Disclaimer: Everything is not mine, aside from the idea. And if you steal my COPYRIGHTED idea (lol), I'LL KILL YOU! Crazed Puddy glares
Author's Notes: I had the HARDEST time trying to figure out names for all the people I stuck in here. Arg… I never knew there were that many vegetables in my life… and I didn't WANT to know.
There were some comments that Kakarroto could stand, and there were others that he couldn't. Generally, the former contained compliments or insults to himself. Insults he could deal with easily, finding a quick source to the problem in taking out the insulter's tongue. And compliments—who didn't enjoy a good compliment? But the latter—the things he couldn't stand—tended to be anything spoken to anyone else, specifically compliments towards people who didn't deserve them.The Brute
Chapter Three
Kakarroto had never realized that there were so many brainless morons on Vegetasei before, and that Bardock seemed to know them all. But, he supposed, it made sense to him. Idiots attracted idiots, didn't they? What was really bothering him laid in the fact that these idiots all seemed to worship his older brother. It was like they had never seen a Super Elite Sayian before, and now that they had, they were making up for all the years that lacked the praising of a superior.
Not to mention that Raditz was gloating in it all. Sure, he would wave his hand and grin, muttering something about how he didn't deserve the praise, his prince did, but Kakarroto knew the real truth. He seemed to be the only one that saw Raditz's wicked smile afterwards, saw that conceited look. Well, Kakarroto wasn't going to be one of those brainless idiots. He wouldn't lower himself and allow Raditz to step all over him.
That was why, for the past hour and a half, he had been standing in the corner of his living room. Alone. Silent. Scowling.
And for the entire said time, he had been torn between the extreme desire to leave and the even more extreme desire to stay. It was as if watching Raditz act conceited and proud would further condemn his brother of the felony, and Kakarroto wanted Raditz to have all the condemning possible. He stared in angry silence, breaking his glance every now and then to glare at the few that tried to approach him. Not many did, though. They were too busy preening and ogling and admiring his older brother to think twice about the poor, younger Kakarroto.
That was it: the last straw. Kakarroto had had enough of his elder to last him two lifetimes now, and he wasn't about to wait around for a third. He quit his place at the wall and stormed pointedly through a crowd of people that were avidly discussing Raditz's wicked past, and how hard it must have been to survive it all.
I'm barely surviving this, Kakarroto growled in his mind. Meeting no one else on his way to the front door, he padded through the living room and into the kitchen with a tilted nose and slanted eyes, making for an interesting crease in the center of his face. Before he could grab the door's handle, however, a voice called to him from the living room. Its owner came to stand in the pale, cream kitchen doorframe, a certain look on his face—an annoying look on his face. It was a countenance that clearly said he was having the time of his life, and no one else could have possibly ever had as much fun as he was having.
"Kakarroto! Good, good, I wanted to ask you something," Raditz said.
"Please Raditz. Be my guest. I live to serve you."
"No need for sarcasm, brother," the latter chuckled slowly, his tail grazing the floor behind him. Kakarroto gripped the door handle. "And I'm not asking you for a favor, or anything."
"Well that is a relief."
"I wanted to ask you if you had seen Chi-Chi. It's been close to two hours now, and I haven't seen her yet."
Kakarroto smiled sourly. "Why Raditz! She couldn't have lost interest in you, could she?"
Raditz's frown was familiar to his face, and Kakarroto could tell the thought had been persistant ever since Raditz had first stepped off the spaceship. "Well, father said she was still mine, so I don't think she's lost interest. I was just wondering if you had seen her."
The younger scowled. "Now why would I have seen her and you not?"
"I don't know. I was just asking you if you had. She might be playing some sort of game, or—"
"Or maybe you just wanted to shove the fact that you've got a woman in my face," Kakarroto snapped. Raditz remained still. "Well listen here Raditz, I'm not impressed. You might have one, might have one, but I have about one thousand and one. Got it?"
