Chapter
7
“I don’t know how you do it, Vegeta,” Zarbon mumbled as he watched Vegeta
stretch. The holes in his arm and legs had healed completely in days, and his
knee was also doing considerably better, while Zarbon was finally able to sit
up under his own power.
“I’m a Saiyan,” Vegeta replied. “And my injuries were mostly external.” He
continued to stretch, his muscles moving fluidly beneath the ragged bodysuit
and cracked armor. Footsteps echoed down the hall towards them, and Vegeta’s
sensitive ears picked up the sound. He straightened and flexed a bicep,
readying himself for the battles that he knew were coming.
“What will you do when you’ve beaten them all?” Zarbon asked, voice low as it
reached for Vegeta through the darkness. Vegeta did not turn around to look at
the other alien, but continued to stare straight ahead at the barred door of
their cell. The Arlian guards unlocked the door and stood there, weapons at the
ready and red eyes shining dully in the dim light as they waited for the Saiyan
to leave his cell. Vegeta slowly strode to the portal, ignoring the guards and
walking silently down the hall by himself. Zarbon sighed as the cell door swung
shut with a creak, then concentrated his power as he began the task of making
it from his bunk to the ground in one piece.
“You can’t be serious about this,” Goku said, turning to face his brother. He
had tired of running from Radditz, finally opting to land in a desert so that
if it came to a battle no one would be injured.
“Brother, I have never been more serious. You are a Saiyan. It is your duty to
come with me and rescue our prince,” Radditz replied, also landing slowly as
little clouds of sand whipped around his bare knees.
“It sounds to me like he’s not so great either, if he’d order us to kill entire
species,” Goku said, drops of sweat rolling down his pounding temple. “Please,
just leave us in peace. I’m sure that if you want to go rescue him by yourself
Bulma will help you get the equipment.”
“This is a question of honor, Kakarott,” Radditz hissed. “You can’t be allowed
to disgrace our family like this. Maybe if you still had your tail you’d
realize it.”
Goku shrugged, a vacant grin crossing his face. “I’m not really family, not
anymore,” he said. “I’m Son Goku, not Kakarott.”
“Then I’m afraid Son Goku will have to die,” Radditz replied coldly, raising a
hand and pointing a finger at Goku. “Then I’ll take your son and fetch Vegeta.”
“No!” Goku yelled and launched himself at the alien. Radditz’s eyes widened and
stared as Goku came hurtling toward him like a orange bullet. He raised his
hands to defend, expecting a blow, but instead Goku veered off and rocketed
away into the sky. Radditz whipped around, his long hair blowing in his face
and allowing his brother a few extra seconds of escape time. With a growl, he
launched himself after his sibling and sliced through the air in pursuit.
“ChiChi!” Goku shouted as he burst through the door. “Get Gohan and run into
the woods!”
ChiChi stuck her head through the kitchen door and stared at her husband, black
eyes blinking in confusion. “What are you talking about?” she asked, brows
slowly lowering into a scowl. Goku took a few steps toward her, arms
outstretched and alarmed expression on his face. She stepped into the doorway
fully, hands on her hips as she shook her head. “This isn’t another one of your
stupid stunts, is it?”
Goku scowled back and lunged at her, grabbing around the waist and throwing her
over his shoulder. “I’m not joking,” he said gruffly. “Now where’s Gohan?”
ChiChi’s cheeks reddened in rage and she struck her fists against his back with
all her might. “You are not going to treat me like a sack of potatoes!” she
screeched. “Now put me down this instant!”
Goku rearranged his grip on her and ran through the house opening doors and
shouting Gohan’s name. “Where is he?” he asked his wife, who cuffed him upside
the head. He grabbed her and held her in front of him, his fingers digging into
her skin. “Dammit, ChiChi, where is he?” he demanded.
