~A nearby face spit a mouthful of blood, crimson staining the white tunic and streaking the silvery armor strapped to a narrow chest. Radditz pulled his sword from the man's ribs and grinned as he watched him fall. He planted the sword into the earth at his side and gave a toothy leer at the judges. One of the women's face had gone pale and she turned her head aside as she took notes on Radditz' performance. The other two judges, an elite woman and royal guard elite Bardock (also his father) showed no sign of shock or any other emotion as they scribbled on pads and glanced now and then at Radditz.
"You're free to go." Bardock's voice was monotone, Radditz grunted and grasped his sword by the hilt, sheathed it and stalked out of the arena. _Baka…what does he know…well a lot actually seeing as how he's a royal elite…Christ I didn't do that badly…three soldiers in five minutes, that's got to be excellent right?_~
Radditz was shaken awake, he sat bolt upright a hand tightened around Bite's neck, the boy's eyes were large as he hung in the air like a rag doll. Coming to his senses, Radditz dropped the boy onto the floor and lay back with a sigh. "That's not a good thing to do around me boy…" Bite nodded and rubbed his neck with one hand. "What's wrong? It's still the middle of the night."
Bite looked at his feet, "I can't sleep…" Running a hand through his hair, Radditz sighed.
"Why don't you wake your father?" Radditz covered himself with the thick blanket and rolled onto his side, facing away from the boy.
Bite tapped his shoulder and sat on the edge of the bed. "He sleeps too heavy."
"And your mother?"
"I can't talk to 'er, it's a man's conversation." Bite sighed and put a hand on the soldiers shoulder.
Groaning, Radditz turned to face the boy, "What is so important it can't wait 'til morning?"
Bite sat on the floor beside the low bed and crossed his legs. He took a look of intense thought for a moment before continuing, "I keep 'aving dreams about my brother." Radditz nodded and waited a moment before the boy continued, "I keep watching him die…"
"It's a bad dream, Bite. Bad dreams can't hurt you."
"But…it's so real. He standing back to me, his armor already dirty and dented and he's fighting with someone. Den he turns around real quick and a broadsword is jammed into him, right about 'ere." Bite placed his small fist just above his navel before looking up at Radditz with large teary eyes.
"You just lost your brother, Bite…you're going to have dreams like that for a while, but I promise you they'll go away." Radditz closed his eyes for a minute, scanning a sea of faces he had murdered only three days ago. "Everyone died on the field, so the man that killed your brother is dead."
Bite stood and nodded, walking slowly to the door. He stepped outside the door jam before turning back, "You didn't…" Radditz winced and watched as the boy faded back into the darkness of the house. He laid awake, arms folded beneath his head searching that sea of faces harder until the first rays of sun bleached the walls.
*~*~* Elsewhere*~*~*
The prince stalked the halls, the palace had settled for the night many hours ago, yet he paced and pondered as the last sights of the battlefield he had seen so few nights ago played through his memory over and over. He hadn't taken part, only dropped back to see how the end results would play, doing exactly as his father had bade him. He'd watched as the forty plus men raged and foamed at the mouth while pulling out the guts of their enemy. After a while he'd found himself vying for whoever had the upper hand instead of his own army. The dead teamed, he had stepped from the trees as the last warrior stumbled amongst the destruction and death, long thick hair had fallen into his face and the Ouji had no idea who he had been but knew they had won the battle when the man knelt in customary fashion to his prince.
A burning shame cursed his soul; he could feel it when he was alone, tired or bored. Always eating, churning in the pit of his stomach. He'd needed to shed blood alongside those men that had lost all of their lives, so he should have. _Damn my father! Damn him to hell! A prince must fight amongst his people…_ Growling, he punched the wall, a crater slightly larger than his fist left in the marble. He stalked to his room and threw himself over a chair, tail lashing out behind him and one foot tapping. With a guttural howl, he mourned the death of his soldiers, and the only one to see the prince embracing a forced cowardice before he crumpled in death.
An attendant rushed into the room, his ki level arched as he expected to find the prince in mortal danger. Coming to a halt in front of the Ouji, he looked around him in alarm. "Vegeta, what's wrong?!" Vegeta heaved himself from the chair, tail lashing in fury behind him.
"Why, nothing is wrong! How could watching forty men die and not caring be wrong?!" Vegeta's face grew hot and he could feel gold flickering through his hair. The attendant backed up a pace and fell into submission on one knee. Vegeta hnn'd and turned away, wanting to beat the man senseless but instead stalked to the window and leaned out as far as he could. Cold bracing night air washed across his face and rippled through his hair. That's what he wanted. Turning he yelled to the man still crouched on the floor. "I'm going out. I'll kill any who follow, then you for not relaying the message." With that, he leapt from the windowsill and embraced a freefall before taking flight to anywhere.
