Highway to Hell

Goku stared back at his hopefully looking sister, while scratching the back of his head. He hadn't seen her in her Saiyan uniform since she arrived on Earth. Now, she wanted him to take her to see King Kai? What would she even want to see King Kai for? She couldn't train to learn any of the Kai's techniques in less than a week. Not to mention Chichi would kill him if he disappeared again. He'd already promised his wife that he and Gohan would spend the week with her, like a normal family, no training. It was already a stretch to get her to let him and Gohan stay in their Super Saiyan forms.

"Rori... I'm not even sure it's possible to take you to see King Kai... You've never died." Goku concluded, " besides Chichi would-"

"Oh, c'mon Goku! What could go wrong? If it's not possible, it's not possible. Can't you at least try? And you won't be gone long, I promise. I only need the ride, you don't have to stay." Rori pleaded.

"I guess I could try..." Goku shrugged his shoulders and raised his two fingers to his forehead, motioning her to hold on to him. Rori came over putting her hand on his shoulder and he smirked, "but don't say I didn't warn you if you can't learn King Kai's techniques that quickly. It took me a couple of months."

Within seconds they were on King Kai's Planet and Goku turned to make sure she was still there. Rori sank down into the ground a bit when she first made contact with the Kai's planet, "Whoa!"

Goku laughed, "I guess you don't have to die to come here, you just need instant transmission."

As Rori caught her balance from the gravity shift, King Kai walked out of his house with Bubbles following behind. Bubbles was the first to notice Goku, running past a confused looking King Kai.

"Goku what are you doing here?" he cried, never liking unexpected visitors. He took a closer look and saw someone else with Goku, "Is that your sister?! Goku you can't bring people who are alive here!"

Goku blinked, "What? Why not? She's here so that means she can be here right?"

King Kai began to yell at Goku, while Bubbles went over to make friends with Rori, "You can't bring someone living here. This is the other world. The after world! "

"Why what will happen?" Goku questioned.

King Kai took a moment and thought about it, "I'm not actually sure... You're the first one to do it, but it's forbidden. This world is sacred Goku, you can't just stop in whenever you want and bring whoever."

"C'mon King Kai. She just wants to learn some new techniques from you."

King Kai started to study the other Saiyan, pondering it.

"Actually..." Rori looked over at the two from her crouched position, where she was scratching behind Bubbles' ears, "I didn't come to ask train with King Kai... I wanted to go see my brother..."

Goku arched his brow, "but... I'm right here."

Rori stood up and shook her head walking over to the two with Bubbles, now following her, "No, not you, our brother... Radditz... I thought maybe King Kai could help me find him over here. You said you'd been to hell before Goku, right? So that means I can find him."

Goku looked a bit concerned at this, "Why would you want to find Radditz? Last time we saw him he tried to kill everyone on Earth."

Rori nodded, "Yes, but he was teaching me a technique before that I thought might be helpful. If I can find him, maybe I can learn it."

Goku's look darkened a bit, remembering how crazy his brother seemed when he came to Earth. Goku had given him several opportunities to get away, but it was apparent the guy was just evil, "Maybe it would be safer if you just tried to learn the Kaioken here. It's a strong technique."

"Yes, but.." Rori eyed King Kai who was now looking at her with speculation wondering what the but was to his technique, "no offense King Kai, it's actually more of an anatomy problem... Goku, male Saiyans are better with techniques like that one... ones that give you a boost to your physical strength and stamina... but as a female I'm much better with ki techniques than with physical ones."

King Kai started to size her up again and then smirked, "Have you ever even used a ki blast?"

Goku laughed, "of course she has... she's a Super Phoenix... there was that time when... no... well when Frieza... oh wait... Rori have you never used a ki blast?"

Rori shook her head, "I can only make the small ones... nothing big like your Kamehameha... Radditz was teaching me, but we were always on Frieza's ship so I couldn't without blowing up a part of it."

King Kai sighed and went into his house, making noise as he was rummaging through his things for something, "Aha found it!"

When King Kai returned, he put a wrist band on Rori's arm, "I can't guarantee that you'll find Radditz before it's time for the tournament, but when you go down to hell, if you press this button, you'll be transported back to my planet, then I can contact Goku to come bring you back."

"Thanks, King Kai!" Rori smiled, now one step closer to finding Radditz.

"As long as Goku promises that this is the last little visit like this, you can use it." King Kai looked over to Goku, who nodded.

"Promise!"

"Alright, now I'll see if I can find your brother... it shouldn't be too hard since we can narrow it down to Earth's hell" King Kai searched with his antennae for a few moments, before he found Radditz, "found him... he's not far but you might have your work cut out for you... he's at the Lake of Reflection..."

