11-16-2005, 02:19 PM
?What?s going on?? Raditzu turned as his father spoke.
While the long-haired warrior would have liked to provide his father with a rational explanation of what the hell was up, he was baffled himself. His precision teleportation had landed them amidst a flock of feathery wings, which was disconcerting enough on its own. The fact that he hadn?t even bothered to explain why they had been teleported probably hadn?t helped Bardock or 18. After a moment of wrestling with the angelic wings, Bardock was able to cast a questioning look at the massive watchtower before them.
?That one I can explain.? Rad followed his father?s gaze. ?Some old guy lives up there and can see everything.? Rad nodded to himself.
?You call that an explanation?? Bardock craned his neck backwards, trying to see the top of the structure.
?Well? yeah.?
So much for a brief moment of bonding between the two. Rad sighed inwardly to himself and surveyed the landscape. He picked out a couple of familiar ki signatures, but nothing that particularly caught his interest. He made a mental note to catch up with the old Namekian, Kami. It had been a while since he had seen the green bean. Further inspection of the surroundings yielded a bad omen. He didn?t see 18 anywhere. That was just perfect. He couldn?t even figure out what he had done and he had managed to screw something up. Maybe she just? uh? was tired, Rad told himself. It was a comforting thought, but a bald-faced lie. Rad turned to Bardock, who seemed to be inspecting the winged beings.
?Did you see where 18 went?? Rad asked his father.
?Uh yeah. She headed into the door over there.? Bardock pointed in the direction of the tower.
?Ah.? The saiyan sighed. He started to walk towards the tower, but stopped and turned his head towards Bardock. ?How did you manage to keep a woman around for two kids??
Bardock considered the question for a moment before replying.
?She didn?t have a choice. It was an arranged marriage.?
The long-haired warrior was little more than a blink, as he couldn?t tell if his father was being serious or not. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Rad hoped he was joking, but at the moment it was kind of irrelevant. Rad marched towards the door to the watchtower and entered the building in short order. There was so much about what was going on that he was curious about: the winged beings, the flash of light, the zombies, everyone else already at the watchtower, but right now he needed to be concerned with 18.
?Oh yeah? I remember this game.? Raditzu said as he began the long trek up the massive staircase.
It was funny how different a building could look when you weren?t a two foot tall ball of fur. No! Rad shook his head. He needed to concentrate. Somewhere along the line he had missed something. 18 must have said or done something that should have tipped him off. Now it was simply a matter of trying to discern what it was. He was a master warrior (According to him, anyway) who was capable of analyzing and exposing intricate fighting techniques. Looking for a hint that the android had dropped was surely no harder than battle for the fate of planets. He was somewhat dubious.
Ok, Raditzu started in on himself, he just needed to work his way backwards. Firstly was the whole transformation ordeal. 18 hadn?t seemed thrilled about that. He just needed to find out why. As his feet continued the long-trek up the stairs, he closed his eyes and thought. There was a bright light. Some zombies. Plenty of smashing. Rad?s brain continued to backtrack. Tearing apart the building. 18 and Bojack getting out of the way. Wait. He remembered hearing something. His subconscious had made a mental note of it, but his Oosaru-influenced instincts weren?t in the mood to worry about it. Pushing the little ?play? button in his head, Rad played back the snippet of memory.
MOVE!? The android yelled and leapt over the dead carcass of the monster that had triggered this situation. She had taken a hold of the pirate-looking warriors hand and led him around the corner of the hall. The sound of the metal hallways tearing followed them as they made a retreat from the chaos. ?I don?t know what to do, we can?t get near them, but I can?t leave Raditzu behind, even if he is a big ape now.?
Bojack had said something after that, but it didn?t really matter to Raditzu. Obviously she had been concerned about him, but she must have understood that she wasn?t herself, right? He had said that at some point, hadn?t he? Explained what happened when he transformed. He thought he had, but he wasn?t sure if that was a memory he had simply fabricated for his own benefit. In hindsight, Rad could easily see how him having stomping on zombies would leave a bitter taste in the androidess? mouth. He logged that away and continued to track backwards through his memory.
There he was fighting Vegeta. He had caught a couple glimpses of the blonde-haired woman. She looked worried? concerned. And probably with good reason. Vegeta was, without a doubt, one of the most vicious foes Raditzu had ever faced. Rad hadn?t really had time to assure her that he had been ok. Had that bothered her? It probably had? but there had been a lot going on at the time. The power outage, the invasion of zombies. Trying to find Brim. Bojack?s bout with some sort of specter from his past. She would understand that, right? Rad was sure she would. He just needed to explain it to her logically and calmly. There was nothing to be upset about there, so Rad moved on.
