What defines a hero? Is such a title merely bestowed upon a man for protecting those from evil regardless of his ethics, or is that honor attained by an unshakeable resolve? Is a hero someone who manages to successfully prevent a villain's victory, or is it someone who went out fighting in a blaze of glory? Can a hero be a shell of his former self, or does something of that nature require a devoted heart that was molded and crafted from the day of his birth?

We know Goku's story and that he is undeniably a hero. His expedition alongside Bulma for the Dragon Balls, his saving of the Earth from various threats such as King Piccolo and Piccolo Junior, and his genuine kindness deems him as such.

But what was only alluded to was that he could've been something different. Had fate and circumstance not aligned to have the young child's memory erased through a brutal landing on his skull, we may have seen a very different tale unfold.

What would happen in a world where Raditz had somehow managed to reawaken the side of Son Goku that had previously been forgotten? What would happen in a world where Son Goku, the hero, became Son Goku... the Saiyan conquerer?

Sins of the Father Prologue - Abduction

Two figures stand side-by-side, together facing down a humanoid figure with jet-black long hair, the latter of who, crosses his arms in a sign of mockery. This is yet another example of a battle on Earth: Son Goku and Piccolo Junior vs. Raditz.

In the story we all know, Goku and Piccolo triumph over the mysterious alien, albeit at the cost of Goku's life. However, in this alternate universe, things play out far, far, differently...

"You're a disgrace to all Saiyans! Now prepare to die!"

Raditz stood alone on the grassy fields; the wind blew through his hair as the other two fighters in front of him—Son Goku and Piccolo Junior—assumed their fighting stances. Foolish, they were, to not have submitted earlier… he wouldn't show any mercy, even if it was his baby brother he was battling.

With lightning fast speed, the alien rocketed forward and out of sight, causing both Saiyan and Namekian to gasp in stupefaction. The power difference between the three competitors was far too great for the team of two to even remotely stand a chance. However, one willed himself onwards to ensure his son's safety; the other motivated himself with lust of controlling the Earth. However, both Earth-raised individuals were one when it came to their determination to win this battle. If they were to win, they won together; if they fell, they fell together—and that's exactly what they did when Raditz thrust either elbow down on both of his opponents' shoulder blades.

Perching forward, Goku caught himself on his hands and used the momentum to push himself upwards, hopping upwards in the air before landing on the wasteland feet first. Piccolo, however, was less graceful; he made his landing on one foot before bouncing back on his right hand to re-stabilize himself.

"Hahahahaha!" Raditz cackled, both of his arms still upwards. Taking that as a taunt, both Piccolo and Goku rushed forward with a battle cry; Goku assumed the lead while Piccolo flanked his right. Suddenly, the two began to switch their position, the Namekian overtaking Goku in speed before the Earth-raised Saiyan recovered the front. The elite-Saiyan smirked throughout his opponents' charge, not even bothering to lift a single finger as they attacked in an unbalanced manner. The Saiyan dodged and dodged each and every blow that the unlikely duo threw at him, grinning with malicious intent.

Suddenly, Goku threw a left-legged roundhouse kick that slightly threw Raditz off his game; he'd had to actually block it with his forearm while tilting backwards. Piccolo hadn't pulled any punches either, capitalizing on his golden opportunity by delivering a swift jab to the face. The impact sent Raditz back slightly, which the team of two took to mean that he was injured. Nodding to each other, both seized the moment by phasing out of sight in perfect coordination.

As Raditz clutched his face, stumbling backwards, the team of two re-materialized behind him with reared-back fists, only to be met with two boots that struck either of the space pirate's opponents directly underneath their chins. Both opponents were sent spiraling to either side of Raditz, quickly recovering to return to the offensive by kicking off the ground with their feet. To create space between him and his enemies, Raditz ascended quickly into the sky; Goku and Piccolo quickly changed course to follow him.

Raditz glanced to his lower right—his brother was approaching with a fatigued expression. He then shifted his gaze to his lower left—the green man was rushing towards him with a concentrated snarl.