"What does that mean?" Rori questioned.

"You'll see soon enough." he chuckled and pointed up towards snake way, "now just follow snake way until you get to the 5,000th scale from here. Once you're there make sure to jump off from the left side as far as you can go. The clouds will pull you down before you can get far enough, but you should be close from there."

Rori hugged Goku and smiled, "See you when it's time for the fight?"

"If you're sure... be careful down there..." Goku waved to her watched her leave, as she took a big leap up onto snake way and started her journey. He looked over to King Kai, "Maybe I should go with her. I don't like the thought of her alone with Radditz after what happened when he came to Earth..."

"Oh I wouldn't worry to much about him... but it's up to you." King Kai shrugged, "As long as you get off my planet!"

King Kai had been right. It hadn't taken Rori long to find her way. When she landed she was in the middle of a golden field filled with sprites and fairies dancing around, playing, singing and having fun. She blinked and took a look around. This couldn't be right. Did she make a mistake? No, King Kai said jump off the left side. Maybe she miscounted one of the dragon's scales because this was not the image of hell she had in her mind. Who would think this was a horrible place? She went up to one of the sprites and cleared her throat.

"Umm... Excuse me... I'm just visiting... I think I'm in the wrong place. I'm supposed to be in hell."

The sprite nodded in agreement. So, yup, this was Earth's hell.

"I'm sorry, but how can this be hell?" She couldn't help but question and the sprite pointed her in the direction of a ball cocoon hanging from a tree. When she got a look at who was in it Rori couldn't help but laugh, "Frieza?!"

Frieza had been keeping his eyes closed humming to himself hoping to keep some semblance of sanity and evil. When Frieza realized who was there, his eyes immediately shot open narrowing them to the sound of her voice, "Finally! Get me out of this thing quick!"

"Why, exactly, would I do that?" she crossed her arms glaring up at him, "You're not exactly in the position to be giving orders anymore. Even if you were out of that cocoon."

"...Please?" he tried, hating the taste of the polite term on his tongue, "GET ME OUT OF THIS THING!"

"Well, it was nice seeing you for once." Rori waved and turned back to the sprite, "So I'm looking for the Lake of Reflection... Do you know how to get there?"

The sprite pointed off toward a dark mountain in the distance, where the sky had turned from its pink color to a deep blue with black clouds.

"Ohhhhhkay... Well thanks." With that Rori headed off toward the mountain. As she left she could hear Frieza pleading with her in the background to get him out of the cocoon and she smiled slightly to herself, thinking a little time to reflect in that cocoon might do Frieza some good.

Radditz wasn't quite sure how long he'd been dead for at this point, or for that matter how long he'd been in this abysmal dimly lit place, but it had been long enough to weigh on his conscience. He remembered that when he first arrived, he was very stubborn and arrogant about his death. Even though it took two of those Earthlings to kill him, they'd still managed it. Well... technically one was a Namekian the other was a Saiyan, but it shouldn't have mattered. What made it worse was how they had teamed up with his sister. Yes, Kakarot was his brother too, but he was long gone to the Saiyans by now, calling himself an Earthling. When he'd first arrived in hell, Radditz was angry with those two. His brother for being weak-minded and his sister for betraying him for that Namekian. If they had just listened to him... He was their older brother, he was the authority figure. They should have fallen in line. No, he was not in the wrong here, or at least that was what he'd thought at first.

Radditz stared at his reflection in the lake. He'd been at this same spot now for so long. Nothing chained him there, but he couldn't have moved away even if he wanted. It was as if an unknown force was keeping him bound there to stare down at his own reflection. Soon he saw a familiar face in the waters appear from behind him. His sister's figure walked up from behind him, now looking down in the water's reflection as well. He watched as her hand reached down and she ran her fingers through the tips of his hair, her voice reverberating off the water, "There you are! I've been looking for you."

"Why am I not surprised?" he answered, keeping his face hard as stone as he met her eyes, not turning from the water to look back at her, but he slapped her hand away from his hair. Rori moved her offending hand to her hip smiled a slow sly smile.

Radditz kept his eye contact with her, but he didn't budge. Before long Kakarot appeared behind him on his other side, crossing his arms, "Haven't you learned anything?"

"I don't have to take this. I've already said my peace." Radditz responded.

"You can leave whenever you want. No one's holding you here, you know?" Goku replied smirking as held his hands up wiggling his fingers to show his older brother that he could go, but Radditz didn't move.

Rori knelt down next to Radditz, slinging her arm around his shoulder, "but you won't leave will you?" She waited for an answer, but none came. He couldn't deny it and he also couldn't explain why he stayed. She laughed pushing him away, "No you won't leave. You like it here. You like the reminder don't you? The reminder that you can't live up to the fact that you failed us."

