What the hell am I doing?
Vegeta snarled to himself as he had allowed the blue-haired woman to drag him inside with no resistance, if not for his own selfish satisfaction of watching the scar-faced weakling's mortified expression of jealousy, then also for his own curious inclinations. Her small hand clutched just three of his fingers. He felt the warmth through his glove and sucked air through his teeth in a hiss, pulling his hand away.
"Don't drag me around like a damned mongrel, woman, I may be slightly singed, but my legs still work!" Vegeta snapped, hardening his features. He tore his gaze from hers coldly, biting his cheek in determination to disregard her blatant affections before they became too much for him to resist.
Bulma's hand hung in mid air, her expression going slack with her confusion. "Vegeta..? I'm taking you to the medical wing, we have medicine that can help you heal faster... can't you be a little more grateful?" She asked, pouting.
Vegeta snorted in disbelief.
"I can heal fine on my own, and infections normally go away within a few hours.." He mumbled, catching his mistake as she tugged on his hand again with renewed determination.
"Bullcrap! Yeah, ok, let's just let your wounds fester! I mean really, what kind of backwards logic is that?! Now, come. ON!" Bulma growled, pulling harder on his fingers until she was red in the face, using the rug for leverage, her bare feet skidding on the plush surface.
Vegeta felt a smile trying to creep its way onto his features and turned briskly towards the medical wing with a surprised gasp from Bulma who followed behind, giggling to herself softly. She raced past him, looking over her shoulder and narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
What is she doing? Why is everything a race with this woman? Vegeta thought, tugging at the uncomfortable feeling of the armor rubbing at his raw skin.
"You really are in pain, aren't you? Why don't you let me help you?" She insisted, coming closer and placing his arm over her shoulder. He hissed with the movement, feeling the warmth of blood oozing through the fabric of his bodysuit and making its way down his body.
"I'm fine, some little three-eyed Gemini freak isn't going to best me. I crushed his balls fucking flat to the ground for that.."
Bulma's eyes widened and she looked astounded by his words.
"What? What on Earth are you talking about!?" She asked incredulously, wondering which was more off, what he called the person, or what he apparently did to them...Vegeta sighed, eyeing the woman from his peripheral as they went through the door and she assisted him into the darkened room, switching on the fluorescent lights.
Bulma didn't want to call in the family doctor right now, even though they'd be there in just minutes. She was apprehensive of how Vegeta would react to strangers poking and prodding him with needles. She knew how frightened Goku was of them, and she wasn't sure if it was just a Saiyan thing or Goku's own oddity; he was vastly different from Vegeta even if they were the same kind.
Bulma turned around and crossed her arms, lowering her head. "Can you get undressed, Vegeta? There's a shower here specifically for this type of thing.. " she said with a quiver, peeking over her shoulder. He'd already taken off the armor and was picking at the blue fabric that was melted to his flesh, grumbling.
"Oh m-my.. kami, what the hell happened to you?!" Bulma nearly screamed, feeling her gorge rise as she covered her mouth with both hands and her eyes explored his exposed flesh that was not only bare, but the entire layer of epidermis was burned away, leaving only his reddened muscle that was blackened and raw, with blood trickling in the areas that weren't cooked until dry and cracked.
"I got burnt, isn't it obvious? Are you sure you're capable of treating my wounds..?" Vegeta responded, peeling away a strip of skin along with the bloodied fabric and looking at her questioningly.
Bulma came forward and breathed in short gasps, her eyes widening at the streams of trickling blood. Vegeta stared at her, puzzled, the fabric still held loosely in his hand. Bulma fell forward and sank into the nook of his elbow weakly. Vegeta looked down and held his hands out awkwardly, not knowing what to do next.
"Wake up, woman!" He said, going to shove her away, then observing how her eyes were half lidded, the pupils slowly floating backward. He sighed with annoyance. How the hell can you take care of me, when you yourself are barely conscious?
"Foolish woman, what have you done now?" He grumbled, and eased her head onto his lap, his eye twitching as he shook her by the shoulder, causing her head to bob lifelessly. Vegeta growled and pulled her onto the bed, rolling her on her side. He sat waiting for her to make some type of movement, anything, before he had to take more drastic measures.
