Disclaimer: I've got my birth certificate right here and… well what do you know… It DOES say Akira Toriyama on it! Waaaa-HOOOOOO—Oh, wait, my bad. No it doesn't. I just can't read. Ehehehehe…
Author's Notes: The story's starting to come to a close. Just one more chapter after this! (Speaking of which, I may not be here next Sunday, which means… DUN DUN DUN! you have to wait! I'll post the news up in my profile sometime during the middle of this week, in case you'd like to check out the deal there.)
This particular chapter took me a while, but it was strange because once I got in the mood to write, I wrote several pages at a time. Then I'd take a month-long break… and come back with several more pages. Oh, the insanity of it all… Regardless, I hope you enjoy!
The Brute
Chapter Nine
"Let's throw a party!" Bulma shouted, wrapping Kakarroto up in her arms as soon as he touched down on his front yard. Kakarroto grinned and hugged her back, picking her off the ground and spinning in a circle. Raditz watched them, his mouth and eyes collectively silent.
"You know, I wouldn't mind that!" he replied, setting her back down and winking at her amongst her laughter. "A party for me! We'll call it the 'Kakarroto's better than everyone else on the planet' party!"
Bulma laughed, nudging him playfully. "Oh, can't do that one buddy. It'd have to be 'better than everyone else but Bulma.'"
"Oh ho ho!" he laughed, squatting down and swiftly scooping her up in his arms. She squealed with delight. "And what gives you that idea, huh?"
Raditz watched the two of them enjoy each other and cuddle for several more seconds before turning and heading towards the house. Kakarroto followed him, Bulma still in his arms and the two of them laughing ridiculously like little children. They stepped inside easily as the door was still missing. Chi-Chi was cleaning up the kitchen robotically; Bardock was in a seat at the kitchen table, scratching his back.
"Well, what do you say?" Bulma asked everyone, steadying herself back on the ground. "Let's throw a party for Kakarroto! I mean, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing! Heck, it's a once-in-a-millennium thing!" She grinned around at everyone, Kakarroto beaming at her pride in him. "I mean, how often does a third-class beat a super elite?! I'm starting to wonder: does Vegetasei's caste system have some faults in it?" She laughed.
A glass slipped out of Chi-Chi's hands and shattered at her feet. Bardock jumped out of his seat at the sound. But instead of being upset at the broken glass, Chi-Chi spun around and faced Bulma, the pallor in her face starting to get blotches of red from fury. "Watch it Bulma!" she spat. "One more blasphemy like that and I will report you to the palace, no questions asked!"
Bulma looked at her, incredulous anger spreading on her face. Nobody said anything for several tangible seconds, however. Kakarroto started to get angry at Chi-Chi too, before he noticed the strange look of pain on Raditz's face. Reminded of his and Prince Vegeta's conversation, he felt a strange twang of emotion in his chest and let his anger slip away. Raditz stepped towards Chi-Chi.
"Here beloved, let me help you with that," he said softly, bending over and picking up pieces of glass at her feet. Chi-Chi's face softened when she looked at him.
"Oh… oh Raditz you don't have to do that," she mumbled, helping him pick everything up. They watched the pair before Bardock cleared his throat and sat back down at the table.
Bulma went back to smiling. "So what do you say everyone? Shall I call up all of your friends right now? Let's celebrate!"
"I don't think so," Bardock mumbled under an exhale, running his hand through his hair. He smiled apologetically. "Just too busy today. Don't think I'll be up for it…"
Kakarroto blinked at him. "What?" he said. Bardock watched him. "What do you mean—you're not going to be doing anything today Daddy."
Bulma blinked, noting that that was the first time she'd ever heard Kakarroto call his father such an intimate term. Bardock gave him a hard look. "Of course I am son. I've got to replace the door you knocked down earlier today. And after all that's happened today, I just don't feel up to it."
Kakarroto felt nauseated. He was too hurt to be angry. "But—" he mumbled, "—but aren't you proud of me Bardock?" The honesty in his question shocked everyone. Raditz and Chi-Chi stopped what they were doing and looked at him. "Aren't you proud of what I've done? You've got a rarity standing before you. You've… you've got a success. You threw a party for Raditz when he came home. Why won't you do the same for me? Damn it, Bardock, what makes Raditz so radically different from me that you must shower him with affection and drop me like I was something useless and dead?"
