11-21-2005, 01:39 PM
?Well? this looks promising, eh babe?? A vast plane of darkness swept before Raditzu. ?Eighteen??
Spinning around, Raditzu was greeting with the same monotonous black background from all directions. While this scene was not entirely foreign to the long-haired wonder, it was not something he had really come to know and love. Last time he had visited a realm like this he had almost lost himself to? well? himself. That wasn?t the important part, though. As far as the saiyan knew, he had willed himself to this place before, now he was here under someone else?s discretion. That didn?t seem like a particularly appealing thought. Those that had been around him prior to Kao? as Bardock dubbed him? were nowhere to be seen.
Before the saiyan could form any further thoughts, everything wavered. Though Raditzu wasn?t sure how he could tell the pitch black before him was shimmering, he knew. Slowly, as though his eyes were adjusting to a bright light, a scene appeared before him. It was a scene that seemed vaguely familiar, but Rad wasn?t sure why. It was obviously a city, and he knew it was on Earth, but that was about all that he could summon forth from his memory. People walked by, doing about their daily lives, not giving the saiya-jin a second glance. A shirtless mass of muscle like Raditzu going unnoticed was a bit odd to the saiya-jin, but that thought was almost immediately shattered by a figure that rounded the a corner ahead of him.
For all the scenes of blood, gore, and unspeakable violence Raditzu had ever seen in his fairly long life as a soldier, none had stolen his breath so quickly. Her eyes were bright and vibrant as they met his. Her smile as warm and inviting as the saiyan remembered. The sunlight glistened off her soft skin, making her form shine through the crowd. She neared Raditzu with soft, casual steps while the saiya-jin could simply stand and stare. It took the warrior a moment to realize his jaw had actually dropped. He had never, in all his days, imagined he would see her again; that he would be given the chance to even wave to her was a hope that he could not afford to give himself, for the very sight of this magnificent creature tore open a wound he thought to have been long shut.
?Lunch??
That was all he could manage: her name. She was only a few feet in front of him. He raised his hand as he spoke; a horribly informal greeting. The motion caught her eye. Turning her head, the human gave Raditzu a light nod, an equally informally greeting, then walked by. She had passed the warrior as though he had been just another person she would never meet. There was no recognition in her eyes, no sign that she would even give the saiyan warrior the time of day. He turned to watch her as she walked away, impotently repeating her name. If ever the warrior had been dealt a blow, this was it. Luckily, before he had time to dwell upon the emotionally crippling scene, it shifted again.
The world around him wavered again. Everything looked as though it were being viewed through so much water. Raditzu felt a wave of nausea pass over him as things faded in and out of focus. This new scene was far different from the one he had just left. He found himself standing on a small stone path. This path led to a quite expansive palace of sorts. All of this, however, was overshadowed by the fact that the stone pathway was floating over a sea of yellow clouds. Rad had stood in this line twice before. He slowly shuffled forward, surrounded on either side by the fluffy white souls of other recently departed.
In the back of his mind, somewhere, the long-haired warrior knew that this didn?t make sense. Seconds ago, he had been standing in the middle of a bustling city and now he was dead and awaiting judgement? His hand reached up and idly brushed along the edge of the halo that hung, suspended by nothing. Despite all that knowledge, none of it seemed to register. There was nothing outstandingly odd about suddenly being dead, nor did it bother Raditzu in the least. He was more concerned with what Lord Yemma would say once it was Rad?s turn. As the saiya-jin entered the Lord?s dwelling the massive ogre came into view.
?Let?s see?? Yemma consulted a large book before him without even looking at Raditzu. ?Looks like its hell for you, kiddo.?
?I think I?ll pass.? Rad had already started walking towards the door that lead to Snake Way. ?If you can tell King Kai I?m on my way, that would be great.?
?What!?? The Lord?s head snapped up, his eyes narrowed when he saw where the saiya-jin was headed. ?And who, exactly do you think you are??
?What?s the big deal?? Now the saiyan was baffled.
?You?re going to hell, end of story.?
Raditzu opened his mouth to continue arguing, but never got the chance. Slamming a stamp onto a page in his book, Yemma yielded his verdict. As the loud thump of the stamp reached the saiyan?s ears, the floor underneath him opened up and dropped him into the fiery depths of Dabura?s domain. Or that?s what he thought would have happened. Instead he found himself plummeting, head-over-heels towards a familiar little island, floating through the sky.