ChiChi stared at her husband like he was a stranger. “Goku, what’s wrong? He’s
outside in the back, reading,” she replied, trembling a little in his grip. His
eyes widened and he threw her over his shoulder once again as he dashed out the
back door. ChiChi felt him come to a dead stop as the sunlight hit her skin,
aware of little tremors running under his clothing as his muscles convulsed.
His grip on her relaxed and she slid down his chest until her feet rested
firmly on the ground. She could see the tendons in his neck standing out like
spider webs and she twined her fingers into the folds of his gi as he stood
rigid under her touch. He was so incredibly tense that she was afraid to turn
around, but finally a weak whimper reached her ears and she turned her head to
look, gasping at what she saw. There was the alien, the one who claimed to be
Goku’s brother, holding her son in the air by the back of his clothing. “Oh
no,” she groaned, leaning against her husband and reaching out an arm towards
her son. “Don’t hurt him, please.”
Radditz laughed and curled Gohan under his elbow like a loaf of bread. “Don’t
fret. If this one gets destroyed we can just make more,” he chuckled, and
watched as Goku tensed further. “If you keep it up you’ll explode, brother,” he
sneered. “But you really don’t need to worry about your son. He’s far too
valuable to waste. I don’t understand why you won’t just join me.”
“Because you pull stunts like this!” ChiChi shouted, stepping away from Goku
with her hands rolled into fists. “You give my son back this instant!” she
screamed, springing towards the Saiyan.
“ChiChi, no!” Goku yelled, stepping behind her and trying to grab her, but she
moved out of his grasp and threw a mighty punch at Radditz. Goku shouted as
Radditz’s tail came up under her chin and sent her flying into the air. Goku
caught her before she could hit the ground and glared at Radditz murderously.
“Put her away and try to get your son back,” Radditz said coldly, all traces of
mocking humor gone from his deep voice, and rose into the air.
A tear rolled down Goku’s face, catching the sunlight like a prism as he
listened to his son’s frightened wails faded into the blue sky. ChiChi groaned in
his grip and he bowed his head, going inside to put her in bed.
Radditz was rocketing through the air at a good pace when something white and
fluttering appeared before him, startling him enough that his grip on his
nephew loosened and he nearly dropped the boy. He quickly regained control and
once again held the child tightly, then focused his gaze on whatever had
appeared so suddenly before him.
“I heard you were planning to destroy this planet,” a gruff voice growled. “I
guess you didn’t know that I want this planet intact when I take it over.”
Radditz’s eyebrows rose a little as a mark of his surprise. “A Namekian?” he
said. “This is unexpected. What business do you have with me?”
The caped man gestured idly with a green hand. “Like I said, this is going to
be my planet. I won’t let something like you take it over or destroy it.”
Radditz smiled. “What do you think you can do to stop me?” he said with a
chuckle.
The Namekian snarled, baring sharp white teeth. “This!” he growled, and
launched a bright yellow ball of ki at the other warrior.
“That’s all?” Radditz replied, and batted the ki ball casually back at the
sender. The Namekian gasped as the ball of light hit him and exploded, sending
him to the ground. Radditz snorted in disdain as the Namekian hit the dirt. “So
much for him,” Radditz said to his nephew. The boy looked up at him, black eyes
wide and frightened. Radditz sighed. “What’s your name, boy?” he asked, trying
to be less harsh.
“Gohan,” the child said, voice quivering with unshed tears.
“Well, Gohan, I’m your uncle Radditz so there’s nothing to be afraid of,”
Radditz replied, holding the boy out in front of him and examining the child
closely. “You know that’s a fine tail you have,” he said, trying to put the boy
at ease.
Gohan ran a finger under his nose and sniffled. “Thank you. Daddy says I get it
from him.”
Radditz smiled. “You certainly do. Why doesn’t your father have a tail?”
The little boy shrugged, obviously feeling a little more relaxed. “He lost it
when he was little. He had it one night, then the next morning he woke up and
it was gone. But you still have yours,” he replied, pointing at the tail curled
tightly around Radditz’s waist. “Why do you keep it curled up like that?”