Raditz's eyes had always been dark, and as his younger brother spoke, they became darker still. Kakarroto snorted and turned the door handle, pulling back the heavy wooden barricade to promptly dismiss himself, when he ran into someone on the other side.
"Oh!" a light voice exclaimed, and there was a thump. While Kakarroto stood in mild shock, wearing a look that one might wear after running into a glass door, Raditz trotted up behind, letting out a startled noise of delight. He grabbed Kakarroto's shoulder as if to steady himself.
During the time Chi-Chi found her feet again and stood back up, Kakarroto's and her eyes never budged from each other. She brushed herself off, as if in a daze and stared at his ashen eyes. She fondly recalled scenes from her childhood, and pictures of a certain five-year-old named Raditz. Only her childhood lover and his father had eyes that dark, that black. But this was not—it couldn't be—
"Raditz?" she whispered keenly, touching Kakarroto's armor with sensitive fingertips.
The youth was fully aware of what she'd called him, but he remained silent for a second or two longer, his experienced wit thinking up something wickedly quick in his head.
"Why yes baby!" he purred and cupped Chi-Chi's face in his hands, planting a cold and heavy embrace on her lips. There wasn't much time to experience anything, however, for Raditz hounded his hands on Kakarroto's shoulders and pulled him abruptly away with a horde of angry curses.
For that split second, Kakarroto felt, first-hand, some of the strength Raditz had in him. Raditz had easily pulled him away from the woman he was kissing.
And Kakarroto had been expecting it; he had planted his feet firmly.
"Kakarroto!" his older brother finally spat, shoving the accused behind him. Kakarroto tottered for a second or two but quickly found his balance, as most all Sayians would have done. Now over his shock, Raditz released the second brigade of his emotions and shot Kakarroto an angry, angry look.
"That is not—ignore him, he's not—" While Raditz sputtered to find his tongue, he turned back around to Chi-Chi and stared at her intently. "That is not Raditz! I'm Raditz! That's my younger brother, Kakarroto!"
Chi-Chi's long Sayian tail twitched lightly in confusion as she stared up at this more familiar pair of dark eyes. Slowly her gaze turned back down to examine the one who had kissed her, and her eyes eventually fell on his third-class seal, which Kakarroto had forgotten to remove since he had gotten home. Her eyes widened and her tail twitched again, but, this time, with more irritation and indignation.
She turned back to the former. "Raditz…" she mumbled, glancing at his seal of status to confirm herself. She studied him, so many features having had changed over his coarse and complicated past, yet a cherished few having remained the same: like his eyes. A smile graced her already graceful lips, and Raditz returned it.
"My Chi-Chi…"
She laughed richly, full of bliss, and eventually stopped and winked at him with a knowing smirk. "I haven't been called that for twenty years. And for a while there, I thought I'd never hear it again!"
Kakarroto rolled his eyes and composed himself, making his presence known. When her eyes met his, they filled with immediate hate and disgust, and her tail wrapped itself around her waist and shuddered.
"And who are you, so called Kakarroto, to be kissing me?" she snapped, crossing her arms. Kakarroto rested one arm of his own on his narrow hip and let the other hang. His body and mouth remained collectively silent. Raditz, who had calmed down from his rage, loudly snorted out his remaining anger.
"My third-class brother. Kakarroto, this is first-class Chi-Chi."
Upon this announcement of title, Chi-Chi's eyes danced sadistically, as if she were some kind of royalty to be adored. And why shouldn't she, for Raditz had declared her as if she were. Kakarroto rolled his eyes.
"What a pleasure," he spat. "Forgive me if I don't dance for joy."
"Quite all right," Chi-Chi answered back, before Raditz could. "Believe me, I wouldn't demand that much from a third class. It might baffle your mind… but that's all right. You may bow for me."
Kakarroto paused only momentarily before he headed through the door, shoving the couple out of his way. "I do not bow for anyone, much less females," he growled over his shoulder.
