Sheep to Slaughter
By Pixelgoddess
Rating – R
Warnings – Language, violence, death
Don’t own it – if I did, Vegeta would have toasted the dragon. And dressed like he did in GT from day one.

Winner of the most original story in the Second Annual DBZ Fanfic Salon contest - Final Confrontation and second place over-all. *g*
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I smirk with triumph at the satisfying crack of bones. Another of those prancing bastards down. Hell, it was no wonder Ginyu rejected these weaklings, putting them down when they failed his tests. They are hardly worth the time it takes to kill them.

I glance around, looking for another opponent. I hate to admit it, but I’m kind of enjoying myself. Who would have thought death could be this exciting? Sure, I always have to be on my guard, but the constant battles are thrilling.

I’m not really sure what this place is – all I know is I woke up here after my asshole of a brother betrayed our heritage – betrayed me.

I’m supposed to be in some kind of hell, which has to be one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard. How can I be some place I don’t believe exists? Sure, some of those weak races – like the candy-ass Zarbon - believed in things like heaven and hell, but Saiyans knew better. You lived. You ate. You fought. You fucked. You died. What else is there?

If you were reborn enough times and gained enough strength each time you would become the Legendary. I’m nowhere near that life – too many of my prior lives must have been short and meaningless, with no real gains in strength. Hell, in some of them I was probably one of those brats like my bastard brother, sent off to clear planets as a cub. The Prince however… My Prince has many powerful lives in him – you can see the ages in his eyes – I am sure this is the life where Prince Vegeta will ascend.

One of my opponents – just before I killed him – said this place was supposed to be some form of punishment. I could only laugh at the liar before blasting him away with ki. This isn’t punishment – it is paradise to a Saiyan. All the fighting, all the fucking, and all the death I could ever want.

Saiyans don’t believe in heaven or hell – our gods wanted their followers to return to them, strong and loyal. I wonder sometimes if our gods will die with our race. Can gods die? Maybe they died with the planet and since there are only a few of us left we have fallen under the control of a vindictive god with strange ideas of punishment.

No – I really don’t understand this place or its purpose – it doesn’t really matter anyway. All that really matters is the chance to fight. It’s fine. It’s fine as long as I don’t think about Prince Vegeta…

Another one of those red assholes – if I’m lucky it is a relative of that fucker Jeice – rush me. Moving is hardly worth the effort, but I’ll play the game. I shift my stance and grab the idiot by the neck. The expression of terror on the fool’s face when he realizes his fatal error is a joy. I bare my teeth in victory and fire a blast of ki right through its head.

I frown to myself when it vanishes as soon as it dies. That is something I really hate about this place. Why can’t they leave the bodies so I can have something to eat?

The only thing I really miss is food. I’m not hungry – not really – but I miss the taste of blood and the feel of teeth ripping through flesh and muscle. Unfortunately, all of my opponents vanish as soon as I kill them. I’ve seen a tentacled alien eating trapped animals – maybe I will copy it and kill the next attacking animal slowly, savoring their limbs before they die.

I lick my lips and sweep my tail lazily as I consider that. Too bad it won’t be a Saiyan. Their blood is rich and thick – to devour your opponent slowly was an honor – but there were so few left to praise.

I growl to myself – that bastard Kakarott.

I had hoped to die in the presence of Prince Vegeta – spilling my blood in a final service to him. My death would have been an honor then, my flesh and blood adding to my Prince’s power. It should have been that way – each death a step to Prince Vegeta’s ascension.

But Kakarott had fucked that up with his cowardly attack.

What kind of Saiyan fought like that? Combat was meant to be one-on-one – a meeting of body and spirit. And the little bastard cheated! My own brother. A coward.

I turn and spit angrily in the face of some frog-like creature leaping at me, blasting it to nothing in my rage. I realize too late what I had done even as it vanished. Damn it! I had meant to try to eat the animal.

My own fucking brother had no honor.

I didn’t even mind fighting the Namek and my brother together – it was interesting seeing the two styles and how they meshed and clashed. I even picked up a few tricks from them. I wasn’t really intending to kill Kakarott or my nephew – they were blood after all. I was just trying to shock him back to himself.

He is a Saiyan, damn it. I was offering him paradise. Why did he even care about those weaklings? He was supposed to destroy them, not protect them.