Radditz moved the boy back under his arm, casting a glance at the Namekian on
the ground, who was starting to move around again. “So it doesn’t get grabbed
or hurt when I’m fighting,” he said, and began to fly away.
“So how did you do today?” Zarbon asked, sliding off the stone slab as Vegeta
staggered into the cell.
Vegeta was holding his hand to his head, blood oozing between his fingers. “You
seem to be stronger,” he replied, glancing at Zarbon as the green-haired man
leaned against the damp wall.
“I am, thank you very much,” Zarbon said. “Now answer my question.”
“I killed eight. Three guards,” Vegeta said, moving towards Zarbon and sitting
on the cot.
Zarbon sighed and sat down next to the Prince. “If you want the guards dead why
don’t you kill them all with one massive blast?” he asked, puzzled.
Vegeta glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and grunted. Zarbon sighed
again and took Vegeta’s hand, peeling it away from his head. “It’s just a head
wound,” Vegeta hissed, yanking his hand out of Zarbon’s grasp.
Zarbon smiled. “You don’t need any more head wounds,” he replied jovially. He
reached down and tore off a strip of cloak. “We got more food, by the way,” he
noted as he dipped the cloth in the water dish and handed it to Vegeta, who
began to dab at the wound bleeding heavily at his hairline. Zarbon folded his
hands in his lap and waited for Vegeta to respond, but after a few minutes he
realized the futility of his action. “I noticed you’re not as banged-up as
usual,” he said, looking at the Saiyan expectantly.
“We were able to use small ki attacks today,” Vegeta said with a small smile.
“Some of the warriors may know how to use ki attacks, but ki shields are far
beyond them.” He tossed the bloody rag at Zarbon, who caught it, wrung it out,
and dampened it with more water before throwing it back.
“I still don’t understand why you don’t just kill everyone while they’re not
expecting it,” Zarbon sighed, picking at some dirt lodged underneath his
fingernail.
Vegeta hissed and dabbed at his wound, casting a black glance sidelong at the other
alien. “Has it ever occurred to you, you green freak, that I don’t want
everyone dead?” he snapped, grip on the rag involuntarily convulsing and
causing bloody water to stream down the front of his face so that it resembled
a horrible mask.
Zarbon scowled and crossed his legs, tossing his green braid over his shoulder.
“Now, now, little prince, no need to start calling people names,” he chided
coldly, looking down his narrow nose with glittering amber eyes. “You may need
that person’s help someday, and when you do they might not help you if you were
nasty to them earlier.”
Vegeta shifted uncomfortably on the slab, his scowl deepening. “What are you,
my nursemaid?” he growled, tossing the rag back at Zarbon.
A smile passed briefly over Zarbon’s mouth as he caught the rag, cleaned it,
and returned it. “The way things are going, apparently I am,” he said with a
chuckled. “And don’t forget that I’m capable of punishing you whenever I like.”
“Don’t presume to threaten me,” Vegeta snarled, and ignored the wound, the
thick red blood winding itself down the side of his head like an angry snake.
Zarbon blinked and put his fingers to the base of his throat, the darkness that
had settled on his features completely gone. “Eh? Threaten you? Prince Vegeta,
I would never do anything to harm you. You’re far too valuable.”
“In many ways,” Vegeta said under his breath and wiped away the blood with the
rag.
The ground buzzed past him like an endless blue and green carpet as he zoomed
through the air, occasionally waving a hand in front of his face to clear away
the vapor the cloud created as it flew. “Faster, Kintoun,” Goku whispered to
himself, sweat beading on his brow. A green blur moved beneath him, and with a
nudge of his heel the little cloud he was riding stopped dead in its tracks as
he surveyed the ground below. Bands of pink and green skin, as well as yards of
white cape, quivered as it rose from the ground, unsteadily at first but
gaining stability with altitude as it neared Goku.
