The inspiration for this story came partly from this picture of Radittsu and Kakarotto as youngsters, drawn by Alaer Kino (JEF) and partly from that priceless scene in Mara Jade's fanfic Tattered, where a naked, angry Radittsu is chasing his little brother through Furiizaa's ship after Kakarotto has stolen his clothes!
Note: I've assumed an age difference of fourteen (Earth equivalent) years between Radittsu and his little brother. In this fic, Radittsu is fourteen and a quarter.
This one's for everyone who's ever had one of those days...
Brothers
Radittsu crossed his arms over his chest, lower lip stuck out, sulking.
"But I don't want to babysit. I want to go and spar with my friends."
Sorelya patted him on the cheek, smiling indulgently.
"I know, dear. But it's the first time you and your father have both been home on leave for quite a while, and we want some time together."
"But why can't Kantola do it?"
"She's busy."
"What about Ramsomsu?"
"Busy."
"Dulsya?"
"Busy."
He'd have tried a few other family friends, but his mother's face had assumed that well-known stubborn look and there was a 'you're asking for trouble' gleam in her eyes. Not a good idea to push his luck. He'd just have to put up with an evening's looking after his one-hundred-day-old brother.
Didn't mean he had to like it. He scowled even harder, and his mother ruffled his mane - something he particularly disliked. She smirked at him.
"My, how you do take after your grandmother! Same hair, same eyes, same glare..." He growled, and she laughed. "You're so easy to tease, dear. Go and get yourself something to eat. Kakarotto's asleep: if you're quiet and don't disturb him, he might even sleep until we get back. Though I expect he'll be hungry before then."
"Where're you going, anyway?"
"To the local arena."
"You're sparring?"
She gave him a slow smile, half-closing her eyes. "To start with, yes..."
Great. He knew that look - had even been on the receiving end of it on occasion, though he'd never yet had the opportunity to act on it. He shook his head. By her scent, his mother had just come into heat. With his luck there'd be another little brat to put up with in half a year...
Sorelya grinned. "Oh, come now. How often do I ask anything of you?"
He was forced to admit it wasn't often - but then, he was usually in the capital with his father, training for entry into the military... he sighed.
"How long will you be?"
"We should be back by noon tomorrow at the very latest, and probably earlier. There's plenty of food prepared for Kakarotto, and you can help yourself to anything you fancy." She smiled. "Then you can go and spend the rest of your leave however you want."
He flashed her a half-smile. She was right - it wasn't much to ask, really. And it could have been worse. After all, how much of a problem could one little brat be?...
Radittsu had piled a large platter to overflowing from the assortment of meats and fruit from the coolstore and was sprawled in front of the commscreen, trading insults with a couple of friends as he shovelled food into his mouth. They'd gone through the usual slurs about each other's fighting abilities and were just about to start on physical characteristics when there came a wail from Kakarotto's room. Radittsu covered his eyes with his hand and groaned. Yleceri's eyes widened.
"Hey, is that a brat crying? Rad-kun - you babysitting!?"
Cressu snickered. "Aww, is Radi-kun lookin' after ickle bruvver? Aww, how thweet!"
Radittsu glowered at the screen. "Go fuck yourselves."
The wails grew louder. Cressu's grin broadened. "You'd better go see to him. Wouldn't want to make mama angry now, would we?"
"Hey, my mother could whip your arse any time, tailless wonder!"
Cressu snarled. "Like to see her try!"
Radittsu smirked. "I'll tell her that, shall I?"
His friend lowered his eyes, flushing slightly, and mumbled something under his breath. The young warrior grinned to himself. There were times when having a mother whose ki surpassed even his redoubtable father was useful... In a way he missed her training...
But the wretched brat was howling now, and he'd have to go and see what was wrong. He sighed and mock-regretfully shook his head.
"Sorry guys. Better go see what the problem is. Catch you later - tomorrow afternoon?"
Yleceri nodded. "Yep. The grove?"
"Yeah. Screen around - see who else wants to spar. Let's make it good."
"Will do." The lanky youth grinned slyly. "Hope the brat doesn't give you any trouble!"
He disconnected, and Cressu laughed. "And I hope he does! Go suffer, Radi-kun!"
