Radditz watched as Nappa stretched and began a warm-up spar with some of the lesser troops. Nappa's usual unnecessary brute force took many of them out quickly and left him standing in the middle of the room laughing not even having broken a sweat. Radditz turned away from him and watched the door hoping that Vegeta would show up soon, he had been concerned for the Ouji after the 'incident' happened. He shook his long thick hair with one hand then crossed his arms over his chest and watched Nappa finish anialating the rest of his warm-up crew.
The door whisked open without them noticing, Radditz was watching Nappa move through another line of troops when the feeling of a presence prickled his neck. Turning his head slightly he looked from the corner of his eye down onto Vegeta who had moved silently up beside him. "Ouji-sama!"
"Shh, you'll break his concentration." Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest and watched Nappa's dance of death. Radditz looked down at his feet his face one of intense contemplation. He was shaken from his daze with the feel of something wrapping itself around his tail. Instead of making a scene, Radditz looked again from the corner of his eye to Vegeta who was still caught up in Nappa's fight, or so it seemed. The coil around his tail tightened slightly before removing itself. With a sigh of relief Radditz relaxed and realized that it was his turn to warm-up as he began to walk off he turned to offer Vegeta the chance to warm-up before him and saw the Ouji's tail wrapping itself back around his waist. Vegeta smirked at Radditz and nodded at the line of troops waiting for their turn.
***
Vegeta watched as Radditz moved through a line of troops, his fighting style was much different from Nappa's. Nappa wanted to take as much out with one blow to create as much damage as possible as quickly as possible. With Radditz it was different, he calculated and timed his blows for effective damage without using excessive amounts of power. Nappa yelled out encouragement and various insults to the troops. Vegeta growled and elbowed the mammoth in the stomach, Nappa let out a yelp and gasped for air. "Be quiet, baka! Let him concentrate."
Radditz had overheard the scuffle in the corner but lost no concentration and quickly finished his warm-up routine. Stepping to the Ouji's side he waited for Vegeta to take his place on the floor for his chance, however when he didn't move Radditz looked at him questioningly. "Ouji-sama, aren't you going to spar?"
Vegeta chuckled under his breath, "Of course, are you ready?" Radditz straightened and nodded, moving to the middle of the floor he took a stance and waited for Vegeta. Unfurling his tail, Vegeta walked toward the taller saiyajin his tail swaying and twitching behind him. Radditz watched the tail move from side to side and lost his concentration which was brought back sharply into focus by a sharp blow to the jaw followed by a knee to the stomach. Vegeta watched as Radditz caught his balance and shook his hair from his face and wiped a trickle of blood from his lower lip. He grinned at Vegeta and began an onslaught of ki blasts, kicks, punches and shouts.
***
A good solid five hours had passed, Radditz had lasted for three hours and forty minutes, Nappa only one hour it taking him twenty minutes to hype himself up for the fight. Leaving the training room with loosened muscles Vegeta felt relaxed, tired and strangly energized like one usualy does after a good workout. He stalked to his quarters, stretching his torso as he walked down the corridor. The majority of the ship had turned in for the night hours with the exception of a handful of night owls prowling the halls or leaning in doorways. Finally reaching his destination, Vegeta stepped into his room pulling off the cracked armor with one arm while peeling away the navy blue suit with the other. A shower beckoned to him so he indulged his sweaty worn out body and lost himself in an ocean of steamy water.
***
Twenty minutes later, Vegeta emerged from the bathroom with a mass of steam bellowing behind him in a wake of disipating mists. A terrycloth towel was wrapped snuggly around his waist, water dripping from the water logged spikes of his ebony hair. He had been rehashing the events of a month ago, realizing what he had done wrong with the planet...he hadn't stood close enough. A pang of depression started to ebb at the center of Vegeta's heart. He hated living this way, cooped up like an animal, and to make it worse he knew a trick so he was his masters favorite pet. It took nothing to destroy a planet, years of the same monotony had left his heart covered in a thick hide that refused to let the mass murder of billions weigh on his conscience. He was after all doing his trick, nothing more.
