AN: Wanana! I'm back, minna-san and ready to write more~!
Warnings: Same ole, same ole. Yaoi, OOCness, sap, you know everything already
Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ. Sue me, you make no profit, sue me, you're stupid.
At breakfast rounds the next morning, Goku shuffled drearily to the long table, Brolli trailing far behind him for some reason or another. He took his seat across from Toma and a saiyan with thick spiked hair flowing to the floor. Toma smiled and swallowed a mouthful of eggs. "Goku, I would like for you to meet your older brother, Raditz."
"Hi," Grinning warmly, Goku offered a hand across the table, however the dark man totally brushed the introduction off, continuing to eat nonchalantly. Toma glanced at the older son a bit shocked from the rude action. Goku's smile softly faded into a look of confusion. Goku then exchanged looks with Toma, unsure of what to do.
Toma spoke up again. "Uh Raditz...this is your long lost brother, Kakarrot. You haven't seen him since you two were both quite young." Raditz looked up, a mask of seriousness etched on his face. Goku and Raditz locked into a staring contest for quite a while until Toma broke the thick silence and rose, "I'll uh, be in line." Leaving to let the two long lost siblings to get acquainted, Toma frowned inwardly at the cold display Raditz was making.
They both sat there intensely, Goku frantically thinking of something to say that might not present himself as an idiot. It shocked the younger saiyan though, Goku was never this shy or laconic around strangers before. But he had to keep in mind this was a completely different race of people, most of them unfriendly and brash, not like earthlings. "So um, I heard you were in the mines, must have been tough, huh?" he stuttered, trying to make small talk.
Raditz let out a terse grunt in response causing Goku to smile; now they were getting somewhere. "I uh, just got here the other day. Life here is really rough ya know. And that killer game yesterday, it totally surprised me that I would be the last one standing." The long haired saiyan nearly choked. So it was him, his own brother that won the battle yesterday? He had heard of some rookie making a big shine so far, heaven slash his throat that it would turn out to be little ole Kakarrot. The gruff Raditz glanced out of the corner of his eye to the left to see that the young man was still talking, though he himself wasn't paying much attention. Something was different about his brother as far as saiyan habits went. For one, he was much shorter than a degree of the men here, and his eyes... Those bright yet dark eyes were so full of cheer and jubilance it was almost sickening. On and on he went too, incessantly talking it almost drove him mad; and this was only his first day of knowing him. It was obvious the silent treatment didn't affect his brother much. "Yeah, so I was swerving in and out like crazy and those things were flying everywhere! It was like a storm of 'em! So finally it was me and a few other guys left." Goku formed both his hands trying to diagram the battle scene. "Then I got this idea where I could use those metal spheres against them. So I did. Kami was it a sight, I think I took out about twenty-five people with my speed and skills alone. Then when everybody was down, that warden guy threw one at me so fast I didn't have time to think and then-"
"Will you shut the hell up!?" The thick haired man shouted at the top of his lungs causing the whole cafeteria to go silent. Goku jumped, startled from the abrupt outburst. Raditz said no more as he angrily picked up his tray and left the table in a storm, seeking a seat away from his own brother. Goku's breath hitched, feeling hurt. If he had have known telling his amazing story would have angered the other saiyan he would have given it a second thought. Brolli, without warning, replaced the seat occupied by the long haired man, smiling at Goku before plunging into the grey sludge on the menu for breakfast. Goku's heart uplifted again slightly; he could always find a shoulder to lean on in the other saiyan. Brolli always loved listening to him talk. They had chatted several times, more or so Goku did most of the chatting and Brolli always made a comforting audience. Goku returned the warm smile and ate the rest of the meal in silence.
On the outside courts, it was much different than yesterday. Each saiyan stood tall facing the stone building, awaiting instructions from the warden. "Alright everyone! Today, we're gonna have a little tournament to see which one of you is the strongest..." Toma and Goku looked at each other with uneased glances. "We'll start with four matches at one time, the winners of those competitions will advance and so on and so forth," he mumbled tirelessly, "until we're down to the last two contestants." A majority of the saiyans sighed in relief, a simple tournament? That didn't sound so difficult; it was better than using large spheres to cream one another with.
