#Happy Frieza Day Everyone!

[cobra-soda]

"Guru's not the Grand Elder anymore, but his kidney stones make for some pretty fancy paperweight-!"

[comicaurora]

I watched Castlevania: Nocturne the otger day and liked it a lot less than you seemed to, so I want to hear a more detailed opinion if you have one. Am I in the wrong to think it was more shounen and less "deep" in some way?

I'd say it's definitely more shounen. Introducing the "Richter can't do magic because unresolved trauma" thing right from the jump meant a Believing In Yourself powerup was pretty much inevitable, but I liked the execution of that scene enough that I didn't mind much.

It doesn't quite have the backbone of the original Castlevania, which was grounded so strongly in Dracula's apocalyptic grief - a motivation the audience is directed to find deeply understandable from minute one - that it gave the characters a solid thematic core to play off of. This let the writing stay pretty tight by letting Trevor serve as a foiling mirror for Dracula in their mutual disgust with the failures of human kindness, Sypha for Lisa in their altruistic use of their knowledge and their vilification for "witchcraft", and Alucard in the middle torn between worlds.

Nocturne is more loose and character-driven, but it still has a core theme - the argument over "the natural order" and how that plays into a fear of change from those currently on top. However, Richter doesn't really have a horse in that race, since his motivation starts and ends at Kill Vampires while everyone around him is more complex, trying to overthrow the aristocracy and free the enslaved and such. I think this makes Richter feel a little less important than Trevor was, narratively, because he sort of stands apart from the core philosophical debate at play. It took me a few episodes to get what his deal was and start caring about his self-actualization, and I think he's definitely got further to go. Possibly Alucard's presence in season 2 will give him more to play off of.

I think Nocturne has several independently interesting villains instead of one really good villain, which is a complaint I also saw about Castlevania season 4 - I liked Death just fine, but he really didn't work for everyone, and the secondary villains like Saint Germaine were much more interesting and complex. Nocturne does, however, pull off something Castlevania didn't as much, which is most of the characters acting on their own internal consistent motivation without cleanly falling into the "good guy" or "bad guy" box, causing them to slide into and out of conflicts and alliances depending on the circumstances.

I feel like Bathory is kind of a weak core villain with almost no human-level motivations or ideas beyond General Villainy, and the extent of her development being a darkest hour shonen villain powerup/frieza transformation doesn't help much, which is why I'm kind of holding out hope that they just bite the bullet and bring back Dracula. He's the nemesis from the Castlevania games, and while they gave him and Lisa a happy ending in Castlevania season 4, I don't think they need to keep him on the bench forever. It's been 300 years, Lisa is almost certainly long dead again and Dracula doesn't need to be full Mad With Vengeance Burn Down The World to still be a credible problem in need of a little Belmonting.

I had fun with season 1 of Nocturne with the understanding that the first four-episode "season" of Castlevania wasn't representative of the final shape of the story either. Sypha's character, for instance, was very flat before she and the gang went on their season 2 bonding adventure, not much more than some banter and infodumps. I think Nocturne did solid setup of the cast and the theme they'll be unpacking, and it has lots of room to explore these characters in interesting ways once they energy-ball-tennis Bathory out of the way first.

[hi-there-buddies]

I’m rewatching Dragon Ball Z like I tend to do every two days and it’s baffling how many instances of PTSD there are.

Like, people say that Dragon Ball is “simple” and that something that deep wouldn’t happen, and it makes me wonder if people have watched the show.

Just off the top of my head, I can name a few:

Gohan’s dream of Goku getting tortured by Raditz

Gohan’s dream of Piccolo sacrificing himself

Gohan’s dream of Frieza coming back

Goku’s dream of the Androids killing everyone

Trunks’ flashback of his mother and the Androids

Basically everything having to do with the Androids for Trunks

Gohan’s dream of Cell killing Chi Chi and Piccolo

Vegeta’s just overall PTSD of Frieza, mainly presented in the Frieza and Buu saga

Vegeta’s flashback of Beerus

Krillin’s whole scene in the forest in Super, where he faced all the villains who hurt/killed him

I’d say the one I find most disturbing is Gohan’s dream about Piccolo, which was in the movie The World’s Strongest. Seriously, If you haven’t watched the scene in subbed, it’s super fucked up. Basically Gohan’s just dreaming and singing about how much he loves Piccolo, with happy music and all, and as the music continues, the scene gets interrupted with a flashback to Piccolo dying. I think what fucks me up most about it is how out of nowhere it comes and the fact the upbeat music continues to play as we see Piccolo get murdered in front of Gohan’s eyes. Also they change the color inflection of the scene and idk why but it makes it ten times more disturbing. If there are any color theory experts I’d love to know whY.

Yknow what let me find the video.

OK HERES THE LAST PART:

[bitebitesnap]

Something that interests me sometimes conceptually is yanderes.

Now I'm not a fan of them. The obsession, the downright horror vibes-it just bothers me..sometimes. There had been a few times where it's actually been kind of interesting, though it's usually because it's not super involved with making the Reader useless or just prey to be hunted.

But that aside, it's not the point, I was thinking about something.

Goku as a yandere would be horrifying.

And I'm not talking about his power. Technically, Vegeta is within the same range so it's not like it's much different from him going on a rampage. No what I mean isn't so much strength. It's reason.

Let's say Goku takes in what happened with Frieza and puts it to heart. Let's say the anger, the rage of becoming a Super Saiyan boils through to his core and changes him at the root-but also not quite. He's still the silly, goofy sweetheart everyone knows....but not quite.

Being on Namek during it's destruction taught him that he can't just let people go as easily. Just because they could be good deep down doesn't mean anything. If they have the chance, remote as it is, to turn on any of them then it's game over no matter how powerful they are. Maybe they aren't a threat to him, but to everyone else they could be the worst thing alive.

So he can't take that risk. Won't allow it to even take root.

He cuts off Gero before he can even release the other androids. Blasted to bits the minute he saw him. 19 went down too because he wasn't prepared to take the attack at full power.

Sure. A few buildings were destroyed, maybe a few people lost. But that's what the dragon balls are for right? And besides, he could feel the virus starting up so he had to act fast! Don't blame him for doing what needed to be done!

Cell is a surprise but not much more of a challenge either. Poor bastard barely got the chance to get away in his first form, and without the other two androids around to fuel his perfect form he had nothing else at all. Okay so some people got hurt in the fight but it's okay too! Dragon Balls, okay?

And without the Cell games, without his sacrifice...there's not much else to do now, is there? He's got nothing to fight, nothing to worry about. Sure he's got Piccolo and Vegeta so it's not like he's completely bored. Also, Gohan is getting seriously strong! He'd love to have a good spar against him when he gets older!

But....it doesnt'....feel quite right..

With nothing to fight, nothing is threatening his friends anymore. He should feel relieved, happy even.

So why does he feel like something is wrong..? Why does he feel anxious, afraid..almost like something is going to happen.

He kept a close watch on all of his friends, going so far as to intrude into their lives to make absolutely sure they were fine. He'd pop in at any point jsut to 'check in', he said, and when nothing was found and everything was fine he'd pop out. 'See?' He'd tell himself, 'Everything is fine. Don't worry about it!'

But he couldnt'...stop...

Simple check turned into hours long stalking. Stalking turned to obsessively watching over them at all hours, staying awake all night hopping between their homes. He couldn't count how many days and nights he'd been awake anymore. Only keeping track of when the sun rose and fell so he could go back to his home and watch over Gohan and you/Chi-Chi.

But it;s still not enough...! What was wrong!?

Then it happens. An inconspicuous little event that could have been missed by anyone had he not been so deranged by the need to keep an eye out for it.

A simple robbery. Not even a well planned out one, the robber had the bright idea to wander into Bulma's open window to steal a few pieces of her jewelry. It was so one-track and clearly idiotic that even she could have handled it.

But Goku was there. He saw it happen.

Poor bastard had no idea what was going on until he was several miles up in the air, dangling by his throat in the hands of a sleep deprived, wild-eyed Saiyan.

He knew of wars, petty battles between factions for something or another. Some part of him envied the rivalries humans could have with each other without running the risk of blowing up a planet. Being weaker, they had countless other's just like them to fight. No stagnation, always another challenge or threat right among their own.

Being himself, a Saiyan as powerful as he was, Goku never had to look down at them as a danger. His friends were strong, stronger than anyone like this little bug in his hands.

....Weren't they..?

His eyes harden, ignoring the squirming roach.

If they were...then why didnt Vegeta do anything to stop this attempt? Why didn't Yamcha?

Were there other infractions like this? Were they all ignoring it? Just letting it happen, right behind their backs where they could get stabbed just like he was when Frieza-

The crunch happens in the back of his head. His eyes watch the pest's neck flop over his fist but see nothing.

Quiet. It was quiet for the first time in a long, long while.

No noises catching his attention. No anxious energy driving him mad. No wild emotions left unchecked from exhaustion.

He was...calm.

Slowly he brings the body closer. The life force is long gone. No light blinks in the eyes. It's dead. Gone. No threat to anyone.

...Because of him..

And it clicks.

It doesn't matter if Vegeta didn;t get to him, he did. Yamcha wouldn't have fought anyways, he was a coward now and terrified of death.

But because he was here, he did. He caught the bastard. He ended the threat. He saved Bulma.

He saved her from something no one was looking for.

With everyone fresh out of a series of disasters centered mostly around the stars or his past, no one was focusing on the present. How could they? They'd been subjected to it for so long they'd grown numb to it by now. A simple robbery was nothing to them-less than nothing.

They were blind to an enemy they couldn't even think of anymore.

So he clenches the body's neck even tighter. Flesh engorges into a red mass in his palm but he ignores it. Even when the balloon bursts and crimson runs down his fingers. As meat squeezes out into and over his palm, the tongue forced out in a breathless gag.

He was their champion right? The strongest under the sun. The warrior who bested the worst of the universe, the tyrant Frieza, the android's maker, even the warrior built specifically to destroy him. He'd done it all. He'd do it a thousand times over if it meant protecting those he loved.

What was a few, measly little lives of a few bugs that dared to call themselves humans? Did their lives matter, even, if they dared to stoop so low as to be like the monsters he's conquered? Were they lives at all or simply dust under his heels?

The body is flung in a random direction. He doesn;'t care where it lands. His muscles are tight with renewed energy, mind clear and focused on a single, soul driven purpose.

He would protect everyone. He would destroy anything that got in his way. Be the wall between them and total destruction.

He was Son Goku the Saiyan, the warrior, Earth's mightiest protector. But if the Earth itself wanted to turn on anyone he cared about....

Then not even the Earth mattered to him anymore.

[sundove88]

DBZ: Waves of Freedom Chapter 2: The Weight of Expectations

“Now, what took you so long?”, Chi Chi said as her husband swam into their undersea home with supplies in hand, followed by a school of blue tangs. “Not long, actually! I met someone up there!”, Goku said as he placed down the bags and immediately grabbed some water safe training equipment, immediately getting to working out and training. “Goku, you know interacting with land dwellers is dangerous.”, replied Piccolo, an eel merman with a long, emerald tail that glistened in the ocean’s light. “They could capture you and do unspeakable things to you.”, he continued. “Yeah; Piccolo! But this one- he’s actually really nice!”, Goku replied as he put down the weights and went over to the training dummy, while his sons immediately chased a nearby squirrelfish. “Well, if you say so…”, replied Krillin, a weedy sea dragon merman as he buried his hands in his face. “I’ll introduce you to him someday. You’ll actually really like him!”, replied the orange tailed merman as he continued to train. “There my lil bro goes again, wasting his time constantly talking to a guy on the surface.”, said Raditz as he placed his books in his waterproof satchel, only to take another one out to continue his studies, with his red snapper tail glistening like rubies. “Yeah, but from what I’ve heard about this guy… I think that he’s probably the one with some pretty bad issues.”, Nappa said, his green Mahi Mahi tail shimmering in the light as he sat next to Raditz, a nearby wrasse perching on his shoulder.

