Warning: There's a little bit of swearing in this, but I try to make it seem tasteful and as in-the-moment as possible. Also, this chapter is quite long due to the content. Meeting the daughter of the asshole who abandoned you will do that.

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"Whoa," Marron breathed out, sitting beside Bra on the loveseat couch across the man's bed, "That's some hair."

Bra snorted at her remark, her focus reserved on the man's face. It was quite gentle in sleep, "That's all you can say? Don't you find him – "

"Handsome?" Marron finished for her, "Yeah. Of course; it seems to be a natural trait of you Saiyans from what I can tell. And I don't know how it was possible, but it he actually has more muscle mass and definition than your dad or Goku. And he's so tall! He hardly fits on that cot."

"That's better," Bra smiled, sticking out her tongue, "I'm glad you approve."

Marron shot her a look, but didn't entice Bra with further banter, "But that is some hair. I hope he'll let someone cut it. You're small enough to get lost in it."

"Hmm, you're right," Bra giggled a little, standing up and offering Marron her hand, "That's enough ogling for now. You promised to help with the fish, remember?"

"Mmmhmm," Marron hummed, taking Bra's hand, "I'm afraid that's the only way it's going to be edible."

"Hey!"

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Raditz was roused by the smell and sound of sizzling fish.

He tried to open his eyes and sit up, but he quickly withdrew into his covers, the sheer amount of pain covering every inch of his body too much to bear. Ugh, what had happened in his fight with his father? He couldn't remember any of it. They were flying towards the mountain battlegrounds and then –

White light. A wish. Blue hair.

And despite the pain wafting over him, Raditz shot up from his mattress, a frantic gasp escaping his throat. The first thing he noticed was that he could feel; really feel. His hands could feel the rough texture of his skin, the thick hair cascading over his shoulders. He wiggled his feet from inside the blankets he was wrapped in, the soft cotton tickling the soles. Next, he noticed that every color his eyes absorbed was brighter than they had been in hell; the whites of the walls, the red of the couch across from him….each piece in the room was rich with hues Raditz hadn't seen in over forty years. Lastly, his nose could pick up every smell, be it the fish cooking nearby to the strange, gentle fragrance filling the room. Flowery with a hint of passion fruit…Raditz decided he liked it.

Taking another deep breath (and rather enjoying the way his body filled with life), Raditz plopped back down onto the mattress, already exhausted by his stroke of fortune. None of this made any sense; he had waited years to be revived by the prince before accepting his fate for the rest of eternity. The afterlife in hell was surprisingly pleasant with his father and Nappa, anyway. What could have prompted his return? And more importantly, who could have wished for it?

There had been that blue hair, Raditz mused as he looked towards the lone window in the room, sunlight streaming through. A vibrant warmth spread across his skin and Raditz couldn't help but relish the simple feeling. It had been a long time since he had felt true warmth, And that woman with Kakarot had had it…could it have been her?

Raditz tried to recall the memories of that day, but just the thought sent his new body bristling, bile rising to the roof of his throat. He had died at the hands of that wench's friends – at the hands of his own brother! Why the hell would they wish them back? Why would any of them wish them back? He had accepted his fate. He had liked it in Hell.

Anger swarmed over his skin, quickening his pulse and the beat of his heart. His fists ached to punch out the wall beside him, but he could hardly sit as is, let alone stand and walk. How long did it take to recover from a forty year death, anyway?

"Oh my god," a voice from the other side of the room caught his attention and Raditz turned his head, surprised by the petite woman standing in the doorway. She lacked the blue hair he had caught sight of, and she definitely didn't seem like any kid Kakarot would have with that woman anyway. Oddly, she sort of resembled the tiny man he had knocked into that house.

When she said nothing else, mouth hanging agape, Raditz chose to raise a hand towards his face and grant her a little wave, using his voice for the first time since his revival, "Hello."

The word came out stiff and it was strange to feel his throat vibrate at the sound, but it seemed to do the trick. The woman immediately scurried back from wherever she came from, shouting out to someone named Bra.

Luckily, he was able to pick up on the mumbled conversation. Saiyans had some great ears.

"Bra, he's awake!" the woman whispered fiercely.

"Huh? You sure?" another voice asked, this one just a touch more feminine and proud.

"Yes, I'm sure! Now go over there and tell him what's up."

"Alright; you stay here and look after the fish."

"Are you kidding me? There's no way I'm leaving you alone with him."

"Please, Marron. You're talking to his princess."