Ok, there was everyone in the holding cell. He had exchanged words with Bra, then Vegeta had started their fight. No? something happened between then. He watched, in his mind, as 18 reached towards the glowing green bars of energy that imprisoned them. A cry of pain preceded her falling to her knees. Surely he had comforted her, right? He must have. Raditzu?s memory continued to play and he watched himself decidedly not do anything about it. Good lord how could he have been so flat-out stupid? What did he need? A giant, flashing, neon sign? He had trying to find a way out of the cell? for her? for everyone. Yes, he should have been there to help, but he was still thinking about her. That counted for something, didn?t it? Surely it would if he told her that he had been concerned for her.
As Raditzu pushed that thought aside, he noticed he was passing the half way point of the observatory. A small room branched off of the main stairway and Rad took the chance to partake in a small couch. Stretching out, Rad had a nice view of nothing more than the sky. Fluffy white clouds drifted by, completely obvious to the hordes of living dead of the forces of would-be angels below. They didn?t care, they were doing their job. It was easy to see how someone could get lost just gazing at the scenery, content with whatever floated by. Raditzu could never be like that. If there were people watching, he would be the one their attention was on. He wasn?t simply another cloud drifting by. He had worked his whole life to try and stand out. Try and be something than just another saiyan on just another planet. Did it matter? Had anyone even noticed? Before Raditzu?s mind could continue its downward spiral of loathing and self-contempt a thought came to mind. Yes, it had mattered. She had noticed. What else mattered? Leaping off the couch, Rad continued up the staircase.
His mental back peddling continued. Where had he been? Zombies? giant apes? Vegeta? holding cell? ah! Outside the ruined hospital. Some kind of beast had attacked? threatened what they had come there seeking (or so Rad had reasoned). And then things got hazy. He remembered 18 rushing to help him, and he remembered being concerned about her. Something occurred after that, something Raditzu had been pondering since it had occurred. The two of them had fused. They had done something that Raditzu hadn?t even considered was possible between two people of opposite race, let alone opposite gender. How had that affected 18? Had she noticed that he had avoided the subject? Did she care? She was probably a bit confused about what exactly had happened, but he had very few answers to give her.
And that brought him back to the tower he was currently climbing. He hadn?t even looked saiyan at the time. Had that bothered her? Rad thought he had noticed the android being distant, at the time, but he assumed it was all in his head. Randomly and uncontrollably turning into a cat certainly messed with a man?s mind. He wasn?t sure if he had fully come to grips with the fact that the telepathic ball of fur had been him at all. He was still afraid of randomly turning back at some point. Especially if someone like Vegeta were around. Lord almighty he would never hear the end of it. Had anything worth mention happened before that?
There was the underground cavern they had fallen into with Goten. The bomb that had almost blown Rad to kingdom come. Before that they were searching around some kind of underground facility after having fought through the defense systems of a military base. Back then Raditzu had still considered the game as a fun little break from the real world. Maybe he had been the only one. How had 18 felt about it? Hell? he hadn?t even thought to ask. That was classy. Just rush off and do his own thing. The story of Rad?s life. And, because of that, 18 was suffering. Though it probably didn?t show, he really was trying. He wanted to be there for her, and he definitely wanted her to be a part of his life. How had he managed to screw that up so royally? It took an impressive feat of idiocy, even by Raditzu?s standards.
There was the door to the top floor of the watchtower. Rad came to a dead stop in front of it. He really had no idea if 18 was in there or not, but he hoped that, at least, the old watchman would know where she had gone. That was his specialty, right? Maybe he had missed 18 completely. What if Bardock was wrong and she was back on the ground with his father? Maybe Rad should go check again to make sure he hadn?t just overlooked her. Or he could just chop off his balls right there and then. Good lord when did he become such a wimp? He took a deep breath and steeled himself, mentally. Reaching out, his hand hesitantly clasped the doorknob. He needed a second breath before turning the door knob and pushing it open. He stepped carefully in the room and saw? nothing.
?Hello there.? The old man turned towards Raditzu and looked him up and down.
?Uh? hi.? Rad scanned the room once more, but 18 was definitely not there. His eyes fell upon the door to the room he and 18 had rested in earlier during Friend or Foe.
