Note: Sorry for the delay, I wanted to be sure this was perfect before publishing. I also want to let you all know that I have drawn most of my O.Cs now and you can see Propel, Reign, Vulcane and Candor on my deviantart.
https/christa-elizabeth/art/Candor-O-C-826760916
"They're becoming crazed..."
A husky female voice murmured in the still, with a soft shuffling of motion on the dusty floor.
"Yes, won't be much longer now, Tyurni..." Another responded, with the clicking of her long nails on the wall as she scratched the concrete, pitifully digging between the small gaps in the painful steel bars that shocked them and drained their ki if they tried to touch them.
A dark shadow knelt against the far wall, picking at the shaggy remnants that was his tail, removing scabs and attempting the smooth the fur. His dark eyes glinted in the dim light, towards the ceiling.
"I hear her cries up there, pitiful thing, I thought her to be stronger ..." A rasping voice said, from where a grey haired man lie curled on the floor.
"Dormant power lies in the females. That is why he took her in such a way..."
A different male voice rumbled, from the opposite side of him where his form was concealed by shadows.
"It is her duty as a female.." The first male growled, from where he squatted, intent on cleaning the patchy fur on his long tail with crescents cut out along the top, it had been mutilated but it still was at full length. This gave him an advantage over the other males, and he knew it.
"Of course you would say that, Candor.." One of the female's spat, stopping her scratching from the opposite side of the room where they were separated.
"It's the truth, and you know it, you're just bitter you do not have that ability, Rachanā..." Candor gravelled, stopping his grooming to stand and snarl at the far females. They bristled back at his towering form, spitting on the floor. The tension was palpable in the room, as they hadn't been fed since the last time Kannon had come down, and the caged-in feeling they all experienced never lost its novelty.
"Stop..! All of you! I've heard enough!" Nappa grunted with agitation, craning his neck to look to both sides and fuming at them all. Still, he hadn't gained complete control over them. They questioned his loyalty knowing he worked for Frieza, and were anything if not suspicious of his intentions. Nappa attempted to explain to them all why he had, and swore up and down that he was still General of the Saiyan Army to them, and some had laughed at him, while others silently accepted, knowing that there could be a glimmer of hope for their escape if they entertained him.
"Nappa feels sorry for the traitorous female, how disgusting!" A equally as gruff voice boomed from the far end of bars, where a large shadow hulked there.
"I DO NOT, Bdakka!" He retorted back, straining against the steel bar around his chest and causing tiny sparks to sizzle his raw flesh. He fell back onto the hard slab, seething with pain. The flesh on his abdomen was tattered and tight with healing, and small motions like that stretched the skin taut.
The other Saiyans were offended by him, for getting such special treatment that they had never received for their initial injuries when they were drugged and captured, some were still able to fight through the sedatives, but that only made their capture and initial torture that much worse. They had all been on the slab where Nappa now lie at once point, they had even watched their own die on that dreaded bed. So they said nothing more, the heavy feeling of dread still hung after they had all heard what happened to Kannon against the door not twenty minutes ago.
He closed his eyes as the other saiyans all seemed restless, their dilated pupils absorbed all the light from the room in the dark cages, and only the dim whites of their eyes showed from their paled skin, once tanned, now pallid from being shut away from the sun for so long.
"Ugh, I can still smell that rancid odor seeping in from upstairs, why did he have to do it there?!" The third female whined, pinching her nose and shaking her head of shaggy, unkempt hair.
"Not your preference, Zenaya?" Candor snorted, nodding to her tattered garments where he could see her sinewy, yet soft and curvy figure.
"Perhaps I would, If it were with you Candor..." She purred, crawling on her hands and knees.
Candor came closer to the bars, sniffing. She turned and lifted her tail teasingly, showing the pinkish, puffy skin between her thighs caused by heat beneath the rags of clothing and peered over her shoulder, giggling at his reaction. He clicked his teeth together and salivated, visibly shaking.
"I have to get out of this cage, General! Before that one over there drives me to insanity like that wretched Grenada!" He whined, curling his thick brows up and pleading.
"Oh, now he's struck silly, not this again! Shut up and go lick yourself, or whatever it is you do over there, pretty boy! And you, stop that teasing, Zenaya! That could very well drive the poor boy mad!" A dry, rasping voice came from the female side, where an elderly female hunched over with her arms wrapped around her knees. Candor eyed her viciously, as the second male who lied listlessly on the floor chuckled in an grating voice.
"Hush, Faranna, do not waste time on these young whelps, they will tire themselves needlessly. But at least we are safe from being --"
"For how long, we do not have much of any life energy left! Shall they test how long we can go on mere scraps? Curse our blood!" She cried out, lowering her head and shaking her grey-streaked mane hopelessly.
"It will be ok, Faranna, don't worry we will find a way before that happens, we can go back home to Sadala--"
"SHUT THE HELL UP! All of you, I've had enough of your goddamn yammering!" Nappa bellowed once again, and the voices all hushed, they shuffled back to the far walls and now the only sound that he could hear was the soft choked back sound of her pitiful sobbing from above. He squeezed his eyes shut, hearing the rushing of water through the overhead pipes and the hateful sound, that if he were free, he would blast her head clean off if she so wished, only to stop that fucking noise.
