King Vegeta sat in the throne room, waiting impatiently for Vegeta to meet him. "Brat, if you have something so important to tell me you'd better get down here now!" The firm grip on his sanity was slowly being unwound. He hadn't expected the rebels to attack again, not so soon, and not after losing so many men. It had been a long struggle for the past five years, trying to keep his hold on Vegetasei in a useful grip that didn't smother the subjects with brutality, but it seemed that no matter what he did they weren't hapy, apparenlty his ideas were no longer working. King Vegeta ran a hand through his hair and sighed, he'd never felt so old. "Vegeta, there's a war on, if you want to dawdle meet me at the field!!" King Vegeta heaved his tall form from the chair, attendants immediately brought his battle garb and shouted orders to each other as the King made his way to the front gate.
"Father wait!" Vegeta came to a skidding halt outside of the main doors, his hair was disheveled and his armor was strapped askew. King Vegeta turned and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm coming with you! This war is insane and it has to end!"
King Vegeta snorted, "I'm not simple boy, all war needs to end on Vegetasei. But I suppose you know how to fix the mess your father has created?"
"I do." King Vegeta arched an eyebrow and looked skeptically at his son. "Let's go, the war won't wait for us." The Ouji stepped around his father and lept to the air. The larger saiyajin watched him a moment and then spat onto the ground before following his son.
*~*~*~*~*
As soon as the troops arrived the battle was started. Screams of pain or anger, both indecipherable to the ears that heard them. Radditz moved fluidly through the crowds of fighting men until he met in the middle and a swarm of rebellious saiyajin lept at him. Breaking bones and jaws exquisetly slow, everything was a slow motion as blood spurted into his face and men fell at his feet. Radditz' eyes glazed over with battle lust as he grasped a man by his throat and squeezed his larynx shut as he held another man off bay with his flurry of feet. Throwing the man's lax body at a herd of unmoving new troops he growled his warning and watched as they jumped away from the dead man in shock. "Kill or be killed!" Radditz shook his thick mane and bellowed, the sound starting in the pit of his stomach and echoing across the vastness of the field. A chorus of cries followed and the energy in the air crackled as the intensity of the battle grew.
One, two, five more men dead in the matter of seconds. There were so many more this time. Radditz pulled the blade from his back and licked the blade, a light cut trailing his blood down it's silvery edge. A recognizable voice at his side inquired, "What are you doing?" He spared a quick glance at its source. It was Cherise, who had her feet planted in the chest of a man and was pulling his arms from their sockets while he screamed.
With a psychotic grin he answered as he plunged the blade through a charging warrior. "A blade needs to know what blood tastes like before it can make it run freely." Cherise grinned and then howled as a grazing dagger sliced through her arm. Turning in anger she beat the man to the ground and pulled his eyes from his sockets with her thumbs.
The more expericenced fighters of the rebels noticed the duo holding their own in the center of the field and gathered themselves together and huddled in the forest to scheme.
Now back to back, Cherise and Radditz danced around each other as they ripped through the rebels' front lines. "I'm sorry you were _interrupted_." Cherise grinned at Radditz' back as she pummelled a screaming woman to the ground.
Radditz' booming laughter could be felt through her back, "Me too." He moved away for a moment, breaking a man's arm in two with a sharp tug and pulled a canteen from his waist band. After taking a heavy draught he tossed it behind him to Cherise's feet. "It's a pity you and Kakkarot were _interrupted_ as well. You could stand to mellow out."
A sputtering of water and coughing at his back made him laugh again as he drove a fist through an enemies head. A sharp elbow in his ribs and he grunted at Cherise's effort to end his tirade. A signal from the elite at the back beckoned Cherise to them. As she spun around Radditz she looked up at him and flashed a toothy grin. "I already have."
As she sped off through the crowd of warriors Radditz stared at the back of her head in surprise but was shaken to reality with a war cry in his ear. Spinning in a fury he drove his sword into the noisemaker and clamped his eyes shut as arterial bloud sputtered into them. Blinking the stinging away he looked down on the body still run through by his blade. Time slowed and he could hear his own heart beat heavily in his ears. He looked down into the face of a shocked boy, blood dripping from his trembling lips as he looked at the mammoth who had killed him. "...Radd..it..z?"