For the next few days, Goku and Vegeta continued to meet at the watery outcropping, talking about their lives and wondering if they could possibly find a way to be together. However, Vegeta’s lingering absences caught the attention of his boss, Frieza, who immediately grew suspicious of his behavior. He was always looking out at the ocean, waiting for a glimpse of his sunset tailed friend. “Vegeta; get back to work! You know, since this behavior has gone on for the past THREE DAYS, I might as well find a way to finally put you in your place.”, sneered the evil CEO as he glared at the young employee. “W-What would that be?”, stammered Vegeta, sweat rolling down his face. “Longer shifts… and more work for you.”, answered Frieza. At those words, Vegeta’s face paled with utter horror, as if he had been hit by a crushing weight. Longer shifts of work and more work put on his plate, and he knew that Frieza was trying to make him bite off more than he could chew. He could’ve spent the extra time from his breaks at the beach, talking to Goku and collecting seashells for his humble collection back at his apartment, and amongst the shells of that collection was an abalone from his late father. No. This can’t be true. My coworkers will be having fun in the sun when I’m toiling away at work! He thought. The very wording of Frieza’s sentence hit him like a brick wall, when all he truly wanted was to spend time with the merman who fostered feelings of happiness inside of him. The ocean was his only escape, and now even that felt like a distant dream.

The following weeks were harder than a math test a student had crammed their work into. The summer season had started, but Vegeta didn’t welcome it with open arms like everyone else did. Frieza had already suggested that he would have longer shifts and more work to make up for his “Absences”, and his employees agreed it was the best idea, even though they didn’t know what he truly yearned for. He felt he should have agreed himself, but it was just hard. Hard watching all his coworkers laze about the nearby beach, do all his favorite activities, and get together and enjoy the summertime he had been looking forward to with Goku. It became even harder when he tried talking to his coworkers, and they started getting all sympathetic. First, he tried to talk to Frieza’s Strategic Assistant, Zarbon. “Zarbon, I really want to-” he would begin, approaching with a sincere look, but the SA would just flip his hair and pity the worker, followed by a haughty smile. Then he would try to talk to Dodoria with open arms, but Dodoria would just brush him off and offer to take him out to dinner to make him feel better. He tried to reason with his other coworkers; but to no avail. Every day at work held some reminder of the merman who saw him for who he was, and he just couldn’t put them past him. He knew what he wanted: The ocean and its boundless beauty and wonders, as well as to find a community where he could thrive and grow as a person, not just survive and endure.

And so, he trudged into work that day. Made his way right in while the sun shone brilliantly upon Scalefall Bay and the surrounding streets. The corridors were in complete darkness, though; apparently, the employees didn’t think it was worth turning on the lights if only a few employees would be in. Vegeta thought that sudden switch from the light of the outside world to the darkness of the company was very fitting. As he passed through one of the corridors with a stained glass window of ocean waves, it cast a cornflower light, with the glass markings reflecting on his legs. He then walked up to a small aquarium, nestled against the wall. The vibrant, underwater world inside was a stark contrast to the dreary and monochrome environment around him. He paused, captivated by the colorful plants swaying gently in the water and the diverse array of fish swimming with their minnow neighbors. One fish, in particular, caught his attention- a curious blood parrot cichlid. Its bright scarlet body and inquisitive eyes pressed against the glass, nibbling at Vegeta’s fingers as he placed his hand on the tank. Hello, little guy. I wish I were free as you, swimming with your friends, and just enjoying life without a care in the world. Vegeta thought as he smiled wistfully and tapped the glass in response, but he knew that he was confined to such a dreary environment, like a wild bird to a gilded cage.

Somehow, he would find a way to be with Goku, once and for all.

[iggyredacted]

Happy Frieza Day everyone!

[rainofbrasspetal]

Grappler Baki: The Stitchy Review

Started Grappler Baki June 17 2024.

Finished Grappler Baki July 6 2024.

Stitchy's Score: 9/10

I, like many others, have seen those infamous clips and "WTF is Baki even about" memes. I finally decided to take a look at the source for myself. WTF is Baki? Well, it's peak, I'm afraid.

I was once a hater of Itagaki Sensei's artstyle, I thought Baki was so ugly. "How can people stand to look at it?" I would ask myself. I am extremely happy to report, however, that I now have no choice but to stan my king and Baki's art. I think Baki has fantastic and engaging art. Baki's girlfriend, his landlady, his mother, ect, they all look like regular people. Only the guys that fight and have dedicated themselves to being "the strongest" have these horrificly muscular bodies. It makes a lot of sense to me and makes everything else pretty easy to swallow.

Each character is also pretty destinct which is also fantastic. I happened to really fall in love with the cast. I brought up my character designer friend in my Mashle review, but I was discussing Baki with her earlier today. She correctly noted that hight difference is also really important and Baki has it in spades. Yujiro Hanma is like the strongest dude ever to exist and there are actually a few characters taller than or almost as tall as he is. Baki himself is also pretty short, which is great. It makes everyone stand out more and helps the silhouette of the characters. Baki also looks like he really is a 17 year old boy! Another plus in a world where I am supposed to believe that Kiyomaro Takamine (Zatch/Gash Bell) is a middle schooler! He also has a great personality, a fun protagonist that almost seems out of place in such a violent story.

Grappler Baki is the most "normal" of the series, from what I can tell. All the big memes aren't going to be found here, unfortunately. That being said, this manga is still absolute nonsense. There's biting and ripping and breaking and just incredibly unbelievable violence. Baki characters feel like cockroaches! Baki himself takes a ridiculous amount of damage and just is fine at the end of the day sometimes. It really reminds me of the old brutal Mortal Kombat 9 x-ray moves, like Sub-Zero freezing your stomach and crushing it, before just continuing the fight like that didn't happen to you. The fights are so brutal and engaging to watch. Even when the side characters were going to fight, I often found myself excited to see how it went. It's just a good old time.

If you've never read or watched Baki, I don't want to give too much away from the plot (MAKE SURE YOU DO SOME RESEARCH! It really took me a minute to figure out what order best to consume the story as a whole. There's like 5 or 6 Baki mangas and two of them have the same name). I will say that I was really locked in the whole time, though! UNFORTUNATELY, this also has the bit where it loses that perfect 10/10 score. I will tell you that Grappler Baki has maybe four important female characters and unfortunately they are pretty lacking. They really don't get to do too much, Baki's girlfriend especially doesn't do much.

Most of our story revolves around a tournament, which is also a big plus. What arcs does everyone love? Naruto's Chunin Exams, Yu Yu Hakusho's Dark Tournament and, Dragon Ball's Tenka'ichi Budōkai, Yu-Gi-Oh's Battle City! The people love tournament arcs! We yearn for the tournament! Even Oda stuck one in One Piece during Dressrosa! A main plot that revolves around a tournament, what more could we ask of Grappler Baki?

Another thing I believe Grappler Baki handles well is what I'm going to call, "The Vegeta Problem." I call it The Vegeta Problem because he is always the first character I'll think of in the context. I define it as: introducing a character that is supposed to be so strong and intimidating but usually gets whipped before the main character gets to take his turn and beat the bad guy. Frieza, Cell, Majin Buu. Since Baki's villain is Yujiro Hanma, and he's said to be untouchable and just a ridiculously impossible standard, it never feels like someone is weak when they lose to him. Even people who lose often put up decent fights. Baki is very good at making fights really edge of your seat, which is refreshing!

In conclusion, Grappler Baki is a fantastic read. It has everything someone would want from a manga mainly about fighting. A ridiculous ride that grabs you and makes you really want to see where the twists and turns take the story!

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hiyo! Just wanted to say that I've been reading for a while and have hooked ever since! ❤ But I wanted to ask for a part 2 fic to the Raditz x Sanji! Reader? (Feel free to delete this if it's too vague)

-It had been several months since Raditz came into your life like a wrecking ball, but it’s also been several months since Raditz found the one he wanted to be his mate for life.

-You were a great cook and you always seemed to stuff him full, you were extremely powerful and did have a nasty temper, but you were also gentle and sweet to his nephew, Gohan, constantly cuddling him.

-Raditz and Goku reconnected, getting to know each other and enjoyed their time sparring with one another.

-Raditz was able to send a message to Nappa and Vegeta secretly, telling them about this world and that it was a world worth living in, full of food and was mostly peaceful and had tons of feisty women and strong people to spar against

-Raditz told everyone that these two would be coming soon, and originally they were going to assist with invading and enslaving everyone on the planet, taking everything for themselves, for Frieza’s army, but hearing this, they were curious about this planet.

-After a lucky freak accident, that may or may not have been planned by the other two Saiyan men, Frieza was killed and his army disbanded, letting those who had been forced into his army be free.

-When Raditz got word of this, he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing this world was going to be safe, that you were going to be safe, as he was vying after you, bringing you large catches, showing that he was a provider, showing you that he was a good mate.

-Unfortuneately you didn’t see it like that, not being a Saiyan so you didn’t know customs, you just thought he was bringing you meat that he wanted you to make food into, which was technically true, since he always ate so much.

-Bulma, Goku, and everyone else was made aware of the other two Saiyans that were coming, one of them being the prince, and he told you all about the destruction of their home planet of the same name, by Freiza and how the survivors were forced to become soldiers for him, but now with his death, everyone was free and Raditz told you all that he invited the two other remaining Saiyans here to live.

-While not bothered with it, Goku did warn Raditz that these two would have to behave and not make any trouble, just like him, and if they did that, they would have homes, clothes, and food provided for them, thanks to Bulma and Capsule Corp.

-When Nappa and Vegeta arrived, they weren’t expecting such a warm welcome, Bulma greeting them alongside Goku and Raditz, telling them that she arranged living arrangements for them, in exchange for them not attacking or hurting anyone that wasn’t in sparring matches.

-It was a pretty fair trade and the two met Gohan, who was a little shy, but they saw his tail and that he was also a Saiyan, something Goku confirmed, that his son was half, which showed the two new arrivals that humans were compatible to have children with.

-You exited your restaurant that was near Capsule Corp, “Food’s ready!!” Gohan and Goku both cheered happily, running towards you before Raditz followed, “This female runs her own eatery and can easily feed Saiyans.”

-Nappa and Vegeta laughed, thinking he was joking, teasing them all after you seated them all, after you closed the restaurant for the day for them. You took that challenge and kept bringing out more and more food, only stopping once all five Saiyans all had full distended bellies, unable to eat another crumb.

-You smirked down at the prince, hands on your hips, “Don’t underestimate me again or I’ll stuff you again!” he couldn’t help but smirk up at you before knocking out, just like the others who were fast asleep.

-Your food was one of the few things that kept these three non-natives calm, as you would always feed them, and you were happy to do so, seeing your food being enjoyed.

-Raditz, despite being lower in rank compared to Nappa and especially Vegeta, let them know early on that you were his mate, even if you didn’t know it yet, and while annoyed at first, Vegeta found himself drawn in by the hot headed but creative Bulma, and Nappa found Lunch to be the perfect woman, she was delicate and gentle, but whenever she would sneeze she would turn angry and violent, easily getting his heart.

-However, just like with Raditz and sometimes Goku, they had to go out and hunt their own meat if they wanted large amounts which they had no issues doing, until it turned into a competition between the three, sometimes, four, of them on who could get the biggest creature.

-Raditz was scowling while stuffing his face, seeing Gohan on your lap as you cuddled him, a bright smile on your face, giving him all your attention, something Nappa teased him for and the two meatheads quickly got into a fight.

-Holding Gohan on your hip, despite wearing heels, you leapt up and delivered a guillotine kick to each of them, sending their heads down to the ground, “If you’re going to fight do it outside!”

-Vegeta couldn’t help but grin, leaning over to Bulma, “I can see why Raditz likes her.” Bulma agreed as the two got up, hanging their heads as you scolded them, despite being half their size.

-That evening, Raditz approached you to walk you home, the normal routine for the two of you, but you noticed he was a bit quieter today, more withdrawn.