No, first, I have to kill that spastic fuck that caused the damn sound, I'll deal with her later ... When I get out, I'm killing every last one of those three-eyed freaks...
A curtain of curly gold bangs concealed her tear swollen eyes as the other female soothed her, Propel's pale skin contrasted starkly with Kannon's tanned, scarred skin that was covered with forming bruises. Her head hung listlessly as the cult mother gently poured a bucket of warm water over her back, and scrubbed her gently with a plush white cloth. Frothy white suds poured down her curled body as Propel sang softly to her; her soft lilting voice like a whisper in the rolling depths of Kannon's convoluted torment, her eyes twitched beneath her lids, the right side of her face was puffed and scraped from where she had been forced into the door.
"Don't be so sad, Kannon. You'll be ok. It's always like that with Grenada. He just gets excited! Reign is a more gentle lover, maybe you would be better matched with him." She said with a tilt of her head, a soft giggle. Kannon scoffed, awakening from her stupor.
"You're so fucking brainwashed, Propel. When was the last time you transformed? They've made you into their personal meatball sandwich. Ha!" Kannon said with a sharp turn of her head, flinging drops of water, she pushed her hair back from her brow and scowled at the girl before her, with a tempting body like Aphrodite; her wet maroon hair curling around the soft divots of her pleasing body in the steamy bathing chamber.
Propel pouted and furrowed her brow.
"That's not very nice. Maybe you should transform, and then you too could be pretty and loved by all of them like I am." Propel huffed and turned on her heel, not getting very far before Kannon grabbed her by her long strands of hair that stuck to her back and yanked her down to the ground roughly. She slipped and fell on her back and cried out as her head hit the marble floor.
"Don't fuckin' come near me again, I don't want your goddamn help and I never asked for it." Kannon said lowly, standing; her hardened body was the opposite of her cult sister, with her golden skin hard where women should be soft, her breasts high and firm on her wiry chest, her body was covered in battle scars and the large bruises forming on her chest and angular hips had already become purplish blue. Kannon crushed one large, squishy breast under her foot and scowled as Propel cried out, craning her head back and squirming helplessly.
"I should put you out of your misery... I can't bear to see you like this any longer. You used to be so strong. What has he done to you?" She whispered; removing her foot and turning away. Propel choked back a cry as she sat up and cupped her hurt breast in both hands.
"..Lord Vulcane is preparing me for the Solstic ritual. You will join us. If not, he is going to do something very bad, Kannon! You must stop this ridiculous resistance to your duties! Once you have your child, perhaps you will understand why I have done what I have. They are my only joy."
Kannon lowered her head and chuckled sadly. "I had a child, Propel. Long before you were old enough to spew such trash. But it wasn't safe here.. I had to abandon them if I wanted them to survive. I have ever only loved one man. That is what you do not understand, Propel. You can only love once. I will never love again. I am too... old to have another child." She said coldly, and with that, she stormed out of the heavy steam and her form faded into the white mist proudly, as Athena riding across the battlefield, she was not a broken woman.
Propel sat and played with her long locks in a state of hurt confusion; her doey eyes brimmed with tears. As the first tear dropped she gasped; jumping up, she touched her cheeks and cried with the joy of a woman released from her captivity; the tears that changed her form spilling down her face. She marvelled at the new feeling of her skin, blinked with narrow cobalt blue eyes.
"I'm.. I'm awake!" She stood like a newborn calf on her newly sculpted calves, marvelled at her skillful hands on her firm body, and held a lock of glossy black hair in her hand.
"How... How long has it been since I have been free from that prison...?" She shuddered, and followed her saviour's steps out of the bath.
The meditative calm of the mountain top sanctuary was crushed as the first segment of rock was broken with a dull thud, causing boulders to crash down the sheer slope.
Raditz was anything but calm. No. The peace he had experienced during his healing, as Launch cared for him and softened his heart while he slowly regained back his memories, had died within him. He cackled cruelly as he pelted the mountainside with radiant light, sending large chunks of rock crumbling down and the tranquil waterfall became nothing but a slick mudslide.
He snorted out the foul scent of his most hated opponent from his nostrils, hard as a figure levitated at his back. Raditz turned abruptly, grinning down at Tien. He was surrounded by his own ki, bursting from within him in his anger, his face contorted with bitter hatred at the man before him.
"So you have shown yourself at last, Tien Shinhan. Were you hiding?" He said with a teasing tone, tilting his head and crossing his arms over his bare chest. Tien lowered; his cross legged form slowly approaching the pulsing ruby aura of Raditz with his own golden one.
"No, I have been searching for you, while you play at the perfect picture of a gentleman, I know your true intentions. You cannot be allowed to sleep in her bed any longer, I won't let you prey upon Launch!" Tien snarled back, coming to a stand in his levitation. Raditz laughed back harshly, the raucous sound, harsh over the sound of rushing water.
"...Perhaps you are only jealous, that you can only charm one of them while I have both females like putty in my hands." Raditz said smoothly, grinning and tilting his chin back cockily. His eyes darkened and his power surged once again as he relived the horror of Launch's revelations, of the pain she experienced when her other half and Tien had been together. He snarled at the memory and wrenched the sordid thought from his mind.
"Face it, you are too weak and inexperienced to handle such a harlequin beauty such as Launch. Such a special woman requires a real man who can, Oh how do you say it, multi-task? Heh...
