Hi all! Well, here we are! For those of you who haven't read my other work, this is a side-story that is supposed to fit in with my other DBZ fanfic: What should have been. With that being said, this can be read completely separate of the other, and vice-versa. As always with my works, don't be afraid to point out where I make mistakes, I'm open to criticisms and praise alike. I just hope that this is more worthy of the latter than the former. R&R and enjoy!

CHAPTER 1: Once more into the Pit

"Goku, I am well aware of what you've done for this universe in the past, but my hands are tied! This order comes down from the Grand Kai himself, and it is absolute!"

Goku stared up hopelessly at the giant red demon that was King Yemma. At his side, King Kai shifted uncomfortably, carefully avoiding looking at the halo that hung over his head. Goku scratched the back of his neck, attempting to force the itch of his anxiety away. He couldn't give up yet.

"But King Yemma, surely there is something that can be done? If I know the guys at all, they're going to try and wish me back to life-"

"We can't do that Goku. According to the Grand Kai, you are not allowed to go back. Ever. His orders were to have you sent to his world, for what I don't know."

Goku thought of his family back on earth. His son. His wife. All of his other friends. It began to dawn on him that he would never see them again. His blood chilled at the thought and he looked up pleadingly at Yemma. For the first time ever, the giant man appeared to be displaying pity before a mortal.

"I am sorry Goku, I know what this will mean for you and your family. But you did kill a Kai, and there are consequences for such an action."

Goku hung his head, slowly letting his fate sink in and wondering about what would soon be his existence.

*FIVE YEARS LATER – GRAND KAI'S WORLD*

Goku wandered about aimlessly. He'd walked these grounds millions of times before whenever he had to think. He thought a lot. In his time on the Kai's world, he had learned much. He'd discovered a group of heroes that had had been brought to the world for the opportunity to train under the Grand Kai. He'd learned that many of them were regularly sent out for missions within otherworld to keep the peace, and he'd learned just how powerful many of them were. He'd discovered that there were several Kai's, including one from each quadrant of the universe and the Grand Kai himself. He'd learned a lot about the history of the universe, and he'd even competed in the Grand Kai's tournament and tied for the win against Pikkon: a powerful Namekian-like warrior from the west quadrant.

But none of it bore the same joy it would have brought him five years before. In all the time he'd been here, he had heard nothing of his own world. He often wondered how his absence would affect everyone he knew. Gohan would be a young man by this point, and Goku tried hard to imagine what he would look like. His wife's image was permanently branded into his mind, haunting his dreams and stabbing his heart with longing every time he saw it. He missed the bond they shared. He missed his home.

That wasn't to say that otherworld wasn't nice, it really was. But his homesickness was driving him into insanity. Add onto that all of the training he had been forced into during his time there, and Goku was about at the end of his rope. On more than one occasion, he contemplated ways to get out, including destroying himself. But then he would remember that he was already dead, and incapable of doing so.

I would rather they had sent me to hell.

His lamentations were interrupted by none other than Pikkon. The green alien waved him down and strode over to him.

"Oh, hey Pikkon."

Pikkon halted before him, looking at the Saiyan with a curious expression.

"Out here all on your own again huh? You alright?"

Goku quickly realized that he must be looking awefully depressed considering the thoughts he had been having, and shifted his expression into a weak smile.

"Yea, I'm fine Pikkon. Just thinking."

"You should learn how to lie better Goku… Your family again?"

Goku's eyes unfocused as he played images of his wife and son in his mind again. He hated that Pikkon knew him well enough to know when something was bothering him, but conceded that that's what happens when you make friends in strange places. He shook his head and smiled towards the green man.

"Yea, just wondering how they all are doing. But anyways, what's up? I don't usually find you here roaming about the Grand Kai's garden."

Pikkon considered him a moment and Goku worried that he would pursue the matter. He was relieved when he didn't.

"Well actually, I was sent up here to find you. The Grand Kai has something for us to do, and he seemed to think that you would get pretty excited about it."