"You're free to go." Bardock's voice was monotone, Radditz grunted and grasped his sword by the hilt, sheathed it and stalked out of the arena. _Baka…what does he know…well a lot actually seeing as how he's a royal elite…Christ I didn't do that badly…three soldiers in five minutes, that's got to be excellent right?_~
Radditz was shaken awake, he sat bolt upright a hand tightened around Bite's neck, the boy's eyes were large as he hung in the air like a rag doll. Coming to his senses, Radditz dropped the boy onto the floor and lay back with a sigh. "That's not a good thing to do around me boy…" Bite nodded and rubbed his neck with one hand. "What's wrong? It's still the middle of the night."
Bite looked at his feet, "I can't sleep…" Running a hand through his hair, Radditz sighed.
"Why don't you wake your father?" Radditz covered himself with the thick blanket and rolled onto his side, facing away from the boy.
Bite tapped his shoulder and sat on the edge of the bed. "He sleeps too heavy."
"And your mother?"
"I can't talk to 'er, it's a man's conversation." Bite sighed and put a hand on the soldiers shoulder.
Groaning, Radditz turned to face the boy, "What is so important it can't wait 'til morning?"
Bite sat on the floor beside the low bed and crossed his legs. He took a look of intense thought for a moment before continuing, "I keep 'aving dreams about my brother." Radditz nodded and waited a moment before the boy continued, "I keep watching him die…"
"It's a bad dream, Bite. Bad dreams can't hurt you."
"But…it's so real. He standing back to me, his armor already dirty and dented and he's fighting with someone. Den he turns around real quick and a broadsword is jammed into him, right about 'ere." Bite placed his small fist just above his navel before looking up at Radditz with large teary eyes.
"You just lost your brother, Bite…you're going to have dreams like that for a while, but I promise you they'll go away." Radditz closed his eyes for a minute, scanning a sea of faces he had murdered only three days ago. "Everyone died on the field, so the man that killed your brother is dead."
Bite stood and nodded, walking slowly to the door. He stepped outside the door jam before turning back, "You didn't…" Radditz winced and watched as the boy faded back into the darkness of the house. He laid awake, arms folded beneath his head searching that sea of faces harder until the first rays of sun bleached the walls.
*~*~* Elsewhere*~*~*
The prince stalked the halls, the palace had settled for the night many hours ago, yet he paced and pondered as the last sights of the battlefield he had seen so few nights ago played through his memory over and over. He hadn't taken part, only dropped back to see how the end results would play, doing exactly as his father had bade him. He'd watched as the forty plus men raged and foamed at the mouth while pulling out the guts of their enemy. After a while he'd found himself vying for whoever had the upper hand instead of his own army. The dead teamed, he had stepped from the trees as the last warrior stumbled amongst the destruction and death, long thick hair had fallen into his face and the Ouji had no idea who he had been but knew they had won the battle when the man knelt in customary fashion to his prince.
A burning shame cursed his soul; he could feel it when he was alone, tired or bored. Always eating, churning in the pit of his stomach. He'd needed to shed blood alongside those men that had lost all of their lives, so he should have. _Damn my father! Damn him to hell! A prince must fight amongst his people…_ Growling, he punched the wall, a crater slightly larger than his fist left in the marble. He stalked to his room and threw himself over a chair, tail lashing out behind him and one foot tapping. With a guttural howl, he mourned the death of his soldiers, and the only one to see the prince embracing a forced cowardice before he crumpled in death.
An attendant rushed into the room, his ki level arched as he expected to find the prince in mortal danger. Coming to a halt in front of the Ouji, he looked around him in alarm. "Vegeta, what's wrong?!" Vegeta heaved himself from the chair, tail lashing in fury behind him.
"Why, nothing is wrong! How could watching forty men die and not caring be wrong?!" Vegeta's face grew hot and he could feel gold flickering through his hair. The attendant backed up a pace and fell into submission on one knee. Vegeta hnn'd and turned away, wanting to beat the man senseless but instead stalked to the window and leaned out as far as he could. Cold bracing night air washed across his face and rippled through his hair. That's what he wanted. Turning he yelled to the man still crouched on the floor. "I'm going out. I'll kill any who follow, then you for not relaying the message." With that, he leapt from the windowsill and embraced a freefall before taking flight to anywhere.