"He can't live at all, sis. He's dead remember?" Goku corrected and poked the side of Radditz's head, "isn't that right? Not like you didn't take some of us out with you though. You must have been proud to know that you killed not only one of the last remaining members of your race, but your own little brother?"

"I think dad would be proud of him." Rori concluded nodding her head, "Actually, I know he would be proud of him. Look at all of his astounding accomplishments. Forgetting about his brother until it was convenient for him and then killing him, letting his sister get betrothed to the Saiyan's mortal enemy, then letting her run off with a low-level Namekian and when he finds out, he tells her to be a good little whore and obey him."

Rori started to undress, "This is what you wanted right?"

"Stop it!" Radditz yelled causing her to cease her actions, all but her laughter, "That wasn't me. You were still in heat, Rori! It was your scent and you know it! I would never do that to you!"

"Oh, please!" Goku laughed and shook his head, "I was there too and I didn't try anything with our poor little sister."

"You had mate already!" Radditz yelled, "It wouldn't affect you!"

"Oooo, should we add that to the list too?" Rori questioned Goku.

"Hmph, couldn't even find a mate before his younger siblings. Pathetic." Goku laughed.

"That's beside the point, bro. He completely abandoned you and wasn't even aware enough to notice the trouble I was in." Rori regressed.

"Stop!" Radditz called again, "I just wanted to-"

"You failed!" Goku yelled cutting him off.

"Nothing, but excuses from this one. How disappointing." Rori sighed.

It was always the same. Radditz always started out strong, not giving into their banter. He knew they weren't real, but the things they were saying... The things they accused him of... before long the thought would come to him: Had he not been right? Did they really believe those were his intentions? Did his sister really not know he had just wanted to protect her? Did his brother not know that Radditz hadn't known any other way to show him how to be strong? What would his father think of him after he had let this happen to his siblings... to him? And in that moment the mirages would break him and he'd shout at them. He'd apologize for what they'd thought he'd done. He'd bargain with them hoping that they would forgive him, but they never did. They would just disappear for a little while, until he would calm himself enough to start all over again.

When Rori finally arrived, she found Radditz sitting before the lake, staring into it looking completely entranced. She walked up next to him, but he didn't appear to notice her. Rori looked down to the lake and noticed that there was no reflection of them in it, even though she was standing so close to it. Lake of Reflection, my ass... she thought to herself.

"SHUT UP! That's not what I meant! " Radditz suddenly shouted at the water, startling his sister. Rori approached him cautiously now.

"Radditz?" she tried, but he didn't respond. She waved her hand in front of his face, but nothing would break his trance.

"You're not them!" he finally shouted again after moments of silence causing Rori to get even more concerned. What was going on with this lake? It looked normal to her, but obviously it was not normal to her brother.

"Radditz!" she screamed grabbing on to his face with both hands and turned his head towards her.

Radditz continued to stare with glazed eyes for a few seconds, before blinking and backing up, "how did you do that?! Don't get any closer! You can't come out of the lake! You've never done that before!"

Rori blinked looking at the lake and then back to Radditz, "I didn't come from the lake... I came from up there."

Radditz watched as his sister pointed up to the clouds. What would that mean? "You're telling me... she's dead?"

"Who's dead?" she asked.

"My-my sister."

"I'm not dead. I just came to find you, Radditz." Rori explained, "I'm still alive."

"Is this some new way to torture me!? Make me think I have a way out?! You're not her!" Radditz yelled before he turned to look back at the water.

"No!" Rori yelled, dragging him by his armor away from the lake, "I don't know what that lake is doing to you, but you need to stop looking at it!"

Radditz wasn't sure what to believe, but he let her drag him away from it. He hadn't the courage to walk away himself, but he wouldn't stop her. This didn't seem possible though. The mirages had always touched him in the reflections, but he'd never felt any contact and they'd never managed to move him. Was this really Rori or had the mirages evolved?

"There!" Rori exclaimed, once she'd dragged him into a forest and away from the lake. He sat up looking at her with skepticism as she sat down next to him, " that should be far enough... what the heck was that lake doing to you?"

When Radditz didn't answer and just continued to stare at her, she knew King Kai was right again and she had her work cut out for her, "you don't trust me, huh?"

No answer came. Rori sighed, "I can't say I'd blame you... I let Piccolo and our brother kill you and even helped them... but... I just- What were you thinking Radditz?! Trying to get Goku to destroy his planet. Trying to make me leave my mate. You know how sacred that is to the upper class Saiyans... whether I was meant to be Vegeta's mate or not you knew it was too late! And a Namekian would be considered better than any Earthling!"