Step down, and allow me to have her, or else I will kill you where you stand." His voice ground deeply, with every intent to kill. Tien did not back down. He clenched his fists and observed the pink, fleshy area on his opponent's broad chest, nearly eight inches in width. Small trickles of blood weeped from it as he became more enraged, and Tien laughed back, with renewed confidence.
"She wanted to be defiled, Raditz. She practically begged for it, what was I to do when a beautiful woman like that was sitting on my lap? Perhaps I should have sent the little blue-haired bitch home with a present for you too while I was at it." He laughed back cockily, licking his lips with the tantalizing memory flashing through his mind. Raditz was becoming more enraged, he spiked up his ki and with it his black locks nearly rose from his back, as veins started to bulge from his body.
"...I got to have her first, she's nothing but a lush, just get her drunk and you can--" Raditz growled, surging forth towards Tien and send his fist flying at the maddening 3 eyed man. Tien dodged away swiftly and came up behind Raditz, chuckling softly. Raditz whirled around, wrapping his tail tightly around his waist protectively.
"I know about the weaknesses of a Saiyan, Raditz. That pretty tail of yours is the most sensitive part of your body. From what I heard you were sent to your knees blubbering like a baby!" He laughed, tossing his head back.
Raditz's thick mane seemed to bristle with rage as he roared and barreled towards him and wrapped his arms around his waist tightly, squeezing him into submission. Tien pushed up on his solid biceps, and snickered as he escaped the grip, leaving a fleeting image of himself in Raditz's arms. He dashed through the air, leaving a shadow of himself with every quick movement and disappeared behind his back.
Raditz felt the form in his arms give and grunted in confusion as he turned and saw the fleeting forms, then felt a sharp pain in his back as Tien kicked the base of his tail firmly. Raditz bellowed in agony, coming down to the ground and crouching, he panted, turning back towards his opponent furiously.
"That was a cheap shot." He growled, and Tien simply shrugged and formed himself back into one body.
"You're a pretty cheap fighter from what I've heard... I wonder if that's why your strength is stunted, always using backhanded tactics to avoid being hit... don't you know that's why you'll never be better than Goku?" Tien said, lowering down the ground. He moved his hands in a confusing, yet familiar pattern as Raditz's eyes tried to follow it, he heard a shrill cry from behind him.
"Tien!"
They both turned to attention to see the white capsule home giving under the waterfall's pressure, as the rocks gave away and crumbled, Chiaoutzu was trapped inside.
"Chiaoutzu! Oh, how did I forget?!" He cried out, and stopped his preparing for his next move and dashed past Raditz. He grabbed him by the red obi on his green gi pants and yanked him back viciously.
"No more distractions, Mars man. This is our battle. Your little friend in there is a victim to your own fault. Let him be crushed by the weight of the mountain!" He said coldly, and pulled the fabric harder until Tien ripped away from his grip.
"Shut up! You wouldn't know a thing about protecting someone you care about!" Tien shouted, and blasted off towards the house, as large cracks formed in its exterior. The shell of the small building gave, but not before a small form burst free like a bullet. Raditz looked down at his bare feet in the mud and thought about the words the Gemini had said.
I know nothing about protecting the one I care about? Is that not what I am doing? Or is this the wrong way to show I care for her...?
He heard the resounding sobs from the boy as Tien took him in his arms and soothed his friend's cries, and Raditz watched the scene, blinking. He remembered Launch's words before he left her to kill Tien.
'No! He doesn't have to die! '
He shook his head, removing the thoughts vigorously. It is the only answer. I am protecting her, fighting is the only way I know. I am sorry, Launch. This is for your own good...
"Raditz!" He heard the cry from the path broken by the mountain's fall, turning sharply to see her familiar form jumping off the motorcycle and standing at the cliff's edge to beckon to him. He swallowed, glancing nervously back to Tien, then back at her and suddenly felt a strange wave of guilt pass through him.
"Raditz! Please don't do this!" She cried out, falling to her knees and sobbing at the scene. He lowered his eyes and shivered with the rage that was still coursing through him. He turned, slowly showing his back to her. He blinked hard as she screamed for him, feeling pained at hearing the sound, he clenched his fists and closed his eyes to whisper in her mind.
Stay away. It's not safe here.
That was all he could think to say, there were no soothing words he could comprehend to stop her cries, he knew that she would one day thank him for what he was about to do. She didn't understand that this was necessary. He must be punished for what he did.
There was a low rumble, and with it, the remnants of the house was crushed by rock and the last of the waterfall spilled down the edge of the steep summit. Now there was only the mud that Raditz waded in, as he approached the heartwarming scene that would have warmed say; someone with a golden heart like Goku's. Raditz only saw a pitiful display of emotion that was unfamiliar in his mind. Males showing affection for one another?! It was offensive, unfathomable. He sneered with disgust, spitting on the ground.
He would never embrace Nappa in such a way, that was not in a rare bout of playful wrestling. Especially not Vegeta; only a child does such foolish things. Once they were whelped, Nappa treated them both as if they were strangers, and any attempt to receive those almost fatherly affections was met with a hard fist to the face. The only form of affection between males that Raditz was familiar with was fighting; holding back from the kill shot was a proving factor in whether or not they dared to show they held some semblance of concern for one another.