He sighed and stood at the small window looking out into the deepness of space, _that's how I feel, empty...nothing but a hollow void consuming everything and yet nothing._ Vegeta's eyes glazed over as he looked amongst the billions of stars. His door hissed open and soft footsteps fell on the thin carpeting. Vegeta didn't notice until a deep rumble of a clearing throat snapped him back to reality. He turned slowly, as though he had known of the intruder but chose to ignore them, and saw Radditz bent on knee waiting to be acknowledged. Vegeta's voice was thick with the depression he had lulled over only seconds before, "What is it Radditzu?"
Radditz remained in his position only raising his head to look at Vegeta as he spoke, "Ouji-sama, I was hoping you could answer a question for me..." his voice lowered and trailed off. Vegeta raised an eyebrow then turned back toward the window.
"Your question being?"
A silence drug and Vegeta began to wonder if Radditz had left when his soft deep voice began to speak again. "I have been wondering the entire month of your stay in the med bay, why you were so close?"
Vegeta looked down at the sill and clasped his hands behind his back. "It was a calculation error." Even after he said it, Vegeta regretted it. He had heard Radditz stand and felt his hesitation to grab hold of him and shake the truth out. Instead he simply stood there. Vegeta turned and looked into the strong jawed face of his right hand man. Radditz' brow was furled in thought, his lips pulled tightly together into a thin line. Vegeta leaned onto the window crossing his arms over his chest, enjoying the cold of the window pane on his back. "Radditz, if you are going to stand their all night let me know so that I can get some sleep."
Radditz' face fell for a second before he contained his reaction. Vegeta was surprised by this display of emotion, normally Radditz was as hard skinned as they come, _why would a quip like that bother him anyway?_ "Forgive me, Ouji-sama. Of course it was a calculation error." He looked up at the Prince in the window, Vegeta was scowling at something in the distance past Radditz shoulder but he knew nothing was there. Radditz looked at him, Vegeta was alright. Every piece was back in place, he wasn't dead as a matter of fact with the whooping he'd recieved earlier it was a sure thing that he was not. But something was amiss with the Ouji, and it bothered him that Vegeta would not share this information.
"I will take my leave then. Easy dreams, Ouji-sama." He turned slowly allowing his tired body to relax as he began to walk toward the door. His tail unfurled from his waist and swished out behind him lazily. "Ouji-sama...?" He stood, his back to Vegeta his face almost pressed into the cool metal of the door. A grunt of a reply came from behind him. "If you have the desire to discuss anything, your knowledgable words are kept safe with me." He stood waiting for the toungelashing of the Ouji's fury. Instead it was silent for a moment before Radditz heard a soft patter of steps walk up behind him. A caloused hand rested on his shoulder.
"I know, Radditzu. We will talk soon." Radditz felt a calm wash over him knowing that things would work out right. Eventually. As the door whizzed open again he began to step out when something wrapped itself around the length of his tail, this time he did not worry but wrapped his tightly around it squeezing back and stepped out the doorway. He looked over his shoulder as his tail rewound itself around his waist and looked at Vegeta from the dim corridor lights. The cold ebony eyes of a warrior had faded to bottomless pits of pain, Radditz heart fell into his stomach as he watched the Prince wrap his tail protectively around his waist for the second time this evening, the exchange between them broken when the doors shut.
***
Radditz walked slowly from Vegeta's quarters heading for his own room mulling over the nights events and what exactly they meant when Nappa emerged from his room and blocked the corridor with his mass. "What is it Nappa?" Radditz looked at him weary. Nappa's slow mind cranked away and he fidgeted before finally answering.
"Radditz, is there anything wrong with the Prince?" Nappa looked down at his feet and scuffed them together like a child.
