work… hopefully. Frieza was too tired for a sudden welcoming party.
As they stepped out, he and Kuriza were greeted by one of the soldiers, who seemed to have been waiting for them. “Good evening, Lord Frieza. Was your day on the planet Earth satisfactory?”
The Arcosian sighed, barely lifting his gaze. “Well, as satisfactory as that pest-ridden planet can be, Kiko-” His eyes widened as he realized his mind was on auto-pilot.
Kikono, one of his lead scientists, one that was passed onto him by his father a few years into his reign, was usually one to serve as a minimal welcoming party. However, this was not the case in this situation. Many of his original soldiers that were able to survive several purges were growing older as the years progressed and were unable to keep up with the Arcosian’s long lifespan. As such, a good handful had started to progressively retire from the Frieza Force, the yellow scientist being one of them. Kikono was gone and new soldiers had taken his place.
This was not Kikono.
His eyes looked back up to see a soldier in ordinary black armor with a pale lime complexion and yellowish hair tipped with red. He was of a similar species if not the same as one of his brother Cooler’s elites… Salza if his memory served him correctly.
“No… Erm… Remind me of your name again, if you please. It’s been a long day and… your name has evaded me.” Somewhat of a lie. Frieza simply did not want to bother himself with memorizing the names of every soldier in his ranks… especially the new ones. They were not as relevant to him as his older veteran troops like Kikono and Berryblue. Adjusting to the names of new recruits replacing the old further reminded him that things were changing… beyond his control.
Stepping out the spacecraft, Kuriza quickly chipped in. He had removed his earth jacket, now presenting his usual copper armor. The sleeves were now draped over his shoulders, forming some sort of makeshift cape with some semblance of formality. “Pitaya, correct?”
Pitaya bowed obediently. “At your service, my young lord.”
Frieza scoffed under his breath. I knew that… He tried to reassure himself. On a positive note, Kuriza was on top of things. He was still young and fresh, meaning he did not automatically revert to using outdated names.
However, the soldier was not finished. “Can I be of any further assistance to my lords? Perhaps unload cargo?”
“That won’t be necessary, Pitaya. We packed light and we’re returning in the same shuttle tomorrow.” Kuriza seemed to take the words from his father’s mouth, which only managed a preemptive breath before being interrupted.
“Of course, my lords.” Before Pitaya departed, he proposed one more question. “Oh, speaking of which, was your excursion today exemplary, Lord Kuriza?”
“Eh,” The younger Arcosian shrugged. “It was alright.”
“Anything of note?”
“Not really.” Another shrug accompanied his dismissive response.
“How is your friend, Miss Bulla, doi-” The soldier was cut off by a swift lash of Frieza’s tail striking his kneecaps. " Ahh!"
“He’s said enough about his day. I don’t see any reason why he should divulge more than the basics to a low-class grunt such as yourself.”
Pitaya bowed again, this time with the purpose of begging for forgiveness rather than a basic respect sign. “For- forgive me for prying, my lo-”
His quivering apology was cut off by Frieza continuing. “Though, your insistence has reminded me… I expected that Berryblue would be present to greet us upon our return. She’s been on so many of Kuriza’s visits, I’d at least expect her to be at least somewhat curious about today’s events, yet she’s not in attendance.”
“Oh, forgive her, my lord. Berryblue is probably caught up in other events. When I last checked in, she was busy training one of our newer medical recruits. I suppose she will soon be finished with her session, so I don’t think it will hurt if you check in with her, Lord Kuriza.”
Frieza rolled his eyes nearly unnoticed. “Tch… Of course she is…” A swift whip of Frieza’s tail prevented Pitaya from speaking further. “You are dismissed, Pitaya. Let’s go, Kuri. We’d best not waste any more time here.”
As the emperor began to walk off, his son followed soon after. Kuriza’s tail had not once ceased its pattern of light wagging, even as he and his father retired home for the night. As reassuring as the sign was, it was getting rather tedious to manage. Movement was made difficult with the constant swishing. His balance was already uneasy due to his fragile design he had yet to adjust to as he grew into adolescence.
Thus, his only solution was to allow it to wrap around his waist like a belt. At least it would be somewhat out of his way. It continued to twitch even now, trying to unfurl itself from its curled position. All he needed to do was keep his balance steady until he could head to bed and probably rest this off.
