Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Garrulous and Gritless ❯ I, 23: Raditz ( Chapter 23 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

NOTE: Sorry for the delay. My computer died, so the progress I had made on this chapter died with it. It took a while for me to motivate myself to start again (and I know that this isn’t the same as what I had before, nor did it turn out the way I thought it would).
Hope this chapter isn’t too bad. It’s not even been two weeks and I already feel rusty!

Also: hang in there; this ride is about to get even crazier!

…


I keep saying the wish to myself like I gotta do it to make sure I get somewhere that ain’t Earth, or like my feet’ll just keep falling through space if I don’t make ‘em real sure they’re going someplace. Take me somewhere where I can increase my strength like Kakarrot did when the trained in the afterlife, I think as hard as I can, hoping the sound of the dragon saying my wish was granted wasn’t all in my head. Then I feel my toes hit the ground.

Damn, damn, damn. The gravity is the same as Earth’s. I don’t wanna open my eyes. Shit, that fucking dragon was just pulling my tail—he probably just moved me to some other place on Earth as a joke.

But I gotta peek eventually, so I open my eyes real slow. The world is blue and green, and—shit—but—wait—it’s all…backwards from Earth. The sky is green; this grassy leafy stuff is blue. I can’t keep a grin off my face—I am finally off of that godforsaken planet.

‘Course then I gotta go back to thinking about my wish—about why I’m here. ‘Cause the truth is, I’m going back to that godforsaken planet, even if only for long enough to get my tail back. Thing is, no way Vegeta’s just gonna let me use the dragon balls.

And that’s why I’m here.

‘Cause I gotta make sure the guy gets beat, ‘cause my tail’s worth more to me even than the thought of never having to see Kakarrot’s traitor ass again. Without my tail, ‘s like I’m less me, y’know? I’ve gone without it for a little while a time or two, but not nearly this long.

There’s some other things on Earth might be worth saving, but I ain’t quite sure yet how to deal with that. After all, if Vegeta bites the bullet, Freeza’s gonna notice and it’s not as if I’m keen to be on any kinda list of his. Fact of it is, it don’t matter how strong I get, or how strong Kakarrot’s whelp Gohan gets, or how strong Kakarrot gets, ain’t nobody gonna be able to fight once Freeza sets his mind to something. I’ve been lucky not to witness anything too bad he’s done in person, but Vegeta’s got stories. What of ‘em are lies I can’t tell, ‘cause, gods, the man hates Freeza like nobody I’ve seen, even ones who’ve got more a right than he does, but there’s gotta be at least a speck of truth in ‘em, right?

But none of that matters right now, ‘cause I don’t even know where I am, nor how strong I’m gonna be able to get while I’m here. Guess it’s about time I look around for who it is I oughtta be killing.


…


I’m beginning to think that dragon was just fucking with me. Here’s the thing—I’ve been following around what I can sense of these guys and everywhere I look it’s these quaint little villages. They must be resting indoors ‘cause I ain’t seen none of ‘em yet. But things’re looking promising from where I’ve been waiting, out on the outskirts of this village. If I focus real hard (or use my scouter) I can see beings stirring, and finally one of ‘em comes out of a door.

A Namekian, like that Piccolo bastard. And another—and—well, damn, this must be Namek. I’ve heard of it, only ‘cause there were one or two who told some crazy tales about what the Namekians used to be like, I guess, and there was one Namekian once who worked for Freeza, tho’ he didn’t come from Namek itself, I hear—not that I ever spoke to ‘im. Dunno if Freeza even knew where he was from. Doubt he cared in the slightest.

So maybe all these guys are fighters like Piccolo, but from what I can sense, that ain’t what I suspect. And anyway, they’re all out doing cutesy peaceful things, caring for plants and conversing and all that pleasant bullshit.

Well, whatever it is I’m supposed to do here to get my training, guess a little killing won’t hurt. The thought of it makes my blood all hot, like it’s rushing through me twice as fast, or maybe like there’s twice as much of it. ‘Bout all any of ‘em sees before they’re dust (and, damn, have I gotten stronger—I’d best thank the brat) is my teeth and a big, bright light. It’s when I’m stalking around seeing if there’s anybody left—maybe a cute, tender little one, ‘cause I’m getting hungry—that I notice something funny.

And I mean it, almost funny enough that I wanna laugh, like after all that it was just that the dragon made some tiny little corner of hell for me, reminding me of Earth at every turn. ‘Cause, see, inside one of those buildings…I found a giant dragonball.


…


Figures, I mean—which, you ask, which thing figures—well—both. First thing that figures is that on a place full of the thing that made those dragonballs me and Bulma found there’d be more dragonballs. Second thing that figures is that somebody noticed what I did and ain’t too happy about it.

Didn’t stop me from giving him a run for his money—I mean “a run” literally, ‘cause, I dashed and flew off to another village and blasted it to kingdom come just to spite him as he chased on my heels, but, hell, he was stronger’n me in the end and look where it got me. At least I ain’t dead, but, the big building on this huge tower of rock he’s bringing me to don’t exactly look inviting. He’s got me held by my wrists and I ain’t exactly in a position to struggle, so I hold off for now. Difference between me and Vegeta is, I ain’t so cocky as to figure I’ll be strong enough to get out of every little thing. Sometimes you gotta talk yourself out of it, ‘cause sometimes you just gotta face that somebody’s gonna kick your ass, and dying ain’t worth not being called a coward, I guess. I’m still alive and I still wager that’ll be more than Vegeta can say when he’s as old as me. I figure it won’t be long before he pisses Freeza off something mad and gets what’s coming to him.