Radditz thought about the question for a moment, "The Prince will be fine. He is just tired of being on the ship."
Nappa's eyes brightened, "You mean, like cabin fever?"
Radditz looked up at Nappa as though he were mentally enept then nodded slowly, "Yes, I suppose it's like that." Nappa grinned and moved out of his way, "Easy dreams, Nappa."
"Easy dreams, Radditz!" Nappa thumped back into his room. Radditz shook his head and walked to the next room down, looked down the corridor at Nappa's door and then craned his head to look at Vegeta's; they were both closed for the night. Sighing, Radditz entered his room and pulled his armor from his chest letting it drop to the floor. Sitting on a chair by his window he mindlessly removed the thigh pads and his boots while gazing out across an eternity of endless night. Vegeta no Ouji...what is bothering you so badly? Radditz grunted and picked himself from the chair and shuffled into the bathroom. He turned on the water letting the cool water run through his fingers, his eyes glazed over and he smiled as a memory presented itself. ~A breeze blew through his hair and wound it around his neck lightly as he looked down the cliff face. There were trees spread out on both sides, some seemed miles high while others looked more like shrubs. Radditz tipped his head back letting the sun warm his face, he spread his arms and leaned off of the cliff plumeting like a rock. The rush of adrenaline screamed through his body almost making him giddy, his hair flapped out behind him and the air smelled of rich earth. He pulled his knees to his chest and cannon bombed into frigid water, his system took the shock well enough and he swam to the surface; breaching, a spray of water flew to the bank soaking a royal pain in his ass. He laughed as the child picked himself up his face playing between anger and shock. Prince Vegeta shook in rage shouting blasphomy to his royal guard he was only just turning twelve and he found his guard more immature than he. Radditz climbed from the water appologizing to the Prince as the boy stalked off toward the castle, trying not to laugh he gathered his things quickly and followed the youth back.~ Radditz blinked a couple of times coming back to reality and realized he had filled half of the tub with cold water. Turning off the cold water and cranking the hot he stripped while the tub finished filling. He stepped into the water and settled his thick body into it, submerging his head before surfacing and turning off the water. He closed his eyes and leaned on the tub wall letting a sea of Vegetasei memories drift him to sleep.
The door whisked open without them noticing, Radditz was watching Nappa move through another line of troops when the feeling of a presence prickled his neck. Turning his head slightly he looked from the corner of his eye down onto Vegeta who had moved silently up beside him. "Ouji-sama!"
"Shh, you'll break his concentration." Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest and watched Nappa's dance of death. Radditz looked down at his feet his face one of intense contemplation. He was shaken from his daze with the feel of something wrapping itself around his tail. Instead of making a scene, Radditz looked again from the corner of his eye to Vegeta who was still caught up in Nappa's fight, or so it seemed. The coil around his tail tightened slightly before removing itself. With a sigh of relief Radditz relaxed and realized that it was his turn to warm-up as he began to walk off he turned to offer Vegeta the chance to warm-up before him and saw the Ouji's tail wrapping itself back around his waist. Vegeta smirked at Radditz and nodded at the line of troops waiting for their turn.
***
Vegeta watched as Radditz moved through a line of troops, his fighting style was much different from Nappa's. Nappa wanted to take as much out with one blow to create as much damage as possible as quickly as possible. With Radditz it was different, he calculated and timed his blows for effective damage without using excessive amounts of power. Nappa yelled out encouragement and various insults to the troops. Vegeta growled and elbowed the mammoth in the stomach, Nappa let out a yelp and gasped for air. "Be quiet, baka! Let him concentrate."
Radditz had overheard the scuffle in the corner but lost no concentration and quickly finished his warm-up routine. Stepping to the Ouji's side he waited for Vegeta to take his place on the floor for his chance, however when he didn't move Radditz looked at him questioningly. "Ouji-sama, aren't you going to spar?"