-When you inquired, he glanced over, as he had been feeling conflicted since you disciplined him, seeing you yelling at him with a child on your hip, you looked so good like that, “I want to give you a child and make you my mate.”

-Despite being so confident in yourself, you immediately froze, holding your bright red cheeks, turning from him, “What- what are you talking about- dummy?!” you were so cute when you were shy, calling him names.

-Raditz swept you up into his arms, holding you princess style as your arms went across your chest, looking away from him, cheeks burning bright red as he took to the skies, flying with you in his arms, “I don’t know if I’m ready for children yet- maybe after a couple of dates we can discuss going to the next step.”

-He chuckled warmly down at you, enjoying seeing you so shy, but if you wanted to wait and go on some of these ‘dates’ he would oblige to keep you happy.

[nolhann]

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone !

.

Yes I drew Frieza in a suit because I have a thing for men in suits ok (sorry not sorry)

[yeowangies]

In the garden

❧

PAIRING: Raditz/Reader RATING: Teen and up CONTENTS: AU-Fantasy, Royalty, Medieval, Romance, Fluff, Attempt at humor. WARNINGS: A ship I'm not including in the content because I want it to be a surprise but also not everyone likes it so. yeah. WORDCOUNT: 10090

Summary:

Raditz has interacted only a handful of times with you, the princess of this kingdom. And he does find you attractive and nice, which is hard to find in royalty. But he’s also positive Vegeta intends to marry you.

Notes:

This is made for Radship week 2023, day 5, with the prompts wedding, biting, and princess. I included references to all the prompts so I feel happy! I think Raditz might be a bit ooc, but it's an au... I'm allowed right?

This is a magical medieval setting AU, and I'm just sooooo fond of this. I'm so happy with this fic, and for once it's the first fic I write that doesn't have smut lmao, it's already long so I decided against it, and it's perfect like this to be honest.

There's a side pairing here that maybe not a lot of people will like but. I love them so. Tell me what tag applies to 'side pairing without spoiler' please lmao.

Raditz shifts from one foot to another, nervous, trying very hard not to pace as he stands in the garden, outside the castle, by himself. Apparently pacing isn’t something ‘ceremonious’ to do. His tail bristles inevitably, but luckily it’s hidden underneath the extravagant armor he’s currently wearing.

When the Saiyans returned from war against Frieza and his army, they were met with ovations from all different lands, royalty inviting them for balls and ceremonial parties that he frankly cared little about. The war against one of the biggest tyrants in the world was over, and that deserved celebration for sure, but he wasn’t made to meet Dukes and Lords or to act courtly. He isn’t so sure he can even speak formally.

Prince Vegeta has dragged him into this fancy ball, after all Raditz is one of his commanders, and a significant part in that final battle. But the Prince, and his brother Kakarot, are certainly the center of attention. Kakarot is even less of a ceremonial kind of guy than he is, but food would keep him entertained. Raditz isn’t as carefree. The King and his daughter are there, and that makes him a little nervous. 

He has interacted only a handful of times with you, the princess of this kingdom. And he does find you attractive and nice, which is hard to find in royalty. But he’s also positive Vegeta intends to marry you. Not for something as ridiculous as love, but because it would give him even more power and would expand his dominion outside Saiyan territory. Saiyans belong to a small land after all, no matter how powerful they are. All because of Frieza; though that matter has been settled. Returning the Saiyans to their original glorious kingdom would take time. And that would begin with Vegeta’s marriage to you.

Even if Vegeta doesn’t have the intention of tying the knot, your royal status would suffice to keep Raditz away. He’s a Commander, a military rank, but still a commoner, and you’re a Princess, direct heir to the throne of your kingdom. He doesn’t know the rules, but he’s certain any kind of affair is not allowed.

Raditz sighs, uncomfortable wearing this fancy battle armor. He even had to tie his hair, apparently it isn’t fancy to have it flowing around. 

It’s not like he’s in love or anything. He has hardly talked to you. 

Reluctantly, he makes his way inside to the castle, knowing that the banquet is about to start.

*

Looking around the room, you quickly distinguish the Saiyans, or some of them, hanging around on the side, near the table where food is still being served. They’re known for their huge appetites, and watching them from afar, you confirm it. The Prince seems to be more delicate when it comes to eating, but not his subordinates. It amuses you more than you expect. 

You make your way towards them, people around moving out of the way and bowing profoundly when they notice it’s you, the princess, walking by. Prince Vegeta notices you first, elbowing Kakarot in the ribs, signaling him to stop eating so he can turn to you and bow. 

“There’s no need for that,” You quickly tell them, smiling when you notice Kakarot is splurting loudly. “Apologies for interrupting your meal.”

“It’s okay,” Kakarot musters in between quiet coughs. 

“Food won’t be going anywhere, I know His Majesty wouldn’t allow it.” Vegeta adds, glaring at his companion from the side.

“That’s true, especially for you, the Saiyans who defeated Frieza.” You smile at Vegeta, and he smirks right back.

“How generous.”

Vegeta’s way of speech is conceited and arrogant, even when he isn’t being outright rude, and it truly amuses you. Almost no one speaks to you that way, and it’s refreshing finding someone who does. It’s obvious he behaves like that because he’s a Prince, and because he can snap someone’s neck if he wants to. 

You look behind him. Raditz, his Commander, is standing on the far end of the table, talking to another bigger Saiyan. You want to talk to him, but you’re not exactly sure how to approach him.

Vegeta follows your eyes, and smirks knowingly. 

“Raditz, Nappa.” He calls for them loudly enough, making them turn towards your direction. “Get over here now.”

They do as told, looking a little on the nervous side as they bow to you. 

“I’ve been told your performance in that battle was impeccable,” You glance at them, including Kakarot, who’s still eating but facing you. “I’m impressed.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Nappa replies, bowing once more, and you still have to strain your neck a bit to meet his eyes with how tall he is. 

“It’s in your routine to spar often, isn’t that correct? I would love to be able to watch sometime.”

“That won’t be an issue.” Vegeta says.

You glance at Raditz, standing next to Nappa, looking very stiff. 

“Are you enjoying the banquet, Commander?” You ask him directly, and his eyes finally fix on you.

“I am, Your Highness, I most deeply appreciate your efforts in all this luxury.”

His speech sounds forced and incredibly over rehearsed. The few times in the past you have talked to him, he rarely sounded like that.

“You don’t have to be so formal with me.” You giggle lightly. “After all, you’re Prince Vegeta’s Commander, and you saved all seven kingdoms. All Saiyans did, of course.”

Raditz opens and closes his mouth a couple of times, seemingly deciding what to say to your request.

“I wouldn’t dare to disrespect you in any way, Your Highness.”

You pout. 

“Do not mind him, Your Highness,” Nappa cuts in, obviously taking in your offer of informal speech around you. “He must not be drunk enough to speak normally, but give him a minute.”

Raditz snorts, and Nappa laughs at his expense. Vegeta notices that you’re stealing glances at his Commander, keeping his eyes on you before speaking.

“Your Highness, a word.” 

Vegeta gestures to the door that leads to the garden, and you nod. 

Walking ahead, you lead your way out towards the hall and onto the enormous garden adorning your palace. Stepping into it, your maid follows you closely behind until you gesture for her to stop. You trail behind Vegeta as he keeps walking ahead until he calls you by your name, without honorifics, to make you stop in your tracks.

“What is it, Vegeta?”

“It is not in my plans to marry anyone in the future.”

You blink.

“Alright… ?”

“I know your father intends for us to wed.”

“Yes, that’s what he expects, he mentioned that before.”

“I will not marry you.”

You stare at him for a second, a little confused. His expression remains stoic, not giving away any kind of thought.

“You won’t?”

“No. My idea of my kingdom going back to its original glory does not include marriage. I will not be sharing my throne with a consort.” He grins knowingly when you snort, amused at his words. “You do not wish to be married, either.”

“Maybe I don’t.”

“You do not wish to be married to me.”

Doubting whether or not to be explicitly rude, you settle with honesty, considering how the tone in the conversation is going.

“No offense, but… no.”

“None taken.” Vegeta eyes you up and down briefly, and his smirk grows wider. “My Commander is another story, however.”

“I do not know what you mean.” There’s a rush of blood traveling to your face, and you hope the darkness of the garden hides it well.

“Raditz is an idiot for not realizing how much you stare at him, and it’s irritating me.”

“Don’t call him that.” You scoff.

“What do you think about marrying him, then?” 

You bite your lip. You have thought about it before, obviously. But you know very well that your father will not be happy with that kind of union.

“He would not become royalty, not even a prince consort.” Vegeta informs you. As if you don’t already know.

“I don’t care about that.”

“And if you two have children, they wouldn’t be royalty either.”

“I… I truly do not care.” Vegeta quirks an eyebrow at your response. “I really don’t… I even thought about giving up my title.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“All of this is pointless because it’s not like I talked to Raditz with any intention yet.”

“Yes, he’s not the only idiot.” Vegeta snorts when you glare at him. “Do not give up your title. I was going to offer you something different.”

“Oh?”

“Marry him. He may not be royalty, but his entire family is Elite in our kingdom. He has his own fief, and you can settle there if you so wish.”

You gape at him. Vegeta seems to have given this situation a lot of thought. More than you had. 

“Wha-What do you-”

“What do you say? Do you wish for me to inform him of his engagement to the princess?” He asks you sarcastically, after a minute of silence.

“N-No! You can’t do that! What if he doesn’t want to marry?”

“I’ll force him.”

“Vegeta!”

He chuckles, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Feel free to pursue him then.”

“What do you get from all this? I can’t believe you’re doing this out of the goodness of your heart.”

“Of course not. I do not waste my time with sentimentality.”

“So?” 

“I oppose getting married myself, but an union between my high rank soldiers and other royals benefits my kingdom. And I tolerate you enough to not be opposed to your union with my Commander.”

That’s the closest comment to a compliment you’ll ever get from Vegeta, and it makes you smile. 

“That was almost a nice thing to say.”

“Hurry up and tie the knot with the idiot before he finds someone else.”

Vegeta turns around to walk back to the ball, and you stare at his back for a second, completely offended.

“Hold on!” You catch up to him and grab his forearm to stop him. “You’re not gonna tell him about any of this, are you?”

“Of course not.” He scoffs, shrugging off your hand. “You want to confess your feelings? Be my guest.”

With that, Vegeta walks off, leaving you a little confused, but also a little hopeful.

*

“Good afternoon, Commander.”

Raditz practically jumps from his seat when he hears your voice. He’s taking a break from sparring, and he was almost on the verge of dozing off when you caught him off guard. 

“Your Highness.” He stands up at once, bowing exaggeratedly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was bothering you.”

“No, please! I shouldn’t-”

He shouldn’t what? Almost fall asleep in the garden? He isn’t good at formal speech, he doesn’t know what the right thing to say is in this situation. You smile sweetly at him, and that reassures him enough. 

“May I sit with you?”

Raditz nods eagerly, and moves to the side to let you accommodate next to him. He catches sight of your maid standing several feet behind you. As a chaperone, obviously.

“How’s the spar going?”

“Good… We tend to go pretty rough on each other, even if it’s practice.” He comments when he notices you’re checking out the couple of bruises on his arms. 

“Wouldn’t this be a good time to rest? You did a great campaign after all.”

“Yeah, I mean-” He clears his throat, starting his sentence again in a more appropriate tone. “Your Highness has nothing to worry about.”

“You don’t have to be so formal with me.” Your smile grows wider and you inch closer to him.

“But, it’s not-”

“I will be informal with you if you’re informal with me.”

Raditz stares at you, at your smile, and he finds it genuine. He hasn’t met many royals, but he’s not sure all of them are as honest in their ways as you are. At least from the few interactions he’s had with you.

“Alright, sounds good.” He smirks, his shoulders easing a little bit of the tension they were holding. 

“Good.” You grin, meeting his eyes briefly. “So, I suppose all these bruises are a common occurrence?

“Pretty much. If we want to be better for a real battle, we gotta train like it’s a real battle.”

“Of course. Do you ever take breaks?”

