Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ That'll Do, Son. ❯ To Hell With You! ( Chapter 2 )

A/n: Chappie dos. Not muchos to say, but to r/r, please! ^^;

Goku strode confidently through the large, heavy doors, grinning at the familiar boom of King Yama's voice. The attendant at the door bowed with respect (he was still in awe of the fact that Goku could keep his solid body) and waved a hand towards the great King. He cleared his voice. "Yo, King Yama! Need a little help up there?"

His Majesty peered over the mighty desk at the world's greatest. With a sardonic grin and a shake of his head, he replied in a gruff voice: "Of course not, Goku. I've got enough on my hands!"

"Aw, come on! I'm bored and I KNOW you love me! Can't I at least sit up there with ya and watch out for faces I know?'

A bushy eyebrow shifted upwards and a might sigh erupted from the beast. "Fine, Goku, but if you mess ONE THING up, I'm sending you to Hell to find your own way back!"

Goku cringed. "Okay, I won't mess up, I promise!" With that, he leapt up to land beside King Yama's great arm. He jogged over to the edge of the desk and plopped down, dangling his legs over the edge and swinging them childishly. He cast his eyes over the see of cloudlike souls, unable to distinguish one from the other. King Yama read a name off, read the verdict, and started on the next in line.

Goku sighed. It was boring here, too.

The next morning, Vegeta was awakened by a beautiful sun-shiny day. He pulled his head out of the hardening mud, pulling a bit harder to loosen his hair. His eyes screamed angrily at the intrusion of sunlight and he squinted as he took in his surroundings. To be quite frank, he had no idea where the hell he was.

It was obviously an out-of-the-way forest, with no houses or signs of roads. He stood up (ignoring the Vegeta-shaped crater that the clay-like mud kept, of course) and began walking; finding that wherever he was was actually quite beautiful. There were exotic trees and bushes, small lakes with waterfalls, and even a few animals running about. The sun highlighted everything in sight, making it, in general, a beautiful day. It sickened him.

Soon, he came upon a small orange and white dojo that had obviously seen better days. The walls were cracked, the paint was peeling, and the roof had more than a few holes in it... but Vegeta decided that he could use it as a suitable distraction from life and stepped up to examine things a bit closer.

Stepping through where the door was supposed to be, he noted with a small amount of satisfaction that he had to duck to keep his head from hitting the doorframe. His fingers trailed the cracks in the walls and his eyes caught site of a small, red velvet pillow with... the four-star dragonball on it? His eyes narrowed as he smirked. "So THAT'S where Kakabaka keeps that thing..." He made a mental note to pocket the ball later.

Vegeta turned a corner to find a room. Just one. It contained a large water barrel, two beds, and a small, broken picture frame in the middle of the floor. Curiosity sparked the prince's mind as he walked forward and picked up the neglected frame.

Below the broken glass shards, there was a picture. It depicted a young boy (he couldn't have been older than 2 years old) holding up a large boar carcass and baring his miniscule fangs at whoever was taking the picture. The boy's tail fur was flared and blurry (his tail had probably been slashing through the air) and a mop of spiky hair exploded from the boy's head. Vegeta picked as much broken glass from the picture as possible before slipping the picture out. A rueful smile spread itself on Vegeta's face. "This is Kakarot," he whispered, "on his first hunt. This is the true Kakarot."

Goku closed his eyes and leaned back onto the table. Sitting here hearing King Yama tell people off was kind of fun, but it got old after the first 100 people or so. So far, he had only seen about forty people be sent to Hell, and none of them put up the slightest bit of resistance. Needless to say, he was bored out of his mind, but he supposed it kept his mind off of the boys and Vegeta...he sighed. Vegeta...

Suddenly, King Yama slammed his fist down on the table, making Goku jump about ten feet into the air. The warrior turned around in time to hear the king mutter several choice curses under his breath and glare at the current soul in question. He couldn't begin to imagine who it could be, as the only types of souls he had seen so far were the white, cloudy ones, but he turned towards the line, anyway. When he saw who the perpetrator was, he gasped and felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. "Freeza!"

"That's right, Goku, you're a regular genius. Now what do you want, fiend?"

"I came here to ask a question, if that's okay with YOU," Freeza spat, glaring at Goku the entire time.

"You don't deserve any rights at all after what you did to Vegeta, you scum! How could you possibly show your face after the things you've done?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Mr. High and Mighty! I'll have you know that Vegeta deserved every last thing that happened! I was...conditioning him."

"That's not conditioning, that's downright cruel and unusual punishment! And if you think that I'm just gonna let you get away with-"

"SILENCE!"

The two quarreling combatants started at the thundering call and turned to King Yama. The ruler was absolutely furious with them, obviously, and shook his fist at Goku. "Goku, I told you that you could sit here and do nothing, not sit here and try and rule for me! Starting arguments with souls in question is NOT my idea of NOTHING!"