Vegeta chuckled under his breath, "Of course, are you ready?" Radditz straightened and nodded, moving to the middle of the floor he took a stance and waited for Vegeta. Unfurling his tail, Vegeta walked toward the taller saiyajin his tail swaying and twitching behind him. Radditz watched the tail move from side to side and lost his concentration which was brought back sharply into focus by a sharp blow to the jaw followed by a knee to the stomach. Vegeta watched as Radditz caught his balance and shook his hair from his face and wiped a trickle of blood from his lower lip. He grinned at Vegeta and began an onslaught of ki blasts, kicks, punches and shouts.
***
A good solid five hours had passed, Radditz had lasted for three hours and forty minutes, Nappa only one hour it taking him twenty minutes to hype himself up for the fight. Leaving the training room with loosened muscles Vegeta felt relaxed, tired and strangly energized like one usualy does after a good workout. He stalked to his quarters, stretching his torso as he walked down the corridor. The majority of the ship had turned in for the night hours with the exception of a handful of night owls prowling the halls or leaning in doorways. Finally reaching his destination, Vegeta stepped into his room pulling off the cracked armor with one arm while peeling away the navy blue suit with the other. A shower beckoned to him so he indulged his sweaty worn out body and lost himself in an ocean of steamy water.
***
Twenty minutes later, Vegeta emerged from the bathroom with a mass of steam bellowing behind him in a wake of disipating mists. A terrycloth towel was wrapped snuggly around his waist, water dripping from the water logged spikes of his ebony hair. He had been rehashing the events of a month ago, realizing what he had done wrong with the planet...he hadn't stood close enough. A pang of depression started to ebb at the center of Vegeta's heart. He hated living this way, cooped up like an animal, and to make it worse he knew a trick so he was his masters favorite pet. It took nothing to destroy a planet, years of the same monotony had left his heart covered in a thick hide that refused to let the mass murder of billions weigh on his conscience. He was after all doing his trick, nothing more.
He sighed and stood at the small window looking out into the deepness of space, _that's how I feel, empty...nothing but a hollow void consuming everything and yet nothing._ Vegeta's eyes glazed over as he looked amongst the billions of stars. His door hissed open and soft footsteps fell on the thin carpeting. Vegeta didn't notice until a deep rumble of a clearing throat snapped him back to reality. He turned slowly, as though he had known of the intruder but chose to ignore them, and saw Radditz bent on knee waiting to be acknowledged. Vegeta's voice was thick with the depression he had lulled over only seconds before, "What is it Radditzu?"
Radditz remained in his position only raising his head to look at Vegeta as he spoke, "Ouji-sama, I was hoping you could answer a question for me..." his voice lowered and trailed off. Vegeta raised an eyebrow then turned back toward the window.
"Your question being?"
A silence drug and Vegeta began to wonder if Radditz had left when his soft deep voice began to speak again. "I have been wondering the entire month of your stay in the med bay, why you were so close?"
Vegeta looked down at the sill and clasped his hands behind his back. "It was a calculation error." Even after he said it, Vegeta regretted it. He had heard Radditz stand and felt his hesitation to grab hold of him and shake the truth out. Instead he simply stood there. Vegeta turned and looked into the strong jawed face of his right hand man. Radditz' brow was furled in thought, his lips pulled tightly together into a thin line. Vegeta leaned onto the window crossing his arms over his chest, enjoying the cold of the window pane on his back. "Radditz, if you are going to stand their all night let me know so that I can get some sleep."
Radditz' face fell for a second before he contained his reaction. Vegeta was surprised by this display of emotion, normally Radditz was as hard skinned as they come, _why would a quip like that bother him anyway?_ "Forgive me, Ouji-sama. Of course it was a calculation error." He looked up at the Prince in the window, Vegeta was scowling at something in the distance past Radditz shoulder but he knew nothing was there. Radditz looked at him, Vegeta was alright. Every piece was back in place, he wasn't dead as a matter of fact with the whooping he'd recieved earlier it was a sure thing that he was not. But something was amiss with the Ouji, and it bothered him that Vegeta would not share this information.