“I’m taking one right now.”

“No,” You chuckle when he smiles teasingly. “I mean, days off? You deserve it.”

“We will once we’re back home for sure. We still have to celebrate with our people.”

“Oh… Do you know when you’re leaving?”

Raditz pays close attention to your expression, because he’s positive he feels some sadness in your tone. 

“It’s not certain. In a month, at most.”

“I’ll try to make your stay as pleasant as possible until then.”

“Your Highness already makes everything pleasant.”

His words make his cheeks flush a little, and he clears his throat awkwardly, but your smile only grows wider at his words.

“I meant no disrespect…”

“Oh, please! Your words were sweet, I appreciate them.”

When you put your hand over his, Raditz feels like electricity traveling through his body, just by that simple gesture alone. 

Is it okay to feel like this? After all, you’re supposed to marry Vegeta. It hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s going to be a matter of time. Why else were they staying in the palace if not for that? Raditz quickly moves his hand away.

“I apologize, Your Highness, I must return to my training.” He stands up to leave, noticing the look of confusion in your eyes. He pauses and turns to you with the intention of not being perceived as rude. “I will escort you back to the palace if you desire.”

“I want to watch your sparring matches, if that’s okay.” You stand up next to him, and even though you do not even reach his shoulder, your attitude makes up for your height. 

“It’s going to be bloody, and it’s no place for a lady-”

“I think I can handle it.” You put your hands on your hips, determined.

You’re making it harder for him to resist your charms, even when you’re just talking to him; he knows he’s going to get sloppy during training if you’re there, watching. Raditz nods at last, and offers his arm for you to take. You accept it, putting your hand on his arm, smiling a little shyly as you make your way to the training grounds, the maid accompanying you from afar.

He should have known better, though, and he feels like an idiot after his first spar with Kakarot. 

“Hey, Raditz, you okay?” Kakarot asks, trailing behind him, obviously worried. 

“I’m fine.” Raditz spits.

He’s more angry with himself than with his brother. He insisted on sparring with Kakarot when he knows he’s just as strong as Vegeta, meaning he can kick his ass. He got a very ugly cut on his chest as a result, and while it hurts like hell, it will heal fast; he’s a Saiyan after all. 

But the humiliation he feels because you watch him get his ass kicked, that will sting for far longer than that cut.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you that bad-”

“I know you didn’t, you idiot!” Raditz stops in his tracks and turns to his brother.

“Then why are you so angry?!”

“Because-!” Raditz is opening his mouth, considering his words, and wondering if he should tell his brother how he feels. Kakarot can not keep a secret to save his life, he’s too carefree. 

“This isn’t about the sparring match, is it?” He asks. He can also be perceptive when he wants to be.

“I did not want to lose so stupidly when she was there.”

“Who?”

“The princess.” He murmurs. 

“The princess?” Kakarot asks for confirmation, way too loud for Raditz’s taste.

“Keep your fucking voice down!”

“Oh!” His brother covers his mouth briefly, before speaking again in a lower tone. “Why the princess?”

“Because… Because she’s the princess. She must think I’m a fucking loser.”

“I don’t think she does, she seems nice everytime we talk.”

“Yeah, well, not after she saw my sloppy moves out there.”

“Why do you care so much? It’s not like we’re gonna see her often after this.”

Raditz falters. He knows why he cares, but explaining why is going to be difficult if he doesn’t want to give himself away. There’s a few seconds of silence as he tries to organize his thoughts, but Kakarot’s eyes are fixed on him, and his clueless expression soon turns into mischievous eyes and a knowing smile.

“You like her!”

“Shut up! Of course I don’t!”

“Why are you all red then?” Raditz punches Kakarot in the arm, making him cry out at the sudden violence. “Why’d you do that?!”

“Because you’re nosy and annoying.”

Raditz turns to leave, but Kakarot is still right behind him as they walk back to their rooms.

“Hey, wait! Do you really like her, then?”

“Of course I don’t!”

“Yeah, right.” He scoffs, looking at Raditz with a playful gaze. “I don’t understand why you’re so mad, it’s good to like someone, right?”

“You’re an idiot.” Raditz breathes in deeply, trying to control his own temper. “She’s going to marry Vegeta.”

“Huh?”

“What you heard.”

“But… he hasn’t said anything about that?”

“Yet. It’s only a matter of time.”

Kakarot scratches the back of his head, obviously confused. 

“That can’t be true.”

“I know what I’m telling you, Kakarot. Why else are we staying in this palace for a month? He wants to marry her, for political reasons, obviously.”

Raditz can’t figure out his brother’s expression. He seems hurt but he doesn’t know why.

“I think you’re wrong…” He says quietly.

“Just wait and see.” Raditz tells him before walking away. Kakarot doesn’t follow him this time. 

*

You see Raditz walking, or more like striding, down the great hall of the palace, and you sprint to him at once. Since he got injured earlier that day, you were worried, and you tried to look for him to see how he’s doing; you’re glad you saw him walking by. He notices you quickly, slowing down as you catch up to him. 

“How are you doing, Commander?” You ask, a little out of breath. Trotting with heels and a gigantic dress must count as an exercise on its own.

“I’m fine,” Raditz eyes you with an amused smile on his lips. “How are you, Your Highness?”

“I’m out of shape, I know it must be hilarious,” You retort, rolling your eyes. “Try walking around in this enormous attire and we’ll see how you do.”

“You must know, Your Highness, that our battle armor weighs about 50 kg.” He chuckles when your mouth drops open. “So believe me, I know what it's like walking around in heavy clothes.”

“I had no idea…” You walk by his side through the long hall, repressing the urge to wrap your arm around his. “I only ever held a sword once, and it wasn’t as heavy as I thought it would be.”

“Every sword is different. Vegeta’s is probably the heaviest. But you didn’t run to me to talk about this, did you?”

“You got a very unpleasant injury earlier, are you alright?”

Raditz sighs loudly, and it makes you worry a little, and it doesn’t help that he looks uneasy and tense when you ask.

“I’m fine. We Saiyans heal a lot faster than normal people, this is nothing.”

“Have you gone to the infirmary?”

“I got a bandage, just so I don’t bleed through my clothes.”

“If there’s anything else you need, let me know, please.” 

You cannot help putting your hand on his forearm, reassuringly squeezing him there. Touching Raditz, or any man, is frowned upon, especially because you’re alone with him. Then again, you are alone, so no one can judge you. The gesture only lasts a couple of seconds before you withdraw your hand. Touching is not a courting sign, but you want to convey your feelings towards him somehow. Especially now, when he’s injured. 

He’s looking at you curiously for a second before offering you a small smile. 

“There’s nothing to worry about, Your Highness.”

“I trust your word, Commander.”

Reaching the gardens, he stops by the stairs before turning to you.

“I had to get back, thank you for your concern.” 

“Would you like it if I sent in more food to your residence?”

“That would be incredible, we’d be more than grateful.” He grins widely, and you return his smile.

“I’ll arrange for it at once!”

Raditz nods, still keeping the smile on his face, and bows, before leaving. 

The Saiyans don’t always eat at the palace during their stay, unless the King invites them to join him. And you and the King don’t even eat together every time either, sometimes it’s just you, eating alone. 

You wished you could have dinner with Raditz, at least once. 

The customs about courtship are so stupid. A man has to make the first move? You cannot touch each other until there’s an official engagement? It’s not like you wanted to have intimate relations five minutes after meeting him (though somewhere in another lifetime, you probably would have). He isn’t going to pursue you because he’s a commoner and you’re a princess, and that’s just even more stupid. 

At least you hope you made your intentions clear by touching his arm, that’s as explicit as you can get.

*

Raditz suspects something must be going on if Vegeta hasn’t announced his engagement to you yet. If they are to stay for almost a month, he would assume it would happen sooner than later. Why wait all this time? Vegeta doesn’t even need to court you, he’s a Prince and you’re a Princess, these arrangements happen all the time.

But still, not one word. It did surprise him a bit when Kakarot thought it was impossible for such a thing to even happen. He may not be the brightest person, but he is Vegeta’s right hand man, he should know something. 

If anything, Raditz is confused after you had deliberately touched him when you were alone. He knows social courting rules well enough, that was something that would have been social suicide for you. Stupid rules, if he had a say in them. Why should you be affected by such a thing? And even if some other man were to touch you without your consent, the one with a ruined reputation would be you. 

So why did you touch him? It can’t be what he’s thinking about… Right?

It’s more than obvious that Raditz likes you. Incredibly obvious if Kakarot of all people noticed. So you must know. But that can’t be right; Vegeta is supposed to marry you, after all.

He rubs his temples as he walks down the corridor of their residence. The skin of his arm where you touched him earlier tingles. He isn’t so innocent as to let himself be affected by a single touch of a hand in such a chaste place, but he has also been thinking way too much about you to let it slide. It was as if your fingers had burned right through his skin. And it certainly made blood rush to certain places. 

A door suddenly bursting open brings him back from his inappropriate thoughts, and he watches Kakarot storm out of Vegeta’s room. He can’t see his face clearly, but his body language indicates he’s pissed. 

“I’ll fucking kill you if you come close to me again!” Vegeta actually steps out of his room to yell at him, apparently equally angry. 

Raditz freezes into place. He has seen them fight before, verbally and physically. And he knew Vegeta well enough to know when his threats were just bark and no bite. This time, however, he sounds genuinely irate. And Kakarot never seemed as tense either, even if he can only watch his back as he practically strides away.

Other Saiyans have either stuck their heads out of their own rooms, or turned to watch from their places in the corridor. Vegeta notices the attention with a brief glance around, and turns to walk inside his room again.

“Don’t you have anything else to do, or do you all have a death wish?!” He yells with a sharp edge on his voice Raditz has rarely heard.

Most men scurry as soon as Vegeta’s words leave his lips, but Raditz remains static, utterly confused.

What just happened?

He knows better than to ask Vegeta about it. He tries to go after Kakarot, walking quickly to catch up to him, only to see him practically running away into the training grounds. Raditz gives up on him then; Kakarot wants to get rid of his anger with violence, and he doesn’t blame him at all, but he doesn’t want to be on the receiving end either.

‘If you come close to me again’, that’s what Vegeta said. What did he even mean?

Raditz has enough of his own issues to be thinking about the possible implications of those words, so he simply turns towards his own room to take a bath. He much rather be thinking about you than what he just witnessed. 

*

This time, you chose a secure, hidden spot to watch Raditz train. He seemed on edge when you told him you wanted to watch their sparring matches, so maybe if he doesn’t know you're there, he wouldn’t be so tense. 

You can’t help yourself. It’s ridiculous how attractive he is, especially when he seems so focused on training he forgets about everything else. The taunting words towards his opponent, his confident smirk, even the sweat dripping down the side of his face. All of it draws you to him.

Your cheeks flush when Raditz wins his match and grins triumphantly. You take a minute to calm down as you watch him walk towards the side of the training grounds, pouring water over his face and running his fingers through his wild mane. You might need more than a minute to compose yourself after such a sight, but you slowly approach him. 

“Commander.” You call for him, a few feet away from him now.

Raditz turns towards you, obviously completely taken aback by your presence if the look in his eyes is any indication.

“Your Highness,” He bows before running a hand up his hair, like trying to put it into some kind of order, but obviously failing. Still adorable. “What brings you here?”

“I just wanted to watch you train again.”

He blushes slightly at your words, and you smile widely.

“I… Did you enjoy the match?” Raditz asks, still seemingly nervous.

“Of course, I couldn’t avert my eyes.” You grin smugly when you watch the color on his cheeks intensify. So he is affected by your attention. “You fight really well. You’re the Commander after all.”

“You don’t need to compliment me, Your Highness.” He says, lowering his gaze, clearly flustered. 

“It’s only the truth,” You eye him carefully, checking some bruises he obviously just got, even if he won. “Are you hurt?”

“They’re superficial wounds, they'll heal in no time.”

“Saiyans are truly impressive, I wish I could have that ability.”

“Your Highness won’t be going to battle any time soon.” Raditz teases you with a small smirk, and you smile in return.

