Credit: The Saiyan Language belongs to MegaKat, any words used here can be found in the Saiyan Language Dictionary-Glossary.

Words used in this chapter:

Da'ja: Grandfather

Ja'ta: Father

Br'at: Child

Tapa: Fuck

"HSSSSSSSSSSS."

Doctor Berra stood upright as she looked at the adolescent before her, shocked by the sudden outburst from him. She still held his tail with one hand, but released it to jot down a few notes on her tablet.

"That area seems very sensitive, I apologize if I hurt you at all, Raditz. Hm…"

The Saiyan shook his head before he allowed his tail to relax and slowly waved it from side to side. He kept his gaze adverted for the time being, on account that a beautiful woman had touched one of his most sensitive appendages. The youth could feel his arousal growing with every passing moment and fought his hardest to keep it tamed, but it was a losing battle.

Doctor Berra stood about five feet tall, had cherry red skin, a mouth full of pointed teeth, and mid-length straight black hair that almost always remained in a bun, which made her angular features more noticeable.

The kind physician pretended not to notice her patient's issue as she leaned her backside up against a rolling tray that was currently in a locked position.

"Well, why don't you tell me a bit about how and when this started? Then we'll get into your symptoms. Sound good?"

Raditz nodded in response to her and sat back down on the medical bed. His mind wandered back to his childhood for a moment. The longhaired Saiyan pushed his eyebrows together, wrinkled his nose, waved his tail a bit more, and leaned forward placing his chin on a balled up fist to think.

"I don't think I remember how it happened exactly, I've had so many injuries to my tail that it's not even funny!" Raditz sighed. "It has permanent kinks and little to no feeling towards the end, err, tip I mean."

"Alright, why don't you tell me about the very first incident you can recall? Maybe that will give us some sort of clue as to how it started." Berra looked up at her patient through tired eyes and a few loose strands of hair that had slipped from the bun.

There was a moment of silence as the warrior stared at her with a serious expression. "Mmm-well, the very first time I remember my tail getting hurt was with my Da'ja, er- Grand father, if you will." He rolled his eyes in a playful manner.

He adverted his gaze once more; a frown clear on his face as the unpleasant memory wormed its way through his head and managed to manifest itself into a shudder. He growled as the hair on his body lifted involuntarily.

"If this is too har-"

"No!" Raditz cut her off, a bit harsher than he meant to. His gaze returned to hers and his eyes softened once more, that innocence returning to him.

"Sorry, Dr. Berra. I can do this though, it's not that big of a deal, I promise." He nodded once to reassure her and smiled to add his odd charm along with it.

"As I said, it was my grandfather. He wasn't the nicest person at times; he was a male Saiyan, and a Commander to boot. He personally trained me till I was about four or five. His training regimen was tough and if I cried it just got harder." Raditz broke to swallow a lump in his throat; he could feel his mouth drying from the uncomfortable and foreign topic.

The doctor just nodded to encourage him to continue on. He just happened to be her last patient of the day, so she didn't mind spending the extra time getting to know him.

"My mother worked often, but not in the armyany moreas my grandfather and father did. You see, my Ja'tawent on this mission when I was about two and hadn't returned… Everyone presumed him dead, but I held out hope."

"Jaytah?" The doctor tilted her head a bit as she listened and butchered the pronunciation of the word.

Raditz broke out with roaring laughter, his cheeks bright red and eyes shut tight. "Sorry, sorry! Jah-tah, it means father."

"Oh, alright." Doctor Berra found it curious that she had worked with many Saiyans throughout her days and not a single one offered up language lessons, yet here was this youthful soldier just pouring out information to her. 'Peculiar'

He waved one hand from side to side in front of his face before he spoke again. "Anyways, my birth father-"

"Birth father?" The doctor tilted her head toward her right shoulder with an inquisitive look upon her face.

"G'in, I've two fathers, I'll be getting to that part. For now, I'll just call my birth father Raddich, alright?" With a nod, he shifted so that he could lean back on his elbow for more comfort.

"Mhm, please continue, I don't mean to keep interrupting."

"Pft, you're perfectly fine." The Saiyan waved his free arm and shook his head, usually known as a motion of dismissal.

"So, my mother met this other guy and he was pretty alright. I really didn't care for him at first to be honest though. It really irked me that my Ma could just move on so quickly, but I was being childish. Hell, by the time Bardock came into our lives I was four… Raddich had been gone for nearly two years already." The youth cast his eyes downward, obviously recalling the painful memories.