However, before he could, there was a burning question in his mind that he needed answered.
Frieza, on the other hand, walked ahead of him with more steadiness and with confidence and purpose. He had no trouble balancing the gentle beat of his tail and his walking, his limbs no longer fragile from growth. Kuriza tried to mirror this, steadying himself to match the proud emperor’s steps.
They continued in silence, the emperor brushing off the rows of now bowing soldiers that speckled each hall. It was traditional that they showed their signs of respect for the emperor and his prince, repeated so often that there was no need to detract much attention to it. If one was out of line, they usually amended their error, following the others’ actions like a lemming.
Frieza, with a sigh, tired from having to spend his time on Earth “blending in”, turned down the barren white hall to the almost equally empty main conference area. The only other company was the guards flanking either door, scrambling back to their posts at the sound of the Arcosian’s footsteps.
The room was mainly reserved for some of the business matters that could be handled via holo-screens. It was hardly used for conferences anymore, as he reserved most meetings that weren’t one-on-one to his throne room. The space view wasn’t as vast and impressive as it was in other areas, but it was enough that if he wanted to gaze at the stars to clear his head mid-work, he could easily do so.
Across from the main counter where his hoverchair floated gently was a small table with two chairs. It was once for conferences, but it was now where Frieza would stop for a spot of wine or partake in daily meals alongside his son, provided the boy was around for the day.
His shoulders tiredly slumping, he stepped over to his hoverchair. Despite his words of “early to bed, early to rise”, he desired to return to his work at hand, as per usual. His lack of work in advance was what had forced him onto the Earth’s surface as an unwilling supervisor. Perhaps something had come up, perhaps something that could busy him. He’d take anything if it meant Berryblue had to go to Earth tomorrow in his stead.
Slipping into the comforts of his hoverchair, he draped his tail over the side and booted up a small holographic datapad. His tail tip pattered gently against the siding. He scrolled through business memos, all of which were opened, meaning there were matters still lingering in his inbox that he had finished but had yet to clear away. His once gently swishing tail began to slightly race.
He checked and checked again, continuously refreshing in his frustration. No result came of it, but, as he perused again, he noticed some unfamiliarity among some of the opened items. Sure, he may not have recalled the exact circumstances of some of his past business mail, but even more distressing was when he noticed the dates…
Five of them were labelled with today’s date. He recalled none of them, yet they were all opened, which meant…
Frieza’s eyes widened at the horrifying thought. Someone had dared to skim through his private files?!
However, within a second, his question was answered with a new memo, this one coming straight from a scouter.
Lord Frieza,
I went ahead and took care of all of this for you. Enjoy your evening off.
Cordially,
Berryblue
The Arcosian emperor gave a low growl. “Of course, she thinks of everything… Damn her! ” His stark white tail gave a swift and harsh flick in pure irritation over the matter, without realizing...
"Ow!" Kuriza yipped, rubbing his cheek. In response, Frieza quickly turned around, noting that his son was right behind his hoverchair. He stepped out of its confines to face him.
"Oh. Kuri. I didn't realize you were back there. I'll give you one thing, you are an awfully stealthy boy."
"I'm fine, Papa…"
"Good, but I believed you were off to bed, as I had told you." His expression turned stern again as he set his hand to the younger Arcosian's head jewel, his fingers parting at the spike. "Or at least checking in with Berryblue…"
Kuriza sighed. "I know, I know… but I had a really important question to ask you beforehand." His foot dragged against the ground. "It's been kind of bugging me and I don't want to just leave it."
"Ah, of course, my little chestnut… What's been bothering you?" Frieza's vision directed to the tail coiled around his son's waist. "Is it perhaps pertaining to the fact that your tail is that way?" He felt the jewel's surface with the back of his hand. "I hope to the gods that you're not getting sick. Who knows what viruses that little Saiyan mutt girl could be carrying…"
“Papa, please. I’m fine. It’s uh… I don’t know how to phrase this.” His eyes darted away.
“Ask away, my son. No question is too unusual-”
Interrupting Frieza suddenly, Kuriza mustered the courage to ask. “How do you know when you’re in love?”
A record scratched in Frieza’s mind as his hand withdrew. “...Pardon?” Was he… hearing him correctly?
"Yeah…" His voice dwindled as his tail loosened from his waist. "I know it's sudden, but I kind of want to know what it's like to be in love with someone… You know, for the future."