Goku felt a brief pang of excitement shoot through him as all sorts of possible scenarios shot through his mind. Up to this point, he hadn't been sent out to do anything fun, which had resulted in his recent depression.

"Well, what is it?"

Pikkon cocked an eyebrow at him and crossed his arms with a slight smile on his face. He shrugged his shoulders and spoke in an amused voice.

"I don't know for certain, but it sounds like we're going to hell."

Goku felt a weight drop in his stomach as he recalled what he had been thinking only minutes before. It must have shown on his face because Pikkon rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Not permanently, he said that somebody was making a mess down there and now the Demon King has disappeared. By the sounds of it, many of your old rivals have banded together and are attempting to take over hell by force. It would seem they didn't like the arrangements that were set up for them."

Goku laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, mumbling to himself.

"Heh. Maybe I shouldn't be so hasty with my words… Still, I would love to have another go at Frieza."

Pikkon grinned at his Saiyan friend, clapping him on the shoulder.

"That's the spirit! Now come on, you and I need to meet up with the Grand Kai as soon as possible, and he'll get the arrangements set up."

*HELL – BLOOD LAKE*

Goz and Mez were on the run. Hell was in total chaos; or rather it was in a worse state of chaos than normal. But this time, nobody was safe. It happened very often that people would come to hell, and of recent years, several of them had been quite nasty pieces of work. It took all of the two ogre's cunning and strength to keep things in a relative state of order, lest the Demon king be forced to interfere personally. But this time, things had gotten far beyond their control.

"Damn that guy! Who the hell does he think he is?"

Mez looked to his counterpart with a panicked expression as an explosion rang out behind him.

"Well he was screaming something about carrots back there. I don't know he wasn't making any sense."

Goz glanced to their rear before diving behind the cover of a statue, with Mez following close behind.

"Who ever heard of a guy going on a rampage over carrots?! I mean they're not that bad…"

"Well whatever it is, he still is going out of control! On top of that, those whackos that have been causing issues for the last thirty years have all banded together and are plotting something for sure!"

"Yea that doesn't bode well for us man! I mean we're not technically dead, and if Dabura has to get involved again he's going to kill us!"

"Well actually, if you two idiots had been paying attention, you would have noticed that the Demon king has actually gone missing. If anyone is going to kill you, it will be me."

The pompous voice rang out from behind them, startling the two of them and causing them to spin about looking for the source. It took them several seconds to realize that they were being spoken to from above. They froze and cowered at the sight before them. There, fronted by the grasshopper-like Cell, were several of Hell's more powerful detainees. Amongst them were Frieza with most of his cronies, King Cold, and the entirety of the Red Ribbon army. All of them stared down at the two ogres, their amusement apparent on their faces and their confidence radiating from them all.

"Crap! We're in for it now Mez."

Cell smirked and descended to the ground before the two ogres. The two of them cowered behind their bulbous muscles and peeked out at the android from behind their hands.

"Not quite yet you're not. First, you're going to tell us how to get out of this place while that bumbling idiot has everyone distracted. I cannot use Instant transmission to leave, but I know you told Goku how to get back onto snake way some years ago. You're going to tell me how, and don't bother trying to make a game out of it. You know as well as I do that neither of you are a match for me."

Confidence carried his voice in its pompous manner, and the two Ogres looked to each other with knowing eyes. If Cell were to get out of hell, there was no telling what he and the others would do. Even worse, they were certain that Dabura would eventually return, and if he did…

"No way! Say what you want to, we ain't telling you nothing!"

"Yea!"

Cell laughed, quietly at first before building into a full on uproar, and the others joined him soon after. The two Ogres sank lower and lower with every passing second, as if they could meld into the ground and disappear by sheer will alone. Cell's smile returned and he narrowed his eyes at the two.

"Oh, that is too funny. We'll just have to see about that now won't we… Get them."

He waved lazily over his shoulder and turned to leave, just as a huge group of villains rushed forward to seize the helpless duo.

