Bardock grabbed a bottle of water as the crowd, mostly women, filed out of the large room he used for these sessions, taking deep gulps to rehydrate his body. This was his secret, where he came when he got bored with the Soul Society, the world of the living where he had a job in Tokyo as a trainer. He worked in a gym on the ground floor of one of the many skyscrapers that housed a large company that led Japan in terms of technology and the finances to develop it. He spent more time in his gigai than any other Soul Reaper, so unlike most he knew how to get in and out of one without much trouble. This was a second life he led here in the world of the living on Earth where he found far more entertainment than in the Soul Society plus a much wider variety of food which, with a Saiyan's insatiable appetite, was always a good thing. He taught a few classes a day, beginning them with yoga stretches to help center his students and moving onto any number of self-defense techniques. They were popular but his first classes were always the fullest, he was a hard teacher and only those that could tolerate his attitude and sarcasm survived beyond that. Those first few classes tended to be the hardest as he set the pace of the exercises and weeded out the weak who couldn't handle his technique.

The majority of his class were women, a few men here or there, but Bardock's rugged good looks and muscular build made him very popular with the ladies. Usually, he was more than happy to return the winks and seductive glances of the females that walked past him, eager to chat one of them up long enough to invite her out for a drink. Today, however, his mind was again elsewhere. Shenron had been pestering him to no end so his zanpakuto was currently in "time out." Call him crazy, but each Soul Reaper's zanpakuto had a personality and a spirit all its own, most could hear the voice of their weapon and saw it not as a tool but their partner. Bardock's Shenron was sarcastic and impatient, much like Bardock himself, they were of similar height and features, but Shenron had wild reddish hair, blue eyes and most of his torso was covered in brown fur with a long monkey-like tail. Bardock did a double-take at that moment; he swore he saw Shenron out of the corner of his eye leaning against the wall behind him. He choked on the water he'd been about to swallow, spitting it out in shock as he realized his eyes hadn't deceived him.

"What the-?" he snapped, wiping the water away, "Who the hell let you out of the closet?"

"Bad gay jokes aside," Shenron smirked with a shrug, "You thought of me, I thought I was being summoned."

"Somehow I doubt you're supposed to have this much free will," Bardock replied.

"Shows what you know," was the response.

Some things never changed, "You haven't answered my question."

"Ooh, big bad boss-man," Shenron mocked him, "My bad, I thought we were partners and now you're telling me I'm just a subordinate. Tch. Fine, but next time you're up against a hollow that ain't going done with fists alone, don't come crying to me."

Bardock rolled his eyes as Shenron turned to disappear; he could be so dramatic, "SHENRON!"

"DUDE!" the zapakuto yelled back, "Relax, Bard! Man, what's gotten into you lately? I always knew you were a jerk, but…"

"Dammit, Shenron!"

"Bardock," Shenron's tone was calm, "Calm down and chill out. You should know how this works by now. You need me, I come, sword or no sword."

"You're annoying."

"Whatever, Bard. When you manage to pull your head outta your ass, you let me know."

And with that, Shenron was gone as suddenly as he'd appeared, leaving Bardock to himself which wasn't necessarily what he wanted right now. But Shenron was his zanpakuto, not a friend he could get a drink with, it was times like this he missed Tora most. He'd grown up with Tora, they'd known each other all their lives, had trained together, been on countless missions together, they were partners when they first started going on Frieza's missions. Tora had been nearly as strong as Bardock, though he was taller with a larger build, but was far more patient with a kinder heart. Tora had been his best and oldest friend, his brother. Bardock shook his head as he wiped the sweat off his brow with a towel and gathered his things to head back to the apartment he kept here on Earth. He was a warrior, a Saiyan, not a human, he would not be ruled by his emotions, they didn't help anything and they sure as hell couldn't bring Tora back. He walked down the street, gym bag over his shoulder, free hand in his pocket, he glanced at a tinted window as he passed, eyes wandering over his reflection. Suddenly an image of Tora appeared behind his reflection, Bardock glancing over his shoulder to make sure Tora wasn't truly there. Naturally he wasn't, but the image of his deceased friend remained when he looked back, the expression sad and concerned.

"You need me," the image said, its voice exactly as Bardock remembered Tora's.