"Enough, either let the child fight, or save him from being destroyed." He gravelled, becoming blind with anger, Raditz formed a ball of florescent white ruby ki in his hand, the reflection dancing across his features and creating a motley of dancing light on the sharp planes of his face, his creased brow. Tien got to his feet, holding Chiaoutzu back with one hand.
"Go with the others. Tell them not to interfere in this fight, Chiaoutzu. I have this under control." He said sternly. He was serious, as the white faced boy looked up and nodded subtly, flying away quickly while looking over his shoulder.
"Probably for the best. Or your little friend would be smeared across the mountain side with just this one blast." Raditz said lowly, flexing his fingers and rolling the small ball like dough in his hand he concentrated and constricted his power densely into a compact sphere; remembering how the green alien had made such a skillful show of power. It still amazed him now as he remembered; and wondered if he could ever be capable of learning such an interesting move.
"Fine. I see you have no sympathy, I don't think a pea-brained ape like you is capable of understanding such a pure relationship." Tien said, the words only angered Raditz anew, as he floated up and wung the ball at Tien, hitting him hard in the thigh. It pierced a hole cleanly through his leg, and with a cry, Tien lost his footing; clutching his bleeding wound. He hadn't expected such a small shot to have such an effect on him. Tien removed the torn strip of his obi and quickly fastened it around his leg, standing. Raditz awaited him patiently from above, looking down in that suspiciously smug way.
Tien felt himself suddenly bristle once again remember his words, glancing at the figures on the sideline, he felt a rushing urge to protect all of his good friends. Perhaps in his defeat of this brutal savage, he would try to approach Launch again and they would move in a respectable pace with their relationship.
Lately, Tien felt like Jeckyll and Hyde with his emotions; he didn't know what to think anymore as he stared up at the swirling black-umber locks at Raditz's back, delved into those cold, unwavering eyes. An unspoken pact formed between the two. As their eyes connected, Tien sent his thoughts to Raditz, seeing the large warrior react by twitching in abhorrence.
Winner gets the girl?
He asked, grinning wryly.
You won't get the chance.
Raditz responded after a brief spell, and Tien felt a mental shield form in the Saiyan's mind before he could speak again. Tien rose his digits once again, and firmed his stance. Tien rose one finger and formed a golden ball of light there, then aimed it.
"Dodon Ray!" Tien shouted, and Raditz observed its approach coolly, moving one forearm swiftly and blocked the narrow golden beam. Tien watched as a thin line of blood streaked, deep through the dark hair on his arm, and Raditz's eyes widened with the unexpected surprise.
Damn! I should have known! He's playing tricks like those two did before, without my scouter I can't read his battle power!
He rumbled audibly in his chest, and Tien stepped back a pace as Raditz lowered, chuckling.
"You're more powerful than I had expected, Shinhan. You actually pierced my flesh." He said, almost as if impressed. He licked the trickling blood from his arm, pulling back with a satisfied sigh, and lapping at his lips hungrily. Tien backed another pace away, suddenly, his heart was thundering in his chest as the large warrior clothed in nary but a black strip of clothing approached, Tien observed his heavily, brawned sinew moving with each lumbering step, panting at the scent of blood; Raditz seemed like a wild animal lusting for his blood. Tien tensed, and put his hands to his third eye and sent his ki rushing to the spot.
"Solar Flare!"
Suddenly, everything was blinding white to the Saiyan, he squeezed his eyes shut and couldn't feel the fleeting aura of the other warrior. Tien came around and sunk a hard kick with his shin into the back of his knees. Raditz grunted, falling foreward and catching himself as the light still blinded him, flashing through his eyes. He felt another crushing pain as Tien's foot was stomped cruelly into his lower back, he arched his back and bellowed in pain, following the resulting crunch and pop of his spine.
Raditz got onto his knees, snarling and practically foaming at the mouth, in disbelief of the sneak attack.
"You-- little cretin! You'll regret that!" He shouted, and got back up into the air, his surroundings returning to the familiar, strange colors of the red and blue planets intermingled in the sky, into the soft velvety violet that reminded him of her precious eyes.
Raditz turned to see Launch being held by Krillin and Master Roshi, as she sobbed inconsolably.
Launch.. I.. I will be okay, do not be frightened. He said into her mind as he turned and rose up to meet Tien's hard expression of determination. He knew that the female had no mental power, but he could at the very least send her comforting messages.
I love you, Raditz.
He heard a tiny voice at the back of his mind and shuddered, it tickled the very base of his subconscious and sent shivers down his spine. He shook his head, fisted his fingers at his roots as the voice continued to tickle there, what was that word she said? Love?
I love you. Love you. Raditz don't! Raditz don't do it. Don't die! Tien! Please don't die. I love you. Love Raditz. Raditz. Don't die. Don't kill Tien! Please don't die!
It was an unorganized stream of consciousness that she sent him, not knowing that the feeling overwhelmed him as his chest began to heave with the reaction. He felt a swelling and bursting feeling in his chest and clutched it with one hand and blocked off her messages, shutting off the telepathic stream that would only serve to weaken him and distract him at the moment. He blinked with surprise, still; he had never expected her to be capable of responding, the little female gave literally no aura of strength or mental ability off.