Bardock scowled. "Quit making stuff up, son, just because I can't be torn away today! I'm pleased with your win, and you know I am. You've got no right to sprout these lies—"
"Yet what right do you have to ignore me like you do?" Kakarroto barked back, his eyes just starting to flame up. "Your gaze is so fixed on Raditz that I couldn't possibly get your attention, even if I were to cover your eyes with my hands! What right do you think you have? Why do you do it Bardock?!"
"And you, son, have no right to talk back to me!" Bardock spat back, standing up. "I will not entertain your immature lies! I will not have a party for you today and that is that!"
Silence echoed after his words. Kakarroto was past disbelief—in fact, he was very capable of believing what he was hearing because he'd grown to expect it. He didn't even know why he continued to bother.
His stomach churning unpleasantly, Kakarroto slowly turned to Bulma. "Well my dear," he said, "I believe it will be just you and me tonight."
"Don't worry Kakarroto," Bulma reassured him firmly, giving Bardock a very angry and incredulous look, "I'll throw a party for you and invite everyone. It'll be the best party ever! Come on, we'll celebrate down at the bar where we first met!" And holding his arm securely in her hands, she led him out the gap in the doorframe, shooting the entire family behind her very nasty glares.
Raditz and Chi-Chi stood up and threw the pieces of the broken glass into the trash.
Kakarroto's party was one that South Wing hadn't seen in a long, long time. Bulma was true to her word, inviting everyone she knew and everyone she didn't. Practically every third and second class showed up, as well as a good number of first class Sayians, eager to see exactly who it was that had defeated Elite Superior Nappa. Several of Kakarroto's former acquaintances showed up at his side, stroking his arm and tempting him. He firmly denied their advances, however, and told them to "bewitch someone else with their whorish selves."
Bulma stayed by Kakarroto's side as much as she could that night, and he to her. There was something in Bulma's eyes that made her so much prettier than Kakarroto had ever seen her before. She looked like an absolute goddess, and, thinking over all the things he'd done with other women and how he had tried to use her, he felt extremely ashamed. He was mortified with himself and wondered how he could have ever done such a thing to her. He wished he could ask for her forgiveness, but he decided that a party held in his honor just wasn't the appropriate place. Besides, he didn't know where he would begin anyway.
It was in the wee hours of the morning when Kakarroto and Bulma glided back home in each other's arms. They were exhausted and hardly said a word to each other, yet their peace was a calm one. Now is the perfect time, Kakarroto thought to himself, smelling the wonderful scent of Bulma's hair. I should say it now. Now would be perfect.
He just couldn't bring himself to do it.
The couple landed in front of the chipped and weary looking house of Bardock. The door was still missing, and from what Kakarroto could see, there wasn't a replacement door anywhere in sight. But Kakarroto didn't care; at the moment, his life was perfect with Bulma in his arms, under the shine of the stars.
Bulma, however, was going to pick up the slack of her lover's anger. "I just can't believe it," she mumbled darkly, looking at the door and shaking her head. "I would have never thought from first glance that your family could be so cruel to you. But then again, Raditz and Bardock both like Chi-Chi, and she isn't…" Bulma trailed off; something inside of her hindered her saying anything more.
Kakarroto didn't know what to say. "Yea," he finally mumbled back.
"It's just so… so… disgusting," Bulma prodded on darkly, starting to tremble from emotion. "I don't know how they can do it to you. Why do they do it to you? This abuse is absolutely incomprehensible! They should be ashamed to call themselves relatives of yours!"
They are, Kakarroto thought.
"You, who are so smart and skilled! You, who are such a brilliant and powerful fighter! You, who are so absolutely… absolutely wonderful! How can they possibly claim any blood relation to you?!"
I'm not nearly that great, Kakarroto thought with a sickening feeling. He hated himself for giving Bulma such a false impression.