Though he hit the ground with tremendous force (and on his face, no less) Rad didn?t register any actual pain. The scene around him was far too chaotic for him to notice, though. Searing shards of ki careened through the air, exploding haphazardly against the tiled floor or elaborate palace of Dende?s Lookout. Off in the distance, the saiya-jin could hear the battle roars of two ferocious fighters: Kamikorro Daimaou and Majin Vegeta. Spread around the perimeter of the Lookout were several other fighters, all engaging in their own scuffles, hoping to either help defend Earth or help conquer it.
From the sky, a familiar face landed delicately next to Raditzu. It was his brother Goku. Rad remembered the fight they had had. His brother was an expert warrior, no question, but in the end Raditzu had simply overpowered him with his Super Saiyan transformation. This time, however, the tables seemed to be turned. Goku regarded his older brother with a sneer of contempt. Rad pulled himself up to his feet, readying himself for what seemed like an inevitable attack. Goku laughed at his brother, as though the thought of him fighting was ludicrous. The younger brother simply brushed past Raditzu mumbling something about effort? and how fighting Raditzu was not worth it.
The idea that someone would simply dismiss him like that most definitely did not sit well with the long-haired warrior. He stomped after Goku, determined not to be simply overlooked, but that didn?t last long. Where he once was giving short-lived chase to his brother, Raditzu?s path was now being impeded by both Kamikorro and Vegeta. The two powerful warriors seemed to tower above Raditzu when, in fact, he should have been standing taller than either of them. In much the same manner that Goku had done, the two considered Raditzu, studying him up and down, then turned and resumed their fight, as though his presence was a non-issue. An explosion rang out in the background, drowning out Rad?s rather choice words of protest and, once again, the world shimmered out of existence.
The noise of the explosion faded away and the silence it bore ushered in the next scene Raditzu was destined to face. He found himself slowly marching along the cracked and cragged surface of Lord Vine?s moon. With him was the small group that had traveled in search of Lord Vine. As they approached the massive palace of Jade, Vine came striding out in full splendor, his armor glinting off of some unknown source of light. With him was Sei and another unnamed student. The trio sauntered up to the group of warriors, surveying each then taking a moment to discuss among themselves. One by one each of the visitors was given permission to enter the palace. The only way Raditzu even knew the trio could see him was Sei giving him a cocky smirk. With that done, everyone retreated back to the Jade Palace, leaving the long-haired warrior on the moon.
The light seemed to slowly fade from the surface of moon, leaving the saiyan much as he had started this little foray into the depths of his mind. The palace vanished from sight, and the ground was no longer visible under his feet. He heard the soft tapping of foot steps behind and turned to see who was approaching. As he tried to turn, however, his body refused to move. Blurs of color began to shine through the darkness as the footsteps behind him drew closer. The blurs slowly gained definition, revealing themselves to be just people. Everyday people in everyday clothes with everyday expressions. Raditzu found himself still unable to move and the footsteps were now almost directly behind him. A soft voice filled the void.
?Rad??
He recognized the voice instantly. Eighteen! Raditzu tried to respond, but his voice failed him. He opened his mouth to speak a second time and, again, nothing came. He could see Eighteen now. She was shifting through the mass of bodies, continuing to call his name. She stopped no more than a few feet away from him, scanning the faces in the crowd. Her eyes rested upon the saiya-jin for a moment, then moved on with no sign of recognition. Turning away from him, the saiyan?s lover slowly walked away, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was right here. How she failed to see him was a mystery to the warrior. He opened his mouth again, refusing to be lost among the masses.
?? Eighteen.? His voice was nothing but a whisper, drowned out by android?s own cries.
As she grew further and further away, her voice grew fainter and fainter. Raditzu?s vision of her was soon obscured by people as they shuffled back and forth. The saiyan found that, with a great deal of effort, he too could slowly stumble forward. He whispered out to Eighteen once more, his voice only slightly louder. His slowly, labored steps also began to pick up in pace, ever so slightly. Eighteen had stopped, once again surveying those around her. She began to grow larger in Rad?s field of vision as he neared her. As he approached, he could hear her talking softly to herself.
?I guess he?s not here?? she sighed dejectedly to herself. ?Oh well.? With that she turned her back on Raditzu and began walking once more.
Raditzu continued to struggle against the invisible bonds that hindered his movements. He couldn?t just stand by and watch Eighteen leave him. His movements picked up speed, though the android?s petite frame continued to shrink. With a surge of determination, the saiyan called out once more, hoping against hope that she would hear him.
?Eighteen!?