Doctor Berra cleared her throat as she shifted and tucked a few stray hairs behind her left ear. "So, you were more upset with her than Bardock, I have that name right?"

"Yes, but I took it out on him. Well, technically I took it out on them both, but who's keeping track? Heh." Raditz sat back up and leaned forward to place both elbows upon his knees and clasp his hands together, fingers laced.

"He was rather patient all things considered, Bardock I mean. He could have just killed me and tossed me out, or dropped me off at an orphanage, or even left me with my grandfather. Saiyan laws dictate that if a female is to remarry, her previous Br'at falls victim to the will of the new mate. I got lucky that Bardock cared so much for her… And me."

"So, this Bardock took you in as his son? And did you say brat?" She squinted her eyes and arched one brow with curiosity.

"Yeah, it means child. And yes, Bardock took us both in, he was a great father and I miss him. Even if he did make me clean a bunch…" He grumbled.

There was a moment of silence before Raditz shook his head, his locks ruffled as he did so. "Ahem, back to my grandfather, shall we?"

Berra nodded before she pushed herself forward and walked over to a counter top to grab a bottle of water. Once she returned, she opened the container and took a sip while listening to the youth.

"He trained me until we moved in with Bardock, I remember one time when I was about three… We were finishing up training and I went to leave before being officially dismissed. Well, my grandfather didn't like that all that much, so he grabbed my tail and yanked." The soldier swallowed his anxiety before he continued onward.

"I remember hearing the snapping noises and then I blacked out. When I woke up I was lying in my bed and I could hardly move from the pain ripping through my tail and up my spine."

Raditz bore a serious and troubled expression that told the doctor he hadn't thought of these memories in a long while.

"Sounds like he definitely did some major damage, Raditz… That is definitely where your problems started." She gave him an empathetic look and hoped he wouldn't shoot her down.

His large, black eyes looked up at her and took in her expression, and then he smiled and nodded. "Thank you for listening, Dr. Berra."

"Any time, Raditz! I do have a question for you though, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, feel free to ask me whatever you want." He shrugged his shoulders as he swished his tail back and forth in a mild manner.

"Why did you believe that Raddich was going to come back for two solid years?" The good doctor swallowed her nerves after she asked the question, worried that she may have agitated him.

"Hah! Funny thing is, he came back. I believed for two damned years and that Tapa comes waltzing back into our lives well into the third year. I could hardly believe it myself, honestly." Raditz looked down and to the left as he placed his hands on the bed and leaned forward a bit.

"Really? Huh. Well then, you had two dads, lucky you. Were you angry with him?" She took another sip of her water then set the bottle on the tray behind her, leaning back on it once more.

"I was more confused than anything else, I mean, I WAS told that the man was dead and long gone. So, my little kid mind was thinking he was a damned ghost or some shit, freaked me right the fuck out!" The Saiyan swung his right arm in a large horizontal arch with a flat hand, while he shook his head and closed his eyes.

"I bet." Berra let out a chuckle as she leaned forward and covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes squinted shut and her cheeks turned a deep burgundy color.

The youth's eyes went wide as he stared at her. An odd sensation flooded him suddenly and he felt lightheaded. His palms got sweaty, his stomach fluttered, his mouth got dry, and his face burned.

Just as the doctor finished her bout of laughter, she looked up at her patient and stared at him for a moment. "Lords, Raditz? Are you all right? You look as if you have a sudden fever."

When she reached to touch his forehead, he jerked back from her in a quick motion. "N-no, I mean, yes! I'm fine… I just- uh, I just remembered something is all."

Obvious skepticism was clear across her face as she stared up at him for a moment, then she shrugged her shoulders and grabbed her tablet. "All right."

'Phew!' He licked his lips and suddenly wished for a big glass of water.

"Well, Raditz, I think you have several issues going on with your tail and perhaps even your spine. But, let's tackle one thing at a time, shall we?" Just as she finished her question she looked up at him with a small smile, and their eyes met.

He gulped hard as he felt his stomach try to break free from his body once again. 'What in the galaxy is going on with me? Am I sick? Maybe I should let her check me out…'

"Raditz, Raaaaditz?" Doctor Berra waved her hand in front of the Saiyan's face a few times as she attempted to gain his attention.

The cadet's eyes snapped wide open with her odd action. 'When did she get so damn close?'

He cleared his throat as yet another blush graced his cheeks, this one being less intense. "Sorry, I was deep in thought."