She turned and looked at him earnestly, her large blue eyes sparkling from the stars. "Kakarroto, why don't you move out? Have you never thought of it? I could come and live with you! Oh, it would be so very wonderful, and with your strength, we'd surely be well off!"
The idea was romantic, and Kakarroto thought of it with longing. Why had he never moved out before? Why had he stayed with his father for so long? Perhaps he had wanted something from his father? But Kakarroto couldn't think of any idea as to what it could be. It didn't matter, he concluded, because he didn't want it—or didn't need it—any longer.
The longer he thought about it, the less romantic and more tangible the fantasy became. He finally grinned down at her. "That's a great idea, Bulma!" he whispered happily, squeezing her arms gently. "I'll let everyone else know tomorrow, and we'll start packing! Hopefully we can be out of here in a couple of days. There's a favorite hideout of mine on the other side of South Wing that I think would be perfect! It won't take long at all to build us a home, and—"
Bulma's giggle of ecstasy cut him short. He grinned and picked her up, spinning her around several times. Her laughter's echo was soft. "That sounds wonderful! I'll start packing tonight!"
He laughed back. "Oh, let's not worry about that now. We need some sleep! We'll worry about packing up tomorrow."
"Yes, but still," she whispered impishly, squirming out of his grasp and trotting towards the front door. Kakarroto laughed and ran after her, the two Sayians crashing into the kitchen like children. They giggled and tiptoed into the living room, holding each other to keep from laughing.
Raditz was lying on the living room couch, fast asleep, snoring and grunting. Bulma snickered.
"Kinda sad, isn't it?" she whispered quietly to Kakarroto. But, as Kakarroto watched, he thought of Chi-Chi and how true that statement really was. He looked at Bulma after several long moments and motioned for her to go ahead to his room.
"I'll be there in just a second," he assured, smiling. She smiled back, whispered that she would be waiting, and tiptoed off.
Kakarroto looked at his brother and, for the first time in his life, forgot all past wrongs his brother had done to him. He watched Raditz's foot kick, his tail twitch and heard the soft sighs of irritated moans in pity. He wondered what it must be like for Raditz, knowing that his lover was left for such a short amount of time. He wondered if that's what it felt like to so many third-class males that he had stolen mates from. He wondered if he'd ever have to feel the same way and shuddered. He had been awful, he concluded. Awful and rotten to the core. Kakarroto felt fleetingly that perhaps he had deserved all he had been served by his brother and father and so many other members of his society.
It occurred to him then, suddenly, that Chi-Chi still didn't know. He wondered if she did know, and he wondered if, in case she didn't, he should tell her. Kakarroto frowned, looking at his sleeping brother on the couch, and decided he probably should. Even if Chi-Chi didn't have anywhere to run in Vegetasei, she could certainly cherish her last few hours with her true lover. Spending their last night together in separate rooms just didn't seem right to Kakarroto.
So, fearing that his brother would tell Prince Vegeta if he found out that he had been eavesdropping on their conversation, Kakarroto turned and tiptoed towards Raditz's bedroom. Somehow, telling Chi-Chi just seemed like a safer option. He hesitated at the doorknob, looked down the hall and gently turned it, creaking the door forward. Kakarroto peeped inside.
Starlight fell in through the window and caressed Chi-Chi's lonely form. Kakarroto viewed her in her bed, sleeping in comfortable attire, and felt guilty. He had wanted to see her like this, and in much less than this, many times before. He again cursed his past lust and crept further inside.
The house felt eerily silent as he tiptoed to the bed. He stood at the foot of it, watching her sleep peacefully, wondering if he should really do this. He didn't know what was best. Raditz obviously thought it was best if she didn't know, but he could very well be in a state of denial. Kakarroto had experienced those before, and knew how powerful they were. But tomorrow, would Chi-Chi regret not having known, realizing she could have spent more time with her lover?
Kakarroto wasn't sure, but he was sure that he would feel extremely ridden with guilt if he didn't tell her now.
Deciding this, he tiptoed just a few steps closer, his shadow blocking the starlight and throwing Chi-Chi's face into darkness. He lowered himself to the edge of her bed and sat, but still she did not wake.