"Out again, eh? Poor thing... " A voice murmured, and the stifling scent of burning tobacco came from the small man's mouth as he opened the door and eyed the sight. Vegeta snorted out the scent and stood.
"You know the drill, young man." Dr. Briefs said, turning his line of vision away from him and resting two fingers on Bulma's throat as he took her pulse. Vegeta undressed, remembering the old man's insistence to check him thoroughly for injury.
"Seeing as you're badly wounded, I'm guessing she passed out from seeing all that blood. Bulma's always been deathly afraid of blood... " The purple haired man murmured as Vegeta tore the remaining scraps of clothing off and went into the small shower, tugging on the cord labeled "Burn Care" with an illustration of a stick figure on fire on the wall that told him its purpose. He let the cool water rush over him, carefully moving his hands over himself as he could still hear the man's murmurs outside the door.
"Just get some rest, sweetie.. I'll take care of your friend here.. you'll both be good as new in no time.."
Vegeta closed his eyes and sighed as the aloe vera treated water soothed the burns; some of the redness calmed as he allowed himself the Earthling luxury that cooled his hot flesh.
"..Wish there was a cure for this, Bulma, but you can't take any more medicine tonight.. If I could, I'd get you off the stuff, but I'm afraid that's just too risky if you have another attack like that..."
Vegeta grabbed the towel off the nearby hook and wrapped it around his waist, stepping out of the shower and sneering.
"Enough with all this 'medicine' talk, all you Earthlings rely on are pills and potions to cure every ailment, where I'm from there was no need for such a thing. If what she has is a mental limitation, leave it to me. She will no longer be terrified of such a mundane thing as blood."
Dr. Briefs looked at him curiously, coming forward and rubbing his chin as he observed the slowly healing wounds with a faint sense of awe. He'd seen it before the first time Vegeta was injured, and this time was no different. It was amazing.
"Are... uh, are you educated in psychology...?" He asked, tearing his eyes from the magical sight.
"If anyone is, I suppose it would be me." He said offhandedly with a shrug, eyeing the still form on the bed with frustration.
"...Well, if you say so, I'm no stranger to a little impromptu science experiment... But this is my daughter's mental health we're talking about..." Dr. Briefs shifted his eyes back and forth beneath the thick glass of his spectacles and ushered Vegeta into the adjacent room carefully, then shut the door behind him silently and whispered, "If I replace her antidepressants with placebos, she won't know the difference.. I'll slowly wean her off, but I'll need your full assistance if we're going to do this. She cannot end up in the hospital again, my boy..."
Vegeta nodded and sat down on the bed as the old man squeezed out ointment and rubbed it over his chest and back with a gloved hand. Vegeta furrowed his brows in disgust. I would have rather had her do this part… He sighed and allowed the treatment. He knew that their medicine was rudimentary at best, but it did seem to aid the healing process and make it go by even faster, which he wasn't complaining about.
"If you really think you can help, you have to promise not to leave Bulma alone like she was today when that dirty rascal Yamcha took advantage of her when she was all doped up. I'd like to rip him a new one but I know Bulma and her mother wouldn't like that..."
Vegeta's hand clenched the sheets and he ground his teeth together, not feeling the soft sensation as the old man wrapped him carefully with gauze; instead his eyes stared far off, watching the small form through the window in the door. He was sworn to protect her from all harm. In his sworn oath, although it was never directly stated, it implied that that meant harm of a mental condition as well.
Not only that, but also, to protect the princess from defilement before it was her time to bear an heir... the idea of that pathetic earthling taking her body, when she had clearly sent him the signal that it was none other than he himself she desired, in some foolish fleeting fancy. Vegeta scoffed, rubbing his tired eyes as the old man worked on him.
He couldn't understand why she would respond to him in such a way. When she had, he found himself feeling extremely cocky with the exciting knowledge; looking back, he felt...ashamed. Vegeta loathed himself, just looking at his reflection reminded him of his father, of his dead race and his failure to see all Frieza's lies for what they truly were sooner.