“I might if I could heal that fast!”

“I don’t think it would be wise for you, with all due respect. You seem too delicate for battle.”

“Delicate?” You cross your arms, feigning offense. “I’m tougher than you might think.”

“Maybe. Your beauty would distract the enemies enough, that’s for sure.”

Your eyes open wide momentarily, and you watch him comically blush again. It has obviously been a slip, but you’re glad it happened. 

“I-I meant that-”

“Please, if you take back your words, I will be offended, Commander.” It’s your turn to tease him, and he sighs loudly. 

“I wasn’t… I meant that with the utmost respect.”

You smile as gently as you could without letting your own feelings make you practically jump in the air. You don’t care about compliments about your appearance, most of them are just trying to flatter you for the sake of it, but you do care when it comes from Raditz. Especially when he so openly blushes like that. 

“I did not take offense,” You feel a little bold after seeing his reaction so you go on. “But I hope that respect is not the only way you think of me.”

Raditz blinks and stutters, taken aback as he tries to find the right words to say, and you watch his face contort in confusion, surprise and fluster, with amusement. 

“I-I-I’m not… sure what you mean…”

You huff, glancing around quickly. There aren’t many people nearby, only your maid, a couple of feet away, obviously keeping an eye on you, but she still couldn’t listen to your conversation. You lean in a little closer, watching Raditz blush again at your proximity. 

“I think you know what I mean, Commander.”

“Your Highness, I wouldn’t dare-”

“Please!” You whisper this time, trying to make this conversation even more private than what it is, so you can finally get your point across. “I don’t want to believe that you’re this ignorant of my affection.”

Raditz gapes at you, considering the implication of your words before speaking again.

“I don’t think we should be talking about this here, of all places. Or at all. You’re putting yourself and me in a difficult position.” He takes a step back just as other Saiyans walk into the room with boisterous screams. 

“Why?!”

“I must go.” 

Raditz leaves hurriedly without giving you an answer.

You stare at his back until you can no longer see him, pouting angrily before turning to leave yourself.

Why is he playing hard to get? You don’t understand. He obviously likes you, you have seen it in his eyes, in his gestures and in the pink hue of his cheeks whenever you get too close. You refuse to give up until you get a straight answer, which is difficult to do when there’s always one of your maids, or soldiers, or Saiyans around. You need to be completely alone with him, somehow.

A few days later, there’s another Ball, organized of course by your Father, with a little convincing from your part. You know where the Saiyans usually are, when some of them are not trying to woo some of the ladies from the court, and that’s by the banquet table. Vegeta is talking to your Father on the other side of the room, Raditz is near the table by the door that leads to the garden, and Kakarot is eating to his heart’s content near his brother. 

This is the moment you’re waiting, so you casually approach Kakarot.

“Your Highness!” He exclaims with his mouth full the moment he sees you. You smile sweetly at him, not caring at all about his lack of manners. 

“Can you do me a favor?” You cut to the chase, and lock eyes with him as he swallows down the food in his mouth.

Minutes later, the table that has been laid out for the food is abruptly split in half ‘accidentally’ by Kakarot, causing deafening noises of silverware breaking inevitably, along with people screaming in shock at the sudden sound. The maids currently nearby you are shocked and rapidly rush to help clean up the mess, so you take the opportunity to make your move.

Raditz turns to his brother like he’s ready to kill him for such an accident, but you were quick to be only a few feet away from him when Kakarot broke the table, and you hastily grab his hand to drag him out the door. You know he’s shocked when he calls you by your name instead of an honorific, but he doesn’t actually make you stop dragging him. 

You take him out towards the garden, practically sprinting all the way towards one of the deepest, most private parts. You finally let go of him when you reach a particularly tall hedge with a seat on its side. 

“We can talk alone now.” You say to him, turning to face him. 

To your own surprise, he seems more than just taken aback. Impressed, even. 

“I-I told your brother to do that,” You feel the need to explain when his eyes bore holes right through you. “I needed to be alone with you… To talk…”

“You are daring, I give you that… Your Highness.” 

You offer him a half smile before urging him to sit down on the bench. He is way too tall and would stand out from afar. Sitting down next to him, you open your mouth to speak, but he talks first.

“This isn’t a good idea. If anyone sees us-”

“I don’t care.” You interrupt him. 

“Your Highness-”

“Let’s be honest for a second, alright? We’re alone, after all.”

Raditz visibly tenses, and his eyes remain on your face. You feel like blushing the more he stares, and you probably are after a few seconds pass, but you refuse to let your embarrassment get to you. 

“You’re right.” He says, breaking the silence. 

“Sorry?”

“You’re right. I’m not that ignorant about how you treat me.”

“Oh… Then-”

“I can’t return it.”

You balk only for a moment before glaring at him.

“I like you. A lot.” Your face heats up quickly when you say those words, but to your relief, his face also turns a vivid shade of red that only emboldens you. “I enjoy your company. I enjoy seeing you train, especially when you don’t know I’m watching you. You are… incredibly handsome. And while I find it adorable that you get so nervous around me, I also know you’re not like that all the time.”

It confirms what you already know the more you speak, as Raditz’s face gets more flushed by the second. He does like you and he is attracted to you. He’s obviously embarrassed, though, as he looks down at the floor and then to the side after you’re done speaking.

“Your Highness-”

“Don’t you dare lie to me.”

“You’re truly something, Princess.” Raditz is once again taken aback by your words. The blush fades, and he smirks at you, making your heart flutter. “Since you were so painfully honest, I suppose I own you that much.”

You smile, staring up at him as you wait patiently.

“You have been on my mind since the second I saw you, and you’ve done nothing but implant yourself in my thoughts the more we talked.” Your smile grows inevitably until Raditz’s expression turns stern as he crosses his arms in front of his chest. “But there’s nothing we can do.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You’re the Princess.”

“I know.” You take a deep breath, preparing yourself to explain to him that you have thought this through. “I considered everything about our circumstances. I-”

“Then you must know that I can’t be with you.”

“Yes, you can.” You frown.

“Your Highness,” You roll your eyes when you realize he’s going to start talking to you formally once more. “I can’t do this. You’re going to marry Prince Vegeta-”

“What?”

“-And I can’t betray him like that. I’m the Commander in his army, I can’t touch his future wife, no matter what I feel. Not matter if your marriage is political or not-”

“Commander!” You call for him, hoping that he would stop talking to let you clarify the situation.

“If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t say no to you right now.” Raditz goes on, and you let him this time, a little amused at his confession. “Believe me, I’m not sure I even like Prince Vegeta that much, but I can’t do this to His Highness.”

“Raditz!” You call his name, and he does stop talking then. You snort, trying hard not to laugh at his words. “Okay, I can’t let you go on. I’m not marrying Prince Vegeta.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m not marrying Prince Vegeta.”

He blinks, staring down at you, processing your words.

“You’re not marrying him?” 

“No! Why did you think that?”

“I… Isn’t it obvious?”

“I suppose it is, but if I was going to marry him, it would have been announced by now. Besides, he doesn’t want to marry me.” Raditz frowns, but you go on before he can interrupt you again. “I don’t want to, either! But he said he’s going to support me if I choose to marry you.”

“He-He did?”

“Yes!” 

Raditz stares at you, bewildered and surprised, as he takes in your words. 

“I don’t understand… Wouldn’t a marriage benefit both of our kingdoms?”

“Yes, it would, but Vegeta wants things his way. He assured me, though, that if I desire to marry someone else in his army, he would support me.”

“That doesn’t sound like him.” Raditz arches an eyebrow.

“It would still benefit him politically anyway.” You say with a chuckle.

“Now, that sounds like him.” He smirks. 

You smile sweetly at him. His belief that Vegea was supposed to marry you was what was keeping him away. You’re relieved and amused at the situation; even if he did say he’s loyal to the Prince, he still clarified that he isn’t that fond of him anyway. You have to contain your giggle. 

“So I was stressing over nothing.” Raditz says, looking over at you.

“Yes.” You snicker.

“You think it’s funny, huh?”

“I do!”

Raditz lightly nudges your knee with his when you laugh, laughing quietly himself too after a moment. 

“You made me doubt myself.” You comment, looking at the ground. “I thought that you just didn’t have any affection for me.”

“How could I not? Our conversations only made it harder for me to resist you.” He smirks, eyes fixed on you when you turn your gaze towards him. 

You can’t contain your smile, your heart skipping several beats in the last few minutes, you might as well be having a heart attack. You almost do when you feel something soft and furry touch your arm, making you jump. Raditz chuckles quietly as you notice his tail, fully unwrapped, gently caressing your skin and holding your hand. You run your fingers through it, stroking it tenderly in return, and you hear a quiet purr coming from his chest. 

“I’ll talk to my father.” You say quietly, completely content as his tail unwraps itself from your hand, returning to its usual place around his waist. 

“No.” Raditz states, looking at you with a serious expression “I will. That’s the suitor’s duty. I will also talk to Prince Vegeta, you mentioned you spoke with him before, isn’t that right?”

“Yes. He actually thought this through more than I did.”

“He did, huh? Who would have thought he was a matchmaker?” He chuckles as you laugh quietly. Vegeta has truly been the centerpiece of your soon to be union. “We were that obvious.” 

“Apparently so.”

Your proximity is distracting you, there’s only a few inches in between your bodies, and you dare to keep your gaze fixed on his handsome face. Raditz is staring right back with intense eyes, and your face heats up quickly when you notice his gaze is aimed at your lips. 

You want to kiss him badly, and you lean a little closer towards him. But the commotion going on back at the banquet hall can still be heard, and it only makes you more nervous. And he notices, pulling back just as you do. 

“Commander,” You start in a soft voice, still blushing as you lower your eyes. “I don’t want my first kiss to be in front of diplomats and royalty on our wedding day. I hope we can be alone again, and soon.”

When his hand finds your chin to tilt your head up, you gape at him in surprise.

“Whenever you’re ready.” Raditz says, and it’s reassuring words, but his smirk and gaze promise something more. 

*

When Raditz talked to Vegeta, before he even approached the King, he did it with confidence, knowing that the Prince already knew about your mutual feelings since you had already talked to him. That didn’t stop him from getting annoyed that you two had taken too long to finally confess your affections to each other. 

Raditz didn’t tell him that was probably entirely his own fault.

Vegeta had actually planned this thoroughly. You moving in to his fief was his goal, it was a way of having the Princess in his Kingdom; he was betting on you not losing your royal status once you’re married, even when Raditz himself wouldn’t be royalty after your marriage. That was a long shot, but he didn’t care about that. He trusted you had thought this through as well. His fief isn’t poor by any means, and he’s going to work harder than usual if it means giving you more luxuries to live with. 

Talking to the King was probably one of the most difficult conversations he’s ever had. Raditz had an audience with him, alone. He’s an imposing man, concerned with your well being. And the political implications of such an union, obviously. He was stern, serious, and practically emotionless when Raditz confessed his feelings for you, promising that he’s going to care for you to the best of his abilities and even more beyond that. 

Raditz didn’t get a straight answer from the King, and when he stepped out of the room, you’re there, looking at him with bright eyes, as you gently touch his hand for a brief second, telling him wordlessly that if your father needs more convincing, you’re going to give it to him. 

Vegeta has an audience with the King after yours is finished, and by the next day, your engagement is official and public. 

All Saiyans congratulate him before he even knows the announcement has happened, and he’s a little bit relieved that apparently he wasn’t the only one who thought that Vegeta was meant to marry you. Except Kakarot.

“I told you, Vegeta didn’t even like her that way.” His brother comments to him on their way to the training grounds.

“Vegeta doesn’t like anyone that way, Kakarot.” Raditz rolls his eyes. 

“I don’t know about that, but I’m glad you got what you wanted.” He grins, nudging his side. “When’s the wedding?”

“I don’t know, she’s going to pick the date. I haven’t spoken to her today.”

“Man, I hope it’s soon. Would hate to go back to our Kingdom and then travel back here.”

Raditz considers what Kakarot said. A good point for once. 