He suddenly smirked before outstretching his two palms to either side of him, releasing two beams of concentrated energy at his opponents. Being in the flight pattern he was, Goku was just narrowly able to shift his body to the right to dodge the Single Sunday. Piccolo, however, was not so lucky; his slower reaction time caused his left arm to be caught in the pink blast of energy.

Both fighters began to free-fall towards the ground, beginning to grow fatigued from their deadly dance. Goku was the first to land, slightly dazed. "Where'd he go?"

Raditz materialized behind him with a crazed smirk. "Behind you."

The Earth-raised Saiyan didn't have time to react as Raditz's boot sent him flying forwards, meeting face-first with the dirty soil of the Spinach Wastelands.

"Urgh..." Goku did his best to stand on his feet, but his back muscles gave out, forcing him to remain grounded. "Agh…"

"Relax, Kakarott." Raditz crossed his arms at his brother, internally disappointed with the level of challenge—or lack thereof—his brother was. "At least you're not faring as terribly as green man over there."

Goku's gaze shifted upwards to see Piccolo, holding his stump of a left arm with his right, scowling furiously at Raditz. "You think you're going to get away with that?" The supposed intimidation tactic that the green warrior tried to employ clearly didn't faze Raditz, he merely laughed off the threat.

"Good…" Piccolo mumbled under his breath. These arrogant fools… all the same. "Goku... have you been saving up any special techniques for a time like this?"

"Haha... no. Not this time, Piccolo." Goku thought back to five years ago: the last of what he remembered to be his greatest challenge—the being he was siding with today. A thought rang out in his mind; had he continued to train, would he have fared a chance against his brother? However, Goku wasn't one to reminisce on what might've been, and he wasn't keen on the prospect of starting to do so.

"Peh...sounds like you, all right..." Piccolo mumbled. "Listen carefully...I've been working on a new technique that'll finish off this loudmouth in one shot." I was originally saving it to kill you, Goku… I'm going to need you to hold him off until it's ready."

"All right!" Goku rolled his shoulders, attempting to get psyched up for the battle. "Let's do this!"

"Wait!" Piccolo all but shouted, catching Raditz's attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt; are you two discussing a plan?" flouted Raditz. "I apologise; feel free to mince words...they'll be your last." He broke into a fit of malicious laughter.

"This attack of mine is powerful; it's potent enough to pierce through nearly anything. I can even pull it off with one arm… its one downfall is its charging time; I'll need nearly five minutes to gather enough energy."

"Don't worry about me," chided Goku. "I can handle myself. Besides, if I can't handle five minutes against him, I don't deserve to defend the Earth."

With that, he took off, honing in on his brother with an elbow to the solar plexus. In response, Raditz sneered and blocked said elbow with his left forearm, beginning a clash between two of the last Saiyans in existence.

Spurred on by Goku's efforts, Piccolo touched his index and middle fingers to his forehead and began to gather his energy for one last attack. This is it… it's all or nothing!

While he'd been able to keep up with his brother in the beginning, Goku's strength and endurance just simply weren't up to par with his elder Saiyan's, resulting in his suffering of many blows to the ribcage and stomach. However, his injuries were not in vain; Piccolo's blue aura was growing with vivacious energy for each second Goku was able to hold out. Eventually, tendrils of energy began arcing around the Namekian's fingertips, and he grunted with enthusiasm. This'll do it…

Goku snuck a glance over at Piccolo's stance, eyes slightly widening at the power he felt emanating from his rival's body. He's even more powerful than Raditz!

If he couldn't find some way to clearly separate himself from Raditz, Goku felt this odd sensation that he would be felled by Piccolo's attack as well. He hadn't forgotten that while his rival proved a valuable ally to him at the moment, he could change sides in a heartbeat.

The tailed Saiyan broke clean through Goku's defenses and thoughts with a jump-kick, sending Goku flying to his right before neatly landing on his feet-he failed to notice the Namekian charging his blast from behind him.

Goku used his momentum to kick off the ground and cupped his hands to his right hip, charging a pulsing blue sphere of energy in the creases of his palms. "Ka...me..."

