Donning Indigo 5
Well would’ya look at that! More of this!
Missions come and go, both in regards to helping the Indigo Tribe’s home planet and helping the wider universe. And, looking back, he’s honestly surprised that what’s about to happen didn’t happen sooner. The fact that he’s been with the Indigo Tribe for close to two years now and going into the wider universe to help with missions for a fair portion of the second without incident is a good indicator that his luck’s actually improving, but the fact still remains that he, Janven, and half a dozen other members of the Tribe just arrived to help a handful of Green Lanterns against what appears to be a decent chunk of the Sinestro Corps. Or the fact that the first thing Raditz saw when he looked up was a moon, bright and full.
Brilliant.
“Raditz?” Janven turns to him in quick concern as the growling starts, “Is something- left star of Kareedos!”
That’s all Raditz catches before the blood is pounding too loudly in his ears to hear anything else as he grows and changes and finally roars in triumphant challenge before stretching and centering himself, regaining the mental equilibrium necessary to control the heightened aggression of this form and use ki efficiently. It feels good, being in Oozaru again after so long, and he’s a bit relieved because he’d half thought the ring-
The ring.
Oh yeah.
A quick feel with his thumb reveals his Indigo ring to still be there, feeling the same size it ever has (meaning that it’s grown somehow), but then, of course it is, his staff is still proportionate in his hand, after all.
…it suddenly occurs to him that it’s been very quiet for a battlefield ever since the change finished and he looks around. Everyone’s staring at him. And there’s a lot fewer Yellow Lanterns than there were before. They all stare at each other for a few minutes.
Someone swears.
Well, not his problem. Raditz shrugs, brings his staff forward, and forms a spherical construct around a group of Yellow Lanterns clustered together, effectively trapping them. There is an instant squaller inside the sphere and the battle resumes.
One of the things Raditz has always taken pride in is that he can manipulate ki with both hands – he’s ambidextrous. This is a trait that serves him well in this battle, as he maintains the prison sphere while other Yellow Lanterns try to attack him and he creates blasts with his other hand to keep them at bay. A little nudge in his mind, of the sort he’s come to associate with his ring trying to indicate something he should be doing, makes him look down. The battle has been in mid-air, but it’s taking place over a city, and a crowded one at that from the looks of things, full of frightened people. Frightened. Yellow rings are powered by fear.
…he’s never tried anything like this, but-
“Janven, I have an idea, I’m going down!”
He barely waits for them to nod before he drops to the ground, taking his captives with him, careful to land in an area without anyone running about. From what little he’s experienced thus far, channeling the emotional spectrum seems to be very similar to channeling ki in that he has access to so much more of it in Oozaru, and while he’s not the best with constructs, there are two types he’s good at: armor and shields.
The indigo dome blossoms over the city, protecting it from stray blasts and purposeful ones meant to inspire more terror and panic. He can almost feel the fear-based suffering easing as the inhabitants notice the dome, realize what it is, and realize that it’s keeping the fight away from them. That, for now at least, they’re safe.
As for Raditz, well, he’s never made a construct this big before, but it’s a simple one, of a sort he’s had plenty of practice with, not that different than holding a shield against a storm from the barrens. Only, just him, instead of a dozen or so of the Tribe working together.
…he really hopes the fight ends or moves on before moonset, because otherwise he has a feeling he’s going to be totally screwed once he loses the benefits of Oozaru. As it is, it rankles a lot to be so close to a fight yet not be able to participate, but he can do more good here for now. So he stands guard, watching the fight and shaking the sphere construct occasionally when the Yellow Lanterns inside start getting too feisty.
The moon is dangerously low in the sky by the time the last of the foes are defeated or fled. Raditz releases his shield and gladly turns his prisoners over to the custody of the Green Lanterns, which just leaves the fact that he’s still in Oozaru form to deal with, because being a seventy foot tall ape is not the most convenient thing in the world for everyday life.
“So…” Janven flies up so they’re on eye level with Raditz, “This is… a normal thig for saiyans, I hope?”
Raditz snorts. “Yeah. Taking the Oozaru form is one of the thigs we’re best known for, actually, so I’m surprised that you’re surprised by this.”
Janven twirls their staff, a touch embarrassed. “I had read something that, in hindsight, I realize was speaking of this, but your race is less well-known in this sector of the universe. In all truth, I believed the author was being metaphorical.”
“Nope.”
“Yes, I see that now. If I may… how long does this last?”
“Until about half an hour after I get out of the moonlight – sooner if I get rid of some of the energy as well, but that tends to be kinda… showy. And destructive.” Not to mention the fact that, while there are beings with all sorts of strange powers in this sector of the universe, ki manipulation seems to be almost entirely unheard of, and people tend to be get very uncomfortable when they first hear about it for some reason. Thus firing off a mouth blast of lunar energy would probably be a bad idea, especially since the local population has only just calmed down.
So instead they fly out of the city to get out of the residents’ way and wait for the moon to set in an open field not too far away, along with the other two Tribe members who had come with them. One jokes that she’d thought Raditz had a lot of hair normally, and they all laugh. The moon finally sets, the appropriate amount of time passes, and then, finally, the transformation ends.
Entering Oozaru is amazing, a rush of strength and energy and eagerness for battle (also bloodlust and aggression, but you learn to control those).
