There @#$_ was floating in the liquid solution. Listening to the sweet affirmations of a mother who couldn't realize her baby's mind had long since been taken over. The boy with memories of his past life had already silently moved past this consistently awkward event–well that feeling was only one sided.
("In a way I kind of expected her to be this bright and cheery.") He thinks to himself, it's all he can do these days after all.
"And the wild beasts out in sector five have the juiciest cuts of meat..your father–" she trails on about various things in her daily life. Apparently his father was a big eater; not shocking in the slightest.
It wasn't until she mentioned meeting his elder brother that his eyes widened. Gine noticed this.
"Oh Kakarot, you're excited to meet your brother Ain'tcha? He's just as excited too...any moment now he'll be arriving" The woman says, touching the tank gently with a hand and her tail.
Finally one of her family members would share in her delight. The last time she had a child it took way too long for her partner to return and he only showed a steeled expression. This time she wondered just how excited her boy would be seeing their newest addition.
Taking a step back she looked towards the direction of the entry way and found her first child approaching with a confident gait to his step. His long hedgehog-like hair hangs behind him.
"Mother, still counting the days" his husky yet youthful voice called out to her, a tinge of judgement in his tone. "Visiting every day won't speed things up any faster"
Gine smiled at her boy, A young Radditz who was about half her height. She could tell the front lines had done numbers for his confidence; something she thought of well before what his power level might be.
"Aren'tcha–" he starts, using her little speech quirk before stopping himself. "Ahem, aren't you going to ask what my power level is, mother?" Radditz's nose rose up in the air, proof that his ego was starting to swell.
Gine simply let out a small laugh of content. "You're stronger i can tell"
Radditz was caught off guard. His mother didn't carry her scouter on her everywhere, so he didn't know how she could tell. Lowering his nose he had to ask.
"Wha..how?"
"Oh come on, you came back home didn't you. I can tell just by looking at you" The mother of two hums with twice as much confidence as her son moments ago.
Radditz was now coughing into his hand to try and deflect his building nerves. Saiyans are a*sholes; the boy had not gotten any praise since the moment he left home.
It didn't come from his father, which he craved, but that sure look in Gine's eyes felt just as powerful. So finally instead of facing her and accepting his worth, he turns to his brother. Their eyes seemed to meet instantly and he laughed huskily.
"Hahaah, Hello, Kakarot." He says, his eyes glancing over at Gine. The woman was smiling at the interaction between her two babies.
@#$_ simply blinks. The gesture was much more purposeful than subconscious.
"Mother doesn't look at power levels, remember that"
@#$_ blinks again like he was acknowledging him.
"And her cooking is to die for" he continues, already finding trouble in carrying this one sided conversation. "The frontline corps cooking is as good as garbage..just don't let them know..haha" he admitted with more oomph, ending with a hearty chuckle to continue deflecting his building nerves.
Gine simply watched on, in the corner of @#$_'s eye, hers were sparkingly.
Eventually though she felt the need to leave her two sons alone.
"Alright, hun, I'll be leaving now. Make sure you come home to eat tonight. I'll chase you down again if you ever skip a meal" she pouts while reminiscing on the boy's most eager days.
Radditz had been enthusiastic from the moment he left his pod. Even forgetting to eat while fleeing home to join the action. Gine truly worried for her boy when he left for the frontlines.
"Mother, of course... I learned my lesson. A hungry warrior gets absolutely nothing done" he let out a hearty, almost vain laugh before looking up at his mother. She had moved in and within the next moment was smothering him with a hug.
The mothers embrace reminded him she was a bear at heart. The crushing grip of love surprised the young front line fighter. His arms were practically locked at his sides as he just took the hug like a good son.
@#$_ watched this exchange intently. His eyes were unmistakable warmth.
("Gine is a good mom. I think?") His thoughts wander as the moment stagnates. Eyes blinking as they watched Kakarot's mother wave him goodbye.