The older Arcosian mentally cursed. That was what he heard, no disputing it. However, frantic questions bounced about his mind rapid-fire, like tiny stinging bullets of rare panic. Who told him about this?! Why was he worrying about this?! The stress beaded up in its own little bullets in his skull, a migraine charged up and ready.
A regal rarely had time for such trivial matters. The matter was irrelevant to the point that he hoped Kuriza would never even come across the thought. But, somehow, he had. Frieza's initial suspect would have been overheard gossip of newer (and easily disposable) recruits in the barracks, but he knew without a doubt it was the devilish little heiress that had sparked this topic. Unlike grunts, Bulla could not be easily splattered without consequence… no matter how much he wanted to some days.
He hid the worry in his expression behind his folded knuckles. His tail gave a waggle of uncertainty. "May I ask what prompted you to look to me for this information?"
The boy was on the onset of adolescence and they were due for the “talk” with the hopes that he’d accept the practices of the species, but that would only ruin his sudden fascination- and it was likely he wouldn’t back down on it, even if he did get the truth.
"Well, you've gone through this before, right?" There was undeniable softness in Kuriza's gaze. His tail had partially freed itself, wagging rhythmically and pattern-like. "You had me. You obviously fell in love with Mama before all that right? How did you know she was the one? How did you know the feeling?"
Of course he's going to play that card on me. Frieza thought as his expression further soured. He couldn't tell him that he chose his mother solely based on her power level alone? He had to get out of the conversation as soon as possible. The emperor could already see the migraine mist forming on the sides of his vision.
"Go ask Berryblue." He blurted out, half-thinking.
"Huh?"
"I told you to go ask Berryblue. Please." Frieza moved his hand from his face. "I can't answer all your little questions right now. I…" He paused, trying to devise a lie. "...don't think dinner at the Briefs settled with me quite right." A half-truth… He was feeling rather sick to the stomach, but it was not the Earthen cuisine that did the trick- it was that damned question that brought this about. "If you'd kindly excuse me…" He began to slightly shuffle off towards the left passage, which would lead to the halls containing the two's separate quarters. His face would have grown pale if it hadn't been stark white already.
Kuriza sighed, wrapping his tail around his waist again. "Alright… I hope you feel better for tomorrow, Papa…"
A nod of dismissal was exchanged as each Arcosian parted to their own direction, Frieza cautiously darting off towards his quarters in the left hall, while Kuriza took to the right, in the direction of the medical wing.
The younger Arcosian's tail still persisted in its little game of wagging when unwanted. Clearly other methods of taming the swish would need to be employed. Kuriza let it uncoil and proposed that, if he couldn't walk balanced, he'd have to fly. Frieza was strict on flight within the ship due to low ceilinged halls, but a low glide wouldn't be a bother.
Perhaps he could ask more about why his tail left him unbalanced when he talked with Berryblue. She had experience in all of this medical business. Maybe it was something she'd have a solution for.
The medical wing was, thankfully, not busy in the slightest and he was able to locate Berryblue rather easily.
The room he found himself in was one that, thankfully for his health, he had not tread into often. The room was set up with healing capsules, a treatment reserved for serious cases. He had never been injured to the point that he needed to be put in one of the tanks and, from observation, no one had recently. This outage proved the perfect time to replenish the restorative serum that flowed through each one, as Berryblue was demonstrating to a newer recruit, who knelt down to be closer to the caretaker's height.
"Alrighty, my dear~ You seem to have the hang of the maintenance tasks." Her voice was a soft coo, yet with a firmness, like a beloved mother… or at least, how he imagined a mother's voice would be like. Berryblue had no children of her own, but she was still blessed with maternal gifts, a mother figure for the motherless. "We should be about finished with today's-"
"Miss Berryblue!" Kuriza called into the room, as he landed on his feet near the entrance.
The small caretaker looked up, her short pale pink hair sweeping along her cheeks. "Hmm..?" Her face was nearly free of wrinkles, the few she did have mirroring each other. However, she was far from being a spring chicken; she merely had incredible resistance to the strain old age placed on many.
"Oh, it's just you, Kuri-" She interrupted herself. "Pardon me… Lord Kuriza. I know your father wants me to address you properly now that you're becoming a young adult."
