Disclaimer: I honestly do not own Dragonball Z. I just like playing around with the little characters… Tee hee!

Author's Notes: Don't know why I put these here for every chapter… Uh… This chapter was real easy to write, and seemed to stick in my memory well, cause I wrote parts of it while I was at work. Lol… Yea, I was that bored. I was always afraid someone would walk into my office and ask, "Hey, what's a Kakarroto?"

The Brute

Chapter Six

"Well, personally Raditz, I don't see what all the fuss is about. I think it's all for the better," Bardock said, smiling. "And she's a good girl, from what I've seen. Plus, if Kakarroto truly settles down with her, it'll only mean more grandchildren for me." He glanced across the table at a blushing Bulma. "Dear, could you please pass the butter?"

She complied, Raditz starting to scowl at his elder. "But Father, don't you think it's a little strange?"

Bardock gave Raditz a hard look, spreading heaping amounts of butter on his bread. It was the first stern one Kakarroto had ever seen him give to Raditz. It put a smile to his lips as he sat at the table next to Bulma, stuffing his face.

"Think what is a little strange, Raditz?"

Raditz shot Chi-Chi and Bulma pointed looks, and then turned back to Bardock, lowering his voice. "I'd rather not say at the table, should I happen to insult someone."

Bardock's brows furrowed. "If this is about Chi-Chi and Bulma being sisters, I'll have none of it. As far as I'm concerned, their being related just happened by chance, and is something they really can't help. Why does it bother you so?"

Kakarroto smirked across the table. "Yes, Raditz, why does it bother you? I met Bulma in the bar three days ago and began to like her even before I knew she was related to Chi-Chi." He shot Bulma a warm smile. "She was beautiful, smart, and charming. I couldn't help but like her. And I don't think it's anything you should be fretting about."

Chi-Chi sat in silence, witnessing the whole conversation. She had been very quiet the past two days and looked paler and grumpier than usual. Presently she wasn't even touching her food, sending sulking looks to Raditz and her sister and small, almost inaudible sighs escaping her lips every five minutes or so.

Raditz was starting to grind his teeth together. "You'll forgive me, brother," he said in a tone of forced calm, the mild wrinkles on his face more pronounced than ever, "but I think it just a little suspicious that you'd give up your womanizing ways the second you meet the sister of my betrothed. From what I've gathered, you've always been the kind of Sayian that's fonder towards a one-nighter than formal courtship."

Bardock scowled. "Oh, now Raditz, just relax. I think it's a good change. Kakarroto's starting to pick up some of your good qualities, and I can only hope he'll continue to pick up more."

Kakarroto's eyes darkened, though he forced a smile. "Yes brother, I'm taking after you. Like you said only a couple days ago—" His canines glittered strangely amongst his white teeth "—'I advise you to do as I have.' I'm only following your wishes."

"And since when have you followed my wishes?" Raditz barked furiously, standing up. Bardock stood up right after, putting an arm on Raditz's shoulder, looking flabbergasted at his perfect son's obvious hate. Kakarroto smirked, leaning back in his seat. Bulma put her fork down.

"I'm so sorry for causing so much trouble," she whispered meekly to Bardock, and she truly looked it. "I didn't know I'd be so much of a bother."

Chi-Chi glared at her, but Bulma didn't notice. Bardock waved his free hand. "No, dear, please don't blame yourself. You haven't done a thing. I think Raditz here is just stressed. Elite Superior Nappa was here three days ago, and they discussed something that must be troubling him. He hasn't been his normal self since then."

"That has nothing to do with it!" Raditz protested, turning angrily on his father. Bardock returned the furious gaze, but suddenly, Chi-Chi, who was sitting on Raditz's other side, lifted her hand and touched her fianc's arm. Shocked, Raditz turned and stared down at her. She shrugged her shoulders.

"This is not the time, Raditz," she said. "Not the time, and not the place. We'll talk about it later, ok?"

Raditz calmed down at the sight of her gentle, dark eyes, and he put a hand to her cheek. "Yes, you're right. You're very right, Chi-Chi." He turned to look at Bardock. "I'm sorry, Father. I suppose I am a little… stressed."

Bardock broke into a grin and hugged his son. "Ahhh, that's all right. It's understandable you should act as you did. You're forgiven, now and a thousand times more. I'm sorry for not being as sympathizing as I should be."