*GRAND KAI'S HOME*

Goku bowed respectfully towards the shaggy looking Kai. The old man still looked like he was trying to live the youth of some of the kids on Earth, with his denim jeans and vest. To Goku he looked ridiculous, but he refrained from saying so out loud. The Grand Kai pushed his sunglasses higher on his nose and rose from his chair where he had been lazily resting, gazing up at the ceiling in apparent contemplation.

"Good, I see you found him. Are you two ready?"

Pikkon nodded, but Goku righted himself and held up a hand in question.

"Who exactly are we going after? Pikkon mentioned the guys from Earth and all that, but said he didn't know who was starting all the chaos."

The Grand Kai shrugged and planted his gloved hands on his hips with a confident smile.

"I don't know! It's fun isn't it? To be honest I'm rather jealous of you two, whoever did it is making an outright mess of it, and it's fun watching Yemma struggle with it. Heh heh."

Goku cocked an eyebrow at that, scratching the back of his head in confusion. He glanced to his side and shared a worried look with Pikkon.

"Ummm Grand Kai? Are you sure that this is something to be laughing about? I mean, by the sounds of it this could get pretty bad right?"

"Ahhhh don't be such a sour-puss Goku! Live a little!"

Goku furrowed his brow in frustration.

You're the one who said I can't… Literally…

Pikkon noticed the look that took over Goku's face and rubbed his temples in irritation.

"Sir, go ahead and send us now? I think we can handle whatever we find down there."

"Yea yea, Goku, I'm just gonna go ahead and remove your limitations on your Instant transmission. You two go to King Yemma and he'll send you to hell. You kids have fun alright?"

Goku felt a jolt of excitement at the words. He hadn't even attempted to use instant transmission since his death, having been told that it was one technique he would not be able to use. Without hesitation, he reached over and grabbed the back of Pikkon's robes, pressing his first two fingers to his forehead and tapping into his ki. As the two of them disappeared in a blink of an eye, the Grand Kai let out a deep breath and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.

"Man… I don't know how long I would have been able to keep that charade up. That Goku… I hate having to do this crap to him."

*MINUTES LATER*

Goku blinked into existence, trailing a wide-eyed Pikkon that clutched at his chest and breathed heavily. Goku stepped forward and took in his surroundings. It was all as he remembered; The giant lake of blood with the fountain in the center, the thorny bushes and trees that littered the landscape, the rubble that was scattered everywhere. Even the smell was exactly the same. The one thing that stuck out in his mind was the lack of anybody being there. He glanced behind him and almost laughed out loud at the expression Pikkon wore, still frozen in place with wide eyes and gritted teeth.

"Ha! You okay Pikkon?"

The tall alien shook his head and brushed himself off, like he had just recovered from a fall.

"I'm fine, but we are not travelling that way again… So this is hell?"

Goku smiled and gazed around. In spite of the fact that he was literally standing in hell, he couldn't help but let his happiness for being somewhere besides the Kai's planet show on his face. It made even the bleak conditions seem like a vacation to him.

"Yep! This your first visit?"

"Yea. To be honest it's not quite what I expected… I think I was imagining brimstone and fire with a big red demon lashing you as you worked endlessly."

Goku laughed, remembering when he was a child all of the silly depictions of hell he had heard from people. He admitted that those fantastical places sounded much more hellish, but this wasn't his first visit.

"Nah, this is it! It's not too different than any other place really, with the exception of the blood lakes... And all the baddies… Speaking of…"

Goku closed his eyes and extended his senses. Immediately he felt out the ki of several thousands of beings, some more powerful than the others, but none sticking out so much as to raise any alarm bells. There were so many that he wasn't entirely sure where he was supposed to go next. But it was all so new and all so different that he got excited anyway. Somewhere in here was someone that he would get to test himself against, he only had to find them. He extended his senses out until the amount of ki pressing in on him was nearly unbearable and gave up. He scratched at the back of his head and looked around, slightly put out. Sudden inspiration struck him, and he cast his gaze up to the yellow clouds above him.

