Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Love And Rebellion ❯ Call of The Rebel - Part 4 ( Chapter 12 )

CHAPTER FOUR:

Bardock gaped soundlessly at his best friend. He couldn't believe it. How could Azusa ask him that sort of a question? Feeling his anger rise, he spat out sharply,

"N'ehi, Azusa. I have denounced the rebellion. I told you I have a wife and a family to look after. So you are wasting your time. I am not going back."

"That is a measly excuse, Bardock." Azusa said curtly, his face now tightened in brute determination. "Your boys are practically full Saiyan males now and they can take care of themselves. You do not need to keep babying them."

"And what about my mate? Do I leave her to go out for some useless reason?!" Bardock screamed back in growing irritation. "I refuse to fight for a cause that is so useless and worthless!"

"Is that why you are betraying your people, then?!" Azusa shouted back, watching as Bardock's face paled in the dying sunset.

"How can you say that?" Bardock whispered softly in pain. "How can you say that to me, Azusa? You know as well as anybody else that I have fought for our rights for years…"

"So why did you quit?!"

"Because I couldn't do it anymore!!" Bardock yelled out in frustration. Turning away from Azusa, he stuffed a hand into his mouth to stop the harsh sob that had risen out of his throat. "I couldn't…couldn't …face it anymore. I had failed our people, Azusa." Hitching in deep breaths of air to control his emotions, he continued thickly, "They put their trust in me and I failed them."

"You did not fail them, Bardock." Azusa whispered, resting comforting hands on the shaking shoulders. "That is why we need you back. We still believe in you and we know that when you join us, there is no way we could lose."

"But we lost the last time…what difference does it make this time?"

Azusa grinned widely. "Oh, there is a lot of difference, my friend. You see when you were in the rebellion, Ha'j Vegeta was strong and healthy and we were young and inexperienced. But now the tables are turned. Word from our spies say that the king is dying and his power over the main city is slowly dwindling. Think about it, Bardock. Over the past few years, I have been building up armies of wa'zuai so strong, that we are sure to crumble down the Ha'an in just a few months."

"How come I have never heard of this army?" Bardock asked skeptically, staring at the excited face before him.

"That is because we have been hidden in the distant mountains of Cahon." Azusa replied, his grin now a permanent fixture on his face.

"Cahon?! That is miles away from…anything!" Bardock gasped in shock.

"Exactly, nu kin'tai. The caves there are well secluded and safe. We have used that as our training grounds, readying ourselves for the day that you return."

Bardock shook his head to clear away the muddled thoughts in his mind. All of this was happening too fast for him.

"How many…?"

"We are over five thousand strong, Bardock." Azusa answered quickly.

"Five thousand…"

"Ahi. We have the firepower. We have the space pods, equipment, and machines. We have everything you could ever desire. We are ready for a full-scale war, Bardock. All we need is you. So say you will join us."

Bardock frowned, his mind divided into two complete opposite spectrums. One side tingled with the growing heat and anticipation of battle. It was a dull fire, but the thirst was there. It longed for destruction and chaos. The other side cried out for rationale and thought. He had Laetha to think about. Radditsu was going to join the very people he was going to fight against and his little one was going to be mated soon in the upcoming Sai'joun festival.

"I need some time to think about this." He finally replied.

"How much longer, Bardock?" Azusa asked, impatience filtering into his voice. "We can only wait for so long."

"Until the Sai'joun festival is over. My son, Kakkarrot, is to be with his mate on that day and I do not wish to miss it."

"Ahi. I know him. He is just as wild as his father, ne?"

Bardock flushed brightly and smiled at the thought of his baby becoming a man in just a few more weeks. ~ Za'ani! How time flies…~

"Fine, Bardock. Once the Sai'joun festival is over, I will come back for you and hopefully you will be ready by then, ne?"

"Ahi, Azusa. I will be ready."

"Ha'ku Ra'nan, nu ra'hi." Azusa said softly, leaning close to brush his lips against Bardock's again. "I will wait for you."

And with a burst of energy, the tall warrior disappeared into the fading light sky, leaving the rebel and a silent watcher, alone with their quiet thoughts.