He cut the connection before Radittsu could answer. The young warrior smirked at the blank screen. Oh no, baka. I'll make sure it's you who suffers - tomorrow, in the grove!
He offlined and, sighing, went to see to his brother.
The crib was empty.
Radittsu frowned, then yanked the covers out from the supposedly escape-proof baby-bed, tensing as it became obvious that Kakarotto was definitely not in it. Nor was he anywhere visible in the room. What the hell...?
Refusing to panic, Radittsu scanned the chamber slowly, searching for his brother's scent as much as looking for the infant. But the room was full of his scent, and there was no sign of him...
The window. The window was open. Radittsu felt a sudden surge of fear, and dived for the opening, gazing downwards, frantically searching. To his inordinate relief there was no tiny body splattered on the ground...
Above him, however... A scent. He twisted and gazed upwards, frowning. The roof? How the hell did the brat get onto the roof? Well, right now the how didn't matter: Radittsu was just relieved he'd found the little monster.
He opened the window a little wider and took off, following the slope of the upper part of the building, tracking that scent. Then he spotted Kakarotto, squatting between two chimneys, laughing at the stars. Snorting with annoyance and (though he'd never admit to it) relief, the young warrior glided towards his little brother - only to recoil in horror as the huge glider swept downwards and scooped the giggling child into its big fleshy paws, then, with a couple of powerful wingbeats, soared skywards.
Radittsu stared, horrified, for only a moment before his mind started functioning again and he took off in pursuit. Which was either very brave or extremely foolhardy, given the sheer size of the beast. Then again, anyone who had ever met Sorelya in combat would understand how facing a glider might be considered the easier option... Radittsu just knew he had to rescue his brother.
He followed the beast to its nest, biting his lip as they approached: he could hear the strange high-pitched bleats of the creature's young. He didn't dare let it actually drop Kakarotto into the nest: the baby would be torn to pieces in seconds. But how was he supposed to stop it?
Cursing himself for not having practised his precision ki attacks, he lunged for the glider's legs, slamming hard into the muscle and forcing the beast to drop his brother - then diving down to catch the brat before he hit the ground. Unfortunately the glider did not appreciate his heroism...
He just had time to place Kakarotto in the relative safety of the bole of a tree before the glider took a swipe at him, slicing through his bodysuit and gouging parallel clawmarks down the length of his back, narrowly missing his tail. He winced and bit back a cry, then turned to face the creature, diving for its back and wrapping his hands as far around its throat as he could, then squeezing. The glider bucked and lunged, but Radittsu kept his seat until its struggles slackened. Letting go, he allowed the creature to half fall, half glide to the ground below - then turned to retrieve his sibling.
Who was no longer there.
Radittsu blinked. What..? Where the hell had the little horror got to now??
He held still, all senses alert, and after a moment heard a faint sound of giggling. Turning towards the sound, he caught a faint scent of the baby, overlaid by something stronger and far more hostile. How the hell had a vimanth got hold of the brat? The things couldn't climb...
But obviously Kakarotto could. Unless he'd fallen to the ground. But then he'd hardly be giggling, would he...
Just shut up and move, Radi!! The vimanth would be taking the child back to its lair: it probably had young to feed - hell, everything had young to feed right now! He followed its trail into the forest, eventually forced to fly at less than his own height above the ground as the vegetation became denser. Swallowing nervously - he could scent far too many unfriendly creatures lurking just out of sight - he flew as fast as he dared, catching up with the vimanth just in time to see it disappearing into the entrance to its burrow - a hole in the ground he had no hope of fitting through. He did the only thing he could - grabbed the creature's tail and pulled...
An enraged, if muffled, roar came from the burrow as Radittsu slowly hauled the beast out, thanking the gods for his training as young but powerful muscles took the strain. Little by little more and more of the vimanth's squat, rough-furred body came into sight: eventually the narrow head - with the still-giggling Kakarotto held in its jaws - appeared. Radittsu leapt onto the broad back and jammed his fists into the corners of the creature's mouth, forcing the jaws apart. Finally the baby dropped the short distance to the soft forest floor: Radittsu grabbed him and flew straight up as the vimanth screamed in rage and flung itself into the air in a vain attempt to catch the pair.