"But King Yama, he-"

"No buts! I told you that if you mess up, you're going to Hell! So go!"

Goku's mouth fell open. There was a slight pulling (from where, he couldn't place), and then he was free falling. He summoned his powers to catch himself in mid air, but to his horror, he couldn't, and so he landed - hard - with a big "OOF!" Dust swirled around him in clouds as he rubbed his head and sat back on his knees. He sighed at the sky (which was now a deep black and red) and stood up to try and guess his location. Goku had been in Hell before, but that was way back when he had fought with Radditz...

Hey! Maybe he could find Gozu and Mezu! They'd know how to help him!

Right now, it appeared as if he was in some sort of desert, as the terrain was flat and dusty with the occasional large rock here and there. From what he could tell, it went on like this for several miles. He touched two fingers to his head before realizing that he really didn't know anybody's ki down here. Could he remember Gozu's? Goku shrugged and tried to find anyone remotely familiar...

There! Well, it certainly wasn't Gozu or Mezu, but he knew them well enough and they were close together. There were a few kis that he couldn't recognize around them, but with his power, he could probably defend himself. It was risky, asking for THEIR help, but...maybe they could come to terms and see each other in an equal light. Maybe they WOULD help him! He locked onto their location and transported himself there.

Goku found himself landing outside of a small house. It was quite cozy looking, actually, with a large wooden porch (it had a swing, too, Goku noted) and the lights on inside. The door was open to reveal Radditz and Turles sitting beside each other on a couch having a very heated debate with someone hidden behind the wall. Goku padded up the three stairs and across the porch to lean against the doorframe unnoticed and tried to pick up on what they were arguing over.

There were three other men in the room besides Goku's brother and long-ago enemy. One (a tall, gruff-looking man with even messier hair than Goku's) was standing up, waving his hands about as he insisted on the fact that they had been dead for 23 years. Another (Goku noted with more than a little surprise that this man looked nearly exactly like himself) was standing behind the first, a look of boredom on his face and his arms crossed. The third man (this one had his hair cut into a perfect military cut and had his chin resting against his chest) was sitting in a large fluffy chair against the opposite wall, asleep.

"I don't see why you're arguing about this! It's on paper, for Kami's sake!"

"Zorn, come on! How can you say that we've only been dead for 23 years! Kakarot had to have been at least 20 when I fought him, and that was years ago!"

"Oh, come off it. That couldn't have POSSIBLY been that long ago, I mean... He was only a baby when you FIRST went to Earth, right?"

"No, I only went to Earth once, baka, and that was when I fought Kakarot."

"Then he couldn't have been that old, hence, us not being dead for that damn long!"

Goku cleared his throat, bringing attention to himself by 4 of the 5 occupants in the room. "Actually, if my assumptions are correct, you've all been dead for approximately 54 years."

The room went absolutely silent. The first man, who was apparently called Zorn, crossed his arms and glared. "And who, my friend, might you be?"

Radditz narrowed his eyes. "...Kakarot?"

Goku nodded his head once and barked out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "That's me!"

"What are you doing here? And how do you know how long we've been dead?" Radditz's voice took on an accusing tone. "You don't even remember half the shit you should. How can you be sure?"

The Goku look-alike stepped forward. "Radditz, lay off. I thought you wanted to make amends?"

The brawny Saiyan shut his mouth.

"Thought so." He walked over to Goku and stood directly in front of him. Glaring into Goku's eyes, he unfurled his tail and snapped it defensively. Goku sensed a challenge, and so he glared back. He would have snapped his tail, too, save for the fact that he didn't have one. His copy smirked. "You really are Kakarot, aren't you?"

"That's what I'm told by your Saiyan buddies, here, who are you?"

The Goku imposter never faltered. "My name is Bardock. I'm your father, in case you were curious."

"My...my father? You're my father?"

"Yeah, numb nuts. He's your dad. Now, to quell OUR curiosity, why ARE you here?" Turles stood from the couch, along with Radditz. Bardock stepped back, and Zorn was still looking rather pissed off that he was wrong.

"I was...err...keeping King Yama company when Freeza showed up. Needless to say, I became a bit defensive, and as punishment, he sent me here to find my own way back."

Radditz snorted. "Good luck, you'll need it."

Goku glared at him. "Thanks, Radditz, but I think I'll do just fine on my OWN."

The air sparked as the two saiyans' wills clashed, causing Bardock to step in again. "Stop this nonsense. Now that you're here, why did you come to find us?"