"If you want him back so badly," Shenron's voice said in his mind, "You could just use the Dragon Balls and wish him here."

"Wish a full-grown Saiyan back to life on Earth," Bardock muttered in response, "That probably wouldn't be bright."

"This is Tora we're talking about," Shenron answered.

"There are people protecting this planet," the Saiyan answered, "with experience against Saiyans who wouldn't react well to him and would likely not even give him a chance."

"Your son would."

"My son… who was forced against his will to fight and defeat his own brother, who was badly beaten by two other Saiyans."

"Your son who spared the life of one of those Saiyans and saw the better side of that Saiyan."

Bardock sighed, prepared to counter that comment, when something suddenly slammed into him hard enough to knock him to the ground.

"Oh, man!" a male voice said, "Really sorry about that. Haha! Guess I wasn't paying attention."

A hand grabbed Bardock's forearm in a firm grip and pulled him to his feet before he could so much as look at who'd run into him.

"You all right?" the voice asked.

"Fine," Bardock snapped, shaking the hand off, "Just get your hand off me!"

"Well, that's not very nice. It was just an accident."

"Smooth, Kakarot, very smooth," a rougher voice joined in, "I knew you were going to run into something."

"Ka-Kakarot?" the sound of that name made Bardock turn and look at the pair.

Lo and behold, before him stood a man with the same wild black spikes as his own, a couple inches shorter with a lighter skin tone, but aside from those subtle differences he was a carbon copy. His companion was quite a bit shorter, his features arrogant, his black hair sticking up in a familiar style, the same fashion as the King so clearly standing before him was the Prince of all Saiyans. At the sound of his Saiyan name, Goku turned back to look at the man he'd bumped into, shocked to see a face similar to his own looking back at him, Vegeta's attention also turning to Bardock.

The Prince smirked as he realized who it was he must be looking at, "Well, this should be interesting."

Quite suddenly, as Bardock had been ready to snap at Vegeta, a roar sounded, that call all too familiar to Bardock, putting all his senses on high alert. Vegeta and Goku both looked in the direction that horrible sound had come from, neither having ever heard anything like it before. Instantly, the two were in a fighting stance, while Bardock had burst from his gigai behind them and leapt over their heads as he pulled Shenron from its sheath and the gigantic hollow came into view.

"Oh… shit," he cursed as he looked up at it; hollows that size were usually difficult, "Why can't you guys show up somewhere other than a crowded street?"

The hollow simply roared in response; Bardock knew exactly what drew it here as his scouter began beeping, two arrows pointing behind him, indicating Goku's and Vegeta's power levels. Both were incredibly strong, but that kind of power was the kind that lured hollows toward more tempting souls; hollows went after other souls, but when a strong soul appeared, hollows would take that over a weaker one.

The power that Saiyans and certain humans possessed manifested after death as spiritual pressure, hence why Bardock had the powers to become a Soul Reaper, his psychic abilities only made those powers stronger. He glanced around, ignoring the shocked looks on Goku and Vegeta's faces and the fact that they could apparently see him, at the people oblivious to his or the hollow's presence. He had to lure the hollow away from here before an innocent bystander got hurt, which would only piss Yemma off, or worse: devoured.

"All right, ugly," he muttered looking back up at the hollow, hand thrown out with open palm as he powered up a blast, "Come get me!"

He let the blast off before turning and leaping from the ground to the rooftops as the hollow let out a roar of pain letting Bardock know that the blast had hit followed shortly after by the sound of the beast's footsteps.

"All right, Shenron," he muttered, "We need to go to someplace that's completely desolate and would never be in real life at all and it's huge and it's bajillion miles wide and it's nowhere to be found on Earth…" he led the hollow to a clearing on the outskirts of town, "But it's right over there!"

He landed in the middle of the clearing, skidding to a stop as he turned to face his opponent who was clearly peeved and getting closer as it let out another roar. His scouter began beeping furiously, the arrow pointing upward and to the right as Goku and Vegeta appeared in the air, both about to land.

"You fools!" he yelled, his eyes locked on the hollow, "Stay where you are!"

"But-!" Goku got out before Bardock cut him off.

"Kakarot," he replied, his voice calm and even, "I can handle this."

"Your son," Shenron said mentally.

"The family reunion can wait," Bardock said, "My job comes first. Oh crap."