Kakarroto rolled his beautiful eyes, turning to look at Bulma. She still looked a little uncomfortable. "I think Bulma and I will go for a stroll," he announced, smiling gently at her when she raised her gaze to his. "It's a pretty day today. Are you full?"

"Yes," she answered, standing up. She looked at Bardock. "Thank you so much for inviting me to lunch, sir. It was wonderful."

"You should thank you sister, there!" Bardock said, gesturing towards Chi-Chi. "After all, she's the one who cooked for us. And a mighty fine cook she is, I must say."

There was a little pause of silence in which Chi-Chi and Bulma merely stared at each other, each wearing expressions no one could decipher. "Yes… well… thank you," Bulma concluded, wiping her hands of breadcrumbs. "But we'll be off now, I think. Are you coming, Kakarroto?"

"Right behind you," he said, following her out the newly fixed front door. "Where to, love?"

"You lead the way," she responded, looping her arm with his. He smiled down at her and did just that.

The weather had been dry ever since Kakarroto's fight, and the muddy ground had now dried back into dirt. The air was also dry, but today there was a breeze out, pleasantly brushing Kakarroto's bangs across his forehead. He looked up to the sky and smiled, genuinely happier than he had been in days. Raditz was pissed, Bardock was pleased with him, stories of his fight with Brocc had traveled faster than you can say "Sayian," and he had an attractive second-class attached to his arm. Life was good; so good, in fact, that he didn't bother himself to listen to Bulma, who was babbling to him about something or another.

Three days… three days since his scuffle, and Kakarroto still hadn't been able to figure something out: why had Brocc's death unnerved him so? He couldn't understand what it was that made his stomach churn every time he saw that broken neck in his mind's eye, every time he heard that bone snap. For the first day it had been a constant on his mind, bothering him with worries that he was going soft; now, however, it seemed nothing more than a puzzle his mind floated back to when it was idle. He just couldn't understand it. He was still bloodthirsty—if the anticipation of his up-coming fight with Nappa said anything—but that one memory haunted him and would continue to haunt him till he figured the solution out.

But the most pressing issue now was Nappa. The closest to a super elite Kakarroto had ever fought was a first class, and though Kakarroto beat him, the forgotten Sayian certainly wasn't a pushover. Elite Superior Nappa would definitely be another story. Kakarroto was sure the super elite had tricks up his sleeve he'd only fanaticized about in dreams, and moves, punches, and kicks surpassable only by a Super Sayian. The thought of it all was making him nervous and wonderfully excited.

The mild stress he was having about his battle-to-be, though, was nothing compared to what Raditz seemed to be having. Apart from worrying about Kakarroto and his antics, he had obviously a much more pressing issue on his mind, and could be seen mumbling to himself, staring thoughtfully out the window, and biting his fingernails every spare moment he got. Bardock was pretty sure it had something to do with whatever he and Nappa had discussed three days ago, but no one was certain. Raditz hadn't told anyone the source of his "problem"; not even Chi-Chi.

"Kakarroto!" Bulma suddenly shouted from his side, and he jumped, facing her frown.

"What?" he asked with annoyance. She snorted back and glared.

"I've only been saying your name for the past five minutes," she spat. "I was starting to think you'd died over there. Have you heard a word I've said?"

"Yes," Kakarroto lied. She looked at him skeptically. "And I agree with you," he added.

She rolled her eyes but didn't press the issue, turning to look at the field beyond her. She was silent for a while, and Kakarroto was just thinking it was safe to reside in his thoughts again when she spoke up. "Kakarroto, what did Raditz mean back there by your womanizing ways?"

He frowned. "Well to be honest with you, Bulma—" He paused and looked at her seriously "—And I always want to be honest with you—I never did hold much respect for the opposite sex. Females flung themselves at me, and I wasn't any closer to saying no to them than I am to turning down a sixth helping of dinner." He let this information wash over before adding, "But it's different now. You were a girl I just couldn't let go, and I like it better this way."

"Honestly?" she whispered.

"I just said that I like to be honest with you."

Bulma lowered her eyes and looked at her feet, moving them in time to Kakarroto's step. She suddenly sighed. "I don't know Kakarroto… I feel like I'm stressing your family out, and that's the last thing I want to do."

"It's just because you're Chi-Chi's sister."

Bulma looked up at him, and there was something shrewd in her eyes he didn't like. "Yes, I know," she said softly.