"S'alright…" Kuriza sighed, forgiving the slip-up, but inwardly hating that he had to bear his rank in Berryblue's presence. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important." His tail slowed, nervously dragging along the ground.
"Ah, no worries. We were concluding our session anyway." Berryblue's lips curled in one of her signature smiles, the warm maternal type, the other type being the one of playful malice. She turned to the recruit next to her, still squatting as she finished capping off the supply of serum within the leftmost capsule. "Pomegra, you remember seeing young Lord Kuriza around, correct?"
"Oh." Pomegra stammered, as she slowly rose to her feet, bowing in respect. She was a bubblegum pink skinned humanoid with dark rose splotches forming a bridged path over her nose. Among her magenta hair, straightened like pulled taffy, were two small horns with the sharp ends filed down. If he recalled correctly, she was of a species known for their thorn-coated bodies, and such sharp items needed to be eliminated if she were to go into a medical field. As such, the thorns on her arms had been painfully plucked off, leaving the arms covered with gauze bandage. "It is an honor to be in your presence, Lord Kuriza. I am at your service."
While inwardly cursing the continued persistence of being called 'lord', he outwardly smiled. "It is a pleasure to have you in the Force."
"But, back to the matter at hand…" Berryblue continued, as Pomegra rose from her bow. "What brings you in to see me this evening, my dear?"
"Well…" As his tail nervously fluttered, Kuriza slightly rocked on his heels. "It's about a topic that came up rather suddenly today…"
"Speaking of today, how was your little venture? I hope your father was cooperative?" Berryblue inquired.
"It was all fine. Papa didn't lose his temper. Bulla's doing fine…" His voice dwindled. "It's just she brought up this whole new concept that has me confused."
"And what is this?"
"She was saying all this stuff about being in love and romance and… it supposedly brings pairs together, but I don't know how I'll know when I feel it-"
The small caretaker cut him off. "Say no more. I've been guessing I'd be having this conversation with you in the near future. I'm guessing you tried to talk to your father about it first?"
"Yeah, but he said dinner wasn't settling well, so he wasn't in the mood to answer."
"Oh? Is that so?" Kuriza could have sworn he saw her devious grin briefly. She turned to Pomegra. "Pomegra, would you kindly go check on Lord Frieza to see if he's doing well?"
All of Pomegra's color drained from her in an instant. "L-Lord Frie-Frieza…?" She looked like she was about to drop dead on the spot. "Surely, you're not serious, Berryblue. That's practically suicide! Maybe I should have this discussion with Lord Kuriza, since Lord Frieza is more comfortable with you."
"I don't want to hear excuses, dear. This is a vital training opportunity for you. If you want to be of value to the medical division, you're going to need to get more comfortable around Lord Frieza. If he sees you're only trying to help, he won't try to kill you." She reassured the nervous recruit and handed her a medical kit. "Here are the items you should need to check his vitals and assess the situation. The note has the passcode to his chambers for emergencies and emergencies only . Got that?"
"Of course, Berryblue…" Pomegra hesitantly took the small bag and slipped out the door, nerves still prominent in her expression. Kuriza’s tail gave a nervous bat in sympathy. He understood her panic; his father was not the easiest to reason with.
However, his focus was returned to the matter at hand when Berryblue spoke up again. “Now that that’s settled, let’s get back to you, my dear. Shall we head back to one of the exam rooms so you can be a bit more comfortable?”
"No, it's fine, I'm all good. We're fine in here." Kuriza assured the attendant, his tail tapping on the ground. He didn't want the whole situation to be too much of a bother. In fact, he wanted it to be done as soon as possible.
"Oh, it's no hassle, dear~" Berryblue simply smiled. "It's not a simple topic we can just stand around for, and I'd like you to feel comfortable. We'll hardly take up any needed space."
He briefly swallowed, still ridden with nerves over the subject at hand and Berryblue's words not reassuring him in the slightest. "O-okay… if you say so." He thought this would be brief and have a straightforward answer, but he now knew it was far from the truth.
"Alright, come with me, then." Her purr-like voice rang out with a smile. She unclipped a small item from the belt of her armor and with a quick ' shink ' sound, it extended into a short walking stick. With a nerve-ridden sigh, Kuriza had no choice but to follow, opting to rewrap his tail around his waist as they continued.