“I might have known you were mixed up in all of this,” a gruff voice snorted
as the eyes studied him from underneath hairless green brows.
“Piccolo,” Goku breathed, uncertain what to do next. His hands flexed
involuntarily as the battle between the urge to fight the green man on the spot
and pursue Gohan raged inside of him. “What do you want? I’m kind of in a
hurry.”
Piccolo straightened his turban and continued to stare at Goku. “I just ran
into a rather unpleasant fellow. I gathered he is planning to threaten this
planet. Well, we both know I won’t allow that, since I have my own goals to
achieve, ruling this place being one of them. But he seems terribly strong. As
much as I hate to admit it, I can’t destroy him on my own.”
Goku nodded even though he wasn’t really sure what Piccolo was getting at. “He
has my son, and claims to be my brother. I have to stop him,” he said, looking
past the green man in the direction he thought he felt Radditz go.
Piccolo snorted and crossed his brawny green arms across his chest. “It would
seem for the moment that we desire the same result from this encounter- to be
rid of this new warrior. It pains me to do this, since I was planning to kill
you first, but I think it would be in our best interests if we joined forces.”
Goku blinked in amazement. “What? You want to be allies?”
Piccolo frowned. “For a short time, yes,” he replied testily, tapping
white-nailed fingers on his forearm as the wind whipped through his cape.
“Although you would have to realize that once this intruder is defeated things
will return to their previous condition.”
Goku nodded again, grunting. “Well, okay, if that’s the way you want it. I
don’t really have a choice.”
Piccolo’s lips parted in a cool smile to reveal his sharp white teeth.
“Exactly,” he growled with satisfaction.
“I just want my son unharmed,” Goku said softly, looking down to the ground.
“Then we have no time to waste,” Piccolo replied, and the two sped off into the
clouds.
Radditz found a spot he liked, with a broad green pasture and woods nearby for
food. He scented the wind carefully as he set the little boy down gently on the
grass, trying to get a whiff of Kakarott, who he knew had to be following him.
As he watched the child settle down in the grass and begin hunting for bugs to
play with he wondered how he was going to be able to fight them well when he
couldn’t even read their power levels. A brief moment of longing passed through
his stomach as he regretted not having the beautiful Bulma return his scouter to
him before he fled. He sighed, telling himself that his people fought
successful battles for thousands of years without any sort of technological
aid, but then again they also didn’t have to fight people who used high-powered
ki attacks until after the advent of the scouter. The little boy squealed and
picked up a shiny green beetle, holding it up to the sun to watch the light
glint off of the iridescent back of the little animal. A smile crept across
Radditz’s face, and he wondered idly what any offspring Bulma produced would
look like. She was a feisty one, and was intelligent and wealthy in addition to
her looks. He would be willing to wager whatever children she mothered would be
strong and sharp, and a little shiver of anticipation ran up and down his
spine. The Saiyan race had a chance of being reborn, and if he was lucky he
would find a way to get the blue-haired earth female to mate with him.
He was startled out of his reverie by a horrible crying and he turned around to
see Gohan howling at the top of his lungs. Radditz scooted over to the boy and
looked at him, his arms resting on his knees as he sat. “What’s wrong?” he
asked gruffly.
Big, black, watery eyes stared up at him pleadingly. “I’m hungry. My tummy is
empty,” Gohan choked in between sobs.
Radditz looked at him blankly, not expecting such a display for mere hunger.
What in the hell was Kakarott raising his son to be? “What? Well, what do you
normally eat?” he asked, having no idea what a child could or couldn’t stomach.
Gohan blinked a few times, the line of his mouth quivering slightly as he tried
to rein in his crying. “Mommy usually gives me fruit for my afternoon snack,”
he whimpered.
Radditz stood, surveying his surroundings quickly. Kakarott was probably close,
and he didn’t want to lose track of the boy before the battle even started.