Goku's mind flashed back to the incident at breakfast earlier. //Will you shut the hell up!?// It hurt Goku a great deal more than he expected, just the look of total rage on his brother's face was enough to silence a pack of wolves.
The air seemed thick and treacherous, almost as if there were something waiting for it's chance to attack, the clouds stood still in the sky, no wind, no movement, even the red sun didn't glow. It remained a dull rusted hue. Goku glanced around the arena, hundreds of saiyans, some who's faces he recognized from yesterday stood in ranks across the lot; the white jumpsuits formed a sea and shined black boots barely reflected the sun's rays.
Toma growled. "Something doesn't seem right..." Goku looked over slightly surprised. So he wasn't going crazy, Toma sensed it too. It was so obvious it practically bit him in the ass. "I sense a horrible power, and it's really close..." Goku nodded in affirmation.
"--so let the games begin!" Ginyu crowed.
Goku and Toma froze after hearing only the last few words then looked at each other confused, their eyes asking each other for instructions. "Guess we'll have to play by ear..." Toma gritted his teeth, his knuckles turning white from squeezing his hands into tight fists, a smirk painted across his lips.
Goku chuckled nervously, the wind rustling his black locks. "Yeah, too bad I didn't hear anything," he comically retorted.
The first few matches were quite unfair, in Goku's opinion, because they pitted much younger saiyans against older, brawnier ones, who probably had more experience in fighting and were much more developed. A great deal of the juveniles lost miserably, most of them not even fully grown to hold their own for more than ten minutes. One of the older males Goku had just now noticed was a tall, stocky bald saiyan, with a thin trimmed mustache, very cocky about him winning this tournament. Nappa was what they called him. Goku looked around for the warden, who was no where in sight. //Hm...// Thought Goku. //I wonder where Ginyu is. Usually he's here to watch these sick and twisted games.// Goku circumspected the entire area and found that there were no guards, or any form authority figures anywhere on the court.
"Number 9074, you're up against number 2783!" a gruff voice shouted. Goku looked at his wrist band to find the corresponding number of 9074.
"Damn," he muttered as he approached the ring, feeling entirely unprepared, he eyed his upcoming opponent who was considerably larger and thicker. Mostly rotund at the belly he slapped his chest, inviting the challenge whole-heartedly and stood firm on two stout, barrel legs. Exhaling shakily in an attempts to calm his beating heart, Goku took his place on the stage and crouched into the classic defensive position. Being recognized as "that new kid," the small crowd began to grow, until most of all the saiyans participating in the tournament had focused their attention on the two contenders in the ring.
Growling viciously, he spat, "They call me the Rabid Bull, and what happened yesterday was pure luck.
A young punk like you doesn't stand a chance against the likes of me." The younger, smaller saiyan however shrugged off the unruly comment as he easily sensed the bigger man's power to be no match for his own. Beating his chest predominantly, the bigger man sneered.
The buzzer sounded signaling the start of the match.
Bounding relentlessly towards the young man, Bull bellowed loudly for only a few seconds before he froze, his eyes widened and his pupils dilated; all was silent for what seemed like forever. Whispers of confusion and amazement bubbled throughout the thick crowd. Every single saiyan gasped in surprise as they all focused on Goku, who appeared calm and detached as if everything was normal. He sighed a breathe of relief and stood upright once more letting the stunned man topple flat on his face.
Feeling a bit more confident about the tournament than before, Goku eagerly stepped down from the platform to allow the next fight to proceed, receiving stares of awe and wonder as he left. Immediately he approached Brolli, who was all smiles for the smaller saiyan welcomed him with a warm, sincere embrace, which Goku gladly fell into. Others around who were watching cooed with "aw's" of adoration for the couple, others scoffed in jealousy and disgust.