"You might want to bow before I make you, third-class," she quipped sweetly. The Sayian's mind wavered on the thought of leaving them behind then, but he had to throw in one more insult before he could have officially won that fight. And Kakarroto never fled from an unaccomplished battle.
"Honey," he drawled, turning around and ignoring his brother's flashing eyes, "you might want to watch yourself. I might make you bow for me, and then catch you from behind."
He took off with a smirk to accompany his words, hopefully worming its way into her thoughts and settling to haunt her mind. The wind washed his face and bathed his hair in its own natural oils as he flew. He did a loop and a flip for anyone that might have been staring from the ground, pleased with his experienced wit and snide comments. He'd never insulted a first class before (and he sure as Hell wasn't going to insult a first class male any time soon), and this new experience had his adrenaline pumping and his senses tingling. In fact, he had half a mind to fly back and insult her again, just to stay on this pleasurable high.
He fixed Raditz's face in his mind, loving that expression. Finally, the demon in Raditz had emerged, and all because he had kissed his brother's woman. It was fascinating, he noted, at how quickly he found the key to unlocking the cage of rage. He was naturally gifted that way, he surmised.
The fresh picture of Chi-Chi was still in his mind, as crisp and as clear as if he were watching her mirrored reflection. As he had noticed before, she was a first-class woman, and gorgeous because of it. He appreciated her looks as something he had experienced rarely, for most of the women he'd been with, if not all, had a very cheap, uncultured look. But he saw what Raditz had seen early on, even at the age of five; not only did she have natural beauty, but she also carried her body and tongue well. Every word was pronounced in a way that baffled the listener, not matter what their façade said.
And to frost the cake, there was no denying that it felt rather pleasant bumping into her.
Despite all the positive things, Kakarroto eventually found himself scowling, his high having left him in a monotonous low. No matter how many positives she might have, the negatives seemed to outweigh them all. From what he could gather during their brief meeting, she was vain and conceited, as most first-class were, and as how he knew his brother to be. She had an attitude and a wit to rival his own. She was also loud, irritating, and didn't respond to kisses very well.
He sat in a tree, the same tree he had sat in when he saw those two brats scuffling yesterday. They weren't out there today—probably still at the prince's welcome home celebration. He sighed and looked up at the cloudy sky, the rain having just recently passed, and a dull, cold wetness filling its place. Pieces of the bark he was leaning against stuck to his hands like a three-year-old to a shiny toy. As he was wiping the smut-like substance on his spandex, he opened his ears to the sound of tiny birds chirping several branches above him. He wiped the back of his hand on his upper lip and floated up out of simple curiosity.
The babies quieted automatically when they realized a foreign presence was among them. All five of them sat deadly still, waited, and watched him relentlessly out of the sides of their heads. Their sense of flight having not developed yet, they were at his mercy, and at the mercy of their instincts.
"Where's your mother?" Kakarroto whispered softly to them. He smirked and nudged the nest with one of his fingers. "Where's she gone off to?"
At the sudden movement, four of the five birds in the nest did nothing more than inconspicuously shift to regain their balance, but one of them squeaked. It was a small and brief sound, but occurred nonetheless, and Kakarroto heard it. He smirked and picked the said bird up between his thumb and forefinger.
Its little body writhed and struggled against his firm grip, and the squalls that followed were piercingly shrill and frantic. Kakarroto smirked at the unnerved look the other still and silent birds had, hoping against hope in their small minds that he might leave soon.
He glanced around the branches of the tree, high and low, and spotted an old, abandoned nest. He smirked again and flew up to meet the beautifully crafted basket of twigs, fluff and string, placing the frantic bird inside it. Even after that, however, it continued to cry at the unfamiliar scent around it, crawling ungainly across the nest on its wings and pencil-thin legs.
"Separate you from everyone else, and let's see what happens…" Kakarroto said solemnly. His stomach felt oddly sickened as he left the bird to find more entertaining company elsewhere. Its cries echoed ominously in his ears for several long minutes after.