“Don’t you dare move,” he cautioned Gohan with a glare.
The boy hiccoughed and looked at him. “Why?” he asked uncomprehendingly.
Radditz scratched the back of his head, scowling. “There are monsters here that
will eat you right up,” he said, casting a quick glance about just in case
there were dangerous animals lurking in the bushes. Gohan nodded solemnly in
reply and looked around him as well. “That’s a good boy,” Radditz said, and
dashed off into the undergrowth, only to emerge a few minutes later with a
handful of berries. “Does this look anything like what you normally eat?” he
asked, kneeling in front of the boy.
Gohan reached out a stubby hand and poked gingerly at one of the purple
berries. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “Mom gives those to me sometimes.”
Radditz sighed in relief. “Then eat up,” he ordered, and put the berries into
the pouch of fabric created by the shirt and Gohan’s lap. The little boy beamed
up at him, eyes sparkling with gratitude and excitement. Radditz felt the blood
rise a little to his cheeks and he stood up abruptly, scanning the sky for
signs of his brother’s approach.
He didn’t have long to wait. He spotted the flying cloud and the flapping cape
of the Namekian about a mile away, the two figures painfully obvious against
the bright daytime sky. “Idiots,” he snarled under his breath. The two warriors
descended upon him quickly, and he half-expected an immediate offensive, but
then he recalled that they didn’t know the boy’s situation, and he felt his
shoulders relax. They certainly didn’t look so tough.
“Where’s Gohan?” Goku shouted as his feet touched the ground. “Is he okay?”
Radditz chuckled coldly. “Of course he’s okay. Do you honestly think that I
would hurt my own nephew when he is so valuable to me?”
“He’d be a fool to trust you,” the green man hissed.
Radditz laughed again. “Shut up, Namekian,” he said. He focused his attention
on Kakarott, dismissing Piccolo for a moment. “Are you sure you won’t join me,
brother?” he asked, extending a hand.
Goku’s own hand balled into a fist. “Don’t you dare call me brother,” he spat.
“A real brother wouldn’t threaten my family and kidnap my son!”
Radditz let his hand drop and shook his head. “Pity. I just have the future of
our race in mind, that’s all. You can’t blame me for not wanting to become
extinct. I’ll give you one last chance. Join me, so your son doesn’t have to.”
“Don’t listen to him, Goku,” Piccolo rasped, lowering into a fighting stance.
Goku nodded and they launched themselves simultaneously at the lone Saiyan
warrior. Radditz stepped in between them and elbowed them both soundly on the
spine, knocking them to the ground with a grunt.
“Too slow, boys,” Radditz chuckled, and adjusted one of his wrist guards.
Goku barked a laugh and took off his shirt, dropping down to the ground with a
thud. “Slow, huh? Let’s see if this helps,” he said, separating the dark blue
undershirt from his orange gi. He reached down and removed the cloth at his
wrists as well as his boots, then retied his belt and stood upright with a smug
smile.
“Goku, you dog, you’ve been practicing with weighted clothing as well?” Piccolo
murmured, and removed his own weighted turban and cloak.
Goku turned and looked at him with a smile. “Good luck, Piccolo,” he said. “I’m
glad we’re fighting on the same side for once.” Piccolo snorted in reply, so
Goku pressed on. “There’s just one question I have to ask: what happens to the
dragonballs if you die?”
Piccolo scowled at Goku angrily. “Why? You planning to side with your brother
and kill me?”
Goku’s eyes widened in genuine shock. “No! I didn’t even think that. I was just
wondering, in case we get hurt.”
Piccolo’s face returned to its grim expression and he shook his head. “If I go,
so do the dragonballs, and no one gets wished back.”
Radditz’s scowl deepened as he regarded the Namekian carefully. “Dragonballs?
What are dragonballs?” he asked, flexing his hands dangerously.