He’s surprised to see you outside the training camps, later that day after he’s done sparring. He hesitates to approach you, knowing he’s drenched in sweat and dirt, but you beckon him with your eyes, smiling widely as you lean over one of the walls on the side, hidden from anyone who might walk by. 

You’re completely alone, too. That worries him and excites him at the same time. 

“What are you doing here, alone?” Raditz asks, looking you over, before turning to check if there’s truly no one around. 

“I came to see you, and talk to you.” You look up at him, still smiling when you touch his hand. 

“It’s dangerous.”

“Since when?” You frown, confused. “I’m the Princess, Raditz, if anyone touches me, it’s going to be a war.”

The way you say his name, not calling him ‘Commander’ for once, doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Precisely.”

“And since when are you this protective?” You smile, amused when he scoffs.

“I’ve always been like this, now I can freely express it.”

“Okay,” You chuckle, lightly threading your fingers with his. “I came to ask you about the wedding, when do you want it to be?”

“It’s the same for me.”

“Two weeks from now?”

Was that a long time? Or too little? Raditz has attended weddings before, but he has never paid attention. He shrugs, and you roll your eyes at him. 

“I’ll check with Prince Vegeta later to see if that’s okay.” You add.

“Why?”

“I want to move in to your fief soon afterwards, so I need to consult him on that too.”

“I like that.” Raditz smirks, leaning a bit closer as your smile grows wider. “What did your father say when you spoke to him?”

“The first thing he asked me was if I had lost my mind.” 

“That’s reassuring.” The grin on his face flattens, but you still look amused.

“But when I told him how I really feel, and that I wanted to marry you no matter what, even if it means losing my status-”

“He confirmed that you had actually lost your mind?” Raditz asks, raising an eyebrow.

“He seemed… happy.”

“Happy?”

“As much as he can get, I suppose. He seemed pleased with my words, and convinced about our union.”

Raditz nods, satisfied with what you were telling him. 

“We should have talked about this the other day, but are you sure you’re okay with marrying me, and possibly losing your title?”

“I don’t care about that.” You say, holding his hand firmly in yours. “I would be worried if you didn’t have a place to call home, but you do. I know we can make that place cozy for the both of us.”

Squeezing your hand in his, Raditz smiles, leaning a bit closer. 

“I’ll make it comfortable for you. You can buy whatever you desire, any luxury you wish to have-”

“I don’t care about that.” You emphasize, smiling. “Thank you, but I only want you.”

The moment calls for him to get even closer to you, to lean in and just kiss you, like you said you wanted just the other day. 

You’re startled a moment later, and Raditz turns to see some Saiyans walking out of the training grounds, boisterously laughing and bragging about some of their fighting moves. 

“When we finally get to our fief, I will tell everyone to fuck off so we can be truly alone for once.”

Your laughter makes him grin. When his heart flutters, he realizes he’s more fucked than he thought he was. 

“In all honesty, I find it adorable when you used to be nervous around me, but I knew this is how you really are.” You say, still laughing quietly. 

“You are rather mischievous too, aren’t you, Princess?” Raditz purrs that last word, making your cheeks blush slightly. “After all, you’re here without a chaperone.”

“I am.” You tug at his hand, drawing him closer.

Raditz takes in your sight. Your dress was a light, pastel color, looks almost immaculate on you, while he’s completely dirty.

“I’m going to ruin your dress.”

“I don’t care about the dress.” You say, exasperated. “Just kiss me. Please.”

He doesn’t need any more convincing. 

Carefully sliding his hands on your waist, Raditz leans down, gently pressing his lips to yours. You make a small content noise, smiling into the kiss and resting your hands on his chest. He wonders if you can feel his heart, beating enthusiastically inside his ribcage. 

Leaning his forehead against yours, you’re smiling brightly when he breaks the kiss. Raditz knows he’s smiling just the same.

“How was that for a first kiss?”

“I really liked it.” 

He’s surprised when you close the space between them and kiss him again. He doesn’t even fight it, his grip on your waist tightening as he holds you even closer, forgetting what he said about ruining your clothes. 

It’s just a simple kiss, he’s just pressing his lips to yours, saving the deeper kisses for when he can truly revel in your time alone. But he’s craving more so he pulls away after a while.

“You’re tempting me…” Raditz pants, reluctantly letting his hands fall to his side. 

“I’ll try to make the wedding take place as soon as possible.” You reassure him, snickering quietly. 

His eyes scan you, taking your hands in his and inspecting them as well.  

“Come, I’ll try to clean you up.”

“I’m fine, Raditz.”

He gently leads you around the building to get into one of the tents, his face heating up the more you use his real name. 

When Raditz walks in, he freezes when he sees Kakarot and Vegeta, with their arms wrapped around one another, heavily making out in the middle of the room, without a single care in the world. They immediately pull away the moment they realize you and Raditz had walked in, Vegeta turning completely red in record time.

“Kakarot?! Vegeta?!” Raditz exclaims, eyes ready to pop out of his face, forgetting to even use honorifics in his current state of shock.

“Now we know why he didn’t want to marry me.” You say, equally surprised, but smiling in amusement. 

“That had nothing to do with this!” Vegeta explains, his face glowing vibrantly.

“My own brother?! And the prince?!” Raditz says in astonishment. 

Kakarot remains silent, looking very awkward and blushing lightly across the cheeks, and you can’t contain your grin. 

“This is a popular kissing spot, apparently.” You comment, your eyes flicking between the three men, in various states of nervous shock. 

“How dare-What are you even doing here?!” Vegeta barks.

“But Vegeta and I always come here and we never run into anyone…” Kakarot says, making you snort.

Raditz is mortified with each passing second, and he feels the need to gouge out his eyes. 

“Kakarot, shut up! Let’s get the fuck out of here!” Vegeta grabs Kakarot’s wrist, dragging him out, before turning around. “Not a single word to anyone about this!”

“Likewise.” You smile, still entertained. 

“Don’t worry, I didn’t even want to see that.” Raditz replies, covering his face with his hands. 

Vegeta and Kakarot leave in a hurry, and Raditz groans, completely blindsided by what he just witnessed to utter a single word. 

“They look cute.” You comment, but he still can’t get his face out of his hands to see you. “You’re practically royalty now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re not only going to marry a princess, but your brother is also… involved with the prince.”

“Don’t even say it like that.” Raditz groans, now running his hands through his hair. 

“We both know it doesn’t matter how I word it, they’re already together.” You giggle.

Raditz realizes now all the little signals, and the things he had witnessed in the past, like that time he saw Kakarot storming out of Vegeta’s room; it was all there, but he has never thought it was possible for Kakarot and Vegeta to be together like that. 

“I should have known…” He murmurs. 

“Why? Did you see something before this?” You ask, intrigued.

“God, no… Let’s just get out of here.” Disregarding what he said about helping you get clean, Raditz grabs your hand and leads you outside.

“I hope you share the gossip once we’re alone again.” You grin playfully, threading your fingers through his as you walk to the palace. 

“Is that what you want to do when we’re alone?” Raditz asks, looking at you with the same mischievous gleam in his eyes. 

You only laugh in response, thrilling him more than ever. 

Getting the image of Kakarot and Vegeta out of his mind takes longer than he expects, but Raditz soon forgets about it the more often he gets to be alone with you. Apparently you had sneaked around the palace alone for years now, so you have no problem finding spots where you know you two won’t be bothered, and he gets to steal a few more kisses from your lips.

The King is not happy that the wedding takes place so soon, but he doesn’t try to change your mind, or so you tell Raditz. You seem eager for it to take place as soon as possible, and he can’t say anything, because he feels exactly the same. 

Raditz hasn’t realized how nervous he is until the wedding day when he wakes up and he’s surrounded by dozens of maids and servants helping him get into his ceremonial white clothes, which are apparently even more uncomfortable than the other fancy outfits he has to wear for banquets. Vegeta is just as annoyed as he is when he lectures him on protocol for the umpteenth time, reminding him again not to tug at his clothes, to walk slowly, and not to curse, no matter who speaks to him. Raditz already knew all that, and hearing it again only makes him more anxious.

He forgets about everything, how uncomfortable the attire is, and everything Vegeta told him about etiquette, when he sees you. Your dress is impressive, with a lot of details embroidered, but he isn’t paying attention to all that; he sees you smiling gorgeously underneath the veil, taking glances at him as the priest speaks. 

He’s only allowed to give you a small kiss once you’re pronounced husband and wife, but he’s going to make up for it later that night. 

The reception only lasts for so long, and before Raditz even knows it, it’s already time for him to head to the bridal chamber. It’s a custom that he should wait until you’re ready before walking in, but he can’t help but get a little nervous during that time. 

If your first kiss was with him, then your first time would be that night. The tail underneath his shirt tightens; it’s not that he’s an animal and can’t control himself, but he also knows that he might end up hurting you even if he were to use a little more force than usual to hold you. Running a hand up his face and into his hair, he taps his foot on the floor as he keeps waiting, trying to calm his nerves. 

When the maids come out of the chamber, Raditz doesn’t wait for them to tell him he can walk in. You’re sitting in a chair by the fire, with your hair down and wearing a long nightgown, as you turn to him, smiling sweetly. 

He can’t believe he is actually married. To you.

Raditz approaches you as you stand up, and he immediately notices your trepidation; you’re playing with your hair and nibbling your bottom lip. He doesn’t think too much into it when he leans down and kisses you, and you make a surprised noise, putting your hands on his shoulders. 

“I’m sorry,” He says, pulling away after a few seconds and taking a step back. “I couldn’t help it.”

“N-No, it’s fine…” You stutter, blushing slightly. 

“Are you nervous?” Raditz asks, sliding one hand into your hair. 

“Is it that obvious?” You smile, leaning into his touch.

“Don’t be. I’ve done this before, so-” The minute he says those words, Raditz feels like punching himself in the face. Why did he say that? “Fuck, I’m an idiot. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“I guess I’m not the only one who's nervous.” You smile, not at all perturbed by what he just blurted out.

He is nervous, but he’s more overwhelmed by the fact that he just got married. Raditz never thought it would have been possible. 

“When I first saw you, I never thought I’d end up here, in a bedroom with you. On our wedding night.” 

He sits on the bed, staring at you intensely. You are usually wearing fancy dresses, and your hair tied in elaborate styles, but you, in just a nightgown and your hair flowing, are the prettiest you’ve ever been to his eyes.

“When you first saw me? At the banquet hall, months ago?” You ask, sitting beside him.

“It was long before that. The first time we arrived at the palace was over a year ago. Your father welcomed us alone because it was very late at night. I couldn’t sleep and went into the garden that first night, and you were there.” Raditz remembers that day vividly. You were sitting in the garden, petting what he assumed were one of your father’s hunting dogs. He wondered what you were doing at such an hour, but he didn’t move to disturb you. “Surprisingly alone, even when the palace is full of soldiers and visitors.”

“You didn’t talk to me then.”

“It wouldn’t have been appropriate, and I didn’t want to scare you. I stared at you from afar for a bit.” Raditz groans, running a hand down his face in shame. His tongue is looser due to his nerves and he can’t control it. “You must think I’m a creep now.”

“No.” You chuckle, taking his hand into yours. “I also saw you for the first time before that first banquet. I sneaked out once to see you all train. You caught my eye that day.”

“I did?”

“Yes.” Raditz looks at you curiously, and you go on before he even has the chance to ask for more. “You’re handsome, yes, but there was something else too. Your attitude at banquets and balls, that amused me to no end.”

“Why?” He chuckled.

“It was obvious you didn’t even want to be there at all.”

“It’s true, I don’t particularly like events where royals are involved.”

“Even me?” You ask teasingly, nudging his side. 

“Until I realized you were one of the few nice ones.” 

You laugh quietly, leaning closer. Raditz tilts your chin closer and kisses you tenderly, savoring your lips, smiling when you wrap your arms around his neck. 

“Saiyans…” He starts, pressing his forehead to yours. “We bite our mates as a ritual.”

“You bite them?” You ask, confused. 