His bloodline ended with the death of his planet, and it would stay dead once the last of them were gone. He had taken not one female, not even to play with as an appetizer in all his travels through space. Raditz liked to flaunt his acquisitions in his face, even going in full detail to describe the slanderous acts to him, to his displeasure. That had only made him abhor the idea furthermore.
He wouldn't take her as well and allow her to make such a rash decision, only to be heartbroken when her newborn child was slaughtered before her very eyes. The idea was tempting... he'd almost given in before with that delicious kiss, but he would control himself this time.
"Well, Vegeta? What do you say, will you do it, will you help cure Bulma? I'm trusting you won't do anything amiss like Yamcha did. I do believe that would go against your code of honor..." Dr. Briefs said hopefully, as he fastened the last suture on the gauze.
"I will assist her and keep her from all harm. You have my word. If I swear myself to another, I will not go back on my word. I will protect my ward to the best of my ability, from death, illness, harm, or malcontent; I am honor bound to my pride as a Saiyan to never fail my chosen ward." Vegeta responded sternly, feeling the red tendrils of rage blossom at the spoken name of her assailant.
Dr. Briefs took this all in with a nod, then wiped Vegeta's bicep with an alcohol pad.
"That's… good. Now, just to be safe, have you ever had a tetanus shot...?" Dr. Briefs asked, explaining its purpose to Vegeta then giving the plunger of a needle a test pump. Vegeta shook his head, no. He wasn't at all paranoid that this harmless little old man was going to inject him with poison. He would recognize the scent and sting if it were. He watched the needle enter his flesh painlessly as Dr. Briefs poked him in a stealthy move that was just as swift as it was effective.
"Hn.." Vegeta seemed distracted as Dr. Briefs placed a bandaid on his arm and patted it.
"You handled that much better than Goku. Hmm, while we're at it you know..." He intoned suggestively, tapping his chin and looking to the cupboard stocked with all the necessary shots, and even rare, sought after immunizations for incurable diseases they had the good fortune to have on hand. Little did he know, Vegeta's body would quickly become immune to any Earth viruses he encountered; otherworldly ones could possibly be of concern, but he had lived through many ailments up until now without any serious complications.
"That will be all, old man." Vegeta stated, then stood abruptly, going through the door and to the hospital bed where Bulma laid. He picked her up easily in his arms and carried her out of the room, ignoring the man's surprise as he shouldered open the door and carried her away from the heavy scent of medicine, of blood and sickness that disgusted him, taking her upstairs to her bedroom.
Vegeta paused at the door, peering through the cracked opening as the blonde matron inside shuffled around quickly, cleaning the room. Everything smelt awful; the heavy scent of sweat and shame that Yamcha had left made him grimace as the woman's feeble-minded mother picked up a bundle of sheets in her arms and approached the door, humming with her eyes closed.
Vegeta cringed back and quickly took off to his own pristine room, closing the door behind him softly and laying her carefully on the bed. She rolled over as she settled in, softly mumbling and rubbing her exposed arms prickling with goosebumps. Vegeta turned his back to her, sitting cross-legged on the floor, observing the rain drops meandering on the window pane. He allowed the heat from his body to radiate, then heard her breaths soften. Listening to the soft sound of her breathing and the pattering of rain, he closed his eyes. As he relaxed, Vegeta answered her with a low rumbling purr in his chest, falling into a meditative calm that would allow him to rest, yet also be on the alert for any intruders that dared to go after his ward.
The dark cave that Gohan had burrowed himself inside was warm and close around his balled-up form as he dreamed, and thinking fondly of his family, he smiled in his sleep.
"Now, let's dig in!" His mommy said, opening up a large picnic basket. He looked to his daddy and Uncle Raditz as they dug in, pulling out a giant sub sandwich that was wider than all of their mouths combined.
"I get first dibs!" Uncle Raditz said as he sunk his teeth in the end and shook his head, tearing off a large piece. Goku smiled down at him and split the sandwich in three quarters, one for him, Gohan and Chi-Chi.
"Here you go, eat up!" He said, and Gohan munched into his piece happily.
"This is yummy! I wish we could do this all the time!" He said chipperly, biting down into his sandwich.