"They'll get over it," he reassured.

"I suppose so…"

Kakarroto watched her every facial movement, hesitating before he spoke. "Anything on your mind, Bulma dearest?"

"Yes," she said, this time watching his face for his reaction; he merely gave her a look of polite encouragement. "But it's nothing you need to be bothered with now, not with your fight with Elite Superior Nappa so close."

"Is it important enough that I even be bothered at all?" he asked coolly. Bulma frowned, a strange look passing through her eyes.

"I suppose not. Not unless you truly wish to know."

"And you honestly think that I'm that moved?"

Bulma pulled her arm out of the loop of Kakarroto's and folded it across her chest, looking at the tree they had approached. "No, of course not," she spat bitterly. "How foolish of me…"

Kakarroto smirked and nudged her hard with his elbow. "Just playing," he said in an unconvincing voice, stopping and turning to look at the tree too.

It was the spot that marked the halfway mark between his house and South Wing, the same tree he had encountered twice before. Whether it was because it was lighter outside or because he was in a better mood, Kakarroto didn't know, but the tree looked much less ominous at the moment. Its range of wild, twisted branches didn't look like an impending cage door anymore, but like dozens of hands that were reaching freely to the sky.

"Look," Bulma said softly, taking a step closer and squatting down at the trunk. Kakarroto watched her half-heartedly, only becoming really interested when she moved out of her squat, onto her knees. "Look!" she repeated, and he came over to join her.

Lying on the ground, thin, putrid, its feathers ruffled and its neck broken, was a baby bird. Kakarroto's eyes widened; he didn't know how he knew it, but he was dead sure it was the one he had messed with four days before. Bulma prodded a finger at its stiff body, which moved in a grotesquely unattached way with its head; she wiped her finger on her pants.

"Ewww… lice. Look at them crawl…"

Kakarroto was silent, studying the bird's neck. Now that Bulma had flipped it over, he saw it was broken in the exact same spot he'd broken Brocc's. His palms began to sweat and his stomach squirmed, but he clenched his hands and took a deep, calming breath.

"Poor thing must have fallen out of its nest," Bulma commented. She frowned sympathetically. "I'm sure the mother was terribly upset."

From what Bulma could see out of the corner of her eye, Kakarroto still had his face down, but she didn't know he wasn't looking at the bird. "Maybe she didn't even know it was missing," he said in a flat sort of voice. Bulma looked at him.

"What are you saying?"

"Nothing."

"Of course the mother would have known it was missing," she said, pushing the argument and glancing back at the tiny corpse. "I mean, she is the one that laid the eggs and all. Who knows? Maybe she even knew the exact moment when it died." She shivered uncomfortably. "Some sort of… bizarre mother's intuition, or something."

"Bulma?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Bulma glared at his back as Kakarroto stood up, stretching. "You put way too much thought into the death of little animals. It's such a waste of brain cells."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh yea, Mister Know-it-All? And what isn't a waste?"

He then answered with such a conceited tone and smirk that it made Bulma giggle, "Thinking about me."

She shook her head with a smile and grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently. They then proceeded around the baby bird and its tree, continuing with their walk, yet unable to leave the thought of its death behind.

When Kakarroto and Bulma returned from their day out, most of the lights were already extinguished, spare a solitary candlelight in the kitchen. Kakarroto smiled when he entered, staring happily at the fire and the moths and gnats that danced over it. Bardock. He was sure Bardock was the one that had left it out for him.

Bulma made a motion to pick up the candle, but Kakarroto immediately growled and swatted her hand away. She turned and looked at him, shocked. "What has gotten into you?" she spat.

"It's not for you," he said in a low voice. "It's mine. You don't need it."

She quirked an eyebrow incredulously. "I was just going to take it back to your bedroom… You know, so I don't trip." She gave one harsh laugh. "Sheesh, it's not a crime, is it?"

"You don't need it," he repeated. "Shove off. You know where my room is. I'll be back to join you in a bit."

She slouched off, grumbling about something close to, "If I don't leave first." Kakarroto took no knowledge of it, however, staring into the abyss of the flame and feeling closer to being truly complete than he'd ever felt. The minute warmth of the fire seemed to be draining down his throat and spreading its goodness throughout his body. He sighed in contentment, feeling so peaceful that he didn't even jump when a voice suddenly spoke out of the shadows.