"Let's fucking go! No more distractions! It's just you and me, Shinhan!" He roared, drowning out his feelings, powering up Raditz used his conflicting emotion and utilized it as a battering ram; as he honed in on the green clothed figure above. He came at him swiftly, and met him with a barrage of flying fists and kicks, which to his thrill the Gemini matched evenly. Raditz revelled in the feeling of his fists digging in, and bouncing off the opposing flesh with hard smacks They spun in a flurry of blows in the air, face to face, the smaller man flattened his hand and hit him with a sharp chop to his chest wound and Raditz backed away quickly. Feeling the throbbing there, h ignored it; instead making multiple ki balls in his fists and pummeling Tien with a shower of light. "Here, have the Weekly Special!"
Tien attempted to block them, but there were too many to keep track of, and the hot balls of Ki pelted him and made his body jerk as each one hit with the impact of a point blank bullet. Smoke rose from Tien's burnt skin as he struggled to move; one injured leg moved slower than the other. Raditz smirked as he pulled back and held his hands together to form a large ball, as Tien regained his balance in the air and jumped back in anticipation.
"Here's a present!" Raditz shouted, and whipped the ball at his thigh before the other warrior could block it, and sent him dropping down screaming, the fabric of his pantleg burned away and he rocketed down and landed with a hard splash into a puddle of mud.
He heard the collective screams for Tien's safety as he approached him, chuckling softly. Tien moaned and clutched his burnt leg to his torso.
"You're not a very good team player. You were supposed to catch the ball!" Raditz said with a teasing voice.
"Catch this!" He heard a cry from behind, and saw a streak of light in Tien's eyes, and the battered warrior smiled. Raditz whipped around quickly to see the incoming missile approaching on him, the oblong shape of it tearing through the air as Krillin threw the disk with all of his might in defense of his fellow fighter.
Raditz smiled, "Finally, someone who knows how to throw a frisbee!" He laughed, and caught the bright object in his hand quickly and swung it back with twice the velocity.
"You'd better stay down, baldie. You have nothing on your fellow cue ball here. But at least you know how to play the game properly. Normally, we played it with severed limbs, but that works just as well!" Krillin anticipated the return and dodged it swiftly, thankful for the training that he and Tien had done relentlessly with their own ki attacks. The small man looked up at Raditz with a determined expression.
"Not a chance, Raditz. I'm still not happy with what you did to Goku, and I won't let you do the same to Tien!"
Raditz smiled, nodding.
"All you Earth warrors are very brave, I'll give you that. But bravery won't save you on the battlefield. All a warrior needs is his strength. If that means leaving your partners in the dust, so be it. At least you left with your neck." He said, and rose, summoning his power once again.
Krillin and Tien stood at either side below him. The larger one shouted, getting up on one leg like an injured bird and balancing on it skillfully.
"That's not how it's done on earth! We help one another, we fight together!"
Raditz suddenly tensed his hold on the ki balls forming in his hands and remembered a startling revelation.
We fight together.
Is that not what Vegeta had said to him once, in the past? He recalled being briefly confused by his words, and retorted with the scathing remark,
No shit, what did you think we were doing here, Vegeta?
He remembered the smaller Saiyan making a scoffing sound of disapproval before leaving him, shaking his head, back when they were fighting on Planet Lupine. Could the former prince have meant more than the obvious statement he had taken it for?
Vegeta? He asked to the air, sending a questioning message with little hope of getting an response. He couldn't hear anything, not the familiar touch of his mind, nor his sneering voice in return.
Was it possible, he actually..?
"Hey! Ya big muscle-head! Wake up!" He heard a laugh, and resounding chuckles from below, and with a bellow of rage, he erupted.
"Double Sunday!"
Raditz pierced the darkening sky with streaks of scalding pink light, the beams rocketed down and enlarged into growing orbs of fiery ruby light, becoming wrapped with ribbons of wet soil; and pulverized the ground beneath them with a great thunderous boom. Screams rang out all around them as the mountain collapsed, and he wrenched his head to see the neighboring pathway giving way to collapse, with the three standerbys running to the top of the tilting road.
Raditz blasted through the air in a second's time, hovering above Launch as she scrambled to grip the rocks, he caught her in his arms, observing as the old man was pulled up with some struggling by the smaller white-faced fighter. He pulled her to him in an embrace as he looked for a place to put her, feeling with startled surprise, her nails raking across his cheek with a hoarse cry.
"Raditz! How could you!" She screeched in his ear, he cringed back and looked down at her viciously, his eyes widened, he grit his teeth as he felt blood seeping from the lacerations.
"Do not scratch me, girl!" He spat at her, in total disbelief of her actions.
"I h-hate you! I hate you, Raditz!" She cried out, tears running down her cheeks.
"W-what..?!" He asked, suddenly stopping in the air, they turned to see the mountain collapsing, into a large pile of dust that rose in great clouds and blanketed the skyline.
He faced her and looked to her with deep hurt in his eyes, clutching her to himself he righted them, searching for any sign it was a lie.
Launch reared back and crashed her forehead with his, and to his surprise, it actually hurt! He pulled back in stunned shock, a small welt forming. Her forehead swelled and bled but she did not back down, holding herself away from his body with her sharp nails digging rivers of blood into his forearms.
"I told you not to do this, and what did you do?! Krillin and Tien could very well be dead from that blast!" She shrieked.
"I was only protecting you from him! Launch, you said that you loved me! What did you mean by that?!" He yelled back, feeling the heat of unshed tears pooling and blurring his vision.