Horror gripped Radditz' heart and he pulled the blade from the boys chest, laying him carefully on the ground, now feeling entirely detatched from the battle that surged around him. Cries muted and time stopped as he looked down on the small frail body. He placed a hand over the boys wound trying to keep the damning fluid from flowing out and felt heated tears eat at his eyes. A seering tear slid down his cheek and dripped onto the boys sunken face. "...Bite?" A small pale hand cupped his scarred cheek before it fell lifeless to the bloodied ground. A deep sob threatened to wrench his heart from his chest as he stood and dropped his bastard sword to the ground.
Supressing the aching need to sit and clutch the broken boy to his chest, he threw his head back and emitted a gutteral wail that reverberated ethereal. All action stopped as thousands of heads turned to see what body could hold such a sorrowful note. Warriors released their death grips, wounds were forgotten, the air itself stilled with mounting anticipation and trees leaned away from the lament as the voice crackeled with emotion. As his breath ended, Radditz dropped to the ground on his knees and clutched his stomach. Grief and ardor brewed in his belly, he fisted the hair at his temples and yanked at it mercilessly as he fought to regain his senses. Rebels and elite alike strode carefully forward, not knowing what to make of the emotional outburst or what else the large warrior would do. A tight circle formed around them and they looked down upon the sobbing man, looking at each other questioningly.
A commander pushed his way through the crowd and recognized Radditz as he knelt. "What the fuck is going on?" Radditz stood slowly and faced his superior officer.
"I've killed this--boy." Radditz barely contained a sob as he ground the heels of his hands into his eyes to stop their magma heated flow.
The officer looked incredulous at Radditz and then to the boy that lay dead on the ground. "Do you want a fucking medal or something? Pick up your sword and kill another one of the fucks! That's what you're here for!" As the man screeched he leaned closer to Radditz' face.
All emotion ran out of Radditz like water off of a frogs back. He could feel his heart pool at his feet and then rise with a striking force into his chest as he glared ice into the commander's narrowed eyes. The commander stepped back in shock at the bloodlust he saw there and felt his blood freeze in his veins as his sensitive ears barely heard Radditz' reply. "Yes, sir."
"Father wait!" Vegeta came to a skidding halt outside of the main doors, his hair was disheveled and his armor was strapped askew. King Vegeta turned and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm coming with you! This war is insane and it has to end!"
King Vegeta snorted, "I'm not simple boy, all war needs to end on Vegetasei. But I suppose you know how to fix the mess your father has created?"
"I do." King Vegeta arched an eyebrow and looked skeptically at his son. "Let's go, the war won't wait for us." The Ouji stepped around his father and lept to the air. The larger saiyajin watched him a moment and then spat onto the ground before following his son.
*~*~*~*~*
As soon as the troops arrived the battle was started. Screams of pain or anger, both indecipherable to the ears that heard them. Radditz moved fluidly through the crowds of fighting men until he met in the middle and a swarm of rebellious saiyajin lept at him. Breaking bones and jaws exquisetly slow, everything was a slow motion as blood spurted into his face and men fell at his feet. Radditz' eyes glazed over with battle lust as he grasped a man by his throat and squeezed his larynx shut as he held another man off bay with his flurry of feet. Throwing the man's lax body at a herd of unmoving new troops he growled his warning and watched as they jumped away from the dead man in shock. "Kill or be killed!" Radditz shook his thick mane and bellowed, the sound starting in the pit of his stomach and echoing across the vastness of the field. A chorus of cries followed and the energy in the air crackled as the intensity of the battle grew.
One, two, five more men dead in the matter of seconds. There were so many more this time. Radditz pulled the blade from his back and licked the blade, a light cut trailing his blood down it's silvery edge. A recognizable voice at his side inquired, "What are you doing?" He spared a quick glance at its source. It was Cherise, who had her feet planted in the chest of a man and was pulling his arms from their sockets while he screamed.