Below him, his brother narrowed his eyes in suspicion. What is he plan-

"Ha...me...HA!" He thrust his palms downward, releasing a pale blue stream of energy towards his older sibling. To ensure his own safety, Raditz leapt towards his side, yet Goku dragged his palms to the left to curve the beam in an attempt to hit his brother.

It appeared to be a footrace; Raditz tried to flee from the beam of energy which he hadn't been able to predict. However, Raditz realised he couldn't keep it up forever, and so he leapt forwards, spun on his heel, and thrust out his palm. "Let's see what you've got—AAGGHH!"

The beam made perfect contact with the crease of Raditz's left palm, exploding violently against its hit target. The resulting explosion threw up debris and smoke, but when it dispersed, the Saiyan remained unharmed.

"He cancelled it out..." Goku panted, running on the brink of desperation. He'd put nearly everything he had into that blast—he wasn't sure of anything else he could do to stall his elder brother.

"That...was impressive, Kakarott..." the space pirate grinned ferally. "But let me show you how it's done!" Raditz generated a pink bolt of energy before promptly flinging it at his brother. With little to no energy remaining in his body, Goku was powerless to stop the blast from colliding with his abdomen, causing the noble fighter to begin his slow descent towards the ground.

Raditz-being ever the opportunist-pounced forward to meet Goku during his fall and punt-kicked him in the ribcage, causing the spiky-haired hero to tumble down the wasteland. As he tried to sit up, his elder brother appeared above him, ready to execute the final blow when-

He saw it.

Piccolo's attack-so long as it had taken to charge-was complete, shining in all its luminescent glory. "Are you ready... SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"

The spiraling attack shot forward like a cannon, constantly rotating and spinning in order to get the best penetration it possibly could. In a moment of fear, Raditz stood, gaping at the output of power the Namekian was able to produce in such a short time-span.

This, he realized, This was what Kakarott was stalling for...

Broken out of his stupor, Raditz swiftly dodged to the left, yet the beam still connected with his right shoulder-guard; the impact of which caused a large dust cloud to rise as debris was once again scattered in the howling winds. Being obstructed from view of his foe, Piccolo began to hope that his Special Beam Cannon had pulled the finishing blow on the overconfident Saiyan.

Alas, it was not to be. Raditz stood, angrily, charging a purple sphere of energy in his left palm. His teeth were grit; angry, as depicted by his facial expression.

For one of the first times in his life, Piccolo truly felt fear permeate through his conscious. He was paralyzed; helpless—just as he'd been at the 23th World Martial Arts Tournament. Only this time, there would be no second chance, no reprieve. Piccolo, in a desperate attempt to cling onto whatever pride he had remaining, crossed his arms in preparation for the blast.

"NOW YOU DIE!" Raditz proclaimed, throwing his hand forward to end Piccolo's life. However, all of a sudden, he was rendered powerless.

"Hahaha!" Goku grinned, staring at Raditz's horrified expression. "I got your tail!" The hero applied pressure to the limb, and Raditz found himself sinking and on the ground, completely powerless. The tables had turned yet again.

"Piccolo!" The Earth-raised Saiyan called out to his ally. "Do you think you can pull off another one of those attacks?"

"Sure, Goku!" Piccolo smirked ferally, raising two fingers to his non-existent brow. "With pleasure!"

"Kakarott...don't tell me you're actually considering going through with this? G-Gah...I'm your brother..."

"Brother?!" Goku scowled. "Don't be ridiculous! You kidnapped my son and you tried to kill me! And, if I remember right, you said you were going to exterminate every human on this planet!"

"I was bluffing!" Raditz rebuked, struggling in pain on the ground below. "I would've said or done anything to get you to join us, I swear it! I could never hurt my own flesh and blood….I swear! I swear, Kakarott!"

Goku, ever so cautious, kept a full grip on his brother's tail. "You promise to leave?"

Growling in pain, Raditz bellowed, "I'll NEVER come back to this planet again! I promise!"

"Goku, NO!"

While in an internal debate, the teachings of his adopted grandfather shone through dominantly in Goku's persona. Unfortunately, trust and faith weren't always accepted by the truly malicious, as evidenced when Raditz immediately thrust his elbow backwards after being freed from his younger brother's grip. The Earth-raised Saiyan fell backwards; head snapped back, wondering just how such a malicious soul could exist to go back on their word.