"Chi-Chi?" he whispered. She made no sign at all that she had heard him. "Chi-Chi? Chi-Chi? Witch of death? Inflictor of pain? Meany head?"
Chi-Chi snorted in her sleep and swallowed, smacking her lips peacefully. Kakarroto contained his snicker, mentally telling himself to be serious, because this was a serious issue. His expression became solemn and his laugh was chased away. He lowered his hand gently to her shoulder.
"Chi-Chi?" he whispered again, nudging it. Her eyes shot open. Kakarroto wondered briefly if he had startled her, but a couple seconds more observation told him that he hadn't. She winked sleepily at him.
"Kakarroto?" she questioned softly, wondering if what she was seeing was a dream. He nodded.
"Yea, it's me."
"What are you doing here?" she asked louder, sitting up in bed. Now that she moved out of his shadow, her expression could be perfectly distinguished, and he noted her look of curiosity and terror.
"Shhh," he hushed softly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you or do anything of the sort. I just want to tell you something."
"What do you mean?" she mumbled back sleepily, holding her head as if she had a headache.
"I mean that I want to tell you something important, something about you and Raditz." If he had thought her interest would peak up at this, he was mistaken. Her expression didn't change. If anything, it relaxed more.
"Don't worry Kakarroto, I know," she mumbled back. He blinked incredulously.
"You mean… you know? And he's still sleeping on the couch?"
"Of course!" she mumbled back bitterly, sitting up even further and removing her hand from her head. "You should know your brother better than that. He's too arrogant to apologize. I know he may feel sorry, but that doesn't account for anything. I want him to apologize to me, and only in the morning. I don't want to deal with any of it now, so good night."
She made to slip back under the covers, but Kakarroto pressed on. "What the heck are you talking about?"
She gave him a look. "What are you talking about?"
"Something totally different, it seems. Explain what you said to me first."
Chi-Chi eyed him in the dark. Kakarroto was sure that with his back to the starlight, it was hard for her to see his face. "Raditz and I had a fight today, so I made him sleep on the couch."
"What about?"
She seemed more than ready to explain, as if she had formerly screamed her story to the wall, but she now needed something that would respond. "Well, we were talking in the kitchen earlier today, and Bardock said he was going to bed, right? It was really early in the day, too, the lazy bum. And he still hadn't done a thing to get a new door for the doorframe! So I told Raditz that he should tell his Dad to fix the door before nightfall tonight. I didn't even say it in a mean way, you know, I just sort of suggested! But Raditz got all defensive about his father and told me that it was his house and that he could do whatever he wanted. So then I told him that I refused to sleep in a house that wasn't at least halfway taken care of, and he asked me if I'd like to sleep outside, then. After that we said some more words… But I eventually told him that I wasn't going to be the one to sleep outside, he was, and went into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. He didn't even try to come in." She looked down at the sheets. "Though he could have, if he wanted too. He's much stronger than me."
Kakarroto stared at her. That was the reason they weren't spending the night together? But it was so stupid, so very pointless! How could they be so petty that they should barricade their channel of love with a ridiculous argument? How dare Raditz, moreover, because he knew things that she did not! He scowled, determined more than ever to set things right.
"What are you giving me that look for?" she grumbled at his sour face. "I'm not to blame for any of this! And our fight is no business of yours, anyway!"
"Chi-Chi, I don't care about any ill will between you and Raditz!" he spat but, a second later, realized it wasn't true. What was he doing in her room if he didn't care?
Chi-Chi seemed to be thinking along similar lines. "Why are you in here anyway? Get out!"
"I've got to tell you something!"
"Then what is it?!"
Kakarroto took a deep breath and decided to start from the beginning, as it would make no sense to her if he spat it out alone. "You know earlier today, after my fight, when I went to look for Raditz?"
"Yea?" she answered slowly. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "He wasn't with another female, was he?"
"What? No!" Kakarroto replied, waving her paranoia off. "Of course not! He was with Prince Vegeta, like you told me."
"Oh…"
"But when I stumbled upon them, they didn't see me, because I was behind some plants in the palace garden. I was going to speak up, but—" Kakarroto paused uncertainly. He sounded like a skulking snoop "—but I overheard what Raditz and Prince Vegeta were talking about, and something kept me from saying anything."