Coming out of Oozaru is… less so. At the end of it, Raditz drops to the ground abruptly, panting, then flops to his side. Yup, yup, just as exhausting as ever – actually, rather worse than normal, probably from channeling so much more indigo light than he’s used to (which is just blatantly unfair, it really is).
“Raditz?! What’s wrong?!” the others are crowding around him in an instant, concerned over this new development. He flaps a hand at them, but doesn’t get up. He wants to sleep for a week and simultaneously eat his own body weight I food, but as there is currently no food, the urge to sleep is winning.
“Well, if I must say, it appears that I arrived just in time.”
Raditz’s eyes snap open at the unfamiliar voice and, drained though he is, he’s still up in an instant, staff leveled at the stranger, instincts ingrained in him since childhood taking over. He’s still on his knees, sure, but he’s doing his best, and still in the position to do some serious damage if need be. You know, providing he doesn’t just keel over from the effort. The face he sees doesn’t reassure him – indeed, it has him growling and edging backwards, because the last time he saw such a face, well…
Suffice to say, he has no fondness for Namekians.
“Peace, brother, I mean you no harm,” the Namekian holds up a hand and the movement brings Raditz’s attention to the being’s chest and the crest situated there.
This does calm him somewhat, because the Green Lanterns are stubborn, but under that they’re generally good people. The pod of his staff hits the ground again, and there is a subtle lessening of tension in his surrounding Tribe members.
“I apologize for startling you,” the Namekian says politely, “I just wanted to bring you this.” And he sets down the container he’s been holding in his other arm in front of Raditz.
His nose twitches, stomach rumbling even before his mind processes the fact that that the container is full of food- FOOD, HE’S SO HUNGRY AND THE NAMEKIAN BROUGHT FOOD ALL IS FORGIVEN MAY MONSAN GRANT THEIR ENTIRE RACE WITH HER FAVOUR ESPECIALLY THIS ONE THANK MONSAN SO HUNGRY!!!
Raditz barely manages to get out a proper thanks before tearing into the gift – some sort of meat and fruit things that are currently the most delicious edibles in the universe.
“You have our thanks as well, friend,” Janven says as Raditz continues to inhale his gift, “I am Janven of Tortellia, and he is-”
“Raditz of Vegetasei,” Raditz interrupts, mouth mostly not full.
The Namekian nods. “I am Kuji of Namek.”
The rest of the Tribe members offer proper introductions as well, then-
“How did you know what he needed?” Janven asks curiously, “I should have guessed – everything boils down to food with this one eventually-” Raditz pauses in his meal to give an annoyed growl at the teasing, but Janven merely laughs and continues, “But to be so prepared for this already…?”
“I’ve had dealings with saiyans before,” Kuji explains, “The sector I patrol overlaps Cold territory and I used to run into them from time to time. So I’m familiar with their strengths and weaknesses.”
“If that’s the case, I’m surprised that you helped me at all,” Raditz says, swallowing the last scrap of meat and wiping his mouth. He’s still worn from the transformation, but the food helped enough that he no longer feels half dead. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful,” he continues, standing, “But I know how those ‘dealings’ of yours probably went, so…” he trails off, unsure how to continue.
Kuji raises an eye ridge at him. “I’ve been around long enough to know how being with the Tribe can change a person. Besides, your help was invaluable in last night’s battle, and I had a hunch from your friends’ reactions that they wouldn’t know what to do when you left Oozaru again. You Indigos aren’t the only ones capable of compassion, you know.”
Raditz blinks, then gives the Namekian a friendly slap on the shoulder before wobbling and sitting down again abruptly – his knees still feel watery and unstable.
Kuji gives him a bemused grin, then turns to Janven, “He’ll probably need to rest some more before he’s fully capable of movement. And, if he’s like the other saiyans I’ve met, he’ll say he’s ready before he really is.”
“That’s our Raditz,” Janven agrees before Raditz can protest, “He’s one with a will strong enough for Green, I think.”
Raditz glowers at both of them before laying down with a huff. “Doesn’t matter how strong my will is – as an unrepentant coward, I don’t qualify for Green, even if we ignored the very, very long list of reasons why I’m Indigo. It’s true,” he adds when they all laugh as though he’s joking, “None of you have ever seen me beg for my life and, let me tell you, I am pathetic.”
“Oh? What about that time on Sarex 1, then?” Janven asks.
“Or that time with that Red Lantern squad?” another Tribe member joins in. Half a dozen more instances are named as Kuji looks on in amusement, and finally Raditz sits up to more effectively glare at all of them.
“None of those instances count because I still had power in all of them! Helpless and in a corner? I’d turn on all of you in a flash!”
Janven comes and crouches in front of him with a faint smile. “Perhaps once you would have, but I do not think that is the case now. You have more honour than that.”
Raditz turns bright red and immediately flops down on the ground again face-first in an attempt to use his hair as protective camouflage to hide his embarrassment, making indignant ‘that you would say such hurtful things’ noises while the group continues in its friendly laughter.
And maybe, a little, deep down, a small part of Raditz feels warm. He’s still not used to the concept of being so whole-heartedly trusted, not sly, slippery Raditz.
It feels good.
OoOoOoOoO
I actually wrote this section way the heck ago, before we ‘met’ Kuji in @agirlnameded‘s fic. Sorry if he’s kinda OOC, Ed, but I couldn’t take it out – I just loved the idea of Raditz running into him, with the added bonus that it helps establish that all that has happened in this story so far takes place before Gohan gets his ring!