“Yes,” He chuckled at your expression, caressing your cheek with his thumb. “We don’t have to do it right now, but since we are married, at some point we will.”

“No, no, I want to… How does that work?”

“We have to bite each other here,” Raditz dragged his hand down where your neck meets your shoulder. “Hard enough to draw blood.”

“Blood?! I don’t think I can do it…” You’re nervous, he can see it, but it’s reassuring you’re not pulling away. “I don’t want to hurt you…”

“You won’t.” He chuckles, nudging your nose with his. “And I can tell you that it’s going to feel good, too.”

“Have you done it before?” You ask him with wide eyes. 

“Not as a ritual.” He winces immediately. He probably shouldn’t have said that either. “I’m talking too much, aren’t I?”

“It’s okay, I find it funny.” You smile widely.

“Funny, huh?” 

You nod before kissing him. Raditz appreciates your initiative, noticing your growing confidence the more often you get to kiss him. He has been craving more for days now so he presses you closer, wrapping his tail around your waist. Your fingers run through his hair soothingly, calming down his nerves and enticing him all at once, making him purr deep from his chest. You smile against his lips, pulling back only a little. 

“Did you purr?” 

“Yes.” Raditz replies, kissing down your neck to hide his blush. 

Your chuckle turns into a hum when he settles on a sensitive spot underneath your ear, and he takes his time there until he feels you shivering against him. 

Impatience getting the best of him, Raditz holds you close and moves over to lie you down on the mattress, pulling back to look down at you, devouring you with his eyes.  

“I’ll go slow.” He says, stroking your cheek. “If this is what you want. Or we can do this some other time, when you’re ready.”

Raditz hopes, prays, that you want to do it right now. He’s already half hard, and while he can obviously ignore it and go to sleep like that, he doesn’t want to. But you’re his priority, and he doesn’t want to push you. 

With a small smile, you lean up to kiss him.

“I’m nervous, but I want to… I want to do this with you, even the biting ritual…”

Thrilled more than ever before, Raditz kisses you fervently, running his hands into your hair and pressing his body as close as humanly possible. Your body flinches, and he trails his lips down your jaw.

“Don’t worry, I’m here with you, and I won’t hurt you. I’ll never hurt you.”

You sigh contently as he kisses down your neck, grazing his teeth on your skin. 

[risingsouls]

So, Nabooru, what exactly got you interested in Vegeta? What made you fall for him?

" There are several things that helped me fall for him, honestly. In some ways, it was our shared desire to kill Frieza and free ourselves from his servitude. We had similar backgrounds and, though I never fooled myself into thinking he cared about my circumstances back then, it made it easier to relate to him, as well as Nappa and Raditz. I admire his pride, both back then and the one he still maintains. No matter how slim our odds were on the Force, despite everything done to him meant to break him, he still maintained the determination to free himself. Not to mention I'm a sucker for a fierce fighter. "

Painted lips curled into a soft smile. " He was and still can be cold, and back then, he could be downright cruel. But, from the day we met--or at least after we first sparred--he saw me as and respected me as a warrior. Outside of my own people, it was often something people did not do, and this was especially true during my tenure on the Frieza Force where I was often viewed as an object, oftentimes sexual in nature, a prize, a bauble, an accessory, a mere disposable number. I needed that again in a time where the only thing keeping me from purposefully messing up on a mission was the idea of keeping my people alive.

" And he still respects me in that way, among others. He recognizes aspects within me that people will never pick up on, may never see, let alone understand. He challenges me, both in training and personally. He is honest and fun to have deep conversations with. I never have to worry about him boring me with small talk. I have fun with him, and I trust him. "

She laughed softly, gold eyes twinkling. " He's not for everyone; I think that goes without saying. He's prickly, and mean, and stubborn and getting him to open up was like trying to ride a lynel, but...I've always loved a challenge. And getting to know him has been a great privilege and an eye-opening experience. At the end of the day...he feels as close to home as I will ever get again. I feel comfortable with him; he makes me happy. "

[cc-krillin]

Trunks' 10th Birthday [Krilin & Vegeta]

cc-krillin “You’re doing your best. That’s what matters.”

More Questions/Comments to be sent anonymously!

@regulus-regent answered

Vegeta leaned against the wall, his gaze drifting over the lively scene before him, but his mind elsewhere. Every fiber of his being longed to escape, to retreat into the solitude of his own thoughts, but he was tethered to this place by the unyielding weight of obligation. It was his son's 10th birthday, a milestone that should have been cause for celebration, yet all he felt was a suffocating sense of guilt and regret.

Memories of past failures and betrayals loomed large in his mind, casting a shadow over the supposed joyous occasion. His heart ached with the weight of all that had transpired, from his strained relationship with Future Trunks to his desperate battle against Buu. The guilt gnawed at him, a relentless predator tearing at his soul.

And so, he endured, a silent sentinel amidst the revelry, his princely façade masking the storm of emotions raging within.

As the children's laughter echoed off the walls, Vegeta winced, a pang of discomfort shooting through him as his sensitive ears picked up their sharp noises. He kept his tail wrapped tightly around his waist, the memory of tiny hands yanking at it earlier in the day still remained fresh in his mind.

In this moment, surrounded by the festivities of his son's birthday, Vegeta felt more alone than ever. The weight of his past sins pressed down on him like a gravity well, dragging him into the depths of despair. And as he stood there, a silent witness to the joy of others, he couldn't help but wonder if there was anything left for him in this universe, or if he was destined to remain forever adrift in the void.

Engrossed in his thoughts, the prince remained oblivious to the approach of the other individual, the sound of their voice barely registering in his consciousness. It took a moment for Vegeta to tear his gaze away from the internal turmoil swirling in his mind and acknowledge Krillin's presence. He cast a sidelong glance at the shorter warrior, his expression one of mild skepticism, as if questioning the significance of the words that had just been spoken to him.

"What are you blabbering on about?"

"Well I saw you were over here, I know you're not a party person, but it is your son's birthday, so I came over to check on you," Krillin started by explaining why he approached the Saiyan Prince in the first place. "Just being here, is out of your comfort zone, isn't it? No one expects you to be as happy as we are, but we still want you to be and feel comfortable."

Despite what Krillin said, he could sense there was something more to Vegeta's demeanour, which seemed more distant than usual. He knew Vegeta had been through a lot, especially with the whole Majin Buu fiasco, but he came through for them in the end. Krillin had seen Vegeta at his best and worst against Frieza, Cell and most recently Buu, so he earned this peace with them just like everyone else.

// tbh I was expecting haha funny too lmao, but this will be nice for them!

[jazzystudios82]

His Lovely Rose - Chapter 16: The Tyrant Returns

Previous. . . . Next Chapter. . . .

Arc Two: Resurrection F

Location: Earth's Hell. . . .

Deep in the depths of Hell, in the circle meant to punish the worst of the worst, was the once great tyrant known as Frieza. He was infamous for his ruthlessness, enslaving neighboring planets in the solar system, and for the destruction of the Saiyans’ home world known as Planet Vegeta.

After he died for a second time (don't ask), the humanoid cybernetic space lizard’s spirit had been sent to Hell for his crimes. And he had to endure the most cruel punishment known to man. Just thinking about it sent unpleasant shivers down his spine! At the moment, he was sleeping, trying to enjoy the few minutes of rest that he could get before that thing began.

“Alright everyone, time to start the day!” a cheery voice announced. 

Good Lord, it was already happening. 

A line of brightly colored stuffed animals formed, playing all sorts of instruments in a field of bright yellow flowers. Two fairies appeared from the flowers and flew straight towards the annoyed tyrant, who was entrapped in a white cocoon hanging off of a cherry blossom tree. They even started to play with the cocoon he was in, continuing to annoy him. Soon the entire crowd was staring at him, smiling and laughing with joy. 

The fairies were saying all sorts of annoyingly cheerful things like “Good morning, pouty face!”, “Smile, I know you want to!”, or even “ Don’t you wanna feel warm and fuzzy?” But what really got to him was, “Smile! Don’t you wanna do the warm and happy dance?”

At that point, he couldn’t take it anymore and shouted at the top of his lungs, “DAMN YOU!!!! SHUT YOUR STUPID FAIRY FACES!!”

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Location: Outer Space. . . 

"Report our status!" Sorbet shouted. It didn’t take long for a humanoid frog-like being to appear before him and inform him of the current situation. And it was one that he wasn’t pleased with in the slightest. “I’m afraid that the second battalions were both wiped out before we could execute the commands, so we had to retreat. And I’m afraid that the third battalion has also been missing in action, commander.”

“What?! You’re telling me that we’ve lost 60% of our soldiers?!” He shouted. ‘If we suffer any more losses, then we won’t even be able to call ourselves “The Frieza Force”. . .’ 

“What should we do, sir?” his informant asked. Sorbet got up from his chair and walked towards a nearby window, staring at the outside. “We’re the dying members of an empire. In order to survive, there’s only one option; we have to bring Lord Frieza back to life.” Everyone in the ship gasped.

“What are you saying sir?”

“Bring him back?!”

“Have you tracked down the remaining Namekian survivors yet?” Sorbet asked the frog-like soldier. “N-No sir!” he answered. 

“Commander Sorbet, even if we were able to bring Lord Frieza back to life, there’s no way we could recover. It’s impossible!” one of the soldiers said. Sorbet looked to see that it was a man named Tagoma. He’s a tall skinny purple-gray skinned alien with a bald head, wearing black, green, and red colored battle armor with black armbands, and black and green boots. 

“Tagoma, you really don’t understand Frieza’s power. Our exalted leader controlled a majority of the civilized universe, his rule was absolute! Countless galaxies trembled at his name! Why? Because he had no mercy! He knew that fear was power! And once Lord Frieza returns, that fear will spread like a virus, and our army will reign once again.” Sorbet then pressed a button in the command center, showing a few statistics he did in the form of a hologram. 

"Look, this shows what happens if Lord Frieza were to return! 70% of the the universe would be ours!" he told them. "But would it really be that simple?" Tagoma asked. "You doubt me?! Who supported the Frieza Force after our lord died?" Sorbet questioned. "I believe Lord Cooler did for a little while before returning to his own army." a random soldier mumbled, which Sorbet heard. 

"And if I remember correctly, he also took some soldiers with h-"

"H-He means you, Commander Sorbet!" Tagoma declared, hoping to cover up for his fellow soldier. "That's right! It was me! It was my plan that I came up with!" Sorbet exclaimed, practically forgetting all about his other subordinate. "All right, that settles it! We're going to Planet Earth!"

"!" 

"But sir, isn't Earth dangerous?!" Tagoma asked. "The woman who can find the Dragon Balls is friends with the Saiyan who defeated Frieza!" he added, referring to Bulma. "We don't have the luxury of time on our hands! Without the Namekians, we have no choice but to go to Earth! Besides, that bastard won't be an issue." Sorbet told him.

"Huh?"

"You! Show the Spy Camera feed!" Sorbet commanded, pointing towards a pointed eared humanoid with bright red fire for hair. "Yes sir!" he said as he did as he was told. 

Sorbet's statistics went away as a hologram of Earth appeared, and after zooming in on an area that they were keeping tabs on, appeared the image of a trio of young hooligans with the Dragon Balls. "As you can see Tagoma, that woman isn't the only who can track the Dragon Balls." Sorbet said. He then looked at the taller alien and said, "Tagoma, you're coming with me to Earth! We must act now!" 

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Location: Beerus' Planet. . . .

Brier watched as Whis trained Goku and Vegeta in the air over the lake near the palace. Despite not being much of a fighter herself, she did like to watch sparring matches and fights, if they interested her anyway. Brier then felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Kero. "Is something the matter?" she asked.

"Nothing's wrong, milady. I've simply come to inform you that Lord Arum is attempting to contact you once more. His familiar Scylla told me so." Kero replied. 

