Nappa in Another Dimension

Mariko refused to unknit her frown as Nappa spoke, telling herself those were just excuses and nothing else. Justifications for an absence he shouldn’t have afforded, not like that, not without telling her anything. 

When he admitted he had missed her, however, a painful grip tightened around her heart. Mariko took in a deep breath, feeling a knot rising in her throat. Why was he speaking with that tone? She was angry! She wanted to argue, to have him all mortified before her resentful look, not that… That…!

“Yeah? Well, Chronoa was right. I did great without you!” She spoke those words with a harsh tone, almost baring her teeth as she went on. “I became a Patroller! And guess what, I did it even if no one was around when it happened! Not you, nor Raditz or Shallot or Kallion or…!”

The knot pressed against her throat again, but she took in a hurried breath and swallowed it down, ignoring the prickly feeling at the corner of her eyes.

“I didn’t need any of you to do that, I did it on my own! Because, you know, I am used to it. I am used ot being left alone to sort out my own problems without anyone ever caring. I did it here, I did it back on Earth… I can do it anywhere and anywhen in Space and Time, now!”

Her heart was racing, her lip started quivering as she shouted all those words; she wasn’t sure whom she felt worse with, herself or Nappa – because deep down, after all he said, she knew he didn’t deserve those harsh words. But she was like a broken dyke now, and she couldn’t contain all she had felt for over two years anymore. 

After all, she wasn’t even sure all that rage was something that had piled up in two years only. The same way she sensed, somewhere in her heart, that it wasn’t just Nappa that whole rage was for, either.

“So you know what? Go back to those new students of yours or whatever they are,” she concluded. “Because I am fine! I don’t need anyone! And above all, I don’t need you!”

During all of Mariko’s emotional venting, Nappa quietly listened. He even flinched when she said those final hurtful words towards him. But instead of getting mad in return, he simply stated with a confused look on his face, “You don’t sound fine.”

She recoiled at the apologies – she didn’t expect them. Maybe because in her head, she had already decided everything; how easily he had forgotten her, how much he didn’t care for her. Thoughts that had macerated deep in her heart at his long absence, letting her grudge root silently; but now, Mariko felt it all, and she wasn’t letting a simple ‘sorry’ wipe away how lonely she had felt for that whole time.

Not that the justification helped, after all. It was the exact same one Raditz gave her. But while she knew Raditz wasn’t an affectionate one, and she had never truly expected he’d have reached for her in his absence (not that she hand’t hoped for it, though), with Nappa it was different. Nappa always told her he cared about her; until he disappeared, and suddenly, he didn’t anymore. If she had never expected a word from Raditz for that whole time, it was the completely opposite with Nappa. He owed her one.

And when he couldn’t even realise how long it had been, Mariko’s hands closed in two tight fists. She had counted every day, every week, every month since he was gone. And he didn’t even know how long it had been.

“Two years,” she said dryly. “You know, Chronodevices have a clock and a calendar set on Conton for reference on missions. You could have checked it now and then.”

After spending years with Vegeta, Nappa knew when someone was upset with him. Frowning at the way Mariko was speaking to him, he responded sullenly, “I don’t have one of those, sorry.”

Looking around at their surroundings in Conton City, Nappa began to muse aloud, “Two years, huh? Reminds me of whenever I went on missions for the PTO. We could easily be gone for as long of a time. As a seasoned Saiyan warrior, time can easily slip by us when we’re focused on what we need to do. Especially when as soon as one mission is done we’re assigned to do something else quickly.”

Looking back to Mariko, Nappa tried smiling at her as he added, “To be honest, I wish they had paired me up with you. I missed ya the whole time. But it wasn’t up to me who I was assigned to. I even told Chronoa that I had you depending on me, but she said you were doing fine. And look at you now! I bet you’re a lot stronger now than you were before.” 

It wasn’t that she hadn’t seen him – she had, and it petrified her. 

After all, Nappa’s size was hard to match in Conton, just like Raditz’ hair. So, through all that time she hadn’t seen them, Mariko had never had one of those moment where she’d mistake someone else for them and her heart would skip a beat for a second. No misunderstanding, nothing – it was as if her mentors had just vanished.

And that was why, upon seeing Nappa again after so long, Mariko froze, eyes wide and mouth open, as if she had seen a ghost. Well, she had in a way, but still… She wasn’t prepared. And with that, she wasn’t sure what to say as her favourite mentor approached her with an affable smile, casually, so much it irked her.

No. It infuriated her.

She wavered under the heavy pat on her back, her body stiff at the contact. She turned her shoulder away without realising it, her lips pressed in a thin line. 

“It’s been a long time indeed,” she said, and the harsh note slipped in her words almost instinctively. She frowned. “Where have you been?”

Nappa raised a brow at Mariko’s behavior and harsh tone she had in response to his greeting. Immediately Nappa figured part of the reason why she was upset. “Sorry,” he began with. Something rare for him to have said -- unless he was talking to someone stronger than him, like Vegeta in the past.  “They pulled me away from my usual job to help weaker rookies with their missions. Something about wanting to increase their success rate or whatever. And as soon as I was done with one mission they’d send me out on others either with the same kid or some other one. Sometimes even a group of ‘em. Didn’t leave me with a lot of time to see anyone I know from around here.”

@nappainanotherdimension​ 

Father?