Out of nowhere giant claws came slashing at him; Bardock leapt back to dodge, but he wasn't quite quick enough as they caught him in the shoulder. He landed, a smirk on his lips as the pain throbbed and the coppery smell of blood hit his nostrils; the fight was about to begin. The claws came down again, this time clashing against the blade of Bardock's sword, and he fired a ki blast that hit the hollow in the chest just above the hole that lay there.

Goku had no idea who or what this man was nor did he know how he knew Goku's Saiyan name, a name only Vegeta called him by, he didn't even have the slightest clue what that monster he was fighting was. All he knew was that, judging by the scouter the man wore and the long brown tail that lashed behind him, this man was another Saiyan who bore a strong resemblance to Goku himself. His instincts demanded he help, told him that this Saiyan was blood somehow, even while his common sense and experience warned him about what this man was capable of and what he might do. The battle waged on, the hollow proving to be more than Bardock had thought initally; the warnings had been right, this hollow was stronger than he'd bargained for. He was bruised and bleeding, but though Goku had moved to help, he pressed on, not letting his son aid him in this fight. He was far from done, he knew this enemy, while
Kakarot didn't and though he knew of his son's experience in battle, the boy would only get in his way. The hollow was not unscathed, this fight was drawing to a close, Bardock could feel it and he looked forward to the end of this. He charged at the hollow at the same moment it moved in to attack him, the smell of blood filling the air, a warm stickiness streaming down his shoulder and soaking through his black kimono. The teeth of the hollow were embedded in his right shoulder, an injury similar to the one inflicted on Rukia Kuchiki when she'd first met Ichigo Kurosaki, his blade thrust through the hollow's throat.

He pressed his hand against the hollow, blasting it and forcing it to release its hold and back away enough to allow him to leap back before launching himself into the air. He came down, his zanpakuto point down and embedded it in the face of the beast, then landed on the ground as it disintegrated and vanished. He slid Shenron back into the sheath only to hear the roar of another hollow nearby and looked about to see a number of smaller hollows emerging.

"You gotta be kidding me," he muttered, again unsheathing his sword.

A black butterfly suddenly flew toward him as Goku landed on the ground and approached him, Bardock holding out a hand that the insect landed on, his wings flapping rhythmically.

"Warning," Bardock muttered as the message was relayed, "There has been an influx in hollow activity?" he groaned as the hell butterfly left and he took a fighting stance, "No shit! Little late on the warning!"

"What's going on?" Goku asked.

"Kakarot!" Bardock ordered, "I will explain, but stand back and let me handle this!"

"You're hurt!" he argued.

"You'll only get in the way!" the older Saiyan yelled, looking at him with a fierce glare on his face, before it softened slightly, "I can handle this."

Reluctantly, he stood back, ready to intervene if need be, and watched as Bardock quickly cut through the monsters that surrounded him. Tired and drained as he was, like any Saiyan Bardock kept fighting, taking out one hollow after another; luckily these were weaker hollows that required little effort on his part. Nonetheless, he was relieved as they went down one by one until there were none left standing and no more reappeared. He straightened, breathing hard, and resheathed his sword before turning and looking at Goku and the Prince who'd finally landed on the ground. Only then did he wonder how it was they could see him in his current form or the hollows, but before he voiced those questions, he entered his gigai.

"What the hell?" he demanded as he looked back at the two younger Saiyans.

"Hmph!" Vegeta responded, arms crossed over his chest, "You're the odd one to be asking questions. You're supposed to be dead!"

"What're you talking about, Vegeta?" Goku turned to look at him.

"Look, whelp," Bardock began, ignoring Goku.

"No one survived our planet's destruction!" the Prince glared hard at him.

"I AM DEAD!" the low-class soldier shouted.

"And yet you stand before me, explain that!"

"I'm a Soul Reaper, you idiot!"

"I really wish one of you would tell me what's going on," Goku put in firmly since the other two had momentarily shut up.

Bardock let out a sigh, "Kakarot."

"How do you know that name? Who are you?" he asked.

"My name… is Bardock. I'm your father."

"My father? But how?"

"Oh, don't tell me!" Vegeta snapped, "You have two sons! What do you mean how? Seems to me you should've figured that one out already, Kakarot!"

