Pairing: RaditzxZarbon
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Shounen-ai, AU, character deaths.
Word count: 1,894
Disclaimer: I own nothing in connection with the characters used in this fanfiction.

Ends Like This

Something inside Frieza had snapped. No one knew exactly what or how or why. After some speculation, they found that they were too fearful to ponder much on theories. All they knew was that Frieza held a maddening glint in his eyes. A red glint of horrible bloodlust. His dark lips were always tugged into a smile that was very unsettling. No one could quite come to a conclusion of why it was such. But, again, they didn't like to think too much about it.

Frieza's obsession with power grew alarmingly, even for him. More soldiers were sent out than ever before. Some had orders for certain places, others were told to purge whatever they came across first. Entire galaxies vanished as his power grew.

No one slept any more. As far as Frieza was concerned, sleep meant that no one was gaining him power. Any rest his soldiers got were the brief moments they managed to snatch whenever they found any privacy. But that became more and more impossible as Frieza ordered an increased surveillance on all his spaceships and bases. He had to keep watch for anyone who might want to steal his power. Many wanted it, but they would not have it.

Those who were caught sleeping were sent to the dungeons below. Their blood would be drained to fill the glasses that Frieza often swirled in his hands. Their bodies would be left to rot. Sometimes they would be eaten by others who resorted to such things in their starvation.

As Frieza's madness grew, paranoia swept throughout his forces as well. Something would have to give way sooner or later. They all knew that something would break. No one knew if they had really expected it to be Zarbon. At least they assumed he had. Why else would someone so loyal to their master as he suddenly vanish with no trace?

---

The base on Frieza's newest planet of choice looked out at a purple sea on the north-west side. The waters were always violent, smashing against the cliffs. The waves were stirred into a frenzy by the constantly-storming weather. Frieza loved the storms. He would sit hunched in his hovering chair for hours, swirling a glass of blood in his hands. He watched the rain smashing against the strong glass, the huge bolts of lightning race across the sky and listened to the hungry thunder. He would watch it all and talk madly about how that was all that was left. But soon, very soon, he would have control of the elements themselves. Then he would truly be ruler. Soon.

The cliffs were where Raditz found Zarbon. That alone was a large indication that something was wrong. Zarbon never went out in the storms if he could help it; the wind and rain messed up his hair for a start.

He was stood on the edge, so close that a strong gust of wind in the right direction would be able to knock him off. His back was facing Raditz, but the Saiyan could tell that his head was bent down, looking at the ferocious waves. Almost half his hair had come out of his braid and blew in the wind; wet and tangled.

Something was very wrong.

"Frieza's wondering where you are," the Saiyan called over the wind. Usually he might refer to him as Master Frieza, but not now. The lizard could drown in the very waves Zarbon was looking at for all he cared. "He's getting angry. Might start tearing the place up soon."

"Is he?" came Zarbon's voice, quieter than it would normally be as the wind tried to snatch it away. He sounded blank and uncaring. "I'll be there in a minute."

"What are you doing out here?"

"Don't know."

A feeling of unease was stirring in Raditz. As much as he hated Frieza with every part of his being, Zarbon was fiercely loyal to him. Now he sounded so unconcerned about the news of his master's rage at him not turning up. The feeling made Raditz impatient, for Saiyans were not meant to know worry in any form.

"What the hell is the matter with you?"

"I was wondering that myself," Zarbon said as he turned to face Raditz. That was the first time the Saiyan really saw the effects that the madness of Frieza had upon him. His eyes were dull, no longer holding the spark of something Raditz had never been able to put a name too. They were sunken and tired. Zarbon's whole face seemed to be tinted with a shade of grey, the skin pulled tighter against the skull. His hair hung down, scattered over his face, uncared for. For so long Zarbon had used anything within his reach to keep up his appearance and now he had neglected even that. "I've never had these thoughts before," he continued. "So I was trying to figure it out. But I suppose I'm grateful that you showed up before I did."

"Figure what?"

"I've tried," Zarbon went on. "I've tried so hard. I was always loyal to him. And for so long too. I lost count of how old I am years and years ago, but I didn't care. I just never thought I'd be ready to give up. I tried not to. Can't anymore. I'm so tired now. So tired I don't think I can even sleep anymore."

"Don't tell me you've snapped too."

Zarbon laughed. "That might be it. Why I've been thinking this. A madman never knows he is such, so maybe that's it."