Maybe I can…

He felt his heart jump slightly and extended his senses out, searching for a very specific ki. But he realized that he was still unable to feel anything beyond the dense cloud cover and the barrier that lay within it. He tried not to let his disappointment show on his face, but Pikkon noticed.

"Hey, Goku what's up?"

Goku considered him for a moment before shaking his head irritably.

"Nothing… I just hoped I might be able to sense my son from here. It's stupid I know, but I thought that maybe the different location… Ah, whatever, you don't need to worry about it. Let's get this done."

Without a further word to him, Goku took to the air and began his search. It wasn't long before they began to notice signs of fighting. Residual energy radiated from multiple places, and Goku realized that much of the ki he was feeling was just that. His eyes scanned the landscape, picking out scorch marks and attempting to identify what had happened. There were no bodies lying about, but he reasoned since everyone was already dead here, they couldn't really die again. Or at least that's what he believed to be. He furrowed his brow and peeked over his shoulder towards Pikkon. He was about to pose a question when the green alien beat him to it.

"Hey Goku, I know you said you can sense energy right?"

"Yea, Ki. Why?"

"Is it a racial thing?"

Goku was slightly caught off guard by the question and halted himself. Pikkon zipped past him a few feet before halting himself likewise. Goku cocked his head to the side and blinked in surprise a couple times.

"No… Can you not sense ki?"

Pikkon merely shook his head with a shrug. Goku just stared at him in disbelief.

"How many people do you know that can?"

"Well, you're actually the first mortal I've met who can do it. I know the Kais can, but I thought that was just one of their abilities. So it's not something that only Saiyans can do?"

Goku considered it for a second before realizing that it was never something he had thought about. It just came natural to him from the time he was a child, and all of the Z fighters on earth were capable, he just assumed that everyone could. He cracked a smile and crossed his arms.

"Nope, there were earthlings that were capable of it too. Actually I was taught how to do it by an Earthling when I was a boy. I'm sure you can too, you just gotta learn how to notice it."

Pikkon furrowed his brow and nodded. Goku felt a tug at his consciousness as a burst of Ki radiated out from near them, and turned to face it. He saw a man take to the air some distance away from them and rush towards him. He balled his hands into fists and prepared himself for any threat the man posed, and awaited him to reach them. It didn't take long, and as his figure became clear, Goku felt his stomach drop like a lead weight. The man's overly muscular form was shrouded in Saiyan battle armor of black and orange, and his wild black hair flowed behind his head down to his waist. A fuzzy brown tail was wrapped tightly around his waist and as their eyes locked, an expression of shock showed on his face. He pulled up short and faced Goku, mere feet apart.

"Kakarot?!"

At Goku's side, Pikkon's ki spiked, and he spoke with barely contained curiosity.

"Kakarot? Goku do you know this guy?"

But Goku ignored the question, staring down the Saiyan. He tried to keep his face neutral as he glared at his long dead brother.

"Raditz. You're not the one causing all the trouble down here are you?"

Raditz gritted his teeth and looked between the two fighters before him, his expression one of fierce determination. His eyes locked with the golden halo above the both of their heads, and he snarled at his brother.

"No, actually. So you are dead then? I thought that you would have been brought back to life or something like that."

Goku shook his head, refusing to take his eyes off of his brother. The memories of their last encounter still stirred feelings of hatred towards him.

"Not this time. I'm dead for good."

"Then there are no Saiyans left?"

"Except for Vegeta and our sons."

"Bah! Filthy half breeds? Spare me."

Goku growled and crossed his arms defiantly. He was about to spit a retort back at his brother, but Raditz turned his back and waved it off before he could, descending back in the direction he had come.

"I don't have time to sit here and chat brother, the others await me. I'd suggest you follow."

Goku and Pikkon shared a glance at each other before cautiously following the Saiyan. They stayed back just far enough to be out of earshot, and Pikkon voiced his concerns.