Sadly for him, he'd just begun to scratch the surface of maliciousness.

The Saiyan warrior quickly capitalized on his opportunity, lunging forward and slamming down his boot onto his brother's solar plexus. The Saiyan's cry was ear-deafening, but Raditz only relished in the scream from his prey. It felt empowering; invigorating... he felt he was truly alive. Even if it was only just for a moment, he savored in feeling superior.

"Do you see now, Kakarot? You're nothing compared to me! You're an excuse for a Saiyan warrior!"

Raditz elevated his foot for a final strike, sneering with disgust at his fallen brother. How a Saiyan could be so weak and compassionate is beyond me… "Now die, you scum!"

With a shout, the Saiyan forced his foot downwards with all his might, a malicious cackle pounding against the spiky-haired hero's eardrums. No... if only I was stronger than this...

"Special Beam Cannon!"

A spiraling yellow beam quickly made its way towards Raditz, the low-class leaping onto the left ball of his foot to escape…

…However, the rotating beam shot straight through Raditz's unwrapped tail as he attempted to flee. The pain seared through his tail bone, a vital part of the Saiyan anatomy. Without it, Raditz didn't know if he'd ever be able to fight at the intensity he used to.

"Pathetic," spat the green-skinned fighter. "You act all high and mighty, only to fall to two 'weaklings,' as you called us."

A mouthful of blood spewed from the Saiyan's jawline, distorting his features and making him appear more reminiscent of a demon rather than a humanoid."H-how dare you… dama-mage my body… I-I'll kill you!"

Rushing forward with a feral shout, Raditz thrust his fist at Piccolo's abdomen, though the Namekian only let loose a grin as he evaded the attack with a swift sweep of the leg and another calculated kick to send Raditz flying.

Raditz's trajectory was halted abruptly by a large boulder, of which the Saiyan's back slammed into with a loud, spine-shattering sound-a loud scream forced its way out of the demoralized Saiyan's lungs as a result.

"It's all over," sneered Piccolo with a grin. "Looks like you didn't live up to the hype after all, Saiyan."

Raditz stared up at his opponent with a glare full of hatred and fear. While he wouldn't care to admit it, the Saiyan was fearful at the prospect of death, scared of the potential of losing his soul forever. But most of all, he was angry at being called weak. His friends, his father... they all dubbed him a low-class and a Saiyan destined to be forgotten. "How dare you insult my honour?" This is it… I don't know if it'll work with half of a tail… but it's either that or death.

The Saiyan warrior opened his palm, his motivation and willpower making up all the power he had left."I won't...die here...! G-Get out of my way..." he stood, stumbling over each motion he made.

Piccolo phased directly in front of the fallen warrior, raising his claw-like hand to aim his final blow. "I'm sorry; I couldn't hear you over your blood loss. What'd you say?"

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Raditz bellowed, thrusting his legs forward and knocking the wind out of Piccolo with a double-heeled kick, the impact sent the Namekian flying backwards. Capitalising on his opportunity, Raditz generated a small ball of energy and fired it into the sky with all his might.

Piccolo smirked menacingly at the long-haired warrior. "I'm down here, you know… or have my attacks destroyed your eyesight?" Closing his palms, Piccolo began to summon up his power for one last attack. "I'll be putting you to sleep permanently! No more games!"

Suddenly, Raditz's eye pupils faded to nothingness; his body twitched violently as the primal beast within began to take over. However, his superior control of the transformation allowed him to stay in control as his body grew vastly bigger, his eyes becoming a deep red color. His skin began to turn a deep brown as his teeth elongated into vicious fangs, his malicious laughter becoming far deeper and darker than ever before. The Saiyan's sheer power completely smashed his scouter—leaving its remains to be deposited by the wind.

With a roar worthy of that of a Great Ape, Raditz had completed the ascension to his Oozaru form.

"Hahahaha!" growled the baritone voice of Raditz's new form. "How do you like me now, green man? Think your piercing beam will be able to cut through my Oozaru state?!"