“Oh, they’re seven balls that you find and gather together to summon the dragon,
who then grants any one wish your heart desires,” Goku replied as Piccolo put
his hand over his eyes and groaned.
“And they can bring people back from the dead?” Radditz said, eyes widening.
Piccolo reached out to stop Goku from talking, but Goku unwittingly took a step
forward and out of Piccolo’s grasp. “Oh, sure, so long as they haven’t been
dead for more than a year,” Goku said, hooking his thumbs in his belt.
Radditz smiled. “Lovely,” he said, voice low and dangerous. “I suddenly feel
much better about killing you.”
Goku’s jaw dropped and Piccolo slapped him upside the head. “Get a hold on
yourself, Goku. It isn’t like you didn’t know he was evil,” he snarled. “Now
let’s go!”
“Right,” Goku said with a nod, and lunged at Radditz while Piccolo ran
alongside him. Radditz chuckled as the two warriors sped towards him, darting
in between them and sinking his elbows into their backs. They grunted in unison
and crashed into the dirt, only lying still for a moment before rising slowly.
They let out another cry, rushing the Saiyan warrior again, only to meet with
the heels of his boots with their faces. Piccolo staggered a few steps back
while Goku fell down, clutching his nose. Piccolo snarled as Goku stood, wiping
blood off of his upper lip. “I don’t think we’re going to win this way,” Goku
confided quietly. Piccolo rolled his eyes and frowned.
“Then let’s try a different way,” he replied, and dashed off to the side.
“Don’t let him get away. I’m going to gather some energy for a big attack.”
Goku nodded and took a deep breath, placing his hands a few inches apart at his
side. He watched one of Radditz’s eyebrows raise and Goku let loose the ball of
energy with a yell. Radditz stood calmly as the blue ball of light came towards
him, putting his hands up and bracing himself at the last minute. The ball
exploded, and Goku could see his brother’s long black hair whipping wildly in
the wind the blast created. After a few moments the vapor disappeared into the
wind, leaving Radditz standing, unharmed except for slightly singed palms.
“Oh, you’ll have to do better than that,” Radditz chided, brushing off his
palms on his chest plate.
Goku shrugged. “Okay,” he said calmly, and few a few hundred feet in the air,
smiling down on his brother. He spread his hands apart once again, but this
time let loose a ball of much larger proportions and power. He brought his
hands together slightly as the blue ball flew away from him, and its speed
increased. Radditz smiled and stepped to the side, but his smile disappeared as
Goku moved his hands as well, and the energy ball redirected itself right at
Radditz. With a gasp Radditz turned and began to run, ducking and weaving to
try and avoid the blue mass, but no matter how he moved the blast followed him.
He heard Goku’s chuckling and turned around.
“Enough!” he shouted, and braced himself, hands outstretched. The ball hit him
with incredible force, but after the vapor cleared Radditz still stood,
unharmed.
“What in the?” Goku whispered as he let himself drift back to the earth.
“Goku, move!” Piccolo yelled, and Goku dashed away as Radditz’s laughter halted
abruptly and turned. Piccolo was glowing yellow, the veins standing out at his
temples as sweat rolled down his skin.
“The Namekian! I forgot!” Radditz hissed to himself, staring as Piccolo let
loose a corkscrew of yellow light. He saw the sharp white teeth flash in a
smile, and he realized with horror that he couldn’t avoid the blast, for it was
too strong and too fast. He grunted as it hit him and staggered back.
Piccolo laughed as the Saiyan was engulfed with smoke, watching as his blast
continued through the the first explosion zone and cut into a mountain several
miles away. “That’ll teach you Saiyan scum,” he murmured, crossing his arms
across his chest with a gloating smile that faded the second the smoke cleared.
“Not bad,” Radditz said smugly as he pointed to his shoulder, which was singed
and oozing with blood. “Look what it did to my armor. Unfortunately your aim
was a little off.”
“What?” Goku gasped, looking over at Piccolo with alarm. “Do you have any other
attacks?” he asked the Namekian desperately.