Spinning around, Raditzu was greeting with the same monotonous black background from all directions. While this scene was not entirely foreign to the long-haired wonder, it was not something he had really come to know and love. Last time he had visited a realm like this he had almost lost himself to? well? himself. That wasn?t the important part, though. As far as the saiyan knew, he had willed himself to this place before, now he was here under someone else?s discretion. That didn?t seem like a particularly appealing thought. Those that had been around him prior to Kao? as Bardock dubbed him? were nowhere to be seen.
Before the saiyan could form any further thoughts, everything wavered. Though Raditzu wasn?t sure how he could tell the pitch black before him was shimmering, he knew. Slowly, as though his eyes were adjusting to a bright light, a scene appeared before him. It was a scene that seemed vaguely familiar, but Rad wasn?t sure why. It was obviously a city, and he knew it was on Earth, but that was about all that he could summon forth from his memory. People walked by, doing about their daily lives, not giving the saiya-jin a second glance. A shirtless mass of muscle like Raditzu going unnoticed was a bit odd to the saiya-jin, but that thought was almost immediately shattered by a figure that rounded the a corner ahead of him.
For all the scenes of blood, gore, and unspeakable violence Raditzu had ever seen in his fairly long life as a soldier, none had stolen his breath so quickly. Her eyes were bright and vibrant as they met his. Her smile as warm and inviting as the saiyan remembered. The sunlight glistened off her soft skin, making her form shine through the crowd. She neared Raditzu with soft, casual steps while the saiya-jin could simply stand and stare. It took the warrior a moment to realize his jaw had actually dropped. He had never, in all his days, imagined he would see her again; that he would be given the chance to even wave to her was a hope that he could not afford to give himself, for the very sight of this magnificent creature tore open a wound he thought to have been long shut.
?Lunch??
That was all he could manage: her name. She was only a few feet in front of him. He raised his hand as he spoke; a horribly informal greeting. The motion caught her eye. Turning her head, the human gave Raditzu a light nod, an equally informally greeting, then walked by. She had passed the warrior as though he had been just another person she would never meet. There was no recognition in her eyes, no sign that she would even give the saiyan warrior the time of day. He turned to watch her as she walked away, impotently repeating her name. If ever the warrior had been dealt a blow, this was it. Luckily, before he had time to dwell upon the emotionally crippling scene, it shifted again.
The world around him wavered again. Everything looked as though it were being viewed through so much water. Raditzu felt a wave of nausea pass over him as things faded in and out of focus. This new scene was far different from the one he had just left. He found himself standing on a small stone path. This path led to a quite expansive palace of sorts. All of this, however, was overshadowed by the fact that the stone pathway was floating over a sea of yellow clouds. Rad had stood in this line twice before. He slowly shuffled forward, surrounded on either side by the fluffy white souls of other recently departed.
In the back of his mind, somewhere, the long-haired warrior knew that this didn?t make sense. Seconds ago, he had been standing in the middle of a bustling city and now he was dead and awaiting judgement? His hand reached up and idly brushed along the edge of the halo that hung, suspended by nothing. Despite all that knowledge, none of it seemed to register. There was nothing outstandingly odd about suddenly being dead, nor did it bother Raditzu in the least. He was more concerned with what Lord Yemma would say once it was Rad?s turn. As the saiya-jin entered the Lord?s dwelling the massive ogre came into view.
?Let?s see?? Yemma consulted a large book before him without even looking at Raditzu. ?Looks like its hell for you, kiddo.?
?I think I?ll pass.? Rad had already started walking towards the door that lead to Snake Way. ?If you can tell King Kai I?m on my way, that would be great.?
?What!?? The Lord?s head snapped up, his eyes narrowed when he saw where the saiya-jin was headed. ?And who, exactly do you think you are??
?What?s the big deal?? Now the saiyan was baffled.
?You?re going to hell, end of story.?
Raditzu opened his mouth to continue arguing, but never got the chance. Slamming a stamp onto a page in his book, Yemma yielded his verdict. As the loud thump of the stamp reached the saiyan?s ears, the floor underneath him opened up and dropped him into the fiery depths of Dabura?s domain. Or that?s what he thought would have happened. Instead he found himself plummeting, head-over-heels towards a familiar little island, floating through the sky.
