Chapter Text
Raditz thrashed to escape his brother’s grip who had him in a full nelson. Raditz started to internally panic as he saw the namekian charging up the attack he fired off earlier that Raditz managed to avoid the first time. Electricity crackled against the namekian’s fingertips as he held them to his forehead, focusing his ki to that specific point.
Raditz couldn't escape, the sharp aching in his chest from his nephew's headbutt splintered and fractured his chest piece, making it hard for him to even breathe.
“P-Please Kakarot! Release me! I promise I will do no harm to you or anyone on this planet!” Raditz begged as he looked over his shoulder at his brother's determined expression, his teeth bared as he held Raditz in place. “Please, my brother!” Raditz begged.
“No brother of mine would hurt my son or my friends! You've threatened the lives of all of the people of Earth and I can't take another risk! You've tricked me once already!” Goku growled through gritted teeth.
“I've learned my lesson, Kakarot! I will leave this planet at once! I'll tell my allies that my brother wasn't here!” Tears started to well in Raditz’s eyes. “I don't want to die, Kakarot!”
Goku's hold on his brother loosened slightly before he reapplied the pressure. “No! I won't be fooled again! If I let you go, you'll hurt everyone I care about!”
Raditz had no energy left, he couldn't fly, couldn't fire an energy blast, couldn't even struggle much, he was defenseless. Fighting off these two drained his stamina and the blow from his nephew weakened him even further. If he couldn't convince his brother to release him, he'd be dead.
The namekian had a fangs bared smile as he lowered his arm, the electricity rolling off of his arm, sparks flying off and popping from the focused and destructive energy.
“Kakarot! Release me! Will you really let yourself be killed?!” Raditz shouted, his voice growing hoarse.
“If it means they'll be safe, then yes.” Goku replied as he smiled faintly, blood trickling from his mouth.
Raditz was stunned, his brother did not fear death in the same way he did. A realization dawned on him, he and his brother lead completely opposite lives.
Raditz constantly lives in fear, stressing about each morning he woke up would be the last time. Always being forced to take orders and commands like a mere tool, a weapon to aim and fire without remorse. Always under the judgement and ridicule of a higher power. Never getting respect or praise or even kindness. No amount of false bravado and puffing his chest could quell that fear.
His brother, on the other hand, had family, friends, people he could rely on and they relied on him in turn. He was full of love and kindness, to the point it was annoying and overbearing. He lived freely.. Raditz felt a pang of respect for his brother but also jealousy.
Piccolo reeled his arm back and released the spiraling beam. “Special Beam Cannon!” He shouted as it blasted through the air before drilling into Raditz’s abdomen. He howled in pain as he felt the beam searing through flesh, it finally broke through what was left of his armor and pierced through him and Goku. Goku’s arm finally unwrapped from around his brother as he collapsed onto his back, Raditz limped forward a bit before collapsing onto his hands and knees, he coughed a bit before vomiting up blood that was a putrid dark red color, almost black, that spewed from between his lips and stained the grass.
“Dammit..” Raditz groaned, a mere croak escaping his battered form. “It.. hurts..” He wrapped his arms around himself, his head crashing into the dirt as he clenched his bloody teeth. “How could.. Kakarot.. possibly endure this pain?” Raditz turned his head, the blades of grass stabbing into his cheek as he looked over at his brother who laid on his back.
Goku giggled softly. “Well.. I'd do anything to keep everyone safe. Even take.. an attack that could kill me.”
“But- Your family! Your son! Your friends! What about them?” Raditz shouted, demanding answers so that he could even begin to understand his brother.
“True.. But I won't be gone for long..” Goku said with a surprisingly serene smile. “My friends will use the dragon balls to wish me back, and I'll be good as new.”
Raditz's eyes widened in shock. “Wish you.. back?”
“Be quiet, Goku. No point in telling him anything. He can make peace with it in hell.” The namekian's gruff voice growled.