Suddenly, an icy chill crept over the men though it was a windless day. An impression of inconsolable fear built up among everyone. Goku crouched in an instinctive, defensive manner. "My god...do you feel that?"
Toma too squatted low and put his arms in position ready to battle. "Damn, it feels like hell's frozen over." Brolli issued a feral growl and bared his canines, daring any living creature to mess with him.
A hush fell over the court yard of warriors and all consideration was focused on two heavy, iron doors that slowly commenced to open. It grew colder, as if Jack Frost had blanketed the entire planet with his icy breath.
Time passed slowly, or so it seemed as the doors creaked open. Inch by inch, the metal gates glided apart to reveal a huddle of blurred figures, like a group of some sort. Goku clenched his fists and scraped his teeth against each other back and forth as the immense ki levels radiated proudly throughout the court. That surge of energy had to be affecting this sensitive planet. It just *had* to be. The individuals approached the tournament site, and the frozen aura grew colder and colder, almost to the point where it was unbearable. Goku saw him, Frieza. A thin, creature sitting comfortable in a hover pod. His long, pink tail, segmented like a rat's, hung out the side twitching back and forth. The temperature could be measured in Kelvin, Goku swore.
Pausing to glance at the newcomers, the currently competing saiyans bowed in reverence. "Master Frieza," they both murmured. The rest of them began to follow in suit, bowing and kneeling respectively. Goku looked around to see everyone bowing low to the ground except himself. One of the Ginyu members noted this.
In a flash, the tall, blue warrior named Burta appeared in front of the young man and sent a harsh knee to his gut. "Kneel, saiyan, and venerate your superiors!'' He coughed and hunched over in pain. Instincts told him to hit back, but Goku bit his tongue and stayed curled up. Brolli too, fought his natural impulse to slam Burta into the ground so hard he missed Hell on the way down. The lanky Ginyu member continued on with the procession.
Ginyu spoke. "So, Master Frieza, which one shall we take for experiments this week?" They all looked over the trembling saiyans, hearing the word 'experiment' exerted a sensation of death and morbid ness throughout the court. Supercilious icy eyes ran over the bunch, huddled up together trying to stay warm under the Icejin's presence. Long, pale fingers brushed across ebony, smooth, lips as a deep, freezing chuckle erupted from its throat.
"Who should I pick...? This is interesting... So many new pups to choose from..." The contemplative words nearly stilled Goku's heart in an instant. At a snail's pace, the petite figure hovering in the miniature spacecraft floated along the lined up saiyans. Finally, it stopped right in front of Goku. A frigid laugh stiffened Goku's backbone. "Ah, yes." He began.
//Oh god, oh god, oh god...// thought Goku as gigantic bullets of sweat dripped from his forehead. He kept his head bowed faithfully and closed his eyes, feeling the temperature of absolute zero claim his entire person.
"Tuberoff." Goku's eyes opened instantaneously. That wasn't his name. He looked up questioningly and then behind himself as a tall, handsome blue guard with long, green flowing hair stepped past and dragged back to the front of the group, a small, trembling saiyan teenager. "Jeice told me what you said yesterday. A he-she, was what you called me?"
Jeice covered his mouth and coughed in an excuse to hide his laughter. "A 'shim' sir."
Tuberoff quivered uncontrollably, too frightened to look the lizard-like tyrant in the eyes. "Indeed. Well, since you seem so well updated on notions of hermaphrodites, I feel as if it's my duty to supply you with...more information about them," the raspy, coarse voice spoke loudly but eased. "Take him to the lab."
With a curt nod, Tuberoff was carted away kicking and screaming, pleading for his life, begging for god to save him.
God wasn't going to save him. It couldn't have been possible.
The group left, the blacktop one less saiyan. "Carry on!" Ginyu barked; he stayed behind to make sure the saiyans finished the tournament.
