Bardock jogged through the halls toward the main room. King Vegeta had sent an emessary to get him, and from how flustered the poor boy looked, something was happening. As he neared the main doors, guards pushed them open for him and shut them as quickly as he passed through. The sound of his stamping feet came to a stop just outside the main room and Bardock took a deep breath before he went inside. King Vegeta sat crookedly in his chair, his chin resting on a fist. Looking drained and tired, the king motioned Bardock to come forward.
"Bardock, it seems we have a problem." The king repositioned himself, sitting up straight and looking down his thin nose at Bardock. Bardock merely nodded, waiting for King Vegeta to continue. "Your boy won't let anyone past Vegeta's door." Bardock shook himself while his mind processed what had just been told.
"What do you mean, sire?"
"I mean, this morning a medic went in to treat my son and Radditz nearly killed him when he crossed the threshold." Bardock sat with a thump and King Vegeta nodded, it had been his initial reaction when he heard the news. "You need to do something, he's your brat and the longer he keeps help away, the worse my son is going to get." Bardock stood, understanding what the King wanted, but not quite sure how to go about it. Bardock walked quickly to the door and pushed it open. "Bardock..." He turned his head. "If you can't get that boy to cooperate...I won't hesitate to have him killed."
*~*~*~*~*~
The hall outside of Vegeta's room was half in shambles, and there were splatterings of what Bardock only guessed was blood along one wall. Several guards blocked the last fifty feet of the coridor but moved out of the way as Bardock approached, muttering to themselves. Bardock tensed in front of the doorway, he could feel the tension in the room in front of him, as well as smell the protectiveness his son was emitting. Knocking sharply on the door, Bardock looked through one of the many holes that now graced it to see his son tense on the bed, clutching Vegeta to his chest like a doll. "Radditz...can I come in?"
Bardock watched from the holes, his son was trying his best to figure out what to do. He started to lay the prince in the bedding but crushed him to his chest again. Bardock pushed the door slightly open, a deep groaning of the bruised wood made Radditz growl a small warning as his father stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Not walking any farther into the room, Bardock looked around at the mess he assumed his son had created. Tapestries hung haphazardly, some half shredded. Tables were overturned and here were circular ki burns along the wall that supported the door. "What's going on, Radditz?" Bardock tried a tender tone, one he had little practice with.
Radditz eyebrows furrowed as he lightly rocked Vegeta. "Go away." Bardock looked from his son to the prince. Vegeta was deathly pale, he looked unconscious but still alive. Bardock stepped further into the room; Radditz growled deeper and drew himself up into a corner of the bed, pulling Vegeta with him.
"You need to let a medic take care of Prince Vegeta." Bardock winced at the snarl he earned. _Fine...he doesn't want to play this way, I'll have to try a different approach._ Bardock drew himself to his full height, squaring his shoulders and looking down his nose at his son. "Radditz!" The name snapped off of his tongue like a whip. Radditz eye's widened slightly before they narrowed. "You will lay Vegeta down and get off of that bed! Do you understand?" Radditz' lips curled off of his teeth as his father came closer. "Now boy!" Reaching nearly to the side of the bed, Bardock's blood pulsed through his veins. Radditz wasn't letting go.
Suddenly, Radditz' snarling face cracked, his deep eyes welling with hot tears. Bardock cocked his head and eyed him, not sure of what to do. Balling, Radditz pushed dark locks from Vegeta's pale face. Tears trailed down his face and Radditz howled, the guards in the hall gripping their ears and falling to their knees. Bardock knelt on the bed and grasped his son's forearm. Watery eyes looked up at him, "He's dead, dad." With a deep sniff and a hiccup, Radditz bit his lip as a new spring of tears leapt into his eyes.
"He's not dead." Bardock looked down on the bloody prince, seeing for the first time the deep red that ran down the Ouji's chest. A deep cresent impression at the Ouji's collarbone caught his attention, and he looked up at his son incredulously. "Is that...that's not...you did..." Bardock couldn't form a complete sentence, simply stared at his son.
Radditz nodded his shaggy head and scrubbed at his eyes with the back of one hand. "It's my fault. He was so close...I...I just..." Bardock sat back, still in shock. "GAWD, what is wrong with me?! I couldn't even wait for a couple more days! And now he's dead, and it's my fault." Radditz sobbed, nestling his face in the Ouji's mess of spikes.
"He isn't dead." Bardock shook his son. The Ouji was still breathing, though shallowly; Radditz was just too emotional after what he had consumated during the night. "Let a medic take him to the ward, he'll be fine, but they need to take him _now_." Radditz looked at his father, his eyes run dry.
"No." Bardock couldn't believe his ears.
"What do you mean no?!"
Radditz pushed himself to the edge of the bed, picking the Ouji up like a sleeping child. "I'll take him." Bardock nodded, running ahead of his son and kicked the door from its hinges. He pointed to the guards at the end of the hall as they stood gaping. "You, make way, the Prince is being brought to the infermory!" Radditz exited the door behind his father, carrying Vegeta. Bardock fell in step just ahead of him, directing his son to the med ward. He turned to watch his son, Radditz walked steady his face a look of stone determination. Radditz shook his heavy mane as a chunk of hair fell into his eye. Bardock's eyes widened, on his son's tanned shoulder was a deep moon that matched Vegeta's.