?Have we met before?? The old man?s question broke Rad?s train of thought.
?Well? no.? How does one explain that he had been a cat? ?I don?t think so.? Rad considered the door for a moment, then turned to the watchman. ?Hey, did you see ??
?In there.? The old man answered the question with a nod before Rad could even finish it.
Ok, so she was in there. No problem, he just needed to go in there and talk to her. Maybe she wasn?t mad at all. Maybe Rad had just misread something. It was possible, wasn?t it? In some realm of existence, yes it was probably possible. In this one, Rad needed to stop acting like a little woman and bite the bullet. But, there was no sense in storming in there if he didn?t know what to say. Having something planned out wasn?t being wimpy, it was being smart. Like battling an enemy: going in and swinging away usually didn?t work? even if it was Rad?s preferred modus operandi. He was slowly working together a rather sound series of questions and statement when the watchman?s voice cut through again.
?You should probably go in.? His voice was warm, though Rad was thoroughly annoyed at being interrupted.
?Ya think?? The saiya-jin?s voice was rough and his tongue sharp. He caught himself before saying anything and quickly adjusted his tone. ?Uh? yeah, thanks.?
Might as well just go in. He would just have to play it by ear. If he was honest and genuine with 18, things would work out, wouldn?t they? That was probably all the she wanted from him. Rad stepped cautiously into the darkened room. On the small bed he saw 18?s clothing laying in a small pile and he caught the sound of running water being shut off. Maybe this was a bad time. Though the female?s state of dress didn?t upset the saiyan (quite the opposite, actually) he didn?t want her to feel awkward or anything.
?You found me, eh?? Her voice was soft. If Rad were less flustered, mentally, he would have found it enchanting.
?Oh... sorry, I?ll leave.? Maybe she hadn?t wanted to be found.
?No.? Though her voice was still soft, it carried an authoritative undertone. Leaving right now would be a very bad idea, it seemed. She still seemed distant. Was it really a good idea to stay? Maybe this was some kind of test for the saiyan. He really and truly had no idea what was going on in the android?s mind. He took a step forward and closed the door behind him.
?Listen,? Raditzu began softly, ?what?s-?
?Raditzu??
The saiyan fell silent. Instantly. If she had something she needed to say, the floor was hers. It would probably be better than whatever inane mumbling Rad had been preparing himself for. Why had he never given any thought to actually learning how to? like? talk to people. Seriously talk to them. He could punch them in the face like nobody?s business? but that didn?t always work. 18 turned towards him, having abandoned her towel completely. Yet again, had Raditzu been less perturbed, he would have been thoroughly enchanted by the woman?s beauty. He didn?t have too long to admire, though, as 18 laid herself against him.
?Tell me you love me??
With all the sincerity, purity, and artistic wordsmithing Raditzu could muster, he looked down at the petite frame of the android and said ?huh?? If ever he had been caught off-guard, it was nothing compared to this. He certainly could not brag of being able to so quickly and completely eviscerate someone?s defenses. Mental or otherwise. Blinking away the shock, Raditzu wrapped his arms around 18 and thought for a moment. Processing both the request and the possible implications that could come along with it. What had he really been expecting from the woman? Was it really so shocking.
All of the flimsy rationalizations and arguments that he had come up with on his way up here melted away. It was shocking that he had missed something so? simple. Simple? Maybe not simple (was love ever simple?), but certainly obvious. When was the last time he had told 18 how he felt about her? His mind reeled backwards, searching for something? anything. He wanted to prove to himself that he hadn?t been a callous moron, but it wasn?t looking good. His mind finally rested on a time the two of them had been in the Room of Spirit and Time, locked away with one another. Had that really been the last time he had said anything? Nothing else came to mind. Little more than a second had passed and Rad decided a quick recovery was in order.
?Is that what?s been bothering you?? His voice was soft and light.
18 didn?t reply. Her head was turned to the ground. He only knew she heard him because she pushed against him a little harder. Rad made a mental note to look into the finer points of telepathy
?I? well? I?m sorry.? The saiyan lifted her chin with a finger. ?I never should have let you worry like that. There are a lot of things I wish I had done better.? Why did people always have these elaborate and dramatic speeches prepared in the movies? It just wasn?t natural. ?Of course I love you, 18.? The saiyan bent down and gently kissed the android. It was not a thing of lust or passion, but something of pure, honest feelings.