His stomach growled so loudly it woke him up, or, at least he thought it was his stomach. Gohan had eaten his share of lizards and cactuses he found in the wasteland; it didn't taste very good, but it was better than nothing. Little Gohan rubbed his eyes wearily and opened them to see a large pair of yellow eyes gazing at him and screamed in fear when he heard the low rumble of a saber-tooth tiger.
"Oh no! It really wasn't my stomach all this time, it must have been you growling mister tiger!" He cried out, backing away, but he was trapped against the wall as the tiger crept closer, its long yellow fangs dripping with saliva as it swiped its pink tongue across them.
"I'll leave your cave! I'm really sorry, I didn't know that this was your home!' He said, holding both hands out in fear. Gohan stumbled backwards, and felt something warm by his ankle, then heard a tiny mewl. He looked down and saw three tiny bundles of golden fur and gasped.
"These must be your babies. I guess that means you're a mommy tiger... "
The saber-tooth growled and crept closer, its large paws padding on the ground, the deadly claws clicking the smooth stone surface of the burrow. Gohan trembled, holding his arms out protectively around the kittens.
"I promise I'm not here to hurt your kittens! I was just cold and came in here to get some sleep!" Feeling guilty, he curled his tail around his waist and clutched it in his hands, wringing it nervously. The tiger eyed the tail curiously and watched, then stepped forward and nudged him with her large, wet nose.
"Hehe! That feels funny!" He giggled, wiping his cheek.
The tiger purred loudly and nudged him again, knocking him down onto his back. She turned and dragged over the carcass of a deer, freshly killed by the look of the blood pumping out. The kittens awoke to the smell and eagerly ran and started tearing into the meat savagely, purring and kneading their paws in the flesh as they dined. The mother cat took the back leg of the deer in her jaws and tore it free easily, setting it down in front of Gohan, then relaxing and licking the blood from her paws.
"Um... you want me.. to eat this? It's raw..." Gohan said cautiously, sniffing at the oddly tantalizing scent of fresh blood. He pushed the leg away with a toe and shivered as the mother cat looked up and growled, nudging the leg back with her snout. Gohan felt the saliva filling his mouth and rubbed his stomach, looking down at the meat in question.
"I suppose...food is food. It probably tastes better than those nasty lizards." He said, shrugging, and picked up the leg, easily tearing away the fur and looking at the glistening red meat. He licked his lips and sunk his teeth into the flesh, feeling a burst of flavor in his mouth as he bit off a large chunk and chewed.
"Hey! This is yummy!" He enthused, and began biting in ferociously, tearing the flesh away and splattering his cheeks with blood as he consumed it.
Raditz gazed up at the bright orb of light, feeling his heart rate increasing as his blood began to pump furiously through his veins. As the change began to overtake him, he roared and his teeth became large and sharp. His hair bristled on his body and began to thicken as he growled, feeling the Ōozaru form take him over at last.
Tien looked on in amazed terror as Raditz became even larger; he backed away slowly and prepared himself as his form grew and expanded until he was nearly as tall as the artificial moon in the sky. Raditz roared and pounded his fists on his breast, the Dodon Ray's entry wound now only a small pinprick in his massive form. Raditz turned, lowering his muzzle to look down on Tien.
"Now you can witness the great power of the Ōozaru. Look upon me and cower Shinhan. You have met your end." Raditz spoke with a red glow emanating from between his rows of deadly fangs, growling with an unearthly rumble that shook the earth as he stomped one foot on the ground before him. Tien rolled out of the way quickly, and landing on two of his four arms he pushed himself upward and hovered in the air fearlessly.
"Do you think I'm afraid of you just because you're an oversized gorilla? Ha! I haven't even shown you what I can really do with all this power. Thanks to Launch, I'm more than capable of killing you!" Tien shouted, glaring directly into the red eyes before him. He shot multiple ki blasts into the muzzle of the beast, aiming for his eyes or mouth, whichever would give him access to penetrate his brain with the Dodon Ray.