Kakarroto soon found, however, that entertaining company was not to be easily had. South Wing was as quiet as a morgue compared to its usual hustle and bustle, for most were still attending the planet-welcomed feast, dining on all the good food the palace could amply afford to pass around. His favorite bar was closed too, which was extremely out of place, for it didn't even close on holidays. Kakarroto growled and kicked at the muddy ground with the toe of his boot, glancing up and down the abandoned streets.
Even the dead bodies on the streets seemed to have up and left the ghost town.
"Great," Kakarroto mumbled, "just great. I left the prince's party to attend jackass's party, and I left that to come here. Things seem to keep going steadily downhill. I'm going to end up in a mud pile before this is over."
The sound of laughter somehow bounced across the sticky ground and reached his ears, light and barely audible, signaling from far off. Kakarroto smirked. It seemed to be nothing more than a child's laugh, but anything was better than the nothing he was already in, so he followed the laughter to its source, keeping a wary eye out for mud piles along the way.
"…come and catch me!"
"What? Are you kidding me? I'm not stupid! If I do, you'll throw a mud ball at me, duh!"
Kakarroto could distinguish the voices clearer as he got closer. The first voice seemed to be female, and the second male, both hardly older than eight. The first voice continued after a laugh.
"I'll make you eat this mud pie if you don't try to catch me!"
"You couldn't make a starved man eat anything!"
"Oh yea? Watch this! I'm the Mud Super Sayian! Ha!"
There was a round of jubilant laughter again, and as Kakarroto turned past the corner of a building, he saw exactly what he had predicted and more. In the muddy front yard of a moderate home were a boy and a girl, between the ages of six and eight, and they were wrestling in practically what looked like a pigpen. As the girl charged and knocked the boy off his feet, laughing all the while, he picked up a handful of mud and flung it at her face with more force than necessary. She shrieked and tried to wipe the muck out of her eyes and nose, her teeth the only white feature on her face as she laughed. He kicked at her ankles and she fell down on her back, and from then on it seemed to be nothing more than a flailing of splotched limbs, clotted tails, and grime.
Kakarroto snorted. Though entertaining at first, the company of urchins more than a decade younger than him quickly became boring. He turned to leave, but the voice of an older male, seemingly about his own age, suddenly shouted out.
"CAULI!"
The girl stopped what she was doing and immediately looked up. She brushed the material out of her eyes as best she could and looked again.
"Yes?"
"THERE you are! I've spent the past thirty minutes looking for you! I should have known you'd been here."
Out of the sky floated a large, bulky male with almost tangible irritation radiating off of him. His tail was flicking back and forth violently, his fists were clinched, and the way he crossed his arms spoke loud enough. Cauli stood up and brushed herself off while her playmate kept his attention to the ground.
"Why? What's wrong with being here?"
"You know very well what!"
"I told Mother I was leaving the ceremony! She knew I was gone!"
"Yes, but you told her you were going home. This sure as Hell doesn't look like home to me!"
Cauli crossed her stout little arms, jerking her head back to her grounded friend. "So what if I like to spend time with Gus? It's none of your business! And besides, he's much more fun to play with than you!"
"It is so my business! Father made it his business, so it's mine as well! Go home now!"
"Well I don't have to listen to you! You're only second class! I'm first! So ha!"
"I might be second," Kakarroto heard the elder say as he lowered himself to the ground, "but I'm still your big brother, and I'm still stronger than you. And if you don't want to listen to me, then listen to Dad, because it's his orders. He doesn't want you playing with third class trash like this anymore!"
Cauli shook as if she'd been slapped, glanced back at Gus, then at her older brother. She growled loudly, audible to Kakarroto even from the distance he was standing at, and flew off into the sky with a shrill, "I HATE YOU!"