-*-*-*-*-

Radditsu chucked off his boots and tossed them into the corner of the room, watching out of the corner of his eye at his little brother who had surprisingly been quiet throughout dinner and now here. The Kakkarrot he knew was as noisy as an a'kai being milked during meal times and his incessant chatter was the key element to their family meals. But tonight had been different. There had been a tense silence on the table, as Kakkarrot had barely said a word. Even his father had been acting strangely and it had puzzled both he and his mother all throughout the meal.

He wondered if they were upset about him leaving for the main city. But that couldn't be. Kakkarrot had made sure that everyone knew he was leaving soon. The boy had been so supportive and proud of the fact that his older ba'rana was going to be an elite. His father had displayed the same support and pride in him. So why was everyone so uptight?

Undressing quietly, he slid beneath his sheets, having decided to spend the night with his family instead of with Saida. Switching off the lights on his side of the bed, he watched as Kakkarrot undressed silently. ~ Hn. The boy is beginning to fill out. It's a miracle. ~ Sure enough, Kakkarrot's body was now becoming more defined. He had begun taking his trainings seriously, because he wanted to join Radditsu soon, and so his body was now hardened and toned in the right places, making the younger boy a beauty to behold.

~ Hn. No wonder the ha'ji couldn't keep his hands off him. My baby brother is a beautiful Saiyan. ~

Grinning widely, he turned onto his side, listening idly to the creaking sounds of Kakkarrot's bed, as he willed himself to sleep.

For several minutes, a peaceful silence filled the room as the soft breathing of the two Saiyans resonated in the air. Just as Radditsu was about to give in to his exhaustion, he heard the softly asked question.

"Brother? Are you still awake?"

Sighing, Radditsu spun onto his back and stared blankly at the ceiling. "I am now, s'au ba'rana. What is it?"

"Forgive me for disturbing you, brother."

"That's fine. Now go on…what is bothering you?"

"I…I…" Kakkarrot began weakly, not sure of how to begin.

Radditsu snorted in growing irritation and turning his head he glared at Kakkarrot. "Are you going to tell me or not?"

"I will brother. I just don't know how to say it…"

Radditsu stared at Kakkarrot, his brow frowning in thought. "Are you still not sure about what to do with Kayla on your wedding night?"

"Umm…that's not it…and I do know what to do!" Kakkarrot whispered harshly, his face burning up with embarrassment.

"Okay, so what is it? You are not having second thoughts about the whole wedding in general, are you?"

"No…"

"I know you are still upset about me not being there to watch the whole thing, but just remember that I love you, little one and I will always be with you in spirit, okay?"

"I know that, brother." Kakkarrot said softly, swallowing the lump that was rising up in his throat. Taking a deep breath, he tried to ask his question again.

"Brother?"

"Yes, Kakkarrot."

"When you join the elite…will you have to fight against the…against the…?"

"Against the who?" Radditsu asked, his patience now wearing thin.

"Against the rebels from the city." Kakkarrot blurted out in a rush.

Radditsu fell silent as the question rang around his head. He hadn't really given that much of a thought. He had assumed that he was to join the forces that were to defeat the tyrant , Frieza.

"N'ehi, Kakkarrot. I think I will be in the forces trained to defeat Frieza."

"How can you be so sure?" Kakkarrot asked, a hint of desperation in his voice. "What if you are sent to come for the rebels here?"

"So what if I am sent here to destroy the rebels?" Radditsu answered back sharply. "The rebels have been nothing but trouble for us and that's why pa'un left, remember?'

"But…"

"But nothing, Kakkarrot. The rebellions will find a way to be dissolved and no matter where I am sent, my duty now as an elite wa'zua is to be loyal to my king and government and that's all there is to it. And now if you are done with your questions, I would like to go back to sleep."

Kakkarrot watched in anguish as his brother spun away from him and snuggled himself within his blankets effectively shutting him out. Staring blindly at the ceiling, Kakkarrot was powerless to stop the tears that began cascading down his cheeks. Things were beginning to spiral out of control and there was no way he could stop it.