I check my surroundings again, looking for new opponents and possible food in the elongated shadows of perpetual afternoon. That is another stupid thing about this place – the sun never moves relative to where I am; always over my left shoulder. Night never falls. It would be nice to see the moon once in awhile. My tail flicks at the memory of the last time I went Oozaru during a hunt with our tiny pack.

I scowl to myself as I realize Kakarott’s treachery took that away from me as well.

I had hoped to bring my baby brother back with me, initiating him into the pack. I had actually spoken enthusiastically to Nappa about the hunts we could have. There are few things greater than the bonds of the pack.

And he rejected it. The little brain-damaged bastard rejected me, rejected the pack, and rejected his heritage. My tail snaps in anger at the memory.

He held me in place – didn’t allow me to protect myself, keeping me from raising any kind of defense. It would have been one thing if I had died in fair combat – even if it had been two against one. But no, the coward trapped me like an animal for slaughter so the green one could fire his attack.

I grimace. That green one – I’ve seen his type before – he had the makings of a decent warrior. The amount of power he gathered in his fingers was impressive. I would have liked to tell Prince Vegeta about it – maybe he could adapt the attack for his own purposes.

I even gave him the respect a fighter deserves, allowing him time to build his first attack. With my speed and skill I could have easily stopped him. But I didn’t – because I have pride and honor. I would never treat a worthy opponent like some kind of animal - unlike my coward of a brother.

++++++++++++++++++

I rip the meat from the bones of some broken purple animal, ignoring the screams through the wad of material I’ve stuffed in his mouth. After some trial and error, I’ve gotten good at this. There are weak animals everywhere and now I can eat whenever I want. This one isn’t too bad – the blood is thick and rich although it has a slightly bitter tang to it.

I glance up at a sound and begin to growl, the tip of my tail thrashing angrily. Kakarott.

The bastard is just wandering around, wide-eyed, and apparently oblivious to nearby threats. He hasn’t seen me yet and I seriously consider taking advantage of that and making him die again. But I know I won’t even after his treachery – he isn’t an animal even though he treated me like one. Honor requires me to give him the opportunity to defend himself. I smirk when he hears my growl and snaps his head in my direction.

“Radditz?!” he says, shocked.

“No, I’m the king of the fucking Ice-jins,” I growl. What kind of idiot is he?

“Really?” he asks, eyes wide.

“You are an asshole, Kakarott. Do I look like a fucking lizard?” How did he survive this long, gullible as he is?

The purple animal makes another sound, so I kick it into silence and tear off another piece.

“What—?” Kakarott stammers, “What are you doing to him?”

“Eating it. What does it look like?” I suck the marrow out of the leg bone and toss it aside. “If you want any, you are going to have to catch your own. I don’t share my game with bastards like you.”

“But…he’s still alive.”

I lick some blood off my fingers and consider what part to eat next. The animal is bleeding profusely now – he won’t last much longer. “That’s the whole idea, idiot.”

“That’s sick.”

“Why? Don’t you eat meat?” I almost feel sorry for my little brother. He is so damaged he even finds fault with normal Saiyan eating habits.

“Sure, I eat animals. But that – that’s a person. You aren’t supposed to eat people.” Kakarott seems appalled when I rip a hand off and bite through the bones of a finger.

“Why not? Besides, this isn’t a person. It is a weak animal. The strong consume the weak – it is natural. The animal is only good for a meal.”

“That’s evil. It’s no wonder you were sent to hell.”

I raise my eyebrows and smirk. “Little brother, in case you haven’t noticed, you are here with me. I guess you are evil as well.”

“No I’m not!” Kakarott protests. “I just fell off the Snake Way.”

I frown at him. This isn’t a Saiyan place and I have no idea how it works. It isn’t like they hand out a manual. “What in the fuck are you talking about?” I demand.

“The Snake Way is up in heaven. I have to get to the end of it where King Kai will train me so I can go back and stop the other Saiyans.” He smiles and scratches the back of his head in some strange gesture. “But I fell off – so here I am!”

I glare at him in my fury, fists clenched, ki rising. “You mean to tell me you are being rewarded by your gods for cowardly behavior? Don’t you have any honor at all?”

Kakarott drops into a defensive stance as my ki begins to climb, but other than that, he does nothing.

“You are a Saiyan, damn it! Why don’t you act like one?”

Kakarott frowns and shakes his head. “If you are a Saiyan, then I don’t want to be one.”

I punch him. After a few minutes he returns, crawling back for more, rubbing his jaw.