"Bardock, it seems we have a problem." The king repositioned himself, sitting up straight and looking down his thin nose at Bardock. Bardock merely nodded, waiting for King Vegeta to continue. "Your boy won't let anyone past Vegeta's door." Bardock shook himself while his mind processed what had just been told.
"What do you mean, sire?"
"I mean, this morning a medic went in to treat my son and Radditz nearly killed him when he crossed the threshold." Bardock sat with a thump and King Vegeta nodded, it had been his initial reaction when he heard the news. "You need to do something, he's your brat and the longer he keeps help away, the worse my son is going to get." Bardock stood, understanding what the King wanted, but not quite sure how to go about it. Bardock walked quickly to the door and pushed it open. "Bardock..." He turned his head. "If you can't get that boy to cooperate...I won't hesitate to have him killed."
*~*~*~*~*~
The hall outside of Vegeta's room was half in shambles, and there were splatterings of what Bardock only guessed was blood along one wall. Several guards blocked the last fifty feet of the coridor but moved out of the way as Bardock approached, muttering to themselves. Bardock tensed in front of the doorway, he could feel the tension in the room in front of him, as well as smell the protectiveness his son was emitting. Knocking sharply on the door, Bardock looked through one of the many holes that now graced it to see his son tense on the bed, clutching Vegeta to his chest like a doll. "Radditz...can I come in?"
Bardock watched from the holes, his son was trying his best to figure out what to do. He started to lay the prince in the bedding but crushed him to his chest again. Bardock pushed the door slightly open, a deep groaning of the bruised wood made Radditz growl a small warning as his father stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Not walking any farther into the room, Bardock looked around at the mess he assumed his son had created. Tapestries hung haphazardly, some half shredded. Tables were overturned and here were circular ki burns along the wall that supported the door. "What's going on, Radditz?" Bardock tried a tender tone, one he had little practice with.
Radditz eyebrows furrowed as he lightly rocked Vegeta. "Go away." Bardock looked from his son to the prince. Vegeta was deathly pale, he looked unconscious but still alive. Bardock stepped further into the room; Radditz growled deeper and drew himself up into a corner of the bed, pulling Vegeta with him.
"You need to let a medic take care of Prince Vegeta." Bardock winced at the snarl he earned. _Fine...he doesn't want to play this way, I'll have to try a different approach._ Bardock drew himself to his full height, squaring his shoulders and looking down his nose at his son. "Radditz!" The name snapped off of his tongue like a whip. Radditz eye's widened slightly before they narrowed. "You will lay Vegeta down and get off of that bed! Do you understand?" Radditz' lips curled off of his teeth as his father came closer. "Now boy!" Reaching nearly to the side of the bed, Bardock's blood pulsed through his veins. Radditz wasn't letting go.
Suddenly, Radditz' snarling face cracked, his deep eyes welling with hot tears. Bardock cocked his head and eyed him, not sure of what to do. Balling, Radditz pushed dark locks from Vegeta's pale face. Tears trailed down his face and Radditz howled, the guards in the hall gripping their ears and falling to their knees. Bardock knelt on the bed and grasped his son's forearm. Watery eyes looked up at him, "He's dead, dad." With a deep sniff and a hiccup, Radditz bit his lip as a new spring of tears leapt into his eyes.
"He's not dead." Bardock looked down on the bloody prince, seeing for the first time the deep red that ran down the Ouji's chest. A deep cresent impression at the Ouji's collarbone caught his attention, and he looked up at his son incredulously. "Is that...that's not...you did..." Bardock couldn't form a complete sentence, simply stared at his son.
Radditz nodded his shaggy head and scrubbed at his eyes with the back of one hand. "It's my fault. He was so close...I...I just..." Bardock sat back, still in shock. "GAWD, what is wrong with me?! I couldn't even wait for a couple more days! And now he's dead, and it's my fault." Radditz sobbed, nestling his face in the Ouji's mess of spikes.
"He isn't dead." Bardock shook his son. The Ouji was still breathing, though shallowly; Radditz was just too emotional after what he had consumated during the night. "Let a medic take him to the ward, he'll be fine, but they need to take him _now_." Radditz looked at his father, his eyes run dry.
"No." Bardock couldn't believe his ears.
"What do you mean no?!"
Radditz pushed himself to the edge of the bed, picking the Ouji up like a sleeping child. "I'll take him." Bardock nodded, running ahead of his son and kicked the door from its hinges. He pointed to the guards at the end of the hall as they stood gaping. "You, make way, the Prince is being brought to the infermory!" Radditz exited the door behind his father, carrying Vegeta. Bardock fell in step just ahead of him, directing his son to the med ward. He turned to watch his son, Radditz walked steady his face a look of stone determination. Radditz shook his heavy mane as a chunk of hair fell into his eye. Bardock's eyes widened, on his son's tanned shoulder was a deep moon that matched Vegeta's.