Warnings: language, possible grammatical errors as it's un-betaed

Published: 15th Feb 2003

A/N: Just struck by inspiration after reading a couple of reviews, which wondered about their trials in the fusion dance… Since Haru was from Vejiita's POV, he would not have seen this part. It took place halfway through Haru, right after Vejiita left the brothers up on the roof.

Haru – Side Story

"Fusion?" Radditz asked again in confusion after Vejiita left.

Kakarrot nodded and explained how and why they learned the fusion dance. His look became wistful. "It was perfect… I've never felt so powerful in my life, so sure. I thought I was a good fighter before that, but the fusion was incomparable. It's the difference between stumbling along when you first start running, and when you finally hit your second wind and your running just flows…"

Radditz fought down the hot, bitter rush of jealousy as he listened to his brother. He had spent many years with Vejiita, first as a bodyguard to the young prince and later clandestine lover. They had been mates for no more than a few years before he was killed. Since then, his brother had spent many more years with the prince and they had gone through so many memorable fights together. Battle was very important to the tailed warrior race and he often wished enviously that he could have been there with his prince, his mate. 

"I had the raw power, as compared to Vejiita, though I always thought he had more skill than me. But it wasn't until we fused that I realized just how much he knew." Kakarrot sighed. "After each fusion experience, I've always felt ungainly and clumsy. In my mind, I kept remembering how perfectly we moved. But I could never seem to reach that level again."

"Enough." Radditz growled. While he often wanted to find out more of the history between their alpha and his brother, at the same time, he couldn't stand to hear too much about it. There was only so much of his liver he could chew. "Show me that dance."

Kakarrot snapped out of his reverie and his expression became serious as he moved into position. "We stand a distance apart, side by side, holding our arms out like this." He ran over the steps confidently. It has been years since he had to perform the dance, but he could never forget any detail about it. Sometimes he would practice in private, wishing he could experience that perfection with Vejiita again. But the prince had made his stance on the 'baka dance' very clear.

"What?" Radditz watched, stunned and aghast. "You want me to perform that?!"

"It's not that hard, right?" Kakarrot asked worriedly, his right arm still outstretched over his head as he pointed to his left. "Do you have any questions?"

"Baka!" Radditz bellowed as he cuffed his brother. "I'm not an incompetent! It has nothing to do with whether or not I can do the steps…"

Kakarrot frowned, rubbing the side of his head angrily. "You didn't have to hit me."

Radditz pinched his nose bridge, muttering to himself. "No wonder he called it the baka dance…"

"I don't get it. What's so stupid about it?" The younger cocked his head to the side curiously.

"Kkkkhhh…" Radditz couldn't believe his younger brother. 'We are related?'

"Well?" Kakarrot tapped his foot impatiently, hands on his hips. The night was cold and he couldn't wait to get into bed with his hot prince.

Radditz was torn. On one hand, that dance had to rank as one of the most idiotic things he had ever seen, on the other hand, the thought of Vejiita writhing beneath him…

"Hurry up!"

The older gave a groan of defeat. 'I want Vejiita, right?' Head bowed, shoulders sagging and cheeks flaming, he trudged into position.

Kakarrot watched critically, pointing out the numerous minute details. "Your left arm, hold it higher… Three steps, not four! …ok…good….higher… point your fingers…. Again!"

Radditz gritted his teeth and reined in his temper as he went through the steps again.

And again. "Lift your right leg higher…"

And again.  "Your left arm is tilted a bit…hold it up lower…"

And again. "Hold your right arm more at a right angle…"

Finally, he lost his temper. "Look, are we going to actually try it or not?!"

"You have to get all the steps correct first!" Kakarrot admonished his impatient brother. "Otherwise, the fusion would turn out wrongly and we have to wait fifteen minutes for it to wear off."

Radditz fisted his hands in the shorter male's shirt and pulled the other to him, growling. "I. Got. All. Of. The. Steps."

"Ok, fine… We'll try it now!" Kakarrot shook his head. "Just don't complain if it screws up."