Raditz swatted him away like a fly and Tien fell hard to the ground, feeling one of the bones in his arm shatter as he used it to break his fall. He cried out in pain and snapped off the dangling limb, leaving only a bloodied stump. Tien panted; crawling across the ground, he reached out for Launch to pull more power from her. Raditz saw this and buried Tien into the ground with his fist, a circular concave radiating around the massive knuckles of his beast form.
"You will not take the last of her life! Dare to try it and you DIE." Raditz growled lowly. The booming voice shook the ground and Launch's sleeping form stirred as he pulled back his large hand and observed as Tien slowly struggled to move.
Raditz... he's here... I feel.. his presence… Launch, while in her dream world, stared out the mirror glass, seeing her other self slumped unconscious on the outside.
"Launch!? Launch?!" She cried, pounding her fists on the glass to awaken her, looking on hopelessly at the blonde locks that lay spread out across the blue sand. She felt for the cracks of the invisible door frantically, her nails scratching the glass and creating divots in the metal where it had been scratched many times before.
The faint light of the artificial moon shone in on their dream world, flickering up high in the dark sky. Launch gasped, feeling a pulsating sensation rush throughout her body and spirit in response.
"I have to get out! Now!" She screamed hoarsely, peeling off layers of the mirror desperately with her bleeding fingers.
…
Tien at last got to his feet; clutching his mutilated arm and breathing raggedly from being crushed, he could hear the wheeze in his breath as his ribs threatened to puncture his lungs. He looked up at the great ape gazing down at him curiously with its massive head cocked in question, its large tail squirming and thumping on the ground as if in elated wait for his playmate to return to the battle. The rain came down in torrents and drenched Raditz's fur, turning him into nothing but a black shadow with fiery red eyes before him, licking its sharp teeth.
"You're kind enough to wait for me to stand, are you? What a great show of humanity..." Tien spat venomously, spitting blood on the ground. "Do you have a brain in there at all now, Raditz? Have you allowed yourself to become nothing but a beast like I have?" Tien said in a low grating voice, allowing his trio of eyes to become alight with white fire as Raditz straightened above him, reaching down and grasping him in one hand to better observe him. Tien breathed in and out rapidly in the slowly constricting fist of Raditz, their glowing eyes meeting and glaring at one another with rage.
"I am still coherent." The voice rumbled, with a hot breath blasting past Tien. "My mind does not evade me." Raditz dropped him, tilting back his head and forming a large red orb in the back of his throat. Tien began to run as Raditz lowered his head and began shooting off giant ki blasts from his open mouth, bellowing with each great blast as they struck the ground at Tien's heels, the heat close at his back. Tien took to the air and levitated, evading the orbs as they rushed past him and blew through the forest, shattering trees with loud cracks of splintering wood, pulverizing the ground beneath them.
Raditz slowed his blasts; closing his mouth he got onto his knuckles and approached Tien's levitating form, then growled as he observed the light from his three eyes becoming so bright and blinding it caused him to flinch back, groaning.
Tien pulled all the power he could muster from himself, pouring it all into this one blast. His entire body became surrounded by an intense heat as it became fully aglow and electrified. His body heat rose to a fever pitch as he rotated his remaining arms and moved in the damp of rain, becoming a conductor of electricity as it swelled within him.
"No, Tien! Don't do it! It's too much power!" Chiaotzu screamed from the ground, blasting upwards and floating before Tien. He held his arms out in a show of sacrifice, in his desperate need to stop Tien before his power became too much to handle.
"Get out of the way, Chiaotzu, it's too late to stop me! What's begun cannot be undone!" Tien screamed. He shifted his stance and brought his arms down to form a large ball of golden, electrified light, his eyes blind with rage and full of his overflowing energy as he looked past Chiaotzu and directly at Raditz. The great ape lifted one paw and swatted Chiaotzu to the ground, grumbling as he stood and observed Tien, his red eyes gleaming with the excitement of a challenge.
"Give me all your power, Tien. I am not afraid, I challenge you to try and mar my perfect form." Raditz roared, straightening onto two legs and grinning with his long teeth confidently.
She heard him, Launch realized. That voice, although altered, was her Raditz, who was ready to take every last drop of energy from Tien's final attack and bear it all. "No! Raditz! Can't you feel how strong he is?! It's overflowing! His power is so massive, if it hits our planet it will explode!" She screamed in terror, now she was pounding furiously on the glass, screaming incoherently until her voice was hoarse and raspy, until at last she felt a crack under her fist.
