Raditz growled to himself as he walked over the terrain of the planet he had just landed on. It had been a while since he had been given a solo job. The last time he had been tasked with taking out a planet on his own had to be when he had been left alone. It was him, the prince, and the old man. The rest of his comrades, even his own brother, had betrayed him. Hell, he never counted the old man as a comrade and the prince would turn on him afterward. All in the name of that putrid word. Love. Sure, he was fine with Mata and Turles being together, but no one said anything about them leaving the horde behind… leaving him behind. He kept Lord Frieza on a pedestal because of this. The horde had forgotten itself once, they would do it again. Those memories would return and he would leave them in the dust when that happened. They were the ones that had to pay for leaving him alone, for betraying him in the worst way possible. Even if he was insane, that didn't mean that he liked being alone. He was written off as a man whore, but really were Negi and Onuin any different? The only difference was that they settled down. They had taken mates. Raditz remained a playboy, finding woman after woman.
Getting closer to the site he would be working on; the bomber couldn't help but feel uneasy. There were reasons he didn't like being by himself. The years of loneliness that came after each member of the horde departed was too much to bear. The fact that he lost his brother first had to be the biggest blow. Turles didn't trust him enough to take him with him. A rift had been growing there for years, but the bomber kept quiet about it. Turles had been in love. That same pain was repeated when he came face to face with Kakarot years later. His youngest brother looked upon him like he was a foul creature instead of a sibling. It was maddening really. Neither of them knew what he had done for them. No one in the horde knew what he had sacrificed for them. His scars could not be seen and never be erased. The years of being subject to Zarbon's wishes were too painful for Raditz to ever forget. His sanity was on the line and he threw it away, allowing Frieza's henchman to violate him in the most disturbing way possible.
Bombs and sex were a distraction. They took away some of that pain, alleviating his suffering. Another distraction came in the form of his nephew. Goten's personal struggle mirrored his own in many ways. The two of them were outsiders in their own families. Forgotten by the parents and siblings they had. Tossed to the side like the most offensive garbage. But at the same time, this worried the bomber. His resolve for his revenge was waning. He wanted to hurt his brother and the horde for their betrayal, but at the same time, he wanted to protect Goten from Frieza. His mind was becoming clearer as each day passed, and now he was starting to see the flaws of the alien whom he once saw as a god. It made Raditz feel like a fool.
But here he was, all by himself once more. His pain and suffering were beginning to flow back to the surface. The bomber thought to destroy and knew that it would work for the time being. He set up each of his bombs, growing more urgent of their powerful explosions as the time passed. It was far too quiet. The days of his death were coming back to him in waves. That horrid fate he endured was behind him, but caused his skin to crawl. Even in death, fate wasn't kind to him. He never found his parents, all he found was Zarbon. It had to be bad luck that they would run into each other in the afterlife. That he would be forced to face his greatest sin for all eternity.
He shook, trying to will those thoughts away. He knew he was succumbing to his fears. That was not what a saiyan of the horde did. Raditz took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. His hatred of his companions was almost forgotten. They knew nothing of his sacrifices and it would stay that way. He could only imagine Turles's disgust at knowing what he had done.
As he set up the last bomb and prepared to set them off, the bomber heard something from down the hall. He growled, readying himself for hand to hand combat. He wasn't really that good at fighting that way, but if it came to that, he could do it. He had explosives stashed on him for such occasions.
The person in question came into the light and Raditz was stunned. He knew this woman…this was the member of the bomb squad that he had slept with back when Goten had infiltrated the Patrol. The petite woman looked up at him in shock. "YOU!" she growled. Her small almost rabbit like tail puffed up behind her.
Raditz glared at her. "So, back for more?" Did she think she could stop him?
Grenaade strode forward, he was a lot taller than her, but she refused to back down. "Like I would want you to touch me again! Seriously, you got me drunk and had your way with me without my consent!"
The bomber rolled his eyes. "Oh please, I was just as drunk as you were. You gave yourself to me."
Grenaade jumped up, smacking him across the face, which was a feat in itself as she barely came up to his waist. "The nerve of you! You tricked me into your game with that remote."
Raditz laughed as he spit out blood. She had hit him pretty hard. "And you still couldn't figure out the puzzle," he taunted her. "Just like you won't figure it out now." He pointed to the large map he had laid out. Each bomb location was mapped out, but each was controlled by one device. Not that she would figure out how he had done it. Each of his creations was a secret.
The purple skinned alien ran over to the plans he had left there, her eyes scanned the map, noting how intricate it was. Everything spread out enough that it could target just about every part of the city around them. Grenaade turned, finding the saiyan smirking at her. "You're going to blow up the entire city!"