While the long-haired warrior would have liked to provide his father with a rational explanation of what the hell was up, he was baffled himself. His precision teleportation had landed them amidst a flock of feathery wings, which was disconcerting enough on its own. The fact that he hadn?t even bothered to explain why they had been teleported probably hadn?t helped Bardock or 18. After a moment of wrestling with the angelic wings, Bardock was able to cast a questioning look at the massive watchtower before them.
?That one I can explain.? Rad followed his father?s gaze. ?Some old guy lives up there and can see everything.? Rad nodded to himself.
?You call that an explanation?? Bardock craned his neck backwards, trying to see the top of the structure.
?Well? yeah.?
So much for a brief moment of bonding between the two. Rad sighed inwardly to himself and surveyed the landscape. He picked out a couple of familiar ki signatures, but nothing that particularly caught his interest. He made a mental note to catch up with the old Namekian, Kami. It had been a while since he had seen the green bean. Further inspection of the surroundings yielded a bad omen. He didn?t see 18 anywhere. That was just perfect. He couldn?t even figure out what he had done and he had managed to screw something up. Maybe she just? uh? was tired, Rad told himself. It was a comforting thought, but a bald-faced lie. Rad turned to Bardock, who seemed to be inspecting the winged beings.
?Did you see where 18 went?? Rad asked his father.
?Uh yeah. She headed into the door over there.? Bardock pointed in the direction of the tower.
?Ah.? The saiyan sighed. He started to walk towards the tower, but stopped and turned his head towards Bardock. ?How did you manage to keep a woman around for two kids??
Bardock considered the question for a moment before replying.
?She didn?t have a choice. It was an arranged marriage.?
The long-haired warrior was little more than a blink, as he couldn?t tell if his father was being serious or not. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Rad hoped he was joking, but at the moment it was kind of irrelevant. Rad marched towards the door to the watchtower and entered the building in short order. There was so much about what was going on that he was curious about: the winged beings, the flash of light, the zombies, everyone else already at the watchtower, but right now he needed to be concerned with 18.
?Oh yeah? I remember this game.? Raditzu said as he began the long trek up the massive staircase.
It was funny how different a building could look when you weren?t a two foot tall ball of fur. No! Rad shook his head. He needed to concentrate. Somewhere along the line he had missed something. 18 must have said or done something that should have tipped him off. Now it was simply a matter of trying to discern what it was. He was a master warrior (According to him, anyway) who was capable of analyzing and exposing intricate fighting techniques. Looking for a hint that the android had dropped was surely no harder than battle for the fate of planets. He was somewhat dubious.
Ok, Raditzu started in on himself, he just needed to work his way backwards. Firstly was the whole transformation ordeal. 18 hadn?t seemed thrilled about that. He just needed to find out why. As his feet continued the long-trek up the stairs, he closed his eyes and thought. There was a bright light. Some zombies. Plenty of smashing. Rad?s brain continued to backtrack. Tearing apart the building. 18 and Bojack getting out of the way. Wait. He remembered hearing something. His subconscious had made a mental note of it, but his Oosaru-influenced instincts weren?t in the mood to worry about it. Pushing the little ?play? button in his head, Rad played back the snippet of memory.
MOVE!? The android yelled and leapt over the dead carcass of the monster that had triggered this situation. She had taken a hold of the pirate-looking warriors hand and led him around the corner of the hall. The sound of the metal hallways tearing followed them as they made a retreat from the chaos. ?I don?t know what to do, we can?t get near them, but I can?t leave Raditzu behind, even if he is a big ape now.?
Bojack had said something after that, but it didn?t really matter to Raditzu. Obviously she had been concerned about him, but she must have understood that she wasn?t herself, right? He had said that at some point, hadn?t he? Explained what happened when he transformed. He thought he had, but he wasn?t sure if that was a memory he had simply fabricated for his own benefit. In hindsight, Rad could easily see how him having stomping on zombies would leave a bitter taste in the androidess? mouth. He logged that away and continued to track backwards through his memory.
There he was fighting Vegeta. He had caught a couple glimpses of the blonde-haired woman. She looked worried? concerned. And probably with good reason. Vegeta was, without a doubt, one of the most vicious foes Raditzu had ever faced. Rad hadn?t really had time to assure her that he had been ok. Had that bothered her? It probably had? but there had been a lot going on at the time. The power outage, the invasion of zombies. Trying to find Brim. Bojack?s bout with some sort of specter from his past. She would understand that, right? Rad was sure she would. He just needed to explain it to her logically and calmly. There was nothing to be upset about there, so Rad moved on.