“Hey, MARIKO!” a boisterous greeting came out of the large Saiyan as he stood in his usual spot --well what was his usual spot-- for training patrollers. “Been a long time since I’ve seen you around here.” Instead of waiting for her to approach, Nappa took initiative and came up to her. “Almost didn’t recognize you because your hair’s longer. But I don’t see other Saiyans wearing the same color of armor as you.”

radmanraditz‌:

Each labored breath of air he took in made his lungs feel like they were on fire. His body was shivering but not from the icy cold winds of winter. It was because of the throbbing, aching strikes delivered by massive fists and the knee belonging to Nappa, his partner. The man who made it possible for him to live again. The man who was more like a father to him than his actual father. The same man who was furious with him. Raditz wasn’t sure what hurt more: Vegeta’s scornful words – the first he’s uttered to him directly since he came back to life – or the disappointment that gave Nappa’s temper merit. His displeased words also made his body shiver – made him feel like a child getting a lecture he knew he deserved.

He didn’t know what to say to either of his former comrades.  He knew they wouldn’t care about how this situation made him feel. They would never understand. They didn’t have to worry about impressing anyone. They were ignorant to their fate in the afterlife when they all died.

They were privileged enough to feel like they had hope for a future.

Raditz hated training.

Nappa knew this. Vegeta knew this. So why? Why….?! WHY WOULD THEY WISH HIM BACK NOW TO HELP SAVE THIS DUMB PLANET?! WHY ARE THEY NOW BOTHERING HIM WHEN THEY’VE LEFT HIM ON HIS OWN FOR SO LONG?!

These feelings of self-pity threatened to overtake him, and so he kept his eyes shut to hold it back. To hold back the tears of anguish. To continue hiding the true distress he felt every passing day on this planet. Distress that he masked with nihilistic indifference to his inevitable second death. To conceal how futile he felt his efforts really were. His search for meaning and attachment to this cause of getting stronger to help beat the androids has felt like a waste of time these past few months.

There was a part of him that secretly wished for Nappa to put him out of his misery. However, that would have been the easy way out. Nappa wasn’t going to grant him a coward’s ending. They were Saiyans. He’d force him to suffer and tell him it would make him stronger.

But it never did.

It made Nappa and Vegeta stronger, but it only made Raditz more resentful towards them and the universe as a whole.

Something was wrong with him, but the weakest of the trio didn’t know how to fix the problem. Knowing that there was a flaw didn’t help make it better, and he didn’t know who to turn to for help. There were no other living beings in this universe that understood who he really was as thoroughly as these two Saiyans did. Not Kakarrot, his wife, his son, or even Launch – the woman who was trying to see some semblance of good within his damned soul. Yet Nappa and Vegeta couldn’t understand or care enough about these insecurities and issues he struggled with. Perhaps it was impossible for them to relate to him? In all these months he couldn’t find someone else who could fully understand him. Couldn’t bring himself to be that vulnerable with anyone because of pride and fear.

So because Raditz had no explanations or excuses, he said nothing. Instead he held his silence and waited anxiously for the consequences he’d face for not answering back to Nappa or Vegeta. 

He agreed with his prince: He was a failure, and a disgrace.

He had absolutely nothing to say– he had already discussed this with Nappa before. Discussed his concerns about Raditz, or rather his lack of training. He had one more chance to make up for past mistakes. He was give one more opportunity to show to himself and his peers just how much stronger he could become if he had just put in the time and the effort instead of wasting it all away doing something unproductive. And yet….

He was not going to argue about that with Nappa. He had agreed to it; he had accepted it and washed his hands of it. He had stressed it enough, that he wanted nothing to do with Raditz or what was to come of him during those following years. He had his own work to do– he had his own merits to achieve. He was not going to waste any more time to slack off.

So really– it didn’t come off as a surprise when he witnessed such an embarrassment right before his very own eyes. He had expected him to fail; he had expected Nappa to easily take him down, even if he wasn’t using his true strength. 

Truly, this was beyond an embarrassment, and he couldn’t find the nerve to look. Simply hear Nappa’s booming voice as he demanded an explanation from Raditz. 

❝Save it.❞ He cut in– his gaze finally rounding towards the two Saiyans. Taking one moment to gather his thoughts before he went and stood beside Nappa. Taking one last glance towards Raditz, knowing that his own words would do nothing to change his mind. ❝You know damn well that he won’t be speaking up any time soon,❞ he relented. ❝Nor do I care to hear another excuse out of him.❞

Perhaps that was why he chose to keep his distance– he had easily predicted what would have happened. How Raditz was going to be of any use to them in three years time? He wasn’t so sure– only time could really tell. But at the rate that he was going at, he was sure that he would only serve as a hindrance. 

❝Nappa.❞ He stated once before he turned to glance towards his mentor. ❝I don’t know about you, but I’m done here. Do what you must, but I have more important matters to tend to.❞

As for Raditz– he simply opted to crouch down to his level to meet his gaze, albeit the fact that he was practically broken before them. It was in that instance where he felt a semblance of pity, the likes of which he had never felt before. He was his partner, and had been since childhood. He had grown up with him– had witnessed atrocities. Had mourned the loss of their people and their planet. Had suffered many injustices under Frieza’s tyranny. 

❝You have five months to make up for your slacking. When that time is up, I will come looking for you. Consider this a warning– I won’t hold back.❞