"That's what a bomber does. As I said before, you won't figure it out." The bomber chuckled darkly. "You might as well give up."
The pixie turned back to the map, trying to decipher the code he had written it in. How many different languages had he used? It was like as if each word that was written was from a different language, some using dialects from alternate regions. Grenaade was pissed, but at the same time, she felt something else… She tried to push away her thoughts of excitement. This bastard was going to blow up most of the planet. People were going to die… each of his hand-crafted bombs would seal their fates… Suddenly, she felt a bit dazed. Her tail fluffed out more as she read over the plans, in an effort to calm herself.
"Have you given up?" Raditz said, clearly enjoying her turmoil. He walked closer, coming up behind her and whispering in her ear. "Or is this game over?"
Grenaade shivered, feeling a chill go through her, followed by heat. She looked back at him, finding him close enough to kill her. It looked like he was poised to do just that. "It's voice activated. You need to say the magic words to detonate it." Her eyes found his. Why was she still standing here? She needed to get away before he killed her.
The bomber felt strange as their eyes locked. Raditz had a rule. He would never touch the same person more than once. He needed to kill her and get it done with. "What word would that be?" the saiyan asked, waiting for the female to speak.
The patrol member felt herself fall deeper into those eyes. "Love." Around her, she heard crashes as explosion after explosion went off. The ground rocked around them, causing her to lose her footing. Grenaade fell against the bomber's chest as he caught her petite form in his hands. The alien and the saiyan stared at each other. She felt hotter with those arms around her. Slowly, they inched forward, allowing their lips to meet. An explosion rocked the ground around them as the kiss inflamed them, driving them to give into the growing tension between them.
Hours later, Grenaade awoke to find herself on the bomber's chest. She thought about slashing his throat, but found she couldn't. The idea made her heart burn. "What have you done to me?" she asked, but he remained asleep. The alien rolled her eyes as she cuddled into him. He was a twisted member of the horde, but she couldn't help it. It looked like she had lost this battle… not that she was complaining. She smiled to herself. He really wasn't that bad. Hell, he was actually quite attractive.
Raditz stirred, his eyes locked with hers and he almost cursed. He had broken his rule. He needed to get away from her before she got any ideas. He planned to get up, but she smiled down at him, causing him to tense up.
"That was one hell of an explosion…" She moved her finger in a circle on his chest. "But it seems that my fuse needs to be lit again."
Raditz turned red as he regained his composure. He felt odd, like something was clouding his judgement, but at the same time, he felt warm. Very warm. His rules were tossed out the window as he gave into the beat of his heart. "Then let me set you aflame."
Polar returned to his quarters late. He was beyond exhausted. All of his time had been committed to finding Cilica. As he walked by some photos of them, he took a deep breath. It had been a long time since he had been on his own. Life wasn't the same without her smart-ass comments.
The frost demon walked into his son's room, finding his father-in-law rocking his son. "How fast did he pass out?"
"Pretty fast, he keeps asking for Cilica, though," Nappa stated, keeping his voice hushed as to not wake Flambee.
"She used to read to him every night," Polar said, watching as Nappa put the boy in his bed. "Between work and being a mother, she never really stopped."
"That sounds like her mother," the saiyan answered as they left the room. "What plans do you have for the future?"
The frost demon looked back over at the photographs, picking up their wedding photo. "I have no idea. The fact that she doesn't remember me or our son is depressing. If she does remember, I want her to return to my side. Our son needs his mother and I need my wife."
"Are you going to try for another child?" Nappa inquired.
Polar shook his head. "We tried for years, poor Cilky and I lost each attempt to a miscarriage. It wasn't until four years ago that we were blessed with Flambee. Cilky wanted a child badly. Knowing that Onuin had so many children was heartbreaking for her and with each day, she became more depressed. I don't wish to put her through that again. The years of trying were hard on both of us. It was when we gave up that Flambee happened." He half smiled. "Both of us expected the loss. Cilky was mentally preparing herself for it. I remember the day when the doctors told us it was viable. 15 months later, Flambee was born."
"15 months!" Nappa said in shock.
"My kind have long gestations. Usually it is around 2 years, but I think the fact that he's half saiyan sped up the process." Polar had to keep himself from caving to his grief. "The moment he was placed into her arms, she cried…I cried. That boy is our little miracle. Every second that she's away, will eat at her on the inside."
"Have you thought about adoption?" Nappa asked, he was given a look from the frost demon. "I only ask because I don't really care for that fish lady and her kids." The saiyan shook his head. "What was my son thinking?"
Polar smiled. "People often lose their minds when they're in love. I know I sure did." The frost demon looked back down at the photo.