Radditz looked like he was taking a moment to collect himself. Dusting off invisible dust and clearly his thoughts. Then when he seemed collected once more, he looked back over at his silent little brother. His lips pursed as he didn't know what to say, not a pout, just a tiny struggle to find the right words.
"Can. Can you even understand me brother?" He starts and just got blinks in return.
("Yep, yes mhm...") Each blink was coded with a sharp affirmative answer.
Radditz bore his haze through the glass. Waiting for an answer he should know won't come.
"Oh..what am I doing?" he says to himself and looks around. Relieved that no one but the other babies could see his desperate communicative act.
"Wait.. there's that torture thing I hear investigation squads deal with." He musses to @#$_'s horror. "No no, it's yes or no questions they tend to use for the broken prisoners"
The elder brother's suggestion was a much more relieving one and it caused @#$_ to exhale through his mask sharply enough to push air out and make bubbles. He started blinking in protest just a second prior. Now his eyes just closed in mock exhaustion, the boy couldn't really feel tired aside from the limits of his consciousness; or how this machine influenced him.
"can you stop blinking and open your eyes?" Noticing his brother blinking, his idea progressed further to questioning.
@#_ followed suit, although it was just opening his eyes now and not closing them again. He had already stopped blinking.
"Good good..so blink once if you understand me and twice if you don't." He starts them nearly trips over his words in excitement to add. "One for yes and two for no"
@#$_'s eyes widened and he simply blinked. He fully understood this yes or no questions game. This was their way to communicate.
("What could i actually communicate this way tho.. either way this could be really entertaining.") @#$_ slowly blinked once as if awaiting his first question with eager resolve.
What he got however was not what he expected. Not questions but endless rants on the state of the corps.
"They won't even show you how to fly..shoot energy. I swear if we didn't learn how to use technology by the implanted operational information the superiors would be a kick out of you struggling to use a Scouter" Radditz drones on.
"Isn't that ridiculous" he says and then waits for an answer.
Kakarot just stared back at him before giving him a slow blink. That must have been enough because his older brother just continued on speaking.
"The first planet we visited had these bug creatures. Skin as hard as rock, but they crush easy. Taste terrible.." Radditz sticks his tongue out in disgust while reminiscing. "But, getting to my point. They change over time if you don't squash them and become absolutely annoying pests."
While he continues the story he mimics squashing gestures with his foot. Then as he prepares the climax of his story he's pretending to grasp at some large bug he was referring to.
"Expunging them all would be easier if I could fly. Hell, if i could shoot a beam that would Amazing. But no, not only do they not teach you anything and laugh, but the Frieza Force won't supply energy weapons" he explains, his gesture a fraction of the amount of desperation he went through.
Kakarot had a question, but he just blinked his eyes. That's all he could do and so Radditz's moved on without really delving deeper into any of the interesting details. Listening to this person's account while living earnestly was somewhat endearing to the bored soul.
("Who is this person?") He contemplated inwardly. Contrasting the vain and cold monster that would command his younger brother to kill innocent life; with the excitable inspired older brother.
Gine's personality met his expectations, while Radditz seemed to be acting entirely removed from what he had seen. This boy before him looked earnest and ready to earn his way up. Not to mention that he hasn't even spoken about his power level yet.
Regardless, Kakarot's eyelids reached their limits. His consciousness faded and he was pulled inside himself once again. Radditz only noticed after a few more minutes of his ranting.
Eventually he closed his mouth; tightened his jaw. His hands clenched into fists. Then he took a deep breath.
"I hope to see you again brother" taking his leave, Radditz steels himself for the endless battles ahead.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
(A/N) I apologize for the late and short chapter. I really needed to go back to the drawing board for the future along with life stuff getting in the way. To anyone who cares, thanks for any bit of patience you bring to reading this.
P.S. of course they announced the continuation of Dragon ball super. Still they probably won't mess up any idea I had while writing this because I intended to get to the end of the super manga in content anyways.