"Like he's going to believe you with that kind of hair."

"Just – ugh, fine. Stay outside of the room and I'll call you if I need any help. I'm sure if push comes to shove, we can take him out no problem."

Raditz crooked a brow, trying to absorb as much of that vague information before this 'Bra' came in to see him. His princess? How was that even possible? The only other royal family member possibly alive was Vegeta's younger brother. There were no known princesses of his former planet. And taking him out - that blonde and this 'princess?'

Had they any idea who they were dealing with?

"Ohhh, you are awake," Raditz turned his head once again to the doorway. This time, his eyes bulged.

It was her. The woman with the blue hair from that island. But her hair was longer and she seemed…younger? Shorter? No, that couldn't be right; almost forty years had passed. That woman had to be near her sixties by now. This was – could it be – ?

"They had another," Raditz groaned, a headache starting to bud at the back of his skull. He definitely didn't miss those; the prince could stir up several daily, "I can't believe that fool."

The blue-haired woman cocked her head to the side, lips twisted into a slight pout, "Hmm? What do you mean?"

Ugh, she seemed just as clueless as Kakarot. Wonderful, "Are you not the daughter of that woman? I believe Kakarot called her Bulma?"

Her eyes widened at that remark, her form shrinking away from the doorframe, "Wha…h-how do you know my mom? And no one else calls Goku that besides my dad!"

Okay, so that was unexpected. Kakarot wasn't her father? And more importantly, she didn't know who he was? Then why had he been revived in the first place? "You mean to tell me Kakarot isn't your father?"

"Eww, no!" the girl shook her head, "Goku and mom…eww! They're the best of friends but they definitely don't see each other that way! Ugh, now that image is going to be stuck in my head for the next three years. Gross."

Odd…he could tell from her lean arms and legs she was a fighter, though how capable she was had yet to be seen. That Bulma woman wouldn't have trained her… and her father called Kakarot by his Saiyan name, "Then who is?"

"Wait, hold on!" the girl threw her hands in front of her chest, taking a cautious step towards him, "You still haven't told me who you are and how you know my mom. Did you two meet in space?"

Raditz shook his head, the frustration he had felt earlier building up again. Had this been a mistake, his revival? This woman had no idea who he was or what had occurred between him and Kakarot forty years ago…he had been forgotten, after all, "No, we didn't. I…met your mother on earth, as well as Kakarot. And the day I met your mother, I died."

"You – you died?" she took another step towards him, her face softening, "On the day you met my mother…you call Goku by his Saiyan name…."

She stopped, eyes widening once again. Her fingers shook a little and her body stiffened. Contempt etched into her face, a scowl adorning her pink lips, "That –! That asshole dragon!"

At the abrupt shout, the blonde woman re-entered the room, her face just as ashen as the other's, "You have to be kidding me, Bra! You revived – "

"You revived me?" Raditz turned his attention back to Bra. This woman revived him, instead of her mother or Kakarot or any of the others he had met? But for what? Why?

"Oh my god, Marron, my dad is going to kill me," Bra groaned, plopping herself onto the loveseat, "I can't believe this, I can't believe this, I can't believe this."

"Well you better believe it," the blonde said from behind her. Her fingers curled over a steel coat hanger on the wall and Raditz swore it bent within moments, "This just got a hell of a lot more personal."

Bra ignored her friend, hands over her ears and eyes glued to the flower patterns on her skirt. Acting as though the world itself had come to end.

"Well, at least you know who I am," was Raditz's next words, his tone every bit as bitter as he felt, "Though you have yet to say my name. Or yours. Or who your father is. Or why I'm here."

"I'm sorry," Marron tried to smile, but her lips could only strain under the pressure she undoubtedly felt, "You're…you're Raditz, right? Goku's brother? My father's talked about you once or twice when I would ask for a bedtime story."

"And your father is…" Raditz trailed. He had his suspicions on whom, but it didn't really matter to him in the long run. It wasn't she who had wished for him anyway.

Still, nice to know he lived on in stories, albeit more vicious and frightening to excite the likes of a child.

"You hit him in the face," Marron replied, "On that island. His name is Krillin and he's your brother's best friend. My name is Marron and this is Bra. She's – "

"Let me tell him," Bra insisted, sitting up straight with determined brows, "It's only right."