"I was wondering when you'd get back."

"Don't tell me you've honestly been waiting there for me all this time," he said, making a swipe at the flame and almost putting it out in the process. Chi-Chi stepped into the candlelight, and Kakarroto looked up at her. She wasn't nearly as pale as this morning; strangely enough, her face looked much, much darker.

"And if I do tell you?"

"Then I'll respond with, 'You're much, much sadder than I thought.'"

Chi-Chi scoffed, crossed her arms, and rolled her eyes. "Well don't flatter yourself. I'm only waiting for Raditz. He left around dusk, and I just want to make sure he gets home all right." She nodded towards the flickering light on the kitchen table. "And Bardock does too, obviously."

Some of the completeness Kakarroto had felt only seconds ago fell off of him as if attached to 10-ton weights. He scowled heavily, hatred coursing through him. "Get away from me," he whispered.

She shrugged. "Don't think so. This is as much your house as it is mine."

He laughed coldly. "Baby, you're not even Raditz's mate yet. You're only his, 'betrothed', as he calls it."

She smirked. "And if I remember correctly, only three days ago you weren't even a part of the family."

The memory of breakfast swarmed through Kakarroto's mind like a horde of angry bees, and he clenched his shaking fists to keep himself from punching a hole through the glare of her smirk. He suppressed a shudder of angry emotion, glaring at her with such a level of passion that her smirk started to fade.

"Why?" Kakarroto hissed through clenched teeth. Chi-Chi gave him a studying look.

"Why what?"

He said nothing, but reached out for the candle, grabbed it, and extinguished the flame with his other hand. The pair was cast into complete darkness. Even the stars outside seemed to have gone out.

Chi-Chi grunted a noise of impatience and blindly reached for the candle. She only managed to brush his arm in the darkness, however, and the hairs on the back of Kakarroto's neck stood up in the momentary thrill of touch. He grabbed her wrist and jerked her to him so abruptly that she trod on his foot and fell against his chest.

He braced himself for a tirade of insults, accusations, and threats; he tightened his grip on her wrist, too, should she try to pull back. Instead, however, he was greeted with still silence—

And one almost inaudible sob.

However, when she spoke next, her voice was steady and somber. "I should be asking you that very question," she said quietly.

Kakarroto frowned. "What question?"

"Why?" she said, her tone suddenly cold and angry.

He sneered and let go of her wrist, but she didn't pull back from him. "Why what?" he mocked.

"You're using Bulma," she suddenly said, "to make me jealous. You're using her. I know it. Well, it's not working."

"Now look who's flattering herself, you conceited rascal. Jumping to conclusions so quickly… You must think you're something special—something close to your sister—to assume that I'm lusting after you."

"I said nothing of the sort," she denied, frowning. "You're the one mentioning all this lust business. I just think you're trying to split Raditz and me up."

There was a pause. Kakarroto took a long, deep breath. "And it's working, isn't it?"

"No!" Chi-Chi almost shrieked, and Kakarroto lifted his hand to cover her mouth, accidentally jabbing her eye in the process. He felt his hand being forcefully yanked away not a second later. "No!" she repeated in a whisper. "I just told you it's not! It's not! It is not!"

They stood in silence for several moments longer, listening to Bardock's deep, even snores coming through the walls. Chi-Chi pulled the candle out of Kakarroto's hand, lit it with a small Ki ball, and handed it back to him. Her face was ghastly in the flickering candlelight.

"You look almost as bad as Raditz," Kakarroto murmured. "Has he told you Elite Superior Nappa's news, then?"

"No," she whispered, looking suddenly very tired. "No, he hasn't. Private matters, I understand." Kakarroto studied her face, Chi-Chi watching him apprehensively. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but she suddenly continued, "You should go. I'm sure Bulma's waiting; plus, you've got to get all the energy you can for tomorrow's match."

Kakarroto hesitated before turning to leave. "Will you come and watch?" he asked. She looked away.

"I might… Go to sleep, Kakarroto."

Feeling like she had a good point, and feeling like he had no more reason to stay, Kakarroto quit the room, candle in hand. His entire mind and body felt like it had trained rigorously all day, and as he passed Raditz's and Chi-Chi's bedroom heading to his own, he vaguely realized that those were Raditz's snores that greeted his tired ears.

---

And that's a wrap…

Pudgoose