No one did anything for several seconds, and then the elder looked at Gus and made a violent hand motion to chase the boy away. As Gus scrambled to his feet and ran inside his home, Kakarroto snickered and stepped foreword from his hiding place. His footsteps squished loudly in the road as he approached, and the other male turned and looked at him. Kakarroto smirked.
"Lovely performance. Only wish I had a younger brat to yell at like that."
The other chuckled darkly and shook his head. "Trust me, you don't want a younger sibling. They're more trouble than they're worth." He paused. "Especially when they're of a higher class than you. Then they get real cocky."
Kakarroto crossed his arms in an attempt to hide his third class seal, but it was too high on his chest to cover inconspicuously. He sighed and instead swung his arms at his side, maintaining his countenance of a smirk.
"I'm Kakarroto."
"Brocc. You have any siblings?"
Kakarroto laughed at the ground. "No, not me."
"Look up at me."
"What?" Kakarroto asked, lifting his head, but only by instinct. Brocc studied his face as if he'd seen it in an old history book before during a class. His eyes darted to Kakarroto's seal, and though the subordinate saw him stiffen, Kakarroto wasn't yelled at like that Gus child had been. Instead, the words that came out of Brocc's mouth were slow and calm, like the breeze right before a thunderstorm.
"Is your father Bardock?"
"And if he is?"
"Answer yes or no, third class."
Kakarroto's face soured and his eyes darkened. He should have left his seal at home.
"Yes."
"Then you do have a brother. Raditz, right?"
Kakarroto took at deep breath. "I prefer to think of him as of in no relation to myself. But yes, if you must know, he is my biological brother."
Brocc's voice was low. "Good. Now that we know each other, I'd like to say a few things."
"Go ahead."
What happened next was very fast, but surprisingly very slow to the stronger Sayian. Kakarroto saw Brocc's fist flying towards his face as if he were watching a tape play in slow motion, and he raised a hand and caught the threatening limb without effort. Brocc's pupils dilated and condensed quickly, and he let out a deep breath.
"Nice catch," he mumbled.
"Thanks."
"You," he continued, swallowing, and rage building in his eyes, "are the guy that stole my Sauer. She was my woman."
"Oh yea?"
"Yes," Brocc hissed, digging his fist harder into Kakarroto's palm. "My woman, jackass."
"I've had so many. It's hard to keep track of them all."
"YOU'LL HAVE A SCAR TO REMEMBER HER BY SOON!"
"Hey," Kakarroto taunted, curling his fingers around Brocc's fist and squeezing, "it's not my fault I'm a better option. You're just not as strong as I am… nor as handsome, I must say."
"I'll look like a god of beauty compared to you when I'm through with you!" Brocc hissed. "Prepare to have your face beaten in, third-class!"
A to-the-death scuffling was practically assured. There was lightening hissing and cracking between their darkening eyes, metaphorically and literally. But moments like these made Kakarroto's life worth living; they were top notch for him, incomparable in their satisfying mental and physical pleasures, even next to a really, really good meal. The smell of a new battle always made his blood race, and the sight of a new opponent made his heart jump with such force that he could feel it inside of his chest.
Both Sayians flared their Ki, feigning an attempt to impress and intimidate the other, their energy visibly flashing every other moment in vibrant sparks. Light that breathed like a flame eventually encompassed both partners, for their distance was not great, and their passion was. Kakarroto saw an angry, hungry look in Brocc's eyes, and he even saw the Sayian's yellowed teeth grind against each other.
"I'm going to tear you apart, piece by piece, and then serve you on a platter to Sauer," Brocc suddenly whispered. "We'll see if you're half as appetizing then."
"The only thing you've proven to me thus far is that you're capable of trash talk," Kakarroto hissed. "And if I'm not mistaken, I don't believe you challenge me to a test of words. Are you going to beat me up yet, or would you like to clarify the events of this spar to me?"
"KAKARROTO!"