Piccolo's eyes widened in fear—he'd never seen a transformation like this ever before in his life. All he knew was that it most likely spelled doom for him and his unlikely ally. "What the?! What's going on?!"

"You foolish Namekian," cackled the Great Ape, letting out a primal roar. "You should have killed me when you had the chance!"

Piccolo had successfully charged up enough of his energy for only one last attack—if this failed, the Namekian had no other options. Desperately pleading to the heavens, the Namekian thrust his right hand forward, energy beginning to form in the ligament.

"Well, I'm about to make up for it! Destructive Wave!" A vast yellow beam shot out of Piccolo's outstretched arm and made its way towards Raditz with a high-pitched whine.

Raditz grinned maliciously as he batted his arm to the side swiftly, blocking the Destructive Wave with nearly no effort at all. It rose into the air, where it dispersed in the stars. "It's all over for you, Namekian!"

The Namekian tightened his fist on his solitary right arm—even if he wanted to regenerate his left arm from Raditz's Double Sunday attack, he would only sap into his own life energy. It was truly over.

He generated a pink ball of energy in his left palm and aimed it towards Piccolo's immobile body. "Saturday Crush!"

With a roar, the sphere made its way towards Piccolo, who closed his eyes and prepared for the end. The Namekian felt the heat of the energy attack begin to sear his green skin as it drew closer, yet he was helpless to do anything. I was truly a fool… I should've known better than to provoke someone like Goku.

"NO!"

Suddenly, Piccolo was pushed away by humanoid hands—however, the owner of those hands was not a human. The following explosion rang out throughout the vast fields and threw up a deep black smoke cloud.

When the dust settled, Goku was revealed to have been the one to save the Namekian with his arms outstretched, panting heavily. "You won't… hurt him…"

Raditz growled as he scooped up the helpless Saiyan in his large grip, staring furiously at his still and unconscious form. "You're certainly persistent, Kakarot. Allow me to end your suffering!"

The Great Ape hurled Goku into the air and smashed his large fist down on Goku's sternum with all the strength he could muster, sending the Earth-raised Saiyan crashing down into the ground.

Goku finally fell into unconscious, his head bouncing off of a sharpened rock. There the fighter lay, broken and defeated.

"NO! DADDY!"

Young Gohan, ever the one for non-violence, used his anger and willpower to ascend to powers never seen before for a non-Oozaru. Using this new power, the Saiyan hybrid dispersed some of his energy around his immediate surroundings to force open the door of his confinement, rushing towards his uncle with a battle cry worthy of the long-forgotten Saiyan race.

Unfortunately, the kind of power that Gohan displayed meant very little when in comparison to his uncle's at the current moment; the Oozaru simply batted Gohan to the side with his large backhand. "Out of my way, you half-breed!"

Raditz suddenly felt his body jerk violently, beginning to compress in on himself. Wh-what?! What's going on?!" He slowly, but surely, began to sink down to his normal size, growling in both rage and frustration. Wh-Why?!

At last, his regression was complete, causing the Saiyan to fall to his knees in frustration. His muscles ached violently from the sudden change in his equilibrium. I can only assume that it had something to do with my tail…

Desperate to survive, the fallen Saiyan then pulled an object out of his pocket slowly, punching in a code on the object—now identified as a remote. A scowl that signified his defeat showed on his I hate to retreat… but it seems I have no choice. I'll be back, Kakarott... and you will become one of us.

"Wha-"

The long-haired Saiyan glanced over at Goku with a stunned mien. No! He can't be conscious! Curse it all...

"My body…" groaned Goku in, shudders of pain wracking his abdominal muscles and his skull."W-Where am I?"

Raditz, while suspicious, decided to play on the unlikely possible scenario. "Kakarott..."

"Who are you?" Goku questioned, staring directly at his brother with a gaze of confusion and uncertainly. I remember that I was fighting some guy… but who? Was it him?

Raditz let out a small laugh. So, it seems fate has finally played in my favour… "My name is Raditz. I am your brother, and we were severely injured when we tried to defeat that green man over there," he lied, motioning to the now unconscious Piccolo.