“You know what, you bastard?” I snarl when he is within range, “You aren’t good enough to be a Saiyan. We have honor. We don’t cheat.”

“I never cheat.”

I hit him again. It feels good to hear him grunt in pain and feel the bones crunch under my hand. This time he returns more slowly, but his scowl is worthy of our father. I have to give him some credit; he keeps coming back even though he is obviously outclassed.

“You did cheat, you bastard. You were going to lose and rather than accept and go down fighting you took the coward’s way out.”

Kakarott starts to protest, but I silence him with a glare. “You trapped me – turned me into a target. No Saiyan would fight like that. I treated you like a person and you treated me like a fucking animal.”

“You were going to kill my son!”

I scowl. I hadn’t planned to hurt the cub at all. Hell, I had only taken him so Kakarott wouldn’t be distracted by the brat’s crying. Who wants to hear that when they are hunting? But Kakarott refused to behave normally and it soon became evident the three of them together would give me a few problems. It became necessary to eliminate the biggest threat. “He reacted well for an untrained cub. I would have given him an honorable death.” The boy’s blood would have given me more strength and would have been even more powerful in his next life. “His blood would have been rich.”

Kakarott looks disgusted for some reason I don’t understand. “How can you talk like that?”

“Like what?” I asked, bewildered at his reaction. I almost feel sorry for my brother now, growing up without knowing who he was or how to act. Almost. But honor - that isn’t taught. It is instinctive – like knowing who is an animal and who is not. His lack of honor makes him weak, and in Saiyan society the weak do not survive.

“Killing. Blood. Eating people.”

I’m surprised. Kakarott looks truly upset.

“The weak have no right to live. If they are Saiyan, they would thin our blood. They are eliminated – it is only right. Only the strong survive. You were sent away because you were born weak, little brother – of no use.”

“If I’m so weak, then why are you dead?” Kakarott gloats.

I shove him to the ground, smirking down at him as he scrambles to his feet. “Simple. Because you cheated. If you had fallen in fair combat I would have tasted your blood and honored you in death.”

“You’re evil, Radditz. You kill people.”

“I kill people in fair combat. I give them the opportunity to defend themselves. Weak animals are not people.” I study him a moment, trying to understand what is bothering Kakarott so much. “You are Saiyan. Are you trying to tell me you have never killed anyone?” I demand. I don’t understand this stranger standing before me. How could my little brother – my blood – have become this sick, twisted person?

“They were all bad people,” Kakarott says defensively.

I scowl. Such a simplistic, childish view of things. Can it be these animals who have raised him coddle their weak instead of culling them? “According to whom, Kakarott? Are you a god now, judging others? I’m not evil, little brother, no matter what your disturbed mind believes. I am Saiyan.”

“You wanted me to kill innocent people.”

I laugh. “No one is innocent, Kakarott. They just haven’t been caught yet. I wanted you to hunt for food. If the idea of killing them was so disturbing, you could have saved them all just by agreeing to come with me.”

“You didn’t say that.”

“I didn’t think I had to. A true Saiyan would have understood what was being offered and leapt at the chance.”

“I’m not a Saiyan.”

I growl. My sick little brother is in denial and I am tired of trying to convince him. “No, you are not,” I agree. “You can’t even die with honor.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I shake my head. He’ll never understand anyway, but I feel compelled to try to teach my idiot brother. “When a Saiyan fights, they give it their all, knowing and accepting the battle could be fatal. Every fight can be the last, but if they die with honor they will return in the next life even stronger.” My voice begins to get louder and my tail snaps angrily. Kakarott’s calm expression enrages me so much I am losing my temper – never a good idea in combat. “And you took that glory from me, Kakarott. Your cowardly methods have tarnished my death. You cheated me. Don’t you get it little brother? Your death meant nothing to you because it wasn’t real.”

“Do you mean you are mad because even while we fought I knew I could be brought back to life?” Kakarott says hesitantly.

“Exactly!” I snap, “Now do you understand?”

“It doesn’t matter. You were going to kill my son. I had to stop you.”

“So what if I had? You could have used the same method to bring him back. Even if you hadn’t he would have been reborn in a few years, even stronger.” Why does one death bother him so much? I don’t understand Kakarott at all.