The tournament persisted into the evening, many of the saiyans already disqualified and defeated. It had finally boiled down to just Goku and Brolli. A hush fell over the myriad amount of saiyans, all attention was focused on the two final and definitive contestants of the battle.
"Fighters ready!" Ginyu announced personally; he wanted to witness this fight from all angles. "Fight!"
A quick gust of wind blew from the stage and the two lunged for one another. Brolli and Goku stood still, their heads bent to the side from a punch that both had registered to the either's jaw. Goku smirked, pulling away he sent a sharp kick to the taller man's gut; who easily blocked it, and he grabbed the offending ankle to flip Goku off balance. Goku was quick, however, and turned over instantly, pushing his hands under his chest to keep from letting his head hit the ground. The shorter saiyan kicked the other's legs from under his body and somersaulted into the air to land on his feet. Brolli, too hopped on his feet and crouched low, awaiting the next advance.
"Not bad," the thick compliment blurted from Brolli's mouth.
Goku wiped a bit of sweat from the top of his head and nodded. "You fight pretty well yourself." After that was said, he wasted no more time and fazed from site only to reappear behind his target and sent a gruesome chop to his neck. It connected with brute force and sent Brolli forward, stumbling clumsily, but he did not fall. Goku gasped in shock. "Aw, no way, that should have knocked him out."
But Brolli's thick neck muscles cushioned the pressure sensitive nerves near his spinal cord, leaving him a bit disoriented but awake and aware. With a smirk, he tightened his fist and swung back around violently with a punch, smashing it into Goku's face. It was then Goku's turn to stumble back as he teetered on one foot alone. "D-Damn," he wiped a dribble of blood from his chin. Following into a back flip, the smaller saiyan landed gracefully on his feet and bounded forward from the leverage of landing, slamming his left shoulder in Brolli's chest. Brolli attempted to stand firm but because of the heavy momentum, he was driven backwards. The bigger man recovered his ground and stopped Goku from pushing him back any further. Sliding out a weighted foot, he swept Goku's legs from underneath to place a forced knee into his chin. Goku bit his lip and grunted in pain blood filled his mouth. He grabbed Brolli's shirt in an instant and pulled himself up to send a vigorous head butt right into his own nose. Now, Brolli staggered back a few steps holding his nose and wiping away a few drops of crimson. They both laughed.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Toma rooted for Goku and Raditz rooted for Brolli. Ginyu however wished for them both to die. //How can he be enjoying this, the little maggot...//
The rest of the Ginyu force, had arrived back at the tournament to watch the two final saiyans battle as well. "Hey Jeice, ain't that the new guy we beat up yesterday?" The red mop-top, Recoome asked without taking his eyes off the fight.
"Aye." The littler one replied. "That's him. I never imagined he could hold his own on Brolli."
Ginyu growled in pure hatred. "Yeah, that's only because that big retard is going easy on him. I bet their sex is way more intense." The rest of them laughed.
"Yeah. If only we could see how they did it. We put him with Brolli for that one reason. That rapist is so brutal, his previous cell mates committed suicide just to get away from him." Burta sneered with a mixture of animosity and amusement.
Goku had Brolli in a frontward hold against the very tip of the ring, the balls of his feet balanced on the rim, a mere inch away from losing. Goku grinned as an idea formed in his head. Quickly, he leaned up to peck Brolli on the lips leaving the larger man stunned. //His guard's down..// With a soft nudge to the hips Brolli stumbled back and stepped onto the black tar court, signaling his defeat.
"The winner, and new champion, number 9074!" Hundreds of cheers roared through the crowd and Goku laughed whole heartedly as he was hoisted by Brolli on to strong shoulders. And as the rouge sun set in the distance, the chant of one familiar name rode in the wind.
TBC....
AN: OKEY DOKEY! Didja like that? ^^;;; If not, sorry, I had been working on this particular chapter for a LONG time, so don't be angry. Comments, review, suggestions? Feel free!