Goku looked back to the man who, up until now, was a potential enemy. "Because Radditz and Turles were the only two signatures that I recognized, and I was hoping that maybe we could put old quarrels behind us and come to an understanding. Maybe, they could help me find my way around here, since the last time I was here I didn't exactly have time to buy a map. But now, I see that the old hostility still remains." He said this last sentence with a bit more disappointment than he would have liked to show, but it didn't really matter. He had truly hoped that he could come to terms with his brother and that they could...what? Be brothers again? He nearly snorted. When were they ever brothers? He was merely setting his hopes too high.

Goku turned to leave. There was a lack luster glaze in his eye that he tried desperately to blink away; he shouldn't have expected much. They were all saiyans, aggressive in birth, and aggressive in death. Why would they have changed themselves for him? He shook his head and stepped out onto the porch. Hearing the door close behind him, he sighed deeply and went to walk down the stairs when a hand fell onto his shoulder. He stopped.

"Kakarot, stop."

Goku turned to find Radditz standing behind him. His hand was still on Goku's shoulder when Radditz licked his lips and stared him in the eye. Until now, the thought to actually LOOK at Radditz never crossed the younger brother's mind, and so he seized the opportunity. There were a few extra lines around Radditz's eyes and lips, but he still kept his ever-youthful appearance. He had resulted to tying his hair back (Goku couldn't blame him) and now wore red and black armor, though still in the same Saiyan style. A long sword hung from a belt that his tail covered. He lifted his eyes back to his brother. "Yes?"

"Look, I uh... I didn't really mean to... Well, what I'm trying to say is..." He sighed and motioned for Goku to join him on the swing. When they both sat down, Radditz buried his face in his hands and peered at the ground through his fingers. "I've had a lot of time to think about the things I've done, here in Hell. Once you've been dead for as long as I have, it starts to weigh on your shoulders, and you don't stand up quite as straight. I carry the burden of the millions that I've killed, and each passing day, it gets heavier." He lifted his head out of his hands and turned it to look at Goku, but he didn't sit up. "We've been watching you, Kakarot. Father and I... we've been... following you. Watching you get stronger, watching you make new friends, and watching you beat your opponents... Neither of us could be more proud to have you as a part of our family."

Goku listened quietly, flattered and fascinated by the contents of Radditz's speech.

"When you achieved the Legendary, Kakarot, it made you a celebrity here. Nearly every Saiyan that still existed knew your name, who you were sired by, where you were sent to, etc. Father and I couldn't eat or sleep without being interrogated about you. And each time I was asked how it felt to be your brother, the guilt grew each time, because I knew that you didn't see me as a sibling, you saw me as an enemy. An obstacle. It was too much to handle, following in your greatness... You're such an enigma, Kakarot! You're so kind, so innocent, but you always seem to do a 180 when in battle and revert to pure Saiyan... And I had to throw it away. I could have been brother to a man of your status, could have bragged that I'd fought beside you and saved you on occasion, but instead I was a bully and a coward."

Radditz finally sat up straight, leaning back and resting the back of his head against the wall. A laugh erupted from the house, and Radditz turned his head towards Goku. "I suppose that what happened in there was an example of that phrase... what was it? `Old habits die hard'? I really didn't mean to use such aggressiveness... It's just... Seeing you again, now that you're a grown man and a conditioned warrior... It reminded me of everything that I missed out on; everything that I could have been there for as you grew up."

Goku blinked owlishly at his brother, trying to digest all of the information he had just been told. If everything Radditz had said was true, then...

"I guess what I'm really beating around the bush to say is that... I'm sorry."

Goku's eyes lit as he opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't work his vocal chords properly. He stuttered a bit, then: "Radditz, I... wow. I can't believe it."

Goku's brother choked out a quiet laugh. "Yeah, I know. Say it, I've changed a lot. I'm so mature, blah, blah, blah..."

"It's true, Radditz. Had this been forty-something years ago, I would have thought that this was another trick to get me to be your ally. But... I can't say the same, now. I've thought about you a lot over the years, Radditz. I wondered where you were in Hell, what you were doing, and all kinds of stuff like that. My regret over the fight that we had is unexplainable, but we were both young back then. Hell, I'd voluntarily suggest that we both got into fights at the drop of a hat! Why don't we... forgive and forget, as the earthlings say? Call it a blown-up bout of sibling rivalry?"

Radditz looked at Goku as if he were Kami himself.

Goku extended his hand. "Come on, Raddie. Whaddya say? Friends?"

Radditz took note of Goku's nickname for him with a certain spark of humor and took his hand like it would break. One shake, and the deal was done.

A/N: Ho boy, was that ever a doosie.. Radditz is just too damn cool for words. ^^ How was the length this time? I can try to make it even longer, if you like... Oh, by the way.. I'm using Gozu and Mezu's Japanese names cuz they just sound a lot better, if ya ask me. Hmm.. Anything else, you can either review or email me or both, I promise I'll respond to questions either way… And I swear I'll write more about Vegeta, I'm just focusing on Goku right now. Mmkay? Later!