Launch pulled back her hand with a soft gasp and watched as the shattered glass fell away from her hand, noticing how her fingernails had become long and sharp. She shuddered; clutching her hand into a fist, Launch easily broke the mirror, falling to her knees as the mirror gave way fully and she was free. Launch looked to her other form on the ground and rolled her over, observing the blonde's sharp features which had softened in her unconscious state. She placed one hand on her other self's forehead and felt the heat radiating there, then pulled back and sighed with relief.
"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I really need to be out there and not you." She whispered, and picked up her other self and placed her carefully on the other side of the wall, even though the glass was broken. Then she turned, and gazed up at the sky, at the pulsating light of the moon that seemed to light her way out of the dream world as she stepped up the stairway that led to her consciousness.
"Tien! Please, don't do it!" Chiaotzu screamed, but it was too late as Tien reached the final rotation of the move and bellowed, "REIKITZEN!"
The blast was so massive it was the size of a comet, larger than any meteor or asteroid Raditz had seen in all his travels in space. He reached out and clutched the massive glowing ball in his hands, growling. The electricity sizzled in his palms and throbbed, desperately attempting to radiate outward and demolish not only him, but also the Earth.
He roared; squeezing the ball, he raised his arms and threw it, sending the blast flying through the sky and far away into the outer galaxy where it would eventually hit solid mass and explode. Tien slumped his shoulders and slowly lost his balance, careening down to the ground. Raditz put out one large paw and caught him on the flat of his palm, pulling it close and observing as Tien's form slowly shrunk, the extra arms disappeared and he was once again only a man, now with one arm, the other chopped cleanly off at his bicep.
"You are strong." Raditz said softly as he watched the form slowly wither, and Tien opened his eyes and gazed up at him sadly.
"I wasn't strong enough... I did not have the discipline of mind that I valued for so long.." He coughed, and blood splattered onto his chin as Raditz stroked his back with one large digit, looking down with concern.
"You were a good fighter." He rumbled, and lowered him, attempting to make him stand. Tien slumped down to the ground weakly, barely holding himself on one arm.
"Being a good fighter is not all that matters. I wasn't a good man. Not for her." He hacked painfully, spitting up dark liquid on the ground.
"You were." A familiar voice said raspily, and both turned their heads to the voice as Launch floated up from the ground and stared down at Tien, her blue hair dancing on the air and lashing about, her violet eyes lit with an unearthly power.
"Launch? What happened... you're.." Tien gasped, and she lowered down to meet him, walking carefully on the crumbling ground.
"The other Launch loved you regardless of your faults, Tien. She would have done anything for you..." She spoke, for feeling the hole in the mirror, she now could speak for the other as their thoughts mingled together at last.
"She says please don't fight, Tien... Please, this fight is selfish; we don't want to be fought over. We want to choose on our own." She said softly and knelt and placed a gentle kiss on Tien's cheek. He touched his cheek and gazed at her in amazement.
"This kiss is from Launch, she says to take it with you wherever you go. I'm afraid she's just not ready right now to wake up. Goodbye, Tien." Launch said softly and looked up towards Raditz, who looked down at her and panted heavily, his breath creating a hot wind between the torrents of rain. She lifted her hands up and clasped his finger, crawling up into his palm. Raditz lifted her and looked at her curiously, sniffing her. Launch giggled and pushed on his snout.
"Not now Raditz, first, I want to go up." She whispered, pointing to the sky. Raditz obliged, lifting her as high as his height could take her. Launch stood before the pulsing light of the artificial moon and bathed in it, closing her eyes. The light surrounded her form and her skin glowed with the illumination. As Launch opened her eyes they became vibrant red and she cried out, cringing as her body curled in pain. There was a quick tearing of flesh and a splatter of blood on Raditz's palm as a serpentine shadow moved in the light, curling and twitching. Launch stood and gasped, straightening.
She opened her mouth and felt her sharp teeth with her tongue, then arched her back and a long blue tail curled up from her backside and twined around her back.