There was a pause. He wanted Chi-Chi to get over that look before he pressed on. "You were spying on them?" she whispered, as if it was a crime so terrible that it didn't deserve her full volume.
"Well… I guess so, yea. But not intentionally! Anyway, that's not the point! The point is what they were talking about! And it seems that Prince Vegeta has a crush on you!"
Chi-Chi stared. Wow, that came out flat, Kakarroto thought.
"You… are a fool," she said with a certainty that almost made Kakarroto flick her nose.
"No! Listen to me! Seriously, it seems that all this time, Prince Vegeta has supposedly been looking for a mate!" he said, putting the garden conversation and the conversation between Raditz and the palace guard together. "It makes sense! But it seems that Prince Vegeta has chosen you! He must have spotted you during my match and wanted you!"
"You are crazy!" Chi-Chi hissed, her brows starting to furrow in anger. Kakarroto could have hissed back. He was doing this as a favor for crying out loud! He didn't need her to bark back in his face!
"Stop denying my claims and think about it! It makes sense, doesn't it? It makes sense why Prince Vegeta would speak to Raditz about it, and why he'd speak about it then. He's obviously never seen you before, but he said he thought you were beautiful and magnificent, or something like that… But what's more is that he's ordered Elite Superior Nappa to come and take you to his palace tomorrow! He must have given Raditz a head's up so that Raditz didn't beat the snot out of Elite Superior Nappa when he arrived!"
Chi-Chi's eyes searched his while he paused. She finally swallowed. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked, her voice steady and still not fully believing. "This isn't some kind of joke, is it? Raditz sent you to tell me this, didn't he?"
Kakarroto was about ready to cuss up a storm. "Raditz is snoring on the couch asleep! Cause, you know, people don't normally snore unless they're asleep! Can't you hear it?"
"That's your father snoring!"
"It is not!" Kakarroto nearly shouted. He checked himself, forced himself to lower his voice, and continued. "Look, if you want proof, just trot out there and see for yourself! He's still on the couch! I promise you!"
Chi-Chi was stubborn. She shoved the covers off of her legs and marched over to her bedroom door, grumbling the entire time. Kakarroto waited as she stepped out of her room for a second or two and then came back with a questioning face.
"If this is true," she said slowly, shutting the door. "If this is—no, it couldn't be true."
"But it is!" Kakarroto said, standing up from her bed, watching her as she climbed back under the covers. "I promise you it is!"
"Then why would you be telling me this?" she spat.
"Because it just doesn't seem right for you two to spend your last night separated!"
"Why would you care anyway? You hate Raditz, and he hates you!"
Kakarroto opened his mouth and paused. "I don't really know why," he mumbled. "I thought… I thought about doing this, that's all."
"So you just wanted to do it for the thrill of it?" she asked, an eyebrow quirked and her words coated with disbelief. She groaned, shook her head and smoothed out the wrinkles in her bed sheets that Kakarroto's weight had caused.
Kakarroto was fuming. "You know what? Maybe I did do it for the thrill of it!"
"Admit it, you just did it because you wanted to see me sleeping!"
"I could have seen you sleeping without telling your all this!"
"Well you're just a third-class Sayian. How am I supposed to know the method behind your madness?"
The Sayian sighed and headed for her door, resolving on his situation's uselessness. "You know what? Believe what you want to believe. At least I won't feel guilty tomorrow morning when you're sobbing about not having seen Raditz as much as you could. I might even pay Elite Superior Nappa to take you away without so much as a goodbye to Raditz!"
Chi-Chi didn't respond, making Kakarroto even more frustrated. He made sure to shut her door quietly, however, just to save himself the torment of an aroused Bardock.
Bulma was going through her belongings on Kakarroto's bed when he entered his room. She looked up at him. "That took a while. What were you doing?"
"Toilet," he lied shortly, grinning at her. His anger was melting away at the sight of her anticipation. "And just what are you doing?"
"Deciding how to most efficiently pack my belongings," she cooed back, winking at him. "But now that you're here, I've an idea much more entertaining than this."