"Your name is… Goku," he said after a brief pause. On the off chance that he actually remembered something, I can't risk him figuring out the truth. "We work with two other of our kind, Nappa and Prince Vegeta. The rest of our race has been wiped out by an evil tyrant named Frieza."

He jerked his head in the direction of his space-pod. "Come with me to the space-pod, and I'll explain further."

As the two dragged themselves to the space-pod, Raditz grinned internally. Just you wait, Frieza. The Saiyans are re-united, and with a good few years of training under your rule, you're done for…

The Capsule Corp. plane touched down on the grassy plains with a soft whirring sound, Krillin and Yamcha immediately darting out of the ship to survey the battlefield for Goku. Unfortunately, as far as the eye could see, Goku was nowhere to be found.

"Goku..." called out Yamcha nervously. Where did he…

"Where are you?!" cried out Krillin.

"He's gone."

Both Earthlings pivoted on their heels to come face-to-face with a battle-wounded Piccolo. "His brother basically dominated the fight until I drilled him with my new technique. Unfortunately, he turned the tide again and defeated us both. I can only assume he was too weakened to finish me off… which means he might come back for us as well."

"Y-you're kidding…" Yamcha murmured. Goku, gone? No… there's got to be some mistake.

Piccolo turned around and crossed his arms. "I'll be training in a valley not too far from here. Any of you are welcome to come challenge me—but be warned: this doesn't mean I'm your newest ally; I won't pull any punches. I merely need to ensure that there's still a planet for me to rule after that Saiyan's return."

The Namekian surrounded himself in a bright white light as he rocketed off into the sky, bypassing the artificial moon in the air.

Krillin turned around and scooped up the young hybrid child in his arms, looking down at him with a crestfallen expression. "There's Gohan… the poor little guy will be crushed when he learns the truth… Chi-Chi, too. This is all so horrible… who thought this could happen?"

The former desert bandit bowed his head. "If it weren't for Goku, it's likely that we wouldn't all be together today... it just won't be the same."

"Do you think we'll ever see him again?" questioned the former monk.

"I don't know…" murmured Yamcha. "I just don't know."

Little did they know, a whole new adventure was about to unravel involving themselves and Goku… but not the one they knew and loved.

Greetings, readers! Welcome to the inaugural chapter of Sins of the Father, a story that originally debuted in extremely late 2012 with the premise of Raditz abducting Goku into the stars and a whole new journey unfolding based off that one small alteration. Sadly, the story has been discontinued from that point onward, and while in chapter 21 of the story I said I was going to try my hand at rewriting it... well, I'm sorry, but that just doesn't seem likely. I'm not outruling it as a possibility, but Turbulence(the spiritual successor to SotF) has been going strong for almost a year now and honestly has my undivided attention going forward. I only have time to likely write one epic in my life, seeing as how I'll be entering the real world soon, but again... it's entirely possible that I could revisit this story when the proper time comes.

I want to warn you, before you continue, that this story is not an accurate representation of my current writing ability. This was a story I wrote in early 2013 on a whim(and would finish within the span of, say, an hour or so), and quite honestly, if I were to rewrite it, it's likely that only a few key elements would remain from the original version of this story. Essentially, what I'm telling you is that, should you pick this story up, you're reading at your own risk.

Now, you may wonder why I'm telling you this and not just deleting the story. Well... I've grown attached to it despite the fact that I'm not writing it any longer, and I want to leave it up for people to be able to see my journey as a writer. My writing steadily improves with each passing chapter(sans the ever-dreaded 7 and 8, which I seriously wrote within the span of... two hours?) It's really as simple as that. I personally would recommend you reading Turbulence(which is, as anyone will tell you, undeniably the superior tale), but by no means will I impede you from seeing my baby steps as a writer. I'm proud of the writer and storyteller I've become, and I can't fully share that feeling with you without giving you both sides of the coin, so to speak.

So with that, I leave you with Sins of the Father. It may be re-written some day(in which case this would be taken down), but for now, I implore you to enjoy it for what it is - my origins as a writer.