"You miss her as much as the boy," the saiyan said, walking by Polar. "We will find her. Cilica came out of that funk once, she can do it again." Before he had anything else to say, Nappa was gone. Polar put the picture down. He needed to turn in as well. Wandering around with no sleep wouldn't help him save his wife, now would it?
Before he headed to his room, he dropped in to check on his son. Flambee was thrashing in his sleep. It looked like the boy was having a night terror. The frost demon waited for the boy to scream, but it passed without incident.
He could hear his wife's voice in the back of his head as he reached down and picked up his son. It wouldn't hurt for the boy to sleep with him for the night.
Rouge checked into the medical wing. Her daughters and sisters were at her side as a nurse looked over her. Soon a doctor would be in to see her. The red alien felt strange. She hadn't eaten in days, mainly because she had a stomach virus. She told her children that it was nothing. It would pass. It was probably because of all of this weird food they served. Seriously, eating no meat would do that to you.
"Mom, what if it's serious?" Civilla asked as her Aunt Amber fretted about the room.
"I told you, it's the stomach flu or maybe gas," Rouge argued. She wondered what Negi was doing right now. The idea of him bashing two skulls together was highly entertaining.
The nurse left with her blood samples and now they just had to wait on the doctor. "Rouge-chan, it might be more than that. You've never been one to take care of yourself," her eldest sister chimed.
The red alien shook her head. "I do take care of myself."
"Drinking your weight in alcohol is not taking care of yourself," Amber stated, looking worried at her older sister.
Civilla motioned for her siblings to leave. All five of her sisters left, trusting her with their mother's care. "I hate to say it, Mom, but they have a point. You need to slow down. Dad will come back home." Part of her wanted out of here. She had a date with that boy named Uub from Earth. She planned to rock his world.
Rouge was going to argue as the doctor came in. He gave her a smile. "I'm not used to this out here. Usually, I give everyone bad news," he said with glee.
"So it's good news that she's sick?" Civilla said, feeling confused.
Rouge noticed that he was holding her file. "Then tell me what this good news is."
The doctor smiled. "It seems you are with a litter. I would say 3 or 4 based on the blood work we got back."
The red alien thought back to that excursion with Negi on the battlefield. A smile came to her face. "That is good news. I bet my husband will be excited when he finds out. Can you tell me anything else?"
"We can get you into an ultrasound. I want to make sure the number is correct. You are about 2 months along, I take it." Rouge nodded as the man placed some goo on her stomach and moved a small transceiver over it. The doctor pushed down and she couldn't believe it. Back home, she had never had this done. Everything had been a surprise when she gave birth. Her race could be determined by sex by at least a month, so now she was curious. "It looks like four."
"Four girls." Rouge laughed. Her Kasi…Negi, had always wanted a son, but that didn't seem to be in the cards.
"Three girls, one boy," the doctor stated.
Rouge went quiet. She had a son…Negi was going to get his wish. She smiled to herself. This was fantastic news. "My husband will be ecstatic."
The rest of her family was speechless. When did Rouge find time to get pregnant? Wasn't her husband off with the horde? But Rouge refused to answer their questions. She was far too happy right now. Nothing could burst her bubble right now. Nothing.
Gohan looked up at the ceiling of his bunk. Below him, he could hear his father's snoring. The half-blood couldn't sleep though. He had just finished reading the journal that he found in the jail. Goten had been carrying this around, but it wasn't his at all. It turned out to be his Uncle Raditz's.
From the beginning, Gohan felt angry as he read it. His memories of his Uncle came to the surface, none of which were pleasant. As he began to really read the journal though, he found himself feeling horrified. Zarbon's true nature was exposed, but that wasn't all. He found entries of sadness at the loss of each member of the horde, excitement for finding his father on Earth, anger as he was brought back to life, and finally confusion as his uncle got closer to Goten. It looked like his brother had been helping Raditz to heal. The ill will that his uncle had started off with was fading away as the bonds of the horde were renewed.
Gohan was shocked to discover that Goten had already joined Vegeta's horde. There was even an entry for when his dear brother became the berserker.
From his reading, Gohan realized that it had to be done. All of that anger inside his brother had been ready to explode. If the horde had not interfered, Goten may have tried to take his own life. The pain of having a split soul was going to catch up to him. It was better for Goten to be a berserker and have a horde, then nothing at all.
A twinge of sadness crept in. If only he could have been the person his brother needed. If only he had stopped to read the signs instead of falling to hearsay. Goten wouldn't have had to suffer for so long.
The half-blood turned on his side. Tomorrow was a new day and he better put his knowledge to good use. Maybe it would help him find his brother after all.
To Be Continued…
Author's Note
This chapter is just a small section covering a lot of side characters rather than the main ones. Next week we're back on track.