"I can see that, but as I was trying to say, I believe you have nerve damage froooom…" She reached her now gloved hand down to grab the fuzzy appendage carefully. Then she pointed to a specific spot before continuing to speak. "…here on down to the tip."

Unfortunately for the young individual, he heard nothing but 'down to the tip' and his mind wandered. With a quick shake of his head he grunted loud and bit down on his lower lip, hard.

Much to doctor Berra's surprise, Raditz purposely rammed his teeth down onto his lip, which caused blood to roll down his chin.

"Hold still, I'll take care of it. You should be more careful, Raditz. You're going to bite your lip off one of these days…" Just as she spoke she dabbed his wounds and inspected the damage.

His eyes watched her carefully as Berra lowered her head to his. The youth clamped his hand over his chest to keep his heart from bursting through his cavity and on to the floor before them.

After a moment she looked up and saw him watching her with great intensity. Her cheeks once again went burgundy as she backed away.

"You're all set. Why did you bite it?" Berra arched her right brow before she tossed some bloodied gauze into a trash receptacle along with her soiled gloves.

"I don't know, guess I just got nervous about something. Sorry, Dr. Berra." Raditz licked his lips; he was desperate to rid his mouth of the flavor of his own blood.

"Here, drink this."

The adolescent looked up to see the physician holding out a cup of water. He smiled before he graciously took the offered drink, and then downed it in one gulp.

"Ah, thanks! That hit the spot." He sighed, happily.

With a nod, she picked up her tablet again before she looked to him to continue. "Ready?"

"Oh, yeah, apologies." Raditz looked away for a brief moment before his eyes wandered back so he didn't appear rude.

"Please explain your symptoms to me before I continue on with my diagnosis. I'm pretty positive I already know what's going on, but I want to be sure first."

"Sure, let's see… Pain, obviously. Sometimes numbing, tingling, and pinching feelings. I've noticed that sometimes I don't feel the difference in temperatures in the area you pointed out either. Like, when showering, the lower half will feel the hot water, but not the top half. I'm guessing that's not normal…" He mumbled.

Raditz looked at her now and his eyes seemed to carry all of his worry and all of his burdens. Berra could feel her heart nearly plummet to and through the floor. The doctor felt an overwhelming sense of empathy for the youth.

"Oh, well… Um, no. That's not normal. And I was right to think it was nerve damage, but it sounds like there may be some other issues going on as well. Perhaps, some old fractures and breaks that didn't heal properly. I'll have to run some more tests, do some scans. Sound good?"

Doctor Berra smiled at him with tired eyes as she moved to grab another pair of gloves.

"We can do this another time if you want, you look awfully tired, Dr. Berra. I would hate to keep you from your bed…. and your husband." It was low and he knew it, but he just had to know if she was married.

The room filled with laughter from the small red physician. Her eyes shut tight and she set her tablet down to assure its safety. "Oh-haha- Oh, Raditz, I'm not married. I'm not even in a relationship, but thank you for the laugh."

Another flutter in his gut caused him to wrap his arms around his midriff for comfort. "Oh, I'm sorry if I offended you," he lied.

"You didn't. I just thought it was funny. Imagine, me married… Heh." She shook her head from side to side as she chuckled.

That made Raditz' stomach flop and he suddenly felt as if he wanted to bolt from the room. "Let's continue this another time, Dr. Berra…. You seem exhausted."

"No, it's just a few scans… and then I'll have you on your way. I won't have the results back today, but I'll contact you as soon as I do. Here, take this." She handed him her tablet with a small smile plain on her face.

"Go ahead and put your information in here and I'll give you a call when I know what we're dealing with, all right?" Berra looked up at him and waited for him to take the pad.

With a nod he grabbed the device and began to insert his basic contact information. Just as he was inputting his scouter number his thoughts took hold of him. 'Wait, she wants my digits…? Is-is she HITTING on me? No, no way she would be doing that, or is she? Damn. Do I ask?'

He handed the pad back and waited for her reaction. The youth was confused when she just stood there typing for several moments in complete silence.

"Uh-" He was cut off immediately.

"Thanks for filling this out, Raditz. I'll put it into the database so that if other doctors need to get a hold of you too, they can. It's always a good idea to make sure your information is updated every quarter or so. Things do change, you know."

She shrugged her shoulders as she walked away from him to prepare some expensive looking equipment.

His heart sank for a moment before he shook his head and followed her. He was here to get his tail fixed, not his heart, this was no time to be thinking about women. 'Still… She's so perfect. I could spend all day talking to her… Berra.'