High above the canopy, and keeping a wary eye out for flying predators, Radittsu paused for a moment, wincing as he took a firmer hold of his brother. His hands were bleeding: vimanth teeth were covered with rasping spines, which had taken a lot of the skin off his fingers. He glared down at the baby, who cooed up at him, big black eyes open wide.
"You are a complete pain in the arse, you know that?"
The baby giggled and waved a tiny fist at him. Radittsu sighed, tucked the brat under his arm, and headed for home.
What the..!? He stood in the main room, Kakarotto still in his arms, gazing at the devastation around him in horror.
He sniffed - yes, there it was. The scent of those long-tailed tree dwelling, thieving, destructive little beasts that haunted the valleys. He'd left the window open in his haste to find Kakarotto and the little fiends had completely trashed the place while he'd been gone...
Kakarotto's sniffle distracted him from thoughts of hunting them down and blasting them to atoms. He gazed down, dismayed to see the baby's eyes filling with tears.
Oh no... don't cry... please don't cry...
On cue, Kakarotto let out a howl loud enough to wake the dead. Wearily, Radittsu carried him through to the dining area, slumped onto a seat and fed him a large plateful of minced wild pig, puréed fruit and a lidded beaker of some sweet-smelling liquid. Finally sated, the baby fell asleep, a beatific smile on his face, and Radittsu put him to bed, careful to fasten the latch on the crib and close the window firmly. He frowned as he gazed heavy-eyed out at the rapidly lightening dawn sky. He still couldn't work out how the brat had managed to get onto the roof...
Back in the main chamber he stared despairingly at the mess. He had to clear it up before Baadakku and Sorelya got back, but he was just so tired... Perhaps a quick rest first. He'd be able to clean up twice as fast if he wasn't so exhausted...
The next thing he knew was the pain of landing heavily on the floor, ears ringing from Baadakku's heavy hand cuffing him across the head. He gazed up blearily into his father's angry face.
"Just what the fuck happened here?"
"Uh, well..."
"Stand up when you're talking to me!"
"Yes sir." Radittsu scrambled upright and stood to attention.
"Well?"
"Uh, well, you see..."
He was interrupted by the entrance of his mother, Kakarotto in her arms. She smiled down at the baby, then frowned at her oldest son.
"Dear, if you want to have parties, I don't mind, but I do expect you to clear up before we get home. I suggest you do it now." She looked more closely at the dried blood still coating his hands. "And I'd really rather you didn't fight in the house."
Radittsu's jaw dropped - then dropped even further as he watched his brother rise from Sorelya's arms, unsteadily, it must be said, but nevertheless with surprising confidence for one so young.
"When did he learn bukuujutsu?!"
"Oh, he started around thirty days of age. Didn't I tell you? We have to keep the windows closed at night."
Radittsu stared at her, flabbergasted. He briefly considered trying to explain what had happened - then decided against it. It was easier, and a lot less tiring, just to take the blame and clear up the mess. He could tell his mother what had happened later, when he was back in favour. She'd be sure to be sympathetic, and he might even get extra *credit* for not arguing now... He bowed his head.
"I'll make a start." He glanced at his father. "If I have your permission, sir?"
Baadakku nodded tightly, still glowering. Radittsu sighed silently and moved to begin the tidying-up process. His father's heavy hand curled over his shoulder stopped him.
"When you've finished here, you will train with me for the rest of the day."
"But... I have a sparring session organised!"
"Reschedule it."
"But..."
The fingers tightened warningly, re-opening the still healing clawmarks on his back. He clenched his teeth to stop himself flinching, and nodded. "Yes sir."
As he began to pile torn and broken furnishings into a heap, he glanced at Kakarotto. The baby was beaming at him from his mother's arms - if he hadn't known better Radittsu would have sworn he knew exactly what he'd done... Nah, the brat was too young. Nevertheless...
I'll get you for this, one day... He sighed and hefted the wreckage into his arms. Life could be so unfair, sometimes...
© 2001 (June 11th) Joules Taylor
Special thanks to JJ for assistance with determining the age difference!