"I've been explaining it to you for however long I've been down here! How many times do I have to apologize?! How many times do I have to explain it to you?!" Radditz stood up in a rage ready to either fight her or leave, "you two think you can continue to torture me like this?! You know the answer! You've heard it countless times by now! Fine! Let's go countless times and one! I would never do that to you Rori! It was because you were in still heat, it lasts longer than when you find your mate, you know! That's how upper class female Saiyans assure they find the strongest mate, when there's no one left to kill the current one before your heat is over! And no, Kakarrot did not try anything because he already had a mate! And I wanted to get you two off of Earth at any cost because you wouldn't be safe! Not with those weaklings! You would have been safer when I found Vegeta and Nappa and we figured out what to do! Frieza blew up our own plant and you thought you could hide out on Earth with a Namekian and Kakarot?! As soon as Frieza found out where you were, he would have come to Earth, blown it up anyway, our brother and your mate included, and taken you with him... and he probably would have killed me to just for the fun of it. So, actually... I'm done apologizing to you! I'm done apologizing to Kakarot! This is what I get for trying to protect my siblings?! An eternity of torture? Who needs it?!"

Rori stared at him speechless for a moment before she knew what to say to get through to him, "Radditz... Frieza's dead. Goku took him out."

"...the Namekian...?"

"No, no... Kakarrot... He changed his name to Goku on Earth." she explained.

Radditz laughed, "Now I'm certain you're a mirage!"

Rori shook her head standing up and pointing down the mountain, "Radditz, he's down there in stuck in a field of teddy bears and fairies singing to him... It's pretty funny, actually."

Radditz raised his brow with a smirk. He wasn't sure he believed her yet, but this was something new... something different from the past years. He'd play along for now, "Really...? That's fitting... then what are you doing here... you said you weren't dead?"

"A lot has happened since you've been down here..." Rori didn't know where to begin.

"How long is that?"

"Well..." Rori started to count, she wasn't quite sure herself, "6 Earth years, I think."

"And our weakling brother killed Frieza...?"

"Wellllll... he kind of gave him a second chance like he did with you... but he could have killed him... he ascended to super saiyan, he even beat Vegeta too."

Radditz stared at her a moment, his little brother a Super Saiyan? It was hard to believe. "I knew this was just another mirage..."

"No.. really! And he's not the only one!" Rori commented before turning into a Super Phoenix. She knew it wouldn't be a good idea for too long, now that she knew she was pregnant, but a few seconds to get him to believe her wouldn't hurt.

Radditz didn't quite know how to react. He was partially upset that he'd not been able to do it himself, that his younger siblings had surpassed him, but proud at the same time, "then who killed Frieza?"

"Vegeta's son killed him later."

"Vegeta's son is not yours?"

"No, no. Vegeta's with an Earthling. My mate's the Namekian remember?" she teased.

"Well... I guess it's better than an Earthling." he repeated her with a smirk.

I wonder how he feels about androids... she thought herself, but kept that one to herself. "We managed to get rid of Frieza, but there's someone on Earth much stronger than him now... I'm not sure we're going to be able to save the planet... Vegeta's even been working with us to stop this guy, Cell, but it might be impossible... Even so everyone needs to be at their top game... so I thought you might help me train."

"If you could take a run a Frieza and ascend to Super Saiyan, there's nothing I can help you with Rori." Radditz concluded.

"I don't think that's true... You were teaching me some stunning ki techniques before I left... I didn't finish them."

"Well I'll give it a shot... even if you're not real... this is better than the lake." Radditz concluded.

A/N: Soooooo, that was a long time... Sorry about that. I had way too much going on and I might still have quite a bit until into the mid-summer, but I'll try my best to keep these coming out. I haven't lost interest and DB Super's actually given me a few ideas to continue this past the Cell Saga. Thanks for your patience. This is the last one before the Cell Games start. And Radditz might be coming back for good after this. Well you'll all let me know if you think that's the right move, I'm sure. But I can't help but get an image of protective uncle Radditz... for Rori and Piccolo's eventual child.

And thanks for all the comments. Someone asked me to write something about 17 and his family. I'll be sure to add that in around super, but it might be awhile... but coming up soon, after the cell games, for whoever asked for 18 and Krillin's story, that will be happening... and we'll see a little more of 17 vs Piccolo at the same time.

:P Again your patience was so appreciated! If you have anything you want to see you can always ask, I wouldn't have tried to add the 18 and Krillin angle if it wasn't requested, so I do take your feedback into account, even if it might take a bit of time. :)