"I will take my leave then. Easy dreams, Ouji-sama." He turned slowly allowing his tired body to relax as he began to walk toward the door. His tail unfurled from his waist and swished out behind him lazily. "Ouji-sama...?" He stood, his back to Vegeta his face almost pressed into the cool metal of the door. A grunt of a reply came from behind him. "If you have the desire to discuss anything, your knowledgable words are kept safe with me." He stood waiting for the toungelashing of the Ouji's fury. Instead it was silent for a moment before Radditz heard a soft patter of steps walk up behind him. A caloused hand rested on his shoulder.
"I know, Radditzu. We will talk soon." Radditz felt a calm wash over him knowing that things would work out right. Eventually. As the door whizzed open again he began to step out when something wrapped itself around the length of his tail, this time he did not worry but wrapped his tightly around it squeezing back and stepped out the doorway. He looked over his shoulder as his tail rewound itself around his waist and looked at Vegeta from the dim corridor lights. The cold ebony eyes of a warrior had faded to bottomless pits of pain, Radditz heart fell into his stomach as he watched the Prince wrap his tail protectively around his waist for the second time this evening, the exchange between them broken when the doors shut.
***
Radditz walked slowly from Vegeta's quarters heading for his own room mulling over the nights events and what exactly they meant when Nappa emerged from his room and blocked the corridor with his mass. "What is it Nappa?" Radditz looked at him weary. Nappa's slow mind cranked away and he fidgeted before finally answering.
"Radditz, is there anything wrong with the Prince?" Nappa looked down at his feet and scuffed them together like a child.
Radditz thought about the question for a moment, "The Prince will be fine. He is just tired of being on the ship."
Nappa's eyes brightened, "You mean, like cabin fever?"
Radditz looked up at Nappa as though he were mentally enept then nodded slowly, "Yes, I suppose it's like that." Nappa grinned and moved out of his way, "Easy dreams, Nappa."
"Easy dreams, Radditz!" Nappa thumped back into his room. Radditz shook his head and walked to the next room down, looked down the corridor at Nappa's door and then craned his head to look at Vegeta's; they were both closed for the night. Sighing, Radditz entered his room and pulled his armor from his chest letting it drop to the floor. Sitting on a chair by his window he mindlessly removed the thigh pads and his boots while gazing out across an eternity of endless night. Vegeta no Ouji...what is bothering you so badly? Radditz grunted and picked himself from the chair and shuffled into the bathroom. He turned on the water letting the cool water run through his fingers, his eyes glazed over and he smiled as a memory presented itself. ~A breeze blew through his hair and wound it around his neck lightly as he looked down the cliff face. There were trees spread out on both sides, some seemed miles high while others looked more like shrubs. Radditz tipped his head back letting the sun warm his face, he spread his arms and leaned off of the cliff plumeting like a rock. The rush of adrenaline screamed through his body almost making him giddy, his hair flapped out behind him and the air smelled of rich earth. He pulled his knees to his chest and cannon bombed into frigid water, his system took the shock well enough and he swam to the surface; breaching, a spray of water flew to the bank soaking a royal pain in his ass. He laughed as the child picked himself up his face playing between anger and shock. Prince Vegeta shook in rage shouting blasphomy to his royal guard he was only just turning twelve and he found his guard more immature than he. Radditz climbed from the water appologizing to the Prince as the boy stalked off toward the castle, trying not to laugh he gathered his things quickly and followed the youth back.~ Radditz blinked a couple of times coming back to reality and realized he had filled half of the tub with cold water. Turning off the cold water and cranking the hot he stripped while the tub finished filling. He stepped into the water and settled his thick body into it, submerging his head before surfacing and turning off the water. He closed his eyes and leaned on the tub wall letting a sea of Vegetasei memories drift him to sleep.