Raditz's upper lip curled as he felt his tail tightening around his waist. The nerves inside it tingled as it was moved after being still in the cold for a while. "Are you going to talk any sense or am I going to drag you back inside and beat it out of you?"

"Even if I am mad, I've enough remaining sense to know you couldn't do that if you tried," Zarbon smiled. "This'll hurt your pride, which is probably why I'm saying it. I owe you a thanks, Saiyan. If you weren't around I would have probably done this quite a while ago."

"What?"

Zarbon said nothing. He just turned back and walked off the cliff.

In the few strides it took Raditz to reach where Zarbon had stood, the waves had already dragged him under.

---

Zarbon had never thought about death much. There had been many times by Frieza's side where he had feared the end coming from his master's hand. But that was different in a way.

Whether he had thought much about it or not, he was sure he wouldn't have expected it to hurt like this. Something inside his chest was burning, thrashing. There was a furious pulsing in his lungs that felt as though they were trying to smash out through his ribs. He coughed heavily, trying to dislodge whatever had mysteriously become lodged in there. But all he got for his troubles was a sore throat and terrible-tasting water rushing into his body.

The rough sea wasn't helping either. There was no controlling his body as it was battered and pulled from one side to another as currents battled like to starving dogs. And he was the piece of meat between their jaws. And through it all he continued to sink down and down. Something was dragging him. Invisible tendrils wrapped around his body, dragging him into depths that were too dark too see.

They were doing something. They must have been. Zarbon didn't recall ever feeling so heavy.

Then he opened his eyes and saw the surface above him. As the lightning danced in the sky, it lit up the trashing water. Little prisms of light would pierce through when the lightning came, dancing gracefully and reaching down to him. But they never got him. Zarbon didn't care. Even with the burning and ripping in his chest and the heavy sensation of his body that dragged him down, he felt content to watch the brief light shows above him. It was getting further away as he sank lower.

It was so pretty.

Then it was suddenly disturbed as something smashed through the waters and began to approach him quickly. Raditz was surrounded by a faint aura of blue as he used his ki to power through the water and strong currents towards Zarbon.

Why was he doing that, Zarbon wondered. Why would he want to disturb the lights? They were so pretty.

As the Saiyan reached out and grabbed his wrist, Zarbon managed to drag his other hand against the force pulling at him. He gripped Raditz's hand, stopping him as he started to tug towards the surface.

Zarbon opened his mouth to tell him to stop. But the fire in his chest suddenly flared wildly and all he could do was cough harshly.

Closing his jaws, Zarbon gave up trying to talk. Instead he met Raditz's eyes and shook his head. It was okay. He just wanted to sleep. He was so tired.

Whatever was pulling at him released a little bit of the pressure around his neck, allowing Zarbon to bring his head up. He rested his forehead on Raditz's chin. Closing his eyes, he shook his head again.

He just wanted to sleep. He was so tired.

All of a sudden the weight on Zarbon's body increased. He was so tired. Too tired to sleep before, but the force dragging him down seemed to be helping him out of that.

He tried to open his eyelids again, but they were too heavy. So he kept them closed.

Zarbon felt Raditz let go of him, allowing him to sink into the depths. Allowing him to sleep.

---

Raditz watched Zarbon sink. The hair that had looked so tangled and unkempt just moments ago was floating around him. In the water it danced slowly, waving with elegance, even in the vicious currents.

As he felt himself being dragged down, Raditz powered up and began to force himself back up to the surface. The water was so dark and violent. The lightning playing and piercing through the surface for the briefest of moments was all there was to guide him in the right direction.

He continued up. Up towards the place where no one slept anymore. Where he could be mere seconds away from becoming a shell of the Saiyan that he once was. A slave. A drone. A puppet with strings for Frieza to pull as he wished. And he wouldn't just pull. He would jerk and tug and snap those strings. Even now, so strained and exhausted, could he really call himself a Saiyan? Living like that?

Raditz felt tired all of a sudden. More tired than he ever had done in his life and he cast his gaze back to the depths. Zarbon had vanished from sight.

Zarbon was allowed to sleep now. Why shouldn't he? Vegeta would be enraged to hear of Raditz surrendering to such weak feelings so quickly.

That was okay, Raditz thought with a smile. If Vegeta asked, he could always say that he had snapped as well.

Raditz stopped trying to reach the surface. He was tired. He just wanted to sleep. Like Zarbon.

He allowed the currents to wrap around his body and pull him down.

END