To See the Old Neighborhood.....

Part 11

"This is my son," Bardock put his arm around Radditz shoulder. A younger, slimmer, juvanile Radditz that had yet to fill out to his proportional size, but still Radditz.

"That's me from when this planet was destroyed!" a second, older Radditz said, though no one heard his voice except his younger brother Kakarot. His brother did not meet his gaze, but said, "We need to talk to Noone about this........"

"So we do, Kakarot, but let's wait. I'm.....curious," Radditz glanced at Goku and could tell by the way he was leaning over the rail of the fighting ring that he had no intention of going anywhere at the moment, "And I can see that I'm not the only one......."

"I look so much like him......," Goku didn't seem to notice Radditz's slight jab.

"Indeed, Kakarot, but what do you do about it?" Radditz asked, hoping Kakarot would come up with what to do next now that they were here and had their goal in sight..........and that goal had his arm around RADDITZ'S YOUNGER SELF!!! This was so confusing.......what had Noone DONE!?

"I suppose.....we go say hi," Goku said, rapping his knuckes once on the rail to emphasis his words.

"So be it, then..........how and when?" Radditz asked, wishing his brother to say here and now, but begging him not to.

"Well..........um........I haven't figured that part out yet."

"Good. Neither have I."

The two brothers hadn't taken their eyes off of their father once during this whole exchange. They carefully watched his every movement, though couldn't for the life of them force themselves to hear his voice since announcing his son. Radditz. But NOT Radditz! The Radditz that didn't exist yet did. All they saw was moving lips, cocky smiles, a challenging gleam in his eye.

He seemed too perfect. Too perfect..........yet he had a saddness to him. A sort of feeling that couldn't be placed, yet if felt as though he were forcing himself to act happy. Forcing himself to grin and tilt his head in an arogant manner. Forcing himself to be himself.

Then they were able to hear what he said.

"So if anyone out there would like to challenge my son and I," he spoke with a face that could be Goku's if it weren't so sharp, much less the scar that marred his cheek, but did not take away his beauty, "May they step out and do so. But who is brave enough to-"

"I challenge you and your son!"

"Kakarot, what are you doing!?" Radditz frantically whispered to his brother, who was lowering his hands from his face from when he had cupped them to make his words louder.

"Shh, c'mon!" Radditz found Goku's iron grip on his arm unbreakable as he was towed over the edge of the rail and into the ring where HE stood. Bardock stared at them for an instant, almost as though he recognized them, but then shook his head. "Who are you?"

"My name is Son Go-....er....Kakarot," Goku said, mentally kicking himself for such a slip-up, "And this is my older brother Rad-oof!"

Radditz had jabbed him in the stomach, "I'm his older brother....uh....Rahndash."

"You don't even know your own names?" the younger Radditz asked, raising a curious eyebrow at the strange introduction.

"You say your name is Kakarot?" Bardock asked, looking surprised, "That's my youngest son's name."

"Ah....your youngest son?" Goku asked, giving the Saiyan now known as Rahndash, formerly known as Radditz, a frantic look that said 'I think we'er beyond caught right about now.'

"Yes, my youngest son. He's hardly a year now and is schedualed to be shipped off planet tomarrow."

"Oh, congradulations," Radditz said, as it was an automatic reacion to an announcment off one's baby being sent into space for the first time.

"Uh.....yeah.......," Goku said with all the enthusiasm he could muster. Was his father accually HAPPY to see him sent away? Not to be seen again for years and years? The thought stung, but he pushed it aside.

"But we didn't come here to TALK, we came to FIGHT!" Goku said with as much harshness as he deemed necissary for the average Saiyan to use. Radditz was impressed. He gave a bemused, questioning glance to Goku.

"Just thought I should play the part," was the glance's reply, as Goku blushed slightly. He felt foolish acting arrogant.

Bardock blinked a few times, as though he had just expirianced deja vu, but again shook his head and forced a cocky smile, "You may regret challenging me, pal."

"I have no regrets," Goku said, and they both dropped into various fighting stances while both Radditz and Rahndash stood to the side. Fighting partners were chosed at first glance, as was common. Radditz got Rahndash and Kakarot got Bardock. Their incredibly similar looks may have had something to do with it, but no one asked.

Though nearly all of the Saiyan spectators did take note in the similarities. While Goku and Bardock could nearly be identical to the untrained eyes, the best way the crowd to see which fighter was witch would be the difference in uniform colors, for though they were similar in design, their colours were dramatically different. This color contrast was depended on, for when opponents fight such small differences as facial scars are hard to decifer.