It took the Sayian a few seconds to realize that it wasn't Brocc who'd just hollered his name. Even when this information did process, though, Kakarroto didn't dare turn around for fear of being struck in the back. And from the look that Brocc was giving him, Kakarroto was sure that his opponent wished him nothing less than just that.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
The second exclamation confirmed the voice's owner to be none other than Bardock. Kakarroto's previous 'Things Are Only Getting Worse' theory had struck again.
"What the hell does it look like I'm doing?" Kakarroto snapped back, his eyes never trailing from his opponent's. "I'm in the middle of something, old man. Go away."
"Raditz was upset that you'd left! He told me he'd wanted you there more than anyone else! How dare you leave his party like that?!"
"Bardock, if you don't shut up, I'm afraid I'll have to kick your ass as well as this stupid second class's."
Brocc snorted and chuckled. "Hardly," he whispered.
"Kakarroto, don't make me tear you away from there!" Bardock hollered with more energy than the average parental threat would have. "You don't want me to embarrass you in front of this opponent of yours, do you?"
But when Kakarroto remained in his spot, Bardock wouldn't have tried to move his son for anything, even an increase to a first class rank. He knew it would be fruitless to try to move Kakarroto, for the younger's power exceeded his own by far. Bardock could only sit, wait, hope and threaten, until Kakarroto got so sick and tired of his father's voice that he'd consent.
Surprisingly, the next one to suggest a quitting of the fight was not Bardock, but Brocc. The second class relieved himself of his crouched, alert position and stretched his muscles, shaking them lightly to loosen them up. Kakarroto portrayed a harsh look to accompany his questioning grunt.
"Maybe we should cancel," Brocc said slowly with a rigid jaw, his eyes masked from the inside. "But just for the moment. Let's postpone this. Though I hardly cherish the thought of letting you go with your nose still intact, I do respect your father, and your brother much more. It would be my pleasure to honor your brother's wishes."
"Well not mine," Kakarroto whispered, baring his teeth like a wounded animal backed into a corner. "Don't tell me you're wussing out of this fight."
"How very like a third class not to understand things the first time," Brocc began, his eyes flashing, "but I will humor your and be redundant. We're postponing. You've got to get back to your brother's party, I've got to make sure my younger brat's really gone back home. We're both busy. Let's set this for a later date."
"Tomorrow."
Brocc laughed outright, confusing Bardock, who's aged hearing wasn't as keen as it used to be, and infuriating Kakarroto. "Eager, are we?"
"To fight a coward? No. To disprove a coward's beliefs? Yes."
A sneer began to bloom on Brocc's face. "Coward, eh? All right then. Tomorrow, when Vegetasei's second sun is as high as it gets. Meet me right here and we'll settle this."
"Oh joy. I'll invite everyone I know."
"My friend, you have just dug your own grave."
"Friend? With a friend like me, you won't be needing an enemy."
"Kakarroto!" Bardock suddenly interrupted, flying as close as he dared. "Hurry up! We need to get back home now! I'm wasting my time on you when I could be spending it with Raditz!"
Kakarroto's fists clenched as his muscles seized on themselves. Everything became hazy, blurry, and unfocused: his sight, his thoughts, and his anger. The youth turned his gaze downward and crossed his arms.
"All right, old man!" he yelled at the ground, not too sure he'd be able to wait till tomorrow for the said fight. He was going to need to beat up something soon. "I heard you the first time! I'm coming! Shut up before you ruin my hearing with your annoying voice!"
"See you later," Brocc dismissed with a snide salute, jumping into the air and flying off into the distance. Kakarroto watched him go until he couldn't anymore, and then turned to his impatient father.
"Well it's about time! Hurry up! I don't want to waste another minute on you!"
Kakarroto growled, his crossed fists pushing forcefully on his arms till he hurt himself. His head soon trembled with the effort, and finally the younger took off into the abandoned sky without a word, heading back home, back to his unavoidable brother. His father must have been somewhere behind him, but Kakarroto couldn't see for the speed of his flight. He was flying home, full force, the wind howling and hollering and beating on him in an attempt to slow him down.