-----

Some time later…

"What kind of baka fusion is that??"

"I told you, you had your left arm angle slightly off. My finger wasn't in full contact with yours."

"Yeah well, maybe it was your right hand that was off!"

"I've done this fusion dance many time before. There's no way I could have gotten it wrong!"

They didn't bother to turn on the light as they entered the bedroom; the drapes were drawn slightly and pale moonlight flooded the room. A muffled but clearly irritated yell from the large bed interrupted their bickering. "Will you two just shut up already?"

"Sorry." Both whispered, chastened.

The curled form under the blankets shifted and then sat up groggily. "God damnit! I was sleeping you idiots!"

"Sorry, Vejiita." Kakarrot walked around to his side of their bed, grinning at the prince's mussed spikes and bleary appearance. Even the fur on the heavy royal tail that hung over the side of the bed was ruffled and brushed out. "But Radditz took a long time to…"

"Shut your trap." Radditz scowled darkly, his face flushing. He hated it when his younger brother showed him up. One hand reached down to pull back the thick blankets. He was just so tired and he couldn't wait to curl up beside that warm, lithe body…

"Stop." Vejiita sniffed the air. "You two stink."

"Jiita…" Kakarrot tugged at the soft fabric as he whined, but the prince rolled the blanket around himself tightly. The prince had a stubborn frown on his face and both sighed simultaneously in defeat. They had been through this many times before. Vejiita had this issue about cleanliness, especially when they slept. Both brothers didn't see anything wrong with it, especially after a grueling workout where they just wanted to tumble into bed and pass out. However, Vejiita was their alpha precisely because he was used to getting his own way.

"Go and bathe." The commanding tone brooked no arguments, and then the royal flopped down on his side again, tucking the blankets under him. The two brawny males stared at each other for a second, identical whipped looks of resignation on their faces, their tails curling between their legs.

"Ok." Radditz was the first to dart towards the bathroom door, a sly grin on his face. "I'm going first."

"…" Kakarrot was just a tad slower as he scrambled noisily after his brother. "You can always share!"

Vejiita cursed as he burrowed further into the warm pile of fabrics and pillows. 'What ever possessed me to claim two mates??'  

-----

A couple of days later…

Radditz wasn't sure if he wanted to sob and scream in frustration. They had been practicing for the past two hours, much of which was spent waiting for the fusion to wear off. So far, they had not been successful. Their last attempt had just worn off and they were taking a break. He was seated on the ground, his head bowed.

He felt his younger sibling behind him, and then a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Come on, let's try again."

Radditz gave a defeated groan. Why couldn't they do it? Kakarrot had told him that he and Vejiita got it within their second try. Even though he kept sniping at his brother, he knew it was him…

He was the incompetent one here.  

It ate at him that he was the weakest of the trio. That even though he was the eldest, he was the only Saiyanjin who could not ascend. It was not just the fusion dance; it seemed as if Kakarrot beat him in everything. When they were training or sparring, he felt as if the other two had to hold back for him.

Vejiita… He wasn't envious of Vejiita at all. He had heard all about Vejiita even before he met the chibi prince, and stood in awe of the young prince as he grew older and his power surpassed his and everyone else's. He respected the royal immensely; the Saiyanjin no Ouji was the pride of their race, and felt extremely honored to be the Vejiita's mate.

But Kakarrot… Kakarrot was the errant kid brother he had been sent to retrieve from Earth. At their first meeting, he was still stronger than Kakarrot. While in Hell, he had no idea what took place in the living realm. When he next saw Vejiita and Kakarrot again, they were standing in front of a bunch of glowing balls. It turned out that Vejiita had used the dragonballs to revive him.

At first, he had been ecstatic to see his mate again. But that joy turned cold when he saw their tails twined together. Though Vejiita subsequently more than reassured him of his love by reclaiming him again, the memory still left a bitter taste. His jealousy compounded when he first saw them ascend. When he saw just how much his brother had progressed since they last met.

'How? How did he do it?? We share the same genes… Hell, he was rated lower than me and sent off-planet! I am an elite!'