"Goku, I'm not sure we should trust this guy. He said you were his brother, but somehow I get the feeling that it's not a friendly relationship you two share."

"No, you're right Pikkon. The last time I saw him we both died fighting, after he kidnapped my son and tried to force me to kill off a bunch of humans. But he may know something about what's going on down here, and he said 'others'. I'm curious who he means by that."

"Well, just stay on your guard okay? I don't want to have to save you like last time."

Goku rolled his eyes and returned his sights to his elder brother's back. They descended lower and lower, until Goku realized that they were almost upon a large cave system surrounded by brambles. Raditz touched down below them and immediately disappeared into the shade of the bushes, leaving Goku and Pikkon standing outside trying to peer into the inky blackness. It wasn't long before voices could be heard echoing out of the cave and Raditz reappeared. The two brothers stared hard at eachother for a moment before Raditz stepped to the side, crossing his arms and making way for another figure. Goku felt a jolt of recognition at the man that appeared before him, materializing out of the shade.

In size and stature, he was almost identical to Goku, and even his hair shared the same spiky quality. Like Raditz, he was armored in Saiyan battle armor, though his was of a green and black color scheme. For a moment, Goku thought that he was looking at Turles, but there were differences that separated them in his mind. There was a scar across his left cheek and he was considerably tanner than Turles. But the biggest difference was his eyes. While still the same pitch black that was shared by all Saiyans, his expression was anything but hostile. He seemed to be in a state of shock, a far cry from Raditz's expression of irritation.

"Kakarot? You're really here?"

Goku blinked a couple of times as the voice washed over him, eliciting an unbidden feeling of nostalgia from somewhere deep in his chest. He knew that voice, but he hadn't heard it in so long now.

"Father?"

A smirk graced the elder Saiyan's lips at his words, and he extended a hand towards his long lost son.

"It's a little late my son, but finally I get to meet you. Please, we are both men here, call me Bardock."

Goku was uncertain what he was supposed to do. Surely there was some proper Saiyan greeting that came with addressing his sire, but he didn't know what it could be. So he went with the usual earth greeting, and grasped his father's hand firmly with his own, and smiled when the gesture was not rejected. Behind Bardock's back, Raditz rolled his eyes and grumbled incoherently about how he still referred to Bardock as "father". Bardock glared over his shoulder at his oldest son irritably.

"Oh be quiet Raditz. You still haven't grown up."

Raditz sniffed irritably and turned on his heel to disappear once more into the cave. Bardock watched him go until he disappeared into the blackness and returned his gaze to his son. They released their grasp and stood apart, and Bardock sighed.

"He's still upset that you passed him up by so much since his demise. Granted we don't get to see anything that happens beyond this realm, but I knew of your ascension to Super Saiyan even before my death."

Goku felt his jaw drop at the revelation, and scratched at the back of his neck nervously.

"How? I had no clue what a Super Saiyan was until I transformed. I mean yea sure, Vegeta talked about it a lot but neither of us were quite prepared for it."

Bardock smirked again and tapped the side of his head with a single finger.

"One of the things that the people from planet Kannasan cursed me with before the destruction of our home was premonitions. I witnessed the downfall of Frieza and the rise of the Saiyan in Orange to the Legendary Super Saiyan years before it happened. I still had a difficult time believing it until Frieza found his way down here, along with his father."

Goku laughed nervously and scratched the side of his nose.

"Well actually, I didn't deal the final blow to either of them. That was Vegeta's son, Trunks."

Bardock cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"The prince has mated then? And sired another Super Saiyan no less?"

"Yep! We both erm… mated with Earthling women and had a son each, and all of us can transform."

Bardock looked like Christmas had come early for him and clapped his son on the shoulder.

"You will have to tell me about all of this! But not yet, your mother and King Vegeta will surely want to hear about it."

Bardock's eyes shifted suddenly over his son's shoulder, his expression neutral and calculating. Goku traced his eyes and saw that the subject of his contemplations was Pikkon, patiently standing off to the side like a statue.