It was a never-ending cycle. No matter where he went, he was plagued by his family. His father and brother were so much alike in their mannerisms and praising of each other that it made Kakarroto's eyes burn. He wondered if there was anyone else alive that could commiserate with him. He wondered if there was any Sayian that had ever grown up spoiled and conceited, like eldest children do, and then suddenly weren't the oldest anymore, weren't the only child, and weren't the center of attention. The rational side of him said, "Of course. My case isn't too impossible for Sayians, with all the purging of planets we have babies do." But the defensive side, the more reasonable side, said, "Certainly not! No one has ever had a case like mine! They don't have a horrible father like mine and a conceited brother like mine. I'm all alone in my case. I'm separated from everyone else."
Kakarroto suddenly yelled out indescribable, shaken up feelings. His sound was lost in the fury of the thunderous wind, so he turned and shot several Ki blasts into the sky, watching them soar into outer space and beyond. He groaned out explosive pain and beat his fist against his brow, his whole form shuddering, even down to the tip of his hairy tail.
It wasn't long before the distance between Kakarroto and his home diminished into nothing, and the Sayian slowly sank to the ground, studying the dark windows and the peeling paint with an ominous, growing feeling of imprisonment. He sighed, surprisingly tired from his overflow of emotions—emotions that he wished he could ban forever. Emotions never did any good; deep thoughts never did any good. He suddenly found himself envying the basic, common beast with ridiculous passion.
Raditz's face darted into one of the dark windows and darted out of it just as quickly. The front door opened, and the elder strutted out with open arms, as if he were master of the house. Kakarroto felt like he were being welcomed like a far away relative, like he didn't even live there anymore.
"Brother! Welcome back! I'm sorry you left!"
"I'm sorry I returned."
Raditz laughed, dropped his arms at his side, and grinned in an almost sadistic way. "Brother, we won't be getting along well at all if you keep up this aura of hostility. Come and open your arms to me!"
"I'd rather open my arms to a horde of starving wolves."
Raditz's face almost began to sour, but something in the sky caught his attention, and a smile claimed his features instead. As Kakarroto suddenly became aware of another's presence, Raditz shouted, "Welcome home father!"
Bardock nodded in return, sinking down to the ground beside his eldest. "Thank you. Glad to be back. Truth be told, when Kakarroto took off like a bullet for home I thought he was trying to ditch me. Good to see I don't have to do any more searching for him, though."
Raditz's eyes shone, and there was such a delightful countenance on his face that Kakarroto wasn't even sure his brother of just seconds before and this man were the same person. Raditz chuckled. "He must have been eager to return home to me, thoughtful thing. Maybe he knew I was missing him… I've got such a great younger brother!"
Bardock scratched the back of his head. "I guess… Oh, Raditz, did the guests leave?"
"I dismissed them while you were away. All but Chi-Chi, that is. She's still inside. I assumed you wouldn't mind her spending the night."
"No! Of course not!" Bardock smiled. "In fact, let her spend as long as she wants here! The rest of her life, if she wishes! You two will undoubtedly become lovers soon, I hope? And give this old man a grandson?"
Raditz laughed softly and hid a smile as he looked at the ground. Kakarroto rolled his eyes, thoroughly not amused, and proceeded to enter the ominous torture trap that had always been his home. The inevitable would always come; Kakarroto knew there was no avoiding it. As he sullenly glanced at the first class female washing the dishes in his kitchen sink, as if it were her own, he resolved his mind.
No conceited brother or obsessed father would stop him from enjoying his life, no matter what perverse or heinous crimes he would have to commit. As far as he was concerned, he was still the eldest, and the eldest son always ruled the house after his father.
Okay, so I freaked myself out with the whole bird thing, but… I feel it a necessary evil, cause it's going to turn into a metaphor later. o.o Wait… did I just give something away? X.X Sigh I'm so stupid…
Pudgoose