Ok, there was everyone in the holding cell. He had exchanged words with Bra, then Vegeta had started their fight. No? something happened between then. He watched, in his mind, as 18 reached towards the glowing green bars of energy that imprisoned them. A cry of pain preceded her falling to her knees. Surely he had comforted her, right? He must have. Raditzu?s memory continued to play and he watched himself decidedly not do anything about it. Good lord how could he have been so flat-out stupid? What did he need? A giant, flashing, neon sign? He had trying to find a way out of the cell? for her? for everyone. Yes, he should have been there to help, but he was still thinking about her. That counted for something, didn?t it? Surely it would if he told her that he had been concerned for her.
As Raditzu pushed that thought aside, he noticed he was passing the half way point of the observatory. A small room branched off of the main stairway and Rad took the chance to partake in a small couch. Stretching out, Rad had a nice view of nothing more than the sky. Fluffy white clouds drifted by, completely obvious to the hordes of living dead of the forces of would-be angels below. They didn?t care, they were doing their job. It was easy to see how someone could get lost just gazing at the scenery, content with whatever floated by. Raditzu could never be like that. If there were people watching, he would be the one their attention was on. He wasn?t simply another cloud drifting by. He had worked his whole life to try and stand out. Try and be something than just another saiyan on just another planet. Did it matter? Had anyone even noticed? Before Raditzu?s mind could continue its downward spiral of loathing and self-contempt a thought came to mind. Yes, it had mattered. She had noticed. What else mattered? Leaping off the couch, Rad continued up the staircase.
His mental back peddling continued. Where had he been? Zombies? giant apes? Vegeta? holding cell? ah! Outside the ruined hospital. Some kind of beast had attacked? threatened what they had come there seeking (or so Rad had reasoned). And then things got hazy. He remembered 18 rushing to help him, and he remembered being concerned about her. Something occurred after that, something Raditzu had been pondering since it had occurred. The two of them had fused. They had done something that Raditzu hadn?t even considered was possible between two people of opposite race, let alone opposite gender. How had that affected 18? Had she noticed that he had avoided the subject? Did she care? She was probably a bit confused about what exactly had happened, but he had very few answers to give her.
And that brought him back to the tower he was currently climbing. He hadn?t even looked saiyan at the time. Had that bothered her? Rad thought he had noticed the android being distant, at the time, but he assumed it was all in his head. Randomly and uncontrollably turning into a cat certainly messed with a man?s mind. He wasn?t sure if he had fully come to grips with the fact that the telepathic ball of fur had been him at all. He was still afraid of randomly turning back at some point. Especially if someone like Vegeta were around. Lord almighty he would never hear the end of it. Had anything worth mention happened before that?
There was the underground cavern they had fallen into with Goten. The bomb that had almost blown Rad to kingdom come. Before that they were searching around some kind of underground facility after having fought through the defense systems of a military base. Back then Raditzu had still considered the game as a fun little break from the real world. Maybe he had been the only one. How had 18 felt about it? Hell? he hadn?t even thought to ask. That was classy. Just rush off and do his own thing. The story of Rad?s life. And, because of that, 18 was suffering. Though it probably didn?t show, he really was trying. He wanted to be there for her, and he definitely wanted her to be a part of his life. How had he managed to screw that up so royally? It took an impressive feat of idiocy, even by Raditzu?s standards.
There was the door to the top floor of the watchtower. Rad came to a dead stop in front of it. He really had no idea if 18 was in there or not, but he hoped that, at least, the old watchman would know where she had gone. That was his specialty, right? Maybe he had missed 18 completely. What if Bardock was wrong and she was back on the ground with his father? Maybe Rad should go check again to make sure he hadn?t just overlooked her. Or he could just chop off his balls right there and then. Good lord when did he become such a wimp? He took a deep breath and steeled himself, mentally. Reaching out, his hand hesitantly clasped the doorknob. He needed a second breath before turning the door knob and pushing it open. He stepped carefully in the room and saw? nothing.
?Hello there.? The old man turned towards Raditzu and looked him up and down.
?Uh? hi.? Rad scanned the room once more, but 18 was definitely not there. His eyes fell upon the door to the room he and 18 had rested in earlier during Friend or Foe.
?Have we met before?? The old man?s question broke Rad?s train of thought.
