Warnings: language, possible grammatical errors as it’s
un-betaed
Published: 15th Feb 2003
A/N: Just struck by inspiration after reading a couple of
reviews, which wondered about their trials in the fusion dance… Since Haru was
from Vejiita’s POV, he would not have seen this part. It took place halfway
through Haru, right after Vejiita left the brothers up on the roof.
“Fusion?” Radditz asked again in confusion after Vejiita
left.
Kakarrot nodded and explained how and why they learned the
fusion dance. His look became wistful. “It was perfect… I’ve never felt so
powerful in my life, so sure. I thought I was a good fighter before that, but
the fusion was incomparable. It’s the difference between stumbling along when
you first start running, and when you finally hit your second wind and your running
just flows…”
Radditz fought down the hot, bitter rush of jealousy as he
listened to his brother. He had spent many years with Vejiita, first as a
bodyguard to the young prince and later clandestine lover. They had been mates
for no more than a few years before he was killed. Since then, his brother had
spent many more years with the prince and they had gone through so many
memorable fights together. Battle was very important to the tailed warrior race
and he often wished enviously that he could have been there with his prince,
his mate.
“I had the raw power, as compared to Vejiita, though I
always thought he had more skill than me. But it wasn’t until we fused that I
realized just how much he knew.” Kakarrot sighed. “After each fusion
experience, I’ve always felt ungainly and clumsy. In my mind, I kept
remembering how perfectly we moved. But I could never seem to reach that level
again.”
“Enough.” Radditz growled. While he often wanted to find out
more of the history between their alpha and his brother, at the same time, he
couldn’t stand to hear too much about it. There was only so much of his liver
he could chew. “Show me that dance.”
Kakarrot snapped out of his reverie and his expression
became serious as he moved into position. “We stand a distance apart, side by
side, holding our arms out like this.” He ran over the steps confidently. It
has been years since he had to perform the dance, but he could never forget any
detail about it. Sometimes he would practice in private, wishing he could experience
that perfection with Vejiita again. But the prince had made his stance on the
‘baka dance’ very clear.
“What?” Radditz watched, stunned and aghast. “You want me to
perform that?!”
“It’s not that hard, right?” Kakarrot asked worriedly, his
right arm still outstretched over his head as he pointed to his left. “Do you
have any questions?”
“Baka!” Radditz bellowed as he cuffed his brother. “I’m not
an incompetent! It has nothing to do with whether or not I can do the steps…”
Kakarrot frowned, rubbing the side of his head angrily. “You
didn’t have to hit me.”
Radditz pinched his nose bridge, muttering to himself. “No
wonder he called it the baka dance…”
“I don’t get it. What’s so stupid about it?” The younger
cocked his head to the side curiously.
“Kkkkhhh…” Radditz couldn’t believe his younger brother. ‘We
are related?’
“Well?” Kakarrot tapped his foot impatiently, hands on his
hips. The night was cold and he couldn’t wait to get into bed with his hot
prince.
Radditz was torn. On one hand, that dance had to rank as one
of the most idiotic things he had ever seen, on the other hand, the thought of
Vejiita writhing beneath him…
“Hurry up!”
The older gave a groan of defeat. ‘I want Vejiita,
right?’ Head bowed, shoulders sagging and cheeks flaming, he trudged into
position.
Kakarrot watched critically, pointing out the numerous
minute details. “Your left arm, hold it higher… Three steps, not four!
…ok…good….higher… point your fingers…. Again!”
Radditz gritted his teeth and reined in his temper as he
went through the steps again.
And again. “Lift your right leg higher…”
And again. “Your
left arm is tilted a bit…hold it up lower…”
And again. “Hold your right arm more at a right angle…”
Finally, he lost his temper. “Look, are we going to actually
try it or not?!”
“You have to get all the steps correct first!” Kakarrot
admonished his impatient brother. “Otherwise, the fusion would turn out wrongly
and we have to wait thirty minutes for it to wear off.”
Radditz fisted his hands in the shorter male’s shirt and
pulled the other to him, growling. “I. Got. All. Of. The. Steps.”
“Ok, fine… We’ll try it now!” Kakarrot shook his head. “Just don’t complain if it screws up.”