“I- I- didn’t think of that. But…you threatened everyone. And if you destroyed Earth like you said you would, the dragonballs would be gone and Gohan would still be dead.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway, little brother. More Saiyans will be coming and your precious planet will be destroyed anyway. You could have joined me and saved it, but now all you’ve done is post-pone the inevitable.” I am sure Prince Vegeta would have been pleased enough with the addition of another follower to leave the planet alone, if only for the sake of Kakarott’s morale. And the strength of the half-breed led to the possibility of more powerful cubs for my Prince to rule over.

Kakarott glares at me with determined eyes and I am struck yet again by his resemblance to our father. “I’m not going to let that happen. I’m going to train with King Kai.”

I frown. I thought I had gotten through to him, but apparently I have failed. “You are going to cheat again – be brought back to life instead of waiting to be reborn.”

“It’s not cheating.”

I laugh bitterly. “It is cheating, you bastard. One chance. That’s all you get in this life. Maybe in five or six lives you will be strong enough to face me again.”

I try not to think of how I might be reborn, since there are no other Saiyans left. I don’t like to question the ways of the gods. Maybe they will move Saiyan souls into half-breeds so we can continue there. If so, I can hope to return to my Prince’s side in another life, even if I won’t be full blood.

“Even if you get your training and are brought back, you will die again, little brother. You have no idea who you are facing. Prince Vegeta is like a god. He is destined to be the next Legendary. You have no hope of beating him – unless you are a coward and cheat again.”

“I’ll win because I have to.”

“You can’t even defeat me on your own, you idiot. What chance do you think you will have against the Prince?” My little brother has no concept of the power of my Prince. I am nothing compared to him.

“My friends and I will stop him.”

“Friends? Will you listen to yourself, Kakarott? You are planning on cheating again. Coward. Cheat. You have no honor. You can’t do anything on your own, can you?” I consider for a moment and then laugh at him. “Tell you what, little brother. Fight me now. After all, I can’t destroy that precious mudball of yours.”

Kakarott narrows his eyes. “Why?”

“Why not?” I shrug. “If you can win alone I will die an honorable death. You will not be forever branded a cheater in this life or the next.”

“If you win?”

I grin. Kakarott seems to be considering it. Maybe there is some hope of recovering the Saiyan in him – although it is too late to save either of us in this life. “I kill you and we both know the only reason I died before was because you have no honor. Your friends can bring you back with those magic balls of yours and you can live the rest of your worthless life with the knowledge that you are a cheater.”

Kakarott shakes his head. “It doesn’t work like that, Radditz. If we die here, we are gone forever.”

“So? Then we reincarnate with even more power.”

He scratches the back of his head again. “Sorry, but I can’t spare the time. I have to train some more and get stronger. I have to get back to the Snake Way,” he says.

What kind of Saiyan refuses a challenge? I growl, annoyed at his weak excuses and lunge forward, kicking the cowardly bastard hard. “Then I guess you better not lose.”

Kakarott tumbles and rolls, regaining his feet. He takes his stance and I nearly laugh – purely defensive. The little bastard really is afraid of me – as he should be.

“I don’t want to fight you, Radditz.”

“What you want doesn’t really matter, cheater,” I growl, punching him. Kakarott is ready for it this time and actually manages to dodge it. He makes his own growl and throws a counterpunch that whistles by my ear as I evade it.

“Not bad, little brother,” I say, baring my teeth. “But if that is the best you can do then you are going to die. Again.”

Kakarott retaliates against my biting words with a combination of attacks centered on the hole in my armor that I easily block.

“Your cowardly suicide was a waste, little brother. You will never be strong enough to defeat me. You are going to die. Your cub is going to die. You friends are going to die. Every weak animal on that pitiful mudball is going to die – all because you are a coward.”

Kakarott roars and charges me. Surprisingly, some of his blows get through. I actually grin at him when one makes my head snap.

“Well done, baby brother,” I laugh, catching him with a similar blow. This is a Kakarott I didn’t see in our previous battle. During that one he had to be aware of, and adjust for, the green one. Now his style was pure; focused entirely on our combat. He didn’t have my superior strength, but he had considerable skill.

His eyes narrow at my condescending tone and I smirk. My Prince had taught me well. He goaded me like this too often for me not to learn from it.

I keep battering him, almost leisurely in my attacks. I am fighting only one – I can take my time. I think that pisses him off even more, his baby face turning hard, his wide eyes becoming glittering shards.