She seemed taken aback, gasping.
"I--I never said that! I don't know how I feel anymore, Raditz! You're--you're a monster!" She cried out, flinching back from him, she hid her face in her blue locks and sobbed. Raditz lowered his head and softened his grip on her. Launch looked up to see his response, but only saw a mask of her former love. His eyes became cold and guarded, and he lowered them quickly to the ground as his shed tears fell and were quickly absorbed into the dry dirt where he stood, unmoving as she ran to dig for the buried fighters.
He felt his chest aching as he stared down at the ground, hearing the crumbling rocks and the sobs of the small female he cared so much for, but didn't understand how to show her; how to make her no longer hate him.
"Krillin! Krillin!" She cried as she pulled the small body from the dirt, her body wracked with hoarse cries. Krillin's burnt head lolled to the side and his eyes stared, unblinking towards Raditz behind her. He glared into the deadened eyes and felt nothing within him of sympathy.
There was another crumble, and a cloud of dust as Tien stood from the rocks and brushed himself off. "Tien!" Launch cried out, and stumbled over the stones to embrace him. He held her back from him at an arm's length, glaring only at Raditz. Raditz looked on in horror as she actually, actually embraced his worst enemy! He felt that horrible pain in his chest and clutched it, hunching over. She--she told me she was afraid of him!? I don't understand!
"Tien! You're alright!" His blue haired beauty said with relief, and Tien walked away from her, returning his attention on his enemy. He saw Krillin's crumpled form on the ground and growled, gutteral.
"Krillin... You will regret this, Raditz."
"I do not feel regret." He responded icily; raising his eyes to meet the others.
"Run far away from here, Launch." Tien said, his voice altered unnaturally; and stepped out of the dirt to approach Raditz. They met one another's gaze coldly, and began to rise back into the air together, slowly.
Launch wiped her eyes and sobbed, clutching the front of Krillin's shirt. She cradled her head to the deceased; with the sorrow equal to an older sister and cried. The dust slowly settled, and as she looked up to see the figures on the horizon fading to small dots, she sneezed softly, and changed once again. But her emotions did not change. She felt hurt for both men; but now felt her displaced affections wondering where they should attach.
Instead, she stood and walked to the crumpled S-Cargo on the ground, and took her semi automatic out of the trunk.
"Oh no... Krillin..." She heard the soft voice of Master Roshi and the cries of Chiaoutzu, and with that she turned and walked to the cast shadows on the ground, as the lights above from the fighters met and created a dazzling orange light-show of clashing ki.
Blood dappled the arid soil and soaked it, between his white, now pink stained boots, Vegeta spat on the ground and laughed gruffly. The two Gemini had been tormenting him now for some time, as he lifted his head to see the flickering green eyes of his tormentor before him; he laughed again and tilted his head back.
"Remember now... those cries, the blood shed of your victims, as they clung to your heel in despair, our people had done nothing to deserve this destruction, they had in fact taken you in as their child, cared for you, treated you as their own--"
Vegeta shook his head shamefully as the Gemini man attempted to upset him with the memories of the purging of Planet Neptune.
"Not biting, blondie." He chuckled, and the red headed pyromaniac burnt him again as punishment, searing the already dripping and mangled flesh of his upper body. Vegeta clenched his teeth, tilting his head back and roared with the feeling, "Burn! Burn!!" Grenada growled, and in Vegeta's paralyzed state he had no other option but to allow the psychopath to sear his flesh like charbroiled meat, until it blackened and fell away, the stringy red muscle beneath was exposed and bleeding profusely.
"Dig deeper, Reign. You're not having enough of an effect to break him. You must remember that the Saiyan's do not feel sympathy. You must show him his own deepest pain." A rasping voice seethed from behind, as he placed his gnarled hand on the shoulder of the man attempting to harm their captor with sheer thoughts alone.
Vegeta panted, as the green fires died and Reign put his fingers back into a tented pattern, the small black pupil of his eye becoming green again.
"You are no better than your poor, dead father Vegeta...!" Frieza mused, as his tail came cracking through the air and left a shallow indentation across his back that quickly pooled with blood, the three hunched down on their hands and knees as Frieza lashed them once again, each screaming in turn as the crack of flesh on flesh echoed through the darkened room, where various bits of limbs lied decaying. The burnt end of a fingertip rolled across the ground and touched with Vegeta's as he stared at the ground, at the pooling blood there. The long white appendage slithered across the ground before them, smearing the blood across the floor in a snail-like trail, curling and ticking his cheek gently.
"Such a mighty race, weren't you? How the mighty have fallen... To the level of pitiful ditch monkeys scratching the lice from their filthy mange...I can't take that filthy smell any longer. Don't you think it's time you had a bath?" Frieza cackled, and their backs tensed. Vegeta glanced to Raditz at his side and their dark eyes met for a split second, and in the larger Saiyan's eyes he saw the familiar glimmer of spite hidden deep within.
Raditz nodded grimly, turning his face back to stare at the ground. He swallowed as he heard the dragging of a hose on the ground, squeezing his eyes shut, Vegeta prepared for the incoming pain of the liquid that was to come.