"You, shut up," Bardock looked at the Prince, before looking back at Goku, "I told you, I'm dead… technically. I'm a Soul Reaper, those things you saw were hollows. They're souls that went bad after death, it's my job as a Soul Reaper to purify them."

Vegeta looked at him skeptically; he'd seen beings dressed much like Bardock before, but had never previously paid much attention to them. Having died before, he also knew that all Saiyans had been sent to Hell, he'd ended up there himself when Frieza'd killed him and had seen firsthand all the others of their race that had been there.

"Impossible," he said, "All Saiyans went to Hell after death. I've heard of these Soul Reapers from the others and, if what I was told is true, they live on the other side of Other World. No Saiyan was sent to that side!"

"Most Saiyans were sent to Hell," Bardock replied, rolling his eyes, "Not all of us. I redeemed myself just before I got burned into crispy-fried monkey by that death ball of Frieza's."

"Oh?" the Prince quirked an eyebrow, "And how did you do that?"

"Pretty stupid in retrospect," the older Saiyan replied, rubbing the back of his head, "Total suicide mission, really. I flew out into space to confront Frieza, told him we weren't going to be his attack dogs anymore, and tried to attack him. I made a fatal error that shouldn't have been made, I seriously underestimated his power."

"Bravo," Vegeta sarcastically clapped his hands, "And what made you think a mere low-class like you could've taken on Frieza when not even my father was strong enough to."

"I wasn't thinking."

"Obviously."

"I don't recall the King ever quite being the same cold-hearted prick you've become, Prince!" Bardock's patience with the heir to the Saiyan throne was wearing thin, "I was sick and possibly mad with grief! Dodoria had killed my team, I knew what Frieza was planning to do! I wanted to stop him, I wasn't thinking clearly."

"So you decided to play the hero."

"You make that sound like such a bad thing."

"Hmph. It means nothing when you're too weak to have any hope of winning and against Frieza, you had no hope."

"You lost to him as well, Prince."

"I at least held my own for awhile, you lasted all of five seconds. You should've known better, being the pathetic low-class that you are."

Bardock growled; Vegeta had hit a sore spot and he damn well knew it, it was Saiyans like him that got under Bardock's skin and put him on the defense.

"I'll have you know, Prince," he practically spat the title, "My power level at the time of Vegeta's destruction was almost 10,000 and courtesy of specialized training over the years it's even greater than that now."

"Impossible! No low-class soldier was that strong!"

"No? What about Kakarot? More to the point, it's why I should have been retested. I'd have easily made elite then."

Vegeta bristled at the absolute lack of respect from Bardock; Kakarot could be excused, he wasn't raised a true Saiyan and hadn't had any idea who Vegeta was plus that annoying habit of his of treating everyone the same. Bardock was a different story, Bardock knew who the King had been, he knew full well that Vegeta was a prince and still he dared disrespect him. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised, surely not all of Kakarot's traits and behaviors were learned from Earthlings. Here, standing before him in a black kimono, lay the source of Goku's self-sacrifice, his determination and stubborn streak, the absolute confidence in himself, the limitless potential for great power, and even to some extent his kind heart. The two were alike in as many ways as they were different, Vegeta was willing to bet that had Goku been raised a Saiyan and never bumped his head, he'd have been a miniature of his father. A low-class Saiyan with the power Bardock claimed to have had was unheard of before Kakarot, a Saiyan that had been admitted to what the others called the Soul Society was impossible.

"Improbable, Prince," Bardock suddenly remarked, "Not impossible."

"What? But how did you-?" the Prince got out in shock.

"I have certain abilities," he smirked, "Let's leave it at that. Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies."

"You would dare lie to your Prince?"

"No, of course not," Bardock turned to take his leave, "I just wouldn't answer."

Vegeta did the same indignantly, "Come on then, Kakarot!"

"But, Vegeta, shouldn't we-?" he began, but was interrupted.

"Don't bother, the man's incorrigible," his companion snapped.

"Actually encourageable's more like it," Bardock quipped turning and looking at them briefly, "Well, it's been real, but I gotta split. So see ya later, it's been a real…slice. I'll tell your old man you said 'hi', Vegeta."

And with that Bardock was gone by use of the flash-step technique all Soul Reapers knew, but he seldom ever used out of preference for his own Saiyan after-image move.