In the silence that followed, interrupted only by the clicking of the cane against the floor below, the young Arcosian couldn’t help but feel his tail, although coiled, continue to twitch again. Frustrated with it, he tried his hardest to stagger himself to steady his steps in tandem with hers, but eventually, he stumbled out of balance and slightly forward.
Of course, Berryblue was sure to notice this, turning her head back to face him. “Are you alright, dear?”
“Oh… um, yes. It’s just… my tail’s getting me off balance, that’s all.” He assured her, still nervously stuttering from the other issue on his mind. It now batted with anxiety, robbing him of even more balance. “Nothing to worry about.”
Despite being told not to worry, Berryblue delved into it anyway. “If you focus less on what your tail’s doing, you’ll probably be able to focus more on your steps- that’s probably your problem, but we’ll look into it a bit more later. You do have those fragile legs after all, let’s pray this isn’t connected.” That was easier said than done- when one is told to not focus on something, instinct number one is to focus on it even more. The Arcosian still stumbled once or twice, but he was soon relieved of the burden when his focus changed to their destination.
The attendant inserted her passcode to the small examination room, leading Kuriza inside behind her. “Come along now, take a seat on the table there and I’ll get right to you.” She gestured with her walking stick to the examination table, lined with wax paper. A few steps were pulled out from the base for the shorter in stature. “If you would, could you take off just your chestplate, then we can get on with the exam?”
“Exam?!” Kuriza tensed up into himself, confused. “I thought we were just going to talk!”
“Don’t worry, it’s all just procedural.” Berryblue assured the nerve-ridden boy as she turned to fetch a small supply bag from the opposite countertop, needing a small step stool to do so, and quickly rinsing her hands in the small sink while she was up there. “Just to check on a few symptoms and such while we talk, nothing invasive.”
Kuriza only seemed to get more concerned at the mention of ‘symptoms’, but he swallowed this anxiety and nodded in agreement. “Oh… Of course…” He mumbled, hardly heard from beneath his breath, scrambling up to the top of the table. He folded his jacket and set it in the space behind him before following with his armor chestplate, leaving on the black sweat tank underneath.
“Now,” Berryblue stepped down from the counter with the bag in tow. “I’m under the presumption that you don’t need a rundown of what this is? Did Miss Bulla explain plenty?” She inquired, head still down as she maneuvered her walking stick to give her a free hand to file through her kit.
“I-” The young lizard stammered, tail fluttering behind him a bit anxiously. “I think so. She said it brings people together and keeps them together… sometimes it’s wanting to treat them like they’re the most special thing in the universe- and it’ll just be something I know when I feel it, but-” Kuriza’s words began to race a bit faster, in desperation for answers, before the attendant, finding what she needed from the bag, attempted to hush him.
“Calm down now, Lord Kuriza. No need to work yourself up so much.” Lifting her cane, she gave a gesture silently asking him to turn in his seat, legs now dangling off of the long side. This gave her some leeway to step up onto the table as well, metallic stethoscope in hand while keeping her walking stick in easy reach. “Now, try to loosen up as best you can so I can get an accurate result.” She set the circular end to his back- his body must have been warmer because the metal felt strikingly colder than usual, causing him to stiffen as if he were stabbed.
“Alright, I’m going to need a big breath in…”
Kuriza fulfilled the command with an inhale, although the resulting breath was shallower than what she likely meant. She didn’t comment, however, only moving on with an “And out…” Before she even finished, he forced out the small sigh of air. This repeated a few times, at different spots on his back, yet none of the inhales escaped the shallow end. The attendant’s musing to herself suggested there was something of note and, by its tone, likely amiss.
“Pulse is still a bit fast, we might need to do a second check a bit later...” As she removed the stethoscope end, she cautiously made her way down from the exam table, albeit with difficulty due to her cane- Kuriza offered to help, but she declined it. “Now, have you been feeling anything else odd that you’d want to mention? Well, besides your tail.”
“Well…” His tone was yet again a stammer. “I have been feeling… a bit clammy…? Although it might just be these questions getting me nervous…” He impatiently laid himself down, the wax paper beneath his back. A combination of pure habit and anxiety, his dangling legs gently swung out back and forth.
“Okay, good…” Berryblue mused to herself.
“What do you mean ‘good’ ?!” Her patient yipped, confused.