And the Raddtiz's were nearly identical as well. Though Rahndash now wore a shoulderless black uniform and his younger counter-part had shoulderpads, the crowd would probably depend on the hair to decifer which fighter was which. For though they both had long hair, Rahndash's hair was pulled back in a tight pony tail while Radditz's hair still hung freely around his shoulders. The severe pony tail added to the already emphasized widow's peak, and made the top of his hair fluff more.

Bardock made the first move.

He swung in with a fast punch, but feinted out and carried through with a kick instead. Goku was impressed by the cunning behing the move, but stepped back out of the way before he even had a chance of being hit. The attacker didn't pause to wonder at how fast his opponenet had moved, and carried the assult into a barrage of kicks, knees, and punches.

Not wanting to seem too strong, Goku allowed some of the hits to get through, and over-exagerated the amount of pain they inflicted. He WAS just a third class Saiyan, after all. He shouldn't be too much stronger than anyother third classes. Besides, it made it funner.

Bardock could tell, though, that something was strange about this Saiyan. He had noticed the fact that he had no tail, and he noticed the uncharactoristic calm. His opponent didn't seem to have the blood rush for this fight, which took away from the fun Bardock was having. What was with this man?

Goku was indeed not having much fun. There was no sport in fighting such a lesser opponent. He found himself wishing his father WAS stronger than him. Wishing he could eb taught all the things his father knew..........But that wouldn't do much good. As much as Goku wanted to be taught all the wisdom his father had, he knew deep down that all his father knew was how to kill. To clear off planets as quickly and effinciantly as possible.

Even that way he faught, with such spirit and savagry, was aimed to take life. Aiming for pressure points or vital spots, Goku would be dead if he wasn't such a superior fighter. What was with there Saiyans!? Did they fight to the death even when sparring? Goku was getting mad.

Not wanting to continue anymore, Goku fazed out of sight and appeared behind his father. A quick open palmed slap to the base of the skull and he was down for an hour. Goku nodded to the body once and then to Rahndash and went to lean agenst the wall of the ring.

Radditz, being his father's partner, dragged his limp form to the other side of the ring and he and Rahndash went to the center. Rahndash didn't have any feelings toward his younger self, as Goku had had for Bardock. In fact, he felt some negative emotions towards his younger counterpart. How dare he be there to spoil the reunion between him and his father! He wasn't supposed to exist! He dissappeared way back when this planet was destroyed! This wasn't fair!

Rahndash moved. Radditz didn't have time to move or think before he found himself sprawled out on the ground at the edge of the ring, his jaw smarting and perhaps dislocated. He slowly and shakily got to his feet and said, "Lucky shot."

"Zat' so?" Rahndash smiled evily, he remembered using that line as a kid. He flew in again, this time grabbing his younger self by the shoulder pads and driving his victims head through the ground in the ring. He stepped back.

Radditz was lodged up to his shoulders up side down, feet thrashing wildly in the air. Goku snickered. Rahndash grinned. Radditz found nothing amusing about his predicament and Bardock, still unconscious, found no reaction what-so-ever as he sat propped agenst the wall. The crowd was hooting with laughter.

After a second of struggling, Radditz pried himself out of the floor with a violent jerk that tore a chunk of his hair out, for it had gotten caught between two large stones. So now there he stood, a small bald spot not far above his widow's peak and a noticable vein above his brow.

He looked hilarious. Rahndash, though amused, was getting bored. He vanished from sight and reappeared to Radditz's right. A quick punch under the ribs sent the younger Saiyan to the floor.

Needless to say who the winners were. There was no chance from the begining.

The loosers were dragged off the ring by the winners as the next combatants came onto the ring for their chance to fight some challenger, but I'll just leave it at that.

Rahndash and Kakarot waited for their father and.........(what WAS Radditz to them?) to regain consciouness. He was Goku's big-little brother and Rahndash's.......other part? No, he WAS Rahndash, Radditz, what ever his name was didn't matter. They were both Radditz. But.....which one was THE Radditz? Was it this younger version? Was that the original? Or was it the Radditz that was older, more expirianced, the final product? If that was the case, wouldn't the Radditz in BOTH Radditz's future be the final product? This was too frustating.

All the while Kakarot just sat and stared at his father's face, marveling.

To be continued.............