Marron shrugged and Raditz gave his full attention to the blue-haired girl once again, a little unnerved at how much she did look like that Bulma. Some might find it strange how he could remember such things; he'd only been at that island for ten minutes or so. But with eternity at his fingertips and shallow regret eating away at his stomach, Raditz had remembered everything. Constantly wondering about what could have been done or said to turn things around. So that he wouldn't have to die or lose his brother.

"So, as you know, my mother is Bulma," Bra started, her voice taking on an air of authority that Raditz was all too familiar with, "And my father…well, it's a long story on how they ended up together, but, well…he's Vegeta…your prince."

Well, didn't see that one coming.

At fucking all.

"You have got to be shitting me," Raditz almost growled, his sore fists bunching up the blankets close to his chest. If he had the strength, he definitely would have slammed his head into that wall right about now, "How is that even possible? The prince is your father? And your mother is that woman?"

"I – I know that might come as a bit of a shock," the girl kept her cool despite his agitated disposition, body a tad more rigid than it had been before, "But it's the truth. I'm sure you've wondered what happened to Vegeta since he never – "

"Don't assume anything," he replied, "I never wondered anything after that bastard left me for dead; and I know all about the little prince's escapades on Planet Namek and Earth. Hell is fond of gossip."

"Oh," Bra blinked, "But none of his enemies mentioned his son Trunks? Like Cell?"

"That's his son? I always assumed that was another one of Kakarot's brats."

The blonde shook her head, "No, Goku only had two sons, and one of them was born after the Cell Games. His name is Goten."

Raditz snorted, "Of course it is."

The three fell silent after that, all lost in thoughts of what to do next. Raditz, however, was the most perturbed. Vegeta had a mate. And kids. The most antisocial son of a bitch in the universe had a perfect little life with a perfect little family and he had left Raditz to die.

"He laughed, you know," Nappa said, "I wanted to revive you and I thought we would and he just…laughed."

"You're taking this rather well," Bra was the first to speak, her hands now sitting atop her knees, "You know, for a Saiyan."

"Forty years in Hell tends to mellow a person out," Raditz replied, a ghost of a smirk finding its way to his lips, "But if my body wasn't in a state of complete and total shock, I'd have bashed this wall in five minutes ago."

The girl giggled at that, the sound tingling against his ears, "Well, it's a good thing you're not one hundred percent yet; I don't have another capsule other than the jet. Not really comfortable, to be honest."

He had no idea what she meant by capsule, but Raditz nodded either way. Still, she had yet to answer the one question that had been gnawing at him and it outweighed every bit of disgust he suffered, "Why am I here?"

Her giggling abruptly stopped, smile wiped clean off her face, "Uh…come again?"

Really, she wasn't Kakarot's daughter? "I asked you why I'm here. Why did you revive me after all this time? Did your father send you? Or Kakarot maybe?"

The girl crinkled her nose, her stare darting across the room, avoiding his form by all means. Before Raditz could ask again, the blonde answered for her, tone much more at ease (and even a little playful), "She wanted you for a partner."

Bra jumped out of her seat at the remark, turning her head to stare back at her friend's rascally grin, "Marron!"

"What? It's the truth," Marron shrugged, chuckling, "Besides, he deserves to know, right?"

"Partner?" Raditz quipped up, "What kind of…partner?"

"A –"

"Sparring partner!" Bra exclaimed, firmly covering Marron's mouth with her hand, "I wished for a sparring partner to train with!"

"You revived me…to spar with you…" Raditz trailed, the rage in his stomach surging, coursing through his tender muscles. He had been revived by Vegeta's daughter. He was supposed to spar with Vegeta's daughter.

He was to be used by Vegeta's daughter.

Apparently, Bra didn't catch on to his darkening expression, laughing and nodding her head as fast as she could, "Yep! Sure did."

Marron pulled away from Bra, eyes narrowing, "Oh, really Bra? Care to tell him why?"

Bra didn't miss a beat, "I needed someone around my level to help me train and ascend to Super Saiyan. As the one and only Saiyan princess, I feel like it's my duty to achieve a feat every other Saiyan has, you know? And I guess Shenron just thought Raditz would be the perfect candidate."

Another giggled escaped her and Raditz almost recoiled from the sound. He couldn't believe this. Hadn't he paid his dues? What was with the fucking universe trying to humiliate him at every possible turn?

"I'm to be the princess's sparring partner," Raditz said, the words tasting like venom.

"Yeah! It should be…" the giggling faded, the girl realizing a little too late how narrow his eyes had become.

"I'm to be the princess's little plaything."