A lash of my tail sends Kakarott flying and I laugh with delight. I haven’t been able to fight like this against another Saiyan for so long. Prince Vegeta and Nappa always just beat the crap out of me, belittling me for my lower power. Here, I am dominant. I am the strongest.

That feeling, combined with the comforting scent of another Saiyan… I almost forget why we are doing this – what this battle is about. It feels more like a training spar and I find myself falling into that pattern, showing Kakarott how to block and protect himself.

Stupid.

Have I missed another Saiyan that much? That I would let my guard down so completely? I’m stunned to realize that was the real reason Kakarott’s behavior made me so bitter. I had thought I had found another member for our pack – instead I found a brain-damaged brother who betrayed everything I believe in.

Kakarott catches me with I kick I cannot block, taking advantage of my damaged armor, and shatters ribs. His instant counter punch stuns me, sending me skidding back several feet on the stony ground.

I spit the blood out of my mouth and smirk. “Not bad, Kakarott. You might die with honor after all.”

Kakarott sucks in a breath, wincing as his own cracked ribs shift. “Stop this, Radditz. I don’t want to fight you.”

“Liar. You are Saiyan. You live to fight.”

“I-” Kakarott hesitates and frowns. “Fine. I’ll admit it. I’m enjoying this. But I don’t want to destroy you. If you stay here and finish your punishment you can come back as someone else. Maybe if you become good we can wish you back, too.”

“Meaningless words, little brother. Saiyans never truly die, so it doesn’t matter to me.” I have to believe all of those who were killed when our home was destroyed have gone on to other bodies, strengthening other races in our place.

Kakarott drops his aggressive stance, still alert, but apparently unwilling to continue. “I’m not fighting you any more, Radditz. I don’t have time for this. I have to get back to the Snake Way.”

I’m not prepared to end this battle and renew my assault. Kakarott doesn’t retaliate, just dodging most of my attacks and blocking the ones he can’t.

“You’ll never defeat Prince Vegeta, Kakarott. Even if those weaklings bring you back, you’ll just die again.”

Kakarott smiles disarmingly. “If I die, then I’ll come back and we’ll finish this fight. I’ll be stronger then and have more training. Wouldn’t you enjoy it more then?”

I bare my teeth in a knowing smile. Few Saiyans can resist the offer of a monumental battle – and a stronger Kakarott might be a worthy challenge. Destroying him now would be too easy and pointless.

“Fine little brother. I’ll let you go get killed by the Prince. You’ll see what you gave up by not joining me.”

Kakarott smirks, “What if I win?”

“You are deluded, baby brother. You can’t win without cheating – and if you do that Prince Vegeta will never forget and never forgive you - in any of your lives.”

Kakarott flashes a foolish grin and scratches the back of his head. I frown – what just happened? Where did the Saiyan go? Even his scent is slightly different now.

“It will work out. It always does.” Kakarott turns and starts to walk away. I swear if he still had a tail it would be swaying in lazy contentment. “Behave yourself, big brother. Maybe I will see you again,” he says over his shoulder.

I stare at him as he leaves, open-mouthed. What just happened? What kind of Saiyan walks away from a fight? Why did I let him?

I watch Kakarott as he fades into the distance and I am suddenly sure I will never see him again. I have lost my baby brother twice now.

I hate this place. I miss my pack. I miss the moon. I miss my Prince. I wonder where I will end up this time when I die. Who will I be next time?

“Shh,” a voice growls in my ear, making me start. Kakarott got me so distracted I hadn’t even noticed someone approaching. I start to turn when I suddenly feel pain blossoming through my body.

“Wha-?” I begin to ask, not understanding what has happened. Why can’t I move? Why can’t I fight? What is causing this pain?

Tentacles loop around my limbs, pinning my arms in place. I try to fight free, but for some reason I can’t move. I can’t escape. Pain spikes through me and I scream in agony. My thoughts are frantic. What’s happening? What’s happening?

The ache suddenly stops and I am numb. I can’t even stand on my own. The only thing keeping me up are the tentacles wrapped tightly around me. With no more strength to support it, my head droops forward.

I groan inwardly, no longer able to make any sounds, as I realize what has happened. A spike has pierced me, projecting through a hole in my armor. I got careless and now I am paying for it.

“Poor weak animal,” it croons in my ear as I open my mouth in a scream no one can hear. “Don’t worry. The poison will keep you from feeling much pain. You won’t suffer long. I eat my food quickly.”

END