Piccolo’s mouth pressed into a tight line. “That was it. No more,” he replied
solemnly. “Don’t you have any attacks?”
Goku shook his head, eyes still wide. “No, but there’s no way I’m stopping!” he
cried, and rushed Radditz, feeling Piccolo follow his lead.
“Do you think you’re the only two who can manage ki attacks?” Radditz snapped,
and a white light zoomed towards them. Goku dodged and hit the ground, the light
blinding him as it exploded. After a few moments he felt the wind clear away
the debris, and he stood, looking around frantically. Radditz was standing in
front of him, hands on hips and laughing wildly as the wind whipped through his
unruly mane. He glanced around for Piccolo and found the warrior standing off
to one side, face a mask of pain, holding his shoulder tightly. The wind left
Goku’s lungs in a rush as he realized that Piccolo had one arm less than before
the blast.
“Piccolo!” Goku cried, dashing close to the green man. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I think I can manage one more attack if you can keep him busy,”
Piccolo replied in a low voice.
“Can you do it with only one arm?” he asked with alarm. Piccolo nodded grimly.
“Great!” Goku said, glancing at Radditz to make sure he hadn’t moved. “I’m
really glad we’re working together!”
Piccolo’s lip curled. “Don’t get too comfortable. This is the move I was saving
for you.”
Goku looked at him in disappointment for a second, then hurtled himself in
Radditz’s direction. “Oh, no,” Radditz said with a laugh. “You aren’t going to
distract me again!” Suddenly Goku was gone from his vision, and he hit the
ground with a thud.
“You were careless!” Goku laughed, holding Radditz’s tail triumphantly. “I remember
how much my tail hurt when someone squeezed it!”
Radditz clawed at the sod in agony, paralyzed. “You fool! You have no idea what
you’re doing!” he spat between gasps. “Let me go!”
Goku’s face twisted as he gave the tail a yank. “No way! Not after all your
threats!” he shouted.
“Please, I’m your brother!” Radditz pleaded, sweat beading on his brow from the
pain that was rocketing up his spine from the base of his tail.
“Some brother!” Goku grunted angrily. “You’ve treated everyone like dirt since
you woke up, and a good brother doesn’t kidnap his nephew!”
“He’s fine, I’ll let him go now that I know neither of you will join me. Just
give me a ship and I’ll be out of your hair, I promise!” Radditz choked, the
dirt working its way farther underneath his fingernails.
“No, Goku! You can’t trust him!” Piccolo shouted frantically.
Goku’s grip on the tail relaxed a little. “Do you promise?” he asked, voice
stern.
“I promise,” Radditz sobbed, gripping the grass harder as he reached the limits
of his endurance. He felt his tail slip from Goku’s grasp, and a smile crossed
his face. He pushed upward with all his might and flew in with his elbow,
connecting with Goku’s midsection. Goku fell the the ground with a grunt and
rolled over, holding his stomach as Radditz put a foot on his back. Winding his
tail around his waist tightly, he turned a palm towards Goku and let loose a
barrage of ki balls, laughing as they ripped through Goku’s clothes, shredding
them, and exploded on his skin. Goku’s screams worked up through the air and
were carried away on the high winds, intertwining with Radditz’s laughter. Goku
lay limp underneath Radditz’s foot, nearly unconscious, when he saw the bushes
a few yards in front of him move. His vision was blurring, but he could see the
bright yellow of the coat his son wore.
“Gohan,” he croaked, reaching a hand forward.
“Uncle Radditz, what are you doing to my daddy?” the little boy’s voice
trembled, and Goku felt the pressure on his back release as Radditz removed his
foot.
“Nothing, Gohan, just go back in the bushes where it’s safe,” Goku heard his
brother reply, and could dimly make out the thick black hair moving towards the
yellow coat of his son. He saw Gohan’s red hat nod and the little boy scurried
back into the bushes, Radditz taking a step to follow him.