-----
Some time later…
“What kind of baka fusion is that??”
“I told you, you had your left arm angle slightly off. My
finger wasn’t in full contact with yours.”
“Yeah well, maybe it was your right hand that was off!”
“I’ve done this fusion dance many time before. There’s no
way I could have gotten it wrong!”
They didn’t bother to turn on the light as they entered the
bedroom; the drapes were drawn slightly and pale moonlight flooded the room. A
muffled but clearly irritated yell from the large bed interrupted their
bickering. “Will you two just shut up already?”
“Sorry.” Both whispered, chastened.
The curled form under the blankets shifted and then sat up
groggily. “God damnit! I was sleeping you idiots!”
“Sorry, Vejiita.” Kakarrot walked around to his side of
their bed, grinning at the prince’s mussed spikes and bleary appearance. Even
the fur on the heavy royal tail that hung over the side of the bed was ruffled
and brushed out. “But Radditz took a long time to…”
“Shut your trap.” Radditz scowled darkly, his face flushing.
He hated it when his younger brother showed him up. One hand reached
down to pull back the thick blankets. He was just so tired and he couldn’t wait
to curl up beside that warm, lithe body…
“Stop.” Vejiita sniffed the air. “You two stink.”
“Jiita…” Kakarrot tugged at the soft fabric as he whined,
but the prince rolled the blanket around himself tightly. The prince had a
stubborn frown on his face and both sighed simultaneously in defeat. They had
been through this many times before. Vejiita had this issue about cleanliness,
especially when they slept. Both brothers didn’t see anything wrong with it,
especially after a grueling workout where they just wanted to tumble into bed
and pass out. However, Vejiita was their alpha precisely because he was used to
getting his own way.
“Go and bathe.” The commanding tone brooked no arguments, and then the royal flopped down on his side again, tucking the blankets under him. The two brawny males stared at each other for a second, identical whipped looks of resignation on their faces, their tails curling between their legs.
“Ok.” Radditz was the first to dart towards the bathroom
door, a sly grin on his face. “I’m going first.”
“…” Kakarrot was just a tad slower as he scrambled noisily
after his brother. “You can always share!”
Vejiita cursed as he burrowed further into the warm pile of
fabrics and pillows. ‘What ever possessed me to claim two mates??’
-----
A couple of days later…
Radditz wasn’t sure if he wanted to sob or scream in
frustration. They had been practicing for the past two hours, much of which was
spent waiting for the fusion to wear off. So far, they had not been successful.
Their last attempt had just worn off and they were taking a break. He was
seated on the ground, his head bowed.
He felt his younger sibling behind him, and then a gentle
hand on his shoulder. “Come on, let’s try again.”
Radditz gave a defeated groan. Why couldn’t they do it?
Kakarrot had told him that he and Vejiita got it within their second try. Even
though he kept sniping at his brother, he knew it was him…
He was the incompetent one here.
It ate at him that he was the weakest of the trio. That even
though he was the eldest, he was the only Saiyanjin who could not ascend. It
was not just the fusion dance; it seemed as if Kakarrot beat him in everything.
When they were training or sparring, he felt as if the other two had to hold
back for him.
Vejiita… He wasn’t envious of Vejiita at all. He had heard
all about Vejiita even before he met the chibi prince, and stood in awe of the young
prince as he grew older and his power surpassed his and everyone else’s. He
respected the royal immensely; the Saiyanjin no Ouji was the pride of their
race, and felt extremely honored to be the Vejiita’s mate.
But Kakarrot… Kakarrot was the errant kid brother he had
been sent to retrieve from Earth. At their first meeting, he was still stronger
than Kakarrot. While in Hell, he had no idea what took place in the living
realm. When he next saw Vejiita and Kakarrot again, they were standing in front
of a bunch of glowing balls. It turned out that Vejiita had used the
dragonballs to revive him.
At first, he had been ecstatic to see his mate again. But
that joy turned cold when he saw their tails twined together. Though Vejiita
subsequently more than reassured him of his love by reclaiming him again, the
memory still left a bitter taste. His jealousy compounded when he first saw
them ascend. When he saw just how much his brother had progressed since they
last met.
‘How? How did he do it?? We share the same genes… Hell, he was rated lower than me and sent off-planet! I am ranked first-class!’