"Oh, darn I almost forgot! Da-… Bardock, this is Pikkon, he came with me from the Kai's planet to deal with whatever is causing problems down here."

Bardock's expression darkened considerably at the change of subject, but he nevertheless nodded courteously towards the tall alien. Pikkon nodded likewise, and with those introductions out of the way, Bardock returned his eyes to his son.

"We may have to hold off on the family reunion then son. I'll let King Vegeta explain when we see him. Come on, I'll lead you through."

With that, Bardock turned and began his trek into the cave after his other son, with Goku and Pikkon close behind. As they entered the caves, Goku's eyes adjusted quickly, and he realized that there was a whole maze of caves beneath the hills. He stayed close behind his father, peering into the darkness and trying to remember the rout they were taking. The journey was complicated, but short, and soon there was a glow at the end of the tunnel, followed by the sounds of conversation. They emerged into a cavern of sorts, lit dimly by wall mounted lanterns. Goku felt his jaw drop at who all was inside however. Everywhere he looked, there were Saiyans. Each varied in height, anywhere between Vegeta's size all the way up to how large Nappa was when he was alive. All of them bore the usual Saiyan traits of pitch black hair and midnight eyes, and they were all looking at him.

Four Saiyans approached the trio as they entered the room. Three were males, one roughly the same size as Bardock and Goku with a muscular figure and hair pulled back into a ponytail, another of much shorter and plumper build and a messy mop, and the third of a monstrous size that seemed much older than the other two due to his primarily bald head. The other Saiyan was a female with a powerful build, like that of a professional body builder, with a tangled mess of short hair atop her head. All four of them were adorned in Saiyan battle armor of varying colors and designs, and all of them radiated a large amount of ki. Each wore their tails wrapped tightly about their waists, and they were staring hard at Goku with varying degrees of skepticism and confusion.

Bardock held up a hand to stall any questions or comments from them and looked about the cavern, searching for something.

"Guys, have you seen Gine?"

The lone female in the group crossed her arms and glanced over her shoulder briefly before returning her gaze to the newcomers. Goku stared right back, fascinated by his first glimpse of a female Saiyan. He knew that the Saiyan race was one of strength and ferocity, but he hadn't ever expected there to be anything remotely attractive at all. This woman was quite beautiful, even with her muscular build and careless appearance.

"Yea, your punk son pulled her to the side over there. Who's the runt? He looks Saiyan… minus the tail."

Bardock looked towards Goku with a smirk on his face before addressing them again.

"Remember how I told you guys who defeated Frieza all those years ago? Well… This is Kakarot, my second Son."

The four Saiyans reacted similarly, looking between the two Saiyans with contemplative expressions. The Saiyan directly in front of him with the plump build rubbed his chin curiously, scratching at the stubble around his trimmed goatee in an irritating manner.

"Well, I can certainly see the resemblance."

The female Saiyan nodded her head in agreement.

"Certainly more than you share with Raditz. This is the Super Saiyan huh?"

Goku smiled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. All of the attention was starting to get to him. Normally it wouldn't bug him, but there was something about being among other members of his race that made him nervous. He felt the impulse to show off, to prove his father's word and transform, but held himself back out of anxiety. Thankfully, Bardock pushed them aside none too gently, parting them so that Goku and Pikkon could follow him into the room. Goku flinched when the female Saiyan leaned in closer to him as he passed, her eyes narrowed as she stared up at him with a confident smirk on her face. He picked up the pace, following close behind Bardock and nervously glancing over his shoulder. He barely heard the hushed conversation that started up behind them.

"Super Saiyan? He doesn't look all that powerful to me. I bet Bardock could whip him still."

"Probably, if that little tussle with Raditz after he died said anything."

"Well, we'll just have to see what the King has to say about this huh? Super Saiyan or not, he's the outsider here. We don't need his help."

"What I don't get is why he gets a halo. What makes him so special?"

"Bet he's a kiss ass."