“Stay away from him,” Goku growled, feeling panic renew his strength. He
stood and pounced on the larger man, shoving his arms through Radditz’s armpits
and locking his hands behind Radditz’s head. “Hurry, Piccolo!” he shouted,
feeling Radditz’s massive muscles struggle to shake him off. He planted his
toes in the turf and shoved off, pushing himself and his brother towards
Piccolo and away from Gohan. Radditz snarled and turned them a little, moving
and flexing his arms to try and free himself, but was still weak from the
wounds inflicted by Zarbon.
“You fool,” Radditz snarled. “We’ll both die like this!”
“That’s fine with me,” Goku said, voice shaking from exhaustion. “I’ll be
wished back.”
“Don’t do this!” Radditz cried, and whipped around violently.
Goku had to scramble to retain his grip. “Hurry, Piccolo, I can’t do this much
longer!” Goku screamed, throwing his head back in pain as Radditz strained.
“Ready!” Piccolo replied, and pointed two fingers at the Saiyans. “Goodbye,
Goku. I can’t say this doesn’t work out in my favor!”
“Do it!” Goku bellowed, drowning out Radditz’s yell of terror. Piccolo smiled
and released his ki beam once again. Radditz’s eyes grew wide with fear and he
flipped himself in a last desperate effort. Goku shouted in pain as the beam
pierced his back, exiting his body through his chest. Radditz heard the shriek
and felt Goku’s grip break, and he tried to twist out of the way of the light
as Goku’s blood splattered on his back. The beam caught him in the side of his
abdomen, tearing through his flesh and continuing on his way. He landed on the
ground with a thud, coughing blood. He heard Goku’s last gurgle, and he knew
with sudden certainty that his brother was dead, and he knew he might be joining
him shortly as he put his hands over the wound and felt hot blood coursing
through his fingers. He looked above him and saw the Namekian standing there.
“If Prince Vegeta is alive he will come for me,” Radditz croaked. “And when he
does you’ll all pay.”
“He’s stronger?” Piccolo asked coldly.
“A thousand times,” Radditz replied, struggling to maintain consciousness as he
heard the sudden hum of engines in the distance and wondered vaguely what was
happening. His attention returned to Piccolo, who was pointing two fingers
directly at his forehead. He closed his eyes, anticipating the death blow, when
he heard little footsteps pattering towards them.
“Don’t kill him! Don’t kill Uncle Radditz!” Gohan shrieked, then stopped when
he saw his father lying there, dead with a hole the size of a basketball blown
through his chest. “Daddy!” Gohan screeched, and a sudden glow surrounded him.
Radditz watched Piccolo’s hand drop as he felt the warmth from Gohan’s glow. He
had no idea of the kid’s power level, but he could tell by the look on the
Namekian’s face that it was going through the roof. “Looks like I’m off the
hook,” he whispered to himself, noticing that the engine noises were very close
by.
“You’ve got power, kid,” Piccolo murmured as he stepped close to the boy. The
child looked up at him in fear and the power disappeared.
“Gohan!” a female voice shouted, and Radditz heard Piccolo dart forward and
snatch up the little boy. “Put him down, Piccolo!”
“This child has immense power. Radditz mentioned another Saiyan, thousands of
times stronger, who may be on his way to our planet at this very moment. With
Goku dead there will be no way to defend ourselves, unless this child is
trained,” he heard Piccolo reply.
“Why should I trust you when you killed Goku!” the woman’s voice yelled again,
coming closer to Radditz.
Piccolo snorted. “Don’t dishonor Goku’s sacrifice that kept you all safe. He
made a conscious choice. Besides, you can wish him back with the dragonballs.”
Radditz blinked, and suddenly Bulma’s face was above him, blue eyes radiant.
“Dragonballs,” she whispered, and Radditz called out with all his might for
Vegeta to come and save him.
*~*~*~*~*