‘Yet, he managed to defeat me. Surpass me.‘
‘And… Vejiita.’ That was perhaps the hardest thing
to accept. That Vejiita called him mate too. That Vejiita claimed his
younger brother first, before reviving him. He knew it was the prince’s right
as alpha to claim more than one mate, especially since he was a prince. He just
never thought he would have competition; there were only three left of their
race and Nappa was hardly a prize. He just never imagined it would come from
his little brother – a Saiyanjin who was not raised in the ways of their proud
race.
“Radditz?”
He thought he had come to terms with it, despite their
initial antagonism and animosity. It appeared not.
The brawny Saiyanjin shook his head and ran a hand through
his long hair raggedly. He was tired of trying, of competing with his brother,
when he knew he was never in the same league. Could never be in
the same league. “Forget it Kakarrot.”
“What?”
“I can’t do this… Tell Vejiita I can’t do the fusion. You…”
He swallowed hard before he ground out the words, even though it galled him. ‘Why
do I even bother to keep ramming my head against a wall like an idiot? Just…
back away with dignity…’
“Go ahead and have fun.”
The Earth-raised Saiyanjin was silent for a while; shock
plainly splashed over his face. For his proud and competitive brother to just
give up… He could be a little socially naïve, but now was not one of those
times. With startling clarity, he realized the reason why they’ve been having
problems with the fusion.
While fusion required the two to be in physical synchrony,
hence the reason for the dance, it also required two people who want to
do it. That was what they had been lacking. The mental harmony.
When he had fused with Vejiita, even though Vejiita was
against the idea initially, the prince had finally put aside his pride when
they had no choice. Greater than his desire not to fuse, was the necessity to
win the fight. That had been crucial.
Shamefully, Kakarrot realized that he too, had been
unconsciously resisting the fusion. He banked his power level down, but he had
not been trying hard to match it with his brother’s. Even now, he realized that
it was still a little higher than Radditz’s.
‘No.” He said softly as he sat down beside his longhaired
brother. Radditz looked at him in surprise, and he continued. “No, I want to do
this with you.”
To say that Radditz was shocked would be an understatement.
“Why?”
“It’s my fault too.” He muttered thickly.
There was an awkward pause. Both siblings examined the grass
in front of them intently.
“I was jealous.” Both confessed quickly. They glanced wide-eyed
at each other, and then Radditz decided to get it off his chest first.
“I hated you, you know. Really hated you. I probably still
do.” He didn’t bother to mince his words. “I was so freaking jealous the first
time I saw you two after I was revived. And later when I found out that the two
of you had achieved the Super Saiyanjin level and beyond…”
Kakarrot looked at his brother with a rueful smile. “I was
jealous of you too. You were always Vejiita’s first mate.”
“What? But he revived me only after he claimed you…”
“We had been attracted to each other for a few years. I never did anything, never dared. I don’t know why; I just felt that the decision lay with him. When he finally did, he told me that you were his first mate.” Kakarrot remembered just how he felt at that point.
Intensely, bitterly, fucking jealous.
“I’ve always felt that he held back because of your memory.
I’ve always felt I couldn’t compete. You were his first, and I was just the
baka who had no knowledge of his race, the only choice left.”
“Vejiita respects power.” Radditz mumbled as he yanked at
another grass stalk. Inside, his thoughts and emotions were churning. ‘Vejiita
does respect power… But I’m not powerful…’
“I was the one who initially suggested that he used the dragonballs
to revive you, you know?” The younger gave an ironic laugh. “Right after that I
said that, I felt like an idiot. What fool would suggest reviving his rival?
But Vejiita somehow always looked wistful and sad whenever he talked of you…”
Radditz blinked rapidly. “You did?” His heart fluttered
rapidly as well. ‘He was?’
“Hai.” Kakarrot paused, and then smiled. “And as much as we
argue, I don’t regret it. It’s …nice to have an older brother.”
Radditz looked askance at his sibling and rival, and gave a
small smile as well. “It’s …nice to have a younger brother too.”
The two sat in silence for a while longer, but it was no
longer uneasy. Finally, Kakarrot spoke up. “Come on, let’s try again.”
They got it right the very next time.
----
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