DISCLAIMER: Okay kids, I know I haven't been active for the last few months, but I've been kinda tied up with college work. However, this little fic was rolling around my head one evening, and since it's only a one-shot, I figured I could type it up quick-time. It basically centres around the fallout between Bardock and his mate regarding the destruction of thier planet. I also wanted their to be a bit of closure regarding the relationship between Raditz and his father, seeing as it was pushed aside so much, even more the origins of Raditz and Goku's mother. It's not very canon, just a quick story I mused over one evening.
I decided on an OC for Goku's mother; I know a lot of people assume it's Fasha/Selypa, but I can't really see it, even though her and Raditz have a similar facial structure. I decided to gear her personality and appearance more towards Raditz, as canon has assumed, as well as the involvement of his maternal grandfather. Her name is a pun on the world 'Cereal', seeing as Saiyans are named after edible plants rather than just vegetables. Goku's grandfather gets his name from the word 'Sukasshu' the Japanese translation of 'Squash'.
As far as characetr ages and times, I was a bit stumped. One dub of DBZ stated that Planet Vegeta was destroyed three years after Goku left for Earth, whilst another dub claimed it was three years before Raditz came to earth (and the flashback makes it look as if Raditz is a young teenager, although Dragon Ball Wiki states that Raditz is 10 years older than Goku at the most. In the story he's eight years old). However, the Bardock special had Vegeta destoryed just as Goku was sent to earth.
Anyways, I'm rambling. I hope you enjoy this one-shot. The only characetrs I own are Sirhea and Skasshu.
"Sirhea, tell me you're not actually listening to that meat-head's ramblings!" a hulking, shadowed figure growled "You saw what an ass he made of himself in the bar!"
The hooded female crouched on the floor, saying nothing as she tapped buttons and re-connected cables, the only response she offered being the audible grinding of her teeth as the unwelcome memory scorched at her pride. She occasionally stopped her efforts to tap into her scouter and check for any other life forms in the Pod Launching Bay at this ungodsly hour. Kami protect them if they got caught…
"Of course I believe him: that meat-head is still my mate, father. Now are you gonna be useful, or do I have to do this all by myself?" the female demanded, snapping her fingers. Skaashu folded his arms insolently, tossing her a wrench with his tail.
"Admit it Girl, you know he's gone crazy! Soft-headed fool, just missing his incompetent crew" Skaashu growled, rubbing his high forehead. Gods, ever since this whole Bardock fiasco, he could have sworn his hairline had receded even more.
'That chump' he mused to himself, 'Thank Kami Raditz takes after me….'
Sirhea smirked callously to herself, a sadistic glint twinkling in her inky, dilated pupils.
"Bardock's crew? Tut, tut. He should be relieved that the pink-wearing, crop-haired little she wolf won't be sniffing around him any more!" she hissed unkindly. To prove her point, the comely Saiyan ripped off her cloak, carelessly tossing her ankle-length, ebony hair.
Skaashu chuckled at his daughter's vanity "Still jealous of Fasha? You're right though, I suppose a simpleton like Bardock probably should have chosen a stronger ma-"
The Third-Class laughed and ducked as the wrench was hurled at his head.
"I'm just as strong as her, and I'm smarter than that whole damn crew combined! Don't you dare mock me father or-" Sirhea winced as a large hand snatched her hair.
"You'll what? You're not too old to have your tail squeezed, girl" Skaashu mocked as she huffily jerked her head from his grip.
"Come on then, let's go" she commanded.
"What, you've fixed his Pod already?" her sire remarked with wide eyes.
His pretty daughter laughed "Of course I already fixed it: I'm one of the smartest Saiyans on this planet"
Again, Skaashu could do little but humour his daughter's narcissism. True, Saiyans were hardly a race of wall-flowers, but Sirhea's opinion of herself had certainly inflated ever since she helped to create the synthetic Moon.
"Let's go get the brat, then"
Bardock winced as he stretched his weary muscles and beat his armoured chest. Only two people on the entire damn planet had believed him about Frieza's alleged betrayal. Well, not quite two-
"You fool! I can't believe anyone would actually listen to you! I'm only sticking around to see what Frieza will do to you!" his mate's father had taunted.
Sirhea had been more supportive as she'd brushed her fingers on his bruised shoulder.
"You've never lied to me, never given me reason to doubt you before, Bardock. I believe you. But, if this Genocide Plot turns out to be complete bullshit, I'll kill you before Frieza gets within breathing distance"
Bardock smirked now as Sirhea marched haughtily towards him: Beautiful, clever, fierce Sirhea. Egotistical, manipulative, and conniving as Hell, she was furiously loyal to the end, and very protective of the few she genuinely cared about. After believing Bardock, she had insisted on fixing Raditz's space pod and sending him somewhere safe.
"Shall we send the boy to earth with Kakarot?" Bardock asked his mate as they raced back to their home. The thought had crossed her mind- at least then their sons would be together- but it would be too risky for the Saiyan children.