Memories of years long passed zoomed across his vision: of training with the young prince, of being beaten and used, of being called trash by the very boy he swore at the impressionable age of six to serve until his dying day. And Raditz had been stupid enough to think that the boy would have a change of heart as they grew older together. That maybe, if Raditz's life was on the line, he would come to his rescue, as the leader of his people should.

Time and time again he had hoped. And time and time again, Vegeta had proved him wrong.

But his allegiance to the prince had been broken the day he set foot on earth. He owed the prince no favors. Especially none that concerned the self-entitled brat who wished him back.

"No…" Bra shook her head, drawing closer to the man in an attempt to console him, "That's not – that's not what it's like! Please let me –"

"You've explained enough," Raditz spat, throwing off the covers with the little strength his body could muster. Even then, the blankets shot across the room to the other side of the wall, knocking over a lamp, "And now I have no reason to stay."

"Don't act rash," the blonde said, her form becoming much more closed off and defensive. So it seemed like this one knew when trouble was approaching; it had to come from her mother's side, then. And Raditz was pretty sure he had no idea who that was, "You're body's still recovering. There's no way you can possibly walk out of this place, let alone fly."

"What do you know of Saiyans or death, woman?" Raditz retaliated, unaccustomed to a woman telling him what he could or couldn't do.

Despite the tense atmosphere, Marron smirked, a flash of a challenge sweeping over her face, "I've been around you freaks all my life; I'm even dating one. And I died once – it wasn't hardly anything I would call fun."

"Then you should understand that as a Saiyan, I'm not going to stand by and wait to be beaten by a spoiled twig," Raditz replied, keeping his focus on Marron to add further insult to "his princess". What a joke – what another asinine twist the fates had thrown at him.

"What…what?" Bra seethed, shoving herself in-between the two as Raditz struggled to take his first step out of bed, "Spoiled? A twig? No one speaks to me like that, especially not some asshole who should be thanking me!"

"Thanking you?" Raditz tried to sound as angry, but the utter amount of stress pressing into his body as he settled his feet onto the cool wood floor caused him to appear weary; weak, "For what?"

Bra grunted in disgust, slapping a hand to her chest, "For saving you from hell! If it wasn't for me, you'd still be there suffering for all eternity!"

"Oh, thanking you for that? Really?" Raditz winced as he stood up, his legs as wobbly as a toddler's, "Am I to be gracious to the little princess? To serve under her like I did her father? Tell me, what will you do with me once you ascend? Leave me to die on a planet I know nothing about? Have my body rot in a field where I faced a humiliating defeat? Is that what you have planned, my liege?"

The woman shook, her fists rising from her hips to the pit of her stomach. He could tell she was on the brink of tears, struggling to keep her composure in the face of accusations against her father, "Shut up. Shut up or I'm going to slap you."

Feeling rash and emboldened by her response, Raditz fixed one hand onto the girl's petite shoulder, taking his first step, "Go ahead. The prince did worse."

"Why are you fighting this?" Marron chimed in, her body taking up the whole of the doorframe, "You need rest! You can't go out there in your condition or you're going to die again."

"I don't see how that's a bad thing," Raditz tried to smirk, but he could only cringe again as pain burst through this torso, his stomach clenching tight with hunger and thirst, "I have no reason to stay."

"But you could – you could set things right with Goku and his family!" Marron said, "You could be friends with all of us – even Vegeta. He's changed so much, really! And – and you could even become a super Saiyan, like –"

"For your information I've already ascended twice," Raditz replied, releasing his hold on Bra as he took another laboring step forward, "My father taught me; I guess you didn't word your wish right, princess."

He turned to look back at the defeated woman, pleased with the way her head was cast down in shame, hands limps at her thighs. Such a little fool, just like –

"No," Bra whipped around, not a one tear or any sign of humiliation written across her face, "I worded it exactly right."

Raditz crooked a brow, taken aback, "Come again?"

"Shenron gave me exactly what I wanted," Bra nodded, more to herself than to him. Then, unexpectedly, she picked Raditz up (all six feet, six inches and three hundred and thirteen pounds), curled his body into her lithe arms, and walked him back to the bed.

Raditz squirmed in her surprisingly strong hold, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment, "Wha – what is this? Unhand me, woman!"

"My name is not woman," she said firmly as she threw him back onto the bed, scuttling to pick up the blankets he had thrown beforehand, "My name is Bra and you will address me as so."