Raditz then began to chuckle before finally laughing loudly. “You fools! My scouter recorded what you just said. It's being transmitted as we speak to my two allies. They're Saiyans just like me but even stronger, more fierce and brutal then you can imagine. Not to mention that one is Vegeta, the prince of the Saiyan race and the strongest of us!”
Piccolo took a step back in surprise as a pit of fear formed in his stomach. Goku was also shocked but it was a struggle for him to even keep his eyes open and remain conscious.
“Two.. more? That are even stronger?” Piccolo asked breathlessly, a cold sweat started to form at his brow. “Impossible..”
Raditz started to lift himself off of the ground slowly, bearing his weight onto his knees as he continued laughing. “Once they arrive here, they'll use your precious dragon balls to revive me!”
“N-No..” Goku croaked before his head fell back against the ground, his chest no longer moving.
“Yes, that's right! They'll arrive within one year! And then you, and all of your friends will perish!” Raditz taunted as he laughed but it was cut short when he started to cough and heave again, he dropped back onto the ground as his body jolted and shook with each hard cough.
A jet flew overhead before slowing to a hover and coming down to land. The glass dome hatch opened and a short, bald man leaped out, followed by a blue haired woman and an old man with a white beard and sunglasses.
“Goku!” Krillin called out as he approached his friend, he crashed down onto his knees and held his hand. “Goku..”
Bulma cautiously stepped forward after him. “Is he okay..?” She asked carefully.
“He's.. He's gone.” Krillin said as he squeezed onto Goku's hand tightly.
Bulma faltered slightly, her knees weak at the crushing revelation. “No.. No, that can't be true!”
Raditz coughed up some more blood, his face still buried in the grass. Krillin recoiled back in surprise. “He's-! He's still alive!”
He took a cautious fighting stance towards the Saiyan warrior, Piccolo and Roshi did the same. Raditz slowly managed to pick himself up, he stood unsteadily, his tail whipping around wildly. He took long, labored breaths as he stood against the three warriors. Raditz tapped a button on his scouter and his round, space pod lifted from the crater before blasting towards him. Raditz used the last remaining bit of his strength to leap into the air, he was caught by the cushioned seat of the pod as it flew forward.
“We're not letting you get away that easily!” Krillin shouted as he charged up a Kamehameha between his hands. He fired it, the blue beam tore through the air, it hit the exterior of the space pod dead-on.
Raditz jolted in his seat as the round ship rattled on the impact. Sparks and smoke started to fill the pod as its systems short circuited. It started to careen out of the sky but it was fast enough to gain a great distance from the earthlings. The pod flew over plains and ocean before finally crashing in a rocky, desert area.
Raditz managed to crawl out from the downed pod and stumble across the sandy ground. He could barely walk any further, the hole in his stomach was too great to bare, would he die on these very sands?
Blood leaked and dripped from his open wound in puddles that fell onto the sand under his feet, he saw a cave and put a finger to his scouter. “No life forms detected. Perfect..” He approached the cave just as the sun started to dip below the horizon.
He braced his back against the stone wall before sliding down, falling onto his rear. His vision was hazy and he struggled to keep his eyes open. His mind was in a fog that couldn't focus on a single thing as his thoughts raced. Thoughts of his mother and father, thoughts of the only people he could call allies, thoughts of his oppressor, and finally, thoughts of his brother and nephew.
‘Is this what Kakarot felt in his last moments? Did he feel this same.. fear? And my nephew.. Gohan. Only a boy but with incredible power, truly a Saiyan prodigy..’
His thoughts started to become incoherent and indecipherable even to himself, his eyelids started to grow heavy but he fought to keep them open, he knew that once they closed, they'd never open again.
Raditz looked out the entrance of the cave, his eyes moving slowly as he tried to process what he could see, his vision finally cleared enough for him to make out what he was looking at, he saw the moon hanging in the sky and had a startling realization.
It was a full moon.