He kicked his shoes off, removing his weights and placing them on his dresser. "Oh yes?" he chortled back. "And what would that be?"
Bulma giggled and tugged at him before he could remove anything else.
Kakarroto sighed, the pitch dark draping his bedroom. He looked up at his ceiling to see that it appeared no different than the area his eyes had rested before. A cloud had passed overhead and was sitting in place, taking its time as it wondered where to drift off to next.
He listened as Bulma turned over in bed. They were both hot and tired, so Kakarroto was very grateful when she accidentally kicked the comforter off of him in addition to herself. He listened to her breath; within five minutes it grew steady and calm. He smiled.
Her tail was intertwined with his. He sighed again, a friendly warmth swelling in his chest. He really liked Bulma, he mused. Perhaps he even loved her. It was a foreign word to his mind, and he found himself slightly intimidated by the thought. At the same time, however, he was filled with a giddy excitement and joy, marveling at how it could be possible.
And yet… that was precisely the point, he reasoned somberly. He didn't love her. He couldn't. Love wasn't associated with treating its partner like Kakarroto had treated her. He lowered his eyes in shame, though the scenery did not change. I may be starting to love her now, he pondered slowly, but I haven't done nearly enough for her for me to say otherwise.
Kakarroto thought about Bulma in sudden reverence. Her heart was moving him. He looked back over so many things he'd done in their short relationship and wondered why she hadn't left him sooner. He certainly wasn't worth the pain he'd caused. He had won her over because he had murdered someone. How completely absent had his heart been? And yet… he hesitated with that thought. Perhaps she had changed too. Perhaps… perhaps… There were so many possibilities, but he couldn't rule for or rule out any of them, for it was far too soon. He'd only been with Bulma for a couple of days, after all.
And yet so much had occurred in a couple of days that it was hard for his mind to grasp it all. He must have gotten lost amongst every fight, emotion and revelation, because he himself did not know where he now stood. It was scary—almost threatening, and yet he loved it. He loved this thrill that life was feeding him, and as he lay there in bed amongst the dark, he felt nearly content.
He paused his train of thought, merely sitting in the dark and in his satisfaction. The cloud above decided to move on out, and he found that his room became visible again. He looked at Bulma, blue locks of hair cascading over her pillow. Kakarroto smiled and picked up couple strands, marveling in the rarity of their color. He dropped them and watched them sink back to the soft pillow beneath her head.
Now that he had time to think and his mind was wandering freely, he found his thoughts trailing back to his fight with Brocc, the battle with the outcome that made him terribly ill. Again he wondered why it was. It was most peculiar to him, and with the new feeling he'd gained in only the last couple of hours, he didn't regret the emotions that tightened his stomach. Now he just wanted to know why. He hadn't met Bulma prior to the fight. He hadn't yet had an emotionally changing experience. So why—
Out of nowhere a thought occurred to him. During his fight, he had pictured Brocc to be Raditz, hadn't he? He had felt his anger rising to an uncontrollable peak because of it, too. Did this, perhaps, have something to do with it? Did the fact that he had mentally murdered own flesh and blood have anything to do with the feelings he felt afterwards? The disgust? The shock?
The fear?
Kakarroto swallowed, irritated that his former satisfaction was melting away just because he was thinking. He scowled and turned over on his side, draping an arm over Bulma. He buried his nose in her hair and closed his eyes, determined to at least try and recapture the happy moment. His exhaustion from the day was catching up with him, and he felt very sleepy. He was soon forgetting all thoughts of Raditz and Brocc, enamored with the weight on his eyes and the smell of Bulma's hair.
The day had been so very magical. He could only wonder what tomorrow would bring…
---
FINALLY Kakarroto's getting some feelings. He may not be his goofy self, but it feels pretty good to finally write about him as a good guy, at least. I was getting sick and tired of having a rotten main character. ;)
And does that answer some former questions about the whole Brocc fight? Or… did that just confuse you more? Lol. Annnnd, did you guys SEE the metaphor with the broken glass?! Did you see?! DID YOU SEE?! :D
Lol, only reviews will tell… And please do tell! With lots of love, I wish you farewell until the next chapter!
Pudgoose