"Are you simple? No, we'll send him back to his purge on Planet Larvach. The navigations are still logged into his pod; if I tried to change them, it would look too suspicious. As far as Frieza knows, Raditz was just sent back here temporarily to recover and to have his pod repaired. He was to be sent straight back"
"Huh, I though Nappa had taken over-"
"To Hell with that balding elite!" Sirhea snapped "Raditz just punctured a lung; it was nothing he couldn't handle. My son is NOT a 'weakling failure'!" she growled, flailing her tail around.
"Well, if he's anything like his father" Skaashu muttered under his breath. Bardock's eyes narrowed.
"You still here, gramps? Figured you'd need a lie-down; looks like you've got another white streak now, huh Rapunsei?" he growled with his signature smirk.
"Shut up, you two! Gods, I'm too exhausted to tolerate the both of you!" she sighed heavily "I suppose the good thing is that if Nappa's there-" her voice quivered "at least Raditz won't be alone"
"You soft-headed fool, you're as bad as him!" Skaashu sneered.
Bardock gripped one of her elbows, pressing his fingertips along her jaw line.
"Sentimental dope"
The snoring young Saiyan lay star-shaped across his bed in a tangle of muscle, bed sheets, hair and drool. There were still bandages across his chest, despite going in the Regen Tank: his mother had insisted it was to be on the safe side.
"Good Gods, where's his Saiyan pride?" Skaashu sneered as he observed his indulged grandson.
"Lazy bum" Bardock snarled, looking at his son with shock. Good Kami, when had he gotten so tall? He must have gotten that from Skaashu. If Bardock tried to put his son over his knee now, the boy would laugh and purposely try to break his legs. Raditz looked like he was reaching adulthood by now, although Bardock calculated he could only be eight years old, nine at the most.
Bardock hadn't been very good at the Family thing; besides being there for the conception, he'd seldom had anything to do with his sons. Heck, the first time that Bardock ever saw Raditz was after he'd had returned from a difficult mission and Raditz was nearly a year old. Any chances of a touching father-child moment were ruined by Bardock's own pig-headedness, with Sirhea nearly ripping his throat out.
"HE'S A BOY, YOU HALF-WIT!"
After that, the relationship had hardly improved. Bardock remembered another homecoming when Raditz- now a lanky 4 year old- had stomped on his favourite scouter, just for the fun of it. He'd put the rotten little cry-baby over his knee, and just as he was about to strike, Raditz whipped his head round and sank his fangs into Bardock's calf.
Bardock smirked at the memory. It was then that he'd realised how much the brat had taken after his mother.
"Raditz? Wake up! You're to return to your mission on Larvach" Sirhea barked.
"Pfft" the boy responded, turning on his side.
"Get up! Put your armour on-you're still in your briefs, for Kami's sake!- and get to your pod this instant!" she yelled, jabbing furiously at his ribs.
"Make me, mother" the hairball challenged, kicking out at Sirhea.
"Just like you father!" she scorned, wrapping her tail around his ankle and yanking him up like a rabbit on a hook.
"Gods' sake girl, you're not seriously going to carry him?"
The two adult Saiyans charged back to the launching bay, Bardock carrying his sleeping son in his arms. Skaashu had left at this point, finally bored of his daughter's shenanigans.
"I'm going to bed; if the planet's getting destroyed in a couple of hours, I'd at least like to get some beauty sleep."
Raditz, the insolent little shit, hadn't even stirred as his parents hastily stuffed him into his armour, although Sirhea had hesitated with his boots.
"What is it, woman?" Bardock demanded.
"Look at the size of his feet. When did he grow up?" she remarked, her voice wavering "Don't look at me like that! I already gave up a kid earlier this week; my hormones are out of whack!"
"Sirhea, there isn't time" Bardock groaned painfully, jerking his head forward as a vision hit him. He saw a now-bald Nappa, his own grown up son, and a young Saiyan who looked just like King Vegeta, who Bardock concluded was the prince, as they bowed down before Frieza. He also saw Raditz again, face-to-face with…Bardock himself? No, that pale, childlike face wasn't his own; it was Kakarot! Figures the two of them would eventually meet.
'Between you, your mother and your buffoon of a grandfather, I never stood a chance, did I?' Bardock mused, smirking at his son 'In a few year, you could have been on my crew. I only regret not spending more time with you and your brother'.
The Saiyan father pulled something from under his armour 'For Old Times' sake' he chuckled to himself as he clipped the repaired scouter onto his son's ear 'Goodbye, my son'.
"Bardock" Sirhea hissed, brushing her knuckles against Raditz's young face, which was still soft and babyish despite his rugged demeanour "it's time to go".
"Farewell Raditz, you big, mop-haired Momma's boy"
Raditz was beginning to stir as his father shoved him into his space pod and his mother ruffled his shaggy hair.
"Hey, what are you two-"
"You've got a decent brain in your head, Raditz. Use it" his mother ordered, shutting the door and pressing her hand against the glass.
"Huh? Mother? "
"Never forget your Saiyan pride, my son" she commanded, disappearing in a microsecond as the pod hurtled Raditz away from Planet Vegeta.
By the time Raditz had completed his purge, all that was left of his parents was the green scouter of his father that now informed him of his planet's demise, and the smeared print of his mother's hand on his space pod.