Though he hit the ground with tremendous force (and on his face, no less) Rad didn?t register any actual pain. The scene around him was far too chaotic for him to notice, though. Searing shards of ki careened through the air, exploding haphazardly against the tiled floor or elaborate palace of Dende?s Lookout. Off in the distance, the saiya-jin could hear the battle roars of two ferocious fighters: Kamikorro Daimaou and Majin Vegeta. Spread around the perimeter of the Lookout were several other fighters, all engaging in their own scuffles, hoping to either help defend Earth or help conquer it.
From the sky, a familiar face landed delicately next to Raditzu. It was his brother Goku. Rad remembered the fight they had had. His brother was an expert warrior, no question, but in the end Raditzu had simply overpowered him with his Super Saiyan transformation. This time, however, the tables seemed to be turned. Goku regarded his older brother with a sneer of contempt. Rad pulled himself up to his feet, readying himself for what seemed like an inevitable attack. Goku laughed at his brother, as though the thought of him fighting was ludicrous. The younger brother simply brushed past Raditzu mumbling something about effort? and how fighting Raditzu was not worth it.
The idea that someone would simply dismiss him like that most definitely did not sit well with the long-haired warrior. He stomped after Goku, determined not to be simply overlooked, but that didn?t last long. Where he once was giving short-lived chase to his brother, Raditzu?s path was now being impeded by both Kamikorro and Vegeta. The two powerful warriors seemed to tower above Raditzu when, in fact, he should have been standing taller than either of them. In much the same manner that Goku had done, the two considered Raditzu, studying him up and down, then turned and resumed their fight, as though his presence was a non-issue. An explosion rang out in the background, drowning out Rad?s rather choice words of protest and, once again, the world shimmered out of existence.
The noise of the explosion faded away and the silence it bore ushered in the next scene Raditzu was destined to face. He found himself slowly marching along the cracked and cragged surface of Lord Vine?s moon. With him was the small group that had traveled in search of Lord Vine. As they approached the massive palace of Jade, Vine came striding out in full splendor, his armor glinting off of some unknown source of light. With him was Sei and another unnamed student. The trio sauntered up to the group of warriors, surveying each then taking a moment to discuss among themselves. One by one each of the visitors was given permission to enter the palace. The only way Raditzu even knew the trio could see him was Sei giving him a cocky smirk. With that done, everyone retreated back to the Jade Palace, leaving the long-haired warrior on the moon.
The light seemed to slowly fade from the surface of moon, leaving the saiyan much as he had started this little foray into the depths of his mind. The palace vanished from sight, and the ground was no longer visible under his feet. He heard the soft tapping of foot steps behind and turned to see who was approaching. As he tried to turn, however, his body refused to move. Blurs of color began to shine through the darkness as the footsteps behind him drew closer. The blurs slowly gained definition, revealing themselves to be just people. Everyday people in everyday clothes with everyday expressions. Raditzu found himself still unable to move and the footsteps were now almost directly behind him. A soft voice filled the void.
?Rad??
He recognized the voice instantly. Eighteen! Raditzu tried to respond, but his voice failed him. He opened his mouth to speak a second time and, again, nothing came. He could see Eighteen now. She was shifting through the mass of bodies, continuing to call his name. She stopped no more than a few feet away from him, scanning the faces in the crowd. Her eyes rested upon the saiya-jin for a moment, then moved on with no sign of recognition. Turning away from him, the saiyan?s lover slowly walked away, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was right here. How she failed to see him was a mystery to the warrior. He opened his mouth again, refusing to be lost among the masses.
?? Eighteen.? His voice was nothing but a whisper, drowned out by android?s own cries.
As she grew further and further away, her voice grew fainter and fainter. Raditzu?s vision of her was soon obscured by people as they shuffled back and forth. The saiyan found that, with a great deal of effort, he too could slowly stumble forward. He whispered out to Eighteen once more, his voice only slightly louder. His slowly, labored steps also began to pick up in pace, ever so slightly. Eighteen had stopped, once again surveying those around her. She began to grow larger in Rad?s field of vision as he neared her. As he approached, he could hear her talking softly to herself.
?I guess he?s not here?? she sighed dejectedly to herself. ?Oh well.? With that she turned her back on Raditzu and began walking once more.
Raditzu continued to struggle against the invisible bonds that hindered his movements. He couldn?t just stand by and watch Eighteen leave him. His movements picked up speed, though the android?s petite frame continued to shrink. With a surge of determination, the saiyan called out once more, hoping against hope that she would hear him.
?Eighteen!?
![[Image: RadOct.jpg]](http://frozendust.com/sig/raditzu/RadOct.jpg)
"In this world, his world, life is just a game you play"