"I don't have to address you as anything!" Raditz countered, trying to no avail to stand back up. His body had already expelled whatever latent energy he had possessed. Now he was in desperate need of a hearty meal and lots and lots of water, "You took everything away from me, just like your prick father! I had accepted my fate – I was happy there!"

"Well now you're going to be happy here, where you belong," Bra replied, smoothing the covers over his wriggling body, "I didn't mean to wish you back, but I did. And we both have to accept it. You're my responsibility from now on and despite whatever you think of me, I'll make sure all your needs and wants are met."

His needs? His wants? "What could you possibly know of that?"

"As your princess, it's my duty to find that out," Bra stared down at him, her lips taking on the faintest of smiles, "Isn't it? And I'm sure the first thing you need is to recover here, at least until you can fly again."

It was unexpected, the way his body prickled with warmth at her words, how his heart skipped a beat at her kind eyes. He stopped wriggling then, his exhausted body melting into the mattress.

"Uh…Bra?" Marron cleared her throat, catching the two's attention, "The food?"

"Oh! That's right!" Bra bopped her head, laughing a little as she rushed over to Marron, "Completely forgot about that – I'm sure you're starving, right Raditz?"

Raditz didn't say anything. He only nodded and her smile grew a tad more.

"Okay then! We should have that out in ten minutes or so. Just try to relax while we're gone. We'll talk more then, I promise."

Raditz nodded again and watched the two women depart, not bothering to listen in on their conversation this time around.

She was his princess. He was her responsibility.

She was Vegeta's daughter, the prince that had abandoned him.

If only he could sit back up; if only he had enough strength to scream and punch that fucking wall.

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A few notes:

1. There were a few ways I saw the first encounter going, and I believed this to be the most realistic approach. Raditz has a lot of unresolved resentment when it comes to Vegeta, and being wished back by the guy's daughter to essentially be her punching bag (or so he thinks) does not sit well with him.

2. Raditz, as well as Bardock and Nappa, have changed quite a bit through their journeys in Hell. What Raditz said I believe to be true – a lot of the villains end up mellowing out over there and sort of have fun thrashing on each other. Therefore, this Raditz isn't a direct adaption from what we see portrayed in the magna and/or anime. He'll still have the base character, but I've branched him off quite a bit. Besides, he was having a pretty bad day, whereas the anime flashback showed him to be much more subdued.

3. It's implied in the anime (not sure about the magna) that Nappa did consider Raditz his friend, with the way he seems to mourn over his death far much more and longer than Vegeta. Personally, I think Nappa gets a bad rep simply because he isn't a bishonen, so he's perceived as a bigger baddie than Vegeta – when canonically, Nappa did show compassion towards his fellow Saiyans when Vegeta felt absolutely none. Remember, it is Vegeta who kills Nappa; it is Vegeta who betrays, once again, his fellow Saiyan. You can say it's a product of the lifestyle he adapted by Frieza while Nappa had developed in the Saiyan culture where loyalty was valued, but that certainly doesn't excuse his behavior. Essentially, where I'm going with this is Raditz isn't forgiving Vegeta willy-nilly. It's going to take a lot of work for Vegeta to regain the trust and loyalty Raditz once held for him (which, is something he might not see the point of, despite his significant character development).

4. Also when it comes to power increase in the afterlife, since Goku was capable of increasing his power while he was dead, I see no problems with others doing so. I believe Raditz ascending twice to be realistic. However, since he had ascended when he was dead, he consequently doesn't know how to ascend when a body is attached to his soul. So while he'll be much stronger from his initial appearance, it's going to take some time for him to regain the power he's lost. After all, he's been dead for forty years. He's almost like a newborn at this point.

5. Lastly, I hope to make Bra and Raditz's eventual relationship as natural as possible. It's going to be quite a challenge, considering how much baggage both of them will carry after the inevitable confrontation with Vegeta. However, I think they're a pretty good match for one another – they just have to discover that for themselves.

6. Oh wait, forgot a thing: Tarble and Gure will be a part of this story as well! They do visit Earth from time to time and have a set of adorable twins – one boy and one girl. I haven't thought of their names yet, but they will be quite fond of Raditz's hair. ^_^

If you could review, that would be wonderful. You don't how much it means to receive feedback (however, I get really peeved when all someone writes is to hurry up and update, so if you could refrain yourselves from that, I would be eternally grateful).

Next chapter: Raditz shares a meal with Bra and Marron while thousands of miles away, Vegeta wonders why the third Ki near Bra's is so familiar…and Trunks wonders why Marron left him in the middle of the night (they were snuggling, dammit).