Day Two: Early Morning

[Raditzu]

In the dead of night, the long-haired wonder found himself strolling aimlessly through a patch of particularly dense forest. Or so he assumed, since he was surrounded by trees and couldn't see more than ten feet ahead of him. All of this, however, wouldn't register until he found himself being chased by a group of rather angry Arlians. What he had done to them, he wasn't entirely sure. He was sure, however, that not letting them catch him would be in his best interests. His somewhat less than joyful jaunt through the woods was brought to an abrupt halt when he ran smack-dab into a wooden door. His first concern was that those rowdy Arlians would catch up to him, but, looking over his shoulder, he saw they had managed to make like ninja and vanish. With a smile he pulled open the wooden door for no apparent reason. There were two things beyond the door. A chair (scaled for someone no older than eight) and black. Admittedly, it was a lot of black. As if he had planned it all along, Raditzu floated through the door (which promptly disappeared) and took a seat in the chair.

There was a movement within the darkness, something stirring. As if someone had flipped a switch, an outline appeared. A faint shimmering whiteness (for lack of a better word) outlined, what looked to be, Raditzu. Where the saiyan's eyes would have been were two glowing slits, and when it opened its mouth to speak (which it shortly did) it exhumed a glowing mist made up of some unknown substance too thick to be gasous, but not substantial enough to be liquid. It was quiet mesmerizing. Its voice was almost identical to Rad's, but it carried a raspy hiss to it, as though the warrior had yelled himself hoarse in the recent past. This was a being Rad had hoped he would not be seeing for quiet some time. An incarnation of his inner emotions... mostly anger, though.

"Long time no see," the Dark One hissed. A glowing grin spread across the outline of its head. Raditzu didn't bother responding. After a pause, the grin faded. "I assure you, I'm no more pleased to see you than you are to see me, but I think its important we get something straight." Raditzu couldn't help but laugh. "You laugh now, but you're heading straight for a fall, big guy, and you're going to take me with you. I don't think that's in anyone interests."

"What... do you mean?"

"You may not talk about it, but I know what you're thinking. I know every little quip you don't say, every single fear you hold back... all of it."

"I'm very impressed. What's your point?"

"Tch... fine. You want to protect people." The outline obscured as Darkling folded its arms over its chest. "What's the deal?"

"What do you mean 'what's the deal'?! You just said I wanna protect people."

"Look," the figure sighed a puff of the strange smoke, "we both know the 'hero' routine isn't for you. You stick your neck out," the jagged scar around the long-haired saiyan's neck burned, as if to emphasize the point "and you'll end up paying for it."

"I don't plan on trying to be a hero, but I'm not going to sit there and watch people I care about get hurt. I have the strength to protect them, so I will."

"You think they want your protection?!"

As though struck by a powerful blow, Rad recoiled. That was something he had never actually considered. What did he mean 'not want your protection'? Who wouldn't want his protection? Sure, he may not always be 100% reliable, but he was always there when it mattered. It made perfect sense. Why else should he be trying to become stronger? If not to aid those who mattered to him, then why? He'd been down that road of self-doubt before and it was anything but pretty. Rad shook his head and glared back at the Dark One, opening his mouth to speak. Before he could say anything, though, he was cut off.

"How would you feel if someone insisted on watching over you all the time?" The outline loomed larger in his field of vision. "You think you'd actually be helping people? The only thing you're doing is keeping them from growing. Stunting their own abilities just so you can pose dramatically." Rad opened his mouth, his face contorted in anger. "Don't try lying to me! I told you, I know exactly what you're thinking. Luckily for the both of us, I'm not stupid enough to buy into your web of self-delusions. If it weren't for this," the Dark One tapping on a previously invisible wall, which flashed when he touched it, "I'd be able to take a more... direct role in our self preservation."

The Darkling opened its mouth and started to say something, but seemed to decide against it. For several moments the two Raditzus stared each other down. Despite his outrage at these propoterous accusations, Rad wasn't dumb enough to ignore them. As much as he loathed that part of his being, it was still a part of his being. If anything the Darkling said angered him, it was his own doing. In many ways, his darker half was right. Raditzu knew what he was doing, and he understood the reprocusions of it. Maybe it was, in the end, a bit selfish of him, but that was something he could deal with in time. The long-haired saiyan would have kept turning those thoughts over in his mind, but it was then that he woke from his slumber with a rather violet jerk.