"Is that so? Very well." Brier said as began to follow her familiar. Just as the two were about to leave, Brier and Kero felt a sudden shockwave from behind. "?!" They immediately whipped around to see that Goku and Vegeta had attempted to punch Whis at the same time, but the angel had stopped them both with the thumb and pinky finger of his left hand. "And that's enough of that!" Whis declared. "I believe that it's time for a little food break." 

The three of them descended towards the grassy ground, with Goku and Vegeta taking deep breaths and wiping away their sweat. "You're done for the day?" Brier asked. "Not exactly, my lady. We're just taking a break. I don't want these two to pass out from exhaustion." Whis answered.

"Hey! We're not tired!"

"Yeah!"

"Anyway, where are you two going?" Whis asked, ignoring the two. "No where, really. Kero said that my father wishes to speak with me." Brier answered. "Oh? I wasn't aware that he would call you again so soon." "So soon? What do you mean? The last time I talked to him was 6 months ago." Brier said. Whis thought it over and said, "Oh yes, you're right! Silly me." 

"Hey Lady Brier?" Goku interrupted. "Yes, Son Goku? What is it?" Brier questioned, looking behind Whis to pay attention to the Saiyan. "Who's this 'Lord Arum' guy? Is he someone important like Lord Beerus?" Goku asked. "Well, my father isn't a destroyer god like my husband, but he is rather important." Brier answered.

"Wait, he's your father?" 

"Indeed." 

Before Goku could ask another question, Kero once again tapped Brier on the shoulder. "Lady Brier, I hate to interrupt, but I'm afraid that we must go now. You know your father doesn't like to be kept waiting for too long." Kero whispered. "Yes, you're right." Brier whispered back. "Gentlemen, I'm afraid that I must go now. I'll see you all shortly." she said as she and Kero then walked back to the palace. 

As the two walked, Brier's ruby red eyes looked up at the area that was her husband's sleeping quarters. 'He should be waking up soon.' Brier thought to herself. 'When he does, I should ease him into letting him know that Son Goku and Prince Vegeta are here.' 

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Location: Planet Earth. . . .

Sorbet, Tagoma, and Sisami had made it to Earth and tracked down the ones collecting the Dragon Balls. It ended up leading them to a tunnel inside of a mountain. They were careful to make sure that they didn't make any noises to alert the trio of children that collected them. 

"With this, the entire world will be mine, Emperor Pilaf's!" the tiny blue imp-like creature declared, holding one with a single red star. "We'll see about that." Sorbet said. The three children were shocked, and turned around to see three members of the Frieza Force. "Hand over the Dragon Balls" Sorbet ordered. "Wh-Who are you?!" Pilaf shouted, scared. The two other children, a talking dog and a dark haired girl, pulled out their respective weapons, a sword and a little black pistol. 

"Don't underestimate us!" 

"Yeah! These are off-limits!" 

Annoyed, Sorbet shot a red laser beam out of the tip of his finger, purposefully aiming near Pilaf's head, creating a crater in the wall. This was enough to convince the little Pilaf Gang to give up the Dragon Balls. In fact, they were quick to follow them outside and place the wish orbs on the ground in a circular formation. After placing the final Dragon Ball on the ground, Pilaf shouted: 

"Come Forth, Shenron! And grany me my wish!" 

Suddenly, the ground began to shake and the sky turned dark. A golden glow surrounded the Dragon Balls, and the great Shenron appeared momentarily. "Now, state your wish. I shall grant any wish you desire." Shenron announced. 

"I can't believe it! That's Shenron?!" Sorbet quietly exclaimed, in awe of the dragon's massive size and ethereal glow. "Y-Yeah, mister! Now please spare us!" Pilaf pleaded, he and his friends scooting away from Sorbet and his men. "Yeah yeah. Whatever." Sorbet said. He was too focused on Shenron to pay the three children any mind. "Commander Sorbet! We need to hurry! Who knows when those Saiyans will come!" Tagoma told him. 

"Right!" Sorbet said as he walked closer to Shenron. He took a deep breath and shouted, "I wish for Lord Frieza to be brought back to life!" 

"I'm afraid that his body was torn to pieces long ago, and he cannot be restored to what he once was." Shenron told Sorbet. "Even if his soul were to be restored, it would be pointless, I'm afraid." "What?! R-Really? That's a big problem. . ." Sorbet said, shocked. Now what was he going to do?

"Even in pieces. . .with the army's latest regeneration technology, we might be able to restore him, Commander." Tagoma told him. "That's right! Lord Frieza can probably. . ." Sorbet said, trailing off as he thought about what Tagoma said. Sorbet looked up at the green dragon and shouted, "I don't care if he's been hacked to pieces or whatever shape he's in! Just bring him back!" 

"You're quite the arrogant one. . ." Shenron said, displeased. ". . .Please bring back Lord Frieza." Sorbet said, sounding more polite. Shenron let out a sigh and said, "As you wish." His eyes glowed an even brighter shade of red, almost a pinkish white, and granted Sorbet's wish. In less than a minute, pieces of the once great Frieza fell out of the sky, landing in front of Sorbet and Tagoma, who's mouths were opened agape. "Now state your two remaining wishes." Shenron told Sorbet. 

This new greatly shocked Sorbet. "Two more wishes? You can do that?" "That's right. When Earth's god was changed, I too was upgraded in a sense. However, granting large wishes, such as resurrecting everyone on a planet, will take two wishes at once." 

"Two more wishes. . .do you think we should bring back King Cold as well, Tagoma?" Sorbet asked, looking at the soldier. 

"It's a possibility that with him brought back as well, our forces could-" "I want a million Zeni!" "And I want the best ice cream in the world!" two voices shouted, interrupting Tagoma. 

Sorbet and Tagoma turned around to see two of the three kids, the girl and the dog, were the ones to do so. Before anyone could react, a million zeni in cash fell on top of the dog, and a box filled with dry ice and a carton of ice cream fell near the girl. "Yay!" they both shouted. "Your wishes have been granted. Farewell." Shenron said as he disappeared, the Dragon Balls going up in the air is dispersing. 

"Damn it! You little-" "Commander Sorbet! We need to hurry, remember? The Saiyans could be on their way!" Tagoma shouted as he began to pick up the pieces of Frieze's body and placed them in a gun metal gray container he brought. Sorbet decided to forget about the Pilaf Gang and began to pick up the pieces as well, placing all of them in the container and taking it to the ship. The two soldiers then activated the ship and flew off planet. 

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Gohan and Piccolo had made it to the area that Sorbet and his men were at prior. The two men looked around the area, trying to locate the energy that they sensed at Gohan and Videl's house. "That's odd. It doesn't seem to be here anymore." Gohan mumbled. "It just up and vanished." 

"You're right. And to make things weirder, Shenron was around here too." Piccolo said. "Whoever summoned him was most definitely up to no good." "How do you know that?" Gohan asked his old mentor. "The energy from before. . .something about it felt sinister. Didn't you feel it?" 

Gohan took a few seconds to think about what Piccolo said. The energy he sensed was indeed malicious, and also strangely familiar. But there wasn't really anyone he could think of at the moment that could match it. 

Since they couldn't find any signs of the individual who was here, the two men decided to just head back to where they came from hope for the best, well Gohan did anyway. 

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Location: Outer Space. . . .

"Thank the gods that we were able to avoid detection, right sir?" Tagoma said as he and everyone else watched the regeneration chamber do its work. "As I told you before, my calculations are flawless." Sorbet said. "But I still have concerns." Tagoma revealed. Sorbet looked at the soldier and waited for him to explain. "Do we really need Lord Frieza?" he asked. 

"This again?! Of course we do! The minute we lost Lord Frieza and his generals, people treated us with contempt and more than a few planets began to revolt! Even discipline within our own ranks fell apart." Sorbet told him. "I'm sorry sir. It's just that I once caught a glimpse of Lord Frieza talking with Captain Ginyu and Dadoria. He just seemed so small and insignificant compared to them." Tagoma revealed.

"Well, I only met him a few times, but even I could feel his tremendous power!" Sorbet said. "Really? If he doesn't live up to his image then he's just going to be an annoying little-" Suddenly, the neon green liquid in the chamber began to swirl around violently, surprising everyone who saw. 

“At last. . .LORD FRIEZA IS BACK!!!” Sorbet exclaimed. Frieza’s limbs grew back at a monstrously fast rate, causing the healing chamber to shake and shoot off bits of electricity. Glass items such as Tagomma’ visor and Sorbet’s scouter shattered, and nearly all power in the ship went out. Finally, the glass of the chamber shattered as well, causing the green liquid to spill out on the floor. Frieza, now in his first form, took off the oxygen mask that was on his face, and stepped out of the healing chamber, cracking the bones in his neck and spitting out the green liquid that he was covered in.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like this,” he said in a posh voice. “It's a rare feat to catch me by surprise. I’ve actually been brought back to the living world.”

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[friezaglasiencold]

Hello, Lord Frieza~ This question's coming from pure researcher's curiosity, I promise, but I find the fact that you have a tail very fascinating- there aren't really any tailed creatures on Earth that have the sapience to talk about their experiences. Are there any particular advantages or disadvantages to having a tail?

Also, many tailed creatures on Earth have certain tail movements to convey their moods. Does your own tail do anything of that sort?

Look, everyone. It's another pretend scientist.

I don't have much experience in NOT having a tail, so it's not as though I have a point of comparison, but it's useful for holding things, and manipulating objects, and maintaining my balance. And scaring the nerve out of people when I crack it like a whip.

Sometimes I drop the end when I get startled. It takes days to grow back, so I wind up walking around with a stupid little stump and dodging questions about how I lost the tip. But that's small potatoes, and it doesn't happen very often, anyway.

If anyone wants to try and "prank" me after hearing about that, know that you will not survive the attempt.

As for the last question... you probably don't pay a whole lot of attention to how your face looks while you're emoting, do you? Let me think.

It tends to flick when I'm cross. I only notice when I walk away and see the dents I've left in the floor, hoho. Hm, and it curls when I'm deep in thought, sometimes. Sort of an in and out motion, as if I were squeezing a stress ball.

Algid's wags when he's happy, which is most of the time. I don't think I do that, but you'd have to catch me in a good mood to find out.

Ah! I know. Let's play a game. Say something stupid and see just what my tail does just before you get vaporized.

[decimadragonoid]

This is several days late, but I FINALLY finished my Independence Day piece! Or maybe in this case, it's more of a summer Dragonball Z piece featuring my Boulean OC, Dulien. Yeah, he's a significantly larger Boulean than the now-dead Guldo. Emphasis on "larger." Maybe I'll call this type of Boulean a "Prime Boulean," a special type of Boulean born with ten times the power and size of a normal one like Guldo!

I figured somewhere along the line, Dulien could make good friends with Tien and Chiaotzu and teach them a few things, particularly to Chiaotzu since it seems most Bouleans are born with psychic powers. Something about Dulien teaching Chiaotzu a few tricks with his telekinetic abilities felt so right to me. The little boy on his lap is his adopted kid too. Since Dulien has more experience with his psychic and time-freezing powers, he shows more aptitude and confidence and takes no crud from anyone, not even Guldo. Guldo's only allowed in this plane of existence for a while to enjoy the fireworks though. But as much as I like him as a character and wish he could've had more potential, he has let me down during the Frieza arc, so as a result, he's been punished and demoted to a cushion.

Anyway, all of this is still a concept, but I really enjoyed putting this together. Happy Late 4th of July, everyone!

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Dragonball Z © Akira Toriyama

Fanart by DecimaDragonoid ======== Please do not hesitate to leave your thoughts and critique in the comment section, as it really helps me think about and improve my style!

[frostyduo]

Frieza: Good afternoon, everyone. I just wanted to inform you Frost isn’t feeling his best at the moment and won’t for a few days, so he probably wont be able to answer too much questions.

He told me he’ll still try to on the data pad in my room while resting, but do remember to be courteous. And before you ask, no, he doesn’t have the flu again. It’s….something different.

Any way, I’m still happy to answer questions, so feel free to ask.

(OOC: I’m bored, so here’s a random prompt to inspire questions, though it obviously doesn’t just have to be about this. Anyway, go nuts!)