"We've awakened now... the moonlight, and our desire to save you both has broken the chains on our primal half at last..." Launch said and rose from Raditz's palm, levitating down to Tien who shuddered with disbelief, sweating with the agony of his rapidly fading heartbeat.
"Launch... you're like me.. and him?" He whispered in surprise, getting to his knees.
"Yes. Now, my other half still doesn't wish for you to die, although now, you must understand why she can no longer love you... Tien, do you wish to be healed?"
He nodded his head eagerly, and she reached one hand out to press over his heart.
"No!" A voice boomed from above; as Raditz leaned down, he growled as she sent gold tendrils of light into Tien, who in turn breathed in lungfuls of air as his bones were unbroken and he cried out with joy as his arm was restored.
"That is all you need now. Please use this power wisely, Tien. " Launch said softly and backed away, her dark eyes gleaming with tears as he got to his feet and looked at himself in amazement.
"You should not have done that, Launch..." Raditz said, groaning as the artificial moon met its end and he began to shrink down back to mortal form, his body moving unnaturally as it bent and contorted back into his base form.
Launch fled to Raditz's side and pressed her hand on his bleeding chest wound, gazing up at him as his excess hair receded, then his large fangs slowly shrunk until they were gradual points of his canines.
He hissed with pain and looked down at her, his eyes raking over her greedily as she stroked his chest and golden tendrils of light filled the opening and healed him from the inside out. He felt a sudden boost of power as she healed the potentially fatal wound.
"You are half Saiyan...My little Launch, a Saiyan... I knew, all along, I knew you were like me but I refused to believe it..." He said in awe, his dark irises flickering as he gazed deeply into hers which were now ringed with black, her curling spikes not quite as smooth, instead they curled into gently angled points, but to him she was twice as lovely, if that were at all possible.
"Raditz... I'm sorry, I.." She whispered, cradling her head to him, but her words were cut off as they heard a low chuckle before them.
"How fitting, that you are nothing more than a brainless beast like him... I should have known too, with the crass way that Launch behaved, I should have figured that she was part primate." Tien spat in disgust.
Launch turned around and glared at him with a vicious light in her eyes, baring her small, pointed canines. "How dare you speak of me that way, after I have been so kind to heal your wounds, after all the trouble you have caused!"
She screamed, her voice changing pitch and becoming as vicious as a wolf's snarl.
"You know what, I don't want her anymore, you can have her, Raditz. I'm disgusted by this...this lower life-form." He said, waving one hand dismissively and looking away. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists as he brought his ki to the surface once again, turning and grinning at Raditz.
"Now all I want to do is eliminate you filthy apes, like you did my people. I can see into your mind, Raditz. As you were just a child, I saw you slay my people. It was with my luck that my father was able to escape extinction. I can feel him out there somewhere, his eye is searching for mine. I sense him… Vulcane, where are you, my father?" He asked to the sky, staring up at the darkness for a long moment.
"He says to do my duty and kill you, then perhaps I may return to him. This life of a saint has shamed me, but he says that I can recount my broken faith and return to the cult. Then I can be one with them." Tien said in a voice that was dreamy and wild with exaggeration. As he stumbled forward, Launch flinched back and Raditz wrapped his arms around her protectively.
"Tien, don't listen to him! The Gemini people are bad, remember?" Chiaotzu screamed desperately; flying forward, he placed himself between Raditz and Tien and attempted to diffuse the tension.
"Chiaotzu, I can see the ages of the Earth. I remember the red soil at my feet as a child; I was a man of Mars! I no longer care for the Earth or its people!" He exclaimed wildly. His power rose up in him until his eyes glowed with golden light, and he raised his hands before him and laughed giddily, gazing at the light and marveling at it.
"You're talking nonsense, boy! Snap out of it!" Master Roshi cried out from a distance. Coming closer he pulled his shirt off and began to bulk up, ready to fight if he had to.
"No!" Launch cried out, "This isn't what you were supposed to do with the power, Tien! Raditz was right, you are cruel!"
