Post by Leke Hattori on Dec 5, 2013 18:12:38 GMT -5
If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak,
return to yourself, to who you are, here and now;
When you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom,
even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong.
return to yourself, to who you are, here and now;
When you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom,
even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong.
Leke's unguided flight found him soaring across an apparently-deserted town. Anger and confusion could only fuel his fire so long, and he felt weak, so he sharply descended and landed on top of the roof of one particularly run-down building. He looked about him, fire in his eyes. The trip had taken but perhaps a minute or two, but it had felt like an eternity. However far he ran, he knew he could not run from his problems.
But what he could not figure out, to begin combating his issues, was what his actual problems were. It was not the fact that he was weak, nor that he was outclassed by others by far. Not even that his life had nearly been taken from him... But what these factoids had presented to him. A salty tear dripped down Leke's cheek as he struggled with the reality of the situation. He had no purpose now. His entire life had been dedicated to training and fighting, to be the strongest and serve the Hattori name. What now that he had been bested in only the first round of the tournament? Others were stronger that did not participate, he was sure of it. His father could have obliterated anybody in attendance, he believed, maybe even Zex himself... And that was just one man. What chance did the poor teenage Hattori boy stand against foes like that? He would be only slightly-stronger fodder than the guards to a threat like that.
Leke only knew fighting, even at the beginning. As soon as he could walk he was training, according to his father's wishes. His brother was several years his senior and was already very capable, and his sister trained with the drive of a thousand oxen. The youngest was overlooked, even behind the half-blood; though Leke never really shared Ninjin and their mother's hatred of Saiyans mixing with Earthlings. It happened many times in their past and ensured the survival of the Saiyan DNA, even after their race was all-but-exterminated. Nor did he hate Earthlings, like some in his race did. They had offered their re-kindled race shelter on their moon, which had served them well. Leke was always more fair than his parents and siblings, and much kinder. This was perhaps the reason they drilled him even harder, because they thought he was soft - he was a little bit, in a way - so they had to beat it out. They succeeded, for the most part, but nothing can change the true nature of a man. He and only he can make his own choices and be himself. If Leke was to be kind-hearted, then he would be, no matter how much the Hattori clan tried to create a cold-hearted killer.
The youngest Hattori grew up in his siblings' long shadows. Their boots were too large to ever fill, in Leke's opinion. He was always compared to Ninjin, and failed in every aspect to meet expectations of his father. Maybe a part of him wanted a second Ninjin, but that was not what he had fathered. At the very least, he was viewed more favorably than Akassa, if only because he was full-blooded. His mother's influence on the King's actions were noticed by all three, and that only made Leke want to try harder to impress the King and Queen. He wanted to earn their love and respect, but continuously found himself outclassed. That had not deterred him until now.
Leke, dreary-eyed, slumped down against what used to be an air-conditioning unit ontop of this house and slipped to a sitting position on the ground. Recollecting his childhood, the Hattori teenager definitely remembered his old determination in training and studying to become better than his two siblings. He didn't want to be King, for some reason, but he just wanted to be better. If not better, then at least close to the same - equals. When he was old enough to roam outside of the castle, he always found himself in trouble that he somehow got himself out of. And when it wasn't his trouble, it was trouble finding citizens of New Vegeta, that Leke could not help but interfere himself in. It was his duty as Prince, wasn't it? To protect his people? Anything that could make him seem like a better second-in-line to Ninjin, would make his father proud... Right?
It wasn't until a few months prior to now that Leke was given permission to join the Royal Army, and even then, he had to strongly urge his father to allow him to. His older brother, surprisingly, asked for him to be attached to his own personal unit as a lieutenant - a spot was usually reserved for a veteran general. The King had granted his wish before telling the three Hattori children, and Akassa's personal bodyguard, Celeh, of the galactic tournament. The fact that Leke was also invited meant that he had earned enough respect to have the chance to prove himself against the strongest across the galaxy. The youngest son of Tsuyo had never thought he could face Ninjin or Akassa and win, but he thought he might have a good chance against others if he trained just as hard as his brother and sister did.
Perhaps he had not, then. He had given it his all and more, and it had still not been enough. Leke's head drooped as shame fell over him. His anger had turned to depression quickly after he landed; these memories flooding his head did nothing to stop this. He had not only let himself down, he had let his father, his family - no, his entire race - down with his failure against the Icejin Snow. He was proven to not even be worthy of the first round of this tournament that Ninjin and Akassa no-doubt succeeded well in, even after his tremendous victories in the preliminaries. Leke was just a blip in the universal map, while Ninjin and Akassa would be stars up there with the universe's powers. What was the point in training over and over now, now that he knew he could never compare to his siblings, and how would he earn his father's respect ever again, if he could not become strong enough? Why continue further down the road of disappointment? What was his purpose?
Purpose. That word rang in Leke's mind like the screech of an alarm. What did it mean, to have purpose? Before, his was to just be the best he could and earn his father's love. But now, that he knew he could never be enough? Leke closed his eyes and pondered it more. Before he could think of more, weariness fell upon him. He had not even known how tired he really was - his rage and subsequent flight and power surges drained him. He did not fight the coming lull of slumber over him, but in the fleeting moments before sleep found him, the image of the plant-like alien merchant, who he had saved before the tournament, came to him. He was illuminated in a comforting green glow. A smile on the peddler's face, one of eternal gratitude, accompanied the Hattori teenager to the dream world.