?Well? no.? How does one explain that he had been a cat? ?I don?t think so.? Rad considered the door for a moment, then turned to the watchman. ?Hey, did you see ??
?In there.? The old man answered the question with a nod before Rad could even finish it.
Ok, so she was in there. No problem, he just needed to go in there and talk to her. Maybe she wasn?t mad at all. Maybe Rad had just misread something. It was possible, wasn?t it? In some realm of existence, yes it was probably possible. In this one, Rad needed to stop acting like a little woman and bite the bullet. But, there was no sense in storming in there if he didn?t know what to say. Having something planned out wasn?t being wimpy, it was being smart. Like battling an enemy: going in and swinging away usually didn?t work? even if it was Rad?s preferred modus operandi. He was slowly working together a rather sound series of questions and statement when the watchman?s voice cut through again.
?You should probably go in.? His voice was warm, though Rad was thoroughly annoyed at being interrupted.
?Ya think?? The saiya-jin?s voice was rough and his tongue sharp. He caught himself before saying anything and quickly adjusted his tone. ?Uh? yeah, thanks.?
Might as well just go in. He would just have to play it by ear. If he was honest and genuine with 18, things would work out, wouldn?t they? That was probably all the she wanted from him. Rad stepped cautiously into the darkened room. On the small bed he saw 18?s clothing laying in a small pile and he caught the sound of running water being shut off. Maybe this was a bad time. Though the female?s state of dress didn?t upset the saiyan (quite the opposite, actually) he didn?t want her to feel awkward or anything.
?You found me, eh?? Her voice was soft. If Rad were less flustered, mentally, he would have found it enchanting.
?Oh... sorry, I?ll leave.? Maybe she hadn?t wanted to be found.
?No.? Though her voice was still soft, it carried an authoritative undertone. Leaving right now would be a very bad idea, it seemed. She still seemed distant. Was it really a good idea to stay? Maybe this was some kind of test for the saiyan. He really and truly had no idea what was going on in the android?s mind. He took a step forward and closed the door behind him.
?Listen,? Raditzu began softly, ?what?s-?
?Raditzu??
The saiyan fell silent. Instantly. If she had something she needed to say, the floor was hers. It would probably be better than whatever inane mumbling Rad had been preparing himself for. Why had he never given any thought to actually learning how to? like? talk to people. Seriously talk to them. He could punch them in the face like nobody?s business? but that didn?t always work. 18 turned towards him, having abandoned her towel completely. Yet again, had Raditzu been less perturbed, he would have been thoroughly enchanted by the woman?s beauty. He didn?t have too long to admire, though, as 18 laid herself against him.
?Tell me you love me??
With all the sincerity, purity, and artistic wordsmithing Raditzu could muster, he looked down at the petite frame of the android and said ?huh?? If ever he had been caught off-guard, it was nothing compared to this. He certainly could not brag of being able to so quickly and completely eviscerate someone?s defenses. Mental or otherwise. Blinking away the shock, Raditzu wrapped his arms around 18 and thought for a moment. Processing both the request and the possible implications that could come along with it. What had he really been expecting from the woman? Was it really so shocking.
All of the flimsy rationalizations and arguments that he had come up with on his way up here melted away. It was shocking that he had missed something so? simple. Simple? Maybe not simple (was love ever simple?), but certainly obvious. When was the last time he had told 18 how he felt about her? His mind reeled backwards, searching for something? anything. He wanted to prove to himself that he hadn?t been a callous moron, but it wasn?t looking good. His mind finally rested on a time the two of them had been in the Room of Spirit and Time, locked away with one another. Had that really been the last time he had said anything? Nothing else came to mind. Little more than a second had passed and Rad decided a quick recovery was in order.
?Is that what?s been bothering you?? His voice was soft and light.
18 didn?t reply. Her head was turned to the ground. He only knew she heard him because she pushed against him a little harder. Rad made a mental note to look into the finer points of telepathy
?I? well? I?m sorry.? The saiyan lifted her chin with a finger. ?I never should have let you worry like that. There are a lot of things I wish I had done better.? Why did people always have these elaborate and dramatic speeches prepared in the movies? It just wasn?t natural. ?Of course I love you, 18.? The saiyan bent down and gently kissed the android. It was not a thing of lust or passion, but something of pure, honest feelings.
![[Image: RadOct.jpg]](http://frozendust.com/sig/raditzu/RadOct.jpg)
"In this world, his world, life is just a game you play"