"Now, don't forget to lift those nasty little shit swipers so I can power wash your hindquarters, monkey trash..." Frieza spat, and with a hiss the crank on the hose was turned to allow the acid to be released, the sharp, putrid scent of sulfur densely fogging the air as the resulting screams bellowed out around him, Vegeta squeezed his eyes shut and truly believed, 'The pain is good... the pain is good, every bit of pain will only serve to strengthen me, that is where he made his mistake...'
Vegeta remembered this and it only cemented his resolve, as the Gemini behind him now seared his back in order to imitate the burning of sulfuric acid on his back.
"Hotter, Grenada! It has to be hotter!" Vulcane hissed, and placed both hands onto Reign's and in turn, his pupil turned red as they joined in the telepathic torment. Suddenly, all was fully fleshed, Vegeta was there in the room, he could feel the acid burning his skin for real, hear the hoarse cries of his brethren in his ears, the cackling laughter that he despised.
No, we must dig deeper... The voice of Vulcane seethed in his mind now; curling its forked tongue in his ear.
Why don't we explore the mind of the torturer... Vegeta's eyes widened as his perception of the scene changed, now he could see his own back, his own curled form on the ground! The combined power of the third eyes crawled across the ground, sizzling with toxic gas; up to his three toed foot, his pink flesh, and up; until he stared into his own worst enemy's crimson eyes.
Frieza... What deepest darkness is it that lies in those eyes? Vulcane rasped, and the light became fleeting streaks of color as they entered his mind.
"Get on your knees, trash.." A voice seethed, as the familiar foot crushed down the back of a royal blue cape, flocked with scarlet red.
"Pledge fealty to my empire or die." He hissed, grinding his foot into the firm back and bowing it down.
"I secede... Lord Frieza, Planet Vegeta is yours...!" His father cringed, and was let up, to brush off his white royal armour with shame, he turned and lowered his head as Frieza smiled, looking to Elite commander Zarbon who nodded, and they commenced the tearing of the royal crest of Vegetasai from the walls. Shredding the silken tapestries and splashing purple paint over the large mural to King Vegeta on the wall, surrounded by flames as he held the head of a Tuffle in his hand by its hair, the face with a blue scouter staring out with deadened eyes.
"Remove any trace of the Saiyan Empire. Give the soldiers their new orders to turn over all communication devices immediately, all sector's in alliance with Vegeta will be under my order by the evening..."
Vegeta looked on with large, hollow eyes, all he had been shown were things he knew of, although the reality of seeing it through his own overlord's eyes was a different experience entirely..
"...Vegeta, I am giving you a very special mission, you're old enough now to go into space. I'm entrusting you with the best man of the Saiyan Army, General Nappa. He will be coming with you in order to protect you..."
"I don't need to be protected, father!"
"Listen, things are... difficult to explain here, but I know that you will keep your father's wishes.. Do not forget who you are, son, do not forget the Pride that is the Saiyan race..." King Vegeta knelt down, shamelessly showing his brow to his son, who in turn ignored him and appraised the tall man before him, and the older boy at his side grinning snidely.
"Let's go, I'm ready, Nappa."
Vegeta frowned as he considered his father's words from the past, his eyes squeezed shut as he was hit with more memories in rapid succession.
"You can't do this! You will not take my throne, my wife!" He gasped, as Vasenya fell to the floor in a pool of her own blood, her throat slit by one of his own soldiers that had become a traitor. King Vegeta barreled forward, bellowing as he charged through the masses of soldiers attempting to hold him off, with each stride taking them down with brilliant blue light radiating from his powerful form.
"Let me see him! Let me see Frieza!" He bellowed, bursting free from the restraints, he approached his own throne and stood before it, blood dripped from his temple as the familiar crimson eyes looked him over.
"Come closer, your majesty..." The curdled voice whispered, and he stepped closer, until he stood at the base of the throne. Frieza put out the back of his pale hand and held it below his sharp bearded chin in wait for the shameful kiss of surrender.
"Kiss the king, monkey boy... You're all just puppets in my game, next is that sweet little prince, he's going to be my personal plaything by the time I'm done breaking him in, he'll be begging for mercy.." He cooed, licking his black lips with a pink, slimy tongue.
"You have taken my wife, my throne, you cannot take my son!" He said sharply, lifting his head and forming a ball of ki in his fist, he raised it to strike him and was quickly detained by Zarbon holding his arms forcefully against his own back, near to breaking. King Vegeta made a harsh, garbled cough of a choked back cry as Frieza pressed the former king's mouth to the back of his hand, digging his claws into the back of his spiky raven red hair until blood oozed out, and as the king's lips pressed, Frieza lifted one finger and sent a beam of light piercing through the the eye cavity of the surrendered king, lifting his other hand and laughing with euphoria as the back of his head fell away in an empty shell, the pink splatter of his brain tricked down his arm...
"That's enough!" Vegeta spat, tearing himself from the horrible visions, his eyes burned with unshed tears that would never meet the air. His entire body quivered as his ki rose to the surface, covering him in bright golden light, that clashed with the blue tendrils that acted as transparent barbed wire around his body.
"Ooh, seems we've hit a sore spot at last.."
Vulcane grinned, watching Vegeta's struggling with an amused expression.
"But that's not even the worst of it, do you think your puny brain could handle the magnitude of what you're about to see? How fitting, that the destroyer of our own planet is about to witness the destruction of his own precious planet..."
Vegeta furrowed his brows and spat,
"My planet was destroyed by a meteor! I know that, what could that possibly show me that I don't already know?!"