Goku sniffed irritably and returned his eyes to the front, shutting out the conversation. He was abruptly halted when a smaller body slammed into his front, squeezing him around the middle. He blinked in surprise a few times, trying to understand what he was seeing. From his vantage point, he could only make out a tangled mess of shoulder length hair and a tail waving about excitedly. Judging by the small size of the person hugging him, he guessed that it was a woman, slightly shorter than Chi Chi. Bardock stood to the side, glaring about the room as if to challenge anyone who dared interrupt, and Raditz could be seen to the side shaking his head face-palming.

"Kakarot! Oh my son, it's really you isn't it?"

"Mother! Must you make a spectacle before the entire race?!"

Goku cocked an eyebrow at his brother's outburst and glanced down at the woman again.

"Mother?"

"Oh let me look at you!"

Once again, Goku was uncertain what he should do, and resorted to just standing there awkwardly. Gine stepped back and clasped her hands together excitedly, and Goku got his first real look at his mother. She was indeed short, and her delicate features made her seem much more like a human than a Saiyan. While the other female Saiyan he'd met was powerfully built, his mother seemed of a much softer type. She was still toned and very well defined, and she wore Saiyan battle armor, but her entire demeanor was different. Her bright smile filled him with a happiness he hadn't felt in a very long time, and it brought forth a grin from him.

"Wow! My mom… Cool!"

"My, you look every bit like Bardock! Well, except the scar of course, but you've still got those dashing looks. So tall too!"

"Mother! This display of affection is despicable."

Raditz' aggravated growl cut through the moment, and Gine's expression quickly turned to open irritation as she turned her gaze upon her eldest son.

"Oh be silent Raditz! You can cling to our old ways if you'd like, but it got us landed in this dump if I recall correctly. Now be a good boy and shut up before I have to pull out the pan!"

Goku couldn't help himself, he fell into a fit of laughter at the thought. Many of the other Saiyans laughed as well, though he suspected for a different reason. Gine turned a curious eye to him, as did Bardock and Raditz. He sobered up enough to wave off their confused expressions.

"Don't mind me, I just realized that you and my wife would get along extremely well."

A few seconds passed where they looked at him curiously before Goku realized that they didn't exactly understand the term "wife".

"My… umm… mate used to use a pan whenever she got mad at me or our son. It seemed that was the only thing that would have any effect on us."

Behind her back, Goku could see his father roll his eyes, and barely heard him mutter something about "crazy women". His mother, on the other hand, lit up at the mention of grandchildren and beamed at him.

"A mate! And a son! My, it's been so long. Tell me, where did you go? Bardock said that you defeated Frieza? What's happened?"

Goku laughed sheepishly as she rattled question after question, wondering where to begin.

"I would hear this as well, Kakarot, son of Bardock."

The powerful baritone that rumbled through the room silenced the quiet buzz of conversation and hung in the air with a feeling of authority. Gine and Bardock both stiffened slightly and looked somewhere off to the right of Goku before following the example of those around them, pressing a fist to their chest and bowing slightly. Goku glanced around curiously, noticing all the Saiyans present were doing likewise, and turned about to find the source of the voice. The man who confidently strode into the room radiated authoritative power, both in his posture and in the harsh visage he wore upon his face. It didn't take a second glance for him to realize who the newcomer was. He was a much taller version of Vegeta, though they two of them had similar body types. King Vegeta however wore a simple and neatly kept beard that matched the color of his flame-shaped hair. He wore a simple set of white Saiyan armor with red trim and a blood red cape that flowed gracefully from his shoulders.

Goku took one last glance around before fisting his right hand and following the gesture of the others. He may have only just discovered the rest of the Saiyan race, and he was quite certain that he was more powerful than anyone else in the room, but the king was the king for a reason, and he decided pissing him off would do no good. He held his tongue until he got a cue to do or say something else, and looked at the King as he stopped before him. Their eyes met, and Goku found himself staring into a pair of eyes that were full of years of pain and torture, as well as the strength to cope with it.