“It’s just procedural. You’re talking things out well, that’s what’s good.” She clarified before turning to questioning again. “Anything else to comment on?”
Kuriza’s tail uncomfortably shuffled against the paper below, more nervous. “There was also… this afternoon before lunch. Bulla and I were playing in the yard, my tail tripped her, she landed on my face…” His words were speeding up again, but he reminded himself to breathe. “And suddenly my face- it feels like it's on fire and I just can’t say anything…” Making sure the effect hadn’t returned, he felt around his face, particularly the cheeks. “I don’t know if I’m-” He paused suddenly. “Wait, Miss Berryblue. Are we actually going to talk about my question? This is just feeling like another physical.”
“That’s what we’re doing, dear. The symptoms here are quite telltale.” Berryblue gave a warm, yet somewhat suspicious smile. “You wanted to know how to tell when you’re in love? Well, it appears, Lord Kuriza, that you’re already in it. Congratulations~”
The lizard only froze, staring up at the ceiling in even more confusion. “This is… it?”
She nodded, almost proud of the boy for “unlocking” it. “I have a strong inkling this is what’s happening. Attraction, infatuation, arousal… Pick your dosage of poison~ The symptom flare up usually happens at catching the scent of a female of your kind, but that doesn’t mean your hormones won’t try to lead you to… mammalian pastures, so to speak.”
Kuriza lifted his head to redirect his look of perplexity towards Berryblue. "What…? What do you mean by-"
The attendant gave a deviously knowing smirk as she cut his question short. "I know that it's no doubt Miss Bulla that has your heart all aflutter." When Kuriza's legs nervously tried to tuck in, she clarified, "And by that, I don't mean arrhythmia."
"That's not what I was going to ask, but… good to know. Either way, I can't be in love with her. Sorry…" The look on his face seemed to hide pain as he unfolded himself upright. "I can't."
"And why ever not?"
"She… already has a boy she's in love with. That's a one person limit kind of thing, right?" A hesitating titter of laughter and a smile contrasted the hurt look in his gaze. "Bulla already picked her guy to hold forever and she's taking him to the dance… on the night that we watch the stars." His tail flicked faster with each word.
"Kuriza, dear? Are you perhaps feeling a bit jealous?" Her smirk lowered with a twinge of concern.
"No- not at all, Miss Berryblue~! What makes you say that?"
"Your tail's flicking a bit hard- like when you're mad about something."
"No, it's not!!" Kuriza yelped in an attempt to dispel her accusation. However, a lash-like whip of his tail, knocking over a jar of tongue depressors on a nearby counter, said otherwise. Alerted to the clatter, Berryblue defensively shuddered.
“It’s okay, Lord Kuriza… Calm down…” Her maternal tone of voice was coming to the rescue. “This is a normal emotion to be having. You’re okay, just breathe a bit.” As the lizard fulfilled this command, she continued. “Love at this age can be a fickle creature. Things change between people. Sometimes if you make a choice, you’ll realize you made the wrong one and the feeling dies out. Not all is set in stone.”
“So, it could… not be Bulla…?”
“I’m not necessarily saying that .” Her words were warm but her smirk was cold. “You just have to let things play out and you’ll be fine. Perhaps even a brief talk with her will do some good for you, but that’s a conversation that will have to wait until morning.”
Berryblue waved him ahead with her cane, prompting him to, with a begrudging sigh, take up his clothing belongings and step down from the table as she warily followed where his legs moved. This seemed to be the end of this little “checkup”, but it only seemed to leave him with more uncertainties. Would Bulla even change her mind… or would he hopelessly stand back and watch?
After the caretaker took a final routine check to see if his pulse had steadied- the metal stethoscope as cold as before- Kuriza was pulled aside on one last note, Berryblue taking a small item from a freezer box beneath the counter. It was medical grade blue in color and almost plushy like a pillow. “And before you head off to bed, take this please. An ice pack- it should help you feel more comfortable if you start feeling any disturbance…” She paused, avoiding eye contact. “... down under during the night. If you do, please see the male physician and not me.”
Kuriza seemed initially confused before his eyes pointed down and looked back up nervously, understanding her implication. However, he did take the ice bag without question. He nodded his thanks to Berryblue and finally proceeded towards his quarters for the night… all the while questioning what would happen next. He could only hope that tomorrow would clear things up rather than make them worse…