Raditz gently moved Launch away from him, concealing his near nudity with his tail as he strolled forward, unflinchingly. "All of you, leave this place. It's not safe. What's about to happen cannot be stopped now." He said lowly and eyed Tien curiously.
Tien seemed to snap out of his insanity a brief moment, seeing the faint flickering image of a warrior before him, towering over him as Raditz was drenched with water, his black mane plastered to his skin, those obsidian eyes so deep and glossy.
"Tien, you must suppress your ki now. Regain control over it." He said softly, one hand held before him in show of surrender.
"No! Why would I do that when I am this powerful? Now I see, I must kill all saiyans! That is what the voices are telling me, kill! Kill all saiyans!" He screamed hoarsely, and his skin began to squirm with the golden light. Raditz looked around rapidly and grabbed Launch and Master Roshi quickly, flying up into the sky as the two kicked and struggled.
"Hey, put me down, ya big galoot! I can help! Let me talk some sense into the boy!" Master Roshi struggled but was held still by Raditz's firm grip.
"I'm sorry. It's not safe." Raditz said morosely and exhaled through his nostrils.
"What about Chiaotzu?" Launch asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Raditz rumbled and blinked tiredly. "I left him in hope that perhaps he could speak sense into his friend, but..."
"Please, Tien, don't hurt them! Can't you see that they're good people? It doesn't matter if they're Saiyans, or if you're a Gemini! You always said that all people are equal! Tien, don't you remember your values?" Chiaotzu screamed beneath the roar of thunder as the three watched the tiny specks below them, seeing Tien's glowing aura radiating outward for miles and lighting the darkness.
He has become immensely powerful, his ki rivals that of practically Frieza's power level... Raditz thought and shuddered. He no longer needed his scouter to see that; he could feel the aura of the power even from this distance.
"I'm leaving my values behind me now, Chiaotzu, I have a new destiny to fulfill! Get out of my way!" Tien screamed, pulsing the gold light outward.
"No, I won't let you! Tien, listen to me! You need to close your eye for good, it's corrupted your mind!" Chiaotzu cried, and bringing forth his ki in a last-ditch effort, Chiaotzu flew and clung to him.
"What are you doing? Get off of me, it's not safe for you, Chiaotzu!" Tien shouted, his skin quivering with the power brimming in his veins. Chiaotzu shivered and lit his aura blue as he screamed with pain, readying his small body for self-destruction.
"No, I'm coming with you Tien, I won't be left behind!' He cried, and Tien clutched him to his body and screamed as his skin became alight with golden fire. There was a great sonic boom that reverberated through the air as both self detonated at once, leaving nothing but black ash across the ground and burnt pieces of their corpses.
The others watched the scene grimly, then Raditz turned and flew away wordlessly, clutching the two to him carefully as he made his way back home to rest his aching body.
"Oh, Chiaotzu... He was such a brave little boy..." Master Roshi said softly and choked back a sob.
"They'll be together in the afterlife... He will watch over Tien..." Launch whispered, and closed her eyes, resting her head on Raditz's bare chest as they at long last returned home.
A/N: I finally got around to adding these up for anyone who was confused:
Using Kanzenshuu Power Levels, (plus my own theories)
Rage adds 100- 1000 points
Zenkai/Launch Healing Boost adds anywhere from 1,000-10,000
Gemini Planets Boost 5,000- 10,000(?)
Oozaru = 10 times Strength
Tien
• Base Power: 1,650
• Gemini/Planets Boost: 10,000
• Battle Great Blue Reikitzen : 20,000
• Beast Form: 16,500
• Takes 1/2 Life Force from Launch: 5,000
• New Base: 21,500
• Raditz Battle Reikitzen: 145,000
• Gemini Planets Boost: 478,500
• Tien at Combustion: 500,000
Raditz
• Beginning Power: 1,500
• Enraged: 1,600
• Zenkai Near Death Boost #1: 5,000
after Fight with Piccolo and Goku
• New Base Power: 6,500
• Enraged form: 7,500
• Ōozaru: between 30,000 and 150,000
• #2nd Boost: Fight w/ Tien -Near Death Hit in last injury, healing by Launch adds 10,000
• New Base: 16,500
• Enraged/Bulk-Up: 17,500