The eyes of the warrior. Man, everything about this guy screams strength… Too bad I'd be able to beat him pretty easy.

King Vegeta seemed to be searching for something for several moments before he gestured for Goku to return to his original state. He did so, and a quick glance around told him that the other Saiyans in the room had also stood straight again. Vegeta continued to stare at him, but began walking about him in a wide circle, clasping his hands behind his back. Goku realized he was being inspected, and stood still, patiently waiting for him to finish.

"I admit, I was skeptical when Nappa told me that Kakarot had come to hell with the rest of his kin, and I see that my skepticism was well earned. You bear a Halo, which means you've been up with the other goody-goodies in Other-world?"

Goku was puzzled by the direction his words led, but thought nothing of it. He noticed another figure enter the room, which proved to be the massive form of Nappa himself. The general stood as tall as ever, with muscles bulging from under his Saiyan armor. Goku felt a pang of anger at the sight of him, but the other Saiyan didn't even seem to notice he was there, despite him being the center of the attention at the moment.

"Yea, I've been in Otherworld. I was killed in combat nearly five years ago now."

Vegeta continued to circle him slowly, and Goku heard his voice from behind him, full of curiosity.

"Five years hmm? I was told you were a Super Saiyan, and that you defeated Frieza. Surely you would not be one to fall to a lesser being?"

Goku nodded, turning his head to look directly at the king.

"I did defeat Frieza, though his death was not at my hands. As for me, I was killed by a creature named Cell. My son overpowered him after my death, and I believe he's here."

King Vegeta halted in front of the other Saiyan, crossing his arms and staring him down.

"Yes, we've had our share of run-ins with Cell, though none of us knew that he was one to take down a Super Saiyan. Our numbers are so few now, largely due to him."

Goku blinked in surprise at that statement, wondering what the king could mean by that. Surely it wasn't possible to kill someone that was already dead? But then, there were far fewer Saiyans than he had originally thought there would be. But the king didn't allow him to dwell on in too much.

"You said that you defeated Frieza, but did not kill him? Tell me, who did?"

Goku felt a small smile twitch the corners of his mouth upwards as he remembered the day in his mind. Watching from a distance with his ki as Trunks made his debut, coming out of nowhere and totally obliterating the small force of King Cold's planet-trade ship.

"That would be your Grandson, Trunks. He came back in time to warn us of a future threat, and destroyed Frieza and his father in mere seconds. It was quite the display of power, and the second Super-Saiyan any of us had ever seen."

The king quirked an eyebrow at that, a small vein pulsing in his forehead.

"You mean to tell me that not only did a low-class Saiyan surpass my son, but his son has done it as well? Not to mention, if your Son defeated Cell, he must be a Super Saiyan as well."

Goku scratched at the back of his neck nervously, shrugging his shoulders and glancing about at the other Saiyans in the room.

"Well, sorta. If you want to get technical, Vegeta… er… your son was the second Super Saiyan, since Trunks came back in time. At the time, our Trunks wasn't even born yet."

Vegeta's eyebrow twitched as he glared at the Saiyan before him. He took a deep breath and gestured towards a row of stools that littered the room, having apparently been carved out of the rock below them or the vines and roots above them.

"This, I want to hear. Come, take a seat. I would hear everything you have to tell me about my son and grandchild before you leave."

Goku glanced behind him to his parents. His father held a stern expression that belayed no hint of advice or acknowledgement. Goku reasoned that as he was a soldier in the king's army, it was a normal reaction for him. His mother however, gestured for him to go ahead. Nodding his acknowledgement, Goku turned back towards the king, and strode over to his seat. King Vegeta swung his cape about to prevent it from being caught beneath him as he sat, and looked directly at Goku with a serious glare.

"Now, begin were you and Nappa first met. I want to know everything."

A/N: I decided to cut it off here for now, and there will be another one up before too long. This story-line isn't going to be a long one like my other fic, but I fully intend to bring out the entertainment potential of it before its done. As always, you all have a fantastic day, and stay tuned for more updates!