The corner of the Kimono clad figure's mouth curled up wryly as he adjusted his thin hands around the other Gemini's, and Vegeta was sunk back into the demented mind of Frieza.
Brilliant golden light, dazzling...
The figure of a man attempting to hold back the great blast, his form becoming lost to the golden aura, Bardock tilted his head back and smiled as he was sacrificed for his planet, the swirling red planet in the background became alight as the golden orb sunk into it, and with a sparkling array of golden tendrils, the surface became segmented, and slowly erupted from within. In a blinding flash of blue light, the planet was decimated, reduced to dust as the blast reflected in its maker's eyes, who laughed as if on the very edge of insanity, as Frieza laid waste to Planet Vegeta once and for all...
"NO!!" Vegeta cried out, his voice ragged as he panted in frantic breaths, his eyes widened with the realization of the truth at last...
"Now do you understand our plight? Can you see now why we hate your kind so much...?" Reign asked in a soft voice, lowering his hands and allowing the small red piece of fabric that was Vegeta's childhood royal cloak tangled in his fingers to flutter away.
Grenada backed away from the growing power of the compact fighter, as Vegeta began to quiver from the very depths of his soul, breathing in harsh ragged breaths that burned deep down to his belly with each one, he squeezed his eyes shut and allowed the tears to fall as he screamed, bellowing with all his might as the ground began to quiver and the Gemini's backed up further, observing how the Saiyan's aura became like tendrils of smoke that surrounded him and danced as he screamed, the light burst forth from the very bottom of him and upwards into the darkening sky, in a flame of bright yellow ki.
Vegeta's eyes became white as the false form took him over, and he looked at his own fist and marvelled at the power there, surrounded by golden fire. The barbed wire bonds broke, and he laughed with the feeling of freedom at last, bursting forth on the flame he rocketed towards his scarlet haired torturer and pummeled his fist into that smug expression, knocking him down to the ground. Vegeta rose into the air and laughed with the exhilarating feeling of experiencing near evolution.
"Is it truly? The Super Saiyan of legend?" He lacks the golden hair.. " Vulcane whispered to the others, observing how the flame of hair atop the demented expression of their former captor was writhing on the power, alight with red aura.
Grenada growled out in anger and made a fist with his blackened hand, and formed a black ball like a grenade swirling with absinthe green, then grunted and threw the black object at him. Vegeta grinned as it came towards him, and as it hit it washed him in the green flames, he only spread his arms and the phosphorous fire was now only a cool licking burn, that paled in comparison to the heat coming off of his body and washing him a ruby red cast.
"Hmm! He's not hurt!" Grenada growled and began forming more grenades in his hands, tensing as the red washed warrior lowered to the ground and began approaching on him slowly, with a tilted head and crossed arms. Grenada created and threw grenades in rapid succession, pelting him until the figure was invisible in the wall of green eruptions, gasping as one leg came from the swirling fire, then another as he suddenly was coming upon him before he could even run.
Vegeta rose into the air and glared down on him with those crazed, blinded eyes, and with one crushing motion he felt the hard impact of his fist barrelling into his enemy's sternum, then another in turn, each punch burning and searing away the fabric of his gi, Grenada fell back, gasping. He crawled back on his rear and screamed as one white booted foot came down and pulverized his groin into the ground, Grenada squirmed and cringed as Vegeta's foot squashed him thoroughly to flattened and he looked up and whimpered at the scene of satan himself come to earth. The Saiyan laughed coldly and left him there to suffer, approaching on the blonde haired Gemini and beckoning him with one hand.
Reign rose his hands in defense and moved into fighting stance.
"Ready, pretty boy? Or do you miss your precious swords?" He questioned, awaiting the Neptunian's response. Reign surged at him, meeting him with a barrage of swift blows, using his quick fists to punch through the swirling fire, and find solid form with his. Reign was relentless in his attacking: but Vegeta was only calmly stepping back, observing his attacker with a bored expression.
Vegeta thrust one hand forward and clutched him by his throat, squeezing as he lifted him off the ground and watched his struggle; clawing at the fist washed in flames. He tossed him to the ground unceremoniously, and disregarded him as he began to approach the cult leader. Vulcane darted his eyes and looked to the others. Grenada and Reign got to their feet, then ran and hid behind the optical illusion-like dragon pattern of the kimono.
"Conceal! Kakusu!" Vulcane concealed them from him with the billowing sleeves of the kimono, and moved them into a blocking motion, and with that, they were gone.
"What?!" Vegeta snarled, looking back and forth for them he growled, blasting the soil with fire, he darted through the air where they had stood in light speed and swore in frustration.
"Fuck! Where did they go?!" He stood and looked at the foot prints in the soil, waiting to see any more prints forming that would give away their place. There were none, the shore had already began to wash over and erase where the three prints had been.
He flew to the rock wall, and searched for the camouflaged obstruction from before, but now as he looked at the wall he saw only the sandstone, and reached back and punched it with both fists, and was thrown back violently by an invisible force shield.
He panted, then sighed heavily as the fire died out, and fell to his knees, landing on his hands. He stared at his shadow on the ground and saw the tell tale shadow of the scouter on his ear. With one motion he tore it off and blasted it into non-existence.
"Frieza.. You will pay for what you did..."