Not that I don’t like him, but damn, the guy’s unbearable.

I get dumped off unceremoniously once we get inside the building. This Namekian who’s gotta be every bit as strong as that Piccolo on Earth gives me a kick in the side—just to prove who’s boss, I guess.

“I found this one destroying our villages,” he says with a kind of quiet and respectful voice he sure as hell didn’t use with me. “When I glimpsed him, he had found one of the dragonballs. He seems to recognize them.”

“Is that so?” it ain’t ‘til the voice speaks that I twist my head around and sit up to notice this giant-ass Namekian sitting on some kind of throne. Shit, he’s about the size of some planets’ moons. Then he rumbles out in his ungodly low voice, “Let me look into his mind.”

“He is dangerous, Great Elder,” the asshole who brought me here says. Then he adds more quietly, “Be careful.” He picks me up and shoves me that way. I figure I oughtta follow. Nobody’s trying to kill me yet and I prefer it that way. Before I can even start to say something (what it’d be, I don’t know—I suspect “Are your people tasty?” wouldn’t be the best choice; seems to offend most), he’s got his big hand ‘round my head, but it don’t feel like he’s gonna crush it so I stay still. “You are on a quest,” he says.

“No shit,” I say. Why else would I be here? Then I think—hell—what if I could use these dragonballs? I could get my tail back right here and now.

“You may,” he says, “but your purpose is greater than that—you seek more, I see.”

Aw, dammit. He can read my—I try to stop thinking, but, shit, the words don’t stop rambling through my head; naw, they go faster. “Just want my tail back,” I say. “That’s what this is all about.”

He laughs and he looks about like somebody bumped the table and one of Bulma’s mother’s gaudy desserts started wobbling. Then he laughs more, and, dammit… “So you will find a way to restore your body and then continue your work?” he asks, like it don’t occur to him that my work is things like what I was just doing here—though I’m sure he’s gotta know it. He tilts his head down a little, like it’ll do the dead any good if he remembers them.

“Yeah,” I say. “Sounds about right.”

“Interesting,” the big guy says, “is it not? How we may so readily forgive those who betray us, if we choose to.” Now he’s just babbling, I’d suppose. What, so he’s gonna forgive me for wiping out his precious village? Like I give a damn about that. “For instance, consider the one I see in your mind with blue-furred head. I see that you have killed her friend. It seems to me that you have caused her much suffering. Why, then, has she treated you so kindly? Why the closeness?”

I try real hard not to think of the last time we did it—aw, dammit. But if the guy notices, he don’t even blink. (Well, shit, his eyes are shut—who knows what’s going on in that head?)

But this ain’t exactly what I wanna think about right now, nor especially what I want somebody in my head about, chattering away to that other Namekian who brought me in. I move out from under his big hand and he don’t say a word. “You’re wasting my time,” I say, like I oughtta explain myself.

“Very well,” he says. “Continue on your quest. You will find what you seek here, unless you slaughter more of our people.”

“Unless?” I say. Normally the slaughtering is not only the fastest way to what I want, but also the most fun. Dammit, this is gonna be just about as boring as Earth… “What’s it to you? What do I care what you think?” Shit, he’s just a big fat guy. Not as if he could chase me down. Maybe fighting this other Namekian, the one who brought me here, is how I’m supposed to get stronger, anyway. Maybe I kick his ass and then go ‘round slaughtering everybody else as a little reward.

“If you doubt my wisdom…” he starts, “then by all means, do what you will.”

Which don’t mean a thing to me ‘til I realize he was saying I oughtta think about the fact that he got just about everything right. You know, aside from that I’m here for more than my tail, ‘cause to say anything else would be to spew a bunch of bullshit.

Bulma would be a nice prize to come away with, yeah, but I’ll get along without here, sure. Same with Kakarrot’s brat, who for how he looks oughtta be mine, but—but it ain’t as if I need him, either.

I’d say they never did nothing for me, but I guess that’d be a lie. I guess this nice new armor I got on now didn’t come from nowhere and I guess that I’m stronger wasn’t no accident and I guess that I can pinpoint that there’s a few other Namekians outside ain’t just because of my scouter. Maybe it’s true the only reason I got here is Bulma was sure I wasn’t gonna steal her radar, wasn’t gonna take a wish for myself. Maybe it’s true I owe ‘em something more than getting my tail here and letting Vegeta get to the planet and take what he wants and blow it up and leave.

Maybe I don’t like the idea of Vegeta hunting down somebody who’s got a dragonball radar while I’m gone, now that I’ve taken it. Maybe I don’t like the thought of his clean little princely fingers pushing her around.

And maybe this old fat Namekian is right and I’m gonna find here what I need so that I can do what I wanna on Earth, and maybe I’m gonna do it.

“Surely he would embrace such a fate,” I hear the low grumbling-voice, but there’s no way he’s reading my mind from here, now I’ve wandered halfway across the room to the door. I look back and he’s talking to the one who brought me in, their heads as close together as they can be like they were mumbling to each other. They both look at me and notice I’m gawking at them. “You have much to do,” the old one says.

Don’t know where I’m going, but I don’t gotta be asked twice—I get the hell out of there.


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