With a psychotic grin he answered as he plunged the blade through a charging warrior. "A blade needs to know what blood tastes like before it can make it run freely." Cherise grinned and then howled as a grazing dagger sliced through her arm. Turning in anger she beat the man to the ground and pulled his eyes from his sockets with her thumbs.
The more expericenced fighters of the rebels noticed the duo holding their own in the center of the field and gathered themselves together and huddled in the forest to scheme.
Now back to back, Cherise and Radditz danced around each other as they ripped through the rebels' front lines. "I'm sorry you were _interrupted_." Cherise grinned at Radditz' back as she pummelled a screaming woman to the ground.
Radditz' booming laughter could be felt through her back, "Me too." He moved away for a moment, breaking a man's arm in two with a sharp tug and pulled a canteen from his waist band. After taking a heavy draught he tossed it behind him to Cherise's feet. "It's a pity you and Kakkarot were _interrupted_ as well. You could stand to mellow out."
A sputtering of water and coughing at his back made him laugh again as he drove a fist through an enemies head. A sharp elbow in his ribs and he grunted at Cherise's effort to end his tirade. A signal from the elite at the back beckoned Cherise to them. As she spun around Radditz she looked up at him and flashed a toothy grin. "I already have."
As she sped off through the crowd of warriors Radditz stared at the back of her head in surprise but was shaken to reality with a war cry in his ear. Spinning in a fury he drove his sword into the noisemaker and clamped his eyes shut as arterial bloud sputtered into them. Blinking the stinging away he looked down on the body still run through by his blade. Time slowed and he could hear his own heart beat heavily in his ears. He looked down into the face of a shocked boy, blood dripping from his trembling lips as he looked at the mammoth who had killed him. "...Radd..it..z?"
Horror gripped Radditz' heart and he pulled the blade from the boys chest, laying him carefully on the ground, now feeling entirely detatched from the battle that surged around him. Cries muted and time stopped as he looked down on the small frail body. He placed a hand over the boys wound trying to keep the damning fluid from flowing out and felt heated tears eat at his eyes. A seering tear slid down his cheek and dripped onto the boys sunken face. "...Bite?" A small pale hand cupped his scarred cheek before it fell lifeless to the bloodied ground. A deep sob threatened to wrench his heart from his chest as he stood and dropped his bastard sword to the ground.
Supressing the aching need to sit and clutch the broken boy to his chest, he threw his head back and emitted a gutteral wail that reverberated ethereal. All action stopped as thousands of heads turned to see what body could hold such a sorrowful note. Warriors released their death grips, wounds were forgotten, the air itself stilled with mounting anticipation and trees leaned away from the lament as the voice crackeled with emotion. As his breath ended, Radditz dropped to the ground on his knees and clutched his stomach. Grief and ardor brewed in his belly, he fisted the hair at his temples and yanked at it mercilessly as he fought to regain his senses. Rebels and elite alike strode carefully forward, not knowing what to make of the emotional outburst or what else the large warrior would do. A tight circle formed around them and they looked down upon the sobbing man, looking at each other questioningly.
A commander pushed his way through the crowd and recognized Radditz as he knelt. "What the fuck is going on?" Radditz stood slowly and faced his superior officer.
"I've killed this--boy." Radditz barely contained a sob as he ground the heels of his hands into his eyes to stop their magma heated flow.
The officer looked incredulous at Radditz and then to the boy that lay dead on the ground. "Do you want a fucking medal or something? Pick up your sword and kill another one of the fucks! That's what you're here for!" As the man screeched he leaned closer to Radditz' face.
All emotion ran out of Radditz like water off of a frogs back. He could feel his heart pool at his feet and then rise with a striking force into his chest as he glared ice into the commander's narrowed eyes. The commander stepped back in shock at the bloodlust he saw there and felt his blood freeze in his veins as his sensitive ears barely heard Radditz' reply. "Yes, sir."