'Yet, he managed to defeat me. Surpass me.'

'And… Vejiita.' That was perhaps the hardest thing to accept. That Vejiita called him mate too. That Vejiita claimed his younger brother first, before reviving him. He knew it was the prince's right as alpha to claim more than one mate, especially since he was a prince. He just never thought he would have competition; there were only three left of their race and Nappa was hardly a prize. He just never imagined it would come from his little brother – a Saiyanjin who was not raised in the ways of their proud race.

"Radditz?"

He thought he had come to terms with it, despite their initial antagonism and animosity. It appeared not.

The brawny Saiyanjin shook his head and ran a hand through his long hair raggedly. He was tired of trying, of competing with his brother, when he knew he was never in the same league. Could never be in the same league. "Forget it Kakarrot."

"What?"

"I can't do this… Tell Vejiita I can't do the fusion. You…" He swallowed hard before he ground out the words, even though it galled him. 'Why do I even bother to keep ramming my head against a wall like an idiot? Just… back away with dignity…'

"Go ahead and have fun." 

The Earth-raised Saiyanjin was silent for a while; shock plainly splashed over his face. For his proud and competitive brother to just give up… He could be a little socially naïve, but now was not one of those times. With startling clarity, he realized the reason why they've been having problems with the fusion. 

While fusion required the two to be in physical synchrony, hence the reason for the dance, it also required two people who want to do it. That was what they had been lacking. The mental harmony.

When he had fused with Vejiita, even though Vejiita was against the idea initially, the prince had finally put aside his pride when they had no choice. Greater than his desire not to fuse, was the necessity to win the fight. That had been crucial.

Shamefully, Kakarrot realized that he too, had been unconsciously resisting the fusion. He banked his power level down, but he had not been trying hard to match it with his brother's. Even now, he realized that it was still a little higher than Radditz's.

'No." He said softly as he sat down beside his longhaired brother. Radditz looked at him in surprise, and he continued. "No, I want to do this with you."

To say that Radditz was shocked would be an understatement. "Why?"

"It's my fault too." He muttered thickly.

There was an awkward pause. Both siblings examined the grass in front of them intently.

"I was jealous." Both confessed quickly. They glanced wide-eyed at each other, and then Radditz decided to get it off his chest first.

"I hated you, you know. Really hated you. I probably still do." He didn't bother to mince his words. "I was so freaking jealous the first time I saw you two after I was revived. And later when I found out that the two of you had achieved the Super Saiyanjin level and beyond…"

Kakarrot looked at his brother with a rueful smile. "I was jealous of you too. You were always Vejiita's first mate."

"What? But he revived me only after he claimed you…"

"We had been attracted to each other for a few years. I never did anything, never dared. I don't know why; I just felt that the decision lay with him. When he finally did, he told me that you were his first mate." Kakarrot remembered just how he felt at that point.

Intensely, bitterly, fucking jealous.

"I've always felt that he held back because of your memory. I've always felt I couldn't compete. You were his first, and I was just the baka who had no knowledge of his race, the only choice left."

"Vejiita respects power." Radditz mumbled as he yanked at another grass stalk. Inside, his thoughts and emotions were churning. 'Vejiita does respect power… But I'm not powerful…'

"I was the one who initially suggested that he used the dragonballs to revive you, you know?" The younger gave an ironic laugh. "Right after that I said that, I felt like an idiot. What fool would suggest reviving his rival? But Vejiita somehow always looked wistful and sad whenever he talked of you…"

Radditz blinked rapidly. "You did?" His heart fluttered rapidly as well. 'He was?'

"Hai." Kakarrot paused, and then smiled. "And as much as we argue, I don't regret it. It's …nice to have an older brother."

Radditz looked askance at his sibling and rival, and gave a small smile as well. "It's …nice to have a younger brother too."

The two sat in silence for a while longer, but it was no longer uneasy. Finally, Kakarrot spoke up. "Come on, let's try again."

They got it right the very next time.   

----

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